Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

Thursday, October 5, 1944 Motion Picture Daily 7 RKO Theatre Union Bargaining Deferred Following Meeting {Continued from page 1) which the union presented its demands for a contract. Rathvon said that RKO had received the demands of the union and /Xpihat a "detailed discussion of the de},j|uiL,Jiands was deferred." Following the meeting, union officials said that steps have been taken by the union's negotiating committee to ask for immediate intervention of the New York State Board of Mediation. The Demands Demands presented to RKO by the Guild which won a SLRB election by a vote of 51-44 last Friday and was certified collective bargaining agent for managers and assistants of the 41 RKO theatres in New York and Westchester, included the following: a general 20 per cent wage increase; establishment of a minimum wage scale of $115 a week for managers and $75 a week for assistant managers ; institution of a plan of automatic wage increases for merit and length of service ; a 40-hour week ; sick leave with pay; vacations of two weeks a year for managers and assistants with five years of service with the company and three-week vacations for those with more than five years of service; severance pay of four weeks after one year and two additional weeks for each additional year of service ; protection for men who have gone into the Armed Forces; a maintenance of membership provision also requiring all new managers and assistants to join; and recognition of the Guild as the representative for all managers and assistant managers in the 41 theatres. The Guild is seeking a two-year contract with provisions for reopening the contract at the end of a year for wage discussions. Contest Eligibility Before the election was ordered by the SLRB, RKO had contended that managers were supervisory employes and therefore not eligible for union membership. Yesterdays' meeting was held in Rathvon's office with Monroe Goldwater, attorney, representing the company, and Hyman Glickstein representing the Guild. GriMs Will Leave for Hawaii Tomorrow (Continued from page 1) Douglas Poteat as deputy assistants, with Poteat doubling as general counsel. Appointment of Arthur L. Mayer, exhibitor and executive of the industry's War Activities Committee, was announced last week. Goodyear is a member of the board, chairman of the board of Gaylord Container Corp. and Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad. He also a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art, of which he formerly was president. Poteat, now in England, will leave for the U. S. shortly, en route to Hawaii; He has served as assistant general counsel to the Bureau of Economic Warfare-Federal Economic Administration in Washington, deputy to the Minister of the Economic Warfare Division, rendering special assistance to thet American ambassador in London. Theatre Grosses Still Run Far Ahead of Last Year (Continued from page 1) came close to maintaining that pace last week with $16,927. The gain of September averages over last September's was practically progressive throughout the month. The first week ran $1,358 ahead of the corresponding one in 1943 ; second week, $1,809; third week, $2,374, and fourth week, $2,025. "Wilson appeared as the leading grosser in 13 of the month's reports, barely nosing out "Going My Way," which, after setting the pace for some time, continued tops on 12 occasions. "Casanova Brown," crashing through to set the pace five times, stood in 1944 Average Week No. of Total Her Ending Theatres Gross Theatre Dec. 31-Jan. 1.... 135 $2,213,500 $16,396 Jan. 7-8 117 2,417,700 -20,664 jan. 14-15 134 2,040,700 15,229 Jan. 21-22 149 2,311,400 13,513 Jan. 28-29 147 2,365,200 16,090 Feb. 4-5 153 2,512,200 16,419 Feb. 11-12 137 2,220,900 16,211 Feb. 18-19 155 2,459,800 15,870 Feb. 25-26 161 2,760,100 17,144 March 3-4 147 2,397,100 16,307 March 10-11 147 2,463,400 16,758 March 17-18 153 2,661,100 18,761 March 24-25 150 2,487,700 16,585 Mar. 31-Apr. 1.. 152 3,025,000 13,329 April 7-8 153 2,340,600 15,298 April 14-15 143 2,506,800 17,530 April 21-22 148 2,564,200 17,326 April 28-29 130 2,090,900 16,084 May 5-6 143 2,238,700 15,655 May 12-13 146 2,338,700 16,018 May 19-20 162 2,417,000 14,926 May 26-27 155 2,349,400 15,157 June 2-3 143 2,242,500 15,683 June 9-10 141 1,938,000 13,752 June 16-17 135 1,934,400 14,322 June 23-24 136 2,002,800 14,726 June 30-July 1.... 126 2,178,300 17,288 July 7-8 145 2,490,900 17,178 July 14-15 144 2,228,500 15,476 July 21-22 148 2,321,400 15,685 July 28-29 135 2,245,400 16,632 Aug. 4-5 141 2,324,500 15,777 Aug. 11-12 148 2,355,200 15,913 Aug. 18-19 153 2,514,100 16,433 Aug. 25-26 141 2,516,800 17,850 Sept. 1-2 127 2,313,600 18,217 Sept. 8-9 144 2,703,600 18,775 Sept. 15-16 158 2,638,200 16,697 Sept. 22-23 146 2,505,900 17,164 Sept. 29-30 156 2,640,700 16,927 (Copyright, 1944 Qu third position. Strong competition was furnished by "Since You Went Away," "Janie," "The Impatient Years," "Dragon Seed," "In Society," "Heavenly Days," "Bathing Beauty" and "Greenwich Village." Other leaders at box offices included : "Christmas Holiday," "Gaslight," "The Seventh Cross," "Hail the Conquering Hero," "I Love a Soldier," "Summer Storm," "Henry Aldrich's Little Secret," "And the Angels Sing," "Sensations of 1945" and "Three Men in White." Composite key first-run box office reports, compared with the same week last year, follow : 1943 Week Ending No. of Theatres Jan. 1-2 151 Jan. 8-9 154 Jan. 15-16 149 Jan. 21-22 127 Jan. 29-30 127 Feb. 5-6 126 Feb. 12-13 132 Feb. 19-20 139 Feb. 26-27 149 March 5-6 142 March 12-13 151 March 19-20 143 March 26-27 147 April 2-3 123 April 9-10 147 April 16-17 147 April 23-24 158 Apr. 30-May 1... 