Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1950)

FILE C DO not remove: VOL. 67. NO. 33 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1950 TEN CENTS RKO has Week More to Drop Metropolitan Circuit Moves to Split With 2 Skouras Units The Department of Justice, in a stipulation filed with the U. S. Statutory Court here yesterday gave RKO until Feb. 24 to dispose of its stock in Metropolitan Playhouses here or institute an alternative plan of divestiture. The original deadline for disposing of the stock, which represents about one-sixth of the ownership, was last Nov. 8 but had been extended to yesterday. RKO owns 55,000 class A shares of "Met." In further compliance with the terms of its consent decree in the industry anti-trust suit, RKO asked the New York Supreme Court for an order dissolving its two partnerships with Skouras Theatres. Adding to the involved nature of the (Continued on page 4) Unaffected by CIO Ouster Little repercussion was felt in the Screen Publicists Guild and the Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild here yesterday as a result of the ouster of the parent union, United Office and Professional Workers of America from the CIO. The UOPWA was expelled as part of the (Continued on page 5) Theatres Last in NY Coal Rationing Plan Albany, N. Y., Feb. 16.— New York State Emergency Coal Administrator Bertram D. Tallamy, in announcing coal priorities would be established by local administrators and coordinating committees, decreed "the lowest preference and priority status for theatres, bowling alleys, taverns, dance halls and other places of amusement." Electricity restrictions, effective Sunday, state electricity shall not be used for marquee lighting in excess 250 watts, or for air conditioning service. AFL Answers Walsh Appeal for Aid In Tax Fight with 'Full Support' The American Federation of Labor has given its full backing to the industry's fight for repeal of the 20 per cent Federal tax on admissions by vote of the AFL executive council, following a personal appeal made by Richard F. Walsh, president of IATSE. Walsh explained to the AFL council that the admission tax has been a serious deterrent to business at the nation's box offices and thus threatens the livelihood of many thousands of workers employed by the industry. In a resolution passed by the council, theatres and amusements headed the list of services for which excise-tax repeal was urged. "When enacted," the resolution said, "Congress referred to these excise taxes as temporary war emergency measures. Failure to repeal them since the end of the war constitutes a breach of faith with the American people." Previously, Walsh had appealed to all locals of the IATSE to support area committees of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations in the fight against the tax. Pledges National Theatres To Continuing Tax Fight Los Angeles, Feb. 16. — "National Theatres will continue to fight discriminatory taxation whenever and wherever it confronts the industry," M. M. Mesher, Portland district manager, pledged in the key address of today's session at the circuit's annual convention. Declaring house managers have been "overwhelmed by the response of patrons to invitations to sign petitions to Congressmen," Mesher said the Federal tax reduction picture "is not all black. Many civic and government officials are accepting the recognition that the tax on one industry is unfair, and are taking steps toward its correction." He said exhibitors favor a broad tax that includes all businesses. The 86 persons attending the convention will the. guests of National president Charles P. Skouras at a banquet at the Ambassador. Johnston Footage to AidTaxRepealDrive Newsreels made up here last night, for distribution tomorrow, contain comparatively substantial footage of Motion Picture Association of America president Eric Johnston testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee in Washington on Wednesday on behalf of the repeal of excise taxes, including the admission tax. Johnston appeared as a member of the National Committee to Repeal Wartime Excise Taxes, which is representative of all industries affected by the levies. The Johnston footage will be used on screens throughout the country to (Continued on page 5) 'Stromboli' Second Day's Grosses Drop In Varying Degrees Second day's business for "Stromboli" in the New York Metropolitan area, where the picture opened at 93 theatres on Wednesday, was described variously as "healthy," "off normally'and "off noticeably." Before the weekend, some 119 New York neighborhood theatres, in addition to the Criterion, Broadway first-run, will be playing the film. Sol Schwartz, general manager of RKO Theatres, whose entire New York neighborhood circuit is exhibiting the highly-exploited Roberto Ros (Continued on page 4) Deny 'Major Change' Made In 'Strombolf RKO Radio president Ned E. Depinet declared here yesterday that the company "made no major changes" in the original version of "Stromboli" in editing the film for release in the U. S. Roberto Rossellini, the film's director, repudiated the version of it now showing in this country in an interview given by him Wednesday in Rome to Barrett McGurn of the New York Herald Tribune bureau in the Italian capital. Rossellini, according to the published report of the interview, disapproved the editing done on the original (Continued on page 4) Sullivan, Levy Urge Support Of Arbitration Seek Industry Hearings Called by Distributors The executive committee of the Theatre Owners of America, at its meeting here on March 1-2, will be asked to authorize TOA letters to distribution company presidents urging them to initiate industry hearings on the desirability of a system of industry arbitration and ascertain how objections to such a system may be solved. Calling for a complete attempt by the industry to adopt arbitration as a "sorely needed remedy," Gael Sullivan and Herman M. Levy, TOA executive director and general counsel, respectively, said in a joint statement yesterday they will place the recommendation before the executive committee. They said that authorization given by the U. S. Statutory Court here to defendants in the industry anti-trust suit for the setting up of a system "should be heartening news to the entire industry. It certainly is to TOA." Heads of the defendant companies, in the letters to be recommended by (Continued on page 5) New Pact for Mayer, Rubin Loew's stockholders will meet here March 23 to vote on extensions of employment contracts with vice-presidents Louis B. Mayer and J. Robert Rubin and to elect 11 directors. The following have been nominated for reelection to the board : Leopold Friedman, F. Joseph Holleran, Eugene W. Leake, Charles C. Moskowitz, William A. Parker, William F. Rodgers, Rubin, Nicholas M. Schenck, Joseph R. Vogel, David (Continued on page 4) MPAA to Appear at Theatre TV Hearing Washington, Feb. 16. — The Motion Picture Association of America today filed notice with the Federal Communications Commission of its intention to participate in the forthcoming theatre television proceedings. Ed Zorn's Crescent and Eagle theatres, of Illinois, also filed.