The Film Daily (1948)

M. F Production Oist. 28 W» 44th St. 2let floor Ifew? YotV F, Y. "Sealed" System of Bidding for Metro (Continued from Page 1) the deadline for pi-esentation of offers. At that time, in the presence of the branch or office manager and the manager's secretary as witnesses, the bids will be opened. Rodgers emphasized that although there had been no "incidents" thus far in those situations where the company practices competitive bidding, the new plan would avoid any suspicion of "shenanigans" and thus insure protected bidding. As a result of the increased demand for quality product, requests for bids have steadily mounted from exhibitors throughout the country, M-G-M will begin bringing in its branch managers to the home oflBce this Fall for a week or two of specialized training, William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales chief, said yesterday. Branch heads will attend top echelon stafif meetings, consult with attorneys, etc. the M-G-M sales topper declared. The company now services about 150 situations in this manner. "We haven't selected this system and do not seek it," Rodgers said, "but it has made it possible to straighten out many troublesome situations. The company has not benefited financially but we have, in some cases, solved a situation that may have resulted in a lawsuit." Rodgers revealed that his own position was to urge competing exhibitors to split the company's product wherever possible. Overbidding by theater owners in some localities had resulted in an agreement to share what was offered because of the advantage of the product security that is assured by such sharing. Although requests to bid for pictures are rejected occasionally, the company does not deny many, Rodgers said. Awards of pictures are rarely made in the field, the decision being made in the vast majority of cases by a special committee of the home office sales personnel. Older customers resented the system when first invoked but have understood the necessity for the company's position since becoming aware of existing law decreed by the Federal courts. Rodgers also pointed out that major circuits have also become involved, with bidding situations manifesting themselves against every top chain in the country. ncui POSTS HARRY SIMONS, manager, RKO Grand, Columbus. R. J. BAKER, manager. Alliance Circuit's Drivein Theoter, Vincennes, Ind. ROBERT JACKSON, manager, Allionce Circuit's Kokomo, Ind, Drive-ln Theater. STANLEY SINSKI, manager. Strand Theater, Plainville, Conn. EDDIE CHRISTIANSEN, from service staff, Warners, Torrington, Conn., to assistant manager. Arch Street Theater, New Britain, Conn. I&i^ Tuesday, August 10, 1948 i /O ^ M (Continued from Page 1) personnel's personal publicity, fire and blacklist those whose actions place industry in bad li^ht similar to what any other firm or industry would do. Stress industry public relations by in-lot promotions. Cite employes, laborers to | stars for assisting company's and indus i try's good name. ! INDUSTRY'S attempt to re-make lot JOHN WYANT, JR. 1 of oldies and camouflage them; mak given much publicity while I have heard unfavorable comments on shows that were pu'clicized extensively. ANNA MAE FAUST The Daily News, Huntingdon, Pa. The Bellefontaine Examiner, Bellefontaine, O. r\ENERALLY speaking, treat pictures {not only in their production hut also in their exploitation) without giving the impression that most of them^ are slanted at impressionable adolescents. Be grown up, tasteful, well-bred and honest. These are cardinal principles of entertainment that cannot fail to win public sympathy. Also, beware of the propaganda film, supposedly slanted in championship of so-called "minorities," but which frequently does them more harm than good by false or exaggerated emphasis. RUSSELL RHODES The New York Journal of Commerce ♦ AN END TO THE smart-alec aloof superiority that the movie industry seems to assume in relation to the world outside, might be suggested. Hollywood isn't the same Lotus Land for the few it was in the past, but apparently the industry isn't aware of fhe change. They might keep in closer touch with the man on the street who has to pay inflated prices to be entertained by performances on the screen. The Washington performances before the Senate Committee may eventually be lived down, but they are far from forgotten. LEONORE BUSHMAN Philadelphia Daily News ♦ ABOFE ALL play down the loose family relations of the movie peo1)1 e. The Lana Turner affair was one of the worst yet — not to mention the T^Mraine Day, etc., deal. There is still too great emphasis on the lu^h loose type of movie . . . the kind that misrepresents the U.S.A. to the rest of the wo^ld . . . and tnits impossible notions »M the heads of struggling teen-agers. The movies are missing in great part their tremendous mission . . . though hy that I don't mean they should get ^oaP-boxy and over holy. I'm tired of trashy stuff . . . trashy behavior and ^nane trivia in place of solid publicity. Truth fs still much more interesting than fiction, and a real story is more exciting than dreamed up foolishment about a star. MARY-IOIS DENNY WIBC, Indianapolis, Ind. ♦ COMETIMES I feel some movies are publicized too much. I have seen some wonderful shows which were not ing too 7nany pictures of the same type; too many propaganda pictures; too much advertising and exploiting of 'stinkos.' C. W. RATLIFF AvalancheJournal, Lubbock, Tex. 