Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1948)

JVenvs and Opinion (Continued from Page 5) the American companies in refusing to ship their films in retaliation for last year's 75% ad \alorem tax and warned that "if at any time Hollywood disagrees again with our Government's actions, they might do the same thing again, and the next time it might be a complete embargo. This is an impossible position for any business to be in." At one point, the British film leader told his audience that his domestic produced outgrosses Hollywood's when it is given continuity of playing time. Later, severaj CEA exhibitors took issue with Rank on his statement, allowing that his product has resulted in losses for them. One exhibitor had records to prove that he paid approximatetly $8000 for 71 J.\R films and the result to Iiim was a loss of some $1600. WANT FEWER U. S. B'S There is no desire on the part of the British to exclude America's better films. Rank declared, "but few of us will complain if we do not see so many of the Hollywood lesser pictures which have brought little money to our boxoffices. He called upon Eric Johnston to revive talks on the formation of an Anglo-American joint committee to explore dollar and film excliange problems. On this side, American distributors continued to miiJl counter-measures in retaliation for the new 45% quota. With the State Deoartment's "concern" over the quota shrugged off by Parliament and another bovcott on film exports to Britain deemed unfeasible, American producerdistributors were hinting that they might consider selling product only to independent operators in England. In Xew York, United Artists' plan to set up an inde circuit in Britain to compete with the Bi? Three — Rank's Gaumont-British and Odeon, and WB's Associated British — received added impetus. Rank's offer of a 20 Der cent rental for Triangle's "Sleep, Mv Love" brought fierce vituperation from Sam Dembow, Tr., UA board member reoresenting Triangle. Dembow termed Rank's offer as part of the Briton's "perfidious policy of playing major .American motion picture interests pff against one another in the hope of obtaining outstanding product at ridiculouslv low prices." Dembow revealed plans to release the film in Britain to independent theatres only. Universal Profit Dips, Exliib Group Blasts Policy Universal Pictures net profit for the 26 weeks ended Mav 1 drooped more sharply than that of anv other major company in many years, and the announcement brought forth a sharplyworded condemnation of its sales policy from one exhibitor organization. The companv's sixmonths net skidded to $232,866, after all charges, from the comparable 1947 profit figure of S2,092,418. A recent bulletin of the Rockv Mountain Independent Theatres, an Allied unit, attributed the din in U's profits to "an exhibitor-bedamned sales policy. . .started several years when the companv first adopted a Metro sales policy which it tacked on to Universal pictures. The sales pitch was made on a 'take-it-orleave-it' basis. "The result — Universal has less accounts than any other company its size. "The companv has lost millions of dollars through its failure to take less money here and there. ".And," the bulletin continues, "the net result of this proud but poor complex — it remains on the bottom of the profit list." N. Y. Paramount Becomes Industry's Video Guinea Pig Television-conscious exhibitors will be watching the Paramount Theatre in New York as carefully as a scientist observes the reactions cf his guinea pig. With the announcement last week that the Paramount has incorporated large-screen theatre television as a regular feature — the first movie house in the world to do so — the Broadway show-place assumed the standing of a laboratory, not only for the latest advances in theatre-size video, but also to study audience reaction to various types of programs. The latter phase is probably the most s«gr.ificant tipoff on whether the benefits television will offer theatres can offset its threat as a stay-at-home factor. Paramount audiences thus far have seen only two types of programs, prizefights and political conventions. Xeither the Republican nor Democratic conventions seemed to arouse any particular enthusiasm and there were many walkouts. The two championship bouts shmvn by the Paramount, Louis^V'alcott and Williams-Jack, met with a brighter reception, but even here patrons were seen to leave, and in neither case did the theatre play to s. r. o. The latter bout, shown last Monday night (iith), suffered the disadvantage of appearing on the Paramount screen approximately 45 minutes late. Several short subjects and an organ solo were necessary to fill in the gap, and the audience was extremely restless by the time the fight started. In Washington, 20th-Fox prexy Spyros Skouras, testifying before the Federal Communications Commission, declared