Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1953)

VOL. 73. NO. 10 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U. S. A., THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1953 Impartial TEN CENTS New Setup oi\lTOA Ready to Start Own Adelman Suit Arbitration; TO A to Study | Dismissed By Dallas Court Tax-writing Congressmen Complete Formation of House, Senate Groups OTTEN Jan. 14. — House By J. A Washington, Republicans today named five mem bers to fill GOP vacancies on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. The new members of this important group, which would have to initiate any admission tax relief, will be Representatives Sadlak of Connecticut, Baker of Tennessee, Curtis of Missouri, Knox of Michigan and Utt of California. There were no Democratic vacancies on the Committee. In fact, two Democrats — Representatives Harrison of Virginia and Keogh of New York — were "bumped" off the Committee. Rep. Reed of New York will be (Continued on page 4) Berenson Reelected Head of Gulf Allied New Orleans, Jan. 14. — At the final meeting of ATO of the Gulf States convention today at JungHotel here Abe Berenson was reelected president and national director and F. G. Prat, Jr., was reelected vice-president. Others reelected were Harold Bailey, secretary ; Teddy Solomon, treasurer ; and L. C. Montgomery, chairman of the board and alternate national director. Newly elected members of the board (Continued on page 3) KMTA Sets Drive-in Meet for March 3-4 Kansas City, Jan. 14. — The Kansas-Missouri Theatre Association announces a 2-day meeting for drive-in operators to be held here March 3-4. The first day will be devoted entirely to display and viewing of equipment. The second day will be devoted to a school, starting at 8:30 A.M. and continuing until evening. Plans were made at the session of the board of directors today. The board also named Elmer (Continued on page 3) The Independent Theatre Owners Association of New York is prepared to go ahead with the establishment of an industry arbitration system, either on a local or national basis, ITO president Harry Brandt said yesterday. At the same time it was learned that the Theatre Owners of America, at its board meetings here Johnston Made Final Plea to Allied For OK of Arbitration Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, made an llth-hour pitch to Allied, prior to its New Orleans board meeting, for further arbitration discussions, in a letter dated Jan. 9 sent to Allied president Wilbur Snaper. The MPAA office here released the letter yesterday for publication. However, Allied' s rejection of the existing arbi iContinued on page 4) Start Today for Col. * Salome' Meet Columbia's ranking home office and foreign department executives will leave here today by train for Chicago to attend the two-day meeting on "Salome" which starts at the Drake Hotel there tomorrow. It is the first international meeting devoted to one film in the company's historyHeading the delegation will be A. (Continued on page 3) Jan. 25-27, may consider a plan for arbitration without national Allied's participation. The projected moves stem from the Allied board's reaffirmation in New Orleans Tuesday of its rejection at the Chicago convention of the distributors' arbitration draft. Brandt said he believed a system could be initiated without the help of Allied. The ITOA several weeks ago announced that it planned to devise an arbitration system, independent of Allied's participation, but action was deferred pending Allied's decision, one way or the other, at the New Orleans board sessions. Before launching its arbitration project, Brandt said that the ITOA would (Continued on page 4) Expect Fabian's WB Houses to Join TOA Si Fabian is expected to bring the Warner theatres, of which he is acquiring control, into the fold of the Theatre Owners of America when the transfer of the properties becomes official, it was reported here yesterday. More than 300 theatres would be added to the TOA roster. Warner theatres have not been (Continued on page 41 Ex-GovH Video Director Enters Theatre TV Field The entry of a new theatre TV packaging firm, Closed-Circuit Television Co., which will specialize in "off-hour" commercial telecasts, was disclosed here yesterday by Harold Azine, president of the new agency. Azine, who resigned recently as television director of the Federal Civil Defense Administration, said he has been discussing programs with prospective clients. As FCDA television director, Azine was instrumental in putting on the three theatre television Civil Defense shows. Meanwhile, it was learned that Theatre TeleSessions, a subsidiary of Theatre Network Television, is close to an "off-hour" commercial program deal and is currently negotiating for what.. is described as a "big" contract, involving a large business firm. Teleconferences, Inc., the other the (Continued on page 5) 'Nate' Golden Heads New Gov't Division Washington, Jan. 14. — The National Production Authority's Motion Picture and Photographic Products Division has absorbed the agency's scientific and technical equipment division. Film chief Nathan D. (Nate) Golden will head the new group, which will be known as the Motion Picture, Scientific and Photographic Products Division. Directed Verdict Ends 2l/2-Day Trial of Case Dallas, Jan. 14. — U. S. District Court Judge William Howley Atwell today gave a directed verdict for dismissal of the anti-trust suit brought against the eight maj or distributors and Interstate Circuit by I. B. Adelman, Texas exhibitor. Trial of the case opened in district court here on Monday. At noon today the court said it had listened carefully to the plaintiff's arguments but that it was the court's understanding that the law permitted a seller to choose his customers. Adelman had sought Dallas first runs for his 1,145-seat Delman Theatre, alleging a conspiracy on the part of defendants prevented him from obtaining the product. Subsequently he petitioned for first subsequent run (Continued on page 3) 7,050,000 Trust Suit Filed in N.Y. Damages totalling $7,050,000 are sought in an anti-trust suit filed in New York Federal Court yesterday by the Tribune Theatre Corp., operating the Tribune Theatre in lower Manhattan, against Warner Brothers, 20th Century-Fox, Universal-International and Skouras Theatres Corp. The plaintiff charges conspiracy among the defendants in forcing unreasonable clearance against the Tribune in favor of Skouras' Academy of Music, although, it is charged, the theatres are not in competition. (Continued on page 3) N.V. Forms Own Equipment Firm Hollywood, Jan. 14. — To meet the cascading demand for theatre-installations, and to maintain the high quality of projection throughout the country, Natural Vision Corp., originator of the three-dimension process used infilming "Bwana Devil" and contracted, for use by Warners, Columbia and other studios, has established Natural,-. Vision Theatre Equipment Corp. for the purpose of supplying uniform (Continued on page 4)