Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1948)

Motion Picture Daily Friday, July 2, 1948 Personal Mention ANDY SMITH, JR., 20th Century-Fox general sales manager, and W. C. Gehring, assistant general sales manager, have returned to New York from Coast conferences. Charles Schlaifer, national advertising-publicity director, is remaining on the Coast for a few days. • Tracy Barham, vice-president and general manager of Intermountain Theatres, Salt Lake City, was married last week to Margy Harris of that city. 0 Hank D. Hearn and Max Reinhardt of Exhibitor's Service, Charlotte film buying-and-booking organization, will be at the Astor Hotel here for a week, commencing July 11. • Jay Finn of Boston has been named manager of E. M. Loew's Hartford Drive-in, succeeding Vincent O'Brien, who was transferred to Boston. • Lou J. Kaufman, Warner theatre executive, has left here for Cleveland ; he is due back on Tuesday. • Spyros P. Skouras, 20th CenturyFox president, was in Washington yesterday. • Franchot Tone is due here today from the Coast. ITOA Urges Support Of Conciliation Plan Support of all exhibitor organizations for 20th-Fox's conciliation plan to mediate exhibitor-distributor disputes, is urged by the Independent Theatre Owners Association, president Harry Brandt declared. The ITOA "is anxious to institute this system with 20th-Fox in the New York exchange area," it was said. "With exhibitor-distributor relations deteriorating and the dam to a flood of litigations opened by the Supreme Court, we must prove that we are capable of working out our problems ourselves in a spirit of mutual understanding. There will never be any peaceful or harmonious solution of intra-industry problems by resorting to agitation, litigation or legislation," said Brandt. 15,000 Theatres in Andy Smith Drive More than 15,000 theatres in the United States and Canada took part in the "Andy Smith Anniversary Month" campaign. That result was disclosed yesterday in a final report to president Spyros P. Skouras by the division managers' committee which sponsored the campaign, including Ray E. Moon, Jack H. Lorentz, Herman Wobber, Harry G. Ballance and Arthur Silverstone. The quarter produced a 13-week revenue 32 per cent in excess of the same period in 1947. Total feature sales for the first six months of 1948 ran 16.4 per cent ahead of the record year of 1946. Bookings for the first half of the year ran more than 40 per cent above the same 1946 period. The drive brings to 873 employees of 29 branches at least one week's extra salary, with 801 of these receiving three weeks for their efforts in the drive. 6IA' Victorious in U-I Election Here $350,000 Ad Budget For Babe Ruth Film A total of $350,000 will be appropriated by Allied Artists for advertising Roy Del Ruth's "The Babe Ruth Story," it was announced by Steve Broidy, president. Buchanan and Co. will handle the account. Broidy, vice-presidents Harold Mirisch and Edward Morey, and general sales manager Maurice Goldstein are here to launch the campaign and also sales campaigns for King Brothers' "The Dude Goes West," "16 Fathoms Deep" and "Michael O'Halloran." NBC,CBSEnd'Voice' Broadcasts on Oct. 1 Washington, July 1. — The State Department announced today that National Broadcasting and Columbia Broadcasting will withdraw from participation in the "Voice of America" programs after October 1. After that date, George V. Allen, Assistant Secretary of State, said, the programming is to be handled by the department. The Government will still contract with private companies to record the programs, he said, and will still lease transmitting facilities from private firms. Democrats Will See Il l's 'Tap Roots' Philadelphia, July 1. — The Goldman Theatre, which ran a world premiere of "On an Island with You" to coincide with the Republican convention, plans the world premiere of "Tap Roots" on July 14, the week of the Democratic convention. Al Horwits, Universal-International press agent, is in town working on a campaign. Stars of the film, Van Heflin, Julie London, Boris Karloff and Richard Long, will make personal appearances at the opening. New License Dept. Head Until Mayor William O'Dwyer names a successor to former City License Commissioner Benjamin Fielding, who yesterday took over an executive position at Loew's, the New York license department will be headed