The Exhibitor (Jun-Nov 1944)

24 MORE APPLICATIONS DUE BEFORE WLB New York — Applications have now been signed by Joseph Basson, IATSE, and ex¬ change heads covering 10 front-office locals, and the applications will be filed immediately with the regional War Labor Boards, it was said last week. Included are office workers in San Francisco, Port¬ land, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, In¬ dianapolis, Detroit, Washington, Phila¬ delphia, and New York. The total of joint applications signed by the companies and the IATSE in behalf of white collar work¬ er's at exchanges now totals 30, but the only application so far approved by the WLB covers the Albany local. Los Angeles is excepted, since employes there belong to an AFL union unaffiliated with the IATSE. The IATSE and the companies also last week signed seven more applications submitted by back-room locals in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Buffalo, St. Louis, New Orleans, Cincinnati, and Denver. To date, the Seattle local is the only one whose application has met with WLB ap¬ proval. N. J. Allied Names Committees New York — Committees named at last week’s New Jersey Allied meeting are: executive, Harry Lowenstein, chairman; Louis Gold, Ralph Wilkins, David Mate, David Snaper, Edward Lachman, and Maurice Spewak; finance, Snaper, chair¬ man; Lachman, Helen Hildinger, Ralph Wilkins, and Sidney Seligman; member¬ ship, South Jersey — Si Myers, Roscoe Faunce, and Frances Fineman; North Jer¬ sey — Mate, Lachman, Maurice Parks, and James Gravany; entertainment, Irving Dollinger, chairman; Dr. Henry Brown, Lewis Martin, George Gold, Harry Hecht, and Sam Frank; cheer, Lachman, chair¬ man, and M. Fogelson; public relations, Lee Newbury, chairman; J. Gold, Dol¬ linger, and business relations, Jack Unger, chairman; S. Hochberg, Frank Henry, and A. Lewis Martin. J Eastern regional directors’ committees include Snaper, finance; Newbury and Wilkins, business relations; Gold and My¬ ers, public relations. Mrs. Hildinger and Myers were named co-chairmen of the South Jersey unit. Foreign Reps. Meet Riskin Washington — Foreign managers and representatives of the various distributors met last week with Robert Riskin, OWI overseas film chief, and members of his staff The industry group was assured that booking of commercial films abroad would become their own responsibility as soon as the armed forces indicate they are ready. Films are now. handled by OWI as part of the Army’s Psychological Warfare branch. SAG Directors Chosen Hollywood — Directors of the Screen Actors Guild were chosen last fortnight as follows: Edward Arnold, Anne Baxter, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, Laraine Day, John Garfield, Alan Hale, Porter Hall, Paul Harvey, Rex Ingram, and Regis Toomey. THE EXHIBITOR Hardy Files Motion NEW YORK — A motion to intervene in the New York anti-trust case was filed last week in Federal court by Russell Hardy, attorney, St. Louis Amusement Company, St. Louis. On behalf of his client and other St. Louis exhibitors, Hardy asked for action either to vacate the proposed consent decree or for inclusion of a clause exempting exhibitordistributor rela¬ tionships in St. Louis from the author¬ ity of the decree, and claimed that the American Arbitration Association’s authority had expired last November. Argument on the petition has been set for Nov. 3. The petitioners include St. Louis Amusement Company, St. Louis Ambassador Theatres, Inc., Eden Theatre Company, and Fanchon and Marco, operating 31 St. Louis houses. WPB ANNOUNCES NEW STOCK SYSTEM Washington — The WPB announced last week that the honor system for film with¬ drawal by the industry will end in Oct¬ ober, the amendment to L-178 having been voted by the clearance committee, and signed by the general counsel. Blanket authority for laboratories to order raw stock is continued, but specific WPB authorization for each print order from distributors and produces will be requied after this month. These will be issued on the basis of quota allowances of film, at 75 per cent of the 1941 usage. In the event there is film available later in the quarter, it will be prorated among the claimant companies. Altec Convenes On Coast New York — G. L. Carrington, president, Altec Service Corporation and Altec Lan¬ sing Corporation, announced last week that Altec’s annual business conference will be held in Hollywood this year, instead of in the east as in previous years. This conference is considered a neces¬ sary step for the correlation of exhibition with production in forthcoming technical advances developed in Altec's coast lab¬ oratories and elsewhere. The Altec supervisory organization will be given new information for the instruc¬ tion of the field forces in the servicing and operation of motion picture theatre sound equipment. "Thought" Prem. In Milwaukee Milwaukee — “The Very Thought Of You’’ will have its world premiere at the Warner here on Oct. 13, it is announced following a meeting here last week at¬ tended by Ben Kalmenson, general sales manager; Roy Haines, western and south¬ ern division sales manager, and Don Woods, local branch manager. Kincey Circuit Praises Femmes Charlotte, N. C.-i-Wilby-Kincey Circuit announced last week that only two men, Jack Austin and Martin Street, are left on the city staff. The women were praised for their work. "MASTER RACE" BALLY INCLUDES SPEAKING TOUR New York — As a prelude to the nation¬ wide premieres which RKO is setting up for ‘‘The Master Race,” S. Barret McCor¬ mick, director of advertising and publicity, announced last week the engagement of Mrs. Gregor Ziemer and Mrs. Bella Fromm, authorities on Nazi Germany, to make a speaking tour of the country. According to the plan outlined by Mc¬ Cormick, Mrs. Ziemer and Mrs. Fromm will make independent tours, appearing before local women’s clubs, civic organiza¬ tions, war workers groups, and the radio. Keynote of their talks will be inside reve¬ lations of the Nazi system based on their own personal experiences, tieing in with “The Master Race.” The lecture tours will be handled by Terry Turner, RKO Radio’s exploitation chief, with Mrs. Ziemer scheduled to begin hers in the Texas area on Sept. 25, and Mrs. Fromm beginning hers on the same date in Boston under the sponsorship of the Yankee Network and a number of New England new=papeKS. RCA Fieldmen Confer Camden, N. J. — -Regional sales represent¬ atives for RCA 16 mm. motion picture sound and projection equipment last week concluded a series of conferences with home office executives of RCA’s Sound Equipment Section. Current and post-war distribution plans were discussed. The regional men, in Camden for about 10 days, were Harry E. Erickson, Chicago; Max Heidenreich, Atlanta, and Raymond A. Hudson, New York. Home office par¬ ticipants in the conferences included Bar¬ ton Kreuzer, manager, Sound Equipment Section; O. V. Swisher, manager, 16 mm. commercial department, and A. G. Petrasek, commercial engineer on 16 mm. equip¬ ment. RKO Plan Up For Okay New York — The Treasury Department having previously indicated that the RKO employes’ pension plan, which is retroac¬ tive to Jan. 1, would meet with its ap¬ proval, the plan was sent to Washington last week for final okay. Similar to Loew’s, Inc., plan, it will cost RKO about $360,000 during the first year, exclusive of group insurance provisions which provide for paid up life insurance for employes, and which will cost about $60,000 the first year, after approximately $30,000 dividend pay¬ ments. The RKO plan covers all regular RKO and subsidiary company employes between the ages of 30 and 64, after they have completed three years of service. Pittsburgh Drive-In Readied Pittsburgh — A site was acquired here last week by a group headed by J. M. Berne for a Drive-In to be constructed as soon as materials are available. Berne and his associates operate a Drive-In in Louisville. Monogram Session Postponed New York — It was announced last week that the annual meeting of Monogram stockholders, scheduled for Oct. 18, has been postponed to a later date. September 27, 1944