Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

10 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, January 9, 1951 Netter Named Altec General Sales Head L. D. Netter, Jr. has been appointed general sales manager of Altec Service Corp., H. M. Bessey, executive vice president announced yesterday. In addition to his duities with the service company, Netter will be responsible for product sales made by the service company as manufacturer's representative of Altec Lansing Corp. Netter joined Altec in a sales capacity in November, 1947, and has just completed heading the company's national three months' sales drive for Altec's 13th anniversary. Prior to joining Altec, Netter was connected with Eagle-Lion and spent four years in the Navy. L. D. Netter, Jr. Republic Sales Meet Opens in 'Frisco San Francisco, Jan. 8. — James R. Grainger, Republic distribution vicepresident, presided today over the first session of a two-day sales meeting being held here. Branch managers from the following cities are attending : Jack Dowd, Los Angeles; George Mitchell, San Francisco ; Gene Gerbase, Denver ; Thomas McMahon, Salt Lake City ; Jack C. Partin, Portland, and Paul McElhinney, Seattle. Edward L. Walton, assistant general sales manager, is present and will also attend a sales meeting in Chicago scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, which the following branch managers will attend : Nat E. Steinberg, St. Louis ; R. F. Withers, Kansas City ; Harry Lefholtz, Omaha ; Paul Webster, Des Moines ; J. E. Loeffier, Minneapolis ; Jack G. Frackman, Milwaukee ; A. H. Fischer, Chicago and Bernard Brager, Indianapolis. NCA 'Rental' (Continued from page 1) ecutive counsel, Ted Mann and Ernie Peaslee. The latter is due here tomorrow from his home at Stillwater, Minn. First of the meetings will be held tomorrw morning with Robert Mochrie, RKO sales head, and will be followed by a meeting with Charles J. Feldman, Universal domestic sales manager, in the afternoon. On Thursday, M-G-M will confer with the group. William F. Rodgers, M-G-M sales vice-president, is in Florida and the company will be represented by Charles Reagan, E. M. Saunders and Henderson M. Richey. An earlier date was postponed as Richey is out of town. A. W. Smith, Jr., 20th Century-Fox sales vice-president, will meet with the group on Friday morning. A. W. Schwalberg, head of Paramount distribution, is on the Coast, but it is expected that he will return in time to also confer with the group on Friday. A date with Columbia was still tentative yesterday, as A. Montague, company sales head, was planning to leave town last night or today. He, too, may return in time for a meeting. Ben Kalmenson, Warner distribution chief, is out of town and the NCA group was not certain that a meeting with Warner representatives would be held. Kane has an appointment with Arthur Mayer, Council of Motion Picture Organizations' executive vicepresident, for today. Republic to Release James Mason Film Republic will release 'A Lady Possessed," first of a series to be made by James Mason under the aegis of his own company, Portland Pictures, it is announced here. The picture, based on a novel by Mason's wife, Pamela Kellino, will be filmed at the Republic studio. A portion of the picture, which costars Mason, June Havoc and features Miss Kellino, has already been shot in England under the direction of Roy Kellino, who has returned to the U. S. to complete the direction. William Spier will collaborate in the direction. Scroll Presented To B. 0. Champion Davis Named MPEA Assistant in Japan Harry Davis, for the past 14 years manager for Republic and then for RKO Radio in countries of Central and South America, has been appointed assistant general manager of the Motion Picture Export Association's organization in Japan, Irving Maas, MPEA vice-president and general manager, announced yesterday. Davis will fly from New York today for Tokyo where he will report to Charles Mayer, MPEA managing director in that country. Kamber Named ELC New Publicity Head Bernard M. Kamber has been appointed publicity and promotion manager for Eagle Lion Classics, it was announced here yesterday by Howard LeSieur, director of advertising-publicity. Stephen Strassberg resigned as publicity manager last weekend. Kamber, who recently resigned as Eastern advertising-publicity representative for Harry M. Popkin Productions, has worked in similar capacity for other independent producers. He was at one time head of the special events department of United Artists and held publicity management posts in connection with government bond drives in the last war. JOHN WAYNE, voted the top J "Money-Making Star of 1950" by exhibitors in the annual Motion Picture Herald-Fame poll, was presented with the winner's scroll by Louella O. Parsons on her popular ABC network radio program on Sunday night, Jan. 7, in Hollywood. Miracle' (Continued from page 1) would be remiss in his duty if he failed to stop any "attack" on the religious belief of New Yorkers. On Sunday, Francis Cardinal Spellman called on every Roman Catholic in the U. S. to boycott the picture, which Commissioner McCaffrey a few weeks ago termed "blasphemous." Last weekend New York Supreme Court Justice Aron Steuer granted distributor Joseph _ Burstyn's request for a temporary injunction to restrain McCaffrey from banning "The Miracle" from exhibition at the Paris. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph F. Flannelly, administrator of St. Patrick's Cathedral, who read the Cardinal's statement at all masses on Sunday, indicated later that the Catholic Welfare Conference of the State would ask the Legislature to strengthen the state's censorship laws. Sunday afternoon members of the Catholic War Veterans and other organizations of Catholic men began picketing the Paris, where the controversial film is part of a program entitled "Ways of Love." Casmassine, Talbot WinRKOTopPrizes First prize winners in RKO The . atres' "Boost Your Business" contest were Rocque Casmassine of the RKO Regent here and A. H. Talbot, manager of the RKO Iowa, Cedar Rapids, la., William W. Howard, vicepresident of RKO Theatres, announced yesterday. Checks totaling $3,750 are on their way to the winners, he added. Second prize winners for the "best combined ratio of profit-gross-attendance of 1950 against the same period of 1949" were awarded to manager John J. Thompson, RKO Franklin, the Bronx, and managers Grant A. Martin and Marshall Addis of the RKO Virginia and Orpheum theatres, Champaign, Va., shared the second prize in the out-of-town group. The other winners are as follows: Greatest number of campaigns: Clayton Pruitt, Coliseum, New York; William Hastings, Orpheum, Denver; Best individual showmanship effort: Morris Rochelle, Strand, Far Rockaway, N. Y. ; Lawrence Caplane, Brandeis, Omaha; Greatest number theatre parties: Myron Feltheimer, Orpheum, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Florence Kipp, Paramount, Cincinnati. Best contribution from an asssistant manager: Albert Murray, Coliseum, New York; Randall W. Mcllvaine, Brandeis, Omaha; Best contribution from a publicity man: Ray Malone, New York home office; Nate Wise, Albee, Cincinnati; Best contribution from a service staff as a group: Coliseum, Orpheum, Dubuque; Best contribution from home office employes: first prize, Elizabeth Laus, second, Rita Brodbeck, third, Eurega Eloy David; Best public relations contribution: Harold Daly, Proctor's, Yonkers; Jerry Bloedow, Orpheum, Des Moines; Best job on vending: Edward Force, Bushwick, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Harry Simons, Grand, Columbia. Best maintained theatre: Irving Gold. 86th Street, New York; Max Mink, Palace, Cleveland. Greatest economy of operation: Morris Rochelle, Columbia and Strand, Far Rockaway, N. Y. ; Ansel Winston, Palace, Chicago; Best special kiddie matinee show: Clayton Pruitt, Coliseum, New York; Milton Troehler, Orpheum, Davenport; Best special midnight show: Irving Gold, 86th Street, New York; Jerry Baker, Palace, Rochester; Best merchant tie-up: Katheryn DeMilo, Colonial, New York; and Division manager whose theatres and employes won the greatest number of prizes: Michael Edelstein, New York. RTMA to Meet Here Washington, Jan. 8. — The seventh annual industrial relations conference of the Radio-Television Manufacturers Association will be held Jan. 17-18 at Hotel Statler, New York. The theme of this year's conference will be "Industrial Relations Problems in a Mobilizing Economy." Sponsored Television Seen Coming in U. K. London, Jan. 8. ■ — Pronounced though unconformable rumors current here are that the Beveridge Report due to be issued shortly will recommend a form of sponsored televisional view of the government's manifest inability to sustain the vast capital expenditures involved in video. Theatre Fronts Blacked Out in UK By Edict as Coal Crisis Worsens London, Jan. 8. — Because of the grave fuel crisis here, the government has issued an order forbidding use of electricity for any form of external advertising, which means the theatres' exteriors are to go completely dark, a condition reminiscent of the disastrous days of the 1947 coal shortage. All theatres are hit by the order, but the American West End showcases are particularly unfortunate in this respect. Recently, M-G-M and RKO spent large sums for the installation of elaborate neon displays at their respective theatres. ELC Denies Sale of 19 Films to WGN-TV Denial that Eagle Lion Classics has sold 19 of its comparatively recent features and Westerns to television station WGN-TV, Chicago, as announced by the latter last Thursday, was made here yesterday by William J. Heineman, ELC vice-president in charge of distribution. Heineman said that a deal for sale of the 19 pictures to two individuals, whom he said he was not at liberty to identify, had been discussed but has not been closed. The deal would comprise an outright sale of the films and all rights to them, including television. A spokesman for Flamingo Films here yesterday confirmed that the company had contracted with television station WGN-TV, Chicago, for the showing of a group of 19 films formerly owned by Eagle Lion. He said that Flamingo now owns all rights. Three ELC Branches Shift Clerical Work The accounting and administrative functions performed by the three Eagle Lion Classics branches at Memphis, Oklahoma City and Portland are being transferred to adjacent branches as of Jan. 21. William J. Heineman, sales vice-president, emphasized that the key sales forces and the shippingservice will continue to function.