Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

TOA ASKS FOR “HANDS OFF” Board Says Distributors Should Not Tell Theatre Men How to Run House WASHINGTON : The board of directors of Theatre Owners of America, holding its annual midwinter meeting at the Mayflower Hotel here Monday and Tuesday, asked distributors to maintain a “hands off” policy with respect to the operation of their customers’ theatres. The request — or demand — was contained in a resolution passed by the board Tuesday declaring that “TOA maintains the right of every exhibitor to run his theatre in whatever way he wishes is a right that must be preserved to him.” Committee Named While no distributors were named, it was indicated that TOA’s action stemmed from the insistence by 20th Century-Fox, and possibly others, that stereophonic sound be used for the presentation of CinemaScope pictures. A committee was named to take steps to protect the exhibitors’ rights. The resolution continued as follows : “In furtherance of that declaration, we maintain that whether an exhibitor installs stereophonic sound or other equipment must rest in his own discretion and choice. Therefore we have appointed a committee composed of Alfred Starr, E. D. Martin and Herman Levy to do whatever is necessary to guard these exhibitor prerogatives zealously and militantly to fight off all attempts to invade or to encroach upon these rights to the end that the policies of operation of any exhibitor shall not be dictated by any distributor or by any combination of distributors.” The board also had up for consideration such standard agenda items as arbitration, product supply, taxation and other similar subjects. Arbitration Progress In his report to the board on Monday, Walter Reade, president, announced that the distributors have expressed their willingness to go along with TOA in the establishment of an arbitration system, with or without any other exhibitor organization. “The only thing actually holding up resumption of conferences,” he said, “is the necessity for an agreement of mechanics,” and these he said he expected to be determined shortly. Meanwhile in New York Tuesday, Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, was asked by the MPAA’s distribution committee to issue an invitation to all exhibitor organizations to meet with representatives of distribution for the purpose of launching a new effort to agree on an effective arbitration system. It TOA DIRECTORS REAFFIRM CODE WASHINGTON: Continued approval of the principals of the Production Code was expressed here Tuesday by the board of directors of the Theatre Owners of America meeting at the Mayflower Hotel. The Code is needed by the industry, the board stated in a formal resolution, "in order to insure that the American motion picture screen will at all times fulfill its obligations and responsibilities to the pub was reported Mr. Johnston agreed to send out the bid to such a meeting shortly. At a meeting of the general sales managers attended by Mr. Johnston, the sales heads voted to continue efforts to work out an arbitration system with the exhibitors. There appeared no dissension on the subject, according to those present, the opinion being that a method should be adopted and put into effect as quickly as possible. Mr. Johnston said he would make a formal statement outlining the MPAA’s position on arbitration and the extent of its support in the near future. The TOA head also announced that the Schine circuit, comprising approximately 120 theatres, had taken membershsips for all its theatres in TOA. In this connection, Mr. Reade told the board, “I shall dedicate a substantial portion of my remaining time in office to try to get into TOA as many new members as possible because I am convinced that the major hope of exhibition rests in strong and united representation.” The exhibitor leader informed the board that TOA is “financially in the soundest position we ever have enjoyed since our inception.” For this fact he paid tribute to Mitchell Wolfson and Alfred Starr, his two predecessors in office and to S. H. Fabian, TOA treasurer. Tells of Sound Test The largest portion of Mr. Reade’s report was devoted to the subject of CinemaScope and at this point he asked the board to accept his remarks as “a fellow theatre owner and not as president of TOA.” Said Mr. Reade: “There is today great concern among exhibitors because of two parallel existing forces, both put into motion by distributors, to wit, the steady decrease in the number of pictures being released and the steady increase in film rental. These two factors are injuring all exhibitors everywhere, and are threatening the smaller subsequent run operations with extinction. “Further, there exists among exhibitors devastating confusion and indecision brought about primarily by the problems resulting from the manner and method in which CinemaScope pictures were and are being conditioned for release by Fox. While I found exhibitors everywhere grateful for the contribution that CinemaScope had made to the industry, I found also that they were gravely worried about the expenditure of large sums of money for the installation of stereophonic sound, and expensive lenses and screens.” Mr. Reade then related his fight with 20th-Fox over his use of a sound “mixer” in conjunction with the showing of “The Robe” at his circuit’s Morristown, N. J., house. As a result of that controversy, he said, 20th-Fox had agreed to conduct the now much publicized stereophonic versus “mixer” sound tests in four different areas of the country. The TOA president said that he was convinced “that there are adequate substitutes for stereophonic sound and that Fox’s position of compelling stereophonic sound is basically illogical and economically untenable.” He concluded by saying “in my opinion, this must be forcefully brought to the attention of Fox. It is my hope that the proposed tests will do it.” Dewey Sees $400,000 License Yield in New York State ALBANY : Governor Thomas E. Dewey’s budget message to the New York State legislature Monday estimated the yield from the license fee (censorship) on films exhibited in New York will be $400,000 during 1954-55. The same figure was estimated for 1953-54, the first 10 months of which produced $339,000. Governor Dewey commented “This license fee produces an annual revenue ranging from $350,000 to $450,000. In the fiscal year 1952-53 the revenue was $414,000 in license fees. Ballots for Academy Voting Nominations Are Mailed Nomination ballots for the “bests” in the industry’s product the past year were mailed January 20 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood to 1,513 of its own members, 9,058 members of the Screen Actors’ Guild, 737 of the Screen Directors, 769 of the Screen Writers, and 988 members of the various technical crafts. The ballots are returnable before midnight January 30. The Academy will announce nominations February 15. Stanley Warner Will Appeal "Moon" Decision Fining of the Stanley Warner Theatre in Jersey City for showing United Artists’ “The Moon Is Blue’ will be appealed to the Hudson County, New Jersey, Court, by the Stanley Warner circuit and the film company, Myer P. Beck, representing the picture, stated last week. The fine had been ordered by Jersey City magistrate George W. King. 12 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 6, 1954