Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

2 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, October 27, 19< Personal Mention ARTHUR B. KRIM, Eagle-Lion president, is here from Hollywood. • Ben Wirth, head of Warner Theatres concessions, and Harold Rodner, his assistant, are in Albany from New York. They will be accompanied to Buffalo by Charles A. Smakwitz, Warner zone manager in Albany, and Irving Fried, president of Tri-State Automatic Candy Corp. • Andy W. Smith, Jr., general sales manager of 20th Century-Fox, will arrive in New Orleans today from Memphis. Accompanying Smith are Sam Shain, director of exhibitor relations, and Harry G. Ballance, Southern division manager. • Maurice A. Bergman, UniversalInternational Eastern advertising-publicity director, and Robert Ungerfeld, U-I "Hamlet" theatre representative, will leave here today for Chicago. • F. J. A. McCarthy, Universal-International Southern and Canadian sales manager, will leave New York today for Canada. • Irving Pichel, producer, and Fernandel, French screen star, are among passengers sailing for Europe today on the Mauretania. • Sam Marx, M-G-M production executive, is due back here today from Boston and will leave for Washington' tomorrow. • A. Pam Blumenthal, chairman of the Cinecolor board, will return to the Coast today from New York. • L. J. Kaufman, Warner executive, left here last night for Pittsburgh. • George Cukor, M-G-M director, is due here tonight by plane from London. Poppele Sees 355 Video Outlets by '51 J. R. Poppele, president of the Television Broadcasters Association, predicted yesterday that there will be 134 television stations operating in the U. S. by the end of 1949 ; 235 by the end of 19S0, and about 355 by the end of 1951. Speaking before the Association of National Advertisers convention here, Poppele said that television pioneering "has been a costly venture, but the pay-off for all concerned is due to come and come sooner than most expect." He said the 39 television stations now active represent a $750,000 investment per broadcaster. $160,000 Fox Claim Settled in Court Here Federal Judge John C. Knox yesterday signed in U. S. District Court here a show-cause order fixing settlement of a $160,000 claim of receivers of the old Fox Theatre Corp. against Loew and subsidiaries. Fox Theatre Corp. went into bankruptcy in 1932 and the claim arose out of transactions between Loew and former trustees of Fox, the late John F. Sherman and William E. Atkinson, involving sale to Loew subsidiaries for $55,000, a $265,000 debt due the bankrupt Fox organization. Settlement allows for legal fees accruing to Robert Aronstein. Knox has set Nov. 5 as a deadline to show cause why an order should not be made allowing Aronstein the fees. Union Forum {Continued from page 1) Guild, chairman of the agenda com mittee for the proposed forum, said he was not aware of reluctance on the part of "IA" representatives, and added that any indications of apprehension would be unfounded since the proposed forum would not be "an or ganization" but would merely provide the unions and crafts with opportunities to exchange views and "crystallize information about the commercial film field." Representatives of the 11 organiza tions will meet again in about three weeks, Martel said, indicating that at that time it will be possible to tell whether there is full agreement on setting up a forum. The respective governing bodies of the 11 will meet individually in the interim to deter mine their positions. Newsreel Parade Legion to Report {Continued from page 1) NFS Units Take Over E-L, SRO Accounts Philadelphia, Oct. 26. — Bonded Film Storage Co., New York representative of National Film Service, has taken over physical handling of films of Eagle-Lion, while Film Service, Inc., of Milwaukee, has taken over the Selznick Releasing Organization account there, according to William J. Clark, NFS vice-president. Publicists on MBS Net Publicists from both major and independent studios will talk about current and forthcoming product on the Mutual Broadcasting film quiz program, "Red Benson's Movie Matinee," over approximately 400 stations on the network, Mondays through Saturdays. MOT Shows 'Air Power' March of Time was host to the press here yesterday at a reception and preview -of its latest release, "America's New Air Power," held at the Time and Life Building. Pittsburgh Variety Elects 11 Directors Pittsburgh, Oct. 26.— The newlyelected hoard of 11 directors of Variety Club Tent No. 1 will meet in the William Penn Hotel Clubrooms Friday to name a chief barker. The new board is composed of Bill Zielor, Norman Mervis, Tom Troy, John D. Walsh, Al Weiblinger, George Eby, Carl Doser, Elmer I. Ecker, Ben Steerman, Sam Speranza and Pete Dana. Zielor and Mike Shapiro were named delegates and Mervis and Dana alternates to Variety's annual convention at San Francisco next year. 135 at K.C. Luncheon For Frank Plumlee _ Kansas City, Oct. 26.