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Scanned  from  the  collections  of 
The  Library  of  Congress 


Packard  Campus 
for  Audio  Visual  Conservation 
www.  loc.gov/avconservation 

Motion  Picture  and  Television  Reading  Room 
www.loc.gov/rr/mopic 

Recorded  Sound  Reference  Center 
www.loc.gov/rr/record 


\ 


FILE  COPY 

DO  NOT  REMOVE 

MOT  I 


PICTURE 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  APRIL  ',  1,  1948 


-^T..  63.  NO.  63 

YOA  ADVISES  USING  ASCAP 
CANCELLATION  CLAUSE 

Exhibitors  are  advised  by  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  to  use  the  cancella- 
tion privilege  granted  -by  Ascap  in  new 
music  tax  contracts.  Cancellation  can 
be  exercised  by  the  exhibitor  at  the 
end  of  any  contract  year  of  the  10-year 
agreement  uvon  So  days1'  notice  in  wri- 
ting to  Ascap.  The  cancellation  priv- 
ilege is  not  exercisable  by  Ascap  ex- 
cept in  case  of  serious  violation  of 
the  license  terms. 

Except  for  stage  show  houses,  Ascap 
has  agreed  to  eliminate  extra  charges 
for  all  theatres  using  occasional  live 
talent.  _ 
U. A.  GETS  10  FROM  POPKIN 

Ten  pictures  with  a  minimum  overall 
budget  of  $8,000,000  will  be  produced 
by  Harry  Popktn  for  United  Artists 
over  a  four-year  period  under  arrange- 
ments approved  by  the  UA  board  of 
directors.  The  board  authorized  Arth- 
ur W,  Kelly,  executive  vice-president, 
to  visit  London  immediately  to  conclude 
production  plans  started  on  his  pre- 
vious visit  there. 

Two-thirds  of  Patrons  Under  35 

Film-goers  under  35  account  for 
two-thirds  of  the  nation's  box-office 
receipts,  according  to  the  first  in  a 
series  of  findings  uncovered  by  a  two- 
year  study  of  motion  picture  habits  by 
Columbia  University's  Bureau  of  Ap- 
plied Social  Research,  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dr.  Paul  F.  Lazarsfeld  and 
sponsorship  of  the  Association  of 
Screen  Magazine  Publishers .  It  was  re- 
vealed also  that  while  70  per  cent  of 
film-goers  under  24  attend  pictures  at 
least  once  a  week,  only  19  per  cent  of 
those  over  45  attend  with  that  regu- 
larity'; some  54  per  cent  cf  the  older 
goers  attend  infrequently  or  never. 

Biggest  reason  for  attending  a 
given  film,  according  to  Lazarsfeld, 
"is  either  the  plot  or  title  of  the 
film."  Leaders  as  "word- of -mouth"  ad- 
vertisers of  films,  he  said,  are  found 
among  .the  younger  groups; three-fourths 
are  in  the  age  groups  under  35. 

\ 


TEN  CENTS 


House  ERP  Bill  Approves 
Film  Dollar  Conversion 

WASHINGTON,  March  31  —  The  House 
today  approved  the  section  of  the  Eur- 
opean Recovery  Program  bill  giving  the 
film  industry  and  other  information 
media  a  guarantee  that  they  will  be 
able  to  convert  into  dollars  income 
from  approved  investments  in  Marshall 
Plan  countries.  By  a  voice  vote,  it 
turned  down  a  motion  of  Representative 
Crawford  to  strike  out  this  guarantee . 

Early  passage  of  the  bill  is  hoped 
for,  and  it  then  goes  to  conference 
with  the  Senate,  which  did  not  include 
the  guarantee  for  the  information 
groups.  The  House  bill  limits  the 
guarantee  to  $15  million  for  the  first 
year  for  information  industries. 

E.L-U.I.  to  DIVIDE  RANK'S 
PRODUCT  HERE  EQUALLY 

HOLLYWOOD,  March  31  -  Deal  has  been 
set  here  providing  for  an  equal  divi- 
sion of  J.  Arthur- Rank  British  product 
between  Universal-International  and 
Eagle-Lion,  giving  each  12  pictures  of 
the  first  2U  slated  for  this  and  the 
*Latin  American  markets  in  19^-8,  it  was 
disclosed  today  in  a  joint  statement 
by  Nate  J.  Blumberg,  U-I  president, 
Rank,  and  Arthur  Krim,  E-L  president. 
Heretofore,  U-I  had  first  selection  of 
all  Rank  product  for  the  U.  S. 

Tyvical  of  the  allocations  are"Ham- 
let" ,  going  to  U-I,  and"01iver  Twist", 
to  E-L,  both  top  Rank  product.  Other 
key  selections  give  "Christopher  Colu- 
mbus" and  "One  Night  with  You"  to  U-I, 
and  "The  Red  Shoes"  and  "The  Olympic 
Games"  to  E-L. 

Rockford  Defeats  Ticket  Tax 

ROCKFORD,  111.,  March  31  —  After  a 
seven  weeks'  battle  between  theatres 
and  the  city  council  the  local  four 
per  cent  amusement  tax  on  theatres  was 
defeated  here  yesterday .  Basis  for 
the  decision  was  a  poll  by  Rockford 
theatre  patrons,  who  thought  the  tax 
discriminatory . 


motion  Picture  Daily 


•  M  ¥3 

'■%■■ 


Thursday,  April  1,-1948 


Personal  Mention 

JOSEPH  HAZEN ,  president  of  Hal  Wal- 
lis  productions,  left  New  York  for 
Hollywood  yesterday  ".  .  .  Ned  E.  Depi- 
net,  executive  vice-president  of  RKO 
Radio,  is  due  from  his  annual  winter 
vacation  at  Phoenix  in  mid-April  .  .  . 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  Paramount  distribution  re- 
turns from  a  vacation  at  Phoenix  on 
Tuesday  .  .  .  Sidney  L.  Bernstein, 
partner  of  Alfred  Hitchcock  in  Trans- 
atlantic Pictures,  left  New  York  by 
plane  for  London  yesterday  .  .  .  B.  G. 
Kranze,  Film  Classics  distribution 
vice-president,  has  arrived  in.  Memphis 
en  route  to  Atlanta  ,  .  .  Frank  Soule, 
Eagle-Lion  exchange  supervisor,  will 
leave  here  on  Sunday  for  a  cross- 
country tour  .  .  .  Bernice  Levy  of 
M-G-M's  contract  department  here  will 
take  a  leave  of  absence  starting  to- 
morrow .  .  .  Oscar  Neu,  president  of 
Neumade  Products,  will  leave  here  to- 
morrow for  a  cross-country  trip,  re- 
turning here  in  June. 

WILLIAM  J. HEINEflAN,  Eagle-Lion  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  and  Max  E, 
Youngstein, advertising-publicity  vice- 
president,  left  New  York  -yesterday  for 
Hollywood  .  .  .  Ben  Schwalb,  independ- 
ent production  manager,  has  returned 
to  the  Coast  from  New  York  .  .  .  Jules 
Lapidus,  Warner's  Eastern  sales  manag- 
er, is  in  Boston  from  New  York  to  in- 
stall F.  D.  Moore  as  Eastern  district 
manager  .  .  .  CBS  board  chairman  Wil- 
liam S.  Paley,  and  Mrs.  Paley  are  the 
parents  of  a  son. 

All  W.B.  Officers  Reelected 

At  a  meeting  of  Warner  Brothers  bo- 
ard  of  directors,  held  at  the  home  of- 
fice, officers  viere  all  re-elected,  as 
follows:  Harry  M.  Warner,  president; 
vice-presidents  Albert  and  Jack  L.War- 
ner, Herman  Starr,  Stanleigh  P.  Fried- 
man, Samuel  Schneider , Herbert  Frestan, 
Ben  Kalmenson,  Harry  M.  Kalmine,  Mort 
Blumenstock  and  Robert  W.  Perkins;  Al- 
bert Warner,  treasurer;  Samuel  Carlisle, 
W.  Stewart  McDonald  and  Cyril  H.  Wilder, 
assistant  treasurers;Robert  W.Perkins , 
secretory  and  general  counsel;  Harold 
S .Bare ford,  Edward.  K.  Hessberg  and  Roy 
Obringer,  assistant  secretaries;  Sam- 
uel Carlisle,  controller,  and  Thomas 
J.  Martin,  auditor. 


Gamble  Hits  Anti-Industry  Columns 

t  Newspaper  columnists  who  have  been 
giving  emphasis  to  sensationalism  and 
unpleasant  happenings  in  Hollywood 
were  assailed  by  Ted  R.  Gamble,  presi- 
dent of  Theatre  Owners  of  America  and 
chairman  of  its  public  relations  com- 
mlJt?e'  in  an  address  before  members 
VJ„  .  Association  of  Screen  Magazine 
Publishers  in  the  Hotel  Astor  here 
yesterday.  TOA,  Gamble  said,  will  en- 
aeavor  to  correct  some  of  the  impres 
sions  conveyed  by  "people  with  stomac. 
aches . " 

U.S.  Aide  Here  for  MPEA  Talks 

WASHINGTON,  March  31— State  Depart- 
ment film  adviser  R..  Horton  Henry  left 
here  today  for  New  York  for  several 
days  of  conferences  on  the  foreign 
situation  with  MPEA  officials  and  for- 
eign managers  of  the  various  compan- 
ies. The  French  situation  is  expected 
to  getparticularly  close  going-over. 

Another  Trust  Suit  Filed 

CHICAGO,  March  31 — Kimbark  Theatre, 


Loew's,  RKO,  Paramount,  Columbia,  Uni- 
versal, United  Artists,  Balaban  and 
Katz  and  Publix  Great  States. It  charg- 
ed the  defendants  conspired  with  the 
Manta-Rose  circuit  to  grant  clearance 
priority  to  the  Lex  Theatre  and  from 
March  1,  I9U1,  to  Jan.l,  19^8,  made  it 
impossible  for  the  vlaintiff  to  book 
pictures  until  73  days  after    the  loov> 

Halt  Films  to  British  Guiana 

The  Trinidad  Film  Board  has  de- 
clared an  embargo  on  further  servicing 
of  British  Guiana  with  American  pic- 
tures as  a  result  of  a  15  per  cent 
"discriminatory"  tax  on  gross  film 
rentals  imposed  there,  it  was  reported 
here  yesterday  by  Gerald  M.  Mayer,  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America.  The  tax  takes  effect  today. 

N.C.A.  Explains  Demand  on  Para. 

MINNEAPOLIS, March  31.  —  North  Cen- 
tral Allied  denies  that  Ben  Berger, pr- 
esident, asked  Barney  Balaban  to  remo- 
ve Ben  Blotcky , Paramount  manager  here, 
as  reported  in  Motion  Picture  Daily 
on  March  2h. "Berger' s  demand  on  Bala- 
ban,"NCA  says, "was  that  Paramount  send 
an  unbiased  and  impartial  representa- 
tive of  the  comvany  to  investigate  the 
local  situation." 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and   Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.    Associate  Editor     Published  dailv   evrent  Sstnrdav 
Sundays  and  holidays ,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  ■  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y    Telephone  ^ Circe 7-31M    cVble  adW  % 
New  York/'  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vic- -■o—'J-"-  ™.-  t   o.:„;..-._  \,.\e  ^none  >-lrcle  1  -510"-  La5'e  address,  guigpubco, 


,  v  itc-i  icaiuciii,  ivjiaiim  yu'K'cy,  j  r.,  v  ice-President ;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer-  Leo  T  Bradv  Serretarv 
£&  8  ^,-CunnnKham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building  William  R  wlaver' 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120 1  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  814 South  Av&on  M  flVive  Aritoe 

He^B^^ 


23  1938  V  ih  nMri'lfi?  ,  M  CVvy  l0UKh  vCek  3j  a  ^Cti0n.°ffM^ti°"uP,ictliroe,JFIerraIl:  *PteJ™«°™l  Motion  "Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
Zi,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1873.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


TO  THE  VICTOR  IS  VERY  BIG  TRADE  NEWS/ 

With  national  trade  showings  just 
completed  and  public  showings  to 
jl  BCl^  follow  immediately,  the  motion 

picture  industry  again  is  demon- 
strating how  excitingly  it  can  tell  a 

story  and  how  spectacularly 

up-to-the-minute  that  story  can  be. 

TO  THE  VICTOR  is  the  picture  for  which  stars,  cast, 

director  and  complete  production 
unit  were  sent  to  France. 


DENNIS 
MORGAN 

AS  THE  MAN  WHO  SOLD  HIMSELF  TO  THE  HIGHEST  BIDDER 

VIVECA 
IINDFORS 

THE  NEW  STAR  FROM  SWEDEN  -1948's  MOST  IMPORTANT  DEBUT! 


TO  TIE  ¥ 


n 


Directed  by 


Produced  by 


with 


VICTOR  FRANCEN:  BRUCE  BENNETT  DOROTHY  MALONE  ■  TOM  D'ANDREA  DELMER  DAVES  JERRY  WALD 


Written  by 
Richard  Brooks 


is  going 
for... 


BIGGEST  EASTER 


SUNDAY  IN  HISTORY  OF 
LOEWS  CRITERION! 


...  and  just  as  big  in  Miami, 
playing  Lincoln  and  Miami  Theatres, 
day  and  date. 


Motion  picture  daily 


Thursday,  April   1,  1948 


Neighborhoods  Increase  Ads 

CHICAGO,  March  30  —  For  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  Chicago  newspa- 
pers neighborhood  theatres  are  sub- 
scribing to  as  much,  and  occasionally 
more,  advertising  space  in  the  dailies 
as  their  downtown  competitors .  Reason 
is  that  under  the  Jackson  Park  decree 
a  number  of  outlying  houses  can  now 
play  films  directly  after  the  Loop  run 
on  a  day-and-date  basis,  thereby  plac- 
ing them  in  greater  competition  with 
one  another  than  ever  before.  Some 
neighborhood  houses  are  running  ads  of 
as  much  as  150  lines,  whereas  they  ran 
only  two  or  three  formerly. 

Nothing  New,  Majors  Tell  Court 

In  their  quarterly  accounting  of 
activities  under  the  U.  S.  District 
Court's  decree  in  the  Government  anti- 
trust action  the  five  theatre  -  opera- 
ting defendants  are  informing  the  tri- 
bunal that , pending  the  Supreme  Court's 
decision  on  the  appeal,  they  have 
nothing  new  to  add  to  the  report  filed 
on  Jan.  1.  The  current  reports  to  the 
court  are  due  today;  the  next  reports 
on  July  1 , 

Lasky  Receives  Award 

PHILADELPHIA,  March  31  —  Jesse  L. 
Lasky  has  been  awarded  the  Allied 
Jewish  Appeal's  second  humanitarian 
award  for  his  role  in  establishing 
Hollywood  as  a  film  center  35  years 
ago  and  his  contribution  to  clean, 
wholesome  entertainment .  Last  year's 
recipient  was  Eddie  Cantor.  Last  night 
Lasky  was  guest  of  honor  at  a  banquet 
sponsored  by  this  city's  Golden  Slipper 
Square  Club, 

Mexico  Fears  Overseating 

MEXICO  CITY,  March  31  —  Due  to  a 
current  rash  of  building  this  city 
will  have  100  theatres  by  Oct.  1,  Some 
distributors  and  exhibitors, contending 
that  theatre  saturation  is  already 
here,  are  viewing  the  continued  build- 
ing with  alarm.  They  cite  a  40  per 
cent  drop  in  grosses  during  the  first 
quarter  of  1948  from  that  of  1947  to 
support  their  contention. 


Notice 

MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY'S  normal  ap- 
pearance is  being  affected  by  a  work 
stoppage  in  a  dispute  between  the  typo- 
graphical union  and  the  employing 
printer. 


Reviews 

"The  Noose  Hangs  High"  (Eagle-Lion) 

BY  THIS  TIME,  the  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou 
Costello  routines  are  old  hat.  And 
with  Costello  taking  more  than  the 
usual  number  of  prat  falls , this  picture 
again  provides  the  stuff  for  which  the 
two  zanies  have  become  noted.  Their 
following  will  not  be  disappointed. 
The  plot,  brewed  by  seven,  cook 
strives  at  farce,  with  bookies  &..u> 
bettors  as  the  subject  and  the  two 
zanies,  of  course, as  innocent  victims. 
Playing  it  straight  are  Joseph  Cal- 
leia,  Leon  Errol,  Cathy  Downs  and  Mike 
Mazurki.  Charles  Barton  produced  and 
directed.  Lolly  Cristillo  and  Shirley 
Feld  were  associate  producers.  Running 
time,  JJ  minutes.  General  audiende 
classification.    Release  date  not  set. 

Irving  Kaplan 

"The  Lost  One"  (Columbia) 
COLUMBIA'S  version  of  Verdi's  opera, 
"La  Traviata,"  has  been  brought  magni- 
ficently to  the  screen  in  "The  Lost 
One."  Based  on  Dumas'  play,  "Lady  of 
the  Camellias,"  the  film  was  produced 
in  Rome  by  Gregor  flabinouitch.  While 
all  the  singing  is  in  Italian,  an  off- 
screen voice  is  used  effectively  to 
describe  the  tale  of  the  blighted  love 
of  the  consumptive  heroine.  Should 
prove  a  rare  treat  to  opera  lovers  and 
discriminating  film-goers. 

In  the  leading  roles  as  the  lovers 
are  Nelly  Corradi  and  Gino  Mattera, 
Carmine  Gallone  directed.  Running 
rime,  82  minutes,  TLdult  audience 
classification.  Release  date,  not  set, 

Mandel  Herbstman 

"Tex  Granger"  (Columbia) 

An  outdoor  action  serial  in  15 
chapters,  "Tex  Granger"  casts  Robert 
Kelland  as  a  two-fisted  battler  for 
peace  and  justice.  The  first  two  in- 
stallments generate  sufficient  action 
and  excitement.  Cast  includes:  Peggy 
Stewart,  Buzz  Henry,  Smith  Ballew  and 
Duke,  the  "Wonder  Dog,"  Produced  by 
Sam  Katzman  and  directed  by  Derwin 
Abrahams  from  a  screenplay  by  Arthur 
Hoerl,  Lewis  Clay,  Harry  Fraser  and 
Royal  Cole,  

Canadian  Film  Exports  Up 

OTTAWA,  March'  31— Canadian  film  ex- 
ports increased  during  February,  rising 
from  $133,000  last  year  to  $380,000 
this  year.  Exports  totalled  $628,000 
the  first  two  months  of  1948  against 
$391,000  in  the  same  period  last  year. 


He  gives  the  scene  its  French  accent. .. 


PLAINLY,  everything  about  this  scene 
says  Paris — though  filmed  in  a  studio  far 
from  France. 

For  the  property  man  has  provided 
the  French  accent  in  every  eloquent  de- 
tail, fixing  unmistakably  the  picture's 
time  and  place. 

And  with  equal  ingenuity  this  latter- 
day  Aladdin  can  bring  forth  the  prop- 
erties that  effectively  point  up  any  city, 


any  century  .  .  .  can  put  pioneer  or 
princeling  "in  his  place." 

Thus,  through  him,  motion  pictures 
take  on  atmosphere  and  color;  the  realm 
of  make-believe  becomes  believable. 
Yet  the  full  effect  of  his  achievement 
might  well  be  lost  except  for  faithful 
photographic  reproduction.  This  is  pro- 
vided— in  full  measure — by  the  famous 
family  of  Eastman  motion  picture  films. 


EASTMAN   KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT   LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


fly  United'* 


DC-6  Mainliner  300s! 


Faster  service 

to  HAWAII! 

United's  DC-6  Mainliner  300s 
fly  to  Hawaii  in  9}4  hrs.  from 
San  Francisco  and  in  13  hrs. 

from  Los  Angeles. 


leave  NEW  YORK  at  noon  . . .  arrive 
Los  Angeles  at  7:50  p.m. 

Fly  to  Hollywood  in  the  world's  finest  airliner  —  United's  DC-6 
Mainliner  300! 

Board  "the  Los  Angeles"  at  noon,  enjoy  delicious  luncheon  and 
dinner  aloft,  and  arrive  in  time  for  an  evening's  entertainment 
(at  7:50  p.m.). 

You  fly  at  300  miles  an  hour  in  a  beautiful,  spacious  cabin  that's 
pressurized  for  low-level  comfort  at  high  altitudes. 


Call  now  for  reservations  —  for  the  best  trip  you've  ever  had! 

Flights  operate  on  standard  lime. 


Airlines  Terminal,  80  E.  42nd  Street  or  Pennsylvania 
Hotel.  Brooklyn:  Hotel  St.  George.  Call  Murray  Hill 
2-7300  or  an 
authorized  travel  agent. 

UNITED  AIR  LINES 

PASSENGERS  •  MA/1  •  EXPRESS   •  FREIGHT 

the  Main  Line  Airway 

takes  you  nearly  everywhere 


DO  NOT  REMO» 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  FRIDAY,  APRIL  2,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


m£aa  to  AID  STATE  DEP'T. 
WITH  DOCUMENTARY  FILMS 

At  conferences  here  yesterday  with 
R.  Horton  Henry,  State  Department  film 
adviser, the  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  pledged  full  cooperation  to 
the  department  in  bringing  to  the 
world  the  story  of  America  via  docu- 
mentary shorts.  Under  an  agreement 
among  their  foreign  heads  the  distrib- 
utors will  handle  initially  15  single- 
reel  shorts  dealing  with  various  as- 
pects of  life  in  this  country. 

Thirteen  health  cartoons  prepared 
for  the  Government  by  Walt  Disney  will 
be  made  available  by  the  State  Depart- 
ment for  distribution  by  MPAA  member 
companies.  Arrangements  are  being  made 
for  distribution  of  these  films  in  Eu- 
rope through  regular  company  channels, 

Youngstein  Heads  AMPA 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  Eagle-Lion  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  advertising- 
publicity,  yesterday  was  unanimously 
elected  president  of  Associated  Motion 
Picture  Advertisers,  succeeding  Arnold 
Stoltz,  Rest  of  new  slate  includes; 
David  Blum,  vice-president ;  Harry 
McWilliams,  treasurer;  Evelyn  Koleman, 
secretary.  New  officers  will  serve 
one  year. 

Following    were  elected  to  the  AMPA 
board;      Ray    Gallagher,  Hap 
Blanche    Livingston,  Vincent 
Charles  Alicoate . 

"ew  York  Theatres  Aid  P.A.L. 

New  York  affiliated  and  independent 
circuits  yesterday  pledged  financial 
aid  to  the  Police  Athletic  League  at 
an  ITOA-sponsored  luncheon  in  the  Ho- 
tel Astor  here.  Loew's  will  produce  a 
PAL  trailer  'for  use  in  conjunction 
with  the  1948  fund  drive  whose  goal  is 
$993,000. 

Speakers  at  yesterday ' s  luncheon; 
Police  Commissioner  Arthur  W.Wallander, 
License  Commissioner  Benjamin  Fielding, 
Juvenile  Aid  Commissioner  James  Nolan, 
industry  PAL  drive  chairman  Charles 
tios&owitz, ITQA  president  Harry  Brandt. 


Hadley, 
Trotta, 


KEARNS  LABOR  GROUP  MAY 
HOLD  HEARINGS  ON  COAST 

WASHINGTON,  April  1  —  Rep.  Carroll 
D.  Kearns  today  said  that  so  many  per- 
sons were  accused  of  Communist  affili- 
ation during  the  recent  House  Labor 
subcommittee  hearings  here  on  the  Hol- 
lywood strikes,  and  that  so  much  re- 
mained to  be  developed  on  possible 
perjury,  that  it  might  be  simpler  and 
cheaper  for  the  House  unit  to  go  to 
Los  Angeles  to  take  additional  testi- 
mony there.  A  final  decision  may  be 
made  early  next  week,  he  stated.  The 
hearings  are  scheduled  to  reopen  here 
May  17. 

20th-Fox  Annual  Meet  May  18 

The  20th-Fox  annual  stockholders' 
meeting  will  take  place  at  the  compa- 
ny's home  office  here  on  May  13.  Elec- 
tion of  directors  will  be  the  sole 
matter  to  be  taken  up.  The  board  mem- 
bers will  meet  immediately  after  the 
session  to  elect  officers.  The  com  — 
pany's  annual  report  to  stockholders 
has  been  held  up  by  the  printers'  work 
stoppage  here. 

Ad  Council  Reelects  Schlaifer 

Charles  Schlaifer  has  been  reelect- 
ed chairman  of  the  advertising  aavis- 
ory  council, Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  committee  which  works  with 
Gordon  White  in  the  administration  of 
the  MPAA  Advertising  Code. 

Krasne  To  Make  8  For  U.A. 

Philip    N.    Krasne  (Inter-American 
Productions)  will  produce    a  series  Oj 
eight  "Cisco  Kid"  pictures  for  United 
Artists     release.     The  eight    wilx  be 
made  during  the  next  three  years. 

Neufeld  Pictures  Formed 

HQLLYWGQD,  April  1—Sigmund  Neufeld 
and  Karl  Herzog  have  announced  the 
formation  of  Neufeld  Pictures  to  pro- 
duce for  Film  Classics  release. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  April  2,  1948 


Personal  Mention 

EDWIN  W.  AARON,    M-G-M  sales  execu- 
tive, will  return  to  New  York  from  the 
Coast  on  Monday     .   .   .  Harold  Postman, 
also  an    M-G-M  distribution  executive 
will  return  to  New  York  at  the  weekend 
from  Cincinnati  and  Indianapolis  .   .  . 
Sid    Blumenstock,     20th-Fox  assistant 
exploitation  director, is  in  Lancaster. 
.  .   .  George  Stevens,     RKO  Radio  pro- 
ffer,    has    arrived  in  Hollywood  from 
New  York.   .  .Harry  Warner,  Warner  pres- 
ident,  is  in  New  York  from  the  Coast. 

MAX  YOUNGSTEIN, Eagle-Lion  advertis- 
ing-publicity head,  who  celebrated  a 
birthday  last  Monday,  has  been  elected 
to  the  New  York  Academy  of  Sciences 
.  .  .  Carl  Dreyer,  European  director, 
is  due    here    today  on  the  SS  Falsi  rig 

for  his  first  visit  to  the  U.  S.  .  .  . 
William  B.  Levy,  Walt  Disney  Produc- 
tions' world-wide  sales  supervisor, 
will  sail  for  Europe  from  New  York  to- 
day .  .  .  Nate  J.  Blumberg,  Universal- 
International  president,  is  due  back 
in  New  York  April  15  from  the  Coast. 

Fabian  Heads  U.J. A.  Drive 

Si  Fabian  has  been  appointed  chair- 
man of  the  amusement  division  for  the 
Greater  New  York  United  Jewish  Appeal 
by  Barney  Balaban,  national  amusement 
division  chairman.  Fabian,  will  be  host 
at  a  luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Astor  here 
next  Thursday  for  the  chairman' s  com- 
mittee composed  of  industry  leaders  to 
organize  the  drive  in  this  area. 

Max  Cohen  Cancer  Chairman 

Max  A.  Cohen,  president  of  Cinema 
Circuit,  has  been  named  chairman  cf 
the  motion  picture  division  of  the 
1948  campaign  of  the  New  York  City 
Cancer  Committee. 

DeMille  to  House  Labor  Group 

WASHINGTON, April  1-Cecil  B.  DeMille 
will  arrive  here    April  5  and  will  ap 
pear  before     the  House  Labor 
Committee  on  April  7. Later 
tend  the  annual  Gridiron 

Biechele  Theatre  Ceiling  Falls 

KANSAS  CITY,  April  1  -  Some  30  pa- 
trons were  struck  by  falling  particles 
when    a    portion    of    R-  R.  Biechele's 


will 
Relations 
he  will  at 
Dinner  here. 


Osage  Theatre 
perfo rmance. 


s    ceiling  fell  during  a 


CBS  Seeks  Reel  for  Video 

Columbia  Broadcasting  expects  to 
have  a  five- times-weekly  newsreel  on 
its  television  network  by  May  1,  Wil- 
liam S.  Paley,  CBS  board  chairman, 
disci osed  yesterday .  While  confirming 
reports  that  he  had  been  negotiating 
with  United  World  Films,  Universal 
subsidiary , for  rights  to  the  Universal 
newsreel, he  said  he  doubts  if  any  deal 
will  be  reached,  and  added  that  CBS  ir ^ 
also  conducting  talks  with  other  newsk 
reel  outfits,  but  he  declined  to  name 
them. 

"U"  News  Explores  Video  Field 

James  Franey,  United  World  Films 
president ,  indicated  here  yesterday 
that  he  has  been  holding  informal 
talks  with  Columbia  Broadcasting  offi- 
cials and  others  for  rights  to  Univer- 
salis newsreel  in  video  broadcasts .He 
intimated,  however,  that  nothing  con- 
crete has  emerged  Jrom  the  talks. 

"Arch"  Premiere  U.N.Aid 

With  tickets  priced  at  $10  and  $5, 
a  premiere  of  Enterprise ' s  "Arch  of 
Triumph"  will  be  held  Monday  evening, 
April  19, at  the  Globe  Theatre  here, for 
the  beneift  of  the  American  Overseas 
Aid-United  Nations  Appeal  for  Children, 
Spyros  P.  Skouras  is    general  chairman* 

F.C.  &  B.  on  Goldwyn  Account  :" 


Foote,  Cone  and  Belaing  has  again 
become  the  advertising  agency  for  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn  Productions,  replacing  Don- 
ahue and  Coe, Inc. ,  resigned  last  week. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


■p-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 
IRENE  DUNNE  In  GEORGC  STEVENS' 

Prod,  of 

"I  REMEMBER  MAMA" 

Barbara  Oscar  Philip 

BEL  GEDDES        HOMOLKA  OORN 

Produced  by  HARRIET  PARSONS 
Music  Hall's  Great  Easter  Stage  Show 


LADD 

as  VERONICA 

LAKE 


8* 


■  '..:.*  •"        .-J,.\::-.     . :  j 


Robert  Maureen  Clifton 
YOUNG*  O'HARA*  WEBB 

f  SITTING  PRETTY 


SOLLCSSER  pr...ntt  IDEM  RICE  BURROUGHS' 


Hi 


A  20th  Century-fox  Picture 
PIUS  ON  STAGE— ART  MOONEY  •  BETTY 


BRUCEC 


Roxy 


Extra!  AL  BERNIE  I 


JOHNNY  WEISSMUI1ER-BRENDA  JOYCE 'W 

end  introducing  IMA  ONBTIM  ▼ 


7th  Ave.  & 
50th  St. 


:PA£AC£X 


OOMS  OHM  I  ft.  it 

miomite  snow  war 


Sunday^  and  hoffi P  b v  (WlU VnhL^r7'  ^V1"-0]1^ a£d  t.Pu4bhsh":  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
NeVYrnk" ^MarttacSu&H  V^^%  fv°mpa^-'  :HC-'  .^^  S'xth  Avenue  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco 
James f  F ^  Cunningham    New,  mSbIS  ^IT^  M™'n    Q"^.^  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary 

iEdTtor- Chicaeo  Bureau  Wu    K  V't  M^fr  Manager:  Dav.d  Harris,  C.rculation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver 

D   C   London  Bureau   4  r^Hm  'S n    T    IS      wl  on?.  an<^  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington 

).  C.  London  Bureau.  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.   Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 

&  \  T  Z  *a  3  fu ctlon  ofMot'on  P'cture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York, 


Salute  In 
Honor  of  All 
Those  Whose 
Combined 
Talents  Went 
Into  The 
Production 

THE  MOST 
HONORED 
PICTURE  IN 
SCREEN 
HISTORY! 


4 


Winner  of 
cademy  Awards 

BEST  PICTURE 
OF  THE  YEAR! 

Best  Director 
ELIA  KAZAN 

Best  Supporting  Actress 
CELESTE  HOL 


^(^inner  of  51  Individual  Awards, 
Including*  the  New  York  Critics  Circle 
Award  for  the  Best  Picture  of  the  Year, 

Cx e  n  1 1  e  m  a  ns 
Agreement 

Climaxes  the  Greatest  Acclaim  in 
Screen  History  hy  Being  Selected 

The  Academy 
Award  Picture 

and  Winning  2  Additional  Academy  Awards! 

In  gratitude  and  pride,  we  extend 
our  warmest  congratulations 

To  Producer  DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK 

To  Screen  Play  Writer  MOSS  HART 
To  Director  ELIA  KAZAN 

To  Author  LAURA  Z.  HOBSON 

To  the  Stars 

GREGORY  PECK 
DOROTHY  McGUIRE  •  JOHN  GARFIELD 

To  the  Supporting  Players 

CELESTE  HOLM,  ANNE  REVERE,  JUNE  HAVOC, 
ALBERT  DEKKER,  JANE  WYATT, 
DEAN  STOCK  WELL  and  SAM  JAFFE 

To  All  Who  Contrihuted  To 

THE  ACADEMY  AWARD  PICTURE! 


CENTURY-FOX 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  April  2,  1948 


Seek  Better  Publicity  Breaks 

CHICAGO,  April  1  -  Publicity  heads 
of  major  distributors  and  circuits 
here  have  set  up  a  committee  in  a  con- 
certed effort  to  obtain  better  cooper- 
ation from  the  Chicago  press  where 
spot-news  space  is  concerned.  The 
publicists  contend  more  space  is  going 
to  night  clubs,  fly-by-night  attrac- 
tions and  legitimate  shows  in  spite  of 
the  fact  film  advertising  exceeds  that 
for  all  other  forms  of  entertainment . 

Action  is  expected  to  start  next 
week  with  the  committee  calling  on 
each  paper  to  discuss  the  situation  in 
an  attempt  to  get  better  "breaks"  on 
current  and  forthcoming  product. 

Premiere  Opens  Bond  Drive 

A  premiere  showing  of  Universal-in- 
ternational '  s  "Are  You  With  It, "at  the 
Winter  Garden  Theatre  here  April  14, 
will  herald  the  New  York  State  opening 
of  the-  Treasury  Department's  Security 
Loan  Drive,  which  runs  nationally  from 
April  15  to  June  30.  In  addition,  then 
will  be  a  stage  show. Admission  will  be 
by  Savings  Bonds  only. 

The  New,  York  State  quota  is 
$300,000,000  in  E,  F,  and  G  bonds.  In 
disclosing  plans  for  the  showJPhilip  M. 
Light,  State  director  of  the  Treasury 
Department's  bond  division,  paid  trib- 
ute to  the  entertainment  industry  for 
getting  wholeheartedly  behind  the  cam- 
paign. 

TOA,  MPAA  Agree  on  Campaign 

Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer-t 
tea's  advertising-publicity  directors 
committee  and  Theatre  Owners  of  Ameri- 
ca's public  relations  committee  have 
struck  up  a  harmonious  working  rela- 
tionship in  their  mutual  endeavor  to 
offset  adverse  industry  publicity  with 
favorable  public  information,  Ted  R. 
Gamble, TOA  president  said  here  yester- 
day. TOA's  publicity  drive  chairman 
Earl  Hudson  is  cur  rent ly  working  with 
the  MPAA  group  in  an  endeavor  to  set  a 
mutually  satisfactory  number  of  pict-, 
ures  of  all  companies  to  serve  as  the 
backbone  of  the  joint  public  relations 
effort,  Gamble  said.  MPAA  had  origi- 
nally decided  on  34  while  TOA  had  ex- 
pected to  back  up  some  24. 

Selznick  Sets  1  in  Sweden 

Daniel  T.  C'Shea,  executive  head  of 
the  Selznick  Studio,  has  completed  ar- 
rangements with  Harold  Molander,  pro- 
duction vice-president  of  the  Svensk 
Film  Industry  of  Sweden  to  film  Henrik 
Ibsen's  "A  Doll's  House"  at  the  SFI 
Studios  in  Stockholm  this  summer. 


Await  Rank  Reply  on  Olympics 

Discrediting  reports  that  five  Am- 
erican newsreels  would  pay  $8,000  each 
in  •  order  to  participate  in  covering 
the  Olympics  in  England  this  swnmer,  a 
spokesman  for  the  U.S.  newsreels '  com- 
mittee said  American  newsreels  are 
still  waiting  for  a  report  of  the  out- 
come of  talks  in  London  to  which  J. 
Arthur  Rank  dispatched  his  attorney, 
G.  I.  Woodham- Smith,  shortly  after 
their  arrival  in  this  country. 

The  spokesman  added  that  Castleton 
Knight,  general  manager  of  Gaumont 
British  News,  has  set  up  an  Olympics 
film  company  to  sell  coverage  rights, 
in  contravention  of  international  pro- 
cedure on  freedom  of  information. 

N.Y.  State  Film  Job  Tests 

ALBANY, N. Y. ,  April  1  -  Examinations 
will  be  held  May  22  for  the  positions 
of  film  library  supervisor  and  assist- 
ant supervisor,  publicity  division. 
New  York  State  Commerce  Department, 
the  State  Civil  Service  Commission  an- 
nounces. The  positions  are  under  sup- 
ervision of  the  head  of  the  State  Mo- 
tion Picture  Unit,  which  distributes 
films  promoting  New  York  State. 

Peerless  Installs  At  Consolidated 

Peerless  Film  Processing  Corp.  has 
completed  equipment  installations  in 
the  laboratories  of  Consolidated  Film 
Industries  at  Fort  Lee  and  Hollywood, 
it  has  been  announced  by  Kern  Moyse, 
president  of  the  company. 

'Arch'Opens  Here  April  20 

Opening  of  Enterprise ' s  "Arch  of 
Triumph"  at  the  Globe  here  has  been 
delayed  by  United  Artists  to  April  20. 


Notice 

MOTION  PICTURE 
DAILY'S  normal  ap- 
pearance is  being 
affected  by  a  work 
stoppage  in  a  dis- 
pute between  the 
typographical  union 
and  the  employing 
printer. 


TIME  Waih 
FOR  NO  ONE 

Wb*n  you  mi  a  special 
trailer  sad  waul  II  ea  bow. 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  JNC. 

30*  East  44th  St.,  N.  Y.  19  MU  7-69 

^  Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


Friday,  April  2,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


BRITAIN  AIMS  AT  DEVELOPING 
CONTROL  OF  FILM  INDUSTRY 

LONDON,  March  31.   (By  Air  Mail) 

Clear  now  to'  the  better  inforr.ed  is 
a  governmental  plan  for  control  of  the 
industry, 

mile    Harold  Wilson,     president  of 
tne  Board  of    Trade,  has  declared  more 
than  once,  as  has  Sir  Stafford  Cripps, 
-Cancel lor  of  the  Exchequer,     that  the 
government  has  no  intention  of  nation- 
alizing the     industry,     both  gentlemen 
have  made  it  clear  beyond  peradventure 
that  national  i zation  or  no  the  Govern- 
ment proposes     taking  to  itself  a  con- 
siderable say-so  in  the     operations  of 
the  industry. 

One  clear  indication  of  the  coming 
control  is  an  investigation  into  pro- 
duction cost  by  the  National  Film.  Pro- 
duction Council,  Mr.  Wilson,  chairman, 
which  me't  first  March  2J. 

The-  State  .Film  Bank,  generally  re- 
garded as  being  around  the  comer  and 
designed  to  help  independents  out  of 
the ir  financial  difficulties,  is  ano- 
ther considerable  straw  in  the  u/ind  at 
the  moment. 

Also  to  be  regarded  is  the  building 
of  the  State  Studio,  to  which  Mr.  Wil- 
son had  more  or  less  pledged  the  Gov- 
ernment. 


Attacks  Hollywood 

HAN.VS  ETSLER,  the  Hollywood  com- 
poser who  left  the  U,  S,  after  a 
brush  with  the  House  Un-American 
Activities  Committee,  was  talk- 
ing about  Hollywood  in  Prague 
last  Monday  and  the  Associated 
Press  picked  up  these  samplest 
"It  is  now  a  city  in  a  terrible 
state  of  hysteria.  Old  friends 
regard  each  other  with  suspicion 
and  you  don't  know  whether  you 
can  trust  your  neighbors.  Peo- 
ple whisper.  There  are  prying 
eyes.  There  is  conspiracy  in 
the  air.  Nervous  thousands  are 
quite  sure  the  war  will  start 
next,  week  or  next  month,  " 

Insert  Local  Name 

IT'S  THE  personal  touch  thai 
does  the  trick.  And  it  is  being 
applied  in  the  UGM-Liberty  film 
"State  of  the  Union.''  Katherine 
Hepburn  plays  the  wife  of  a  pre- 
sidential candidate.  There  is  one 
scene  where  she  opens  a  heap  of 
congratulatory  telegrams  and 
reads  the  names  of  the  senders. 
Audiences  in  each  exchange  cen- 
ter will  find  the  first  name  fa- 
miliar since  Metro  has  supplied 
each  of  the  J2  exchange  areas 
with  a  60-foot  clip  of  the  scene' 
where  Miss  Hepburn  reads  off  the 
name  of  a  personal i  ty  particu- 
larly well  known  in  that  area. 
For  New  York,  Los  Angeles  and 
Canada  it's  "Mad  Man"  Muntz, 


Copyrighted  Films  Listed 

The  January-June,  1947,  catalog  of 
copyrighted  motion  pictures  was  issued 
this  week  by  the  Copyright  Office  of 
the  Library  of  Congress.  All  titles 
are  listed  alphabetically  and  followed 
by  a  description  of  type,  production 
statement,  release  date,  and  physical 
characteristics  of  the  film. 

New  Production  Company 

Gregory,  Cook  &  Griffiths,  Motion 
Pictures, Inc. ,  has  been  formed  to  pro- 
duce low-budget  pictures.  The  first  to 
go  before  the  cameras  is  "Strange  Case 
of  Malcolm  Craige,"  on  April  13.  Ken 
Cook  is  president;  Robert  F.Griffiths, 
vice-president ,  and  John  Gregory,  di- 
rector of  production. 

Loew's  Tests  Spanish  Titles 

Loew's  International  has  begun  the 
testing  of  Spanish  titles  in  Latin  A- 
merica  for  MOM  pictures.  Countries  be- 
ing surveyed  are  Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, 
Argentina  and  Chile. 

Granada  Profit  $312,000 

Sidney  Be rnste  ins  Granada  Theatres, 
London, has  announced  a  profit  of  #312, 
000  for  the    year  ended    September  Jl, 
I947.     This  compares  with  $272,764  for 
the  1946  period. 


MAGIC  SHADOWS 

The  Story  of  the  Origin  of  Motion  Pictures 

By  MARTIN  QUICLEY,  JR. 

Adventurous  exploration  of  forgotten  yesterdays— 191  pages,  28 
illustrations.  Bound  in  cloth.  A  Georgetown  University  Press  book. 

".  .  .  the  enjoyable  opportunity  of  following  in  detail  the  struggles  of  savants  and  quacks, 
of  scientists  and  rogues,  and  of  the  thoughtful  and  the  crackpots  who,  in  one  way  or 
another  contributed  to  the  march  of  motion  picture  progress  during  its  pre-history." 

From  a  review  by  DR.  ALFRED  N.  GOLDSMITH 


Gentlemen:  •  , 

Send  copy(ies)  of  Magic  Shadows  at  $3.50  per  copy  postage  paid. 

□  Check  enclosed.  □  Send  bill. 

Name  

Address   

QUICLEY  BOOKSHOP  -  1270  SIXTH  AVENUE  -  NEW  YORK  CITY  (20) 


9,t*  "  -mis'15  OS  "SGE,-W  ""  ^taKCT^14 


3    V  S^d^ 


ago 


The  New  Boxoffice  Power  Is  ALLIED  ARTISTS! 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


r  ILL  trUPY 


L 


MOTION0  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


J 


VOL. 


NO.  65 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  APRIL  5,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


MARSHALL  PLAN  AID  FOR  FILMS 

COURTS  RUN  BUSINESSTsf 
THEATRE  ELECTS  A  LAWYER 


DETROIT,  April  4  ~  Increasing  legal 
problems  confronting  theatre  manage- 
ment due  to  court  and  other  decrees  is 
given  by  the  La  Salle  Garden  Theatre 
Co, here  as  the  reason  for  the  election 
of  Everett  F.  Hayes,  Detroit  attorney, 
to'the  company's  board  of  directors, 
Hayes  also  was  elected  to  the  board  of 
the  Grand  Riviera  Theatre  Co,  here. 

E,  R,  Holtz,  president-treasurer  of 
La  Salle  Garden,  saidi  "Clearance  and 
run,  once  matters  of  negotiation  and 
buying,  now  are  legal  problems.  Other 
theatre  operations  have  been  similarly 
complicated  by  court  actions.  I  be- 
lieve this  to  be  a  sad  state  of  af- 
fairs but,  as  it  exists,  this  is  how 
we  are  meeting  it." 

Expect  U.K. Dollar  Split-up 
Formula  Within  2  Weeks 

Film  company  foreign  managers ,  who 
'  are  meeting  two  and  three  times  a  week 
as  a  Motion  Picture  Association  of  Am- 
erica committee  assigned  to  the  admin- 
istration of  such  British  tax  settle- 
ment matters  as  the  division  among  U.S. 
distributors  of  income  from  the  settl- 
ement's dollar  pool, are  expected  to  ho- 
ve ready  in  about  two  weeks  a  formula 
for  consideration  by  a  meeting  of  com- 
pany presidents ,  the  MPAA  reoorts. 

Lewis  Bill  Rehearing  on  April  7 

WASHINGTON,  April  4.  —  The  House 
judiciary  subcommittee  has  tentatively 
scheduled  a  meeting  for  Wednesday 
morning  for  reconsideration  of  the 
Lewis  bill. 

DeMille  Labor  Hearing  Postponed 

WASHINGTON,  April  4.  —  The  House 
Labor  committee  hearing  scheduled  for 
Wednesday,  at  which  Cecil  B.  De  Mille 
was  to  testify,  has  been  postponed 
while  the  committee  clears  up  its 
current  calendar. 


MPAA  Is  "Elated"  Over  Help  to 
Production,  Distribution  Abroad 

WASHINGTON,  April  4  —  The  Marshall 
Plan  guarantees  to  film  companies  and 
ether  information  media  will  provide 
for  convertibility  into  dollars  of 
production  and  distribution  costs  of 
films  shown  in  Marshall  Plan  nations* 
itself  provides  for  con- 
of  income  from  approved 
in  Europe  to  $15,000,000 
How  this  would  apply 
was  not  clear  until 


The  bill 
vertibil i ty 
inves tments 
the  first  year, 
to  film  companies 


House-Senate  conferees  filed  a  confer- 
ence report  on  the  provision.  Says 
the  report:  "The  conference  recognizes 
that  the  nature  of  the  information 
media  industry  is  such  that  in  many 
cases  the  investment  to  which  the 
guaranty  will  apply  will  have  been 
made  in  the  United  States  and  the 
product  of  the  investment  sold  or  ex- 
hibited abroad.  In  these  cases,  the 
guaranty  might  well  apply  to  the  con- 
vertibility of  foreign  currencies 
earned  by  the  sale  or  exhibition  of 
the  products  of  the  industry,  to  the 
extent  of  the  dollar  cost  of  produc- 
tion wholly  attributable  to  those 
specific  products,  " 

Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica officials  were  overjoyed  at  the 
language  in  the  report,  regarding  it 
as  a  tremendous  step  forward  in  solv- 
ing the    overseas  currency  problems." 

Obviously  the  provision  kills  all 
chances  of  other  plans  to  aid  the  fro- 
zen funds  problem,  including  those 
worked  on  at  the  State  Department . 
However,  State  Department  and  industry 
officials  thought  the  ERP  bill  more 
than  adequate.  One  Government  offi- 
cial put  it  this  way:  "The  Marshall 
Plan  nations  have  been  the  chief 
headache  for  the 
$15,000,000  for  the 
quite  enough  to  keep 
those  countries." 


industries,  and 
first    year  is 
them  operating  in 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  April   5,  1948 


Personal  Mention 

ERIC  JOHNSTON,  MP A A  president,  is 
expected  Wednesday  in  Hollywood,  where 
he  will  be  joined  by  Edward  Gheyf^tz, 
his  assistant .  He  plans  to  be  bach  in 
New  York,  for  the  April  12  HP  A  A  board 
meeting  .  .  .  Frank  Capra  is  due  in 
Washington  today  with  his  wife..*  .  .  t 
Red.  Kann  observed  his  49th  birthday 
Saturday.  .  .  W.  K.  Craig ,M-G-M  studio 
comptroller,  is  en  route  to  the  Coast 
from.  New  York  ...  Pom  Blumenthal , 
chairman  of  the  Cinecolor  board,  left 
here  for  Hollywood  yesterday  .  .  .  Jay 
Eisenberg,  liaison  between  the  M-G-M 
sales  and  legal  departments,  has  left 
for  a  Miami  vacation  .  .  .  Tom  Rogers 
of  M-G-M  publicity  department  is  in 
Phoenix  .  .  .  J.Robert  Rubin,  M-G-M 
vice-president ,  arrives  on  the  Coast 
today  after  an  Arizona  vacation  .  .  . 
B.  G.  Kranze,  vice-president  of  Film 
Classics, has  left  Atlanta  for  New  York 
....  Joel  Levy,  Loew's  out-of-town 
booker,  gets  back  today  from  a  visit 
to  the  circuit's  Toronto  houses  .  .  . 
Rube  Jackter,  Columbia  assi stant  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  is  on  a  Florida 
vacation  .  .  .  Patricio  Lambert  Burt, 
former  member  of  M-G-M's  Eastern  story 
department,  has  become  the  mother  of  a 
son,  William  Griswold  Burt,  III  .  .  . 
Maria  Jeritza,  ■  opera  diua,  widow  of 
Winfield  Sheehan,  will  be  married  on 
April  10  to  Irving  F.  Seery,  Newark 
attorney  .  .  .  Ph.il  Reisman,  RKO  Radio 
foreign  sales  head,  left  Hollywood 
yesterday  by  plane  for  New  York  . 
David  O.Selznick  has  received  American 
Red  Cross  honors  for  providing  this 
year's  Red  Cross  drive  trailer  ...".> 
Maurice  A.  Bergman,  U-I  Eastern  adver- 
tising-publicity director, is  in  a  hos- 
pital here  for  a  check-up  this  week.  , 
Ted  Gamble  left  here  Friday  for 
Portland,  Ore. 

"IA"  and  IBEW  Divide  Video  Jobs 

IATSE  and  International  Brotherhood 
of  Electrical  Workers  will  share  tele- 
vision jurisdiction  about  equally  in 
the  televising  by  CBS  of  part  of  the 
stage  play  "Mr.  Roberts"  at  the  Alvin 
Theatre  here  tomorrow.  The  telecast 
will  be  one  of  the  "Tonight  on  Broad- 
way" series. 


U-l  Will  Produce  Two  in  England 

CHICAGO,  April  4  -  Universal-Inter- 
national will  produce  two  films  in 
England  during  a  12-month  period  be- 
ginning in  July,  using  J.  Arthur  Rank 
Organization  facilities, Rank  disclosed 
here  en  route  to  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
where  he  will  be  a  guest  of  the  East- 
man Kodak  Go.  tomorrow.  William  Goetz, 
U-l  production  head,  will  go  to  E  V 
land  this  summer  to  complete  prepafa- 
tions,  Rank  added. 

He  said  no  other  commitments  for 
studio  space  had  oeen  made  to  American 
companies  by  him.. 

Dewey  Signs  Theatre  Tax  Measure 

ALBANY,  N.  Y: ,  Aoril  U  —  Authority 
to  levy  nine  taxes,  including  five  oer 
cent  on  theatre  admissions ,  is  given 
the  state's  cities  of  more  than  25,000 
^ovulation  and  counties ,  under  a  bill 
signed  by  Gov. Dewey.  Since  19^7 >  these 
levies  hod  been  permissive  for  all  co- 
unties end  cities  of  more  than  100,000 
population.  Mayors'  Conference  recom- 
mended the  extension . 

30  Films  in  Production 

HOLLYWOOD,  April    H   ' —  Production 
activity  spurted  slightly  with  the  ta- 
lly standing  at  30  at  weekend  as  again- 
st 26  last  week. 

Shooting  started  on  "The  Wrangler," 
Columbia;  "No  Minor  Vices , "Enterprise; 
* "Miraculous  Journey"  (a  Sig  Neufeld 
Production) ,  Film  Classics;  "Dynamite" 
(Pine-Thomas),  Paramount;  "That  Wonder- 
ful Urge,"  20th  Century-Fox;  "Rogue's 
Reoiment,"  U-I;  "My  Dream  is  Yours" 
(Mic'iael  Curtiz  Production)  and"Stlver 
Lining, "  Warners. 

British  Studios  Set  Layoffs 

LONDON,  April  4  —  iVational  Studios 
at  Elstree  have  closed  as  a  result  of 
the  collapse  of  negotiations  for  a 
temporary  lease  to  Maurice  Ostrer,  in- 
dependent producer.  At  Shepperton 
Studios,  225  of  the.  1,000  employes  of 
London  Films  have  received  one  week's 
notice  and  at  Isleworth  Studios,  46  of 
300  workers  will  be  dismissed. 

Montgomery  In  Theatre  Switch 

NEW  ORLEANS,  April  4  -  Levere  Mont- 
gomery has  become  the  new  president  of 
the  Delta  Theatres  here  and  has  taken 
over     the  Jon  from    Joy  Houcks, 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-hi-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturday 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunnngham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  Willianl  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  814  South  Arlington  Mill  Drive,  Arling- 
ton, Va.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Bumup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Monday,  April  5,  1945 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


3 


Reviews 

"Homecoming"  (m-^-m) 

CLARK  GABLE'S  best  since  he  left  the 
service,  "Homecoming"  is  a  strong  at- 
traction  and  also  a  war  film  with  shot, 
shell  and  death  much  in  the  foreground. 
It's  the  first  of  its  hind  in  approxi- 
mately two  years.  But  intelligence  in 
production  and  direction  as  well  as  be- 
i'^vability  of  story'  and  strength  of 
performance  by  a  gilt-edged  cast  are 
the  ponderables  which  the  exhibitor 
must  weigh.  He'll  get  a  full  measure 
and  so  will  his  audiences. 

Gable  is  a  successful  surgeon  who 
finds  he  has  to  go  through  the  war  to 
adjust  his  values  to  himself  as  an  in- 
dividual and  as  a  healer  for  the  sick. 
The  war  does  this,  but  not  alone.  Lana 
Turner,  his  nurse,  is  the  human  and 
emotional  factor  who  becomes  respons- 
ible. They  fall  in  love,  but  she  is 
hilled.  Gable  returns  to  Anne  Baxter, 
his  wife,  to  pick  up  the  interrupted 
threads  on  a  different  and  more  useful 
level  with  her  and  his  college  doctor- 
friend,  John  Hodiah, 

Mervyn  Le  Roy's  direction  is  excel- 
lent. Sidney  A.  Franklin  produced  in 
association  with  Gottfried  Reinhardi 
from  an  original  by  Sidney  Kingsley 
and  a  script  by  Paul  Osborn,  Running 
time,  113  minutes.  General  audience 
classification.     Release  date;  April. 

Red  Kann 

"Arthur  Takes  Over" 

(Wurtzel  — 20th  Century-Fox) 
ALL  SORTS  of  farcical  complications 
develop  for  a  homecoming ,  small- town 
girl  when  she  decides  to  prepare  her 
pa  rents  for  the  knowledge  that  she  is 
married.  A  Sol  M,  Wurtzel  production, 
it  proceeds  along  routine  lines, churn- 
ing up  innocent  mirth  and  antics.  De- 
spite the  handicap  of  a  tepid  theme, 
the  characters  turn  out  to  be  pleasing 
people.  They  include  Lois  Collier, 
Skip    Homeier,     Richard    Crane,  Ann  E. 


FILMACK 
special 
traitors 
■teal  the 
spotlight! 
That's  why 
they're  so 
popular 
with 

showmen 
every-  / 
where 


Notice 

MOTION  PICTURE 
DAILY'S  normal 
appearance  is 
being  affected 
by  a  work  stop- 
page in  a  dis- 
pute between 
t  he  typographi- 
cal union  and 
the  employing 
printer. 


Todd  and  Jerome  Cowan, 

En  route  to  the  finale,  the  Mauri 
Grashin  screenplay  and  story  has  the 
girl's  brother  Arthur  taking  the  situ- 
ation over  and  steering  matters  to  a 
happy  conclusion,  Mai  St.  Clair  de- 
rected.  Running  time,  63  minutes.  Gen- 
eral audience  classification.  Release 
datei    May,  Mandel  Herbstman 


B  &  K  Garrick  to  First  Run 

CHICAGO,  April  4  United  Artists' 
"Man  of  Evil"  .  has  been  booked  for  a 
two-week  run  starting  Friday  to  test 
first  run  policy  at  B  &  K's  Loop  Gar- 
rick, which  has  been  a  third-run, 
double  and  single  feature  policy  at 
reduced  admissions .  Lower  admission 
scale  of  80  cents  top  will  continue. 

RKO  Radio's  "The  Farmer's  Daughter" 
will  play  a  repeat  engagement  in  the 
Loop,  opening  at  the  Grand  Wednesday 
for  one  or  possibly  two  weeks .The  film 
played  the  Palace  here  last  summer, 

Chicago  Censors  Snipped  31 

CHICAGO,  April  4 — Four  foreign-made 
and  one  Hollywood  picture  were  placed, 
in  adult  classifications  by  the  Chica- 
go censor  board  during  the  month  of 
March.  118  films  were  reviewed  and  31 
cuts  made, 

Taylor  Again  Heads  Alliance 

HOLLYWOOD,  April  4  —  Robert  Taylor 
has  been  reelected  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Alliance. 


3t 


LAUGH  HIT  FROM 
EAGLE  LION  PILMS 


Starring 


WILLIAM  EYTHE 

Hazel  Court  ■  Margaret  Rutherford  •  Stanley  Holloway  •  Basil  Sydney 

Produced  by  MARCEL  HELLMAN   ■   Directed  by  THORNTON  FREELAND 


m  / 


fm 


!,A  smartly  handled  comedy  that  will  attract 
audiences!"  FMDAY 


"Gay  and  mischievous!  Rich  satisfaction 
for  filmgoers!" 

"An  amusing  comedy!  Played  strictly  for 
laughter!" 

"Producer  Hellman  has  endowed  the  pic- 
ture with  good  production  values!" 


-HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


Screen  Play  by  Lesley  Storm  and  James  Seymour  •  An  Excelsior  Film  Production  •  Released  by  20th  Century-Fox 


FEATURING  ^1  ^  Ij^ 


REGISTER  NOW,  FOLKS 

&r  /fe  Show  Svetit  of  the  year! 

sun!   fun!   beaches!  beauties! 

HURRY/  HURRY!  HURRY! 

Tne  Cn  oice  Rooms  are  Going  Fast! 


TO  REGISTER 

WRITE  COMMITTEE 
HEADQUARTERS 

Variety  Club 
of  tfreater  Miami 

filcazar Motel, 
Miami,  9la. 

Registration  Fee 

$3500  MEN    $150°  WOMEN 


FILE,  oun 

mO  NOT  REMOVE 


MOTION  PICTURE 


MOTION  PICTURE  ASSOC. 
AMSR'CA,    INC .    (CriAaidkna ) 
28  *£ST  44TH  ST., 
NEW  YORK.  18, 
N 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


\.  63..  NO.  66 


NEW  YORK.  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  APRIL  6,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


TOA  to  Oppose  Daylight 
Saving  Legislation 

A,  Julian  Brylawski,  Theatre  Owners 
of  America's  national  legislative  com- 
mittee chairman,  and  Herman  M,  Levy, 
TOA  general  counsel, will  appear  before 
the  subcommittee  of  the  U,  S.  Senate 
Committee  on  Interstate  and  Foreign 
Commerce  on  April  13  in  opposition  to 
national  daylight  saving  legislation, 

AFRA  Brief  Goes  to  High  Court 

WASHINGTON,  April  5  —  The  American 
Federation  of  Radio  Artists  today  told 
the  Supreme  Court  Cecil  B,  DeMille  had 
not  been  deprivedof  any  constitutional 
rights  by  the  union's  action  expelling 
him  for  non-payment  of  a  $1  assessment 
for  a  1944  campaign  fund, and  there  was 
no  reason  for  the  high  court  to  review 
a  lower  court  decision  throwing  out  the 
producer ' s  suit  against  AFRA* 

Carpenters  Ask  for  Suit  Delay 

WASHINGTON,  April  5  —  Sixteen  mem- 
bers of  the  carpenters'  union  today 
ashed  the  Supreme  Court  to  review  a 
lower  court  decision  throwing  out  their 
suit  charging  conspiracy  between  IATSE 
and  the  major  studios  to  deprive  them 
of  work  they  claim  rightfully  belongs 
to  them,  _ 

Phillips  Gets  MMPTA  Post 

D,  John  Phillips,  former  Paramount 
short  subjects  publicity  and  advertis- 
ing manager,  has  been  named  executive 
director  of  the  Metropolitan  Motion 
Picture  Theatres  Association,  succeed- 
ing Gen,  Rodney  H.  Smith, 

J.D.  Kalafat,  Pioneer  Exhibitor 

CLEVELAND,  April  5  —John  D, Kalafat 
among  the  earliest  of  local  exhibitors, 
died  suddenly  this  morning  at  Mt, Sinai 
Hospital. 

Stassen  at  Variety  Banquet 

MIAMI  BEACH,  Fla.,  April  5  -  Harold 
E.  Stassen  will  speak  on  world  affairs 
at  the  banquet  of  the  Variety  Gli*bs 
Intern-it  ional  here  April  17, 


Industry  Public 
Relations  Meet 

Industry  advertising-publicity  di- 
rectors will  meet  here  today  with  rep- 
resentatives of  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  to  coordinate  their  industry 
public  relations  activities.  The 
joint  session  was  called  yesterday  by 
Charles  Schlaifer,  acting  chairman  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  industry  public  relations  com- 
mittee, following  a  meeting  with  Ken- 
neth Clark,  MPAA  public  relations  di- 
rector, here  from  Washington,  Robert 
Coyne, TOA  executive  director,  and  Earl 
Hudson,  handling  the  TOA  campaign, 
will  represent  that  organization. 

Coast  Meet  on  Public  Relations 

HOLLYWOOD,  April  5— The  probability 
exists  that  Eric  Johnston,  president 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America,  will  hold  another  meeting 
here  with  representatives  of  the 
Screen  Actors  Guild,  the  Screen  Di- 
rectors Guild,  the  Screen  Writers 
Guild,  IATSE  and  other  groups  on  plans 
for  a  Hollywood  public  relations  or- 
ganization. Nothing  tangible  came  out 
of  Johnston' s  first  meeting  with  them, 

HOWARD    HUGHES  -R.K.O. 
DEAL  IS  STILL  IN  WORK 

Reports  that  the  Floyd  Odium-Howard 
Hughes  deal  for  the  latter's  purchase 
of  a  controlling  stock  interest  in  RKO 
from,  Atlas  Corp,  is  ready  for  closing 
here  lacked  confirmation  yesterday. 
Odium  is  in  New  York  from  the  Coast 
but  was  not  available  for  comment, 
Hughes  is  still  in  the  West,  At  RKO 
the  status  of  the  deal  was  reported 
unchanged, 

Einfeld's  Mother  Dies  at  65 

Funeral  services  for  Mrs,  Celia 
Einfeld,  65,  mother  of  S.  Charles  Ein- 
feld,  Enterprise  president ,  will  be 
held  tomorrow  morning  at  Riverside 
Memorial  Chapel  here,  Mrs,  Einfeld 
died  Sunday  at  Beth  Israel  Hospital, 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  6,  1948 


Personal  Mention 

MILTON  S.  KUSELL,Selznick  Releasing 
Organization  distribution  vice-presi- 
dent, is  in  Hollywood  from  New  York.  . 
Kermit  Axelrod  has  resigned  from  the 
RKO  Radio  foreign  publicity  staff  and 
has  been  succeeded  by  Richard  Haestier 
.  .  .  Jesse  L.  Lasky  returned  to  New 
York  yesterday  from  Miami  .  .  .  G.  L. 
Carrington,  Altec  president,  and  H.  M. 
Bessey,  vice-president,  are  in  town 
from  the  Coast, 

WALTER  L.   TITUS, JR., 
sion  manager,     who  is 
from  here,  will  attend 
ternation'al  convention 
returning    to    New  York 
Bond,  Sr.,  Warner  head  film 


Republ ic  divi- 
in  Los  Angeles 
the  Variety  In- 
in  Miami  before 
.  Clayton 
buyer,  has 


"I  Remember 
presentation, 
$155,000  third 


becomea  grandfather  for  the  third  time 
when  his  son, Clay  ton  Bond,  Jr.,  became 
the  father  of  a  daughter  .  .  .  Johnny 
Weissmuller  and  his  wife  are  among 
passengers    due  here  today  from  Europe. 

B' way  Holiday  Week  Grosses  Strong 

True  to  tradition,  Easter  Week  bus- 
iness was  big  at  Broadway's  first-runs 
this  year,  and  grosses  are  expected  to 
hold  up  well  during  the  current  week. 
Easter  week  and  current  week  figures, 
in  that  order,  follow: 

Mama"  and  Easier  stage 
Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
week,  $147,000  fourth. 
"Naked  City, "plus  stage  show,  Capitol, 
$117,500,  fourth,  $105,000,  fifth. 
"Sitting  Pretty"  with  Art  Mooney  '  s 
band  on  stage,  Roxy,  $115,000,  third, 
$115,000,  fourth.  "Saigon,"  plus  Buddy 
Rich's  band,  Paramount,  split  Easter 
Week  with  "Road  to  Rio"  to  bring 
$95,000; first  for  "Saigon"  alone  looks 
like  $95,000.  "Mr.  Blandtngs  Builds 
His  Dream  House,"  Astor, $45,000  first, 
$40,000  second.  "April  Showers,"  with 
Claude  Thornhtll's  band  on  stage, 
Strand,  $57,000  first,  $44,000  second. 
"The  Search,"  Victoria,  $27,000  second 
(Easter)  week.  "All  My  Sons,"  Criter- 
ion, $50,000  first,  $38,000  second, 
"Gentleman's  Agreement,"  Mayfair, 
$28,000  20th  week,  $27,000  21st.  "Mi- 
racle of  the  Bells,"  Rivoli,  $45,000 
second,  $30,000  third.  "B.F.'s  Daugh- 
ter," Loew's  Stage,  $32,000  first, 
$24,000  second.  "Man  of  Evil,"  Winter 
Garden,  $17,000  first,  $11,000  second 
and  final. 


Percentage  Suits  Filed 

Suits  for  alleged  fraud  in  connec- 
tion with  percentage  engagements  have 
been  filed  by  major  distributors  a- 
gainst  Mannte  Shore,  operator  of  the 
Grand,  War  and  Pioneer  theatres  in 
West  Virginia;  Lloyd  E.  Rogers,  opera- 
tor of  the  Focahontas,  Temple,  Palace, 
Elbert  and  Rogers,  also  West  Virginia; 
and  Antonio  Boscardin;  Jean  Stone  and 
Elizabeth  Knickerbocker  of  the  Colon 
al  Theatre,  Conn. 

Eight  actions  by  major  distributors 
pending  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  against  Ells- 
worth L.  Staup,  Paul  Staup  and  Capitol 
Theatres,  Inc.,  have  been  settled  with 
payment  by  the  defendants  of  the 
amount  claimed,  plaintiffs  stated. 

Waljsh  Sees  Studio  Pick-up 

Employment  is  "picking  up"  at  the 
Coast  studios,  IATSE  international 
president  Richard  F.  Walsh  said  here 
at  the  weekend.  Hollywood' s  employment 
trend,  he  said,  is  once  more  becoming 
positive. 

Tom  Connors  Incorporates 

Tom  Connors,  former  distribution 
chief  of  20th  Century-Fox,  has  filed 
incorporation  papers  in  Albany,  for 
Tom  Connors  Associates.  He  declined 
to  divulge  details  of  plans  except  to 
say  that  the  firm  would  do  a  "little 
bit  of  everything . * 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


■g-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-, 

Rockefeller  Center  \ 
IRENE  DUNNE  In  GEORGE  STEVENS*  '. 

Prod,  of 

"I  REMEMBER  MAMA" 

Barbara  Oiear  Philip 

BEL  GEDOES        HOMOLKA  DORN 

Produced  by  HARRIET  PARSONS 
Millie  Hall'a  Great  Enter  Staoe  Show  « 


WARNERTHEATRE 


B'way  5 1st  ♦  Opens  10:30  AM  *  late  MhJnight  Film 

^_ 

*  SHOWER5  £  ClAVUt  i 

j  CARSON  jfANDHISORCH.  | 


wbHSsr\w  STRAND/ 


OPENS  9:30  AM  ■  way  at.  47*  f 

IATE  MIDNIGHT  FIIM 
SOL  LESSER  pr.Mntt  EDGAR  RICE  BURROUGHS' 


TariansMermaids 


JOHNNY  WEISSMUUER  *  BRENDA  JOYCE '# 

and  Introducing  IMA  CNflSTUN  ▼ 

PALACE 


§ymr  oooistKNiiM. 

S4MST      MIONITE  WOW  NITELT 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco, 
New  York.  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  James  P. 
uunmngham,  rvews  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor; 
umcago  Bureau, 624  South  Michigan  Avenue;  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  2525  Ontario  Road,  N.W.;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor; 
-awe  address,  Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  we«k  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald; 
international  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  pffice  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879,  Subscrip. 
,Km  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c,  "| 


Tuesday,  April  6,  1948 


Motion  Picture  daily 


# 


May  Postpone  M.P.F.  Meeting 

Second  meeting  of  Motion  Picture 
Foundation' s  national  trustees,  tenta- 
tively slated  for  this  month  in  New 
York,  very  likely  will  be  postponed  to 
next  month  because  of  the  National  Va- 
riety Clubs  convention  to  be  held  in 
Miami  Beach,  April  12-17,  MPF  head- 
quarters here  has  indicated. 

Video  Jurisdictional  Dispute 

^PHILADELPHIA,  April  5  —  A  labor 
jurisdictional  dispute  between  IATSS 
and  Station  WCAU's  CIQ-af filiated 
technicians  and  cameramen  resulted  in 
cancellation  of  WCAU-TV's  telecast  of 
"The  Bartered  Bride"  opera  from  the 
Academy  of  Music  here  last  night.  The 
'IA'  stagehands  union  refused  to  work 
with  the  CIO  workers* 

Postpone  D.C.  Building  Rules 

WASHINGTON,  April  5  —  District  of 
Columbia  theatres  have  succeeded  in 
having  postponed  until  Jan.  I  the  eff- 
ective date  for  changes  in  building 
regulations  proposed  last  summer  by  the 
District  Building  Commission. The  chan- 
ges were  to  go  into  effect  originally 
last  Thursday. 

Canadian  Brownout  Ended 

OTTAWA,  April  5—  An  order  restrict- 
ing the  use  of  electricity  for  theatre 
marquees  and  lobbies  in  Ontario,  in 
force  since  last  November,  has  been 
rescinded. 

2  More  Tax  Cut  Bills  Filed 

WASHINGTON,  April  5— Two  more  bills 
to  cut  the  a <  o>t\i  ssion  tax  back  to  the 
prewar  10  per  cent  rate  have  beerv  in- 
troduced   in    the  house. 


TWA 

Const  ella  Hons 
set  new  winter 
1  performance 
record 

fe|  On  its  roast-to-roast  and  New 
1|  York-Chicago  routes,  TWA'i 
H  Constellations  flew  4,377,000 
1|  miles,  carried  117,000  passen- 
w  gers— completed  97%  of  sched- 
§|  uled  mileage  during  one  of 
%    worst  winters  in  history! 

For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


1 


1 

THMMS  WOK  ID  AIMUM 

H    U.S.A.  •  fUAOPF  •  AffHCA  •  ASI 


Notice 

MOTION  PICTURE 
DAILY'S  normal  ap- 
pearance is  being 
affected  by  a  work 
stoppage  in  a  dis- 
pute between  the 
typographical  union 
and  the  employing 
printer* 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  presents 

HAYVtfORTH  •  WILIS 


with  Everett  SLOANE  and  Glenn  ANDERS -Screenplay  and  Production  by  Orson  WELLES 


rom  SHANGHAI 


Tuesday,  April  6,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


4 


Reviews 

"Berlin  Express7'    (rko  Radio) 

AS  A  documentary-styled  spy  thriller, 
"Berlin  Express"  turns  out  to  be  a 
first-rate  melodrama, made  all  the  more 
enjoyable  by  superb  touches  of  realism 
and  on-the-spot  background  photogra- 
phy. However,  in  attempting  to  infuse 
into  the  story  overtones  of  world  se- 
curity and  significance,  it  becomes 
impaired  by  an  uneasy  dependence  on 
incidents  that  lack  credence. 

Scenes  of  Paris,  Berlin  and  Frank- 
furt are  used  to  fortunate  effect  as 
the  Harold  Medford  screenplay  lets 
loose  an  absorbing  manhunt  for  a  Ger- 
man statesman,  kidnapped  .by  a  Nazi  un- 
derground group  because  he  was  a  vital 
figure  in  an  Allied  plan  to  unify  the 
country,  A  cast  of  splendid  performers 
includes  Merle  Oberon,  Robert  Ryan, 
Charles  Korvin  and  Paul  Lukas,  Jacques 
Tourneur  has  done  a  creditable  job  of 
direction,  Bert  Granet  produced.  Run- 
ning time, 86  minutes.  General  audience 
classification.    Release  in  Block  3. 

Handel-  Herbs tman 

"Silent  Conflict"  (United  Artists) 
WILLIAM  (HOP ALONG  CASSIDY)  BOYD  and 
his  saddle  pals,  Andy  Clyde  and  Rand 
Brooks,  are  the  intended  victims  of  an 
herb-peddling  swindler  in  a  Western 
that  leans  heavily  on  conversation  and 
offers  only  a  bare  minimum  of  ridin' 
and  shoo  tin'.  Swindler  Earle  Hodgins 
kidnaps  Brooks,  fogs  up  his  mind  with 
repeated  doses  of  "herb  tea,"  hypno- 
tizes him  into  making  an  attempt  on 
the  lives  of  Boyd  and  Clyde  so  he  can 
make  away  with  the  trio's  money,  Lewis 
Rachmil  produced  and  George  Archain- 
baud  directed  from  a  Charles  Belden 
screenplay .  Running  time,  61  minutes. 
General  audience  classification.  Re- 
lease in  April, 

"Old  LOS  Angeles"  (Republic) 

LAWLESSNESS  in  the  early  California 
days  supplies  the  material  for  a  lusty 
and  colorful  western  in  which  villainy 
has  a  Roman  holiday, 

Joseph  Schildkraut  heads  a  gang  in- 
tent on  taking  over  Lower  California, 
John  Carroll  is  a  killer  who^eventu- 
ally  double-crosses  ^the  boss,  William 
Elliott  is  the  one  who  upsets  the  ev- 
il-doers.Catherine  McLeod,  Andy  Devine 
and  Estelita  Rodriquez  also  are  in  the 
cast.  Joe  Kane  served  as  associate  pr- 
oducer and  director.  Running  time,  87 
minutes.  General  audience  classifica- 
tion.   Release  date,  April  25,  P.E.L. 


''Ruthless"  (Eagle-Lion) 

AN  UNUSUAL  if  not  too  believable  a 
story  with  many  dramatic  moments  has 
been  elaborately  mounted  by  Producer 
Arthur  S.  Lyons  and  capably  directed 
by  Edgar  G.  Ulmer  from  a  screenplay  by 
S.K.  Lauren  and  Gordon  Kahn.The  film's 
main  boxoffice  worth  rests  in  the  val- 
ue of  its  cast  names,  upon  which  the 
exhibitor  should  be  able  to  capital- 
ize with  ease  in  exploiting* 

Based  on  Dayton  Stoddart  * s  novM* 
"Prelude  to  Night"  and  unfolding  in  a 
series  of  flashbacks,  the  film  focuses  i 
upon  a  man's  ruthless  push  toward  fame 
and  fortune, Zachary  Scott  plays  an  un- 
scrupulous financial  operator  who  ult- 
imately is  killed  by  one  of  his  vic- 
tims, Sydney  Greenstreet,  Other  players 
include  Diana  Lynn, Lucille  Bremer, Lou- 
is Hayward, Martha  Vickers&unning  time, 
104  minutes, General  audience  classifi- 
cation.   Release  date:  April  3, 


Ontario's  Ticket  Tax  Plan  Stands 

TORONTO,  April  5  -  A  motion  by  the  \l 
two  Communist  members  of  the  Ontario 
legislature  to  shelve  the  bill  for 
a  20  per  cent  admission  tax  whenever 
the  Federal  tax  is  abolished  has  been 
rejected  by  the  provincial  Assembly  by 
a  68  to  two  vote. 

Security  Loan  Performance  Apr.  14 

Donald  0 ' Connor , star  of  Universal- 
International  '  s  "Are  You  With  It?"y)ill 
head  the  all-star  show  at  the  Winter  j 
Garden  Theatre  here  April  14, launching  | 
the  New  York  State  drive  in  the  U.  S. 
Treasury  's  Security  Loan, Admissionwill 
be  by  purchase  of  savings  bond  and  ti- 
ckets will  be  available  at  the  Winter 
Garden  starting  Wednesday , 

Equity  Preparing  Video  Show 

Actors'Equity  is  preparing  to  offer 
to  prospective  sponsors  its  own  "Tele- 
vision Theatre  of  the  Air"  program, 
which  has  been  directed  by  Bert  Ly  tell . 
Music  Corporation  of  America  is  acting 
as  agent  and  profits  will  go  to  the 
actors'  fund,  1 | 

Video  Stations  for  Midwest  , 

CHICAGO, April  5  -  With  a  $1,000,000 
investment  for  equipment,  programs  and 
staff,  the  Tribune  's  WGN-TV  opened  here 
tonight  as  the  city's  second  tele- 
vision station,  I  u 

CINCINNATI,  April  5  —  Contract  has 
been  signed  by  Crosley  Broadcasting, 
operators  of  station  WLW  here, for  tel- 
ecasting of  film  recordings  of  Nation- 
al Broadcasting  network  video  programs. 


FIRST 


FILM 
NEWS 


sfoflQN  picture 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


1 


VOL*jL!-  N0  67 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  7,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Treasury  Eyes 
Appeal  Brief 
In  Tax  Moves 

To  Study  Paramount  Case 
For  Ticket  Tax  Data 


Washington,  April  6. — Treas- 
ury economists  preparing  a  study  of 
the  admission  tax  are  poring  over 
:  the  briefs  submitted  by  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  companies  to  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  in  the  Paramount 
case,  it  was  learned  here  today. 

"The  background  of  how  the  in- 
dustry works  is  just  as  important  as 
the  cold  facts  and  figures  of  tax  re- 
turns," one  official  said,  "and  we  fig- 
ured the  briefs  and  record  in  the 
Paramount  case  was  as  good  a  place 
to  get  the  background  as  any." 

Work  on  the  study  is  progressing 
slowly,  hence  it  may  be  two  months  or 
more  before  it  is  completed. 


^Foy  Quits  E-L  Post 
To  Form  Own  Outfit 


Hollywood,  April  6. — A  new  con- 
tract under  which  he  will  organize  his 
own  company,  Bryan  Foy  Pictures, 
Inc.,  to  make  four  films  annually  for 
three  years  has  been  signed  by  Bryan 
Foy  with  E-L.  Foy,  who  will  operate 
on  the  E-L  lot.  will  relinquish  his  E-L 
post  of  executive  producer  and  will 
sever  all  connection  with  E-L  pictures 
other  than  his  own.  No  successor  to 
him  is  expected  to  be  named  by  the 
studio. 

Arthur  B.  Krim,  president  of  E-L, 
will  be  executive  head  of  the  studio, 
expanding  his  present  supervision  to 
include  duties  relinquished  by  Foy. 

The  Foy  organization  gives  E-L 
two  independent  units  functioning  on 
the  lot.  the  other  being  Walter  Wan- 
ger  Pictures. 


WB  to  Distribute 
Three  ABPC  Films 


London.  Anril  6. — Associated  Brit- 
ish Pictures  Corp.  has  signed  a  two- 
year  pact  with  Warners  under  which 
the  latter  will  handle  worldwide  dis- 
tribution of  three  top-bracket  films  to 
be  financed  by  ABPC,  with  Warners 
supplying  director  and  star. 

At  the  same  time,  it  was  learned 
that  Sir  Philip  Warter,  ABPC  chair- 
man,  has   initiated   discussions  with 

(.Continued  on  par/e  5) 


PCCITO  to  Studios 
For  Ban  on  Stars' 
Political  Activities 


San  Francisco,  April  6. — Coopera- 
tion of  the  studios  in  keeping  their 
stars  out  of  political  propaganda  films 
will  be  sought  by  the  Pacific  Coast 
Conference  of  Independent  Theatre 
Owners,  it  was  decided  here  yester- 
day by  the  board  of  trustees  at  a  meet- 
ing prior  to  the  opening  of  the 
PCCITO  annual  convention  today. 

A  request  recently  made  to  Eric 
Johnston,  MPAA  president,  for  his 
cooperation  in  the  matter  brought  a 
reply  to  the  effect  that  the  stars  had  a 
right  to  the  same  political  action  as 
other  citizens. 

While  the  trustees  believe  that  John- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


S.  G.  Lebedoff  Files 
$835,000  Trust  Suit 


Minneapolis,  April  6. — S.  G.  Le- 
bedoff's  suburban  Homewood  Theatre 
today  filed  a  $835,000  anti-trust  suit 
in  Federal  court  here  charging  dis- 
tributors with  a  conspiracy  to  set  runs 
and  clearances  in  distribution.  De- 
fendants are  Loew's,  Minnesota 
Amusement  Co.,  Paramount,  RKO 
Radio,  20th-Fox,  Universal  and  War- 
ner Bros. 

Lebedoff  charges  the  alleged  con- 
spiracy has  existed  since  1930,  has 
limited  his  showing  of  films  to  56  days 
after  downtown  runs,  and  since  Sept. 
1,  1934,  has  cost  him  $15,000  annuallv 
in  profits,  a  total  of  $202,500.  He 
puts  other  damages  at  $76,000  and 
asks  treble  the  total  amount. 


Ascap's  Annual  Meet 
In  N.  Y.  Tomorrow 

Annual  meeting  of  Ascap  will  be 
held  here  tomorrow  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria.  Deems  Taylor,  president,  will 
preside.  Efforts  to  obtain  television 
rights  of  Ascap's  members,  demands 
of  stage  show  houses  for  the  cancella- 
tion of  special  seat  rates  and  the  year- 
ly report  of  the  society  will  be  among 
matters  expected  to  be  discussed  at 
the  meeting. 


Allege  Price-Fix 
By  Ticket  Firms 

Washington,  April  6 — Six  trade 
associations  and  37  manufacturers  of 
theatre  and  other  type  tickets  are 
charged  by  the  Federal  Trade  Com- 
mission with  conspiring  to  fix  prices 
and  eliminate  competition. 

The  Clayton  Act  complaint  declares 
the  defendants  control  the  market. 


MPAA  Weighs  Shift 
Of  Allport  to  Paris 

London,  April  6.  —  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  Ameri- 
ca is  considering  shifting 
Fayette  Allport,  its  European 
director,  to  Paris  permanent- 
ly to  'oversee  the  entire 
European  film  situation  with 
Frank  McCarthy,  Paris  repre- 
sentative, to  be  located  in 
London  engaged  specifically 
in  administration  of  the  ad 
valorem  tax  agreement. 


Rep.  Has  40 
For  Britain 


Republic  will  be  ready  to  release 
between  30  and  40  pictures  in  England 
when  the  ad  valorem  tax  settlement 
is  activated  in  June,  Herbert  J.  Yates, 
president,  said  here  yesterday.  How- 
ever, he  expects  it  will  be  another 
year  before  the  company  will  begin 
to  relax  its  domestic  expense-saving 
program  which  has  effected  thus  far  a 
$3,000,000  over-all  reduction  in  op- 
erating costs. 

Yates  reported  that  Republic  is  aim- 
ing at  a  25  per  cent  reduction  in  pro- 
duction costs. 

Yates  said  he  will  visit  England  in 
about  two  months  to  examine  invest- 
ment possibilities  provided  for  sterl- 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


British  Academy  to 
Make  Film  Awards 

London,  April  6. — The  British  Film 
Academy,  similar  in  intent  and  design 
to  Hollywood's  Academy  of  Motion 
Picture  Arts  and  Sciences,  has  been 
formed  and  will  announce  its  first  an- 
nual awards  probably  on  Friday. 
Awards  will  go  to  the  best  film  from 
any  source  shown  in  the  United  King- 
dom in  1947  ;  to  the  best  British  film 
shown  during  the  year,  and  there  will 
be  a  special  award,  as  yet  undisclosed. 

On  the  Academy's  council  are  Sir 
Michael  Balcon,  chairman  ;  Anthony 
Asquith,  Thorold  Dickinson,  David 
Lean,  Sir  Alexander  Korda,  Frank 
Launder,  Ronald  Neame,  Sir  Laurence 
Olivier,  Michael  Powell  and  Carol 
Reed. 


Loew  May  Produce; 
Declines  Comment 

The  office  of  Arthur  Loew,  presi- 
dent of  Loew's  International,  yester- 
day would  neither  confirm  nor  deny 
reports  that  he  is  resigning  to  produce 
independently.  Loew  could  not  be 
reached  for  comment. 


TOA,  Allied 
Resume  Lewis 
Bill  Fireworks 


House  Sub-Committee  to 
Review  Measure  Today 


Washington,  April  6.  —  The 
Theatre  Owners  of  America  today 
characterized  as  "groundless,  un- 
fair, and  without  logic,"  an  Allied 
States  charge  that  TOA's  position  on 
the  Lewis  Bill  is  dictated  "by  the  sel- 
fish interests  of  affiliated  members." 

In  a  statement  filed  with  a  House 
judiciary  sub-committee,  which  to- 
morrow will  reconsider  its  action  kill- 
ing the  bill  by  a  5-to-l.vote,  TO  A  re- 
iterated its  opposition  to  the  bill  and 
said  that  the  issue  of  affiliated  thea- 
tres versus  independents  had  no  bear- 
ing on  the  merits  of  the  bill  but  con- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


MPAA,  TOA  Public 
Relations  in  Accord 


Full  cooperation  between  the  pub- 
lic relations  programs  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  and  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  has  been  estab- 
lished, Earl  Hudson,  who  is  handling 
the  TOA  campaign,  said  here  yester- 
day following  a  meeting  of  represen- 
tatives of  both  programs. 

Hudson  said  more  exploratory 
meetings  will  be  held  during  the  next 
several  days,  and  indicated  that  a  mu- 
tually satisfactory  number  of  pictures 
from  all  companies  will  be  arrived  at 
next  week  along  with  methods  where- 
by the  pictures  will  be  selected  for 
mutual  promotion  in  the  joint  en- 
deavor to  advance  the  industry  in  pub- 
lic esteem. 


Asks  Fairness  in 
UK  Dollar  Spending 


London,  April  6.  —  A  government 
spokesman  in  the  House  of  Lords 
today  declared  that  the  recent  agree- 
ment with  the  U.  S.  film  industry  on 
the  British  ad  valorem  tax  implicitly 
provides  that  any  expenditures  from 
unremittable  sterling  for  production 
should  not  go  beyond  the  limits  of  fair 
competition  with  the  British  industry. 

He  also  said  that  the  pact  furnishes 
an  incentive  for  U.  S.  distributors  to 
get  maximum  dollar  earnings  for  Brit- 
ish films  in  the  American  market. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  April  7,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

CHARLES  M.  REAGAN,  Para- 
mount vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution,  returned  to  New  York 
yesterday  from  Coast. 

• 

Harry  Lamont,  temporary  chair- 
man of  the  Albany  unit,  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America,  and  Leonard  Rosen- 
thal, counsel,  will  be  in  New  York 
today  for  TOA  conferences. 

• 

William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  will  be  host  to 
trade  press  representatives  at  a  Ho- 
tel Astor  luncheon  here  next  Tuesday. 
• 

Robert  Mochrie,  RKO  Radio  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  distribution,  has 
returned  to  New  York  from  a  brief 
vacation  at  Pinehurst,  N.  C. 

• 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  Eagle-Lion 
vice-president  in  charge  of  advertis- 
ing-publicity, has  returned  to  New 
York  from  the  Coast. 

e 

Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  U.  A.  East- 
ern and  Canadian  sales  manager,  and 
Abe  Dickstein,  assistant,  are  on  an 
up-state  business  trip. 

• 

Walter  Titus,  Jr.,  of  Republic 
Pictures'  home  office  met  with  Cy 
Dillon,  branch  manager  at  Charlotte 
this  week. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M  southern 
sales  manager,  is  due  back  in  Wash- 
ington Monday  after  a  Miami  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

Herman  Beiersdorf,  Eagle-Lion 
Western  sales  manager,  is  completing 
a  Western  and  Southern  business 
trip. 

• 

Vincent  Trotta,  National  Screen 
Service  art  director  here,  will  address 
the  N.  Y.  Art  Directors  Club  today. 
• 

Jock  Lawrence  of  the  J.  Arthur 
Rank  Organization  is  due  back  from 
the  Coast  on  Thursday. 

Herbert  J.  Yates,  Republic  presi- 
dent, will  leave  New  York  for  the 
Coast  on  April  18. 

• 

J.  Cheever  Cowdin,  Universal 
board  chairman,  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  the  Coast. 

E.  C.  Grainger  of  the  Shea  Circuit, 
will  return  to  New  York  today  from 
a  Florida  vacation. 

• 

Louis  K.  Ansell,  producer  and 
theatre  operator,  is  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood. 

• 

Jack  Berkson  of  Screencraft  Pic- 
tures has  returned  to  New  York  from 
Buffalo. 

• 

Ingrid  Bergman  has  arrived  in 
New  York  from  Hollywood. 

• 

Ken  Englund,  scenarist,  is  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood. 

• 

William  Rowland  is  in  New  York 
from  the  Coast. 


Authors  Press  for 
Film  Rights  Leasing 


American  writers  have  voted  a  self- 
assessment  of  one  per  cent  of  their 
annual  income  over  $3,000  to  imple- 
ment a  widely-expanded  program  to 
obtain,  among  other  things,  the  leas- 
ing rather  than  sale  of  film  rights  to 
their  writings,  it  was  announced  here 
yesterday  by  Paul  Gallico,  president 
of  the  Authors  Guild  of  the  Authors 
League  of  America.  Assessments 
will  replace  annual  dues,  with  Guild 
members  reporting  voluntarily  on 
writing  incomes. 

New  program  also  includes  investi- 
gation into  restrictive  activities  of  the 
Committee  on  Un-American  Activi- 
ties, a  survey  of  book  publishing, 
amendment  to  the  Federal  copyright 
law  and  a  study  of  conditions  in  pub- 
lishing which  result  in  authors  with- 
out large  book  sales  being,  squeezed 
out  of  the  market. 

"We  are  preparing  to  fight  for  leas- 
ing contracts  for  the  stronger  motion 
picture  properties  where  a  seller's 
market  is  involved,"  and  "on  less 
strong  properties,  we  intend  to  push 
for  fairer  standard  clauses,"  said  a 
Guild  Council  statement. 

Council  also  will  initiate  a  study  of 
publishing  conditions  to  eliminate  any 
necessity  of  publisher  participation  in 
motion  picture  rights  in  any  book. 

NLRB  Favors  'I  A' 
In  Amateur  Ruling 

Robert  N.  Denham,  National  Labor 
Relations  Board  general  counsel,  has 
ruled  in  favor  of  union  stagehands  in 
their  battle  to  keep  from  losing  em- 
ployment to  amateurs  as  a  result  of 
the  Taft-Hartley  Act,  IATSE  head- 
quarters here  said  yesterday. 

The  issue  grew  out  of  an  attempt  to 
substitute  boys  for  members  of  "IA" 
Washington  Local  No.  22,  when  the 
Claire  Tree  Major  players  shifted 
their  shows  in  the  Capital  from  the 
National  Theatre  to  Washington  Uni- 
versity. Earlier,  the  Ingrid  Bergman 
"Joan  of  Lorraine"  show  had  made  a 
similar  shift  for  its  premiere,  accord- 
ing to  the  "IA". 

Un-American  Probe 
Will  Be  Resumed 

Washington,  April  6. — The  House 
Un-American  Activities  Committee 
still  plans  to  go  ahead  with  its  investi- 
gation of  Communist  influences  in 
Hollywood,  Chairman  Thomas  an- 
nounced here  today  after  the  commit- 
tee's first  full  meeting  since  his  recent 
illness. 

He  did  not  set  any  specific  date,  but 
said  the  committee  "is  all  ready  to  go 
and  the  results  will  be  just  as  illumi- 
nating as  the  first  time." 

Hearings  may  resume  in  late  sum- 
mer or  early  fall. 

Rank  Back  in  New  York 

J.  Arthur  Rank  will  return  to  New 
York  today  from  Philadelphia  where 
he  was  guest  of  honor  and  principal 
speaker  at  the  Philadelphia  Forum. 
Except  for  a  three-day  visit  to  White 
Sulphur  Springs  in  the  middle  of  the 
month,  he  will  remain  in  New  York 
until  he  sails  for  home  on  April  22. 


Johnston  Associate 
In  Top  ERP  Post 

Washington,  April  6  —  Paul 
G.  Hoffman,  Studebaker  Corp. 
president  and  administrator 
of  the  European  Recovery 
Program,  is  a  long-time  friend 
and  associate  of  MPAA  presi- 
dent Eric  Johnston  and  is 
now  president  of  the  Commit- 
tee for  Economic  Develop- 
ment on  whose  board  John- 
ston serves. 

MPAAToppersTalk 
Canadian  Filming 

Ottawa,  April  6 — Francis  Harmon, 
Taylor  Mills  and  Blake  Owensmith  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  are  here  with  J.  J.  Fitz- 
gibbons,  president  of  Famous  Players, 
Toronto,  for  talks  with  Trade  Min- 
ister C.  D.  Howe  on  film  production 
in  Canada  by  American  companies 
under  the  Emergency  Foreign  Ex- 
change. Control  Act. 

19  More  for  Odeon 
This  Year  Is  Plan 

Toronto,  April  6. — Odeon  Theatres 
will  have  19  new  houses  operating  in 
key  Canadian  cities  by  the  year-end, 
reports  J.  Earl  Lawson,  head  of  Odeon 
and  all  other  Rank  interests  in  the 
Dominion.  The  expansion  started 
last  year.  All  officers  and  directors  of 
Odeon  have  been  reelected. 

End  Ticket  Tax  in 
U.  K.  Rural  Areas 

London,  April  6  —  Entertainment 
tax  for  "live-talent"  shows  has  been 
reduced,  but  no  cut  has  been  made  in 
the  tax  for  film  shows,  'except  in  rural 
areas  where  the  duty  has  been 
abolished  for  halls  seating  up  to  200, 
Sir  Stafford  Cripps,  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  desiring  to  increase  enter- 
tainment in  those  places. 

Canada  to  Study  Bid 
To  Probe  Film  Bd. 

Ottawa,  April  6. — Premier  King 
today  told  Parliament  that  the  de- 
mand for  appointment  of  a  special 
committee  to  examine  operations  of 
the  National  Film  Board  will  be  con- 
sidered by  the  Canadian  government. 

Lourie  To  Speak 
At  UJA  Luncheon 

A  luncheon  for  film  and  other 
amusement  division  leaders  will  be 
held  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  here,  tomor- 
row, in  behalf  of  the  division's  United 
Jewish  Appeal  drive.  Featured  speaker 
will  be  Norman  Lourie,  president  of 
Palestine  Films,  who  also  is  an  asso- 
ciate of  20th  Century-Fox  in  South 
Africa  and  United  Artists  Palestinian 
representative. 

S.  H.  Fabian,  chairman  of  the 
division,  has  named  A.  P.  Waxman 
campaign  publicity  director. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  tense  situation  in  Berlin,  and 
the  signing  of  the  Foreign  aid  bill 
by  President  Truman  are  current 
newsreel  highlights.  Sports,  fashions 
and  human  interest  items  round  out 
the  reels.  Complete  contents  follow : 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  28— U.  S.-Brit- 
ain  force  Reds  to  back  down  on  Berlin 
blockade.  President  Truman  signs'  Marshall 
Plan.  Mountbatten  returns  to  Burn.  J  ^en. 
Spaatz  retires.  Drew  Pearson  loses*  •  ™md 
eats  a  hat.  Speaker  of  House  talks1  tax 
reduction.  Mrs.  Roosevelt  in  England.  Prin- 
cess Ann  prepares  for  wedding.  Gen.  Eisen- 
hower meets  new  grandson.  Women's  Na- 
tional AAU  swim  meet. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  262— U.  S.  I 
Army  calls  Red  "bluff"  in  Berlin.  Foreign 
aid  bill  signed  by  President  Truman.  Navy 
honors  William  Randolph  Hearst.  War  vets 
rally  for  free  Palestine.  Trousseau  for  Prin- 
cess Ann.  Gen.  Eisenhower  becomes  grand- 
pa. Olympic  preview. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  65— Foreign 
aid  rushed  under  new  law.  Ex-dishwasher 
buys  a  town.  Canada-U.  S.  amity  hailed  at 
Williamsburg.  Mrs.  Roosevelt  in  England. 
Now  it's  Grandpop  "Ike."  Trousseau  for  a 
princess.  Mountbatten  visits  Burma.  UN 
appeal  for  children. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  132— President 
Truman  signs  recovery  bill.  Honorary  de- 
grees conferred  on  Canadian  officials.  Finish 
ministers  weigh  Russian  pact.  Mountbatten 
revisits  Burma.  Gen.  Eisenhower  greets 
grandson  at  West  Point.  Hurricane  winds 
smash  Spanish  coast.  One-legged  skier  com- 
petes in  Austrian  meet.  French  gymnast 
displays  strength  and  muscular  control. 

WARNER    PATHE    NEWS,    No.  67— 

Italy's  army  warns  Reds.  Women's  national 
swim  meet.  Paris  shows  spring  fashions. 
President  Truman  signs  foreign  aid  bill. 
U.  S.  flies  supplies  to  Berlin.  "Aussies"  in 
timber-chopping  contest. 

S.  A.  Glixon  Heads 
N.  Y.  Cinema  Lodge 

S.  Arthur  Glixon,  attorney-producer 
of  the  films  "This  Is  B'nai  B'rith," 
and  "There  Is  So  Much  To  Do,"  has 
been  elected  president  of  New  York's 
B'nai  B'rith  Cinema  Lodge,  succeeding 
Robert  M.  Weitman.  Installation  will 
take  place  at  a  dinner  at  the  Hotel 
Astor  next  Wednesday. 

Leo  Jaffe,  Columbia  Pictures,  has 
been  elected  vice-president  and  treas- 
urer. Vice-presidents  reelected  are: 
Maurice  Bergman,  Universal ;  S.  M. 
Chartock,  producer ;  Julius  M.  Collins, 
Ascap  ;  Bernard  Goodman,  Warners  ; 
Marvin  Kirsch,  Radio  Daily;  Martin 
Levine,  Brandt  Theatres ;  Milton  Liv- 
ingston, Universal ;  Louis  Novins, 
Paramount;  Robert  K  Shapiro,  Para- 
mount Theatre.  Dr.  Hyman  Chartock, 
former  "This  Is  The  Army,"  company 
medico,  has  been  elected  secretary; 
Edward  R.  Black  of  the  Journal- 
American,  sergeant-at-arms,  and  Rab- 
bis Bernard  Birstein  and  Ralph  Sil- 
verstein,  chaplains. 

Television  To  Carry 
Savings  Bonds  Show 

Entire  stage  show  preceding  the 
premiere  of  Universal-International's 
"Are  You  With  It,"  to  help  launch 
the  Treasury's  "Security  Loan  Drive"' 
in  New  York,  will  be  televised  from 
the  Winter  Garden  Theatre  April  14, 
Philip  M.  Light,  state  director  of  the' 
savings  bonds  division,  announces. 
The  telecast  will  be  over  WABD,  key 
outlet  of  the  DuMont  network. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays,. 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,. 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  S'q.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture- 
Herald  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription   rates   per  year,   $6   in  the   Americas  and   $12   foreign;   single  copies,  10c- 


MY  HAT'S  IN  THE 
RING  FOR  THE  BEST 
MUSICAL  OF  1948! 


rt 


Who's  got  the  pictures?  M-G-M's  got  the  pictures!  As  Hollywood 
Reporter  puts  it:  "Everything  is  on  the  upswing  at  Culver  City."  It's 
electrifying  to  watch.  Look  at  them!  "STATE  OF  THE  UNION", 
"HOMECOMING",  "THE  PIRATE",  "SUMMER  HOLIDAY", 
"EASTER  PARADE",  to  mention  just  a  few,  and  with  every  new 
Trade  Show  another  Big  M-G-M  attraction  joins  the  Hit  Parade.  You 
said  it  Mister:  "M-G-M  GREAT  IN  '48". 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  7,  1948 


Situation  in  Spain 
Worsens,  Says  U.S. 

Washington,  April  6. — Situation 
for  U.  S.  film  companies  in  Spain  has 
become  "increasingly  unsatisfactory," 
according  to  the  Commerce  Depart- 
ment. It  says  cost  of  import  licenses 
and  other  expenses  have  risen  consid- 
erably, fewer  licenses  are  being  grant- 
ed and  so  fewer  films  can  be  imported 
that  no  provision  has  been  made  to 
remit  profits  to  the  U.  S.  Also,  taxes 
have  become  more  severe.  Taxes  on 
film  company  earnings  may  be  as  high 
as  80  per  cent  today. 


Changes  in  UA  Home 
Office  Press  Staff 

Caswell  Adams,  who  has  been  han- 
dling special  events  at  the  United  Art- 
ists home  office  publicity  department, 
has  been  promoted  to  the  metropolitan 
newspaper  desk,  replacing  Lawrence 
Beller,  who  has  resigned  to  join  the 
'  Motion  Picture  Association.  Lew 
Barasch  moves  into  the  special  events 
post,  and  Philip  Cowan  replaces  Bar- 
asch as  trade  paper  contact,  all  effec- 
tive April  19. 


Cleveland  Exhibitors 
Lukewarm  to  M.  P.  F. 

Cleveland,  April  6. — Because  heads 
of  independent  circuits  in  this  area  see 
no  benefits  to  their  employes  from  the 
Motion  Picture  Foundation,  formation 
of  a  permanent  Cleveland  unit  is 
doubtful.  Harry  H.  Goldstein  and 
Bert  Lefkowich  were  named  trustee 
and  chairman,  respectively,  at  an  or- 
ganization meeting  here. 


20th-Fox  Employes 
Awarded  Increases 

Salary  increases  of  $5  to  $10,  affect- 
ing some  450  20th  Century-Fox  home 
office  employes,  have  been  granted  in 
an  arbitration  award,  the  Screen  Office 
and  Professional  Employes  Guild  has 
announced.  The  increases  are  retro- 
active to  September  27,  1947. 


Home  Named  F.  C. 
Foreign  Manager 

David  Horne,  former  assistant  for- 
eign sales  head  of  Monogram,  has 
joined  Film  Classics  as  foreign  sales 
manager,  it  has  been  announced  by  B. 
G.  Kranze,  FC  general  sales  manager. 


Town  Bars  'Bank  Night' 

Valparaiso,  Ind.,  April  6.  —  Bank 
nights  at  theatres  have  been  ordered 
eliminated  by  Elden  Kuehl,  new 
mayor  of  this  city,  who  has  declared 
war  on  all  forms  of  gambling. 


Studio  Employment 
Off  in  Jan.  and  Feb. 

Hollywood,  April  6. — Studio 
employment  hit  a  new  low  in 
February,  according  to  the 
California  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics.  The  index  was  at 
79,  compared  with  95.3  for 
February,  1947,  and  82.5  for 
January  of  this  year. 


Legion  of  Decency 
Classifies  11  Films 

Films  classified  by  the  Legion  of 
Decency  this  week  include  :  Class  A-I : 
"Berlin  Express,"  RKO  Radio ;  "The 
Inside  Story,"  Republic;  "13  Lead 
Soldiers,"  20th  Century-Fox ;  in  Class 
A-II :  "Another  Part  of  the  Forest," 
Universal-International ;  "April  Show- 
ers" and  "Winter  Meeting,"  Warners ; 
"Arthur  Takes  Over,"  20th-Fox ; 
"The  Lost  One  (La  Traviata)," 
Columbia ;  "Miracle  in  Harlem,"  Her- 
ald;  "State  of  the  Union,"  M-G-M. 
"Ruthless,"  Eagle-Lion,  was  placed  in 
Class  B. 


Show  'State'  for  Scribes 

Washington,  April  6.  —  White 
House  newspaper  correspondents  will 
sponsor  a  showing  of  M-G-M's  "State 
of  the  Union"  Wednesday  evening  at 
the  Capitol  Theatre  here.  Members 
of  both  Senate  and  House  and  the 
President's  official  family  will  be 
guests.  Frank  Capra,  producer  of  the 
film,  has  arrived  from  the  Coast  to 
attend. 


Judging  QP  Awards 

Mel  Gold,  National  Screen  adver- 
tising manager ;  Paul  Ackerman,  ad- 
vertising manager  for  Paramount  In- 
ternational, and  Montague  Salmon, 
managing  director  of  the  Rivoli  Thea- 
tre, here,  are  judges  in  the  first  quar- 
ter of  the  Quigley  Awards  showman- 
ship competition  for  1948,  results  to 
be  announced  in  the  Motion  Picture 
Herald  on  April  17. 


Testimonial  for  Vincent 

The  industry  and  the  Jewish  The- 
atrical Guild  will  honor  Walter  Vin- 
cent with  a  testimonial  dinner  on  May 
2  in  the  Hotel  Astor.  Eddie  Cantor 
and  Si  Fabian  are  co-chairmen ; 
George  Jessel  will  be  master-of-cere- 
monies. 


Bell  &  Howell  Record  Net 

Chicago,  April  6. — Bell  and  Howell 
reports  profits  of  $2,384,125  for  1947 
on  net  sales  of  $18,083,325,  compared 
with  profits  of  $442,945  in  1946.  Last 
year's  sales  were  reported  to  be  nearly 
twice  those  of  the  previous  year. 


THE  BANK  OF  THE 
MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 

IBmtk  of  America 

NATIONAL  savings  ASSOCIATION 

MEMBER  EEDERAL  DEPOSIT  INSURANCE   CORPORATION   •   MEMBER  FEDERAL  RESERVE  SYSTEM 


Key  City  Grosses 


TpOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
x  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. 


CHICAGO 


"Fort  Apache"  will  hit  a  new  gross 
high,  with  a  huge  $43,000  or  more. 
Weekend  business  was  good  after  a 
weak  start  with  "Saigon"  and  "Noose 
Hangs  High."  Holdovers  are  satis- 
factory. Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  April  8 : 
CASS  TIMBERLANE  (M-G-M)— WOODS 
(1,080)  4th  week.  Gross:  $26,000.  (Aver- 
age: $23,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO-Radio)— PALACE 
(2,500).  Gross:  $43,000.  (Average:  $22,000) 
GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (2»th- 
Fox) — APOLLO  (1,200).  Gross:  $11,500. 
(Average:  $17,000) 

SAIGON  (Para.)— CHICAGO  (3,900).  Gross: 
$32,000.  (Average:  $40,000.) 
SONG  OF  LOVE  (M-G-M)  —  MONROE 
(953).  Gross:  $19,000.  (Average:  $12,000) 
TARZAN  AND  THE  MERMAIDS  (RKO- 
Radio)  —  GRAND  (1,150)  8  days.  THE 
FARMER'S  DAUGHTER  (RKO-Radio)— 
One  day.  Gross:  $21,000.  (Average:  $20,- 
000) 

THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (Eagle  Lion) 

—STATE  LAKE  (2,700)  Stage:  Skitch 
Henderson.  Gross:  $38,000.  (Average: 
$35,000) 

THE  SMUGGLERS    (Eagle   Lion- Rank)  - 

UNITED  ARTISTS  (1,700)  6  days,  2nd 
week.    AN  IDEAL  HUSBAND  (20th.-Fox) 

—One  day.  Gross:  $17,000.  (Average:  $25,- 
500) 

THIS   TIME    FOR   KEEPS    (M-G-M)  — 

ORIENTAL  (3,300)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $43,- 
000.     (Average:  $45,000) 


CINCINNATI 


Although  grosses  still  are  spotty, 
they  are  somewhat  ahead  of  the  pre- 
vious week.  Weather  is  cool.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  7: 

ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD  (WB 

reissue)  —  RKO  GRAND  (1,500)  (50c-55c- 
60c-65c-7Oc-75c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,000. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)-EKO  PALACE 
(2,700)      (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-70c-75c)     6  days. 
Gross:  $13,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 
B.     F.'S    DAUGHTER    (M-G-M)  —  RKO 
CAPITOL    (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $10,000.    (Average:  $10,000) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 
RKO   ALBEE    (3,300)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-70c- 
75c).    Gross:  $19,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 
NAKED    CITY    (U-I)  —  KEITH'S  (1,500) 
(50c-55c-60c-65c-75c).     Gross:  $12,000.  (Av- 
erage: $7,500) 


SCUDDA   HOO!   SCUD  DA   HAY!  (20th- 

Fox)— RKO  LYRIC  (1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c- 
70c-75c)  2nd  week,  on  a  moveover  from  the 
Albee.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $5,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  —RKO 
SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-7Sc) 
2nd  week,  on  a  moveover  from  the  Palace. 
Gross:  $7,000.    (Average:  $5,000) 


BALTIMORE 


Heavy  weekend  business  is  giving 
box  offices  a  boost.  With  scarcely  any 
"openings"  the  substantial  "send-off" 
is  missing,  except  that  "Naked  City" 
is  attracting  tremendous  crowds  for 
its  first  week  here.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ending  April  8 : 

APRIL    SHOWERS     (WB)  —  STANLEY 
(3,280)    (29c-37c-50c-58c)   2nd  week.  Gross: 
$8,500.    (Average:  $14,500) 
GENTLEMAN'S     AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox)  —  NEW    (1,800)     (29c-40c-5Oc-56)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $13,000.    (Average:  $11,750) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO-Radio)  — 
TOWN     (1,450)     (29c-37c-56c)     2nd  week. 
Gross:  $11,500.    (Average:  $11,000) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  —  CENTURY  (3,000) 
(29c-37c-45c-54c  and  56c  weekends).  Gross: 
$18,000.    (Average:  $14,500) 
PHILADELPHIA  STORY  (M-G-M  re-is- 
sue)— VALENCIA    (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c 
and  56c  weekends).    Gross:  $5,500.  (Aver- 
age: $5,000) 

SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Allied  Artists)— 

MAYFAIR    (1,000)     (21c-29c-54c).  Gross: 

$6,000.    (Average:  $5,000) 

TO  THE  ENDS  OF  THE  EARTH  (Col.) 

—  HIPPODROME  (2,205)  (29c-37c-50c-58c) 
2nd  week,  with  a  stage  show.  Gross:  $17,- 
000.    (Average:  $17,500) 

TAWNY  PIPIT  (U-I)— LITTLE  (328)  (29c- 
37c-56c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $2,750.  (Aver- 
age: $3,000) 

UNCO'NQUERED  (Para.)  —  KEITH'S 
(2,406)  (1st  time  at  regular  prices  of  25c- 
37c-44c-54c  and  56c  weekends)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $12,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 


ATLANTA 


Business  locally  is  about  average. 
Weather  has  been  fair  and  cold.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  7: 

AN  IDEAL  HUSBAND  (U-A) — PARA- 
MOUNT (2,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $8,100. 
(Average:  $8,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (Zflth- 
Fcx) ROXY  (2.446)  (2-week  holdover  from 
the  Fox)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $5,800.  (Aver- 
age: $5,800) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (Para.) — FOX 

(4,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $8,000.  Only  3 
days  on  account  of  Grand  Opera  in  theatre. 
(Average:  $14,000) 

THE  NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  —  LOEWS 
GRAND  (2,446)  (14c-55c).  Gross:  $14,000. 
(Average:  $14,000) 


Lewis  Bill 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


stituted  intra-industry  politics  in 
which  "it  assumes  the  committee  does 
not  want  to  take  part." 

For  the  record,  TOA  said,  its  or- 
ganization vested  supreme  power  in  a 
27-man  board  of  directors,  of  which 
only  seven  represented  affiliated  or 
partly-affiliated  interests.  Pointing  out 
that  the  board  elected  TOA  officers, 
the  TOA  statement  said  three  of  the 
officers  were  independents  and  only 
two  affiliated. 

TOA  still  feels,  it  continued,  that 
the  Lewis  Bill  offers  no  relief  for  ex- 
hibitors, merely  changes  the  collection 
agency  for  Ascap,  and  deprives  thea- 
tre owners  of  the  right  to  bargain  for 
themselves. 


38  NTS  Drive-in  Deals 

National  Theatre  Supply  reports  it 
closed  contracts  for  equipment  for  38 
new  drive-ins  in  a  recent  three-week 
period. 


T.  O.  A.  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  6.— Theatre 
Owners  of  America  has  been  incor- 
porated here  under  the  membership 
section  of  the  state  corporation  law  to 
promote  the  mutual  interests  of  exhibi- 
tors. The  incorporation  was  agreed 
upon  at  the  recent  meeting  of  the 
TOA  board  on  the  Coast. 


'Apache'  in  Chicago  Runs 

Chicago,  April  6.  —  RKO  Radio's 
"Fort  Apache,"  which  is  reportedly 
breaking  records  in  its  first  week  at 
the  Palace  with  $43,000,  will  play  20 
outlying  houses  day  and  date  on  April 
16,  three  days  after  close  of  the 
"Loop"  run. 


'Daughter'  Back  to  B'way 

RKO  Radio's  "The  Farmer's 
Daughter,"  which  won  Loretta  Young 
the  Academy  Award  for  'being  the 
best  actress  in  1947,  will  start  at  the 
RKO  Palace,  here,  on  Saturday,  to 
run  indefinitely.  The  picture  played 
originally  on  Broadway. 


Wednesday,  April  7,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Reviews 

"Fury  at  Furnace  Creek" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

A SOLID  plot  groundwork  of  action  and  excitement  was  provided  Victor 
Mature  for  his  entry  into  the  super-Western  field.  As  a  frontier 
drama  of  cavalrymen  clashing  with  Indians,  it  offers  a  saleable  piece  of 
merchandise  with  some  top-grade  production  values,  having  enough  pace  and 
adventure  to  satisfy  all  audiences,  even  though  the  theme  is  in  the  standard 
category. 

Turning  to  history,  the  film  opens  with  the  massacre  at  Fort  Furnace 
Creek  by  the  Indians.  As  the  son  of  the  Army  general  accused  of  giving 
the  orders  that  resulted  in  the  massacre,  Mature  sets  out  to  prove  his 
father's  innocence.  The  task  of  digging  up  clues  among  an  assortment  of 
villains  proceeds  against  a  background  of  fireworks  and  gun  duels,  with  the 
camera  catching  some  scenes  of  rare  visual  beauty  in  between. 

Coleen  Gray  performs  pleasantly  in  her  somewhat  slender  romantic  role, 
while  Glenn  Langan  plays  Mature's  misunderstanding  brother  who  sometimes 
becomes  excess  baggage.  A  highly  efficient  performance  is  contributed  by 
Charles  Kemper  as  the  town's  amiable  incorrigible.  Fred  Kohlmar's  pro- 
duction was  directed  by  Bruce  Humberstone,  from  a  Charles  G.  Booth 
screenplay  suggested  by  a  David  Garth  story. 

Running  time,  88  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  in  May. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


"Winter  Meeting" 

(Warner  Brothers) 

Hollywood,  April  6 

STRANGELY  assorted  story  ingredients  are  put  together  here  in  an 
apparent  endeavor  to  impart  the  impetus  of  the  unfamiliar  in  what  boils 
down  to  a  conversation  piece,  In  it  Bette  Davis,  whose  followers  may  relish 
the  fact,  does  a  preponderent  share  of  the  talking.  The  ingredients  include 
sex,  religion,  sin,  regeneration,  fame,  poetry  and  love,  all  dealt  with  more 
academically  than  dramatically,  and  there  is  no  action  beyond  that  of  the 
players'  movement  from  place  to  place.  It  is  the  first  film  directed  by  Broad- 
way's Bretaigne  Windust  and  may  owe  some  of  its  stageiness  to  that  circum- 
stance. 

The  players  who  go  along  with  Miss  Davis  are  James  Davis,  Janis  Paige, 
Florence  Bates,  Walter  Baldwin  and  Ransom  Sherman,  but  it  is  Miss  Davis' 
picture  and  strictly  for  her  following.  Henry  Blanke  produced  from  a  script 
by  Catherine  Turney,  based  on  a  novel  by  Ethel  Vance. 

Running  time,  101  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
April.  William  R.  Weaver 


"Hatter's  Castle" 

(Paramount) 

WHEN  A.  J.  Cronin  wrote  "Hatter's  Castle,"  it  oozed  misery,  with 
characters  despicable  or  weak  and  its  villain  inevitably  moved  toward 
his  dramatic  undoing.  The  British,  in  trying  to  capture  the  depressing 
atmosphere  of  the  novel,  were  not  quite  so  successful.  The  picture,  which 
Paramount  has  kept  "on  the  shelf"  since  1941,  may  be  enjoyed  by  art-theatre 
audiences. 

Robert  Newton  stands  out  as  the  tyrannical  father  who  ends  in  self- 
destruction.  Talents  of  James  Mason  and  Deborah  Kerr  go  largely  to  waste. 
Emilyn  Williams  and  Enid  Stamp-Taylor  give  good  performances.  I.  Gold- 
smith produced,  Lance  Comfort  directed,  from  Paul  Merzbach's  and  R. 
Bernaur's  screenplay. 

Arrogant  and  brutal  Newton  refuses  to  permit  his  wife,  Beatrice  Varley, 
to  have  a  doctor,  so  daughter  Kerr  calls  doctor  Mason.  They  fall  in  love, 
but  Newton  interferes.  Miss  Kerr,  forced  into  submission,  has  an  illegitimate 
child  by  Williams,  clerk  in  Newton's  office.  Newton  throws  her  out,  he  goes 
broke,  and  his  wife  and  son  die.  Blaming  his  castle-like  house  for  his  tragedy, 
he  sets  fire  to  it. 

Running  time,  99  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Released  June  18, 
1948. 


"Close-Up" 

(Marathon — Eagle-Lion) 

AS  an  experiment  to  prove  the  feasibility  of  film  production  in  New  York, 
"Close-Up"  is  an  object  lesson:  it  can  be  done,  and  inexpensively.  But 
this  particular  subject,  produced  by  Frank  Satenstein  and  directed  by  Jack 
Donohue,  is  no  match  for  Hollywood  in  production  values.  The  melodrama 
concerns  a  Nazi  big-shot,  Richard  Kollmar,  who  is  accidentally  photographed 
by  newsreel  cameraman  Alan  Baxter,  and  the  attempt  by  the  former  to  prevent 
exposure.  Virginia  Gilmore,  Loring  Smith,  Phil  Huston  and  Joey  Faye  also 
are  in  the  cast. 

Running  time,  72  minutes.    General  audience  classification.    Release  date, 

Irving  Kaplan 


PCCITO  to  Studios 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ston  may  have  misinterpreted  the 
PCCITO's  purposes,  they  decided, 
nevertheless,  to  take  the  issue  direct 
to  the  studios,  on  the  grounds  that 
stars'  appearances  in  political  propa- 
ganda films  are  bad  for  the  box  office. 
The  trustees  reaffirmed  the  resolution 
passed  at  the  recent  Seattle  meeting 
on  the  subject  of  stars  appearing  in 
political  propaganda  films. 

HjLi-dights  0f  the  convention  are 
ext  id  to  be  determination  of  action 
by  PCCITO  against  Ascap,  authoriza- 
tion of  an  amicus  curiae  brief  in  the 
Ben  Berger  case  against  Ascap  in 
Minneapolis  Federal  Court  and  re- 
newed activity  for  passage  of  the 
Lewis  Bill  in  Congress. 

Sees  Threat  in  Trust  Suits 

Exhibitors  must  give  more  atten- 
tion to  the  anti-trust  suits  now  being 
filed  against  distributors  if  theatremen 
are  to  be  in  a  position  to  benefit,  ac- 
cording to  W.  Byron  Bryant,  industry 
attorney,  who  addressed  today's  ses- 
sion. 

The  suits,  he  said,  are  knocking  out 
the  foundations  of  the  industry  and 
the  very  practices  upon  which  it  has 
been  built.  You  cannot  change  such 
practices  as  film  buying,  bidding,  dis- 
tribution, runs  and  clearances  without 
having  to  change  your  whole  modus 
operandi,  Bryant  said,  adding  that  ex- 
hibitors are  not  ready  as  yet. 

Bryant  said  that  since  the  success 
of  the  Goldman  and  Jackson  Park 
suits,  between  50  and  100  additional 
private  suits  have  been  filed.  A  seri- 
ous question,  he  said,  is  whether  the 
very  number  of  these  suits  will  cause 
them  all  to  be  thrown  out  by  the 
courts. 

Urges  Theatre  Modernization 

Necessity  for  theatre  modernization 
and  improvement  of  service  were 
stressed  today  by  Rotus  Harvey,  head 
of  the  ITO  of  Northern  California,  in 
a  speech  opening  the  convention. 
Harvey,  convention  chairman,  said 
unless  exhibitors  make  their  theatres 
up-to-date  they  will  find  new  theatres 
competing. 

Harvey  said  that  while  on  a  recent 
tour  of  theatres  he  found  "shocking" 
examples  of  inadequately  -  staffed 
houses,  adding  that  exhibitors  as  well 
as  Hollywood  must  better  meet  pub- 
lic expectations  if  patronage  is  to  be 
kept  at  a  high  level. 


Rep.  Has  40  for  UK 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ing  under  the  tax  settlement  which,  he 
does  not  look  upon  as  being  particu- 
larly favorable  to  the  U-  S.  industry. 

Republic  stockholders,  meeting  here 
yesterday,  approved  proposed  sale  of 
Consolidated  Molded  Products,  whol- 
ly-owned subsidiary,  for  a  minimum 
of  $850,000.  Yates  said  there  are  a 
number  of  possible  buyers.  Whatever 
is  realized  on  the  sale,  Yates  said, 
will  be  used  to  pay  off  part  of  Repub- 
lic's outstanding  $2,950,000  bank  loan. 

Yates,  Richard  W.  Altschuler, 
James  R.  Grainger,  Albert  W.  Lind, 
and  Frederick  R.  Ryan  were  reelect- 
ed directors  at  yesterday's  meeting, 
following  which  the  directors  met  and 
i    reelected  all  Republic  officers. 


Sunset  Carson  Bankrupt 

Charlotte,  April  6. — Michael  Har- 
rison (Sunset  Carson)  has  filed  a  pe- 
tition in  bankruptcy  in  Federal  Court 
here,  listing  debts  of  $75,000  and  as- 
sets of  $3,500,  including  $220  cash. 


Would  Saddle  Radio 
With  FCC  Costs 

Washington,  April  6  —  Senator 
Tobey  is  considering  legislation  to  re- 
quire license  fees  and  other  payments 
from  broadcasters  as  part  payment  of 
the  costs  of  Federal  regulation  of  the 
airways. 


Daylight  Saving 
For  the  Capital 

Washington,  April  6. — The  Senate 
today  voted  to  authorize  District  of 
Columbia  commissioners  to  effect  day- 
light-saving time  in  the  area  this  year. 
The  bill  must  _  still  pass  the  House, 
but  little  opposition  is  expected  there. 


Hollywood  Normal  Again 

Augusta,  Me.,  April  6. — Maine's 
most  photogenic  lobster  has  been 
found  and  shipped  to  Hollywood  by 
plane  to  play  the  part  of  Jabberwocky 
in  Enterprise's  "No  Minor  Vices."  A 
committee  of  state  officials,  including 
Gov.  Horace  Hildreth,  selected  the 
4J4 -pound  crustacean  from  more  than 
a  dozen  choice  contestants  for  the  role. 


Byrd  Navy  Film  to  MGM 

"Secret  Land,"  compiled  from  Navy 
films  in  Technicolor  of  Admiral 
Byrd's  last  South  Pole  expedition, 
will  be  released  by  M-G-M. 


WB-ABPC  Pact 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Lady  Yule  with  a  view  to  leasing 
British  National  Studios,  which  have 
been  closed. 

Meanwhile,  a  protest  by  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Cine  Technicians  against 
closing  of  the  studios  by  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  a  plea  that  the  studios  be 
kept  open  by  requisition,  if  necessary, 
with  workers  themselves  operating 
production,  is  believed  to  have  been 
ignored  by  Sir  Harold  Wilson,  BOT 
president.  It  is  understood  that  Wil- 
son regards  requisition  as  impractical 
without  financing  from  the  govern- 
ment, and  that  financing  awaits  action 
by  the  National  Joint  Production 
Council  on  Wilson's  proposal  for  a 
state  film  bank. 


Now 
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INSURANCE 

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Columbia  pictures  presents 

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28  WEST  44TH  ST., 
NSs?  YORK  18, 
N.  Y. 


vorr-i  <.  no.  68 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  APRIL  8,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Hughes-RKO 
Deal  Reported 
Near  Closing 

Odium  Statement  Due 
Today  or  Tomorrow 

Reports  that  the  negotiations  for 
purchase  by  Howard  Hughes  of 
Atlas  Corporation's  controlling 
stock  interest  in  RKO  are  nearing 
the  closing  stage  were  given  some 
official  credence  here  yesterday  with 
the  disclosure  that  Floyd  B.  Odium, 
Atlas  president,  is  expected  to  issue 
a  statement  on  the  deal  either  today 
or  tomorrow. 

Atlas  officials,  meanwhile,  declined 
to  comment  either  on  the  import  of 
the  expected  statement  by  Odium  or 
on  the  status  of  the  negotiations  be- 
yond saying  that  the  forthcoming  At- 
las statement  will  provide  full  "clari- 
fication." 

Hughes  has  not  come  to  New  York 
from  the  Coast  yet  and  this  was  inter- 
preted by  some  as  an  indication  that 
actual  closing  of  the  deal  is  not  near 
at  hand.  However,  Lloyd  Wright, 
Hollywood  attorney  for  Hughes,  is  in 
daily  contact  here  with  Atlas  Corp. 
and  "undoubtedly  is  authorized  to  close 
for  Hughes  if  and  when  an  agreement 
is  reached,  it  is  believed.  On  the  other 
hand,  a  report  from  the  Coast  yester- 
day claimed  that  the  deal  is  off. 

All  'IA'  Officers 
Up  For  Reelection 

All  IATSE  officers  will  be  candi- 
ites  for  re-election  at  the  Aug.  16 
bi-annual  convention  in  Cleveland,  it 
was  disclosed  here  by  Richard  F. 
Walsh,  president.  They  are:  Walsh, 
William  P.  Raoul,  secretary-treasur- 
er; Thomas  J.  Shea,  assistant  presi- 
dent ;  vice-presidents  Harland  Holm- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


'UV  Quarter  Net 
Down  to  $134,206 

Universal's  net  for  the  13 
weeks  ended  January  31  ag- 
gregated $134,206,  after  all 
charges,  including  Federal 
taxes.  This  compares  with 
$756,543  for  the  corresponding 
period  of  1946-47. 


Britain  to  Debate 
Anti-Monopoly  Bill 

London,  April  7. — The  Socialist 
government's  Monopoly  Control  and 
Inquiry  Bill  is  scheduled  for  early  de- 
bate in  the  House  of  Commons  and 
may  be  shaped  into  yet  another 
scourge  for  J.  Arthur  Rank  and  his 
associates  in  vertically-integrated  com- 
bines. 

Communist  fellow-travelers  are  sure 
to  join  Socialists  in  support  of  the  bill 
and  they  may  be  aided  by  the  country's 
independent  exhibitors,  normally  a 
sober,  conservative  congregation.  If 
enacted,  the  law  will  set  up  a  Monop- 
oly Commission  to  investigate  and  re- 
port on  monopolies  and  restrictive  ar- 
rangements detrimental  to  the  public 
interest.  It  will  grant  powers  to  the 
Board  of  Trade  to  declare  unlawful 
or  prohibit  practices  found  detrimental. 
The  country's  film  set-up  has  long 
been  regarded  unfavorably  by  Leftists. 


HOUSE  UNIT  AGAIN 
VETOES  LEWIS  BILL 


Enlist  Sales,  Press 
In  Public  Relations 


Invitations  for  distribution  and 
trade  press  participation  in  the  indus- 
try public  relations  program  being  ad- 
vanced by  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  were  extended  by  Robert 
Coyne,  executive  director  of  the  TOA, 
and  Earl  Hudson,  chairman  of  the 
working  committee,  at  a  luncheon  at 
the  Hotel  Astor  here  yesterday. 

The  program  will  be  coordinated 
with  public  relations  activities  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association,  its  Pub- 
lic Information  Committee  and  with 
organizations  and  committees  active 
or  to  be  established  in  Hollywood. 
Tentative  plans  as  set  forth  recently 
by  Ted  R.  Gamble,  TOA  president, 
were  presented  at  the  luncheon-meet- 
ing yesterday  and  criticisms  and  sug- 
gestions were  made  by  distribution 
executives  and  trade  paper  publishers 
and  editors  present. 

Hudson  and  Coyne  emphasized  that 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


1 


Application  Flaws 
Delaying  Exports 

Washington,  April  7.  —  Licenses 
for  film  exports  to  Europe  are  being 
processed  with  a  minimum  time  loss, 
but  some  delays  are  due  to  applica- 
tions being  incorrectly  filled  out,  ac- 
cording to  Commerce  Department  film 
consultant  Nathan  D.  Golden. 

Golden  said  more  common  errors 
are  not  designating  proper  Schedule  B 
Classifications,  omitting  Code  Symbol 
Film-R  or  failing  to  show  proper 
quantities  of  still-picture  sensitized 
film,  paper  and  plates. 


Fischer  Is  Named 
Republic  Manager 

Chicago,  April  7. — Abe  Fischer 
has  been  appointed  sales  manager  for 
Republic  in  Chicago,  by  E.  L.  Walton, 
distribution  vice-president.  Fischer, 
who  recently  resigned  from  United 
Artists  here,  will  also  serve  as  branch 
manager  during  William  Baker's  ill- 
ness. Walton  will  return  to  New  York 
next  week. 


Ascap  Plans  Parleys 
With  Stage  Houses 

Ascap,  it  is  understood,  will  call 
another  meeting  here  with  representa- 
tives of  the  stage  show  houses  for 
further  discussion  of  the  theatres'  re- 
fusal to  pay  500  per  cent  in  _  extra 
charges  for  the  use  of  music  in  the 
society's  catalogue. 

Ascap's  annual  banquet  will  be  held 
in  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  here,  tonight, 
winding  up  the  society's  yearly  mem- 
bership meeting,  which  will  get  under 
way  in  the  afternoon.  Deems  Taylor, 
Ascap  president,  will  be  toastmaster. 


N.  Y.  C.  Bill  Proposes  New 
Film,  Ad  Censor  Powers 


New  York  City  License  Commis- 
sioner Benjamin  Fielding  turned 
thumbs  down  yesterday  on  a  proposed 
ordinance  which  would  give  him 
broadened  censorship  powers  over  mo- 
tion pictures,  plays  and  all  advertising 
relating  to  them. 

However,  although  Fielding  has  in- 
dicated strong  opposition  to  the  mea- 
sure on  the  ground  that  "there  is 
sufficient  statutory  authority  now," 
Councilman  Edward  A.  Cunningham 
on  Tuesday  will  ask  the  City  Council 


to  pass  his  bill  to  enable  Fielding  to 
"take  immediate  and  proper  steps  in 
ridding  this  city  of  all  offensive  titles 
and  advertising." 

Cunningham  is  reported  to  have  said 
that  other  councilmen  have  assured 
him  that  "speedy  action  will  be  taken 
for  immediate  passage"  of  the  bill.  It 
provides  that  License  Department  in- 
spectors investigate  performances  and 
related  advertising  and  report  on  any 
offense  "against  morality,  decency  or 
public  welfare." 


Vote  Is  3  to  2;  Lewis 
Predicts  .  Enactment  of 
Similar  Bill  Eventually 

Washington,  April  7.  —  A 
House  judiciary  sub-committee  to- 
day voted  3-to-2  against  the  Lewis 
Bill,  designed  to  force  producers  to 
acquire  from  Ascap  public  perform- 
ing rights  to  music  for  films. 

The  committee  was  reconsidering 
an  earlier  action  by  which  the  bill 
was  defeated  5-to-l.  Voting  with 
Chairman  Lewis  in  favor  of  the  bill 
was  Rep.  Lane,  who  earlier  voted 
against  it.  Opposed  were  Reps.  Keat- 
ing, Walter  and  Bryson. 

Though  action  by  the  full  commit- 
tee on  a  bill  adversely  reported  by 
the  sub-committee  is  unusual  and  un- 
likely, there  is  a  slim  possibility  that 
this  may  happen,  since  committee 
Chairman  Michener  is  reported  favor- 
ing the  measure. 

Lewis  said,  however,  that  "it  seems 
foolish  to  ask  for  full  committee  ac- 
tion in  view  of  the  adverse  report." 
He  indicated  that  he  did  not  favor 
such  a  step,  but  said  that  although  the 
bill  is  apparently  dead  for  this  ses- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Postpone  Meeting 
Of  MPAA  Directors 


Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  board  of  directors  meeting, 
scheduled  to  be  held  here  on  Monday, 
has  been  postponed  to  the  latter  part 
of  next  week.  Meeting  has  been  de- 
layed, it  was  said,  because  the  MPAA 
committee  of  film  company  foreign 
executives  who  have  been  endeavoring 
to  arrive  at  a  formula  for  the  British 
tax  settlement  dollar  pool  split,  is  not 
expected  to  complete  its  conclusions 
by  Monday. 


Johnston  Reports 
To  Coast  on  Tax 

Hollywood,  April  7. — Eric  Johns- 
ton, Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  president,  who  arrived  here 
today,  will  meet  studio  executives  to- 
morrow to  report  details  of  the  Brit- 
ish ad  valorem  pact  settlement.  He 
will  confer  Thursday  evening  with 
representatives  of  talent  guilds  and 
unions  on  their  progress  in  planning  a 
cross-industry  public  relations  organi- 
zation, and  on  Friday  he  will  meet  the 
press  for  a  luncheon-conference. 


2 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  April  8,  1948 


Put  Off  Ascap  Suit, 
Coast  ITO  Is  Urged 


San  Francisco,  April  7. — Recom- 
mendation that  the  Pacific  Coast  Con- 
ference of  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers withhold  further  action  on  its  con- 
templated suit  to  test  the  legality  of 
Ascap's  collection  of  music  licensing 
fees  was  advanced  today  by  Robert 
Graham,  PCCITO  attorney,  at  the 
annual  convention  here.  The  PCCITO 
is  expected  to  approve  the  proposal. 

It  is  regarded  as  likely  that  PCC- 
ITO will  proceed  with  its  suit  only 
if  legislative  attempts,  such  as  the 
Lewis  Bill  to  force  producers  to  ne- 
gotiate directly  with  Ascap,  fail  and 
if  judicial  decisions,  such  as  the  Ascap 
suit  against  Ben  Berger  in  Minneap- 
olis and  by  the  New  York  ITOA 
against  Ascap,  are  adverse.  The  con 
vention  also  is  expected  to  re-affirm 
its  support  of  the  Lewis  Bill. 


Personal  Mention 


DuMont  Aide  Reports 
Coast  Video  Subpar 

Television  programs  in  the  Los  An- 
geles area  are  not  yet  of  a  quality 
necessary  for  a  stable  market  for  re- 
ceivers, says  Ernest  A.  Marx,  general 
manager  of  DuMont's  television  re- 
ceiver division,  who  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  the  Coast.  Additional 
stations  are  needed,  he  observed  and 
predicted  that  "probably  by  fall"  the 
Los  Angeles  area  may  be  established 
as  an  important  television  market. 


A  rmstrong  A  sks  High 
Power  Video  Permit 

Washington,  April  7. — Edwin  H. 
Armstrong,  FM  inventor,  has  applied 
to  the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission for  a  construction  permit  for 
an  experimental  television  station  in 
Alpine,  N.  J.,  to  develop  a  new  high 
power  transmission  television  system. 


Open  N.  Orleans  Quarters 

New  Orleans,  April  7.— Inspection 
Service  Corp.  has  opened  new  quar- 
ters here  with  Film  Classics  and 
Selznick  Releasing  Organization  as 
its  clients.  Several  independent  ex- 
changes will  follow.  Dan  Brandon 
operates  the  plant  and  Mrs.  Jack 
Auslet,  formerly  of  Dixie  Films,  is 
office  manager.  The  company  is  a  sub- 
sidiary of  Transway. 


Wald  Deal  Runs  to  '52 

Hollywood,  April  7. — Contrary  to 
reports  that  Jerry  Wald  of  Warner's 
producing  staff  is  going  into  indepen- 
dent production  or  is  making  other 
deals,  the  studio  announces  that  Wald 
is  under  exclusive  contract  to  War- 
ners until  April,  1952. 


Lewis  Bill  Vetoed 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


sion,  he  believes  the  principle  is  right 
"and  that  this  or  something  similar 
will  eventually  be  the  law." 

Opponents  said  they  voted  it  down 
because  it  seemed  to  be  entirely  an 
intra-industry  fight,  there  is  little  time 
for  Congress  to  act  this  session,  and 
because  of  a  reluctance  to  upset  a 
prevailing  method  of  contract. 


NATE  J.  BLUMBERG,  Universal 
president,   will   return   to  New 
York  from  the  Coast  at  the  weekend. 


Ed  Hinchy,  head  of  Warner's  home 
office  playdate  department,  left  for 
New  Haven  yesterday,  will  go  to 
Boston  today,  and  return  to  New 
York  tomorrow. 

Gregor  Rabinovitch,  Columbia 
producer,  left  aboard  the  SS.  Queen 
Mary  for  Europe  yesterday,  where  he 
will  begin  preparations  for  his  next, 
"Faust,"  to  be  made  in  Italy. 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  distribu- 
tion vice-president,  and  Norman 
Ayres,  Southern  division  manager, 
left  here  yesterday  for  Philadelphia 
and  Washington. 

• 

Joe  Felder,  Favorite  Films  vice- 
president,  has  become  a  grandfather, 
Donna  Sue  having  been  born  to  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Irving  Klein,  in  De- 
troit. 

• 

Carl  Dreyer,  Danish  director,  will 
leave  here  for  Hollywood  next  week, 
returning  to  New  York  shortly  for 
the  premiere  of  his  "Day  of  Wrath." 
• 

Budd  Rogers,  distribution  vice-pres- 
ident of  Realart,  and  Joseph  Harris, 
board  chairman,  have  returned  to  New 
York  from  Midwest  sales  meetings. 
• 

Dan  Brandon  of  Transway,  New 
Orleans,  is  the  father  of  a  daughter, 
Dianne. 

• 

W.  A.  Prewitt,  Jr.,  of  Associated 
Theatres,    New   Orleans,   is   now  a 
colonel  in  the  local  Civic  Air  Patrol. 
• 

Nat  Liebeskind  will  sail  tomorrow 
on  the  SS.   Argentina  for  Buenos 
Aires,  returning  in  two  months. 
• 

A.  A.  Ward,  Altec  vice-president, 
is  in  New  York  from  Hollywood. 


T  EON  J.  BAMBERGER,  RKO 
■L/  Radio  sales  promotion  manager, 
will  address  the  annual  convention  of 
the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
Arkansas  in  Little  Rock  on  May  4. 
• 

Betty  Bluffstone  has  resigned  as 
Columbia  assistant  booker  in  Cleve- 
land to  become  head  booker  for  Film 
Classics  there,  succeeding  David 
Gaffney,  who  resigned  to  manage 
Herbert  Ochs'  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind., 
drive-in. 

• 

Chatham  Strode,  British  author 
and  playwright,  who  has  been  at  the 
M-G-M  studios  on  a  writing  assign- 
ment, will  leave  Hollywood  with  his 
wife  on  April  23  and  sail  April  29 
on  the  Queen  Elisabeth  for  London. 
• 

Clement  S.  Crystal,  Parmount  In- 
ternational theatre  department  head, 
is  back  from  Lima,  Peru,  where  he  at- 
tended the  opening  of  Paramount's 
Tacna  Theatre. 

• 

H.  D.  Hearn  of  Exhibitors  Serv- 
ice, Charlotte,  who  recently  purchased 
the  New  Theatre,  Black  Mountain,  N. 
C,  from  A.  J.  Terrell,  is  hospital- 
ized in  Charlotte. 

• 

Oscar  Morgan,  Paramount  short 
subjects  sales  manager,  met  irt  Char- 
otte  this  week  with  Henry  Hass, 
branch  manager,  and  the  sales  staff 
there. 

• 

R.  A.  McNeil,  former  partner  in 
Golden  State  Theatres  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, will  sail  from  New  York  on  a 
South  American  cruise  tomorrow. 
• 

Paul  Wilson,  20th  Century-Fox 
Southern  district  manager,  is  in  Char- 
lotte, for  conferences  with  Hi  Hol- 
ston,  branch  manager. 

• 

_  Harry  Rapf,  M-G-M  producer,  and 
his  wife  will  leave  the  Coast  April 
15  for  New  York. 


Proponents  of  Films 
Win  in  Sioux  Center 

Sioux  Center,  la.,  April  7. — Ap- 
parently this  town  of  2,000  has  changed 
its  mind  about  the  film  ban  voted  last 
January,  with  a  new  City  Council  of 
five,  three  of  whom  favor  motion  pic- 
tures, having  been  elected  without  op- 
position, after  the  Ministerial  Asso- 
ciation and  others  opposing  films  were 
unable  to  organize  a  slate. 


Public  Relations 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  campaign  is  not  being  undertaken 
as  a  TOA  endeavor,  that  it  was  urged 
upon  the  organization  by  exhibitors  at 
the  recent  TOA  meeting  in  Los  An- 
geles as  an  immediate  need  for  coun- 
teracting an  accumulation  of  adverse 
publicity  concerning  the  industry,  its 
product  and  its  people  that  has  affect- 
ed theatre  attendance  throughout  the 
country.  The  program,  they  said,  re- 
quires the  cooperation  of  all  industry 
members  and  its  aim  is  to  benefit  the 
entire  industry. 

Speakers  at  the  meeting  included 
Leonard  Goldenson,  William  R.  Rod- 
gers,  Robert  Mochrie,  Mort  Blumen- 
stock,  Harry  Goldberg,  A.  W.  Smith, 
Jr.,  Chester  Bahn,  James  Jerauld, 
Sherwin  Kane,  Red  Kann,  Ben  Shlyen 
and  Mort  Sunshine. 


Warner  Signs  Edelman 

Hollywood,  April  7.  —  Louis  F. 
Edelman  has  been  given  a  producer's 
contract  by  Jack  L.  Warner,  WB  pro- 
duction vice-president. 


Mo.  Solons  Recess; 
No  Adverse  Bills 

Washington,  April  7.— Missouri's 
legislature  has  recessed  until  Decem- 
ber 1.  Only  six  legislatures  are  still 
in  session,  according  to  MPAA  legis- 
lative representative  Jack  Bryson.  No 
legislation  harmful  to  the  industry  was 
offered  in  Missouri. 

Louisiana's  legislature  opens  May 
10,  with  no  indication  so  far  of  any 
anti-industry  bills. 


End  of  Ban  Brf 
No  New  III.  Theatres 

Chicago,  April  7— Current  theatre 
construction  in  Chicago  and  down- 
state  Illinois  is  confined  to  three 
drive-ins.  The  city  construction  per- 
mit board  reports  that  no  applications 
have  been  received  for  new  theatre 
buildings  since  the  Federal  curb  was 
lifted  last  week. 


All  Amusements  In 
Rockford  Are  Taxed 

Chicago,  April  7. — Three  per  cent 
tax  on  all  amusements  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  City  Council  in  Rock- 
ford,  after  a  four  per  cent  tax  on 
theatres  only  was  defeated  on  the 
grounds  it  was  discriminatory. 


Seek  Gangster  Film 
Ban  in  Columbus,  O. 

Columbus,  O.,  April  7.  —  Local 
mothers  are  seeking  enactment  of  an 
ordinance  to  prevent  children  from 
seeing  gangster  films  and  also  rein- 
statement of  a  10  P.  M.  curfew  for 
children  to  reduce  delinquency. 


Directors  Guild  and 
AMPP  In  Pact  Talks 

Hollywood,  April  7. — Screen  Di- 
rectors Guild  and  the  Association  of 
Motion  Picture  Producers  today 
opened  negotiations  for  a  new  con- 
tract. Discussions,  which  are  expected 
to  continue  for  several  weeks,  are  un- 
derstood to  be  concerned  principally 
with  working  conditions.  Another 
meeting  will  be  held  tomorrow. 


'IA'  Elections 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Senate  Confirms  Hoffman 

Washington,  April  7.— The  Sen- 
ate today  confirmed  Paul  G.  Hoffman 
to  administer  the  European  Recovery 
Program.  Hoffman  is  a  friend  and 
associate  of  Eric  Johnston,  MPAA 
president. 


Capital  Power  Shortage 

Washington,  April  7.— Theatre 
owners  in  the  Capitol  district  face 
drastic  power  curbs  if  the  coal  strike 
continues  much  longer.  Some  restric- 
tions may  be  even  more  severe  than 
during  the  war,  it  is  said. 


den,  William  P.  Covert,  Floyd  M. 
Billingsley,  James  J.  Brennan,  Roger 
M.  Kennedy,  Felix  D.  Snow,  Carl  G. 
Cooper,  William  C.  Barrett,  Louise 
Wright ;  trustees  R.  E.  Morris, 
George  W.  Brayfield,  William  C. 
Scanlan. 

Also,  American  Federation  of  Labor 
convention  delegates  Eugene  Atkinson 
and  Thomas  V.  Green,  and  delegate  to 
the  Trades  and  Labor  Congress  of 
Canada  D.  B.  MacKenzie. 

To  date,  no  opposition  candidates 
have  been  announced. 


Sues  Union  Over  'Card' 

Hollywood,  April  7. — Cameraman 
Curtis  Courant  has  filed  a  Federal 
Court  suit  asking  $975,000  from 
IATSE  Local  No.  659,  asserting  the 
union  declines  to  accept  him  as  a  top 
cameraman  despite  28  years  in  Euro- 
pean production  and  on  three  pictures 
filmed  here  with  a  union  member 
standing  by. 


Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club  Washington' 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  S'q.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications-  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter  Sept 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,   $6  in  the  Americas  and   $12   foreign-   single  copies  10c! 


WARNER  BROS 

TRADE  SHOW 
April  19th 


WILKIE  COLLINS' 


The  world's  most  celebrated  mystery  novel  is  now  on  the  screen! 


CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

TIME 

CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

TIME 

Mbany 

Warner  Screening  Room 

79  N.  Pearl  St. 

8:00  P.M. 

Memphis 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

151  Vance  Ave. 

10:00  A.M. 

Atlanta 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

197  Walton  St.  N.W. 

2:30  P.M. 

Milwaukee 

Warner  Th.  Sc.  Rm. 

212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave, 

2:00  P.M. 

Joston 

RKO  Screening  Room 

122  Arlington  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

Minneapolis 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1000  Currie  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

iuffalo 

Paramount  Sc.  Room 

464  Franklin  Street 

2:00  P.M. 

New  Haven 

Warner  Th.  Proj.  Rm. 

70  College  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

Charlotte 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

308  S.  Church  St. 

10:00  A.M. 

New  Orleans 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

200  S.  Liberty  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

Chicago 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1307  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

1:30  P.M. 

New  York 

Home  Office 

321  W.  44th  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

Cincinnati 

RKO  Screening  Room 

Palace  Th.  Bldg.  E.  6th 

8:00  P.M. 

Oklahoma 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

10  North  Lee  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

Cleveland 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2300  Payne  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Omaha 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1502  Davenport  St. 

1:00  P.M. 

Dallas 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1803  Wood  St. 

10:00  A.M. 

Philadelphia 

Warner  Screening  Room 

230  No.  13th  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

5enver 

Paramount  Sc.  Room 

2100  Stout  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

Pittsburgh 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1715  Blvd.  of  Allies 

1:30  P.M. 

3es  Moines 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1300  High  St. 

12:45  P.M. 

Portland 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Room 

1947  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

Detroit 

Film  Exchange  Bldg. 

2310  Cass  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Salt  Lake 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

216  East  1st  South 

2:00  P.M. 

Indianapolis 

Universal  Sc.  Room 

517  No.  Illinois  St. 

1:00  P.M. 

San  Francisco 

Republic  Sc.  Room 

221  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

1:30  P.M. 

Kansas  'City 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1720  Wyandotte  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

Seattle 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Room 

2318  Second  Ave. 

10:30  A.M. 

-os  Angeles 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2025  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

St.  Louis 

S'renco  Sc.  Room 

3143  Olive  St. 

1:00  P.M. 

*  Boston,  Tuesday,  April  20th 

Washington 

Earle  Th.  Bldg. 

13th  Si.  E  Sts.  N.W. 

10:30  A.M. 

Directed  by 

PETER  GODFREY  with  AGNES  M00REHEAD  ■  JOHN 

Screen  Play  by  Stephen  Morehouse  Avery  •  Based  on  the  Famous  Novel  "The  Woman  in 


Produced  by 

EMERY    HENRY  BLANKE 

White"  by  Wilkie  Collins  •  Music  by  Max  Steiner 


Paramount's 

New  Watchword  Is 

"rr  That 


In  every  time  zone  —  Eastern,  Central,  Mountain, 
Pacific— it  will  strike  soon  with  spectacular  box-office 
precision.  Already  its  breath-taking  suspense  has 
brought  breath-taking  results  in  its  first  2  dates: 

FIRST  FOUR  DAYS  DREW  BEST  NON-HOLIDAY 
BUSINESS  IN  PAST  YEAR  AT  THE  MICHIGAN,  DETROIT! 

FIRST  THREE  DAYS'  250%  OF  STRONG  "DEAR 
RUTH"  GROSS1  AT  SAN  FRANCISCO'S  ST.  FRANCIS 


*Including  holiday.  Sat.  &  Sun.   ^Including  Sat. 


ft. 


RAY  CHARLES 

MILLMD  IAUGHT0N 


with 


Maureen  O 'Sullivan  •  George  Macready 

Rita  Johnson  •  Elsa  LancheSter  •  Harold  Vermilyea 
Produced  by  Richard  Maibaum  •  Directed  by  JOHN  FARROW 

Screen  Play  by  Jonathan  Latimer  •  Based  on  the  Novel  by  Kenneth  Fearing 


Showmen's  Trade 
Review  says: 
"Milland's  best  since 
'The  Lost  Weekend'." 


Variety  says:  "One 
of  the  sure  successes 
of  the  year." 


Radio's  "The  Fat 
Man"  says: 
"One  of  greatest 
suspense  movies 
ever  produced." 


Radio's  "Ross 
Doian,  Detective" 
says:  "Great -I 
recommend  it!" 


Loueila  Parsons 
says:  "You'll  be 
held  as  taut 
as  a  Heifetz 
fiddlestring." 


Clayton  Rawson,  Editor 
of  Clue,  says:  "A  suspense 
charged  movie  with 
a  chilling  i " 


He 


L.  Blochman,  Pres.,  Mystery 
Writers  of  America,  says: 
"Points  with  both  hands  to 
thrilling  entertainment." 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  April  8,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


ZpOLLOlVING  are  estimated  pic- 
■T  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. 


LOS  ANGELES 


"I  Remember  Mama"  got  off  in 
high  gear  at  two  first-run  theatres, 
and  "Sitting  Pretty"  was  sitting  pretty 
at  four  others,  in  a  week  only  mildly 
affected  by  traces  of  precipitation 
which  kept  no  one  indoors.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ended  April  7 : 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Downtown)  (3,400)  (S0c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $16,300) 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Hollywood)  (3.000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  Jnd 
week.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average:  $12,400) 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Wiltern)  (2,300)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $12,600) 
BAMBI  (RKO  Radio  reissue)  and  WEST- 
ERN HERITAGE  (RKO  Radio)  —  BEL- 
MONT (1,600)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $4,500.  (Average:  $6,600) 
BAMBI  (RKO  Radio  reissue)  and  WEST- 
ERN HERITAGE  (RKO  Radio) — EL  REY 
(861)  (5Oc-6Oc-85c-$l-0O)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$5,000.    (Average:  $7,000) 

BAMBI  (RKO  Radio  reissue)  and  WEST- 
ERN   HERITAGE   (RKO  Radio)— ORPH- 

EUM  (2.210)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $8,500.  (Average:  $14,300) 
BAMBI  (RKO  Radio  reissue)  and  WEST- 
ERN HERITAGE  (RKO  Radio)— VOGUE 
(800)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$6,000.  (Average:  $7,500) 
THE  BISHOP'S  WIFE  (RKO  Radio)- 
PARAMOUNT  (Downtown)  (3,595)  (50c- 
60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $11,500. 
(Average:  $21,000) 

THE    BISHOP'S    WIFE    (RKO  Radio)- 

PARAMOUNT  (Hollywood)  (1,407)  (50c- 
60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $11,000. 
(Average:  $15,000) 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)- 

FOX  WILSHIRE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average:  $13,- 
800) 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

LOS  ANGELES  (2,0%)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $21,- 
200) 

THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio)  —  FOUR 
STAR    (900)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.0O)    2nd  week. 
Gross:  $9,500.    (Average:  $11,400) 
THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio) — PALACE 
(1,237)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$15,000.    (Average:  $21,000) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio) 
HILLSTREET     (2,700)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00) 
Gross:  $20,000.    (Average:  $18,300) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)- 
PANTAGES  —  (2.000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00). 
Gross:  $24,000.    (Average:  $17,300) 
NAKED  CITY   (U-I)-GUILD   (965)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  4th  week.   Gross:  $6,000.  (Av- 
erage: $7,100) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)-IRIS  (708)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.0O)  4th  week.  Gross:  $6,000.  (Aver- 
age: $7,100) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  —  R1TZ  (1,376)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  4th  week.  Gross:  $11,000. 
(Average:  $10,300) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— STUDIO  (880)  (50c- 
60c -85c -$1.00)  4th  week.  Gross:  $6,500.  (Av- 
erage: $6,900) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I) — UNITED  ARTISTS 
(2.100)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  4th  week.  Gross: 
$11,000.  (Average:  $15,400) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE  (20th-Fox)  —CHINESE 
(2.300)  (5Oc-60c-85c-$l.OO)  6  days.  Gross: 
$20,000.    Average:  $15,700) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE  (20th  -  Fox)  -LOEWS 
STATE  (2,500)  (50c -60c -85c -$1.00)  6  days. 
Gross:  $31,000.  (Average:  $21.7001 
SITTING  PRETTY  (2Cth-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE  (2€th-Fox)  -LOYOLA  0.265) 


WANTED— Motion  Picture  Script- 
Girl  Sec'y — Steno.  Music  Firm — In- 
terview at  1674  Broadway  —  Cecille 
Music  Corp.  Phone  BU.  8-7366  for 
Appointment  for  Next  Week. 


Review 


"Letter  from  an  Unknown  Woman" 

( Rampart —  Unk/ersal-Internatio  nal) 

THE  details  of  production  are  beyond  dispute  in  "Letter  from  an  Unknown 
Woman."  It  is  a  handsome  and  meritorious  job  of  picture-making  on  a 
technical  level  which  its  dramatic  level,  however,  never  attains.  The  difficulty 
here  is  basic  material  with  a  flavor  of  the  familiar  and  old-fashioned  which  is 
further  endangered  by  slow  direction  and  retarded  movement. 

There  is  an  undeniable  charm  in  the  background  of  Vienna  along  about  the 
turn  of  the  century  with  its  waltz  music  and  its  gaslight  atmosphere,  but  the 
epic  emotions  which  producer  John  Houseman  and  director  Max  Opuls  appear 
to  have  sought  are  not  in  sight.  The  central  characters  are  Joan  Fontaine,  a 
highly  romantic,  who  falls  madly  in  love  with  Louis  Jourdan,  concert  virtuoso, 
who  takes  considerable  footage  to  know  she  even  exists  and  thereafter  promptly 
forgets  her  for  his  next  conquest.  Their  one  night  together  eventualizes  in  an 
illegitimate  son  whose  presence  Jourdan  learns  of  10  years  later  when,  dying, 
Miss  Fontaine  writes  him.  Via  flashbacks  the  story  unfolds.  At  its  conclu- 
sion, the  son  is  dead  of  typhus  and  the  mother,  too,  has  expired. 

"Letter"  deserves  an  "E"  for  effort  in  all  departments.  Jourdan,  newcomer 
whose  first  American-made  film  was  "The  Paradine  Case,"  lacks  a  reasonable 
opportunity.  Others  whose  believability  comes  through  uncertainly  include 
Mady  Christians,  Marcel  Journet  and  Art  Smith.  The  film  is  based  on  a 
novelette  by  Stefan  Zweig  and  a  Howard  Koch  screenplay.  Daniele  Amfi- 
theatrof's  musical  score  is  nostalgic  and  pleasant. 

Running  time,  90  minutes.    Adult  audience  classification.    For  May  release. 

Red  Kann 


(56c - 60c -85c- $1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $12,500. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE  (20th-Fox)  —UPTOWN 
(1,716)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross: 
$16,500.  (Average:  $10,800) 
SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Allied  Artists)— 
MUSIC  HALL  (Beverly  Hills)  (900)  (65c- 
85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross  $2,900.  (Average: 
$4,300) 

SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Allied  Artists) 
and    WHERE     THE    NORTH  BEGINS 

(Screen  Guild)— MUSIC  HALL  (Downtown) 
(900)  (65c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $7,300. 
(Average:  $9,600) 

SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Allied  Artists)— 

MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,000)  (65c-85c- 
$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $3,200.  (Average: 
$5,200) 

SONG  OF  MY 

MUSIC  HALL 
$1.00)  6  days. 
$4,300) 


HEART  (Allied  Artists)— 

(Hollywood)  (490)  (65c-85c- 
Gross:   $2,800.  (Average: 


MINNEAPOLIS 


"I  Remember  Mama"  was  the  top 
draw  in  an  otherwise  run-of-the-mill 
week  in  Loop  theatres.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  8 : 

CALL  NORTHSIDE  777  (20th-Fox) — LY- 
RIC (1,100)  (50c-70c)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $6,- 
000.     (Average:  $5,500) 

FRANKENSTEIN    and    DRACULA  (U-I 

Reissues)  —  GOPHER     (1,000)  (44c-50c). 

Gross:  $4,200.     (Average:  $3,500) 

HIGH   WALL    (M-G-M) — STATE  (2,300) 

(50c-70c).     Gross:  $12,000.     (Average:  $11,- 

800) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO  ORPHEUM  (2,800)  (50c-70c).  Gross: 

$18,500.     (Average:  $13,500) 

SO  WELL  REMEMBERED  (RKO  Radio) 

—CENTURY  (1,500)  (5Oc-70c).  Gross:  $5,- 
500.    (Average:  $6,100) 

THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio)— RKO  PAN 

(1,500)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $8,800.  (Average: 
$8,800) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)— RADIO  CITY 
(4,000)  (50c-70c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $17,000) 


PHILADELPHIA 


"Miracle  of  the  Bells"  in  its  second 
week  is  still  the  box-office  leader  here, 
while  newcomers  "The  Fugitive"  and 
"April  Showers"  also  are  giving  a 
good  account  of  themselves.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  6-8: 

APRIL    SHOWERS    (WB) — MASTBAUM 
(4,700)      (50c-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross: 
$30,000.     (Average:  $27,800) 
ALBUQUERQUE  (Para.)— STANTON  (1,- 
700)     (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)     2nd  week. 
Gross:   $8,900.     (Average:  $11,900) 
BAMBI  (RKO  Radio  reissue) — KARLTON 
(1.000)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd  week. 
Gross:  $5,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 
DUEL   IN   THE  SUN   (SRO)— ARCADIA 
(900)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd    run,  5 


days.    Gross:  $4,000.     (Average:  $6,000) 
CALL  NORTHSIDE  777  (20th-Fox) — FOX 

(3,000)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd  week. 

Gross:  $20,000.    (Average:  $20,400) 

THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio)— ALDINE 

(900)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross:  $14,- 
900.    (Average:  $13,200) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox) — KEITH'S  (2,200)  (50c-60c-74c-80c- 
85c-94c)  2nd  run,  4  days.  Gross:  $6,000. 
(Average:  $6,100) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 

— EARLE  (3,000)  (50c-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-94c) 
2nd  week.'  Gross:  $32,300.  (Average:  $24,- 
300) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I) — STANLEY  (3,000) 
(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$29,800.    (Average:  $20,500) 


-BOYD  (3,000) 
week.  Gross: 


SIGN  OF  THE,  RAM  (Col.)- 

(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd 
$15,600.  (Average:  $23,100) 
THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS  (M-G-M) 

—GOLDMAN  (1,400)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c- 
94c)  4th  week.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average: 
$22,400) 


KANSAS  CITY 


Spring  weather  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day, following  mostly  mild  days,  drew 
people  to  highways  and  gardens.  "Un- 
conquered"  is  getting  much  a'  -\  av- 
erage at  regular  prices,  afi^  jiiree 
weeks  of  large  attendance  at  aawtnced 
prices  in  December.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  6-8 : 

BLACK  NARCISSUS  (UI)  and  SILVER 
QUEEN  (Rep.)— ESQUIRE  (800)  (45c-65c). 
Gross:  $5,000.     (Average:  $5,000) 
I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

ORPHEUM  (1,900)  (45c-65c).  Gross:  $14,- 
000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th- Fox) — FAIR- 
WAY (700)  (45c-65c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$1,750.  (Average:  $1,750) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th- Fox) — TOWER 
(2,100)  (45c-65c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,000. 
(Average:  $9,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (Zttth-Fox) — UPTOWN 
(2,000)  (45c-65c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,750. 
(Average:  $6,000) 

THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS  (M-G-M) 

—MIDLAND  (3,500)  (45c-65c).  Gross:  $18,- 
750.     (Average:  $15,000) 

UNCONQUERED  (Parau) — PARAMOUNT 
(1,900)  (45c-65c).  Gross:  $15,000.  (Aver- 
age: $12,000) 


Another  Capital  lst-Run 

Washington,  April  7. — The  Capi- 
tal will  get  another  first-run,  down- 
town house  on  April  27  when  the 
Playhouse  opens  -with  M-G-M's  "The 
Search."  The  theatre  will  be  operated 
by  Film  Transcription,  Inc.,  owned  by 
Ilya  E.  Lopert  and  Louise  Noonan 
Miller. 


the  prize  winning  motion  picture  (hat  was  called  by  THE  nflTIOD: 

"One  of  Ifie  pu^e  wtkacleo  of  50  yeaM  of  motion  pictured/" 


SPECIAL  ACADEMY  AWARD 


V*. 


Distributed  by  LOPERT  FILMS.  INC..  148  W.57»ST.  N  Y.  •  PLaza  7-3330: 


fil£  COHV 


bO  NOT 

MOTION  PICTURE 

FIRST 

IN 

ah  ▼  aHk                                «M    ^^^^    A     ^            A       »■»                                              ^»  ^» 

Accurate 

Tn  ATI 

Concise 

FILM 

and 

NEWS 

Impartial 

63    NO  69 

NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  FRIDAY.  APRIL  9,  1948 

TEN  CENTS 

Initiate  Plans 
For  Hollywood 
Canadian  Aid 

Harmon  and  Fitzgibbons 
Report  Progress  to  Howe 

Ottawa,  April  8. — An  initial  re- 
port on  Hollywood's  plan  of  co- 
operation toward  the  alleviation  of 
Canada's  U.  S.  currency  problem 
has  been  outlined  to  Dominion  Trade 
Minister  C.  D.  Howe  by  J.  J.  Fitz- 
gibbons, president  of  Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.,  and  Francis  Harmon, 
vice-president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America. 

Harmon  said  here  the  industry  rec- 
ognizes the  importance  of  the  Canadi- 
an market  and  desires  to  cooperate. 
Steps  already  taken  include  plans  to 

(Continued  on  page  3) 

Mayer  Subpoenaed 
To  Lawson  Trial 


Washington,  April  8. — Louis  B. 
Mayer  and  Dore  Schary  have  been 
subpoenaed  to  testify  in  the  trials  of 
the  10  Hollywoodites  cited  for  con- 
tempt of  Congress  during  the  House 
Un-American  Activities  Committee's 
hearings  last  fall.  Trial  of  the  first  of 
the  10.  John  Howard  Lawson,  is 
slated  to  start  here  on  Monday.  Other 
film  executives  also  may  be  subpoenaed 
as  well  as  members  of  the  committee 
and  other  officials. 

Defense   attorneys   had   asked  the 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Mulvey  Boomed  for 
SIMPP  Presidency 

A  substantial  segment  of  the  Society 
of  Independent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers is  determined  apparently  to 
persuade  James  Mulvey,  president  of 
Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions,  to  ac- 
cept the  presidency  of  the  organiza- 
tion, an  independent  from  the  Coast 
reported  here  yesterday.  SIMPP  has 
been  without  a  president  since  Donald 
Xelson  resigned  last  December,  with 
Mulvey  since  performing  the  major 
functions  of  the  office. 

If  Mulvey  becomes  SIMPP's  presi- 
dent he  would  continue  as  Goldwyn 
Productions'  president. 


New  British  Quota 
Act  Now  Is  Law 


London,  April  8. — Without  fanfare, 
Britain's  new  Films  Quota  Act  has 
become  law  and  will  remain  so  for  a 
term  of  10  years. 

The  Board  of  Trade  is  required  to 
determine  the  new  quota  percentages 
not  later  than  July  1  of  each  year, 
the  revised  percentages  becoming  op- 
erative the  following  October.  The 
ruling  principle  of  the  law  is  that  the 
highest  practical  quota  be  established 
for  British  films. 

Authorized  composition  of  the 
Films  Council,  which  will  be  created 
to  advise  the  Board  of  Trade's  presi- 
dent on  quota  matters,  is :  four  pro- 
ducer members,  including  a  represen- 
tative of  "shorts"  producers ;  five  ex- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Ascap  Members  Hold 
Annual  Meet  Here 

Problems  facing  Ascap  on  many 
fronts  were  discussed  here  yesterday 
at  the  annual  membership  meeting  of 
the  society  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria.  In 
his  annual  report  Deems  Taylor,  who 
will  bow  out  as  president  this  year 
after  serving  six  terms,  disclosed  the 
membership  of  the  society  stood  at 
2.284.  an  increase  of  58  since  the  last 
membership  meeting  Oct.  10. 

Taylor  presided.  Sharing  the  dais 
with  him  were  Frank  H.  Connor, 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
of  Ascap,  and  Louis  D.  Frohlich,  the 
society's  counsel. 

Ascap  officers  are  expected  to  be 
elected  by  the  directors  on  April  29. 


Set  DeMille  Labor 
Hearing  for  May  11 

Washington,  April  8. — Cecil 
B.  DeMille  will  appear  before 
the  House  Labor  Committee 
on  May  11  on  hearings  on  "the 
right  to  work."  The  date  for 
the  hearings,  twice  postponed, 
were  fixed  today  in  a  confer- 
ence between  DeMille  and 
Committee  chairman  Hartley? 
Hartley  said  he  was  "satis- 
fied" the  hearings  would  re- 
sult in  legislation  protecting 
workingmen's  rights  to  work 
despite  union  restrictions. 


Double  UJA  Goal 
For  Drive  in  1948 


A  goal  of  $2,400,000  has  been  set 
for .  the  amusement  division  of  the 
United  Jewish  Appeal  for  1948,  S.  H. 
Fabian  announced  at  an  organizational 
luncheon-meeting,  of  which  he  was 
chairman,  at  the  Hotel  Astor  here 
yesterday.  The  figure  is  double  last 
year's. 

Featured  speaker  at  the  meeting  was 
Xorman  Lourie,  president  of  Palestine 
Films  and  also  associate  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox in  South  Africa  and  United 
Artists'  Palestinian  representative.  He 
outlined  the  urgency  of  the  drive. 
Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  president 
and  national  chairman  of  the  UJA 
amusement  division,  also  spoke,  urging 
,         (Continued  on  page  3) 


MP  A  A  to  Inquire  Into 
French  Discriminations 


N.  Y.  Cinema  Lodge 
To  Honor  Balaban 

Barney  Balaban.  Paramount  presi- 
dent, will  be  presented  with  a  gold 
B'nai  B'rith  medallion  and  life  mem- 
bership in  Cinema  Lodge,  "for  his  de- 
votion to  the  welfare  of  the  entertain- 
ment industry  unit  of  B'nai  B'rith 
since  its  inception."  Presentation  will 
take  place  at  the  lodge's  dinner  to  its 
retiring  president,  Robert  M.  Weit- 
man.  and  its  new  president,  S.  Arthur 
Glixon,  at  the  Hotel  Astor  next 
Wednesdav. 


XI.  S.  film  companies  have  requested 
Gerald  Mayer,  managing  director  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America's  international  division,  to 
ask  MPAA  Paris  representative 
Frank  McCarthy  to  examine  the  sit- 
uation in  France  with  reference  to  the 
Blum-Byrnes  accord  and  report  on  the 
advisability  of  seeking  to  have  the  film 
phase  of  the  agreement  renegotiated, 
it  was  disclosed  here  yesterday  fol- 
lowing a  meeting  between  Mayer  and 
foreign  managers. 

Renegotiation  would  be  between  the 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Hughes-RKO 
Stock  Deal 
Is  Called  Off 


Odium  Says  'No  Other 
Negotiations  Pending' 

Howard  Hughes'  negotiations  for 
purchase  of  a  controlling  stock  in- 
terest in  RKO  from  Atlas  Corp. 
were  called  off  yesterday  after  hav- 
ing been  under  way  for  months. 

Floyd  B.  Odium,  Atlas  president, 
announced  the  ending  of  the  negotia- 
tions with  the  following  statement : 

"Conversations  between  my  old 
friend,  Howard  Hughes,  and  myself 
relating  to  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
RKO  stock  have  been  terminated 
without  agreement.  No  other  negotia- 
tions are  now  pending." 

The  last  sentence  of  the  Odium 
statement  may  have  referred  to  the 
"interest"  in  purchasing  the  Atlas' 
RKO  stock  which  Robert  R.  Young, 
head  of  Pathe  Industries-Eagle-Lion, 
claimed  several  months  ago. 

Loyd  Wright,  attorney  for  Hughes, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


NYC  Censor  Bill's 
Defeat  Sure:  MPAA 


New  York  City  License  Commis- 
sioner Benjamin  Fielding's  rejection 
of  a  proposed  ordinance  which  would 
broaden  his  censorship  powers  over 
motion  pictures,  plays  and  all  adver- 
tising relating  to  them,  was  inter- 
preted by  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  spokesmen  yesterday  as 
assurance  that  councilman  Edward  A. 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Sale  of  R  i  alt  o  to 
Mage  Nears  Closing 

Deal  is  about  to  be  consummated 
for  the  purchase  of  the  Rialto  Thea- 
tre, here,  by  Mage  Films  from  Ar- 
thur Mayer  and  his  partners  in  own- 
ership, including  Sam  Dembow,  it  is 
understood.  Mage  Films  is  headed  by 
James  Mage,  distributor  of  foreign, 
product  in  the  U.  S.  who  is  expected 
to  make  the  Rialto  a  "showcase."  _ 

Mayer  is  reported  to  be  preparing 
to  enter  an  industry  position  after 
sale  of  the  theatre. 


Ws  hulds  kis  Dre&m  House 


draws  raves  from  the  critics 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  April  9,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


ARTHUR    W.    KELLY,  United 
Artists   vice-president,   will  sail 
for  London  next  Wednesday  aboard 
the  5".  6".  Queen  Elisabeth,  to  dis- 
cuss UA  British  production  plans. 
• 

Abe  Dickstein,  assistant  to  United 
Artists  Eastern  and  Canadian  sales 
manager  E.  M.  Schnitzer,  returned 
here  yesterday  from  an  upstate  busi- 
ness trip,  while  Schnitzer  is  due 
back  in  New  York  Monday  from  Buf- 
falo. 

• 

Giff  Davidson,  new  vice-president 
of  the  Salt  Lake  Motion  Picture  Club, 
is  general  chairman  for  the  annual 
Salt  Lake  Exhibitors'  Round-Up,  to 
be  held  in  June. 

• 

Tom  Connors  became  a  grand- 
father for  the  fourth  time  yesterday 
with  the  birth  of  a  son  to  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  James  Mahon,  in  Los  An- 
geles. 

• 

John  Joseph,  Universal-Interna- 
tional national  advertising-publicity 
director,  is  accompanying  Nate 
Blumberg,  Universal  president,  who 
is  due  here  today  from  Hollywood. 

Mrs..  Kay  O'Brien  Berry,  secre- 
tary to  20th  Century-Fox  advertising- 
publicity  head  Charles  Schlaieer, 
has  resigned  to  await  the  arrival  of 
her  baby  this  fall. 

• 

Ken  Clark,  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America  public  relations 
head,  and  Jerry  Cahill,  of  the 
MPAA  Washington  office,  are  on  the 
Coast. 

• 

Murry  Salberg,  Eagle-Lion  press 
book  editor,  will  join  CBS  on  Mon- 
day. 

• 

William  J.  Heineman,  Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president,  will  return 
here  on  Monday  from  a  Western  trip. 
• 

J.  R.,  Don  and  Fritz  Waters  of 
Waters  Theatres,  Birmingham,  have 
returned  there  from  Atlanta. 

• 

E.  O.  Wilschke,  Altec  Service  op- 
erating manager,  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  Chicago. 

• 

Susan  Hayward  has  arrived  in 
New  York  from  the  Coast. 

Bing  Crosby,  now  in  Pittsburgh, 
will  arrive  in  New  York  on  April 
20. 

• 

Cecil  B.  DeMille  is  due  in  New 
York  Sunday  evening  from  Washing- 
ton. 

• 

Mary  Boland  is  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood. 

Joan  Crawford  is  in  New  York 
from  the  Coast. 

Edmund  Reek,  Movietone  News 
producer,  is  vacationing  in  Florida. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


p  URRENT  bulletins  of  Allied 
^  units  in  Indiana  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  area  reflect  con- 
siderable wariness  over  the  Brit- 
ish tax  settlement.  The  fire  is 
being  concentrated  on  the  clause 
by  which  American  companies 
will  withdraw  from  London 
funds  equal  to  the  earnings  of 
British  films  in  the  United  States 
in  addition  to  the  $17,000,000 
remittable  each  year  without 
strings  of  any  kind. 

Indiana,  observes,  for  in- 
stance :  "Naturally  the  two-fold 
incentive  to  sell  English  pictures 
is  going  to  make  the  pressure 
very  great."  The  Rocky  Moun- 
tain unit,  rougher  about  it, 
states :  "The  exhibitors  of  Amer- 
ica.are  about  to  be  pitched  one 
of  the  fastest  curye  balls  in  the 
history  of  super  salesmanship. 
.  .  .  Your  job  is  still  to  keep  your 
theatre  profitable,  not  to  play 
patsy  for  the  producer-distribu- 
tors in  their  high  finance  deals. 
If  you  can  get  away  with  play- 
ing British  films,  then  buy  them. 
But  if  they  are  poison  to  you, 
then  don't  buy." 

'  ■ 

Developing  at  the  regional 
level,  it  is  a  perfectly  safe  deduc- 
tion this  viewpoint  will  be  gen- 
eral throughout  Allied.  Others 
will  react  identically,  but,  in  all 
instances,  it  will  be  both  under- 
standable and  deplorable.  The 
average  exhibitor,  and  particu- 
larly the  unaffiliated,  will  have 
little  comprehension  and  prob- 
ably less  sympathy  over  a  prob- 
lem which  he  regards  as  dis- 
tantly removed  from  his  own 
well  being.  London  is  far  enough 
away  from  New  York  and  more 
so  from  the  Hudson  west.  The 
average  theatreman  has  the  prob- 
lem of  indifferent  and  disappoint- 
ing Hollywood  product  on  his 
mind  and  neither  time  nor  pa- 
tience to  take  on  additional 
trouble.  This  makes  his  position 
understandable. 

■ 

But,  whether  he  realizes  it  or 
not,  the  kind  of  product  Holly- 
wood delivers  him  is  tied  in- 
separably to  the  prosperity  of  the 
whole  industry  —  a  prosperity 
of  decidedly  uncertain  equation 
without  the  British  market. 
Every  exhibitor,  in  a  sense,  is 
in  partnership  with  this  industry 
no  matter  where  it  operates  so 
that  serious  injury  to  one  branch 
endangers  the  others.  Where  this 
is  not  realized  and  a  reasonable 
effort  to  encourage  British  pic- 
tures is  ignored,  the  effect  finally 
may  be  expected  to  show  up 
in  Hollywood  where  enforced, 


large-scale  slashes  in  negative 
costs  will  impair  product  qual- 
ity. If  this  comes  to  pass,  the  ex- 
hibitor will  face  the  issue  on 
home  ground.  Not  to  appreciate 
the  eventuality  makes  his  posi- 
tion deplorable. 

■ 

Reasonably,  no  one  can  expect 
any  exhibitor  to  keep  on  play- 
ing product  which  is  not  useful 
at  his  boxoffice.  In  the  main,  this 
is  his  situation  with  the  prepon- 
derance of  English  films.  While 
it  is  good  sense  and  good  busi- 
ness to  give  them  an  opportunity, 
the  larger  responsibility  reverts 
to  the  British  producer.  It  is  his 
job  to  make  product  which  the 
American  market  can  absorb. 
When  he  delivers  films  which 
prove  widely  acceptable,  he  will 
rise  to  his  proper  level  here. 
Nothing  will,  or  can,  stop  him. 

■  ■ 

One  of  the  biggest  theatre 
deals  in  years  revolves,  if  un- 
certainly, around  final  owner- 
ship of  Golden  State  Theatres 
which  operates  a  flock  of  houses 
in  Northern  California.  From 
what  goes  on  currently,  it  would 
appear  the  sale  of  their  com- 
bined two-thirds  interest  by  R. 
A.  McNeil  and  Gene  Emmick  to 
their  long-standing  partner,  Mike 
Naify,  might  turn  out  to  be  only 
one  phase  of  the  situation. 

Milton  Reynolds,  Chicago  pen 
manufacturer  who  was  first  in 
the  arena  with  an  offer  to  buy 
and  thereafter  lost  out,  is  under- 
stood to  be  active  again.  So,  too, 
Joe  Schenck  presumably  acting 
on  his  own  behalf.  Ted  Gamble 
is  in  the  picture  with  what  is 
described  as  a  very  eager  eye. 

All  this  is  proving  attractive 
to  Naify,  but  it  never  follows 
that  he  will  sell. 

■ 

If  ever  reported,  it  has  escaped 
notice  here  that  Gamble  has  in- 
dulged in  serious  flirting  with 
the  Butterfield  interests  in  Mich- 
igan. Purchase  of  that  chain  of 
better  than  100  theatres,  how- 
ever, would  entail  about  $15,000,- 
000  in  cash  and  in  one  lump; 
which  is  quite  a  gulp  to  get 
down  in  one  swallow  even  for 
the  Henry  Morgenthau  syndi- 
cate which  has  been  linked  to 
Gamble's  theatre  expansion. 

■  ■ 

There's  nothing  more  than 
meets  the  eye  in  the  change  at 
Eagle-Lion.  Bryan  Foy  was 
loaded  down  with  more  detail 
than  he  cared  about  handling  as 
head  of  production.  He  wanted 
to  be  relieved  to  concentrate  on 
three  or  four  films  a  year. 


Rank  Is  Honored  at 
Film  Council  Lunch 

J.  Arthur  Rank  was  guest  of  honor 
at  a  luncheon  given  for  him  at  the 
Union  League  Club  here  yesterday  by 
Rome  Betts,  president  of  the  Protes- 
tant Film  Council,  and  Don  Mitchell, 
New  York  industrialist. 

"The  children  of  both  our  countries 
need  the  use  of  motion  pictures  for 
teaching  Bible  stories  and  the  Gos- 
pel," Rank  said.  "We  in  England  are 
progressing  rapidly  with  our  relig/'  % 
film  program  and  these  films  areL.-/'r 
ing  out  all  over  the  world." 

Later  Rank  was  guest  of  the  coun- 
cil's directors  for  further  discussion  of 
the  production  of  religious  films  for 
non-theatrical  use. 


C  ohn  Pact  Up  at 
Columbia  Meeting 

Annual  meeting  of  Columbia  stock- 
holders will  be  held  here  today  to 
elect  seven  directors  and  to  vote  on  a 
proposed  five-year  employment  con- 
tract for  Harry  Cohn,  effective  from 
March  27,  1947.  The  meeting  also  will 
vote  on  a  proposed  agreement  where- 
by Columbia  would  grant  Cohn  op- 
tions to  purchase  75,000  shares  of  the 
company's  common  stock  at  its  initial 
price  of  $16  per  share. 

The  following  directors  have  been 
nominated  for  reelection :  Harry  and 
Jack  Cohn,  A.  Schneider,  N.  B.  Spin- 
gold,  A.  Montague,  Leo  M.  Blancke 
and  Donald  S.  Stralem. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


tb- RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-- 

Rockefeller  Center 
IRENE  DUNNE  111  GEORGE  STEVENS' 


"I  REMEMBER  MAMA" 

Barbara  Oscar  Philip 

BEL  GEDDES        HOMOLKA  DORN 

Produced  by  HARRIET  PARSONS 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ALAN 

LADD 

and  VERONICA 

LAKE  .(I"?? £«pfr) 

SAfGON 


A  Paramount  Pictur* 


•tarring 

FRED  MacMURRAY 
FRANK  SINATRA 

bleoud  by  RKO  KADIO  PICTURES  J 


^JlVOLI  W 


Robert  Maureen  Clifton 
YOUNG*  O'HARA*  WEBB 

SITTING  PRETTY 

A  20th  Century-Fox 


in 


PLUS  ON  STAGE — ART  MOONEY  •  BETTY  BRUCE| 
£   1   Extra'.  AL  BERNIE  [ 


roxy 


7th  Ave.  & 
50th  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  April  9,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


PCCITO  Rejects  Bid 
To  Condemn  Film 


San  Francisco,  April  8. — The  Pa- 
cific Coast  Conference  of  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  today  declined  to  act 
on  a  request  by  Rev.  William 
Howard  Melish  of  New  York,  chair- 
man of  the  National  Council  of  Amer- 
ican-Soviet Friendship,  that  PCCITO 
condemn  20th  Century-Fox's  "The 
rVi1  Curtain"  as  war  propaganda. 
J^fCCITO  has  already  protested 
political  activities  of  Hollywood  stars 
and  apparently  wanted  to  be  consis- 
tent by  not  itself  becoming  embroiled 
in  a  Leftist  political  agitation. 

Trustees  of  the  organization  will 
meet  tomorrow  to  act  on  convention 
issues. 

Delay  Answers  in 
Windsor  Trust  Suit 

Washington,  April  8. — Answers  of 
distributors  in  the  $600,000  trust  suit 
filed  here  by  Windsor  Theatre  Co., 
Baltimore,  have  been  indefinitely  post- 
poned pending  disposition  of  questions 
on  whether  two  Baltimore  theatres 
and  their  president  should  be  dis- 
missed from  the  suit  on  the  ground 
they  do  not  do  business  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia.  Depositions  will  be 
taken  tomorrow. 

Mississippi  House 
Rejects  Tax  Cut  Bill 

Jackson,  Miss.,  April  8. — The  Mis- 
sissippi House  has  voted  60  to  52  to 
call  up  for  action  a  bill  to  cut  state 
theatre  admission  taxes  from  13  to 
two  per  cent  on  tickets  selling  for  30 
cents  or  less,  lacking  the  two-thirds 
majority  necessary  to  consider  it. 
Opponents  said  the  state  would  lose 
$777,000  a  year  if  the  bill  passed.  The 
bill  recently  received  unfavorable 
committee  action. 


Weather  Affects  Receipts 

Salt  Lake  City,  April  8. — Un- 
seasonal  snowstorms  and  rain  have 
hurt  theatre  business  somewhat  in  this 
area,  but  average  receipts  are  about 
normal  due  to  heavy  week-end  attend- 
ance. 


Hopcraft  to  DuMont 

Edward  M.  Hopcraft  has  been 
named  DuMont  video  network  film 
buyer.  He  was  formerly  with  RCA 
Photophone  and  film  distribution. 


NYC  Censor  Bill 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Cuningham's  censorship  bill  will  not 
become  law.  Bill  will  be  introduced 
on  Tuesday. 


New  York  ITOA  Hits  Bill 

Reflecting  the  opposition  of  New 
York  exhibitors  who  have  sent  tele- 
grams to  city  councilmen  protesting 
the  proposed  Cunningham  censorship 
bill,  the  Independent  Theatre  Owners 
Association  of  New  York,  yesterday 
denounced  the  measure  as  a  danger  to 
civil  liberties. 


Double  UJA  Goal 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

redoubled  effort  in  behalf  of  the  cam- 
paign. 

To  meet  this  year's  quota,  Fabian 
called  for  "better  quality  of  giving 
and  more  intensive  coverage." 


Taxless  Tickets 
For  Vets  Proposed 

Washington,  April  8. — Sen. 
Brooks  has  introduced  a  bill 
to  remove  the  admission  tax 
from  tickets  given  free  to 
hospitalized  servicemen  and 
veterans.  The  measure  was 
referred  to  the  finance  com- 
mittee. A  similar  bill  has  al- 
ready passed  the  House. 


Bankers  Are  Still 
Cautious:  Brisson 


Terms  of  the  British  tax  agreement 
have  not  inspired  American  banks  to 
become  less  cautious  in  financing  in- 
dependent Hollywood  production, 
Frederick  Brisson,  partner  with  Dud- 
ley Nichols  and  Rosalind  Russell  in 
Independent  Artists,  Inc.,  who  is  in 
New  York  from  the  Coast,  said  yes- 
terday. Brisson  expects  to  set  up  a 
New  York  office  for  the  company  and 
close  a  revolving  fund  deal  with  finan- 
cial backers. 

Among  forthcoming  productions 
planned  by  I-A  will  be  one  based  on 
the  life  of  Brisson's  father,  Danish 
actor  Carl  Brisson.  A  $300,000  adver- 
tising budget  has  been  set  up  for 
I-A's  new  "Velvet  Touch,"  which 
will  be  released  in  the  fall,  Brisson 
reported. 


MPAA,  French 

(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 

U.  S.  State  Department  and  the 
French  government,  with  the  State 
Department  understood  to  be  ready 
to  comply  with  a  French  request  for 
renegotiation  if  assurance  is  forth- 
coming from  U.  S.  companies  that  the 
French  government  is  taking  steps  to 
correct  certain  discriminations  against 
American  films.  The  McCarthy  re- 
port would  provide  the  basis  of  an 
MPAA  report  to  the  State  Depart- 
ment on  the  extent  to  which  the 
French  have  removed  discriminations 
in  raw  stock  allocations  and  in  other 
matters,  including  prohibitions  on  the 
showing  of  U.  S.  films  dubbed  more 
than  two  years  ago. 


New  British  Quota 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

hibitor  members,  including  one  Scot- 
tish representative ;  four  from  trade 
unions,  two  distributors,  and  seven  in- 
dependent persons. 

An  amendment  which  would  have 
imposed  a  stiffer  quota  on  circuit 
theatres  than  others  was  defeated. 
The  law  provides  that  the  quota  shall 
be  uniform  for  all  theatres,  except 
that  those  in  highly  competitive  situ- 
ations may  claim  relief.  The  Board 
of  Trade  is  empowered  to  fix  a  re- 
duced quota  for  an  independent  ex- 
hibitor whose  immediate  competition 
includes  two  circuit  theatres. 


Lapidus  at  WB  Meet 

Pittsburgh,  April  8. — Jules  Lapi- 
dus, Warner  Eastern  and  Canadian 
division  sales  manager,  will  hold  a 
meeting  of  Central  district  sales  force 
here  tomorrow.  Attending  will  be 
Charles  Rich,  Central  district  man- 
ager, and  branch  managers  J.  S. 
Abrose,  Cincinnati;  J.  M.  Wechsler, 
Cleveland ;  C.  W.  McKean,  Indianap- 
olis ;  Paul  Krumenacker,  Pittsburgh. 


U.  S.  -  Canadian 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

use  more  Canadian  news  shots,  loca- 
tions, scenic  backgrounds,  studios,  and 
other  facilities  in  current  film  produc- 
tion, Harmon  explained.  An  extensive 
list  of  Canadian  stories  which  are 
considered  suitable  for  film  treatment 
also  are  being  considered,  Harmon 
said. 

Catalogs  are  being  prepared  listing 
all  the  stock  shots  and  various  scenic 
sequences  available  in  the  library  of 
the  National  Film  Board  and  those  of 
other  Canadian  producers  with  the  in- 
tention of  incorporating  them  in  ap- 
propriate Hollywood  productions. 

Canadian  news  in  a  U.  S.  television 
program  and  the  addition  of  an  edu- 
cational commentary  on  Canada  to  a 
completed  film  with  a  Canadian  back- 
ground are  among  other  projects  in 
the  program. 


Lawson  Trial 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Government  for  a  further  postpone- 
ment in  the  trials,  but  were  turned 
down. 

Another  attempt  may  be  made  to- 
day to  get  a  two-week  postponement 
of  the  trials  or  quash  the  subpoena 
for  Schary  on  the  ground  that  his 
mother  is  seriously  ill  and  he  cannot 
attend.  Government  attorneys  will  op- 
pose any  further  delay  on  the  claim 
that  Schary's  testimony  is  not  neces- 
sary to  the  defense  case,  and  while 
defense  counsel  claim  they  would  like 
to  oblige  Schary  "since  he  is  our  wit- 
ness," they  declare  they  are  ready  to 
go  ahead  Monday  if  the  Court  orders 
this. 

The  House  today  authorized  com- 
mittee chairman  J.  Parnell  Thomas  to 
answer  a  Government  subpoena  to  ap- 
pear at  the  Lawson  trial.  House  ap- 
proval is  needed  for  any  member  to 
answer  a  subpoena. 


North  Jersey  Radio 
Given  FM  License 

Washington,  April  8. — Federal 
Communications  Commission  today 
issued  a  new  order  taking  a  New 
York  frequency  modulation  license 
from  the  Methodist  Church  Conven- 
tion and  giving  it  to  North  Jersey 
Radio  of  Newark.  Four  other  fre- 
quencies remain  allocated  to  Ameri- 
can Broadcasting,  Unity  Broadcast- 
ing, WMCA  and  North  Jersey  Broad- 
casting, Paterson.  Still  turned  down 
are  applications  from  the  News  Syn- 
dicate and  others. 


Hughes  -  RKO 

(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 


who  conducted  the  final  negotiations 
with  Odium  in  New  York  this  week, 
declined  to  comment  on  reasons  for 
their_  failure,  nor  would  Odium  ampli- 
fy his  formal  statement.  Wright  will 
leave  for  the  Coast  today.  In  reply  to 
a  question,  he  said  he  did  not  expect 
to  see  negotiations  revived  in  the  fore- 
seeable future,  adding:  "But  you 
know  howr  negotiations  are  in  this  and 
all  other  businesses.  They're  on  and 
they're  off." 

The  Hughes  negotiations  involved 
the  purchase  of  Atlas'  929,000  shares 
of  RKO  common,  having  a  market 
value  on  the  New  York  Stock  Ex- 
change yesterday  of  $8,477,000.  It  is 
reported  that  Odium  regards  the  mar- 
ket price  as  less  than  the  fair  value 
of  the*  stock,  hence  failure  to  agree  on 
price  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
stumbling  block. 


Lee's  Theatre  Burns 

Memphis,  April  8.— A  $30,000  fire 
destroyed  the  Star  Theatre,  Star 
City,  Ark.  Walter  R.  Lee,  Little 
Rock,  was  the  owner. 


"THE 


CENTURY-FOX 


TRADEMARK 


IS  ALMOST 


A  GUARANTEE 
OF  THE  FINEST  THAT 
HOLLYWOOD  CAN  OFFER!" 


