Variety (Feb 1947)

PICTURES We&nm&ay, February 5, 1947 Govt Try to Promote Committee • For Chancing Official Pictures To . Tkate Sours Willi Aid Nix Government's attempt to promote 4- an all-industry committee for fun- ' neling official pix to theatres took it on "the button over the weekend when the National. Allied States' board refused to join up at an Allied Washington, D.C., meeting, Allied's nix makes probable similar action by both the Conference of Independent Exhibitors Assns. and the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners since these units are closely tied to it. Without- enlistment of Allied, a major factor among exhibs, the move for closer cooperation with the Gov- ernment Will be back where it started from, other committee mem- bers said. Backing this argument, it was pointed out that an important function of the committee was to consult with Government officials before production of films to prevent making of overtong or unnecessary pix. "It's not enough for Allied to say it will cooperate separately since what they intend doing is merely saying yes or no to' a film after it's produced," one exec said. "The Gov- ernment asked for formation of the all-industry committee at the Wash- ington meeting last fall to avoid the pitfalls experienced heretofor. It wanted elimination of the wasteful practice of making Government films first and then having them changed, to meet industry suggestions." Danger of the Government con- sidering the industry "intransigeant," with a consequent hardening of feelings, was also pointed up by other committee members. With the industry already threatened -on a number of Government fronts, such as the anti-trust suit, taxation and the "forthcoming probe into Holly- wood's political affiliations, -Allied's action is viewed by many toppers as another wrinkle to be ironed out be- • fore rapprochement with Govern- ment toppers can be pushed. DOMESTIC ARMY POSTS UP ADMISH RATES Washington, Feb. 4. Film distributors will make a little more in 1947 on their rentals of pix to the Army post theatres, on the basis of new admissions rates, ac- cording to Fred K. Bund; head of the Army Motion Picture Service. The tariff in post theatres in the U. S. will be increased from 15c to 20c for adults and from. 10c to 15c for children, effective Feb. 15. This cov- ers -the so-called domestic opera- tion— all posts in continental U. S., Alaska, Newfoundland, Bermuda and the Azores. There will be no change overseas for the time being, where the present 10c and 15c rates will continue for 35m films. No charge is made for showing of 16m pictures. Current negotiations between the Army Motion Picture Service and the exchanges is drawing to a con- clusion' in New York, with a few de- tails still to be ironed out. Percent- ages in the'new contracts will not be announced until everything is settled 'Select' Films, leep Numbers Down, If You'd Get fey Soiiet Iron Curtain PHIL AMIGONE and JACK GBDOD present GEORGE ~C3Y0T Currently at the CHEZ AMI SAFE In Buffalo, New York . In SEC Spotlight Films Help In OGR s Drive For Govt. Funds Th« film industry has been asked to back Ihe Office of Government Reports- by adding the weight of its testimony during forthcoming Con- gressional appropriations hearings. OGR wants the pix toppers to speak of the need of a governmental agen- cy to act as'liaison between the di- verse branches of the Government and the industry. Amount of cash allocated to the OGR will depend, among other things, on the neces- sary duties performed • by that agency. 1 Understood that Si Fabian, Ameri- can Theatres Assn. prexy, and Ted Gamble, board chairman, have al- ready been approached. Fabian as chairman "of the all-industry com- mittee set up to funnel Government paign for Allied, outlined the prog- has frequently dealt with Toby ress being made by Stanley Neal, H^e, OGR topper, who took over promoter in the deal. Under it. the when Merce y ^PP^ out of (Continued on page 18) Move for Member Signatures Washington, Feb. 4. Mid-winter board meeting of Al- lied here past weekend revealed that the job of obtaining signed agree- ments from member theatres, to foster production, is moving along and will continue for another month. Question, of whether independent, producers ,will undertake pictures to provide additional product for the indie theatres depends upon how many exhibitors sign the deals. Irving Dollinger, heading the cam- SELZNICK SNARES 2 MORE FROM PAR Sporadic forays of David O. Selz r nick's Vanguard Productions against the majors' personnel continue, with Paramount the chief target of the raiding tactics. latest to be snared from Par for the growing Vanguard and Selznick Releasing Organiza- tion forces are Eddie Fontaine, erst- while Washington branch manager for Par, and Johnny Del Cambre, New Orleans salesman. Selznick's companies now include so many ex- Paramounters that the industry gen- erally regards it as the normal post- graduate course for that major's staffers. * Precedent was set a number of years ago when Neil AgneW, then Par's sales chief, switched to the corresponding post at Vanguard. Selznick's outfits then proceeded with the capture of Milt Kusell, Par's New York district manager; William Erbb, New England sales of- ficial; John Howard, Detroit branch manager; and Paul White, h.o. pub- licity choresman. Manny Reiner, Latin American sales head for Selz nick, and Herb Berg, h.o. flack, also found their way to Vanguard via Paramount. Successful raiding tactics are un- derstood to spring from two factors. Having trekked to Vanguard from Paramount, A g n e w naturally enough has sought to augment his staff with his trusted seconds at Par. Another considerable