Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

NEWS AND VIEWS OF THE PRODUCTION CENTER. (Hollywood Office — Suite 219 at 6404 Hollywood Blvd; Ivan Spear, Western Manager) See Speedy Settlement in Row Between IATSE and Local 37 Rapid developments on several fronts indicate a speedy and complete settlement of the manifold' disputes involving the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes and its Local 37, which some days ago had developed to the point where a nation-wide strike of theatre projectionists was threatened. Discussions throughout the week between the two groups were moving closer to an agreement under which local autonomy will be ordered and the local officers reinstated. Conferences were arranged after a parley with District Attorney Buron Fitts, as a result of which Fitts expressed the opinion that the film strike would be averted. The walkout threat, an adjunct to the bitter battle between the IA international and ousted local officers for control of Local 37, came when Harold Smith, international representative here, received a UA Looks Ahead, Passing Over 20th Anniversary While United Artists producers and their respective organizations concentrated their activities on mapping plans for the forthcoming UA sales convention, to be held here May 8-10, the 20th anniversary of the company’s founding passed without official local observances. Sole efforts in this regard were at the UA exchange, where employes have been supplied with gold lapel buttons citing the company’s anniversary. Publicists for the UA producers are directing their attention toward the sales parley, as a feature of which they are planning a lavish party for the home office and sales representatives. Groundwork for the convention will be laid by Lynn Farnol, advertising director for UA, who is expected in about May 1, accompanied by Monroe Greenthal, exploitation head, and Albert Margolies, publicist. Murray Silverstone, chairman of the UA executive committee, follows a few days later, according to present plans. Conventioneers will headquarter at the Ambassador Hotel. Producer participants will include Samuel Goldwyn, Walter Wanger, Edward Small, David Selznick, Hal Roach, Sol Lesser and David L. Loew. telegram from President George Browne of the IA ordering him to “stand by” for further orders, Browne’s action being prompted by what he termed the producers’ refusal to agree to reopen negotiations under terms of the basic studio agreement. Victor Clarke, labor contact for the Hays office, at that time refused to comment other than to declare the matter was up to Pat Casey, also of the Hays office, who is in New York. When Fitts successfully initiated the peace moves, however. Clarke informed the IA that negotiations for a new basic agreement will be launched immediately upon Casey’s arrival here. Acting on this information, the IA representatives wired Browne to withhold further strike action. Local 37 spokesmen, when Browne’s “stand-by” order was disclosed, declared his action was a “phoney bluff,” insisted the international has no authority to call a strike, maintained that not more than 1,000 studio workers would answer it if ordered and said the Federal Bureau of Investigation would immediately step in should the walkout take place. Settlement of another IA controversy also looms with the scheduling of a national labor relations board conference in an attempt to settle the charge brought against the IA by Jeff Kibre, a member of the rebellious faction within Local 37, in which he charges the IA is “company controlled” and was “sold down the river” to the producers. Court action on the fight for control of Local 37 has been continued, as has the scheduled grand jury investigation into “racketeering” charges brought against the IA by officers of Local 37. Still unsettled, however, is the course of action to be pursued in relation to the local’s claims that a $1,000,000 special assessment fund collected by the international was illegal and that none of the money has been accounted for. The district attorney has subpoenaed the financial records of the local as one step in his investigation of the manner in which the funds were collected. Further meetings were scheduled between the negotiating committees of the Screen Writers Guild and the producers relevant to a working agreement, while the Dies Committee Into Row While "satisfactory progress” continued to be reported in the IATSE Local 37 peace efforts, the situation took a new turn on the arrival here of two Dies committee investigators. Obviously to probe union affairs, the visitors are the result of a recent trip here by an IA committee headed by Congressman William Schulte, which precipitated the inter-union conflict. final draft of the Screen Directors Guildproducer contract has been sent to the two interested groups for scrutiny. The SWG, meantime, is giving considerable thought to the advisability of affiliating with the American Federation of Labor and to the status of its connection with the Authors League of America should such a step be taken. The Screen Actors Guild is planning to order another election shortly to fill vacancies in the Class B council, the voting session of April 16 having been ruled out on the grounds that less than 20 per cent of the B membership participated. Only 887 votes were cast. Seventeen vacancies are to be filled, with 60 candidates up for the posts. The proposed SAG-Artists Managers Guild licensing agreement is nearing the signature stage, with a nearly-completed draft to be forwarded to committees representing the two groups. Contracts are to be on a one -year basis. Kenneth Thomson, the SAG’s executive secretary, has returned from Washington, where he attended sessions of the congressional committee scrutinizing the Neely block booking bill. To discuss the studio labor situation, Joseph Marshall, international vice-president of the Studio Utility Employes, has checked in from San Francisco. Ready for signatures is a new agreement between the producers and the Society of Motion Picture Film Editors. Negotiations between producers and the Screen Publicists Guild have been resumed with studio managers checking on duties of various workers in the publicity departments. " Tropics " to Roll “Lady of the Tropics,” co-starring Hedy Lamarr and Robert Taylor, gets the gosignal at M-G-M within a week. BOXOFFICE :: April 22, 1939 H 27