Bv  Virer  Langdon 


J  u   u  — 


each  first-run 
picture  opening  we  become 
more  convinced  that  a  film  with 
the  20th  Century-Fox  trade- 
mark is  almost  a  guarantee  of 
the  finest  that  Hollywood  can 
offer  in  the  way  of  motion  pic- 
ture entertainment.  After  viewing  the  Technicolor  treat,  "Scudda-Hoo!  Scud- 
da-Hay!"  at  the  Roxy  yesterday,  it  suddenly  became  apparent  that,  like  Frigid- 
aire  in  its  field,  20th  Century-Fox  has  become  foremost  in  the  production  of 
motion  pictures.  We'll  cite  the  following  late  releases  as  an  example:  "The 
Razor's  Edge,"  "Forever  Amber,"  "Gentleman's  Agreement,"  "Miracle  on 
34th  Street,"  "I  Wonder  Who's  Kissing  Her  Now,"  "Mother  Wore  Tights," 
"The  Foxes  of  Harrow,"  "  Captain  From  Castile,"  "Daisy  Kenyon,"  "Call 
Northside  777,"  and  others  of  lesser  note  yet  equally  well  produced. 

"Scudda-Hoo!  Scudda-Hay!"  has  been  produced  in  the  same  flaw- 
less manner  as  its  illustrious  predecessor,  "Home  in  Indiana,"  and  again  re- 
unites Lon  McCallister  and  June  Haver,  with  the  peerless  Walter  Brennan 
thrown  in  for  good  measure." 

REPRINTED  FROM  THE  TACOMA  NEWS-TRIBUNE  x  - 


P  And  for  equally  fine  attractions, 
we  call  your  attention  to 


FURY  AT 
FURNACE  CREEK 

In  the  Winning  of  the  West 
This  Flaming  Saga  of  Ven- 
geance and  Heroism  was 
born! 


THE  IRON 
CURTAIN 

Week  of  May  12!  500  Thea 
tres  in  Spectacular  Nation 
Wide  World  premiere! 


GREEN  GRASS 
OF  WYOMING 

Technicolor 
The  finest  outdoor  adventure 
picture  of  them  all!  Great- 
ness to  match  the  grandeur 
of  the  West's  rugged  cliffs 
and  canyons! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  April  9,  1948 


Key  City  Grosses 


tpOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
■T  hire  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. 


OMAHA 


Box-office  returns  continued  bright- 
er, spurred  on  by  ideal  spring  weath- 
er. Estimated  receipts  for  the  week 
ended  April  7-8 : 

CASS   TIMBERLANE   (M-G-M) — STATE 
(750)    (50c-6Sc)   7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$5,100.     (Average:  $5,000) 
GENTLEMAN'S      AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox)—  OMAHA  (2,000)  (50c-65c)  7  days,  2nd 
week,    on    a    moveover    from    the  Para- 
mount.   Gross:  $9,100.    (Average:  $8,600) 
I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 
RKO  BRANDEIS  (1,100)  (50c-65c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $8,200.     (Average:  $6,800) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)  —  ORPHEUM 
(3,000)  (50c-65c)  7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$10,100.    (Average:  $9,300) 
YOU    WERE    MEANT   FOR   ME  (20th- 
Fox)— PARAMOUNT    (2,900)     (50c-65c)  7 
days.    Gross:  $12,500) 


DENVER 


"I  Remember  Mama"  copped  the 
high  figure  at  a  single  house  and  is 
holding.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ended  April  7 : 

BLACK  NARCISSUS  (U-I)  and  SECRET 
BEYOND  THE  DOOR  (U-I)— RIALTO 
(878)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  after  a  week  at  the 
Paramount  and  Aladdin.  Gross:  $3,000. 
(Average:  $3,000) 

DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I) — DENVER  (2,525) 
(35c-74c)  7  days,  day  and  date  with  the 
Esquire.  Gross:  $17,500.  (Average:  $13,- 
000) 

DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I)-ESQUIRE  (742) 
(35c-74c)  7  days,  day  and  date  with  the 
Denver.  Gross:  $4,500.  (Average:  $2,000) 
GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox)— PARAMOUNT  (2,200)  (35c-74c)  7 
days,   2nd   week,   day   and   date   with  the 


Webber.  Goss:  $10,000.  (Average:  $10,- 
000) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox) — WEBBER  (750)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  af- 
ter a  week  at  trie  Esquire  and  day  and 
date  with  the  Paramount.  Gross:  $2,500. 
(Average :  $2,000) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

ORPHEUM  (2,600)  (35c-74c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $19,000.  (Average:  $13,500) 
MUMMY'S  TOMB  (Realart)  and  MUM- 
MY'S GHOST  (Realart)— TABOR  (1,967) 
(35c-74c)  7  days.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Aver- 
age: $8,000) 

SCUDDA-HOO!  SCUD  DA-HAY!  (20th- 
Fox)  and  DOCKS  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 
(Mono.)— ALADDIN  (1,400)  (35c-74c)  7 
days,  after  a  week  at  the  Denver,  Esquire, 
Webber  and  Rialto.  Gross:  $3,000.  (Aver- 
age: $2,500) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)— DENHAM  (1,- 
750)  (35c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$9,500.     (Average:  $11,000) 


CLEVELAND 


Capacity  weekend  boosted  business 
at  all  first-runs,  with  six  of  eight  do- 
ing better  than  average.  Neighbor- 
hoods report  that  the  first  good  spring 
Sunday  cut  heavily  into  attendance. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  ended 
April  6-7: 

ALBUQUERQUE  (Para.)  -LOEWS 
STILLMAN  (1,900)  (S0c-70c)  10  days. 
Gross:  $14,000.    (Average:  $10,000  for  seven 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  —  WARNERS' 
HIPPODROME  (3,500)  (55c-70c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $18,500.  (Average:  $18,250) 
BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M) — LOEWS 
OHIO  (1,268)  (50c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week, 
on  a  move-over.  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average: 
$6,600) 

I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO    ALLEN    (3,000)    (S5c-70c)    7  days. 
Gross:  $18,500.    (Average:  $13,000) 
MATING  OF  MILLIE  (CoL)— RKO  PAL- 
ACE (3,300)  (55c-70c)  7  days.    Gross:  $15,- 
000.    (Average:  $15,500) 

MONSIEUR  VERDOUX  (UA)  —  LOWER 
MALL   (563)    (50c-70c)   7  days,   2nd  week. 
Gross:  $2,600.     (Average:  $2,500) 
NAKED  CITY   (U-I)  —  LOEWS  STATE 


DEDICATED 
TO  SOUND  AT 
ITS  BEST  FOR 
EVERY  THEATRE 


ONE  STANDARD 
OF  QUALITY 
ON  LY  .  .  .THE 
HIGHEST 


INFORMATION    OF    VALUE    TO    THE     MOTION    PICTURE  INDUSTRY 

SALES  ZOOM  ON  ''VOICE  OF  THE  THEATRE" 
MODEL  "800"  DESIGNED  TO  PROVIDE  HIGH 


QUALITY  SOUND  FOR 

Mounting  sales  of  "800"  Voice  of 
the  Theatre  sound  systems  to  the- 
atres of  small  size  auditoriums  re- 
flect the  widespread  recognition  of 
exhibitors  of  smaller  theatres  of 
the  need  for  the  same  high  quality 
reproduction  that  the  large  size 
"Voice  of  the  Theatre"  sound  sys- 
tems provide  in  the  nation's  largest 
first  run  houses.  Exhibitors  appre- 
ciate the  exclusive  design  features 
of  the  "800"  which  eliminate  an- 
noying backstage  reverberation  so 
common  with  old-type  systems. 
No  matter  what  the  size  of  your 
theatre,  no  matter  what  its  acous- 
tic peculiarities,  there  is  a  "Voice 
of  the  Theatre"  {found  system  which 
will  provide  your  patrons  with  the 
finest  possible  reproduction  of  the 
sound  on  the  sound  track.  Ask  your 


1161  N  Vine  Street 
Hollywood  38,  Calif. 


SMALLER  THEATRES 

supply  dealer  for  full  information 
about  "Voice  of  the  Theatre"  for\ 
modernization  of  your  present  sys- 
tem. "Voice  of  the  Theatre"  sys- 
tems are  supplied  as  standardi 
equipment  by  most  leading  manu-i 
facturers  of  theatre  systems. 


250  West  57th  Street 
New  York  19,  N.  Y. 


(3,300)  (50c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $27,000. 
(Average:  $19,600) 

T-MEN  (E-L)— WARNERS'  LAKE  (714) 
(55c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week,  on  a  move-over. 
Gross:  $3,200.    (Average:  $2,750) 


TORONTO 


Six  theatres  had  holdovers,  three  of 
them  for  a  third  week,  which  left  only 
a  pair  of  houses  with  new  programs. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  ended 
April  8: 

NAKED    CITY    (U-I)— UPTOWN  (2,761) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)     6    days,     2nd  week. 
Gross:  $10,600.    (Average:  $11,600) 
SITTING      PRETTY      (20th- Fox)— NOR  - 
TOWN   (950)   (20c-36c-42c-60c)   6  days,  3rd 
week.    Gross:  $5,000.    (Average:  $7,000) 
SITTING    PRETTY     (2»th-Fox)  —  VIC 
TORIA  (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  3rd 
week.    Gross:  $5,800.     (Average:  $6,300) 
SO     WELL     REMEMBERED  (E-L) 
FAIRLAWN  (1,195)   (20c-30c-40c-50c-55c)  6 
days,  3rd  week.    Gross:  $5,000.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS  (M-G-M) 

—LOEWS  (2,074)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)  6 
days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $14,700.  (Average: 
$14,200) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)— SHEA'S  (2,480) 
(20c-36c-38c-66c-9Oc)     6    days,     2nd  week. 
Gross:  $15,400.    (Average:  $14,900) 
WHERE    THERE'S    LIFE    (Para.)— EG - 
LINTON     (1,086)      (20c -30c -36c -48c -66c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $7,900.     (Average:  $7,400) 
WHERE      THERE'S      LIFE  (Para.)— 
TIVOLI  (1,434)  (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6  days. 
Gross:  $9,700.    (Average:  $9,200) 
YOU   WERE   MEANT   FOR  ME  (Hfth- 
Fox)— IMPERIAL    (3,343)  (20c-36c-48c-66c- 
90c)    6   days,    2nd    week.     Gross:  $15,600. 
(Average:  $14,600) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


BUFFALO 


"Naked  City"  was  strong  at  the 
Lafayette.  So  was  "The  Big  Clock" 
at  the  Great  Lakes.  "I  Remember 
Mama"  held  up  well  in  a  second  week 
at  the  Twentieth  Century.  Weather 
was  cold- over  the  weekend,  but  bright- 
ened up  for  the  tail  end  of  current 
runs. 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  MURDER 
IN  REVERSE,  (British) — BUFFALO'  (3,489) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $18,000. 
(Average:  $18,000) 

BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)  and  CAMPUS  HON- 
EYMOON (Rep.) — GREAT  LAKES  (3,000) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $18,500. 
(Average:  $17,000) 

I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

TWENTIETH  CENTURY  (3,000)  (40c-50c- 
60c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $15,000) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  and  PERILOUS 
WATERS  (Mono.)  —  LAFAYETTE  (3.000) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $19,800. 
(Average:  $15,000) 

PHILADELPHIA  STORY  (M-G-M)  and 
SLIPPY  McGEE.  (Rep.)— HIPPODROME 
(2,100)  (40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$7,600.  (Average:  $10,000) 
ROBIN  HOOD  and  I  BE  CAME  A 
CRIMINAL  (WB)—  TECK  (1,500)  (40c-50c- 
60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $5,400.  (Average: 
$5,000) 


PITTSBURGH 


"Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  in  its  sec- 
ond week  at  the  Warner,  led  local 
grosses.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ended  April  8 : 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)— STANLEY 
(3,800)  (44c-60c-76c)  7  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $12,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
AMERICAN  EMPIRE  (RKO  Radio  reis- 
sue) and  BUCKSKIN  FRONTIER  (RKO 
Radio  reissue)— RITZ  (1,100)  (44c-60c-76c)  7 
days.  Gross:  $3,000.  (Average:  $3,200) 
SCUDDA-HOOl!  SCUDDA  -HAY!  (20th- 
Fox — FULTON  (1,700)  (44c-60c-76c)  2nd 
week,  7  days.  Gross:  $7,500  (Average:  $9,700) 
THE  FARMER'S  DAUGHTER  (RKO 
Radio  reissue)  and  THE  SPIRAL  STAIR- 
CASE (RKO  Radio  reissue) — SENATOR 
(1,700)  (44c-60c-76c)  7  days.  Gross:  $3,500. 
(Average:  $3,500) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 

Radio) — WARNER  (2,000)  (44c-60c-76c)  2nd 
week,  7  days.  Gross:  $15,500.  (Average: 
$8,000) 

THE  NAKED  CITY  (U-I)-J.  P 

RIS  (2,000)  (44c-60c-76c)  2nd  week, 
Gross:  $13,500.    (Average:  $11,000) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para,  reissue) 
(3,400)  (44c-60c-76c)  7  days.  Gross: 
(Average:  $15,000) 


.  HAR- 
7  days. 


-PENN 
$14,000. 


A  combination  of  good  weather  and 
school  vacations  is  helping  all  first- 
runs  here  to  better-than-average 
grosses.  "Gentleman's  Agreement" 
has  really  taken  hold  at  the  Indiana. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ed April  6-7: 

CALL  NORTHSIDE  777  (Zttth-Fox)  and 
CAMPUS  HONEYMOON  (Rep.)— CIRCLE 
(2,800)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $14,000.  (Aver- 
age: $10,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S     AGREEMENT  (20th- 

Fox) — INDIANA  (3,200)  (44c-65c).  f  Mf: 
$19,000.  (Average:  $12,000)  Lv' 
PRINCE  OF  THIEVES  (Col.)  an£nrA 
LADY  SURRENDERS  (U-I) — LYRIC  (1,- 
600)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average: 
$6,000) 

SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)  and  RETURN 
OF  THE  WHISTLER  (Col.)  —  LOEWS 
(2,450)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $12,000.  (Average: 
$11,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (28th- Fox) — KEITH'S 
(1,300)  (44c-65c).  On  a  moveover  from 
the  Indiana.  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average: 
$4,500) 


BOSTON 


Grosses  continued  upward  with 
good  weather  and  heavy  retail  promo- 
tions to  draw  crowds  into  the  Hub. 
Leading  the  city  was  "Naked  City"  at 
Loew's  State  and  Orpheum.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ended 
April  7: 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  THE  IN- 
SIDE STORY  (Rep.)  —  METROPOLITAN 
(4,736)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  3  days,  $15,000. 
(Average:  3  days,  $12,000) 
BLONDE  SAVAGE  (E-L)  —  BOSTON 
(2,900)  (50c-$1.10).  Stage  show,  Horace 
Heidt.  Gross:  $27,000.  (Average:  $28,500) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
MEMORIAL  (2,900)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  $26,- 
000.    (Average:  $27,000) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— ORPHEUM  (3,900) 
(40c-80c).  Gross:  $32,000.  (Average:  $24,- 
200) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— STATE  (2,900)  (35c- 
80c).  Gross:  $18,200.  (Average:  $14,500) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  DOCKS 
OF  NEW  ORLEANS  (Mono.)— FENWAY 
(1,700)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  $4,800.  (Average: 
$5,300) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  DOCKS 
OF  NEW  ORLEANS  (Mono.)  —  PARA- 
MOUNT (1,700)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $14,500) 


'Well  always  give  yon  a  better  trailer5 
than  yon  expect  •  •  •    and  you'll  get  " 
quicker .  ■  send  your  next  trailer  order 
to  F1LMACK! 


1  jCESBPSBjEB  fflHI  ■ 


lot  Anqtlet 
1574  W.Warf.-| 
ington  *t. 


WANTED— Motion  Picture  Script- 
Girl  Sec'y — Steno.  Music  Firm — In- 
terview at  1674  Broadway  —  Cecille 
Music  Corp.  Phone  BU.  8-7366  for 
Appointment  for  Next  Week. 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  INC. 

304  East  44th  St.,  N.  Y.  19  Mu  7-695 

Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


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EDWARD  SMALL 

presents 


with  MARY  MEADE  •  ALFRED  RYDER -WALLY  FORD 

JUNE  LOCKHART- CHARLES  MCGRAW*  Produced  by  AUBREY  SCHENCK  •  Directed  by  ANTHONY  MANN 
Written  by  John  C.  Higgins  •  Suggested  by  a  Story  by  Virginia  Kellogg  •  An  Eagle  Lion  Films  Release 


"X-  NEW  YORK,  CRITERION;  LOS  ANGELES,  6  Theatres,  move  over  4  Theatres;  CHICAGO,  STATE-LAKE;  PHILADELPHIA, 
STANTON;  SAN  FRANCISCO,  ST.  FRANCES;  BROOKLYN,  FOX;  MEMPHIS,  WARNER;  SACRAMENTO,  ESQUIRE,  TOWER, 
DEL  PASO;  BIRMINGHAM,  MELBA,  GALAX;  CINCINNATI,  KEITH'S;  DENVER,  WEBER,  RIALTO;  HARTFORD,  STRAND,  REGAL; 
SPRINGFIELD,  MASS.,  CAPITOL,  ART;  OKLAHOMA  CITY,  WARNER;  BUFFALO,  20th-CENTURY;  BALTIMORE,  HIPPODROME; 
PROVIDENCE,  MAJESTIC,  CARLTON;  OAKLAND,  ESQUIRE;  SEATTLE,  ORPHEUM,  BLUE  MOUSE;  PITTSBURGH,  STANLEY, 
WARNER;  MINNEAPOLIS,  STATE,  LYRIC;  DETROIT,  PALMS- STATE;  NEW  ORLEANS,  JOY;  OTTAWA,  ELGIN;  STOCKTON, 
ESQUIRE;  WORCESTER,  WARNER;  HARRISBURG,  SENATE;  READING,  ASTOR;  PORTLAND,  ME.,  CIVIC;  LINCOLN,  VARSITY; 
ATLANTIC  CITY,  HOLLYWOOD,  SHORE;  CHARLOTTE,  BROADWAY;  SAN  DIEGO,  CALIFORNIA,  ADAMS. 

(Space  permits  only  this  partial  list  of  play  dates) 


^  remove: 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


YCjj  JB.  NO.  70 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  MONDAY,  APRIL  12,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Reynolds  and 
Lippert  Near 
Deal  with  Naif  y 

Would  Take  50%  and 
Operate  Golden  State 


Sax  Francisco,  April  11. — Mil- 
ton Reynolds,  Chicago  millionaire 
ball-pen  manufacturer,  and  Robert 
L.  Lippert  of  Lippert  Theatres, 
here,  who  recently  renewed  their 
earlier  unsuccessful  attempt  to  ac- 
quire control  of  the  huge  Golden  State 
and  T.  and  D.  Enterprises  circuit 
here,  are  reliably  reported  to  have 
advanced  their  current  negotiations 
with  Michael  Xaify,  president  of 
United  California  Theatres  Circuit,  to 
the  closing  stage. 

The  deal  is  for  50  per  cent  of 
the  circuit  but  with  complete 
operation  going  to  Lippert. 
Xaify  would  retain  the  other  50 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Stockholders  Okay, 
Conn  Rejects  Pact 


Columbia  stockholders  voted  on 
Friday  469,184  shares  to  27,199  to  ap- 
prove the  proposed  employment  con- 
tract and  stock  option  agreement  for 
Harry  Cohn,  president,  which  he  sub- 
sequent^ declined.  Proposed  contract 
was  for  a  five-year  period  at  $3,500 
weekly  and  expenses  of  $300  weekly. 
Option  agreement  would  have  granted 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Columbia  Production 


Costs  Down  by  30 

Production  economies  undertaken 
by  Columbia  since  last  August,  when 
the  British  ad  valorem  tax  was  im- 
posed, resulted  in  savings  of  over  30 
per  cent,  A.  Schneider,  vice-president 
and  treasurer,  told  company  stock- 
holders at  their  meeting  here  on  Fri- 
day. Meanwhile,  Schneider  said,  the 
company's  film  inventory  is  now 
larger  than  it  has  ever  been. 

Schneider  predicted  that  Columbia 
will  show  a  profit  in  1948.  He  said 
the  company  intends  to  produce  in 
England  as  a  means  of  using  unre- 
mittable  earnings. 


Trials  of  10  Held 
In  Contempt  Start 
Today;  Lawson  1st 

Washington,  April  11.- — John 
Howard  Lawson,  first  of  10  Holly- 
wood writers,  directors  and  producers 
charged  with  contempt  of  Congress 
during  the  House  Un-American  Ac- 
tivities Committee  hearings  last  fall, 
will  go  on  trial  tomorrow  in  U.  S. 
District  court  here.  Trial  of  the  other 
nine  will  follow  in  order. 

Defense  counsel  estimate  Lawson's 
trial  will  take  two  or  three  weeks. 
Assistant  U.  S.  District  Attorney 
William  Hitz,  who  will  handle  the 
Government's  case  says,  however,  that 
it  could  last  as  little  as  three  days. 

Hitz  hopes  to  get  to  his  first  wit- 
ness, House  Un-American  Activities 
Committee  chairman  J.  Parnell 
Thomas,  late  tomorrow. 

On  Friday,  Judge  Pine  denied  a 
defense  motion  for  a  "two  or  three- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Independents  Call 
Trade  Ads  'Vital' 


Philadelphia,  April  11. — Distribu- 
tors are  sharply  criticized  in  an  Allied 
of  Eastern  Pennsylvania  bulletin  for 
cutting  down  on  advertising  "all  along 
the  line — in  trade  papers,  in  direct  ad- 
vertising to  the  public,  and  in  coopera- 
tive ads  with  exhibitors." 

"There  is  no  industry  in  America 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Most  Australian 
Imports  from  U.  S. 

Sydney,  April  7  (By  Air- 
mail).— The  U.  S.  supplied  Au- 
stralia with  293  of  the  342  fea- 
tures imported  in  1947,  it  is  re- 
vealed by  the  Commonwealth 
Film  Censor.  This  is  26  less 
than  the  U.  S.  sent  in  1946. 
Total  imports  for  1947  are  42 
less  than  for  1946.  This  de- 
crease is  attributed  to  the 
dollar  position. 

British  films  imported  to- 
taled 36,  six  less  than  the  pre- 
vious year. 


House  Considering 
New  Tax  Revisions 


Washington,  April  11. — House 
Ways  and  Means  Committee,  writing 
a  new  tax  revision  bill,  has  agreed  to 
change  the  present  system  of  a  two- 
year  carry-back  and  two-year  carry- 
over of  net  operating  losses  to  a  one- 
year  carry-back  and  five-year  carry- 
forward. At  the  same  time,  the  com- 
mittee will  attempt  to  provide  a  more 
liberal  basis  for  determining  losses. 
The  committee  is  also  considering  a 
proposal  to  cut  taxes  on  firms  making 
less  than  $75,000. 

Tentative  agreement  has  been 
reached  on  suggestions  of  the  Treas- 
ury Department  that  domestic  corpo- 
rations be  allowed  to  apply  the  present 
dividends-received  credit  to  more  divi- 
dends received  from  foreign  firms. 


Week-Long  Variety  Meet 
Opens  in  Miami  Today 


Rep.  Curtis  Urges 
Cut  in  Excise  Tax 

Washington,  April  11. — Rep- 
resentative Curtis  of  Ne- 
braska, member  of  the  influ- 
ential House  Ways  and  Means 
Committee,  on  Friday  called 
for  an  immediate  return  to 
pre-war  excise  tax  rates,  in- 
cluding restoration  of  the  10 
per  cent  levy  on  amusements, 
from  the  present  20  per  cent 
war-time  rate. 


Miami  Beach,  April  11. — Twelfth 
annual  convention  of  Variety  Clubs 
International  will  get  under  way  at 
the  Roney  Plaza  Hotel  here  tomor- 
row7, with  upwards  of  2,000  "barkers" 
and  their  wives  attending.  Convention 
will  extend  through  Saturday.  Pre- 
siding will  be  international  chief  bark- 
er Robert  J.  O'Donnell,  and  interna- 
tional "big  boss"  John  H.  Harris, 
who  is  one  of  the  11  who  founded  the 
club  in  Pittsburgh  in  1928. 

Thirty-three  clubs  in  the  U.  S., 
Canada  and  Mexico  will  be  repre- 
sented. Barkers  of  Variety  Club  of 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


SAG  Halts  Pact 
Negotiations 
With  Studios 


Alerts  Membership  for 
Possible  Strike  Aug.  1 

Hollywood,  April  11.  —  Break- 
ing off  contract  negotiations  with 
major  producers,  the  Screen  Actors 
Guild  today  prepared  its  member- 
ship for  possible  strike  action  next 
August. 

Refusal  by  the  producers  to  nego- 
tiate on  seven  points  which  the  Guild 
considers  its  "most  vital  proposals" 
was  cited  by  the  board  of  directors  in 
a  report  mailed  to  SAG  members  as 
the  reason  for  discontinuing  the  talks. 

Pointing  out  that  strike  meetings 
now  would  be  "premature"  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  the  SAG  cannot  walk 
out  of  the  studios  before  expiration  of 
the  present  interim  agreement  on 
Aug.  1,  the  board  said  that  the  situa- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Sees  Films  Working 
Out  Blocks  Abroad 


Hollywood,  April  11. — Declaring 
that  neither  the  American  nor  any 
other  film  industry  "can  be  profitably 
conducted  on  revenue  from  the  do- 
mestic market  alone,"  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  president  Eric 
Johnston  told  the  press  here  at  the 
weekend :  " W e  still  are  confronted  by 
many  problems  on  the  world  market 
front,  but  the  pattern  for  working 
them  out  is  beginning  to  emerge  as 
a  result  of  our  deals  with  England 
and  other  countries." 

In  reply  to  a  query  whether  Ameri- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Lefko  and  Bonnem 
Promoted  by  FC 

B.  G.  Kranze,  Film  Classics'  sales 
chief,  has  promoted  George  Lefko 
from  Indianapolis  branch  head  to 
sales  head  of  the  Detroit  branch.  Fred 
Bonnem,  formerly  in  charge  in  De- 
troit, has  resigned. 

Sam  Abrams,  salesman,  was  named 
manager  in  Indianapolis,  while  Ray 
Thomas  joins  the  company  as  sales- 
man under  Abrams. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  April  12,  1948 


Tradewise . . . 

By  SHERWIN  KANE 


Personal 
Mention 

PHIL  REISMAN,  RKO  Radio 
foreign  distribution  chief,  will 
sail  for  Europe  on  Wednesday  on  the 
5"^"  America. 

• 

Janet  Carol  Sachson,  daughter 
of  Arthur  Sachson,  Samuel  Gold- 
wyn  Productions  general  sales  mana- 
ger, and  Marvin  Zuckerman  were 
married  yesterday  at  Woodmere, 
N.  Y. 

• 

A.  M.  Cane,  Paramount  assistant 
Eastern  division  manager,  and  Ed- 
ward Ruff,  Albany  branch  manager, 
were  in  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  at  the 
weekend. 

• 

Maurice  Bergman,  Universal-In- 
ternational Eastern  advertising-pub- 
licity director,  has  left  New  York  for 
a  rest. 

• 

Robert  W.  Coyne,  Theatre  Owners 
of  America  executive  director,  is  due 
back  in  New  York  today  from  San- 
dusky, O. 

• 

P.  J.  Wood,  ITO  of  Ohio  secretary, 
has  returned  to  his  Columbus  office 
following  a  Florida  vacation. 

• 

Sam  Shirley,  special  M-G-M  sales 
representative  in  Los  Angeles,  is  in 
New  York. 

• 

Mitchell   Rawson    of  M-G-M's 
publicity    department  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  Washington. 
• 

Harry  Rapf,  M-G-M  producer,  and 
his  wife  are  due  here  next  Monday 
from  Hollywood. 

• 

Budd  Rogers,  Realart  distribution 
vice-president,  has  been  named  to  the 
board  of  directors. 

• 

Jacques  Kopfstein,  Astor  Pictures 
executive  vice-president,  has  returned 
to  New  York  from  the  Coast. 

Hail  Reade  Drive  as 
Public  Relations  Aid 

Walter  Reade  Theatres'  six-week 
40th  anniversary  jubilee  provided  an 
advance  idea  of  the  joint  public  rela- 
tions drive  planned  by  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  and  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  Wal- 
ter Reade,  Jr.,  told  the  circuit's  dis- 
trict and  city  managers  at  their 
monthly  meeting  here. 

Reade  said  that  the  campaign 
proved  successful  in  combatting  the 
public  feeling  that  films  are  not  as 
good  as  they  used  to  be.  During  the 
jubilee,  the  circuit  promoted  the 
theme  that  "Movies  are  still  your 
cheapest  and  best  form  of  entertain- 
ment" and  that  current  product  is  the 
best  in  the  circuit's  history. 


Gerard  Joins  U-I  Here 

Phil  Gerard  has  resigned  from  the 
M-G-M  exploitation  department  to 
join  Universal-International's  pub- 
licity department  here  effective  today. 
Paul  Kamey  of  the  M-G-M  publicity 
staff  takes  over  Gerard's  duties. 


I"1  HE  double  defeat  of  the 
•  Lewis  Bill,  the  Allied  States 
measure  designed  to  transfer  the 
Ascap  theatre  music  tax  to  pro- 
ducers (who  assert  they  would 
re-transfer  it  to  theatres  as  part 
of  film  rentals),  carries  with  it 
yet  another  lesson  in  the  need 
for  exhibitor  unity  and  cooper- 
ation on  matters  affecting  all  of 
exhibition  and  those  affecting 
the  industry  as  a  whole. 

Members  of  the  House  judici- 
ary sub-committee  who  voted  to 
report  the  bill  adversely  attrib- 
uted their  action  almost  wholly 
to  the  lack  of  solid  exhibitor  sup- 
port of  the  measure.  The  Lewis 
Bill  was  opposed  by  Theatre 
Owners  of  America.  The  sub- 
committee obviously  was  anxious 
to  help  theatre  owners  in  their 
fight  against  Ascap  but  the  split 
in  exhibitor  ranks  convinced  it 
that  the  Lewis  Bill  was  not  the 
way  to  do  it. 

Committeemen  concluded  they 
would  be  doing  exhibition  no 
service  by  foisting  upon  exhibi- 
tors an  unwelcome  law. 

• 

There  was  ample  opportunity 
to  achieve  exhibitor  unity  on  a 
progcam  of  action,  legislative  or 
otherwise,  against  Ascap.  Sev- 
eral months  intervened  between 
Ascap's  announcement  of  its  in- 
tent to  seek  higher  music  tax 
rates  from  theatres  and  the 
first  organized  exhibitor  reac- 
tion. TOA,  convening  in  Wash- 
ington last  September,  invited 
all  other  interested  exhibitor  or- 
ganizations to  confer  on  a  pro- 
gram of  action  against  Ascap. 
The  response,  or  lack  of  it,  was 
discouraging  to  all  interested  in 
seeing  exhibitor  unity  achieved 
at  least  on  those  problems  affect- 
ing all  of  exhibition. 

Thereafter,  TOA,  acting  upon 
the  mandate  of  its  convention, 
proceeded  to  negotiate  with  As- 
cap and  succeeded  in  winning  the 
existing  reasonable  rate  increases 
of  a  few  cents  per  seat,  in  place 
of  the  300  per  cent  increase  orig- 
inally sought  by  Ascap. 

Allied  pursued  its  own  course, 
without,  insofar  as  the  record 
shows,  asking  the  participation 
or  cooperation  of  any  other  or- 
ganization. The  introduction  of 
the  Lewis  Bill  was  the  major 
culmination  of  that  policy.  Prep- 
aration of  the  bill  was  unaccom- 
panied by  any  fanfare  whatever 
and  its  existence  became  gener- 
ally known  only  when  its  intro- 
duction was  reported  by  trade 
press  correspondents. 

TOA's  convention  policy  with 


respect  to  Ascap  did  not  restrict 
that  organization  to  negotiation 
of  lower  rates.  That  course  was 
decided  upon  as  the  best  way  of 
meeting  the  immediate  problem. 
A  long  range  program  consist- 
ing of  legislation,  litigation  or 
both  also  was  authorized. 

Thus,  had  any  serious  attempt 
been  made  to  attain  exhibitor 
unity  on  the  long-range  Ascap 
problem,  TOA  would  not  have 
been  barred  by  its  convention 
mandate  from  participating.  It 
is  apparent  now  that  had  there 
been  such  an  effort,  and  if  it 
had  succeeded,  the  Lewis  Bill 
could  not  have  been  the  result. 
Too  many  exhibitors  saw  no 
solution  of  the  problem  in  the 
hiding  of  the  music  tax  within 
an  increased  film  rental. 

The  joint  exhibitor  effort, 
therefore,  must  have  produced 
a  more  fortunate  legislative  re- 
sult, which  in  the  light  of  recent 
happenings  would  have  been  all 
to  the  good.  Even  Rep.  Lewis, 
following  the  second  defeat  of 
the  bill  which  bears  his  name, 
could  say  only  that  he  was  sure 
"similar"  (not  the  same)  legis- 
lation eventually  would  be  ac- 
cepted by  exhibitors. 

•  • 

There  is  now  another  oppor- 
tunity for  exhibition  to  profit 
by  past  mistakes,  to  benefit  from 
experience. 

Many  segments  of  the  indus- 
try are  presently  engaged  in  the 
shaping  of  an  all-industry  public 
relations  program.  It  has  no 
other  aim  but  to  counteract  an 
accumulation  of  several  months 
of  bad  publicity  for  the  industry 
and  its  product  which  has  had 
and  continues  to  have  effect  on 
theatre  attendance.  It  will  en- 
deavor to  repair  the  damage  done 
to  ticket  sales. 

The  program,  it  appears,  will 
revolve  mainly  about  "accentu- 
ation of  the  positive."  For  ex- 
ample, outstanding  product,  than 
which  there  is  no  better  industry 
ambassador,  will  be  called  to  the 
attention  of  theatre  patrons 
everywhere.  It  is  hoped  that  the 
good  word  about  the  industry 
will  be  spread  principally  on  the 
local  level  and  by  exhibitors. 

TOA  already  is  making  a  ma- 
jor contribution  to  this  all-indus- 
try project.  Other  exhibitor  or- 
ganizations and  exhibitors  who 
are  not  members  of  any  organi- 
zation can  play  an  equal  role  in 
the  all-embracing  program. 

It  is  a  bright  opportunity  for 
all  those  who  are  not  averse  to 
helping  their  industry  while 
benefiting  themselves. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


HH  HE  Harold  Stassen  primary  vic- 
tory  is  a  current  newsreel  high- 
light. Also  reviewed  is  the  tense  inter- 
national situation,  as  well  as  important 
national  news.  Complete  contents  fol- 
low. 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.  2S^Harold 

Stassen  sweeps  G.O'.P.  primary  in_.  Wis- 
consin. Twenty-one  Western  h  (  Jf^iere 
nations  meet.  Military  parade  vjrorae. 
Paul  Hoffman  heads  ERP.  Mrs.  K^oevelt 
meets  Royal  Family.  Prince  Regent  Charles 
here.  Baby  elephant.  Sports:  water  skiing, 
horse  racing. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  263— Gen. 
Eisenhower  in  plea  for  strong  U.  S>.  Army 
Day  parade  in  nation's  capital.  Harold 
Stassen  victory  livens  G.O.P.  presidential 
race.  Paul  Hoffman  heads  recovery  plan. 
Conference  at  Bogota.  Fashions.  Water 
ski  champ. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  66— Water 
classics:  skiing.  Paul  Hoffman  heads  ERP. 
Secretary  Marshall  leads  U.  S.  at  parley 
of  the  Americas.  Primary  upset  in  Wis- 
consin. Pictures  of  Soviet- British  plane 
crash  in  Berlin. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  133— Harold 
Stassen  wins  Wisconsin  primary.  President 
Truman  reviews  Army  Day  parade.  U.  S. 
warships  visit  Greece.  Conference  opens  at 
Bogota.  Belgium's  Regent  visits  Capital. 
Paul  Hoffman  heads  aid  program.  Fifty- 
one  dead  in  Jap  railroad  wreck.  Royal 
Family  greets  Mrs.  FDR.  Bird  migration. 
Water  skiing. 

WARNER    PATHE    NEWS,    No.  68^ 

Harold  Stassen  wins  Wisconsin  primary. 
Plane  crash  heightens  tension  in  Berlin. 
Paul  Hoffman  heads  foreign  aid  program. 
Mrs.  FDR  visits  Royal  Family  in  England. 
President  Truman  welcomes  Belgium's  Re- 
gent Prince  Charles. 


Critics  Elect  Santucci 

Rome,  April  7  (By  Airmail).— Dr. 
Argeo  Santucci,  Motion  Picture 
Daily  and  Motion  Picture  Herald  cor- 
respondent in  Italy,  has  been  elected 
to  the  steering  committee  of  the 
board  of  the  Sindacato  Giornalisti 
Cinematografici,  organization  of  film 
journalists.  The  election,  one  of 
many  in  Italian  trade  and  union  or- 
ganizations, was  another  illustration 
of  the  trend  away  from  Communist 
domination. 


FILM  OPTICALS,  INC. 

formerly  at 
630  Ninth  Avenue. 

Now  in  new  and 
larger   quarters   at  — 

421  W.  54th  STREET 

PLAZA  7*7720 


FOR  RENT 

10  minutes  from  Times  Square.  Immediate 
possession.  2  floors.  Total:  50,000  square  feet. 
Exclusive  use  elevator.  Loading  platform. 
Heat,  maintenance  supplied.  Exceptional  light. 
Low  priced.  Box  413,  Motion  Picture  Daily, 
1270    Sixth    Ave.,    New    York    20,    N.  Y. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,   $6   in  the  Americas  and  $12   foreign;   single  copies,  10c. 


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*  Trailers  draw  31% 
of  your  Theatre  au- 
dience... according 
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Survey  of  Motion 
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4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  April  12,  1948 


Trade  Ads  'Vital' 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

which  can  hold  a  candle  to  the  motion 
picture  business  when  it  comes  to  do- 
ing downright  queer  things,"  Allied 
observes  in  the  bulletin,  adding : 

"The  advertising  that  the  producer- 
distributors  do  in  trade  journals  is 
vital  to  arouse  the  interest  of  exhib- 
itors. Their  advertising — directed  to 
the  public — is  a  necessary  part  of  the 
industry's  appeal  for  support  of  its 
product.  The  advertising  that  the  ex- 
hibitor does  frequently  means  the  dif- 
ference between  the  success  and  fail- 
ure of  a  lot  of  pictures." 

The  bulletin  calls  for  "a  return  to 
the  glorious  days  when  pictures  were 
really  advertised  and  publicized,  and 
when  penny-wise  and  pound-foolish 
economy  was  not  the  ruling  passion. 
There  would  have  been  no  need  for  a 
special  campaign  to  tell  the  public  that 
the  popular  priced  picture  is  the  pub- 
lic's best  entertainment.  There  would 
have  been  no  reason  to  wait  until  the 
business  went  into  a  tailspin  and  the 
box-office  skidded  before  a  general 
advertising  campaign  was  started," 
the  bulletin  said. 

'American  business  builds  on  the 
principle  that  confidence  in  a  product 
is  usually  measured  by  advertising 
support  of  this  product.  How  can 
distributors  expect  exhibitors  to  really 
sell  product  if  they  themselves  do  not 
pre-sell  it?" 


SAG  Halts  Talks 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tion  "does  not  look  favorable  for  a 
new  contract." 

Proposals  on  which  the  guild  says 
producers  declined  to  negotiate  are : 
"reasonable  restrictions"  on  reissues 
to  curb  unemployment  of  actors 
caused  by  these  reissues ;  a  "tempo- 
rary stop-gap  clause"  to  prevent  use 
in  television  of  films  made  for  theatre 
exhibition,  until  an  agreement  is 
reached  providing  that  actors  share  in 
additional  revenue  from  the  new  me- 
dium ;  a  ban  on  loan-outs  of  contract 
players  without  the  actor's  consent; 
reduction  in  the  length  of  term  con- 
tracts; reform  of  the  option  system  to 
correct  abuses ;  recognition  of  the 
right  of  actors  to  perform  in  other 
branches  of  the  amusement  industry, 
such  as  radio  and  television,  and  to 
retain  fees  paid  him  for  such  services ; 
a  ban  against  bringing  pressure  on  a 
contract  actor  by  forcing  him  into 
"obviously  inferior  roles." 

The  Guild  said  it  had  placed  these 
proposals  first  during  the  negotiations 
on  the  ground  that  discussions  on 
other  points  would  be  fruitless  if 
these  were  not  settled  satisfactorily. 


Dinner  for  Levy 

New  Haven,  April  11. — Herman  M. 
Levy,  general  counsel  of  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America,  will  be  given  a 
testimonial  dinner  on  May  6  at  the 
Racebrook  Country  Club  here  by  his 
friends  in  films  and  politics. 


Crest  Prod.  Formed 

Los  Angeles,  April  11. — Jack  Skir- 
ball,  Bruce  Manning  and  Charles 
Wendling  have  filed  incorporation 
papers  for  Crest  Productions,  an- 
nouncing "Soft  Touch"  with  Claudette 
Colbert  as  its  first  picture. 


Davis  Quits  Republic 

Atlanta,  April  11. — Merritt  Davis 
has  resigned  as  Southern  district  man- 
ager for  Republic  and  is  being  re- 
placed by  James  Hobbs,  former  Re- 
public branch  manager  here. 


Turning  That  Corner 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  11.— 
Howard  Goldsmith,  has  been 
promoted  by  RKO  Radio  from 
head  booker-office  manager  to 
salesman  and  William  Mur- 
ray, former  assistant  booker 
of  20th  Century-Fox,  was 
named  to  Goldsmith's  old 
post. 

Appointment  of  Goldsmith 
makes  RKO  the  first  company 
here  to  go  back  to  two  sales- 
men after  cutting  to  one. 


Trials  of  Ten  Start 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

day  postponement"  in  Lawson's  trial: 
He  also  turned  down  a  motion  by 
attorneys  for  Dore  Schary,  under  de- 
fense subpoena,  to  quash  the  subpoena 
on  the  ground  Schary  must  stay  with 
his  critically-ailing  mother.  It  was 
agreed  that  Schary  can  remain  on  the 
West  Coast  until  needed,  but  must 
appear  on  24-hour  notice. 

Defense  attorneys  at  the  opening  of 
the  trial  tomorrow  will  make  two  mo- 
tions, both  likely  to  be  denied.  One 
will  be  to  remove  the  trial  from  the 
District  to  some  other  "less  preju- 
diced" area.  This  was  made  once 
before  and  was  denied.  The  other 
motion  will  be  to  quash  the  jury 
panel  as  not  being  properly  selected. 


Un-American  Activities  Group 
Recommends  Outlawing  'Reds' 

Washington,  April  11. — House 
Un-American  Activities  Sub-commit- 
tee has  reported  out  legislation  to  curb 
the  Communist  Party,  which  it  said 
"constitutes  a  clear  and  present  dan- 
ger to  our  national  security." 

The  committee  also  urged  the  Jus- 
tice Department  to  prosecute  Com- 
munists more  and  recommended  enact- 
ment of  anti-Communist  bills  now 
pending  in  other  Congressional  com- 
mittees, including  one  to  raise  the  pen- 
alty for  contempt  of  Congress. 


Johnston 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

can  production  in  England  would  pro- 
duce unemployment  in  Hollywood, 
Johnston  said  his  survey  of  British 
studio  facilities  indicated  that  not 
more  than  12  American  films  could  be 
made  in  London  annually.  He  pre- 
dicted a  betterment  in  conditions  due 
to  the  recent  deal  with  Britain  would 
result  in  an  increase,  rather  than  a 
decrease,  in  the  number  of  pictures 
produced  here.  Countering  local  esti- 
mates, he  said  the  overall  employment 
picture  in  Hollywood  shows  craft  em- 
ployment down  only  IS  per  cent  from 
its  peak. 

The  MPAA  head  reiterated  his  re- 
jection of  a  request  from  the  Pacific 
Coast  Conference  of  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  to  bar  players  from 
appearing  in  political  films. 

He  left  for  Washington  over  the 
weekend. 


Collins  Rites  Today 

Services  will  be  held  this  morning 
at  St.  Agnes  Church  here  for  Rich- 
ard Collins,  55,  assistant  manager  of 
the  Capitol  Theatre,  who  died  Friday 
after  a  brief  illness.  Burial  will  be  at 
Long  Island  National  Cemetery, 
Farmingdale,  L.  I.  Collins,  with  the 
Capitol  26  years,  is  survived  by  the 
widow,  two  sons,  a  sister  and  a 
brother. 


PCCITO  Trustees  to 
Meet  in  May  in  L.  A. 

San  Francisco,  April  11. — Trus- 
tees of  the  Pacific  Coast  Conference 
of  Independent  Theatre  Owners  will 
hold  their  next  meeting  in  Los  An- 
geles early  in  May,  it  was  decided  at 
the  close  of  the  PCCITO  convention 
here  at  the  weekend. 

While  the  convention  failed  to  take 
up  the  subject  of  film  rentals,  sales 
policies  figured  in  the  discussions  only 
in  a  reaffirmation  of  the  organization's 
position  in  fashioning  a  workable  sales 
formula.  A  previously  appointed  com- 
mittee announced  that  it  was  drawing 
up  final  action  to  bring  the  plan  before 
the  industry. 

A  committee  was  set  up  tq  follow 
the  trend  of  television  in  nine  West- 
ern states  and  to  study  application  of 
video  to  theatres.  Members  of 
PCCITO  will  be  informed  of  devel- 
opments by  a  monthly  bulletin. 


First  Telecast  of 
20th 's  Reel  in  L.A. 

Los  Angeles,  April  11. — Telecasts 
of  20th  Century-Fox's  television  news- 
reel  begin  in  the  Los  Angeles  area 
tomorrow,  under  sponsorship  of  the 
Leo  J.  Meyberg  Co.,  RCA  distributor. 
The  reel  will  be  seen  through  the 
Paramount-owned  station  KTLA  five 
evenings  a  week. 

The  Los  Angeles  outlet  brings  the 
total  number  of  video  stations  playing 
the  Movietone  television  edition  to 
seven. 


Golden  State  Deal 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

per  cent  of  the  more  than  125- 
theatre  Northern  California  cir- 
cuit. 

Naify  acquired  the  interests  of  his 
former  Golden  State  partners,  Eugene 
Emmick  and  Robert  A.  McNeil,  last 
October  for  $12,000,000.  In  the  cur- 
rent negotiations  Naify  is  asking 
$115  more  per  share  than  in  the  origi- 
nal deal,  with  six  months  leeway  to 
take  advantage  of  long-term  capital 
gains.  The  bulk  of  the  money  is  be- 
ing put  up  by  Reynolds.  Even  if  the 
deal  is  closed  as  promptly  as  is  now 
expected,  it  would  not  go  into  effect 
until  June. 

A  new  bid  for  the  circuit  by  Ted 
Gamble  was  rejected  by  Naify  re- 
cently because  no  working  agreement 
could  be  reached.  Joseph  M.  Schenck, 
who  also  made  overtures  for  the  cir- 
cuit earlier,  is  said  to  be  still  inter- 
ested. Charles  Skouras  is  a  stockhold- 
er in  Golden  State. 


Protest  Censor  Bill 

Advertising  Advisory  Council  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica has  added  its  protest  to  the  pro- 
posed Cuningham  Bill  to  enlarge  the 
censorship  powers  of  New  York  City 
License  Commissioner  Fielding  over 
theatrical  exhibitions  and  their  adver- 
tisements, including  motion  pictures. 
In  a  telegram  to  city  officials  Charles 
Schlaifer,  chairman  of  the  council, 
declared  that  such  legislation  "would 
endanger  civil  liberties  and  free  ex- 
pression." 

Buys  E-L  Reissues 

Armand  Schneck's  Madison  Pic- 
tures has  acquired  from  Pathe  Indus- 
tries the  entire  Eagle-Lion-PRC 
1942-'43  and  1943-'44  programs. 


Cohn  Pact 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Cohn  rights  to  purchase  75,000  shares 
of  common  at  $16  per  share,  about  $4 
above  the  present  market  value. 

The  board,  which  approved  the  con- 
tract and  option,  had  asked  the  stock- 
holders to  vote  on  it  although  it  was 
not  legally  obligated  to  do  so.  How- 
ever, after  the  meeting  Cohn  issued  a 
statement  that  he  did  not  wish  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  proposed  contracts.  The 
vote  favoring  them,  he  indicated  was 
not  substantial  enough  to  sat;'  (^''lim, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  '/  a^  per 
cent  of  the  outstanding  shares  were 
voted  in  approval  while  only  4.26  per 
cent  voted  to  disapprove,  and  22.25 
per  cent  were  not  voted.  Of  the  469,- 
184  favorable  votes,  some  271,744  were 
representative  of  company  officers  and 
directors. 

Cohn  said :  "I  am  unwilling  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  consummation  of  a  con- 
tract which  may  cause  even  a  small 
minority  of  stockholders  to  feel  that 
their  interest  would  be  better  served 
by  some  other  type  of  deal.  Accord- 
ingly, I  have  withdrawn  my  offer 
embodied  in  the  contract  now  before 
the  Board  of  Directors." 

Cohn  has  not  had  a  written  employ- 
ment contract  with  the  company  since 
July-,  1945. 

The  stockholders  re-elected  the  fol- 
lowing directors :  Harry  Cohn,  Jack 
Cohn,  executive  vice-president ;  A. 
Schneider,  vice-president  and  treasur- 
er; N.  B.  Spingold,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  advertising-publicity;  A. 
Montague,  distribution  vice-president, 
and  Leo  M.  Blancke  and  Donald  S. 
Stralem. 


Columbia  Pfd.  Dividend 

Columbia's  board  of  directors,  meet- 
ing here  at  the  weekend,  declared  a 
quarterly  dividend  of  $1.06J^  per  share 
on  the  $4.25  cumulative  preferred 
stock,  payable  May  15  to  stockholders 
of  record  on  May  1. 


Variety  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Miami,  Tent  No.  33,  headed  by  Mitch- 
ell Wolfson,  general  convention  chair- 
man, and  George  C.  Hoover,  chief 
barker  here,  will  greet  the  visiting 
showmen. 

Tomorrow's  meeting  will  be  attend- 
ed by  International  officers  and  can- 
vassmen.  A  get-acquainted  party  will 
be  held  in  the  evening,  with  Mrs.  Ed 
Claughton  and  wives  of  other  local 
barkers  as  hostesses.  A  stag  dinner 
will  get  underway  later  in  the  Alcazar 
Hotel.  Business  meetings  will  be  held 
each  subsequent  day  except  Saturday. 
Highlight  of  a  series  of  social  events 
will  be  the  stag  convention  banquet 
at  the  Steak  House  here,  Saturday, 
at  which  the  winner  of  the  Humani- 
tarian Award  will  be  announced. 

Hails  Ruling  in 
Move  to  Bar  Film 

Commenting  on  the  decision  of  a 
Tulsa,  Okla.,  Court  Friday,  denying 
a  temporary  restraining  order  against 
the  showing  of  "Gentleman's  Agree- 
ment" at  the  Orpheum  in  that  city, 
Andrew  W.  Smith,  general  sales  man- 
ager of  20th  Century-Fox,  said: 
"Had  the  decision  been  otherwise  a 
blow  would  have  been  struck  at  free 
and  forthright  expression  on  the  part 
of  any  public  medium  of  communica- 
tion or  entertainment." 

The  suit  for  an  injunction  was 
brought  by  Gerald  L.  K.  Smith,  based 
on  a  reference  to  him  in  the  film. 


NOT  Ret 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


vo 


NO.  71 


NEW  YORK.  U.S.A..  TUESDAY.  APRIL  13.  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Britain  Turns 
Down  State 
Film  Bank 


Wilson  Hopes  for  'Other' 
Aid  for  Producers 


Loxdox,  April  12. — The  British 
government  has  examined  the  pos- 
sibility of  setting  up  a  state  film 
bank  for  financing  film  production 
but  has  decided  it  would  be  hopeless 
to  operate  with  governmental  money 
in  view  of  the  difficulty  of  ensuring 
"completion  guarantees."  Harold  Wil- 
son, president  of  the  British  Board  of 
Trade,  told  the  Association  of  Cine- 
Technicians. 

Wilson   repeated   his  earlier 
assurance  that  the  British  tax 

(.Continued  on  page  3) 


Apathy  Greets  ACT 
Communist's  Rallv 


Lawson  Trial,  First 
Of  Ten  Contempt 
Indictments,  Opens 


Washington,  April  12. — The  trial 
of  motion  picture  writer  John  Howard 
Lawson  for  contempt  of  the  House 
Un-American  Activities  Committee 
opened  today  with  defense  counsel 
failing  in  attempts  to  obtain  a  change 
of  venue  and  a  new  judge.  Lawson  is 
charged  with  failure  to  disclose 
whether  or  not  he  is  or  ever  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Communist  party 
during  the  hearings  last  fall  on  Com- 
munist activity  in  Hollywood. 

First  motion  of  defense  counsel 
Robert  W.  Kenny  was  to  ask  Justice 
Edward  M.  Curran  to  disqualify  him- 
self on  grounds  of  bias  and  prejudice 
because  he  had  prosecuted  similar 
cases  initiated  by  the  committee  while 
serving  as  U.  S.  Attorney  for  the 
District  of  Columbia.  The  motion  fol- 
lowed a  sudden  reassignment  of  the 
case  from  Justice  David  A.  Pine  to 
Judge  Curran. 

Judge  Curran  denied  that  motion 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


London,  April  12. — Communist-in- 
fluenced elements  within  the  Associa- 
tion of  Cine-Technicians  were  able  to 
excite  only  a  minimum  of  public  at- 
tention today  with  a  drum  and  fife 
parade  and  rally  held  in  conjunction 
with  ACT's  meeting  here.  A  pro- 
nounced anti- American  tinge  marked 
the  political  proceedings. 

However,  orthodox  trade  unionists 
among  the  ACT  membership  protested 
the  "Red  tinge''  given  the  association 
by  Communist  sympathizers.  Mean- 
while, Tom  O'Brien,  secretary  of  the 
National  Association  of  Theatrical 
and  Kine  Employes,  ACT  member 
unit,  continues  to  proclaim  that  ACT 
is  in  itself  a  Communist  menace. 


John  J.  Friedl  Dead 
After  Long  Illness 

Minneapolis,  April  12.  —  John  J. 
Friedl,  longtime  president  of  the  Min- 
nesota Amusement  Company,  a  Para- 
mount affiliate,  died  here  today  after 
suffering  a  cerebral  hemorrhage. 

Friedl  had  been  ill  for  sometime  and 
I  many  months  ago  retired  from  his 
post  in  an  effort  to  regain  his  health. 


Cohn  Spikes  Reports 
Of  Deal  with  Hughes 

Hollywood,  April  12. — Harry 
Cohn,  Columbia  president,  to- 
day declared  that  his  holding's 
in  Columbia  are  not  for  sale 
in  response  to  trade  reports 
that  Howard  Hughes  is  nego- 
tiating for  purchase  of  the 
company.  Reports  linking 
Hughes  with  Columbia  pre- 
sumably sprang  from  a  state- 
ment by  him  to  the  effect  that 
he  is  determined  to  acquire 
one  or  another  fully-comple- 
mented producing  -  distribut- 
ing company. 


N.  Y.  Grosses 
Hold  Up  Well 


Business  is  active  at  Broadway's 
first-runs,  rain}-  weather  notwithstand- 
ing. In  general  a  week  of  good 
grosses  is  anticipated,  only  a  few 
houses  suffering  seriously  from  3-ester- 
day's    and  Sunday's  rains. 

Still  solid  at  the  Capitol  is  "The 
Naked  City,"  combined  with  Tex  Be- 
necke's  band  on  stage;  S80,000-plus  is 
seen  for  the  sixth  week.  Also  con- 
tinuing strongly  is  "I  Remember 
Mama,"  plus  a  stage  show,  at  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  with  S123,000  ex- 
pected for  a  fifth  week.  "Winter 
Meeting"  is  due  to  register  a  nice 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Capital- Gains 
Companies  to 
Settle  Claims 

Treasury  Studied  50; 
Gets  Millions  in  Taxes 


Hollywood,  April  12. — Most  if 
not  all  of  the  so-labeled  '"one  shot" 
independent  producing  organiza- 
tions set  up  in  1945  and  1946,  al- 
legedly for  purposes  of  obtaining  tax 
benefits  for  individuals  under  the  capi- 
tal-gains classification,  have  made  or 
are  negotiating  settlements  with  the 
Internal  Revenue  Department,  which 
threatened  to  bring  suit  to  determine 
whether  the  companies  were  incor- 
porated primarily  for  tax-escape  pur- 
poses, it  is  learned  authoritatively. 

Although  George  Martin,  revenue 
agent  here  in  charge  of  tax  evasion  in- 
vestigation, and  whose  authority  par- 
(Coniinued  on  page  3) 


Allen  Usher  to  File 
8275,000  Trust  Suit 


M-Million  UK  Film 
'Take'  in  U.S.  in  '17 

London,  April  12.  —  British 
films  earned  §4,000,000  in  the 
U.  S.  last  year,  most  of  which 
was  invested  locally  to  leave 
an  eventual  remittance  to 
Britain  of  S1,000,000,  it  was 
revealed  here  today  by  Brit- 
ish Board  of  Trade  president 
Harold  Wilson. 


Bob  O'Donn 
Head  Variety 

FP -Canadian  Profit 
$3,156446  in  1947 

Toronto,  April  12. — In  its  financial 
report  for  the  53  weeks  ended  Jan.  3, 
Famous  Players  Canadian  today  re- 
ported lower  gross  income  of  $5,875,- 
474.  compared  with  $6,042,000  for  the 
comparative  1946  period.  But  net 
profit  was  higher  at  S3. 156.446  last 
year,  as  against  $2,834,956  in  1946, 
because  profits  taxes  were  proportion- 
ately lower,  the  report  said 

The  1947  profit  was  equal  to  $1.81 
per  share,  while  the  preceding  year's 
was  equal  to  $1.63  a  share. 


ell  Slated  to 
Clubs  Again 


By  RED  KANN 

Miami  Beach,  April  12. — Robert 
J.  O'Donnell,  international  chief 
barker  of  Variety  Clubs  since  Feb- 
ruary. 1943,  wil  be  returned  to  that 
post  for  another  year  unless  an  upset, 
not  now  foreseeable,  develops.  Elec- 
tion of  officers  is  slated  for  Friday. 

The  San  Francisco  delegation  wants 
next  year's  convention  and  will  cam- 
paign accordingly,  but  there's  nothing 
exclusive  about  it.  Mexico  City  has 
the  same  idea. 

About  600  barkers  hit  town  Sunday 
in  various  special  trains,  adding  to 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Chicago,  April  12. — Allen  Usher, 
former  Paramount  district  manager, 
will  file  an  anti-trust  suit  asking  treble 
damages  of  $275,000  and  injunctive  re- 
lief, his  attorney,  Seymour  Simon, 
said  today. 

Usher,  owner  since  January  of  the 
Sprague  Theatre,  Elkhorn,  Wis., 
charges  that  defendant-owned  theatres 
in  Lake  Geneva  and  Delavan.  Wis., 
are   given   clearance    over  Elkhorn, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Sonnett  Mentioned 
For  U.S.  Judgeship 

Washington,  April  12.  — 
President  Truman  is  reported 
to  be  considering  nominating 
John  F.  Sonnett,  Assistant 
Attorney  General  in  charge  of 
anti-trust  laws,  to  be  Federal 
Judge  in  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict Court  of  New  York. 

H  Sonnett  is  named  to  the 
post,  present  plans  are  for 
assistant  John  Ford  Baecher 
to  take  over  Sonnett's  job. 


mnvims  milvs  m  vrwm  muse 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  13,  1948 


Coming 
Events 


Today  through  Saturday — Interna- 
tional Variety  Clubs  convention, 
Roney  Plaza  Hotel,  Miami  Beach 
Hotel,  Miami  Beach. 

April  1A — Installation  of  officers  of 
the  Cinema  Lodge  of  B'nai  B'rith, 
Hotel  Astor,  New  York. 

April  19-21— Third  National  Tele- 
vision Institute,  Hotel  New  York- 
er, New  York. 

May  4 — Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Arkansas  annual  conven- 
tion, Little  Rock. 

May  2 — Jewish  Theatrical  Guild 
dinner  to  Walter  Vincent,  Hotel 
Astor,  New  York. 

May  7-8 — Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska 
convention,  Des  Moines  (Iowa 
section). 

May  10-11  —  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa  and 
Nebraska  convention,  Omaha 
(Nebraska  section). 

May  18-19— Allied  Rocky  Moun- 
tain ITO  convention,  Denver. 

May  17-21 — SMPE  semi-annual 
convention,  Santa  Monica,  Cal. 

May  21 — Motion  Picture  Associates 
annual  dinner-dance,  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel,  New  York. 


Eyssell  Hosts  Rogers 
Memorial  Executives 

Executive  board  members  of  the 
Will  Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  were 
guests  of  G.  S.  Eyssell,  president  and 
managing  director  of  Radio  City  Mu- 
sic Hall  here  at  a  luncheon  in  the 
theatre's  studio  apartment  yesterday. 

In  addition  to  board  members,  rep- 
resentatives of  film  companies  and  in- 
dependent theatre  groups  were  also 
present  to  discuss  financial  plans  for 
the  industry's  hospital  at  Saranac, 
N.  Y. 


Seidelman  to  London 
On  E-L  Sales  Policy 

Sam  Seidelman,  Eagle-Lion  foreign 
distribution  general  manager,  will  fly 
to  London  tomorrow  to  confer  with 
J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization  and 
Pathe  chiefs  and  to  set  sales  policies 
on  E-L  distribution  in  the  United 
Kingdom  by  those  companies.  He  will 
also  confer  with  heads  of  Rank's  or- 
ganization who  handle  Eagle-Lion 
product  on  the  Continent  and  in  the 
Far  East. 


Joe  Marks  to  Canada 

London,  April  12. — Joe  Marks, 
general  sales-manager  of  London's 
Pathe  Pictures,  leaves  Britain  on  the 
S.S.  Queen  Mary  on  April  30,  to 
settle  in  Canada  with  Mrs.  Marks  and 
their  two  children.  Marks  was  on  the 
sales  staff  of  RKO  Radio  here  from 
1930  until  he  joined  Pathe  in  1944. 


Ad  Rates  Raised  15% 

Pittsfield,  Mass.,  April  12. — The- 
atre managers  here  have  been  in- 
formed that  advertising  rates  of  the 
Berkshire  Evening  Eagle  have  been 
raised  15  per  cent. 


Personal  Mention 


FRANK  CAPRA  is  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood. 

• 

James  Brennan,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
late  James  Brennan,  who  was  RKO 
Radio  Eastern  division  manager,  has 
joined  the  managerial  staff  of  Walter 
Reade  Theatres  in  Asbury  Park,  N.  J. 
• 

Gar  O'Neil,  well-known  in  indus- 
try advertising  circles,  has  joined 
Wiley,  Frazee,  Davenport,  Inc.,  ad- 
vertising agency  here,  in  an  executive 
capacity. 

Zeva  Yovan,  formerly  assistant 
manager  at  Loew's  Theatre,  Indian- 
apolis, has  been  appointed  manager  of 
Loew's  Orpheum,  St.  Louis. 

• 

R.  M.  (Bob)  Savini,  Astor  Pic- 
ures  president,  is  in  Miami  from  New 
York. 

Leo   Seligman,  treasurer   of  Fa- 
vorite Films,  will    return    to  New 
York  next  Monday,  from  Miami. 
• 

Bernie  Myerson,  Fabian's  Staten 
Island  booker,  is  the  new  father  of 
a  boy,  Alan  Randall. 

• 

Jack  Romaner,  assistant  to  Lou 
Kaufman,  of  Warner  Theatres,  is  a 
father  for  the  second  time. 

• 

James  A.  Cron  has  left  his  adver- 
tising managerial  post  at  Showmen 's 
Trade  Review  here. 

• 

Bill  Schulman,  Realart  advertis- 
ing-publicity director,  has  returned 
here  from  Boston. 

Montague  Salmon  of  the  Rivoli 
here  will  be  marshal  of  an  Appeal  for 
Children  Parade  on  April  23. 

Ben  Y.  Cammack,  RKO  Radio 
Southern  division  manager,  Dallas, 
has  been  visiting  in  Memphis. 

Harold  Lane  of  the  State  Theatre, 
Crothersville,  Ind.,  will  undergo  an 
operation  Friday. 

Ben  Henry  of  Universal,  London, 
and  Mrs.  Henry  arrived  here  last 
night  from  England. 

Irving  Sochin,  U-I  Cincinnati 
branch  manager,  has  become  a  father 
for  the  third  time. 

• 

Eddie  Cantor  will  be  honored  by 
B'nai  B'rith  at  a  testimonal  in  Holly- 
wood tomorrow  night. 

Roy  O.  Disney  president  of  Walt 
Disney  Productions,  is  in  New  York 
from  the  Coast. 

Tom  Rogers  of  M-G-M's  publicity 
department  has  returned  here  from 
Phoenix,  Ariz. 

• 

J.  Robert  Rubin,  M-G-M  vice- 
president,  is  due  back  here  April  21 
from  the  Coast. 

Rouben  Mamoulian  is  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood. 


^L  ZIMBALIST, 


Film  Classics 
advertising  -  publicity  manager, 
will  leave  here  today  for  Charlotte. 


C.  B.  Akers,  Hobart,  Okla.,  thea- 
tre operator  and  vice-president  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  Oklahoma,  is 
campaign  manager  for  former  Gov. 
Robert  S.  Kerr,  who  is  seeking 
Democratic  Senatorial  nomination  in 
that  state  next  July. 

• 

B.  G.  Kranze,  Film  Classics  sales 
chief,  will  go  to  New  Haven  today 
to  discuss  his  company's  product  with 
I.  J.  Hoffman  Warner  theatres' 
zone  manager  there. 

• 

Marvin  Samuelson  has  resigned 
as  Warner  theatre  assistant  booker  in 
Cleveland  to  join  Ohio  Theatre  Serv- 
ice, buying-booking-management  co- 
operative. 

• 

Robert  W.  Case,  Walter  Reade 
Theatres  city  manager  in  Kingston, 
N.  Y.,  has  been  named  Ulster  County 
theatre  chairman  for  the  American 
Cancer  Society's  fund  drive. 

• 

Ralph  W.  Maw,  field  assistant  to 
Burtus  Bishop,  Jr.,  Midwestern  M- 
G-M  sales  manager,  has  returned  to 
Minneapolis  after  a  month  at  the 
home  office. 

• 

Charles  Vukovich  has  been  ap- 
pointed assistant  to  Robert  Hadley, 
Eagle-Lion  home  office  advertising  de- 
partment art  director. 

• 

Ralph  Trathen  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Tower  Theatre  has  been  named  gen- 
eral manager  of  Associated  Amuse- 
ments, tri-state  drive-in  operators. 
• 

Harry  Whitestone  has  sold  his 
Fair-Mount  Theatre,  Fair-Mount, 
Ga.,  to  Carter  Law,  former  owner 
of  the  Jasper,  Jasper,  Ga. 

• 

Alan  F.  Cummings,  in  charge  of 
M-G-M  exchange  operations,  is  in 
Detroit  for  a  few  days,  from  New 
York. 

o 

Ann  G.  D'Ascoli  of  the  Eagle-Lion 
accounting  department  will  be  married 
in  the  fall  to  Michael  Candido,  Jr. 

J.  H.  Rampy  and  Mrs.  Rampy 
have  taken  over  the  Roberta  Theatre, 
Roberta,  Ga. 

• 

R.  M.  Kennedy,  Wilby-Kincey  dis- 
trict manager,  has  returned  to  Bir- 
mingham from  New  York. 

• 

Ted  Minsky  has  been  named  film 
buyer  and  booker  for  Warners  Ohio 
zone,  succeeding  Tony  Stern. 
• 

Syd  Boehm  and  Luther  Davis, 
M-G-M  writers,  are  due  here  from 
the  Coast  tomorrow  by  plane. 
• 

Earl  Hannah  of  the  Strand, 
Thompsonville,  Conn.,  is  en  route  to 
Arizona  for  a  month's  stay. 

Sidney  Hyams  of  Eros  Films,  and 
Mrs.  Hyams  are  here  from  Lon- 
don. 


United  Amusements 
1947  Net,  $262,511 

Ottawa,  April  12. — United  Amuse- 
ment Corp.  reports  a  net  profit  of 
$262,511  in  the  year  ending  on  Jan- 
uary 3,  compared  with  a  net  of  $254,- 
899  the  previous  year. 

Gross  income  was  $1,494,384,  against 
$1,535,098  in  the  previous  year.  Cur- 
rent assets  total  $361,349  and  current 
liabilities,  $206,520. 


NEW  YORK  MATH 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL— 

Rockefeller  Center 
IRENE  DUNNE  In  GEORGE  STEVENS' 

Prod,  of 

"I  REMEMBER  MAMA" 

Barbara  Oscar  Philip 

BEL  GEDDES        HOMOLKA  DORN 

Produced  by  HARRIET  PARSONS 

SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


_  JACK 

Carson 
ISotherm 


I  AND  HIS  ORCH.  i; 

M0REY  AMSTERDAM 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b-way  at  47th  § 

LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM 


BETTE  DAVIS 

i  w  in  WARNER  BROS:  new  success  ■ 

inter  Meeting  I 

->  ->,.,  JANIS  PAIGE  •  JAMES  DAVIS  WW  ■ 

Z    bretaTgnTwindust  •  henry'blanke  " 


WARNER  THEATRE 


JB'way  51st -Opens  10:30  AM  •  Late  Midnight  Film  Z 
Academy  Award  Winner 

LORETTA  YOUNG 

Best  Actress  Of  The  Year  for  Iter  performance  in 

'The  FARMER'S  DAUGHTER' 
'PALACE 


BROAD  WA  Y  &  -J7f/ 


■tarring 

FRED  MacMURRAY 
FRANK  SINATRA 

Rilecud  by  RKO  RADIO  PICTURES  i 


Rivoli 


ALAN 

LADD 

and  VERONICA 

LAKE 


MILLS 


MOTION  PICTURE 
Sundays  and  holidays  . 
New  York."  Martin  Qi 

Tames  P.  Cunningham,  i\  ...    . ,  ■    .     .  .. 

Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative^  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten  National  Press  Club  Washington 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald  Better  Theatres  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  bept. 
23    1938    at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,   $6   in  the  Americas  and   $12   foreign;   single  copies,  luc. 


Tuesday,  April  13,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Sees  Thomas  Probe 
Reopening  by  June 


Washington,  April  12. — Robert  E. 
Stripling,  chief  investigator  for  the 
House  Un-American  Activities  Com- 
mittee, today  disclosed  the  probable 
reopening  of  the  Hollywood  hearings 
before  the  end  of  the  present  session 
of  Congress. 

SiP'pling  declared  that  despite  the 
ni>J*«lus  probes  which  Chairman  J. 
ParTrffl  Thomas  listed  for  committee 
consideration  last  week,  the  motion 
picture  hearings  would  undoubtedly 
open  in  Washington  before  June. 


Lawson  Trial 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Arrest  Exhibitor  for 
Defying  Sunday  Ban 

Chicago,  April  12. — For  defying  a 
ban  on  Sunday  shows  in  Zion  City, 
111.,  Onnie  L.  Bridges,  president  of  the 
Zion  Theatre,  was  arrested  yesterday 
and  released  in  $100  bond  to  await  a 
hearing. 

Bridges  contended  the  Zion  "Passion 
Play"  is  conducted  on  Sundays  and 
charges  admissions,  and  the  city  ordi- 
nance which  forbids  business  on  Sun- 
day is  violated  by  other  lines.  The 
house  was  opened  New  Year's  follow- 
ing a  petition  by  Zion  voters  and  is 
the  only  theatre  in  Zion  City. 


and  another  by  Kenny  for  a  continu 
ance  in  order  to  appeal  to  the  Court 
of  Appeals  for  a  writ  of  mandamus. 

Defense  attorney  Charles  Katz  of 
Los  Angeles  pleaded  for  a  change  of 
venue  but  Judge  Curran  stated  that  he 
doubted  the  existence  of  sufficient 
prejudice  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
to  prevent  Lawson  from  obtaining  a 
fair  trial. 

Defense  counsel  Ben  Margolis,  Los 
Angeles,  also  attempted  to  show 
through  questioning  of  Col.  Edward 
Loring  Bliss  of  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia Jury  Commission  that  there  is 
"intentional  and  systematic  exclusion" 
of  certain  classes  of  individuals  in  the 
selection  of  jury  panels. 

The  prosecution  is  being  conducted 
by  Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William 
B.  Hitz.  The  battery  of  defense  attor- 
neys, in  addition  to  Kenny,  Katz  and 
Margolis,  includes  Morris  Cohen,  Los 
Angeles,  Kenny's  partner ;  Bartley  C. 
Crum,  San  Francisco;  Martin  Popper, 
Washington,  and  Samuel  Rosenwein, 
New  York.  According  to  Kenny,  it 
may  take  two  weeks  to  conclude  the 
first  trial. 

Lawson  is  the  first  of  10  indicted 
Hollywood  persons  to  stand  trial  on 
the  contempt  charges  resulting  _  from 
the  House  Un-American  Activities 
Committee  investigation  of  Hollywood 
last  Fall. 


Butler  Is  Elected 
Film  Club  President 

Salt  Lake  City,  April  12 — Warren 
D.  Butler  of  the  Lyric  Theatre  was 
elected  president  of  the  Salt  Lake  Mo- 
tion Picture  Club,  succeeding  C.  Clare 
Woods,  Centre  Theatre  manager. 

Others  elected  include  Cliff  Davi- 
son, RKO  Radio,  vice-president ;  Fred 
Weimar,  National  Screen,  secretary ; 
Frank  H.  Smith,  Paramount,  treasur- 
er, and  the  following  board  members  : 
Joe  Nercisian,  Donald  V.  Tibbs,  W. 
G.  Seib,  Shirl  Thayne  and  C.  R. 
Wade. 


WB  Returns  to  2-Man 
Sales  Force  in  Albany 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  12. — Warner 
Brothers  has  become  the  second  com- 
pany in  the  Albany  exchange  area  to 
add  a  salesman  after  cutting  to  one, 
with  the  promotion  of  Harry  Aranove, 
assistant  booker,  to  the  sales  post. 
Dorothy  O'Sullivan,  secretary  to  the 
head  booker,  has  been  named  assistant 
booker.  RKO  Radio  previously  ad- 
vanced Harry  Goldstein,  its  head 
booker  here,  to  salesman. 


TO  A  Backs  Security 
Loan  and  Trailer 

Theatre  Owners  of  America 
is  encouraging  members  in 
units  across  the  country  to 
cooperate  with  the  Treasury's 
"Security  Loan  Drive,"  Robert 
W.  Coyne,  TOA  executive  di- 
rector, disclosed  here  yester- 
day. 

TOA,  Coyne  explained,  will 
not  engage  in  a  national  drive 
like  industry's  support  for 
War  Bond  drives,  but  has 
asked  members  to  cooperate 
on  a  local  level.  Meanwhile, 
TOA  has  approved  a  trailer  to 
be  shown  for  the  drive. 


Ask  for  Review  of 
Dallas  Tivoli  Ruling 

Washington,  April  12. — Interstate 
Circuit,  Texas  Consolidated  Theatres 
and  seven  major  distributors  today 
asked  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  to 
review  a  decision  of  the  Fifth  Circuit 
Court  of  Appeals  allowing  Tivoli 
Realty  to  prosecute  its  anti-trust  suit 
against  them  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
in  Delaware. 

The  Circuit  Court  had  reversed  ; 
decision  of  a  Texas  District  Court  en 
joining  Tivoli  from  prosecuting  the 
suit  on  the  ground  that  both  theatre 
circuits  did  practically  all  of  their 
business  in  Texas,  and  that  for  this 
and  other  reasons  continuing  the  case 
in  Delaware  would  be  oppressive  and 
inequitable.  Tivoli,  which  opened  a 
theatre  in  Dallas  in  September,  1947, 
is  seeking  treble  damages  of  $750,000. 


CBS  Has  12  Video 
Units;  Largest  Net 

Adding  nine  more  television  affili- 
ates to  the  Columbia  Broadcasting 
System  brings  the  CBS  television  sta- 
tion count  to  12,  said  to  be  the  na- 
tion's largest. 

Three,  in  New  York,  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore,  are  now  on  the  air. 

Additional  stations  are  in  Dayton, 
Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Charlotte,  Lou- 
isville, Binghamton,  Stockton,  Indi- 
anapolis and  Dallas. 


Winter  to  Rome  for  WE 

Julius  P.  Winter,  formerly  contract 
manager  in  Paris  for  Western  Elec- 
tric, has  been  appointed  vice-president 
of  Western  Electric  of  Italy.  He  is 
now  in  New  York  for  conferences  be- 
fore leaving  for  Rome. 


New  Film  Optical  Plant 

Film  Optical  has  built  a  new  optical 
studio  here  for  Eastern  film  produc- 
tion and  for  telecasters. 


Britain,  State  Bank 

(Continued  from  page  1  ) 


O'Donnell  Slated 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Usher  to  File  Suit 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Capital  Gains 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


allels  that  of  the  local  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue,  refused  to  be  inter- 
rogated on  the  matter,  reliable  sources 
affirmed  that  all  cases  in  this  category 
are  being  dealt  with  in  elaborate 
secrecy  and  that  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment's policy  is  to  direct  all  effort 
toward  collecting  monies  improperly 
withheld  with  a  minimum  of  publicity. 

Dependable  informants  said  investi- 
gation of  the  many  cases  included  in 
the  first  wholesale  charges  of  intent  to 
evade  income  tax  payment  by  means 
of  forming  a  corporation  to  make  one 
or  two  pictures  within  a  year  and  dis- 
banding it  thereafter,  disclosed  that 
some  of  them  were  bona  fide  organiza 
tions,  while  others  clearly  were  fraud- 
ulently conceived.  Estimates  of  th 
number  of  companies  investigated 
ranged  as  high  as  50.  A  rumor  that 
one  of  them  has  made  a  $5,000,000  set- 
tlement could  not  be  verified.  None 
of  them  have  been  named  in  court 
actions. 


'Seas'  to  Devonshire 

Boston,  April  12. —  Devonshire 
Films  has  acquired  distribution  rights 
for  the  United  States  and  Canada  to 
"High.  Seas,"  formerly  released  under 
the  title  "Adventures  of  Martin  Eden." 


those  already  on  the  scene  and  vaca- 
tioning here.  Registration,  including 
many  wives,  topped  900  by  Sunday 
evening  and  by  tonight  1,000  were 
definitely  in  sight. 

Incoming  delegations  were  met  by 
iris  dressed  in  bathing  costumes — 
that  was  for  Florida — and  by  others 
bedecked  in  cowgirl  outfits — that  was 
for  Texas.  Tent  No.  33,  which  is  Va- 
riety Club  of  Greater  Miami,  is  host 
under  its  chief  barker,  George  C. 
Hoover.  Mitchell  Wolfson,  general 
convention  chairman,  is  much  in  evi- 
dence, making  certain  squawks  re- 
main at  a  minimum  and  all  hands  are 
contented. 

International    canvassmen,  officers 
and  representatives  held  two  closed 
sessions  at  the  Roney  Plaza,  official 
convention  headquarters,  todav  to  dis 
cuss  "Heart"  reports  and  routine  mat 
ters,  assuring  smooth  sailing.  Tent 
No.  33  gave  them,  plus  chief  barkers 
and  delegates,  a  stag  cocktail  partv 
and  dinner  in  its  Alcazar  Hotel  head 
quarters  in  Miami  this  evening.  This 
was  followed  by   a  "Get-acquainted 
party"  in  the  Roney  for  all  registered 
delegates  and  visitors. 

First  general  business  meeting,  ; 
short  one,  will  get  under  way  tomor 
row  morning.  Like  all  succeeding 
meetings,  it  will  be  open.  A  fashion 
show  for  the  women  in  the  afternoon 
and  Jai-Alai  games  in  the  evening 
round  out  the  formalized  program 
which  allows  plenty  of  time  for  ca 
bana-kibitzing  and  sun  bathing. 

Variety's  mid-winter  meeting  will  be 
held  in  New  York  in  October. 


which  assertedly  prevents  the  Sprague 
from  playing  product  until  after  both 
towns.  D.  F.  Kelliher,  former  owner 
of  the  Sprague.  also  is  a  plaintiff. 

Defendants  are  Standard  Kenosha 
Theatre  Co. ;  L.  F.  Gran,  buyer- 
booker  for  Standard  Theatre  Manage- 
ment Co.,  which  controls  theatres  in 
Lake  Geneva  and  Delavan ;  20th-Fox, 
Warners,  RKO  Radio,  Columbia, 
Universal  and  Republic. 


Sells  Davidson  Theatre 

Charlotte,  April  12. — S.  T.  and  F 
C.  Stough  have  sold  their  Davidson 
Theatre,  Davidson,  N.  C,  to  a  new 
company  headed  by  T.  A.  Little  and 
Frank  H.  Beddingfield  of  B.  and  L 
Theatre  Corp.,  which  operates  in  the 
Carolinas,  Virginia  and  Georgia.  Ex 
tensive  remodeling  is  planned. 


settlement  agreement  explicitly 
provides  that  American  produc- 
tion here  shall  not  go  beyond 
the  limits  of  fair  competition 
or  in  any  other  way  harm  legi- 
timate British  interests. 

After  stating  that  a  film  bank  was 
'out,"  Wilson  expressed  in  vague 
terms  the  hope  that  the  government 
will  make  arrangements  presently  for 
proper  financial  aid  for  qualified  in- 
dependent producers  through  ortho- 
dox channels.  He  said  the  possibility 
of  government-owned  studios  is  still 
being  considered,  but  added  that  this 
would  be  possible  only  in  the  unde- 
fined future. 

Wilson  warned  against  "restric- 
tive practices"  by  either  management 
or  labor,  thereby  inferentially  telling 
the  industry's  trade  unions  to  drop 
present  wage  demands  and  the  union 
leaders  to  cease  tyrannical  practices. 

He  maintained  that  the  present  dis- 
location and  unemployment  in  the 
industry  here  is  solely  a  hangover 
from  the  period  of  the  ad  valorem 
tax  and  said  these  conditions  will 
be  removed  without  the  necessity  for 
requisitioning  studios  when  the  tax 
agreement  is  implemented.  Wilson 
told  the  ACT  delegates  that  the  gov- 
ernment contemplates  increasing  the 
film  quota  annually  during  the  stat- 
ute's 10-year  period. 


Filmack  Files  in  Albany 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  12. — Filmack 
Corp.  of  Chicago  has  recorded  a  cer 
tificate  with  the  office  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  State  reporting  establishment 
of  a  New  York  office  for  the  conduct 
of  a  screen  trailer  and  advertising 
business.  Irving  Mack  is  president  of 
the  company,  which  has  authorized 
capital  of  $122,000. 


$120,000  from  Salvador 

Washington,  April  12. — U.  S.  dis- 
tributors can  expect  about  $120,000 
from  their  films  in  El  Salvador  in 
1948,  the  Commerce  Department  esti- 
mates. About  $160,000  has  been  set 
aside  by  the  government  for  all  film 
rentals,  and  U.  S.  films  account  for 
75  per  cent  of  film  imports. 


Palmer  Cushing,  68 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  here 
tomorrow  for  Palmer  Cushing,  68, 
who  was  formerly  with  United  Artists 
for  14  years  as  treasurer  in  Paris.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  here  yesterday, 
he  was  associated  with  an  advertising 
agency.  The  widow,  Mrs.  Olive  Perry 
Cushing,  survives. 


Services  Today  for  Reid 

A.  Gordon  Reid,  associated  with 
Fabian  Theatres  for  30  years,  died  at 
Newark  on  Friday,  after  a  short  ill- 
ness. Funeral  services  will  be  held 
this  morning  from  the  Smith  and 
Smith  Funeral  Home,  Newark. 


Thomas  McGuiness,  67 

Thomas  McGuiness,  67,  of  the 
Capitol  Theatre  staff,  here,  died  of  a 
heart  attack  at  the  Hotel  Markwell, 
New  York,  yesterday  morning.  Funer- 
al will  be  held  at  Joliet,  111. 


VlGGtST  SUNDAY  SINCE 
BROADWAYS  PALACE. NX... 


ANT) 

BIGGEST  BUSINESS  IN  MONTHS  AT 
GRAND,  CHICAGO... 


A  NO 

SENSATIONAL  AT  THE  RIALTO, 


*SlNHAD"AT 


First  three  openings  click  to  Top  Tarzan 
Business  across  the  board  ...  as  Dave 
Edwards,  Genl.  Mgr.  of  Joseph  Lawrence 
Theatres  keys  exhibitor  comment:  "Finest 
Tarzan  we  have  been  privileged  to  play! 
Excellent  opening  and  audience  reaction! 


6 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  13,  1948 


Key  City 

Grosses 


E1  OLLOWING  arc  estimated  pic- 
■»  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 

ATLANTA 


Business  in  local  theatres  is  much 
better  than  in  the  past  few  months. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing April  14 : 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  —  PARA- 
MOUNT (2.446)  (12c-S0c).  Gross:  $8,300. 
(Average:  $8,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOth-Fox) — FOX  (2,- 
446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average: 
$14,000) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 

Radio)— ROXY  (2,446)  (12c-50c)  holdover 
from  the  Fox.  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average: 
$5,800) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)-LOEW'S  GRAND 
(2,446)  (14c-55c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $14,000) 


CINCINNATI 

"Relentless"  is  giving  the  RKO 
Grand  a  nice  gross,  but  returns  other- 
wise are  spotty.  Weekend  weather 
was  cool.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  April  IS: 
APRIL  SHOWERS   (WB)  —  RKO  LYRIC 


TWA 

Const e Ha  tions 
set  new  winter 
performance 
record 

On  its  coast-to-coast  and  New 
York-Chicago  routes,  TWA's 
Constellations  flew  4,377,000 
miles,  carried  117,000  passen- 
gers— completed  97%  of  sched- 
uled mileage  during  one  of 
worst  winters  in  history! 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


(1,400)   (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-70c-75c)  7  days,  2nd 

week,    on    a    moveover    from    the  Palace. 

Gross:  $5,500.     (Average:  $5,000) 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— RKO  PALACE 

(2,700)      (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)     7  days. 

Gross:  $14,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO  CAPITOL  (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c- 

75c)  7  days.    2nd  week,  on  a  moveover  from 

the  Albee.    Gross:  $9,500.     (Average:  $10,- 

000) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  -  KEITH'S  (1,500) 
(50c-55c-6Oc-65c-75c)  7  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $7,500) 
RELENTLESS  (Col.)  —  RKO  GRAND 
(1,500)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-70c-75c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $10,500.  (Average:  $8,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (2»th-Fox)  —  RKO 
SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-75c)  7 
days,  3rd  week,  following  an  initial  week 
at  the  Palace  and  a  first  moveover  week 
t  the  Shubert.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average: 
$5,  COO) 

TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)  —  RKO  ALBEE 
(3,300)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c-)  7  days. 
Gross:  $10,000.     (Average:  $15,000) 


BALTIMORE 


New  attractions,  which  are  in  the 
minority,  are  doing  big  business. 
Holdovers,  apparently  having  stayed 
too  long,  seem  to  have  worn  out.  "The 
Sign  of  the  Ram,"  aided  by  a  stage 
show,  is  doing  capacity.  "To  the  Vic- 
tor" also  is  a  major  draw.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  April  15 : 

GENTLEMAN'S      AGREEMENT  (ZOth- 
Fox)  —  NEW    (1,800)     (29c-40c-50c-56)  3rd 
week.    Gross:  $9,500.    (Average:  $11,750) 
I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

TOWN     (1,450)     (29c-37c-56c)     3rd  week. 
Gross:  $10,000.    (Average:  $11,000) 
MAYERLING  (Lopert  Films  re-release)— 

LITTLE  (328)  (29c -37c -56c).  Gross:  $2,900. 
(Average:  $3,000) 

MR.  RECKLESS  (Para.)  and  BILL  AND 
COO   (Rep.)  —  MAYFAIR   (1,000)  (21c-29c- 
54c).    Gross:  $6,000.    (Average:  $5,000) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  —  CENTURY  (3,000) 
(29c-37c-45c-54c  and  56e  weekends)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $14,750.    (Average:  $14,500) 
SUTTER'S  GOLD   (Eagle  Lion  reissue)— 
VALENCIA  (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c  and  56c 
weekends).   Gross:  $5,500.    (Average:  $5,000) 
THE  SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)— HIPPO 
DROME    (2,205)    (29c-37c-50c-58c)    With  a 
stage    show.      Gross:    $19,750.  (Average: 
$17,000) 

TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)  -  STANLEY 
(3,280)  (29c-37c-50c-58c).  Gross:  $16,750. 
(Average:  $14,500) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)  —  KEITH'S 
(2.400)  (1st  time  at  legular  prices  of  25c- 
37c-44c-54c  and  56c  weekends)  3rd  week. 
Gross:  $9,500.    (Average:  $12,000) 


N.  Y.  Grosses 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


$32,000  in  its  first  week  at  the  Warner. 

A  good  $65,000  is  expected  for  the 
second  week  of  "Saigon,"  with  Buddy 
Rich's  band  on  stage,  at  the  Para- 
mount. "All  My  Sons"  is  firm  at  the 
Criterion  where  a  $30,000  week  is  in 
store.  At  the  Victoria  "The  Search" 
is  doing  well  in  its  third  week,  at 
around  $21,000.  "Mr.  Blandings 
Builds  His  Dream  House"  is  due  to 
bring  the  Astor  a  good  $30,000  in  a 
third  week. 

Doing  satisfactorily  in  final  stanzas 
are  "Sitting  Pretty,"  with  Art 
Mooney's  band  on  stage,  at  the  Roxy, 
where  a  fifth  week  looks  like  $70,000, 
and  "B.  F.'s  Daughter"  at  Loew's 
State  where  a  third  week  is  expected 
to  bring  in  $18,000.  _  "Scudda-Hoo, 
Scudda-Hay !"  moves  into  the  Roxy 
tomorrow,  and  "Here  Comes  Trouble" 
takes  over  at  the  State. 

"April  Showers,"  together  with 
Claude  Thornhill's  band  on  stage,  is 
fairly  firm  at  the  Strand  where  a  $36,- 
000  third  week  is  expected;  "To  the 
Victor"  will  bow  in  there  on  Friday. 
"Gentleman's  Agreement"  on  the  way 
to  $20,000  for  a  22nd  week  at  the  May- 
fair  is  still  good,  and  so  is  "The  Pearl" 
at  the  Sutton  where  an  eighth  week 
brought  in  $5,100.  Also  satisfactory 
is  "The  Smugglers,"  with  a  third 
week  at  the  Rialto  expected  to  bring 
$7,000. 

The  following  are  doing  poorly : 
"Close-Up,"  Globe,  second  week,  $12,- 
000;  "Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  Rivoli, 
fourth  week,  $15,400 ;  "The  Farmer's 
Daughter"  (revival),  Palace,  first 
week,  $10,000 ;  "Man  of  Evil,"  Winter 
Garden,  third  and  final  week,  $7,500. 
"Are  You  With  It"  will  move  into  the 
Winter  Garden  on  Thursday.  "Arch 
of  Triumph"  will  bow  in  at  the  Globe 
on  Monday. 


28  Filming,  Against 
SO  in  Previous  Week 

Hollywood,  April  12. — Production 
index  has  dipped  to  28,  compared  to 
30  last  week. 

Shooting  started  on  "A  Joe  Named 
Palooka,"  "Arizona  Sunset,"  Mono- 
gram ;  "Sorrowful  Jones,"  Paramount ; 
"All's  Well  that  Ends  Well"  (Bene- 
dict Bogeaus)  United  Artists.  Shoot- 
ing finished  on  "Julia  Misbehaves," 
M-G-M ;  "Partners  of  the  Sunset," 
"Michael  O'Halloran,"  "S/L/'jler's 
Cove,"  Monogram ;  "Isn't  IU^Tman- 
tic,"  Paramount;  "One  Sunday  After- 
noon," Warner.  "x 


Claims  'Outlaw'  Records 

Chicago,  April  12. — Subsequent-run 
showings  of  "The  Outlaw,"  now  play- 
ing day  and  date  in  a  number  of 
neighborhood  theatres,  are  breaking 
records  in  the  majority  of  houses,  it 
was  reported  here  today  by  United 
Artists.  This  is  the  first  showing  of 
the  film  in  outlying  theatres  since  its 
second  Loop  run  several  months  asro. 


TORONTO 


Holdovers  continued  to  be  the  rule 
among  first-runs,  seven  of  the  nine 
theatres  on  the  list  having  retained 
their  films  for  the  week.    The  weather 
helped  somewhat  by  turning  a  little 
cooler.     Estimated   receipts   for  the 
week  ending  April  15  : 
THE  BARBER  OF  SEVILLE  (Alliance)— 
FAIRLAWN   (1,195)    (20c-30c-40c-50c-55c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $6,000.     (Average:  $5,000)  . 
THE   BISHOP'S    WIFE    (RKO    Radio)  — 
IMPERIAL    (3,343)    (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $17,600.    (Average:  $14,600) 
NAKED  CITY    (U-I)  —  UPTOWN  (2,761) 
(20c -36c -48c -66c -90c)     6    days,     3rd  week. 
Gross:  $10,100.    (Average:  $11,600) 
SITTING    PRETTY     (Zftth  -  Fox)  -  NOR 
TOWN   (950)   (20c-36c-42c-60c)   6  days,  4th 
week.    Gross:  $5,000.    (Average:  $7,000) 
SITTING     PRETTY     (20th  -  Fox)  —  VIC- 
TORIA (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  4th 
week.    Gross:  $5,300.    (Average:  $6,300) 
THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS  (M-G-M) 
—(LOEW'S    (2,074)    (20c-36c-4Sc-66c-78c)  6 
days,  3rd  week.    Gross:  $13,200.  (Average: 
$14,200) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)-SHEA'S  (2,480) 
I20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)     6    days,     3rd  week. 
Gross:  $13,900.     (Average:  $14,900) 
WHERE   THERE'S   LIFE    (Para.)  —  EG- 

LINTON  (1,086)  (2Oc-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6 
days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $7,400.  (Average: 
$7,400) 

WHERE  THERE'S  LIFE  (Para.)  -TI VOLI 
(1,434).  (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6  days,  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $9,200.  (Average:  $9,200) 


Remodel  Chicago  House 

Chicago,  April  12. — Jones,  Linick 
and  Schaeffer's  LaSalle  Theatre  in  the 
Loop  has  closed  for  remodeling.  A 
chief  outlet  here  for  reissues,  it  will 
remain  dark  for  four  or  five  months. 


Schary  Gets  Award 

Dore  Schary's  contributions  to  films 
as  executive  vice-president  in  charge 
of  RKO  Radio  production,  brought 
him  the  Thomas  Jefferson  Prize  for 
the  advancement  of  democracy  by  the 
Council  Against  Intolerance  in  Amer- 
ica, at  annual  award  ceremonies  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  here  last  Sunday. 


Small  Committed  to  14 

Edward  Small  has  three  pictures 
for  Columbia  release,  two  on  the 
Eagle-Lion  slate,  three  on  United 
Artists'  schedule,  and  a  Small  subsid- 
iary, Reliance  Pictures,  is  turning  out 
six  program  features  for  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox. 


LOU 


LAUGH  HIT  FROM 
EAGLE  LION  FILMS 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


VOJ_4L   NO.  72 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  14,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Grosses  Firm 
At  lst-Runs 
In  Key  Cities 

$15,202  Weekly  Average 
For  168  U.S.  Situations 


Theatre  grosses  remained  firm 
last  month  despite  inclement  weath- 
er in  many  sections,  according  to 
reports  on  some  168  key  situations 
received  from  Motion  Picture  Daily 
field  correspondents.  Business  boomed 
during  Easter  holiday  week. 

Weekly  average  gross  per 
theatre  in  March  was  $15,202,  a 
slight  rise  over  the  previous 
month's  $15,010.  Average  for 
March,  1947,  however,  was 
$16,587. 

Appearing  most  often  as  the  box- 
office  leader  in  reports  for  last  month 
was  "The  Bishop's  Wife,"  followed 
closely  by  the  Academy  Award  win- 
ning  "Gentleman's  Agreement." 
"Call    Northside    777"    and  "Three 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Bernhard  Is  Named 
Cinecolor  President 


Hollywood,  April  13. — Cinecolor 
president  William  T.  Crespinel  has  re- 
signed, effective  May  15,  for  semi- 
retirement,  although  remaining  as  a 
board  member.  Film  Classics  president 
Joseph  Bernhard  will  succeed  Cres- 
pinel in  the  Cinecolor  presidency. 

Crespinel,  who  established  the  com- 
pany in  1932,  first  indicated  a  wish  to 
retire  one  year  ago  on  the  40th  anni- 
versary of  his  entrance  into  the  color 
field. 

Film  Classics  and  Cinecolor  are 
affiliated. 


Variety  Clubs  'In  Pink' 
Of  Financial  Condition 


By  RED  KANN 

Miami  Beach,  April  13. — Variety 
Clubs  International  are  in  the  "finest 
condition"  in  their  history  and  on  Jan. 
1  had  not  a  single  delinquent  among 
its  33  widely-flung  tents.  This  was 
the  highlight  of  the  year's  review  sub- 
mitted at  the  first  open  business  ses- 
sion of  the  annual  convention  at  the 
Roney  Plaza  today  by  William  Mc- 
Craw,  executive  director. 

Marc  Wolf,  who  handles  financial 
matters,  backed  up  McCraw  by  plac- 
ing total  assets  at  $124,207  and  obliga- 
tions at  zero.  Assets  include  $51,500  in 
Government  bonds  held  in  the  "Vari- 
ety Girl"  account  as  part  of  the  bene- 
fits accruing  to  the  organization  un- 
der its  deal  with  Paramount,  and  an 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


'Work  Right'  Law 
Is  Needed:  DeMille 


Eyssell  Is  Host 
To  J.  Arthur  Rank 

J.  Arthur  Rank  was  honor  guest  at 
a  luncheon  given  by  G.  S.  Eyssell, 
president  and  managing  director  of 
Radio  City  Music  Hall,  in  the  the- 
atre's studio  apartment,  here,  yester- 
day. 

Others  present  included  Hugh  S. 
Robertson,  Barton  .  P.  Turnbull, 
Thomas  P.  Debevoise,  Vanderbilt 
Webb  and  Frank  Corcoran  of  Rocke- 
feller Center,  Inc. ;  Nate  J.  Blumberg, 
J.  Cheever  Cowdin,  Matthew  Fox, 
John  J.  O'Connor  and  Joseph  Seidel- 
man  of  Universal-International ;  Rob- 
ert Benjamin  and  Jock  Lawrence  of 
the  J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization,  and 
Russell  V.  Downing  of  the  Music 
Hall. 


Cecil  B.  DeMille,  scheduled  to  tes- 
tify on  "the  right  to  work"  before  the 
House  Labor  Committee  in  Washing- 
ton on  May  11,  declared  here  yester- 
day that  under  the  American  form  of 
government,  an  individual's  right  to 
work  is  his  own  and  does  not  belong 
to  private  groups.  No  worker,  he 
maintained,  should  have  to  pay  a  union 
for  "the  right  to  work." 

DeMille,  who  is  visiting  from  the 
Coast,  said  he  will  endeavor  to  per- 
suade the  House  that  there  is  need  for 
legislation  to  guarantee  the  right  to 
work,  just  as  there  is  need  for  legis- 
lation to  guarantee  the  right  to  strike. 
Control  of  unions  over  workers,  he 
held,  is  a  matter  that  needs  to  be 
"straightened  out"  by  Congress. 

Pending  before  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court  is  DeMille's  appeal  for  a  re- 
versal of  a  lower  court  decision  up- 
holding the  American  Federation  of 
Radio  Artists'  right  to  expel  him  for 
failure  to  pay  a  $1  assessment. 

DeMille  said  he  believes  there  is 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Lawson  Appeal  for 
New  Judge  Denied 

Washington,  April  13. — Counsel 
for  screen  writer  John  Howard  Law- 
son  failed  again  today  in  an  attempt 
to  obtain  a  new  judge  for  his  trial  on 
charges  of  contempt  of  Congress. 

The  U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals  ruled 
unanimously  against  a  petition  to  dis- 
qualify Justice  Edward  M.  Curran  on 
grounds  of  bias  and  prejudice.  De- 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Connors  Into  Ad 
Film  Distribution 


Miami  Beach,  April  13. — Tom 
Connors  has  entered  national  distribu- 
tion of  advertising  reels  and  already 
is  closing  deals  with  theatremen  at  the 
rate  of  $8.50  to  $10  per  1,000  paid 
admissions  on  "New  Tobacco  Land," 
one-reeler  in  color  produced  by  Louis 
De  Rochemont. 

The  film  traces  the  planting  of  to- 
bacco leaf  through  various  stages  end- 
ing with  its  packaging.  It  carries  no 
sponsorship  but  is  understood  to  show 
the  cigarettes  finally  packed  to  be 
Chesterfields. 

Connors  is  endeavoring  to  develop 
a  program  of  six  or  seven  shorts  an- 
nually, covering  various  industries, 
and  is  prepared  to  pay  exhibitors  on 
the  basis  of  guaranteed  screen  circu- 
lation. He  will  show  his  first  subject 
to  Variety  Club  members  here  Thurs- 
day and  hopes  to  interest  a  number  of 
exhibitor  members  of  Variety  Interna- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


20th  Plans  Broad 
UK  Reorganization 

London,  April  13. — Spyros  P. 
Skouras,  20th  Century-Fox  president, 
will  fly  back  to  New  York  on  Satur- 
day, and  is  due  to  return  here  in 
three  weeks  when  what  are  described 
as  far-reaching  decisions  will  be  made 
in  connection  with  20th-Fox  reorgani- 
zation and  production  plans  here. 

Both  Skouras  and  20th-Fox  Inter- 
national president  Murray  Silver- 
stone,  will  depart.for  Paris  tomorrow. 
The  latter  will  return  here  for  a  fur- 
ther review  of  the  company's  British 
set-up. 

The  two  have  applied  for  a  govern- 
ment license  to  rebuild  the  Wembley 
Studio,  damaged  by  bombs  during  the 
war. 


20%  Tax  Hurts 
Industry  and 
Public:  Colmer 


Congressman  Points  to 
Decline  in  Attendance 


Washington,  'April  13. — Rep. 
William  M.  Colmer  (D.,  Miss.) 
warned  the  House  today  that  the 
high  20  per  cent  admission  tax  is 
not  only  hurting  the  taxpayer  but  "is 
in  a  position  to  destroy  the  industry 
furnishing  the  amusement." 

Local  theatres  have  shown  a 
steady  decline  in  attendance, 
Colmer  said,  and  it  is  conceded 
by  most  people  who  have 
studied  the  situation  that  many 
of  modest  means  stay  away  from 
the  movies  because  they  simply 
cannot  bear  the  extra  cost  of 
the  tax." 

Colmer  is  one  of  many  Congress- 
men who  have  introduced  bills  to  re- 
turn the  tax  to  the  pre-war  10  per 
cent.  Action  by  the  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  to  do  this,  however,  is 
considered  most  unlikely. 

The  Mississippi  Democrat  said  that 
by  comparison  with  other  excises,  the 
rate  of  the  admission  tax  is  "extreme- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Charges  U.  K.  Film 
Critics  Are  'Bribed' 


London,  April  13. — The  Critics 
Circle  here  has  demanded  a  full  in- 
vestigation of  charges  that  bribes  from 
producers  have  been  accepted  by  cer- 
tain film  critics  on  national  news- 
papers. The  charges  were  made  by 
R.  J.  Minney,  former  newspaper  man, 
now  a  producer  who  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  Maurice  Ostrer,  before  the 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


MGM  to  Extend  Its 
Sliding- Scale  Plan 

M-G-M  sales  policy  will  call  for 
more  intensive  and  extended  use  of 
the  company's  sliding-scale  plan,  Wil- 
liam F.  Rodgers,  Loew's  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  sales  manager,  said 
here  yesterdav. 

The  decision  was  based  on  a  broad 
study  of  customer  relations  recently 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


MGM  To  Distribute 
Roach  Streamliners 

M-G-M  has  concluded  a  deal  for 
distribution  of  six  Hal  Roach  stream- 
liners during  the  next  year,  William 
F.  Rodgers,  Loew  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager,  announced 
here  yesterday.  Four  of  the  six  will 
be  in  color  and  the  first,  "The  Little 
Circus,"  will  be  released  in  October. 

The  streamliners  will  fill  a  program 
need  occasioned  by  the  increasing 
number  of  features  of  more  than  aver- 
age length,  Rodgers  believes.  Book- 
ings of  streamliners  with  such  fea- 
tures proved  successful  on  the  Loew 
circuit,  it  was  stated. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  14,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

ERIC  JOHNSTON,  MPAA  pres- 
ident, who  was  in  Chicago  yes- 
terday for  a  United  Airlines  board 
meeting,  is  due  back  in  Washington 
today  after  a  stay  on  the  Coast.  Also 
returning  to  Washington  today  from 
the  Coast  are  Ken  Clark,  Dave 
Palfreyman  and  Jerry  Cahill.  Ed- 
ward T.  Cheyfitz  returned  to  the 
Capital  yesterday. 

• 

Jules  Weill,  Masterpiece  Produc- 
tions head,  returned  here  yesterday 
from  the  Coast.  He  will  leave  for 
Charlotte  today  to  attend  franchise 
holders'  meetings. 

• 

Edward  L.  Hyman,  Paramount 
Theatres  Service  vice-president,  and 
Joseph  J.  Deitch,  Paramount  The- 
atres executive,  will  leave  New  York 
today  on  a  Western  business  trip. 
• 

George  Weltner,  Paramount  In- 
ternational president,  and  A.  L. 
Pratchett,  Latin  America  division 
manager,  are  due  back  in  New  York 
today  from  South  America. 

• 

Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  Loew 
president,  and  Joseph  M.  Schenck, 
20th  Century-Fox  executive  producer, 
are  due  back  in  New  York  Friday 
from  Miami  Beach. 

• 

Arthur  Jeffrey,  Eagle-Lion  ex- 
ploitation chief,  is  in  Chicago  from 
New  York  conferring  with  William 
Hollander,  Balaban  and  Katz  adver- 
tising head. 

• 

Ed  Hinchy,  Warner  home  office 
playdate  department  head,  is  due  back 
in  New  York  tomorrow  from  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y. 

• 

Robert    D.    Turnbull,  National 
Theatre   Supply   salesman   in  Char- 
lotte, will  be  married  there  Saturday 
to  Dorothy  Elizabeth  Berry. 
• 

Manny  Reiner,  SRO  Latin 
American  managing  director,  will 
leave  here  today  for  Havana. 

• 

Irving  Drutman,  foreign-films 
publicist  here,  will  fly  to  France  to- 
morrow. 

• 

Mrs.  Samuel  Goldwyn  will  fly  to 
London  on  Friday  to  visit  Samuel 
Goldwyn,  Jr.,  a  producer  there. 
• 

Boris  Morros,  head  of  Federal 
Films,  will  leave  here  today  for  Eng- 
land. 

• 

Harold  Bock,  Western  television 
manager  for  NBC,  will  leave  Holly- 
wood on  Friday  for  New  York. 
• 

Fredric    and   Mrs.    March  will 
be  passengers  today  aboard  the 
Queen  Elizabeth,  bound  for  England. 
• 

Dore    Schary,    RKO  production 
vice-president,  was   in  Chicago  yes- 
terday en  route  to  Washington. 
• 

Si  Fabian  will  fly  to  Miami  to- 
day from  New  York. 


Temporary  End  to 
'Frisco's  Blackout 

San  Francisco,  April  13. — 
Power  curb  which  kept  all 
San  Francisco  theatre  upright 
signs  and  marquees  black, 
with  only  dim  lobby  lights  al- 
lowed, was  formally  ended 
last  night  insofar  as  electrical 
power  is  concerned.  However, 
suspension  of  the  curtailment 
is  only  temporary  and  restric- 
tions may  again  be  imposed 
on  June  1. 


N.  Y.  C.  Council  Gets 
Censorship  Measure 

Councilman  Edward  A.  Cunning- 
ham yesterday  introduced  in  the  City 
Council  his  bill  under  which  New 
York  License  Commissioner  Benja- 
min Fielding's  restrictive  powers  over 
films,  plays  and  all  advertising  per- 
taining to  them  would  be  extended. 
The  measure  was  referred  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  General  Welfare. 

Among  those  on  record  against  the 
bill  are  Fielding,  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  Association  of  New 
York  and  the  advertising  advisory 
committee  of  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation. 

Rank  and  Newsreels 
Confer  on  Olympics 

Representatives  of  the  five  Ameri- 
can newsreels  will  hold  another  meet- 
ing with  J.  Arthur  Rank  today  in  an 
attempt  to  ascertain  the  exact  con- 
ditions laid  down  by  the  British  film 
leader  for  the  coverage  of  the  Olympic 
Games  in  England  this  summer. 

The  newsreels  have  protested  a  deal 
between  Rank  and  the  British  Olym- 
pics Committee  purportedly  giving  him 
exclusive  rights  to  film  the  games, 
with  the  American  reels  being  re- 
quired to  buy  desired  footage  from 
him.  Rank  has  indicated  willingness  to 
make  concessions  if  circumstances 
warrant. 

Paramount  Acquires 
25,400  More  Shares 

Paramount  acquired  25,400  additional 
shares  of  its  own  common  stock  on  the 
open  market  last  month  to  bring  its 
holdings  to  501,633  shares.  Company 
began  its  stock-buying  program  in 
November,  1946  but  used  most  of  the 
initial  acquisitions  for  purchase  of 
Liberty  Films. 

4  of  6  WB  Films  in  Color 

Hollywood,  April  13. — Rising  em- 
phasis on  color  in  films  is  shown  by 
plans  under  way  throughout  the  in- 
dustry, Warners  reporting  four  of  its 
six  productions  rolling  in  Techni- 
color: "Adventures  of  Don  Juan," 
"One  Sunday  Afternoon,"  "Silver 
Lining,"  and  "My  Dream  Is  Yours." 


Delay  DST  Hearings 

Washington,  April  13. — Hearings 
on  a  bill  to  establish  nationwide  day- 
light saving  time,  originally  slated  for 
today,  have  been  postponed  to  April 
20.  Theatre  Owners  of  America  is 
slated  to  testify  in  opposition. 


First  FTC  Hearings 
On  Screen  Ads  Ends 

Chicago,  April  13.— First  of  a  series 
of  hearings  scheduled  by  the  Federal 
Trade  Commission  on  its  "unfair  com- 
petition" complaint  against  four  adver- 
tising film  companies  concluded  here 
today.  Witnesses  called  in  behalf  of 
FTC  Monday  and  Tuesday  were: 
Frank  Turner  of  Turner  Advertising 
Co.,  and  Frank  Gibbs,  General  Screen 
Advertising. 

The  complaint  is  based  on  grounds 
that  theatre  owners  are  not  privileged 
to  grant  exclusive  rights  to  one  com- 
pany for  theatre  screen  advertising. 

Companies  involved  are:  Ray-Bell 
Films,  Alexander  Film  Co.,  United 
Film  Ad  Service  and  Motion  Picture 
Advertising  Service.  Next  hearings 
will  be  held  in  Minneapolis,  April  15; 
Des  Moines,  April  19;  Omaha,  April 
21 ;  Tulsa,  April  23 ;  Houston,  April 
26;  New  Orleans,  April  28. 


Tom  Connors 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tional  on  a  basis  which  will  strengthen 
the  club  treasury  from  the  local  level 
up  the  line. 


Louis  De  Rochemont  is  understood 
to  have  produced  "New  Tobacco 
Land"  on  order  from  Liggett  and 
Myers,  manufacturers  of  Chesterfields. 
The  film  carries  his  name  as  pro- 
ducer and  at  no  point  mentions  L.  and 
M.  Connors'  first  large-scale  deal  is 
with  Fox  West  Coast  Theatres. 

Connors  recently  incorporated  in 
New  York  as  Tom  Connors  Asso- 
ciates. It  is  reported  he  will  open 
offices  in  the  Hotel  Astor  here  pend- 
ing availability  of  a  permanent  site. 

Levy  Will  Address 
Carolina  Meeting 

Charlotte,  April  13. — The  summer 
meeting  of  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
North  and  South  Carolina  will  be  held 
at  Myrtle  Beach  on  June  20-22,  Mrs. 
Pauline  Griffith,  secretary  of  the  as- 
sociation, has  announced.  All  sessions 
will  be  held  in  the  Ocean  Forest  Ho- 
tel. The  program,  not  yet  completed, 
will  include  Herman  Levy,  general 
counsel  for  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
America,  as  speaker. 


Realart  Board  Meeting 

Realart  board  members  are  in  town 
today  for  a  series  of  meetings,  among 
them :  Paul  Broder,  Broder  Circuit, 
Detroit;  his  brother  Jack,  circuit  own- 
er from  California;  Irving  Kipnis, 
from  Miami,  and  Joseph  Harris, 
chairman,  Budd  Rogers  and  Norman 
Eisenstein. 


Drive-in  to  Wehrenberg 

St.  Louis,  April  13. — Purchase  of 
the  Flexer  Drive-in's  66  Park-In  The- 
atre by  Fred  Wehrenberg  was  an- 
nounced here.  Wehrenberg  and  the 
Wehrenberg-Kaimann  interests  have 
three  drive-ins  operating  or  building 
in  suburban  St.  Louis. 


MPEA  Branch  Closing 

London,  April  13. — Motion  Picture 
Export  Association  will  dissolve  its 
branch  in  Holland  in  September, 
according  to  reports  received  here 
from  Amsterdam. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  end  of  the  coal  strike  at 
home  and  U.  S.  troops  march- 
ing in  Trieste  are  among  neivsreel 
highlights.  Varied  other  events  at 
home  and  abroad  are  reviewed.  Com- 
plete contents  follow. 

MOVIETONE     NEWS,     No.     30— New 

York  Army  Day  parade.  Trieste:  5,000 
American  "G.I.'s"  on  parade.  ./"Milan: 
Communists  stage  anti-governme^L.-'-opa- 
ganda  parade.  Child  musical .^digy. 
Fashions:  eye-filling  bathing  suits  and 
novel  eye  glasses.  Georgia  golf  tourna- 
ment. Florida:  All- American  girl  baseball 
league.  Washington:  Outboard  motor 
racing. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  Z64-Lewis 
ends  coal  strike.  U.  S.  Army  marches  in 
Trieste.  Musical  genius.  Baseball.  Navy 
kids  slug  it  out. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  67— Hockey 
champions.  Lewis  ends  coal  strike.  Four- 
year-old  musical  child  wonder.  Italy's 
hour  of  decision. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  134-Dramatic 
end  to  coal  strike.  U.  S.  troops  march  in 
Trieste.  New  York  Italians  parade  in 
Red  protest.  Navy  balloon  rises  20  miles 
in  stratosphere  test.  Golf  tournament. 
Navy  juniors  in  boxing  bout.  Outboard 
in  world's  "crookedest"  race. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  69— Coal 
strike  settled.  U.  S.  shows  might  in 
Trieste.  Girl  baseball  stars  in  training. 
Young  set  studies  magic.  AAU  boxing 
championship. 

To  Honor  Weitman, 
Glixon,  Balaban 

Entertainment  leaders  and  New 
York  and  B'nai  B'rith  officials  will 
occupy  the  dais  when  Cinema  Lodge 
pays  tribute  to  retiring  president  Rob- 
ert M.  Weitman  and  welcomes  incom- 
ing president  S.  Arthur  Glixon  at  a 
dinner  at  the  Hotel  Astor  here  this 
evening. 

Barney  Balaban  will  be  given  a  me- 
dallion and  a  life  membership. 


Now 
at  your  service! 

FIVE  STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  45  minutes 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices :  Airlines  Terminal  •  Rockefeller 
Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker  •  120  Broadway 
Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  14,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CHICAGO 

Neighborhood  theatres  are  proving 
highly  competitive  to  Loop  houses, 
since  the  advent  of  the  Jackson  Park 
decree.  Most  downtown  business  is 
off  considerably,  with  only  three  new 
films  playing  to  drab  attendance.  Es- 
timated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  15: 

AN    IDEAL    HUSBAND     (20th  -  Fox)  — 

UNITED  ARTISTS  (1,700)   (98c).  Gross: 
$16,000.     (Average:  $23,500) 
CASS  TIMBERLANE  (M-G-M)— WOODS 
(1,080)  (98c)  Sth  week.   Gross:  $23,000.  (Av- 
erage: $23,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio) — PALACE 
(2,500)  (67c-98c)  6  days;  A  DOUBLE  LIFE 

(U-I)  1  day.  Gross:  $30,000.  (Average: 
$22,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (ZOth-Fbx) 

— APOLLO    (1,200)    (98c-$1.25)    23rd  week. 

Gross:  $11,000.     (Average:  $17,000) 

MAN    OF   EVIL   (United  Artists)-GAR- 

RICK     (1,000)     (44c-60c-80c-85c).  Gross: 

$8,500.     (Average:  $10,000) 

SAIGON    (Para.)— CHICAGO   (3,900)  (98c) 

2nd  week.    Gross:  $30,000.    (Average:  $40,- 

000) 

SONG  OF  LOVE  (M-G-M)  —  MONROE 
(953)  (67c-95c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $13,500. 
(Average:  $13,000) 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD 

(Warners)  —  ROOSEVELT  (1,500)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $20,000) 
THE  FARMER'S  DAUGHTER  (RKO 
Radio)— GRAND  (1,150)  (67c-98c)  6  days, 
2nd  week.  DESIGN  FOR  DEATH  (RKO 
Radio)  1  day.  Gross:  $16,000.  (Average: 
$16,000) 

THE  MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)— ORI- 
ENTAL (3,300)  (98c)  Oin  stage:  Bonnie 
Baker.  Gross:  $41,000.  (Average:  $45,000) 
THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (Eagle  Lion) 

—STATE  LAKE  (98c)  2nd  week.  On 
stage:  Skitch  Henderson.  Gross:  $30,000. 
(Average:  $35,000) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


Business  at  first-run  theatres  is 
spotty.  "April  Showers"  is  leading, 
at  the  Circle.  Most  others  are  run- 
ning below  average.  Business  was 
handicapped  by  rain.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  13-14  : 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  DEVIL'S 
CARGO  (FC)-CIRCLE  (2,800)  (44c-65c)  7 
days.  Gross:  $13,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
BELLE  STARR  (20th-Fox)  and  FRON- 
TIER MARSHALL  (ZOth-Fox)  (Reissues)— 
KEITH'S  (1,300)  (44c-65c)  8  days.  Gross: 
$5,400.  (Average:  $4,500) 
CALL  NORTHSIDE  777  (2ftth-Fox)  and 
CAMPUS  HONEYMOON  (Rep.)— LYRIC 
(1,600)  (44c-65c)  6  days.  Gross:  $5,500. 
(Average:  $6,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th-Fox) 

—INDIANA  (3,200)  (44c-65c)  7  days,  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $9,500.  (Average:  $12,000) 
HIGH  WALL  (M-G-M)  and  CAPTAINS 
COURAGEOUS      (M-G-M)       (Reissue)  — 

LOEWS  (2,450)  (44c-65c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$10,000.     (Average:  $11,000) 


BUFFALO 


Leader  here  was  "The  Bride  Goes 
Wild,"  at  the  Buffalo.  Weekend  busi- 
ness was  off  because  of  damp,  rainy 
weather.  "Naked  City"  held  up  in  a 
second  week  at  the  Lafayette.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  17: 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  MURDER 
IN  REVERSE  (BritUh)-TECK  (1,500) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days,  2nd-  week  on  a 
moveover.  Gross:  $4,900.  (Average:  $5,- 
500) 

BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)  and  CAMPUS 
HONEYMOON    (Rep.)  —  HIPPODROME 

(2,100)  (40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week 
on  a  moveover.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average: 
$10,000) 


Grosses  Firm  At  lst-Runs 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Daring  Daughters"  were  tied  for 
third  place. 

Weekly  leaders  in  a  substantial 
number  of  situations  were :  "A  Dou- 
ble Life,"  "Saigon,"  "To  the  Ends  of 
the  Earth,"  "Furia,"  "The  Naked 
City,"  "Voice  of  the  Turtle"  and  "The 
Treasure  of  the  Sierra  Madre." 
"Robin  Hood"  led  the  reissues. 

Others  turning  in  better-than-aver- 
age  grosses  in  a  number  of  situations 


were:  "Cass  Timberlane,"  "Shoe 
Shine,"  "Albuquerque,"  "If  You 
Knew  Susie,"  "I  Walk  Alone,"  "Un- 
conquered,"  "I  Remember  Mama," 
"Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  "Fort  Apache," 
"This  Time  for  Keeps,"  "Out  of  the 
Past,"  and  "The  Senator  Was  Indis- 
creet." 

Composite  key  city  box-office  re- 
ports for  1948  to  date,  compared  with 
corresponding  weeks  of  1947,  follow : 


1948 

Week 

Ending 

Jan.  2-3 


Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 


9-10    168 

16-17    168 

23-24    166 

30-31    166 

6-7    167 

13-14    166 

20-21    164 

27-28    167 

5-6    165 

12-13    165 

19-20    175 

26-27    162 


April  2-3    171 


No.  of  Total 

Theatres  Grossi 

..  179  $3,406,600 
3,112,700 
2,473,300 
2,419,000 
2,341,900 
2,537,800 
2,381,500 
2,316,500 
2,734,100 
2,372,700 
2,441,800 
2,626,800 
2,356,800 
2,953,500 


Average 

Per 
Theatre 

$19,031 
18,528 
14,722 
14,572 
14,108  ' 
15,196 
14,546 
14,125 
16,372 
14,380 
14,799 
15,010 
14,548 
17,272 


1947 

Week 

Endir.g 

Jan.  3-4 


No.  of  Total 


Average 
Per 


Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
April 


10-11 
17-18 
24-25 
3 -Feb. 
7-8  . 
14-15 
21-22 
28-Ma 
7-8  . 
14-15 
21-22 
28-29 
4-5 


r.  1.. 


Theatres  Gross 

Theatre 

167 

$3,678,100 

$22,024 

173 

3,363,200 

19,400 

..  173 

3,007,300 

17,383 

176 

3,043,700 

17,294 

.  181 

2,293,600 

18,197 

177 

3,089,600 

17,495 

177 

2,767,900 

15,638 

182 

3,042,700 

16,718 

.  166 

2,800,300 

16,869 

178 

2,906,400 

16,328 

174 

2,890,300 

16,610 

173 

2,922,900 

16,895 

178 

3,069,500 

17,245 

179 

2,838,800 

15,859 

Lawson  Trial 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


fense  attorneys  had  been  granted  a 
hearing  by  the  upper  court  earlier  in 
the  day. 

Pending  the  Appeals  Court  review, 
Justice  Curran  halted  trial  proceed- 
ings for  the  day  at  the  end  of  the 
morning  session.  The  second  day's 
proceedings  had  been  confined  entire- 
ly to  questioning  of  the  jury  panel  by 
both  sides.  Selection  of  the  jury  will 
continue  tomorrow. 

Meanwhile,  Robert  W.  Kenny, 
counsel  for  Lawson,  subpoenaed  all 
committee  documents  relative  to  mo- 
tion picture  industry  investigations 
since  1938.  House  approval  must  be 
obtained  for  surrender  of  the  docu- 
ments. 


MGM  to  Extend 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Charges  Critics 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Royal    Commission    on    the  Press. 

Minney,  naming  names  which  sub- 
sequently were  deleted  from  the  rec- 
ord, said  the  procedure  is  to  suggest 
to  a  pliable  critic  that  he  prepare  a 
preliminary  treatment  of  a  film.  The 
recognized  "bribe"  therefor,  Minney 
said,  is  $1,000. 

The  Critics  Circle,  demanding  open 
hearings,  has  brought  the  matter  up 
with  the  Producers  Association, 
Screenwriters  Association  and  the 
Film  Industry  Publicity  Circle. 


20%  Tax  Hurts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ly  high,"  and  that  it  bears  hard  on 
those  "whose  only  amusement  or  en- 
tertainment is  often  beyond  the  reach 
of  their  pocketbook  when  they  take 
the  wife  and  kids  to  a  movie  or  cir- 
cus." 


BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M)  and  13 
LEAD  SOLDIERS  (20th-Fox)— BUFFALO 
(3,489)  (40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$20,900.  (Average:  $18,000) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)  - 
TWENTIETH  CENTURY  (3,000)  (40c-50c- 
60c-70c)  7  days,  3rd  week.  Gross:  $11,400. 
(Average:  $15,000) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  and  PERILOUS 
WATERS  (Mono.)— LAFAYETTE  (3,000) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$15,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)  —  GREAT 
LAKES  (3,000)  (40c-50c-6Oc-70c)  7  days. 
Gross:   $14,000.     (Average:  $17,000) 


completed  in  the  field  by  a  group  of 
specially-trained  company  representa- 
tives. Rodgers  said  the  study  showed 
that  where  the  sliding-scale  was  in 
use  there  was  markedly  less  dissen- 
sion between  buyer  and  seller  than 
where  deals  were  made  in  the  conven- 
tional bargaining  manner. 

Sliding  Scale  Best:  Rodgers 

Rodgers  said  he  also  feels  that  the 
sliding  scale  plan  is  the  fairest  under 
all  conditions  experienced  and  because 
of  his  confidence  in  it  and  in  forth- 
coming M-G-M  product  he  regards 
it  as  the  best  policy  for  both  buyer 
and  seller.  He  said  he  has  no  con- 
cern about  pessimistic  talk  of  a  busi- 
ness recession  because  "big  pictures 
continue  to  do  big  business."  He 
cited  M-G-M's  experience  with 
"Green  Dolphin  Street,"  which  piled 
up  huge  grosses,  only  to  be  surpassed 
in  turn  by  "Cass  Timberlane." 

"The  sliding-scale,"  he  said,  "makes 
our  earnings  proportionate  only  to 
what  our  pictures  can  do  at  the  box- 
office.  With  our  forthcoming  product 
in  mind,  I  have  no  concern  over  talk 
of  a  business  recession."  Rodgers  said 
he  thinks  Metro's  new  pictures  will 
"electrify  the  industry — give  it  the 
shot-in-the-arm  it  needs." 

MGM  Training  Executives 

Speaking  at  a  luncheon  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  attended  by  trade  press 
representatives  and  company  officials, 
Rodgers  said  he  believes  "a  new  ap- 
proach" in  marketing  pictures  is  nec- 
essary. In  an  effort  to  prepare  for 
the  "new  approach,"  M-G-M  is  set- 
ting up  an  executive  training  course 
for  12  to  18  men  from  the  company's 
ranks  who  will  be  selected  annually. 
They  will  be  brought  to  New  York 
and  schooled  in  all  company  opera- 
tions. They  will  sit  in  on  conferences 
on  all  types  of  problems  with  execu- 
tives from  Nicholas  M.  Schenck, 
Loew  president,  on  down,  to  familiar- 
ize themselves  with  company  policy. 

Rodgers  also  described  public  rela- 
tions work  being  carried  on  by  the 
company,  particularly  in  the  field  of 
civic  organizations,  such  as  Rotary 
clubs,  which  are  being  addressed  by 
M-G-M  representatives. 


U-I,  Treasury  Bond 
Drive  Show  Tonight 

Stars  of  screen,  stage,  radio  and 
night  clubs  will  participate  in  the  all- 
star  show  headed  by  Donald  O'Connor 
preceding  the  premiere  of  Universal- 
International's  "Are  You  With  It?" 
at  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre,  here, 
tonight,  and  which  will  serve  as  the 
"kick-off"  of  the  U.  S.  Treasury's 
Security  Loan  Drive  in  New  York. 

The  drive  will  run  from  April  15 
to  June  30.  Admission  to  j¥y  pre- 
miere will  be  by  the  purchas^v3fj  Sav- 
ings Bonds  only.  New  YorK  -televi- 
sion station  WABD  of  the  DuMont 
network  will  telecast  the  show. 


Discuss  Films'  Plan 
At  Youth  Parley 

Kansas  City,  April  13. — The  panel 
on  public  interpretation,  one  of  several 
panels  of  the  annual  Youth  Confer- 
ence here,  took  up  motion  pictures 
yesterday.  Senn  Lawler,  regional  di- 
rector for  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
America's  "Youth  Month"  committee 
headed  by  Charles  P.  Skouras,  de- 
scribed the  industry's  program'  in  sup- 
port of  youth  movements.  All  panels 
will  report  at  a  general  meeting  on 
April  28. 


Lesser,  Corwin  Buy 
Blumenf eld's  Two 

Hollywood,  April  13. — Sol  Lesser, 
and  exhibitor  Sherrill  Corwin  have 
purchased  Joe  Blumenfeld's  interest  in 
the  Hollywood  and  Downtown  Music 
Hall  theatres,  indicating  the  latter's 
withdrawal  from  the  Los  Angeles  ex- 
hibition field  which  he  entered  three 
years  ago. 


Variety  Clubs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


additional  $33,000  in  bonds  deposited 
in  Indianapolis. 

The  convention  ruled  out  branch  or 
subsidiary  tents  with  the  exception  of 
Houston,  Tex.,  which  will  be  granted 
a  charter.  This  will  not  affect  exist- 
ing clubs  but  will  serve  to  limit  fu- 
ture charters  to  one  tent  in  each  ap- 
proximate exchange  area.  Women's 
auxiliaries  were  voted  out. 

Each  tent  was  given  an  option  to 
grant  a  "Heart  Award"  annually  to  a 
deserving  individual  in  its  area. 

While  Luis  Montez  continued  to 
campaign  for  Mexico  City  as  next 
year's  convention  city,  sentiment  is 
running  toward  San  Francisco.  Official 
registration  now  stands  at  921. 


DeMille 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


room  for  further  economies  in  Holly- 
wood, because  "costs  are  still  out  of 
the  range  of  sanity."  There  is  even  a 
"limit  to  what  DeMille  can  spend !" 
he  laughed. 

DeMille  Sets  'Sampson'; 
Para.  Reissues  'Crusades' 

Cecil  B.  DeMille's  "The  Crusades" 
will  be  re-released  by  Paramount,  in 
June,  it  was  announced  here  yesterday 
by  Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount 
distribution  vice-president. 

DeMille  disclosed  here  simultane- 
ously that  his  next  production  will  be 
"Sampson  and  Delilah,"  to  start  in 
September,  in  color.  It  will  include 
scenes  shot  in  Morocco,  Egypt  or  the 
Holy  Land. 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


OF 


CTURE 


•2,1  * 


NO.  73 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  APRIL  15,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Average  Adult 
Ticket  Price 
Is  50.4  Cents 

57.7  Cents  in  the  West 
Is  High;  45.3  in  South 

Hollywood,  April  14. — Average 
adult  evening  admission  price  to 
the  nation's  theatres  is  50.4  cents, 
Audience  Research  Institute  re- 
ports. 

The  average  was  pegged  as  of 
early  March,  and  represented 
an  increase  of  1.4  cents  over 
that  of  November,  the  Institute 
informs  clients  in  the  first  of  a 
series  of  reports,  derived  from 
a  check  covering  all  locations, 
types  and  sizes  of  theatres  and 
including  Federal,  state  and  lo- 
cal taxes. 

A  breakdown  of  the  current  report 
shows  the  highest  average  is  in  the 
West,  at  57.7  cents,  the  East  is  next 
with  52.8  cents,  followed  by  the  Mid- 
west, at  47.8  cents,  and  the  South, 
45.3  cents.    All  divisions  show  an  in- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


'Red'  Tie  Query  Is 
Held  'Pertinent' 


Washington',  April  14. — The  ques- 
tion asked  screen  writer  John  How- 
ard Lawson  by  the  House  Un-Ameri- 
can Activities  Committee  as  to 
whether  he  is  or  was  a  Communist 
was  ruled  "pertinent"'  by  Justice  Ed- 
ward M.  Curran  today  in  Lawson's 
trial  on  charges  of  contempt. 

RKO  Radio  production  chief  Dore 
Schary  will  be  called  to  the  stand 
tomorrow. 

Ben  Margolis,  defense  counsel, 
cross-examined  committee  chairman  J. 
Parnell    Thomas,    first  Government 

(.Continued  on  page  2) 


Consummate  N.  Y. 
Rialto  Sale  to  Mage 

Sale  of  the  Rialto  Theatre  here  by 
Arthur  Mayer  and  associates  to  James 
Mage,  Laffmovie  Circuit  owner  and 
distributor  of  foreign  films  in  the 
U.  S.,  has  been  completed.  Sam  Dem- 
bow  was  one  of  Mayer's  partners  in 
the  Rialto. 

Mage,  who  owns  Laffmovie  houses 
in  Boston,  Baltimore  and  Xew  York, 
is  expected  to  set  a  foreign-film  policy 
for  the  Rialto.  He  also  owns,  in  con- 
junction with  Samuel  Goldwyn,  the 
Astor  in  Boston. 


Rank  and  U.  S.  Reels 
In  Olympics  Accord 


J.  Arthur  Rank  yesterday  agreed 
not  to  charge  American  newsreels  for 
filming  the  Olympic  Games  in  En- 
gland this  summer. 

At  a  conference  with  representatives 
of  the  five  U.  S.  newsreels,  the  Brit- 
ish film  leader,  who  had  exclusive 
rights  to  film  the  games,  deferred  to 
the  wishes  of  the  newsreels  in  recog- 
nition of  the  fact  that  "the  American 
Newsreel  is  opposed  in  principle  to 
the  practice  of  paying  for  the  privi- 
lege of  filming  news  events." 

It  was  understood  that  the  Ameri- 
can and  British  newsreels  would  share 
footage  from  a  joint  pool. 

Representing  the  American  News- 
reel    Association    was    a  committee 
comprising  A.  J.  Richard,  Paramount 
chairman ;  Thomas  Mead,  Universal 
Walton   C.   Ament,   Warner  Pathe 
M.  D.   Clofine,  News  of  the  Day 
Jack  Haney,  Movietone ;  E.  P.  Ge- 
nock,  Paramount. 


US  May  Guarantee 
Film  Costs  in  Japan 

Washington,  April  14. — War  De- 
partment officials  are  working  out  a 
scheme  to  guarantee  U.  S.  films  and 
other  information  media  production 
and  distribution  costs  for  activities  in 
Japan  and  Korea. 

The  program  would  be  similar  to 
that  included  in  the  European  Recov- 
ery Program  for  activities  in  Mar- 
shall Plan  nations. 


N.  Y.  Para.  Theatre 
In  Video  Surprise; 
Patrons  Enthused 

By  MANDEL  HERBSTMAN 

In  an  unannounced  move  here  last 
night  Paramount  unveiled  its  the- 
atre television  system  before  a  sur- 
prised audience  in  the  Paramount 
Theatre,  thus  marking  the  first  time 
theatre  television  has  been  utilized  in 
the  East  on  a  full-sized  screen.  As 
the  event,  amateur  boxing  bouts, 
flashed  across  the  18-foot  by  24-foot 
screen,  the  audience  responded  en- 
thusiastically. In  a  press  interview 
that  followed,  Paul  Raibourn,  Para- 
mount vice-president  in  charge  of 
television,  declared  that  "if  the  public 
wants  theatre  television  it  can  have 
it." 

Raibourn  asserted  that  the  company 
hopes  "for  a  couple  of  shows  a  week," 
shortly  and  added  that  he  didn't  see 

(.Continued  on  page  5) 


Coyne  Touches  Off 
Loan  Drive  in  N.  Y. 

Security  Loan  Bonds  are  the  "tools" 
and  "weapons"  through  which  "we 
can  hope  to  keep  things  right"  in  the 
U.  S.,  Robert  W.  Coyne,  executive 
director  of  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
America,  told  a  Winter  Garden  audi- 
ence here  last  night  during  loan  drive 
ceremonies  which  preceded  the  pre- 
miere    of  Universal-International's 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Secretary  Marshall  Wins 
'48  Variety  Clubs  Award 


To  Campaign  Against 
Molesters  in  Theatres 

Indianapolis,  April  14. — Tightening 
of  laws  dealing  with  sex  offenders 
were  proposed  by  the  Neighborhood 
Theatre  Owners  Association  at  a 
meeting  here  with  Mayor  L.  G.  Feeney 
following  an  attack  on  an  eight-year- 
old  girl  who  was  kidnapped  while 
waiting  to  attend  a  matinee. 

Earl  Cunningham,  NT  OA  associate 
president,  proposed  more  severe  sen- 
tences for  offenders.  Theatremen,  he 
charged,  are  handicapped  in  attempts 
to  eliminate  undesirables  from  houses 
by  the  failure  of  victims  to  cooperate 
by  reporting  offenses.  The  association 
has  agreed  to  run  notices  on  screens 
urging  patrons  molested  in  any  way 
to  report  at  once  to  the  management. 
It  was  also  suggested  that  members  of 
the  Parent-Teachers  Association  be 
allowed  to  attend  shows  with  children 
in  supervisory  capacities. 


By  RED  KANN 

M  iami  Beach,  April  14.- — Secre- 
tary of  State  George  C.  Marshall  is 
the  winner  of  Variety  Clubs  Interna- 
tional's Humanitarian  Award  for 
1948,  the  selection  having  been  made 
by  34  publishers  and  editors  of  daily 
newspapers  in  keeping  with  estab- 
lished formula. 

In  making  the  announcement,  Inter- 
national Chief  Barker  Robert  J. 
O'Donnell  told  the  convention  this 
morning  that  Marshall  will  be  unable 
to  attend  the  climaxing  dinner  Satur- 
day evening  to  accept  the  award  in 
person  because  he  is  attending  the 
Inter-American  Conference  at  Bogota, 
Colombia.  This  circumstance  will 
make  Harold  Stassen  the  chief  public 
figure  and  speaker  of  the  dinner. 

Probability  now  is  that  Marshall 
will  be  presented  with  bis  signifying 
plaque  at  Variety  Clubs'  mid-winter 
meeting,  originally  set  for  New  York 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Argentine  Ban 
On  75%  of  all 
Film  Imports 

Will  Allow  Remittances 
On  Those  Films  Imported 

By  JAMES  CUNNINGHAM 

The  Argentine  government  has 
decreed  that  American  and  other 
foreign  film  distributors  shall 
henceforth  be  permitted  to  import 
the  numerical  equivalent  of  only  25 
per  cent  of  their  1947  imports,  accord- 
ing to  cables  reaching  private  sources 
here  yesterday  from  Buenos  Aires. 

Considered  in  foreign  film 
circles  here  to  be  one  of  the 
severest  restrictions  to  be  im- 
posed by  a  foreign  government 
on  outside  films,  principally 
Hollywood's,  the  banning  of  75 
per  cent  of  imports  dashed  the 
hopes  of  some  in  the  U.  S.  in- 
dustry who  had  been  expecting 
a  reasonable  break  in  the  film 
import  regulations  which  Ar- 
gentina had  been  promulgating 
since  it  temporarily  froze  all 
film  import  permits  and  remit- 
tances last  July. 

Only  bright  spot  in  the  new  order 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Agnew  to  Preside  at 
SROMeetTomorrow 


Selznick  Releasing  Organization 
will  hold  a  sales  meeting  here  tomor- 
row at  the  New  York  Athletic  Club, 
presided  over  by  Neil  F.  Agnew, 
president. 

Home  office  executives  who  will  at- 
tend include :  Milton  Kramer,  Milton 
S.  Kusell,  Sidney  Deneau,  Leonard 
R.  Case,  Robert  M.  Gillham,  and  Ted 
Baldwin.  The  following  division 
managers  will  attend :  J.  E.  Fontaine, 
Henry  G.  Krumm,  Sam  Horowitz, 
Charles  M.  Weiner,  John  T.  Howard, 
and  the  following  district  managers : 
Thomas  F.  Duane.  Joseph  J.  Oula- 
han  and  Saul  J.  Krugman. 


Four  at  Six  Millions 
From  USP  for  WB 

Hollywood,  April  14. — Four  pic- 
tures, to  cost  approximately  $6,000,- 
000,  will  be  produced  by  United  States 
Pictures  this  year  for  Warner  release, 
Milton  Sperling,  USP  president,  an- 
nounces. They  are :  "Distant  Drums," 
"Sacramento  Sal,"  "The  Gentle  Sin" 
and  either  "Dream  Street"  or  "The 
Long  Way." 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  April  15,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


J ROBERT  RUBIN,  M-G-M 
•  vice-president  and  general  coun- 
sel, is  expected  back  in  New  York 
Monday  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Robert  Smith,  partner  in  the 
Chief  Theatre,  Steamboat  Springs, 
Colo.,  and  the  Rio,  Oak  Creek,  Colo., 
has  been  elected  mayor  of  Steamboat 
Springs. 

• 

Don  McElwaine,  of  the  M-G-M 
studio  publicity  department,  will  leave 
for  the  Coast  Tuesday  after  visiting 
New  York  and  Washington. 
• 

William  B.  Jaffe,  film  attorney, 
has  returned  to  New  York  from  a 
Palm  Beach  vacation. 

• 

Joseph  R.  Vogel,  Loew  vice-presi- 
dent, is  back  in  New  York  from  a 
Florida  vacation. 

• 

Jay  Eisenberg,  M-G-M  legal  sales 
department  liaison,  is  back  in  New 
York  from  Miami. 

• 

William  Satori,  Monogram  Euro- 
pean representative,  has  arrived  here 
from  London. 

• 

William  A.  Scully,  Universal- 
International  distribution  chief,  is  in 
Miami  from  New  York. 

• 

Max  Wolff,  M-G-M  purchasing 
head,  has  returned  here  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

Max  Jacobs  of  the  Marvel  The- 
atre, Cleveland,  and  Mrs.  Jacobs  are 
visiting  in  Florida. 

• 

Nat   H©lt,   independent  producer, 
is  in  New  York  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Frank  Capra  will  return  to  the 
Coast  Tuesday  from  New  York. 


J.  /.  Friedl  Rites  to 
Be  Held  Saturday 

Minneapolis,  April  14. — Funeral 
services  for  John  J.  Friedl,  SO,  who 
was  president  of  Minnesota  Amuse- 
ment Co.  for  15  years  until  his  re- 
tirement in  January,  1947,  will  be  held 
on  Saturday  afternoon  in  Sioux  City, 
Iowa. 

Friedl  died  in  Mission,  Texas,  Mon- 
day. He  entered  the  theatre  business 
25  years  ago,  handling  theatres  in 
Texas,  Louisiana.  Georgia,  Florida 
and  the  Carolinas  for  Paramount- 
Publix.  After  he  joined  Maco  in  1932 
the  circuit  grew  to  97  theatres  in 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  the  Dako- 
tas.  He  moved  to  Texas  after  his  re- 
tirement. 

Survivors  include  the  widow,  Flor- 
ence, two  sons  and  three  grandchil- 
dren. 


Vote  Copyright  Fee  Raise 

Washington,  April  14. — The  Sen- 
ate has  passed  a  bill  to  raise  the  copy- 
right fee  from  $2  to  $4.  The  bill  goes 
to  conference  with  a  House-approved 
measure. 


Glixon  Inaugurated 
Cinema  Lodge  Head 


"Our  first  obligation  in  our  never- 
ending  fight  against  bigotry  and  intol- 
erance is  to  understand  and  respect 
our  neighbors  regardless  of  race, 
color  or  creed,"  S.  Arthur  Glixon, 
newly-elected  president  of  Cinema 
Lodge,  B'nai  B'rith,  declared  at  the 
Lodge's  president's  dinner  at  the  Hotel 
Astor  here  last  night  on  being  in- 
ducted into  office.  More  than  500 
from  the  entertainment  industry 
attended. 

The  dinner  was  a  tribute  to  Glixon 
and  Robert  M.  Weitman,  retiring 
president  of  Cinema  Lodge.  Barney 
Balaban,  president  of  Paramount,  was 
presented  with  a  gold  B'nai  B'rith  me- 
dallion and  a  life-time  membership  in 
Cinema  Lodge  for  his  ceaseless  devo- 
tion to  the  interests  of  the  Lodge 
since  its  inception.  In  addition, 
Weitman  presented  him  with  a  check 
for  $2,500,  representing  the  Lodge's 
1948  contribution  to  the  United  Jew- 
ish Appeal.  Balaban  heads  the  en- 
tertainment industry  division  of  the 
drive.  Weitman  also  presented  a 
check  for  $100  to  Barney  Ross  for 
Haganah,  the  fighting  arm  of  the 
Jewish  forces  in  Palestine. 

Inducted  into  office  with  Glixon 
were  vice-president  and  treasurer  Leo 
Jaffe ;  vice-presidents  Maurice  A. 
Bergman,  S.  M.  Chartock,  Julius  M. 
Collins,  Bernard  Goodman.  Marvin 
Kirsch,  Martin  Levine,  Milton  Liv- 
ingston, Louis  A.  Novins  and  Rob- 
ert K.  Shapiro ;  secretary  Dr.  Hy- 
man  Chartock ;  sergeant-at-arms  Ed- 
ward Black,  and  Chaplains,  Rabbis 
Bernard  Birstein  and  Ralph  Silver- 
stein. 


Lawson  Trial 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


N.  Y.  Loan  Drive 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


witness  to  appear  following  the  selec- 
tion of  a  jury.  Margolis  brought  out 
the  admission  from  Thomas  that,  in 
determining  whether  or  not  Lawson 
should  be  asked  whether  he  was  a 
Communist  the  committee  had  relied 
on  previous  testimony  by  producer 
Sam  Wood  and  writers  Howard 
Rushmore  and  John  Charles  Moffett, 
alleging  the  defendant  had  headed 
Hollywood  Communists.  This  testi- 
mony, Margolis  offered  to  show,  was 
"perjury." 

Direct  examination  of  Thomas  by 
the  Government  was  limited  to  hav- 
ing the  committee  chief  read  the 
transcript  of  Lawson's  appearance' 
during  the  hearings,  which  led  to  the 
contempt  citation  against  him.  Mar- 
golis hammered  away  at  the  "credi- 
bility" of  the  witness  in  efforts  to 
show  "bias  and  prejudice."  Curran, 
however,  sustained  objections  by  the 
Government,  excluded  most  of  the  de- 
fense questions  and  reiterated  that  the 
only  issue  to  be  decided  by  the  jury 
is  whether  or  not  Lawson  refused  to 
answer  the  committee's  question. 

The  jury,  chosen  with  few  chal- 
lenges by  either  side,  consists  of  eight 
women,  four  of  whom  are  Negroes, 
and  four  men,  two  of  whom  are 
Negroes.  Only  two  jurors  are  Gov- 
ernment workers. 


20th  To  Implement 
Industry  Promotion 

Twentieth  Century-Fox's  field 
forces  and  other  facilities  have  been 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  public, 
the  exhibitor  and  the  industry  in  gen- 
eral as  a  means  of  aiding  the  current 
industry  bid  for  a  wider  audience  on 
the  basis  of  improved  product.-  The 
plan  to  aid  public  relations  is  now  in 
operation  after  several  mo'-jl  r  of 
testing,  Charles  Schlaifer.  di{w  of 
advertising-publicity  for  20irf-Fox) 
said. 

Four  main  points  of  the  plan  in- 
clude close  coordination  of  the  field 
staff  with  the  exhibitor  on  campaigns 
designed  to  inform  the  public  of  high 
calibre  industry  product;  establish- 
ment of  a  home  office  information  bu- 
reau to  service  the  press  with  statis- 
tics and  factual  data;  a  weekly  news- 
letterpresenting  showmanship  ideas  to 
exhibitors,  and  advance  press  sheets 
on  company  pictures. 


Mestanza  Honors  Home 

H.  Alban-Mestanza  and  Mrs. 
Mestanza  of  Foreign  Screen  Corp. 
were  hosts  Tuesday  evening  at  a  din- 
ner given  for  David  Home,  newly- 
appointed  foreign  manager  of  Film 
Classics. 


Variety  Award 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


"Are  You  With  It?"  The  ceremonies, 
participated  in  by  stage  and  screen 
personalities,  including  Donald  O'Con- 
nor, marked  the  "kick  off"  of  the 
Treasury's  Security  Loan  Drive  in 
New  York  State.  Coyne  spoke  as  a 
Treasury  consultant. 


Reels  Aid  Bond  Drive 

All  five  newsreels  will  include  in 
their  April  16  issues  clips  featuring 
James  Stewart  in  an  appeal  on  behalf 
of  the  Treasury's  Security  Bond 
Drive.  The  Stewart  footage  already 
has  been  approved  by  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  for  exhibition  by 
members. 


Mayor  at  'Arch'  Benefit 

Mayor  William  O'Dwyer  will  head 
city  officials  at  the  benefit  premiere 
Monday  night  of  "Arch  of  Triumph" 
at  the  Globe  Theatre  here  for  the 
American  Overseas  Aid-United  Na- 
tions Appeal  for  Children. 


Evans  at  SMPE  Meet 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  April  14  — 
Ralph  M.  Evans,  superintendent  of 
color  film  and  print  processing  at 
Eastman  Kodak,  Rochester,  will  de- 
liver the  feature  paper  on  color  at  the 
63rd  semi-annual  convention  of  the 
Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers, 
May  17-21,  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel 
here. 


in  October  but  heading  for  transfer 
to  Washington  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

Second  business  session  considered 
badly-needed  financial  aid  for  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  at  Saranac 
Lake,  N.  Y.  On  tap  is  a  proposal 
whereby  the  international  organiza 
tion  of  Variety  will  advance  up  to 
$7,000  which  would  keep  this  tuber 
cular  hospital  going  another  month, 
these  funds  to  be  met  by  Variety  Club 
members  throughout  the  nation  on  the 
basis  of  an  assessment  of  $1  per  mem- 
ber, fixed  at  Local  or  tent  levels.  De- 
cision was  tabled  until  Thursday 
morning  for  the  views  of  Si  Fabian 
who  flew  in  late  this  afternoon  after 
New  York  conferences  on  the  subject. 

Discussion  brought  to  light  for  what 
is  believed  to  be  the  first  time  the  fact 
the  Motion  Picture  Foundation  has 
been  reviewing  this  situation  on  the 
possibility  Saranac  may  become  MPF's 
first  financially-supported  project. 

Wanger  Film  to  Aid 

Follow-up  to  "Variety  Girl"  as  a 
fund-raiser  for  various  tents  will  be 
"Bad  Boy,"  a  story  dealing  with  the 
Texas  Boys'  Ranch  near  Belton,  Tex. 
Walter  Wanger  will  produce  under  an 
agreement  which  will  give  five  per 
cent  of  the  proceeds  to  the  Inter- 
national office  of  Variety,  an  undesig- 
nated percentage  to  the  Dallas  tent 
and  a  swimming  pool  at  the  Texas 
Boys'  Ranch.  Universal-International 
will  release  on  its  regular  program, 
probably  next  season. 

The  convention  voted  unanimously 
to  limit  associate  memberships  in  a 
move  to  confine  Variety's  roster  to 
existing  tents.  Houston  no  doubt  will 
become  tent  No.  34  and  Seattle  is 
ready  to  organize. 


In  introducing  various  executives 
among  the  visitors,  O'Donnell  included 
Herman  Robbins  and  George  Dembow 
of  National  Screen  Service  and  paid 
them  and  their  organization  an  official 
tribute  from  Variety.  "They're  always 
ready  whenever  we  need  them," 
O'Donnell  said. 


Connors'  First  Ad  Film 
Gets  Cordial  Reception 

Miami  Beach,  April  14. — "The 
New  Tobaccoland,  U.S.A.,"  advertis- 
ing reel  produced  in  Cinecolor  for 
Liggett  and  Myers  (Chesterfield  Ciga- 
rettes) by  Louis  De  Rochemont,  was 
screened  for  Variety  convention  dele- 
gates here  today,  and  appeared  to  get 
a  generally  favorable  reaction.  Tom 
Connors,  who  will  sell  it,  stated 
Wilby-Kincey  Circuit  is  the  first  of 
the  Paramount-affiliated  theatre  part- 
ners to  make  a  deal  for  its  showing. 
R.  J.  O'Donnell  openly  declared  Inter- 
state Circuit  of  Texas  is  willing  to 
run  it.  Fox  West  Coast  already  has 
made  a  deal  for  it. 

Casual  Mention  of  Sponsor 

A  well-done  short,  the  picture  un- 
folds steps  by  which  tobacco  is  grown, 
nurtured,  cured  and  sent  to  market. 
Aside  from  one  narrative  track  men- 
tion at  the  close  when  the  slogan, 
"They  Satisfy,"  enters,  the  film  might 
be  a  straight  entertainment  reel  effi- 
ciently and  completely  depicting  its 
subject  matter.  There  is  mention  in 
almost  invisible  lettering  of  Liggett 
and  Myers  on  the  main  title,  and  four 
different  flashes  of  Chesterfield — the 
name  on  an  office  building,  on  the 
uniform  of  a  worker,  on  the  packaged 
cigarettes,  and  on  cartons. 

The  film  is  the  first  to  be  distributed 
nationally  by  Tom  Connors  on  the 
basis  of  approximately  $10  per  1,000 
admissions.  Money,  of  course,  is  pay- 
able to  the  exhibitor.  Running  time, 
eight  minutes.  R.K. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  S'q.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,   $6   in  the  Americas   and   $12   foreign;   single  copies,  10c. 


WINNING  NEW  GLORY  FOR  WARNER  BROS.' 


ad 


ewe^&we  -deem/ 


AS  THE  HERO  OF  ONE  OF  THE  STRANGEST  ROMANTIC  ADVENTURES  EVER  FILMED! 


THE  LONG-AWAITED  AMERICAN  DEBUT  OF  THE  NEW  STAR  FROM  SWEDEN! 

¥  m  THE  WPGIMl 


Directed  by  Produced  by 


™  VICTOR  FRANCEN  BRUCE  BENNETT  DOROTHY  MAL ONE  TOM  D'ANDREA  DELMER  DAVES  JERRY  WALO 


TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 
TO  THE 


HIPPODROME,  Cleveland 

ALBEE,  Cincinnati 
VICTOR/  Newcastle 
CIRCLE,  Indianapolis 
STANLEY,  Pittsburgh 
STRAND,  Albany 
WINTER  GARDEN,  Jamestown 
ITOL,  Springfield 

TO  THE  WARNER,  Worcester) 
TO  THE  PALACE,  Lawrence 
TO  THE  WARNER,  Memphis 
TO  THE  STRAND,  Hartford 
TO  THE  WARNER,  Bridgeport 
TO  THE  MERRITT,  Bridgeport 
TO  THE  STATE,  Waterbury 
TO  THE  STRAND,  New  Britain] 
TO  THE  GARDE,  New  London ) 
TO  THE  PALACE,  So.  Norwalk" 
TO  THE  WARNER,  Washington 
T,  Parkersburg 
GER  SHERMAN,  New  Haven 
AMBASSADOR,  Washington 
MASTBAUM,  Philadelphia 
KEENEY,  Elmira 
CAMBRIA,  Johnstown 
FAMILY,  Batavia 
SHERMAN,  Chillicothe 
STANLEY,  Baltimore 
COLUMBIA,  Sharon 
WARNER,  Morgantown 
FAIRMONT,  Fairmont 
PALACE,  Norwich 
PALACE,  Dan  bury 
WARNER,  Torrington 
CAPITOL,  Willimantic 
WARNER,  Youngstown 
STRAND,  New  York 
CAPITOL,  Steubenville 
LEROY,  Portsmouth 
VIRGINIAN,  Charleston 
RITZ,  Clarksburg 
WARNER,  Erie 
HAVENS,  Olean 
CAPITOL,  Dunkirk 
OHIO,  Sandusky 
WARNER,  Milwaukee 
ROOSEVELT,  Chicago 
AMBASSADOR,  St.  Louis 
PARAMOUNT,  Kansas  City 
CAPITOL,  Madison 
VENETIAN,  Racine 
RIO,  Appleton 
SHEBOYGAN,  Sheboygan 
WARNER,  Hollywood 
WARNER,  los  Angeles 
WILTERN,  Los  Angeles 


4 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Thursday,  April  15,  1948 


Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LOS  ANGELES 


Cecil  B.  DeMille's  "Unconquered" 
followed  through  in  the  local  tradition 
of  all  the  producer-director's  attrac- 
tions, topping  grosses  in  its  first  week 
at  the  two  Paramounts.  However, 
faultless  weather  was  not  enough  to 
brighten  most  of  the  over-all  box-office 
gloom  shrouding  the  area.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ended  April  14: 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD    (M-G-M) — 

EGYPTIAN  (1,000)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  5 
days,  3rd  week.  Gross:  $7,200.  (Average: 
$13,900) 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

FOX  WILSHIRE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
5  day's,  3rd  week.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Aver- 
age: $13,800) 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

LOS  ANGELES  (2,096)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  5 
days,  3rd  week.  Gross:  $8,500.  (Average: 
$21,200) 

THE    FUGITIVE    (RKO   Radio- Argosy)— 

FOUR  STAR  (900)  (S0c-60c-8Sc-$1.00)  2rd 
week.  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average:  $11,400) 
THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio-Argosy)— 
PALACE  (1,237)  (50c-60c-8Sc-$1.00)  3rd 
week.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average:  $21,000) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
HILLSTREET  (2,700)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $17,800.  (Average:  $18,300) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
PANTAGES  (2,000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.0O)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $19,600.  (Average:  $17,300) 
LOST  HORIZON  (Col.— Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.— Re-re- 
lease)—MUSIC  HALL  (Beverly  Hills)  (900) 
(65c-85c-$l.O0)  6  days.  Gross:  $3,700.  (Av- 
erage: $4,300) 

LOST  HORIZON  (Col.— Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col. — Re-re- 
lease)— MUSIC  HALL  (Downtown)  (900) 
(65c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $13,000.  (Av- 
erage: $9,600) 

LOST  HORIZON  (Col.— Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.— Re-re- 
lease) —  MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,000) 
(65c-8Sc-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $4,200.  (Av- 
erage: $5,200) 

LOST  HORIZON  (Col.— Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.— Re-re- 
lease) —  MUSIC  HALL  (Hollywood)  (490) 
(65c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $3,700.  (Av- 
erage: $4,300). 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— GUILD  (965)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  5th  week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Av- 
erage: $7,100) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— IRIS  (708)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.00)  5th  week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Aver- 
age: $7,100) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— RITZ  (1,376)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  5th  week.  Gross:  $8,500.  (Av- 
erage: $10,300) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— STUDIO  (880)  (50c- 
6Oc-85c-$1.0O)  5th  week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Av- 
erage: $6,900) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)-UNITED  ARTISTS 
(2,100)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  5th  week.  Gross: 
$8,500.  (Average:  $15,400) 
OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.)  and  THE  IN- 
SIDE STORY  (Rep.) — BELMONT  (1,600) 
(50c-60c-8Sc-$1.00).  Gross:  $5,500.  (Aver- 
age: $6,600) 

OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.)  and  THE  IN- 
SIDE STORY  (Rep.) — EL  REY  (861)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00j.  Gross:  $5,500.  (Average: 
$7,000) 

OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.)  and  THE  IN- 
SIDE STORY  (Rep.)— ORPHEUM  (2,210) 
(S0c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $13,000.  (Aver- 
age: $14,300) 

OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.)  and  THE  IN- 
SIDE STORY  (Rep.)— VOGUE  (800)  (50c- 


60c-85c-$l.CO).     Gross:    $6,000.  (Average: 

$7,500) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOth-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE  (20th  Fox-Reliance)— CHI- 
NESE (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $18,500.  (Average:  $15,700) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE  (ZOth  Fox-Reliance)  — 
LOEWS  STATE  (2,500)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $20,500.  (Average: 
$21,700) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOth-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE    (ZOth   Fox-Reliance) — LOY  - 

OLA    (1,265)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)    2nd  week. 
Gross:  $11,500.  (Average:  $10,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY   (20th-Fox)  and  THE 
CHALLENGE    (20th   Fox- Reliance)  —  UP- 
TOWN (1,716)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $14,500.     (Average:  $10,800) 
TO    THE    VICTOR    (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Downtown)     (3,400)     (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  6 
days.     Gross:   $16,000.     (Average:  $16,300) 
TO    THE    VICTOR    (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Hollywood)     (3,000)     (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  6 
days.    Gross:  $13,00.    (Average:  $12,400) 
TO    THE    VICTOR    (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Wiltern)  (2,300)  (50c-6Oc-80c-$1.0O)  6  days. 
Gross:  $12,000.    (Average:  $12,600) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Downtown)    (3,595)     (50c  -  60c  -  80c  -  $1.00). 
Gross:  $26,500.    (Average:  $21,000) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Hollywood)     (1,407)     (50c  -  60c  -  80c  -  $1.00). 
Gross:  $17,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 


PHILADELPHIA 


Poor    weekend   weather    took  off 
some  of  the  edge  of  local  box  offices. 
However,    all    new    bookings  drew 
healthy  grosses.     Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ending  April  13-15 : 
APRIL   SHOWERS    (WB)— MASTBAUM 
(4,700)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd  week. 
Gross:  $16,200.    (Average:  $27,800) 
B.    F.'s    DAUGHTER    (M-G-M)  —  BOYD 
(3,000)      (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross: 
$24,600.     (Average,  $23,100) 
THE    BIG    CLOCK    (Para.) — KARLTO'N 
(1,000)      (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross: 
$19,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 
THE    BRIDE    GOES   WILD  (M-G-M)— 
GOLDMAN  (1,400)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c). 
Gress:  $25,000.    (Average:  $22,400) 
BLACK   BART   (U-I)— STANTON  (1,700) 
(5Oc-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).       Gross:  $13,300. 
(Average:  $11,900) 

CALL  NORTH  SIDE  777  (20th- Fox) — FOX 

(3,000)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    3rd  week. 
Gross:  $14,000.     (Average:  $20,400) 
A  DOUBLE  LIFE   (U-I)— KEITH  (2,200) 
(50c-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd    run.  Gross: 
$7,500.    (Average:  $6,100) 

THE  FUGITIVE   (RKO  Radio)— ALDINE 

(900)     (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)     2nd  week. 
Gross:  $10,500.    (Average:  $13,200) 
I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO   Radio)  — 
ERLANGER  (1,800)  (5Oc-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-94c) 
Gross:  $18,000.    (Average:  $18,000) 
MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 
— EARLE     (3,000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c) 
3rd  week.    Gross:  $23,800.   Average:  $24,300) 
NAKED    CITY    (U-I) — STANLEY  (3,000) 
(5Oc-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-94c)   3rd  week.  Gross: 
$18,900.     (Average:  $20,500) 
SAIGON  (Para.)— ARCADIA  (900)  (50c-60c- 
74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd    run.      Gross:  $2,600. 
(Average:  $6,000) 


DENVER 


"Sitting  Pretty"  gathered  the  lion's 
share  of  first-run  business.  Wet 
spring  snow  hurt  grosses  slightly. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing April  14 : 

DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I)— ALADDIN  (1,400) 
(35c-74c)  7  days,  after  a  week  at  the  Den- 
ver and  Esquire.  Gross:  $4,000.  (Average: 

$2,500) 


GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (ZOth- 
Fox) — RIALTO  (878)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  af- 
ter two  weeks  at  the  Paramount  and  one 
each  at  the  Esquire  and  Webber.  Gross: 
$3,000.  (Average:  $3,000) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
ORPHEUM  (2,600)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average:  $13,500) 
SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)  and  RETURN 
OF  THE  WHISTLER  (Col.) — PARA- 
MOUNT (2,200)  (35c-74c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$11,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and 
TENDER  YEARS  (ZOth-Fox) — D  EN  VER 
(2,525)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  day  and  date  with 
the  Esquire  and  Webber.  Gross:  $20,000. 
(Average:  $13,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (2flth-Fox)  and 
TENDER  YEARS  (ZOth-Fox) — ESQUIRE 
(742)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  day  and  date  with 
the  Denver  and  Webber.  Goss:  $4,000. 
(Average:  $2,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOth-Fox)  and 
TENDER    YEARS    (ZOth-Fox)— WEBBER 

(750)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  day  and  date  with 
the  Denver  and  Esquire.  Gross:  $3,500. 
(Average:  $2,000) 

UNCONQUERED   (Parau)— DENHAM  (1,- 

750)  (35c-70c)  7  days,  3rd  week.  Gross: 
$9,000.  (Average:  $11,000) 
WOMEN  OF  THE  NIGHT  (FC)  and 
FLAME  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  (FC)— TA- 
BOR (1,967)  (35c-74c)  7  days.  Gross:  $12,- 
000.     (Average:  $8,000) 


BOSTON 


Receipts  continued  to  climb  slightly, 
assisted  by  fair  but  unseasonally  cool 
weather.  Leading  hold-over  grosser 
was  "Naked  City."  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ended  April  14: 
CASBAH  (U-I)  —  BOSTON  (2,900)  (50c- 
$1.10)  Stage  show.  Gross:  $30,000.  (Aver- 
age: $28,500) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO'  Radio)  — 

MEMORIAL    (2,900)    (40c-80c)    3rd  week. 
Gross:  $22,000.     (Average:  $27,000) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— ORPHEUM  (3,900) 
(40c-80c)  2nd  week.     Gross:  $24,000.  (Av- 
erage: $24,200) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— STATE  (2,900)  (35c- 
80c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $14,000.  Average: 
$14,500) 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— METROPOLI- 
TAN (4,736)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  $31,000.  (Av- 
erage: $28,500) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)  —  FENWAY 
(1,700)  (40c-80c).    Gross:  $5,600.  (Average: 

$5,300) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.) — PARAMOUNT 
(1,700)  (4Oc-80a).    Gross:  $14,500. 


MINNEAPOLIS 


Loop  theatres  reported  a  favorable 
week  with  three  films,  led  by  "Gentle- 
man's Agreement,"  doing  fine  busi- 
ness. Estimated  grosses  for  the  week 
ending  April  IS : 

A  DOUBLE  LIFE,  (U-I)— STATE  (2,300) 
(50c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average: 
$11,800) 

BADLANDS  OF  DAKOTA  and  TRAIL 
OF   THE  VIGILANTES    (FC  Reissues)— 

GOPHER  (1,000)  (44c-S0c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$3,800.     (Average:  $3,500) 

CALL    NORTHSIDE     777    (20th  -  Fox)  — 

LYRIC  (1,100)  (50c-70c)  7  days,  4th  week. 
Gross:  $4,800.  (Average:  $5,500) 
GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th-Fox) 
—RADIO  CITY  (4,000)  (50c-70c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $21,000.  (Average:  $17,000) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
RKO  ORPHEUM  (2,800)  (50c-70c)  7  days, 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average:  $13,- 
500) 

THE  FIGHTING  69TH  and  VALLEY  OF 
THE  GIANTS  (WB  Reissues) — RKO  PAN 

(1,500)  (S0c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Av- 
erage: $8,800) 

UNCONQUERED    (Para.)-C  E  N  T  U  R  Y 

(1,500)  (50c-70c)  7  days,  3rd  week  (move- 
over  from  Radio  City).  Gross:  $5,100.  (Av- 
erage: $6,100) 


PITTSBURGH 


"The  Bride  Goes  Wild"  started 
strongly  in  the  Stanley  despite  incle- 
ment weather.  "The  Big  Clock"  also 
did  better  than  average  for  its  second 
week  in  the  Stanley.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  IS : 

I  LOVE  TROUBLE  (Col.)  and  WRECK 
OF  HESPERUS  (Col.)— SENATOR  (1,700) 
(44c-60c-76c)  5  days.  Gross:  $2,500.  (Aver- 
age: $3,200) 

PANHANDLE  (Mono.)— FULTON  (1,700) 
(44c-60c-76c)  7  days.  Gross:  $9,000.  (Av- 
erage: $9,700) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 


Set  Canadian  Group 
On  Industrial  Films 

Ottawa,  April  14. — Formation  of  a 
nationwide  Canadian  organization  for 
the  promotion  and  control  of  the  use 
of  films  in  industry  was  decided  here 
today  at  a  conference  at  which  some 
30  groups  were  represented.  Includ- 
ed were  the  National  Film  Board, 
Film  Producers  Association  of  Can- 
ada, Armed  Services  Film  Bureau, 
Montreal  Industrial  Film  Council  and 
goverment  departments  and  b'  i  ^aus 
as  well  as  industry  association  i  -■ 


Adult  Admissions 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


crease  since  November,  except  the 
East,  where  no  change  occurred. 

Cities  of  over  half-a-million  popu- 
lation average  59.1  cents,  towns  un- 
der 10,000,  44.7  cents.  The  report  re- 
flects any  changes  made  in  state  and 
local  taxation  during  the  November- 
to-March  period,  and  also  distributors' 
advanced-admission  prices. 


—WARNER    (2,000)  "  (44c-60c-76c)    7  days, 
3rd  week.    Gross:  $10,000.    (Average:  $8,000) 
THE    BIG    CLOCK    (Para.)  —  STANLEY 
(3,800)     (44c-60c-76c)    7    days,    2nd  week. 
Gross:  $18,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 
THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 
PENN  (3,400)  (44c-60c-76c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$21,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 
THE  NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— J.  F.  HARRIS 
(2,000)     (44c-60c-76c)    5    days,    3rd  week. 
Gross:  $5,500.    (Average:  $11,000) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)  —  RITZ  (1,100) 
(44c-60c-76c)  7  days,  3rd  week,  on  a  move- 
over  from  the  Penn.  Gross:  $4,300.  (Aver- 
age: $3,500) 


KANSAS  CITY 


Weather  included  warm  days,  clear, 
and  rain.  Ice  Capades  of  1948  earned 
a  reported  $72,000  in  eight  days,  $1,000 
less  for  each  performance  than  in  1947. 
There  were  few  other  counter-attrac- 
tions. Estimated  receipts  for  the  week 
ending  April  13-15 : 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th-Fox) 

—FAIRWAY  (700)  (45c-65c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$3,150.  (Average:  $1,750) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th-Fbx) 

—TOWER  (2,100)  (45c-65c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$16,200.     (Average:  $9,000) 
GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th-Fox) 
—UPTOWN  (2,000)  (45c-65c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$10,800.    (Average:  $6,000) 
I  REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO    Radio)  — 
ORPHEUM    (1,900)    (45c-65c)    7  days,  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $12,500.    (Average:  $10,000) 
MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)  and  ADVEN- 
TURES   IN     SILVERADO    (Col.)— MID- 
LAND   (3,500)    (45c-65c)    7    days.  Gross: 
$15,500.     (Average:  $15,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOth-Fox)— ESQUIRE 
(800)  (45c-65c)  7  days,  on  a  moveover,  3rd 
week.    Gross:  $4,500.    (Average:  $5,000) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.) — PARAMOUNT 
(1,900)   (45c-65c)  7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$9,000.     (Average:  $10,000) 


OMAHA 


Despite  the  heavy  pull  of  three 
Presidential  candidates  appearing  in 
the  city,  Omaha  theatres  had  a  good 
week.  Good  weather  helped.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  14-15: 

ALBUQUERQUE  (Para.)  and  THE  RE- 
TURN OF  RIN  TIN  TIN  (Col.)— ORPHE- 
UM (3,000)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $14,000.  (Av- 
erage: $9,400) 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.) — PARA- 
MOUNT (2,900)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $12,100. 
(Average:  $10,600) 

CASS  TIMBERLANE  (M-G-M)— STATE 
(750)  (50c-65c)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $4,700. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO    BRANDEIS    (1,100)    (50c-65c)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $7,700.     (Average:  $6,800) 
YOU   W£RE   MEANT   FOR   ME  (ZOth- 
Fox)   and  PERILOUS  WATERS  (Mono.) 

—OMAHA  (2,000)  (50c-65c)  4  days,  2nd 
week,  for  "You  Were  Meant  for  Me,"  on 
a  moveover  from  the  Paramount.  Gross: 
$5,61,0.     (Average:  $8,600) 


MAGIC  SHADOWS 

The  Story  of  the  Origin  of  Motion  Pictures 

By  MARTIN  QUIGLEY  JR.  Georgetown  University  Press  Bool 

Adventurous  explorations  of  the  screen's  history  told  in  191  crisp  pages 
and  28  rare  illustrations,  with  descriptive  chronology,  bibliography  and 
index.  Exciting  reading  for  now  and  authoritative  reference  for  tomorrow. 

Order  at  your  bookstore  or  by  mail.   Price  postpaid.  $3.50. 

QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP    -    1270  SIXTH  AVENUE    -    NEW  YORK  20,  N.  Y 


Thursday.  April  15.  194S 


Motion  picture  Daily 


5 


US  Films  Overfill 
Japanese  Theatres 

Washington,  April  14. — Japanese 
theatres  showing  American  films  to 
Jap  audiences  are  packed  to  110  per 
cent  of  capacity,  and  all  such  houses 
have  long  lines  of  natives  awaiting 
admission,  reports  Brig.  Gen.  Robert 
A.  McClure,  chief  of  the  Xew  York 
field  office  of  the  Army  Civil  Affairs 
Division,  who  has  just  returned  from 
a  month's  survey  in  Japan. 

Gen.  McClure  is  not  enthusiastic, 
ho^ttl".  about  the  type  of  American 
filnf*jeing  shown.  "Unfortunately," 
McClure  said,  "too  many  films  have 
been  of  the  Wild  West,  Billy-the- 
Butcher-Boy  type.  While  these  may 
appeal  to  Japanese  tastes,"  he  con- 
tinues, "it  is  part  of  our  program  of 
education  to  induce  them  to  see  a 
better  type.  In  this  desire  of  ours  we 
have  the  backing  of  Eric  Johnston 
and  his  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America.  We  have  reason  to  expect 
that  we  will  succeed." 

McClure  said  that  the  American  in- 
formation center  in  Korea  uses  as  its 
symbol  an  18-inch  figure  of  Mickey 
Mouse.  All  the  Koreans  who  were 
asked  what  they  thought  would  be  the 
most  recognizable  symbol  of  the  U.  S. 
agreed  on  Mickey  Mouse. 


Italy's  'Thanks'  to 
Be  Released  by  20th 

"Thanks.  America,"  produced  in 
Italy  and  financed  by  public  subscrip- 
tion as  an  expression  of  Italian  grati- 
tude for  food  and  clothing  shipped  by 
Americans,  will  be  distributed  imme- 
diately to  U.  S.  theatres,  Eric  John- 
ston, president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America,  announced 
here  yesterday.  Distribution  will  be 
through  20th  Centurv-Fox. 


Reviews 


"Another  Part  of  the  Forest" 

(  Universal-International) 

Hollywood,  April  14 

BRILLIANT  production  and  performances  characterize  this  picturization 
of  Lillian  Hellman's  stage  success  depicting  a  decadent  American  family 
whose  similarly  decadent  descendants  were  dramatized  in  the  same  play- 
wright's "Litde  Foxes."  An  essentially  similar  story,  accentuating  chicanery, 
avarice,  deceit  and  treachery,  it  diligently  explores  the  venality  of  all  prin- 
cipal characters  and  ends  on  a  fatalistic  note  with  the  depraved  eldest  son  of 
a  depraved  family  head  triumphant 

The  box-office  prosperity  of  "Little  Foxes"  argues  that  this  likewise  skill- 
ful, but  depressing,  study  in  evil  can  thrive  commercially  also,  in  spite  of 
recent  disappointing  returns  chalked  up  to  films  concentrating  on  degradation. 
A  marquee  magnetism  cast  including  Fredric  March,  Dan  Duryea,  Edmund 
O'Brien,  Ann  Blyth,  Florence  Eldridge  and  Donna  Drake,  presupposes 
strong  opening  business. 

March  powerfully  portrays  a  hated  merchant  money-lender  in  a  small 
Southern  town  which  still  is  smarting  in  1880  from  the  Confederacy's  defeat 
He  abusively  dominates  his  loyal  wife  (Miss  Eldridge),  his  scheming  sons 
(O'Brien  and  Duryea)  but  humors  his  secretly  immoral  daughter  (Miss 
Blyth)  who  seeks  marriage  into  local  society-.  Plotted  against  by  all  his 
children,  in  an  intricate  maze  of  avaricious  conspirings,  deceptions  and'  double 
crosses,  he  loses  control,  ultimately-,  to  O'Brien  following  the  latter's  dis- 
covery- that  his  father  is  an  unidentified  traitor  on  whom  the  townsfolk  have 
vowed  lynch  vengeance.  Picture  ends  with  all  characters,  save  the  mother's, 
deteriorated  completely. 

Production  by  Jerry  Bresler,  direction  by  Michael  Gordon  and  script  by 
Vladimir  Pozner  are  uniformly  excellent. 

Running  time,  107  minutes.  Adult  classification.  Release  date,  net  set. 

William  R.  Weaver 


Short 
Subject 


"Life  with  Junior" 

(March  of  Time—20th-Fox) 

The  social  world  of  the  small  child, 
a  distinctive  world  all  its  own,  is  en- 
tertainingly explored  in  this  latest 
March  of  Time,  which  also  provides 
the  answers  to  some  baffling  questions 
concerning  junior's  personality.  A  sub- 
ject to  evoke  audience  response,  it 
also  deals  seriously  with  the  problems 
of  the  "difficult"  child.  Running  time, 
18  minutes. 


93 


Donation  to  Italians 

U.  S.  film  companies  have  voted  to 
give  3,000,000  lira  (S6,000)  to  restore 
the  Compo  Santo  (cemetery )  in  Pisa. 
Italy,  it  has  been  disclosed  here  by 
Gerald  M.  Mayer.  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America's  international 
director. 


Para.  Video 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


why  it  shouldn't  develop  so  that  the- 
atres in  any  other  city  could  have  it 

The  Paramount  television  method 
involves  recording  the  event  on  film 
within  66  seconds  after  it  comes  off 
the  television  tube  and  then  flashing 
it_on  the  screen  by  means  of  standard 
35mm  projection. 

The  boxing  bouts  last  night  were 
relayed  from  their  source  at  the  Navy 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Brooklyn  by  micro- 
wave relay  to  the  roof  of  the  News 
Building  and  then  to  the  Paramount 
Building  where  it  was  recorded  on 
film  and  flashed  on  the  screen  within 
the  66  seconds.  Reception  was  im- 
possible for  a  television  receiver  other 
than  the  one  in  the  projection  booth 
of  the  theatre. 

Two  boxing  bouts  lasting  18  min- 
utes were  shown  and  the  images  were 
sharp  and  effective.  Audience  re- 
sponse was  marked.  When  one  fight- 
er was  floored,  a  wave  of  excitement 
went  through  the  theatre.  When  the 
decision  was  given,  spontaneous  ap- 
plause mingled  with  sounds  of  dissat- 
isfaction. 

Raibourn  disclosed  that  a  poll  was 
taken  to  determine  the  audience  re- 
action. Asked  about  the  possibility 
of  bringing  the  Joe  Louis-Joe  Wal- 
cott  fight  to  the  theatre.  Raibourn  re- 


(The  Lady  from  Shanghai 

(Columbia) 

AS  those  in  the  trade  know,  Rita  Hayworth  is  a  name  to  make  just  about 
any  showman's  marquee  twinkle  invitingly.  For  her  leading  man  in 
this  cloudy  melodrama  of  murder  and  retribution,  Columbia  has  provided 
her  with  Orson  Welles  who  also  handled  such  versatile  chores  here  as 
producer,  director  and  writer  of  the  screenplay. 

Throughout  the  story  there  broods  an  atmosphere  of  morbid  expectancy, 
but  what  gives  the  picture  an  exceptional  quality  are  the  adroit  camera 
angles  in  which  most  of  the  action  is  focussed.  Welles,  an  Irish  merchant- 
sailor,  becomes  strangely  attracted  to  Miss'  Hayworth,  and  presently  is 
invited  by  her  crippled  lawyer  husband,  Everett  Sloane,  to  go  along  as 
deck  mate  on  a  luxury  cruise.  There  subsequently  pile  up  sinister  doings 
which  result  in  Welles  being  neatly  framed  for  murder.  Something  of  the 
fascination  of  a  sight-seeing  travelogue  takes  place  as  the  cruise  departs 
from  New  York,  goes  through  the  Panama  Canal  and  winds  up  in  San 
Francisco. 

While  the  drama,  which  departs  from  formula  all  the  way,  manages  always 
to  be  engrossing,  the  motivations  do  not  always  ring  true.  Quite  a  powerful 
note  ends  the  film,  in  which  the  real  conspirators,  Miss  Hayworth  and 
Sloane.  shoot  it  out  with  one  another  in  an  amusement  park  mirror  maze. 
Especially  noteworthv  characterizations  are  contributed  by  Ted  de  Corsia 
and  Glenn  Anders.  Welles'  off-stage  voice  narrates  the  action,  based  on  a 
Sherwood  King  novel.  ....      „  ,  , 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date,  not 

Mandel  Herbstman 


Legion  Classifies 
15  More  Pictures 

Of  15  additional  films  classified  by 
the  Legion  of  Decency,  the  following 
were  placed  in  Class  A-I:  "Adven- 
tures in  Silverado"  and  "Song  of 
Idaho,"  Columbia;  "Fighting  Father 
Dunne,"  RKO  Radio;  "Fury  at  Fur- 
nace Creek,"  20th  Century-Fox ; 
"Prairie  Outlaws,"  Eagle-Lion.  In 
Class  A-II :  "Arizona  Ranger,"  RKO  ; 
-Arthur  Takes  Over,"  20th-Fox; 
"Farrebique"  (French),  Siritzky  In- 
ternational; "Opernball"  (German), 
Wien  Film;  "River  Lad}-,"  Universal- 
International;  "Silver  River,"  War- 
ner. 

Placed  in  Class  B  were :  "Anna 
Karenina,"  20th-Fox;  "Antoine  and 
Antoinette"  (French),  Siritzky-  Inter- 
national ;  "Hazard,"  Paramount ;  "Let- 
ter from  an  Unknown  Woman,"  Uni- 
versal-International. 


Argentine  Ban 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


set. 


RCA  Consolidates 
Industry  Activities 

Camden,  April  14.  —  Consolidation 
of  RCA  motion  picture  activities  into 
a  new  theatre  and  recording  equipment 
section,  with  Barton  Kreuzer  as  man- 
ager, was  announced  here  by  Frank 
M.  Folsom,  RCA  vice-president  in 
charge  of  the  Victor  division. 

The  new  section  consists  of  the  the- 
atre equipment  group,  the  film  record- 
ing group,  and  Brenkert  Light  Pro- 
jection. J.  F.  O'Brien  heads  theatre 
equipment,  Kreuzer  is  in  charge  of 
film  recording,  and  Karl  Brenkert  is 
president  of  Brenkert,  in  Detroit. 


vealed  that  it  has  been  discussed.  He 
said  that  he  didn't  think  the  networks 
had  exclusive  rights  to  the  fight  and 
that  it  might  be  shown  on  the  Para- 
mount Theatre  screen  in  agreement 
with  Madison  Square  Garden  "at  spe- 
cial admissions."  When  questioned 
about  the  cost  of  developing  the  spe- 
cial television  system,  he  said  that  it 
was  "less  than  $1,000,000." 


Forrest  Will  Direct 
SMPE  Study  of  Color 

Committee  on  film  preservation  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engi- 
neers, which  will  devote  special  study 
to  the  working  life  and  preservation 
of  motion  pictures  in  color,  has  been 
reorganized  under  the  new  chairman- 
ship of  Dr.  Charles  G.  Weber,  mem- 
ber of  the  staff  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Standards  in  Washington,  who  yes- 
terday appointed  J.  L.  Forrest  of 
Ansco  as  head  of  a  color  study  group 
at  a  meeting  held  here. 

Others  at  the  meeting  included: 
John  G.  Bradley  of  the  Library  of 
Congress  :  Robert  T.  Holland,  Ansco  ; 
Terry  Ramsaye,  editor  of  Motion 
Picture  Herald;  T.  F.  LoGiudice. 
SMPE  staff  engineer;  John  A.  Mau- 
er,  engineering  vice-president  of 
SMPE. 


Extend  Meyer's  Contract 

Hollywood,  April  14. — Contract  of 
Fred  S.  Meyer.  20th  Century-Fox  la- 
bor relations  director,  has  been  ex- 
tended for  another  two  vears. 


was  seen  in  the  Argentine  govern- 
ment's granting  permission  to  U.  S. 
and  other  foreign  distributors  to  re- 
mit all  dollars  accruing  from  the  lim- 
ited imports  now  allowed  in  that 
country. 

The  large-scale  banning  of  outside 
product  is  said  to  be  related  to  Ar- 
gentina's program  for  eventually  na- 
tionalizing the  film  industry  in  that 
country^ ;  radio  already  has  been  na- 
tionalized there.  The  government  is 
understood  to  be  ready  to  purchase 
a  minimum  of  51  per  cent  of  any  and 
all  producing  and  distribution  compa- 
nies operating  within  its  borders. 

Another  reason  for  the  severity  of 
the  restrictions  is  said  by  Argentinian 
film  interests  in  New  York  to  be  in 
retaliation  for  tacit  or  open  refusal  of 
interests  or  governments  of  other 
countries  to  permit  Argentine  films 
to  gain  a  foothold  in  their  markets. 
Producers  of  that  country  turn  out 
about  40  features  annually  and  numer- 
ous shorts. 

Extent  of  the  loss  of  three-fourths 
of  the  Argentine  market  to  U.  S. 
companies  could  not  be  determined 
here,  but  it  is  said  to  be  considerable. 
American  companies  send  some  300  to 
400  features  to  Argentine's  1,500  thea- 
tres annually.  The  new  restrictions 
do  not  apply  to  newsreels. 


THEATRES 

SELL  OR  LEASE  A  THEATRE 
IN  ANY  PART  OF  THE  U.S.A. 

Through 
B.  F.  GUDWIN  AND  CO. 

BROKERS 

135  Broadway.  N.  Y.  6.  N.  Y.  BArtlay  7-3137 
Your  Confidences  Respected. 

Your  Instructions  Followed. 


He  gives  the  scene  its  French  accent... 


PLAINLY, 'everything  about  this  scene 
says  Paris — though  filmed  in  a  studio  far 
from  France. 

For  the  property  man  has  provided 
the  French  accent  in  every  eloquent  de- 
tail, fixing  unmistakably  the  picture's 
time  and  place. 

And  with  equal  ingenuity  this  latter- 
day  Aladdin  can  bring  forth  the  prop- 
erties that  effectively  point  up  any  city, 


any  century  .  .  .  can  put  pioneer  or 
princeling  "in  his  place." 

Thus,  through  him,  motion  pictures 
take  on  atmosphere  and  color;  the  realm 
of  make-believe  becomes  believable. 
Yet  the  full  effect  of  his  achievement 
might  well  be  lost  except  for  faithful 
photographic  reproduction.  This  is  pro- 
vided— in  full  measure — by  the  famous 
family  of  Eastman  motion  picture  films. 


EASTMAN   KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT   LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


FIRST 

MOTION  PICTURE 

MU-UIUlc 

IN 

If  4  11 

FN  AA 

ana 

NEWS 

JLLrVl  .LI 

Impartial 

VCj^3.   NO.  74 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  FRIDAY,  APRIL  16,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Foundation 
Trustees  to 
Meet  May  11 

Progress  of  Committees 
Reported  by  Richards 

Program  and  finance  reports 
stemming  from  five  months  of 
studying  and  planning  by  several 
Motion  Picture  Foundation  com- 
mittees and  sub-committees  will  be 
made  on  May  11  and  12  when  the 
MPF  board  of  trustees  holds  its  sec- 
ond meeting.  E.  V.  Richards,  Jr.. 
Foundation  president,  yesterday  an- 
nounced that  the  meeting  will  be  held 
at  the  Hotel  Astor  here.  The  trus- 
tees held  their  first  organizational 
meeting  here  early  in  December. 

Richards  said  the  MPF  finance 
committee  will  meet  here  on  May  10 
and  the  program-and-scope  committee 
will  meet  the  following  day  before 
general  sessions  get  under  way.  He 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Loew's  28-Week  Net 
Down  to  $3,886,745 


Net  profit  of  $3,886,745,  or  75  cents 
per  common  share,  after  Federal 
taxes  and  payment  of  minority  inter- 
ests' share,  was  reported  here  yester- 
day by  Loew's,  Inc.,  for  the  28  weeks 
ended  March  11,  1948.  This  compares 
with  $8,596,779,  or  $1.67  per  share, 
for  the  28  weeks  ended  March  13, 
1947. 

Taxes  were  $2,742,694  and  minority 
iftterests'  share  was  $477,995  for  the 
28  weeks,  against  $5,525,016  and 
$442,008,  respectively,  for  the  corre- 
sponding period  one  year  ago. 

For  the  16  weeks  ended  March  11, 
1948,  gross  sales  and  operating  reve- 
nues rose  to  an  estimated  $59,127,000, 
over  the  $56,655,000  in  the  correspond- 
ing period  last  year. 


Labor  Costs  Are 
Not  High:  Golden 

Although  Hollywood  studio  labor 
costs  have  risen  in  recent  years,  they 
are  but  an  insignificant  part  of  the 
over-all  rise  in  production  expenses, 
independent  producer  Edward  A. 
Golden  declared  here  yesterday.  He 
admitted  that  his  view  is  quite  differ- 
ent from  that  of  almost  every  other 
producer,  but  he  cited  a  few  figures 
to  support  his  contention. 

Labor,  Golden  said,  does  not  get 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


20  Variety  Clubs  Pledge 
$994,000  to  '48  Charities 


By  RED  KANN 

Miami  Beach,  April  15. — With 
Tent  No.  17  of  Dallas  in  the  van- 
guard with  a  $150,000  pledge,  20 
Variety  Club  tents  today  committed 
themselves  to  raise  an  aggregate  of 
$994,000  for  charity  this  year.  Thir- 
teen others  will  declare  themselves 
tomorrow  when  international  officers, 
not  satisfied  with  today's  progress, 
are  expected  to  hypo  each  tent's  com- 
mitment into  a  higher  bracket. 

Tent  No.  5,  Detroit,  was  hard  on 
Dallas'  heels  with  $130,000.  Tent  No. 
12,   Minneapolis,   and   Tent   No.  13, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


4  More  Percentage 
Suits  Are  Filed 


Paramount,  Warner,  Big  U  Film 
Exchange  (Universal)  and  Columbia 
have  started  separate  percentage-pay- 
ment actions  in  New  York  Supreme 
Court  against  Sidney  Cohen,  Philip 
Eisenberg,  Rhinehook  Theatres  and 
Millerton  Amusement  Corp. 

Theatres  involved  are  the  Starr,  in 
Rhinebeck  ;  Lyceum,  Red  Hook  ;  Pine 
Plains,  Pine  Plains ;  Millerton,  Miller- 
ton,  all  in  New  York,  and  the  Stuart, 
Lakeville,  Conn. 

Paramount  claims  damages  of  $25,- 
000;  Warner,  $15,000;  Big  U.  $5,000, 
and  Columbia,  $5,000. 

Op  January  30,  Loew's  and  RKO 
Radio  instituted  similar  actions  in 
Federal  Court  against  the  same  de- 
fendants. 


Lawson  Loses  One 
More  Trial  Round 


Washington,  April  15. — Attorneys 
for  screen  writer  John  Howard  Law- 
son  today  were  defeated  in  effortsto 
enlist  the  aid  of  testimony  by  motion 
picture  industry  executives  in  his  be- 
half. 

Justice  Edward  M.  Curran  ruled 
finally  that  the  House  Un-American 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Herzog  Elected  a 
Cinecolor  Executive 

Hollywood,  April  15. — Karl  Her- 
zog, former  vice-president  and  trea- 
surer of  Cinecolor  and  Film  Classics, 
was  elected  Cinecolor  executive  vice- 
president  today  at  a  special  meeting 
of  the  company's  board.  The  action 
makes  Cinecolor  and  Film  Classics 
executive  personnel  identical. 


Holds  Video,  Like 
Juke  Box,  Tax  Free 

Washington,  April  15. — In- 
ternal Revenue  Bureau  ruled 
today  that  bars  and  other 
public  places  with  television 
are  exempt  from  the  20  per 
cent  cabaret  tax  unless  they 
permit  dancing,  singing  or 
other  entertainment.  Bars  and 
other  places  showing  motion 
pictures  are  subject  to  the 
cabaret  tax. 

