Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

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VOL. 71. NO. 58 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1952 TEN CENTS Loew Theatre Profits Beat Films 4 Years Divorce-Reorganization Plans Ready for Meeting From 1942 through 1946, Loew's profits from fihn production and distribution operations and other sources not connected with exhibition, ran well ahead of theatre operating profits. From 1947 through 1951, profits from Loew's U. S. and Canadian theatres were substantially greater than all other company profits. The separate profit figures for the past 10 years appear in the company's proxy statement setting forth its divorcement and reorganization plan to be voted upon by stockholders at the annual meeting to be held April 29 at the home office. The years of greatest contrast between film profits and theatre profits were 1943, when theatre profits amounted to $8,860,000, and other profits aggregated $26,172,000, and 1944, when theatre profits were $8, iContinned on page 6) Rodgers Can't Take Top COMPO Post William F. Rodgers, Loew's vicepresident and consultant, was reported yesterday to have declined the presidency of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations "for reasons of health." The Loew's executive appeared on Friday about to be swept into the COMPO office on a groundswell of industry sentiment. However, it is understood that he refused the post for the same reason that he recently relinquished the top sales post at {Continued on page 2) Leon B. Back Heads Maryland Allied BALxnroRE, March 24. — At the annual meeting of ."Mlied Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Maryland, the following officers and directors were elected for the ensuing year : Leon B. Back, president ; Lauritz Carman, vice-president ; C. Elmer Nohe, Jr., treasurer, and Mrs. Helen Diering, executive secretary. Directors are Jack Levin, Meyer (Continued on page 6) W.B.-ABPC See Remittance Cuts; Plan U.K. Production TOA Inaugurates Decentralization Of Its Activities Decentralization of virtually all Theatre Owners of America activities, with special emphasis on trade practices, theatre television, public relations, research, legislation, taxation and advertising, was revealed yesterday by Mitchell Wolfson, TOA president, as marking a new approach in the organization's program to solve exhibitor problems. In a special brochure sent to TOA members, Wolfson has called for the establishment in each of the organization's six regional units, committees dedicated to aggressive work in the {Continued on page 2) By PETER BURNUP London, March 24. — In anticipation of more stringent arrangements on the conversion of American film companies' sterling earnings here resulting from the talks to be held here in June on changes in the Anglo-U. S. industry monetary agreement, Warner Brothers is preparing plans for increased production here. Sir Philip Warter, chairman of Associated British Pictures Corp., in which Warner holds an important interest, said today following his return from an extended American visit. Sir Philip said that he also had conferred with Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and that Johnston's opinion supported the Warner-ABPC view that the forthcoming monetary talks here will lead to more stringent remittance arrangements with empha(Continued on page 4) CompoHitsTreasury 'Non-essential' Tag .\rtliur L. Mayer, executive vicepresident of COMPO, sent a formal protest yesterday to Secretary of the Treasury Snyder against the Treasury Department's characterization of the motion picture industry as "a relatively non-essential service." Tliis description of the industry was (Continued on page 2) Question Kintner on Media Competition Washington, March 24. — Even assuming the merged American Broadcasting Paramount Theatres Co. owned a subscriber television system as well as theatres and home television broadcasting, the board would not be able to "manipulate" programs among the three competing media, (Continued on page 4) B.O. Downswing 'Reversed^ Skouras Tells NT Meet Hollywood, March 24. — "The downward business trend has been arrested and reversed," National Theatres president Charles P. Skouras told the circuit's division presidents, department heads and district managers at the opening of the four-day annual meeting today. Although the first few weeks of 1952 saw bo.xoffice totals about five per cent below 1951, Skouras said, "the upturn beginning about four weeks ago, due to good product and vigorous promotional efforts applied, will show an operatingprofit for the first quarter above a year ago." Continuing supply of strong product and sustained eff'ort in its behalf are all that's needed to keep business on the upbeat, Skouras said. "There is no inflation in admission prices," the circuit's James Runte, Sacramento, said, pointing out that NT's admission scale has advanced (Continued on page 6) Bamberger Urges Newspaper Aids Oklahoma City, March 24. — Good working relations between exhibitors and their local newspapers are essential to the best interests of both, Leon Bamberger, RKO Radio sales promotion manager, declared in an address to the annual convention of the Theatre Owners of Oklahoma here today. Business interests and problems common to both newsnapers and exhibitors were cited by Bamberger. Among them, he said, was the prob(Continued on page 2) TOA, Allied Arbitration Delegates Set Wolfson, Snaper, Fabian, Yamins in; IT OA Set Too Three of the five exhibitor organizations invited to meet with distributors on arbitration ah'eady have named delegates to represent them at conferences with a four-man sales managers committee headed by William F. Rodgers. Allied and the Theatre Owners of America, each of which about four weeks ago submitted to distributors their respective proposals for a possible industry system of arbitration, and the Independent Theatre Owners Association of New York, have named a total of eight delegates. Wilbur Snaper, Allied president, reported yesterday that he and Nathan Yamins of New England would represent Allied as the two conferees stipulated by Eric A. Johnston, Motion Picture .Association of America president, in the invitation issued last Friday in behalf of 10 distributors. The Allied delegates will be accompanied by Abram F. Myers, (Continued on page 6) No First -run Limit On 'Show' in Chi. Chicago, March 24. — "The Greatest Show on Earth" today was granted an unlimited Chicago first run by Federal Judge Michael L. Igoe, throwing bidding wide open to all comers by lifting the two week first run limitation imposed by the Jackson Park decree on "affiliated" theatres which might wish to compete for the picture with unaffiliated houses such as the Woods and Oriental. The Palace, whose position in relation to the decree (with RKO having bowed out of the house) has not been established, also could enter into bidding for the picture. Albany Tour Will Cover 40 Cities Albany, N. Y., March 24.— The "Movietime, U.S.A." tour, scheduled for the Albany exchange area the week of .April 21, will cover approximately 40 cities and towns, Harry Lamont, exhibitor chairman, revealed today.