The Exhibitor (1950)

10 EXHIBITOR This Was The Week When ... MGM announced national promotion plans for “Three Guys Named Mike” . . . RKO sales executives began the second lap cf a tour for the “Ned Depinet Drive.” . . . Max Youngstein, Paramount advertisingpublicity head, said that promotional back¬ ing for new talent would include Tlielma Ritter, Charlton Heston. Lyle Bettger, Jan Sterling, Nancy Olson, Peter Hanson, and Barbara Rush. . . . Stanton Griffis, chair¬ man, Paramount executive committee, was named ambassador to Spain. . . . The Para¬ mount sales force decided to salute Bing Crcsby’s 20th anniversary as a star with special promotions. . . . Eastman Kodak President Thomas J. Hargrave announced that price increases on several of the com¬ pany’s products had been suspended, with the company pledging itself to cooperate in evei’y reasonable way with national efforts to halt a general rise in price levels. . . . 20th-Fox announced a global junket to 15 countries to introduce “Bird Of Paradise.” SRO announced that it will distribute the French film, “Les Joyeux Pelerine”, now being produced, throughout the world. . . . Columbia declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06Vi per share on the $4.25 cumulative preferred stock. ELC announced that the National Board of Review directors opposed “any open or covert actions of intimidation, boycott, or ai’bitrary censorship” aimed at preventing “Oliver Twist” from being shown to the public. . . . ELC and Fidelity Pictures signed a 10-picture production-distribu¬ tion deal, with J. H. Seidelman, former U-I vice-president, acquiring a stock in¬ terest in Fidelity, and joining the man¬ agement group. Exhibitor Motions Denied Des Moines — A series of motions by ex¬ hibitor defendant G. T. Allen in four pend¬ ing percentage suits were last fortnight denied by United States Judge Carroll O. Switzer in federal court. Among the ex¬ hibitor motions overruled were requests for dismissal of the distributor complaints and for a more definite statement. The court also decided that it properly had jurisdiction of the actions. Separate suits had been filed by RKO, Loew’s, 20th-Fox, and Paramount in U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa alleging underreported receipts at the Garden, Guthrie Center, la. Allied of N. J. Sets Meeting Trenton, N. J. — Allied Theatre Owners of New Jersey will hold its annual legis¬ lation meeting at the Stacy-Trent Hotel on Jan. 15, coincident with the opening ses¬ sion of the new state legislature, it was announced last week by President Wilbur Snaper. Crown-Schine New York — Renee Helene Schine, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Myer Schine, Schine Circuit, was married to Lester Crown, Evanston, Ill. "The Mating Season" The new year has gotten off to a Hying start, as far as Paramount is concerned, at least, with “The Mating Season”, one of the gayest comedies in months, and a surefire number to keep the ticket registers busy. If it will be remembered for nothing else, “The Mating Season” will be re¬ called for elevating Thelma Ritter into the top sphere after her almost meteoric rise from feature player ranks. It looks as if she is in line for some of (hose Marie Dressier type stories. What this country needs now is plenty of laughs, and Miss Ritter, aided and abetted by Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins, and others, delivers aplenty. That usual Paramount production gloss has been coupled with a downto-earth theme, with the common people winning out, thanks to Miss Ritter, and the net result should he solid boxoffice. J. E. New Orleans Exhibs File Court Action New Orleans — A $3,900,000 damage suit charging conspiracy in restraint of trade and violation of the Clayton and Sherman anti-trust laws was filed in federal district court last fortnight. Plaintiffs are Mrs. Henry Lazarus, S and L Theatres, Inc., Jadell Theatres, Inc., and Henry Lazarus Theatres, Inc. Mrs. Lazams operates the Coliseum and the Cinema, S and L operates the Crown, Jadell oper¬ ates the Circle, and Henry Lazarus The¬ atres operates the Center. Defendants include Paramount Pictures, Inc., Paramount Distributing Corporation, Loew’s, Inc., Metro Goldwyn Mayer Dis¬ tributing Corporation of Texas, Radio Keith