Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1953)

6 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, January 6, 1953 Levine and Schwartz To Aid Federation Martin Levine of Brandt Theatres, and Leslie Schwartz of Century Theatres, have been named co-chairmen of the exhibitors committee of the amusement division of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, by Barney Balaban, Simon H. Fabian and Manny Frisch, joint heads of the industry's current drive on behalf of Federation's 116 hospitals and social service agencies. Serving on the exhibitors committee are: Max M. Cohen, Cinema Circuit ; Leo Brecher, Brecher Theatre Enterprises ; J. Joshua Goldberg, Raybond Theatres; Walter Reade, Jr., Reade Theatres ; Harold Rinzler, Randforce Amusement Corp. ; Julius Sanders, Sanders Theatres ; Spyros Skouras, Jr., Skouras Theatres ; Solomon Strausberg, Interboro Circuit; Morton Sunshine, ITOA. Asides & Interludes — by James Cunningham Weigh Next Move to Get TV Cost Data Odeon-Fingold Split Is Effective Today Toronto, Jan. 5. — The termination, effective today, by mutual agreement of the arrangement whereby Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd. and Sam Fingold held a joint interest in the operation of a number of Ontario theatres results in the addition of eight theatres to Odeon's Canada-wide circuit, officials of the latter state. As of today, Odeon takes over the Royal Theatre, Aurora; Odeon and Roxy, Brampton ; Roxy, Newmarket ; Century and Gregory, Oakville, and the Odeon, Sturgeon Falls. In addition, Odeon has acquired the Brampton Drive-in from Fingold. The latter takes over the following : Roxy, Carleton Place ; Roxy, Cornwall ; Biltmore, Oshawa, Elmdale and Century, Ottawa ; Centre and Roxy, Owen Sound, and Odeon, St. Thomas. Odeon has disposed of its interest in National Theatre Services and National Booking Co. to Fingold. NEW YORKERS will remember the long lines that entwined the blocks of the East Twenties from the old Municipal Lodging House where a turkey dinner, with all of the trimmings, was served on the yearend holidays to the unfortunates of the Bowery and Broadway. A hearty meal to men without the price of a meal. Our character had been gone from these parts for years, riding the rails and the rods away from the Bowery to the jungle haunts of hoboes in cities and towns throughout the land — never missing the line that led to a turkey dinner, with all of the trimmings, served to unfortunates on the holidays at the yearend. And so he returned to New York at the last yearend, still a derelict, still looking for a line that would lead to a turkey dinner, on New Year's. Our nonchalant nondescript found one, at midtown, and, in great anticipation, moved with it, at snail pace, for all of four hours, along the Northside of 51st Street, across Sixth Avenue, back up the Street to Rockefeller Plaza, South on 50th, around and around, waiting and waiting, hungrier and hungrier, a victim of victuals. He finally reached the end of the line — a line that led to the Music Hall box-office. Canada in TV Pact With NBC and CBS Toronto, Jan. 5. — The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is understood to have reached an agrement with the National Broadcasting Co. and Columbia Broadcasting System to bring American television programs into Canada. CBC said it would announce soon which programs would be presented. The agreement covers the CBC-TV stations at Toronto and Montreal. The Toronto station will receive programs via a Bell Telephone microwave relay from Buffalo ; Montreal will receive them via kinescope until microwave relay facilities are available there, probably next spring. it it it Leonard Goldenson, a pretty active guy, first, as Big Chief of United Paramount Theatres, tells us, as president of LTnited Cerebral Palsy, that the appeal made two years ago for discarded greeting cards to help in the therapeutic treatment of children to learn muscular control has brought forth 100,000,000 used holiday cards. A fabulous response from the kind-hearted. Thanks, says Leonard, "but 100,000,000 cards are more than enough." it it We are happy to report that our new Congress has already received a proposal to knock off, kill, repeal and forever abolish that oh, so economically bothersome, Federal admission tax. Representative Dingell's bill slid into the hopper on Saturday, as Congress opened, at the very instant when the Agriculture Department, not far removed in Washington, formally, and very sternly ordered smaller holes in Swiss cheese. Siciss-chcese eating exhibitors have something to look forzvard to. •fr it it Washington, Jan. 5; — Attorneys for theatre television interests are deliberating what their next move should be to get American Telephone and Telegraph Co. to supply needed information for the coming theatre hearings before the Federal Communications Commission. One course under consideration is a formal protest to the Commission and a request that the Commission order the phone company to supply the information promptly. Lack of such information well