Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1951)

FIRST IN FILM NEWS J MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 69. NO. 98 NEW YORK, U. S. A., MONDAY, MAY 21, 1951 TEN CENTS TV Demand For Old Films Held 'Scant' Lippert Says N. Y., L. A. Situation Misleads Trade Hollywood, May 20'. — Television demand for old motion pictures is grossly exaggerated, Robert L. Lippert, president of Lippert Productions, declared here at the weekend on return from a tour of the nation's television cities. He said the returns from that source for producers are scant for the present. The first producer to sign a contract with the American Federation of Musicians, Lippert said the film trade has been misled into thinking programming requirements prevalent in New York City and Los Angeles are typical. Stations in (Continued on page 6) Johnston Says He'll Be Back in Industry By Year's End; Decision Expected June Eric Johnston, Economic Stabilization administrator, told newsmen in Boston last week that he would be back in the industry before the end of the year. Johnston is on a leave of absence from his post as president of the Motion Picture Association of America. Indications that he is not unwilling to relinquish his government assignment were given by Johnston to a Congressional group last week in Washington. Johnston said if his directives were disliked, complaints should be taken to the President and he wouldn't mind being fired. In New York on Friday, Johnston could not be reached for elaboration of his Boston statement. Industry officials, however, said they understood Johnston expected to be able to make a decision about June 30 on remaining in or leaving his government post. MGM Studies Gulf Pleas New Orleans, May 20. — Rudy Berger, M-G-M's Southern sales manager, is due to arrive here tomorrow in answer to exhibitor pleas for assistance issued by the Allied Theatre Owners of the Gulf States. According to the Allied unit, this is the first recognition by a major film company of Allied's pleas for aid for exhibitor members. All Gulf States members have been (Continued on page 3) Trade, Gov't Meet On UK Tax Plans London, May 20.— First of a series of meetings between representatives of the four film trade associations on the one hand, and representatives of the Treasury, Board of Trade and Customs Office, on the other, was held on Friday to discuss various proposals concerning the higher entertainment tax provisions called for in the Treasury's new Budget. Characterizing the talks as "confidential," the Treasury said they will continue. Phonevision Gross ,750, Zenith Says Chicago, May 20. — Three months of day and night film exhibitions on Phonevision for the 300 Chicago test families had a total gross of only $6,750, Zenith Radio, sponsor of Phonevision, revealed in releasing what it described, as a "preliminary analysis" of the New Year's-to-March 31 test. Local exhibitors pointed out a 300seat theatre would go broke if it didn't gross that much in one month, even with old pictures. The average expenditure was $1.73 per family weekly, Zenith said. First month of the test, Zenith reported, the average Phonevision subscriber saw 2.1 films weekly; in February, 1.5, and in March 1.6. The test was preceded by and accompanied with intense publicity not only in this area but nationally. E. F. McDonald, Jr., Zenith president, issued a lengthy statement endeavoring to translate the preliminary analysis into gross figures for a hypo (Continued on page 3) ICC Mast Effective 'RecF Front: Brewer Preview Group Aids 4Co-op' Promotions A clearing house for the exchange of ideas for promoting films through exhibitor-community cooperation will be inaugurated by the National Preview Committee, affiliated with the Motion Picture Association of America, in its semi-monthly publication, The Green Sheet. A new department, known as "The Mail Box," will report specific instances where townspeople have worked with exhibitors to increase attendance. Suggestions for stimulatingsuch activities will be sought from exhibitors and a similar request will go to the more than 20,000 schools, colleges, libraries, churches and club groups that receive the publication, according to Marjorie G. Dawson, MPAA's associate director of community relations. The preview groups whose joint appraisals and ratings of current and forthcoming films appear in the publication represent 14 leading national organizations. Washington, May 20. — IATSE international representative Roy Brewer concluded his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee on Friday, declaring that the Hollywood Independent Citizens Committee for the Arts and Sciences was developed into "by far the most effective Communist front organization every developed in Jhis country," collecting thousands of dollars for the Party "and some very important people." Academy Award winner Jose Ferrer, writer Budd Schulberg and "possibly two others" will be this week's witnessed before the committee. Fer (Continued on page 6) Brazil Remits 100% To U. S. Companies American distributors are getting from Brazil their full earnings there notwithstanding the existence of a remittances quota, it was pointed out here "on Friday by Al Daff, Universal International's worldwide sales chief. Daff made this disclosure during a general press interview with Mike Bergher, who has been promoted from Brazil general manager to New York representative in Japan and nearby Far Eastern areas. Bergher, who has been replaced in Brazil by Rudy Gottschalk, will leave here for Tokyo in about a month. Daff explained the Brazilian remittance situation as follows : Each U.S. (Continued on page 3) Will Present 20th Decree Next Monday Justice Meets Loew's To Speed Last Decree Washington, May 20. — The proposed 20th Century-Fox consent decree will be presented to the New York Statutory Court on May 28, Justice Department officials declared. The present deadline is Thursday. While refusing to say that the Department and 20th-Fox have agreed on all details of the proposed decree, a Justice spokesman did point out that "apparently we're far enough along to set a date to go into court, and that date is only a week off." Major terms of the decree have already been revealed by 20th-Fox counsel Otto Koegel during the company's (Continued on page 6) ChicagoPrice War Spreads Chicago, May 20. — Price-cuttingspread to another Southside theatre on Friday when the independently owned Kim Theatre dropped its scale to 14 cents for matinees, 25 cents for evenings and five cents for children at all times. Other exhibitors in the neighborhood were studying the effect of the price cuts over the weekend, but it was feared that a price war may be (Continued on page 6) St. Louis TO A Unit Approves COMPO The Motion Picture Theatre Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois has voted to join the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, according to word received here by COMPO from Tom Edward, president of the St. Louis TOA unit. Support of the all-industry agency was unanimously voted by the unit's board of directors, Edward said. This makes the 13th of TOA's 29 regional units to endorse COMPO.