Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1948)

Wednesday, August 11, 1948 Motion Picture Daily HGM Production (Continued from page 1) spent on individual productions. Each picture will be budgeted at whatever it may be worth, ■ he said. Schary asserted that under his proluction administration M-G-M proosed to make a number of "experinental" pictures and more of what he jbed as "progressive" films. "We oing to make some challenging iicxrfres," he announced. He said the !^-G-M production program "could tibsorb five to 10 experimental pictures." Stresses 'Responsibility' of Films In explaining the production ideas le hoped to put into effect at M-G-M, Schary voiced the opinion that pictures must carry a responsibility besides seeking to entertain. He said ;hat by calling for mature pictures he did not mean films resorting to license. 'Art," he observed, "doesn't mean four-letter words scribbled on fences." Schary took a poke at "long-haired" critics' views on Hollywood, indicating they are prejudiced. Schary said that more care in the ipreparation of scripts would be used by the studio to help cut production , costs, which, he reported, are continuing their downward trend. According to Schary, the proper thing to do in making pictures is "to aim at the domestic market," although there are still some remnants of the foreign market left to American distributors. Schary disclosed that his M-G-M contract, about the term of which there has been some confusion, is for 14 years. No MGM Plans for Video The new M-G-M production chief said that the company has no specific plans to make films for video. It was conceded that many pictures are too long. Although he held that a film should be no longer than the story dictated, Schary could not say whether M-G-M planned to adopt a hard-and-fast policy on running time. He said he intends to "add some manpower" at the M-G-M studio, "as I go along." Schary said he will have an interest in every picture made at M-G-M, although the studio's productions will not carry his name "for quite a while" — maybe never. He will leave New York for the Coast tonight. Katz Quits MGM (Continued from page 1) that he opened his first theatre after having been employed by the late Carl Laemmle. The growth of Balaban and Katz led to an association with Paramount, the management of the latter's theatres being taken over by B. and K. Katz became vice-president of Paramount Publix in 1925 and resigned seven years later. He joined M-G-M in 1936. Katz also had an interest in Mon arch Theatres which until last year was headed by his brother, the late Harry Katz. Monarch was sold to Ted Gamble about one year ago. Curtis Seeks DC Theatre Joseph H. Curtis, son of. Columbia vice-president Jack Cohn, will be in Washington today for conferences with Marcus Notes, owner and operator of the Strand Theatre there, concerning the former's bid to take over the house as a legitimate theatre. The National Theatre, the Capital's only legitimate house, closed on July 31 as the result of a deadlock in a controversy with Actors Equity over the exclusion of Negroes. Curtis, who is seeking to buy or lease the Strand, would operate under a non-discrimination policy. Music Rights (Continued from page 1) High Tax in Salt Lake Salt Lake City, August 10.— Theatres here will have to pay the maximum tax of 19.5 mills for property when the new city budget is prepared. recording rights should Judge Leibell's opinion be sustained on appeal. A Columbia spokesman said the company was "wrestling with the problem" and was busy exploring various courses of action. The firm was said to be considering ideas on the matter that would "make the music people happy." Same License Form for Para. Paramount was represented as giving no thought to the subject at this time. It was pointed out that, pendingfinal clarification of the issue, the company would not know where or how to get performing rights from copyright owners. A spokesman said that "for the time being we will continue to take the same form of license as in the past." M-G-M was reported keenly interested in the subject of performing rights while watching closely developments growing out of the court's decision in the Ascap case. A Universal spokesman asserted that until "further clarification of the entire situation," the company proposed to hold up any decision on performing rights. The company's views on the subject were termed "indefinite." No Decision by Republic At Republic it was reported that no decision had been reached pendingfinal adjudication of the case. While in his decision Judge Leibell suggested that copyright owners might deal directly with the producer, Warner Brothers is inclined to take the position that there are other possibilities in solving the performing rights problem. Early last week RKO Radio was reported in Motion Picture Daily as weighing the idea of purchasing performing as well as synchronization rights as one means of meeting the difficulty posed by Judge Leibell's decision. Jackson Park Silver's UA Post (Continued from page 1) cessively held the posts of salesman, office manager, branch manager in New York and Washington and district manager of the PennsylvaniaWashington area. Abe Dickstein will continue in his present post as executive assistant to Schnitzer. (Continued from page 1) the Ridge on a two-week run as against the normal one-week run at the Uptown, in order to meet Metro's film rental. Successful results at the box-office for the engagement, consequently resulted in the Ridge's outbidding the four B. and K. houses for Metro's "The Search," for two weeks. Ridge Theatre Is Unhappy On the other hand the Ridge is not altogether happy with a number of Other major distributors who, it claims, continue to sell under the old Chicago system of release. The chief complaint is that Warner, Paramount, Universal and Columbia would prefer to sell films on a double-feature basis first to the Uptown and other large seaters, rather than split the bookings, thus enabling the Ridge and other small seaters to book the second half of a bill, usually a top bracket picture. The management says that the double featuring of films coming out of the Loop playing "A" houses first dissipates top product before it can get a crack at it. The Ridge claims it tried to book "Winter Meeting," a Warner film, when it came out of the Loop, and was willing to pay Warners' asking price, but it was booked first into the Uptown as the lower half of a bill. As a result, the Ridge claims it is in the peculiar playing position of running an alternate policy — some weeks of playing RKO Radio, Metro and 20th-Fox product at first-run neighborhood showing, and in other weeks, playing repeat on B. and K. houses. The booking situation is not altogether the same on the Northside of Chicago as it is on the Southside. In this case, Warner, which owns Southside theatres, and Paramount, which controls B. and K. houses, located all over Chicago, are privileged to book into their own houses first, while Universal and Columbia can sell as they see fit, being non-defendants in the Jackson Park decree. The Jackson Park Theatre won for itself and other Southside houses, the opportunity to compete with Warner and B. and K. houses for top product. Majority of Houses Benefit While the majority of theatres throughout Chicago have generally benefited from the decree, being able to play films with greater rapidity than ever before and doing better business than ever before, the booking situation has not altogether worked itself out to the complete satisfaction of some of the smaller houses, such as the Ridge, which is willing to pay for the product if it can get it. The distributors are gradually working the decree out with careful and slow deliberation in the hope that a happy conclusion for all houses will one day be reached. Generalis in New Post George A. Generalis has been appointed general advertising and publicity manager of National Herald, Greek-American daily newspaper, by B. Marketos, publisher. Generalis was formerly in charge of foreign language publicity for 20th CenturyFox. It will be people everywhere telling their friends about the Paramount thrill-picture produced by Hal Wallis, for which Film Daily predicts "Top grosses." ar