Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, October 10, 1949 Five Supreme Court Decisions Pending Washington, Oct. 9. — Five cases involving film industry interests are pending before the U. S. Supreme Court and disposition of most is expected today. Two of the cases involve challenges by exhibitors to the Paramount consent decree. One involves the appeals of John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo for Supreme Court review of their contempt of Congress conviction. A fourth case involves the validity of Park-in Theatre's drive-in patent. The fifth is an appeal by Telefilm, Inc., from a California court decision ordering a new trial in its unfair competition suit against Harry M. Warner, Nathan Levinson and five other defendants. See UA-SPG Pact Reached Shortly The Screen Publicists Guild contract negotiations with United Artists were close to finalization Friday, with the contract expected to be signed in a day or so, it was learned here at the weekend. Among the expected provisions of the contract are arrangements for arbitration of disputes, improved job security, three-week vacations, an increase in salary minimums from $40 to $62.50, machinery for the adjustment of inequities, and an increase in maximum severance pay from 12 to 24 weeks. The contract provisions are retroactive to Dec. 13, 1948. UA like Eagle-Lion, has a separate SPG contract. SPG-Sopeg Strike Vote To Be Announced Shortly Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild membership began casting votes on strike action against the majors here at the weekend. Results of the votes of Sopeg and the Screen Publicists Guild will be announced jointly in a few days. WE Eliminates Sound Items; Altec in Deal Western Electric will withdraw from commercial activities in microphones, loudspeakers, and disc reproducing' equipment. Service and availability of maintenance parts have been assured to present users by an agreement between Western Electric and Altec Lansing Corp. 28 Features and 32 Shorts from Toddy Toddy Pictures Company, producer and distributor of Negro pictures, announces 28 features, 15 musical snorts, six one-reel action subjects and 11 two-reel comedies for national release for 1949-50 season, through its own exchanges. Personal JOSEPH H. MOSKOWITZ, 20th «J Century-Fox vice-president, left here for the Coast over the weekend. • Celeste Fox, secretary to Samuel Cohen, United Artists foreign publicity director, and her husband left here by plane on Friday for a vacation tour of France, Italy and Switzerland. Vincent Liguori, RKO Theatres home office publicist, and Mrs. Liguori are the parents of a girl, Susan. Carol, born at Westchester Square Hospital. • Martin Moskowitz, New York State division manager for 20th Century-Fox, has left here for Buffalo, Binghamton and Oneida. • Walter E. Branson, RKO Radio Western sales manager, has returned here from Hollywood. Bernhard Will,Won't, Will Fight Censors Expressing "deep satisfaction" over reports that 20th Century-Fox's "Pinky" has been accepted by the Atlanta censor board, Film Classics president Joseph Bernhard said on Friday that should the board continue its ban on "Lost Boundaries," Louis de Rochemont production being distributed by FC, "I shall take every step possible to break the restriction." Both pictures deal with the Negro's status in society. At a home office interview on Sept. 2, Bernhard revealed that de Rochemont and his RD-DR Productions had decided to forego plans announced earlier for taking legal action against censors of Southern cities that had or might ban showings of "Lost Boundaries." Bernhard declined at the time to state a reason for the reversal. Industry Executives At Pinanski Rites Boston, Oct. 9. — Barney Balaban, Paramount president, Leonard Goldenson. Paramount Theatres president, Martin Mullin, New England Theatres general manager, and Edward S. Canter, American Theatres executive, were among the many industry representatives attending the funeral services here on Friday for the late Judge Abraham E. Pinanski, brother of Sam Pinanski, Theatre Owners of America president. Interment was at the Adath Jeshurum Cemetery at West Roxbury. Kornheiser and Gold Promoted at Warners 'Bud' Kornheiser, formerly manager of Warner Brothers home office advertising art department, has been promoted to art director of the department, by Mort Blumenstock, advertising-publicity director. At the same time, Blumenstock also promoted William Gold from manager to art director of the poster department. Mention HENRY A. LINET, Universal-International Eastern advertising manager ; Charles Simonelli, national exploitation head, and Phil Gerard, Eastern publicity manager, are expected to return here Wednesday from the Coast. • Kroger Babb, Hallmark Productions president, will be a speaker at the ATO of Indiana convention to be held at