Variety (Nov 1948)

PICTI7RKS Wetlnesday, November 24, 1948 'Bad Boy' Stars, Hollywood's Poor Public Relations Prompt hdustry Leaders to Urge Aggressive Action Calls from exhtbs throughout ihe't^' country for,the natrting of a film czar to outlaw "liad boy" stars, whose run-ins with the cops al- legedly do permanent injury to the Industry, highlighted during the past week a continued double- edged public relations assault on Hollywood While the theatre men, disturbed that the morals aspect would lead to increased local tensorship, were pummeling the fflm capital from virithin, the press and radio wei-e doing a. job on the outside by con-^ tinuing to advertise "Hollywood's greatest depression," Repeated al- lusions to the film; industry's cur- rent economic miseries were, in the viewpoint of most showmen, doing immeasurable Jtiarm to the boxoffice b.V' publicly" promoting the idea that theatre, business was bad. , In the meantime, major company toppers, gathered under the banner of the Motion Picture Assn. of America in New York ilast week. . gave a halfrday^-^ut of their three- day looksee at the industry-^to the public relations situation. Although recognized as one of the major problems facing the business, It. frankly got only a once-over light- ly in the crush of other matters on the agenda. ■ ' . The plan of Selzniok press chief Paul MacNamara for expenditure by the industry of $2,000,000 an- nually for public relations wasn't touched upon by the assembled brasshats, nor was any other new, (Continued on page IG) Optical Plug A boxoffice plug from an un- expected direction has come from the American Optometric Assn., which now says, "going to the movies may be good for vour \ ision." According to Dr. Elmer M. Soles, director of AOA's de- partment of public informa- tions,, "Looking at motion pic- " tures under proper conditions gives valuable training to the eyes and muscles and neCTes, used in seeing.: In fact; visits . to' the movies are recommend- ed as an: aid to: eorrection of some visual problems." 'This Is N.Y/ to Arty Spot Chicago, Nov. 23. United Artists has booked "This Is New York" into the arty Surf theatre h6re and will plug it as a "sophisticated" comedy. Surf has been using foreign films most ot the time. , , Title of ' City Slicker." tested on a special run at Rockford, 111., last month, has been dropped by the home olVice, with UA taking a chance in future on original tag, "This Is New York." N. J. Allied's Ban OnSexed-UpAds To head off censorship now threatening in; the stiate, Ntw te- sey Alliied has under coflsideratioii the idoptibn of a self-regiilatery code for tudvertising and exploita- tion, VThe'code,; if ad^ptedrWoiiW^ apply to all .mehibers of . the Jersey theiitte ^roiip. It ^-buid'^aHfy ^Im it the righf to diMpUn^^^ violating its precepts. No action : wUlV be'taken^ code Until the Nationai Allied .cbii- ventidh in New Orleans next week runs its three-day . course* j^^ Allied is ;hplding hack; to : s whether the cbnVeritiotj ; ; W some s'elf-regulatoty code appli-; Major company toppers in New j-•'^^.^k^^J-^^^ York will trek to the Coast next | then take up the proposal for full- Ufe s King-Size Bl(ali)iirb With public relations foremost among the piroblems currently disturbing film execs, consternation was evident among ipdustryites this week on, Life mag's lengthy story, in text and pictures, on the King Brothers, The trio of Monogram quickie producers was depicted as actually living the caricature of Hollywood that has been built up by the film colony's most Insidious needlers. Yarn opens with a highly unflattering full-page picture of the Kings, Morry. Frank and Hymie, "as they pore over a script for a new movie." Most prominent item on the desk in front of them is a kosher salami, at which they're munching. Another photo has them on the lot shooting craps, while a eloseup of the base of theij; office desk is shown to illustrate the "scars made by dice in the crap games with which the bovs supplement their income." Life