Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

10 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 15, 1949 Claim Conspiracy, Want $184,000 {Continued from Page 5) Fullerton and deprived the Wilshire of an early run on films. Defendants are National Theatres, its subsidiary, Fox West Coast, the parent company, 20th Century-Fox, and Warner Bros., Columbia, Loevv's (MiGM), Universal, Paramount, RKO, United Artists. Buying Power Abuse Charged in West Coast Suit Charging deprivation of product in 1939 for their Rex at Bakersfield, Calif., Exhibitors S. Fouros and A. Simos this week filed suit for triple damages amounting to $510,000 in federal court at Los Angeles. The suit asserts that as a result of this alleged inability to get product, the plaintiffs had to lease their Rex to Fox West Coast and terms the asserted situation a misuse of "buying power" by an affiliated chain. Defendants are National Theatres Corporation, its subsidiary. Fox West Coast, Fox Bakersfield Theatre Corporation, 20th CenturyFox, Warner Bros., and United Artists. Bogeaus Trust Suit Asks $3,000,000 of Paramount Producer Benedict Bogeaus this week filed suit for triple damages amounting to $3,000,000 against Paramount in Federal court at Los Angeles. The suit is part of a counterclaim to a suit by which Paramount seeks to foreclose a mortgage on a Bogeaus company which owns "Lulu Belle." The Bogeaus suit asserts that through monopolistic power on the part of Paramount and others his various distributors could not get the right terms for "Lulu Belle," "On Our Merry Way," "Christmas Eve," and "The Girl From Manhattan." All but "Lulu Belle" were distributed by United Artists ; Columbia handled "Lulu Belle." SMPE Meets on Coast; Reelects Sponable Earl L Sponable was elected president of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers at its 66th semi-annual convention in Hollywood Monday, at a meeting which discussed television, color films and cost-cutting possibilities. Elected with Sponable were Financial VicePresident, Ralph B. Austrian, Engineer VicePresident Fred Bowditch, and Treasurer Frank Cahill. Continued in office were Editorial VicePresident Clyde R. Keith, Executive VicePresident Peter 'Mole, Convention Vice-President William iC. Kunzmann. Fletcher Honored Tlie Annual Awards of the Society were made Wednesday night. The top award went to Dr. Ha rvey Fletcher of Bell Telephone Lab., N. Y., for outstanding research in recording and reproduction of speech. The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Award went to Ralph M. Evans of Eastman Co., Rochester, N. Y., for his research on color. F. G. .A.lvin received the SMPE Journal Award for the outstanding technical paper of 1948. The subject of his paper was Sensitrometric Aspects of Monitor Tube Photography. Films at Trial Motion pictures played a major role this week at the trial of a suit brought against the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad by Miss Isabell G. Sinclair who alleged she suffered permanent back and leg injuries as the result of a fall while working for the railroad in June, 1946. In a surprise move the railroad attorney introduced motion pictures which, he told the jury, were taken of Miss Sinclair last July, adding that they showed the plaintiff walking and moving without a limp while operating a concession stand. The jury returned a "no cause for action" verdict in Miss Sinclair's $85,472 damage suit. Senator Downey Lauds Industry The motion picture industry is making "vast sacrifices" at a cost of millions of dollars in spreading the "American message" throughout the world. Sen. Sheridan Downey (D. Calif.), told the Senate Wednesday in Washington. Downey declared he was referring to exchange, quota restrictions and other barriers, in a speech lauding the industry and apparently aimed at influencing action against European restrictions on films. "I doubt," he declared, "if any other private institution in all our history ever made such sacrifices for the good of our country and for the cause of democracy and freedom everywhere." He told the solons that the American motion picture "has become the torch of freedom throughout the world," carrying "the American message" to all corners of the earth and carry-' ing the story of democracy to ears beyond the reach of even the Government-sponsored "Voice of America." Gloria Swanson Cheered By Boston Students Students of Boston's Suffolk LIniversity and New England Art School cheered Gloria Swanson this week as she entered the first lap of her trip as a publicist for films generally and Paramount pictures. Bay City reports indicated that the glamorous actress of silent screen days had clicked heavily with the populace where she aided in launching the Community Fund Campaign. At the New England Art School she praised the work done by students in Animated Cartoons, and later was in turn praised by John H. Bishop and W. Brownell Freeman of the Community Fund and Acting Gov. Jefif Sullivan, who referred to her as one who had done as much to advance motion pictures as any person. Toddy Schedules Releases Toddy Pictures, distributors of Negro pictures, this week announced that their 1949-50 release schedule would contain 28 features, 15 musicals, 6 one-reel action subjects and 11 tworeel comedies. Gould Gets 'Villa' Walter Gould, this week announced that he had acquired world-wide rights for "Pancho Villa iReturns" and was negotiating for American distribution. SIMPP, AFM Agree on Wages The American Federation of Musicians and the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers this week agreed upon basic wages, for musicians recording music for productions of their members. This is the second such agreement reached, the first toeing with the Association of Motion Picture Producers, a branch of the Motion Picture Association of America. The new 'SIMPP agreement provides a basic wage of $39.90 a man for a three-hour session in which the minimum number of musicians employed is 36. If fewer musicians are employed on the same picture where the 36-men are employed, the same rate will apply. For orchestras of 25 to 35 men the rate is $43.89 for three consecutive hours, for orchestra if 20 to 27 men it rises to $47.85. Combinations of less than 20 men, will receive $51.90. British Variety Club To Be Inducted Oct. 20 Great Britain's new Variety Club will be formally inducted on Oct. 20 at festivities in the Savoy Hotel of London with International Chief Barker Robert J. O'Donnell officiating, it was announced this week. The new tent — Tent 36 — is headed by Chief Barker Bob Wolfif, Assistant Chief Barker C. J. Latta, Charles L. Tucker ; Dough Boy Bill Kupper, Property Master Lou Wilson. Canvasmen are Arthur Abeles, Fay Allport, David Coplan, Joseph Friedman, Ben Goetz and James Perkins. In addition there are the following charter members : Caroll Gibbons, Miles Goldrick, John Hunter, Lawrence R. Kent. Ben Lyon General Lyman Munson, James Murphy. Jimmy McHugh, Jr., J. .Andrew Neatrour, Val Parnell. To Visit Hospital Tent delegates to the Mid-Year Conference of the Variety Clubs International which opens Oct. 25 at the Hotel .^stor. New York, were scheduled to arrive on Oct. 23 to make an inspection trip of the Variety Clubs-Will Rogers Memorial Hospital at Saranac Lake. The delegates will leave and return by special train for the one-day trip. Discrimination Ban Up in St. Louis Eugene H. Buder, attorney for the St. Louis Civil Rights Committee, this week presented a provision for the city's new contemplated city charter which would pr-event any public place from discriminating against the admittance or employment of persons because of race, color or creed. A bill to the same effect is now before the aldermanic board. Four-Screen Drive-In Efforts to have the Overland, Mo., Aldermen's Board reconsider a zoning ordinance that would enable it to build a four-screen drive-in costing $100,000, are to be made shortly by the St. Louis Amusement Company. If the application is successful, the job would mark what is said to be the nation's first fourscreen under-skyer.