Variety (Sep 1942)

Wednesday, September 80, 1941 PICTURES 25 Gave CoDections To Kaufman, Aide Tells Newl Court Newark, Sept, 29. Ousler proceeding against Louis Kaufman, business agent of Local 244. Motion Picture Operators Union, was resumed in Chancery Court here this week before Vice Chan- cellor Bigclow. Suit, now more than a year old. is being brought by six members of the union to oust Kauf- man and his cabinet, whom they charge with continuing the misrule condemned in a Chancery Court de- cree in January, 1936. Defense opened Wednesday (23) with cros.s-examination of James (Shorly) •Fleming, professed col- lector for Kaufman and for many years scrgeant-at-arms for the union. Testifying last June, Fleming asserted that for about 15 years his money collections from members and applicants were not intended as dues or initiation fees, but, were turned over to Kaufman. 'It was dough for Louis,' he said. Andrew B. Crummy, defense counsel, exhibited two notes for $150 each, both in the handwriting of Fleming; the receipts, on the same paper, were written by Edwin Baader. the lender. The defense charged that Fleming collected money, saying it was for Kaufman, but kept it himself. Chancellor Bigelow ruled out the testimony. Ellenstein for Defense Testimony of Mrs. Winifred Growney, who charged Kaufman with asking her for $1,000 when she sought reinstatement in the union ^or her son, Leonard, was refuted. In part, by former Mayor Meyer C. Ellenstein. a witness for the de- fense. EUenstein said that Kaufman made no overtures to him to discharge Growney and that Mrs. Growney never discussed the subject with him. The former mayor declared that she did ask him to have Growney i-einstated as a film opera- tor and that he asked Kaufman or Harry Oppenhelmer union secre- tory, to take Growney back. Warren Dixon, Jr., defense coun- sel, charged Kaufman with nepotism and placed in the record a list of the choice' theatres in which relatives of Kaufman worked, also union officials and their relatives. Kaufman's 'FaTorltes' Dixon charged that Kaufman fa- vorites were given choice jobs, al- though they joined the union only « few years ago, while older union members in Kaufman's disfavor re- Jewed jobs with minimum pay Dixon produced union operators as witnesses m order to prove his point. Sydney and Joseph Klein, broth- Jofj ^'^i'^'tJ" "36 court fight, testified Thursday (24) for Kauf- man. Both said the union U being conducted as directed in the 1936 decree, when 'working on the arm- was characterized by the court as modified slavery.' Term referred to a former practice of having mem- bers work in jobs held by Kauf- man and other union leaders, Kauf- man and his aides being pM by tin- mf,"'* substitutes get- ting little or nothing. Harry Kate, another complainant In the 1936 suit, testified that none Calling All Spooks Hollywood, Sept. W. Hallowe'en alwayg maaot heavy demand for horror nlma but this year there 1b mora it- mand than ever, according to distribs on Film Row in Lo| Angeles. Along about the first (d October there Is generally a cau for murderous pictures to bt shown on the night of the 31it, which is witch night. Whether the war has anything to do with it or not, the request! this year are earlier and heavier, NEWSREELERS HIT DrftN Depletea Taohniolani and Aonndmen—Train Beplacements CANADA SETS REESFORPIX THEATRES Montreal, Sept. 29. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board has issued an order through its service administrator, James Stewart, dealing with the rental and exhibition of pictures in Canada. Theatre run categories are, gener- ally speaking, maintained as they existed during the basic period, Sept. 15-Oct. 11, 1941. Distributors are required to submit groupings of their product to the administrator for approval before starting to sell. Holidays on which exhibitors may charge evening prices are specifi- cally defined. Admission prices are governed by the price ceiling and cannot be In- ereased because of 'added attrac- tions' or otherwise. Rental prices of films paid by an exhibitor to a distributor are also governed by the general provisions of the board regulations. The order provides that giving of premiiuns can be continued by thea- tres which had a premium policy, or which have had it during the basic period or during August, }942, but no theatre can now begin such a policy. Dinner ware and ceramic products cannot be given as pre miums by any theatre after Sept 30. Whila