Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

4 Motion Picture Daily Friday, October 14, 1949 Public Relations to Top Allied Convention Agenda SMPE, Video Group Hold Joint Session Hollywood, Oct. 13. — A joint session with the Society of Television Engineers highlighted today's session of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers convention, occupying the afternoon and evening, with conventioneers leaving Hollywood after lunch for Mount Wilson, where they were guests of Dr. Ira S. Bo wen, director of Mount Wilson and Palomar observatories. Television installations atop Mount Wilson and the 100-inch telescope were inspected by delegates with STE chairman Peter Hole explaining the unique television requirements in the Los Angeles area. Guest speaker Dr. Vladimir Zworykin delivered the evening address, tracing steps by which the television camera was developed from the original iconoscope until the present time when, he said, "within limitations" it can duplicate the function of the human eye. He predicted that the entertainment field ultimately will represent only a fractional aspect of television's place in civilization. Seventeen papers and two committee reports are scheduled for the concluding session tomorrow. Waller Reports He Has Third Dimension Hollywood, Oct. 13. — Fred Waller, head of Cinerama Corp., Huntington, Long Island, today told Motion Picture Daily that he will demonstrate a three-dimension motion picture process at the next semi-annual SMPE convention, probably making the first public presentation shortly before or after that time. Waller, inventor of the Waller Flexible Gunnery Instruction System, said his three-dimensional system, on which he has worked 11 years, is a further extension of technical devices used for gunnery. Postwar development of the Waller inveniton for theatre use has been financed by Lawrence Rockefeller. Monogram Producers Realigned by Broidy Hollywood, Oct. 13. — Realignment of producers at Monogram, now totaling 13 and revealed yesterday by president Steve Broidy, finds Frank and Maurice King, Scott R. Dunlap and Paul Short assigned to Allied Artists productions, and Lindsley Parsons, Jeffrey Bernerd, Hal E. Chester, Jan Grippo, Walter Mirisch, Barney Gerard, William Broidy, James S. Burkett and Peter Scully producing for Monogram. Monogram's Entire Board Renominated Hollywood, Oct. 13. — Monogram's 10 directors have been nominated for reelection at the annual meeting of stockholders scheduled for Nov. 9 in Hollywood. They are : W. Ray Johnston, Samuel Broidy, George D. Burrows, Edward Morey, Herman Rifkin, Howard Stubbins, Charles Trampe, William Hurlbut, Arthur C. Bromberg and Norton V. Ritchey. TV Group to See Color Washington, Oct. 13. — The television committee of the Motion Picture Association of America has scheduled a trip from New York to Washington for next Wednesday to see color television demonstrated by RCA. Washington, Oct. 13. — Allied States' stand on the all-industry public relations program will occupy top attention at the upcoming board meeting and convention, a bulletin from Allied counsel Abram F. Myers revealed today. Other items to be taken up at both meetings will include theatre television, the relation between drive-ins and closed-in theatres, how distributors are carrying out their commitments on flat rental selling, progress in theatre divorcement, complaints about forced selling, and the advisability of more regional reports on box-office performance. The meetings will be held in Minneapolis. The board meeting will be Oct. 22 and 23, the convention Oct. 24, SPG, SOPEG Strike {Continued from page 1) strike. Although a total was unavailable, it was said by the SPG the vote was "overwhelmingly" in favor of a strike. SPG's constitution requires a membership vote of at least 75 per cent in order to strike. Goldsmith said the strike would come any time within the next five days and without advance warning. Members are prepared to walk out at a moment's notice, it was said. Goldsmith saw little possibility of averting the strike, saying that "the industry has left us no alternative." He predicted the strike would destroy the industry's public relations program. Plans are now being formulated "to place thousands of pickets before all theatres playing struck product." Affected by the dispute will be 20th Century-Fox, Loew's, M-G-M, Columbia, Universal-International, Paramount, RKO Radio, Warner Brothers, National Screen Service, Sargoy and Stein and Confidential Reports, Inc. Efforts to reach Major Leslie Thompson, chairman of the companies' negotiating group, for comment yesterday, were unsuccessful. James A. Wotton James A. Wotton, formerly in charge of sound and general maintenance in Warner Brothers' Albany territory, died Monday at the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital at Saranac Lake after a long illness. 