Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1948)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, June 14, 1948 Personal Mention STEVE BROIDY, Allied Artists Monogram president, will leave Hollywood Thursday for New York, e Moe Kerman and J. J. Felder, president and vice-president, respectively, of Favorite Films, left here at the weekend for the Coast, with a scheduled stop-off in Chicago. • William Goetz, Universal-International production head, and Mrs. Goetz, who arrived here Friday from the Coast, will sail for London Wednesday on the 6\S Queen Elisabeth, • Edward L. Walton, Republic assistant sales manager, left here yesterday for San Francisco. He will return next month. • Syd Gross, assistant to Film Classics advertising-publicity director Al Zimbalist, will fly to Buffalo today from Xew York. • Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount production executive, has arrived here from Hollywood. a Pam Blumenthal, Cinecolor board chairman, left here over the weekend for Hollywood. • William A. Scully, Universal-International general sales manager, returned here Friday from Kansas City. • William F. Rodgers, M-G-M distribution vice-president, will go to Boston on June 21. Selznick Plans Film Production for Video Hollywood, June 13. — David O. Selznick is preparing to form a company to produce films for television, he disclosed here at the weekend. Details of the project are expected to be announced shortly. Selznick Television Corp. of Dover, Del., recently filed a registration certificate in Albany, N. Y., to do business in New York. Five More Percentage Suits Are Settled Boston, June 13. — Five percentage suits pending in Superior Court here have been settled, with final decrees entered in suits filed by Warner, Paramount, Loew's Universal and 20th Century-Fox. Theatres involved were the Capitol in Maiden, Capitol, Bridgewater, and the Stoneham in Stoneham. SMPE Meet Wednesday Demonstration of developments in sound reproduction will be given to the Society of Motion Picture Engineers here by Dr. Harry F. Olson, director of RCA's acoustical laboraties, Wednesday evening. It will be open to non-members. New Levies on Films Looming in France Washington, June 13. — The State I Department has received confirmation of a Motion Picture Export Association report that the French Assembly's finance committee has approved new taxes on admissions and on film footage, it was disclosed here by a department spokesman. The levies were approved by the Assembly's press and cinema committee in May. Motion Picture Association of America and MPEA representatives in New York declined at the weekend to disclose details of the French tax measure on admissions and footage. British Lion Now Controls 3 Studios London, June 13. — British Lion has obtained a long-term lease on British National Studios at. Elstree. The company also controls studios at Shepperton and Isleworth. Sir Alexander Korda will commence production at Elstree in July. Herbert Wilcox also has a high Elstree production priority. GB, Odeon (Continued from page 1) graph Society had been sought, and apparently has been given. As stated in Motion Picture Daily on June 2, earnings from all of the theatres would go into a pool controlled by the new company and shared between them on a basis of their respective earnings over the last three years. The split will be made on a basis of 57 per cent to Odeon and 43 per cent to G-B. Rank has emphasized that the plan is not a merger but a pooling operation designed to streamline the two circuit operations and thereby effect desired economies. Canadian Exports Are Increasing Ottawa, June 13.— Exports of films from this country are increasing, rising to $302,000 in April, 1948, compared with $151,000 in April, 1947, and totaling $1,231,000 in the first four months of 1948, against $846,000 in the corresponding period last year. Solon Honors Balaban Washington, June 13. — Rep. John W. McCormack on Friday told Congress that Paramount President Barney Balaban delivered an "inspiring speech" on June 3 in Boston, at the dinner of the Massachusetts Committee of Catholics, Jews and Protestants. McCormack put the entire text of Balaban's address into the Congressional Record. Postpone Artkino Hearing Motions in connection with Artkino's action to restrain Film Classics from using Russian-made footage in "Will It Happen Again?" will be argued next Friday in New York Supreme Court here, attorneys for both sides having agreed at the weekend to a postponement from last Friday. U. K. Agreement (Continued from page 1) by the American industry, it appears certain. Meanwhile, there is no present prospect of Johnston or Mulvey returning to London for showdown discussions, it was stated. The American industry will adhere to the letter of the agreement and expects British officials to do the same. Further "clarification" of the agreement was accomplished in London last week on questions referred by Johnston to F. W. Allport, MPAA's London representative, in discussions with R. G. Somervell of the British Board of Trade. The "clarifications" obtained