Variety (December 1951)

% Htl Allied States Accused By Fabias Silverstone to '\' v<: HHHHHHHMHHMHi 20th'* Coast Talks! Hu iltfrlbft Him company at tor Wlti ___ gib*****-, ... “•** HR* Wfc revealed there we Murray MHIJ, JOthrox , 44 , ulU *, *** «^U«i C total international chief «1U Join othet trrW , den»«e. ol over company toppen at the dthtna o#U r.«urw nete aet forth in eon- f )* v * * begin neat Mrmriay neetion oilh the rompante*'appeal jin the t’ I, lupTfin Court from Prexy Spy rot P. ffkouraa planed a ClrtHt Court verdict aa antini to the studio from N Y. ycgteidsv Urn Town# Theatre Milwaukee, Ad pub head Charlea tint rid Hill leave the homeoffice tomorrow, and Silverstone and sale* chief Al Lit ht man troi nest at the end of this w eek Boston. Dec. 4. Blame for the industry's failure to set up a system for arbitration oi trade disputes was placed aquirely in the lap of Allied State* A**n here today <Tue* >, 8 H Fabian. rhalrman of the Theatre Owners of America executive com mmee. arrused Allied of a i*o«- cooperative attitude which la kill- ing all chances of developing: an effective plan for intra industry conciliation v- Addressing the annual conven- tion of Independent Exhibitors. Inc a New England outfit. Fabian declared that TOA, the producer distributors and even Allied Itself •II have endorsed the Idea of •rhtt rat toft as a means of averting unnecessary court battles Me re Isted that TOA president Mitchell Wolf son and his predecessor Sam Pmanski; * both have made earnest entreaties to Allied to appoint a committee of representative leaders in their asaoclatioa to sit down with a TOA committee to work out the details of cooperation ” Fabian added that TOA ha* never sought to be the ‘prime sponsors of arbitration ’ nor did the outfit map any plan that would hear the TOA stamp to the exctu- alon of all othors.f F.xbib Proviso Allied, however, plans to go di- rectly to the distnbs with a plan for arbitration without consultation _ _ _ with other exhlb groups Fabian ! hope of a break In the near future ud Tal fil (A at llgik ®imj United Artists alone la reported to have 10 or more waiting for play- UP TO 144 CllStS ■ . • • . ■ t .■ • > Underlining antitrust art ions as l a csatlatuitf mounting burden lor CoptMlic B O. •i Detroit. Ik 4'-. ' Capsule review by Bill I ..me in the New Tribune. Negro newspaprr here on 'The Well.** which dealt with rat lal prejudice * Dig it at the Fox " Suitable Date Jaa Chi Area; 25 is Backlog In Annual Meet Chicago. Xov 4 Chicago release situation is be- coming the worot it hot been in re- cent years. With majors complain- demanded by the plaintiff exhlb* damages of SU41,374 Distrib lawyers reported that the j volume of such ahtitrusi contests is steadily increasing despite an extensive rffoii to induce exhibs to try arbitration rather than en gage in costly litigation I In previous years the number of suits on Ale h.irt remained at abtKii ItX) About 13 new actions were instituted annually while an equal 1 number were settled out of courl or otherwise disced of Dlfg. ally In avumg Up • milt u ' Now. the attorneys stated, the altv satisfactory date lor the annual rat# of new actions is running well meeting of the Counc il of Motion ahead of the settlements, i thus Future <bganUations is being ev- bringing the total af cases on the penenced by exec v p. Arthur I. ■ books to the record figure of 144 Mayer.