Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

' 'This Is America ' ' In Editorial Tieup With "This Week'' An arrangement for editorial collaboration between the RKO-Pathe "This Is America" series of short subjects and This Week Magazine, a newspaper Sunday supplement appearing in 21 periodicals in as many cities, was announced this week by Frederic Ullman, Jr., president of RKOPathe and producer of the series. According to Mr. Ullman, the subjects currently are playing in 8,900 domestic theatres and in 400 foreign theatres. The tie-up will be instituted in the March 11 issue of This Week, directed to the nearly 6,500,000 subscribers in publicizing the 31st of the subjects, "On Guard." The magazine will carry_ a spread on Federal Bureau of Investigation activities, taken from the film treatment of that organization and of J. Edgar Hoover, its chief. Culminating a growth of two and one-half years since it supplanted "March of Time" as an RKO release, "This is America" will bring its current history and information to the readers of This Week every fourth Sunday. Save for three cities, the subscribing newspapers center in exchange areas. Although the arrangement provides an exchange of material there is, unlike the Time"March of Time" relationship, no common ownership, Mr. Ullman said. He characterized it as the first tie-up between an established short subject and an independent publication. He pointed out, however, that shorts have geen produced by publishing interests. Mr. Ullman said that in a recent impartial survey of U. S. magazines. This Week, owned by United Newspapers, Inc., of New York, achieved a rating denoting the highest reader interest of any magazine in the country. The publication recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. "This Is America" was started in August of 1942, after "March of Time" reached an impasse over terms with Pathe and withdrew to distribute through Twentieth Century-Fox. Mr. Ullman then put into effect a plan he said he had nurtured for 12 years. It was a series of short subjects dealing with the contemporary scene through emphasis upon personalities instead of events. The tie-up was arranged through Richard Condon., Inc., of New York, public relations counselors to RKO-Pathe and editorial consultant to This Week. The announcement was made by Mr. Ullman and William I. Nichols, editor, and Jerry Mason, executive editor of the magazine. Record Express Traffic Was Moved Last Year Business handled by the Railway Express Agency in 1944 was the largest in its history, exceeding 200,000,000 shipments, approximately 70 per cent of its war traffic, L. O. Head, president, has announced. Included in this total were about 1,750,000 air express shipments, which constituted an increase of approximately 14 per cent over the volume of air express business in 1943. Today more than 22,000 highly trained expressmen are serving in the armed forces. Philadelphia "Inquirer" Increases Ad Rate The Philadelphia Inquirer has announced that effective Marsh 15, advertising rates for theatres would be increased again. Display rates jump I 10 cents per line on Sundays, from $1.10 to $1.20, ' and daily rates go from 70 to 75 cents per line. I Neighborhood advertising rates go from 35 to 40 I cents per line daily, and from 40 to 45 cents per line Sundays. San+ell to Republic Studio • Alfred Santell, director, has joined Republic, Allen Wilson, studio vice-president, announced this week. Negotiations for Mr. Santell's exclusive services were completed by Herbert J. Yates, Sr., president of Republic Productions, Inc., following three weeks' discussion. FANS WEAR OVERCOATS IN MEATLESS HOUSE The fuel shortage last weekend caused several suburban Cincinnati theatres to close. But not the Twentieth Century, of which Willus Vance is nnanager. There was one qualification for Mr. Vance's customers, however. They were told to wear their hats and overcoats, because the house had no heat. And Mr. Vance also told them, via a large placard in front of the house, that customers who "couldn't take it" could obtain a refund. Rodner Named Trustee for Jewish Children Charity Harold Rodner, executive in the New York office of Warners, has been appointed trustee of the Association of Jewish Children, an organization formed to take care of under-privileged and handicapped youngsters who come under the supervision of the Federation of Jewish Charities. Subsidiary organizations under its jurisdiction are the Hebrew Infants Home, the Hebrew Sheltering Home, at Pleasantville, N. Y., all of the foster homes in New York City and the Friendly Home for Girls. I. Howard Lehman is president of the association, and H. M. Warner, president of Warners is an honorary trustee. Mr. Rodner also has served for a number of years as executive vice-president of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund and its hospital at Saranac. Other charities with which he is closely associated are those in connection with th Montefiore Hospital, the Bedford Tuberculosis Hospital, at Bedford, N. Y., and the Los Angeles Tuberculosis Hospital in Duarte, Cal. U.S. Files Rebuttal Briefs In Schine Anti-Trust Case The Government, Monday, in Federal Court, Buffalo, filed its overdue rebuttal briefs in its anti-trust suit against the Schine