in advance of the hearings, slated to start Jan. 26, will seriously hamper the industry's ability to present its case, industry attorneys said. A. T. and T., at a conference here last fall, promised to supply detailed cost data by the end of 1952. Now the phone company has notified the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Exhibitors Theatre Television Committee that the information may not be available even by Jan. 26, when the hearings start. The FCC has also requested A. T. and T. to have detailed cost data ready for the hearings, and has gotten a similar brush-off, it is understood. Preumably, therefore, the Commission would be receptive to an industry request for a further FCC directive to the phone company to have the information ready at least a few days before the hearings. Obviously, the industry decision will have to be made soon in order to be effective. Rose in New Tilt With Md. Censors Baltimore, Jan. 5. — The case of the Maryland Board of Censors' refusal of a license for "Love Moods" is scheduled to be heard in City Court here .on Jan. 12. John Rose, Washington distributor, appealed the board's ban on the film. It features Lili St. Cyr; Rose won a previous bout with chairman Sydney Traub of the board when the same court' ordered six of seven deletions sought by the censors restored to "Damaged Lives." Some Oddities from Our News Desk: George Lewis's announcement of "National Laugh Week" — "Bigger Laughs for Better Living" — in March. . . . Uncle Sam's announcement of Income Tax Payment — same month. . . . Announcement from Abbeon Supply Co. of Jamaica, New York, of a new pair of scissors with a built-in stereoscope view of Grant's Tomb, a nail file, a glass cutter, a glass breaker, a ruler, screw driver, pen knife, pipe tongs, wire cutter, measure, box lid opener, cartridge extractor, marking wheel, rasping knife and a button-hole cutter and cigar cutter for Dear Old Grandma. it it it To all of our Dear Children who are motion picture theatre cashiers, who seek a better life in the hereafter, may zve advise a study of some of the rules and regulations propounded by two of the nicest and greatest propounders of rules and regulations for cashiers, none other than the Messrs. Sidney Meyer and Mitchell Wolf son of Wometco Theatres, in that always looked-for land of Miami, Florida: {The italics are the columnist's) To the Cashier: "Your honesty and integrity will be unquestioned at all times." (Something nezv has been added.) "You can help ! Don't be a 'Gloomy Gus' !" (Should be Gussie). "Don't read for your own amusement while on duty" (but for whose?), "nor manicure, chew gum" (oiy), "fix hair, apply cosmetics, or eat anything" (after the last race, that is not a problem). "Don't make refunds on your own." (Not even at the point of a gun; this is a strict ride.) "Do call the manager or assistant when a refund is requested." (Except in cases where more than eight persons are standing in front of the box-office vuith Tommy-guns) . "Don't count your money near the box-office winbe fnencflY— dow." (Management has furnished well-kept subbut not %S§@ terranean passages, ivith light housekeeping privi17 leges below to look at the dough). "Don't sell loose tickets." (The checkers are watching) . "Don't allow large amounts of money to accumulate in the box-office . . . give extra money to the manager or assistant as soon as it accumulates." (Wishful thinking.) "Don't be glum. Do have a smile on your face and in your voice when you say, 'Thank you,' and "How many, please?'" To you, our Dear Children (All Sweeties), our Best. NETTC Meets Here Today On FCC's TV Hearings Preparations for the Federal Communications Commission's hearings on theatre television will get under way here today at a meeting of the National Exhibitors Theatre Television Committee. The FCC hearings are scheduled for Jan. 26 in Washington. Si Fabian, chairman of the. NETTC, called today's meeting which will be attended by representatives of all exhibitor associations. The purpose of the session is to reach an understanding on all points regarding allocations and other factors that are expected to come up at the Washington hearings. Reissues Declined Further in 1952 Hollywood's well-publicized "bold new production programs" were responsible, it appears, for the further ebbing in 1952 of the reissue tide which threatened to reach flood proportions in the years between 1947 and 1950. There were as many reissues available last year as in previous years, but, as one distributor described the situation, "1952 was one of the worst years yet for old product." As the year ended, eight major distributors had approximately 30 reissues available in 1951 as in previthe period from Jan., 1952, to March, 1953. Realart Pictures, which acquired 600 old Universal films several years ago, listed only five "new" reissues out of a total of 10 productions set for release between Aug. and Dec, 1952. Astor Pictures, a pioneer company in the reissue field, scheduled only eight for release in the last six months and has none coming" up in 1953.