154 May 7-8 161 May 14-15 161 May 21-22 158 May 28-29 155 June 4-5 169 June 11-12 166 June 18-19 163 June 25-26 168 July 2-3 164 July 9-10 153 July 16-17 151 Tuly 23-24 155 July 30-31 164 Aug. 6-7 138 Aug. 13-14 166 Aug. 20-21 153 Aug. 27-28 175 Sept. 3-4 163 Sept. 10-11 168 Sept, 17-18 165 Sept. 24-25 175 Oct. 1-2 166 igley Publishing Co.) Total Gross $2,813,506 2,424,300 1,830,500 1,648,600 1,789,500 1,743,000 1,919,000 1,885,900 2,005,200 1,933,400 1,944,600 1,968,300 1,938,200 1,785,800 2,029,100 1,868,500 2,006,200 2,284,200 2,168,400 2,053,700 2,096,200 2,036,6002,289,700 1,865,873 L961.600 2,125,300 2,133,800 2,433,700 2,109,400 ,2185,100 2,347,900 2,032,400 2,302,200 2,341,600 2,681,500 2,559,900 2,926,000 2,456,300 2,588,200 2,473,800 Average Per Theatre $18,632 15,742 12,285 12,981 14,091 13,040 14,588 13,568 13,458 13,615 12,878 13,764 13,185 14,519 13,803 12,711 12,634 14,184 13,468 18,967 13,267 13,139 13,548 11.240 12,034 12,650 13,010 15,906 13,970 14,097 14,316 14,727 13,869 15,304 15,322 15,705 17,417 14,887 14,790 14,902 Previous Chairmen in 6th War Loan Drive (Continued from page 1) of the Marine Corps' 169th anniversary; the second, ready on Nov. 9 will feature Lt. Tyrone Power, USM ; the third, for Nov. 23 release, will feature Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. In addition, exhibitors will shortly have available special war bond trailers as part of the industry's efforts in the drive. Jennifer Jones is now before cameras in Hollywood for the first trailer, which will be available free to all exhibitors from their local National Screen exchange. Skouras Lends Dave Bader To 6th War Loan Drive Dave Bader, 20th Century-Fox publicist, has been loaned by Spyros Skouras to the national committee for the industry's participation in the Sixth War Loan Drive. Bader will be advanceman for the committee's 21 regional meetings which will start on Oct. 20. He will leave New York on October 10, heading for the first meetings, set for California, and then work East, winding up in New York in advance of the meeting scheduled here for Nov. 15. OWI Confirms Post For Armour Abroad (Continued from page 1) definite theatre of operations and OWI officials were uncertain as to when Armour would leave for the Continent to take up his new duties. It is understood that Armour's appointment is in line with the OWI's expansion, as more liberated countries are opened to Allied films. The military situation is expected to determine the theatre in which Armour will be located, said the OWI. Also uncertain at present is whether Armour will be under the aegis of the Allied Armies' Psychological Warfare Division, which is a military activity, or whether he will be working under OWI's auspices. Again, the determinant for which agency Armour will work will be largely a question as to whether PWD controls the area or relinquishes such control to the OWI, whereby it will become a civilian activity, with OWI distributing. If PWD should relinquish control, it is possible that the U. S. companies may resume private operation of film distribution, with France mentioned as the most likely country in which this transformation is expected to come about. Divorcement Won't Help Independents, Kuykendall Asserts (Continued from page 1) that producer-distributor interests exercise too much dominance over War Activities Committee affairs and that the same interests have too much to say about representing the whole industry. He neither condemned nor endorsed postwar continuance of the WAC, either as a high-pressure agency or as a public relations agency, saying this should be left to regional organizations. The MPTOA president stressed the gravity of the tax outlook for exhibition and urged his listeners to organize their opposition immediately. He predicted a big increase in competition after the war and said that new competition in small towns would have certain film buying advantages over established theatres, whether independent or affiliated. He expressed the belief that there never can be a standard priced product for all exhibitors. Kuykendall welcomed evidences of branch managers being granted greater authority within their territories but urged exhibitors to make the right deals first instead of seeking adjustments, due to negligence, later. Silent on WAC The convention itself decided to take no action concerning an expression on continuance of the WAC after the war, being of the view that the time is not ripe for such a move. All KMTA directors were reelected with the exception of George Harttmann, now residing in Hollywood, who was replaced by Earl Jameston, partner with Harttmann and Sam Abend in Friendly Theatres. Other directors are : H. J. Griffith, J. E. Pennington, R. R. Beichele, C. E. Cook, Stank-" Schwartz and C. A. Schultz, together with the reelected officers : Tom Edwards, president ; Homer Strowing, vice-president ; George S. Baker, secretary, and Fred Meyn, treasurer. Beichele was again designated public relations officer, his field including legislative matters. 1st Long 16mm Under Relaxed Restrictions Hollywood, Oct. 4. — Major 16mm Productions, Inc., is the first to cross the finish line with a feature-length 16mm entertainment picture produced for the school and church field under the Government's recently relaxed provisions. "Sundown Riders," made in Kodachrome, was written, directed and acted by Hollywood professionals. It runs 55 minutes, the story patterning standard Westerns. A major spokesman told Motion Picture Daily that "although the film is aimed at the existing 16mm market, it is unrestricted and could be obtained by any exhibitor." Para. Club Aids Services The Paramount Pep Club of home office employes is emphasizing its Fall season aiding its own 450 home office and exchange employes in the services. Christmas boxes are being packed, and, Paramount girls are volunteering for a "duration" blood donor plan instituted for the American Red Cross.