Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

VOL. 77. NO. 7 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1955 TEN CENTS TOA's President Warns Against Big City Slant Of Production Martin Finds Thousands Of Houses in Film Plight By MURRAY HOROWITZ Production today appears to be slanted for the larger Metropolitan areas in the country rather than for the medium-sized and smaller situations in the U. S., according to E. D. Martin, president of Theatre Owners of America. As a concomitant to what he called "the Metropolitan-orientated production," Martin added that the product is geared for extended runs at greatly increased film rentals. "Thousands of theatres throughout the country," Martin contended, "cannot fit into this approach." The TOA president was sounded out as to his sentiments regarding the fewer, but bigger pictures approach (Continued on page 7) Plan Military Print Survey A survey of the problems of commercial theatres near Army and Navy installations in the U. S. is to be conducted by exhibitor organizations, it was learned here yesterday. A source close to the joint exhibition-distribution committee negotiating with the Defense Department disclosed that either Theatre Owners of America or Allied, or both, through their respective regional units, would conduct the survey. The purpose of the poll, as it was explained by the source, (Continued on page 3) 'Prince of Players' In 3 P.M. Bow Here Marking the first afternoon premiere of a CinemaScope production here, 20th Century-Fox's "Prince of Players" opened yesterday at the Rivoli Theatre to a capacity audience which included many prominent personalities currently appearing on the Broadway stage who usually are unable to attend evening openings. A large attendance gathered at the theatre in advance of the 3 P.M. event (Continued on page 3) Projectionists Sign New Minn. Pact; Reject 1-Man Booth Special to THE DAILY MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 10. — Minnesota Amusement Co. and RKO Theatres reached an agreement over the weekend with Projectionists' Local No. 219, IATSE, on a new three-year contract. Minnesota Amusement operates three Minneapolis loop first-runs and three neighborhoods. RKO has two loop first-runs. The new contract, which is expected to be signed this week, maintains wages at the old contract level for the coming year and provides for increases of nine cents an hour in each of the second and third years. The union rejected the circuits' demand for one-man booths in downtown houses. The union negotiating committee (Continued on page 3) 2 N.T. Units Start Research Program LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10. — The first use of the $500,000 research fund established by National Theatres last month is being made in the Fox Midwest and Fox Inter-Mountain organizations currently, N. T. revealed here. Both circuits are employing the research program to find out what influenced patrons to attend "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The research fund is available to all N. T. showmen, the company reminds in a statement issued by Elmer C. Rhoden, president. "I am eagerly awaiting requests from managers and district managers for research projects," Rhoden said. "It's only through a thorough knowledge of our business that we can hope to go forward, and as we are living today in changing times, we must be alert to the new influences that are bringing about changes in the recreational habits of our public." No Mention of Film Firms Foreign Tax Aid Is Asked Of Congress by President By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, Jan. 10. — President Eisenhower asked Congress today to give special tax advantages to some U. S. companies earning income overseas, but, as predicted, left in the air the question of whether film distributors should be eligible. Eric Johnston Hails President's Message Eric Johnston yesterday issued another statement hailing the President's message as "one of the most comprehensive of its kind" and one which "should receive the support of all Americans." The motion picture industry, Johnston recalled, has been a strong advocate of tax credits as a means of promoting investment abroad, and declared that the industry hoped that "the 14 per cent tax credit, if enacted, will be applied equitably to such extensive activities as ours." Compo Ad Provides News Story Tip The 35th COMPO advertisement which will be published in "Editor & Publisher" on Saturday suggests that there's a good story in the local history of each community's motion picture theatre. The peg for the news story, the advertisement explains, is that it was 60 years ago this year that the first public exhibition of a motion picture took place in a converted shoe store in New York City. The ad, directed to editors of local (Continued on page 8) Supreme Court Rejects F & M Appeal From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Jan. 10— The Supreme Court today refused to hear an appeal by Fanchon and Marco, Inc., in its anti-trust suit against eight major distributors, National Theatres and Fox West Coast Theatres. The effect of the High Court's action is to leave in force the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision throwing out the suit. The Court gave no reason for its decision, announcing merely that the appeal was denied. Fanchon and Marco claimed that the defendants had conspired to deny first-run films to its Baldwin Theatre in suburban Los Angeles. The distributors countered that their decision not to sell first-run films to the Baldwin resulted from an independent exercise of business judgment, and both the Los Angeles District Court and the Circuit Court agreed with the distributors. F. & M. then appealed to the Supreme Court, but lost there today. The President, in a special foreign trade message, repeated his request of last year that. U. S. companies be taxed on certain overseas income at 14 percentage points less than the rate on domestic income and also that U. S. firms be excused from paying tax on money earned by foreign branches until it is actually remitted to the U. S. Last year's Treasury proposal excluded film companies from these benefits, and the President's message today gave no indication as to whether the Treasury had changed its views. Presumably, this will not be known until die Treasury actually testifies on the subject before the House Ways and Means Committee later this year. Motion Picture Export Association president Eric Johnston, in a letter to the Treasury released over the week-end, urged the administration to include film distributors in its tax relief proposal this time. The President's message today did, (Continued on page 7) Loew's Asks Stock Delay Loew's has filed a petition with the New York District Court asking for a two-year postponement in the deadline for distribution of stock in the new theatre company. The Loew's consent decree provided that stock of the new theatre company had to be distributed pro rata to Loew's stockholders by Feb. 6, 1955, unless the company before that time could prove to the New York court that it could not divide its funded debt (Continued on page 8) Johnson, Barkley On Finance Com. From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.— Senate majority leader Johnson of Texas and Sen. Barkley of Kentucky today were assigned to the two Democratic vacancies on the important Senate Finance Committee. The committee handles tax, foreign (Continued on page 3)