Variety (Mar 1948)

Wednesday, Mamli.S, 1948 PBR-PnODlICTIOBr U.S. PRODS. S WING TO CANADA IKiei^ Rea^ Siraqiiiig Dorandb; C«fld To M For Closed Shop HttUywood, Match 1 on committee proposals, Screen Directors Guild Is getting ready to pnesen't a set of sweeping demands to the producers when contract negotiations open for a new. basic agreement replacing the 1939 pact which expires March 15. De- mands, which will first be placed before the SDG membership for' ap- proval, include a closed shop and new minimumsvfor freelance direc- tors based on negative costs, and the right to strike. New freelance minimums would etart at $2,500 for two-atid-a-half weeks' work on films having a nega- tive cost up to $50,000. A gradually expanding scale reaches ♦lO.OOO for 10 weeks' work on pix between .$175,000'»$200,000. An alternate pro- posal would give freelances a mini- mum salaj-y of 5% of estimated production. cost Biccording to the present bookkeeping system. This would protect directors on high budget productions. Scales for contract directors call for -salary of $750 weekly for 52 weeks with no ' layoff period, and tSOO weekly with a 12-weefe layoff period. Guild wants to eliminate layoffs entirely but if it cannot be negotiated, SDG will seek to set up standards calling for at least one week's notice and limitation of lay- off to six consecutive weeks with permission to do outside work dur- ing that period. On. loanout^,'. directors .will seek to share SO'rSO^ with'studio on the amount over the regular contract lalary with provision that the con- tracted studio be entitled to deduct the difference up to six weeks sal' «ry of directors unassigned previous to theloanoiit ^ A danse covering the right of conti»ct termination will also be asked.. It would provide that a di- rector who's been unassigned to a picture within 26 weeks will have the privilege of ending his pact on written notice. Suspnisions would he Umited on any single period of the 'Contract, in no case' to exceed fix consecutive weeks. :SDG board will, recommend i basic clause eliminating the prohibl tiori of the right to strike following a poll showing that a majority of members favor the st^p. Directors would also be given tight to controlj cutting up to and including the first preview, or in cases , where there is no such pre- view, up to the timfe the film is •hown to a studio exec who has'the final deciBioa on cutting. Advertising credits are also covered in the pro- Producers SHioiild Pay MoEeAttentioiitoExyb lememan _Waiiam J. Heineman, Eagle Lion's digtribution veepee, is plugging for greater attention to exhibitor ideas on story content and production ele- ments which would boost boxoffice revenues. From now on in, Heine- man says, EL will give important consideration to exhib braintrusting on production matters. That deci- sion was reached in huddles with Arthur Krim, EL proxy, and Bryan Poy, production veepee^ ' "We feel that exhibitors know bet- ter than anyone else the elements which wiU draw patrons, and that they also know, far in advance of any polls or questionnaires, which stars are on the rise and which are beginning to lose their drawing power. This knowledge is exactly What we want to havC) to guide us in. determining which stars to sign and which types of pictures to make," the sales biggie declared. Many companies, Heineman said, have a sharp distinction between production and sales. "We don't be- lieve this is healthy—or smart," he explained. "We feel that no com- pany can achieve its full potential unless "both departments fusiction together." Heineman stressed the use of exhibitor knowledge in der daring that EL's present goal was a ininimum of 12,000 domestic book- ings on all company releases. , MPF Meet Set Back E. V. Bichards, Paramount circuit partner and head of the Motion Pic- ture Foundation, announced yester- day (Tues.) that a three-day meet- ing of the trustees, originally set for March 16^18, has been moved back until sometime in April. Postponement of the trustee con- clave, it was said, was due to the fact that the Theatre Owners of America had scheduled a meeting on the Coast for March 9-10. Date of this gathering was to close to the trustee, huddles