Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1944)

Tuesday. March 21, 1944 Motion Picture Daily 11 MPTOA Meets Clark On Decree Today (Continued from page 1) scheduled meeting with Assistant U. S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark tomorrow. Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA president, stated late today that the committee's decree report would be "brief and to the point; much more concise than the n-ree reports delivered to the Detment of Justice earlier by some other exhibitor organizations." Kuykendall declined to comment on the nature of the MPTOA report in advance of its presentation to Clark. It is generally believed, however, that the report will recommend large 'block or full s'eason selling with a straight 20 per cent cancellation, local mediation of trade disputes, more liberal arbitration rules and a standard ^ exhibition contract. Find Proposals Inadequate Kuykendall and his associates consider the distributors' proposals to be inadequate in many wayrs and to be short of the foundation on which the organization has maintained a successful decree must be based, it was learned today. The MPTOA brief will finish the round-up of exhibitor views which Clark has been making before working out proposals to be laid before the distributors within the next ten days or two weeks. The recommendations of the other associations already have been collated, and Clark has indicated that he will lose no time in renewing his contact with the companies, with a view to speeding up the negotiations, which now have dragged over six months, and get the whole matter out of the way. Y. C. Precedent In Clearance Award (Continued from page 1) tried," the board charged in its opinion. "The record of 600 pages is an imposition upon the patience of the arbitrator and this board. A very substantial part of this record consists of mere verbal disputes between counsel. Arguments should be reserved for briefs and should not be transcribed into the record itself." At the Los Angeles tribunal, James L. Patten, arbitrator, in the clearance complaint of L. W. Allen, operating the Southgate Theatre, Southgate, Cal., against the five decree companies, reduced the present 49 day clearance enjoyed by the Vogue over the plaintiff's theatre to 42 days, provided that the Southgate shall charge an adult evening admission price of at least 25 cents, exclusive of tax. Costs were assessed equally against the complainant, the major companies and two intervenors. Skouras-Rank Setup Ready for Signatures (Continued from page 1) livery on April 3 to Edward T. Carr, who has charge of Eagle-Lion in London. No large-scale sales or publicity organizations are yet in being, but the agreement now potentially made solves these, and all such problems. Films Called War Antidote By Major General Osborn (Continued from page 1) H. Osborn, U. S. Army director of the morale services division, Army Service Forces, said that motion pictures have proved an effective antidote to the tension and physical strain of battle, and that they are particularly welcome to men just returned from the front. He said the distribution of first-run films to the various fronts by air is on a par with any similar commercial operation, and came about "because combat officers want their men to relax after they come out of the lines. The film has proved to be the solution. A screen against a jungle backdrop brings the soldier close to home." Films Goodwill Factor "This tremendous film circuit's value as a goodwill factor is beyond computation. In Xew Guinea, for example, where Australian and American soldiers fight side by side, they sit down to see an American film side by side. Our troops visit Australian camps, where the screen fare is predominantly American.'' Osborn reiterated that newsreels, comedies, and musical pictures are high on the GI "hit" list. "Soldiers dislike war pictures with glorified heroes. They like to see informational films, those that explain war strategy and show real battle scenes. The soldier is anxious to see what his weapons can do. The Army's "Why We Fight" series has immeasurably bet tered his understanding of issues at stake," he stated. Osborn included Australia, Xew Guinea, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, New Georgia, Bougainville, and Fiji in his itinerary. "I have seen tropical theatres seating 3,000 soldiers on wooden benches, and 1,000 sitting on crates and logs and oil tins in an outdoor excavation," he said. Projector Repair Stations The general found a number of projector repair stations in operation on Pacific islands. Although new projectors are being shipped overseas regularly, tropical rains and heat necessitate frequent servicing of equipment. "Even in isolated areas," said Osborn, "soldiers work wonders with bits of wire and paper clips in keeping projectors in working order." Osborn explained that an average of more than 40 prints of three first-run productions, more than a soldier saw in an average civilian week, were turned over to the Army weekly, in addition to the informational and educational features produced and distributed by Army Service Forces. Entertainment reels from 19 Army overseas film exchanges are transported by plane, boat, jeep, or handcarried to the camp sites. Mobile special service companies with portable equipment and camera crews tour remote areas playing one-night stands. Atkinson Rules Out Verbal Contracts (Continued from page 1) Chicago, March 20 — "For the first