Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

Egypt Asks Data On U. S. Imports MPA BEACON AWARD TO FABIAN FOR ACHIEVEMENT By the.Uerald THE BEACON AWARD of fhe Motion Picture Associates, New York, is banded S. H. Fabian, left, by Fred Schwartz, MPA president, at the organization's annual dinner-dance Tuesday night at fhe Wa/dorf->lsforia, New York, Applauding, right, are Sypros Skouras, president of Twentieth Century-Fox, and Morris Sanders, MPA vice-president. by JACQUES PASCAL in Cairo The Ministry Social Affairs has summoned all directors of American picture agencies to submit a tentative plan governing the imports of American product into Egypt. The Ministry has established a quota system to protect the local industry, but this quota seems doomed to failure because the Egyptian industry could never supply its part of the quota. V The position of American films — which have been doing rather poor business since the first of the year — has been reestablished, especially in the provinces. Many provincial cinemas had refused to exhibit Englishlanguage pictures. However, as a result of the British decision to evacuate Egypt, this position has been reversed, in so far as the American agencies are concerned. Naturally, serials and actions films will do the business. Jean Benoit-Levy Takes Over UN Film Section Jean Benoit-Levy, French film director, last Saturday assumed the office of director of films and visual information of the United Nations, and plans to confer with Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and other American and foreign film executives in order to enlist their aid in formulating and carrying out a motion picture program for the UN. Most films are to be produced by established companies, Mr. Benoit-Levy continued, and only those films which are deemed necessary, and are not made by any other available source will be made by the UN's film section. Move for Se+tlennent in Scophony Case Seen With indications pointing to a new move for settlement of the pending anti-trust suit in New York Federal court brought by the Department of Justice against Scophony Corporation of America, Paramount and General Precision Equipment Corporation, the Department last Wednesday acceded to a postponement to June 11 of the hearing of a motion of Scophony Ltd., of Great Britain, another defendant, for a dismissal of the action on the ground that it is not within the jurisdiction of the U. S. RKO Films Get Air Breaks Two RKO pictures will be featured during the month of June on the coast-to-coast Sunday afternoon Boscul Tea show on the American Broadcasting Company network. "Heartbeat" was featured on the June 2 program and will be featured again June 9. "Without Reservations" will be featured June 16 and 23. S. H. Fabian, president of the American Theatres Association and operator of the Fabian circuit in the east, received the Beacon Award of the Motion Picture Associates, New York, at that organization's annual dinner-dance Tuesday night at the WaldorfAstoria Hotel. The award is for "meritorious patriotic industry achievement." Mr. Fabian has been prominent in various public welfare activities of the industry and especially in the War Activities Committee during the war. The Motion Picture Associates, through Fred Schwartz, president, who introduced Mr. Fabian and made the presentation, also gave Mrs. Fabian a certificate of gratitude for her sacrifice of her husband's time during the war. Mr. Fabian, in accepting the award, said it was being accepted not for himself but for Grierson Unit to Do UA Shorts The World Today, Inc., a new producing unit, will provide United Artists three monthy series of shorts dealing with world affairs, scientific discoveries and "the common background of nature." Heading the new unit is John Grierson, wartime head of Canada's Information Board and former commissioner of the Dominion's National Film Board. Associated with him are Stuart Legg, producer of "The World in Action" series, and Basil Wright, of London, until recently head of the British Crown Film Unit. These shorts, it was announced, would be produced in all parts of the world, a total of 39 each year. A release by UA says : "Convinced that with the activities of a United Nations or the thousands in the industry who gave similarly of their time to aid the country in its supreme emergency. The affair was the Motion Picture Associates' 27th annual gathering. Approximately 800 from every branch of the industry in New York attended. Mr. Fabian is the second to receive the MPA award. George Schaefer received it last year. Among those on the dais, and introduced by Mr. Schwartz were Spyros Skouras, Malcolm Kingsberg, Benjamin Fielding, William Heineman, Harry Brandt, A. W. Smith, Jr., Arthur Sachson, Sam Rosen, William White, Alfred W. Schwalberg, David Weinstock and Arthur Mayer. Jack Ellis, chairman of the MPA board, and Morris Sanders, vice-president, spoke briefly. ganization, the motion picture will become a powerful force in helping to forward these new-day ideals, UA has thus set under way a project by which the cinema screens of all nations will be utilized for a better knowledge and understanding among all races." Gradwell L. Sears, UA vice-president in charge of distribution, in discussing the project, said: "As an international trader of long standing. United Artists is today impressed with the acute need of providing a film service by which the many countries in which it operates can enjoy an adequate measure of international screen attention, not least of the people of the so-called 'little nations', who are too often forgotten on the screens of the larger countries." In the arrangement with the new unit. United Artists proposes to develop a television and 16mm circulation service in relation to the new subjects. The producing unit will maintain production organizations in New York, London and Canada. MOTION PICTURE HERALD. JUNE 8. 1946 33