Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

Moves to Settle Strike Collapse EXHIBITORS FIGHT LOCAL CLOSINGS Gather Forces to Ward Off Any Attempt to Shutter Houses in Coal Strike Midway in their second week of dimouts, exhibitors in 21 states looked at the dwindlng coal supplies and at the front pages proclaiming John L. Lewis guilty of contempt in calling the coal strike and began gathering statistics to ward off those local authorities which might press for the closing of theatres. While the Federal Government has made it plain that the dimout ordered November 25 was mandatory and not on a voluntary basis, the Government left the closing of schools, amusement places and similar estalishments up to local authorities. Surveying Requirements This week, then, much of the country's exhibition was following Washington, D. C.'s, practice and surveying the electric and coal power needed to operate not only their theatres but the homes and businesses in their areas. In Washington, the Motion Picture Theatre Owners found that keeping the theatres open during the coal crisis saved 38 per cent of that power normally used and it does this by the accumulated savings in power from unlighted homes. Released in Washington last weekend, the MPTO survey of 40,000 Washington, D. C, families showed that the savings obtained from the unlighted homes while their inhabitants were attending the theatre would be about 38 per cent. Cite Morale Value The MPTO directed its statistics to the Washington Board of Commissioners and urged that Board to consider the morale value to the public of keeping the theatres open. The letter was signed by A. Julian Brylawski, Washington MPTO president. Meanwhile, in the first surveys of the effect of the dimout on the box office, circuit executives have reported that there was, during the first few days of lackness, a drop in business. However, business has picked up and, said the majority of the executives questioned, the factors are too variable to say exactly what effect the unlighted marquees have had on the box office. William Howard, of RKO Theatres, reported, "there has been some effect and we have felt it. But people get used to the dimout. Business bounced back after a few days to what it used to be. Big pictures were not hurt." Edwin Gage of the Walter Reade circuit pointed out that the first cold wave coincided with the dimout order, that business is usually off between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and that there are too many other factors to take into account before knowing how badly the dimout hurt business. Theatres in small towns, he said, were not hurt. Harry Goldberg of Warner Theatres stated that it would take a "detailed study of theatres and pictures to determine the dimout's effects." However, he is of the opinion that there has been "little harm done." The newsreels, while widely reporting the coal strike and Mr. Lewis' trial, played, or tried to play, an important part in the trial Monday. Monday, the Government tried to introduce as evidence the sound track of a Paramount newsreel which recorded the speech made by Mr. Lewis on the steps of the White House May 29, just after the union leader had signed his latest contract. That speech, it was widely reported, contained these words : "A contract has just been executed in the White House covering the bituminous coal mines. This settles for the period of Government operation of the mines all the questions at issue. . . ." This evidence, however, was not admitted. Permit Ticket Window Lights While countless theatre marquees, according to law, have been blacked out, exhibitors may keep a light in outside ticket windows provided there is a total reduction of 25 per cent in the amount of electricity normally used by the theatre. This, according to a Civilian Production Administration ruling at the weekend. There still must be no marquee lighting in excess of 60 watts or any exterior floodlighting. Tuesday a nationwide embargo on freight and express shipments was ordered to become effective Friday. Films and other necessities were exempted from the order, however. Reports from the field, meanwhile, from Baltimore, from Hartford, from Kansas City and from Richmond, indicate that all theatres in all cities are cooperating in the dimout and uniting to forestall any possible theatre closing order. AGVA Given Autonomy By Parent Union The Associated Actors and Artistes of America restored autonomy to the American Guild of Variety Artists at an AAAA meeting November 29 in New York. The international board of the AAAA has been administering the affairs of AGVA since 1942 and will continue to do so until AGVA elects officers and holds a board of directors meeting— probably in January. It is understood that the AGVA received its autonomy from the parent union after a request based on AGVA's success in paying off its indebtedness of about $70,000. The Hollywood labor dispute, now in its eleventh week, remained unchanged during the past week. For a time it appeared that the Producers Labor Committee might sit down with Herbert K. Sorrell and his Conference of Studio Union representatives and discuss terms which would end the strike, but this did not materialize. Last week the producers took under advisement a telegram received from Mr. Sorrell urging resumption of discussions of the strike issues as a preliminary to contract negotiations. After several days' consideration, Pat Casey, the producers' labor chairman, notified CSU leaders that the resumption of contract discussions could not be undertaken until the CSU had taken action to. prevent mass picketing and acts of violence. This was interpreted as an indication of the determination of the studios to force complete surrender of the striking faction. • In Chicago last Friday Joseph D. Keenan, secretary of the Chicago Federation of Labor, who for a short time served as arbitrator in the dispute, said that settlement could only be effected by bringing together the leader of each of the unions in the conflict, and that if this was done a settlement could be reached in two weeks to a month. House Committee Hearing Film Union Testimony An inquiry into Hollywood's film unions was begun Tuesday in Los Angeles when the House Committee on Un-American Activities opened hearings behind closed doors after subpoenaing Herbert Sorrell, head of the Conference of Studio Unions; Roy M. Brewer, international president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and Averill Berman, a Los Angeles radio commentator, who is, along with a number of labor leaders, under county grand jury indictment on charges of criminal conspiracy in the current studio strike. In a statement to the Los Angeles press, Mr. Brewer said: "I am going to review evidence of Communistic infiltration into our Hollywood unions and their hand in the strike now going on. Part of this evidence will be oral and part documentary." Fred Schwartz Elected Head Of New York Picture Group Fred Schwartz, independent circuit executive, has been elected first president of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres Association, a New York city organization. Other officers elected were: first vice-president, Arthur Mayer; second vice-president, G. S. Eyssell; treasurer, Malcolm Kingsberg; assistant treasurer, Sol Strausberg; chairman of the board, Harry Brandt. Also elected were the following members of an executive committee: Oscar Dood, Samuel Rinzler, Julius Joelson and Bob Weitman, with Mr. Eyssell and Leo Brecher as alternates. 14 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 7, 1946