Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1950)

6 Motion picture daily Monday, February 20, 1950 Short Subject "You Can Make A Million (This Is Americar—RKO Radio) Inventions that have brought their originators fortunes and the money still to be made from ideas not yet born are the subjects in the newest of the "This Is America" series. The producer, Jay Bonafield, has brought the camera into elaborate laboratories and average home work shops to show how the most elaborate and most commonplace gadgets are born. Out of all this there are millions to be made, the narrator says, and then the film sets out to show the many things that the world could still use but have thus far baffled the most enterprising amateur and professional inventors. The picture has a light-hearted tone and maintains interest throughout. Larry O'Reilly directed. Running time, 15 minutes. WB Shorts (Continued from page 1) short subject sales chief; Gordon Hollingshead, studio department chief, and Edward Selzer, cartoon department head. Scheduled for production are eight two-reel Technicolor specials, 10 sport features in Technicolor, six tworeelers in black-and-white, eight Vitaphone novelties, six "Hit Parades of the '20's", six "Joe Doakes" onereel comedies and 30 cartoons, including "Merrie Melodies" and "Looney Tunes." 12 from Eagle-Lion (Continued from page 1) Technicolor; "Guilty of Treason," Rank's "The Amazing Mr. Beecham" and "Hit the Ice," a re-issue. March, "The Great Rupert," "The Golden Gloves Story," "Boy from Indiana," "The Fighting Stallion" and "Forbidden Jungle." April, Rank's "The Perfect Woman" and "Kind Hearts and Coronets," and "Kill or Be Killed." If your customers are asking for an injection of hot laughter call old... Dr. Durante with his trusty pix "THE©te«rRw«?r An Eagle Lion Films Release Exhibitors Again Are Urged to Keep Up Steady Flow of Tax Protest Cards Many exhibitors are asking how best to handle the signed protest blanks upon which patrons are registering their protests to Congressmen over the 20 per cent wartime Federal excise levy. Here is the recommendation of the tax committee of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, according to Oscar A. Doob, committee member. Whenever each theatre has 200 or 300 signed blanks, they should be wrapped up and parcel-posted to the proper Congressmen (care of the House Office Building, Washington, D. C), the representative from the district in which the theatre is located. They should repeat this each time a few hundred accumulate, so that there will be a steady stream of thousands of cards going to every Congressman. Exhibitors are advised not to hold all of the cards too long. They should be kept flowing into Washington. "This will be much more effective than big shipments at one time," according to the committee. Local Tax Plans Hit (Continued from page 1) reduce the tax, there is nothing it can do to prevent the states and cities from stepping in. But, as one industry legislative observer put it, "It doesn't hurt to have the Congressmen get their views on the record." Abram F. Myers and Gael Sullivan, representing the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, are slated to take the industry's case for tax repeal before the Ways and Means group on Tuesday. Excise hearings are scheduled to wind up Wednesday. Myers said if the committee mentioned the state-city position, he would tell them that the industry would be willing to take its chance fighting the states and cities if only the Federal tax were off. "We'd like to get rid of the hot potato we have first before worrying about new ones," he said. "At least in the cities, we'd be playing the game on our home ground. Many mayors will be surprised to find out how many of their people go to the movies. We've been pretty successful so far fighting taxes at the local level. Two Allied members are mayors themselves." Myers said he had been chiefly worried that committee members would feel that there was no use cutting the Federal tax if the states and cities were going to step in. But the committee attitude Friday didn't follow this reason;ng. Instead, the members wanted to make sure the thetre-goer really got price relief, and that business would pick up as a result. The state and local governments were represented before the committee Friday by Frank Carlton, Governor of Kansas, representing the Council of State Governments and the Governors' Conference ; Paul V. Betters for the U. S. Conference of Mayors ; Carl H. Chatters, executive director of the American Municipal Association ; Keith L. Seegmiller for the National Association of County Officials ; and C. Emory Glander for the National Association of Tax Administrators. Gov. Carlson said