Orpheum, Inc., RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., RKO Distributing Corporation, Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., Warner Brothers Pictures Distributing Corporation, 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox Distributing Corporation, United Artist Corporation, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Columbia Pictures of Louisi¬ ana Inc., Paramount Richards Theatres, Inc., Paramount Richards Enterprises, Inc., United Theatres, Inc., and E. V. Richards. It is charged that the defendants have entered into a series of contracts through which preferences are given to theatres affiliated with the defendants or to large influential theatre chains. United Theatres has occupied a favored position with the distributors, it is alleged, because of the tremendous buying power and influence of Richards on the other defendants. Tax Collections Decrease Washington — The Bureau of Internal Revenue revealed last fortnight that fed¬ eral general admission tax collections in the first 11 months of 1950 amounted to $330,101,365, three and one-half per cent below the $342,254,549 collected in the comparable 1949 period. Collections for November were $34,370,182, compared to $34,306,573, the first time 1950 collections were above 1949 since July. Konecoff (Continued from page 8) marine bands, honor guards, parading, radio coverage, a presentation of a spe¬ cial plaque to Skouras by the Marine Corps, crowds, lights, etc. . . . Robert Weitman. United Paramount vice-president, and Max Fellerman, head, UP theatre ad¬ ministration, were off on a tour of their Tenarken Circuit in addition to being present at the opening of the new Para¬ mount, Jackson, Tenn. . . . Manager Gene Pleshette and publicity director Henry Spiegel, Brooklyn Paramount, sold The New York Post a co-op. page centered about the theatre’s engagement of “Let’s Dance.” The result was a flock of dineand-dance places paying for space under a four-column “Let’s Dance” header that told everything but the theatre’s admis¬ sion price, and it didn’t cost the hou.se a dime, with the paper being glad to get the extra space as well. . . . MGM eastern shorts representative Max Weinberg is in charge of that company’s new MGM Car¬ toon Character Enterprises, which will handle licensing of products. . . . The American premiere of “The Blue Lamp” takes place at tlie Park Avenue with a salute to the Police Athletic League, the film having a police background. ... A special brochure-poster, prepared under the supervision of Mort Blumenstock, vice-president in charge of ad. -pub., War¬ ners, with the cooperation of the navy, is being distributed nationally by the com¬ pany to schools, colleges, libraries, clubs, etc. It plugs “Operation Pacific.” . . . About 67,500 out of 90,000 voting listeners to the “This Is New York” radio show picked “All About Eve” as the best of the year. . . . Paramount’s year-end newsreel is a fine comprehensive review of the past year. . . . Belated season’s greetings are in from Charlie Schlaifer and Edgar Van Blohm. . . . An Okeh pressbook is out on “The Flying Missile.” Academy Announces Schedule Hollywood — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week set Jan. 18 as the date for mailing of nomi¬ nations ballots, with Jan. 27 as the clos¬ ing date for nominations. Award contend¬ ers will be announced on Feb. 13, and nominated pictures will be screened from Feb. 18 to March 11 at the Academy Award Theatre. Final ballots will be mailed on Feb. 27, with voting closing on March 13. The awards will be presented on March 22 at the Pantages. Loop Restriction's End Denied Chicago — The B and K request to have the two-week Loop playing time restric¬ tion removed was denied last week by Federal Judge Michael Igoe in an oral ruling. The restriction, part of the Jackson Park decision, was the subject of a hearing at which time attorney Thomas McConnell opposed it. Folsom Sees Theatre TV Boost New York — Frank M. Folsom, presi¬ dent, RCA, stated last fortnight that large screen theatre television is destined to make tremendous strides in 1951, and that one large theatre circuit is planning for installations of video equipment in 71 theatres from Yuma, Ariz., to San Fran¬ cisco. January 10, 1951