Officials  said,  "A  line  has  to 
be  drawn  somewhere  and  tele- 
vision is  closer  to  the  radio- 
juke  box  class  than  to  the 
motion  picture  class." 


Commons  Riled  at 
UK  Tax  Peace 'Leak' 


London,  April  15.  —  Resentment 
seethed  in  the  House  of  Commons  to- 
day over  what  was  described  as  pre- 
mature, unauthorized  disclosure  in 
America  of  the  British  film  tax  agree- 
ment details.  British  Board  of  Trade 
president  Harold  Wilson,  who  was 
barraged  with  questions  by  opposition 
members  of  Commons,  admitted  that 
there  was  a  private  leak  of  informa- 
tion to  America,  but  disclaimed  re- 
sponsibility for  it. 

Wilson  promised  Commons  "that  the 
text  of  the  agreement  will  be  pub- 
lished in  full  immediately  upon  finali- 
zation  of  details.  He  refused  to  com- 
ply with  an  opposition  proposal  that 
publication  be  made  now  since  every 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


French  May  Relax 
Film  Dubbing  Rule 


Washington,  April  15.  —  An 
agreement  is  reported  near  with 
French  officials  on  a  relaxation  of 
France's  "two-year  dubbing  rule." 
U.  S.  Government  and  film  industry 
officials  have  insisted  that  this  and 
other  concessions  must  be  made  be- 
fore a  French  request  to  reopen  the 
Blum-Byrnes  agreement  is  acceded  to. 

Under  the  dubbing  rule,  France  has 
in  effect  barred  the  showing  of  Ameri- 
can films  older  than  two  years. 
Americans,  it  is  reported,  seek  a  re- 
laxation of  the  rule  to  permit  a  lim- 
ited number  of  older  films  to  be 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Non-Taxable 
Divestiture 
Sales  Urged 

Defendants  Ask  Congress 
Pass  Protective  Measure 


By  CHARLES  L.  FRANKE 

The  theatre-owning  distributors, 
allowing  for  possible  U.  S.  Su- 
preme Court  affirmation  of  the  low- 
er court's  theatre  divestiture  ruling 
in  the  industry  anti-trust  suit,  are 
sharpening  their  efforts  to  persuade 
Congress  that  proposed  legislation 
dealing  with  tax  administration 
should  include  tax  exemption  for 
forced  sale  of  a  theatre  when  a  seller 
reinvests  the  proceeds  in  new  thea- 
tre properties. 

The  New  York  Federal  Court  ruled 
that  if  a  distributor  owns  less  than 
95  per  cent  interest  in  a  theatre  and 
more  than  five  per  cent,  it  must  ac- 
quire the  maximum  or  dispose  of  all 
but  five  per  cent  or  divest  itself  of 
the  theatre.  The  transaction  would 
be  taxable  on  a  number  of  counts. 

The  theatre-owning  trust  suit  de- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


20th  Starts  Loop 
Selling  on  Bids 


Chicago,  April  15. — As  a  further 
step  in  establishing  a  new  selling  pol- 
icy under  the  Jackson  Park  decree, 
20th-Fox  is  offering  two  films  for 
first-run  Loop  theatres  in  open  com- 
petitive bidding.  The  pictures  are 
"Sitting  Pretty,"  booked  into  the  B. 
and  K.  Chicago  Theatre  for  April  29, 
and  "Fury  of  Furnace  Creek,"  date 
not  set. 

It  is  understood  the  company  has 
not  established  a  fixed  policy  on  all 
films  under  the  new'  plan.  Metro  is 
the  only  other  distributor  selling 
films  in  the  Loop  on  a  bidding  basis. 


Osserman,  Havas  and 
Clarke  Are  Promoted 

Personnel  changes  in  RKO  Radio 
foreign  distribution  put  Jack  Osser- 
man in  charge  of  home  office  control 
of  Latin  American  operations,  in  ad- 
dition to  other  duties.  He  is  replaced 
by  Michael  Havas  as  supervisor  in 
Latin  America.  Also,  Ned  Clarke, 
who  formerly  handled  Latin  America, 
will  assume  similar  duties  in  the  Far 
East.  Jack  Kennedy  is  assuming  a 
new  post  in  charge  of  non-theatrical 
and  transportation  bookings,  both 
35mm  and  16mm. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  April  16,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


CECIL  B.  DeMILLE,  Paramount 
producer-director,  will  be  guest 
of  honor  tomorrow  at  a  luncheon 
tendered  by  the  Empire  State  Society 
of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 
in  New  York. 

• 

Harry  and  Mrs.  Lowenstein, 
Ardmore,  Okla.,  •  and  Mrs.  Morris 
Loewen  stein,  Oklahoma  City,  will 
visit  Cuba  and  New  Orleans  after 
leaving  Miami,  where  they  attended 
the  Variety  Clubs  convention. 
• 

Ben  Henry,  Universal-Internation- 
al home  office  representative  in  Great 
Britain  and  Eire,  and  Mrs.  Henry, 
who  arrived  in  New  York  this  week 
from  Europe,  will  go  to  the  Coast 
next  week. 

• 

Mildred  Lustberg  of  the  Colum- 
bia advertising  department  here  will 
be  married  this  weekend  to  Daniel 
Wagner. 

• 

Moe  Kerman,  Favorite  Films  pres- 
ident, returned  to  his  desk  yesterday 
after  a  three-week  absence  due  to  ill- 


Maurey  L.  Ashmann,  Interboro 
Theatre  executive,  has  entered  Crown 
Heights  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  for  a 
minor  operation. 

• 

Harry  Kapit,  General  Film  Pro- 
ductions   president,    accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  their  son,  Elbert,  are  en 
route  to  the  Coast  from  New  York, 
e 

Charles  Barry,  ABC  vice-presi- 
dent of  radio  and  television  program- 
ming, will  leave  here  tonight  for 
Cleveland. 

• 

Louis  DeRochemont,  producer, 
has  given  $1,200  to  New  Hampshire 
University  to  aid  student  screen  writ- 
ers. 

• 

Alan  F.  Cummings,  M-G-M  ex- 
change operations  head,  is  due  back 
in  New  York  today  from  Detroit. 
• 

Betty  Hutton  and  her  husband, 
Theodore  Briskin,  have  become  par- 
ents of  their  second  daughter. 
• 

L.  E.  Bonner  of  Greenville,  Miss., 
has  opened  a  new  theatre  there  called 
the  Rex. 

• 

George  Planck,  Northio  Circuit 
general  manager,  has  purchased  the 
Ohio  at  Loudenville,  O. 

• 

Wiiitey  Moore-,  former  ace  pitch- 
er, will  assist  Urban  Anderson  of 
Tuscarawas  Amusement  Co.,  Ohio. 
• 

Eddie    Richardson,    manager  of 
Loevv's  Granada,  Cleveland,  and  Mrs. 
Richardson  are  vacationing  here. 
• 

Paul  Amadeo  is  the  new  manager 
at  the  E.  M.  Loew  Theatre,  Hart- 
ford. 

• 

Eddie  Selet,  formerly  of  Boston, 
has  been  named  manager  of  Henry 
Offer's  Crown,  Hartfofd. 


Truman  Asks  for  a 
2nd  'Union'  Showing 

Washington,  April  15. — Pres- 
ident Truman  is  becoming  a 
one-man  sales  staff  for  "State 
of  the  Union." 

The  President  saw  the  film 
at  a  special  White  House  Cor- 
respondents Association  pre- 
view here  last  week.  He  liked 
it  so  well  that  he  asked  Car- 
ter Barron,  local  Loew-M-G-M 
representative,  to  send  a  print 
over  to  the  Presidential  yacht 
Williamsburg  for  a  second 
look-see. 


K-MTA  Sets  Regional 
Meets  on  TO  A  Plans 

Kansas  City,  April  IS. — Plans  for 
a  series  of  regional  meetings  to  dis- 
cuss the  public  relations  and  youth 
programs  charted  by  Theatre  Owners 
of  America  at  its  recent  convention  in 
Los  Angeles  were  completed  today  by 
the  directors  of  Kansas-Missouri 
Theatres  Association.  Senn  Lawler 
reported  on  the  programs  mapped  by 
the  national  organization. 

Regional  meetings  will  be  held  as 
follows :  Hays,  Pratt  and  Indepen- 
dence, all  Kansas,  April  20,  21  and 
22;  Kansas  City,  May  3;  Chillicothe, 
Mo.,  May  5,  and  Neosho,  Mo.,  May 
6.  Officers  and  directors  will  attend 
all  the  meetings. 


Ad  Group  Discusses 
TOA  Cooperation 

A  policy  of  continuing  cooperation 
with  the  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
was  discussed  here  yesterday  by  the 
Advertising  and  Publicity  Directors 
committee  of  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America,  at  a  luncheon- 
meeting  presided  over  by  Charles 
Schlaifer  in  the  absence  of  Maurice 
Bergman,  who  is  ill. 

John  Joseph,  head  of  Universal- 
International's  advertising-publicity, 
and  chairman  of  the  Studio  Publicity 
Directors  committee  on  the-  Coast,  at- 
tended the  meeting. 


New  England  Unit 
To  Meet  May  4-5 

Boston,  April  IS. — A  convention 
marking  the  20th  anniversary  of  In- 
dependent Exhibitors  of  New  Eng- 
land will  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Somer- 
set here,  May  4  and  S. 


89%  in  N.M.  Pay  TOA 

Russell  Hardwicke,  secretary  of  the 
New  Mexico  Theatre  Association, 
yesterday  advised  Robert  W.  Coyne, 
executive  director  of  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America,  here,  that  69  the- 
atres, representing  88.8  per  cent  of  the 
total  seating  capacity  of  that  state,  had 
paid  their  TOA  assessments.  All  but 
16  are  independently  owned. 


Vincent  Valentini,  56 

Baltimore,  April  IS. — Vincent 
Valentini,  56,  scenarist  for  Herald 
Pictures,  New  York,  died  here  this 
morning.  Besides  scenarios  for  Negro 
pictures,  he  wrote  vaudeville  and 
music. 


Surplus  Penalty 
Tax  May  Be  Eased 


Washington,  April  15. — The  House 
Ways  and  Means  Committee  is  con- 
sidering a  proposal  to  ease  the  penalty 
tax  on  unreasonable  accumulation  of 
surplus  earnings. 

Two  other  joint  committee  proposals 
which  the  Ways  and  Means  group  is 
considering,  but  which  are  less  likely 
of  adoption  because  they  involve  too 
large  sums  of  revenue,  would  exempt 
all  inter-corporate  dividends  from  "tax- 
es (instead  of  85  per  cent  as  at  pres- 
ent) and  repeal  the  two  per  cent  tax 
on  consolidated  income  returns. 

The  proposal  would  permit  a  cor- 
poration to  file  a  statement  of  how  it 
plans  to  use  the  accumulation  and  then 
place  on  the  Internal  Revenue  Bureau 
the  burden  of  proof  that  the  accumu- 
lation is  "unreasonable."  It  would  also 
apply  the  tax  only  to  the  excess, 
rather  than  to  an  entire  income,  and 
would  give  the  company  75  days  after 
the  end  of  a  tax  year  to  pay  extra 
dividends. 


Divestiture  Sales 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


fendants,  it  is  reported,  are  bent  on 
convincing  the  Senate  Finance  Com- 
mittee and  the  House  Ways  and 
Means  Committee,  now  in  executive 
sessions  in  Washington,  that  invol- 
untary selling  of  theatre  interests  un- 
der a  Supreme  Court  ruling  should  be 
made  tax-free  transactions  on  the 
same  score  that  buying  and  selling  of 
properties  that  result  from  a  govern- 
ment's exercise  of  the  right  of  emi- 
nent domain  are  made  tax  free. 

Recently  Paramount  assigned  Les- 
lie M.  Rapp,  of  the  law  firm  of 
Simpson  and  Thacher,  to  act  as  its 
lobbyist  in  Washington  in  this  con- 
nection. Rapp  has  registered  with 
Congress  under  the  1946  Lobbying 
Act  as  Paramount's  legislative  repre- 
sentative. 


Industry  Has  Five  Lobbyists 
Registered  in  Washington 

Washington,  April  15. — Herman 
Levy,  representing  the  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America,  and  Abram  F.  Myers, 
representing  Allied  States  Association, 
have  registered  with  Congress  under 
the  1946  Lobbying  Act.  Other  industry 
representatives  registered  as  lobbyists 
are  Leslie  M.  Rapp,  attorney  for  Par- 
amount; Jack  Bryson,  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America,  and  A.  Julian 
Brylawski,  Theatre  Owners  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 


Lasky  'Shadows'  Review 

A  review  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky  of 
Martin  Quigley,  Jr.'s  new  book, 
"Magic  Shadows,"  the  story  of  the 
origin  of  motion  pictures,  will  be  pub- 
lished April  20  in  The  Scientific 
Monthly,  published  by  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Eyssell  Host  to  Capra 

Frank  Capra,  producer-director  of 
"State  of  the  Union,"  future  booking 
at  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  will  be 
tendered  a  cocktail  party  by  Gus 
Eyssell,  president-managing  director 
of  the  Hall,  on  Monday. 


Named  in  Suit, 
Acts  Against  Para. 


Arthur  Mayer  Says 
Rialto  Not  Sold— Yet 

Arthur  Mayer  yesterday  disputed, 
nay,  denied,  Motion  Picture  Daily's 
report  that  he  had  closed  a  deal  for 
the  sale  of  his  Rialto  Theatre  to 
James  J.  Mage,  who  wants  it  as  a 
Broadway  showcase  for  his  foreign 
film  imports. 

Said  Mayer :  "A  deal  may  be  closed 
tomorrow  and  again  it  may  not.  There 
is  no  deal  yet  and  there  won't  be  un- 
til the  cash  has  been  put  up  and  the 
papers  signed." 

Motion  Picture  Daily  is  happy  to 
clear  the  matter  up  by  making  this 
correction. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


t- RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 
IRENE  DUNNE  In  GEORGE  STEVENS' 

Prod,  of 

"I  REMEMBER  MAMA" 

Barbara  Oscar  Philip 

BEL  GEDDES        HOMOLKA  DORN 

Produced  by  HARRIET  PARSONS 

SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ALAN 

LADD 

«d  VERONICA 

LAKE 

SA/GOJV 

A  Pa  remount  Ptctur*  


JUNE  HAVER  ^ J 

ScUDDAffOO!  ' 


Color  by  TECHNICOLOR    /  B/IM:."i 
A  20th  CenluryFox  Pklure  ^SSi^M 

ROXY  7th  Ave.  &  50th 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R-  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


A  $450,000  damage  action  was 
started  here  yesterday  by  Richie 
Amusement  Co.,  of  Brooklyn,  operat- 
ing the  Normandie  Theatre  there, 
against  Paramount  for  having  includ- 
ed that  company  among  the  160-odd 
defendants  in  its  $563,265  percentage 
suit  against  Harry  Brandt,  et  al,  it 
was  admitted  by  the  office  of  Melvin 
A.  Albert,  attorney  for  Richie. 

Basis  for  the  action  is  the  o»s.  n- 
tion  that  Brandt  did  not  book  pTt*'^  >ct 
into  the  house,  as  alleged  in  Para- 
mount's complaint.  Richie  officers 
Robert  Kropp,  Sol  Rosenberg,  David 
L.  Holzer  and  David  Berk  seek  1 
$100,000  each  in  addition  to  $50,000  1 
damages  for  the  company. 


Friday,  April  16,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Lawson  Trial 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Activities  Committee  had  the  right  to 
ask  Lawson  whether  or  not  he  has 
ever  been  a  member  of  the  Communist 
Party.  He  is  charged  with  contempt 
of  Congress  for  refusing  to  answer 
this  question. 

Curran  sustained  Government  objec- 
tions to  the  questions,  decreed  the 
qoe^pn  to  be  pertinent,  and  thereby 
d31i)  the  defense  the  opportunity  to 
pfSftit  five  more  industry  figures  in 
support  of  its  contentions.  Louis  B. 
Mayer,  Dore  Schary,  producer,  John 
Houseman,  Irene  Lee,  story  editor  for 
Hal  Wallis,  and  New  York  Post  dra- 
matic critic  Richard  Watts,  Jr.,  were 
to  have  been  called. 

Lawson  Silence  'Only  Issue' 

In  making  his  decision,  Curran  re- 
emphasized  that  the  only  issue  to  be 
decided  is  whether  or  not  Lawson  re- 
fused to  answer  the  committee's  ques- 
tion. 

Schary  was  called  to  the  stand  later, 
to  testify  before  the  jury  in  regard  to 
the  committee's  probe  in  Hollywood 
last  summer.  He  was  asked  whether 
he  had  been  told  by  committee  investi- 
gators that  "there  would  be  trouble 
with  the  House  Un-American  Activi- 
ties Committee  unless  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry  cleaned  house." 

Curran  sustained  the  objection  of 
Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William  B. 
Hitz  and  the  RKO  Radio  executive 
vice-president  was  excused. 

The  defense  also  made  a  futile  effort 
to  have  "Counter-Attack,"  which  Law- 
son  wrote,  shown  to  the  jury  as  proof 
that  no  subversive  propaganda  had 
been  inserted. 

Object  of  Defense  Moves 

The  defense  moves  were  calculated 
to  prove  that  no  picture  produced  in 
Hollywood  contained  subversive  ma- 
terial and  that  a  writer  of  screen 
plays  cannot  inject  such  material  into 
his  scripts  because  of  the  control  ex- 
ercised by  director  and  producer. 

Representatives  John  McDowell, 
Richard  Vail  and  John  Rankin,  com- 
mittee members,  and  chairman  Thom- 
as, will  conclude  the  list  of  defense 
witnesses  tomorrow.  The  Government 
rested  its  case  after  calling  only  one 
witness,  Thomas. 

There  is  a  possibility  that  the  case 
will  reach  the  jury  tomorrow. 


House  Refuses  to  Permit 
Release  of  Lawson  Records 

Washington,  April  IS. — The  House 
today  refused  to  authorize  House 
clerk  John  Andrews  and  Un-American 
Activities  Committee  chief  clerk  Rob- 
ert Stripling  to  turn  over  to  counsel 
for  John  Howard  Lawson  certain 
committee  documents  subpoenaed  in 
connection  with  the  trial  now  going 
on  in  District  Court. 

Lawson's  attorneys  had  issued  sub- 
poenas for  all  of  the  House  commit- 
tee's records,  correspondence,  tran- 
scripts, reports,  press  releases  and  oth- 
er material  in  connection  with  Un- 
Americanism  or  the  Hollywood  inves- 
tigations. 

Two  Must  Answer  Subpoenas 

The  House  said  Andrews  and  Strip- 
ling should  answer  the  subpoenas  per- 
sonally but  should  not  produce  rec- 
ords until  the  court  rules  which  are 
relevant  to  Lawson's  case.  It  directed 
them  not  to  reveal  any  records  of  ex- 
ecutive sessions  or  of  testimony  given 
privately. 


Associates  Now  Have 
Over  600  Members 

Motion  Picture  Associates 
reports  86  new  members 
signed  during  the  past  three 
weeks.  Total  membership  is 
now  over  600.  Inducement  is 
a  special  low  initiation  fee 
between  now  and  June  30  to 
join  the  charitable  and  benev- 
olent organization. 


Golden  on  Labor 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

more  than  15  per  cent  of  a  picture 
costing  $1,000,000.  In  general,  labor 
costs  are  up  30  per  cent,  but  that  is 
not  much  in  light  of  the  present  high 
cost  of  living,  he  said.  "Hollywood 
labor  costs  are  fair,  the  workers  are 
not  overpaid,  and  they  do  a  fine  job," 
was  his  summation. 

Golden  paid  tribute  to  the  achieve- 
ments of  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  president  Eric  A.  Johnston 
and  Society  of  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers  representative 
James  Mulvey  in  connection  with  the 
British  tax  settlement,  and  said  he  be- 
lieves remittances  under  the  agree- 
ment will  come  to  about  50  per  cent 
of  the  1947  income  from  Britain,  tak- 
ing into  account  the  fact  that  British 
film  earnings  in  the  U.  S.  will  be  re- 
tained here.  Golden  said  the_  agree- 
ment should  bring  about  an  increase 
in  independent  Hollywood  production. 
He  pointed  out  that  only  about  10  in- 
dependent pictures  were  started  in  the 
last  year  and  a  half,  compared  with 
40  or  50  in  the  preceding  year  and  a 
half. 

Golden  Productions'  "Texas,  Brook- 
lyn and  Heaven"  will  be  released  July 
15  in  eight  cities. 


M.  P.  Foundation 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

has  informed  the  trustees  that  suf- 
ficient progress  has  been  made  by 
the  various  committees  to  make  a  full 
meeting  desirable  at  that  time 

MPF's  progress  will  not  be  hin- 
dered by, the  fact  that  Allied  States 
Association  and  Allied  units  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  country  have  elected 
to  refrain  from  supporting  the  intra- 
industry  philanthropic  organization,  it 
has  been  indicated  by  other  Founda- 
tion spokesmen  here.  MPF  will  not 
endeavor  to  persuade  Allied  and'  its 
units  to  join,  but  will  "leave  the  door 
open"  to  Allied  to  participate  when- 
ever it  chooses  to  do  so. 

U.K.  Security  Police 
Eyeing  Crown  Unit 

London  April  15.  —  The  govern- 
ment's Security  Police  have  begun  a 
scrutiny  of  the  political  activities  of 
members  of  the  Crown  Film  Unit, 
government  organization. 

Among  other  functions,  the  Unit 
makes,  for  record  purposes,  films  of 
secret  governmental  experiments.  The 
probe  under  way  is  part  of  the  official 
"Red"  purge  in  process  in  several  of- 
ficial departments. 


Myrna  Loy  U.N.  Delegate 

Myrna  Loy  will  be  the  film  delegate 
to  the  three-day  regional  conference 
of  the  U.  S.  Commission  for  the 
United  Nations  Educational,  Scien- 
tific and  Cultural  Organization  in  San 
Francisco,  May  13-15. 


Mexican  Premiere  of 
"Castile"  April  20 

Mexico  City,  April  15. — "Captain 
from  Castile,"  filmed  in  part  in  Mex- 
ico by  20th-Fox,  will  have  its  Mexi- 
can premiere  at  the  Cine  Alameda 
here  on  April  20  under  government 
auspices.  Proceeds  from  the  opening 
will  go  to  the  fund  being  raised  by 
the  Ministry  of  Public  Education  for 
more  public  schools. 

The  film  will  open  for  a  run  on 
April  22  at  seven  houses  here,  the 
Alameda,  Mexico,  Majestic,  Azteca, 
Acapulco,  Gran  Via  and  Bahia. 

Report  British  Films 
Gaining  in  Canada 

Ottawa,  April  15. — British  pic- 
tures are  gaining  slowly  but  surely  on 
Hollywood  productions  in  the  Cana- 
dian market,  a  Canadian  Institute  of 
Public  Opinion  poll  indicates.  Twenty- 
two  per  cent  of  the  men  and  29  per 
cent  of  the  women  questioned  in  the 
poll  favored  British  films. 

ABPC  May  Reopen 
British  Nat'l  Studio 

London,  April  15.  —  Negotiations 
for  the  re-opening  of  British  Nation- 
al's studio  by  Associated  British  are 
proceeding  here.  An  early  announce- 
ment is  anticipated.  The  studios  were 
closed  about  10  days  ago. 


Commons  Riled 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

American  company  here  now  possesses 
full  details,  thereby  placing  British 
companies  at  a  grave  disadvantage. 

Wilson  admitted  to  opposition  lead- 
er Oliver  Stanley  that  details  of  the 
agreement  have  been  published  pri- 
vately. He  said  that  because  some 
particulars  are  still  not  settled  it 
would  be  wrong  to  make  the  details 
public.  Stanley  held  that  it  is  the  gov- 
ernment's duty  to  first  acquaint  Com- 
mons with  the  details. 

Under  the  fire  of  questions,  Wilson 
said  the  particulars  that  have  been 
disclosed  do  not  represent  a  final 
agreement  between  the  British  gov- 
ernment and  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America. 


French  Dubbing  Rule 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

played.  The  French  are  reported 
ready  to  agree  to  such  a  concession. 
The  French,  it  is  understood,  have 
also  renewed  their  pledge  to  make 
token  payment  on  accumulated  remit- 
tances in  the  near  future. 

Mexican  Program  of 
3  for  Loewenthal 

Mexico  City,  April  15. — A  pro- 
gram of  three  productions  to  be  made 
in  Mexico  with  a  Hollywood  group 
including  Paul  Kohler,  his  representa- 
tive in  the  American  film  capital,  has 
been  announced  here  by  Rodolfo 
Loewenthal,  European  producer.  The 
first  will  be  in  Spanish. 


39  U.S.  Films  for  Poland 

Washington,  April  15. — The  Po- 
lish government  plans  the  showing  of 
39  new  U.  S.  films  in  Poland  this 
year,  according  to  a  Commerce  De- 
partment report.  There  will  be  48 
Soviet  films,  34  British,  25  French,  15 
Czech,  six  Polish,  and  eight  from 
I  other  countries. 


Variety  Clubs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Philadelphia,  pledged  $100,000  each. 
Others  are:  No.  1,  Pittsburgh,  $50,- 
000  minimum  ;  No.  3,  Cincinnati,  $30,- 
000  minimum;  No.  4,  St.  Louis,  $12,- 
000;  No.  6,  Cleveland,  $50,000;  No. 
7,  Buffalo,  $25,000;  No.  9,  Albany, 
$15,000;  No.  10,  Indianapolis  $15,000; 
No.  11,  Washington,  $50,000;  No.  15, 
Des  Moines,  $10,000;  No.  16,  Omaha, 
$12,500 ;  No.  18,  Dayton,  $7,500 ;  No. 
19  Baltimore,  $42,000;  No.  20,  Mem- 
phis, $5,000;  No.  21,  Atlanta,  $85,000; 
No.  22,  Oklahoma  City,  $30,000;  No. 
12,  Boston,  $75,000. 

Each  pledge  was  made  as  "Heart 
reports"  were  submitted  for  the 
"Heart  Award,'"  which  is  being 
judged, by  a  three-man  committee  com- 
posed of  Arthur  Ungar,  Daily  Varie- 
ty, chairman  ;  Jay  Emanuel,  The  Ex- 
hibitor; and  this  correspondent  repre- 
senting Motion  Picture  Daily  and 
Motion  Picture  Herald.  Announce- 
ment of  the  award  will  be  made  at  the 
concluding  banquet  Saturday  evening. 

Work  of  the  New  England  Tent  in 
aiding  the  financing  of  a  cancer  re- 
search laboratory  for  children,  de- 
clared the  only  one  of  its  type  in  the 
country,  was  accorded  emphatic  en- 
thusiasm by  the  delegates. 

Dave  Bershon,  Southern  California 
exhibitor,  was  so  impressed  that  he 
made  a  personal  donation  of  $5,000  to 
further  laboratory  experimentation  on 
a  possible  cure  for  acute  leukemia. 

John  H.  Harris,  "Big  Boss"  of 
Variety,  wired  his  inability  to  attend 
and  was  given  a  round  of  applause 
when  his  telegram  was  read. 


AA  to  Produce  'Bad  Boy'; 
Deal  With  Wanger  Off 

Miami  Beach,  April  15. — Allied 
Artists  will  produce  and  distribute 
"Bad  Boy,"  a  film  based  on  the  Texas 
Boys'  Ranch  in  which  Variety  Clubs 
International  will  participate.  A  deal 
under  which  Walter  Wanger,  under 
his  new  Eagle-Lion  affiliation,  would 
produce  the  picture  for  distribution  by 
Universal-International  collapsed  late 
last  night. 

First  Full-Size 
Video  in  Baltimore 

Baltimore,  April  15. — Full-size 
screen  television  becomes  an  added 
regular  attraction  at  Keith's  Theatre 
here  starting  Saturday,  first  of  its 
kind  in  Baltimore. 

Audiences  attending  the  first-run 
Keith's  will,  without  extra  charge,  be 
admitted  to  a  currently  unoccupied 
ballroom  atop  the  theatre  where  the 
television  shows  are  to  be  presented. 


DuMont  Net  for  '47 
Rises  to  $563,677 

Allen  B.  DuMont  Laboratories  re- 
ports net  income  of  $563,677  for  1947, 
after  charges  and  taxes.  This  com- 
pares with  a  net  loss  of  $1,472,270 
for  the  year  ended  Dec.  29,  1946. 
Paramount  holds  approximately  29  per 
cent  of  DuMont  stock. 

Current  assets  were  reported  at 
$6,566,818  and  liabilities  at  $2,494,599, 
compared  with  $5,118,744  and  $1,107,- 
387  respectively  for  the  previous  year. 


Profit  for  Canada  Circuit 

Ottawa,  April  15. — Theatre  Prop- 
erties (Hamilton),  Ltd.,  had  a  net  of 
$118,253  for  the  53  weeks  ended  Jan. 
3,  which  was  23.5  per  cent  off  from 
the  previous  vear.  Profit  compared 
with  $131,804  for  1946. 


The  Next  Important  Event  •  •  • 
In  The  20th  Cen turym Fox  Showmanship 
Tradition  That  Is  Making  Boxoftiee 
History  Throughout  The  Industry! 


THE  500- 

EATRE 

ATION-WIDE 
WORLD  PREMIERE 
WEEK  OF 


10 


th 


I 


THE  MOST  SENSATIONAL  AND  TIMELY  SUBJECT  EVER  BROUGHT  TO  THE  SCREEN 


TO  SEE  IT  IS  TO  KNOW  ITS  STARTLING  FACTS... 

the  remarkable  personal  disclosures  of  Igor  Gouzenko,  former 
Code  Clerk,  USSR  Embassy,  Ottawa,  Canada. ..the  true  headline 
revelations  of  the  atom  bomb  spy  plot  that  stunned  the  world. 


TO  SEE  IT  IS  TO  FEEL  ITS  LIVING  DRAMA... 

made  with  the  same  force  and  vitality  that  brought  acclaim  to 
"The  House  On  92nd  Street,"  "Boomerang!"  and  "Call -Northside  777." 


WZgm  TO  SEE  IT  IS  TO  SHARE  A  GREAT  SCREEN  EXPERIENCE 

(§g£|g . made  unforgettable  by  the  star  performances  of  Dana  Andrews 
as  Igor,  Gene  Tierney  as  Anna  and  a  distinguished  supporting  cast. 


G      N      A     T      U      R  E 


Directed  by  Produced  by 

WILLIAM  A.  WELLMAN-SOL  C.  SIEGEL 


THE  IRON 

CURTAIN 

with   JUNE  HAVOC 
BERRY  KROEGER  •  EDNA  BEST 


CENTURY-FOX 


Screen  Play  by  Mary  Loos  and  Richard  Sale 
Original  Story  by  Ernest  Lehman  and  Geza  Herczeg 

Directed  by  ALLAN  DWAN 

REPUBLIC  PICTURE 


J 


8 


Motion  picture  Daily 


Friday,  April  16,  1948 


Reviews 


i 


Shaggy" 

(Pine-Thamas-Paramount) 
N  this  Pine-Thomas  Cinecolor  production,  the  attachment  between  a  boy 
and  an  animal  once  more  is  featured.  Children  and  dog-lovers,  young 
and  old,  will  rejoice,  but  others,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  super- 
sentimental,  are  likely  to  experience  tedium  because  the  story  is  much  too 
stereotyped. 

Every  device  used  in  the  past  to  gain  sympathy  for  boy  and  animal  is  in 
evidence.  Neither  director  Robert  Emmett  Tansey  nor  author  Maxwell 
Shane  missed  a  trick  in  an  attempt  to  pluck  the  heart  strings.  They  work 
out  the  tale  of  a  happy  relationship  between  George  Nokes,  young  star  of 
the  film,  and  Shaggy,  threatened  by  the  suspicion  of  being  a  sheep  killer. 
Nokes'  vindication  of  his  faith  in  Shaggy  provides  the  climax.  William  Pine 
and  William  Thomas  contributed  production  values  that  transcend  the  mod- 
esty of  the  subject.  Scenic  locales  are  a  real  asset. 

Running  time,  72  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
June  11.  P.E.L. 


"Lightnin'  in  the  Forest" 

{Republic) 

ELEMENTS  of  romantic  comedy  are  mixed  with  gangster  melodrama  in 
a  film  of  reasonable  audience  appeal.  Modest  name  values  include  Lynne 
Roberts,  Donald  Barry  and  Warren  Douglas. 

The  plot  concerns  a  wild  and  impetuous  young  girl  who  is  placed  in  the 
hands  of  a  handsome  psychiatrist  to  be  cured  of  an  excitement  mania.  The 
pair  retreats  to  a  country  cabin,  chaperoned  by  the  caretaker  and  his  wife, 
where  the  process  of  psychoanalysis  unfolds  in  humorous  manner.  Naturally, 
a  romance  begins,  only  to  be  interrupted  when  gunmen  take  over  the  cabin 
as  a  hideout.  Consequent  gunplay  and  excitement  is  finally  brought  to  an  end 
when  the  psychiatrist  proves  his  proficiency  with  his  fists.  While  the  story 
is  not  endowed  with  fresh  imagination,  it  sustains  adequate  interest.  Sidney 
Picker  produced  and  George  Blair  directed.  John  K.  Butler's  screenplay  was 
from  a  story  by  J.  Benton  Cheney. 

Running  time,  58  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
March  25.  Mandel  Herbstman 


Here  Comes  Trouble 

(Hal  Roach-United  Artists) 

A55-MINUTE  subject  presented  by  Hal  Roach  as  part  one  of  "Laff-Time," 
"Here  Comes  Trouble"  is  melodrama  with  an  accent  on  slapstick.  Wil- 
liam Tracy  is  the  central  figure  as  a  hesitating,  faltering  reporter  who  attempts 
to  aid  his  publisher  in  tracking  down  blackmailers.  Others  are  Joe  Sawyer, 
detective,  Beverly  Loyd,  the  publisher's  daughter,  and  Joan  Woodbury,  a 
dancer. 

The  publisher,  campaigning  to  rid  the  town  of  racketeers,  is  blackmailed  by 
the  gang  when  a  burlesque  dancer  is  found  murdered  in  her  dressing  room. 
The  publisher,  his  daughter  and  the  reporter  are  suspected  of  the  crime.  The 
police  capture  the  real  culprits  backstage  during  a  performance.  Photographed 
in  Cinecolor,  the  film  was  produced  and  directed  by  Fred  Guiol.  Hal  Roach, 
Jr.,  was  executive  producer. 

Running  time,  55  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set. 


"Angelina" 

( Presiden  t  Films — /  talian  ) 

« '  A  NGELINA"  provides  Anna  Magnani,  star  of  "Open  City,"  with  fair 
■ii.  opportunities  to  run  the  gamut  of  emotion  from  deep  despair  to  ribald 
gaiety.  In  this  film  the  Italian  star  is  the  mother  of  a  large  family  living  in  the 
slums  of  Rome.  Outraged  at  the  treatment  she  and  her  neighbors  receive 
from  wealthy  landlords  she  organizes  the  women  to  take  matters  into  their 
own  hands.  Eventually  they  get  better  housing.  It  was  produced  by  Paolo 
Frasca  for  Lux-Oro  Films,  was  directed  by  Luigi  Zampa,  and  has  English 
subtitles. 

Running  time,  90  minutes.  Adult  classification.  Current  release. 


3  New  Teaching  Films 

Washington,  April  15. — Teaching 
Film  Custodians,  non-profit  affiliate  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America,  will  distribute  to  schools 
and  educational  groups  three  new 
teaching  films  produced  by  cooperation 
of  the  industry  and  textbook  publish- 
ers. Project  was  coordinated  by 
Arthur  Mayer,  New  York  exhibitor. 


Stars  at  'Arch'  Benefit 

Ingrid  Bergman  and  Charles  Boyer, 
co-stars  of  Enterprise's  "Arch  of  Tri- 
umph," will  attend  the  benefit  pre- 
miere for  American  Overseas  Aid  for 
the  United  Nations  Appeal  for  Chil- 
dren at  the  Globe  Theatre  here  Mon- 
day evening. 


Considering  Film 
On  Home  Building 

Washington,  April  15. — The 
nation's  home  builders,  appar- 
ently sold  on  motion  pictures 
by  "Mr.  Blandings"  publicity, 
are  now  considering  a  film 
telling  the  story  of  modern 
home  building  methods  to  the 
public.  The  project  was  dis- 
cussed at  length  at  a  meeting 
of  top  officials  of  the  National 
Association  of  Home  Builders 
here. 


Arthur  Talks  Go  on 

A  new  deal  for  the  continued  opera- 
tion of  St.  Louis  Amusement  Co.  by 
Harry  Arthur,  Jr.,  is  still  being  nego- 
tiated, it  has  been  reported  here 
by  George  Skouras,  who  said  he  did 
not  know  how  much  longer  the  talks 
with  Arthur  would  go  on.  Deal  has 
been  under  discussion  for  eight 
months. 


New  Vermont  Theatre 

St.  Johnsbury,  Vt,  April  15.  — 
Andrew  Tegu,  owner  of  Tegu's  Pal- 
ace Theatre,  plans  to  erect  a  650-seat 
house  here  this  year  at  a  cost  of 
$100,000,  to  be  completed  by  January 
1,  expiration  date  of  Tegu's  lease  on 
the  Gem. 


New  Drive-in  for  Lincoln 

Lincoln,  Neb.,  April  15. — Articles 
of  incorporation  have  been  filed  here 
by  Starview  Amusement  Corp.  to  op- 
erate a  new  drive-in  here.  Incorpora- 
tors are  Sidney  Schermer  and  Man- 
nie  Burdie  of  St.  Louis. 


Key  City 
Grosses 


OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
1  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CLEVELAND 


"Alias  a  Gentleman"  scoretf  at 
Loew's  Stillman  and,  "Beauty  and  the 
Beast"  at  the  Lower  Mall  showed  a 
strong  box-office.  Other  takes  over  a 
fair-weather  week-end  hovered  near 
average.  Competition  was  average. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ed April  13-14: 

ALIAS     A     GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)— 

LOEW'S  STILLMAN  (1,900)  (50c-70c). 
Gross:  $12,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)— WARNERS' 
LAKE  (714)  (S5c-70c)  2nd  week,  on  a 
moveover.  Gross:  $3,200.  (Average:  $3,- 
000) 

BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M) — LOEW'S 
OHIO  (1,268)  (50c-70c)  3rd  week.  (Gross: 
$6,600.    (Average:  $6,600) 

BEAUTY  AND  THE  BEAST  (Realart)- 

LOWER  MALL  (563)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $3,- 
500.    (Average:  $2,500) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)- 

RKO  ALLEN  (3,000)   (55c-70c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $14,500.     (Average:  $13,000) 
NAKED    CITY    (U-I) — LOEW'S  STATE 
(3,300)   (50c-70c)  2nd  week.     Gross:  $17,500. 
(Average:  $19,500) 

RELENTLESS  (Col.) — RKO'  PALACE  (3,- 
300)  (55c-70c).  Gross:  $16,500.  (Average: 
$15,500) 

TO    THE    VICTOR  (WB)-WARNERS' 

HIPPODROME  (3,500)  (55c-70c).  Gross: 
$17,500.     (Average:  $18,250) 


Vote  Against  Sunday  Bill 

Stromsburg,  Neb.,  April  15. — Citi- 
zens of  this  town  voted  2-to-l  against 
a  proposed  ban  on  Sunday  films 
brought  up  by  the  Citizens  Party. 


W.  H.  Crockett 

Crockett— Pender  Theatres, 
Virginia  Beach, 
Virginia,  says: 


"WHAT  ALTEC  DOES  PROTECTS  OUR 
INVESTMENT  AND  OUR  BOX  OFFICE" 


9?The  motion  picture  theatre  must 
recognize  the  competitive  enter- 
tainment being  offered  its  patrons 
to-day.  You  must  give  patrons 
better  theatres,  better  projection, 
better  sound,  better  pictures,  if 
we  are  to  remain  leaders  of  the 
entertainment  field. 


Altec  Service  helps  me  do  this 
in  my  theatres,  so  I  recommend 
and  thank  them." 


Service  Corporation 
250  West  51th  Street 
New  York  19,  N.  Y. 


Altec  Service,  known  for  its  service 
"over  and  above  the  contract"  is  a 
vital  ingredient  of  your  theatre's 
ability  to  meet  successfully  the  com- 
petition  of  other  forms  of  entertain- 
ment. An  Altec  Service  contract  is 
the  soundest  long  term  investment 
an  exhibitor  can  make  today. 


THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


f  ' 

r  IRoT 

MOTION  PICTURE 

Accurate  . 

IN 

11  ATT 

Concise 

FILM 

1 f  Z\  1  1,1 

.... .  —  _J  . 

and 

NEWS 

1  L^FlZ^j  L. J L  Jl^  J L 

Imnnrfinl 

IlllpUl  IIUI 

Wmmmmmwmw^  Mb      mbh  ■■■■■■     ^■■■■■■r  ■■■■■■ 

3,  NO.  75 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  APRIL  19,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Bob  O'Donnell 
Again  Heads 
Variety  Clubs 

Pledge  $2,020,135  to 
Charity;  On  to  Frisco 

By  RED  KANN 

Miami  Beach,  April  18. — Rob- 
ert J.  O'Donnell  was  reelected  in- 
ternational chief  barker  along  with 
his  entire  slate,  and  the  31  active 
tents  of  Variety 
Clubs  Interna- 
tional pledged 
an  aggregate 
$2,020,135  for 
charities  in 
1 948  at  the 
close  of  the 
business  ses- 
sions of  its 
12th  interna- 
tional conven- 
tion here  Fri- 
day. 

San  Francis- 
co overwhelm- 
ingly was  voted 
the  convention 
city  for  next  year,  probably  April  18 
through  23,  after  Luis  Montez  yield- 
ed with  the  tacit  understanding,  at 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Bob  O'Donnell 


MPF  Cannot  Aid 
Rogers  Hospital  Now 

Miami  Beach,  April  18. — Motion 
Picture  Foundation  will  undertake  no 
charitable  enterprises  until  it  has  $5,- 
000,000  in  its  treasury.  This  came  to 
light  at  the  closing  sessions  of  Vari- 
ety Clubs  International  convention 
here  when  S.  H.  Fabian  made  the 
statement  in  connection  with  efforts  at 
persuading  the  Foundation  to  help  the 
rocky  financial  structure  of  the  Will 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Recommends  SAG 
Scales  for  Video 

Hollywood,  April  18. — Board  of 
directors  of  the  Screen  Actors  Guild 
joins  with  the  Four-A  talent  guilds  in 
recommending  that  actors  do  not  ac- 
cept work  in  television  films  for  less 
than  Guild  minimum  scales. 


Wants  U.S.  to  Give 
Way  on  Ticket  Tax, 
Let  Cities  Move  in 


Washington,  April  18.  —  Rep. 
Dorn  of  South  Carolina  has  included 
in  the  Congressional  Record  a  sug- 
gestion from  E.  H.  Bowers,  city  clerk 
of  Greenwood,  S.  C,  that  the  Federal 
admission  tax  be  reduced  in  order  to 
clear  the  way  for  municipalities  to 
levy  a  small  excise  on  admissions. 

Bowers  suggested  the  Federal  tax 
be  cut  to  either  one  per  cent  on  each 
10  cents  or  10  per  cent  on  each  50- 
cent  admission  or  more.  The  munici- 
palities would  levy  a  tax  of  one  per 
cent,  he  estimated. 

(Increasing  attempts  by  state  and 
municipal  governments  to  levy  admis- 
sion taxes   are   seriously  concerning 

•  (Continued  on  page  4) 


130%  French  Levy 
Threatens  Dubbing 


Efforts  are  being  made  within  the 
French  film  industry  to  secure  a  tax 
of  more  than  130  per  cent  for  dub- 
bing of  imported  pictures,  it  was  dis- 
closed here  at  the  weekend  by  William 
Satori,  Monogram-Allied  Artists  Con- 
tinental European  representative,  who 
is  visiting  here. 

At  present,  Satori  said,  the  French 
government  levies  no  dubbing  tax.  He 
said  it  costs  1,500,000  francs_  ($5,000) 
to  dub  an  American  picture  in  French 
in  that  country.  With  a  view  toward 
making  the  French  market  more  ad- 
vantageous for  French  production, 
certain  interests  are  seeking  to  have 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Eyssell  Names  14  to 
Scholarship  Group 

G.  S.  Eyssell,  president  and  man- 
aging director  of  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  here,  and  chairman  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry's  scholarship 
fund  for  Yeshiva  University,  New 
York,  has  named  the  following  com- 
mittee to  assist  in  raising  50  scholar- 
ships : 

Barney  Balaban,  Nate  Blumberg, 
Jules  W.  Catsiff,  Ned  Depinet,  Irv- 
ing H.  Greenfield,  Monroe  Greenthal, 
Dan  Michalove,  Charles  Moskowitz, 
Charles  D.  Prutzman,  Harold  Rod- 
ner,  Sam  Rosen,  Abe  Schneider, 
George  -P.  Skouras  and  George  J. 
Schaefer,  honorary  chairman,  who 
was  chairman  for  10  years. 


Revivals  Outdraw 
New  Films  in  Canada 

Ottawa,  April  18. — Revivals 
in  Canadian  theatres  have 
drawn  such  unexpectedly 
large  crowds  that  some  in 
the  trade  emphasize  that  the 
general  run  of  films  com- 
ing from  Hollywood  has  been 
rather  poor  in  the  past  year 
or  so,  with  this  factor  more 
than  anything  else  account- 
ing for  lower  attendance  in 
Canadian  theatres,  it  is  said. 


FP-C  Constructing 
18  More  Theatres 


Ottawa,  April  18. — Now  under 
construction  are  18  additional  thea- 
tres for  Famous  Players  Canadian 
Corp.,  and  it  is  expected  that  all  will 
be  operating  before  the  year-end.  In 
the  past  fiscal  year  the  organization 
opened  10  new  theatres. 

The  company  reports  that  a  sub- 
stantial working  capital  which  it  has 
on  hand  will  be  sufficient  to  provide 
funds  necessary  for  the  construction 
of  the  new  theatres,  make  improve- 
ments in  existing  theatres,  and  per- 
mit investments  in  other  properties. 


R.  &  R.  To  Build  8, 
Plus  Four  Drive-ins 

Dallas,  April  18. — Robb  and  Row- 
ley has  on  the  boards  blueprints  for 
eight  new  theatres,  four  drive-ins  and 
remodeling  of  six. 

New  theatres  are  contemplated  for 
Dallas,  Oak  Cliff,  Robstown,  San 
Angelo,  Taylor,  Terrell,  Magnolia 
and  Malvern ;  drive-ins  for  Little 
Rock,  Muskogee,  Oak  Cliff  and  Cor- 
pus Christie.  To  be  remodeled : 
Grand  Theatre,  Mineral  Wells ;  Ma- 
jestic, Rotan ;  Mission,  Sulphur 
Springs ;  Bison,  Dallas ;  Texas,  San 
Angelo,  and  Royal,  Little  Rock. 


Delay  MPAA  Meet 
Again  for  UK  Report 

Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America's  board  will  "very  likely" 
meet  in  New  York  on  Thursdav,  the 
MPAA  office  said  here  at  the  week- 
end. Meeting  has  been  twice  post- 
poned to  permit  conferees  to  complete 
elucidation  of  the  recent  British  tax 
settlement  agreement,  including  a  for- 
mula for  apportionment  of  remittances. 


Jackson  Park 
Decree  Drops 
Rentals  33% 

Sample  of  Court  -  Run 
Business  Going  Sour 

Chicago,  April  18. — The  Jack- 
son Park  Theatre  anti-trust  decree, 
which  continues  to  scramble  the 
release  system  here  to  the  bewilder- 
ment of  industry  veterans,  has  cost 
some  distributors  a  loss  of  as  much 
as  33  per  cent  of  their  local  rental, 
informed  sources  estimate. 

Basic  cause,  it  is  claimed,  is 
the  two-week  limitation  on  Loop 
runs,  an  insufficient  period  for 
top  product  to  earn  its  propor- 
tionate revenue  from  the  city's 
most  lucrative  bookings.  In  ad- 
dition, many  outlying  "A" 
houses  decline  to  book  pictures 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Lawson  Contempt 
Trial  Nears  End 


Washington,  April  18. — The  John 
Howard  Lawson  contempt  of  Con- 
gress trial  probably  will  go  to  the 
jury  late  tomorrow  or  Tuesday.  Only 
possibility  for  further  delay  would  be 
a  favorable  ruling  by  the  court  on  a 
defense  contention  that  the  Holly- 
wood hearings  were  not  conducted  by 
a  lawfully-constituted  sub-committee 
of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

This  last  ditch  effort  by  Lawson's 
attorneys  to  have  the  case  thrown  out 
of  court  occurred  Friday  after  both 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Ahlert  Likely  to  Be 
Next  Head  of  Ascap 

Fred  Ahlert,  writer  and  long  active 
in  Ascap  affairs,  shapes  up  as  the 
leading  candidate  for  the  presidency 
of  the  Society,  with  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Ascap  board  of  directors 
scheduled  to  elect  new  officers  on 
Thursday. 

An  Ascap  bylaw  prohibiting  a  presi- 
dent from  serving  more  than  two  suc- 
cessive terms  makes  Deems  Taylor, 
incumbent  president,  ineligible  for  re- 
election. 


PRICIS  S.R.O. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  April  19,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


Tradewise . 


By  SHERWIN  KAN  E 


Newsreel 
Parade 


J? 


EVOLUTION 


HAROLD  J.  MIRISCH,  Allied 
Artists  vice  -  president,  left 
Hollywood  at  the  weekend  for  New 
York. 

• 

Phil  Williams,  Associated  Motion 
Picture  Advertisers  vice-president, 
will  be  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  today  from 
New  York  to  discuss  "Public,  Hu- 
man and  Community  Relations  in 
Motion  Pictures"  before  the  Variety 
Club  of  that  city. 

• 

Edward  L.  Walton,  Republic  as- 
sistant general  sales  manager,  and  di- 
vision managers  Walter  L.  Titus, 
Jr.  and  James  V.  O'Gara  will  re- 
turn to  New  York  today  from  field 
visits. 

• 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  advertising- 
publicity  director  for  Eagle- Lion,  is 
captain  of  a  softball  team  which  will 
meet  its  first  opponent  next  Monday 
at  a  Central  Park  diamond. 

• 

Jesse  W.  Chinick  of  Intermoun- 
tain  Theatres  booking  and  buying  de- 
partment at  Salt  Lake  City  has  been 
promoted  to  booker  and  buyer  for 
Northio  Theatres,  Cincinnati. 
• 

Rodney  Bush,  20th  Century-Fox 
exploitation  manager,  left  here  over 
the  weekend  for  San  Francisco,  Se- 
attle and  Portland. 

0 

Harold  Postman,  assistant  to  M- 
G-M  exchange  operations  head  Alan 
F.  Cummings,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  a  Midwest  trip. 

• 

Henry  Ginsberg,  Paramount  pro- 
duction head,  is  en  route  to  New 
York  from  the  Coast  for  semi-annual 
home  office  conferences. 

• 

Harry  M.  Kalmine,  Warner  the- 
atres president  and  general  manager, 
will  leave  here  tonight  for  Los  An- 
geles with  stopovers  en  route. 
• 

Art  Mooney,  orchestra  leader,  was 
hospitalized  for  a  ruptured  ulcer  just 
before  opening  a  week's  engagement 
at  the  RKO  Albee  in  Cincinnati. 
• 

M.  L.  Simons,  assistant  to  M-G-M 
exhibitor  relations  director  H.  M. 
Richey,  is  on  a  Canadian  business 
trip. 

• 

Tom  Waller,  MPAA  publicity 
manager  here,  has  been  confined  to 
his  home  with  a  cold. 

• 

Louis    Astor,    Columbia  circuit 
sales   executive,   left   here  yesterday 
for  a  three-week  Midwest  tour. 
• 

Harry     McWilliams,  Columbia 
exploitation  manager,  will  return  to 
New  York  today  from  Boston. 
• 

James  R.  Grainger,  Republic  dis- 
tribution head,  is  due  back  in  New 
York  Wednesday  from  Boston. 

Roger  Albright,  MPAA  educa- 
tional director,  will  speak  on  May  20 
at  the  Cleveland  Film  Council. 


O  RITISH  officialdom's  de- 
layed  moving  for  repeal  of 
the  75  per  cent  ad  valorem  duty 
on  imported  films  does  not  re- 
flect dissatisfaction  there  with 
the  settlement  agreement  they 
reached  with  Eric  Johnston  and 
James  Mulvey  more  than  a 
month  ago,  Peter  Burnup,  Lon- 
don editor  of  Quigley  Publica- 
tions, reports  with  confidence. 

Repeal  of  the  British  tax  was 
forecast  first  for  immediately  af- 
ter the  Easter  recess  of  Parlia- 
ment, which  would  have  set  the 
date  near  to  April  1.  It  was 
estimated  next  that  April  15 
would  be  a  more  likely  date  for 
repeal.  Now  it's  April  30. 

London's  explanation  is  that 
the  intricate  problems  of  legal 
drafting  of  the  agreement  are 
proving  to  be  more  time-con- 
suming than  had  been  anticipi- 
pated,  and  that  alone  is  respon- 
sible for  the  delay. 

• 

Meanwhile,  elucidation  of 
numerous  points  concerning  ap- 
plication of  the  settlement 
agreement,  points  which  have 
been  raised  by  both  American 
industry  representatives  and  the 
British  Board  of  Trade,  are 
proving  stumbling  blocks  in 
varying  degree.  Repeatedly  en- 
countered reports  have  it  that 
the  main  outstanding  difference 
of  viewpoint  between  New  York 
and  London  concerns  the  defini- 
tion of  a  film  covered  by  the 
new  British  quota  laws. 

Board  of  Trade  officials  are 
said  to  contend  that  pictures 
made  in  England  with  blocked 
American  funds,  and  employing 
Hollywood  technicians,  are  not 
covered  by  the  quota.  Ameri- 
can industry  officials  take  the 
opposite  view,  it  is  reported. 

The  issue  is  of  obvious  impor- 
tance since  the  preferential 
treatment  accorded  British  films 
by  the  quota. would  be  withheld 
from  the  films  made  in  Britain 
by  Americans,  if  the  reported 
London  viewpoint  prevails. 
•  • 

The  dirges  being  sounded  by 
certain  exhibitor  organizations 
which  backed  the  Lewis  Bill  are 
exactly  what  was  to  be  expect- 
ed. All  of  a  pattern,  they  are 
dismayingly  unimaginative  and 
display  disregard  for  facts,  even 
in  describing  the  bill  itself. 

Proponents  of  the  measure,  to 
quote  from  the  bulletin  of  one  of 
them,  claim:  "The  (Lewis) 
Bill  would  have  eliminated  As- 
cap's  power  to  levy  a  seat  tax 
on  theatres  and  instead  would 


have  made  the  producers  foot 
the  bill." 

The  Lewis  Bill  contained  no 
provision  which  would  prevent 
producers-distributors  from  pas- 
sing along  to  exhibitors  what- 
ever they,  the  producers-distrib- 
utors, paid  to  Ascap.  The  House 
judiciary  subcommittee  which 
held  hearings  on  the  Bill  was 
told  by  the  producers-distribu- 
tors that,  if  the  Bill  passed,  they 
would  not  only  pass  the  music 
taxes  along  to  exhibitors  but 
would  be  compelled  to  add  to  the 
music  tax  service  and  account- 
ing charges. 

If  you  wish  to  accept  the  ar- 
gument of  proponents  of  the  bill 
that  producers  -  distributors 
could  succeed  in  bargaining  for 
lower  music  taxes  than  exhibi- 
tors can  obtain  (which  many, 
including  Ascap,  refuse  to  con- 
cede) then  you  should  be  pre- 
pared to  see  that  advantage 
wiped  out  in  service  and  ac- 
counting charges,  leaving  the 
exhibitor  to  pay  ultimately  as 
much  or  more  for  the  music  in 
his  films  as  is  the  case  now.  . 
• 

Many  exhibitors  never  under- 
stood that  under  the  Lewis  Bill 
they  would  pay  their  music  tax 
to  the  distributor  instead  of  to 
Ascap.  But  many  more  did 
understand  than  did  not.  That 
is  why  it  was  successfully  ap- 
posed. A  hidden  tax  or  a  tax 
by  any  other  name  can  be  just 
as  costly  as  the  direct  one. 

Protagonists  of  the  Lewis 
Bill,  to  a  unit,  ascribed  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  opposition 
to  it  to  "affiliated  circuit  domi- 
nation," the  reasoning  being 
that  the  affiliated  circuits  are 
tied  up  with  music  publishing 
members  of  Ascap  and  their 
parent  companies  want  the  pres- 
ent music  tax  rate  structure 
continued  in  order  to  assure 
royalties  from  Ascap. 

It  probably  never  occurred  to 
them  that  if  there  was  any 
merit  to  that  argument  they 
would  have  found  the  produc- 
ers-distributors enthusiastically 
behind  them,  or  even  'out  in 
front  of  them,  rooting  for  the 
Lewis  Bill.  That  measure 
would  have  entrusted  to  those 
"affiliated  interests  with  Ascap 
connections"  the  duty  of  negoti- 
ating music  tax  rates  which  they 
would  pass  on  to  theatres. 

What  better  way  of  assuring 
themselves  healthy  and  con- 
tinued royalties  from  Ascap 
than  setting  the  license  rates 
themselves  ? 


in  Bogota  and 
-^V  election  eve  in  Italy  are  news- 
reel  highlights.  Items  of  national 
and  international  significance  as  well 
as  sports  and  human  interest  stories 
round  out  the  reels.  Complete  con- 
tents follow. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  31— Scenes  of 
the  Bogota  revolution.  Crucial  rf.  on  of 
Italy  rouses  world  interest.  Loi^i/mon- 
ument  honors  memory  of  FDR.Teqrdinal 
Spellman  makes  appeal  for  Catholic  Chari- 
ties. Louis  and  Walcott  sign  for  bout. 
Racing  regatta. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  265-Revolt 
in  Bogota.  Britain  honors  memory  of 
FDR.  Cardinal  Spellman  asks  aid  for 
needy.  Speed  tests  for  new  thunderjets. 
Heavyweight   title   bout  set   for  June. 

PARAMOUNT   NEWS,   No.    68— Bogota  II 
reign   of   terror.     Fur   fashions    for  men. 
Russian  Supreme  Council  in  session.    En-  j 
gland  pays  homage  to  FDR. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  135—  Crazed 
mobs  riot  in  Bogota  revolution.  FDR  me- 
modal  unveiled  in  London.  Speedy  thund- 
erjets  in  maneuvers.  "Are  You  With  It?"  i 
premiere  opens  Security  Loan  drive  in  New 
York. 

WARNER    PATHE    NEWS,    No.  70- 

Election  eve  in  Italy.  Warfare  in  Greece. 
Harold  Stassen  wins  in  Nebraska.  Stalin 
at  Red  congress.  Bogota  revolt.  Britain 
honors  FDR.  Catholic  Charities  appeal. 
Great  Americans:  U.  S.  Grant. 

Selznick  Circus  Film 
Set  With  Ringling' s 

John  Ringling  North,  president  of  \ 
Ringling  Brothers  and  Barnum  and 
Bailey,  and  David  O.  Selznick  have 
completed  a  deal  whereby  "The  Great- 
est  Show  on  Earth"  will  be  made  into 
a  Technicolor  film  by  Selznick,  fea-  j 
turing  the  circus. 

Production  will  start  early  in  1949. 
It  will  be  made  partially  at  the  Sara-  '■ 
sota,  Florida,  winter  quarters  of  the 
circus  and  at  Culver  City.  North  will 
act  as  technical  adviser  with  Selznick. 

Attorney  Questions 
Libel  in  'Curtain' 

New  York  attorney  Sidney  Schrei- 
berg,  retained  in  behalf  of  James  S. 
Benning,  Eric  Adams  and  Dr.  David 
Shugar,  who  were  acquitted  last  year 
in  the  Canadian  espionage  case,  has 
written  to  Spyros  Skouras,  president 
of  20th  Century-Fox,  producer  of 
"The  Iron  Curtain,"  requesting  a  pri- 
vate screening  of  the  production  to 
determine  whether  his  clients  are 
libeled  in  the  film. 


Pre-Nuptial  Fete 

Ray  Lanning  and  Ursula  Connor 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Herald  edi- 
torial staff,  who  will  be  married 
Thursday  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  were 
the  guests  of  their  Herald  and 
Motion  Picture  Daily  colleagues  at 
a  dinner  here  Friday  night. 


32  Drive-ins  in  Utah  Area 

Salt  Lake  City,  April  18. — Some 
32  outdoor  theatres  are  expected  to  be 
operating  in  this  area.  Open  now  are 
the  Riverdale  at  Ogden,  Autorium  and 
Motor- Vu,  Salt  Lake,  and  the  Boise, 
at  Boise. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;   single  copies,  10c. 


8  i    Monday,  April  19,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Loew's  in  Move  to 
End  Minority  Suit 

Loew's  has  proposed  a  settlement  in 
the  minority  stockholders'  suit 
brought  against  the  company,  present 
and  former  officers  and  directors  and 
the  People's  Candy  Co.,  over  operation 
of  Loew's  theatre  candy  counters  by 
the  latter. 

In  answer  to  charges  that  unfavor- 
able *  witracts  were  made  with  Peo- 
ple'  ^jy_idy,  Loew's  offered  to  revise 
the  extracts,  requiring  the  candy  firm 
to  pay  Loew's  subsidiaries  approxi- 
mately $161,000  additional  for  the 
year  ended  Dec.  31,  1947. 

The  plaintiffs  further  charged  that 
the  company  should  have  deducted  as 
a  corporate  expense  for  income  tax 
purposes  alleged  profit  made  by  Nich- 
olas M.  Schenck  on  the  exercise  of 
options  on  the  company's  stock  and 
that  the  company  should  have  re- 
covered profits  made  by  him  in  a 
stock  sale.  The  company  proposes  that 
Schenck  give  it  a  one-year  option  to 
acquire  from  him  10,000  shares  of 
present  stock  of  the  company  at 
$13,335^  per  share. 


iV.  Y.  Film  Resources 
Enthuse  Mamoulian 

Natural  resources  of  New  York, 
the  "greatest  untapped  source  of  ex- 
citing real-life  background,"  has  cap- 
tured the  enthusiasm  of  Rouben  Ma- 
moulian, now  visiting  here  from  Hol- 
lywood, and  returning  to  the  Coast 
on  April  28. 

Citing  the  reaction  to  Universal- 
International's  "The  Naked  City," 
Mamoulian  said  that  "there  can  be  no 
argument  about  the  great  advantages 
of  New  York  for  certain  types  of 
stories,  where  you  really  want  to  cap- 
ture the  feel  of  city  streets  and  life. 
Other  types  of  stories  can  best  be 
done  in  California." 

He  believes  it  is  essential  to  have  at 
least  three  to  five  days  of  uninterrupt- 
ed rehearsal  time  for  "over-all"  read- 
ing and  studying  of  a  script  before 
cameras  start  in  order  to  hold  retakes 
to  a  minimum. 


Rubin,  Mulvey  Confer 

Robert  Rubin,  attorney  for  the  So- 
ciety of  Independent  Motion  Picture 
Producers,  is  in  New  York  for  con- 
ferences with  James  Mulvey,  presi- 
dent of  Samuel  Goldwyn  Produc- 
tions, who  has  been  representing 
SIMPP  in  the  current  talks  here 
among  U.  S.  companies'  representa- 
tives on  the  dollar  split-up  of  British 
remittances  under  the  tax  settlement 
agreement.  Rubin  will  return  to 
Hollywood  on  Wednesday  to  report 
to  the  SIMPP  executive  committee. 


SLS      f  1574  W  Wosh-1 


WB  Bid  for  Chicago 
Television  Station 

Washington,  April  18.  — 
Warner  Brothers  has  applied 
to  the  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission  for  permis- 
sion to  build  and  operate  a 
television  station  in  Chicago. 
Balaban  and  Katz  are  already 
licensed  there. 


Warner  executives  here 
were  unable  on  Friday  to  give 
details  of  the  company's  Chi- 
cago television  move. 


Pickwick's  Owners 
File  Mortgage  Suit 

C.  E.  Haring  and  Grenfield,  Inc., 
owners  of  the  Pickwick  Theatre  and 
building,  at  Greenwich,  Conn.,  have 
filed  an  action  in  New  York  County 
Supreme  Court  against  Guardian  Life 
Insurance  Co.,  holders  of  the  first 
mortgage  on  the  property,  for  an  ac- 
counting of  rentals  collected  by  the 
defendant.  Charles  Raff,  plaintiff's 
attorney,  states  that  they  maintain 
Guardian  collected  rents  over  a  num- 
ber of  years  enough  to  cover  the 
$315,000  mortgage  held,  and  therefore 
Haring  and  Grenfield  are  entitled  to 
come  into  unmortgaged  possession  of 
the  property.  Plaintiff  has  made  ap- 
plication for  a  temporary  injunction 
against  Guardian,  returnable  May  18. 

For  many  years  the  Pickwick  was 
involved  in  anti-trust  and  other  liti- 
gations. 


WB's  Haines  Holds 
District  Meeting 

Roy  Haines,  Warner's  Western  di- 
vision sales  manager,  held  a  meeting 
of  the  company's  Prairie  district  sales 
force  over  the  weekend  in  St.  Louis. 
Attending  were  Hall  Walsh,  district 
manager,  and  branch  managers,  D.  P. 
Webster,  Des  Moines ;  R.  C.  Borg, 
Kansas  City;  F.  J.  Hannon,  Omaha; 
Lester  Bona,  St.  Louis. 


National  Release  of 
'Best  Years'  Is  Set 

Samuel  Goldwyn's  "The  Best  Years 
of  Our  Lives"  will  go  into  national 
release  Thursday  with  its  first  popu- 
lar-priced engagement  at  Boston's 
Astor  Theatre.  The  film  previously 
played  20  weeks  at  the  Esquire  and 
three  at  the  Memorial  in  that  city. 


Writers  Plan  Film  Forum 

Associated  Film  Writers,  represent- 
ing film  writers  in  the  East,  plans  a 
series  of  forums  dealing  with  educa- 
tional, commercial  and  documentary 
films.  Each  forum  will  feature  a 
representative  panel  and  films  will  be 
shown  and  discussed. 


'Round-  Up' Set  for  June  16 

Salt  Lake  City,  April  18. — An- 
nual territorial  exhibitor-distributor 
"Round-Up"  of  the  local  Motion  Pic- 
ture Club  will  be  held  here  June  16- 
18.  Giff  Davidson  is  chairman. 


Debrie  Distributor  in  U.S. 

Photographic  Instrument,  Inc.,  here 
has  been  named  distributor  for  the 
new  Andre  Debrie  film  printers  to  be 
manufactured  in  this  country  by 
Reeves  Instrument  Corp. 


FCC  Approves  AT&T 
Video  Relay  Chain 

Washington,  April  18.  —  Federal 
Communications  Commission  has 
granted  authority  to  A.  T.  &  T.  to 
build  two  experimental  micro-wave  re- 
lay chains,  one  between  Chicago  and 
Milwaukee,  the  other  between  Detroit 
and  Toledo,  at  a  total  cost  of  $1,400,- 
000. 

The  relay  system  will  be  used  for 
television  transmission,  among  other 
things.  Completion  date  is  set  for  June 
15,  1949. 

The  Commission  also  granted  the 
application  of  A.  T.  &  T.  and  certain 
Bell  System  associates  for  television 
terminal  facilities  in  Detroit,  Toledo, 
and  Buffalo,  linking  these  cities  with 
wire  or  micro-wave  network.  Two  co- 
axial units  were  authorized  for  Cleve- 
land and  Buffalo. 


Fabian,  Schine  Seek 
Television  Permits 

Albany,  Aprl  18.  —  Van  Curler 
Broadcasting  Co.,  of  which  Si  Fabian 
is  president,  has  applied  to  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  for 
one  of  four  television  channels  avail- 
able in  the  Albany-Troy-Schenectady 
area.  Company  was  an  unsuccessful 
bidder  last  year  for  the  WOKO  AM 
wave  length.  Eleanor  Fabian  Rosen 
is  vice-president,  Sam  Rosen  is  treas- 
urer, and  Edward  L.  Fabian,  secre- 
tary. 

Patroon  Broadcasting  Co.,  Schine 
company,  is  one  of  three  others  ap- 
plying for  a  television  permit. 


Film  Problems  Up 
At  Television  Meet 

Solutions  to  problems  posed  by 
television's  future  relations  with  mo- 
tion pictures  will  be  discussed  tomor- 
row at  the  third  national  Television 
Institute  trade  show,  opening  at  the 
Hotel  New  Yorker  today. 

Among  subjects  on  the  film-televi- 
sion agenda  will  be  film  clearance  for 
television,  film  exhibitions  on  net- 
works versus  individual  stations,  ba- 
sis for  figuring  film  rentals  for  tele- 
casts, and  other  subjects. 


FTC  Checks  Video  Ads 

Washington,  April  18. — Televi- 
sion advertising,  like  that  of  other 
media,  is  being  checked  by  the  Fed- 
eral Trade  Commission  for  false, 
misleading  and  deceptive  matter. 


Canada  Film  Imports 
For  Feb.:  $238,000 

Ottawa,  April  18. — Canada's  film 
imports  in  February  amounted  to 
$238,000,  compared  with  $221,000  for 
the  same  month  last  year.  Total  for 
the  first  two  months  of  1948  was 
$448,000,  against  $426,000  for  the 
same  period  in  the  preceding  year. 


130%  French  Levy 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


the  government  adopt  a  dubbing  tax 
of  2,000,000  francs  ($7,000)  per  im- 
ported film,  he  said.  Satori  believes  it 
would  be  difficult  to  have  such  a  tax 
adopted  in  France  at  present,  particu- 
larly in  light  of  current  attempts  by 
the  French  government  to  secure  in- 
creased film  exhibition  benefits  under 
the  Blum-Byrnes  accord. 


Rank  Does  the  Honors 

Eddie  Rickenbacker,  chairman  of 
the  board  of  sponsors  of  the  World 
Council  of  Christian  Education,  will 
be  honored  by  that  organization  at 
a  luncheon  here  tomorrow  at  the 
Hotel  Biltmore,  with  J.  Arthur  Rank, 
chairman  of  the  British  administra- 
tive committee  of  the  organization, 
presenting  him  with  a  scroll  for  his 
service  to  the  organization. 


Rowland  in  Mexico 

William  Rowland  will  make  "Medal 
of  Honor"  and  "This  Is  My  Broth- 
er" in  Mexico  for  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Pictures.  He  has  left  New 
York  for  Mexico  to  arrange  for  stu- 
dio space.  The  director  is  expected 
to  return  to  New  York  in  several 
weeks  before  heading  back  to  the 
Coast. 


Mexican  Film  Bank  Aid 

Mexico  City,  April  18.  —  Loans, 
credits  and  discounts  totaling  $2,813,- 
756  were  received  by  the  Mexican 
film  industry  from  its  own  bank, 
Banco  Nacional  Cinematografico,  in 
the  first  quarter  of  the  year. 


'Union'  to  Goldman 

Philadelphia,  April  18. — "State 
of  the  Union,"  which  will  have  its 
premiere  simultaneously  in  all  48 
states,  will  open  here  at  the  Goldman 
Theatre  on  Wednesday,  April  28. 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURES,  Inc. 

TRADE  SHOWINGS 

PHILADELPHIA  DETROIT 


(RKO  Projection  Room) 

250  NO.  13TH  STREET 

BERLIN 
EXPRESS 

10:30  A.M. 

DESIGN 
For  DEATH 


2:30  P.M. 


(Blumenthal  Projection  Room) 

2310  CASS  AVENUE 

DESIGN 
For  DEATH 

10:30  A.M. 

BERLIN 
EXPRESS 

2:30  P.M. 


THURSDAY,  APRIL  22 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  April  19,  1948 


Variety  Clubs 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


least,  that  Tent  No.  29,  Mexico  City, 
would  be  in  the  running  importantly 
for  1950.  Colonel  William  McCraw, 
executive  director,  was  returned  to  his 
post  for  another  year. 

As  reported  earlier,  the  internation- 
al officers  refused  to  be  satisfied  with 
initial  charity  pledges  for  this  year 
which  would  have  resulted  in  a  seri- 
ous drop  under  1947  and  therefore 
whooped  it  up  to  fractionally  above 
$2,000,000,  which  placed  both  years  on 
approximate  parity.  In  1947,  the  31 
active  tents  raised  and  spent  $1,232,- 
540.  Tent  No.  8,  Kansas  City,  and 
No.  14,  Milwaukee,  are  inactive. 

$7,500  for  Rogers  Hospital 

Variety  International  agreed  to  ad- 
vance the  Will  Rogers  Memorial 
Hospital  up  to  $7,500  without  obliga- 
tion on  the  part  of  local  tents  to  re- 
imburse the  treasury.  S.  Fabian 
urged  Variety  to  match  the  producers 
who  are  prepared  to  finance  the  Sara- 
nac  Lake  institution  up  to  $75,000. 
This  was  vetoed  largely  on  the  disin- 
clination of  the  various  tents  to  em- 
bark upon  financial  support  of  proj- 
ects not  in  their  own  geographic 
areas. 

Terms  of  the  participation  deal  for 
"Bad  Boy,"  which  Allied  Artists  will 
produce,  provide  Variety  10  per  cent 
of  the  profits  and  $15,000  for  con- 
struction of  a  swimming  pool  at  the 
Texas  Boys  Ranch,  pet  project  of 
Tent  No.  17,  Dallas. 

It  also  developed  Variety  has  am- 
bitions about  spreading  into  the  Latin- 
American  countries  and  that  Havana 
may  be  the  first  new  tent  in  this  di- 
rection. 

O'Donnell's  Executive  Staff 

Serving  with  O'Donnell  as  officers 
will  be  Carter  Barron,  Washington, 
as  first  assistant  international  chief 
barker ;  C.  J.  Latta,  Albany,  second 
assistant  international  chief  barker ; 
Jack  Berensin,  Philadelphia,  property 
master ;  Marc  Wolf,  Indianapolis, 
dough  guy ;  W.  H.  Lollier,  Los  An- 
geles, proposed  and  then  was  appoint- 
ed the  first  international  bouncer 
(sergeant-at-arms).  Nathan  Golden, 
Washington,  succeeded  J.  A.  Maloney, 
Pittsburgh,  as  Heart  committee 
chairman.  Ropsey  Tosewell  was  ap- 
pointed chairman  of  the  Humanitarian 
Award  committee,  and  Charles  E. 
Lewis  was  renamed  international  con- 
vention chairman  and  publicity 
director. 

Named  to  the  international,  commit- 
tee were  J.J.  Fitzgibbons,  Toronto; 
George  Hoover,  Miami ;  Luiz  Mon- 
tez,  Mexico  City ;  John  H.  Harris, 
Pittsburgh,  and  O'Donnell  who,  in 
acknowledging  his  reelection — never 
in  doubt  for  him  or  his  accompany- 
ing slate — admitted  he  wanted  the 
post  for  another  year  yet  urged  adop- 
tion of  a  rotating  plan  for  internation- 
al chief  barkers  at  San  Francisco. 


Review 


"Antoine  and  Antoinette" 

(Siritzky  International) 

\X7  ITH  French  dialogue  and  English  subtitles,  this  winner  of  the  Grand 
VV  Prize  at  the  Cannes  Festival  is  a  charming  picture  in  the  best  tradition 
of  the  French.  Attention  to  detail  is  minute  and  the  story  is  comparatively 
simple.  The  picture  portrays  with  clarity  a  cross-section  of  French  working- 
men,  their  characters  and  sense  of  humor.  Performances  by  Roger  Pigaut 
and  beautiful  Claire  Maffei  are  excellent  and  a  good  deal  of  credit  must  go 
to  Jacques  Becker  who  kept  the  continuity  flowing  crisply. 

Pigaut  is  jealous  of  his  wife  and  villain  Noel  Roquevert.  He  had  a  winning 
ticket  in  a  lottery,  but  lost  his  wallet.  As  his  world  seems  about  to  cave  in — 
and  after  he  disposes  of  Roquevert — Pigaut  discovers  that  the  ticket  was  not 
in  the  wallet  at  all. 

Running  time,  88  minutes.    Adult  audience  classification.    Current  release. 


Grand  Rapids,  Indianapolis ;  Charles 
P.  Skouras  for  Los  Angeles,  San 
Francisco,  Seattle. 

Tent  No.  23,  Boston,  was  awarded 
the  1947  Charity  citation  award,  an- 
nual competition  among  the  tents  for 
the  outstanding  charitable  endeavor  of 
the  year.  Boston  was  selected  for 
substantially  aiding  the  establishment 
of  a  cancer  research  clinic  for  chil- 
dren, out  of  which  already  has  devel- 
oped laboratory  treatment  alleged  to 
suggest  a  cure  for  acute  leukemia. 
Tent  No.  28,  Toronto,  was  given  hon- 
orable mention  for  already  completed 
plans  to  build  and  maintain  "Variety 
Village,"  a  vocational  guidance  school 
for  crippled  children.  The  decision, 
made  unanimously  by  Arthur  Ungar, 
Jay  Emanuel  and  this  correspondent, 
was  sealed  and  first  divulged  at  the 
concluding  banquet  Saturday  evening 
where  Harold  Stassen  was  chief  guest 
and  principal  speaker. 

Barkers  and  delegates  began  to 
abandon  Miami  beginning  early  Sun- 
day and  jammed  all  Northern  trains 
and  planes  throughout  the  day  and 
evening. 


Jackson  Park 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Lawson  Trial 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Int'l  Representatives  Named 

The  following  were  appointed  in- 
ternational representatives :  Murray 
Weiss,  Boston,  New  Haven,  Buffalo, 
Albany;  William  O'Donnell  for  Dal- 
las, Omaha,  Minneapolis,  Kansas 
City ;  Jack  Berensin  for  Washing- 
ton, Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Cleve- 
land ;  Allen  Moritz  for  Cincinnati, 
Columbus  ,  Dayton,  Toledo;  Ralph 
Talbot  for  Oklahoma  City,  Des 
Moines ;  James  G.  Balmer  for  Pitts- 
burgh;  H.  H.  Everett  for  Atlanta, 
Memphis,  Charlotte,  Miami ;  Irving 
Mack  for  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Detroit, 


sides  had  concluded  their  arguments. 
Ben  Margolis  received  permission  to 
reopen  the  case  in  order  to  serve  a 
fresh  subpoena  to  the  clerk  of  the 
House  and  committee  investigator 
Robert  Stripling,  ordering  them  to 
produce  committee  records  and  reports 
from  Jan.  1,  1947,  to  Oct.  27,  the  day 
Lawson  testified  at  the  hearings. 

Earlier  in  the  day  Justice  Edward 
M.  Curran  quashed  a  similar  subpoena 
for  all  records  since  the  formation  of 
the  committee  in  1938.  Margolis  de- 
clared that  he  believes  examination  of 
the  records  would  reveal  the  illegal- 
ity of  the  sub-committee. 

Martin  Popper,  Washington  mem- 
ber of  the  defense  staff,  explained  to 
the  court  that  the  Congressional  Re- 
organization Act  of  1946  requires  all 
action  of  standing  committees  to  be 
recorded.  Therefore,  he  said,  if  chair- 
man J.  Parnell  Thomas  had  been 
properly  authorized  to  name  a  sub- 
committee, it  would  appear  in  the 
records.  Popper  pointed  out  that 
authorization  to  do  this  could  be  given 
only  by  a  majority  of  the  full  com- 
mittee "physically  present"  at  a 
meeting. 

Following  a  motion  to  quash  this 
subpoena  by  Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney 
William  Hitz,  Curran  ordered  both 
sides  to  prepare  briefs  for  presenta- 
tion when  the  trial  reopens  tomorrow. 

This  was  the  first  concession  ob- 
tained by  the  defense  from  Curran, 
who  had  previously  overruled  every 
motion  made  in  Lawson's  behalf. 


which  have  played  smaller 
neighborhood  houses  ahead  of 
them  by  virtue  of  the  new  de- 
cree system. 

An  "A"  house  may  not  be  able, 
because  of  prior  bookings,  to  date  a 
picture  after  its  two  weeks  in  the 
Loop.  The  picture  then  will  be  avail- 
able to  a  smaller  neighborhood  house 
and  the  larger  "A"  houses  will  bypass 
it  when  they  have  an  open  date  be- 
cause of  the  prior  neighborhood  book- 
ing. 

However,  outlying  houses  in  some 
cases  have  raised  admission  prices  be- 
cause of  the  earlier  availability  to 
them  of  pictures. 

Woods,  Oriental  Benefit 

Because  the  Jackson  Park  decree 
does  not  apply  to  non-defendants  in 
the  anti-trust  suit  which  gave  rise  to 
it,  Essaness  Circuit's  Woods  and  Ori- 
ental in  the  Loop  are  not  subject  to 
the  two-week  run  limitation.  They 
are,  therefore,  the  prime  market  ob- 
jective here  today  for  major  product 
bookings.  They  can  play  a  picture 
indefinitely,  as  all  theatres  could  in 
the  pre-decree  years. 

M-G-M  has  obtained  an  important 
measure  of  the  Woods-Oriental  play- 
ing time  of  late.  "Cass  Timberlane" 
is  in  its  sixth  week  at  the  Woods, 
and  "State  of  the  Union"  is  slated  to 
follow  it.  Metro  has  booked  some  of 
its  top  product  into  the  Oriental,  too, 
while  more  of  Leo's  releases  have 
gone  into  another  independent  Loop 
house,  unaffected  by  the  decree,  the 
1,000-seat  Monroe,  owned  by  James 
Jovan.  The  situation  has  permitted 
the  Monroe,  a  former  subsequent-run 
house,  to  switch  to  a  first  run  policy. 

Reissues  at  B.  and  K.  Houses 

Balaban  and  Katz  Loop  houses, 
subject  to  the  decree,  on  the  other 
hand  are  feeling  its  effects.  The 
Roosevelt  and  United  Artists,  former 
Loop  first  runs,  have  found  it  impos- 
sible to  get  new  pictures  on  some  oc- 
casions and  have  been  forced  to  play 
reissues.  The  Garrick  experimented 
with  third  run  double  features  at  re- 
duced admissions  recently.  Results 
were  not  encouraging  and  it  is  now 
endeavoring  to  re-establish  its  form- 
er first-run  policy. 

Virtually  all  segments  of  the  trade 
here  concede  either  openly  or  private- 
ly that  the  decree  is  impractical  and 
unreasonable,  and  in  practice  is  at 
least  equally  as  discriminatory  as  any 
condition  which  the  Jackson  Park  suit 
sought  to  correct,  having  done  no 
more  than  substitute  new  inequities  for 
any  which  may  have  existed  before. 
It  is  generally  felt  that  considerable 
revision  of  the  decree  is  necessary. 


2  More  Legislatures 
Adjourn;  No  Damage 

_  Washington,  April  18. — Missis- 
sippi and  South  Carolina  legislatures 
have  adjourned  "with  no  damage  to 
the  industry,"  according  to  Jack  Bry- 
son,  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  legislative  representative.  In 
Mississippi  theatres  won  the  right  to 
Sunday  shows  between  one  and  six 
p.m. 

Legislatures  are  still  in  session  in 
New  Jersey,  Michigan,  Massachusetts 
and  Rhode  Island.  \  ' 

 —  '  )i  a.'-' 

Theatre  Code  for 
N.  Y.  in  Midsummer 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  18.— Promul- 
gation of  a  new  code  for  places  of 
public  assembly  probably  will  not  be 
made  until  mid-summer.  A  spokesman 
of  the  Board  of  Standards  and  Appeals 
of  the  State  Labor  Department  said 
the  board  is  holding  three  meetings 
weekly  to  consider  the  code. 

Changes  will  affect  new  and  old 
theatres,  summer  theatres,  drive-ins 
and  legitimate  houses. 


Ticket  Tax 

(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 


exhibitors  throughout  the  country. 
Some  exhibitor  organizations  recently 
have  posed  the  question  whether  ef- 
forts to  reduce  the  Federal  admission 
tax  should  not  be  abandoned  on  the 
theory  that  success  of  such  efforts 
would  open  the  doors  to  a  flood  of 
local  taxes. — Ed.  Note) 


TO  A  Backs  Aid  Fund 
For  Razed  Wyo.  City 

Theatres  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
states  are  conducting  a  campaign  to 
raise  $50,000  for  loans  to  residents  of 
Laramie,  Wyo.,  who  lost  homes  and 
business  establishments  in  a  $2,000,000 
fire  there  recently.  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  is  aiding  the  campaign. 

Eagle-Lion's  "The  Noose  Hangs 
High"  has  been  procured  for  a  benefit 
show  at  the  Laramie  Auditorium  on 
Wednesday,  with  tickets  priced  at  $10 
and  up.  Efforts  are  being  made  to  ob- 
tain a  personal  appearance  of  the  pic- 
ture's stars,  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Cos- 
tello,  as  well  as  other  screen  and  radio 
personalities.  Gamble  has  requested  all 
TOA-affiliated  theatres  in  Wyoming 
and  neighboring  states  to  cooperate  in 
the  program. 

Associates'  Dinner 
To  Aid  Rogers  Fund 

The  Will  Rogers  Memorial  Hos- 
pital fund  will  receivel  a  percent- 
age of  profits  from  the  annual  dinner 
of  Motion  Picture  Associates  to  be 
held  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel  on 
May  21,  Arthur  L.  Mayer,  president, 
announces.  Proceeds  from  the  journal 
to  be  issued  will  also  go  to  the  hos- 
pital. 


MPF  Can't  Aid  Now 

(Continued  from  page  1 ) 


Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  at  Sara- 
nac  Lake,  N.  Y. 

Fabian  _  also  revealed  that  Morton 
G.  Thalhimer,  president  of  Neighbor- 
hood Theatres,  Richmond,  Va.,  and 
prominent  circuit  operator,  is  per- 
sonally trying  to  raise  funds  among 
exhibitors  to  keep  the  tubercular  hos- 
pital afloat. 


N 


MOTION  PICTURE 

'•—    "  1 

cinCT 

r  IRoT 

Accurate 

IN 

Ti  ATT 

Concise 

|  FILM 

and 

NEWS 

JXfVl  JL I 

Impartial 

v6 


NO.  76 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A..  TUESDAY,  APRIL  20,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Levy  Warns  of 
Problems  of 
Video  Pickups 

Exhibitors  Advised  to 
Learn  Restrictions 


Exhibitors  must  not  go  on  feel- 
ing that  television  is  free  for  them 
to  pick  up  to  show  to  their  audi- 
ences, advises  Herman  M.  Levy, 
general  counsel  of  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America,  in  a  special 
bulletin  issued  by  the  TOA  here. 

It  would  be  well  for  an  ex- 
hibitor "to  become  fully  in- 
formed before  making  any  sub- 
stantial excursions  into  the 
field  of  television  in  his  thea- 
tre," Levy  warns. 

"Where  the  material  being  televised 
is  copyrighted  it  seems  clear,  in  the 
law.  that  the  theatre  owner  may  not 
use  that  material  in  his  theatre  with- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


DuMont  Video  Web 
Open  To  Theatres 


DuMont  Television  network  will  be 
willing  to  permit  theatres  to  pick  up 
its  programs  "providing  thev  pay  for 
them."  Dr.  Allen  B.  DuMont.  Du- 
Mont Laboratories  president,  said  here 
yesterday  following  his  address  as 
honor  guest  at  the  initial  day's 
luncheon  session  of  the  third  annual 
Television  Institute  being  held  to- 
morrow at  the  Hotel  New  Yorker. 

DuMont  said  he  does  not  envision 
any  massive  legal  obstacles  to  theatre 
television. 

Dr.  V.  W.  Zworykin  of  RCA  said 

{Continued  on  Page  3) 


Floods  Fail  to  Move 
Diehard  Kentiickians 

Louisville,  April  19. — Re- 
ports reaching  here  from  the 
town  of  Hickman  indicate 
that  it  would  take  more  than 
a  flood  to  run  residents  out 
of  a  theatre.  After  a  heavy 
downpour,  water  flowed  into 
the  Hickman  Theatre,  reach- 
ing from  the  stage  to  a  point 
some  20  rows  back.  The  mo- 
tion picture  "Susie  Steps  Out" 
was  on  the  screen.  But  no 
one  stepped  out. 


Stassen  Is  Against 
Federal  Censorship 

Miami  Beach,  April  19. — 
Presidential  candidate  Harold 
E.  Stassen  is  opposed  to 
Federal  censorship  of  motion 
pictures,  he  told  the  conclud- 
ing banquet  of  Variety  Inter- 
tional's  convention  here  on 
Saturday  night. 

The  1949  convention  dates 
have  been  set  for  May  2-7,  to 
be  held  in  San  Francisco,  as 
previously  reported. 


N.  Y.  1st  Runs 
Satisfactory 


Grosses  are  moderately  good  this 
week  at  Broadway's  first-runs  gener- 
ally.   Holdovers  predominate. 

Still  performing  impressively  is 
"The  Naked  City,"  with  Tex  Beneke's 
band  on  stage  at  the  Capitol,  where  a 
solid  $70,000  is  expected  for  a  seventh 
week.  Sixth  and  final  week  for  "I 
Remember  Mama,"  plus  a  springtime 
stage  presentation,  looks  like  a  firm 
$110,000  for  Radio  City  Music  Hall 
on  the  basis  of  $74,000  grossed  Thurs- 
day through  Sunday ;  "State  of  the 
Union"  will  move  into  the  Hall  on 
Thursday. 

Business  in  on  the  upgrade  for  two 
holdovers :  "Mr.  Blandings  Builds 
His  Dream  House,"  heading  for  $34,.- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


TOA  Will  Protest 
Daylight  Saving 

Washington,  April  19. — Theatre 
Owners  of  America  tomorrow  will 
tell  a  Congressional  committee  that 
they  oppose  a  bill  for  nationwide  day- 
light saving  time  "for  purely  person- 
al reasons — because  it  hurts  our  busi- 
ness." 

Testifying  for  the  TOA  before  a 
Senate  Interstate  Commerce  sub-com- 
mittee, A.  Julian  Brylawski  will  de- 
clare that  theatre  owners  went  along 
with  compulsory  daylight  saving  dur- 
ing the  war  as  a  patriotic  gesture,  but 
that  no  such  patriotic  reason  now  ex- 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Increases  for  350  at 
Para.  N.  Y.  Office 

Salary  increases  of  $5  to  $10  have 
been  granted  to  350  Paramount  home 
office  employes  in  an  arbitration 
award,  the  Screen  Office  and  Profes- 
sional Employes  Guild  reported  .here 
yesterday.  The  increases  are  retroac- 
tive to  Sept.  27,  1947. 


$750,000  to  WB  in 
1947  from  Ascap, 
Society  Tells  Court 

The  extent  of  profits  derived  from 
Ascap  royalties  in  1947  by  major 
producers  and  distributors  with  mu- 
sic subsidiaries  was  disclosed  yester- 
day when  counsel  for  the  society  filed 
proposed  findings  of  fact  and  con- 
clusions of  law  with  the  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  here  in  the  anti-trust 
action  brought  by  Alden-Rochelle, 
Inc.,  and  160  other  members  of  the 
Independent  Theatre  Owners  Associ- 
ation of  New  York. 

Warners,  with  four  music 
subsidiaries,  led  the  list  with 
approximately  $750,000.  Then 
followed  M-G-M,  whose  three 
subsidiaries  received  approxi- 
mately §514,000  in  royalties. 
Paramount,  through  one  music 
publishing  subsidiarv,  got  ap- 
proximately §30,000."  At  the 
bottom  of  the  list  was  20th- 
■  Fox,  with  one  subsidiary  re- 
ceiving $7,600  for  the  year. 

In  presenting  the  proposed  findings, 
Louis  Frohlich,  Ascap  counsel,  point- 
ed out  that  of  303  publisher-members 
of  Ascap  there  are  14  publishers 
which  are  identified  with  the  four 
majors.  The  court  was  further  told 
that  Herman  Starr,  president  of  Mu- 
sic Publishers  Holding  Corp.,  which 
is  owned  by  Warners,  and  Abe  01- 
man,  general  manager  of  the  Robbins 

(.Continued  on  page  3) 


Ascap-Stage  Show 
Tax  Talks  Continue 


Representatives  of  stage  show 
theatres  met  with  Ascap  officials  at 
the  music  society's  headquarters  here 
yesterday  to  resume  discussions  of 
Ascap's  proposed  $1.25  per  seat  annual 
music  tax  for  theatres  using  "live" 
music.  Discussions  were  reported  to 
have  been  of  a  general  nature  and 
were  adjourned  to  an  undesignated 
date  without  any  decisions  having 
been  made.  The  stage  show  theatres 
contend  Ascap*s  proposed  rates  are 
discriminatory  and  argue  that  they 
are  entitled  to  the  same  music  tax 
rates  as  other  film  theatres. 


OdeonTheatresHaslO 
New  Houses  in  Work 

Ottawa.  April  19.  —  Odeon  Thea- 
tres' theatre-building  program  pro- 
vides for  a  total  of  19  theatres.  Five 
were  completed  in  1947,  four  more 
have  been  opened  since  Jan.  1,  1948, 
and  10  now  under  construction  will 
be  readv  this  season. 


Lawson  Guilty 
Of  Contempt, 
Jury  Decides 

To  Seek  New  Hearing; 
Trial  of  Trumbo  Is  Set 


Washington,  April  19. — Screen 
writer  John  Howard  Lawson  to- 
day was  found  guilt}'  of  contempt 
of  Congress  for  refusing  to  tell  the 
House  Un-American  Activities  Com- 
mittee whether  or  not  he  is  or  ever 
was  a  member  of  the  Communist 
Party. 

Lawson  is  one  of  10  Hollywood 
writers,  directors  and  producers  in- 
dicted on  similar  charges  following 
their  appearance  last  fall  before  the 
committee  hearings  on  Communist  in- 
filtration into  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry. 

The  jury  deliberated  two  and  one- 
half  hours  before  returning  the  ver- 
dict. Lawson  faces  a  maximum  sen- 
tence of  one  year  in  prison  and  a  fine 
of  $1,000. 

Justice  Edward  M.  Curran  permit- 
ted the  53-year-old  writer  to  remain 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


DeMille  Loses  AFRA 
Supreme  Court  Fight 

Washington,  April  19. — The  Su- 
preme Court  today  in  effect  upheld 
the  right  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Radio  Artists  to  suspend  producer 
Cecil  B.  DeMille  for  his  refusal  to 
pay  a  $1  special  assessment  in  1944. 
The  court  refused  to  review  a  lower 
court  ruling  in  favor  of  AFRA. 

DeMille  refused  to  pay  the  assess- 
ment because  it  was  to  be  used  to 
finance  a  campaign  against  an  anti- 
closed  shop  amendment  proposed  for 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


U.S.  Thanks  Industrg 
For  Aid  to  Drive 

Washington,  April  19. — Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury  Sny- 
der, on  behalf  of  the  Presi- 
dent and  the  Treasury,  today 
thanked  the  motion  picture 
industry  and  theatres  for 
their  support  in  the  Treas- 
ury's Security  Loan  Drive. 
Snyder  said  their  "accomp- 
lishments in  bringing  the  Se- 
urity  Loan  message  to  pa- 
trons have  been  invaluable" 
in  the  campaign. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  20,  1948 


Majors'  Assets  Are 
Unfrozen  in  Egypt 

By  JACQUES  PASCAL 

Cairo,  April  15  (By  Air  Mail).— 
J.  Healy,  Near  East  manager  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica, has  persuaded  the  Egyptian  gov- 
ernment to  release  part  of  the  U.  S. 
major  film  companies'  assets,  which 
have  been  blocked  since  July  15,  1947. 

Agreement  provides  for  the  transfer 
of  35  per  cent  of  the  blocked  assets 
accumulated  between  April  27  and 
Dec.  31,  1947,  and  stipulates  that  all 
billings  from  the  first  of  this  year  may 
be  transferred  either  in  dollars  or 
sterling  on  a  ratio  of  35  per  cent  in 
dollars  and  25  per  cent  in  sterling  for 
a  total  of  60  per  cent  of  gross  billings. 

Companies  have  the  option  to  accept 
or  refuse  the  transfer  in  sterling. 
Should  Egypt  conclude  a  commercial 
agreement  with  the  U.  S.  or  in  case 
the  U.  S.  Government  offers  to  buy 
Egyptian  long-staple  cotton,  _  the  un- 
blocked percentage  may  be  raised  even 
to  the  extent  of  the  previous  ratio 
ruling  before  July  15,  1947,  as  pro- 
vided by  a  special  clause. 


Personal  Mention 


UA  Closes  in  Egypt,  Palestine 

Cairo,  April  15  (By  Air  Mail).— 
United  Artists  Corp.  of  Egypt  has 
closed  its  Egypt  and  Palestine  branch- 
es. Distribution  in  these  territories  of 
UA  product  is  now  handled  by  two 
local  companies :  Ideal  Motion  Pic- 
tures, Egypt,  and  Middle  East  Film 
Distributors,  Palestine. 


Capra  Honored  at 
Music  Hall  Party 

Frank  Capra,  producer  of  "State  of 
the  Union,"  which  opens  at  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  here  on  Thursday, 
was  guest  of  honor  at  a  cocktail 
party  given  by  Gus  Eyssell,  president 
and  managing  director  of  the  Music 
Hall,  in  the  theatre's  studio  apartment 
yesterday.  In  addition  to  trade  press, 
newspaper  and  magazine  representa- 
tives, guests  included  Mrs.  Capra, 
William  F.  Rodgers,  Si  Seadler,  Ed- 
ward Aaron,  Edwin  Saunders,  Russell 
Downing,  Fred  Lynch  and  Ernest 
Emerling. 


Celebration  Thursday 
For  'I A'  State  Unit 

Some  200  IATSE  representatives 
will  gather  at  the  Hotel  St.  George, 
Brooklyn,  on  Thursday  evening  for 
the  bi-annual  dinner  of  the  "IA's" 
10th  District  (New  York  State). 
"IA"  international  president  Richard 
F.  Walsh  will  preside. 

The  dinner  will  mark  the  60th  an- 
niversary of  "IA"  Local  No.  4,  Brook- 
lyn, of  which  Walsh  is  also  president. 


'I A'  Members  May 
Join  Legion  Post 

War  veteran  IATSE  members  in 
the  Metropolitan  New  York  area,  in- 
cluding New  Jersey,  are  eligible  for 
membership  in  American  Legion  Film 
Post  No.  1292  of  projectionists  Local 
306.  New  club  rooms  are  being  o]>ened 
in  the  Adler  Building,  249  West  42nd 
Street,  New  York  City. 


J ARTHUR    RANK    and  Mrs. 
»  Rank  will  sail  for  England  Thurs- 
day on  the  SS.  Queen  Mary  after  a 
six-week  visit  in  this  country. 
• 

Milton  Livingston,  Universal-In- 
ternational trade  press  contract  here, 
has  been  named  editor  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Associates'  Yearbook,  which 
will  serve  as  a  tribute  to  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Fund. 

• 

Peggy  Bleakley,  story  editor  for 
William  Cagney  Productions  here, 
and  Frank  J.  O'Brien  of  M-G-M's 
special  services  department,  will  be 
married  next  fall. 

• 

Harry  F.  Shaw,  division  manager 
of  Loew's  Poli  New  England  theatres, 
and  Mrs.  Shaw  are  due  to  leave 
New  Haven  Friday  for  a  trip  to 
South  America. 

• 

Clyde  Marshall,  owner  of  the 
Columbian  Theatre,  Columbia,  Ky., 
has  returned  to  that  city  from  a  tour 
of  the  West  and  Mexico. 

• 

Emanuel  Frisch,  Randforce  Cir- 
cuit treasurer,  and  Mrs.  Frisch  are 
the  parents  of  a  son  born  at  Brook- 
lyn Jewish  Hospital. 

• 

Paul  Broder,  Realart  president, 
and  Jack  Broder,  vice-president,  have 
left  here  for  a  series  of  board  meet- 
ings in  Detroit. 

• 

Henry  Ginsberg,  Paramount  pro- 
duction executive,  will  return  to 
Hollywood  from  New  York  at  the 
weekend. 

• 

Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  president, 
will  speak  on  educational  films  Sun- 
day over  Station  WTOP,  Washing- 
ton. 

• 

Frank  A.  Riley,  director  of  book 
activities  for   Walt  Disney  Produc- 
tions, is  in  New  York  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Charles  Wells  of  the  Falls  City 
Theatre    Equipment    Co.,  Louisville, 
has  returned  to  that  city  from  Detroit. 
• 

George  Mann,  owner  of  the  Red- 
wood Circuit,  San  Francisco,  has  re- 
turned to  that  city  from  Bermuda. 
• 

Carl  Bailey,  owner  of  the  Paw- 
nee Theatre,  Pawnee  City,  Neb.,  is 
recuperating  from  an  operation. 
• 

Sylvester  Grove  and  Herb  Nadel 
are  vacationing  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark, 
from  Louisville. 


TOM  CONNORS,  Si  Fabian, 
Max  A.  Cohen  and  George  F 
Dembow  were  among  those  who  re- 
turned here  yesterday  from  the  Variety 
Clubs  International  convention  at  Mi- 
ami Beach. 

• 

Mrs.  Henry  Lazarus,  who  oper- 
ates the  circuit  of  "C"  Theatres  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  has  left  New 
Orleans  for  a  vacation  in  Cuba  and 
South  America. 

• 

J.    E.    Holohan    and    Jack  J. 
Schnitzer,  RKO  Radio  home  office 
representatives,  are  spending  several 
weeks  in  Cleveland  from  New  York. 
• 

John  Denman  has  become  city 
manager  of  Fox  Theatres  in  Pocatel- 
lo,  Idaho,  succeeding  Bob  Anderson, 
transferred  to  Montana. 

• 

Bill  Shields,  Selznick  Releasing 
Organization  branch  manager  in  New 
Orleans,  has  returned  to  his  post  after 
a  trip  in  his  territory. 

• 

F.  J.  A.  McCarthy,  Universal- 
International  Southern  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  Atlanta. 

• 

Mrs.  Virginia  Crolley  has  pur- 
chased and  reopened  the  Morris  The- 
atre at  Douglas  Airport,  suburb  of 
Charlotte. 

• 

Bob  McNeil,  Redwood  Theatres 
executive,  has  returned  to  San  Fran- 
cisco from  South  America. 

• 

Mitchel  Little,  Columbia  booker 
in  Charlotte,  will  be  married  in  May 
to  Louise  Williamson. 

• 

Harriet  Parsons,  RKO  Radio 
producer,  has  left  New  York  for 
Detroit  and  Hollywood. 

• 

J.  T.  Kennedy,  Jr.,  Winchester, 
Ky.,  has  bought  the  Stanton  Theatre 
at  Stanton,  Ky. 

• 

Ike  and  Harry  Katz,  Kay  Film 
Exchanges,  have  returned  to  Atlanta 
from  Miami. 

• 

R.  L.  Moody  has  started  construc- 
tion on  a  new  400-car  drive-in  near 
Valdosta,  Ga. 

• 

Walter  Hagedone,  owner  of  the 
Rialto,  Cozad,  Neb.,  has  been  elected 
mayor. 

• 

William  H.  Hylan  has  joined  the 
CBS  Television  sales  staff  here. 


$20,000  to  Charity 
By  Associates  in  '47 

Report  made  to  the  board  of  Motion 
Picture  Associates  here  by  Saul  Trau- 
ner,  treasurer,  discloses  disbursements 
made  for  relief  and  charitable  pur- 
poses during  1947  totaled  approxi- 
mately $20,000.  Most  of  the  funds 
were  allotted  to  individual  relief  cases 
in  the  industry. 

The  Will .  Rogers  Memorial  Hos- 
pital at  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y.,  was  a 
recipient  of  MPA  funds  during  the 
year. 


Hold  Final  Talks  on 
Deal  for  NY  Rialto 

Deal  for  the  transfer  of  the  Rialto 
Theatre  here  from  Arthur  Mayer  and 
associates  to  James  J.  Mage,  foreign 
film  distributor  and  owner  of  the  Laff- 
movie  Circuit,  was  scheduled  to  have 
been  closed  yesterday.  Mage  and 
Mayer  conferred  until  a  late  hour  on 
final  details. 

Deal  is  understood  to  call  for 
Mage's  payment  of  approximately 
$320,000  for  Mayer's  lease,  which  has 
7Vz  years  to  run. 


Youngstein  Outlines 
AM  PA  '48 -'49  Plans 

Eagle  -  Lion  advertising  -  publicity 
vice-president  Max  E.  Youngstein, 
who  was  elected  president  of  Asso- 
ciated Motion  Picture  Advertisers  re- 
cently, told  a  weekend  meeting  of 
AMpA  past  presidents,  new  officers 
and  committee  members  that  he  will 
devote  his  1948-49  administration  to 
a  campaign  for  better  industry  public 
relations,  securing  greater  AMPA 
membership,  and  increasing  /  \  ^A 
relief  fund  appropriations.  , ' 


Mississippi  House  Burns 

Yazoo  City,  Miss.,  April  19. — The 
Yazoo  Theatre  of  this  town  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


■p-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-,- 

Rockefeller  Center 
J    IRENE  DUNNE  la  GEORGE  STEVENS' 


■  M 


I  REMEMBER  MAMA" 

Barbara  Oscar  Philip 

BEL  GEDDES        HOMOLKA  DORN 
Produced  by  HABBIET  PARSONS 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARIES  LAUGHTON/^ffUtfcta, 

BIG  CLOCK 

A  Paramount  Picture 


Marring 

FRED  MacMURRAY 
FRANK  SINATRA 

Released  by  «KO  RADIO  PICTURES  ; 

^IVOLI 2HT 


BETTE  DAVIS 

tt  in  WARNER  BROS.'  new  success  1 

inter  Meeting 

-';;JANIS  PAIGE  ■  JAMES  DAVIS  Wj/I  ' 

bretaTgn'e'windust  •  henry'blanke  • 


WARNER  THEATRE 


jB'way  51st  •  Opens  10:30  AM  •  Late  Midnight  Film 


DENNIS  ..•  , 

MORGAN  i  lN£RBSON 


LINDFORS  §$MW!M 
%  VICTOR 


•4*0  H(S  MfS 
M  OUBILBE 

DEEP  RIVER  BOYS 
PEARL  BAILEY 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b  way  at  47th 

LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  Y  irk."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Pecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  S'q.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Tuesday.  April  20,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


WB-Ascap 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Laws  on  Guilty 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Music  Corp.,  an  M-G-M  subsidiary, 
were  on  the  Ascap  board. 

The  society  reminded  the  court  that 
"up  to  the  present  time  none  of  the 
plaintiffs  nor  any  other  motion  picture 
exhibitor  has  ever  requested  of  an  in- 
dividual Ascap  member  the  right  to 
pubVj  perform  for  profit  any  of  his 
or  rnjompositions  in  any  motion  pic- 
ture theatre,  although  such  members 
have  stood  ready,  able  and  willing  to 
grant  such  licenses,"  adding  that  "'ap- 
parently plaintiffs  and  other  motion 
picture  exhibitors  feel  that  it  is  more 
economical,  expedient  and  practical  to 
take  from  Ascap  a  blanket  license, 
with  the  right  to  publicly  perform  any 
or  all  compositions  in  Ascap's  reper- 
toire in  their  theatres." 

The  society  argued  that  the  plain- 
tiffs "are  estopped  from  maintaining 
this  suit '  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
they  themselves  directly  participated 
with  Ascap  as  far  back  as  1934  in  ne- 
gotiating and  bargaining  for  the 
rates  which  have  been  existence  for 
over  14  years  and  expressed  approval 
of  such  rates." 

Recall  Brandt  Acceptance 

Harry  Brandt,  head  of  the  ITOA, 
was  quoted  as  telling  the  press  at  that 
time :  "We  consider  this  a  fair  and 
constructive  solution  of  a  vexing 
question.  We  feel  that  we  have  been 
fairly  treated  by  and  that  we  are  fair- 
ly treating  Ascap." 

Ascap  counsel  informed  the  court 
that  53  Brandt  houses,  the  majority 
of  which  are  involved  in  the  suit, 
"have  with  few  exceptions  operated 
profitably  and  successfully  since  1939." 
Net  profits  since  then  were  given  as 
52,583,873.  The  Mayfair,  ace  Brandt 
house,  was  cited  as  taking  in  approxi- 
mately $1,600,000  from  May,  1947,  to 
the  end  of  the  year. 

"The  Brandt  circuit,"  the  court  was 
further  told,  "is  a  dominating  force  in 
the  New  York  metropolitan  area  and 
is  able  to  exert  pressure  on  the  dis- 
tributors to  obtain  pictures  at  more 
favorable  terms  than  the  individual 
theatres  in  the  Brandt  circuit  would 
each  obtain,  were  they  acting  alone, 
and  it  thereby  has  eliminated  competi- 
tion, and  has  been  able  to  enlarge  its 
monopoly." 

Brandt  was  accused  of  providing 
his  theatres  with  product  by  methods 
"condemned  as  being  in  restraint  of 
trade,  and  is  in  restraint  of  trade." 

Ascap  Called  'Beneficial' 

Ascap  was  defended  as  "a  beneficial 
organization  serving  a  useful  purpose 
to  the  entertainment  industries  and 
not  operating  in  restraint  of  trade. 
The  society  was  held  not  to  be  en- 
gaged in  interstate  commerce.  It  de- 
nied license  fees  paid  to  it  by  the 
plaintiffs  damaged  them. 

In  filing  findings  of  fact  and  con- 
clusions of  law  in  behalf  of  the  plain- 
tiffs yesterday,  Milton  C.  Weisman 
asked  the  court  to  restrain  the  socie- 
ty from  obtaining  the  right  of  public 
performance  for  profit  of  any  musical 
compositions  used  for-  films,  from  su- 
ing plaintiffs  for  infringement  and 
from  refusing  to  grant  producers  the 
right  to  use  for  profit  any  musical 
piece.  The  court  was  also  urged  to 
have  Ascap  divest  itself  of  all  rights 
of  public  performance  for  profit  of 
music  in  films. 

In  a  post-trial  memorandum  filed 
with    the    court,    Weisman  charged 


free  under  bond  of  510,000  pending  the 
filing  of  a  motion  for  a  new  trial. 
This  must  be  done  within  five  days, 
and  the  motion  ruled  upon  within  10. 

Should  the  motion  be  denied,  as  is 
expected,  chief  defense  counsel  Rob- 
ert W.  Kenny  will  appeal  the  convic- 
tion, to  the  U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals, 
he  told  newsmen. 

The  trial  of  the  second  defendant, 
writer  Dalton  Trumbo,  is  scheduled 
to  begin  next  Monday.  Trumbo  is 
also  charged  with  failing  to  respond 
to  the  question,  "Are  you  now  or 
have  you  ever  been  a  member  of  the 
Screen  Writers  Guild?" 

Judge's  Charge  to  Jury 

In  his  charge  to  the  jury,  Justice 
Curran  declared  that  the  issue  to  be 
determined  was  whether  or  not  Law- 
son  had  "wilfully"  refused  to  reply  to 
the  committee's  question.  Curran  ex- 
plained that  "wilfully"  means  "de- 
liberately and  intentionally."  Curran 
emphasized  that  a  reply  must  be  "re- 
sponsive" to  the  question,  not  merely 
an  answer  of  some  kind. 

He  instructed  the  jurors  that  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  concluded  that 
Lawson  was  "attempting  to  answer, 
but  was  not  allowed  to  answer,"  then 
they  must  return  a  verdict  of  "not 
guilty." 

Curran  declared  that,  as  a  matter 


of  law,  the  House  Committee  on  Un- 
American  Activities,  was  validly  con- 
stituted, that  the  sub-committee  con- 
ducting the  investigation  of  Holly- 
wood Communist  activity  was  also 
legally  formed,  that  it  was  authorized 
to  conduct  the  inquiry,  and  that  the 
question  asked  of  Lawson  as  to  his 
membership  in  the  Communist  Party 
was  pertinent. 

Defense  counsel  took  exception  to 
the  judge's  charge  immediately  after 
the  jury  retired. 

Defense  Emphasizes  'Rights' 

Chief  defense  counsel  Robert  W. 
Kenny,  in  a  plea  lasting  one  hour- 
and-a-half  before  the  jury,  seeking  to 
find  the  scenarist  not  guilty,  stated 
that  the  case  was  the  "most  important 
case  to  reach  an  American  jury  in  the 
last  50  years." 

Asserting  that  the  verdict  would  be 
a  "landmark  in  the  old  fight  of  pri- 
vate citizen  vs.  public  official,"  Kenny 
said,  "You  must  decide  whether 
Lawson  was  in  contempt  of  Congress 
or  Congressman  Thomas  was  in  con- 
tempt of  the  rights  of  the  American 
people." 

Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William 
Hitz  confined  his  summation  and  his 
rebuttal  to  Kenny  to  emphasizing  the 
single  issue  of  refusal  to  reply  to  a 
properly  authorized  question.  He 
declared  that  Lawson  was  required  to 
give  an  "intelligible"  answer  and  that 
the  record  did  not  show  such  an  an- 
swer had  been  given. 


Video  Pickups 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Doorman  Finds  $510, 
Gets  25c  Reward 

Ottawa,  April  19.  —  Bill 
Todd,  doorman  of  the  Regent 
Theatre  here,  knows  that 
honesty  pays,  but  its  rewards 
in  actual  cash  are  sometimes 
small.  He  found  a  wallet  con- 
taining S510  in  the  lobby  of 
the  theatre,  and  returned  it 
to  its  owner.  She  rewarded 
him  with  25  cents. 


Daylight  Saving 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Senate  Group  Adds 
To  Radio  Budget 

Washixc-tox,  April  19.  —  Senate 
appropriations  sub-committee  has  rec- 
ommended that  the  State  Department's 
Overseas  Information  program  get 
529,000.000  during  the  coming  fiscal 
vear.  This  is  51,000,000  more  than  was 
voted  by  the  House  but  still  $5,378,000 
less  than  was  asked  by  the  President. 
The  Senate  group  stipulated  that  the 
$1,000,000  above  the  House  total  go 
entirely  for  the  broadcast  program. 

The  Motion  Picture  Division  was 
allotted  S4,878,749  in  the  President's 
original  budget,  and  the  Congressional 
cuts  in  the  over-all  budget  will  require 
cuts  in  the  film  program. 


ists.  Theatre  owners  in  rural  com- 
munities are  unanimously  against  the 
bill,  Brylawski  believes,  as  well  as 
drive-in  owners,  who  will  also  be 
hard  hit. 

TO  A  counsel  Herman  Levy  was 
originally  scheduled  to  appear  with 
Brylawski,  but  a  legal  case  will  pre- 
vent him  from  coming  to  Washing- 
ton, Brylawski  said. 


Capital  DST  Nearer 

Washixgtox,  April  19. — Daylight 
saving  time  for  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia moved  a  step  nearer  today  when 
the  House  District  Committee  report- 
ed out  a  Senate-approved  bill  giving 
the  District  Commissioners  power  to 
order  the  extra  hour  of  daylight. 
Early  approval  by  the  House  is  ex- 
pected. 


DuMont  Video  Web 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


out  a  license  from  the  copyright  own- 
er," Levy  declares,  adding: 

"It  would  also  seem  that  televising 
uncopyrighted  works,  without  a  li- 
cense, would  be  an  infringement.  The 
owner  of  such  a  work  is  declared  to 
have  a  common  law  right  in  his  work. 
He  is  protected  by  the  law,  without  a 
copyright,  even  though  there  may 
have  already  been  a  performance  of 
his  work. 

"As  to  'news  events',  however," 
says  Levy,  "there  is  no  property 
right.  Such  televised  material  may  be 
shown  in  theatres  without  infringe- 
ment, provided,  however,  that  no  mu- 
sic, drama,  etc.,  is  contained  in  the 
television.  .  .  . 

"In  connection  with  this  free- 
dom to  use  a  'news'  event  it  is  im- 
portant to  determine  just  what  a 
'news'  event  is.  For  example,  sup- 
pose it  is  assumed  that  the  law  will 
consider  the  next  Louis-Wolcott  fight 
a  'news'  event:  it  is  going  to  be  tele- 
cast from  a  private,  restricted  place. 
An  admission  will  be  charged,  and  for 
the  event  exclusive  telecasting  rights 
will  probably  be  given  (sold)  to  a 
broadcasting  station  and  to  an  adver- 
tising sponsor.  The  promoter  of  the 
fight  is  deemed  in  the  law  to  have 
the  exclusive  right  to  broadcast  from 
the  restricted  area.  The  problem, 
then,  is  this :  is  the  theatre  that  shows 
the  telecast  to  its  patrons  indulging 
in  "unfair  competition'  by  so  doing? 
This  is  the  most  important  question  to 
be  answered  and  may  have  to  be  de- 
termined by  the  courts,"  he  maintains. 

"There  is  also  involved  the  problem 
of  'civil  rights'.  Certain  states  have 
laws  under  which  a  person  has  the 
power  to  prevent  the  use  of  his  name 
and  photograph  from  being  used  for 
commercial  purposes,  without  consent. 
It  is  felt  by  some  that  this  power  ex- 
ists even  in  states  where  there  is  no 
statute.  'News'  events  would  probably 
be  excluded  from  the  strictures  of  this 
law.  It  may  very  well  be  that  when 
performers  in  a  telecast  give  their 
consent  to  the  use  of  their  names, 
faces,  etc.,  they  impliedly  consent  to 
the  general  use  thereof  by  theatres, 
and  others.  However,  how  about 
those  other  than  the  performers,  e.g.. 
patrons  at  a  prize  fight  or  ball  game?" 
Levy  added. 


his  company  is  continuing  its  research 
in  large-screen  theatre  video.  Other 
speakers  were  Dr.  A.  N.  Goldsmith 
and  Lee  DeForest.  The  latter  pre- 
dicted that  color  television  would  be- 
come a  commercial  reality  in  three  or 
four  years. 

It  is  understood  that  Paramount  is 
purchasing  more  television  cameras 
and  transmission  equipment  for  use 
in  other  cities  following  its  installa- 
tion at  the  Paramount  theatre  here. 
And  20th  Century-Fox  is  said  to  be 
seriously  considering  production  for 
television  other  than  the  daily  news- 
reel  which  it  now  issues  for  video. 


that  the  society  had  obtained  a 
"stranglehold"  in  the  plaintiffs'  busi- 
ness by  suppressing  competition  and 
monopolizing  performing  rights  to 
musical  compositions.  The  memoran- 
dum asserted  that  the  plaintiffs  "were 
compelled  to  pay  Ascap,  in  the  guise 
of  license  fees,  in  order  to  stay  in 
business." 

Decision  is  expected  late  next 
month. 


DeMille  Loses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  California  State  Constitution.  He 
personally  favored  the  amendment. 
The  union  then  expelled  him,  and 
since  it  had  an  industry-wide  union 
shop  contract,  DeMille  was  forced  to 
give  up  his  radio  show.  He  brought 
suit  to  enjoin  AFRA  from  expelling 
him,  but  lost  in  the  lower  courts,  and 
today  lost  out  in  the  Supreme  Court. 
Now  carrying  his  fight  to  Congress, 
DeMille  is  scheduled  to  testify  before 
the  House  labor  committee  on  May  11. 


Anti-Censorship  Rally 

Garson  Kanin,  Elia  Kazan.  Henry- 
Morgan,  Phil  Silvers,  Paul  Douglas, 
Marsha  Hunt,  Hary  Hunter,  Edith 
Atwater,  Myron  McCormick,  and 
Morris*  Carnovsky  will  be  among  film 
and  stage  personalities  who  will  par- 
ticipate in  an  after-theatre  meeting  at 
the  International  Theatre  tonight  to 
protest  the  Cunningham  theatre  cen- 
sorship bill  now  before  the  New  York 
Citv  Council. 


F-C  Appoints  Beier 

Nat  Beier,  veteran  industry  sales 
executive,  has  been  appointed  branch 
manager  of  the  Boston  exchange  of 
Film  Classics,  by  B.  G.  Kranze,  FC 
sales  chief.  Beier,  who  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  20th  Century-Fox,  Selz- 
nick  Releasing  Organization,  and 
United  Artists,  replaces  Maurice 
Green  who  has  resigned. 


Barry  Halbert  Dies 

Barry  Halbert.  Western  district 
manager  for  Confidential  Reports, 
died  yesterday  after  a  short  illness. 
CFI  reports  here.  The  widow  and  a 
son  survive. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  20,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


E1  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
L  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


BALTIMORE 

With  newcomers  at  most  first-runs, 
and  weather  more  appropriate  to 
theatre-going  than  outdoors,  box-of- 
fices were  busy.  As  a  result,  most 
grosses  are  better  than  in  recent 
weeks.  "Strawberry  Roan,"  with 
Gene  Autry  in  person  is  tremendous 
at  the  Hippodrome.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  22 : 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

TOWN  (1,450)  (29c-37c-56c)  4th  week. 
Gross:  $7,750.  (Average:  $10,500) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— VALENCIA  (1,466) 
(29c-37c-45c-54c,  and  56c  weekends)  3rd 
week.  Gross:  $5,500.  (Average:  $5,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th- Fox)— NEW  (1,- 
800)  (29c-40c-50c-56c).  Gross:  $13,250.  Av- 
erage: $11,750) 

STRAWBERRY     ROAN     (Col.)— HIPPO 
DROME  (2,205)   (29c-37c-50c-58c).    With,  a 
stage    show.      Gross:    $21,000.  (Average: 
$17,000) 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.) — KEITH'S  (2.- 
406)     (25c-37c-44-54c,    and    56c  weekends). 
Gross:  $13,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 
THE    BRIDE   GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

CENTURY  (3,000)  (29c-37c-45c-54c,  and  56c 
weekends).  Gross:  $16,500.  (Average:  $14,- 
500) 

THE  INSIDE  STORY  (Rep.)— MAYFAIR 
(1,000)  (21c-29c-54c).  Gross:  $6,000.  (Aver- 
age: $5,000) 

THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)— STAN- 
LEY (3,280)  (29c -37c -50c -58c).  Gross:  $15,- 
000.     (Average:  $14,500) 

TO  LIVE  IN  PEACE  (Italy-Times)— LIT- 
TLE (328)  (29c-37c-56c).  Gross:  $3,000. 
(Average:  $3,000) 


CINCINNATI 


Most  grosses  are  better  than  in  the 
preceding  week,  but  the  RKO  Al- 
bee,  with  Art  Mooney's  orchestra  on 
stage  and  "Blondie's  Anniversary"  on 
the  screen,  is  doing  only  fair,  due  to 
absence  of  Mooney,  who  underwent 
on  emergency  appendicitis  operation. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing April  21 : 

BLONDIE'S     ANNIVERSARY     (Col.)  — 


TWA 

Constellations 
set  new  winter 
performance 
record 

On  its  coast-to-coast  and  New 
York-Chicago  routes,  TWA's 
Constellations  flew  4,377,000 
miles,  carried  117,000  passen- 
gers—completed 97%  of  sched- 
uled mileage  during  one  of 
worst  winters  in  history! 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


Reviews 


"The  Woman  in  White" 

(Warner  Brothers) 

AS  a  psychological  nerve-exciter,  "The  Woman  in  White"  maintains  a 
steady,  cumulative  hold  on  one's  attention.  The  plot  is  a  sturdy  one, 
enhanced  by  handsome  settings.  As  it  develops,  however,  a  good  deal  of  the 
story  becomes  all  too  familiar,  thus  sapping  some  of  its  fresh  appeal.  Among 
the  picture's  best  selling  aspects  are  an  exploitable  title  and  an  excellent  cast 
that  includes  Alexis  Smith,  Eleanor  Parker,  Sydney  Greenstreet  and  Gig 
Young. 

Based  on  the  Wilkie  Collins  novel,  the  film  is  set  in  a  town  near  London 
in  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  It  presents  Greenstreet  as  one  of  the  evil 
masterminds  who  sent  a  young  girl  to  an  insane  asylum  to  avoid  a  family 
scandal.  This  "woman-in-white"  flees  the  asylum,  but  when  she  dies,  the 
screenplay  delves  deeper  into  melodramatic  sordidness,  by  calling  for  the 
plotters  to  send  an  heiress  to  the  asylum  in  order  to  get  control  of  her  wealth. 
Through  the  activities  of  Miss  Smith,  who  fits  into  the  family  tree  as  a 
cousin  to  the  heiress,  and  Gig  Young,  a  drawing  teacher,  the  compounded 
villainy  is  finally  redressed.  Miss  Parker  assumes  a  dual  role  as  the  heiress 
and  the  "woman-in-white."  Outstanding  vignettes  are  offered  by  Agnes 
Moorehead  and  John  Abbott.  Stephen  Morehouse  provided  the  screenplay 
from  which  Peter  Godfrey  directed  and  Henry  Blanke  produced. 

Running  time,  109  minutes.  Adult  classification.  Release  date,  May  IS. 

Mandel  Herbstman 

"The  Strawberry  Roan" 

(Columbia) 

\\7  ITH  Gene  Autry  in  the  saddle,  and  a  variation  of  the  usual  Western 
VV  theme  in  the  plot,  "The  Strawberry  Roan,"  in  Cinecolor,  generously 
meets  the  requirements  for  a  popular  film  in  its  classification. 

The  story  is  about  a  wild  stallion  headed  for  trouble  when  it  throws  and 
injures  a  ranchers  son.  Autry  saves  the  horse  from  being  killed,  and  as  a 
consequence,  finds  himself  an  outlaw  charged  with  rustling.  As  the  tale 
gallops  along  to  its  happy  ending,  it  is  punctuated  with  intermittent  gunplay 
and  fisticuffs.  Jack  Holt  assumes  the  role  of  a  hard  and  arbitrary  rancher, 
while  Dick  Jones  portrays  the  son,  with  pretty  Gloria  Henry,  the  rancher's 
daughter,  in  the  slight,  romantic  groundwork.  A  Gene  Autry  production, 
Dwight  Cummins  and  Dorothy  Yost  wrote  the  screenplay,  from  a  story  by 
Julian  Zimet.  Armand  Schaefer  produced  and  John  English  directed. 

Running  time,  79  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  M.  H. 


RKO  ALBEE  (3,300)  (55c-95c)  7  days.  On 
stage,    Art    Mooney's    orchestra.  Gross: 
$20,000.     (Average:  $30,000) 
THE    FIGHTING   69TH    (WB  reissue)— 

RKO  GRAND  (1,500)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c- 
75c)  7  days.  Dualed  with  "Valley  of  the 
Giants"  (WB  reissue).  Gross:  $9,000.  (Av- 
erage: $8,000) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO  SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-60c-65c- 
70c -75c)  3rd  week,  following  an  opening 
week  at  the  Albee  and  a  moveover  week 
at  the  Capitol.  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)— 

RKO  PALACE  (2,700)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c- 
75c)  7  days.  Gross:  $16,000.  (Average: 
$15,000) 

THE  MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)— RKO 

CAPITOL  (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c) 
7  days.  Gross:  $9,500.  (Average:  $10,000) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)-KEITH'S  (1,500) 
(50c-55c-60c-65c-75c)  7  days,  3rd  week. 
Gross:  $7,500.  (Average:  $7,500) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOtb-Fox)  —  RKO 
LYRIC  (1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  7 
days,  4th  week,  following  an  opening  week 
at  the  Palace  and  two  weeks  at  the  Shu- 
bert.     Gross:  $6,500.     (Average:  $5,000) 


ATLANTA 


Business  is  mostly  above  average 
with  fair  and  warmer  weather.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  21 : 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

LOEWS  GRAND  (2,446)  (12c-54c).  Gross: 

$13,500.     (Average:  $14,000) 

THE    NOOSE    HANGS    HIGH  (E-L)— 

PARAMOUNT    (2,446)    (12c-50c).  Gross: 

$11,000.     (Average:  $5,800) 

SITTING  PRETTY   (20>th-Fox) — FOX  (4,- 

446)    (30c-50c).     Gross:   $12,000.  (Average: 

$14,000) 

THE  SMUGGLER  (U-I)-ROXY  (2,446) 
(30c-50c).    Gross:  $7,000.    (Average:  $5,800) 


Bob  Kelly  to  Dixie 

New  Orleans,  April  19. — R.  A. 
Kelly  has  been  appointed  branch  man- 
ner of  Dixie  Films  by  Jenkins  and 
Bourgeois  of  Astor  Pictures,  Dallas, 
who  have  purchased  Jack  Auslet's  in- 
terest in  the  Dixie  exchange. 


'Arch'  Has  Premiere 
For  Children's  Drive 

"Arch  of  Triumph,"  Enterprise- 
United  Artists,  will  begin  its  regular 
run  at  the  Globe  Theatre  here  today 
following  a  benefit  opening  last  night, 
sponsored  by  the  American  Overseas 
Aid-United  Nations  Appeal  for  Chil- 
dren. 

The  premiere  was  attended  by  city 
officials,  diplomatic  and  society  lead- 
ers, stage  and  screen  stars,  and  others. 
Activities  were  broadcast  over  WINS 
and  television  station  WNBT. 


N.  Y.  Grosses 


Heads  'Appeal'  Show 

Earl  Wilson,  columnist,  heads  the 
executive  committee  of  "Command 
Performance"  to  be  presented  at 
Madison  Square  Garden  here  on  May 
25  in  behalf  of  the  American  Over- 
seas Aid  and  United  Nations  Appeal 
for  Children.  Others  on  the  commit- 
tee are  Sam  Rauch,  Harry  Mandel, 
Carl  Erbe,  Mrs.  Arthur  Gray,  Jr., 
and  Morton  Sunshine,  coordinator. 
Spyros  P.  Skouras  is  chairman  of 
the  New  York,  committee  and  Daniel 
P.  Woolley  is  vice-chairman.  Harry 
Brandt  is  chairman  of  special  events. 


To  Aid  Children's  Drive 

San  Francisco,  April  19. — A  drive 
to  aid  the  United  Nations  Appeal  for 
Children  has  been  launched  by  North- 
ern California  Theatres.  Rallies  will 
be  held  April  24  in  key  theatres. 


Pittman  Brothers  Build 

New  Orleans,  April  19. — Pittman 
Brothers  are  building  a  new  first-run 
at  Baton  Rouge. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


000  in  a  fourth  week  at  the  Astor,  and 
"Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  bringing  $20,- 
000  (still  mild)  for  a  fifth  week  at 
the  Rivoli. 

"To  the  Victor,"  with  Cab  Callo- 
way's orchestra  on  stage,  is  heading 
for  a  very  good  $58,000  in  a  first 
week  at  the  Strand.  At  Loew's  State 
the  double  bill  of  "Duel  in  the  rfeii1" 
(regular  admissions)  and  '>  \e 
Comes  Trouble"  is  having  a  sat?i-^c- 
tory  first  week  with  f 30,000  anticipat- 
ed. The  Roxy,  however,  is  having  a 
very  mild  initial  week  with  "Scudda 
Hoo!  Scudda  Hay!"  plus  a  stage  bill 
headed  by  Ed  Wynn ;  $66,000  is  fore- 
seen on  the  basis  of  $56,000  for  the 
first  five  days. 

4  New  Buns  This  Week 

Third  and  final  week  of  "Saigon/' 
with  Buddy  Rich's  band  on  stage  at 
the  Paramount,  is  expected  to  produce 
a  _  good  $60,000 ;  "The  Big  Clock" 
will  take  over  tomorrow.  "Arch  of 
Triumph"  bows  in  today  at  the  Globe, 
where  the  final  two  days  of  "Close- 
Up"  brought  $3,000.  "Kings  of  the 
Olympics"  will  open  at  the  Gotham  on 
Thursday.  "The  Damned"  will  take 
over  on  Saturday  at  the  Rialto,  where 
a  fourth  and  final  week  of  "The 
Smugglers"  is  seen  bringing  a  satis- 
factory $6,000. 

"Are  You  With  It?"  got  off  to  a 
pleasing  start  at  the  Winter  Garden, 
where  $23,000  is  expected  for  a  first 
week.  At  the  Criterion,  "All  My 
Sons"  is  holding  up,  with  the  fourth 
week  expected  to  bring  in  $22,000. 
Second  week  of  "Winter  Meeting"  at 
the  Warner  is  expected  to  be  a  good 
one,  with  $22,000  anticipated.  The 
23rd  week  for  "Gentleman's  Agree- 
ment" is  due  to  bring  the  Mayfair  a 
satisfactory  $17,500. 

$7,000  for  'Farmer's  Daughter' 

"The  Farmer's  Daughter"  (reviv- 
al) continues  poorly  at  the  Palace, 
where  only  $7,000  is  seen  for  a  sec- 
ond week ;  it  will  remain  another, 
however.  At  the  Sutton,  "The  Pearl" 
brought  $4,000  for  a  ninth  week ; 
"The  Brothers"  will  move  into  that 
house  on  May  4.  First  week  of  "The 
Mikado"  (reissue)  is  expected  to 
bring  the  Park  Avenue  a  very  good 
$10,000. 

Fourth  week  of  "The  Search"  is 
expected  to  bring  the  Victoria  a  satis- 
factory $17,000.  At  the  Bijou,  "The 
October  Man"  looks  like  $12,500  for 
its  first  week. 


$1,350,000  Hospital 
Dedicated  by  Fund 

Hollywood,  April  19. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Relief  Fund  yesterday  dedicated  a 
$1,350,000  hospital  at  Calabasas,  sup- 
plemental to  its  Motion  Picture  Coun- 
try Home,  with  Mayor  Fletcher 
Bowron,  MPRF  president  Jean  Her- 
sholt  and  AMPP  board  chairman  Y. 
Frank  Freeman  presiding.  Funds  were 
derived  from  the  Screen  Guild  Play- 
ers radio  program. 


Louisville  'Cancer  Show' 

Louisville,  April  19. — The  Nation- 
al Theatre  here,  owned  by  Vance 
Schwartz,  will  be  the  scene  of  a 
"Fight  Cancer  Show"  beginning  mid- 
night April  29,  staged  with  the  co- 
operation of  top  entertainers,  Harry 
F.  Poynter  of  the  American  Legion 
post  and  local  theatrical  unions. 


l{galart  Pictures 

presents 


Book  it  now! 
through 
your 
nearest 
Realart  franchise 
holder 


REALART  Pictures,  Inc. 


2  PARK  AVENUE.  NEW  YORK  (16)  N.  Y. 

TEl.  MURRAY  Hill  9-0443 


FIR^T 
r  irw  I 

MOTION  PICTURE 

Arnirnf'P 

IN 

TB"^.    ▲     "W  "W  "V  7* 

r  ILm 

■  I  All  ^/ 

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NEWS 

ilAlLi 

,  _  .  

Vft*  63.  NO.  77 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  21,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Warner  Urges 
Hollywood  to 
Boost  Output 

Says  Demand  Is  Great, 
Yet  Unemployment  Grave 

Hollywood,  April  20.  —  Citing 
increased  production  as  the  solu- 
tion to  the  industry's  gravest 
problems,  Jack  L.  Warner  today 
urged  a  general  increase  in  picture- 
making  to  return  unemployed  workers 
to  studio  payrolls  and  to  meet  the 
urgent  world-wide  need  for  better  en- 
tertainment. 

"Unemployment  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry  has 
reached  the  danger  point," 
Warner  said.  "At  the  same 
time,  demand  for  good  enter- 
tainment never  has  been  so 
strong.  To  end  that  paradoxi- 
cal situation,  industry-wide 
steps  should  be  taken  immedi- 
ately to  get  our  workers  back 
on  the  jobs  and  our  production 
to  a  higher  level." 
Warner  said  he  has  become  increas- 
ingly concerned  over  the  unemploy- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Independents  Need 
Support:  Einfeld 


Some  independent  and  major  circuit 
operators  were  branded  as  "short- 
sighted" here  yesterday  by  Charles 
Einfeld  for  failing  to  support  properly 
independent  film  producers. 

"The  independent  producer  is  the 
backbone  of  quality  production,  which 
means  better  entertainment,  but  be- 
cause of  short-sighted  reasoning  cer- 
tain theatre  owners  either  fail  to  ap- 
preciate it  or  would  prefer  not  to 
appreciate  it,"  Einfeld  said. 

At  the  same  time,  the  president  of 
Enterprise,  here  for  the  New  York 
opening  of  "Arch  of  Triumph,"  de- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


DST  Cuts  Income 
25%:  Brylawski 

Washington,  April  20. — Theatres 
in  areas  with  daylight  saving  time 
have  experienced  drops  in  attendance 
as  high  as  25  per  cent  as  a  result  of 
the  extra  daylight  hour,  a  Senate  in- 
terstate commerce  sub-committee  was 
told  today. 

The  statement  came  from  A.  Julian 
(.Continued  on  page  2) 


Cinecolor  Planning 
45-Day  Processing 

Cinecolor  will  be  geared  shortly  to 
a  45-day  processing  service,  making  it 
possible  for  Cinecolor  prints  to  reach 
exchanges  at  about  the  same  time  it 
takes  black-and-white  prints  to  move 
from  laboratories,  Joseph  Bernhard, 
Cinecolor  president,  reported  here  yes- 
terday. At  present,  Bernhard  pointed 
out,  it  takes  about  90  days  to  process 
and  deliver  Cinecolor  prints. 

Bernhard  said  he  believes  that  70 
per  cent  of  Hollywood's  pictures  will 
be  made  in  color  in  two  or  three  years. 

Citing  the  extent  to  which  Cinecolor 
has  stepped  up  production,  Bernhard 
said  that  whereas  the  company  proc- 
essed only  about  15  pictures  last  year, 
this  year  it  will  handle  20,  and  he 
predicted  it  will  be  able  to  process  30 
in  1949. 

Bernhard,  who  is  also  president  of 
Film  Classics,  a  subsidiary  of  Cine- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


WB,20th-Fox  Order 
Screen  Video  Units 


Large-screen  theatre  television 
systems  will  be  delivered  by  RCA  to 
Warner  and  20th  Century-Fox  with- 
in 30  days,  Barton  Kreuzer,  execu- 
tive of  RCA,  disclosed  yesterday  at 
the  second  day  of  the  third  annual 
Television  Institute  panel  sessions  be- 
ing held  here  at  the  Hotel  New 
Yorker. 

•  The  system,  it  was  revealed,  is 
similar  to  that  demonstrated  here  last 
week  by  Paramount.  It  records 
events  on  film  as  they  come  off  the 
television  tube  and  then  projects  the 
images  on  the  screen  within  66  sec- 
onds. 

Conditions  existing  among  televi- 
sion film  distributors  are  so  "chaotic" 
that  many  stations  are  not  booking  as 
many  films  as  they  would  like,  Irwin 
Shane,  publisher  of  Televisor,  assert- 
ed at  yesterday's  session.    He  called 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


4A's  Open  Talks  on 
Video  Pact  Monday 


Associated  Actors  and  Artistes  of 
America  will  start  negotiations  here 
on  Monday  on  its  first  contract  cov- 
ering wages,  hours  and  conditions  of 
work  for  performers  in  television. 

Initial  negotiations  will  be  with 
CBS,  NBC,  ABC  and  Mutual.  Du- 
Mont,  Paramount  and  the  Nezv  York 
Daily  News  will  negotiate  later. 

Negotiations  in  behalf  of  the  per- 
formers will  be  conducted  by  a  com- 
mittee representing  each  of  the 
AAAA  unions . 


Knutson  Indicates  No 
Excise  Cut  This  Year 

Washington,  April  20. — 
Chairman  Harold  Knutson  of 
the  House  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  said  today  hopes 
for  a  substantial  cut  in  excise 
taxes  this  year  have  been 
abandoned.  The  reason  he 
gave  was  the  prospect  of  in- 
creased military  costs.  In  the 
face  of  the  recent  income  tax 
reduction  Knutson  previously 
had  been  optimistic  about  re- 
ducing the  20  per  cent  Fed- 
eral admissions  tax  to  10  per 
cent. 


Schlaifer  Looks  at 
Film's  'New  Look' 


There  is  a  "new  look"  in  the  indus- 
try today  which  reveals  that  pictures 
and  the  people  who  make  them  are 
abreast  of  the  times,  Charles 
Schlaifer,  director  of  advertising-pub- 
licity for  20th  Century-Fox,  declared 
yesterday  at  the  41st  annual  luncheon 
of  the  New  York  Society  of  Ken- 
tucky Women,  held  at  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard. 

"We  are  proud  because  the  Ameri- 
can industry  is  the  foremost  carrier 
of  the  ways  of  democracy  to  the  cor- 
ners of  the  earth,"  he  said. 

As  chairman  of  the  MPAA  Adver- 
tising Advisory  Council,  Schlaifer 
told  the  group  of  the  work  which  the 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Col.,  'IT  Dismissed 
From  Rivoli  Suit 


Buffalo,  April  20. — Columbia  Pic- 
tures today  was  dismissed  "on  the 
merits"  from  the  Rivoli  Theatre  dam- 
age action  being  tried  in  Federal  Dis- 
trict court  here,  and  Universal  was 
dismissed  on  the  grounds  that  the 
wrong  defendant  had  been  named. 

The  Rivoli,  of  which  Stanley  Koza- 
nowski  is  president,  charged  11  de- 
fendants, including  major  distributors, 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Meet  Today  to  Create 
Bigger  Talent  Union 

First  steps  to  create  a  more  power- 
ful union  in  the  talent  field  will  be 
taken  here  today  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Associated  Actors  and  Artistes  of 
America,  parent  union  of  Actors 
Equity,  American  Federation  of  Radio 
Artists,  American  Guild  of  Musical 
Artists,  American  Guild  of  Variety 
Artists,  Screen  Actors  Guild  and 
Chorus  Equity. 


Rank  Asks,  Is 
Told,  What  US 
Market  Wants 


Industry  Leaders  in 
Frank  Exchange  of  Views 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  intent  upon 
learning  the  answer  to  the  slow 
progress  being  made  by  British 
films  in  the  American  market  be- 
fore his  departure  for  London  tomor- 
row, called  upon  leaders  of  the  indus- 
try at  a  meeting  here  yesterday  to  ad- 
vise him  frankly  what  can  be  done 
to  hasten  their  advancement. 

Sum  total  of  all  the  replies 
he  received  was:  "British  pic- 
tures will  have  to  be  made 
more  palatable  for  U.  S.  con- 
sumption if  they  are  to  make 
real  money  here." 

The  meeting,  called  by  Eric  Johns- 
ton, Motion  Picture  Association  presi- 
dent, at  Rank's  request,  was  held  at 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Rank-EL  Confabs  in 
London  Start  Mon. 


Two  weeks  of  conferences  concern- 
ing the  handling  of  J.  Arthur  Rank 
films  in  the  U.  S.  and  Latin  America, 
and  the  distribution  of  Eagle-Lion 
Hollywood  product  in  the  British  Em- 
pire, will  commence  in  London,  prob- 
ably on  Monday,  with  the  expected 
arrival  there  over  the  weekend  of 
William  J.  Heineman,  E-L  distribution 
vice-president,  and  Max  E.  Young- 
stein,  advertising-publicity  vice-presi- 
dent, from  New  York.  They  are  due 
to  leave  here  by  plane  on  Friday. 

Films  of  the  Rank  Organization  to 
be  discussed  for  release  in  the  U.  S. 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Film  Dividends  Off 
Only  8  Per  Cent 

Washington,  April  20. — Publicly- 
reported  cash  dividends  of  film  com- 
panies during  the  first  three  months 
of  1948  were  only  eight  per  cent  below 
the  total  for  the  like  1947  period,  the 
Commerce  Department  reported  here 
today. 

The  first  1948  quarter  total  was 
$11,744,000,  compared  with  $12,752,000 
for  the  first  quarter  last  year. 

Publicly-reported  dividends  are  usu- 
ally estimated  to  be  about  60  per  cent 
of  all  dividends. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  21,  1948 


Details  of  Argentine 
D  ecr ee  Awaited  Here 


More  detailed  information  on  what 
is  understood  to  be  an  official  Argen- 
tine government  decree  reducing  U.  S. 
and  other  film  imports  by  75  per  cent 
was  being  awaited  yesterday  by  U.  S. 
distributors  here. 

Foreign  department  executives  of 
major  distributors  were  at  a  loss  to 
explain  the  Argentine  government's 
action.  Several  company  spokesmen 
were  not  certain  whether  the  limita- 
tion of  imports  to  25  per  cent  of  those 
for  1947  applied  to  monies,  footage  or 
number  of  pictures.  More  details  are 
expected  to  be  made  available  today. 
Existence  of  the  decree  was  first  dis- 
closed here  by  Motion  Picture  Daily 
on  April  15. 

Industry  protests  to  the  U.  S.  State 
Department  are  expected  against  any 
severe  Argentine  restrictions. 


Johnston  Host  to 
Thomas  B.  McCabe 

Washington,  April  20. — Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  pres- 
ident Eric  Johnston  will  give  a  re- 
ception next  Wednesday  afternoon  at 
MPAA  headquarters  here  for  Thomas 
B.  McCabe,  new  chairman  of  the 
Federal  Reserve  Board.  Senators, 
Congressmen,  Supreme  Court  Justices 
and  other  top  officials,  in  addition 
to  press  and  newsreel  representatives, 
have  been  invited. 


WB  Sales  Meet  Today 

Warner's  Eastern  district  sales 
force  will  meet  in  Albany  today.  At- 
tending will  be  Jules  Lapidus,  East- 
ern sales  manager,  presiding ;  F.  D. 
(Dinty)  Moore,  Eastern  district  man- 
ager ;  Sam  Lefkowitz,  Metropolitan 
New  York  district  manager,  and 
branch  managers  R.  S.  Smith,  Al- 
bany; George  Horan,  Boston;  E.  A. 
Catlin,  Buffalo;  Carl  Goe,  New 
Haven. 


Allan  Karf,  WB  Manager 

Hollywood,  April  20. — Funeral 
services  will  be  held  here  tomorrow 
at  the  Malinow  and  Simmons  Mortu- 
ary for  Allan  Karf,  49,  manager  of 
Warner  Brothers  Downtown  Theatre 
who  died  Monday  night  from'  a  heart 
attack.  Two  sisters  survive.  Burial  will 
be  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 


Reelect  B.  &  K.  Board 

Chicago,  April  20.— B.  &  K.  di- 
rectors, including  'Barney  Balaban, 
John  Balaban,  Elmer  Upton,  Leonard 
Goldenson  and  Austin  Keough,  were 
reelected  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
stockholders  held  here  today. 


Skouras  in  College  Post 

Spyros  Skouras  has  been  named 
vice-chairman  of  the  board  of  Athens 
College,  which  the  20th-Fox  president 
has  supported  since  its  founding  in 
1925.  Skouras  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  Europe. 


Georgia  MPTO  Sets  Meet 

Atlanta,  April  20. — Motion  Pic 
ture  Theatre  Owners  and  Operators 
of  Georgia  will  hold  its  first  conven- 
tion in  Atlanta  on  May  3-4. 


Personal  Mention 


CECIL  B.  DeMILLE  will  return 
to  Hollywood  tomorrow  from  a 
three-week  trip  in  the  East. 

• 

William  Borack,  buyer-booker 
for  Northio  Theatres  of  Ohio  and 
Kentucky,  has  been  appointed  assist- 
ant to  Harry  E.  Long,  general  man- 
ager of  Cooperative  Theatres,  Pitts- 
burgh, effective  May  1. 

• 

Sam  Eckman,  Jr.,  M-G-M  man- 
aging director  in  Great  Britain,  and 
Mrs.  Eckman,  are  scheduled  to  sail 
for  England  tonight  on  the  SS  Queen 
Mary. 

• 

M.  A.  Lightman,  Jr.,  and  Mrs. 
Lightman  are  parents  of  a  daugh- 
ter, Nancy,  born  in  Memphis  on 
April  13.  Lightman  is  an  executive 
of  Malco,  that  city. 

• 

Paul  Rice,  Paramount  representa- 
tive in  Oklahoma  City,  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  Milwaukee  where  he  will  be 
in  charge  of  the  Paramount  office. 
• 

Maurice   Bergman,  Universal-In- 
ternational   Eastern  advertising-pub- 
licity director,  is  in  Havana. 
• 

Julius  Gordon,  Jefferson  Amuse- 
ment Co.  president,  is  in  town  from 
Beaumont,  Texas. 

• 

Arthur  Ripley,  M-G-M  producer, 
and  Emmet  Lavery  are  due  here 
from  the  Coast  this  week. 

• 

Salvatore  Adorno  will  reopen  the 
Palace  Theatre,  Middletown,  Conn., 
this  summer. 

• 

Fred  Grumbell  has  purchased  the 
Corn  Theatre,  Everly,  la.,  from  W. 
R.  Arndt. 


DAVE  HORNE,  Film  Classics 
foreign  sales  manager,  will  leave 
New  York  tomorrow  for  England  and 
the  Continent. 

• 

Mort  Blumenstock,  Warner  ad- 
vertising-publicity vice-president,  is 
due  in  Dallas  today  from  New  York 
where  he  will  confer  with  Ben 
Kalmenson,  Warner  distribution 
head,  and  Boo  O'Donnell,  general 
manager  of  Interstate  Theatre  Cir- 
cuit. 

• 

Alfred  Rothschild,  National 
Screen  manager  in  Memphis,  will  be 
married  to  Betty  Claire  Thomas  on 
May  2  at  the  home  of  his  brother, 
Ben  Rothchild,  in  New  Rochelle, 
N.  Y. 

• 

Sol  Reif,  former  Eagle-Lion 
branch  manager  in  Omaha,  has  be- 
come Film  Classics  branch  manager 
in  that  city,  succeeding  Ellis  Shaf- 
ton,  resigned. 

• 

Sydney  Albright,  20th  Century- 
Fox  International  managing  director 
in  Australia,  is  in  New  York  from 
Sydney. 

• 

Marcel  Hellman,  British  produc- 
er, has  returned  to  New  York  from 
Hollywood  and  will  leave  for  London 
within  a  week. 

• 

Alfred  Hitchcock  is  expected  in 
New  York  early  next  month  from 
London. 

e 

Tony  Goodman,  Monogram  booker 
at. Omaha,  is  a  candidate  for  the  city 
council  in  that  city. 

• 

Frank  Capra  left  here  last  night 
for  the  Coast. 


Protest  E-L  Film  on 
Steubenville  Crusade 

Steubenville,  O.,  April  20. — Pro- 
test against  Eagle-Lion's  proposed 
production  of  "Twelve  Against  the 
Underworld,"  written  by  Dr.  Norman 
E.  Nygaard,  which  reviews  the  1946 
anti-vice  crusade  by  the  Steubenville 
Ministerial  Association,  has  been 
lodged  by  local  labor  groups. 

Petition  charges  that  the  book  was 
"not  founded  on  fact"  and  a  portrayal 
of  its  contents  would  embarrass 
Steubenville. 


Testimonial  to  Lasky 

Chicago,  April  20. — A  testimonial 
dinner  honoring  Jesse  L.  Lasky's  35 
years  as  a  producer  is  being  planned 
here  to  coincide  with  the  local  pre- 
miere of  his  "Miracle  of  the  Bells" 
at  the  RKO  Palace,  May  25.  Pro- 
ceeds of  the  premiere  are  to  be  do- 
nated to  the  Chicago  Cancer  Fund. 


Award  for  Schary 

Dore  Schary,  RKO  Radio's  pro- 
duction vice-president,  will  receive  the 
1948  One  World  Award  for  his  con- 
tribution to  films,  at  ceremonies  to 
be  held  at  Carnegie  Hall,  New  York, 
on  April  27.  Awards  will  also  go 
to  Dr.  Albert  Einstein  and  William 
L.  Shirer. 


New  Group  in  Ohio 
Buys  4  in  Alliance 

Cleveland,  April  20.  —  All  four 
theatres  in  Alliance,  the  Columbia, 
Alrnira  and  Union,  Cleveland;  Strand, 
have  been  acquired  by  Marsch  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  a  new  organization  headed 
by  Nate  Schultz,  Sam  Schultz,  Nate 
Marcus  and  Dave  Marcus.  Raymond 
Wallace,  general  manager  of  Tri- 
Theatres,  now  dissolved,  will  remain 
with  the  new  owners  as  adviser. 

Nate  Schultz  is  president  of  Mono- 
gram Distributors,  Inc.,  and  is  inter- 
ested in  the  Lorain  Theatre,  Lorain; 
Almira  and  Union,  Cleveland ;  Strand, 
Youngstown  and  Quilna,  in  Lima. 


New  Buchanan  Account 

The  Buchanan  advertising  agency 
here  has  been  appointed  by  James 
Nasser  Productions  to  handle  na- 
tional advertising  for  "An  Innocent 
Affair,"  to  be  released  through 
United  Artists.  Over  $200,000  is 
said  to  have  been  allocated  for  the 
campaign. 


Boost  Copyright  Fee 

Washington,  April  20.  —  The 
House  today  passed  and  sent  to  the 
White  House  a  bill  raising  the  copy- 
right fee  from  $2  to  $4,  which  con- 
curred with  a  Senate  amendment. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  elections  in  Italy  and  the  af- 
termath of  the  Bogota  revolt  are 
highlights  of  current  newsreels. 
Floods,  baseball  and  fashions  are 
among  other  items.  Complete  con- 
tents follow : 

MOVIETONE   NEWS,    No.  32-Italians 

vote  against  Communists.  Trieste:  huge 
Italian  demonstration.  Bogota:  t'^V.-ion 
still  high.  Helicopter  helps  to  build  L  };•;•  u 
in  Grand  Canyon.  School  teaches  Mwf£  i 
of  baby-sitting.  Sports:  President  Trtujfe  < 
throws  first  ball.    Golden  gloves.  Racing. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  266— First 
films  of  Italy's  election.  Bogota:  post-script 
to  revolt.  Ohio  River  flood.  Flying  church. 
Secretary  of  Army  Royall  inspects  weapons. 
Baseball  season  starts. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  69  —  Citation 
wins  turf  classic.  Bogota:  savage  revolt 
leaves  mark.  Play  ball  I  Italy  goes  to 
the  polls. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS>  No.  136-Films  of 
Italian  election.  Bogota  digs  out  of  ruins 
of  revolt.  Flood  waters  inundate  Ohio 
towns.  First  ERF  food  ship  sails.  Canada 
gives  aid  to  French  hospitals.  Church  pre- 
pares shipment  for  London  needy.  White 
House  balcony  completed.  Tiny  tots  swim 
under  water. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  71— Ital- 
ians vote.  Bogota  riot.  Baseball  season 
opens.  Helicopter  helps  build  Indian 
church  in  Grand  Canyon.  Navy  under- 
water wizard.     Fur  fashions. 


DST  Cuts  Income 

(Continued  from  page  1 ) 


Brylawski,  appearing  on  behalf  of  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  America  in  oppo- 
sition to  a  bill  to  require  nationwide 
daylight  saving.  Brylawski  told  the 
committee  that  theatre  owners  op- 
posed the  bill  simply  because  it  hurt 
their  business,  and  declared  that  drive- 
ins  and  theatres  in  small,  rural  com- 
munities would  be  especially  hard  hit. 

Witnesses  from  other  industries,  in- 
cluding representatives  of  the  Nation- 
al Association  of  Broadcasters  and 
other  groups,  urged  the  committee  to 
approve  a  bill  requiring  uniform  time 
throughout  the  country,  adding  that 
they  did  not  particularly  care  whether 
it  was  daylight  or  standard  time. 


Film's  'New  Look' 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


committee  is  doing  in  the  interest  of 
decency  and  good  taste  in  film  pro- 
motions. 

"This  committee,"  he  said,  "is  just 
as  scrupulous  in  its  application  of 
these  principles  to  advertising-pub- 
licity as  the  industry  is  in  enforcing 
the  general  code  governing  the  con- 
tent of  all  motion  pictures.  The  code 
is  not  only  revised  from  time  to  time, 
but  the  campaign  is  constantly  carried 
on  within  the  industry  to  spread  its 
import  so  that  even  those  who  are 
not  within  the  organized  industry  may 
be  influenced." 


Col.,  'IP  Dismissed 

.  (Continued  from  page  1) 


with  conspiracy  to  prevent  it  from 
getting  first-run  films  on  an  equal 
basis  with  Shea's  Roosevelt  Theatre 
here.  Louis  D.  Frohlich  of  the  New 
York  law  firm  of  Schwartz  and  Froh- 
lich, is  counsel  for  Columbia. 

Trial  of  the  suit  against  the  remain- 
ing defendants  is  proceeding. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DATLY,  Martin  Quigley.  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  Quigpubco, 
New  Y  irk."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer ;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Uub,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London.  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  lUc. 


EVERYTHING  LOOKS  ROSY! 


From  HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER  (March  1,  1948) 

WA  succession  of  hits  from  M-G-M  or  any  other  company  will 
change  the  whole  complexion  of  the  industry.  And  from  the 
excitement  at  M-G-M  that's  just  what  you  can  expect." 


THE  COMPLEXION  OF  THE 
INDUSTRY  IS  CHANGING! 


Every  exhibitor  who  plays  M-G-M 
product  can  have  confidence  in  the 
forthcoming  product.  You  have  already 
seen  "STATE  OF  THE  UNION"  and 
HOMECOMING"  at  trade  shows.  You 
know  what  such  pictures  can  mean  to 
the  complexion  of  the  industry .  We 
take  this  advertisement . . .  not  to  boast 
or  blurb... but  to  inspire  the  showman- 
ship that  the  great  pictures  announced 
here  deserve. 


B  F's  MIA0HTER 


M-G-M  presents  "B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER"  Starring  BARBARA 
STANWYCK  •  VAN  HEFLIN  •  CHARLES  COBURN  •  RICHARD 
HART  •  KEENAN  WYNN  •  A  ROBERT  Z,  LEONARD  PRO- 
DUCTION  •  Screen  Play  by  Luther  Davis  •  Based  on  the  Novel 
by  John  P.  Marquand  •  Directed  by  ROBERT  Z.  LEONARD 
Jh  produced  by  EDWIN  H.  KNOPF  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


SUMMER  HOLIDAY 


/  /     COLOR  By 

TECHNI6CM.0R 


M-G-M  presents  "SUMMER  HOLIDAY"  •  MICKEY  ROONEY 
GLORIA  DeHAVEN  •  Walter  Huston  •  Frank  Morgan  •  Butch 
Jenkins  •  Marilyn  Maxwell  •  Agnes  Moorehead  •  Selena  Royle 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  •  Adapted  by  Irving  Brecher  and  Jean 
Holloway  •  From  the  Screen  Play  by  Frances  Goodrich  and  Albert 
Hackett  •  Based  on  the  Play  "Ah,  Wilderness!"  by  Eugene  O'Neill 
Music  by  Harry  Warren  •  Lyrics  by  Ralph  Blane  •  Directed  by 
ROUBEN  MAMOULIAN  •  Produced  by  ARTHUR  FREED 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  and  Liberty  Films  present  SPENCER 
TRACY  •  KATHARINE  HEPBURN  •  VAN  JOHNSON 
ANGELA  LANSBURY  •  ADOLPHE  MENJOU  •  LEWIS  STONE 
in  FRANK  CAPRA'S  "STATE  OF  THE  UNION"  •  Based  on  the 
Play  by  Howard  Lindsay  and  Russel  Crouse  •  Screen  Play  by 
Anthony  Veiller  and  Myles  Connolly  •  Associate  Producer 
ANTHONY  VEILLER  •  Produced  and  Directed  by  FRANK 
CAPRA  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


THE  PIRATE 


/  /  eowB  By  \\ 

•yTecHMicoioR 


M-G-M  presents  JUDY  GARLAND  •  GENE  KELLY  in  "THE 
PIRATE"  •  WALTER  SLEZAK  •  Gladys  Cooper  •  Reginald 
Owen  •  Songs  by  COLE  PORTER  •  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
Screen  Play  by  Albert  Hackett  and  Frances  Goodrich  •  Based  on 
the  Play  by  S.  N.  Behrman  •  Dance  Direction  by  Robert  Alton 
and  Gene  Kelly  •  Directed  by  V1NCENTE  MINNELLI  •  Pro- 
duced by  ARTHUR  FREED  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


M-G-M  presents  "BIG  CITY"  starring  MARGARET  O'BRIEN 
ROBERT  PRESTON  •  DANNY  THOMAS  •  GEORGE  MURPHY 
KARIN  BOOTH  •  EDWARD  ARNOLD  •  BUTCH  JENKINS 
and  introducing  to  the  screen  BETTY  GARRETT  and  LOTTE 
LEHMANN  •  Screen  Play  by  Whitfield  Cook  and  Anne  Morrison 
Chapin  •  Additional  Dialogue  by  Aben  Kandel  •  Based  on  a 
Story  by  Miklos  Laszlo  •  As  Adapted  by  Nanette  Kutner  •  Directed 
by  NORMAN  TAUROG  •  Produced  by  JOE  PASTERNAK 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


M-G-M  presents  CLARK  GABLE  •  LANA  TURNER  •  ANNE 
BAXTER  •  JOHN  HODIAK  in  "HOMECOMING"  •  Ray 
Collins  •  Gladys  Cooper  •  Cameron  Mitchell  •  A  MERVYN 
LeROY  PRODUCTION  •  Original  Story  by  Sidney  Kingsley 
Adaptation  by  Jan  Lustig  •  Screen  Play  by  Paul  Osborn  •  Directed 
by  MERVYN  LeROY  •  Produced  by  SIDNEY  FRANKLIN 
In  association  with  Gottfried  Reinhardt  •  An  M-G-M  Picture 


M-G-M  presents  ESTHER  WILLIAMS  •  PETER  LAWFORD 
RICARDO  MONTALBAN  •  JIMMY  DURANTE  •  CYD 
CHARISSE  •  XAVIER  CUGAT  and  his  orchestra  •  "ON  AN 
ISLAND  WITH  YOU"  •  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  •  Screen 
Play  by  Dorothy  Kingsley,  Dorothy  Cooper,  Charles  Martin  and 
Hans  Wilhelm  •  From  an  original  story  by  Charles  Martin  and 
Hans  Wilhelm  •  Directed  by  RICHARD  THORPE  •  Produced 
by  JOE  PASTERNAK  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


M-G-M  presents  IRVING  BERLIN'S  "EASTER  PARADE"  starring 
JUDY  GARLAND  •  FRED  ASTAIRE  •  PETER  LAWFORD 
ANN  MILLER  •  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  •  Screen  Play  by 
Sidney  Sheldon,  Frances  Goodrich  and  Albert  Hackett  •  Original 
Story  by  Frances  Goodrich  and  Albert  Hackett  •  Lyrics  and  Music 
by  Irving  Berlin  •  Musical  Numbers  Directed  by  Robert  Alton 
Directed  by  CHARLES  WALTERS  •  Produced  by  ARTHUR 
FREED  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


M-G-M  presents  "A  DATE  WITH  JUDY"  starring  WALLACE 
BEERY  •  JANE  POWELL  •  ELIZABETH  TAYLOR  •  CARMEN 
MIRANDA  •  XAVIER  CUGAT  and  his  orchestra  •  ROBERT 
STACK  •  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  •  Screen  Play  by  Dorothy 
Cooper  and  Dorothy  Kingsley  •  Based  on  the  characters  created 
by  Aleen  Leslie  •  Directed  by  RICHARD  THORPE  •  Produced  by 
JOE  PASTERNAK  .  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


M-G-M  presents  GREER  GARSOHF  •  WALTER  PIDGEON  in 
"JULIA  MISBEHAVES"  •  PETER  LAWFORD  •  CESAR  ROMERO 
ELIZABETH  TAYLOR  •  Lucile  Watson  •  Nigel  Bruce  •  Mary 
Boland  •  Directed  by  JACK  CONWAY  •  Produced  by  EVERETT 
RISKIN  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 

(Conthued) 


YOU  OWE  IT  TO  YOURSELF  TO 
SEE  M-G-M's  TRADE-SHOWS 


We  appreciate  the  editorial 
praise  about  our  coming 
pictures,  but  see  them  for 
yourself.  They  are  star- 
studded,  important  and 
deserving  of  the  promotion 
they  will  receive  and  the 
word-of-mouth  you  will 
hear  from  your  audiences. 


M-G-M  GREAT  IN  '48! 


Wednesday,  April  21,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CHICAGO 


^L.ilthough  the  weather  has  been 
'^.Tm  and  clear,  most  Loop  attend- 
ance continues  to  be  materially  off. 
"Design  for  Death,"  documentary, 
backed  by  a  heavy  ad  campaign,  is 
doing  above  average,  however.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  22nd : 

A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I) — PALACE  (2,- 
500)  (67c-98c).  Gross:  $24,000.  (Average: 
$22,000) 

AN     IDEAL     HUSBAND  (ZOth-Fox)— 

UNITED  ARTISTS  (1,700)  (98c)  5  days, 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,000.  THE  HIGH 
WALL  (M-G-M)  2  days.  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $23,500) 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)— ROOSEVELT 
(1,500)  (98c).  Gross:  $20,000.  (Average: 
$20,000) 

CASS  TIMBERLANE  (M-G-M)— WOODS 
(1,080)  (98c)  6th  week.  Gross:  $19,000. 
(Average:  $23,000) 

DESIGN    FOR    DEATH    (RKO  Radio)— 

GRAND  (1,150)  (87c-98c).  Gross:  $23,000. 
(Average:  $16,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (2flth- 
Fox) — APO  LLO  (1,200)  (98c-$1.25)  24th 
week.  Gross:  $8,500.  (Average:  $17,000) 
MAN  OF  EVIL  (UA)— GARRICK  (1,000) 
(44c-60c-80c-85c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,000. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

RUTHLESS  (E-L)— STATE  LAKE  (2,700) 
(98c).  Stage  show.  Gross:  $29,000.  (Aver- 
age: $35,000) 

SONG  OF  LOVE  (M-G-M)— MONROE 
(953)  (67c-95c)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $8,«X). 
(Average:  $13,000) 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— CHICAGO  (3,- 
900)  (98c).  Gross:  $38,000.  (Average:  $40,- 
000) 

THE  MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)— ORI- 
ENTAL (3,300)  (98c)  6  days,  2nd  week. 
Stage:  Bonnie  Baker.  CASBAH  (U-I)  1 
day.  Stage:  Tony  Martin.  Gross:  $38,000. 
(Average:  $40,000) 


DENVER 


Weather  was  too  good  to  give  most 
theatres  much  help.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  21 : 

BIG    CLOCK    (Para.) — DENHAM  (1,750) 


Now 
at  your  service! 

FIVE  STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  45  minutes 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices  .•  Airlines  Terminal  •  Rockefeller 
Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker  •  120  Broadway 
Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


(35c-70c).  Gross:  $12,500.  (Average:  $11,- 
000) 

BISHOP'S  WIFE  (RKO  Radio)  and 
WESTERN    HERITAGE    (RKO  Radio)— 

OFHEUM  (2,600)  (35c-74c).  Gross:  $16,- 
500.    (Average:  $13,500) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  and  CAMPUS 
SLEUTH  (Mono.) — DENVER  (2,525)  (35c- 
74c).  Day  and  date  with  the  Esquire  and 
Webber.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $13,- 
000) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  and  CAMPUS 
SLEUTH  (Mono.)— ESQUIRE  (742)  (35c- 
74c).  Day  and  date  with  the  Denver  and 
Webber.  Gross:  $2,750.  (Average:  $2,000) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  and  CAMPUS 
SLEUTH  (Mono.) — WEBBER  (750)  (35c- 
74c).  Day  and  date  with  the  Denver  and 
Esquire.  Gross:  $2,750.  (Average:  $2,000) 
SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)  and  RETURN 
OF  THE  WHISTLER  (Col.)— ALADDIN 
(1,400)  (35c-74c).  After  a  week  at  the 
Paramount.  Gross:  $2,500.  (Average: 
$2,500) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-F<»0  and 
TENDER  YEARS  (2»th-Fox)— RIALTO 
(878)  (35c-74c).  Gross:  $3,750.  (Average: 
$3,000) 

SMUGGLERS  (E-L)  and  COBRA 
STRIKES  (E-L) — PARAMOUNT  (2,200) 
(35c-74c).  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
SOUTH  OF  TAHITI  (FC)  and  JUNGLE 
WOMAN  (FC)— TABOR  (1,967)  (35c-74c). 
Gross:  $9,000.     (Average:  $8,000) 


TORONTO 


First-run  situation  here  became 
more  complex  with  the  opening  of 
two  theatres,  the  independent  Bilt- 
more  and  the  Odeon  Danforth.  Three 
theatres  held  over  their  programs. 
Weather  was  cool  with  some  rain. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing April  22 : 

THE    BISHOP'S    WIFE    (RKO  Radio)- 

IMPERIAL  (3,343)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6 
days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,600.  (Average: 
$14,600) 

BLACK  BART  (U-I)-UPTOWN  (2,761) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $12,600. 
(Average:  $11,600) 

HIGH  WALL  (M-G-M)— LOEWS  (2,074) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-78c).  Gross:  $15,700.  (Av- 
erage: $14,200) 

JASSY  (E-L)— DANFORTH  (1,400)  (20c- 
36c-50c-60c)  6  days.  Gross:  $7,000.  (No 
average,  new  theatre) 

JASSY  (E-L)— FAIRLAWN  (1,195)  (20c- 
30c-40c-50c-55c)  6  davs.  Gross:  $6,300. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

PERSONAL  COLUMN  (UA)  —  BILT 
MORE  (950)  (20c-30c-36c-55c)  6  days. 
Gross:  $7,000.  (No  average,  first  week  of 
theatre) 

SITTING     PRETTY     (2ftth-Fox)  —  NOR 

TOWN   (950)   (20c-36c-42c-60c)   6  days,  5th 
week.    Gross:  $4,800.     (Average:  $7,000) 
SITTING      PRETTY      (20th-Fox)  —  VIC- 
TORIA (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  5th 
week.    Gross:  $5,000.     (Average:  $6,300) 
TYCOON   (RKO  Radio)— EGLINTON  (1,- 
086)    (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)    6   days.  Gross: 
$7,900.     (Average:  $7,400) 
TYCOON    (RKO    Radio)— TIVOLI  (1,434) 
(20c -30c -36c -48c -66c)  6  days.    Gross:  $9,700. 
(Average:  $9,200) 

THE  VOICE  OF  THE  TURTLE  (WB)- 

SHEA'S  (2,480)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $17,400.    (Average:  $14,900) 


KANSAS  CITY 


Hot  weather  cut  attendance.  Looks 
like  a  far  lower  attendance  than  in 
April,  1947.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  April  20-22 : 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB) — PARAMOUNT 
(1,900)  (45c-65c).  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average: 
$12,000) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (Selznick) — MID- 
LAND (3,500)  (45c-65c).  Gross:  $16,500. 
(Average:  $15,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S      AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox) — FAIRWAY  (700)  (45c-65c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $1,600.     (Average:  $1,750) 
GENTLEMAN'S      AGREEMENT  20th- 
Fox)— TOWER  (2,100)   (45c-65c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $7,850.     (Average:  $9,000) 
GENTLEMAN'S      AGREEMENT  (ZOth- 
Fox)— UPTOWN      (2,000)      (45c-65c)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $5,250.     (Average:  $6,000) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA,    (RKO  Radio)— 
ORPHEUM    (1,900)    (45c-65c)    3rd  week. 
Gross:  $10,000.    (Average:  $10,000) 
SECRET    BEYOND    THE    DOOR  (U-I) 
and  FEAR  IN  THE  NIGHT  (Para.)— ES- 
QUIRE   (800)     (45c-65c).      Gross:  $3,000. 
(Average:  $5,000) 


29  in  Production 
At  Coast  Studios 

Hollywood,  April  20. — Production 
tally  stood  at  29  at  the  weekend,  com- 
pared to  28  for  the  previous  week. 
Work  started  on  seven  new  films 
while  six  were  sent  to  film  editors. 

Shooting  started  on  "Command  De- 
cision" and  'Words  and  Music," 
M-G-M;  "Trigger  Man,"  Monogram; 
"The  Accused"  (Hal  Wallis),  Para- 
mount; "Big  Dan"  (Sol  Wurtzel), 
20th  Century-Fox;  "Countess  of 
Monte  Cristo"  and  "Larceny,"  Uni- 
versal-International. Shooting  finished 
on  "Miraculous  Journey"  (Sig  Neu- 
feld)  and  "Sofia"  (Arpi),  Eilm  Clas- 
sics ;  "Arizona  Sunset,"  Monogram ; 
"Dynamite"  (Pine-Thomas),  Para- 
mount; "Blood  on  the  Moon,"  RKO- 
Radio ;  "This  Side  of  the  Law,"  War- 
ner. 


Einfeld 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

clared  that  the  recent  economy  drive 
in  Hollywood  will  enhance  rather  than 
lessen  the  quality  of  future  pictures. 
He  pointed  out  that  Hollywood  did 
not  present  the  complete  story  to  the 
public  when  it  announced  its  economy 
drive,  and  he  placed  the  blame  on 
Hollywood. 

Productions  contemplated  by  Enter- 
prise in  1948-49,  beside  "Arch,"  in- 
clude :  "No  Minor  Vices,"  "Tucker's 
People,"  "Wild  Calendar,"  "Proud 
Destiny,"  "Pursuit  of  Love,"  "Tues- 
day to  Bed,"  "Tennessee's  Pardner," 
an  untitled  Lewis  Milestone  produc- 
tion and  an  untitled  Harry  Brown 
original.  "Wanted"  will  be  given  a 
world  premiere  in  Santa  Fe  on  May 
15 ;  also  ready  for  release  is  "So  This 
Is  New  York." 


'Arch'  Booked  Over  Loew  Circuit 

"Arch  of  Triumph,"  Enterprise 
Studios'  $5,000,000  production,  has 
been  booked  over  the  entire  Loew 
Circuit,  it  was  announced  here  yester- 
day by  United  Artists,  which  is  re- 
leasing the  film. 


Order  Video  Units 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

for  uniform  standards  for  films, 
Shane  pointed  out  that  since  televi- 
sion film  programs  differ  from  those 
offered  by  motion  picture  theatres, 
attendance  at  the  latter  would  not  be 
hurt  seriously  by  television's  develop- 
ment. He  stressed  that  television's 
basic  film  needs  are  for  shorts  and 
documentaries  of  about  20-minute  du- 
ration. 

A.  talk  scheduled  by  Ira  Becker  on 
problems  of  theatre  television  was  not 
delivered.  Reports  on  films  will  be 
given  at  today's  sessions. 


Warner  Urges 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ment  situation  as  the  number  of  idle 
workers  has  continued  to  climb  and 
the  industry  level  has  continued  to 
sag. 

"On  April  12,  1946,  44  pictures 
were  in  work  at  major  studios,"  he 
pointed  out.  "On  April  12,  1947,  33 
pictures  were  before  the  cameras. 
And  on  April  12,  1948,  only  23  pic- 
tures were  in  production  at  major  stu- 
dios. That  means  a  drastic  cut  in 
workers'  jobs  as  well  as  a  serious  de- 
cline in  the  over-all  supply  of  world 
entertainment." 

Says  Slump  Cut  3,000  Jobs 

_  Warner  estimates  that  the  produc- 
tion drop  during  the  last  two  years 
cost  more  than  3,000  technical  craft 
workers  their  jobs. 

"Stars  should  think  of  their  respon- 
sibility to  fellow-workers  before  they 
refuse  roles  or  decline  to  make  a  pic- 
ture because  they've  already  done  one 
or  two  during  the  year,"  he  said. 
"Each  time  a  star  refuses  to  do  a  pic- 
ture or  delays  starting  one,  he  or  she 
is  affecting  the  livelihood  of  a  thou- 
sand or  more  workers." 

Warner  said  there  had  been  a  jus- 
tification for  a  leveling-off  in  produc- 
tion and  employment  from  peak  war 
years. 

Cites  WB  Production  Record 

"We  at  Warner  Brothers  are  proud 
of  the  dispatch  with  which  that  ad- 
justment was  affected  at  our  studios. 
For  just  one  period  of  two  weeks  in 
mid-August  we  had  no  pictures  ac- 
tually shooting,  although  preparations 
were  in  progress  so  that  by  mid- 
September  we  were  able  to  have  five 
feature  pictures  in  production. 

"During  the  fall  when  industry  pn" 
duction  was  at  its  lowest  ebb,  War- 
ner Brothers  maintained  a  consistent- 
ly high  shooting  schedule  .  .  ." 

Since  Jan.  1,  1946,  Warner  said, 
the  average  of  continuous  production 
at  Warner  Brothers  has  been  4.6  pic- 
tures, compared  with  2.7  for  the  bal- 
ance of  the  other  major  studios. 


'I A'  to  AFL  State  Meet 

Some  150  IATSE  representatives 
from  52  locals  in  New  York  State 
will  attend  the  August  2  State  Fed- 
eration of  Labor  convention  to  be 
held  in  the  Hotel  Commodore  here, 
John  Francavilla,  president  of  'IA' 
Local  No.  702,  who  is  assisting  with 
arrangements,  reports. 


MGM  Has  Anti-Ism  Short 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  will  release 
"Make  Mine  Freedom,"  one-reel 
Technicolor  cartoon  dramatizing  bene- 
fits of  the  American  way  of  life  as 
opposed  to  "isms,"  on  Saturday. 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURES,  Inc. 

MINNEAPOLIS 
Trade  Showing  of 

DESIGN  FOR  DEATH" 

TUESDAY,  April  27,  at  2:30  P.M. 

Fox  Projection  Room — 1015  Currie  Avenue 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  21,  1948 


Sensational 

Figures  are 
Coming  your 

Way  - 
In  "A  gem  of 

a  Comedy", 

Experts  say... 

•  HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


Review 

"California  Firebrand" 

(Republic) 

LAID  in  the  boom  days  of  California,  this  Western  in  Trucolor  retells 
with  a  tireless  display  of  action  the  story  of  the  town  official  who  uses 
his  position  to  mask  a  conspiracy  to  gain  control  of  local  settlers'  gold-bear- 
ing lands.  The  headlong  pace  is  halted  now  and  then  only  long  enough  for 
a  musical  interlude  to  bolster  entertainment  value.  Villainy  and  heroics  are 
generously  compounded  into  a  tale  that  makes  the  most  of  the  talents  of 
Monte  Hale  both  as  a  man  of  action  and  as  a  singer. 

The  J.  Benton  Cheney-John  K.  Butler  script  calls  upon  Hale  to  track  down 
his  father's  killers.  The  trail  leads  him  to  the  mayor  and  a  gang  of  the 
blackest  malefactors  imaginable.  In  uncovering  their  plot  the  hero  stirs  up 
no  end  of  commotion.  Hale  is  assisted  in  his  quest  for  justice  by  an  old  side- 
kick (Paul  Hurst)  and  by  Adrian  Booth.  Melville  Tucker  was  associate 
producer ;  Philip  Ford  directed. 

Running  time,  63  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  April  1. 

P.E.L. 


Rank  Asks 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  MPAA  office  here.  Exhibition 
and  distribution  executives,  as  well 
as  company  heads,  attended  the  meet- 
ing and  discussed  the  problems  of 
British  films  at  considerable  length 
and  with  equivalent  frankness. 

These  problems  have  a  mutuality  of 
interest,  American  and  British,  since 
sums  equivalent  to  the  American  earn- 
ings of  British  films  will  be  added  to 
the  remittable  amounts  of  the  Ameri- 
can companies  in  England. 

Says  US  Exhibitors  'Retaliated' 

During  the  discussion  Rank  told  the 
group  that  he  believed  U.  S.  exhibi- 
tors "retaliated"  against  Britain's  ad 
valorem  film  tax  after  it  was  imposed. 
Earnings  of  British  pictures  in  the 
U.  S.  fell  off  continuously  after  the 
tax  was  imposed  and  the  U.  S.  compa- 
nies set  up  their  embargo  last  August, 
he  said,  holding  that  this  was,  to  a 
large  extent,  a  reflection  of  U.  S. 
exhibitors'  resentment  against  Britain 
for  having  levied  the  import  tax. 
None  of  the  U.  S.  industry  represen- 
tatives present  felt  qualified  to  com- 
ment on  whether  or  not  that  was  true, 
it  is  understood. 

Rank  was  told  that  British  produc- 
ers would  have  to  see  that  the  diction 
in  English  films  is  made  more  under- 
standable to  Americans,  for  one  thing, 
if  British  films  are  to  find  greater 
acceptance  here.  U.  S.  spokesmen 
held  that  the  planned  interchange  of 
directors  and  technicians  between 
U.  S.  and  English  studios  would  serve 
to  help  the  British  in  solving  this 
"language  difficulty"  and  some  indi- 
cated that  they  foresaw  interchanges 
of  technicians  taking  place  in  the  near 
future  now  that  the  tax  impasse,  has 
been  settled. 

Industry  Executives  at  Meeting 

Present  at  the  meeting,  in  addition 
to  Rank  and  Johnston,  were :  Nate 
Blumberg,  Gradwell  L.  Sears,  Barney 
Balaban,  Leonard  Goldenson,  Austin 
Keough,  S.  H.  Fabian,  Robert  W. 
Coyne,  Gerald  Mayer,  Francis  Har- 
mon, Nicholas  Schenck,  Ned  E.  De- 
pinet,  Sol  Schwartz,  Spyros  P.  Skou- 
ras,  J.  Robert  Rubin,  Jack  Cohn, 
William  A.  Scully,  and  others. 

The  only  phase  of  the  British  tax 
agreement  that  was  touched  upon  at 
the  meeting  concerned  possible  plans 
for  U.  S.  production  in  England  un- 
der the  provisions  of  the  agreement. 
Balaban,  replying  to  Rank's  query, 
said  Paramount  may  produce  one,  two 
or  four  pictures  a  year  in  England, 
adding  that  he  thought  two  would  be 
the  most  likely  figure.    Skouras  and 


others  told  him  they  did  not  know  at 
the  moment  just  how  many  their 
companies  would  produce  there. 

Rank  told  the  Americans  he  appre- 
ciated receiving  the  benefit  of  their 
advice  and  judgment.  He  is  scheduled 
to  return  to  England  aboard  the 
Queen  Mary  tomorrow. 


MPAA  Board  Meeting 
May  Get  Remittances  Plan 

Annual  meeting  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America's  board 
has  been  definitely  set  for  tomorrow 
in  New  York.  The  meeting  was  twice 
delayed  to  allow  more  time  for  full 
clarification  of  the  British  tax  settle- 
ment agreement  at  conferences  among 
representatives  of  the  American  indus- 
try and  for  perfecting  the  plan  for 
division  of  remittances  on  the  basis  of 
percentage  of  earnings  to  individual 
pictures. 

Indications  are  the  formula  will  be 
ready  for  submission  to  the  MPAA 
directors. 


Rank  E-L  Confabs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


and  in  Latin  America  are  those  com- 
ing under  the  plan  established  in  re- 
cent Rank-Eagle-Lion  conferences 
here  whereby  Universal-International 
and  E-L  will  share  in  the  "pre-selec- 
tion"  of  top  Rank  product. 

Besides  British  markets,  the  con- 
ference will  also  map  plans  for  the 
handling  of  E-L  product  in  Europe 
and  Asia,  through  Eagle-Lion,  Ltd. 
and  General  Film  Distributors,  Rank 
subsidiaries. 

Also  slated  for  discussion  in  Lon- 
don is  the  coordination  of  advance 
promotional  arrangements  in  London 
to  give  news-desk  coverage  of  the 
Olympic  Games  to  American  news- 
papers and  radio  outlets  in  tie-ups  for 
the  Rank  "1948  Olympic  Games"  fea- 
ture, which  will  be  an  E-L  release  in 
the  U.  S. 


Cinecolor 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


color,  said  he  does  not  believe  exhibi- 
tors have  a  right  to  complain  about 
high  rentals  when  they  "fail  to  real- 
ize that  they  are  not  supporting  pro- 
ducers in  the  latters'  attempts  to  de- 
velop new  acting  talent." 


Logan  to  Address  SMPE 

H.  L.  Logan,  manager  of  the  re- 
search department  of  Holophane  Co., 
will  address  the  local  section  of  the 
Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers 
tonight  in  the  Hotel  Pennsylvania  on 
illumination  requirements  in  theatre 
design. 


VferonTca  \§ke 
Joan  Caultfeld 

are 

the  tainted' 
Sisters" 

from  Paramount 

(and 

Barry  Fitzgerald's 


tfd¥?<f5fc  PICTURE 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


VQ/L|63.  NO.  78 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  APRIL  22,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


20th-Fox  Sets 
Revised  Sales 
Organization 

Moon  Upped;  Branch, 
District  Heads  Change 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  is  elim- 
inating its  eight  district  managers 
in  a  streamlining  operation  and  con- 
solidating its  Mideast  with  its 
Northwest  sales  division  under  Ray 
E.  Moon  as  sales  manager.  Howard 
Minsky,  Mideast  division  manager, 
will  have  headquarters  in  New  York 
as  Moon's  assistant.  It  is  a  promo- 
tion for  both  men. 

Four  of  the  present  district,  mana- 
gers will  become  assistant  divisional 
managers  and  four  others  will  become 
branch  managers  in  their  headquar- 
ters cities.  Thus,  Tom  Gilliam,  dis- 
trict manager  at  Chicago,  will  become 
branch  manager  there,  replacing  J.  R. 
Neger.  Similarly,  E.  X.  Callahan, 
district  manager  at  Boston,  is  to  as- 
sume branch  managership  in  Boston, 

(.Continued  on  page  2) 


Percentage  Suits 
Filed  in  Baltimore 


Baltimore,  April  21. — Separate 
percentage  suits  were  filed  here  today 
in  U.  S.  District  Court  by  Universal, 
20th  Century-Fox,  RKO,  Columbia 
and  Warner  Brothers  against  Morton 
H.  Rosen  and  Morris  R.  Oletsky,  de- 
fendants in  all  of  the  suits  and  four 
operating  corporations  with  which 
they  are  said  to  be  associated,  named 
as  defendants  in  one  or  another  of 
the  actions.  Theatres  named  are  the 
Windsor,  Monroe,  Fremont  and  Vic- 
tory, all  in  Baltimore. 

R.  Dorsey  Watkins  of  the  Balti- 
more law  firm  of  Piper,  Watkins, 
Avirett  and  Egerton  is  attorney  for 
each  plaintiff,  with  Sargoy  and  Stein 
of  New  York  as  counsel. 


Critics,  Censors  Hit 
Film;  Fans  Run  to  It 


London,  April  21. — Following  an 
unprecedented  widespread  British 
newspaper  attack  against  the  British- 
made  film  about  American  gangsters, 
"No  Orchids  for  Miss  Blandish,"  al- 
leging the  picture  to  be  unsavory  and 
unfit  for  public  showing  despite  its 
having  been  granted  a  censors'  certifi- 
cate, Prime  Minister  Clement  Atlee 
was  urged  by  House  of  Commons 

(.Continued  on  page  2) 


MPAA  Hits  Federal 
Censorship  in  Radio 
'Editorializing'  Case 

Washington,  April  21. — No  Gov- 
ernmental licensing  authority  should 
scan  the  ideological  content  of  motion 
pictures,  radio  or  any  other  media  of 
public  expression,  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  today  told  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission.  The 
statement  was  made  in  a  brief  filed  by 
MPAA  general  counsel  Sidney  Schrei- 
ber  opposing  the  FCC's  so-called  May- 
flower decision,  denying  broadcasters 
the  right  to  editorialize.  The  FCC 
this  week  reopened  hearings  on 
whether  it  should  change  its  ruling. 

Schreiber  repeated  the  stand  taken 
by  MPAA  president  Eric  Johnston  in 
a  letter  to  the  FCC  in  January  that 
"free  speech  must  be  free  for  all 
media  or  it  is  free  for  none." 


New  EK  'Lab'  for 
Video  Film  Study 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  April  21. — East- 
man Kodak  has  a  new  laboratory  to 
study  films  for  television,  Dr.  Cyril  J. 
Staud,  director  of  Kodak  Research 
Laboratories,  announced  here  today, 
adding  that  its  basic  purpose  will  be 
to  find  films  which  will  prove  most 
useful  in  the  television  field. 

"Indications  are  that  films  at  pres- 
ent available  offer  satisfactory  results. 
Prints  developed  to  give  good  quality 
on  motion  picture  screens  will  also 
give  satisfactory  images  when  shown 
on  television  screens,"  he  added. 

He  indicated  three  categories  into 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


NO  MAJOR  BREACH 
OF  CHICAGO  DECREE 


House  Group  Delays 
Tax  Bill  Submission 


Washington,  April  21.  —  House 
Ways  and  Means  Committee  Chair- 
man Knutson  today  postponed  to  early 
June  the  date  on  which  he  hopes  to 
have  his  general  tax  revision  bill  on 
the  House  floor,  raising  considerable 
question  as  to  whether  there  will  be 
time  for  the  Senate  to  pass  the  mea- 
sure before  Congress  adjourns  for  the 
political  conventions. 

Many  of  the  revisions  already 
agreed  on  by  the  committee  could 
mean  considerable  tax  reductions  for 
motion  picture  companies,  and  the  ma- 
jor distributors  are  still  hoping  to 
have  included  a  provision  easing  the 
tax  treatment  of  profits  on  the  sale 
of  any  theatre  interests  which  they 
might  have  to  dispose  of  as  a  result 
of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court's  decision 
in  the  Paramount  case. 

There  continues  to  be  virtually  no 
possibility  of  action  this  session  to  re- 
duce the  admission  tax. 


Colquhoun  Named 
E-L  Atlanta  Head 

Atlanta,  April  21. — Norman  Col- 
quhoun, former  Southwest  district 
manager  of  Republic  Pictures  in  Dal- 
las, has  been  appointed  Atlanta  branch 
manager  of  Eagle-Lion,  replacing 
Nelson  Towler,  who  has  not  yet  an- 
nounced future  plans. 


Predicts  Low-Cost  Para. 
Films  for  Television  Use 


MPAA  Defers  Action 
On  Argentine  Move 

Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  will  defer  action 
on  the  Argentine  government 
decree  reducing  U.  S.  and 
other  film  imports  by  75  per 
cent,  pending  conferences  in 
New  York  between  Gerald 
Mayer,  MPAA  international 
director,  and  Joachim  D. 
Rickard,  its  South  American 
representative.  Rickard  is 
due  from  Buenos  Aires  in 
two  weeks. 


Paramount  may  be  producing  pic- 
tures for  television  shortly  at  costs 
which  today  might  seem  hopelessly 
low,  John  Dickinson  of  Paramount 
television  stations,  asserted  here  yes- 
terday in  the  final  day  of  the  third 
annual  Television  Institute  confer- 
ence at  the  Hotel  New  Yorker. 

At  the  same  session,  Richard  De 
Rochemont,  March  of  Time  execu- 
tive, said  that  MOT  intends  to  enter 
television,  but  has  decided  against 
turning  over  any  current  theatrical 
subjects  to  telecasters.  "They  will 
stay  in  theatres,"  he  said. 

Dickinson  declared  that  some  Para- 
mount production  divisions  are  now 
being  readied  for  television  produc- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Court  Exonerates  All 
Individuals,  2  Majors 
In  Jackson  Park  Case 


Chicago,  April  21. — All  individ- 
ual defendants  were  exonerated  of 
contempt  charges  for  alleged  viola- 
tions of  the  Jackson  Park  Theatre 
decree  here  today  and  corporate  de- 
tendants  were  upheld  on  all  but  four 
civil  counts  in  a  decision  handed  down 
by  Federal  Judge  Michael  Igoe. 

Paramount,  20th  Century-Fox, 
RKO  Radio  and  Balaban  and  Katz 
were  found  guilty  on  civil  contempt 
counts,  regarded  as  largely  technical, 
in  connection  with  the  granting  of 
clearance  following  the  two-week 
Loop  run  decree  limit  and  the  crea- 
tion of  dead  waiting  time  after  Loop 
runs.  The  four  will  be  fined  amounts 
equivalent  to  court  costs  and  Jackson 
Park  counsel  fees  on  those  counts.  No 
damages  are  awarded  plaintiff. 

Warner  Brothers  and  Loew's  were 
exonerated  completely. 

