The Film Daily (1948)

• Wednesday, January 21, 1948 <7'' M1LV Restricts Contempt lea to Suit Party > (Continued from Page 1) [Vogue Theater, Salinas, Calif., attempted to have the companies cited pn the grounds that National Theaters had opened a theater since the (Statutory Court decree was handed iltjio-*| I fend was said to contemplate 'L-onlBiction of another house in tWatsonville. |j Judge Bright ruled that New Salinas was not a party to the antitrust action, has not made application to intervene in the suit, and the t>ower of the Court to enforce the decree is limited to parties in the feuit. Action brought by New Salinas fought damages and counsel fees, in Addition to the application to cite ifor contempt. Judge Bright, on Nov. reserved decision on the motion. Plum-Byrnes Film Pact fro Stand as is — Golden (Continued from Page 1) en, Department of Commerce film phieftain, said this morning. [ In a report based on documents from the United States Embassy in Paris, Golden said that although the agreement has been "from time to time severely criticized in the French J) press and in French motion picture Jjpircles, the French Government has [Ijshown no evidence that it contemplates evoking the re-negotiation (JL-lauses of the accord." I The agreement calls for 124 American pix per year, but the Embassy [Reports, in a survey based upon figL fires in a French trade journal, that s^the 1946 import total was only 135 in all. Of these 105 were American, 18 British and 6 Russian. In the same year, French producers turned jut 94 features. High for French j production was 113 pix, in 1938. I United States pix are preferred to I all other imports, the Embassy reTported, and "a number of leading ^heaters show United States films bontinuously and pay the fine inciiient to non-observance of the screen c[uota." Cramblet Upped to Head UA Midwestern District (Continued from Page 1) UA since 1930 when he joined the icompany as office manager in Chicago. His new sales territory includes the Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis areas. I Send Sirthday, % QreetlnaA Uo — :.: i.t ■ ... % ■i ': :: :.: % % g & Jan. 21 Samuel Carlisle J. P. Byrne H. William Fitelson Samuel A. Gardner Arthur S. Dickinson Irving Schiffrin Dave Biedermann — «*** PHIL M. DALY ▼ TV Mid-weeh Report • • • YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY NEWSPAPER'S esteemed contemporary and "sister" publication, TELEVISION DAILY, yesterday published photos of top tele industry spokesmen as they testiiied before the House Labor Committee in Washington, the photos having been taken directly off the face of a video receiver at NBC headquarters here It was, of course, a neat bit of journalistic enterprise However, beyond that, it opens the way for some interesting speculation Television is going in strong for news coverage And established news services — AP, UP and INS — are entering the television field to service video stations Which brings Phil M to this question: Is there any statute to prevent a newspaper installing a tele receiver in its news room and taking off such pictures as it may elect? And if not, what will that do to such systems as wirephoto, telephoto, etc.? ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • LIVE-AND-LEARN DEP'T: Harlan Miller, Des Moines Register columnist, did a couple of columns in which he referred to the practice of "interdigitation" to be noted in film audiences It seems numerous readers got a "false and harmful" impression as to audience conduct, with the result that the Allied ITO of Iowa and Nebraska directed its board chairman to register a strong protest According to Miller, his dictionary defines "Interdigitation" as "merely holding hands." ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • INDUSTRYITES who have been looking askance at domestic release of "The Senator Was Indiscreet" at this time should read what Robert C. Ruark had to say in retort in the N. Y. World-Telegram Monday. ... • Rates for that Indiana ATO three-day "steamship" convention will be as low as $50. ... • Ethel Colby ran true to form, as she replaced her husband again Julius left WMCA. . . .so Ethel, who eight years ago took up his chores as drama and motion picture critic on the Journal of Commerce, once again stepped into his shoes, as "Miss Hollywood" — commentator for RKO's nightly program. ... • So you think the Federal 20 per cent admissions tax is tough? Well, the average tax in Britain is 41 per cent and in Eire is 55 per cent. . . . • Dick Kehrberg, veteran Sheldon, la., exhib., has his own ASCAP solution: Let studios make pix using only "tax-free" tunes. ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • THEY'RE STILL TALKING down in (occasionally) Sunny Florida about that smash exploitation campaign staged by Charley Schlaifer and his staff at 20th-Fox to launch "Gentleman's Agreement" It made the Miami bow look like a world premiere, and might be dubbed the New Look in motion picture merchandising It underscores that local point-of-sale penetration with complete permeation of an area pays off. . . . • Word from Paris has it that Marcel Pagnol has been invited by the Province of Quebec to shoot his next film in Canada Pagnol has not given definite word yet Film, if a deal can be arranged, will be in color. ... • Pagnol, it is also reported, recently completed "La Belle Meuniere." ... © Sir Alexander King, Scottish exhib. who made many an American friend on his recent visit to the States, has been appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of the County oi the City of Glasgow Sounds complicated, but that's the way it's put. ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • A NEW "GALLUP POLL? ": "Theater managers now judge the merits of pictures by the sales of popcom and candy. When a picture is dull, members of the audience wander out to buy refreshments. When a film is good, it hold audience interest and sales of candy and popcorn go down." — From Hedda Hopper's syndicated Hollywood column in the N. Y. Daily News. ▼ T T Thomas Will Produce 22 for E-L Release with Others Jack Both subthe (Continued from Page 1) indie producing company, Welsch as vice-president, identified with the venture Schwarz and Sid Justman. Schwarz and Justman have stantial financial interest Motion Picture Centre Studio where Equity will headquarter and produce. Jerry Thomas will join the new organization in a production capacity. "The Enchanted Valley," already completed, will go out as the first Equity color pic. Also finished is "Heading for Heaven." Both features were produced by Jack Schwarz. Latter, in addition to his production activities, is an exhibitor with an interest in various theaters throughout the country. The next pic to be made by Equity has a tentative starting date of Feb. 15, with a color feature, "Jungle Girl," also being prepared now for early production. Action and exploitation stories will be stressed by the company in the balance of its program. A number of stories of this type have been purchased and are now in preparation. (When Thomas' resignation as PRC prexy was announced in midAugust last, it was announced that he would make a minimum of 10 features under the name Mutual Films for Eagle Lion distribution.) 2 House Measures Would Cut Ticket Tax in Half (Continued from Page 1) level. At the same time, he introduced a bill providing for such reduction— which marks the second such bill introduced this week. Rep. Harold Hagen, R., Minn., had introduced a similar bill a day earlier. McDonough declared that the "high tax on admissions places an excessive burden upon the low income groups," and "levies a tax on entertainment of children." He termed the present rate "exorbitant," and urged that relief from the high rates on admissions and other wartime excise taxes be repealed. Chairman Harold Knutson, of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the matter, has made it plain he will not consider such legislation separately but that reduction of the admissions levy will be considered only along with the general tax revision problem. STORKS Robert Fannon, Republic salesman, became a grandfather with the birth of Robert Fannon, III, to his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Robert Fannon, Jr. Indianapolis — A baby boy was born to the wife of Herman Morgan, Republic salesman.