Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1950)

FILE COPY 'OL.i=zf NO. 99 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U. S. A., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1950 TEN CENTS [ATSE Mo\es\ Salesmen's Convention to For Pay Hike | Sound Call for Pay Hike mi Exchanges i,000 Involved in Wage \lalks Underway in N. Y. Negotiations have opened in New York between IATSE representaives and a distributors' committee 'on new union contracts to cover ome 6,000 film exchange employes in 12 exchange cities. The existing two■ear contracts will terminate on Dec. 1. The "IA" is understood to be intent on securing under new pacts wage increases at least equal to those that were won under the current contracts. When the companies and the union signed the present agreements in March, 1949, after nearly four months of talks, (Continued on page 4) Milwaukee, Nov. 21. — Plans of the Colosseum of Motion Picture Salesmen of America to seek salary adjustments to meet increased living costs will be one of the main topics of discussion at the union's annual convention scheduled for Dec. 2-3 at the Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, it was indicated today by Colosseum general counsel David Beznor. Existing contracts with major distributors expires on April 15, 1951. The convention will also discuss plans to strengthen the salesmen's security and generally to improve employment conditions, it was disclosed by Beznor, who recently criticized sales managers who allegedly failed to support (Continued on page 2) Cinema Prod, to Set Distribution Today The board of directors of Cinema Productions is scheduled to meet in New York today to round out the company's plans for the production of four three-dimensional pictures in cooperation with Cinerama Corp., and to reach a decision on a distributor for at least the first of the four. All four films, which will be financed by Bankers Trust and the many exhibitors and circuit executives who are members of Cinema Produc (Continued on page 4) 20th^Fox Earnings Are $6,595,723 In 39-Week Period Consolidated net earnings of $6,595,723 for the 39 weeks ending Sept. 30, 1950 were reported here yesterday by 20th Century-Fox and all its subsidiaries, including National Theatres and Roxy Theatre. The comparable figure for 1949 was $8,200,013. The figure includes $2,401,210 representing previous earmngs frozen abroad and now converted into dollars. Theatre receipts for the 1950 period were $45,146,380, compared with (Continued on page 4) New TV Syndicate to Produce, Distribute Chicago, Nov. 21. — At a meeting of 12 telecasters at the Ambassador Hotel here a corporation was formed to produce and distribute films and newsreels for TV stations, it was announced today by Harrison Dunham, manager of station KTTV, Los Angeles, spokesman for the group. The corporation, backed primarily by newspaper-owned TV stations, includes KTTV, Los Angeles ; KRONTV, San Francisco; WSB-TV, At (Continued on page 2) Unemployment Up In U. K. Studios London, Nov. 21. — Studio unemployment continues on the increase here with 742 members of the Association of Cine and Allied Technicians union unemployed at the end of October, an increase of 68 over the previous month. Since Nov. 1, 32 additional workers were laid off at Warner's Teddington studio following completion of "Captain Horatio Hornblower." Key production and maintenance staffs are (Continued on page 2) D. of J. Wants Divorce Plans Of 3 by Dec. 6 Will Contest If Date Disputed by Companies Washington, Nov. 21. — The Justice Department is understood to still be taking the position that Warner Brothers, Loew's and 20th Century-Fox must file their detailed divorcement plans with the New York Statutory Court by Dec. 6, and is considering several alternatives for giving effect to this belief. The question as to the deadline hinges on a legal technicality. The New York court said the companies must file within six months from the effective date of the decree. The question is whether the effective date is the day the U. S. Su(Continued on page 2) Skouras, Mochrie Start Rogers Drive The entertainment industry launched its multi-million-dollar fund drive for the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital at Saranac Lake, N. Y., yesterday at the Hotel Astor with Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox, and Robert Mochrie, RKO Radio j sales vice-president, appearing before newsreel cameras as they accepted a full-length portrait of the late humorI ist. The portrait, painted by Clarence C. (Continued on page 2) Theatre TV Sport Tests Successful: John Balaban District Managers Of RKO to Meet Robert Mochrie, RKO Radio sales vice-president, has called all RKO district managers in the U. S. and Canada to a meeting here on Monday, Dec. 4, probably running through Dec. 6. Among those to attend are: R J. Folliard, Eastern district; M. E. Lefko, East Central; H. H. Greenblatt, Midwest; A. L. Kolitz, Rocky Mountain; J. H. Mclntyre, West; L. S. Gruenberg, Metropolitan ; David Prince, Southeast; Ben Y. Cammack, Southwest, and Leo M. Devaney of Canada. By DAN BLUE Chicago, Nov. 21. — "Theatre television is a success," said John Balaban, president of Balaban and Katz, following the fifth and final big screen telecast of "Big Ten" football games in the circuit's State Lake and Tivoli theatres. At the State Lake, attendance jumped steadily each week, rising from approximately 1J00 for the first game to 1,200 for the second, 1,500 for the third, 1,800 for the fourth, and all 2,700 seats were filled for the fifth. The box-office was closed from noon until 3:30 when the telecast ended. As usual the audience was predominately male. Edward Levin, State Lake publicity (Continued on page 4) TO A 9s Levy Terms Windsor Decision A 'Blow' to Bidding Charlotte, Nov. 21. — The Maryland U. S. District Court's recent dismissal of the Windsor Theatre Co. complaint against Walbrook Amusement was described here today by Herman M. Levy, Theatre Owners of America's general counsel, as "a serious body blow" to the position taken by distributors that they are compelled to employ competitive bidding. Addressing the annual convention here of the Theatre Owners of North and South Carolina, Levy said the decision in the cases, "unless upset on (Continued on page 4) Says 20th Will Aid 'Bold' Showmanship Charlotte, Nov. 21.— In order to offset the competing effects of television and other entertainment media, Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., advertising manager of 20th Century-Fox, offered to work with any exhibitor group proposing a specific "bold and aggressive showmanship plan," in an address yesterday at the Theatre Owners of North and South Carolina meeting here. Rosenfield, citing the efforts of 1 (Continued on page 2) "A