Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1954)

4 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, December 16, 1954 Olympic Fund Aided as 'Country GirV Opens r 1 Notables from the business and entertainment world, as well as many former Olympic Games champions were among the more than 1,600 persons attending the premiere of "The Country Girl," held here last night at the Criterion Theatre. Radio and newspaper coverage was accorded the opening of the Perlberg-Seaton production for Paramount, which stars Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden. Seen above ;n the lobby of the Criterion are, left to right, first photo: Richmond Landon, 1920 Olympic high jump champion ; his wife, who was Alice Lord, 1920 Olympic swimming star; Charles J. Bacon, president of the New York chapter, J. S. Olympians, and James A. Leftwich, vice-president of that organization. Second photo : Larry Morris, Criterion g,eneral manager. Miss Kelly and Charles B. Moss, executive director of the B. S. Moss Circuit. Third photo: "Johnny" Hayes, vi^inner of the marathon at the 1908 Olympiad ; his daughter, Doris ; Mrs. Andy Stanfield and Stanfield, 1952 Olympic champion. Federal Regulation Hit by Sehoeppel in Letter to SCTOA (Continued from page 1) From THE DAILY Bureau, WASHINGTON, Dec. 15. — The proposed Federal regulation of the motion picture industry was scored on Dec. 13 by Sen. Andrew F. Sehoeppel, ■(R., Kans.), chairman of the Senate Small Business Subcommittee in a letter to Albert Hanson, chairman of the trade relations committee of the Southern CaHfornia Theatre Owners Association. Hanson had written Senator Sehoeppel on Oct. 15 and the letter was forwarded to the legislator in Kansas. Sehoeppel deferred his answer to Hanson until his return to Washington. Senator Sehoeppel wrote that if he were an exhibitor he "would think a long time before I would tn-ge government regulation of my business." He would not want the government, he said, to tell him what price lie could charge at the boxoffice, what return he could get on his investment, nor would he want "bureaucrats drawing up schedules telling me what pictures I could play, for how long and when." Government regulation, he went on to say, would not cure the product shortage, "unless you also expect the government to enter into or subsidize picture production." He emphasized, however, SCTOA Awaiting Receipt of Letter HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 15. — Officials of the Southern California Theatre Owners Association, questioned here today regarding the letter of Sen. Andrew Sehoeppel to that orf;anization, stated that such communication has not yet been received and that no comment can be made unless and until the text of the letter itself can be studied. in Melbourne, Australia. A check for this purpose was presented to Col. Edward P. F. Eagan, chairman of the National Olympic Finance Committee, by Thomas J. Watson and Bernard Gimbel. Telegrams were received from John Foster Dulles, U. S. Secretary of State, and Charles F. Wilson, Secretary of Defense. Among the sports champions of to day and yesterday who attended were Buster Crabbe, Dick Button, Gertrude Ederle, Johnny Hayes, Eleanor Holm, Alice Lord, Dick Landon, John B. Kellj^ Sr., father of Grace Kelly, who stars in the film, and an Olympic sculling champion of 1920 ; John B. Kelly, Jr., brother of Grace and present day Diamond Sculls champion, and Charles J. Bacon, president of United States Olympians. that he would not approve of the government "subsidizing an information and entertainment medium." Sehoeppel reaffirmed his belief that an effective arbitration system is the best solution for industry problems, but that such a system should not cover arbitration of film rentals. He added, however, if film rentals are excluded from arbitration, "the relationships growing out of arbitration eventually wiW lend themselves to more equitable adjustment of even film rentals in those circumstances where fairness and -equity suggest that adjustments should be made." Charges 'Misstatements' Most of the Senator's letter was devoted to a blistering criticism of Hanson's letter. Sehoeppel accused Hanson of making "actual misstatements of facts and half-truths" and slapped at Hanson for suggesting "that tlie committee took a fixed position inimical to exhibitors before he heard testimony." In his letter, Hanson had described business conditions under which he operates as "unAmerican and illegal." Schoeppel's answer was that "such words have a sinister connotation and are frequently used by rabble-rousers when invective must be used instead of fact because there are no facts." The industry is operating under a court decree, Sehoeppel said. "Do you expect those operating under the decree to violate it and set up a prohibitive practice?" he asked. Sehoeppel admitted the possibility that the consent decrees might not have worked out to the exhibitors' advantage but said that the testimony of the Justice Department during the subcommittee's 1953 hearings indicated there is no way to modify only those portions of the decrees which exhibitors feel are harmful to them. He was "loath to believe," Sehoeppel said, that justice was not "doing its duty in carrying out its proper legal responsibility under the court's decree." The Senator declared "it was an oversimplification of a complex problem" to charge that the exhibitors' problems are the result of a monopoly by producers. The charge of monopoly, lie said, has "never been substantiated by competent witnesses and relevant facts." So far as the product shortage is concerned, Sehoeppel said, there is no way in which the government can compel a manufacturer to make more product than he finds it feasible or desirable to make. Sehoeppel concluded by saying that the subcommittee is ready at all times to aid the legitimate problems of any small business. It will not lend itself, however, "to being m.ade a catspaw pressure agency for anyone," he said. People Managers Shifted In Shea Circuit Al Foley will take over the management of the Lawler Theatre, Greenfield, Mass., in January, it was announced by Gerald Shea, president and generfl manager of Shea Enterprises. He is at present assistant to Ed Fahey in the circuit's Manchester, N. H., operation. Ed Mason, who has served at Shea theatres in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, has been appointed assistant to Fenton Scribner in Manchester. Shea also announced the transfer of Bill Kibrige, now manager at Amherst, Mass., to Westfield, Mass., to manage Shea's Park theatre. Mrs. J. E. Kenning has been elected president of Women of the Variety Club, Tent 32, in San Francisco for the coming year. Other elected officers are: first vice-president, Mrs. Jesse Levin; second vicepresident, Mrs. Bernie Mannheimer; recording secretary, Mrs. John Parsons, corresponding secretary; Mrs. J. Leslie Jacobs; treasurer, Mrs. Al Brubstick; and historian, Mrs. Monroe Belling. n Win Crawford has been named assistant manager of E. M. Loew's Theatres, Hartford. n Lee Hofheimer will leave Columbus to go into theatre business in his native Norfolk, Va. Hofheimer was formerly a partner in H & S Theatres and general executive for the Miles circuit. Dave Prince has returned to his office after being out with a heart attack for several months. Prince is southern district manager for RKO Radio Pictures in Atlanta. John Lawson has purchased the New Theatre, Palatka, Fla., from its owner, H. A. Dale of Lake Butler, Fla. n Jack Kirsch, president of .Allied Theatres of Illinois, will act as chairman of Cook County Theatre Week for the 1955 March of Dimes. Theodore V. Quinlivan has been appointed director and counsel of the Theatre Managers, Inc., which operates the extensive Western Mass. Theatres, Inc. Quinlivan replaces J. Albin Anderson, who has moved to Colorado.