Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Jun 1949)

Motion Picture Daily Monday, May 16, 1949 MPEA Soviets (Continued from page 1) tion by the Motion Picture Export Association. The latter endeavors to choose films which cannot be used for propagandists purposes in the Soviet. After it has fine-combed its list, the pictures proposed for showing in Mos cow are further studied by their respective producer-distributors for material or circumstances which might be used for purposes other than those intended, in the main, as straight theatre entertainment. Ship 16mm. Prints Under Johnston's deal the Soviets are to pay $50,000 for outright purchase of each feature ultimately chosen. Despatch of the 16mm. prints for Moscow screenings, presumably by Sovkino, the Russian film monopoly, does not mean that the Soviets have agreed to purchose those films. It signifies only that the Soviet film officials are sufficiently interested to wish to see the specified films screened. As a matter of fact, most foreign department officials here would be agreeably surprised if the Russians actually chose and paid for any of the pictures after seeing them. That is why 16mm. prints are being shipped. They are regarded as adequate for screening purposes for the Soviet officials but not suitable for standard theatre showings. In the case of Technicolor features sought for screenings in Moscow, some prints are not available in 16mm. and some companies, accordingly, are omitting them from the Moscow shipments. Some think that Soviet film technicians will be treated to the screneings and "no sale" ■ rung up later. Films Listed Prints of the following reportedly are on their way to Moscow : "To the Ends of the Earth," Columbia; "Lassie Come Home," "Thrill of a Romance," "Madame Curie," M-G-M ; "Going My Way," "The Paleface," Paramount ; "Bring Em Back Alive," "The Farmer's Daughter," RKO Radio; "Anna and the King of Siam," "Black Swan," "State Fair," "13 Rue Madeleine," "Western Union," 20th CenturyFox ; "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves," "Can't Help Singing," "The Egg and I," "Hers to Hold," Universal ; "Adventures of Mark Twain," "Cloak and Dagger," "Rhapsody in Blue," "Treasure of Sierra Madre," Warners ; "I've Always Loved You," "Specter of the Rose," Republic ; "The Dude Goes West," Allied Artists. Official spokesmen of MPEA and MPAA said they could not find out whether the reported titles above comprise a correct list. Officials of the companies concerned who could be reached said they are. Grosses Rise at lst-Runs (Continued from page 1) "Little Women" tied for second place, while "Knock on Any Door" and "The Set-Up" tied for third spot. Runnersup included the March leader, "Command Decision," and "El Paso," both registering about equally. Coming through with better-thanaverage grosses from time to time last month were : "Mr. Belvedere Goes to College," "Canadian Pacific," "Joan of Arc," "The Red Shoes," "South of St. Louis," "Ma and Pa Kettle," "Henry the Rainmaker," "The Undercover Man," "The Stratton Story," "Cover Up," "My Own True Love," "Wake of the Red Witch," "Life of Riley," "Shockproof," "My Dream Is Yours." Also, "The Walking Hills," "Three Godfathers," "The Sun Comes Up," "Paisan," "The Clay Pigeon," "Kiss in the Dark," "Unknown Island," "Whispering Smith," "Who Done It?," "Caught," "Red Canyon," "John ny Belinda," "Treasure of Sierra Ma dre," "Family Honeymoon" and "Rope." Composite key-city box-office reports for 1949 to date, compared with corresponding weeks of 1948, follow: 1949 Average Week No. of Total Per Ending Theatres Gross Theatre Jan. 1-2 164 $2,855,800 $17,413 Jan. 6-7 161 3,195,000 19,018 Jan. 14-15 161 2,609,900 16,211 Jan. 21-22 162 2,497,500 15,417 Jan. 28-29 179 2,624,100 14,660 Feb. 4-5 176 2,491,000 14,153 Feb. 11-12 181 2,788,600 15,407 Feb. 18-19 170 2,435,900 14,329 Feb. 25-26 173 2,532,800 14,640 Mar. 4-5 179 2,545,800 14,222 Mar. 11-12 183 2,447,6C0 13,375 Mar. 18-19 175 2,441,800 13,953 Mar. 25-26 180 2,378,100 13,212 Apr. 1-2 181 2,426,000 13,403 Apr. 8-9 179 2,427,700 13,563 Apr. 15-16 179 2,328,100 13,006 Apr. 22-23 172 2,860,900 16,633 Apr. 29-30 177 2,422,100 13,684 1948 Average Week No. of Total Per Ending Theatres Gross Theatre Jan. 2-3 179 $3,406,600 $19,031 Jan. 9-10 168 3,112,700 18,528 Jan. 16-17 168 2,473,300 14,722 Jan. 23-24 166 2,419,000 14,572 Jan. 30-31 166 .2,341,900 14,108 Feb. 6-7 167 2,537,800 15,196 Feb. 13-14 166 2,381,500 15,546 Feb. 20-21 164 2,316,500 15,125 Feb. 27-28 167 2,734,100 16,372 Mar. 5-6 165 2,372,700 14,380 Mar. 12-13 165 2,441,800 14,799 Mar. 19-20 175 2,626,800 15,010 Mar. 26-27 162 2,356,800 14,548 Apr. 2-3 171 2,953,500 17,272 Apr. 9-10 169 2,740,000 16,213 Apr. 16-17 175 2,493,600 14,249 Apr. 23-24 167 2,284,000 13,677 Apr. 30-May 1.... 159 2,232,300 14,04* Youngstein Named (Continued from page 1) SPG Mediation Fails; Picketing Stepped Up Executive board of Screen Publicists Guild (CIO) will meet here this evening to determine whether or not the Guild's representatives should meet again with the film companies before Federal Mediator L. A. Stone to discuss the current controversy over new contracts. Stone held a meeting last Thursday, and the companies are reported agreeable to meet again on May 23. Thursday's mediation meeting was said to be "totally unproductive." Meanwhile, Len Goldsmith, SPG business agent, reported that the union will intensify its picketing activities in front of Loew's theatres here. publicity manager and Norman Siegel as studio publicity director. Youngstein, an attorney, entered the industry in 1941, when he joined the Hal Home Organization as general counsel and business manager. When Home joined 20th Century-Fox, early in 1942, as director of advertisingpublicity, Youngstein was named assistant director of the department. After a year in that capacity Youngstein transferred his activities to 20th Century-Fox's Hollywood studio, where he headed a special