Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

MPTOA STREAMLINES FOR ACTION; NEUTRAL ON ATA Wehrenberg New President; Directors Map Program of Revitalization The board of directors of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America meeting Monday and Tuesday of this week in the reasonably cool living room of the Columbus, Mississippi, home of Ed Kuykendall, president for the past 14 years, adopted a reconversion program calling for revitalization and action. It was their first meeting in four years. Court Decision Reaches Meeting as Climax In a dramatic climax to the sessions, a news bulletin from New York telling of the Federal Court's decision there in the case in equity of U. S. vs. Paramount et al., arrived Tuesday before the last few directors had departed the spacious parlor of the Kuykendall home, heavy with the scent of fresh cut garden color and bowls of cape jasmine (gardenia to you Northerners), where partly closed blinds barred the 94 degree June heat of this Deep South city of 15,000 population (8,000 white) . Immediately, those members who could be rounded up in the Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper bars of the business section (Mississippi is a dry State) hurried back into the residential neighborhood to hear and to endeavor to analyze the news and its manifold implications. Before that, the board had elected Fred Wehrenberg of St. Louis, its former chairman, as MPTOA president. Mr. Kuykendall was named president emeritus and Lewen Pizor, of Philadelphia, chairman of the board. J. J. O'Leary of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was elected treasurer, succeeding the veteran Walter Vincent of New York, who, like Mr. Kuykendall, has been ordered by his physician to relax. Morris Lowenstein of Oklahoma City was reelected secretary and the following vice-presidents were reelected: Frank C. Walker, New York; Mitchell Wolfson, Miami; E. C. Beatty, Detroit; and M. A. Lightman of Memphis. Herman Levy of New Haven, MPTOA counsel, was named general counsel, and the post henceforth will be a salaried one. Full-Time Secretary Retained at Salary As part of MPTOA's program of revitalization, the Executive Committee will retain an executive secretary, who will exercise considerable authority and will devote full time to the salaried position. The executive committee will meet in New York with its selectee and will devise a program of activities concerning trade practices and problems, public relations and expansion of MPTOA membership, most of which will by the Herald FRED WEHRENBERG be administered by the executive secretary. The salary mentioned for the assignment is $7,000 a year, although an actual amount remains to be set by the committee. Apart from dispelling rumors that MPTOA would close up shop, widespread in the trade following action by MPTOA's affiliated circuit members in joining the new American Theatres Association, the board meeting resulted in the following: 1. Adoption of a resolution (which carefully avoided mention of ATA) reaffirming MPTOA's established policy of cooperating with any branch of the industry for discussion and action on questions relating to the welfare of the industry. 2. Condemnation of the use of local checkers at theatres playing percentage pictures and disapproval of the manner in which checking is currently being conducted. 3. Authorization of the appointment of a committee of 3 to meet with distributors in an effort to obtain changes in checking practices. 4. Approval of one annual audience collection in theatres. Earning less formal attention from the board were "unfair" film playing terms; alleged forcing of shorts and Westerns ; competition from and regulation of 16mm film ; advertising contained in features and shorts ; use of the screens for exhibition of Governmental "propaganda" films ; Federal, State and municipal theatre taxes ; publication of industry salaries, earnings, reports and box office grosses, which some exhibitors complained are used against them at tax hearings. Somewhat to the surprise of several of those present, there was in this category the invitation to exhibitors to take the initiative in obtaining changes in arbitration and other trade activities with which they are displeased, which was issued by Spyros Skouras at the testimonial dinner in Chicago to Jack Kirsch, president of the rival Allied States. While numerous directors hailed the Skouras proposal, the board made no expression on the subject. Cole Present As Observer For Allied States The interchange of observers at meetings of exhibitor organizations, as initiated this spring, was approved in discussion meetings. Col. H. A. Cole of Dallas, Allied vicepresident, attended all open sessions of the meeting here. Mr. Wehrenberg had been MPTOA's observer at the meetings of the Allied board and Conference of Independent Exhibitors Association in Chicago a few weeks before. Individual expressions favorable to both Allied and CIEA were to be heard in the discussions. Consensus was that there might be matters on which MPTOA would work with the other organizations but they remained unnamed and unresolved by the lack of subsequent action by the board. One of the interesting facts gleaned at the meeting was that Warner Bros, theatres, which relinquished membership in MPTOA last year, have reentered the organization's ranks by remitting their current dues. Previously, the other three national circuit members. Paramount, Loew's national theatres and RKO, had paid current dues and continued their MPTOA memberships thereby. No Formal Opposition By MPTOA to ATA Robert Wilby of Atlanta, Mr. Lightman, Henry Reeves of Menard, Texas, and Mr. Wolfson individually and together as champions of ATA, undoubtedly were responsible for preventing not only formal opposition to ATA by MPTOA but even an outright attack. Such was the mood of by far a majority of the directors present at the outset but, following extensive discussion of the new organization, its aims and its constituency, with explanation and replies from the quartet named, the antagonistic mood was dispelled to a large extent and the board contented itself with adoption of its resolution reaffirming a policy of cooperating with agencies working for the good of the industry and with no mention of ATA. The effect of the resolution is to leave to individual MPTOA affiliates the decision whether or not to join ATA, and to leave national MPTOA free to decide on what matters it will or will not cooperate with ATA, as they arise. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 15. 1946 19