Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

4 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, October 14, 1948 U. K. Films Vie for Royal Performance London, Oct. 13. — High-pressure lobbying proceeds within the British Film Producers Association inner circles over the film to be shown at the annual Royal Film Performance set for Nov. 29 at Metro's Empire Theatre. To date, three films have been submitted to the BFPA nominating committee, which selects the film to be shown. They are: J. Arthur Rank's "Scott of the Antarctic" ; Herbert Wilcox's "Elizabeth of Ladymead," with Anna Neagle, and distributed by Sir Alexander Korda's British Lion, and "The Glass Mountain," distributed by George Minter's Renown Pictures. The American film "The Bishop's Wife" was selected last year and, under the rotating system, a British exhibit gets a turn this year. The selection is scheduled to be made next Saturday. Concern has been expressed that Hollywood stars might not be cooperating in the Royal Performance's stage show this year. Paramount's Norman Segal, however, has informed the British committee that he is proceeding with his Hollywood arrangements. The stage show will be produced by Jack Hulbert, musical comedy actor. CEA Urges Boycott Of Ben Hecht Films London, Oct. 13. — General council of the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association has adopted a resolution to advise all exhibitors here of the "extreme undesirability" of playing "Ride the Pink Horse" and all other films with which writer Ben Hecht is in any way connected. It is said the action was taken because of Hecht's anti-British behavior. This is said to virtually end here the trading of any film with which Hecht is connected. Additionally, CEA is searching the records with the view of preventing the screening of his re-issues. Walter Fuller, secretary of the organization, also was instructed to inform distributors associated with Hecht of the action. British Film Man Here A. E. Andrews, prominent British film distributor and director of Monarch Film Corp., London, has arrived in the United States to attend the wedding at Denver Cathedral of his daughter, Mrs. Betty Mahn, to Chap Cranmer of Denver. Mrs. Mahn is the widow of an American air officer in the R.A.F. MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION Korda Drops Name From His Film Titles London, Oct. 13. — Sir Alexander Korda announced that he will drop his own name from all London Films credit lines. Says Korda: "I am not a producer now. I am an administrator. My group is to make 18 pictures a year and each will carry the name of the producer." New Rank Terms (Continued from page 1) bargaining point in dealings with British Lion. The latter protested to Rank that he had no right to commit all distributors to his terms. CEA and Rank mutually ignored the incident and set the meeting for next Wednesday. Rank agrees that nothing in the new pact will prohibit an exhibitor from making better deals. Additionally, he will abandon his booking tribunal and CEA has agreed to refer disputes to two arbitrators, onerepresenting exhibition and the other distribution, and where necessary, a third independent umpire. Exhibitors express the belief that arbitration normally will not be required under the new terms. Rank will endeavor to persuade the Kinematograph Renters Society to agree to special terms for small exhibitors. In view of the new terms, regarded as a CEA triumph, CEA has pledged itself to do the utmost to fulfill the 45 per cent exhibitors quota which went into effect Oct. 1. Rank looks upon this as a considerable achievement. To that end he was prepared to go the limit in the appeasement of independent exhibitor customers. It is understood that Walter Reginald Fuller, secretary of CEA, prior to the negotiations had told Rank that the latter's distribution company created considerable ill will during the last eight months and this is said to have influenced Rank in making the new deal. UK Producers' Ire (Continued from page 1) should be "more in keeping with the present level of British production." BFPA fears that the minimum 20 pictures may prove to be the maximum. The French government, on the other hand, holds to the position that it cannot go further than that until it has discussed the matter with other countries concerned. Apart from the 120 American films which Franch will admit annually, it has established a second category of 65 "foreign" films from all other countries, Britain among them, to be imported in the ensuing year. The BFPA complains bitterly that the French estimate of Britain's production potential for the ensuing year is based on the unrealistic British film exports to France in 1947, which were 17 pictures. This country's present production, the BFPA claims, demands more favorable treatment than that now accorded by the French. Samuel Hinds, 73 Pasadena, Cal., Oct. 13. — Samuel S. Hinds, 73, screen character actor and one of the founders of Pasadena's Community Playhouse, died here today. One of his most recent pictures was "Call Northside 777." U. S. Suit Delay (Continued from page 1) Justice has proposed a sweeping program of divestiture. Circuit Court Judge Augustus Hand, senior member of the threejudge court, obviously annoyed at the new delay, commented that he "might send this to a master or something like