— Luncheon in honor of Frank Plumlee, who is resigning from Theatre Enterprises to join Tom Edwards in the EdwardsHarris Circuit in St. Louis, was held at the Muehlebach Hotel yesterday with 135 present. R. I. Payne, general manager of Theatre Enterprises, and Harold Harris were among the guests. Ed Kidwell, who succeeds Plumlee as district manager of Theatre Enterprises was introduced. Richard Dix Is III Los Angeles, Oct. 26.— Richard Dix, star of "The Whistler" series, is seriously ill in a sanitarium in Monrovia following a heart attack. He is 53 years old. duction Code ; also, because in Hollywood, instead of ascribing the boxoffice decline to an increased interest in television and the fact there is not as much money around for entertainment purposes, some believe they can "pep up pictures by including objectionable themes and scenes." Mrs. Looram pleaded with "every supporter of the Legion of Decency" to see "Joan of Arc," observing that perhaps it is the greatest motion picture ever made. She said it has universal appeal for Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and those with no religion. "If this picture fails at the box-office we cannot expect Hollywood or any other production center to make another of the type," she commented. Rank's Terms {Continued from page 1) tion but in view of British Board of Trade president Harold Wilson's threatened inquiry into the integration of distribution and exhibition. Following today's BFPA meeting, the organization set up a committee to consider the matter of Rank's terms. Rank thereupon informed the CEA that he will be unable to resume discussions until the committee's deliberations are concluded. Meanwhile, CEA, holding the initiative, regards itself free to withdraw its previous pledge to support the quota on the provision of Rank's conceding new terms. More important, Rank is well aware that exhibitors will default their quota if new, acceptable terms are not obtained. Squeeze on Imports {Continued from page 1) Spanish producer, and Producciones Grovas of Mexico also are reported to have concluded an agreement on exchanging several features. Though the percentage of U. S. films shown in the top 10 first-run Madrid theatres dropped in July and August, Hollywood offerings held up well at the box-office. They accounted for 13 of 36 features shown by the 10 theatres, but took in 67.9 per cent of the gross receipts. THE Presidential campaign rounc up and the French coal strike mark current newsreel highlight Items of a wide range of intere. round out the reels. Complete coy, tents follow: MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 86— Frenc mine strike. Gwalior festival. Hi«tori plane returns to America. Baruc' S. \j Russia forces us to make atomic vnvs England's royal family attends wefems Football. NEWS OF THE DAT, No. 216— Presi dential campaign round-up. Reds fomenl French coal strike riots. Grateful Berlin kids thank U. S. fliers. Regal splendor Hindu festival. Gridiron report. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 19— UN it Paris. Reds veto bid to halt Berlin cris France seeks showdown. First DP's sai under new TJ. S. law. Battle of the ballots College football parade. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 190— Airlift increase as Russia vetoes parley. Frencl: strike. Plane crash in Scotland. Football WARNER PAT HE NEWS, No. 21— Displaced persons. People in the news Harry Truman, Perry Brown, Catherine Rickert. French mine riots. Western fashions. Swiss pilots. Football: ArmyCornell, Michigan-Minnesota. , US Conciliator Enters Radio Writers' Tilt J. R. Mandelbaum, assistant regional director of the Federal Conciliation and Mediation Service, has intervened in the dispute between the Radio Writers Guild of the Authors League of America and advertising agencies to avert possible disruption of radio programs which had been set for yesterday. The order of the Authors League to all of its members that they refrain from supplying material to shows the producers of which have not reached agreement with the guild stands. All shows, however, have a backlog of scripts, and the guild counted on picketing to prevent these hows from appearing. The guild agreed not to picket during mediation. Lopert and Rossellini Form a Partnership I. E. Lopert, president of Lopert Films, recently back from a two months survey of France, and Italy, has formed an association with Roberto Rossellini, Italian director, to produce motion pictures abroad under the supervision of Rossellini. Lopert Films will distribute all pictures made by Rossellini not released by major companies. They have formed Rossellini Films of Rome and Rossellini Films of New York. New B'nai B'rith Film New York's Cinema Lodge of B'nai B'rith will hold a special screening of the newly-produced B'nai B'rith vocational guidance film, "Dealing in Futures," at the Hotel Astor here tomorrow night, S. Arthur Glixon, president of the Lodge announces. The film was produced by Glixon and directed by Robert Staub. Village Tax Continues Plymouth, O., Oct. 26. — The village council has approved an ordinance to . renew the local three per cent admission tax. 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