Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

FIRST IN FILM NEWS lilliSf^llil VOL. 69. NO. 42 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1951 TEN CENTS Material Cuts Threaten Carbon Output Fear Cutbacks in Film Equipment Manufacture A severe shortage of monazite sand, a little-known raw material containing about two dozen rare elements needed for a variety of industrial uses, threatens sharp cutbacks in the output of carbons for projectors, spotlights and other equipment essential to the motion picture industry, it was learned here yesterday. Monazite sand contains among other things rare earth fluoride and rare earth oxide, both essential to production of carbons, graphites and sirrtilar items. These items in turn are essential to arc lamps, batteries, effect lights, generators and other film industry equipment. The shortage of monazite sand is (Continued on page 4) Set Court Dates For Five Chicago Film Industry Suits Chicago, March 1. — The anti-trust suit brought by the Grayslake Outdoor Theatre Co. against major distributors, Balaban and Katz, Great States, and A. J. B. Theatres, was reset today for trail on March 19 in the Federal court of Judge Michael Igoe. Plaintiff claims the defendants conspired to keep first-run product out of (Continued on page 4) MPAA Annual Meet Set for March 26 The annual meeting of the Motion Picture Association of America is scheduled for March 26. Indications are that directors will reelect Eric Johnston president and extend his leave of absence for his continued service as Economic Stabilization Administrator. There is a possibility that the meeting may be postponed to a later date. I A 'VP' Post To Heineman The appointment of William T. Heineman as vice-president in charge of distribution of United Artists was announced here yesterday by Arthur B. Krim, president. Heineman, whose contract as vice-president of Eagle Lion Classics in charge of distribution expired two weeks ago, will assume his new post at U.A. on Monday. ft is understood that Heineman's deal with U.A. includes provision for either acquisition of a stock interest in the company at a later date or an arrangement for participa (Continued on page 4) W. J. Heineman U.A. Sets Release Dates for 3 Months Tentative release dates have been set by United Artists for six pictures during the next three months, the first substantial release schedule to be prepared by the company in almost a year. The films and dates as supplied to the company's field sales forces by Fred Jack and Nat Nathanson on their recent country-wide tour are : "The Scarf," produced by I. G. Goldsmith, released March 26 ; "New Mexico," produced by Irving Allen, April 6 ; "Queen for A Day," produced by Robert Stillman, April 20 ; "The First Legion," produced by Douglas Sirk and starring Charles (Continued on page 4) Arnold Named Ad Aide to Winikus Jonas Arnold yesterday was named assistant advertising manager to Francis M. Winikus at United Artists, byMax E. Youngstein, advertising-publicity vice-president, effective on Monday. Arnold has been in the film industry for many years, 10 of them with Paramount Pictures, where he served in various publicity and advertising capacities. Most recently he was assistant and then advertising manager for Eagle Lion. Before joining__the latter company in 1947, Arnold was national exploitation director for the "March of Dimes." He has also been a trade paper and newspaper writer. File Approval of WB Divorcement Notice of stockholder approval of Warner Brothers' reorganization under the consent decree reached with the government was filed in New York Statutory Court here yesterday. Final divorce of production distribution and exhibition is slated to be in effect by April 4, 1953. Sopeg Status Again An Issue at Para. The National Labor Relations Board in Washington has given the Screen Publicists and Screen Office and Professional Employes guilds another chance to deny board charges that they have lost their identity as bargaining agents for Paramount home office workers. NLRB ruled recently that the unions, functioning as a merger outfit called Screen Employes Guild, had lost their identities at Paramount in consequence of the merger of their parent union, United Office and Professional Workers of America, with the Distributive, Processing and Office Workers of America. Word was received here yesterday from Washington that the guilds requested reconsideration of the ruling on the grounds that they were never served with the opposing affidavits filed by 143 Paramount employes and IATSE's Motion Picture Home Office Employes Local No. H-63. The latter union meanwhile has challenged the guilds' jurisdictional rights at Paramount and at Loew's New York exchange, by applying to NLRB here for elections at both locations. _ The NLRB in Washington now has given the guilds 10 days from the date of receipt of H-63's objections to file a reply thereto with the Board. (Continued on page 4) Para. Sales Heads Meet Here Today The opening session of Paramount' s two-day sales meeting of home office and division managers will get under way here this morning with A. W. Schwalberg, president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., presiding. The agenda includes opening addresses by Schwalberg and Adolph Zukor and an outline of new product by Russell Holman, Eastern production head. They will be followed by a review of sales events since the last division managers meeting in September and a discussion of selling methods "to meet the demands of the constantly-changing motion picture market." Court Okays UPT Takeover Of Interstate 'Opportunity to Create Competition,' US Holds The three-judge statutory court in New York yesterday signed the amendment to the Paramount consent decree permitting United Paramount Theatres to acquire complete ownership of Interstate Circuit, with divestiture provisions. Philip Marcus, Department of Justice attorney, in expressing to the court the Department's approval of the amendment, said it embodied "a unique opportunity to create competition." He explained that within three years UPT must dispose of 76 houses in the 171-theatre circuit, while retaining 95, and additionally will have to sell some 40_ theatres outside the Interstate Circuit in consequence of the purchase to keep within the limit of the number (Continued on page 4) SkourasSays UA TC Presidency Ended 3 Way Income Pool George Skouras served for 14 months as vice-president of United Artists Theatre Circuit and for three months last year as its president without compensation, it was brought out in his deposition, concluded here yesterday, in the Samuel Goldwyn suit against Fox West Coast Theatres. Skouras said his primary reason for (Continued on page 4) Col. Net $660,000 For 26 Weeks in '50 Columbia Pictures' estimated net profit for the 26 weeks ending Dec. 30, 1950 is $660,000, after taxes, compared with $945,000 for the same period in 1949, Harry Cohn, president, announced yesterday. Earnings per share on the 654,311 shares of common stock outstanding, were 79 cents, compared with $1.22 one year ago.