Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1947)

Friday, March 14, 1947 MOTION PICTURE DAILY 9 RCA 16mm. Parley In Camden April 14 Camden, March 13. — Distribution and product plans, including first details of a new line of 16mm. equipment, will be discussed by RCA's 16mm. equipment section at a five-day meeting, starting April 14, to be held at the company's home office here. O. V. Swisher, 16mm. section manages will speak on new product, with J. ) Petrasek, sales head, slated to oui.,iie a distribution policy. Other speakers will be Ed Jones, promotional manager of the division, who will present dealer and merchandising plans, and W. H. Knowles, chief of the educational department. RCA regional representatives who will attend the meeting include Al Josephsen and M. F. Blakeslee, New York; Hal Winter, Harry Somerville and Milt Romney, Cleveland; Elmer Eades and Elmer Beneke, Atlanta ; Hal Maag, Larry LaHar and Bob Cleveland, Los Angeles; R. H. Renholm, Buck Lewis and Bob Hunt, Chicago; Jim Cocke and Max Heidenreich, Dallas. A series of follow-up meetings to announce plans made at the Camden meeting to 16mm. equipment dealers, will be held in New York, Cleveland, Chicago, New Orleans and Los Angeles, in May. Reviews "King of the Wild Horses" (Columbia) WHILE "King of the Wild Horses" has the substance to make it a sensitive drama about the adjustment of a young boy to a new family and environment, it stumbles somewhat in the telling, principally because it is over-long for the material available. More astute editing might have overcome the fault ; however, the film does provide good family entertainment through Bill Sheffield's polished portrayal of the shy, city-bred lad who moves West to join his uncle on his ranch. Filled with stories of his late father's success in befriending "King," leader of a herd of wild horses, Bill finds understanding in Preston Foster, his uncle, and Gail Patrick, his aunt. With Patti Brady, their daughter, Bill becomes familiar with the chores of ranch life. He, too, befriends King, as his father once did, but, unlike his father, determines to settle down to cattle raising. Others in the cast are: Guinn Williams, Buzz Henry, Charles Kemper and John Kellogg. The picture was produced by Ted Richmond and directed by George Archainbaud, from a screenplay by Brenda Weisberg and story by Ted Thomas. Running time, 79 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, March 27. Irving Kaplan Forum Discusses Outlook, Censorship Future industry trends and the growing threat of film censorship were the dual subjects of a forum held last night at the Hotel Piccadilly here by the Screen Publicists' Guild. Participating were Maurice Bergman, Universal-International Eastern advertising-publicity director, who discussed the 1947 outlook; Hans Burger of the United Nations film section, who outlined U.N. film plans ; Richard Griffith, executive director of the National Board of Review, who highlighted the growing censorship threat on local levels ; and Frank -Launder, president of the British Film Renters' Association, and J. Arthur Rank, producer, who contrasted British and American censorship. This afternoon, Bergman and Bosley Crowther, New York Times film critic, will debate the question, "Is the Influence of the Movies Good or Bad?" on the "Opinions Please" series in the CBS School of. the Air program. "West of Dodge City" (Columbia) POPPING up all over the place at crucial moments, "The Durango Kid," played by Charles Starrett, who also appears as a placid surveyor, has plenty of work on his hands in preventing "carpet-bagger" Fred Sears and his crew from becoming cattle barons through unscrupulous deals. The action is fast, albeit a bit hackneyed, as Starrett, the surveyor, helps to "put the finger" on Sears for the murder of Nolan Leary, and then, as "Durango," succeeds in bringing the culprits to justice. Fetching Nancy Saunders, showing the same stubbornness as her late father did in holding his ranch against onslaughts of the crooks, lends feminine grace to the picture, while Glen Stuart, as her brother, provides a few moments of uncertainty in his readiness to sell out to Sears. Also in the cast are Smiley Burnette, as the town's editor, who alone and in company with two bewilderingly-named characters, "Mustard" and "Gravy," renders some amusing songs. Bert Horswell wrote the script, Colbert Clark produced and Ray Nazarro directed. Running time, 57 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, Brief Hits Jackson Park Court Ruling Chicago, March 13. — Distributor defendants with Balaban and Katz and the Warner circuits have filed briefs with the U. S. Circuit Cout of Appeals, here, protesting District Court Judge Michael L. Igoe's decision calling for elimination of Chicago's system of release, and recommending that the Jackson Park Theatre be given an opportunity to bid for pictures. The defendants hold that Igoe was in error in holding that all issues were settled in the Jackson Park's previous damage trial and could not be brought up again during the present injunction trial; that when those finding's are set aside there is nothing for the decision to stand on in its present form ; that even if the findings were all right the decision goes too far and grants relief which the findings do not justify. Arguments are slated to be heard at the April, session, the plaintiff having 20 days in which to file a reply brief. Objected to, also, are the two weeks' limitation of first-runs in Loop theatres, the elimination of twin bills, and the decision of the court ordering distributors to sell Jackson Park films one week ahead of B. and K.'s Maryland and Warner's Jeffrey theatres. March 27. I. K. Para.