Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1953)

Wednesday, January 7, 1953 Motion Picture Daily 3 Says Film Ridicule Can Combat 'Reds' Spokane, Jan. (i. — Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, speaking before the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, stated "It is inherent in the world of Communism that there must be world dominance. We must look at it as a long-term period of difficulty for which there are no magic formulae." He said pictures can effectively combat Communism through ridicule, but can accomplish little through propaganda. Touching on problems of the industry, Johnston predicted a "marriage" between television and motion pictures in the near future. Mexico's Minimum Screen Time Illegal Mexico City, Jan. 6. — The trade scored what it hails as a singular victory against a prime clause of the new Cinematographic Law when Federal Judge Ignacio Burgoa here granted groups of exhibitors an injunction against enforcement of the clause which demands a minimum of 50 per cent playing time for Mexican pictures throughout Mexico. Agreeing with the exhibitors that this clause is unconstitutional in that it prevents free trade, Judge Burgoa remarked that the enforced exhibition of Mexican pictures would oblige the public to pay its money to see inferior quality films. He declared that there is nothing in Mexican law that in any way obliges exhibitors to screen pictures they do not consider to be good, any more than there is any demand that any merchant or businessman buy goods that he does not want. Judge Burgoa also said that this enforced SO per cent playing time demand violates the very spirit of the Cinematographic Law which is to "aid the cinematographic industry and elevate its moral and artistic standards." The judge, too, granted an injunction against the clause that places all production in charge of the government, through the Ministry of the Interior, top administration department. He considered that clause unconstitutional because it establishes a monopoly which the Constitution forbids. AA Gets $l-Million Revolving Loan Hollywood, Jan. 6. — The completion of a new credit agreement with Bankers Trust Co., New York, and Security-First National, Los Angeles, providing for a one-year revolving loan up to $1,000,000, and also permitting guarantees up to $500,000 covering bank loans to producers releasing through Allied Artists, was announced today by Steve Broidy, president, and George D. Burrows, executive vice president and treasurer. The signing of the new loan agreement followed the complete liquidation of previous loans participated in by the above banks together with the Bank of Manhattan, New York, and California Bank, Los Angeles. Majors Upheld In Crest Case Baltimore, Jan. 6.— The U. S. fourth circuit court of appeals at Charlotte has affirmed a lower court decision against the Crest Theatre, Baltimore, which had sued eight distributors in a case involving first-run product. The appeal was filed by Crest after a Federal Court jury last May decided the eight defendants were not violating anti-trust laws in granting first-run rights only to seven downtown theatres. Today's decision was handed down by Judges Morris Soper and Armistead Dobie. The case was appealed in the name of Theatre Enterprises, Inc., operator the Crest. The Baltimore group claimed $205,000 damages, trebled under the Sherman and Clayton acts and another $52,000 trebled on an alternative claim that it was damaged by alleged discrimination in prices and clearance for second-run pictures which it had been able to obtain after being denied first-run rights. WSB Okays Contract Of SEG, Producers Hollywood, Jan. 6. — The Screen Extras Guild's new contract with the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, the Independent Motion Picture Producers Association, and other unaffiliated independent producers has finally been approved by the Wage Stabilization Board in Washington, and as a consequence the Guild will get a second windfall in retroactive wage increases. Union officials said they could give "no accurate" estimate of the total amount of retroactive pay, which will date from last April 14. However, it was noted that the collective-bargaining contract made with the major studios and approved by the WSB had brought the extras "between $750,000 and $1,000,000 in retroactive pay." NETTC Prepares for FCC TV Hearings Plans for the industry's presentation at the Federal Communications Commission theatre television hearings, which resume on Jan. 26 in Washington, were discussed here yesterday at a meeting of the National Exhibitors Theatre Television Committee. The meeting, under the chairmanship of Si Fabian, also briefed those attending on the technical phase of the hearings, which were held last October. Among those on hand were Alfred Starr, president of Theatre Owners of America ; Mitchell Wolfson, former TO A president ; Jay Ravinowitz, of United Paramount Theatres, and Wilbur Snaper, national Allied president. Arnall to Preside at SIMPP Coast Meet Hollywood, Jan. 6. — Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers president Ellis Arnall, who arrived here today, will preside at a special luncheon of the executive committee on Thursday. Although the agenda is described as routine, the possible acquisition of the services of John P. McCarthy in a capacity similar to: the one he formerly occupied with MPAA is