Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1951)

IRST FILM MOTION PICTURE VOL. 70. NO. 65 NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1951 TEN CENTS Showdown At Hand on New U. S. Tax Bill House-Senate Confab To Start on Changes Washington, Oct. 1. — HouseSenate conferences on the tax bill are expected to get under way tomorrow or Wednesday, with members predicting it would be "at least a week to ten days" before a compromise bill is finally agreed on. The film industry will be watching most closely conference deliberations on admission taxes and photographic excises. The odds still favor the House members agreeing to accept the more restrictive Senate provision on exemptions from the admission tax. The Senate bill would keep the tax on all film showings, and would tightly define the types of organizations eligible for exemption on other types of entertainment. The House bill provision would exempt practically all entertainment of any allegedly non-profit (Continued on page 2) Mulvey, McCarthy to Weigh Spanish Deal James P. Mulvey, Samuel Goldwyn Productions president, will attempt to iron out with John G. McCarthy, Motion Picture Association of America vice-president, the differences between the MPAA and the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers on the question of a film agreement with Spain. In the talks, Mulvey will be substituting for Ellis G. Arnall, SIMPP president, who returned to Atlanta late last week following only preliminary (Continued on page 3) Spur COMPO Trade Practice Question The issue of whether the Council of Motion Picture Organizations should lend itself to settlement of trade practice problems is expected to be brought to the fore again in the near future. Spurred by a reported plan within the Theatre Owners of America to bring before the next COMPO round (Continued on page 3) Three More Stars on 'Movietime' Tour With assignment of Danny Kaye, Zero Mostel and Catherine McLeod to participate in the nationwide "Movietime U. S. A." star tours, the number of personalities participating now stands at 194. Additional "names" are expected to be added before next Monday, when the Hollywood personalities make their initial bows in exchange centers. Kaye will join the Chicago troupe, Mostel the Philadelphia list, and Miss McLeod the Milwaukee contingent. Rodgers Calls 75 To Sales Meeting M-G-M will hold a three-day sales conference of its field executives at the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago starting Oct. 22, it was announced here by William F. Rodgers, sales vice-president. In addition to the field men there will be approximately 15 home office executives and assistants on hand for the get together. In total there will be approximately 75 assembled. Among those scheduled to be on hand from the home office in addition to Rodgers are : E. M. Saunders, Charles M. Reagan, Howard Dietz, director of advertising-publicity ; Silas (Continued on page 3) 'Streetcar9 Strong In Mixed Week at New York lst-Runs Business at New York's first-runs is mixed this week. The two-day Rosh Hashana holiday which got underway yesterday brought larger-thanusual crowds to the Broadway area, and a number of key houses noted increased grosses as a result. Holdovers predominate. Continuing a sterling box-office performance, "A Streetcar Named Desire" is due to give the Warner Theatre $75,000 for a second week, ending tonight, following a top-flight first week's gross of $85,000. The final six days of the 13-day stand of "No Highway in the Sky," plus a stage bill topped by the Latin Quarter Revue will end tomorrow with an adequate $65,000 indicated for (Continued on page 2) House Group Would Abolish Union Vote Washington, Oct. 1. — The House Labor Committee has approved a hill to do away with the union shop election requirement of the TaftHartley law. The measure has already passed the Senate. It would meet a small part — but not all — of the demands made by Hollywood talent unions for easing (Continued on page 3) Films on Video A Factor in 2 Coast Pact Negotiations Hollywood, Oct. 1. — Regular theatrical product sold by Hollywood producers to telecasters are the hub around which revolves negotiations for contracts for talent and studio crafts. IATSE president Richard Walsh will head a delegation opening contract negotiations with major studios tomorrow and will remain in Hollywood until they are completed, which he hopes will be within a fortnight. IATSE crafts, which received their last increase in 1947, will undertake to obtain pay raises substantially above cost of living increase, but the attitude of the Wage Stabilization Board toward wage changes in a field listed, so far, as an unessential industry may be the determining factor, in this phase of negotiations. Participation in the producers' gross from the sale of theatrical films to television, as en(Continued on page 3) Sees Concession Tax in Theatres Boston, Oct. 1. — A tax on ice cream, candy, pop corn and such items sold in theatres and in other retail establishments is inevitable, in the opinion of Henry F. Long, Commissioner of Taxation for Massachusetts. Addressing the 39th annual tax conference here, Long told his colleagues from all New England states and New York that new avenues of revenue must be opened to ease the burden of "overtaxed items," such as gasoline, liquor and cigarettes. usiness Is Skyrocketing In Cleveland And Patrons Are Paying Higher Admission Prices Cleveland, Oct. 1. — -Theatre attendance here is going up by leaps and bounds, especially whenever the patron thinks he will get his money's worth, regardless of admission prices. This week patrons are shelling out better than average admission scales for four downtown attractions, all of them reporting excellent attendance. "An American in Paris" opened at Loew's Stillman at $1.00 top to capacity crowds and is maintaining that attendance standard. "David and Bathsheba" is in its 2nd big week at Warner's Allen at $1.19 top. Fight fans paid $1.25 to see the Saddler-Pep fight last Wednesday night at the RKO Palace and "Tales of Hoffman" is holding well in its third week at the Hanna (legit house) at $2.40 top. Exhibitors of Greater Cleveland are unanimous is stating that an increasingly discriminating and selective audience is attending pictures of their choice in returning numbers. The demand for top entertainment has also created a demand for top (Continued on page 3) Schine and Majors Sued for $841,500 Buffalo, Oct. 1. — Schine Theatres, its affiliated corporations and eight producer-distributor film corporations are named defendants in an $841,500 damage suit filed in Federal Court here bv attorney Charles V. Paganelli of Albion for Martina Theatre Corp. of Albion, described as a corporation formed in 1949 to enter the theatre business in New York to purchase two Schine theatres, the Capitol in (Continued on page 3) Johnston Head of 'Brotherhood Week' For the second successive year, Eric Johnston, Economic Stabilization Administrator and President of the Motion Picture Association of America, has been named general chairman of "Brotherhood Week," to be nationally observed next Feb. 17-24 under die sponsorship of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, it was (Continued on page 3)