circuit. The briefs were originally due February 7, but preparation of the New York Consent Decree case consumed so much of the Justice Department's time they were delayed. They answer the defendant's brief which contends that the Government has not proved its charge of monopoly against the circuit. The next step will be the setting of a date for the hearing of oral arguments by both sides before Federal Judge John Knight, who presided at the trial. , . J . . Thereafter, the court will make its decision, based on the trial evidence, briefs, counter-briefs and oral arguments. Since the hearing is expected to be held before the end of the month, final decision in March is believed likely. U. S. Asks Postponement Of Griffith Action The Department of Justice, anticipating that the argument of the Government's petition for revision of the Consent Decree, scheduled for hearing before Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard March 5 in New York, might run over a period of several days, this week requested the Federal Court at Oklahoma City to postpone trial of the anti-trust case against the Griffith Circuit, due to start March 12. The Department's motion called for postponement of the case until early in April, and was expected to be granted without difficulty. Truman Made Life Member of Variety Clubs of America Honorary life membership in the Variety Clubs of America has been awarded Vice-President Harry Truman, it was announced in Washington Februarv 15. The award was made by Tent No. 11 in Washington during the first annual Valentine party, at which Vice-President Truman was guest of honor. Montana Theatre Files $1,224,000 Anti-Trust Suit Six major distributors. Republic, Monogram and tjine Twentieth Century-Fox subsidiary theatre corporations have been named defendants in a $1,224,000 treble damage anti-trust suit filed recently in the U. S. District Court, Butte, Montana, by the Park-Butte Theatre Company, The plaintiff, operator of the Park and Montana theatres, Butte, charges that the defendants hav.e combined and conspired to restrain trade and commerce in the exhibition and distribution of films in the city of Butte. The complaint specifies the following allegedly monopolistic practices : 1. Concertedly conditioning the license of films to theatres owned by the defendant exhibitors upon the licensing of films to houses commonly controlled or owned by them. 2. Concerted discrimination against the plaintiff on license terms granted to its theatres in favor of the large circuits controlled and operated by the exhibitor defendants. 3. Denial to the plaintiff of the right to compete in purchasing product with the theatres owned by the exhibitor defendants. It is alleged that the plaintiff's Montana theatre is as suitable, or more suitable than the Fox i theatres for the exhibition of feature films which it has been unable to obtain from the distributor defendants. The complaint further contends that the exhibitor defendants in many instances have been permitted to contract for superfluous films in order to withhold them from the plaintiff. The distributor defendants, it is charged, have refused to license features to the plaintiff for the j purpose of protecting the Fox theatres in Butte, j rather than for the purpose of protecting the distributors' revenue. Since the plaintiff has expended some $140,000 for modern equipment in the two theatres, the complaint continues, it is necessary that it obtain product on equal tems with the defendant distributors, in order to operate its houses to the satisfaction of their patrons. In addition to the money damages, the complaint asks an inJpunction restraining the distributor defendants from dealing exclusively with the exhibitor defendants in Butte, and a court decree declaring the allegedly monopolistic contracts between the defendants null and voil, and prohibiting them from entering similar agree . ments in the future. The defendants are: Twentieth Century-Fox, National Theatres, Fox West Coast Agency, Fox j Intermountain Amusement, Fox Western Montana, Fox Great Falls Theatre, Fox Billings Theatre, Fox Lewistown, Fox Missoula, Fox Riverside _ Theatre, all corporations; Hall Baetz, F. H. Ricketston, Jr., and Spyros P. Skouras ; Paramount, I Loew's, RKO Radio, Columbia, Republic, Monogram, United Artists, Lon T. Fidler, Producers Distributing Corporation, and J. T. Sheffield, an \ individual doing business as Republic Pictures of the Northwest. i New Dallas Circuit Leases Four More Theatres The recently organized Dallas Associated Theatres has leased the Park, Airway, Grove and Urban theatres from P. G. Cameron. Headed by Glenn McClain, the new enterprise will have temporary headquarters at the Airway, pending the availability of downtown offices. Mr. McClain ■ will be city manager, with Theodore Routt as booker and L. C. Long Theatres of Bay City also booking and buying for the new circuit. Managers named to date are J. P. Price, the Peak; R. J. Yowell, Airway, and Albert Cameron, the Grove. Warners Buy "Hasty Heart" The film rights to "The Hasty Heart." a play hv John Patrick now at the Hudson theatre, New York, have been purchased by Warner Bros., it was announced last weekend by Jack L. Warner. 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 24, 1945 55