Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, February 26, 1951 Personal Mention AW. SCHWALBERG, president • of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., has returned to New York from a tour of the Canadian branches. • E. K. O'Shea. vice-president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., returned here from Buffalo over the weekend and will leave tomorrow for a two-day business visit to the Detroit branch. • Hiller Innes, executive assistant to Russell Holm a n , Paramount's Eastern production chief, left here over the weekend for Jamaica for a two-week vaction. • Jesse DiAngelis, head of the DiAngelis Outdoor Advertising Co., has returned home from the Yonkers General Hospital where she underwent major surgery. • Eric A. Johnston will be an honored guest at the banquet of the International Convention of Variety Clubs, to be held in Philadelphia, May 9-12. • Philip Gerard, Universal Pictures Eastern publicity manager, is scheduled to return here today from Florida. • W. A. Scully, Universal Pictures domestic sales consultant, returned to Florida over the weekend from New York. • John Davis, managing director of the J. Arthur Rank Organization, is due to arrive here this morning by plane from London. George D. Burrows, executive vicepresident and treasurer of Monogram and Allied Artists, has returned to the Coast from here. • Russell Holman, Paramount's Eastern production chief, is due here from the Coast today. To Hear Geo. Skouras In Goldwyn Suit George Skouras, head of the United Artists Theatres circuit, is scheduled to give a pre-trial deposition here tomorrow or Wednesday in Samuel Goldwyn's suit against Fox West Coast and others charging conspiracy in the exhibition of independent product. Hartman xo Para. (Continued from page 1) NT Convention on Today in L. A. Los Angeles, Feb. 25. — The annual National Theatres convention, attended by company division president, will begin here tomorrow with the return of Charles Skouras, NT president from New York. The meeting had been originally set for last week. Skouras will report on the Swiss developed Eidophore Theatre TV system in which 20th Century-Fox recently acquired an interest. Skouras was present at final negotiations in Zurich. Swiss TV (Continued from page 1) JD Proposes UPT (Continued from page 1) who relinquished that post on Jan. 23. Hartman has been a producer-director-writer with M-G-M. He will report to Paramount on March 5 and will work under the direction of Freeman. Freeman also announced that negotiations were pending with Briskin to produce a number of pictures for Paramount. day, envisages dissolution of the partnership, with UPT acquiring the Hoblitzelle interest. Justice Department officials said they were making the terms of the change public now to give an opportunity to anyone who might want to object to present their views to the court first. They said, however, that as of the present they know of no opposition. The present decree provides that neither partner can buy the other out, but that if Paramount buys out Hoblitzelle it can keep only 45 theatres compared with a possible 95 in the proposed change. The amendment would not permit any increase in the maximum number of theatres which United Paramount can own throughout the country. If as a result of acquiring the new circuits, UPT would go over the ceiling in the original decree it must dispose of theatres in other areas. According to the proposed change Paramount must divest itself within three years of at least 76 theatres. Seven specifically mentioned theatres can be retained only if the circuit finds that competition is not unduly restrained as a result. In about ten additional localities Paramount must get rid of additional theatres, if there is no independent competition within a certain time. In 15 more cases, Paramount must either divest itself of theatres or accept a 60 per cent product limitation if independent theatres cannot acquire first or second-run features. In still other towns there must be divestiture jf Paramount over a period of time is operating more than a designated number of theatres on a particular run in that area. H. Graham Morison, assistant attorney general in charge of the antitrust division, said that "while _ the original judgment required the dissolution of the partnership it did_ not open any closed towns by requiring divestiture." "The proposed change," he said, "presents a unique opportunity to bring about competitive conditions in both first and subsequent runs in 31 cities and towns in which the circuits operate." Manufacturing rights for Continental Europe will be shared between 20thFox and the University of Zurich on a 50-50 basis. Twentieth-Fox's specifications will meet the requirements of American projection practices and will in addition provide for the projection of color. The present model, according to Earl I. Sponable, 20th-Fox technical supervisor who attended the press conference, is now the size of an ordinary film projector, a considerable advance over the original model, which was three stories high. Both Skouras and Sponable reported that the Eidophor system, which enables the use of arc lights, is far superior