writer Robert Lewin states that the Kings hfc/e been raking in profits of 10090 or 200r'o on thefr pictures. This followed then- change of name from Kozinsky and the foldo of the pinball and Jukebox biz on which they paid $400^000 Income tax in 1938, yarn "states They are said to have got into films via a lawyer they met at a racetrack. Language attributed to them by Lewin ^"You know, short skirts, down to here, and big bosoms sticking out") is com- mensurate with the shady background' he ascribes to them. Problem for the industry with such yams, as always, is what can be done about them. Answer generally is: "Nothing." Top Level Talks Switch to Coast month to join studio chiefs there in a series ot confabs on the "state of the industry," such as were, held 4 PRO-PIX SHORTS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Recognizing the current need for •tepped-up industry public . relav tlons, meeting of company sales heads jesterday iTues.) at the Mo- tion Picture Assn. of America re- sulted in an order for immediate release of four MPAA-made shorts covering the industry. Committee of three shorts subject sales top- in the east last week. It was de cided. following the three-day ses- sion in New York, to hold the Coast huddles Dec. 15-16-17. They wiU difler from the eastern meetings in that reps of the talent guilds, craft unions, technical so" i cieties, etc, will be invited to sit I in on: various;of the sessions; Aim, i as itwas in New York, is fact-find- j ing, an effort to learn . where the j industi-y stands and where it can be i expected to go. ' Also, as in New York, emphasis ] will be on learning by what major | changes in operational procedures or forms large-scale economies can be effected. Likewise, what new sources of, revenue, such as, video, can be tapped. In the latter con- nection, there was much question-1 scale debate, The state has no laws of censor-!^ ship at present. However, contro-' versial bookings of: "Mom and I Dad," sex educational, pic ,di5trib'' uted by -Hygienic Film's, in New- ark have started tJie kettle boiling.- Director of Public Safety is no\V pitching for passage of a law. Jer-' sey Allied is also disturbed by: bookings of another film under the slogan: "Once banned! Now it can be seen."-., Self-regulatory code which would bar all salacious or suggestive copy is believed the best way to; head off the censorship. It would he used as, an argument with legislators to prove the. sincerity ; of ;-exhibs' efr forts to curtail harmful ■ ballying of pix. ■ :, Schaef er's $308,(1,000 Suit Vs. Technl Eastman May Balk Consent Action Bing's Voice in Jolie Pic Hollywood, Nov. 23. Bing Crosby's voice will be ;heard in early se<iuence of "Jolson Sings Again" (Col.), Jolie, as portrayed by Larry Parks, vill be shown listening to Crosby singing the Arthur Johnston-Sam Coslow 1934 hit, "Learn to Croon", over radio. "What kind of singing is this boo-boo-boo stuff?," asks Jolson, who's in retirement." "I can do better than that." Understood Crosby okayed use of platter. ■■■.:.-■:. .Trenton's.:,Cenjsor; Tiff'- Trenton. Nov. 23. «x u...:,: »uu.i» .uuj^LL lup-|- ~-y- ' Film jicnsorship battlc is taking pers was formed and asked to Iby the assembled toppers at r shape liere as result ot the playing cbhi^ ih with the actual plan Fri'IP^''^™"*-'"'- ^^^^ com-! of the controversial film, "Mom day i26» when the general commit- P*"^ Dad," at the Broad theatre, tee meets again. | velopment of television as applied I Newark. New Jersey. Allied is lined to the film industry. . •) Trio consists of Harry Michael- ton, RKO: Norman Moray, Warner Bros.; and Pete Levathes, 20th-Fox. froposal, that one company handle ■II shorts was turned down. It is expected that each major will re- lease one film. ' ; No decision has been made Whether to charge rentals. Prob- ably some amount will be fixed to pay off the costs. iContinued on page 12) 3 Metroiles Don't Like SEFs Paris Pix Shot Publication of a photograph ahowing a scene at the Monseig- .:neur, Paris