Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

10 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Monday, October 16, 1944 Hundreds Seen U. S. Films Face Greater Competition in Africa Set Itinerary of First 7 Sixth War Loan Meetings Benefiting by New WLB Rule (Continued from page 1) from a negative approach, the regional boards are understood to have taken the position that they can approve such wageprogression plans at least up to the limitations set forth in the directive. Ordinarily, the rate ranges in classifications are sufficiently broad to permit a sizeable wage progression increase when agreed upon between the companies and the unions entering into the petition for the increase. In many cases, employes receive wages below minimums of wage ranges established for their classifications originally set up. MPOE First One of the first industry unions expected to benefit by the new WLB ruling is Motion Picture Office Employes Union, Local 23169. The MPOE had worked out a system of job classifications with Universal executives covering the company's home office "white collar" workers. An eight per cent wage increase was provided for but the regional board in New York approved only a four per cent increase. It now appears that approval of the original eight per cent is in order and might be forthcoming. It is also indicated that two proposed eight per cent wage increases, the first to be paid starting Aug. 10, 1945, and the second on Aug. 10, 1946, recently negotiated by the MPOE for Warner Bros.' home office "whitecollarites," would also meet with the board's approval. SOPEG Afifected Another office worker group seen probably affected is Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild. Local 109, CIO, representing 3,000. SOPEG is currently negotiating a system of job classifications with automatic progression increases for "white-collar" workers of Paramount, RKO, Loew's, 20th Century-Fox, Columbia, United Artists and others in New York. The new policy is also seen as aiding those film companies desiring to join with unions in establishing a definite policy of wage increases to prevent deflection of workers to otbe<jobs. SPG to Receive Back Pay Week of Oct 28 Film companies and Screen Publicists Guild of New York have settled all questions in connection with putting the SPG arbitration award for some 280 home office publicists into effect. It is now planned to pay the retroactive wage increases around Oct. 28, contingent upon the necessary approval from the Treasury Department on increases for those earning $5,000 a year or more. This approval is expected. The War Labor Board has already approved the award for publicists earning less than $5,000 a year. The increases are retroactive to May, 1943, with the overall amount which the companies will pay estimated to be in excess of $130,000. Washington, Oct. 15. — American films are easily the most popular shown in Africa but in some sections of the Dark Continent they may face increased competition after the war, it was disclosed tonight by Nathan D. Golden, chief of the motion picture unit of the Department of Commerce, in a report on African film markets. Third of a series covering world film markets other than enemy countries, the report, based on surveys by consular officials of the State Department, deals with 15 African markets having a total of 991 theatres with 559,382 seats. Since the various African areas, with the exception of Liberia and the Union of South Africa, are colonies owned by Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy, they have been subject since the outbreak of the war to various forms of film control, ranging from strict supervision by the British in Eritrea, formerly Italian, to the showing of Nazi pictures without hindrance in Spanish Morocco. Object to Old Films Major criticism of pictures available, more or less general throughout Africa, is age, war conditions having prevented the distribution of late productions, and there is also indicated a desire on the part of various nationalities to have pictures dubbed in their own languages. The survey of Africa was attended by difficulties because of the fact that several areas, Algeria and Eritrea among them, are occupied by the Allied armies and conditions are abnormal. In Algeria, for instance, imports of films are under the control of the Armjy's Psychological Warfare Branch and a number of theatres have been requisitioned temporarily by the military. The report showed that Egypt is the only country in which native production offers any competition to imported pictures, although the Union UA-Rank Releases Hit by Raw Stock A shortage of Technicolor raw stock has caused United Artists to alter its releasing plans for J. Arthur Rank's pictures in this country. The black-and-white "Mr. Emmanuel" will be the first release. Noel Coward's "This Happy Breed," in color, is understood to have been the first choice of Barrington C. Gain and Dr. Alexander Galperson, Rank's distribution representatives here, while United Artists is said to have favored "Colonel Blimp," also in color. The color raw stock situation might delay UA's first release of a Rank color film for months. Columbia Dividend Columbia's board has declared a quarterly dividend of 68^4 cents per share on the $2.75 convertible preferred stock of the company, payable Nov. 15 to stockholders of record on Nov. 1. Party for Montez Universal will be host to Maria Montez at a cocktail party at 21 Club this afternoon. of South Africa has been considering the establishment of a producing industry. In