hence the moveback to April. Switch also will give the MPF committee more time to pre- pare the agenda. CzediCoiv Won't Hart US. Films aas Optimism that no serious conse-' quences would result to U. S. films as result of the Communist coup in Cssechoslovakia last week was ex- pressed Monday (1) in New York by Irving Maas, v.p. and general manager of the Motion Picture Eb(«. port Assn. Distribution of major company, product to Czecho is han- dled for the industry by the MPEA. Maas pointed out that there have long been Communists active, in the Czech film monopoly, which con- trols all houses and distribution. He said that it was with them that the MPBIA made its original deal in 1946. Lubomir Linhart, head of the: state monopoly, who came to the U. S. to ink the pact, is reputedly a Commie. MPEA topper also explained that his organization regularly does busi- ness with other Soviet orbit coun- tries, such as Poland, Rumania and Bulgaria, which have Communists- at the top, as Czechoslovakia now has. Maas added, however, that the developments "won't do us any good; this kind of thing never does." MPEA and Czech officials were at a standstill on negotiations for a new. pact when the Commies took over the government last week. The old contract ran out last November. It called for delivery of 80 pictures. About 12 or 13 of this group are yet to" be played off, according to the MPEA, Because of the popu- larity of IT. S. pix, making for long: first-runs, the playoff is very slow. Czechoslovak business is particu- larly valuable to the American com- panies, since they get full remittance of the coin they earn. Most other Soviet orbit countries permit only print costs or a little more. MPEA does not distribute in the country; but merely delivers its product to the monopoly. Theatre gets eSc. out of each boxoffice dollar, with 65% of the remaining coin goinjg to the MPEA and 35% to the monopoly. However, a number of charges are taken out before the final es-'SS divvy is made, with the result Maas estimates MPEA actually gets about 9c. out of each b.o. dollar. H wood EcMomy Axe Halr» Contract ggnjlHiespm; 398 Layoffs At 10 Studios Toi-onto, March 2. According to deals negotiated by the Canadian government with the U. S. film industry, feature films will start rolling at once in Canada in "a big way," according to Hon. C, D. Howe, Minister of Reconistruction. Production expenditure in this coun- try may equal the $17,000,000 that U. S, films reportedly take out of Canada every year. In keeping with the current bush-hush policy re- garding deals with Hollywood ■ top- pers, Howe, gave no details. "It is' our hope that the American film industry will contribute to the, solution of our exchange problem, not "by contraction of business here but by the development of produc- tion in Canada," he said. "An im- portant by-product will be the pub- licity and resulting tourist business stimulated by a development of this nature.'^ Howe says the most obvious way to correct the drain on Canadian dol- lars, as far as theatre attendance in this country is concerned, would be to impose a quota on American films. However, he is being- governed by results when this policy was tried elsewhere and believes these have hewn far' from'satisfaetory. His idea (Continued OB pagef IS) °. Clothier-Author Loses 'Miracle Suit Vs. 20th Boston, March 2. Twentietii Century-Fox won its civil suit here brought by Ralph J. Burns, Hub clothier, charging copy- right infringement in connection with "Miracle on 34th St." Burns claimed that a substantial amount of material for the bofl'o film was taken from his novel, "An Angel on Horseback," and sued for damages and an accounting of the film's profits. . Judge Charles E. Wyanski de- cided for the film company, ruling there was no evidence that 20th had access to or had ever heard of Burns' boolc Caaailiaii Goods As effsettoMPicCoin With the , pmadian- ^go^nernment mulling measures' to restrict the, flow of film coin from the Dominion to the U. S. the Motion Picture Assn. of America, along with the majors, are currently engaged in. a campaign to build up Canadian goodwill and thereby blmit the threatened fiscal axe. .Understood campaign: is being handled by. Francis : Harmony MPAA veepee, who's asked the majors fullscale co- operation in promoting both Cana- dian goods and the country, itseU, as a resort paradise. Majors, on their part, have agreed to promoting the Dominion's rep both by turning out shorts depicting various phases of< Canada and by inserting dips of Canadian events in Y^nk newsreels. Paramount, for instance, is making a two-reel pic of Canada and the other majors are to do similar spadework. MPAA is also pushing production in Canada as a partial answer to the uneven flow of film coin. It wants (Continued on page 20) Lazarus' 'Miracle' Hop Paul'Lazarus, Jr„ United Artists pub-ad chief, planes to the Coast<to- day (Wednesday) for discussions with Benedict Bogeaus and Carl Leserman on the advertising for their film, "A Miracle Can Happen." Lazarus expects to be gone from 10 days to two weeks. "Miracle" recently went into re- lease and has been doing only so-so business. It's assumed that huddles by the producers with Lazarus are on a search for a new advertising ap- proach. DofJ/sHands-Off TheabeBoysUntfl SopmneaRobig While the New York office Of the Dept. of Justice has already been directed to probe the purchase of the SivoU theatre, Broadway-show- case, by Louis B. Mayer, Metro's pro- duction head, there's little likelihood of immediate intervention: by the Government, it's been learned. That's because ..the D. of J. has fixed an un- official hands-off policy on localized complaints until the U. S. Supreme Court renders a decision on anti-. trust cross-ajppeals. .Only instance when the Govern- ment would.step in, it's said, would be where t^e general countrywide' situation is affected to the detriment of the decree's workings. In the case of the move by Joseph M. Schenck, 20th^Fox exec, to buy the Golden State circuit, D. of J. did in- terfere because it felt the entire Coast area theatre situation would change complexion if the deal went through. Schenck, it's understood, has' agreed to take no .further .steps towards acquiring the chain untiL a court ruling comes down. D. of JT. has received a fair num- ber of complaints from exhibs throughout the, country who've griped over alleged failures by<the majors to live up to the decree. All of these complaints are being kept on ice pending the court's . final say^ Briefs From th« Lats Hollywood, March 2. WarneiEi bought ^'The Octopus and Miss Smith," authored by. Jerry' Graskin, and assigned Harry Svr- nitx as producer and scripter... Fhil Brown drew a key role in the Tyrone Power starrer, "For Fear of Little Men," at 20th-Fox... .Edward Marshall, California historian, signed as adviser on "The 49ers,'' which has been restored to Michael Curtiz production program at War- ners, after a downward revision of the budget... .Lucille Watson drew Character role in "That Wonderful Urge" at 20th-Fox.. .Eicliard Wid- ittsrk assigned to gambler part in 20th western, "Yellow Sky."... Return of'"Blood on the Moon" from location makes throe pictures currently in work on the RKO lot. Others are "The Boy With Green Hair* aUd "The, Long Denial.",., WiUiain Dleterle will direct "Weep No More," Joseph Cotteu starrer, at RKO... Henry O'NeUl drew a dip- somaniac role in "Winner Take Nothing" at Columbia. Warners bought "The Octopus and Miss Smith" and assigned it to Harry Kurnltz as writer and pro- ducer. . . Jean Renoir and Forrest E. Jndd forming an indie unit to make pictures for Allied Artists release .. .Cameo Productions acquired screen rightvS to "The Publican," as first of four indie pictures,, .Bicfaard Thorpe will direct the next '"Lassie" jiicture. to be produced by Rolnvrt' Sisk at Metro. ..Walter Wanger purchased, "Anne of- the Indies," Satevepost yam authored by Her- bert B. iSaiw, his third'production for Eagle Lion. Harry Sherman paid $100;000i for screen rights to W. C. Tattle** Hash- knife stories for a series of westerns . Chack BelsaertWill direct "Bom to Fight," to be produced by Leonard Ficker at Eagle Lion. . .Columbia bought "Turn of the Century" for production by Bori. Kelly..."How to Clean House" new tag on 'The Bij Cleanup" at RKO...Hal WalUs purchased "The Sound of Years," novel by Merriam Modell, as