The Exhibitor (1950)

EXHIBITOR 15 TRADE SCREENINGS Warners — “This Side Of The Law” (Viveca Lindfors, Janis Page, Kent Smith, Robert Douglas) , in all exchange centers on June 5. Warners — “The Flame And The Arrow” (Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo) (Tech¬ nicolor), in all exchange centers on June 19. RKO — June 6, “Where Danger Lives” (Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue, Claude Rains) ; “Destination Murder”; 7, “Rider From Tucson” (Tim Holt, Richard Martin, Elaine Riley) ; “Armored Car Robbery” (Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens) ; 14, “The White Tower” (Glenn Ford, Valli, Lloyd Bridges, Claude Rains) (Techni¬ color) (made in Europe) . St. Louis 1 st-Runs Cut Prices St. Louis — Edward B. Arthur, general manager, Fanchon and Marco Service Cor¬ poration, announced last week that the admission scale for adults at the firstruns Ambassador, Fox, and St. Louis would be cut to only 60 cents, with chil¬ dren under 12 accompanied by parents free. The new prices, which include all taxes, will apply at any time on any day. The summer plan is on an experimental basis, Arthur said. He gave two reasons for the decision, the falling off in business for all forms of amusements and enter¬ tainment and the anticipated repeal of the 20 per cent federal tax. Arthur said in ex¬ pectation that Congress will repeal the admission tax, “Fanchon and Marco is passing this savings to the theatregoers now, instead of waiting until the tax is removed officially.” Jersey Drive-In Sues Philadelphia — An anti-trust suit was filed in U. S. District Court last week by W. W. Smith and V. C. Smith, owners, Starlite Drive-In, Crescent Boulevard, Gloucester, N. J., against six distributors and three exhibitor companies, who own and operate 17 theatres in the Camden, N. J., area, and asking treble damages totaling $270,000. The plaintiff contends inability to obtain feature film product under six months old, whereas it alleges other drive-ins obtain first-run film 14 days after the Camden run. The defend¬ ants named are Paramount, Warners, Co¬ lumbia, U-I, and Monogram, distributors, and the Savar, Victor, and Gloucester City Amusement Corporations, exhibitors. Montana Theatremen Elect Great Falls, Mont. — Elections and talks featured the semi-annual meeting of the Independent Theatre Owners of Montana last fortnight. Harold Wirthwein, Monogram western sales manager, urged the introduction of new screen personalities to combat the declining boxoffice. Others who participated in the two-day session included Don V. Tibbs, manager, Monogram’s Salt Lake City exchange; Rotus Harvey, San Francisco chairman, PCCITO, and Carl Anderson, Kalispell, Idaho. Herb Bonifas, Chinook, was elected president. Others named were J. M. Suckstorff, Sidney, vice-president, and Clar¬ ence Golder, Great Falls, secretarytreasurer. Edgar Goth, for the past five years advertising manager, Wilmer and Vincent-Fabian Theatres, Harrisburg, Pa., was recently named director of advertising, publicity, and exploitation for the entire Fabian Circuit, embracing 60 houses in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vir¬ ginia. A veteran of 21 years in show business, Goth will have his headquarters in New York City. PCCITO , 20 thFox Start Arbitration San Francisco — Andy Smith, Jr., gen¬ eral sales manager, 20th Century-Fox, and Rotus Harvey, chairman, PCCITO, last fortnight arranged details placing PCCITO arbitration plan into effect for a test in the exchange area. The plan is a product of the Sun Valley convention, and was submitted to all general sales managers on Dec. 6. The plan is as follows: The PCCITO will set up a conciliation committee consisting of not more than five exhibitors. This conciliation commit¬ tee will submit its findings to the distrib¬ utor for a decision at the local level. Failure in this, or at the request of either party, will see complaints submitted to arbitration. The arbitration board will consist of three members, one to be appointed by the exhibitor, one by the distributor, and the