Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1942)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW August 8, 1942 Fate of UMPI Plan Still Unpredictable Justice Department Asked to Speed Consideration/ Yamins Gives Views on Matter The fate of the UMPI blocks-of-13 amendment to the consent decree is, at this writing, every bit as confusing and unpredictable as the location of the elusive little pea in the dexterous hands cil an expert shell game manipulator at a country fair carnival. Letters from Senators and Congressmen have been sent to Attorney General Biddle asking him to speed up consideration of the plan as a contribution to the war effort. These letters are in support of the two national exhibitor organizations in their effort to get the Department of Justice to take action. The pressure of letters and telegrams followed the assertion of Thurman Arnold, assistant Attorney General, that the D. of J. may take no action on the proposed plan. In Hollywood, production continues to roll along uninterrupted, with production heads considering the measure purely a problem for the sales department. The Eastern executives of the five consenting companies, while waiting for some action, either on the part of the D. of J. or Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard, seem to be wide apart on shifting from the present blocks-of-five to the new plan. The present policy has been generally beneficial, according to executives, and three companies in particular — Paramount, Warner Bros, and 20th CenturyFox — are conceded to have found operation under the decree highly advantageous. Production officials point out that better merchandising has been given to pictures turned out during the past year. With each block sold separately, more care has been given the handling of every picture. Some producers have expressed the opinion that the new plan might have some effect on quality, as the decree setup demanded that each picture be given extra "polishing" to guarantee profitable marketing on a merit basis. Some sales policies are being held up awaiting action on the UMPI plan, but two of the major companies are all set to continue the blocks-of-five plan, with selling to start in the very near future. Adding further to the general confusion is the conflicting views of exhibitor organizations whose contentions are myriad in support of, and in opposition to, the amendment. Among the most recent moves in opposition to adoption of the amendment is that of Nathan Yamins, Perhaps It Should Be ^Mrs. McMinive/ "Mrs. Miniver" conies under the anti-war picture ban in effect in Eire, according to reports from London as published in the New York Herald Tribune. People from Dublin and other points in Eire, on arrival in England, immediately seek out theatres showing war pictures and newsreel shots dealing with the war which are banned in Eire. Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Independent Exhibitors of New England, who submitted, in letter form, to Robert L. Wright of the Anti-Trust Division of the Department ot Justice, a summary of the arguments he advanced orally on a previous occasion. After pointing out the purposes of the decree and the benefits derived by the independent exhibitor and public groups and intimating some ot Its irailties, Mr. >:amins says: "The ODjections oi the Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of New Kngland to the proposal are numerous. In the hrst place, it oOvioubly increases Block booking from hve 10 thirteen or an increase oc 16u per cent and is thereiore, a step backwards. This provision restores and increases the inequality of competition between exhibitor and distributor because the block is so large that the exhibitor cannot attord to pass it up whether or not the pictures trade-shown are attractive to him. There are too tew pictures made to make it safe for an exhiDitor to pass up a block of as many as thirteen." Mr. Yamins submits that the portion of the amendment calling for eight pictures to be "identihed ' restores the objectionable blind buying, and that the provision dealing with identification IS "so elastic that 'a picture based on the bible' would be sufficient identification." He considers it "strange" that distributors, with many pictures ready to trade show, refuse to identify the films in a manner to make it possible for the exhibitor to determine their suitability. Negotiations in Warner Office Employes Strike Are Broken Off Negotiations started last Tuesday, at the instigation of Mrs. Eleanor Herrick. Regional Director of the NLRB, to effect settlement of the differences between ^^'arnef Bros, and the striking office employes, members of M.P.O.E. Local No. 23,196, A. F. of L., were broken off late Wednesday. The company contended that the union had presented 17 new demands at the Wednesday meeting, and pointed out that months past the company had agreed to terms more favorable to the employes than the working agreement reached recently with four other motion picture companies in New York City. Vogel Joins Radio Station WHN A. Mike Vogel, for eight years associated with Quigley Publications, has been appointed WHN director of publicity and special promotion, replacing Al Simon who resigned to join the Treasury Department to promote the sale of bonds and stamps by radio. Republic Signs Fox Wisconsin Final negotiations with Fox Wisconsin Theatres for Republic's 1942-43 product were completed last week-end, according to James R. Grainger, Republic president. This completes the entire Fox West Coast deal for the company's product. Assisting Grainger was J. G. Frackman, Republic's Milwaukee branch manager. The circuit was represented by H. J. Fitzgerald, FWT division manager. MacFarland Heads Agency Branch James H. MacFarland, widely known in motion picture publicity circles, is now in charge of the Red Bank, N. J., office of the Joseph G. McCue Agency of Runison, N. J. Completes Assignment at 20th-Fox Milton Silver, after four weeks on special assignment for 20th Century-Fox, left that company on July 31st. INDUSTRY NOTABLES ATTEND NAVY RELIEF BENEFIT HOLIDAY INN' PREMIERE IN NEW YORK Some of the executives attending the Navy Relief Benefit premiere of Irving Berlin's latest Paramount musical, "Holiday Inn," at the New York Paramount Theatre last Tuesday evening are shown above. Beginning at the top, left: Stanton Griffis, chairman of the Paramount executive committee, and his party; Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Zukor, Mr. and Mrs. Barney Balaban and daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. WeisI; Jack Cohn, president of Columbia Pictures, and his party. Bottom, left to right: RKO Theatres party — So! Schwartz, Ed Alperson, Malcolm Kingsberg, Harold Mirisch; Bob Weitman and Robert M. Giilham; G. A. Smith, Charles Reagan and their party; Fred Uttal, radio artist, Mr. and Mrs. Neil Agnew. Despite dim-out regulations; premiere was a brilliant success.