hopeful that some favorable ruling may ba made by the selective Mfvic* toppari on technicians and soundmen, newsre«l executives in N. Y. do not anticipate any more exemptions for their staffs than ex- tended to other branches of the film industry. Pointed out that a ma- jority of the cameramen are 46 years old or above that age, hence few would be affected by the draft. Induction of too many technical men }n the N. Y. offices is certain to cripple staffs, it was pointed out, but replacements are being trained. Also it is hoped that where key men on the technical staffs are called, special or lmt>artlal rulings will be made when it is shown that these experts are needed to maintain the regular flow of newsreel product. Such ideas on maintaining the principal key men on duty at vital points in the production of a news- reel likely will be laid before proper officials in Washington because some newsreel executives recently expressed alarm at the imusual turn- over in technical manpower. One newsreel has virtually a complete new technical staff from the one it had a year ago, having lost about 90% of persormel to the armed forces with many others joining government agencies or war plant activity. CHI OPS VOTE TO TAKE IN 350 TERMTITERS' Chicago, Sept. 29. New coda drafted by Chicago Motion Picture (^erators Local 110 provided that 350 members now working under weekly working per mits, netting union $200,000 a year for past 20 years, be admitted as regular members. Additional pro- vision permits apprentices or junior members to be admitted one for each five regular members, total number of juniors never to exceed 20. Apprentices will have voice in meetings, but no vote, and can be come regular members in three years. There are about 415 regular members in union. Minoco to Produce 'CapL America' in N. Y. Jack Barry's Minoco Productions, heretofore making jukepix only for "T " *" j!"* *^ *" ^ ' ! ' ! 'Vi rtiiTi' mi '' fin- iii um m Jt the hands of Kaufman or his aides for testifying against them. Three Newark theatre managers "ated they wera not coerced by i^aufman or his aides, as aileged by Plaintilts. Crummy introducsfl as evidence a City Hospital card in order to Show injuries to George Gilligan, a lormer union vice-president. Gil- « j";u* ^'■'"C'Pal complainant, testi- nea that he was beaten and kicked 0." Kaufman's gang when he dis- agreed with Kaufman at a meeting "1 September, 1939, Dixon cross-examined Hariy Op- peniieimer, union secretary, Satur- lll l^?* regarding trips Kaufman nad take in 1941 and 1942 when Jj^vernment agents were reported looKing for him for testimony be- v^* a Federal Grand Jury in New , °V^/*hich was investigating film 'ackeleering. Oppenheimer stated that Knuf- :na.ns 'vacations' were for an in- iirn"'lf '"''■'"^ 3"'^ during the ime he was away he was sent Iiis ^^eekly $250 check as business agent •<"■ thp union. Trial ttn..; adjourned Saturday un- • ' Nov. 30. its first full-length production, ai to be made at its Bronx, N. Y„ stu- dios in a month or so. Frank Wis- bar, 'who directed 'Maedchen In Uniform,' will direct it from an orig- inal by himself and Marllynn (Mrs. Jack) Barry, a writer in her own right Titled 'Capt. America,' it's a pa- triotic theme, localed in China, and Peter Lorre may do the lead. His commitments west will determine the actual start of production in N. Y. Among others to whom Barry has spoken for roles are Lya Lys, Gordon Oliver, Bruce MacFarlane, Baroness von Leger. They Just Horse Around in Pix, These Waddies, but Coin Keeps Rolling In Sues on 'Enemies' Edward Small Productions was named defendant in a New York supreme court action filed last week which seeks an accounting of profits on company's production, 'Friendly Enemies.' The complaint is by Betty Cros- ney, administrator of the estate of Sam Bernard, alleging the misap- propriation of Bernard's rights to oi'.e-half Interest in the original play. EXPEQ N. J. W6 WALKOUT TO BE SETTLED UmPl'S FOLDING OFRCIALLY SET Official decision dissolving the United Motion t>icture Industry, after nine months of existence and turmoil, was reached yesterday (Tuesday). The official death sentence im- posed on XJMPI by William F. Rodgers, chairman of the committee of the whole, in a letter to all mem- bers of the commattee and mailed to them yesterday (Tuesday), reads as follows: 'The letters and statements re- ceived from exhibitor committee members of UMPI almost unani- mously express the opinion that while they regret such action was necessary, they felt under present conditions the future activities of UMPI as a formal organization should cease. 