The Film Daily (1948)

5. HP esday, February 25, 1948 W^V DilLV inston lo U. K. For ) Level Conferences (Continued from Page 1 1 . . ,mment headed by Prime Min Clement Attlee, including Sir _' ord Cripps, Chancellor of the _^-r. and Harold Wilson, presi ::: Tie Board of Trade, as well ■^ ading figures in the British film I [try — J. Arthur Rank, president "Te British Film Producers Asso: -m; B. T. Davis and W. R. Ful ad,"| Stafford Cripps, answering a I amentary inquiry, told Com yesterday that the flow of dol emittances on films to the U. S. , ? November, December and ^.;ary was at the rate of £12.000. ~ .nnually as compared with £17, 00 a year ago. The drop was r v ' in London as not due to the 75 •ent tax but instead to a box ; "recession" and the greater ;i~"'ng time accorded British films. President and general secretary, ' ::ively of the CEA, and such £gj»itor stalwarts as Sir Sidney • /" and Sir Alexander King. [J. Arthur Rank yesterday in: ed a dozen leading exhibs., E luding B. T. Davis, Dennis C. -ills, next president of the A '.A; W. H. Fuller. Sir Alexan;.: King and Sir Sidney Clift, to i et with him in London to•;r ; rht to discuss certain aspects .;; the present Anglo-American n situation). •-rough the series of top level --"'ings, Johnston will make a de- ined effort to get the British *C"sse off dead center and moving «j rds the abolition of the 75 per I _, duty which has kept new Holly■■■' pix out of Britain since last ist. sCormed sources insisted last i ; that Johnston was taking over Fer, tentative or otherwise, from -:-C S. industry. It was accepted. Mver, that Johnston would seek itermine whether the British i^mment would consider any :..- native to the present 75 per cent u J-catory duty if such an altema «J clearly recognized Britain's ^5pt dollar plight and the British i try's as urgent need of Amer films. | -inston, it is understood, has set me limit for the trip, but it is ^=:ted that it will span no more :;-: j one or two weeks. '■'-. ere is some possibility that , -ton may go to France as well r-aJ ngland, but no decision as to £j has been reached as yet. In Italian-Produced Series of Operatic Films To be Offered for Tele Sponsorship in I S. Series of Ifalian-produced featurettes, based on world-famous operas, will be offered to television sponsors by MCA. Television rights are controlled by Amusement Enterprises, Inc., headed by B. Luber, which obtained them from the producer. Seven of the films, with a 30-minute running time, are ready for showing to prospective sponsors and 12 more are being edited. Others are in the preparatory stage. Filming, it is said, has been largely in close-ups. Casts are drawn from the La Scala in Milan and from the Rome Opera. It is understood that a 16 mm. version of the pix will be made available for other than tele use. Urge Indiana Houses To Get Tele Sets Invited Audience Sees "Food Train" Shorts Rodgers Calls for M-G-M Sales Conference on Coast SICK LIST "Friendship Train," 14 -minute documentary produced by Warners, and "Thanks, America," similar 27minute film made via popular subscription of the Italian people in gratitude for shipments of food made by the American people, were previewed last night at the Cinema Dante, for an invited audience. The shorter film shows the initial loading of the Friendship Train in Hollywood. Harry M. Warner, chairman of the Friendship Food Train Committee is shown at the sendoff. The train proceeds across the country making many stops, adding carloads of food. The terminus is New York and Philadelphia where the foodstuffs are loaded on ships after appropriate ceremonies. First stages of distribution are shown. Italian production was filmed by about a half dozen cameramen and is a quick tour the length and breadth of Italy and Sicily with Drew Pearson appearing in the footage. All the big cities of Italy are touched briefly. There is an audience with the Pope. Orson Welles donated his services as narrator. (Continued from Page 1 1 have been invited to attend the sessions. Among those who will attend are Edward M. Saunders, Edwin W. Aaron, H. M. Richey, John P. Byrne, Herman Ripps, John J. Maloney, Frank C. Hensler, Burtus Bishop, Jr., Ralph W. Maw, Rudy Berger, John S. Allen, George A. Hickey and Samuel J. Gardner. Among the pictures to be viewed are "Homecoming," "State of the Union," "Easter Parade," "The Pirate," "Big City" and "A Date With Judy." Special