Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1956)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, September 5, 19; Films to TV (Continued from page 1) between major companies, though not all, in New York and here. Discussions are said to be entirely exploratory, however, at this point, and to contemplate a long negotiation period before agreements satisfactory to all can be implemented. Date Set by SAG The "cut-off date," Aug. 1, 1948, was set, originally, by the Screen Actors Guild, following an extended struggle with the Association of Motion Picture Producers and other producer groups over producer reluctance to agree in principle that an actor whose work has been performed for theatrical exhibition is entitled to additional compensation if it is subsequently exhibited by other means. After the "cut-off date" had been set with the SAG, other unions and guilds accepted the same date for their basis of agreement with employers. Producer contracts with all guilds and unions now contain a clause which renders them null and void if pictures produced after the "cut-off date" are made available to television without re-negotiation for permission to do so on payment according to a scale to be mutually agreed upon. This contractual bar against selling post-1948 product to television has been almost universally observed by producers, and producers who have not observed it have had service withdrawn from them by all labor groups, leaving them unable to engage in film production within the United States. Some violators have been reinstated after paying guilds and unions reparatory amounts. Wide Harm Feared The formula reportedly under discussion would give talent and labor a 25 per cent share in the revenue from tv sales. Published accounts do not mention any new "cut-off date" to be established. Unofficial opinion is that ( 1 ) getting all guilds and unions to agree on any percentage figure would take a year or more, and (2) if no new and satisfactory "cut-off date" were established, thus leaving producers free to dump their flopproduct into tv at salvage prices immediately following theatrical first run, not only producers and production personnel in general are in for sharp reductions all along the line, but thousands of exhibitors will be forced out of business. MITCHELL MAY, Jr. CO., INC INSURANCE Specializing in requirements of the Motion Picture Industry 3720 V . 6th St., Los Angeles /5 Maiden Lane, New York One Man's TViews By Pinky Herman CBS-TV has promoted Gilbert A. Ralston to the newly-created post of director of network programs. William Morwood takes over as exec producer and is succeeded as storv editor by Crandall Brown, who used to be story editor at M-G-M, each reporting to veep Harry Ommerle. . . . Lend an ear and orb to pert and talented Ann Gilbert, Groove recording star, who'll guestrill tonite on the "Perry Como Show." . . . Produced by Lou Edelman, the "Adventures of Jim Bowie," a series of half-hour telefilms based on the life of one of the most colorful figures of the old "wild west" and starring Scott Forbes, will debut Friday, TVia ABChannels. The mavor of Bowie, Texas, a community of 4,544 citizens, has proclaimed this day "Jim Bowie Day" and because of the town's high elevation the program co-sponsored by the American Chicle Company and Chesebrough-Pond can be seen on Channels 3 and 5, Wichita Falls and Ft. Worth, respectively. . . . Esther Williams returns from her successful Wembley Stadium (London) aqua spectacular next Wednesday to start rehearsals for a 90-minute NBColor spectacular skedded for Saturday, Sept. 29. & & Shuttered for three months during which it was completely remodeled and refurbished and proudly displaying the "new look," Paul Taubman's Penthouse Club, long a favorite haunt of the motion picture and tv fraternity (and sorority) will hold a gala reopening Saturday. Mine Host, Paul, is himself one of the Main Stem's most popular figures, being the ork pilot of several television programs, including "Tic Tac Dough," "Winky-Dink and You" and "TwentyOne." . . . Walt Framer's "CB Strike It Rich" quizzeroo will originate in Los Angeles the week of Oct. 8. Framer is toying with the idea of adding a new wrinkle to the program, an annual "Miss Strike It Lovely" beauty contest. . . . Before returning to New York Johnny Andrews had built up such a large and loyal audience for his "Morning Bandwagon" show over WTAM in Cleveland that Bill Handle, top deejay there, has invited Johnny to do his old program over WERE next Sunday. Producer Bud Ford and director Mort Fleischman and Henry (Hot Lips) Levine, who were and still are associated with Andrews, will accompany him. Incidentally, Levine will add to his baton chores next Monday when he conducts a small orchestra on the new "Tex & Jinx" hour (1:00-2:05 P.M.) before the WRCAmeras. ft Some few years ago, when the impact of tv upon motion picture theatre box office, and long before Hollywood and TVeeps and Madison Avenooers decided that each had much to offer the other and began "to go steady," motion brass came up with a slogan, "Movies are your best entertainment." SOoooo along comes NTA prexy Ely Landau who agrees 100 per cent with that statement, but adding the words "when you see them on your tv screens." With that he proceeds to purchase hundreds of feature length, short subjects and newsreels from major Hollywood companies and after editing, splicing, cataloging and grouping same, is making available to networks and tv stations, films which star the cinema's greats, including such names as Lillian Gish, Francis X. Bushman, Mary Pickford, Wallace Beery, Anna Held, Marie Dressier, Charles Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Lillian Russell, Douglas Fairbanks, Houdini, W. C. Fields, Charlie Murray, Walter Catlett, to name a few. (With such an array of names NTA should do a LANDAU-ffice business.) Paul Taubman Activity at the West Coast Service Studios goes into high gear next week when Video Picures starts production on four telefilm commercials in Eastman Color, to be produced-directed by Charles L. Turner. Sponsored by S & H Green Stamps, the series will have Arlene Francis as hostess. Japan SeeM {Continued from page 1) for the product will be broadened ccj siderably, he asserted. Tamura said that one of the reascj Japanese films have not enjoyed lj business during the past is that Er!_ lish sub-titles have been used inste of dubbing the films into Englii "It costs about $20,000 to dub Japanese film into English, and many cases we never earn that inve ment back," he pointed out. Commenting on the festival pit Tamura said he is working on tH proposal with the Motion Picture E port Association. He said the whs festival idea is subject to approval Tokyo, but if it is approved, f screenings of five especially selecti films would commence on Oct. 21 the Museum of Modern Art he Japanese Producers Halt Sales to TV The principal motion picture p) ducers in Japan have reached agn ment in a plan whereby they will st their sale of old product to co mercial television, it was disclos here by Yoshihiko Tamura, forei manager for Daiei Motion Picture C of Tokyo. Tamura said that Japanese tele sion is starting "to make a serious de in motion picture business throughc the nation. Therefore, the product have resolved to halt the sales of c films, effective on Sept. 1, to te: vision." The Daiei executive said that tl Japanese public is buying televisi:| receivers at the rate of 10,000 sets rJ L month. FCC to Push Research On UHF Television From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 ll Federal Communications Commissi! has asked key groups in the tele' sion industry to meet September : to discuss a "crash" research ai development program for the UH channels. Among the organizations aske to attend are the National A sociation of Radio and Televisic broadcasters and the Radio Ele tronics Television Manufacturers A sociation. An accelerated research progra; on the UHF field was part of tf FCC's June 25 decision involving 8 eventual switch of all television broadcasting to the UHF band. ■ ■ L. A. Judgments Signet LOS ANGELES, Sept. 4 Judj ments against Sidney A. Kurstin i three percentage actions brought hi distributors have been signed by U. i. Judge Peirson M. Hall in Feden Court here. The actions by Para mount, Columbia and Universs against the former operator of th Boulevard Theatre in Belvedere Gar dens, Cal., resulted in judgments ag gregating $2,899.35, including costs II ■