Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1951)

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Friday, November 2, 1951 Motion Picture daily 7 . . . And Silence for That Other Sheet The Allied States convention approved and sent to the Allied board of directors a resolution asking that messages be sent to the publishers of Look and Coronet magazines commending them for the recent publication of articles on the industry of a constructive and helpful character. Allied Time* New York By RED KANN. O'Donnell Tours {Continued from page 1) personalities to desire to do so in the future, O'Donnell explained. Flanked on the AM PA dais by distributor advertising executives who aided in the execution of the drive, O'Donnell estimated that more than $1,000,000 in free advertising space was allotted to the industry in press coverage of the various "Movietime" projects. The Texas circuit executive also estimated that more than 100,000,000 persons across the country were brought into contact with the campaign by the tours of from 150 to 180 Hollywood personalities. Long-term Measure of Success On the question of its immediate effect on the box-office, O'Donnell declared that "Movietime" was not designed to register there immediately, but that millions of people throughout the country were made aware of forthcoming good pictures and the success of the campaign should be measured in longer terms. The "grass roots" reaction of the American people was told in glowing terms, he added. Another major accomplishment of the campaign was that it unified exhibition and production and the business offices in the nation with Hollywood, O'Donnell said. In his tribute to O'Donnell, Ned E. Depinet, RKO Pictures president, also mentioned the eagerness of Hollywood personalities to participate in future tours. Depinet, who is also president of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, thanked the salesmen and branch managers who sold the campaign to exhibitors, many of the latter being reluctant to join. Arthur L. Mayer, COMPO executive vice-president, another featured speaker yesterday, said the industry needed more men like O'Donnell who put the industry's welfare above private considerations and act as a unifying influence. Plaque to O'Donnell In an added tribute, a plaque was presented to O'Donnell from the Gonzales, Texas, Warm Springs Foundation for O'Donnell's part in raising $250,000 among Texas theatremen to aid the hospital for crippled children. Miss Anseth Teel of Fort Worth, a former polio patient, made the presentation. Among those also honored on the dais with O'Donnell for their parts in the "Movietime" drive were Charles McCarthy, co-ordinator of the campaign ; Max Youngstein, assistant co-ordinator ; Barret McCormick, head of the pressbook project; Arthur Schmidt, head of publicity ; Mort Blumenstock, in charge of star tours, and Jerry Pickman, who handled national radio publicity. ALLIED decided for arbitration on its own terms yesterday and at once raised doubts about the outcome. It was Jack Kirsch who, more or less, prepared the convention for the resolution which followed. He was exhorting the distributors to lend a helpful hand to distressed exhibitors — the little fellows — excoriating "empty promises" and even suggesting maybe the distributors might well forego profits for a year all in the cause of keeping theatres from shuttering. But, if an arbitration system within the industry — outsiders like the American Arbitration Association ruled off — could encompass film prices, product splits, competitive bidding, this he thought might be the answer. • Along came Charlie Niles with the resolution that covered this ground, and more. Its text, unanimously approved with Ted Mann a stentorian and lone dissenter, revealed Allied wants the all-inclusive type of system, broad enough at the base to accommodate clearances, bidding, film rentals, forcing of product, illegally fixed admission prices, runs and any other subject of importance. The doubts which shape up very quickly include these : Distributors are not apt to cotton to adjudications involving the sweep of trade practices which Allied struck for. Besides, there is the slightly involved task of getting Allied and TO A to join hands on what areas properly fit into a voluntary arbitration system. The two national organizations will have to get together on this before distributors will listen. Anyway, it was a step. . • Details of what transpired at the various film clinics also began to emerge. The distributors at large didn't come off so well. There were pretty violent reactions to the prerelease run policy, with a specific concentration on 2'0th Century-Fox for "David and Bathsheba" and a resolution alerting Abram F. Myers to check with a view toward formal action against this company and any others if such a course turned out to be warranted. An array of unkind words also was let loose on film rentals. Here distributors were charged with tactics involving increased formulas where percentage now prevails, upping sliding scales, lowering