Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1955)

Friday, May 13, 1955 Motion Picture Daily 9 Progress Reported Chicago Exhibitors Enlist Groups in Toll TV Fight From THE DAILY Bureau CHICAGO, May 12. — Allied Theatres of Ilinois, Inc., and the local Committee Against Pay-As-You-See TV have laid out a plan to enlist the support of local business and citizen groups in expressing their opposition to subscription television be fore the June 9 deadline fixed by the Federal Communications Commission. Immediate action taken at a meeting was to have Chicago exhibitors contact their aldermen with a view of having the Chicago City Council reconsider the resolution which it approved on April 21 asking the FCC to permit subscription television and refer the resolution to a committee for a public hearing. The Council unanimously voted reconsideration. Progress Report Received The meeting also received a progress report from the local Allied committee against pay-as-you-see TV, which was recently enlarged to include representatives of circuit theatres in and around Chicago. This committee revealed the outcome of its talks with three of the leading retail business associations encompassing a membership of many thousand retail establishments throughout Illinois, indicating that a favorable position is being taken by them against subscription TV. First of the retail groups to come out openly against pay-as-you-see TV is the Chicago Retail Merchants' Association which called on its member organizations to express disapproval of toll TV to the FCC, the members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Chicago City Council. Other avenues of approach which the local committee reported it is working on include : Radio and television broadcasters, metropolitan dailies and community newspapers, transportation companies, labor organizations, legion and veteran posts, fraternal organizations and lodges, Parent-Teachers associations, women's clubs, Rotary and Kiwanis groups. Exhibitors were urged to contact these organizations on a local community level and explain how subscription television would effect the American pocketbook by charging the public for programs which they now see for nothing and deny them access to the free airwaves. A press relations committee has also been organized through which all information pertaining to the campaign against pay-as-you-see TV will be channeled to the press. Kirsch Stresses Importance In commenting on the meeting Jack Kirsch, president of Allied Theatres of Illinois, said that the current campaign against subscription television ranks in importance with last year's admission tax fight and averred that the eventual outcome depends a great deal on the grass-roots effort put forth by exhibitors. He called upon theatre owners in the state to get as many letters as they can mailed to the FCC from among employees, friends, business acquaintances and others opposing pay-as-you-see TV and urged them to immediately contact their local business and civic organizations to write letters and pass resolutions addressed to the FCC expressing disapproval of subscription television. LA. Official Warns Brennan Tells Projectionists, Fight Toll TV Special to THE DAILY ALBANY, N. Y., May 12.— Projectionists throughout the United States should fight subscription television, James J. Brennan, first vicepresident of the IATSE, declared at the one-day spring meeting of the New York State Association of Motion Picture Projectionists. Brennan, who was a principal speaker at the association's convention earlier this week, prophesied that subscription television "will close down the small theatres in the outlying districts and could very well close down small business establishments, such as candy stores and soda fountains, which rely on theatre customers for sales." Some 125 delegates, meeting at Carmen's Hall here, approved an association plan which urged all locals to write letters to the Federal Communications Commission opposing its authorization of toll TV and another action whereby the locals would send letters of protest to the television manufacturing companies proposing the pay-as-you-see TV plan. Warns of Unemployment The IATSE first vice-president also stated that "should toll TV meet with widespread acceptance, theatre attendance would probably drop, and with this, the need for projectionists might decrease." George Raaflaub, president of the New York State Association of Motion Picture Projectionists, presided at the one day spring meet. Other speakers included William Ingram, head projectionist of the Schine Circuit ; Arthur Meyer, vice-president of Simplex ; Judge Nat Doragoff, workmen's compensation referee in New York City, and Edward Wendt president and business manager of Albany Local 324. Color Photo System {Continued from page 1) the new center featured an address by David Sarnoff, RCA board chairman, which was tape-recorded in New York and carried over a closed circuit to St. Paul. Sarnoff hailed today's event as "ushering in a new. era of electronic photography." In addition to the Sarnoff speech the demonstration also included a brief tape-recorded talk by Dr. Harry F. Olson, director of RCA's acoustical and electro-mechanical laboratory at Princeton, N. J., who later appeared in person to give a simplified explanation of the new system and its applications in the television and allied industries. Entertainment Included This was followed by a colorful entertainment sample featuring singer Eddie Fisher and the dance team of Bainbi Lynn and Don Alexander. The audience of more than 300 was visibly impressed with the demonstration. Reproduction on a half dozen large color television receivers in the auditorium was clear, color values reasonably clear and of good quality. New Md. Censor Outlines Policy BALTIMORE, May 12.