by Deputy Commissioner Patrick Meehan. Several individuals, includ ing S. Jay Kaufman, have been men tioned as possible candidates for the commissionership, which is closely as sociated with industry operations. New 'U' News Quarters Universal Newsreel will start operations from its new headquarters in the Pathe Laboratories Building here on Tuesday, having completed -its removal from the Film Center Building during the past week, Tom Mead, edi tor of the reel, reported yesterday. Eighty-five per cent of the 427 "white collar" workers at the Universal-International home office, including employes of United World and Castle Films, U-I subsidiaries, have voted in favor of being represented by IATSE Motion Picture Home Office Employes Local No. H-63 for collective bargaining purposes, it was reported here yesterday by "IA" international organizer James Rogers following, a pre-negotiation election required under the Taft-Hartley Law. Only 62 workers voted in favor of "no union," Rogers said. The "collarites" at U-I have been represented by H-63 for a number of years. Russell Moss, H-63 business agent, and U-I officials will begin negotiations soon on a new contract. Moss is said to be seeking cost-ofliving and merit increases for the workers. 'H-63' Appoints New Organizer Joseph Conlon, former international representative of CIO's Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, has joined AFL's IATSE Motion Picture Home Office Employes Local No. H-63 here as an organizer, it was announced yesterday by Russell Moss, H-63 business agent. Moss said Conlon will work "exclusively on new organization." NLRB Probe atUA (Continued from page 1) lations Board election among UA. "white collar" workers. NLRB will begin an investigation of the charges today, it was said. SOPEG unexpectedly did not appear at yesterday's conference at the NLRB office here. The conference, at which H-63 and U.A. were represented, was called for the purpose of setting a date for a U.A. workers' election. Also represented at the conference, but heretofore not connected directly in the dispute, was Celia Schuman, chapter chairman of the UA. unit of SOPEG with which the company has refused to negotiate because the union has failed to comply with the non-Communist provisions of the Taft-Hartley Law. Attorney Sidney Fox, representing Miss Schuman, requested that her name be placed on the NLRB ballot as an agent of certain U.A. employes Harold Spivak, attorney for H-63, declined to agree to the request, charging that the new disputant was "fronting" for SOPEG which, as a non-complying union, cannot appear on the NLRB ballot. Another NLRB meeting is expected to be called early next week following an investigation of charges. Joseph Curtis, ANT A Bid for Belasco Washington, July 1. — Two bids were received today and taken under advisement by the Federal Works Agency for leasing the Governmentowned Belasco Theatre. One was from Joseph H. Curtis, son of Columbia vice-president Jack Cohn, the other bid was from the American National Theatre and Academy, which would use the house as a legitimate theatre. The Curtis bid did not st?, whether he would operate the Belas\ as a legitimate or film theatre, but it" was assumed that it would be legitimate. P.S. Case, Altec Inspector P. S. Case, Altec Service inspector in the New York district, died on June 26, the company announced here yesterday. Funeral services were held June 29 at the Reformed Church, South Branch, N. J. NEW YORK THEATRES —RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL — s Rockefeller Center BING JOAN CROSBY FONTAINE in "THE EMPEROR WALTZ" Color by TECHNICOLOR A Paramount Picture SPECTACULAR STAGE PRESENTATION ONICHT F E Alt JOMM.WW ^""2!!* ^MASTERPIECE f/ LENAJjORNE J "FORT paulJwchell J APACHE" if SKIHi!Nlsi COOl CAPITOL B'way A 51.1 St. greatest ttarand'tong-thowt Released Ihru RK0 Radio Picture* FIGHTING FATHER DUNNE PAT O'BRIEN WlCTORIA a, MIHEI DUNNE DAN DAILEY "Give My Regards To Broadway" A 20th Century-Fox Picture in Technicolor On Variety Stage— THE ANDREWS SISTERS DEAN MARTIN and JERRY LEWIS On Ice Stage — CAROL LYNNE ARNOLD SHODA p q y 7th Are& 50th St. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Martin Quigley, Jr., Associate Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, New York." 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