third by the exhibitor and distributor arbitrators. The board, as finally consti¬ tuted, shall make its own rules of pro¬ cedure, i.e. date of hearing, date of de¬ cision, etc. The decision of a majority of the board shall be final and binding on the parties involved. There shall be no Appeal Board. Attorneys shall only be admitted to the hearing with the consent of the parties entering into arbitration in an advisory capacity to their clients only, and shall have no voice in the proceedings. A full and complete stenographic record shall be laken of all meetings. The costs shall be bcrne equally by both parties concerned. Film rentals will not be a subject for arbitration. The plan, being in the test¬ ing stage only, will be subject to review and revision at any time. Alger Appointed Trustee New York — The U. S. Statutory Court last fortnight in a formal order appointed George W. Alger trustee of the RKO onehalf stock ownership of Trenton-New Brunswick Theatres, New Jersey, to dis¬ pose of the shares within 18 months. RKO Directors Resign New York — Attorney L. Lawrence Green and Frederick L. Ehrman, Lehman Broth¬ ers, both members of the RKO board of directors, resigned from the company’s board last week. Marc Wolf Names VC Appointments Indianapolis — Marc Wolf, new Chief Barker, Variety Clubs International, last week announced the following appoint¬ ments to International office: Sergeantat-arms, W. H. Lollier, Los Angeles; cere¬ monial barker, James G. Palmer, Pitts¬ burgh; “Heart Committee” chairman, Nathan D. Golden; executive aide to the Chief Barker, Carter Barron, Washing¬ ton; representative-at-large, Sam J. Switlow, Louisville, Ky.; European represent¬ ative, C. J. Latta, London, and the follow¬ ing field representatives: Michael Felt, Philadelphia and Pitts¬ burgh; James O’Neal, San Francisco, Port¬ land, and Seattle; James C. Grant, Balti¬ more, Md., and Washington; William Elsom, Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Kansas City; H. H. Everett, Charlotte, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Memphis; George Hoover, Miami, Fla.; Jack Rose, Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and St. Louis; Allan Moritz, Cincinnati, Toledo, O., Dayton, O., Cleveland, and Columbus, O.; William O’Donnell, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Houston, Tex., and Mexico City; Dave Bershon, Los Angeles, Denver, and Salt Lake City; Charles Smakowitz, Al¬ bany and New Haven; E. Harold Stoneman, Boston and New York, and Elmer Lux, Buffalo, Detroit, Toronto, and Grand Rapids, Mich. Named to the International and foreign committee were: J. J. Fitzgibbons, Luis Montes, George Hoover, Robert J. O’Don¬ nell, John Harris, and Marc Wolf. Dr. Loyd Jones Honored Rochester, N. Y. — For “outstanding con¬ tributions to photographic science and practice,” Dr. Loyd A. Jones, head, Kodak Research Laboratories’ physics depart¬ ment, has been awarded the 1950 Progress Medal of the Photographic Society of America, it was ' revealed last week. The medal will be presented to Dr. Jones at the society’s annual convention in October, when he will give the society’s Progress Medal address. Adolf Fassbender, chairman, PSA Progress Medal committee, said that the Kodak scientists’ work has benefited all photographers. Klein Resumes Own Booking New York — Harold S. Klein Amusement Enterprises last fortnight resumed the buying and booking of product for its College, Bethlehem, Pa.; Easton, Easton, Pa.; Cameo and Avon, Newark, N. J.; Grant Lee, Palisades, N. J.; Avon and Stamford, Stamford, Conn., and Middlesex and Capitol, Middletown, Conn. They were formerly handled by the LiggettFlorin office. MGM Holds Final Meeting San Francisco — MGM’s third and final domestic “Say It With Pictures” meetings was held last week at the San Francis Hotel with approximately 50 from the field, studio, and home office in attendance. Drive-Ins' Help Asked New York — The nation’s drive-ins, numbering 1,700, were asked last week to join the industry’s campaign to eliminate the 20 per cent federal admission tax. May 31, 1950