The Exhibitor (1950)

18 EXHIBITOR THE SCORE BOARD (In this department will he found a rating of pictures screened by Warners, MGM, Paramount, RKO, and 20th Century-Fox under the decri i. Complete reviews appear in The Pink Section. — Ed.) WB “The Flame And The Arrow” — Good action show. “50 Years Before Your Eyes” — Interest¬ ing compilation for the duallers. RKO “Where Danger Lives” — Mild program. 20TH-FOX “The Cariboo Trail” — Routine outdoor show. Crockett Reelected By Virginia Exhibs Old Point Comfort, Va. — For the 13th year, William F. Crockett was reelected president, Virginia Motion Picture The¬ atres Association at the group’s midsum¬ mer convention last week. Other officers reelected were: Benjamin Pitts, vice-president; Sam Bendheim, Jr., treasurer, and Harold Wood, secretary. Lew board members are: Jack Groh, Morton G. Thalhimer, Jr., and Howard Rubin. I | |7] Carlton Duffus, special public relations director, outlined the past year’s accom¬ plishments; Jack Beresin, Berio Vending Company, offered an instructive talk on merchandising in the lobby; various ex¬ change managers spoke about forthcoming pictures, and Senator Ben T. Pitts gave a brief talk. Morton G. Thalhimer called on exhibi¬ tors to start merchandising their theatres, RKO’s Leon Bamberger spoke on the Film Library, MGM’s H. M. Richey told of the effect of taxes on business, and a screen¬ ing of “On Stage Everybody,” disabled veterans reel, distributed by 20th-Fox, was shown. Emphasizing the need for increased conciliation and arbitration methods in the industry to effect harmonious rela¬ tions, and do away with the kind of publicity which hurts both the exhibitor and the distributor, Sam Shain, director of exhibitor and public relations, 20th Century-Fox distribution department, urged a plan similar to the one being used by the PCCITO. Shain described the PCCITO plan, which calls for conciliation among the parties involved, followed by arbitration within the group if an impasse is reached. In regard to flat rentals, Shain also pointed out that the company was in favor of this selling method if the com¬ pany and the theatres could agree on an equitable price. The efforts of COMPO to bring unity to the industry through direct planning among exhibitors, producers, and various organizations were reviewed by Gael Sullivan, TOA director. Technicolor Declares Dividend New York — Technicolor last week de¬ clared a stock dividend of 50 cents, payable cn July 24. Hughes Announces Wald Production Deal _ HOLLYWOOD — Howard Hughes an¬ nounced last w'eek that he had con¬ summated a deal whereby the Warner contract with Jerry Wald has been transferred to RKO for a price of $150,000. It runs until April, 1952. Hughes further announced that nego¬ tiations are in progress which may re¬ sult in the production of a group of independent pictures by Wald and Norman Krasna for RKO. While negotiations are under way, Wald has consented to assist Hughes in certain of the RKO production operations. This Was The Week When ... New Orleans, J. R. Lamantia, manager, maintained its lead at the end of the 25th week of the RKO “Ned Depinet Drive.” ... It was learned that a one-reel short, “Blueprint For The Future,” highlights of the Paramount national sales convention in Los Angeles, would be shown to all branches. . . . Paramount opened “My Friend Irma Goes West” at the El Portal, Las Vegas, Nev., with accompanying hoopla. . . . The board of Warner Brothers Pictures authorized purchase by the com¬ pany of shares of its common stock. . . . Hal Perlman, former advertising director for independent companies, announced the opening of his special trailer organization, Variety Film Trailers, in Milwaukee. PRODUCTION Hollywood — Columbia’s “Flame Of Stamboul” an original by Ben Markson, will be produced by Wallace MacDonald. Markson will write the screen play. . . . American film rights to the French film, “The Raven,” have been purchased by 20th-Fox, which will remake it, shift¬ ing the locale to the United States. Otto Preminger will produce and direct. . . . “Brother Van,” an American historical novel by Alson Jesse Smith, has been purchased by Republic, and assigned to associate producer-director Joseph Kane for production as one of the studio’s major pictures of the year. . . . Richard Tregaskis, famed author of “Guadalcanal Diary,” and John Rodell were signed by Jack L. Warner, executive pro¬ ducer, to write an original screen play entitled “WACS Overseas.” Pentagon Acquires 27 New York — Pentagon Pictures Corpora¬ tion, through H. David Frackman and Bert Goldberg, last week announced a deal with J. Arthur Rank whereby the com¬ pany will take over the release in U. S., Alaska, and Hawaii of 27 British-made features. Goldberg, general sales execu¬ tive, has selected three of the produc¬ tions to be released as “specials,” “Men Of Two Worlds” and “London Town,” both in Technicolor, and the other, “Eureka Stockade,” with a background in Australia. Seek Modification In Chicago Edict Chicago — A vigorous court battle was impending last week over the Jackson Park decree, in force since Nov. 19, 1947, which limits first-run showings in the Loop to two weeks. Balaban and Katz Corporation filed a petition in U. S. Dis¬ trict Court asking modifications and clari¬ fications on the length of first-runs, on the lapse of an interval between first and subsequent runs, and restrictions on double featuring. “We’ll defend the decree as it stands to the limit” said Thomas C. McConnell, at¬ torney who won the Jackson Park suit. B and K attorneys Samuel W. Block, Ed¬ ward R. Johnston, Jacob I. Grossman, and Alfred B. Teton are equally determined to endeavor to break the ruling. The petition cites that the “provisions of the decree from which relief is re¬ quested have been rendered unnecessary by the operation of time and changed conditions. Petitioner is suffering substan¬ tial financial damages because of the in¬ junctive provisions. The changes pro¬ posed can be effected without restoring the evils which this court has sought to eliminate, without making the competitive situation in outlying Chicago less favor¬ able, and without denying to the Jackson Park the opportunities granted to it by the decree.” The petition states the relationship among the parties in the Jackson Park suit has materially changed as have dis¬ tribution and exhibition practices. Illinois Exhibitor Sued Springfield, III. — Separate percentage suits were filed last fortnight in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, southern division, by RKO, Paramount, Loew’s, Columbia, and United Artists. Defendants named in each suit are Paul E. Horn, Frederick Ballard, and William Metcalf operating the Lux, Edwardsville, Ill.; Girard, Girard, Ill., and Jersey, Jersey ville, Ill. Recovery is sought in each suit for damages resulting from alleged under-reported receipts on per¬ centage pictures. Lashly, Lashly, and Miller, St. Louis, and Brown, Hay, and Stephens, Springfield, are the attorneys for each distributor, with Sargoy and Stein, New York, as of counsel. IMPO Elects Directors New York — The International Motion Picture Organization last week at its first annual meeting, attended by charter members, adopted the name and by-laws of the organization, and elected a board of directors of 12 members, Joseph Burstyn, Jacques Chabrier, Jack Ellis, Lillian 'Gerard, Morris Halprin, Jack Hoffberg, Edward Kingsley, Martin Levine, Ilya Lopert, George Margolin, Irwin Shapiro, and E. A. Zorgniotti. Universal Profit Increases New York — For the second quarter ended on April 29, Universal last week reported a consolidated net profit of $272,270, compared with a loss of $465,242 in the comparable period of last year. In the first quarter ended on Jan. 28, the company earned $12,924, against a loss of $717,535 in the comparable period in 1949. June 28, 1950