Motion Picture Herald (1954)

City Tax is ii a toil Valid; Writ Holds New York Supreme Court Justice Percy D. Stoddart in Queens Tuesday held that the five per cent amusement tax was valid, but pending an appeal, stated that local theatres should continue to collect the tax but not pay to the city that part which constitutes -the breakage over five per cent. Judge Stoddart ruled that the posted bonds should be continued. In effect he granted a stay until the case can be carried to a higher court. The plaintiffs in the action against the tax had contended that under the entire administrative code provision, the city was forbidden from levying a tax that would result in theatre scales becoming higher than the established rates plus the U. S. government tax. The judge said he felt on “first sight” this was a good argument, but that the prior law does not bar the imposition of an amusement tax by tbe city, adding that it was enacted to prevent “ticket-gourging.” “If the two local laws are inconsistent, the earlier law will be deemed repealed by implication,” Justice Stoddart said. In commenting on the decision, Thomas Bress, attorney from Loew’s, said: “We will appeal from tins decision as so.on as possible. The amusement tax is morally and economically unsound. Any tax which arbitrarily discriminates against a particular industry, in this case the amusement industry, violates the soundest principles of taxation.” MGM Sets PEP Meet In Tokyo Oct. 1 8-23 MGM’s top personnel in the Near and Far East will convene in Tokyo October 18-23 for the first sales conference in that area in the company’s history, it has been announced by Morton A. Spring, first vicepresident of Loew’s International Corporation. Seymour Mayer, the company’s regional director of the Near and Far East will fly to Tokyo October 11 to supervise all arrangements for the conference over which he will preside. He will be accompanied by Morris Frantz, Loew’s International Corporation’s advertising chief. The conference will be known as the MGM PEP sales conference for the Near and Far East, PEP standing for “Perspecta Exhibitor Plan,” the new $2,500,000 merchandising policy instituted on a global scale by MGM for its new season’s product. Reade to Minneapolis Exhibitors in the midwest are invited to attend a meeting in Minneapolis Friday, October 29, to hear Walter Reade, Jr., president, and Herman Levy, general counsel, outline reasons why a TOA unit should be formed in that area. The luncheon meeting is sponsored by E. R. Ruben of Welworth Theatres and Harold Field, Pioneer Theatres. 18,351 ACTIVE HOUSES COMPO this week released a tabulation of the number of "active" fourwall and drive-in theatres in the United States as compiled by Sindlinger and Company. As of August I, it was reported there were 14,301 "active four-wall" and 4,050 "active drive-in theatres," making a total of 18,351 "active" theatres altogether. An "active" theatre operation was defined as including an operation that might be closed part of the year, as a conventional theatre at a summer resort or a drive-in in the northern states. The Sindlinger total coincides almost exactly with the statistics in the 1955 Motion Picture Television Almanac which reported a total of 18,205 conventional and drive-in theatres. "Human Jungle" Gets Big New Orleans Opening NEW ORLEANS : Extensive premiere activities for Allied Artists’ “The Human Jungle” /Tuesday night at the Joy theatre here jammed the city’s famed Canal Street — renamed Human Jungle Boulevard for the occasion— and created a traffic snarl which required special police. A highlight of the evening was the parade of 1,400 chiefs of police from the Roosevelt Hotel. These were delegates to the International Police Chiefs convention. The film was keyed to police and civic requirements. Jan Sterling, one of several stars making personal appearances, presented a 16mm print to police superintendent Joseph Scheuring, for use in his training program. Mayor DeLesseps Morrison proclaimed Human Jungle Week, part of his campaign to clean up the city’s slums. There was .radio and TV coverage. First Buena Vista Meet Concludes in Hollywood The first sales convention of the Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, which lasted five days at the Walt Disney Studio was concluded last week on a highly optimistic note after the representatives viewed up-coming features and heard plans for the organization outlined by Roy O. Disney, president of Walt Disney Productions. Buena Vista is a wholly owned Disney subsidiary and just a week ago it was announced that it would distribute all future Disney product. Buena Vista is currently operating in New York (home office), Chicago, Jacksonville, Florida, Los Angeles, and Dallas. To this list will be added Boston, Denver, and Cincinnati or Cleveland. Kling to Make Features Kling Studios, which makes television and commercial films, announced from Chicago this week its Hollywood studio will also make theatrical features, and that the first of three planned for immediate production is “Miracle at Santa Anita,” with a budget of $650,000-$7 50,000. II 'ii a i ll’rith Testimonial For lliilabiiii More than 1,000 industry leaders, friends and admirers of Barney Balaban, president oL Paramount Pictures, gathered Sunday night at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to honor the film executive at a $1,000,000 testimonial dinner which was sponsored by the Metropolitan Council of B’nai B’rith. The Balaban testimonial dinner launched a $7,500,000 campaign to provide investment capital for speeding the economic development of Israel through the purchase of State of Israel Development Bonds. The huge gathering was also attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the U. S., Abba S. Eban, and heard Mr. Balaban cited for his “35 years of dedicated service to B’nai B’rith and to his fellow man.” High point of the evening was when the Paramount president was awarded the President’s Medal for Humanitarianism by Philip M. Klutznick, national president of B’nai B’rith — the first time this medal was ever awarded ; a scroll for his services to B’nai B’rith by William Siegel, president of the Metropolitan Council, and a plaque for his efforts to aid Israel by Benjamin Abrams, president of the Emerson Radio and Phonograph Corp., and chairman of the Greater New York Committee for State of Israel Bonds. Mr. Eban, who also represents his country at the United Nations, stated in honoring Mr. Balaban that “his contributions have set an example which all people interested in Israel’s future might follow. The people of Israel are grateful to Mr. Balaban for what he is doing to advance the cause of Israel’s' economic independence.” Report "Lively Interest" In MGM "Workshops" MGM this week reported lively exhibitor interest in its plan to hold a series of “Ticket-Selling Workshops,” two dates having been set within a few hours after publication last week of the announcement by Charles M. Reagan and Howard Dietz. According to Mike Simons, director of customer relations, who will conduct the sessions, arrangements are under way for a one-day meeting at Pittsburgh October 28 and another at Indianapolis, November 16, the latter in conjunction with the Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana convention which will conduct its executive session the day before and its general business meeting the day following MGM’s “Workshop.” Command Performance LONDON : “Beau Brummell” takes a big bow for its producing company MGM in being chosen for the annual Royal Film Performance, which this year will be held November 15 at Metro’s Empire Theatre in London. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 2, 1954 19