Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1949)

FIRST IN FILM NEWS MOTION PICTURE DAILY Accurate Concise and Impartial VOL. 66, NO. 8 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1949 TEN CENTS Paramount, Malco Sign Divestiture Strand in Memphis, Eight Others Go ^Paramount Memphis, July 12. — M. A. Lightman, Sr., president of Malco Theaters Inc., tonight announced the final 'signing of an agreement to end the Paramount-Malco joint ownership of Southern Theatres m accordance with the United States Supreme Court "divorce decree Paramount will take over sole ownership of the Strand Theatre m Memphis, Malco and Bleich theatres m Owensboro, Ky., Fulton at Fulton Ky., State at Jackson, Tenn, Joie and Hoyt theatres in Ft. Smith, Ark., and Paramount and Victor theatres m Hot Springs, he said. Malco will take over sole ownership of the Malco in Memphis and 41 other theatres jointly owned. Transfer is etfective October 1. Sidney Markley signed for Paramount Paramount will form a separate corporation to operate the nine theatres. Friedman Resigns Columbia UK Post London, July 12.— Joseph Friedman has resigned as chairman and managing director of Columbia British Productions for reasons of health and because of uncertainty of Columbia production plans here. Friedman says he wanted to resign last year and now is severing his connections with Columbia completely after 19 years service. The parting is on the friendliest of terms, he said, and he has made no plans for the future. He will return to America with Harry Cohn, Columbia president, now visiting here, on August 13, aboard (Continued on page 4) May Name Cooper BFPA Export Head London, July 12.— The British Film Producers Association is likely to appoint Sir Alfred Duff Cooper, former British Ambassador in Paris, as its new export representative on the Continent. Cooper resides in Paris. He recently was associated with Sir Alexander Korda. 9 Pictures and Top Prize Money for Para. Sales Drive Name Bert Sanford Head of ABC Sales Charles L. O'Reilly, president of the ABC Vending Corp., has appointed Bert Sanford general sales manager in charge of sales and customer relations for the ABC group, one of the largest vendors of confections and other items to theatres in the East. For the past 20 years Sanford has been director of sales for Altec Service Corp. He started as an actor with the old D. W. Griffith Productions for Biograph, and entered distribution as a booker for General Film, later becoming a sales executive with that company (Continued on page 4) Citing what he called the "greatest lineup of pictures ever released over a period of time," A. W. Schwalberg, Paramount sales vice-president, predicted that results in the company's "Gold Rush of '49 Sales Contest" will surpass those for any contest ever staged in the industry. Running from September 4 to December 3, the drive, for Paramount's 37th year, will embrace nine productions. With "Progress Through Teamwork as its theme, the contest will offer unprecedented monetary rewards for participating personnel, with the 10 top revenue-producing branches sharing in the main prizes, said Paramount. Schwalberg said that a special (Continued on page 4) Bert Sanford Grainger Sets Three Republic Meetings A series of three Republic sales meetings has been scheduled for September by James R. Grainger, executive vice-president in charge of sales, with the first set for Wednesday and Thursday, September 7-8, at the company's North Hollywood studio A meeting will be held at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago and another in New York later that month. Herbert J. Yates, president, will address the three conferences which will be attended by branch managers and home office executives. All-Industry ■P. R.' Meeting Starts Aug. 15 60 Expected to Attend; May Be at Mackinac Isle The week of August 15 has been selected as the period for holding the national industry meeting to form a permanent public relations organization and draft a program of activities to be carried out by the administrative group and the participating organizations. The place for the meeting has not been definitely set yet but if adequate hotel accommodations cannot be obtained in Colorado Springs, Colo., as originally planned, the meeting will be switched to some other resort locale. An alternate choice now under consideration is Mackinac Island, Mich. It is definitely planned to hold the session in a congenial summer resort atmosphere where cool weather and ample facilities for relaxation can be counted upon. The only delay in confirming the meeting place is due to the difficulty being encountered in reserving sufficient hotel space at the popu (Continued on page 4) Ascap, Justice Dep't In Decree Set-Back Crosses At Most N. Y. First Runs Are Good Contract Demands Increased by SPG The Eastern Screen Publicists Guild, in a membership meeting here last night, adopted a resolution withdrawing all former proposals made to film companies here for a new contract, and proposed new conditions involving higher pay and other improved features. The resolution asserted that the industry negotiating committee has (Continued on page 4) New York first-run business continues at a good clip in most instances, with thousands of out-oftowners accounting for a large part of the revenue. The rain made Sunday a big day for the showcases, having discouraged attendance at beaches and outdoor sports. Biggest of all is Warners Look for the Silver Lining," with a stage presentation at the Music Hall where business for the past three weeks has been phenomenal. The show will conclude its third week tonight with an estimated gross of $146,000, which is rare for this time of the year; it will continue. . "Sorrowful Jones," with Louis Prima's orchestra on stage, has been the most prosperous tenant the Paramount has had in several months, the (Continued on page 4) Small May Close for E-L Control Today Negotiations whereby Edward Small would acquire 51 per cent of the stock of Eagle-Lion from Pathe Industries are expected to be concluded here today. Indications yesterday were that the deal would go through by today's deadline but officials close to the situation would make no unqualified predictions as to the outcome, other than to say that the prospects of an agreement still were favorable. The Department of Justice has called for substantial revision of the terms for a new consent decree which were proposed by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers with the obvious result that settlement, while still in prospect, is not immediately in view, as it had been. Another delaying factor is that Sigmund Timburg, head of the consent decree section of the anti-trust division of the Justice Department, (Continued on page 4) Technicolor Hearing Set for Sept. 26 Hollywood, July 12.— Pre-trial hearing on the government's anti-trust suit against Technicolor, Inc., will be held here September 26 before U. S. District Judge William C. Mathes, W. C. Dixon, local head of the antitrust division, said today, with trial to be set for a date in January. Through conferences held recently, (Continued on page 4)