under questioning that there was a possibility that film distribution methods may be revolutionized by television. Using a' single print, a feature could be telecast simultaneously in thousands of theatres equipped to pick up the program. The mechanics of overcoming the problem of "Iwotlegging" by home consumers and by theatres not paying for the privilege were still to be worked out. Skouras made it clear, however, that he didn't see the possibility of servicing all tlieatres in the country in this jnanner. Another bug in the tele distribution method was the fact tliat with so many theatres playing the same program, audiences wouldn't have much choice in their film fare. Under this system, however, industry wags asserted, distributors ci'uldn't plead print shortages. Long Delays Likely To Stall Monopoly Case The hearings on the industry anti-trust case remanded back to the New York District Court are slated to start in October — but the present outlook makes one ask : October of what year ? The uncertainty is occasioned by the lengthy preliminary list of interrogatories posed by the Government to the theatre-owning defendants and the promise of even more extensive lists in the future. Balking at several of the questions regarding ownership of affiliated theatres and data on partners, the majors served notice that they would contest in court the right of the Government to demand the information. There was no reason to believe that this pattern would not be followed in subsequent interrogatories. Obviously, the defendants are in no liurry to have the case resolved. Thus Judge Hand's facetious remark that even a young judge would find it difficult to outlast the case had all the earmarks of a profound truth. 9' Newsreel-Video Alliance Grows; Exhib Cancels Reel Another nail in tlie cot^in television is building for the motion picture newsreel was hammered home last week with the announcement by 20th Century-Fox and United Press of a long-term agreement for joint establishinent of a television news service signed by Spyros P. Skouras, 20th-Fox president, and Hugh Baillie, head of the UP. Under the agreement, described by Peter Levathes, Fox video director, as "only the beginning of our vast television program to service the entire television industry," Fox Movietone News will document UP dispatches with films to be sent to tele stations weekly. This will be augmented by distribution of a vast basic fihn library to be furnished by Fox to all video stations subscribing to the new Service, which will be added to from time to time. The handwriting on the wall began to tell the story of exhibitor reaction to these developments, with the report from Salt Lake City, that an exhibitor, Charles M. Pincus, of the Utah Theatre, had cancelled a Fox Movietone newsreel, comprised mostly of scenes of the Republican convention, because similar shots had been shown locally on television five days before the newsreel availability. Actors Seek Safeguards Against Video And Reissues There will be no strike of the actors in Hollywood. The threat, never regarded too seriously by the producers in view of their ample backlogs of completed films, was removed when the Screen Actors Guild approved a new pact with tlie Association of Motion Picture Producers and the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. The contract runs from August 1 through 1950. Guarding against having themselves shut out of possible television revenue, the SAG insisted upon a provision that licensing of new films for television (except those produced specifically for video) during the next two years would be grounds for terminating the contract iipon 60 days notice. Other provisions call for a 100 percent union shop and a limitation on reissues. Further discussions are to be held on the television problem as it relates to performers. The lackadaisical summer production picture, however, was not spruced up measurably by the settlement. With vaults well stocked and a desire to liquidate high-priced films, the major studios were taking things easy these days Chas. Skouras Still Industry's Salary Champ Charles Skouras proved that he wasn't just a flash in the pan when he dethroned Louis B. Alayer as the nation's top earner. In salary figures for 1946 released by the Treasury Dept.. tlie National Theatres prexy led the field with a whopping $985,300 in salaries and bonuses, over $400,000 above his $568,143 which crowned him champ in the preceding year. .Among the other film people in the nation's liigh brackets topping tlie $200,000 mark were: William Wvler, $432,000; Bing Crosbv, $325,000; Betty Grable", $300,000; Carv Grant, $278,000; Howard Hawks. $250,000: Henrv Ginsberg, $220,000 ; Bob Hope. $275,000 ; Alan Ladd, $212,000; Darrvl F. Zanuck, $260,000; Otto Preminger, $206,000; Spvros P. Skouras, $201,000. Gary Cooper didn't quite make it — $199. JULY 19. 1948 7