factor is that Selznick has offered heavy coin to those he or Agnew want and, re- portedly, close to doubled pay checks which Par was handing its staffers. his Government-film liaison spot. With Republican congressmen talk- ing economy, the OGR feels the im- minent, threat of the budget-cutting axe. Point made with industryites is that crippling of the agency would throw the situation back to war days, When film biz toppers struggled with the overlapping demands of many Government branches. Philadelphia, Feb. 4, Transactions by the three Warner brothers in WB stocks hold the spot- light in film security deals, accord- ing to the monthly report of the Securities and Exchange Commis- sion, which covers the period from Dec. 11 to Jan. 10. Jack L. Warner reported the do- nation of 1,000 shares of WB $5 par common to the Jewish Welfare Federation, bringing his holdings to 429,000 shares. His trust acquired 7,300 shares during the month, mak- ing a total of 19,300 N in trust. Harry Warner's trust acquired an additional 2,600 shares, with Warner reporting his personal holdings as, 300,000 shares. Albert Warner, added 3,900 shares f bringing his total to 430,000. His trust acquired 7,400 shares. Warrants for the purchase of com- mon stock in Universal Pictures were acquired .by the following of- ficials of the -company: Charles D. Prutzman, 2,950; William A. Scully, 3,000 and Joseph H. Seidelman, 3,000. In a belated report Barney Bala- bah reported the ..sale of 300 shares of Paramount common. Balaban also reported, as of Oct., 1946, he was holding 2,000,00(1 conversion notes' calling for 2%% conversion notes. Nicholas M. Schenck sold 1,000 shares of Loew's, Inc., making his total 21,439. J, Robert Rubin dis posed of 100 shares. Activity in Columbia Pictures in- cluded the following: Jack Cohn, New York, sold 550 shares; 'Abe Montague gave nine shares to char- ity; Abraham Schneider disposed of 14 shares. KERN WASH. FOR DIVORCEMENT FBI! Minneapolis, Feb, 4. Bennie Berger and Stanley Kane, North Central Allied president and executive counsel, respectively, are in Washington to urge Senator Wil- liam Langer of North Dakota to push his theatre divorcement bill and to line up support for it arojjng the Northwest Congressional delegation. The fight for divorcement has been the main order of business for the independent exhibitors' organization, though at least one of-its leaders, Bejn Friedman, has come out against it. Because he opposed battling for di- vorcement, Friedman resigned as one of the body's "advisers," but has. con- tinued his membership. Berger also was to proceed from Washington to New York to protest in person to distributor sales exscu- tives against the "flood of reissues" hitting the market, the.alleged "ex- cessive" terms for such reissues and "exorbitant" percentage and other demands which, he claims, "are gradually forcing many independent exhibitors to the wall.*' Exhibs Urged To Give Aid lo Edic'l Films *■ To get maximum, returns for American films from countries "be- hind the Iron curtain" of Europe, U, S. companies must 1 (1) avoid flooding the markets and (2) practice the greatest selectivity in choosing films for these areas, according to a film topper just returned to this country from a tour of the Soviet- orbit nations. Great pressure was "being exer- cised, he said, by 'anti-Communist elements on the selectivity angle, Since they figure that good U. S. flints are their most effective means Of propaganda for democracy. Sub- ject-matter doesn't make much dif- ference, exec declared, as long as the films are good from an entertainment viewpoint, but they're particularly valuable when on a serious theme. "How Greer{ Was My Valley," for in-» stehoe, 'has proved terrifically popu- lar in recent showings. On the flooding angle, film topper pointed out, it's important to avoid sending too many pix into European countries in order to give small, na- tive distribs a-- chance to sell their product. "While.in theory we should get the playing time if our pictures in a" competitive market are better than theirs, this isn't a case where you can work on theory," returning exec declared. "Many of these small distributors have considerable political power in one form or another and can do us a great'deal of harm if we put too much pressure on them. We must act sensibly-and in accordance with the practical facts of the situation." Settle Frisco Uoion Row San Francisco, Feb. 4. Pickets have been pulled from around the Uptown theatre after an agreement Whereby the union • has agreed to accept as members colored usherets. This settles difficulty which start- ed in November and kept pickets in front of house till now. During that time grosses were cut 25%. Settle- ment resulted after three-way con- ference of theatre operators, pickets and union. The Uptown is part of Golden State chain. $60,000 for 'Stairway' Ads in Five Mags Universal has earmarked $60,000 to beat the drums for "Stairway to Heaven," J. Arthur Rank pic, in a spot ad campaign in five top weekly magazines. U plans a big sendoff for general U. S. release of "Stair- way" by buying space in Life, Look, Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and Time, between March 22 and April 7. Hoavy coin into mags is in accord- ance with selling blueprint on first few Rank releases, which calls for spending of as much as $400,000 per pk. "Heaven" is currently being shown in New York and Los An- geles on a roadshow basis. Phyllis Blum Named Ill's Eastern Story Ed Eastern story editor and acting talent chief have been named by Charles Einfeld,' Enterprise prexy, to represent the unit in New York. Story ed is Phyllis Blum, who moves over from the Goldwyn