Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

14 Motion Picture Daily Monday, June 5, l1 SAG-TV A Hearing Set for June 12 Examiner Sidney H. Levy of the National Labor Relations Board will conduct an informal hearing on June 12 at National Broadcasting headquarters here in connection with the jurisdictional dispute between Television Authority and the Screen Actors Guild. Television Authority has tiled for an NLRB election to settle the dispute over control of talent in motion pictures for video. Both unions have opened negotiations with the telecasters for wage-andhour contracts. RKO Slates 28 'A' Films (Continued from page 1) Tax Slash (Continued from page 1) It reaffirmed the decision to reduce the basic rate from one cent for .each five cents or major fraction thereof to one cent for each 10 cents or major fraction ; It reaffirmed its decision to allow exhibitors to charge the tax on reduced price tickets on the basis of the actual reduced price rather than on the established price ; It said the effective date of the tax reduction would apply to theatre tickets bought on and after the first day of the first month which begins more than 10 days after the tax bill becomes law. There is still considerable question whether there will be a tax bill, especially in view of the little headway the Committee is making in bringing the revenue loss and gain into balance. But assuming there will be a new tax law, it is virtually certain that it will not be enacted until late August, which would mean that the effective date of the admission cut would not be before Sept. 1, and possibly might not be until Oct. 1, depending just when in August the bill is enacted. The Committee on Friday also reconsidered its earlier action to cut the cabaret tax from 20 per cent to 10 per cent and instead voted a reduction only to 15 per cent. M-G-M Lists Several Moveovers for 'Annie' Now in its third week at the State, New York, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "Annie Get Your Gun" has played one week at the Poli, Hartford and then moved over to the Palace for a 3-day run. At the Grand, Atlanta, it played 17 days and in St. Louis, it ran 20 days at the State and an additional moveover week at the Orpheum. At Loew's in Dayton the run continued 17 days, while in Cleveland, at the Stillman, it is now in its fourth week. Following an eight-day run at the Victory in Evansville, Ind., it moved over to the Majestic for a week. In Bridgeport, after two weeks at the Poli, it moved over to the Globe where it holds for a third week. At the Warfield in San Francisco, it played three weeks. Approximately 60 key-city engagements have been set for June for "Annie Get Your Gun," according to the company. This includes practically every Loew situation, plus a number of others. a schedule of Westerns and program pictures. Currently in release is "The Capture" with Teresa Wright and Lew Ayres, and John Ford's "Wagonmaster." Three in Technicolor On the schedule is "Jet Pilot," now being filmed in Technicolor under the personal supervision of Hughes, with John Wayne and Janet Leigh. Other Technicolor productions include "Two Tickets To Broadway," a romantic musical and "Sons of The Musketeers" starring Cornel Wilde and Maureen O'Hara. This fall will also bring the general release of the Sierra PicturesWalter Wanger production of "Joan of Arc," starring Ingrid Bergman, also in Technicolor. Three Skirball-Manning productions in the RKO line-up include Claudette Colbert in "The Secret Fury," now current ; "The Story of a Divorce," Bette Davis and Barry Sullivan, and "Appointment in Samarra," based upon the John O'Hara best seller, starring Gregory Peck. Two other Hughes' productions, "Vendetta" and "Mad Wednesday," will be in the early fall schedule. "Vendetta" stars Faith Domergue, who is being introduced in "Where Danger Lives" with Robert Mitchum. "Mad Wednesday," directed by Preston Sturges, stars Harold Lloyd. Chadwick Cites (Continued from page 1) cross-country tour to urge exhibitors to increase bookings of independentlyproduced films. Chadwick reported this here on Friday following his arrival from Philadelphia, where he spoke before a group of exhibitors. Among the points being made by Chadwick in his conferences with showmen is that they hold their patronage of reissues to "legitimate" reissues. He said his arguments have been well received by exhibitors thus far. He coupled the exhibitors of the South with those of New England as meeting IMPPA standards. He has spoken with some of the former. The IMPPA president will leave here this week for talks with exhibitors in Albany and Buffalo. He is scheduled to be in Ithaca on Thursday for a class reunion at Cornell. Other key cities still on his itinerary of exhibitor conferences are : New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. SAG Members (Continued from page 1) proposed schedule called "inadequate and lowering the conditions of motion picture actors." The contract proposals approved by the membership at tonight's meeting provide for a guild shop and a basic minimum salary fixed at $55 per eighthour day and $175 per 48-hour week, which is identical with SAG minimums for other motion pictures. Other provisions call for an additional payment