that." To that he added: "We are not going to spend our lives on this movie case." James F. Byrnes, special attorney for 20th Century-Fox, assured the court that no further postponement is in view at the present time. D. of J. Agreed to Date Byrnes made the oral bid for the Nov. 8 hearing date. Prosecuting attorney Robert Wright thereupon informed the court that the Department had no objections, adding that Attorney General Tom Clark had agreed to the new date in discussions with film company attorneys. Clark currently is conducting negotiations for a consent decree with the defendants. Although yesterday's session was scheduled to be a hearing on entry of proposed findings and judgment, formal briefs were not filed by any of the defendant companies on the grounds that they have had insufficient time to analyze the Government's voluminous document on a proposed order. Loew's memorandum had the effect of indicating a lengthy court contest over the procedure t® be followed in testing divestiture, especially in the event that consent decree negotiations fail. "There is no basis for relief in the proof furnished by the Government," Davis charged. He made it clear that he was speaking only for his client, Loew's. "Dismissal and not divestiture should be the relief" if the Government fails to supply the proof directed by the Supreme Court, he argued. Under attack by Davis, in his memorandum, was the Government's recommendation that hearings on the legality of origin of theatre interests be eliminated. "Only by the consideration of specific divestiture proposals by the Government and the defendants may the issues left open by the Supreme Court be defined and joined," the Department had said. Record 'Barren of Proof Davis countered with this: "The record in U. S. vs. Paramount as it stands today is barren of proof regarding the circumstances of Loew's acquisition of its theatres or that the strategic position of any Loew theatre in a particular locality has been maintained by reason of illegal restraints of trade and not by reason of the merits of the theatre. "That the record does lack such proof was clearly recognized by the Supreme Court when it said, 'What finding would be warranted after such an inquiry in the present case, we do not know'." Loew's memorandum continued : "The defendant Loew's has no desire to impose on this court the undertaking of receiving further proof, but at the same time, if the proof directed by the Supreme Court is not now offered by the Government, dismissal and not divestiture should be the relief." In conclusion; Loew's insisted that the Government's suggested proce dures on splitting joint interests, complete divestiture and cross-licensing all are subject to the same defect, namely, lack of proof to warrant such relief. Yesterday's session marked the official debut in the case of District Court Judge Alfred C. Coxe in the proceedings, joining veterans Hand and District Court Judge Henry W. Goddard. Coxe replaced the late John Bright. Judge Hand expressed regret^ i he had overlooked the fact that the hearing yesterday conflicted with the observance of Yom Kippur. US Likes RKO Plan (Continued from page 1) its entire theatre holdings with the exception of a few key showcases. A plan of this kind has been reported in work from almost the day that Howard Hughes acquired stock control of RKO from Atlas Corp. Trade observers are inclined to give credence to the reported intention of disposing of the RKO theatres, inas much as it is known that little less than that could be regarded as "acceptable" by the Government, which characterized the RKO offer as "much better than anything so far proposed by the other four theatreowning defendants." The other four, Loew, Paramount, 20th Century-Fox and Warner, are conducting their own decree negotiations with the Department of Justice. It is generally believed that Attorney General Tom Clark's agreement to postponement yesterday of Federal Court hearings here in the case to Nov. 8, was designed primarily to provide time to push the negotiations with the four to a conclusion. 'Little 3' Waiting (Continued from page 1) either by consent decree or lengthy trial, it was evident yesterday. Columbia and Universal were not represented at yesterday's hearing before the three-judge Federal Court here. United Artists sent only an observer. Even that may be dispensed with if the case continues for a long period. The Department of Justice early this week agreed that "it hardly seems worthwhile for the Little Three to send their lawyers to court" hereafter. The Little Three cannot be severed from the case but they have virtually nothing at stake in the continuing contest between the Government and the theatre-owning companies. Johnston in London (Continued from page 1) ing of production and distribution executives of major companies, following his arrival in New York on Saturday. Johnston had a "friendly" conference today with J. Arthur Rank and is endeavoring to see Harold Wilson, BOT president, tomorrow. Washington, Oct. 13.— It now looks as though it will be Nov. 10 or later before that meeting of top industry executives is held in Hollywood, Motion Picture Association of America officials said today. They said they are having trouble getting all of the top company officials lined up for the meeting, which will probably last three days or more.