Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1950)

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Motion Picture Daily Thursday, October 5, 1950 Martin, Lewis, Sorry, At Allied Convention Pittsburgh, Oct. 4. — Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the comic team who aroused exhibitor ire nationally on their recent telecast ridiculing theatres, appeared at the Allied States convention banquet here tonight, and after entertaining for ten minutes, expressed their regrets for the telecast for which they were criticised. "If we had thought about it more beforehand, we would not have done the show," they they said. They were enthusiastically applauded by the exhibitor audience. Dennis Morgan was toastmaster at the banquet. Mochrie Pledges RICO Action H. L. Crosby, 79, Dies After Heart Attack Hollywood, Oct. 4. — Harry Lowe Crosby, 79, father of Bing, Bob, Larry, Everett, Ted, died this afternoon at his home in North Hollywood following a heart attack Sunday night. The deceased came to Hollywood in 1933 from his native state of Washington to set up offices for the management of Bing's activities, in which connection he was active until withdrawing recently due to failing health which kept him inactive. Widow and two daughters, eighteen grandchildren, also survive. Funeral services will be at St. Charles Church, North Hollywood, on Saturday. (Continued from page 1) all Allied officers who may receive such complaints." Mochrie also told the convention that RKO Radio will sell on a flat rental basis to all theatres in the $200 to $300 gross class on "A" pictures. He assured the convention which has heard much talk of exhibitor fear of "reprisals" for making complaints that RKO Radio would not tolerate retaliations in any form. Mochrie urged the exhibitors to give new talent a chance, to refrain from refusing a picture because "it doesn't have names." The producer takes a gamble in making such pictures and, if it's a good picture the exhibitor should take a gamble, too, and help "new faces" in films. He cited the box office success of Samuel Goldwyn's "Our Very Own," with new names. RKO Advertising Mochrie said RKO Radio is maintaining advertising of its films, despite the fact that business recessions forced it to cut appropriations from $110,000 on pictures grossing $1,500,000 to a present average of $50,000 for cooperative advertising on an "A" picture. His company spent $400,000 on advertising and $100,000 on exploitation for Walt Disney's "Treasure Island," Mochrie said. He told the convention that the company had sold 2,400 contracts to date on "Stromboli" and that the final wouldn't reach 3,000. By contrast, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" sold 16,000 contracts, he said. Answering questions on competitive bidding, Mochrie said that in a majority of cases in which an independent bids for RKO pictures against a circuit, the independent will win. He said he doesn't like bidding, is forced to use it and has withdrawn its supervision from the field forces to a special home office department in which he believes the best possible job is being done. O. F. Sullivan, of Kansas-Missouri Allied, had complained that after he had been asked to bid for "Treasure Island" he found that a Fox Midwest theatre in St. Louis already was advertising it for a specific opening. Mochrie replied that disclosing successful bids would result in "endless discussion and an unbearable burden on top of all we have already," and that he opposed disclosure of bids for that reason. He agreed, however, to investigate the complaint and report to Sullivan. Answering a query concerning a published report that Disney stock was being acquired by NBC and that his films might be used on television, Mochrie said Roy Disney had told him that there had been inquiries from NBC recently concerning Disney films for television. He pointed out in reply that "Cinderella" has grossed $3,800,000 in theatres and said he remarked he didn't believe television was prepared to match that. The television executive agreed. "I believe that answers your question," Mochrie remarked to the query posed by the delegate. A I lied Mee ting Was Menaced by Strike Pittsburgh, Oct. 4. — Hotel employes in Pittsburgh have voted to accept an increased wage offer made by hotel operators early this week, thus averting a strike which would have seriously inconvenienced Allied States' national convention here and might have caused postponement of the annual convention b/^^iet tonight. (<7it However, the delegates nave been practically without news of the outside world during their three-day convention stay because of a strike of mailroom and delivery employes of Pittsburgh newspapers. Yesterday all three Pittsburgh newspapers abandoned their efforts to continue publication because of the near-impossibility of distributing papers. Editorial and other non-striking employes were given indefinite suspensions without pay for the duration of the strike. Allied conventioneers get an occasional out-of-town paper and share it with a score or more of readers. Aside from that, radio newscasts are the only source of information on news of the day here. /. A. Kane Heads UA Branch in St. Louis J. A. Kane has been promoted to the post of branch manager of United Artists' St. Louis exchange by Gradwell Sears, general sales manager. Kane, who has been with UA since 1943, both as office manager of the St. Louis office and a salesman there, replaces R. R. Thompson, who resigned. GREATNESS in characterizations comes from great stars t watch for JOHN FORD S greatest triumph coming soon