Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

Tuesday, March 6, 1951 Motion Picture Daily 5 THE MATING SEASON wins SEVENTEEN's Picture of the Month Award for March. This romantic comedy of young love vs. motherin-law antics calculates to be a "top box office" natural for the 7Y2 million teenage girl movie fans. Millions of them will learn all about its rollicking fun as they read the many pages of Movie News in seventeen THE ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS NCAA to Conduct Regional Football Test Telecasts Chicago, March 5. — The National College Athletic Association meeting here at the LaSalle Hotel, gave Tom Hamilton, Pittsburgh's director of athletics, authority to conduct regional TV experiments to determine the effect of telecasts on college games. Meeting with representatives of TV networks, Zenith's Phonevision, the Television and Radio Manufacturers Association, and Robert O'Brien, secretary-treasurer of United Paramount Theatres, Hamilton said, "A lot of study is needed before we decide which form of football telecast is best for experimental purposes." Hamilton plans to study all experimental telecast forms completely before reaching any conclusions. Non-Compliance The NCAA also moved for the expulsion of any member who does not comply with the one year "moratorium" on "live-television" agreed upon at the recent NCAA meeting in Dallas. Any member voluntarily permitting "live" TV would "not be in good standing" and would be recommended for expulsion." If legislative action forces "live" telecasts of grid games, as has been suggested in Ohio, Illinois, and other state legislatures, the member using "live" telecasts will be asked to withdraw from the Association. Meanwhile, it was learned that 25 members of the National College Athletic Association, representing that many schools, were guests of Zenith Radio Corp. at a 20-minute demonstration of Phonevision last night. ASCAP Offers 'Per Program' TV Plan Unable to reach an agreement with a committee representing the television stations although negotiations have been in progress for nearly two years, Otto A. Harbach, ASCAP president, has announced that the Society will send to television stations this week a form of per-program license agreement, in accordance with the provisions of the interim license agreements now in effect. Harbach's letter to the stations accepting the per-program agreement will say: "We wish to assure you that the enclosed form of per-program license represents our sincere effort to arrive at a fair return on the basis prescribed by the per-proram committee of your industry — that is, one on which no payment is to be made on spot announcements between programs, even though the program preceding or following the spot announcement is one which contains ASCAP music." '14 Hours' Opens At Astor Here World premiere of 20th CenturyFox's "14 Hours" was held at the Astor Theatre here last night. A special police detail was on hand to route traffic and high-powered kleig lights played on the theatre. Interviews with noted personalities were conducted by Martin Starr for station WINS. Newsreel cameramen were also on hand. Over 400 Situations Set for 'Up Front' The world permiere of UniversalInternational's "Up Front," set for March 24 at New York's Loew's State Theatre, will launch more than 400 dates for the film from Coast-toCoast in April, C. J. Feldman, U-I's domestic sales manager, announces. Plan Allied Convention At a general membership meeting here yesterday, Allied Theatre Owners of New Jersey, which will be host to Allied States Association's national convention here next fall, completed perliminary plans for the event. Wil bur Snaper, New Jersey Allied presi dent, said he would announce the plans today. Services for Kendis Cleveland, March 5. — Funeral services for Philip D. Kendis, 79, former head of Exhibitor Poster Exchange, who died at his home here Friday, were held Sunday. Survivors are the widow, two daughters, in addition to a son. TV Talent Hearing Back to Hollywood Hollywood, March 5. — Hearing on Television Authority's petition for representation of all actors and extras in television work, "live" or film, will be transferred here from New York where they have been in progress the past fortnight, in order that working procedures in filming" the "Amos and Andy" television program may be studied. New York NLRB hearings officer Chester Wigden so ruled on Friday after hearing testimony submitted by Screen Actors Guild and Screen Directors Guild officers, who returned to Hollywood today. SAG and SEG had intervened in the New York case, in which TVA sought recognition from the television networks, on the ground, that SAG and SEG have jurisdiction over all actors and extras working in television films. New 'Red' Hearings Shift to Capital Washington, March 5. — The pendulum seems to be swinging back toward hearings here late this month by the House Un-American Activities Committee on Communist activities in Hollywood. For a time, Committee Chairman Woods (D., Ga.) was "plugging" for a three-man sub-committee to hold hearings in Hollywood. But other members of the Committee feel they can garner more publicity by having the hearings here, and are out-voting Woods. Present plans of the Committee are to have a few days of hearings here starting on March 21, before the House quits for its Easter recess, and then hold additional hearings after the Easter vacation. The in-between period would be used for the staff to develop leads furnished at the initial hearings, for use at the later hearings, it is understood. Meanwhile, subpoenas have been issued for another 10 to 12 Hollywood figures, bringing to more than 30' the total number of witnesses being sought for the Committee's hearings. :/■■■ THE MATING SEASON owes much of its captivating humor to the new comedy star Thelma Ritter in the hilarious role of mother of the groom. We know that SEVENTEEN's Pictuneof-the-Month Award will reward its exhibitors with "top box office" as millions of teenage girls will read about it and its stars, Gene Tierney and John Lund, Thelma Ritter and Miriam Hopkins. Directed by Mitchell Leisen. A Paramount Picture