Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1950)

FILE COPY MOTIONFfCTURE DAILY Concise and Impartial VOL. 67. NO. 31 NEW YORK, U. S. A., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1950 TEN CENTS Will Weigh US Loss of Jobs In Anglo Pact Studio Labor Aims to i Curb Production Abroad Wary of increased American production abroad and more Hollywood unemployment in consequence, studio labor groups on Monday were given assurances that their problems will be borne in mind when the Anglo-American film pact is negotiated. A meeting of representatives of various industry groups, held at the New York offices of the Motion Picture Association of America, was followed by a statement yesterday that "All were in accord as to the need for working together to advance the general welfare of the industry and those who work in it." Among the participants at the session were Eric A. Johnston, MPAA president ; Ellis G. Arnall, president of the Society of Independent Motion {Continued on page 7) Weather Hits NY 1st Runs The long holiday weekend failed to bring the business lift anticipated here, with bad weather being especially severe on the holiday gross of Monday. A few situations are doing well but in the main business for the week at the New York showcases is spotty. Among the new films arriving this week are "Stromboli" at the RKO circuit and other houses here today and, belatedly, "The Outlaw" at the Globe on Saturday. 'Young Man with a Horn," with a (.Continued on page 2) Mexico Tightens Film Import Law Washington, Feb. 14. — Two provisions of a new Mexican film law may spell trouble for American film companies, the Commerce Department reported today. One section of the new law provides for import permits for foreign {Continued on page 7) 'Prairie Fire' Response In Fight for Tax Repeal 20th-Fox to Continue Consent DecreeTalks Twentieth Century-Fox still would prefer to work out a consent decree settlement of the government anti-trust suit if an acceptable agreement can be reached with the Department of Justice, Spyros P. Skouras, president, said here yesterday. Skouras intimated that the Federal Court judgment entered here last week has not altered the company's views toward a settlement and that consent decree negotiations will be continued. Tells NT Executives Of Box-office Drop Los Angeles, Feb. 14. — National Theatres president Charles Skouras told 86 circuit executives at the opening of a four-day meeting this morning "rising costs and decreasing atattendance" present the biggest problem confronting exhibition today. He stated that whereas 162,000,000 people attended the circuit's theatres in 1948 the figure declined 10,000,000, to 152,000,000 in 1949. "We can't laugh at television competition," Skouras told his executives, "but must find means to work with it to our advantage, as we did with radio. Ignoring television will not solve our problem." (Continued on page 6) Washington, Feb. 14. — A "prairie fire" response to the industry's campaign to repeal the 20 per cent Federal admission tax was reported by the tax committee of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations after an all-day meeting here. Committee chairman Abram F. Myers said support was coming from the public and the industry in "virtually every theatre and community in the nation. Not since war days has the industry been so united in a single purpose." The response has been so great that the initial printing of 20,000,000 petions is exhausted and a reorder has been placed. Meanwhile, there were these other excise developments : ( 1 ) The Congress of Industrial Organizations, presenting its tax program to the House Ways and Means committee, tagged the admission tax as one that should be repealed promptly, because of its broad application and its burden on lower income groups ; (2) the House group prepared to open (Continued on page 6) March of Time's Feature to RKO "The Golden Twenties — a Chronicle of America's Jazz Age," March of Time's first post-war feature, will be released in April by RKO Radio. MOT's news-magazine two reelers will continue to be released through 20th Century-Fox. In a joint announcement by Ned Depinet, president of RKO, and Richard de Rochemont, March of Time producer, it was revealed that the picture features over 100 personalities of the '20s. 'STROMBOLI' OPENS TODAY WHILE TIDE OF OPPOSITION SPREADS ('Stromboli' is reviewed on page 6) As Roberto Rossellini's "Stromboli," starring Ingrid Bergman, makes its debut today in more than 125 New York Metropolitan theatres, opposition to exhibition of the picture appears to be spreading in many sections of the country. Nevertheless, before the week is out the film will be showing in some 320 theatres across the country, according to RKO Radio, its distributor. The New York opening includes the Criterion on Broadway, and all RKO neighborhood houses, as well as theatres owned by others. Opposition to showing of the pic (Continued on page 6) E L 'In the Black' Vision Coming True Eagle Lion distribution vice-president William J. Heineman's prediction of two months ago, that by Feb. 15 the company would be operating "in the black," is coming true, he said yesterday. Heineman cited the grosses from "Guilty of Treason," as one of the reasons E-L is getting on a "solid" financial footing. Skouras Calls 'Showmanship' Theatre Meet 2-Day Session to Plan Box-OfHce Stimulation Spyros P. Skouras, 20th CenturyFox president, announced yesterday that his company had called a showmanship meeting of more than 200 leading exhibitors for March 8 and 9 at the Drake Hotel, Chicago, to discuss means of increasing theatre attendance. Skouras said that a definite program for accomplishing that objective will be presented to the meeting. Invitations to attend the meeting have been sent to representative operators of both large and small theatre interests in the United States and Can (Continued on page 7) Spyros P. Skouras AeademyLists Its Nominees Hollywood, Feb. 14. — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tonight made public the nominations for its annual "Awards of Merit." Nominations for best picture, players and director follow : Best picture: "All the King's Men," Columbia ; "Battleground," MG-M ; "The Heiress," Paramount ; "A Letter to Three Wives," 20th Century-Fox; "12 O'Clock High," 20th Century-Fox." Best actor: Broderick Crawford (Continued on page 7) W.L.BendslevHeads New England Unit Boston, Feb. 14. — The Independent Exhibitors of New England today elected the following officers for the ensuing year : _ President, W. Lesley Bendslev ; first vice-president, James Guarino ; second vice-president, Norman Glassman ; (Continued on page 6)