Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, March 1, 1947 WHAT'S NEWS In the Film Industry This Week INDUSTRY IN THE COURTHOUSE — In a wide-fronted attack on the statutory court decree which concentrates especially heavy fire on its clause prohibiting admission fixing, clearance agreements and ordering disposal of theatres and dissolution of pools, the Big 5 Wednesday formally entered its appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Actually two separate appeals are involved, with 20th Century-Fox, RKO, Warner Bros., and Loew's (MGM) filing one and Paramount filing a separate paper which covers almost identical points made by the other four, and additionally alleges the court erred in prohibiting conditional selling, in granting exhibitors a 20 per cent cancellation on blindbuying and in compelling the distributordefendants to accept competitive bidding. (P. 9). With the entry of the Big 5 appeal all parties to the suit are now on record as protesting the decree to the Supreme Court. Also on Wednesday the American Theatres Association appealed against the statutory court ruling denying it the right to intervene against competitive bidding and the Confederacy of Southern Associations awaited only the return of its briefs from the printer to file a similar petition. In Washington the Government was reported ready to oppose all intervention on the grounds that it would muddy the waters and that the interests of the would-be intervenors are protected by the Government action. Meanwhile ATA Attorney Thurman Arnold embarrassed some of his ATA clients by stating that personally he continued to favor divorce saying: "It appears to be the only answer." In Chicago, distributor-defendants seeking to comply with the decree by individually revising clearances found that Federal Judge Michael I'goe, who had issued an injunction in the Jackson Park Theatre case which covered clearance, thought that their action conflicted with his opinion and apparently ordered them to stop. Judge Igoe's injunction had been stayed pending an appeal against it to the Court of Appeals, but his views on the clearance matter will cause the distributors to take another appeal. In Michigan City, Ind., everybody is happy (??) with an agreement reached in the suit which the Liberty Theatre had filed to get product, the lack of which it claimed prevented it from opening. * * * DISTRIBUTION — Selznick Releasing Organization Manager Milton Kussell this week closed a deal with National Film Distributors for the physical handling of Selznick product in 21 locations as David O. Selznick reached an "amicable" agreement with Mary Pickford and Charles Chaplin by which he dropped his $13,500,000 suit against United Artists, sold his interest in the distributing organization for $2,000,000 and would undertake distribution of all his product from "Duel in the Sun" on. UA retains distribution of the Selznick product it is also handling, reportedly gets back the money it loaned Selznick for production, and Chaplin drops a suit he had against Selznick. Lloyd Lind moved over to Pictorial Films, Pathe's new 16-mm. subsidiary which will make use of PRC's exchanges for physical handling of product and Ralph H. Clark, former exhibitor and distributor executive, became general sales manager for PRC in an executive move this week. Paramount announced it would offer the Pine-Thomas six in a group, and Universal announced reissue of eight pictures including "Destry Rides Again." EXHIBITION— Competitive bidding was getting a cautious tryout in the United States this week with independents buying away from what used to be the "normal" first-runs and finding it a more expensive method. (P. 9). Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America President Fred Wehrenberg called off his New York March 10-11 meeting to organize a Motion Picture Forum until after the Supreme Court finally acts on the decree; exhibitors generally seemed to favor the plan. In New York the Paramount slashed its morning prices to boost attendance — and did; in Detroit the Towne Theatre closed by authorities because of "The Outlaw" and over the seeming indignation of the public, reopened as a double feature house and in Adams, Wis., the height of realistic thinking was reached in the incorporation of a new theatre corporation authorized to exhibit pictures and to sell "peanuts and candy." In Chicago Balaban and Katz reached a truce with the projectionists over curtailed operation of its subsequent-run Admiral and Drake theatres whereby the closed Admiral reopened with night shows only and the Drake restored matinees. Trouble was based over men to be employed. Also in Chicago Jack Kirsch was reelected president of Allied Theatres for three years. GENERAL — Variety Clubs, now an international organization, expect 1,200 at their Los Angeles convention May 13-17. Byron Price, resigned board chairman of Association of Motion Pitcure Producers (Johnston office west coast division) formally put himself on record as having enjoyed his job, which he is leaving to become assistant secretary-general to the United Nations. This ought to squash the rumor that Price quit in disagreements with Johnston as to how the coast labor situation should be handled. Meanwhile a top-flight Washington newsmen is being considered as Price's successor. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Data 52 Audience Classifications 53 Box-Office Slants 24 Feature Booking Guide 46 Feature Guide Title Index 46 Hollywood 40 Regional Newsreel 26 Selling the Picture 13 Shorts Booking Guide 54 Short Subject Reviews 37 Theatre Equipment and Maintenance Begins Opposite 34 Theatre Management 20 The Show Builder 35 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, Title and Trade Mark Registered U. S. Patent Office. Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc., 1501 Broadway, 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 AMBassador 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. The News Spotlight RALPH H. CLARK, showman and distributor, who became PRC general sales manager this week. MILTON S. KUSSEL, Selznick Releasing Organization general sales manager, who this week closed physical distribution deals with National Film Distributors for physical distribution. MURRAY SILVERSTONE, 20th-Fox International president who urges American exhibitors for "selfish reasons" to book top English films. (P. 12) Paul Williams (The Man on the Cover) General Counsel of the Southern California Theatre Owners Association, and a prominent figure in exhibitor organization affairs since his assumption of that post in 1945. He resigned from the U. S. Department of Justice to join the SCTOA after serving eleven years as Special Assistant to the Attorney General, Anti-trust Division. Williams is a native of Salt Lake City, attended Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, was graduated from Cornell University