starrer for Barbara Stanwyck, i .Howard de Sylva signed for "Great Gatsby" at Par. Fifth o£ Pete Smith's "Pest" series of diorts at Metro is "Pesi Control," starring Dave CBrliei^, ..FUan Banks named his new indie company Banlis-National Pictures and moved into Motion Picture Center to pro* duce "Share My Heart" for,UA re- lease: . ."Dig That Gold" new tag an "Almost a Millionaire" at RKO... Nat Holt checked Off RKO lot to pro- duce independent picture with Can- adian background; 20th-Fox release under negotiation ., . Tom Drake will play the Biebard Bodgers role - in "Words and Music" at Metro...S. Sylvan Simon completed Metro's "A Southern Yankee" in 28 days, seven days ahead of schedule, fastest time ever majie by a Bed Skeltou starrer. Hollywood, March 2. Wave of economy during tlie la.it 12 . months has washed more than half the contract players off 10 ma- jor studio payrolls. Casualtie.* amounted to 398y leaving 336 thesp Qontractees on the rosters. In a few cases the players were washed from one studio to. another. John Payne moved from 20th-Fox to Universal, Ann Miller from Colum- bia to Metro, Arlene Dahl .shifted from Waniers to Metro, and 'Vera Ellen from Goldwyn to Metro, but the vast majority, victims of the economies that' followed the British tax bite, are working now and then as freelances. Metro led all the film lots in th« retrenchment campaign by lopping 124 off the payrOU. Lagging in place position was 20th-Fox, with 92, iol- lowed by Paramount with 60. Trail- ing were RKO, .29; Columbia, 20; Universal, 19; Republic, 19; Warners, 13; Eagle Lion, 12, and Samuel Gold- wyn, with four. Among the namesf, dropped were: Meiro-^Butch Jenkins, Richard Hart, Dorothy Hart, Cameron Mit- chell,. PhyUis Thaxter, Marilyn Max- well, Gloria De Haven, l>at Marshall, Selena Royle, John Carroll, Lucille Ball, Lila Leeds, the Wilde Twins, Hume Cronyn, Marsha Bunt, Ruth Hussey, James Craig and -Bill'Lun- digan. 30th-Fox^ Perry Como, Carmen Miranda, Vivian Blaine, Georga Montgomery, lion McCaUister, Peggy Ann Garner, Dick Haymes, David Street, Richard Crane, Lynn Bari, AHyn Joslyn and. William Eytlie. Paranwnut-^ Diana Lynn, Stanley Clements, Corinhe Calvet, Sonny Tufts, Robert Preston, 'Virginia Field, Eddie Bracken, Johnny Coy, James Brown and Virginia Welles. Wamen—Jim Davis, Arlene Dahl, Robert Alda, John Dahl, Joan Lor- ring,'Martha Vickers.; > BKO-rTom Conway, Robert Ster- ling, Richard B e n e d i c t, George Cooper, Suzi Crandall, Gail Davis, Jeff Donnell, Marilyn Mercer, Rich- ard Powers; Jidi Nolan and Jason Robardd. CniverMl - Intematianal — Rod Cameron,'EUa Raines, Maria Montez, Peggy Ryan, Andy Devine, Robert Paige and Turhan Bey. Colombia — Ann M i 11 e r, Ellen Drew, Ludwig Donath, Nancy Saun* ders and Virginia Hunter. Bepablic—Dale Evans, Don Barry, Peggy Stewart,'Jane Frazee, Connie. Moore, GiM>y Hayes, Linda Stirling, William Maxsfa all, Catherine McLeod, Tbm London, Sterling Hoi- loway, Ruth Brennan and Sunsdi: Carson. "* Earle Lion—^Terry Austin, Keeft Brasselle and ChUi Williams. Goldwyn—-Virginia Mayo, Steve Cochran,. Vie Cutler and Vera-Ellen. Regardless of the washout, Metro still bas the largest number of play- ers under contract, a total of 80. Other studios and their contractees are Warners, 49; Paramount, 41; RKO. 40, 20th-Foxj 39; Columbia, 27; Universal-Intemationsd, 18; Repub- lic, 14, and Eagle Lion and. Cioldwyn, five each. Indiana Allied Pfaigs 35m Because of Shorts Indianapolis, March 2. Associated Theatre Owners of In- diana, an. AUied'affiliate, is pushing the idea of exhibs installing 16m projectors in booths along with regu- lar 35m equipment as ..the best way of combating the threat of narrow- gauge competition. ATOI is also pointing up the fact that a good deal of celluloid -material, particu-' ^ larly shorts, are available only in 16m. Chicago may be the first town to latch onto the idea, ATOI buUelin notes, since Elmer and Harry Balaban, owners of 32 Chi houstes," are mulling 'narrow-gauge shorts programs in some of their nabe the- atres during the afternoons. Ac- cording to the Balabans, there's a richness of short subject product in : 16m which would help to supple- I ment the regular 35m brie&es;