Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

SHOWMEN S TRADE REVIEW, February 1, 1947 11 NATIONAL NEWSREEL Sues for $1,200,000 in Buffalo Suit for $1,200,000 was filed in the federal district court of Buffalo Thursday by associates of Attorney Thomas McConnell of Chicago's Jackson Park Theatre case in behalf of the Rivoli Operating Company of Buffalo against eight major distributors and two theatre operating companies. The suit which charges that the plaintiff was unable to procure product for the subsequent-run Rivoli Theatres because of a monopoly during a six-year period prior to the filing of the suits asks for triple damages and for an injunction which would give the subsequent-run Rivoli pictures immediately after first-run instead of waiting approximately 60 days as at present, McConnell said. Defendants named are Columbia, Loew's (MGM), Paramount, RKO, Warner Bros., United Artists, Universal, 20th Century-Fox, Buffalo Theatres operators of nine theatres in Buffalo and the Broadrose Corporation. Check of Cities Shows Few Policy Changes {Continued from Page 9) schedule of the distributors may present them with a problem. Harrisburg, Fa., and the surrounding territory is finding that increased film rentals and shortage of product are compelling it to cut double features in many cases and to extend playing time in others. Several exhibitors have pointed out that the demand for higher rentals is making them resort to using independent product which they had never used before. The trend seems to be toward fewer pictures and longer runs. In the Pittsburgh area there is no tendency to decrease double features, but a number of theatres are extending runs on big pictures. One fact that seems to be noticed in that area is that the patrons are sold on double bills and resent an attempt to eliminate them. But the playing time on big pictures, by being extended, is naturally slowing up product availability. Minneapolis, on the contrary, shows a trend toward more double features in the territory. A few bookers claim that is mostly true when 'a run of product is poor, since the exhibitors use the dual bill to liquidate contracts more quickly ; reissues also tend to boost the double bill fare. The larger cities and towns in the territories seemed to be decreasing the number of changes a week, with some exhibitors cutting from three changes to two a week and even switching their houses to full-week runs on top product. Stozier Again Head of Carolina Theatre Owners (Continued from Page 9) presidents; together with the following directors : Harold Armisted, George Carpenter, H. R. Beery, H. E. Buchanan, R. Glen Davis, H. H. Everett, J. B. Harvey, H. D. Hearn, George W. Parr, Ed. Haley, Royl Rowe, A. F. Sams, Salisbury, N. C. Speaker's addressing the convention were Mack Jackson, president of the Confederacy of Southern Associations( E. V. Richards, president. Paramount Richards Theatres ; Karl Hoblitzelle, Interstate president, and Robert T. Barton, Jr., CSA Counsel, who told the group that while none could predict what the Supreme Court would do in event of an appeal on the decree, he felt it was quite possible that it might eliminate competitive bidding or substitute a modified form as suggested by some of the defendants. Pa. ANPTO Re-elects Finkel Morris Finkel last week was reelected president of the Associated Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Western Pennsylvania with Fred Beedle as vice-president, Fred Herrington, secretary and Joseph Gellman, treasurer, at the 26th annual convention of the group. Directors are Norman Mervis, Lee Conrad, George Corcoran and William Wheat. Weekday Matinees Cut Out Balaban and Katz this week closed weekday matinees in the Drake, Cine, Admiral, Luna and Alba — all subsequent-run houses. Majors Ask Judge to Reverse Momand Rule Boston Federal Judge Charles E. Wyzanski, Jr., this week had under consideration the motion filed by the distributor-defendants in the A. B. Momand anti-trust suit that he reverse the jury verdict granting Momand some $996,000 triple damages as unreasonable. Momand had originally filed suit in Oklahoma City claiming that he had to give up seven theatres in Oklahoma communities because he had been compelled through blockbooking to accept inferior pictures and that he had been subjected to alleged reprisals when he protested. He won in a lower court, but judgment was reserved by the United States Court of Appeals on technicalities which allowed him to refile the suit when the errors were corrected. The case was tried again in Boston after Momand had moved into this area. Defendants protesting the amount of the verdict are Loew's (MGM). Paramount, RKO, Warner Bros., 20th Century-Fox, Columbia, Universal and United Artists. 1 6 -mm. Inroads Worrying Ontario 3 5 -mm. Exhibitors Ontario, Canada, exhibitors are worried about the reported inroads 16-mm. films are making into the 35-mm. field and the Motion Picture Theatre Association has appointed a committee to study the matter and take action, it was learned in Toronto this week. Complaints have been received from licensed 35-mm. theatres that the itinerant showmen, are moving their 16-mm. caravans into situations which 35-mm. exhibitors consider competitive. The 35-mm. exhibitors originally had prescribed a 12-mile zone around smaller cities and towns w;hich contained established theatres from which 16-mm. competition was supposedly barred. Appointed to the exhibitor committee on thematter are : H. C. D. Main of Main Theatres ; Ralph Dale, vice-president, National Theatre Services ; Arch H. Jolley, executive secretary of the Motion Picture Theatre Association. Defer Hughes Suit Hearing Hearing in the Howard Hughes suit against License Commissioner Benjamin Fielding and Police Commissioner Arthur Wallander, which would seek to restrain them by injunction from interfering with the showing of "The Outlaw," was postponed to Feb. 4 at the request of New York City Tuesday. Treasury Men Unearth Ticket-Selling Frauds Uncle Sam's vigilant T-men, constantly on the prowl to see why the government is not getting the taxes it thinks it ought to get, turned out to be the exhibitor's friend in the Milwaukee territory last week when they unearthed cases of ticket frauds in several cities. The treasury operatives, after noting from a casual check that some theatre box-offices seemed to be doing business in an unusual way, checked further. In the case of at least one theatre, which went unnamed, they came up with the fact that the cashier had loose tickets in the box-office as well as the roll. A check with the house showed business was excellent ; a check with the house records showed business was not so excellent. The manager was asked to investigate on the quiet and apparently it turned out the doorman had a neat stunt. He would not return the stubs to the customers and since he relieved the cashier temporarily, this was said to give him the opportunity to resell the tickets he had taken undamaged. One ticket seller had a neat stunt, whereby the doorman did not return stubs to the customers and the undamaged ticket was sent back to the box-office for resale to another customer. Baronat Succeeds Whelan Fortunat Baronat, publicity relations head of Universal's foreign division, this week succeeds Les Whalen of National Theatres as secretary of the International Film Relations Committee of the Motion Picture Industry. A Rose Perchance . . . In Canada it's gotta say what it means, or else it just don't count. The Ontario Court of Appeals, which generally has little difficulty in deciding what the law says, recently was stamped by the fact chat the law does allow an "occasional" game of bingo to be played. But the same law didn't say what it meant by the word "occasional." So the court squashed a police court case and charges against a veterans' organization for running a common gaming house were dropped. Just what this decision will mean if a theatre holds an "occasional" night of bingo was not known, but Provincial Law Enforcement Officer Leslie Blackwell describes the situation as a mess which he thinks the federal government will have to settle.