The  court  also  ignored  the  petition 
of  Thomas  C.  McConnell,  Jackson 
Park  Theatre  attorney,  that  defend- 
ants be  required  to  post  $1,000,000 
as  security  for  future  compliance  with 
the  decree. 

.  Though    holding    Paramount  and 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


MPAA  Bd.  to  Weigh 
UK  Formula  Today 

The  committee  of  U.  S.  film  indus- 
try representatives,  which  has  been 
meeting  during  the  past  few  weeks 
to  weigh  suggestions  for  a  formula 
under  which  the  British  tax  agree- 
ment can  be  administered  in  behalf 
of  the  American  companies,  held  a 
final  meeting  here  yesterday  prelimi- 
nary to  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Rank  in  Bid  to  US 
IndependentOwners 

Hope  of  inviting  leading  represen- 
tatives of  independent  theatre  organi- 
zations to  England  shortly  was  ex- 
pressed by  J.  Arthur  Rank  last  night 
prior  to  his  return  to  England  after 
six  weeks  in  the  U.  S.  The  purpose 
would  be  to  have  the  guests  "see  for 
themselves  why  we  are  a  permanent 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  April  22,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

TAMES  A.  MULVEY,  president  of 
*J  Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions,  will 
observe  a  birthday  today. 

• 

Wadsworth  E.  Pohl,  Technicolor 
technical  director,  and  Mrs.  Pohl  are 
among  passengers  sailing  for  England 
today  aboard  the  5*6"  Queen  Mary. 
Also  sailing  are  J.  Arthur  Rank 
and  Mrs.  Rank,  Sam  Eckman,  Vir- 
ginia O'Brien,  Albert  Basserman 
and  Mrs.  Basserman. 

• 

Lynn  Farnol,  Samuel  Goldwyn 
Productions  Eastern  advertising-pub- 
licity director,  will  return  to  New 
York  today  from  Boston  after  work- 
ing on  the  first  regular  release  open- 
ing there  of  "The  Best  Years,  of  Our 
Lives." 

• 

Charles  Schlaifer,  20th  Century- 
Fox  advertising-publicity  head,  will 
conduct  a  one-week  course  on  film 
publicity  at  the  New  School  for  So- 
cial Research,  New  York,  starting 
April  30. 

• 

Sam  Shirley,  M-G-M  special  sales 
representative,  will  return  to  Los  An- 
geles today  from  New  York. 
• 

Charles  Einfeld,  Enterprise  pres- 
ident, has  postponed  his  return  to  the 
Coast  from  New  York  for  two  weeks. 

Charles  Boasberg,  RKO  Radio 
North-South  division  manager,  is  in 
Dallas  from  New  York. 

• 

Sunset  Carson,  Astor  Pictures 
Western  star,  is  critically  ill  follow- 
ing an  accident  in  Virginia. 

• 

Al    Daff,  Universal-International 
foreign  sales  supervisor,  is  due  back 
here  tomorrow  from  London  by  plane. 
• 

Ezra  E.  Stern,  film  attorney,  is 
visiting  here  from  Hollywood  and 
will  return  to  the  Coast  on  Saturday. 

4A's  Sets  Conclave 
For  Stronger  Union 

Conferences  of  all  unions  compris- 
ing the  Associated  Actors  and  Art- 
istes of  America  will  begin  here  on 
May  17  in  a  move  to  create  a  more 
powerful  union  of  all  performing  tal- 
ent. The  conclave  was  voted  upon 
yesterday  at  a  meeting  of  the  inter- 
national board  of  the  AAAA.  Powers 
and  structure  of  the  AAAA  will  be 
examined  at  the  conference. 


Ritchey,  Tom  Talk  Deal 

Negotiations  for  additional  Mono- 
gram and  Allied  Artists  product  for 
Hongkong  and  China  are  being  held 
here  by  Norton  V.  Ritchey,  head  of 
Monogram  International,  and  C.  Y. 
Tom,  president  of  the  Chinamerica 
Film  Exchange  of  Hongkong.  Tom, 
who  recently  finalized  a  deal  for  four 
Monogram  pictures,  plans  to  stay 
here  for  a  few  months  and  then  re- 
turn to  set  up  a  new  Chinese  film 
studio. 


Sanford  Is  Head  of 
Unemployment  Unit 

Motion  Picture  Associates  here 
has  established  an  unemployment  ser- 
vice for  the  Metropolitan  area  for 
those  with  experience  in  the  film  in- 
dustry or  allied  fields. 

Arthur  Mayer,  MPA  president,  an- 
nounced the  new  committee  will  be 
headed  by  Bert  Sanford  of  Altec  and 
will  include  Ralph  Pielow,  M-G-M ; 
Ed  Fabian,  Fabian  Theatres ;  Eman- 
uel Frisch,  Randforce,  and  Ira  Mein- 
hard  of  Pacime  Film  Delivery. 


Named  Dinner  Chairman 

Harry  Brandt  has  been  named  gen- 
eral chairman  for  the  Motion  Picture 
Associates'  annual  dinner  to  be  held 
at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel  here  on 
May  21  as  a  "Salute  to  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Hospital,"  which 
will  receive  half  of  the  profits  from 
the  dinner. 


Duals  for  RKO's  Palace 

RKO's  New  York  Palace  will 
switch  from  first  run  to  a  double-fea- 
ture policy  next  Wednesday,  playing 
day-and-date  with  RKO's  Manhattan, 
Bronx  and  Westchester  circuit.  Neigh- 
borhood prices  will  prevail,  on  a 
weekly  change. 


$1.06  "U"  Dividend 

Quarterly  dividend  of  $1.06^  on 
the  company's  4^4  per  cent  cumulative 
preferred  stock  was  declared  here  yes- 
terday by  Universal  directors,  payable 
on  June  1  to  stockholders  of  record 
on  May  IS. 


United  Theatres  to  Build 

Ottawa,  April  21. — Directors  of 
United  Amusement  Corp.  have  under 
consideration  additional  sites  for  con- 
struction of  theatres.  Last  year  ex- 
penditures for  the  purpose  were  ex- 
tensive. 


76  Join  the  Academy 

Hollywood,  April  21.  —  Academy 
of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences 
has  accepted  76  applications  for  mem- 
bership, as  approved  by  the  board  of 
governors. 


20th-Fox  Sales 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 

replacing  D.  R.  Houlihan.  Neger 
and  Houlihan,  in  turn,  become  sales- 
men in  their  respective  exchanges. 

Other  district  managers  affected  in 
the  move,  which  springs  out  of  econ- 
omy, plus  a  closer  coordination  of 
sales  supervision,  are :  C.  G.  Norris, 
Washington ;  Paul  S.  Wilson,  At- 
lanta ;  Philip  Longdon,  Dallas ;  M.  A. 
Levy,  Minneapolis ;  Charles  L.  Walk- 
er, Salt  Lake  City,  and  Bryan  D. 
Stoner,  San  Francisco. 

The  company  is  expected  to  an- 
nounce these  changes  today. 


Fred  Norman's  Father 

Funeral  services  were  held  at  the 
Boulevard  Funeral  Parlor  here  on 
Tuesday  for  Nathan  Norman,  father 
of  Fred  Norman  of  RKO  Radio's 
home  office  publicity  department. 


SCTOA  Warned  of 
Renewed  Censorship 

Los  Angeles,  April  21. — 
Warning  of  a  "resurgence 
of  censorship,  particularly 
against  questionable  advertis- 
ing," Paul  Williams,  Southern 
California  Theatre  Owners 
Association  general  counsel, 
has  cautioned  SCTOA  mem- 
bers to  be  "very  careful  that 
all  motion  picture  advertising 
remains  within  bounds."  He 
cited  proposed  ordinances  in 
several  California  cities. 


British  Censors 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

members  today  to  appoint  a  commis- 
sion to  investigate  the  methods  of  the 
British  Board  of  Film  Censors  and 
consider  its  replacement  by  a  statu- 
tory .body. 

Attlee  said  he  felt  there  was  no  need 
for  a  commission. 

The  film  is  drawing  large  crowds 
to  Paramount's  Plaza  here.  Para- 
mount leased  the  house  for  five  weeks 
to  James  George  Minter's  Renown 
Pictures,  producer  of  "Orchids,"  and 
is  not  connected  with  the  production. 

A  demand  has  been  made  that  the 
Public  Control  Committee  of  Lon- 
don County  Council  ban  the  film  not- 
withstanding the  censors'  approval  of 
it.  Although  several  members  of  the 
committee  already  have  seen  the  film, 
the  group,  considering  the  matter  to- 
day, decided  it  would  be  unfair  to  de- 
liver judgment  until  the  whole  com- 
mittee has  attended  a  private  screen- 
ing scheduled  for  tonight. 


Rank  Hopes 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

source  of  fine  film  entertainment — to 
see  our  studios,  our  films  shortly  to 
arrive  in  America,  and  our  theatre 
operations,"  Rank  declared.  He  said 
that  his  representatives  would  soon 
meet  with  Abram  Myers,  chairman  of 
Allied  States,  to  assist  in  arranging 
this  visit  program. 

"It  is  my  sincere  belief  that  1948 
and  1949  will  be  the  biggest  years  thus 
far  in  the  British  film  industry," 
Rank  asserted.  His  last  day  in  New 
York  was  spent  in  conferences  with 
Robert  S.  Benjamin,  president  of  the 
American  Rank  Organization  and  at 
a  meeting  of  the  Universal  board  of 
directors,  of  which  he  is  a  member. 

Rank  disclosed  that  he  met  with  in- 
dividual leaders  of  the  various  film 
companies  here  "who  reassured  me 
of  their  determination,  now  that  the 
ad  valorem  tax  situation  is  out  of  the 
way,  of  seeing  that  .our  films  were 
accorded  the  widest  possible  distribu- 
tion in  their  theatres." 

Greece,  Majors  in 
Deal  on  Remittances 

U.  S.  distributors  and  the  Greek 
government  have  concluded  an  agree- 
ment on  remittances  it  was  disclosed 
here  yesterday  at  the  offices  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica. The  deal  is  understood  to  in- 
volve the  release  of  some  $500,000. 


Ask  Litigation-Proof 
Contracts  for  Video 

Overwhelming  need  for  a  standard 
clearance  contract  that  would  relieve 
television  stations  in  litigation  involv- 
ing copyrights  in  televised  films  was 
indicated  in  a  survey  conducted  by 
a  television  film  coordinating  commit- 
tee, which  reported  yesterday  to  the 
Television  Institute  conference  at  the 
Hotel  New  Yorker  here. 


Para.  Video  Films  h 

(Continued  from  page  1 )  v.v.'-' * 

tion.  He  also  revealed  that  by  June 
1,  Paramount  hopes  to  install  in  its 
Los  Angeles  and  Chicago  stations 
new  film  recording  systems  for  tele- 
casts. He  said  it  is  Paramount's 
belief  that  "films  may  continue  to  be 
the  cheapest  method  of  syndicating 
television  programs  for  quite  some 
time."  He  also  declared  that  televi- 
sion in  time  may  become  "the  great- 
est and  most  persuasive  advertising 
medium"  for  motion  pictures. 

"We  must  create  new  material  and 
adapt  it  to  television,"  De  Rochemont 
declared,  pointing  out  a  difference  in 
the  needs  for  theatre  and  television 
audiences.  He  said  that  if  such  ex- 
perimental and  developmental  pro- 
duction is  carried  on  by  every  branch 
of  the  film  industry,  one  of  the  major 
problems  of  television  would  come 
close  to  being  solved. 


New  EK  'Lab' 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

which  films  for  television  fall  and 
which  are  expected  to  be  studied  in 
the  laboratory:  films  for  producing 
advertising  shows ;  films  for  photogra- 
phy of  images  on  the  television 
screen,  and  films  for  newsreel  and  re- 
lated uses  where  high-speed  process- 
ing is  essential. 

T.  Gentry  Veal,  in  charge  of  tele- 
vision research  in  the  laboratory,  re- 
ports that  a  survey  of  audience  re- 
actions indicates  decided  enthusiasm 
for  televised  films. 


MPAA  Board 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ica  board  of  directors  in  New  York 
today. 

It  was  said,  however,  that  there  is 
no  definite  indication  that  the  board 
will  arrive  at  any  clear-cut  conclu- 
sions today  on  administration  of  the 
agreement  since  final  details  of  the 
tax  settlement  have  not  yet  been  an- 
nounced by  the  British. 

MPAA  European  manager  F.  W. 
Allport  arrived  here  from  London 
yesterday.  Indications  are  that  he 
will  not  switch  positions  with  Prank 
McCarthy,  who  directs  MPAA  opera- 
tions in  Paris,  as  previously  consid- 
ered. 


TO  A  Eyes  Nebraska  Unit 

Ted  R.  Gamble,  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  president,  who  arrived  in 
New  York  yesterday  from  Portland, 
will  leave  here  for  Omaha  on  Mon- 
day to  confer  with  leaders  of  the  Ne- 
braska Theatre  Owners  Association, 
which  may  soon  decide  whether  it 
will  affiliate  with  the  TOA.  Robert 
Coyne,  TOA  executive  director,  will 
accompany  Gamble. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  Y  irk."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  S'q.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;   single  copies,  10c. 


*&t&  EXCITEMENT  ON  ITS  way  -frojtp 

WARMER  gRoS. 


CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

TIME 

CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

TIME 

lbany 

Warner  Screening  Room 

79  N.  Pearl  St. 

8:00  P.M. 

Memphis 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

151  Vance  Ave. 

10:00  A.M. 

tlanta 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

197  Walton  St.  N.W. 

2:30  P.M. 

Milwaukee 

Warner  Th.  Sc.  Rm. 

212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

oston 

RKO  Screening  Room 

122  Arlington  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

Minneapolis 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1000  Currie  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

uffalo 

Paramount  Sc.  Room 

464  Franklin  Street 

2:00  P.M. 

New  Haven 

Warner  Th.  Proj.  Rm. 

70  College  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

harlotte 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

308  S.  Church  St. 

10:00  A.M. 

New  Orleans 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

200  S.  Liberty  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

hicago 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1307  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

1:30  P.M. 

New  York 

Home  Office 

321  W.  44th  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

incinnati 

RKO  Screening  Room 

Palace  Th.  Bldg.  E.  6th 

8:00  P.M. 

Oklahoma 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

10  North  Lee  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

leveland 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2300  Payne  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Omaha 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1502  Davenport  St. 

1:00  P.M. 

'alias 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1803  Wood  St. 

10:00  A.M. 

Philadelphia 

Warner  Screening  Room 

230  No.  13th  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

'enver 

Paramount  Sc.  Room 

2100  Stout  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

Pittsburgh 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1715  Blvd.  of  Allies 

1:30  P.M. 

'es  Moines 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1300  High  St. 

12:45  P.M. 

Portland 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Room 

1947  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

'etroit 

Film  Exchange.  Bldg. 

2310  Cass  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Salt  Lake 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

216  East  1st  South 

2:00  P.M. 

idianapolis 

Universal  Sc.  Room 

517  No.  Illinois  St. 

1:00  P.M. 

San  Francisco 

Republic  Sc.  Room 

221  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

1:30  P.M. 

ansas  City 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1720  Wyandotte  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

Seattle 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Room 

2318  Second  Ave. 

10:30  A.M. 

os  Angeles 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2025  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

St.  Louis 

S'renco  Sc.  Room 

3143  Olive  St. 

1 :00  P.M. 

Washington 

Warner  Th.  Bldg. 

13th  &  E  Sts.  N.W. 

10:30  A.M. 

ERROL 


ANN 


THOMAS  MITCHELL-  BRUCE  BENNETT 

P     Screen  Play  by  Stephen  (.ongstreet  and  Harriet  Frank,  J 


with 
Directed  by 


Produced  by 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  April  22,  1948 


Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LOS  ANGELES 


First-run  operators  looking  at  per- 
fect weather  conditions  on  one  hand 
and  grosses  on  the  other  unearthed 
the  oldie  about  the  merchant  who  ad- 
mitted to  the  missionary  there  must 
be  a  hell  because  if  there  wasn't  where 
had  business  gone.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ending  April  21 : 

CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.) — GUILD  (965)  (50c-60e-85c- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average:  $7,100) 
CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.)— R1TZ  (1,376)  (50c-60c-8Sc- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $10,300) 
CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.) — IRIS  (708)  (S0c-60c-85c- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average  $7,100) 
CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.)— STUDIO  (880)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.0O).  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average:  $6,900) 
CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.)— UNITED  ARTISTS  (2,- 
100)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $15,500. 
(Average:  $15,400)' 

THE    FUGITIVE    (RKO'  Radio-Argosy)- 

FOUR  STAR  (900)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  4th 
week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $11,400) 
THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio- Argosy  )- 
PALACE  (1,237)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  4th 
week.  Gross:  $4,500.  (Average:  $21,000) 
IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M)  and  THE 
HUNTED  (Allied  Artists)— EGYPTIAN 
(1.000)  (50c-6Oc-85c-$1.0O).  Gross:  $10,000. 
(Average:  $13,900) 

IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M)  and  THE 
HUNTED  (Allied  Artists)  —  FOX-WIL- 
SHIRE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$11,000.  (Average:  $13,800) 
IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M)  and  THE 
HUNTED  (Allied  Artists) — LOS  AN- 
GELES (2,096)  (50c-6Oc-85c-$l.O0).  Gross: 
$18,000.  (Average:  $21,200) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
HILLSTREET  (2,700)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00) 
3rd  week.  Gross:  $11,800.  (Average:  $18,- 
300) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

PANTAGES  (2,000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.0O)  3rd 
week.  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average:  $17,300) 
LOST  HORIZON  (Col.  Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.  Re-re- 
lease)— MUSIC  HALL  (Beverly  Hills)  (900) 
(65c-85c-$l.O0)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $3,000. 
(Average:  $4,300) 

LOST  HORIZON  (Col.  Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.  Re-re- 
lease)—MUSIC  HALL  (Downtown)  (900) 
(65c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $8,000. 
(Average:  $9,600) 

LOST  HORIZON  (Col.  Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.  Re-re- 
lease)—MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,000) 
(65c-85c-$l.O0)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $3,100. 
(Average:  $5,200) 

LOST  HORIZON  (Col.-Re-release)  and 
ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.-Re-re- 
lease)—MUSIC  HALL  (Hollywood)  (490) 
(65c-85c-$1.0O)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $2,800. 
(Average:  $4,300) 

SEVEN  SINNERS  (E-L-Re-release)  and 
SUTTER'S       GOLD  (E-L-Re-release)— 

BELMONT   (1,600)  (50c-6Oc-85c-$1.0O). 
Gross:   $5,500.     (Average:  $6,600) 
SEVEN    SINNERS    (E-L-Re-release)  and 
SUTTER'S    GOLD    (E-L-Re-release) — EL 

REY  (861)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $7,000) 

SEVEN  SINNERS  (E-L-Re-release)  and 
SUTTER'S    GOLD    (E-L-Re-release)— OR- 

PHEUM  (2,210)   (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$13,000.    (Average:  $14,300) 
SEVEN    SINNERS    (E-L-Re-release)  and 
SUTTER'S       GOLD       (E-L-Re-release)  — 
VOGUE    (800)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$5,500.    (Average:  $7,500) 
SITTING  PRETTY   (ZOth-Fox)   and  THE 
CHALLENGE   (ZOth-Fox-Reliance) — CHIN- 
ESE   (2,300)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)    3rd  week. 
Gross:  $12,500.    (Average:  $15,700) 
SITTING   PRETTY   (25th-Fox)   and  THE 


PRODUCTIVE  OFFICE  MANAGER 

Call  It  comptroller  or  chief  accountant,  if 
you  will. 

Do  you  need  someone  who  can  organize 
Facts,  Figures,  and  Staff  to  leave  you  free 
to  get  the  business? 

Young   man  with  20  years  of  hard-hitting 
experience.    Excellent  recommendations. 
Require   $6,500   with  opportunity. 
BOX  414 
M.    P.  DAILY 

ROCKEFELLER  CENTER  20,  N.  Y. 


CHALLENGE     (20th  -  Fox  -  Reliance)— 

LOEWS  STATE  (2,500)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
3rd  week.  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average: 
$21,700) 

SITTING  PRETTY   (20th-Fox)   and  THE 
CHALLENGE    (ZOtffi-Fox-Reliance) — LOY- 
OLA   (1,265)    (S0c-60c-85c-$1.00)    3rd  week. 
Gross :  $9,500.   ■  (Average :  $10,000) 
SITTING   PRETTY   (2<Jth-Fox)   and  THE 
CHALLENGE       (20th-Fox-Reliance)— UP- 
TOWN     (1,716)       (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  3rd 
week.    Gross:  $10,000.    (Average:  $10,800) 
TO    THE    VICTOR    (WB)— WARNERS 
(Downtown)    (3,400)    (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $10,000.    (Average:  $16,300) 
TO    THE    VICTOR     (WB)  WARNERS 
(Hollywood)    (3,000)    (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $8,000.    (Average:  $12,400) 
TO     THE     VICTOR     (WB)— WARNERS 
(Wiltern)     (2,300)     (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.    Gross:    $8,000.    (Average:  $12,600) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Downtown)    (3,595)    (50c-60c-80c-$l.CO)  2nd 
week.     Gross:  $13,500.     (Average:  $21,000) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Hollywood)    (1,407)    (5Oc-6Oc-80c-$l.OO)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $10,000.     (Average:  $15,000) 


PHILADELPHIA 


Opening  of  the  baseball  season  and 
a  nearby  race  track  provided  stiff 
competition  for  local  theatres.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  20-22: 

B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)  —  BOYD 

(3,000)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd  week. 

Gross:  $21,700.    (Average:  $23,100) 

THE    BIG    CLOCK    (Para.)— KARLTON 

(1,000)    (5Oc-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-94c)    2nd  week. 

Gross:    $18,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

GOLDMAN  (1,400)  (5Oc-60c-74c-8Oc-85c-94c) 

2nd  week.    Gross:  $18,000.    (Average:  $22,- 

400) 

BLACK  BART  (U-I)— STANTON  (1,700) 
(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)   2nd  week.  Gross: 
$9,700.     (Average:  $11,900) 
THE    BISHOP'S    WIFE    (RKOi  Radio)— 

KEITH  (2,200)  (60c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd 
run.     Gross:   $5,000.     (Average:  $6,100) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

ERLANGER  (1,800)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c- 
94c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average: 
$18,000) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 

— EARLE  (3,000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c) 
4th  week.  Gross:  $21,200.  (Average:  $24,- 
300) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— STANLEY  (3,000) 
(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  4th  week.  Gross: 
$17,500.  (Average:  $20,500) 
ROBIN  HOOD  (WB  Re-release)— ARCA- 
DIA (900)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd  run. 
Gross:  $2,700.  (Average:  $6,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox) — FOX  (3,- 
000)  (50c-6Oc-74c-8Oc-85c-94c).  Gross:  $28,- 
000.    (Average:  $20,400) 

TENTH  AVENUE  ANGEL  (M-G-M)  and 
BILL  AND  COO  (Rep.)— ALDINE  (900) 
(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross:  $4,000. 
(Average:  $13,200) 


OMAHA 


Near-90  temperatures  dented  thea- 
tre business  here,  but  not  enough  to 
pull  any  first-runs  below  par.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  21-22: 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  WESTERN 
HERITAGE  (RKO-  Radio)— RKO- BRAN- 
DEIS  (1,100)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $6,800. 
(Average:  $6,800) 

A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I)— OMAHA  (2,000) 
(50c-65c).  Gross:  $8,700.  (Average:  $8,600) 
RELENTLESS  (Col.)  and  THATS  MY 
GAL  (Rep.)— STATE  (750)  (50c-65c). 
Gross:  $6,100.  (Average:  $5,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)— PARA- 
MOUNT (2,900)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $11,100. 
(Average:  $10,600) 

A  WOMAN'S  VENGEANCE    (U-I)— OR- 

PHEUM  (3,000)  (55c-80c).  King  Cole  Trio 
on  stage.  Gross:  $20,200.  (Average:  $19,- 
800) 


MINNEAPOLIS 


Opening  of  the  Ice  Follies  and  a 
weekend  of  warm  weather  cut  rather 


sharply  into  most  theatre  business. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing April  22 : 

A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I)— LYRIC  (1,100) 
the  State.  Gross:  $5,400.  (Average:  $5,500) 
(50c-70c)  2nd  week,  on  a  moveover  from 
APRIL  SHOWERS.  (WB)— RKO  ORPHE- 

UM  (2,800)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $11,000.  (Av- 
erage: $13,500) 

GENTLEMAN'S     AGREEMENT  (20th- 

Fox)— RADIO   CITY    (4,000)    (50c-70c)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $13,000.    (Average:  $17,000) 
HELLZAPOPPIN'       and  ARGENTINE 
NIGHTS      (Reialart     Reissues) — GOPHER 

(1,000)  (44c-50c).  Gross:  $3,300.  (Average: 
s$3,50O) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO  PAN   (1,500)   (50c-70c)  ^3rd  week,  on 
a    moveover    from    the    RKO'  Orpheum. 
Gross:   $8,500.     (Average:  $8,800) 
SCUDDA  HOO,  SCUDDA  HAY  (2flth-Fox) 

—STATE  (2,300)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $11,800) 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD 

(WB  Reissue) — CENTURY  (1,500)  (50c-70c). 
Gross:  $5,600.  (Average:  $6,100) 


PITTSBURGH 


Grosses  were  off  here,  four  hold- 
overs and  two  reissues  not  being  con- 
ducive to  box-office  lines.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  April  22 : 

BAMBI     (Disney-RKO<    Radio  Reissue)— 

WARNER  (2,000)  (44c -60c -76c).  Gross:  $7,- 
500.     (Average:  $8,000) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (Selznick  Reissue)— 

PENN  (3,400)  (44c-60c-76c).  Gross:  $14,- 
000.     (Average:  $15,000) 

PANHANDLE  (Mono.)— FULTON  (1,700) 
(44c-60c-76c)  2nd  week,  4  days.  Gross:  $5,- 
000.    (Average:  $9,700) 

PRINCE     OF    THIEVES     (U-I)— J.  P. 

HARRIS  (2,000)  (44c -60c -78c).  Gross:  $9,- 
500.     (Average:  $11,000) 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.) — STANLEY  (3,- 
800)    (44c-60c-76c)    3rd  week.     Gross:  $13,- 
500.     (Average:  $15,000) 
THE    BRIDE   GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

RITZ  (1,100)  (44c-60c-76c)  2nd  week,  on  a 
moveover  from  the  P'enn.  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $3,200) 

THE  NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— SENATOR 
(1,700)  (44c-60c-76c)  4  days,  4th  week,  on 
a  moveover  from  the  Harris.  Gross:  $5,- 
000.    (Average:  $3,500) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


Nothing  on  the  program  here  this 
week  is  strong  enough  to  hold.  "Duel 
in  the  Sun,"  playing  a  return  engage- 
ment at  Loew's,  is  leading  the  field, 
while  "To  the  Victor"  is  near,  the 
season's  low  at  the  Indiana.  Estimat- 
ed receipts  for  the  week  ended  April 
20-21 : 

ALBUQUERQUE  (Para.)  and  SPEED  TO 
SPARE  (Para.) — CIRCLE  (2,800)  (44c-65c). 
Gross:  $11,500.  (Average:  $10,000) 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  DEVIL'S 
CARGO  (FC)— KEITH'S  (1,300)  (44c-65c)  6 
days.  Gross:  $4,700.  (Average:  $4,500) 
DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (Selznick)— LOEW'S 
(2,450)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $12,500.  (Aver- 
age: $11,000) 

IDEAL  HUSBAND  (Para.)  and  LET'S 
LIVE  AGAIN  (20th-Fox) — LYRIC  (1,600) 
(44c-65c).  Gross:  $5,500.  (Average:  $6,000) 
TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)— INDIANA  (3,- 
200)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average: 
$12,000) 


Legion  of  Decency 
Classifies  7  Features 

Four  of  seven  additional  features 
reviewed  by  the  National  Legion  of 
Decency  have  been  classified  A-I; 
they  are :  "The  Dead  Don't  Dream" 
and  "Who  Killed  Doc  Robin,"  both 
United  Artists ;  "Shaggy,"  Paramount, 
and  "Monsieur  Vincent"  (French) 
EDIC  Productions.  Two,  "Hatter's 
Castle,"  Paramount,  and  "Here  Comes 
Trouble,"  UA,  were  rated  A-II. 

Siritzky  International's  "Fanny" 
(French)  was  placed  in  Class  B. 


Wirth  in  New  Post 

Ben  Wirth  has  been  appointed  head 
of  the  Warner-Service  Corp.,  by 
Harry  Kalmine,  president  and  general 
manager  of  Warner  Theatres.  Wirth 
has  been  head  of  the  WB  real  estate 
department  in  Philadelphia. 


ChicagoDecree 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

20th-Fox  guilty  of  a  decree  violation 
in  having  granted  clearance  following- 
Loop  runs,  the  court  held  that  "law- 
ful clearances  are  not  perpetually  en- 
joined in  Chicago.  When  it  is  made 
clear  that  the  absolute  prohibition 
upon  clearances  is  no  longer  neces- 
sary to  preclude  the  revival  of  uni- 
form systems  of  clearance  or  r\.  ar- 
bitrary clearances,  the  decree  vL,://:  )be 
modified  upon  appropriate  apphcacion 
to  the  court." 

Judge  Igoe  thus  left  the  door  open 
to  a  modification  of  the  Jackson  Park 
decree,  giving  defendants  a  new  ray 
of  hope  for  relief  from  a  court  order 
many  feel  is  unnecessarily  oppressive. 

Executives  Named  Exonerated 

In  exonerating  all  individual  de- 
fendants, Judge  Igoe  held  that  the 
participation  of  Barney  Balaban,  Spy- 
ros  Skouras  and  John  Balaban  in 
the  contempts  committed  by  Para- 
mount, 20th-Fox  and  B.  and  K.,  re- 
spectively^ "was  not  established." 
Louis  Phillips,  Paramount  home  of- 
fice attorney,  and  Otto  Koegel,  20th- 
Fox  general  counsel,  also  were  com- 
pletely exonerated. 

In  addition,  the  court  held  "the  evi- 
dence also  failed  to  prove"  that  the 
20th-Fox  and  RKO  branch  managers 
here  "or  any  other  individual  re- 
spondents bore  any  responsibility  for 
granting  clearances,  with  but  three 
exceptions:  William  Gehring,  20th- 
Fox  general  sales  manager;  Jack 
Lorentz,  20th-Fox  Midwest  sales 
manager,  and  John  Balaban,  secre- 
tary-treasurer of  Balaban  and  Katz. 
In  every  instance,  however,  these  of- 
ficials were  merely  following  the  ad- 
vice of  their  attorneys.  That  these 
individuals  acted  in  good  faith  and  in 
the  belief  that  they  were  right  in  fol- 
lowing the  advice  ■  of  counsel,  I  have 
no  doubt." 

In  addition  to  clearance,  Paramount 
was  found  guilty  of  having  violated 
the  decree  by  withholding  "Uncon- 
quered"  after  its  Loop,  run,  even 
though  the  picture  was  shown  on  a 
roadshow  basis. 

No  Contempt  in  'Amber'  Pricing 

Double  feature  bookings  employed 
by  the  defendants  were  held  not  to  be 
in  violation  of  the  decree.  Also,  the 
court  found  no  contempt  involved  in 
the  setting  of  a  $1.25  admission  price 
for  "Forever  Amber"  by  20th-Fox, 
declaring  that  "the  decree  only  pro- 
hibits the  distributors  from  fixing 
minimum  admission  prices  at  which 
the  Jackson  Park  must  play  pictures. 

The  creation  of  zones  for  competi- 
tive bidding  was  upheld  by  the  court 
and  Loew's  "failure  to  release  pic- 
tures does  not  appear  to  have  been 
motivated  by  any  desire  to  violate  the 
decree,"  the  court  found. 

Continuance  of  the  "Nightmare 
Alley"  run  into  a  third  week  at  the 
State-Lake  was  approved  by  the 
court  because  the  film  was  released 
to  outlying  theatres  the  same  week. 

The  court  found  no  contempt 
charge  was  sustained  against  Loew's, 
Warners  and  Warner  Theatres. 

Flash  Floods  Affect 
Kentucky  Theatres 

Louisville,  April  21.— Flash  floods 
and  high  water  played  havoc  with 
numerous  theatres  in  the  state.  Drive- 
ins,  too,  were  not  excluded.  In  some 
cases  speaker  cables  were  shorted, 
while  others  had  water  in  projection 
rooms,  damaging  equipment. 


It  wasn't  a  holiday  . . .  there  was  no  supporting 
stage  show  .  .  ,  the  Mayor  didn't  issue  a  proc- 
lamation .  .  .  but  it  did  get  that  famous 

PARAMOUNT 

radio  saturation  promotion,  and  the  opening 
week-end  at  the  Boston  Met .  .  . 


TOPPED 

"Ruth's"  First 
Week-end  by  65% 


TOPPED 

"Ruth's'  First 
2  Days  by  150% 


DID  AS  MUCH 
BUSINESS  IN  2 
DAYS  AS  "RUTH7 
DID  IN  5  DAYS 


DOUBLED  "PERILS 
OF  PAULINE'S" 
JULY  FOURTH 
WEEK-END 


WATCH  THAT  "  CIOCK 


"'The  Big  Clock'  will  tick  millions  into  the  till!" -says  Hedda  Hopper 
"it's  a  super  whodunit!"  says  Boston  Herald 

"It's  a  humdinger  of  a  movie!"  says  Buffalo  News 

"It's  swelling  the  total  of  HOLLYWOOD'S  BETTER 
PICTURES!"  says  Hollywood  Reporter 


MY  MUMP 
CHARLES  LAUGHTON 


Maureen  O 'Sullivan  •  George  Macready 
Rita  Johnson  •  Elsa  Lanchester 

Harold  Vermilyea 
produced hy  Richard  Maibaum 
Directed  by  JOHN  FARROW 

Screen  I'lav  by  Jonathan  Latimer  •  lta*«-d  on  the  Novel  by  Kenneth  Fearing 


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REPUBLIC 

THE  INSIDE 

STORY 
Marsha  Hunt 

D— 87  min.  (305) 
(Rev.  3/25/48) 

BILL  AND  COO 

(Color) 
D — 61  mln. 
(Rev.  12/26/47) 
LIGriTNIN'  IN 
THE  FOREST 
Lynne  Roberts 
D — 58  min. 
(Rev.  4/16/48) 

CALIFORNIA 
FIREBRAND 

(Color) 
Monte  Hale 

0 — 63  mln. 
(Rev.  4/21/48) 

THE  BOLD 
FRONTIERS- 
MAN 

Allan  "Rocky"  Lam 

O 

HEART  OF 
VIRGINIA 
Janet  Martin 
D 

OLD 
LOS  ANGELES 
William  Elliott 

O 

M  1  w  r    n  F  TUP 
IVINu    Ur     1  nC 

GAMBLERS 
William  Wright 
D 

UNDER 
CALIFORNIA 
SKIES 
Roy  Roger* 
0 

PARA. 

CAGED  FURY 
Richard  Denning 

D — 60  min.  (4711) 
(Rev.  2/19/48) 

SAIGON 
Alan  Ladd 
Veronica  Lake 

D— 94  min.  (4710) 
(Rev.  2/4/48) 

MR.  RECKLESS 
William  Eythe 

D— 66  mln.  (4712) 
(Rev.  3/3/48) 

UNCONQUERED 

(Color)  - 
Gary  Cooper 
Paulette  Goddard 

D— 146   min.  (4705) 
(Rev.  9/25/47) 

BIG  CLOCK 
Ray  Milland 

D — 95  min.  (4713) 
(Rev.  2/16/48) 

THE  SAINTED 
SISTERS 
Veronica  Lake 

D — 89  min.  (4714) 
(Rev.  3/8/48) 

SPEED  TO 

SPARE 
Richard  Arlen 

D — 57  min.  (4715) 
(Rev.  2/24/48) 

MONO. 

ANGELS  ALLEY 
Leo  Gorcey 

D — 67  min.  (4708) 
(Rev.  1/22/48) 

DOCKS  OF  NEW 
ORLEANS 

D — 64  min.  (4712) 
(Rev.  3/18/48) 

(Allied  Artists) 
THE  HUNTED 

Belita 
Preston  Foster 

D — 85  min.  (AA5) 
(Rev.  2/4/48) 

CROSSED  TRAILS 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
0 

CAMPUS  SLEUTH 
Freddie  Stewart 
D 

FRENCH  LEAVE 
Jackie  Cooper 
Jackie  Coogan 
C 

(Allied  Artists) 
SMART  WOMAN 
Constance  Bennett 

Brian  Aherne 
D — 93  min. 

(Rev.  3/9/48) 

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THIS  NEWS  IS  IN  THE 
HEADLINES  EVERY  DAY 


SO  ITS  HEADLINE  NEWS  THAT 


-  JL. 


PARAMOUNT  WILL  RE-RELEASE 

Cecil  B 

ILLE'S 


■  I  ml         Atodemy  Award  Winner 

HENftV  U/ii 


To  Be  Re-Presented  in  June 

BECAUSE  OF  ITS 

Theme  Timeliness  —  as  Palestine  today  becomes  the  world's 

most  dramatic  battleground,  just  as  it  was  in  the  era  of  the  Crusades. 
Cities  and  locales  in  the  latest  cable-news  spring  vividly  to  life, 
in  this  mighty  story  of  a  century-old  strife  that  parallels  today's 
fighting  action  in  the  Holy  Land. 

Star  Timeliness  —  as  Loretta  Young  becomes  the  Actress- 

of-the-Moment  as  winner  of  this  year's  Academy  Award 
for  her  role  in  "The  Farmer's  Daughter". 

Entertainment  That  Is  Timeless  —  Spectacle 

and  pageantry  so  lavish  no  studio  could  afford  to 
make  it  today.  A  cast  of  10,000— scores  of  gigantic 
sets — dozens  of  mighty  scenes  climaxed  by  the 
memorable  storming  of  Acre. 


and  Ian  Keith  •  Katherine  DeMille 
C.Aubrey  Smith  •  JosephSchildkraut 
Alan  Hale  •  George  Barbier 
Montagu  Love  •  Pedro  De  Cordoba 

Produced  and  Directed  bv 

Cecil  B.  DeMille 


4 


Y 


HAT  THE  PICTURE 


IS  CERTAIN !  IT  HAS  TOO 


TO  MISS! 


-  VARIETY 


1  iLt  lupv 

DO  NOT  RE 


MOTI^xt  PICTURE 


il  LY 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  APRIL  23,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


*  MPAA  Survey 
Shows  16,880 
Theatres  Open 

U.S.  Total  Over  18,000 
With  Part-Time  Houses 


Release  of  the  New  York  area 
directory,  last  of  the  series  of  31 
exchange  reports,  by  the  Motion 
Picture  Association,  shows  that 
there  is  a  total  of  16,880  regularly 
operated  theatres  in  the  United  States. 
In  the  New  York  exchange  area,  the 
MPAA  lists  1,023  theatres  operating. 

Total  number  of  all  accounts  served 
in  the  United  States  runs  to  over 
18,000. 

Accounts  considered  by  the  MPAA 
include,  beyond  regular  theatres,  also 
part-time  resort  showings  and  various 
"non  theatrical"  engagements,  which 
affect  the  total  by  about  2,000. 

The  surveys  have  been  released  area 
by  area  periodically  over  the  past  sev- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


1,023  Theatres  Are 
Operating  in  N.  Y. 

There  are  1,023  theatres  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  1,174,342  currently 
operating  in  the  New  York  City  ex- 
change area,  according  to  the  theatre 
directory  which  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  is  releasing 
today. 

Final  MPAA  directory  in  the  series 
of  31,  the  New  York  list  reveals  that 
589  theatres  are  operating  in  the  city, 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Daylight 
Effective 


Saving 
Sunday 


Daylight  Saving  Time  will 
become  effective  at  12:01  A.M. 
Sunday  in  those  states  and 
municipalities  where  summer 
time  is  on  the  statute  books. 
It  will  end  in  late  September. 

A  bill  to  nationalize  DST  is 
now  being  considered  by  Con- 
gressional committees,  which 
this  week  heard  protests  from 
exhibitors  on  the  measure. 


16  from  Para.  This 
Season:  Ginsberg 

Paramount  will  produce  16  features 
this  season,  exclusive  of  pictures  to 
be  made  by  Hal  Wallis  Prod,  and  two 
or  more  which  the  company  may  make 
in  Britain  for  worldwide  distribution, 
Henry  Ginsberg,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production,  reported  here 
yesterday. 

Ginsberg,  who  will  leave  New  York 
for  the  Coast  today,  was  host  at  a 
luncheon  at  the  21  Club  here  yester- 
day, at  which  Paramount  officials  and 
trade  paper  publishers  and  editors 
were  guests. 

Paramount's  studio  chief  expressed 
his  conviction  that  production  econo- 
mies on  his  lot  have  been  achieved 
without  sacrifice  of  picture  quality. 
Asked  whether  costs  now  are  at  a  lev- 
el at  which  the  aim  of  realizing  profits 
on  domestic  distribution  alone  could 
be  expected,  Ginsberg  said  that  cost 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Majors  Ask  Denial  of 
Carpenters'  Appeal 


Washington,  April  22. — The  ma- 
jors and  other  interests  today  asked 
the  Supreme  Court  to  turn  down  an 
appeal  by  16  members  of  the  carpen- 
ters' union  from  a  Circuit  Court  rul- 
ing dismissing  their  suit  for  a  de- 
claratory judgment  to  give  them  cer- 
tain studio  work  now  performed  by 
IATSE  members. 

The  producers  said  the  entire  issue 
is  whether  Federal  courts  have  the 
power  to  interpret  collective  bargain- 
ing agreements,  holding  both  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  and  District  Court  were 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Percentage  Suits 
Filed  in  N.  Orleans 


New  Orleans,  April  22. — Jefferson 
J.  Rebstock,  Roy  E.  Pfeiffer  and 
Rebstock  and  Pfeiffer  are  defendants 
in  four  separate  percentage  suits  filed 
here  today  in  Federal  Court  by  RKO, 
Loew's,  Paramount  and  20th  Century- 
Fox.  Theatres  involved  are  the  Tivoli, 
Istrouma  and  Avenue  in  Baton  Rouge, 
and  the  Rebstock  in  Golden  Meadows. 

Harry  McCall,  Jr.,  and  Chaffe,  Mc- 
Call,  Toler  and  Phillips,  New  Orleans, 
are  the  attorneys  for  each  distributor, 
with  Sargoy  and  Stein  of  New  York. 


Industry  Cited  for 
Improved  Regulation 

Washington,  April  22.— Film 
company  presidents  and 
MPAA  president  Eric  John- 
ston have  been  commended 
by  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  in  con- 
vention, "for  the  industry's 
action  in  strengthening  its 
system  of  self-regulation  gov- 
erning picture  content,  titles 
and  advertising  in  order  to 
develop  fine  motion  picture 
entertainment." 


20th-Fox's  Field 
Forces  Realigned 

Elimination  of  20th  Century-Fox's 
eight  district  managers,  reported  yes- 
terday in  Motion  Picture  Daily,  has 
resulted  in  several  field  changes,  Andy 
W.  Smith,  general  sales  manager,  an- 
nounces. 

Meanwhile,  Howard  Minsky,  man- 
ager of  the  Mideast  division,  has  been 
promoted  to  assistant  division  man- 
ager of  an  enlarged  Eastern  division 
with  R.  E.  Moon  named  division  man- 
ager, as  reported. 

Changes  resulting  from  the  elimina- 
tion of  the  district  _posts  follow  : 

In  Boston,  Ed  Callahan  becomes 
manager  and  Jim  Connolly,  sales  man- 
ager ;  John  Feloney,  formerly  sales 
manager,  remains  on  the  staff.  In 
Washington,  Glenn  Norris  becomes 
branch  manager,  with  Gordon  Contee 
as  sales  manager. 

In  the  Southern  division,  Paul  Wil- 
son becomes  assistant  division  man- 
ager under  Harry  G.  Ballance,  at  At- 
lanta, and  Phil  Longdon  becomes 
branch  manager  in  Dallas.  In  the 
Central  division,  H.  L.  Beecroft  was 
promoted  to  assistant  division  man- 
ager, under  Jack  Lorentz,  Chicago. 
Beecroft  was  formerly  branch  man- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Plan  a  Code  for 
Films  in  Television 

Television  interests  here  will  meet 
in  two  weeks  to  form  a  perma- 
nent television-film  coordinating  or- 
ganization to  set  up  a  code  of  prac- 
tice. Melvin  L.  Gold,  advertising 
manager  of  National  Screen,  will  be 
chairman  of  the  meeting,  at  which 
representatives  of  television  and  film 
companies,  television  stations  and  ad- 
vertising agencies  will  attend. 


Billings  Will 
Decide  Split 
Of  IL  K.  Cash 

Definition  of  'British 
Interests'  Undecided 


American  industry  interests 
agreed  yesterday  on  division  of 
remittable  British  earnings  under 
the  ad  valorem  tax  settlement 
agreement  on  the  basis  of  individual 
company  billings  in  Britain. 

The  agreement  was  reached  at  a 
joint  meeting  of  members  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  and  M.  P. 
Export  Association  here.  Remaining 
to  be  agreed  upon  is  a  definition  of 
"British  interests"  in  relation  to  the 
dollar  pool  to  be  established  by  Brit- 
ish earnings  in  this  market  to  be  add- 
ed to  the  $17,000,000  remittable  an- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


EOT  Plans  to  Lift 
UK  Tax  on  June  4 


London,  April  22. — The  British  ad 
valorem  film  import  tax  will  be  offi- 
cially lifted  May  3,  effective  June  4, 
according  to  present  Board  of  Trade 
plans.  After  that  date,  films  may 
be  imported  from  the  dollar  areas, 
under  license. 

Blanket  licenses  will  be  issued  to 
importers  in  the  United  Kingdom  and 
separate  licenses  will  be  issued  to  each 
American  exporter  from  whom  UK 
importers  obtain  their  films. 

Licenses,    however,    will    not  be 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Move  to  Quiet  Pact 
Critics  in  Britain 


London,  April  22. — Harold  Wilson, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  dis- 
closed today  that  further  explanation 
of  the  provisions  of  the  ad  valorem 
tax  agreement  will  be  published  here 
next  week  in  the  BOT's  official  jour- 
nal in  answer  to  additional  criticism 
of  the  premature  publication  of  the 
terms  of  the  pact  in  the  U.  S. 

The  House-  of  Commons  was  again 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  April  23,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


MYRNA  LOY  will  attend  the  an- 
nual International  Conference  of 
the  United  Nations  in  Geneva  in  Sep- 
tember as  an  official  observer. 
• 

Adele  W hitely  Fletcher,  editor 
of  Photoplay,  will  leave  here  tomor- 
row for  Hollywood.  Peggy  Thorn- 
dike,  Photoplay  fashions  editor,  will 
accompany  her. 

• 

I.  E.  Lopert,  president  of  Lopert 
Films,  will  leave  New  York  next 
Thursday  on  the  5\S"  Queen  Elizabeth 
for  Rome  and  Paris. 

Orton  H.  Hicks,  director  of  Loew's 
International  16mm.  department,  will 
leave  here  Monday  by  plane  for  Lon- 
don and  the  Continent. 

R.  M.  Savini,  Astor  Pictures  pres- 
ident, has  returned  to  New  York 
from  a  trip  through  the  South. 

Norman  D.  Olsen,  Sr.,  DeVry 
export  manager,  has  left  Chicago  by 
plane  for  South  America. 


Brooklyn  'IA'  Local 
Observes  60th  Year 

The  Brooklyn  stagehands'  union, 
IATSE  Local  No.  4,  celebrated  its 
60th  anniversary  at  Brooklyn's  St. 
George  Hotel  last  night  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  bi-annual  dinner  of  the 
IATSE  10th  district,  which  covers 
New  York  State. 

Invited  speakers  included  Vincent 
R.  Impellitteri,  president  of  the  City 
Council ;  Thomas  A.  Murray,  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  State  Federa- 
tion of  Labor ;  Rev.  Francis  A. 
Growney  of  Buffalo,  and  Richard  F. 
Walsh,  "IA"  international  president, 
who  is  also  president  of  Local  No.  4. 
Thomas  Murtha,  10th  district  presi- 
dent and  the  local's  business  agent, 
was  toastmaster.  Industry,  state  and 
city  officials  attended. 


Seven  Committees  for 
N.  J.  Allied  Meeting 

Wilbur  Snaper,  chairman  of  New 
Jersey  Allied's  29th  annual  conven- 
tion, to  be  held  June  28-30  at  the  Hol- 
lywood Hotel,  West  End,  N.  J.,  has 
named  seven  committes  to  assist  him. 

Committee  chairmen  are :  recep- 
tion, Haskell  Block;  working,  Clark 
Hildinger ;  convention,  Harry  Lowen- 
stein ;  gifts,  Louis  Gold ;  entertain- 
ment, A.  Louis  Martin ;  golf,  Lee 
Newbury ;  ladies,  Mrs.  Harry  Lowen- 
stein. 


Reeder  to  Ad  Agency 

John  F.  Reeder,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  Walt  Disney 
Productions,  has  resigned  to  re-enter 
the  advertising  agency  business  as 
vice-president  of  LaRoche  and  Ellis 
which  has  offices  in  New  York  and 
Chicago  and  will  open  a  . Los  Angeles 
office  with  Reeder  in  charge.  Disney 
has  assigned  its  ad  account  to  the 
new  office. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


T  ARTHUR  RANK  wanted 
•  to  know,  and  they  told  him. 
He  wanted  information  on  the 
play-off  potential  of  British  pic- 
tures in  this  market  now  that  it 
is  to  the  advantage  of  distribu- 
tors to  rake  in  all  the  dough 
they  can  under  the  Anglo- 
American  tax  agreement.  That's 
how  that  general  meeting,  the 
existence  of  which  was  denied, 
came  about  on  Tuesday. 

It  ended  on  a  note  of  contin- 
ued cooperation,  of  course. 
And,  while  there  was  nothing 
in  the  way  of  information  or 
opinion  that  could  have  swelled 
the  sum  total  of  Rank's  prior 
knowledge,  a  couple  of  slants 
ought  to  make  pretty  lively 
reading. 

Grad  Sears,  indulging  an  old 
habit,  perhaps  was  bluntest  of 
all  the  top-kicks  in  attendance. 
He  made  it  very  evident  that 
widespread  acceptance  of  Eng- 
lish films  in  this  market  was 
difficult  to  achieve.  Paraphras- 
ing, he  said :  "Dialogue  and 
inflection  are  hard  to  get  across. 
The  public  here  won't  buy  as 
it,  has  been  getting  it.  Don't 
forget,  too,  we  make  plenty  of 
lousy  pictures  on  this  side  and 
the  public  won't  buy  them, 
either.  There  are  some  we  can't 
even  give  away." 

Rank  assured  his  audience  he 
is  trying  to  improve  the  quality 
of  his  product  all  the  time.  He 
was  urged  in  what  was  pretty 
much  of  a  cross-section  of 
American  opinion  present  to 
develop  greater  star  values  and, 
therefore,  interest.  In  effect, 
Rank  was  informed  James  Ma- 
son and  Margaret  Lockwood 
are  all  right,  but  not  enough. 
■ 

When  it  came  around  to  co- 
operation, or  lack  of  it,  on  the 
part  of  the  major  circuits,  Nate 
Blumberg  went  specific  and 
mentioned  Paramount.  Leonard 
Goldenson,  quick  on  the  rebuttal, 
challenged  this  by  pointing  out 
that  Paramount  here  in  New 
York  booked  no  product  but  that 
its  partners,  well  entrenched  and 
nicely  scattered  around  the 
United  States,  had  been  encour- 
aged to  go  along.  Paraphrasing 
again,  he  said:  "If  you  know  of 
any  situations  where  this  is  not 
being  done,  let  us  know." 

On  his  feet  and  equally  quick 
on  the  draw  was  Bill  Scully 
with,  "I'll  be  around  to  see  you 
tomorrow  morning." 

■  ■ 

The  general  trend  among  dis- 
tributors has  been  to  reduce  the 


size  of  territories  handled  by 
division  managers.  Some  years 
ago  it  was  standard  equipment 
to  have  two,  one  for  the  East 
and  another  for  the  West.  Then 
the  pattern  expanded  to  embrace 
three,  four  and,  in  some  in- 
stances, five. 

The  revamping  at  20th-Fox  is 
a  departure  with  the  consolida- 
tion of  Mideast  and  East  under 
Ray  Moon,  who  will  be  re- 
sponsible now  for  12  branches. 
Geographically,  this  is  probably 
the  largest  single  division  in  the 
country  among  all  "companies 
and,  at  the  same  time,  the  most 
important  to  20th-Fox  from  a 
revenue  approach.  Moon's 
round  dozen  will  account  for 
about  50  per  cent  of  the  domes- 
tic gross. 

■  ■ 

"Why  is  Myer  Schine  so  ac- 
tive in  the  hotel  business  [he 
now  controls  seven,  from  Maine 
to  Florida]  ?",  was  a  question 
asked  at  the  Variety  Club  Inter- 
national convention  at  Miami 
Beach  last  week. 

Said  someone  who  claims  to 
have  heard  it  drop  from  Schine's 
own  lips :  "Well,  if  the  Govern- 
ment takes  my  theatres  away. 


Jack  Rose  of  Chicago  made  a 
pitch  for  the  1950  convention. 
He  put  on  quite  a  sales  talk, 
extolling  his  home  town's  at- 
tractions. "Chicago,"  he  point- 
ed out,  "is  where  legitimate 
theatres  have  their  live  actors 
and  motion  picture  theatres  their 
lawsuits." 

But  San  Francisco  won  out, 
as  everyone  had  anticipated. 
When  the  vote  was  in,  including 
Los  Angeles,  Bob  O'Donnell  ob- 
served, "This  is  the  first  time 
Southern  and  Northern  Cali- 
fornia ever  got  together  on 
anything." 

■ 

O'Donnell,  forgetting  he  no 
longer  is  a  juvenile,  threw  out 
his  right  arm  playing  jai-alai. 
"Don't  worry,"  said  Max  Cohen, 
"the  distributors  will  teach  him 
to  sign  left-handed." 

"You're  wrong,"  said  some- 
one else,  "distributors  have  al- 
ready tried." 

■  ■ 

No  doubt  it  is  according  to 
contract.  But  it  is  amusing 
anyway  how  Ivan  Jandl,  re- 
markable child  actor,  gets  last 
billing  in  Metro's  newspaper 
advertising  on  "The  Search." 

He  is  the  heart  of  a  superb 
film.    That's  all. 


Delinquency  Film 
Sponsored  by  TO  A 

Production  will  get  underway  at 
RKO  Pathe  Studios  here  next  week 
on  a  two-reeler  sponsored  by  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  as  the  first  step 
in  a  campaign  against  juvenile  delin- 
quency. 

Titled  "Report  for  Action,"  the  pic- 
ture, according  to  Charles  P.  Skouras, 
national  chairman  of  TOA's  youth 
campaign,  is  being  made  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  U.  S.  Justice  De^v;tment 
and  the  National  Conferee  \  F  -  the 
Prevention  and  Control  of  "juvenile 
Delinquency. 


Foundation  May  Get 
Two  Administrators 

First  step  to  be  taken  by  trustees  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Foundation  in  ar- 
ranging for  a  paid  supervisor  of  oper- 
ations will  be  to  name  at  their  May 
11-12  New  York  meeting  a  committee 
charged  with  selecting  both  an  admin- 
istrator and  perhaps  an  assistant,  it 
was  indicated  here  yesterday  by  an 
MPF  spokesman.  He  added,  however, 
that  it  may  be  "quite  some  time"  be- 
fore MPF  operations  will  require 
such  supervision. 


Disney  Film  at  Astor 

Walt  Disney's  "Melody  Time," 
RKO  Radio  release,  will  follow  "Mr. 
Blandings  Builds  His  Dream  House," 
now  current,  at  the  New  York  Astor. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


■s-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer        Katharine  Van 
TRACY    HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adolpho  Lewis 

LANSBURY    MENJOU  STONE 
inFRANKCAPRA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION  1 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARLES  LAUGHTON^ff^o, 


n'TWZ" 


BIG  CLOCK '\^J,7 

A  Paramount  Picture 


FRED  MacMURRAY 
VaflU, 
FRANK  SINATRA 

Rclcoi.d  by  RKO  RADIO  PICTURES  \ 


^JlVOLI  *SB& 


JUNE  HAVER      ^  \ 

So/DDAf/tw! 

5cudda//ay! 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR    /  /.„„„--■•* 
A  20th  CenluryFo*  Picture  ^SjWWM 

ROXY  7th  Ave.  &  50th. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  Y  irk."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  S'q.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;   single  copies,  10c. 


the  well-balanced  program 

that  has  distinguished  the 

production  efforts  of  20th 

Cfeitury-Fox  for  the  past  year, 

there  comes  now  an  intriguing, 

action-packed  drama  of  the 

West  whose  boxoffice 

value  will  match  its 

entertainment 
quota." 

— Hollywood 
Reporter 


M 


CAN'T  MISS! 
STAND-OUT! 
STRONG  APPEAL! 


— Hollywood  Variety 


— M.  P.  Herald 


Starring 


with 


GLENN  LANGAN 
REGINALD  GARDINER 

Albert  Dekker  •  Fred  Clark  •  Charles  Kemper 
Robert  Warwick  •  George  Cleveland  •  Roy  Roberts 
Willard  Robertson  •  Griff  Barnett 

Written  by  Charles  G.  Booth  •  Additional  Dialogue  by 
Winston  Miller  •  Suggested  by  a  Story  by  David  Garth 


CENTURY-FOX 


—  Variety      [  ^  


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  April  23,  1948 


Strausberg  at  Helm 
Of  UJA  Theatre  Unit 

Sol  Strausberg  of  the  Interboro 
Circuit  here  has  been  appointed  chair- 
man of  the  exhibitors  committee  for 
the  United  Jewish  Appeal  campaign 
in  Greater  New  York  by  S.  H.  Fabian, 
head  of  the  drive  in  the  amusement 
industry. 

Members  of  the  exhibitors  commit- 
tee are:  Harry  Brandt,  William 
Brandt,  Leo  Brecher,  Max  A.  Cohen, 
Edward  Fabian,  Emanuel  Frisch, 
Philip  F.  Hading,  Julius  Joelson, 
Harry  M.  Kalmine,  Malcolm  Kings- 
berg,  Arthur  L.  Mayer,  Dan  Micha- 
love,  Samuel  Rinzler,  Samuel  Rosen, 
Edward  Rugoff,  Walter  Reade,  Jr., 
Fred  J.  Schwartz,  Joseph  M.  Seider 
and  David  Weinstock. 


U.  K.  Split 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


16  from  Para. 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


is  not  the  sole  factor  in  determining 
that.  He  implied  that  he  could  not 
foretell  individual  picture  grosses  but 
that  reduced  costs  on  quality  pictures 
improved  the  chances  of  the  objective 
being  attained. 

Adolph  Zukor,  Paramount  board 
chairman,  back  in  New  York  after 
more  than  two  months  on  the  West 
Coast,  paid  tribute  to  the  studio  or- 
ganization and  its  success  in  making 
good  pictures  at  reasonable  costs. 
Forthcoming  Paramount  product,  he 
said,  is  the  best  he  has  seen  at  the 
studio  in  the  past  15  years. 

Zukor  opened  a  discussion  of  the  in- 
dustry role  of  the  trade  press,  com- 
mending it  for  its  accomplishments 
and  influence  and  suggesting  further 
contributions  which  he  believes  it  can 
make  to  industry  welfare.  He  urged 
better  industry  support  of  the  trade 
press,  asserting  that  current  and  forth- 
coming product  requires  sustained 
campaigns,  primarily  in  the  trade 
press,  to  establish  the  proper  "im- 
pact." 

Paul  Raibourn,  Paramount  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  television,  re- 
plying to  a  question,  said  the  company 
would  make  pictures  especially  for 
television  when  the  market  is  there. 
He  added  subsequently,  in  paying 
tribute  to  the  company's  studio  organ- 
ization, that  when  it  requires  quality 
product  for  television  Paramount  will 
look  to  its  own  studio. 


nually  under  the  agreement.  Further 
meetings  will  be  held  on  this  subject. 

The  remittable  division  agreed  upon 
will  be  at  monthly  .intervals  adjusted 
subsequently  on  the  basis  of  annual 
British  billings  of  each  participant. 


Shupert,  Dickinson, 
Balaban  Promoted 

George  T.  Shupert,  executive  as- 
sistant to  Paul  Raibourn,  Paramount 
Pictures  television  vice-president,  has 
been  named  director  of  commercial 
television  operations.  Raibourn  has 
also  advanced  John  Dickinson,  in  the 
same  company  division,  to  national 
sales  representative  of  video  station 
KTIA,  Los  Angeles,  and  Eastern 
representative  of  WBKB,  Chicago. 
At  the  same  time  he  promoted  Burt 
Halaban  to  manager  of  the  television 
film  department. 


Arch  Replica  in  Parade 

When  the  children's  parade  starts 
along  Broadway  this  morning  to  open 
the  American  Overseas  Aid-United 
Nations  Appeal  for  Children,  six  chil- 
dren who  arrived  here  yesterday  from 
France  will  accompany  an  eight-ton 
replica  of  the  Arch  of  Triumph  mount- 
ed on  a  truck  along  the  line  of  march. 
The  replica  is  the  one  used  in  Enter- 
prise's production  of  that  name  which, 
at  a  benefit  premiere  Monday  at  the 
Globe  Theatre,  yielded  approximately 
$15,000  for  the  AOA-UNAC  drive. 


Johnston  Reelected  MPAA  Head; 
Yates,  Black,  Ritchey  on  Board 

Officers  of  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America,  including  Eric 
Johnston,  president,  were  reelected  at 
the  annual  board  meeting  here  yester- 
day. Fred  W.  DuVall,  assistant  trea- 
surer, was  elected  treasurer  and  Sid- 
ney Schreiber,  general  counsel,  was 
elected  secretary.  Retirement  of  George 
Borthwick  was  announced  at  the  meet- 
ing. The  board  adopted  a  resolution 
commending  Borthwick,  who  had  been 
on  a  leave  of  absence,  for  his  long 
service. 

Additional  officers  named  by  the 
board  are  Stanley  Weber,  assistant 
treasurer ;  John  McCarthy,  assistant 
secretary,  and  James  S.  Howie,  assist- 
ant treasurer  and  assistant  secretary 
in  the  Hollywood  office. 

Herbert  J.  Yates  and  Theodore  R. 
Black  of  Republic  and  Norton  V. 
Ritchey,  Allied  Artists,  were  elected 
to  the  board. 

Two  changes  were  made  in  stand- 
ing committee  chairmanships :  John  J. 
O'Connor,  Universal,  succeeded  Bar- 
ney Balaban,  Paramount,  as  head  of 
the  solicitations  committee,  and  Stew- 
art McDonald,  Warners,  replaced 
Donald  Henderson,  20th-Fox,  as 
chairman  of  the  research  unit. 


BOT  Plans 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


granted  to  American  exporters  until 
each  individual  exporter  signs  an 
agreement  with  the  Board  of  Trade 
binding  him  to  adhere  to  the  present 
tax  agreement  and  any  subsequent 
modification  thereof.  This  agreement 
may  be  signed  under  power  of  attor- 
ney by  the  exporters'  representatives 
here  or,  presumably,  executed  in 
America  before  the  local  British  Con- 
sul, although  the  latter  method  is  not 
yet  fully  determined. 

The  Board  of  Trade  is  currently 
preparing  the  text  of  this  agreement. 


British  Pact  Critics 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


reassured  by  Wilson  that  the  govern- 
ment would  veto  the  use  of  blocked 
sterling  by  U.  S.  film  companies  to 
acquire  studios  in  the  United  Kingdom 
that  might  prove  prejudicial  to  the 
interests  of  British  production. 


Carpenters'  Appeal 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


right  in  throwing  out  the  suit  for  lack 
of  jurisdiction.  They  asked,  therefore, 
that  the  carpenters'  petition  for  Su- 
preme Court  review  be  denied. 

A  brief  was  submitted  by  Homer  I. 
Mitchell  for  Loew's,  Paramount,  War- 
ners, Columbia,  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Re- 
public, Hal  Roach  Studios,  Techni- 
color, 20th  Century-Fox,  RKO,  Uni- 
versal and  the  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers Association.  IATSE  still  has 
not  submitted  its  answer. 


Bogeaus  Plans  2  in  UK 

Hollywood,  April  22.  —  Benedict 
Bogeaus  plans  to  sail  for  England  on 
June  2  to  prepare  for  the  production 
of  two  features  there. 


Answer  Critics  at 
ANFA  Meet  Today 

The  16mm.  industry  will  answer  its 
critics  today  in  the  second  session  of 
the  annual  convention  of  the  Allied 
Non-Theatrical  Film  Association  at 
the  Hotel  New  Yorker.  Taking  part 
will  be  representatives  of  film  libraries, 
distributors,  and  others. 

Chairman  will  be  S.  C.  Atkinson  of 
Canada's  General  Films.  Others  will 
include :  Jacques  Kopfstein,  Astor 
Pictures;  Ellis  Smith,  DeLuxe  Labor- 
atories; Saul  Jeffee,  Movielab  Labora- 
tories, and  Fletcher  Smith,  Lee  Jones, 
Bertram  Willoughby,  J.  P.  Lilley,  V. 
J.  Middleton,  Bert  Abrams  and  R.  V. 
Haile. 


20th-Fox  Realigns 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ager  in  Dallas.  Tom  Gilliam  resumes 
as  branch  manager  in  Chicago.  In 
Minneapolis,  M.  A.  Levy  becomes 
branch  manager  and  J.  S.  Cohan,  for- 
merly manager,  remains  on  the  staff. 

In  the  Western  division,  Buck 
Stoner  has  been  promoted  to  assistant 
division  manager  under  Herman 
Wobber,  at  San  Francisco.  Charles 
Walker,  formerly  district  manager  in 
Salt  Lake,  becomes  branch  manager 
there,  and  Clyde  Blasius,  formerly 
manager,  remains  on  the  staff. 

In  Milwaukee,  Joe  Woodward  has 
resigned,  and  will  be  replaced  by  Joe 
Neger.  Neger  returns  as  branch  man- 
ager in  Milwaukee,  from  a  similar 
post  in  Chicago.  Yesterday  Motion 
Picture  Daily  reported  Neger  would 
remain  in  Chicago  as  a  salesman. 

In  Seattle,  Chilton  Robinett,  who 
has  been  acting  branch  manager  in 
place  of  Frank  Drew,  who  has  been 
ill,  now  is  officially  manager  in  that 
city. 


16,880  Open  Theatres 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


eral  months.  Eric  Johnston,  president 
of  the  MPAA,  set  up  the  research  de- 
partment under  Robert  Chambers  for 
the  purpose  of  assembling  reliable  sta- 
tistics for  the  industry. 

This  represents  the  completion  of 
the  first  major  statistical  research  by 
the  reorganized  association.  Other 
reports  and  studies,  extending  into 
lands  overseas,  are  projected. 


1,023  N.  Y.  Theatres 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


seating  723,243,  an  average  of  1,228 
per  house. 

Of  the  total  number  of  1,108  thea- 
tres in  the  territory  (the  higher  figure 
includes  closed  houses),  710,  or  64.1 
per  cent,  are  circuit-operated  (  a  cir- 
cuit being  defined  as  four  or  more 
theatres  under  the  same  management). 
With  a  capacity  of  946,451,  circuit 
theatres  account  for  75.9  per  cent  of 
the  total  capacity  of  the  area. 

Newark  and  Jersey  City  currently 
have  60  in  operation,  with  76,916 
seats,  an  average  of  1,282  per  theatre. 


Wage  Increases  for 
DuMont  Workers 

Wage  increases  for  DuMont  pro- 
duction and  clerical  workers  were  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  by  Allen  B. 
DuMont,  president.  Company  policy, 
stated  DuMont,  is  "to  establish  wage 
rates  as  high  or  higher  than  the  aver- 
age for  the  area  or  the  industry." 


Key  City 
Grosses 


tp  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
M/  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


BOSTON 


4 


B.&K.  Apollo  Goes  on 
2 -Weeks  Basis  May  6 

Chicago,  April  22. — Balaban  and 
Katz's  Apollo  Theatre  will  join  seven 
other  Loop  houses  already  limited  to 
two-week  engagements  under  the  de- 
cree in  the  Jackson  Park  case  when 
"Gentleman's  Agreement"  terminates 
a  25-week  run  there  on  May  6.  Its 
next  attraction  has  not  been  set. 

"Agreement"  is  being  offered  to  out- 
lying houses  for  immediate  bookings 
following  the  Apollo  run. 


'Years9  Opens  Big  at 
Regular  Scales  in  Hub 

Boston,  April  22. — Samuel  Gold- 
wyn's  "Best  Years  of  Our  Lives" 
opened  its  regular  release  run  at  popu- 
lar prices  at  the  Astor  Theatre  here 
today  with  a  gross  of  $3,000  and  long 
waiting  lines  all  day.  Price  scale 
ranged  from  50  cents  at  the  opening 
to  85  cents  at  night. 


Favorite  Opens  H.  O. 

Home  offices  have  been  opened  here 
by  Favorite  Films  Corp.,  headed  by 
Moe  Kerman. 


YOU  CAN'T  BEAT 
THE  BEST/ 


Drive  home  your  selling  ideas 
effectively,  inexpensively  and 
quickly  with 


Continued  fair  but  cool  weather 
helped  keep  most  grosses  well  up  to 
average,  except  hold-overs,  the  fourth 
week  of  "I  Remember  Mama"  and  the 
second  week  of  "The  Big  Clock"  fall- 
ing below  average.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ended  April  21 : 

ALBUQUERQUE    (Para.)    and  CAGED 
FURY  (Para.) — FENWAY  (1,700)  (4Oc-80c)  , 
Gross:  $5,200.  (Average:  $5,300) 
ALBUQUERQUE     (Para.)    and  CAGED 
FURY    (Para.)  —  PARAMOUNT  (1,700) 
(40c-80c).  Gross:  $14,100.  (Average:  $14,500) 
ARE  YOU  WITH  IT?  (U-I)  —  BOSTON 
(2,900)    (50c-$1.10).    With    a    stage  show. 
Gross:  $26,000.  (Average:  $28,500) 
THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— METROPOLI- 
TAN (4,736)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  $26,500.  (Av- 
erage: $28,500) 

HIGH  WALL  (M-G-M)  and  ALIAS  A 
GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)— ORPHEUM  (3,- 
9001'(40c-80c).  Gross:  $21,000.  (Average;  $24,- 

200) 

HIGH  WALL  (M-G-M)  and  ALIAS  A 
GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)  —  STATE  (2,900) 
(35c-80c).  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $14,500) 
I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  RadSo)— 

MEMORIAL  (2,900)  (40c-80c).  Gross:  $19,- 
000.  (Average:  $27,000) 


245  WEST        ^    '—  ^-i^-j'V^-^i^J^^^^J 

55  STREET  ^TT^^VvTEosriTrrcc^oT  , 


Los  Angeles 
1574  WWosh-J 
gfon  st. 


MOT 


■  iuu  uui — r 

DO  NOT  RFMO^ ;r- 


PICTURE 


DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


V'r\Vs63.  NO.  80 


1'$ 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  APRIL  26,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


7,442  Buyers 
For  16,880 
U.  S.  Theatres 

647  Circuit  Purchasers, 
6,795  Non- Circuit 

An  analysis  by  Motion  Picture 
Daily  of  the  31  exchange  area 
directories  issued  by  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America 
shows  that  a  grand  total  of  7,442 
individuals  or  companies  sign  con- 
tracts for  the  16,880  theatres  in  regu- 
lar operation  in  the  United  States. 

Some  647  independent  and 
affiliated  circuits,  each  of  four 
or  more  theatres,  purchase  for 
a  total  of  8,605  theatres  and 
6,795  individuals  or  companies 
purchase  for  the  8,275  non- 
circuit  theatres.  The  average 
circuit  contract  signer  buys  for 
11,206  seats  while  the  average 
non-circuit  buyer  buys  for  622 
seats. 

Total  seats  in  the  regularly  operat- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Goldwyn  Bids  Profit 
Sharing  for  Writers 

Samuel  Goldwyn  recommends  the 
abolition  of  the  'salary  system  for  a 
majority  of  screen  writers,  simultane- 
ously offering  them  a  share  in  the 
profits  of  pictures  for  which  they  write 
screenplays. 

In  an  article  appearing  in  The 
Screen  Writer,  Screen  Writers  Guild 
publication,  Goldwyn  urges  Holly- 
(Continued  on  page  4) 

2-Day  Republic  Sales 
Parley  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  April  25.— James  R. 
Grainger,  Republic  distribution  chief, 
presided  at  the  opening  session  today 
of  a  two-day  sales  meeting  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel.  Edward  L.  Walton, 
assistant  sales  manager,  who  accom- 
panied Grainger  from  New  York,  will 
return  to  that  city  after  the  parleys, 
while  Grainger  will  continue  on  to 
Denver,  San  Francisco  and  Los  An- 
geles, returning  to  the  home  office 
about  May  15. 


SIMPP  Probing 
Buying  Combines 


Society  of  Independent  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers  is  conducting  an  in- 
tensive legal  study  of  operations  of 
leading  independent  buying  and  book- 
ing combines  in  key  areas  throughout 
the  country  to  determine  whether  re- 
straint of  trade,  coercive  or  discrimi- 
natory practices  exist. 

Robert  J.  Rubin,  general 
counsel  of  SIMPP,  is  conduct- 
ing the  study.  On  its  conclu- 
sion he  will  prepare  a  report 
with  recommendations  for  the 
SIMPP's  board  of  directors. 
Decision  will  be  made  at  that 
time  whether  grounds  for  legal 
action  against  the  combines  ex- 
ist and,  if  so,  whether  or  not 
the  Society  should  bring  actions. 

Prior  to  his  departure  from  New 
York  for  his  West  Coast  headquar- 
ters  on   Friday,   Rubin   declined  to 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


BMI  Does  Not  Plan 
To  Tax  Theatres 


Washington,  April  25. — -Allied 
States  Association  general  counsel 
Abram  Myers  announced  here  on  Fri- 
day that  he  had  been  assured  by 
Broadcast  Music,  Inc.,  it  does  not 
contemplate  collecting  public  perform- 
ing royalties  from  motion  picture  the- 
atres. 

Myers  released  an  exchange  of  let- 
ters with  Carl  Haverlin,  BMI  presi- 
dent. Haverlin  said  there  is  nothing 
to  justify  any  assumption  a  "change 
in  BMI's  policy  with  respect  to  the 
clearance  of  film  music  at  the  source 
is  under  contemplation." 

Allied  States  circulated  the  report 
of  a  BMI  theatre  music  tax  in  its  last 
organizational  bulletin. 


20th-Fox,  RCA  Work 
On  Theatre  Video 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has 
entered  into  an  agreement 
with  RCA  under  which  both 
are  working  to  perfect  large 
screen  theatre  television,  Spy- 
ros  Skouras,  20th-Fox  presi- 
dent, informs  stockholders  of 
the  company  in  his  annual  re- 
port. 

The  report  states  that  a 
television  department  has 
been  established  as  a  branch 
of  the  company's  research 
division. 


Balaban,  Warners 
In  Stock  Deals 

Washington,  April  25. — Para- 
mount president  Barney  Balaban  has 
given  1,200  shares  of  Paramount  com- 
mon to  the  B.  and  T.  Association, 
Inc.,  leaving  him  with  1,400  shares, 
according  to  a  Securities  and  Ex- 
change Commission  report  on  trading 
by  company  executives  and  officers. 
Balaban  also  holds  $2,000,000  in  Par- 
amount 2*4  per  cent  convertible  notes, 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Capital  Speculates 
Over  Trumbo  Jurist 


Washington,  April  25. — Trial  of 
Dalton  Trumbo,  second  of  the  10  Hol- 
lywoodites  cited  for  contempt  of  Con- 
gress during  the  House  Un-American 
Activities  Committee's  hearings  here 
last  fall,  is  slated  to  get  under  way  in 
District  Court  here  tomorrow,  with 
the  key  question  of  the  moment  being 
what  judge  will  be  assigned  to  the 
case. 

If  the  case  draws  someone  other 
than  Judge  Curran,  who  presided  over 
the  trial  of  John  Howard  Lawson,  the 
Trumbo  case  may  go  very  differently 
from  the  Lawson  proceedings.  De- 
fense attorneys  might  succeed  in  ef- 
forts to  go  into  the  questions  of  the 
House  committee's  attempts  to  "domi- 
nate" the  film  industry,  what  consti- 
tutes "un-Americanism,"  and  whether 
the  House  sub-committee  which  car- 
ried on  the  Hollywood  hearings  was 
legally  constituted. 

M-G-M's  Louis  B.  Mayer  has  again 
been  subpoenaed  by  defense  attorneys, 
along  with  members  of  the  House 
committee  and  other  witnesses. 

On  Friday,  counsel  for  Lawson  filed 
a  motion  for  a  new  trial. 


May  3  Hearings  for 
Reciprocal  Program 

Washington,  April  25. — A  House 
Ways  and  Means  sub-committee  will 
hold  brief,  closed  hearings  starting 
May  3  on  President  Truman's  request 
for  a  three-year  renewal  of  the  re- 
ciprocal trade  program,  and  hopes  to 
have  a  bill  through  the  House  and  to 
the  Senate  by  May  15,  according  to 
sub-committee  Chairman  Gearhart. 

Likeliest  bet  is  a  one-year  exten- 
sion of  the  act. 


20th-Fox  Net 
For  1947  Was 
$14,003,640 

Has  $25,000,000 
3  -  Year  Bank  Credit 


Twentieth  Century-Fox  reports 
consolidated  net  profit  of  $14,003,- 
640  for  1947,  which  compares  with 
net  profit  of  $22,619,535  for  the 
preceding  year. 

_  The  company's  profit  for  1947  was 
its  second  highest  in  the  past  five 
years. 

Income  for  1947  dropped  to  $186- 
267,980  from  $196,749,249  the  preced- 
ing year.  Company  said  the  decline  is 
accounted  for  principally  by  a  drop  in 
theatre  receipts  last  year  of  $5,650,000 
and  a  reduction  in  film  rentals  of  $4  - 
350,000.  Of  the  latter  amount,  $4,200,'- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 

MGM  Heads  Discuss 
Production  Abroad 


Louis  B.  Mayer,  head  of  M-G-M 
production _  in  Culver  City;  E.  J. 
Mannix,  his  executive  assistant,  and 
Ben  Goetz,  in  charge  of  British  pro- 
duction, will  arrive  in  New  York  this 
morning  from  the  Coast  for  confer- 
ences with  Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  pres- 
ident of  Loew's,  on  plans  for  M-G-M 
production  in  Europe. 

Following  discussions  with  Schenck, 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Set  Minimum  Air 
Shipment  Rates 

Washington,  April  25.— Civil 
Aeronautics  Board  has  set 
minimum  rates  for  air  ship- 
ment of  films  and  other 
freight  at  13  to  16  cents  a 
ton-mile. 

Under  the  order,  all  air 
cargo  operators  must  charge 
at  least  16  cents  a  ton-mile 
for  the  first  1,000  ton-miles 
in  any  one  shipment,  and  at 
least  13  cents  a  ton-mile  for 
all  excess  ton-miles  in  that 
shipment. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  April  26,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


TOM  CONNORS  will  open  head- 
quarters here  this  morning  in  the 
Astor  Hotel. 

Edward  L.  Hyman,  Paramount 
Theatres  vice-president,  and  Joseph 
J.  Deitch,  company  executive,  are 
are  due  back  here  today  from  Kan- 
sas City,  Phoenix,  San  Francisco  and 
Salt  Lake  City. 

• 

Jean  Hersholt,  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  left  Hollywood  over  the 
weekend  for  New  York,  en  route  to 
Scandinavia.  He  is  due  back  in  July. 
• 

George  Bell,  manager  of  the 
Skouras  Brook  Theatre,  Bound 
Brook,  N.  J.,  has  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Interboro  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  that  town. 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  distribu- 
tion chief,  and  Mort  Blumenstock, 
advertising-publicity  head,  will  return 
here  today  from  Dallas. 

• 

Eric  A.  Johnston,  Motion  Picture 
Association  president,  returned  to 
Washington  from  New  York  at  the 
weekend. 

• 

Jules  Levey,  independent  producer, 
will  sail  for  New  York  Friday  on 
the        Queen  Mary  from  Europe. 
• 

Bing  Crosby  arrived  in  New  York 
at  the  weekend  from  the  Coast  to  join 
Mrs.  Crosby. 

• 

Henry  Ginsberg,  Paramount  stu- 
dio head,  left  here  over  the  weekend 
for  Hollywood. 


Appeal  for  Children 
Is  Made  by  Skouras 

A  staggering  emergency  facing  the 
children  of  Europe  was  described  by 
Spyros  P.  Skouras,  chairman  of  the 
New  York  City  Committee  of  the 
United  Nations  Appeal  for  Children, 
speaking  at  the  Central  Park  Mall 
following  a  parade  on  Broadway  Fri- 
day. 


Plan  Theatres  in  Neb., 
Dakota;  One  Reopens 

Omaha,  April  25. — Adolph  Roza- 
nek,  exhibitor  of  Crete,  Neb.,  an- 
nounces that  construction  will  begin 
May  1  on  a  new  theatre  at  David 
City.  In  addition,  Roy  Mundin  has 
plans  for  a  new  house  at  Winner, 
S.  D. 

The  Garden  Theatre,  Nebraska 
City,  which  was  closed  during  the 
winter,  has  reopened. 


Fox  Executives  in  Video 

Denver,  April  25. — Frank  H.  Rirk- 
etson,  president  of  Fox  Intermountain 
Theatres ;  'Harry  Huffman,  Denver 
city  manager,  and  Albert  J.  Gould, 
company  attorney,  have  organized 
Aladdin  Television  Co.  and  have 
filed  for  television  license. 


Clarify  Plans  for 
Lifting  British  Tax 


London,  April  25. — When  the  British 
government  removes  the  ad  valorem 
tax  officially  on  May  3,  as  planned, 
U.  S.  film  imports  held  in  bond  here 
will  be  free  for  exhibition  immedi- 
ately after  exporters  execute  the  docu- 
ments binding  them  to  abide  by  the 
provisions  of  the  tax  settlement  agree- 
ment as  reached  by  British  Board  of 
Trade  president  Harold  Wilson  and 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Ameri- 
ca president  Eric  A.  Johnston,  official 
sources  report  here.  The  agreement, 
however,  is  scheduled  to  be  effective 
June  14. 

Previous  reports  that  the  effective 
date  will  be  June  4  were  said  to  have 
arisen  as  a  result  of  estimations  as  to 
the  time  which  would  be  consumed  in 
the  execution  of  the  binding  docu- 
ments. 


Candidates  for  ATS 
Posts  Announced 

Charles  J.  Durban  heads  the  list  of 
candidates  selected  by  the  American 
Television  Society's  nominating  com- 
mittee for  the  organization's  annual 
election,  to  be  held  here  on  Thursday. 
Other  candidates  are:  Halsey  V.  Bar- 
rett, for  the  vice-presidency ;  Emerson 
Yorke,  secretary,  and  Arch  U.  Braun- 
feld,  treasurer. 

Nominated  for  the  board  are :  Don 
McClure,  Edward  Sobol,  Paul  Mow- 
ery,  George  Moskovics,  B.  O.  Sulli- 
van, George  Shupert,  Charles  Alicoate, 
Warren  Caro  and  Russell  Woodward. 


Murtha  Heads  Labor 
Committee  for  UJA 

Tom  Murtha,  head  of  Local  No.  4, 
IATSE,  will  head  the  crafts  commit- 
tee of  the  New  York  entertainment 
field  for  the  United  Jewish  Appeal. 
Si  Fabian  is  head  of  the  amusement 
division. 

Murtha's  committee  includes  Clar- 
ence Derwent,  Oliver  Saylor,  Milton 
Weintraub,  Morrie  Seeman,  James 
Murphy,  Aaron  Schneider,  Herman 
Gelber,  Herman  Boritz  and  May 
Ruppert. 


Pickets  Granted  Stay 

Washington,  April  25. — Supreme 
Court  Justice  Douglas  has  granted  a 
stay  of  sentence  to  35  pickets  arrested 
during  a  strike  at  Columbia  studios, 
Hollywood,  in  November,  1946.  The 
stay  is  effective  until  the  court  acts 
on  an  appeal  which  the  pickets  may 
file  before  June  21.  Five  were  given 
jail  sentences  and  30  fined  for  violat- 
ing a  restraining  order  limiting  picket- 
ing activities. 


George  M.  Young,  75 

Philadelphia,  April  25. — Funeral 
services  were  held  here  Friday  for 
George  M.  Young,  75,  former  theatre 
manager.  In  1914  he  was  publicity 
manager  for  B.  F.  Keith's  Theatre 
here  and  in  1921  he  became  its  house 
manager.  He  also  managed  the  Gar- 
den Pier  and  Globe,  Atlantic  City; 
Adelphia,  Philadelphia;  Woods,  Chi- 
cago, and  Alvin,  Pittsburgh. 


Offer  Deal  on  Screen 
Time  in  Netherland 


Reports  in  Hague  film  circles  are 
that  U.  S.  distributors,  to  meet  the 
Dutch  dollar  crisis  which  has  brought 
about  a  reduction  of  playing  time  for 
American  pictures  in  Holland,  will 
propose  an  increase  in  screen  time, 
with  payments  in  excess  of  dollar 
quotas  being  made  in  Dutch  currency, 
it  was  disclosed  here  at  the  week  end 
by  the  Aneta  (Dutch)  News  Agency. 

Playing  time  for  American  films  in 
Holland  has  been  cut  to  a  maximum 
of  eight  weeks  and  a  minimum  of  six 
for  the  period  from  February  27  to 
August  27  of  this  year,  as  against  14 
weeks  for  the  previous  six  months. 
The  reduction  was  announced  in  The 
Hague  by  the  Netherlands  Cinema 
Association. 


Trumans  at  Opening 
Of  Capital  First-Run 

Washington,  April  25. — First  Lady 
Bess  Truman  and  daughter  Margaret 
head  a  list  of  Washington  notables 
slated  to  attend  the  opening  Tuesday 
night  of  Washington's  newest  down- 
town first-run,  the  Playhouse. 

The  first-night  performance  will 
be  a  special  benefit  for  Washington's 
National  Symphony  Orchestra  with 
M-G-M's  "The  Search,"  the  theatre's 
first  booking.  The  450-seat  house  is 
owned  by  Ilya  Lopert  and  Louise 
Noonan  Miller. 


Order  Cuts  Made  in 
UK  Gangster  Picture 

London,  April  25. — After  viewing 
"No  Orchids  for  Miss  Blandish," 
gangster  film  which  has  been  assailed 
by  newspapers  here  as  unfit  for  pub- 
lic showing,  the  London  County 
Council  has  ordered  cuts  which  in 
the  Council's  view  will  eliminate  "the 
most  objectionable  features."  Pro- 
duced in  Britain  by  James  George 
Minter's  Renown  Pictures,  the  picture 
had  been  approved  by  the  British 
Board  of  Film  Censors. 

If  the  cuts  are  not  made  by  tomor- 
row, public  showings  will  be  prohibited 
in  London.  Minter  is  now  making  the 
cuts,  but  expects  Paramount's  Plaza 
here,  where  the  film  is  showing,  to  do 
record  business  before  the  deadline. 


20th-Fox  Net 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


000  was  attributed  to  foreign  opera- 
tions with  the  British  market  alone 
accounting  for  approximately  $3,560,- 
000. 

The  report  shows  current  assets  of 
$106,527,968  and  current  liabilities  of 
$28,887,694.  Current  assets  include 
$32,589,,689  cash  and  $8,162,570  in 
governmental  securities.  Inventories 
total  $53,834,094,  an  increase  for  the 
year  of  $1,135,314. 

Spyros  Skouras,  20th-Fox  president, 
reports  that  the  company  entered  into 
a  credit  agreement  with  a  group  of 
banks  last  September  giving  it  the 
right  to  borrow,  at  an  interest  rate 
not  to  exceed  two  per  cent,  up  to 
$25,000,000  through  Sept.  15,  1950. 
The  company  has  borrowed  $5,000,000 
under  the  agreement. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


J  TTEMPTS  on  the  life  of  Wal- 
ter  Reuther,  16  nations  signing 
the  Marshall  Plan  pact,  and  the 
Variety  Club  award  to  Secretary  of 
State  Marshall  are  current  newsreel 
highlights.  Other  items  of  not  ■  r...l 
and  international  significance  as  well 
as  sports  and  human  interest  round 
out  the  reels.  Complete  t  vits 
follow :  X  ■ 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  33— Mystery 
shooting-  of  Walter  Reuther.  Foreign  af- 
fairs: ERP  nations  sign  charter  in  Paris; 
DeGaulle  addresses  waterfront  throng  in 
Marseilles.  News  of  the  Nation:  Four 
American  submarines  leave  New  London, 
Conn.,  for  Turkey;  war  planes  are  recondi- 
tioned at  Kelly  Field,  Texas.  Variety 
Clubs  hail  Marshall,  hear  Stassen.  Sports: 
Giant-Dodgers;  harness-racing  at  Santa 
Anita. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  267— Union 
leader  Reuther  shot.  Sixteen  Marshall 
Plan  nations  tighten  bonds.  DeGaulle  in- 
vades Red  stronghold.  Variety  Clubs  pay 
honor  to  Marshall.  Triplets  convention. 
U.  S.  submarines  sent  to  Turkey.  Navy 
helicopters  in  mass  flight. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  70— News 
along  the  skyways:  Air  Forces'  stockpile 
in  Texas;  crosswind  landing  gear  intro- 
duced. Variety  Clubs  honor  Marshall. 
America  sends  submarines  to  Turkey. 
Reuther  shooting.  One  hundred  thousand 
hear  DeGaulle  attack  Soviet. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  137— Sixteen 
nations  sign  Marshall  Plan  pact  in  Paris. 
U.  S.  submarines  presented  to  Turkish 
navy.  Mass  helicopter  flight  at  Lakehurst, 
N.  J.  Variety  Clubs'  award  to  Gen.  Mar- 
shall. Motion  picture  country  hospital 
dedicated.  Three-year-old  swimmer  shows 
skill.  Celebrities'  golf  match  at  White 
Sulphur  Springs. 

WARNER    PATHE    NEWS,    No.  72— 

Italians  hail  Communist  rout.  Jews  cap- 
ture Arab  stronghold.  People  in  the  news. 
Triplets  in  big  get-together.  Massed  heli- 
copters. Smallest  plane.  Fashions  in 
"nighties."  Great  Americans:  James 
Monroe. 


Para,  to  Hold  Chicago 
Meeting  May  24-26 

Chicago,  April  25. — Paramount  will 
hold  a  three-day  meeting  of  its  Cen- 
tral division  at  the  Knickerbocker 
Hotel  here  beginning  May  24.  J.  J. 
Donohue,  Central  division  sales  man- 
ager, will  preside. 


'Twist'  1st  Preselected 

"Oliver  Twist"  will  be  the  first  re- 
lease in  the  U.  S.  and  Latin  America 
by  Eagle-Lion  under  the  recently- 
consummated  "pre-selection"  plan  de- 
vised by  E-L  and  J.  Arthur  Rank. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  Martin  Quigley  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,, Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20  N.  Y  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  Yjrk."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr  Vic^President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau  Yucca-Vine  Bui  ding,  Wil  ham  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten  National  Press  Club  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  Quigpubco  London.  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture.  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23    1938   at  the  post  office  at  New  York   N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879..   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


TRADE  PRESS 
TIP-OFF  FOR  A 
TlfLY  HIT! 


"Sure-fire  boxoffice  . . .  me/o 
drama  comparable  with  the 


best. 


-  FILM  DAILY 


"First-rate  melodrama  .  .  . 
superb  touches  of  realism 
and  on-the-spot  back- 
ground photography." 

-  M.  P.  DAILY 

"Fasf  melodrama  backed 
by  solid  cast  and  authentic 
backgrounds  .  .  .  might  ride 
headlines  into  the  boff  B.O. 
class." 


"First-rate  mystery  thriller  .  . 
Strong  cast  .  .  .  Background 
shots  outstanding." 

-  BOXOFFICE 


"Exciting  melodrama  .  .  . 
most  of  the  film  was  made 
on  the  scene— Paris,  Frank- 
furt, Berlin  ..." 

—  M.  P.  HERALD 

"Exciting  .  .  .  well  made 
and  maintains  interest  on 
high  .  .  ." 

-THE  EXHIBITOR 

"Thrilling,  absorbing, 
timely,  dramatic  .  .  .  Exten- 
sive exp/oitotion  recom- 
mended." 

-  SHOWMEN'S 

TRADE  REVIEW 

"As  action  display  and 
exploitation  item,  geared  for 
quick,  profitable  playoff." 

-  HOLLYWOOD 

REPORTER 

"Shots  of  bombed-out 
8er/in  and  Frankfurt  alone 
make  it  worth  the  price 
of  admission." 

-  DAILY  VARIETY 


Produced  by  BERT  GRANET    .Directed  by  JACQUES  TOURNEUR  •  Screen  Play  by  HAROLD  MEDFORD 


PICTI^^ 


4 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  April  26,  1948 


7,442  Buyers 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


ed  theatres  are  11,302,320,  of  which 
7,249,945  are  in  circuit  houses  and  4, 
052,375  are  in  independent  operations 
The  8,605  circuit  theatres  contain 
64.1  per  cent  of  all  theatre  seats  in  the 
United  States,  although  their  houses 
number  only  51  per  cent  of  the 
theatres. 

The  statistics  released  by  the  Mo 
tion  Picture  Association,  including 
seasonal  and  less  than  three-day  op 
erations,  total  18,351  fheatres  for  the 
United  States.  An  additional  856 
closed  theatres  were  reported  for  the 
period  when  the  MPAA  survey  was 
made. 

Eighty-four  per  cent  of  the  total 
seating  capacity  is  in  the  11,306  thea- 
tres having  more  than  400  seats.  Some 
10,156  theatres  are  located  in  towns 
or  cities  with  populations  over  2,500 

In  the  MPAA  report,  it  is  disclosed 
that  the  25  largest  cities  in  the  U.  S 
have  2,767  open  theatres,  or  15.1  per 
cent,  with  2,862,739  seats.  New  York 
leads  with  589  houses,  Chicago  is  sec- 
ond with  302,  and  is  followed  by  Los 
Angeles  with  217  and  Philadelphia 
with  201. 

Population  Ratios 

Among  the  25  major  cities,  Wash 
ington  has  the  highest  ratio  of  popu 
lation  to  theatre  seats,  11.6,  or  in 
other  words,  the  fewest  seats  for  a 
given  population.  Chicago  follows 
with  10.5  and  New  York  with  10.3. 

Average  ratio  of  population  to  seats 
is  11.2  for  the  country  as  a  whole 
the  MPAA  further  states.  Region- 
ally, the  South  has  fewer  seats  per 
capita.  South  Carolina  has  the  high- 
est ratio,  19.8,  with  Kentucky  second 
with  18.6,  and  Alabama  third,  with 
18.3.  Nevada  has  the  lowest  ratio 
5.6,  or  the  most  seats  per  capita,  while 
the  heavily  populated  state  of  Cali- 
fornia just  precedes  it  with  7.7. 

Further  Breakdowns 

While  Texas  leads  in  the  total  num- 
ber of  towns  with  theatres,  605,  the 
majority  of  these  Texas  communities 
(67.8  per  cent)  fall  into  the  2,500-and- 
under  population  group,  accounting 
for  37.2  per  cent  of  the  state's  thea- 
tres and  25.3  per  cent  of  the  seats. 
In  Pennsylvania,  next  in  line  with 
534  towns  with  theatres,  41.0  per  cent 
of  that  state's  towns  with  theatres  are 
in  the  2,500-and-under  bracket,  repre- 
senting 19.6  per  cent  of  the  total  thea- 
tres and  9.9  per  cent  of  total  seats, 
according  to  the  MPAA's  report. 

In  issuing  a  summary  of  the  theatre 
statistics,  MPAA  president  Eric 
Johnston  disclosed  that  the  association 
had  the  assistance  of  member  compa- 
nies and  of  exhibitors  and  exhibitor 
groups.  "Our  industry  has  now  set 
about  to  place  its  statistical  house  in 
order,"  Johnston  declared,  adding: 
"The  theatre  directory  project  is  an 
important  step  in  that  direction." 


Charges  False  Arrest 

Washington,  April  25. — A  $50,000 
damage  suit  has  been  filed  against  the 
Capitol  Theatre  here  by  Joseph  Cof- 
fay,  charging  false  arrest  and  mali- 
cious prosecution  for  an  alleged  sex 
offense.  CofTay  was  acquitted  last 
November. 


United  -  Columbia  Deal 

Hollywood,  April  25. — United  Pro- 
ductions of  America  has  a  five-year 
contract  to  produce  Technicolor  car- 
toon shorts  for  Columbia. 


Review 


"The  Dude  Goes  West" 

(Allied  Artists) 

S Hollywood,  April  25. 
HUWMEN  who  have  been  asking  for  "something  different"  in  entertain- 
ment are  given  it  here  by  producers  Frank  and  Maurice  King,  in  a  satire 
on  the  Western  melodrama  that  includes  all  the  staples  of  Wild  West  fiction 
and  makes  great  sport  of  them  without  resorting  to  ridicule  or  slapstick. 
Nothing  like  it  has  been  done  before.  It  is  a  fine  handling  of  a  fresh  approach 
to  the  Western  type  of  subject,  with  a  cast  made  up  of  Eddie  Albert,  Gale 
Storm,  James  Gleason,  Binnie  Barnes,  Barton  MacLane,  Douglas  Fowley, 
Tom  Tyler  and  many  others.  It  is  87  minutes  of  right  smart  entertainment 
for  any  man's  audience. 

The  script  by  Richard  Sale  and  Mary  Loos,  directed  by  Kurt  Neumann 
opens  with  a  grandfather  telling  his  grandchildren  the  story  of  his  pioneer 
days.  It  begins  with  his  (Eddie  Albert's)  departure  from  Brooklyn,  where 
he  had  been  a  succesful  gunsmith  until  the  supply  of  guns  ran  out,  for  Arsenic 
City,  a  village  in  the  gold  country  where  the  law  had  not  arrived  as  yet 
and  guns  were  in  profuse  employment,  Albert  plays  the  tenderfoot  straight, 
getting  into  a  variety  of  typical  complications,  and  getting  out  of  them  by 
virtue  of  being,  in  consequence  of  his  profession,  the  best  shot  in  the  country 
By  force  of  circumstance  he  reluctantly  takes  charge  of  the  fortunes  of  Miss 
Storm,  who  went  West  bearing  a  map  showing  the  whereabouts  of  a  gold 
mine  which  all  the  desperadoes  in  the  area  plot  to  steal.  She  reluctantly 
permits  him  to  save  her  life,  mine  and  so  forth.  A  dozen  or  more  killings 
occur,  all  realistically,  but  all  with  humorous  overtones,  and  the  two  finally 
marry. 

In  the  best  tradition  of  satire,  the  basic  plot  is  as  straight  and  orderly  as 
if  dealt  with  in  earnest,  with  the  result  that  the  overlay  of  humor  sparkles 
steadily  throughout.  1 " 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  May  30 

William  R.  Weaver 


In  Stack  Deals 


(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 


16mm.  Production 
On  SMPE  Agenda 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  April  25. — 
Feature  16mm.  production  will  be 
analyzed  by  M.  Robert  Adams,  Jr., 
and  Herman  Schultheis,  of  Telefilm, 
Inc.,  Hollywood,  at  the  63rd  conven- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture 
Engineers,  May  17-21,  at  the  Ambas- 
sador Hotel  here. 

Carl  E.  Hittle,  RCA  Victor,  will 
describe  a  "16mm.  phonograph"  de- 
signed for  the  motion  picture  industry. 


Profits  for  Writers 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


wood  writers  to  "shake  off  their  com 
fortable,  golden  bonds"  and  "aim  at 
greatness    instead   of    being  content 
with  reasonably  well-paid  mediocrity." 

Although  several  spokesmen  for  the 
SWG  have  in  the  past  proposed  that 
screen  writers  share  in  picture  profits, 
the  Goldwyn  office  here  says  that  this 
is  the  first  time  a  film  producer  has 
gone  on  record  against  the  established 
studio  policy  of  hiring  writers  for  spe 
cific  assignments.  "This  revolutionary 
suggestion,  if  adopted,  would  mean  the 
end  of  Hollywood's  long-standing  pol- 
icy of  putting  writers  under  contract 
and  would  unquestionably  lead  to  fur- 
ther fundamental  changes  in  the  in- 
dustry itself,"  it  was  said. 


Sees  Big  Increase  for 
16mm.  in  Mexico 

.Mexico  City,  April  25.— With  some 
£00  theatres  in  service,  Oscar  J. 
Brooks,  managing  director  of  Peliculas 
Nacionales,  distributor  for  Mexico's 
five  big  producers,  says  that  16mm. 
commercial  exhibition  will  be  widely 
extended  in  Mexico.  Brooks,  former 
Warner  manager  here,  explained  that 
the  16mm.  theatres  are  exclusively  for 
small  towns,  most  of  which  never  had 
motion  pictures,  and  will  only  enter 
those  places  which  have  but  one  35mm 
house. 


Hollywood  Exhibit  Here 

The  Clark  Gable  -  Lana  Turner 
M-G-M  "Homecoming  Museum,"  ex- 
hibit of  Hollywoodiana,  will  be  on 
display  in  windows  of  Hearn's,  New 
York  department  store,  starting  to- 
morrow, in  connection  with  the  open- 
ng  of  "Homecoming"  at  the  Capitol 
on  Thursday. 


Buy  Optima  Corp 

Henry  Brown,  theatre  operator,  and 
his  associates,  have  acquired  the  inter- 
est of  Joseph  Auerbach  and  Stillman 
and  Stillman  in  International  Optima 
Corp.  Maurice  Livingston,  sales  vice- 
president,  will  continue  as  an  execu- 
tive and  stockholder. 


SIMPP  Probing 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


comment  on  the  results  of  his  study 
to  date,  saying  that  it  is  a  matter  for 
the  SIMPP  board  to  decide  at  a  later 
date.  Rubin  visited  Chicago,  New 
York  and  Washington  on  his  trip 
East  and  will  visit  other  cities  en 
route  back  to  the  Coast,  presumably 
in  connection  with  SIMPP's  study 
of  the  combines. 

Many  producer  members  of 
SIMPP  have  been  individually  criti- 
cal in  the  past  of  treatment  they  con- 
tend their  product  has  received  at  the 
hands  of  the  buying  and  booking  com- 
bines. 


Italy  Broadens  Decree 

_  Washington,  April  25.— The  Ital- 
ian government  has  approved  a  new 
decree  liberalizing  regulations  affect- 
ing foreign  film  and  other  investments 
and  permitting  the  freer  remittance 
abroad  of  dividends  and  capital  earned 
by  such  investments,  according  to  the 
U.  S.  Commerce  Department. 


'Ivory  Tower'  Saga's  1st 

Saga  Films,  new  independent  formed 
by  Joseph  Lerner  and  Rex  Carlton 
here  has  purchased  "Ivory  Tower " 
unproduced  play.  Shooting  starts  June 
1  in  New  York. 


the  SEC  disclosed. 

The  report  covers  the  period  be- 
tween January  11  and  February  10. 
Trading  in  film  company  stocks  by 
officers  and  directors  was  very  light. 

Universal  gave  Nate  Blumberg 
warrants  for  5,000  shares  of  common 
as  added  compensation  in  December, 
1947,  the  report  states,  and  gave 
Charles  D.  Prutzman  warrar  ,f0r 
3,000  shares.  Blumberg  was  lb  "as 
holding  warrants  for  33,400  shades  at 
the  end  of  the  period  and  Prutzman 
warrants  for  23,250,  in  addition  to 
6,100  actual  shares. 

Warner  Transactions 

At  Warner  Brothers,  Albert  War- 
ner gave  away  2,000  shares  during 
the  month,  dropping  his  personal 
holdings  to  $428,400  shares,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  his  trust  holds  21,000 
shares.  Harry  M.  Warner  gave  away 
2,650  shares,  with  290,600  remaining 
in  his  own  name  and  16,000-  in  his 
trust.  Jack  L.  Warner  gave  2  000 
shares,  leaving  423,000  shares,  plus 
21,500  in  a  trust. 

Loew's  bought  50  shares  of  Loew's 
Boston  Theatres  common,  increasing 
its  holding  to  123,033  shares. 

Columbia  president  Harry  Cohn  in 
December  gave  away  205  shares 
dropping  his  holdings  to  138,922.  Jack 
Cohn  trusts  sold  1,000  shares,  reduc- 
ing their  total  to  24,319  shares.  Jack 
Cohn  personally  was  listed  with  48- 
969  shares.  A.  Montague  sold  100 
shares,  reducing  his  holding  to  8,332. 
He  also  holds  warrants  for  10,428 
shares  of  common. 


MGM  Heads 

 (Continued  from  page  1 ) 


Goetz  is  scheduled  to  plane  to  Eng- 
land to  plan  production  at  the  com- 
pany's studios  at  Elstree.  First  film 
will  be  "Edward,  My  Son,"  directed 
by  George  Cukor.  Edwin  Knopf  will 
produce.  Second  will  be  "Young 
Bess,"  which  Sidney  Franklin  will 
produce. 

Plans  also  are  under  way  for  pro- 
duction in  Italy  of  "Quo  Vadis"  to 
be  produced  by  Arthur  Hornblow,  Jr. 
A  location  company  will  leave  'this 
week  for  Italy  to  choose  Italian  lo- 
cale. 


Lead  in  Nicaragua 

Washington,  April  25.  —  U  S 
films  dominated  Nicaraguan  screens 
last  year,  but  Mexican  and  Argentine 
films  constitute  a  serious  threat  to 
Hollywood's  leadership  in  that  coun- 
try, according  to  a  Commerce  De- 
partment report.  Some  557  features 
were  shown  in  Managua's  first-runs 
of  which  431  were  American. 

SPG  Pa~cTTalks~May  15 

Hollywood,  April  25.  -  Screen 
publicists  has  voted  to  open  negotia- 
tions with  producers  on  May  15  for 
a  new  contract  to  replace  the  current 
one  which  expires  on  Aug.  15. 

Conclude  ANFA  Meet 

Annual  convention  of  the  Allied 
Non-Theatrical  Film  Association  con- 
cluded here  last  night  with  a  banquet 
at  the  Hotel  New  Yorker. 

Fox  Theatre  Opens  May  4 

Caldwell,  Ida.,  April  25._The  new 
600-seat,  first-run  Fox  Theatre  will 
open  here  on  May  4,  with  Irving 
bimpson  managing. 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOOT  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  APRIL  27,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Plans  Readied 
For  US  Filming 
Soon  In  U.  K. 


Monogram  May  Be  First 
Under  Deal  With  Pat  he 


London,  April  26.  —  Norton  V. 
Ritchey,  Monogram-International 
president,  due  to  arrive  here  to- 
morrow, is  expected  to  complete 
with  British  Pathe  officials  a  two-way 
production  -  distribution  contract 
whereby  Monogram-Allied  Artists 
will  distribute  throughout  the  Amer- 
icas three  Associated  British  Pictures 
productions :  "Temptation  Harbour," 
"Brighton  Rock"  and  "My  Brother 
Jonathan."  Monogram  will  produce 
here,  under  ABPC  auspices,  a  series 
of  pictures  which  will  have  showings 
guaranteed  under  British  Pathe  dis- 
tribution here  and  Allied  Artists  dis- 
tribution in  America. 

Also,  the  agreement  will  give 
ABPC,  whose  distribution  has  been 
handled  by  Pathe,  a  dual  American 
outlet,  with  its  major  output  handled 
by  Warners  under  a  concluded  pact. 

Subject  to  finalization,  Monogram 
is  likely  to  be  the  first  American  com- 
pany to  definitely  commence  produc- 
tion here  under  the  tax  agreement. 

Before  he  returns  to  the  U.  S., 
Ritchey  is  expected  to  discuss  Mono- 
gram joining  in  French  production. 


Trumbo  Trial  Now 
Slated  for  Today 


Washington,  April  26. — Federal 
Judge  David  A.  Pine  today  granted 
a  24-hour  postponement  in  the  con- 
tempt trial  of  screen  writer  Dalton 
Trumbo,  and  set  trial  for  tomorrow 
morning. 

Counsel  for  Trumbo  asked  for  the 
delay  in  order  to  determine  whether 
his  defense  could  be  conducted  with- 
out calling  Rep.  J.  Parnell  Thomas 
(R.,  N.  J.),  chairman  of  the  House 
Committee  on  Un-American  Activi- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Seek  Dismissal  of 
Carpenters'  Appeal 

Washington,  April  26.— IATSE 
today  asked  the  Supreme  Court  to  dis- 
miss an  appeal  by  16  members  of  the 
studio  carpenters  union  from  a  lower 
court  decision  throwing  out  their  suit 
for  declaratory  relief  for  lack  of  ju- 
risdiction. 

The  carpenters  are  seeking  a  court 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


B  'way  Grosses 
Hold  Up  Well 


Pleasant  weather  and  a  number  of 
new  pictures  are  stimulating  business 
at  Broadway  first-runs.  Three  of  five 
newcomers  bowed  in  impressively  this 
week,  and  a  number  of  holdovers  are 
producing  better  -  than  -  satisfactory 
grosses.  Most  holdovers,  however, 
are  doing  only  fairly  well. 

"State  of  the  Union"  got  off  to  a 
rousing  start  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  where  a  Russell  Markert  spring- 
time show  occupies  the  stage ;  $136,- 
500  is  expected  for  the  first  week  on 
the  basis  of  $85,000  taken  in  Thurs- 
day through  Sunday.  Also  starting 
big  is  "Arch  of  Triumph"  which  is 
on  the  way  to  $52,000  for  its  initial 
week  at  the  Globe.  At  the  Paramount, 
"The  Big  Clock,"  with  Duke  Elling- 
ton's band  on  stage,  is  due  to  finish 
the  first  week  with  a  robust  $100,000. 

At  the  Capitol,  "The  Naked  City," 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Holds  Scophony 
Subject  to  Suit 

Washington,  April  26. — The  Su- 
preme Court  today  unanimously  ruled 
that  Scophony,  Ltd.,  "transacted  busi- 
ness" in  New  York  and  so  could  be 
made  party  to  the  Government's  anti- 
trust suit  there. 

The  high  court  reversed  the  ruling 
of  the  district  court  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York  that  the  British 
firm  was  merely  protecting  its  inter- 
est in  American  Scophony,  was  not 
engaging  in.  any  activities  related  to 
its  ordinary  business  of  manufactur- 
ing, selling  and  licensing  television 
apparatus,  and  could  not  be  served. 

Presumably  now  the  Government 
will  move  forward  its  anti-trust  case 
against  the  British  firm,  plus  Sco- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


'4A'  Contract  Talks 
With  Nets  Open  Here 

Negotiations  on  the  first  contract 
covering  wages,  hours  and  conditions 
of  work  for  performers  in  television 
got  under  way  here  yesterday  when  a 
committee  of  the  Associated  Actors 
and  Artistes  of  America  met  with 
representatives  of  the  four  major  net- 
works—CBS, NBC,  ABC  and  Mutual 
— at  CBS  headquarters.  DuMont, 
Paramount  and  the  Netv  York  Daily 
Nezvs  will  be  included  in  the  negotia- 
tions later. 

Each  of  the  11  A  AAA  unions  is 
represented  on  the  committee  conduct- 
ing the  negotiations  for  the  perform- 
ers. Heading  the  committee  is  George 
Heller,  American  Federation  of  Radio 
Artists'  executive  secretary. 


Allied  Units  Differ 
On  Ascap  Contract 

Allied  Rocky  Mountain  In- 
dependent Theatres,  Denver, 
recommends  that  all  negotia- 
tions with  Ascap  on  a  new 
contract  be  halted,  whereas 
Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  In- 
diana, Indianapolis,  suggests 
that  exhibitors  apply  for  a 
one-year  contract. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  group 
reminds  members  that  na- 
tional Allied  will  map  the 
next  Ascap  move  at  its  board 
meeting  on  May  15-17,  and  its 
regional  unit  will  meet  on 
May  18-19. 


MPAAUpholdsCode 
Coverage  of  Films 


Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America's  stand  on  application  of  its 
advertising  code  to  commercial  adver- 
tising films  intended  for  showing  with 
entertainment  programs  in  theatres 
has  been  reaffirmed  unanimously  by 
its  directors,  it  was  announced  by 
the  MPAA  here  yesterday. 

Affected  are  all  films  more  than  200 
feet  long  advertising  any  commercial 
product  other  than  films.  These  pic- 
tures will  have  to  be  approved  by  the 
MPAA's  Advertising  Code  Adminis- 
tration. Approved  films  must  carry 
an  advertising  code  certificate  and  the 
words :  "This  Is  an  Advertisement." 

The  ruling  is  applicable  only  to  dis- 
tributor and  exhibitor  members  of  the 
MPAA. 


20th  Board  Up  for 
Re-election  May  18 


Stockholders  of  20th  Century-Fox 
will  attend  their  annual  meeting  here 
on  May  18.  Principal  order  of  busi- 
ness will  be  the  election  of  a  board 
of  directors. 

Company  president  Spyros  P. 
Skouras,  production  vice-president 
Darryl  F.  Zanuck  and  the  11  other 
members  of  the  board  have  been  nom- 
inated for  re-election.  They  are :  L. 
Sherman  Adams,  Robert  L.  Clarkson, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


24  Korda  Films  to 
NY  News  for  Video 

WPIX,  The  Daily  News  television 
station  in  New  York,  has  obtained 
U.  S.  television  rights  to  24  films  pro- 
duced by  Sir  Alexander  Korda. 
WPIX  stated  here  yesterday  that  this 
is  the  first  time  that  a  television  sta- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Owners  Plan 
A  $3-Million 
Charity  Unit 

Allied  Board  May  Set 
Programs  Next  Month 


Exhibitor  critics  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Foundation  are  formu- 
lating plans  to  set  up  a  separate 
philanthropic  organization  of  their 
own  with  a  view  toward  aiding  needy 
theatre  employes,  it  was  reported  here 
yesterday  by  a  theatre  operator  who 
has  engaged  in  group  discussions  on 
the  subject.  A  fund  goal  of  approxi- 
mately $3,000,000  may  be  considered, 
it  was  said. 

When  the  Allied  States  Associa- 
tion's board  of  directors  meets  in  Den- 
ver, May  15-17,  the  exhibitor  founda- 
tion is  expected  to  be  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal subjects  of  discussion.  Early  this 
year  the  board  of  directors  of  North 
Central  Allied  termed  the  MPF's 
plan  "vague"  and  "confusing"  and 
went  on  record  as  being  unwilling  to 
participate  in  it.     Shortly  thereafter, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reynolds,  Lippert 
Out  of  Naify  Deal 


San  Francisco,  April  26. — Negoti- 
ations by  Milton  Reynolds  and  Robert 
Lippert  for  50  per  cent  of  M.  J.  Nai- 
fy's  United  California  Theatres  Co. 
have  been  discontinued.  Reynolds,  it 
is  understood,  has  withdrawn  his  offer 
of  $650  per  share  for  the  half  interest. 

Naify  declined  to  comment  on  re- 
ports that  all  other  prospective  pur- 
chasers, notably  Ted  R.  Gamble, 
Joseph  M.  Schenck  and  Charles 
Skouras,  also  are  out  of  the  running. 
Reports  are  that  Gamble's  bid,  said  to 
be  for  $550  per  share,  failed  to  inter- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


High  Court  Backs 
U.  S.  in  Trust  Case 

Washington,  April  26. — Supreme 
Court  observers  today  took  as  another 
base  signal  for  the  motion  picture 
companies  the  court's  sweeping  de- 
cision in  favor  of  the  Government  in 
its  anti-trust  suit  against  the  cement 
industry.  While  the  cement  case  is 
completely  different  from  the  Para- 
mount case,  the  observers  were  im- 
pressed by  the  court's  unanimity  as  a 
further  indication  of  its  willingness  to 
go  along  with  Justice  Department  in 
broadening  the  scope  of  the  anti-trust 
laws. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  27,  1948 


Coming 
Events 


May  3-4 — Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  and  Operators  of  Georgia 
convention,  Henry  Grady  Hotel, 
Atlanta. 

May  4-5 — Independent  T  h  e  a  t  re 
Owners  of  Arkansas  convention, 
Hotel  Marion,  Little  Rock. 

May  4-5 — Independent  Exhibitors 
of  New  England  convention,  Ho- 
tel Somerset,  Boston. 

May  10-11 — Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa  and  Ne- 
braska convention,  Des  Moines. 

May  11-12 — Motion  Picture  Foun- 
dation trustees  meeting,  Hotel 
Astor,  New  York. 

May  12-13 — Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas  and 
Missouri  convention,  Hotel 
Muehlebach,  Kansas  City. 

May  17-18 — Society  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Engineers'  semi-annual  con- 
vention, Ambassador  Hotel,  San- 
ta Monica,  Cal. 

May  18-19 — Allied  Rocky  Mountain 
ITO  convention,  Denver. 

May  21 — Motion  Picture  Associates 
annual  dinner-dance,  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel,  New  York. 


Personal  Mention 


Drop  Defendant  in 
Baltimore  Action 

Washington,  April  26. — Counsel 
for  Baltimore's  Windsor  Theatre, 
which  some  weeks  ago  filed  a  civil 
anti-trust  suit  here  against  major 
distributors,  Walbrook  Amusement 
Co.,  Hilton  Theatre  Company,  and 
Thomas  D.  Goldberg,  president  of  the 
two  latter  companies,  today  agreed  to 
dismiss  Goldberg  as  a  party  to  the 
suit  but  asked  the  Federal  District 
Court  to  refuse  a  defense  motion  to 
dismiss  the  suit  against  the  two  Bal- 
timore theatre  concerns. 

Attorneys  for  Goldberg  and  "the  two 
Baltimore  companies  had  asked  that 
the  suit  be  dismissed  against  them  on 
the  ground  that  they  did  not  do  busi- 
ness in  Washington. 


Rosenthal  Appointed 
Albany  TO  A  Director 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  26. — Leonard 
L.  Rosenthal,  local  film  attorney,  has 
been  appointed  executive  director  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America's 
Albany  exchange  area  unit.  The  selec- 
tion, urged  since  the  formation  of  the 
unit  last  fall,  was  made  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  national  TOA. 

Rosenthal,  who  is  also  a  film-buying 
adviser  for  Upstate  Theatres,  recently 
attended  an  organizational  meeting  in 
Chicago  with  Harry  Lamont,  present 
temporary  chairman. 


5%  Freight  Rate  Rise 
Effective  on  May  6 

Washington,  April  26. — Freight 
rate  increases  averaging  five  per  cent 
will  go  into  effect  May  6,  according 
to  schedules  filed  by  the  carriers  with 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission 
late  today. 


SIR  ALEXANDER  KORDA, 
Murray  Silverstone,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox International  president ; 
Robert  Guillemard,  production  chief 
of  Pathe  Cinema  of  France ;  Harold 
Boxall,  director  of  London  Film 
Productions,  and  Mrs.  Boxall,  and 
Akim  Tamiroff  and  his  wife  are 
among  passengers  due  here  today 
from  Europe  on  the  •S".?  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. 

• 

Billy  Wilder,  director,  will  arrive 
in  New  York  tomorrow  from  Holly- 
wood for  a  stay  of  10  days.  He  will 
then  go  to  Europe  on  a  business  trip 
of  eight  weeks. 

• 

F.  J.  A.  McCarthy,  Universal-In- 
ternational Southern  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  will  leave  New  York 
for  St.  Louis  today.  He  returned 
here  yesterday  from  Atlanta. 

• 

Gene  Hudgens  has  resigned  as 
manager  of  the  Home  Theatre,  Okla- 
homa City,  to  join  Republic  in  that 
city.  Lester  Lloyd  succeeds  him  at 
the  Home. 

Robert  Taplinger,  Enterprise  vice- 
president,  and  William  Blowitz,  di- 
rector of  publicity,  are  here  from 
Hollywood. 

• 

Harry  F.  Shaw,  division  manager 
of  Loew's  Poli  Theatres,  and  Mrs. 
Shaw  are  en  route  to  South  Ameri- 
ca from  Hartford  for  a  vacation. 
• 

George  D.  Burrows,  Allied  Art- 
ists-Monogram   executive  vice-presi- 
dent and  treasurer,  returned  to  Holly- 
wood yesterday  from  New  York. 
• 

Madeleine   Carroll   will   be  the 
guest  of  the  motion  picture  chapter  of 
the  American  Veterans  Committee  to- 
morrow night  at  the  Taft  Hotel  here. 
• 

Jack  Harris,  Walter  Reade  The- 
atres chief  booker,  and  Mrs.  Harris 
have  returned  to  New  York  from 
Miami. 

Paul  R.  Wing,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
producer-director,  has  joined  the  man- 
agerial staff  of  Walter  Reade's  Par- 
amount in  Long  Branch,  N.  J. 
• 

Samuel  G.  Engel,  20th  Century- 
Fox  producer,  is  in  town  from  Holly- 
wood. 

Herman  Levy,  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  counsel,  left  New  York  yes- 
terday for  New  Haven. 

• 

William  German,  president  of  J. 
E.  Brulatour,  Inc.,  will  return  here  to- 
day from  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

• 

Paul  Whiteman  and  Murray  B. 
Grabhorn    have   been   elected  vice- 
presidents  of  American  Broadcasting. 
• 

Steve  Kurpen  of  Hartford  has 
leased  the  Astor  Theatre,  East  Hart- 
ford. 

• 

W.  G.  McGraff  has  joined  San 
Francisco  Theatres  in  that  city  in  a 
managerial  capacity. 


NICHOLAS  NAYFACK,  M-G-M 
studio   executive,    is    due  here 
next  week  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Emma  Carbone,  secretary  to  RKO 
Theatres  national  advertising-public- 
ity director  Harry  Mandel,  and 
Elizabeth  Laus,  secretary  to 
Blanche  F.  Livingston,  were  feted 
last  week  by  their  colleagues  in  the 
theatre  publicity  department  on  the 
occasion  of  their  25th  anniversaries 
with  the  company. 

• 

Walter  Kirchofer  has  been  shift- 
ed to  Walter  Reade's  Kingston  The- 
atre, Kingston,  N.  Y.,  replacing 
Betty  Riseley  who  was  switched  to 
the  Broadway  Theatre,  that  city. 
• 

Jack  N.  Warner,  son  of  Jack  L 
Warner,  and  Barbara  Richman  of 
New  Haven,  have  announced  their  en 
gagement. 

Charles  D.  O'Brien  of  Loew's  in 
dustrial  relations  department  returned 
to  New  York  yesterday  from  Holly 
wood. 

•  - 

Joel  Bezahler,  assistant  to  M-G-M 
sales  head  William  F.  Rodgers,  has 
returned  to  New  York  from  a  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

Wolfe  Cohen,  Warner  Interna- 
tional vice-president,  is  due  in  Holly- 
wood next  Sunday  from  New  Zea- 
land. 

• 

Ed  Hinchy,  head  of  Warners 
home  office  playdate  department,  re- 
turned here  yesterday  from  Pitts- 
burgh. 

• 

Cliff  Poland,  Warner  Pathe  staff 
cameraman  in  Miami,  and  Mrs.  Po- 
land have  become  the  parents  of  a 
daughter. 

Earl  and  Arthur  Elkin,  broth- 
ers who  operate  the  Elkin  Theatre, 
Aberdeen,  Miss.,  are  planning  an  auto 
trip  to  the  Coast. 

• 

Carol  Brandt,  M-G-M  Eastern 
story  head,  will  leave  New  York  May 
6  for  Hollywood. 

• 

Edwin  Knopf,  M-G-M  studio  ex- 
ecutive, is  due  here  May  13  from  the 
Coast  en  route  to  Europe. 

• 

Jules  Levey,  United  Artists  inde- 
pendent producer,  is  due  in  New  York 
May  5  from  Europe. 

• 

Nunnally  Johnson,  Universal- 
International  producer,  is  in  town 
from  California. 

• 

Robert  Nathan,  M-G-M  writer, 
and  his  wife  are  due  here  from  the 
Coast  May  6. 

• 

Margaret  O'Brien  will  return  here 
next  week  from  Europe. 

Hal  B.  Wallis  is  in  New  York, 
from  Hollywood. 

Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello  are 
in  town  from  the  Coast. 


Little  Carnegie  Case 
Before  State  Court 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  26.— Decision 
is  expected  in  two  weeks  by  the  Court 
of  Appeals  here  on  an  Appellate  Divi- 
sion ruling  on  the  possession  of  the 
Little  Carnegie  Theatre,  New  York. 
Argument  was  heard  today  on  an  ap- 
peal by  Jean  Goldwurm  and  George 
Schwartz,  present  landlords,  from  the 
appellate  ruling  which  held  that  Max 
and  William  Goldberg  and  William 
Lesser,  operators  of  the  Little  Car- 
negie, could  stay  on  for  the  ren»  ng 
five  years  of  the  lease. 
_  The  present  landlords  exercised  a 
right  of  cancellation  under  the  lease 
when  they  purchased  the  building  in 
order  to  take  possession  of  the  theatre. 
Louis  Nizer  represented  the  theatre 
operators. 


Bar  Title  Registration 

Refusal  by  the  Title  Registration 
Bureau  to  register  the  title,  "Rose  of 
Cimarron,"  on  the  ground  that  it  con- 
flicted with  Edna  Ferber's  "Cimar- 
ron," has  been  upheld  by  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


7-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-^ 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer       Katharine  Van 
TRACY   HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adolphe  Lewis 

LANSBURY    MENJOU  STONE 
in  FRANK  CAPRA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND    ^  .»Rwon 
CHARLES  LAUGHTON  /Lfttwero* 

in  THE         „  I      w„  s£;~- 
A  Paramount  Picture 


BETTE  DAVIS 


«  in  WARNER  BROS.' new  success 


11 


INTER  MEETING  j 

-'^JAWS  PAIGE  •  JAMES  DAVIS  Wjro  * 

bretaTgn'e'windust  •  henrV'blanke  - 


WARNER  THEATRE 


IB  way  51st  •  Opens  10:30  AM  •  Late  Midnight  Film 


DENNIS  , 

MORGAN  /  ,N*RJ0N  | 

LINDFORS  §9MWM\ 

i  to  THE  „.  "Zir 
»  yiCTOR  # &SEpi  RavE" B0V5 


PEARL  BAILEY 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b  way  at  ««,  1 

.  .  LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications :  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


LOOK 

This  Week... 

goers  to  the  multi-million 
readership  of  our  ads  in 
Colliers,  Saturday  Evening 
Post,  and  other  famous 
promote  this 
gem  of  a  comedy"  (says  i 
Hollywood  Reporter).  And 
take  a  look  at  that  ticket- 
selling  novelty  Trailer  from  I 

Paramount  I 


tssa*  ' 


1^ 


j.  r»v 


Wchord  Ho* 
K  picture 


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I*  one  of  tU* 
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^omon  will  (,e  _  .... 
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«o»-  Toke  fo//  1  "  COOpef- 
•'•Evervw       OC,V,""°9e  of 

*■ ^  oT:r,;your,°- 

uiKfng  about  "i*.* 
Unfeno^  Women"/ 


UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL  present 


JOMMW  LOUIS  JOUBIM 


Unforgettably  Matched  for  Love  with 


Romantic  New  Star  of  'The  Paradine  Case' 


with 


MADY  CHRISTIANS  •  MARCEL  JOURNET  •  ART  SMITH  •  CAROL  YORKE  •  Screenplay  by  Howard  Koch 
From  the  Story  by  Stefan  Zweig  •  Produced  by  JOHN  HOUSEMAN  -Directed  by  MAX  OPULS  •  A  RAM  PART  Jl  PRODUCTION 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  April  27,  1948 


Reviews 


"On  an  Island  with  You" 

{Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 

Hollywood,  April  26 

WITH  Esther  Williams  in  sarong  and  swim-suit,  Jimmy  Durante  in 
humor  and  song,  Xavier  Cugat  and  his  band  in  characteristic  rhythms 
and  Cyd  Charisse  featured  in  ballroom  and  ballet  dance  numbers,  this  Joe 
Pasternak  production  in  Technicolor  should  duplicate  the  box-office  perform- 
ance of  his  earlier  ventures  in  kind.  Ricardo  Montalbon  of  "Fiesta,"  Peter 
Lawford  of  "Good  News"  and  a  long  list  of  M-G-M  regulars  also  have  their 
innings  in  a  colorful,  tuneful  attraction  plentifully  equipped  with  production 
numbers,  solos  and  group  workouts,  and  directed  with  skill  and  in  commend- 
able tempo  by  Richard  Thorpe. 

The  background  story  provided  in  a  script  by  Dorothy  Kingsley,  Dorothy 
Cooper,  Charles  Martin  and  Edward  Heyman  concerns  a  film  production 
company  on  location  in  Honolulu,  and  the  not  unpleasantly  ensnarled  romances 
linking  the  Messrs.  Lawford  and  Montalban  with  the  Misses  Williams  and 
Charisse*.  The  natives,  the  Navy,  a  deserted  island  and  the  long  arm  of 
coincidence  figure  interestingly  in  the  unsnarling  of  the  plot  lines,  but  the 
conclusion  is  never  left  sufficiently  in  doubt  to  interrupt  the  attention  of  an 
audience  present  primarily  to  see  and  hear  light  entertainment.  Musical 
numbers  of  major  value  include  a  water  ballet  led  by  Miss  Williams,  a  surf- 
board ballet  in  a  swimming  pool,  a  Pagan  ballet  led  by  Miss  Charisse  and  a 
modern  jazz  routine  by  the  latter  and  Montalban. 

Running  time,  107  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

William  R.  Weaver 


"Trapped  by  Boston  Blackie" 

{Columbia) 

CHESTER  MORRIS,  as  Boston  Blackie,  is  the  leading  suspect  in  a  pearl 
necklace  robbery.  He  and  his  assistant,  "The  Runt,"  played  by  George 
H.  Stone,  are  the  center  of  several  exciting  episodes  which  make  this  a 
diverting  melodrama.' 

Boston  Blackie,  reformed  criminal,  is  suspected-  of  stealing  the  necklace 
at  a  dinner  party  when  he  is  pinch-hitting  for  a  detective  who  had  been 
murdered.  Boston  Blackie  endeavors  to  find  the  thief  but  the  police  inspector, 
played  by  Richard  Lane,  is  convinced  that  he  stole  the  necklace.  However, 
Boston  traps  the  thief  and  he  and  the  Runt  are  exonerated.  June  Vincent, 
Patricia  White  and  Edward  Norris  are  among  the  supporting  players.  The 
film  is  based  on  "characters  created  by  Jack  Boyle.  Rudolph  C.  Flothon  pro- 
duced and  Seymour  Friedman  directed.  Maurice  Tombragel  wrote  the 
screenplay  from  Charles  Marion  and  Edward  Book's  story. 

Running  time,  67  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  May  13. 


"The  Argyle  Secrets" 

(Eronel-Film  Classics) 

ERONEL  Productions'  first  for  Film  Classics  is  knock-'em-dead  entertain- 
ment. It  hits  its  target  squarely,  containing  violence  in  abundance,  with 
no  less  than  six  persons  meeting  an  untimely  end.  Top  billing  goes  to  William 
Gargan,  who  hands  out  as  much  physical  punishment  as  the  most  durable  hero. 

Gargan  is  a  reporter  looking  for  an  album  of  names  of  key  persons  who 
backed  both  sides  in  World  War  II.  Two  criminal  gangs  afso  are  after  the 
album,  and  the  battle  for  its  possession  results  in  a  chain  of  fast-moving 
incidents.  Alan  H.  Posner  and  Sam  Abarbanel,  Eronel  partners,  turned  out 
a  good  picture,  directed  effectively  by  Cyril  Endfield  from  his  own  screen- 
play, which  was  derived  from  the  radio  play,  "The  Argyle  Album,"  of  the 
"Suspense"  radio  series.  Gargan  is  capably  supported  by  Marjorie  Lord, 
Ralph  Byrd,  Jack  Reitzen,  John  Banner  and  Alex  Fraser. 

Running  time,  63  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  not  set. 


Legion  Reclassifies 
'Furia/  Rates  Eleven 

"Furia,"  Italian-made  film  being  re- 
leased here  by  Film  Classics,  has  been 
removed  from  the  National  Legion  of 
Decency's  "C"  (condemned)  list  and 
placed  in  class  B.  Revisions  made  in 
the  picture  were  deemed  sufficient  to 
warrant  the  change  in  classification. 

Seven  of  11  additional  pictures  have 
been  classified  A-I :  "California  Fire- 
brand" and  "Old  Los  Angeles,"  both 
Republic ;  "Green  Grass  of  Wyom- 
ing," 20th-Fox ;  "Kings  of  the  Olym- 
pics" and  "Olympic  Cavalcade,"  both 
United  Artists ;  "My  Dog  Rusty, ' 
Columbia,  and  "On  an  Island  with 
You,"  M-G-M.  Two  were  placed  in 
Class  A-II :  "Lightnin'  in  the  Forest," 
Republic,  and  "Up  in  Central  Park," 
Universal-International.  United  Art- 
ists' "Atlantis"  and  Vog  Films'  "Jen- 
ny Lamour"  (French)  were  placed  in 
Class  B. 


E.  E.  Carter  Is  Named 
President  of  ANFA 

E.  E.  Carter  of  National  Film  Serv- 
ice, Raleigh,  N.  C,  has  been  elected 
president  of  the  Allied  Non-Theatrical 
Film  Association.  Other  officers 
elected  are :  E.  H.  Stevens,  Stephens 
Pictures,  first  vice-president ;  Maurice 
T.  Groen,  Films  of  the  Nations,  sec- 
ond vice-president ;  George  H.  Cole, 
King  Cole  Sound  Service,  treasurer ; 
Jerome  J.  Cohen,  secretary.  Direc- 
tors include  Harold  Baumstone,  Post 
Pictures ;  J.  P.  Lilley ;  William  Rog- 
ers, Religious  Films  ;  Alan  Twyman, 
Twyman  Films. 


Mrs.  Stagg  Returns 
To  Editorial  Post 

Mrs.  Carolyn  Willyoung  Stagg  has 
rejoined  Samuel  Goldwyn  Produc- 
tions as  Eastern  editorial  representa- 
tive in  New  York.  Mrs.  Stagg,  form- 
er associate  editor  of  Ladies  Home 
Journal,  as  well  as  former  publicity 
director  for  Alfred  A.  Knopf,  and  as- 
sistant to  the  vice-president  of  Reynal 
and  Hitchcock,  resumes  the  post  she 
held  until  Jan.  1  of  this  year  when 
Pat  Duggan,  vice-president,  came 
East  to  head  the  office.  Duggan  has 
returned  to  the  Coast  to  take  up  stu- 
dio duties  again. 


May  Advance  Curfew 

Columbus,  O.,  April  26.  —  Police 
chief  Charles  M.  Berry  has  proposed 
revisions  in  the  juvenile  curfew  ordi- 
nance which  would  move  the  deadline 
up  to  10  P.M.  for  children  16  and  un- 
der. Theatres  are  included  in  "places 
of  amusement  and  entertainment"  for- 
bidden to  children  after  the  curfew 
hour. 


Holt-Levrero  Production 

Nicholas  Jack  Levrero,  RKO  Radio 
associate  producer  on  leave,  is  asso- 
ciated with  RKO  producer  Nat  Holt 
in  the  independent  production  of 
"Canadian  Pacific,"  which  will  be  dis- 
tributed by  20th  Century-Fox.  Levrero 
was  recently  appointed  general  man- 
ager of  the  Eastern  division  of  Trans- 
Atlantic  Airways. 


Stevens  at  Paramount 

Hollywood,  April  26. — Having  of- 
ficially completed  his  contractual  com- 
mitment at  RKO  Radio  studios  under 
the  Liberty  banner,  producer-director 
George  Stevens  and  his  organization 
have  been  installed  at  Paramount. 


Seek  Dismissal 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

order  giving  them  certain  studio  work 
which  they  claim  they  rightfully 
should  have,  instead  of  the  IATSE. 

As  did  producers  in  their  answer 
to  the  appeal  last  week,  the  "IA" 
said  that  "the  sole  controversy  pre- 
sented to  the  District  Court  below  was 
a  jurisdictional  dispute  between  two 
labor  organizations  arising  out  of  a 
series  of  contracts,  awards  and  deci- 
sions, with  respect  to  which  petition- 
ers sought  declaratory  relief."  In  the 
absence  of  diversity  of  citizenship,  the 
IATSE  said,  the  lower  courts  were 
right  in  throwing  out  the  case. 


Start  Brookdale  House 

Brookdale,  N.  J.,  April  26. — A.  A. 
Adams,  New  Jersey  exhibitor,  has 
broken  ground  here  for  a  $300,000 
theatre  and  store  development.'  The 
house  will  seat  1,250  and  have  park- 
ing facilities  for  260  cars  and  a  tele- 
vision lounge. 


Kranze  To  Set  Policy  on  8 

B.  G.  Kranze,  Film  Classics  sales 
vice-president,  has  left  New  York  to 
visit  the  Buffalo  and  Cincinnati  ex- 
changes where  he  will  set  upi  sales 
policy  on  eight  pictures.  They  are : 
"For  You  I  Die,"  "Devil's  Cargo," 
"Women  in  the  Night,"  "Discovery," 
"Money  Madness,"  "Furia"  (Italian), 
"Argyle  Secrets"  and  "Blonde  Ice," 
plus  some  future  Cinecolor  product. 


FC's  First  Managers'  Drive 

B.  G.  Kranze,  sales  vice-president 
of  Film  Classics,  has  set  the  com- 
pany's first  "branch  managers'  new 
product  drive,"  to  terminate  on  July 
30. 


New  House  for  Meriden 

Hartford,  April  26. — Nick  Koun- 
aris,  Paul  Tolis  and  George  Ulyssis 
of  New  Britain,  plan  a  1,000-seat 
theatre  at  Meriden.  Kounaris  and 
Tolis  operate  the  Newington  at  New- 
ington. 


Hearings  on  Studio 
Dispute  on  May  25 

Washington,  April  26. — Resump- 
tion of  the  Kearns  House  labor  sub- 
committee's hearings  on  the  Holly- 
wood jurisdictional  dispute  has  been 
pushed  back  from  May  17  to  May  25, 
and  hearings  cut  down  from  several 
days  to  one  day,  a  committee  official 
said. 

Westbrook  Pegler  will  testify  then 
and  may  be  the  only  witness,  he  said. 
California  "Little  Dies"  committee 
chairman  Jack  Tenney  will  notlfr .  '  ar, 
he  stated.  > , , 

Meanwhile,  plans  for  further  West 
Coast  hearings  were  reported  running 
into  the  opposition  of  full  committee 
chairman  Hartley.  He  opposes  the  ex- 
pense, it  is  understood.  It  is  possible, 
the  official  said,  that  just  one  member 
may  go  to  the  Coast  to  take  deposi- 
tions from  witnesses. 


Trumbo  Trial  Today 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

ties.  Thpmas,  who  became  ill  during 
his  recent  trip  to  Panama,  entered 
Walter  Reed  Hospital  over  the  week- 
end for  a  checkup,  and  it  is  not  known 
how  long  he  will  be  hospitalized. 

Trumbo  is  charged  with  refusing 
to  tell  the  committee  whether  he  is 
or  has  ever  been  a  member  of  the 
Communist  Party  or  the  Screen  Writ- 
ers Guild,  during  the  hearings  last  Oc- 
tober on  the  extent  of  Communist  in- 
filtration into  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry. He  faces  a  maximum  sen- 
tence of  one  year  in  prison  and  a  fine 
of  $1,000  on  each  count. 

Meanwhile,  arguments  before  Jus- 
tice Edward  M.  Curran  on  the  motion 
for  a  new  trial  for  writer  John  How- 
ard Lawson,  were  set  for  Friday 
morning.  # 


Holds  Scophony 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

phony  Corp.  of  America,  General  Pre- 
cision Equipment  Corp.,  Television 
Productions,  Inc.,  and  Paramount  for 
alleged  conspiracy  to  restrain  and 
monopolize  trade  in  products,  patents 
and  inventions  in  television  and  allied 
industries. 

Justice  Rutledge,  delivering  the  Su- 
preme Court's  opinion,  said  that  Sco- 
phony, Ltd.'s  operations  in  New  York 
may  not  have  consisted  of  actually 
manufacturing  and  selling  television 
apparatus,  but  undoubtedly  consisted 
of  saving  and  exploiting  its  television 
patents. 

The  Supreme  Court  also  rejected  a 
contention  of  Scophony  that  director 
Arthur  Levey's  authority  to  act  for 
the  British  firm  had  expired  when  he 
was  served  in  the  case. 


24  Korda  Films 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

tion  will  be  able  to  exhibit  a  series  of 
top  feature  films,  and  it  is  also  the 
first  time  that  Sir  Alexander  has  re- 
leased any  motion  pictures  to  televi- 
sion. Until  now,  films  of  this  status 
have  been  telecast  only  occasionally. 
WPIX  is  scheduled  to  go  on  the  air 
June  15. 

The  films  include :  "Scarlet  Pim- 
pernel," "Private  Life  of  Henrv 
VIII,"  "The  Ghost  Goes  West," 
"Thief  of  Bagdad,"  "Lady  Hamilton," 
"The  Man  Who  Could  Work  Mira- 
cles," and  17  others.  The  deal  was 
concluded  by  R.  L.  Coe  and  James  S. 
Pollak  of  WPIX,  and  Morris  Hel- 
prin,  New  York  representative  of 
Korda's  London  Films. 


Tuesday,  April  27,  1948 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Key  City  Grosses 


fp  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
'  i  tare  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CINCINNATI 


A1;V^ugh  business  in  some  other 
liner >Sspears  t0  be  levelling  off  more 
or  less,  theatre  attendance  here  is  gen- 
erally holding  up  well,  with  the  RKO 
Albee  leading  current  returns  with  a 
stage  and  film  combination.  Estimat- 
ed receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  27: 

CASBAH  (U-D— RKO  PALACE  (2,700) 
(5Oc-55c-6Oc-65c-70c-75c).  Gross:  $13,000. 
(Average:  $15,000) 

THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)— 

RKO  SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c- 
70c-75c)  7  days,  2nd  week,  on  a  moveover 
from  the  Palace.  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average: 
$5  000) 

NAKED  CITY  (U-I)-KEITH'S  (1,500) 
(50c-55c-60c-65c-75c)  4th  week.  Gross:  $7,- 
000.   (Average:  $7,500) 

THE  SIGN  OF  THE  RAM   (Col.)— RKO 

GRAND  (1,500)  (50c-55c-60c-6Sc-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $8,500.  (Average:  $8,000) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (RKO  Radio) — RKO 
LYRIC  (1,400)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-7Oc-75c)  4 
days,  5th  week,  following  an  opening  week 
at  the  Palace,  two  moveover  weeks  at  the 
Shubert,  and  a  moveover  week  at  the  Lyric. 
Gross:  $3,000.  (Average,  7  days,  $5,000) 
STAND-IN  (WB  reissue)— RKO  LYRIC 
(1,400)  (5Oc-55c-60c-65c-7Oc-75c)  4  days, 
dualed  with  HOUSE  ACROSS  THE  BAY 
(WB  reissue).  Gross:  $3,500.  (Average,  7 
days:  $5,000) 

UNCONQUERED     (Para.)— RKO  CAPI- 
TOL     (2,700)       (50c  -  55c  -  60c-65c-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $9,000.    (Average:  $10,000) 
WOMAN  FROM  TANGIER  (Col.)-RKO 

ALBEE  (3,300)  (55c-95c).  With  a  stage 
show.     Gross:  $28,000.     (Average:  $30,000) 


ATLANTA 


Business  here  is  not  up  to  average. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  ending 
April  28: 

BLACK  BART  (U-I)-LOEW'S  GRAND 
(2,446)  (12c-54c).  Gross:  $12,500.  (Average: 
$14,000) 

RUTHLESS  (E-L)— PARAMOUNT  (2,446) 
(12c-50c).  Gross:  $5,700.  (Average:  $5,8(1(1) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  —  ROXY. 
Ori  a  moveover  from  the  FOX  (2,446)  (30c- 
50c).  Gross:  $6,200.  (Average:  $5,800) 
TENTH  AVENUE  ANGEL  (M-G-M)  — 
FOX.  With  a  stage  show  (4,446)  (50c -80c 
this  week  only  on  account  of  a  stage  show). 
Gross:  $20,000.     (Average:  $14,000) 


BALTIMORE 

Most  business  here  is  about  average. 
Openings  were  strong  enough  but  the 
weekend  grosses  slumped.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  April  29 : 

CASBAH  (U-I)— CENTURY  (3,000)  (29c- 
37c-45c-54c  and  56c  weekends).  Gross:  $14,- 
000.    (Average:  $14,500) 

OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.)— MAYFAIR 
(1,000)  (21c-29c-54c).  Gross:  $5,750.  (Aver- 
age: $5,000) 

SITTING    PRETTY     (20th  -  Fox)  —  NEW 

0,800)    (29c-40c-50c-56c)    2nd   week.  Gross: 
$9,500.    (Average:  $11,750) 
TO  LIVE  IN  PEACE  (Italy-Tunes)-LIT 


PRODUCT  WANTED 

For  National  Distribution 

SEA  STORY— OUTDOOR 
ACTION— HISTORICAL- 
WHODUNITS 

(New  or  Reissue) 
All  Cash  Deals  Preferred 
WRITE— WIRE— C  A  LL 

DEVONSHIRE  FILM  COMPANY 

185  Devonshire  Street,  Bostom,  Mass. 


TLE  (328)   (29c-37c-56c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 

$2,500.    (Average:  $3,000) 

THE    BIG     CLOCK     (Para.)  —  KEITH'S 

(2,406)    (25c-37c-44c-54c   and   56c  weekends) 

2nd  week.     Gross:  $9,750.     (Average:  $12,- 

000) 

THE    BRIDE   GOES    WILD    (M-G-M)  — 

VALENCIA  (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c  and 
56c  weekends)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,500. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 

Radio)— TOWN  (1,450)  (29c-37c-56c).  Gross: 

$11,000.    (Average:  $10,500) 

THE   NOOSE   HANGS   HIGH   (E.  L.)— 

HIPPODROME  (2,205)  (29c -37c -50c -58c) 
With  a  stage  show.  Gross:  $20,000.  (Av- 
erage: $17,000) 

WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  -  STANLEY 
(3,280)  (29c-37c-50c-58c).  Gross:  $16,000. 
(Average:  $14,500) 


TORONTO 


There  were  eight  holdovers  among 
the  first-runs.  "Sitting  Pretty"  is 
setting  up  a  record  of  six  weeks  at 
the  Victoria  and  the  Nortown.  It 
was  the  off  season  for  sports  and  there 
was  occasional  rain.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April  29 : 

ALIAS  A  GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)  and 
ARE  YOU  WITH  IT?  (U-I)— UPTOWN 
(2,761)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$11,000.  (Average:  $11,600) 
THE  BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M)— 
LOEWS  (2,074)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)  6 
days.  Gross:  $16,700.  (Average:  $14,200) 
JASSY  (E-L)  —  DANFORTH  (1,400)  (20c- 
36c-50c-60c)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,800. 
(Opening  week:  $7,000) 

JASSY  (E-L)— FAIRLAWN  (1,195)  (20c- 
30c-40c-50c-55c)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$5,000.  (Average:  $5,000) 
PERSONAL  COLUMN  (UA)— BILTMORE 
(938)  (20c -36c -50c -60c)  6  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $5,500.  (Opening  week:  $7,000) 
RELENTLESS  (Col.)— IMPERIAL  (3,343) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $17,100. 
(Average:  $14,600) 

SITTING    PRETTY    (20th  -  Fox)  —  NOR- 
TOWN  (950)    (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  6th 
week.     Gross:  $4,300.     (Average:  $7,000) 
SITTING     PRETTY     (20th  -  Fox)  —  VIC- 
TORIA (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  6th 
week.    Gross:  $4,800.    (Average:  $6,300) 
TYCOON   (RKO  Radio)— EGLINTON  (1,- 
086)  (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $7,400.    (Average:  $7,400) 
TYCOON    (RKO    Radio)— TIVOLI  (1,434) 
(20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)     6    days,    2nd  week. 
Gross:  $9,200.    (Average:  $9,200) 
THE  VOICE  OF  THE  TURTLE  (WB)— 
SHEA'S      (2,480)      (20c -36c -48c -66c -90c)  6 
days,  2nd  week.    Gross:  $16,400.  (Average: 
$14,900) 


Capitol  DST  Nears 

Washington.  April  26.  —  The 
House  today  passed  a  bill  to  authorize 
the  District  of  Columbia  commission- 
ers to  put  daylight  saving  into  effect 
this  year.  The  measure  goes  to  con- 
ference with  the  Senate  which  ap- 
proved a  bill  giving  the  commission- 
ers power  to  do  this  in  1948  and  all 
future  years.  Agreement  is  expected 
on  the  House  version,  but  it  will  be 
several  days  before  the  commissioners 
hold  hearings  on  the  matter. 


Newark,  O.  Defeats  DST 

Newark,  "O.,  April  26. — By  vote 
of  seven-to-one,  the  Council  has  de- 
feated a  proposal  to  adopt  daylight 
saving  time  for  the  summer. 


Reynolds,  Lippert 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


est  Naify,  who  acquired  sole  owner- 
ship of  the  circuit  last  fall  by  buying 
out  his  partners  at  the  same  price  per 
share. 

Latest  report  is  that  an  Eastern 
candy  company  with  West  Coast  af- 
filiations is  interested  in  buying  into 
United  California  and  may  come  up 
with  an  offer  after  the  present  situa- 
tion cools  down  somewhat. 


BVay  Grosses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


plus  Tex  Beneke's  orchestra  on  stage, 
is  still  going  strong ;  the  eighth  and 
final  week  is  expected  to  bring  $60,000. 
"Homecoming"  will  take  over  at  the 
Capitol  on  Thursday.  "All  My  Sons" 
is  also  firm  at  the  Criterion  where 
a  fifth  and  final  week  promises  $18,- 
000 ;  "Casbah"  will  move  in  on  Sat- 
urday. 

$42,000  for  'To  the  Victor' 

"To  the  Victor"  continues  to  do 
all  right  at  the  Strand  where  Cab  Cal- 
loway heads  a  stage  bill ;  about  $42,- 
000  is  seen  for  a  second  week  on  the 
basis  of  $21,000  grossed  Friday 
through  Sunday.  At  the  Victoria, 
"The  Search"  is  holding  up  well,  and 
a  fifth  week  is  due  to  bring  in  $13,000. 

A  good  $30,000  is  expected  for  the 
first  week  of  "Intrigue"  at  Loew's 
State,  and  a  nice  $7,500  is  in  store  for 
the  initial  week  of  "Kings  of  the 
Olympics"  at  the  Gotham. 

"Gentleman's  Agreement,"  which 
will  continue  at  the  Mayfair  until 
May  24,  is  on  its  way  to  $14,400  for 
a  24th  week.  .  "Letter  from  an  Un- 
known Woman"  will  bow  in  tomorrow 
at  the  Rivoli  where  the  sixth  and  final 
week  of  "Miracle  of  the  Bells"  is  so- 
so  at  $17,000.  At  the  Roxy,  "Scudda 
Hoo !  Scudda  Hay!,"  along  with  Ed 
Wynn  on  stage,  has  been  playing  to 
meagre  business  and  will  make  way 
for  "Anna  Karenina"  today  after  six 
days  of  a  second  week  brought  a  mere 
$43,000. 

$14,000  Seen  for  'Winter  Meeting' 

"Winter  Meeting"  is  "in  its  third 
week  at  the  Warner  where  $14,000  is 
seen  on  the  basis  of  $7,000  grossed 
Friday  through  Sunday.  The  Sutton 
took  in  $3,600  for  the  10th  week  of 
"The  Pearl"  which  will  last  one  more 
week.  "Mr.  Blandings  Builds  His 
Dream  House"  is  satisfactory  at  the 
Astor  where  a  fifth  week  looks  like 
$26,000.  At  the  Winter  Garden,  "Are 
You  With  It?"  is  fair  in  its  second 
week  at  $17,000;  it  will  stay  a  third. 
The  Park  Avenue  is  on  the  way  to 
a  pretty  good  second  week  with  "The 
Mikado"  with  an  estimated  $6,500 
in  store.  The  Bijou's  second  week 
of  "The  October  Man"  is  a  relatively 
mild  one  with  $7,000  seen. 


Owners'  Foundation 

(Continued  from,  page  1) 


several  other  local  Allied  units  fol- 
lowed suit.  The  Pacific  Coast  Con- 
ference of  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers and  the  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  New  York  are  likely  to  partici- 
pate in  the  new  exhibitor  foundation 
along  with  Allied  and  some  others,  it 
was  said. 

Tentative  plans  for  raising  the 
$3,000,000  fund  call  for  production  of 
features  and  short  subjects.  Profits 
on  such  pictures  would  go  into  the 
fund  as  would  a  percentage  of  each 
participating  theatre's  daily  receipts. 


'Fuller'  Charity  Premiere 

"The  Fuller  Brush  Man,"  Colum- 
bia, will  have  its  world  premiere  in 
Hartford  on  Wednesday,  May  12,  at 
Bushnell  Memorial,  with  all  proceeds 
going  to  three  local  hospitals,  the 
Hartford,  St.  Francis  and  Mt.  Sinai. 


Heart  Fund  Aided 

Chicago,  April  26.  —  Proceeds  of 
$21,000  from  last  week's  benefit  world 
premiere  of  "Casbah"  at  the  Oriental 
Theatre  here,  were  donated  to  the 
Chicago  Heart  Association. 


B&H  Reelects  Board; 
Reports  $616}151  Net 

Chicago,  April  26. — Following  di- 
rectors were  reelected  at  the  annual 
stockholders'  meeting  of  Bell  and 
Howell:  J.  H.  McNabb,  president ;  A. 
S.  Howell,  vice-president ;  and  C.  H. 
Percy,  Max  McGraw,  T.  Albert  Pot- 
ter, E.  H.  McDermott  and  C.  V. 
Clark. 

Earnings  for  the  quarter  ended 
March  31,  before  Federal  taxes, 
amounted  to  $994,151.  Net  for  the 
quarter,  after  taxes,  was  $616,151. 


20th  Board 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


John  R.  Dillon,  Wilfred  J.  Eadie, 
Daniel  O.  Hastings,  Donald  A.  Hen- 
derson, Robert  Lehman,  William  C. 
Michel,  William  P.  Philips,  Seton 
Porter,  and  Murray  Silverstone. 

Meeting  notice  sent  to  stockholders 
lists  the  following  whose  aggregate 
remuneration  from  the  company  and 
its  subsidiaries  for  the  fiscal  year  ex- 
ceeded $20,000,  and  who  were  also  di- 
rectors of  the  corporation  at  any  time 
during  the  year,  or  one  of  the  three 
highest  paid  officers  of  the  company 
or  who  are  nominees  for  election  as 
directors : 

Thomas  J.  Connors,  former  distrib- 
ution vice-president,  $94,425 ;  Eadie, 
comptroller  and  assistant  treasurer, 
$53,900 ;  Henderson,  secretary-treas- 
urer, $64,891 ;  Michel,  executive  vice- 
president,  $117,600;  Silverstone,  vice- 
president,  $96,850  ;  Skouras,  $253,200; 
Zanuck,  $260,000. 


Jacob  Luft,  71 

Columbus,  O.,  April  26. — Jacob  F. 
Luft,  71.  long  associated  with  the 
amusement  industry  in  Central  Ohio, 
died  suddenly  at  his  home  following 
a  heart  attack.  He  was  treasurer  of 
Variety  Club  Tent  No.  2,  trustee  of 
the  Dusenbury  estate  and  manager  of 
the.  Grand  Theatre  Building. 


W.  J.  O'Neill's  Wife 

Toronto,  April  26. — Funeral  mass 
was  sung  here  Saturday  morning  for 
Mrs.  W.  J.  O'Neill,  wife  of  the  sec- 
retary of  Paramount  Film  Service. 
Also  surviving  are  three  children. 


TWA 

Constellations 
set  new  winter 
performance 
record 

On  its  coast-to-coast  and  New 
York-Chicago  routes,  TWA's 
Constellations  flew  4,377,000 
miles,  carried  117,000  passen- 
gers—completed 97%  of  sched- 
uled mileage  during  one  of 
worst  winters  in  history! 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


TRANS  WORLD  AIRLINE 
U.S.A.  •  EUROPE  -  AFRICA  •  ASIA 


GREAT  FALLS 
TRIBUNE 

New  and  Different 
Movie. 

A  "smash  hit." 

Art  and  culture  com- 
bined with  entertain- 
ment to  come  up  with 
"box  office." 

INDIANAPOLIS  • 
STAR 

A  refreshing  novelty. 
Grown-ups  will  find  it 
entertaining,  too. 

It  has  suspense. 

KANSAS  CITY  STAR 

A  movie  to  which 
mother  and  dad  need  not 
hesitate  to  take  the  chil- 
dren. Grandmother  and 
grandfather  will  like  it, 
too.  And  uncles  and  aunts. 

NEW  YORK  TIMES 

A  wonderfully  differ- 
ent time. 

There's  no  reason  why 
one  and  all  shouldn't  find 
this  a  very  pleasant  and 
unusual  divertissement. 

A  full  round  of  ap- 
plause for  an  extraordi- 
nary entertainment. 


NEW  YORK  SUN 

Youngsters  could  prob- 
ably watch  forever.  The 
birds  are  remarkable. 

N.  Y.*  DAILY  NEWS 

Enchantment  awaits 
at  the  Gotham  Theatre. 

Exciting.  Delightful. 
Circus  and  the  love  birds 
amazing,  daring. 

New  unusual  and  ar- 
tistic. 

Well  worth  seeing. 

N.  Y. 
DAILY  MIRROR 

Most  unusual,  a  push- 
over for  the  kids  and 
charming  for  adults. 

A  gem,  unique  and 
amusing. 

N.  Y 

HERALD  TRIBUNE 

Fantasy,  farce,  whimsy 
uniquely  entertaining 
film. 

A  delightful  modern 
fairy  tale. 

N.  Y.  WORLD 
TELEGRAM 

Something  more  than 
just  a  bright  trick  to 
amuse  the  kiddies.  A 
pleasant  little  gem  of 
light  hearted  gayety. 

N.  Y.  JOURNAL- 
AMERICAN 

Astonishing  charm. 
Deserves  the  special 
Oscar  it  recently  got. 


OREGON 
JOURNAL 

Novel  bit  of  film  en- 
tertainment. 

THE  OREGONIAN 

Fabulous  Flicker. 
Dangblastedest  movie 
since  oldT.  Edison  brain- 
stormed  with  his  magic 
lantern.  Hard-hearted 
critics,  predict  "Bill  and 
Coo"  will  be  the  most 
talked-about  film  in 
years.  Slightly  more  than 
terrific. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 
NEWS 

Amazing  production. 
Intriguing  and  unique 
film.  An  enchanting,  al- 
most unbelievable  picture. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 
CHRONICLE 

Something  to  chirp 
about.  Fresh,  cute,  clever. 

Will  astonish  as  well 
as  tickle  you.  The  whole 
thing  should  prove 
mighty  amusing  to  any- 
one. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 
EXAMINER 

Bill,  you  were  magnif- 
icent— a  lovebird  actor 
with  all  the  qualities  of 
a  sophisticated  Gable, 
rugged  Wayne  and  hand- 
some Peck. 

As  much  fun  for 
grownups  as  youngsters. 

Engaging  from  start 
to  finish  with  romance 
and  suspense. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 
CALL  BULLETIN 

Novelty,  the  like  of 
which  you've  never  seen 
before. 
Different.  Charming. 
A  diverting  novelty 
for  anyone's  money. 

SEATTLE  TIMES 

An  hour  of  sheer  de- 
light. Almost  incredible. 
Exceptional  entertain- 
ment for  all  the  family. 

WASHINGTON 
EVENING  STAR 

It  ought  to  give  the 
young  and  the  young  in 
heart  a  pleasant  hour. 

Told  with  a  great  deal 
of  charm. 

WASHINGTON 
TIMES  HERALD 

A  definite  avian 
triumph. 

A  new  chapter  in 
flicker  history  has  been 
made.  M 


featuring  BURTON'S  LOVE  BIRDS  and  Curley  Twiford's  JIMMY  Tl 

Directed  by  Dean  RieSFier  •  Screen  Ptay  by  Royal  Foster  and  Dean  Riesner  . 


DO  NOT  REMOVE   

MOTION  picture 

DAILY 


3.  NO.  82 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  28,  1948 

TEN  CENTS 

Annual  Filing 
Of  Ticket  Tax 
Returns  Asked 

Congressional  Group 
Would  Simplify  System 

Washington,  April  27. — A  sys- 
tem whereby  theatres  would  make 
monthly  payments  on  admission 
taxes,  as  at  present,  but  file  only 
one  annual  return  has  been  recom- 
mended by  a  special  Congressional 
advisory  group. 

The  report  came  from  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  Joint  Committee  on 
Internal  Revenue  Taxation  to  make 
suggestions  for  improving  U.  S.  tax 
collection  systems. 

The  admission  tax  suggestion  was 
part  of  a  broad  recommendation  to  use 
the  depositary  receipt  system  of  pay- 
ing taxes  for  social  security  taxes  and 
for  all  excises.  The  depositary  system 
is  at  present  confined  to  withholding 
taxes.  Employers,  within  10  days  after 
the  close  of  each  calendar  month,  pay 
the  withholding  tax  to  a  specially- 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Trumbo  Trial  Opens 
Before  New  Judge 

Washington,  April  27. — Trial  of 
screen  writer  Dalton  Trumbo  for  con- 
tempt of  Congress  opened  before  Fed- 
eral Judge  David  A.  Pine  today. 

Assignment  of  a  new  judge  gave 
the  defense  the  opportunity  to  present 
again  all  of  the  preliminary  motions 
denied  by  Justice  Edward  M.  Curran 
in  the  trial  of  John  Howard  Lawson, 
who  was  convicted  on  the  same  charge 
last  week. 

Judge  Pine,  however,  refused  to  per- 
mit the  trial  to  be  moved  outside  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  is  expected 
to  deny  a  motion  to  discharge  the  jury 
panel  on  the  grounds  that  the  jury 
commissioners  exercise  a  "systematic 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Ontario  Orders  60% 
Of  U.  K.  Films  Cut 


Washington,  April  27. — A  far 
higher  percentage  of  British  pictures 
required  changing  to  pass  the  Ontario 
Board  of  Censors  during  1947  than 
American  films,  according  to  a  report 
by  Commerce  Department  film  con- 
sultant Nathan  D.  Golden. 

Out  of  47  British  films  reviewed  by 
the  Ontario  board,  29 — or  better  than 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Para.  Theatre  Here 
In  Specially-edited 
Newsreel  Telecast 


By  MANDEL  HERBSTMAN 

In  another  surprise  theatre  televi- 
sion move  here  last  night,  Paramount 
flashed  on  to  the  screen  of  the  Para- 
mount Theatre  specially-edited  high- 
lights of  General  Omar  Bradley's 
speech  before  the  New  York  State 
Magazine  Publishers'  dinner  at  the 
Waldorf  Astoria  Hotel.  The  event 
was  projected  on  the  theatre  screen 
15  minutes  after  it  took  place. 

Columbia  Broadcasting  System  tele- 
vised the  event  in  its  prescribed  chan- 
nel, and  at  the  same  time  fed  the  pic- 
ture to  Paramount's  relay  channel. 
Paramount  received  the  event  on  its 
television  equipment  in  the  projection 
room  of  the  theatre,  made  the  transfer 
to  35mm.  film,  edited  it,  and  then  sent 
it  through  its  regular  projection  ma- 
chines onto  the  screen. 

The  images  received  at  the  thea- 

(Continued  on  page  3 ; 


N.  Y.  Visitors  Not 
Attracted  by  Films 

With  the  exception  of  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  New  York  theatres  share 
very  little  of  the  city's  billion-dollar 
annual  tourist  trade,  according  to  an 
annual  survey  just  completed  by  Lynn 
Farnol,  Eastern  advertising-publicity 
head  of  Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions. 

The  Music  Hall  and  Rockefeller 
Center,  of  which  the  theatre  is  a  part, 
continue  to  be  "musts"  on  the  New 
York  visitors'  list.  Other  Broadway 
showcases,  despite  "name"  bands  and 
stage  attractions,  get  little  more  out- 
of-town  business  than  the  footsore 
and  weary  drop-in  trade,  the  Farnol 
study  contends.  The  legitimate  the- 
atre, however,  continues  to  be  a  strong 
draw  for  visitors. 

Farnol's  study  says  New  York's 
tourist  peak  was  reached  in  1946.  Last 
year,  railroad  travel  was  off  less  than 
five  per  cent  and  hotel  occupancy  two 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Loeufs  -  UA  Buy  Up 
Louisville  House 

Louisville,  April  27. — Loew's  The- 
atre here,  largest  film  house  in  Ken- 
tucky and  one  of  the  South's  biggest, 
has  been  purchased  from  the  Theatre 
Realty  Corp.  by  the  Louisville  Oper- 
ating Co.,  which  is  owned  jointly 
by  Loew's  and  United  Artists.  The 
buyer  operated  the  theatre  on  a  lease 
which  still  has  some  time  to  run. 

While  the  purchase  price  was  not 
disclosed,  it  is  known  that  the  build- 
ing's original  cost  in  1928,  including 
the  ground,  was  around  $1,148,000. 


High  Court  Is  Ready 
To  Clear  Decisions 

Washington,  April  27.— The 
Supreme  Court,  with  a  huge 
backlog  of  cases  to  dispose 
of  before  it  recesses  in  mid- 
June,  will  probably  hand 
down  decisions  every  Mon- 
day from  now  on,  a  court  of- 
ficial said  today. 

Long  lists  of  opinions  are 
expected  on  both  May  3  and 
May  10.  The  decision  in  the 
Government's  anti-trust  suit 
against  the  industry  is  among 
the  cases  before  the  court. 
Appeals  were  argued  last 
Feb.  9-11  in  the  industry 
case. 


20th  Sales  Drive  for 
Smith's  Anniversary 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  desig- 
nated the  four-week  period  starting 
May  30  as  "Andy  Smith  Anniversary 
Month"  in  honor  of  the  general  sales 
managers'  first  year  as  head  of  dis- 
tribution. W.  C.  Gehring,  assistant 
general  sales  manager,  will  supervise 
the  drive. 

The  company's  entire  schedule  of 
releases  since  January  1  will  be  avail- 
able for  the  drive.  Pictures  include : 
"Captain  from  Castile,"  "You  Were 
Meant  for  Me,"  "Call  Northside  777," 
"Gentleman's  Agreement,"  "An  Ideal 
Husband,"  "Sitting  Pretty,"  "Scudda 
Hoo !  Scudda  Hay !"  "Fury  at  Fur- 
nace Creek,"  "The  Iron  Curtain"  and 
"Anna  Karenina." 

Intensive  advertising-publicity  cam- 
paigns will  support  all  pictures,  under 
supervision  of  Charles  Schlaifer,  di- 
rector of  advertising-publicity. 


Argentine  Imports 
On  Individual  Basis 


While  American  distributors  here 
still  await  details  of  Argentina's  new 
restrictions  limiting  feature  film  im- 
ports to  only  25  per  cent  of  last  year's 
releases,  Motion  Picture  Daily 
learns  here  that  the  granting  of  per- 
mits in  that  country  will  be  subject 
to  individual  study  of  each  application. 

Meanwhile,  foreign  distribution 
heads  of  U.  S.  companies  here  expect 
to  secure  a  full  clarification  of  their 
position  in  the  South  American  coun- 
try upon  the  arrival  in  New  York 
shortly  of  MPAA  representatives 
from  Buenos  Aires.  Protests  are  ex- 
pected to  be  filed  by  the  American 
companies  with  the  State  Department. 

Cables  received  here  from  the  Ar- 
gentine capital  by  the  same  private 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Tax-Free  Plan 
On  Divestiture 
To  House  Body 

Ways  and  Means  Group 
Awaits  Treasury  Views 

Washington,  April  27.  —  The 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee 
today  discussed — but  withheld  de- 
cision pending  conversations  with 
and  recommendations  from  the  Treas- 
ury Department — proposals  to  make 
tax-free  any  gain  realized  by  motion 
picture  companies  from  selling  thea- 
tre interests  pursuant  to  a  decision  in 
the  Paramount  case,  provided  the  pro- 
ceeds from  the  sale  are  reinvested  in 
other  theatre  properties. 

Paramount  and  other  compa- 
nies have  been  trying  to  get 
such  a  provision  included  in  a 
tax  revision  bill  to  be  reported 
this  session  by  the  House  com- 
mittee. 

Discussion  was  generally  favorable 
to  the  proposal,  a  committee  member 
said,  but  not  so  favorable  that  an  ad- 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Remove  Licenses 
For  Film  Exports 

Washington,  April  27. — Exposed 
film  shipments  to  European  countries 
will  no  longer  need  export  licenses, 
the  Commerce  Department  announced 
today. 

Since  March  1,  exports  to  Europe 
have  required  special  licenses.  Effec- 
tive immediately,  the  status  of  film 
shipments  returns  to  that  existing  be- 
fore March  1  when  film  companies 
merely  marked  "general  license"  on 
shipments. 

The  general  license  system  applies 
to  all  "exposed  and  developed  motion 
picture  films,  negative  and  positive,  of 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


In  This  Issue 

"Anna  Karenina"  and 
"Green  Grass  of  Wyoming" 
are  reviewed  today  on  page 
6;  "French  Leave,"  "The  Bold 
Frontiersman"  and  "Crossed 
Trails"  on  page  10.  Short  sub- 
ject reviews  are  on  page  10. 

Key  city  grosses  are  re- 
ported on  page  6,  and  the 
Booking  Chart  appears  on 
page  7. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  April  28,  1948 


Personal  Mention 


Would  Bar  Duals  in 
Chicago  Trust  Case 

Chicago,  April  27-. — Motion  for  a 
preliminary  injunction  to  prevent  the 
Tivoli,  Tower,  Maryland  and  Lex  the- 
atres here  from  double-featuring  ahead 
of  the  Kimbark  Theatre  was  made  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  by  Seymour  Si- 
mon, attorney  for  the  Kimbark  in  its 
$510,000  anti-trust  suit  against  the 
distributors  and  circuits  here.  The 
Tivoli,  Tower  and  Maryland  are 
owned  by  Balaban  and  Katz.  defend- 
ants in  the  suit,  while  the  Lex  is 
operated  by  the  Manta-Rose  Circuit, 
non-defendants. 

Product  specified  in  the  motion 
against  double  featuring  is  that  of 
Warner,  Paramount,  Columbia,  Uni- 
versal and  United  Artists.  Defend- 
ants were  given  two  weeks  to  answer. 
Hearings  are  set  for  June  11  before 
Judge  Michael  Igoe. 

Schenck  Silent  on 
Resignation  Report 

Joseph  M.  Schenck  yesterday  would 
neither  confirm  nor  deny  Broadway 
and  Hollywood  reports  that  he  will 
soon  resign  from  20th  Century-Fox 
to  devote  full  time  to  his  theatre  in- 
terests. 

Queried  on  the  recurrent  reports, 
20th-Fox  spokesmen  here  said 
Schenck  may  make  an  announcement 
when  he  returns  to  the  Coast  follow- 
ing his  current  New  York  visit. 
Schenck  is  scheduled  to  leave  here 
tomorrow.  His  studio  contract  re- 
portedly runs  to  1952. 

Johnston  and  Skouras 
On  Trade  Committee 

Washington,  April  27.  —  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  presi- 
dent Eric  Johnston  and  20th  Century- 
Fox  president  Spyros  Skouras  are 
among  the  members  of  the  Citizens 
Committee  for  Reciprocal  World 
Trade,  an  organization  devoted  to  se- 
curing a  three-year  extension  of  the 
Reciprocal  Trade  Agreements  Act. 

Other  members  are  Eastman  Kodak 
treasurer  Marion  B.  Folsom,  and  Allen 
W.  Dulles,  of  the  law  firm  of  Sullivan 
and  Cromwell. 


How  son  Heads  MP  A  A 
Title  Committee 

Albert  Howson  of  Warners  has  been 
appointed  by  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  to  the  chairmanship  of  the 
title  registration  committee,  which 
post  he  relinquished  when  Warner 
Brothers  resigned  from  the  organiza- 
tion several  years  ago.  Howson  has 
been  a  member  of  the  committee  since 
its  inception  in  1925. 


Protest  DeKalb  Tax 

Chicago,  April  27.  —  Theatre  pa- 
trons in  DeKalb,  111.,  protesting  the 
four  per  cent  amusement  tax  imposed 
recently  on  the  town's  two  theatres  as 
being  discriminatory,  have  brought 
the  issue  to  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce there,  which  will  meet  with  the 
mayor  and  city  council  in  an  effort  to 
have  the  tax  repealed. 


ROBERT  WOLFF,  managing  di- 
rector for  RKO  Radio  in  Brit- 
ain, will  sail  from  New  York 
tomorrow  for  England  on  the  .S'.kS". 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

• 

John  O.  Denman,  manager  of  Fox 
Intermountain's  Mayan  Theatre,  Den- 
ver, has  moved  to  Pocatello,  Idaho, 
as  city  manager,  succeeding  Robert 
Anderson,  transferred  to  Butte  as  city 
manager.  Frank  H.  Ricketson  III 
is  the  new  Mayan  manager. 

• 

Virgil  Jackson  of  Jackson-Mur- 
phy theatres,  Columbus,  O.,  who  was 
military  attache  at  various  American 
legations  in  the  Near  East  during 
the  war,  has  resumed  his  Army  com- 
mission as  colonel. 

• 

Josef  C.  Dine,  National  Broad- 
casting trade  news  editor  here,  has 
been  elected  president  of  the  New 
York  chapter  of  the  36th  Infantry  Di- 
vision Association. 

• 

Vincent  Ochs  has  resigned  as 
managing  director  of  the  New  Broad- 
way and  Olympia  theatres,  Cleveland, 
to  operate  his  own  drive-in  now  under 
construction  at  Adrian,  Mich. 

Jack  Alicoate  of  Eagle-Lion's 
home  office  publicity  staff,  will  be 
married  here  tomorrow  to  Jeni  Free- 
land  of  Florida. 

Marvin  Samuelson,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  Ohio  Theatre  Service 
Corp.,  Cleveland,  and  Lily  Glans 
will  be  married  on  June  19. 

Gene  Alexander  has  been  named 
manager  of  the  State  Theatre,  Mt. 
Sterling,  Ohio,  succeeding  Daniel 
Grisso. 


Services  Today  for 
CRTs  Barry  Halbert 

Funeral  services  for  Barry  Halbert, 
former  ■  Western  district  manager  for 
Confidential  Reports,  Inc.,  will  be  held 
today  at  Haley's  Funeral  Parlor  in 
Westfield,  Mass.,  the  CRI  home  office 
reported  here  yesterday. 

Halbert,  who  had  been  with  CRI 
since  its  early  days  until  the  time  of 
his  death  on  April  19  in  Los  Angeles, 
is  survived  by  a  son  and  widow. 


Safety  Award  to  MGM 

For  the  second  time,  a  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer  "Theatre  of  Life"  fact- 
film,  produced  in  cooperation  with  the 
Associated  Press,  has  won  the  annual 
award  of  the  National  Committee  on 
Films  for  Safety,  for  "the  year's  best 
theatrical  motion  picture  on  safety." 
This  year's  winner  is  the  two-reel 
"Going  to  Blazes,"  on  America's  fire 
losses. 


Wallis  Talks  Continue 

Hal  Wallis,  in  New  York  for  dis- 
cussions with  Paramount  on  a  new  re- 
leasing deal,  said  yesterday  that  nego- 
tiations are  expected  to  continue  for 
another  week.  The  producer  is  due  to 
return  to  the  Coast  at  the  week  end. 


JOHN  DONOHUE  of  ABC's  net- 
«J  work  sales  office  in  Detroit,  is  vis- 
iting the  network's  headquarters  here. 
• 

Ed  Harrison,  formerly  district 
manager  for  E.  M.  Loew's  Theatres 
in  Hartford,  and  Springfield,  Mass., 
has  been  named  manager  of  the  Fabi- 
an-Hellman  Tri-City  drive-in  at 
Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

• 

_  J.  C.  Shan klin,  president  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  West 
Virginia,  and  Mrs.  Shanklin  have 
returned  to  their  home  in  Ronceverte, 
W.  Va.,  from  Miami  Beach. 

• 

Sally  Levine,  secretary  to  L.  J. 
Schlaifer  of  Eagle-Lion,  and  daugh- 
ter of  Herman  Levine,  Warner  real 
estate  executive,  has  become  engaged 
to  Ernest  Pinter,  here. 

• 

Louise  Deese,  secretary  to  H.  D. 
Hearn,  owner  and  operator  of  Ex- 
hibitor's Service,  Charlotte,  and 
William  Burkhard  will  be  married 
on  June  12. 

• 

Jack  E.  Austin,  Wilby-Kincey 
city  manager  in  Charlotte,  has  been 
elected  chairman  of  the  Shrine  Bowl 
board  of  governors  for  the  coming 
year. 

• 

George  J.  Epp,  Universal-Interna- 
tional home  office  projectionist,  will 
celebrate  his  30th  anniversary  with  the 
company  Saturday. 

• 

Leonard  Hole  has  been  named  gen- 
eral manager  of  DuMont's  station 
WABD,  New  York. 

• 

Charles  Dietz,  M-G-M  field  rep- 
resentative in  Detroit,  is  visiting  in 
New  York. 


$92,000,000  Kodak 
Sales  in  Quarter 

Flemington,  N.  J.,  April  27. — 
Eastman  Kodak's  motion  picture  and 
all  other  sales  for  the  first  quarter  of 
1948  totaled  $92,000,000,  a  29  per  cent 
increase  over  the  same  period  in  1947, 
Thomas  J.  Hargrave,  company  presi- 
dent, told  the  annual  stockholders' 
meeting  here  today. 

He  disclosed  that  some  $40,000,000 
has  been  budgeted  for  1948  to  provide 
new  production,  laboratory  and  other 
facilities.  About  $25,000,000  will  be 
spent  in  Rochester,  mostly  at  Kodak 
Park. 


'Youth  Month'  Luncheon 

Plans  for  a  "Youth  Month"  as  a 
phase  of  the  community  relations  pro- 
gram adopted  at  the  recent  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  convention  will 
be  presented  here  Friday  at  a  Hotel 
St.  Moritz  luncheon  to  which  industry 
leaders  and  trade  press  representatives 
have  been  invited.  Charles  P. 
Skouras,  National  Theatres  president 
and  chairman  of  the  TOA  youth  drive 
committee,  and  Ted  R.  Gamble,  TOA 
president,  will  be  hosts  at  the  lunch- 
eon. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


CHURCHILL'S  tribute  to  the 
U.  S.,  Secretary  Marshall's  re- 
turn from  Bogota,  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt 
being  greeted  in  Holland  are  current 
newsreel  highlights.  An  array  of 
sports,  fashions  and  human  interest 
items  round  out  the  reels.  Complete 
contents  follow. 

MOVIETONE   NEWS,   No.  WA^vta: 

Inter  -  American  conference.  Li% '  .on: 
Churchill  thanks  U.  S.  for  Marshall  Plan. 
Battleship  Texas  becomes  state  shrine. 
California:  Navy  scientists  test  aerial  tor- 
pedoes. New  York  opens  national  appeal 
for  needy  children.  Lew  Lehr's  "New 
Look"  for  men.    Penn  relays. 

NEWS     OF     THE     DAY,     No.  268— 

Churchill's  remarkable  tribute  to  America. 
Secretary  Marshall  home.  Children  march 
to  aid  overseas  hungry.  That  "New  Look" 
in  men's  hats.  Olympic  hopefuls  in  college 
relays. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  71— Famed 
warship  becomes  state  shrine.  Mrs.  Roose- 
velt greeted  in  Holland.  Secretary  Mar- 
shall home  from  Bogota.  Zero  hour  in  the 
Holy  Land.  Wrestling. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSv  No.  138— Berlin 
railroad  station  blasted.  Reconstruction  of 
Cologne  cathedral.  Hamburg  crowds  at 
sports  event.  Scores  die  in  English  train 
wreck.  Dutch  honor  Mrs.  Roosevelt.  Kids 
parade  for  UN  aid.  Zany  hats  for  men 
shown  in  Hollywood.  Motorcycle  mud 
derby.  Wrestling. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS>  No.  73— De 

Gasperi  thanks  U.  S.  Cancer  research  cen- 
ter opened.  Germany  rebuilds.  Bernarr 
Macfadden  weds.  Japs  on  picnic  to  marry. 
Gorgeous  George  and  My  Request  win 
Wood  Memorial. 


13  Releases  Are 
Set  by  Eagle-Lion 

Eagle-Lion  releases  have  been  set 
through  July ;  13  films  are  scheduled, 
as  follows : 

May  5,  "Open  Secret" ;  May  12, 
"Prairie  Outlaws";  May  19,  "As- 
signed to  Danger" ;  May  26,  "Raw 
Deal"  ;  June  2,  "Sword  of  the  Aven- 
ger" ;  June  9,  "Close-Up" ;  June  16, 
"The  Tioga  Kid"  ;  June  23,  "Mickey"  ; 
June  30,  "Canon  City"  ;  July  7,  "The 
Spiritualist" ;  July  14,  "Oliver 
Twist";  July  21,  "Shed  No  Tears"; 
July  28,  "Northwest  Stampede." 

Two  New  Theatres 
For  Kentucky  Towns 

Louisville,  April  27. — Construction 
of  the  New  Lane  Theatre  being  built 
in  Williamsburg  for  Foster  Lane  is 
moving  along  rapidly,  and  an  opening 
date  has  been  set  for  June  10.  Foster 
operates  the  Dixie  in  Williamsburg. 

Also  going  into  finishing  stages  is 
the  New  Valley  Theatre  for  Norris 
Smith  and  Clark  Bennett  in  Taylors- 
ville.  It  is  expected  to  open  around 
June  1. 


Two  New  Charlotte  Runs 

Charlotte,  April  26. — Construction 
of  Central  Theatre,  Charlotte,  is  un- 
der way  and  it  will  be  ready  for  open- 
ing on  July  4,  according  to  H.  B. 
Meiselman,  owner.  Meiselman  says 
C.  C.  Benton,  who  drew  plans  for  the 
Central,  has  also  completed  plans  for 
a  theatre  for  Negroes  which  will  also 
be  built  in  Charlotte. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,"  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  j.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription   rates  per  year,   $6  in   the  Americas  and   $12   foreign;   single  copies,  10c. 


Wednesday,  April  28,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Ex-BBC  Aide  Links 
Video  Needs,  Radio 

Philadelphia,  April  27.  —  British 
Broadcasting  Corp.  authorities  regard 
television  programming  as  a  medium 
in  its  own  right  and  not  as  a  develop- 
ment of  either  the  legitimate  theatre 
or  motion  pictures,  according  to  Den- 
nis Johnston,'  British  journalist,  play- 
wright and  former  program  manager 
of  the^BBC  Television  Service. 

V  \  interview  over  Station  WCAU, 
JohsJ^m  pointed  out  that  the  British 
estimate  an  audience  of  four  viewers 
to  each  set,  and  that  video  sets  in  pub- 
lic places  are  a  rarity.  Before  the  war 
30,000  sets  were  in  use,  he  said,  add- 
ing that  receivers  are  now  being  in- 
stalled as  rapidly  as  they  can  be  pro- 
duced. 

Programs  geared  for  home  con- 
sumption will  prove  the  most  popular 
and  stable  in  the  long  run,  Johnston 
declared  in  drawing  a  parallel  with 
radio  which,  he  said,  conceives  of  its 
audience  of  millions  in  terms  of  small 
family  groups. 

TBA  Protests  W.  U.'s 
Video  Relay  Rates 

Washington,  April  27. — The  Tele- 
vision Broadcasters  Association  has 
protested  to  the  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission  that  recent  inter-city 
television  relay  rates  filed  by  Western 
Union  and  A.  T.  &  T.  are  "too  high." 
TBA  asked  a  hearing  on  the  proposed 
rates. 

While  the  FCC  has  not  yet  acted 
on  this  request,  it  is  considered  likely 
that  hearings  will  be  ordered.  Rates 
filed  earlier  by  A.  T.  &  T.  were  with- 
drawn after  -  protests  from  potential 
customers. 

DuMont  Develops 
Own  Video  Camera 

DuMont  Laboratories  has  developed 
a  camera  of  its  own  to  record  televi- 
sion shows  on  film  and  will  demon- 
strate it  here  next  week.  'The  pic- 
ture is  recorded  on  film  from  what 
is  described  as  an  especially  bright 
monitor  tube.  There  is  no  emphasis 
on  speed  since  the  system  will  be  used 
mainly  to  record  WABD  shows  on 
film  for  distribution  to  other  stations 
which  cannot  be  reached  by  cable  or 
radio  relay. 

Three  Join  WPIX's 
Film  Debarment 

Joseph  A.  Johnston,  former  M-G-M 
newsreel  script  editor,  has  been 
named  director  of  the  newsreel  editing 
department  of  WPIX,  The  Daily 
News  television  station  in  New  York, 
by  James  S.  Pollak,  manager  of  the 
film  department. 

Theodore  H. '  Markovic  has  been 
named  assistant  manager  of  the  film 
department  and  Robert  B.  Noack  has 
been  appointed  film  service  super- 
visor. 

DuMont  Will  Expand 
Its  Video  Facilities 

An  expenditure  of  about  $250,00  has 
been  authorized  for  WABD,  key  out- 
let of  the  DuMont  television  network, 
it  was  announced  here  yesterday  by 
Lawrence  Phillips,  director  of  the  net. 
The  money  will  be  used  on  new  stu- 
dio, transmitter  and  remote  pickup 
equipment. 


Paramount  Video 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tre  were  visibly  distorted.  Although 
the  cause  of  the  poor  reception  was 
not  immediately  ascertainable,  it  was 
believed  due  to  the  cameras  being  out 
of  focus  at  the  source  of  the  telecast. 
The  distortion  came  in  sharp  contrast 
to  the  well-defined  images  received 
two  weeks  ago  on  the  same  theatre 
screen  when  Paramount  first  demon- 
strated its  special  film  recording  sys- 
tem. 

The  telecast  last  night,  lasting  ap- 
proximately 15  minutes,  was  divided 
into  two  parts.  The  first  half  of  the 
general's  speech  was  the  portion  that 
was  specially  edited.  The  second  por- 
tion brought  the  general's  concluding 
words  to  the  screen  unedited  just  66 
seconds  after  he  spoke  them. 

As  in  the  previous  telecast  at  the 
theatre,  the  audience  was  not  apprised 
the  full-screen  television  was  going  to 
take  place  prior  to  the  announcement 
on  the  screen.  Scattered  patrons  ques- 
tioned about  the  telecast  showed  an 
eager  response  to  it. 

Paul  Raibourn,  Paramount  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  television,  as- 
serted last  night  that  television  will 
be  thrown  on  the  theatre  screen  from 
time  to  time.  He  said  that  as  yet  there 
are  no  plans  to  bring  any  special 
events  to  the  screen  at  advanced  ad- 
mission prices. 

3  New  Companies  Are 
Incorporated  in  N.Y. 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  27. — Two  film 
companies,  including  one  to  deal  in 
films,  radio  and  television  equipment, 
and  a  new  television  publication,  Tele- 
vision Guide,  have  been  incorporated 
here.  Marcell  A.  Palmero,  Albert 
O'B.  Andrews  and  Daniel  F.  Kelley, 
Jr.,  all  of  New  York  City,  are  incor- 
porators of  Telemovies,  Inc.,  with  Sul- 
livan and  Cromwell,  New  York,  as 
attorneys. 

The  third  company  is  Training 
Films,  Inc.,  for  which  Henry  R. 
Bright,  New  York,  is  incorporating 
attorney. 

Syndicated  Video 
By  Transcriptions 

Cincinnati,  April  27. — "It  is  pos- 
sible for  network  television  syndica- 
tion to  be  accomplished  by  television 
transcriptions  until  radio  relay  or  co- 
axial cables  can  be  provided  and  op- 
erated at  reasonable  cost,"  declared 
Dr.  Thomas  T.  Goldsmith,  director  of 
research  and  Harry  Milholland,  senior 
engineer  of  Allen  B.  DuMont  Labora- 
tories, at  the  IRE  Television  Sym- 
posium here. 

Radio-Video  Center 
For  Philadelphia 

Philadelphia,  April  27. — Plans  for 
establishment  of  a  Westinghouse- 
Philco  radio  and  television  center,  to 
house  all  radio  and  television  broad- 
casting activities  of  the  two  companies 
in  the  Philadelphia  area,  are  revealed 
by  Walter  Evans,  president  of  West- 
inghouse  Radio  Stations,  Inc.,  and 
John  Ballantyne,  president  of  Philco 
Television  Broadcasting  Corp. 


Trailers  by  Television 

Baltimore,  April  27. — First  tele- 
vision trailers  in  Baltimore  are  being 
used  over  a  local  station  by  Keith's 
Theatre.  They  show  the  stay-at-homes 
a  trailer  of  the  current  attraction. 


Approves  'Mistress' 
Title  for  Rank  Film 

The  Motion  Picture  Associ- 
ation of  America  announced 
here  yesterday  that  its  board 
of  directors  has  approved  the 
recommendation  of  the 
MPAA's  title  registration 
committee  to  permit  the  use 
of  the  word  "mistress"  in 
"M  i  s  t  r  e  s  s  Marsham's  Re. 
pose,"  as  submitted  by  Ealing 
Studios  of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank 
Organization,  London. 

The  MPPDA,  predecessor 
of  the  MPAA;  banned  the 
word  "mistress"  more  than 
10  years  ago.  Exception  was 
made  in  this  instance,  it  was 
said,  because  it  is  used  as  "a 
proper  name"  in  the  story. 


Eire  Cuts  Ticket  Tax; 
Old  Prices  Return 

Dublin,  April  24  (By  Airmail).  — 
In  fulfillment  of  one  of  the  election 
pledges  given  by  the  new  government, 
the  entertainment  taxes  have  been  re- 
duced in  Eire  and  the  old  admissions 
prices  returned.  During  the  short  pe- 
riod of  heavily  increased  entertain- 
ment taxes — they  went  into  effect 
January  16,  and  in  some  cases 
amounted  to  well  over  100  per  cent  of 
the  admission  price — the  revenue  au- 
thorities obtained  substantial  returns 
from  the  high  taxes  collected  from  re- 
duced patronage,  but  exhibitors  were 
threatened  with  bankruptcy. 

Australia  Refuses 
To  Reduce  Taxes 

Sydney,  April  23  (By  Airmail). — 
Australian  Prime  Minister  Ben  Chif- 
ley  has  told  the  Federal  Cinema  Ex- 
hibitors' Council  that  the  entertain- 
ment tax  will  not  be  reduced  this 
year.  The  FCEC,  which  comprises 
exhibitor  organizations  in  Victoria, 
Queensland,  South  Australia  and 
West  Australia,  claims  that  the  tax 
could  be  reduced  without  hurting  the 
Commonwealth's  exchequer.  Chifley 
does  not  agree. 


SOPEG-SPG  Panel 
Is  Slated  for  May  8 

An  all-day  wage  and  policy  confer- 
ence will  be  held  here  jointly  by  the 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployes Guild  and  the  Screen  Pub- 
licists Guild  on  May  8.  Representa- 
tives of  each  department  of  all  major 
companies  will  be  present. 


Pick  'I A'  Meeting  Site 

The  IATSE  has  selected  the  Cleve- 
land Public  Auditorium  in  that  city 
as  the  site  for  its  week-long  bi-annual 
convention'  which  will  get  under  way 
on  Aug.  16.  Richard  F.  Walsh,  "IA" 
international  president,  will  return  to 
New  York  today  from  Cleveland 
where  he  has  been  making  prepara- 
tions for  the  convention. 