that if Congress repealed the tax, "it is not our idea" that the states would use the tax but rather would make it available to their local governments. The AMA said that if Congress did not want to repeal the full 20 per cent tax, it should allow a tax credit for local taxes against the Federal tax, up to the total 20 per cent. For example, if New York imposed a 10 per cent local tax, the Federal tax would automatically be lowered to 10 per cent. Chatters said this scheme would make sure there was no net loss in overall revenue from admissions. As soon as the state and local officials had finished outlining their stand, committee members stajrted tearing into them. "We've been told the industry wants tax relief so that it can pass it on to the theatregoers and help their business," said committee Chairman Doughton (D., N. C.) "I don't see much point in just transferring the tax. That won't help business. Anyhow, do you mean to tell me the states need the revenue more than the Federal Government?" u Rep. Curtis (R., Neb.) said he was "not enthusiastic about abolishing a tax and at the same time giving an implied invitation to other units of government to step in. The economy needs less taxes, not just different ones." Rep. Kean (R., N. J.) said the AMA idea of giving a credit for the local tax "would merely force each municipality to put on the full 20 per cent tax. Why should they be content with less?" "We step out and you step in," said Rep. Dingell (D., Mich.). "Where does the consumer come in?" Delaney, Roosevelt Support Admission Tax Repeal Two more Congressmen from New York City have pledged unqualified support of the industry's fight for repeal _ of the Federal 20 per cent admission tax, according to the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres and the Independent Theatre Owners associations. They are Representatives James J. Delaney and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. Boston Youth Turn Out For Tax 'Tea Party' Boston, Feb. 19— Rallying to the cry of "Taxation Without Justification" youthful motion picture patrons Petitions Filed In Towne Case Chicago, Feb. 19. — Following up on earlier steps, attorneys for the defendants in the Towne Theatre, Milwaukee, trust case on Friday filed in U. S. District Court here petitions for an amendment of ~"\lings and motions for a new trial. Jfie motions are designed to obtain further time for" an appeal which would be taken by the defendants pending the outcome of a new trial. A hearing is scheduled for March 27, when Towne' s attorney Thomas McConnell will present a decree asking for divestiture of Warner and Fox Wisconsin first-run theatres and 25 of the latter's neighborhood houses in Milwaukee. In addition, Towne was awarded triple damages of $1,295,878 from the eight distributor and theatre defendants in the action. Republic Nets (Continued from page 1) $28,086,596, compared with $27,072,636 in 1948. Yates told the stockholders that domestic revenue showed an increase whereas income from abroad declined, reflecting restrictions abroad. Republic's foreign current assets, he said, increased from the equivalent of $1,095,907 on Oct. 30, 1948, to the equivalent of $1,418,812 at the end of the last fiscal year. Yates reported the corporation has liquidated $2,700,000 in bank loans in the past year and its only indebtedness now is $1,423,322, which represents loans made for specific pictures. Labor costs in 1949 increased more than $300,000 over 1948, Yates said. Since 1941 the corporation's direct labor costs have gone up more than 100 per cent. He said union demands have compelled Republic to increase personnel beyond requirements. Yates concluded his report with an optimistic view. He said that based upon the company's present and forthcoming product, operations in 1950, "barring unsatisfactory developments, will continue to show a substantial improvement." Repeal Drive a Test (Continued from page 1) greater than anticipated, but that there is a considerable fluctuation in the number of petitions signed among theatres of comparable size, location and attendance. "This clearly indicates," he stated, "that the enthusiasm, efficiency and showmanship of the exhibitor or theatre manager is an important factor in the results. When the tables for signatures are properly placed, the posters prominently displayed and attendants on duty at proper times, many more petitions are signed." staged a second "Boston Tea Party" at noon Saturday in a demonstration against the 20 per cent Federal admissions tax. Members of 20th Century-Fox home office staff here have been asked by Spyros P. Skouras, company president, to write to their respective Congressmen, urging them to support repeal of the Federal admission tax.