The Exhibitor (1960)

COMPO Warns Of New Wage Efforts Due For Next Session Of Congress Times Seeks To End Virginia Censorship NEW YORK — Felix J. Bilgrey, counsel for Times Film Corporation, will appear in the Circuit Court of Richmond, Va., to seek a declaratory judgment to have the Virginia State licensing and censorship of motion pic¬ tures declared invalid. Bilgrey will take issue with the State’s Division of Motion Picture Censorship, which denied the distributing company a license to exhibit “The Respectful Prostitute” (submit¬ ted under the title, “The Respectful Tramp”) on the ground that public showing of the picture would tend to incite to riot. The picture, adapted from Jean Paul Sartre’s widely acclaimed play, deals with a white woman who gives haven to a Negro wrongly accused of murder. The feature is an English-language film, made in France and starring Barbara Laage in the title role. The company contends that content of the picture is not a factor in its current action, that the fight is against prior censorship as an infringement on the First Amendment rights of free speech. “Censorship in any form is an evil that tends to inhibit all forms of expression,” Bilgrey said. “Virginia is one of the few remaining states which requires prior sub¬ mission of a film to a board of censors, thus seeking to make a privilege of what the Con¬ stitution guarantees as a right.” Miss Long Heads WOMPI TORONTO — At the seventh annual conven¬ tion of The Association of Women Of The Motion Pictue Industry, Florence Long, To¬ ronto, was elected president. Others elected to office were Mrs. Mary Hart, Jacksonville, vice-president; Mrs. Myrtle Cain, Kansas City, recording secretary; Maiy Askaki, Tor¬ onto, corresponding secretary; and Anna Belle Millen, Denver, treasurer. Mrs. Mabel Guinan. Dallas, retiring president, was elected a director of the organization. Awards given WOMPI units were service, New Orleans; publicity, Denver; attendance, Dallas; and the R. J. O’Donnell public rela¬ tions award, Dallas. WOMPI presented $2,000 to the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, Saranac Lake, N.Y., to sponsor a room. Another $1,000 was sent to the hospital by Dallas WOMPI in memory of O’Donnell, the unit’s godfather. Interna¬ tional WOMPI voted to continue to support the hospital. The WOMPI organization now has over 550 members and plans have been made to charter new units in New York, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati. The 1961 convention will be held at Char¬ lotte, and the 1962 meeting is scheduled for Kansas City. "Alamo" Bow Aids MEDICO NEW YORK — The New York premiere of John Wayne’s $12,000,000 production of “The Alamo” at the Rivoli on Oct. 26 will be spon¬ sored by MEDICO (Medical International Cooperation Organization), it was announced by Wayne and William J. Heineman, Vice President of United Artists. MEDICO, founded in 1958 by Dr. Thomas A. Dooley, the internationally famous Amer¬ ican physician and scientist, and by Dr. Peter D. Comanduras, is a non-profit organization which works to establish hospitals and clin¬ ics in newly developed areas of the world and to staff them with American physicians and para-medical personnel. AFM Recaptures Studio Jurisdiction From MGA HOLLYWOOD — The American Federa¬ tion of Musicians recaptured jurisdiction over the picture scoring in the major studios from the Musicians’ Guild of Amer¬ ica, which won out in another National Labor Relations Board election on Sept. 3, 1958. The vote was 473 to 408. In a separate election, musicians em¬ ployed by Universal-International, which had separated itself from the Association of Motion Picture Producers during the MGA period of contract, voted 97 to 85 in favor of the AFM. Due to the closeness of the voting there was some question as to whether MGA would challenge the election, or demand a recount. Cecil Read, MGA head, said, “No, when Washington certifies the election, the MGA is through and the AFM takes over. MGA, however, will not disband. Our contracts with the Alliance of Television Film Producers is not affected, and we will continue our representation in that field and the recording field. We in MGA hope the AFM does a good job.” House Sues For First-Run ST. LOUIS — Esquire Theatre, Clayton, Mo., filed suit in United States District Court here to force 20th-Fox to allow it to bid on firstrun motion pictures. The Esquire contended that it had been pi'evented from doing so for more than four years because of a con¬ spiracy among 20th-Fox and other movie producers. The suit alleged that one reason was an interest in other movie houses here by Spyros Skouras, president of the defendant company, or his relatives. The Esquire previously had sued other major producers to gain access to first-run pictures and reached a settlement with them last year. Fox Exec In College Post NEW YORK — Donald A. Henderson, treas¬ urer of 20th-Fox, has been elected treasurer and chairman of the finance committee of Athens College, Greece, by the board of trustees. In Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, thousands recently watched the launching of the wooden sailing vessel that MGM had constructed for "Mutiny On The Bounty." A replica of the original British ship which figured in historic mutiny in 1789, the vessel is sailing for the South Seas and her movie role. NEW YORK — Reporting on the recent min¬ imum wage campaign, the COMPO national campaign committee gave vigorous warning that new minimum wage legislation is cer¬ tain to be introduced at the next session of Congress and that another campaign will be a virtual necessity. The committee recom¬ mends that COMPO again direct the effort. In its “final report for 1960,” which was sent to the members of the COMPO govern¬ ing and executive committees and to all min¬ imum wage campaign committees throughout the country, the committee expressed its gratitude to the members of both Houses of Congress who gave support to the in¬ dustry’s campaign. This campaign resulted in the inclusion of clauses specifically exempting motion picture theatre employees from sep¬ arate bills passed by the Senate and House of Representatives. Both bills died when Sen¬ ate and House conferees failed to agree on a compromise. The committee urged all members of the industry to give “concrete evidence of their gratitude to Senators and Congressmen, espe¬ cially to the members of the House Labor Committee’s subcommittee.” All members of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate membership are up for election this fall. The report described the campaign as “a classic demonstration of the effectiveness of that united industry action which is the es¬ sence of the COMPO concept.” Because of this unity, the report stated, “your committee was able to operate with speed and vigor in obtaining pertinent statis¬ tics and organizing campaign committees in each of the 50 states and in nearly all of the country’s 437 Congressional districts.” Commending the country’s exhibitors for their cooperation, the report says: “To the extent that they won exemption of theatre employees from the provisions of the two bills passed by the Senate and House of Representatives they scored a magnificent success, and for this they deserve the greatest credit.” The committee report was signed by C. Elmer Nolte, Jr., representing National Allied, and LaMar Sarra, representing TOA, cochairmen; Edward Cooper, representing MPAA; Emanuel Frisch, representing MMPTA; William Namenson. representing ITOA; and Charles E. McCarthy, representing COMPO. Scully Chairs VC Meet MIAMI, FLA. — William A. Scully, industry veteran and one of the most active members of Variety Clubs organization, has been named general chairman of the 34th inter¬ national convention to be held by Variety Clubs International here on April 25-29, 1961. Announcement of Scully’s acceptance was made jointly by Edward Melniker, chief barker of the host tent, and International Chief Barker Edward Emanuel. Allied Urges Trailer Cuts WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Emergency De¬ fense Committee of National Allied in a re¬ cent bulletin urged exhibitors to “cut trailers of objectional elements to avoid offending patrons.” “If our suggestion is followed,” the bulletin says, “your trailer offerings will sell, not repel.” September 21, 1 960 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 9