Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1948)

FIR^T r irw I MOTION PICTURE Arnirnf'P IN TB"^. ▲ "W "W "V 7* r ILm ■ I All ^/ /inn NEWS ilAlLi , _ . Vft* 63. NO. 77 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1948 TEN CENTS Warner Urges Hollywood to Boost Output Says Demand Is Great, Yet Unemployment Grave Hollywood, April 20. — Citing increased production as the solution to the industry's gravest problems, Jack L. Warner today urged a general increase in picturemaking to return unemployed workers to studio payrolls and to meet the urgent world-wide need for better entertainment. "Unemployment in the motion picture industry has reached the danger point," Warner said. "At the same time, demand for good entertainment never has been so strong. To end that paradoxical situation, industry-wide steps should be taken immediately to get our workers back on the jobs and our production to a higher level." Warner said he has become increasingly concerned over the unemploy (Continued on page 7) Independents Need Support: Einfeld Some independent and major circuit operators were branded as "shortsighted" here yesterday by Charles Einfeld for failing to support properly independent film producers. "The independent producer is the backbone of quality production, which means better entertainment, but because of short-sighted reasoning certain theatre owners either fail to appreciate it or would prefer not to appreciate it," Einfeld said. At the same time, the president of Enterprise, here for the New York opening of "Arch of Triumph," de (Continued on page 7) DST Cuts Income 25%: Brylawski Washington, April 20. — Theatres in areas with daylight saving time have experienced drops in attendance as high as 25 per cent as a result of the extra daylight hour, a Senate interstate commerce sub-committee was told today. The statement came from A. Julian (.Continued on page 2) Cinecolor Planning 45-Day Processing Cinecolor will be geared shortly to a 45-day processing service, making it possible for Cinecolor prints to reach exchanges at about the same time it takes black-and-white prints to move from laboratories, Joseph Bernhard, Cinecolor president, reported here yesterday. At present, Bernhard pointed out, it takes about 90 days to process and deliver Cinecolor prints. Bernhard said he believes that 70 per cent of Hollywood's pictures will be made in color in two or three years. Citing the extent to which Cinecolor has stepped up production, Bernhard said that whereas the company processed only about 15 pictures last year, this year it will handle 20, and he predicted it will be able to process 30 in 1949. Bernhard, who is also president of Film Classics, a subsidiary of Cine (Continued on page 8) WB,20th-Fox Order Screen Video Units Large-screen theatre television systems will be delivered by RCA to Warner and 20th Century-Fox within 30 days, Barton Kreuzer, executive of RCA, disclosed yesterday at the second day of the third annual Television Institute panel sessions being held here at the Hotel New Yorker. • The system, it was revealed, is similar to that demonstrated here last week by Paramount. It records events on film as they come off the television tube and then projects the images on the screen within 66 seconds. Conditions existing among television film distributors are so "chaotic" that many stations are not booking as many films as they would like, Irwin Shane, publisher of Televisor, asserted at yesterday's session. He called (Continued on page 7) 4A's Open Talks on Video Pact Monday Associated Actors and Artistes of America will start negotiations here on Monday on its first contract covering wages, hours and conditions of work for performers in television. Initial negotiations will be with CBS, NBC, ABC and Mutual. DuMont, Paramount and the Nezv York Daily News will negotiate later. Negotiations in behalf of the performers will be conducted by a committee representing each of the AAAA unions . Knutson Indicates No Excise Cut This Year Washington, April 20. — Chairman Harold Knutson of the House Ways and Means Committee said today hopes for a substantial cut in excise taxes this year have been abandoned. The reason he gave was the prospect of increased military costs. In the face of the recent income tax reduction Knutson previously had been optimistic about reducing the 20 per cent Federal admissions tax to 10 per cent. Schlaifer Looks at Film's 'New Look' There is a "new look" in the industry today which reveals that pictures and the people who make them are abreast of the times, Charles Schlaifer, director of advertising-publicity for 20th Century-Fox, declared yesterday at the 41st annual luncheon of the New York Society of Kentucky Women, held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. "We are proud because the American industry is the foremost carrier of the ways of democracy to the corners of the earth," he said. As chairman of the MPAA Advertising Advisory Council, Schlaifer told the group of the work which the (Continued on page 2) Col., 'IT Dismissed From Rivoli Suit Buffalo, April 20. — Columbia Pictures today was dismissed "on the merits" from the Rivoli Theatre damage action being tried in Federal District court here, and Universal was dismissed on the grounds that the wrong defendant had been named. The Rivoli, of which Stanley Kozanowski is president, charged 11 defendants, including major distributors, (Continued on page 2) Meet Today to Create Bigger Talent Union First steps to create a more powerful union in the talent field will be taken here today at a meeting of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America, parent union of Actors Equity, American Federation of Radio Artists, American Guild of Musical Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, Screen Actors Guild and Chorus Equity. Rank Asks, Is Told, What US Market Wants Industry Leaders in Frank Exchange of Views J. Arthur Rank, intent upon learning the answer to the slow progress being made by British films in the American market before his departure for London tomorrow, called upon leaders of the industry at a meeting here yesterday to advise him frankly what can be done to hasten their advancement. Sum total of all the replies he received was: "British pictures will have to be made more palatable for U. S. consumption if they are to make real money here." The meeting, called by Eric Johnston, Motion Picture Association president, at Rank's request, was held at (Continued on page 8) Rank-EL Confabs in London Start Mon. Two weeks of conferences concerning the handling of J. Arthur Rank films in the U. S. and Latin America, and the distribution of Eagle-Lion Hollywood product in the British Empire, will commence in London, probably on Monday, with the expected arrival there over the weekend of William J. Heineman, E-L distribution vice-president, and Max E. Youngstein, advertising-publicity vice-president, from New York. They are due to leave here by plane on Friday. Films of the Rank Organization to be discussed for release in the U. S. (Continued on page 8) Film Dividends Off Only 8 Per Cent Washington, April 20. — Publiclyreported cash dividends of film companies during the first three months of 1948 were only eight per cent below the total for the like 1947 period, the Commerce Department reported here today. The first 1948 quarter total was $11,744,000, compared with $12,752,000 for the first quarter last year. Publicly-reported dividends are usually estimated to be about 60 per cent of all dividends.