Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1952)

4 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, May 28, 1952 National Pre-Selling THE current Woman's Home Companion contains Philip Hartung's list of "Companion Recommended Movies" and the 101st "Companion Poll" which puts Jane Wyman in first place as its readers' choice of "Who's Your Favorite Star," as a result, they think, of her role in "The Blue Veil." Columbia's "Paula" gets the inside front cover, preferred position in Rcdbook for June, and the "M-G-M Movie Calendar" in full color has the back cover. "High Noon" is Redbook's choice as the "Picture-of-the-Month." "How I Discovered Will Rogers," by Will Rogers, Jr., was the feature story in This Week on Sunday, as pre-selling for Warner's "Will Rogers Story," now in production, and will be the Subject of a color cover and feature story in Collier's for June 7. A whole new generation will come to know the Will Rogers that the previous generation loved. Exhibitors report as much as three times normal business with reissues of the original Will Rogers films, "Steamboat 'Round the Bend" and "David Harum." • Advertising for Roy Rogers Riders Club in the New York Daily NewsChicago Tribune Sunday comic section, sponsored by Post Cereals, isn't aimed for film theatres. This is TV promotion, and imntes young buckaroos to "start a Roy Rogers Riders Club in your neighborhood," with membership card, club badge, autographed picture and comic book, for 10 cents and a box top. The out-oftown color rotogravxtre section of the Sunday News carried pictures and the story of Radio City Music Hall, but this didn't appear in the New York City edition. The June 1 issue of Parade features Glynis Johns on the cover and as the subject of a feature piece. Bluebook magazine for July zi'ill cary a big send-off for Warner's "Winning Team," with a special story about Grover Cleveland Alexander. The June issue of Pageant magazine has a four-page feature on the same film. • Newspaper publishers and influential Colorado personalities got behind Leo McCarey's "My Son John" following a dinner hosted by Palmer Hoyt, publisher of the Denver Post and special previews of the picture for executive editorial staffs and civic leaders. Another similar event was sponsored by Jack Foster, editor in chief of Scripps-Howard's Rocky Mountain News with both papers pledging full backing of the film on both editorial as well as drama pages. Among those present were the Governor of Colorado, the presidents and trustees of the University of Colorado and Denver University, publishers from Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and Pueblo, American Legion heads, presidents of the Colorado Bar Association, Merchants and Manufacturers Association, Retail Brands Association, Parents Teachers directors and leading businessmen. All organization heads and local officials were accompanied by their wives, many of them also influential in civic affairs. Walter Brooks French Pact (Continued from page 1) be held here today with Eric A. Johnston presiding. The proposal in question would permit unrestricted imports, but provides a domestic production subsidy of 10 per cent of earnings from the first 70 films and IS per cent of the remaining imports. Additionally, the companies could withdraw I2yi per cent of the current year's accruals now blocked. Alternative proposals provide for (1) limitation of imports to 100 pictures, with remittances of $1,200,000 annually, plus free convertibility of the current fiscal year's accruals, and (2) free convertibility of blocked balances accrued between July 1, 1951, and June 30, 1952, understood to amount to some $4,000,000, with subsequent earnings to be convertible up to about $4,500,000 yearly, but subject to the deduction by the French of 5^ per cent of gross earnings, or $200,000, as "loans" for use in domestic production. It was reported from Washington, meanwhile, that Johnston and other film company officials involved in negotiating the new French film pact have briefed top State Department officials on the progress of the U. S.French talks so far. A detailed fill-in, the first given the Department, took place at a secret meeting at the Department late yesterday. Officials said all the proposals and counter-proposals so far were outlined to the Federal officials. These proposals were then discussed at length, but that there was no final decision, it was reported. The negotiations, now in recess, are expected to resume in Paris early next month. Accompanying Johnston to the State Department yesterday were MPAA vice-president Joyce O'Hara and James Mulvey, Leo Samuels and Alfred Crown, representing the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. State Department officials present at the meeting were Harold Linder, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs ; John Leddy, director of the Office of Trade Policy ; Robert McBride, of the French desk; Stanley Metzger, of the Legal Adviser's Office, and Colton Hand, Department film expert. Golden Now Due to Return From Europe in Late July Washington, May 27. — Commerce Department film chief Nathan D. Golden will not return from his European trip until late July, rather than late June, as originally scheduled. Aides here said Golden had taken part in some of the talks on the new Franco-American film pact, and had fallen behind schedule on his tour of European film centers, making necessary a postponement of his scheduled return. He is now in Madrid, and will shortly proceed to Rome. Hunt, DeSchulthess Buy Paramount 'Lab' Hollywood, May 27. — G. Carleton Hunt and Hans DeSchulthess, partners in Unicorn Theatres of San Francisco, have purchased the Paramount studio film laboratory, recently shut down, for $550,000. The buyers will operate as a commercial laboratory. Kentucky Meeting Will Open Today Louisville, May 27.