To  Organize  16mm.  Work 

Film  Exchange  Employes  Local  No. 
B-51,  IATSE,  has  launched  an  organ- 
izational drive  among  the  "back-room" 
employes  of  16mm.  distributors  here. 
Some  100  employes  in  12  offices  are 
eligible  for  unionization.  Conrad 
Forschner  is  the  local's  business  agent. 


'Reds'  Extending 
Theatre  Control 

By  H.  ZU  LOEWENSTEIN 

Berlin,  April  23  (By  Airmail).— 
The  Communist  grab  of  all  motion 
picture  theatres,  reported  some  time 
ago  from  the  Soviet-occupied  German 
state  of  Mecklenburg,  has  now  been 
extended  to  the  state  of  Saxony,  prin- 
cipal cities  of  which  are  Dresden  and 
Leipzig. 

The  courts  and  the  administration 
of  Saxony,  completely  dominated  by 
Russia,  have  refused  to  listen  to  the 
complaints  of  owners  deprived  of  their 
theatres,  even  though  the  state  consti- 
tution guarantees  the  right  of  private 
property. 

A  spokesman  for  the  Saxon  gov- 
ernment has  explained  that  "those  for- 
mer owners  who  are  politically  reli- 
able (and  this  can  be  translated  as 
meaning  those  who  submit  to  Com- 
munist Party  rules)  may  continue 
working  as  business  managers." 

Like  the  principal  factories  and  in- 
dustrial enterprises  in  the  Eastern 
zone,  the  theatres  are  now  designated 
as  "peoples'  property." 

In  Vienna,  negotiations  are  under 
way  for  an  exchange  of  motion  pic- 
tures between  Germany  and  Austria. 
According  to  the  latest  information, 
for  each  Austrian  picture  brought  to 
Germany,  three  German  pictures  will 
be  shown  in  Austria. 


Argentine  Imports 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

sources  which  reported  the  original  75 
per  cent  ban  on  imports  as  first  dis- 
closed in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on 
April  15,  said  here  yesterday  that  the 
decree,  as  issued  by  the  Central  Bank 
of  the  republic  does  permit  priority 
exchange  licenses  for  the  importation 
of  eight  and  16mm.  films,  both  silent 
and  sound,  also  35mm.  film  if  they 
are  of  an  educational,  documentary, 
or  newsreel  nature.  The  new  ruling 
is  effective  until  June  30. 

Permits  will  not  be  granted  to  films 
emanating  from  any  country  where 
there  is  no  free  exchange  of  licenses. 
Each  permit  application  must  detail 
the  cost  and  origin  of  each  production. 


U.  K.  Films  Cut 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

60  per  cent — -required  changes.  Out 
of  453  Hollywood  features,  78 — about 
17  per  cent — required  changes  and  two 
were  rejected  entirely. 

Principal  criticisms  of  U.  S.  pic- 
tures, the  report  states,  were  directed 
against  gangster  films,  too  frequent 
use  of  subject  matter  entailing  murder, 
and  psychological  dramas  which  "re- 
late to  a  disordered  mentality  involv- 
ing the  commission  of  murder  or  self- 
destruction."  The  report  adds  that 
objections  are  more  pronounced  when 
the  subject  includes  domestic  infidel- 
ity. 


Eliminate  Licenses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

an  entertainment,  newsreel  and  educa- 
tional character."  Sensitized,  un- 
exposed film  will  still  require  a  license 
for  shipment  to  European  areas. 

Commerce  Department  motion  pic- 
ture consultant  Nathan  D.  Golden 
said  that  the  Department's  action  gives 
motion  pictures  "status  as  a  media  of 
communication  similar  to  newspapers 
and  radio." 


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Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  28,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


Zp  OL LOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
x  hire  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


PHILADELPHIA 


"Fort  Apache"  opened  strong  at  the 
Stanley  and  proved  the  city's  most 
popular  film  offering.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April 
27-29 : 

B.    F.'S    DAUGHTER    (M-G-M)— BOYD 

(3,000)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    3rd  week. 

Gross:  $17,600.    (Average:  $23,100) 

THE    BIG    CLOCK    (Para.)— KARLTON 

(1,000)    (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    3rd  week. 

Gross:    $12,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

GOLDMAN  (1,400)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c) 

3rd  week.    Gross:  $13,000.    (Average:  $22,- 

400) 

BLACK  BART   (U-I)— STANTON  (1,700) 
(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    3rd  week.  Gross: 
$8,800.    (Average:  $11,900) 
CALL     NORTHSIDE     777  (20th-Fox)— 
KEITH  (2,200)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd 
run.     Gross:   $6,500.     (Average:  $6,100) 
FORT     APACHE   (RKO    Radio) — STAN- 
LEY    (3,000)     (50c  -  60c  -  74c  -  80c-85c-94c). 
Gross:  $31,000.    (Average:  $20,500) 
I    REMEMBER   MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 
ERLANGER     (1,800)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c- 
94c)  3rd  week.    Gross:  $11,000.  (Average: 
$18,000) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 

— EARLE  (3,000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c) 
5th  week.  Gross:  $18,700.  (Average:  $24,- 
300) 

SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)  —  ALDINE 
(900)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross:  $13,- 
500.     (Average:  $13,200) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox) — FOX  (3,- 
000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $20,000.  (Average:  $20,400) 
THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS 
(M-G-M)— ARCADIA  (900)  (50c-60c-74c- 
80c-85c-94c)  2nd  run.  Gross:  $5,200.  (Av- 
erage: $6,000) 

WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  —  MAST- 
BAUM  (4,700)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c). 
Gross:  $25,500.    (Average:  $27,800) 


Reviews 


CHICAGO 


Loop  gross  leader  by  a  wide  mar- 
gin is  "Casbah."  Other  new  films, 
"The   High  Wall"   and   "If  Winter 


FIVE-STAR 

DC- 6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3h  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices.-  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


"Anna  Karenina" 

(Korda-20th  Century-Fox) 

LEO  TOLSTOY'S  timeless  novel,  "Anna  Karenina,"  has  been  adapted 
into  an  ambitious  British  production,  framed  with  lavish  settings  and 
made  rich  in  emotional  adventure.  With  Alexander  Korda  as  producer,  the 
London  Film  production  stars  Vivien  Leigh  and  Ralph  Richardson.  In  the 
title  role  of  the  Russian  woman  whose  pursuit  of  love  leads  her  to  destruc- 
tion, Miss  Leigh  gives  an  expertly  modulated  performance.  Old  cinema 
memories  will  recall  the  days  of  Garbo  in  the  same  role. 

From  a  merchandising  standpoint,  the  film  will  quite  naturally  delight  the 
more  literate  film-goers.  But  as  a  study  of  love  doomed  to  frustration,  it 
also  holds  a  basic  fascination  that  characterizes  it  as  a  "woman's  picture." 
Under  intelligent  exploitation,  it  should  bring  in  rewarding  returns. 

As  those  familiar  with  the  Tolstoy  tragedy  know,  Anna  meets  and  falls  in 
love  with  a  dashing  young  count,  with  the  resultant  collapse  of  her  marriage. 
Fighting  for  love  against  the  tides  of  convention,  she  has  her  child  taken 
from  her,  and  eventually  loses  her  lover,  too.  As  seems  her  fateful  destiny, 
she  takes  her  life  in  the  end.  Drama  of  colossal  proportions  is  contained  in 
the  film,  but  it  has  its  weak  moments  when  the  pace  slows  down  heavily. 
As  the  impetuous  count,  Kieron  Moore  provides  an  effective  counterpoint 
to  Richardson  as  the  righteous  and  inflexible  husband.  Julien  Duvivier  di- 
rected and  collaborated  on  the  screenplay  with  Jean  Anouilh  and  Guy  Morgan. 
Herbert  Mason  was  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  110  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  For  May  release. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


'Green  Grass  of  Wyoming' 


(20th  Century-Fox) 

"/^■REEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING"  is  good  news  for  exhibitors  who 
vJ  experienced  fine  results  with  those  other  two  films  based  on  Mary 
O'Hara  stories,  "My  Friend  Flicka"  and  "Thunderhead."  Like  its  predeces- 
sors, this  one,  also  in  Technicolor,  is  heart-warming  and  crowded  with  human 
interest,  providing  entertainment  which  every  member  of  the  household  can 
relish.  It  carries  the  appeal  of  the  wide-open  spaces — an  appeal  heightened 
by  color  that  captures  all  the  vivid  beauty  of  broad  landscapes  and  towering 
mountains. 

The  horse  about  which  this  plot  revolves  is  called  Crown  Jewel.  The  story 
relates  his  young  master's  (Robert  Arthur's)  love  for  the  animal  and  the 
youth's  labors  to  develop  her  as  a  champion  trotter  in  the  face  of  bitter  com- 
petition offered  by  his  father's  (Lloyd  Nolan's)  foe  (Charles  Coburn).  A 
trotting  race  provides  an  exciting  climax.  Although  Crown  Jewel  loses  the 
race,  she  more  than  makes  up  for  it  by  bearing  Thunderhead,  a  colt. 

Peggy  Cummins,  Coburn's  daughter,  and  Arthur  supply  the  romantic  in- 
terest. They  and  their  co-players  give  good  accounts  of  themselves.  Burl 
Ives  is  good  in  some  musical  interludes.  Louis  King  directed  well,  and  Robert 
Bassler  produced  effectively. 

Running  time,  89  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  June 
release.  P.  E.  L. 


Comes,"  are  average.  Business  on  the 
whole  remains  sluggish.  Hot  week- 
end weather  kept  patrons  out  of  the 
Loop.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  April  29 : 
A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U-I)— PALACE  (2,- 
500)  (67c-98c)  5  days,  2nd  week.  THE 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  2  days.  Gross:  $23,- 
000.  (Average:  $22,000) 
APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)— ROOSEVELT 
(1,500)  (98c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $16,000. 
(Average:  $23,500) 

CASBAH  (U-I)-ORIENTAL  (3,300)  (98c). 
On  stage:  Tony  Martin.  Gross:  $68,000. 
(Average:  $40,000) 

CASS  TIMBERLANE  (M-G-M)-WOODS 

(98c)  7th  week.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average: 
$23,000) 

DESIGN    FOR    DEATH    (RKO1  Radio)— 

GRAND  (1,150)  (67c-98c)  4  days,  2nd  week. 
THE  HUNTED  (Allied  Artists)  3  days. 
Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $16,000) 
GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox)— APOLLO  (1,200)  (98c-$1.25  )  25th 
week.  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average:  $17,000) 
IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M) — MON- 
ROE (953)  (50c-67c-95c).  Gross:  $18,000. 
(Average:  $13,500) 

RUTHLESS  (Eagle  Lion)— STATE  LAKE 
(2,700)  (98c).  Oh  stage:  Jack  Owens.  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $24,000.  (Average:  $35,000) 
THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)-CHICAGO  (3,- 
900)  (98c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $29,000.  (Av- 
erage: $40,000) 

THE  HIGH  WALL  (M-G-M)— UNITED 
ARTISTS  (1,700)  (98c).  Gross:  $23,000. 
(Average:  $23,500) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


First  break  of  spring  has  business 
in  a  slump  at  de  luxe  houses  here. 
Baseball  is  drawing  record  crowds. 
"Saigon"  is  the  leading  box-office  at- 
traction, although  below  average  for 


the  Indiana.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  April  27-28 : 
BLACK  FRIDAY  (U-I)  and  THE  BLACK 
CAT  (U-I)  (Reissues) — KEITH'S  (1,300) 
(44c-65c).  Gross:  $4,500.  (Average:  $4,500) 
SAIGON  (Para.)— INDIANA  (3,200)  (44c- 
65c).  Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $12,000) 
THE  SECRET  BEYOND  THE  DOOR 
(U-I)  and  ANGEL'S  ALLEY  (Mono.)- 
LYRIC  (1,600)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $6,000) 

TENTH  AVENUE  ANGEL  (M-G-M)  and 
ALIAS     A     GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)— 

LOEWS  (2,450)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $9,000. 
(Average:  $11,000) 

THE  WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and 
LIGHTNIN'   IN   THE   FOREST  (Rep.)— 

CIRCLE  (2,800)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $7,500. 
(Average:  $10,000) 


MINNEAPOLIS 


Radio  City,  with  a  double-header 
stage  show,  drew  the  big  business  of 
the  week,  but  "Naked  City,"  at  the 
Orpheum,  pulled  well  above  average. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing April  29.: 

ALIAS  A  GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)— RA- 
DIO' CITY  (4,000)  (50c-85c).  On  stage: 
Stan  Kenton's  Band  and  The  King  Cole 
Trio.  Gross:  $35,500.  (Average,  on  a  50c- 
70c  basis:  $17,000) 

BUCK  PRIVATES  and  ANOTHER  FINE 
MESS  (Reissues)— GOPHER  (1,000)  (44c- 
50c).  Gross:  $3,200.  (Average:  $3,500) 
GENTLEMAN'S  AGREEMENT  (20th- 
Fox)— CENTURY  (1,500)  (50c-70c)  3rd 
week,  on  a  moveover  from  Radio  City. 
Gross:  $6,800.  (Average:  $6,100) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— RKO  ORPHEUM 
(2,800)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $16,500.  (Aver- 
age: $13,500) 

PANHANDLE  (Mono.) — RKO  PAN  (1,500) 
(50c-70c).  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average: 
$8  800) 

SCUDDA   HOO!   SCUDDA   HAY!  (20th- 


Fox)— LYRIC   (1,100)    (50c-70c)   2nd  week, 
on   a   moveover   from    the    State.  Gross: 
$5,700.    (Average:  $5,500) 
TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)— STATE  (2,300) 
(50c-70c).    Gross:  $6,500.    (Average:  $11,800) 


DENVER 


In  a  moveover  at  the  Aladdin, 
"Sitting  Pretty"  caught  on  and  gave 
the  house  double  its  average.  "Big 
Clock"  tied  for  the  opening  week  in 
its  second  at  the  Denham,  and  si?ys 
three  more  days  to  get  the  hous^fc  k 
to  a  Friday  opening.  Estimate!  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  April 
27-29 : 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  LIGHT- 
NIN' IN  THE  FOREST  (Rep.)— DENVER 
(2,525)  (35c-74c).  Day  and  date  with  the 
Esquire.  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average:  $13,- 
000) 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)  and  LIGHT- 
NIN' '  IN  THE  FOREST  (Rep.)— ES- 
QUIRE (742)  (35c-74c).  Day  and  date  with 
the  Denver.  Gross:  $3,000.  (Average:  $2,- 
000) 

BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— DENHAM  (1,750) 
(35c-70c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $12,500.  (Aver- 
age: $11,000) 

BISHOP'S  WIFE  (RKO  Radio)  and 
WESTERN    HERITAGE    (RKO  Radio)— 

ORPHEUM  (2,600)  (35c-74c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $13,500) 
NAKED  CITY  (U-I)  and  CAMPUS 
SLEUTH  (Mono.) — RIALTO  (878)  (35c- 
74c).  .After  a  week  at  the  Denver,  Esquire 
and  Webber.  Gross:  $4,000.  (Average: 
$3,000) 

PANHANDLE  (Mono.)  and  FLAME 
(Rep.)— PARAMOUNT  (2,200)  (35c-74c). 
Day  and  date  with  the  Webber.  Gross: 
$10,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
PANHANDLE  (Mono.)  and  FLAME 
(Rep.) — WEBBER  (750)  (35c-74c).  Day 
and  date  with  the  Paramount.  Gross:  $3,- 
000.    (Average:  $2,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and 
TENDER  YEARS  (ZOth-Fox) — ALADDIN 
(1,400)  (35c-74c).  After  a  week  at  the 
Denver,  Esquire,  Webber  and  Rialto. 
Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $2,500) 
WHERE,  ARE  OUR  CHILDREN  (Indie) 
and  ARE  THESE  OUR  PARENTS?  (In- 
die)—TABOR  (1,967)  (35c-74c).  Gross:  $7,- 
000.     (Average:  $8,000) 


BUFFALO 


The  Buffalo  had  a  whopping  gross 
with  a  stage  show  and  "Tenth  Avenue 
Angel,"  to  lead  by  a  wide  margin 
here.  Weather  has  been  pleasantly 
warm.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  May  1 : 

B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)— GREAT 
LAKES  (3,000)  (4Oc-50c-6Oc-70c).  Gross: 
$15,000.  (Average:  $17,000) 
DRUMS  OF  THE  CONGO  and  CAPTIVE 
WILD  WOMAN  (Reissues) — TECK  (1,500) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $3,500. 
(Average:  $5,500) 

MATING    OF    MILLIE    (Col.)— LAFAY- 
ETTE    (3,000)     (40c-50c-60c-70c).  Gross: 
$16,200.    (Average:  $15,000) 
MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 

—TWENTIETH  CENTURY  (3,000)  (40c- 
50c-60c-70c).  Gross:  $18,800.  (Average: 
$15,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th  -  Fox)  and 
HEART   OF   VIRGINIA  (Rep.)-HIPPO- 

DROME  (2,100)  (40c-50c-60c-70c)  2nd  week, 
on  a  moveover.  Gross:  $10,200.  (Average: 
$10,000) 

TENTH    AVENUE    ANGEL  (M-G-M)— 

BUFFALO  (3,489)  (advanced  prices). 
(Horace  Heidt  and  His  Musical  Knights  in 
a  stage  revue.  Gross:  $35,000.  (Average, 
at  40c-50c-60c-70c:  $18,000) 


$280,604  to  Chicago 
From  3%  Ticket  Tax 

Chicago,  April  27. — Local  theatre 
admissions  taxes  brought  $130,327  in 
January  and  $150,277  in  February  to 
the  city  treasury. 


Feldman  With  Radiant 

Chicago,  April  27. — Herschel  Y. 
Feldman,  formerly  director  of  research 
for  International  Printing  Pressmen 
and  Assistants  Union  of  North  Amer- 
ica, has  joined  Radiant  Manufacturing 
Corp.  as  assistant  sales  manager. 


WARNERS 

(Reissue) 
ADVENTURES 
OF  ROBIN 
HOOD 

(Color) 
Errol  Flynn 
Olivia  de  Havilland 

D — 102  min.  (718) 
(Rov.  4/27/38) 

APRIL 
SHOWERS 
Jack  Carson 
Ann  Sothern 
D— 94   mln.  (719) 
(Rev.  3/10/48) 

TO  THE  VICTOR 

Dennis  Morgan 
D— 99  min.  (720) 
(Rev.  3/30/48) 

WINTER 
MEETING 
Bette  Davis 
James  Davis 
D — 101  min.  (721) 
(Rev.  4/7/48) 

(Reissue) 
VALLEY  OF 
THE  GIANTS 
Wayne  Morris 
Claire  Trevor 
J>— 78  mln.  (722) 
(Rev.  9/12/38) 

(Reissue) 
FIGHTING  69th 
James  Cagney 
Pat  O'Brien 

D — 79  mln.  (723) 
(Rev.  1/5/40) 

WOMAN  IN 
WHITE 

Eleanor  Parker 
Alexis  Smith 

D— 109  min.  (724) 
(Rev.  4/20/48) 

UNIV.-INT'L 

(March-April 
Releases) 

A  DOUBLE 
LIFE 

Ronald  Colman 
Signe  Hasso 
D— 104  mln.  (050) 
(Rev.  12/24/47) 

THE  NAKED 

CITY 
Barry  Fitzgerald 
Dorotliy  Hart 

D— 90  mln.  (051) 
(Rev.  1/21/48) 

JASSY 
(Color) 
Margaret  Lockwood 
Dennis  Price 

D — 90  min. 
(Rev.  2/5/48) 

(April-May 
(Releases) 

BLACK  BART 

(Color) 
Yvonne  de  Carlo 
Dan  Duryoa 

D — 80  min. 
(Rev.  1/29/48) 

CASBAH 
Tony  Martin 
Yvonne  de  Carlo 

D— 84  min. 
(Rev.  3/3/48) 

ARE  YOU 
WITH  IT? 

Donald  O'Connor 
Martha  Stewart 

C— 90  mi. 
(Rev.  3/17/48) 

DEAR 
MURDERER 
Eric  Portman 
Greta  Gynt 

D— 84  min. 
(Rev.  6/20/47) 

ALL  MY  SONS 
Edward  G.  Robinson 
Burt  Lancaster 
Howard  Duff 

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On 


CHARLES 


with 

jen  O'Sullivan 
George  Macready 
Rita  Johnson 

and  Elsa  Lanchester 
Harold  Vermilyea 
Produced  by  Richard  Maibaum 

Directed  by  JOHN  FARROW 
Screen  Play  by  Jonathan  Latimer 


r  gloves  to  this 
thriller,  or  you  won't 
have  any  finger- 


iiciils  left! 


— says  N.  Y.  Mirror 


APPLAUSE -APPLAUSE -DEAFENING  APPLAUSE  FROM  EVERY  CRITIC  AS 
NEW  YORK  JOINS  BOSTON,  BUFFALO  AND  ALL  POINTS  WEST  IN  HYSTERI- 
CAL PRAISE  OF  THE  GREATEST  SUSPENSE  THRILLER  IN  YEARS,  FROM 


Paramount      -  fl 


A17-jewel  entertainment  guaranteed  to  give  a  good  time."—  N.  Y.  Tt 


itnes 


Clicks  from  the  start.. .One  of  the  most  sure-fire  suspense  stories  to 

arrive  here  in  a  long,  long  time.  Building  up  always  to  that  last 

breath-taking  reel  of  suspense... Played  by  a  corking  good  cast,  in  a 

picture  that  rates  the  same  adjectives."  —New  York  Sun 

•       •  •  ■  • 

'Anyone  on  a  hunt  for  entertainment  .  .  .  will  find  what  he  wants 
at  the  Paramount."  \       #       .  —N.  Y.  Daily  News 

Will  keep  you  on  the  edge  of  your  seat  chewing  your  fingernails 
down  to  the  elbow.  A  rising  crescendo  of  tension  and  suspense  that 
will  keep  you  bouncing  with  excitement  until  you  find  callouses 

where  you  sit  down/'  —Morning  Telegraph 


/ 


TOO  MANY  GREAT  REVIEWS  TO  LIST  HERE;  SEE  MORE  ON  PAGE  11  m~ 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  April  28,  1948 


Short 
Subjects 

"Democracy's  Diary" 

(  This  Is  America-RKO  Radio) 

The  New  York  Times,  a  symbol  of 
a  free  and  enlightened  press,  is  the  ob- 
ject of  a  fascinating  tour  by  the  cam- 
eras of  This  Is  America.  Substantial 
in  content  and  vivid  in  presentation, 
the  subject  rates  high  in  the  series. 
All  of  the  far-flung  and  manifold  de 
tails  that  go  into  the  making  of  the 
paper  are  interestingly  documented  as 
the  subject  starts  by  showing  a  giant 
roll  of  paper  in  the  press  rooms  and 
concludes  as  the  finished  newspaper  is 
thrown  at  the  door  by  the  morning 
newsboy.  The  subject  has  wide  appeal. 
Running  time,  16  minutes. 


Reviews 


"All- American  Soap-Box 
Derby" 

{Emerson  Yorke  Studio) 

All  the  sporting  excitement  of  the 
national  soap-box  derby  has  been 
caught  in  this  adroit  film  which  is 
available  to  theatres  free  in  16mm.  and 
35mm.  Sponsored  by  United  States 
Rubber,  the  subject  bears  the  spon- 
sor's imprint  in  opening  and  closing 
shots.  Emerson  Yorke  produced  and 
directed  the  film  which  reaches  its 
climax  as  the  youths,  in  their  home- 
made racers,  speed  across  the  finish 
line  in  the  national  finals.  Ted  Husing 
narrates  and  appears  in  the  subject,  as 
does  actor  James  Stewart,  briefly. 
Many  houses  may  be  interested  in  the 
subject  in  line  with  the  drive  against 
delinquency  by  Theatre  Owners  of 
America.  Running  time,  25  minutes. 


N.  Y.  Visitors 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


and  one-half  per  cent.  A  further  ta- 
pering off  of  tourists  is  expected  to 
continue  through  1948.  Increased  costs 
and  diminishing  savings  are  believed 
to  be  the  primary  factors  but  are  ex- 
pected to  be  overcome  in  part  by  low 
cost  club  tours,  when  needed  to  stimu- 
late tourist  business,  when  new  trans- 
portation equipment  and  hotel  con- 
struction are  available. 

Nearly  40  per  cent  of  New  York's 
tourists  travel  by  train.  Automobiles 
rank  second  and  planes  third  as  car- 
riers, the  survey  shows.  Minimum  ex- 
penditures are  placed  at  $20  daily  per 
person,  with  more  than  35  per  cent 
spending  between  $200  and  $499  and 
27.5  per  cent  spending  from  $500  to 
$999. 


French  Leave 

{Monogram) 

JACKIE  COOPER  and  Jackie  Coogan,  shipmates,  have  exciting  and 
vl  amusing  adventures  on  shore-leave  as  carefree,  girl-in-every-port  sailors 
who  get  mixed  up  continually  in  situations  which  result  in  their  getting  a 
beating.  It  is  an  average  program  picture. 

After  they  complete  a  trip  with  Ralph  Sanford,  their  chief,  they  decide  to 
ship  out  on  another  boat.  However,  they  find  Sanford  on  the  same  ship  and 
again  they  are  in  trouble.  The  boat  arrives  at  Marseilles  and  the  boys  are 
assigned  to  guard  the  ship's  cargo,  causing  complications  because  they  had 
a  date  on  shore.  They  are  highjacked  and  a  black  market  gang  steals  the 
cargo  of  foodstuffs.  There  is  much  confusion  as  the  police,  Sanford  and  the 
racketeers  search  for  the  two  after  they  elude  the  gang.  The  film  was  pro- 
duced by  Sid  Luft  and  directed  by  Frank  McDonald. 

Running  time,  63  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  April  25. 


"The  Bold  Frontiersman" 

{Republic) 

THE  stalwart  hero  of  this  outdoor  adventure  is  Allan  (Rocky)  Lane.  An 
abundance  of  fisticuffs  and' gunplay  should  make  the  offering  pleasing 
to  Western  fans. 

Lane  rides  into  town  and  finds  that  local  ranchers  are  collecting  money  to 
build  a  water  project  because  a  drought  is  destroying  the  land.  The  gambling 
casino  owner  is  the  leader  of  a  gang  which  attempts  to  steal  the  money.  The 
son  of  the  rancher,  in  charge  of  the  money,  is  in  debt  to  the  gamblers,  but 
the  gamblers  frame  the  lad  and  he  is  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  However, 
Lane  knows  that  the  boy  is  innocent  and  gathers  the  necessary  evidence  to 
prove  that  the  gambler  committed  a  murder  and  stole  the  funds.  Eddy  Waller 
is  the  sheriff,  and  Roy  Marcroft,  the  scheming  gambler.  Gordon  Kay  was 
associate  producer  and  Philip  Ford  directed.  Bob  Williams  wrote  the  original. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  April  15. 


"Crossed  Trails 

{Monogram) 

JOHNNY  MACK  BROWN,  a  favorite  among  Western  performers  tracks 
down  and  captures  a  band  of  outlaws  in  a  manner  which  should  interest 
his  fans.  There  are  the  usual  outdoor  sceries  and  action  sequences. 

The  story  centers  about  a  13-year-old  girl  who  owns  a  ranch  which  con- 
tains valuable  water  rights.  The  local  saloon  owner  attempts  to  seize  the 
land  and  frames  the  girl's  guardian,  played  by  Raymond  Hatton,  and  he  is 
put  in  jail  on  a  murder  charge.  A  nearby  rancher  who  knew  that  the  guardian 
did  not  commit  the  murder  is  kidnapped  by  the  desperadoes.  Brown  rescues 
the  rancher  and  he  admits  the  truth  in  time  to  save  the  innocent  one.  The 
film  was  produced  by  Louis  Gray  and  directed  by  Lambert  Hillyer,  from 
Colt  Remington's  screenplay. 
Running  time,  53  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  April  11. 


Tax  Filing 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


designated  Federal  Reserve  bank. 
Quarterly,  they  make  out  a  return  to 
the  Government,  merely  attaching 
bank  receipts  as  payment  for  the  taxes 
which  the  return  shows  are  due. 

If  the  depositary  method  were  ap- 
plied to  social-security  payroll  taxes 
and  excises,  as  recommended,  each  ex- 
hibitor and  other  taxpayer  could  make 
one  monthly  remittance  to  an  approved 
bank,  with  a  simple  statement  attached 
showing  the  breakdown  for  each  tax. 
The  Federal  Reserve  bank  would  re- 


CORRECTION 

Paramount  Trade  Screening 

in  ALBANY 

The  correct  time  of  showings  is: 
April  30th 

"THE  EMPEROR  WALTZ"  8  P.M. 

May  4th 

"DREAM  GIRL"  8  P.M. 

"WATERFRONT  AT  MIDNIGHT"  .  .  .  2:30  P.  M. 

At  Fox  Projection  Room,  1052  Broadway 


port  to  the  Collector  of  Internal  Rev 
enue  by  types  of  taxes.  The  taxpay 
er's  annual  return  would  be  adopted 
for  a  fiscal  year  ending  at  some  date 
other  than  December  31,  in  order  to 
reduce  the  peak  load  now  occurring 
in  the  first  quarter  of  the  year. 

The  advisory  group's  report  also 
recommends  making  the  returns  filed 
for  excises  disclose  more  information 
than  at  present.  Most  returns  now 
filed  on  excises,  it  adds,  "do  not  pro- 
vide a  basis  for  any  office  audit  or  an- 
alysis. They  serve  no  purpose  other 
than  to  add  to  the  amount  of  paper 
work  in  the  Bureau."  If  more  com- 
prehensive annual  returns  were  sub- 
stituted for  the  present  quarterly  and 
monthly  returns,  the  advisory  commit- 
tee states,  "the  return  itself  could  be 
made  to  afford  the  basis  of  an  intelli- 
gent selection  of  cases  for  further  in- 
vestigation or  field  audit." 

The  statistical  section  of  the  report 
shows  the  tremendous  growth  in  ad- 
mission tax  collections  in  recent  years. 
The  tax  yield  of  general  admissions 
went  from  $20,000,000  in  1940  to  $393,- 
000,000  in  1947.  Number  of  taxpayers 
— including  theatres,  roof  gardens,  and 
clubs,  but  mostly  film  houses — went 
from  30,000  to  125,000  and  the  number 
of  individual  returns  on  admissions 
and  dues  from  244,000  to  1,010,000. 


Ask  More  Adult,  Less 
Of  Juvenile  Appeal 

Indianapolis,  April  27. — 
Taking  issue  with  exhibitor 
leaders  who  believe  the  in- 
dustry should  make  more  pic- 
tures with  appeal  to  children, 
the  Associated  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Indiana  declares  the 
No.  1  problem  is  how  to  con- 
vert the  millions  of  adult 
non-moviegoers  into 
tomers.  ^  'j 

Attendance  of  a  great  many 
adults  has  been  discouraged 
by  product  "designed  for 
young  minds"  and  by  the 
number  of  children  in  theatre 
audiences,  the  ATOI  observes. 


Trumbo  Trial 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


Two  More  for  Academy 

Columbus,  O.,  April  27. — Two  new 
theatres  in  the  Academy  circuit,  the 
Old  Trail  and  the  Lane,  are  scheduled 
to  open  before  fall. 


and  intentional  policy  of  discrimina- 
tion with  respect  to  occupation  and 
place  of  birth"  in  the  selection  of 
jurors.  Questioning  by  Jury  Commis- 
sioner E.  G.  Bliss  is  due  to  continue 
tomorrow. 

Cite  Precedent  on  Venue 

Defense  counsel  based  its  motion  for 
a  change  of  venue  on  a  recent  Su- 
preme Court  ruling  to  review  a  nar- 
cotics conviction  by  a  jury  which  in- 
cluded one  Treasury  Department  em- 
ployee and  the  wife  of  another. 

Earlier  Justice  Pine  denied  a  defense 
motion  for  a  continuance  of  several 
weeks  until  Rep.  J.  Parnell  Thomas, 
chairman  of  the  House  Un-American 
Activities  Committee,  is  well  enough 
to  testify  or  make  a  deposition  from 
his  hospital  bed.  The  clerk  was  in- 
formed that  Thomas  will  be  unavail- 
able for  an  indefinite  period. 

The  court  sustained  the  contentions 
of  _  Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William 
Hitz  that  Thomas  was  not  an  indis- 
pensable witness,  and  that  committee 
members  John  McDowell  and  Richard 
Vail  and  Chief  investigator  Robert 
Stripling  could  supply  necessary  evi- 
dence. 

Thomas  Sought  by  Defense 

Defense  counsel  Charles  Katz  de- 
clared that  Thomas  would  be  "crucial" 
to  the  establishment  of  defense  con- 
tentions that  the  probe  on  Commu- 
nism in  motion  pictures  was  illegally 
conducted. 

Date  for  arguments  before  Judge 
Curran  on  the  motion  for  a  new  trial 
for  Lawson  was  postponed  to  May  21. 

Chief  defense  counsel  Robert  W. 
Kenny  announced  at  the  close  of  to- 
day's proceedings  that  M-G-M's  L.  B. 
Mayer,  National  Board  of  Review  ex- 
ecutive Richard  Griffith,  and  Screen 
Writers'  Guild  official  Philip  Dunne 
had  been  subpoenaed. 

'Secrecy  of  Guild  Membership' 

Kenny  said  that  Dunne  would  testi- 
fy that  it  is  necessary  to  keep  the 
Guild  membership  list  secret.  Griffith 
was  the  first  defense  witness  called  in 
the  Lawson  trial.  Mayer  was  not  per- 
mitted to  testify  at  it. 


Build  New  Drive-In 

Michigan  City,  Ind.,  April  27. — 
Construction  of  a  1,000-car  drive-in,  to 
cost  $300,000,  is  underway  here.  Op- 
erators will  be  the  Manta  Rose  Cir- 
cuit and  Dunelake  Theatre  Corp. 


Wednesday,  April  28,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


11 


Tax-Free  Plan 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


verse  recommendation  from  the 
Treasury  would  not  kill  the  proposal. 
Another  committee  member  said  that 
a  majority  of  those  present  seemed  to 
favor  the  proposed  change,  but  that 
there  was  "some  very  sharp  and  de- 
cided dissenting  voices." 

Industry-Treasury  Talks 

p2  j  company  representatives  have 
alreisy  approached  the  Treasury  De- 
partment with  the  plan.  Officials  in 
the  lower  echelons  were  opposed,  it 
,was  understood,  but'  Under-Secretary 
Wiggins  was  reported  as  willing  to 
consider  it. 

Colin  Stam,  chief  of  staff  for  the 
joint  Congressional  committee  on  in- 
ternal revenue  taxation,  said  he  per- 
sonally favored  the  proposal.  Stain's 
recommendations  are  extremely 
weighty  in  the  deliberations  of  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee. 

In  presenting  the  proposal  to  the 
House  group  today  without  recom- 
mendations, the  staff  of  the  joint  com- 
mittee pointed  out  that  if  the  District 
Court  decree  in  the  Paramount  case  is 
upheld,  motion  picture  companies  may 
either  sell  out  properties  where  they 
have  more  than  a  five  per  cent  interest 
and  less  than  95  per  cent  to  the  inde- 
pendent, joint  owner,  or  to  other  par- 
ties, or  may  with  the  court's  approval 
acquire  the  interest  of  the  independent 
joint  owners.  It  is  said  that  if  the 
companies  sell  out  in  one  locality  and 
buy  out  independents  in  another,  un- 
der present  laws  they  would  have  to 
pay  a  tax  on  any  gain  in  the  first 
transaction  even  though  all  of  the  pro- 
ceeds are  reinvested  in  the  second 
transaction. 

'Involuntary  Conversion' 

"The  proposal,"  said  the  staff,  "is  to 
treat  as  an  involuntary  conversion  un- 
der Subsection  112  (F)  a  sale  or  ex- 
change of  property  and  the  investment 
of  the  proceeds  in  the  same  or  similar 
assets  which  is  necessary  or  appropri- 
ate in  order  to  comply  with  a  court 
decree  in  a  civil  proceeding  under  the 
Sherman  Act.  This  means  that  there 
would  be  no  gain  or  loss  recognized 
on  the  reinvestment  of  the  assets  in 
question." 

The  staff  said  that  proponents  of 
the  step  argued  that  precedent  for  the 
action  can  be  found  in  the  break-up  of 
the  public  utility  holding  companies 
and  laws  governing  disposal  of  radio 
stations  under  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission  orders. 

Object  to  'Favored  Treatment' 

Opponents,  the  staff  continued,  "ob- 
ject to  the  provision  of  favored  tax 
treatment  for  persons  who  are  in 
violation  of  so  basic  a  statute  as  the 
Sherman  Act.  Proponents  reply  that 
the  penalties  applied  under  the  Sher- 
man Act  are  adequate.  They  question 
the  imposition  of  additional  tax  penal- 
ties, especially  since  the  amount  of  the 
latter  is  not .  related  to  the  actions 
which  constituted  a  violation  of  the 
anti-trust  legislation." 


Record  for  'Dreams' 

New  box-office  and  attendance  rec- 
ords are  claimed  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Playhouse  for  the  first  three  days  of 
the  run  of  Hans  Richter's  "Dreams 
That  Money  Can  Buy,"  according  to 
the  management.  Hitting  a  gross  of 
$4,000  with  6,231  patrons,  the  surreal- 
ist film  exceeds  by  over  25  per  cent 
the  figure  set  by  any  previous  film  at 
the  house,  it  was  said. 


OVERFLOW  PRAISE 

for 


Continued  from  Page8&9 


"One  of  the  big  treats  of  the  season  ...  a  manhunt 

of  tense  excitement."  —World-Telegram 

•  •  • 

"When  you  hear  the  musical  chime  at  the  end  of 
this  review... it  will  be  the  time  for  all  devotees 
of  detective  films  to  make  a  mental  memorandum 

to  see  it  without  possible  fail."        —N.  Y.  Times 

•  •  • 

"Tense  melodrama,  a  ting-ling  whodunit .  . .  One 
of  the  slickest  suspense  films  seen  hereabouts  in 


some  time  . . . 


— Journal-American 


"A  winner  in  the  spine-tingling  sweepstakes,  a 
cold,  tense,  brilliant  job  that  works  up  a  hot  fe- 
ver of  excitement  ...  As  far  as  cold-blooded 
thrillers  are  concerned,  they  just  don't  come  any 


better  than  'The  Big  Clock'." 


■Brooklyn  Eagle 


"High-styled,  lively  entertainment . . .  The  char- 
acters are  magnificent."  —  PM 

•       •  • 

"Smooth,  slick,  entertaining  stuff  .  .  .  goes  like 
clockwork,  steady,  unrelenting,  and  with  con- 
stantly mounting  suspense."  —Post 


WATCH  THAT 


H  ow  bright? 

That  is  the  $64  question  in 
movie  projection,  because  crater 
brightness  is  the  key  to  screen 
brightness,  audience  approval, 
and  big  box  office. 

National  Carbon  Company 
answers  the  question  with  the 
"traveling  eye,"  shown  above. 
With  scientific  accuracy,  this 
photoelectric  cell  in  the  metal 
tube,  traveling  across  the  actual 
crater  image,  measures  the 
brightness  of  the  "National" 
High  Intensity  arc.  Results  show 
that  the  brightness  of  "National" 
carbon  arcs  rivals  that  of  the 


sun  itself! 

This  means  that  by  using  "Na- 
tional" High  Intensity  projector 
carbons  you  obtain  the  brightest 
light  available  for  movie  projec- 
tion. At  the  same  time,  you  obtain 
light  with  a  nearly  perfect  color 
balance.  Your  color  movies  glow 
with  rich  vividness!  Your  black- 
and-white  pictures  sparkle! 
Good  business! 


WHEN  YOU  ORDER 
PROJECTOR  CARBONS  - 
ORDER  "NATIONAL"! 


The  term  "National"  is  a  registered  trade-mark  of  National  Carbon  Company,  Inc. 


NATIONAL  CARBON    COMPANY,  INC. 


Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 
30  East  42nd  Street.  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 


Division  Sales  Offices:  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Dallas, 
Kansas  City  ,  New  York,  Pittsburgh',  San  Francisco 


till  copy 

PO  NO 


^itmoN  picture 


0*1* 


P  rr> 


1CTUS£  ^soc.  op 


I LY 


Accurate 
Concise 


Impartial 


Vfv^j63.  NO.  83 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  APRIL  29,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Loop  Theatres 
Face  Product 
Shortage  Soon 

2-Week  Run  L  i  m  it  of 
Decree  Speeds  Playoff 

Chicago,  April  28. — A  number 
of  Chicago's  first-run  Loop  theatres 
are  sure  to  feel  a  product  shortage 
in  consequence  of  the  two-week 
limitation  of  Loop  runs  imposed  upon 
them  by  the  Jackson  Park  Theatre 
court  decree,  observers  here  believe. 

The  situation  promises  to  become 
acute  for  the  Balaban  and  Katz  Apollo 
when  "Gentleman's  Agreement"  com- 
pletes a  25-week  run  there  on  May  6. 
The  picture  received  a  new  lease  on 
life  after  winning  the  Academy 
Award  and  thereby  helped  forestall 
the  inevitable  problem  of  finding  new 
prodtfct  for  the  house  every  two  weeks 
after  "Agreement"  leaves. 

The  product  pinch  already  has  been 
felt  at  the  Garrick,  Roosevelt  and 
United  Artists,  the  latter  two  having 
been  forced  to  play  a  number  of  re- 
issues in  weeks  when  new  top  grade 
product  was  not  available.  The  Gar- 
rick tried  out  a  third-run  policy, 
which  was  unsuccessful.  It  now  alter- 
nates its  policy,  playing  an  occasional 
first-run  when  product  is  available. 

RKO,  with  only  two  theatres  to 
worry  about,  is  not  as  seriously 
pressed  for  films,  being  supplied  with 
its  own  and  Universal  product. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  eight  Loop 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


US  vs.  Ascap  Trust 
Suit  Off  to  May  18 

Hearing  on  Ascap's  request  that 
Broadcast  Music  be  included  as  a  de- 
fendant in  the  Government's  anti-trust 
action  against  the  society  has  been  set 
back  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here  from 
tomorrow  to  May  18. 

The  Government  is  seeking  to  have 
references  to  BMI  stricken  from 
Ascap's  answer  to  the  anti-trust 
charges.  The  society  is  accused  of  il- 
legal participation  in  a  worldwide  car- 
tel and  conspiracy  to  monopolize 
music-performing  rights. 


'Bob  Mochrie  Weeks' 
In  Depinet  Drive 

Last    three    weeks    of    the  "Ned 
Depinet  1948  Drive"  are  being  ob 
served  as  "Bob  Mochrie  Weeks,"  for 
RKO    Radio's    domestic  distribution 
vice-president. 


Gael  Sullivan  to 
TOA  in  Coyne's  Post 

Washington,  April  28. — Gael  Sul- 
livan, executive  director  of  the  Demo- 
cratic national  committee,  announced 
today  he  is  resigning  to  become  "ex- 
ecutive vice-president"  ctf  Theatre 
Owners  of  America. 

Sullivan  said  he  would  assume  his 
new  duties  on  June  1.  While  he  gave 
no  salary,  most  popular  rumor  here  is 
that  he  will  draw  $50,000  a  year. 
Sullivan  merely  said  the  TOA  offer 
was  "so  attractive"  it  would  be  unfair 
to  his  family  not  to  take  it. 

The  announcement  came  as  a  com- 
plete surprise  to  most  industry  officials 
here,  including  TOA  officials.  When  it 
was  first  rumored  that  Sullivan  would 
take  a  job  with  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry, it  was  assumed  he  would  take 
over  Donald  Nelson's  former  post  as 
president  of  the  Society  of  Indepen- 
dent Motion  Picture  Producers.  The 
post  is  still  vacant. 

One  TOA  official  questioned  the 
legality  of  the  situation,  claiming  that 

(Continued  on  parte  3) 


Nebraska  Exhibitors 
Join  TOA  Ranks 


Omaha,  April  28. — Nebraska  Thea- 
men's  Association  climbed  on  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  America  band- 
wagon at  a  meeting  held  here  yester- 
day. 

The  decision  was  made  after  TOA 
president  Ted  Gamble  called  for  unit- 
ed exhibitor  action  and  urged  theatre 
owners  to  "step  in  and  fight"  criticism 
of  the  industry. 

Gamble  urged  exhibitors  to  tell  the 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Thomas  Group  Wants 
To  Watch  Hollywood 

Washington,  April  28.— The 
House  Un-American  Activi- 
ties Committee  is  considering 
setting  up  a  Los  Angeles  of- 
fice, an  important  function  of 
which  would  be  to  "keep  an 
eye  on"  the  film  industry,  a 
committee  member  disclosed 
today. 

The  committee  today  voted 
out  a  bill  which  would,  in 
effect,  outlaw  the  Communist 
Party  in  its  present  form. 
The  bill  may  pass  the  House 
but  is  likely  to  die  in  the  Sen- 
ate. 


Permit  Trumbo  to 
Question  Thomas 


Washington,  April  28. — Federal 
Judge  David  A.  Pine  today  ruled  that 
counsel  for  screen  writer  Dalton 
Trumbo  could  obtain  a  bedside  deposi- 
tion from  J.  Parnell  Thomas,  chair- 
man of  the  House  Un-American  Ac- 
tivities Committee. 

Pine  recessed  the  trial  until  tomor- 
row morning  so  that  defense  and  Gov- 
ernment attorneys  could  question  the 
ailing  Congressman  at  Walter  Reed 
Hospital.  Thomas  is  suffering  from  a 
liver  ailment  resulting  from  plasma 
and  blood  transfusions  given  him  in 
February,  when  he  suffered  an  attack 
of  gastro-intestinal  hemorrhages. 

Pine's  ruling  reversed  a  decision  yes- 
terday, when  he  held  that  Thomas  was 
not  necessary  as  a  witness,  and  was 
made  over  vigorous  protests  by  Assis- 
tant U.  S.  Attorney  William  B.  Hitz. 


Television  Newsreel 
For  N.  Y.  Daily  News 


Development  of  a  television  news- 
reel  will  be  included  in  the  New  York 
Daily  News'  video  plans  when  the 
newspaper's  television  station,  WPIX, 
starts  operations  in  June.  This  was 
disclosed  here  yesterday  by  F.  M. 
Flynn,  president  and  general  manager 
of  the  News,  at  a  luncheon-meeting  of 
the  American  Television  Society  at 
the  Hotel  Astor. 

Flynn  said  that  the  News  will  offer 
the  video  reel  "with  other  programs 
which  are  developed  for  syndication." 
He  explained  that  "we  are  greatly  in- 
terested in  film  syndication  and  believe 
this  type  of  program  handling  will 
play  a  most  important  role  in  tele- 
vision for  several  years." 

Flynn  said,  "The  importance  of  film 
for  all  types  of  television  program- 


ming makes  highly  desirable  the  de- 
velopment of  a  basis  for  working  in 
cooperation  with  the  motion  picture 
industry."  He  asserted  that  WPIX's 
acquisition  of  U.  S.  television  rights 
to  24  films  produced  by  Sir  Alexander 
Korda  "may  be  a  step  in  the  right 
direction." 

"Recent  reports  and  discussions  in- 
dicate that  some  of  the  motion  picture 
people  are  looking  upon  television 
more  receptively,"  Flynn  said.  "Mo- 
tion pictures  and  television  can  help 
each  other.  I  have  no  criticism  of  those 
in  the  motion  picture  industry  whose 
position  regarding  television  is  influ- 
enced by  what  they  believe  to  be  best 
for  their  business.  Yet,  I  again  urge 
them  to  review  the  matter"  so  that  a 
plan  to  benefit  all  can  be  devised. 


Admission  Tax 
Income  Higher 
Than  Year  Ago 

$1,664,747  Increase  in 
March  Over  March  1947 

Washington,  April  28.  —  Gen- 
eral Treasury  admission  tax  collec- 
tions in  March,  reflecting  February 
box-office  business,  totaled  $30,461,- 
572,  compared  to  $28,796,825  in 
March,  1947,  according  to  figures  re- 
leased here  today  by  the  Bureau  of 
Internal  Revenue. 

This  was  the  first  time  in  three 
months  that  tax  collections  exceeded 
collections  of  a  year  earlier. 

General  admission  tax  figures  in- 
clude admissions  to  legitimate  thea- 
tres, sports  events,  and  other  enter- 
tainment in  addition  to  motion  picture 
theatres,  but  do  not  include  cabaret 
taxes  and  taxes  on  leases  of  boxes  or 
seats  and  various  overcharges.  Col- 
lections of  the  general  admission  tax 
and  all  of  these  other  taxes  in  March 
totaled  $34,426,156,  compared  to  $33,- 
223,139  a  year  ago. 


Remittances  Tied  to 
Recovery  Program 

Motion  Picture  Association  of 
A  merica  has  placed  its  hopes  for 
liquidating  its  members'  frozen  earn- 
ings in  Europe  squarely  on  a  success- 
ful European  Recovery  Program,  it 
was  indicated  here  yesterday  by  an 
MPAA  spokesman.  He  pointed  out 
that  although  MPAA  companies  have 
succeeded  limitedly  in  getting  funds 
out  of  Italy  and  one  or  two  other 
European  countries  through  interna- 
tional trading  channels,  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  get  remittances  in  substan- 
tial form  if  the  ERP  does  not  suc- 
ceed. 

"Once  ERP  begins. to  succeed,"  the 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Expect  No  Changes 
In  Pact  on  UK  Tax 


Although  British  Board  of  Trade 
president  Harold  Wilson  told  House 
of  Commons  members  recently  under 
pressure  of  oppositional  questioning 
that  several  changes  may  be  made  in 
the  Anglo-American  tax  settlement 
agreement,  it  was  indicated  by  a  top 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica spokesman  here  yesterday  that  no 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  April  29,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

EJ.    MANNIX,    M-G-M  studio 
*    executive,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  the  Coast. 

• 

Delight  Evans,  editor  of  Screen- 
land,  will  leave  here  today  for  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

Arthur  Sachson,  Samuel  Goldwyn 
Prod,  general  sales  manager,  left  here 
yesterday  for  the  Midwest. 

Jack  Ellis,  United  Artists  New 
York   district   manager,   will  return 
here  today  from  Oneida,  N.  Y. 
• 

David  Hopkins,  assistant  to  Enter- 
prise president  Charles  Einfeld,  is 
due  here  tomorrow  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Ben  Goetz,  M-G-M  British  pro- 
duction head,  will  leave  here  today 
by  plane  for  London. 

• 

Max  Weinberg,  M-G-M  Eastern 
shorts  representative,  is  due  in  In- 
dianapolis today  from  New  York. 
• 

Irving  Asher  is  in  town  -from  the 
Coast. 

• 

Sir  Alexander  Korda  will  leave 
New  York  today  for  Hollywood. 
• 

N.   Peter  Rathvon,  president  of 
RKO,  is  in  New  York  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Arden  G.  Davidson  has  taken  over 
the  Nancy  Theatre,  Bridgewater,  S.  D. 

200  at  MPAA  Fete 
For  Thomas  McCabe 

Washington,  April  2  8.  —  Top 
Washington  officials,  including  Attor- 
ney General  Tom  Clark,  former  Sec- 
retary of  State  James  Byrnes,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  Snyder,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  Krug  and  Speaker 
of  the  House  Joe  Martin  were  among 
200  officials  and  press  representatives 
who  attended  the  reception  tendered  by 
Eric  A.  Johnston,  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America  president,  for 
Thomas  B.  McCabe,  new  chairman  of 
the  Federal  Reserve  Board. 

Daylight  Saving 
For  the  Capital 

Washington,  April  28. — Congress 
today  sent  to  the  White  House  a  bill 
authorizing  District  of  Columbia  com- 
missioners to  put  daylight  saving  time 
into  effect  this  year.  The  commission- 
ers announced  that  if  President  Tru- 
man signs  the  bill — as  expected — they 
will  make  the  change  effective  at  two 
A.M.  this  Sunday. 


Tom  Breneman  Dies 

Encino,  Cal.,  April  28.— Tom 
Breneman  of  the  radio  program, 
"Breakfast  in  Hollywood,"  died  of  a 
heart  attack  at  his  home  here  today. 
Meanwhile  United  Artists  announced 
that  his  only  picture,  "Breakfast  in 
Hollywood,"  will  be  reissued.  The  film 
was  an  Edward  S.  Golden  produc- 
tion, released  in   March,  1946. 


Sees  No  Danger  of 
Freezing  by  Belgium 


An)'  danger  of  freezing  of  Ameri- 
can film  earnings  by  Belgium  was  dis- 
counted here  yesterday  by  Joe  van 
Cottom,  publisher  and  editor  of  that 
country's  Cine  Revue. 

Describing  the  situation  for  U.  S. 
film  interests  there  as  "very  good," 
the  visitor  pointed  out  that  Belgium  is 
one  of  the  two  countries  of  Europe 
where  American  firms  can  receive  dol- 
lars without  restrictions  of  any  kind. 

According  to  Van  Cottom,  the  total 
Belgium  film  gross  in  1947  was  1,200,- 
000,000  francs  (approximately  $27,- 
275,000),  which  he  said  was  about  the 
same  as  for  1946. 

Van  Cottom  asserted  that  70  per 
cent  of  Belgian  screen  entertainment 
consisted  of  U.  S.  films,  British, 
French  and  a  few  Italian  pictures 
making  up  the  remainder.  He  dis- 
closed that  the  Flemish  people  pre- 
ferred American  product,  while  the 
French  portion  of  the  population  fa- 
vored French  productions. 

The  Belgian  will  leave  Saturday  on 
a  two-month  visit  to  the  Coast.  He 
will  take  along  with  him  a  statuette 
for  presentation  to  Samuel  Goldwyn 
for  "The  Best  Years  of  Our  Lives," 
selected  by  the  readers  of  his  publi- 
cation as  the  best  picture  of  1947. 

Finances  Needed  for 
Coast  Fund  Deficit 

Hollywood,  April  28. — "Lowered 
income,  accompanied  by  much  heavier 
relief  demands  upon  resources,"  ac- 
count for  a  $120,020  deficit  experi- 
enced by  the  Motion  Picture  Relief 
Fund  in  1947,  according  to  George 
Bagnall,  chairman  of  the  organiza- 
tion's "Silver  Jubilee"  campaign  to 
enroll  new  donors  and  stimulate  con- 
tributions. 

Bagnall's  report  reveals  that  "un- 
settled conditions  in  the  industry" 
have  reduced  the  contributor  level  to 
"little  more  than  20  per  cent  of  the 
employee  total." 

Unions  Waive  Rules 
For  Academy  Films 

Hollywood,  April  28. — With  James 
C.  Petrillo,  president,  acting  on  behalf 
of  the  American  Federation  of  Mu- 
sicians, and  Roy  Brewer,  IATSE 
West  Coast  representative,  speaking 
for  the  "IA",  directorates  of  all  talent 
and  production  guilds  have  formally 
waived  union  restrictions  on  the  use 
of  music  and  personnel  in  the  indus- 
try's documentary  shorts  being  pro- 
duced by  Grant  Leenhouts  under  spon- 
sorship of  the  Academy  of  Motion 
Picture  Arts  and  Sciences. 

Kalmenson  Promotes 
Adams,  Livingston 

V  ernon  Adams  has  been  named 
branch  manager  of  Warner's  ex- 
change in  Dallas,  moving  up  from  the 
managership  in  Oklahoma  City,  and 
Grover  Livingston,  Oklahoma  City 
salesman,  has  been  promoted  to  man- 
ager in  that  city,  by  Ben  Kalmenson, 
distribution  vice-president.  Both 
changes  become  effective  on  Monday. 


UK  Tax  Pact 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

basic  changes  are  expected  to  be  made 
in  the  agreement  which  was  signed 
by  Wilson  and  MPAA  president  Eric 
A.  Johnston  in  London. 

Allen  Dulles,  MPAA  adviser  on 
foreign  affairs,  "wants  no  changes 
per  se,"  it  was  said. 

The  MPAA  spokesman  said,  how- 
ever, that  the  agreement  may  contain 
in  its  final  official  form  certain  minor 
modifications.  The  basic  structure  of 
'he  Wilson-Johnston  agreement  will 
remain  intact,  however,  he  said. 

It  i«  understood,  meanwhile,  that 
the  British  government  will  make  the 
official  agreement  public  in  the  very 
near  future. 

Foreign  Executives  Meet 

The  so-called  "working  committee" 
of  the  U.  S.  companies'  foreign  "de- 
partment executives  met  here  again 
yesterday  to  seek  a  basis  of  agree- 
ment on  those  features  of  the  settle- 
ment which  the  American  companies 
will  administer  themselves.  Only  about 
two  more  such  meetings  will  be  re- 
quired to  complete  plans  for  a  modus 
operandi,  it  was  said. 


British  Treasury  Restores 
Penny-a-Foot  Import  Tax 

London,  April  28— The  British 
Treasury  today  made  the  order  re- 
voking the  ad  valorem  tax  effective 
May  3,  and  restored  the  import  duties 
previously  in  effect,  namely,  one  penny 
per  foot  of  film,  it  was  announced  by 
the  British  Board  of  Trade. 

Blanket  Licenses  to  Importers 
Confirming  earlier  reports  in  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily,  the  BOT  an- 
nounced also  that  blanket  licenses  will 
be  issued  to  importers  in  the  United 
Kingdom  and  separate  licenses  will  be 
issued  to  each  American  exporter 
from  whom  UK  importers  obtain  their 
films.  Licenses,  however,  will  not  be 
granted  to  American  exporters  until 
each  individual  exporter  signs  an 
agreement  with  the  BOT  binding  him 
to  adhere  to  the  present  tax  agree- 
ment and  any  subsequent  modification 
thereof. 

It  is  understood  that  BOT  presi- 
dent Harold  Wilson  will  outline  on 
Friday  in  the  House  of  Commons  his 
proposals  to  assist  independent  pro- 
ducers with  their  financing  problems. 

UA  To  Begin  Its  U.K. 
Production  July  9 

London,  April  28. — United  Artists' 
British  production  program  will  get 
under  way  here  July  9  under  terms 
of  an  agreement  closed  here  for  use 
of  Riverside  Studios.  A  Mary  Pick- 
ford-Lester  Cowan  drama,  a  Marx 
Brothers  comedy  and  Edward  Small's 
"Lorna  Doone"  will  be  produced  here, 
but  it  is  uncertain  as  yet  which  will 
go  before  the  cameras  first.  Arthur  W. 
Kelly,  UA  executive  vice-president, 
arrived  here  several  days  ago  from 
New  York. 

When  he  came  here  in  January, 
Kelly  reportedly  carried  with  him 
plans  under  which  UA  would  launch 
a  $6,000,000  production  program  here. 
Previous  negotiations  whereby  the 
same  sum  would  be  provided  by  sub- 
stantial British  interests  for  UA  pro- 
duction in  Britain  were  stymied  by  ob- 
jections from  the  British  Treasury. 


Chile  Set  to  Remit 
Some  US  Earnings 


Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  has  persuaded  the  Chilean 
government  to  arrange  for  remittances 
of  at  least  a  portion  of  the  earnings  of 
U.  S.  films  in  that  country,  the 
MPAA  reported  here  yesterday.  Un- 
der the  arrangements  U.  S.  distribu- 
tors in  Chile  will  be  permitted  to  tap 
the  huge  backlog  of  American  pio' 
which  has  piled  up  in  Chilean  ^  SLis 
over  the  past  several  months. 

The  Chilean  government,  it  is  re- 
ported, is  prepared  to  give  the  MPAA 
c®mpanies  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  "previas,"  or  import 
licenses,  which  may  be  used  to  remit 
part  of  the  U.  S.  companies'  earn- 
ings. At  the  same  time  the  licenses 
give  U.  S.  companies  the  right  to 
release  vaulted  pictures. 


Drop  Plans  to  Switch 
Allport,  McCarthy 

Washington,  April  28. — Plans  to 
shift  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  London  representative  Fay 
Allport  to  Paris  and  move  Frank  Mc- 
Carthy to  London  from  Paris  have 
been  abandoned  for  the  time  being,  it 
is  understood  here. 

MPAA  president  Eric  Johnston  has 
reportedly  decided  that  both  Allport 
and  McCarthy  have  been  doing  good 
jobs  in  their  present  posts,  have  built 
up  contacts  and  experience  over  the 
years,  and  that  there  is  no  real  reason 
for  the  shift  at  this  time. 


Because  of  the  many  added  duties 
which  have  fallen  to  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  European  rep- 
resentative F.  W.  Allport  as  a  result 
of  the  British  tax  settlement,  an  ex- 
ecutive assistant  will  be  appointed  in 
the  near  future,  the  MPAA  announced 
here  yesterday. 

DeToth  Has  Plans  for 
Australian  Filming 

Andre  De  Toth,  Hollywood  writer- 
director,  has  arrived  in  Australia  with 
plans  for  "a  $1,000,000  film  producing 
company,"  it  was  disclosed  yesterday 
by  the  official  Australian  Information 
Service's  local  office. 

De  Toth,  it  was  said,  will  talk  with 
Australian  government  officials  this 
week,  and  if  the  discussion  is  satis- 
factory, he  will  form  a  producing  com- 
pany in  Sydney  with  both  American 
and  Australian  capital,  to  make  five 
or  six  films  simultaneously. 


Remittances,  ERP 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

MPAA  spokesman  said,  "U.  S.  pic- 
tures will  begin  to  benefit." 

U.  S.  film  earnings  are  blocked  in 
all  countries  of  the  world  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  so-called  "hard 
currency"  nations  such  as  Switzerland, 
Belgium  and  a  few  South  and  Central 
American  republics,  he  noted.  "Hard" 
currencies  are  those  which  are  closely 
allied  to  the  dollar,  while  "soft"  cur- 
rencies are  tied  to  the  British  pound. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year.  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign:   single  copies,  10c. 


Thursday,  April  29,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LOS  ANGELES 

<^*L-»tie  Big  Clock"  ticked  off  tip-top 
business  at  the  two  Paramounts,  dom- 
inating an  otherwise  uneventful  week. 
Ideal  weather  prevailed.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ended  April  28: 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)  and  SPEED  TO 
SPARE  (Para.)  —  PARAMOUNT  (Down- 
town) (3,595)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$26,500.  (Average:  $21,000) 
THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Hollywood)  (1,407)  (50c  -  60c  -  80c  -  $1.00). 
Gross:  $19,500.  (Average:  $15,000) 
CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.) — GUILD  (965)  (50c-60c-85c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average: 
$7  100) 

CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.)  —  IRIS  (708)  (50c-60c-85c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average: 
$7,100) 

CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep.)— RITZ  (1,376)  (50c-60c-85c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average: 
$10,300) 

CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 
DESERT  (Rep)— STUDIO  (880)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Aver- 
age: $6,900) 

CASBAH  (U-I)  and  MADONNA  OF  THE 

DESERT    (Rep)  —  UNITED  ARTISTS 

(2,100)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross: 

$7,500.    (Average:  $15,400) 

IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M)  and  THE 

HUNTED    (Allied    Artists)  —  EGYPTIAN 

(1,000)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross: 

$8,000.    (Average:  $13,900) 

IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M)  and  THE 

HUNTED     (Allied     Artists)  —  FOX-WIL- 

SHIRE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 

Gross:  $8,000.    (Average:  $13,800) 

IF  WINTER  COMES  (M-G-M)  and  THE 

HUNTED  (Allied  Artists)— LOS  ANGELES 

(2,0%)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross: 

$10,000.    (Average:  $21,200). 

THE   LADY    FROM    SHANGHAI  (Col.) 

and     ADVENTURES     IN  SILVERADO 

(Col.) — HILLSTREET   (2,700)  (50c-60c-80c- 

$1.00).     Gross:  $17,500.     (Average:  $18,300) 

THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)- 

PANTAGES    (2,000)    (50c  -  60c  -  80c  -  $1.00). 

Gross:  $19,500.    (Average:  $17,300) 

THE    MAN    FROM    TEXAS    (E-L)  and 

TAKE  MY  LIFE  (E-L-Rank) — BELMONT 

(1,600)     (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).      Gross:  $5,500. 

(Average:  $6,600) 

THE  MAN  FROM  TEXAS  (E-L  and 
TAKE  MY  LIFE   (E-L-Rank) — EL  REY 


"  'Not  Guilty'  is  a  remarkably 
good  Him." — N.  Y.  POST 

"An  absorbing  steady  sus- 
pense .  .  .  certain  to  gratify 
even  the  most  exacting  audi- 
ence."— N.  Y.  TIMES 

"A  superior  thriller." — N.  Y. 
TRIBUNE 


(861)  (50c  -  60c  -  85c  -  $1.00).  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $7,000) 

THE  MAN  FROM  TEXAS  (E-L)  and 
TAKE  MY  LIFE  (E-L-Rank)— VOGUE 
(800)  (50c  -  60c  -  85c  -  $1.00).  Gross:  $6,000. 
(Average:  $7,500) 

THE  MAN  FROM  TEXAS  (E-L)  and 
TAKE  MY  LIFE  (E-L-Rank) — ORPHEUM 
(.2,210)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $14,300) 

PICADILLY  INCIDENT  (M-G-M) — FOUR 
STAR  (900)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $11,400) 

SCUDDA-HOO!  SCUDDA-HAY!  (20th- 
Fox)  and  MEET  ME  AT  DAWN  (20th- 
Fox)— CHINESE  (2,300)  (50c -60c -85c -$1.00)  6 
days.  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average:  $15,700) 
SCUDDA-HOO!  SCUDDA-HAY!  (20th- 
Fox)  and  MEET  ME  AT  DAWN  (20th- 
Fox)— LOEWS  STATE  (2,500)  (50c-60c-85c- 
$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $23,500.  (Average: 
$21,700) 

SCUDDA-HOO!  SCUDDA-HAY!  (20th- 
Fcx)  and  MEET  ME  AT  DAWN  (20th- 
Fox) — LOYOLA  (1,265)  (50c-60c-85c-$l.OO)  6 
days.  Gross:  $10,500.  (Average:  $10,000) 
SCUDDA,  -  HOO!  SCUDDA  -  HAY!  (20th- 
Fox)  and  MEET  ME  AT  DAWN  (20th- 
Fox)— UPTOWN  (1,716)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
6  days.  Gross:  $13,600.  (Average:  $10,800) 
SMART  WOMAN  (Allied  Artists)  and 
ROCKY  (Mono.) — MUSIC  HALL  (Beverly 
Hills  (900)  (65c -85c -$1.00)  6  days.  Gross: 
$2,000.    (Average:  $4,300) 

SMART  WOMAN  (Allied  Artists)  and 
ROCKY  (Mono.)  —  MUSIC  HALL  (Down- 
town (900)  (65c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross: 
$5,000.  (Average:  $9,600) 
SMART  WOMAN  (Allied  Artists)  and 
ROCKY  (Mono.) — MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii) 
(1,000)  (65c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $2,400. 
(Average:  $5,200) 

SMART    WOMAN    (Allied    Artists)  and 
ROCKY  (Mono.)  —  MUSIC  HALL  (Holly- 
wood)   (490)    (50c  -  60c  -  85c  -  $1.00)   6  days. 
Gross:  $2,000.    (Average:  $4,300) 
WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Downtown)     (3,400)     (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  6 
days.  Gross:  $13,000.  (Average:  $16,300) 
WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Hollywood)   (3,000)   (50c  -  60c  -  80c  -  $1.00)  6 
days.    Gross:  $12,000.     (Average:  $12,400) 
WINTER'  MEETING  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Wiltern)   (2,300)   (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)   6  days. 
Gross:  $13,000.     (Average:  $12,600) 


PITTSBURGH 


"Sitting  Pretty"  opened  to  what  ap- 
pears to  be  a  $15,000  gross  at  the  J.  P. 
Harris  Theatre.  All  other  films  fared 
poorly.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  April  29 : 

FOREIGN  CORRESPONDENT  (Screen 
Guild  reissue)  and  TRADE  WINDS  (Screen 
Guild  reissue)— SENATOR  (1,700)  (44c-60c- 
76c).  Gross:  $3,200.  (Average:  $3,500) 
OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.) — FULTON 
(1,700)  (54c-60c-76c)  6  days.  Gross:  $6,500. 
(Average  for  7  days:  $9,700) 
SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)— J.  P. 
HARRIS  (2,000)  (44c-60c-76c).  Gross:  $15,- 
000.    (Average:  $11,000) 

TARZAN  AND  THE  MERMAIDS  (RKO 

Radio)— WARNER      (2,000)  (44c-60c-76c). 

Gross:  $10,500.     (Average:  $8,000) 

THE    BRIDE   GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

RITZ  (1,100)  (44c-60c-76c)  3rd  week,  on  a 
moveover  from  the  Penn.  Gross :  $2,500. 
(Average:  $3,200) 

THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.) — PENN 
(3,400)  (44c-60c-76c).  Gross:  $12,500.  (Av- 
erage: $15,000) 

TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)— STANLEY  (3,- 
800)  (44c-60c-76c).  Gross:  $12,500.  (Aver- 
age: $15,000) 


"Briffiant,  superb,  highly  en- 
grossing .  .  .  'Not  Guifty'  sets 
a  high  mark."—N.Y.  M/RROR 

NOT  GUILTY 

WITH 

MICHEL  SIMON 
JANY  HOLT 

Andre  LeLarge-E.  CD.  Release 

151  EAST  51st  STREET 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


OMAHA 


Omaha  Theatres  enjoyed  good  bus- 
iness generally.  An  early  spring 
drouth  was  broken  by  a  series  of  rains. 
Estimated  receipts  for  week  ending 
April  28-29 : 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)  —  PARA- 
MOUNT (2,900)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $12,700. 
(Average:  $10,600) 

INTRIGUE  (UA)  and  THE  INSIDE 
STORY  (Rep.)  —  ORPHEUM  (3,000)  (50c- 
65c).  Gross:  $11,100.  (Average:  $9,500) 
THE  MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)  and 
THE  WOMAN  FROM  TANGIER  (Col.)— 
RKO-BRANDEIS  (1,100).  Gross:  $7,300. 
(Average:  $6,800) 

RELENTLESS  (Col.)— STATE  (750)  (50c- 
65c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,200.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)  and  BLIND 
SPOT  (Col.)— OMAHA  (2,000)  (50c-65c) 
2nd  week  for  "Sitting  Pretty,"  on  a  move- 
over  from  the  Paramount.  Gross:  $8,900. 
(Average:  $8,600) 


"Lower  Taxes  Might 
Sell  More  Seats" 

Omaha,  April  28.  —  Senator 
Kenneth  Wherry  (Rep., 
Neb.),  majority  leader  of  the 
Senate,  told  a  Nebraska  The- 
atremen's  Association  meet- 
ing here  that  he  is  not  "so 
sure  but  that  if  we  had  lower 
taxes,  exhibitors  might  sell 
more  seats." 

Lower  taxes,  he  said,  do  not 
always  mean  lower  revenue 
to  Uncle  Sam.  But,  he  point- 
ed out,  if  the  proposed  new 
national  high  budget  is 
passed,  theatre  owners  might 
be  fortunate  to  hold  their 
own  on  taxes  because  the  na- 
tion may  return  to  war-time 
economy.  (The  present  20  per 
cent  ticket  levy  is  a  war-time 
tax.) 


Join  the  TOA 

(Continued  front  page  1) 

public  that  better  pictures  are  being 
produced,  that  they  back  juvenile  de- 
linquency programs  and  what  they 
think  about  a  "whole  set  of  new 
rules"  to  govern  the  industry. 

Senator  Kenneth  Wherry  (Rep., 
Neb.)  praised  theatre  owners  for 
their  war  bond  work  and  told  them 
that  they  should  go  out  into  Nebraska 
and  do  the  greatest  job  of  selling  ever 
done.  "Sell  the  American  way  of 
life,"  he  advised.  "It  is  your  job,"  he 
added,  "to  help  stop  Communism  with- 
in the  confines  of  the  United  States." 

More  than  150  attended  the  meeting, 
held  at  the  Hotel  Fontenelle,  and  at 
which  the  Nebraska  organization's 
president,  Robert  Livingston,  Lt.  Gov. 
Robert  Crosby,  and  Bob  Coyne,  TOA 
executive  director,  also  spoke. 


Loop  Theatres 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

houses  affected  by  the  decree,  changing 
pictures  every  two  weeks,  will  need 
approximately  144  features.  The  three 
houses  not  affected  by  the  decree,  the 
Woods,  Oriental  and  Monroe,  will  ab- 
sorb approximately  28  other  pictures 
the  rest  of  the  year  a  total  of  172. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  situation 
may  create  a  first-run  outlet  for  small- 
er producers,  who  prior  to  the  decree, 
were  seldom  able  to  book  pictures  into 
Loop  houses. 

For  the  time  being,  at  least,  and 
for  the  next  six  to  eight  weeks,  the 
Loop  is  well  set  in  most  houses  with 
top  product. 


Para.  Sales  Meetings 
Start  Here  May  13 

Paramount  divisional  sales  meetings 
will  get  under  way  here  on  May  13-15 
at  the  Hotel  Astor,  to  be  followed  by 
meetings  at  Philadelphia,  May  17-19; 
Chicago,  May  24-26;  Kansas  City, 
June  3-5,  and  San  Francisco,  June  7-9. 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  distribution  vice- 
president,  will  preside  at  all  of  the 
meetings. 


Flexer  Sells  Two 

Memphis,  April  28. — Sale  of  Flexer 
Theatres'  new  drive-in  at  St.  Louis  to 
Fred  Wehrenberg  and  another  in 
Minneapolis  to  Minnesota  Entertain- 
ment Enterprises  was  announced  here 
today  by  David  Flexer,  head  of  Flexer 
Theatres. 


Sullivan  to  TOA 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  TOA  board  of  directors  had  never 
passed  on  Sullivan's  appointment  or 
his  salary. 

Held  Chicago  Fair  Post 

The  44-year-old  Sullivan  was  Sec- 
ond Assistant  Postmaster  General  un- 
der Robert  Hannegan  from  1945  to 
1947,  before  becoming  associated  with 
the  Democratic  committee.  Prior  to 
that  he  was  in  the  Army,  an  official 
of  the  Federal  Housing  Administra- 
tion, administrative  assistant  to  the 
mayor  of  Chicago,  liaison  officer  for 
the  Chicago  World's  Fair,  in  adver- 
tising and  assistant  professor  at  De- 
pauw  University.  He  was  born  in 
Providence  but  considers  himself  a 
Chicagoan  by  adoption.  He  is  married 
and  has  four  children. 


TOA  headquarters  here  issued  a 
belated  confirmation  late  yesterday  of 
Sullivan's  disclosure  that  he  would 
join  the  organization  on  June  1  in  an 
executive  capacity.  The  delay  in  con- 
firming the  Washington  announcement 
was  said  to  have  been  due  to  the  ab- 
sence from  the  city  of  Ted  R.  Gamble, 
president,  who  is  in  Indianapolis  in- 
specting his  theatre  interests  there. 

TOA  said  that  Sullivan  will  be  ex- 
ecutive director,  an  appointive  post, 
and  not  executive  vice-president,  an 
elective  post,  as  stated  by  Sullivan. 
The  difference  is  important  since  the 
appointment  can  be  made  legally  by 
the  TOA  executive  committee,  of 
which  Si  Fabian  is  chairman,  without 
the  approval  of  the  TOA  board  of  di- 
rectors, which  apparently  was  not 
consulted  on  the  appointment,  but 
whose  approval  would  have  been  re- 
quired had  Sullivan  been  given  an 
elective  post. 

Coyne  to  Operate  Theatres 

Sullivan  will  succeed  Robert  W. 
Coyne,  who  has  been  executive  direc- 
tor of  TOA  since  its  formation  last 
September  and  who,  prior  to  that,  held 
the  corresponding  post  with  American 
Theatres  Association.  Coyne  has  indi- 
cated his  intention  of  leaving  the  post 
for  the  past  six  months  or  more.  He 
plans  to  go  into  theatre  operation  but 
whether  with  Gamble  or  not  could  not 
be  learned  yesterday.  Coyne  was  en- 
route  back  to  New  York  ffom  Omaha 
where  he  attended  a  meeting  of  Ne- 
braska Theatre  Owners  with  Gamble. 

Sullivan's  salary  was  not  disclosed 
officially  but  it  was  stated  that  the 
Washington  reports  of  $50,000  annu- 
ally were  too  high.  New  York  reports 
reduce  the  figure  by  about  one-half. 

Video  Relay  Rates 
Effective  May  1 

Washington,  April  28. — The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  to- 
day allowed  proposed  rates  for  tele- 
vision relay  service  to  become  effec- 
tive May  1. 

However,  the  commission  set  for 
June  15  hearings  on  a  protest  by  the 
Television  Broadcasters  Association 
that  the  proposed  rates  are  excessive, 
opening  the  way  for  a  later  reduction 
in  the  rates  if  the  FCC  backs  TBA. 

CBS,  L.  A.  Times  in 
Video  Partnership 

The  Los  Angeles  Times  and  Colum- 
bia Broadcasting  plan  to  join  forces  in 
the  operation  of  a  television  station  at 
Los  Angeles.  The  companies  will  form 
a  new  corporation  to  own  and  operate 
KTTV,  the  station  for  which  The 
Times   holds   a   construction  permit. 


Wa 


the 

BIG 
CLOCK 

b? 

KENNETH  FEARING 

starring 
RAY 

MHLAND 

CHARLES 

LAUGHTON 


staring 
Say 

Milland 

Ann 

Todd 

Geraldtne 

Fitzgerald 


By 

A.  J.  CRONIN 


Robert 

Newton 

James 

Mason 

Deborah 

Kerr 

Emlyn 

Williams 


■ 


Loue 


By 


Volant  foWc* 


CaWert 
Doughs 


THE 
TATLOCK 
MILLION'S 

From  the  pt«y  "Dear  Brother" 

by  Jacque  Duval 

starring 
John 

Lund 

Wanda 

Hendrix 

Barry 

Fitzgerald 

Monty 

Woolley 


■111 
IB 

by 

DAMON  RUNYON 

starring 
Bob  Lucille 

HOPE  BALL 

William 

DEMAREST 

Bruce 

CABOT 


1  J 


WS  Bin  "               ■'  ■*  < 

Hi 

Wllur  I 

  ——-^—^—^—^^——g^^—j^K      -  -  — .-  .-  r-;;^,,    .  .  .  ..iS>.'ft'35V*.--E» 

DOKS-OF-THE-YEAR  CLUB 


Night 
has  a 
Thousand 

Eyes 

By 

Cornell  Woolrich 


starring 
Edward  G. 

Hobinson 

Gail 

Russell 

John 

Lund 


IORRI 
WRON 
NUMBER 


starring 
Barbara 

Stanwyck 

Burt 

Lancaster 

Ann 

Richards 


A  HAL  WALLiS 

Prpduefiem 


He  gives  the  scene  its  French  accent... 


PLAINLY,  everything  about  this  scene 
says  Paris — though  filmed  in  a  studio  far 
from  France. 

For  the  property  man  has  provided 
the  French  accent  in  every  eloquent  de- 
tail, fixing  unmistakably  the  picture's 
time  and  place. 

And  with  equal  ingenuity  this  latter- 
day  Aladdin  can  bring  forth  the  prop- 
erties that  effectively  point  up  any  city, 


any  century  .  .  .  can  put  pioneer  or 
princeling  "in  his  place." 

Thus,  through  him,  motion  pictures 
take  on  atmosphere  and  color;  the  realm 
of  make-believe  becomes  believable. 
Yet  the  full  effect  of  his  achievement 
might  well  be  lost  except  for  faithful 
photographic  reproduction.  This  is  pro- 
vided— in  full  measure — by  the  famous 
family  of  Eastman  motion  picture  films. 


EASTMAN   KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT   LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


I2oJ!^*J?°P*  DO  NOT 


MOTION  PICTURE 


FIRST  x  x      *  *       ^  _____  Accurate 

IN  B  ^    A     TT  TT    ,^L7r  Concise 

FILM  ■    ■  /m     ■      ■  and 

news  J_L_r__r-__^  __L  JL/  JL  |mPartial 


VO_   63.  NO.  84  NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  FRIDAY,  APRIL  30,  1948  TEN  CENTS 


Americans  to 
Film  12  Yearly 
In  U.  K.  :  Rank 

'Can  Use  Unremittahle 
Funds  27  Other  Ways' 


London,  April  29. — American 
producers  can  be  expected  to  pro- 
duce in  England  a  maximum  of  12 
pictures  a  year  under  the  terms  of 
the  British  ad  valorem  tax  settlement 
agreement,  J.  Arthur  Rank  said  today 
following  his  return  from  a  five-week 
visit  in  the  U.  S.  He  said  there  is 
no  fear  that  American  production  will 
swamp  U.  K.  studios  to  the  detriment 
of  British  production. 

Under  the  tax  agreement,  said 
Rank,  American  companies  have  28 
methods  for  utilizing  their  unremit- 
tahle earnings,  and  the  method  least 
likely  to  be  used  to  any  great  extent 
is  film  production,  because  U.  S.  com- 
panies are  required  to  wait  two  years 
before  they  recover  production  costs. 

By  the  27  other  methods,  the  British 
industry  leader  said,  Americans  can 
secure  proceeds  almost  immediately. 
Among  the  27  are  the  opening  to 
Americans   to   buy   South  American 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Quiz  Wilson  on  US 
Studios  in  England 


London,  April  29. — Only  three 
American  companies — 20th  Century- 
Fox,  Warners,  and  M-G-M — own  stu- 
dios in  Britain,  Harold  Wilson,  presi- 
dent of  the  British  Board  of  Trade, 
today  told  the  House  of  Commons  in 
reply  to  questions  on  U.  S. -owned  film 
studio  facilities  here.  He  added,  how- 
ever, that  20th-Fox's  studio  cannot  be 
used  for  feature  production  without 
extensive  repairs  due  to  war  damages. 

Under  further  questioning  in  Com- 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Yeah,  More  Stable 
Than  Politics,  Too 

Washington,  April  29. — Re- 
mark by  Attorney  General 
Tom  Clark  overheard  at  Eric 
Johnston's  reception  for  Fed- 
eral Reserve  Board  Chair- 
man McCabe:  "That  (Gael) 
Sullivan  selection  is  a  won- 
derful choice.  TOA  will  go  far 
with  people  like  Gael  and 
(Ted)  Gamble  at  the  helm." 


Quarterly  Income 
Of  Four  Companies 
Rose  $4,400,000 

Washington,  April  29. — Sales  of 
four  film  companies  totaled  $63,942,- 
000  in  the  last  quarter  of  1947,  $4,400,- 
000  above  the  $59,540,000  reported  in 
the  third  quarter,  and  $5,000,000  over 
the  $58,994,000  reported  for  the  1946 
fourth  quarter,  the  Securities  and  Ex- 
change Commission  disclosed  here  to- 
day. 

Usually  the  SEC's  quarterly  figures 
cover  seven  or  eight  film  companies. 
Today,  only  Columbia,  RKO,  Republic 
and  Universal  were  listed.  All  but 
Republic  gained  over  the  third 
quarter. 

Following  is  a  company-by-company 
breakdown :  Columbia :  1947,  fourth 
quarter,  $7,172,000;  third  quarter,  $6,- 
475,000;  (fourth,  1946,  $5,670,000). 
RKO  :  1947,_  fourth  quarter,  $31,552,- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Trumbo  Trial  Jury 
Picked;  Case  Opens 


Washington,  April  29. — A  jury  of 
seven  men  and  five  women  was  chosen 
today  to  try  screen  writer  Dalton 
Trumbo  on  two  charges  of  contempt 
of  Congress. 

The  author  of  the  film  versions  of 
"Kitty  Foyle"  and  "30  Seconds  Over 
Tokyo"  is  accused  of  refusing  to  tell 
a  House  Un-American  Activities  sub- 
committee whether  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Screen  Writers  Guild  and  whether 
he  ever  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Communist  Party. 

Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William 
B.  Hitz  limited  his  opening  address 
to  the  jury,  which  includes  seven 
(Continued  on  page  3) 

Holland  Admission 
Tax  Raised  to  35% 

By  PHILIP  DE  SCHAAP 

Amsterdam,  April  26  (By  Air- 
mail).— Holland's  20  per  cent  theatre 
admission  tax  has  been  increased  to 
an  average  of  35  per  cent.  Further,  at 
least  500  meters  of  cultural  films — 
such  as  newsreels  and  educational 
shorts — must  be  included  in  each  pro- 
gram or  the  tax  is  increased  to  45 
per  cent.  Admissions  here  range  from 
30  to  95  cents. 

The  increased  taxes  have  been  put 
into  effect  by  laws  of  the  various  mu- 
nicipalities, but  the  cities  were  under 
pressure  from  the  central  government 
to  enact  laws.  The  only  concession 
offered  the  exhibitor  is  permission  to 
increase  evening  prices  if,  at  the  same 
time,  afternoon  prices  are  reduced. 


Fred  Ahlert  Named 
President  of  Ascap 


Fred  Ahlert,  writer  long  active  in 
its  affairs,  was  elected  president  of 
Ascap  at  the  society's  annual  board 
meeting  here  yesterday.  He  succeeds 
Deems  Taylor. 

Only  other  new  officer  named  was 
Frank  Connor,  who  replaces  Ray 
Henderson  as  assistant  treasurer. 

Retained  in  office  were  Gustave 
Schirmer  and  Oscar  Hammerstein  II, 
vice-presidents ;  George  W.  Meyer, 
secretary  ;  Louis  Bernstein,  treasurer ; 
Donald  Gray,  assistant  secretary. 


Mayer  Sells  Rialto, 
Heads  for  Video 


Closing  of  the  deal  by  which  James 
Mage,  Laffmovie  Circuit  owner  and 
foreign  film  distributor,  takes  over  the 
Rialto  Theatre  from  Arthur  Mayer 
and  associates,  which  has  been  in 
work  for  months,  was  finally  an- 
nounced by  Mayer  yesterday. 

Mayer  said  he  sold  out,  reportedly 
for  $320,000  for  the  remaining  seven 
and  one-half  years  of  his  lease,  be- 
cause the  Rialto  was  "too  successful." 
He  operated  the  house  for  the  past  15 
years.  In  the  old  days,  he  explained, 
risks  and  uncertainties  were  enjoyable. 
Success  has  taken  the  fun  out  of  the 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


5  Industry  Shorts 
Near  Completion 


Washington,  April  29. — Five  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Asociation-Acad- 
emy's  industry  film  series  are  well 
along  towards  completion,  it  was 
learned  here  today. 

A  rough  cut  of  the  first  of  the 
series,  RKO  Radio's  "Let's  Go  to  the 
Movies,"  will  be  ready  in  about  two 
weeks.  Cary  Grant  and  Rosalind  Rus- 
sell will  do  the  commentary. 

Warner  Brothers  is  slated  to  have  a 
rough  cut  of  "This  Theatre  and  You" 
ready  in  10  days.  "Movies  Are  Ad- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 

Screen  Guild  Plans 
Expansion  Program 

Hollywood,  April  29. — Screen 
Guild  Productions  is  embarking  on  an 
expansion  policy  calling  for  improve- 
ment of  product,  it  was  disclosed  here 
today  by  John  J.  Jones,  president,  and 
Robert  L.  Lippert,  vice-president  of 
the  company.  They  reported  the  com- 
pany serviced  11,000  theatres  last 
year  and  is  completely  debt-free. 

Reports  that  Jones  is  to  resign  and 
a  new  executive  setup  established  were 
denied. 


Jury  Acquits 
12  Defendants 
In  Rivoli  Suit 


Find  No  Cause  of  Action; 
Setback  for  McConnell 


Buffalo,  April  29. — A  Federal 
court  jury  here  today  returned  a 
directed  verdict  of  acquittal  for  all  - 
12  distributor  and  theatre  defend- 
ants in  the  Rivoli  Theatre's  $3,000,000 
damage  action,  after  deliberating  55 
minutes. 

Thomas  C.  McConnell,  who  leaped 
into  legal  prominence  in  exhibition 
circles  following  his  victory  in  the 
Chicago  Jackson  Park  Theatre  case, 
was  attorney  for  the  plaintiff. 

Today's  verdict,  acquitting  major 
distributors  and  the  Shea  Circuit  here 
of  charges  of  damaging  Stanley  Ko- 
zanowski's  Rivoli  Theatre  by  con- 
spiracy to  prevent  it  from  getting  first- 
(Continued  on  page  3) 

$3i-Million  Building 
Program  for  FP-C 

Toronto,  April  29. — Famous  Play- 
ers-Canadian Corp.  has  earmarked  $3,- 
500,000  for  new  theatre  construction 
and  remodeling  in  a  program  calling 
for  18  new  theatres,  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons, 
FP-C  president,  told  the  annual  stock- 
holders meeting. 

Operating  income  had  been  main- 
tained during  the  first  quarter  of  1948, 
Fitzgibbons  reported,  and  the  current 
year  is  expected  to  compare  favorably 
with  income  in  1947.    All  officers  and 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Theatre  Television 
For  Para.  Affiliate 

Springfield,  Mass.,  April  29. 
— Theatre  television  is  to  be 
installed  in  the  Paramount 
here,  Samuel  Goldstein,  presi- 
dent of  Western  Massachu- 
setts Theatres  announces.  The 
Paramount  will  become  the 
second  New  England  house 
to  have  theatre  television. 
Goldstein,  who  made  the  ar- 
rangements with  Paramount 
executives  in  New  York,  said 
that  installation  of  the  equip- 
ment depends  only  on  how 
soon  equipment  is  made  avail- 
able. 

The  circuit  is  a  Paramount 
affiliate. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  April  30,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  CAGNEY  is  scheduled 
to  leave  the  Coast  by  plane  for 
New  York  on  Sunday. 

• 

Walter  L.  Titus,  Jr.,  Republic 
division  manager,  will  leave  here 
Monday  for  a  two-week  sales  trip 
through  the  South. 

• 

John  Jenkins  of  Astor  Pictures, 
Dallas,  and  also  of  Dixie  Films  Corp., 
New  Orleans,  was  a  New  Orleans  vis- 
itor this  week. 

• 

John  Joseph,  Universal-Interna- 
tional advertising-publicity  director, 
left  New  York  yesterday  for  the 
Coast. 

• 

David  Golding,  London  Films  pub- 
licity director,  sailed  for  London  yes- 
terday from  New  York  on  the  5*^" 
Queen  Elisabeth. 

• 

Orton  H.  Hicks,  director  of 
Loew's  International's  16mm.  depart- 
ment, will  fly  to  Rome  on  Monday 
from  London. 

• 

Charles  Dietz,  M-G-M  field  rep- 
resentative in  Detroit,  is  in  New 
York. 

• 

Maurice  A.  Bergman,  U-I  Eastern 
advertising-publicity  head,  will  return 
to  New  York  Monday  from  Florida. 
• 

Harold  S.  Dunn,  Eagle  Lion  cir- 
cuit sales  manager,  left  here  yesterday 
for  Albany,  Gloversville  and  Buffalo. 
• 

Oscar  Morgan,  Paramount  short 
subjects   sales  manager,   will  return 
here  today  from  Los  Angeles. 
• 

Benedict  Bogeaus  is  scheduled  to 
arrive  here  from  the  Coast  on  Mon- 
day. 

• 

Clinton  J.  (Pat)  Scollard,  Para- 
mount home  office  executive,  is  back 
in  New  York  from  a  Hollywood  visit. 
• 

Herb  Copelan,  zone  manager  for 
Warner  theatres  in  Latin  America, 
is  in  New  York  from  Havana. 
• 

Dorothy  Lamour  will  arrive  in 
New  York  from  the  Coast  tomorrow. 


Petrillo,  4  Networks 
Sign  Pact  on  Video 

Explaining  that  he  was  aiding  an 
"infant  industry,"  James  C.  Petrillo, 
president  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Musicians,  yesterday  announced  the 
signing  of  a  six-month  interim  agree- 
ment on  television  wage  rates  with 
NBC,  Mutual,  ABC  and  CBS.  The 
agreement  will  become  effective  today. 

The  agreement  limits  video  wages 
to  two-thirds  of  the  equivalent  radio 
wages  for  local  shows  and  three-quar- 
ters of  the  equivalent  radio  wages  for 
network  shows.  The  union  also  re- 
stricted filming  of  live  telecasts  to  two 
purposes :  for  file  records  and  for 
shipments  to  a  network  affiliate  for  a 
single  broadcast. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


'"pHE  rumor  boys  insist  all  is 
not  lost  between  Howard 
Hughes  and  Floyd  Odium  on  a 
deal  for  control  of  RKO,  now 
held  by  Odium  via  Atlas.  Their 
story,  with  which  they  may  be 
stuck,  has  it  that  Purchaser 
Hughes  and  Seller  Odium  failed 
to  see  eye  to  eye  on  the  studio's 
inventory  column,  evaluating 
finished  productions  not  yet  re- 
leased and  others  not  yet  fin- 
ished at  $32,000,000. 

Unconfirmed,  but  around,  is  a 
tale  of  a  sportman's  offer  con- 
sidered on  both  sides.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  this:  If  the 
product  accepted  at  $32,000,000 
grossed  $44,000,000  in  approxi- 
mately five  years,  Hughes  was 
to  pay  Odium  an  additional 
$4,000,000.  If  the  gross  were 
$36,000,000,  Odium  was  to  fork 
over  $4,000,000  to  Hughes. 

Purchase  figure  on  Odium's 
stock  was  about  $9,000,000. 
B  ■ 

Following  a  course  which  will 
not  increase  his  Hollywood  ac- 
ceptance, Bruce  Humberstone, 
the  director,  raises  a  couple  of 
questions  about  biographical 
films :  "The  product  is  some- 
times more  hysterical  than  his- 
torical. By  the  time  it  has  been 
run  through  the  wringer  of  end- 
less story  conferences,  legal  de- 
partment nixes  and  screen  treat- 
ment, the  average  biography 
winds  up  so  factually  cockeyed 
as  to  have  only  a  questionable 
educational  value." 

And  questionable  entertain- 
ment value,  also. 

a  ■ 

Sid  Samuelson,  general  man- 
ager of  Allied  of  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, whose  bulletin  No.  15 
poked  distributors  for  wholesale 
reductions  in  trade  paper  adver- 
tising, posed  quite  a  question 
with  this : 

"How  can  the.  distributors  ex- 
pect the  exhibitors  to  really  sell 
the  product  if  they  themselves  do 
not  pre-sell  it?" 

Well? 

■  ■ 

Charles  Schlaifer,  20th-Fox's 
adv.-pub.  director  and  chairman 
of  the  MPAA  advertising  advis- 
ory council,  giving  out  before 
the  New  York  Chapter  of  Ken- 


tucky Women :  "Our  pictures 
have  not  always  been  up  to  the 
mark.  We  did  fall  into  the  error 
of  using  colossal  adjectives  until 
the  lexicon  of  superlatives  was 
so  strained  that,  when  we  revert- 
ed to  simple  language,  the  effect 
was  truly  colossal." 

A  man  named  W.  G.  Van 
Schmus  at  a  theatre  called  Ra- 
dio City  Music  Hall  proved  that 
years  ago. 

■  ■ 

A  few  hours  after  Tom  Brene- 
man's  death  Wednesday,  UA 
announced  it  was  rushing  prints 
of  "Breakfast  in  Hollywood"  to 
all  exchanges  "in  anticipation 
of  a  heavy  demand"  for  the 
radio  comedian's  only  film. 

Nothing  must  interfere  with 
the  relentless  wheels  of  com- 
merce, of  course. 

■  ■ 

Historical  Note:  "The  Em- 
peror Waltz,"  trade-showing  at 
the  Normandie  Theatre  here  this 
morning  and  opening  shortly  at 
the  Music  Hall,  will  mark 
Paramount's  return  to  this  pre- 
miere house  after  an  absence  of 
almost  two  years.  Last  to  play 
there  was  "To  Each  His  Own," 
which  opened  on  May  23,  1946, 
and  held  the  fort  for  four  weeks. 

■  ■ 

Remarked  one  film  man  to  a 
producer  noted  [and  notorious] 
for  his  roughshod  tactics : 

"If  you're  not  careful,  you'll 
end  up  with  ulcers." 

Retorted  the  producer :  ' 

"I  don't  get  'em.   I  give  'em." 

■  ■ 

Howard  Lindsay  and  Russel 
Crouse,  authors  of  "State  of  the 
Union,"  stipulated  the  film  ver- 
sion must  go  into  general  re- 
lease before  the  Republican  and 
Democratic  national  conven- 
tions. 

An  influence  for  or  against? 

■  '  ■ 

Take  -  Your  -  Choice  -  De- 
partment: Allied  Rocky  Moun- 
tain wants  to  halt  all  negotia- 
tions looking  toward  a  new  con- 
tract with  Ascap.  Allied  of 
Indiana  advises  exhibitors  to 
sign  one-year  deals. 

■  ■ 

Whatever  happened  to 
"Mourning  Becomes   Electra"  ? 


Hayward  in  Bolton's  1st 

Hollywood,  April  29. — AFA  Pro- 
ductions, independent  producing  com- 
pany formed  by  Whitney  Bolton,  will 
star  Louis  Hayward  in  "No  Escape" 
as  the  first  among  five  features  sched- 
uled. 


Canadian  Exports  Rise 

Ottawa,  April  29. — The  Canadian 
government  reports  that  exports  of 
films  from  this  country  for  the  first 
three  months  of  1948  rose  to  $929,000, 
against  $695,000  in  the  corresponding 
period  last  year. 


Johnston  Dines  U,  S. 
And  Bank  Officials 

Washington,  April  29. — Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  presi- 
dent Eric  Johnston  was  luncheon  host 
today  at  MPAA  headquarters  to  five 
top-ranking  financial  officials. 

They  were  Secretary  of  the  Trea- 
sury Snyder,  Paul  G.  Hoffman,  head 
of  the  European  Cooperation  Admin- 
istration, Bank  of  America  chairman 
A.  P.  Giannini,  the  bank's  executive 
vice-president,  Walter  J.  Braunschwei- 
ger,  and  Giannini's  Washington  jftj  feje- 
sentative,  Roland  Pierotti. 

All  parties  maintained  the  luncueon 
was  a  "purely  social  get-together," 
and  that  industry  finances  and  foreign 
arrangements  had  not  been  discussed. 


Cohen  Heads  MPAA's 
Foreign  Committee 

The  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America's  International  Film  Rela- 
tions Committee  has  elected  Sam 
Cohen  chairman  for  the  next  year,  in 
line  with  its  policy  of  yearly  chair- 
manship rotations.  The  United  Artists 
foreign  publicity  director  succeeds 
Fortunat  Baronat  of  Universal-Inter- 
national. 


John  F.  Sonnett  Resigns 

Washington,  April  29. — President 
Truman  today  accepted  "with  reluc- 
tance" the  resignation  of  John  F.  Son- 
nett, assistant  Attorney  General  in 
charge  of  the  anti-trust  laws,  effective 
May  15.  Sonnett,  one  of  the  Govern- 
ment's attorneys  prosecuting  the  fed- 
eral anti-trust  suit  against  Paramount 
et  al,  has  not  revealed  his  future  plans, 
nor  has  there  been  any  indication 
who  will  be  his  successor. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


-s-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL^ 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer        Katharine  Van 
TRACY   HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adolphe  Lewis 

LANSBURY    MENJOU  STONE 
inFRANKCAPRA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARLES  LAUGHTON/ 

inTHE 

BIG  CLOCK  ^neikAu, 

A  Paramount  Picture 


ROXY 


LARRY  PAUL 

7th  Ave.  s  50th  St.:    ADLER- DRAPER 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
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Friday,  April  30,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


story  properties  with  sterling  and  the 
possibility  of  establishing  film  printing 
laboratories  here,  Rank  said. 

Rank  reported  that  he  received  as- 
surances from  American  industry 
leaders  that  they  will  "get  behind" 
British  pictures  and  added  that  he,  in 
turn,  will  undertake  to  pay  greater  re- 
gard to  American  demands  in  selecting 
subjects  for  American  playing  time. 
Rank  producers,  he  said,  will  attempt 
to^make  their  actors  speak  more  un- 
^=andably  for  American  audiences, 
fc,  ne  with  the  suggestion  he  received 
from  U.  S.  distributor  and  exhibitor 
chieftains. 

Rank  Video  'Ahead  of  US' 

Rank  claimed  that  his  broad  screen 
theatre  television  is  technically  more 
advanced  over  that  in  America.  He 
said  American  television  screens 
measure  only  18-by-12  feet,  whereas 
his  theatre  television  is  already  operat- 
ing satisfactorily  with  20-by-16-foot 
screens.  He  said  he  awaited  only  the 
British  government's  announcement 
of  its  intentions  regarding  theatre  tele- 
vision before  embarking  on  television 
shows  in  his  key  West  End  theatres. 
One  American  corporation — presum- 
ably NBC — he  reported,  is  negotiating 
to  utilize  Rank  films  on  American 
television. 

Rank  said  more  effective  pre-pub- 
licity  campaigns  will  be  accorded  his 
pictures.  He  said  "Henry  V"  is  still 
earning  more  money  in  America  than 
any  other  British  picture,  and  believes 
"Hamlet,"  with  wider  roadshowings, 
will  do  better  than  "Henry." 

Music  Hall  'Interested'  in  Two 

Rank's  Odeon  theatres  in  Canada, 
he  stated,  devoted  only  four  per  cent 
of  their  playing  time  to  British  pic- 
tures in  1945,  whereas  at  present  they 
are  playing  24  per  cent.  The  British 
film  leader  said  that  he  believes  simi- 
lar results  can  be  produced  in  Ameri- 
ca with  the  proper  endeavor.  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  in  New  York  is  "in- 
terested" in  two  of  his  forthcoming  re- 
leases, he  reported. 


Breakdown  of  U.  S.  Theatres 
Based  on  QP  Market  Study 

THE  64.1  per  cent  of  total  seating  capacity  (7,249,945)  in  8,605 
circuit  houses  in  the  U.  S.  account  for  only  51  per  cent  of  the 
theatres  operating;  some  8,275  independent  theatres,  representing 
49  per  cent  of  all  houses,  have  only  4,052,375  (35.9  per  cent)  of  all 
seats.  This  was  disclosed  in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on  April  26,  in 
reporting  first  results  of  a  market  study  of  exhibition  in  the  U.  S., 
as  prepared  by  Quigley  Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  from  the  theatre 
census  recently  completed  by  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America.  The  QP  market  survey  now  reports  a  breakdown  of  cir- 
cuit seating  capacities  as  follows: 

Operating  Cumulative  Total 

Theatres  Seats  Theatres  Seats 

Over  3,999  seats                      15  66,750  15  66,750 

3,000  to  3,999                          74  246,838  89  313,588 

2,000  to  2,999                        320  760,133  409  1,073,721 

1,000  to  1,999                      1,872  2,545,380  2,281  3,619,101 

401  to     999                      5,071  3,220,398  7,352  6,839,499 

Under  401  seats                  1,253  410,446  8,605  7,249,945 

A  breakdown  of  non-circuit  theatres  (less  than  four  theatres 
operated  by  the  same  management)  follows: 

Operating  Cumulative  Total 

Theatres  Seats  Theatres  Seats 

Over  3,999  seats                       2  11,835  2  11,835 

3,000  to  3,999                           1  3,387  3  15,222 

2,000  to  2,999                          28  62,563  33  77,785 

1,000  to  1,999                        327  429,736  358  507,521 

401  to     999                      3,304  2,154,589  3,662  2,662,110 

Under  401  seats                  4,613  1,390,265  8,275  4,052,375 

Total  capacities  for  all  theatres  follow.  (Sixty-five  per  cent  of 
all  non-circuit  theatres  are  in  theatres  with  capacities  of  more 
than  400.) 

Operating  Cumulative  Total 

Theatres       Seats       Theatres  Seats 

Over  3,999  seats   17  78,585  17  78,585 

3,000  to  3,999   75  250,225  92  328,810 

2,000  to  2,999    348  822,696  440  1,151,506 

1,000  to  1,999   2,199        2,975,116         2,639  4,126,622 

401  to     999   8,375        5,374,987        11,014  9,501,609 

Under  401  seats   5,866        1,800,711        16,880  11,302,320 

Eighty-five  per  cent  of  all  circuit  theatres  have  a  capacity  of 
more  than  400.  Forty-four  per  cent  of  the  non-circuit  theatres 
have  a  capacity  of  more  than  400.  Another  way  of  putting  it — 94 
per  cent  of  all  circuit  seats  are  in  theatres  with  more  than  400 
capacity  and  66  per  cent  of  all  non-circuit  seats  are  in  theatres 
with  a  capacity  of  more  than  400. 


12  Yearly  in  U.  K. 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


FP-C  To  Build 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

directors  of  the  corporation  were  re- 
elected. 

Addressing  stockholders  in  his  an- 
nual report,  the  FP-C  president  com- 
plained of  the  discriminatory  nature 
of  taxes  in  the  amusement  field,  point- 
ing out  that  the  company  had  collect- 
ed more  than  $8,000,000  in  amusement 
taxes  during  1947  and  handled  more 
than  512,000,000  in  various  other 
taxes.  The  work  in  connection  with 
handling  taxes  had  added  considerably 
to  the  cost  of  operation,  he  said. 


3  Film  Leaders  Cited 

Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  presi- 
dent ;  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox production  vice-president, 
and  Dore  Schary,  RKO  Radio  pro- 
duction head,  will  be  presented  with 
"America's  Democratic  Legacy" 
awards  at  the  annual  conference  of 
B'nai  B'rith  in  Los  Angeles  en  May 
5-7. 


Capital  DST  Sunday 

Washington.  April  29. — The  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia  will  go  on  daylight 
saving  time  Sunday  at  2  A.M.  Presi- 
dent Truman  today  signed  a  bill  au- 
thorizing the  District  commissioners 
to  put  daylight  saving  into  effect. 


Trumbo  Trial  Jury 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

Negroes,  to  the  statement  that  the 
Government  will  contend  there  was 
"intentional  refusal"  on  the  part  of 
Trumbo  to  give  "responsive"  replies  to 
the  two  questions  during  last  Octo- 
ber's probe  of  Communist  infiltration 
into  the  motion  picture  industry. 

Earlier,  Federal  Judge  David  A. 
Pine  denied  a  defense  motion  to  quash 
the  jury  panel  on  the  grounds  of  dis- 
criminatory methods  of  selection  by 
the  District  of  Columbia  jury  com- 
mission. 

The  Government  opened  its  "  case 
against  Trumbo  by  questioning  Rep. 
John  MacDowell,  a  member  of  the 
sub-committee  which  conducted  the 
original  hearings. 

The  jury  was  excused  while  Hitz 
attempted  to  gain  a  ruling  by  Judge 
Pine  that  the  committee  had  the  right 
to  question  Trumbo  regarding  his 
union  and  political  affiliations 

Hitz  offered  as  evidence  of  pertinen- 
cy the  testimony  of  producer  Sam 
Wood  and  writer  Richard  Macauley 
during  the  hearings  that  Trumbo  is  a 
Communist.  In  response  to  the  ques- 
tioning, MacDowell  stated  that  the 
committee  had  their  testimony  "in 
mind"  when  the  questions  which 
Trumbo  is  charged  with  refusing  to 
answer  were  asked. 


Jury  Acquits  12 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

run  films  on  an  equal  basis  with  Shea's 
Roosevelt  Theatre,  was  McConnell's 
third  consecutive  setback  in  court. 
Last  month,  his  case  for  B.  R.  Mc- 
Lendon  against  major  distributors,  In- 
terstate and  Robb  and  Rowley  circuits 
was  dismissed  by  a  Dallas  Federal 
court.  Last  week,  he  failed  to  obtain 
contempt  citations  in  the  Jackson  Park 
case  in  Chicago  against  a  majority  of 
defendants. 

Salkin,  Samuelson  Testified 

Among  witnesses  called  by  the  Ri- 
voli in  the  five-week  trial  here  were 
Richard  Salkin,  operator-manager  of 
the  Jackson  Park  Theatre,  Chicago, 
and  Sidney  Samuelson,  vice-president 
of  Allied  States.  The  latter  admitted 
on  the  stand  that  he  was  paid  $100 
daily  by  the  Rivoli  for  testifying  as  an 
"expert." 

F.  P.  Pawlicki,  Rivoli  bookkeeper, 
admitted  under  cross-examination 
during  the  trial  that  incorrect  state- 
ments of  box-office  receipts  at  the  Ri- 
voli had  been  furnished  to  distributors 
in  an  attempt  to  obtain  film  rental 
adjustments. 

Judge  Harold  P.  Burke,  who  pre- 
sided at  the  trial,  dismissed  the  com- 
plaint following  the  jury's  verdict.  It 
was  held  that  plaintiff  had  failed  to 
show  a  cause  of  action. 

Defendants  were:  Buffalo  Theatres, 
Inc.,  Loew's,  Paramount,  RKO  Radio, 
20th  Century-Fox,  Warner  Brothers 
and  United  Artists.  Earlier  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  plaintiff's  case,  the 
judge  had  dismissed  the  case  as  to 
Columbia  and  Universal. 

'Illegal'  Release  Setup  Charged 

The  plaintiff  had  charged  that  the 
defendants  maintained  an  illegal  sys- 
tem for  the  release  of  motion  pictures 
in  Buffalo  involving  run,  clearances, 
the  fixing  of  minimum  admission 
prices,  and  further  charged  that  all  of 
the  defendants  discriminated  in  favor 
of  the  Roosevelt  Theatre  in  which 
Paramount  and  Loew's  had  a  stock- 
holder interest  and  against  the  plain- 
tiff's Rivoli. 


Uphold  Delaware  as 
Suit  Locale:  Tivoli 

Washington,  April  29.  —  Tivoli 
Realty  Co.  today  told  the  Supreme 
Court  that  Delaware  is  the  "only  ap- 
propriate forum"  for  its  anti-trust  suit 
against  Interstate  Circuit,  Inc.,  and  the 
major  motion  picture  distributors. 

Tivoli  asked  the  court  to  turn  down 
a  petition  of  the  defendants  for  review 
of  a  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  decision 
allowing  Tivoli  to  proceed  with  its 
suit  in  Delaware.  The  circuit  court 
reversed  a  district  court  decision  that 
Texas  was  the  appropriate  forum,  and 
that  prosecuting  the  case  in  Delaware 
would  work  undue  hardships  on  the 
defendants. 


Mayer  Sells  Rialto 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


industry,  he  said,  so  he's  getting  out 
— and  into  a  new  risk-venture,  televi- 
sion. 

Associated  with  him  in  the  Rialto 
enterprise  were  Sam  Dembow.  Jr.,  and 
Barney  Balaban.  Mage  will  use  the 
house  as  a  showcase  for  some  of  his 
film  importations.  However,  first 
booking  under  his  management  will  be 
Film  Classics'  "Will  It  Happen 
Again?",  a  story  of  the  rise  and  fall 
of  Adolph  Hitler. 


Rank's  Odeon  theatres  in  Canada, 
he  stated,  devoted  only  four  per  cent 
of  their  playing  time  to  British  pic- 
tures in  1945,  whereas  at  present  they 
are  playing  24  per  cent.  The  British 
film  leader  said  that  he  believes  simi- 
lar results  can  be  produced  in  Ameri- 
ca with  the  proper  endeavor.  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  in  New  York  is  "in- 
terested" in  two  of  his  forthcoming  re- 
leases, he  reported. 

There  have  been  "ruthless"  cost  cuts 
made  in  Rank  pictures,  he  admitted. 
His  "average"  picture  now  costs  150,- 
000  pounds  ($600,000),  and  occasion- 
ally a  "special"  will  reach  200,000 
pounds  ($800,000),  he  said. 


Quiz  Wilson 

{Continued  from  page  1 ) 

mons  alluding  to  the  possibility  of 
U.  S.  producion  of  low-grade  films 
with  a  view  to  discrediting  British 
output,  Wilson  replied  that  he  has  no 
censorship  powers  over  either  British 
or  American  films  and,  furthermore, 
that  steps  have  been  taken  under  the 
Quota  Act  to  prevent  "quota  quickies." 


ET 


JO 


■  a  w  r 


6i 


new 


Gentleman's  % 
Agreement 

The  most  acclaimed  motion  picture  in  history! 
The  most  long  rims!  The  most  holdovers!  The 
most  moveovers!  The  most  new  box-office 
records  of  any  film  today! 

Call 

Nortlisiae  777 


.  .  .  is  the  biggest  box-office  hit  of  all  20th's 
true -to -life  dramas,  topping  such  great 
grossers  as  ' ' BOOMERANG!"  and  "13  RUE 
MADELEINE"! 


Sitting 
Pretty 


.  .  .  20th's  all-time  record  laugh-hit,  is  piling 
up  bigger  grosses  than  "MARGIE"  or 
"MOTHER  WORE  TIGHTS"  all  over  the 
country! 


The  entire  trade,  from  Variety  Business  Reports  to 
For  Me,"  reports  that  the  biggest  grosses  in  every  size  the 


oo 


k"  AT 


r n 


r  /\  v/ 


The  Iron 
Curtain 


The  most  sensational  and  timely  subject  ever 
brought  to  the  screen !  World  Premieres  in  500 
theatres  coast-to-coast  the  week  of  May  10th! 


Anna 
Karenina 


.  .  .  is  now  premiering  at  the  Roxy  Theatre, 
New  York.  "That  the  picture  will  play  to  big 
grosses  is  certain,"  says  Variety! 


Green  Grass 
Or  Wyoming 

Compared  by  preview  audiences  to  "SMOKY," 
"THUNDERHEAD,"  and  other  great  20th 
Technicolor  triumphs!   8-state  Premiere, 


3oxoffice  Barometer  to  <rWhat  The  Picture  Did 
ttre  in  every  size  town  are  being  made  today  by 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Rank's  'Brothers'  To 
Open  Here  Tuesday 

J.  Arthur  Rank's  "The 
Brothers,"  a  Prestige  release 
here,  will  open  at  the  New 
York  Sutton  Theatre  on  Tues- 
day. Peter  Burnup,  Motion 
Picture  Daily's  editor  in  Lon- 
don, in  a  review  on  June  4, 
1947,  called  it  a  picture  which 
"will  delight  the  connoisseur 
of  camera-work,"  and  "a  chal- 
lenge ...  to  the  picture  pa- 
tron of  intelligence." 


Key  City 
Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CLEVELAND 


Midsummer  temperature  and  a  clear 
weekend  put  a  serious  dent  in  most 
grosses,  although  "The  Big  Clock" 
and  "Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  of  the  new 
product,  hit  a  high  $21,500  and  $14,- 
500,  respectively.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ended  April  27-28: 

ADAM  HAD  FOUR  SONS  (Col.)  and  THE 
DOCTOR     TAKES     A     WIFE  (CoL)— 

LOEWS     STILLMAN     (1,900)  (50c-70c). 

Gross:  $9,000.     (Average:  $10,000) 

BIG    CLOCK    (Para.)— LOEWS  STATE 

(3,300)  (50c-70c).    Gross:  $21,500.  (Average: 

$19,500) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 

— RKO  ALLEN    (3,000)    (55c-70c).  Gross: 
$14,500.     (Average:  $13,000) 
SCUDDA    HOOi,    SCUDDA    HAY  (20th- 
Fox)— RKO     PALACE     (3,300)  (55c-70c). 
Gross:  $13,500.     (Average:  $15,500) 
SITTING     PRETTY     (20th-Fo«)  —  WAR- 
NER'S  LAKE    (714)    (55c-70c)    2nd  week, 
following    a     week    at    the  Hippodrome. 
Gross:  $4,200.     (Average:  $3,000) 
UNCONQUERED  (Para.)— LOE W'S  OHIO 
(1,268)  (50c-70c)  2nd  week,  following  a  week 
at    the    State.     Gross:    $6,500.  (Average: 
$6,600) 

WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)— WARNERS' 
HIPPODROME  (3,500)  (55c-70c).  Gross: 
$15,000.  (Average:  $18,250) 
YANK  IN  ROME  (Imperial)— LOWER 
MALL  (563)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $2,500.  (Av- 
erage: $2,500) 


KANSAS  CITY 


Another  week  of  hot,  clear  weather 
cut  first-run  and  neighborhood  theatre 
attendance  drastically  while  people 
swarmed  outdoors.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ended  April 
27-29 : 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD 
(WB)    and   MY  GIRL  TISA   (WB)— OR- 

PHEUM  (1.900)  (45c-65c).  Gross:  $11,000. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)— PARAMOUNT 
(1,900)  (45c-65c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,000. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)  and 
TRAPPED  BY  BOSTON  BLACK  IE 
(Col.) — MIDLAND  (3,500)  (45c-65c).  Gross: 
$18,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
THE  CRYSTAL  BALL  (Masterpiece)  and 
I  MARRIED  A  WITCH  (Masterpiece)- 
ESQUIRE  (800)  (45c-65c)  2  days.  Gross: 
$700.  (Average,  two  days:  $1,200) 
A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U) — FAIRWAY  (700) 
(45c-65c).  Gross:  $1,490.  (Average:  $1,750) 
A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U)— TOWER  (2,100) 
(45c-65c).  Gross:  $7,200.  (Average:  $9,000) 
A  DOUBLE  LIFE  (U)— UPTOWN  (2.000) 
(45c-65c).  Gross:  $5,100.  (Average:  $6,000) 
SEVEN  SINNERS  (Realart)  and  SUT- 
TER'S GOLD  (Realart)  (Both  re-released 
through  Eagle  Lion)— ESQUIRE  (800) 
(45c-65c)  5  days.  Gross:  $4,000.  (Average, 
5  days:  $4,000) 


$552,829  DuMont 
Net  for  12  Weeks 

Allen  B.  Dumont  Laboratories  re- 
ports a  net  income  of  $552,829  for  the 
first  12  weeks  of  1948,  after  charges 
and  taxes,  equivalent  to  27  cents  per 
share.  This  compares  with  a  net  loss 
of  $163,231  for  the  same  12  weeks  last 
year. 

Sales  during  the  12  weeks  of  1948 
amounted  to  $4,397,513,  compared  with 
sales  of  $1,980,150  for  the  first  12 
weeks  of  1947. 


5  Industry  Shorts 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

venture,"  using  the  idea  of  films  as  a 
"magic  carpet"  to  take  the  patron  any- 
where in  the  world,  will  be  rolling 
at  Universal  in  about  two  weeks. 

A  new  script  has  been  prepared  for 
M-G-M's  "Screen  Actors,"  and  actual 
shooting  may  begin  within  a  week. 
Finally,  20th  Century-Fox's  "The  Art 
Director"  is  under  way  and  a  rough 
cut  is  expected  to  be  ready  in  three 
weeks. 


Short  on  American  Fire  Losses 
Prepared  by  MPAA  Members 

A  short  subject  on  national  fire 
losses  has  been  prepared  by  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America 
with  the  aid  of  member  companies. 
The  film  will  be  available  to  conserva- 
tion and  governmental  groups. 

John  McCullough,  head  of  the 
MPAA's  conservation  department, 
will  show  the  subject  at  a  convention 
of  the  National  Fire  Protection  As- 
sociation in  Washington  on  May  11. 
Included  in  that  program  will  be 
M-G-M's  "Going  to  Blazes"  and  RKO 
Radio's  "Smoke  Eaters." 


New  MPAA  Film  on  Capitalism 

Second  in  the  series  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  public 
service  films,  it  is  understood,  may 
be  made  by  RKO  Pathe,  entitled 
"Letter  from  a  Rebel." 

Like  "Power  Behind  the  Nation," 
made  for  the  MPAA  by  Warner 
Brothers  last  year,  the  new  subject 
will  deal  with  capitalism. 


Quarterly  Income 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

000;  third,  $28,907,000;  (fourth,  1946, 
$31,409,000.  Republic:  1947,  fourth 
quarter,  $7,306,000;  third,  $7,524,000; 
(fourth,  1946,  $6,410,000).  Universal: 
1947,  fourth  quarter,  $17,912,000; 
third,  $16,634,000;  (fourth,  1946, 
$15,505,000). 

Gross  income  of  Columbia's  foreign 
subsidiaries  amounted  to  $3,781,000 
for  the  quarter  ended  Sept.  27,  1947, 
compared  with  $4,889,000  for  the 
quarter- ending  June  30,  1947,  and  $4,- 
295,000  for  the  quarter  ended  Sept. 
28,  1946. 

RKO  reported  earnings  of  $4,575,- 
000  for  subsidiaries  not  consolidated 
operating  in  foreign  territories,  in  the 
fourth  quarter  of  1947,  compared  with 
$3,606,000  in  the  third  quarter  of  1947, 
and  $4,230,000  in  the  fourth  quarter 
of  1946. 

Master  in  Deal  with 
Monogram  for  Three 

Hollywood,  April  29. — Steve  Broi- 
dy,  president  of  Monogram,  has  closed 
a  releasing  deal  with  Master  Films, 
for  three  productions.  First  picture 
will  be  "Incident,"  by  Harry  Lewis. 


DO  NOT  REMOVE 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


RS  ASSOC.  OF 
i  ST.,  21ST  FI 


MOTION  PICT 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


J 


63.  NO.  85 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  MAY  3,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Para.  Net  Is 
2nd  Largest 
In  Its  History 

Income  of  $31,668,709 
Is  Reported  for  1947 

Second  largest  net  in  the  history  of 
Paramount,  $31,668,709,  after  _  all 
charges,  including  estimated  provision 
for  taxes  on  income,  were  reported 
on  Friday  by  Barney  Balaban,  presi- 
dent of  the  company,  for  the  year  end- 
ed Jan.  3,  1948.  In  a  53-week  1946 
fiscal  year  the  firm  earned  a  record 
$44,042,106,  which  included  $4,843,000 
of  undistributed  earnings  of  partly- 
owned  non-consolidated  affiliates. 

Included  in  Paramount's  1947  earn- 
ings was  $3,429,000  representing  the 
company's  net  interest  as  a  stockhold- 
er in  the  combined  undistributed 
earnings  for  the  year  of  partly-owned 
non-consolidated  affiliates. 

Operating  revenues  of  consolidated 
companies  for  1947  were  $189,025,600, 
compared  with  $194,701,099  for  1946, 
and  operating  revenues  of  partly 
owned  non-consolidated  companies  ag- 
gregated approximately  $150,000,000 
for  each  of  the  two  years,  of  which 
Paramount's  share  was  approximately 
$70,000,000  for  each  year. 

The   amount   earned   per  common 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Wilson  Hits 
Studio  'Grab ' 


London,  May  2. — The  British  gov- 
ernment is  prepared  to  assume  powers 
to  regulate  the  leasing  of  studios  if 
American  producers  continue  their  al- 
leged atempts  to  "beat  the  gun"  in  se- 
curing British  production  facilities  to 
operate  under  the  terms  of  the  ad 
valorem  tax  settlement  agreement, 
British  Board  of  Trade  president  Har- 
old Wilson  has  informed  both  British 
and  American  producers.  Wilson  in- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Trumbo  Defense  to 
Put  Mayer  on  Stand 

Washington,  May  2. — Attorneys 
for  screen  writer  Dalton  Trumbo  will 
put  M-G-M  president  Louis  B.  Mayer 
on  the  stand  when  the  contempt  of 
Congress  trial  resumes  tomorrow.  The 
Government  expects  to  recall  Rep. 
John  McDowell  (R.-Pa.)  as  a  witness 
and  will  attempt  to  prove  that  Trumbo 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Honor  Vincent  For 
His  Welfare  Work 

Leaders  from  all  branches  of  the 
entertainment  industry  gathered  at 
the  Hotel  Astor  here  last  night  to 
pay  tribute  to 
Walter  Vin- 
cent, circuit 
executive  and 
pioneer  show- 
man, at  a  din- 
ner sponsored 
by  the  Jewish 
Theatric  al 
Guild.  Vincent, 
a  prime  mover 
in  industry 
welfare  work 
and  one  of  the 
founders  of 
the  Motion 
Walter  Vincent  Picture  Foun- 
dation, was 
honored  as  president  of  the  Actors 
Fund  of  America. 

Among  those  praising  Vincent's 
efforts  were  Spyros  P.  Skouras,  S. 
H.  Fabian,  Gene  Hersholt,  George 
Jessel,  Bert  Lytell,  Gene  Buck, 
Harry  Hershfield,  and  others. 


26-Week  Universal 
Sales  Drive  Starts 


Universal  -  International  has 
launched  a  26-week  "Presidential 
Sales  Drive,"  William  A.  Scully,  dis- 
tribution vice-president  announces, 
adding  that  for  the  first  time  with  U-I 
periodic  prizes  of  merchandise  will  be 
awarded  throughout  the  period. 

Pictures  in  the  drive  include  "The 

(.Continued  on  page  4) 


285  Television 
Stations  Pending 

Seventy  television  stations  are  now 
under  construction  in  the  U.  S.  and 
215  applications  are  on  file  with  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission, 
reports  Dr.  Allen  B.  DuMont,  presi- 
dent of  DuMont  Laboratories,  who 
told  a  luncheon-meeting  of  the  New 
York  Financial  Advertisers  that  "tele- 
vision will  be  the  greatest  growth  in- 
dustry in  the  United  States  this  year." 

DuMont  stated  that  at  the  end  of 
1947  there  were  210,000  receivers  in 
the  country  and  there  are  now  more 
than  340,000.  He  added  that  while  at 
the  end  of  1946  there  were  but  31  ad- 
vertisers in  television,  the  end  of  1947 
saw  210,  and  the  most  recent  count, 
on  April  23,  revealed  237.  He  said 
that  soon  radio  will  be  -supplementary 
to  television. 

DuMont  stated  that  by  the  end  of 
the  year,  telecasters  in  New  York 
will  be  transmitting  pictures  by  light- 
beams  instead  of  radio-waves  from 
such  points  as  Madison  Square  Gar- 
den and  other  sporting  arenas.  Ad- 
vantages of  this  system,  he  explained, 
would  be  decreased  costs,  plus  the  fact 
that  under  this  system  there  is  no 
need  for  an  FCC  license,  and  the 
equipment  can  be  carried  by  one  man. 


Mayer  May  Produce 
Shorts  for  Video 

Arthur  Mayer,  who  withdrew  from 
operation  of  the  Rialto  Theatre  at 
Broadway  and  42nd  Street  last  week, 
is  reported  to  be  forming  a  new  com- 
pany which  will  produce  short  sub- 
jects for  television  programs.  Sam 
Dembow,  Jr.,  who  shared  an  interest 
in  the  Rialto  with  Mayer,  also  is  re- 
ported interested  in  the  new  company. 


64 


The  Emperor  Waltz 


[  Paramount  ]  —  Crosby  in  Top  Form 

BING  was  never  better  than  in  "The  Emperor  Waltz"  and  not  as 
good  since  "Going  My  Way."  Aside  from  his  native  talent  which 
nothing  in  which  he  appears  can  ever  be  submerged,  this  time  he 
was  fortunate  in  having  the  clever  Charles  Brackett  and  Billy  Wilder 
guiding  his  enterprise. 

And  guide  it  they  assuredly  have.  This  team,  which  made  the  mem- 
orable "Lost  Weekend,"  wrote  the  story  together  and  thereafter  Brackett 
produced  and  Wilder  directed.  Basically,  their  operetta-like  comedy  is 
familiar  and  ordinary  enough,  once  again  telling  of  romance  between 
commoner  and  baroness  and  how  they  part  only  to  be  rejoined  in  a  love- 
triumphant  sort  of  finish.  It  sounds  corny  and  old-fashioned  and  in  other 
hands  would  have  been. 

But  producer  and  director  expertly  tailored  their  meagre  story  to  the 
personality  and  the  talents  of  their  principal  star,  kept  a  delightful  sense 
of  humor  in  the  forefront  of  their  treatment  and  embroidered  their 
situations  with  chuckle  and  charm.  Additionally,  they  moved  in  the 
direction  of  the  midly  risque  without  serious  invasion  of  the  questionable. 
The  story-line  will  convey  what  "The  Emperor  Waltz"  is  about,  but  the 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


TOA's  Public 
Relations  Now 
In  High  Gear 

Activities  Already  on 
National  Scale:  Gamble 


The  industry  public  relations 
campaign  of  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  already  is  in  high  gear 
and  will  gather  momentum  from 
now  on,  Ted  R.  Gamble,  TOA  presi- 
dent, told  trade  press  representatives 
at  a  luncheon  meeting  at  the  Hotel 
St.  Moritz  here  on  Friday. 

Reported  on  at  the  same  meeting 
was  TOA's  plans  for  cooperating  on 
a  national  basis  with  Attorney  Gen- 
eral Tom  Clark  and  the  National 
Conference  on  Prevention  and  Control 
of  Juvenile  Delinquency  in  "Youth 
Month,"  starting  next  September. 

Gamble  revealed  that  articles  coun- 
teracting and  correcting  misinforma- 
tion concerning  the  industry  which  re- 
ceived national  circulation  during  the 
past  several  months  have  been  pre- 
pared by  TOA's  public  relations  com- 
mittee, under  the  chairmanship  of  Earl 
Hudson,  head  of  United  Detroit  The- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Urges  Aid  On 
Delinquency 


An  appeal  to  the  nation's  exhibitors 
to  join  in  plans  for  assisting  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  and  the  National 
Conference  on  Prevention  and  Con- 
trol of  Juvenile  Delinquency  in  the 
promotion  of  "Youth  Month,"  start- 
ing next  September,  was  made  by 
Charles  Skouras  at  a  luncheon  meet- 
ing at  the  St.  Moritz  Hotel  here  last 
Friday. 

Skouras  is  chairman  of  the  Theatre 
Owners   of   America   committee  for 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Bidding  Linked  to 
Adverse  Publicity 


Competitive  bidding  has  acted  to 
prevent  advance  selling  of  pictures  by 
exhibitors  who,  under  the  court- 
decreed  system,  have  no  certainty 
what  product  they  will  be  playing, 
Charles  Skouras,  head  of  National 
Theatres,  said  at  a  luncheon  meeting 
here  on  Friday. 

Skouras  referred  to  the  circum- 
stance in  discussing  recent  adverse 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  May  3,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


JENNIE  STOKES,  M-G-M  head 
inspectress  at  Omaha,  has  cele- 
brated her  25th  year  at  the  exchange 
there. 

• 

Leon  J.  Bamberger,  RKO  Radio 
sales  promotion  manager,  left  here 
over  the  weekend  for  Little  Rock 
to  address  the  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Arkansas.  He  will  be 
joined  there  by  Ben  Y.  Cammack, 
RKO  Southwestern  district  manager ; 
R.  V.  Reagin,  Memphis  branch  man- 
ager, and  Maurice  Basse,  Arkansas 
sales  representative. 

• 

C.  J.  Feldman,  Universal-Interna- 
■  tional  Western  division  sales  manager, 
has  arrived  in  San  Francisco  from 
New  York.   He  is  expected  back  here 
May  14. 

• 

Alfonso  Sanchez  Tello,  Mexi- 
can producer,  Mario  Moreno  ("Can- 
tinflas"),  Mexican  screen  star,  and 
Miguel  M.  Delgrado,  scenarist,  are 
in  Paris  from  Mexico  City. 

• 

Jeannette  Sheffeld,  secretary  to 
•Tom  Neely  of  National  Theatre  Sup- 
ply Co.,  New  Orleans,  and  W.  Y. 
DeJarnette  were  married  in  that 
city  recently. 

• 

Charles  Yuille,  who  is  associated 
with  Astor  Pictures  president  Robert 
M.  Savini  in  Charbob  Pictures,  and 
Mrs.  Yuille  are  in  town  from 
Miami. 

• 

Steve  Fitzgibbons  and  Mickey 
Andelman  are  due  here  today  from 
Boston.  They  will  stay  at  the  Hotel 
Edison. - 

• 

Andre  LeLarge,  president  of  Euro- 
pean Copyrights  and  Distribution,  left 
here  over  the  weekend  by  plane  for 
France. 

• 

Milton  Feldman  and  Mrs.  Feld- 
man  have  become  the  parents  of  a 
daughter,  Susan,  born  in  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

Bengt  Janzon,  Swedish  producer 
and  former  Paramount  publicity  di- 
rector in  Sweden,  will  arrive  in  New 
York  today  from  that  country. 
• 

Joseph     Harris,     Realart  board 
chairman,    and   Budd   Rogers,  sales 
chief,   have   returned  to  New  York 
from  Philadelphia  and  Washington. 
• 

Arthur  Dutton  of  Omaha  has 
sold  the  Donis  Theatre,  Davenport, 
Neb.,  to  Dale  Skinner  of  Deshler, 
Neb. 

• 

Albert  W.  Protzman  has  been  ap- 
pointed television  technical  production 
director  for  NBC  here. 

• 

Pete  Rome  of  the  Rome  Circuit, 
Baltimore,  and  Mrs.  Rome  were  in 
town  over  the  weekend. 

• 

Joseph  M.  Schenck,  20th  Century- 
Fox  production  executive,  has  re- 
turned to  the  Coast  from  New  York. 


Tradewise .  . . 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


T  NDUSTRY  attorneys  are 
*■  beginning  to  think  life's 
worthwhile  again. 

With  two  victories  and  a 
draw,  or  better  than  that,  in 
their  last  three  trips  to  court, 
they  are  regaining  confidence  in 
themselves  and  the  American 
system  of  jurisprudence,  after 
having  nearly  abandoned  both. 

For  a  period  of  almost  two 
years,  court  decisions  with  but 
few  exceptions  were  unfavorable 
to  major  company  defendants 
and  affiliated  circuits  in  actions 
brought  by  small  theatre  inter- 
ests. In  addition,  there  was  no 
good  news  forthcoming  as  the 
Government  anti  -  trust  suit 
against  the  industry  progressed. 

Of  late,  the  judicial  pendulum 
has  wavered  somewhat  in  the 
other  direction.  It  began  in 
March  with  complete  vindication 
of  major  defendants  in  the  Mc- 
Lendon  anti-trust  suit  in  Dallas, 
with  the  presiding  judge  dis- 
missing the  complaint  almost 
immediately  after  the  trial. 

It  was  followed  10  days  ago 
with  vindication  of  all  personal 
defendants  and  all  but  three  cor- 
porate defendants  in  the  Jackson 
Park  Theatre  contempt  action 
in  Chicago.  The  decision  there 
established  hope  for  the  first 
time  of  future  changes  in  the 
court's  decree  and  meted  what 
are  regarded  as  mild  penalties  to 
the  three  found  to  have  techni- 
cally violated  the  decree.  The 
decision  was  surprising,  coming 
from  a  judge  who,  during  the 
hearings,  had  scolded  the  de- 
fendants with  a  choice  of  words 
definitely  unusual  when  em- 
ployed by  an  impartial  authority. 

Last  week,  major  company  de- 
fendants racked  up  another  vic- 
tory when  a  jury,  after  55  min- 
utes of  deliberation  returned  a 
verdict  of  no  cause  of  action  in 
their  favor  in  the  Rivoli  Thea- 
tre treble  damage  anti-trust  ac- 
tion in  Buffalo. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
Thomas  C.  McConnell,  Chicago 
attorney,  who  helped  start  the 
long  line  of  adverse  rulings 
against  the  major  interests  with 
his  successful  prosecution  of  the 
Jackson  Park  Theatre  (Bige- 
low)  case,  was  the  attorney  in 
all  three  of  the  losing  actions. 

It  would  seem  you  still  need 
more  than  a  bill  of  complaint  to 
win  in  the  courts  of  the  land. 


The  appointment  of  Gael 
Sullivan,  executive  director  of 
the  Democratic  National  Com- 


mittee, as  executive  director  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America 
threatens  to  bring  about  some 
repercussions  in  TOA  ranks. 

Some  directors  of  TOA  are 
miffed  because  they  were  not 
consulted  on  the  appointment  in 
advance.  Others  oppose  it  be- 
cause they  disapprove  of  a  poli- 
tician of  national  proportions  as 
the  managing  head  of  their  or- 
ganization and  contend  that 
Sullivan  may  be  more  of  a 
liability  than  an  asset  to  TOA 
legislative  activities  if  the 
Democratic  Party  is  defeated,  as 
predicted,  in  the  next  elections. 

Still  other  directors  are  a  bit 
sour  about  it  because  the-  first 
they  heard  of  the  Sullivan  ap- 
pointment was  when  they  en- 
countered his  disclosure  of  it  in 
their  daily  newspapers. 

There  are  others  who  are 
considerably  disturbed  about 
those  published  reports  from 
Washington  that  Sullivan's  sal- 
ary for  his  TOA  stint  is  to  be 
$50,000  annually.  Where  is  that 
kind  of  dough  coming  from  and 
for  what  kind  of  services  to  be 
rendered  to  TOA  and  its  mem- 
bership ?  they  want  to  know. 


Technically,  it  appears  TOA's 
executive  committee,  which  con- 
firmed Sullivan's  appointment, 
was  within  its  rights  in  employ- 
ing him  as  executive  director, 
a  non-elective  post,  without  con- 
sulting the  directorate. 

However,  TOA  officials  ob- 
viously attach  importance  to 
Sullivan's  appointment  and  the 
post  he  is  to  fill  is  a  strategic  one 
in  the  organization.  It  ranks 
in  importance  with  that  of  the 
president  and  should  the  presi- 
dent be  forced  by  business  con- 
siderations to  restrict  the 
amount  of  time  he  is  able  to  de- 
vote to  TOA  affairs,  the  execu- 
tive director  might  well  be  more 
influential  within  the  organiza- 
tion than  the  president  himself. 

Perhaps  TOA  leaders  would 
have  been  wise  to  have  referred 
the  appointment  and  its  an- 
nouncement to  their  organiza- 
tion's new  industry  public  rela- 
tions bureau  which  is  doing  such 
a  good  job  around  the  country. 
That  might  have  resulted  either 
in  averting  or  promptly  denying 
that  $50,000  salary  report,  dis- 
turbing to  TOA  members  and 
lending  substance  to  the  public 
impression  that  politicos  can 
always  join  the  industry  at  triple 
their  former  salaries  when  the 
going  gets  tough. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


T>  RITAIN'S  King  and  Q  ucen  on 
J-*  their  silver  anniversary  is  a 
current  nezvsreel  highlight.  National 
and  international  nezos,  sports,  fash- 
ions and  human  interest  items  round 
out  the  reels.' -Complete  contents  fol- 
low : 

MOVIETONE.  NEWS,   No.  35—  Britf  | 

monarchs  acclaimed  on  silver  anniversW 
Red  post-election  demonstration  in  Milan. 
New  dam  in  Puerto  Rico.  American  mother 
of  1948.  Mother  of  10  at  27  years  of  age. 
Horse  racing.  Auto  racing.  Shooting  the 
rapids. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  269^London 

acclaims  King  and  Queen  on  silver  anni- 
versary. Reds  in  post-election  riot  in  Italy. 
Notables  arrive  on  S.S.  Queen  Elizabeth. 
Giant  dam  brings  hope  of  new  era  to 
Puerto  Rico.  Turf  racing.  Outdoor  circus 
in  Germany. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  72—  Reds  riot 
in  Milan.  German  circus  thrills  amid  ruins. 
Royalty  honored  in  England. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  138^-London. 
cheers  King  and  Queen  on  silver  anni- 
versary. Princess  Elizabeth  installed  in 
Order  of  Garter.  Open  air  voting  in 
Switzerland.  Underground  explosion  shatters 
French  building.  Divers  discover  mermaid 
at  Santa  Cruz.  Yacht  regatta.  High  wire 
acrobatics  in  Germany. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  74— Peo- 
ple in  the  news:  Averell  Harriman,  Mrs. 
Franklin  D.  Roosevelt,  King  Peter  of 
Yugoslavia.  Britain  honors  Royal  Family. 
Swiss  elections.  Outdoor  school  for  models. 
Brooklyn  fan  sees  Dodgers  lose.  Dare- 
devils in  hill  climb.  Great  events:  Manila 
Bay. 


Ga.  MPTO  Opens 
Annual  Meet  Today 

Atlanta,  May  2. — The  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  and  Oper- 
ators of  Georgia  will  open  its  first 
annual  convention  at  the  Henry  Grady 
Hotel  here  tomorrow.  The  meeting- 
will  run  through  Tuesday. 

An  address  by  Ted  Gamble,  Thea- 
tre Owners  of  America  president,  on 
"Our  Industry's  Future"  and  a  dis- 
cussion of  TOA  activities  by  Robert 
W.  Coyne,  its  executive  director,  will 
highlight  the  first  day's  business  ses- 
sions, at  which  J.  H.  Thompson, 
Georgia  MPTO  president,  will  pre- 
side. 

Other  speakers  listed  for  the  meet- 
ing include  Terry  Ramsaye,  editor  of 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  who  will  ana- 
lyze the  industry's  public  relations 
program ;  R.  B.  Wilby  of  the  Wilby- 
Kincey  circuit,  who  will  discuss  trail- 
ers;  J.  T.  Redd  of  Wil-Kin  Theatre 
Supply  Co.,  whose  subject  will  be 
maintenance  of  equipment  and  build- 
ings, and  John  Stembler,  counsel  for 
the  Georgia  Theatres  Co.,  who  will 
discuss  the  state's  building  code. 


Next  Jolson  Film  to  Col. 

Next  Jolson  picture  will  be  made 
for  Columbia,  the  company  announced 
here  at  the  weekend.  Negotiations 
have  been  completed  between  Jolson 
and  the  company  for  the  production  of 
a  picture  based  on  further  episodes  in 
of  the  life  of  the  entertainer  which 
were  not  included  in  "The  Jolson 
Story,"  which  Columbia  also  released. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Often,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  So,.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor ;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications :  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription   rates  per  year,   $6  in   the  Americas  and   $12   foreign;    single   copies,  10c. 


FEAR  RIDES  BESIDE 
EVERY  PASSENGER  ON 
THE  BERLIN  EXPRESS! 


"First-rate  mystery  thriller  .  .  . 
Strong  cast. . .  Background  shots 
outstanding."  _  BOXOFF/CE 

"Exciting  melodrama  . . .  most  of 
the  film  was  made  on  the  scene 
—  Paris,  Frankfurt,  Berlin  .  .  ." 

-  M.  P.  HERALD 

"Fast  melodrama  backed  by 
solid  cast  and  authentic  back- 
grounds . . .  might  ride  the  head- 
lines into  the  boff  B.O.  class." 

-  VARIETY 

"Sure-fire  boxoffice  .  .  .  melo- 
drama   comparable    with  the 

best."  -FILM  DAILY 

"First-rate  melodrama  .  .  .  su- 
perb touches  of  realism  and  on- 
the-spot  background  photogra- 
phy" —  M.  P.  DAILY 

"Exciting  .  .  .  well  made  and 
maintains  interest  on  high  .  .  ." 

-  THE  EXHIBITOR 

"Thrilling,  absorbing,  timely, 
dramatic  .  .  .  Extensive  exploita- 
tion recommended." 

-  SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW 

"As  action  display  and  exploi- 
tation item,  geared  for  quick, 
profitable  playoff." 

-HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 

"Shots  of  bombed-out  Berlin  and 
Frankfurt  alone  make  it  worth 
the  price  of  admission." 

-  DAILY  VARIETY 

IT'S  IN  FOR 
THE  MONEY! 


PJ&  p  DORE  SCHARY 
in  Charge 
of  Production 

Produced  by  BERT  GRANET  •  Directed  by  JACQUES  TOURNEUR  •  Screen  Play  by  HAROLD  MEDFORD 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  May  S,  1948 


Para.  Net 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

share  for  1947  on  the  basis  of  com- 
bined consolidated  earnings  and  share 
of  undistributed  earnings  was  $4.46 
on  7,092,839  shares  outstanding,  which 
compares  with  $5.92  per  share  for 
1946  on  7,443,772  shares. 

Dividends  paid  during  the  year 
amounted  to  $14,347,778,  or  $2  per 
share,  compared  with  $12,358,349,  or 
$1.65  in  1946. 

Consolidated  balance  sheet  shows 
that  cash  and  government  securities 
on  January  3  amounted  to  $38,575,544, 
all  located  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  except  $699,271  in  Great 
Britain,  $591,601  in  nations  in  the 
Western  Hemisphere  and  $589,052  in 
other  foreign  countries.  Total  cur- 
rent assets  were  $95,511,702,  and  cur- 
rent liabilities  $16,067,434,  'leaving  a 
net  working  capital  of  $79,444,268,  an 
increase  of  $5,881,969  during  the 
year. 

Inventory   Down  $2,400,000 

Balaban  told  the  company's  stock- 
holders that  "inventory,  excluding 
inventory  of  companies  acquired  dur- 
ing 1947,  was  $45,138,121,  or  a  de- 
crease of  approximately  $2,400,000 
from  the  previous  year." 

The  Paramount  head  disclosed  that 
year-end  inventories  of  Liberty  Films 
and  Rainbow  Productions,  both  of 
which  were  acquired  by  the  company 
in  1947,  totaled  $5,039,887.  "Accord- 
ingly," he  pointed  out,  "while  inven- 
tory of  our  own  productions  decreased 
in  dollar  amount  there  was,  neverthe- 
less, a  net  increase  of  $2,635,000  in 
inventory  due  to  the  acquisition  of 
those  two  companies." 

Balaban  said  that  finished  Liberty 
and  Rainbow  films  will  be  "substan- 
tially liquidated"  this  year  through 
their  distribution  under  arrangements 
completed  with  other  companies  prior 
to  their  acquisition  by  Paramount. 

"Consequently,"  he  explained,  "dis- 
tribution of  these  pictures  will  not 
cause  Paramount  to  make  any  adjust- 
ment }n  its  own  releasing  program, 
and  the  future  pictures  of  Liberty  and 
Rainbow  will  be  produced  and  mar- 
keted as  a  unit  with  our  own." 

Stock-buying  to  Continue 

It  was  disclosed  by  Balaban  that, 
"consistent  with  the  well-being  of  the 
corporation  and  its  general  cash 
needs,"  Paramount  will  continue  the 
policy  of  acquiring  its  common  shares 
in  the  open  market.  He  said  that  all 
such  shares  will  be  available  "for  any 
rearrangements  of  our  investments 
which  the  final  decision  in  the  pending 
anti-trust  suit  may  require  and  for  the 
addition  of  any  other  interests  which 
would  strengthen  our  operations." 

Balaban  revealed  that  the  company 


OF  COURSE 


66 


TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 


HEAVEN" 


The  Emperor  Waltz 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


values  are  in  the  telling  and  that  has  to  be  appreciated.  Crosby,  selling 
phonographs,  reaches  Vienna  along  about  1908  on  assignment  to  get  Emperor 
Franz  Joseph's  endorsement.  In  the  process  the  breezy,  easy-going,  down-to- 
earth  Crosby  meets  the  aristocratic,  class-conscious  Joan  Fontaine.  Their 
romance  blossoms  and  alongside  it  the  romance  of  Bing's  mongrel  and  Miss 
Fontaine's  full-bred  poodle.  All  through  the  film,  the  twin  romances  develop 
with  the  percentages  going  to  the  dogs  (meaning  the  animals)  until  the  two 
humans  finally  get  together. 

All  of  this  develops  in  Technicolor  against  a  background  of  the  court  with 
its  pomp,  ceremony  and  stuffed-shirts.  Before  he  finishes,  however,  Bing 
riddles  all  of  it  and  gets  the  girl. 

Supporting  performances  are  excellent.  Miss  Fontaine  is  photographed  so 
beautifully  that  it  becomes  easy  to  understand  why  Bing  goes  all  the  way. 
Richard  Hadyn  as  the  emperor  and  Roland  Culver,  as  Miss  Fontaine's  father, 
have  the  most  to  do,  but  others  of  competence  include  Lucille  Watson  and 
Sig  Ruman. 

George  Barnes  rates  a  kudo  for  his  photography  and  Victor  Young  for  his 
musical  -  score. 

Running  time,  106  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  2,  1948.  Red  Kann 

"Assigned  to  Danger" 

(Eagle-Lion) 

FOR  patrons  who  want  an  hour's  surcease  from  weightier  subjects,  "As- 
signed to  Danger"  is  a  competent  piece  of  merchandise  in  the  cops-and- 
robbers  sphere. 

As  an  insurance  investigator  assigned  to  track  down  a  band  of  payroll 
robbers,  Gene  Raymond  turns  up  at  a  secluded  resort  hotel  managed  by  Noreen 
Nash,  wife  of  the  leader  of  the  gang  and  sister  of  one  who  was  killed  in 
the  getaway.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  the  gang  shows  up,  with  Robert  Bice, 
its  leader,  seriously  wounded.  Raymond,  mistaken  for  a  doctor,  is  forced 
to  remove  the  bullet  and  then  is  held  captive  to  ensure  the  recovery  of  Bice. 
Miss  Nash,  however,  her  loyalty  to  her  husband  shattered  by  the  growing 
love  between  her  and  Raymond,  helps  him  to  vanquish  them.  Also  in  the 
cast  are  Jack  Overman,  Martin  Kosleck,  Ralf  Harolde  and  Gene  Evans. 
Eugene  Ling  produced  from  his  own  screenplay,  based  on  a  story  by  Robert 
E.  Kent.    Oscar  Boetticher  directed. 

Running  time,  65  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Irving  Kaplan 


acquired  138,500  additional  shares 
from  the  end  of  the  1937  fiscal  year 
to  April  20,  1948. 

The  Paramount  chief  also  disclosed 
that  the  company  in  1947  made  ar- 
rangements with  three  banks  provid- 
ing a  maximum  credit  of  $25,000,000. 
He  said  that  "should  an  unusual  need 
for  funds  arise,  and  it  could  arise,  for 
instance,  as  a  consequence  of  the  anti- 
trust suit,  such  funds  will  be  available 
on  very  favorable  terms  through  this 
credit." 

Dollar  revenues  from  the  company's 
foreign  operations  were  approximately 
10  per  cent  lower  in  1947  than  in 
1946,  according  to  the  annual  report. 
This  decrease  was  blamed  on  "a  some- 
what reduced  volume  of  business  in 
terms  of  the  foreign  currencies  of  the 
various  countries  where  we  _  distribute 
pictures  and  the  increased  difficulty  of 
converting  foreign  currencies  into 
dollars." 

Annual  stockholders'  meeting  will 
be  held  here  on  June  15. 

'Iron  Curtain'  Ads 
In  112  Newspapers 

An  estimated  27,000,000  newspaper 
readers  in  this  country  were  informed 
yesterday  of  the  nationwide  premiere 
of  20th  Century-Fox's  "The  Iron 
Curtain"  on  May  12.  The  500-line  ads 
appeared  in  112  newspapers,  according 
to  Charles  Schlaifer,  _  20th  Century- 
Fox  advertising-publicity  director. 


sent  from  UA 


Cagney  Film  Benefit 

Premiere  of  William  Cagney's  "The 
Time  of  Your  Life,"  United  Artists, 
at  the  Mayfair  Theatre  here  on  May 
25  will  be  for  the  benefit  of  the  Wilt- 
wyck  School  at  Esopus,  N.  Y.  Mrs. 
Franklin  D.  Roosevelt  will  be  honor- 
ary chairman  and  will  also  address 
the  gathering. 


TP  Sales  Drive 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Wistful  Widow  of  Wagon  Gap," 
"The  Senator  Was  Indiscreet,"  "The 
Exile,"  "Pirates  of  Monterey,"  "A 
Double  Life,"  "Black  Bart,"  "Cas- 
bah,"  "Naked  City,"  "Are  You  with 
It?",  "All  My  Sons,"  "Letter  from 
an  Unknown  Woman,"  "Up  in  Central 
Park,"  "Another  Part  of  the  Forest," 
"River  Lady,"  "Feudin',  Fussin'  and 
A-Fightin',"  and  J.  Arthur  Rank's 
"Black  Narcissus,"  "Great  Expecta- 
tions," "The  Upturned  Glass,"  "Cap- 
tain Boycott,"  "Jassy"  and  "Dear 
Murderer." 

Details  of  the  drive  were  set  at  a 
series  of  meetings  here  attended  by 
John  Joseph,  advertising-publicity  di- 
rector; E.  T.  Gomersall,  assistant  to 
Scully;  A.  J.  O'Keefe,  assistant  sales 
manager ;  C.  J.  Feldman,  Western  di- 
vision manager ;  F.  J.  A.  McCarthy, 
Southern  and  Canadian  division  man- 
ager; Fred  Meyers,  Eastern  division, 
and  James  J.  Jordan,  contract-playdate 
manager. 


Westrex  Announces 
New  Sound  Systems 

New  theatre  sound  systems  have 
been  developed  by  Westrex,  E.  S. 
Gregg,  vice-president  and  manager, 
has  announced.  For  larger  theatres 
the  1948  models  include  an  entirely 
new  transmission  system,  while  the 
systems  for  smaller  houses  include  a 
new  amplifier-power  unit  on  a  single 
chassis,  Gregg  reports. 


Kirk  in  Popkin  Film 

Hollywood,  May  2.  —  Producer 
Harry  Popkin  has  signed  Douglas 
Kirk  to  co-star  with  Laraine  Day  in 
"My  Dear  Secretary." 


'Sleeping  Pills'  Film 
Planned  by  Mono. 

Hollywood,  May  2. — Purchase  of 
an  original  story,  "Pills,  Inc.,"  from 
Irwin  Gielgud  for  $30,000  has  been  an- 
nounced by  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram 
president.  Jeffrey  Bernerd  has  been 
assigned  to  produce  the  film  which, 
Broidy  said,  will  be  an  expose  of  over- 
dosages of  sleeping  pills  and  the  per- 
sons who  make  the  pills  available 
without  proper  authority. 


Trumbo  Defense 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


refused  to  disclose  whether  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Communist  Party  at 
the  Hollywood  hearings  conducted  by 
the  House  Un-American  Activities 
Committee. 

The  defense  also  is  expected  to  in- 
troduce a  bed-side  deposition  taken 
from  committee  chairman  J.  Parnell 
Thomas  last  week. 

On  Friday  Justice  David  A.  Pine 
denied  a  request  for  a  directed  verdict 
of  acquittal  on  the  charge  that  Trum- 
bo had  refused  to  tell  the  committee 
whether  or  not  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Screen  Writers  Guild. 

Defense  attorney  Charles  Katz  ar- 
gued that  the  question  was  not  perti- 
nent because  the  Government  failed  to 
show  that  a  "rational  hypothesis"  ex- 
isted which  justified  an  inquiry  into 
Trumbo's  trade  union  affiliations. 

Defense  attempts  to  show  that  the 
control  exercised  over  screen  writers 
prevented  the  injection  of  subversive 
material  into  their  pictures  also  failed 
when  the  court  sustained  Government 
objections  through  the  questions  asked 
Screen  Writers  Guild  executive  Philip 
Dunne. 

The  House  on  Friday  authorized  its 
clerk  to  answer  various  defense  sub- 
poenas in  the  trial  of  Trumbo  and 
Albert  Maltz,  whose  trial  is  slated  to 
follow  that  of  Trumbo.  The  clerk  was 
permitted  to  take  along  any  papers 
and  documents  of  public  record. 


Appeal  Bd.  Rules  on 
Eisner  Arbitration 

The  appeal  board  of  the  Motion 
Picture    Arbitration    Tribunals  has 
amended  the  award  of  the  Boston  ar- 
bitrator in  the,  case  involving  Eisner 
Theatres,  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  against  all 
five  major  distributors.     Under  the 
board's  ruling  clearances  granted  to 
the   State   Theatre,    Milford,  Mass., 
over  the  Cameo,  Uxbridge,  will  not  be 
arbitrated.    In  licenses  hereafter  er 
tered  into  by  the  distributors  no  cle 
ances  may  be  granted  in  favor  of 
Stadium,  Bijou  or  Park  theatres  in 
Woonsocket,  R.  I.,  over  the  Cameo  in 
Uxbridge. 


en^ 

i 


\  NEW  YORK 
1  MS  WIST 

ss  st«kt 


8 


Jay  Emanuel,  theatre  owner 
and  publisher  of  'The  Exhibitor/ 
in  his  issue  of  March  31, 1948 
stated  editorially:  "a  Trailer  is 
still  the  exhibitor's  best  me- 
dium, and  still  the  cheapest.  It 
is  sampling  in  the  best  form." 


TRAILERS 

BEST  BUY 

in  ADVERTISING! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  May  3,  1948 


60%  Pay  Rise  Would 
Satisfy  Mexicans 

Mexico  City,  May  2.  — 
American  film  industry  work- 
ers' demands  for  pay  in- 
creases pale  in  comparison  to 
the  60  per  cent  hike  asked  for 
by  Mexican  studio  workers. 
Forty  per  cent  is  the  mini- 
mum acceptable,  they  say. 

Both  American  and  Mexi- 
can production  here  will 
cease  in  June  if  the  workers 
strike,  as  they  threaten.  Pro- 
ducers will  refuse  to  consider 
such  an  increase,  pointing  out 
that  one  studio  here  is  losing 
$400,000  a  year. 


Reviews 


"Heart  of  Virginia" 

(Republic) 

'  I  rHIS  is  the  story  of  a  race  horse  and  the  efforts  of  its  owners  and  trainers 
A  to  have  their  entry  win  an  important  race.  The  racing  scenes  are  thrilling. 
Janet  Martin  is^the  owner  of  "Virginia's  Pride,"  a  horse  with  a  good  chance 
to  win  the  big  event,  Robert  Lowery  is  a  racing  stable  owner  and  Sam 
McDaniel  gives  an  amusing  performance  as  "Sunflower,"  the  stable  boy. 

The  horse  has  a  succession  of  mishaps,  including  a  threat  of  pneumonia, 
straining  a  ligament  and  problems  with  the  jockey,  played  by  Frankie  Darro. 
The  jockey  lost  his  nerve  in  one  race  but  the  girl  wants  to  give  him  another 
chance.  He  mistakes  her  interest  for  love  and  when  the  girl  and  Robert 
Lowery  announce  their  engagement  on  the  eve  of  the  big  race,  the  jockey 
feels  unable  to  ride  again.  However,  he  pulls  himself  together  and  realizes 
that  his  life  is  racing  and,  of  course,  he  wins  the  race.  Sidney  Picker  was 
associate  producer,  R.  G.  Springsteen  directed,  and  Jerry  Sackheim  wrote  the 
original. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
April  25. 


"I  Wouldn't  Be  in  Your  Shoes" 

(Monogram) 

Hollywood,  May  2 

SOMEBODY  connected  with  the  writing  of  this  little  number — -maybe 
novelist  Cornell  Woolrich,  possibly  scenarist  Steve  Fisher,  producer 
Walter  Mirisch  or  director  William  Nigh — conceived  a  pretty  slick  gimmick 
that  almost  puts  the  picture  in  the  "sleeper"  class.  The  gimmick  consists  of 
dredging  up  a  secondary  case  of  circumstantial  evidence  which  has  the  effect 
of  nullifying  the  primary  case,  on  which  a  man  has  been  convicted  of  murder, 
and  preparing  the  observer  for  a  bang-up  surprise  ending.  Unfortunately, 
after  having  done  all  this,  the  production  settles  for  a  fast  and  altogether 
ordinary  ending  and  the  gimmick  goes  for  nothing. 

Don  Castle,  Elyse  Knox  and  Regis  Toomey  are  the  names  with  which  a 
showman  may  attract  attention  to  the  production.  Castle  is  cast  as  a  "hoofer" 
out  of  work,  Miss  Knox  as  his  wife,  and  Toomey  as  a  detective.  After 
Castle's  tap  shoes  are  used  to  incriminate  him  in  a  series  of  incidents  con- 
nected with  a  murder,  and  after  Castle  is  convicted  by  circumstantial  evidence, 
the  detective  digs  up  a  secondary  suspect  who  looks  quite  as  guilty  as  Castle, 
but  it  finally  turns  out  that  the  detective  did  the  killing  as  a  means  of  obtain- 
ing money  with  which  to  woo  Castle's  wife. 

Running  time,  70  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


Bulgaria  Creates 
A  Film  Monopoly 

By  ARGEO  SANTUCCI 

Rome,  April  28  (By  Airmail).  — 
The  Bulgarian  government  has  estab- 
lished a  new  motion  picture  monopoly, 
the  Bulgarska  Kinematografia,  which 
replaces  the  Bulgarsko  Delo  monop- 
oly, formed  in  October,  1946. 

Kinematografia,  acting  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Committee  for  Science, 
Art  and  Culture,  will  control  film  pro- 
duction, with  the  exception  of  8mm., 
or  smaller ;  importation,  exportation 
and  distribution  of  all  films;  the  im- 
portation of  all  machinery,  equipment 
and  chemicals  relating  to  the  indus- 
try; the  number  of  theatres  in  each 
city,  and  their  opening  and  closing, 
and  puts  under  government  control 
five  motion  picture  firms  (Pobeda 
Film,  Laboratorio  Joto  Jotoff,  Rila 
Film,  Svetlina  and  Ars  Films,  all  of 
them  in  Sofia),  plus  all  theatres  and 
their  equipment. 


Wilson  Hits 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

formed  the  House  of  Commons  at  the 
weekend  of  his  action. 

The  BOT  president  said  that  when 
he  received  reports  that  certain 
Americans  already  are  here  trying  to 
acquire  studio  space  prior  to  the  of- 
ficial publishing  of  the  tax  agreement, 
he  cabled  MPAA  president  Eric  A. 
Johnston  stating  that  the  British  gov- 
ernment cannot  agree  to  this. 

While  acknowledging  that  publica- 
tion of  the  agreement  is  long  overdue, 
Wilson  told  Commons  the  reason  is 
because  of  the  lengthy  New  York  dis- 
cussions on  details  exclusively  con- 
cerning American  interests.  He  said 
he  had  cabled  Johnston  stating  that  it 
will  be  essential  to  publish  the  agree- 
ment immediately  in  view  of  Com- 
mons' concern,  and  that  Johnston  had 
cabled  his  consent. 

Wilson  said  there  is  no  possibility 
that  the  British  government  will  sub- 
sidize independent  producers,  but  re- 
iterated that  he  still  hopes  to  make 
arrangements  which  will  serve  to 
strengthen  existing  financial  arrange- 
ments, whereby  independent  producers 
with  reasonable  budgets  and  reason- 
able projects  will  be  enabled  to  carry 
on. 

J.  Arthur  Rank's  statement  last 
week  on  his  return  from  America  that 
American  producers  have  some  28 
methods  of  utilizing  so-called  unre- 
mittable  balances  created  by  the  agree- 
ment provoked  widespread  newspaper 
criticism  here  of  the  whole  agree- 
ment. 


/.  Jules  Benedic 
Dies  in  Illinois 

Kansas  City,  May  2. — J.  Jules 
Benedic,  who  was  associated  with 
King  Enterprises,  died  Thursday  at 
Christopher,  111.  Funeral  services  will 
be  held  here  this  week.  Benedic  was 
with  Boxoffice  for  several  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  City 
unit  of  Motion  Picture  Foundation 
and  a  member  of  the  Des  Moines 
Variety  Club. 


Raymond  Wallace,  55 

Cleveland,  May  2. — Raymond  Wal- 
lace, 55,  who  last  week  sold  his  inter- 
est in  all  four  theatres  in  Alliance  to 
Marsch  Theatres  of  Cleveland,  died 
Friday  of  peritonitis.  Last  year  he 
celebrated  his  40th  year  in  show  busi- 
ness. The  widow  and  a  son  survive. 


Lapinere  Promoted 

Elias  Lapinere  has  been  appointed 
RKO  Radio  Continental  sales  man- 
ager in  Paris  by  Phil  Reisman,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  foreign  distri- 
bution. Lapinere,  who  has  been  RKO 
Radio  publicity  director  for  Europe, 
will  continue  to  supervise  advertising 
and  publicity. 


Marx  in  Cowan  Film 

Hollywood,  May  2.  —  Lester 
Cowan  will  star  Groucho  Marx  in 
an  untitled  comedy  with  a  Honolulu 
background  in  consequence  of  the 
comedian's  performance  on  his  radio 
quiz  program.  Release  is  undeter- 
mined. 


TOA  Drive 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


atres.  Comprehensive  reports  on  forth- 
coming Hollywood  product  considered 
to  be  of  exceptional  merit  also  have 
been  prepared  and  distributed. 

All  such  material,  Gamble  said,  is 
being  used  in  newspapers,  magazines, 
on  the  radio  and  on  theatre  screens 
and  stages.  He  read  lists  of  publica- 
tions across  the  country  which  al- 
ready have  made  use  of  the  material. 
In  addition,  hundreds  of  local  exhibi- 
tors participating  in  the  campaign 
have  directed  theatre  managers  to  ad- 
dress audiences  from  the  stage  between 
shows,  daily,  acquainting  them  with 
outstanding  product  to  be  exhibited  in 
the  coming  months.  Many  other  thea- 
tres will  use  trailers  on  the  subject. 

Exhibitors  also  are  placing  the  ma- 
terial with  their  local  newspaper  and 
radio  stations,  are  using  it  in  speeches 
before  local  civic  and  luncheon  clubs 
and  are  amplifying  the  program  with 
material  and  activities  adapted  to  in- 
dividual localities. 

Gamble  and  Robert  W.  Coyne,  ex- 
ecutive director  of  TOA,  emphasized 
that  the  public  relations  campaign  is 
"not  a  TOA  membership  drive"  and 
needs  the  cooperation  of  all  exhibitors 
on  the  local  level,  regardless  of  or- 
ganizational lines. 


Two  New  Video  Permits 

Washington,  May  2.  —  The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  has 
approved  television  stations  for  the 
Sunshine  Television  Corp.,  St.  Peters- 
burg, Fla.,  and  The  Voice  of  Alabama, 
Inc.,  Birmingham. 


Kansas  City  Youth 
Ask  Study  of  Films 

Kansas  City,  May  2.  —  Recom- 
mendations for  setting  up  a  study 
group  to  investigate  motion  pictures, 
press  and  radio  for  a  better  under- 
standing of  their  techniques  were 
adopted  at  the  closing  session  of  the 
Mayor's  Youth  Conference. 

The  Conference's  recommendations 
were  understood  to  open  the  way  for 
a  study  of  commercial  motion  pictures 
for  a  fuller  appreciation  of  the  iiMm  < 
try's  achievements  by  the  public.W 


Urges  Aid 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

participation  in  the  program,  which 
is  largely  sponsored  by  U.  S.  Attorney 
General  Tom  Clark. 

Highlights  of  the  program  formu- 
lated to  date  include  the  placing  of 
theatres  at  the  disposal  of  local  or- 
ganizations engaged  in  the  prevention 
of  juvenile  delinquency  for  meetings, 
conferences,  studies  and  programs; 
the  preparation  and  exhibition  of  an 
instruction  film  showing  such  organ- 
izations' effective  methods  of  planning 
and  executing  their  activities,  and  full 
cooperation  in  "Youth  Month"  pro- 
grams.. 

In  appealing  for  the  cooperation  of 
all  theatres  in  the  program,  Skouras 
pointed  out  that  for  those  exhibitors 
who  might  not  be  convinced  that  the 
prevention  of  juvenile  delinquency  is 
vital  to  their  community  and  the  na- 
tion, there  is  still  the  selfish  consider- 
ation that  they  will  be  helping  to  re- 
duce actual  or  potential  damage  to 
their  own  property  by  juvenile  van- 
dals. 

"The  program  cannot  be  a  complete 
success,"  Skouras  said,  without  the 
participation  of  exhibitors  in  every 
community." 

A  two-reel  training  film,  designed 
to  instruct  on  a  community  level, 
groups  dedicated  to  combating  juvenile 
delinquency,  is  now  being  produced 
by  the  This  Is  America  unit  of  RKO 
Radio.  Theatres  will  make  it  possible 
for  the  groups  to  view  the  film  and  in 
thus  supporting  the  Department  of 
Justice's  drive  against  juvenile  delin- 
quency will  offset  charges  that  thea- 
tres and  motion  pictures  in  general 
have  contributed  to  youth  crime. 


Bidding  Linked 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

publicity  for  motion  pictures  and  the 
industry,  together  with  the  work  that 
Theatre  Owners  of  America  is  under- 
taking to  counteract  it. 

"I  do  not  believe  that  pictures  are 
of  poorer  quality  than  in  other  years," 
Skouras  said.  "But  there  is  less  ad- 
vertising and  publicity  originated  by 
theatres  for  current  films  since  com- 
petitive bidding,  because  theatres  do 
not  know  sufficiently  far  in  advance  to 
prepare  the  maximum  campaigns, 
what  films  they  will  be  playing." 

Skouras  indicated  that  is  one  rec- 
ommendation for  TOA's  current  pro- 
gram of  public  relations,  a  phase  of 
which  is  the  publicizing  and  stimula- 
tion of  audience  interest  in  the  better 
product  of  all  companies,  by  theatres 
which  may  not  buy  or  exhibit  all  such 
r.  roduct. 

Skouras  paid  unqualified  tribute  to 
the  industry  press,  asserting  that  it  is 
the  only  effective  medium  for  getting 
a  message  to  the  "grass  roots"  exhibi- 
tors who  "because  they  read  the  trade 
press  so  thoroughly  are  frequently  bet- 
ter informed  about  the  industry  and 
its  product  than  anyone  would  be- 
lieve." 


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-  ^.  63.  NO.  86 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  MAY  4,  1948 

TEN  CENTS 

HIGH  COURT  FAILS  TO 
RULE  ON  DIVORCEMENT 


Howard  Hughes  Acquires 
RKO  Control  from  Atlas 


Howard  Hughes  has  concluded 
negotiations  with  Floyd  B.  Odium, 
head  of  Atlas  Corp.,  for  purchase 
of  the  latter's  929,020  shares  of 
RKO  common  stock,  which  gives  the 
producer  effective  control  of  RKO. 

Hughes  is  reliably  reported 
to  have  given  assurances  that 
N.  Peter  Rathvon  will  continue 
as  RKO  president  and  Dore 
Schary  as  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production.  Hughes 
plans  to  take  an  active  interest 
in  RKO  affairs  himself  but  it  is 
doubtful  whether  he  will  be- 
come an  officer  of  the  company. 

Purchase  price  of  the  Atlas  stock 
was  not  disclosed  but  at  current  mar- 
ket prices  it  has  a  value  of  more  than 
$9,000,000,  so  obviously  something  in 
the  neighborhood  of  that  figure  is  in- 
volved. 

According  to  reliable  reports  the 
agreement  between  Hughes  and  Odium 
was  reached  last  Friday.  Odium  yes- 
terday issued  a  statement  confirming 
that  a  "tentative  agreement"  had  been 
reached,  adding,  "When  and  if  this 
tentative  deal  becomes  firm  and  defi- 
nite a  further  statement  will  be  made." 

Odium's  reference  to  the  deal  as  be- 


ing "tentative"  was  unexplained  but 
it  is  assumed  that  it  has  yet  to  be 
approved  by  the  Atlas  board  of  direc- 
tors. The  board  is  scheduled  to  meet 
Wednesday  or  Thursday  and  may  be 
expected  to  act  on  the  deal  then. 

Hughes  has  been  negotiating  with 
Odium  for  the  Atlas  holdings  of  RKO 
stock  for  a  number  of  months,  during 
which  time  the  deal  has  been  variously 
reported  as  closed  or  "off."  About 
three  weeks  ago,  after  more  than  a 
month  of  continuous  negotiations, 
Odium  issued  a  statement  to  the  effect 
that  the  conversations  between  him- 
self and  Hughes  had  been  terminated 
"without  agreement,"  and  added  that 
"no  other  negotiations  are  pending." 

Loyd  Wright,  attorney  for  Hughes 
in  the  negotiations,  was  asked  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  at  that  time 
whether  there  were  any  prospects  of 
the  negotiations  being  resumed. 

"Anything  can  happen  in  this  busi- 
ness," Wright  replied. 

The  bulk  of  Atlas  Corporation's 
RKO  holdings  were  acquired  during 
the  77-B  reorganization  of  RKO  in 
1933  to  1940,  although  the  investment 
company  added  to  its  holdings  bv  con- 
siderable purchases  following  the  re- 
organization. For  several  years  past 

{Continued  on  page  11) 


Supreme  Court  Holds  Both 
Griffith,  Schine  Guilty 


Washington,  May  3. — The  Su- 
preme Court  ruled  today  that  the 
Griffith  Theatre  interests  of  Texas, 
New  Mexico  and  Oklahoma  were 
guilty  of  a  conspiracy  to  violate  the 
anti-trust  laws. 

It  sent  the  case  back  to  the  District 
Court  for  the  Western.  District  of 
Oklahoma  for  further  findings  as  to 
how  greatly  the  monopoly  power  of 
the  chain  had  affected  its  growth  and 
for  "fashioning  of  a  decree  which  will 
undo  as  near  as  may  be  the  wrongs 
that  were  done  and  prevent  their  re- 
currence in  the  future." 

By  a  six  to  one  majority  the  court 
reversed  the  ruling  of  the  Oklahoma 
court,  which  found  no  violation  of  the 
anti-trust  laws  and  dismissed  the  com- 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Washington,  May  3. — The  Su- 
preme Court  today  ordered  the  U.  S. 
District  Court  at  Buffalo  to  make  fur- 
ther findings  and  enter  a  new  decree 
on  how  the  Schine  Theatre  Chain 
should  be  broken  up. 

In  a  7-to-0  decision,  the  court  upheld 
the  broad  outlines  of  the  Government's 
anti-trust  case  against  the  New  York 
and  Ohio  chain,  although  it  did  set 
aside  the  District  Court  findings  on 
divestiture  and  several  other  points. 

All  indications  were  that  the  high 
court  wanted  the  lower  court  to  make 
a  complete  re-examination  of  the  di- 
vestiture question.  It  said  the  District 
Court  must  make  findings  on  exactly 
which  theatres  had  been  gained  as  a 
result  of  Schine's  conspiracy  with 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Returns  Case  to  New  York  Court  for  Further 
Findings  on  Theatre  'Monopoly9  of  Big  5; 
Kills  Competitive  Bidding,  Price-Fixing 


WASHINGTON,  May  3.— The  United  States  Supreme  Court  today 
handed  down  its  long-awaited  decision  in  the  Paramount  case,  but  neat- 
ly side-stepped  a  ruling  on  what  should  happen  to  the  theatre  holdings 
of  the  five  major  companies. 

Instead,  it  sent  the  matter  back  to  the  New  York  District  Court  for 
further  findings  on  the  extent  to  which  the  five  major  theatre-owning 
defendants  monopolized  exhibition,  especially  in  the  first-run  field,  and 
for  fashioning  of  a  more  effective  decree  to  carry  out  whatever  findings 
which  the  District  Court  might  make.  All  indications  are  that  various 
implications  in  the  court's  opinion  give  the  Government  the  whip-hand 

 in  the  new  lower  court  proceedings. 

Other  sections  of  the  court's  decree 
threw  out  the  competitive  bidding  sys- 
tem, left  to  the  District  Court  the  es- 
tablishment of  some  sort  of  voluntary 
arbitration  system,  and  upheld  the 
District  Court's  ban  on  various  dis- 
tributor trade  practices,  including  min- 
imum-admission price-fixing,  unreas- 
onable clearances,  master  agreements 
and  formula  deals,  block  booking, 
pooling  agreements  and  certain  types 
of  joint  ownership. 

The  high  court's  decision  was  by 
a  seven  to  one  vote,  with  Justice 
Douglas  delivering  the  majority  opin- 
ion and  Justice  Frankfurter  dissenting. 
Justice  Jackson  did  not  participate. 


Highlights  of  High 
Court's  Decision 


Washington,  May  3. — Highlights  of 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
U.  S.  vs.  Paramount  case  handed 
down  today  follow. 

The  New  York  court  was 
directed  to  hold  new  hearings 
on  theatre  divorcement  to  ex- 
amine the  legality  or  illegality 
of  theatre  acquisitions  and 
their  uses,  and  to  prepare  a 
new  decree. 

Competitive  bidding  was  abol- 
ished by  the  court  and,  since  it 
was  an  alternative  to  divorce- 
ment, the  New  York  court  was 
directed  to  determine  whether 
a  ban  on  cross-licensing  should 
be  instituted  as  a  "short-range" 
remedy. 

Prohibition  against  theatre 
expansion  by  the  major  com- 
panies were  removed  pending 
issuance  of  a  new  court  decree 
in  New  York. 

Voluntary  arbitration  for  the 
industry  was  endorsed  by  the 
high  court,  which  asked  the 
New  York  court  to  set  up  the 
system  and  the  rules  for  it  for 
those  who  subscribe  to  it. 

The  New  York  court  was  up- 
held in  all  of  its  restraints  up- 
on trade  practices,  including 
fixing  of  minimum  admission 
prices  (road  shows),  unreason- 
able clearances,  master  agree- 
ments and  formula  deals,  block 
booking  and  pooling  arrange- 
ments. 


Lower  Court  Findings  'Obscure' 

Douglas  characterized  as  "obscure" 
and  "deficient"  various  findings  of  the 
lower  court  on  the  question  of  an  ex- 
hibition monopoly  by  the  theatre-own- 
ing defendants.  He  pointed  out  that 
the  lower  court  had  found  no  monopo- 
ly on  any  phase  of  the  case,  although 
it  did  find  an  attempt  to  monopolize 
through  the  distributor  practices  it 
enjoined.  It  therefore  had  concluded, 
Douglas  said,  that  divestiture  was  un- 
necessary until  competitive  bidding 
had  been  tried  and  found  wanting. 

But,  he  continued,  it  is  clear  that 
so  far  as  the  five  majors  are  con- 
cerned the  aim  of  the  conspiracy  was 
designed  to  strengthen  their  hold  on 
the  exhibition  field.  Therefore,  it  was 
not  enough  in  determining  the  need 
for  divestiture,  to  conclude  with  the 
District  Court  that  none  of  the  defend- 
ants was  organized  or  has  been  main- 
tained for  the  purpose  of  achieving  a 
national  monopoly,  nor  that  the  five 
majors  through  their  present  theatre 
holdings  "alone"  do  not  and  cannot 
collectively  or  individually  have  a 
monopoly  of  exhibition.  "For  when 
the  starting  point  is  a  conspiracy  to 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


Charges  Free-shows 
Are  'Snowballing' 

Hollywood,  May  3. — The  growing 
practice  of  showing  free  films  in  hotels, 
bars,  and  even  groceries  is  snowball- 
ing into  an  acute  problem  directly  bit- 
ing into  legitimate  film  income  unless 
production,  distribution,  and  exhibition 
leaders  get  together  to  formulate  pro- 
tective measures,  Harry  Popkin,  head 
of  Cardinal  Pictures  and  owner  of  30 
theatres  on  the  West  Coast,  declares 
here. 

While  the  practice  of  free  showings 
in  bars  is  not  any  real  problem  to  the 
theatre  box  office,  nevertheless  it  is 
the  beachhead  for  a  policy  which,  as  it 
becomes  more  widely  adopted,  will 
really  hurt  business,  Popkin  said,  add- 
ing: 

"Most  of  the  big  metropolitan  stores 
now  have  or  are  planning  on  putting 
in  small  auditoriums  in  which  free  en- 
tertainment, mostly  films,  will  be  pro- 
vided for  shoppers. 

"One  hotel  chain  now  advertises 
free  movies  in  each  of  its  hotels,  which 
is  putting  a  direct  drain  on  entertain- 
ment enterprises.  Most  of  the  films 
are  16mm.  but  that  does  not  change 
the  situation  any  because  they  are 
keeping  patrons  out  of  theatres  just 
the  same." 

The  producer-exhibitor  said,  "the 
industry  has  absolutely  no  over-all 
policy  of  any  kind  in  the  face  of  this 
situation." 


WB  District  Heads 
Meet  Here  May  6-7 

A  meeting  of  district  managers  will 
be  held  at  the  Warner  home  office 
here  Thursday  and  Friday  by  Ben 
Kalmenson,  the  companys'  distribu- 
tion head. 

District  managers  attending  will  be 
F.  D.  (Dinty)  Moore,  Sam  Lefkowitz, 
Robert  Smeltzer,  Charles  Rich,  Harry 
A.  Seed,  Hall  Walsh,  John  F.  Kirby, 
Doak  Roberts,  Henry  M.  Herbel, 
Haskell  M.  Masters.  Home  office  ex- 
ecutives present  will  be  Mort  Blu- 
menstock,  Jules  Lapidus,  Norman 
Ayres,  Roy  Haines,  Norman  H. 
Moray,  Ed  Hinchy,  Mike  Dolid  and 
Bernard  R.  Goodman. 


Denies  'Curtain'  Libels 

New  York  attorney  Sidney  Schrei- 
berg.  who  had  requested  a  private 
screening  of  "The  Iron  Curtain"  to  de- 
termine whether  his  clients,  James 
S.  Benning,  Eric  Adams  and  Dr. 
David  Shugar  are  libeled  therein,  will 
have  to  wait  until  the  picture  is 
shown  publicly  before  he  can  view  it, 
he  reported  here  yesterday.  He  said 
20th  Century-Fox  replied  to  his  re- 
quest with  the  assertion  that  Benning, 
Adams  and  Shugar,  who  were  ac- 
quitted last  year  in  the  Canadian 
espionage  case,  are  not  libeled  in  the 
picture. 


Martin  Printz  Retires 

Cleveland,  May  3. — Martin  Printz, 
active  in  theatres  here  since  1908,  has 
>old  his  interests  in  the  Alhambra  and 
is  retiring  to  live  in  Los  Angeles. 
Local  industry  members  gave  him  a 
farewell  dinner  tonight. 


Personal  Mention 


JOCK  LAWRENCE,  vice-president 
of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank  Organiza- 
tion here,  will  enter  Presbyterian  Hos- 
pital in  New  York  today  for  minor 
surgery. 

• 

Harry  Switow  of  the  Switow 
Amusement  Co.,  Louisville,  has  be- 
come a  grandfather,  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  George  Frehling,  having  given 
birth  to  a  daughter.  The  Frehlings 
are  in  the  theatre  and  hotel  business 
in  Bluefield,  W.  Va. 

• 

Tony  Hunting,  Walter  Reade 
Theatres  city  manager  in  Red  Bank, 
N.  J.,  has  been  renominated  for  an- 
other three-year  term  as  councilman 
in  Fair  Haven,  N.  J.  He  celebrated 
his  25th  anniversary  as  councilman 
last  winter. 

• 

Charles  Burris,  manager  of  the 
Telenews  Theatre,  Cleveland,  for  the 
past  seven  years,  has  been  promoted 
to  the  New  York  office  as  general 
sales  and  advertising  manager  of  the 
Telenews  Newsreel. 

• 

James  Loeb  has  been  appointed  to 
the  staff  of  the  concessions  department 
of  Walter  Reade  Theatres  here.  A 
former  Navy  flier,  Loeb  will  also  be  a 
second  pilot  for  the  company's  airline, 
the  other  being  Walter  Reade,  Jr. 
• 

Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  UA  East- 
ern and  Canadian  division  manager, 
left  New  York  yesterday  on  a  one- 
week  tour,  to  hold  meetings  in  To- 
ronto and  Detroit. 

• 

Jack  Share,  former  owner  of  the 
Cedar  and  Quincy  theatres,  Cleveland, 
is  entering  another  business  at  Win- 
ter Park,  Fla.,  with  his  former  the- 
atre partner,  Oscar  Bloom. 

• 

Edward  Harrison,  former  manager 
of  the  Court  Square  Theatre,  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  has  become  manager  for 
the  new  Sundown  Auto  Theatre, 
Westfield,  Mass. 

Kenneth  Kennedy,  Eagle-Lion 
booker  in  New  Orleans,  has  been  pro- 
moted to  salesman,  with  Kenneth 
Russell  succeeding  him  as  booker. 

• 

Mitchell  Wolfson  and  Sidney 
Meyer,  partners  in  Wometco  The- 
atres of  Miami  are  New  York  vis- 
itors. 

• 

C.  J.  Kremer,  owner  of  the  Rialto 
Theatre,  Stanton,  Neb.,  will  observe 
his  30th  year  in  the  film  business  on 
June  15. 

• 

Charles  McLeary,  manager  of  the 
Parkway  Theatre,  Baltimore,  returned 
to  his  post  yesterday  after  an  ill- 
ness. 

• 

Leroy  Kendis  of  Associated  The- 
atres Circuit,  Cleveland,  is  in  Mt. 
Sinai  Hospital  in  that  city  following 
an  operation. 

• 

Lester  Zucker,  Universal-Interna- 
tional branch  manager  in  Cleveland, 
and  Mrs.  Zucker  are  vacationing  at 
Asheville,  N.  C. 


RA.  McNEIL,  former  Golden 
•  State  Theatres  partner,  will  re- 
turn to  New  York  on  May  17  from 
Buenos  Aires. 

• 

Alice  Lichtenstein,  research  li- 
brarian of  the  Congressional  Avia- 
tion Policy  Board  and  formerly  execu- 
tive secretary  of  the  United  Nations 
Central  Training  Film  Library  in 
Washington,  has  joined  the  staff  of 
Louis  de  Rochemont  Associates  here. 
• 

Adele  Harris,  daughter  of  Ted 
Harris,  managing  director  of  the 
State  Theatre,  Hartford,  and  Mrs. 
Harris,  has  become  engaged  to  Vic- 
tor Feingold,  also  of  that  city. 
• 

Sam  Lake,  Selznick  Releasing  Or- 
ganization sales  representative  in  New 
York,  and  T  helm  a  Bender  of  this 
city  will  be  married  here  on  Sunday. 
• 

Frank  N.  Phelps,  head  of  the 
Warner  labor  relations  department, 
has  become  a  grandfather  for  the 
fourth  time. 

• 

William  B.  Zoellner,  M-G-M 
short  subject  sales  manager,  left  here 
yesterday  for  a  three-week  tour  of 
the  South  and  Southwest. 

• 

Ed  Hatrick,  general  manager  of 
William  Randolph  Hearst's  film 
interests,  left  the  Coast  yesterday  for 
his  New  York  headquarters. 

• 

F.  J.  A.  McCarthy,  Universal-In- 
ternational :Southern  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  left  here  yesterday  for 
Dallas. 

• 

Roland  J.  McLeod  has  been  elected 
president  of  Local  No.  277,  Motion 
Picture  Machine  Operators,  Bridge- 
port. 

• 

Ruth  J.  Smelter,  advertising  man- 
ager of  the  Strand  Amusement  Co., 
Bridgeport,  has  returned  to  her  desk 
after  an  illness. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M  Southern 
sales  manager,  .was  in  Beaumont,  Tex., 
yesterday,  from  New  York. 

• 

Robert  Nathan,  M-G-M  writer, 
left  the  Coast  yesterday  for  New 
York. 

• 

Lou  J.  Kaufman,  Warner  theatre 
executive,  has  left  here  for  Cleveland 
and  Pittsburgh. 

• 

Les  Plottel,  Empire-Universal 
Films  branch  manager  at  Vancouver, 
has  retired. 

• 

Rodney  Collier,  manager  of  the 
Stanley  Theatre,  Baltimore,  is  con- 
fined to  his  home  by  illness. 

e 

G.  W.  Taift,  Monogram  branch 
manager  in  Omaha,  has  resigned  to 
join  Paramount  in  Kansas  City. 

• 

John  K.  Hilliard,  Altec  Lansing 
chief  engineer,  is  in  town  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

C.  P.  Cohen,  owner  of  the  Dixie 
Theatre,  Key  West,  Fla.,  has  taken 
over  the  Royal  in  Panama  City,  Fla. 


Flood  Damage  Fails 
To  Delay  WB  Pathe 

Warner  Pathe  News  operated  on 
schedule  yesterday  despite  disruption 
in  telephone  and  electric  service 
caused  by  water  from  a  broken  water 
main  that  flooded  the  basement  of 
the  Pathe  Building  at  625  Madison 
Ave.  The  newsreel  established 
emergency  offices  in  the  Madison 
Hotel  across  the  street.  Fire  and 
police  officials  cooperated  to  enable 
the  current  issue  of  the  reel  ttf 
pear  on  time. 

The  flood  caused  damage  estimated 
at  $500,000. 


H.  Matcher  Disappears 

Baltimore,  May  3.  —  A  search  is 
under  way  for  Henry  D.  Matcher, 
general  manager  of  the  Rivoli  and 
Embassy  theatres  here,  following  his 
disappearance  last  Wednesday.  He 
has  been  with  the  same  firm  for  over 
25  years.  Authorities  are  trying  to 
determine  if  he  is  the  man  who  van- 
ished earlier  in  the  week  from  a  state- 
room of  the  SS.  City  of  Richmond 
while  enroute  from  Baltimore  to  Vir- 
ginia. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


■RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer       Katharine  Van 
TRACY   HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adelphe  Lewis 

LANSBURY  MENJOU  STONE 
in  FRANK  CAPRA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARLES  ihMMf  ^cufNGroA 


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BIG  CLOCK  VnsaSSfe 

A  Paramount  Picture 


BETTE  DAVIS! 

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inter  Meeting  i 

-.T-^JANIS  PAIGE  •  JAMES  DAVIS  WW  J 

bretaTgn'e'winpust  ■  henry'blanke  r 


WARNER  THEATRE 


;B  way  51st  •  Opens  10:30  AM  •  Late  Midnight  Film  Z 


DENNIS 

MORGAN 


In  Person 
CAB 


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LINDFORS  i$M0& 
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'''Vo  HIS  MUS 

to  the  „i  *isr 

BW  -- — W       DEEP  RIVER  BOYS 

PEARL  BAILEY 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b  way  at  47th  f 

LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM  g 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


May  Fine  Ad 
Code  Breach 
Up  to  $25,000 


A  penalty  clause  requiring  pay- 
ment to  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America  of  as  much  as 
$?^ljj)0  by  a  member  company  for 
a '  nation  has  been  included  in  the 
regulations  for  administering  the 
MPAA  Advertising  Code,  the  asso- 
ciation disclosed  here  yesterday. 

The  new  penalty  clause  has  been  in- 
serted in  the  regulations  as  an  alterna- 
tive to  the  prevailing  clause  which 
empowers  the  MPAA  board  to  direct 
the  Production  Code  Administration 
to  void  and  revoke  its  PCA  Certifi- 
cate of  Approval  granted  to  a  picture 
whose  advertising  has  been  unap- 
proved. 

Under  the  new  clause  the  board  may 
"require  the  company,  if  a  member  of 
the  association,  to  pay  to  the  associa- 
tion as  and  for  liquidated  damages, 
not  more  than  $100  for  each  publica- 
tion, lease,  sale  or  use  of  an  unap- 
proved item  of  advertising  which  has 
been  published,  made  available  for 
lease  or  sale  or  used,  provided,  how- 
ever, that  the  total  sum  assessed  for 
advertising  relative  to  one  motion  pic- 
ture may  not  exceed  $25,000." 

It  is  stipulated  further  that  the 
amount  so  assessed  and  collected  shall 
be  used  by  the  association  for  ex- 
penses incurred  in  the  administration 
of  the  Advertising  Code.  It  is  recog- 
nized that  any  violation  of  the  Adver- 
tising Code  will  disrupt  the  stability 
of  the  industry  and  cause  serious  dam- 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Para.  Stockholders 
Reassured  on  Films 


Paramount's  current  annual  report 
to  stockholders  devotes  a  leading  page 
to  a  message  refuting  recent  and  cur- 
rent published  reports  of  "panicky  re- 
trenchment in  Hollywood  and  a  de- 
cline in  the  quality"  of  forthcoming 
product. 

As  part  of  its  industry  public  rela- 
tions campaign,  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  has  urged  all  companies  to 
give  such  messages  to  their  stock- 
holders. It  is  understood  that  other 
companies  already  have  or  will  in- 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


20th-Fox  Files  for 
Seattle  Video  Unit 


Seattle,  May  3. — Plans  of  20th- 
Fox  to  establish  a  radio  and  television 
station  in  Seattle  within  eight  months 
were  disclosed  here  yesterday.  The 
firm  has  filed  articles  of  incorporation 
for  20th  Century-Fox  of  Washington 
in  Olympia.  Capitalization  is  $1,000,- 
000. 

Frank  Newman,  Sr.,  president  of 
Evergreen  State  Theatres  here,  said 
the  station  will  televise  programs  lo- 
cally and  later  will  be  linked  in  a  net- 
work with  Eastern  and  California  sta- 
tions. 