Productions editorial department. She was for- merly also with Metro and RKO' play departments in the east. Temporarily acting as talent snooper is Michel Bernheim, French producer and director, who aided in production of Enterprise's "Arch of Triumph." It is expected that an eastern studio rep will be named later to round out the New York production department. Indianapolis, Feb. 4. Exhibitors are urged by the As- sociated Theatre Owners of Indiana to get in on the ground floor of edu- cational -®ix through cooperation now with schools, thus placing them' selves in a position "to advise edu- cators and block the entry of the opportunist who will do them harm. Deciding that educational films are here to stay as much as printed books or wall maps, the ATOI de- clares in its Feb. 3 bulletin that "The American people will Insist upon the most up-to-date and efficient facilities for the education Of their children, and the 80% of the schools at present unequipped are reaching out for modern educational aid." Unfortunately,, the ATOI observes, "opportunity seekers are trying to cash in on the development of this effective classroom tool. These people have neither honest objec- tives nor proper talents to contrib- ute to the field into which they are chiseling. They are an equal threat to the educator and the local , busi- ness man, the exhibitor." As a solution, the Hoosier trade group proposes that "many exhibi- tors, especially those in small towns and in neighborhoods, - might ar- range wjth teachers for the use of their theatres one or two mornings a week. This would be a solid con- tribution to their community and a great source of good will to the ex- hibitor who is interested in public relations. Plus this, he will be in a position to advise educators and block the entry of the opportunist who will do him harm." In following this line, ATOI offers aid to interested exhibitors by con- tacting distributors for him and supplying lists of suitable subjects. Rodgers Drops Prize Trips Prize trip to key cities and the Metro studio at Culver City for 14 M-G sales staffers, which had origi- nally been scheduled for early March, has been cancelled under or- ders from William F. Rodgers, veepee over sales. Prize had been awarded to the 14 division and branch managers, salesmen and bookers on the basis of their records for the preceding year, with Rodgers hoping to have the men become acquainted with problems in other territories through a tour of the key cities. With changes in general sales policy under the anti-trust decree still un- certain, and with pressure of busi- ness in their own situations becom- ing increasingly heavy, however, it was decided to cancel the trip. Charity Nets $1,173,631 Si Hollywood Appeal Hollywood, Feb. 4. Motion picture studios have sub- scribed $1,173,631 to date in the an- nual United Appeal drive for vari- ous charities, with the -campaign going into'its 10th week. Donations have been made thus far by a total of 20,009 workers. Among the * studios, 20th-Fox moved in front with 2,968 pledges for $181,230. Metro is second with 3,059 subscriptions for $180,535 and Paramount is third with 2,608 for $160,720. ACQUITTED OF RAP ON INDECENT PIC Benjamin Brodie, head of the Ben- in ir Amiis. Corr., which formerly owned and operated the Miami, N. Y., was acquitted in N. Y. special sessions court Monday (3) of charges that he exhibited an indecent and lewd picture, "Guilty Parents." At the same time, investigations by the district attorney's office and Chief Justice George B. De Luca of special sessions revealed that there were no indications "of a fix in the case, which had been suggested and subsequent- ly scouted; In trial before Special Sessions Justice Matthew J. Troy, Jan. 8, Brodie's attorney, Jacob Leff, told the court that the Department of Licenses had promised to restore the Miami's license if the Benmir Corp. would plead guilty to showing an ihdecent picture. Firm, entering such a plea, was fined $500 last spring. Troy, incensed by Left's "revelations," called the License Dept's handling of the case as hav- ing all the "earmarks of a fix." ■ Assistant District Attorney Wil- liam P. Rogers, reporting on an in- vestigation of Troy's charges, termed Left's statement as "incorrect and without any foundation in fact," and said that Left had made an affidavit retracting the statement - he had made before" Troy. The attorney noted that he did not mean to say what he did. . " Charges against Brodie arose when 401 feet of film, which had been banned by the N. Y. State Board of Regents, was added to the print shown at the Miami. In ac- quitting Brodie, the court said there was reasonable doubt as to the de- fendant's guilt. It further devel- oped" that Brodie has withdrawn from exhibition. Miami is now op- erated by another firm under a new name, the Avenue. JOE M0SK0WITZ WEST Hollywood, Feb. 4. Joseph Moskowitz arrived yester- day (3) from New York for confer- ences with Joseph M. Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck at 20th-Fox. He will remain here for several days before returning east. Gnerson s 1st Initial one-reeler to be delivered to United Artists by John Grierson's new shorts outfit, "Today," will be "Wonder-iEye," a fast-motion pic showing six weeks' growth of a plant in one minute, plus similar camera tricks. Second release in the series of 26-a-year will be "Atom in Action." First one will go into dis- tribution late this.month. "Whose Germany?"' which was originally slated as the initial re- lease, has been abandoned. Unit, meantime,-has made a'tieup with the American WeeWly for cross- plugging, similar to association of RKO-Pathe's "This Is America unit with "This Week."