The Film Daily (1948)

"ion Wat et. 21 PT cil E COF^r timate in Character ternational in Scope idependent in Thought Cl (Jl ■ai t The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Nine Years Old !pT— 83, NO. 71 NEW YORK. TUESDAY. APRIL 13. 1948 TEN CENTS .5. II1T€R€5TS Cfln'T BUV U.K. STUDIOS f Supreme Court Asked To Review Dallas Action ' ajors, Interstate Appeal I bversal of Dismissal H Jrtion in Trust Suit rlj y'ashington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington. — The U. S. Supreme urt was asked yesterday to review Jb action of the Fifth District Cir$t Court of Appeals in reversing p Dallas federal court action dis ^ ssing the Tivoli Amusement Co. Xit against Interstate Circuit and |; majors. In effect, the high trinal was asked to uphold the lower urt finding that the suit would be ppressive, harassing and inequit »e." B! iii. pfimism is Keynote ii U. K.r Say Visitors Predicting a speedy improvement Anglo-American film business and inging tidings of optimism and enuragement from England, Ben enry, U. K. representative for Unirsal International, with Mrs. enry arrived here yesterday aboard e Queen Elizabeth. Henry said he is on a routine business trip and )uld probably visit Hollywood. He turns to England on May 8. Included among the arrivals was dney Hyams, managing director (Continued on Page 7) Mayor Curley Would Impose Municipal Tax On Hub Tele Receivers in Commercial Use Boston — Imposition of a municipal tax on all television receivers in commercial use will be asked by Mayor Curley Affected would be sets installed by theaters, hotels, lounges, cafes and other public places. Mayor Curley has not indicated amount of levy to be sought, but gave some hint when he said he would okay a $30 tax on pinball machines if the City Council enacts the measure. eeds Music Board to [eet on Soviet Squawk Board of Directors of Leeds Music d. will meet sometime this week to scuss what action, if any, they will ke to iron out the controversy be/een 20th-Fox and four Soviet combers whose music is used in the m company's anti-Russian film, The Iron Curtain." A spokesman for Leeds, which con( Continued on Page 6) Para.'s Own Common Holdings at 501,633 Paramount holdings of its own common stock passed the half million mark during March when the company acquired 25,400 shares. Total holdings reached 501,633, representing approximately seven per cent of the shares outstanding. Mexican Duty Keeps Out U.S. 16 mm. Pix Mexico City (By Air Mail) — Two months have passed without a Hollywood-made 16 mm entertainment picture enterine Mexico. A 20 per cent ad valorem tariff slapped on 16 mm imports by the Mexican Government at the end of 1947, made U. S. distributors turn thir backs on Mexico's 16 mm market. Studios planned to ship 1,200 prints south of the border this year, but vague wording of the ad valorem tariff — and fear that Mexico was set (Continued on Page 6) TO A Represents 88.8% Of New Mexican Seats Robert W. Coyne, executive director of TOA, was advised yesterday by Russell Hardwick, secretary of the New Mexico Theater Association, that 69 theaters representing 88.8 per cent of the total seating capacity of that state, had paid their TOA assessments. All but 16 of the theaters are independently owned. Applications for membership, now pending, are expected to raise the State's seating representation to 92 per cent. FPC's Net for 1947 Rises to $3,156,446 Toronto — Famous Players Canadian Corp., Ltd., reports net income of $3,156,446 for the year ended Dec. 31, 1947, the equivalent of $1.81 after taxes and charges on 1,737,072 capital shares. This compares to a net of $2,834,956 and $1.63 per share for 1946. During last year FPC opened 10 theaters and now has 18 under construction. Discuss Financing for Will Rogers Hospital Executive board members of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital and representatives of majors and indies were guests of Gus Eyssell, managing director of the Music Hall, at a luncheon in the theater's studio apartment yesterday. Though long range financial program was under discussion, no definite commitments were made yesterday by any of the reps. More attention to this aspect will be taken up at the board's next meeting, scheduled early next month, said Eyssell, treasurer of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. Lawson Defense Denied Pleas Contempt Trial Before Justice Curran Rivoli Trust Suit Trial Will be Resumed Today Buffalo— Trial of the $1,200,000 triple damage action brought by Stanley Kozanowski, operator of the Rivoli Theater, against Buffalo Theaters, Inc. and the major distributors resumes this morning before (Continued on Page 6) Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — The first day of the contempt trial of screenwriter John Howard Lawson ended with the defense failing to win its arguments for a new judge, a new jury panel and a new venue for the case. The defense had anticipated appearing before Justice David Pine, but found the case assigned instead (Continued on Page 4) Such Use of Blocked Funds Regarded as Detrimental To British, Wilson States London (By Cable)— The Labor Government "in default of a special circumstance" will not permit American distributors to invest their blocked film earnings in the purchase of existing British film studios from their British owners, Harold Wilson, president of the Board of Trade declared in speaking at the annual ACT meeting Sunday. It was the first official announcement of the Board of Trade's position, and came on the heels of a rash (Continued on Page 6) Cohn Denies Hughes Bidding for Coi. Stock West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Commenting on a report that Howard Hughes is negotiating for Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn, president, said, "my stock in Columbia is not for sale; that is until I decide to sell it. There have been no negotiations between Hughes and myself." It was reported that Cohn's Co(Continued on Page 6) Seidelman to London For E-L Sales Talks Sam L. Seidelman, Eagle Lion foreign distribution chief, flies to London tomorrow to confer with executives of the J. Arthur Rank Organization and Pathe Distributors, Ltd., (Continued on Page €) House Group Leery of Trimming Ticket Tax Washington Bur., THE FILM DAILY Washington — Prospects for reducing admission taxes to prewar rates were further dimmed late last week at a closed meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee, it is learned. Information made available indicates the consensus was that excises should not be reduced at present because of the uncertainty of world conditions and the need of preserving Government revenues.