The Film Daily (1948)

94, NO. 4 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1948 TEN CENTS fOK OKBVS S€PBRflT6 GBI6WBn« BOBRDS Warners to Cut Feature Distribution in IT. JC. Only 16 in 1949, Says Jack Warner; Move May Tip Anti-Quota Strategy of Cos. }] S London (By Cable) — First hint that the American distributor answer to the 45 per cent quota imposed by the Attlee Labor Government, effective as of Oct. 1, may be limitation of features made available to British exhibitors came yesterday when Jack L. Warner, WB production chief, now on this side, said his company would release only 16 features here in 1949. The 16, Warner disclosed, would be selected from a two-year backlog (Continued on Page 12) Pix Cos.' Suit Records Read Into TV Hearings Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — -Impression that antitrust violations by the majors will react against the granting of their television applications was strengthened last weekend as the record of 20th Century-Fox litigation was read into the record in the San Francisco tele hearing. The record of the hearing was closed at the weekend, except for the record of Paramount litigation, not filed. Commission Counsel Joseph Bren(ConHnued on Page 12) Dewey Picks Allvine for Campaign Pix Assignment Glen Allvine, veteran film industry exec., and former executive secretary of the Eastern Public Information Committee, will serve on the Presidential campaign team assembled by Gov. Thomas E. Dewey. Allvine's assignment covers the film side, including newsreels. He will work (Continued on Page 13) iV. C. Polio OuthreaU Worrying Exhibitors Charlotte, N. C. — Outbreak of polio is giving exhibitors in the centra! portion of North Carolina serious concern. State cases already reported are above the 350 mark. Week-end polio deaths totalled four. Filtn Interest to Bring Early Wide-Scale Adoption of Phonevision, Says McDonald Chicago — Interest shown in Phonevision by film companies, broadcasters and others holds out promise of the early wide-scale adoption of the Zenith payas-you-see video system, Comm. Eugene F. McDonald, Jr., Zenith's president, declares in his annual report to the stockholders. Zenith, he disclosed, will make provision in all new receiver models for the incorporation of Phonevision. Fall marketing is planned. Zenith for the year ended April 30 last earned a net of $3,484,515 as against $594,452; earnings per share were $7.09 as against $1.21. Gross income was up 38 percent to $79,406,133. $1,000,000 Film-TV Plant in San Antonio San Antonio, Tex. — In the first move to establish extensive television film activities outside of Hollywood and New York, Ralle United Motion Picture Co. has revealed plans for a million dollar film and video studio to be constructed here. According to Ralph A. Ralle, production chief, project will mark the (Continued on Page 13) Hope of Cut in Ticket Tax Is Offered by Knutson Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — New hope for the lowering of the Federal admissions tax — or for its eventual discard — was held out at the weekend as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Harold Knutson predicted another sizeable tax drop in 1950. Knutson, as he has done before, (Continued on Page 12) Wide Range of Biz In Broadway Stands Holiday weekend business in the Times Square sector ranged from "fair" at the Mayfair to "wonderful" at Radio City Music Hall. Box office barometer at the other houses read: Astor and Victoria, "Nothing to rave about." Globe and Gotham, "Slow." Capitol and State, "Very good." Palace, "Improving." (Continued on Page 13) Canada Theater Building Brings Total to 1,606 Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — With about 100 houses under construction, the Canadian Film Board of Trade reported 113 new houses last year, bringing the total as of January to 1,606 theaters in the Dominion of Canada, the Department of Commerce pix chief Nathan D. Golden, said today. He (Continued on Page 13) Hungaria Nixes MPEA Terms Refuses to Take U. S. Pix on Percentage Only Dutch Competition is Provided Between U. S. Pix Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — The major competition in the Netherlands Indies is among U. S. pix rather than between U. S. pix and those of any other nation, according to a report released today by Department of Commerce pix chief Nathan D. Golden. At the same time, J. Arthur Rank is in the (Continued on Page 13) By ANDOR LAJTA FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Budapest (By Air Mail) — National Film Bureau, established last April to take over the motion picture industry in Hungary, has turned down MPEA's distribution bid and will fill in its programs with non-MPEA films and the product of other countries, including Russia, Britain, France, Italy and Denmark. Official statement from the Film Bureau pointed out that the monop( Continued on Page 11 ) Smith Will Accept More Than One Com. When Exhib. Groups Conflict Twentieth-Fox is ready to expand its conciliation plan into areas where there is more than one exhibitor organization on the basis of individual boards for each such association, Andy W. Smith, Jr., general sales manager, told The Film Daily. Queried as to what stand he would take in the event Allied and TOA units operating in the same territory were to disagree concerning the composition or attitudes of a joint grievance board. Smith declared that he would not put any obstacles in the way of the plan's successful exten(Continued on Page 15) NCA Grievance Group Sets Monthly Meetings Minneapolis— Initial meeting of the newly formed NCA-20th-Fox grievance committee will be held here July 12 for pui-pose of ironing out exhibitor complaints vs. distributors, Benjamin Berger, NCA prexy, announced. Future meetings of the committee will be conducted at NCA headquarters on the first Monday of every month. Commenting on the agreement (Continued on Page 111 Zanuck Leaving for Europe In Search for New Talent Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th-Fox production chief, is scheduled to arrive in New York tomorrow enroute to Europe on a search for new talent, and to supervise production of three (Continued on Page 12) Hint Dore Schary Rejoining M-G-M West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Although arrival here of Gradwell Sears, prexy of United Artists, caused speculation that Dore Schary would align with UA, feeling is growing that he will rejoin M-G-M where he was a producer for a long time. i#