Indianapolis, Nov. 15-16. Samuel Goldstein, president of Commonwealth Pictures, New York, and Mrs. Goldstein, are en route to a two-month European trip. F. J. A. McCarthy, UniversalInternational Southern and Canadian sales manager, will leave here tomorrow for Dallas. Max Galfunt, Favorite Films attorney, has taken new offices in New York. Zanuck Signs (Continued from, page 1) production. Through the ensuing advisory period he will have no commitments other than with 20th-Fox nor any proprietary interest in other motion picture undertakings. Zanuck, born in Wahoo, Neb., Sept. 5, 1902, has been in charge of the studio's producing activities since the 20th Century and Fox merger in 1935. The company has produced 550 films under Zanuck's supervision since he became production vice-president in that year. "This new contract," Skouras said "assures for our company the contin uity of the same courageous production management that has uncovered new horizons in motion picture entertainment, and at the same time presented in an honorable fashion the full stature and vigor of the screen as an instrument of public influence. This is the calibre of production that has long been associated with the name of Zanuck in the motion picture world." The latest 20th-Fox picture to be produced by Zanuck is "Pinky." The 550 made under his supervision have had varied themes — sociological, historical, religious, documentary-type and general. 100 at MGM Meet; Rodgers to Preside Approximately 100' executives from Loew's and M-G-M home office and field will attend the opening session of the company's fall sales conference at the Astor Hotel here on Thursday, with William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager, presiding. Reports on New Screens Installations of Glascreens in Fox West Coast theatres and in theatres of Chicago's Essaness circuit are now in process, it was reported here by Herman Gluckman, president of Nu Screen Corp., on his return from the Coast and Chicago. Newsreel Parade r HE World Series and UN flag raising ceremonies are among current newsreel highlights. Other items include the Community Chest Drive, and beauty contests. Complete contents follow : MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 81 — UN Building ^ flag-raising. Community Chest drive. Children's day in California. First jet liner in U. S. President Truman at Fort Bragg. Underwater beauty contest. World Series. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 211— World Series. Community Chest drive. School tor water babies. President Truman at Fort Bragg. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 14 — The 82nd airborne puts on show for President Truman. World Series. TEEENEWS DIGEST, No. 40-B— What next in Germany ? Defense meeting in Washington. UN Building ceremonies. "Physically Handicapped Week." Post-war hero-worship in Germany. Vienna beauty contest. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL, No. 289 — President Truman at Fort Bragg. Cardinal Spellman in Rome. Marquess Milford Haven in London. Test jet liner. Young water wizard. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 16 — UN flag raising. Fort Bragg maneuvers. Community Chest drive opens. Underwater beauties. World Series. Confederate vets. Para. Reaching (Continued from page 1) what is claimed will be the company's most thoroughgoing advertising and publicity campaign. Y. Frank Freeman, studio vice-president, told a meeting of division, district and branch managers here at the weekend that he expects a "minimum of 100,000,000 people" will see the film in the U. S. A. W. Schwalberg, vice-president and general sales manager, told the meeting that nationwide comment already has commenced as a result of the numerous screenings held for special groups. SMPE Convention (Continued from page 1) ber of papers. Television, color photography and high speed photography will be the major subjects. SMPE president Earl I. Sponable will preside. Ard Leaving Warners William T. Ard, Warner Brothers home office advertising copy chief since 1947, has resigned and will leave his post on Nov. 1. AFM-AGVA Action By AFL Unlikely St. Paul, Oct. 9. — Prospects that the jurisdictional feud between AFM and AGVA will reach the floor of the AFL convention appear remote, as the deadline for proposing resolutions has passed. James Petrillo, musicians' union head, is not expected to attend, and the Actors Equity delegate, who presumably would speak for the variety artistes, does not arrive until tomorrow. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief 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: "Quigpubco New York ' Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann. Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; 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. Weaver' ? 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