Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1952)

AIR MAIL EDITION MOTION PICTURE fZ^t VOL. 72. NO. 50 NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1952 TEN CENTS Drive-in Boom Is Underway in The Northwest See Hundreds Built in The Next Five Years Minneapolis, Sept. 9. — The greatest construction boom of drivein theatres in the history of the Northwest is now underway and is sweeping the Minneapolis exchange area, according to reports from Film Row sources. Leading the parade of optimistic predictions are Irving Marks'. The Monogram branch manager said that the boom may continue for as long as five years. In spite of the comparatively short season in the area, Marks continued, hundreds of drive-ins will be built due to the public demand for this type of showplace. Meanwhile, the list of new drive-in openings in this area, or those under construction continues to grow. The Snyder Theatre Co. of Williston, N. D., is opening a new drive-in theatre in that city on Friday. The Ironwood Amusement Co., Ironwood, Mich., opened a drive-in in that city a few (Continued on page 4) Pacts Give Rackmil $122,500 Yearly Milton R. Rackmil, whose employment contract as president of Universal Pictures, provides for a salary of $80,000 per year, has taken a 50 per cent salary cut as Decca Records president to give him $42,500 instead of $85,000 per year as chief executive of the latter company, Decca has disclosed in a report to the Securities & Exchange, Commission. Decca, shortly before Rackmil was elected Universal president, became (Continued on page 4) Youngstein on Last Lap of Drive Tour Chicago, Sept. 9. — Max E. Youngstein, vice-president of United Artists, who is drive captain in the company's "Bill Heineman Sales Drive," has arrived here from New York to launch a 10-day, 10,000-mile tour that will take him to nine key exchanges in preparation for the last lap of the drive which U. A. says already has resulted in all-time weekly highs for (Continued on page 4) Fabian Houses Join TNT Line-up for Title Bout Three television-equipped Fabian Theatres, including the 4,060-seat Fox in Brooklyn, N. Y., will carry the telecast of the Walcott-Marciano heavyweight title bout on Sept. 23, thus bringing the number of theatres which have already disclosed plans to join the trans-continental telecast to 15. Nathan Halpern, president of Theatre Network Television, also disclosed yesterday that in addition to Fabian's Fox, the Grand in Albany, N. Y., and National in Richmond, the Paramount and the Telenews, in San Francisco, will also carry the bout. Negotiations with Century Circuit, Loew's, Warner Brothers, RKO Theatres and others for the fight telecast are continuing, in the meantime. It was also learned that Comerford's Capital Theatre, Binghamton, N. Y., a 1,609-seater, also plans to carry the event, which will be telecast from Philadelphia's Municipal Stadium. The only contingency for the Capitol Theatre, it was added, is the availability of long lines and local loops. Pricing policy for the Capitol still is to be determined. Other theatres which have already (Continued on page 4) Dietz Will Keynote The AMPA Courses Howard Dietz, M-G-M advertising-publicity vice-president, will deliver the keynote lecture in the courses to be started Sept. 25 by the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, Harry McWilliams, AMPA president, disclosed yesterday. AMPA set up the courses for the benefit of industry employes here who are desirous of improving their knowledge of promotional techniques or learning new ones. The 12-week initial course, which will be conducted Thursday evenings, will open in the screening room of the RKO Pictures home office on Sept. 25. Tuition will be $15 per course and classes will last two hours per evening. Howard Dietz Truman in Tribute To Para. Newsreel Newsreels were called an "indispensable public service ... by which the American public keeps informed about the problems of the day" in a letter of congratulations by President Truman, sent to the Paramount home office here yesterday on the 25th anniversary of Paramount News. The event was marked by an informal home office luncheon honoring A. J. Richard, editor of Paramount News. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount Pictures Corp., paid tribute to the veteran newsreel editor whose motion picture experience goes back to 1907. In addition to President Truman's congratulations, other letters of tribute were received from General Sory Smith, director of public information ; Robert A. Lovett, Secretary of Defense; Charles Sawyer, Secretary of Commerce ; J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI ; John W. Snyder, Sec (Continued on page 4) FCC Says Para, in Control of DuMont Washington, Sept. 9. — The Federal Communications Commission's broadcast bureau told the FCC today that Paramount Pictures has negative control of Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, Inc., and at the same time both Du Mont and Paramount denied the existence of control. The. two companies and the broadcast bureau made these statements in proposed findings filed today with the Commission and dealing with the question of Paramount's control of Du Mont. This is one of the issues in the United Paramount Theatres — (Continued on page 5) Balks at Ontario Film Censorship Toronto, Sept. 9. — After buying film features and short subjects in the United States for its television programs at Montreal and at Toronto, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. denied the right of the Ontario Board of Censors to pass upon the pictures. "We are a Dominion government organization and we are not bound by provincial censorship," it was (Continued on page S) To Rule Today On Censorship In Ohio Case Future Industry Plans Hinge on the Decision Toledo, Sept. 9. — Judge Frank W. Wiley said today that he will render his decision in Municipal Court tomorrow morning in the industry newsreel censorship case. It is expected that the industry's campaign to eliminate motion picture censorship in the other states that have censor boards will pick up speed if the attack on the Ohio newsreel censorship law results in a decision by Judge Wiley that is favorable to the industry. If, however. Judge Wiley rules unfavorably from an industry standpoint, the defendant, local exhibitor Martin G. Smith, and the Motion Picture Association of America and the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio are expected to appeal, with the ultimate aim of getting the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The MPAA and the Ohio ITO co-operated with Smith's attorney's in preparing the "test" case (Continued on page 4) Sid Kramer, RKO Radio short subject sales manager, disclosed that the company has scheduled a total of 79 short subjects for 1952-53. The program comprises 35 two-reelers and 44 one-reelers, representing a total of 114 reels . HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 9. — Monogram Allied Artists has purchased the Monogram franchise operated exchange in Detroit from William B. Hurlbut, J. L. Saxe and George W. Weeks, president Steve Broidy announced here at the board of directors meeting today. Negotiations were conducted by vicepresident Harold Mirisch and studio attorney Barnett Shapiro.