Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1948)

F * Accurate MOTION PICoT«*B?E, vfFIRST 1 Loncise n ait IN ana CII A, A r I LM Impartial JIAl .Li NEWS 1 64. NO. 35 NEW YORK, U. S. A., THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1948 TEN CENTS Petrillo Seen Making Bid to AddManpower Move Hinted at Opening Of Talks With Producers That Hollywood studios will be faced with a demand for the employment of more instrumentalists was indicated here yesterday as representatives of the American Federation of Musicians and producers assembled at the New York headquarters of the AFM to initiate negotiations for a new contract for musicians in film production. The hint that the studios would be asked to hire more musicians came in an informal exchange of views by both sides when James C. Petrillo, president of the AFM, made reference to the unemployment existing among musicians on the Coast and observed that they could very well do with more {Continued on page 3) Ascap, Taxes Up at Three NC A Meetings Minneapolis, Aug. 18. — Three more regional meetings outstate will be held by North Central Allied in the next six weeks, it was announced by Stanley Kane, executive director for the exhibitor unit. The meetings will be held at Sioux Falls, S. D. ; Bismarck, N. D., and Duluth. Discussions at the meetings will center on Ascap, legislation, municipal and state taxation, organization and {Continued on page 2) Fear Disturbances In Mexican Houses Mexico City, Aug. 18. — Some Federal Congressmen have asked the government to increase police vigilance in theatres here and in some cities in the provinces because, it is understood, they learn "on good authority" that agitators plan disturbances in film houses and other amusement places. An organization called "The Campaign Committee Against Murmuring" is using full page newspaper ads to urge Mexicans not to utter seditious remarks in theatres and elsewhere. Urges 'I A' Attack on Taft-Hartley Act Cleveland, Aug. 18. — Joseph Keenan, national director of the Labor League for Political Education, addressing the 29th biennial convention of the IATSE here today, urged a 100 per cent registration and vote for the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act. Today's session was devoted mainly to reports on general executive committee meetings. Silent prayers for Babe Ruth marked the opening, and a wire was read from MPAA president Eric Johnston withdrawing as a speaker today because of business pressure. IA' Hears O'Brien Co-operation Bid Cleveland, Aug. 18. — Tom O'Brien, secretary of Britain's National Association of Kinematograph Employes, today hailed as a magnificent compromise job the British tax settlement agreement arrived at by Motion Picture Association of America president Eric A. Johnston and British Board of Trade president Harold Wilson. Speaking before the biennial convention of IATSE in Municipal Auditorium here, O'Brien, a member of the House of Commons, reiterated his advocacy of a joint international {Continued on page 3) MPEA Meets Again On UK Quota Action Pressing nature of preparation for the new marketing conditions for U. S. films in England which will arise when that country's new 45 per cent exhibitor quota becomes effective on Oct. 1 was stressed anew when Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Export Association, and presidents of the film companies met yesterday for the second consecutive day on Johnston's agenda in London, where he will arrive at the weekend. He and James Mulvey, representing the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, will leave New York by plane tomorrow for the British capital. The two executives plan an on-thespot analysis of the probable effects of the quota with the object of strengthening the U. S. companies' position. While it is understood they will endeavor to have modified some of the provisions of the British Quota Act, some sort of positive action also is seen as a possible outcome. An example, it was said, could be the in {Continued on page 3) UA Offers 'Life' in Chicago for Bidding Chicago, Aug. 18. — United Artists' "The Time of Your Life" will be sold here on a bidding basis. This is the third U.A. film released in this terri tory since the company adopted competitive bidding, although its "On Our Merry Way" was sold under the old system. Crescent Asks Court to Approve 8-City Expansion Nashville, Aug. 18. — In the largest expansion move to date planned by a circuit operating under existing Federal Court consent decrees, Crescent Amusement Co. has filed a petition with Judge Elmer D. Davies in U. S. Circuit Court here for the right to expand into eight towns in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky, the petition seeking to meet the requirements of the decree in the U. S. -Crescent antitrust suit. New houses are proposed for Cleveland, Greeneville, Morristown, Union City and Columbia, Tenn., and driveins are proposed for Clarksville, Tenn., Hopkinsville, Ky., and Decatur, Ala. Pointing out that some of the proposed construction will replace Crescent theatres now in operation, the petition states : "The proposed build ing program would have been the nor mal expansion of the petitioner's hold ings because of population increases and stimulated public interest in motion pictures had it not been for the war and consequent restrictions and shortages of materials and labor." The building program proposes the following construction : At Cleveland, a new house to replace the Princess and the Bohemia ; at Greeneville, a third house with the Capitol and Palace ; at Morristown, a third house with the Princess and Ritz ; at Columbia, a third house with the Princess and Lyric. The proposed drive-ins near Clarksville, Hopkinsville and Decatur would all be new. The petition was signed by R. E. Baulch, president of Crescent. There is no indication of how soon Judge Davies will act. Ask Clearance Reductions in New York Area Skouras, Century Want Break with Loew's, RKO Demands for clearance reductions are being put to distributors by Skouras Theatres, Fox Metropolitan Playhouses and Century Circuit in widespread sections of the Metropolitan New York area. Involved are playing situations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Westchester and Long Island where existing clearance is held by Loew's and RKO theatres over petitioners' houses. Demands, for the most part, are for the complete elimination of clearance between houses of the three circuits and zone first-runs, which in most cases are either Loew's or RKO houses. Distributor and circuit spokesmen said yesterday the demands have been under discussion for some time but that no action has been taken yet by way of clearance reductions. On the distribution end, several spokesmen intimated they were not averse to (Continued on page 2) Anti-UK Film Drive Hits E-L Schedule Assailing as "unfair and unauthorized" the organized boycotting of British pictures which has spread rapidly in New York during the past month, William J. Heineman, Eagle-Lion's distribution vice-president, said here yesterday that he has decided to withhold from release, temporarily, J. Arthur Rank's "Oliver Twist" until the impetus of the boycott dies down. The company prefers to be cautious with "Oliver Twist" under the circumstances because of its "importance," he said, adding that E-L does not expect to exercise similar caution {Continued on page 3) FP-C Earnings Are Riding High Toronto, Aug. 18. — Earnings of Famous Players-Canadian Corp. were higher in the first half of this year than they were in the first half of 1947, and went higher in July and again in August, to-date. Specific figures will be made available later.