The Exhibitor (1952)

14 EXHIBITOR This Was The Week When . . . . U-I inaugurated a contest to find some perfect 1952 “flappers” in connection with “Has Anybody Seen My Gal”, with a tour of department stores, etc., to follow. . . . United Air Lines announced rate reductions of 42 per cent on air freight shipments of film between the Pacific Northwest and 14 inland and Atlantic seaboard cities, applying to 100 pounds or more, with the reduction applying to 1000 pounds or more on film flown westbound from some cities. . . . Paramount set a deal with Harvey Publications for comic books on “Little Audrey”, “Casper”, “Buzzy”, “Baby Huey”, and “Herman.” . . . Paramount’s “Jumping Jacks” was booked into the Paramount, New York City, thus ending an impasse which had existed for many months. . . . 20th-Fox made available free TV trailers on “Lydia Bailey”, with all requests to be sent to the TV department of the company in New York. Howard L. Bryant, TOA service coordinator in charge of booth sales for the 1952 annual convention and trade show of the unit at the Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D. C., announced that only 65 booths remain available, and these are expected to be rented within a few weeks. . . . U-I held the world premiere of “The World In His Arms” at the Chugah, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska, with stars and press on hand. . . . MGM started a series of “closer to home” screenings of “Ivanhoe” in addition to screenings arranged for 32 exchange areas. SCTOA Seeks Aid In Trade Practice Fight Hollywood — The Southern California Theatre Owners Association last fortnight sought exhibitor organization support at the same time warning that trade prac¬ tices in the Los Angeles area it is calling to government attention may soon find their way into other territories. Cecil Vinnicof, chairman, SCTOA trade relations committee, stated, “Our in¬ vestigation reveals that most exhibitors over the country find themselves in the same perilous position as we are. The trade practices on the part of the distrib¬ utors and producers have caused this serious depression in our territory. These will soon find their way into other areas where your members have large financial interests.” Vinnicof wrote to Herman M. Levy, general counsel, TOA, asking that the matter be presented to the TOA board of directors. Copies of the letter and of the SCTOA trade relations committee report were sent to Senators and Representatives on the Small Business Committees. In its letter to the Federal Trade Com¬ mission, SCTOA states that action by the Federal Trade Commission could bring the most immediate relief. Claiming the Los Angeles report should establish certain current practices as unfair and a restraint of trade, SCTOA also hopes the FTC will outlaw these practices. Film Exports Higher Washington — The Department of Com¬ merce reported last week that United States exports of motion picture films and equipment during the first quarter of this year were approximately three per cent higher than in the same period last year. In the January-March period of. 1951, exports were valued at $6,779,905, upped to $7,018,116 for the same three months this year. The export of cameras, projection, and sound equipment dropped from $2,812,614 to $2,613,535. Rogers Highway Dedicated St. Louis — An eight-state, 2,200-mile ceremony dedicating the “Main Street of America,” U. S. Highway 66, as the Will Rogers Highway began on June 23 at the Chain of Rocks Bridge, near here. Governor Forrest Smith unveiled the first road marker for the Will Rogers Highway, and accepted the first of 2,000,000 automobile windshield stickers and special commemorative leaflets deal¬ ing with the highway and the new motion picture produced in Technicolor by War¬ ners, “The Story Of Will Rogers,” to be released soon. The leaflets and stickers will be dis¬ tributed all along the route of the Will Rogers Highway immediately following the arrival in each city of the dedicatory caravan of official cars, led by a group of brand new Ford station wagons. In each community, the leading civic officials will participate in public ceremonies mark¬ ing the installation of the Will Rogers Highway commemorative marker. Will Rogers, Jr., will come from the Warners’ studios in Burbank, Cal., where he is just completing work in “The Story Of Will Rogers,” to attend special dedi¬ cation ceremonies in his father’s home town, Claremore, Okla., and will also be on hand with a large group of Hollywood stars at the Caravan’s final ceremonies on July 1 in Santa Monica, Cal. Charles Vidor, who directed Samuel Goldwyn's "Hans Christian Andersen," forthcoming RKO release, stated in New York recently that big budgeted productions would still pay off. The International Scene (Continued, from page 11) consolidated deficit has increased from 543,218 pounds to 953,886 pounds, after providing 400,000 pounds in diminution of trade investments to 129,835 pounds. The major investment comprises a stock hold¬ ing in British Lion, which amounted to 463,532 pounds at cost. The market value of this holding last August was 78,190 pounds. The House of Commons approved Chan¬ cellor of (he Exchequer R. A. Butler’s amendment to the Finance Bill setting minor revisions in the entertainment tax scale. Designed to aid small theatres, the tax revisions apply only to seats from seven pence to one shilling and six pence. The present tax on the nine-penny seat is reduced from one penny to a half¬ penny. France Franco-American pact negotiations re¬ opened here with the United States in¬ dustry represented by Fayette Allport and Eugene Van Dee, MPAA and Alfred W. Crown, SIMPP. Germany Myron Karlin, has been appointed sales manager of MGM in Germany. Karlin, formerly manager of MGM, Venezuela, is en route to Frankfurt, where he will as¬ sume his duties under the direction of F. W. N. Beckett, territorial manager. Managership of the Venezuelan office went to Wolfgang Wolf, who joined the MGM organization after having been with MPEA of Austria. Para. TV Hearing Resumes Washinngton — After a one week’s re¬ cess, the FCC examiner hearings into the eligibility of Paramount to hold addi¬ tional television broadcasting licenses re-| sumed with Arthur Saas, Chicago theatre operator, cross-examined on B and K history in Chicago. Meanwhile, the ABC-UPT petition for hearing severance has not been taken up by the Commission. Objections to this petition were filed by DuMont. 20th-Fox Holds Division Sessions New York — Introduction of the new Eidophor system of large-screen theatre TV as well as a discussion of product will highlight the meeting of 20th-Fox division managers this week. The Duke of Edinburgh recently attended the world premiere of MGM's "Ivanhoe" at the Em¬ pire, London, England, and also seen above are, Sam Eckman, Anna Neagle, and Herbert Wilcox. June 25, 1952