Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

Monday, October 18, 1948 Motion Picture Daily 7 Promotion 'Stunt' ^Brings Aid to Blind Atlanta, Oct. 17. — A promotion ;tunt staged by the Miller Theatre, \ugusta, Ga., and the Augusta Chronicle to sell a Lassie picture brought lbout establishment of a permanent :und by an anonymous donor to pro,/idefor the purchase of a seeing-eye lo^T ?. a blind person annually. Tf^K. Jenkins, president of Georgia Theatre Co., which operates the Miller, characterized the incident as 'another in the long list of shining instances in which the motion picture industry has contributed both directly ihd indirectly toward the welfare and happiness of the human race." P. E. McCoy, Augusta city manager for Georgia Theatres, arranged the stunt which provided for a child's essay contest on "Why I Like Dogs." Now the winning essay and photo of its author and his dog is inscribed on a perpetuity bond of $10,000, income from which the anonymous donor has specified will go to the purchase of a seeing-eye dog for blind applicants selected by Lions Clubs over the nation. House Business Quiz (Continued from page 1) States Association convention in New Orleans at the end of November. Hearings have been tentatively set for i that city at that time. Testimony will also be taken from independent producers at hearings in Los Angeles in January or February. Allied has already urged that the committee recommend setting up a special anti-trust court and that the Robinson-Patman Act's bar on price discrimination be broadened to include rentals as well as sales. Exhibitor representatives appeared at practically every hearing, and committee members were "extremely impressed with their stories of monopoly in the industry," one committee staff member declared. He said that it "all added up to a very dark picture," and that "the situation turned, up certainly shows we were right in looking into it." Chief complaints of exhibitor witnesses at the various hearings, he declared, were : 1 ) a film shortage resulting from a producer conspiracy to suppress films and build up a backlog, all the while forcing theatre owners to bid up rentals ; 2) the Supreme Court ban on block-booking is being ignored — "a theatre owner can buy individual films but has to pay as much as he had to pay for a block of five before"; 3) clearances are completely unreasonable ; 4) the monopoly of the Big Five on first-run theatres works all sorts of discrimination against independents. Guilty, Fined, Closed Detroit, Oct. 17.— Archie Rose of Detroit paid $50 fine and costs in court after pleading guilty to presenting an obscene film, "Strip Poker," at the Fox Theatre in Grand Rapids. The theatre was ordered padlocked for 30 days. 'Amber' Ban Seen Lifted Boston, Oct. 17.— Ban on 20th Century-Fox's "Forever Amber" is expected to be lifted soon in Bay State towns following the Massachusetts Supreme Court's ruling in a split decision that the book of the same title is not obscene. 2 New Theatres for Ted Gamble Circuit Portland, Ore., Oct. 17.— Two new additions are announced by Ted Gamble Theatres, one in Baker, Ore., tj seat 800 and scheduled for completion in 30 days, and th2 second a 500 seater in Lebanon, Ore., now being erected and set for opening in March. Nasser Fixes Deal For Second Money Hollywood, Oct. 17.— A $1,000,000 deal with a New York investment house to provide secondary financing and completion bonds for independent producers has been concluded by James Nasser, president of General Service Studios, who described himself as the "middle-man" between the producers and the banking house. Films thus financed must be made on the General Service lot but can have any release, he said. In addition, Nasser has been conferring with Sam Bischoff, Tay Garnett and Robert Riskin about the $600,000 deal under which Howard Hughes is financing three pictures for United Artists release to replace three that went to RKO Radio after he took over. Rodgers Promotes 4 (Continued from page 1) ited 58 executives of the Loew-M-G-M home office and affiliated enterprises, took a special speaking course and were given an insight into operations of the industry. Those promoted are : Russell Gaus, salesman at Los Angeles, .to Oklahoma City manager succeeding the late Charles D. Lyne ; Louis J. Weber, salesman at Dallas, to assistant branch manager at that office ; Ansley B. Padgett, assistant branch manager at Atlanta, to manager of that exchange, under Charles E. Kessnich, district manager, and Philip F. Gravitz, officemanager-booker at New Haven, to salesman under Harry Rosenblatt, manager. All promotions are effective immediately. The four, as well as Michael Ford, Chicago, and Louis Marks, Cleveland, returned to their respective field headquarters at the weekend, following a final meeting with Rodgers. Kentucky Showmen Set Meeting Agenda Louisville, Oct. 17. — On the agenda of the annual convention of the Kentucky Association of Theatre Owners are talks covering Ascap, Federal and state taxes, exhibitor and distributor relationships, censorship and television. The meeting will be held at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville on Oct. 27-28. Invited guest speakers include : Governor Earle Clements, R. J. O'Donnell, Eric Johnston, Ted Gamble, Gael Sullivan and Arthur DeBra. To Aid UJA Benefit Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, Herbert H. Lehman, Mayor William O'Dwyer, Grover Whalen and Dr. Stephen S. Wise will serve as honorary chairmen of the "Night of Stars" benefit show for the United Jewish Appeal which will be held in Madison Square Garden here on Nov. 15. TOA Battles (Continued from page 1) lower and uniform rates on film shipments over these carriers; (4) a request to the U. S. Postmaster General for special handling of film shipments by way of railroad post offices, and (5) a complete and exhaustive survey of the entire rate structure with the possibility of intervening in the present anti-trust suit against certain restrictive conditions in the Railway Express agreements. Meanwhile, Gael Sullivan, executive director of the TOA, who has been negotiating with L. O. Head, president of Railway Express, since last June for a reduction in the present express charges on film shipments, reports that responses have been conciliatory and that he is still hopeful of a voluntary reduction on the part of the express agency. "We cannot afford to wait much longer," Sullivan said. "The rising costs of living have reduced the volume of entertainment dollars and if we are to continue to provide the lowest cost entertainment available, we must find means of reducing the excessive overhead created by exhorbitant film shipment charges and other operating costs without in any manner lowering the quality of the product or the services rendered to millions of patrons." Sulivan pointed out that in July he had called Head's attention to the shrinkage of film handling on the part of Railway Express and attributed it to the ruling which, on Oct. 15, 1946, eliminated the half-rate tariff charges on the return of film to distributors or film exchanges. Had exhibitors been apprised of this change in rate, they would have made a vigorous protest to the Interstate Commerce Commission and state regulatory authorities, Sullivan said. Ascap, ITOA (Continued from page 1) straining it and its "members acting in concert" from collecting performing rights fees from the plaintiffs. This would still allow Ascap members, as individuals, the right to license music for public performance, the ITOA group counters. Thus, after licensing a picture from a producer, they would still face the "peril" of having to deal with individuals to clear music rights, the plaintiffs continue. This represents "a gaping defect in the right of the producer to issue a license authorizing the exhibition of his films," the plaintiffs claim. To this Ascap answers that the restraint it, Ascap, proposes would offer the plaintiffs sufficient protection, that a more stringent judgment against Ascap members is not within the power of the court because it would cause them, the members, unnecessary injury. Answers to each other's briefs are to be prepared by next Friday. Republic Expects (Continued from Page 1) and Southern group of branch managers present at the meetings. All reported that small towns in their areas particularly are showing a healthy increase in business, and stated that there was optimism for continued good business on the part of showmen in general. Nation's Soo/v why.,. you Gom sw