Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

8 WHAT'S NEWS In the Film Industry This Week Litigation Foley Square is a well-kept small park in downtown New York that is very different from Times Square and very far from it — especially when you're in a hurry. Wednesday reporters from the trade press were breaking their necks to get there from the Times Square area with a frantic eye on their watches and a few unkind remarks about the subwa^ system. Reason: Federal Judge Vincent Leibell issued a second opinion in the monopoly suit against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the fact became known just before the court clerk's office was due to close. When the scramble was over and the judge's words had been read, it appeared: That divestiture was out of the window, but that Ascap was even more strongly confined in that it cannot seek royalties on pictures now current or reissues and it cannot move against anyone as long as it is an illegal operation. (P. 9.) An appeal is certain as soon as the court hands down the decree and injunction. In Washington the U. S. Supreme Court refused to review an appeal from pickets at Columbia studios who had been arrested under a state law. The high court als.o refused to review the St. Louis Amusement Company's appeal against the American Arbitration Association in which St. Louis Amusement lost out contending the AAA tribunals were illegal. Elsewhere the courts were busy: In St. Louis a state court was to consider making permanent a temporary injunction against picketing the Crest by the IATSE. In New York Cinema Circuit's Albermarle was suing RKO and the Rugoff and Becker circuit over clearance asking $1,200,000 triple damages under the anti-trust laws. In New York also the American Civil Liberties Union indicated willingness to fight for Warners' "Rope" which so far has managed to beat off injunctive attempts to stop it, brought by the Lion's Club in Seattle. And in Newark, N. J., the Broad had a temporary injunction stopping the police from interfering with the showing of an "educational" picture or the lecture and book-selling which accompanied it. Exhibition Years, years ago, there was a time when United Theatres in New Orleans advertised turkeys as giveaways over the names of the motion picture stars. Those were the days of the giveaways — ranging from dishes to automobiles. These premiums, which went out with the war, have been returning and this week it became known that the auto was back as a giveaway when Fox West Coast will use them as a lure to beat the pre-Christmas week slump. In Los Angeles R. H. Poole quit as secretary of the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners and Leroy C. Patterson became president. In Memphis, W. F. Ruffin, Jr., became president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee at their two-day meet which listened to Eagle Lion's Max Youngstein tell them they ought to tell Hollywood what they wanted oftener and louder. In Toronto, President H. C. D. Main of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Toronto warned that if unsuited pictures kept being fed audiences, people would quit going to the movies. Distribution Monogram and Allied Artists added a trio of high-powered sales chiefs this week as L. E. Goldhammer became western sales manager, Maxwell Gillis, eastern district manager and Jim Pritchard, southern district manager. Ted O'Shea, executive assistant to Paramount General Sales Manager Charles Reagan took on another job this week — the mideastern division. Columbia this week estimated that its 194849 releases would total 47 including two Gene Autry plus two Roy Acuff westerns, eight Durango Kids and a shorts program of four serials, 60 singles, 24 color cartoon and 28 two-reelers. United Artists announced that it would make new product — 15 to 30 minutes in length — for television and reissue it sold features to the new medium and that it would keep video rights in all its contracts with producers so as to have them available when the picture was taken out of theatrical distribution. RKO announced a 1948-49 shorts program of 85. General Lynn Farnol is a tall, quiet-talking publicist who could pass for that character — the man of distinction. This week Farnol quietly answered some of the outspoken people who say showmanship is dead. The answer was not direct. Farnol pointed out how the Samuel Goldwyn office sold a picture and laid down his credo: Tailor the exploitation job to fit the individual picture. (P. 10.) The Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild along with the Screen Publicists Guild have started to fight hard at the major distributors — all of whom excepting Eagle Lion have refused to negotiate new contracts with them on the grounds that the two CIO unions had not signed the non-Communist affidavits of the Taft-Hartley Act. The unions, which claim this is not mandatory, started a campaign against the pictures of the companies this week. The New York Paramount is being picketed daily at noon by pickets who tell the public the plot of the picture and advise them to stay out. Private mailing lists are receiving cards which are to be mailed back to Loew's Nick Schenck and 20th-Fox's Spyros Skouras advising them that the writer will not patronize their pictures unless they negotiate. Meanwhile Eagle Lion, which has already signed with the Screen Office Employes this week closed for one year with some 26 publicists. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 30, 1948 Levinson Wins SMPE Award Col. Nathan Levinson, Warner Bros, technical director and pioneer sound developer, was awarded the Samuel L. Warner award at the banquet which closed the Society of Motion Picture Engineers meeting in Washington, D. C. this week. The annual progress award went to Peter Mole of Mole-Richardson for his contributions to theatre lighting during the past 20 years. In addition three Eastman Kodak engineers — S. Chandler, Donald F. Lyman and Laurence F. Martin — were awarded the annual SMPE Journal award for the best paper of the year. Also formally announced at the banquet was the election of Earl Spoonable to succeed Loren Ryder as president with Mole as executive vicepresident, and Robert M. Corbin as secretary. William C. Kunzmann and Robert M. Corbin were re-elected vice-presidents. Monogram Adds Trio To Expanded Staff Monogram and Allied Artists this week revamped their sales department to provide for the appointment of three new sales executives in an expanded distribution set-up which President Steve Broidy said would add $100,000 a year to sales operations. The new appointees, working under Sales Manager M. R. Goldstein, are : L. E. Goldhammer, formerly Film Classics general manager, as western sales manager over Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and with supervision over Sol Francis' district of Denver, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Des Moines, St. Louis. Maxwell Gills, formerly Republic district manager, to eastern district manager over New York, Albany, Buffalo, Washington and Philadelphia. Jim Pritchard, formerly with Universal, Dallas, as southern district manager over Oklahoma City and Dallas and as collaborationist with Arthur C. Bromberg over Atlanta,' Memphis, New Orleans and Charlotte. The west coast offices remain under Mel Hunting and Allied Artists Vice-President Harold Mirisch remains as studio liaison with Broidy. Daylight Saving Time to Continue in California Second try to eliminate California's daylight saving plan was rebuffed at Sacramento by Governor Earl Warren. Stating that a continued power shortage exists in the state, Warren said: "I would feel that under the circumstances it would be somewhat rash to discontinue daylight saving time." Theatre and restaurant interests lead the new investigation. January 1 is now set as tentative date for lifting the saving schedule. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Data 26 Audience Classifications 12 Box-Office Slants 12 Feature Booking Guide 27 Feature Guide Title Index 27 Hollywood 24 Newsreel Synopses 33 Regional Newsreel \ . . . . 19 Selling the Picture \ . . 16 Shorts Booking Guide A. 34 Theatre Management \ 14 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, Title and Trade Mark Registered U. S. Patent Office. Published ewry 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, Executive Editot; Ralph Cokain, Managing Editor; Harold Rendall, Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office, 6777 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood 28, California; Telephone, HOIlywood 3055; Ann Lewis, manager! London Representative, Jock MacGregor, 16 Leinster Mews, London W.2 ; Telephone, AMBassadori 3601 ; Member Audit Bureau of Circulations, Member Associated Business Papers. All contents copyright 1948 by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York office. Subscription rates: $2.00 per year in the United States and Canada; Foreign, $5.00; Single copies, ten cents. Columbia Schedules 47 tor Release Columbia Wednesday announced an estimated release of 47 features during 1948-49, including Gene Autrys, plus two Roy Acuff special westerns, eight "Durango Kid" westerns, five serials and a total of 102 shorts. The serials include two "Jungle Jims" and the current "Superman" and the shorts program embraces 60 singles, 24 color cartoons and 28 two-reel comedies.