-Adams Tiff Ends in a Draw Pickwick Suit (Continued from page 1) principals involved in the action declined to discuss terms of the settlement. It was reported in trade circles, however, that the settlement figure was $225,000. The action, originally filed in 1941 in U. S. District Court at New Haven, Conn., asked $5,000,000 damages of the major distributors. It alleged that the Pickwick Theatre, Greenwich, Conn., which had been operated by E. J. Peskay, was forced to close in 1939 due to inability to obtain sufficient product on an equitable run in relation to Stamford, Conn., and Port Chester, N. Y. Willard McKay and Saul Rogers, attorneys for plaintiffs, took an appeal to the Circuit Court here when the case was dismissed by the lower court in 1944. The appeal was pending up to the time of the settlement. Disagreement between Paramount and Adam Adams over what comprises fair rental terms under a 21year franchise held by Adams for the Paramount, Newark, and the U. S., Paterson, N. J., has been determined by arbitration which gives neither side a complete victory. Text of the findings was mailed to both parties last night. Under the franchise, which would have expired in 1951 if the Federal Court had not ruled them out, the distributor and exhibitor were committed to arbitration in the event of a dispute which had been brewing for some time and reached its climax on August 1, 1946. Paramount named George J. Schaefer as its arbitrator and Adams named Edmund C. ' Grainger, president of the Shea circuit, as his arbitrator. Failing to reach an accord, the two arbitrators turned to Paul Mead, former vice-president of Irving Trust, as a third. The decision covers product played by Adams in both situations from the break-off date last year to the present. If distributors should prove successful in any efforts made to reinstate franchises generally, its terms are to be binding until the expiration of the Paramount-Adams franchise igreement four years hence. To See Wright on Equity Record Costs Following a meeting yesterday in the office here of Edward C. Raftery, president of United Artists, attorneys for the eight distributors said they will confer with Robert L. Wright, special assistant to the Attorney General, on how much of the court record of the New York anti-trust case must be printed for the U. S. Supreme Court, where appeals of the decision are now pending. The issue particularly involves the printing of all or parts of the hundreds of exhibits entered in the case, which along with the rest of the record would bring costs to about $90,000 it was estimated. The companies prefer to offer only that part of the record pertaining to the provisions of the de cree from which they are appealing Wright wants the entire record printed. No decision has been reached on how the printing costs are to be met. Astor Names Wernick Astor Film Exchange, Inc., has appointed Irving Wernick office manI ager. U.S. Will Reprint So. America Survey Washington, March 13. — A U. S. Department of Commerce survey of motion pictures and equipment ii Latin America, containing new infor mation on markets and data collectei and published in a 1944 report, ha been reprinted because of a continued demand by the industry, Nathan 1). Golden, Commerce film consultant discloses. Latest reports are on Brazil Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay, Beja and Nylund Are Named by Reisman Rene Beja, former RKO Radio manager in Portugal and Brazil, has been appointed manager in Spain, and Kurt Nylund, former RKO Radio distributor in Finland, has been named manager in that country, by Phil Reisman, vice-president in charge of foreign distribution. Nylund will have headquarters in Oslo, Beja in Barcelona. Bidding Stay (Continued from page 1) decision is expected to be* handed down within several days after the arguments. Universal's application asks, in addition to the bidding stay, that enforcement of the injunctions of the New York Court which would invalidate existing contracts, notably franchises and the sales of a year's product in advance, be postponed until after the high tribunal rules on the company's pending appeal, probably early next year. Formal bidding under the decree is scheduled to begin July 1. Robert L. Wright, special assistant to the U. S. Attorney General, said today that the Department of Justice has not yet reached a final decision on whether to oppose Universal's application for a stay. On Wednesday, one of his assistants had reported that such opposition was not planned, although the government "saw no reason" why a stay should be granted. Columbia's application, for a stay of single sales as well as competitive bidding, will be filed with the Suprenje Court tomorrow. Paramount, which also has appealed from the bidding provision, remained undecided today on whether to ask for a stay. Presumably, all slay requests will he argued at the March 25 hearing. Justice Reed received jurisdiction in the matter after Justice Robert Jackson, who normally considers preliminary motions on cases from the New York court, had disqualified himself on the grounds that he was Attorney General when the original complaint was filed.