Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

MOTION PI<5^I?ftE ■<-'■''/■'■'■■ % fife, tt* Accurate FIRST Concise 11 All ^/ IN and FILM Impartial JJA1 JLl \ NEWS 1 NO. 76 NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1948 TEN CENTS Three to Hit US Proposal On Clearances Majors Begin to Work On Divestiture Briefs Universal, United Artists, and Columbia have labeled as particularly objectionable that part of the Government's proposed order for entry in the Paramount case which they feel could be interpreted to mean that clearances would be justified only when prints are unavailable. A spokesman for one of the three said here yesterday that the point definitely will be contested although a course of action has yet to be decided. There have been no discussions of a possible exit from the case by way of a separate consent decree for the three, he added, despite the fact that they and the Government are at odds in very few instances. However, he did not dismiss such a decree as being unlikely. It is this contention of the Department of Justice with which the three take issue, quoted from the Depart {Continued on page 4) Fight Seen on US Griffith Motion Oklahoma City, Oct. 18.— The Government's motion to amend the petition in the Griffith anti-trust case to include new owners of the former R. E. Griffith holdings in Texas may be fought when it is aired in Federal Court here on Oct. 25. Charles B. Cochrane, attorney for Theatre Enterprises, Inc., Dallas, said here today that a conference would be held shortly to determine what action the firm would take in reply to the motion. U. S. District Attorney Robert Shelton filed the motion to amend the petition, contending that Theatre En (Continued on page 4) $840,000 Trust Suit Filed in Chicago Chicago, Oct. 18.— An $840,000 treble damage suit was filed here today in U. S. District Court by the Tiffin Building Corp., operators of the Tiffin Theatre on the North Side of Chicago, against 12 film distributors and theatre circuits who are charged (Continued on page 4) AAA Files to Block St. Louis Clearance Suit Washington, Oct. 18. — The American Arbitration Association and its St. Louis agent, Harold D. Conner, today added their voices to those of four major distributors and asked the U. S. Supreme Court to reject an attempt by independent St. Louis exhibitors to upset clearances set by the AAA. The exhibitors, headed by Harry C. Arthur, claim that Paramount, RKO, 20th-Fox and Warner are violating the anti-trust laws by observing clearances set by the AAA under the 1940 consent decree. They ask for $265,000 damages and injunctive relief. About 10 days ago, the four distributors asked the high court to turn down an appeal from a decision of the (Continued on page 4) May Call Parley of Executives in East Washington, Oct. 18. — It is no longer definite that the top-level industry meeting, slated for around Nov. 10, will be held on the Coast, Motion Picture Association of America officials indicated today upon Eric Johnston's return from Europe. Difficulty in assembling the personnel for the parley is raising the question of holding the meeting in the East. Meanwhile, Johnston, exhausted and nursing a bad cold, spent part of the day resting and part conferring with his MPAA aides. A full-dress conference with his top assistants is scheduled for tomorrow. All indications are there will be no statements to the press before Wednesday or Thursday. British Lion to Get First U. K. Loan London, Oct. 18. — First advance of government money in aid of film production here is expected to be a $3,000,000 loan to British Lion Film Corp., Ltd., before the end of the month. Sir Alexander Korda's London Films is fhe production affiliate of British Lion. James H. Lawrie, chairman of the government's Film Finance Corp., has indicated that he will advance only 25 per cent of a suggested production (Continued on page 4) Coast AFL Council Asks Reissue Limit Hollywood, Oct. 18.— Charging that the "abuse and overuse of reissues" is unfair to the public, detrimental to the box-office and is creating unemployment, the Hollywood American Federation of Labor Film Council, today called upon producers and distributors to limit the number of reissues in any one year to a small percentage of new pictures released during that year. The council, which represents almost every AFL union and guild in the studios, also urged that reissues be limited only to "recognized masterpieces of motion picture art." John Adler Heads ITO of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Oct. 18. — John T. Adler is the new president of the Independent Theatre Owners of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Concluding sessions of the organization's meeting were held here at the Schroeder Hotel with unity as its future keynote, and William L. Ainsworth, national Allied States president, asking for continued support. Dues were raised from 15 cents to 20 cents per seat, annually, and the following national officers were elected : Vice-president, F. J. McWilliams, Madison ; secretary, Arnold Brumm, Milwaukee ; treasurer, Edward Johnson, Milwaukee. A business manager (Continued on page 3) Discipline Erring Stars, Allied Asks Washington, Oct. 18. — Allied States Association today criticized the "misbehavior of Hollywood stars" as a chief cause of the industry's bad public relations, and called on the industry to devise "some method for disciplining erring stars, instead of condoning their misdeeds." A bulletin by Allied counsel Abram F. Myers, reporting on the results of an executive committee meeting here at the weekend, said the executive committee considered a solution proposed by Joseph P. Finneran of Indiana. Also, Myers was directed to devise "practical machinery for carrying the proposal into effect," and to report the results to the Allied board meeting in New Orleans, Nov. 27 and (Continued on pane 3) 150,000 in Back Pay for Film Salesmen $70 Week Minimum Set Under Colosseum Pact Film salesmen of 11 distributors will shortly receive a total of about $150,000 in retroactive pay increases won by the Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesmen in negotiations with the companies, it was estimated here yesterday as the Colosseum and distributors jointly announced mutual acceptance of union contract terms following weekend convention of the Colosseum in Chicago. The $10 per week salary increase which will go to each of the approximately 1,000 salesmen involved under the 11 contracts will be retroactive to July 21 last, the date on which the National Labor Relations Board certified the Colosseum. Contracts signed by Colosseum executives yesterday and expected to be signed by company representatives here this week, provide for the following additional benefits: $70 per week minimum salaries after one year of employment; one-week vacations after six months' employment, and (Continued on page 3) $62,577 Republic Profit in 39 Weeks Net profit of $62,577 for the 39 weeks ended last July 24 was reported here yesterday by Republic Pictures, after providing $40,000 for Federal taxes. The net is equal to 15 cents each on 400,000 preferred shares. No comparison with the similar period of the previous year is available. For the 26 weeks to April 26, this year, the company had a net profit of $236,832, equal, after preferred dividend requirements, to two cents each on 1,817,860 common shares. Services Today for David A. O'Malley Norwood, Mass., Oct. 18. — Funeral services will be held here today at Gilhooly Funeral Home for David A. O'Malley, advertising and publicity director for Columbia Pictures International Corp., who died in St. Clare's Hospital, New York, at the (Continued on page 4)