service department. During 1944 and 1945 Youngstein was publicity director and film consultant to the motion picture and special events section of the War Finance Division, United States Treasury. In October, 1946, Youngstein was named director of advertising-publicity of the then new Eagle-Lion. He was elected a vice-president February 8, 1948. Currently chairman of the advertising and publicity committee of the industry's participation in the 1949 Treasury savings bond drive, Youngstein has been active in the industry's volunteer activities. He served as chairman of the theatre committee of the 1949 Greater New York March of Dimes drive, is a member of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, was elected president of the group for 1948, and was re-elected for 1949, the first to be re-elected to this post. Youngstein's resignation from E-L becomes effective on May 20. Connolly Manager of 20th Boston Branch James V. Connolly, sales manager of the 20th Century-Fox office in Boston, has been elevated to branch manager of the exchange, it was announced here over the weekend by A. W. Smith, Jr., vice-president and general sales manager. Connolly succeeds Ed Callahan, who was promoted to New England division manager last week. John Feloney, Boston salesman, has been appointed sales manager. Rent Discrimination (Continued from page 1) attorney, Arthur L. Abrams of Newark and New York. Abrams said that the complaint, filed last Wednesday, charges the plaintiff was forced to buy nearly all of the pictures distributed by all of the defendants and could not bargain effectively with any of them. "The defendants, taking advantage of the plaintiff's inability to bargain and inability to license films elsewhere, charged the plaintiff more for the same pictures than they charged comparable theatres operated by companies affiliated with the defendants," Abrams' statement said. _ Plaintiff claims that the discrimination is in violation of the Sherman, Clayton and Robinson-Patman acts. British Answer (Continued from page 1) MPEA Meeting (Continued from page 1) which he will not return before next week, when another meeting will be held. Following the Friday session the MPEA office here issued a statement reporting that Johnston had appointed a sub-committee, headed by Arthur M. Loew, head of Loew's International, to "study details involved and to report to a subsequent meeting of the MPEA." Curiously, some of those present on Friday said that while naming such a committee had been proposed they were unaware that it had been acted upon. Some of the critical questioning centered around what was termed "the film industry's own Marshall plan," this in reference to that part of the tentative agreement which would provide for a U. S. subsidization of British production to an extent paralleling the amount of earnings of British films in the U. S., with a bonus provision. May Be Revised on which he was not sure and which he had asked further instructions on. Thus official said that if the "clarifying" cablegram comes in tomorrow or Tuesday, he would call on the Department later in the week and deliver the answer. Sears Seeks Ranks (Continued from page 1) three major British circuits, two of them being Rank's, for 100 American "A" features annually, with a maximum of 15 features to any one company. Sears reportedly is concerned over the manner in which such an agreement would be applied to pictures of U. A. producers and over the effects of the application of other proposals in the agreement upon U. A. Chaplin Attacked Again Washington, May 15.— In a statement to a Senate Judiciary Committee holding hearings on internal security, Senator Cain (Rep., Wash.), again attacked Charles Chaplin and demanded the actor's immediate deportation. Cain repeated charges he made on the Senate floor several weeks ago. Some representatives of the MPEA member companies emphasized on Friday that the initial disagreements on certain portions of the overall proposed plan are not to be construed as meaning that the project will be abandoned in its entirety, although they seemed to think that some revisions would result in approval by a greater maj ority. The proposed British concession on playing a minimum of 100 "A" American films in the three principal circuits in England also was greeted with some skepticism on Friday. The question of how an "A" production would be determined was asked, it was said following the meeting. Certain participants were said also to have taken an overall view of the proposition put to them on Friday and then wondered if it all had legal sanction, whether possibly it smacked of cartelization. Both Barney Balaban, Paramount president, and Nicholas M. Schenck, president of Loew's, who, with Johnston, constitute the U. S. side of the Films Council, were present on Friday. Others there were Spyros P. Skouras, Ned E. Depinet, Gradwell L. Sears, Norton V. Ritchey, Sam Schneider, Joseph Hazen, Emanuel and Murray Silverstone, Wolfe Cohen, George Weltner, Al Daff, Theodore Black, Francis Harmon, Joyce O'Hara and John McCarthy. "Little Three" Listed Columbia, United Artists and Universal, it appears, are especially doubtful about the proposed U. S.-U. K. program. Universal, which has a contract with J. Arthur Rank, will stand on that rather than the proposed plan. The MPEA meeting on Friday was followed by a gathering of some members of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers at the offices here of Ellis G. Arnall, president, who is expected to announce a plan of opposition early this week. If the SIMPP's objections are taken to either the U. S. State Department or the Attorney General, on the charge that the MPEA tentative plan violates international law and amounts to a conspiracy domestically, it would come as no surprise. NTFC To Meet May 26 National Television Film Council has scheduled a meeting for May 26 at the Brass Rail here, according to Melvin Gold, president.