Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Eagle-Lion Gets 7 Rank Films Eagle-Lion Films, J. Arthur Rank's American production company, will distribute seven English-made Rank features during the 1947 calendar year, Arthur B. Krim, president, announced Thursday at a New York conference following his return from England, The company's 10-year agreement with Mr. Rank calls for Eagle-Lion to distribute a minimum of five Rank pictures a year. Making the trip to London "to show the English that Eagle-Lion is more than a paper organization," Mr. Krim and the Rank interests set English release dates for five Hollywood Eagle-Lion pictures : "Repeat Performance," May 15; "Out of the Blue," June 15; "Red Stallion," June 30; "Love From a Stranger," July 31 ; "Captain Casanova," September 1. These pictures will be given worldwide distribution through Mr. Rank's interests in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, South Africa, and elsewhere. Four New Theatres Are Planned in California The construction of three new theatres has been announced by Golden State Theatres Corporation, one to be built at Lomita Park, another at San Bruno and a third at Milbrae, Cal. Ben Levin, of General Theatrical Theatres, has plans for a new house in Gilroy, Cal. Golden State has already begun excavation on the Millbrae site, although Government approval is still pending. This house will seat 1,100 and will cost approximately $200,000. Theatrical's new house will seat 1,100 and will cost about $250,000. San Francisco Development Includes 1,000-Seat House A $25,000,000 development, to be known as the Lakeshore Park Plaza, will be built in the San Francisco suburbs this summer. The project includes a 1,000-seat theatre. Approximately 1,500 homes, ranging in cost from $7,500 to $50,000 will be built and the project includes a square block of retail shops with a construction cost of about $1,500,000. The shopping center will be built in the form of a "Y" and will allow for 1,500 feet of parking space. Announce Construction of Two Colorado Houses As soon as materials are available, David Cockrill, managing director of the Denham, Denver first run, will build a 2,000seat theatre there at an estimated cost of $1,000,000. Ground for the project has been bought for $225,000. Preliminary plans have been drawn by Hal Periera, New York designer. Also announced is the construction by Gibralter Enterprises, of which Charles R. Gilmour is president, of a $85,000 house in Loveland, Colo., to seat 600. FROM REAPERS URGES EXHIBITOR ACTION AGAINST LOCAL TAXES To the Editor of the Herald : Practically every issue of every trade paper in the country carries a story of the theatre business being plastered with one kind of tax or another. It is high time that the exhibition branch of the industry put aside its organizational differences and combined forces once and for all for the betterment of their lot. The current rage of every hamlet, town, city and state in the nation in setting their sights for greater revenue is to single out in almost every instance — the motion picture theatre. Exhibition's lethargy toward politics and taxes is well known. We always manage to get up in arms after the horse has been stolen from the barn. With the many exhibitor organizations already in the field it is futile to say that we need another organization to do a job of lobbying. Rather, the solution should be in the amalgamation of these organizations, strictly in the exhibitor's interest. Can you imagine any bill affecting the liquor or radio industries being passed with nary a say on their part? Never! These industries have organizations that act in the interest of all members of their industries. Shamefacedly, we must admit that such is not the case in our particular field. The time is now, when our emotions are aroused, to strike while the iron is hot. Call a meeting of the directors of the various exhibitor organizations and circuit heads — and lay the cards on the table. Do we wish further Government interference, local or otherwise, or shall we protect the business from which we get butter for our bread ? We cannot depend upon the public to support our cause when we ourselves do nothing to combat detrimental legislation. This appeal to the public has frequently been pushed to the hilt — but the results have ininvariably been the same — passage — against the wishes of the exhibitors — of the bill. I say form an over-all organization — a sort of Johnston Office. Select a czar for our branch of the industry, and put an end to this laxity that is careless, stupid — and costly. — Melvin Katz, Hippodrome Theatre, Pottstown, Pa. {William Goldman Theatre) New York Building Code Hearings Are Scheduled New York State's new standard building code, which includes sweeping changes in theatre specifications, appears likely to go into effect early next autumn, following a decision by the State Labor Department's Board of Standards and Appeals to hold hearings on the document in May or June. Theatre owners will have an opportunity at the hearing to voice any objections they may have to the new specifications. Exhibitor representatives who helped draw up the code were Henry Anderson, Paramount; Louis Lazar, Schine Circuit ; Theodore Jung, Loew's, and Martin Tracey, Century circuit. Jewish Drive Has $2,100,000 Quota The motion picture industry in the New York metropolitan area has set a goal for itself of $2,100,000 in the 1947 campaign of the United Jewish Appeal. This quota is a little more than twice the aggregate sum collected in 1946 by the industry and by the Joint Defense Appeal of the AntKDefamation League in New York. The quota was set at a New York meeting last week of motion picture and allied industry leaders, which was presided over by-Barney Balaban, Paramount president, who is national chairman of the Motion Picture Division of the United Jewish Appeal. Named as co-chairmen of the New York industry drive were : Matthew Fox, vicepresident of Universal-International ; Billy Rose, producer and columnist; Richard Rodgers, producer and composer, and Emil Freidlander, president of Dazian's, Inc. Samuel Goldwyn will head this year's campaign of the Jewish Welfare Fund in Los Angeles, which conducts the United Jewish Appeal there. Jack Warner, vicepresident in charge of production for Warner Brothers; Walter Wanger, producer; Abe Lastfogel, vice-president of the William Morris Agency, and Dore Schary, vice-president in charge of production for RKO, will serve as co-chairmen of the motion picture division on the west coast. Leaders of Cleveland's amusement industry and other business fields were hosts to Barney Balaban, Paramount president and national chairman of the Motion Picture Division of the United Jewish Appeal, at a dinner Tuesday at the Oakwood Country Club on behalf of the local Appeal campaign. More than 100 attended. U. S. Delegation Leaves For Geneva Conference The major part of the U. S. delegation to the Geneva trade conference left Washington last weekend, the State Department announced. The conference was to open April 10. Frank McCarthy, Motion Picture Association representative in Paris, plans to be on hand for the entire conference, while the MPA president, Eric Johnston, probably will leave the U. S. for Geneva late in May. More Time in Jackson Park Suit The U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Chicago, has granted a request of the defendants in the Jackson Park theatre case for an extension of time for filing final briefs. Distributor defendants, Balaban and Katz and Warner Theatres, now have until May. 1. Air Express Booklet Out The Air Express Division of the Railway Express Agency has published a booklet, "Speed," containing information on the swift movement of shipments through the nationwide Air Express service. Copies are available free from Air Express agencies. 24 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 12, 1947