25 and 26. On Oct. 21, there will be a meeting of the Caravan Committee and then a general Caravan meeting. Among those invited are Ned Depinet, William F. Rodgers, A. W. Schwalberg and George Murphy. The meetings will also study charges of unfair trade practice provisions by the distributors, especially competitive bidding and forcing of pictures. They will also consider what is being done and can be done about print shortages, hear reports on the results of the Baltimore plan, the Iowa-Nebraska campaign and other box-office promotions, and study the possibility of employing an insurance analyst to study conditions in the several Allied territories with a view to securing rate reductions. Film Guilds Back {Continued from page 1) within the Four A's, but on the basis of the resolution offered by the Guilds and defeated at the international board meeting held in New York on Oct. 5. Under this resolution, SAG and SEG would retain jurisdiction over all films made for television. Replying to charges that they seek to take over members from other branches of the Four A's, the Guilds offered "complete interchangeability of members with no additional dues payments." "If in spite of the reasonable approach of the Guilds," the statement concluded, "the sponsors of the proposed Television Authority insist upon invading the Guilds' motion picture field, then they will be solely responsible for forcing an unwarranted and unjustifiable jurisdictional war." Mary Bien, 79 Cincinnati, Oct. 13. — Mary Bien, 79, the mother of William Bien, local circuit operator, died today at the Jewish Hospital here. Two other surviving sons, Fred and Clifford, are associated in the operation of the theatres. R. E. Vining, 48 Palo Alto, Cal., Oct. 13.— Robert Edward Vining, 48, former executive .assistant to Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, died here Tuesday. MGM Meeting {Continued from page 1) our entire career." Rodgers said he also was encouraged by "new blood" entering the company's ranks and the industry's. Lauds Chicago Parley "My belief in the security of the future is further strengthened by the sincere approach of those pioneers in our industry who together with the younger generation proved by their recent activities at Chicago that they recognize the need for better understanding between all elements of our business, that a more common ground can be found on which we can all prosper together," Rodgers said. He declared he was not "to excited by television except as another type of competition." He added that when he reads about the thousands going to baseball, football, basketball games, etc., "I know that the job of getting increased patrons into the theatre is not an easy one. Yet I think we are equal to the test and will meet it successfully." Tribute to Trade Press Rodgers in particular paid tribute to the trade publications, saying their contribution to the industry "has been great." He asserted that "they represent a medium through which we can speak to our customers and they in turn can speak to the trade. . . ." Schenck, whom Rodgers said "used to be an exhibitor but I believe is now a distributor," presented an inscribed platinum watch and chain to W. A. Banford, Central district manager, for "all-around excellence of management. It was the first presentation of a "president's watch" to a sales executive. Rodgers said he had "no new policies to announce" that old ones would be "streamlined," if they needed it. 'Daily News' Section To Cover Industry Nezv York Daily News Sunday rotogravure section on Oct. 16 will be entirely devoted to the motion picture industry through the efforts of Russell Stewart of M-G-M's publicity department under Howard Dietz, advertising-publicity vice-president. Stewart is said to have initiated the project five months ago with William White, the paper's picture editor. The 32-page section will be in a variety of colors featuring films of 11 distributors. No Admission Taxes On 'Arc' in Finland "Joan of Arc" can be presented in the 462 motion picture houses of Finland without admission taxes because of a special dispensation from the Finnish government on the Sierra Pictures' production, RKO reports here. The waiving of admission taxes places this picture in a privileged category, according to Phil Reisman, RKO Radio vice-president in charge of foreign operations. 'Joan' Sets Opening Day Records in Cuba Havana, Oct. 13. — New all-time high grosses for opening days were set by four theatres with the simultaneous release this week of Walter Wanger's "Joan of Arc," distributed by RKO Radio. The records were set at the America, Havana ; the Cuba, Santiago ; the Casablanca, Camaguey, and Silva, Santa Clara, despite inclement weather and strong competition. MPIC Urges Crime Cleanup, Training Of Newcomers to Combat 'Notoriety' Hollywood, Oct. 13. — Two resolutions bearing upon "circumstances that constantly bring notoriety upon the name of Hollywood" were passed at the regular monthly meeting of the Motion Picture Industry Council as a guide to better industry public relations. The first reads in part: "Whereas the Hollywood area long has been made a special target of extortionists, shakedown artists and other criminal elements ... be it resolved that the MPIC will extend every cooperation to all law enforcement agencies ... to further reduce or completely eliminate this source of notoriety, disrepute and public jeopardy." The second states: "MPIC recommends to all concerned a policy and program by which all young and impressionable newcomers to the industry be given early orientation into the responsibilities and blandishments that go with public prominence so that they may be better fitted to face problems arising from such responsibilities."