The Film Daily (1948)

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Iniimate in Character Iniernational in Scope Independent in Thought '''^\X^ ' The Dxiily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Thirty Years Old V,« Vj 94. NO. 58 NEW YORK. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 22. 1948 TEN CENTS m-G-m TO URGC flPDITIOnBL T6Le STBTIOnS Initial $610,000 French Payment Due Shortly Distribs. to Apply for Shares in First of 16 Quarterly Disbursements Distributors this month will receive their first dollar remittances from France since before the war as the Franco-American film accord, signed last week, goes into effect. Applications are being drawn by dis^ tributors for their shares of the first quarterly payment from funds frozen in France on account of earnings there of U. S. films prior to June 30, 1947, it is learned. Initial installment became due with the signing of the agreement, (Continued on Page 13) Metro Will Expand Special Training M-G-M hosted an industry press luncheon in the Hotel Astor yesterday in order to introduce six of its field men who comprise the initial group to undertake the company's intensive executive training course. William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager, said that eventually every man in the sales (Continued on Page 15) AR Reports Scales Steady Between March and Aug. Princeton, N. J. — Theater admission prices were virtually unchanged between March and August, Audience Research, Inc., reported yesterday on the basis of a survey covering approximately 150 cities. Aver■ (Continued on Page 3) Echman to Marh 21 , Years With M-G-M London (By Cable) — Sam Eckman, Jr., veteran U. S. film distribution topper, tomorrow celebrates his 21st year as M-G-M distribution chief in the United Kingdom; He has been with Metro for 31 years and before that was with Mutual and Triangle, and vice-president of Goldwyn Pictures. With the M-G-M merger, he became Eastern director of distribution, transferring to the British field in 1927. 6B ^'Henry V" Technicolor Prints Distributed For 825 Play dates Since April, 1946 Opening Something of a record in print conservation is claimed by United Artists in connection with its distribution of J. Arthur Rank's "Henry V." Picture, which had its U. S. opening in April, 1946, has played 825 engagements, ranging from one-day stands to 46-week runs. During this time only 66 Technicolor prints were used, and 44 of these are still on hand in good condition — the other 22 prints having been used as replacements. Record, it is pointed out, was made possible by constant inspection and replacement of worn parts in each print from other prints. "Henry" thus far has grossed in excess of $3,000,000 in U. S. and Canada. Net profit, after all expenses, is in excess of $1,625,000, before division between the producer and United Artists. Balaban, Skouras to Address TOA Banquet Chicago — Barney Balaban, Paramount president, and Spyros Skouras, 20th-Fox president, will address the President's Dinner which climaxes the Theater Owners of America convention in the Drake Hotel here Saturday night, it was announced yesterday. George Jessel will toastmaster the affair. Program for the conclave, released yesterday, reveals that preliminary (Continued on Page 14) Realai-t Will Launch Rogers Drive Oct. 4 Inauguration of the Budd Rogers Silver Jubilee Sales Drive was announced yesterday at the second day's session of the Realart convention in the Hotel Warwick here. Drive vdll honor the company's vice-president and general sales (Continued on Page 13) Name Five-Man Board For U. K. Finance Co. London (By Cable) — Britain's interim Film Finance Company will have a five-man board and will be organized within a week or two. Jack Belcher announced yesterday in Parliament. J. H. Lawrie was named chairman and managing director, with the board also comprising Nicholas Davenport, S. J. Pears, C. H. Scott and R. J. Stopford. Company will have two and a half mil(Continued on Page 4) ACT Complains to BOT on Foreign Cutting, Dubbing London (By Cable) — Claiming a "loophole" in the Films Act permits British companies to film outside the Empire and do their dubbing and cutting abroad, the Association of Cinema Technicians will call for an amending definition, ACT informed (Continued on Page 4) B^way Lacks First Run'^Spots Medium Budget Fix Forced to Nahe Houses Cook Named in Percentage Suits Filed in Missouri St. Joseph, Mo. — James R. Cook is named defendant in three percentage fraud suits filed yesterday in the District Court. Separate suits were brought by Paramount, 20th-Fox and Warners. Complaints are similar to those (Continued on Page 3) Producers of moderate budget pictures are finding it increasingly difficult to find first-run playing time on Broadway in the light of the withdrawal of several potential outlets from the field within recent months. Not so long ago about half a dozen Main Stem theaters were likely prospects for initial run showings of the low-budgeters but four of these have (Continued on Page 4) Brief To FCC Presages Company's Petition For Five Key City Licenses M-G-M is ready to submit to the Federal Commuiications Commission a recently completed brief in which the company will strongly urge the Commission to open ultra-high frequency bands in order to accommodate additional television stations. Move is considered by observers to be the initial step in Metro's longrange video plans which are somewhat stymied by the unavailability of stations in key cities. If the FCC opens the higher frequencies, it is understood that the company will immediately petition for five licenses, (Continued on Page 15) Sees Advantages in Production in France Despite inflated production costs — which exist everywhere — it would still be worthwhile for American companies with blocked funds to make pictures in France, according to Paul Graetz, veteran producer of French films, now visiting here. To support his contention, Graetz (Continued on Page 14) lATSE Challenging Newsreels' Pooling West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Los Angeles — Newsreel "pooling" practices which grew up during the war years have been challenged by the Cameramen's Local 644, lATSE, (Continued on Page 15) Goldteyn and Hawhs Talks Fail to Jell Negotiations leading to sales supervision of Howard Hawks' "Red River" by Samuel Goldwyn Productions have been abandoned by the parties concerned because of technical legal difficulties, it was learned here yesterday. Talks leading to sales supervision of Walter Wanger's "Joan of Arc" were similarly dropped several weeks ago.