expected to come up for discussion. TV Cited by Jolliffe As a New Industry The emergence of theatre television into a new industry and service, providing largescreen viewing in nearly 100 locations from Coast-to-Coast, was listed here by Dr. C. B. Jolliffe, vice president and technical director of RCA in a selection of the 10 oustanding achievements in radioelectronics and television during 1952. SAG, N.Y. Producers Resuming Pact Talks The Film Producers Association of New York and . the Screen Actors Guild will resume collective bargaining negotiations here on Monday covering actors and announcers used in television film commercials. In a joint announcement, it was stated that the SAG and the New York producers would "engage in continuous openminded bargaining on all points in dispute in the hope of reaching an agreement on a collective bargainingcontract." In answer to inquiries on the Coast, John Dales, Jr., SAG executive secretary, said that the guild's strike against all producers of TV film commercials would continue until the dispute had been settled. Kenneth Thomson, William Berger and Dales will come here from Hollywood for the conferences, representing the SAG. John Wheeler, attorney for the New York producers, will represent that group. Also sitting in on the parleys will be Paul Giles, chairman of the New York Council of the SAG ; Florence Marston, Eastern representative, and Herman Gray. Rembusch Reelected (Continued from page 1) regional meetings and film clinics, to open Jan. 27 in Fort Wayne under the chairmanship of Al Borkenstein. Members of Kentucky Allied will be invited to attend a similar event March 24 at New Albany, with Sam Switow as chairman. Other regional meetings will be held at Evansville and Terre Haute, on dates to be set later. A resolution carried over from the convention that would provide a system for exchanging information on film allocations, rental terms, etc., was tabled again for further consideration. Kodak Registers 2 Firms Albany, N. Y., Jan. 6. — Kodak Processing Laboratory, Inc., has registered a certificate to conduct a photography business in Rochester. Incorporators are Edward S. Farrow, Cornelius J. Vanniel and Milton K. Robinson, of Rochester. Eastman Chemical Products, Inc. also registered a certificate, to conduct a chemical business in Rochester. Incorporators are Robinson, Robert L. Churchill and Farrow. 'U' Short Preview Universal held a special press preview of "Out of the Earth," a short subject concerning oil and Saudi Arabia, yesterday at the Delmonico Hotel here. National Pre-Selling "HTHE JANE WYMAN STORY" *■ is told in the Jan. 10 issue of Collier's, highlighted by a full-page, four-color picture of Jane dancing an African ritual dance called the Zambesi. The picture was taken on the set of Columbia's "Let's Do It Again," which will be released this summer. Color pictures are also used showing Jane running the gamut of emotions in movies released during the past few years. She is pictured as a deaf-mute, as a shy cripple and as the wife of the great humorist in "The Story of Will Rogers." Also in this issue is a quarter-page ad on Barbara Stanwyck's new M-G-M picture, "Jeopardy." e Motion picture editors at the turn of the year often pick 10 rising stars who they think show the greatest promise. In the Jan. 4 issue of Pictorial Review Louella Parsons lists her choices. They are Elaine Stewart, Rosemary Clooney, Jeffrey Hunter, Danny Thomas, Peggy Lee, Aldo Ray, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Wagner, Anna Maria Alberghetti and Dewey Martin. • In the Jan. 12 issue of Life there is a review of "Forbidden Games," the French production now playing at the Little Carnegie Theatre here and released by Times Film Corp. The picture was recently picked by the New York Film Critics as the best foreign picture of the year. a "Movies-of-the-Month," chosen by the motion picture editor of American Magazine, are represented in full color and black and white pictures in the January issue. The eight picked are : "Lili," with Leslie Caron ; "My Cousin Rachel," with Olivia De Havilland ; "April in Paris," with Doris Day ; "Never Wave at A WAC," starring Rosalind Russell ; "Thunder in the East," with Charles Bover ; "Return to Paradise," starring Gary Cooper ; "Meet Me at the Fair," with Dan Dailey, and "Last of the Comanches." Also in this issue is a one-half page full-color ad on "Hans Christian Andersen" and a one-quarter page ad for "The Bad and the Beautiful" on the index page. • The Jan. 18 issue of American Weekly has two full-color pictures of Rita Hayworth as she appears in Columbia's top picture, "Salome." Rita considers the dance of the seven veils a dramatic highlight of the picture, "the finest and most artistic dance" of her entire career. • "Moulin Rouge," Jolm Huston's nezv color film starring Jose Ferrer, has been selected as one of the dozen best films of the year, along zvith three other United Artists pictures — "High Noon," "The African Queen" and "Breaking the Sound Barrier" — by Time Magazine in its current issue. Reviewed in the same issue, "Moulin Rouge" is acclaimed as "a Lautrec painting come to life : it has the nervous, whip-cracking line, the absinthe bite, the very color of corruption of Lautrec's Paris." "Moulin Rouge" is in its pre-release premiere at the Fox Wilshire Theatre in Los Angeles and will Jwve its New York premiere at the Capitol Theatre. Walter Haas