Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1949)

2 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, July 13, 1949 Sen. Johnson Pushes Color Television Washington, July 12. — Senate Interstate Commerce Committee Chairman Johnson has asked Dr. Edward U. Condon, head of the U. S. Bureau of Standards, to conduct a non-partisan study of the present status and potentialities of color television. Condon was asked to assemble a group of leading scientists to make the survey. Johnson favors faster development and use of color video. Personal Mention JOSEPH R. VOGEL, Loew's vicepresident, is in London from New MPAA Group Meets On British 4B' Pool Film company foreign department executives undertook yesterday to set tie on a new definition of the terms of the Anglo-American film agreement which covers operations of the so called "B" remittance pool at a meeting at the Motion Picture Association of America, with no apparent conclu sions reached. Loopholes in the language of the "B" provisions of the overall pact, which allow for a sep arate remittance of U. S. earnings in England equivalent to the earnings of British pictures here, have resulted in conflict among the companies to such an extent that actual abandonment of the pool might develop. At yesterday's session were Wolf Cohen, Warners ; Emanuel Silverstone, 20th Century-Fox; George Weltner. Paramount ; R. K. Hawkinson, RKO ; Irving Moross and Abe Schneider, Columbia, and Theodore Smith, MPAA. F. Sandy Opens New Exchange in Capital Washington, July 12. — ■ Fred Sandy, veteran in distribution in the Washington territory has opened the Fred Sandy Film Exchange here. Sandy, previously associated with United Artists, PRC and most recently with Equity Films as branch manager, is the local distributor for Astor, Madison and Crest productions, as well as for some individual releases, including "The Stephen Foster Story" and "Funtasia." Mrs. Gertrude Epstein, formerly booker for Film Classics and PRC, will assist Sandy. 'Jones Beach' Premiere The Long Island South Shore Business Council started the island's first full-fledged film premiere festivities yesterday by giving the keys of 10 island communities to Virginia Mayo, "The Girl from Jones Beach," in a series of events that included a luncheon at Jones Beach, a radio broadcast by Herb Sheldon over WJZ, a water ballet and a motorcade. Today's events are to be climaxed by the twin world premiere of Warners' "The Girl from Jones Beach" at the Fantasy Theatre in Rockville Centre and the Grove in Freeport this evening. ]\J EIL F. AGNEW, Motion Picture Sales Corp. president, is due here from Rome on Monday. • George Wilkinson, Jr., president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Connecticut, and Albert M. Pick us, regional Theatre Owners of America vice-president, have been named co-chairmen of the annual MPTO of Connecticut golf tournament, slated for August. • Samuel N. Burger, Loew's International sales manager, has returned to New York from a 10 weeks' tour of M-G-M offices on the Continent. • Hugh Owen, Paramount Eastern and Southern sales manager, has returned to New York from visits to exchanges in the South. • Walter L. Titus, Republic sales executive, is in Detroit from New York and will be in Buffalo tomorrow and Friday. • _ Phil Gerard, Universal-International Eastern publicity manager, is on a week's vacation at East Hampton, o Terry Turner, RKO advertisingexploitation director, will return here today from Boston. York. • Jules Lapidus, Warner Eastern and Canadian sales manager, and George W. Horan, New England district manager, are in Buffalo today from New York. • Leo F. Samuels, Irving Ludwig and Charles Levy, Walt Disney executives, will leave here shortly for conferences at the Coast studio. • Paul O. Klingler, manager of Loew's Poli Strand, Waterbury, Conn., and Mrs. Klingler are vacationing at Lewiston, Pa. • Paula Gould, Capitol Theatre publicity director, has returned to NewYork from an Atlantic City vacation. • George Howard, former Paramount salesman, has joined the Monogram exchange at St. Louis. • Clyde Goodson, Paramount Atlanta branch manager, will be in Nashville today. • Hap Barnes, owner of drive-ins in Alabama and Tennessee, is visiting in Atlanta. Open 1st New Loew House in 8 Years Oscar A. Doob, John Murphy and Ernie Emerling, of Loew's theatre department, are in Norwich, Conn., from New York, for the opening of Loew's New Poli Theatre tonight. This is the first new addition to the Loew circuit in over eight years and replaces an old theatre which will be demolished. M-G-M's Frank Sinatra, accompanied by the Page Cavanaugh Trio, will appear at the opening ceremonies. He will be host at a cocktail party for the press and civic leaders from all over Connecticut. Form NTFC Unit To Expedite Plan Mel Gold, president of the National Television Film Council, announced at a meeting here yesterday that he would serve as chairman of a new NTFC committee to expedite the unit's program. Under the plan, rights to all television films would be assigned to a council of NTFC, which would clear copyrights for all films, and thus act for television producers in a similar capacity