presentation ideas for the first three of the above pictures will occupy a key place in the discussions. Important among the considerations will be the plan for nationwide exhibition of "State of the Union" prior to the political conventions in June and July. All Pix Licensed in Ga. Subject to State Tax AP Drops Tele Newsreel, Finding Costs Too Heavy Because the expense of turning out a daily 10-minute video newsreel was too heavy for the 16 or 17 tele stations which subscribed to the AP's regular news service, the Associated Press will suspend its activity in tele newsreels. As originally announced, AP's suspension was "temporary." But a spokesman indicated quite clearly that suspension would last until tele stations could either see their way clear to paying for a daily video newsreel, or until a sponsor would be willing to defray the expenses. Atlanta — Dismissing affidavits of illegality filed by 20th-Fox against Revenue Commissioner Glenn Phillips, the State Court of Appeals ruled in a test case decision that films licensed through Atlanta exchanges for exhibition in other states are taxable in Georgia. Court upheld Judge Bond Almand of Fulton Superior Court. _M LAX. Columbia salesman, Minneap: s on the mend after hospitalization rep throat. ^NK CHILDS. president. Selected Pic* ' is recovering from a leg fracture in ■ terian Hospital, Denver. France, the U. S. industry faces a variety of problems, including the fact that some S10,000,000 in remittances are frozen there at the present time, plus the fact that the French Government is pressing for a revision of the Blum-Byrnes agreement as regards the film provisions. Calif. Theaters Ass'n Votes TOA Affiliation (Continued from Page 1) San Francisco was elected to represent the association on the TOA board of directors, and will attend the TOA directors meeting in Los Angeles on March 9-10. Stamp Collectors to Expand Cinema Stamp Collectors has altered its constitution so as to admit a quota of persons outside the film industry. Collectors next meeting is scheduled for today in the Nimrod Room of the Hotel Astor. Pete Gehrard Dead Mount Pleasant, Tex.— Pete Gehrard, died here. He was former owner change here was killed by a hit and of the Ritz at Linden. run driver. Coppel, Hit-Run Victim San Antonio, Tex. — Albert Coppel 46, head of the Azteca Films Inc. ex (Continued from Page L cago, placing their tele stations in operation within the next months, programs will be available in a great many Indiana towns, especially if the multiple array antennae is utilized. Theaters can expect to see bars and cocktail lounges install receivers, it is pointed out, and unless exhibs. have sets to offset, there will be a loss of patronage. ASCAP Asks Dismissal Of Gov't Trust Action (Continued from Page 1) signed from the International Confederation of Authors & Composers Societies, of London. Answer pointed out that prior to 1914, American and foreign composers received no payments for music rights with the result that ASCAP was formed in the U. S. and similar organizations were formed in other countries. Reciprocal agreements between the American and foreign societies were for the purposes of collecting fees, it was said. Rank, et al. Win Appeal To Limit Suit Service Toronto — The appeal of the J. Arthur Rank Organization, General Cinema Finance Corp. and Eagle Lion Films, Inc. from the order allowing service of a writ outside of Ontario by Empire Universal Films and others has been granted with costs by the Ontario Court of Appeal. Ruling restricts suit by Empire Universal for distribution franchise in Canada and Newfoundland on a certain group of Hollywood pictures to the Ontario jurisdiction and not United States and England. Howard Simpson Dies Detroit — Howard Simpson, 53, owner of Central Shipping Bureau, is dead. He is survived by his wife, Grace, and four children, including a son Charles owner of Exhibitors Service. nEUJ POSTS CHARLES NESBITT, manager, Chicago Theater, Chicago. JAMES PENNEL, assistant manager. Symphony Theater, Chicago. MARTIN HALL, assistant manager, Capitol, Chicago. WILL METHE, manager, Garrick, Chicago. AMBROSE CONROY, manager, Maryland Theater, Chicago. RAY BRADY, assistant manager, Beverly, Chicago. RAY THOMPSON, co-manager, State Lake, Chicago. JOHN HOULIHAN, Republic manager, Cleveland. NAT STEINBERG, Republic monager, St. Louis. CLARENCE PHILLIPS, temporary manager, Eagle Lion, Chicago.