Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1947)

8 Motion Picture Daily Friday, April 25, 1947 TBA to Protest Ban On House Antennae The Television Broadcasters Association is awaiting full details of the New York City Real Estate Board's objections to TBA's interim plan for television antenna installations before the video group submits a formal protest of the realtors' action. The TBA plan would provide for numerous antenna devices that would permit "thousands of New York families living in apartment houses to enjoy a television service "until a master system could be installed. TBA states it has "informally learned" that the temporary plan had not won the approval of the real estate board. The association further states that at least three companies are working on master antenna systems. It is understood that the realtors are insistetn that only the master antennae be installed on their apartment house rooftops, and many have notified tenants not to operate television sets without permission because of the antenna problem. To Omit Objections To Copyright Meet Washington, April 24. — Film industry objections to the InterAmerican Copyright Convention will not be contained in the State Department's report, according to Dr. Luther Evans, Librarian of Congress and chief U. S. delegate to the copyright meeting. Dr. Evans stated that the report is now completed, "subject to a little more editorial review," and should be forwarded to the President in about a week or 10 days. _ "We have stated only the affirmative arguments for the convention in our report," Dr. Evans said. "We have defended them against some of the attacks, and so it is only very indirectly that the industry objections will be noted." Motion picture and radio leaders have indicated they would take their fight against the convention to Congress, placing their case before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. E-L Promotes Wollins Donald J. Wollins has been appointed assistant field exploiteer in the Boston territory for Eagle-Lion by Max E. Youngstein, E-L advertisingpublicity director. Wollins has been on the press book staff for the past year. In Boston he will work with Joe Mansfield. Says Films Do Not Aid Delinquency Hollywood, April 24. — Addressing the National Convention of the American Metropolitan School Superintendents, Dr. Vierling Kersey, superintendent of Los Angeles schools, said, "Our experience has shown that motion pictures are not a significant factor in juvenile delinquency. The industry is doing a fine job in eliminating scenes that would have destructive influence upon children. "Although the Production Code helps in avoiding scenes that could be harmful to children, there is no mistaking the responsibility of both parent and teacher to aid a child in selecting appropriate films, just as parents and schools guide children in selecting proper books, plays, magazines and recreation," he observed. Nine RKO Directors Up for Reelection The annual meeting of RKO Radio stockholders will be held in Dover, Del., on June 4, to elect directors for the ensuing year. The company is soliciting proxies, recommending reelection of present directors and the reappointment of Price, Waterhouse and Co. as auditors. Directors up for reelection are : Ned E. Depinet, Harry M. Durning, Frederick L. Esrman, L. Lawrence Green L. Boyd Hatch, Floyd B. Odium, N. Peter Rathvon, George H. Shaw, and J. Miller Walker. PCC to Hold Annual Meeting on May 13 Hollywood, April 24.— The Permanent Charities Committee will hold its annual meeting on May 13 to elect new officers and to vote on disposition of $275,783 allocated to the Red Cross and the Infantile Paralysis Foundation but rejected by those charities. All 54 constitutent unions and guilds are required to approve disposition of the money. The Hollywood Coordinating Committee has announced formation of the third 10-star troupe to stage benefits in Southern cities for the benefit of Texas City disaster victims. Puerto Rico Bills Would Cut Taxes RKO's 5-Year Tax Bill: $25,409,000 During the past five years RKO paid $25,409,000 in Federal taxes alone, according to president N. Peter Rathvon's report to stockholders. In 1942, RKO's profit after taxes of $734,000, was $736,240; in 1943 the profit was $6,964,004, after $6,000,000 in I taxes; in 1944 there was $5,206,378 profit, after $5,545,V-h£> 000 in taxes; 1945's $6,031,085 profit was arrived at after deducting $5,740,000 in taxes, and last year's record profit of $12,187,805 was reached after a deduction of $7,390,000 in taxes. By E. SANCHEZ ORTIZ Sax Juan, Puerto Rico, April 21. (By Airmail).— Legislation has been introduced in the Senate to eliminate the two-cent per foot tax on all film imports when such films constitute second prints of films for exhibition. Another bill seeks the amendment of the Internal Revenue Act to reduce from 20 per cent to 15 per cent the tax on all cameras, projectors, parts and accessories, all cinematographic machines and other photographic articles. RKO Profit (Continued from page 1) Tax Cut Unlikely (Continued from page 1) Hugh James on Telenews Hugh James, radio-film announcer, has been named chief narrator for The Telenews Digest, new newsreel, the first issue of which will appear here starting Wednesday. U-I Field Visits (Continued from page 1) Aids Salvation Army Drive Philadelphia, April 24.