Harrison's Reports (1950)

IN TWO SECTIONS— SECTION ONE Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Harrison's Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS Published Weekly by United States $15.00 (Formerly Sixth Avenue) Harrison s Reports. Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 M v U 9ft 1M V Publisher Canada 16.50 Wew Iork p. s. HARRISON, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 A Motion Picture Reviewing Service Great Britain 17.50 Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Established July 1, 1919 Australia, New Zealand, India, Europe, Asia .... 17.60 Ug Editorial PoUcy: No problem Too Big for Its Editorial Circle 7-4622 35c a Copy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXXII SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1950 No. 20 DO YOUR PART IN THE TAX FIGHT! Meeting in New York on Wednesday of this week, the Tax and Legislation Committee of COMPO, following the mandate of the organisation at its recent Chicago session, put into gear the machinery of the national drive for full repeal of the twenty per cent Federal admissions tax. The plans set in motion by the committee call for the continuation and intensification of the fight for complete repeal. "This fight," declared Abram F. Myers, chairman of the committee, "must go on and on until the last penny of tax on a motion picture ticket is removed." In a statement issued to the press at the close of the meet' ing, the committee revealed that it had launched a coast-tocoast survey, with the cooperation of the distributors, to gather up-to-date information on the state of the nation's theatres. This survey disclosed that, since the Tax Committee presented the industry's case to the House Ways and Means Committee two months ago, there has been a further decline in theatre attendance. This fact, supported by figures on closed theatres, suspended matinees, limited days of operation, etc., will be conveyed to the Ways and Means Committee in a last-ditch effort to prove that the fifty per cent cut in the tax tentatively voted by it will not give the industry the relief it must have. It will be pointed out that, while full repeal would mean a re-birth of business, a mere cut to a ten per cent admissions tax will bring about very little improvement in theatre attendance. A time-table of action has been set up by the COMPO Committee, based on the probable actions of Congress. While continuing its effort — through personal contacts — to change the stand taken by the Ways and Means Committee, the COMPO Committee realistically is setting its sights on the possibility that the House Committee will probably report out a tax bill with the ten per cent levy remaining on tickets. In that eventuality, the time-table calls for a determined effort to be made to have the bill amended on the floor of the House to provide complete repeal. This, however, is doubtful, since the bill may reach the House under a rule preventing amendments. That being the case, the next step on the time-table, assuming passage of the bill by the House, will be an attempt to have the Senate Finance Committee revise the House bill to include full repeal. There are only thirteen members on the Senate Finance Committee, and a pin-pointed, personalized effort will be made to convince those Senators that the industry must have and the public demands full repeal. If the bill should go through the Senate Finance Committee without providing for full repeal, efforts will be made to have it amended when it reaches the Senate floor, a method that is possible under Senate procedure. The time-table includes other steps from there on, up to and including appeals to the President not to veto the bill. According to the COMPO Committee, information has reached it indicating that the House Ways and Means Committee is trying to speed up the writing of its bill, and that it may be completed within a week or ten days. The COMPO Committee announced also that, in the event the Senate Finance Committee holds public hearings, Chairman Myers and Gael Sullivan, of TOA, will appear to present new and telling data on how badly the industry needs the full tax relief. A series of information and campaign bulletins is being prepared by the COMPO Committee for the guidance of the industry as a whole. In some areas, theatres will be requested to put on patron-protest campaigns, with trailers, cards, petitions, etc., asking unconvinced Senators to support the industry's plea. In other areas, where Senators are definitely committed to full repeal, it will be suggested that lobby posters as well as film on the screen proclaim that those Senators are on our side. This procedure proved to be popular among the Congressmen who pledged themselves to total repeal and felt that some appreciation should be forthcoming. Queried about the industry's chances of winning complete repeal, Chairman Myers had this to say: "There is still a chance that we can persuade Congress to remove the twenty per cent entirely; there is a chance because justice and right are on our side. We are continuing to do everything possible to present our case properly. Of course, the national committee cannot do it alone. Every person in the industry who knows a Senator should talk or write to that Senator, setting forth the dire need for this tax repeal. If the thousands of exhibitors who are suffering most will tell their Senators their own stories in their own words, it will be most effective." Mr. Myers' statement needs no further elucidation; it speaks for itself. EXHIBITORS PLAYING PUBLIC RELATIONS SHORTS TO GET LAST FOUR SUBJECTS FREE Exhibitors who are participating in the industry's "Movies and You" short subjects film project will receive the last four subjects rental free, according to an announcement by William L. Ainsworth and Joseph R. Vogel, chairman and treasurer, respectively, of the all-industry Board of Trustees administering the public relations undertaking. Francis S. Harmon, secretary of the Board of Trustees, states that more than 13,000 theatres have already booked and payed for the first six films in the series of twelve, and all arc expected to play the next two rental subjects, namely, "Screen Actors," which went into release on May 13, and "Moments in Music," set for release on July IT. Both are being distributed through Loew's. Mr. Harmon pointed out that sufficient revenue is expected from rentals on the first eight subjects to cover the cost of the entire scries of twelve. The last four subjects, which will be released at 60-day intervals starting September 14, will be supplied gratis to exhibitors who have booked and payed lor the shorts released previously. The qualifying list of theatres entitled to these free subjects will be made up from Loew's booking chart on "Screen Actors" and Moments in Music." The free subjects arc "The Costume Designer," to be released by RK.O in September, 1950; "The Screen Writer," through 20th Century-Fox, in November, 1950; "The Cincniatographcr," through Paramount, in January, 1951; and "The Screen Director," through Warner Bros., in March, 1951.