Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

WHAT'S NEWS In the Film Industry This Week INDUSTRY IN THE COURT HOUSE— It's started. Thursday Columbia Attorney Louis Frohlich sped his appeal against the statutory court's decree by going through the necessary formalities for a stay in the present decree and turning his appeal papers over to the clerk of court in New York City who, in turn, is to send them to the clerk of the Supreme Court. Frohlich attacks only two phases of the decree— those providing for competitive bidding, ignoring of old customers, etc., and those banning block-booking. He claims that both violate the rights his clients have as owners of copyrighted product. In Washington, informed sources said the Government appeal should be ready in the next three weeks and that it would be an effort to gain theatre divorcement. Earlier in the week, the statutory court in New York ruled on the motions which the defendants had made to have the decree modified. (See p. 9). Friday in the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Justice Bernard L. Shientag took under advisement the motions to dismiss the defenses which contend that the License Commissioner and the Police Commissioner have the authority to interfere with the showing of "The Outlaw" which was passed by the censor board. Seeking also to curb the commissioner's power by injunction, the League of New York Theatres came to the support of Hughes and asked the court to appear as amicus curiae. EXHIBITION— National Allied directors in a Washington meeting reelected Jack Kirsch president, refused to take part in an intra-industry committee to pass on government and humanitarian films, authorized General Counsel Abram F. Myers to seek to appear as a friend of the court when the decree case is appealed to the Supreme Court, establish a central clearing house for information in connection with a campaign to fight local taxes and postponed its plans to sponsor motion picture production. Allied also praised the government's stand on divorce in the decree suit and asked it to appeal promptly. In Washington a meeting of the Virginia Theatre Owners reelected Bill Crocket president and heard several talks on the decree, including a warning that lack of arbitration would mean plenty of litigation. In New Orleans a new first-run theatre — the Joy — built by four partners opened Thursday night while out in Girard, Ohio, Pete Wellman suddenly found an equipment house filling long-made orders with the result that he has enough equipment for three theatres — but no theatres. From Cincinnati comes word that New York Attorney Harry G. Plitt is now asso ciate to Jack R. Keegan, Northio Theatres' general manager and from Los Angeles comes both the word that the Protestants are organizing a committee to advise the industry on films when requested to do so and the Catholics have another boycott set for February which is intended to keep all members and those influenced by Sodality of Our Lady out of motion picture theatres during February regardless of the picture shown. Its effectiveness has not yet been reported. LEGISLATION— In Minnesota pressure is being brought to bear to put an admission amusement tax on theatres regardless of the fact that the federal tax will remain 20 per cent; in Coultersville, HI., Sparta Theatres closed the Roxy in protest to an increase of the village license fee from $60 to $180 a year, while in Indiana there is a bill to provide censorship for each of its 92 counties only when demanded by a petition of 10 or more. (See p. 12). LABOR— The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers this week deprived its Los Angeles studio union of local autonomy and immediately withdrew it from the Conference of Studio Unions, the Screen Actors Guild membership gave its directors a vote of confidence in the attitude it has taken during the strike (SAG members have crossed CSU picket lines) and reiterated its belief that the jurisdictional question was one to be settled by the unions involved, and in Chicago, where Balaban and Katz has closed out unprofitable matinees at the Admiral, the question of whether the circuit can cut one projectionist is probably going to be arbitrated. GENERAL— The FBI charged William "Scotty" Brown, Los Angeles figure and former director, with criminal copyright violation in showing some 51 16-mm. versions of major features in California; Gabriel Pascal announced that he had signed a deal with Mary Pickford and Lester Cowan to produce Bernard Shaw's "The Showing up of Blanco Posnet" and "The Devil's Disciple" in America (Shaw approved!); David O. Selznick will film "Portrait of Jenny" in the RKO Pathe studios in New York; the appeal on the Jackson Park case will probably reach the Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in April, and the responsibility of portraying America in the proper light abroad is that of "private enterprise," Byron Price told the southern California Harvard clubs. The 1947 tradeshow of the Theatre Equipment Dealers Protective Association was announced for Sept. 24-29 in the Shoreham Hotel at Washington, D. C. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Data 52 Newsreel Synopses 43 Audience Classifications 53 National Newsreel 9 Box-Office Slants 38 Regional Newsreel 27 Feature Booking Guide 46 Selling the Picture 15 Feature Guide Title Index 46 Shorts Booking Guide 54 Hollywood 40 Theatre Management 22 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, Title and Trade Mark Registered U. S. Patent Office. Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc., 1501 Broadwav, New York 18, N. Y. Telephone LOngacre 3-0121. Charles E. 'Chick' Lewis, Editor and Publisher; Tom Kennedy, Associate Editor; James A. Cron, General Manager; Ralph Cokain, Managing Editor; Harold Rendall, Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office, 6777 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood 28, California; Telephone Hollywood 2055; Ann Lewis, manager. London Representative, Jock MacGregor, 16 Leinster Mews, London. W.2 ; Telephone AMBass?dor 3601; Australian Representative, Gordon V Curie, 1 Elliott St., Homebush, Sydney, Australia. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. All contents copyright 1947 by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York office Subscriptions rates: $2.00 per year in the United States and Canada; Foreign, $5.00 Single copies ten cents. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, February 8, 1947 The News Spotlight CHARLES M. REAGAN, Paramount distribution vice-president who will increase his company's releases to alleviate product shortage. (P. 14). GABRIEL PASCAL will make Bernard Shaw films in America as a result of a deal completed with Mary Pickford and Lester Cowan. (P. 12). Ray Wallace (The Man on the Cover) Owner and operator of four theatres (the Strand, Ohio, Morrison and Mount Union) in Alliance, Ohio, who is celebrating his fortieth year in show business. Born in Canton and reared in Alliance, Wallace started in the theatre as a program boy at the Craven Opera House in 1907 when he was 14 years old. Two years later he was promoted to gallery ticket seller. When the Columbia Theatre was built, he was made treasurer, leaving it in 1918 to serve in WoHd War I. After his return be became assistant manager of the Columbia, then owner of the Strand Theatre built in partnership with H. H, Boyd. Followed construction of the Morrison and finally purchase of the Mount Union which placed him in control of all motion picture theatres in Alliance. In addition to being president of the Wallace Theatre Corp., president of the Alliance Theatres, Inc., General Manager and Treasurer of Tri-Theatres, Inc. he is also a director in the City Savings and Trust Company, president of the City Civil Service Commission, honorary member of the Fire Chiefs' Association and the Ohio State Firemen's Association, former director on the board of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio and a member of many local clubs. He is also a 32nd degree Mason. When not occupied with his theatres and his many outside activities, Wallace spends his time at home with his wife and nine-year-old son.