The Exhibitor (1951)

16 EXHIBITOR Agenda Scheduled For Coast Confab New York — Following a meeting at the Astor Hotel last week, the COMPO sem¬ inar committee decided to add an extra day to the forthcoming scheduled July 23-26 session between exhibitors and producers in Hollywood. The agenda will consist of discussions on the quantity and quality of films, how exhibitors can help build new stars and enhance the value of established ones, picture cycles, small budgeters, “message” films, audience taste, titles, wider use of color, story, industry public relations, television, trailers, the movie theatre jubilee, the motion picture expo¬ sition, etc. Each of COMPO’s 10 charter members will send two delegates, and there will be an additional four members from Allied and four from TOA, two more from PCCITO, and five to be named by COMPO President Ned E. Depinet, COMPO’s executive board will meet the night of July 23. On July 25, the seminar will be thrown open. For other sessions, speakers will be chosen for each topic. Among those in attendance were Gael Sullivan and Si Fabian, TOA; Trueman T. Rembusch and Nate Yamins. National Allied; Fred Schwartz, Leo Brecher and Oscar Doob, MMPTA, and Arthur L. Mayer, Robert W. Coyne, and Charles E. McCarthy, COMPO. Harry Feinstein Feted Pittsburgh — Variety Club, Tent 1, last night (June 12) tendered a testimonial dinner to Harry Feinstein on the occasion of his promotion to zone manager, War¬ ners’ New England Theatres. He was formerly head booker and buyer for the Pittsburgh zone. A1 Schwalberg, president. Paramount Distributing Company, was to have been toastmaster, and other executives who sig¬ nified their intention of being present were Harry Kalmine, general manager, Warner Theatres; Ben Kalmenson, general man¬ ager, Warners distribution department; Ted O’Shea, assistant general manager. Paramount; Arthur Greenblatt, distribu¬ tion head, Lippert; Jules Lapidus, War¬ ners’ division manager, and Maurice Berg¬ man, U-I executive. John Walsh and Abe Weiner were co-chairmen. Seadler Advice Distributed New York — Reprints of an article by Si Seadler, advertising manager, MGM, call¬ ing on all industry personnel to answer industry critics are being distributed to all branches of the business by the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, it was revealed last week. Hallmark In British Deal Wilmington, O. — Kroger Babb, presi¬ dent, Hallmark Productions, Inc., last week announced the signing in London of a long-term agreement with International Film distributors for the distribution of Hallmark pictures in the United Kingdom. Stanley Gosnell Mourned Toronto — Stanley Gosnell, 42, manager, Loew’s Uptown, died suddenly last week of a heart attack. Gosnell joined Loew’s in 1928 as manager of Loew’s Valencia, Baltimore, Md. TV Feature Showings Clarified By 20th-Fox _ NEW YORK— Officials of 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox last week claimed that an announcement made by CBS to the effect that three former 20th-Fox 1948 releases were included among “Schlitz Film Firsts”, new series to be telecast starting on July 6, was “premature”. The three films, 20th-Fox explained, were Frank Seltzer’s independentlyproduced films released by 20th-Fox, still committed to 20th-Fox, but which the company may relinquish. The films are “The Jungle Patrol”, “The Gay Intruder”, and “Let’s Live Again.” Wisconsin Suits Filed Superior, Wis. — Six percentage actions were last week filed in federal court. Separate suits were brought by Columbia, Warners, Loew’s, 20th-Fox, U-I, and RKO against Sheldon M. Grengs, and two oper¬ ating corporations. Theatres named in the complaints are the Hollywood and Stardusk PQghway Drive-In, Eau Claire, Wis., and the Stardusk Drive-In, Superior, Wis. David Shearer, of the Minneapolis firm if Shearer, Byard, Trogner, and Peters, and R. A. Crawford, of the Superior firm of Craw¬ ford and Crawford, represent the distribu¬ tors, with Sargoy and Stein, New York, as counsel. WB, Fidelity Conclude Plan New York — Jack L. Warner, executive producer, Warners, and A. Pam Blumenthal, chairman of the board of directors, Fidelity Pictures, Inc., last fortnight an¬ nounced the conclusion of distribution arrangements whereby Fidelity produc¬ tions will be released by Warners. Fidelity expects to start a picture every 40 days, with Howard Welch in charge of pro¬ duction. la. Considers Promotion Plans Des Moines — At a meeting of Iowa Allied last fortnight, Myron Blank, head. Central States Theatre Corporation, sug¬ gested the holding of a state-wide fall promotion program to boost theatre at¬ tendance. Branch managers described various promotion plans that can be used by exhibitors. Charles Niles, National Allied secretary, discussed clearance problems. Balaban Sees Upturn As Money Flows New York — Barney Balaban, Paramount president, stated at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders last week that increased governmental expenditures in the second half of the year should result in a favorable impact on the industry. Paramount’s domestic revenues are holding up at about the same level as the second 1950 quarter, and the company is releasing more films than in the compar¬ able period, Balaban reported. Foreign revenue has improved. Balaban said, “As conditions improved abroad, we have benefited by some relaxation of these troublesome barriers. We still have a long way to go before we return to the kind of foreign business which, in former years, we considered normal.” He indicated that the company has between $4,000,000 and $5,000,000 blocked abroad. Balaban declared the principal factor in the boxoffice decline has been the changing economy of the country from wartime to peacetime. Balaban referred to Paramount’s pur¬ chase of an interest in Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, and in International Tele¬ meter Corporation, as in line with the belief that Paramount “could make a sig¬ nificant contribution to the development of the new medium,” at the same time advancing the legitimate interests of the company. Balaban pointed out that his income had been 50 per cent higher in 1949 than it was now, and declared that Paramount’s sal¬ aries were under those of other companies. He said he expected to exercise his stock options at some future date. The stockholders reelected the entire slate of 14 directors, Adolph Zukor, Bala¬ ban, Paul Raibourn, Y. Frank Freeman, Austin C. Keough, Earl I. McClintock, Maurice Newton, Edwin L. Weisl, Fred Mohrhardt, A. Conger Goodyear, Stanton Griffis, Duncan G. Harris, John D. Hertz, and George Weltner. A resolution was approved to amend the company’s certificate of incorporation so as to eliminate 342,694 shares of common stock purchased and held in the treasury. Capital stock thus is reduced to 3,042,512 shares of $1 par common. Balaban presided at the meeting, with 77 per cent of outstanding shares present or represented by proxy. In attendance at the recent Canadian Paramount sales convention in Toronto were, seated, left to right, Jerry Pickman, national director of advertising, publicity, and promotion; A. W. Schwalberg, president. Paramount Pictures Distributing Corporation; G. Lightstone, Canadian general manager; Oscar Morgan, general manager, shorts and newsreels, with left to right, Canadian branch managers' Syl Gunn, Winnipeg; W. O. Kelly, Calgary; P. J. Hogan, Saint John; Tom Dowbiggin, Montreal; R. r! Morphy, Vancouver, and R. Simpson, Toronto. The meeting covered production and policy plans. June 13, 1951