In  addition  to  Newman,  incor- 
porators are  Spyros  Skouras,  20th- 
Fox  president,  and  Harry  B.  Davis, 
Charles  N.  Calwell  and  David  A. 
Jackman,  all  of  New  York. 


Company  Policies  Target 
Of  N.  E.  Owners  Today 


Boston,  May  3. — Vigorous  and 
critical  discussion  of  current  picture 
quality  and  major  company  sales  poli- 
cies, profits,  and  "executive  salaries" 
will  feature  the  opening  business  ses- 
sion tomorrow  of  the  Independent  Ex- 
hibitors of  New  England's  20th  an- 
niversary convention  at  the  Hotel 
Sommerset  here. 

Nathan  Yamins,  Irving  Dollinger 
and  Julian  Rifkin,  with  Arthur  How- 
ard as  moderator,  are  slated  to  con- 
duct the  discussion  and  the  ensuing 
open  forum  will  be  followed  by  James 
Mahoney  of  the  Interstate  Circuit, 
speaking  on  physical  operation  of  thea- 
tres, and  Art  Moger  of  Warners,  who 
will  discuss  public  relations. 

Exhibitors  began  registering  this 
evening  and  were  guests  at  a  reception 
tendered  by  Variety  Club  Tent  No. 
23  at  Hotel  Statler  headquarters. 

Tomorrow  morning  they  will  review 
the  equipment  exposition  accompany- 
ing the  convention.  Among  the  par- 
ticipants are  the  National,  Capitol, 
Hollywood,  and  Massachusetts  service 
companies,  Manley  Popcorn,  Heywood 
Wakefield,  Kendall  Confectionery, 
Kelling  Nuts,  and  Ho-Maid  Ice 
Cream. 

Speakers  on  Wednesday,  the  final 
day,  will  be  David  Palfreyman,  Mo- 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Johnston  to  France 
On  New  Accord  Bid 


Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  president  Eric  A.  Johnston 
told  a  meeting  of  the  film  companies' 
foreign  managers  here  yesterday  that 
he  plans  to  visit  France  "at  a  pro- 
pitious time"  to  examine  at  first  hand 
the  conditions  which  have  inspired  the 
French  government  to  call  for  renego- 
tiation of  the  Blum-Byrnes  accord  and 
to  confer  with  French  officials  on  the 
matter. 

Consensus  at  yesterday's  meeting, 
called  specifically  to  discuss  the 
French  request  for  renegotiation,  was 
that  a  "treaty  between  two  govern- 
ments is  a  solemn  act  and  that  this 
matter  should  be  further  explored," 
the  MPAA  reported. 


Technicolor  Quarter 
Net  Was  $402,750 

Hollywood,  May  3. — Technicolor's 
consolidated  net  profit  for  the  quarter 
ended  March  31  is  estimated  to  be 
$402,750,  Dr.  Herbert  T.  Kalmus, 
company  president,  enounces. 

Figure  is  equivalent  to  earnings  of 
44  cents  per  share,  which  compares 
with  28  cents  for  the  corresponding 
period  of  1947. 


TO  A  Says  Sullivan 
Won't  Get  $50,000 

Los  Angeles,  May  3. — Calm- 
ing some  ruffled  tempers  here- 
abouts, official  notifications 
have  been  received  from  The- 
atre Owners  of  America  New 
York  headquarters  that  the 
reports  that  Gael  Sullivan 
would  receive  $50,000  annually 
as  executive  director  of  TOA 
were  in  error.  Local  TOA 
members  would  not  disclose 
the  exact  salary  figure  but 
indicated  it  was  a  double 
error. 

It  is  understood  TOA  sent 
similar  notifications  to  all 
affiliated  regionals. 


Most  New  York  1st 
Runs  Get  Moderate 
Grosses  This  Week 


With  the  exception  of  three  or  four 
pictures  which  are  grossing  quite  im- 
pressively, business  is  more  or  less 
moderate  at  Broadway  first-runs. 
Holdovers  predominate. 

"Homecoming,"  together  with 
Xavier  Cugat's  orchestra  on  stage, 
bowed  in  big  at  the  Capitol,  where  an 
estimated  $124,000  is  due  for  the  first 
week.  Also  opening  strongly  was 
"Casbah,"  which  is  expected  to  bring 
the  Criterion  a  tidy  $30,000  in  its  ini- 
tial seven  days. 

"State  of  the  Union"  continues  to 
perform  solidly  in  its  second  week  at 
Radio  City  Music  Hall,  where  a  Rus- 
sell Markert  show  is  on  stage ;  $130,- 
000  is  expected  on  the  basis  of  $82,000 
grossed  on  Thursday  through  Sunday. 
At  the  Globe,  "Arch  of  Triumph"  is 
also  firm,  with  a  solid  $45,000  expected 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


L.  R.  Case  Is  Named 
Treasurer  of  SRO 

Leonard  R.  Case  has  been  appoint- 
ed treasurer  of  the  Selznick  Releas- 
ing Organization  by  the  company's 
board  of  directors,  Neil  F.  Agnew, 
SRO  president,  reported  here  yester- 
day. Case  was  formerly  assistant 
treasurer. 

Agnew  also  announced  that  hence- 
forth the  finances  of  SRO  will  be 
handled  entirely  separate  and  distinct 
from  the  finances  of  Vanguard  Films, 
Selznick  producing  company.  Case 
will  have  full  authority  in  all  SRO 
financial  matters,  subject  to  the  board. 


Studio  Employment  in  Hollywood 
Hit  New  Low,  California  Reports 

Hollywood,  May  3.— Employment  in  studios,  continuing  a  down- 
ward trend  which  set  in  last  fall  following  inception  of  the  British 
tax,  hit  a  new  low  for  modern  times  in  March,  according  to  Cali- 
fornia Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  which  uses  1940  as  a  basis  for  its 
100-per-cent  index  figure.  Current  report  shows  the  March  index 
down  to  77.3,  from  February's  79;  March,  1947,  was  97.8  average. 
Weekly  earnings  dropped  in  March  to  $95.55,  from  February's 
$100.74. 


Wm.  Goldman 
Award  Upheld 
By  High  Court 


Washington,  May  3. — The  Su- 
preme Court  today  refused  to  re- 
view a  lower  court  decision  uphold- 
ing a  treble  damage  anti-trust  suit 
by  William  Goldman  Theatre,  Inc.,  of 
Philadelphia,  against  major  distribu- 
tors. 

The  high  court's  action  has  the  ef- 
fect of  upholding  the  award  of  $375,- 
000  to  Goldman  Theatres  as  damages 
resulting  from  a  conspiracy  by  the 
majors  to  monopolize  the  first-run  ex- 
hibition of  pictures  in  Philadelphia, 
and  from  the  refusal  of  the  distribu- 
tors to  license  films  for  first-run  show- 
ing to  the  Erlanger  Theatre,  one  of 
Goldman's  houses. 

The  high  court  also  in  effect  up- 
held the  lower  court's  injunction  that 
before  licensing  any  film  to  any  other 
defendants  each  distributor-defendant 
must  give  Goldman  Theatres  an  equal 
opportunity  to  negotiate  for  first-run 
showings. 

Companies  involved  are  Loew's, 
Paramount,  RKO  Radio,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, Columbia,  Universal,  United 
Artists  and  Warner  Brothers,  plus 
various  Warner  subsidiaries. 


Refuses  to  Review 
Carpenters'  Case 

Washington,  May  3. — The  Su- 
preme Court  today  refused  to  review 
a  lower  court  decision  throwing  out  a 
case  brought  by  16  members  of  the 
AFL  carpenters  union  against  the 
IATSE  and  Hollywood  studios. 

The  carpenters  charged  that  they 
were  deprived  of  work  described  as 
rightfully  belonging  to  them  as  a  re- 
sult of  an  alleged  conspiracy  between 
the  IATSE  and  the  studios.  They 
asked  the  court  to  rule  that  the  work 
belonged  to  them. 

Lower  courts  threw  out  the  case  on 
the  ground  that  Federal  courts  were 
merely  being  asked  to  interpret  a  col- 
lective bargaining  agreement  and 
lacked  jurisdiction  to  do  so. 


Thomas  Still  Won't 
NameThosePictures 


<  Washington,  May  3. — The  ques- 
tion of  which  Hollywood  motion  pic- 
tures have  been  subverted  with  Com- 
munist-inspired propaganda  remains 
unanswered,  despite  attempts  by  at- 
torneys for  screen  writer  Dalton 
Trumbo  to  elicit  this  information  from 
Rep.  J.  Parnell  Thomas. 

This  was  revealed  today  when  coun- 
sel Charles  Houston  tried  to  introduce 
the  deposition  taken  from  the  ailing 
head  of  the  House  Un-American  Ac- 
tivities Committee  as  evidence  that  the 
committee  had  no  right  to  inquire  into 
Trumbo's  membership  in  the  Screen 
Writers^  Guild  or  his  alleged  mem- 
bership in  the  Communist  Party.  He 
is  charged  with  refusing  to  answer 
these  questions  during  the  committee's 
probe  of  Hollywood  communism. 

Although  Justice  David  A.  Pine  de- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


Review 


"Silver  River" 

( Warner  Brothers) 

Hollywood,  May  3 

AROUSING  melodrama  of  the  Nevada  silver  mine  country  (1865-1882), 
"Silver  River"  restores  Errol  Flynn  to  the  tougher  category  of  starring 
roles  in  which  he  has  made  the  most  money  for  exhibitors,  and  gives  him  Ann 
Sheridan  and  Thomas  Mitchell  to  go  along  through  the  brash  and  rugged  inci- 
dents which  occupy  a  large  and  competent  cast.  It  is  the  likeliest  looking  piece 
of  box-office  product  from  the  Flynn  corner  in  a  long  while,  and  he  makes  the 
most  of  it  every  inch  of  the  way.  Brisk  business  is  to  be  expected  if  past  per- 
formance of  product  in  kind  repeats. 

Owen  Crump  produced  the  picture  and  Raoul  Walsh  directed,  from  a  screen- 
play by  Stephen  Longstreet  and  Harriet  Frank,  Jr.,  based  on  a  novel  by  the 
former  concerning  the  silver  barons  who  figured  so  flambuoyantly  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  West.  Flynn  plays  a  Union  soldier  cashiered  from  the  Army  after 
Gettysburg  for  burning  up  $1,000,000  in  currency  to  keep  the  Confederate 
Army  from  getting  it.  Feeling  unjustly  treated,  he  abandons  all  principles  and 
sets  out  to  take  what  he  wants  from  the  world.  He  is  fantastically  successful 
in  piling  up  money,  by  various  sharp  practices  including  cards  and  land  grabs, 
but  is  stymied  in  his  conquest  of  Miss  Sheridan  by  the  fact  that  she  is  married 
to  a  nice  guy  whom  she  loves.  Mitchell  plays  a  drunken  lawyer  who  sobers 
up  to  join  the  Flynn  organization  and  goes  along  with  the  latter  until  he 
knowingly  permits  Miss  Sheridan's  husband  to  ride  to  his  death  in  the  Indian 
country.  After  that  Mitchell  reappears  periodically  to  denounce  Flynn,  but 
eventually  Flynn  and  Miss  Sheridan  marry  and  he  becomes  key  man  in  the 
silver  mining  empire.  Many  an  exciting  clash  of  forces,  financial  as  well  as 
physical,  occur  before  Flynn,  finally  broke,  and  Miss  Sheridan  ride  out  of  the 
picture  still  happily  wed  and  yet  still  committed  to  Flynn's  policy  of  making 
his  own  rules  as  he  goes  along.  There  could  be  a  feeling  in  some  audience 
quarters  that  a  bit  of  reformation  on  Flynn's  part  would  have  been  a  natural 
consequence  of  his  experience,  but  the  picture  is  nonetheless  a  vigorous  and 
entertaining  piece  of  goods. 

Running  time,  108  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


65/  of  Box-office 
Dollar  Kept  Locally 


Hamilton,  O.,  May  3. — "Sixty-five 
cents  of  every  box-office  dollar  re- 
mains in  the  community,"  declared 
Nat  Turberg,  Northio  city  manager, 
in  reporting  results  of  a  survey  by  a 
committee  appointed  by  local  exhibitors 
to  analyze  the  current  financial  struc- 
ture of  the  industry. 

A  further  breakdown  of  the  dollar 
showed  that  16  cents  goes  to  payroll 
and  staff,  20  cents  to  real  estate  taxes 
and  rentals  and  29  cents  to  operating 
costs,  such  as  supplies  and  advertising, 
Turberg  said  as  committee  spokesman. 

Of  the  35  cents  remaining,  25  cents 
goes  to  the  studio  for  production  and 
10  cents  to  the  cost  of  sales,  distribu- 
tion and  national  advertising. 

The  survey  was  made  in  an  effort  to 
ascertain  the  truth  behind  widespread 
rumors  of  "a  hysterical  Hollywood 
retrenchment  policy,  Turberg  ex- 
plained. 

Ga.  MPTO  Opens  Its 
First  Annual  Meet 

Atlanta,  May  3. — First  annual 
convention  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  of 
Georgia  got  under  way  here  today  in 
the  Henry  Grady  Hotel.  Welcoming 
address  was  made  by  Mayor  William 
B.  Hartsfield.  Presiding  at  the  busi- 
ness sessions  is  J.  H.  Thompson, 
president  of  the  organization. 

Principal  speakers  at  the  opening 
session  of  the  two-day  meeting  were 
Ted  Gamble,  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  president,  whose  topic  was 
"Our  Industry's  Future,"  and  Robert 
W.  Coyne,  retiring  executive  director 
of  the  TOA,  who  discussed  activities 
of  the  TOA. 

UA's  'Bobby9  Dubow 
Succumbs  in  London 

Sidney  (Bobby)  Dubow,  51,  general 
sales  manager  for  United  Artists  in 
Great  Britain,  died  yesterday  in  Lon- 
don of  a  heart  attack,  according  to 
cable  advices  received  in  the  com- 
pany's New  York  office. 

Dubow  joined  UA  as  a  salesman 
in  London  in  1934  and  earned  suc- 
cessive promotions  as  branch  mana- 
ger, branch  supervisor  and  general 
sales  manager.  Surviving  is  the 
widow. 


Ethel  Burfeind 

Ethel  Burfeind,  cashier  at  the  Cap- 
itol Theatre  here,  died  at  Manhat- 
tan General  Hospital  at  the  weekend 
after  a  short  illness.  She  had  been 
associated  with  the  house  since  its 
construction  28  years  ago.  Surviving 
are  three  sisters  and  two  brothers. 


Dore  Scharifs  Mother,  73 

Hollywood,  May  3. — Mrs.  Belle 
Schary,  mother"  of  Dore  Schary,  ex- 
ecutive vice  president  in  charge  of 
production  at  RKO  Radio,  died  yes- 
terday at  her  home  here  after  a  long 
illness.    She  was  73. 


Owners  Fete  City  Heads 

Cleveland,  May  3. — Cleveland  Mo- 
tion Picture  Exhibitors  Association 
will  have  Mayor  Thomas  A.  Burke, 
members  of  the  city  council  and  lead- 
ing judges  as  guests  at  a  luncheon- 
meeting  on  Thursday. 


New  England  Meet 

(Continued  from  page  3) 

tion  Picture  Association  of  America, 
on  taxes ;  Samuel  Lowe,  Jr.,  on  can- 
dy merchandising;  E.  P.  Genock,  of 
DuMont,  on  television. 

Abram  Myers,  Allied  general  coun- 
sel, also  addressed  the  meeting. 
Among  those  attending  is  William  L. 
Ainsworth,  Allied  president.  From 
here  they  will  attend  the  Allied  of 
Iowa-Nebraska  meeting  May  10-11  in 
Des  Moines  and  the  Allied  of  Kan- 
sas-Missouri convention  in  Kansas 
City  May  12-13,  en  route  to  the  Al- 
lied board  meeting  in  Denver,  May 
15-17. 

Dorothy  Lamour  and  Paul  Lukas 
will  appear  at  Wednesday  night's 
banquet.  Lew  Lehr  will  be  master- 
of-ceremonies,  and  Bill  Cunningham, 
New  England  columnist,  the  chief 
speaker. 


Ad  Code  Clause 

(Continued  from  page  3) 

age  to  the  association  and  its  mem- 
bers which  cannot  be  definitely  com- 
puted. 

Also  newly  included  in  the  regula- 
tions for  administering  the  Code  is  a 
definite  method  whereby  a  company 
may  appeal  from  a  decision  of  the  Ad- 
vertising Code  Administration  to 
MPAA  president  Eric  A.  Johnston  or, 
in  his  absence  from  the  country  or 
inability  to  act,  a  board  comprising 
three  members  of  the  association's  di- 
rectorate. Any  company  whose  adver- 
tising has  been  disapproved  may  ap- 
peal from  the  decision  within  10  days 
after  such  disapproval  by  serving  no- 
tice of  appeal  in  writing  with  the  ad 
code  director  and  the  association's 
secretary.  The  decision,  whether  it 
shall  be  made  by  the  MPAA  presi- 
dent or  the  appeal  board  of  directors, 
shall  be  final,  the  clause  states. 


Thomas  Won't  Name 

(Continued  from  page  3) 

clared  there  was  nothing  in  the  depo- 
sition relevant  to  the  pertinency  of  the 
questions,  Thomas  declined  to  say 
whether  he  had  ever  seen  any  sub- 
versive material  in  any  pictures  in 
which  the  10  defendants  participated, 
and  did  not  cite  any  subversive  scenes 
in  response  to  questioning. 

Judge  Pine  ruled  both  questions 
pertinent. 

Lewis  Deschler,  parliamentarian  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  testi- 
fied that  it  was  the  custom  for  com- 
mittee chairmen  to  name  sub-commit- 
tees in  the  absence  of  committee  au- 
thorization, thus  damaging  defense 
contentions  that  the  hearings  were  il- 
legal. 

The  transcript  of  Trumbo's  testi- 
mony at  the  hearings  was  read  to  the 
jury  by  Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney 
William  Hitz,  while  committee  mem- 
ber John  McDowell  was  on  the  stand. 

M-G-M  production  executive  Louis 
B.  Mayer,  who  was  in  court  today, 
probably  will  be  put  on  the  stand  by 
the  defense  tomorrow. 

Nationwide  DST  Out 
In  Current  Congress 

Washington,  May  3. — There  is  no 
chance  of  the  current  Congress  adopt- 
ing a  pending  bill  to  require  nation- 
wide daylight  saving  time,  according 
to  Capitol  Hill  observers.  The  Sen- 
ate Interstate  and  Foreign  Commerce 
Committee  may  report  out  the  bill, 
they  say,  but  it  stands  a  slim  chance 
in  the  Senate  and  would  certainly  die 
in  the  House  if  it  got  that  far. 


To  Film  Wanderer  Crime 

Hollywood,  May  3. — Howard  Em- 
melt  Rogers  and  Lee  Brooks  have  re- 
turned from  Chicago  where  they 
cleared  the  rights  to  the  court  case  of 
Carl  Wanderer,  whose  crime  will  be 
the  basis  of  the  Rogers-Brooks  story, 
"Chicago  Episode." 


Week  for  Briefs  in 
Loew  Minority  Suit 

A  week's  time  for  the  presentation 
of  briefs  was  granted  by  Judge  Louis 
A.  Valente  here  yesterday  when 
Loew's  proposal  that  minority  stock- 
holders settle  their  suits  against  the 
company  and  the  People's  Candy  Co. 
over  operation  of  the  circuit's  candy 
concessions  came  up  for  hearing  in 
New  York  State  Supreme  Court. 

A.  L.  Pomerantz,  counsel  for  the 
plaintiffs,  told  the  court  that  his/"1i- 
ents  approved  of  the  proposed  sk 
ment,   which   he   termed  "emine..ay 
fair." 

To  correct  contracts  made  with 
People's  Candy,  the  circuit  offered  to 
change  the  agreements  to  make  the 
candy  company  pay  Loew's  subsid- 
iaries about  $161,000  more  for  the 
year  which  ended  last  Dec.  31. 

Loew's  answered  the  charge  that  it 
should  have  deducted  as  a  corporate 
expense  for  income  tax  purposes 
Nicholas  M.  Schenck's  alleged  profit 
on  the  exercise  of  options  on  the  com- 
pany's stock  by  offering  to  have 
Schenck  grant  it  a  one-year  option  to 
acquire  from  him  10,000  shares  of 
Loew's  stock  at  $13.33  per  share. 

Balaban  Makes  Phila. 
UJAA  ppeal  for  Funds 

Philadelphia,  May  3. — Barney 
Balaban,  national  chairman  of  the 
amusement  division  of  the  United 
Jewish  Appeal,  tonight  made  an  ap- 
peal for  funds  at  a  dinner  of  the  Allied 
Jewish  Appeal  at  the  Hotel  Warwick 
here.  Some  100  leaders  of  the  local 
industry  were  present. 

Abe  Ellis  received  a  scroll  for  his 
work  last  year  as  co-chairman  of  the 
theatrical  division  in  Philadelphia,  the 
presentation  being  made  by  Jay 
Emanuel.  Ellis  and  David  Milgrim 
will  serve  as  co-chairmen  of  the 
division  here  this  year. 

Paramount  Reopens 
Branch  in  Portland 

Seattle,  May  3. — Paramount  re- 
opened its  office  in  Portland  today, 
with  Wayne  Thiriot,  formerly  a  sales- 
man at  Salt  Lake  City,  as  branch 
manager.  Thiriot  left  yesterday  for 
Portland  after  conferences  here  with 
Henry  Haustein,  Seattle  branch  man- 
ager. 


Para.  Stockholders 

(Continued  from  page  3) 

elude  such  information  in  their  annual 
reports. 

The  Paramount  message  to  stock- 
holders is  entitled  "The  State  of  the 
Nation's  Movies."  It  reports  that  pro- 
duction "throughout  the  industry"  is 
moving  along  at  a  normal  or  acceler- 
ated_  pace;  that  over-all  picture  qual- 
ity is  as  high  as  ever  but  that  "cer- 
tain sections  of  the  press"  have  mag- 
nified the  number  and  importance  of 
disappointing  productions;  that  thea- 
tre attendance  totals  are  "only  a  frac- 
tion under  the  peak  year  of  1946,"  and 
that  no  essential  ingredient  of  high 
calibre  entertainment  is  being  sacri- 
ficed at  the  studios. 


$250,000  Meriden  House 

Hartford,  May  3. — Nick  Kounaris, 
Paul  Tolis,  and  George  Ulyssis  of 
New  Britain,  have  been  granted  per- 
mission by  the  Meriden  zoning  board 
of  appeals  to  construct  a  1,000-seat 
theatre  and  store  building  in  Meri- 
den, to  cost  about  $250,000. 


is  re 


After  two  years  United  Artists  has  received 
and  screened  Howard  Hawks' "Red  River". 

Soon  United  Artists'  home  office  repre- 
sentatives will  be  in  the  field  to  screen  the 
picture  for  you  and  tell  you  of  our  plans. 

We  sincerely  believe— and  we  feel  you 
will  agree  after  seeing  it— that"Red  River" 
will  take  its  place  in  motion  picture  history 
beside  such  epics  as  "The  Covered  Wagon" 
and  "Cimarron". 


flie  TRADE  CRITICS  say. . . 


IS 


VARIETY: 

"  'Another  Part  of  the  Forest'  is 
sparked  with  list  of  top  names 
headed  by  Fredric  March  who 
make  this  a  field  day  for 
superb  characterization,  and 
from  a  production  standpoint 
film  is  outstanding  on  all  counts. 
It's  a  cinch  to  clean  up,  the  type 
of  film  audiences  will  leave 
theatre  talking  about  it.  Never 
a  dull  moment!" 


FILM  DAILY: 

"Striking  dramatic  pattern  of  the 
Lillian  Hellman  play  has  been 
translated  into  a  powerful  film 
drama  superbly  performed. 
The  picture  should  easily  oc- 
cupy long-time  space  on  hold- 
over lists."  , 

SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW: 

"On  the  strength  of  its  dra- 
matic entertainment  values  as 


well  as  its  marquee  names  and 
the  importance  of  the  Lillian 
Hellman  name,  'Another  Part  of 
the  Forest'  should  do  excellent 

business." 

EXHIBITOR: 

"The  picturization  of  the  play 
by  Lillian  Hellman  should  cash 
in  on  its  popularity,  backed  by 
the  star  calibre  of  the  cast.  The 
appeal  should  manifest  itself  in 
any  situation." 


i  urn 


BOXOFFICE: 

"The  story  has  tremendous 
emotional  impact,  forcefully  por- 
trayed by  an  outstanding  name 
cast.  Fredric  March  is  superb!" 

MOTIOH  PICTURE  DAILY: 

"Brilliant  production  and  per- 
formances characterize  this  pic- 
turization  of  Lillian  Hellman's 
stage  success.  A  marquee  mag- 
netism cast  presupposes  strong 
opening  business." 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


Order  New  Hearing  on  Divorcement 

Expansion  Ban 
Is  Lifted  for 
TheTimeBeing 


{Continued  from  page  1) 
effect  a  monopoly  through  restraints 
of  trade,"  he  said,  "it  is  relevant  to 
determine  what  the  results  of  the  con- 
spiracy were  "even  if  they  fell  short  of 
monopoly." 

Douglas  said  the  District 
Court  must  not  only  enjoin 
continuance  of  the  unlawful 
restraints  and  dissolve  the 
combination  which  launched 
the  conspiracy,  but  must  undo 
what  the  conspiracy  achieved. 

Stresses  'First-run  Phase' 
Douglas  said  the  lower  court's  find- 
ings were  "deficient"  on  the  effect  of 
the  conspiracy  in  theatre  ownership 
by  the  five  majors.  "It  is  the  relation- 
ship of  the  unreasonable  restraints  of 
trade  to  the  position  of  the  defendants 
in  the  exhibition  field — and  more  par- 
ticularly in  the  first-run  phase  of  that 
business — that  is  of  first  importance 
on  the  divestiture  phase  of  these 
cases,"  Douglas  stated.  "That  is  the 
position  we  have  taken."  He  said 
the  court  had  taken  that  position  in 
the  Schine  case  and  the  independents 
and  affiliated  circuits  must  be  treated 
the  same,  "for  the  fruits  of  the  con- 
spiracy which  are  denied  the  indepen- 
dents must  also  be  denied  the  five 
majors." 

The  decision  pointed  out  that 
there  was  a  "suggestion"  that 
the  five  majors  had  divided  up 
first-run  exhibition  on  a  geo- 
graphical basis,  and  said  this 
was  mentioned  only  "to  indi- 
cate the  appropriate  extent  of 
the  inquiry  concerning  the  ef- 
fect of  the  conspiracy." 

Douglas  said  if  the  findings  of  the 
District  Court  were  deficient  in  this 
respect,  they  were  "obscure"  in  an- 
other— where  it  speaks  of  the  absence 
of  a  "purpose"  on  the  part  of  any  of 
the  five  majors  to  achieve  a  national 
monopoly  in  the  exhibition  of  films. 

No  Finding  on  'Monopoly' 

He  stated  there  was  no  finding  as 
to  the  presence  or  absence  of  monopo- 
ly on  the  part  of  the  five  majors  in  the 
first-run  field — "The  cream  of  the  ex- 
hibition business  and  the  core  of  the 
•  present  cases."  Second,  he  said, 
"specific  intent"  is  not  necessary  to 
establish  an  intent  to  create  a  monopo- 
ly— such  intent  is  considered  present 
if  monopoly  results  as  a  necessary 
consequence.  And  finally,  he  said, 
monopoly  power,  whether  lawfully  or 
unlawfully  acquired,  may  violate  the 
anti-trust  laws,  though  unexercised, 
if  it  is  coupled  with  an  intent  to  ex- 
ercise the  power. 

"The  District  Court,"  Douglas 
said,  "being  primarily  concerned  with 
the  number  and  extent  of  theatre 
holdings  of  defendants,  did  not  ad- 
dress itself  to  this  phase  of  the 
monopoly  problem.  Here,  also,  parity 
of  treatment  as  between  independents 
and  the  five  majors  as  theatre  own- 
ers, who  were  tied  into  the  same  gen- 


10  Years  in  Court  and 
The  End  Is  Not  Yet 

Yesterday's  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Government's  so-called 
Paramount  anti-trust  action  still  fails  to  end  the  nearly  10  years  of 
litigation.  The  suit  was  filed  in  July,  1938,  in  New  York  Federal  Dis- 
trict Court.  Subsequent  key  dates  in  the  action  follow: 
June,  1940:  First  trial  starts,  adjourns  after  three  days. 
October,  1940:  Consent  Decree  approved. 
September,  1943:  Negotiations  for  new  Decree  start. 
August,  1944:  Government  moves  for  trial  of  suit. 
October  8,  1945:  Trial  starts  in  New  York  Federal  Court. 
November  20,  1945:  Court  trial  ends. 
January  17,  1946:  Case  to  court  for  decision. 
June  11,  1946:  Decision  filed  in  U.  S.  District  Court. 
December  31,  1946:  New  York  District  Court  enters  its  Decree. 
January  10,  1947 :  Distributors  file  for  postponement  of  Competitive  Bid- 
ding for  90  days  in  New  York  District  Court. 
January  22,  1947:  New  York  Federal  Court  hears  distributors'  pleas  for 

modification  of  decree  judgment  and  for  stay  of  competitive  bidding. 
February,  1947:  Appeals  filed  with  Supreme  Court. 

March  28,  1947:  Supreme  Court  asked  for  stay  of  Consent  Decree  pend- 
ing its  hearing  of  appeals. 
April  7,  1947:  Stay  order  granted. 

February  9,  1948:  Supreme  Court  hears  appeal  arguments  in  the  case. 
May  3,  1948:  Supreme  Court  hands  down  decision,  as  reported  in  this 


eral  conspiracy,  necessitates  considera- 
tion of  this  question." 

The  40-page  opinion  by  Justice 
Douglas  said  no  issue  of  freedom  of 
the  press  was  involved.  He  stated 
that  the  court  had  no  doubt  that  mo- 
tion pictures,  like  newspapers  and 
radio,  are  included  in  the  guaranties 
of  the  First  Amendment,  and  the  is- 
sue might  arise  if  there  is  any  ques- 
tion of  monopoly  in  film  production. 
But  that  question  was  eliminated  in 
the  lower  court,  he  said. 

Douglas  said  the  majority  of 
the  court  did  not  agree  with 
the  Justice  Department's  con- 
tention that  vertical  integra- 
tion of  production,  distribution 
and  exhibition  of  motion  pic- 
tures is  illegal  per  se,  and  list- 
ed various  criteria  which  must 
be  used  to  determine  this. 
This,  too,  was  not  considered  by  the 
District  Court,  he  said. 

Expansion  Ban  Ended 

For  all  these  reasons,  he  continued, 
the  findings  on  monopoly  and  divesti- 
ture will  be  set  aside.  Another  in- 
dependent reason,  he  said,  is  that  the 
high  court  is  throwing  out  competitive 
bidding  and  the  District  Court  consid- 
ered competitive  bidding  as  an  alterna- 
tive and  that  further  consideration  of 
divestiture  should  not  be  had  until 
competitive  bidding  has  been  tried  and 
found  wanting. 

Douglas  said  of  necessity  the 
provision  of  the  decree  barring 
the  five  majors  from  further 
theatre  expansion  should  be 
eliminated  while  the  District 
Court  makes  "an  entirely  fresh 
start  on  the  whole  of  the 
problem."  He  emphasized 
however,  that  this  did  not 
mean  the  high  court  thought 
the  lower  court  holding  in 
error. 

The  decision  characterized  the  Jus- 
tice Department's  request  for  a  ban 
on  cross-licensing  as  "an  indirect  way 
of  forcing  divestiture,"  since  testimony 


shows  each  distributor  does  not  have 
enough  films  to  supply  his  own  thea- 
tres. 

Final  decision  on  whether  such  a 
ban  would  be  a  short  range  remedy  in 
the  absence  of  competitive  bidding- 
rests  with  the  District  Court,  Douglas 
said. 

Douglas  specifically  stated  that  the 
District  Court,  in  reconsidering  the 
adequacy  of  its  decree,  is  not  limited 
to  the  specific  items  sent  back  by  the 
high  court. 

Bidding  Termed  'Central  Arch' 

The  competitive  bidding  system, 
he  said,  "was  perhaps  the  central  arch 
of  the  decree  designed  by  the  District 
Court,  and  its  elimination  may  affect 
the  case  in  ways  other  than  those 
which  we  expressly  mention." 

The  high  court  did  make  some  fair- 
ly specific  findings  on  theatres  jointly 
owned  by  two  or  more  majors  or  by 
majors  with  independents.  It  declared 
that  the  dissolution  and  prohibition  of 
joint  ownership  between  exhibitor  de- 
fendants was  plainly  warranted,  since 
it  becomes  a  device  for  strengthening 
their  competitive  positions  as  exhibi- 
tors by  forming  an  alliance  as  dis- 
tributors. 

On  the  matter  of  ordering  sale  of 
all  theatres  jointly  held  with  indepen- 
dents, however,  where  the  major 
owned  more  than  five  per  cent  inter- 
est and  less  than  95  per  cent,  Douglas 
said  the  lower  court  erred. 

It  should  not  have  treated 
all  relationships  alike,  he  said 
some  theatres  were  illegally 
acquired,  and  these  should  be 
divested;  some  were  legally 
acquired,  but  illegally  used  to 
further  a  conspiracy,  and  these 
should  be  divested;  but  in  some 
cases  where  a  theatre  was  ac- 
quired as  an  "innocent  invest- 
ment" and  where  a  theatre  has 
not  been  used  to  further  a  con- 
spiracy, "its  retention  by  de- 
fendants would  be  justified  in 
the  absence  of  a  finding  that  no 


Ban  on  Cross 
Licensing  Also 
Is  Undecide  3 


monopoly  resulted"  and  provid- 
ing theatre  ownership  of  the 
five  majors  is  not  prohibited 
completely. 

In  such  cases,  too,  Douglas  said,  the 
majors  might  be  permitted  to  acquire 
the  interest  of  the  independents  with 
court  consent. 

Justice  Douglas  said  that  "at  first 
blush,  there  is  much  to  commend  the 
system  of  competitive  bidding."  After 
reflection,  however,  he  continued,  "we 
have  concluded  that  competitive  bid- 
ding involves  the  judiciary  so  deeply 
in  the  daily  operation  of  this  nation- 
wide business  and  promises  such  dubi- 
ous benefits  that  it  should  not  be 
undertaken." 

Cites  Brief  on  Auctioning 

Douglas  cited  Columbia's  brief  as 
to  all  the  complications  that  might 
arise  from  selling  films  at  auction — 
"obviously  a  more  complicated  matter 
than  the  like  sales  for  cash  of  tobacco, 
wheat  or  other  produce."  He  said  the 
question  of  who  is  the  highest  bidder 
involved  the  use  of  standards  incapable 
of  precise  definition,  and  this  would 
pose  a  tremendous  job  on  the  courts, 
and  one  for  which  they  are  not  suited. 

Competitive  bidding  also  uproots 
business  arrangements  and  established 
relationships  with  no  apparent  overall 
benefit  to  the  small  independent  exr 
hibitor,  Douglas  stated.  "If  each  fea- 
ture must  go  to  the  highest  responsible 
bidder,"  he  said,  "those  with  the  great- 
est purchasing  power  would  seem  to  be 
in  a  favored  position.  Those  with 
the  longest  purse — the  exhibitor  de- 
fendants and  the  large  circuits — would 
seem  to  stand  in  a  preferred  position." 

Decree  as  'Protective  Cloak' 

Douglas  pointed  out  that  if  the  large 
theatre  owners  did  get  the  cream  of 
the  business  under  competitive  bidding 
"they  would  have  the  cloak  of  the 
court's  decree  around  them  for  protec- 
tion. ...  If  a  premium  is  placed  on 
purchasing  power,  the  court-created 
system  may  be  a  powerful  factor 
towards  increasing  the  concentration 
of  economic  power  in  the  industry 
rather  than  cleansing  the  competitive 
system  of  unwholesome  practices." 

The  decision  said  that  the  court's 
doubts  on  the  system  are  "increased  by 
the  fact  that  defendants  who  own 
theatres  are  allowed  to  pre-empt  their 
own  features." 

The  entire  system,  Douglas  said,  de- 
prives the  independents  of  "the  stabil- 
ity which  flows  from  established  busi- 
ness relationships.  They  can  no  long- 
er depend  on  their  private  sources  of 
supply  which  their  ingenuity  has 
created." 

Douglas  pointed  out  that  the 
elimination  of  competitive  bidding 
"leaves  a  hiatus  of  two  which  will 
have  to  be  filled  on  remand  of  the 
cases." 

Douglas  said  the  District  Court  has 
no  power  to  force  or  require  parties 
to  submit  to  arbitration  in  lieu  of  the 
(Continued  on  page  9) 


1%  jl  Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


9 


New  Hearing 
Ordered 


(Continued  from  page  8) 


remedies  afforded  by  Congress,  but 
that  it  does  have  the  power  to  author- 
ize maintenance  of  such  a  system  by 
those  parties  who  consent  and  to  pro- 
vide the  rules  and  procedures  under 
1  j^h  it  is  to  operate. 

Arbitration  System  Mandatory 

"The  use  of  the  system  would  not, 
of  course,  be  mandatory,"  he  said. 
"It  would  be  merely  an  auxiliary  en- 
forcement procedure,  barring  no  one 
from  the  use  of  other  remedies  which 
the  law  affords  for  violations  either 
of  the  Sherman  Act  or  of  the  decree 
of  the  court.  Whether  such  a  system 
of  arbitration  should  be  inaugurated 
is  for  the  discretion  of  the  District 
Court." 

Justice  Douglas'  opinion  had  this  to 
say  about  specific  trade  practices  en- 
joined by  the  District  Court: 

Price  Fixing — "The  District 
Court  found  that  two  price-fixing  con- 
spiracies existed — a  horizontal  one  be- 
tween all  of  the  defendants ;  a  vertical 
one  between  each  distributor-defend- 
ant and  its  licensees.  The  latter  was 
based  on  express  agreements  and 
was  plainly  established.  The  former 
was  inferred  from  the  pattern  of 
price-fixing  disclosed  in  the  record. 
We  think  there  was  adequate  founda- 
tion for  it,  too.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
find  an  express  agreement  in  order  to 
find  a  conspiracy.  It  is  enough  that 
a  concert  of  action  is  contemplated 
and  that  the  defendants  conformed  to 
the  arrangement." 

Cite  Gypsum  Decision 

"We  recently  held  in  United  States 
vs.  Gypsum  Co.  that  even  patentees 
could  not  regiment  an  entire  industry 
by  licenses  containing  price-fixing 
agreements.  What  was  said  there  is 
adequate  to  bar  defendants,  through 
their  horizontal  conspiracy,  from  fix- 
ing prices  for  the  exhibition  of  films 
in  the  movie  industry.  Certainly  the 
rights  of  the  copyright  owner  are  no 
greater  than  those  of  the  patentee. 
Nor  can  the  results  be  different  when 
we  come  to  the  vertical  conspiracy 
between  each  distributor-defendant 
and  his  licensees." 

Clearances  and  Runs — "The  evi- 
dence is  ample  to  show,  as  the  District 
Court  plainly  demonstrated,  that  many 
clearances  had  no  relation  to  the  com- 
petitive factors  which  alone  could  jus- 
tify them.  The  clearances  which  were 
in  vogue  had,  indeed,  acquired  a  fixed 
and  uniform  character  and  were  made 
applicable  to  situations  without  regard 
to  the  special  circumstances  which  are 
necessary  to  sustain  them  as  reason- 
able restraints  of  trade.  The  evidence 
is  ample  to  support  the  District  Court 
that  the  defendants  either  participated 
in  evolving  this  uniform  system  of 
clearances  or  acquiesced  in  it  and  so 
furthered  its  existence.  That  evidence 
...  is  therefore  adequate  to  support 
the  finding  of  a  conspiracy  to  restrain 
trade  by  imposing  unreasonable  clear- 
ance." 

Reject  'Fair  Return'  Plea 

"Some  of  the  defendants  ask  that 
this  provision  be  construed  (or,  if 
necessary,  modified)  to  allow  licensors 
in  granting  clearances  to  take  into 
consideration     what     is  reasonably 


High  Court  Denies 
Intervention  Pleas 

Washington,  May  3.— The 
Supreme  Court  turned  down 
the  plea  of  the  American 
Theatres  Association  and 
other  exhibitor  groups  to  in- 
tervene in  the  case  on  the 
ground  that  their  arguments 
were  directed  to  the  competi- 
tive bidding  section  and  "now 
that  the  provisions  for  com- 
petitive bidding  have  been 
eliminated  from  the  decree 
there  is  no  basis  for  saying 
that  the  decree  affects  their 
legal  rights." 

Justice  Douglas  said  that 
because  of  this  situation,  the 
court  did  not  have  to  pass  on 
the  argument  whether  the 
Justice  Department  adequate- 
ly represented  the  would-be 
intervenors. 


necessary  for  a  fair  return  to  the  li- 
censor. We  reject  that  suggestion. 
If  that  were  allowed,  then  the  exhibi- 
tor-defendants would  have  an  easy 
method  of  keeping  alive  at  least  some 
of  the  consequences  of  the  effective 
conspiracy  which  they  launched.  .  .  . 
That  is  too  potent  a  weapon  to  leave 
in  the  hands  of  those  whose  proclivity 
to  unlawful  conduct  has  been  so 
marked." 

Burden  of  Proof  on  Distributor 

"Objection  is  made  to  a  further  pro- 
vision of  this  part  of  the  decree  stating 
that  whenever  any  clearance  provision 
is  attacked  as  not  legal  under  the  pro- 
visions of  this  decree,  the  burden  shall 
be  upon  the  distributor  to  sustain  the 
legality  thereof.  We  think  that  provi- 
sion was  justified. 

Clearances  have  been  used  all 
along  with  price-fixing  to  sup- 
press competition  with  the  the- 
atres of  the  exhibitor-defen- 
dants and  with  other  favored 
exhibitors.  .  .  .  Those  who  have 
shown  such  a  marked  proclivity 
for  unlawful  conduct  are  in  no 
position  to  complain  that  they 
carry  the  burden  of  showing 
that  their  future  clearances 
come  within  the  law." 

Pooling  Agreements — "The  pro- 
vision of  the  decree  will  stand.  The 
practices  were  bald  efforts  to  substi- 
tute monopoly  for  competition  and  to 
strengthen  the  hold  of  the  exhibitor- 
defendants  on  the  industry  by  align- 
ment of  competitors  on  their  side. 
Clearer  restraints  of  trade  are  difficult 
to  imagine." 

Formula  Deals,  Master  Agree- 
ments, and  Franchises — The  deci- 
sion upheld  the  lower  court  decree  on 
the  first  two,  but  threw  out  the  deci- 
sion on  franchises,  stating  that  they 
were  dependent  on  competitive  bid- 
ding, which  the  high  court  was 
eliminating. 

Bar  'Deals,'  'Agreements' 

"The  findings  of  the  District  Court 
in  these  respects  are  supported  by 
facts,  its  conclusion  that  the  formula 
deals  and  master  agreements  consti- 
tute restraint  of  trade  is  valid,  and 
the  relief  is  proper." 

"The  formula  deals  and  master 
agreements  are  unlawful  and  restraints 
of  trade  in  two  respects :  In  the  first 
place,  they  eliminate  the  possibility  of 
bidding  for  films  theatre  by  theatre 
.  .  .  stifling  competition  and  diverting 


the  cream  of  the  business  to  the  large 
operators.  In  the  second  place,  the 
pooling  of  the  purchasing  power  of  an 
entire  circuit  in  bidding  for  films  is 
a  misuse  of  monopoly  power  insofar 
as  it  combines  the  theatres  in  closed 
towns  with  competitive  situations. 

"It  seems  that  the  legality  of  fran- 
chises to  other  exhibitors  .  .  .  was  not 
in  issue  in  the  litigation.  Moreover, 
the  findings  in  franchises  are  clouded 
by  the  statement  of  the  district  court 
in  the  opinion  that  franchises  'neces- 
sarily contravene  the  plan  of  licensing 
each  picture,  theatre  by  theatre,  to 
the  highest  bidder'. 

Further  Study  on  Franchises 

"We  can  see  how  if  franchises  were 
allowed  to  be  used  between  the  ex- 
hibitor-defendants each  might  be  able 
to  strengthen  its  strategic  position 
in  the  exhibition  field  and  continue  the 
ill  effects  of  the  conspiracy  which 
the  decree  is  designed  to  dissipate. 
Franchise  agreements  may  have  been 
employed  as  devices  to  discriminate 
against  some  independents  in  favor 
of  others  .  .  .  but  we  cannot  say  on 
this  record  that  franchises  are  illegal 
per  ste  when  extended  to  any  theatre 
or  circuit  no  matter  how  small. 

"We  set  aside  the  findings  on  fran- 
chises so  that  the  court  may  examine 
the  problem  in  the  light  of  the  elimi- 
nation from  the  decree  of  competitive 
bidding." 

Block-Booking  —  The  court  en- 
joined defendants  from  performing  or 
entering  into  any  license  in  which  the 
right  to  exhibit  one  feature  is  condi- 
tioned upon  the  licensees'  taking  one 
or  more  other  features.  We  approve 
that  restriction.  .  .  .  Where  a  high 
quality  film  greatly  desired  is  li- 
censed only  if  an  inferior  one  is  taken, 
the  latter  borrows  quality  from  the 
former  and  strengthens  its  monopoly 
by  drawing  on  the  other.  The  prac- 
tice tends  to  equalize  rather  than 
differentiate  the  reward  for  the  in- 
dividual copyrights.  .  .  .  The  result 
is  to  add  the  monopoly  of  the  copy- 
right in  violation  of  the  principle 
of  the  patent  cases  involving  tying 
clauses.  .  .  .  We  do  not  suggest  that 
films  may  not  be  sold  in  blocks  or 
groups,  when  there  is  no  require- 
ment, express  or  implied,  for  the 
purchase  of  more  than  one  film.  All 
we  hold  to  be  illegal  is  a  refusal  to 
license  one  or  more  copyrights  un- 
less another  copyright  is  accepted." 

Discrimination  Findings  Upheld 

Discrimination  —  The  high  court 
said  District  Court  findings  on  vari- 
ous types  of  discrimination  practised 
by  the  distributors  in  favor  of  the 
large  circuits  "are  amply  supported 
by  the  evidence.  We  concur  in  the 
conclusion  that  these  practices  in- 
cluded among  the  restraints  of  trade 


Court  Considered 
3  Cases  Together 

Washington,  May  3.— The 
Supreme  Court  obviously  had 
considered  the  Paramount, 
Schine  and  Griffith  cases  to- 
gether, since  each  decision 
contained  references  to  the 
other  two  decisions.  Justice 
Douglas  delivered  the  deci- 
sions in  all  three  cases,  with 
Justice  Frankfurter  entering 
a  lone  dissenting  opinion  in 
both  the  Paramount  and 
Griffith  cases.  He  concurred 
in  the  Schine  case. 


which  the  Sherman  Act  condemns.  It 
will  be  for  the  District  Court  on  re- 
mand of  these  cases  to  provide  effec- 
tive relief  against  their  continuance, 
as  our  elimination  of  the  provision 
for  competitive  bidding  leaves  this 
phase  of  the  case  unguarded." 

Douglas  said  the  suggestion 
had  been  made  that  the  large 
exhibitors  had  forced  the  de- 
fendants to  use  the  illegal  prac- 
tices. "That  circumstance,  if 
true,  does  not  help  the  defend- 
ants," Douglas  said.  "Acqui- 
escence in  an  illegal  scheme  is 
as  much  a  violation  of  the 
Sherman  Act  as  the  creation 
and  promotion  of  one." 

Dissent  by  Frankfurter 

In  his  dissenting  opinion  Justice 
Frankfurter  declared  that  it  was  not 
the  function  of  the  Supreme  Court  to 
frame  decrees.  He  said  he  would  af- 
firm the  decision  of  the  District  Court, 
with  the  exception  of  the  lower  court's 
omission  to  continue  an  arbitration 
system  in  the  decree. 

"The  District  Court,"  he  said, 
"deemed  itself  powerless  to  continue 
an  arbitration  system  without  the 
consent  of  the  parties.  I  do  not  find 
such  want  of  power  in  the  District 
Court  to  select  this  means  of  enforc- 
ing the  decree  most  effectively,  with 
the  least  friction  and  by  the  most 
fruitful  methods.  A  decree  as  detailed 
and  as  complicated  as  is  necessary  to 
fit  a  situation  like  the  one  before  us," 
Frankfurter  continued,  "is  bound,  even 
under  the  best  of  circumstances,  to 
raise  controversies  involving  conflict- 
ing claims  as  to  facts  and  their  mean- 
ing." 

"I  would  therefore  leave  it  to  the 
discretion  of  the  District  Court  to 
determine  whether  such  a  system  is 
not  available  as  an  instrument  of 
auxiliary  enforcement,"  he  concluded. 

In  writing  of  the  high  court's  right 
to  frame  decrees,  Frankfurter  de- 
clared :  "It  is  not  the  function  of  this 
court,  and  it  would  ill  discharge  it,  to 
displace  the  District  Courts  and  write 
decrees  de  novo.  We  are,  after  all, 
an  appellate  tribunal  even  in  Sherman 
law  cases." 

"The  District  Court's  opinion," 
he  continued,  "manifests  a 
stout  purpose  on  the  part  of 
that  court  to  enforce  its 
thoroughgoing  understanding 
of  the  requirements  of  the 
Sherman  law  as  elucidated  by 
this  court.  And  so  we  have 
before  us  the  decree  of  a  dis- 
trict court  thoroughly  aware  of 
the  demands  of  the  Sherman 
law  and  manifestly  determined 
to  enforce  it  in  all  its  rigors." 

Refers  to  'Mass  of  Evidence' 

Frankfurter  outlined  the  mass  of 
evidence  which  the  lower  court  exam- 
ined before  filing  "its  careful  opin- 
ion." The  terms  were  finally  pro- 
mulgated, he  said,  after  a  long  trial, 
full  discussion  of  the  terms  of  the 
decree  and  an  elaborate  opinion  of 
the  merits. 

"I  cannot  bring  myself  to  conclude," 
he  said,  "that  the  product  of  such  a 
painstaking  process  of  adjudication  as 
to  a  decree  appropriate  for  such  a 
complicated  situation  as  this  record 
discloses  was  an  abuse  of  discretion, 
arrived  at  as  it  was  after  due  absorp- 
tion of  all  the  light  that  could  be  shed 
upon  remedies  appropriate  for  the  fu- 
ture." 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


Reviews 


"Gelosia" 

(Film  Rights,  Inc. — Italian) 

ADAPTED  from  Luigi  Capuana's  novel,  "The  Marquis  of  Roccaverdina," 
this  is  a  telling  reminder  to  foreign-film  fans  that  the  Italians  also  turn 
out  mediocre  pictures.  The  film  is  over-dramatic  and  its  almost  childishly 
conceived  story  is  of  a  man  who  commits  murder  out  of  jealousy  and  whose 
conscience  in  the  end  drives  him  insane.  Everything  in  the  picture  (which 
has  Italian  dialogue  with  English  sub-titles)  is  told  on  such  an  elementary 
level  that  art-theatre  audiences  are  likely  to  scorn  it,  although  Italian-lan- 
guage theatres  may  find  it  a  stimulant  to  their  business. 

"Gelosia"  has  deep  religious  undertones  and  is  tense  with  emotional  strain 
and  stress.  Roldano  Lupi  resembles  James  Mason  in  more  than  his  looks. 
Luisa  Ferida,  now  dead,  is  beautiful  as  the  girl  he  loves  and  with  whom  he 
has  lived.  Cines-Universalcine  produced.  Ferdinando  M.  Poggioli  (deceased) 
directed. 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  Adult  classification.  Current  release. 


"Who  Killed  Santa  Claus?" 

{Lopert — French  with  English  subtitles') 

HARRY  BAUR,  renowned  actor  who  was  killed  by  the  Nazis,  makes  his 
farewell  in  a  loveable  and  delightful  role  of  Santa  Claus.  An  appealing 
story  is  presented  with  excellent  characterizations.  The  setting,  a  mountain 
region  of  France,  lends  itself  to  beautiful  photography. 

Each  Christmas  Eve  a  kindly  merchant  becomes  Santa  Claus  and  visits  all 
homes  in  the  village.  This  time  a  man  in  the  Santa  Claus  costume  is  found 
murdered,  but  he  is  not  the  merchant.  A  valuable  jewel  is  stolen  from  the 
local  church.  After  the  jewel  thief  and  murderer  are  captured,  the  merchant 
again  puts  on  his  costume  and  brings  a  gift  to  a  sick  child  who  had  been 
skipped  on  Christmas  Eve.  In  a  romantic  sub-plot,  the  local  baron,  played 
by  Raymond  Rouleau,  falls  in  love  with  Catherine,  the  merchant's  daughter, 
played  by  Renee  Faure.  Christian  Jacques  directed.  The  story  was  adapted 
from  Pierre  Very's  novel.  English  subtitles  are  by  George  Slocombe. 

Running  time,  95  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Current  release. 


"The  Damned" 

(Discina  International — In  French  and  German,  with  English  subtitles) 

AN  exciting  and  action-packed  film  that  compares  favorably  with  Holly- 
wood pictures  of  the  same  adventure  type,  "The  Damned"  retains  the  fine 
French  touch  for  sketching  personalities  and  characters,  combined  with  some 
exceptionally  effective  photography,  and  can  be  criticized  only  for  its  length 
and  for  the  illogical  aspect  of  part  of  its  story. 

The  tale  concerns  a  group  of  Nazis  fleeing  a  beaten  Germany  aboard  a 
submarine  and  kidnapping  a  young  French  doctor  before  their  departure.  It 
has  many  tense  moments  and  should  be  a  natural  for  art  theatres.  Eventually, 
all  but  the  doctor  and  a  girl  perish,  some  through  suicide,  some  through 
violence.  Henri  Vidal,  Florence  Marly,  Kurt  Kronefeld,  Anne  Campion  and 
Jo  Dest  all  give  fine  performances.  Andre  Paulve  and  Michel  Safra  pro- 
duced. Rene  Clement  directed. 

Running  time,  103  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Current  release. 


Griffith 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

plaints.  Justice  Douglas  delivered  the 
majority  opinion,  with  Justice  Frank- 
furter dissenting.  Justices  Murphy  and 
Jackson  did  not  participate. 

The  Government's  suit  was  directed 
against  Griffith  Amusement  Co.,  Con- 
solidated Theatres,  Inc.,  R.  E.  Grif- 
fith Theatres,  Inc.,  Westex  Theatres, 
Inc.,  J.  J.  Griffith  and  L.  C.  Griffith. 

In  the  Griffith  decision  Douglas 
enunciated  many  of  the  general  prin- 
ciples that  he  laid  down  in  the  Para- 
mount case. 

Hits  'Exclusive  Privileges' 

He  declared  that  the  Griffith  thea- 
tres were  "concededly"  using  their 
circuit  buying  power  to  obtain  films, 
and  that  "Monopoly  rights  in  the 
form  of  certain  exclusive  privileges 
were  bargained  for  and  obtained." 

Since  these  exclusive  privileges 
were  acquired  by  the  use  of  monopoly 
power,  Douglas  stated,  "they  were 
unlawfully  acquired.  The  appellees, 
having  combined  with  each  other  and 
with  the  distributors  to  obtain  these 
monopoly  rights,  formed  a  conspiracy" 
in  violation  of  the  act.  Further,  Doug- 
las pointed  out,  "it  is  plain  from  the 
course  of  business  that  the  commerce 
was  interstate." 

"What  effect  these  practices  actu- 
ally had  on  the  competitors  of  appellee 
exhibitors  or  on  the  growth  of  the 
Griffith  circuit,"  the  decision  con- 
tinued, "we  do  not  know.  The  district 
court,  having  started  with  the  assump- 
tion that  the  use  of  circuit  buying 
power  was  wholly  lawful,  naturally 
attributed  no  evil  to  it  and  thus  treat- 
ed the  master  agreements  as  legitimate 
weapons  of  competition.  Since  it 
found  that  no  competitors  were  driven 
out  of  business,  or  acquired  by  appel- 
lees, or>  impeded  in  their  business  by 
threats  or  coercion,  it  concluded  that 
appellees  had  not  violated  the  Sher- 
man Act  in  any  of  the  ways  charged 
in  the  complaint." 

'Buying  Power  Illegally  Used' 

However,  Douglas  pointed  out, 
"these  findings  are  plainly  inadequate 
if  we  start,  as  we  must,  from  the 
premise  that  the  circuit  buying  power 
was  unlawfully  employed."  It  cannot 
be  doubted,  he  continued,  that  the 
"monopoly  power  of  appellees  had 
some  effect  on  their  competitors  and 
on  the  growth  of  the  Griffith  circuit. 
Its  extent  must  be  determined  on  a 
remand  of  the  cause." 

The  complaint  charged,  Douglas 
said,  that  certain  exclusive  privileges 
which  were  granted  to  the  Griffith 
theatres  by  master  agreements  "unrea- 
sonably restrained  competition"  by 
preventing  competitors  from  obtaining 
enough  first-  or  second-run  films  from 
distributors  to  operate  successfully. 

In  outlining  the  District  court's 
findings  Douglas  declared  that  the 
lower  court  found  no  conspiracy  be- 
tween the  Griffith  exhibitors  or  be- 
tween them  and  the  distributors,  no 
agreements  in  restraint  of  trade,  no 
monopoly  of  or  attempt  to  monopo- 
lize licensing  of  films  for  first  or  sub- 
sequent runs,  no  agreement  granting 
unreasonable  clearance  to  the  Griffith 
theatres. 

Anti-trust  Laws  Violated 

"It  is,  however,"  Douglas  asserted, 
"not  always  necessary  to  find  a  spe- 
cific intent  to  restrain  trade  or  to 
build  a  monopoly  in  order  to  find  that 
the  anti-trust  laws  have  been  violated. 
It  is  sufficient  that  a  restraint  of  trade 
or   monopoly   results   as   the  conse- 


quence of  a  defendant's  conduct  or 
business  arrangements." 

Monopoly  power,  he  continued, 
whether  lawfully  or  unlawfully  ac- 
quired, "may  itself  constitute  an  evil 
and  stand  condemned"  under  the 
Sherman  Act,  even  though  "it  is  un- 
exercised." 

And  the  use  of  monopoly  power,  he 
added,  however  lawfully  acquired,  is 
unlawful,  if  it  is  used  "to  foreclose 
competition,  to  gain  a  competitive  ad- 
vantage, or  to  destroy  a  competitor." 

"A  man  with  a  monopoly  of  thea- 
tres in  any  one  town,"  Douglas  stated, 
"commands  the  entrance  for  all  films 
into  that  area.  If  he  uses  that  strategic 
position  to  acquire  exclusive  privileges 
in  a  city  where  he  has  competitors, 
he  is  employing  his  monopoly  power 
as  a  trade  weapon  against  his  com- 
petitors. It  may  be  a  feeble,  ineffective 
weapon  where  he  has  only  one  closed 
or  monopoly  town.  But  as  these  towns 
increase  in  number  throughout  a  re- 
gion, his  monopoly  power  in  them 
may  be  used  with  crushing  effect  on 
competitors  in  other  places." 


Walters  in  FC  Post 

Buffalo,  May  3. — Ed  Walters  has 
been  appointed  office  manager  and 
booker  here  for  Film  Classics  under 
Joseph  Miller,  branch  manager. 


Schine 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


major  distributors,  and  the  best  way 
of  forcing  Schine  to  get  rid  of  these. 
Even  after  these  theatres  are  disposed 
of,  however,  the  court  said,  "the 
Schine  circuit  might  still  constitute  a 
monopoly  power  of  the  kind  which  the 
Sherman  Act  condemns.  .  .  .  The  mere 
existence  of  the  power  to  monopolize, 
together  with  the  purpose  or  intent  to 
do  so,  constitutes  an  evil  at  which  the 
act  is  aimed.  Whether  that  condition 
will  obtain  in  this  case  must  await 
findings  on  the  other  phase  of  the 
case." 

The  high  court  specifically  upheld 
the  lower  court  decree  dissolving 
Schine' s  pooling  agreements,  prohibit- 
ing Schine  from  buying  or  booking 
films  for  theatres  in  which  Schine  has 
no  financial  interest.  It  also  upheld  the 
ban  on  future  theatre  acquisitions. 
Appointment  of  a  trustee  to  sell  the 
theatre  holdings  was  not  considered, 
Justice  Douglas  said,  for  that  is  tied 
in  with  the  divestiture  provisions 
which  are  to  be  reconsidered. 

Douglas  upheld  Schine's  objections 
to  the  injunction  against  "monopoliz- 
ing first-  and  second-run  films,"  de- 
claring that  "the  public  interest  re- 


quires a  more  specific  decree  be  en- 
tered on  this  phase  of  the  case,  with 
the  precise  practices  found  to  have 
violated  the  act  enjoined."  However, 
he  rejected  the  objections  to  the  other 
parts  of  the  injunction. 

Douglas  was  extremely  caustic  on 
the  District  Court's  findings  on  clear- 
ances, setting  them  aside  "since  we  do 
not  know  for  certain  what  the  findings 
mean."  At  another  point,  he  said  the 
District  Court's  reasoning  as  to  what 
clearances  were  reasonable  and  what 
were  not  left  the  court  "somewhat  in 
the  dark."  In  setting  the  findings, 
clearances  aside,  however,  Dou1.  j 
cautioned  that  this  did  not  mean  tfcat 
the  record  would  not  sustain  findings 
adverse  to  Schine  but  only  that  the 
findings  on  the  matter  must  reflect 
"an  appraisal  of  the  complex  factors 
bearing  on  this  question  of  reason- 
ableness." 

Independents  'Deprived'  by  Schine 

Douglas  said  that  as  in  the  Griffith 
case  the  combining  of  the  open  and 
closed  towns  for  the  negotiation  of 
films  for  the  circuit  was  a  restraint 
of  trade  and  the  use  of  monopoly 
power  in  violation  of  the  Sherman 
Act.  He  said  this  action  supported  a 
finding  that  Schine  arbitrarily  de- 
prived independents  of  first  and  second 
run  pictures. 

The  opinion  also  upheld  a  lower 
court  finding  that  the  franchise  agree- 
ments are  unreasonable  restraints  of 
trade  and  intensified  the  impact  of 
Schine's  monopoly  power.  Also  upheld 
were  findings  that  Schine  made  threats 
to  build  theatres  or  to  open  closed 
ones  in  order  to  force  sales  of  theatres 
in  various  towns  or  prevent  entry  by 
independents;  that  agreements  which 
Schine  exacted  from  competitors  it 
bought  out  not  to  compete  were  in 
violation  of  the  Sherman  Act;  and 
that  Schine's  rental  agreements  re- 
ceived better  minimum  admission 
price  terms  than  those  of  competitors. 
Douglas  said  the  District  Court's  find- 
ing that  Schine  obtained  film  rental 
concessions  not  available  to  indepen- 
dents "is  not  intelligible  to  us,"  and 
stated  that  though  the  evidence  showed 
Schine  cut  admission  prices  "price 
cutting  without  more  is  not  a  viola- 
tion of  the  Sherman  Act." 

On  divestiture,  Douglas  pointed  out 
that  the  District  Court  had  not  pur- 
sued the  possibility  of  dismemberment 
of  the  Schine  circuit  through  separa- 
tion of  the  theatres  into  geographical 
groupings  under  separate  and  unaffili- 
ated ownerships."  Nor  did  its  findings 
reflect  an  inquiry  to  determine  what 
theatres  had  been  acquired  by  Schine 
through  methods  which  violate  the 
Sherman  Act,  Douglas  said. 

Injunctions  Held  'Inadequate' 

He  declared  that  injunction  against 
future  violations  is  not  adequate  to 
protect  the  public  interest  in  such 
cases,  and  that  divestiture  or  dissolu- 
tion is  an  essential  feature.  To  require 
divestiture  of  theatres  unlawfully  ac- 
quired, he  said,  does  not  add  to  the 
penalties  in  the  anti-trust  laws,  but 
merely  deprives  a  defendant  of  the 
gains  from  wrongful  conduct. 

In  the  Schine  case,  Douglas  con- 
tinued, the  District  Court  had  not 
determined  what  the  fruits  of  the  con- 
spiracy were.  "The  findings  do  not  re- 
veal what  the  rewards  of  the  con- 
spiracy were;  and  consequently  the 
court  did  not  consider  what  would  be 
the  preferable  way  of  causing  appel- 
lants to  surrender  them.  The  case 
must  therefore  be  remanded  so  that 
the  District  Court  may  make  appro- 
priate findings  on  this  phase  of  the 
case." 


# 

Tuesday,  May  4,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


11 


NLRB  Steps  in  On 
'Feather-Bedding* 

Hartford,  May  3. — A  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  hearing  on  the 
complaint  of  the  State  Theatre,  Hart- 
ford, of  "feather-bedding"  charges  in 
violation  of  the  Taft-Hartley  Act, 
against  musicians  local  No.  400, 
AFM,  has  been  recessed,  until  the 
matter  of  appeals  can  be  settled. 

It  is  said  to  be  the  first  time  the 
NLRB  has  tried  to  exercise  such 
'i  ^r  over  exhibition.  An  NLRB 
v  itfner,  Charles  Whittemore  of 
Washington,  has  ruled  here  that  the 
NLRB  has  jurisdiction  over  labor  dis- 
putes involving  local  theatres  and 
unions. 


Albany  Variety  Sets 
June  Golf  Tourney 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  3. — Albany 
Variety  Club's  golf  tournament  will 
be  held  in  June,  it  was  decided  tonight 
at  a  meeting  here.  Nate  Winig  was 
appointed  chairman  of  the  arrange- 
ments committee.  C.  J.  Latta,  chair- 
man of  the  "Heart  Fund,"  reported 
that  plans  for  the  local  tent's  summer 
camp  at  Thompson  Lake  provide  for 
55  boys  as  guests  each  week. 

Latta,  second  assistant  international 
chief  barker ;  Harry  Lamont,  chief 
barker,  and  Eugene  Teper,  delegate, 
reported  to  the  general  meeting  here 
tonight  on  the  recent  Variety  conven- 
tion in  Miami. 


Columbia  Film  in  'B9 
As  Legion  Classes  11 

Columbia's  "Best  Man  Wins"  has 
been  classified  in  Class  B  by  the  Na- 
tional Legion  of  Decency  among  11 
pictures  reviewed  this  week.  Placed 
in  Class  A-I  were :  "The  Bold  Fron- 
tiersman," Republic;  "The  Iron  Cur- 
tain" and  "Winners  Circle,"  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, and  "The  Noose  Hangs 
High,"  Eagle-Lion.  Classified  A-II 
were :  "The  Angry  God,"  United 
Artists ;  "The  Cobra  Strikes"  and 
"Man  from  Texas,"  Eagle-Lion ; 
"The  Counterfeiters,"  20th-Fox ; 
"Port  Said,"  Columbia,  and  "Your 
Red  Wagon,"  RKO  Radio. 


Phil  co  Sales  Rise 
With  Video  Growth 

Philadelphia,  May  3.  —  Sales  of 
Philco  Corp.  totaled  $58,661,000  in  the 
first  quarter  of  1948,  compared  with 
$50,187,000  for  the  same  period  in 
1947,  according  to  John  Ballantyne, 
president,  who  attributes  the  increase 
in  large  part  to  the  rising  demand  for 
television  sets. 

Net  income  in  the  first  quarter  of 
1948  was  $1,958,746,  after  all  charges. 
In  the  comparable  1947  period,  net  in- 
come was  $1,609,754. 


Gartner  Plans  Theatre 

Baltimore,  May  3.  —  Lou  Gartner, 
Baltimore  circuit  operator,  has  an- 
nounced that  plans  are  being  drawn 
for  a  new  neighborhood  house  to  be 
located  in  Dundalk,  just  beyond  the 
city  limits. 


POINT  OF  SALE 

ADVERTISING 


Colorful  -  Self  Adhesive  -  Cellophane,  processed 
in  Rolls.  Easy  to  buy  -  Easy  to  apply  -  used  for 
Packaging  -  Point  of  Sale  advertising  -  Parts  mark- 
ing   and    Aircraft    Wire    terminal  identification. 

TOPFLIGHT  TAPE  CO.  ■  YORK,  PA. 


Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


BALTIMORE 


Only  big  attractions  are  doing  busi- 
ness. Average  films  are  not  getting  as 
much.  Out  front  for  the  week  is 
"State  of  the  Union,"  with  "The  Lady 
from  Shanghai"  doing  a  fairly  good 
second — aided  by  a  stage  show.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
May  6 : 

ARE  YOU  WITH  IT?  (U-I)— KEITH'S 
(2,405)  (2Sc-37c-44c-54c,  and  56c  weekends). 
Gross:  $9,500.  (Average:  $12,000) 
LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.) — HIP- 
PODROME (2,205)  (29c-37c-50c-58c).  With 
a  stage  show.  Gross:  $19,000.  (Average: 
$17,000) 

PANHANDLE  (Allied) — MAYFAIR  (1,000) 
(21c-29c-54c).  Gross:  $5,500.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th- Fox) — NEW  (1,- 
800)  (29c-40c-50c-56c)  3rd  week.  Gross: 
$8,750.  (Average:  $11,750) 
STATE  OF  THE  UNION  (M-G-M)— CEN- 
TURY (3,000)  (29c-37c-45c-54c,  and  56c 
weekends).  Gross:  $20,000.  (Average:  $14,- 
500) 

THE   BRIDE    GOES   WILD  (M-G-M)- 

VALENCIA  (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c,  and 
56c  weekends)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $4,750. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 
Radio)— TOWN  (1,450)  (29c-37c-56c)  3rd 
week.  Gross:  $8,000.  (Average:  $10,500) 
TORMENT  (Oxford) — LITTLE  (328)  (29c- 
37c-56c).  Gross:  $3,250.  (Average:  $3,000) 
WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  —  STANLEY 
(3,280)  (29c-37c-50c-58c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$8,500.   (Average:  14,500) 


CINCINNATI 


Weekend  weather  was  cold  and 
rainy.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  May  4  : 

SITTING   PRETTY    (RKO   Radio)— RKO 

SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c) 
7  days,  6th  week,  following  an  initial  week 
at  the  Palace,  two  moveover  weeks  at  the 
Shubert,  two  moveover  weeks  at  the  Ly- 
ric, and  the  current  moveover  week  at  the 
Shubert.  Gross:  $4,000.  (Average:  $5,000) 
SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Mono.)— KEITH'S 
(1,500)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-75c).  Gross:  $7,000. 
(Average:  $7,500) 

WINTER      MEETING      (M-G-M)— RKO 

PALACE  (2,700)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
TARZAN  AND  THE  MERMAIDS  (RKO 
Radio)— RKO  GRAND  (1,500)  (50c-55c-60c- 
65c-70c-75c).  Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $8,- 
000) 

THAT'S  MY  MAN  (Rep.) — RKO  ALBEE 
(3,300)  (55c-95c).  Stage  show  headed  by 
the  Mills  Brothers.  Gross:  $27,000.  (Aver- 
age: $30,000) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)— RKO  LYRIC 
(1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  2nd  week, 
on  a  moveover  from  the  Capitol.  Gross: 
$4,500.  (Average:  $5,000) 
STATE  OF  THE  UNION  (WB)— RKO 
CAPITOL  (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $9,500.     (Average:  $10,000) 


TORONTO 


Holdovers  dwindled  to  five  for  the 
current  week  at  Toronto's  enlarged 
group  of  first-runs.  Outdoor  activities 
were  on  the  increase,  but  hockey  play- 
offs have  finally  bowed  out.  Ready 
money  was  on  the  short  side  because 
of  heavy  income  tax  payments.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
May  6: 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

LOEWS  (2,074)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)  6 
days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $14,200.  (Average: 
$14,200) 

AN      IDEAL     HUSBAND      (20th- Fox)— 

SHEA'S  (2,480)  (2Oc-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days. 
Gross:  $16,900.  (Average:  $14,900) 
INTRIGUE  (UA)  and  THE  MAIN 
STREET  KID  (Rep.) — UPTOWN  (2,761) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $10,- 
100.     (Average:  $11,600) 


JASSY  (E-L) — DANFORTH  (1,400)  (20c- 
36c-50c-60c)  6  days,  3rd  week.  Gross:  $5,- 
000.  (No  average,  new  theatre) 
JASSY  (E-L) — FAIRLAWN  (1,195)  (20c- 
30c-40c-50c-55c)  6  days,  3rd  week.  Gross: 
$4,500.  (Average:  $5,000) 
NORTHWEST  OUTPOST  (Rep.)-BILT- 
MORE  (938)  (15c-30c-36c-55c)  6  days. 
Gross:  $6,000.  (No  average,  new  theatre) 
SAIGON  (Para.)— IMPERIAL  (3,343)  (20c- 
36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $18,100. 
(Average:  $14,600) 

THE  SIGN   OF  THE  RAM   (Col.)— EG- 

LINTON     (1,086)     (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6 
days.     Gross:    $7,900.     (Average:  $7,400) 
THE  SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)— TIVOLI 
(1,434)  (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$10,200.     (Average:  $9,200) 
SITTING      PRETTY      (20th-Fox) — NOR  - 
TOWN)   (950)   (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  7th 
week.     Gross:  $4,000.     (Average:  $7,000) 
SITTING     PRETTY      (20th-Fox) .—  VIC- 
TORIA (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  7th 
week.    Gross:  $4,000.     (Average:  $6,300) 


ATLANTA 


Business  here  is  up  to  average.  Es- 
timated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
May  4: 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.) — FOX  (4,446) 
(12c-50c).  Gross:  $13,500.  (Average:  $14,000) 
FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (20th-Fox) 

—PARAMOUNT  (2,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross: 
$5,900.  ( 'Average:  $5,800) 

SLIGHT  CASE  OF  MURDER  (WB)  and 
MUMMY'S  TOMB  (Rel.)— ROXY  (2,446) 
(30c-50c).  Gross:  $5,900.  (Average:  $5,800) 
STATE    OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)— 

LOEWS  GRAND  (2,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross: 
$15,000.     (Average:  $15,000) 


N.  Y.  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  3) 


for  a  second  week.  A  substantial  $80,- 
000  is  reported  for  "The  Big  Clock," 
along  with  Duke  Ellington's  band  on 
stage,  in  a  second  week  at  the  Para- 
mount. 

A  satisfactory  second-week  perform- 
er is  "Kings  of  the  Olympics"  at  the 
Gotham,  where  $7,000  is  expected ; 
"Whispering  City"  will  take  over  on 
Saturday.  "Letter  from  an  Unknown 
Woman"  is  doing  moderately  well  at 
the  Rivoli,  where  $31,000  is  seen  for  a 
first  week.  At  the  Roxy,  "Anna  Kare- 
nina,"  plus  a  stage  bill  headed  by  Lar- 
ry Adler,  are  very  mild,  with  only 
$72,000  expected  for  the  first  week  on 
the  basis  of  $60,000  taken  in  Wednes- 
day through  Sunday. 

"Mr.  Blandings  Builds  His  Dream 
House"  is  fair  at  the  Astor  where  a 
sixth  week  looks  like  $24,000.  At 
Loew's  State,  "Intrigue"  will  bow  out 
after  five  days  of  a  second  week  with 
$16,000  expected ;  it  will  be  replaced 
by  "Unconquered"  tomorrow. 

A  fair  $36,000  is  seen  for  the  third 
week  of  "To  the  Victor,"  along  with 
Cab  Calloway's  band  on  stage,  at  the 
Strand,  on  the  basis  of  $18,000  grossed 
on  Friday  through  Sunday.  At  the 
Warner,  "Winter  Meeting"  is  expect- 
ed to  bring  in  a  moderate  $12,000  for 
a  fourth  week.  Eleventh  and  final 
week  of  "The  Pearl"  brought  the 
Sutton  only  $3,400.  Third  and  final 
week  of  "Are  You  With  It?"  is  due  to 
give  the  Winter  Garden  a  mild  $12,- 
000.  At  the  Mayfair,  "Gentleman's 
Agreement"  continues  good  with  $15,- 
000  seen  for  its  25th  week. 

"The  Woman  in  White"  will  take 
over  on  Friday  at  the  Strand ;  "The 
Brothers"  bowed  in  at  the  Sutton  to- 
day ;  "Dear  Murderer"  will  move  into 
the  Winter  Garden  on  Friday. 

Third  week  of  "The  October  Man" 
is  expected  to  gross  $6,000  at  the  Bi- 
jou. "The  Search"  is  due  for  $12,000 
in  its  sixth  week  at  the  Victoria.  At 
the  Park  Avenue,  "The  Mikado"  looks 
like  $5,500  for  a  third  week. 


Backlog  of  Fourteen 
Productions  for  U-I 

A  May  backlog  of  14  pictures,  larg- 
est since  the  merger  of  Universal  and 
International  one  year  and  a  half  ago, 
was  announced  here  yesterday  by  U-I. 
List  includes  "Washington  Girl,"  "Kiss 
the  Blood  Off  My  Hands,"  "Another 
Part  of  the  Forest,"  "Letter  From  an 
Unknown  Woman,"  "One  Touch  of 
Venus,"  "Mr.  Peabody  and  the  Mer- 
maid," "Man  Eaters  of  Kumaon," 
"The  Charming  Matt  Saxon,"  "Feu- 
din',  Fussin  and  A-Fightin',"  "I 
Stand  Accused,"  "Up  in  Central 
Park,"  "Abbott  and  Costello  Meet 
Frankenstein,"  "Tap  Roots"  and 
"River  Lady."  All  but  the  first  two 
have  been  finished. 


RKO-Hughes 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Atlas  has  been  willing  to  liquidate  its 
RKO  investment  and  while  various 
other  bids  were  considered  from  time 
to  time,  none  made  much  progress  un- 
til Hughes  opened  his  bidding  last 
year. 

Hughes  is  head  of  the  Hughes  Tool 
Co.,  Houston,  Texas.  He  entered  mo- 
tion picture  production  in  1927  with 
the  Caddo  Co.,  which  produced  "Two 
Arabian  Knights."  Subsequently,  he 
produced  "Hell's  Angels,"  "Scarface," 
"Front  Page,"  "Sky  Devils"  and  the 
current  "The  Outlaw." 


Schmidt  Buys  a  Theatre 

Marion,  S.  D.,  May  3.  —  Howard 
Schmidt  has  purchased  the  Marion 
Theatre  from  George  Billings. 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
ily  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris,  Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans-world  miles. 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


MITCHELL  MAY,  Jr. 

CO.,  INC. 

INSURANCE 


Specializing 

in  requirements  of  the 

Motion  Picture  Industry 

75  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 
510  W.  6th  St.,  Los  Angeles 


1 


5 


6 


^1  AND  HIS  ORCHESTRA       "  wJ5* 

,  .  .  .ON  TEN  ONE-NIGHTER  DATES 

°°'Sto  *  —  *  .^'b 


^ANDRAP,DS^|CH  $u 

$ 


923 


til*1-  *  ' 


.300 


NASHVILLE,  TENN. .  •  •  $*'492 


ton  w 


^6 


$ 


% 


20q 


On  the  air  for  CAMEL  CIGARETTES  ^ 

/N    "THE  VAUGHN  MONROE  SHOW"  * 

,0  Saturday  9:30-10:00  PM  CBS 

£  % 
-0s         RCA-VICTOR  RECORDS  % 


SUPPLEMENT 


NEW  YORK,  MAY  4,  1948 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

SUPREME  COURT  DECISION 
IN  U.  S.  SUIT  Vs.  MAJORS 


SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES 


Nos.  79-86. — October  Term,  1947. 


Appeals  from  the 
District  Court  of 
the  United 
States  for  the 
Southern  Dis- 
t  r  i  c  t  of  New 
York. 


The  United  States  of  America, 
Appellant, 

79  v. 

Paramount  Pictures,  Inc.,  Para- 
mount Film  Distributing  Corpo- 
ration, Loew's,  Incorporated  et 
al. 

Loew's,  Incorporated,  Radio-Keith- 
O  r  p  h  e  u  m  Corporation,  RKO 
Radio  Pictures,  Inc.,  et  al., 
Appellants, 

80  v. 
The  United  States  of  America. 

Paramount     Pictures,     Inc.,  and 

Paramount      Film  Distributing 

Corporation,  Appellants, 
■81  v. 

The  United  States  of  America. 
Columbia  Pictures  Corporation  and 

Columbia  Pictures  of  Louisiana. 

Inc.,  Appellants, 

82  v. 
The  United  States  of  America. 

United  Artists  Corporation,  Ap- 
pellant, 

83  v. 
The  United  States  of  America. 

Universal  Pictures  Company,  Inc. 
(Sued  herein  as  Universal  Corpo- 
ration and  Universal  Pictures, 
Company,  Inc.),  Universal  Film 
Exchanges,  Inc.,  and  Big  U. 
Film  Exchange,  Inc..  Appellants. 

84  v. 
The  United  States  of  America. 

American  Theatres  Association, 
Inc.,  Southern  California  Thea- 
tre Owners  Association,  Joseph 
Moritz  et  al.,  Appellants. 

85  v. 
The  United  States  of  America. 
Paramount  Pictures,  Inc.,  Para- 
mount Film  Distributing  Corpo- 
ration et  al. 

W.  C.  Allred,  Charles  E.  Beach 
and  Elizabeth  L.  Beach  et  al., 
Appellants, 

86  v. 
The    United    States    of  America, 

Paramount  Pictures,  Inc.,  Para- 
mount Film  Distributing  Corpo- 
ration et  al. 

[May  3,  1948.] 

Mr.  Justice  Douglas  delivered  the  opinion 
of  the  Court. 

These  cases  are  here  on  appeal1  from  a  judg- 
ment of  a  three-judge  District  Court2  holding 

'Sec.  2  of  the  Expediting  Act  of  February  11,  1903, 
32  Stat.  82.1,  as  amended,  15  U.  S.  C.  8  29,  and 
it  238  of  the  Judicial  Code,  as  amended  by  the  Act 
of  February  13,  1925,  43  Stat.  936,  9.18,  28  U.  S.  C. 
S  .145. 

2The  court  was  convened  pursuant  to  the  provisions 
of  the  Act  of  April  6,  1942,  56  Stat.  198,  199,  15 
U.  S\  C.  §  28. 


that  the  defendants  had  violated  §  1  and  §  2 
of  the  Sherman  Act,  26  Stat.  209,  as  amended, 
50  Stat.  693,  15  U.  S.  C.  §§  1,  2,  and  granting 
an  injunction  and  other  relief.  66  F.  Supp.  323; 
70  F.  Supp.  53. 

The  suit  was  instituted  by  the  United  States 
under  §  4  of  the  Sherman  Act  to  prevent  and 
restrain  violations  of  it.  The  defendants  fall 
into  three  groups:  (1)  Paramount  Pictures, 
Inc.,  Loew's,  Incorporated,  Radio-Keith- 
Orpheum  Corporation,  Warner  Bros.  Pictures, 
Inc.,  Twentieth  Century-Fox  Film  Corpora- 
tion, which  produce  motion  pictures,  and  their 
respective  subsidiaries  or  affiliates  which  dis- 
tribute and  exhibit  films.  These  are  known  as 
the  five  major  defendants  or  exhibitor-de- 
fendants. (2)  Columbia  Pictures  Corporation 
and  Universal  Corporation,  which  produce 
motion  pictures,  and  their  subsidiaries  which 
distribute  films.  (3)  United  Artist  Corporation, 
which  is  engaged  only  in  the  distribution  of 
motion  pictures.  The  five  majors,  through  their 
subsidiaries  or  affiliates,  own  or  control  thea- 
tres ;  the  other  defendants  do  not. 

The  complaint  charged  that  the  producer 
defendants  had  attempted  to  monopolize  and 
had  monopolized  the  production  of  motion  pic- 
tures. The  District  Court  found  to  the  con- 
trary and  that  finding  is  not  challenged  here. 
The  complaint  charged  that  all  the  defendants, 
as  distributors,  had  conspired  to  restrain  and 
monopolize  and  had  restrained  and  monopolized 
interstate  trade  in  the  distribution  and  exhibi- 
tion of  films  by  specific  practices  which  we 
will  shortly  relate.  It  also  charged  that  the 
five  major  defendants  had  engaged  in  a  con- 
spiracy to  restrain  and  monopolize,  and  had 
restrained  and  monopolized,  interstate  trade  in 
the  exhibition  of  motion  pictures  in  most  of  the 
larger  cities  of  the  country.  It  charged  that  the 
vertical  combination  of  producing,  distributing, 
and  exhibiting  motion  pictures  by  each  of  the 
five  major  defendants  violated  §1  and  §  2  of 
the  Act.  It  ^charged  that  each  distributor- 
defendant  had  entered  into  various  contracts 
with  exhibitors  which  unreasonably  restrained 
trade.  Issue  was  joined;  and  a  trial  was  had.3 

First.  Restraint  of  Trade — (1)  Price  Fixing. 

No  filnT  is  sold  to  an  exhibitor  in  the  dis- 
tribution   of   motion    pictures.    The    right  to 

''Before  trial,  negotiations  for  a  settlement  were 
undertaken.  As  a  result,  a  consent  decree  against  the 
five  major  defendants  was  entered  November  20,  1940. 
The  consent  decree  contained  no  admission  of  violation 
of  law  and  adjudicated  no  issue  of  fact  or  law,  except 
that  the  complaint  stated  a  cause  of  action.  The  decree 
reserved  to  the  United  States  the  right  at  the  end  of  a 
three-year  trial  period  to  seek  the  relief  prayed  for  in 
the  amended  complaint.  After  the  end  of  the  three-year 
period  the  United  States  moved  for  trial  against  all  the 
defendants. 


exhibit  under  copyright  is  licensed.  The  District 
Court  found  that  the  defendants  in  the  licenses 
they  issued  fixed  minimum  admission  prices 
which  the  exhibitors  agreed  to  charge,  whether 
the  rental  of  the  film  was  a  flat  amount  or  a 
percentage  of  the  receipts.  It  found  that  sub- 
stantially uniform  minimum  prices  had  been 
established  in  the  licenses  of  all  defendants. 
Minimum  prices  were  established  in  master 
agreements  or  franchises  which  were  made 
between  various  defendants  as  distributors  and 
various  defendants  as  exhibitors  and  in  joint 
operating  agreements  made  by  the  five  majors 
with  each  other  and  with  independent  theatre 
owners  covering  the  operation  of  certain 
theatres.4  By  these  later  contracts  minimum 
admission  prices  were  often  fixed  for  dozens  of 
theatres  owned  by  a  particular  defendant  in  a 
given  area  of  the  United  States.  Minimum 
prices  were  fixed  in  licenses  of  each  of  the  five 
major  defendants.  The  other  three  defendants 
.made  the  same  requirement  in  licenses  granted 
to  the  exhibitor-defendants.  We  do  not  stop  to 
elaborate  on  these  findings.  They  are  adequately 
detailed  bv  the  District  Court  in  its  opinion.  See 
66  F.  Supp.  334-339. 

The  District  Court  found  that  two  price-fix- 
ing conspiracies  existed — a  horizontal  one  be- 
tween all  the  defendants  ;  a  vertical  one  between 
each  distributor-defendant  and  its  licensees.  The 
latter  was  based  on  express  agreements,  and 
was  plainly  established.  The  former  was  in- 
ferred from  the  pattern  of  price-fixing  disclosed 
in  the  record.  We  think  there  was  adequate 
foundation  for  it  too.  It  is  not  necessary  to  find 
an  express  agreement  in  order  to  find  a  con- 
spiracy. It  is  enough  that  a  concert  of  action  is 
contemplated  and  that  the  defendants  conformed 
to  the  arrangement.  Interstate  Circuit  v.  United 
States.  306  U.  S.  208,  226-227;  United  States 
v.  Masonite,  316  U.  S.  265,  275.  That  was  shown 
here. 

On  this  phase  of  the  case  the  main  attack  is 
on  the  decree  which  enjoins  the  defendants  and 
their  affiliates  from  granting  any  license,  except 
to  their  own  theatres,  in  which  minimum  prices 
for  admission  to  a  theatre  are  fixed  in  any  man- 
ner or  by  any  means.  The  argument  runs  as 
follows:  United  States  v.  General  Electric  Co., 

4A  master  agreement  is  a  licensing  agreement  or 
"blanket  deal"  covering  the  exhibition  of  features  in  a 
number  of  theatres,  usually  comprising  a  circuit. 

A  franchise  is  a  licensing  agreement,  or  series  of 
licensing  agreements,  entered  into  as  part  of  the  same 
transaction,  in  effect  for  more  than  one  motion  picture 
season  and  covering  the  exhibition  of  features  released 
by  one  distributor  during  the  entire  period  of  the 
agreement. 

An  independent  as  used  in  these  cases  means  a 
producer,  distributor,  or  exhibitor,  as  the  context  re- 
quires, which  is  not  a  defendant  in  the  action,  or  a 
subsidiary  or  affiliate  of  a  defendant. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


272  U.  S.  476,  held  that  an  owner  of  a  patent 
could,  without  violating  the  Sherman  Act,  grant 
a  license  to  manufacture  and  vend,  and  could 
fix  the  price  at  which  the  licensee  could  sell 
the  patented  article.  It  is  pointed  out  that  de- 
fendants do  not  sell  the  films  to  exhibitors,  but 
only  license  them  and  that  the  Copyright  Act 
(35  Stat.  1075,  1088,  17  U.  S.  C.  §  1),  like  the 
patent  statutes,  grants  the  owner  exclusive 
rights."'  And  it  is  argued  that  if  the  patentee  can 
fix  the  price  at  which  his  licensee  may  sell  the 
patented  article,  the  owner  of  the  copyright 
should  be  allowed  the  same  privilege.  It  is 
maintained  that  such  a  privilege  is  essential  to 
protect  the  value  of  the  copyrighted  films. 

We  start,  of  course,  from  the  premise  that  so 
far  as  the  Sherman  Act  is  concerned,  a  price- 
fixing  combination  is  illegal  per  sc.  United 
States  v.  Soconty-Vacwwm  Oil  Co.,  310  U.  S. 
150;  United  States  v.  Masonite  Corporation, 
supra.  We  recently  held  in  United  States  v. 
Gypsum  Co.,  333  U.  S.  — ,  that  even  patentees 
could  not  regiment  an  entire  industry  by  li- 
censes containing  price-fixing  agreements.  What 
was  said  there  is  adequate  to  bar  defendants, 
through  their  horizontal  conspiracy,  from  fix- 
ing prices  for  the  exhibition  of  films  in  trie 
movie  industry.  Certainly  the  rights  of  the 
copyright  owner  are  no  "greater  than  those  of 
the  patentee. 

Nor  can  the  result  be  different  when  we  come 
to  the  vertical  conspiracy  between  each  dis- 
tributor-defendant and  his  licensees.  The  Dis- 
trict Court  stated  in  its  findings : 

"In  agreeing  to  maintain  a  stipulated 
minimum  admission  price,  each  exhibitor 
thereby  consents  to  the  minimum  price 
level  at  which  it  will  compete  against  other 
licensees  of  the  same  distributor  whether 
they  exhibit  on  the  same  run  or  not.  The 
total  effect  is  that  through  the  separate 
contracts  between  the  distributor  and  its 
licensees  a  price  structure  is  erected  which 
regulates  the  licensees'  ability  to  compete 
against  one  another  in  admission  prices." 

That  consequence  seems  to  us  to  be  incontest- 
able. We  stated  in  United  States  v.  Gypsum  Co., 
supra,  p.  — ,  that  "The  rewards  which  flow  to 
the  patentee  and  his  licensees  from  the  sup- 
pression of  competition  through  the  regulation 
of  an  industry  are  not  reasonably  and  normally 
adapted  to  secure  pecuniary  reward  for  the 
patentee's  monopoly."  The  same  is  true  of  the 
rewards  of  the  copyright  owners  and  their 
licensees  in  the  present  case.  For  here  too  the 
licenses  are  but  a  part  of  the  general  plan  to 
suppress  competition.  The  case  where  a  dis- 
tributor fixes  admission  prices  to  be  charged 
by  a  single  independent  exhibitor,  no  other 
licensees  or  exhibitors  being  in  contemplation 
seems  to  be  wholly  academic,  as  the  District 
Court  pointed  out.  It  is,  therefore,  plain  that 
United  States  v.  General  Electric  Co.,  supra, 
as  applied  in  the  patent  cases,  affords  no  haven 
to  the  defendants  in  this  case.  For  a  copyright 
may  no  more  be  used  than  a  patent  to  deter 
competition  between  rivals  in  the  exploitation 
of  their  licenses.  See  Interstate  Circuit  v. 
United  States,  supra,  p.  230. 

(2)  Clearances  and  Runs. 

Clearances  are  designed  to  protect  a  particu- 
lar run  of  a  film  against  a  subsequent  run.6 
The  District  Court  found  that  all  of  the  dis- 
tributor-defendants used  clearance  provisions 
and  that  they  were  stated  in  several  different 
ways  or  in  combinations  :  in  terms  of  a  given 
period  between  designated  runs ;  in  terms  of 
admission  prices  charged  by  competing  theatres  ; 
in  terms  of  a  given  period  of  clearance  over 
specifically  named  theatres;  in  terms  of  so 
many  days'  clearance  over  specified  areas  or 


'•See  note  12,  infra. 

6A  clearance  is  the  period  of  time,  usually  stipulated 
in  license  contracts,  which  must  elapse  between  runs  of 
the  same  feature  within  a  particular  area  or  in  specified 
theatres. 

Runs  are  successive  exhibitions  of  a  feature  in  a 
(liven  area,  first-run  being  the  first  exhibition  in  that 
area,  second-run  being  the  next  subsequent,  and  so  on, 
and  include  successive  exhibitions  in  different  theatres, 
even  though  such  theatres  may  be  under  a  common 
ownership  or  management. 


towns ;  or  in  towns  of  clearances  as  fixed  by 
other  distributors. 

The  Department  of  Justice  maintained  below 
that  clearances  are  unlawful  per  se  under  the 
Sherman  Act.  But  that  is  a  question  we  need 
not  consider,  for  the  District  Court  ruled  other- 
wise and  that  conclusion  is  not  challenged  here. 
In  its  view  their  justification  was  found  in  the 
assurance  they  give  the  exhibitor  that  the  dis- 
tributor will  not  license  a  competitor  to  show 
the  film  either  at  the  same  time  or  so  soon 
thereafter  that  the  exhibitor's  expected  income 
from  the  run  will  be  greatly  diminished.  A 
clearance  when  used  to  protect  that  interest  of 
the  exhibitor  was  reasonable,  in  the  view  of 
the  court,  when  not  unduly  extended  as  to  area 
or  duration.  Thus  the  court  concluded  that 
although  clearances  might  indirectly  affect  ad- 
mission prices,  they  do  not  fix  them  and  that 
they  may  be  reasonable  restraints  of  trade  un- 
der the  Sherman  Act. 

The  District  Court  held  that  in  determining 
whether  a  clearance  is  unreasonable,  the  follow- 
ing factors  are  relevant : 

( 1 )  The  admission  prices  of  the  theatres  in- 
volved, as  set  by  the  exhibitors ; 

(2)  The  character  and  location  of  the  thea- 
tres involved,  including  size,  type  of  entertain- 
ment, appointments,  transit  facilities,  etc. ; 

(3)  The  policy  of  operation  of  the  theatres 
involved,  such  as  the  showing  of  double  fea- 
tures, gift  nights,  give-aways,  premiums,  cut- 
rate  tickets,  lotteries,  etc. ; 

(4)  The  rental  terms  and  license  fees  paid  by 
the  theatres  involved  and  the  revenues  derived 
by  the  distributor-defendants  from  such  thea- 
tres ; 

(5)  The  extent  to  which  the  theatres  in- 
volved compete  with  each  other  for  patronage  ; 

(6)  The  fact  that  a  theatre  involved  is  affili- 
ated with  a  defendant-distributor  or  with  an 
independent  circuit  of  theatres  should  be  disre- 
garded ;  and 

(7)  There  should  be  no  clearance  between 
theatres  not  in  substantial  competition. 

It  reviewed  the  evidence  in  light  of  these  stand- 
ards and  concluded  that  many  of  the  clearances 
granted  by  the  defendants  were  unreasonable. 
We  do  not  stop  to  retrace  those  steps.  The 
evidence  is  ample  to  show,  as  the  District  Court 
plainly  demonstrated,  see  66  F.  Supp.  pp.  343- 
346,  that  many  clearances  had  no  relation  to  the 
competitive  factors  which  alone  could  justify 
them."  The  clearances  which  were  in  vogue  had, 
indeed,  acquired  a  fixed  and  uniform  character 
and  were  made  applicable  to  situations  without 
.regard  to  the  special  circumstances  which  are 
necessary  to  sustain  them  as  reasonable  re- 
straints of  trade.  The  evidence  is  ample  to  sup- 
port the  finding  of  the  District  Court  that  the 
defendants  either  participated  in  evolving  this 
uniform  system  of  clearances  or  acquiesced  in  it 
and  so  furthered  its  existence.  That  evidence, 
like  the  evidence  on  the  price-fixing  phase  of 
the  case,  is  therefore  adequate  to  support  the 
finding  of  a  conspiracy  to  restrain  trade  by  im- 
posing unreasonable  clearances. 

The  District  Court  enjoined  defendants  and 
their  affiliates  from  agreeing  with  each  other 
or  with  any  exhibitors  or  distributors  to  main- 
tain a  system  of  clearances,  or  from  granting 
any  clearance  between  theatres  not  in  substantial 
competition,  or  from  granting  or  enforcing  any 
clearance  against  theatres  in  substantial  com- 
petition with  the  theatre  receiving  the  license 
for  exhibition  in  excess  of  what  is  reasonably 
necessary  to  protect  the  licensee  in  the  run 
granted.  In  view  of  the  findings  this  relief  was 
plainly  warranted. 

Some  of  the  defendants  ask  that  this  provision 
be  construed  (or,  if  necessary,  modified)  to  al- 

Thus  the  District  Court  found: 
"Some  licenses  granted  clearance  to  sell  to  all  theatres 
which  the  exhibitor  party  to  the  contract  might  there- 
after own,  lease,  control,  manage,  or  operate  against 
all  theatres  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  exhibitor's 
theatre  thereafter  erected  or  opened.  The  purpose  of 
this  type  of  clearance  agreements  was  to  fix  the  run 
and  clearance  status  of  anv  theatre  thereafter  opened 
not  on  the  basis  of  its  appointments,  size,  location,  and 
other  competitive  features  normally  entering  into  such 
determination,  but  rather  upon  the  sole  basis  of  whether 
it  were  operated  by  the  exhibitor  party  to  the  agree- 
ment." 


low  licensors  in  granting  clearances  to  take  into 
consideration  what  is  reasonably  necessary  for 
a  fair  return  to  the  licensor.  We  reject  that 
suggestion.  If  that  were  allowed,  then  the  ex- 
hibitor-defendants would  have  an  easy  method 
of  keeping  alive  at  least  some  of  the  conse- 
quences of  the  effective  conspiracy  which  they 
launched.  For  they  could  then  justify  clearances 
granted  by  other  distributors  in  favor  of  their 
theatres  in  terms  of  the  competitive  require- 
ments of  those  theatres,  and  at  the  same  time 
justify  the  restrictions  they  impose  upon  inde- 
pendents in  terms  of  the  necessity  of  protecting 
their  film  rental  as  licensor.  That  is  too  potent 
a  weapon  to  leave  in  the  hands  of  those  whose 
proclivity  of  unlawful  conduct  has  been  so 
marked.  It  plainly  should  not  be  allowed  so 
long  as  the  exhibitor-defendants  own  theatres. 
For  in  its  baldest  terms  it  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
defendants  no  less  than  a  power  to  restrict  the 
competition  of  others  in  the  way  deemed  most 
desirable  by  them.  In  the  setting  of  this  case  the 
only  measure  of  reasonableness  of  a  clearance 
by  Sherman  Act  standards  is  the  special  needs 
of  the  licensee  for  the  competitive  advantages 
it  affords. 

Whether  the  same  restrictions  would  be  ap- 
plicable to  a  producer  who  had  not  been  a  party 
to  such  a  conspiracy  is  a  question  we  do  not 
reach. 

Objection  is  made  to  a  further  provision  of 
this  part  of  the  decree  stating  that  "Whenever 
any  clearance  provision  is  attacked  as  not  legal 
under  the  provisions  of  this  decree,  the  burden 
shall  be  upon  the  distributor  to  sustain  the 
legality  thereof."  We  think  that  provision  was 
justified.  Clearances  have  been  used  along  with 
price  fixing  to  suppress  competition  with  the 
theatres  of  the  exhibitor-defendants  and  with 
other  favored  exhibitors.  The  District  Court 
could  therefore  have  eliminated  clearances  com- 
pletely for  a  substantial  period  of  time,  even 
though,  as  it  thought,  they  were  not  illegal  per 
se.  For  equity  has  the  power  to  uproot  all  parts 
of  an  illegal  scheme — the  valid  as  well  as  the 
invalid — in  order  to  rid  the  trade  or  commerce 
of  all  taint  of  the  conspiracy.  United  States  v. 
Bausch  &  Lomb  Co.,  321  U.  S.  707,  724.  The 
court  certainly"  then  could  take  the  lesser  step 
of  making  them  prima  facie  invalid.  But  we  do 
not  rest  on  that  alone.  As  we  have  said,  the  only 
justification  for  clearances  in  the  setting  of  this 
case  is  in  terms  of  the  special  needs  of  the 
licensee  for  the  competitive  advantages  they 
afford.  To  place  on  the  distributor  the  burden 
of  showing  their  reasonableness  is  to  place  it  on 
the  one  party  in  the  best  position  to  evaluate 
their  competitive  effect.  Those  who  have  shown 
such  a  marked  proclivity  for  unlawful  conduct 
are  in  no  position  to  complain  that  they  carry 
the  burden  of  showing  that  their  future  clear- 
ances come  within  the  law.  Cf.  United  States 
v.  Crescent  Amusement  Co.,  323  U.  S.  173,  188. 

3)  Pooling  Agreement ;  Joint  Ownership. 

The  District  Court  found  the  exhibitor-de- 
fendants had  agreements  with  each  other  and 
their  affiliates  by  which  theatres  of  two  or  more 
of  them,  normally  competitive,  were  operated 
as  a  unit,  or  managed  by  a  joint  committee  or 
by  one  of  the  exhibitors,  the  profits  being  shared 
according  to  prearranged  percentages.  Some  of 
these  agreements  provided  that  the  parties  might 
not  acquire  other  competitive  theatres  without 
first  offering  them  for  inclusion  in  the  pool. 
The  court  concluded  that  the  result  of  these 
agreements  was  to  eliminate  competition  pro 
tan-to  both  in  exhibition  and  in  distribution  of 
features,8  since  the  parties  would  naturally  di- 
rect the  films  to  the  theatres  in  whose  earnings 
they  were  interested. 

The  District  Court  also  found  that  the  ex- 
hibitor-defendants had  like  agreements  with 
certain  independent  exhibitors.  Those  alliances 
had,  in  its  view,  the  effect  of  nullifying  com- 
petition between  the  allied  theatres  and  of  mak- 
ing more  effective  the  competition  of  the  group 
against  theatres  not  members  of  the  pool.  The 
court  found  that  in  some  cases  the  operating 
agreements  were  achieved  through  leases  of 
theatres,  the  rentals  being  measured  by  a  per- 

*A  feature  is  any  motion  picture,  regardless  of  topic, 
the  length  of  film  of  which  is  in  excess  of  4,000  feet. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


centage  of  profits  earned  by  the  theatres  in  the 
pool.  The  District  Court  required  the  dissolu- 
tion of  existing  pooling  agreements  and  en- 
joined any  future  arrangement  of  that  charac- 
ter. 

These  provisions  of  the  decree  will  stand.  The 
practices  were  bald  efforts  to  substitute  monop- 
oly for  competition  and  to  strengthen  the  hold 
of  the  exhibitor-defendants  on  the  industry  -by 
alignment  of  competitors  on  their  side.  Clearer 
restraints  of  trade  are  difficult  to  imagine. 

There  was  another  type  of  business  arrange- 
ment that  the  District  Court  found  to  have  the 
same  effect  as  the  pooling  agreements  just  men- 
tioned. Many  theatres  are  owned  jointly  by- 
two  or  more  exhibitor-defendants  or  by  an  ex- 
hibitor-defendant and  an  independent.9  The  re- 
sult is,  according  to  the  District  Court,  that  the 
theatres  are  operated  "collectively,  rather  than 
competitively."  And  where  the  joint  owners  are 
an  exhibitor-defendant  and  an  independent  the 
effect  is,  according  to  the  District  Court,  the 
elimination  by  the  exhibitor-defendant  of  "puta- 
tive competition  between  itself  and  the  other 
joint  owner,  who  otherwise  would  be  in  a  posi- 
tion to  operate  theatres  independently."  The 
District  Court  found  these  joint  ownerships  of 
theatres  to  be  unreasonable  restraints  of  trade 
within  the  meaning  of  the  Sherman  Act. 

The  District  Court  ordered  the  exhibitor- 
defendants  to  disaffiliate  by  terminating  their 
joint  ownership  of  theatres ;  and  it  enjoined 
future  acquisitions  of  such  interests.  One  is 
authorized  to  buy  out  the  other  if  it  shows  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  District  Court  and  that 
court  first  finds  that  such  acquisition  "will  not 
unduly  restrain  competition  in  the  exhibition  of 
feature  motion  pictures."  This  dissolution  and 
prohibition  of  joint  ownership  as  between  ex- 
hibitor-defendants was  plainly  warranted.  To 
the  extent  that  they  have  joint  interests  in  the 
outlets  for  their  films  each  in  practical  effect 
grants  the  other  a  priority  for  the  exhibition  or" 
its  films.  For  in  this  situation,  as  in  the  case 
where  theatres  are  jointly  managed,  the  natural 
gravitation  of  films  is  to  the  theatres  in  whose 
earnings  the  distributors  have  an  interest.  Joint 
ownership  between  exhibitor-defendants  then 
becomes  a  device  for  strengthening  their  com- 
petitive position  as  exhibitors  by  forming  an 
alliance  as  distributors.  An  express  agreement 
to  grant  each  other  the  preference  would  be  a 
most  effective  weapon  to  stifle  competition.  A 
working  arrangement  or  business  device  that  has 
that  necessary  consequence  gathers  no  immunity 
because  of  its  subtlety.  Each  is  a  restraint  of 
trade  condemned  by  the  Sherman  Act. 

The  District  Court  also  ordered  disaffiliation 
in  those  instances  where  theatres  were  jointly 
owned  by  an  exhibitor-defendant  and  an  inde- 
pendent, and  where  the  interest  of  the  exhibitor- 
defendant  was  "greater  than  five  per  cent  unless 
such  interest  shall  be  ninety-five  per  cent  or 
more."  an  independent  being  defined  for  this 
part  of  the  decree  as  "any  former,  present  or 
putative  motion  picture  theatre  operator  which 
is  not  owned  or  controlled  by  the  defendant 
holding  the  interest  in  question."  The  exhibitor- 
defendants  are  authorized  to  acquire  existing 
interests  of  the  independents  in  these  theatres  if 
they  establish,  and  if  the  District  Court  first 
finds  that  the  acquisition  "will  not  unduly  re- 
strain competition  in  the  exhibition  of  feature 

^Theatres  jointly  07vned  with  independents: 

Paramount    99.1 

Warner    20 

Fox    66 

RKO    187 

Loew's   21 

Total   1287 

Theatres  jointly  owned  by  two  defendants: 

Paramount-Fox    6 

Paramount- Loew's    14 

Paramount-Warner    25 

Paramount-RKO    150 

Loew's-RKO    3 

Loew's- Warner    5 

Fox-RKO    1 

Warner-RKO    10 

Total   214 

Of  the  1287  jointly  owned  with  independents,  209 
would  not  be  affected  by  the  decree  since  one  of  the 
ownership  interests  is  less  than  5  per  cent,  an  amount 
which  the  District  Court  treated  as  de  minimis. 


motion  pictures."  All  other  acquisitions  of  such 
joint  interests  w-ere  enjoined. 

This  phase  of  the  decree  is  strenuously  at- 
tacked. We  are  asked  to  eliminate  it  for  lack 
of  findings  to  support  it.  The  argument  is  that 
the  findings  show  no  more  than  the  existence 
of  joint  ownership  of  theatres  by  exhibitor- 
defendants  and  independents.  The  statement  by 
the  District  Court  that  the  joint  ownership 
eliminates  "putative  competition"  is  said  to  be 
a  mere  conclusion  without  evidentiary  support. 
For  it  is  said  that  the  facts  of  the  record  show- 
that  many  of  the  instances  of  joint  ownership 
with  an  independent  interest  are  cases  wholly 
devoid  of  any  history  of  or  relationship  to  re- 
straints of  trade  or  monopolistic  practices.  Some 
are  said  to  be  rather  fortuitous  results  of  bank- 
ruptcies; others  are  said  to  be  the  results  of 
investments  by  outside  interests  who  have  no 
desire  or  capacity  to  operate  theatres,  and  so  on. 

It  is  conceded  that  the  District  Court  made 
no  inquiry  into  the  circumstances  under  which  a 
particular  interest  had  been  acquired.  It  treated 
all  relationships  alike,  insofar  as  the  disaffilia- 
tion provision  of  the  decree  is  concerned.  In 
this  we  think  it  erred. 

We  have  gone  into  the  record  far  enough  to 
be  confident  that  at  least  some  of  these  acquisi- 
tions by  the  exhibitor-defendants  were  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  unlawful  practices  which  the  defend- 
ants have  inflicted  on  the  industry.  To  the  ex- 
tent that  these  acquisitions  were  the  fruits  of 
monopolistic  practices  or  restraints  of  trade, 
they  should  be  divested.  And  no  permission  to 
buy  out  the  other  owner  should  be  given  a  de- 
fendant. United  States  v.  Crescent  Amusement 
Co.,  supra,  p.  189;  Schine  Chain  Theatres.  Inc. 
v.  United  States,  ante,  p. — .  Moreover,  even  if 
lawfully  acquired,  they  may  have  been  utilized 
as  part  of  the  conspiracy  to  eliminate  or  sup- 
press competition  in  furtherance  of  the  ends  of 
the  conspiracy.  In  that  event  divestiture  would 
likewise  be  justified.  United  States  v.  Crescent 
Amusement  Co.,  supra,  pp.  189-190.  In  that 
situation  permission  to  acquire  the  interest  of 
the  independent  would  have  the  unlawful  effect 
of  permitting  the  defendants  to  complete  their 
1  lan  to  eliminate  him. 

Furthermore,  if  the  joint  ownership  is  an 
alliance  with  one  who  is  or  would  be  an  oper- 
ator but  for  the  joint  ownership,  divorce  should 
be  decreed  even  though  the  affiliation  was  inno- 
cently acquired.  For  that  joint  ownership  would 
afford  opportunity  to  perpetuate  the  effects  of 
the  restraints  of  trade  which  the  exhibitor- 
defendants  have  inflicted  on  the  industry. 

It  seems,  however,  that  some  of  the  cases  of 
joint  ownership  do  not  fall  into  any  of  the  cate- 
gories we  have  listed.  Some  apparently  involve 
no  more  than  innocent  investments  by  those  who 
are  not  actual  or  potential  operators.  If  in  such 
cases  the  acquisition  was  not  improperly  used  in 
furtherance  of  the  conspiracy,  its  retention  by 
defendants  would  be  justified  absent  a  finding 
that  no  monopoly  resulted.  And  in  those  in- 
stances permission  might  be  given  the  defend- 
ants to  acquire  the  interests  of  the  independents 
on  a  showing  by  them  and  a  finding  by  the  court 
that  neither  monopoly  nor  unreasonable  re- 
straint of  trade  in  the  exhibition  of  films  would 
result.  In  short,  we  see  no  reason  to  place  a 
ban  on  this  type  of  ownership,  at  least  so  long 
as  theatre  ownership  by  the  five  majors  is  not 
prohibited.  The  results  of  inquiry  along  the 
lines  we  have  indicated  must  await  further  find- 
ings in  the  District  Court  on  remand  of  the 
cause. 

(4)  Formula  Deals,  Master  Agreements,  and 
Franchises. 

A  formula  deal  is  a  licensing  agreement  with 
a  circuit  of  theatres  in  which  the  license  fee  of 
a  given  feature  is  measured,  for  the  theatres 
covered  by  the  agreement,  by  a  specified  per- 
centage of  the  feature's  national  gross.  The 
District  Court  found  that  Paramount  and  RKO 
had  made  formula  deals  with  independent  and 
affiliated  circuits.  The  circuit  was  allowed  to 
allocate  playing  time  and  film  rentals  among  the 
various  theatres  as  it  saw  fit.  The  inclusion  of 
theatres  of  a  circuit  into  a  single  agreement 
gives  no  opportunity  for  other  theatre  owners 
to  bid  for  the  feature  in  their  respective  areas 


and,  in  the  view  of  the  District  Court,  is  there- 
fore an  unreasonable  restraint  of  trade.  The 
District  Court  found  some  master  agreements10 
open  to  the  same  objection.  Those  are  the 
master  agreements  that  cover  exhibition  in  two 
or  more  theatres  in  a  particular  circuit  and 
allow  the  exhibitor  to  allocate  the  film  rental 
paid  among  the  theatres  as  it  sees  fit  and  to 
exhibit  the  features  upon  such  playing  time  as 
it  deems  best,  and  leaves  other  terms  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  circuit.  The  District  Court  en- 
joined the  making  or  further  performance  of 
any  formula  deal  of  the  type  described  above. 
It  also  enjoined  the  making  or  further  perform- 
ance of  any  master  agreement  covering  the  ex- 
hibition of  features  in  a  number  of  theatres. 

The  findings  of  the  District  Court  in  these 
respects  are  supported  by  facts,  its  conclusion 
that  the  formula  deals  and  master  agreements 
constitute  restraint  of  trade  is  valid,  and  the 
relief  is  proper.  The  formula  deals  and  master 
agreements  are  unlawful  restraints  of  trade  in 
two  respects.  In  the  first  place,  they  eliminate 
the  possibility  of  bidding  for  films  theatre  by 
theatre.  In  that  way  they  eliminate  the  oppor- 
tunity for  the  small  competitor  to  obtain  the 
choice  first  runs,  and  put  a  premium  on  the  size 
of  the  circuit.  They  are,  therefore,  devices  for 
stifling  competition  and  diverting  the  cream  of 
the  business  to  the  large  operators.  In  the 
second  place,  the  pooling  of  the  purchasing 
power  of  an  entire  circuit  in  bidding  for  films 
is  a  misuse  of  monopoly  power  insofar  as  it 
combines  the  theatres  in  closed  towns  with  com- 
petitive situations.  The  reasons  have  been 
stated  in  United  States  v.  Griffiths,  ante,  p.  — , 
and  Schine  Chain  Theatres,  Inc.  v.  United 
States,  ante,  p.  — ,  and  need  not  be  repeated 
here.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  dis- 
tributors who  join  in  such  arrangements  by 
exhibitors  are  active  participants  in  effectuating 
a  restraint  of  trade  and  a  monopolistic  practice. 
See  United  States  v.  Crescent  Amusement  Co., 
supra,  p.  183. 

The  District  Court  also  enjoined  the  making 
or  further  performance  of  any  franchise.  A 
franchise  is  a  contract  with  an  exhibitor  which 
extends  over  a  period  of  more  than  a  motion 
picture  season  and  covers  the  exhibition  of  fea- 
tures released  by  the  distributor  during  the 
period  of  the  agreement.  The  District  Court  held 
that  a  franchise  constituted  a  restraint  of  trade 
because  a  period  of  more  than  one  season  was 
too  long  and  the  inclusion  of  all  features  was 
disadvantageous  to  competitors.  At  least  that 
is  the  way  we  read  its  findings. 

Universal  and  United  Artists  object  to  the 
outlawry  of  franchise  agreements.  Universal 
points  out  that  the  charge  of  illegality  of  fran- 
chises in  these  cases  was  restricted  to  franchises 
with  theatres  owned  by  the  major  defendants 
and  to  franchises  with  circuits  or  theatres  in  a 
circuit,  a  circut  being  defined  in  the  complaint 
as  a  group  of  more  than  five  theatres  controlled 
by  the  same  person  or  a  group  of  more  than  five 
theatres  which  combine  through  a  common 
agent  in  licensing  films.  It  seems,  therefore, 
that  the  legality  of  franchises  to  other  exhibitors 
(except  as  to  block-booking,  a  practice  to  which 
we  will  later  advert)  was  not  in  issue  in  the 
litigation.  Moreover,  the  findings  on  franchises 
are  clouded  by  the  statement  of  the  District 
Court  in  the  opinion  that  franchises  "necessarily 
contravene  the  plan  of  licensing  each  picture, 
theatre  by  theatre,  to  the  highest  bidder."  As 
will  be  seen  hereafter,  we  eliminate  from  the 
decree  the  provision  for  competitive  bidding.  But 
for  its  inclusion  of  competitive  bidding  the  Dis- 
trict Court  might  well  have  treated  the  problem 
of  franchises  differently. 

We  can  see  how  if  franchises  were  allowed  to 
be  used  between  the  exhibitor-defendants  each 
might  be  able  to  strengthen  its  strategic  position 
in  the  exhibition  field  and  continue  the  ill  effects 
of  the  conspiracy  which  the  decree  is  designed 
to  dissipate.  Franchise  agreements  may  have 
been  employed  as  devices  to  discriminate  against 
some  independents  in  favor  of  others.  We  know 
from  the  record  that  franchise  agreements  often 
contained  discriminatory  clauses  operating  in 
favor  not  only  of  theatres  owned  by  the  defend- 

10See  note  4,  supra. 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


ants  but  also  of  the  large  circuits.  But  we  can- 
not say  on  this  record  that  franchises  are  illegal 
per  se  when  extended  to  any  theatre  or  circuit 
no  matter  how  small.  The  findings  do  not  deal 
with  the  issue  doubtlessly  due  to  the  fact  that 
any  system  of  franchises  would  necessarily  con- 
flict with  the  system  of  competitive  bidding 
adopted  by  the  District  Court.  Hence  we  set 
aside  the  findings  on  franchises  so  that  the  court 
may  examine  the  problem  in  the  light  of  the 
elimination  from  the  decree  of  competitive  bid- 
ding. 

We  do  not  take  that  course  in  the  case  of 
formula  deals  and  master  agreements,  for  the 
findings  in  these  instances  seem  to  stand  on  their 
own  bottom  and  apparently  have  no  necessary 
dependency  on  the  provision  for  competitive 
bidding. 

(5)  Block-Booking. 

Block-booking  is  the  practice  of  licensing,  or 
offering  for  license,  one  feature  or  group  of 
features  on  condition  that  the  exhibitor  will  also 
license  another  feature  or  group  of  features 
released  by  the  distributors  during  a  given 
period.  The  films  are  licensed  in  blocks  before 
they  are  actually  produced.  All  the  defendants, 
except  United  Artists,  have  engaged  in  the 
practice.  Block-booking  prevents  competitors 
from  bidding  for  single  features  on  their  indi- 
vidual merits.  The  District  Court  held  it  illegal 
for  that  reason  and  for  the  reason  that  it  "adds 
to  the  monopoly  of  a  single  copyrighted  picture 
that  of  another  copyrighted  picture  which  must 
be  taken  and  exhibited  in  order  to  secure  the 
firsts."  That  enlargement  of  the  monopoly  of 
the  copyright  was  condemned  below  in  reliance 
on  the  principle  which  forbids  the  owner  of  a 
patent  to  condition  its  use  on  the  purchase  or 
use  of  patented  or  unpatented  materials.  See 
Ethyl  Gasoline  Corporation  v.  United  States, 
309  U.  S.  436,  459;  Morton  Salt  Co.  v.  Sup- 
piger  Co.,  314  U.  S.  488,  491 ;  Mercoid  Corp.  v. 
Mid-Continent  Investment  Co.,  320  U.  S.  661, 
665.  The  court  enjoined  defendants  from  per- 
forming or  entering  into  any  license  in  which 
the  right  to  exhibit  one  feature  is  conditioned 
upon  the  licensee's  taking  one  or  more  other 
features."11 

We  approve  that  restriction.  The  copyright 
law,  like  the  patent  statutes,  makes  reward  to 
the  owner  a  secondary  consideration.  In  Fox 
Film  Corp.  v.  Doyal,  286  U.  S.  123,  127,  Chief 
Justice  Hughes  spoke  as  follows  respecting  the 
copyright  monopoly  granted  by  Congress.  "The 
sole  interest  of  the  United  States  and  the 
primary  object  in  conferring  the  monopoly  lie 
in  the  general  benefits  derived  by  the  public 
from  the  labors  of  authors."  It  is  said  that  re- 
ward to  the  author  or  artist  serves  to  induce 
release  to  the  public  of  the  products  of  his 
creative  genius.  But  the  reward  does  not  serve 
its  public  purpose  if  it  is  not  related  to  the 
quality  of  the  copyright.  Where  a  high  quality 
film  greatly  desired  is  licensed  only  if  an  in- 
ferior one  is  taken,  the  latter  borrows  quality 
from  the  former  and  strengthens  its  monopoly 


nBlind-sel1ing  is  a  practice  whereby  a  distributor 
licenses  a  feature  before  the  exhibitor  is  afforded  an 
opportunity  to  view  it.  To  remedy  the  problems  created 
by  that  practice  the  District  Court  included  the  follow- 
ing provision  in  its  decree: 

"To  the  extent  that  any  of  the  features  have  not  been 
trade  shown  prior  to  the  granting  of  the  license  for 
more  than  a  single  feature,  the  licensee  shall  be  given 
by  the  licensor  the  right  to  reject  twenty  per  cent  of 
such  features  not  trade  shown  prior  to  the  granting 
of  the  license,  such  right  of  rejection  to  be  exercised 
in  the  order  of  release  within  ten  days  after  there 
has  been  an  opportunity  afforded  to  the  licensee  to 
inspect  the  feature." 

The  court  advanced  the  following  as  its  reason  for 
inclusion  of  this  provision: 

"Blind-selling  does  not  apear  to  be  as  inherently  re- 
strictive of  competition  as  block-booking,  although  it  is 
capable  of  some  abuse.  By  this  practice  a  distributor 
could  promise  a  picture  of  good  quality  or  of  a  certain 
type  which  when  produced  might  prove  to  be  of  poor 
quality  or  of  another  type — a  competing  distributor 
meanwhile  being  unable  to  market  its  product  and  in 
the  end  losing  its  outlets  for  future  pictures.  The  evi- 
dence indicates  that  trade-shows,  which  are  designated 
to  prevent  such  blind-selling,  are  poorly  attended  by 
exhibitors.  Accordingly,  exhibitors  who  choose  to  obtain 
their  films  for  exhibition  in  quantities,  need  to  be  pro- 
tected against  burdensome  agreements  by  being  given 
an  option  to  reject  a  certain  percentage  of  their  blind- 
licensed  pictures  within  a  reasonable  time  after  they 
shrill  have  become  available  for  inspection." 

We  approve  this  provision  of  the  decree. 


by  drawing  on  the  other.  The  practice  tends  to 
equalize  rather  than  differentiate  the  reward  for 
the  individual  copyrights.  Even  where  all  the 
films  included  in  the  package  are  of  equal 
quality,  the  requirement  that  all  be  taken  if  one 
is  desired  increases  the  market  for  some.  Each 
stands  not  on  its  own  footing  but  in  whole  or 
in  part  on  the  appeal  which  another  film  may 
have.  As  the  District  Court  said,  the  result  is 
to  add  to  the.  monopoly  of  the  copyright  in  vio- 
lation of  the  principle  of  the  patent  cases  in- 
volving tying  clauses. x- 

It  is  argued  that  Trans  par  ent-W  rap  Machine 
Corp.  v.  Stokes  &  Smith  Co.,  329  U.  S.  637, 
points  to  a  contrary  result.  That  case  held  that 
the  inclusion  in  a  patent  license  of  a  condition 
requiring  the  licensee  to  assign  improvement 
patents  was  not  per  se  illegal.  But  that  de- 
cision, confined  to  improvement  patents,  was 
greatly  influenced  by  the  federal  statute  govern- 
ing assignments  of  patents.  It  therefore  has  no 
controlling  significance  here. 

Columbia  Pictures  makes  an  earnest  argu- 
ment that  enforcement  of  the  restriction  as  to 
block-booking  will  be  very  distadvantageous  to 
it  and  will  greatly  impair  its  ability  to  operate 
profitably.  But  the  policy  of  the  anti-trust  laws 
is  not  qualified  or  conditioned  by  the  conven- 
ience of  those  whose  conduct  is  regulated.  Nor 
can  a  vested  interest,  in  a  practice  which  con- 
travenes the  policy  of  the  anti-trust  laws,  receive 
judicial  sanction. 

We  do  not  suggest  that  films  may  not  be  sold 
in  blocks  or  groups,  when  there  is  no  require- 
ment, express  or  implied,  for  the.  purchase  of 
more  than  one  film.  All  we  hold  to  be  illegal 
is  a  refusal  to  license  one  or  more  copyrights 
unless  another  copyright  is  accepted. 

(6)  Discrimination. 

The  District  Court  found  that  defendants  had 
discriminated  against  small  independent  exhib- 
itors and  in  favor  of  large  affiliated  and  unaffili- 
ated circuits  through  various  kinds  of  contract 
provisions.  These  included  suspension  of  the 
terms  of  a  contract  if  a  circuit  theatre  remained 
closed  for  more  than  eight  weeks  with  reinstate- 
ment without  liability  on  reopening ;  allowing 
large  privileges  in  the  selection  and  elimination 
of  films  ;  allowing  deductions  in  film  rentals  if 
double  bills  are  played ;  granting  moveovers1:! 
and  extended  runs ;  granting  road  show  privi- 
leges ;14  allowing  overage  and  underage  ;.15 
granting  unlimited  playing  time ;  excluding  for- 
eign pictures  and  those  of  independent  produc- 
ers ;  and  granting  rights  to  question  the  classi- 
fication of  features  for  rental  purposes.  The 
District  Court  found  that  the  competitive  advan- 
tages of  these  provisions  were  so  great  that 
their  inclusion  in  contracts  with  the  larger  cir- 
cuits and  their  exclusion  from  contracts  with 
the  small  independents  constituted  an  unrea- 
sonable discrimination  against  the  latter.  Each 
discriminatory  contract  constituted  a  conspiracy 
between  licensor  and  licensee.  Hence  the  Dis- 
trict Court  deemed  it  unnecessary  to  decide 
whether  the  defendants  had  conspired  among 
themselves  to  make  these  discriminations.  No 
provision  of  the  decree  specifically  enjoins  these 
;  discriminatory  practices  because  they  were 
thought  to  be  impossible  under  the  system  of 
.competitive  bidding  adopted  by  the  District 
Court. 

12The  exclusive  right  granted  by  the  Copyright  Act, 
35  Stat.  1075,  17  U.  S.  C.  §  1  includes  no  such  priv- 
ilege. It  provides,  so  far  as  material  here,  as  follows: 
'"That  any  person  entitled  thereto,  upon  complying  with 
the  provisions  of  this  Act,  shall  have  the  exclusive 
right : 

"(d)  To  perform  or  represent  the  copyrighted  work 
publicly  if  it  be  a  drama  or,  if  it  be  a  dramatic  work 
and  reproduced  in  copies  for  sale,  to  vend  any  manu- 
script or  any  record  whatsoever  thereof ;  to  make  or 
to  procure  the  making  of  any  transcription  or  record 
thereof  by  or  from  which,  in  whole  or  in  part,  it  may 
in  any  manner  or  by  any  method  be  exhibited,  per- 
formed, represented,  produced,  or  reproduced;  and  to 
exhibit,  perform,  represent,  produce,  or  reproduce  it  in 
any  manner  or  by  any  method  whatsoever;" 

l3A  moveover  is  the  privilege  given  a  licensee  to 
move  a  picture  from  one  theatre  to  another  as  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  run  at  the  licensee's  first  theatre. 

14A  road  show  is  a  public  exhibition  of  a  feature  in 
a  limited  number  of  theatres,  in  advance  of  its  general 
release,  at  admission  prices  higher  than  those  cus- 
tomarily charged  in  first-run  theatres  in  those  areas. 

""Underage  and  overage  refer  to  the  practice  of  using 
excess  film  rental  earned  in  one  circuit  theatre  to  fulfill 
a  rental  commitment  defaulted  by  another. 


These  findings  are  amply  supported  by  the 
evidence.  We  concur  in  the  conclusion  that 
these  discriminatory  practices  are  included 
among  the  restraints  of  trade  which  the  Sher- 
man Act  condemns.  See  Interstate  Circuit  v. 
United  States,  supra,  p.  231 ;  United  States  v. 
Crescent  Amusement  Co.,  supra,  pp.  182-183. 
It  will  be  for  the  District  Court  on  remand  of 
these  cases  to  provide  effective  relief  against 
their  continuance,  as  our  elimination  of  the  pro- 
vision for  competitive  bidding  leaves  this  phase 
of  the  cases  unguarded. 

There  is  some  suggestion  on  this  as  well  as 
on  other  phases  of  the  cases  that  large  exhib-' 
itors  with  whom  defendants  dealt  fathered  the 
illegal  practices  and  forced  them  onto  the  de- 
fendants. But  as  the  District  Court  observed, 
that  circumstance  if  true  does  not  help  the  de- 
fendants. For  acquiescence  in  an  illegal  scheme 
is  as  much  a  violation  of  the  Sherman  Act  as 
the  creation  and  promotion  of  one. 

Second — Competitive  Bidding. 

The  District  Court  concluded  that  the  only 
way  competition  could  be  introduced  into  the 
existing  system  of  fixed  prices,  clearances  and 
runs  was  to  require  that  films  be  licensed  on  a 
competitive  bidding  basis.  Films  are  to  be 
offered  to  all  exhibitors  in  each  competitive 
area.16  The  license  for  the  desired  run  is  to  be 
granted  to  the  highest  responsible  bidder,  unless 
the  distributor  rejects  all  offers.  The  licenses 
are  to  be  offered  and  taken  theatre  by  theatre 
and  picture  by  picture.  Licenses  to  show  films 
in  theatres,  in  which  the  licensor  owns  directly 
or  indirectly  an  interest  of  ninety-five  per  cent 
or  more,  are  excluded  from  the  requirement  for 
competitive  bidding. 

Paramount  is  the  only  one  of  the  five  majors 
who  opposes  the  competitive  bidding  system. 
Columbia  Pictures,  Universal,  and  United 
Artists  oppose  it.  The  intervenors  representing 
certain  independents  oppose  it.  And  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice,  which  apparently  proposed  the 
system  originally,  speaks  strongly  against  it 
here. 

At  first  blush  there  is  much  to  commend  the 
system  of  competitive  bidding.  The  trade  vic- 
tims of  this  conspiracy  have  in  large  measure 
been  the  small  independent  operators.  They  are 
the  ones  that  have  felt  most  keenly  the  dis- 
criminatory practices  and  predatory  activities 
in  which  defendants  have  freely  indulged.  They 
have  been  the  victims  of  the  massed  purchasing 
power  of  the  larger  units  in  the  industry.  It  is 
largely  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  small  operators 
that  the  large  empires  of  exhibitors  have  been 
built.  Thus  it  would  appear  to  be  a  great  boon 
to  them  to  substitute  open  bidding  for  the  pri- 
vate deals  and  favors  on  which  the  large 
operators  have  thrived.  But  after  reflection  we 
have  concluded  that  competitive  bidding  in- 
volves the  judiciary  so  deeply  in  the  daily  op- 
eration of  this  nation-wide  business  and 
promises  such  dubious  benefits  that  it  should  not 
be  undertaken. 

Each  film  is  to  be  licensed  on  a  particular 
run  to  "the  highest  responsible  bidder,  having 
a  theatre  of  a  size,  location  and  equipment 
adequate  to  yield  a  reasonable  return  to  the 
licensor."  The  bid  "shall  state  what  run  such 
exhibitor  desires  and  what  he  is  willing  to  pay 
for  such  feature,  which  statement  may  specify 
a  flat  rental,  or  a  percentage  of  gross  receipts, 
or  both,  or  any  other  form  of  rental,  and  shall 
also  specify  what  clearance  such  exhibitor  is 
willing  to  accept,  the  time  and  days  when  such 
exhibitor  desires  to  exhibit  it,  and  any  other 
offers  which  such  exhibitor  may  care  to  make." 
We  do  not  doubt  that  if  a  competitive  bidding 
system  is  adopted  all  these  provisions  are 
necessary.  For  the  licensing  of  films  at  auction 
is  quite  obviously  a  more  complicated  matter 
than  the  like  sales  for  cash  of  tobacco,  wheat, 
or  other  produce.  Columbia  puts  these  pertinent 
queries :  "No  two  exhibitors  are  likely  to  make 
the  same  bid  as  to  dates,  clearance,  method  of 

'"Competitive  bidding  is  required  only  in  a  "competi- 
tive area"  where  it  is  "desired  by  the  exhibitors."  As 
the  District  Court  said,  "the  decree  provides  an  oppor- 
tunity to  bid  for  any  exhibitor  in  a  competitive  area 
who  may  desire  to  do  so." 

The  details  of  the  competitive  bidding  system  will 
be  found  in  70  F.  Supp.  pp.  73-74. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


fixing  rental,  etc.  May  bids  containing  such 
diverse  factors  be  readily  compared?  May  a 
flat  rental  bid  be  compared  with  a  percentage 
bid?  May  the  value  of  any  percentage  bid  be 
determined  unless  the  admission  price  is  fixed 
by  the  license?" 

The  question  as  to  who  is  the  highest  bidder 
involves  the  use  of  standards  incapable  of 
precise  definition  because  the  bids  being  com- 
pared contain  different  ingredients.  Determin- 
ing who  is  the  most  responsible  bidder  likewise 
cannot  be  reduced  to  a  formula.  The  dis- 
tributor's judgment  of  the  character  and  in- 
tegrity of  a  particular  exhibitor  might  result 
in  acceptance  of  a  lower  bid  than  others  offered. 
Yet  to  prove  that  favoritism  was  shown  would 
be  well  nigh  impossible,  unless  perhaps  all  the 
exhibitors  in  the  country  were  given  classifica- 
tions of  responsibility.  If,  indeed,  the  choice 
between  bidders  is  not  to  be  entrusted  to  the 
uncontrolled  discretion  of  the  distributors,  some 
effort  to  standardize  the  factors  involved  in 
determining  "a  reasonable  return  to  the 
licensor"  would  seem  necessary. 

We  mention  these  matters  merely  to  indicate 
the  character  of  the  job  of  supervising  such  a 
competitive  bidding  system.  It  would  involve 
the  judiciary  in  the  administration  of  intricate 
and  detailed  rules  governing  priority,  period  of 
clearance,  length  of  run,  competitive  areas, 
reasonable  return,  and  the  like.  The  system 
would  be  apt  to  require  as  close  a  supervision 
as  a  continuous  receivership,  unless  the  de- 
fendants were  to  be  entrusted  with  vast  dis- 
cretion. The  judiciary  is  unsuited  to  affairs  of 
business  management ;  and  control  through  the 
power  of  contempt  is  crude  and  clumsy  and 
lacking  in  the  flexibility  necessary  to  make 
continuous  and  detailed  supervision  effective. 
Yet  delegation  of  the  management  of  the  sys- 
tem to  the  discretion  of  those  who  had  the 
genius  to  conceive  the  present  conspiracy  and 
to  execute  it  with  the  subtlety  which  this  record 
reveals,  could  be  done  only  with  the  greatest 
reluctance.  At  least  such  choices  should  not  be 
faced  unless  the  need  for  the  system  is  great 
and  its  benefits  plain. 

The  system,  uproots  business  arrangements 
and  established  relationships  with  no  apparent 
overall  benefit  to  the  small  independent  ex- 
hibitor. If  each  feature  must  go  to  the  highest 
responsible  bidder,  those  with  the  greatest  pur- 
chasing power  would  seem  to  be  in  a  favored 
position.  Those  with  the  longest  purse — the 
exhibitor-defendants  and  the  large  circuits — 
would  seem  to  stand  in  a  preferred  position.  If 
in  fact  they  were  enabled  through  the  com- 
petitive bidding  system  to  take  the  cream  of 
the  business,  eliminate  the  smaller  independents, 
and  thus  increase  their  own  strategic  hold  on 
the  industry,  they  would  have  the  cloak  of  the 
court's  decree  around  them  for  protection. 
Hence  the  natural  advantage  which  the  larger 
and  financially  stronger  exhibitors  would  seem 
to  have  in  the  bidding  gives  us  pause.  If  a 
premium  is  placed  on  purchasing  power,  the 
court-created  system  may  be  a  powerful  factor 
towards  increasing  the  concentration  of  eco- 
nomic power  in  the  industry  rather  than  cleans- 
ing the  competitive  system  of  unwholesome 
practices.  For  where  the  system  in  operation 
promises  the  advantage  to  the  exhibitor  who  is 
in  the  strongest  financial  position,  the  injunc-( 
tion  against  discrimination17  is  apt  to  hold  an' 
empty  promise.  In  this  connection  it  should  be 
noted  that  even  though  the  independents  in  a 
given  competitive  area  do  not  want  competitive 
bidding,  the  exhibitor-defendants  can  invoke 
the  system. 

Our  doubts  concerning;  the  competitive  bid- 
ding system  are  increased  by  the  fact  that 
defendants  who  own  theatres  are  allowed  to 
pre-empt  their  own  features.  They  thus  start 
with  an  inventory  which  all  other  exhibitors 
lack.  The  latter  have  no  prospect  of  assured 
runs  except  what  they  get  by  competitive 
bidding.  The  proposed  system  does  not  offset 
in  any  way  the  advantages  which  the  exhibitor- 
defendants  have  by  way  of  theatre  ownership. 

17The  competitive  bidding  part  of  the  decree  provides: 
"Each  license  shall  be  granted  solely  upon  the  merits 
and  without  discrimination  in  favor  of  affiliates,  old 
customers  or  others." 


It  would  seem  in  fact  to  increase  thern.  For 
the  independents  are  deprived  of  the  stability 
which  flows  from  established  business  relation- 
ships. Under  the  proposed  system  they  can  get 
features  only  if  they  are  the  highest  responsible 
bidders.  They  can  no  longer  depend  on  their 
private  sources  of  supply  which  their  ingenuity 
has  created.  Those  sources,  built  perhaps  on 
private  relationships  and  representing  important 
items  of  good  will,  are  banned,  even  though 
they  are  free  of  any  taint  of  illegality. 

The  system  was  designed,  as  some  of  the 
defendants  put  it,  to  remedy  the  difficulty  of 
any  theatre  to  break  into  or  change  the  exist- 
ing system  of  runs  and  clearances.  But  we  do 
not  see  how,  in  practical  operation,  the  proposed 
system  of  competitive  bidding  is  likely  to  open 
up  to  competition  the  markets  which  defendants' 
unlawful  restraints  have  dominated.  Rather  real 
danger  seems  to  us  to  lie  in  the  opportunities 
the  system  affords  the  exhibitor-defendants  and 
the  other  large  operators  to  strengthen  their 
hold  in  the  industry.  We  are  reluctant  to  alter 
decrees  in  these  cases  where  there  is  agreement 
with  the  District  Court  on  the  nature  of  the 
violations.  United  States  v.  Crescent  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  supra,  p.  185;  International  Salt  Co. 
v.  United  States,  332  U.  S.  392,  400.  But  the 
provisions  for  competitive  bidding  in  these  cases 
promise  little  in  the  way  of  relief  against  the 
real  evils  of  the  conspiracy.  They  implicate  the 
judiciary  heavily  in  the  details  of  business  man- 
agement if  supervision  is  to  be  effective.  They 
vest  powerful  control  in  the  exhibitor-defendants 
over  their  competitors  if  close  supervision  by 
the  court  is  not  undertaken.  In  light  of  these 
considerations  we  conclude  that  the  competitive 
bidding  provisions  6f  the  decree  should  be 
eliminated  so  that  a  more  effective  decree  may 
be  fashioned. 

We  have  already  indicated  in  preceding  parts 
of  this  opinion  that  this  alteration  in  the  decree 
leaves  a  hiatus  or  two  which  will  have  to  be 
filled  on  remand  of  the  cases.  We  will  indicate 
hereafter  another  phase  of  the  problem  which 
the  District  Court  should  also  reconsider  in 
view  of  this  alteration  in  the  decree.  But  out 
of  an  abundance  of  caution  we  add  this  addi- 
tional word.  The  competitive  bidding  system 
was  perhaps  the  central  arch  of  the  decree 
designed  by  the  District  Court.  Its  elimination 
may  affect  the  cases  in  ways  other  than  those 
which  we  expressly  mention.  Hence  on  remand 
of  the  cases  the  freedom  of  the  District  Court 
to  reconsider  the  adequacy  of  decree  is  not 
limited  to  those  parts  we  have  specifically 
indicated. 

Third.  Monopoly,  Expansion  of  Theatre  Hold- 
ings, Divestiture. 
There  is  a  suggestion  that  the  hold  the  de- 
fendants have  on  the  industry  is  so  great  that 
a  problem  under  the  First  Amendment  is  raised. 
Cf.  Associated  Press  v.  United  States,  326 
U.  S.  1.  We  have  no  doubt  that  moving  pic- 
tures, like  newspapers  and  radio,  are  included 
in  the  press  whose  freedom  is  guaranteed  by 
the  First  Amendment.  That  issue  would  be 
focused  here  if  we  had  any  question  concerning 
monopoly  in  the  production  of  moving  pictures. 
But  monopoly  in  production  was  eliminated  as 
an  issue  in  these  cases,  as  we  have  noted. 
The  chief  argument  at  the  bar  is  phrased  in 
terms  of  monopoly  of  exhibition,  restraints  on 
exhibition,  and  the  like.  Actually,  the  issue  is 
even  narrower  than  that.  The  main  contest  is 
over  the  cream  of  the  exhibition  business — that 
of  the  first-run  theatres.  By  defining  the  issue 
so  narrowly  we  do  not  intend  to  belittle  its 
importance.  It  shows,  however,  that  the  question 
here  is  not  zvhat  the  public  will  see  or  if  the 
public  will  be  permitted  to  see  certain  features. 
It  is  clear  that  under  the  existing  system  the 
public  will  be  denied  access  to  none.  If  the 
public  cannot  see  the  features  on  the  first-run. 
it  may  do  so  on  the  second,  third,  fourth,  or 
later  run.  The  central  problem  presented  by 
these  cases  is  which  exhibitors  get  the  highly 
profitable  first-run  business.  That  problem  has 
important  aspects  under  the  Sherman  Act.  But 
it  bears  only  remotely,  if  at  all,  on  any  question 
of  freedom  of  the  press,  save  only  as  timeliness 
of  release  may  be  a  factor  of  importance  in 
specific  situations. 


THe  controversy  over  monopoly  relates  to 
monopoly  in  exhibition  and  more  particularly 
monopoly  in  the  first-run  phase  of  the  exhibi- 
tion business. 

The  five  majors  in  1945  had  interests  in 
somewhat  over  17  per  cent  of  the  theatres  in  the 
United  States— 3,137  out  of  18,076.lx  Those 
theatres  paid  45  per  cent  of  the  total  domestic 
film   rental   received  by  all   eight  defendants. 

In  the  92  cities  of  the  country  with  popula- 
tions over  100,000  at  least  70  per  cent  of  all  the 
first-run  theatres  are  affiliated  with  one  or  more 
of  the  five  majors.  In  4  of  those  cities  the  five 
majors  have  no  theatres.  In  38  of  those 
cities  there  are  no  independent  first-run  theatres. 
In  none  of  the  remaining  50  cities  did  less 
than  three  of  the  distributor-defendants  license 
their  product  on  first  run  to  theatres  of  the 
five  majors.  In  19  of  the  50  cities  less  than 
three  of  the  distributor-defendants  licensed  their 
product  on  first  run  to  independent  theatres.  In 
a  majority  of  the  50  cities  the  greater  share  of 
all  of  the  features  of  defendants  were  licensed 
for  first-run  exhibition  in  the  theatres  of  the 
five  majors. 

In  about  60  per  cent  of  the  92  cities  having 
populations  of  over  100,000,  independent  thea- 
tres compete  with  those  of  the  five  majors  in 
first-run  exhibition.  In  about  91  per  cent  of  the 
92  cities  there  is  competition  between  inde- 
pendent theatres  and  the  theatres  of  the  five 
majors  or  between  theatres  of  the  five  majors 
themselves  for  first-run  exhibition.  In  all  of  the 
92  cities  there  is  always  competition  in  some 
run  even  where  there  is  no  competition  in  first 
runs. 

In  cities  between  25,000  and  100,000  popula- 
tions the  five  majors  have  interests  in  577  of  a 
total  of  978  first-run  theatres  or  about  60  per 
cent.  In  about  300  additional  towns,  mostly  un- 
der 25,000,  an  operator  affiliated  with  one  of  the 
five  majors  has  all  of  the  theatres  in  the  town. 

The  District  Court  held  that  the  five  majors 
could  not  be  treated  collectively  so  as  to  es- 
tablish claims  of  general  monopolization  in  ex- 
hibition. It  found  that  none  of  them  was  organ- 
ized or  had  been  maintained  "for  the  purpose 
of  achieving  a  national  monopoly"  in  exhibition. 
It  found  that  the  five  majors  by  their  present 
theatre  holdings  "alone"  (which  aggregate  a  lit- 
tle more  than  one-sixth  of  all  the  theatres  in 
the  United  States),  "do  not  and  cannot  col- 
lectively or  individually,  have  a  monopoly  of 
exhibition."  The  District  Court  also  found  that 
where  a  single  defendant  owns  all  of  the  first- 
run  theatres  in  a  town,  there  is  no  sufficient 
proof  that  the  acquisition  was  for  the  purpose 
of  creating  a  monopoly.  It  found  rather  that 
such  consequence  resulted  from  the  inertness  of 
competitors,  their  lack  of  financial  ability  to 
build  theatres  comparable  to  those  of  the  five 
majors,  or  the  preference  of  the  public  for  the 
best  equipped  theatres.  And  the  percentage  of 
features  on  the  market  which  any  of  the  five 
majors  could  play  in  its  own  theatres  was  found 
to  be  relatively  small  and  in  nowise  to  approxi- 
mate a  monopoly  of  film  exhibition.19 

Even  in  respect  of  the  theatres  jointly  owned 
or  jointly  operated  by  the  defendants  with  each 
other  or  with  independents  the  District  Court 
found  no  monopoly  or  attempt  to  monopolize. 
Those  joint  agreements  or  ownership  were  found 
only  to  be  unreasonable  restraints  of  trade.  The 
District  Court,  indeed,  found  no  monopoly  on 
any  phase  of  the  cases,  although  it  did  find  an 
attempt  to  monopolize  in  the  fixing  of  prices, 
the  granting  of  unreasonable  clearances,  block- 
booking  and  the  other  unlawful  restraints  of 
trade  we  have  already  discussed.    The  "root  of 

lsThe  theatres  which  each  of  the  five  majors  owned 
independently  of  the  others  were:  Paramount  1,395  or 
7.72  per  cent;  Warner  501  or  2.77  per  cent;  Loew's  135 
or  .74  per  cent;  Fox  636  or  3.52  per  cent;  RKO  109  or 
.60  pet-  cent.  There  were  in  addition  361  theatres  or 
about  2  per  cent  in  which  two  or  more  of  the  five 
majors  had  joint  interests.  These  figures  exclude  connec- 
tions through  film-buying  or  management  contracts  or 
through  corporations  in  which  a  defendant  owns  an 
Indirect  minority  stock  interest. 

These  theatres  are  located  in  922  towns  in  48  States 
and  the  District  of  Columbia.  For  further  descriptiun 
of  the  distribution  of  theatres  see  liertrand.  Evans,  and 
Blanchard.  The  Motion  Picture  Industry — A  Pattern  of 
Control  15-16  (TNEC  Monograph  43,  19411. 

ia(Footnotc  19  on  page  6). 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


the  difficulties,"  according  to  the  District  Court, 
lay  not  in  theatre  ownership  but  in  those  unlaw- 
ful practices. 

The  District  Court  did,  however,  enjoin  the 
five  majors  from  expanding  their  present  thea- 
tre holding's  in  any  manner.2"  It  refused  vo 
grant  the  request  of  the  Department  of  Justice 
lor  total  divestiture  by  the  five  majors  of  their 
theatre  holdings.  It  found  that  total  divesti- 
ture would  be  injurious  to  the  five  majors  and 
damaging  to  the  public.  Its  thought-  on  the 
latter  score  was  that  the  new  set  of  theatre 
owners  who  would  take  the  place  of  the  five 
majors  would  be  unlikely  for  some  years  to  give 
the  public  as  good  service  as  those  they  sup- 
planted "in  view  of  the  latter's  demonstrated 
experience  and  skill  in  operating  what  must  be 
regarded  as  in  general  the  largest  and  best 
equipped  theatres."  Divestiture  was,  it  thought, 
too  harsh  a  remedy  where  there  was  available 
the  alternative  of  competitive  bidding.  It  ac- 
cordingly concluded  that  divestiture  was  un- 
necessary "at  least  until  the  efficiency  of  that 
system  has  been  tried  and  found  wanting." 

It  is  clear,  so  far  as  the  five  majors  are  con- 
cerned, that  the  aim  of  the  conspiracy  was  ex- 
clusionary, i.  c.  it  was  designed  to  strengthen 
their  hold  on  the  exhibition  field.  In  other 
words,  the  conspiracy  had  monopoly  in  exhibi- 
tion for  one  of  its  goals,  as  the  District  Court 
held.  Price,  clearance,  and  run  are  interdepen- 
dent. The  clearance  and  run  provisions  of  the 
licenses  fixed  the  relative  playing  positions  of  all 
theatres  in  a  certain  area ;  the  minimum  price 
provisions  were  based  on  playing  position — the 
first-run  theatres  being  required  to  charge  the 
highest  prices,  the  second-run  theatres  the  next 
highest,  and  so  on.  As  the  District  Court 
found,  "In  effect,  the  distributor,  by  the  fixing 
of  minimum  admission  prices,  attempts  to  give 
the  prior-run  exhibitors  as  near  a  monopoly  of 
the  patronage  as  possible." 

It  is,  therefore,  not  enough  in  determining  the 
need  for  divestiture  to  conclude  with  the  District 
Court  that  none  of  the  defendants  was  organized 
or  has  been  maintained  for  the  purpose  of  achiev- 
ing a  "national  monopoly,"  nor  that  the  five 
majors  through  their  present  theatre  holdings 
"alone"  do  not  and  cannot  collectively  or  indi- 
vidually have  a  monopoly  of  exhibition.  For 
when  the  starting  point  is  a  conspiracy  to  effect 
a  monopoly  through  restraints  of  trade,  it  is 
relevant  to  determine  what  the  results  of  the 
conspiracy  were  even  if  they  fell  short  of 
monopoly. 

An  example  will  illustrate  the  problem.  In 
the  popular  sense  there  is  a  monopoly  if  one 
person  owns  the  only  theatre  in  town.  That 
usually  does  not,  however,  constitute  a  violation 
of  the  Sherman  Act.  But  as  we  noted  in  United 
States  v.  Griffith,  ante,  p.  — ,  and  see  Sehinc 
Chain  Theatres,  Inc.  v.  United  States,  ante, 
p.  — ,  even  such  an  ownership  is  vulnerable  in 
a  suit  by  the  United  States  under  the  Sherman 
Act  if  the  property  was  acquired,  or  its  strategic 
position  maintained,  as  a  result  of  practices 
which  constitute  unreasonable  restraints  of  trade. 
Otherwise,  there  would  be  reward  from  the  con- 
spiracy through  retention  of  its  fruits.  Hence 
the  problem  of  the  District  Court  does  not  end 
with  enjoining  continuance  of  the  unlawful  re- 

19The  number  of  feature  films  released  during  the 
1943-44  season  by  the  eleven  largest  distributors  is  as 
follows : 

Percentages  of  Total 


With 

With 

'  Westerns' 

'Westerns 

No. 

of  Films 

included 

excluded 

Fox   

33 

8.31 

9.85 

I.oew's   

33 

8.31 

9.85 

Paramount 

31 

7.81 

9.25 

RKO   

38 

9.57 

11.34 

Warner  

19 

4.79 

5.67 

41 

10.32 

12.24 

I'nited  Artists. 

16 

4.04 

4.78 

Universal  .... 

49 

12.34 

14.63 

Rcoublic   - 

-29  features 

14.86 

8.66 

30  'Westerns' 

Monogram 

20  features 

10.58 

7.70 

-16  'Westerns' 

PRC   - 

-20  features 

9.07 

5.97 

-  1  6  'Westerns' 

Totals   

397 

loo.on 

100.00 

33S  without  'Westerns' 

^Excepted  from  this  prohibition  was  the  acquisition 
of  interests  in  theatres  jointlj  owned,  a  matter  we  have 
discussed  in  a  preceding  portion  of  this  opinion. 


straints  nor  with  dissolving  the  combination 
which  launched  the  conspiracy.  Its  function  in- 
cludes undoing  what  the  conspiracy  achieved. 
As  we  have  discussed  in  Sehinc  Chain  The- 
atres, Inc.  v.  United  States,  ante,  p.  — ,  the  re- 
quirement that  the  defendants  restore  what  they 
unlawfully  obtained  is  no  more  punishment  than 
the  familiar  remedy  of  restitution.  What  find- 
ings would  be  warranted  after  such  an  inquiry 
in  the  present  cases,  we  do  not  know.  For  the 
findings  of  the  District  Court  do  not  cover  this 
point  beyond  stating  that  monopoly  was  an  ob- 
jective of  the  several  restraints  of  trade  that 
stand  condemned. 

Moreover,  the  problem  under  the  Sherman 
Act  is  not  solved  merely  by  measuring  monop- 
oly in  terms  of  size  or  extent  of  holdings  or  by 
concluding  that  single  ownerships  were  not 
obtained  "for  the  purpose  of  achieving  a  na- 
tional monopoly."  It  is  the  relationship  of  the 
unreasonable  restraints  of  trade  to  the  position 
of  the  defendants  in  the  exhibition  field  (and 
more  particularly  in  the  first-run  phase  of  that 
business)  that  is  of  first  importance  on  the 
divestiture  phase  of  these  cases.  That  is  the 
position  we  have  taken  in  Sehinc  Chain  Thea- 
tres, Inc.  v.  United  States,  ante,  p.  — ,  in  deal- 
ing with  a  projection  of  the  same  conspiracy 
through  certain  large  circuits.  Parity  of  treat- 
ment of  the  unaffiliated  and  the  affiliated  cir- 
cuits requires  the  same  approach  here.  For  the 
fruits  of  the  conspiracy  which  are  denied  the 
independents  must  also  be  denied  the  five  ma- 
jors. In  this  connection  there  is  a  suggestion 
that  one  result  of  the  conspiracy  was  a  geo- 
graphical division  of  territory  among  the  five 
majors.  We  mention  it  not  to  intimate  that  it  is 
true  but  only  to  indicate  the  appropriate  extent 
of  the  inquiry  concerning  the  effect  of  the  con- 
spiracy in  theatre  ownership  by  the  five  majors. 

The  findings  of  the  District  Court  are  de- 
ficient on  that  score  and  obscure  on  another. 
The  District  Court  in  its  findings  speaks  of  the 
absence  of  a  "purpose"  on  the  part  of  any  of  the 
five  majors  to  achieve  a  "national  monopoly"  in 
the  exhibition  of  motion  pictures.  First,  there 
is  no  finding  as  to  the  presence  or  absence  of 
monopoly  on  the  part  of  the  five  majors  in  the 
first-run  field  for  the  entire  country,  in  the 
first-run  field  in  the  92  largest  cities  of  the 
country,  or  in  the  first-run  field  in  separate  lo- 
calities. Yet  the  first-run  field,  which  constitutes 
the  cream  of  the  exhibition  business,  is  the 
core  of  the  present  cases.  Section  1  of  the  Sher- 
man Act  outlaws  unreasonable  restraints  irre- 
spective of  the  amount  of  trade  or  commerce 
involved  (United  States  v.  Socony-Vacuum  Oil 
Co.,  310  U.  S.  150,  224,  225,  n.  59),  and  §  2  con- 
demns monopoly  of  "any  part"  of  trade  or  com- 
merce. "Any  part"  is  construed  to  mean  an  ap- 
preciable part  of  interstate  or  foreign  trade  or 
commerce.  United  States  v.  Yellow  Cab  Co., 
332  U.  S.  218,  225.  Second,  we  pointed  out  in 
United  States  v.  Griffith,  ante  p.  — ,  that  "speci- 
fic intent",  is  not  necessary  to  establish  a  "pur- 
purpose  or  intent"  to  create  a  monopoly  but 
that  the  requisite  "purpose  or  intent"  is  present 
if  monopoly  results  as  a  necessary  consequence 
of  what  was  done.  The  findings  of  the  District 
Court  on  this  phase  of  the  cases  are  not  clear, 
though  we  take  them  to  mean  by  the  absence 
of  "purpose"  the  absence  of  a  specific  intent. 
So  construed  they  are  inconclusive.  In  any  event 
they  are  ambiguous  and  must  be  recast  on  re- 
mand of  the  cases.  Third,  monopoly  power, 
whether  lawfully  or  unlawfully  acquired,  may 
violate  §  2  of  the  Sherman  Act  though  it 
remains  unexercised  (United  States  v.  Griffith, 
ante,  p.  — ),  for  as  we  stated  in  American  To- 
bacco Co.  v.  United  States,  328  U.  S.  781,  809, 
811,  the  existence  of  power  "to  exclude  com- 
petition when  it  is  desired  to  do  so"  is  itself  a 
violation  of  §  2,  provided  it  is  coupled  with  the 
purpose  or  intent  to  exercise  that  power.  The 
District  Court,  being  primarily  concerned  with 
the  number  and  extent  of  the  theatre  holdings 
of  defendants,  did  not  address  itself  to  this 
phase  of  the  monopoly  problem.  Here  also, 
parity  of  treatment  as  between  independents 
and  the  five  majors  as  theatre  owners,  who  were 
tied  into  the  same  geenral  conspiracy,  necessi- 
tates consideration  of  this  question. 

Exploration  of  these  phases  of  the  cases  would 


not  be  necessary  if,  as  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice argues,  vertical  integration  of  producing, 
distributing  and  exhibiting  motion  pictures  is 
illegal  per  sc.  But  the  majority  of  the  Court 
does  not  take  that  view.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
majority  the  legality  of  vertical  integration 
under  the  Sherman  Act  turns  on  (1)  the  pur- 
pose or  intent  with  which  it  was  conceived,  or 
(2)  the  power  it  creates  and  the  attendant 
purpose  or  intent.  First,  it  runs  afoul  of  the 
Sherman  Act  if  it  was  a  calculated  scheme  to 
gain  control  over  an  appreciable  segment  of  the 
market  and  to  restrain  or  suppress  competition, 
rather  than  an  expansion  to  meet  legitimate^ 
business  needs.  United  States  v.  Reading  Co., 
253  U.  S.  26,  57 ;  United  States  v.  Lehigh  Val- 
ley R.  Co.,  254  U.  S.  255,  269-270.  Second,  a 
vertically  integrated  enterprise,  like  other  ag- 
gregations of  business  units  (United  States  v. 
Aluminum  Co.  of  America,  148  F.  2d  416),  will 
constitute  monopoly  which,  though  unexercised, 
violates  the  Sherman  Act  provided  a  power  to 
exclude  competition  is  coupled  with  a  purpose 
or  intent  to  do  so.  As  we  pointed  out  in  United 
States  v.  Griffith,  ante,  p.  — ,  n.  10,  size  is  it- 
self an  earmark  of  monopoly  power.  For  size 
carries  with  it  an  opportunity  for  abuse.  And 
the  fact  that  the  power  created  by  size  was 
utilized  in  the  past  to  crush  or  prevent  com- 
petition is  potent  evidence  that  the  requisite 
purpose  or  intent  attends  the  presence  of  monop- 
oly power.  See  United  States  v.  Swift  &  Co., 
286  U.  S.  106,  116;  United  States  v.  Aluminum 
Co.  of  America,  supra,  p.  430.  Likewise  bearing 
on  the  question  whether  monopoly  power  is 
created  by  the  vertical  integration,  is  the  nature 
of  the  market  to  be  served  (United  States  v. 
Aluminum  Co.  of  America,  supra,  p.  430,  and 
the  leverage  on  the  market  which  the  particular 
vertical  integration  creates  or  makes  possible. 

These  matters  were  not  considered  by  the 
District  Court.  For  that  reason,  as  well  as  the 
others  we  have  mentioned,  the  findings  on 
monopoly  and  divestiture  which  we  have  dis- 
cussed in  this  part  of  the  opinion  will  be  set 
aside.  There  is  an  independent  reason  for  doing 
that.  As  we  have  seen,  the  District  Court 
considered  competitive  bidding  as  an  alternative 
to  divestiture  in  the  sense  that  it  concluded  that 
further  consideration  of  divestiture  should  not 
be  had  until  competitive  bidding  had  been  tried 
and  found  wanting.  Since  we  eliminate  from 
the  decree  the  provisions  for  competitive  bid- 
ding, it  is  necessary  to  set  aside  the  findings 
on  divestiture  so  that  a  new  start  on  this  phase 
of  the  cases  may  be  made  on  their  remand. 

It  follows  that  the  provision  of  the  decree 
barring  the  five  majors  from  further  theatre 
expansion  should  likewise  be  eliminated.  For  it 
too  is  related  to  the  monopoly  question ;  and 
the  District  Court  should  be  allowed  to  make 
an  entirely  fresh  start  on  the  whole  of  the 
problem.  We  in  no  way  intimate,  however,  that 
the  District  Court  erred  in  prohibiting  further 
theatre  expansion  by  the  five  majors. 

The  Department  of  Justice  maintains  that  if 
total  divestiture  is  denied,  licensing  of  films 
among  the  five  majors  should  be  barred.  As  a 
permanent  requirement  it  would  seem  to  be 
only  an  indirect  way  of  forcing  divestiture.  For 
the  findings  reveal  that  the  theatres  of  the  five 
majors  could  not  operate  their  theatres  full 
time  on  their  own  films.-1  Whether  that  step 
would,  in  absence  of  competitive  bidding,  serve 
as  a  short  range  remedy  in  certain  situations  to 
dissipate  the  effects  of  the  conspiracy  (United 
States  v.  Univis  Lens  Co.,  316  U.  S..  241,  254; 
United  States  v.  Bausch  &  Lomb  Co.,  supra,  p. 
724;  United  States  v.  Crescent  Amusement  Co., 
supra,  p.  188)  is  a  question  for  the  District 
Court. 

Fourth. 

The  consent  decree  created  an  arbitration 
system  which  had,  in  the  view  of  the  District 
Court,  proved  useful  in  its  operation.  The 
court  indeed  thought  that  the  arbitration  system 
had  dealt  with  the  problems  of  clearances  and 

21The  District  Court  found,  "Except  for  a  very  lim- 
ited number  of  theatres  in  the  very  largest  cities,  the 
18,000  and  more  theatres  in  the  United  States  exhibit 
the  product  of  more  than  one  distributor.  Such  theatres 
could  not  be  operated  on  the  product  of  only  one 
distributor." 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


runs  "with  rare  efficiency."  But  it  did  not  think 
it  had  the  power  to  continue  an  arbitration 
system  which  would  be  binding  on  the  parties, 
since  the  consent  decree  did  not  bind  the  de- 
fendants who  had  not  consented  to  it  and  since 
the  government,  acting  pursuant  to  the  powers 
reserved  under  the  consent  decree,  moved  for 
trial  of  the  issues  charged  in  the  complaint. 
The  District  Court  recommended,  however, 
that  some  such  system  be  continued.  But  it 
[included  no  such  provision  in  its  decree. 

We  agree  that  the  government  did  not  con- 
sent to  a  permanent  system  of  arbitration  under 
the  consent  decree  and  that  the  District  Court 
has  no  power  to  force  or  require  parties  to 
submit  to  arbitration  in  lieu  of  the  remedies 
afforded  by  Congress  for  enforcing  the  anti- 
trust laws.  But  the  District  Court  has  the 
power  to  authorize  the  maintenance  of  such  a 
system  by  those  parties  who  consent  and  to  pro- 
vide the  rules  and  procedure  under  which  it  is 
to  operate.  The  use  of  the  system  would  not, 
of  course,  be  mandatory.  It  would  be  merely 
an  auxiliary  enforcement  procedure,  barring  no 
one  from  the  use  of  other  remedies  the  law 
affords  for  violations  either  of  the  Sherman  Act 
or  of  the  decree  of  the.  court.  Whether  such  a 
system  of  arbitartion  should  be  inaugurated  is 
for  the  discretion  of  the  District  Court. 


Fifth — Interven  tion. 

Certain  associations  of  exhibitors  and  a  num- 
ber of  independent  exhibitors,  appellant-inter  - 
venors  in  Nos.  85  and  86,  were  denied  leave  to 
intervene  in  the  District  Court.  They  appeal 
from  those  orders.  They  also  filed  original 
motions  for  leave  to  intervene  in  this  Court. 
We  postponed  consideration  of  the  original 
motions  and  of  our  jurisdiction  to  hear  the 
appeals  until  a  hearing  on  the  merits  of  the 
cases. 

Rule  24  (a)  of  the  Rules  of  Civil  Procedure, 
which  provides  for  intervention  as  of  right, 
reads  in  part  as  follows :  "Upon  timely  applica- 
tion anyone  shall  be  permitted  to  intervene  in  an 
action :  .  .  .  (2)  when  the  representation  of 
the  applicant's  interest  by  existing  parties  is  or 
may  be  inadequate  and  the  applicant  is  or  may 
be  found  by  a  judgment  in  the  action." 

The  complaint  of  the  interveners  was  directed 
towards  the  system  of  competitive  bidding.  The 
Department  of  Justice  is  the  representative  of 
the  public  in  these  anti-trust  suits.  So  far  as 
the  protection  of  the  public  interest  in  free  com- 
petition is  concerned,  the  interests  of  those  in- 
terveners was  adequately  represented.  The  in- 
terveners, however,  claim  that  the  system  of 
competitive  bidding  would  have  operated  preju- 
dicially to  their  rights.  Cf.  United  States  v. 
St.  Louis  Terminal.  236  U.  S.  194,  199.  Their 
argument  is  that  the  plan  of  competitive  bid- 
ding under  the  control  of  the  defendants  would 


be  a  concert  of  action  that  would  be  illegal  but 
for  the  decree.  If  pursuant  to  the  decree  de- 
fendants acted  under  that  plan,  they  would  gain 
immunity  from  any  liability  under  the  anti-trust 
laws  which  otherwise  they  might  have  to  the 
interveners.  Thus,  it  is  argued,  the  decree 
would  affect  their  legal  rights  and  be  binding 
on  them.  The  representation  of  their  interests 
by  the  Department  of  Justice  on  that  score  was 
said  to  be  inadequate  since  that  agency  proposed 
the  idea  of  competitive  bidding  in  the  District 
Court. 

We  need  not  consider  the  merits  of  that  argu- 
ment. Even  if  we  assume  that  the  intervenors 
are  correct  in  their  position,  intervention  should 
be  denied  here  and  the  orders  of  the  District 
Court  denying  leave  to  intervene  must  be 
affirmed.  Now  that  the  provisions  for  competi- 
tive bidding  have  been  eliminated  from  the 
decree  there  is  no  basis  for  saying  that  the 
decree  affects  their  legal  rights.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  situation  below,  no  other  reason 
appears  why  at  this  stage  their  intervention  is 
warranted.  Any  justification  for  making  them 
parties  has  disappeared. 

The  judgment  in  these  cases  is  affirmed  in 
part  and  reversed  in  part,  and  the  cases  are 
remanded  to  the  District  Court  for  proceedings 
in  conformity  with  this  opinion. 

So  ordered. 

Mr.  Justice  Jackson  took  no  part  in  the  con- 
sideration or  decision  of  these  cases. 


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l  vi.  63.  NO.  87 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  MAY  5,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Industry  Sees 
Long  Days  in 
Court  Ahead 

Few  Agree  on  Decision's 
Meaning  Beyond  That 


Consensus  of  opinion  in  home 
offices  following  first  perusals  yes- 
terday of  Monday's  Supreme  Court 
decision  in  the  industry  anti-trust 
case  was  that  many  more  months,  per- 
haps years,  may  be  spent  in  the  courts 
before  the  case  of  U.  S.  vs.  Para- 
mount is  finally  resolved. 

Executive  and  legal  comments  were 
sparse,  virtually  all  asserting  that  the 
decision  still  is  under  study  and  con- 
clusions may  not  be  arrived  at  for 
days.  However,  while  the  attitude 
was  one  of  serious  concern  among 
major  company  executives,  there  was 
no  indication  of  despair  or  dejection. 

The  most  common  attitude  encoun- 
tered among  the  defendants  was  that 
expressed  by  an  attorney  for  one  of 
them  who  said :  "There  is  little  in 
the  decision  to  give  anyone  much  com- 
fort." 

Most  top  executives  were  closeted 
almost  all  day  with  their  counsel  and 
associates,  studying  and  seeking  in- 
terpretations of  the  decision,  ft  was 
reported,  too,  that  Eric  Johnston, 
president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation, was  briefed  in  the  implications 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Goldwyn:  Ruling  to 
Aid  Independents 


Hollywood,  May  4. — Asserting  that 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
Paramount  et  al  case  "will  be  a  ma- 
jor assistance  in  the  process  of  elimi- 
nating illegal  tactics  of  exhibition 
monopolies  which  have  been  drying 
up  the  well  of  motion  picture  produc- 
tion," Samuel  Goldwyn  today  declared 
that  "divorcement  is  only  one  part  of 
a  many-sided  situation." 

"It  will  be  necessary  to  see  to  it 
that  when  divorcement  comes  it  will 
mean  more  than  just  the  transfer  of 
circuit  control  from  one  set  of  hands 
to  another,"  he  maintained. 

The  decision  by  the  Supreme  Court, 
Goldwyn  said,  clearly  recognized  that 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Clark  Sees  'Good  Chance' 
Of  Complete  Divorcement 


Financing  Available 
For  Independents, 
Banks  Tell  SIMPP 


Hollywood,  May  4. — Quashing 
"unfair  and  unfounded"  reports  that 
banks  have  stopped  advancing  loans 
to  independent  film  producers,  the 
Bank  of  America,  Security-First  Na- 
tional and  the  California  Bank  have 
issued  a  joint  statement  in  conjunction 
with  the  Society  of  Independent  Mo- 
tion Picture  Producers,  declaring  that 
"ample  credit"  is  available  to  "all  in- 
dependents with  good  box-office  prop- 
erties and  recognized  production  abil- 
ity." 

Issuance  of  the  statement  is  the  re- 
sult of  a  series  of  conferences  held  by 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Trumbo  Trial  May 
Conclude  Today 

Washington,  May  4. — The  trial  of 
Dalton  Trumbo  for  contempt  of  Con- 
gress probably  will  wind  up  here  to- 
morrow. 

After  both  sides  rested  late  today, 
Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William 
Hitz  requested  20  minutes  for  his 
closing  address  to  the  jury.  Defense 
attorneys  Robert  Kenny  and  Charles 
Houston  asked  for  two  hours,  and 
were  allotted  one  hour  and  fifteen  min- 
utes by  Federal  Judge  David  A.  Pine. 

The  defense  failed  in  efforts  to  elicit 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


To  Tell  Industry's 
Story  to  10  Millions 

Furthering  the  industry's  public 
goodwill  promotional  campaign,  to- 
day's story  of  America's  motion  pic- 
ture business  will  be  told  to  over  10,- 
000,000  women  in  special  programs 
covering  a  series  of  national  conven- 
tions extending  through  May  and  ar- 
ranged by  the  Motion  Picture  Associ- 
ation of  America. 

Eric   Johnston,    MPAA  president, 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Attorney  General  Says  Government  Will 
Introduce  Little  New  Evidence  in  Lower 
Court;  Holds  First-Run  Domination  Proved 


Myers  Says  Decision 
Means  Divestiture 


By  J.  A.  OTTEN 

Washington,  May  4. — Attorney  General  Tom  Clark  said  today  that 
he  thought  the  Government  had  "a  very  good  chance"  of  getting  com- 
plete divorcement  of  the  majors'  theatre  holdings  as  a  result  of  yester- 
day's Supreme  Court  decision. 

Clark,  who  declared  "There's  no  doubt  that  we  won  yesterday,"  said 

he  believed  the  "very  least"  the 
Government  would  get  in  the  future 
lower  court  proceedings  would  be 
partial  divorcement,  plus  a  ban  on 
cross-licensing. 

The  Attorney  General,  who  opened 
the  Government's  argument  in  the 
Paramount  case  before  the  high  court 
early  this  year,  said  the  Justice  De- 
partment's argument  when  the  case  is 
reopened  in  New  York  would  follow 
much  the  same  lines  that  it  did  in  the 
Supreme  Court  debate. 

"The  only  thing  the  Government 
lost  yesterday,"  Clark  said,  "is  time 
— the  months  it  will  take  us  to  get 
another  decision  in  the  lower  court 
and  another  Supreme  Court  ruling. 
But  even  that  shouldn't  take  too  long. 
We  have  a  three-judge  court  in  New 
York  and  can  bring  the  case  right 
back  there  for  action." 

Clark  indicated  the  Government 
would  not  need  to  introduce  much,  if 
any,  new  evidence  in  the  lower  court, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Washington,  May  4. — Allied  States 
general  counsel  Abram  F.  Myers  to- 
day hailed  Monday's  Supreme  Court 
decisions  as  "breaking  the  back  of  the 
motion  picture  trust  for  all  time." 

"The  opinions  plainly  indicate," 
Myers  said  in  a  bulletin  to  Allied 
members,  "that  the  Supreme  Court 
felt  that  the  Paramount,  Schine  and 
Griffith  cases  revealed  flagrant  viola- 
tions of  the  Sherman  Anti-Trust  Act 
and  that  its  main  concern  was  that 
legally  proper  findings  be  made  by  the 
lower  courts  upon  which  to  enter  the 
drastic  decrees  of  divestiture." 

Moreover,  Myers  said,  the  court's 
decision  not  to  review  the  Goldman 
case  "made  final  one  of  the  most  dras- 
tic judgments  ever  entered  in  a  private 
action  under  the  anti-trust  laws  and 
cleared  the  way  for  all  independent 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Decision  to  Fore  at 
N.  E.  Allied  Meet 


Boston,  May  4. — Discussion  of  the 
Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  indus- 
try anti-trust  suit  completely  domi- 
nated the  attention  of  Allied  States 
leaders  and  most  of  the  delegates  to 
the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
New  England  and  convention  here  to- 
day. 

Abram  Myers,  Allied  States  chair- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Arnold  Sees  Decision 
As  an  ATA  'Victory' 

Washington,  May  4. — Thurman 
Arnold,  counsel  for  the  now  defunct 
American  Theatres  Association  in 
opposing  competitive  bidding  provi- 
sions of  the  New  York  court  decree, 
said  today  he  regards  the  Supreme 
Court  decision  as  "a  complete  victory 
for  ATA."  He  refused  to  expand  this 
comment. 

ATA  sought  to  intervene  in  the  case 
and  the  Supreme  Court  denied  its  pe- 
tition. However,  it  carried  its  argu- 
ments against  competitive  bidding  to 
the  Supreme  Court  and  the  latter's 
decision  ends  that  method  of  film  sell- 
ing. 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Wednesday,  May  5,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


LOUIS  B.  MAYER,  M-G-M  pro- 
duction head,  who  returned  here 
yesterday  from  Washington,  will  leave 
for  the  Coast  today  accompanied  by 
Howard  Strickling,  studio  publicity 
head. 

Henry  L.  Nathanson,  president 
of  M-G-M  of  Canada;  Ted  Gould, 
general  sales  manager,  and  Dewey 
Bloom,  exploitation  representative, 
arrived  in  New  York  yesterday  from 
Toronto. 

• 

Arnold  Pressburger,  Robert  E. 
Sherwood,  Marjorie  Reynolds  and 
Mady  Christians  will  arrive  in  New 
York  today  from  Europe  on  the  6"6" 
Queen  Mary. 

• 

Carol  Brandt,  head  of  M-G-M's 
Eastern  editorial  department,  will 
leave  here  tomorrow  by  plane  for  the 
Coast. 

• 

Jacques  Chabrier  and  Robert 
Guillemard,  Pathe  Cinema  executive, 
will  leave  New  York  today  for  the 
Coast. 

• 

Lana  Turner  and  her  husband, 
Bob  Topping,  and  Lady  Mendl  will 
sail  from  New  York  today  on  the  5"5 
Mauretania  for  Europe. 

• 

Ted  Gamble,  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  president,  and  Robert  W. 
Coyne,  executive  director,  will  return 
to  New  York  tomorrow  from  Atlanta 
• 

Maury  Orr,  United  Artists  West- 
ern sales  manager,  left  here  yesterday 
for  a  two-week  tour  of  his  territory. 
• 

Dan  Triester,  Warner  theatre  de- 
partment executive,   is  due  back  in 
New  York  Friday  from  Pittsburgh. 
• 

William  Cagney,  United  Artists 
producer,  is  due  in  town  on  Friday 
from  the  Coast. 

• 

Ginger  Rogers  and  Jeanne  Cag- 
ney are  here  from  the  Coast. 


Decisions  Hailed 
On  Senate  Floor 

Washington,  May  4. — Mon- 
day's Supreme  Court  deci- 
sions in  the  motion  picture 
cases  were  hailed  on  the  Sen- 
ate floor  today  as  smashing 
Government  victories  by  Sen- 
ators Langer  of  North  Da- 
kota and  O'Mahoney  of  Wy- 
oming. 

Langer  said  the  rulings 
should  go  far  toward  break- 
ing up  the  largest  affiliated 
theatre  circuits  and  wiping 
out  forever  combinations  be- 
tween producers  or  distribu- 
tors and  theatre  owners.  The 
Senator  also  inserted  the  full 
text  of  the  Schine  case  de- 
cision into  the  Congressional 
Record. 


Industry  Sees 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


of  the  decision  by  attorneys  in  New 
York  yesterday,  along  with  his  execu- 
tive assistant,  Joyce  O'Hara. 

However,  when  asked  for  Johnston's 
comment  on  the  decision,  an  MPAA 
spokesman  replied :  "There  will  be  no 
comment.  It  is  not  considered  an 
MPAA  matter." 

Diverse  Interpretations  Given 

There  were  almost  as  many  inter- 
pretations of  the  decision  as  individ- 
uals questioned.  All  agreed  that  the 
Supreme  Court  had.  found  vertical 
operations,  ownership  of  theatres  by 
producers-distributors,  to  be  legal  if 
such  theatres  had  been  legally  ac- 
quired and  had  not  been  used  illegally. 
But  there  was  no  unanimity  on 
whether  the  court  is  asking  the  lower 
court  for  divorcement  of  some  the- 
atres, merely  wanting  the  latter  to 
decide  which  theatres  should  be  di- 
vorced. 

Those  who  insisted  that  such  was 
the  case  predict  a  long-drawn  out 
court  battle,  asserting  that  it  is  ob- 
vious that  no  company  would  agree 
by  stipulation  with  the  Government 
that  its  theatres  were  acquired  or 
used  illegally.  These  contended  that 
the  Government  would  have  to  come 
into  court  and  prove  each  such  illegal 
taint,  circuit  by  circuit  or,  even,  the- 
atre by  theatre. 

See  Extended  Legal  Process 

Others,  holding  to  the  view  that  the 
remaining  court  processes  will  be 
long-drawn  out,  pointed  not  only  to 
that  possibility  but  also  to  the  fact 
that  because  of  the  recent  death  of 
Federal  Judge  John  Bright,  the  three- 
judge  statutory  court  which  wrote  the 
decree  no  longer  exists.  They  see  in 
this  the  possibility  that  a  single  judge 
may  hear  the  case  or  that  it  may  be 
referred  to  a  special  master.  Others, 
however,  believe  the  three-judge  court 
would  be  reconstituted  by  appointment 
of  a  replacement  for  Judge  Bright 
and  that  the  case  would  go  directly 
back  to  the  Supreme  Court,  rather 
than  through  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Appeals,  after  its  conclusion  here. 

There  was  wider  agreement  among 
New  York  attorneys  as  to  the  deci- 
sion's meaning  with  respect  to  trade 
practices.  All  conceded  that  price-fix- 
ing in  any  form,  including  road  shows 
or  advanced  admission  policies,  were 
done  for,  not  only  insofar  as  defend- 
ants are  concerned  but  all  others,  too. 

May  Devise  New  Sales  System 

They  were  agreed,  naturally,  that 
competitive  bidding  is  dead,  but  some 
thought  the  decision  leaves  the  door 
open  to  the  lower  court  to  concoct 
some  new  selling  system  of  its  own 
devising,  which  might  prove  equally 
unpopular  with  exhibitors.  They  are 
agreed  that  pictures  can  be  sold  once 
more  in  blocks  or  groups  but  with 
the  added  danger  of  being  without 
guidance  as  to  "competitive"  or  non- 
discriminatory methods. 

They  are  agreed  that  under  any 
form  of  divestiture  which  may  result, 
the  New  York  court's  provision  for 
purchase  of  95  per  cent  or  more  of  a 
partnership  theatres'  ownership,  where 
less  than  95  per  cent  and  more  than 
five  per  cent  is  held  originally,  is 


Sees  Decision  Ten 
Years  Behind  Time 

Oklahoma  City,  May  4.— 
Henry  Giffing,  Griffith  Circuit 
executive  here,  says  he  thinks 
the  Supreme  Court  order  in 
the  case  involving  the  com- 
pany's 200  theatres  in  Okla- 
homa, Texas  and  New  Mex- 
ico will  "call  for  an  end  to 
practices  abandoned  by  the 
industry  10  years  ago."  Gif- 
fing referred  to  the  decision 
of  Monday  in  the  Govern- 
ment's anti-trust  suit  vs.  the 
company.  The  high  court 
sent  the  case  back  to  Federal 
Court  here  for  new  hearings 
on  monopoly  and  theatre  di- 
vestiture. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


Stocks  Dip  Mildly 
Following  Decision 


Stocks  of  the  defendant  companies 
in  the  industry  anti-trust  suit  dropped 
moderately  yesterday  following  Mon- 
day's Supreme  Court  ruling.  When 
the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  closed 
losses  ranged  from  a  quarter  of  a 
point  for  20th-Fox  preferred  to  1  % 
for  the  same  company's  common. 

Columbia  common  closed  at  10 
having  lost  1  %  points.  Loew's  stock 
was  off  one  point,  closing  at  17  ^j.  A 
drop  of  1%  points  was  noted  in  Para- 
mount common,  which  closed  at  22  J^. 

RKO  lost  five-eighths  of  a  point, 
closing  at  8Y-  Twentieth-Fox  com- 
mon closed  at  21  Y,  off  1  Y%,  and  the 
preferred  closed  at  35,  down  one- 
quarter  point. 

Universal  preferred  showed  no  loss, 
closing  at  67,  but  Universal  common 
lost  three-eighths  of  a  point  to  close 
at  13  J^2.  Warners  common  went  down 
to  11^4,  losing  1 points. 


out.  This  would  appear  to  dissipate 
Paramount's  preparations  for  acquir- 
ing interests  of  its  theatre  partners, 
in  the  pursuit  of  which  it  has  pur- 
chased over  a  long  period  approxi- 
mately $20,000,000  of  its  own  stock 
and  has  large  bank  credits  outstand- 
ing which  could  have  been  applied  to 
such  purpose. 

While  technically  defendants  have 
the  right  to  apply  to  the  Supreme 
Court  for  a  rehearing  of  the  case, 
there  appeared  to  be  little  probability 
that  such  a  petition  would  be  made 
and  even  less  that  it  would  be  granted. 

No  conclusions  on  the  future  of  in- 
dustry arbitration  were  available  yes- 
terday. Even  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  said  it  was  awaiting 
opinions  from  its  own'  counsel,  the 
Department  of  Justice  and  company 
attorneys  as  to  whether  or  not  it  can 
continue  to  accept  cases  and  proceed 
with  those  pending. 


DISTRICT  SALES  MANAGER 
WANTED 

TO  REPRESENT  NATIONAL  DISTRIBUTOR 
IN  MID-WEST  TERRITORIES 

Must  have  knowledge  of  State-Right  Field 
and  Circuit  Operation. 
State  all  qualifications  when  replying  to 
BOX  415,  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 
1270  Sixth  Avenue       -       -       New  York  20 


GENERAL  EISENHOWER  tak- 
ing leave  of  the  Army,  May 
Day  celebrations  around  the  world, 
and  the  Kentucky  Derby  are  high- 
lights in  current  newsreels.  Items  in 
assorted  fields  of  interest  round  out 
the  subjects.  Complete  contents  fol- 
low: 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.   36-D  t 

D.  Eisenhower  holds  press  conferera  N  ; 
Columbia  University.  New  York's  loj  _.i.y 
parade.  General  MacArthur  encourages 
Christianity  in  Japan.  Burned-out  city  of 
Laramie  helped  by  show  staged  by  Hol- 
lywood stars.  Fashions  in  gold.  Citation 
wins  Kentucky  Derby. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  270— Pales- 
tine report.  Army  bids  goodbye  to  "Ike." 
May  Day  around  the  world:  Berlin,  Paris, 
Tokyo,  New  York.  Apple  blossom  time  in 
Dixie.    The  Kentucky  Derby. 

PARAMOUNT    NEWS,    No.  7S-Apple 

blossom  time.  General  Eisenhower  takes 
leave  of  the  Army.  May  Day  around  the 
globe.    Kentucky  Derby. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  140- 

Red  demonstrations  overshadowed  in  Oslo, 
Copenhagen,  Tokyo  and  New  York  May 
Day  celebrations.  General  Eisenhower 
takes  over  presidency  of  Columbia.  Cita- 
tion wins  Kentucky  Derby. 

WARNER    PATHE    NEWS,    No.  75- 

General  Eisenhower  leaves  the  Army. 
Europe  hails  new  U.  S.  aid.  Bus  village 
for  Tokyo  homeless.  Chimps  in  the  news 
Kentucky  Derby. 


Cukor  in  Vanguard 
Of  Unit  to  London 

First  of  M-G-M's  studio  contingent 
to  leave  here  for  England  to  start  pro 
duction  on  "Edward  My  Son"  will  be 
George  Cukor,  director,  who  is  slated 
to  sail  Saturday  on  the  SS.  Queen 
Mary. 

Edwin  Knopf,  producer,  will  sail 
May  14  on  the  Queen  Elizabeth. 
Spencer  Tracy  and  Howard  Strick- 
ling sail  May  22  on  the  Queen  Mary. 
Included  in  their  party  will  be  De- 
borah Kerr,  who  will  be  starred  with 
Tracy,  and  her  husband,  Tony  Bartley. 


FIVE -STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3%  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices:  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


post 


Wednesday,  May  5,  1948 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Clark  Sees 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

but  could  argue  on  the  existing  record 
plus  the  Supreme  Court's  decision. 
"I  don't  see  how,  on  the  basis  of  the 
,i  record  and  yesterday's  decision,  the 
lower  court  can  find  anything  but  a 
.  monopoly  in  at  least  the  92  larger 
cities,"  Clark  said. 

/^recasts  'Very  Good  Judgment' 

'vJiSwe  have  shown  they  have  complete 

■  domination  in  11  states,  92  cities,  and 
practically    all    the    first-run  field, 

]  which  the  court  said  was  the  core  of 
'the  matter.    The  Supreme  Court  said 

i  the  District  Court  must  consider  all 
of  these  facts  in  determining  whether 
the  majors  have  a  monopoly  and  their 
theatres  must  be  divested.    With  the 

I  opinions  yesterday  and  the  facts  we 
have  presented,  we  should  be  able  to 

:  get  a  very  good  judgment  in  the  lower 
court  this  time." 

Clark  pointed  out  that  the  high 
court,  had  specifically  set  aside  the 
District  Court's  findings  that  a 
monopoly  had  not  been  proven  and 
that  the  facts  did  not  warrant  divesti- 
ture, and  had  also  thrown  out  compe- 
titive bidding,  which  "only  one  major 
was  against  and  all  the  others  were 
for." 


25-Day  Lull  Before  Court 
Battle  Can  Be  Resumed 

Washington,  May  4. — It  will  be  at 
least  a  month  before  there  are  any 
further  proceedings  in  the  New  York 
District  Court  on  the  Paramount 
case. 

The  high  court  must  wait  25  days 
after  a  decision  for  possible  rehearing 
of  petitions  before  sending  its  mandate 
down  the  ladder.  It  takes  -several 
more  days  before  the  mandate  actually 
gets  into  the  mails  and  delivered  to 
the  District  Court. 

In  the  meantime,  the  letter  of  the 
law  says  the  Supreme  Court  stay  of 
the  District  Court  decree  remains  in 
effect  although,  practically,  there  is 
now  no  decree  in  existence. 

No  Time-table  Set  Up  Yet 

As  soon  as  the  New  York  District 
Court  receives  the  Supreme  Court 
mandate,  it  will  issue  a  new  order 
affirming  those  sections  upheld  by  the 
Supreme  Court,  throwing  out  those 
sections  set  aside  by  the  high  court, 
and  generally  carrying  out  the  Su- 
preme Court  decision. 

Shortly  after  that,  someone — pre- 
sumably the  Government — will  ask  for 
further  hearings  on  the  issues  '  re- 
manded by  the  Supreme  Court.  Jus- 
tice officials  said  they  had  no  time- 
table set  up  yet,  no  idea  of  what  would 
be  in  their  petition,  no  nothing. 
"About  the  only  thing  you  can  safely 
say  at  this  point,"  said  Justice  Attor- 
ney Robert  Wright,  "is  that  there  will 
be  further  proceedings." 


Clark  Appears  in 
Juvenile  Short 

Washington,  May  4. — Attorney 
General  Tom  Clark  and  other  officials 
in  the  Attorney  General's  campaign 
against  juvenile  delinquency  went  be- 
fore motion  picture  cameras  today  to 
make  scenes  in  RKO-Pathe's  two-reel 
"Report  for  Action,"  short  subject 
suggesting  a  community  action  pro- 
gram to  combat  teen-age  crime. 
Scenes  were  shot  at  the  Justice  De- 
partment. 


Myers  Says 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

exhibitors  who  have  suffered  from  the 
depredations  of  the  motion  picture 
trust  to  prove  and  collect  treble  dam- 
ages." 

Myers  said  the  court's  opinions 
pointed  to  "divestiture  in  a  big  way," 
and  constituted  a  "virtual  mandate  to 
the  District  Court  to  break  up  the 
first-run  monopoly.  And  in  this,"  he 
stressed,  "there  is  no  distinction  be- 
tween wholly-owned  and  partly-owned 
theatres." 

The  Allied  official  said  that  the 
"strongest  provision"  of  the  Supreme 
Court's  ruling  is  the  section  requiring 
divorcement  of  theatres  owned  jointly 
with  independents,  even  where  the 
theatre  is  innocently  acquired,  "if  the 
joint  ownership  is  an  alliance  with  one 
who  is  or  would  be  a  theatre  oper- 
ator but  for  the  joint  ownership." 

"Now  this  can  only  mean,"  Myers 
added,  "that  in  all  cases  of  joint  own- 
ership, where  the  independent  partner 
is  a  theatre  operator  or,  but  for  the 
affiliation,  would  be  a  theatre  oper- 
ator, there  must  be  divorcement  re- 
gardless of  any  other  factors. 

"I  need  not  stress  the  effect  of  this 
on  the  great  Paramount  circuit  where 
many  of  the  theatres — perhaps  most — 
are  actually  operated  by  independent 

MPTOA,  ATA  Died 
With  Court  Decision 

With  the  handing  down  of  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Gov- 
ernment anti-trust  suit  against  the  in- 
dustry last  Monday,  both  the  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
and  the  American  Theatres  Associa- 
tion officially  passed  out  of  existence. 

