Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

Monday, March 5, 1945 Motion Picture Daily 3 National Salesmen's Fraternal Group Chicago, Mar. 4.— Reel Fellows Club of Illinois, film salesmen's group here, has started a campaign to form a national association of film salesmen, secretary Saul Goldman announces. Efforts will be made to first line up all other existing Reel Fellows organizations and then form similar branches in exchange centers where such groups do not exist. The proposed organization is contemplated only along inter-fraternal lines; no union affiliation with IATSE is sought. Key City Receipts Boom, Despite Midnight Curfew Nebr. Fights Over Return of Ascap Lincoln, Neb., March 4. — Bill No. LB252, which would permit the return of ASCAP to Nebraska, came up for a warm hearing before the Legislature's Public Health-Miscellaneous Subjects' Committee, causing a postponement of action. Speaking against the measure were Will J. Hotz, representing radio station WOW and several Omaha hotels and ballrooms ; and Ex-Senator Frank Brady, introducer of the original antiASCAP bill, who said "ASCAP never has complied with the Nebraska law and if the act now is repealed, the Legislature should then repeal the code on monopolies." Speaking for it were Melvin Drake, Lincoln, and Lloyd Thomas, Kearney, representing radio stations; Robert Livingston, Lincoln theatre owner ; Sam Josephson, Omaha Hotel Association; Pat Miller, Nebraska Hotel Association; and Senator Labb Hubka, introducer of the new bill. They told the committee they desire the return of ASCAP because of fear of infringement suits. John G. Paine, New York, general manager of ASCAP, said ASCAP withdrew from Nebraska when it could not operate in the state and protect the copyrights of its members under the Nebraska anti-ASCAP law. Senator Hubka said ASCAP would file with the Secretary of State a schedule of charges and pay a three per cent tax on gross receipts under terms of the new bill. Hotz said $400,000 had been saved Nebraska citizens by ASCAP by pull ing out of the state. (Continued from page 1) cause of the curfew, many first-run operators had feared that the early closing of night clubs might result in fewer people going down town. The high grosses would seem to prove, however, that night film patronage is not from the night club crowd. The advent of milder weather than has prevailed is seen as a factor in last week's business, with many potential patrons who had been 'holed up' variously during the Winter, taking advantage of the opportunity to go to town. February as a whole averaged almost as high in weekly receipts as did January — $17,643, compared with $17,962— and January's reports included the terrific business on New Year's Eve. February, moreover, gained substantially over the same Appeal Court Frees 18 in Gem Suit Albany, N. Y., March 4. — Eighteen defendants have been ruled free from liability in a unanimous decision by the Court of Appeals in an accounting suit involving the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers brought by Gem Music Co. and other members of the Society against Deems Taylor, president and certain directors. Those eliminated as defendants were Leo Feist, Miller Music, Robbins Music, ABC Music, Irving Ber lin, Bregmann, Vocco & Cann, Carl Fisher, G. Schirmer, Famous Music Corp., Mills Music, Broadway Music Corp., Chappell and Co., Shapiro Bernstein, Words and Music, Harms Remick Music Corp. and M. Witmark and Sons. month in 1944, when the average per week was $16,381. "Meet Me in St. Louis" was the box office champion of the month, although it received varying competition from "National Velvet," "I'll Be Seeing You," "Here Come the Waves," "To Have and Have Not," "Keys of the Kingdom," "A Song to Remember," "The Princess and the Pirate," "Hollywood Canteen," "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier," "Tonight and Every Night," "A Song to Remember," "The Suspect," "Belle of the Yukon," "The Three Caballeros," "Music for Millions," "Objective Burma," "The Fighting Lady," "Hangover Square," "Dark Waters," "The Woman in the Window" and "The House of Frankenstein." Composite key box-office reports for 1945, to date, compared with the corresponding weeks of 1944, follow : 1945 Week Ending Average No. of Total Per Theatres Gross Theatre Jan. 5-6 136 2,828,300 20,796 Jan. 12-13 133 2,393,400 17,995 Jan. 19-20 136 2,289,400 16,826 Jan. 26-27 149 2,543,400 17,069 Feb. 2-3 148 2,534,300 17,123 Feb. 9-10 144 2,506,700 17,407 Feb. 16-17 141 2,491,800 17,672 Feb. 23-24 143 . 2,448,000 17,118 March 2-3 134 2,462,100 18,373 1944 Week Ending No. of Total Theatres Gross Average Per Theatre Jan. 7-8 117 Jan. 14-15 134 Jan. 21-22 149 Jan. 28-29 147 Feb. 4-5 153 Feb. 11-12 ..." 