Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

796,072. In addition there are 856 theatres with a total seating capacity of 400,916 which were closed at the time the MPAA made its survey. Circuit operated theatres, meaning four or more theatres under the same control, are 46.8 per cent of the total and their seating capacity is 53.2 per cent of the total. The ratio of population to seats, by states, is tabulated below in descending rank: South Carolina 19.8 Kentucky 18.6 Alabama 18.3 Mississippi 17.6 Tennessee 16.7 Georgia 15.6 North Carolina 15.2 West Virginia 13.7 Arkansas 13.6 Virginia 12.9 Indiana 12.4 Wisconsin 12.1 Minnesota 11.8 Iowa 11.7 Dist. of Columbia.... 11.6 Ohio 11.6 Louisiana 11.5 Pennsylvania 11.5 Illinois 11.3 Rhode Island 11.3 North Dakota 11.2 Michigan 11.0 Missouri 11.0 Maryland 10.9 South Dakota 10.9 Massachusetts 10.8 Colorado 10.7 Delaware 10.6 New York 10.4 New Mexico 10.3 Oklahoma 10.3 Nebraska 10.0 Vermont 10.0 Kansas 9.9 Washington 9.8 New Jersey 9.7 Montana 9.6 Connecticut 9.5 Maine 9.4 New Hampshire 9.4 Texas ; 9.3 Wyoming 9.3 Arizona 9.2 Florida 8.8 Idaho 8.6 Oregon 8.6 Utah 8.1 California 7.7 Nevada 5.6 Exhibitor Heads Commend MPAA Theatre Survey NEW YORK — Exhibitor leaders have commended the MPAA for its recently completed survey of theatres in the U.S. The survey was sponsored by Eric Johnston, MPAA president, and was compiled under the direction of Robert Chambers, head of the research department. Commendations have been received from Abram P. Myers, Allied States Ass’n.; J. C. Shanklin, president, MPTO of West Virginia; Rotus Harvey, ITO of Northern California; Col. H. A. Cole, Allied Theatre Owners of Texas; Edward G. Zorn, United Theatre Owners of Illinois; T. J. Evans, Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Iowa and Nebraska; Ray Branch, Allied of Michigan; Lauritz Garman, MPTO of Maryland; A. Julian Brylawski, MPTO of Washington, D. C.; Charles M. Thall, California Theatres Ass’n. O.S. THEATRES AHD SEATINS CAPACITY' BY POPULATION GROUPINGS 1.000. 001 and OVER i. 000, 000 -500.001 500.000 -250,001 250.000 -100,001 100.000 -50,001 50.000 -25,00! 25.000 -10,001 10.006 -5,001 6,000 -2,601 2,500 end UNDER ^-250.000 1,476 1.611,555 WWW 741.472 srs wwwv 908. 793 94S W WW 894.318 ns 871.852 1.7)1 1.393. 451 I l.Sl) J, 160.976 1.077.949 €.649 [WWWWWWWWb 2.252. 863 •OPEN THEATRES ONLY. DRIVE-IN THEATRES EXCLUDED. Fight on Double Features Back in Chicago Courts ADMISSION TAXES UP FOR FEBRUARY WASHINGTON — Income at the boxoffice picked up in March, the Treasury department reported, as general admissions tax collections climbed to $30,461,573. The figure reflects February business. The figures brought a halt to a twomonth decline which saw the general admissions taxes stand at $28,688,455 in January and $25,410,738 in February. Compared with a year ago, the figures showed an improvement. Both January and February 1948 admissions tax collections were about three million below the same respective month in 1947. The March 1948 figure, however, compared with $28,796,826 in March 1947, or more than a million and a half higher. Scophony, Ltd. Loses In Antitrust Appeal WASHINGTON— The U.S. supreme court has unamimously decided that Scophony, Ltd., of Great Britain must continue as a defendant in the antitrust case over Scophony television patents. This decision overrules a decision by the federal district court of New York that the British firm could not be a defendant because it did not do business in the U.S. The government appealed. The other defendants in the two-and-ahalf-year old case are: General Precision Equipment Corp., Scophony Corp. of America, Paramount Pictures, and Television Productions, Inc., the Paramount subsidiary. The opinion delivered by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge pointed out that while Scophony, Ltd., may not have actually manufactured and sold television equipment in New York, its activities here did consist of saving and exploiting its televison patents. Therefore, it did do business in the U.S. and did come under the antitrust laws. Dalton Trumbo Hearings Started in Washington WASHINGTON — Dalton Trumbo, screen writer, became the second Hollywood personality to go on trial on charges of contempt of Congress this week, following John Howard Lawson, who was found guilty last week and asked a new trial. Trumbo’s trial was before Federal Judge David A. Pine, while Lawson’s was before Judge Edward M. Curran, but otherwise the personalities were substantially the same. At the start the defense asked a delay until Chairman J. Parnell 'Thomas of the house committee on un-American activities could toe well enough to appear, but this was rejected. Also denied was a motion that the trial be moved to a new city. CHICAGO — The fight against double features in theatres owned by defendants in the Jackson Park Theatre case went into courts again this week. Seymour Simon, counsel for the Kimbark Theatre, south side neighborhood house, petitioned Judge Michael L. Igoe of district federal court for a temporary injunction against twin bills in the B&K Tivoli, Tower and Maryland theatres before they are shown at the Kimbark. HEARING SET FOR JUNE 11 Simon also asked that Paramount, Warners, Columbia, Universal-International and United Artists be enjoined from licensing films for double features at the three theatres, and that Warners, Columbia, U-I and UA be stopped from licensing features to the Lex Theatre before the Kimbark. Judge Igoe gave the defendants two weeks in which to file their answers, and set a hearing on the petition for June 11. Section IX of the Chicago decree prohibits the defendants in the case from playing “double features for the purpose, with the intent, or with the effect of preventing the Jackson Park Theatre, owned by the plaintiffs from obtaining motion pictures which have not been theretofore played by competing theatres owned or operated by the defendants.’’ DECREE CLAUSE EXPLAINED Last week, in denying a majority of the contempt citations petitioned for by the Jackson Park Theatre, Judge Igoe held that it cannot be assumed that all defendants are prohibited by the decree from double featuring any and all prior run features on the south side of Chicago. This conclusion, the court held, is not justified by the language of the decree or the intent of the court. Citing previous decisions. Judge Igoe pointed out that “double featuring in and of itself is not illegal.’’ Only the use of this practice for the purpose “of preventing plaintiffs from obtaining pictures before the defendants have channeled them through the conspiratorial system” was enjoined by the decree. Judge Igoe in his decision held that the defendants had not violated the intent of the decree, even though double features had been played. And this may be the key the court’s thinking in other double feature actions, showmen here believe. Charles Reagan Will Hold 5 Paramount Sales Meets NEW YORK — Charles M. Reagan, Paramount vice-president in charge of sales, will preside at all five divisional sales meetings in the 1948 series. The first meeting, which will be held at the Hotel Astor May 13 through May 15, will be followed by meetings in Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City and San Francisco. Hotels and dates are: Bellevue-Stratford, Philadelphia, May 17 through May 19; Knickerbocker, Chicago, May 24 through May 26; Muehlebach, Kansas City, Jime 3 through June 5, and Fairmont, San Francisco, June 7 through June 9. BOXOFFICE :: May 1, 1948 11