Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1954)

2 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, February 10, 1954 Personal Mention ARTHUR B. KRIM, president of United Artists, returned to New York from the Coast yesterday. • Berry Greenberg, Warner Brothers foreign department home office sales representative, has left here for Sydney, Australia, and other company offices in the Far East. • John P. Byrne, M-G-M Eastern sales manager and captain of the company's 30th anniversary Jubilee Campaign, is in Boston from New York. • Dennis D. Carlin, advertisingmanager of Republic Pictures, is the father of a son born Monday to Mrs. Carlin at Mt. Sinai Hospital. • Andrew Marton, M-G-M director; Jay Marchant, unit manager, and Malcolm Brown, art director, have left Hollywood for Colombia. • Hilda Lesser Rickles, secretary to E. M. Saunders, M-G-M assistant sales manager, will leave here tomorrow for Miami Beach. • Jules Lapidus, Warner Brothers Eastern and Canadian division sales manager, is in Washington today from New York. • F. J. A. McCarthy, Universal Pictures Southern and Canadian sales manager, left here yesterday for Canada. Edwin manager W. Aaron, Western sales for 20th Century-Fox, is touring the midwest and the South. • George Murphy has arrived in Baltimore from Washington for an operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital. • Edward L. Hyman, vice-president of American BroadcastingParamount Theatres, is in San Francisco.. • Joe Longo, of the RKO Radio exploitation staff, was in Hartford yesterday from New York. • Allen M. Widem, of the Hartford "Times," was in Boston yesterday from Hartford. Sol Lesser will leave here today on a Caribbean cruise. serv Manager Dies at 40 BOSTON, Feb. 9.— Funeral ices for Jack Boyd, 40, manager of Loew's Kingston Drive-In, will be held tomorrow in Attleboro. During the past winter Boyd had been fill-in manager at Loew's Centre Theatre, Pavvtucket, R. I. Quigley, Ernst in Code Debate on Air A radio debate, "For and Against the Motion Picture Code," was broadcast on New York City station WMCA's "Report to the People" on Monday evening. Martin Quigley spoke in behalf of the Code and Morris Ernst, general counsel of the American Civil Liberties 7 Union and noted opponent of all forms of pre-publication regulation and censorship, appeared against the Code. Quigley explained the reasons underlying the adoption of the Code and outlined its character and purposes. Ernst dwelt on his opinion that a general code is not necessary and that subject matter and treatment should be left to the individual producer. He expressed the opinion that any individual delinquencies on the part of a producer should be dealt with only by the courts. Mrs. Dorothy Dunbar Bromley was moderator of the program. Walter Matchette, 68 BUFFALO, Feb. 9.— Walter W. Matchette, 68, a projectionist for 50 years before his retirement in 1951, and a past president of Local 233, Motion Picture Operators Union, died at his home here. Percentage Actions Filed in Minneapolis MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 9. — Seven distributors filed percentage actions in U.S. District Court here today against Paul H. Mans, Lyman Lee, Donald F. O'Reilly, Elmer Lee, Gordon Lee, Pipestone Amustment Co. and Richfield Theatres, Inc. Theatres involved in the suit are the Beaux Arts and Astor, St. Paul ; Leola, Minneapolis; Orpheum and State and the Pipestone Drive-in, Pipestone, Minn., and the Richfield, Richfield, Minn. The plaintiffs are Paramount, Loew's, 20th Century-Fox, Warner Brothers, RKO Pictures, Universal and Columbia. They were represented by the Minneapolis law firm of Shearer & Peters, with Sargoy & Stein, New York, of counsel. Home Offices Observe 2 Holiday Weekends Virtually all film and theatre companies' offices and the Motion Picture Association of America will be closed all day Friday in observance of Lincoln's birthday and again Monday, Feb. 22, Washington's birthday. Companies which have already decided on the holiday, in addition to MPAA, are Allied Artists, Columbia M-G-M, Paramount, Republic, RKO Pictures, RKO Theatres, 20th Century-Fox, United Artists, Universal Warner Brothers, Stanley Warner Corp. and American Broadcasting Paramount Theatres. 'Act of Love' to Bow At Astor Tomorrow "Act of Love" will premiere at the Astor here tomorrow night with over 500 celebrities from the entertainment industry, business and politics invited to attend. Radio and TV will cover the opening of the United Art ists release. Delay Theatre TV Of Globetrotters The planned theatre telecast of the Harlem Globetrotters on Feb. 18 has been postponed until "sometime in March," it was disclosed here yesterday by William Rosensohn, vice-president of Box Office Television. Rosensohn, claiming that exhibition reaction to the event was "encouraging," attributed the delay to the release of many "big" pictures in the Feb. 18th period which blocked theatreTV equipped houses from lining up for the event. Goldenson Honored By Brookline Temple BOSTON, Feb. 9.