The Film Daily (1948)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought f^ tm<^ ^'^^ Co The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Thirty Years Old -IFDArLV V^=%\94. NO. 53 NEW YORK. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 15. 1948 TEN CENTS mP€B comptini6s in BGRCcmcnT on 'B' pool Cost Stabilization is Spur to Theater Building Experienced Contractors Said Now Willing to Give Firm Bids on New Houses A revival of interest in theater construction has manifested itself within recent weeks on the basis of tJie conclusion reached by building contractors that costs have become stabilized, Architect John Eberson told The Film Daily yesterday. Eberson pointed out that until recently builders were faced with so much uncertainty as to the day-today costs of both labor and construction materials that in submitting (Continued on Page 10) Gov't Stands Firm For Divorcement IVashuinton Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — The SIMPP wire protesting anything short of divorcement as a windup to the Paramount case did not go to Attorney General Tom C. Clark yesterday, his office said. Instead it went to Robert L. Wright, special assistant to the Attorney General and specialist in (Continued on Page 10) Gen. McClure Will Speak At AMPA's First Meeting AMPA will open its Fall luncheon season on Sept. .30 with the guest speaker to be Gen. Robert A. McClure, chief of the area field office of \ the Army's Civil Affairs Division, i Max E. Youngstein, AMPA president, announced. Drops Dance Spots To Concentrate on Pix London (By Air Mail) — In line with its policy of concentrating efforts on screen entertainment, J. Arthur Rank's Circuits Management Association is attempting to dispose of a number of dance halls attached to film theaters. Gaumont-British has a number of these halls, built as part of theaters, which CMA hopes to turn over to other operators. Move is in line with the recent announcement that CMA would drop variety shows in its Odeon and G-B houses. Five Stations in Each of 140 Cities For Adequate TV Service — Duntont Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — An adequate television service for the United States should include at least five stations in each of the 140 largest cities of the country, Dr. Allen B. DuMont told the FCC yesterday. Dr. DuMont added that he would settle for four stations in each city, however. In proposing the expansion of television into the ultra-high frequencies DuMont suggested that in crowded areas like southern New England the high band be used to permit local TV service, and suggested that in 11 of the first 50 metropolitan areas of the country TV assignments might be exclusively in the UHF band. Fox Drive to Honor j "Joan" to Premiere Sicouras Anniversary Nov. 11 at Victoria West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A triple-objective sales drive to honor the 35th anniversary in show business of Spyros P. Skouras, 20th-Fox president, will be held in the 13-week period between Sept. 26 and Dec. 25, Andy W. Smith, Jr., general sales manager, announced yesterday at the company's national sales conference. Ob.iectives of the Skouras Anniversary Celebration, Smith outlined, (Continued on Page 10) Streamlining Speeds Up Fox Sales Operations West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Streamlined operation in the 20th-Fox distribution department has resulted in a speed-up of selling activities, Andy W. Smith, Jr., general sales manager, said yesterday. Changes, which included the elimination of much paper work, constructive economies, and simplified inter-communication between (Continued on Page 3) Warners Seeks Quick FCC Action on Applications Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — All possible speed consistent with sound engineering practices in the granting of pending TV applications was urged upon the FCC by Attorney Marcus Cohn, representing Warners, as the FCC closed its two-day engineering conference yesterday. Warners seeks an okay to erect (Continued on Page 6) Canadian Theater Grosses Up Affendance Drop Offsef by Higher Scales MP Research Council to File Objection with FCC Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington— The Motion Picture Research Council will file with the FCC today a notice that it will file an objection next month to a pro (Continued on Page 6) Earnings h*om U. K. Films, Owned or to be Purchased, Will Go Into Joint Account MPEA-member companies have agreed to add dollar revenues from British pictures bought outright by any of the companies to the socalled "B" pool for distribution among all companies, it is learned. "B" pool is made up of revenues from United Kingdom product in the U. S., its possessions and the Philippines, as distinguished from the "A" pool, which includes the $17,000,000 permitted to be remitted from English earnings of American films. Agreement calls for the addition (Continued on Page 6) World premiere of Sierra Pictures' "Joan of Arc," released through RKO, will be in the newly renovated Victoria Theater on Nov. 11, it was announced yesterday by Walter Wanger, producer of the Technicolor production; Ned E. Depinet, president of RKO, and Robert W. Dowling, president of City Investing Co., owner of the Victoria. , Negotiations for the premiere were conducted by Robert Mochrie, RKO j (Continued on Page 3) [ Speculate on ASCAP Payment Suspension ASCAP's executive board met yesterday to discuss the Society's next move as a result of the doublebarreled monopoly blast directed against the royalty collection by two different Federal judges. In the meantime, industry ob(Continued on Page 6) Favor State Admissions Tax at Ohio ITO Meet Columbus — Sentiment in favor of a return to the State admissions tax, even by Ohio theatermen from municipalities which now have no such tax, was expressed at the first session of the Independent Theater Owners of Ohio two-day convention (Continued on Page 10) Ottawa— The Dominion Govern i ment yesterday reported 220,000,000 j attendance at theaters last year, down 7,000,000 from 1946, but grosses increased from approximately $60,1 000,000 to $62,279,000 because of higher admission scales. The Government 20 per cent tax was extra at $16,000,000, which was an increase of more than $1,000,000. FCC Ohays 20th-Fox TV Relay Experiment Washington Bur., THE FILM DAILY Washington — The FCC last night wired 20th Century Fox a special temporary okay for experimental TV relay operation for a period not to exceed 90 days in New York City. The authorization provides for the use of two bands 25 megacycles wide for experimentation in theater tele, and it is understood here that receiving equipment will be installed in the Roxy Theater.