'I have, therefore, today instructed Leon Bamberger, executive secre- tary, to close the office at the Astor hotel as of Oct. 2, 1942. 'I, too, join in the hope that ..t some more propitious time such a worthy movement may resume itt activities. Most certainly I heartily agree with those who feel that the loss of any agency which works towards the establishment of a better ui:derstanding between various ele- ments of the industry must be a dis- tir.ct loss to the industry. 'I am sure that the gains in better understanding will not be lost and that while the active structure may temporarily disappear, the effect of th«. sincere negotiations will be felt for a long time to come. 'Because UMPI was entirely out of funds, Loew's, Inc. advanced $1,000 to liquidate all bills and I have asked Mr. Bamberger to return to Loew's what remains of this amount and to render each member of the commit- tee, an accounting of the expendi- To all concerned, may I again say Chi Ops 8talem»4e Chicago, Sept 20. Motk>n picture theatr* owners have not yet come to an agreement with tha Motion Picture Operators ^ their new salary damands and it is anticipated that matter will have to go to arbitration. Operators demanding return of 10% cut which they took nearly 10 years ago, also six-day week, with pay retroactive as of Sep(. I. Milestone's Russe Salute Hollywood, Sept, 29. Lewis Milestone, currently direct- ing 'Edge of Darkness' at Warners, will pilot a documentary feature on the Russian people in the War De- partment's series, 'Know Your Allies.' Walter Huston is slated as nar- rator, with Frank Capra In charge of production. my personal thanks for the coopera- tion you gave me as chairman.' A blow during the past week was struck when Allied SUtes Assn., which helped father the UMPI plan, informed William F. Rodgers, chair- man, that It could see no reason for going along on It. Allied stated In part; The Allied representations on UMPI have reluctantly reached the conclusion that any attempt to per petuate UMPI would not receive substantial support among the pro- ducers, distributors, the tradepress or the rank and file of exhibitors and would be doomed to failure.' The majority of 'front-of-the- house' help in Warner houses in northern New Jersey who went on strike last week returned to work Monday (28) and yesterday (Tues- day) In expectation that an adjust' ment will bfc made of their differ' ences. Only a few cashiers remain out. Approidmately 60 cashiers, door- men, ticket-takers, and ushers walked out of seven houses. All are members of the Screen Exhibi- tion Employees Union, which along with another CIO organization, United Theatrical and Bldg. Service Employees, has been trying to or- ganize front-of-house' workers in Warner houses for sometime now. UUUly Worker Hollywood, Sept M, The Studio Utility Employees Union, Local '724, has asked pro- ducers for an eight hour day with time and a half for the last two hours. The union, with a membership of 1,500, claims its members cannot earn a living on the ctirrent deal of a six hour day at $1 per hour. One result of this is to force many of the members into working a doiible- shift. SUE doesn't mind the double siiifting but is considering imposing a $50 fine, if the second shift is worked at straight, instead of over- time scale. Business representative L. C. Helm claims, that with men going into dS'- fense plants, in pursuit of more lu- crative jobs. It Is becoming increas- ingly difficult to flU studio calls, that the wage tilt might solve the prob' lem of both factions. H. C. Rohrbach, secretary of the '^^^l^^^Trt w*Labor. *He is currently secretary of the California District for the Internattonal Hod Carriers, Building and Common La borers of America. Now We're Gunners Hollywood, Sept. 29. Richard Arlen and Chester Mor- ris drew top spots in 'Aerial Gun- ner,' action picture to be produced next month by William Pine and William Thomas for Paramount re- lease. Pair recently worked together in 'Wrecking Crew' for the same pro- ducers. lA In Detroit Exchanges^ Detroit, Sept. 20. Both front and back office locals of the lATSE have been formed among film exchange employees here with a charter granted the new or- ganization. While no negotiations have been opened for the new mem- bership it was indicated that they would be