Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Jun 1949)

1 Accurate Concise and Impartial MOTION PICTURE wm IN FILM j NEWS M.VJ l ivjrs ri^i vi\i^ DAI LY VOL. 65. NO. 12 NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1949 TEN CENTS '48 Average Weekly Gross Was $14,812 For 170 Key Theatres Listed in 'Daily' Reports Average weekly theatre income last year was $14,812 for the 170 theatres covered by -Motion Picture Daily weekly box office gross reports from 22 key cities. Best business week of the year, the record indicates, was the one ending last Jan. 2-3, with an average of $19,031 per theatre. Figure for the lowest week, ending Dec. 24-26, was $11,264. Previous year's average weekly gross was $16,246. Best business week of 1947 was the one ending Jan. 3-4, with an average of $22,024 per theatre. That year's lowest week, ending Dec. 26-27, was $11,363. Last month, grosses continued at the increased level to which they rose in November. Average weekly in (Continued on page 4) E-L Studios Will Resume on Feb. 16 David Lipton Named Universal Ad Head Production activities at Eagle-Lion studios in Hollywood will be resumed on Feb. 16 with two pictures scheduled for immediate filming and a third to follow shortly thereafter, i t was announced yesterday b y Arthur B. Krim, president of the company. The studio temporarily suspended production last Nov. 15 because of the large backlog of pictures on its shelf, including its own productions, those received from the J. Arthur Rank Organization for distribution in this country {Continued on page 3) More Support for 4Finneran Plan' Arthur B. Krim David A. Lipton has been named Universal-International national direc j tor of advertising-publicity, replacing ' John Joseph who announced his resignation last Saturday in Hollywood. Lipton for the past three years has been U-I's executive coordinator of advertising and promotion, with headquarters at the studio. Prior to that he was national director of advertising-publicity for Columbia in New York. He had previously served as studio publicity director for Uni (Continued on page 3) David A. Lipton Allied Organizing Tri-States Owners Decree Might Cut Its Video Ties Says Para. Sees Loss of Television Interests in Affiliates Washington, Jan. 17. — Final outcome of the government's antitrust suit against Paramount Pictures might result in the company having to give up subsidiary firms which now are in or are entering the television field, a Paramount attorney told the Federal Communications Commission. Duke Patrick, of the law firm of Hogan and Hartson, made this point in presenting the opposition of Paramount and its subsidiaries to the Commission's proposed rules limiting the number of television stations which one firm may own. Patrick pointed out that several stations are owned or being sought by (Continued on page 4) Postpone Action on Scope of MPEA Member companies of the Motion Picture Export Association have taken under individual study the advisability of their continuing with the joint operation in certain foreign countries with no decisions reached at an MPEA board meeting here yesterday. United Artists previously had notified the organization of its withdrawal when current contracts expire in June. Yesterday's session, presided over by Eric A. Johnston, MPEA president, was devoted to a report on financial operations and a general discussion. Another meeting will be held in about four weeks. Johnston left New (Continued on page 3) Denver, Jan. 17. — Directors of Allied Rocky Mountain Theatres voted at their quarterly meeting approval of the resolution of the Allied New Orleans convention regarding the "Finneran Plan" for disciplining film players who overstep the bounds of propriety. The resolution against forced percentage films was also approved. The meeting voted to ask all exhibitors to give either a day's, night's or matinee's receipts to the March of Dimes, and thus do away with collections. More than 40 theatres in the local unit have agreed to this. Some intend having a special show, with admission at $1, and promote it along the line that half of the money will remain here to fight polio. Cut Lawyers' Fees In Minn. Ascap Case Minneapolis, Jan. 17. — Federal Judge Gunnar Nordbye has allowed counsel for exhibitor defendants in the Ascap cases in Federal Court here a total of $4,000 attorneys' fees, to be paid by Ascap. Counsel for the exhibitors in the case asked the court for $15,000 in fees, which was opposed by Louis D. (Continued on page 3) Memphis, Jan. 17. — The newlyorganized Allied Independent Theatre Owners of the Mid-South has called an organization meeting of all independent theatre owners of Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi at the Hotel Chisca, Memphis, on Wednesday, Feb. 9. The call, which is being issued to organize a branch of Allied covering the Tri-State territory, was issued by Edward O. Cullins, Memphis, president of the Mid-South branch of Allied. Bulletins to independent theatre owners will be mailed this week. A permanent office has been established at the Hotel Chisca and a manager will be named this week, Cullins said. U.K. Producers Ask Ticket Tax Subsidy London, Jan. 17.— A British Film Producers' Association delegation headed by J. Arthur Rank visited Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Cripps today in an endeavor to persuade him to allocate some proportion of the nations' entertainment tax collections to a subsidy for film production. The interview lasted 45 minutes and both sides subsequently refused to divulge any information concerning its outcome. The BFPA has claimed that the (Continued on page 4) U.S. Brief Upholds Lawson Conviction Para., US Weighing Competition Issues Negotiations between Paramount and the Department of Justice for a separate consent decree in the industry anti-trust suit have been narrowed down to the point where individual situations which would be part of a separate theatre company are being considered in the light of competitive market conditions. Walter Gross, theatre department attorney, and Robert O'Brien, corporate secretary, represented Paramount in another meeting with Department attorneys in Washington yesterday. They returned to New York in the late afternoon. The separate Paramount theatre company which figures to be formed under terms of the settlement will not retain any "closed" situations. Washington, Jan. 17. — The Government today urged the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to uphold the contempt_ of Congress conviction of screen writer John Howard Lawson. In a brief filed today, the government argued that the courts have upheld the right of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee to ask witnesses about Communist Party ties, that committee Chairman Thomas had legally constituted the sub-committee holding the Hollywood hearings and that the trial was proper. UA, Roach Press Fight on 'Curley' Memphis, Jan. 17— The fight against Memphis censorship of "Curley," a Hal Roach comedy, on constitutional grounds has been appealed to a higher court. Judge Floyd Henderson overruled a motion for a new trial in the case of United Artists and Roach on Saturday and an appeal to the Court of i Appeals was immediately taken.