Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

>HOWMEN S TRADE REVIEW March i, 1947 NATIONAL NEWSREEL Bidding Feels Its Way As Exhibitors Watch (Continued from Page 9) the contrary and that competitive bidding "will drastically restrict. . . . (it's client's) access to ' the film necessary to operate their theatres" and will impair their "competitive position." ATA Attorney Arnold argues that the competitive bidding clause takes away from his client their present right to enjoin concerted action on the part of the defendants and their present right to recover damages which the anti-trust laws hitherto afford them against "such injury." Further, he argues, it authorizes and compels the major distributors to break off "established relationships with independents which have no taint of illegality whatever," and puts the exhibitor at the mercy of the distributor defendants who are in a position to dominate the film market. Claim 8 Errors CSA claims the statutory court erred in eight points in its decree, among them being the denial of CSA's right to intervene, and in setting up the entire sales clauses of the decree. CSA Attorney Joseph Bowen contends the bid clause would introduce "chaos" into his client's business and points out that exhibitors were unanimously opposed to the competitive bid system which places the industry "in a straitjacket of the court's design, desired by no one." He points out that the big theatres can outbid the little, that the Big 5 own theatres, and atacks the definition of a competitive area and of "the highest responsible bidder" as vague, "furnishing no practical measure ... by means of which a defendant may properly determine to what exhibitor to award a feature for which exhibitors bid." Bowen adds the clause will increase admissions, does not permit an old customer to be considered and prevents "necessary post-exhibition adjustments, an accepted trade practice by means of which film rentals are equitably adjusted in keeping with the results of exhibition." He concludes with the assertion that the bid clauses will create competition among exhibitors and not among distributors. Johnston for Injunctions To End Hollywood Strike Use of court injunctions to end the Hollywood strike was recommended in Washington this week by Motion Picture Association President Eric Johnston at a press conference announcing a collective bargaining study made by the Committee for Economic Development. Johnston heads the special committee drafting the report, which states that jurisdictional strikes have "no moral justification" and recommends that Congress legislate to settle them, including authorization of the injunctive powers. The MPA president said there was little chance of settling the Hollywood dispute short of the plan proposed by the committee. Polaroid in Color The Polaroid Corporation, makers of polaroid glass and lenses, this week announced that it had developed a new and comparatively inexpensive method of making color motion picture film which would be further developed and produced through a subsidiary to be organized. Saws Theatre in Two Frank Dalbec of Wing, N. D., wasn't stymied by shortages of materials and red tape when he wanted to build a theatre in the town. He heard of a theatre available at Souris, N. D., 148 miles away. He bought the building, had it sawed in two and the halves mounted on two trucks each. Seats equipment and furnishings were left intact. It took 12 days to cart the theatre over dirt roads, hills and snow. Undamaged by the journey, it was pieced together and now Wing has a theatre. Bills Affecting Industry Before Four Legislatures Legislatures were again busy this week with bills that might affect the motion picture industry in some manner or other. In Pennsylvania the legislature meeting at Harrisburg had before it a bill by Rep. Louis Mohr, Jr. Philadelphia, which would require theatres and other places of amusement seating 30,000 or more to have ample drinking fountains. The bill recommends one fountain for each 1,000 seats with fine up to $100 daily for violations. James J. Jump of Wilkes-Barre and David A. Livingstone of Philadelphia have introduced bills which would generally empower municipalities to levy, by ordinance, taxes on amusement admissions and to impose and enforce penalities for their violation. No Fecttherbedding Ohio's legislature has before it measures which would prohibit unions from "featherbedding" (this would prevent stand-by orchestras and stagehands), which would take trailers out from under censorship regulations, and which would permit women cashiers over 21 to work after 10 P.M., and those from 18 to 20 to work from 6 to 10 P.M. Girls under 16 would not be permitted to work at any time. In Indiana, where an "Anti-Ascap" measure is being considered, radio stations succeeded in getting themselves exempted from the provisions of the bill, so they could deal with organizations like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Another amendment to the measure adopted was by Rep. Harold Korn which would make the bill apply specifically to independently-owned as well as chain theatres. In Hartford, the Connecticut legislature is considering a bill which would allow the Education Board to designate some of its funds for visual education. No Closed Shop The Georgia legislature passed a bill outlawing open shop and mass picketing. In Missouri, the legislature there had a five per cent tax on theatre admission and one of 10 per cent on billboards scheduled to be presented to it, and in New York a move which might lead to municipal admission taxes followed a new program which would enable municipalities to levy their own taxes for the purpose of raising school teacher pay among other things. ATA, CSA Together In Fight on Bidding (Continued from Page 9) it to date, with exhibitors showing no tendency to compel bidding by request, according to report. Washington, D. C. has not tried it either. The Kansas City territory has not made general use of it, but reports are to the effect that in Cape Girardeau an independent exhibitor bought "Blue Skies" and "Two Years Before the Mast" away from a chain house. No figures were revealed, but it is believed that he paid as much for both as he did for top Paramount grossers in the past. No Bids Milwaukee has nothing to report on competitive bidding and in Des Moines, where it has not been put into effect, the exhibitors are reported ready to refuse to bid so as to defeat the plan if possible. In the New Orleans territory, local opinion seemed to be that independent exhibitors would not force competitive bidding. Exhibitors point out that several years ago Universal broke away from the dominant Paramount-Richards circuit and other circuits commonly reported influenced by it and sold to the independents. Later MGM followed an identical policy. Smaller exhibitors reason that if they compel bidding on product of the other majors, Paramount-Richards would enter the lists in bidding for the Universal and MGM product. In the St. Louis area, the recently opened Esquire Theatre at Cape Girardeau succeeded in obtaining some major pictures by bids against their opposition, the Broadway and Orpheum of the Fox Midwest circuit. These two houses originally had the first runs. Wont Bids In Rolla, Mo., Mildred Rauth of the Ritz, reportedly succeeded in getting some pictures first run by bidding. Miss Rauth had several cases before the American Arbitration Association at various times in an effort to get more favorable conditions against her opposition, the Gasonade Theatres Corporation's Uptown and Rollando. In St. Louis three subsequent-run theatres — M. A. Sanowsky's Fairy, Helen M. McMillan and Will Hayes's Plymouth and the Kainmann Plaza — had indicated a desire to bid for pictures. U-I Reissuing Eight Pictures Universal International this week announced reissue of the following eight productions : "Destry Rides Again," "When the Daltons Rode," "Magnificent Obsession," "100 Men and a Girl," "You Can't Beat an Honest Man," "1 Stole a Million," "Frankenstein," and "Dracula," the last two as a double bill. Touchy Topic Acting upon the complaint of the Tampico's Mayor Fernando San Pedor that some of the location shots WarnerBros. was making on "The Treasures of Sierre Madre" represented the Mexicans in a derogatory light, the Department of Interior this week ordered the producers to develop all film within Mexico for inspection. If the film passes inspection it will be approved for export; if not Warner will reshoot the scenes objected to, the majority of which are said to represent life among the underpriviledged.