The  two,  now  consolidated  in  Thea- 
tre Owners  of  America,  retained  their 
identities  for  the  purpose  of  opposing 
competitive  bidding  provisions  of  the 
New  York  court  decree,  by  amicus 
curiae  and  intervention,  respectively, 
with  the  stipulation  that  they  would 
cease  to  exist  when  the  Supreme 
Court  made  its  decision.  Both  are  de- 
funct now,  Herman  Levy,  TOA  coun- 
sel, confirmed  yesterday. 


Goldwyn 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


a  monopoly  is  exercised  by  the  majors 
in  "their  control  of  the  first-run  field." 
"For  many  years  those  of  us  who 
have  had  the  best  interests  of  the  en- 
tire industry  at  heart  have  insisted 
this  roadblock  had  to  be  removed  in 
order  to  restore  the  competitive 
market  in  exhibition,"  he  added. 


Decision  Delays 
Schenck's  Plans 

Hollywood,  May  4. — Joseph 
Schenck  said  he  will  make  no 
decision  "on  his  resigning 
from  20th  Century-Fox  pend- 
ing further  developments  in 
the  Government  anti-trust 
suit  vs.  the  industry.  Schenck 
had  been  reported  planning 
to  resign  to  devote  himself  to 
his  theatre  interests,  among 
them  the  U.  A.  Theatres  Cir- 
cuit, depending  upon  a  de- 
cision concerning  disposition 
of  theatre  divestiture  by  the 
majors. 


partners.  As  I  read  this  part  of  the 
opinion,  I  can  only  conclude  that  Par- 
amount's  theatre  empire  is  doomed — 
and  the  same  goes  for  a  large  part  of 
the  Fox  theatre  holdings.  And  in  these 
cases,  most  of  them  at  least,  the  de- 
fendants supplied  the  basis  for  the 
necessary  findings  to  insure  divorce- 
ment by  the  testimony  of  their  own 
circuit  heads.  By  emphasizing  the  de- 
centralization of  control,  defendants 
put  their  heads  in  a  noose." 

Myers,  who  was  instrumental  in  get- 
ting the  Government  to  start  the  suit 
10  years  ago,  said  the  court  would 
allow  the  defendants  to  retain  only 
those  theatres  which  "involve  no  more 
than  innocent  investments  by  those 
who  are  not  actual  or  potential  oper- 
ators." 

It  was  hoped,  Myers  stated,  that  the 
Supreme  Court  would  prescribe  in  de- 
tail the  final  decrees  in  each  case,  but 
since  it  determined  the  original  find- 
ings "erroneous,  incomplete  and  vague, 
it  followed  the  traditional  procedure 
of  returning  the  cases  to  the  lower 
courts  for  the  making  of  proper  find- 
ings and  the  formulation  and  entry  of 
effective  decrees  based  thereon." 

At  the  same  time  Myers  warned 
that  the  defendant-exhibitors  may  at- 
tempt to  prolong  the  time  it  will  take 
for  the  district  courts  to  enlarge  their 
findings  and  enter  effective  decrees, 
although  he  admitted  that  the  proce- 
dure normally  would  entail  delay. 

Ga.  Exhibitors  Find 
Decision  'Favorable' 

Atlanta,  May  4. — The  Supreme 
Court  ruling  in  the  Government's  an- 
ti-trust suit  won  a  generally  favorable 
reception  here  today  at  the  closing- 
session  of  the  first  annual  convention 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Own- 
ers and  Operators  of  Georgia  which 
was  held  at  the  Henry  Grady  Hotel. 

Speakers  at  today's  session  were 
R.  B.  Wilby,  W.  M.  Snelson,  J.  T. 
Reed  and  Terry  Ramsaye,  editor  of 
Motion  Picture  Herald. 

Officers  for  the  year,  including  J. 
H.  Thompson  who  was  reelected  as 
president,  were  installed  tonight.  They 
are :  O.  C.  Lam,  Nat  Williams  and 
J.  S.  Tankersley,  vice-presidents ;  E. 
D.  Martin,  treasurer,  and  Ward  Rig- 
gins,  J.  S.  Tankersley  and  W.  M. 
Snelson  as  district  chairmen. 


Trumbo  Trial 

(Continued  from  pagi  I) 

information  concerning  frumbo's 
screenplays  from  M-G-M's  Louis  B. 
Mayer  and  Richard  Griffith,  executive 
director  of  the  National  Board  of  Re- 
view. 

Mayer  was  allowed  to  testify  to  lit- 
tle more  than  his  name,  his  occupa- 
tion, and  the  fact  that  Trumbo  was 
employed  by  M-G-M  at  the  time  of 
the  Un-American  Activities  hearings 
on  Communist  infiltration  into  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry. 

The  court  also  refused  to  allow 
presentation  of  Trumbo's  scripts  by 
MPAA  attorney  Gerard  Cahill. 

Only  point  won  by  the  defense  was 
permission  to  ask  committee  investi- 
gator Robert  E.  Stripling  whether 
Trumbo  had  been  allowed  to  cross- 
examine  witnesses  who  testified  dur- 
ing the  hearings  that  he  was  a  Com- 
munist. Stripling  said  he  was  denied 
that  privilege.  This  was  later  re- 
peated by  committee  member  Richard 
B.  Vail  (R.,  111.). 

Two  defense  motions  for  a  directed 
verdict  of  acquittal  were  turned  down 
by  Judge  Pine. 


N.  E.  Allied  Meet 


( Continued  from  page  1 ) 

man  and  general  counsel,  relayed  'de- 
tails of  the  decision  here  by  telephone 
from  Washington  and  is  scheduled  to 
give  his  interpretation  of  it  to  the 
convention  personally  tomorrow. 

Meanwhile,  W.  L.  Ainsworth,  Allied 
States  president,  who  is  attending  the 
convention,  said  the  decision,  in  its 
treatment  of  divorcement,  appeared  to 
him  to  be  an  extension  of  wearying 
legal  wrangling  and  that  it  adminis- 
tered a  spanking  to  the  lower  court. 

Await  Myers  Arrival 

Divorcement  is  still  what  Allied 
seeks,  Ainsworth  said,  pointing  out, 
however,  that  Myers'  considered  opin- 
ion will  represent  Allied  sentiment. 
The  convention  hopes  to  learn  what 
the  decision  means  after  Myers  ar- 
rives. 

Dr.  J.  B.  Fishman  said,  "It  looks 
to  me  like  a  lot  more  litigation.  It 
settles  nothing.  The  fact  that  the 
court  says  divorce  is  desirable  doesn't 
mean  that  it  will  come  about.  The 
lower  court  is  told  to  change  its  mind. 
Then  there's  an  appeal.  It  goes  again 
to  the  Supreme  Court.  Then  what 
happens?  It'll  take  five  years  or 
more.  I  might  not  be  in  business  by 
then." 

'Victory'  vs.  'Confusion' 

Irving  Dollinger  said :  "Seems  to 
me  it's  a  victory  for  us.  I  think  the 
court  has  said  there  should  be  divorce- 
ment and  has  told  the  lower  court  to 
get  at  the  facts.  Of  course  it  will 
mean  delay." 

Leslie  Bendslev,  I.E.N.E.  treasurer, 
said:  "I  think  the  result  is  just  more 
confusion.  Lawyers  are  going  to  study 
this  and  it's  their  field  day." 

Dan  Murphy,  I.E.N.E.  president, 
said :  "It  seems  to  me  the  Supreme 
Court  could  have  come  through  with 
a  clean  cut  decision." 


Berger,  Kane  Are  'Disappointed'; 
Paramount  Affiliate  to  Build 

Minneapolis,  May  4. — North  Cen- 
tral Allied  president  Ben  Berger  said 
today  the  Supreme  Court's  action  in 
ordering  the  divorcement  issue  in  the 
Government's  anti-trust  suit  back  to 
the  lower  courts  for  further  study 
was  "a  great  disappointment." 

At  the  same  time,  NCA  executive 
director  Stanley  Kane  stated  that  "it 
would  seem  divorcement  will  have  to 
come  through  the  court  of  last  resort 
— the  U.  S.  Congress  and  state  leg- 
islatures." He  said  he  was  "digging 
up"  an  old  North  Dakota  divorce- 
ment law  which  passed  through  one 
legislature,  only  to  be  repealed  before 
it  could  be  made  effective.  Both  NCA 
executives  indicated  that  they  will 
continue  to  press  for  divorcement. 

At  the  same  time,  Harry  French, 
president  of  the  Minnesota  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  said  that  while  he  lacked 
full  knowledge  of  the  decision  it 
"looked  encouraging"  for  the  Para- 
mount affiliate  to  proceed  with  build- 
ing some  new  theatres  to  replace 
structures  now  in  a  deplorable  condi- 
tion. 


Apollo  on  Two-Week  Run 

Chicago,  May  4. — First  film  to  play 
the  B.  and  K.  Apollo  under  the  two- 
week  maximum  Loop  run  imposed  by 
the  Jackson  Park  decree  is  J.  Ar- 
thur Rank's  "The  Overlanders,"  re- 
leased by  U-I.  The  picture  will  open 
Friday  following  the  26-week  run  of 
I  "Gentleman's  Agreement." 


VITAMIN  M-G-M  PEPS 
UP  THE  INDUSTRY! 

Oh!  What  a  Line-up! 

APRIL  29 

SPENCER  TRACY,  KATHARINE  HEPBURN,  VAN  JOHNSON,  Angela 
Lansbury,  Adolphe  Menjou,  Lewis  Stone  in  Frank  Copra's  "STATE  OF 
THE  UNION." 

MAY  20 

"SUMMER  HOLIDAY"  in  Technicolor.  MICKEY  ROONEY,  GLORIA  DeHAVEN, 
Walter  Huston,  Frank  Morgan,  Butch  Jenkins,  Marilyn  Maxwell,  Agnes 
Moorehead,  Selena  Royle. 

MAY  27 

CLARK  GABLE,  LANA  TURNER,  Anne  Baxter,  John  Hodiak  in 
"HOMECOMING"  Ray  Collins,  Gladys  Cooper,  Cameron  Mitchell. 

JUNE  3 

"BIG  CITY"  MARGARET  O'BRIEN,  Robert  Preston,  Danny  Thomas, 
George  Murphy,  Karin  Booth,  Edward  Arnold,  Butch  Jenkins,  Betty  Garrett, 
Lotte  Lehmann. 

JUNE  10 

JUDY  GARLAND,  GENE  KELLY  in  "THE  PIRATE"  in  Techaicolor.  Walter 
Slezak,  Gladys  Cooper,  Reginald  Owen. 

IUNE  24 

"ON  AN  ISLAND  WITH  YOU"  in  Technicolor.  ESTHER  WILLIAMS,  PETER 
LAWFORD,  RICARDO  MONTALBAN,  JIMMY  DURANTE,  CYD  CHARISSE, 
XAVIER  CUGAT. 

JULY  8 

Irving  Berlin's  "EASTER  PARADE"  in  Technicolor.  Starring 

JUDY  GARLAND,  FRED  ASTAIRE,  PETER  LAWFORD,  ANN  MILLER. 

JULY  29 

"A  DATE  WITH  JUDY"  in  Technicolor.  WALLACE  BEERY,  JANE  POWELL, 
ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CARMEN  MIRANDA,  XAVIER  CUGAT,  ROBERT 
STACK. 

AUGUST  5 

GREER  GARSON,  WALTER  PIDGEON  in  "JULIA  MISBEHAVES"  PETER 
LAWFORD,  ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CESAR  ROMERO,  Lucile  Watson,  Nigel 
Bruce,  Mary  Boland,  Reginald  Owen. 

AUGUST  12 

RED  SKELTON,  BRIAN  DONLEVY  in  "A  SOUTHERN  YANKEE"  Arlene 
Dahl,  George  Coulouris,  Lloyd  Gough,  John  Ireland,  Minor  Watson. 

SEPTEMBER 

"THE  THREE  MUSKETEERS"  in  Technicolor.  LANA  TURNER,  GENE  KELLY? 
JUNE  ALLYSON,  VAN  HEFLIN,  ANGELA  LANSBURY,  Frank  Morgan, 
Vincent  Price,  Keenan  Wynn,  John  Sutton,  Gig  Young. 


M-G-M  GREAT  IN  '48! 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  May  5,  1948 


Audience  Research  Sees  Gross  of 
$800  Millions  from  Untapped  Public 

If  all  persons  between  31  and  65  could  be  induced  to  go  to  a 
motion  picture  theatre  once  a  week,  the  increase  in  the  anuual 
box-office  gross — even  after  taxes — would  amount  to  $800,000,000, 
according  to  an  Audience  Research  survey. 

The  widespread  industry  promotional  campaign  now  being  accel- 
erated is  intended  to  improve  public  goodwill  for  the  screen  and 
to  step  up  attendance. 

During  March,  Audience  Research  says  its  surveys  show  an  aver- 
age of  70,000,000  tickets  were  purchased  weekly,  at  a  cost  of 
$33,000,000.  But  the  bulk  came  from  persons  under  30,  according 
to  Audience  Research. 

If  persons  between  31  and  65  had  seen  at  least  one  picture  a 
week,  the  average  weekly  increase  in  March  would  have  amounted 
to  $75,000,000. 


Two  Premieres  for 
Andy  Smith  Drive 

World  premieres  for  20th  Century- 
Fox's  "Green  Grass  of  Wyoming"  and 
"The  Street  with  No  Name"  will 
highlight  the  "Andy  Smith  Anniver- 
sary Month,"  May  30-June  26.  The 
drive  is  being  sponsored  in  honor  of 
the  general  sales  manager's  first  year 
as  head  of  distribution.  "Green  Grass" 
will  make  its  bow  in  Lancaster,  O.,  on 
May  25.  The  premiere  of  "The  Street" 
will  be  held  at  the  Fox  Theatre,  Phil- 
adelphia, June  16. 

Both  pictures  will  be  given  special 
handling  by  the  advertising-publicity 
department. 


Schlaifer  To  Lecture 
On  Public  Relations 

Relationship  of  the  advertising,  pub- 
licity and  exploitation  departments  to 
the  philosophy  of  public  relations  will 
be  presented  to  students  of  the  New 
School  for  Social  Research  here  on 
Friday  by  Charles  Schlaifer,  director 
of  advertising-publicity  for  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, in  his  course  on  "The  New 
Significances  of  Motion  Picture  Pub- 
lic Relations." 

Schlaifer's  lecture  will  stress  the 
responsibility  of  the  motion  picture 
publicist  to  his  industry,  his  commu- 
nity, and  the  democratic  way  of  life. 


Industry's  Story 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

will  preside  over  the  Family  Life  Con- 
ference starting  today  in  the  Capital. 
Arthur  De  Bra,  director  of  the 
MPAA's  community  relations,  will  at- 
tend a  convention  of  the  Missouri 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  in 
Springfield,  Mo.,  today. 

Tomorrow,  the  association  will  be 
represented  at  a  meeting  of  the  New 
York  State  Federation  of  Music 
Clubs,  in  New  York  City.  During 
the  week  of  May  24,  the  industry  will 
be  represented  at  the  annual  gathering 
of  the  General  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs  in  Portland,  Ore.,  by  Johnston. 
Meeting  during  the  same  week,  in 
Cleveland,  the  National  Congress  of 
Parents  and  Teachers  will  witness 
three  exhibits  of  the  industry. 


Dedicate  'Dream  House* 

Dedication  ceremonies  at  the  "Mr. 
Blandings  Dream  House"  were  held 
here  yesterday,  with  Neil  F.  Agnew, 
president  of  Selznick  Releasing  Or- 
ganization participating.  The  house  is 
one  of  80  being  constructed  through- 
out the  U.  S.  in  connection  with  the 
promotion  campaign  for  SRO's  RKO 
release,  "Mr.  Blanding  Builds  His 
Dream  House."  The  house  here  will 
be  displayed  for  the  benefit  of  the  New 
York  Heart  Association. 


OF  COURSE 


sent  from  UA 


RCA  Quarterly  Net 
Up  23%:  Sarnoff 

More  than  300,000  television  receiv- 
ers are  in  use  in  the  U.  S.,  and  800,000 
are  expected  to  be  receiving  by  the 
end  of  the  year,  David  Sarnoff,  RCA 
president,  told  the  29th  annual  stock- 
holders meeting  here  yesterday. 

RCA's  net  for  the  first  quarter  of 
1948  increased  $1,084,433—23  per  cent 
— to  $5,764,498,  over  the  same  period 
in  1947.  This  represents  earnings  af- 
ter taxes. 

Frakes-Bishop  Houses 
Are  Now  Combined 

Seattle,  May  4. — Mrs.  Agnes 
Frakes  and  Mrs.  Ruth  Bishop  have 
combined  their  circuits  in  Idaho  and 
Eastern  Washington.  The  Bishop 
group  includes  houses  in  Metaline 
Falls,  lone,  Cusick  and  Newport,  all 
in  Washington.  The  Frakes  theatres 
are  in  Priest  River,  Idaho,  and  in 
Palouse  and  Garfield  in  Washington. 


Woodward  Succeeds 
Feld  at  E~L  Branch 

J.  F.  Woodward  has  been  named 
Eagle-Lion  branch  manager  in  St. 
Louis  by  L.  J.  Schlaifer,  assistant  to 
the  general  sales  manager  of  E-L. 
Woodward,  who  has  been  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox manager  in  Milwaukee,  re- 
places William  Feld. 


Financing  Available 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

vice-presidents  of  the  banks  and  an 
SIMPP  committee  composed  of  Gun- 
ther  R.  Lessing,  George  Bagnall,  Mar- 
vin L.  Faris  and  Joseph  J.  Alvin. 

The  bankers  assured  the  SIMPP 
committee  that  banks  have  more 
money  invested  in  independent  pictures 
now  than  ever  before,  and  are  wel- 
coming loan  applications.  One  bank 
pointed  out  it  had  joined  with  an  East- 
ern bank  to  make  Walter  Wanger  the 
biggest  film  loan  in  history  for  his 
"Joan  of  Arc."  Bankers  said  plenty 
of  money  is  available  for  financing  any 
good  independent  picture  whose  pro- 
ducer has  proved  himself  in  the  past. 
Requirements  are  "reasonable  safe- 
guards" that  the  banks  will  get  their 
money  back,  plus  normal  interest. 


25$  Technicolor  Dividend 

Hollywood,  May  4. — Technicolor's 
board  of  directors  today  declared  a 
dividend  of  25  cents  per  share  pay- 
able May  28  to  stockholders  of  record 
on  May  18,  it  was  announced  by  com- 
pany president  Dr.  Herbert  T.  Kalmus. 


Barney  Rosenthalt63, 
Pioneer  in  St.  Louis 

St.  Louis,  May  4. — Barney  Rosen- 
thal, 63,  local  manager  for  Monogram 
and  dean  of  Film  Row,  here,  died  of 
a  cerebral  hemorrhage  yesterday. 

Rosenthal  came  here  from  Chicago 
in  1907  as  manager  of  the  old  Swan- 
son-Crawford  offices  and  was  at  vari- 
ous times  with  Universal,  Republic 
and  Columbia.  He  is  survived  by  a 
brother,  Lew,  of  Cedar  Rapids,  la. 
Burial  will  be  in  Chicago. 


Services  Held  Here 
For  Jack  Shapiro 

Funeral  rites  for  Jack  Shapiro,  58, 
president  of  M.  Shapiro  and  Son  Con- 
struction Co.,  which  has  erected  80 
film  houses,  were  held  here  yesterday 
at  the  Society  for  Ethical  Culture. 
Shapiro,  who  also  had  financed  a  num- 
ber of  films,  was  killed  in  a  plane 
crash  on  Sunday  at  Danbury,  Conn. 
The  widow,  two  sons,  four  brothers 
and  two  sisters  survive. 


Wielland,  Circuit 
Head,  Dies  at  74 

Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  May  4. — 
George  F.  Weilland,  74,  president  of 
the  Apollo  Circuit  which  operates 
several  houses  here,  died  today  at  his 
summer  home  in  nearby  Margate. 

He  is  survived  by  the  widow,  Lot- 
tie ;  a  son  and  a  daughter. 


Correction 

In  its  issue  of  April  30,  Motion 
Picture  Daily  incorrectly  identified 
Barney  Balaban  with  the  co-owner- 
ship of  the  Rialto  Theatre  on  Broad- 
way. Balaban  never  has  had  any 
direct  or  indirect  interest  in  the  thea- 
tre. Motion  Picture  Daily  regrets 
its  error  and  is  happy  to  make  this 
correction. 


Key  City 
Grosses 


OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 


ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CHICAGO 


Among  five  new  films,  "Naked 
City"  and  "Sitting  Pretty"  are  doing 
well,  while  others  are  fair.  Business 
is  spotty.  Weekend  weather  was 
rainy  for  the  most  part.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  May  6 : 
CASBAH  (U-I) — ORIENTAL  (3,300)  (98c) 
2nd  week.  On  stage,  Tony  Martin.  Gross: 
$48,000.  (Average:  $40,000) 
CASS  TIMBERLANE  (M-G-M) — WOODS 
(98c)  8th  week,  five  days.  STATE  OF  THE 
UNION  (M-G-M)  2  days.  Gross:  $21,000. 
(Average:  $23,000) 

GENTLEMAN'S     AGREEMENT  (ZOth- 

Fox) — APOLLO     (1,200)     (98c-$1.25)  26th 
week.    Gross:  $7,500.     (Average:  $17,000) 
IF    WINTER    COMES    (M-G-M)— MON- 
ROE (953)  (50c-67c-95c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$8,000.   "(Average:  $13,500) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)— CHICAGO 

(3,900)  (98c).  Gross:  $40,000.  (Average: 
$40,000) 

THE  HIGH  WALL  (M-G-M) — UNITED 
ARTISTS  (1,700)  (98c)  5  days.  THREE 
DARING  DAUGHTERS  (M-G-M)  2  days. 
Gross:  $19,000.  (Average:  $23,500) 
THE  HUNTED  (Allied  Artists) — GRAND 
(1,150)  (98c)  5  days.  ARE,  YOU  WITH 
IT?  (U-I)  2  days.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Aver- 
age: $16,000) 

THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)— 

STATE  LAKE  (2,700)  (98c).  On  stage: 
Lina    Romay.     Gross:    $35,000.  (Average: 

$35,000) 

THE  NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— PALACE  (2,- 
500)  (67c-98c).  Gross:  $36,000.  (Average: 
$22,000) 

TO  THE  VICTOR  (Warners)— ROOSE- 
VELT (1,500)  (98c).  Gross:  $17,000.  (Av- 
erage: $23,500) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


First-run  business  is  lop-sided  here 
this  week,  the  biggest  share  of  it  go- 
ing to  "State  of  the  Union,"  which  is 
set  for  a  holdover  at  Loew's.  "Tar- 
zan  and  the  Mermaids"  and  "Scudda 
Hoo,  Scudda  Hay"  are  near  average. 
A  wet,  chilly  weekend  discouraged 
theatre-going.  Estimates  for  the  week 
ending  May  4-5 : 

CONGORILLA   (20th-Fox)    and  BORNEO' 

(ZOth-Fox  reissues)  —  LYRIC  (1,600)  (44c- 
65c).     Gross:  $7,000.     (Average:  $6,000) 
SCUDDA  HOO;  SCUDDA  HAY  (ZOth-Fox) 

—INDIANA  (3,200)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $11,- 
000.    (Average:  $12,000) 

SEVEN  SINNERS  (E-L)  and  SUTTER'S 
GOLD    (E-L)— KEITH'S    (1,300)  (44c-65c). 
Gross:  $4,500.    (Average:  $4,500) 
STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)— 

LOEW'S  (2,450)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $19,000. 
(Average:  $11,000) 

TARZAN  AND  THE  MERMAIDS  (RKO 
Radio)  and  WESTERN  HERITAGE 
(RKO  Radio) — CIRCLE  (2,800)  (44c-65c). 
Gross:  $10,000.     (Average:  $10,000) 


THE  BANK  OF  THE 
MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 

IBank  of  America 

NATIONAL  savings  ASSOCIATION 

MEMBER  FEDERAL  DEPDSIT  INSURANCE  CDRP0RATIDN   •   MEMBER  FEDERAL  RE5ERVE  SYSTEM 


FILE  COPY 

MOTION  PtfuYtfKE 


mix.  Er>Tn 

AMERicAy0TU*£  ASSOC. 


2%   »EST* 44TU 


ALY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  88 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  MAY  6,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


US  Sees  'More 
Drastic'  Order 
On  Divestiture 


Wright  Calls  Decision 
A  'Government  Victory' 


Washington,  May  5.  —  Justice 
Department  Attorney  Robert 
Wright  has  observed  that  it  was 
"quite  clear"  that  the  Supreme 
Court's  decision  in  the  Paramount 
case  directed  the  lower  court  to  enter 
a  more  drastic  decree  on  theatre  di- 
vestiture. 


Washington,  May  5.— A  top-rank- 
ing industry  legal  adviser  here  took 
issue  with  the  Government,  say- 
ing he  does  not  regard  the  Su- 
preme Court  decision  as  a  "Govern- 
ment victory,"  but  views  the  whole 
divestiture  problem  as  "still  pretty 
well  open." 


Wright  said  the  Department  regard- 
ed the  decision  as  a  Government  _  vic- 
tory. "We  didn't  get  a  final  decision," 
he  .said,  "but  we  did  win  the  opportu- 
nity to  prevail  in  further  proceedings." 

The  Supreme  Court,  Wright  stated, 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Decision  a  New  Code 
Of  Conduct:  Gamble 


Little  Rock,  Ark.,  May  5. — The 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
Paramount  trust  action  was  called  a 
new  blueprint  for  industry  conduct  by 
Ted  R.  Gamble,  president  of  the  The- 
atre Owners  of  America,  today  as  the 
Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  Ar 
kansas  and  the  state  TOA  unit  closed 
a  convention  at  the  Hotel  Marion 
here. 

Gamble    declared    that    the  TOA 

{Continued  on  page  4) 


Trumbo  Is  Found 
Guilty  of  Contempt 

Washington,  May  5. — Screen  writ 
er  Dalton  Trumbo  was  found  guilty 
today  of  contempt  of  Congress.  He 
was  convicted  of  refusing  to  tell  a 
House  Un-American  Activities  sub- 
committee whether  or  not  he  has  ever 
been  a  member  of  the  Communist 
Party  and  a  member  of  the  Screen 
Writers  Guild. 

Federal  Judge  David  A.  Pine  con 

[Continued  on  page  6) 


Decision  Seen  Putting  End 
To  Film  Sales  to  Circuits 


Tax-free  Divestiture 
Plan  Asked  by  Para. 
Is  Killed  at  Hearing 

Washington,  May  5. — Strong  op- 
position by  the  Treasury  Department 
tonight  apparently  killed  a  proposed 
change  in  tax  laws  being  sought  by 
Paramount  and  other  distribution- 
exhibition  companies. 

The  proposal  would  make  tax-free 
any  gains  realized  by  motion  picture 
companies  from  the  sale  of  theatres 
pursuant  to  a  court  order,  provided 
that  the  proceeds  are  reinvested  in 
other  theatre  properties. 

Under-secretary  of  the  Treasury 
A.  L.  M.  Wiggins  at  a  closed-door 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Benefits  of  Ruling 
Forecast  by  Myers 


Boston.  May  5. — Execution  of  the 
Supreme  Court's  instructions  in  its  de- 
cision in  the  Paramount  case  will  re- 
duce to  "insignificance"  the  percentage 
of  unaffiliated  theatres,  open  the  motion 
picture  field  to  new  producers  and 
new  distributors,  end  "artificial  prod- 
uct shortages"  and  make  film  rentals 
"reflect  the  real  value  of  the  product 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Some  Industry  Attorneys  Believe  'Open' 
Situations  Could  Be  Sold  Legally  and 
Safely  on  Theatre-by -Theatre  Basis  Only 


Company-wide  Bargaining 
With  Salesmen  Ordered 


Future  restrictions  upon  film  distribution,  implicit  in  the  Supreme 
Court  decision  in  the  U.  S.  vs.  Paramount  case,  are  as  portentous,  and 
perhaps  potentially  more  far-reaching,  than  the  decision's  bearing  upon 
circuit  theatre  ownership,  in  the  opinion  of  many  industry  attorneys. 
Limitations  which  the  decision  puts  upon  the  exercise  of  circuit  buying 

power,  whether  affiliated  or  indepen- 
dent, suggests  that  "simon-pure"  sell- 
ing in  all  open,  competitive  situations 
may  be  attained  by  distributors  only 
by  a  theatre-by-theatre  licensing 
method,  many  believe. 

So  explicit  is  the  Supreme  Court 
decision  on  the  subject  of  discrimina- 
tory selling  and  the  exercise  of  buying 
power  in  competitive  situations,  that 
the  attorneys'  studies  virtually  have 
convinced  them  that  circuit  selling 
in  the  future  will  leave  any  distributor 
vulnerable  to  endless  anti-trust  suits 
charging  unreasonable  clearance,  or 
other  discriminatory  sales  practices, 
and  to  damage  actions. 

The  high  court  decision  with  re- 
spect to  the  trade  practices  covered 
is  the  law,  as  distinguished  from  a 
decree,  attorneys  point  out.  Civil  and 
criminal  penalties  attach  to  infrac- 
tions of  the  law  governing  those  trade 
practices,  and  with  an  immediacy  not 
identified  with  the  questions  of  theatre 
ownership  which  the  high  court  re- 
turned to  the  New  York  Federal  Dis- 
trict Court  for  re-examination. 

Attorneys  emphasize  that  the 
high  court's  decision  with  respect  to 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Levy  Warns  Against 
Relaxing  Vigilance 


Exhibitors  must  remain  as  vigilant 
as  ever  "to  protect  themselves  against 
any  future  decree  of  the  lower  court 
which  may  adversely  affect  them  even 
though  the  plan  finally  to  be  decreed 
for  the  licensing  of  films  is  not  'com- 
petitive bidding'."  This  warning  was 
sounded  by  Herman  M.  Levy,  general 
counsel  of  the  Theatre  Owners  of 
America,  in  an  analysis  of  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Para- 
mount case  which  was  distributed  to 
members  of  the  TOA  yesterday. 

"It  is  important  to  be  kept  in 
mind,"  Levy  said,  "that  while  the  Su- 
preme Court  has  discarded  competi- 
tive bidding  it  has  sent  the  case  back 
to  the  lower  court  with  wide  discre- 
tion to  make  the  decree  more  'ef- 
fective'.   Thus,  it  would  seem  that  the 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Washington,     May     5. — National 
Labor  Relations  Board  has  ruled  that 
the  12  distributors  must  bargain  with 
heir  salesmen  on  an  employer-wide 
basis. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Board  ordered 
separate  elections  by  secret  ballot 
within  30  days  among  the  salesmen  to 
determine  whether  or  not  they  desire 
to  be  represented  by  the  Colosseum 
of  Motion  Picture  Salesmen  of 
America  for  collective  bargaining 
purposes. 

The  Board's  ruling  that  bargaining 
be  on  an  employer-wide  basis  is  a 
marked  victory  for  the  Colosseum. 
However,  the  Board  ruled  for  the  dis- 
tributors in  declaring  that  branch 
sales  managers  are  supervisors  as  de- 
(Continucd  on  page  2) 


20th-Fox,  Paramount 
In  New  Video  Bids 

Washington,  May  5. — Twentieth 
Century-Fox  today  made  its  second 
television  station  bid  this  week,  hav- 
ing applied  to  the  Federal  Communi- 
cations Commission  for  a  video  out- 
let in  San  Francisco.  Last  Monday, 
it  was  disclosed  that  the  company 
has  plans  to  establish  a  radio  and 
television  station  in  Seattle,  and  prior 
to  that  it  applied  for  a  Boston  video 
permit. 

Paramount  also  applied  today  to  the 
FCC  for  a  video  outlet  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. That  company  already  has  sta- 
tions in  Chicago  and  Los  Angeles. 


Say  Decision  Kills 
Buying  Combines 

Independent  film  buying 
and  booking  combines  are 
among  the  casualties  to  fall 
before  this  week's  Supreme 
Court  decisions,  in  the  opin- 
ion of  industry  attorneys. 

The  high  court  decisions  in 
the  Griffith  and  Schine  cases, 
and  particularly  the  former, 
are  cited  as  directly  applic- 
able to  exhibitors  who  have 
pooled  their  buying  power 
and  accumulated,  monopolistic 
power  thereby,  even  though 
the  power  was  "lawfully  ac- 
quired" and  "remains  unexer- 
cised," as  the  court  said  in 
the  Griffith  case. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  6,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

SIR  ALEXANDER  KORDA  will 
return  to  New  York  today  from 
Hollywood,  and  is  expected  to  return 
to  England  within  the  next  few  days. 
• 

Henry  Nathanson,  president  of 
M-G-M  Films  of  Canada;  Ted 
Gould,  general  sales  manager,  and 
Dewey  Bloom,  exploitation  represen- 
tative, will  leave  here  today  for 
Toronto  after  home  office  conferences. 
• 

Gus  Schaefer,  RKO  Radio  district 
manager,  and  Max  Westebbe,  Albany 
branch  manager,  were  visitors  this 
week  at  Schine  circuit  headquarters 
in  Gloversville,  N.  Y. 

• 

Hank  Howard,  who  has  been 
handling  RKO  Radio  first-run  en- 
gagements on  Broadway,  will  return 
to  the  field  exploitation  staff  Monday 
in  the  Buffalo  and  Albany  territories. 
• 

H.  M.  Richey,  M-G-M,  will  leave 
Boston  today  for  New  Haven.  On 
Saturday  he  will  leave  for  Chicago 
and  a  number  of  other  cities  where 
exhibitor  conventions  are  scheduled. 
• 

Berle  Adams,  independent  produc- 
er, is  in  town  from  Hollywood  for 
talks  with  R.  M.  Savini,  Astor  Pic- 
tures president. 

• 

William    B.   Levy,   Walt  Disney 
Productions'  head  of  worldwide  sales, 
returned  to  New  York  yesterday  from 
Europe  on  the  55  Queen  Mary. 
• 

Fred    Meyers,  Universal-Interna- 
tional  Eastern  division   sales  mana- 
ger, is  in  Boston  from  New  York. 
• 

Louis  Weiss,  producer,  is  at  Ce- 
dars of  Lebanon  Hospital  in  Holly- 
wood following  a  heart  attack. 
• 

Harry  Warner  is  in  town  from  the 
Coast. 

R.  /.,  Mich.  Pass  No 
Harmful  Legislation 

Washington,  May  5. — Two  more 
state  legislatures  have  adjourned, 
Rhode  Island  and  Michigan,  without 
passing  any  bills  harmful  to  the  indus- 
try, according  to  Jack  Bryson,  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  legis- 
lative representative.  New  Jersey  is 
expected  to  recess  next  week  until 
late  August,  Bryson  said,  leaving  only 
Massachusetts  and  Louisiana  in  ses- 
sion. Louisiana  is  not  in  session  now, 
but  will  convene  on  Monday. 

'Curtain'  Premieres 
Wed.  at  400  Houses 

Twentieth  Century-Fox's  "The  Iron 
Curtain"  will  have  a  400-theatre  pre- 
miere next  Wednesday  throughout  the 
country,  arranged  by  Andy  W.  Smith, 
distribution  chief. 

The  advertising-publicity  depart- 
ment under  Charles  Schlaifer,  has 
issued  an  "advertising  prevue"  high- 
lighting  promotional  ideas  for  exhibi- 
tors, field  men  and  the  company's  sales 
forces. 


'Blame  Films  Falsely 
For  Delinquency' 


Washington,  May  5. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  President 
Eric  Johnston  said  today  that  it  is 
"quack  and  futile  diagnosis"  to  blame 
films,  radio,  and  other  entertainment 
media  as  causes  of  juvenile  delin- 
quency. 

Johnston  made  the  statement  in  his 
address  opening  the  National  Confer- 
ence on  Family  Life.  The  MPAA 
official  is  also  president  of  the  con- 
ference. President  Truman  is  slated 
to  speak  at  the  conference  tomorrow. 

Pointing  out  that  there  is  a  ten- 
dency to  blame  the  family  crisis  on  the 
"handiest  scapegoat  available,"  John- 
ston pointed  out  that  sometimes  we 
blame  the  automobile,  sometimes  the 
whole  industrial  system,  and  some- 
times the  communications  industries. 
"We  find  convenient  villains  for  the 
cause  of  juvenile  delinquency,"  he  said. 

Johnston  called  for  private  and  Gov- 
ernmental action  to  combat  adverse 
influences  on  family  life  and  to 
strengthen  the  family's  position  in 
America. 


Johnston's  Hollywood  Visit 
Off  Until  Miadle  of  June 

Washington,  May  5. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  president 
Eric  Johnston's  next  trip  to  Holly- 
wood, originally  scheduled  for  later 
this  month,  is  now  off  until  mid-June, 
according  to  MPAA  officials. 

For  the  next  four  days  Johnston  will 
be  wrapped  up  here  in  the  National 
Family  Life  Conference,  of  which  he 
is  chairman.  On  Sunday  he  will  leave 
by  plane  for  San  Francisco  to  spend 
a  week  or  10  days  -there  with  his  ill 
mother,  taking  her  to  Spokane.  He 
will  then  return  to  Washington  for 
about  a  week,  fly  back  to  Portland  for 
his  speech  before  the  General  Federa- 
tion of  Women's  Clubs  on  May  28, 
and  then  come  back  to  Washington 
again  until  mid-June.  His  French  trip, 
MPAA  officials  say,  is  still  very  in- 
definite. 


Michaels  Is  Named 
To  SRO  N.Y.  Post 

Ira  Michaels  has  been  named  New 
York  sales  representative  for  the  Selz- 
nick  Releasing  Organization,  by  Mil- 
ton S.  Kusell,  SRO  vice-president  in 
charge  of  domestic  and  Canadian  sales. 

Michaels  was  formerly  in  the  New 
York  SRO  exchange. 


Para.  Meeting  Up-State 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  5.  —  Oscar 
Morgan,  Paramount  short  subjects 
sales  manager,  and  Monroe  Goodman, 
his  assistant,  spoke  at  a  sales  rlrivr 
meeting  at  the  company's  local  office, 
and,  with  branch  manager  Edward 
Ruff,  recommended  stronger  efforts  to 
sell  shorts.  Morgan  and  Goodman  held 
a  subsequent  meeting  in  Buffalo. 


Ullman  Aids  Albany  UJA 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  5. — Saul  Ull- 
man, Albany  division  manager  of  Fa- 
bian Theatres  ,  heads  the  executive 
committee  of  the  United  Jewish  Ap- 
peal here.  The  local  quota  is  $850,000. 


Bargaining 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

fined  by  the  National  Labor  Relations 
Act,  and  therefore  cannot  be  included 
in  the  same  bargaining  units  with 
salesmen.  A.  W.  Van  Dyck,  presi- 
dent of  the  Colosseum,  is  a  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox branch  sales  manager  sta- 
tioned in  Chicago. 

Twelve  Companies  Involved 

Involved  in  the  case,  which  was 
submitted  to  the  Board  here  in  Janu- 
ary and  was  decided  unanimously  by 
a  three-man  panel  of  John  Houston, 
Abe  Murdock  and  J.  Copeland  Gray, 
are  Paramount,  Loew's,  RKO,  Re- 
puolic,  zutn  Century-.box,  Universal, 
Warners,  Columbia,  Eagle-Lion, 
United  Artists,  Monogram  and  Na- 
tional Screen. 

The  Board  specifically  turned 
down   a    motion    by  National 
Screen  to  dismiss  tnat  organi- 
zation   trom    the  proceedings, 
and  anotner  by  all  of  the  dis- 
tributors tor  oral  argument. 
The  Board  cited  various  parts  of 
the  record,  and  said  that  "on  the  basis 
of  the  foregoing  tacts,  and  more  par- 
ticularly   the    marked  '  centralization 
with  respect  to  general  policies  and 
lauor  relations,  tne  uniform  applica- 
tion of  personnel  policies,  the  similar- 
ity of  sales  methods  in  the  various 
branch  offices,  the  pattern  of  collective 
bargaining    among    the  Paramount 
group  on  a  single  employer-wide  basis 
in  "front"  offices,  from  which  sales- 
men are  recruited,  and  upon  the  basis 
of  the  entire  record  in  the  case,  we 
believe   that   employer-wide   units  of 
salesmen  will  insure  to  all  employes 
of  the  respective  employers  the  most 
effective  representation  for  collective 
bargaining  purposes." 

The  NLRB  order  said  that  the  elec- 
tions must  cover  ail  salesmen  em- 
ployed during  the  payroll  period  pre- 
ceaing  April  30,  including  those  ill, 
on  vacation  or  temporarily  laid  off 
uuring  tnat  period.  Excluded,  how- 
ever, would  be  any  salesmen  who  have 
quit  or  have  been  discharged  for 
cause,  or  any  on  strike. 

Cites  'Front-office'  Practice 

The  decision  said  that  there  has 
been  no  collective  bargaining  history 
in  the  industry  covering  film  salesmen, 
but  pointed  out  that  the  industry's 
"front  office"  clerical  employes  are 
represented  in  an  employer-wide  unit. 

In  finding  that -branch  sales  man- 
agers should  be  classed  as  supervisors, 
the  Board  pointed  out  that  their 
recommendations  are  given  great 
weight  by  home  offices,  that  they  must 
use  discretion  and  judgment  in  rout- 
ing salesmen  and  have  authority  to 
reject  transactions  made  by  salesmen, 
that  salesmen  are  required  to  tele- 
phone their  branch  sales  managers 
trom  time  to  time  for  advice  and  in- 
structions, and  that  the  branch  sales 
managers  make  $25  to  $30  a  week 
on  the  average  more  than  salesmen. 
"On  the  basis  of  the  foregoing,"  the 
Board  said,  "we  believe  and  find  that 
branch  sales  managers  are  supervisors 
as  defined  in  the  act." 

Elections  will  be  held  under  the  su- 
pervision of  the  NLRB  regional  direc- 
tor for  the  second  region,  the  Board 
said. 


Independents  Get  a 
Break  in  the  Loop 


Chicago,  May  5. — Balaban  and 
Katz,  pressed  for  product  as  a  "result 
of  the  two!-week  Loop  limitation  im- 
posed by  the  Jackson  Park  decree, 
have  booked  a  number  of  films  made 
by  smaller  independent  companies  into 
their  downtown  houses.  Notable  is 
the  fact  that  prior  to  the  decree  the 
majority  of  these  films  would  hp-  - 
been  passed  by  for  Loop  showing' 

Films  are :  "Woman  in  the  Night 
and  "Will  It  Happen  Again,"  released 
by  Film  Classics,  set  for  the  Garrick 
for  May  14  or  21;  "The  Raiders," 
distributed  by  English  Pictures,  at  the 
Garrick;  "The  Overlanders,"  Austra- 
lian film  released  by  U-I,  and  "Song 
of  My  Heart,"  Allied  Artists,  both 
booked  into  the  Apollo,  and  "Smart 
Woman,"  Allied  Artists,  at  the  State 
Lake  for  the  week  of  May  14. 


$109,505  Quarterly 
Profit  for  GPE 

General  Precision  Equipment  Corp. 
and  subsidiaries  report  for  the  three 
months  ended  March  31,  a  net  profit 
of  $109,505,  after  Federal  taxes. 
These  earnings,  subject  to  year-end 
adjustments,  compare  with  a  net  of 
$257,143  for  the  corresponding  period 
of  1947. 

Directors  of  General  Precision  have 
declared  a  dividend  of  25  cents  per 
share  on  the  capital  stock,  payable 
June  15  to  stockholders  of  record  on 
May  25,  1948. 


DuMont,  'News'  Enter 
"4A's"  Video  Talks 

DuMont  and  the  New  York  Daily 
Nczvs  yesterday  were  brought  into 
the  negotiations  being  conducted  by 
the  Associated  Actors  and  Artistes  of 
America  on  the  first  contract  cover- 
ing wages,  hours  and  conditions  of 
work  for  performers  in  television. 

Other  parties  to  the  negotiations  are 
the  four  major  networks:  CBS,  NBC, 
ABC  and  Mutual. 


Telenews  Expands  in  UK 

Extension  of  Telenews'  theatre  news- 
reel  service  to  the  British  Isles  was 
announced  here  yesterday  by  Telenews 
Productions,  with  the  signing  of  the 
Monseigneur  newsreel  circuit  in  En- 
gland and  Scotland.  Service  will  be 
made  available  in  London  two  days 
after  films  appear  in  New  York. 


Syndicate  Video  Reel 

A  syndicated  daily  edition  of  WPIX 
television  newsreel  is  being  offered  to 
stations  outside  the  New  York  area, 
Robert  L.  Coe,  station  manager,  an- 
nounces. Production  of  the  daily 
newsreel  six  days  a  week  will  start 
about  June  15. 

Sees  100,000  Video  Jobs 

There  will  be  100,000  jobs  in  the 
television  industry  and  63,000,000 
viewers  by  the  end  of  1952,  according 
to  Ralph  B.  Austrian,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  television  at  Foote,  Cone 
and  Belding,  advertising  agency  here. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
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New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
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Herald.  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald:  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
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'   ^  *  chappies  Aeplav/^  " 

as  you'll  see  at 


Warner  Bros:  Trade  Show  M ayi? 

#111%  an 

w 


CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

TIME 

Albany 

Warner  Screening  Room 

79  N.  Pearl  St. 

8:00  P.M. 

Atlanta 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

197  Walton  St.  N.W. 

2:30  P.M. 

Boston 

RKO  Screening  Room 

122  Arlington  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

Buffalo 

Paramount  Sc.  Room 

464  Franklin  Street 

2:00  P.M. 

Charlotte 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

308  S.  Church  St. 

10:00  A.M. 

Chicago 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1307  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

1:30  P.M. 

Cincinnati 

RKO  Screening  Room 

Palace  Th.  Bldg.  E.  6th 

8:00  P.M. 

Cleveland 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2300  Payne  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Dallas 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1803  Wood  St. 

10:00  A.M. 

Denver 

Paramount  Sc.  Room 

2100  Stout  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

Des  Moines 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1300  High  St. 

12:45  P.M. 

Detroit 

Film  Exchange  Bldg. 

2310  Cass  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Indianapolis 

Universal  Sc.  Room 

517  No.  Illinois  St. 

1 :00  P.M. 

Kansas  City 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1 720  Wyandotte  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

Los  Angeles 

Warner  Screening  Room 

2025  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

He's  thinking 
of  the  girl  j 
he  left  i 
behind- 


CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

TIME 

Memphis 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

151  Vance  Ave. 

10:00  A.M. 

Milwaukee 

Warner  Th.  Sc.  Rm. 

212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

Minneapolis 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1000  Currie  Ave. 

2:00  P.M. 

New  Haven 

Warner  Th.  Proj.  Rm. 

70  College  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

New  Orleans 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

200  S.  Liberty  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

New  York 

Home  Office 

321  W.  44th  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

Oklahoma 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

10  North  Lee  St. 

1:30  P.M. 

Omaha 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1502  Davenport  St 

1:00  P.M. 

Philadelphia 

Warner  Screening  Room 

230  No.  13th  St. 

2:30  P.M. 

Pittsburgh 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1715  Blvd.  of  Allies 

1:30  P.M. 

Portland 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Room 

1947  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

2:00  P.M. 

Salt  Lake 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

216  East  1st  South 

2:00  P.M. 

San  Francisco 

Republic  Sc.  Room 

221  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

1:30  P.M. 

Seattle 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Room 

2318  Second  Ave. 

10:30  A.M. 

St.  Louis 

S'renco  Sc.  Room 

3143  Olive  St. 

1:00  P.M. 

Washington 

Warner  Th.  Bldg. 

1 3th  &  E  Sts.  N.W. 

10:30  A.M. 

ROBERT  HUTTON  >  JOYCE  REYNOLDS  •  JAN  IS  PAIGE ,™  "WALLFLOWER", 


with  EDWARD  ARNOLD  •  Directed  by  FREDERICK  De  CORDOVA  •  Produced  by  ALEX  GOTTLIEB 


n 

Screen  Play  by  Phoebe  and  Henry  Ephron  •  From  the  Stage  Play  by 
REGINALD  DENHAM  and  MARY  0RR  •  As  Produced  on  the  Stage  by  Meyer  DavisT^ 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  6,  1948 


Levy  Warns 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

lower  court  is  privileged  to  evolve  a 
system  of  licensing,  other  than  com- 
petitive bidding,  which  will  .  .  .  'off- 
set in  any  way  the  advantages  which 
the  exhibitor-defendants  have  by  the 
way  of  theatre  ownership'." 

Levy  told  TOA  members  that  in  its 
decision  the  Supreme  Court  set  aside 
tbe  findings  and  decisions  of  the  lower 
court  on  competitive  bidding,  monopo- 
ly, divorcement  and  the  ban  against 
further  expansion  of  the  present  thea- 
tre holdings  of  the  defendants. 

Sees  Cross-license  Ban  Out 

"The  Supreme  Court,"  he  said, 
"dismissed  the  feasibility  of  the  ban 
on  cross-licensing,  suggested  by  the 
Government,  because  it  'would  seem  to 
be  only  an  indirect  way  of  forcing 
divestiture',  but  the  Supreme  Court 
leaves  it  for  the  lower  court  to  deter- 
mine whether  the  plan  is  a  'short 
range  remedy  in  certain  situations  to 
dissipate  the  effects  of  the  conspiracy'. 
This  subject  is,  then,  too,  available 
for  further  consideration  and  action 
by  the  lower  court." 

As  for  arbitration,  the  problem  in- 
volved, according  to  Levy,  is  that  the 
lower  court  "wrote  enthusiastic  words 
of  praise"  on  this  point,  adding  that 
"it  took  the  position,  however,  that  it 
could  not  incorporate  arbitration  as 
part  of  the  decree  except  upon 
agreement  of  all  parties  to  the  case." 

Arbitration  Up  to  Lower  Court 

"The  Supreme  Court,"  he  said, 
"agrees  with  this  conclusion.  It 
does,  however,  hold  that  the  lower 
court  has  the  power  to  authorize  the 
maintenance  of  such  a  system  by  those 
parties  who  do  consent,  and  to  provide 
the  rules  under  which  it  will  operate. 
It  would  be  auxiliary  relief  and  would 
not  bar  the  use  of  other  remedies  for 
violations  of  the  Sherman  Act  or  of 
the  decree.  It  leaves  it  to  the  lower 
court's  discretion  whether  or  not  to 
inaugurate  such  a  system." 

The  TOA  counsel  asserted  that  the 
decision  made  it  clear  that  "it  is  not 
necessary  to  establish  'specific  intent' 
in  order  to  create  a  monopoly,"  con- 
tending that  the  sole  quetsion  is : 
"Does  monopoly  result  as  a  necessary 
consequence  of  what  was  done?" 


Tax-free  Plan 

(  Continued  from  page  1) 

meeting  of  the  House  Ways  and 
Means  Committee  tonight  presented 
the  Treasury's  position  on  the  change. 
A  committee  member  said  that  the 
committee  would  probably  vote  at  its 
next  meeting  to  table  the  proposal. 

Theatre-owning  companies  admitted 
earlier  this  week  that  much  of  the  im- 
mediate pressure  for  the  change  had 
been  lifted  by  the  Supreme  Court's 
action  in  sending  the  industry  anti- 
trust decision  back  to  the  lower  court. 
On  the  other  hand,  members  of  the 
House  committee,  it  was  reported, 
felt  the  issue  was  academic  now. 

Wiggins  told  the  group  that  the 
Paramount  proposal  was  so  broad 
that  it  would  cover  similar  situations 
in  the  future  in  every  industrial  field. 
He  also  said  he  saw  no  reason  why 
tax  laws  should  be  revised  to  aid  cor- 
porations found  guilty  in  the  courts. 


Schine  in  New  York 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  5. — J.  Meyer 
Schine,  president  of  Schine  Chain 
Theatres,  against  which  an  adverse 
decisions  was  handed  down  Monday 
by  the  Supreme  Court,  left  here  to- 
night for  New  York. 


Circuit  Selling 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

illegal  use  of  buying  power  is  ex- 
tremely broad.  It  is  not  limited  to 
affiliated  circuits,  but  includes  inde- 
pendents operating  in  open  situations, 
and  is  directed  primarily  at  preferen- 
tial terms  of  any  kind  whicn  are  given 
to  the  "big"  and  withheld  from  the 
"small." 

The  impact  of  the  decision  is  likely 
to  hit  distribution  and  film  buying 
with  a  suddenness  and  gravity  far  ex- 
ceeding any  divestiture  probability, 
attorneys  warn. 

Meanwhile,  more  and  more  legal 
thinking  is  inclining  to  the  belief  that 
large-scale  theatre  divestiture  is  in- 
escapable and  may  not  involve  a  pro- 
longed legal  process  even  though  the 
subject  is  returned  to  the  Supreme 
Court   once   more.     Predictions  are 


that  it  will  take  from  one  to  two 
years,  even  though  the  current  crowd- 
ed calendars  of  tne  New  York  Federal 
Court  make  the  start  of  hearings  here 
before  next  fall  unlikely. 

Attorneys  point  out  that  the  case 
in  the  lower  court  may  be  brief  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  Supreme  Court  has 
sustained  findings  of  violations  of  the 
Sherman  Act  in  sufficient  instances  to 
make  possible  a  decree  of  any  kind 
from  the  lower  court.  The  Govern- 
ment does  not  have  the  obligation  of 
proving  more  violations,  it  is  con- 
tended. 

A  reading  'of  the  Griffith  and  Schine 
decisions,  together  with  the  Para- 
mount decision,  reveals  the  kind  of 
decree  the  high  court  expects,  attor- 
neys say.  They  emphasize  that  the 
three  decisions  must  be  considered  as 
one  in  order  to  realize  their  full  im- 
plications because  that  is  the  manner 
in  which  they  were  considered  by  the 
Supreme  Court. 


More  Revenue  Seen 
For  Independents 


Hollywood,  May  5.— The  Supreme 
Court's  decision  in  the  Paramount 
anti-trust  suit  "will  increase  the  in- 
dependent producers  share  of  the  box- 
office  dollar  in  the  greatest  market  in 
the  world,  the  United  States,"  Gun- 
ther  Lessing,  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  Society  of  In- 
dependent Motion  Picture  Prodtti| 
declared  here  last  night. 

Said  Lessing:  "In  the  past  the  ir> 
dependent  producer  received  about  50 
per  cent  of  his  income  from  the  do- 
mestic market.  If  the  decision  accom- 
plishes what  it  sets  out  to  do,  there  is 
no  reason  why  this  cannot  be  in- 
creased to  75  per  cent." 

The  SIMPP  executive  committee 
will  call  a  meeting  soon  to  hear  a  re- 
port on  the  decision  from  general 
counsel  Robert  J.  Rubin  who  returned 
here  today  from  the  East. 


Myers 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

and  not  the  rapacity  of  those  accus- 
tomed to  dealing  in  a  controlled  mar- 
ket," Abram  Myers,  chairman  and 
general  counsel  of  Allied  States,  de- 
clared today. 

He  spoke  at  the  convention  here  of 
the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
New  England  and  amplified  remarks 
which  he  made  yesterday  in  Washing- 
ton on  Monday's  ruling  by  the  Su- 
preme Court. 

Will  Press  for  Lewis  Bill 

Myers  also  told  the  convention  that 
Allied's  fight  for  passage  of  the  Lewis 
Bill,  which  would  have  producers  ne- 
gotiate directly  with  Ascap  for  music 
performing  license  rights,  will  con- 
tinue. If  the  measure  fails  to  reach 
both  houses  of  Congress  this  session, 
he  said,  it  will  be  reintroduced  next 
session. 

David  Palfreyman  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  who 
preceded  Myers  in  addressing  the 
meeting,  noted  that  26  states  and  300 
cities  have  taxes  in  addition  to  the 
federal  amusement  levies.  If  business 
declines,  the  burden  will  become  seri- 
ous, he  emphasized  in  urging  exhibi- 
tors to  overcome  their  reluctance  in 
contacting  receptive  legislators. 

Other  speakers  today  included  Ted 
Genock  of  Paramount,  who  spoke  on 
television ;  John  Dervin,  who  thanked 
the  organization  for  its  contributions 
to  Variety  Tent  23  ;  Henry  McKenna, 
insurance  engineer,  and  Samuel  Lowe, 
whose  topic  was  theatre  candy-selling. 

Hails  Divestiture  Ruling 

Contending  that  the  high  court,  in 
dealing  with  divestiture,  had  "found 
fault  with  the  entire  theory  upon 
which  the  District  Court  had  pro- 
ceeded," Myers  hailed  the  court's  de- 
cision terminating  the  decree's  per- 
mission for  a  defendant  to  buy  out 
the  other  owner  of  a  theatre  as 
"eliminating  one  of  the  weakest  fea- 
tures of  the  lower  court's  decree." 

Even  more  important,  he  continued, 
is  the  court's  ruling  that  the  lower 
court  must  "undo  what  the  conspiracy 
achieved." 

Myers  also  said  he  "suspected"  that 
any  voluntary  arbitration  system 
would  not  have  great  appeal  for  the 
defendants." 

The  competitive  bidding  system 
thrown  out  by  the  court  "was  the 
most  controversial  feature  of  the  Dis- 
trict Court's  decree,"  he  declared. 


Jackson  Hailed  f  or  US  Sees 
Fight  on  Bidding 


Atlanta,  May  5. — Tribute  to  the 
efforts  of  Mack  Jackson,  president  of 
the  Confederacy  of  Southern  Exhibi- 
tor Associations,  and  his  co-workers 
against  competitive  bidding  was  voiced 
today  in  a  formal  resolution  passed  at 
the  closing  session  of  the  first  annual 
convention  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  and  Operators  of 
Georgia  in  the  Henry  Grady  Hotel 
here. 

Among  subjects  discussed  today 
were  16mm.  competition  and  trailers. 
R.  B.  Wilby  told  the  convention  that 
the  trailer  is  an  accessory  which  be- 
comes advertising  when  the  exhibitor 
publishes  it  on  his  screen. 

Interests  and  plans  of  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  were  discussed 
by  Ted  Gamble,  TOA  president,  and 
Robert  W.  Coyne,  executive  director. 


Gamble  on  Decision 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


again  would  seek  to  intervene  if  the 
result  of  the  rehearing  of  the  case 
threatened  the  welfare  of  exhibition 
as  did  competitive  bidding. 

"We  will  work  sincerely  with  pro- 
ducers and  distributors  so  that  our 
industry  can  remain  dynamic,"  he 
caid.  "Animosities  should  be  forgotten 
in  the  face  of  common  dangers.  Our 
future  holds  great  promise,  but  we 
must  spell  out  that  promise  by  con- 
structive imagination  and  aggressive 
guidance." 

E.  W.  Savage  was  elected  president 
of  the  Arkansas  exhibitor  organiza- 
tion. B.  F.  Busby  was  named  vice- 
president  and  Sam  B.  Kirby  was 
named  secretary-treasurer.  Elected  to 
the  board  were :  Henry  Haven,  W.  C. 
Sumpter,  Walter  Lee,  Terry  Axley, 
W.  D.  Mitchell,  Sidney  Wharton  and 
O.  G.  Wren,  who  will  serve  as  chair- 
man. Claude  C.  Mundo  was  elected  a 
director  of  the  national  TOA  board. 

Gamble  and  Robert  W.  Coyne, 
TOA's  executive  director,  were  to- 
day's guests  of  honor  as  well  as  prin- 
cipal speakers. 


Theatre  Changes  Hands 

Hartford,  May  5. — Steve  Kurpen, 
Hartford  and  Howard  Harris,  East 
Hartford,  have  bought  the  New  Astor 
Theatre  Corp.,  East  Hartford,  from 
Peter  and  Alexander  Krenicki  and 
are  now  operating  the  Astor. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

made  it  quite  clear  to  the  lower  court 
that  some  theatres  must  be  divested. 
He  said  that  the  decision  held  not 
only  that  joint  ownership  with  inde- 
pendents must  be  dissolved  in  many 
cases  but  that  the  majors  must  be  the 
ones  to  sell  their  holdings  in  such  the- 
atres— where  they  were  illegally  ac- 
quired, illegally  used,  or  are  prevent- 
ing an  independent  exhibitor  from  be- 
ing in  business  for  himself.  The  court 
also  said,  Wright  pointed  out,  that  it 
had  seen  enough  of  the  record  to 
know  that  such  theatres  did  exist. 

Wright  declared  that  the 
question  no  longer  is  whether 
theatres  should  be  divested, 
but  how  many  and  which  ones. 

Justice  officials  also  hailed  the  Grif- 
fith decision  as  a  Government  victory, 
but  were  a  little  more  reserved  about 
the  Schine  decision. 

"In  the  Schine  case,"  Wright  said, 
"the  whole  relief  question  has  been  re- 
opened, and  what  will  ultimately  re- 
sult there  is  anybody's  guess.  It's  per- 
fectly clear  that  there  must  be  some 
divestiture,  but  how  much  and  where 
is  still  open.  The  same  holds  true  for 
the  Griffith  case,  of  course,  but  at  least 
the  court  there  did  hold  a  clear  viola- 
tion of  the  law,  which  the  District 
Court  hadn't." 

Wright  admitted  that  the  Justice 
staff  would  be  hard  pressed  to  go 
ahead  with  all  three  cases,  and  indi- 
cated the  decision  would  probably  be 
to  go  ahead  first  with  the  Paramount 
case  as  the  key  case. 

He  refused  to  comment  on  persistent 
reports  that  he  is  preparing  to  leave 
the  Department. 

Even  though  competitive  bidding 
was  excluded,  Wright  warned,  the 
film  firms  still  have  an  obligation  to 
offer  films  singly,  on  a  competitive 
basis,  without  discrimination.  He  said 
that  followed  from  the  court's  findings 
on  block-booking  and  other  trade 
practices. 

Another,  high-ranking  official  in  the 
Anti-Trust  Division  of  the  Justice  De- 
partment said  he  regarded  the  Para- 
mount decision  as  a  "clear-cut  Gov- 
ernment victory." 

"The  Supreme  Court,"  he  said, 
"told  the  District  Court  it  must  take 
a  new  look  at  the  case  with  the  far 
tighter  definition  of  monopoly  as  laid 
do  wn  in  the  American  Tobacco  case 
in  mind.  The  court  certainly  followed 
the  Government's  argument  in  prac- 
tically all  major  points." 


Ts 


oh, 


FOR 


amount 


Ire  o 


Year 


THE  NIGHT  OF  MAY  26th 
AT  THE  PARAMOUNT 
.  HOLLYWOOD 
^  THEATRE 


i  nc  w  \ji\Lu  o 

FIRST  PUBLIC 
SHOWING  OF 


BING  JOAN 

CROSBY-FONTAINE 
*  MP 


( &J1TIL 


Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 


A  full-dress  red-carpet  gala  Holly- 
wood opening,  our  first  in  six 
years,  indicates  the  exceptional 
nature  of  this  superb  production. 

To  be  followed  shortly  by  the 

EASTERN  PREMIERE 
AT  RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 
Early  in  June 


ROLAND  CULVER  -YuCILE  WATSON 
RICHARD  HAYDN  •  HAROLD  VERMILYEA 
Produced  by  CHARLES  BRACKETT 

Directed  by  BILLY  WILDER 

Written  by  Charles  Bracken  and  Billy  Wilder 


6 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  6,  1948 


Review 

Dream  Girl" 


Trumbo 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


{Paramount) 

IN  THE  COURSE  of  its  whimsical  ramblings,  "Dream  Girl"  turns  up  a 
generous  quota  of  laughs,  making  it  a  prudent  choice  for  showmen  inter- 
ested in  popular  entertainment.  A  Mitchell  Leisen  production  starring  Betty 
Hutton,  it  has  been  adapted  to  the  screen  from  the  Elmer  Rice  hit  Broadway 
play  of  the  same  name.  The  story  is  generally  an  engrossing  and  enjoyable 
one,  though  not  without  moments  "when  characterizations  seem  fashioned 
from  standard  conceptions. 

Versatile  Miss  Hutton  plays  in  grand  fashion;  the  dream  girl,  who,  to 
escape  humdrum  reality,  takes  flight  into  the  world  of  fantasy.  And  thus,  all 
sorts  of  wonderful  interludes  enter  her  life,  until  she  meets  Macdonald 
Carey,  a  glib-tongued  newspaperman  who,  after  some  unsuccessful  starts, 
teaches  her  the  joys  of  reality. 

The  film  is  best  when  it  brings  to  pictorial  life  some  of  Miss  Hutton's 
hallucinations.  At  one  point  she  fancies  herself  taking  up  life  with  a  married 
cad,  becoming  involved  in  a  marital  scandal,  and  then  descending  gradually 
into  the  lower  depths.  At  another  point  Miss  Hutton  finds  herself  marrying 
his  sister's  divorced  husband  and  living  the  life  of  a  backwoods  hillbilly. 
At  still  another  point  she  saves  the  day  for  opera  lovers  by  going  on  stage 
at  a  moment's  notice  and  wading  triumphantly  through  Madame  Butterfly. 
Under  Leisen's  direction,  effective  support  is  given  by  Patric  Knowles,  Vir- 
ginia Field  and  Walter  Abel.  P.  J.  Wolfson  produced. 

Running  time,  85  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  27,  1948.  Mandel  Herbstman 


$3,000,000  for  U.  K. 
Films  Here  in  1947 

W  ashington,  May  5. — Preliminary 
figures  on  hand  at  the  Department  of 
Commerce  disclose  that  slightly  less 
than  $3,000,000  in  American  earnings 
were  remitted  to  Britain  last  year  by 
British  film  companies  and  their 
American  distributors. 

This  compares  with  earnings  of 
$10,000,000  to  $12,000,000  predicted 
for  British  firms  in  this  market  dur- 
ing the  current  year  by  Eric  Johnston, 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica president. 

It  indicates  a  negligible  addition  to 
the  $17,000,000  which  American  com- 
panies may  take  out  of  Britain  annu- 
ally under  the  new  fiscal  trade  agree- 
ment starting  June  14,  in  the  event  no 
sharp  increase  in  the  playing  of  Brit- 
ish films  occurs  here  immediately.  In 
addition  to  the  $17,000,000,  American 
companies  may  take  out  of  England 
an  additional  amount  equivalent  to  the 
earnings  of  British  pictures  here. 

E-L  Heads  Due  Back 
Here  from  London 

Following  10  days  of  conferences 
with  J.  Arthur  Rank  officials  in  Lon- 
don on  forthcoming  Rank  product  to 
be  released  in  the  United  States  and 
Latin  America  by  Eagle-Lion,  Wil- 
liam J.  Heineman,  E-L  distribution 
vice-president,  and  Max  E.  Young- 
stein,  advertising  vice-president,  are 
due  back  here  today  from  England. 

Meanwhile,  Robert  R.  Young,  prin- 
cipal stockholder  in  Pathe  Industries, 
parent  of  Eagle-Lion,  is  enroute  to 
Hollywood  from  New  York  for  a  10- 
day  visit  at  E-L  studios.  Young  is 
accompanied  by  Robert  W.  Purcell, 
chairman  of  the  Pathe  board.  They 
will  be  joined  in  Hollywood  by 
Thomas  J.  Deegan,  Jr.,  public  rela- 
tions head  of  the  Young  enterprises. 
They  will  confer  with  Arthur  B. 
Krim,  president  of  Eagle-Lion  Films. 

Setback  for  U.  S. 
Playoffs  in  U.  K. 

London,  May  5. — American  distrib- 
utors' expectations  that  they  would  get 
an  early  playoff  of  their  top  product 
in  the  West  End  with  their  return  to 
the  British  market  after  the  end  of  the 
Americans'  product  embargo,  received 
a  setback  here  today  when  it  was 
made  known  that  J.  Arthur  Rank's 
"Hamlet"  has  been  booked  for  26 
weeks  at  the  Odeon  Theatre,  and  that 
he  proposed  road  showings  for  the 
picture  in  selected  towns  in  the  prov- 
inces. 

The  picture  was  given  wide  news- 
paper attention  today  following  a  press 
preview.  Its  premiere  tomorrow  at  the 
Odeon  will  be  attended  by  the  King 
and  Queen. 

Remote  Areas  Favor 
American  Films 

The  use  of  motion  pictures  and  radio 
were  seen  as  great  assets  in  raising 
the  educational  level  of  people  in  back- 
ward areas  by  a  team  of  the  Foreign 
Missions  Conference  of  North  Amer- 
ica which  has  just  returned  here. 
Heading  the  team,  which  conducted 
a  worldwide  survey  of  audio-visual 
aids,  were  the  Rev.  S.  Franklin  Mack, 
Rev.  Everett  C.  Parker  and  Niklaus 
Hagmann.  They  pointed  out  that  in 
most  countries  visited,  they  found  that 
"people  would  go  anywhere  to  see  an 
American  film." 


Enterprise,  M-G-M  in 
Distribution  Talks 

Hollywood,  May  S. — Negotiations 
are  under  way  for  the  release  of  at 
least  four  Enterprise  pictures  by 
M-G-M  during  the  next  year,  it  is 
understood.  A  preliminary  agreement 
has  been  drawn  up,  but  has  not  yet 
been  signed.  Enterprise's  current  dis- 
tribution arrangement  is  with  United 
Artists  domestically  and  Loew's  In- 
ternational abroad. 

First  three  of  the  Enterprise  films 
which  would  go  to  M-G-M  are:  "No 
Minor  Vices,"  "Tucker's  People"  and 
"Wild  Calendar." 

Food  Giveaways  in 
Canada  to  Aid  B.O. 

Ottawa,  May  5. — Taking  full  ad- 
vantage of  rising  food  prices  and  the 
price-consciousness  of  the  public,  some 
Canadian  theatres  have  inaugurated 
"Family  Food  Nite,"  offering  large 
hampers  of  groceries  free  as  prizes  to 
boost  attendances.  Reports  indicate  the 
idea  has  proved  successful  in  some  in- 
stances. 


Mexican  Studio  Burns 

Mexico  City,  May  5. — Motion  pic- 
ture production  here  has  not  been 
noticeably  affected  by  the  destruction 
of  the  Azteca  studios  by  fire  this  week 
since  the  four  other  studios  in  this 
zone  are  newer,  larger  and  much  bet- 
ter equipped  to  handle  the  little 
amount  of  production  now  under  way. 
Damage  by  the  fire  is  estimated  at 
$1,000,000. 


Rank's  'Murderer' 
Reviewed  June,  '47 

J.  Arthur  Rank's  "Dear 
Murderer"  was  trade-shown 
here  this  week  by  Universal- 
International.  The  picture 
was  reviewed  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  on  June  20,  1947, 
when  Peter  Burnup,  London 
editor  of  this  publication,  de- 
scribed it  as  "a  slick,  subtle 
and  sly  spine-chiller,  war- 
ranted to  keep  customers  of 
all  categories  fast  to  their 
seats." 


House  Committeefs 
Report  a  Best-Seller 

Washington,  May  5. — The  House 
Un-American  Activities  Committee's 
report  on  the  hearings  on  alleged 
Communist  infiltration  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  bids  fair  to  be  a  best- 
seller. 

The  committee  originally  printed 
1,500  copies.  These  are  now  gone, 
and  the  committee  is  seeking  House 
approval  to  print  another  7,000  to 
meet  "requests  from  all  over  the 
country." 

Reverse  Court  Rule 
In  Leslie  -  WB  Case 

Los  Angeles,  May  5.  —  The  Cali- 
fornia Supreme  Court,  in  a  divided 
opinion,  has  reversed  lower  court  rul- 
ings sustaining  Joan  Leslie's  conten- 
tion that  her  Warner  contract,  entered 
into  while  a  minor,  had  become  in- 
operative when  she  turned  21  years 
of  age.  Miss  Leslie's  counsel  indicated 
an  appeal  to  United  States  Supreme 
Court  .would  be  taken. 

First  of  27  Drive  -  in 
Theatres  for  Reade 

Construction  of  the  first  27  drive-in 
theatres  to  be  built  by  Walter  Reade 
Theatres  in  1948-1949  in  four  mid- 
Atlantic  states  is  underway  at  Wood- 
bridge,  N.  J.  This  phase  of  the  cir- 
cuit's operations  marks  the  entry  of 
the  organization  into  the  drive-in  field. 

Julius  Daniels,  Reade  city  manager 
in  Perth  Amboy,  will  supervise  the 
new  950-car  drive-in,  which  is  ex- 
pected to  be  in  operation  in  mid-June. 

Settle  Drive-in 
Infringement  Suit 

Patent-infringement  suit  filed  on 
Oct.  18,  1947,  by  Park-In  Theatres, 
Inc.,  Camden,  against  Skyview  Thea- 
tres, Jacksonville,  charged  with  in- 
fringement of  Park-In's  basic  Hol- 
lingshead  patent  on  drive-ins,  was  re- 
cently terminated  when  Skyview 
agreed  to  take  a  license  from  Park-In. 


Sherman  Signs  Foster 

Hollywood,  May  5. — Harry  Sher- 
man has  signed  Preston  Foster  for 
the  lead  in  "Irish,"  his  next  film. 


tinued  Trumbo's  bail  of  $1,000  pend- 
ing sentencing.  Defense  attorneys  an- 
nounced they  would  file  a  motion  for 
a  new  trial. 

The  42-year-old  author  of  numerous 
Hollywood  films  received  the  jury's 
verdict  without  emotion.  He  told 
newsmen  later  that  he  anticipated  con- 
viction. Trumbo  faces  a  maximuii 
fence  of  one  year  in  prison  and  v  ...ie 
of  $1,000  on  each  of  two  counts. 

Justice  Pine  instructed  the  jury  to 
base  its  verdict  oh  whether  or  not 
Trumbo  had  refused  to  give  a  "re- 
sponsive" reply  to  either  or  both  of 
the  questions. 

Judge  Pine's  Charge  to  Jury 

These  questions  were  proper,  said 
Pine,  and  Trumbo  was  required  to 
answer  them.  Pine  added  that  the  de- 
fendant had  the  right  to  make  known 
his  objections  to  the  questions,  but 
that  he  did  not  have  the  right  to  elab- 
orate upon  them. 

In  his  charge,  Pine  emphasized  that 
the  committee  was  authorized  under 
the  law  to  conduct  the  investigation 
of  Communist  infiltration  into  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry,  that  committee 
chairman  J.  Parnell  Thomas  had  the 
right  to  name  a  sub-committee,  and 
that  the  committee  members  present 
when  Trumbo  testified  constituted  a 
legal  tribunal. 

The  judge  told  jury  members  they 
were  not  to  consider  whether  or  not 
Trumbo  has  ever  been  a  Communist, 
the  manner  in  which  the  committee 
conducted  its  hearings,  or  whether  an 
attempt  was  being  made  to  blacklist 
the  writer  from  future  studio  employ- 
ment. 

Both  Sides  Sum  Up 

Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  William 
B.  Hitz  summed  up  the  Government's 
position  by  stating  that  "to  say  he  in- 
tended to  answer  is  ridiculous  and  an 
insult  to  the  intelligence  of  the  jury." 
He  ridiculed  defense  contentions  that 
Trumbo  had  been  wronged  by  not  be- 
ing allowed  to  cross-examine  adverse 
witnesses  who  accused  him  of  being 
a  Communist.  Hite  declared  he  could 
have  denied  these  charges  when  he 
took  the  stand  during  the  hearings. 

Defense  attorneys  Charles  Houston 
and  Robert  Kenny  orated  for  an  hour 
and  a  quarter  attempting  to  convince 
the  jury  that  Trumbo  was  replying  to 
the  questions  when  he  was  removed 
from  the  stand  by  Thomas.  The  re- 
fusal, Houston  said,  came  from  the 
committee,  not  from  Trumbo.  He 
likened  the  conduct  of  the  hearing  to 
"a  lynching,"  "a  pillory,"  and  to  plac- 
ing a  man  in  "a  goldfish  bowl  and 
holding  him  up  for  all  the  world  to 
see." 

Maltz  Trial  Set  for  Today 

Albert  Maltz,  third  of  the  10  Hol- 
lywood writers,  directors  and  pro- 
ducers cited  for  contempt  by  the  com- 
mittee, is  supposed  to  go  on  trial  be- 
fore Judge  Pine  tomorrow  morning. 
Defense  attorneys  were  instructed  to 
obtain  a  bed-side  deposition  from  Rep- 
resentative Thomas,  who  is  still  hos- 
pitalized, but  they  were  unable  to 
obtain  the  deposition  today  because 
his  condition  would  not  permit  ques- 
tioning. Counsel  will  ask  Judge  Pine 
for  a  continuance  of  the  trial  if 
Thomas's  physician  testifies  tomorrow 
that  taking  of  the  deposition  must  be 
delayed  further. 


MOTION  Pf^f&RE 


NEWS 


VR.  JOYCE  O'Hap, 
NEW  YORK,  Nf  yj"  21  ST  FL 


ILY 


Aaurate 
Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  89 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  MAY  7,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


TOA  Aims  At 
Membership  of 
11,500  Houses 

Expects  Organizing  Will 
Be  Completed  Next  Year 

Theatre  Owners  of  America  ex- 
pects to  complete  its  national  organ- 
izing in  a  year,  Robert  W.  Coyne, 
executive  director,  has  revealed. 

TOA's  blueprint  of  organization, 
Coyne  said,  calls  for  some  43  individu- 
al units  representing  a  total  of  about 
11,500  member  theatres.  The  present 
28  units  represent  a  claimed  total  of 
about  9,000  theatres. 

A  Washington  State  unit  is  likely  to 
be  organized  next  by  TOA,  Coyne  in- 
dicated. In  that  state  and  a  number 
of  others,  including  Utah,  Wyoming, 
Michigan,  Western  Pennsylvania,  Ne- 
vada and  Iowa,  TOA  has  a  substantial 
number  of  member  theatres  which 
have  yet  to  set  up  organizational  ma- 
chinery. TOA  headquarters  here  in- 
tends to  intensify  its  efforts  from  now 
on  toward  encouraging  theatres  to  or- 
ganize, Coyne  said,  observing  that  "it 

{Continued  on  page  3) 

NLRB  Disqualifies 
30  In  Colosseum 


The  Colosseum  of  Motion  Picture 
Salesmen  will  lose  about  30  members 
under  the  new  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  ruling  that  branch  sales 
managers  cannot  be  included  in  the 
union  along  with  salesmen,  a  distribu- 
tor spokesman  estimated  here  yester- 
day. The  salesmen's  union  previous- 
ly reported  a  membership  of  850. 

The  board's  ruling  on  branch  sales 
managers  hit  the  Colosseum  hardest 
in  the  area  of  its  leadership.  The 
union  will  now  have  to  elect  a  new 
president,  for  A.  W.  Van  Dyck, 
Colosseum  president,  is  a  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox  branch    sales   manager  in 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Kalmenson  District 
Meeting  Ends  Today 

Ben  Kalmenson's  meeting  of  War- 
ner district  managers  will  wind  up  at 
the  home  office  today.  Under  discus- 
sion were  sales  policies  for  "Silver 
River,"  "Wallflower,"  "The  Big 
Punch"  and  "Romance  on  the  High 
Seas." 

District  managers  who  attended 
were:  F.  D.  (Dinty)  Moore,  Eastern 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


All  US  Production 
In  Britain  Is  Sifted; 
U.A.  Plans  Stymied 

London,  May  6.  —  United  Artists' 
recently  announced  plans  to  lease 
Shipman's  Riverside  Studio  here  for 
an  ambitious  British  production  pro- 
gram have  been  stymied,  along  with 
other  American  plans  to  obtain  studios, 
by  the  insistence  of  Parliament  that 
American  production  with  accumulated 
blocked  sterling  be  not  allowed  to  get 
out  of  hand  here. 

The  U.A.  studio  lease,  and  others  in 
process  of  negotiation,  now  will  have 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Albert  Maltz  Trial 
Delayed  to  Monday 

Washington,  May  6. — Trial  of  Al- 
bert Maltz,  third  of  10  Hollywood 
writers,  producers  and  directors  to  be 
tried  here  on  charges  of  contempt  of 
Congress,  has  gone  over  until  Mon- 
day to  give  Government  and  defense 
attorneys  a  chance  to  agree  on  certain 
defense  claim  stipulations. 

The  agreement  will  put  into  the 
Maltz  trial  record  the  challenge  made 
to  the  local  method  of  jury  selection 
by  defense  attorneys  in  the  trials  of 
Dalton  Trumbo  and  John  Howard 
Lawson.  These  claims  will  then  be  in 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


EOT  Publication  of 
Pact  Awaits  Allport 

London,  May  6.— The  Brit- 
ish Board  of  Trade  will  be 
unable  to  publish  the  official 
ad  valorem  tax  settlement 
agreement  until  after  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica representative  F.  W.  All- 
port  returns  from  the  U.  S. 
with  details  on  the  uses  in- 
tended to  be  made  of  unre- 
mittable  funds  under  the 
agreement,  British  govern- 
ment officials  report. 

Allport  is  due  to  return  on 
May  13. 


Decision  Seen 
Ending  Upped 
Priced  Films 


Tax-free  Divestiture 
'Too  Controversial' 


Washington,  May  6. — Leaders  of 
the  House  Ways  and  Means  Commit- 
tee today  said  they  thought  a  pro- 
posed change  in  the  tax  laws  backed 
by  Paramount  and  other  theatre-own- 
ing distributors  was  "too  controver- 
sial" to  be  included  in  the  tax  re- 
vision bill  to  be  reported  soon. 

The  proposal  would  make  tax-free 
any  gain  realized  in  selling  theatres 
under  a  court  divestiture  order  pro- 
viding that  the  proceeds  were  re- 
invested in  other  theatre  properties. 

Treasury  opposition  to  the  proposal 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Television  Structure  Is 
Overhauled  by  the  FCC 


'Chaotic  Conditions' 
Cancel  MPF  Meeting 

Impact  of  the  Supreme 
Court  decision  in  the  indus- 
try anti-trust  suit  has  caused 
cancellation  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Foundation  trustees 
meeting  which  was  sched- 
uled to  be  held  here  next 
Tuesday  and  Wednesday. 

MPF  president  E.  V.  Rich- 
ards, Jr.,  yesterday  sent  the 
following  wire  to  all  trus- 
tees: "In  view  of  uncertain 
and  chaotic  conditions  creat- 
ed by  the  court  decision  we 
consider  it  advisable  to  post- 
pone that  meeting  of  MPF 
trustees  scheduled  for  next 
week.  All  of  us  hope  that  con- 
ditions will  clarify  so  that  we 
may  proceed  with  plans  as 
soon  as  possible." 


Washington,  May  6. — The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  to- 
day issued  several  orders  overhauling 
the  entire  television  structure.  Most 
of  them  represented  marked  video 
victories. 

Effective  June  14,  television  broad- 
casters will  no  longer  have  to  share 
channels  with  non-broadcasting  serv- 
ices. Moreover,  the  72-to-76  mega- 
cycle band,  which  has  been  a  source  of 
constant  interference  with  television 
broadcasts,  has  been  assigned  to  fixed 
services,  which  will  practically  remove 
all  interference.  Channel  No.  1  has 
been  taken  away  from  television  and 
assigned  to  non-Government  fixed  and 
mobile  services,  but  video  representa- 
tives who  opposed  such  a  step  have 
testified  they  would  not  feel  too  badly 
about  losing  this  channel  if  the  72-to- 
76  megacycle  band  interference  were 
removed. 

The   Commission,  in  addition,  set 
for  hearing  beginning   Sept.  20  the 
possibility  of  utilizing  the  475-to-890 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Attorneys  See  Hazards 
For  Non-Defendants 


Industry  attorneys,  conceding 
that  defendants  in  the  Paramount 
case  are  effectively  barred  by  the 
Supreme  Court  decision  from  es- 
tablishing advanced  admission  price 
policies  for  their  films,  are  divided  as 
to  whether  the  restraint  applies  as  ef- 
fectively to  non-defendants. 

Some  attorneys  hold  that  the 
Selznick  Releasing  Organiza- 
tion, a  non-defendant  in  the 
Paramount  case,  is  free  to  pur- 
sue the  advanced  admission  pol- 
icy but  that  another  indepen- 
dent producer,  Samuel  Goldwyn, 
for  example,  releasing  through 
a  defendant  distribution  com- 
pany, could  not  do  so.  If  the  pro- 
ducer were  to  release  through 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Goldman  Will  Press 
,400,000  Action 


Philadelphia,  May  6. — William 
Goldman  said  here  today  that  he 
will  press  a  second  action  now  pend- 
ing in  District  Court  here  against 
distributors,  seeking  damages  of  $8,- 
400,000,  covering  the  period  between 
December,  1942,  and  December,  1946. 

Goldman,  whose  first  suk  covering 
the  period  from  November,  1940,  to 
December,  1942,  was  upheld  last 
Monday  by  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court, 
charged  that  "a  monopoly  still  exists 
in  the  film  industry,"  adding  that  "the 
only  solution  is  a  divorcement  of  dis- 
tribution and  exhibition. 


Civic  and  Industry 
Friends  Honor  Levy 

New  Haven,  May  6. — Top  Connec- 
ticut officials,  including  Governor 
James  C.  Shannon  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Robert  Parsons,  were 
among  the  some  150  civic  and  industry 
friends  of  Herman  Levy  who  honored 
him  at  a  dinner  here  tonight  in  recog- 
nition of  his  election  some  months  ago 
to  the  post  of  general  counsel  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America.  The  af- 
fair was  held  at  the  Race  Brook 
Country  Club  here. 

Ted  Gamble,  TOA  president,  repre- 
sented the  motion  picture  industry  in 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  May  7,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  WILDER,  Anatole 
Litvak  and  Irving  Pichel  are 
among  those  who  will  leave  here  to- 
day for  Europe  on  the  Queen 
Mary.  Others  sailing  are  Irene 
Selznick,  Nigel  Bruce  and  Mrs. 
Bruce,  Guy  Bolton  and  Richard 
Addinsell,  film  composer. 

• 

Sidney  Horen,  20th  Century-Fox 
International  representative  for  Spain, 
Portugal  and  Spanish  North  Africa, 
and  Dan  Lederman,  who  recently  re- 
signed as  managing  director  for  the 
Philippines,  are  in  New  York  from 
their  respective  headquarters. 

• 

George  Givot,  screen,  stage  and 
radio  star,  has  completed  a  program 
of  156  transcriptions  for  radio,  fol- 
lowing a  personal  appearance  tour 
with  RKO  Radio's  "Riff  Raff,"  in 
which  he  is  featured. 

• 

Leon  J.  Bamberger,  RKO  Radio 
sales  promotion  manager,  is  due  back 
here  today  from  Little  Rock,  where 
he  attended  the  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Arkansas  convention. 
• 

Joseph  S.  Hummel,  Warner  Con- 
tinental manager,  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  the  French  Legion  of  Honor 
Office  in  Paris  this  week. 

• 

MacDonald  Carey,  Paramount 
actor,  is  expected  here  over  the  week- 
at  ceremonies  at  the  French  Foreign 
end  from  Hollywood. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal-Interna- 
tional assistant  general  sales  manager, 
who  is  in  Pittsburgh  from  New  York, 
is  due  back  in  town  over  the  weekend. 
• 

Robert  E.  Sherwood,  screen  writ- 
er,   who    arrived    in    New  York 
Wednesday  from  England,  plans  an- 
other trip  there  in  two  weeks. 
• 

E.  Allan  Williford,  vice  president 
of  General  Aniline  and  Film  Corp., 
will  leave  here  Tuesday  by  plane  for 
the  Coast. 

• 

Irving  Berlin,  who  will  return  to 
New  York  Monday  from  the  Coast, 
will  observe  his  60th  birthday  on 
Tuesday. 

• 

William  E.  Osborne,  Monogram 
representative  in  the  Far  and  Middle 
East,  will  leave  here  this  month  for 
a  tour  of  his  territory. 

• 

William  Pine  of  Pine-Thomas 
Productions  will  leave  here  today  by 
plane  for  the  Coast. 

• 

Wolfe   Cohen,   Warner  Interna- 
tional vice-president,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  the  Far  East. 
• 

Veronica  Lake  is  due  in  New 
York  over  the  weekend  from  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

Al  Jolson  is  in  New  York  from 
the  Coast. 

Jules  Levey  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  Europe. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


111  OW  the  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision  strikes  them : 

Attorney  General  Clark  ex- 
pects complete  divorcement  or  at 
the  "very  least"  partial  divorce- 
ment bolstered  by  a  ban  on 
cross-licensing. 

Allied  general  counsel  Abram 
F.  Myers  thinks  it  points  to  "di- 
vestiture in  a  big  way,"  opens 
the  market  to  new  producer- 
distributors,  ends  "artificial 
product  shortages." 

Sam  Goldwyn  sees  the  death 
throes  introduced  for  "illegal 
tactics  of  exhibition  monopolies 
which  have  been  drying  up  the 
well  of  production." 

Many  industry  attorneys  pre- 
dict distributors  will  be  safer 
by  not  selling  circuits  as  circuits 
but  by  individual  theatres  if  they 
would  avoid  anti-trust  suits 
springing  out  of  allegations  of 
unfair  clearance  or  discrimina- 
tory sales  practice.  They  also 
lean  on  their  own  interpretation 
that  booking  combines  are  ended. 

Justice  Department  attorney 
Robert  Wright  thinks  the  Gov- 
ernment won  divestiture  and 
that  now  it  is  merely  a  matter 
of  determining  which  theatres 
and  where  located. 

An  undesignated  industry  ad- 
visor, taking  the  dissident  view- 
point, regards  divestiture  as 
"still  pretty  open." 

TOA  president  Ted  Gamble 
holds  a  new  blueprint  for  in- 
dustry conduct  has  been  estab- 
lished. 

TOA  general  counsel  Her- 
man Levy  warns  unpredictables 
may  yet  come,  perhaps  including 
a  selling  plan  as  obnoxious  as 
most  exhibitors  found  competi- 
tive bidding,  now  outlawed. 


Boiled  down,  these  are  stories 
already  reported  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily.  Do  not  let 
them  discourage  you.  Under 
the  force  of  all  of  the  circum- 
stances, they  represent  a  tiny 
vanguard  of  the  army  of  inter- 
pretation, viewpoint,  argument, 
analysis  and  even  guesswork 
which  will  be  on  the  march  un- 
til this  now  10-year-old  litiga- 
tion is  settled.  There  is  plenty 
of  speculation  on  when  that  may 
be. 

The  fact — the  irrefutable,  in- 
disputable and  immutable  fact — 


is  that,  barring  issues  like  mini- 
mum fixed  admission  prices, 
pooling  arrangements,  master 
agreements,  competitive  bidding, 
etc.,  the  pattern  remains  to  be 
woven. 

There  are  considerable  areas 
in  which  to  ponder  what  the  pat- 
tern will  be,  but  they  are  littered 
with  all  kinds  of  question  marks. 
■ 

It  is  inevitable  that  confusion 
has  set  in.  It  makes  under- 
standable how  widely  divergent 
the  points  of  view  can  be,  for  it 
is  well  to  remember  that  the 
floodtide  of  thinking  set  in  mo- 
tion by  the  decision  seeks  not 
alone  to  interpret  the  application 
of  that  which  the  Supreme 
Court  has  ruled.  It  also  seeks 
to  probe  into  the  attitudes  which 
the  New  York  court  may  as- 
sume and  the  processes  which  it 
may  pursue. 

This  is  like  skimming  along 
never  too  bravely  on  thin  ice. 

■ 

In  the  history  of  the  case  is 
the  decree  of  the  New  York 
court.  In  the  history  of  the  fu- 
ture there  now  enters  that  por- 
tion of  the  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision which  a  number  of 
thoughtful  observers  hold  to  be 
of  considerable  significance.  It 
must  be  quoted: 

"The  competitive  bidding  sys- 
tem was  perhaps  the  central 
arch  of  the  decree  designed  by 
the  District  Court.  Its  elimina- 
tion [ordered  by  the  high 
bench]  may  affect  the  cases  in 
ways  other  than  those  which  we 
expressly  mention.  ["Cases" 
refers  to  the  Paramount,  Schine 
and  Griffith  decisions,  all  hand- 
ed down  last  Monday]. 

"Hence  on  remand  of  the 
cases  the  freedom  of  the  District 
Court  to  reconsider  the  ade- 
quacy of  decree  is  not  limited  to 
those  parts  we  have  specifically 
indicated." 

The  italics  are  ours,  projected 
into  emphasis  on  the  interpreta- 
tion, presumably  clear,  that  the 
New  York  court  is  empowered 
— if  not  ordered — to  start  from 
scratch  in  all  areas  barring  those 
on  which  the  Supreme  Court 
has  dropped  the  final  curtain. 

But  this  is  an  interpretation, 
too,  no  less  valid  or  more  invalid 
than  the  rest. 


Close  Far  Eastern  Deal 

Allied  Artists-Monogram  has  closed 
with  Middle  East  Motion  Picture  Co. 
for  distribution  of  the  producers'  films 
in  Egypt,  Syria,  Palestine,  Lebanon, 
Iran  and  Iraq. 


Art  Magee  Elected 

Toronto,  May  6. — Art  Magee,  man- 
ager of  the  Oxford  here,  has  been 
elected  president  of  the  B.  and  F.  The- 
atre Managers  Association.  Murray 
Sherriff  is  secretary-treasurer. 


State  Dept.'s  Henry 
Is  Sent  to  Damascus 

Washington,  May  6. — In  a  sur- 
prise move,  State  Department  film  ad- 
viser R.  Horton  Henry  has  been 
transferred  to  Damascus,  to  work  on 
a  "special  project"  completely  un- 
related to  the  motion  picture  industry. 

Henry  replaced  George  Canty  last 
February.  He  admitted  today  that  the 
department  might  classify  his  new  as- 
signment as  "temporary"  and  that  he 
might  return  later  to  his  filraj^"vst, 
but  the  change  is  permanent  *  Jgh 
that  he  plans  taking  his  family  with 
him.  Henry  said  he  hoped  to  break  in 
a  successor  before  he  left  but  had  no 
idea  who  that  might  be. 


H.H.TonksNamed  U-I 
Far  Eastern  Chief 

Joseph  H.  Seidelman,  head  of  for- 
eign operations  for  Universal-Interna- 
tional, has  appointed  Herbert  H. 
Tonks,  U-I  manager  in  Philippines  to 
the  post  of  Far  East  supervisor,  over 
the  Philippines,  China,  Hong  Kong, 
Korea  and  Japan. 


Tierney  Succeeds  Home 

David  D.  Home,  assistant  treasur- 
er-secretary of  Monogram  Interna- 
tional, has  resigned,  it  is  announced 
by  president  Norton  V.  Ritchey,  and 
James  J.  Tierney  has  assumed  his 
duties  as  manager  of  exchange  opera- 
tions. Irving  Karpinos  has  been  in- 
stalled in  Tierney's  former  position 
as  head  of  accounting. 


Canada  Tax  Revenue  Up 

Ottawa,  May  6. — Amusement  tax 
collections  in  Canada  for  March  rose 
to  $1,495,796,  compared  with  $1,166,- 
031  in  the  previous  month. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


■p-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-? 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer       Katharine  Van 
TRACY   HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adolphe  Lewis 

LANSBURY    MENJOU  STONE 
in  FRANK  CAPUA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND  ^ 
CHARLES  LAUGHTON/lfttw©^ 

A  Paramount  Picture 


Vivien  LEIGH 


ROXY1 

7th  Ave.  « 501  h  St. 


A  London  Film  Production 
Released  by  2Qth  Century-Fox  , 


PAUL 
DRAPER 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Pecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative,  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington, 
D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor ;  cable  address;  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept. 
23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.p  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  May  7,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Review 


"The  Iron  Curtain" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

THE  on-his-toes  showman  gets  something  into  which  he  can  sink  his 
exploitation  molars  in  "The  Iron  Curtain."  Its  title  is  familiar  through 
limitless  newspaper  stories  and  its  story,  based  on  the  Soviet  espionage  plot 
in  Canada  two  years  ago,  is  an  interesting  enough  spy  melodrama  to  stand 
on  its  own  even  if  it  had  been  entirely  fictional. 

In  the  semi-documentary  format  of  "Call  Northside  777,"  the  picture  cites 
as  its  authority  the  findings  of  the  Royal  Commission  which  brought  about 
conviction  of  a  number  of  Canadian  citizens  and  attaches  of  the  Soviet  Em- 
bassy at  Ottawa.  No  doubt  ingredients  were  added  in  order  to  build  up  the 
personal  story  of  Igor  Gouzenko,  the  cipher  clerk  who  finally  exposes  the 
plot  to  the  Canadian  authorities. 

Dana  Andrews  plays  Gouzenko  through  whose  hands  there  passes  for 
transmission  to  Moscow  information  about  the  atomic  bomb.  The  conspirators 
are  varied  and  include  members  of  Parliament,  scientists,  clerks  in  top  secret 
government  bureaus,  Army  men  and  Communist  Party  members  proceeding 
under  the  direction  of  Berry  Kroeger.  Andrews  determines  to  expose  the 
plot  when  he  concludes  Soviet  policy  is  heading  for  war.  For  his  reward, 
Canada  becomes  his  permanent  home,  under  official  protection. 

Actual  exteriors  were  photographed  in  Ottawa  and,  of  course,  reflect 
authenticity.  In  pace,  "The  Iron  Curtain"  lacks  speed  but  not  interest, 
until  the  approximate  final  two  reels.  Performances  are  good  although  Gene 
Tierney  as  Andrews'  wife  is  called  upon  sparingly.  Kroeger  does  best  of 
all  among  the  supporting  players  who  include  June  Havoc,  Stefan  Schnabel 
and  Edna  Best.  William  A.  Wellman  directed  competently  for  producer  Sol 
C.  Siegel.  Milton  Krims  was  responsible  for  the  screenplay  and  Alfred 
Newman  for  an  effective  music  score  compiled  from  works  of  leading  Soviet 
contemporaries. 

Running  time  89  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  May  release. 


Johnson  Notes  Move 
}Back  to  the  Majors 

*  With  independent  producers  finding 
it  increasingly  more  difficult  to  get 
backing  from  the  banks,  "many  are 
returning  to  the  majors,"  Nunnally 
Johnson,  producer-writer  and  head  of 
the  production  unit,  Interjohn  Corp., 
declares.  As  a  result,  he  observed, 
better  pictures  are  likely  to  be  made, 
since,  with  the  majors,  greater  risks 
can  be  taken  generally.  Other  favor- 
able factors  noted  are  the  likelihood 
of*, (king  better  sets  and  talent. 

t^^aring  that  now,  as  always,  a 
good  story  is  basic  to  a  successful 
picture,  he  said  that  one  top  problem 
in  production  "is  to  find  a  decent  story 
at  a  fair  price."  Johnson's  next  film, 
set  for  August  release  through  Uni- 

I  versal-International,  is  "Mr.  Peabody 
and  the  Mermaid."  His  contract  calls 
for  three  more  after  that.  Johnson, 

.  who  was  here  on  a  visit,  has  returned 

.  to  Hollywood. 


Kalmenson  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

district ;  Sam  Lefkowitz,  New  York 
Metropolitan ;  Robert  Smeltzer,  Mid- 

!  Atlantic ;  Charles  Rich,  Central ; 
Harry  A.  Seed,  Midwest ;  Hall 
Walsh,  Prairie ;  John  F.  Kirby, 
South   East;    Doak   Roberts,  South 

|  West;  Henry  M.  Herbel,  West 
Coast,  and  Haskell  M.  Masters,  Can- 
ada. Home  office  executives  who  at- 
tended the  meetings  included :  Mort 
Blumenstock,  Jules  Lapidus,  Norman 
Ayres,  Roy  Haines,  Norman  H.  Mo- 
ray, Ed  Hinchy,  Mike  Dolid  and 
Bernard  R.  Goodman. 


Stewart  McDonald  Holding  a 
Warner  Theatre  Meeting  Here 

W.  Stewart  McDonald,  vice-presi- 
dent of  Warner  Theatres,  is  presiding 
over  a  two-day  meeting  of  contact 
managers  at  the  company's  home 
office. 

Home  office  executives  attending  in- 
clude :  James  M.  Brennan,  Frank  J. 
Kiernan,  J.  A.  Cullina,  Neal  Coogan, 
Al  Arre,  Phil  Narod,  Bernard  Rosen- 
zweig,  Ray  Ayrey,  R.  O.  Ericson  and 
S.  F.  Juergan.  Contact  managers  at- 
tending include :  James  P.  Faughman, 
Karl  Heyl,  R.  W.  Knepton,  L.  E. 
Dennis,  J.  A.  Bracken,  J.  Ellis  Ship- 
man,  D.  M.  Stadler,  B.  W.  Steerman, 
C.  E.  McGowan,  Oscar  Gilbertson,  L. 
L.  Weinsz  and  Sol  Abramoff. 

AAA  Gets  Prudential 
Clearance  Complaint 

New  Haven,  May  6. — Prudential 
Theatres,  operating  the  Playhouse 
theatres  in  Darien  and  New  Canaan, 
has  filed  a  clearance  complaint  against 
five  major  distributors  with  the  Amer- 
ican Arbitration  Association. 

Complainant  seeks  elimination  of  the 
30-day  clearance  which  South  Nor- 
walk  has  over  Darien  and  New 
Canaan,  and  asks  that  the  30-day 
clearance  which  Stamford  has  over 
Darien  and  New  Canaan  be  cut  to 
seven  days.  Attorney  William  Gold 
filed  on  behalf  of  Prudential. 


Work  Denies  Suit  Charges 

Clifford  Work,  one  of  five  Univer- 
sal director  defendants  in  the  Stephen 
Truncale  minority  stockholder  suit 
charging  improper  stock  transactions, 
yesterday  filed  in  Federal  Court  here 
a  denial  of  charges  and  a  request  that 
he  be  dismissed  from  the  litigation. 
Work  claims  that  he  realized  no  stock 
profits  within  the  period  governed  by 
the  plaintiff's  amended  complaint. 


NY  Newspaper  Guild 
Award  Cites  Industry 

Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America  president,  was 
presented  with  a  "Page  One  Award" 
Wednesday  night  by  the  Newspaper 
Guild  of  New  York  which  cited  the 
industry  for  recent  films  "which  have 
gone  far  to  further  racial  tolerance 
.  .  .  and  because  of  the  general  excel- 
lence of  those  films."  The  Guild  spe- 
cifically named  "Gentleman's  Agree- 
ment," "Crossfire"  and  "Body  and 
Soul." 

Francis  S.  Harmon,  MPAA  vice- 
president,  accepted  the  award  for 
Johnston.  Other  awards  went  to  Elia 
Kazan  for  his  direction  of  "Gentle- 
man's Agreement,"  and  David  Wechs- 
ler,  producer  of  "The  Search." 

Johnston  on  Video 
For  Family  Parley 

Washington,  May  6. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  president 
Eric  Johnston  went  before  the  NBC 
television  cameras  tonight  for  a  brief 
question-and-answer  program  on  the 
National  Conference  on  Family  Life. 
Johnston  is  presiding  over  the  con- 
ference, which  opened  yesterday  and 
runs  through  Sunday. 


Elect  Edwards,  White 
To  MPAA  Committee 

Madeleine  White  of  Allied  Artists 
and  Steve  Edwards  of  Republic  were 
elected  to  the  advertising  and  publicity 
directors  committee  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  at  a 
meeting  of  the  committee  held  here 
yesterday.  Their  respective  companies 
recently  joined  the  MPAA. 


Joseph  F.  Gabel 

Joseph  F.  Gabel,  a  member  of  East- 
ern Motion  Picture  Assistant  Direc- 
tors Union,  'IA'  local  No.  161,  died 
here  suddenly  Tuesday  night.  Burial 
will  be  Saturday  from  Boyertown 
Funeral  Parlor  here. 


Tax-free  Divestiture 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

touched  off  more  than  an  hour  of  bit- 
ter debate  in  the  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  last  night,  and  a  move  by 
Representative  Gearhart  of  California 
to  put  the  change  in  the  tax  bill  was 
voted  down  by  a  voice  vote.  An  in- 
formal agreement  was  then  reached 
to  let  the  change  ride  for  this  session, 
but  Gearhart  said  today  he  still  might 
press  for  action  this  year  at  later 
committee  meetings. 

"If  Gearhart  brings  the  matter  up 
again,"  one  high-ranking  Republican 
said,  "we'll  have  to  consider  it,  of 
course.  But  I  don't  think  it  will  get 
anywhere.  The  change  would  make 
this  tax  bill  so  controversial  as  to  kill 
the  bill's  chances  of  passage,  and  we 
don't  want  that." 

Under-secretary  A.  L.  M.  Wiggins, 
who  voiced  the  Treasury's  opposition, 
distributed  to  the  committee  members 
copies  of  Monday's  Supreme  Court 
decision  in  the  Paramount  case,  and 
cited  large  portions  to  show  that  the 
court  had  found  the  "Big  Five"  guilty 
of  monopoly.  Such  violations  of  the 
law,  Wiggins  said,  should  not  be  re- 
warded by  special  tax  treatment. 

"It  looks  as  though  we  killed  the 
move,"  one  Democratic  member  of  the- 
committee  said  today.  "But  I  am  sure 
it'll  be  back  again  next  year." 


Levy  Honored 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

his  formal  testimonial  to  Levy.  Ted 
Jacocks  was  master  of  ceremonies. 

In  his  talk,  Gamble  said  that  TOA 
today  has  9,000  theatres  among  its 
members,  representing  two-thirds  of 
the  seats  of  the  nation  and  an  invest- 
ment of  $2,000,000,000. 

Others  on  the  dais  were  Attorney 
General  William  L.  Hadden,  Mayor 
William  C.  Celantaro  of  New  Haven, 
and  Julius  Martz  of  the  New  Haven 
County  Bar  Association. 


'V  Directors  Meet 

Discussion  of  the  Supreme  Court 
decision  in  the  industry  anti-trust  suit 
highlighted  a  meeting  of  the  Universal 
board  of  directors  here  yesterday. 


5th- Walnut  Pre-trial 
Session  Here  Today 

Attorneys  for  the  distributor  defen- 
dants and  the  plaintiff  Fifth  and  Wal- 
nut Amusements  will  hold  a  pre-trial 
conference  before  Federal  Judge  Vin- 
cent Leibel  here  today.  The  $2,100,000 
triple  damage  anti-trust  suit,  in  which 
the  plaintiff  charges  distributors  re- 
fused to  permit  its  National  Theatre 
in  Louisville  to  bid  on  first-run  prod- 
uct, is  scheduled  to  go  to  trial  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  on  Monday. 


Decision 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

a  non-defendant  company,  how- 
ever, the  restraint  again  would 
not  apply,  attorneys  say. 

The  example  has  added  interest  in 
view  of  current  reports  that  Goldwyn, 
on  conclusion  of  his  current  distribu- 
tion deal  with  RKO  Radio,  might 
align  with  a  non-defendant  distribu- 
tor. According  to  reports,  he  has  dis- 
cussed with  Robert  R.  Young  the 
possibility  of  an  affiliation  with  Eagle- 
Lion. 

Cite  Court  on  Price-fixing 

However,  attorneys  who  claim  the 
restraint  upon  advanced  price  policies 
applies  equally  to  defendants  and  non- 
defendants  alike,  point  to  that  part 
of  the  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
Paramount  case  which  holds  a  price- 
fixing  combination  to  be  illegal  per  se. 

The  high  court  in  its  opinion  re- 
ferred to  the  recent  Gypsum  Co.  case 
in  which  it  held  that  patent  -licenses 
containing  price-fixing  agreements 
are  illegal.  Justice  Douglas  asserted 
in  the  Paramount  decision,  "Certainly 
the  rights  of  the  copyright  owner  are 
no  greater  than  those  of  the 
patentee." 

Film  attorneys  claim  that  is  a  blan- 
ket prohibition  against  price-fixing  in 
all  motion  picture  licenses,  whether  of 
defendants  or  non-defendants  and  as- 
sert that  any  aggrieved  exhibitor  who 
had  licensed  an  advanced  admission 
price  film  from  anyone  could  invoke 
the  law  in  his  behalf  and  collect  any 
provable  damages. 

Study  Return  to  Group  Selling 

At  least  one  defendant  company,  it 
was  learned  yesterday,  is  now  study- 
ing the  possibility  of  returning  to 
group  picture  selling.  The  problems 
involved,  a  company  executive  said, 
are  primarily  the  avoidance  of  grant- 
ing discriminatory  terms  of  any  na- 
ture and  restraining  salesmen  from 
doing  anything  which  might  be  con- 
strued as  conditioning  the  sale  of  one 
picture  on  the  purchase  of  another. 


TOA  Membership 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


requires  more  work  to  sweep  in  the 
strays,  so  to  speak,  than  it  did  to  'sign 
up'  units  at  the  outset." 

TOA  now  has  units  in  New  En- 
gland and  the  following  states :  Ala- 
bama, Arkansas,  Mississippi,  Tennes- 
see, California,  Connecticut,  Florida, 
Georgia,  Illinois,  Kansas,  Missouri, 
Kentucky,  Nebraska,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  New  Mexico,  North  and  South 
Carolina,  Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware,  Rhode  Island,  Texas,  Vir- 
ginia, West  Virginia  and  also  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  A  few  states  have 
more  than  one  unit,  while  in  some 
cases  two  or  more  states  comprise  a 
single  unit. 


ALL  EYES  ARE  ON  THE  AD! 

27,799,467  people  (actual  paid  circulation)  will 
read  this  ad  in  112  of  America's  greatest  Sunday 
newspapers  this  week ! 


ALL  EYES  ARE  ON  THE  CAMPAIG 


One  of  the  most  highly  concentrated  publicity 
barrages  in  all  history,  a  result  of  months  of  scien- 
tific planning  in  the  20th  showmanship  tradition, 
started  May  2nd  and  builds  ever  greater! 


BETRAYS  A- 


fi 


ALL  EYES  ARE  ON  THE  500  OPENR 

In  one  week — the  week  of  May  10th — a  500  theatre 
day-and-date  World  Premiere  right  across  the  nation! 


ALL  EYES  ARE  ON  THE  IRON  CURT 


The  most  sensational  and  timely  subject  ever  brought 
to  the  screen!  The  very  newest  and  very  best  in  the 
great  filmed -from-life  technique  introduced  and  made 
famous  by  20th  Century- Fox! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  May  7,  1948 


U.  S.  Producers  to 
New  Australian  Unit 

A  plan  to  film  stage  shows  for 
worldwide  distribution  has  been  start- 
ed in  Australia  by  David  N.  Martin 
of  Tivoli  Theatres,  Sydney,  the  New 
York  office  of  the  Australian  News 
Bureau  reports. 

American  producer  Bernie  Foyer 
has  arrived  in  Sydney  to  take  charge 
of  the  first.  Al  Rosen  will  go  to 
Australia  from  Hollywood  to  produce 
another. 


British  Firms  Set  to 
Produce  in  Canada 

Ottawa,  May  6.  —  The  J.  Arthur 
Rank  Organization  and  other  British 
companies  are  preparing  to  make  fea- 
tures in  Canada.  Authorities  are  en- 
couraging such  a  move  to  conserve 
Canadian  expenditures  of  American 
dollars.  Inquiries  indicate  that  the 
playing  time  of  British  films  has  risen 
considerably  here  in  the  past  year. 


UK  Sifts 


(Continued  from  page  1 ) 


to  await  the  formal  approval  if  it 
can  be  obtained,  of  the  Control  Com- 
mittee which  will  rule  on  all  uses  to 
which  blocked  sterling  may  be  put  by 
the  American  companies. 

R.  G.  Somervell,  influential  Board 
of  Trade  official,  it  is  generally  under- 
stood here,  will  be  the  dominating  in- 
fluence on  the  new  Control  Commit- 
tee, representing  the  British  govern- 
ment view  of  the  employable  sterling 
uses  as  well  as  the  needs  of  the  Brit- 
ish film  industry.  F.  W.  Allport,  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America 
representative  here,  will  represent 
American  interests  on  the  committee. 

According  to  informed  opinion  here, 
Hollywood  won't  be  allowed  even  to 
rent  studio  space  without  Somervell's 
approval. 

Wilson  told  Commons  recently : 
"There  have  been  one  or  two  Ameri- 
can producers  trying  to  rent,  buy  or 
lease  studio  space  and,  in  my  view, 
attempting  to  beat  the  pistol.  That  is 
contrary  to  the  interests  of  British 
film  production.  I  have  informed  Eric 
Johnston  that  we  could  not  agree  to 
the  alienation  of  studio  space  until  the 
agreement  is  published,  the  Control 
Committee  set  up,  and  the  American 
production  program  seen  as  a  whole." 


NLRB  Disqualifies  30 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Chicago.  His  testimony  at  the  hear- 
ing before  NLRB  officer  Robert  Si- 
lagi  here  last  December  was  that 
such  managers  are  not  supervisors  as 
defined  by  the  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Act. 


I  OF  COURSE 


TEXAS, 
ROOKLYN 


HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


Reviews 

"So  This  Is  New  York" 

(Enterprise — United  Artists) 


A 


QUALITY  of  wonderful  freshness  pervades  "So  This  Is  New  York," 
a  satire  of  rare  and  lavish  joy.  Enterprise  gave  radio  comedian  Henry 
Morgan  an  auspicious  entry  into  motion  pictures  in  this  screen  adaptation 
of  Ring  Lardner's  "The  Big  Town,"  providing  him  with  a  luxury  of  gags 
and  subtleties  that  will  keep  Metropolitan  audiences  rocking  with  laughter. 
Small-town  audiences,  however,  may  not  react  with  equal  fervor  to  this 
brand  of  comedy.  Rounding  out  the  cast  are  Rudy  Vallee,  Hugh  Herbert, 
Bill  Goodwin  and  Leo  Gorcey. 

Set  in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  the  story  has  Morgan,  his  wife, 
Virginia  Grey,  and  her  sister,  Dona  Drake,  leave  the  quietude  of  their  native 
South  Bend  for  a  fling  in  New  York.  The  subsequent  happenings,  revealing 
how  in  their  unsophistication  they  are  stripped  of  their  inherited  fortune, 
form  the  core  of  the  story.  What  follows  in  the  unpretentious  plot  is  a  string 
of  loosely-related  sequences,  similar  to  a  series  of  clever  radio  skits. 

The  group  first  meets  Jerome  Cowan,  a  Wall  Street  manipulator  who 
talks  big  but  proves  a  bust.  Next,  as  a  possible  marital  prospect  for  naive 
Miss  Drake,  comes  Herbert,  a  bachelor  of  wealth  and,  alas,  eccentrictiy.  A 
sequence  with  a  handsome  Texas  ranger,  Vallee,  is  next  in  line,  followed 
by  another  episode  with  a  jocky,  Gorcey.  The  final  tragic  venture  for  the 
trio  is  a  short-lived  attempt  to  back  a  play.  Having  thus  lived  and  lost  much 
in  the  big  city,  the  trio  learn  the  hard  way  that  there  is  no  place  like  home. 

As  the  patiently-harassed  husband,  Morgan  goes  through  his  role  with 
exaggerated,  though  effective  restraint.  While  there  is  nothing  complex  in 
the  narrative  development  of  the  screenplay  by  Carl  Foreman  and  Herbert 
Baker,  Richard  O.  Fleischer  has  directed  with  a  sure  command  of  comic 
incident.  Stanley  Kramer  produced. 
Running  time,  79  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  May  release. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


"The  Fuller  Brush  Man" 

(Edward  Small  Productions-Columbia) 

RED  SKELTON  fans,  and  a  lot  of  others,  will  have  a  good  time 
relaxing  with  this  wacky  concoction  about  the  adventures  of  one  of 
Mr.  Fuller's  well-known  brush  salesmen.  The  attraction  makes  very  little 
sense,  and  logic  is  not  one  of  its  strong  points.  But  all  of  this  is  by  deliber- 
ate intent.  "The  Fuller  Brush  Man,"  based  on  a  story  by  Roy  Huggins,  is 
supposed  to  be  screwy  in  order  to  be  funny.  It  succeeds  on  both  these  counts. 

Skelton  is  the  brush  man,  trying  to  make  good  in  order  to  clinch  his 
romance  with  Janet  Blair.  He  runs  into  a  murder  situation  and  muddles  his 
way  through  that  one  to  a  successful  conclusion.  The  gags  and  the  routines 
developed  by  Frank  Tashlin  and  Devery  Freeman  in  their  script  for  execu- 
tion by  producer-director  S.  Sylvan  Simon  are  profuse  and  alternating  in 
effectiveness.  Preponderantly,  however,  they  are  clever  and  climaxed  by  a 
fast-moving,  completely  crazy  chase  sequence  in  a  waterfront  warehouse 
where  surplus  war  material  is  converted  into  the  props.  Skelton  is  the  highlight 
and  along  with  the  gags,  is  the  show.  The  remainder  of  the  cast  has  little 
to  do.  Miss  Blair,  as  the  romantic  foil,  is  satisfactory. 

Running  time,  93  minutes.  General  audience  clasification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Red  Kann 


"River  Lady" 

(  Universal-International) 

AS  a  romantic  outdoor  drama  about  hard-ribbed  lumbermen  and  scheming 
villains,  "River  Lady"  is  always  diverting  despite  the  story's  trans- 
parency. Set  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century,  with  most  of  the  action 
along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  the  film  features  Yvonne  DeCarlo,  Dan 
Duryea  and  Rod  Cameron.  Heightened  value  is  given  by  Technicolor. 

Revolving  around  Miss  DeCarlo,  a  gambling  boat  proprietress  who  has 
a  hankering  for  respectability,  the  story  has  her  "buying"  an  important 
position  for  Cameron,  with  whom  she  is  in  love.  When,  however,  he  learns 
how  be  became  head  of  the  lumber  camp,  Cameron  rebels  and  marries  an- 
other, Helena  Carter.  Interwoven  with  this  flimsy  romantic  conflict,  the 
plot  also  presents  Duryea  as  an  oily  mastermind  who  has  a  syndicate  which 
is  strangling  independent  lumbermen  in  the  area.  The  action  is  kept  at  a 
brisk  pace  throughout  by  George  Sherman's  direction.  With  the  aid  of 
dynamite  in  a  smash-up  finale,  Cameron  cleans  out  the  syndicate,  and  Miss 
DeCarlo  becomes  reconciled  to  losing  Cameron  to  Miss  Carter.  The  screen- 
play by  D.  D.  Beauchamp  and  William  Bowers,  gives  Miss  DeCarlo  the 
chance  to  sing  a  couple  of  songs  and  cavort  about  in  some  striking  gowns. 
Leonard  Goldstein  produced.  The  story  is  from  the  novel  by  Houston  Branch 
and  Frank  Waters. 

Running  time,  78  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  May  release. 

M.  H. 


Swedish  Series  to  20th 

A  series  of  nature  stories  will  be 
presented  in  a  program  of  one-reelers 
which  20th  Century-Fox  will  release 
this  summer,  it  was  announced  by 
Peter  Levathes,  short  subjects  sales 
manager.  They  were  prepared  in  col- 
laboration with  the  A.  B.  Svensk 
Filmindustrie,  Swedish  organization, 
represented  by  Rudolph  Carlson. 


14%  Wage  Hike  at  Morris 

A  14  per  cent  average  wage  in- 
crease, effective  immediately,  has  been 
won  by  the  Screen  Office  and  Profes- 
sional Employes  Guild  for  some  60 
"white  collar"  workers  at  the  Wil- 
liam Morris  Agency  here.  Increases 
are  for  $5,  $6  and  $7  weekly.  Nego- 
tiations had  been  reopened  on  a  con- 
tract which  had  another  year  to  run. 


'If s  Only  Money* ,  as 
One  MGM  Film  Said 

Washington,  May  6. — Louis 
B.  Mayer,  M-G-M  production 
executive  and  one  of  the  na- 
tion's top  money-earners,  to- 
day authorized  M-G-M's  local 
manager,  Carter  T.  Barron,  to 
donate  to  charity  the  $2-a- 
day  fee  Mayer  earned  from 
the  Government  as  a  witness 
in  the  contempt  of  Congresjf? 
trials  of  John  Howard  Lai 
son  and  Dalton  Trumbo. 


Albert  Maltz  Trial 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  Maltz  record  as  the  basis  of  a 
subsequent  appeal,  without  the  need 
of  repeating  all  of  the  arguments  in 
court.  Then,  on  Monday,  the  attor- 
neys can  get  right  down  to  picking  a 
jury. 

Judge  David  A.  Pine  granted  the 
continuance.  Earlier  he  had  vacated 
his  own  order  giving  the  defense  the 
right  to  a  get  a  deposition  from  House 
Un-American  Activities  Committee 
chairman  Thomas,  whose  physician 
testified  the  New  Jersey  Republican 
was  too  ill  even  to  give  a  deposition 
in  the  case.  Pine  also  denied  defense 
motions  for  a  continuance  of  the  trial 
until  Thomas  is  well  enough  to  testify, 
and  for  a  change  of  the  trial  to  an- 
other area. 

Defense  attorneys  were  given  an 
extra  five  days,  due  to  pressure  of 
other  affairs,  to  file  a  motion  for  a 
new  trial  in  the  case  of  Trumbo,  con- 
victed yesterday  on  two  contempt 
counts. 


Communist    Curb    Bill  Set 
For  House  Debate  Thursday 

Washington,  May  6. — House  Re- 
publican leaders  today  decided  to  be- 
gin debate  next  Thursday  on  the 
House  Un-American  Activities  Com- 
mittee's bill  to  curb  the  Communist 
Party.  A  v°te  will  probably  come 
next  Friday  or  early  in  the  following 
week. 


Strike  Newsreels  for 
House  Labor  Hearing 

Washington,  May  6. — The  House 
Labor  Committee,  which  will  open 
hearings  on  "the  right  to  work"  here 
on  Tuesday  with  producer  Cecil  B. 
DeMille  as  the  lead-off  witness,  will 
be  shown  special  newsreels  showing 
recent  strike  violence,  according  to 
committee  chairman  Fred  S.  Hartley, 

Hartley  said  DeMille  will  arrive 
here  Monday  from  Hollywood 


Friday,  May  7,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


90  -  Station  Video 
Network  by  1952 

A  16-station  interconnected 
NBC  television  network, 
stretching  from  Missouri  to 
Massachusetts,  will  be  in  op- 
eration by  the  end  of  1948,  it 
was  announced  by  Frank  E. 
Mullen,  NBC  executive  vice- 
president,  with  the  signing  of 
Midwest  affiliates  KSD-TV, 
Louis;  WWJ-TV,  Detroit, 
nd  WTMJ-TV,  Milwaukee. 
By  mid-1952  the  16  will  be 
increased  to  a  90  -  station 
Coast-to-Coast  network. 


Raibourn  Promotes 
Four  in  Video  Unit 

Paul  Raibourn,  vice-president  of 
Paramount  Pictures  in  charge  of  tele- 
vision, has  appointed  Richard  Hodg- 
son director  of  technical  operations 
for  the  television  division.  Hodgson 
has  been  with  Paramount  as  technical 
assistant  to  Raibourn. 

Carl  Maurer  of  Paramount's  tele- 
vision has  been  advanced  to  super- 
visor of  development  engineering; 
Walter  Swenson  was  named  super- 
visor of  studio  operations  and  Theo- 
dore Grenier  was  appointed  supervisor 
of  remote  operations  for  theatre  tele- 
vision activities. 


Reviews 


Signal  Corps  Reserve 
Forming  on  the  Coast 

Hollywood,  May  6.  —  Fred  S. 
Meyer  has  been  appointed  chairman  of 
a  committee  authorized  by  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Motion  Picture  Producers 
to  select  a  coordinator  from  among 
studio  personnel  to  work  on  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  U.  S.  Army  Signal 
Corps  Reserve  in  Hollywood.  Major 
General  W.  0.  Reeder  proposed  such 
a  unit  and  at  recent  informal  confer- 
ences it  was  approved  by  major 
studios. 


CBS  Promotes  Three 

Three  promotions  at  Columbia 
Broadcasting  are  described  by  Frank 
Stanton,  president,  as  being  directly 
related  to  expanding  television  opera- 
tions and  the  integration  of  television 
with  other  CBS  broadcasting  activi- 
ties. Lawrence  W.  Lowman,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  television,  be- 
comes a  vice-president  and  general 
executive ;  J.  L.  Van  Volkenburg,  di- 
rector of  station  administration,  be- 
comes vice-president  and  director  of 
television  operations ;  J.  Kelly  Smith, 
director  of  station  relations,  becomes 
vice-president  in  charge  of  station  ad- 
ministration. 


"Waterfront  at  Midnight" 

(Paramount) 

IN  formula  fashion,  the  producing  team  of  William  Pine  and  William 
Thomas  made  a  snooting  melodrama  about  cops  and  gangsters  against  a 
waterfront  background,  presenting  William  Gargan  as  a  police  lieutenant 
who  matches  wits  with  the  underworld  and  finds  it  hard  going  at  first.  In 
support  are  Mary  Beth  Hughes,  Richard  Travis  and  Richard  Crane.  What 
the  picture  lacks  in  originality  of  incident  is  compensated  for  by  action  and 
excitement. 

The  original  screenplay,  devised  by  Bernard  Girard,  has  the,  underworld 
group  luring  Gargan's  brother  into  their  criminal  activities,  thus  creating 
a  thorny  predicament  for  Gargan.  When  the  brother  gets  too  troublesome 
for  the  thugs,  they  do  away  with  him  in  a  manner  that  suggests  that  Gargan 
did  the  killing.  This  precipitates  Gargan's  moral  disintegration,  but  he  makes 
a  fighting  comeback  that  sees  the  criminals  jailed.  Besides  Miss  Hughes  as 
the  gun-moll  who  is  regenerated,  female  interest  is  further  held  up  by  Cheryl 
Walker  as  Gargan's  wife.  William  Berke  directed. 

Running  time,  63  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
June  25,  1948.  M.  H. 


« 


Campus  Sleuth 

(Monogram)  Hollywood,  May  6 

PRODUCER-DIRECTOR  Will  Jason  took  on  a  stiff  chore  when  he 
undertook  to  combine  collegiate  comedy,  dance-band  entertainment  and 
a  murder  mystery,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  each  of  the  three  elements 
suffers  from  the  intermittent  emphasis  on  the  others.  The  mystery  suffers 
greater  than  the  other  two,  although  there  is  a  lot  of  motion  maintained  and 
this  may  compensate  for  lack  of  cohesion.  Freddie  Stewart  does  most  of  the 
singing,  and  Bobby  Sherwood's  orchestra  furnishes  the  band  numbers,  Sher- 
wood appearing  also  as  the  murderer.  Donald  MacBride's  performance  of  a 
police  inspector  is  solid.  Jason  worked  with  a  script  by  Hal  Collins,  based 
on  a  story  by  the  latter  and  Max  Wilson. 

The  picture  opens  at  a  college  dance,  with  music  by  Sherwood's  boys,  and 
establishes  the  murder  theme  when  a  visiting  photographer  is  choked  to  death 
outside  the  dancehall.  The  body,  discovered  by  a  student  (Warren  Mills), 
disappears  and  is  whisked  about  for  a  time  by  a  campus  watchman  who  is 
an  ex-convict.  Emphasis  is  upon  comedy  and  music  most  of  the  way  from 
this  point.  Maurice  Duke  was  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  57  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
April  18. 


U.  S.  Equipment  Still 
Tops  Canadian  Mart 

Ottawa,  May  6. — U.  S.  distribu- 
tors of  film  and  equipment  have  main- 
tained their  leadership  here  in  the  face 
of  the  serious  U.  S.  dollar  shortage, 
according  to  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment's report  on  imports  for  the  first 
two  months  of  1948. 

Up  to  March  1,  this  country  im- 
ported $232,241  worth  of  projectors 
from  the  U.  S.  compared  with  $1,303 
from  Switzerland  and  $514  from  the 
United  Kingdom ;  cameras  and  cam- 
era parts,  $85,315  from  the  U.  S., 
$14,122  from  Germany,  $8,278  from 
the  U.K.;  positive  film,  $140,210  from 
the  U.S.,  $21,801  from  France,  $15,- 
710  from  the  U.K.;  negative  film, 
$18,144  from  the  U.S. 


New  RCA  Projector 
For  Telecasting 

Camden,  May  6.  —  A  new  35mm. 
sound  proj  ector  which  will  enable  tele- 
casters  to  expand  programming  facili- 
ties by  using  35mm.  films  has  been  de- 
veloped by  RCA. 

The  new  type  projects  directly  onto 
the  pickup  tube  of  a  television  camera 
for  conversion  to  video  signals,  and  is 
based  on  the  Brenkert  theatre  pro- 
jector. 


3  Video  Bids  in  Canada 

Ottawa,  May  6. — Applications  for 
three  permits  to  erect  television  sta- 
tions in  Canada  will  be  studied  at 
public  sessions  here  May  18-19  by 
the  government  -  owned  Canadian 
Broadcasting  Corp.'s  board  of  gov- 
ernors. It  will  be  the  first  time  the 
board  will   study   such  applications. 


Video  Overhauled 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Weintraub  in  Video  Post 

Seymour  Weintraub  has  been  ap- 
pointed director  of  television  for  Film 
Highlights,  Inc.,  Martin  Ross,  presi- 
dent, announces.  Explaining  that  it 
is  the  "first  step  in  a  large-scale  tele- 
vision expansion  program"  planned  by 
the  company,  Ross  revealed  that  he 
is  negotiating  for  30  feature  subjects 
to  be  released  as  a  package  for  video 
presentation. 


Next  ATS  Meet  May  12 

The  American  Television  Society 
will  discuss  "The  Independent  Pro- 
ducer and  Director  in  Television,"  on 
Wednesday  evening,  May  12,  at  New 
York's  Willkie  Memorial  Hall. 


megacycle  band  for  black  and  white, 
color  or  both  types  of  television.  Tele- 
vision broadcasters  have  long  contend- 
ed they  must  be  allowed  to  expand 
soon  into  these  upper  reaches. 

Hearings  Set  for  June  14 

Finally,  the  Commission  has  set 
June  14  for  hearing  proposals  to  re- 
vise the  allocation  of  the  existing  12 
channels.  Most  of  these  proposals  are 
designed  to  insure  more  effective  use 
of  the  channels,  taking  channels  away 
from  areas  where  they  are  not  being 
used,  and  giving  additional  ones  to 
areas  where  the  demand  exceeds 
supply. 

The  Commission  today  announced 
also  a  proposed  rule  graduating  the 
length  of  time  television  stations  must 
give  programs  each  week  in  propor- 
tion to  the  length  of  time  the  station 
has  been  in  operation. 

The  rule,  which  presumably  will  be 
made  final  in  the  near  future,  relaxes 
a  previous  FCC  proposal,  and  repre- 
sents a  victory  for  the  Television 
Broadcasters  Association,  which  asked 
for  the  graduated  scale. 

Provisions  for  Program  Rule 

The  FCC  rule-  would  require  sta- 
tions to  present  programs  for  not  less 
than  two  hours  a  day,  five  days  a 
week,  and  not  less  than  12  hours  a 
week,  during  the  first  18  months  of 
operation.  This  would  be  increased 
to  16  hours  a  week  during  the  next  six 
months,  to  20  hours  during  the  next 
six,  and  to  24  hours  after  30  months 
of  operation.  After  three  years  of 
operating,  stations  would  be  required 
to  give  programs  not  less  than  two 
hours  a  day,  seven  days  week,  and  not 
less  than  28  hours  a  week. 


Jack  Kirsch 

president,  Allied  Theatres 
of  Illinois,  Inc.,  says: 


"ALTEC  HELPS  US  KEEP  PEOPLE 
COMING  INTO  OUR  THEATRES" 


"It  is  easy  for  me  to  explain  why 
I  consider  Altec  Service  a  friend 
of  our  business.  The  Altec  en- 
gineer's entire  career  is  concen- 
trated on  preserving  our  equip- 
ment and  getting  the  full  value 
out  of  it,  and  keeping  our  re- 
placement costs  and  our  operating 
costs  at  a  minimum.  The  Altec 
research  men,  furthermore,  are 
always  analyzing  the  technical 
weaknesses  which  cause  break- 


downs, and  developing  corrective 
measures  to  keep  them  from 
happening.  Altec  helps  us  keep 
people  coming  into  our  theatres, 
—not  going  somewhere  else  for 
entertainment." 


Service  Corporation 
250  West  57th  St. 
New  York  19,  N.Y. 


Altec  Service,  known  for  its  serv- 
ice "over  and  above  the  contract" 
is  a  vital  ingredient  of  your  thea- 
tre's ability  to  meet  successfully 
the  competition  of  other  forms 
of  entertainment.  An  Altec 
Service  contract  is  the  soundest 
long  term  investment  an  exhibitor 
can  make  today. 


THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


this  is  one 
of  the  most 
remarkable 
raves  ever 
printed  in  a 
top-ranking 
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By  JIMMY  STARR 

M°«°n  Picture  Editor 
Last  Tupcrjo 

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Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  90 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  MAY  10,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Retain  11.17% 
Bonus  Now  in 
Effect:  Studios 


Producers  Counter  'I A' 
Bid  in  New  Pact  Talks 


Hollywood,  May  9. — Continua- 
tion of  the  current  11.17  per  cent 
cost-of-living  payments  to  studio 
employes  until  Aug.  10,  1949  has 
been  offered  by  the  producers  in  the 
course  of  negotiations  for  a  new  con- 
tract with  IATSE,  it  was  disclosed 
here  at  the  weekend  in  a  joint  state- 
ment by  Charles  Boren,  representing 
the  Association  of  Motion  Picture 
Producers,  and  Rov  Brewer  of 
IATSE. 

The  announcement,  which  said  that 
meetings  would  continue  after  the 
union  has  had  a  chance  to  study  the 
counter-proposal  by  the  studios,  was 
issued  after  a  meeting  here  Friday  be- 
tween Boren  and  Brewer. 

The  producers'  offer  also  provides 
that  IATSE  could  reopen  negotiations 
if  the  national  Bureau  of  Labor  Sta- 
tistics shows  that  the  cost-of-living 
index  has  risen  to  a  point  equalling 
15  per  cent  during  the  pact.  The  11.7 
per  cent  payments  have  been  in  effect 
since  Jan.  1,  1947. 


Myers  Sees  'Flood' 
Of  Anti-trust  Suits 


Washington,  May  9. — Allied  States 
chairman  Abram  F.  Myers  predicts 
"a  flood  of  damage  suits"  as  a  result 
of  the  Supreme  Court's  refusal  to  re- 
view the  Goldman  Theatre  case. 
Myers  said  that  one  of  the  great  dif- 
ficulties in  damage  suits  had  always 
been  inability  to  prove  damages.  "The 
Jackson  Park  decision  partly  cleared 
that  up,"  he  stated,  "and  the  Goldman 
decision  removes  the  last  problem  for 
damage  suits :  how  to  get  a  decision 
for  a  theatre  that  has  never  opened." 

The  Allied  official  stressed  that  he 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Permits  Inspection  of 
Percentage  Books 

Permission  for  inspection  of  records 
of  theatres  in  the  Eisenberg  and 
Cohen  circuit  was  granted  here  at  the 
weekend  by  Judge  Knox  in  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  in  separate  percentage 
actions  brought  by  Loew's  and  RKO 
Radio.  Defendants  are  Sidney  Cohen, 
Philip  Eisenberg,  Rhinebeck  The- 
atres and  Millerton  Amusement 
Corp. ;    theatres    involved    are  the 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Heineman  Sets  Four 
E-L  Sales  Meetings 

Eagle-Lion  distribution  vice-presi- 
dent William  J.  Heineman  will  con- 
duct four  district  sales  meetings  this 
month,  the  first  slated  for  next  Sat- 
urday and  Sun- 
day in  New 
York,  to  be  at- 
tended by  10 
Eastern  branch 
managers.  Next 
meeting  will  be 
held  in  Chicago, 
May  22-23.  A 
New  Orleans 
meeting  will  be 
held  May  24, 
and  one  in  San 
Francisco 
on  May  29. 

Advertising  - 
publicity  vice- 
president  Max 
E.  Youngstein  and  assistant  general 
sales  manager  Jack  Schlaifer  will  join 
Heineman  at  all  of  the  meetings. 
Eagle-Lion  plans  to  extend  to  J. 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


W.  J.  Heineman 


TOA's  Youth  Month 
Pledged  Reels'  Aid 

The  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
Youth  Month  committee  on  Friday 
was  pledged  the  aid  of  the  industry's 
newsreels  at  a  luncheon-meeting  held 
at  the  St.  Moritz  Hotel  here.  Charles 
P.  Skouras,  committee  chairman,  was 
host,  and  Ted  R.  Gamble,  TOA  head, 
presided. 

Support  of  the  newsreels  was  hailed 
by  John  W.  Andrews  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice,  who  is  administrative 
vice-chairman  of  the  National  Con- 
ference for  the  Prevention  and  Con- 
trol  of  Juvenile   Delinquency.  He 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Hearing  To  Open  on 
Para.  Video  Control 

Washington,  May  9. — Federal 
Communications  Commission  will  open 
hearings  here  tomorrow  to  determine 
the  extent  of  Paramount's  control  over 
Allen  B.  DuMont  Laboratories  and 
other  subsidiaries,  including  New 
England  Theatres,  United  Detroit 
Theatres,  Balaban  and  Katz,  Inter- 
state, and  Television  Productions, 
Inc. 

At  stake  are  applications  of  these 
subsidiaries  for  new  television  stations. 
The  FCC  will  decide  whether  to  re- 
verse an  earlier  ruling  that  Para- 
mount controls  all  of  these  firms,  and 
that  if  the  new  stations  are  approved, 
Paramount  would  have  more  than  the 
five  station  top-limit  allowed  any  one 
corporation. 


House  Group  Probes 
FCC  for  'Leftism' 

Washington,  May  9.  —  The 
House  Un-American  Activi- 
ties Committee  is  investigat- 
ing the  Federal  Communca- 
tions  Commission,  according 
to  a  committee  member.  Sev- 
eral members  of  the  FCC 
have  been  under  Congres- 
sional criticism  for  "leftist" 
leanings,  and  Representative 
Hebert  has  demanded  an  in- 
quiry to  determine  whether 
the  commission  "is  part  of  a 
Red  network". 


Urge  Reciprocal 
Act  with  'Teeth' 


Washington,  May  9. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  president  Eric  Johns- 
ton, Eastman  Kodak  treasurer  Marion 
B.  Folsom,  and  William  Benton  have 
joined  leaders  of  other  industries  in 
urging  Congress  toenact  a  three-year 
extension  of  the  reciprocal  trade  agree- 
ments Act  "without  weakening  amend- 
ments." 

They  are  members  of  the  research 
and  policy  committee  which  over  the 
weekend  submitted  a  brief  to  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee 
in  favor  of  the  trade  agreements. 

"Extension  of  the  act,"  the  brief 
said,  "should  be  followed  by  a  vigor- 
ous policy  of  negotiation  to  bring 
about  substantial  rate  reductions  in 
other  countries  in  exchange  for  further 
rate  reductions  here."  The  CED  em- 
phasized that  the  policy  recommended 
"is  in  our  own  national  interest." 

The  House  committee  is  expected  to 
report  out  a  bill  this  week,  probably  a 
one-year  extension  of  the  act  with 
limitations  on  the  Administration's 
power  to  enter  new  agreements. 


U-I  Starts  Filming 
In  Italy  in  the  Fall 

Three  to  five  American  stars,  to- 
gether with  producer  Robert  Buck- 
ner,  a  director  and  production  men 
from  Universal-International's  Coast 
studios,  will  go  to  Italy  in  the  fall  to 
film  the  recently-acquired  "Paradise 
Lost— 1948,"  it  is  disclosed  by  Wil- 
liam Goetz,  U-I  production  executive, 
who  stated  that  his  visit  to  England 
to  meet  with  J.  Arthur  Rank,  an- 
nounced several  weeks  ago,  now  will 
be  extended  to  include  production  con- 
ferences on  Italy. 

This  augments  previously  -  an- 
nounced plans  of  U-I  to  produce  two 
films  in  England,  utilizing  studio  fa- 
cilities of  the  Rank  Organization. 


See  N.Y.  Court 
Action  Before 
Fall  Unlikely 

Court's  Docket  Crowded, 
So  Is  Justice  Dept.'s 

Current  congested  condition  of 
the  New  York  Federal  Court  cal- 
endar, together  with  pressure  of 
work  upon  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice Anti-Trust  division  for  the  im- 
mediate future,  make  new  proceedings 
in  the  U.  S.  vs.  Paramount  case  be- 
fore next  fall  extremely  unlikely,  New 
York  and  Washington  opinion  appears 
to  be  agreed. 

One  Justice  Department  offi- 
cial said  on  Friday  that  even  if 
the  Anti-Trust  division  "did  not 
have  its  hands  full  at  the  mo- 
ment," it  was  extremely  doubt- 
ful whether  the  New  York 
court  would  take  on  proceed- 
ings of  the  size  indicated  by  the 
Supreme  Court  opinion  at  the 
beginning  of  summer. 

New  York  attorneys  agree  for  the 
most  part,  pointing  not  only  to  the 
crowded  Federal  Court  docket  here 
but  also  to  the  fact  that  a  replacement 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


'Showcase'  Houses 
Seen  Decree-Proof 


Industry  legal  minds,  still  wander- 
ing among  the  paragraphs  of  the  Par- 
amount, Schine  and  Griffith  Supreme 
Court  decisions,  are  inclined  to  the 
belief  at  this  stage  that  "showcase" 
houses  are  pretty  safe  from  any  dives- 
titure order  which  might  eventuate  as 
a  result  of  those  decisions. 

Defendants'  big  Broadway  houses 
are  particularly  regarded  as  being  in 
the  clear  legally.  Showcase  houses 
elsewhere  are  regarded  as  being  in 
approximately  the  same  position,  their 
operation  being  primarily  for  the  pur- 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


5-Week  Trial  Seen 
For  5th-Walnut  Suit 


Columbia  attorney  Louis  Frohlich, 
of  the  New  York  law  firm  of 
Schwartz  and  Frohlich,  foresees  a 
five-week  hearing  for  the  Fifth  and 
Walnut  anti-trust  suit  which  will  go 
to  trial  today  before  Federal  Judge 
Vincent  Leibel  in  U.  S.  District 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


2 


motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  May  10,  1948 


Newsreel 
Parade 


Personal 
Mention 


Tradewise .  .  . 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


JOSEPH  BERNHARD,  president 
of  Film  Classics,  was  guest  of  his 
associates  at  luncheon  on  Friday  on 
the  occasion  of  his  59th  birthday ; 
FC's  vice-president,  Bernard  Kranze, 
presided. 

• 

Joe  Kaufman,  associate  producer 
of  Allied  Artists'  "The  Babe  Ruth 
Story,"   and   star   William  Bendix 
have  arrived  here  from  the  Coast. 
• 

M.  L.  Simons,  H.  M.  Richey's  as- 
sistant at  M-G-M,  is  due  back  here 
today  from  the  Southwest.  Richey 
is  in  Chicago. 

• 

Leon  Roth,  United  Artists  promo- 
tion manager,  and  Mrs".  Roth,  are 
parents  of  a  second  son,  Steven  Jo- 
seph, born  at  Gotham  Hospital. 
• 

Charles  Handel,  United  Artist^ 
photographic  editor  here,  and  Mrs. 
Handel,  are  parents  of  a  second  son, 
Kenneth. 

• 

F.  \Y.  Allport,  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America  representative, 
sailed  aboard  the  S.S.  Queen  Mary  on 
Friday  for  London. 

• 

F.  J.  A.  McCarthy,  Universal- 
International's  Southern  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  Indianapolis. 

• 

Edward  Lachman,  president  of  Al- 
lied of  New  Jersey,  is  on  an  extended 
field  trip  which  will  take  him  to  the 
Coast. 

• 

Deborah  Kerr  is  due  here  on  May 
21  from  Hollywood,  en  route  to 
England. 

• 

Gordon  Harting  has  purchased  the 
Pier  Theatre,  Pierson,  Neb.,  from 
Benson  and  Shipley. 

• 

F.  J.  Weatherly  has  purchased 
the  Snyder  Theatre,  Snyder,  Neb., 
from  Omar  Brazda. 

• 

Karl  Herzog,  Cinecolor  vice-presi- 
dent, flew  from  New  York  to  Holly- 
wood at  the  weekend. 

George  Cukor,  M-G-M  director, 
delayed  his  scheduled  Saturday  sailing 
for  England. 

• 

Carroll  L.  Puciato  and  James  B. 
Harris,  Realart  executives,  have  re- 
turned here  from  Pittsburgh. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M's  Southern 
sales  manager,  is  in  Atlanta. 

• 

Errol  Flynn  is  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood. 

Messmore  Kendall  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  Palm  Beach. 

Irene  Dunne  is  due  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood  on  Wednesday. 
• 

Gracie  Fields  is  due  here  today 
from  Hollywood. 


T  NDUSTRY  attorneys  of  long 
experience  believe  that  the 
potentialities  of  the  decisions 
handed  down  by  the  Supreme 
Court  last  week  in  the  Para- 
mount, Griffith,  Schine  and  Wil- 
liam Goldman  cases  are  so  many 
that  the  industry  may  be  years 
in  adjusting  itself  to  all  that 
eventuates. 

Many,  including  some  counsel 
for  theatre  owning  defendants, 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  deci- 
sions' effects  upon  trade  prac- 
tices will  be  foremost. 

The  Griffith  decision  is  of 
particular  interest  to  attorneys 
because  it  involved  a  reversal  of 
the  lower  court.  Griffith  had 
been  given  what  amounted  to  a 
clean  bill  of  health  by  the  Okla- 
homa City  Federal  court.  Not 
so,  defendants  in  the  Paramount 
and  Schine  cases.  Illegal  prac- 
tices but  no  national  conspiracy 
was  found  by  the  lower  court  in 
the  Paramount  case,  and  partial 
divestiture  was  ordered  by  the 
Buffalo  Federal  court  in  the 
Schine  case. 

But  in  the  Griffith  case,  the 
lower  court  found  for  the  de- 
fendant in  every  major  instance. 
The  Supreme  Court  reversed  the 
Oklahoma  City  court,  said  that 
it  had  erred,  told  it  why  and 
what  it  expected  it  to  do  on  a 
remand  of  the  case. 

Consequently,  some  attorneys 
see  a  more  direct  and  precise 
example  of  the  will  and  intent  of 
the  Supreme  Court  in  the  lan- 
guage to  be  found  in  the 
Crescent  opinion  than  in  that  of 
the  other  opinions  because, 
violations  of  the  Sherman  Act 
already  having  been  found  in  the 
other  cases,  it  was  assumed  the 
high  court  felt  there  was  less 
need  of  its  being  as  explicit 
about  those  as  it  apparently  was 
in  addressing  itself  to  the  Okla- 
homa court. 

A  sample  of  the  language  to 
be  found  in  the  Griffith  opinion, 
written  by  Justice  Douglas: 

"Appellees  (Griffith  defend- 
ants) were  concededly  using 
their  circuit  buying  power  to  ob- 
tain films."  (How  many  in  the 
industry  thought  that  was  ille- 
gal? And  how  many  besides 
Griffith  does  that  apply  to?) 

"...  Monopoly  rights  in  the 
form  of  certain  exclusive  privi- 
leges were  bargained  for  and 
obtained.  These  exclusive  privi- 
leges (run,  price,  clearance, 
etc.)  being  acquired  by  the  use 
of  monopoly  power,  were  unlaw- 


fully acquired,"  Justice  Douglas 
declares.  "The  appellees,  hav- 
ing combined  with  each  other 
and  with  the  distributors  to  ob- 
tain those  monopoly  rights, 
formed  a  conspiracy  in  violation 
of  the  Sherman  Act." 

With  that  language  in  mind, 
how  would  you,  if  you  were  a 
distributor,  sell  to  a  circuit,  in- 
dependent or  affiliated,  in  com- 
petitive situations  in  the  future  ? 

Justice  Douglas  also  declares 
in  the  Griffith  decision :  "When 
the  buying  power  of  the  entire 
circuit  is  used  to  negotiate  films 
for  his  competitive  as  well  as 
his  closed,  towns  (or  read  "situ- 
ations" for  "towns")  he  is  using 
monopoly  power  to  expand  his 
empire.  And  even  if  we  assume 
that  a  specific  intent  to  accomp- 
lish that  result  is  absent,  he  is 
chargeable  in  legal  contempla- 
tion with  that  purpose.  .  .  .  That 
is  the  effect  whether  one  exhibi- 
tor makes  the  bargain  with  the 
distributor  or  whether  two  or 
more  exhibitors  lump  together 
their  buying  power." 

That   should   give   pause  to 
buying-booking  combines. 
• 

Attorneys  also  find  consider- 
able interest  in  the  sanction 
which  the  Supreme  Court  be- 
stows by  significant  and  repeat- 
ed reference,  upon  the  remedies 
invoked  in  the  Crescent  case. 

That  could  be  a  clue  not  only 
to  what  the  high  court  requires 
of  defendants  in  the  present 
case,  but  a  preview  in  miniature 
of  what  circuit  operation  is  to 
become  in  the  near  future. 

By  the  way,  just  how  are  the 
Crescent  properties  making  out 
these  days  ? 

The  general  belief  in  New 
York  trade  quarters  after  sev- 
eral days  of  digesting  the  three 
decisions  is  that  they  will  call 
for  considerable  adjustment — of 
industry  thinking  processes  as 
well  as  methods  of  doing  busi- 
ness. Those  who  envision  a  dras- 
tic upheaval,  a  root  and  branch 
elimination,  or  a  complete  turn- 
over of  the  industry  as  constitut- 
ed after  50  years  of  evolution, 
are  in  a  decided  minority. 

The  Supreme  Court  decisions 
in  the  Standard  Oil,  meat  pack- 
ing, aluminum  and  numerous 
other  cases  certainly  broke  upon 
those  industries  with  no  less  im- 
pact than  did  last  week's  deci- 
sions on  this  industry. 

But  look  at  them  today.  Seem 
pretty  healthy,  don't  they? 


THE  Republican  Presidential 
battle  and  President  Trmnan's 
speech  on  housing  are  current  nezvs- 
reel  highlights.  Other  items  include 
Princess  Juliana  inspecting  a  coal 
mine,  sports,  fashions  and  human  in- 
terest items.  Complete  contents  follow : 

MOVIETONE  NEWS*  No.  37  — R^gJ>- 
lican  battle  for  Presidential  nominip 
Ohio  primary,  Oregon  campaign.  Pre^  it 
Truman's  speech  about  housing  and  family 
welfare.  Gas  explosion  demolishes  Long 
Island  homes.  Tornadoes  in  West  Virginia 
and  Texas.  Gen.  Wainright  honored  by 
Masons.  Monkeys  clean  St.  Louis  zoo.  U.  S. 
prepares  for  Olympics. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  271— President 
Truman  sees  peril  in  housing  shortage. 
Flight  over  China's  highest  peaks.  Tornado 
ruins  in  Texas.  Gov.  Dewey  campaigns. 
Fashions.  Chimps  clean  zoo. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  74— Repub- 
lican primary  battle.  Animal  news:  world's 
tiniest  dog.  Family  Life  meeting  hears 
President  Truman  on  housing.  Uncle  Sam's 
woman  divers. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL,  No.  141  — 

Navy  fleet  ready  for  action.  President  Tru- 
man lauds  family  life.  Princess  Juliana  in- 
spects Holland  coal  mine.  Tornado  levels 
Texas  town.  Gas  blast  wrecks  Long  Island 
residence.  Helicopter  flies  inside  building. 
Chimps  do  spring  cleaning. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,   No.  76  — 

Freak  disasters  across  the  country.  Hol- 
land's Princess  Juliana  visits  coal  miners. 
Trouble  in  Trieste.  Korean  riots  in  Japan. 
Major  minds  baby  by  radio.  Moonlight 
fashions.  Great  Americans:  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson. 

Schlaifer  Cites  Film 
Ad  Responsibilities 

Responsibilities  of  film  advertising 
to  the  product,  to  the  community  and 
to  the  democratic  way  of  life  in 
America  were  explained  on  Friday  by 
Charles  Schlaifer,  20th  Century-Fox's 
head  of  advertising-publicity  and 
chairman  of  the  Advertising  Advisory 
Council  of  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America,  at  the  New  School 
for  Social  Research  here. 

Schlaifer,  who  will  lecture  at  the 
school  weekly,  outlined  for  the  stu- 
dents the  nature  of  long-range  film  ad- 
vertising. Future  discussions,  he  said, 
will  deal  with  the  industry's  Adver- 
tising Code,  trade  publication  adver- 
tising and  other  subjects. 


'I,  Jane  Doe'  Premiere 

Los-  Angeles,  May  9. — World  pre- 
miere of  Republic's  "I,  Jane  Doe," 
has  been  set  for  Thursday  at  the  two 
Fanchon  and  Marco  Paramounts, 
Hollywood  and  Downtown,  in  Holly- 
wood and  Los  Angeles.  As  a  promo- 
tional tie-in,  Ralph  Edwards  has  been 
conducting  a  nationwide  search  for 
"Jane  Doe"  with  a  board  of  judges 
from  the  Paraplegic  Veterans  Hospi- 
tal. Announcement  of  the  winner  will 
be  made  May  22  on  Edwards'  "Truth 
or  Consequences"  broadcast. 


'Silver'  To  Open  May  18 

Warner  Brothers  and  Fox  Inter- 
mountain  Theatres  have  set  a  150- 
theatre  world  premiere  for  Warner's 
"Silver  River,"  in  the  West.  Head- 
quarters of  premiere  activities  will 
be  Denver,  where  "Silver  River"  will 
open  on  May  18  at  the  Webber,  Den- 
ver and  Esquire  Theatres. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Ouigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A. 
Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London." 
Other  Ouigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame. 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 
single  copies,  10c. 


1, 


It's  got  the  quality  to  go  with 

any  feature  attraction  — 

gorgeous  Cinecolor  and  name  stars! 


It's  50  minutes  long. 

Gives  time  for  an  additional  show 

and  additional  revenue! 


It's  the  talk  of  the  town,  in 
some  50  Loew  ^  and  Warner  ^ 
situations  where  that  extra  weekend 
business  is  really  adding  up! 


4. 


It's  got  the  critics  cheering: 

"Belly  laughs  plentiful.  No 
trick  overlooked!" 

— N.Y.  HERALD-TRIBUNE 

"The  audience  screaming  for  more!" 

-FILM  DAILY 

"Pure,  unadulterated  comedy!" 

.  -BOXOFFICE 

"Riotous ...  the  kind  any  exhibitor 
will  welcome!"      -HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


You'll  have  no  trouble 
with  this  "TROUBLE"  from  UA 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  May  10,  1948 


New  Tactic  to  Speed 
Contempt  Trials 


Washington,  May  9. — Trials  of  the 
remaining  eight  of  the  10  Hollywood- 
ites  charged  with  contempt  of  Con- 
gress are  expected  to  go  oft"  in  rapid- 
fire  order  from  now  on. 

With  two  Federal  judges  ruling  in 
the  Trumbo  and  Lawson  trials  that 
the  "Are  you  or  have  you  ever  been 
a  member  of  the  Communist  Party?" 
question  is  pertinent,  and  with  both 
turning  down  all  defense  motions 
challenging  the  jury,  asking  for  a 
change  in  venue,  and  for  a  continu- 
ance until  Rep.  Thomas  can  testify, 
defense  attorneys  have  apparently 
abandoned  delaying  tactics  and,  it  ap- 
pears, will  be  content  to  stipulate  all 
of  these  things  in  each  trial  record. 
This  will  save  time,  and  at  the  same 
time  preserve  all  motions  for  appeal 
purposes  in  each  case. 

Trial  of  the  third  of  the  10,  Albert 
Maltz,  is  slated  to  begin  here  tomor- 
row, and  end  by  mid-week. 


Labor  Quiz  To  Hear 
DeMille  Tomorrow 

Cecil  B.  DeMille  will  arrive  in  New 
York  today  from  the  Coast  and  will 
leave  for  Washington,  where  he  will 
testify  tomorrow  before  the  House 
Labor  Committee  on  "the  right  to 
work,"  culmination  of  his  dispute  with 
the  American  Federation  of  Radio 
Artists.  He  will  return  to  Holly- 
wood on  May  15. 


Reviews 


TOA  Youth  Month 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


termed  the  assistance  of  the  film  in- 
dustry in  the  fight  on  youthful 
crime  as  "manna  from  heaven."  An- 
drews added  that  "when  there  is  a 
concrete  program  such  as  envisioned 
by  Attorney  General  Tom  Clark  and 
the  Department  of  Justice  and  a  con- 
crete program  sponsored  by  exhibitors 
all  over  the  nation,  we  have  the  dif- 
ference between  a  very  normal  suc- 
cess and  a  top  success." 

Among  newsreelers  present  at  the 
luncheon  were :  Alfred  Butterfield, 
Warner-Pathe ;  George  Doran,  Uni- 
versal ;  Jack  Haney  and  Arthur  De 
Titta,  20th-Fox  Movietone ;  Walter 
Bredin,  News  of  the  Day ;  Peter 
Levathes,  20th-Fox  news  and  shorts 
sales  manager. 


Chicago  Collects  $128,436 

Chicago,  May  9.  —  The  three  per 
cent  local  admission  tax  brought  ;n 
$128,436  to  the  city  treasury  in 
March. 


OF  COURSE 


W  TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 


I 


I 

HEAVEN 


'Sword  of  the  Avenger" 


sent  from  UA 


(UPA-Eagle-Lion) 

AS  a  romantic  action  drama,  "Sword  of  the  Avenger"  offers  pleasing 
entertainment,  modest  in  proportion,  but  filled  with  a  satisfactory  amount 
of  suspense  and  excitement  of  a  standard  nature.  Filmed  in  sepia,  it  recounts 
the  misfortunes  that  befall  a  young  Filipino  who,  through  the  jealousy  of  a 
fellow  sailor,  becomes  the  victim  of  an  insidious  plot.  The  cast  is  not  a 
well-known  one,  but  it  works  competently.  Ramon  Del  Gado  is  dashing  in 
the  lead,  in  a  role  which  has  the  story  outlines  of  "The  Count  of  Monte 
Cristo."  Sigrid  Gurie,  as  his  sweetheart,  is  pretty  and  appealing,  even  when 
the  script  calls  upon  her  to  render  such  masculine  chores  as  leading  an 
uprising  of  patriots. 

The  Julius  Evans  screenplay  has  the  hero  escaping  prison,  where  he  had 
been  sent  to  rot,  and  finally  bringing  down  a  sword  of  vengeance  on  all  who 
plotted  against  him.  In  the  course  of  these  developments  there  ensues  a 
succession  of  swiftly-paced  events.  An  UPA  Films  production  released 
through  Eagle-Lion  and  produced  and  directed  by  Sidney  Salkow. 

Running  time,  72  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
June  2.  Mandel  Herbstman 

"Under  California  Stars" 

(Republic) 

ROY  ROGERS'  "Under  California  Stars"  measures  up  when  compared 
with  the  average  run  of  horse-operas,  but  it  does  not  rank  with  the 
better  Rogers  productions  in  terms  of  story,  direction,  acting  or  photography. 
The  picture  is  in  Trucolor,  and  there  is  exhibited  from  time  to  time  a  diffusion 
of  effulgent,  unnatural  colors  that  remind  one  how  slickly  black-and-white 
cameras  have  treated  Rogers  pictures. 

The  story  strains  at  the  sentimentality  inherent  in  a  youngster's  adoration 
of  a  film  cowboy.  Core  of  the  plot  concerns  10-year-old  Michael  Chapin's 
attempt  to  rescue  Rogers'  horse,  "Trigger,"  kidnapped  by  a  gang  of  preda- 
tory horse-traders.  Rogers  plays  himself  and  the  action  takes  place  during 
one  of  his  vacations  from  the  studio.  Jane  Frazee  is  decorative  in  an  un- 
challenging  role,  Andy  Devine  supplies  some  slap-stick,  and  George  H.  Lloyd 
and  Wade  Crosby  lend  an  appropriate  touch  of  villainy.  Rogers  is  his  usual 
personable  self  and  joins  the  Sons  of  the  Pioneers  in  a  few  tunes.  Edward 
J.  White  was  associate  producer,  William  Whitney  directed,  and  Sloan  Nibley 
and  Paul  Gangelin  wrote  the  screenplay,  from  an  original  by  Gangelin. 

Running  time,  70  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  i.  Charles  L.  Franke 


Short 
Subject 


7  Films  Finished, 
7  More  Started 

Hollywood,  May  9. — The  produc- 
tion level  remains  unchanged  with 
the  index  still  standing  at  32.  Seven 
new  films  were  started  while  an  equal 
number  were  sent  to  cutting  rooms. 

Shooting  started  on  "Undercover 
Man,"  "Loaded  Pistols"  and  "Gentle- 
man from  Nowhere,"  Columbia; 
"Sting  of  the  Lash"  (Western  Ad- 
venture Production),  Screen  Guild; 
"My  Dear  Secretary"  (Cardinal  Pic- 
tures), United  Artists;  "You  Gotta 
Stay  Happy"  (Rampart),  Universal- 
International,  and  "June  Bride,"  War- 
ner Brothers. 

Shooting  finished  on  "Ladies  of  the 
Chorus"  and  "Black  Eagle,"  Colum- 
bia ;  "The  Great  Gatsby,"  Paramount ; 
"Marshal  of  Amarillo,"  Republic; 
"Dead  Man's  Gold"  (Western  Ad- 
venture Production),  Screen  Guild; 
"All's  Well  That  Ends  Well"  (Bo- 
geaus),  United  Artists,  and  "Kiss  the 
Blood  Off  My  Hands,"  Universal- 
International. 


Garfield  Filming  Here 

Arrival  in  New  York  of  John 
Garfield  and  Abe  Polonsky,  star  and 
director,  respectively,  of  "Tucker's 
People,"  marks  the  beginning  of  the 
new  Bob  Roberts  production  for 
Enterprise  Studios.  Accompanied  by 
a  camera  crew  from  Hollywood,  they 
will  immediately  start  work  on  shoot- 
ing New  York  backgrounds. 


Nasser  To  Make  Shorts 

Hollywood,  May  9. — James  Nasser 
Productions  has  extended  its  activities 
to  the  short  subject  field. 


Martin  Theatres  Sets 
Four  District  Posts 

Atlanta,  May  9.  —  District  offices 
will  be  established  in  Marietta,  Mil- 
ledgeville  and  Fitzgerald,  Georgia,  and 
in  Eufaula,  Alabama,  by  Martin  The- 
atres, under  the  direction  of  district 
managers. 

I.  T.  Taylor  has  been  named  dis- 
trict manager  of  the  Fitzgerald  office, 
directing  operations  of  theatres  in 
South  Georgia,  Florida  and  Eastern 
Alabama;  Matt  Bates,  Marietta,  will 
direct  theatres  in  Dalton,  Cartersville, 
Bremen  and  Etowah,  Tennessee,  and 
Piedmont,  Alabama.  G.  N.  Goldwire 
will  direct  the  Eufuala  office  which 
covers  portions  of  Alabama  and  Geor- 
gia, and  J.  N.  Morgan,  Milledgeville, 
will  direct  nine  Georgia  and  Alabama 
cities. 


Kurse,  Floersheimer 
Succeed  J.  A.  Watson 

James  A.  Watson,  who  since  the 
war  has  been  assistant  to  Jack  Harris 
in  the  booking  department  of  Walter 
Reade  Theatres,  has  resigned  to  enter 
the  real  estate  and  insurance  business. 

Walter  Reade,  Jr.  said  Watson 
will  be  succeeded  in  the  booking  de- 
partment by  Joseph  Kurse,  and  Albert 
Floersheimer,  Jr.,  advertising-pub- 
licity head,  succeeds  Watson  as  tele- 
vision department  head. 


'Babe  Ruth'  Unit  Here 

William  Bendix,  star  of  Del  Ruth's 
"The  Babe  Ruth  Story,"  current  Al- 
lied Artists  production,  and  Ross  Led- 
erman,  director  of  the  second  unit, 
have  arrived  here  from  Hollywood 
to  film  scenes  during  the  New  York- 
Cleveland  series  at  Yankee  Stadium. 


"Battle  for  Greece" 

(March  of  Time-20th-Fox) 

In  familiar  March  of  Time  fashion, 
the  subject  presents  a  background 
study  of  Greece  in  the  throes  of  civil 
war.  With  the  story  very  much^in 
the  nation's  newspapers,  the  st 
has  an  exploitable  timeliness  for 
hibitors. 

With  the  U.  S.  and  Britain  backing 
the  Greek  government,  while  Russia 
is  behind  insurgent  forces,  the  film 
factually  documents  the  death  struggle. 
It  also  contains  some  exclusive  foot- 
age, including  a  visit  to  a  rebel  strong- 
hold.   Running  time,  17  minutes. 


Four  E-L  Meetings 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Arthur  Rank  product,  which  it  will 
release  in  the  U.  S.  during  1948-49, 
advertising-publicity  support  equal  to 
that  which  it  will  give  its  own  Holly- 
wood films,  it  was  disclosed  here 
jointly  by  Heineman  and  Youngstein, 
at  the  weekend  following  their  re- 
turn from  England. 

$250,000  Ad  Budget  for  'Twist' 

Rank's  "Oliver  Twist,"  which  E-L 
has  slated  for  August  release,  will 
be  backed  up  with  promotional  ef- 
fort exceeding  that  which  the  com- 
pany accorded  "T-Men,"  Youngstein 
said,  adding  that  it  will  start  with  an 
advertising  budget  of  $250,000.  Heine- 
man  predicted  12,000  bookings  for  the 
film  in  the  U.  S.  and  said  it  has 
a  very  good  chance  of  being  booked 
into  Radio  City  Music  Hall.  It 
would  be  the  first  Eagle-Lion  pic- 
ture to  be  shown  there. 

Because  Eagle-Lion  can  now  se- 
lect its  Rank  films  before  they  reach 
here,  the  company  has  an  opportunity 
to  plan  their  promotion  in  advance, 
Youngstein  said. 

Alternate  Releasing  Planned 

E-L  will  bring  British  stars  to  the 
U.  S.  for  personal  appearances  in 
connection  with  premieres  of  Rank 
films.  It  will  release  one  Rank  film 
and  one  Hollywood  film  a  month  un- 
der its  present  schedule. 

Sam  Seidelman,  E-L  foreign  man- 
ager, reported  that  the  company  now 
has  exchanges  in  operation  in  Mex- 
ico, Argentina,  Chile  and  Puerto 
Rico,  and  will  have  in  operation  by 
July  exchanges  in  Cuba,  Panama, 
Peru  and  Brazil,  as  well  as  sub-dis- 
tributorships in  Colombia,  Venezuela 
and  Trinidad.  By  July,  the  company's 
Latin  American  distribution  set-up 
will  have  been  completed. 


YOU  CAN'T  BEAT 
THE  BEST  / 


Drive  home  your  selling  ideas 
'  effectively,  inexpensively  and 
quickly  with 


Monday,  May  10,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Increase  Projectors 
Abroad,  Says  Report 

Washington,  May  9. — The  Geneva 
nternational  Conference  on  Freedom 
of  Information  turned  in  a  record  of 
"constructive  achievement"  in  spread- 
ing freedom  for  all  communication 
media,  the  U.  S.  delegation  observed 
in  its  report  to  the  Secretary  of 
State. 

Throughout  the  report,  the  delega- 
indicates  that  it  regards  films 
par  with  radio  and  newspapers, 
at  one  point  the  delegation 
stressed  the  need  abroad  for  more 
newsprint,  radio  receivers  and  film 
projectors — "the  physical  facilities  of 
mass  communication." 


Showcase  Houses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


pose  of  giving  product  a  good  start. 
There's  nothing  illegal  about  that,  the 
legal  minds  have  about  decided,  al- 
though some  admit  that  on  the  next 
reading  of  the  decisions  they  may 
change  their  minds. 

Legalites  familiar  with  the  indus- 
try but  not  identified  with  any  of  the 
defendants  regard  Loew's  theatres  as 
being  the  least  vulnerable  to  the  im- 
plications of  the  decisions ;  RKO, 
next.  Origin  of  those  circuits,  the 
intent  back  of  their  development  and 
operation,  all  questions  raised  by  the 
decisions,  appear  to  be  in  their  favor, 
as  well  as  their  lack  of  numerical 
dominance  in  almost  all  situations,  the 
legalites  say.  Both  were  theatre  com- 
panies originally. 

Paramount  and  National  Theatres 
are  regarded  by  the  same  strata  of  le- 
galites as  the  most  vulnerable  in  the 
most  situations,  and  Warner  Theatres 
are  rated  between  the  two  extremes 
in  the  barrister's  winter  books. 


5th -Walnut  Suit 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Court  here.  Principal  court  action 
today  will  be  the  selection  of  a  jury. 

Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusements  and 
its  owner,  Joseph  Hoffman,  brought 
the  $2,100,000  triple-damage  action 
against  eight  distributors,  charging 
that  the  defendants  refused  to  permit 
plaintiff's  National  Theatre  in  Louis- 
ville to  bid  on  first-run  product.  Plain- 
tiff's trial  counsel  will  be  Monroe  E. 
Stein.  Defendants  other  than  Col- 
umbia will  be  represented  by  attor- 
neys as  follows :  Loew's  and  United 
Artists,  Edward  Raftery ;  20th-Fox, 
Paramount  and  RKO,  John  Caskey ; 
Republic,  Myer  Lavinstein ;  Warners, 
Abraham  Friedman  of  Philadelphia. 


Permits  Inspection 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Starr,  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y. ;  Lyceum, 
Red  Hook ;  Pine  Plains,  Pine  Plains ; 
Millerton,  Millerton,  and  the  Stuart 
at  Lakeville,  Conn. 

The  court  also  directed  that  its 
order  was  without  prejudice  to  the 
renewal  of  the  distributors'  applica- 
tions at  a  later  date  for  inspection 
of  any  other  records  which  they  might 
require. 

In  addition,  the  court  granted 
Loew's  and  RKO  motions  to  vacate 
certain  interrogatories  which  had  been 
served  upon  them  by  the  defendants, 
relating  to  the  date  of  execution  and 
present  location  of  each  license  agree- 
ment for  a  percentage  rental  and  the 
information  upon  which  the  plain- 
tiffs based  their  percentage  allegations. 


See  N.  Y.  Court 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

on  the  three-judge  court  will  have 
to  be  made  for  the  late  Judge  John 
Bright,  who  died  recently.  The  new 
jurist,  it  was  pointed  out,  would  be 
unfamiliar  with  the-  case  and  probably 
would  wish  to  have  considerable  time 
to  acquaint  himself  with  its  funda- 
mentals before  presiding  at  a  hearing. 

The  New  York  Federal  Court  ordi- 
narily reconvenes  early  in  October, 
following  its  summer  recess.  The 
hearings  might  get  under  way  that 
month  or  the  following.  If  the  hear- 
ings were  not  lengthy,  there  would 
be  some  possibility  of  a  decree  being 
handed  down  by  the  court  toward  the 
end  of  the  year  or  early  in  1949.  If 
such  a  decree  were  to  be  appealed  to 
the  Supreme  Court,  final  disposition 
of  the  case  could  not  be  expected  be- 
fore 1950,  most  attorneys  believe. 

Master  May  Be  Named 

Observers  feel  that  there  is  some 
possibility,  in  the  event  the  hearings 
on  divestiture  promise  to  be  detailed 
and  extended,  of  a  special  master  be- 
ing appointed  by  the  court  to  take  tes- 
timony on  that  phase  of  the  case. 
That,  obviously,  would  extend  the 
time  schedule  considerably,  not  only 
because  of  the  indicated  length  of 
such  hearings  but  also  because  the 
special  master  would  have  to  prepare 
his  report  following  conclusion  of  the 
hearings,  and  the  District  Court  would 
have  to  study  the  master's  report  and 
reach  its  own  conclusions  before  en- 
tering a  decree. 

The  time-table  depends  in  large 
part,  attorneys  say,  on  whether  or  not 
the  Government  finds  it  necessary  to 
enter  new  evidence  or  simply  relies 
upon  the  record,  in  large  part,  to  ob- 
tain the  kind  of  decree  it  seeks. 

Also  in  the  background  and  af- 
fecting the  time-table  are  a  number  of 
presently  unknown  factors  involving 
possible  changes  in  the  Justice  De- 
partment Anti-Trust  division.  John 
Sonnett,  head  of  the  division,  is 
known  to  be  planning  to  leave  the  De- 
partment, and  Robert  L.  Wright,  in 
charge  of  the  Paramount  case  for 
the  Department,  is  reported  to  be  con- 
sidering a  change.  Either  develop- 
ment could  delay  further  action  in 
the  case  while  successors  were  being 
brought  up  to  date  on  the  case. 

National  Elections  'An  Unknown' 

Still  another  presently  unknown  fac- 
tor having  a  bearing  on  the  case  is  the 
likelihood  of  a  Republican  victory  at 
the  polls  next  November.  A  change 
of  Administration  would  bring  in  a 
new  Attorney  General  whose  anti- 
trust policies  might  differ  from  those 
of  the  present  Administration,  ob- 
servers point  out.  There  could  even 
be  a  change  in  the  complexion  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  either  in  attitude  or 
membership,  within  the  next  two 
years,  in  the  opinion  of  those  inter- 
ested in  exploring  even  the  remote 
possibilities  having  a  bearing  on  the 
ultimate  outcome. 


Color  Tricks  at  SMPE 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  9. — 
Phenomena  of  color,  including  a  dem- 
onstration of  red,  green  or  yellow 
objects  all  presenting  an  identical  hue 
when  viewed  in  sodium  light,  will  be 
explained  in  one  of  the  sessions  of  the 
63rd  convention  of  the  Society  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Engineers  here  May  17- 
21,  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel,  by  Dr. 
Isay  Balinkin,  University  of  Cincin- 
nati research  scientist. 


SCTOA  Meet  on  Decision 

Los  Angeles,  May  9. — Members  of 
the  Southern  California  Theatre  Own- 
ers Association  will  meet  here  on 
May  24  to  hear  an  analysis  by  Paul 
Williams.  SCTOA  general  counsel, 
of  last  Monday's  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision in  the  industry  anti-trust  case. 


'Flood  of  Suits' 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

is  not  inviting  exhibitors  to  launch 
damage  suits.  But,  he  admitted,  "quite 
a  few  Allied  members"  who  had  been 
holding  off  such  suits  would  probably 
start  them  soon. 

(Another  Washington  lawyer  tells 
of  a  client  who  some  months  ago  con- 
templated a  damage  suit  against  the 
majors  but  dropped  the  idea.  "He 
called  me  Tuesday  morning,  first 
thing,"  the  lawyer  said,  "and  we're 
going  ahead  now.") 

Myers  declared  that  both  the  Jack- 
son Park  and  Goldman  cases  "go  far 
beyond  anything  the  District  Court  in 
the  Paramount  case  dreamed  of.  They 
don't  even  permit  a  parent  company 
to  play  its  own  films  first  in  its  own 
theatres." 

Myers  left  Washington  over  the 
weekend  for  Des  Moines,  where  he 
will  attend  the  convention  of  Allied 
Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebras- 
ka. From  there  he  will  go  to  Kansas 
City  for  the  meeting  of  the  Kansas- 
Missouri  Allied  unit,  and  then  to  Den- 
ver for  the  Allied  board  meeting.  He 
will  be  gone  about  two  weeks. 


Kenosha  House  Sold 

Kenosha,  Wis.,  May  9.  —  Main- 
street  Theatre  here  has  been  sold 
by  Nick  Michaels  of  Chicago  and 
Peter  Pares  of  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  to 
Louis  Bass  of  Milwaukee  for  $120,- 
000.  The  new  operators-  will  be 
Standard  Theatre  Corp.,  Milwaukee. 


'Haughty  Managers' 
A  Post-War  Casualty 

Columbus,  O.,  May  9. — Dis- 
appearance of  the  "haughty 
chin-stuck-out  manager"  and 
the  "growling  sourdough  thea- 
tre doorman"  are  indications 
of  a  return  to  pre-war  cour- 
tesy and  service,  reports  Ed 
Jacobs,  former  theatre  editor 
of  the  Cleveland  News.  Writ- 
ing in  the  letters-to-the-edi- 
tor  column  of  the  Columbus 
Citizen,  Jacobs  said:  "Any- 
thing that  was  alive  and  hu- 
man had  a  good-  chance  for 
these  jobs  during  the  war. 
It's  different  now  and  the  ex- 
its are  being  pointed  out  to 
those  students  of  insults." 


Omaha  Sales  Changes 

Omaha,  May  9. — Film-row  changes 
here  include  the  following : 

Howard  Clark,  Film  Classics  office 
manager,  to  RKO  Radio  as  office  man- 
ager, succeeding  Norman  Xeilsen  who 
who  becomes  a  salesman;  N.  X.  Gal- 
breath,  "from  RKO  salesman  to  sales- 
man at  Universal-International ;  Ann 
Davidson,  new  inspectoress  at  U-I ; 
Irma  DeLand  replacing  Mary  Olson 
as  booker  at  RKO. 


Footnote  for  Historians 

Washington,  May  9. — A  Hartford 
Courant  editorial  entitled  "Hollywood 
Fable,"  broadly  satirizing  recent  Hol- 
lywood weddings  and  press  coverage 
of  the  weddings,  has  been  inserted  in 
the  Congressional  Record  by  Rep. 
Miller  of  Connecticut.  Miller  said 
he  inserted  the  editorial  so  that  "fu- 
ture historians  will  have  it  available." 


OVEMBER 


DECEMBER 


JANUARY    | FEBRUARY 


to!  a 


12  13 
20 


MARCH 


14  j  7 
2X 


17~T»* 


APRIL 


13  4 


6 

t}|M 


2  i  3 
9  I  lO 


MAY 


Now  completing  its  1st  half  year 


at  the  Mayfair,  New  York! 


*  if" 


about 


Gentleman's 
Agreement 

The  Longest-Run  Record  in  20th 
Century-Fox  Long-Run  History ! 


6  months  at  the  Apollo,  Chicago ! 

20th's  all-time  champion  hold- 
over attraction ! 


Move-overs!  Repeat  First-runs! 
From  Coast-to-Coast! 


Setting  new  20th  marks  for 
subsequent  runs! 

Matching  its  big-town  figures  in 
every  smaller  situation ! 

The  most  honored  picture  in 
screen  history! 

Winner  of  53  awards ! 


Winner  of  3  Academy  Awards 
including  "Best  Picture"! 


L 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICTURE  ASSOC.  OF 
AHESrCA,    INC.  (CHAM3SR3) 
28  WEST  44TH  ST., 
NEW  YORK  18, 
11,  Y. 


63.  NO.  91 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  MAY  11,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


MPAA  Enters 
Commodities 
Market  Pact 


Seeks  Remittances  Via 
World  Commerce  Corp. 

In  its  efforts  to  free  frozen  U.  S. 
film  earnings  in  Europe,  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  Ameri- 
ca is  participating  in  a  plan  for 
developing  new  world  markets  for 
standard  exports  and  possible  new 
products  of  countries  that  ordinarily 
would  be  unable  to  release  American 
film  earnings  to  any  appreciable  de- 
gree until  after  the  European  Re- 
covery Program  has  put  those  coun- 
tries on  a  sound  economic  footing. 

Reportedly  conceived  by  Gerald  M. 
Mayer,  managing  director  of  the 
MPAA  international  division,  the 
plan  has  been  adopted  by  the  World 
Commerce  Corp.,  international  trad- 
ing organization  with  offices  in  prin- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


DeMille  to  Testify 
Today  at  Hearing 


Washington,  May  10. — Cecil  B. 
DeMille,  who  will  testify  before  the 
House  Labor  Committee  tomorrow  on 
labor's  "right  to  work,"  arrived  here 
today  by  plane  from  Los  Angeles. 
DeMille  said  he  planned  no  other  ap- 
pearances here  and  would  return  to 
the  Coast  as  soon  as  his  testimony  is 
completed  in  order  to  continue  work 
on  "Samson  and  Delilah,"  'his  next 
for  Paramount. 

DeMille  will  tell  the  committee  that 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Percentage  Suits 
Filed  in  Detroit 

Detroit,  May  10.  — Univer- 
sal, Paramount  and  Loew's 
filed  percentage  actions  to- 
day in  Federal  Court  here 
against  Jeff  Williams,  C.  A. 
Ruedisueli  and  Kenneth  D. 
Newton,  partners  operating 
the  East  Detroit  Theatre  in 
East  Detroit,  and  the  Rose- 
ville  in  Roseville. 

Complaints  were  signed  by 
Rockwell  T.  Gust  of  Butzel, 
Eaman,  Long,  Gust  and  Ken- 
nedy of  Detroit,  attorneys  for 
each  plaintiff.  Sargoy  and 
Stein,  New  York,  are  of  coun- 
sel. 


MPAA's  McCarthy 
To  Aid  on  Accord 

John  G.  McCarthy,  asso- 
ciate manager  of  the  interna- 
tional division  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica, has  been  assigned  by 
Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  presi- 
dent, to  collaborate  with  Fay- 
ette W.  Allport,  chief  of  the 
London  office,  on  details  of 
execution  of  the. Anglo-Amer- 
ican film  ad  valorem  agree- 
ment in  London.  McCarthy 
will  sail  for  England  on  the 
S.  S.  Queen  Elizabeth  on  Fri- 
day. Allport  sailed  for  Eng- 
land last  Saturday. 


$13,000,000 
For  AA 's  13 


Hollywood,  May  10. — Declaring 
that  "the  best  way  to  meet  a  depres- 
sion is  with  expansion,"  Steve  Broidy, 
president  of  Allied  Artists,  today  said 
the  company  will  make  13  films  at  an 
aggregate  cost  of  $13,000,000  in  the 
next  12  months. 

"Instead  of  talking  about  the  de- 
pressed condition  of  the  film  industry 
and  doing  nothing  about  it,  we  are 
increasing  our  production,"  he  said. 


June  1  Deadline  on 
Tax  Bill:  Martin 

Washington,  May  10. — The  House 
will  not  try  to  pass  a  tax  revision  bill 
this  session  unless  the  House  Ways 
and  Means  Committee  has  it  ready  by 
June  1,  Speaker  Martin  said  today 
after  a  meeting  of  the  Republican 
"steering"  committee. 

The  Ways  and  Means  group  has 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Mild  Returns 
On  Broadway 


Only  two  first-runs  here,  Radio  City 
Music  Hall  and  the  Capitol,  are  en- 
joying sizeable  grosses  this  week, 
agreeable  weather  notwithstanding.  At 
the  other  situations  business  ranges 
from  pretty  good  to  poor. 

On  the  basis  of  $79,000  grossed 
Thursday  through  Sunday,  the  Music 
Hall  is  due  for  a  rousing  $121,000  for 
the  third  week  of  "State  of  the 
Union,"  together  with  a  Russell  Mar- 
kert  show  on  stage.  Second  week  of 
"Homecoming,"  plus  Xavier  Cugat's 
band  on  stage  at  the  Capitol  looks 
like  a  solid  $118,000. 

Among  newcomers,  "The  Brothers" 
at  the  Sutton  made  the  strongest  de- 
but, with  a  pleasing  $10,500  for  a  first 
week.  First  week  of  "The  Woman  in 
White,"  along  with  Bea  Wain  and 
Andre  Baruch  on  stage  at  the  Strand 
is  expected  to  result  in  an  unimpres- 
sive $55,000.  At  _  the  Gotham,  first 
week  of  "Whispering  City"  looks  like 
{Continued  on  page  5) 


Meet  Here  Thursday 
On  Will  Rogers  Fund 

Directors  of  the  Will  Rogers  Mem- 
orial Fund  and  a  group  of  industry 
leaders  will  be.  the  guests  of  G.  S. 
Eyssell,  president  of  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  at  a  luncheon-meeting  here  on 
Thursday  at  which  plans  for  financing 
the  industry's  Lake  Saranac  hospital 
will  be  discussed. 

Among  those  invited  are :  Walter 
Vincent,  Harold  Rodner,  Edmund  C. 
Grainger,  Dan  Michalove,  J.  Henry 
Walters,  Will  H.  Hays  and  Herman 
Levine,  all  officers  of  the  Fund,  and 
Barney  Balaban,  Leonard  Goldenson, 
Lewen  Pizor,  Leslie  E.  Thompson, 
RKO  Theatres;  Morton  G.  Thal- 
himer,  Richmond ;  W.  Stewart  Mc- 
Donald, Leopold  Friedman,  John  J. 
O'Connor  and  Abe  Montague. 


17%  Increase  in  Titles 
Registered  with  MPAA 


Washington,  May  10. — There  were 
3,489  motion  picture  tities  registered 
with  the  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America's  title  registration  bureau 
during  1947,  a  17  per  cent  increase 
over  the  2,978  registered  in  1946,  ac- 
cording to  a  report  submitted  to 
MPAA  president  Eric  Johnston  to- 
day. 

The  report,  made  by  bureau  man- 
ager Margaret  Ann  Young,  said  that 
the  3,489  registered  titles  were  out  of 
4,133  submitted.  Thirty-two  titles 
were  rejected  on  grounds  of  "moral 
unsuitability."  207  were  returned  be- 
cause of  their  identity  with  prior  reg- 


istration, and  405  were  approved  for 
non-member  companies. 

Miss  Young  reported  that  only  two 
appeals  had  been  made  to  Johnston 
from  bureau  decisions.  In  both  cases, 
the  bureau's  action  was  upheld. 

Of  413  protests  filed  during  the  year 
because  of  differences  of  opinion  be- 
tween companies  regarding  priority, 
"harmful"  similarity  and  similar  dis- 
putes, only  seven  finally  required  ar- 
bitration. The  remaining  controversies 
were  settled  by  inter-company  nego- 
tiation. 

Twenty-six  additional  non-member 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


$10  Million  for 
DuIYtont  Stock 
SoughtbyPara. 

Definitely  in  Market  to 
Sell,  Raibourn  Tells  FCC 

Washington,  May  10.  —  Para- 
mount definitely  wants  to  sell  its 
holdings  in  Allen  B.  Dumont 
Laboratories,  Paramount  television 
head  Paul  Raibourn  told  a  Federal 
Communications  Commission  ex- 
aminer today. 

Raibourn  said  Paramount 
wants  about  $10,000,000  for  its 
holdings,  which  he  listed  as 
43,000  shares  of  Class  A  com- 
mon (a  small  percentage  of  the 
total),  and  the  entire  issue,  or 
560,000  shares,  of  Class  B 
common. 

The  FCC  is  attempting  to  deter- 
mine the  extent  to  which  Paramount 
controls  DuMont  so  that  it  can  rule 
on  applications  of  other  Paramount 

(Continued  on  page  6) 

Reds  Lead  Rumpus 
Here  vs.  'Curtain' 


The  Roxy  Theatre  here  expects  to 
operate  normally  during  the  run  of 
"The  Iron  Curtain,"  despite  the  fact 
that  Communists  have  threatened  to 
picket  the  house.  With  mass  picket- 
ing set  for  tonight  when  the  film  will 
be  previewed  at  10 :30,  Charles 
Schlaifer,  20th  Century-Fox  director 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Fifth  -  Walnut  Trial 
Jurors  Selected 

Trial  attorneys  yesterday 
began  to  present  opening 
statements  before  Federal 
Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel  and 
a  jury  of  five  women  and  sev- 
en men  as  the  Fifth  and 
Walnut  anti-trust  suit  pro- 
gressed in  its  first  day  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here. 
Fifth  and  Walnut  Amuse- 
ments and  its  owner,  Joseph 
Hoffman,  brought  the  $2,100,- 
000  triple-damage  action 
against  eight  distributors, 
charging  that  the  defendants 
refused  to  permit  plaintiff's 
National  Theatre  in  Louis- 
ville to  bid  on  first-run 
product. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  11,  1948 


Iowa-Neb.  AITO 
Opens  2-Day  Meet 

Des  Moines,  May  10. — Discussion 
of  the  recent  Supreme  Court  decision 
in  the  industry  anti-trust  suit,  led  by 
Allied    States    Association  general 
counsel  and  chairman  Abram  F.  My 
ers  and  chairman  of  the  Allied  "Cara 
van"  Sidney  Samuelson,  were  a  fea 
ture  today  at  the  opening  session  of 
the  two-day  convention  of  Allied  In 
dependent  Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa 
and  Nebraska.    The  meeting  is  being 
held  at  the  Hotel  Fort  Des  Moines, 
with  Harold   Field  of  Minneapolis, 
president  of  the  Pioneer  Circuit,  pre- 
siding. 

Myron  Blank,  Tri-States  Theatres 
Corp.  vice-president,  spoke  on  the 
competition  of  16mm.  films.  Pointing 
out  that  there  are  now  80,000  such 
machines  in  the  country  as  compared 
with  16,000  to  18,000  theatres,  Blank 
called  for  control  of  the  distribution 
of  16mm.  films  by  limiting  them  to 
such  uses  as  education  and  hospitals. 

In  a  review  of  the  drive-in  situation, 
Field  said  he  does  not  believe  these 
theatres  offer  any  real  competition  to 
the  already  established  houses,  while 
Blank  called  attention  to  the  "terrific 
traffic  hazard"  created  by  drive-ins 
and  predicted  that  an  attempt  will  be 
made  to  pass  legislation  this  coming 
session  to  meet  the  traffic  problem. 
Maris  Frye,  general  manager  of  the 
Tri-States  and  Central  States  The- 
atre Corp.  confection  department,  also 
spoke. 

A  banquet  will  be  held  tomorrow 
evening  with  Leo  Wolcott,  chairman 
of  the  Iowa-Nebraska  board,  acting 
as  toastmaster,  and  Gov.  Robert  D. 
Blue  as  one  of  the  featured  speakers. 


ITOA  Pledges  Aid 
To  Youth  Drive 

New  York  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  Association,  yesterday  pledged 
support  to  the  "Youth  Month"  activity 
which  is  being  mapped  by  Charles 
Skouras,  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
national  chairman  for  "Youth  Month." 

"Activities  of  this  sort,  which  are 
designed  to  place  the  theatre  business 
in  its  proper  relationship  to  worthy 
public  projects  deserve  the  support  of 
every  theatreman,  regardless  of  his 
association  or  affiliation,"  ITOA  pres- 
ident Harry  Brandt  said  in  a  message 
to  Skouras. 


Delayed  Maltz  Trial 
Now  Set  for  Today 

Washington,  May  10. — Trial  of 
screen  writer  Albert  Maltz  on  charges 
of  contempt  of  Congress,  originally 
scheduled  for  today,  was  postponed  un- 
til tomorrow  to  give  Government  and 
defense  attorneys  additional  time  to 
agree  on  certain  facts  to  be  stipulated 
into  the  trial  record. 


Sam  Graham  Due  Here 

London,  May  10. — Sam  Graham, 
one  of  Britain's  leading  independent 
exhibitors  and  an  influential  factor  in 
Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Associa- 
tion, is  en  route  to  New  York  from 
here  on  the  Queen  Elisabeth.  Mrs. 
Graham  accompanies  him. 


Personal  Mention 


ERIC  JOHNSTON,  MPAA  presi- 
dent, has  flown  to  San  Francisco 
from  Washington  to  take  his  ill 
mother  from  there  to  Portland.  He 
is  due  back  at  his  headquarters  at 
the  end  of  this  week  or  early  next 
week. 

• 

Walter  Murphy,  manager  of  the 
M.  and  P.  Capitol  Theatre,  New  Lon- 
don, Conn.,  has  been  named  city  chair- 
man for  the  United  Nations  drive  for 
children. 

• 

Nat  Wolf,  Warner  Ohio  theatre 
zone  manager,  and  Harry  Greenberg 
are  co-chairmen  of  the  Cleveland  film 
division  of  the  Jewish  Welfare  Drive. 
• 

Bernard  J.  Gates,  Monogram  In- 
ternational's Latin  America  supervi- 
sor, left  New  York  yesterday  for  a 
three-month  tour  of  his  territory. 
• 

Steve  Fitzgibbon  and  Mickey  An- 
delman  of  Devonshire  Films,  Boston, 
left  there  yesterday  for  a  sales  trip 
through  the  South  and  Midwest. 
• 

Leo  Kolb,  manager  of  the  execu- 
tive board  of  IATSE  Local  No.  160 
for  25  years,  has  been  presented  with 
a  gold  life  membership  card. 

• 

H.  M.  Richey,  M-G-M  exhibitor 
relations   head,  who   arrived  in  Des 
Moines  yesterday,  will  be  in  Kansas 
City  tomorrow  and  Thursday. 
• 

Norton  V.  Ritchey,  president  of 
Monogram  International,  has  returned 
to  London  from  Paris  and  will  leave 
for  New  York  shortly. 

