Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1947)

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Friday, February 28, 1947 Motion Picture Daily 7 RKO Shifts 8 Field Staffers, Adds Two Chicago, Feb. 27. — Addition of two new staff men, Keith Bain in Omaha and Leo Young in Oklahoma City, and the transfer of eight in the field staff has been announced by Terry Turner, head of exploitation for RKO Radio, who is visiting here from New York. The shifted personnel include : Bill Prager, from Chicago to Washington; yj/ally Heim, Cincinnati to Chicago; _ugh McKenzie, St. Louis to Cincinnati ; Lou Carroll, Milwaukee to St. Louis; Carol Weld, Atlanta to Memphis ; Charles Kinney, New Orleans to Atlanta; Jack Quirk, New Haven to New Orleans; Fred Ford, Memphis to Milwaukee. . Loew's Builds (Continued from page 1) Under the decree the five exhibitor defendants, including Loew's, have been given until Dec. 31, 1948, to reduce their partnership holdings at least to five per cent per theatre or increase them at least to 95 per cent. Regarding the present increased business trend, Moskowitz said he looked for no early decline, although unpredictable factors may influence future grosses. His optimistic opinion was shared by Joseph R. Vogel, vicepresident and head of the Loew circuit, who told the stockholders that New York's Broadway theatres, some of which have suffered a dip in receipts, are an inadequate criterion of conditions throughout the country, tie expects a continuing drop here, attributing this to fewer visitors and an apparent lessening in the popularity of stage-show jazz bands. Experiments with single features in some houses heretofore operating on a double-bill policy have met with public resentment, Vogel said. J. Robert Rubin, vice-president and general counsel, who presided at the meeting, pointed out that 70 per cent of the exhibitors in the U. S. offer double bills. Loew's revenue from film sales for the first quarter of the current fiscal year fell below receipts for the same period in 1946, according to Moskowitz, who added that the trend has been better during the second quarter, which will end March 13, and that he expects the early decline to be overcome. In compliance with the anti-trust suit decree, Loew's few remaining pooling agreements will be dissolved by the July 1 deadline, Vogel reported. A pool with the Fabian circuit was liquidated last September, he pointed out. The company's new recording plant at Bloomfield, N. J., will send its first records to dealers in the East within 10 days, Moskowitz announced. Loew's Re-Elects (Continued from page 1) tant secretaries Jesse T. Mills (controller), Nicholas Nayfack, Irving H. Greenfield and Harold J. Cleary ; assistant treasurers, Charles K. Stern. Louis K. Sidney and R. Lazarus. Directors are Friedman, Eugene W. Leake, Moskowitz, William A. Parker, Rodgers, Rubin, Schenck, Vogel, David Warfield and Henry Rogers Winthrop. Forum's End (Continued from page 1) Although voluntary arbitration undoubtedly, will come up at the convention of the American Theatres Association, planned for either Washington or Chicago in April, . indications are that some 23 of the 31 tribunals functioning under the present system will have to be discontinued before that date, with the remainder existing beyond then only until they can dispose of the old cases on their agendas. Also, it is pointed out, since many exhibitors are not ATA members, additional time would be required to expand any movement launched at the convention. The five theatre-owning film companies— Paramount, Loew's, RKO, 20th Century-Fox and Warners — which have 'settled many distribution disputes with exhibitors through the arbitration tribunals under the 1940 consent decree, have appealed to the Supreme Court for continuation of the system but have indicated that they will not ask for a stay of the New York court's dissolution order, and legal observers believe the judges in Washington will not be able to rule on the case until early next year. These companies have been conspicuously silent regarding the local court's voluntary arbitration plea, but numerous exhibitors have felt that they would go along on the plan if the independent owners throughout the country first would demonstrate that they desired such a system-. Department of Justice officials have expressed opposition to continuation of industry arbitration and, it is assumed, are prepared to counter distributor-defendants' appeals in the Supreme Court on the issue. PRC Meeting (Continued from page 1) Hotel. Ralph C. Clark, PRC general sales manager, recently appointed, will preside at this, his first PRC sales session. The nine reissues are : "Kit Carson," "The Last of the Mohicans," "South of Pago Pago," "International Lady," "The Corsican Brothers," "My Son, My Son," "The Man in the Iron Mask," "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Son of Monte Cristo." The meeting will also discuss plans for the Eddie Dean outdoor musical adventures and the "Lash" LaRue-Al"Fuzzy" St. John action Westerns. Clark will be assisted at the meetings by Harold S. Dunn, assistant general sales manager. District sales executives attending will include: Max Roth, Eastern sales manager ; Al Herman, New England manager; Joe Miller, New York State manager ; James Hendel, district manager of Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati; Fred Rohrs, Washington-Philadelphia district manager ; Grover Parsons, Southern manager ; William Sherman, Midwestern manager; Abbot M. Swartz, Minneapolis-Milwaukee district manager; Beverly Miller, West ern manager. Home office executives who will attend include: Frank Soule, [act Bellman, Phil Gettelson, George Licitman, Elmer Hollander, Abe