— The 21st annual Goodwill Citation of Merit from the Brotherhood Temple Ohabei Shalom, in nearby Brookline, was presented tonight to Leonard H. Goldenson, president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, and also president and co-founder of the United Cerebral Palsy Association. More than 1,000 persons, including leaders in government, industry, education and religion, attended the dinner at which Goldenson was honored for his efforts in promoting the cause of human brotherhood. In his talk following presentation of the award, Goldenson paid tribute to the various media of mass communication for assistance in aiding the needy. Citing the power of newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, radio and television in the education and entertainment of the people, he stressed the necessity of keeping these media free for wide use in furthering aspirations for peace and security. Tax Relief Muddled By Dispute Over Revision Measures Rank's Davis Silent On Universal Talks LONDON, Feb. 9.— John Davis, managing director of the J. Arthur Rank Organization, is withholding comment on his recent talks in New York with Alfred Daff, Universal vice-president, in regard to greater distribution of Rank product. His only remark was : "I felt at first that I was hearing every reason why something couldn't be done but very few reasons why things could be done. But now I would rather wait and see the outcome of the efforts of the extra men they have put on at my request." Universal recently appointed three sales representatives to work exclusively on behalf of the Rank pictures within Universal's special films division. It is understood that another appointment will be made to cover the Latin American territory. Dividend on Para. Stock Paramount's board of directors yesterday voted a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share on the common stock. The dividend is payable March 29 to stockholders of record on March 15. WASHINGTON, Feb. 9. — The industry's drive for admission tax relief is caught in the middle of a Treasury-Congress dispute over how many tax measures there should be. Right now, the Treasury is urging three separate bills : the current technical revision bill, a second, later bill extending corporate and excise rates due to fall on April 1, and a much later, final bill cutting whatever excises Congress wants to cut. Presumably the Treasury is also still insisting that this last bill include new or higher excises to make up for any revenue loss. Two Bills Preferred Influential Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee want only two bills : the technical revision bill, and a later bill extending the April 1 rates and cutting other excises. Industry tax officials hope the latter approach wins out. It would have two distinct advantages for the industry: In the first place, the admission tax cut would get on the books a lot sooner. If the excise cuts were coupled with the extension of the April 1 rates, the bill would have to be passed by April 1. In the second place, it would be impossible for the Administration to veto the bill if the measure included extension of the April 1 rates, since the Treasury is depending on this revenue to help hold down the deficit. Delay Could Bring Veto Putting off excise cuts until a later, third bill, it is feared, could run up against Treasury delaying tactics or even a veto. Right now, the outcome is up in the air, and there probably won't be a decision until early next month, when the House committee completes work on the technical revision bill. Walsh Resigns from Paramount Post Joseph A. Walsh has resigned as head of Paramount branch operations, effective Saturday. Associated with Paramount in various executive capacities since 1920, Walsh now plans to move to California where his family resides. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, was host at a farewell luncheon for Walsh at the home office yesterday attended by numerous company executives. Gaughan Sells Theatre MEMPHIS, Feb. 9. — George Gaughan, who has been named field representative for the Theatre Owners of America, has sold the Normal Theatre here which he operated with his wife. He will go to New York in about two weeks to confer with Walter Reade, Jr., TOA president, before starting his work with the regional units. The Normal was purchased by John Eaton. MOTION PICTURE DAILY Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye. Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and I hokdays b/^ Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20 N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100 Cable address : "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Levy, Vice-President; Leo J. Brady, Secretary Herbert V Fecke Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager; Hollywood Bureau, YuccaVine Building, William R Weaver, Editor Hollywood 7-2145. Chicago Bureau! 120 South LaSalle Street. Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FT 6-3074; Bruce Trmz, Editorial Representative, 11 North Clark Street FR 2-2843. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington. D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq London WI; Hope Burnup Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor'; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications; Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Motion Picture and Television Almanac; Fame. Entered as second-class matter, Sept. 21, 1938, at the post office at New York. N. Y. under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies, 10c.