Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1950)

n ^^^^T REMQVB FY V'L. 68. p«9 REMQVB MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1950 Impartial TEN CENTS jara. Pictures -Mo. Profit i $2,826,000 Estimate Second Quarter hrnings at $1,385,000 ■Paramount Pictures Corporation ■mates the earnings of the cor ■ tion and its consolidated domes ■ and Canadian subsidiaries for ■ second quarter ended July 1 at p 585 ,000 after provision for income ■es. These earnings do not include ■2,000 representing Paramount's net ■:rest in the combined undistributed ■hings for the quarter of partially ■ied non-consolidated subsidiaries, ■icipally Allen B. DuMont Labora■es, Inc. I Earnings for the six months nded July 1 on the same basis ■re estimated at $2,826,000. i "hese earnings do not include 829,000 representing Para | rtount's net interest in the lombined undistributed earn!igs for the six months of par'ially owned non-consolidated [ubsidiaries, principally Allen (Continued on page 6) Hughes-Brandt Deal To Lawyers, Dietrich Leaves for Coast ,000 Locals t IA' Meet Detroit, Aug. 10.— Some 1,100 delates will represent nearly 1,000 lis in the motion picture and allied jsement fields at next week's conjtion here of the IATSE from nday through the week, 'rom Hollywood will come camerar, film editors, laboratory techans, sound technicians, costumers, (Continued on page 6) Annual Monogram | Convention Sept. 5-7 Hollywood, Aug. 10. — Company president Steve Broidy today disclosed that the annual sales convention of Monogram-Allied Artists will be held at the Ambassador Hotel here Sept. 5-7. At that time Broidy will make the annual product announcement to the 100-plus members of the field sales force, executives and franchise holders attending. Noah Dietrich, RKO board chairman and chief representative of Howard Hughes, left here yesterday for the Coast by private plane, ending three weeks of participations in the negotiations for sale to Harry Brandt of Hughes' controlling interest in the post-divorcement RKO theatre company. Prior to his departure Dietrich said his leaving had no significance insofar as the Brandt deal was concerned, adding that he would have left sooner had it not been for other business. Dietrich had extended his stay in New York two weeks ago because of the promise of an early conclusion of the deal with Brandt. Subsequently, an agreement on terms was reached under which Brandt would pay in excess of $8,000,000 for the 929,020 shares of RKO theatres' stock which will be issued to Hughes followingdivorcement next Jan. 1. Complications ensued involving the (.Continued on page 6) Delay RKO-Reade Dissolution Again A request by the estate of Frank Storrs, a party to the RKO TheatresWalter Reade partnership in TrentonNew Brunswick Theatres, for postponement of the entry of a decree for the dissolution of the partnership was granted yesterday by New Jersey Superior Court in Trenton. (Continued on page 6) ARTHUR MAYER IS COMPO EXEC. V P COMPO Will Have A Research Unit Of Six Members At yesterday's Council of Motion Picture Organizations executive board meeting, which was characterized by speed, facility and enthusiasm, COMPO president Ned E. Depinet was authorized to name a six-man committee on basic research. The board voted the committee, which Depinet has yet to name, an appropriation of $3,500 for preliminary expenses. The research committee will be responsible for the employment of one or more market analysis groups to give COMPO a realistic picture of the industry, and to give reasons for boxoffice difficulties. The sub-committee (Continued on page 5) Hold TO A's COMPO Signature Binding The Council of Motion Picture Organizations is a thoroughly legal entity despite the fact that Samuel Pinanski, president of the Theatre Owners of America, to date has not signed its by-laws, in the unanimous opinion of COMPO's executive board. This position was entered upon the (Continued on page 4) Montague Challenges Wood 's Proposed Autry Boycott Ugast Named 20th's Far Eastern Head J Edward Ugast, manager for 20th Century-Fox in Cuba since 1946, has been promoted to the post of Far Eastern supervisor by Murray Silverstone, 20th-Fox International head. Ugast has been in New York for the past few weeks for conferences with head office executives and will return to Havana immediately to wind up his affairs there. Shortly thereafter he will proceed to Singapore where he will make his headquarters. In his new post, Ugast will super (Continued on page 6) Columbus, O., Aug. 10. — Prospective boycott of Gene Autry pictures by Ohio exhibitors angry at his production of 27-minute features designed for TV use would injure "the innocent party," Columbia Pictures, said Abe Montague, Columbia general sales manager, in a letter to P. J. Wood, secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio. Wood had written in the July 28 issue of the ITO bulletin that "exhibitors should remember Autry's TV films when they are asked to buy Autry features." Leo T. Jones, Upper Sandusky exhibitor, cancelled four Autry contracts following the Wood bulletin. "Columbia did not advocate Autry's going on television and Columbia does (Continued on page 4) 2 -Day Meet Completes Organization Work; COMPO Ready to Start Arthur L. Mayer, film consultant to the Economic Cooperation Administration and former exhibitor, film importer and producer of documentaries, yesterday was elected unanimously by the executive board of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations to the executive vicepresidency o f COMPO at a salary of $25,000 annually, plus expenses. This action by the board was the final one that was needed to make COMPO a "going concern." It climaxed two days of work and debate (Continued on page 5) .Arthur L. Mayer COMPO Plans 2 S eminars The Council of Motion Picture Organizations this year will sponsor two seminars on the problems of production and exhibition, one to be held in Hollywood and another in a "grass roots" area. This action was voted yesterday at the final sessiou of the two-day COM (Continued on page 4) Theatre Employes' Training Film Set The COMPO executive board, meeting here yesterday, adopted a plan whereby the organization will develop a script for a training film designed solely for the use of industry employees, with a view to improving their relationships with one another and with the public. Spyros P. Skouras has indicated that 20th CenturyFox will produce such a film. The COMPO board commended Skouras for his cooperation.