Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

4 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, February 27, 1951 National Pre-Selling A1 RRANGEMENTS for what is described as one of the top promotional campaigns of the year have been completed by Paramount Pictures with the Lusk Candy Co. in behalf of Bob Hope's latest comedy, "The Lemon Drop Kid," which is set for national release in April. More than 18,000 retail outlets will be alerted in a tieup that will make the public "lemon-drop conscious." Every case of lemon drops shipped to the confectionary trade will contain a three-color display piece, while a larger poster is designed to tiein with playdates at a local theatre. More than 1,000 special _ two-pound boxes of lemon drops will be sent to the nation's top newspaper, radio and television commentators, while hundreds of regular-sized cartons will serve as giveaways, obtainable through Paramount's field exploitation staff. • In full color, the RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, will adorn the front cover of the March 16 issue of Collier's magazine, as a tiein with the com'ing Motion Picture Academy Award presentations which will take place at the Pantages later in the month. Collier's, on a previous occasion, carried a front-cover of a typical theatre in the midst of a Saturday morning children's show, which was equally interesting and amusing to theatre managers and their patrons. • One of the most extensive promotion campaigns ever set up in support of a short subject will get rolling shortly -for Paramount's Grantland Rice Sportlight, "Big Little Leaguers," the story of the organised baseball movement for children from eight to 12 years of age. Oscar A. Morgan, short subject sales manager for Paramount, has sent a special let ter to all branch managers acquainting them zvith the national movement, and encouraging them to contact the league and local teams in every area. These "little league" teams are publicly supported and there will _ be a ready-made audience for the picture. • More than 50 chain stores in Chi cago's Loop will participate in the promotion campaign set up for Para mount's "The Lemon Drop Kid" according to E. J. Fitzgibbon, the com pany's field man in the Chicago area. Each store will devote an entire win dow to a "lemon drop guessing con test" with passers-by asked to guess the number of lemon drops on display in a large container. Ten winners will be named from each store, and all 500 will be invited to a special screening of the picture, at which lemon drops : will be served. The promotion will get under way 10 days before the Chicago opening of the picture. • The New York Daily Mirror, second largest circulation of any Metropolitan newspaper, carried a center double spread on 20th CenturyFox's "Bird of Paradise" in its rotogravure magazine section last Sunday, the first time that this Technicolor feature, scheduled for Easter release, has broken in the color supplements. The campaign of pre-selling is now approaching its height and will reach a climax within the next two or three weeks, in a majority of media breaks. Coast Producers, Screen Writers Start Signing Eight-Year Pacts Hollywood, Feb. 26— Major motion picture studios, which conclude all labor contracts individually, today began affixing signatures to new eight-year pacts with the Screen Writers Guild, on which an agreement was reached a fortnight ago and which was formally ratified by the Guild membership over the weekend. The contract, a product of long negotiations which promised lor awhile to eventuate in a screen writers' strike, gives writers an increase in wage minimums, the separation-of-rights in original story sales, and other benefits. New England Allied Group Hits 20th's 'Montezuma' Terms TV Censorship Rule (Continued from page 1) ing was that state censorship was invalid because the subject was already controlled by the Federal government. The case before the court grew out of a Jan., 1949 regulation of the Pennsylvania Board of Censors that films should not be projected by television in Pennsylvania without board approval. Five corporations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast television programs went to court against this regulation. The firms were Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc., Philco Television Broadcasting Corp., Triangle Publications, Inc., WCAU, Inc., and WGAL, Inc. Both the U. S. District Court and the Court of Appeals enjoined the censors from passing on films for television, holding that "Congress has occupied fully the field of television regulation" and that states could not act there. The Board then asked the Supreme Court to rule, but the court today declined to do so. U. A.