Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1951)

Tuesday, May 15, 1951 Motion Picture Daily 7 SIMPP Elections Set for Next Month The Society of Independent Motion Pi c t u r e Producers will hold its annual meeting and election of officers on the Coast next month, Ellis G. Arnall, Society president, reported here yesterday. He will set a definite date soon. Asked if he would be a candidate for re-election, Arnall said he has enjoyed his association with SIMPP and looked forward to its continuance. SPG Meets Again On Warner Layoffs A meeting of Warner personnel affiliated with the Screen Publicists Guild was called by the union last night to discuss the recent lay-off of 12 members of the Warner home office advertising publicity department. In reporting the lay-offs yesterday, Motion Picture Daily incorrectly stated that Isabel Turner, radio contact, was among those affected. A company spokesman said yesterday that Miss Turner has been retained in her position. FWC Home Office Layoffs Begin Hollywood' May 14.— Terminations expected to effect a 10 per cent reduction in Fox West Coast Theatre's headquarters personnel began beingimplemented today. The circuit's home office staff numbers about 300. Schwalberg Tribute (Continued from page 1) are: Barney Balaban, Paramount Pictures president ; Adolf Zukor, board chairman ; Austin C. Keough. vice-president and general counsel ; E. K. O'Shea, vice-president of Paramount Film Distributing; Louis Nizer. film attorney, who will serve as toastmaster ; Robert J. O'Donnell, vice-president of Interstate Circuit, who will be master of ceremonies ; Frank Walker, former Postmaster General and present president of the Comerford Circuit, and John J. Fitzgibbons, president of Famous Players Canadian Corp. An added highlight of the eveningwill be the introduction to the assembled guests of Paramount's "Golden Circle" film players. They include Peter Hanson, Barbara Rush, Mary Murphy, Nancy Gates, Joan Taylor, Virginia Hall, Pierre Cressoy, Judith Ames and Nancv Hale. ; Norman Siegel, Paramount's studio director of publicity ; Edith Head, studio designer, and Coast publicists Teme Brenner and Al Jeremy arrived here yesterday to attend the Schwalberg testimonial dinner. Golden on Equipment High School Editors to Interview 'Golden Circle' High school editors of Greater New York have been invited to a mass interview with Paramount's "Golden Circle" stars, to be held tomorrow afternoon at the Textile High School here. The editors and the nine stars will be the guests of the joint pub'ic relations committee of theatres of Greater New York. (Continued from page 1) Golden's remarks are contained in an address to be given tomorrow to the National Drive-in Theatre Equipment Show and Drive-in Theatre Owners Convention here. "In the past," Golden states, "many theatre owners have retrained from modernizing their equipment, particularly projection and sound reproducmg equipment, unless they were able to simultaneously do a remodeling or refurbishing job. Apparently, the basis for this is that the theatre patron may not be aware of the equipment replacement, and iii order to appreciate the effort of the theatre owner, he must visibly see the type of modernization that is involved, such as remodeling the front, lobby auditorium or rest rooms. "N ow that such remodeling is limited to the. degree where in many instances nothing can be accomplished, the theatre owner inherently eliminates fr.orn his plans equipment replacement. This policy, we feel, is most shortsighted. As the defense program accelerates, the production of 35mm. motion picture equipment must inevitably decrease. Thus, it may not be as easy to replace equipment six or eight months from now as it is at the present time. How long this program will continue is, of course, unknown. Theatre owners are, therefore, strongly urged, as other segments of industry now, to abandon some of their traditional practices. If your theatre equipment is obsolete or inefficient and has not been recently modernized, now is the time for you to do it, while the equipment is available. Don't wait until you can simultaneously remodel your theatre, because in so doing, you may lose your competitive position." Golden's speech also promises a step-up in NPA efforts to crack-down on illegal theatre building. The program will include an expansion of industry surveys and spot checks on compliance, vigorous prosecution of willful violators and broadening of NPA's efforts to help industry conform with NPA regulations, he declared. National Allied Board Meets Kansas City, Mo., May 14. — National Allied board of directors met this morning and afternoon and will continue sessions tomorrow. Trueman T. Rembusch, president, is presiding. The discussions were not made public. Kansas-Missouri Allied Meet Starts in K. C Today Ka nsas City, May 14. — The program for the fourth annual convention of Allied of Kansas and Missouri, tomorrow through Thursday at the Hotel Phillips, here, will cover interests of both drive-ins and regular theatre operators. Confection merchandising, especially for drive-ins, will be featured Wednesday, "when Robert Kennefick of Sports Service, Inc., Buffalo, will speak. Trueman T. Rembush, president of National Allied, and Abram F. Myers, general counsel, and members, of the national board attending their board meeting yesterday and today, will be featured speakers. Other speakers scheduled are : N. D. Golden, Washington ; Rube Shor Cincinnati and Joseph Shure of Glendale, Cal, speaking on in-car