Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1948)

Accurate Concise and Impartial ^3. 64. NO. 19 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1948 TEN CENTS Bids Canceling Adjustments To Exhibitors Distributors Rule Them Out As Legal Safeguard Exhibitor applications for adjustments of rental terms where product falls below expectations at the box-office are decreasing in direct proportion to the increase of competitive bidding and negotiation of run, according to home office sales executives. Selling, generally, is gradually becoming slower and more cautious as the distributors are guarding against legal entanglements, and are frankly out for maximum revenue in keeping with the peak production costs and foreign market losses, the reports indicate. Aside from clearance reductions and the more prominent of changes that stemmed directly from the industry anti-trust suit, the film companies are (Continued on page 4) Heat Hurting N.Y. 1st Runs Again Summer heat is affecting business at several Broadway firstruns and this week the rising mercury is not only outside, but in. "Several hundred" refunds were reported at the State where an engineers' strike has halted "the air conditioning. The Capitol and Criterion are similarly without cooling systems. To what extent overall business was impaired could hardly be determined, it was said. "The Babe Ruth Story" got off to a big start at the Astor yesterday. "Key Largo" with Count Basie and Billie Holiday is still riding high at (Continued on page 4) Insist Hollywood Hearings to Resume Washington, July 27. — Members of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 'back for the special session, are sticking to the story that the Hollywood hearings will resume here late this summer. One high-ranking member of the committee said that a formal announce (Continucd on page 4) Sch ineNamed In Trust Suit Chicago, July 27. — Continuing in the succession of film anti-trust suits is a new one filed today by Emerson W. Long, Cadiz, Ohio, theatre operator, against the Schine circuit for treble damages of $345,000 claimed by him for the period from Jan. 1, 1935, to Jan. 1, 1941. The suit involves Long's operation of the Memorial Theatre, Mount Vernon, Ohio, during that period. Complaint alleges that because of exertion of buying power by Schine, the Memorial Theatre was prevented from licensing suitable first and second run product. It is also charged that Schine reopened a closed house, the Lyric, when Long began operation of (Continued on page 4) U. S. Film Quality Better: Steinhardt Quality of American films released in Czechoslovakia in the past two years has shown sharp improvement, Laurence A. Steinhardt, U. S. Ambassador to that country declared here yesterday at a luncheon given him by company and foreign department heads at the Harvard Club. The Ambassador, who was introduced by Francis S. Harmon, Motion Picture Export Association vice-president, declared that Hollywood must continue to send over its best pictures if it would retain the high degree of popularity now enjoyed in that country. Present at the luncheon were : Barney Balaban, Norton V. Ritchey, William Satori, Joseph A. McConville, Abe Schneider, Leo Samuels, James Mulvey and other film leaders. See Ascap Decree By End of August Work will be started soon by Ascap and ITOA counsel on the preparation of a decree to conform with the findings of fact made by Federal Judge Vincent L. Leibell in handing down his decision holding the society in violation of U. S. anti-trust statutes. The decree is expected to be ready for presentation to the court for its approval by the end of August. MPAA Begins Series Of Parleys on Ascap First Motion Picture Association of America meeting on the New York Federal Court's decision enjoining Ascap was held here yesterday. The meeting group, the MPAA's copyright Hollywood, July 27.— The Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners, which had filed an amicus curiae brief supporting the position of the plaintiffs in the New York Ascap case will participate similarly in any appeal from Federal Judge Vincent L. Leibell's recent decision, PCCITO's trustees announced today. committee, was forced to limit itself to merely exploratory discussions. It was explained that until the court order is handed down, probably late next month, no definitive action could be taken. Edwin Kilroe, 20th Century-Fox, is chairman of the committee, which includes five other executives. Conciliation Vital, Smith Tells Indiana ATOI Meet Floods Hamper Some Kansas Operations Kansas City, July 27. — Further rains have aggravated the flood crisis in parts of Southeastern Kansas, while waters continue to subside elsewhere in previously flooded districts. The Plaza of the Dickinson circuit in Burlington, Kansas, has reopened after being closed a week. Water had been above the stage. Seats were removed when the flood threatened, and restored when the waters receded. Seats were removed from the (Continued on page 4) French Lick, Ind., July 27. — The importance of conciliation in advancing exhibitor-distributor harmony to the profit of the entire industry was stressed by Andy W. Smith, Jr., 20th Century-Fox-'s general sales manager, in an address delivered this evening at the annual convention of the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana at the French Lick Springs Hotel here. Henderson M. Richey, Loew-M-G-M director of exhibitor relations, who also was scheduled to speak on conciliation, cancelled his prepared speech at the last minute and spoke generally. About 100 exhibitors are attending (Continued on page 4) UK Exhibitors Wary About Finance Plan See Wilson Forced Into State Distribution Next London, July 27. — Exhibitors here share the misgivings expressed in political and financial circles concerning President of the Board of Trade Harold Wilson's $20,000,000 government Film Finance Corp. They remember Wilson's naive, much derided declaration at the Exhibitors' Association dinner to Eric Johnston last spring that what they must show in their theatres is "more documentaries." They distrust the suggestion that the films they must show will be selected by a still-tobe-announced "committee." They maintain, despite the promised flow of films from the government's beneficence, that they will not (Continued on page 4) 19 Films in 'U' Backlog Universal Pictures has the largest backlog of completed productions in its history, shooting schedules on 19 top productions having been finished, J. Cheever Cowdin, board chairman, and N. J. Blumberg, president, announced yesterday as the company prepared to shut down its Coast studio on Friday for a five-week consolidated vacation period. The company's annual production schedule calls for 24 pictures. The management had planned the vacation shutdown many months ago and had arranged its production schedule so as to complete shooting (Continued on page 4) Truman Telecast on Paramount's Screen Evidently determined to establish itself as top television theatre among Broadway showhouses, the Paramount yesterday gave an unexpected fullscreen telecast of President Truman's address before Congress, running about 25 minutes and fitting in smoothly at the end of the newsreel. Yesterday's special was adequately (Continued on page 4)