nightclub, in the Sat- urday Evening Post of Nov. 20. has aroused three Metro executives be- 7 Recent Financial Moves Accent Film Biz's Basically Sound Economy If the basic soundness of the majors' fiscal position among current business uncertainties needed further verification, evidence was forth- coming this week and last : whea most of the big film companies made further progress in setting their financial: houses in-order. The drive to simplify capital structure, ^retire; outstanding bank loans, and cancel special stock issues, is rolling at a fast clip. Industry, insiders believe this to be more significant on a readiness to weather any storms than the up-again-down-again dividends handed out. Conservative operations have also gotten the glad-eye from Wall Streeters who have been ; warning film companies against crippling loans. Belief that the industry will not be caught in a reprise of the City Investing's Picket Punch Broadway theatres, whose box- offices the N.Y. whiteeoUarites are; picketing, made their first move this week to put a legal ban on demonstrations. by the Screen Office & Professional Employees Guild and Screen Publicists Guild. City Investing Co., operators of the. Astor -and Victoria^ have thrown the: initial punch via in-* junction, proceedings again-.;t the two guilds in N, Y^ supreme court. i. Maurice Maurer, City Investing theatre exeCi admitted that the pickets had ' nipped the b.o. of "Joan of Arc" at the Victoria by I $5,000 last week. In legal argument over the injunction before Judge Hollywood, Nov. 23. An effort was made by George J. Schaefer this week to throw a monkey wrench into the well-oiled plans of the Government and East- man Kodak to enter into a consent decree for freeing EK's alleged monopolistic control over color film. Schaefer, as board chairman of Keller-Dorian Corp;, which: ,owns-; a tint; process licensed to Eastman, filed a $300,000,000 dam- age; action against thfe film- manu- facturer and Technicolor. At the same time, he registered squawks with the Federal court here and the Attorney-General's olfice in Washington asking-that signing of the decree be delayed. In light of indications by Judge William C, Mathes here and re- marks by Attorney General Tom Clark in the capital, it appeared there would be no deferment of the pact. It was expected to be signed today. It does not. apply to Technicolor, which vyas a co- defendant in the anti-tru.st suit brought by the , Justice Dept. in 1947. Techni objected to some of the terms. Schaefer asserted that the K-D process was tied up with the Govr ernment suit against lEK and (Continued on, page 45) j Morris Eder, which opened Friday I (IS), company legalites claimed 30, 1948,;'*® non-Communist affidavits la.<!t the picketing was causing ''irre- parable damage." Judge Eder de^ nied. a., motio^^^ for temporairy injtjnctiqn; over \last weekend and ordered further hesirings this w0ek, . : End ; of' the^.^^^^h^ labor dispute, meanwhile,- came into sight this week as . the National Labor Relations Board began to prepare Sfor early collective bar- , _ _ . _ . ^ gaining elections at RKO, 20thrFox, r.iii<,P It ehr,«<. 11,^ ti-„.«„ i?TZ I IS'^g foldup has been strengthened among the fiscal pundits. !^ the Paramount and Deluxe labs. Both Sed In the club while tl e^ an P'^^*'"* butreSsmg of the fUiaacial pillais ^ | SOPEG and its AFL rival. Local tion rin thp niftin-o ,.r,r,n,.,-r,<. u 1 Number of straws-in-the-wind, which point to a broad movement by 'H-63, were nearing agreement at « French un^derfi^^^^^ I ""^ (-'ompanies, were turned up this week by Variety. These are: , NLRB hearings on date and least one of the company "officials I ^- Columbia has whittled its $9,000,000 production loan to $8,100,000 ' methods of balloting. SOPEG be' Is talking this week with his attor- ' payment of a 8900,000 instalment to the First National Bank of ney regarding the-photograph. ; David Lewis, general - manager ,ior Metro in Europe; Se.vmour Mayer, coordinator for the com- pan.