Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

CARPENTERS HALT study Film BUls THEATRE BUILDING TZJtJZ New Hutcheson Order Would Stop Construction Until Strike Is Settled H oily iv oo d Bur e mi A nationwide stoppage of theatre construction seemed probable this week as an outgrowth of Hollywood's labor troubles. Because of the long jurisdictional strike of Hollywood's carpenters, William Hutcheson, international president of the American Federation of Labor Carpenters Union, will not permit any AFL carpenters anywhere to work on studio or theatre construction until the Hollywood strike is settled. Ordered Sunday Night That information was relayed Sunday night to a mass meeting of the Conference of Studio Unions by Joseph V. Cambiano, international vice-president, who said he got the order from Mr. Hutcheson last Thursday at a Carpenters executive board meeting in Indianapolis. Early in the strike, all carpenter and painter locals in the country were requested, but not explicitly ordered, to refrain from working on theatre construction and from patronizing theatres. That request now appears to be an order. The stoppage was to have been discussed further Thursday in Washington at a meeting of AFL's building trades department. Meanwhile, plans were announced this week for 11 new theatres and for considerable remodeling and modernization of existing theatres. Circuit Has Five Planned The Edwards' Theatres Circuit, Los Angeles, announced plans for five new California houses. In Arcadia, the circuit will build a 1,400-seat house, the El Rancho; plans have been completed for a 1,000-seat house at Sunland, to be known as the Foothill ; a site has been purchased for a theatre in La Canada; a $250,000, 1,400-seat house will be built at Monterey Park ; in Montrose, a bowling-alley building will be remodeled into a 900-seat theatre. Additionally, the circuit will remodel the Granada, in Alhambra, and change its name to Coronet, and will extend the 840-seat Temple theatre in Temple City to 1,200 seats. Others of the circuit's theatres, including the Garvey at Garvey, the Rosemead at Rosemead, and the Tujunga at Tujunga, all in California, are being modernized. Morris Legendre, Aiken, S. C, has announced that the Legendre-Trincher circuit will build a theatre in Charlotte, N. C. Bert Henson Enterprises, Modesto, Calif., will build a $75,000 house at Oakdale, Calif., and will remodel a community hall in Waterford, Calif., into a theatre. Theatre Leasing Called Evasion Terming the practice an "evasion of the court decree," in the industry anti-trust suit, making an "open and shut case for complete divorcement," the Associated Theatre Own.ers of Indiana attacked the recently adopted plan of some producers to lease theatres for certain of their pictures, in the latest issue of its bulletin, "Theatre Facts." Contending that theatre leasing pushes up rentals as well as admissions, the Indiana Allied group said that "a couple of months back we urged staunch resistance to the innovation of 'four-wall leasing', realizing that the experiment of the day would become the firmly established practice of the future. . . . Besides forcing up admission prices, this subterfuge also extracts terms that ordinarily would even embarrass a film salesman to ask for." ATOI also contends that the distributors are "perverting that section of the decree dealing with competitive bidding in order to use it for their own selfish ends. ... As long as producers and distributors do not have the spirit and the intent to deal fairly with their customers, the efforts of courts to establish fair trade practices are like trying to carry water in a sieve. There are just too many holes to patch up." SOPEG Studies Wage Kise: California Minimum Up Anticipating the reopening of wage clauses in its agreements with the home offices, the Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild, Local No. 109— UOPWACIO, contract research and negotiations committee has begun a study of the situation. Under the contracts signed last October the union has the right to present new wage demands by the end of July. In California, the state's Department of Industrial Relations, division of industrial welfare, this week issued an amendment to the Amusement and Recreation Industries order, regulating wages, hours and working conditions for women and minors. Warners Ask Rehearing Of Joan Leslie Case Counsel for Warner Brothers has requested a rehearing of its appeal from a California District Court's decision freeing Joan Leslie from a contract entered into with Warners while a minor. The District Court of Appeals recently confirmed the court's finding that a player attaining majority can void a contract made as a minor. Local and state legislation affecting theatres was being carefully watched by exhibitors in New Jersey, Florida and New York City this week. In Trenton Monday, the New Jersey legislature passed a measure which would permit the sea-shore resort communities to impose luxury taxes, including levies on amusement admissions. However, after the voting, Gov. Alfred E. Driscoll said the measure must again be voted upon since five Assemblymen reported that their votes were erroneously recorded. The State Senate has approved the bill. In Florida, a Paramount subsidiary, Florida State Theatres, has succeeded in preventing the enforcement of a recently passed local ordinance in Gainesville which levied a graduated tax on amusements. Protesting the measure on the ground that it was discriminatory and unfair, the circuit officials brought an action to temporarily enjoin the enforcement of the measure. Meanwhile a bill calling for a 10 per cent state tax on admissions of more than 25 cents has been introduced in the Florida House of Representatives. The bill covers nearly all amusements except those already In New York City, Mayor William O'Dwyer is reported to be studying a proposal, suggested by a prominent but anonymous showman, which would increase the annual license fee for motion picture theatres from $200 to $500, the sum paid by the Broadway stage theatre. An increase in Cincinnati theatre license fees from the present 10 cents a seat to $50 for the first 200 seats, 20 cents a seat for the next 500, and 10 cents a seat for all over 700 seats, was included in a recommendation of City Manager W. R. Kellogg to the City Council. Petrillo Is Subpoenaed By House Labor Committee James C. Petrillo, president of the American Federation of Musicians, has been subpoenaed to appear before the House Labor Committee in Washington and testify on the internal conduct of his union, Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr., committee chairman, announced Monday. Representative Hartley said Petrillo's appearance will be deferred until the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the Lea Act. Congressional Committee To Investigate Strike A Congressional sub-committee, probably consisting of three members, will go to Hollywood the latter part of May to investigate the Hollywood jurisdictional strikes and reported Communist activities, according to a member of the House Labor Committee and the House Un-American Activities group. 22 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 19, 1947