'THE TIME is here for theaters to have a public relations program as differentiated from the industry's public relations. WALTER W. R. MAY Oregon City Enterprise ♦ QTOP TELLING everyone that every single film that emerges from the can Is super colossal. Don't tell all the secrets. Leave the audience a ietv illusions and pretend to be witch doctors or magicians or something. Don't make the whole thing soutid so easy. And make the stars behave themselves like decent people. JULIANA CROW Orlando Evening Star Orlando, Fla. ♦ nPHE ATTEMPTS to cover-up, if they ever existed, are gone. Despite the double meaning of this sentence it ha^ benefited public relations in the movie industry. This is one newspaper that gives its readers the kind of photo^ they want and Hollywood seems to have dropped a lot of covering up which makes better art. Also stories of actors, their actions, divorces, suicides and the like are released just like those of other persons. FRANK E. CARPENTEB Telegram, Clarksburg, W. Va. XIAIR IS AIY answer to this query, since, in spite of several excellent publicity departments, the majority of the press releases from Hollywood and New York lack 'originality, clarity, and the kind of simplicity that divides the sheep from the goats in this world of the written word. Most publicity now being passed out belongs in the realm of the high pressure traveling salesman and not in the super-sophisticated time of the atomic bomb and Timese language. JACK RIDER Lenoir County News Kingston, N. Car. pORGET the glamour gal stuff. ALFRED W. ROSE Camden News, Camden, Ark. 700 Quota Relief Pleas Turned Down II J London (By Cable) — Application of some 700 of the approximately 2,700 British exhibitors who applied for relief from the 45 per cent ^uotaj^ imposed by Harold Wilson, p> €n of the Board of Trade, haA.oeer weeded out by the Films Counci subcommittee to which all applica tions have been referred, it was dis closed yesterday. The 700 applications turned down howevei", do not represent the sun: total of rejections, for the subcom mittee thus far has waded througl only 1,600, leaving about 1,100 ap plications still to be considered. The 900 applications upon whicl^ the committee collectively cast favorable eye go back to the ful Council for reconsideration. It was learned yesterday that the Board of Trade intends to notify al exhibs. by Oct. 1 what quota percentage they must fulfill in event \^, their application is favorably considered. Relief from the 45 per cent quota applies only to those theaters qualil-^fying under Clause Four of the Films Act, but other defaulters wil| be favorably considered if it i proved they made an honest attempl|, to meet the statutory demand. iV( I =M Johnston, Green to Address lA Convention [k ,0 Cleveland — With Eric A. JohnstoniJ William Green and members of th^"' 80th Congress scheduled to speak the 39th annual lATSE conventior L got under way yesterday at the rr Public Auditorium with over 1,10( Jr: members on hand. Tom O'Briens president of the British NATKE b( U.K counterpart of the lA, will bring fc' a picture of the international theat ir: rical labor problem to the sessions e Richard F. Walsh, Internationa i; president, will preside. Confab wil -x. also include 14 district convention: cat the Hollenden Hotel. t Pointing out that sponsors of thi ;; Taft-Hartley measure gave a disis: torted picture of labor in America Walsh stated that the solons haii jp been invited because "They will fine that the duly elected delegates ar our supreme government." To ad( impetus for I'epeal of the law, Josepl D. Keenan, head of Labor's Leagu for Political Education, will speak Others invited to the lA sessioi ' include Ohio Governor Thomas J Herbert; Mayor Thomas A. Burk of Cleveland; John Burns, Michae J. Lyden, Philip Hannah, Willian Finnegan, Harlan Holmden. let FEmmE TOUCH HELEN BOLSTAD, from publicity directoi WBKB, to McFadden Publications as Chi cago news editor. MADELEINE FERRER, cashier. Colonial Theatel Hartford. MARY CRONIN, cashier, Loew's Poli Palac Hartford. f