to any present theatre TV system and said that it can be adapted to any present television color broadcasting system. Other Equipment Queried on previously announced plans to use other equipment in 20thFox theatres, Skouras said that the plans were still under consideration but left little doubt that a watch-andwait policy would be followed until the Swiss system had been tried. Sponable, queried about plans to set up theatre TV networks on the Coast, said that from a technical point of view he could not advise the necessary expenditures for a system that might be outclassed by the Eidophor system. Neither Skouras or Sponable would venture a prediction on the eventual cost of Eidophor per unit and the exact means of manufacturing the system, whether directly or by license has not been decided. Skouras did say that the units would be sold, not licensed, to exhibitors. Sponable Explains Sponable explained that the system does not use a cathode tube, but that the cathode rays are received on an oil-like substance, kept at a constant temperature, which produces a series of depressions on the oil film. Light is projected through the oil film through a series of mirrors up to the projection lens, and thus to the screen. Images are formed at the rate of about 50 frames per second, with each fading out in time to permit the oil to receive the next. He said the system is extremely flexible and that its "throw" is unlimited except by the amount of light used. Though the present model is for black-and-white only, he said adaptation to color should be relatively simple. Skouras left after the interview for the Coast to attend the National Theatres convention. Newsreel Parade [RIGHTING in Korea and the New •* Guinea volcano are current newsreel highlights. Other items cover a new parking system, sports and fashions. Complete contents follow. MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 17— Allies blast Reds in Korea. Rock Island arsenal restoring tanks. New Guinea volcano. Chinese Navy set for 'D'-Day.' New York Film Critics awards. Horse racing on ice, speed races, cliff diving. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 251— Formosa fighting-men trained. Arsenal speeds defenses. Puerto Rico hails industrial program. Basketball fix roundup. Golden Gloves. Sports: speed car race, daredevil divers. Red Cross appeal. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 54— Puerto Rico booms economy. Basketball spreads. Male fashions go native in Nassau. Britain trains "Foreign Legion" troops. Sports: Golden Gloves finals. Steeplechase on ice. Red Cross trailer. TELE NEWS DIGEST, No. 8-B— Basketball on trial. Korea: fight guerrillas. Urge U. S. troops to Europe. Spain: festival highlights. New York: spring fashions. Norway prepares for 1952 Olympics. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 433— Rearmament program underway. Blizzard in Tokyo. Puerto Rico industry boom. New "pidgeon hole" parking system. Sports: Golden Gloves tournament. Sleigh riding in Germany. Cliff diving. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 433 — Korea news flash: Mighty "Mo" in action. Puerto Rico industry booms. Beats food prices— fasts 55 days. Sports: Ski champstwo years old. Surf champ — 17 months. Golden Gloves tournament. Outlook Better (Continued from page 1) Skouras Sees 'Hope' For Decree March 15 A consent decree with the government before the March 15 deadline is the "hope" of 20th Century-Fox, according to Spyros P. Skouras, president. He made the observation at a press conference on Friday. a good film can now draw audiences at the same theatre for a period of weeks instead of days is a sign of better times for exhibition." The theatre executive said that of all of the cities which he visited, San Francisco seemed to be the liveliest — more crowds seeking entertainment, more service uniforms visible in the crowds. He confirmed reports that business is generally on the upgrade since the first of the year, but emphasized that theatremen still have a job to do in running their houses and exploiting new attractions. "Interest in television may be waning as the novelty wears off," Schwartz said, "but it still is and will remain serious competition. Our job, in both exhibition and production, is to work at keeping our position of leadership in entertainment." 'Keep Alert' While "keeping alert" to developments in theatre television, Schwartz said that RKO has no immediate plans to install more TV equipment. The present installation at the Fordham in the Bronx serves primarily as a means of keeping abreast of the trend, Schwartz said. The primary question for theatre television, according to Schwartz, is programming. "Exclusive telecasts for theatres may be an answer," he said, "or perhaps those working on the problem may come up with another. Eventually, I feel the two mediums will be working together for their mutual benefit." Ja^s^Cunnrngnar^News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke Advertising Mana?^ NaUonaV'pr^f Out Washington,' D, C. Editor. Chicago Bureau, 120 South LaSa e Street Urben Farley, Advertising J^"^^7e'uu address Ouigpubco London." 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