The Film Daily (1947)

ti \ Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought a The Daily Newspaper Oi Motion Pictures Twenty-Nine Years Old V( )92, NO. 64 NEW YORK. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30. 1947 TEN CENTS HEARflRGEnTinfl OKBVS LimiTEB PIK PERtHITS MPAA Set With Own Un-American Witnesses Johnston Informs Thomas "Industry Welcomes Chance To Meet Charges Squarely Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — The motion picture industry is prepared to present additional witnesses to those already listed by the Committee on UnAmerican Activities for the hearings opening here Oct. 20, so that the Committee "will obtain the full and complete picture," Eric A. Johnston, MPAA president, yesterday wrote Chairman Parnell Thomas. Stating that the industry welcomes (Continued on Page 6) Equipment Outlook Generally Optimistic Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Speakers at the closing session of the joint TESMATEDPA convention gave a generally optimistic report of equipment business prospects in the months ahead. The reports, however, were tinged with warnings of dangers ahead. J. H. Van Deventer, director of in(Continued on Page 7) BRITISH VIEWPOINT 4,500 Exhibs. Look to U. S. . . . are you going to let them down notv? ^_^_____ By ERNEST FREDMAN Managing Editor, Daily Film Renter —^——^—— LONDON THERE is a stalemate on the Dalton tax. No move from America, and outside the ' meeting which the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association are having with Sir Stafford Cripps, at which certainly no alternate plan will be forthcoming, there is no other move to get this tax revoked and a substitute put in its place. Meanwhile, 4,500 British exhibitors not unnaturally view the future with deep concern. The American producing companies, justly incensed at what they consider to be the imposition of a confiscatory tax, are sitting tight; they know, as well as we know, that they will be able to draw their money from Britain for many months to come, and that (Continued on Page 6) Army Cites Jolinsion With Medal of Merit Coast Theater Sues Union Under Taft-Hartley Law West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood— Under the Taft-Hart lye Act, Ernest, Glenn and Leslie Harper, operators of the Fontana Theater, Fontana, have filed suit in (Continued on Page 6) Para.-Liberty Deal Okayed hy Treasury West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood— United States Treasury Department has approved the tax setup on the purchase of Liberty Films by Paramount. Liberty-Para, deal gives latter all of Liberty's rights in "State of the Union," which is being made for M-G-M release with Frank Capra producing and directing. By the deal, Capra, George Stevens, Sam Briskin and William Wyler are reported receiving between 100,000 and 125,000 shares of Paramount stock. Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Secretary of the Army Kenneth Royall yesterday presented the medal of merit to MPAA President Eric Johnston for "outstanding services" in the field of labor-management relations during the war. The citation accompanying the award read in part: "Mr. Johnston, as president of the (Continued on Page 7) Ohio Cities Levy Taxes As State Measure Expires Columbus, O. — With Ohio's three per cent amusement levy expii'ing as of midnight tonight, city councils throughout the state who have not yet passed a similar local levy, are expected to enact taxes under (Continued on Page 7) (III. Asl(s Gov't Leave Excise Tax for State Chicago — Recommending the Federal Government leave the excise tax field, which includes ticket levies, to the states. Federal and state officials, adjourning yesterday after a three -day governors' meeting, adopted Michigan Representative John Dingell's motion to that effect. (Continued on Page 4) Wanger, E-L Pact Will Call for 2-4 Films Yearly West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — The proposed Walter Wanger-Eagle-Lion deal will include two to four pictures a year. However, it is not known whether any stock exchange would be involved. Robert Benjamin, E-L prexy, who has been conferring with Wanger, was slated to leave here last night for New York. Banks Will Finance ^Right^ Sfar, Story, Director Values Said Needed Special Permits Have 15 Day Delivery Clause; No Changes in Remittances Argentina's Banco Centrale has modified its lists of merchandise with import priority which previously has excluded films and is now granting special import licenses for motion pictures and certain other types of products, it was learned yesterday by The Film Daily from a reliable source in close contact with the Argentinian import-export problem. The new special licenses carry the (Continued on Page 7) Aftlee Names Cripps Head of Eco. Affairs London (By Cable)— Sir StaflTord Cripps, heretofore president of the Board of Trade in Prime Minister Clement Attlee's Labor Government cabinet and generally regarded as the foremost proponent of the confiscatory 75 per cent ad valorem duty on American film imports, last night emerged as Minister of Economic Affairs as the anticipated (Continued on Page 6) Wall St. Sees Loew's Yearly Net At $2.75 Profits of Loew's for the year ended Aug. 31 are estimated in the Journal of Commerce at about $2.75 per common share, as compared with $3.52 reported by the company for the year ended Aug. 31, 1946. Earnings for the final quarter are (Continued on 'Page 7) Mexican Strike Off As Rep. Settles With Union Mexico City — With the acceptance by the Union of Motion Picture Industry Workers of a 20 per cent wage hike offered by Republic Pictures de Mexico, a threatened strike (Continued on Page 4) The nation's banks will not retire from the financing of independent motion picture production, but will continue to make funds available "when the setup is right," Robert Riskin told the industry press in an interview yesterday. In New York for conferences with RKO regarding the release of his "Magic Town," as well as a look at (Continued on Page 4) IJA Plans $6,000,000 Loan For 7 RKO Pix West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — It is reported that United Artists has offered $6,000,0(X) for a group of RKO pictures, six or seven in number. Under proposed plan, UA would borrow $3,000,000 from a bank, as a down-payment for films, with first $3,000,000 in net going to bankers and next $3,000,000 to RKO. k