Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

British Industry Inquiry Is Set By Government London Bureau The House of Commons was calmed somewhat during its anxious debate last Friday on the state of the British film industry by formal announcement that the industry is to be investigated by a "powerful and well-staffed committee" to be appointed by the Government and by disclosure that all sections of the industry would be called together shortly for discussion of the present situation. The announcement and disclosure were Harold Wilson's. President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Wilson took the Commons floor last Friday to defend his position against the charges of Tom O'Brien, general secretary of the National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees, that the trouble was the complete lack of public confidence in the industry today. Mr. O'Brien demanded that Mr. Wilson make it clear to the Americans that the British Government are determined to enforce the 45 per cent quota. If the quota is not fulfilled, said Mr. O'Brien, and if the financial facilities of J. Arthur Rank and Sir Philip Warter, of Associated British Pictures, dry up, then Britain will be inevitably compelled to go to the Americans, imploring them to come this side. Insisting the British Government is anxious to do everything possible to improve production, Mr. Wilson said the difficulty at many studios was due to the fact that the upsurge in American production here, expected after the signing of the Anglo-American tax agreement, did not materialize. Mr. Wilson alleged gross misunderstanding in America of what the Government is trying to do in the industry here. "I am not sure," he said, "whether it's not wilful misunderstanding." Joint Committee Will Meet In New York, March 23-25 London Bureau The Anglo-American joint film committee is scheduled to meet in New York March 23-25. Agenda for the meeting is to be approved by both U. S. and British delegates before the meeting is convened. J. Arthur Rank. Sir Alexander Korda and Sir Henry French, director-general of the British Film Producers Association, will be the British delegates to the meeting. Toscanini Televised For the first time in this new season the television cameras of the National Broadcasting Company were trained on Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony last SaturdayThe whole hour-long concert was carried by WNBT and the NBC network. FROM REAPER "AIN'T NO BETTER THAN A COWBOY PICTURE" To the Editor of the Herald: You know what I think is the nicest thing about the life of a Motion Picture Exhibitor ? It is the fact that you learn something new every day. Recently it was necessary to make a managerial chang-e at my Lake theatre, Clermont, Fla. Not having an experienced man that I could transfer that day, I drove down and took over. During the time I served as manager, I learned two things that most southern showmen already know. All through the southland, especially in the small towns, Saturday is the day for the showing of Westerns. I knew that the "horse opera" was our meat and bread. However, I had heard from several exhibitor friends that "Tobacco Road" and "Grapes of Wrath," Fox reissues, were doing better than the usual Saturday business if double featured with a Western. I wanted to see if it were possible to outgross the usual Western by booking an action type picture with one of the reissues, so arranged for "Tobacco Road" and "Blond Savage." I happened to be filling the manager's role on the Saturday those pictures played my theatre and this is what I learned. (1) That my business practically doubled. (2) Regardless of gross, to never leave off the Western. I don't mean that the combination failed to please. What I'm trying to say is I took one awful beating all day long from the small fry that always have such a grand time at your theatre. First, a mother called, stating it was the son's birthday and she would just have to take all the children invited to his birthday party to Orlando, 27 miles away in order to let the children see a 'cowboy' picture. Anyone can tell you that is bad. All that afternoon, the youngsters dressed in their cowboy outfits, with guns in holsters paraded in front with long faces. One youngster of possibly eight years hung around until almost night fall before he finally bought a ticket and entered the show. I operate the only theatre in this small central Florida town. This youngster asked me once when I happened to be out front, "How come you aren't showing a cowboy picture." I tried to tell him that we were showing a picture that was better than a cowboy picture, and he gave me his dirtiest look and said, "There ain't no picture better than a cowboy picture." — HUGH G. MARTIN, Columbus, Ga. Lodge Affair Nov. 23 The New York Cinema Lodge of B'nai B'rith will salute the Anti-Defamation League in a special program at the Hotel Astor November 23, it was announced last week by S. Arthur Glixon, president of the Lodge. Participants in the program will include Mayor William O'Dwyer, Judge Meier Steinbrink, Jinx Falkenburg and Tex McCrary, and Elmo Roper. British Theatres Plan Experiment With Television London Bureau The long stalemate between productiondistribution-exhibition interests and the British Broadcasting Corporation regarding the use of feature films by BBC and of BBC programs in theatres was broken last week. A film trade committee, meeting with representatives of the Postmaster General, agreed in principle on a one-year experimental period during which BBC will televise a selected number of films. Theatres equipped to present theatre television will be able to pick up certain items telecast by BBC. The BBC representatives refused, however, to discuss a proposal that film interests should transmit their own programs over a private waye^ length, holding that such an arrangement would demand consideration at the Cabinet level. Spokesmen for J. Arthur Rank said the new arrangement would enable Mr. Rank to take his large-screen experiments one step further. A further meeting between the BBC and the film industry representatives will take place in a month. During that time film rental terms and other arrangements will be worked out. The Rank Organization is not the only one concerned with theatre television, Associated British Pictures Corporation having announced recently that it had been experimenting with large-screen television and is ready to equip West End houses. The general trade attitude here favors an end of the head-in-the-sand attitude regarding theatre television and it is felt that the oneyear period will enable exhibitors and distributors to gauge the effect on the box office. Recommendations on Film Institute Are Accepted London Bureau The British Government has accepted the recommendations of a committee of enquiry into the workings of the British Film Institute, principal function of which is "the encouragement and development of the art of the film, the promotion of its use as a record of contemporary life and manners, and the fostering of public appreciation." Those recommendations are : to explore and promote new or extended uses for the film and to encourage, support and serve other bodies working in the same field ; to develop the national film library to form a comprehensive collection of significant films ; to act as a clearing house for information on production, exhibition and distribution, and to undertake, if required, the certification of films as educational, cultural or scientific. The Institute's immediate task is the organization of the film side of the British Exhibition scheduled for London in 1951. At the same time it will endeavor to form a National Film Library. 36 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 20, 1948