Sutton. Neil Astrin, Joe Sugar, Frank Heffer nan and New York branch manager Seymour Schussell. Charge Circuit With Fraud, 'Bicycling' Phoenix, Feb. 27. — Percentage fraud and "bicycling" charges are combined for the first time in four separate suits filed here yesterday in U. S. District Court by Paramount, Warner Bros., Loew's and 20th Century-Fox against Louis F. Long, operating 23 Arizona theatres. Columbia and RKO, in two other suits, charged only infringements of copyright by unauthorized exhibitions. Damages are asked on the percentage claims and for each copyright infringement. UA Changes (Continued from page 1) years, at various times having been a vice-president, head of distribution, foreign manager and chairman of the finance committee. He left UA in 1944 to organize Eagle-Lion here for J. Arthur Rank. Kelly is now in England. It is stated that Miss Pickford and Chaplin are desirous of having Gradwell L. Sears continue as vice-president in charge of distribution and George Bagnall in charge of production affairs. Some management changes may be effected by the UA board in the near future but it appears unlikely that a successor to Raftery will be elected before the company's annual meeting in May. Raftery was in Pittsburgh and could not be reached for comment yesterday. However, he has on more than one occasion since assuming the UA presidency expressed his intention of returning to his law firm, O'Brien, Driscoll, Raftery and Lawler, as soon as conditions within UA permitted him to do so. It is recalled that when he was drafted for the post he agreed to serve for only one year and without a contract. The O'Brien, Driscoll, Raftery and Lawler firm has been counsel for UA since the company was founded. The relationship is not expected to be affected by Raftery's withdrawal from the UA presidency. A public issue of United Artists stock has been discussed with underwriters and while no action is contemplated for the present a public stock sale remains a possibility for the future. WB Clearance Plans (Continued, from page 1) Kalmenson, vice-president and general sales manager, presided, and the court's requirements were explained by Robert W. Perkins, vice-president and_ general counsel, and Howard Levinson of the legal department. The decree's competitive bidding provisions will be outlined al today's session, at which time, presumably, plans will be made For placing the company's bidding policy in effect. Previously it had been indicated that Warners would not offer any films competitively until July 1, when the systern becomes officially effective — or later if the Supreme Court should grant a stay. Competitive bidding, however, was not included in the appeal of the case filed here Thursday bv the company, along with Loew's, RKO, Paramount and 20th CenturyFox. MPA Urges (Continued from page 1 ) dent Eric A. Johnston, and prepared with the assistance of Allen W. Dulles of the New York law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell, maintains that reciprocal trade agreements in the past were made with the view of protecting the ordinary article of commerce generally on a most-favorednation basis but because of its special characteristics the U. S. film industry was subjected to "very special" restrictions. It is pointed out that the American distributor is hardest hit by restrictions on all foreign films in countries where Hollywood pictures virtually may be the only ones imported. This is one of several examples cited in which international trade pacts are agreeable to other U. S. industries but detrimental to American pictures. Exemption Asked MPA asks that U. S. films be exempt from internal taxes and charges other than those imposed on other foreign or domestic films. Specifically, the U. S. industry wants at least the same treatment given the foreign trade of any other country by any foreign government. It would eliminate the requirement of import permits for advertising material for exposed films of U. S. origin. There would be no demand that a picture be dubbed in the country where it is to be distributed. Branch offices would be established in any country in conformity with that country's laws. Importers of U. S. product shall not be required as a condition to the importation, distribution and sale of such product, to purchase or handle films of any other origin or to be a member of "any official, semi-official or private trade organization." Equal Consideration As for remittances from any foreign government, MPA wants the same considerations as are given to other industries, again on the mostfavored-nation basis. Newsreels would be exempt from customs duties and censorship upon their importation by any foreign nation. MPA proposes that in no case will a foreign government impose new restrictive measures without consultation with U. S. Government representatives, It frankly recognizes that these conditions could hardly be obtained in some countries but suggests that efforts be made to obtain as m^r of them as possible. The organization states that pects to have representation Geneva conferences and that Jot, will re-arrange his European tr*. to be present if necessary. Bidding Stay (Continued from page 1) cision has not yet been reached. United Artists, however, definitely will not ask for a stay of any parts of the decree, a spokesman for that company's counsel declared, and, as reported yesterdav in Motion Picturi Daily, the five theatre-owning defendants have indicated that a stay request from them is unlikely. Joseph M. Proskauer, special attorney for Warners, is understood to have told the attorneys that, in his opinion, the Supreme Court would not be inclined to grant any stays, inasmuch as the New York judges denied thetn.