heaters ; Leon J. Bamberger, RKO ; H. M. Richey, M-G-M; Byron S. Chalepp, Wichita, Jack Warner Gets Amvets' Citation Hollywood, May 14. — Jack L. Warner has received the highest award of the Amvets, veterans' organization, for Americanism, with special emphasis on Warner's "I Was a Communist for the FBI." Frank Lovejoy, who stars in the film, received the citation for Warner from Harold Russell, Amvets national commander. Presentation was a feature of the Amvets California state convention. on insurance; Jack Jackson, National Screen Service ; Jack Hillyer of United Film Service; and Phillip Blake, Kansas City; Paul Ottenstein of Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. will conduct an open forum on ramp maintenance. The program includes these subjects: Tuesday — Theatre modernization, theatre maintenance, personnel problems and training ; legislation, insurance, checkers, auditing. Wednesday—Television, COMPO, "The New Order" as a result of court decisions ; confection merchandising, program and trade practices, arbitration, buying and booking, clearance, other trade practices. Thursday — Showmanship, public relations, National Screen Service. Halt Seminar Plans Pending Allied Okay Plans for the Council of Motion Picture Organization's scheduled seminar in Hollywood on production problems may be subject to alteration, depending on action which is due to be taken today in Kansas City by the national Allied board. Allied is understood to have raised objections to certain features planned for the seminar, which has been set for June 11-12 but which could be postponed if the Allied directors should feel impelled to call for reconsideration of seminar program proposals. Without retreating in its advocacy of a seminar, Allied is said to have indicated to COMPO officials here strong objection to making it a "wide open" meeting. The exhibitor organization's general counsel, Abram F. Myers, is understood to have urged that instead of admitting to the seminar several representatives of each Council member organization, participation should be confined to a very limited number from each. When the seminar was planned originally, delegations of one or two representatives from each COMPO organization were foreseen. However, it was announced later as plans progressed that as many as wished to attend would be welcome. Mrs. Driscoll Resigns Post With Allied of New England Boston, Mass., May 14. — Allied Theatres of New England tonight announced the resignation of Mrs. Anna Hughes Driscoll as executive secretary. _ Mrs. Driscoll who held that position for several years, resigned to devote her time to private interests. The position will remain unfilled until the next regular election of officers and the board of directors next October. Joint MPEA, SIMPP Meet A full dress meeting of the Motion Picture Export Association and Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers officials will be held today at the Motion Picture Association of America offices here. Principal consideration is expected to be given to the progress of the Italo-American film pact negotiations which have been conducted in Paris between John G. McCarthy, MPAA foreign department chief, and Italian government and industry officials. McCarthy, who has informed MPAA officials in New York by trans-Atlantic telephone that signing of the Italo-US agreement will take place here in July, is scheduled to return to New York in about 10 days following a stop-over in London to discuss with British government officials plans for opening this coming summer renegotiation of the Anglo American film pact. Ellis G. Arnall, SIMPP president, is scheduled to attend today's M PEASIM PP parley, and he may be joined by Gunther Lessing, SIMPP board chairman, who is here from the Coast. In addition to major film companies' foreign managers and Theodore Smith of the MPEA, the Association may be represented at the meeting also by Joyce O'Hara, MPAA executive officer, from Washington. UPT, CBS Bids for ABC Net Rejected Negotiations looking to the sale of the American Broadcasting network have been called off, it was announced by Edward J. Noble, ABC board chairman. The statement followed more than a week of talks, first initiated by the Columbia Broadcasting and then entered into by United Paramount Theatres. At stake was control of ABC's five television outlets and, its extensive radio network. CBS proposed la outright merger of the two systems while UPT offered a stock deal to ABC stockholders in return for management control. To Aid Jewish Hospital Emil Friedlander of Dazian's, Inc., and B. S. Moss of B. S. Moss Corp. have been named co-chairman of the amusement division for the 52nd anniversary celebration of the National Jewish Hospital at Denver. U. S. Protests Quota (Continued from page 1) has cabled the Japanese government, suggesting the screen quota instead. Presumably the screen quota, while viewed by the industry as objectionable, would still be preferable to a flat import quota. Complicating matters considerably is the fact that there is some question as to the role which the U. S. Army plays in the picture. The Army has been gradually pulling out from its job of controlling the Japanese economy, but apparently has retained control over motion pictures there. This sets up some sort of "No Man's Land" among State, the Army and the Japanese government, and it is not clear just where the protesting will be most effective or where the final say wili be made. Army-State meetings are likely to solve the problem.