Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1950)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, November 15, 195l{ iJr Personal Mention LOUIS ASTOR, Columbia circuit sales executive, will be in New Haven today and tomorrow from New York. • Francis Harmon, vice-president of the Motion Picture Association and secretary of jthe Council of Motion Picture Organizations, is on a month's leave of absence to rest and recuperate from illness. ? • Robert J. Rubin, former counsel for the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, has returned to New York from the Coast. • Martin Friedman, head of Paramount's playdate department, is in Pittsburgh today from New York and will be in Newark tomorrow. • Oliver Stratton, West Coast purchasing agent for Paramount, will return to the studio today from New York. • Max Thorpe Columbia's London managing director, has arrived from England by plane for home office conferences. Bernard R. Goodman, supervisor of Warner Bros, exchanges, has left here on a tour of New England and Eastern Canadian branches. Lou J. Kaufman, Warner Theatres executive, is in Washington from New York today. • Edward L. Fabian has returned here from a visit to Fabian theatres in the Albany area. • W. C. Gehring, assistant general sales manager for 20th Century-Fox, has left here for Cincinnati. • Morris Simpson, Paramount studio comptroller, and Mrs. Simpson are here from the Coast. Award Goes to WB For 'Breakthrough' A special award of merit will be presented to Harry M., Jack L. and Albert Warner by the Society of the First Division tomorrow evening here in recognition of the Warner Bros, film, "Breakthrough," which is to have its New York premiere on the same night at the Strand. The bronze plaque will be presented on the stage of the theatre by Lt. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner, recently returned from service as Commanding General of U. S. Army Forces in occupied Germany, and Lt. Col. William G. Ohme, president of the New York Chapter of the First Division Society. More than 600 veterans of the First Division, city officials, press and radio representatives and other dignitaries will also attend the performance. Another Warner Bros, film about the Army, "The West Point Story," will have its premiere tomorrow at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago. FCC Wearying of Phonevision Delays Washington, Nov. 14. — The Federal Communications Commission gave Zenith Radio Corp. another 30-day postponement, until Dec. 1, for starting its Phonevision tests, but indicated its expectation that this would be the last extension. In a letter to Zenith, the Commission said that "Since you now state that you believe that you will procure the necessary films 'in the near future,' the Commission expects the Phonevision tests to begin on Dec. 1, 1950, and that requests for further deferment will not be filed." Partial U. S. Figures Say Dividends Lag Washington, Nov. 14. — Film companies' dividends in the first nine months of 1950 were considerably below those paid in the first nine months last year, according to Commerce Department reports. This was true even after taking into account dividends paid by companies and not yet reported to Commerce. Commerce figures show that film companies have so far reported cash dividend payments during the first nine months of this year totalling $27,007,000, compared with $36,352,000 reported for the like 1949 period. However, Stanley Co., which last year reported over $7,000,000 paid in the first nine months, has not yet reported to Commerce any payments for the first nine months of this year. RKO, which accounted for about $1,800,000 in the first nine months of 1949, also has not told Commerce of any dividends yet this year. The month-by-month Commerce figures and the preliminary year-end total have been becoming increasingly meaningless, as companies get later and later in reporting dividend payments to the Department and as they shift the months in which they pay. Practically the only significant figure still issued on dividends is the final, revised total for each year, and this is usually not available until May or June of the following year. Circuits Sold Less Candy in '49: U. S. Washington, Nov. 14.— Theatre chains bought an estimated $16,530,000 worth of candy in 1949, compared with an estimated $19,800,000 in 1948, according to the Commerce Department. Department officials said there were no really firm figures on the chain purchases, and no figures at all on purchases by individual theatres. They made their estimates by taking figures submitted by 177 candy manufacturerwholesalers on how much they sold last year and in 1948 to theatre chains, and blowing up these figures to represent the entire candy industry. CEA Seeks End of Unit Booking Plan London, Nov. 14. — Efforts to induce American distributors here to abandon the unit booking plan adopted several years ago in what was ostensibly a retaliatory action against the establishment of Britain's 45 per cent film quota will be taken up at the next meeting of the joint committee of Cinematograph Exhibitors Association and the Kinematograph Renters Society. American distributors are members of the latter organization. Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, said while here last summer that the unit booking plan might be abandoned by the American companies within a matter of weeks. Nothing has happened since except that CEA's general purposes committee reported recently that it proposes to press actively for an end to the plan under which exhibitors are required to book two American pictures together. Its object, when adopted, was to prevent British exhibitors from using a strong American picture as a second feature to bolster a British picture which the quota required them to play. With the reduction of the quota now to 30 per cent there is less purpose in the unit booking plan's existence and it was dropped by 20th Century-Fox months ago. Universal and United Artists never were parties to it, nor were the independent American companies. Thus, it is still being practiced only by Loew's, Paramount, RKO, Columbia and Warners, with M-G-M the chief advocate for its retention. If pressed to a vote at the joint committee meeting, it is predicted that M-G-M's Sam Eckman will find himself outvoted. Campagna, Gioe Lose High Court Appeals Washington, Nov. 14. — Louis Campagna and Charles Gioe, two of a group of Chicago gangsters sentenced to 10 year prison terms for conspiring to extort more than $1,000,000 from the motion picture industry, have lost an appeal to the Supreme Court to remain out of prison on paroles granted in 1947. They were freed in that year after serving one-third of their sentences. After a Congressional investigation by the House Executive Expenditures Committee, their paroles were revoked. 'Kon-TikV Is Seen Headed for RKO Thor Heyerdahl, author of "KonTiki," will be guest of honor at a book and author's luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria here on Nov. 28. Scheduled to arrive here on Nov. 26 at International Airport, the Norwegian author will aid in exploiting and publicizing the "Kon-Tiki" motion picture and book. "Kon-Tiki" will probably be released through RKO Radio, it was announced by Irving Lesser of the New York office of Sol Lesser Productions, owners of U. S. rights to the film. Newsreel Parade BROTHERHOOD Week and tln\ ,M apponitment of Anna Rosenberg by Gen. Marshall are current nezvsree.< highlights. Other items include Kina Gustav rites, and sports. Complete contents follozv: MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 92 — Warrei Austin warns Red China. Defense post foi Anna Rosenberg. Railway bridge bites the dust. King Gustav rites. Canadian '*ealtl center in Greece gets gift. Brotherhooc drive. Football. nil [teas bens * w t NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 222^U.S. demands China quit Korea. Carrier home from Korea. Sweden hails new king. SecretaryMarshall names Anna Rosenberg. Bridge nosedives. Frog plague in Paris. Brother hood week. Football. nee j lied lifS iiled PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 25 — Collegians look to bowl games. King Gustav laid to rest. Ku Klux Klan defiant aftei acts of terror. Campagin for world Brother , hood. Maurice Chevalier toasted by friends jj|ta P'aris. son TELENEWS DIGEST, No. 4S-Armistice "» Day— 1950. Indo-China fighting. King Gustav lies in state. Air crash on Mont Blanc. Gen. Franco tours Canary Islands. Telephone walkout. Yule gifts for children broad. Football. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 404— Brother hood Week. Cruiser home from war ii Korea. New bridge for old. Frog plague in, Paris. News from the sport world: football. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 27— Foot ball news. King Gustav funeral. Anna Rosenberg named by Defense Secretary Marshall. Will Rogers statue unveiled. Brotherhood Week. "Breakthrough" prem iere. Bridge dropped. Refuses to Enjoin Court in Hawk Suit 0 If Si lis it sat Mi i< till ' !!!' Wichita, Nov. 14.— The U. S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit here refused to enjoin the Federal district court in Utah from proceeding with eight percentage suits brought against Hal F. Hawk, administrator of the estate of Claude C. Hawk, deceased, and Claude Hawk Corp. The writ of prohibition sought by the exhibitors to prevent the Utah District Court from retaining jurisdiction of the percentage actions was denied by the Court of Appeals, which is now1 sitting in Wichita. Thorpe to U. K. for MGM Hollywood, Nov. 14. — Director Richard Thorpe will plane out late this week for London where he will set up pre-production plans for "Ivan-, hoe," which he will direct next for M-G-M. Pando Berman will produce. Thorpe expects to be in England about three weeks and will then return to Hollywood to complete plans here. 'Mines' to Berger's Gopher in Minn. Minneapolis, Nov. 14. — "King Solomon's Mines" has been awarded by M-G-M to Ben Berger's Gopher for first-run in Minneapolis, the first time that the 1,026-seat theatre has gone into the deluxe-run field. Berger's bid was successful against Minnesota Amusement's State and James Nederlander's Lyceum. Su^dlvl Ja ^iVh^I Kv Jw i I ur Q-Ugle^ Edrtor-m-Ch.ef and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, N™ Yorlf" M^n^llP u^Iey.,Pubhshmg Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco Tame Tp < r„™il£ Q"l?iey' ^es.dent; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary FdTtnr rwfi T^'„ 19A c ?or!,HeTrbe>t V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau, YuccaVine Building, William R. Weaver, ™°L ^hle^° bureau, 120 South LaSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FI 6-3074. Washington, T. A. Otten, National Press Club, Wash' oS'v £hli«t,W M°L r,aU' n u J^V-i. L°ndon Hope BurnuP Manager; Peter Burnup. Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." 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