Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1948)

motion picyiu, DAIL\ FIRST; IN FILM 1 IM 1— VV «J NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1948 I Accurate i Concise | and Impartial Li ^ V V/,^64. NO. 34 jlA' to Fight For Television Jurisdiction Walsh Tells Locals to Admit 16mm. Operators Cleveland, O., Aug. 17. — The IATSE will fight to a finish for jurisdiction over television in theatres, in line with its oft-repeated claim of jurisdiction over everything within a theatre's four walls, "IA" president Richard F. Walsh declared here today in his report to the 29th biennial convention of the International which opened yesterday and will continue all week. Walsh admits there exists a great problem in organizing the television theatre field due to the Federal Taft-Hartley Act and also to the reluctance of technical-college-trained technicians to join unions. Referring to the 16mm. field, Walsh advises "IA" locals to admit 16mm. operators on separate wage-scale rates (Continued on page 3) Four Majors Settle Prudential Dispute Warner, Loew's, RKO Radio, 20th-Fox and Selznick Releasing Organization have settled their clearance dispute with Prudential Theatres Co., Inc., and Playhouse of New Canaan, Inc., owners and operators of theatres in New Canaan and Darien, Conn. The complainants charged the distributors with fixing uniform and unreasonable clearances in restraint of trade, unlawful preferred playing time and illegal "double clearance." Loew, 20th-Fox and SRO agreed to eliminate South Norwalk and New (Continued on page 3) Overwhelming SAG Vote for Closed Shop Hollywood, Aug. 17. — By the overwhelming tally of 3,828 to 29 in a mail referendum conducted by the National Labor Relations Board the membership of the Screen Actors Guild has voted for the continuation of a union shop for film actors. The balloting continues contract arrangements in effect since 1937 under which any person who obtains acting work (Continued on page 3) Para. Television To Include Canada Toronto, Aug. 17.— With the first demonstration of television reception in a Canadian theatre having taken place in the foyer of the Odeon Danforth here, Paramount announces that, when the Dominion government authorizes televised broadcasting in this country, Toronto will be included in a United States network for full-screen presentations in local theatres. 14 New Theatres for FP-C This Year Toronto, Aug. 17. — The Dominionwide theatre expansion plan decided upon last year by Famous PlayersCanadian Corp. is proceeding on schedule. This largest circuit in Canada has already opened six this year and eight others are expected to be in operation by the end of the year. Among the eight being constructed are projects in Halifax, St. John, Port Arthur and Windsor, and three in Toronto. Work has also been started on theatres in Kelowna and Moncton. Meanwhile Famous Players has purchased control of Skyway Drive-in Theatres, Ltd., and reportedly now owns approximately 90 per cent of the outstanding common stock of the circuit. AFM and Producers Open Talks Today Negotiations between producer representatives and the American Federation of Musicians for a new agreement covering studio instrumentalists will get under way this afternoon at the New York offices of the AFM. What new demands will be made by the AFM will be disclosed to the companies for the first time at today's meeting with a Federation delegation headed by president James Caesar Petrillo of the American Federation of Musicians. Company negotiators will be led by Charles Boren, vice-president of the Association of Motion Picture Producers in charge of industrial relations, and Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount vice-president and AMPP board chairman. . MPEA Approves Dollar Agreement With French Gov't Board of directors of the Motion Picture Export Association yesterday in effect approved a French government-proposed film agreement unblocking U. S. film company earnings in that country. Eric A. Johnston, MPEA president, following the meeting, said that the board's action means the conversion and remittance of American-owned francs totalling $9,800,000, the remittances to be made over a four-year period, computed quarterly. An MPEA announcement said that the board "indicated it would approve the agreement with certain modifications which have been sent to the U. S. State Department for transmittal (Continued on page 3) Monogram Post to Nicky Goldhammer Nicky Goldhammer, former Western sales manager for Eagle-Lion, has been appointed Allied ArtistsMonogram Western sales manager by Morey Goldstein, general sales manager for AA-Monogram. A former district manager for RKO Radio before his association with Eagle-Lion, Goldhammer will make his headquarers in Chicago. St. Louis, Aug. 17. — The next 60 days are expected to see the signing of a permanent management pact between the Skouras theatre properties in St. Louis and Fanchon and Marco. The pact, it is understood, will set up a permanent F. and M. management in the Skouras-owned Missouri and Ambassador theatres and St. Louis Amusement Co. The Ambassador and Missouri are 3,600-seat first-run houses in the downtown and midtown amusement centers, respectively. Besides the Ambassador Theatre and office building, the Skouras' Ambassador Building Corp., through its wholly-owned Ambassador Investment Co., holds 52 per cent of St. Louis Amusement, owner or operator of 28 smaller theatres, with Fanchon and Marco the minority stockholder. All of the theatre properties are (Continued on page 3) TEN CENTS To Press for Concessions On U. K. Quota Johnston, Mulvey Leave Here for London Friday An effort to ease the effect of the British 45 per cent exhibitor quota will be made by Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and James Mulvey, representing the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, upon their arrival in London on Saturday. They are scheduled to leave here by plane Friday. Decision to make the trip was made at a board meeting of the Motion Picture Export Association which considered this and other matters at a full-day session here yesterday. While the quota has been enacted into law by the British Parliament, effective Oct. 1, Johnston and Mulvey, (Continued on page 3) Limit Prints Under Greek Govt. Decree By D. PAPADOPOULOS Athens, Aug. 12. (By Airmail).. — The Greek Ministry of National Economy has issued a new decree requiring government approval of all imported films, except newsreels, and limiting imported features and short subjects to four prints each. The Ministry will be the approving agency. The Bank of Greece, the decree stipulates, will furnish the necessary exchange for newsreels on the presentation of an invoice of the consignor, the invoice to be duly ratified by the proper Greek consular authority. The exchange to be granted is not to ex (Continued on page 3) Ascap, ITOA Will Confer on a Decree Lawyers for Ascap and the ITOA are expected to confer in two weeks on the presentation of a decree to conform with the findings of fact made by Federal Court Judge Vincent L. Leibell in his decision finding the Society guilty of violating anti-trust laws. The ITOA's draft already has been completed and is awaiting discussions (Continued on page 3) Skouras, Fanchon & Marco Expected to Sign New Pact