Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1951)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 70. NO. 83 NEW YORK, U. S. A., MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1951 TEN CENTS Big Income in Off-Hour TV Seen by UPT Morning 'Losses' Could Be Cut By Such Shows Off-hour revenue potentialities to theatres from non-film "nonessential" television programming, such as national sales meetings and conventions are considered to he of major proportions by United Paramount Theatres officials. Cited as an example of the income potential is the estimated 11,000 people who participated in the September Civil Defense program piped into only four theatres in the same number of cities. What if a manufacturer such as the auto industry wanted to unveil its new car model in 200 key situations for its salesmen and utilized largescreen theatre TV ? is the question posed by advocates of such programming. The revenues flowing from such a program would be "gravy," they ar(Continued on page 6) 'Movies Are Better Than Ever . . Foremost among the purposes and aims of the Allied States Association convention in New York this week is the betterment of the motion picture business. Regardless of what the convention may achieve in that connection, one thing is certain: the gathering of exhibitors from all parts of the country will give a big boost to Broadway's legitimate theatre business. Wilbur Snaper, convention chairman, reported here at the weekend that the 500 convention registrants have ordered 1,500 tickets to Broadway stage shows during the next few days. ACTION' KEYNOTE FOR ALLIED MEET American Leaders at Tribute to Warners Leading figures of American industry, including Henry Ford II, president of the Ford Motor Co. ; David Sarnoff, chairman of the board of RCA ; Frank M. Folsom, president of RCA, and Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, will head the guest list at the annual dinner of the Motion Pic(Continued on page 4) 4 RKO Films in A Row at Paramount A fourth RKO Radio release has been added to the three already announced for New York's Paramount Theatre here beginning Nov. 7. This will keep an RKO picture at the Broadway house continuously from that date until January of 1952. The fourth picture is "Double Dynamite," co starring Jane Russell, Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx. It will be the Paramount's Christmas season show. Others listed previously are "Behave Yourself," "Two Tickets to Broadway," and "The Racket." IATSE Contract Held up by Locals Hollywood, Oct. 28. — The necessary ratification by IATSE studio locals of the wage pact with major studios negotiated last week appeared stymied at the weekend by the unwillingness of a majority of locals to approve the escalator clause, which they maintained had not been represented to them correctly. The clause, providing for stipulated additional hourly payment if the living cost index rose five percent or more, {Continued on page 6) Allied Registration Fee 'Special' Set In a unique move designed to give industry members who are not affiliated with Allied an opportunity to attend open meetings and "film clinics" without paying the full price of an Allied convention registration, the organization has decided to accommodate, at the reduced price of $5, those who will be unable to attend all business and social functions in connection with the convention. The regular convention registration (Continued on page 6) Howard Bryant to Join TOA Here Howard L. Bryant, Jr., formerly with Paramount Pictures here, has been appointed service co-ordinator of the Theatre Owners of America, it was reported by Gael Sullivan, executive director, at the weekend. Bryant, who was a sales and service co-ordinator of the television division at Paramount, will begin his new duties today. Sullivan said Bryant will help ex (Contimied on page 4) 10 Projects Are Okayed And 7 Are Denied by NPA Washington, Oct. 28. — Crescent Amusement Co. has received permission from the National Production Authority to build a new $903,000 theatre. No location was given. NPA said the project was approved because Crescent had the materials to build the theatre on hand already, and no allotment was needed. The Crescent approval was one of 10 theatre projects approved either because materials were on hand or because they used less than the maximum amounts of steel, copper and aluminum. Six theatre projects were denied. Other approved projects were: a $14,550 drive-in, Max Zallen, Oxford, Me. ; a $10,300 Drive-in, L. E. Jones, Mt. Airy, Md. ; a $17,900 drive-in, Benning's drive-ins, Inc., Capitol Heights, Md. ; a $12,700 drivein, Jack L. Jackson, Buchman, Va. ; a $12,100 drive-in, J. H. McClellan, Lovingston, Va. ; a $20,000 drive-in, (Continued on page 6) 'American' to Stay at State Lake Six Weeks Chicago, Oct. 28. — "An American in Paris" will open at the B. & K. State Lake here the evening of Nov. 14 for a six-week run. B. & K. were awarded the first Chicago run of the picture after Federal Judge Michael Igoe had granted them permission to bid for an extended run of six weeks on the picture, ruling that the picture was of a quality to be exempted from the two weeks' first-run limitation imposed on B. & K. Theatres by the Jackson Park decree. Show That Allied Isn't Relaxing, Myers Asks; Board Parleys Underway By CHARLES L. FRANKE In a special message to the delegates to this week's Allied States 18th annual convention in New York, Abram F. Myers, board chairman and general counsel, has called for convention action that will correct the impression held in certain quarters that the organization "is no longer battling as vigorously for the welfare of its members as it once did." Following Allied board meetings yesterday and today at the Biltmore Hotel, the convention proper will get underway tomorrow and continue through Thursday. A record 550 reservations have been received by convention chairman Wilbur Snaper for delegates, wives and guests. "In their preoccupation with other matters," Myers states in his message, "exhibitor organizations seem to have lost some of their aggressiveness in protecting the interests of their members." He asserted he has been "dis (Continued on page 6) Abram F. Myers Government to Show Korean Picture The U. S. Defense department will have a luncheon and screening for the press at the Hotel Astor here on Friday, the film being a tworeeler made in Korea showing the government's interest is saving the lives of the wounded. It is a joint production of the Defense Department, the Association of Motion Picture Producers and disabled American veterans. "The government believes this dramatic film can be a major contribution to public morale," stated Vice Admiral Ross T. Mclntire.