-Originally slated lot l)r. Distrib legAiitr* Mid that in the cemher. session was pmtprmed uh- northem district of 111innk ,alone ill January and im apy nr* in t h ere are 31 suits pending with al into February leged damages of about $«7 l*» 0U0 Trouble Is in finding a date that is suitable for ail 10 constituent ing that over 33 pix. now released Indic ating the cost* involved is lai other markets, are backed up in the fact that Universal atone sets the Windy City at this time and that there doesn't seem to be any tt'Ontinurd on 74 th# distrib* will not engage In any] negotiating unless all elements of exhibition are represented Clearly riled over the bruahoff. Fabian announced that TOA *>111 not accept any tailor-made or spoon fed plan for • system of tag time, and other distributors all have four or more films on the i b rlf , Complaint k that national 1 advertising and publicity fail to Achieve results when pictures play three or four months later than in PerbergSeatos Finish 4 For Par in 12 Mos., William Perlberg ; and George arbitration. He bill not be drawn other spots, and also the revenue is Seaton* .who ere committed to into negotiation in th# middle or I*.. ui.au m.k» a . nwacb fern: Cne lo the wtoolo Ml-caakoff. pig e jr»4r hr fare at the end. we speak for iarg» ttal | OII t he long-run pit now in mount, have finished four in their a vex meat of the motion picture th# initial 12 months and are planning Nome of the films are opening **x-month vacation*; Petlberg aff- right in the neighborhood, tnit rived in New Yo.k over thg week* that • mainly indie product * nd *"**»«> >***«<*•> Toes Iiv.i.aiu for sneak* and h exhibitors of America not to be included at the very Inception of any discussion relating to the de- velopment of an equitable system ef arbitration." v The TOA official declared bis . iContinued on page 17) me m ber s of t‘0MI*O Problrm in January i* being caused hv olh«r commit menu of both Allied .end Theatre t Iwner* of Amcm a rx«t*. Trueman Hembu*rb. pm nt \l- iied and its (‘OMNI rep n *iated to appear as a wttne.%« in an aiHr- trust suit in Denver during mid January TOA la having its mid a # C If |f .»^ ■ winter hoard meeting m lae An d€t lOr (hmi* flCltMl tele* Jan 2S. these two KfW' ttm blocking virtually the whole month In snv event Mayer »* anxious to have three points set and ready. t«» pieaent to the membership when it meets They are t|» a program ol activities for tlve ensuing year <2> a Anam big plan and (3* a slate • Continued on page 2b Me.\ work schedule which the job entails with new sales policies and problems adding to the con- tinnallv mounting pressure, was be- hind H til lam F Rodger*' de« is ion tO bow out ai Metro** sales man- age. ■ v -:‘ ; Further, there had Inren some duteermes on poticy over the past f. w months*within the M (i Inner einrle of top execs, Inriutlinx prrx v Vu hotas M Hchem k, whi. ft tend. d '•‘aggravate the sit notion for R'slgery. according to insiders. These were described a* "p<dite * rondii'i« of opinion and n«d of any rrsl' serbnM cmaequence* In them- I <*• blit nonetheless thev made th<* going tougher for the veteran i: * , H"»lm*fv who joined M (« in 1024, iv hot in the best of health he •oift.rrv from an a*thm.»ll< condb turn 4i»d r.m-•♦qurntlv decnicd to niiiKiubh the odiveposi III* ini- m.-diate plan U for a rest Of three to four month* in Miami beginning rn ■» few days ■. Charles M Reagan who wtmxsl* i> V p m . barge .of dom» Mu* dhtrl- button w as In ought to the company bv Ro dger * himacU about two v *.mis ago VI that tlute Reagan had *%-v~ roil conned too* with fxrssoMM, rrptaTtedly a* the result id a sal.uy dispute lie had been Par * sale* topprl Hmigt-rs said there wasn't any >p.H the job at M-G for Reagan. Ifowcvrr, the latter was teeognU«*d m i top #xer who could At nuely into the M-G aal.-s cabinet han- dling special assignment* and whal- evet rKe Kmigerv wanted lit unload i 11 >o> hi*. . own abed •? Huggrsl i«m that Rodgers intend.-d to gnaon • Contmu«*d t«n page 7 * : . Smaller neighborhood locations o confabs on Metro Sees Pkcknf Modest Badfet Fix are switching to full week product, .campaign* and publicity^ with a strong reason being lack of Pair, formerly at MRh-Fox. have suitable pix for split-week ohow- put in the can (or Par *'Rhubarb ‘ mg* I “Anything Can Happen ** ' Aaron Tharr't not murh hop* for th* Sllrk C(M“ and futur* aithcr a# -Qua VadU' wUl| ! * ■■ .» ■' .'• > . M *. 