Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

12 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, February 8, 1947 NATIONAL NEWSREEL 1 State, 92 Censor Boards? Motion pictures in Indiana may face the extreme possibility of having in some instances to pass 92 censor boards in the state of Indiana if House Bill 176, introduced before the general assembly by Rep. Wayne O. Adams (Rep., Indianapolis) should become law. Representative Adams' bill calls for a censor board of five non-salaried members in each of the state's 92 counties. The members, appointed by the circuit court judges, apparently would not sit regularly or pass upon pictures unless petitioned to do so. But upon petition of 10 or more citizens in a county, the board of that county would view a picture which was either playing or about to play in its jurisdiction to see whether in its opinion it was either immoral or portrayed a notorious criminal. If the picture should be found guilty on either or both counts by the county censor board, it would be banned in that county only, and an appeal could be taken within 30 days to the circuit court. Theatres violating the county censor's rulings would be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable upon conviction by a maximum fine of $1,000. FBI Charges 'Scotty' Brown in 16-mm Case The Federal Bureau of Investigation Tuesday announced that it had lodged a bill of information with the federal district court in Los Angeles charging William ''Scotty" Brown, wellknown Hollywood figure, with criminal infringement of the copyright laws growing out of the alleged showing of 51 16-mm. versions of major features. Brown was not taken into custody but will appear in court before Judge William Mathes for arraigement on Feb. 24. The announcement claimed the unauthorized use had taken place at Big Bear Lake and Inyokern, Calif., with 37 films being shown at the former place and 14 at the latter. One of the films said to be involved was MGM's "The Philadelphia Story." The 50-year-old Brown, who reportedly is an excellent golfer and was at one time an assistant director, operates the Embro Pictures Company and was said to accept as customers only top-flight executives, directors and movie stars and to store their films for them as a service A number of his customers were the legitimate possessors of 16-mm. versions of pictures in which they had either appeared or had a hand in directing or producing. Mrs. Curtis Bernhardt Dies Interment of Pearl Argyle Bernhardt, 35, wife of motion picture director Curtis Bernhardt, who dropped dead of cerebral hemorrhage in a New York hotel is planned in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles. Mrs. Bernhardt, who at one time was premier dancer of Sadlers Well's ballet before she married 12 years ago is survived by her husband, and two children — Stephen and Tony. Boycott Monih February was ticketed as movie boycott month in Los Angeles by the 25 chapters of the Sodality of Our Lady in the Roman Catholic high schools of that area. The boycott is directed against all motion pictures and arises from the same group which was said to have been instrumental in protesting "Duel in the Sun." Just how much influence it has, or whether the boycott stands a chance of being respected, is not known, but Father Charles Leahy, secretary of the Sodality declared that it hoped to influence about 25,000 people to stay away from motion pictures during February. Brotherhood Week Field Publicity Men Appointed Charles Schlaifer, publicity division chairman for the industry's Brotherhood Drive to be conducted by the National Conference of Christians and Jews from Feb. 16 to 23, this week announced the appointment of the following field publicity men : W. G. Bishop, Chicago ; Ted Galanter, San Francisco ; Howard Herty, Los Angeles ; Mike Weiss, Philadelphia ; Sy Freedman, Kansas City; L. W. Orlove, Milwaukee; Murry Lafayette, Seattle and Portland, Floyd Fitzsimmons, Albany and New Haven; Wally Allen, Pittsburgh and Buffalo ; Irving Waterstreet, St. Louis ; Ernest Van Pelt, Salt Lake City ; Jim Gillespie, Dallas, Memphis and Oklahoma City ; Jim Keefe, Cincinnati and Indianapolis; Ken Prickett, New Orleans ; Spence Pierce, Atlanta and Charlotte; Charles Dictz, Detroit; William Michalson, Washington; Austin McGough, Des ' Moines ; Al Fowler, Boston ; Gene Rich, Omaha ; Harry Weiss, Cleveland ; William Frass, Denver; Walter Hoffman, Minneapolis. Pascal Will Produce Two Shaw Plays in Hollywood (See The News Spotlight) Gabriel Pascal, who blows his horn not to end the world but to call attention to the genius and artistry and poesy of George Bernard Shaw, Tuesday broke a public silence of at least 30 days to announce that hereafter the celluloid versions of George Bernard Shaw plays would be made in America. This move, which Pascal said had been made after a trans-Atlantic telephone conversation in which Shaw had given it his "unqualified approval," is the result of a contract signed by Pascal with Mary Pickford and Lester Cowan's Artists Alliance, Inc., by which Pascal will get studio space at the Goldwyn studios in which Miss Pickford holds control, and distribution through United Artists. Because of their American background the first pictures to be made, Pascal said, will be "The Devil's Disciple" and "The Showing up of Blanco Posnet." SIMPP in Export Association Independent producer members of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers this week gained representation on the the directorate of the Motion Picture Export Association, owned by majority of major distributors and presided over by Motion Picture Association President Eric Johnston, when SIMPP President Donald Nelson was elected a director at large. Plitt Named Keegan Aid Foi Moithio Theatres Northio Theatres General Manager Jack R. Keegan this week announced in Cincinnati that Harry G. Plitt, former New York attorney, had joined the circuit as his Plitt, who will headquarter in the Cincinnati offices, had been doing special work for Northio since the first of the year. During World War II. he was major in the 101st airborne division. In this capacity he received recognition for having been the first paratrooper to Henry G. Plitt invade Normandy and also for his participation in the campaign which led to the capture of Julius Streicher. He was twice awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action and won the Purple Heart three times. Upon his discharge from the Army Plitt joined the Paramount theatre department in New York and was handed special assignments with the Paramount-Richards and the United Detroit Theatres partnerships. Mem Orleans Gets Unother First-Run Theatre, the Joy New Orleans' newest first-run downtown theatre— the Joy— a moderate-sized modern , hou=e, the first of its type to be built in that city for over a decade, opened Thursday night with a formal showing for the press and the trade. Built by an operating company which includes Joy N. Houck of the Joy circuit and Levere C Montgomery of a rival circuit, with Clair E. Hilgers and Ernest A. MacKenna, the new house brings another group of exhibitors into the New Orleans first-run field which hitherto had been confined to Paramount-Richards, Loew's, RKO and the Lazarus interests. Opening picture was Universale "Lover Come Back." "Ramrod" Premiere Set World premiere of Enterprise Pictures' "Ramrod" will be held Feb. 21 at the Utah Theat re in Salt Lake City in connection with its selection as the official film of the Utah Centennial, the Utah State Centennial Commission announced Tuesday. After the world opening the film will open day-and-date in 28 Utah cities. 'The Dehbil say yes, hut . . .' Two more Connecticut cities were mulling over the idea of letting theatres open at 1 P. M. on Sundays instead of two o'clock — a suggestion that is meeting with the opposition of the clergy in both localities. In Hartford, Mavor Allien announced that he would talk it over with the preachers and the exhibitors. In New Britain, the Committee on Ordinances and Salaries, put off discussion of the matter for a month. New Haven is the only Connecticut city to date to approve the earlier Sunday openings.