— The new chairman of the Maryland State Board of Motion Picture Censors, C. Morton Goldstein, was guest of honor yesterday at a luncheon given by the Allied Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Maryland. C. Elmer Nolte, Jr., president of the Allied group, opened the program and Meyer Leventhal, vicepresident, presided. Goldstein, addressing the guests, said he would live up to the letter of the Maryland censor law but, at the same time, would be temperate. He also stated he did not plan to let personal opinions govern his censoring — instead, will be. guided by the code. The new chairman also urged cooperation between distributors, exhibitors and the censors as a means to make the way more pleasant for all concerned. The luncheon was held at the Baltimore Variety Club. In addition to a large attendance of Baltimore exhibitors, numerous branch managers and representatives came over from Washington. They included Sidney Cooper, Jerry Sandy, Harold Saltz, Charles Kripps, Fred Sandy, Joseph Breckeen, Oscar Kanter, Samuel Tabor, Myron Mills, Ben Caplon, Phil Isaacs, Milton Lipsner, Sam Wheeler, Teddy Shull and Herbert Bennin. 34 Stars in 14 Films From 'IP Thru Oct. From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, May 12.— A total of 34 prominent industry name personalities head the casts of 14 pictures, nine of which are in color and two also in CinemaScope, now set for release by Universal-International during the remainder of the company's fiscal year, which ends Oct. 31, it was disclosed here today by Charles J. Feldman, vice-president and general sales manager, at the closing session of U-I's first mid-year sales executives conference. Called 'Largest Group' This roster of players, said Feldman, is the largest group of stars ever assembled by U-I for a comparable number of pictures. Stars appearing in the 14 productions include Abbott and Costello, Julie Adams, June Allyson, Lex Barker, Gene Barry, Anne Baxter, Rory Calhoun, Jack Carson, Jeff Chandler, Mara Corday, Joan Crawford, Tony Curtis, Faitli Domergue, Jose Ferrer, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Martha Hyer, Arthur Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Piper Laurie, Stephen Mc-, Nally, Colleen Miller, Jeff Morrow, Audie Murphy, Donald O'Connor, Dan OHerlihy, Jack Palance, Rex Reason, Barbara Rush, Jane Russell, Unanimous Vote Chi. Council To Reconsider Toll TV Stand From THE DAILY Bureau CHICAGO, May 12. — By unanimous action, the Chicago City Council today voted to refer to the Judiciary Committee a previously approved resolution of that body, petitioning the Federal Communications Committee to grant licenses for subscription TV. This move by the City Council was initiated by Alderman Daniel J. Ronan of the 30th Ward, original sponsor of the resolution endorsing pay-as-you-see TV. Contacted by Exhibitors Alderman Ronan moved to reconsider his previous motion for Council approval of the resolution and moved to refer it to the Judiciary Committee of the City Council for Public Hearing. He stated he was doing so at the request of many of his colleagues in the City Council. The local Committee Against PayAsYouSee TV and Allied Theatres of Illinois held a meeting last Tuesday, attended by Chicago and many downstate theatre owners, at which time exhibitors were urged to contact their aldermen with a view to having them reconsider the Council resolution. Sindlinger Starts (Continued from page 1) of its kind to be undertaken by Sindlinger during the ^ast year. The study will run concurrently with the Lincoln study and also with the Oklahoma City study which was started several months ago. The Enid survey is under the joint sponsorship of Video Independent Theatres and the Association of Theatre Screen Advertising Companies. Eight to 13 Weeks A Sindlinger market study requires from eight to 13 weeks to complete and is made in three interlocking phases. The first phase is confined to lobby and drive-in theatre interviewing to determine the characteristics of the audience. The second phase of interviewing is conducted among a scientific area probability sample of all families residing within the drawingarea of the theatres and drive-ins. The third phase consists of recorded depth interviewing. Betta St. John, Jan Sterling and Mamie Van Doren. The U-I pictures in which they are toplined, by release months, are "This Island Earth," "Man From Bitter Ridge," "Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy," June ; "Foxfire," "Ain't Misbehavin," "The Purple Mask," July; "One Desire," "Private War Of Major Benson," "Francis In The Navy," August; "The Shrike," "Female On The Beach," "The Naked Dawn," September; "Kiss Of Fire," and "To Hell And Back," October. The Sales Executives Conference, which opened at the Studio on Monday, has been attended by top home office and studio executives, division sales managers and district managers.