handled on a national rather than a local basis. Local unit, according to Robert Buermele, first president of the local and the son of Carl W. Buermele, general manager of the Co-Operative Theatres of Michigan, will focus its activities chiefly on grievances. Other officers of the lATSE Local F 25 and B 25 are Al Champalgne, of 20th, business agent; Irene Nolan, Universal, treasurer; Margaret Stude- bakfr. Universal, financial secretary, and Dorothy Burns, Universal, re- cording secretary. Hollywood, Sept 20. Don't be surprised one of these days if Tex Ritter or Charley Siar- rett or Tv. .n Keene or Jimmy Dodd —or some other good, old, honest 'sweatband thespian'—sits down and commits to posterity the story of his life, entitled 'Just Horsing Around, or How to have Comparative Privacy at $15,000 to $30,000 a Year.' What's that? You never heard of Tex, Charley, Tom- and Jimmy? That's nothing. Neither, probably, have a few million others. Yet these particular gents, and those like them, go on year after year making t1 : kind of money cited above—some- times better, sometimes worse, b'lt always g<X>d. What's the answer. They're the guys who, for a little more than a few weeks out of the average 52, climb on a horse's withers, go yip-yipping up and down Dead Man's Gulch, shoot the cad. save the lady from a fate worse than car-hopping, and settle down in the sunset to a life of ease and refine- ment. Quite so; they're the heroes of the run-of-the-mine, middle class westerns—not in any way to be con- fused with the opulence and com- parative grandeur that goes wi'.h a Gene Autry production, or even those of Roy Rogers and Don (Red) Barry. The latter hit the big towns, even if only in a small way. Whereas, the only place those other guys have any significance is in what is known as the Deep South. But mind you among the hill-willies, they're the biggest and best thing that ever came out of Hollywood—and a Gable Is just something they hang on the corner of a house. That's why the coin is sure, and always comes In better-than-fair wages—$1,000 to $1,S00 a week. For the market is stable at about eight pictures a year, and Uie distribution center is ready and waiting, seem- ingly never tired of the antics of this equine cult Some of them, by the way, are a bit more generally known than those originally men- tioned. Not stars, of course. Some- brero stardom Is for such as Autry, Barry, Rogers^ BUI Boyd and one or two others. Per Example The category of the Keenes and Ritters is reserved for such old time silent favorites as Jack Holt, once a leading man; Johnny Hack Brown, • Mary Pickford support player and an Alabama footballer who once won a theatrical Rose Bowl game in the last minute of playi Raymond Hatton, an old heavy, and Rtissell Hayden, Tim McCoy, Bob Steele and Tom Tyler. The last two make up, with Jimmy Dodd, the 'Three Mesquiteers' at Re- public and In the course of a year do all right In the exchequer dept Brown and Ritter co-feature at Universal, Hayden is in the Bill Boyd series and Hatton is with Buck Jones. Currently, Tom Keene is over in Arizona, reeling off the sage- bush sagas for an Independent pro- ducer with great eclat and rapidity, but probably will be back at Mono- gram or Republic before long. The work, and the market, seldom change for any of them. In fact For the bigger names, yes. The war, perforce, has changed everything for Autry, considering his recent enlist- ment 'm the ilr force. But even before that war priorities had made quite a dent in the Autry income— with priorities killing his various commercial ties-in, like the Autry toy gun, etc. But with the average western player, the wartime Income has remained fixed and steady. They still have the six to eight pictures for the home lot with the chance to do others—if they wish—for PRC, depending on personal whhn. Usual- ly, they don't wish. They are seemingly content to go along as they are—working perhaps 5(j days out of the year, piling up something that's considerably more than a modest competence and spending the rest of the time leisure- ly Inviting the souL Maybe you, of the big centers of population, haven't heard of them, and don't want to. That's all right with them. In fact they'll make you a fair proposition. They'll take their life—and let you have yours. And as for that of the topflight stars, that's definitely where they draw the line. You couldn't give them that, accompanied by a pass key to the vaults at Fort Knox.