The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

10 Producers Grant 10% Raise to Unions Raise Given at Atlantic City Sessions Atlantic City — More studio unions were given a 10 percent raise last week at a session held here. Boost was granted to the International Brotherhoods of Electrical Workers, Teamsters and Carpenters. The decision will stand until the next meeting between producers and labor execs. Joseph N. Weber, represented the Musicians International at the conference. The Laborers International was admitted into the basic agreement. Producers and their representatives present included Nicholas M. Schenck, Metro; George J. Schaefer, Leo Spitz, RKO Radio; Harry Buckley, United Artists; W. C. Michel, Leonard Picker, 20th Century Fox; A. Schimmel, Universal; Joseph Hazen, Warner Brothers; Austin C. Keough, Paramount; Pat Casey, producers’ labor contact, and Fred Pelton. Representing the unions were William Hesten, president, carpenters organization; Joseph N. Weber, musicians; Dan Tracy, electrical workers; Joe Touhey, teamsters; William A. Hutchenson, first vice-president, carpenters. Australia Tax Hurts New York City — Imposition of a new Australian picture tax last fortnight is going to cost the industry nearly $500,000 annually, foreign department execs stated last week. The federal government has imposed a tax of one pence per lineal foot on negatives printed in Australia, formerly without duty. Tax on positive films brought into the country is now five pence instead of four. Theatres Combat "Pot” NEW YORK CITY— Theatres in other sections of the country have turned to a money giveaway idea to combat the Tunis’ “Pot of Gold” weekly $1000 cash award, it developed last fortnight. Following the action of Bob Livingstone, Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska, who announced he would guarantee any patron attending his theatre on the Tuesday night of the broadcast the $1000 in case he was called at home and was in the theatre instead, Ohio theatrcmen, under P. J. Wood, were toying with a similar idea, while Fox Intermountain houses, Denver, Colorado, were looking into a similar guarantee. Theatres in the south were also reported interested. The first plan would have all theatres contributing to a pool each week, the money to be used in case the 10,000.000 to 1 chance hit. Just how much the radio idea was cutting in was not determined, but the claims were that business has dropped since the giveaway started. THE EXHIBITOR Schlaifer Completes Deal New York City — L. J. Schlaifer, vicepresident in charge of western sales for United Artists, returned to New York last week having completed five major circuit deals, ending the circuit selling of all United Artists product in the west for the 1039-40 season. The Balaban and Katz circuit deal, comprising 70 theatres in the Chicago territory, was negotiated with John Balaban and Walter Immerman, acting for B. and K.; Jules Rubens acted for the Great States circuit for their 35 situations in the Chicago area; Publix Intermountain, Salt Lake City, closed for all their theatres with Harry David inking the deal; Mike Naify negotiated for the McNeil-Naify theatres in San Francisco, Oakland and northern California territory; Joe Rlumenfeld was the buyer for the Blumenfeld theatres in Oakland, Sacramento, Stockton, Berkeley, and 11 other situations. AC Gets SMPE Meeting Atlantic City — The Board of Governors of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers last week announced the selection of this city as the site of the 46th semi-annual convention of the Society, to be held April 22-25, inclusive, in the Cbalfont-Haddon Hall Hotel. W. C. Kunzmann, convention vice-president, is completing tentative arrangements for the meeting. The Papers Committee, under the direction of J. I. Crabtree, editorial vice-president, and Sylvan Harris, papers committee chairman, has already begun its work of preparing the papers program. Members of the society who are preparing papers for the convention are requested to communicate with the society’s office as early as possible. McConville Flies Again New York City — Foreign manager J. A. McConville, Columbia, left for Argentina December 8 to hold meetings in Buenos Aires with company managers from Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina. In Buenos Aires, Columbia’s foreign manager will confer with home office supervisor for Latin America, Charles Roberts, already in that territory. Louis Goldstein, supervisor of Argentine, Brazil and Chile; A. M. Noye, general manager of Brazil; E. Lopez, manager of Chile, and M. Ehrenreich, Peru manager, are the other company representatives who will attend the meetings. 20th Cent-Fox Execs to Coast New York City — 20th Century-Fox execs, led by Sidney R. Kent, president, sales chief Herman Wobber, ad head Charles E. McCarthy, went to the coast last week to determine policy on forthcoming big pictures as well as discuss preliminary 19401941 plans. Alperson with Skouras New York City — Eddie Alperson, once a Grand National exec, is now back with Skouras Brothers in an executive capacity, it was disclosed last week. Hays Body Meeting New York City — Final quarterly meeting of the Hays organization is set for today (December 13), with Will H. Hays in. charge. Paramount Ad Budget Up, Balaban Promises Trade Says Company’s Production Is Well Ahead New York City — Problems presented by shrinking world film markets, increased production costs resulting from labor demands and other uncontrollable items will be met by Paramount by record expenditures for newspaper and magazine advertising it was disclosed last week by Barney Balaban, president. He said: “Experience has taught us that newspaper and magazine advertising in connection with intelligent exploitation brings the biggest returns both for the studio and our exhibitors. Particularly under a newly adopted policy which assures complete coordination between advertising and distribution. The showing of our pictures in sufficient key spots in advance of the general national release dates enables us to judge our product accurately and to put keyed intensified advertising campaigns behind each individual picture so that each dollar spent will bring the best results at the box-office.” Balaban has been in Hollywood for conferences on the 1940-1941 production program with Stanton Griffis, chairman of the executive committee; Neil Agnew, vicepresident in charge of distribution; William LeBaron, managing director of production; John Hicks, Jr., vice-president, head of the foreign department; Russell Holman, eastern production representative, and Y. Frank Freeman, vice-president in charge of studio operations. He continued: “In addition to the necessity of realizing maximum results from our domestic market on account of increased labor costs and the contraction of the world market, a tightening of the belt in production is of course necessary. But Paramount 1 as not been stampeded into any so-called economy drive that might jeopardize the high quality of our product. We plan to continue to make the same high type of picture that we have made in the past sparing no effort to maintain the exceptionally high entertainment standards. Paramount is in a position to furnish exhibitors the best possible type of entertainment and money making product.” As evidence of what he termed the job being done by LeBaron, Freeman and the production executives under them, Balaban pointed out that all of Paramount’s current pictures scheduled, already have been completed through June. Plans for the remainder of the season, he said, are well in hand with Holman and Richard Halliday, head of the studio story department, reporting the purchase of a number of outstanding story properties. "Lynton” to Supreme Court Washington — The United States Supreme Court last week agreed to review the “Letty Lynton” case. Authors, Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes, presented a petition to review the reduction of the verdict from approximately $600,000 to about $150,000, which was granted. A petition of Metro for a review of the question of infringement was denied. December 13, 1939