The Independent Film Journal (1955)

Republic Renting Features To TV; TOA “Concerned” Sliortly after TOA president Mj'roii Blank issued a statement attacking the recent ac¬ tions of RKO and Coh;mbia in “dumping” tlieir tilm backlogs on television, and pre¬ dicting that similar moves were “pending,” K(“public Pictures announced that it would rent 76 of its top films to TV. Blank, who issued his statement following a meeting of officers of the exhibitor organization, said : “We are gravely concerned by the knowl¬ edge that Columbia and RKO have sold mo¬ tion pictures to television . . . The move must harm the box-office . . . We realize that the distributors are within their rights in making this move, but we feel that it repre¬ sents poor economic judgment. “The effect . . . must shrink the potential return on pictures todaj^ and in the future,” Blank said. “Some theatres will be forced to close due to the greed of some distributors to pick up a ‘fast buck.’ We feel certain,” he concluded, “that the companies that have concern for their customers will refrain from selling their product to television during these tiying times.” Offer "A" Pix Republic is offering for “rental” through its subsidiary, Hollywood Television Service, 24 films which he said to be in the $1-2 mil¬ lion dollar class, starring John Wayne, Susan Hayward and others, with another 50 films in the action-adventure mode. The company estimates that the entire package represents a $40 million production investment. Because Republic, like Columbia, is “rent¬ ing” their films, they will retain the theatri¬ cal reissue rights. Previously, Republic had made some 300 low-budget westerns availa¬ ble to television. Blank met the press together with TCA executives Pat McGee and Herman L('vy, and among the subjects discussed were the forthcoming tax repeal campaign, TOA’s need for an executive director, and a ]>roposal to invite foreign distributors to the U.S. Blank also revealed that he has already spoken personally with Eric Johmston, presi¬ dent of the MPEA, concerning the advisabil¬ ity of inviting the heads of foreign trade associations to visit the Hollywood ])roduction centei’s and to attend the 1956 TOA convention next Septeml^er. Asked whether TOA would consider chang¬ ing its Fall convention date for 1958 in order to meet with TESMA, which may hold its convention in the Spring of that year. Blank said that he personally woi;ld have no objections. See TV Price Tumble Chicago. — Initial skepticism in TV circles toward Matty Fox’s acquisition of the huge RKO film library seems borne out here as TV film buyers report Fox’s film offerings to bo out of line with current film prices and that they constitute too large a supply for the needs of TV stations at this time. At the time of the sale, TV insiders warned that film prices would tumble with the in¬ creased availability of product. THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— January 21, Gather Information Exhib Associations Preparing Ammnnition For Senate Unit With hearings scheduled to begin early next month, both TOA and National Allied are busily preiiaring ammunition for their aiipearanees before a subcommittee of the Senate Small Business Committee in Wash¬ ington. Along with Southern California Theatre Owners Assn, and Independent The¬ atre Owners Assn., these exhibitor groups will air testimony about industry conditions before Sen. Hubert Humphrey’s group. Hear¬ ings begin on Feb. 2. Myron Blank, president of TOA, has an¬ nounced that a detailed questionnaire about vital industry problems has been mailed to TOA members, and that the answers will be compiled and presented to the sub-committee. His organization, he said, will be guided at the hearings by the decisions of the rankand-file on all points, including Government regulation of film rentals. Meanwhile, inquiries made of its member¬ ship by National Allied were revealed in the latest service bulletin of the Independent Theatre Ownei’S of Ohio, an Allied Affiliate. It is expected that the two organizations will present conflicting points of view at the hearings with TOA and ITOA Metropoli¬ tan Motion Picture Theatres Assn, charging that the Allied position for Government regu¬ lation of film rentals does not represent a true cross section of industry opinion. The opposition of TOA to Federal regidation is Avell known; Harry Brandt, president of ITOA, has reiterated his views in opposition to Federal controls of any sort ; and Eman¬ uel Frisch, 2)resident of MMPTA, said he liersonally was strongly op^iosed to Govern¬ ment regulation. Myers Raps TOA Meanwhile, Abram F. Myers, Allied gen¬ eral counsel, has already exjirassed criticism of the TOA questionnaire. Stating he was “glad TOA has got around to consulting its members on inpiortant issues,” Myers called the question which dealt with regidation of film rentals as “irrelevant” and “calculated to influence members.” Those questions were : 1. What are your views on Federal Gov¬ ernmental regulation of the entire motion picture industry? 2. What are your views on Federal Gov¬ ernmental regulation of film rentals"? Also asked in the five-page document were (piestions asking members’ opinions about ]iroduct shortage, arbitration, trade prac¬ tices, conpicititive bidding, decrees in the Paramount case (divorcement, block-book¬ ing), exjiansion of the divorced circuits by acquisition of new theatres and reduction of the Federal admissions tax. In the ITOO .service bulletin, letters were requested from Allied memb(‘rs who had anj’ evidence that : 1. The film companies had confiscated most of the gains resulting from the elim¬ ination of cutting of the admission tax. 2. Certain pictures did not play certain communities because the exhibitor could not meet the distributor’s terms. R(4ative to the second question, the ITOG bulletin rejiorts that movie columni.st IMitchell Woodbury had carried an item sajdng he had 1956 Arbitration Draft To Sniall Business Coniniittee? Trade indications are that the industry arbitration plan may be presented at the hearings of the Senate Small Business Com¬ mittee, starting Feb. 2, as well as to the Dept, of Justice. Reasoning is that a previous Small Busi¬ ness Committee, in 1953, asked for an ar¬ bitration draft, and submission at this time would prove distribution’s willingness to work out exhibitor-distributor grievances. received many inquiries about when Ghj/s and Dolls would lie shown in Toledo. He was un¬ able to answer them, the bulletin states, ex¬ cept to say that because Mr. Goldwyn was asking 90 iiercent of the gross for his pic¬ ture, the exhibitors were balking at the terms and not even any of the first run houses was willing to pay tins. “A Congrc.-:snien or Sen¬ ator would certainly be interested in this type of thing,” ITOO states, “because it involves all the iieojile who vote for him.” Several representatives to the Washington hearings have also been announced by ex¬ hibitor organizations. TOA has selected Albert Forman, head of the Oregon Theatre Owners Assn.; Georgi* Kerasotes, iiresident of Hnited Theatres of Illinois; and Richard i\I. Kennedy, chairman of the Alabama Theatres Assn. President Myron Blank and TOA general counsel Her¬ man M. Levy have announced they will make themselves available at the hearings, but do not expect to testify. SCTOA has selected Harry C. Arthur Jr., board chairman ; Albert Hanson, board mem¬ ber; and James H. Arthur, SCTOA counsel, to attend the hearings. ITOA is expected to announce its reiiresentatives shortly. The designees of National Allied have not been announced. MIMPTA, which bans trade practices in its by-laws, is not exjiected to participate, but reportedly may send an oliserver. Film Clips Violating TV Advertising Code? Washington. — Whether showings of clips of new Hollywood films may be in violation of the TV Code advertising restrictions will be investigated by the NARTB Code Review Board in San Francisco Jan. 26-27. The question revolves around whether thesi* clii)s on such shows as the MGM, Warner and Fox iirograms as Avell as on varietv shows like Ed Sullivan’s are actuaMy ad¬ vertising and whether added to regular ad¬ vertising on the iirograms they bring the total a(i time over tlu' total ])ermitted under the Code. The Code Review Board will be ask('d to decide, in effect, whether tlu'se cliiis are ad.s or entertainment. 7