Egypt, the competition from domestically produced films has increased very rapidly and they are now being shown in first-run houses in Cairo and Alexandria and have taken over all the second-run houses in the big cities and practically all of the provincial theatres, it was said. The exhibition market in Africa is limited, the report showed, since little effort is made to develop native audiences and, as a matter of fact, in the Belgian Congo the 14,000,000 natives are not permitted to attend theatres. Because of war conditions and sparse populations which make for the infrequent showing of pictures in cafes and other places which constitute the only theatre facilities, the gathering of statistics on African exhibition was difficult. The report found, however, that nearly half of all the theatres were located in the Union of South Africa, where 450 houses reported an annual attendance of 30,000,000 persons. 196 Algerian Theatres Algeria was reported to have 196 theatres with a capacity of 114,187 and an annual attendance of 19,376,000 ; Angola, 10 theatres seating 4,870 persons and an annual attendance of 220,000; Belgian Congo, six theatres, 1,955 seats and an annual attendance of 125,000; Egypt, 121 theatres with 109,840 seats; Eritrea, 23 theatres; French Equatorial Africa, two theatres ; French Morocco, 70 theatres, 39,875 seats and a yearly attendance of 165,000; Gold Coast, 13 theatres; Kenya, 17 theatres, 10,500 seats, and an annual attendance of 1,750,000 ; Libera, one theatre with 300 seats and 37,000 admissions a year ; Madagascar, 19 theatres, 8,550 seats, annual attendance, 1,700,000; Mozambique, 4 theatres, 3,200 seats; Nigeria, 13 theatres, 8,200 seats, 625,000 admissions, and Spanish North Africa, 28 theatres, 18,645 seats, and 3,000,000 admissions. Studio Strike Ends; Hearing in 3 Weeks (Continued from page 1) Decorators Union, D. T. Wayne of the Machinists Union and Herbert Sorrell, president of the Conference of Studio Unions as a means of settling the jurisdictional dispute, are not expected to begin for two or three weeks following the appointment of a trial panel, which is expected within one week. The schedule of hearings will depend upon the mutual convenience of the panel members. The panel will be composed of one representative each from labor, industry and the public, but no member may be identified with the film industry in any manner. It will be named by Frank Mauritsen, director of disputes of the Los Angeles WLB from a standing list available for this purpose. After all testimony and allegations are heard, the panel will report its findings to the local regional board, which will make the final decision and forward it to the San Francisco NWLB, which will make the ruling available. (Continued from page 1) Jr., national publicity director; cochairmen Hugh Bruen and Leo Wolcott, Capt. Ray Wild, U. S. Treasury Department. San Francisco, St. Francis Hotel Oct. 24, state chairmen Rotus Harvej( and N. Dow Thompson ; Henry Herbel, district chairman from Los Angeles ; Brandt, Crockett, Fabian, Depinet, Hertz, Capt. Wild, Bruen and Wolcott. Following the San Francisco meeting members of the national committee will divide into two groups, each attending various meetings in different key cities, as follows : Portland Ore., Oct. 25, Benson Ho j tel, state chairmen O. J. Miller and Walter Casey ; Crockett, Bruen, Harvey, Lt. Largley of the Treasury Department ; Fay Reeder, publicity chairman, and Henry Herbel of the distribution division. Salt Lake City, Oct. 26, Utah Hotel, state chairmen Hall Baetz, Tom Knight and Walter Casey ; Tom Bailey of Denver, Brandt, Fabian, Dep(inet, Hertz, Capt. Wild; Wolcott and John Rugar. Other Dates Seattle, Oct. 26, Olympic Hotel, state chairmen Frank Newman, Sr., J. A. English and Tom Knight; Crockett, Bruen, Harvey, Herbel, Lt. Largley and Reeder. Omaha, Oct. 27, Fontanelle Hotel, state chairmen Sam Epstein, William Miskell, A. H. Blank, Mike Cooper, Ed Krauss, Fred Larkin and E. R. \ Rubin ; district *and branch managers and salesmen from Omaha, Des Moines and Minneapolis, S. W. Fitch of Sioux Falls ; Ted Gamble, national director of the War Finance Division ; Brandt, Fabian, Depinet, Hertz, Capt. Wild, Wolcott, Rugar and Al Steffes. Kansas Cily, Oct. 28, Muehlebach Hotel, state chairmen Elmer Rhoden and Howard Jameyson, district and branch managers and salesmen from Kansas City and St. Louis ; J. B. Underwood, Dallas; C. A. Gibbs, Okla | homa City ; Gamble, Brandt, Fabian, Depinet, Hertz, Capt. Wild, Jack I Kirsch, Rugar and Fred Wehrenberg. i Meetings will also be held in Chi I ! cago, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, A Louisville, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Bos 1 1 ton, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Balti II more and New York. Kingsberg Announces More Area Chairmen Malcolm Kingsberg, New York j j area chairman for the Sixth War M loan drive, announces borough and i 1 , county chairmen as follows : Charles I B. McDonald, George Ritch, Manhat i tan ; Julius Joelson and Eugene Mey \ I ers, Bronx ; Erwin Gold and Paul I Binstock, Brooklyn; H. Russell Emde ;. j and James Grady, Westchester ; Fred jl Brunelle, Jack Harris, Queens; Irv-ifl ing Liner, Jack Harris, Emanuel j ^ Friedman, Nassau, and Walter F. H Higgins, Suffolk. The chairmen will appoint captains j ' to assist in organizing their terri-BI tories. Silleg Joins Condon Gail Silleg Goldstein, who resigned last week from Warner Bros., has joined the Richard Condon public relations office here to do publicity work.