Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

Friday, October 6, 1944 Motion Picture Daily 9 Will Explain Video Links at SMPE Meet (Continued from page I) and Boston by A.T.&T. for experimental purposes. Although the SMPE television sub-committee is seeking the _ allocation by the Federal Communications Commission of experimental televi. sion channels in the higher frequencies to the film industry for the picking up of television programs from i the studios and elsewhere and for transmitting these programs to theatres within a city and also for transmitting from city-to-city, it is possible that the facilities offered by the telephone company can also "Be used in their plans to make television programs available to theatres. Both methods would provide the theatres with television programs which would not be available to the general television audiences on their home television receivers in the postwar period. A. T. & T. offered the use of its contemplated facilities to the film industry through MPPDA earlier this year. Although several film companies are understood to have evinced interest, no definite commitments have been made by any of the film companies to discuss the facilities offered or to exchange information with A.T. & T. as the phone company suggested. In presenting his report to SMPE, Osborne will apparently be going direct to the engineers of the motion picture industry. Appeal Court Hears U. S. Kaufman Pleas (Continued from page 1) Newark, N. J., from their conviction under an indictment alleging a conspiracy to extort more than $1,000,000 from the film industry. The six gangsters, all held by a Federal Court jury on Dec. 22, 1943, to have been members of the Al Capone gang, were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and fined $10,000 each, while Kaufman was sentenced to seven years and fined $10,000. The Government case was argued by United States Assistant Attorney General Boris Kostelanetz, who outlined the alleged conspiracy for the court and urged that the convictions be upheld. Presiding Justice Learned Hand intimated that, if the court finds after examining the record of the trial, that the evidence does not link Kaufman's alleged activities to George E. Browne, former IATSE president, and William Bioff, labor racketeer, who were the dominating figures of the alleged conspiracy, Kaufman's conviction would not stand. No decision is expected for at least five weeks. Illinois Allied to Pool Buying of Equipment (Continued from page 1) postwar period, when prices are expected to continue high. President Jack Kirsch presided over the meeting of 50 members who attended a closed war emergency meeting at the Blackstone Hotel. During luncheon, a National War Fund appeal was made by Arthur Schoenstadt, chairman of the amusement and recreation division. A plaque listing 268 local Allied employes in the service was dedicated. NEWS AND NOTHING BUT THE NEWS JOAN FONTAINE AND ARTUR0 DE CORDOVA HAVE PLENTY TO CELEBRATE AS MORE NEW BROADWAY HISTORY IS MADE BY "FRENCHMAN'S CREEK".1 GREATEST FIRST WEEK IN 27-YEAR LIFE OF N.Y. RIV0LI HAS JUST BEEN FOLLOWED BY GREATEST SECOND WEEK, BEATING THE FIRST-WEEK GROSS OF ANOTHER IMPORTANT ATTRACTION THAT PLAYED THE HOUSE AT HIGHER ADMISSION SCALE! AND FIRST DAY OF SECOND WEEK TOPPED OPENING DAY OF PRODUCER-DIRECTOR MITCHELL LEISEN'S TECHNICOLOR ROMANCE ! Schine Testifies in AntiTrust Suit Against His Circuit (Continued from page 1 ) quired by Schine three years later. Dickinson was cross-examined by Saul E. Rogers for Schine. Rogers brought out that Schine had the Rialto in Lockport before Dickinson became affiliated with the Palace and that the Rialto was a regular customer of the major distributors. Further, Rogers confronted Dickinson with contracts showing that the Palace had a two-year franchise with Columbia and that the house also obtained first-run product from United Artists and some from Paramount and Universal. Closed by Paramount Rogers also showed that the Hi-Art was not originally closed by Schine, but instead by Paramount and that both the Rialto and the Hi Art were operated by a Schine-Paramount Corp. Dickinson's testimony was that he had talked with Carroll in Schine's Rialto Theatre, Lockport, and that Carroll told him he had three days to sell the Palace to Schine, otherwise Schine would reopen the long-closed Hi-Art Theatre, on which the circuit held a lease. The offer, according to Dickinson, was for $16,000 "plus a percentage." "He gave us a few days to decide whether to accept the proposal, otherwise they would reopen the Hi-Art," testified Dickinson. "I told him I wasn't interested." Dickinson said that at this time he was vice-president of Reliance Thetres Corp., which operated the Palace. Neither Schine nor May said they could remember particulars of Carroll being in their employ in 1933, but admitted that he later became the Schine manager in the Rochester district. May Produce Records Wright asked Schine if he could produce records from Gloversville to show Carroll's title in 1933. Schine said he might be able to, but that it would take several days. Wright asked him to do so. Brought to the stand during the afternoon session was Max H. Rose of Brooklyn, an attorney emploved by Schwartz & Frohlich, counsel to Columbia Pictures. Rose was designated by Columbia to compile interoffice memos, contracts and recommendations in answer to Government subpoenas, some served recentlv and some on May 19, 1944. He testified as to their authenticitv. Silver stone Sees S. A. Topping Continent (Continued from page 1) to take over the responsibility of determining what pictures should go into a pool for distribution in the liberated countries. Although a local spokesman for the OWI said he had no information as to this effect. Motion Picture Daily of Sept. 20 reported that a plan had been projected for an industry representative to handle distribution abroad in the interim period from the time when the OWI relinquishes control to distributors and the time when they were ready to take over operation on an individual basis.