Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, January 24, 1952 Personal Mention 4-Day Paramount Sales Meet Will Start Here Today Branch managers and special field representatives of Paramount's Eastern, Southern and Alid-Eastern divisions will gather here today at the Hotel Plaza to hear A. W. Schwalberg, president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp.. and other home office executives, outline the company's 1952 sales and merchandising policy. A discussion of Paramount product for 1952 will lead off the four-day session, with individual handling of each and every picture to be stressed. All scheduled and tentatively scheduled releases will be analyzed from a sales, advertising, publicity and exploitation standpoint. Ainong the pictures to be discussed are Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth," George Stevens' "Something To Live For," Hal Wallis' "Sailor Beware," Perlberg-Seaton's "Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick" and "Anything Can Happen," Leo McCarey's "My Son John," PineThomas' "Hong Kong," Nat Holt's "Flaming Feather" and "Denver and Rio Grande," "Red Mountain'' and "The Atomic City." Schwalberg will conduct the meeting, while scheduled speakers for the first day include E. K. O'Shea, Jerry Pickman and Oscar A. Morgan. The meetings will be continued if necessary. Univ. Board Hears Decca Plan Report An informal interim report on the possible amalgamation of Universal Pictures Corp. and Decca Records was presented at yesterday's Universal board meeting, it was learned. The report, described as still in the formative stage, received no expression of opposition from John Davis, managing director of the J. Arthur Rank Organization, who attended the meeting, according to an informed source. It was said that all board members are waiting to hear final recommendations before stating their position. It is hoped to have the report, or at least the outlines of it, ready for the April meeting of stockholders, the first such meeting since Decca's purchase of Universal stock. One of the three members of the board committee working on the possible consolidation problem is Robert Benjamin, wiio represents Rank's bloc of Universal stock h(jldings. Preston Davie is committee chairman and William German is the other membLT. Xate J. Blumberg, Universal president, was unable to attend yesterday's meeting due to illness. Davis, who was scheduled to leave here for London today, is reported planning to extend his visit for several days. Delay Shea Hearing The hearing on tiic petition of D(^rothy Shea for an accounting of the Maurice A. Shea Trust was again postjjoned from yesterday to Jan. .30. STANTON GRIFFIS, retiring U. S. Ambassador to Spain and chairman of the Paramount Pictures executive committee, is due to return to New York from Madrid early next week. • A'l. L. Simons, M-G-M home office assistant to H. M. Richey, on Jan. 30 will address the Hazelton, Pa., Rotary Club, sponsored by Ed Craft of the Paramount Penn Capitol Theatre of that city. • Joel Rabin and his wife, the former Janet Blackman, daughter of Republic executive Irving Blackman, announce the birth of a boy, Richard Lee. • Bernard Feldman of the Warner home office playdate department and his wife announce the birth of a girl, Dian Crystal. • Arnold Jacobs, national sales manager of Discina International, has left New York for the Coast. o Lou J. Kaufman, Warner Theatres executive, is in Pittsburgh from New York. FRED S. MEYER, in charge of labor relations at 20th Century-Fox studio, left here for the Coast yesterday. • Edward Peskay, Eastern representative of producer Harry Popkin, is due back in New York early next week following a three-week visit to the Coast. • Charles M. Reagan, vice-president in charge of M-G-M distribution, was a guest of "The Of¥-the-Record Club" yesterday at the 21 Club. • Harold Wirthwein, Monogram and Allied Artists Western sales manager, has returned to Hollywood from a Midwestern trip. • Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., Columbia executive, will return here from the West Indies by plane Monday. • James Mulvey, president of Samuel Goldwyn Productions, will return here, today from Washington. • Harry Buckley and Mrs. Buckley are in Phoenix, Ariz, from New York for a visit of several months. Patterson Had Been At Hearing on Schine Divestiture Robert P. Patterson, distinguished lawyer and former Secretary of War, who was killed in the Elizabeth, N. J., plane crash on Tuesday, was returning to New York City from Bufifalo where he had made his first court appearance as attorney for the Schine Chain Theatres of Gloversville, N. Y., when the fatal accident occurred. Judge Patterson had planned to return to New York by train but the hearing on the amended theatre divestiture order for the Schine Chain was concluded earlier in the day than had been expected and he requested -issociates in the Buffalo law firm of Raichle, Tucker and Moore to obtain an accommodation for him on the plane, which left BufTalo at 12:03 P. M. New York associates of Patterson said that the airline office in Buffalo took a seat on the plane from another passenger to accommodate Judge Patterson. Retained Only Recently His law firm, Patterson, Belknap and Webb, had been retained only recently in the Schine proceedings and it was the first time he had appeared in court to represent the theatre company. Judge Patterson also was special counsel for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He represented ASCAP in the litigation brought by New York independent exhibitors which resulted in the decision by Federal Judge Vincent Leibell declaring ASCAP's collection of music performance fees rom exhibitors to be illegal. He also represented ASCAP in the amendment of the decree governing its licensing methods and currently had been engaged in the proceedings to determine proper music licensing rates for ASCAP music used on television. Several years ago Judge Patterson represented Charles Skouras, president of National Theatres, in an acuon brought by stockholders of 20th Century-Fox, parent company, contesting profit participation and other compensation arrangements. The action resulted in a limitation being placed on the compensation to be paid to Skouras. Judge Patterson also represented Darryl F. Zanuck in several contract and other personal legal matters. Marcus Misses Plane Crash Washington, Jan. 23. — Pliilip Marcus, Justice Department attorney, was in Bufifalo yesterday to present the Schine consent decree to the District Court there. He was all set to fly home, when he suddenly remembered another matter he wanted to attend to, and stayed in Bufifalo. The plane he did not take was the American airliner which crashed in Elizabeth. Crouch to Sound Masters William Forest Crouch, producerdirector, has joined Sound Masters, Inc. as executive producer of a newlyorganized television film unit, it was announced by president Harold E. Wondscl. FROM nrte HEARTS OF A Sforring MARION 6RAMD0 I'roJiiceJ bv Directed by Written by DARRyiF. ZANUCK ELIA KAZAN -lOi STEINBECK There's Ho Business Like ^Business! rCUTIIDV CI-IV MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays. Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue. Rockefeller Center, New York 20. .\. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann. Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Levy, Vice-President: Leo J. Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke. Advertising Manager; Oiis II. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau. Yucca-Vine Building. William R. Weaver, Editor. Chicago Bureau, 120 South I^aSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FI 6-3074; Bruce Trinz, Editorial Representative, 11 North Clark Street, FR-2-2843. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl; Hope Burnup. Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." 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