— The annual two-day convention of the Kentucky Theatre Owners Association will open tomorrow at the Hotel Brown here with a roster of speakers who will include Marc J. Wolf, of Y. and W. Theatres; Leon J. Bamberger, RKO Pictures sales promotion manager, who will discuss "Censorship vs. Self -regulation"; Earl Penrod, Affiliated Advertising; Fred Matthews and Frank Riffle, Motiograph ; Louis Arru, Twin Drive-in; Jack Keiler, Columbia Amusement; Alfred Starr, Bijou Amusement ; Clyde Reeves, State Revenue Department; Trueman T. Rembusch, Allied States; Jack Jackson of National Screen, and others. UPT Dividend (Continued from page 1) dividends in addition to quarterly dividends, as justified by earnings of the corporation. In this respect, Goldenson noted that since the business of the corporation is conducted largely on a cash basis, with no substantial investments in inventories, dividend payments can be made that are higher in proportion to earnings than is the case in other enterprises. Regarding yesterday's dividend action, Goldenson said the board put particular significance on "the substantial demands for cash that the corporation will face in the event that a merger with the American Broadcasting Co. is approved" by the Federal Communications Commission. Goldenson, referring to his recent message to stockholders expressing his hope that the board would see fit to declare the regular dividend, said he is convinced that yesterday's board action is in the best interests of the corporation and the stockholders. Since its divorcement from Paramount, UPT had paid a regular quarterly dividend of 50 cents. UPT began business as a new corporation on Jan. 1, 1950. _ Besides voting the 25-cent dividend, the board reelected all officers of the corporation. They include : Goldenson, president ; Walter Gross, vicepresident and general counsel ; Robert H. O'Brien, secretary-treasurer ; Robert M. Weitman, vice-president ; Edward L. Hyman, vice-president ; Simon B. Siegel, comptroller; J. L. Brown, assistant treasurer. Para. Earns (Continued from page 1) vidend for the second quarter of 50 cents per share on the common stock, payable June 23, to holders of record on June 9. The $1,355,000 of consolidated earnings for the first quarter represents 58 cents per share on 2,342,104 shares outstanding on March 29, which compares with 61 cents per share for the quarter ended March 31, 1951. The above earnings do not include Paramount's net interest in the combined undistributed earnings of partially owned non-consolidated companies, which for the first quarter of 1952 were $169,000, and were $205,000 for the first quarter of 1951. SCTOA (Continued from page 1) SCTOA considers essential to the industry's future. The SCTOA committee composed of Cecil Vinnicof, O. N. Srere, Al Hanson, Jack Goldman, Wayne Hanson, which drew up report, today told the trade press, "We find it mandatory to have specific rules which would regulate every step for distribution in its conduct of sale of pictures. This could have been the most important benefit derived from the Government's anti-trust litigation. The decrees, instead, have removed all restraints from distribution and have uprooted all previous existing business arrangements and established relationships." Deprived of Buying Power Reciting, in its 22-page report, conditions which prevailed prior to the decision in the government case, and comparing them with its present, the SCTOA committee said the major producers, by cutting down the number of pictures made annually, have deprived the subsequent-run exhibitor of his buying power since he is compelled by necessity to buy virtually all pictures regardless of terms. Further, by stipulating a fixed percentage for each picture, which must be paid all the way down the line from first run to reissue, distributors have eliminated exhibitor incentive for continuing on subsequent run. Additionally, establishing its own zoning by each company individually has created countless conflicts between subsequent-run situations ; the bidding system has forced exhibitors into price changes, up and down, destructive to the picture-going habit ; bidding and availability practices have cut to a minimum the exhibitors period in which to exploit an attraction, the committee said. These are among reasons why 134 theatres in this area had closed when SCTOA appealed fruitlessly to the Department of Justice on May 1 last year, and why the number closed now is 200, with the committee predicting 50 more will close by July. Embodies 8 Points The report, embodying an eightpoint recommendation for rules, is going to all government agencies, with the committee declaring, "In the event such agencies are unable to grant the relief requested because of existing restrictive legislation, it is recommended that appropriate legislative bodies be requested to alter or amend such laws to exclude therefrom the business of motion picture production and exhibition, or that new laws be passed which will permit the operation of regulations herein set forth." 20th Divorce (Continued from page 1) company into production-distribution and exhibition units at the next accounting period, it was explained. The official pointed out that the delay would not require the concurrence of the Department of Justice because such a contingency is taken care of in the company's consent decree. In addition, the deadline for effecting divorcement is June, 1953. The Treasury Department's approval is sought to avoid taxation of stockholders who will be given new securities in the two projected companies in exchange for their old securities in 20th-Fox. RUN THE CEREBRAL PALSY TRAILER