\ in the British Empire; and David Blum. Loew's International publicity director and ,in charge of censorship abi-oad. are shown in the Post photograph, although not ■ to, identified in the accompanying caption. They claim that they never knew the photograph had been ; taken and that; they never gave their consent for its use. All three are shown in the middle of the photo, with Blum facing the camera, and could be easily iden- tified as Bolo by the average reader. Photo ran with the stoi-y by Stewart AKsop titled, "The Euro- peans You Never Read About." _ i came eligible for , participation in Boston," Bank of America',' NaHonarTnisr& Savings Amh^^^ ! elections through its signing of hattan Go. col has a $15,000,000 credit available as Nov. but Is retiring rather than expanding the loan, , week. 2. Same company's cumulative preferred .«;tock is now down to a low I conformance ^'^^''^^'^^^ °^ of 70,965 shares outstanding after a two-year gradual, retirement pro- ' Texas Co. Maps 35in Houston, Nov. 23. Williams, Tripp & Wright Mo- tion Picture Producing Co. plans a group of 35m westerns right in the heart of Texas. The firm, organized four months ago, has been working on 8 series of 16ra films. gram which has seen the company: pay out $336,200 ovei' the period to i pick up 3,835 shares. During October, Col bought another 200 shares i tor $11,263 3. Paramount's current loan obligations are down to a figure of $5,520,000 from its original total of $11,000,000 out Of available credits of $25,000,000. Another pre-payment of $500,000 to the First National , Bank of Chicago. Manufacturers Trust Co. and Bankers Trust Co. has I shaved the outstanding. Par expects to,; completely liquidate the loan I within the. year,,' ' I 4. Par Js also; engaged, in an all-out campaign to shrink its common I stock outstanding total by a ;steady accumulation of these shares on I the open; market: During October company:;pi9ked up 40,500 shares at an estimated $840,000 cost to bring its treasury holdings to 706,333 shares. 5. Twentieth-Fox is slicing further into total outstanding of cumula-' live convertible preferred and prior preferred stock with ultimate re- tirement of both brackets as the goal. In the past month, ZOtlr bought 2,100 shares of convertible, and 1,500 shares of prior preferred. Both blocks were retired. 6. Universal is slowly closing out its cumulative preferred, its purchases in the past 30 days totaling 80 shares. Company has now bought 1,510 shares of this limited issue. 7. Witmer Bros, this month pre-paid another instalment of $1,591,000 on a loan which now conies to $14,319,000. It originally owed the banks «ome $23,000,000^ but has been steadily anticipating instalment due dates. stand on the Taft- Hartley law, SPG once again asked the majors to write new pacts to cover the 400 homeoffice fiacks. who have been working without a contract since Sept. 1, Europe to N. Y. Patricia Englund Douglas Fairbanks. Jr. Arturo Michelangeli Lorraine Miller George> Monaghan Martha Raye William Roach- Vronsky & Balbin N. Y. to Europe Anthony Havelock-AUan " Harry Foster Lew Grady Harry Green David .D. Home Fifi Hylton Oscar Karlweis Bill Little Ernest Martin Henry Sher<;k L. A. to N. Y. MacDonald Carey Marcel Cerdan Jerry Colonna Yvohne DeCarlo Jack Dempsey Dan Fields ■ Fred F. Finklehoffe " Errol Flynn , ' - John Garfield Richard Hart Edward Everett Horton Arthur Kelly Dorothy Kirsten Berry Kroeger James A. Mulvey Ona Munson Donald Nelson ^ ■ Walter Pidgeon Ella Raines Stanley Ridges Stella Roman Jacqueline Ross ■ James Saphier , A. W,; Schwalbcrg Lizabeth Scott Irwin Shaw • •; Sylvia Sidney Walter Slezak Anna Sten Harry H. Thomas Max Weinberg Lewis Allen Weiss N. Y. to L. A. Irving Berlin A. Pam Blumenthal Joan Davis Paul Douglas William Dozier Charles Einfeld Jinx Falkenburg Ira Gershwin ;' , Abner J. Greshler George Jessel Eric Johnstdn Edwin Lester Louis Mandel Joseph Mankiewicz Tex McCrary ■ Jimmy McHugh, Sr; ,: Norman Reader Leo Robin Ben SelVin Sol C. Siegel