-Lopert (Continued from page 1) subject may have been broached tentatively, no definite developments have occurred yet and none are looked for immediately. It was also reported without confirmation that talks have been initiated concerning the possibility of the new Stanley Kramer-Sam Katz producing company remaining with United Artists. However, the Kramer-Katz negotiations with Columbia are still under way. Among the more important TV shows on which "Bird of Paradise" fashions have been or will be exhibited a number of times are: The Margaret Arlen Show (CBS-TV), Vanity Fair Program (CBS-TV), Bride and Groom Program (CBSTV), Buddy Rogers Show (WORTV), Barbara Welles Show (WORTV), and the Ilka Chase Show (CBS-TV). In addition, "Bird of Paradise" merchandise is being given away to contestants and guests on a number of radio quiz programs, including "Shoot the Moon" (ABC) and "What Makes You Tick" (ABC). • Phillips Wyman, vice-president of the McCall Corp. and publisher of McCall's Magazine, has appointed Francis N. McGehee as advertising director of Redbook effective March 5. For many years, McGehee was associated zvith Scrip bs-Hozvard Newspapers, and since 1943 has operated his ozm business as a professional advertising sales counsellor. Simultaneously, Wyman reported that William E. Terry wo%dd be advertising manager of Redbook magazine. — Walter Brooks Windsor Product Wrangle Continues Washington, Feb. 26. — Lawyers for opposing parties in a local breach of contract film case got orders from a Federal judge here today to attempt to work out an out-of-court settlement, and did attempt to but failed. They will go back to the judge tomorrow to try the case, part of the three-year old fight between the Walbrook and Windsor theatres in Baltimore. The Windsor originally brought a treble damage anti-trust suit against film distributors seeking some of the product going to the Walbrook. When 20th-Fox settled out of court with the Windsor, agreeing to split the product between the two houses, the Walbrook sued 20th-Fox for breach of contract. This was the case which Judge Curran ordered the lawyers to try to settle. Trial Highlight One of the highlights of the trial will be a difference of opinion between the 20th-Fox and Windsor lawyers as to how long the agreement to split product was to last. The Windsor lawyers say it runs indefinitely; 20th-Fox attorneys say it was a one-year-agreement, and since the one year is long past, it can now use competitive bidding. New Coast Pay Talks Starting Tomorrow Hollywood, Feb. 26.— Ralph Clare, representing studio transportation drivers and four other basic-agreement unions, is slated to meet tomorrow with Charles Boren, Association of Motion Picture Producers vice-president in charge of labor relations. The meeting will open discussions similar to the "money addition" talks initiated between IATSE international representative Roy Brewer and the studios. Other unions represented by Clare will be the Building Service Employees, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Operative Plasterers and Cement Finishers, International Hod Carriers and Building and Common Laborers. Boston, Feb. 26. — New England Independent Exhibitors, Inc., an Allied States affiliate, has attacked in its latest bulletin 20th Century-Fox's sales policy on "Halls of Montezuma." The organization alleges that "This new policy demands a 40 to 66-2/3 per cent split or it imposes higher percentage terms by raising the floor on sliding scales from 20 to 30 per cent" and tends to put smaller situations into higher flat rentals "by arbitrarily raising the established buy off." The picture, the association bulletin pointed out, "is being sold as a top picture and with this allocation we have no quarrel yet — but we do not think that Fox is being fair or even intelligent in expecting more for this than they have gotten for other top pictures." At the recent Allied board meeting in Washington, Abram F. Myers, general counsel and board chairman, said that the national organization's film rental committee would take up the increased rental question "more especially" with 20th-Fox than with any other company. Discussions with 20thFox would be based on "general complaints," Myers said, whereas with other companies complaints would deal with prices of specific pictures. A New York source has indicated that the Allied rentals committee is in process of "gathering data" preparatory to meeting with representatives of the companies. ASCAP Nominates New Directors Bur sty n On Coast Primarily 'For Rest' Hollywood, Feb. 26. — Joseph Burstyn, American distributor of "Ways of Love," who arrived here today, said that no bookings for the film beyond the scheduled Monica Theatre run, which begins March 7, have been made in this area so far. Declaring he is here primarily "for a rest," Burstyn said he has not yet investigated a reported meeting between art theatre operators and an industry attorney at which the latter, acting as an individual, discouraged their booking the picture. The writers' and publishers' nominating committees of ASCAP have announced candidates for election to the Society's board of directors, in addition to the incumbents. They are : Writer candidates in the popular production field, Arthur Altman, Maxwell Anderson, Bennie Benjamin, Mann Curtis, Sylvia Dee, Jimmy Eaton, Sammy Gallop, Alex Gerber, Morton Gould, Moe Jaffe, J. C. Johnson, Sidney Lippman, George Marion, Jr., John Redmond, Harold J. Rome, Louis C. (Lou) Singer, Harry Tierney and Jack Yellen. Standard writers nominated are: Otto Cesana, Walter Golde, J. Rosamond Johnson, Frank La Forge, Robert MacGimsey and Harry R. Wilson. Candidates for publisher directors in the popular production filed are: Ben Barton, Ben Bloom, Sam Fox, Charles H. Hansen, George Joy, Charles Lang, George Paxton, Abner Silver and Charles Trotta. _ Standard publishers nominated are : Herman Coleman, Edwin C. Gunther and Carl T. Fischer. Ed Solomon in New Exploitation Post Eddie Solomon has been appointed assistant exploitation manager at 20th Century-Fox. Solomon will work with Rodney Bush, exploitation manager. Solomon has been with the company for the past 10 years as field exploiteer in the Central division. Most recently he has been a member of the special services unit at 20th's studio.