will be studied by Johnston and, perhaps, referred back to London with other points still at issue. Commons to Debate Thursday The House of Commons is tentatively scheduled to debate the whole film agreement situation on Thursday. Under the agreement, which is now in effect, Britain will authorize the remittance to the U. S. of approximately $1,416,000 monthly. Allocations will be made quarterly to American producer-distributors on a basis to be determined by the proportion which the three months billings of their individual releases bear to the total of American film billings in Britain. This will account for the $17,000,000 total annual remittance permitted by the agreement. Additional remittances equivalent to the American earnings of British pictures will be determined later, probably on an annual basis. The remainder of American film earnings in Britain will remain there, with 27 permitted uses prescribed for it. Remittances Control Starts Today Full and unregulated remittances of American film earnings in Britain ended last midnight. The detailed paper work of handling and allocating remittances may be turned over to an industry clearing house to be set up in London. The clearing house idea was discussed at Friday's meeting in a general canvass of the whole foreign situation, including the new British exhibitors' quota to be announced tomorrow in London. Re-negotiation of the Blum-Byrnes accord and France's recent offer, still in negotiation, to release $5,000,000 of frozen industry funds in the next three years, with a concurrent freezing of future earnings, also were discussed. Sessions included the regular quarterly MPAA board meeting and a special meeting of the board of MPEA. Correction A. W. Schwalberg, assistant to Charles M. Reagan, Paramount vicepresident in charge of distribution, was inadvertently identified in Motion Picture Daily last Friday as Eagle-Lion sales head, his former position. Schwalberg joined Paramount last winter, with William J. Heineman becoming vice-president in charge of distribution for E-L. Newsreel Parade THE TRUCE in Palestine and the tour of President Trmnan mark current newsreel highlights. Other events are graduation at West Point, Olympic swimmers in action, and an ERP talk by Senator Vandenberg. Complete contents follow. MOVIETONE NEWS, No. ll—jE^ tine truce opens way to peace. Pr^L Truman hailed in Far West. Senator \"alidenberg and the ERP. Atlantic City Shriners parade. West Point graduation. President Auriol visits Normandy. U. S. visitors flock to Canada. U. S. Olympic divers. STEWS OF THE DAY, No. 281. — GOP convention preview. President Truman relaxes. West Point graduation. Normandy four years after. Diving stars show preOlympic form. Sail boat race for teen age skippers. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 84. — Water sports: Tuna fish on the hook. Interfaith group in Boston honors Americans. Vacation season here again. 55 Queen Mary brings Sir Ralph Richardson. Senator Vandenberg assails cut in foreign aid. Palestine cease-fire showdown. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL, No. 151. — Senator Vandenberg blasts ERP fund slash. President Truman continues preelection tour. West Point graduation. New exemption for tourists in Canada. Third generation midgets' second birthday. Olympic divers in Los Angeles. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 86. — West Point graduation. People in the news: Vandenberg, Truman, King Michael and Princess Ann, Count Bernadotte. Canada tourist boom. Fashions in the swim. Underwater picnic. Flee-weight fighters. Great Americans: Custer's last stand. Spills, Excitement In Fight Pictures _ In a notable feat of speed and skill, pictures of the championship bout between Rocky Graziano and Tony Zaie were being shown in Metropolitan theatres here less than 12 hours after the contest took place Thursday night. Increase in business was reported by RKO at the Palace Theatre on Broadway as well as at other RKO houses where the fight films were shown. At the Trans-Lux newsreel theatre on Broadway, manager Weber Schoening reported a substantial increase. Produced by Coram Pictures Corp., prints on Friday were on their way to exchanges from Coast to Coast. The film itself runs 17 minutes, and through its excellent camerawork, recaptures all the spills and excitement of the fiery three-round spectacle. It offers a better than ringside view of the hostilities, as seven cameras manned by crews of 30 camera and sound men caught the flurries and exchanges from every vantage point. Decisive blows and knockdowns are later re-run in slow motion. Some of the pre-fight and post-fight ringside color is also included in the film. M.H. New Schaefer Firm A change of name to Selected Films, Inc., has been registered in Albany by George J. Schaefer Associated, Inc. Schaefer said Friday the change had been made to avoid any conflict with his association with Enterprise, of which he is head. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Martin Quigley, Jr., Associate Editor. 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