Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1953)

VOL. 73. NO. 82 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1953 TEN CENTS Censor Repeal Wins Vote Of 0. Senate Unit Okays Mosher Bill By Margin of 5 to 3 Columbus, O., April 28— The State Senate Education and Health Committee today approved the censorship repeal bill of Sen. Charles Mosher by a vote of five to three. One member of the nine-man committee was absent. The bill now goes to the rules committee and then will be placed on the Senate calendar for a hearing on the floor. It will then go to the House for action. Passage of the measure by the Education and Health Committee marks the first successful step in the campaign spearheaded by the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio for the repeal of the state censorship law. Repeal of the Ohio law would not constitute a complete surrender of state control over the medium, it was stated in a brief submitted here last night at committee hearings on Mo(Continucd on page 2) Fox Special Vote Is Aimed at Green In a letter to 20th Century-Fox stockholders made public yesterday the company's management asserts that the proposal to eliminate cumulative voting, which will be acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders in Wilmington, Del., next Tuesday, is primarily designed to lessen the chances of the Charles Green dissident stockholder group gaining representation on the 20th-Fox board. "This proposal," the company's let(Continued on page 7) Smpte Meet Hears Papers on 3-D By WILLIAM R. WEAVER Los Angeles, April 28. — The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers took to buses for its second day, visiting CBS Television City in the morning and the Academy Awards Theatre in the afternoon. Registration at dusk was crowding 1,000. The afternoon session included pa (Continued on page 2) 111 Congressmen Helped Tax Fight Washington, April 28. — A total of 111 members of Congress have either appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee or filed statements with the Committee in support of the Mason Bill to exempt motion picture theatres from the admission tax, according to Committee officials. They said they thought this was an all-time record for Congressional support of any tax bill. Forty-three members actually testified at the hearings last week, and the rest have submitted statements for the record since the hearings. 'Drive-in-Day' at Mich. Allied Meet Detroit, April 28.— Allied Theatres of Michigan, holding its 34th annual convention at the Tuller Hotel here, dubbed today "Drive-In-Day." Special buses took Allied members on a round of five different drive-ins in the citv. At the Dearborn Drive-in Ben Lefkowitz of L&L Concessions was host to the members. A drive-in luncheon was. held for the exhibitors. Ted Rogvoy, theatre architect, was on hand at the Grand River Drive-in, operated by Community Theatres, to conduct a question and answer period on all issues of drive-in construction and maintenance. Rogvoy pointed out {Continued on page 2) LOEWS DENIES DECREE BREACHED Reagan Answers Exhibitor Charges Before Senate Group; Feldman Denies 'Conspiracy' By J. A. OTTEN Washington, April 28. — With a nine-point rebuttal of exhibitor complaints, Loew's general sales manager Charles M. Reagan today led off the distributors' case before a Senate Small Business subcommittee investigating industry trade practices Loew's denies Para. Planning 60 1-Reelers in '54; Probes 3-D Shorts Paramount is experimenting in the production of 3-D short subjects as well as shorts suitable for panoramic screens, Oscar Morgan, short subjects and newsree' sales manager, disclosed here yesterday i r announcing" that the compam would releas' 60 one-reeler: during the yeastarting Oct. 1. The Paramount short subject^ department Morgan said, "is conscious of the developin?. three dimenand large-screen markets anc (Continued on page 7.1 Oscar Morgan sional RKO, Paramount Assure Theatres of A 2-D' Supply Chicago, April 28. — Two more d Jack Kirsch, president of Allied of CinemaScope Plans Of Alperson, Disney Edward L. Alperson may be the first independent producer to make a picture in CinemaScope, while Walt Disney may be a close second. Alperson said here yesterday that he would start production on a picture tentatively titled "Texas Rose" on the Coast in July. The film will he a large scale Western dealing with (Continued on page 2) istribufing companies have replied to Illinois, who recently inquired as to their future plans concerning 2-D production, and both gave assurances of a satisfactory supply of conventional product. James R. Grainger, president of RKO Pictures, stated in part : "I see no reason for anyone expressing alarm, insofar as the lessening of motion pictures, or, as you call it, '2-D' pictures. That is, insofar as RKO is concerned. I assume your members are aware of the fact that 3-D pictures can be played as regular pictures. If they are not, they should be advised. At the present time I don't know the exact number of pictures we will pro(Continucd on page 7) 'categorically," "the careless this committee which we are Reagan declared, statements made to that the decree to subject has been violated. We are respecting and shall continue in every way to respect the letter and spirit of all its provisions." In addition, Reagan denied exhibitor charges that Loew's is restricting production so as to create a product scarcity ; that it is "forcing features" ; and that it mis-uses competitive bidding to the detriment of the independent exhibitor. Today's other witness, Universal general sales manager Charles J. Feldman, declared that he was amazed at (Continued on page 6) Charles Reagan Tobey Has Panacea For Industry Ills Washington, April 28. — Senator Charles Tobey (R., N. H.) today came up with a panacea for ailing theatres. "Knee-room is the answer," the Senator remarked during a Senate Small Business subcommittee session. "If all the theatres in the country would put in the same kind of seats that the MPAA's Academia has, they would turn multitudes of people away from their doors." Two other Tobeyisms came up when a witness before the committee read a list of picture titles. Tobey remarked that "Thunder on the Hill" referred to the Senate in session and "The Talking Mule" probably meant an independent Senator from Oregon.