— William F. Brooker, Paramount exploiteer, has been named chairman of the motion picture division for the Salvation Army maintenance fund drive. The goal here for this year is $750,000, of which $15,000 has been asked from the local film industry. Goldsmith Back with WB Jack Goldsmith, Navy veteran who was on Warner's southern field staff before the war, has joined WB's home office publicity staff, announces Mort Blumenstock, vice-president in charge of advertising-publicity. will visit Washington tomorrow and Sunday, heading for Charlotte in the following two days. Product to be discussed includes : 'The Egg and I," "Odd Man Out," "Great Expectations," "Time Out of Mind," "Buck Privates Come Home," "Ivy," "Brute Force," and "Slave Girl." A. J. O'Keefe, assistant general sales manager, will leave here Sunday for Los Angeles, while E. T. Gomersall, assistant to Scully, is slated to depart today for Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Detroit. C. J. Feldman, Western division manager, left New York yesterday for Kansas City, with Omaha, Des Moines, Denver, Salt Lake City and the West Coast included on his itinerary. Also scheduled to leave New York Sunday is F. J. A. McCarthy, Southern and Canadian manager, who will visit Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans! Dallas and Oklahoma City. Fred Meyers, Eastern division manager, will cover Boston and has Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Albany, Buffalo and New Haven marked for visits. eluding the admission tax, as soon as the income tax reduction bill was disposed of. Now the idea is to get going on a revision of the entire tax structure, including income taxes, excises, corporation taxes, and other levies. Some members of the House Ways and Means Committee see hearings for four or five months, with action expected on a bill soon after Congress reconvenes next year. Senate hearings will run equally long, and then a drawn-out conference fight is seen, with slim possibility of getting a bill passed before summer of '1948. As to whether that over-all revision will do anything about admission taxes, the furthest anyone would commit himself was : "Your guess is as good as mine." Brooks Appointed (Continued from page 1) new post on Monday following his return from a Midwestern trip. For the past three years Brooks was with M-G-M as assistant to H. M. Richey, director of that company's exhibitor relations department. In that canacity he attended and addressed exhibitor meetings and other industry gatherings in all parts of the country. Brooks was first identified with the industry in theatre and' roadshow work. He became advertising-publicity director of Educational Film Exchanges, later becoming production manager and assistant to the president. He was associated with Eddie Dowling, subsequently, in film, stage and radio activities. During the early period of the war he was associated with the office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. He joined M-G-M in 1944. The producing and distributing subsidiary and the theatre operating subsidiaries made approximately equal contributions to the 1946 profit, Rathvon said. Although gross revenues and theatre operating profits have continued at a high level thus far in 1947, Rathvon said, consolidated earnings will be considerably less for the first quarter of this year than in the comparable period last year, due in substantial part to a higher percentage of independent pictures in distribution (as distinguished from RKO's own productions) and to the fact that in the same period of last year returns were being received from "The Bells of St. Mary's." RKO's aggregate working capital now exceeds $40,000,000. It has no funded debt. At the end of 1946 RKO Theatres, Inc., had reduced to $20,400,000 its three per cent debentures issued early in 1-946 in the original amount of $22,000,000 to refund previously existing theatre funded debt. Banking debt of RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., under its revolving fund credit arrangement was $2,500,000 on April Since RKO intends to build up inventory of feature pictures to a further moderate extent, an expanded five-year revolving fund credit is currently being negotiated, he added. Concerning foreign operations, Rathvon reported that, although current collections are well ahead of last year, shortage of dollar exchange in most foreign markets indicates that transfers from many countries may be even more difficult than in 1946. Stockholders were advised that directors deemed no longer necessary and authorized elimination (by return to capital surplus as of December 31, 1946) of the $4,155,205 balance of a general reserve created in the original amount of $5,000,000 on the books of the parent companv incidental to the reorganization in 1940. According to the report, the company's current working assets total $59,375,325^ against current liabilities of $19,303,391. Total assets amount to $106,361,725. Income for 1946 was $120,125,633. Expenses amounted to $99,182,124. Total earned surplus as of Dec. 31 amounted to $22,519,551. Screen Guild -Audio Deal Hollywood, _ April 24. — Screen Guild Productions has signed a distribution contract with Ferenz H. Fodor's Audio Pictures for a minimum of two films.