Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1952)

NEWS VOL. 71. NO. 105 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK. U.S.A., THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1952 TEN CENTS House Unit Hearings on TV Tuesday Will Study Product Used on Programs Washington*. May 28. — A House Commerce sub-committee investigating radio and television programs said it would start public hearings on Tuesday. After an organizing meeting this afternoon. Chairman Harris (D., Ark.) said the sub-committee would conduct its study 'Within the terms of the House resolution, which provides that the sub-committee shall determine the extent to which radio and television programs currently available to the public contain immoral or otherwise offensive matter, or place improper emphasis upon crime, violence and corruption." That means, he said, that motion pictures will be studied "insofar as they permit their films to be used on television programs." He admitted, however, that it was "unlikely that we (Continued on page 5) SIMPP, MP A Differ On French Subsidy At a meeting here yesterday of the Motion Picture Export Association, representatives of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers formally expressed the Society's opposition to any French pact proposals which call for payment of a subsidy to the French industry out of American film earnings in that country. The MPEA member companies' foreign managers at the meeting indicated that they had little enthusiasm (Continued on page 4) Heavy $17,000 f or Johnny Ray at Para. The best non-holiday opening day business at the New York Paramount "in a couple of years" was registered yesterday by Johnny Ray on stage and "The Wild Heart" on the Paramount screen. A sturdy SI 7,000 was forecast for the initial day's business. Bob Hope in March, 1950, at the Paramount registered a similar gross for his nonholiday opening. Plan Eidophor Show Week of June 23 The initial public demonstration of 20th CenturyFox's Swiss Eidophor CBS color theatre TV system is planned during the week of June 23 at the company's home office here. The disclosure came following a meeting between 20thFox president Spyros P. Skouras and Earl I. Sponable, research director. Recruitment Clips Set for Newsreels Details for the distribution of a newsreel clip and a short subject, produced under the sponsorship of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, to assist in the recruitment of women for the Armed Forces, were worked out yesterday at a confernce in COMPO's offices here, attended by representatives of the Department of Defense, the sales managers committee and COMPO. The newsreel clip of 190 feet, produced by Jay Bonafield of RKOPathe, will feature a song, "The Girls Are Marching." sung by Fran Warren. Jules Styne wrote the music and Adolph Green and Betty Comden the lyrics. The clip will be included in all newsreels released on June 10. The short subject, which will have a running time of 10 minutes, is entitled "The Real Miss America" and (Continued on page 4) Schwartz Criticizes Studios 9 Inaction On Exposition Plan Hollywood studio heads' failure to meet with New York exhibitors to discuss proposals for holding an industry exposition was sharply scored here yesterday by Fred J. Schwartz, head of the Organization of the Motion Picture Industry of New York. Schwartz deplored what he termed the ignoring by Coast executives of the exhibitors' expressed desire to confer on the possibilities of setting up an exposition featuring studio equipment, actors and other accoutrements of the trade at Grand Central Palace here. The proposal included the suggestion that the exposition be transported to other U. S. cities following its New York "run." The organization headed by (Continued on page 4) KATO Meet Warned On Censorship Louisville, May 28. — A warning to be continually on the alert "against the threat of either state or municipal censorship and be ready to combat it wherever it may be proposed," was sounded by Leon J. Bamberger, sales promotion manager of RKO Radio, at the opening day of the annual convention at the Brown Hotel here of the Kentucky Association of Theatre Owners. Bamberger cited the costs and haz(Continued on page 4) TV, Radio Face Levies to Help Support the FCC Radio-TY Code Is Called Inadequate The recently adopted code of the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters was labelled "inadequate" by Max Gilford, special counsel of the National Television Producers of Hollywood, here yesterday. In an address before the National Television Film Council at the Warwick Hotel, Gilford said the TV industry needs a self-regulatory code such as the motion picture industry PCA document, in order to escape government regulation and control. He said that a code to be effective must I Continued on page 5) Washington. May 28— The Senate Appropriations Committee today ordered the Federal Communications Commission to prepare recommendations for making broadcasting and telecasting licenses pay part of the costs of Federal regulation under the FCC. The committee action came as it increased the recommended FCC appropriations substantially over the House-approved figure. The Administration had asked $8,075,000 for the agencv in 1952-53, and the House had cut this to $6,108,460. The Senate Committee upped this to $6,708,460, and said the extra $600,000 should be used to handle the increased workload growing out of the lifting of the television freeze. However, the Committee said, it felt (Continued on page 5) Most Circuits Plan to Carry Robinson Bout Contracts Between TNT, Theatres Being Signed Ninety per cent of theatre-TV equipped circuits have signified their intentions of carrying the June 23 Robinson-Maxim light heavyweight title bout, it was learned here yesterday. These circuits, it was disclosed, include United Paramount Theatres, Loew's, and Fabian. Negotiations are currently underway between Theatre Network Television, the agency which booked the event, and RKO Theatres and the Warner circuit. The TNT event, which will be telecast from New York's Yankee Stadium, was offered to every exhibitor whose theatre is equipped with largescreen television — about 75 in number. Clearances from the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., which operates the long-lines facilities, would (Continued on page 5) 8 Percentage Suits Filed in S. Carolina Columbia, S. C, May 28. — Louis A. Linder was named defendant in eight percentage actions filed in Federal Court here. Paramount. Loew's, 20th Century-Fox, Warner, RKO Pictures, United Artists, Universal and Columbia each filed for damages based on alleged under-reporting of receipts at four of Lindner's houses in the state. C. T. Graydon and Augustus T. Graydon signed the complaints for the plaintiffs. Sargoy & Stein of New York are of counsel. Government Appeals Ad Film Decision Washington, May 28. — The Government has appealed to the Supreme Court a lower court decision which denied the Federal Trade Commission the right to prohibit advertising film companies from making exclusive theatre screening contracts of more than one vear.