9° ls •*t In al ona or mor* Uwtlm' r, ,, n f* HKO rolraw umfrr a a*» part, i|ir<-UI approval of th* MI*A\ downtown in the next month, or '**’■ ***** i nllinf for a minimum of 111 high board. Aim la to keep down a de- Retreat Hell’ Title Gets MPAA Bd. OK for WB Pic After Mariaes’ Request y^T “Hrtirat Hell?"was approved bg ( i • it> V the Motion Picture A»sn of A«ei> |irilll|ff 2H|il IxflT . ImmiU last week aa the tula hell at UKO ,<>r 1 Warner Bros phtuie ■ f/: ™ ” ^- .un Marine Corps ftghling In Rfgrea. ^ Hollywood, Dec. 4. l. of the word “bett” in 0 F.tmund Grainger Productum- ntb- i- forbidden by the Pr.itlii. will continue to make picture* (pr , Hoot Code; so each use requires Despite Photo Camera Device * I ; As Prod. Backfroaad | Hollywood. Doe 4 Paramount announced “success-. ful results” after lengthy teati with A istascope, French Invention cot- vKtlng of an attachment in front of the camera lens permitting tote of photographs for backgrounds new device would reduce produc- tion Cost* ; j Sol Lesser, owner of American tights to the invention, said it 1 *<Miid be available soon for Aim t •od TV producers. Ml IDA wo A mcago and Weak D. || # Oriental, both presently on vaude yJLoL- I policies and single feature the Host on • 4. i Roosevelt and United Artist* are Metro appeared today to be the only dual theatres k«t opening a drive lor support d ■■■i^H^wmn mildest4y budgeted pix of the type v hich in recent months have been faring weakly at the b o j Making the initial pitch was kltke Himon>». M-G exhibitor rela- tion* staffer, who asked members ol independent Exhibitors. Inc . at their convention here to give more thought to the “lesser pictures” Simons said he was referring to those Aim* in which new faces are Introduced and which subsequent- ly lead to the development of new stars wltb bo. power. He said, in effect, it s up to the exhibs to sup- poil such pix as a means of talent development He added he wasn't . asking theatre-men to willingly agree to play n picture at a loss, but that you try to play it at a j proftt. maybe only a small one. while assisting some real creator to establish a star whose name on j >our marquee will mean real box office a few months hence ” With the Chicago »nd | New York Dus week Next pie for PAH will | budgeters over I be an years adaptation of Clifford Odets' legit -1 The contract goes into effect at er. “Country Girl.” They 'll start , the end ol the Mrst year of Grain- scripting in the spring ger s original two-year agreement OUT SOON! Thp period of Ave luge of »ucb labels or misapplica- tion of the oliacenity Hoard okayed the WB Use with- out debate, inasmuch a* a letter p ro a e t Mo d from the Marine Curp* asking the approval l,etter pointed out that the WB Alin offered an historically accurate de- script ion of the use of the phrase •t the time the battling was the toughest in Korea last winter Joveph I Breen. Production Code Administrator, attended the hoard sevtion at which the exception was voted, He was In New Yiirk on In* w ..v to Hollywood from Spam, where he had been recuperating from an illness He left for the C.utkt over the weekend 46th Anniversary Number Ol cMa| shNtly Dsaal Mvcrtuiaf rates pttvsil ' tr • •»_.•. # . • • .. . • . . » j. \ ... . • . . ; • • v ... Special exploitation advantages Copy and space reservations may be sent to any Variety office NIW TORI If 1 M W. 4 Mb M. 4111 Ti CHICAGO 11 412 N. Michigan Ase. LONDON • St W. C. 2 c .*• Rodfers to Be Feted Bf Fdu Industry \li industry tevlimomal dinner lor William F Rodgers, pltiv a salute to Charlea M Reagan, who steps up to Rodders' pout af Metro v p tn charge of sales, are planned hy lhr Council of Motion Picture < trganitation* Aim is to obtain the approval <»f all COMPO member group* before the spectAc program t* mapi»ed. Theatre Owner* of America al- rcad> hav endorsed the idea, and H * considered likely that all ottier Ct»MI*<) units will do the Same : . ..J Welch'* New Deal Hollywood. Dec 4. Robert L Welch . produo-f- «i iter at Paramount for the last six year*, signed a contract tailing for' aeven years more fits next picture is “Happtaro £ai. r '>