Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

SAY BRITISH FILMS GET U. S. BRUSHOFF Jarratt and Korda Charge Product Is Not Getting Proper Distribution by PETER BURNUP in London That Korda outburst in the New York Times had a counterpoint played to it when the Queen Elizabeth docked here. The contrapuntal artist this side was Sir Arthur Jarratt, deputy chairman and managing director of Korda's British Lion Films, newly returned from fiesta and feting across the Atlantic. The two knights, Sir Alexander and Sh Arthur, are clearly in accord in this matter of the fashion in which America treats this country's films. Says Suspicions Aroused Sir Arthur declares that his suspicions were aroused — before he crossed the Atlantic— by the paeans of praise bestowed by American executives on the new style film now being exported to America by Britain. He felt that there must be a catch in it somewhere. Returned from his tour of exploration he forthwith went on record with the following sentiments : "The blunt truth is that our films are not getting any sort of proper distribution in America. Only one film, 'Seventh Veil', has been widely seen in the United States. Everybody liked it. There is no doubt that as a result James Mason, who starred in it, is a big proposition in America now." Jarratt claims to have had a good look around America's cinemas. But he had to look very hard to discern the screening of Britain's films. At Art Theatres Says he, those subjects — never mind the lavish cheers accorded them by kindly American filmmakers — never seem to rate showing at anything superior (or more money-making) than a choosy art theatre. "Henry V," he reports, enjoys long runs in specialized situations. "Caesar and Cleopatra," so says the returned traveller, is getting around but on nothing like the scale it should rate. "Brief Encounter" is another highly valued piece at which American big time theatres appear (in the Jarratt view) to cock a discreet snoot. "It's no use blinking facts," was another of the Jarratt summings-up, "or being complacent. For the most part, our pictures are just being tucked away in those specialized places. The circuits aren't playing." All of which is objectively reported by your London Bureau without bias, slant or comment. Except for the addendum that the Jarratt views are widely held this side. It NO ANSWER ON FILMS VS. FOOD IN COMMONS Hugh Dalton, British Chancellor of the Exchequer, declined to answer some leading questions on films vs. food imports from America when the matter was brought up Tuesday in the House of Commons. The questions: "Will you remember the British housewife would rather have her weekly can of pork from Chicago than a weekly can of dope from Hollywood?" "Will you remember we cannot eat films?" is a commonplace in motion picture circles hereabout that no one outside the Bank of England or J. Arthur Rank's accountants really knows what or how many million dollars Britain's films have really earned in the United States; whether, in other words, the plaudits they have lately earned were just so much lip-service. Britain's producers are the last to maintain nowadays that their work has some specially God-given right entitling it to automatic screening in America. They know all about the alleged reaction in the Middle West to that so-called Oxford accent. U. S. Audiences Studied They've taken pains to travel the Atlantic and sit unobtrusively among those self-same audiences. They think they know what America wants and — without sacrificing the essential Englishry of this work — claim to have it on offer. There's also — and it all comes back to this — that annual drain on Britain's finances of the equivalent in dollars of twenty-two million pounds sterling. No one — least of all Treasury officials — believes the country can continue to stand it. It is also the reason why one of the suggestions thrown out by Eric Johnston during his stay here was rejected forthwith by the producers at least. Foreseeing the possibility of a drastic cut in Britain's import of films unless a happier spirit of reciprocity were exhibited in American screenings, Mr. Johnston proposed that the present Quota Act should be extended for another year. The Act expires, so far as distributors are concerned, in April, 1948, and for exhibitors in October of that year. The Producers have already prepared their memorandum of demands for further protection under the law. Coldly, says Sir Henry French, the Producers' Quota Committee sees nothing in the Johnston proposals which might lead it to alter the memorandum already prepared. Oklahoma Group Alters By-Laws Under Tax Spur Threats of taxation spurred this week's Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Oklahoma two-day convention to reorganize and revise their by-laws to allow for an enlarged legislative program during the coming session of the Oklahoma legislature. Meeting at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City, 158 delegates to the convention approved the reorganization and the revision, after a half-dozen speakers made references to needs along that line. The group voted against joining ATA as a unit, although approving it. Individuals will be able to join. Fred Wehrenberg, MPTOA president, spoke before the ATA vote. Herman Levy, MPTOA general counsel, said he expected the court to rewrite its decision in the New York case because divorcement and auction selling, indicated relief measures, are out. Henderson M. Richey, head of exhibitor relations for MGM, called upon the exhibitors to institute research and planning to prevent other businesses from getting the edge. Both Mr. Richey and Leon Bamberger, sales promotion director for RKO Radio, praised the public relations record of the Oklahoma exhibitors. Mr. Bamberger also pleaded for better advertising techniques on the part of small town exhibitors. C. B. Akers, Griffith Amusement executive and chairman of the State Exhibitors Legislative Committee, reviewed the municipal tax picture in the state and obtained approval of the by-law revisions providing for 20 on the board of directors with equal geographical representation from all over the state. Harry Lowenstein was named unit director of the MPTOA board. Broidy Reelected Chairman Of Monogram International Samuel Broidy was re-elected chairman of the board and Norton V. Ritchey president of Monogram International Corporation at a stockholders meeting in New York Thursday. Also elected were : J. Peter Friedhoff, vice-president; George D. Burrows, treasurer; Nellie Witting, secretary; David D. Home, assistant treasurer and assistant secretary; George N. Blatchford, assistant treasurer; Barnett Shapiro, assistant secretary. 20th-Fox District Heads Hold Chicago Meeting W. C. Gehring, Twentieth Century-Fox central division manager, concluded a twoday meeting with his district managers at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago Monday with discussions of the present "Spyros Skouras drive" highlighting the meeting. Also discussed were selling plans for "The Razor's Edge," as well as a discussion of scheduling the Technicolor films. 14 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 14, 1946