Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Page 4 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW April 22, 1939 PROSPECTS OF Pettijohn and Myers in Final ASCAP_WINS STRIKEABATE Arguments on Neely Measure Operators Assured of Negotiations Hollywood — Following assurances this week from Victor H. Clarke, assistant to Pat Casey, producers' labor representative, that on his return to the Coast he would negotiate with them regarding wages, hours and other conditions, the business agents of four studio Locals requested George E. Browne, I A T S E president, to delay any further action of the lA in the operators' strike pending negotiations. This action, for a time at least, has averted the threat of a nationwide strike of projectionists in theatres owned by or affiliated with major companies. General wage increases, shorter hours, a minimum work call of six hours and jurisdiction over all cameramen by Local 659 is asked by T.A.. Differences between the lATSE and the autonomy group of Local 37 showed prospects of being settled quickly this week when Superior Judge Emmett Wilson granted a continuance until April 25 the injunction brought against each other by the two parties. The grand jury charges of labor racketeering against the lA was continued to Mav 2. "Open House" for U's New Washington Mgr. Universal will hold "open house" at its Washington, D. C, exchange on Monday, April 24, to acquaint exhibitors and other members of the industry with the company's new branch manager, B. Bernard Kreisler. No Action By Senate Committee Expected Until Next Week at the Earliest Washington — Final arguments on the Neely anti block-booking blind-selling bill were heard this week by the Interstate Commerce Sub-committee, whose action in the matter is not ^expected before next week at the earliest. Senator "Cotton Ed" BAIRD TO BRING TELE EQUIPMENT Arrives April 28 For First Installation L C. Javal, commercial director of Baird Television Ltd., accompanied by a staff of engineers, will arrive in New York April 28 on the Aquitania, bringing with him the complete apparatus for television installation in both theatres and the home, as well as cameras used in transmitting news events, according to cable advices from Isidore Ostrer, ciiairman of Gaumont British. The first installation will be made in the projection room at the GB home office in New York, which will be completely wired in the same manner as has proved to be so successful in televising events in London. 670 Dates Pledged Six hundred seventy playdates have been pledged bj' New York Allied on the first of the Allied patriotic trailers. The Buffalo unit has lined up 142 dates; Rochester, 110; Svracu.se, 114; Albanv, 133, and New York City, 171. Republic's Beefsteak Dinner Republic gave a beefsteak dinner in New York last week in honor of its regional meeting. Many exhibitors were also present at the affair. Pictured above are W. T. Powers and |. ). Sullivan of Fox West Coast, Dr. E. Martin, Herbert |. Yates of Republic and Joseph Bernhard, general manager of Warner Bros. Theatres. Other exhibitors who attended were Spyros and George Skouras, Fred Meyers and Max Sellerman of RKO, William White and John Benas of the Skouras New York circuit, George Lynch of the Schine circuit, Charles Moss of the Criterion Theatre in New York, and Al Steffes, President of N. W. Allied. Smith, chairman of the Sub-committee, is out of town, and the procedure for him to follow on his return will be to call a meeting of the sub-committee which will then report to the full committee. The report will then be sent to the Senate floor for discussion and vote when reached on the calendar. As hearings on the controversial measure closed, C. C. Pettijohn, MPPDA general counsel declared that the trade practice code now being considered by exhibitor organizations "is the only constructive, ef¥ective, practical and workable approach to the problems presented." He added that at least 90 p.c. of the theatre owners "know enough about the business to recognize that this bill will not accomplish what its proponents seek to bring about." In his summation, Abram F. Myers, Allied general counsel, suggested 5 amendments to Section 4 of the Neely bill in order to "meet the reasonable criticisms of the opponents of the bill." Commenting on the trade practice drafts, Myers said he liked certain proposals, but that in their present form "they are not a fair substitute for the Neely bill or the government's suit." Tempers flared last week between Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA prexy, and Myers as they challenged each other's statements. Kuykendall has assailed Allied as a "minority group" that was not interested in constructive action. A strenuous objection was entered by Myers to what he termed a personal attack and a battle seemed in sight for a moment before order was restored. Richey Brands Censorship Dictatorial Columbus, O. — In a symposium on film censorship sponsored by the B'Nai B'Rith Hillel Foundation here, H. M. Richey, RKO's director of public relations, branded the six states of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kansas and Virginia as comparable to foreign dictatorships in their systems of censorship of motion pictures. George Friedl on West Coast Hegira George Friedl, director of llie sound engineering division of the International Projector Corp., attended the SMPE meeting in Los Angeles this week, and will remain on the West Coast for some lime before returning to New York. 2 DEOSIONS Supreme Court Rules In Fla., Wash. Cases ASCAP won victories in the Supreme Court this week in both the Washington and Florida cases which the court heard on appeal. The decision in the Florida case upheld a District Court injunction against enforcement of the Florida Anti-ASCAP law. In the case involving the Washington measure, the District Court was instructed to hear the case again and admit evidence which' it had refused ASCAP permission to introduce during the first trial. The Court did not pass on the constitutionality of either ci the measures. Depinet, Weeks to Attend Variety Dinner Detroit — The Variety convention banquet to be held here April 29 will be attended by Ned E. Depinet, vice-president of RKORadio Pictures, and George W. Weeks, general sales manager of Monogram, as well as other industry personages. According to hotel reservations, the total registration will exceed 1,200. Invited speakers include Will Hays, Sidney R. Kent, Al Lichtman, Barney Balaban and H. M. Warner. William F. Rodgers and other MGM executives will also be present. Kent Drive Aug. 13 The sales staff of 20th CenturyFox is slated to launch its seventh annual S. R. Kent Drive on August 13. SHOWMEN'S MOTION PICTURE Trade Review Vol. 30, No. 13 April 22, 1939 Title and Trade Mark Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Charles E. "Chick" Lewis Editor and Publisher TOM KENNEDY HAROLD RENDALL ROBERT WILE Associate Editor Advertising Mgr. Managing Editor WEST COAST OFFICE ANN LEWIS, West Coast Manager Guaranty BIdg., 6331 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Cal., Tel. HOIIywood 1390 CHICAGO REPRESENTATIVE MARSHALL REINIG 612 No. Michigan Ave., Chicago, III. Telephone: Superior 7646 FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVE JOCK MacGREGOR, 20 Portsea Place Hyde Park, W., London, Eng. Showmen's Trade Review is published weekly by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. Publication office, 34 North Crystal St., East Stroudsburg, Pa. Editorial and advertising offices, 1501 Broadway, New York City. Tel.: Bryant 9-5606. Subscription price in the United States and Canada, $2.00 per year. Foreign $5.00 per year. Single ..opies, ten cents. Subscribers should remit with order. All contants copyriKhtad 1939.