Harrison's Reports (1949)

196 TOA CALLS THE COPS Relentlessly carrying on its fight against Columbia's sales policy on "Jolson Sings Again," the Theatre Owners of America, according to an announcement made this week by Gael Sullivan, its executive director, has referred the matter to the Department of Justice. Sullivan and Herman M. Levy, TOA's general counsel, conferred in Washington last Friday with Attorney General Howard J. McGrath and Assistant Attorney General Herbert A. Bergson, who agreed to take the matter under advisement. Like National Allied and the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners, TOA has taken the position that Columbia is violating the law by being a party to determining admission prices, not only directly by making it a condition of licensing, but also indirectly by making its rental demands so high as to require the exhibitor to advance his minimum admission prices lest he run the picture without profit or at a possible loss. In spite of the fact that Columbia has denied that it was in the past or is now a factor in setting advanced admission prices, Mr. Levy declared that TOA has not received evidence of a single case where an exhibitor has shown the "Jolson" picture at regular admission prices. Under the circumstances, Mr. Levy added, the TOA had no alternative but to refer the matter to the Department of Justice since it is that Department's responsibility to take whatever action seems warranted, after an investigation. After discussing with General McGrath and Mr. Bergson some of the specific complaints TOA has received from its members, Sullivan and Levy were assured by them that the matter would be investigated to determine whether Columbia has been guilty of any violation in the light of the existing decree in the Government anti-trust case. As it has already been reported in these columns, National Allied, PCCITO and TOA hav requested their members to submit all evidence and data pertaining to the methods employed by the Columbia sales personnel, directly or indirectly, to compel them to raise admission prices in connection with the showings of "Jolson Sings Again." If you have such information, submit it to your organization leaders at once so that they may turn it over to the Department of Justice officials for their analysis. BOX-OFFICE PERFORMANCES The previous box-office performances were published in the April 16, 1949 issue: Columbia "Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture" : Fair-Poor "Blondie's Big Deal": Fair-Poor "Manhattan Angel": Fair-Poor "Knock on Any Door": Good-Fair "The Undercover Man": Good-Fair "Rusty Saves a Life" : Fair-Poor "The Mutineers": Fair-Poor "We Were Strangers": Fair-Poor "The Lost Tribe" : Fair "Make Believe Ballroom": Fair "Lust for Gold" : Good-Fair "Johnny Allegro": Good-Fair "Crime Doctor's Diary": Fair-Poor "The Secret of St. Ives": Fair-Poor "The Doolins of Oklahoma" : Good-Fair "Kazan": Fair-Poor "Law of the Barbary Coast": Fair'Poor "Anna Lucasta" : Fair "The Lone Wolf and His Lady" : Fair-Poor "Air Hostess" : Fair-Poor "Mr. Soft Touch" : Good-Fair "The Devil's Henchmen" : Fair-Poor "Miss Grant Takes Richmond": Good-Fair "Blondie Hits the Jackpot" : Fair "Holiday in Havana": Fair-Poor Twenty-five pictures have been checked with the following results: Good-Fair, 7; Fair, 4; Fair-Poor, 14. Eagle-Lion "Red Stallion in the Rockies": Fair "Tulsa" : Good "Shamrock Hill": Fair "The Big Cat": Fair "Alimony": Fair "Black Shadows": Fair-Poor "The Black Book": Fair "Down Memory Lane": Fair-Poor "Zamba" : Fair-Poor "Trapped" : Fair Ten pictures have been checked with the following results: Good, I; Fair, 6; Poor, 3. Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer "Little Women": Good "Take Me Out to the Ball Game": Very Good "Big Jack": Fair "The Barkleys of Broadway": Very Good-Good "Neptune's Daughter": Very Good "Wizard of Oz" (reissue) : Good "Any Number Can Play": Good-Fair "The Stratton Story" : Very Good-Good "In the Good Old Summertime": Very Good-Good "Tale of the Navajos" : Poor "Madame Bovary": Fair "Scene of the Crime" : Fair "The Great Sinner": Fair-Poor "That Midnight Kiss": Good "The Secret Garden" : Fair "The Doctor and the Girl" : Fair "The Red Danube" : Good-Fair "Border Incident": Fair "Intruder in the Dust": Good-Fair Nineteen pictures have been checked with the following results: Very Good, 2; Very Good-Good, 3; Good, 3; GoodFair, 3; Fair, 6; Fair-Poor, 1; Poor, 1. Paramount "El Paso" : Good-Fair "A Connecticut Yankee" : Good-Fair "Bride of Vengeance" : Fair "Streets of Laredo" : Good-Fair "Manhandled" : Fair-Poor "Trail of the Lonesome Pine" (reissue) : Fair "Geronimo" (reissue): Fair "Sorrowful Jones" : Very Good-Good "Special Agent": Fair-Poor "The Great Gatsby" : Fair "Top O' the Morning": Good-Fair "Rope of Sand": Good "My Friend Irma": Good "Song of Surrender": Poor Fourteen pictures have been checked with the following results: Very Good-Good, 1; Good, 2; Good-Fair, 4; Fair, 4; Fair-Poor, 2; Poor, 1. RKO "Pride of the Yankees" (reissue) : Good-Fair "Adventure in Baltimore" : Fair "The Set-up": Good-Fair "The Green Promise" : Fair-Poor "The Window": Good "The Judge Steps Out" : Fair "Roughshod": Fair "The Big Steal": Good-Fair "Mighty Joe Young": Good-Fair "Tarzan's Desert Mystery" (reissue): Fair-Poor "Tarzan Triumphs" (reissue) : Fair-Poor "Dumbo" (reissue) : Fair "Saludos Amigos" (reissue) : Fair-Poor "Roseanna McCoy" : Fair "Follow Me Quietly": Fair "Easy Living": Good-Fair "Savage Splendor": Good-Fair "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon": Very Good-Good "Adventures of Ichabod 6? Mr. Toad": Good "Make Mine Laughs" : Fair Twenty pictures have been checked with the following results: Very Good-Good, 1; Good, 2; Good-Fair, 6; Fair, 7; FairPoor, 4. (Continued next wec\)