of the same amount to actors for each time, after the first, the picture is televised in each locality across the nation. "Alias Mike Fury" has Victor Mature, William Bendix and Terry Moore as stars. "Come Share My Love" is headlined by Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray ; "Walk Softly, Stranger" teams Joseph Cotten and Valli in a romantic drama. Cary Grant will be seen in the Lunt-Fontanne stage hit, "O Mistress Mine." "It's Only Money" stars Frank Sinatra, Jane Russell and Groucho Marx. Miss Russell will also be seen in two other features, "Montana Belle" in Trucolor, and with Robert Mitchum, Vincent Price and Tim Holt in "His Kind of Woman." List Producers, Directors "Carriage Entrance" stars Mitchum, Ava Gardner and Melvyn Douglas. "The Gaunt Woman" will star Dana Andrews in the Edmund Gilligan adventure. "Mad With Much Heart" stars Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan and Ward Bond. RKO Radio studio producers include Sid Rogell, Robert Sparks, Harriet Parsons, John Houseman, Danny Dare, Alex Gottlieb, Irving Cummings, Jr., Jack J. Gross, Warren Duff, Jerrold T. Brandt, Polan Banks, Howard Welsch and among its directors are Robert Stevenson, Ted Tetzlaff, Nicholas Ray, George Marshall, Lewis Allen, Josef von Sternberg, John Farrow, James V. Kern, Allan Dwan and Irving Cummings. Arnall-SIMPP Meet (Continued from page 1) Mauretania from England on Saturday following participation in the London trade negotiations along with Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and James Mulvey, head of Samuel Goldwyn Productions. Coast labor also is slated to be taken up at SIMPP Hollywood meetings shortly following the arrival from Europe of Richard F. Walsh, president of the IATSE. Walsh is due in New York on June 20 and almost immediately will leave for the Coast to discuss with studio unions the employment problems connected with the proposed British agreement. UK Trade Board Informs Film Groups of Pact Terms London, June 4. — Representatives of the British Film Producers Association, the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association and trade unions were informed of the terms of Britain's proposals for a new film pact with the American industry at a meeting at the Board of Trade here on Friday. Board president Harold Wilson had invited the groups but being on vacation his place was taken by his assistant, Rupert Somervill, who disclosed details of the proposed deal at the session. UA First-Run Sales (Continued from page 1) engagement of "Love Happy" at the Ronnie, National and Manchester drive-ins, with a combined capacity of 1,500 cars, grossed $2,550, and estimated the second week at $2,000. The result compares with a gross of $1,500 for "Red River" at the 1,800seat Loew's State, St. Louis first-run, according to a UA executive. Three E-L and FC Exchanges Closed Eagle-Lion and Film Classics have closed their exchanges in Omaha, New Haven and Albany, preparatory to the merger of the companies effective June 12, which will bring into being the new company, Eagle-Lion Classics. ELC will maintain exchanges in 28 other ffi The new company will service Omaha out of Des Moines, New Haven out of Boston, and Albany out of Buffalo, according to ELC distribution vice-president William J. Heineman. He said that exhibitors in the three cities where the exchanges have been abandoned will be serviced by on-the-spot shipping, sales and distribution facilities. U-I, Chicago (Continued from page 1) Stratford and Englewood theatres bi the Ridge and Granada theatn Olympic and Berwyn theatres; L coin, Century and Belmont theatr and the Jackson Park, Stony a Jeffery theatres. Universal will thus join Pai mount, Loew's, 20th-Fox, RKO Rat and United Artists, which compan: have set up similar zoning plans sir the Jackson Park decree went ii effect here. Universal, it is understood, w go into full-fledged bidding to provi| greater revenue and to obtain a wicj1 range of bookings on films, whi many exhibitors have demanded, \ have not been able to obtain becat of the negotiation plan. Houses which have sought I product are those theatres which ha moved into first subsequent-run potion, but have been unable to bid I the company's product. Under the decree, bidding \ proved a successful system here $ the many theatres vying for prodi coming out of the Loop. At prese: approximately 30 theatres, includi drive-ins, are playing first subsequei run, and are competing for an avf age of three to four films each wei Defends Film 'Happ Endings' as 'Realisn Buffalo, June 4. — "Hollywood fib have happy endings because they r fleet American ideals, hopes and a pirations," Marjorie G. Dawson, ass ciate director of the Motion Pictu Association of America's communi relations department, said here Fridi while speaking before the annual co vention of the New York Associatii of University Women at the Hot Statler. Mrs. Dawson took issue with cr ics who feel that only the tragic d nouement in films can be most co, sistent with realism. "The dreams aij aspirations of American pioneers f; a happier and more comfortable li have become the realities of toda> she said. "The dreams and aspiratio which are today reflected in Americ; movies can as well become the rea ties of tomorrow."