Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

Exhibitors Win Fight On OCR Building Plan WPB Accepts View More Important to Maintain Existing Theatres Washington Bureau Independent theatre owners this week appeared to have won their fight for abandonment of the ambitious plans of the Office of Civilian Requirements to obtain the construction of new houses in war production centers where additional amusement facilities appeared to be required. The contention of the exhibitors that it is more important to insure the continued operation of all existing houses apparently has become the viewpoint of top officials of the OCR, it was indicated by William Y. Elliott, War Production Board vice-chairman, at a meeting last week of the theatre industry advisory committee. Mr. Elliott told the committee that construction of new theatres would be permitted only where the WPB was convinced they were "absolutely necessary" and suggested that some of the apparent deficiency in facilities could be offset by increasing the hours of operation or by other methods. Requirements Tightened Requirements to be met by applicants for new theatres have been tightened, it was disclosed by Donald R. Longman, director of the service trades division and, at present, acting head of the recreation and amusements section pending the appointment of a successor to George W. McMurphey, and a definite war need must be shown as the first step. Mr. Longman indicated that consideration would be given to the suggestion of committee members that theatre operators in the community be consulted regarding the need for a new house before construction is approved. Mr. McMurphey resigned as chief of the Amusement and Recreation Section last week because, he said, changes in OCR policy had reduced his chances to serve the film industry. Mr. Elliott and other officials who attended the meeting, the first to be held by the newlyorganized committee, expressed their recognition of the contribution made by the theatre operators in assisting Government information programs, providing recreation for war workers and other phases of the war program. A message of thanks for the exhibitors' aid in the War Bond drives was received from Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau. Handling Gratifies Exhibitors Members of the committee, to which Allen G. Smith, chief of the theatre equipment section, made a report on the equipment situation, told WPB officials that the way booth equipment and repairs had been handled was gratifying to exhibitors, who feel that these problems are being taken care of capably. No theatre in the country had been forced to close because of lack of repair parts, it was pointed out. Mr. Smith explained that military requirements for electronic equipment had retarded the production of sound systems, 156 of which were approved for each of the third and fourth quarters of this year. The manufacture of pro jectors also had been slowed, because of the shortage of bearings and motors, he said. Because of the lack of new equipment, WPB has imposed no restrictions on the production of repair parts. In the field of furnishings, the major problems are in carpets and chairs, but flashlight batteries for emergency lighting and kettles for popcorn machines are difficult to obtain. The carpet shortage is the result of military demand for tenting fabrics, to which the carpet looms have been converted, cutting production for civilians to about 25 per cent of normal. Theatres, however, have been able to get enough material to patch carpets now in use, and there appears to be no need for WPB control of distribution of civilian carpet supplies. Seat Repairs Difficult Construction of 50,000 theatre seats may be undertaken in the near future, the committee was told, to be built from parts in inventory and materials obtained from idle and excess stocks. Discussion developed that no chairs are available in the second-hand market and that repairs to seats are difficult to make because of the shortage of springs and upholstery materials. It was pointed out that if bottoms and backs could be made available, the standards of existing chairs could continue to be used. Introduction of the question of Freon brought a charge from committee members of inequitable distribution, whereby operators in other industries were able to obtain the gas when the theatres couldn't. OCR officials agreed to investigate the complaints and recommend a change of allocation methods if the inquiry revealed that distribution was inequitable. The new Freon manufacturing plant now under construction in Chicago is expected to go into operation August 15, but it will be some time before it becomes possible to build refrigerant inventories to a point where there will be relief from the general shortage. Manpower Problem Looms A review of the manpower situation disclosed that exhibitors had been able to obtain sufficient labor to keep their houses open, but the new system of controls imposed by the War Manpower Commission July 1 might make it extremely difficult to replace present employees. Since theatres are not on the essential list, a WMC representative advised exhibitors to apply for assistance from their area manpower directors. The committee recommended that the OCR sponsor a request for the inclusion of theatres on the locally-needed list. Members of the committee present at the meeting included Joseph Bernhard, Warner Brothers Circuit Management Corporation, New York; Hugh W. Bruen, Bruen's-Whittier Theatres, Whittier, Cal. ; Claude C. Ezell, Dallas ; Ed Kuykendall, Columbus, Miss. ; Martin G. Smith, Toledo; Robert B. Wilby, Paramount-Wilby-Kincey Theatre Circuit, Atlanta ; Joseph Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld Theatres, San Francisco ; William F. Crockett, Virginia Beach, Va. ; S. H. Fabian,' Fabian Theatres, New York; Louis A. Lotito, Martin-Veck Theatres, New York, and Joseph R. Vogel, Loew's, Inc., New York. Distributors Will Save 52,000,000 Feet of Raw Filn The 11 distributors are expected to save 52,0( 000 feet of raw stock in the current quarter urn a conservation plan which centers around the ri ning off of prints closer to release dates. Under the plan, devised under the direction John J. O'Connor, Universal vice-president, lease dates will not be upset. At the same tit the saving in raw stock will compensate for ■ 40,000,000 feet the companies were over th quotas during the first half of the year and ai quately take care of the situation that arose wl the film manufacturers reported a 32,000,000-k shcrtage. Mr. O'Connor explained that the running oft prints closer to release dates would allow the Ea| man Kodak Company to refurbish its machine and to give vacations to its employees, both which have been worked to exhaustion during t past two years. Eastman's problems were laid before a spec meeting of the presidents of the companies h( recently in New York by Harold Hopper, retiri head of the War Production Board's film divisic and Lincoln V. Burroughs, his successor, who, A O'Connor said, explained that although there w no material shortage, the output of film availal would be 62,000,000 feet below the quota for tl quarter. Arrangements with the Ansco and D pont companies will partially offset this lack, ea company agreeing to supply 15,000,000-foot i creases. A WPB spokesman in Washington indicat that although there was a satisfactory invento on hand at the beginning of the quarter, the i vasion of France brought new demands on U. manufacturers. This dip into U. S. raw stock necessitated by England's inability to carry out share of the export program according to whi] England had contractel to supply raw stock to fd, eign countries, and by the demands of war filmin Hollywood studios are expected to regain the full allotments next quarter, when production m; be greater and military demands less. There w little expectation at this time, however, that ba ring an early collapse of Germany, any quota i crease would be possible this year, the WP spokesman said. Cincinnati Group Attacks Distribution Policies Claiming that independent exhibitors are opera ing on practically a non-profit basis, because di tributors are limiting and controlling exhibitoi profits through curtailment of product, creating sellers' market, increasing allocations and placii program pictures in percentage brackets, tl Greater Cincinnati Independent Exhibitors Ass ciation, of which F. W. Huss, Jr., is presider states in its current service bulletin that this "i; dustry domination" is a subterfuge to confisca the other fellow's profits, because distributors ha' been stopped from acquiring theatres. '.'Up to now, because of the startling reality," tl bulletin continues, "no one has been able to clear and positively point out to the Government ai the masses of exhiibtors what has actually hai pened. Even the distributors in their mad scran ble for domination have been unconscious of vi( timizing independent exhibitors to the extent th; they have. "If distributors must limit and control the indi pendent theatre profits, they should be obliged j underwrite the exhibitors losses, the way of a tn partnership," the bulletin suggests as a remed; Captures Nazi Sniper Private Eugene Weinberger, son of Artiu Weinberger, office manager of the Warner Bro New York exchange, captured a German sniper i the Normandy fighting recently, and had his pit ture taken with the prisoner by newsreel and othe photographers, according to a letter received t his father. 42 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY 29, 194