Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1952)

VOL. 72. NO. 2 NEW YORK, U. S. A., WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1952 TEN CENTS Progress Slow In New Talks On Arbitration Continuations Unit May Adjourn Meetings Today While the Industry Arbitration Conference's Continuations Committee at its meetings here so far this week is proving to be less unwieldly than the full conference was in analyzing and amending the Drafting Committee's blueprint for a system of arbitration, indications following the Continuations session yesterday were that little genuine headway had been made toward producing a universally acceptable document. Another meeting of the Continuations group of 10, the third in as many days, will be held today at the Fabian Theatres home office. Prior to the opening of the session at 10 A.M., exhibition members of the committee will gather at breakfast in the Hotel Astor to consult on a number of points which will be taken up today. A strong possibility existed when the meeting ended yesterday that the committee would adjourn this evening {Continued on page 4) TO A Headquarters Being Streamlined Streamlining of operations and facilities at Theatre Owners of America, headquarters here has been instituted by Mitchell Wolfson, organization president. With the commencement of a new fiscal year this month, Wolfson has called for the elimination of at least half the space occupied by TOA on the fourth floor of the Paramount Building on Times Sc|uare. The rooms which will be unloaded were used primarily for storage purposes and no longer are needed. Other changes included the dis(Continncd on page 4) Einfeld Concludes Meetings in Italy Charles Einfeld, vice-president of 20th Cenutry-Fox, concluded a "highly successful" series of merchandising meetings in Italy yesterday following sessions held in Naples, Genoa and Rome on plans for the merchandising of forthcoming company pictures, as well as preliminary talks setting up the global premiere of Darryl F. Zanuck's "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (Continued on page 4) FCC Goes to Work on TV Applications Washington, July 1. — The Federal Communications Commission today began processing close to 400 applications for new television stations. There's a chance that some of the applications might be approved by the end of the month. When the Commission lifted the television "freeze" back in March, it said it would begin processing applications on July 1. As of three o'clock today, there were 379 new or amended applications on file, and more were coming in. First priority is being given to areas which have never had TV stations or which are going to pioneer in the use of the new UHF band. Within those (Continued on page 6) Kalmine Chairman Of JDA Unit Drive Harry M. Kalmine, president and general manager of Warner Brothers Theatres, has been named chairman of the home office division of the industry's drive in behalf of the Joint Defense Appeal, it was announced here yesterday by Irving M. Engel, chairman of t h e 1952 Joint Defense Appeal of New York. Leon Goldberg of Universal Pictures, (Continued on page 4) Lippert TV Unit Renews with AFM Harry Kalmine Describing the deal as being "significant of the growing acceptance by industry of the American Federation of Musicians' royalty contract for filmed music on television," the AFM national headquarters announced here yesterday that it is renewing without change, and at the request of Robert L. Lippert, Jr., in behalf of TelePictures, Inc., its contract with that (Continued on page 6) Tax Campa ign Pu ts Compo on Survival Road, Mayer Says The new industry drive for repeal of the 20 per cent Federal admission tax is a project into which the Council of Motion Picture Organizations can "sink its teeth," to the extent that COMPO now has reason for surviving and thriving, A r t h u r L. Mayer, former COMPO executive vicepresident, declared here yesterday following his ret u r n fro m a tour of Europe. Mayer held that the reason COMPO foundered somewhat a few months (Continued on page 4) Arthur Mayer Name Anderson WB District Manager The promotion of Art Anderson, Warner Brothers acting Prairie district manager, to the post of Midwest district manager, succeeding Harry A. Seed, who has been granted an indefinite leave of absence due to ill health, was announced here yesterday by Ben Kalmenson, company vice-president. Anderson will make his headquarters in Chicago. The Minneapolis branch office returns to the Midwest district which will now comprise the Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and Minneapolis branches. Hall Walsh, it was also announced, has returned from a leave of absence to resume his duties as the company's Prairie district manager, with headquarters in St. Louis. The Prairie (Continued on page 4) COMPO Warned on JournaVs Article The Council of Motion Picture Organizations protested to the Watt Street Journal in advance of the publication last week of its roundup reports on theatre closings but its protests were disregarded, it was learned yesterday. Exhibitors in various parts of the country from whom interviews had been sought by correspondents of the (Continued on page 4) Co-ordinator Sought for Tax Campaign Weigh Appointment at COMPO Meeting Here Designation of a coordinator for the industry's campaign to win repeal of the Federal admission tax will command the attention of Council of Motion Picture Organizations' officials when they meet here next Tuesday, it is learned. In addition, formal organization work for the campaign is expected to be materially advanced at next week's sessions which may be attended by Col. H. A. Cole and Pat McGee, COMPO co-chairmen for the tax campaign, as well as the COMPO governing body, consisting of Al Lichtman, Trueman Rembusch and Sam Pinanski. Numerous names have been mentioned for the post of coordinator of the campaign, a full-time post. Among them are H. M. Richey of Loew's, who served in a similar capacity in the last anti-tax campaign, but who is believed not to be available now be(Continued on page 4) LOS ANGELES, July 1. — Ray Boomer, secretarytreasurer of the Theatre Equipment and Supply Manufacturers ' Association, reports that in the first 24 hours booths were on sale for the trade show to be held jointly in August with Allied and TEDA over 48 were sold, breaking the record set in 1950. • BOSTON, July 1. — The Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries today ordered a 62% cent basic minimum wage for state theatre employes, to be effective on August 18. This order is not related to the minimum wage bill now before the Governor for signature, which has passed both houses of the State Legislature.