Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1950)

FILE COPY DO NOT R, VOL. 67. NO. 40 MOTIOSTOTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1950 TEN CENTS Arbitration Proposal Up At TOA Meet Leaders Convening Here Today for 2-Day Session The 13-member executive committee of the Theatre Owners of America, meeting here today and tomorrow, will vote on a request by TOA executive director Gael Sulli\ an and general counsel Herman Levy that the two be authorized to urge distribution company presidents to initiate hearings on the desirability of a system of industry arbitration and ascertain how objections to such a system may be solved. Another item on the meeting agenda is a vote on ratification of the organization's participation in the Council of Motion Picture Organizations. It is expected that TOA will approve COMPO "in principle." According to pre-meeting opinions, the executive committee conclave will adjourn tomorrow with reservations (Continued on page 4) 300 Variety Reservations to Date Cited as a Pre -Convention Record Dallas, Feb. 28. — Variety International headquarters here reports that the advance registration for the forthcoming 14th annual convention, to be held in New Orleans April 26-29, has already reached 300, a pre-convention record for the organization. One thousand are expected to attend. The New Orleans executive committee, headed by N. L. (Turk) Carter, has been holding weekly meetings to coordinate the various activities and to formulate the program. R. J. O'Donnell, chief barker and Chick Lewis, convention director, are scheduled to meet with the New Orleans committee again sometime in mid-March, at which time all convention plans will be finalized. A new addition to Variety Club conventions will be a get-together dinner of the newly-organized Hey-Rube Club, which consists of all past chief barkers. Says Treasury Tax Views Should be Told Bill Would Clear Sound Track Import Troubles Jordan Quits MPA; Spiegel Takes Post Officially on July 1 Marc M. Spiegel, RKO Radio foreign department aide for the past four years, will succeed Marian F. Jordan as Motion Picture Association of America representative in Germany, it was announced here yesterday by John G. McCarthy, MPAA vice (Continued on page 6) Washington, Feb. 28. — Rep. King (D., Calif.) has introduced in the House a bill to make it possible for film companies to use magnetic sound film or magnetic tape on films shot overseas. The bill is sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America. The Tariff Act of 1930 taxes film imports at three cents a foot for exposed and developed negatives, two cents for exposed but undeveloped negatives, and one cent for positives. These rates were cut in half under a 1942 reciprocal trade agreement. They apply both to the picture portion and to the photographic sound track, usually imported separately. Recently, new processes have been developed for recording sound, includ (Continued on page 4) 20th Meet to Hear Rembusch, Pinanski Samuel Pinanski, president of Theatre Owners of America, and Trueman Rembusch, president of Allied States, will address exhibitors at the 20th Century-Fox "Showmanship Meeting" to be held in Chicago, March 8-9. Both are scheduled to speak at the opening session when the conclave will hear addresses of welcome and an outline of the purpose of the meeting from president Spyros P. Skouras of 20th Century-Fox. Other addresses will be given by company vice-presi(Continued on page 6) Myers Urges Owners to Send Them to Capital Washington, Feb. 28. — Exhibitors contacting their Congressmen on admission tax relief should play up the attitude of the Treasury Department as relayed yesterday to Carter Barron, Loew's Eastern division manager, according to Abram F. Myers, chairman of the tax committee of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations. After a conference with Treasury Secretary Snyder, Barron said the Treasury's attitude was "sympathetic" and that the administration's stand was not "frozen" on any particular excise but rather that any industry which could make out a hardship case would be considered for relief. Myers said COMPO would send (Continued on page 6) Johnston Sees UK Decisions Today Washington, Feb. 28.— Decisions on arrangements for a review of the Anglo-U. S. film remittance agreement are expected within 24 hours, Eric Johnston, Motion Picture Association president, said today on his return here from Miami, where he met on Monday with members of the organization's British negotiating committee. Johnston declined to elaborate on that statement, beyond saying that "No decisions had been reached" at the Miami meeting. TECHNICOLOR DECREE SIGNED, CLOSING CASE FILED IN 194 7 MGM Campaigns in Work for 26 Films With release dates of forthcoming Metro Goldwyn Mayer productions scheduled to the end of August by William F. Rodgers, sales vice-president, plans for national exploitation campaigns to give individual promotional value to the new product are being completed by Howard Dietz, advertising-publicity vice-president. Dietz, following conferences on the campaigns in New York, will leave here Friday to join Rodgers at the Coast studio to discuss selling plans with Louis B. Mayer, Dore Schary (Continued on page 6) Los Angeles, Feb. 28. — Federal Judge William C. Mathes this afternoon signed the anti-trust judgment against Technicolor, Inc., submitted to him last Friday by government and company counsel, closing the case against the corporation filed on Aug. 18, 1947. The signing followed minor changes in wording ordered by Mathes, but no changes in meaning, fact or import were entailed. Salient details of the decree appeared in Monday's Motion Picture Daily. Tells Solons Ticket TaxMakes Treasury Lose $125,000,000 Detroit, Feb. 28. — A loss to the U. S. Treasury of "at least $125,000000" in income taxes from American theatres annually is attributed to the Federal admission tax in statistics prepared by E. R. Holtz, presidenttreasurer of the Grand Riviera Theatre Co. of this city. The statistics were presented to (Continued on page 6) Weller Criticizes Decrees Los Angeles, Feb. 28. — Fred A. Weller, counsel and executive secre (Continued on page 6) SIMPP Meeting on UK,CompoTomorrow Hollywood, Feb. 28.— Membership meeting of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers has been set for Thursday at Lucey's Restaurant here with the agenda including a vote on ratification of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations and plans for the reopening of the British remittance agreement. SIMPP president Ellis G. Arnall was due here tonight from Atlanta.