The Exhibitor (1957)

8 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Congressmen Disagree On Toll-TV As FCC Juggles The "Hot Potato " WASHINGTON — Representative Emanuel Celler, House judiciary chairman, and author of a pending bill to make pay television to home receivers unlawful, last fortnight warned the Federal Communications Com¬ mission that it cannot issue valid licenses on the basis of existing law and any attempt to do so will invite drawn-out litigation. Celler stated to FCC chairman John C. Doerfer that time will be saved by the FCC going directly to Congress for enabling legis¬ lation. Even if the courts ultimately hold that power exists to license pay-TV, he said, the time lost in the courts would cover a longer period than would be required to have Congress pass on the wisdom of pay-as-yousee and, if it decided to go ahead, to enact the needed legislation. Congressman Celler predicts that adver¬ tiser-supported TV would disappear if the new method is adopted and that the public’s investment in receiving sets would be im¬ properly and unlawfully impaired. Meanwhile, Rep. Chelf, D., Ky., of the House Judiciary Committee, told the FCC to move ahead promptly with subscriptiontelevision tests. Chelf said he had studied toll -TV over the past several years and was convinced that the FCC had “full, complete and final authority to permit these very necessary trials.” He also felt, he continued, “that the people of the country ought to be given an early opportunity to decide if they want any part of subscription television. If the people like it, they will demand it; if they do not want it, you could not ‘law it on them,’ ” he declared. “Do not allow anybody, no matter what position he may hold in or out of gov¬ ernment, to attempt to either pressure or intimidate any of you,” Chelf said. The question of cable toll-TV versus the use of the free air waves for the subscription system also was debated anew as Zenith Radio Corporation warned that unless toll-TV were authorized immediately, the wire system could destroy free TV. Columbia Sales Execs Meet NEW YORK — An important three day series of meetings between Columbia Pictures’ divi¬ sion managers and key home offices sales per¬ sonnel opened today (July 24) at the Savoy Plaza Hotel, with Rube Jackter, general sales manager, presiding. The top level discussions of Columbia’s up¬ coming product lineup will be participated in by A. Montague, vice-president in charge of distribution, and sales executives. The division managers present include Nat Cohn, New York; Samuel A. Galanty, mid¬ east, from Washington; Carl Shalit, central, Detroit; Ben C. Marcus, midwest, Kansas City; I. Harry Rogovin, New England, Boston; Robert J. Ingram, southeast, Atlanta; Jack B. Underwood, southwest, Dallas; Harry E. Weiner, eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, Philadelphia; L. E. Tillman, northwest, San Francisco; Wayne Ball, south¬ ern California and Rocky Mountain, Los An¬ geles; and Ben Lourie, Chicago. Harvey Harnick, sales manager of Columbia Pictures of Canada, is present from Toronto. Other home office executives are also at¬ tending the sessions, at which release plans and sales policies will be discussed. 20th-Fox Execs Named As New NTA Directors NEW YORK — Four members of the top management of the 20th -Fox Corporation have been appointed to the hoard of di¬ rectors of the NTA Film Network, Inc., Ely A. Landau, president of the Network, announced recently. Twentieth-Fox has a 50 per cent interest in the NTA Film network. The 20th Century Fox executives, Spyros Skouras, president; Donald Hen¬ derson, treasurer; William C. Michel, ex¬ ecutive vice-president; and Otto Koegel. chief attorney, join four NTA Film Net¬ work officials, Landau, Oliver A. Unger, executive vice-president; Harold Gold¬ man, vice-president and director of sales; and Edythe Rein, vice-president, on the board. " Fire " Contest Offers South. American Cruise NEW YORK — Every theatre in the United States that plays Columbia’s “Fire Down Below” in 1957 will be eligible to enter the national contest that has as the grand prize a 31 -day cruise to the Caribbean and South America. To join in the contest, all any theatre play¬ ing the Warwick production has to do is stage a local contest and select a local winner be¬ fore Dec. 31, 1957. The entries of the local winners will then be judged in New York and the winner and guest winner will be awarded a cruise aboard a Moore-McCormack liner. Co-sponsoring the contest, along with Moore-McCormack and Columbia, will be the Philco Corporation, which has alerted its dealers throughout the country to work with exhibitors in helping to promote the five-day local contest, which must be staged with the cooperation of a newspaper, televi¬ sion, or radio station. The contest calls for entrants to complete a Calypso lyric. Aaron Rosenberg, left, one of the latest big time Hollywood producers to join MGM studios, recently met with writers Borden Chase, right, and Valentine Davies to map plans for first two projects of his newly formed Areola Pictures. Appeal Court Upholds Union " Son's Resolution' KNOXVILLE, TENN.— The East Tennessee Court of Appeals last fortnight returned to Hamilton County Chancery Court at Chatta¬ nooga a suit in which a group of motion picture projectionists said they were “mis¬ treated” by their union, Local 259, I. A. T. S. E. and M. P. M. O. of the U. S. and Canada. The group, termed “foreign operators” by the Local because they came into Chatta¬ nooga from other areas to work, brought suit seeking to have the local enroll them on the membership list and extend to them all privileges enjoyed by other members. The complainants were admitted on order of Chancery Court. The Alliance said an error was in the order. Complainants in the lawsuit did not file their grievances with union authorities, claiming it would have been “useless and futile” to do so. However, they did notify officials of the local of their grievances, but only on a personal basis and not formally. The “foreign” operators recognized only as partial members by the local, claimed a “son’s resolution” passed by the local was unfair. Under the rule, sons of present mem¬ bers would be given preference in filing applications for full membership in the union. The complainants claimed this constituted a closed union, and that as a result, its con¬ tracts with employers were closed-shop con¬ tracts. Chancery Court concurred in the charge. The Appeals Court stated there was “no evidence” to support the chancellor’s stand. “We think the union had this right (regard¬ ing the son’s resolution) and it does not violate state laws or union by-laws.” The higher court said the “assignment of the defendants is sustained and the complain¬ ants’ bill is dismissed.” The case was remanded to Hamilton Chan¬ cery Court. Katz Leaves SW For Ad Post PITTSBURGH— Phil Katz, advertising di¬ rector of Stanley Warner theatres’ Pittsburgh zone, resigned recently to join the executive staff of Goldman and Shoop, Inc., one of this city’s pioneer advertising agencies, with of¬ fices in the Penn-Sheraton Hotel. Katz will head the agency’s promotion and merchandising division and also serve as counselor in the agency’s expanded public relations service. Until taking over the top ad post in 1955 for the 60 Stanley Warner theatres, Katz directed the overall exploitation-publicity activities. Jimmy Fund Officers Named BOSTON — Tom Yawkey, president, Boston Red Sox, was last week named chairman, Children’s Cancer Research Foundation, which sponsors the Jimmy Building and the Jimmy Fund, at the annual election of officers. Lou Perini, owner, Milwaukee Braves, was named head of the finance and resources board of the fund. Other officers named were Arthur Lockwood, president of the Founda¬ tion; Joe Cronin, executive committee chair¬ man; Rudolph King, treasurer; Walter Brown, secretary; Joseph Cominskey, assistant treas¬ urer; William Koster, administrative board chairman; and Martin J. Muffin, Theodore Fleisher, Carl Haffenreffer and John T. Hayes, executive committee. July 24, 195 7