split figures, moving flats into percentages, etc. Never bashful about naming names, the resolution unanimously adopted in this connection cited M-G-M, Paramount, RKO and Warner. • Bill Rodgers made a second appearance yesterday, the only ranking distribution executive to do so. As he finished answering questions which reaffirmed established M-G-M policies and revealed some facts not hitherto re ported, he drew applause and this from John Wolfberg, "You have enhanced your reputation today by some of your straight answers." Applauded was Rodgers' straightaway statement that the Metro sales force operates under a clear-cut policy of local autonomy ; that he is ready to arbitrate clearance wrangles "at any time" ; that Metro wants what it regards as its just due and no more, and in direct reply to Kirsch, will do its best to prevent any theatre from closing. • Purpose of test runs of "Quo Vadis" is to decide policy : whether continuous runs, reserved seats or a combination of both, it developed. "No matter what the terms, they won't be liked and that's for sure," commented Rodgers. Moreover, he acknowledged readily that the policy would mean increased admission prices. "I can't see the exhibitor or Metro, for that matter, coming out otherwise." . . . Surprise note : Despite those 3,000 or more drive-ins around the nation, Metro on the average is serving less accounts today than five years ago. . . . And despite all of the conversation on competitive bidding, Metro does it in only 500-odd situations and that's been cut by about 40 in the last month. That company's official view on bidding, as per Rodgers : "We don't need that kind of blood money and we don't want it." • Benny Berger harangued for a Federal law controlling production and distribution, but Allied men didn't react. He also got himself involved in "Movietime, U.S.A.," but couldn't remember its name. And that after National Screen had blanketed the convention hall with banners, most of them staring Berger in the face. . . . "It's an insult that Paramount was not represented at the sales managers' panel," boomed Charlie Niles. . . . Ted Mann and Trueman Rembusch got into a sharp verbal tussle. Rembusch maintained Mann failed to stick to the subject: arbitration. Mann insisted he had. He also insisted on recording his dissatisfaction over the manner in which the convention had been conducted. . . . Myers thought the arbitration proposal a good one, "but remember I never owned a theatre." . . . Allied got around to television in the very last stretches. A move by Harry Perlman to chide Republic, Monogram and UA for selling films to TV was referred to the board. . . . "Thank you, Mr. Wolfson," said Jack Kirsch to John Wolfberg. . . . Unavailing lastditch proposal came from L. C. Montgomery. He was for the Allied and TO A boards to enter a joint huddle with distributors on mutual problems. Fractionally thereafter, Trueman Rembusch declared the meeting adjourned. Citation for Sperling Los Angeles, Nov. 1. — Milton Sperling received the American Legion Citation tonight in special Marine Corps ceremonies at Patriotic Hall. The producer, a Marine reserve major, was honored by Los Angeles Post No. 8 in recognition of the film activities of his United States Pictures Co., which releases through Warner Brothers. Skouras Host to Greeks Hollywood, Nov. 1. — Charles P. Skouras, president of National Theatres, entertained a group of Greek military officers at a luncheon at 20th Century-Fox studio today. The visitors, who are guests of the United States Air Force, include Air Marshall Emanuel Kelaides, chief of staff of the Royal Hellenic Air Force, it was learned here. Trad TV Set to See Wis. Northwoods Mrs. C. L. Roser, Baraboo, Wis., won the Allied convention drawing for a Trad television set here yesterday. "If there's no television up there in Baraboo, she can use it for an ice box," said Wilbur Snaper, who conducted the drawing. Marilyn Silverstone Bringing Art Series Marilyn Silverstone will arrive here from Europe on Monday on the S. S. Queen Mary with the footage for six Art Films productions filmed abroad during the last eight months. Miss Silverstone was associate producer of the series. The ten-minute short subjects, which will be distributed by 20th Century-Fox, are in color and deal with Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, Renoir and Raphael. Miss Silverstone's itinerary included England, Spain, France, Italy and Holland. TWA's 'Letter' Previewed TWA Airlines yesterday held a press reception and screening of its institutional film, "Letter to A Pilot," at RCA's Johnny Victor Theatre here. The featurette, running 27 minutes, is a behind-the-scenes story of a TWA flight from Los Angeles to New York. Others present included Ralph Damon, TWA president ; E. O. Cocke, sales vice-president, and Bill Ganz, president of William Ganz Associates, which will release the production. You can buy a whole new set with the profits from UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL S man The Week End that Shook the World^ •-*iti> LAUGHT&'