time in 10 years there will be written contracts exclusively," explained Eugene J. Atkinson, new business manager of Projectionists' Union Local 110, in declaring at the weekend his policy in negotiations with theatres. He said verbal contracts of the past will be abolished. "Contracts of all theatres will be open for inspection," promised Atkinson. "We are entering into uniform agreements so that houses of similar classification and capacity will be paying a proper wage scale. There will be no deviation from standard wages unless at open meeting our officers are instructed by the members to make changes. We are determined to reestablish the good name the union had prior to 1934 and bring back Democracy. We are not going to perpetuate any of the deals that sent men to the penitentiary and put a national disgrace on union labor. We have no affiliation with mobsters and owe no allegiance to gangs," he added. Warner Brothers Theatres and the Schoenstadt Circuit are ready to sign new contracts, it was indicated by Atkinson. Staggs To Cleveland John Staggs, clerk at the Albany, N. Y., tribunal of the motion picture arbitration system, has been transferred to Cleveland in the same capacity, to replace Gordon Lind, the American Arbitration Association reports here. Staggs has been replaced at Albany by James A. Murray. Withholds Only 1% Of War Newsreels (Continued from page 1) Exposed film carries the highest priority by Army Air Transport to War Department laboratories in Washington and to laboratories in London. Processing and review of the film, by the film security section of the War Department bureau of public relations, takes priority even over official U. S. Army Signal Corps and U. S. Army Air Forces films. Even the three per cent of film withheld ultimately finds its way to the newsreels and eventually about 99 per cent is shown to the public. The one per cent not shown is of material that may definitely give aid or comfort to the enemy. During the year, official U. S. Army Signal Corps and U. S. Army Air Forces film footage totalled 213 separate subjects issued to newsreels. amounting to 157,764 feet of film, while newsreel correspondents released 212 subjects totalling 177,826 feet. Increased Army operations since the first of the year stepped up the tempo of releases so that 46 official subjects were issued between Jan. 1 and Feb. 29, the War Department reveals. A large part of the footage also is used for Signal Corps training films. 200,000 Bonds Sold By Loew's Circuit In 4th Loan Drive Massey a Citizen Raymond Massey, Canadian-born actor noted for his screen and stage portrayal of "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." will become a citizen of the United States this afternoon when he gets his final papers at the Immigration and Naturalization office here. Nearly 200,000 "E" bonds were sold by Loew's theatres during the Fourth War Loan drive, it was announced here yesterday by C. C. Moskowitz and J. R. Yogel, operating executives. The money value of the bonds sold was $12,410,380; additional purchases by employes and executives brought the grand total to * S25,214,605, of which the corporation bought $9,590,000 worth. In announcing the official sales figures for the circuit, Moscowitz and Vogel paid tribute to the "patriotic, hard-working theatre managers and their staffs." "These men and women in the theatres, taking on the details and work of these special drives, are really the ones on whom the credit should be heaped," said the Loew statement. Average 1,100 per House The circuit averaged actual sales of "E" bonds to patrons in excess of 1,100 bonds per theatre. Loew's Boro Park Theatre, Brooklyn, Walter Heiber, manager, led all Loew theatres in the maturity value of bonds sold, at $572,450. Carter Barron's Eastern division, comprising Washington, Baltimore, Reading, Harrisburg, and Wilmington, led the circuit in percentage of units sold against total capacity, with 121.7 per cent. Salli Levi's South Brooklyn division led in maturity value of bonds, at an average of $218,346 per theatre. Selig Sets 'Honored 100' Machinery in Motion With the arrival in New York of Robert W. Selig, assistant campaign director for the industry's Fourth War Loan drive and in charge of the "Honored 100" contest, preliminary judging of nominees to the top industry honor has begun. Six state exhibitor chairmen, who, with state war finance chairmen, determine their state winners and aspirants from the population classification brackets in the competition, already have sent their certified choices to Selig, who has turned them over to Lybrand. Ross Brothers and Montgomery, certified public accounts, for audit. State exhibitor chairmen have until April 1 to report their state selections, Selig said. Announcement of the final 100 theatre managers selected from over the country, Alaska and Hawaii will be made as soon after April 1 as possible, probably before April 15. 'Heavenly' Follows 'Chip* M-G-M's "The Heavenly Body" is scheduled for a three weeks' run at the Capitol following one week of Universale "Chip Off the Old Block." It. in turn, will be followed by M-G-M's "Broadwav Rhvthm." EXECUTIVE SECRETARY. young lady, expert stenographer, 6 years motion picture production in East ; also training films, script clerk, edit scripts, creative writing, personable, versatile. Seeks motion picture or television connection. Available immediately, free to travel. Box 227, MOTION PICTURE DAILY. 1270 6th Ave., New York 20, N. Y. \