137 Feb. 18-19 155 Feb. 25-26 161 March 3-4 147 2,417,700 2,040,700 2,311,400 2,365,200 2,512,200 2,220,000 2,459,800 2,760,100 2,397,100 20,664 15,229 15,513 16,090 16,419 16,204 15,870 17,144 16,307 (Copyright, 1945, Quigley Publishing Co.) Quigley Presents NCCJ Scroll to NBC A citation of merit for the "They Call Me Joe" series, was presented to National Broadcasting recently by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The presentation was made by Martin Quigley on behalf of the Conference and was accepted by Dr. James Rowland Angell, NBC's public service counselor, under whose direction the series was conceived and broadcast. The scroll, which stressed the significance of the programs and their contributions in breaking down the barriers of racial prejudices, was signed by Dr. Everett R. Clinchy, Conference president ; Ambassador Carlton J. H. Hayes, Arthur W. Comp.ton and Roger W. Strauss, chairman of the Conference. The series was broadcast in cooperation with the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service. > Para., WAC Receive Awards from Press The Foreign Language Press Film Critics Circle gave awards here Friday night to Paramount and the War Activities Committee for "Going My Way," and aid to the Armed Forces, respectively. Arthur Israel accepted for Paramount and Francis Harmon for WAC. Specifically, the film was voted the outstanding feature of 1944, and the WAC was cited for providing, gratis, 16 films for servicemen overseas. Presentations were made over the municipal radio station, WNYC, with Newbold Morris, president of the City Council, delivering an address. Report 'Lab' Worker Pact Talks Snagged The negotiating committee of Motion Picture Laboratory Technicians IASTE Local No. 702 told the union membership at a meeting at the Frat ernal Clubhouse here Friday night that negotiations for a new contract with some 20 processing laboratories and covering about 1,800 workers were proceeding "most unsatisfactorily and that no progress has been made." John A . Francavilla, Local 702 president and other members of the committee reported that the com panies had only offered to make a few minor concessions on vacation and severance pay, after five meetings. The committee reported it would continue negotiations with the companies today, but if no further progress is made by next Friday, it will ask the union's executive board to call an immediate special membership meeting to take 'appropriate action.' SMPE Asks Parity Between Home And Theatre Video Sheehan to Resume Work in Fortnight Hollywood, March 4. — Winfield Sheehan, who has been under hospital treatment, will be discharged this week and plans to return to the 20th Century-Fox studio in a fortnight to supervise the editing of "Captain Eddie," film based on the life of Rickenbacker. 'Berlin* Sequel Set Hollywood, March 4. — Warners has announced "The Ghost of Berchtesgaden," to be produced by the staff that made "Hotel Berlin" and to feature the same players. Washington, March 4. — Modification of its television allocations to provide a "parity of opportunity" between television broadcasting and theatre television was urged upon the Federal Communications Commission Friday by Paul J. Larsen, radio engineer assoicated with Johns Hopkins University, on behalf of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. Testifying before the Commission during oral argument on its recent allocation report, Larsen explained that the SMPE has never contended that theatre television is broadcasting. Can Equal Record "The motion picture industry is capable, based upon its past public record, of presenting visual and oral presentations in theatres, to carry out its obligation to present through this companion medium, television, equal presentations," he asserted. The witness said that the proposed operation of theatre television would not be carried on by wire lines in the same manner as Muzak is today. The wire lines utilized for Muzak are high quality program telephone lines having a band width limit of approximately 7,500 cycles, he explained, while for television and theatre television utilization of coaxial cables will be experimented with. Attacking a contention of CBS that only a limited number of people would benefit, Larsen said the SMPE doubted whether television broadcasting will have a greater public acceptability than theatre television or make greater use of the service in the public interest. "We question the sincerity of the statement as it is so wholly unfounded," he said. "It is doubtful that anyone can question that the motion picture industry has at any time limited its service to a select few. The weekly attendance in motion picture theatres exceeds 85,000,000 persons and the industry is certain that this does not represent the 'upper income levels." To Permit Competition The witness told the Commission that the Society's purpose in requesting frequencies for theatre television was based upon obtaining adequate frequency allocations to permit competitive national theatre television service. For the immediate post war period, he said, it was recommended that frequency allocations be made to perimt competition by 15 producing or exhibiting agencies in an area such as New York City. This is certainly far remote from the contention implied by the Columbia Broadcasting System, that theatre television may set up a monopolistic franchise, he said. Larsen said that the Society urged the Commission to reaffirm its allocation of frequencies between 480 and 920 megacycles for television, but modify its allocation of these frequencies to a "parity of opportunity basis" allocation between television and theatre television," as both of these services have an equal interest and an equal responsibility to the public in the visual and oral entertainment field.