as Ascap in music. Further Progress on M-G-M Sales Drive More than 75 per cent of M-G-M's sales force have either signed up all theatres in their territory or liquidated each playdate for representation in_ the company's silver anniversary drive, according to the company's home office. Within the past week, Buffalo and Seattle were added to the list of branches reporting full representation for anniversary dates, while Chicago moved into the division of exchanges where anniversary bookings have been completely liquidated. Newsreel Parade CENATOR -JOHNSON asking for *J a reduction in. excise taxes and the Hiss-Chambers trial are current newsreel highlights. Other items include Senator Didles being szvorn in, dock strikes, fashions and sports. Complete contents follow: MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 56 — Alger Hiss trial. Treasury Secretary Snyder arrives in London. Mrs. Mesta takes Ambassadorship oath. Senator Johnson speaks on reduction of taxes. Discover traces of stone age in New Guinea. Swimming, trotting, soccer. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 290^Alger Hiss must face new trial. Lauritz Melchior sings for disabled "Vets." Senator Johnson urges cut in admission taxes. Rodeo. Sandskiing. Women wrestlers. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 93 — Film stars in baseball benefit game. Senator Johnson asks cut in taxes. Automatic restaurant dri ve-ins. Dock strikes in London and Honolulu. TEEENEWS DIGEST, No. 28-B- Chaing Kai-shek breaks silence. England's state of emergency. Secretary Snyder on European visit. Washington: Mrs. Pearl Mesta's Ambassadorship. Westbrook Pegler testifies on labor unions. Dissension in the Middle East. Whittaker Chambers talks. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 264 — HissChambers trial. Ambassador Pearl Mesta. Senator Dulles sworn in. Holland: Royal Guard's 120th anniversary. Senator Johnson asks cut in taxes. Soccer, Dog show, Women wrestlers. WARNER PAT HE NEWS, No. 95— London dock strike. Danny Kaye and others in plane crash. Senator Johnson and the tax situation. Hiss-Chambers trial. Drive-in restaurant. Soccer game. Long-distance girl swimmer. Women wrestling. Miss. T. O. Reelects Officers at Meet 'Hamlef Record in Mexico Mexico City, July 12. — J. Arthur Rank's British "Hamlet" made the record run of five weeks at one theatre, the Cine Chapultepec, for a foreign film in recent times here. The picture played to a new-high of 60 cents during the first three weeks and SO cents for the other two. "Hamlet" has moved over for simultaneous exhibition at 35 cents to the downtown, Cine Palacio and the suburban Cine Lindavista. RKO Regional Meet in Buffalo Over Today Buffalo, July 12. — Regional sales meeting of RKO Radio continued here today and will wind up tomorrow with another of the company's series of regional sessions to open in Toronto on Thursday. Supplementing today's sessions were meetings of the district which is headed by Len S. Gruenberg. Max Yellin, theatre operator, was host to the RKO delegates at dinner on his estate tonight. $200,000 for a Drive-In Alexander City, Ala., July 12.— Plans have been completed by Mack Jackson, owner of the Strand and Jackson theatres, here, for the building of a $200,000 drive-in. Davidson's New Drive-In Lennox, S. D., July 12.— H. E. Davidson plans to open a 130-car drive-in on July 17. Davidson previously had theatres at Bridgewater and Marion, S. D. Biloxi, Miss., July 12. — Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Mississippi re-elected the entire slate of officers at the closing session of its convention today, with Max A. Connett, Newton, heading the organization. Elected vice-presidents were B. F. Blissard, Okolona ; W. S. Taylor, Laurel ; and B. F. Sheffield, Poplaryille. Ernest W. Clinton, Monticello, is secretary-treasurer. Chief problem discussed at the convention is a forthcoming legislative attempt to reduce the highest state tax in America, ranging from 10 to 13 per cent, which has been in existence for 18 years. William L. Ainsworth and Abram F. Myers, national Allied States officers, addressed the exhibitors on both days of the meeting. Distribution was represented by M. L. Simons, M-G-M, and Sam Shain, 20th CenturyFox. Heppner Now Sole Owner Joseph Heppner is now sole owner of Metropolitan Photo Service as a result of a deal made with his former partner, Morris Leftoff. Heppner, a veteran in motion picture exploitation photographic work and former president of the New York Press Photographers' Association, will retain rights to the Metropolitan name. New Firm Plans Two McMinnville, Tenn., July 12— The recently formed Mid Tennessee Amusement Co., headed by C. D. Walling, will build two drive-ins. ^2I^N,n^I£TY,RE vDAriL^i Mp 'if P°'8'?' Eciitor-in-Chie£ and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100 Cable address "Ouigpubco New York/' Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann. Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasure^ Leo J Brady, Secretary;' James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau. Yucca-Vine Building, William R. 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