The Film Daily (1948)

5^ .«^. ^OTE Iniimaie in Charac". ; International in Scope Independent in Thought .H y )94, NO. 18 i M ^V^s The Daily JMS Tte^s paper Of Motion Pictures Now Thirty Years Old -IFDAILY' NEW YORK, TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1948 TEN CENTS $70,000,000 PIK nETfOR'48 SEER BV JOHflSTOn 92'%, o£ Paramount^s 1947 Profit from Theaters $17,382,000 Received from Own Houses; $8,608,000 in Dividends from Affiliates fe Ninety-two per cent of Paramount's 1947 net profit of $28,239,709 was derived from the company theater interests, a summary of figures filed with the SEC reveals. Paramount receeived $17,382,000 from its wholly owned houses and dividends amounting to $8,608,000 from aflSliated theater units, according to the Commission's data. The 1947 figures show a highly significant increase in the percent(Continued on Page 3 1 3-Man Group to Guide RKO's Interim Films West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — The appointment of a three-man executive committee, to administer RKO's modified production program until stockholders meet in Wilmington, Del., on Aug. 31, is announced by N. Peter Rathvon, who has agreed to remain as RKO's president until the meeting of stockholders. Interim committee comprises Sid (Continued on Page 4) CBS to Analyze Film Biz In Hour-Long Sept. Show CBS will present "The Hollywood Story," a one-hour documentary analyzing the film industry, over its entire network during the week of Sept. 19, it was announced yesterday. Exact day of the program has not been determined. Werner Michel will produce the (Continued on Page 5) Ice Cream Sells fot* B & K as Dolls Flop Ciiicago — In a move to boost candy stand sales, Balaban & Katz made a successful tryout of ice cream bars at the Century Theater. Sale of the product will be extended to other theaters, it is understood. On the other hand, novelty dolls offered at the Uptown Theater stand failed to sell in sufficient quantities, according to reports. Editorial What Next in Britain? . . . a second looh at the Wilson plan By CHESTER B. BAHN THIS will be a further examination of the Labor Government's plan to invest $20,(XK),000 ' of Bank of England money during the next five years in the development of British independent production thru the medium of a Film Finance Corporation or Film Bank. The corporation, to be established by Act of Parliament, will have a life span of half a decade, expiring in 1953. That will be one year longer than the lease of life of the European Recovery Program of which the United Kingdom is a prime beneficiary. At the end of the five-year period, it is expected that the British film industry will be able to stand on its own feet — so Commons was informed by Harold Wilson, president of the Board of Trade and co-sponsor of the plan with Sir Stafford Cripps, Chancellor of the Exchequer and himself a one-time BOT president. There is, of course, no guarantee that, in the event the Government's $20,(X)0,000 investment in British production fails to turn the trick that the life of the corporation will not be prolonged. Indeed, once committed to a policy of public financing of production (and a hint, as well, that distribution may be next; more about that later), the Government may be expected to provide money from the Treasury as needed. And who doubts that it will be needed, and in increasingly large amounts? THE president of the Board of Trade, in outlining the plan in Parliament, stressed the point that the British film industry had a good future. He predicated this upon the fact that the 1948 Films Act stipulates that 45 per cent of all first feature films and 25 per cent of all supporting features exhibited in the United Kingdom after Oct. 1 must be British-made. This high quota which Wilson himself set, on advice of the Films Council, and which Parliament was quick to ratify, is at the expense of American dis (Continued on Page 5) ASCAP Still Mulling Whether to Appeal ASCAP'S board of directors met again with the Society's attorneys yesterday for further examination of the recent decision of U. S. District Court Judge Vincent Leibell halting the collection of license fees from theaters. Meeting adjourned without any decision taken on whether to appeal (Continued on Page 4) Nat'l TV Coverage by Stratovision Planned Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — "A disregard of the effect of tropospheric interference" on TV channels was evident in most of the new proposals for tele channels reallocations, the Federal Communications Commission was told yesterday by the American Broadcasting Company, at the' Stratovi(Continued on Page 6) TOA in National Tax Survey To Meef Theater Levies on Local Level Levy to UA Branch Post; Dudelson Joining E-L William M. "Bill" Levy has been appointed UA branch manager in Cleveland, succeeding Harris Dudelson, resigned, it was announced yesterday by Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., executive assistant to the president. Dudelson, it was reported, is slated (Continued on Page 3) TOA is initiating a nationwide survey of the exhibitor's position in relation to taxation, one of the top problems facing theater owners in the coming year, Gael Sullivan, executive director, said yesterday. Pointing out that state and municipal legislators throughout the country would undoubtedly be gunning for'i;he amusement industry as a source of revenue, Sullivan de(Continued on Page 7) Drop to $50-$60 Million In '49 Forecast; Johnston Lashes Out at U.K. Quota West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Under the impact of the shrinking foreign market the net income of the American film industry for 1948 will approximate $70,000,000, while in 1949 it will shrink still further dropping to a figure between $50,000,000 and $60,000,000, it was estimated here yesterday by Eric A. Johnston, MPAA-MPEA(Continued on Page 5) United P. R. Front By N. Y. Exhibitors New York State exhibitors will present a united front in public relations and other matters of common interest as a result of a week-end conference of representatives of four exhibitor organizations. Meeting was held at the Lake Placid lodge of (Continued on Page 5) Goldwyn-Wanger Deal on "Joan" to be Set Soon Deal whereby Samuel Goldwyn Prods, will supervise RKO distribution of Walter Wanger's "Joan of Arc" is expected to be consummated sometime this week, it was learned yesterday. Picture will be distributed on a roadshow basis with Goldwyn Prods, president James Mulvey at the marketing reins. Philly Exhihs Urged To Sli©M5 Exit Trailers Philadelphia — Area exhibitors are being urged to show trailers or slides at each performance indicating theater exits and reminding patrons that smoking is not permitted. Campaign is backed by Sidney E. Samuelson, general manager of Allied Independent Theater Owners of Eastern Pennsylvania, who pointed out that such a request was made last week by several councilmen during consideration of the proposed fire guard measure.