Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1948)

FIRST IN FILM NEWS MC DAI LY Concise and Impartial i V^^63. .NO. 117 NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1948 TEN CENTS MPAA Board Weighs Action On U. K. Quota Meeting Here Today Also Takes Up Tax Agreement A strong American protest igainst the new British exhibitor juota of 45 per cent is expected to je drafted in New York today at a meeting of company presidents and 'oreign managers. Meeting will be idd at the Motion Picture Associa:ion of America office here with MPAA president Eric A. Johnston ^residing. Speculation was strong yesterday hat Johnston will fly to London withn a few days to deliver such a proest personally. The meeting was called yesterday ifter Johnston in Washington received i long report by trans-Atlantic tele)hone from MPAA's F. W. Allport n London, giving details of the new juota act, an interpretation of its irobable impact on the U. S. industry, ind details of recent developments in he Anglo-American tax agreement (Continued on page 4) LO Canadian Films to Monogram, Allied Hollywood, June 16. — Contracts ailing for the production of 10 picures in Canada within two years for vorld distribution by Allied Artists nd Monogram were signed here today iy Steve Broidy, president of both ompanies, and Leonard Fields, repreenting Canadian International Screen Productions, and Renaissance Films, 'Oth of Montreal. Five produced by CISP will be igh-budget films for AA distribution nd five by Renaissance for Mono (Continued on page 4) $50,000,000 Gross In Italian Theatres Rome, June 11 (By Airmail). — An all-time record 525,420,000 theatre tickets were sold in Italy during 1947 for 29,000,000,000 lira ($50,000,000). The previous record was set in 1942 when 477,134,079 tickets were sold. There were, however, far fewer theatres in 1942 than in 1947. Court Ruling Favors ' IA' in Sopeg Tilt Ruling in U. S. District Court here on the so-called Parker-Kalon labor case, Federal Judge Simon H. Rifkind has denied a petition by a CIO union, whose officers have refused to file non-Communist affidavits required by the Taft-Hartley Act, for an order restraining the NLRB here from holding a collective bargaining election sought by a complying union. The decision is described as favoring the IATSE position in the dispute with the Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild over "white collarite" jurisdiction at United Artists home office in that the NLRB here is now consequently in a position to order a shop election at UA in (Continued on page 2) Rosenman Is MPAA Counsel in SWG Suit Judge Samuel Rosenman, former adviser to the late President Roosevelt, has been retained by the Motion Picture Association of America and member companies to serve as counsel in the pending action brought by the Screen Writers Guild. SWG, represented by Thurman Arnold, former U. S. Attorney-General, filed suit in U. S. District Court here against the majors for an injunction to end an alleged conspiracy against the employment of persons slispected of being subversive. Labor Dispute Shuts Park Ave. Theatre A dispute arising from negotiations between the Park Avenue Theatre here and the Moving Picture Machine Operators Union, Local No. 306, IATfsE, according to the theatre manager, Robert Ungerfeld, has resulted in the unexpected closing of the theatre and indefinite postponement of the premiere of "The End of the River." Ungerfeld said here yester (Continued on page 2) RKO Will File Brief In Union Controversy New York State Labor Relations Board has ordered RKO Service Corp. to file briefs within 10 days explaining its position in connection with charges by the Motion Picture Operating Managers and Assistant Managers Guild that the company has refused to bargain collectively. The order was made yesterday following a preliminary hearing here on the dispute. Court Rules Out EMI In Ascap Trust Suit The Government's motion resisting Ascap's attempt to have Broadcast Music, Inc., included as a defendant in the trust suit against the society has been granted by Judge Simon H. Rifkind in U. S. District Court here. Illegal participation in an international cartel and conspiracy to monopolize music performing rights are charged against Ascap by the Government. To Outline Video Exhibition Contract Proposed standard exhibition contract for films on television will be outlined at a meeting of the National Television Film Council to be held here tomorrow evening at the Williams Club. A central agency for clearing television film rights, and technical clinics for bettering television film production will also be detailed at the meeting and dinner preceding it, to be presided over by the council's temporary chairman, Melvin L. Gold, advertising-publicity direc (Continued on page 2) Claim Video Films Should Be Censored Baltimore, June 16. — Motion pictures exhibited in Maryland are subject to approval of the State Board of Censors. Since special films are televised without having to be submitted to the censors, state authorities are confronted with a problem. So far, there is no sign of a solution. If films shown on a screen must carry the board's seal, then pictures going out over the air should come under the same jurisdiction, it is claimed by many exhibitors. State officials are confused. Lesser, Poe Will Represent W anger Irving Lesser, former manager of the Roxy Theatre here, and Seymour Poe, who has represented Hollywood producers in the East, have become Walter Wanger's Eastern representatives, it is understood, • through the partnership which the former two established some weeks ago. Until recently Wanger had been represented by Budd Rogers, who meanwhile has become head of Realart Pictures. Rogers is also a board member of Universal-International. U.K.Exhibitors Flay Rank and New Quota Law Would Drop Rank's" Films ; Call Quota 'Unworkable* By PETER BURNUP Douglas, Isle of Man, June 16. — Angry denunciation of the new British exhibitors' quota of 45 per cent and of J. Arthur Rank's new booking terms and business methods marked today's meeting of the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association general council here. The temper of the whole meeting was that a now-ornever stand must be made if independent exhibitors are to survive. A nationwide campaign against Rank's methods was proposed on the theory that not only independents but the whole industry are likely to perish if he persists. It was with some difficulty that (Continued on page 4) Gov't Bows to Full Court in Para. Suit Dismissal of the Government's motion for injunctive proceedings to give force to the U. S. Supreme Court's decision in the Paramount anti-trust case is asked by the Department of Justice in a new order prepared in conformity with suggestions advanced on Tuesday at a hearing in District Court here. The move was made "for want of jurisdiction." The Government also asks that further proceedings under the decision be held "before a full court of three judges" starting on Oct. 13. The new order, copies of which were served on the defendants yesterday, will be presented to Judges Augustus .N. Hand and Henry W. Goddard for entry on June 21. Plan Coast Meet on Publicity Council Hollywood, June 16. — Edward Cheyfitz of the Motion Picture Association of America's Washington office has arrived here to represent MPAA president Eric Johnston at a meeting of a committee of representatives of producers, distributors, guilds, unions and exhibitors to plan an in(Continued on page 2)