Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1948)

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r LIRE MOTION VIC IWKB23B. DAILY 1 J 64. NO. 3 NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1948 TEN CENTS 18 Telecasters Warn Para. On 'Pick-ups' Advise Against 'Invasion' Of Democrats' Coverage The 18 television stations which joined in a pool to cover the Republican National convention in Philadelphia last month and will join again in telecasting the Democratic conclave there next week, have served notice on Paramount that they will "take steps" if the film company reproduces the video pictures on the screen of the Paramount Theatre here, using the pool signals, as it did with part of the Republican meeting. Following a meeting 'of the telecasters, the "threatening letter" was sent on Friday to George Shupert, Paramount's director of commercial television operations, who "would not comment. The action was prompted by the Paramount's "unauthorized" pick-up of the Gov. Dewey acceptance speech at the Philadelphia convention, the theatre having taken the position that the convention was a matter of public information, and ignored the pool's rejection of its bid to join in the pool. Paramount apparently will cling to (Continued on page 5) Video Now on Paying Basis: S. P. Skouras Washington, July 5. — Television has now reached the point where it is both practicable and feasible to operate a station and have a reasonable chance of achieving a profit from the start, according to Spyros P. Skouras. The 20th Century-Fox president, testifying Friday at the Federal Communications Commission hearings on his company's application for one of the two San Francisco video channels, {Continued on page 5) M-G-M Sets Program Of Shorts for 1949 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will have a program of 48 shorts for 1948-49, about the same as 1947-48, among them four two-reel specials, and the following one-reelers : 16 Technicolor cartoons (including the Tom and Jerry series) ; four "Gold Medal" reprint (Continued on page 4) F. C. Now Owns 30 Branches; Sets 1st Worldwide Meeting Film Classics now owns 30 exchanges outright, all acquired in a year and a half, Joseph Bernhard, president, disclosed at the weekend in a joint announcement with B. G. Kranze, distribution vice-president, of the company's first worldwide sales meeting, to be held at the Astor Hotel, New York, July 30August 1. It will be the first time F. C.'s branch managers and division heads will meet as a unit since Kranze assumed his post early this year. Kranze will preside over the meeting, which will also be attended by theatre circuit heads, leading independent exhibitors and officers of Cinecolor Corp., with which Film Classics is affiliated. Company foreign representatives will be on hand. On the agenda will be Kranze's explanation of sales policy on the 34 new pictures scheduled for release during 1948-49. Half of this number will be in Cinecolor. The schedule also includes several reissues. SRO Opens 4 More Key City Branches Four additional branches have been opened in the field by Selznick Releasing Organization, Milton S. Kusell, distribution vice-president, reports. New offices were opened in New Orleans, with W. Shiel, Jr., as sales representative ; in Indianapolis, where H. L. Frost is sales representative, and James H. Kaylor is booker ; in Albany, where Schuyler Beatty, Jr., was named sales representative, as previously reported here, and in Vancouver, B. C. Must End Reich Film Trusts by July 8 Berlin, July 1 (By Airmail). —The British Military Government has adopted measures taken by the Americans in an effort to end still-existing "motion picture monopolies" by July 8 at the latest. The decree issued by the AMG puts a ban on the formation of new monopolies and provides also that no one can hold a position in more than one branch of the German film industry. The number of theatres that can be owned by one person also is strictly limited, and no company may own, or have an interest in, more than 10 theatres. With the formation of Trizonia, similar measures are expected to be taken by the French. Final Building Code Hearing on July 21 Albany, N. Y., July 5.— What is expected to be the last of the public hearings revolving around the proposed new state building code has been scheduled by the State Board of Standards and Appeals for July 21 in the Empire State Building, New York City. The new code provides for a number of changes in theatre construction and theatre maintenance, and, in consequence, many invitations to the hearing will be mailed to industry representatives throughout the state. Accompanying the invitations will be copies of the latest code revisions. Assuming the code will be approved following the July 21 hearing, the belief here is that the document will be promulgated in the fall. TOA Will Reconsider Forum at Next Meeting The proposal for a Motion Picture Forum, dropped some time ago because of the industry anti-trust litigation, will be up for reconsideration by the Theatre Owners of America at its convention in Chicago in September, or at the next board or executive committee meeting, whichever of the three occurs earliest, according to Robert W. Coyne, retiring executive director. Idea for the tribunal, at which intra-industry ills would be aired and remedial efforts made, was first advanced by Fred Wehrenberg, TOA board chairman, late in 1946. Work on plans was suspended shortly afterward with the intention of reviving it following the U. S. Supreme Court's decision in the industry case, the thought at the time being that when the high court took action it would end the litigation. TOA has yet to schedule its next board or executive committee meetings. Rank's Rental Demands May Be Modified He Is 'Surprised, Hurt' At UK Exhibitors' Blast London, July 5. — J. Arthur Rank's announced plan to secure much higher rental percentages from British exhibitors may be altered by the time he meets with the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association general council on July 14. He has manifested surprise and hurt at the unanimous lineup of independents and American distributors against him and at the degree of passion and protest which was aroused by his attitude. Rank, who successfully lobbied for a higher quota here for British pictures, met at the weekend with CEA general secretary W. R. Fuller and other CEA leaders and discussed with them his new buying terms which have been called onerous by the mass of British exhibitors. Rank insisted that no disclosure be made to the press (Continued on page 6) British Member of Control Unit Named London, July 5. — R. G. Somervell of the British Board of Trade, and P. S. Milner Barry of the Treasury have been named as the British industry's representatives on the Control Committee created under the terms of the Anglo-American film agreement. W. O. Newsam of the BOT will serve as secretary of the committee. Appointment of Fayette W. Allport, London representative of the Motion Picture Export Association, and Thorkild Chris, London manager of the Bank of America, as the American industry's representatives on the committee was announced last week. Stack Heads WB Sales in Britain Appointment of Charles F. Stack as general sales manager of Warner Brothers Pictures, Ltd., in England, was announced simultaneously in NewYork and London at the weekend. He succeeds J. Walton Brown, who has retired after a lengthy illness. Stack (Continued on page 6)