Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1951)

AIR MAIL EDITION MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 70. NO. 80 NEW YORK, U. S. A., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1951 Talent Pay is Already Firm, SSB is Told 'A Strong Point/ Prober For Board Acknowledges The fact that there is a record of stable payrolls for Hollywood talent back to at least 1948 is a "strong point" in favor of the bid by producers and talent guilds for continuance of customary salary policies for talent employes, Roy Hendrickson, chairman of a special committee of the Salary Stabilization Board, observed here yesterday. The committee concluded in New York yesterday two days of hearing on the conditions relating to the salaries of screen, radio, stage and television employes who come under the board's jurisdiction. The committee's task is to help the board decide whether ceilings should be put on salaries of talent employes. Film industry representatives told the committee that since 1948 Hollywood's payroll for talent has continued at $80,000,000 yearly, with (Continued on page 5 ) MGM Meet Hears Of Ad Promotions Chicago, Oct. 23. — Promotion plans for "Quo Vadis" in all fields of advertising, publicity and exploitation were outlined in detail by Howard Dietz, vice-president and director of advertising-publicity; John Joseph, publicity head ; Dan S. Terrell, promotion manager, and Silas F. Seadler, advertising manager, as the second day of the three-day M-G-M sales conference drew to a close at the Ambassador East Hotel here. Dietz was introduced by William F. Rodg (Continued on page 4) Balaban, Howell to Paramount TV Posts The appointment of Burt Balaban as director of Paramount Television Productions, Inc. programming and production, and John Howell as director of sales and merchandising was announced here yesterday by Paul Raibourn, president. At the same time Raibourn announced the resignation of George T. Shupert, former director of commer(Continued on page 5) New TV -Radio Dep't In This Issue A new Television and Radio department makes its appearance with this issue of Motion Picture Daily. A column of comment and opinion, it will be published every Wednesday, in addition to regular daily coverage of television and radio news highlights. The new department appears on page four. 4IA' Radio TV Unit Member Fees Set Conditions under which applicants for membership in the IATSE's new Radio and Television Department may join were disclosed here yesterday by the union. Applicants are required to pay an initial fee of S10, and monthly dues of $3. However, the initial fee may be waived or reduced in special cases where, in the opinion of Richard F. Walsh, "IA" international president, who also heads the new department, circumstances warrant. Another regulation which, like the one applying to fees, was approved by the "IA" executive board, provides that delegates to the union's international convention shall be elected by the membership of the new department on the following basis : one delegate for the department, plus one delegate for membership up to 500, plus another delegate for membership from 500 to 1,500 and one additional (Continued on page 5) Jacksonville. Fla., Oct. 23. — At the next meeting of the executive board of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations to be held in New York in mid-December, Arthur L. Mayer, COMPO's executive vice-president, will propose the gratis production of public relations shorts by the industry as a means of financing future operations of COMPO. Mayer disclosed his intentions today in an address to the convention of the Motion Picture Exhibitors Association of Florida. Mayer's announcement was made as part of his report on the outstanding success scored by the recent "Movietime U.S.A." star tours, during which he declared that "in spite of cancellations and disappointments the 'Movietime' personality tours have been the (Continued on page 4) Para. Decision Challenged In Dipson Plea Washington, Oct. 23. — Unless the New York Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the Dipson case is reversed, the U. S. Supreme Court decisions in the Jackson Park and Paramount anti-trust cases "will have no binding effect in the Second Circuit," Dipson Theatres, Inc., claims in a petition asking the high court to review the New York ruling. Dipson is appealing the second New York Circuit Court's decision to dismiss its antitrust suit against Buffalo Theatres and six major distributors. "The end result of the Circuit Court's opinion is to deny recovery (Continued on page 5) Delay U, UA Suit Until December Hearings in the Department of Justice's move to amend the "Little Three" decree, preventing Universal and United Artists from having common officers or directors with other motion picture companies and obliging UA to put up for sale Eagle Lion Classics assets, have been postponed. Instead of the hearings taking place as scheduled, tomorrow, they will (Continued on page 5) TO A of Fla. Urges 2nd 'Round Table' Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 23.— The convention here of the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Florida, a TOA regional, yesterday approved a resolution calling for another Council of Motion Picture Organizations "round table" conference which would include distribution spokesmen as well as representatives of production and exhibition. Last August a COMPO "round table" parley in Hollywood was limited to production and exhibition. TEN CENTS More TP Stock Picked Up By Blumberg Pool Get 29,000 Shares of Paul G. Brown Estate N. J. Blumberg, Universal president, and Milton Rackmil, president of Decca Records, were reported in usually reliable quarters yesterday to have completed the purchase of an estimated 29,000 shares of Universal common stock from the estate of Paul G. Brown, a former member of the Universal board of directors, whose personal holdings of the stock were believed to have been the largest of any individual member of the board at one time. Acquisition of the Brown estate's Universal stock holdings is in addition to other purchases of large blocks of stock and option warrants either in negotiation or for which arrangements have been completed. In the latter category is a deal for the estimated minimum 150,000 shares at $15 per share held by William (Continued on page 4) N. Y. Theatres Plan An Air Raid Drill Plans for Metropolitan New York theatres here to participate in the city-wide air raid drill which will be held during the week of Nov. 25 are now being formulated, D. John Phillips, executive director of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres Association, reported yesterday. Preliminary plans, according to Civilian Defense officials, call for audiences to remain in theatres during the drill, which will be held during (Continued on page 4) Says Autry Now Will File Suit vs. Republic Hollywood, Oct. 23. — Gene Autry will file suit against Republic Pictures on his return from a personal appearance tour early in November, seeking an injunction similar to that obtained by Roy Rogers last week, to prevent Republic from releasing pictures he made for the company to television, according to his counsel, Martin Gang. Autry made fifty-four Westerns for Republic during his employment by that studio, and attorney Gang said he feels he has an even better case than Rogers had. Mayer Proposes Shorts To Aid Compo Financing