Harrison's Reports (1950)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New YorU, 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 v , ft M v Publisher Canada 16.50 New Tork zo' N Y 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 .... 17.50 Ug Editorial policy: 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, SEPTEMBER 9, 1950 No. 36 COMPO MOVES AHEAD The creation of voluntary committees in every ex' change area of the country to cooperate in the work of the Council of Motion Picture Organisations has been recommended in a resolution adopted unani' mously by COMPO 's Committee on Organization, under the chairmanship of Harry Brandt, at a meet' ing held on Wednesday of this week at the Astor Hotel in New York City. The resolution reads as follows: "Resolved that each exchange area be urged to set up at the earliest possible date a COMPO committee to cooperate in the work of the organisation. In call' ing these meetings, all the various charter members of COMPO represented in the area should be in' eluded. If more than one state is served by the area, such states should be represented on the committee. "The committee will select an area chairman, state chairmen where desired, theatre, distribution, pub' licity, and any other chairmen representing groups affiliated with the industry who may be invited to participate in COMPO activities. "There will be no effort to suggest that exactly the same procedure be followed in the formation or operation of COMPO exchange area committees throughout the country. Complete local autonomy will be preserved." The purpose of the Committee on Organisation meeting was, not only to speed up the establishment of COMPO on a national basis, but also to head off any further action by local groups to organise themselves under a set-up that, though well-intentioned, may cause objections to be raised by certain of the groups represented in the area. In Minneapolis, for example, a Northwest Motion Picture Committee for National Defense was formed last week to support COMPO's pledge of full support to the Government in the present emergency. Harry B. French, president of the Minnesota Amusement Company, was elected as permanent chairman of the newly-formed committee by its organisers, who set up the committee along the lines of the World War II Activities Committee. Objections to this set-up have been raised by Bennie Berger, president of North Central Allied, who, according to trade paper reports, claims that his organisation was not consulted prior to the formation of this new committee and was, therefore, unprepared to vote for chairmen and committeemen. NCA has rejected the French committee on the ground that it has not been established in accordance with the procedure approved by COMPO, and it is asking exhibitors not to sign participation pledge cards sent out by the committee. Under the resolution adopted by Compo's Committee on Organisation, every group affiliated with the industry and represented in the area will be in vited to the meeting and consulted before chairmen and committeemen are selected so as to prevent any further possible dissension. * * * Elsewhere on the COMPO front, Arthur L. Mayer, executive vice-president, took initial steps in the building of a working staff for COMPO with the announcement this week that Robert W. Coyne has been appointed as Special Counsel to the organisation, and that William Ainsworth, former president of National Allied, has been invited to act as Special Consultant to COMPO. Mr. Mayer announced also that Dick Pitts, former motion picture critic of the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, has been engaged as COMPO's editorial director. Coyne, who was national field director of the U. S. Treasury's War Finance Division during World War II, and a former executive director of the Theatre Owners of America, has been associated with Ted Gamble's theatrical enterprises for the past few years. He will leave Gamble to devote his full time to the COMPO post. As Special Consultant to COMPO, Ainsworth, if he accepts Mayer's bid, will confer with COMPO's operational staff in an advisory capacity during periodic visits to New York from his business headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Dick Pitts, who two years ago won industry-wide acclaim with his series of articles on "What's Right with Hollywood," will, like Coyne, serve COMPO on a full-time basis. Mr. Mayer also announced the appointment of a special COMPO committee for cooperation with the State Department in connection with the Voice of America operation overseas. Its personnel, drawn from the three COMPO member groups directly concerned with the international scene, consists of Cecil B. DeMille, of the Motion Picture Industry Council, as chairman; Gunther Lessing, of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers; and Francis S. Harmon, of the Motion Picture Association. The function of the new committee will be to work with Assistant Secretary of State Edward W. Barrett and his associates on Voice of America program operations. Meanwhile on Friday (Sept. 8) the COMPO Committee on Cooperation with the U. S. Government was scheduled to meet with President Truman at the White House, as well as with Dr. John R. Stcelman, Assistant to the President, who has been designated as the Government's liaison with the motion picture industry, and Dallas Halverstadt, film section chief in Steelman's office. The visit to the White House was to be preceded by a formal meeting of the committee, with the meeting to be resumed following the conference with the (Continued on bac\ page)