Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1941)

November 15, 1941 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 13 Important Dates Nov. 17: Jack Beresin testimonial, Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia. Nov. 17: Philadelphia Motion Picture Forum Autumn luncheon, Bellevue-Stratford. Nov. 17-18: ATO of Indiana annual convention, Antlers Hotel, Indianapolis. Nov. 18: Canadian Picture Pioneers convention, King Edward Hotel, Toronto. Nov. 19 : Motion Picture Associates dinner dance, Hotel Astor. Nov. 21 : New Haven Warner Club Fall dinner dance, Waverly Inn. Nov. 21-22: Paramount district managers meeting, Drake Hotel, Chicago. Nov. 24-25 : Allied Theatre Owners of Iowa and Nebraska annual convention, Des Moines. Nov. 24: Harry M. Kalmine testimonial, William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh. Nov. 25-26: ITO of Ohio convention, Columbus. Nov. 26 : "Night of Stars," Madison Square Garden. Dec. 5 : Chicago Warner Club dinnerdance, Morrison Hotel. Dec. 6 : Lambs diversion, WaldorfAstoria. Dec. 9 : Connecticut MPTO dinnerdance, Hotel Taft. Dec. 12 : B & K Employes Association dinner-dance, Stevens Hotel, Chicago. Jan. 18-19: Theatre Owners of North and South Carolina convention, Charlotte. Jan. 30: Chicago Reel Fellows Club dinner dance, Congress Hotel. Appeals Board Hits Rising Costs of Arbitration Cases Criticizes Attorneys for Long Statements in Opinion Reversing Arbitrator on Canton-Ogdensburg Clearance Another case was decided by the Appeals Board this week in which the three members laid down one fundamental rule which may be important in future arbitrations and at the same time expressed an opinion as to the Browne, Bioff Get 8, 10 Years Willie Bioff was sentenced to ten years in a federal penitentiary and his accomplice, George E. Browne, to eight years on Wednesday for violation of the Federal anti-racketeering laws. Bioff was also fined $20,000 and Browne $10,000. Scoring the crimes committed by the two as "heinous," Federal Judge John C. Knox said that if the sentences did not help union labor, "Then Heaven help the cause of union labor." United States Attorney Mathias Correa pointed out to the judge that evidence brought out that a special assessment of 2 per cent had been levied on the wages of all members of the IATSE and that this large sum was under Browne's direction. Judge Knox interposed, "I think that legislation will soon take care of that practice." Wood Charges Sabotage Of Consent Decree Columbus, O. — In a bulletin sent to all members this week Pete J. Wood, ITO of Ohio secretary, charged that licensing features of Article IV of the New York consent decree are being "svstematically sabotaged" by the five signatories. He asked members to report which companies have refused to "lease their later blocks of pictures unless the earlier blocks were leased" or declined to lease features "unless given a deal for their short subjects and newsreels." It was obvious, the ITO secretary said, that the two provisions were being ignored. Blank forms were being sent out, he explained, and the survey conducted "to obtain as much proof as possible." Meanwhile, ITO of Ohio is canvassing 32 exhibitor organizations for information on product, terms and selling policies in different parts of the country. A detailed report of the findings will be made at the ITO convention here Nov. 25-26. an opinion as ength of the record, taking to task attorneys for both sides for their long statements. The case in point was that of the American Theatre, Canton, N. Y., against the RKO and Warner Bros, on the clearance of 14 days now given to the Strand Theatre in Ogdensburg. The arbitrator decided against the distributors, ruling that there should be no clearance. He held that the clearance of 14 days previously in force was unreasonable. The Appeals Board cut the clearance to three days. The decision was upset solely on the ground that the arbitrator had no right to abolish the clearance entirely. "The Arbitrator was undoubtedly right in his conclusion that a 14-day clearance between the Canton and Ogdensburg Theatres is unreasonable," the Board said. The Board, however, found the Arbitrator in error on another point, since he applied the award to contracts now in force. The Appeals Board expressed the opinion that "We do not think that the record supports the Arbitrator's conclusion that comnetition between the two theatres is negligible." Commenting on the increasing size of the records in clearance cases and the consequent mounting costs of transcripts on appeal, the board pointed out that statements of counsel often filled more space in the transcript than the testimony of the witnesses. Counsel for both sides was criticized in this case : "much of this argument was irrelevant, some of it was misleading, and the bulk of it was out of place in an opening statement." Lewen Pizor of Philadelphia, filed his second case this week, when on behalf of the Colonial Theatre at Phoenixville, Pa., he asked for reduced clearance, which he now has to grant to first-run Philadelphia theatres. Herman Coane. co-owner of the house, joined him in the apnlication. First case to be filed in the Indianapolis Tribunal was that 0f Charles Green Bowles, owner of the Grand Theatre, Elizabethtown, Ky., who charges that the majors have refused to sell him product for his house which is scheduled to oner on Dec. 1. Named as interested partv was another uncompleted theatre, the Ritz, being built by the Crescent Circuit. Ben Coonev and Harold McFarland have filed an application for dav and date run of their Osrden Theatre in Chicago with the Marshall Square, stating that thev have recently raised their admission price to 20 cents. Named as interested parties are the West. Dowlas. Lindy, White Palace and Circle Theatres. The case of the Star Theatre near Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., owned bv Floyd L. Lowe and W. A. Snell, for some run was dismissed this week by the arbitrator. Lowe and Snell complained that the distributors refused to license product for the Star, selling instead to the Lvric Theatre, Lebanon, Mo. 'Shanghai Gesture' to Be Roadshowed in January Special handling, including plans to roadshow the picture in ten key cities, will be accorded Arnold Pressburger's initial United Artists picture, "The Shanghai Gesture," when it is released in January, it was announced this week by Arthur W. Kelly, UA vice-president. Kelly viewed a rough cut of the picture on his recent trip to the Coast. 0PM To Have Film Group Industry Leaders to Help On Allocation of Materials A special committee of leaders of the industry will be formed to work with the OPM on problems of the industry. The committee will especially consider problems of the critical materials. The OPM will also conduct an industry-wide inventory to determine the needs of the studios as well as the theatres during 1942. The latter will be ascertained by contacting the theatre supply companies. As soon as the new set-up is completed, the representatives of the industry will confer with OPM officials in Washington concerning the over-all requirements for theatres and studios. The heads of various materials divisions will then be called in to determine whether these requirements are reasonable, after which a lump sum allocation of each will be made to be divided among the various branches of the industry by the new committee. Zl55CN-yOO! 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