Showmen's Trade Review (1939)

Page 6 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW July 15, 1939 N. Y. Allied Moves to Ask PLANS SET State Code From Distribs. FOR JUBILEE Committee Seeking Reopening of Negotiations is Headed by Max A. Cohen In a move to quash the impasse resulting from national Allied's action in spurning the Trade Practice Code, an attempt will be made by New York Allied to reopen negotiations with the Distributors' Committee'^ headed by Sidney R. Kent for the purpose of setting up a code for Mew York State. Max A. Cohen, the unit's prexy, made the announcement last Friday via a formal statement. No distributor reaction to the surprise move has been thus far ascertainable. According to Important Dates July 17: Clyde Eckhart silver anniversary dinner, Congress Hotel, Chicago. July 21 : Cleveland Variety Club golf tournament. Beeehmont Country Club. August 1 : MPTO of Connecticut 4th Annual Golf Tournament, Race Brook City Club, Orange (New Haven), Conn. August 1-4: Schine Enterprises, Inc Durkee Signs With Republic l annual convention, Hippodrome Theatre, Abrani F. Myers, Allied s board Qloversville, N. Y. chairman and general counsel, August 11: A. E. Lichtman Testimonial "only the Board of Directors can \ Dinner, Willard Hotel, Washington, define national policies and no P0c£ 1S. Pittsburgh Variety Club banmeeting is scheduled. However, 1 qUet, William Penn Hotel. had supposed that there was 'Oct. 16-19: SMPE Fall convention, nothing further to negotiate about j Hotel Pennsylvan.a. at this time as Kent, Rodgers and others have taken the position that no further changes in the proposed Code will be made and that it will be put into effect regard James R. Grainger, Republic's less of action by exhibitor bodies." president and general sales manNew York Allied has appointed ager, returned this week from its own negotiators — Max A. Co Baltimore where he closed a deal hen, chairman; Rapp Merriman : for the exhibition of all of Repuband Lionel Grossman, both of lie's 1939-40 product in the DurSyracuse; Mitchell Connery of Ra kee Circuit of Theatres in Maryvenna and Ray Pashley of Inter land. Together with Sam Flax, laken, with H. Laurence of Cat I Republic franchise holder for tarraugua as alternate. These i Washington, Grainger closed the men are empowered to "conclude" deal for the company with Sam negotiations with the distributors, I Durkee, owner of the circuit, it was said. 1 Durkee operates 22 theatres. BORROWS TIME MAHDLEV ACTORS £IK£ BOOKS IN A L£H0\H<3/ 50th Year of Films to Be Celebrated Plans for observance of the Golden Jubilee of motion pictures were set in motion this week with the. formation of a committee of distributor company publicity and advertising men to work in cooperation with the Hays organization. Participation in the campaign by theatres will be entirely voluntary, there being no provision for other than cooperative effort on the initiative of individual theatres or circuits. The Committee, headed by Kenneth Clark, public relations head of the MPPDA, is composed of Harry Goldberg, Warners; William Ferguson, M-G-M; Ben Grimm, RKO; Lou Pollock, Universal, and Joel Swenson of MPPDA. It will contribute ideas and prepare material that will be at the disposal of theatres throughout the country, as well as initiate publicity activities through newspapers and commercial organizations. A manual, or press book, outlining complete campaigns that may be employed by individual theatres will be ready for distribution early in August, with the particular day set for observance of the Golden Anniversary of motion pictures set for Oct. 6— the date in 1889 when Thomas Edison demonstrated the Kinetoscope. An entire week of intensive publicity in connection with the celebration is planned for the first week in October. Arrangements, also, are under way for a special drive during the Book Week campaign of book publishers and dealers Nov. 3 to 9. The campaign will be formally launched between August 15 and Sept. 1. LICHTMAN DINNER Theatre Operator To Be Feted On Fiftieth Birthday Friends in the exhibition and distribution fields of the motion picture industry are planning a testimonial dinner in honor of A. E. Lichtman, theatre circuit operator, on the occasion of his 50th birthday and his nineteenth anniversary in the exhibition branch of show business, to be held Friday evening, Aug. 11, at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D. C. Rudy Berger is general chairman of the event, with Carter Barron acting as chairman of the entertainment committee and Sam Galanty, chairman of the program committee. AH'm Newmeyer will be toastmaster. , Gaynor Joins Col. Leonard Gaynor, formerly a member of the 20th Century-Fox publicity department, has joined Columbia Pictures to handle special publiicity and exploitation on "Golden Boy" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Everybody can breathe easier! Remembering what happened last year in the line of "greater movie season" drives, there have been jitters ever since mention was made that 1939 is really the golden anniversary of the motion picture and maybe it would be a good idea to have an industry-wide celebration. Well, there'll be a celebration — but the right way. Elsewhere on these pages the report is made of the completion of plans. And they call for no "tap" on theatres, no contests, just hard work for a committee which will feed ideas, free, to every theatreman who wants to do something about it — in his own way and on his own initiative. The "encore performance," brain child of Universal's Lou Pollock, had its public tryout at the Palace this week. If the idea grows, Lou should be named a patron saint by the actors — what less could they, who now can take bows by playing encores right in the middle of a show, do for the man who made possible such heaven for the ham instinct? The Messrs. Einfeld and Blumenstock, who don't pull punches when they start throwing leather in behalf of Warner pictures, are turning the heat on for "Each Dawn I Die", and they've got this korner excited and champing to see Cagney et all in the fillum. connHndies in RENTALPROTEST Exhibitors Charge Forced Buying of Shorts New Haven — Connecticut independent exhibitors have inaugurated a determined drive to force lower film rentals in the territory. The campaign results from a statewide closed meeting of indie theatre owners and operators held here June 27, at which time a "demand" resolution was adopted to be sent to distributor home offices as well as to the Department of Justice. Local exhibitors are of the opinion that the D of J will be interested in the charges that forced selling of shorts and newsreels is being attempted, in spite of distributors' pledges. "We will not be coerced, directly or indirectly, in the buying of shorts and newsreels," the resolution asserts. Considerable alarm was expressed by indies attending the meeting at the definitely poorer grosses as compared to previous summers, and "the grave problem produced by higher rentals in the face of business conditions." Oldknow Returns to Coast Oscar S. Oldknow, vice-president of National Theatre Supply Company, has returned to the coast from New York, after a two-week stay at the company's home offices.