Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1951)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 70. NO. 88 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1951 TEN CENTS Allied Set to Bypass TOA On Arbitration Committee Will Go Direct To Companies with Plan The national Allied board approved at its post-convention meeting here on Friday the resolutions on trade practices and "all-inclusive" arbitration voted by the convention Thursday afternoon, the final daj" of the threeday gathering in New York of Allied members from many sect i o n s of the country. Allied will not seek in the immediate future conferences with the Theatre Owners of America looking to the establishment of an industry-wide arbitration system, but rather will send a commit(Continued on page 4) H. A. Cole Name 10-Man Compo Unit Naming of members for the Council of Motion Picture Organizations' nominating committee, which will meet shortly to pick a slate of officers, was completed here at the weekend, with the designation of Barney Balaban, president of Paramount Pictures, to represent the Motion Picture Association of America, and Gael Sullivan, executive director of the Theatre Owners of America, to represent TOA. The committee's selections will be (.Continued on page 4) Milgram Decision Called 'Shocking' "Shocking and discouraging" were the words used by one distribution attorney to describe reaction to the U. S. Circuit Court decision in Philadelphia last week holding distributors guilty of violating the anti-trust laws in refusing to sell first-run films to (.Continued on page 5) TOA Is Hopeful of Arbitration Action Herman Levy, general counsel of the Theatre Owners of America, and its principal spokesman for an industry arbitration system, issued the following statement on Friday concerning the Allied States' convention's vote for arbitration: "I have not seen the resolution and I do not know its details. I am informed, however, that it expresses approval of the establishment of an industry system of arbitration. If this is so we at TOA are very pleased and shall look forward to cooperating with all segments of the industry toward the realization of a workable and effective system to which exhibitors may go for speedy and inexpensive determination of their grievances." Distributors Shy at Arbitration Plan Distribution officials queried on Friday were somewhat puzzled by the "all-inclusive" nature of the proposal for industry arbitration adopted by the Allied States convention here last week. No indications were encountered that any distribution company would agree to the arbitration of film rentals, included in the convention resolution. The consensus of distribution opinion appeared to be that if Allied is making its arbitration proposals as a beginning, or bargaining basis, and is prepared to give and take in the course of negotiation, something could come of it. If, however, the Allied resolution is to be offered on a take it or leave it basis, few distribution (Continued on page 4) E. Pa. Unit Still Is Out of Allied The question of Eastern Pennsylvania Allied's suspension from national Allied remained unanswered on Friday when the Allied States Association post-convention board meeting adjourned and director-delegates left New York for their respective headquarters. The board considered the question at its final meeting and informed Sidney Samuelson, Eastern Pennsylvania general manager, who was present, that the conditions he made for (Continued on page 4) RKO Theatres Nets $1,053,844 in First Nine Months Consolidated net profit of RKO Theatres Corp. and subsidiary companies for the third quarter of 1951 was $502,205, after taxes and all other charges. Profit for the first nine months was $1,053,844, after taxes and all other charges (including profit of $380,577 on the sale of capital assets, before taxes). Inasmuch as RKO Theatres commenced operations on Jan. 1, 1951, there are no comparable income figures available for similar periods of 1950. The RKO theatre company and picture company were split last January under the New York consent decision. Profit from operations before taxes (Continued on page 5) Wald-Krasna RKO Severance Delayed Hollywood, Nov. 4. — Decision to postpone for 60 days any action on the continuation of the Jerry WaldNorman Krasna independent production unit at the RKO Radio studio was reached at a conference held by the two producers and C. J. Tevlin, RKO studio head. Wald-Krasna's two-year option of their five-year deal has expired, and this precipitated the meeting at which both sides expressed dissatisfaction with present arrangements. The studio contended that too few pictures had been produced by the pair, to which Wald and Krasna countered they had been hampered by "a lack of autonomy" and delays by (Continued on page 5) Seek Trade Press Aid for 'Salute' Plans for launching an all-industry campaign to aid the Christmas "Salute" to the Variety Clubs — Will Rogers Memorial Hospital at Saranac were set before trade press publishers and editors at a luncheonmeeting at the Brussels Restaurant here on Friday. Talks on the scope of the project and the needs of the hospital, which is open to the tubercular of this and other entertainment industries, and members of their families, without charge, were made by Marc Wolf, chief barker of Variety International ; Sam Switow of Louisville ; Charles (Continued on page 4) Decca Gets Stock Control Of Universal Rackmil Buys 271,900 Shares, 32,500 Options Completion of arrangements for the acquisition by Decca Records of 271,900 shares of Universal Pictures common stock and 32,500 option warrants, was announced by Milton R. Rackmil, Decca president, at the weekend. The acquisitions represent approximately 30 per cent of the Universal common stock outstanding, exclusive of warrants, and a p p r o x i mately 25 per cent of the stock which would be outstanding after the exercise of warrants already issued. In either case, financial circles regard (Continued on page 4) Milton K. Rackmil 50% of 20th 's Films Ready Hollywood, Nov. 4. — Fully 50 per cent of 20th Century-Fox's productions for next year have already been completed or are well along before the cameras. Sixteen are ready and six are shooting, with 12 of the total 22 in color. The completed films are : "Kangaroo," outdoor adventure filmed in Australia, color in Technicolor ; "The Pride of St. Louis," the Dizzy Dean baseball biography ; "With A Song in My Heart," the Jane Fro (Continued on page 5) Dismissal of CSU Suit Affirmed Hollywood, Nov. 4. — The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals here has affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the antitrust suit involving many millions of dollars brought against the IATSE and motion picture producers by the Conference of Studio Unions, former (Continued on page 5)