• 

"Luckie"  Stein  of  Stein  and 
Floyd  Theatres  in  Florida  and  Geor- 
gia, has  returned  to  Jacksonville  from 
Miami. 

• 

Robert  Russell,  city  manager  for 
Shea  Theatres  in  Ashtabula,  O.,  is 
observing  his  25th  year  with  the  com- 
pany. 

• 

William  E.  Osborne,  Monogram 
International's  Far  Eastern  represen- 
tative, is  vacationing  in  Memphis. 
• 

Leonard  Goldman  of  Century  The- 
atres here  and  Phyllis  Sterner 
were  married  Sunday. 

S.  Hickman,  Toddy  Pictures,  At- 
lanta, has  returned  to  that  city  from 
a  Miami  vacation. 

• 

Robert  Taplinger,  Enterprise  vice- 
president,  has  flown  back  to  the  Coast 
from  New  York. 

• 

Sam  Katz,  M-G-M  production  ex- 
ecutive, will  leave  the  Coast  on  Sat- 
urday for  Chicago. 


BEN  KALMENSON,  Warner  dis 
tribution  chief,  will  leave  New 
York  today  on  a  tour  of  the  company's 
branches. 

• 

William  Wyler,  Paramount  pro- 
ducer-director,   has    been   given  the 
French  Legion  of  Honor  for  "dis 
tinguished  service  in  behalf  of  France 
and  other  nations  fighting  for  free 
dom." 

• 

Howard  Brookings,  president  of 
the  Iowa-Nebraska  Independent  The 
atre  Owners,  will  seek  a  seat  in  the 
Iowa  House  to  represent  Pottawat- 
tomie  County. 

Harry  F.  Shaw,  Loew's  Poli  New 
England  Theatres  division  manager, 
and  Mrs.  Shaw,  will  return  to  New 
Haven  on  May  15  from  a  South 
American  cruise. 

• 

William  H.  Murphy,  Jr.  is  now 
acting  manager  of  Southeastern  The- 
atre Equipment's  Jacksonville  branch, 
Walter  E.  Woodward  having  re- 
signed. 

• 

Clare  J.  Appel,  Eastern  division 
manager  of  Canadian  Odeon  The- 
atres, Toronto,  has  returned  there 
from  a  circuit  inspection  tour  in  On- 
tario. 

• 

Harry  Henderson  has  resigned  as 
manager  of  the  Lorain-Fulton  Theatre 
in  Cleveland  after  20  years  and  is 
succeeded  by  Charles  Rice,  his  as- 
sistant. 

• 

B.  G.  Kranze,  Film  Classics  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  is  due  in  Chicago 
today  from  New  York.  He  will  be  in 
Detroit  over  the  weekend. 

• 

Hunt  Stromberg  and  Mrs.  Strom- 
berg  are  in  New  York  from  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

Stuart  Dunlap,  M-G-M  mana- 
ger in  Argentina,  is  vacationing  in 
Hollywood. 

• 

John  Flaherty  is  the  new  assist- 
ant manager  at  the  Olympia  Theatre, 
Lynn,  Mass. 

• 

Jules  Weill,  president  of  Master- 
piece Productions  here,  is  in  Atlanta 
on  circuit  deals. 

•  - 

Fortune  Gallo,  impresario,  is  en 
route  to  the  Coast  from  here  by  way 
of  Transcontinental. 

L.  V.  Seichsnaydre,  Republic  man- 
ager in  New  Orleans,  has  returned 
there  from  Nashville. 

• 

Spencer  Tracy  is  due  in  New  York 
on  May  21  en  route  to  London. 


John  Jenkins,  head  of  Astor  Pic-  Elias  Fox  has  joined  Eagle-Lion's 
tures,  Dallas,  is  visiting  in  Atlanta,   press  book  department  here. 


General  Now  Odeon 

Ottawa,  May  10. — General  Theatre 
Corp.  has  changed  its  name  to  Odeon 
Theatres  (Canada). 


Akron  on  Daylight  Time 

Akron,  May  10. — Voters  here  fa- 
vor daylight  saving  time  and  the  time 
change  is  now  in  effect. 


Hughes  -  Odium  Deal 
Reaches  Final  Stage 

Hollywood,  May  10.  —  Reportedly 
winding  up  final  details  of  the  trans- 
action whereby  Howard  Hughes 
would  acquire  control  of  RKO  Radio 
through  the  purchase  of  Floyd  Od- 
ium's stock  in  the  company,  the  prin- 
cipals in  the  deal  were  still  holding  a 
session  at  the  RKO  studio  tonight. 

It  is  understood  that  Hughes'  offer 
became  effective  at  the  close  ofv*jne 
New  York  stock  market  today,  m' J* 
cording  to  one  report  from  the  Wh- 
ference  room,  the  deal  will  be  dated 
tomorrow,  with  official  confirmation 
delayed  until  midnight,  Pacific  Coast 
Time,  as  a  legal  formality. 


Vera  Gordon,  61 

Hollywood,  May  10. — Funeral  serv- 
ices will  be  held  here  tomorrow  in 
Hollywood  Cemetery  Chapel  for  Vera 
Gordon,  61,  star  of  stage  and  screen, 
who  died  on  Saturday.  She  was  best 
known  for  her  lead  part  in  "Humor- 
esque,"  silent  film.  Surviving  are  the 
widower,  a  daughter,  Nadje,  and  a  son, 
William,  who  is  an  executive  of  Uni- 
versal-International. 


H.  T.  Long,  54 

Toronto,  May  10.— H.  T.  Long,  54, 
veteran  film  executive,  died  at  his  resi- 
dence here  following  a  heart  attack. 
He  had  been  identified  with  various 
film  companies  for  27  years  until  his 
retirement  last  year  because  of  ill 
health. 


Rites  for  Mrs.  Morgan 

Beverly  Hills,  Calif.,  May  10.— 
Funeral  services  were  held  here  to- 
day for  Mrs.  Ralph  Morgan,  63,  wife 
of  the  actor.  Interment  will  be  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


Mrs.  Agnes  Hickey 

Detroit,  May  10.— Funeral  services 
for  Mrs.  Agnes  Hickey,  87,  mother 
of  RKO  Radio  field  man  Robert 
Hickey,  will  be  held  here  Wednesday. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


-p-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-b- 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer        Katharine  Van 
TRACY  HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adelphe  Lewis 

LANSBURY    MENJOU  STONE 
in  FRANK  CAPRA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


•so* 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARLES  LAUGHTON/Lfu^ 

BIG  CLOCK  VtiBeMw 


A  Paramount  Picture 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A. 
Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London." 
Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame. 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 
single  copies,  10c. 


lechnicolor  I 
Wlotion  Victure  Gorporation 

Herbert  T.  Kalmus,  President  and  general  TUanagsr 


. .  an  imperative  must. . . 


JESSE  L.  LASKY 
reviewing  in 
THE 

SCIENTIFIC 
MONTHLY 


MAGIC  SHADOWS 

The  Story  of  the  Origin  of  Motion  Pictures 

By  MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  JR. 

Adventurous  exploration  of  forgotten  yesterdays— 191  pages,  28 
iSlustrations.  Bound  in  cloth.  A  Georgetown  University  Press  book. 


Mr.  Lasky's  review,  appearing  in 

THE  SCIENTIFIC  MONTHLY  for  May  follows: 

READING  this  book  must  be  a  revela- 
tion and  a  humbling  for  anyone  even 
remotely  connected  with  motion  pictures 
or,  for  that  matter,  for  anyone  who  ever 
sees  a  motion  picture.  For  nowhere 
through  this  fascinating  adventure  and 
success  story  are  any  of  the  familiar 
names  connected  with  the  art  or  industry, 
whichever  you  chose  to  call  it.  There  is 
no  Gable  nor  Peck  nor  Garbo  nor  Chaplin 
nor  Mayer  nor  Selznick  here.  Indeed,  with 
the  exception  of  Edison,  there  isn't  a 
single  name  that  the  layman  has  heard  or 
that  has  ever  been  in  lights  or  drawn  a 
salary  or  made  a  gossip  column.  Yet 
Kircher  and  Plateau  and  Von  Uchatius 
and  the  Langenheims  are  actually  the 
gods  of  the  machine  who  made  these 
other  people  possible. 

And  Quigley  has  made  them,  in  many 
instances,  far  more  exciting  than  the  shad- 
ow children  who  came  after  them  and 
owe  them  their  birth.  He  has  traced  the 
invention  of  motion  pictures  as  far  back 
as  man  has  thought,  even  to  the  sun  it- 
self, and  followed  it  forward  in  time 
through  the  perils  and  disappointments, 
the  heartbreaks  and  elations,  the  mishaps 
and  the  lucky  breaks,  to  the  final  con- 
summation. 


Nowhere  does  the  interest  slacken ;  one 
reads  on  and  on,  fascinated  by  the  steps 
that  seem  so  natural  now,  but  were  so  un- 
certain then,  steps  that  led  to  the  per- 
fection of  an  art  and  a  machine  that  we 
all  take  perhaps  too  much  for  granted. 

An  immense  amount  of  research  must 
have  gone  into  the  book's  creation;  one 
has  a  sense  of  complete  documentation. 
One  also  has  a  feeling  of  eminent  fair- 
ness. The  reader  is  sure  that  Mr.  Quigley 
has  carefully  weighed  every  smallest  claim 
of  the  least  contributor  to  inclusion  for 
credit  toward  the  forward  movement  of 
the  machine.  And  one  knows  that  each 
piece  of  the  jigsaw  is  in  its  proper  place 
at  last  and  the  puzzle  is  completed,  the 
picture  whole. 

This  should  in  no  sense  be  considered 
a  source  book  or  a  technical  one  to  be  put 
aside  to  dip  into  for  leisurely  reading.  It 
is  an  imperative  must,  not  only  to  the 
student  or  the  technician  but  to  all  read- 
ers of  adventure  stories — adventure  into 
the  courage  of  the  human  heart  and  the 
profundity  of  the  human  mind. 

JESSE  L.  LASKY 

RKO  Studios 
Hollywood,  California 


Gentlemen: 

Send  copy(ies)  of  Magic  Shadows  at  $3.50  per  copy  postage  paid. 

|    [  Check  enclosed.  V~\  Send  bill. 

Name   


Address 


QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP  -  1270  SIXTH  AVENUE  -  NEW  YORK  CITY  (20) 


Tuesday,  May  11,  1948 


Motion  Picture  daily 


5 


Key  City 
Grosses 


OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
r  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LTIMORE 


New  films  are  getting  average  busi- 
ness or  slightly  better,  and  holdovers 
are  somewhat  off.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ending  May  13 : 

ARE  YOU  WITH   IT?   (U-I)— KEITH'S 
(2,406)    (25c-37c-44c-54c,  and  56c  weekends) 
3  days  of  2nd  week.    Gross:  $3,500. 
ARGENTINE  NIGHTS    (Equity  U-I  re- 

ssue) — VALENCIA  (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c, 
and  56c  weekends).  Gross:  $5,000.  (Aver- 
age: $5,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio) — TOWN 
(1,450)  (29c-37c-56c).  Gross:  $12,500.  (Av- 
erage: $10,500) 

LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (CoL)— HIP- 
PODROME (2,205)  (29c-37c-50c-58c)  2nd 
week,  with  a  stage  show.  Gross:  $19,500. 
(Average:  $17,000) 

SCUDDA  HOO!  SCUDDA  HAY!  (20th- 
Fox)  —  NEW  (1,800)  (29c-40c-50c-56c). 
Gross:  $12,000.  (Average:  $11,750) 
PANHANDLE  (Allied)— MAYFAIR  (1,000) 
(21c-29c-54c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $4,500. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)— 

CENTURY  (3,000)  (29c-37c-45c-54c,  and 
56c  weekends)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $14,500) 

TORMENT  (Oxford) — LITTLE  (328)  (29c- 
37c-56c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $2,750.  (Aver- 
age: $3,000) 

WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)— STANLEY 
(3,280)  (29c-37c-50c-58c).  Gross:  $14,500. 
(Average:  $14,500) 


CINCINNATI 


Horace  Heidt  and  his  orchestra  on 
the  RKO  Albee  stage,  plus  "Lost 
Honeymoon"  on  the  screen,  is  giving 
that  house  the  best  gross  in  many 
months.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  May  1 1 : 
BLACK  BART  (U-I)  —  KEITH'S  (1,500) 
(50c-55c-6Oc-65c-75c).  Gross:  $9,500.  (Aver- 
age: $7,500) 

BUCK  PRIVATES  (U-I)  —  RKO  LYRIC 
(1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  Dualed  with 
SOUTH  OF  TAHITI  (U-I).  Gross:  $4,500. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

DUEL    IN    THE     SUN     (SRO)  —  RKO 

GRAND  (1,500)  (5Oc-55c-60c-70c-75c).  Gross 

$12,000.    (Average:  $8,000) 

LOST  HONEYMOON   (E-L)  —  RKO  AL 

BEE  (3,300)  (55c-95c)  On  stage:  Horace 
Heidt  and  his  orchestra.  Gross:  $38,000. 
(Average:  $30,000) 

MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO  Radio) 

—RKO    PALACE    (2,700)  (50c-55c-60c-65c- 
70c-75c).    Gross:  $13,000.    (Average:  $15,000) 
STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)- 
RKO  CAPITOL  (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c 
75c)  2nd  week.    Gross:  $11,000.  (Average 
$10,000) 

SITTING    PRETTY     (20th-Fox)  —  RKO 

SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-7Oc-75c) 
3  days,  6th  downtown  week,  and  TARZAN 
AND  THE  MERMAIDS  (RKO  Radio)  5 

days,  2nd  week,  on  a  moveover  from  the 


Reviews 


NATURALLY 


TEXAS. 
BROOKLYN 


"Who  Killed  Doc  Robin? 

(Hal  Roach-United  Artists) 

HARUM-SCARUM  HOKUM  designed  decidedly  to  quench  the  appetites 
of  those  rabid  followers,  both  young  and  old,  of  that  American  institu- 
tion of  serio-comic  cartoon  strips,  in  all  of  their  fantastic  shenanigans. 

Hardly  intended  to  be  taken  seriously,  the  screenplay  by  Maurice  Geraghty 
and  Dorothy  Reid,  gives  ample  opportunity  to  the  same  crew  of  youngsters 
who  appeared  in  Hal  Roach's  "Curley,"  to  enliven  the  proceedings,  and  this 
they  do  feverishly,  aided  and  abetted  principally  by  George  Zucco,  Virginia 
Grey,  Don  Castle,  Whitford  Kane,  Claire  Dubrey  and  Don  Dubrey.  Larry 
Olsen,  as  little  "Curley,"  tough-guy,  is  very  good. 

The  plot  concerns  a  mystery  killing  and  a  wild  chase  through  an  old  house 
with  the  usual  patterned  antics  of  creaking  doors,  moving  walls,  dark  cor- 
ners and  the  eerieness  of  a  scary  gorilla,  closet  skeleton  and  such  trimmings. 
While  chiefly  juvenile  entertainment,  some  of  the  hair-raising  episodes  might 
be  a  bit  too  stiff  for  the  very  young.  Done  in  Cinecolor,  Bernard  Carr 
directed,  Robert  F.  McGowan  produced  and  Hal  Roach,  Jr.,  was  executive 
producer,  all  contributing  to  speedy  action. 

Running  time,  55  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
April  9.  James  Cunningham 

"St age  Struck" 

(Monogram) 

CLEARLY  intended  for  theatres  located  in  areas  where  flash  fronts  and 
provocative  billing  bid  for  drop-in  patronage,  this  melodrama  sets  forth 
in  elementary  manner  to  point  out  that  dangers  ranging  up  to  death  by  mur- 
der lurk  in  the  big  city  for  small  town  girls  who  leave  home  without  notice 
in  a  vain  pursuit  of  footlight  careers.  The  players  who  principally  enact  the 
stencilled  roles  are  Kane  Richmond,  Audrey  Long,  Conrad  Nagel,  Ralph 
Byrd  and  some  others,  but  the  script  is  so  full  of  planted  texts,  and  the 
direction  is  so  handicapped  by  dialogue,  that  the  picture  never  rises  above 
the  level  of  an  illustrated  lecture  on  an  antique  theme.  The  attraction  has 
its  uses  for  houses  .specializing  in  transient  trade  and  quick  turnover. 

The  scene  is  New  York,  the  picture  opening  on  the  murder  by  a  nightclub 
operator  of  a  stage  struck  small-town  girl  he  first  enrolled  in  his  fake  theatri- 
cal school  and  employed  thereafter  as  hostess.  Richmond  plays  his  employee, 
who  observes  the  murder,  gets  rid  of  the  body  for  him,  and  then  takes  charge 
of  the  business.  Nagel  plays  a  plodding  detective  assigned  to  the  case,  and 
Miss  Long  is  seen  as  the  murdered  girl's  sister,  who  comes  to  the  city  and 
follows  in  her  sister's  footsteps  in  the  hope  of  finding  out  who  did  the  killing. 
If  there  is  a  sparkle  of  novelty  in  the  proceedings,  it  is  the  use  of  a  tape 
recorder  in  pinning  the  crime  on  the  killer,  but  not  much  is  made  of  it. 
Jeffrey  Bernerd  produced  and  William  Nigh,  directed  from  a  script  by  George 
Wallace  Sayre  and  Agnes  Christine  Johnston,  based  on  a  story  by  the  former. 

Running  time,  71  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
June  13. 

"Not  Guilty"  ("Non  Coupable") 

(Andre  Lelarge — In  French,  zvith  English  subtitles) 

AVERY  fine  production  of  an  absorbing  and  most  unusual  mystery,  pro- 
duced and  directed  in  France  by  Henri  Decoin. 
The  tale  concerns  a  doctor  who  is  responsible  for  the  death  of  four  per- 
sons. The  first  is  an  accident,  the  others  are  cunningly  contrived  murders 
which  baffle  the  shrewdest  of  the  French  police.  Michel  Simon,  as  the  doctor 
who  commits  the  perfect  crimes,  then  unsuccessfully  tries  to  confess,  gives 
an  outstanding  performance,  while  Jany  Holt,  as  his  deceitful  mistress, 
Jean  Debucourt,  the  police  inspector,  and  Jean  Wall,  a  doctor  and  one  of  the 
victims,  lend  excellent  support. 

Running  time,  94  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Current  release. 


BVay  Grosses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


a  so-so  $7,500.  A  weak  $15,000  is  seen 
for  the  first  stanza  of  "Dear  Mur- 
derer" at  the  Winter  Garden. 

Also  weak  is  "Letter  from  an  Un- 
known Woman"  at  the  Rivoli  where 
the  second  week  is  heading  for  only 
$20,000 ;  "Another  Part  of  the  Forest" 
will  open  there  on  May  18.  Second  and 
final  week  for  "Anna  Karenina,"  plus 
a  stage  bill  headed  by  Larry  Adler,  is 
poor  at  the  Roxy,  with  only  $55,000 
in  view  on  the  basis  of  $45,000  grossed 
in  five  days;  "The  Iron  Curtain"  will 
move  in  there  tomorrow. 

$70,000  for  'Big  Clock' 

"Casbah"  is  due  for  a  pretty  good 
$19,000  in  its  second  week  at  the  Cri- 
terion. Also  pretty  good  is  the  $70,000 
expected  for  the  third  week  of  "The 
Big  Clock,"  plus  Duke  Ellington's 
band  on  stage  at  the  Paramount;  they 
will  hold  for  a  fourth  week,  to  be 
followed  by  "The  Sainted  Sisters" 
and  a  new  stage  show. 

"Arch  of  Triumph"  appears  to  be 
doing  all  right  at  the  Globe  where 
$35,000  is  in  store  for  a  third  week.  At 
the  Victoria,  "The  Search"  is  firm 
with  about  $12,000  expected  for  a 
seventh  week.  Fifth  week  business  is 
very  mild  at  the  Warner  for  "Winter 
Meeting,"  with  $8,000  expected.  Also 
mild  in  its  seventh  week  at  the  Astor 
is  "Mr.  Blandings  Builds  His  Dream 
House,"  with  $24,000  expected. 

$12,000  for  'Agreement' 

Twenty-sixth  week  of  "Gentleman's 
Agreement"  is  due  for  about  $12,500 
at  the  Mayfair.  At  the  Park  Avenue 
"The  Mikado"  is  on  the  way  to  a  sat- 
isfactory $5,000  for  a  fourth  week. 
"Unconquered"  paired  with  "Who 
Killed  Doc  Robin"  at  regular  prices 
at  Loew's  State  will  run  for  nine 
days,  with  a  fair  $27,000  foreseen; 
"The  Fuller  Brush  Man"  will  take 
over  on  May  19. 


Grand.  Combined  gross:  $5,000.  (Average, 
7  days:  $5,000) 


TORONTO 


sent  from  UA 


The  baseball  season  had  its  big 
opening,  but  there  was  some  compen- 
sation for  Toronto  theatres  in  a  re- 
turn of  cool  weather  with  some  rain 
to  keep  box-offices  on  a  steady  pace. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing May  13 : 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD 

(WB)— BILTMORE  (938)  (15c-30c-36c-55c) 
6  days.  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average:  $6,000) 
THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)— SHEA'S  (2,- 
480)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$17,900.  (Average:  $14,900) 
CASBAH  (U-I) — UPTOWN  (2,761)  (20c- 
36c -48c -66c -90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $12,100. 
(Average:  $11,600) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (Selznick)— LOEW'S 
(2,074)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$16,700.  (Average:  $14,200) 
HOLIDAY  CAMP  (U-I)— DANFORTH 
(1,400)  (20c-36c-50c-60c)  6  days.  Gross:  $6,- 
800.    (Average:  $6,500) 

HOLIDAY    CAMP     (U-I)  —  FAIRLAWN 
(1,195)  (20c-30c-40c-50c-S5c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$6,300.    (Average:  $5,500) 
IF  YOU  KNEW  SUSIE  (RKO  Radio)— 


EGLINTON   (1,086)    (20c -30c -36c -48c -66c)  6 
days.     Gross:  $8,400.     (Average:  $7,400) 
IF  YOU  KNEW  SUSIE   (RKO  Radio)- 
TIVOLI  (1,434)  (20c-3Oc-36c-48c-66c)  6  days. 
Gross:  $10,700.     (Average:  $9,200) 
SAIGON  (Para.)— IMPERIAL  (3,343)  (20c- 
36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$15,600.     (Average:  $14,600) 
SITTING    PRETTY    (ZOth-Fox)  —  NOR- 
TOWN   (950)   (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  8th 
week.    Gross:  $3,800.     (Average:  $6,500) 
SITTING     PRETTY     (20th  -  Fox)  —  VIC 
TORIA  (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  8th 
week.    Gross:  $3,800.    (Average:  $6,300) 


ATLANTA 


Business  here  is  above  average.  Es- 
timated receipts  for  the  week  ending- 
May  11  : 

THE  BIG  CLOCK  (Para.)-ROXY  (2,446) 
(12c-50c)  2nd  week  on  a  moveover  from  the 
Fox.  Gross:  $5,900.  (Average:  $5,800) 
SMART  WOMAN  (Allied  Artists)  _ 
PARAMOUNT  (2,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross: 
$6,700.  (Average:  $5,900) 
STATE  OF  THE  UNION  (M-G-M)- 
LOEW'S  GRAND  (2,446)  (12c-50c)  2nd 
week,  on  a  holdover.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Av- 
erage: $14,000) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)— FOX  (4,446) 
(12c-50c).  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average: 
$14,000) 


Dezel  Buys  Franchise 

Acquisition  of  the  franchise  for 
Astor  Pictures  in  the  Cincinnati  terri- 
tory has  been  announced  here  by  Al- 
bert Dezel,  president  of  Albert  Dezel 
Productions.  Release  will  be  by  Screen 
Guild  Productions  of  Cincinnati,  Dezel 
said.  Ed  Salzberg  signed  for  Screen 
Guild  and  Fred  Bellin  represented 
Astor. 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
%  ily  world-proved 
TWA 

m  One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
%  to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
%  Ireland,  Paris,  Egypt  and  other 
H|  key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
m  and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
H  dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
^  with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
|||    lions  of  trans-world  miles. 

For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  11,  1948 


Col.  'Carmen'  Campaign 

Richard  Condon,  publicist ;  the  S.  C. 
Swanson  Co.  and  Bradshaw  Crandall, 
illustrator,  have  been  engaged  by  Co- 
lumbia for  an  advance  campaign  for 
"The  Loves  of  Carmen,"  Technicolor 
film.  Condon  will  do  special  publicity 
assignments,  Swanson  will  develop  a 
nationwide  promotion  and  Crandall 
will  do  key  illustrations. 


Honor  Moore  at  Dinner 

Pittsburgh,  May  10. — Scores  of 
business  associates  and  friends  turned 
out  for  the  testimonial  dinner  given  to 
F.  D.  (Dinty)  Moore  in  the  William 
Penn  Hotel  here,  tonight  to  honor 
his  promotion  from  Warner  branch 
manager  in  this  territory,  to  Eastern 
district  manager  in  Boston. 


Reds  Lead 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  advertising-publicity,  said  that  the 
theatre  will  see  to  it  that  its  normal 
rules  and  regulations  are  obeyed. 
Pointing  out  he  couldn't  anticipate 
what  demonstrations  would  take  place, 
he  asserted  that  city  and  police  regula- 
tions would  take  care  of  any  dis- 
orderliness. 

The  demonstration  tonight,  it  has 
been  reported,  would  start  a  series  of 
demonstrations  throughout  the  coun- 
try, where  more  than  400  theatres 
have  booked  the  film  beginning  to- 
morrow. Many  of  the  theatres  have 
received  postcard  threats  of  boycott 
for  a  year  if  they  show  the  picture. 

Chief  promoter  of  the  boycott  is 
said  to  be  the  National  Council  of 
American-Soviet  Friendship,  which 
has  written  exhibitors  protesting  the 
film.  In  answer  to  vague  reports 
that  exhibitors  of  the  film  would  be 
liable  for  possible  libel  damages, 
Schlaifer  asserted  that  20th-Fox 
would  protect  them  "against  legal 
liability." 


DeMille  to  Testify 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  right  to  work  is  as  vital  as  the 
right  to  strike  and  that  both  must  be 
protected  bv  law.  He  will  cite  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court's  refusal  to  re- 
view his  case  against  the  American 
Federation  of  Radio  Artists  as  show- 
ing the  need  for  legislation  to  protect 
the  right  to  work,  and  will  also  cite 
other  instances  in  the  Hollywood  la- 
bor picture  as  well  as  examples  and 
court  decisions  from  other  industries. 

The  committee  is  scheduled  to  show 
newsreels  of  strike  violence  right  after 
his  testimony.  The  House  Labor  Com- 
mittee may  vote  out  a  bill  as  a  result 
of  these  hearings,  but  no  legislation 
is  likely  to  pass  Congress  during  this 
session  on  the  subject. 


Charges  'Feather bedding' 

Hartford,  May  10. — The  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  has  reinstated 
charges  against  Local  No.  400,  Amer- 
ican Federation  of  Musicians,  that  it 
has  caused  the  hiring  of  eight  mem- 
bers by  the  State  Theatre,  Hartford, 
since  October,  whose  services  were 
not  desired. 


June  1  Deadline 

(Continued  from  page  1  ) 

been  working  on  a  bill  for  several 
months  now,  and  chairman  Knutson 
has  previously  said  he  would  have  a 
bill  ready  early  in  June.  Whether  he 
can  push  the  bill  along  faster  due  to 
the  House  leadership  deadline  now  re- 
mains to  be  seen. 


Mexican  Producers 
Eye  Wider  U.S.  Mart 

Mexico  City,  May  10. —  Mexican 
producers  are  turning  to  United  States 
market  with  the  hope  that  wider  dis- 
tribution of  their  films  north  of  the 
Rio  Grande  will  pull  the  Mexican 
industry  out  of  its  depression.  Spear- 
headed by  Salvador  Elizondo,  man- 
aging director  of  Clasa  Films  Mun- 
diales,  a  movement  is  beginning  here 
for  the  dubbing  of  Mexican  prod- 
uct in  English  in  order  to  widen  the 
audience  for  Mexican  films  in  the 
U.  S.  beyond  the  Mexican  and  Span- 
ish-speaking sectors  there. 


MPAA  Enters 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

cipal  cities  of  the  world.  WCC  is  en- 
deavoring to  put  it  into  operation  in 
Italy  first,  it  was  said. 

WCC,  backed  by  banking  institu- 
tions of  international  prestige  and  by 
other  large  organizations  of  world- 
wide stature,  is  reported  to  be  repre- 
sentative of  film  interests  to  a  degree. 
Some  members  of  its  board  of  direc- 
tors, it  is  understood,  are  prominently 
identified  with  the  American  industry. 

The  arrangement  said  to  have  been 
set  up  by  Mayer,  and  WCC  executive 
vice-president  John  A.  R.  Pepper  calls 
for  WCC  to  convince  European  man- 
ufacturers, growers,  and  commodity 
producers  in  general  that  -new  world 
markets  can  be  found  for  their  prod- 
ucts. Once  the  manufacturers  are 
persuaded,  WCC,  which  functions 
more  or  less  like  a  brokerage  organi- 
zation, will  approach  the  government 
of  the  country  wherein  the  manufac- 
turer operates  to  establish  an  agree- 
ment whereby  frozen  American  film 
earnings  equal  to  the  ,  manufacturer's 
earnings  in  the  new  market  will  be 
turned  over  to  the  manufacturer  while 
the  new  market  earnings  will  go  to 
the  U.  S.  film  companies. 

The  plan  was  reported  to  have  been 
agreed  upon  early  this  year.  Thus 
far,  spokesmen  acknowledged,  it  has 
produced  no  tangible  results  in  terms 
of  remittances  from  Italy,  but  it  is 
explained  that  the  developing  of  for- 
eign markets  is  not  accomplished 
overnight.  Meanwhile,  however, 
MPAA  has  succeeded  in  getting  some 
remittances  out  of  Italy  through 
other  channels. 


Pathe  Opening  Delayed 

The  manager  of  the  Paris  Theatre, 
now  being  constructed  for  Pathe  Ci- 
nema, here,  due  to  open  this  month, 
has  postponed  its  opening  because  of 
construction  delays.  The  premiere, 
now  set  for  September,  will  feature 
"Symphonie  Pastoral,"  starring  Mi- 
chele  Morgan  and  Pierre  Blanchar. 
The  Paris  will  be  one  of  Pathe's  in- 
ternational circuit. 


Increase  in  Titles 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

companies  used  the  bureau  last  year, 
the  report  declared,  bringing  the  to- 
tal of  these  companies  to  59.  Total 
member  and  non-member  participants 
now  stands  at  80.  Participating  com- 
panies notified  the  bureau  of  772  re- 
leases during  1947,  including  features 
and  short  subjects. 

Of  the  3,489  titles  registered  in 
1947,  926  were  subsequently  with- 
drawn, either  voluntarily  or  because 
of  conflict  with  prior  registrations. 

Miss  Young's  report  pointed  out 
that  the  Production  Code  was  tight- 
ened during  1947  to  restrict  or  ban 
the  use  of  certain  titles. 


Para.-DuMont 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

subsidiaries  for  television  stations. 
An  FCC  ruling  forbids  any  one  firm 
from  controlling  more  than  five  sta- 
tions. If  Paramount  does  control 
DuMont,  its  controlled  firms  already 
have  the  five-station  limit,  and  the 
new  applications  must  be  denied. 

Raibourn  repeatedly  told  the  ex- 
aminer that  Paramount  never  exer- 
cised control  over  DuMont  and  did 
not  have  common  interest  with  the 
laboratories.  While  television  broad- 
casting meets  the  needs  of  DuMont, 
he  said,  perhaps  it  does  not  meet  the 
needs  of  Paramount.  "Paramount  is 
not  altogether  certain;"  he  continued, 
"that  broadcasting  of  television  is  the 
most  advantageous  use  of  it,"  imply- 
ing that  the  picture  company  preferred 
to  go  ahead  with  its  theatre  television 
experimenting. 

The  Paramount  official,  who  was  on 
the  stand  all  day  and  may  return  to  it 
when  hearings  resume  tomorrow,  said 
that  Paramount  had  no  plans  for  a 
television  network,  "although  there 
may  have  been  some  speculation  to 
this  effect." 

$164,000  for  DuMont  Shares 

Raibourn  told  the  examiner  that 
Paramount's  holdings  in  DuMont 
originally  cost  about  $164,000.  He 
listed  present  book  value  at  $3  to  $4, 
said  the  market  value  was  slightly 
higher,  and  "it  might  be  selling  for 
$20  to  $30  if  Paramount  hadn't  been 
in  the  picture  at  all." 

Paramount  has  made  several  efforts 
to  dispose  of  its  DuMont  holdings, 
Raibourn  said,  and  has  discussed  it 
with  a  great  many  individuals,  but 
nothing     has     yet     been  followed 


through.   In  answer  to  questioning,  he 
said  Paramount  had  not  discussed  the 
sale  with  DuMont,  though  one  Du- 
Mont official  asked  the  right  to  bid  for  ' 
the  stock  if  it  were  sold  on  the  open  j] 
market. 

Other  Paramount  Holdings 

Paramount  was  listed  as  owning  99  I 
per  cent  of  Balaban  and  Katz  stock, 
100  per  cent  of  Television  Produc- 
tions, 100  per  cent  of  New  England  j 
Theatres,  100  per  cent  of  Interstate  | 
Circuit  Class  B  common,  and  ^Jn- ! 
terstate  Class  A  common.  . 

Ten  largest  holders  of  Paraniuunt 
stock  were  given  as  follows :  Merrill, 
Lynch,    Pierce,    Fenner    and  Beane, 
179,187;   Lehman  Brothers,  130,174; 
Cudd  and  Co.,  76,154;  Bache  and  Co., 
65,551;  Lake  and  Co.,  65,412;  E.  F. 
Hutton  and  Co.,  65,030;  Labb  and  Co.,  1 
Boston,  61,000;  Paine,  Webber,  Jud-  i 
son  and  Curtis,  57,244;   N.  V.  A., 
Amsterdam,    55,064 ;    and   Olen   and  | 
Co.,  Chicago,  52,464.    Paramount  said  ; 
it  had  6,950,000  sahres  outstanding,  ; 
which  were  held  by  40,000  firms  and  j 
individuals. 


Schanberger  Testimonial 

Baltimore,  May  10. — The  Variety 
Club,  Tent  No.  19,  will  give  a  testi- 
monial dinner  on  May  21  to  ex-chief 
barker  Frederick  C.  Schanberger,  an 
executive  with  Keith's  Theatre  here. 
Co-chairmen  in  charge  of  arrangement 
are  Al  Vogelstein,  William  Myers 
and  Sam  Tabor. 


Two  New  Ansco  Plants 

Ansco  has  completed  new  labora- 
tories in  Toronto  and  Paris,  for  proc- 
essing of  prints  in  the  new  Ansco 
Color. 


I 

IN 
FILM 


DAI  LY 


NEWS 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  92 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  MAY  12,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


DeMille  Urges 
Right-to -Work 
LawEnactment 

House  Labor  Group  Told 
Issue  Is  'Fundamental' 


Washington,  May  11. — Cecil 
B.  DeMille  today  asked  Congress 
to  draft  a  Constitutional  amend- 
ment guaranteeing  the  right  of 
every  man  to 
"work  when  he 
pleases,  where 
he  pleases,  for 
himself  or  for 
whoever  wants 
to  hire  him." 

The  noted 
motion  picture 
producer,  who 
gave  up  a  $120,- 
000  a  year 
radio  job  rath- 
er than  pay  a 
$1  political 
assessment  t  o 
the  American  Cecil  B.  DeMiiie 
Federation  of 

Radio  Artists,  told  the  House  Labor 
committee  that  the  right  to  work  is 
"one  of  the  most  fundamental  rights, 
and  that  it  should  be  given  the  full 
protection  of  the  Government."  He 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


U-I  Tightens  16mm. 
Servicing  Control 


Universal-International  has  tightened 
its  supervision  of  16mm.  films  dis- 
tributed by  its  subsidiary,  United 
World  Films,  by  reinstating  former 
rules  to  have  branch  managers  ap- 
prove 16mm.  accounts,  William  Scully, 
U-I  general  sales  manager,  discloses 
in  a  letter  to  Myron  N.  Blank,  chair- 
man of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  Amer- 
ica's 16mm.  committee. 

RKO  Radio  and  20th  Century-Fox, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Field  Promotions 
Made  by  Paramount 

Several  promotions  of  branch  man- 
agers, booking  managers  and  salesmen 
have  been  announced  by  Charles  M. 
Reagan,  Paramount  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution,  as  follows : 

Harry  Hamburg,  branch  manager  at 
Des  Moines,  has  been  named  manager 
at    Kansas    City,    succeeding  Ralph 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Home  Office 
Workers  Seek 
12i%  Increase 


With  10  IATSE  film  company 
"white  collar"  labor  contracts  due 
to  expire  on  May  31  and  June  30, 
including  Universal,  Warners, 
United  World,  Pathe  Laboratories, 
Universal  Newsreel  and  Castle  Films. 
"IA"  Motion  Picture  Home  Office 
Employes  Local  No.  H-63  is  setting 
in  motion  negotiations  for  pay  in- 
creases of  12J/2  per  cent  "across  the 
board,"  plus  a  35-hour  week  and  in- 
creased vacations.  Over  1,000  em- 
ployes are  involved  in  the  Universal 
and  Warner  home  offices  alone. 

Russell  Moss,  business  agent  of  H- 
63,  who  is  in  command  of  the  local's 
campaign  for  added  contract  benefits 
and  who  yesterday  announced  the 
planned  opening  of  negotiations,  dis- 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Contempt  Trials  Off 
Pending  2  Appeals 

Washington,  May  11. — Verdicts 
on  the  remaining  eight  Hollywood 
writers,  producers  and  directors 
charged  with  contempt  of  Congress 
have  been  postponed  while  defense  at- 
torneys appeal  to  the  Circuit  Court 
and  Supreme  Court  the  convictions  of 
writers  John  Howard  Lawson  and 
Dalton  Trumbo. 

Defense  attorneys  Robert  Kenny, 
Martin  Pepper  and  Ben  Margolis  an- 
nounced today  that  an  agreement  to 
this  effect  had  been  reached  with  the 
U.  S.  District  Attorney's  office  and 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Kansas-Missouri 
Allied  Meets  Today 

Kansas  City,  May  11. — Film 
prices,  policy  and  problems  of  the  day 
appear  in  a  wide  variety  on  the  agenda 
of  the  two-day  convention  of  Allied  of 
Kansas-Missouri,  which  will  open 
here  tomorrow  at  the  Muehlbach 
Hotel. 

Film  buying,  Allied's  Caravan,  ad- 
mission taxes,  film  delivery,  local 
checkers,  Ascap,  advanced  admission 
pictures,  the  Government  trust  suit, 
drive-ins,  buying  and  booking,  16mm. 
and  school  competition  are  among  the 
subjects  scheduled  for  discussion  at 
an  open  forum  tomorrow  afternoon. 
All  independents  have  been  invited. 

The  sessions  will  open  with  an  ad- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


CONTROL  OF  RKO 
PASSES  TO  HUGHES 


Early  Decree  Seen 
In  Scophony  Suit 

Washington,  May  11. — Jus- 
tice Department  and  industry 
officials  today  predicted  an 
early  consent  decree  in  the 
Government's  anti-trust  suit 
against  Scophony  and  other 
television  defendants. 

Paramount  vice  -  president 
Paul  Raibourn  said  he 
thought  that  his  company 
and  General  Precision  Equip- 
ment Corp.  would  soon  agree 
to  "pull  out"  of  Scophony 
with  an  understanding  that 
their  $140,000  investment 
come  out  of  future  royalties, 
if  any. 


$6,000,000  Offer 
To  Para,  by  DuMont 

Washington,  May  11. — Allen  B. 
DuMont  declared  here  today  that  his 
firm  had  offered  Paramount  $6,000,000 
for  the  latter's  DuMont  stock  hold- 
ings, but  had  been  turned  down. 

DuMont  indicated  he  thought 
Paramount's  desire  to  get  $10,000,000 
was  not  too  far  out  of  line,  disclosing 
that  during  the  last  four  weeks  alone 
the  company  had  made  a  profit  of 
$200,000. 

The  television  pioneer's  testimony 
wound  up  hearings  before  a  Federal 
Communications    Commission  exam- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


To  Mark  Smith's 
First  Anniversary 

Division  sales  managers  Herman 
Wobber,  Western ;  Harry  Ballance, 
Southern ;  Jack  Lorentz,  Central ; 
Raymond  E.  Moon,  Eastern,  and  Ar- 
thur Silverstone,  Canadian,  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  will  honor  general  sales 
manager  Andy  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  at  a 
testimonial  dinner  on  May  28  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  New  York. 

The  dinner  will  mark  the  date,  one 
year  ago,  when  Smith  was  appointed 
head  of  the  company's  domestic  dis- 
tribution department,  and  will  launch 
the  "Andy  Smith  Anniversary  Month" 
sales  drive  which  will  run  from  May 
30  to  June  26. 

With  Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president, 
as  toastmaster,  company  officials,  de- 
partment heads,  the  home  office  sales 
staff,  will  also  attend  the  dinner. 


Formal  Closing  of  Deal 
With  Atlas  Corp.  for 
$9  Millions  Completed 

Howard  Hughes'  acquisition  of 
the  929,020  shares  of  RKO  com- 
mon stock  held  by  the  Atlas  Corp. 
became  official  yesterday,  placing 
the  producer  in 
effective  control 
of  the  company. 

F  i  n  a  1  i  - 
zation  of  the 
sale  was  an- 
nounced in  a 
formal  state- 
ment  issued  by 
Floyd  B.  Od- 
ium, president 
of  Atlas.  While 
the  purchase 
price  of  the  At- 
las stock  was 
not  revealed  in 
the  announce- 
ment, it  is  reli- 
ably reported  that  Hughes  paid  $9.77 
per  share,  or  just  over  $9,000,000  for 
the  entire  block. 

Odium  disclosed  that  the  tentative 
contract  with  Hughes  announced  last 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Howard  Hughes 


Ask  Dropping  of 
Tax-FreeDivestiture 


Washington,  May  11. — Theatre- 
owning  distributors  have  asked  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee  to 
drop  any  further  consideration  of  a 
tax  change,  which  they  had  requested, 
until  the  New  York  District  Court 
hands  down  a  new  divestiture  decree 
in  the  Paramount  trust  case. 

The  change,  which  has  been  pushed 
especially  by  Paramount,  would  have 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


National  Screen  to 
Hold  Two  Meetings 

National  Screen  Service  ex- 
ecutives Herman  Robbins, 
George  Dembow  and  Bill 
Brenner  will  preside  at  two 
company  sales  meetings,  to 
be  held  May  18-22  at  the  Ritz 
Carlton  Hotel  in  Atlantic 
City  and  June  25-30  at  the 
Ambassador  Hotel,  Los  An- 
geles. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  May  12,  1948 


Newsreel 
Parade 


Personal 
Mention 

TED  R.  GAMBLE,  Theatre  Own- 
ers   of   America    president,  will 
leave  this  evening  for  Portland,  Ore. 
• 

Barbara  Anne  Aaron,  daughter  of 
M-G-M  assistant  sales  manager  Ed^ 
win  W.  Aaron,  will  be  married  on 
June  20  in  Riverdale,  to  Herbert  S. 
Nusbaum,  formerly  with  M-G-M's 
home  office  legal  department  and  now 
a  Hollywood  attorney.  The  bride  is 
a  member  of  Eagle-Lion's  home  office 
publicity  department. 

• 

Frank  H.  Ricketson,  Fox  Inter- 
mountain  president,  Denver ;  Elmer 
C.  Rhoden,  Fox  Midwest  president, 
Kansas  City,  and  Harold  J.  Fitz- 
gerald, Fox  Wisconsin  president, 
Milwaukee,  are  in  New  York. 
• 

Arthur  I.  Weinberg,  son  of  Col- 
umbia circuit  sales  executive  Lou 
Weinberg  and  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
Law  School,  has  passed  the. New  York 
State  Bar  examination. 

• 

Mme.  Raymonde  Audibert,  direc- 
tor of  Pathe  Journal,  a  subsidiary  of 
Pathe  Cinema,  is  due  here  today  from 
Paris  on  the  -S".?  Queen  Elizabeth. 
• 

Elsie  Kaufman  of  the  Columbia 
advertising-publicity  department  here 
for  the  past  20  years  has  resigned,  ef- 
fective Friday. 

Paul  Broder,  Realart  president,  is 
in  New  York  from  Detroit  for  a  few 
days. 

Riot  Marks  Opening 
Here  of  'Curtain' 

A  heavy  detail  of  police,  including 
mounted  police,  and  1,000  war  vet- 
erans came  to  grips  last  night  with 
pickets  who  were  protesting  the  show- 
ing of  20th  Century-Fox's  "The  Iron 
Curtain"  at  a  sneak  preview  at  the 
Roxy  Theatre  here.  The  ensuing  riot, 
worse  than  anticipated  by  some  ob- 
servers, caused  police  to  keep  crowds 
away  from  the  theatre  when  the 
picketing,  sponsored  by  the  National 
Council  of  American-Soviet  Friend- 
ship, started  at  11  P.M.  Members  of 
the  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars  joined 
the  police  in  battling  the  pickets. 

B.  Turnbull,  58,  Head 
Of  Rockefeller  Center 

Barton  P.  Turnbull,  58,  president 
of  Rockefeller  Center,  Inc.,  since  1945 
and  a  former  president  and  director 
of  Radio  City  Music  Hall  Corp.  and 
the  Center  Theatre  Corp.,  died  yester- 
day at  his  home  in  Summit,  N.  J. 
A  close  associate  of  John  D.  Rocke- 
feller, Jr.,  in  recent  years,  Turnbull 
entered  the  Center  organization  as 
treasurer  and  director  in  1934. 

Survivors  include  the  widow,  Mrs. 
Dorothy  M.  G.  Turnbull ;  three 
daughters,  a  brother  and  five  grand- 
children. Private  services  will  be  held 
tomorrow. 


Three  Arbitration 
Awards  Are  Made 


Industry  arbitration  awards  have 
been  handed  down  by  arbitrators  in 
cases  in  New  York,  New  Orleans  and 
New  Haven,  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  reported  here  yester- 
day. 

Deriving  from  a  complaint  institut- 
ed by  Norman  Bialek  and  Martin 
Fessler,  operating  the  Astor  Theatre, 
North  Bergen,  N.  J.,  the  New  York 
arbitrator's  award  stipulates  that  no 
clearance  shall  be  granted  in  licenses 
hereafter  entered  into  by  distributors 
to  the  Alvin  Theatre,  Guttenberg,  N. 
J.,  over  the  Astor,  and  dismisses  com- 
plaints against  intervenors,  Bergenline 
Amusement,  Goldenlane  Theatre 
Corp.,  and  Mayfair  Entertainments, 
which  were  represented  by  New  York 
attorney  Irving  Cohen.  Award  also 
denies  complainants'  request  that  pic- 
tures distributed  by  defendant  dis- 
tributors should  be  available  to  the 
Astor  not  later  than  24  days  after 
their  run  at  Loew's  Embassy,  North 
Bergen,  and  RKO's  Capitol,  Union 
City. 

Ruling  clearance  to  be  unreasonable, 
the  New  Orleans  arbitrator  upheld 
complainant  Broadmoor  Theatre,  Inc., 
by  fixing  maximum  clearance  of  30 
days  between  the  complainant's  thea- 
tres and  those  of  five  distributor  de- 
fendants. Additionally,  the  arbitra- 
tor held  that  there  was  not  sufficient 
evidence  to  show  that  there  is  a  na- 
tional release  date  for  the  Shreveport 
area  and  therefore  denied  the  relief 
sought  by  Broadmoor,  which  was  20 
days  after  national  release  date. 

New  Haven  arbitrator  dismissed 
the  complaint  brought  by  West  Side 
Amusement,  operator  of  the  Barnum 
Theatre,  Bridgeport,  against  Para- 
mount, RKO  Radio  and  Warners, 
with  the  Strand  Amusement  as  in- 
tervener, and  ordered  retention  of  the 
clearance  status  quo. 

Cagney  Productions 
To  Make  2  This  Year 

Two  pictures  will  constitute  this 
year's  program  of  William  Cagney 
Productions,  he  disclosed  here  yes- 
terday, adding  they  probably  will  be 
"Lion  in  the  Streets,"  budgeted  up  to 
$2,500,000,  and  "Only  the  Valiant,"  to 
cost  about  $1,600,000. 

Cagney  said  that  following  the  cur- 
rent "The  Time  of  Your  Life,"  in 
which  United  Artists  has  $250,000  in- 
vested, his  organization  is  committed 
to  deliver  one  more  to  UA  within  two 
years.  Should  the  company  renew  with 
UA,  it  "probably"  would  be  "on  a 
non-exclusive  basis." 


R.O.Schoham  Named 
MGM  Belgium  Head 

Morton  A.  Spring,  vice-president  of 
Loew's  International,  has  appointed 
Robert  O.  Schoham  temporary  mana- 
ger in  Belgium,  replacing  Selim  Ha- 
bib,  who  has  resigned  because  of  ill 
health. 

Schoham  was  until  recently  special 
home  office  representative  in  Scandi- 
navia, with  headquarters  in  Sweden. 
Previously  he  had  been  manager  in 
Cuba  and  in  Finland. 


Kalmine  To  Preside 
At  Circuit  Meeting 

Harry  M.  Kalmine,  president  of 
Warner  Theatres,  will  preside  at  a 
zone  managers'  meeting  today  at  the 
home  office. 

Zone  managers  attending  will  be : 
James  Coston,  Nat  Wolf,  I.  J.  Hoff- 
man, Frank  Damis,  C.  J.  Latta,  Ted 
Schlanger,  M.  A.  Silver,  John  J. 
Payette,  Ben  Wallerstein. 

Film  buyers  attending  will  be : 
Alex  Halperin,  Ted  Minsky,  Bert  Ja- 
cocks,  Max  Hoffman,  Sam  Blaskey, 
Max  Friedman.  John  Turner,  Harry 
Feinstein,  George  Crouch,  Leo  Miller. 

Home  office  executives  attending 
will  be:  M.  Alben,  Clayton  Bond, 
Frank  Cahill,  H.  Copelan,  Z.  Ep- 
stin,  N.  Fellman,  Harry  Goldberg,  L. 
J.  Kaufman,  Herman  Maier,  F. 
Marshall,  W.  S.  McDonald,  Frank 
Phelps,  Harold  Rodner,  Harry  Ro- 
senquest,  D.  Triester,  R.  Weiss  and 
B.  Wirth. 

2  Baltimore  Theatre 
Firms  Out  of  Suit 

Washington,  May  11. — District 
Court  Judge  Bolitha  Laws  today 
heard  argument  on  whether  a  treble- 
damage  anti-trust  suit  against  two 
Baltimore  theatre  firms  and  major 
distributors  should  be  dismissed  as  far 
as  the  theatre  firms  are  concerned  on 
the  ground  they  do  not  do  business  in 
the  District  of  Columbia. 

With  the  consent  of  the  defense  at- 
torney, and  Robert  Shilz,  who  repre- 
sents the  plaintiff,  Windsor  Theatre, 
the  charges  were  dismissed  with  re- 
spect to  Thomas  Goldberg,  president 
of  the  two  Baltimore  theatre  firms. 

Joseph  Baer,  general  manager  of  the 
Walbrook  and  Hilton  Theatres  in 
Baltimore,  testified  that  they  made  all 
their  contracts  in  Baltimore  and  there- 
fore had  to  be  sued  there  or  not  at  all. 
Argument  will  continue  tomorrow. 

Mistrial  in  Fifth 
And  Walnut  Action 

Vance  Schwartz,  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement 
Co.,  yesterday  allegedly  exchanged  "a 
few  pleasantries"  during  luncheon  with 
two  of  the  jurors  on  the  trial  of  that 
company's  $2,100,000  action  against 
eight  distributors  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here,  and  Federal  Judge  Vincent 
L.  Leibel  declared  a  mistrial. 

A  new  trial  will  begin  on  Monday 
with  selection  of  a  new  jury  panel. 


OF  COURSE 


rHE  U.  S.  seizure  of  the  rail- 
roads and  the  nomination  of  So- 
cialist Norman  Thomas  for  president 
are  among  newsreel  highlights  of  cur- 
rent releases.  Sports,  fashions  and 
human  interest  stories  round  out  the  I 
reels.    Complete  contents  follow : 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,     No.  ] 

roads  seized  by  U.  S.  as  strike  thr^S*^,  | 
Norman  Thomas  nominated  by  Sofc.  <-  t 
Party  for  president.  Annapolis  Minifies 
prepare  for  summer  cruise.  "China  doll" 
comes  to  life.  Mexican  sweepstakes. 
Sports:  Golf,  boxing,  wrestling. 

NEWS  O'F  THE  DAY,  No.  272  —  U.  S. 

takes    over    railroads.      Chinatown    holds  | 
baby   show.     U.   S. -Canada   hail  goodwill. 
Golf  classic  won  by  Barron.    Lamb  derby. 
Wrestling. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  75— Canada- 
U.  S.  hail  new  highway.  Fresh  air  sculp- 
ture. Paris  fair.  British  industry  fair. 
Railroad  strike. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWS,   No.  142— U.  S. 

seizes  railroads  to  halt  strike.  Atom-age 
mechanical  hand  demonstrated.  Aviation 
dunking  drill  at  Annapolis.  Mexico  film 
studio  destroyed  by  fire.  Italian  bridge 
collapses  and  kills  22.  Jap  police  arrest 
"quack"  physician.  Barron  wins  golf 
tournament. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS>  No.  77— De- 
fense in  central  Greece.  Some  500,000  refu- 
gees aided  in  Delhi.  U.  S.  seizes  railroads. 
Socialists  name  Norman  Thomas  for  presi- 
dent. Chinatown  baby  show.  Check-up 
checks  a  chiseler.  Belgium  displays  old 
lace.    Boxing  championship. 

New  Loop  Moveover 
For  First-Run  Films 

Chicago,  May  11.— The  Rialto  The- 
atre, independent  Loop  house,  will  be- 
gin a  new  policy  tomorrow  of  playing 
moveover  product  from  first-run 
houses.  First  picture  will  be  "Naked 
City,"  which  closed  today  after  a  two- 
week  run  at  the  RKO  Palace.  The 
film  is  set  for  an  indefinite  run. 


FIVE-STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3k  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices:  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A. 
Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London." 
Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame. 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 
single  copies,  10c. 


Wednesday,  May  12,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Decision  Discussed 
At  Iowa-Neb.  AITO 


Des 


Moines,  May  11. — The  Su- 
preme Court  decision  in  the  U.  S. 
anti-trust  suit  figured  today  at  the  sec- 
ond business  session  of  the  Allied  In- 
dependent Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa 
and  Nebraska  here  with  queries  about 
the  opportunity  of  exhibitors  to  select 
pictures  and  the  matter  of  clearances 
predominating.  Abram  Myers,  Allied 
States  Association  general  counsel, 
dix-xted  the  question  period, 
'jkiney  Samuelson,  chairman  of  Al- 
,\*#Caravan;  H.  M.  Richey,  M-G-M 
exhibitor  relations  director ;  David 
Palfreyman  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America,  Washington, 
and  Charles  Niles  of  the  Iowa-Ne- 
braska AITO  also  addressed  today's 
meeting. 


Illinois,  Miss.  Groups 
To  Discuss  Decision 

The  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decisim 
in  the  industry  anti-trust  suit  will  be 
the  principal  subject  of  discussion  at 
meetings  of  the  United  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Illinois  on  June  3-4  and  the 
MPTO  of  Mississippi  on  June  21-22. 
Both  organizations  are  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America  affiliates. 

Herman  Levy,  TOA  general  coun- 
sel, will  address  the  UTOI  meeting  at 
the  Kaskaskia  Hotel,  La  Salle,  111. 
Speaker  at  the  Mississippi  meeting, 
scheduled  for  the  Buena  Vista  Hotel, 
Biloxi,  will  be  TOA  executive  director 
Robert  W.  Coyne.  Other  subjects  on 
the  agendas  are  admission  taxes,  trade 
practices  and  16mm.  competition. 


DeMille  Urges 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Tax-Free  Divestiture 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 


allowed  them  to  treat  as  tax-free  any 
gain  made  selling  one  theatre  proper- 
ty under  the  decree,  providing  the 
proceeds  were  reinvested  in  other 
court-approved  theatre  holdings. 

Paramount  attorney  Leslie  Rapp 
has  wired  Rep.  Gearhart,  it  was 
learned  here  today,  declaring  that  the 
Supreme  Court's  action  in  sending  the 
Paramount  case  back  to  the  lower 
courts  removed  the  immediate  pres- 
sure and  that  the  companies  were  con- 
tent to  let  the  matter  rest  until  the 
lower  court  held  further  proceedings 
and  handed  down  a  new  decree. 


Kans.-Mo.  Allied 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


dress  of  welcome  by  O.  F.  Sullivan, 
executive  secretary  of  the  organiza- 
tion, followed  by  William  Ainsworth, 
president  of  national  Allied,  who  will 
discuss  "Allied's  Future" ;  Sidney 
Samuelson,  general  manager  of  East- 
ern Pennsylvania  Allied,  on  the  sub- 
ject "Allied's  Buying  and  Booking"  ; 
Ed  Lachman,  New  Jersey  Allied  pres- 
ident, on  "Highlights  of  New  Jersey's 
Activities  on  Taxes" ;  Trueman  Rem- 
busch,  Indiana  Allied  president,  on 
"The  Exhibitor's  Future  As  It  Re- 
lates to  Television,"  and  H.  M.  Richey 
of  M-G-M. 


U-I  Tightens 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


who  are  also  large  distributors  of 
16mm.  films,  have  already  announced 
policies  designed  to  keep  unfair  16mm. 
competition  at  a  minimum,  Blank  said 
in  declaring  that  the  TOA  is  pleased 
with  the  cooperation  being  given  by 
distributors  in  its  attempt  to  limit 
such  competition. 


was  among  the  first  to  testify  at  the 
committee's  hearings  on  proposals  to 
amend  the  labor  laws. 

Although  he  recommended  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  as 
preferable  to  the  extension  of  Federal 
control  over  labor,  DeMille  advocated 
the  enactment  of  a  Federal  right-to- 
work  law  as  an  alternative  solution. 

He  pointed  out  that  the  right  to 
strike  is  protected  by  law,  but  that 
"nowhere  in  Federal  statute  law  is  the 
unqualified  right  to  work  stated  in 
positive  terms." 

Asks  Criminal  Penalties 

Urging  the  committee  to  remedy 
this  deficiency,  DeMille  said :  "A 
Federal  right-to-work  law — backed 
up,  if  need  be,  by  provision  for  stiff 
criminal  penalties  and  substantial  civil 
damages — would  go  far  to  clarify  the 
just  limits  of  the  right  to  strike  and 
to  discourage  the  use  of  goon  tactics 
on  American  citizens  who  want  to  ex- 
ercise their  right  to  work. 

"Nowhere  in  the  Federal  statutes  is 
the  right  to  work  even  asserted  much 
less  emphasized  or  explicitly  defend- 
ed," DeMille  declared.  Individual 
freedom,  he  asserted,  should  be  the 
"touchstone"  applied  by  Congress  to 
all  labor  legislation. 

"It  is  well  established,"  DeMille 
stated,  "that  the  right  to  work  is  a 
constitutionally  secured  individual 
right — a  part  of  the  personal  liberty 
protected  by  the  Fifth  and  Fourteenth 
Amendments.  Yet  in  practice,  as  this 
committee  knows,  the  right  to  work 
has  been  violated  in  a  multitude  of  in- 
stances, of  which  my  own  case — denial 
of  the  right  to  work  because  I  refused 
to  pay  a  political  assessment  to  a 
union— is  only  one." 

Would  Protect  'Less  Fortunate' 

DeMille  was  barred  from  member- 
ship in  the  American  Federation  of 
Radio  Artists  for  refusal  to  pay  a  $1 
assessment  in  connection  with  the  1944 
political  campaign.  His  weekly  radio 
theatre  program  was  kept  off  the  air 
thereafter.  DeMille  fought  the  case 
unsuccessfully  through  the  U.  S.  Su- 
preme Court.  While  he  told  the  com- 
mittee that  his  own  loss  of  the  right 
to  work  was  not  fatal  to  him,  he 
pointed  out  that  his  experience  shows 
that  less  fortunate  individuals  require 
the  protection  of  law. 

Citing  the  Hollywood  studio  juris- 
dictional disputes  as  an  example  of  the 
abuse  of  the  right  to  strike  by  means 
of  violence,  rather  than  by  peaceful 
picketing,  DeMille  said  that  right  "has 
been  stretched  to  mean  not  only  the 
right  of  workers  to  quit  in  concert, 
but  to  prevent  their  fellow-workers, 
who  want  to  work,  from  going  to 
their  jobs,  by  assault,  threats,  intimi- 
dation and  abuse — a  violent  method 
called  peaceful  picketing." 

He  said  that  this  deplorable  situa- 
tion is  not  surprising  because  "Fed- 
eral statutes  put  more  emphasis  on 
the  right  to  strike  than  they  do  on 
the  right  to  work." 

"To  pretend  that  it  is  Constitutional 
to  deprive  some  people  of  the  right 
to  work  because  others  have  the  right 
to  strike  is  a  travesty." 

Cites  Federal  Statute  as  Precedent 

DeMille  suggested  to  the  commit- 
tee that  an  adequate  precedent  now 
exists  for  the  enactment  of  a  law  mak- 
ing interference  with  the  right  to 
work  a  criminal  offense. 

He  said  that  there   is   a  Federal 


statute  providing  for  a  $5,000  fine  and 
a  10-year  prison  term  for  any  group 
of  persons  who  "conspire  to  injure, 
oppress,  threaten,  or  intimidate  any 
citizen  in  the  free  exercise  or  enjoy- 
ment of  any  right  or  privilege  se- 
cured to  him  by  the  Constitution  or 
laws  of  the  United  States." 

Criminal  penalties  alone  are  not 
sufficient,  however,  DeMille  declared. 
He  recommended  additional  laws  giv- 
ing the  individual  the  right  to  sue 
for  being  prevented  from  working. 

"Let  the  law  pin  down  responsibil- 
ity where  it  belongs — on  the  execu- 
tive officers  and  strategy  committees 
of  striking  groups,"  he  said.  "Let  the 
penalties  and  damages  be  heavy 
enough.  Let  there  be  a  few  convic- 
tions and  a  few  judgments  awarded, 
and  you  will  see  men  and  women,  who 
want  to  work,  going  to  their  work 
without  fear." 

DeMille  emphasized,  however,  that 
he  was  in  no  way  advocating  the  re- 
vival of  professional  strike-breakers 
by  employers.  "Employers'  thugs  are 
as  bad  as  union  thugs,"  he  said. 

He  pointed  out  to  the  committee 
that  he  is  both  an  employer  and  a 
union  officer,  and  therefore  well  ac- 
quainted with  both  sides  of  the  pic- 
ture. 

"I  am  speaking  for  the  man  or  wo- 
man who  has  a  job  and  is  satisfied 
with  it  and  wants  to  keep  it,"  he  said. 

He  concluded  his  statement  with  a 
warning  that  fomenting  of  continued 
labor  strife  could — and  would — be 
utilized  by  unfriendly  foreign  powers 
to  cripple  our  production  of  defense 
materials. 

Labor  Power  'in  Hands  of  12' 

In  response  to  questioning,  DeMille 
asserted  that  labor's  power  is  concen- 
trated in  the  hands  of  12  union  lead- 
ers. This  power  should  be  kept  in 
check  by  law,  he  said.  "I  have  no 
fear  of  the  country  in  the  hands  of 
the  people  or  the  working  man,  but  I 
do  fear  for  the  country  in  the  hands 
of  12  men." 

He  pointed  out  that  laws  have  been 
enacted  to  control  management,  and 
therefore  laws  should  be  passed  to 
supplement  the  Taft-Hartley  Act  and 
thereby  prevent  the  abuse  of  the  tre 
mendous  power  held  by  such  a  few 
individuals. 

Committee  chairman  Fred  A.  Hart 
ley,  Jr.,  brought  up  the  question  of 
the  studio  jurisdictional  strikes  and 
asked  DeMille  about  the  annual  wage 
rates  of  studio  carpenters,  painters  and 
stagehands.  The  producer  said  that 
he  did  not  know  the  exact  figures, 
but  added  that  these  studio  employes 
are  "the  highest  paid  group  of  labor  in 
America." 

Newsreel  of  Coast  Studio  Strife 

Following  DeMille's  testimony,  the 
committee  watched  an  hour-long  dis- 
play of  newsreels  of  mass  picketing 
and  strike  violence,  including  many 
scenes  of  the  Hollywood  studio  labor 
strife.  The  great  interest  in  De- 
Mille's appearance  was  attested  to  by 
the  fact  that  almost  20  committee 
members  were  on  hand,  and  in  addi- 
tion, one  Senator,  "Pappy"  Lee 
O'Daniel,  showed  up  as  an  observer. 

O'Daniel  explained  that  he  came  be- 
cause "I  admire  Mr.  DeMille  and  ap- 
preciate his  courage  to  fight  for  what 
he  thinks  is  right  even  at  a  great 
financial  sacrifice." 

DeMille  was  warmly  praised  by 
committee  members  for  his  statement. 
Only  note  of  criticism  came  from  New 
York's  Arthur  Klein  (D.),  over  the 
producer's  feud  with  AFRA.  Klein 
said  he  wanted  the  record  to  show 
that  DeMille  thinks  he  is  right  and 
the  courts  wrong. 


Seek  12V2/C  Increase 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


closed  simultaneously  that  the  local 
has  signed  a  new  contract  with  News 
of  the  Day  providing  for  $5  to  $10 
weekly  increases  for  front-office  and 
shipping  room  employes,  plus  three- 
week  vacations  for  workers  with  10 
years  service,  or  longer. 

Moss  reported  additionally  that 
representatives  of  the  local  and  War- 
ners will  meet  here  tomorrow  before 
National  Labor  Relations  Board  of- 
ficer Arthur  Younger  to  settle  a  pre- 
contract dispute  and  to  determine  a 
date  for  the  holding  of  a  Warner 
home  office  employes'  election  in  ac- 
cordance with  provisions  of  the  Taft- 
Hartley  law.  That  law  requires  an 
employes'  election  to  be  held  prior 
to  negotiations  on  a  new  contract  to 
determine  whether  workers  desire  a 
union  shop.  The  60  day  notice  to 
which  employers  are  entitled  when  an 
election  is  planned  has  been  given  to 
both  Warners  and  Universal,  Moss 
said,  adding  that  a  Universal  shop 
election  will  be  held  within  the  next 
two  weeks.  Universal  Newsreel, 
United  World  and  Castle  also  will 
have  elections  in  that  period,  he  said. 

Moss  said  that  contracts  expiring 
on  May  31  are  with  Warners,  Ace 
Laboratories,  Warner  music  compa- 
nies and  the  Robbins  music  group. 
Contracts  expiring  June  30  are  with 
Universal,  Universal  Newsreel,  Unit- 
ed World  and  Castle.  The  local  has 
been  negotiating  for  a  new  contract 
with  Paramount  News  since  Jan.  31, 
and  Moss  said  "substantial  raises  have 
been  agreed  upon,"  but  signing  has 
been  delayed  because  an  agreement 
has  yet  to  be  reached  regarding  the 
local's  demand  for  three  weeks'  vaca- 
tion for  10-year  workers. 


Contempt  Trials 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


approved  by  Judge  David  A.  Pine  af- 
ter consulting  with  fellow  Judges 
Keech  and  Curran.  * 

Defense  attorneys  have  waived  jury 
trials  in  the  remaining  eight  cases  to 
get  this  agreement.  Here  is  the  way 
it  will  work :  Sometime  between  now 
and  June  1 — probably  next  week — de- 
fense and  Government  lawyers  will  go 
before  district  judges  here  and  stipu- 
late certain  facts  on  each  case  into 
the  record.  These  facts  will  be  taken 
from  the  earlier  trials  and  from  the 
committee's  minutes.  The  judges  will 
then  take  the  cases  under  advisement. 
Later,  after  the  higher  courts  rule, 
they  will  hand  down  decisions  in  each 
of  the  eight  cases  based  on  the  stipu- 
lated record,  plus  the  law  interpreta- 
tions of  the  higher  courts  in  the 
Trumbo  and  Lawson  cases.  Each  one 
of  these  decisions  can,  of  course,  then 
be  appealed. 

A  motion  for  new  trial  for  Trumbo 
will  be  filed  "within  a  day  or  two," 
defense  attorneys  said.  Argument  on 
a  similar  motion  for  Lawson  is  still 
set  for  May  21. 


'Bway'  Opening  June  9 

In  further  tribute  to  "Andy  Smith 
Anniversary  Month,"  20th  Century- 
Fox  has  set  the  world  premiere  of 
"Give  My  Regards  to  Broadway"  in 
Boston  on  June  9,  with  200  key  city 
day-and-dates  following  immediately 
after  the  opening. 


Marx  Film  at  the  Gotham 

The  Marx  Brothers'  "A  Night  at 
the  Opera,"  M-G-M  release  of  1935, 
will  open  at  the  New  York  Gotham 
Theatre  tomorrow. 


At  the  Hunting  Room  of  the  Hotel  Astor,  N.  Y. 
and  wherever  film  men  meet,  they're  saying: 

M  G  M  HAS 
THE 

PICTURES! 

What  a  banquet!  Read 
the  Menu  on  next  page! 


Week  after  week 
All  Spring  and  Summer  long! 
One  tasty  dish  after  another! 
Frank  Capra's  "State  of  the  Union". . 
AJ  feast  from  coast-to-coast! 
'Homecoming" . .  .Wow! 
Breaking  every  M-G-M  record  in  the 
Entire  history  of  the  Capitol,  N.  Y. 

_Then  "Summer  Holiday"  {Technicolor) 
And  "Big  City'.'  Then  "The  Pirate"  {Technicolor) 
'On  An  Island  With  You"  {Technicolor) 
Irving  Berlin's  "Easter  Parade"  {Technicolor) 
'A  Date  With  Judy"  (Technicolor) 

Then  "Julia  Misbehaves"!  Followed  by 
'  A  Southern  Yankee" 

Then  "Three  Musketeers"  {Technicolor) 

And  more  M-G-M  Big  O 
Everybody's  saying  it:  Happy  days 
Are  here,  again,  thanks  to— 
Naturally-"VITAMIN  M-G-M"! 


'nes! 


6 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  May  12,  1948 


Hughes-RKO 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


week  had  been  made  "firm  and  final" 
despite  the  receipt  of  a  higher  cash 
offer  from  another  source.  The  ten- 
tative agreement  contained  a  stipula- 
tion that  Odium  could  withdraw  from 
the  deal  should  he  get  a  better  offer 
within  a  10-day  period.  Odium  said 
that  "the  shares  will  change  hands 
within  the  next  day  or  two." 

Weighed  Hughes'  Future  Plans 

The  Atlas  head  explained  he  had 
been  prompted  to  accept  the  Hughes 
deal  in  preference  to  the  alternate 
bid  because  of  the  producer's  "indi- 
cated plans  with  respect  to  the  future 
of  the  company." 

"These  plans,"  Odium  added,  "are 
important  to  Atlas  Corp.  not  only  be- 
cause it  has  been  the  sponsor  for  RKO 
during  more  than  12  years  past,  but 
also  because  Atlas  Corp.  eliminated 
from  the  sale  to  Howard  Hughes,  and 
will  continue  to  hold,  a  large  block  of 
RKO  option  warrants  and  is  there- 
fore maintaining  a  direct  and  heavy 
financial  interest  in  the  company's 
progress  and  future." 

Atlas  holds  327,812  option  warrants, 
which  had  a  total  market  quotation 
of  $655,624  at  the  end  of  1947. 

Rathvon,  Depinet  Seen  Staying 

Under  the  agreement  N.  Peter 
Rathvon,  RKO  president,  and  Ned  E. 
Depinet,  executive  vice-president,  are 
expected  to  remain  with  the  company. 
Dore  Schary,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  production,  is  under  contract  which 
can  be  cancelled  at  his  election  in  the 
event  of  a  change  of  management. 


Rathvon  and  Depinet  have  contracts 
which  run  concurrently  to  1952.  The 
latter  will  leave  for  the  Coast  on  Sat- 
urday to  confer  with  Hughes.  Rath- 
von is  in  Hollywood  now. 

Hughes  is  expected  to  become  active 
in  the  company's  affairs  but  will  not 
devote  his  entire  time  to  RKO.  There 
exisits  some  possibility  that  he  will 
replace  Odium  as  chairman  of  the 
board.  Hughes  also  is  expected  to 
name  several  directors  to  replace 
present  Atlas  representatives  on  the 
board,  among  them  Odium  and  L. 
Boyd  Hatch. 

Trade  speculation  also  centers  on 
what  attitude  Hughes  may  take  to- 
ward RKO  membership  in  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America. 
Hughes  entered  into  a  controversy 
with  the  MPAA  over  refusal  to  grant 
a  Production  Code  seal  to  his  picture, 
"The  Outlaw."  A  suit  by  Hughes 
against  the  MPAA  resulted  and  still 
is  pending. 

Rathvon  'Pool'  Fizzled 

During  the  10-day  interval  between 
the  Hughes-Odium  "tentative  agree- 
ment" and  formal  closing  of  the  deal 
yesterday,  Rathvon  reportedly  en- 
deavored to  form  a  pool  consisting 
primarily  of  numerous  RKO  employes 
to  make  a  counter  bid  for  the  Atlas 
shares.  The  effort  did  not  succeed, 
some  reports  attributing  its  failure 
to  uncertainties  created  by  the  hand- 
ing down  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court 
decision  on  May  3  in  the  Government 
anti-trust  suit  against  the  industry. 

Reports  also  have  it  that  a  third 
bidder,  representing  West  Coast  in- 
terests, unsuccessfully  entered  the 
scene  during  the  past  10  days,  but  that 
its  offer  was  unacceptable  to  Odium. 
This  is  the  offer  which  it  is  generally 
believed  Odium's   statement  referred 


NBC  Leases  Space  at 
RKO  Pathe  Plant 

National  Broadcasting  has  leased 
three  sound  studios  at  RKO  Pathe's 
production  headquarters  at  106th  St. 
and  Park  Ave.  here.  Included  in  the 
lease  are  all  set  construction  facilities 
and  an  entire  floor  for  office  personnel. 
The  space  will  be  used  by  NBC  for 
the  production  of  "live"  television 
shows.  The  lease,  effective  July  1,  is 
for  five  years. 

_  RKO  Pathe  will  retain  its  projec- 
tion and  cutting  rooms  and  sound  re- 
cording facilities,  including  music 
stages. 


to  as  being  less  promising  than 
Hughes'  future  plans  for  RKO. 

Hughes,  head  of  the  Hughes  Tool 
Co.,  Houston,  Tex.,  was  the  producer 
of  such  pictures  as  "Two  Arabian 
Knights,"  "Hell's  Angels,"  "Scar- 
face,"  "Front  Page,"  "Sky  Devils"  and 
the  current  "The  Outlaw"  since  1927, 
when  he  first  engaged  in  production. 

There  are  approximately  4,000,000 
shares  of  RKO  common  outstanding 
but  the  block  acquired  by  Hughes  is 
the  largest  single  holding  by  far  and 
carries  with  it  effective  control  of  the 
company. 


'Rumor',    Dozier  Calls 
Report  He'll  Join  RKO 

Hollywood,  May  11. — William  Do 
zier,  chief  aide  to  the  late  Charles 
Koerner  before  he  joined  Universal 
International    as    vice-president  and 
associate  to  William  Goetz  in  1946, 
today  described  as  "a  well-circulated 
rumor"  a  report  that  he  would  move 
to  RKO   in  a  production  executive 
capacity  under  Howard  Hughes'  re 
gime. 


Para.  Promotions 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


LiBeau  who  resigns  at  the  end  of  the 
month.  Don  Hicks,  manager  at  Oma- 
ha, to  manager  at  Des  Moines,  re- 
placing Hamburg.  Harry  Haas,  man- 
ager at  Charlotte,  to  St.  Louis  man- 
ager, replacing  Maurice  Schweitzer 
who  has  resigned.  Al  Duren,  branch 
manager  at  Jacksonville,  to  manager 
at  Charlotte,  replacing  Haas. 

Also  William  Holliday,  sales*js<n- 
ager  at  Atlanta,  to  manager  ak 
sonville,  replacing  Duren.  Edj?itz- 
gerald,  salesman  at  Atlanta,  to  sales 
manager  at  Atlanta.  Wayne  Thiriot, 
salesman  at  Salt  Lake  City,  to  man- 
ager at  Portland,  Ore.,  which  office 
was  reopened  recently.  Marion  Ander- 
son, salesman  at  Kansas  City,  to  man- 
ager at  Omaha,  replacing  Hicks.  Cor- 
nell J.  Duer,  appointed  branch  man- 
ager at  Denver,  replacing  Walter 
Wiens,  resigned. 


DuMont  Offers 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


iner  to  determine  the  extent  of  Para- 
mount's  control  of  DuMont.  Further 
field  hearings  are  scheduled  in  San 
Francisco  and  other  cities. 

DuMont  said  that  his  television  net- 
work had  no  plans  to  include  any 
Paramount  affiliate,  but  he  did  not 
say  categorically  that  they  might 
not  eventually  do  so. 

Raibourn  said  that  Paramount  has 
spent  from  $3,000,000  to  $4,000,000 
in  developing  television,  and  that  it 
would  spend  another  $5,000,000  if 
pending  applications  of  its  various 
subsidiaries  are  approved. 


Wuxtry!  Wuxtry! 
Rea  alia  bowdit! 
Hennery  Mawgin 
starra  raaaydyo 
inna  wonaful 
noo  moom  pitcha 

'SO  DISIZ  NOO  YAWK" 


TRANSLATION: 
Something 

has  been 
added  to 
motion  pictures 
and  it's 

HENRY  MORGAN 
in 


"SO  THIS  IS  NEW  YORK" 


like  it  says  here  . .  ya  gits  Jap  it  troo  U.  A 


«r     IOYCE  0*HA^»  n„ 

KtiqS  picture  assoc.  of 

STS*  44TH  ST.,  21STFL. 
NEW  YOHK,  Y. 


1 


63.   NO.  93 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  MAY  13,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Hughes  to  Tell 
RKO  Plans  at 
Coast  Meeting 

Will  See  Company  Heads 
At  Indio  This  Weekend 


Hollywood,  May  12. — Plans  and 
policies  for  the  operation  of  RKO 
under  his  control  will  be  disclosed 
by  Howard  Hughes  at  conferences 
to  be  held  this  weekend  at  the  Indio, 
Cal.,  ranch  of  Floyd  B.  Odium,  presi- 
dent of  Atlas  Corp.  Control  of  RKO 
passed  to  Hughes  with  the  purchase 
of  Atlas'  929,020  shares  of  RKO  com- 
mon stock. 

Present  at  the  conferences  besides 
Odium  will  be  a  large  number  oi  RKO 
executives,  department  heads  and  pro- 
ducers. In  addition  to  RKO  president 
N.  Peter  Rathvon,  production  head 
Dore  Schary,  and  other  studio  offi- 
cials, there  will  be  on  hand  Ned  Depi- 
net,  who  is  scheduled  to  fly  to  the 
Indio  meetings  on  Saturday.  He  may 
be  accompanied  by  Phil  Reisman  and 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


'Curtain' Opens  High 
In  Spite  of  Protest 

Tuesday  night's  riotous  pro-Soviet 
protest  by  the  New  York  Committee 
Against  War  Propaganda  against 
"The  Iron  Curtain"  at  New  York's 
Roxy  Theatre  had  no  adverse  effect 
on  business  yesterday,  when  the  pic- 
ture grossed  better  than  $13,000. 
which  the  management  considers  good 
for  an  opening  day. 

One  surprise,  said  a  Roxy  spokes- 
man, was  the  extent  of  the  so-called 
"family  business,"  in-  view  of  the 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Anticipate  Canadian 
Ticket  Tax  Change 

Ottawa,  May  12.— The  Can- 
adian government's  annual 
budget  is  expected  to  be  an- 
nounced in  Parliament  on 
May  18  and  forecasts  sug- 
gest possible  amusement  tax 
changes  may  be  forthcoming. 

Various  Canadian  provin- 
cial governments  have  been 
campaigning  for  a  reduction 
of  the  war-time  20  per  cent 
ticket  tax  to  10  per  cent  to 
enable  them,  in  turn,  to  im- 
pose a  10  per  cent  tax  for 
hospital  and  other  needs. 


Independents'  Unity 
Tied  to  Decision  at 
Kans.-Mo.  Meeting 

Kansas  City,  May  12. — A  call  for 
a  "strong"  and  "militant"  organization 
of  independent  exhibitors  in  the  light 
of  the  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
Government  anti-trust  suit  against  the 
industry  was  issued  here  today  at  the 
opening  of  the  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas  and  Mis- 
souri convention  by  O.  F.  Sullivan, 
president  of  the  organization. 

There  was  never  a  more  opportune 
time  for  a  strong  organization  of  in- 
dependent exhibitors,  Sullivan  de- 
clared, citing  the  "recent  liberating 
news  which  means  the  breaking  of  the 
chains  and  shackles  which  have  held 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Says  BBC  Video  Is 
Rival  of  Newsreels 


Intense  competition  now  exists  in 
England  between  the  newsreels  and 
the  British  Broadcasting  Company 
which  recently  started  its  own  televi- 
sion newsreel,  Howard  Thomas,  pro- 
ducer of  Pathe  News  in  London,  said 
here  yesterday  on  his  arrival  on  the 
5\S\  Queen  Elisabeth.  BBC  has  three 
television  newsreel  shows  a  week, 
Thomas  disclosed.  Other  newsreel 
delegates  who  arrived  for  newsreel 
conferences    were    Mme.  Raymonde 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Big  Technicolor 
Jam  In  UK:  Levy 

Britain's  Technicolor  laboratories 
currently  have  a  backlog  of  20  Ameri- 
can and  three  British  features  plus  a 
large  number  of  short  subjects,  it  is 
reported  here  by  William  B.  Levy, 
Walt  Disney  Productions'  world  sales 
supervisor,  who  returned  recently 
from  a  two-week  visit  in  London. 
Levy    said   the    British  Technicolor 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


New  U.S.  Films  to  Be 
Delayed  in  Britain 

Although  new  American  films  are 
flowing  into  Britain  again,  most  ex- 
hibitors will  not  be  showing  them  un- 
til about  September  because  of  pre- 
vious commitments,  Sam  Graham, 
managing  director  of  S.  G.  Cinemas, 
Ltd.,  London,  and  a  leader  of  the 
Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Association, 
said  here  yesterday  on  his  arrival  on 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Danish  Market  Is 
Opened  to  US  Films 

Copenhagen,  May  12.— The 
government  has  opened  the 
Danish  film  market  for  the 
unlimited  importation  of 
American  productions.  Eight 
distributors  immediately  set 
plans  to  import  81  features. 

The  new  arrangements  will 
permit  the  remittance  of 
$120,000  for  the  rest  of  the 
year  by  all  companies. 


Heineman  to  Preside 
At  Four  Meetings 

For  the  first  time  all  Eagle-Lion 
district  managers,  branch  managers 
and  salesmen  will  attend  sales  meet- 
ings announced  here  yesterday  by 
William  J.  Heineman,  distribution 
vice-president.  Four  regionals,  each 
to  be  addressed  by  Heineman ;  Max 
E.  Youngstein,  advertising-publicity 
vice-president,  and  L.  J.  Schlaifer,  as- 
sistant to  Heineman,  will  highlight 
new  production  plans  from  Hollywood 
and  the  lineup  of  J.  Arthur  Rank  Brit- 
ish productions  to  be  released  by 
Eagle-Lion. 

First  meeting  will  take  place  at  the 
Warwick  Hotel,  New  York,  Saturday 
and  Sunday.  Present  will  be  person- 
nel from  Boston,  New  Haven,  Buffalo, 
Albany,  Philadelphia,  Cleveland,  Cin- 
cinnati, Washington,  Pittsburgh  and 
New  York.  On  May  22  the  three 
will  conduct  a  meeting  in  Chicago, 
attended  by  sales  forces  from  Chicago, 
Detroit,     Indianapolis,  Milwaukee, 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


7  More  Projects  in 
CoastBuildingBoom 

San  Francisco,  May  12.— Biggest 
theatre  building  boom  since  World 
War  II  construction  restrictions  were 
removed  is  now  under  way  in  the  San 
Francisco  territory,  seven  more  new 
projects  having  been  added  to  the 
many  reported  in  recent  weeks. 

Michael  Naify  announces  plans  for 
another  theatre  in  Yuba  City.  Naify. 
owner  of  Smith's  Theatre  there,  and 
operator  of  T.  and  D..  Jr.,  Enter- 
prises, said  the  new  house  will  seat 
1,000. 

December  is  the  opening  date  set 
for  the  new  1,000-seat  house  under 
construction  by  David  Bolton  of  Oak- 
land. Bolton  said  Amelia  Benidettino, 
present  manager  of  the  Del  Rio,  will 
manage  the  house,  to  be  called  the 
Crest. 

Bids  will  be  called  shortly  for  a 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Decision  Seen 
Calling  for 
More  Product 


More  Rapid  Playoffs, 
New  Theatres  Resulting 

More  rapid  play-off  of  product 
occasioned  by  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court's  directive  for  clearances 
limited  to  the  minimum  competi- 
tive needs  of  theatres  in  its  decision  in 
the  Paramount  case,  in  turn  will  call 
for  increased  production,  some  sales 
executives  here  believe. 

They  conclude  that  this  fac- 
tor, together  with  theatre-by- 
theatre  selling  in  competitive 
situations,  will  encourage  not 
only  new  producers  but  new 
exhibitors,  too,  to  enter  the  in- 
dustry. The  new  theatres,  in 
turn,  will  add  their  require- 
ments to  other  circumstances 
inherent  in  the  decision  which 
will  increase  the  demand  for 
product. 

The   Supreme   Court   rejected  the 
distributors'  contention  that  clearances 
should  be  established  to  insure  a  fair 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


31%  More  Scripts 
Screened  by  PC  A 


Washington,  May  12.  —  Motion 
picture  scripts  reviewed  by  the  produc- 
tion Code  Administration  during  1947 
showed  a  sharp  jump  over  1946,  ac- 
cording to  the  annual  report  submitted 
by  PCA  director  Joseph  I.  Breen, 
which  discloses  an  increase  of  31.1 
per  cent,  from  928  in  1946  to  1,217  last 
year.  "Such  a  startlingly  large  increase 
.  .  .  would  seem  to  indicate  the  forth- 
coming production  of  a  great  number 
of  pictures  during  1948,"  Breen  stated. 

The  PCA  during  1947  approved  404 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


NLRB  Parley  Today 
On  WB    IA'  Tilt 


Representatives  of  Warners  and 
IATSE  Motion  Picture  Home  Office 
Employes  Local  No.  H-63  will  hold  a 
pre-contract  conference  here  today 
with  National  Labor  Relations  Board 
officer  Arthur  Younger  in  an  endeavor 
to  iron  out  a  dispute  rooted  in  Taft- 
Hartley  law  provisions  and  to  set  a 
mutually  satisfactory  date  for  holding 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


2 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  13,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

CECIL  B.  DeMILLE  left  Wash- 
ington yesterday  by  train  for  Los 
Angeles. 

• 

Bill  Brown,  manager  of  the  Loew- 
Poli  Bijou  Theatre  in  New  Haven, 
and  Mrs.  Brown,  will  celebrate  their 
30th  wedding  anniversary  on  Sunday, 
also  marking  his  35th  year  in  show 
business. 

• 

Joan  M.  Lyman,  Universal-Inter- 
national secretary  in  the  accessories 
sales  department  and  "Miss  Subways" 
for  May,  will  be  interviewed  by  Mar- 
tin Starr  on  Friday  over  Station 
WINS,  New  York. 

• 

Alfred  Crown,  foreign  head  of 
Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions,  is 
scheduled  to  leave  here  on  a  European 
trip  on  May  22  aboard  the  S.S.  Queen 
Mary. 

• 

Bert  Sanford,  Altec  Lansing  The- 
atrical sales  manager,  is  on  a  busi- 
ness trip  through  the  Middle  West 
and  South  this  week  from  New  York. 
• 

Lou  Solkoff,  Bell  Pictures  booker 
here,  and  Mrs.  Solkoff,  have  become 
parents  of  a  daughter,  Marsha  Joan, 
born  in  Jersey  City. 

• 

James  R.  Grainger,  Republic's  dis- 
tribution head,  is  back  here  from  sales 
meetings  in  Chicago,  Denver,  San 
Francisco  and  Los  Angeles. 

• 

Joseph  L.  Mankiewicz,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox producer,  is  in  town  from 
the  Coast. 

• 

Leonard  Gaynor  has  been  engaged 
by  Paramount  for  a  special  promotion 
campaign. 

• 

E.  M.  Gluckman  of  Ail-American 
News,  Chicago,  is  visiting  Astor  Pic- 
tures' exchange  in  Atlanta. 

• 

William  Katzell,  Eagle-Lion  pro- 
ducer, has  returned  to  Hollywood 
from  New  York. 

e 

Burt  Lancaster  is  in  town  from 
Hollywood. 

Conclude  Arguments 
In  Capital  Action 

Washington,  May  12. — Argument 
was  concluded  here  today  on  a  motion 
of  the  Walbrook  and  Hilton  theatre 
companies  of  Baltimore  to  be  dis- 
missed as  defendants  in  the  treble 
damage  anti-trust  suit  brought  against 
them  and  major  distributors  by  the 
Windsor  Theatre.  The  two  Baltimore 
theatre  firms  contend  they  do  not  do 
business  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and  so  cannot  be  sued  here. 

Judge  Bolitha  Laws  gave  Windsor 
attorney  Harold  Shilz  five  days  in 
which  to  submit  findings  of  fact  on 
the  motion,  and  Walbrook-Hilton  at- 
torney Robert  Sher  another  five  days 
to  answer.  He  will  then  rule  on  the 
motion. 


US  Library  Seeking 
To  Set  Up  Film  Unit 

Washington,  May  12. — Authoriza- 
tion for  the  Library  of  Congress  to 
"acquire,  organize  and  service"  mo- 
tion pictures  will  be  sought  within 
10  days,  Dr.  Luther  Evans,  Congress 
Librarian,  disclosed  here  after  the 
House  Appropriations  Committee  failed 
to  earmark  funds  for  the  Library's 
motion  picture  project  which  was  or- 
dered liquidated  last  year. 

Dr.  Evans  said  he  had  been  holding- 
back  such  action,  which  will  be  sug- 
gested to  the  House  Committee  on 
Administration,  until  the  appropria- 
tions committee  acted.  The  bill 
which  the  Library  will  offer,  he  said, 
will  provide  that  copyrighted  films 
can  be  used  only  with  the  consent  of 
the  copyright  owner. 

Meanwhile,  the  appropriations  unit 
voted  some  increase  in  funds  for  the 
Copyright  Office. 

RKO  May  Reopen 
Main  St.  in  K.  C. 

Kansas  City,  May  12. — Under  an 
arrangement  long  pending,  the  Main 
Street  Theatre  here,  closed  in  1942, 
reportedly  will  be  reopened  about  Oct. 
1  under  RKO  operation,  with  Fox 
Midwest  taking  over  the  Orpheum, 
now  run  by  RKO. 

The  report  came  with  the  announce- 
ment that  U.  S.  Attorney  General 
Tom  Clark  had  indicated  there  ap- 
peared to  be  no  objections  to  the  re- 
opening of  the  Main  Street.  Jerome 
Hinback  of  Chicago  and  William  W. 
Howard  and  James  Roth  of  New 
York  were  here  recently  to  inspect 
the  theatre  building  for  RKO.  The 
house  is  to  be  reconditioned. 

It  is  believed  that  court  approval  of 
the  proposed  taking  over  of  Orpheum 
by  Fox  Midwest  and  opening  and 
operating  of  Main  Street  by  RKO  is 
required,  by  application  to  the  court 
handling  the  Paramount  case. 


Bankers  To  Hear  Coyne 

Atlantic  City,  May  12. — Theatre 
Owners  of  America  executive  director 
Robert  W.  Coyne  will  address  a  meet- 
ing of  the  New  Jersey  State  Bankers 
Association  at  the  Hotel  Traymoor 
here  tomorrow.  Speaking  in  his 
capacity  as  a  special  consultant  to  the 
U.  S.  Treasury,  Coyne  will  discuss 
recent  economic  and  financial  develop- 
ments in  the  U.  S. 


Kirsch  Hails  One  Ruling 

Chicago,  May  12.  —  Jack  Kirsch, 
president  of  Allied  Theatres  of  Illi- 
nois declines  to  make  any  comment  on 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
Paramount  anti-trust  case  except  to 
say  he  was  highly  pleased  over  the 
court's  declaration  which  rated  mo- 
tion pictures  with  the  same  freedom- 
of-the-press  protection  as  newspapers. 


$1,000  to  Cancer  Fund 

Chicago,  May  12.  —  Proceeds  of 
more  than  $1,000  were  sent  to  Walter 
Winchell  in  New  York  for  the  Damon 
Runyon  Cancer  Fund  by  the  Alliance 
Theatre  circuit  here,  which  held  a 
cancer  fund  benefit  at  the  State 
Theatre  here. 


Decision  Seen 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

return  to  the  licensor.  The  court 
ruled  that  "the  only  measure  of  reas- 
onableness (of  a  clearance)  by  Sher- 
man Act  standards  is  the  special  needs 
of  the  licensee  for  the  competitive  ad- 
vantages it  affords."  ' 

Some  sales  executives  offer  the 
opinion  that,  applied  practically,  that 
ruling  would  advance  the  play-off  of 
product  by  weeks  in  many  instances 
and,  in  so  doing,  wojjld  tend  to  short- 
en prior  runs  in  many  situations,  thus 
resulting  in  playing  time  which  would 
have  to  be  filled  by  new  and  increased 
production. 

See  Spur  for  New  Theatres 

Since  the  Supreme  Court  has  held 
that  pictures  must  be  sold  singly  and 
has  indicated  that  negotiations  should 
be  on  a  theatre-by-theatre  basis,  many 
industry  veterans  believe  that  new 
theatres  will  be  encouraged  in  most 
areas. 

They  point  out  that  theoretically  an 
exhibitor,  now  being  assured  of  being 
able  to  obtain  product,  can  build  in 
any  situation  and,  failing  to  do  so, 
can  bring  suit  not  only  to  gain  prod- 
uct but  to  obtain  damages. 

Virtually  all  interpreters  of  the  de- 
cision agree  that  it  gives  everyone  in 
the  industry  grounds  for  suing  every- 
one else.  Producers  and  distributors 
can  sue  circuits  or  combinations  of 
exhibitors  which  refuse  to  deal  for 
closed  situations  unless  open  situations 
are  included.  Exhibitors  can  sue  dis- 
tributors for  a  wide  variety  of  sales 
practices  heretofore  followed.  Theatres 
can  sue  other  theatres  if  they  feel  they 
have  been  excluded  from  advantages 
enjoyed  by  competitors. 

'Years'  of  Litigation  Expected 

While  the  industry  may  be  em- 
broiled in  litigation  for  years  in  con- 
sequence, most  observers  feel  the  net 
result,  regardless,  will  be  an  appre- 
ciable increase  in  theatres  and  a  con- 
sequent demand  for  more  product.  In- 
evitably, that  will  bring  new  producers 
into  the  industry,  it  is  felt,  particu- 
larly because  of  the  decision's  encour- 
agement to  independent  producers  who 
no  longer  will  be  required  to  nego- 
tiate with  circuits,  affiliated  or  inde- 
pendent, on  a  "take  it  or  leave  it" 
basis.  Many  independent  producers 
have  remained  out  of  important  mar- 
kets heretofore  rather  than  making 
the  kind  of  deals  offered  them. 


31%  More  Scripts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

features,  the  report  stated.  This  was 
a  4.9  per  cent  drop  from  the  total  ap- 
proved in  1946.  Short  subjects  ap- 
proved totaled  544,  compared  with 
549  in  1946. 

Of  the  1,217  scripts  submitted,  72 
were  rejected  when  first  submitted  but 
later  revised  and  approved ;  during 
1946,  there  were  69  scripts  in  this 
category.  An  additional  65  scripts, 
novels,  plays  and  short  stories  rejected 
during  1947  had  not  been  re-submitted 
by  the  end  of  the  year. 

Feature  pictures  not  approved  in 
their  original  form  totaled  59,  all  of 
which  were  revised  and  subsequently 
approved;  in  1946,  this  figure  was  82. 


Allied  Considering 
Road-showing  'Ruth' 

Hollywood,  May  12. — Despite  the 
recent  Supreme  Court  decision  holding 
film  price-fixing  to  be  illegal,  Allied 
Artists'  sales  organization  is  trying 
to  induce  Steve  Broidy,  company  pres- 
ident, to  agree  to  the  road-showing  of 
Roy  Del  Ruth's  "The  Babe  Rutli 
Story"  this  season,  and  releasing  it 
generally  next  year.  No  decision  has 
been  announced  on  the  subject,  but 
the  matter  is  under  consideration-,^;  - 
cording  to  a  company  statement. [< 

Industry  attorneys  feel  that  Wf'Ae 
the  high  court  decision  does  not  apply 
directly  to  non-defendants  in  the  Para- 
mount anti-trust  case,  it  could  be  in- 
voked by  any  exhibitor  who  could 
prove  injury  resulting  from  a  price- 
fixing  contract. 


Independents'  Unity 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  independent  exhibitors  of  this 
country  in  economic  servitude  for  two 
decades." 

He  added  that  there  is  "a  new 
dawn"  for  "individual  initiative  and 
free  enterprise  in  our  line  of  endeav- 
or," and  exhibitors  should  be  fired 
with  a  more  determined  enthusiasm 
to  marshal  their  forces  and  bind  them 
firmly  into  a  militant  organization. 

References  during  the  meeting  to 
the  committee  set  up  some  months 
ago  by  the  Kansas-Missouri  unit  to 
police  the  decree  expected  in  the  Gov- 
ernment's suit  disclosed  that  the  com- 
mittee is  already  functioning. 

Other  speakers  at  today's  session 
were  ■  Sidney  Samuelson  of  East- 
ern Pennsylvania  Allied,  who  also 
touched  on  policing  plans  ;  Ed  Lach- 
man  of  New  Jersey  Allied,  who  spoke 
about  the  handling  of  local  and  state 
tax  matters  affecting  New  Jersey  the- 
atres, and  Henderson  M.  Richey,  M- 
G-M  exhibitor  relations  head,  who 
urged  that  energy  and  initiative  in 
selling  and  in  the  promotion  of  good 
will  toward  theatres  and  the  industry 
are  vital  for  the  future  of  the  small- 
town exhibitors  especially. 


Coast  Building 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

new  950-seat  theatre  planned  for 
Hollister  by  the  Golden  State  Circuit. 

Two  new  Northern  California  thea- 
tres slated  for  construction  are  the 
Star  at  Lincoln  Acres,  a  500-seat 
showcase  to  be  built  by  Woodrow 
Wilson,  and  a  theatre  at  Pollack 
Pines  to  be  constructed  by  Lester 
Longhurst. 

Bert  Kennerson,  former  manager 
of  the  State  Theatre,  San  Jose,  has 
announced  that'  June  1  will  be  the 
opening  date  for  his  new  600-seat 
Fay  Theatre. 

Robert  Retzer  will  open  his  Playon 
Theatre  at  Pinedale,  a  375-seater, 
next  week. 


Loew  Settlement  Delayed 

Only  a  solitary  holder  of  100  shares 
stands  in  the  way  of  acceptance  of  the 
settlement  offered  by  Loew's  in  the 
minority  stockholders'  suit  brought 
against  the  company  and  the  People's 
Candy  Co.  over  operation  of  the  cir- 
cuit's candy  concessions,  it  was  learned 
here  yesterday. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver. 
Editor:  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A. 
Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London." 
Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame. 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 
single  copies,  10c. 


FIRST  REVIEWS  FLASH  THE  WORD  TH 
NEW-  LOOK  MUSICAL  IS* 

Breath-taking..  .  and  earmarked  for  the  niftiest 

grosses.  Should  solve  any  ticket-buyer's  entertainment  problem.  A  natural  parlay:  Crosby, 
Strauss  Melodies,  comedy  and  gorgeous  color.  Multiple  functions  of  Brackett  &  Wilder 
have  given  film  an  infectious  quality,  zing  dialogue,  zippy  pace."— VARIETY 

Tavish,  quality  fare.  It's  going  to  kick  its  heels  into 
the  high  brackets  where  the  season's  big  boxoffice  money  will  be  found.  The  stuff  of  sock 
audience  satisfaction.  Strewn  with  gags  and  the  telling  is  sheer  delight."— FILM  DAILY 


Different  Will  bring  joy  to  the  boxoffice  and  even 

more  to  those  who  go  to  see  it.  One  of  the  most  delightful  in  many  a  year.  Patrons  will 
chuckle  throughout  its  whole  unreeling.  Brackett  &  Wilder  get  better  with  every  pic- 
ture and  this  is  their  crowning- creation."— HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 

laughladen  yarn  in  which  blueblood  and  snob- 
bishness are  subjected  to  as  thorough  a  ribbing  as  the  screen  has  ever  essayed.  Add  the 
mighty  magnetism  of  No.  1  Boxoffice  Star  Crosby  and  the  offering  undoubtedly  totals  top 
popularity."- BOXOFFICE 

Delightful  humor  in  the  foreground.  Bing  was 

never  better,  and  not  as  good  since  'Going  My  Way'  as  he  is  in  this  one.  He  was  fortunate 
in  having  the  clever  Brackett  &  Wilder  guiding  his  enterprise.  They've  embroidered  their 
situations  with  chuckles  and  charm."— M.  P.  DAILY 


"Boxoffice  picture  .  .  .  adds  up  to  topnotch  enter- 
tainment for  moviegoers  of  all  ages.  Highly  imaginative — a  gem.  Crosby  a  standout.  Extra 
playing  time  seems  destined."— SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW 

production  numbers,  glittering  Technicolor  and 
oh-so-solid  new  tunes.  There's  a  long,  long  line  of  greenbacks  in  store  for  it.  One  of  the 
year's  big  boons  for  the  exhibitor.  Paramount  obviously  opened,  the  floodgates  for  this 
one."— DAILY  VARIETY 

^Excellent:  money  in  the  till  in  any  situation.  Has 

what  it  takes  to  keep  the  turnstiles  moving.  The  customers  are  a  cinch  to  tell  Cousin 
Mabel  and  Friend  Bill  that  there's  a  real  slice  of  entertainment  at  the  movies  down  the 
street."-MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


BING 


JOAN 


CROSBY*  FONTAINE 


Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

with  ROLAND  CULVER  •  LUCILE  WATSON  •  RICHARD  HAYDN -HAROLD  VERMILYEA 
Produced  by  CHARLES  BRACKETT  •  Directed  by  BILLY  WILDER 
Written  by  Charles  Brackets  and  Billy  Wilder 


GALA  PREMIERE,  NIGHT  OF  MAY  26,  AT  PARAMOUNT  HOLLYWOOD 


6 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Thursday,  May  13,  1948 


Review 


"Fighting  Father  Dunne" 

(RKO  Radio)  Hollywood,  May  12 

PAT  O'BRIEN'S  large  and  faithful  following  may  be  depended  upon  to 
turn  out  in  force  for  his  portrayal  here  of  the  priest  whose  founding  of  a 
home  for  newsboys  in  St.  Louis  back  in  1900  is  a  prime  item  in  the  annals  of 
juvenile  welfare,  and  to  tell  their  friends  about  it.  O'Brien  is  virtually  alone 
in  the  attraction,  as  to  marquee,  as  he  was  in  the  fight  to  establish  a  haven 
for  the  homeless  urchins  who  peddled  papers  under  the  hardships  of  that 
era  of  newspaper  circulation  battles.  His  performance  in  the  role  is  easily 
his  best  in  many  years. 

The  story,  set  down  here  in  a  script  by  Martin  Rackin  and  Frank  Davis, 
based  on  a  story  by  William  Rankin,  is  well  and  widely  known.  Father 
Dunne,  sympathetically  drawn  to  the  under-privileged  newsboys,  obtains  per- 
mission from  his  Archbishop  to  devote  himself  to  investigating  conditions 
which  have  made  them  subject  to  the  temptations  of  petty  crime,  and  forth- 
with rents  an  abandoned  house  wherein  he  sets  up  housekeeping  with  five  of 
them.  By  persuasion  and  persistence,  he  gradually  enlists  donors  of  neces- 
sities, finally  developing  the  project  to  the  status  of  a  well-equipped  home 
harboring  more  than  100  youngsters.  Darryl  Hickman  portrays  the  one  boy 
among  them  who,  due  to  fear  of  his  worthless  male  parent,  defaults  and  is 
penalized  by  the  law  for  a  murder  committed  in  panic. 

Others  in  the  cast  are  Charles  Kemper,  Una  O'Connor,  Arthur  Shields, 
Harry  Shannon,  Joe  Sawyer  and  Anna  Q.  Nilsson.  Ted  Tetzlaff  directed  for 
producer  Phil  L.  Ryan  and  executive  producer  Jack  J.  Gross. 

Running  time,  91  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


Warner  UK  Releases 
Set  for  6  Months 

Releases  of  Warner  product  in  Eng- 
land for  the  next  six  months  were 
announced  in  London  by  Max  Milder, 
WB's  managing  director  in  the  Brit- 
ish Isles,  the  company's  home  office 
reported  here  yesterday. 

Scheduled  are :  "City  for  Conquest," 
reissue,  May  24 ;  "Wild  Bill  Hickok," 
reissue,  May  24;  "The  Beast  with 
Five  Fingers,"  June  28;  "The  Man 
Who  Came  to  Dinner,"  reissue,  June 
28;  "Deep  Valley,"  July  19;  "Chey- 
enne," Aug.  9 ;  "The  Woman  in 
White,"  Aug.  30 ;  "The  Unsuspected," 
Sept.  20,  and  "Life  With  Father," 
Oct.  11. 


US  Films'  Delay 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  Queen   Elisabeth.  Among 

other  arrivals  were  John  Woolf,  joint 
managing  director  of  J.  Arthur  Rank's 
General  Film  Distrbutors,  and  Mrs. 
Woolf,  actress  and  producer,  known 
professionally  as  Edanna  Romney. 

Graham,  who  arrived  with  Mrs. 
Graham,  said  that  "just  about  every- 
one is  happy  now"  in  England  over 
the  settlement  of  the  75  per  cent  ad 
valorem  tax.  Graham  pointed  out  that 
while  good  pictures  are  doing  well, 
"ordinary  pictures"  are  doing  badly. 
He  said  audiences  preferred  light  films 
and  were  fed  up  with  psychological 
films.  Graham,  who  is  here  on  a  busi- 
ness and  pleasure  trip,  will  leave  in 
two  weeks  for  Bermuda.  He  will  de- 
part for  England  on  July  3. 

Woolf  repeated  that  Rank  intends 
to  release  from  28  to  30  films  here 
this  year,  approximately  double  last 
year's.  He  asserted  that  while  Brit- 
ish film  makers  are  improving,  he 
doubts  that  their  films  "would  be  al- 
tered basically"  for  the  American 
market. 

Mrs.  Woolf  declared  her  film,  "Cor- 
ridor of  Mirrors,"  in  which  she  stars, 
co-produced  and  co-authored  with  Ru- 
dolph Carter,  has  been  set  for  release 
here  through  Universal-International. 

DeToth  Back  from 
Australian  Talks 

Hollywood,  May  12.  —  Director 
Andre  De  Toth  has  returned  from 
Australia  where  he  conferred  with 
Sam  Snyder,  exhibitor  and  financier, 
regarding  plans  for  making  a  series 
of  Sam  Bischoff  Productions  in  the 
Antipodes  using  blocked  American 
capital.  Veronica  Lake  and  Dick 
Powell  would  star  in  one  or  two  pic- 
tures each  under  the  deal. 

Project  hinges  on  the  outcome  of 
legal  technicalities  regarding  use  of 
frozen  American  film  funds  in  Aus- 
tralian production.  De  Toth  was 
accompanied  by  Herbert  Silverberg 
representing  a  group  of  independents. 


SUMMER 
RENTAL 

COMPLETELY  FURNISHED  (With 
Exception  of  Linen  and  Blankets) 
NEW  MODERN  SMALL  4  BED- 
ROOM HOUSE  —  Three  Blocks 
From  Semi  -  Private  Beach  — 
IV2  Miles  from  Rye  Station  — 
2  Blocks  from  Connecting  Bus  — 
Excellent     Commuting  Trains. 

Barbecue  —  Garden  —  Garage 
JUNE    28     -     SEPTEMBER  12 
6     HAWTHORNE  PLACE 
RYE  7-2211 


BBC  Video  a  Rival 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Audibert,  director  of  Pathe  Journal 
in  Paris,  and  William  Murray,  Euro- 
pean chief  of  Warner  Pathe  News. 
Third  conference  of  the  British, 
French  and  American  Pathe  reels 
since  the  war,  it  will  seek  ways  of 
improving  world  coverage. 

Thomas  said  that  the  film  industry 
wants  television  in  theatres,  but  is 
prohibited  by  the  government.  As  a 
result,  he  =aid  the  industry  has  refused 
to  allow  its  films  to  be  shown  over 
television.  He  pointed  out  that  tele- 
vision, like  radio,  is  a  government 
monopoly  in  England.  It  is  expected 
shortly,  however,  that  the  situation 
will  change,  he  said.  Already  theatres 
are  preparing  for  television,  Thomas 
said,  pointing  out  that  Rank  now  has 
six  houses  wired  for  video. 

Thomas  revealed  that  newsreel  sales 
are  still  frozen  as  of  war  time,  but 
that  the  freeze  soon  is  expected  to  be 
dissolved.  As  a  result,  he  said,  the 
five  major  newsreels  "are  getting  set 
for  a  fight"  to  increase  sales. 

Mme.  Audibert  asserted  that  despite 
an  increase  in  admissions  of  30  per 
cent  allowed  by  the  government  in 
November,  grosses  have  not  increased 
accordingly  because  of  a  decline  in  at- 
tendance. She  said  the  reels  in  France 
get  three  per  cent  of  the  gross.  One 
of  the  reels'  major  problems  is  the 
difficulty  of  paying  foreign  correspond- 
ents in  currency  of  their  own  coun- 
try, she  said. 

Murray  said  that  the  newsreel  situa- 
tion in  England  "is  much  better  now." 
He  said  that  raw  stock  is  now  avail- 
able, but  the  government  limits  the 
number  of  prints  per  company. 


UK  Technicolor  Jam 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

plants  "have  their  hands  full  with 
work,"  and  that  the '  backlog  com- 
prises pictures  submitted  between 
August,  1947,  and  April,  1948,  for 
processing. 

In  consequence,  Levy  expects  it  may 
be  longer  than  he  anticipated  before 
Disney's  "Melody  Time"  is  Techni- 
color-processed in  London  and  re- 
leased there.  Meanwhile,  Levy  said, 
Technicolor  is  "moving  along"  with 
U  K.  expansion  plans. 


Hughes  -  RKO 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

possibly  others  from  the  company's 
home  office  in  New  York. 

Actual  implementation  of  Hughes' 
control  of  RKO  is  expected  to  take 
place  next  week. 

A  statement  by  Hughes  on  his  pol- 
icy was  withheld  late  yesterday,  but 
he  approved  posting  of  a  bulletin  to 
studio  employes  by  Rathvon,  saying, 
in  part : 

"I  have  had  numerous  conversations 
with  Hughes  and  we  seem  to  be  in 
agreement  in  all  matters  of  policy. 
There  is  no  reason  to  assume  that  it 
will  be  otherwise  in  the  future. 
Hughes  has  no  hungry  army  of  rela- 
tives looking  for  your  jobs,  nor  substi- 
tutes waiting  to  step  into  RKO  man- 
agement. Now  that  the  excitement 
is  over,  let's  all  settle  back  to  work." 

Meanwhile,  United  Artists  president 
Gradwell  Sears  is  expected  here  on 
Monday  to  confer  with  Hughes  on 
disposition  of  the  latter's  unreleased 
"Vendetta"  and  "Mad  Wednesday." 
Discussion  may  also  include  "The 
Outlaw,"  which  Hughes  reportedly 
wishes  to  switch  to  RKO  release. 


Hughes-Odium  Deal  May  Delay 
RKO  Stockholders'  Meeting 

Possibility  arose  yesterday  that  the 
annual  RKO  stockholders'  meeting 
might  be  delayed  as  a  result  of  the 
sale  to  Howard  Hughes  of  the  block 
of  company  common  stock  held  by 
Floyd  Odium's  Atlas  Corp.  Company 
by-laws  stipulate  that  the  meeting  be 
held  the  first  Wednesday  in  June, 
(June  2,  this  year).  It  was  presumed 
yesterday  that  the  mailing  of  proxy 
statements  would  be  held  up  until 
Hughes'  interests  are  heard  from. 

To  the  new  board  to  be  elected  by 
the  stockholders  Hughes  is  expected 
to  nominate  several  directors  to  suc- 
ceed Atlas  representatives.  At  the 
election  of  officers  following  the  nam- 
ing of  the  board  it  is  expected  that 
Odium  will  be  replaced  as  chairman 
by  Hughes. 


'Express'  Opens  May  20 

RKO  Radio's  "Berlin  Express," 
produced  by  Bert  Granet  and  directed 
by  Jacques  Tourneur,  will  have  its 
New  York  premiere  at  the  Victoria 
Theatre  here  on  May  20. 


Frequency  Changes  \  i 
Seen  Affecting  Video  ] 

Washington,  May  12. — If  all  tele-  1 
vision,  "which  gives  promise  of  being  I 
a  billion  dollar  business  this  year,"  1 
were  required  to  move  at  this  time  to  1 
higher  radio  frequencies,  "it  would  j 
mean  no  television  at  all,"  Dr.  C.  B.  I 
Jolliffe,  executive  vice-president  of  | 
RCA,  testified  here  today  at  a  hear-  | 
ing  of  the  Senate  Interstate  and  For-  1 
eign  Commerce  Committee.  I 

"RCA,"  Joliffe  said,  "was  a  pift\"c  1 
in  FM  and  it  was  a  pioneer  in»^('!-  1 
vision.  We  do  not  take  a  stand '  in  ; 
favor  of  one  against  the  other.  We  I 
are  convinced  that  the  needs  of  both  j 
can  be  advanced  without  a  feud  be- 
tween the  two.  In  our  opinion,  the 
way  to  promote  FM  is  to  promote 
FM  and  not  fight  television." 

Mullen  Leaving  NBC 
To  Head  Network 

Frank  E.  Mullen,  executive  vice- 
president  of  National  Broadcasting 
and  chief  of  NBC  television  operations 
will  resign  July  1  to  become  president 
of  Goodwill  Stations,  operator  of 
WJR,  Detroit;  WGAR,  Cleveland, 
and  KM  PC,  Los  Angeles,  it  was  dis- 
closed here  yesterday  by  an  NBC 
spokesman. 

Mullen  will  succeed  G.  A.  Rich- 
ards who  is  expected  to  retire  from 
active  participation  in  Goodwill.  Mul- 
len, who  joined  NBC  in  1926,  has  been 
a  vice-president  since  1940  and  held 
a  similar  position  with  RCA  from 
1934  to  1940. 


MBS  Video  Due  in  Fall 

Mutual  Broadcasting's  television 
network  operations,  originating  for  the 
most  part  from  its  New  York  station, 
is  expected  to  begin  late  this  fall,  ac- 
cording to  Edgar  Kobak,  MBS  presi- 
dent. The  video  programs  will  be  on 
a  network  basis  in  the  East  first,  he 
said. 


New  Video  Recording 

DuMont  Laboratories  will  hold  a 
television  demonstration  here  tonight 
at  the  Park  Lane  Hotel  where  it  is 
expected  a  new  film  recording  method 
will  be  shown. 


ATS  Spring  Party  May  20 

Spring  party  of  the  American  Tele- 
vision Society  and  the  closing' lunch- 
eon-meeting of  the  1947-48  season  will 
take  place  next  Thursday  at  the  Hotel 
Astor  here. 


Heineman  to  Preside 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Minneapolis,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis, 
Omaha  and  Des  Moines.  Third  meet- 
ing, to  be  held  in  New  Orleans  on 
May  24,  will  bring  sales  groups  from 
New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Atlanta, 
Oklahoma  City,  Charlotte  and  Dallas. 
Final  meeting  will  be  held  in  San 
Francisco  on  May  29,  for  personnel 
from  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles, 
Portland,  Seattle,  Denver  and  Salt 
Lake  City. 


'4  Faces'  Opens  Saturday 

Commemorating  the  50th  anniver- 
sary of  the  formation  of  the.  "Rough 
Riders"  in  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  the 
U.  S.  Army  and  the  Air  Force  have 
completed  plans  for  a  celebration 
which  will  culminate  in  the  world 
premiere  of  United  Artists'  "Four 
Faces  West"  at  the  Lensic  and  Burro 
Alley  theatres,  in  Santa  Fe. 


Thursday,  May  13,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Key  City  Grosses 


'Curtain'  Opens 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LOS  ANGELES 

'/akimen  in  White,"  with  "Always 
1  ,  jpier,"  ran  comfortably  above 
average  to  rescue  a  week  of  otherwise 
doleful  news  from  the  first-run  front. 
Weather  was  okay  and  there  was  no 
extraordinary  counter-attraction  to  ac- 
count for  the  general  neglect  at  Los 
'Angeles  box-offices.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ended  May  12 : 

THE  FIGHTING  69TH  (WB  Re-release) 
and  VALLEY  OF  THE  GIANTS  (WB  Re- 
release)  —  HILLSTREET  (2,700)  (50c-60c- 
S0c-$1.00).  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $18,3CO) 
THE  FIGHTING  6STH  (WB  Re-release) 
and  VALLEY  OF  THE  GIANTS  (WB  Re- 
release)  —  PANT/AGES  (2,000)  (50c-60c-80c- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $17,300) 
FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (ZOth-Fox) 
and  13  LEAD  SOLDIERS  (2<Wi-Fox)  — 
CHINESE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-8Sc-$1.00).  5  days, 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average:  $15,700) 
FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (20th-Fox) 
and  13  LEAD  SOLDIERS  (20th-Fcx)  — 
LOEWS  STATE  (2,500)  (50c-60c-85c-$l-00). 
5  days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $13,000.  (Average: 
|21,700) 

FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (20th-Fox) 
and    13    LEAD    SOLDIERS    (20th-Fox)  — 

LOYOLA  (1,265)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  5  days, 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (ZOth-Fox) 
and  13  LEAD  SOLDIERS  (20th-Fox)  — 
UPTOWN  (1,716)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  5  days. 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,500.  (Average:  $10,800). 
LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WOM- 
AN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID  (Cel.) 
—GUILD  (965)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$7,000.  (Average:  $7,100) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WOM- 
AN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID  (Col.) 

—IRIS  (708)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $8,- 
OCO.  (Average:  $7, 1C0) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WOM- 
AN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID  (Col.) 

—  RITZ  (1,376)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$12,000.  (Average:  $10,300) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WOM- 
AN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID  (Col.) 

-STUDIO  (880)  (50c-60c-S5c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$7,500.  (Average:  $6,900) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WOM- 
AN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID  (Col.) 

—  UNITED  ARTISTS  (2,100)  (50c-60c-85c- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $15,400) 
SAHARA  (Col.  Re-release)  and  DESTROY- 
ER (Col.  Re-release)  —  BELMONT  (1,600) 
(50c-60c-85c-$L00).  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average: 
$6,600) 

SAHARA  (Col.  Re-release)  and  DESTROY- 
ER (Col.  Re-release) — EI.  REY  (861)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$l-00).  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average:  $7,- 
000) 

SAHARA  (Col.  Re-release)  and  DESTROY- 
ER (Col.  Re-release)  —  ORPHEUM  (2,210) 
(50c-60c-S5c-$1.00).  Gross:  $15,500.  (Aver- 
age: $14,300) 

SAHARA  (Col.  Re-release)  and  DESTROY- 
ER (Col.  Re-release)  —  VOGUE  (800)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.0O).  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average:  $7,- 
500) 

THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)  and 
SHAGGY  (Para.)  —  PARAMOUNT  (Down- 
town) (3,595)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$12,500.  (Average:  $21,000) 

THE    SAINTED    SISTERS     (Para.)  and 
SHAGGY   (Para.)— PARAMOUNT  (Hollv 
wood)     (1,407)     (50c-60c-80c-$1.00).  Gross 
$9,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
STATE    OF  THE    UNION     (M-G-M)  - 
EGYPTIAN   (1.000)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $13,000.  (Average:  $13,900) 
STATE    OF  THE    UNION    (M-G-M)  - 
FOX-WILSHIRE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average:  $13,800 
STATE    OF  THE    UNION     (M-G-M)  - 
LOS   ANGELES  (2,096)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00). 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $21,200) 
SUMMER    STORM    (UA-Re-release)  and 
ABROAD  WITH  TWO  YANKS  (UA  Re- 
release)  —  MUSIC    HALL    (Beverly  Hills! 
(SO0)   (65c-85c-$l.C0).  5  days.   Gross:  $1,200 
(Average:  $4,300) 

SUMMER  STORM  (UA-Re  -release)  and 
ABROAD  WITH  TWO  YANKS  (UA  Re- 

release)--MrSIC  HALL  (Downtown)  (900) 
(65c-85c-$1.0O).  5  days.  Gross:  $2,800  (Aver 
age:  $9.f00) 

SUMMER  STORM  (UA-Re-release)  and 
ABROAD  WITH  TWO  YANKS  (UA  Re- 

release)  —  MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,000) 
(65c-85c-$1.00).  5  days.  Gross:  $1,300.  (Av 
age:  $5.20/)) 
SUMMER  STORM  (UA-Re-release)  and 
ABROAD  WITH  TWO  YANKS  (UA  Re 


release)  —  MUSIC  HALL  (Hollywood)  (490) 
(65c-85c-$1.00).  5  days.  Gross:  $1,030.  (Aver- 
ge:  $4,300) 

WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  AL- 
WAYS TOGETHER  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Downtown)  (3,400)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00).  6 
days.  Gross:  $17,000.  (Average:  $16,300) 
WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  AL- 
WAYS TOGETHER  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Hollywood)  (3,000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00).  6 
days.  Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $12,400) 
WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  AL- 
WAYS TOGETHER  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Hiltern)  (2,300)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00).  6  days. 
Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $12,600) 


CHICAGO 


Belated  April  showers  are  partially 
to  blame  for  spotty  loop  attendance. 
Strong  attractions  such  as  "Naked 
City,"  the  Berle-Blondell  package,  and 
"State  of  the  Union"  are  doing  ex- 
cellent business,  while  hold-overs  and 
other  newcomers  are  exceedingly 
poor.  Neighborhoods,  however,  are 
flourishing.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  May  13  : 

ALIAS  A  GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M)— ORI- 
ENTAL (3,300)  (98c)  On  stage,  Milton 
Berle,  Joan  Blondell.  Gross:  $65,000.  (Av- 
erage: $40,000) 

ARE  YOU  WITH  IT?  (U-I)  —  GRAND 
(1,150)  (67c-98c).  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average: 
$16,000) 

FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (ZOth-Fox) 

(953)  (50c-57c-95c).  Gross:  $16,000.  (Aver- 
age: $13,500) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (20th-Fox)— CHICAGO 
(3,900)  (98c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $22,000. 
(Average:  $40,000) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION     (M-G-M)  — 

WOODS  (1,080)  (98c).  Gross:  $30,000. 
(Average:  $23,C00) 

THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS  (M-G-M) 

—UNITED  ARTISTS)  (1,700)  (98c).  Gross: 
$14,000.     (Average:  $23,500). 
THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI   (Col.)  - 
STATE   LAKE    (2,700)    2nd   week.  Gross: 
$22,000.     (Average:  $35.0007 
THE    NAKED     CITY     (U-I)  —  PALACE 
(2.500)   (67c-98c)  5  days,  2nd  week.  BER- 
LIN    EXPRESS     (RKO     Radio)     2  days. 
Gross:  $25,000.    (Average:  $22,000) 
THE    OVERLANDERS    (U-I)  —  APOLLO 
(1.20O)    (98c).      Gross:    $7,500.  (Average: 
$17,000) 

TO  THE  VICTOR  (WB)  —  ROOSEVELT 
(1.50O)  (98c)  5  days,  2nd  week.  WOMAN 
IN  WHITE  (WB)  2  days.  Gross:  $10,000. 
(Average:  $20,000) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


First-run  theatres  here  are  in  the 
spring  doldrums.  First  circus  of  the 
season  here  over  the  weekend  was  a 
depressing  factor.  "The  Bishop's 
Wife"  was  the  only  film  to  beat  a 
house  average.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ended  May  11-12: 

BLACK  NARCISSUS  (U-I)  and  CAMPUS 
SLEUTH   (Mono.)— KEITH'S   (1,300)  (44c 
65c).     Gross:  $4,000.     (Average:  $4,500) 
THE    BISHOP'S    WIFE    (RKO  Radio)- 

CIRCLE  (2,800)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

THE  MAN  FROM  TEXAS  (E-L)  and  AS 
SIGNED  TO  DANGER  (E-L)— LYRIC  (1, 
600)    (44c -65c).     Gross:    $5,000.  (Average: 
$6,000) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)- 

LOEW'S  (2,450)  (44c-65c)  2nd  week.  Gross 
$10,000.     (Average:  $11,000) 
UNCONQUERED    (Para.)— INDIANA  (3, 
200)    (44c-50c).     Gross:   $12,000.  (Average 
$12,000) 


U.  S.  Will  Seek  Bids 
For  Capital's  Belasco 

Washington,  May  12. — The  Gov 
eminent  will  ask  bids  "in  the  imme 
diate  future"  for  the  lease  of  the 
Belasco  Theatre,  formerly  a  legitimate 
theatre  and  now  a  Government  stor- 
age warehouse.  This  was  revealed  by 
Public  Buildings  Administrator  Joseph 
H.  Curtis,  son  of  Columbia  Pictures' 
Jack  Cohn. 


speculation  over  an  appeal  in  that  di- 
rection. "Not  a  single  complaint  was 
reported,"  said  the  theatre. 

There  was  no  demonstration  during 
the  day,  and  only  a  few  policemen 
were  posted. 

"Those  who  banded  together  Tues- 
day night  to  picket  'The  Iron  Curtain' 
at  the  Roxy  are  attacking  the  basic 
American  right  of  free  expression," 
Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president  of  20th 
Century-Fox,   said  yesterday. 

Meanwhile,  New  York  Supreme 
Court  Justice  Edward  R.  Koch  yes- 
terday reserved  decision  on  a  motion 
for  a  temporary  injunction  brought  by 
four  Soviet  composers  to  restrain  20th 
Century-Fox  from  using  their  names 
and  music  in  the  film.  The  Russian 
government  is  supporting  the  compos- 
ers' action.  The  composers  are 
Dmitri  Shostakovich,  Aram  Khacha- 
turian,  Serge  Prokofieff  and  Nikolai 
Myaskovsky. 


Protests,  False  Alarms  Mark 
'Curtain'  Opening  in  Ottawa 

Ottawa,  May  12. — Protesting  tele- 
phone calls,  sharply  critical  letters, 
editorial  protests  and  false  alarms  to 
the  fire  department  and  hospitals 
marked  the  opening  here  today  of 
20th  Century-Fox's  "The  Iron  Cur- 
tain" before  an  overflow  crowd  at  the 
Capitol  Theatre. 


Disney  Dividends  on 
Preferred  Stock 

Quarterly  dividends  of  37^4  cents 
per  share  on  six  per  cent  cumulative 
convertible  preferred  stock,  payable 
July  1  to  stockholders  of  record  on 
June  12,  has  been  announced  by  Roy 
O.  Disney,  president  of  Walt  Disney 
Productions.  Another  dividend  will  be 
paid  on  Oct.  1  to  stockholders  of 
record  on  Sept.  11,  he  added. 

In  addition,  the  board  has  declared 
two  dividends  of  $2.25  each  on  the 
preferred  stock  payable  on  the  same 
dates  as  the  six  per  cent  cumulative 
convertible  preferred.  Payment,  Dis- 
ney said,  is  subject  to  the  consumma- 
tion of  a  proposed  loan  of  $1,000,000 
to  be  secured  by  an  assignment  of  fu 
ture  royalties  from  a  recently  signed 
10-year  book  and  magazine  publication 
contract. 

The  board  also  declared  the  com- 
pany intends   to  pay   the  remaining 
preferred  dividend  arrearages  in  in 
stallments  of  $2.25  on  Jan.  1,  1949  and 
April  1,  1949. 


New  Republic  Shorts 

Hollywood,  May  12.  —  Impossible 
Pictures  has  signed  with  Republic  to 
deliver  a  series  of  Trucolor  cartoons 
beginning  July  1,  it  was  announced  by 
Herbert  J.  Yates,  Republic  president, 
and  Leonard  L.  Levinson,  Impossible 
president. 


Popkin  Signs  Walker 

Hollywood,  May  12.  —  Harry  Pop 
kin  has  signed  Helen  Walker  to  a 
two-picture  deal  under  his  Cardinal 
Pictures  banner  for  United  Artists  re 


Services  for  Mrs.  Horwits 

Philadelphia,  May  12. — Services 
were  held  today  for  Mrs.  Ida  Horwits 
72,  mother  of  Al  Horwits,  Universal- 
International  Eastern  publicity  man- 
ager. Mrs.  Horwits  died  yesterday 
morning  at  her  home  here. 


Ad  Women  to  Hear  Dietz 

Howard  Dietz,  advertising-publicity 
ice-president  of  M-G-M,  will  address 
a  motion  picture  luncheon  of  the  Ad- 
vertising Women  of  New  York  at  a 
luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Astor  here  on 
May  18.  Eleanor  Kask  of  Funk  and 
Wagnalls  is  luncheon  chairman. 


Reissue  Buck  Film 

Frank  Buck's  "Bring  'em  Back 
Alive"  has  been  set  for  reissue  by 
RKO  Radio  as  part  of  block  No.  5. 
It  was  first  released  in  1932. 


WB  -  <IA'  Tilt 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


a  Warner  home  office  employes'  elec- 
tion. 

The  Taft-Hartley  law  provides  that 
an  employes'  election,  must  be  held 
prior  to  negotiations  on  a  new  con- 
tract to  determine  whether  workers 
desire  a  union  shop.  The  Warner 
home  office  contract  expires  on  May 
31,  and  Russell  Moss,  H-63  business 
agent,  has  announced  that  the  local 
will  seek  new  benefits,  including  a 
12yi  per  cent  "across  the  board"  wage 
increase.  Some  700  Warner  home  of- 
fice employes  are  involved. 

Moss  reports  that  Warners  has 
notified  the  local  that  the  company  in- 
tends to  invoke  the  Taft-Hartley  rule 
on  confidential  secretaries,  which 
would  make  those  secretaries  ineligible 
for  union  membership.  The  local,  he 
added,  intends  to  retaliate  by  invok- 
ing the  law's  rule  on  working  fore- 
men. The  "working  foremen"  rule,  if 
applied,  would  make  it  illegal  for 
Warner  home  office  section  heads  to 
do  more  than  "stand  about  and  watch" 
while  on  the  job.  Today's  conference, 
described  as  "informal"  by  Younger, 
will  deal  with  these  matters. 


Dwyer  Reelected 

Joseph  Dwyer  has  been  reelected 
president  of  Theatrical  Protective 
Union  No.  1,  IATSE,  here,  along  with 
George  Fitzgerald  as  vice-president; 
John  C.  MacDowell,  secretary ;  John 
Garvey,  treasurer ;  Sol  Pernick,  busi- 
ness manager,  and  Edward  Mortimer, 
sergeant-at-arms.  John  Brousseau  was 
reelected  chairman  of  the  board,  and 
Jack  Shapiro  and  Vincent  Jacobi  were 
elected  trustees  in  an  upset.  John 
Goodson  was  appointed  second  busi- 
ness manager. 


Walsh  on  ANT  A  Board 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  president  of 
IATSE,  and  Robert  Dowling,  City 
Investing  Co.  president,  have  been 
elected  to  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  American  National  Theatre  and 
Academy  here. 


run 

I  HOUSE? 


TEXAS/^ 
BROOKLYN 

and 

HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


He  makes  the  most 
of  moonlit  moments  •  •  • 


IT'S  mighty  important  to  star  . .  .  direc- 
tor . . .'  movie-goer ...  to  have  this  moon- 
lit moment  come  alive  upon  the  screen. 

And  when  it  does — in  all  its  subtlety 
of  mood  in  light  and  shadow — the  cred- 
it's due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  im- 
portant contribution  of  the  laboratory 
control  engineer. 

For  his  knowledge  of  photochemistry, 
his  "eye"  for  photographic  quality  .  .  . 


his  vigilant  control  of  printing  density 
and  contrast  ...  do  much  to  make 
moonlight  footage  look  like  moonlight, 
and  help  to  bring  out  the  best  in  every 
frame  of  film. 

Quality  of  film  contributes,  too;  and 
this  important  assistance  the  laboratory 
control  engineer  is  sure  of  when  he 
works  with  the  famous  Eastman  family 
of  motion-picture  films. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER  4,   N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT   LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


MOllfcN  P I d^fiKE 

DAILY 


Accurate' 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  94 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  MAY  14,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Outright  Sale 
Of  American 
Films  in  Italy 

Distributors  By-pass 
Remittance  Ruling 

By  ARGEO  SANTUCCI 

Rome,  May  11  (By  Airmail).— 
Under  the  stimulus  of  Italian  im- 
port restrictions  and  the  freezing 
of  lira  earnings  in  this  country, 
American  companies,  both  major  and 
independent,  are  selling  some  pictures 
outright    to    Italian    distributors  on 
condition  that  dollar  payment  is  made 
available  in  the  United  States. 
Foreign  departments  of  dis- 
tributors in  New  York  would 
not  officially  confirm  or  deny 
that  rights  to  their  pictures 
were  sold  outright  to  Italian 
distributors  and  a  spokesman 
for  the  Motion  Picture  Associa- 
tion of  America  said,  "We  have 
absolutely  no   information  on 
it."  An  executive  of  one  com- 
pany,   however,    admitted  the 

{Continued  on  page  2) 


Myers  Sees  Court 
Action  in  6  Months 


Kansas  City,"  May  13.— Dissolu- 
tion of  theatre  pools  is  already  a  fact, 
joint  ownerships  are  being  dissolved 
and,  except  for  long  court  vacations, 
final  steps  in  the  Government's  anti- 
trust suit  against  the  majors  may  be 
expected  in  six  months,  Abram  F. 
Myers,  Allied  States  Association 
chairman  and  general  counsel,  de- 
clared here  today.  He  spoke  at  the 
closing  session  of  the  Allied  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners  of  Kansas  and 
Missouri  convention. 

Myers  also  said  that  in  view  of  the 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Reagan  Presiding  at 
Para.  Meeting  Here 


First  of  five  Paramount  divisional 
sales  meetings,  set  to  climax  the  cur- 
rent season  and  prepare  the  ground- 
work for  1948-49  product  and  policies, 
got  under  way  here  yesterday  at  the 
Hotel  Astor,  under  direction  of 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  distribution  vice- 
president. 

The     meeting,     which     will  run 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Better  Future 
For  US  Films 
AbroadrMPAA 


The  world  economic  situation  as 
viewed  by  the  American  film  com- 
panies has  improved  considerably 
in  the  last  six  months,  and  the  gen- 
eral global  picture  in  terms  of  re- 
mittances, quotas  and  import  duties 
promises  better  days  ahead.  This  ex- 
pression of  confidence  and  encourage- 
ment came  yesterday  from  a  top  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America 
executive  in  New  York. 

"All  the  old  problems  which  the 
MPAA  had  to  face  are  being  worked 
on,"  and  are  being  solved  at  a  satis- 
factory rate,  the  MPAA  executive 
explained,  adding  that  no  additional 
problems  have  arisen  in  the  last  six 
months  to  effect  further  drain  on  the 
association's  energies.  Reluctant  to 
say  that   the   future   looks  "bright" 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


New  DuMont  Video 
Recording  Method 

DuMont  Laboratories'  new  system 
of-  transcribing  television  shows  on 
film  was  demonstrated  here  last  night 
at  the  Park  Lane  Hotel.  Called  tele- 
transcription,  the  system  is  now  avail- 
able to  television  stations  throughout 
the  U.  S.,  company  officials  declared. 

The  system  is  very  similar  to  that 

{Continued  on  page  2) 


Year's  Extension  of 
Trade  Pact  Advanced 

Washington,  May  13.— The 
House  Republican  policy  com- 
mittee has  agreed  on  a  one- 
year  extension  from  June  12 
of  the  Reciprocal  Trade  Agree- 
ments Act,  with  a  substantial 
amount  of  power  to  make 
new  agreements  taken  from 
the  President  and  State  De- 
partment and  given  to  the 
Tariff  Commission  and  Con- 
gress. Industry  leaders  sup- 
ported a  three-year  extension 
"without  strings." 


Para.  Quarter 
Profit  Down 


Paramount  earnings  for  the  first 
1948  quarter,  ended  April  3,  are  es- 
timated by  the  company  at  $7,760,000, 
after  all  charges.  This  compares  with 
$9,522,000  for  the  similar  period  in 
1947.  The  1948  profit  includes  $1,- 
846,000,  representing  Paramount's  in- 
terest as  a  stockholder  in  the  com- 
bined undistributed  earnings  of  par- 
tially-owned subsidiaries  and  about 
$650,000  of  non-recurring  income. 

Since  the  beginning  of  fiscal  1948, 
the  company  has  excluded  earnings 
of  all  subsidiaries  operating  outside 
the  U.  S.  and  Canada,  except  for  divi- 
dends. 

Paramount  yesterday  declared  a 
regular  quarterly  dividend  of  50  cents 
per  share,  payable  June  25  to  stock- 
holders of  record  on  June  4. 


Rebel  At  Excluding  US 
From  UK's  Film  Council 


Clark,  Raibourn  on 
New  Advisory  Unit 

Washington,  May  13. — Ken- 
neth Clark  will  represent  the 
Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  and  Paul  Rai- 
bourn the  Television  Broad- 
casters Association  on  a  14- 
man  Press  Advisory  Council 
to  assist  Secretary  of  Defense 
Forrestal  on  news  and  infor. 
mation  problems.  The  Coun- 
cil, which  includes  represen- 
tatives of  other  media,  will 
meet  with  Forrestal  here  on 
May  26.  It  opposes  peacetime 
censorship. 


London,  May  13. — British  Board 
of  Trade  president  Harold  Wilson  is 
said  to  be  planning  to  exclude  Ameri- 
can distributor  representation  from 
the  new  Cinematograph  Films  Coun- 
cil, and  the  report  has  caused  a  storm 
of  indignation  among  all  distributors 
here.  It  is  said  Wilson  will  appoint 
Sir  Arthur  Jarratt  to  replace  Colum- 
bia's J.  Friedman  as  a  Kinematograph 
Renters  Society  representative  on  the 
Council  along  with  Reginald  P.  Baker, 
incumbent. 

Friedman  has  been  one  of  the  two 
KRS  members  of  the  Council  for  the 
past  six  years.  KRS,  which  takes 
pride  in  having  a  "non-national" 
policy  in  representing  British  distri- 
bution interests  as  a  whole  despite  the 
circumstance  that  80  per  cent  of  its 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Federal  Court 
Confirms  Flat 
Rental  Damage 

Decision  in  Lieberman 
Case  Called  a  Precedent 


Boston,  May  13.  —  Flat  rental 
damages  resulting  from  a  distribu- 
tor's reliance  on  returns  from  prior 
percentage  pictures  were  confirmed 
as  an  additional  element  of  recoverable 
damage  in  suits  based  on  falsified  per- 
centage returns,  by  U.  S.  District 
Court  Judge  Sweeney  in  an  opinion 
filed  here  in  Federal  Court,  in  the 
action  brought  by  Loew's  against 
Fred  E.  Lieberman  and  various  cor- 
poration affiliates.  Judge  Sweeney's 
decision  sets  a  precedent,  according  to 
industry  attorneys. 

A  claim  for  flat  rental  dam- 
ages in  addition  to  percentage 
rental  damages  is  involved  in 
practically  all  of  the  percentage 
lawsuits  now  pending  through- 
out the  country  as  filed  by  dis- 
tributors against  theatres,  ac- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Confer  Monday  on 
Salesmen's  Election 


A  "full  dress"  conference  of  repre- 
sentatives of  all  principals  involved  in 
the  forthcoming  elections  among  the 
country's  1,000-odd  film  salesmen  will 
be  held  here  on  Monday  before  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board  officer 
Arthur  Younger.     On  April  30  the 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


RKO  Move  to  Dismiss 
Dmytryk  Suit  Denied 

Los  Angeles,  May  13. — A 
motion  by  RKO  Radio  for  dis- 
missal of  the  suit  brought  by 
director  Edward  Dmytryk 
following  his  discharge  as  a 
result  of  the  Un-American 
Activities  Committee  hear- 
ings was  rejected  today  by 
Federal  judge  Leon  Yank- 
wich.  The  jurist,  after  ruling 
out  Dmytryk's  claim  for 
$750,000  for  alleged  "humilia- 
tion and  loss  of  prestige," 
held  that  the  claim  for  $1,- 
133,425,  which  Dmytryk  said 
would  have  been  paid  him  un- 
der the  remainder  of  his  con- 
tract, must  be  tried. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  May  14,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


CHARLES  P.  SKOURAS,  Na- 
tional Theatres  president,  re- 
turned to  Los  Angeles  yesterday  from 
New  York. 

• 

Fred  H.  Hotchkiss,  Westrex  Eu- 
ropean regional  manager ;  Edward  G. 
Wagner,  W estrex  comptroller ;  Ron- 
ald Colman  and  his  wife,  and  So- 
phie Tucker  will  sail  today  for  Eu- 
rope on  the  Queen  Elizabeth. 
• 

Howard  J.  London,  National 
Foundation  for  Infantile  Paralysis  di- 
rector of  motion  pictures  and  radio, 
will  leave  here  today  for  Los  Angeles 
to  attend  the  National  Association  of 
Broadcasters  convention. 

• 

Richard  de  Rochemont,  "March 
of  Time"  producer,  will  speak  on  films 
in  advertising  at  the  Advertising 
Women  of  New  York  luncheon  here 
on  Tuesday. 

• 

Ben    Kalmenson,    Warner  sales 
head,  and  Bernard  Goodman,  super- 
visor of   exchanges,   will   return  to 
New  York  today  from  Boston. 
• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal-Interna- 
tional assistant  general  sales  manager, 
will  leave  here  by  plane  over  the 
weekend  for  Nashville. 

• 

Harold  Wengler,  Altec  advertis- 
ing manager,  will  be  in  Bethlehem, 
Pa.,  today  and  tomorrow  from  New 
York. 

• 

Jack  Epstein  of  the  Epstein  cir- 
cuit, Omaha,  has  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Southwestern  B'nai  B'rith. 
• 

Michael  Havas,  RKO  Radio 
Latin  American  supervisor,  left  here 
yesterday  for  Buenos  Aires. 


Argue  New  Trial  for 
Trumbo  on  May  21 

Washington,  May  13. — Argument 
on  a  motion  for  a  new  trial  for  screen 
writer  Dalton  Trumbo,  convicted  on 
charges  of  contempt  of  Congress,  has 
been  set  for  May  21,  on  the  same  day 
that  argument  will  be  heard  on  a 
similar  motion  for  screen  writer  John 
Howard  Lawson.  If,  as  is  likely,  both 
new  trial  motions  are  turned  down, 
both  writers  may  be  sentenced  on  the 
same  day. 

Stipulations  on  the  records  to  be 
submitted  in  the  trial  of  the  other 
eight  contempt  defendants,  on  whom 
verdicts  will  be  withheld  pending  ap- 
peals in  the  Lawson  and  Trumbo 
cases,  will  probably  be  made  here 
next  week,  a  defense  attorney  said. 


Outright  Sale 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Better  Future  Abroad 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


S.M.P.E.  to  Feature 
New  Film  Equipment 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  13. — A 
new  35mm.  projector,  first  developed 
by  the  Motion  Picture  Research 
Council  and  then  turned  over  to 
Mitchell  Camera  for  production,  will 
be  described  at  the  Society  of  Motion 
Picture  Engineers'  five-day  conven- 
tion which  opens  here  on  Monday. 

Other  motion  picture  projects  to  be 
discussed  include  a  magnetic  device 
for  cueing  film,  an  improved  35mm. 
synchronous  counter,  a  time  interval 
marking  device  for  cameras,  an  opti- 
cal reduction  sound  printer,  16mm. 
film  phonograph,  new  location  trucks, 
soundproofing  generators,  a  35mm. 
sound-on-film  recorder,  and  other 
items. 

71  Papers  at  SMPE  Meet 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  13. — A 
record  number  of  71  papers  will  be 
delivered  at  the  63rd  convention  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engi- 
neers here  May  17-21  to  some  1,500 
from  the  motion  picture  industry,  film 
and  sound  equipment  manufacturers, 
scientific  foundations  and  labora- 
tories. Nine  sessions  originally 
planned  have  been  expanded  to  11. 


specifically  for  the  industry's  foreign 
operations,  he  said  it  will  suffice  to 
predict  that  the  days  ahead  will  be 
considerably  better  than  they  were  in 
the  recent  past. 

Confirming  Motion  Picture 
Daily's  report  of  last  Tuesday  that 
the  MPAA  has  entered  into  a  foreign 
remittances  pact  with  World  Com- 
merce Corp.,  the  association  spokes- 
man admitted  that  similar  so-called 
"compensation  deals"  have  been  con- 
cluded with  other  international  trad- 
ing organizations,  including  the  Inter- 
national Trade  Associates  which,  like 
the  WCC,  -has  offices  in  principal 
cities  of  the  world. 

The  deals,  reportedly  conceived  by 
Gerald  M.  Mayer,  managing  director 
of  MPAA's  international  division, 
are  designed  to  secure  release  of 
blocked  U.  S.  film  earnings  in  coun- 
tries like  France  and  Italy.  Under  the 
plan,  WCC  and  the  others  agreee  to 
increase  the  country's  foreign  export 
business  by  allotting  dollars  for  the 
purpose  on  the  provision  that  the  for- 
eign country  release  an  equal  amount 
of  blocked  American  film  earnings. 
Part  of  WCCs  profit  under  the  ar- 
rangement will  come  in  the  form  of 
"commissions"  from  U.  S.  companies, 
through  the  MPAA.  The  plan  has 
not  yet  produced  remittances. 

Aviation  companies,  it  was  said,  are 
taking  blocked  funds  in  payment  for 
transportation,  and  therefore  industry 
executives  who  fly  to  and  from  Eu- 
rope are  assisting  in  unblocking  funds. 


UK  Film  Council 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


membership  is  American,  has  always 
had  the  understanding  that  one  Amer- 
ican and  one  Englishman  would  repre- 
sent it  on  the  Council. 

In  a  secret  debate  in  Parliament  on 
the  issue,  Wilson  was  severely  criti- 
cized for  the  intended  "slap  in  the 
face"  for  the  Americans,  and  it  was 
pointed  out  to  him  that  his  stand  on 
the  appointment  would  be  particularly 
unfortunate  at  this  time  when  ques- 
tions are  due  to  arise  on  interpretation 
of  the  Anglo-American  tax  agreement. 
Moreover,  both  Baker  and  Sir  Ar- 
thur now  have  production  interests 
and  hence  their  roles  as  distributor 
representatives  on  the  Council  would 
tend  to  make  the  whole  situation 
even  more  absurd. 


practice  had  been  common,  but 
"you  will  not  find  any  of  our 
pictures  among  them  now." 

Almost  all  American  companies  In 
Rome  are  practicing  outright  sale. 
Particularly  this  is  true  of  United 
Artists,  which  perhaps  was  the  first, 
followed  by  Universal-International, 
RKO.  M-G-M  and  others.  Warner 
reportedly  is  the  only  exception. 

Old  and  Recent  Films  Sold 

Films  already  sold  include  "It's  a 
Wonderful  Life,"  "The  Best  Years  of 
Our  Lives,"  "Scarface,"  "Ball  of 
Fire,"  "Atlantis,"  "Daniel  Boone," 
"Monsieur  Verdoux,"  "The  Eagle," 
starring  Rudolph  Valentino,  "Body 
and  Soul,"  "The  Secret  Life  of  Walter 
Mitty,"  "Captain  from  Castile," 
"Thunder  Birds,"  "Crash  Dive,' 
"Belle  Starr,"  "Springtime  in  the 
Rockies,"  "Coney  Island"  and  others, 
including  a  lot  of  "B"  productions. 

Terms  of  outright  sales  are  gen- 
erally with  quotations  covering  only 
net  royalties  and  providing  that  all 
further  expenses  are  to  be  paid  by  the 
Italian  distributor.  Payment  in  dollars 
is  made  available  in  the  U.  S.  Usually 
20  per  cent  of  the  price  is  paid  when 
the  deal  is  signed  and  the  rest  at  the 
time  of  delivery  of  a  master  negative. 
Quotations  vary  from  a  minimum  of 
$1,000  to  a  maximum  of  $200,000. 
"It's  a  Wonderful  Life,"  for  instance, 
sold  for  $35,000. 

Average  Sale  $5,000  to  $10,000 

"Best  Years"  sold  for  $110,000  to- 
gether with  four  lesser  pictures. 
"Gone  With  the  Wind"  is  offered  by 
M-G-M  at  $200,000.  This  price  in- 
cludes 12  prints  free.  Most  produc- 
tions are  offered  at  from  $5,000  to 
$10,000. 

Italian  agencies  of  the  American 
companies  reportedly  protested  the 
outright  sale  practice  to  their  home 
offices  and  it  has  been  reported  that 
the  companies  decided  to  credit  their 
Italian  branches  with  15  per  cent  of 
the  amounts  which  the  former  receive 
from  the  sale  of  their  films  to  Italian 
independents. 


U-I  Plans 'Four-Wall' 
Deals  for  'Hamlet' 

Universal-International  will  exhibit 
J.  Arthur  Rank's  "Hamlet"  in  New 
York  and  possibly  Boston  in  August 
via  "four-wall"  or  theatre-leasing  deals 
which  would  permit  the  distributor  to 
charge  advanced  admission  prices 
without  violating  the  price-fixing  in- 
junction of  the  Supreme  Court  deci- 
sion. Announcement  that  U-I  is  ex- 
pediting American  release  of  the  film 
was  made  here  yesterday  by  Willh. 
A.  Scully,  U-I  general  sales  manaf^ 

Promotional  plans  are  being  mappTa 
by  John  Joseph,  U-I  national  adver- 
tising-publicity director ;  Maurice  A. 
Bergman,  Eastern  advertising-pub- 
licity head,  and  Jock  Lawrence,  vice- 
president  of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank  Or- 
ganization in  America.  In  addition, 
a  special  field  staff  under  the  super- 
vision of  Jefferson  Livingston  of  U-I's 
home  office,  is  being  set  up. 


Anthony  Zito,  46 

Anthony  Zito,  46,  president  of  the 
De  Angelis  Outdoor  Advertising  Co., 
which  handles  outdoor  billings  for  a 
number  of  distributors  and  circuits 
here,  died  at  his  home  in  Crestwood 
yesterday  after  an  illness  of  several 
weeks.  Funeral  services  will  be  held 
Monday  morning  at  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  of  the  Annunciation  in 
Crestwood,  with  interment  in  Gate  of 
Heaven  Cemetery,  Westchester.  Re- 
mains are  at  the  Walter  B.  Cooke 
Funeral  Home,  Bronx.  Surviving  are 
the  widow,  Jessie,  and  a  brother,  Jack. 


Harley  L.  Tracy 

Cleveland,  May  13. — Funeral  ser- 
vices were  held  today  in  Willard, 
Ohio,  for  Harley  L.  Tracy,  veteran 
owner  of  the  Temple  Theatre  in  Wil- 
lard, who  was  about  60.  He  died 
Wednesday  after  a  long  illness.  The 
widow  survives. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


DuMont  Video 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


recently  demonstrated  by  Paramount, 
although,  it  was  pointed  out,  Para- 
mount's  method  is  primarily  con- 
cerned with  theatre  video,  whereas 
tele-transcription  is  designed  only  for 
television  stations.  The  method  con- 
sists in  placing  a  camera  at  the  face 
of  the  cathode-ray  tube  and  filming 
the  program  as  it  comes  over.  The 
film  can  be  developed  in  approximate- 
ly one  minute,  if  speed  is  a  factor,  it 
was  said. 

DuMont  spokesmen  declared  the 
method  is  immediately  available.  Al- 
though no  price  rates  have  been  set, 
it  would  cost  approximately  $600  to 
$700  for  a  half-hour  transcription, 
officials  said. 


DuMont  Plant  Purchase  Approved 

Washington,  May  13. — Sale  of  the 
Wright  Aeronautical  Corp.  plant  at 
East  Paterson,  N.  J.,  to  Allen  B. 
DuMont  Laboratories,  for  $1,700,000 
was  approved  here  today  by  the  War 
Assets  Administration. 


—RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL— 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer        Katharine  Van 
TRACY   HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adolphe  Lewis 

LANSBURY    MENJOU  STONE 
in  PRANK  CAPRA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION" 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Films 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARlESLAUGHTON^ff^o, 

A  Paramount  Picture 


DANA  ANDREWS  •  GENE  TIERNEY 

"THE'  IRON  CURTAIN" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture 
PLUS  ON  STAGE 

ED  SULLIVAN 

his   DAWN   PATROL  REVUE 

RAVV  7th  Ave.  &   
W  MK   I          50th  St.  ■ 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor.-  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A. 
Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London." 
Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame. 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 
single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  May  14,  1948 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


3 


5,000  'U'  Warrants 
Given  to  Cowdin 


Washington,  May  13. — Universal 
Pictures  board  chairman  J.  Cheever 
Cowdin  received  stock  warrants  for 
5,000  shares  of  common  as  compen- 
sation, according  to  a  Securities  and 
Exchange  Commission  report  on  trad- 
ing by  company  officers  and  board 
members. 

-■/She  report,  theoretically  for  the 
'J*th  ending  March  10,  showed  very 
few  film  company  transactions.  It  re- 
vealed that  Cowdin  gave  away  war- 
rants for  2,375  shares  of  Universal 
common  and  sold  warrants  for  50. 

At  the  end  of  1947,  Cowdin  held 
warrants  for  91,538  shares,  Cheever 
Corp.  held  warrants  for  1,084  shares, 
and  Whitehall  Securities  Co.  warrants 
for  3,578.  Cowdin  held  11,637  shares 
outright,  Cheever  Corp.  577  shares 
and  Whitehall  1,413. 

At  Columbia,  Jack  Cohn  gave  1,000 
shares  of  common  to  the  Artists 
Foundation  on  Feb.  26,  leaving  his 
holdings  at  47,969  shares.  His  trusts 
sold  200  shares,  dropping  their  hold- 
ings to  24,119.  Loew's  Louis  K.  Sid- 
ney had  500  shares  of  the  company's 
stock. 


Reagan  Presiding 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


through  tomorrow,  is  being  attended 
by  the  following :  From  New  York, 
Reagan,  Hugh  Owen,  Al  Kane,  Ted 
O'Shea,  E.  W.  Sweigert,  Al  Schwal- 
berg,  Jack  Roper,  F.  A.  Leroy,  J.  A. 
Philipson,  Al  Deane,  Oscar  Morgan, 
C.  J.  Scollard,  Stanley  Shuford,  Sid 
Mesibov,  Ben  Washer,  Marty  Freed- 
man,  Monroe  Goodman,  Sam  Bover- 
man,  Clay  Hake,  Adolph  Zukor,  Paul 
Raibourn,  Henry  Randel,  Myron  Sat- 
tler,  Edward  Bell,  Phil  Isaac,  Nathan 
Stern,  Jack  Perley  and  Gene  New- 
man. 

From  New  Orleans,  Gordon  Bradley,  Ed- 
gar Shinn,  H.  S.  Wyckoff,  F.  A.  Hotard; 
Atlanta,  Clyde  Goodson,  Bill  Holliday,  Ed 
Fitzgerald.  Bill  Word,  B.  W.  Smith,  Frank 
Folger,  Leonard  Allen;  Boston,  John 
Moore.  Ed  Maloney,  John  Gubbins,  H.  O. 
Lewis,  Ed  Bradley,  John  Kane,  Arnold  Van 
Leer;  Charlotte,  Henrv  Haas.  Ed  Chumley, 
P.  H.  Cockrill,  Ed  DeBerry,  Lawrence  Ter- 
rell, Everett  Olsen;  Jacksonville,  Al  Duren, 
Fred  Mathis,  Bob  Stevens;  New  Haven. 
Henry  Germaine.  John  W.  Brown,  Richard 
Carroll;  Albany,  Ed  Ruff,  James  Moore. 
Peter  Holman,  Ed  Wall;  Buffalo,  M.  A. 
Brown,  Maurice  Simon.  John  Good,  Rich- 
ard Carroll;  Canada,  Gordon  Lightstone. 
Win  Barron. 


'Citizen  Sain?  Premiere 

New  York  premiere  of  "Citizen 
Saint,"  dramatization  of  the  life  of 
Mother  Cabrini,  will  be  held  Thurs- 
day at  the  Bijou  Theatre,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Clyde  Elliott,  producer. 


OF  COURSE 


TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 


HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


Review 


"Four  Faces  West" 

(En terprisc- UA ) 

WITHIN  the  framework  of  the  Western,  "Four  Faces  West"  turns  loose 
a  mature  and  intriguing  manhunt.  It  is  to  the  conspicuous  merit  of 
this  Enterprise  production  that  the  story  remains  consistently  fresh,  never 
once  falling  back  upon  such  time-honored  stereotypes  as  aimless  gunplay 
and  fisticuffs.  Events  throughout  are  believable  and  the  characters  are  real 
individuals  rather  than  types.  As  merchandise,  the  film  is  made  all  the  more 
secure  for  the  exhibitor  by  the  imposing  cast  headed  by  Joel  McCrea,  Frances 
Dee,  Charles  Bickford  and  Joseph  Calleia. 

The  intense  screenplay,  based  on  a  semi-autographical  novel  by  Eugene 
Manlove  Rhodes,  begins  with  McCrea  entering  a  New  Mexican  town  and 
robbing  its  bank.  Thereafter  he  becomes  a  hunted  man  with  countless  fears 
and  frustrations  lying  in  wait.  In  the  course  of  his  retreat,  he  gets  bitten  by 
a  rattlesnake,  is  given  first  aid  by  Miss  Dee,  with  a  romance  thus  having 
its  reluctant  beginning.  Others  who  figure  in  McCrea's  flight  are  Calleia,  a 
mysterious  figure  who  at  fitst  seems  hostile,  but  eventually  befriends  McCrea. 

Some  splendid  outdoor  photography  highlights  the  screenplay  by  Graham 
Baker  and  Teddi  Sherman.  After  passing  through  a  series  of  adventures, 
McCrea  seems  reasonably  out  of  reach  of  Bickford,  the  pursuing  marshal, 
when  he  stops  in  his  flight  to  rescue  a  Mexican  family  from  death  by 
diphtheria.  Bickford  thus  catches  up  with  him,  but  instead  of  bringing  him 
in  a  vanquished  prisoner,  he  talks  McCrea  into  surrendering  voluntarily,  with 
the  sure  promise  that  justice  would  be  tempered  by  the  extenuating  circum- 
stances. Produced  by  Harry  Sherman  and  directed  by  Alfred  E.  Green,  it  is 
high  entertaining  fare  for  all. 

Running  time,  90  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  15.  Mandel  Herbstman 


Flat  Rental  Damages 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


cording  to  a  distributor  spokes- 
man. 

Judge  Sweeney's  opinion  confirmed 
the  findings  of  Special  Master  Phil- 
lip A.  Hendrick,  filed  Feb.  17,  in 
which  he  found  that  Loew's  should  be 
granted  judgment  against  the  defend- 


Myers  Sees 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


court's  cognizance  of  past  delays,  the 
defendants  were  not  likely  to  seek 
means  for  postponements.  One  factor 
probably  working  against  delays,  he 
suggested,  is  the  possibility  of  interim 
relief  which  the  defendants  might  find 
undesirable. 

The  future  of  motion  picture  ex- 
hibition is  now  in  the  hands  of  inde- 
pendent exhibitors,  he  said. 

A  buying  and  book  service  avail- 
able to  Allied  members  at  a  cost  of 
$10  a  week  was  set  up  by  the  con- 
vention. In  answer  to  a  query  whether 
the  recent  Supreme  Court  decision 
might  obstruct  or  prevent  such  ser- 
vices, Myers  replied  that  there  was 
nothing  in  the  cases  involving  any  of 
the  Allied  buying  and  booking  groups 
and  that  he  did  not  think  buying  co- 
operatives were  unlawful  per  se. 

William  Ainsworth,  Allied  presi- 
dent, who  also  addressed  today's  meet- 
ing, and  Myers  left  tonight  for  Den^ 
ver  for  a  national  board  meeting  there 
Saturday  through  Monday.  They  will 
also  attend  the  Allied  Rocky  Mountain 
Independent  Theatres  convention  in 
Denver  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday. 


Ascap  Talks  Await 
Greenberg's  Return 

Further  talks  between  Ascap  and 
representatives  of  film-stage  show 
houses  in  an  effort  to  settle  the  dispute 
over  the  new  scale  of  music  taxes, 
await  the  return  of  Herman  Green- 
berg,  the  society's  general  sales  man- 
ager, from  a  Coast  trip.  Greenberg 
is  expected  back  in  New  York  during 
the  week  of  May  24.  Combination 
houses  are  opposed  to  a  500  per  cent 
increase  in  the  seat  tax  requested  by 
Ascap. 


ants  for  $26,875,  in  its  action  and 
Paramount  a  judgment  for  $1,725  in 
its  suit.  Amount  awarded  to  Loew's 
included  513,600  for  damages  sus- 
tained on  the  flat  rental  pictures,  the 
remainder  covering  damages  for 
rentals  withheld  on  percentage  pic- 
tures. The  Paramount  award  cov- 
ered only  percentage  rental  damage. 

Cross-motions  by  the  defendants  to 
have  the  actions  recommitted  to  the 
master  were  denied  by  Judge 
Sweeney. 

Theatres  involved  were  the  Tre- 
mont,  Normandy  and  Bijou  in  Bos- 
ton, the  Square  in  Medford,  and  the 
Uphams  Corner  in  Dorchester. 

Distributor  motions  to  confirm  and 
the  exhibitor  motions  to  recommit 
were  argued  before  Judge  Sweeney 
on  April  28.  Robert  W.  Meserve  of 
the  Boston  law  firm  of  Nutter,  Mc- 
Clennon  and  Fish,  and  Edward  A. 
Sargoy  of  the  New  York  law  firm 
of  Sargoy  and  Stein,  appeared  for  the 
distributors,  and  Joseph  B.  Abrams  of 
Boston  argued  for  the  defendants. 


700  To  Vote  on  W.B. 
Union  Shop  May  27 

Over  700  Warner  home  of. 
fice  employes  will  vote  on 
May  27  to  determine  whether 
the  present  union  shop  shall 
prevail,  it  was  decided  yester- 
day at  a  conference  between 
Warner  and  IATSE  employes 
local  No.  H-63  representatives 
at  the  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  office  there. 

The  so-called  "union  secur- 
ity election"  is  provided  for 
under  the  terms  of  the  Taft- 
Hartley  law  when  a  new  con- 
tract is  about  to  be  negoti- 
ated. The  contract  expires  on 
May  31. 


Salesmen's  Election 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 


NLRB  in  Washington  ordered  sepa- 
rate company-wide  elections  by  secret 
ballot  within  30  days  to  determine 
whether  or  not  the  salesmen  desire  to 
be  represented  by  the  Colosseum  of 
Motion  Picture  Salesmen  of  America 
for  collective  bargaining  purposes. 

Monday's  meeting  is  expected  to  set 
election  machinery  in  motion.  Younger 
will  brief  the  company  and  Colosseum 
representatives  on  election  rules.  Com- 
panies to  be  represented  are  Para- 
mount, Loew's,  RKO,  Republic,  20th 
Century-Fox,  Universal,  Warners, 
Columbia,  Eagle-Lion,  United  Artists, 
Monogram  and  National  Screen. 

Colosseum  attorney  David  Beznor 
of  Milwaukee  will  attend,  as  will 
Howard  Lichtenstein  counsel  for  most 
of  the  companies,  and  Frank  Green- 
berg. National  Screen  attorney. 


Goldwyn  Extends 
RKO  Deal  a  Year 

Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions  has 
picked  up  its  option  to  extend  its  re- 
leasing deal  with  RKO  for  another 
year,  beginning  July  1.  RKO  will 
handle  the  Goldwyn  product  on  the 
same  basis  as  at  present,  according  to 
James  Mulvey,  president  of  Goldwyn 
Productions. 


Twice  as  terrific  as  "T-Men"  . . .  the  Edward  Small  production 
of  "RAW  DEAL,"  is  ready  for  release  by  Eagle  Lion ! 


1 


He's  the  guyEEiJjjj  says  is"a  fire 
ball  performer  to  fit  American  humor 
and  satire !" and  uEH  says  is^the 
freshest  and  funniest  in  years" and 
QQj  says  is  ^radio's  freshest  new 
funnyman \"  and  [J^Jj  says  "will  lead  the 
field  in  popularity"  and  the  ^2H*Li21  saYs 
iVan  oracle  of  laughter!"and 
QQj  says  (again)  is  "the  funniest 
fellow  on  the  air!" 


IS 


th. 


4m 


9tftf. 


e«t0 


*)0H 


'on 


The  ENTERPRISE  STUDIOS  present 

HENRY  MORGAN 


"'CI 


si 


with 


Rudy  Vallee-  Hugh  Herbert-  Bill  Goodwin 


Virginia  Grey  •  Dona  Drake  ■  Jerome  Cowan  •  Leo  Gorcey -Arnold  Stang 

Screenplay  by  Carl  Foreman  and  Herbert  Baker     Based  on  the  novel  "THE  BIG  TOWN"  by  RING  LARDNER 

Directed  by  Richard  0.  Fleischer  -  Produced  by  Stanley  Kramer 

A  Screen  Plays.  Inc.  Production 


Something  new. .  .something  BIG  from  (//\ 


FROM  COAST-TO-COAST  "THE  IRON 
CURTAIN"  IS  FRONT  PAGE  NEWS! 


Twsday,  May  13, 1948 
Daily  Mirror,  1  bursas , 


Film  Fans 
To  Iron  Curtain 

THE  IRON  CURTAIN"  IS 
BOXOFFICE  NEWS! 


 -~- ~  :       nths  at  the  Roxy, 

(^e  of  the  longest  lmes ^ »  noted  in  roommg  and 
P-fa^^ES  punctuated  hy  appUuse! 
afternoon  audiences,  on 

AND  THE  STORY  IS  THE  SAME  IN- 
Milwaukee,  Portland,  Seattle.  Cleveland. 
Richmond,  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati, 
Kansas  City,  Denver,  Rochester,  Syracuse 

THE  IRON  CURTAIN"  IS 
THE  MOST  EAGERLY  SOUGHT 
PICTURE  IN  THE  LAND! 


CENTURY- 


nut  COPY 


FILM 

NEWS 


MOTION  FfCTtPRE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 
and 


M 


63.  NO.  95 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  MAY  17,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Studio  Labor 
Talks  Reach 
Impasse  Stage 

Producers'  Counter-Off er 
Refused;  Call  on  Walsh 


Hollywood,  May  16. — A  dead- 
lock in  new  contract  negotiations 
between  IATSE  studio  locals  and 
the  producers  loomed  at  the  week- 
end with  the  flat  rejection  by  the 
unions  of  the  Association  of  Motion 
Picture  Producers'  counter  proposal  to 
continue  the  current  11.17  per  cent 
cost-of-living  payments  to  studio  em- 
ployes until  Aug.  10,  1949. 

Testifying  to  the  probability 
of  a  deadlock  was  the  post-re- 
jection statement  by  TA'  inter- 
national representative  Roy 
Brewer  that  'IA'  international 
president  Richard  F.  Walsh, 
now  in  New  York,  will  be  asked 
to  enter  into  the  negotiations 
with  the  producers.  (Queried  in 
New  York  on  Brewer's  state- 
ment, Walsh  said  it  was  too 
soon  for  him  to  comment  on 
the  situation. — Ed.) 

The  studio  locals  are  demanding,  in 
addition  to  the  incorporation  of  the 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Allied  States  Board 
Convenes  in  Denver 


Denver,  May  16.  —  Allied  States' 
board  of  directors  is  meeting  here  in 
advance  of  the  convention  of  Allied 
Rocky  Mountain  Independent  Theatres 
Tuesday  and  Wednesday.  Independent 
exhibitors  not  Allied  members  are  in- 
vited to  attend  the  convention.  Both 
meetings  are  at  the  Cosmopolitan 
Hotel. 

Abram  F.  Myers,  William  Ains- 
worth,   Sidney   Samuelson,  Trueman 

(.Continued  on  page  4) 


SMPE  Meet  Opens 
Today  on  Coast 


Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  16. — 
W.  W.  Watts,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  RCA's  engineering  products  depart- 
ment, will  discuss  television  and  the 
motion  picture  industry  as  the  prin- 
cipal speaker  at  the  opening  luncheon 
tomorrow  of  the  Society  of  Motion 
Picture  Engineers'  63rd  semi-annual 

(.Continued  on  page  3) 


Court  Refuses  to 
Change  Two -Week 
Limit  on  Loop  Runs 


Chicago,  May  16. — Federal  Judge 
Michael  Igoe  on  Friday  firmly  upheld 
in  U.  S.  District  Court  here  the  two- 
week  limit  on  Loop  runs  for  defendant 
theatres  imposed  by  the  Jackson  Park 
decree  and  dismissed  the  motion  made 
by  Ed  Johnson,  attorney  for  Para- 
mount and  Balaban  and  Katz,  which 
asked  to  modify  that  part  of  the 
decree. 

Johnson  told  the  court  that 
B.  and  K.  cannot  continue  to 
operate  under  the  present  sys- 
tem,-  because  distributors,  ex- 
cept Paramount,  refuse  to  li- 
cense top  product  to  their 
houses,  selling  the  "cream"  pic- 
tures to  the  Essaness  Woods 
and  Oriental,  and  the  Monroe, 
all  non-defendants. 

Judge  Igoe  repeated  what  he  had 
said  during  the  recent  contempt  hear- 
ings :  that  if  the  defendants  had  con- 
sulted him  on  the  decree,  the  whole 
situation  might  be  different  now.  He 

(.Continued  on  page  4) 


Berger,  Kane  Alter 
Views  on  Decision 


Minneapolis,  May  16. — A  "first- 
flush"  opinion  of  10  days  ago,  express- 
ing "great  disappointment"  over  the 
nature  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court 
decision  in  the  Government's  Para- 
mount anti-trust  case  was  changed 
here  at  the  weekend  by  Ben  Berger, 
president  of  North  Central  Allied,  and 
Stanley  Kane,  NCA's  executive  secre- 
tary. 

Berger  declared  that  later  informa- 
tion "now  indicates  clearly  that  the 
'Big  Five'  has  been  ordered  to  get  out 
of  the  theatre  business,"  adding  that  a 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Film  Dividends  Still 
O  n  Do  wn  war  d  Trend 


Washington,  May  16.  ■ —  Publicly- 
reported  cash  dividends  of  motion  pic- 
ture companies  in  April  were  sharply 
below  April,  1947  figures,  accentuat- 
ing the  trend  of  earlier  months  this 
year,  according  to  the  Commerce  De- 
partment, which  listed  April  1948  dis- 
bursements of  $3,941,000,  against  $5,- 
469,000  in  April  last  year.  The  De- 
partment said  that  the  drop  was  due 
chiefly  to  the  fact  that  RKO  halved 
its  April,  1947,  dividend,  while  the 
Stanley  Corp  (Warner  affiliate), 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


U.S.  STUDY  OF  BIG 
CIRCUITS  PLANNED 


House  Passage  of 
Trade  Act  Due 

Washington,  May  16. —  The 
bill  calling  for  a  one-year  ex- 
tension of  the  Reciprocal 
Trade  Agreements  Act,  with 
substantial  power  over  new 
agreements  given  to  the  Tar- 
iff Commission  and  Congress, 
is  slated  to  pass  the  House 
late  this  week.  It  will  then 
move  to  an  uncertain  fate  in 
the  Senate. 


Restrictions  Hurt 
Independents:  Levey 


Owing  primarily  to  monetary  re- 
strictions and  the  fact  that  every 
country  there  faces  different  problems, 
conditions  are  not  favorable  for  the 
independent  producer  in  Europe,  Jules 
Levey,  recently  back  from  a  seven- 
month  survey  of  England  and  the 
Continent,  said  here  on  Friday. 

The  independent  producer  branded 
as  a  fallacy  the  belief  that  American 
producers  can  make  pictures  more 
cheaply  in  England.  He  said  his  ob- 
servation made  him  conclude  that  pro- 
duction costs  in  Great  Britain  are  as 
high  as  in  Hollywood. 

Levey  reported  the  film  industry  is 
picking  up  in  Europe,  especially  in 
Italy,  where  he  found  many  new  thea- 
tres in  construction.  He  foresees 
Italy  becoming  the  chief  competitor 
in  production  in  Europe,  England  in- 
cluded. 

During  his  visit,  Levey  closed  re- 
lease deals  on  his  product  in  France, 
Italy,  Holland,  Belg'ium,  Czechoslo- 
vakia and  several  of  the  "iron  cur- 
tain" countries.  The  producer  plans 
to  leave  for  the  Coast  in  a  week. 


Mono,  to  Distribute 
Two  British  Films 


Hollywood,  May  16. — Completion 
of  negotiations  with  Pathe  Pictures, 
Ltd.,  for  Monogram  distribution  of 
two  pictures  made  by  the  former  in 
London  was  announced  here  at  the 
weekend  by  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram 
president.  The  films  involved  are 
"My  Brother  Jonathan,"  which  will  be 
released  in  October,  and  "Temptation 
Harbor,"  to  be  released  in  November. 


Monopolistic  Evidences 
To  Be  Sought  in  Large 
Independent  Operations 


Washington,  May  16.  —  The 
Department  of  Justice  plans  to  in- 
augurate a  study  of  large  indepen- 
dent circuit  operations  in  key  areas 
around  the  country  with  a  view  to 
introducing  divestiture  proceedings  in 
the  event  monopolistic  practices  con- 
demned by  the  Supreme  Court  in  its 
recent  Paramount,  Schine  and  Griffith 
opinions  are  found,  it  is  learned. 

A  Justice  Department  spokes- 
man said  that  for  the  next  60 
days  at  least  the  Department 
will  have  its  hands  so  full  that 
it  will  be  unable  to  undertake 
any  new  proceedings.  He  in- 
dicated that  as  soon  as  current 
pressure  on  the  Department 
eases,  the  study  of  regional  in- 
dependent circuits'  background 
and  operations  will  be  begun. 

The  Department  was  given  an  in- 
creased   appropriation    by  Congress 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


U.  S.  Asks  Schine 
Case  Clarification 


Washington,  May  16. — The  Justice 
Department  has  asked  the  Supreme 
Court  to  clarify  its  Schine  case  deci- 
sion and  say  whether  or  not  a  trustee 
should  be  appointed  to  dispose  of  five 
of  16  Schine  theatres  still  unsold  un- 
der the  May  19,  1942,  consent  order. 

In  a  brief  filed  with  the  court  on 
Friday,  the  Government  said  the  ques- 
tions involved  in  enforcing  the  consent 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Defendants  Weigh 
Bid  for  Rehearing 

Defense  attorneys  in  the 
Government  anti-trust  suit 
are  seriously  considering  the 
filing  of  a  petition  for  a  Su- 
preme Court  rehearing  of 
several  phases  of  the  case. 
Defendants  have  until  May  28 
to  ask  for  a  rehearing. 

Observers  say  the  chances 
of  a  rehearing  being  granted, 
if  asked,  are  exceedingly  slim 
in  view  of  the  court's  almost 
unanimous  opinion  in  the 
case. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  May  17,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


HA.  COLE  of  Texas  Allied  suf- 
•  fered  a  broken  arm  in  Kansas 
City  last  week. 

• 

Edana  Romney,  British  writer-pro- 
ducer-director, who  arrived  here  last 
week,  will  be  entertained  by  Univer- 
sal-International and  J.  Arthur  Rank 
Organization  at  a  reception  Wednes- 
day at  Hampshire  House. 

• 

Samuel  N.  Burger,  Loew's  Inter- 
national sales  manager,  and  David 
Lewis,  regional  director  of  Continen- 
tal Europe,  North  Africa  and  the  Mid- 
dle East,  returned  here  from  Paris  at 
the  weekend. 

• 

Edwin  Knopf,  M-G-M  producer; 
Howard  Strickling,  studio  publicity 
chief,  and  Spencer  Tracy  are  due  here 
tomorrow  en  route  to  England.  They 
will  sail  on  the  Queen  Mary  on 
Friday. 

• 

David  A.  Lipton,  Universal-Inter- 
national studio  coordinator  of  advertis- 
ing-promotion, and  Frank  Rosen- 
berg, producer,  are  due  here  today 
from  the  Coast. 

• 

Jerry  Mason,  associate  editor  of 
This  Week,  and  Louis  Berg,  enter- 
tainment editor,  left  here  over  the 
weekend  for  Hollywood. 

• 

Jeanne  Cagney  is  due  back  in  town 
today  from  Rutgers  University  where 
she  was  "queen  of  the  military  ball" 
at  the  weekend. 

C.  J.  Feldman,  Universal-Interna- 
tional Western  division  sales  chief, 
returned  here  over  the  weekend  from 
the  Coast. 

• 

George  Margolin,  president  of  Con- 
tinental Motion  Pictures  Corp.,  will 
leave  here  Saturday  for  France  and 
Italy. 

• 

Nick  Mamula,  Selznick  Releasing 
Organization  publicist,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  Boston. 

• 

William  Gell,  U.  S.  producers' 
representative  in  the  U.K.,  is  in  town 
from  London. 

• 

Luanna  Patten,  nine-year-old  Dis- 
ney star,  is  in  town  from  the  Coast. 


Johnston  To  Talk  in 
N.  F.  and  in  Portland 

Washington,  May  16.  —  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  presi- 
dent Eric  Johnston  is  scheduled  to  be 
back  here  tomorrow  after  a  week's 
absence  on  the  West  Coast. 

He  will  be  in  New  York  on  Wednes- 
day, Thursday,  and  possibly  Friday 
for  meetings  of  the  Committee  for  Eco- 
nomic Development  and  the  Family 
Life  Conference  and  on  MPAA  busi- 
ness. He  will  then  return  here  briefly 
and  early  next  week  will  leave  for 
Portland  to  address  a  meeting  of  the 
General  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


npHE   MPAA  thinks   it  has 
*■   solved  the  situation  on  ad- 
vertising films  by  re-stating  its 
position,  which  is: 

"All  films  that  run  over  200  feet 
and  that  advertise  commercial 
product  other  than  motion  pictures 
are  affected.  .  .  .  Such  films  must 
be  submitted  to  the  Advertising 
Code  Administration  for  approval. 
Once  approved,  these  advertising 
subjects  must  comply  with  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  'Upon  the  title  ...  of  each 
print  .  .  .  there  shall  appear  at  all 
times  ...  an  insignia  containing 
the  words,  'Advertising  Code  Cer- 
tification MPAA,  No.   '  and 

...  in  the  center  of  the  same  frame 
in  letters  of  the  same  style,  weight, 
color  and  prominence  of  the  main 
title  and  in  size  not  less  than  one- 
quarter  of  the  size  of  the  letters  of 
such  main  title,  there  shah  appear 
the  following  words:  'This  Is  an 
Advertisement'." 

That's  fine  when  advertising 
subjects  run  over  200  feet.  But 
when  they  run  under,  the  regu- 
lation simply  does  not  apply.  At 
90-feet  a  minute,  standard  pro- 
jection speed  for  sound  film,  it 
puts  fractionally  better  than  two 
minutes  of  screentime  beyond 
the  MPAA  pale. 

Two  minutes  can  be  enough. 

■  ■ 

Breath-taking  yarn  of  the  week 
was  told  by  Paul  Raibourn,  tele- 
vision maestro  for  Paramount, 
to  an  examiner  of  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission  in 
Washington.  Paramount  origi- 
nally invested  $164,000  in  Du- 
Mont,  spent  $3,000,00  to  $4,000,- 
000  more  to  develop  it  and  today 
wants  $10,000,000  for  its  time, 
energy  and  dollars.  Allen  B. 
DuMont  offered  $6,000,000,  was 
turned  down,  calculated  Para- 
mount's  selling  price  was  not 
too  far  out  of  line. 


Bill  Goldman,  his  first  Phila- 
delphia suit  against  the  majors 
upheld  by  the  Supreme  Court, 
now  will  press  his  second  cov- 
ering December  of  '42  to  De- 
cember of  '46  and  worth  $8,400,- 
000  to  him  in  damages.  It  cost 
Howard  Hughes  about  the  same 
amount  to  acquire  control  of 
Floyd  Odium's  controlling  stock 
in  RKO. 

Joe  Skeptic  observes :  "Why 
didn't,  they  turn  over  RKO  to 
Goldman  and  call  off  the  suit?" 

■  ■ 

"What  gives  with  the  lira 
these  days?"  someone  flipped  at 
Sammy  Cohen,  who  handles  for- 
eign publicity  at  UA. 

"No  problem  there,  but  we've 


lots  of  yen  on  our  hands,"  he  re- 
plied seriously. 

"Everybody  has  lots  of  yen  at 
one  time  or  another,"  was  the 
return  flip. 

"Yes,  but  we're  trying  to  get 
ours  out  of  China,"  Sammy 
answered. 

■  ■ 

Records  come  and  go,  but  un- 
challenged— until  proven  to  the 
contrary  —  is  the  phenomenal 
"Gone  with  the  Wind."  On  its 
first  time  around,  the  Loew  cir- 
cuit gave  Selznick  International 
$3,900,000  for  its  end.  This 
was  on  the  deal  calling  for  75 
per  cent  of  the  gross  with  a  10 
per  cent  gross  profit  guaranteed 
the  theatres  at  $1  admission. 

■  ■ 

It  was  a  good  lunch  Charlie 
Skouras,  Harold  Fitzgerald, 
Elmer  Rhoden  and  Rick  Ricket- 
son  were  knocking  off  at  "21" 
the  other  day.  The  National 
Theatres  executives,  who  have 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  and 
theatre  divestiture  on  their 
minds,  were  enjoying  it. 

"Last  meal  ?",  remarked  a 
table-hopper  to  Ricketson.  He 
just  grinned. 

■  ■ 

Universal  walked  out  of  the 
Capitol  here  with  better  than 
$300,000  film  rental  on  "Naked 
City."  In  the  eight  weeks  of  its 
New  York  first-run,  the  attrac- 
tion did  a  theatre  gross  of  about 
$774,000. 

Big  for  the  house.  Big  for 
the  distributor. 

■  ■ 

Robert  Reynolds  in  a  Rome 
despatch  to  the  New  York  Daily 
News  reports  Lucky  Luciano, 
convicted  trafficker  in  vice, 
stands  ready  to  finance  produc- 
tion now  that  Italian  films  are 
attracting  attention  on  Broad- 
way. 

That's  all  we  need. 

■  ■ 

Answer  to  the  effect  of 
Academy  awards  on  the  box- 
office  : 

Business  on  "A  Double  Life" 
shot  up  30  per  cent  after  Ron- 
ald Colman  was  named  best  ac- 
tor for  his  work  in  that  attrac- 
tion. 

■  ■ 

Discount  the  reports,  originat- 
ing in  Hollywood,  that  Dore 
Schary's  contract  with  RKO 
gives  him  the  right  to  quit  if 
control  of  the  company  ever 
changed  hands,  which  it  did  last 
week. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


TjytNSTON  CHURCHILL,  Sec- 
rr  retary  of  State  Marshall  and 
Spyros  Skouras  figure  prominently  in 
current  newsreels.  Contents  of  current 
reels  follow: 


MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  39— World  af- 
fairs:  Winston  Churchill,  Britain's  wartime 
Premier,  addresses  Congress  of  Europe  in 
the  Hague  and  appeals  for  worlds.  '.*.y. 
Washington:  Secretary  of  State  AlV'  1 
rejects  parleys  between  the  U.  S.  and  W'  .a. 
Personalities  in  the  News:  Spyros  Skouras 
receives  a  check  for  $10,000  from  Time  and 
Life  publisher  Henry  R.  Luce  as  a  con- 
tribution for  feeding  hungry  children  of  Eu- 
rope and  Asia.  Lithuania  ex-Premier  Jonas 
Cernius  found  working  in  a  New  Jersey 
factory.  Roxy  Theatre  Communistic  dem- 
onstration against  "The  Iron  Curtain." 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  273-Congress 
of  Europe  hails  plan  for  the  union  of  three 
nations.  Spectacular  paratroop  maneuvers. 
European  fencing  championships.  Girl  jock- 
eys at  Pimlico. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  76-Churchill 
sees  hope  in  unified  Europe.  Queen  abdi- 
cates. Soviet-U.  S.  notes  discussed  by  Mar- 
shall. French  get  first  ship  in  aid  plan. 
"Right-to- Work"  law  urged  by  Cecil  B.  De- 
Mille.  Palestine:  Last  films  before  end  of 
mandate.  Sky-full  of  silk:  Army's  largest 
peacetime  chute. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  143— Secretary 
of  State  Marshall  denies  U.  S.-Red  "peace 
talks."  Churchill  urges  European  union. 
Skouras  gets  $10,000  check  to  aid  children 
of  Europe  and  Asia.  New  water-repellent 
method  for  clothes.  Motorcycle  hill-climb. 
Eighty -second  Airborne  division  in  mass 
jump. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  78-Base- 
ball  press  conference.  Congress  of  Europe. 
Governor  Long  of  Louisiana.  U.N.  kids. 
Waterproofing.  Para -troopers. 


Obstacles  Increase 
For  WIPE  A  Abroad 

In  a  report  on  territorial  activities 
to  the  Motion  Picture  Export  Asso- 
ciation board  here  at  the  weekend, 
Irving  Maas,  general  manager,  pointed 
out  that  distribution  operations  in 
"iron  curtain"  countries  are  facing 
additional  obstacles. 

Most  recent  move  to  throttle  Amer- 
ican films  abroad,  Maas  said,  has 
taken  place  in  Hungary  where  the 
government  is  nationalizing  the  film 
industry.  Local  officials  have  refused 
to  issue  import  licenses  for  American 
films  and  have  imposed  a  virtual 
blackout  on  Hollywood  product. 


UK  Pact  Parleys  Are 
Resumed  by  Allport 

London,  May  16. — Fayette 
W.  Allport,  chief  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of 
America's  London  office,  has 
arrived  here  from  New  York 
to  confer  with  British  Board 
of  Trade  officer  R.  G.  Somer- 
vell on  control  committee  as- 
pects of  the  Anglo-American 
ad  valorem  agreement.  John 
G.  McCarthy,  associate  man- 
ager of  the  MPAA's  interna- 
tional division,  is  due  to  ar- 
rive here  next  Thursday  to 
participate  in  the  discussions. 

Publication  of  the  official 
agreement  by  the  BOT  is  un- 
likely until  after  the  discus- 
sions are  completed,  it  is  be- 
lieved here. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company, 

New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vic-.  - 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 
Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A. 
Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  Quigpubco,  London.  * 
Other  Quigley  Publications-  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame. 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  . the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 
single  copies,  10c.  — 


Monday,  May  17,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Industry  Planning  to 
Keep  Hospital  Going 

The  industry  has  plans  to  keep  the 
Will  Rogers  Memorial  Fund's  Lake 
Saranac  Hospital  going  through  1948, 
if  sufficient  funds  are  raised.  After 
the  year's  end  other  plans  for  financ- 
ing the  hospital  are  expected  to  be 
made  by  an  industry  committee. 

Major  companies  already  have 
pledged  themselves  to  raise  a  part  of 
the  total.  Among  other  sources  to  con- 
/^fcute  are  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
"-ges,  Variety  Clubs  International 
and  the  Actor's  Fund  of  America, 
headed  by  Walter  Vincent. 

The  industry  committee  in  the  fund- 
raising  drive  includes  Gus  Eyssell, 
Abe  Montague,  Barney  Balaban,  Stew- 
art McDonald,  John  J.  O'Connor, 
Spyros  Skouras,  Leslie  Thompson, 
Leopold  Friedman,  Vincent,  Hal  Rod- 
ner,  Dan  Michalove,  Edmund  Grain- 
ger, J.  Henry  Walters,  Lewen  Pizor 
and  Morton  Thalheimer.  Eyssell  is 
chairman. 

Schlaifer  Advocates 
'Precision  Planning9 

"Precision  planning  based  on  a 
scientific  approach  to  motion  picture 
publicity  and  advertising  is  the  key  to 
the  successful  public  relations  cam- 
paign" was  the  opinion  expressed  by 
Charles  Schlaifer,  20th-Fox's  adver- 
tising-publicity director,  in  a  talk  at 
the  New  School  for  Social  Research 
on  Friday  night. 

Schlaifer  discussed  the  relationship 
of  executives  toward  their  industry, 
the  importance  of  the  trade  press  in 
highlighting  intra-industry  problems, 
the  methods  of  campaign  planning 
through  advance  study,  research  and 
approaches  for  various  media  and  the 
industry's  Advertising  Code. 

Services  for  Fuller, 
Former  Pathe  Head 

Funeral  services  were  held  here  on 
Friday  for  Paul  Fuller,  Jr.,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  international  law  firm  of 
Coudert  Brothers,  who  died  here  on 
Wednesday.  He  was  president  of  the 
old  Pathe  Exchange,  Inc.,  some  years 
ago. 

During  World  War  I  he  held  sev- 
eral key  Government  posts.  The  wid- 
ow, Mrs.  Marie  A.  de  Florez  Fuller 
survives. 


Scott  Chestnutt,  68 

Birmingham,  May  16.  —  Scott  E. 
Chesnutt,  68,  film  salesman  for  20th 
Century-Fox,  died  at  his  home  here 
last  week  after  a  lengthy  illness.  He 
was  formerly  with  Paramount  and 
Gaumont-British. 


OF  COURSE 


Charleston  Theatres 
Ban  'Picture  Hats' 

Charleston,  W.  Va.,  May  16. 
—  City  authorities  remind 
women  here  that  they  can  be 
fined  up  to  $10  for  failure  to 
doff  their  hats  in  theatres, 
an  1897  statute  having  been 
enacted  when  the  picture-hat 
fashion  among  the  ladies  was 
in  full  swing. 


Picket  'Curtain*  Run 
In  Loop;  No  Violence 

Chicago,  May  16. — Crowds  formed 
in  front  ot  the  Chicago  Theatre  fol- 
lowing the  opening  of  "The  Iron  Cur- 
tain" when  hundreds  of  pickets 
marched  in  protest.  The  group  repre- 
sented the  Chicago  Committee  Against 
War  Propaganda,  a  Red-front  organ- 
ization. There  was  no  rioting,  how- 
ever, and  the  boxoffice  catered  to 
heavy  patronage. 


Roxy  Press  Bureau  Set  Up 
For  'Iron  Curtain'  Run 

Charles  Schlaifer,  director  of  adver- 
tising-publicity for  20th  Century-Fox, 
has  set  up  a  publicity  bureau  at  the 
Roxy  Theatre,  here,  to  make  avail- 
able to  all  news  media  information  on 
the  progress  of  the  controversy  over 
"The  Iron  Curtain"  at  that  house. 
Bureau  is  being  maintained  on  a 
'round-the-clock  basis. 


Marks  Is  Named  SRO 
Canadian  Manager 

Joseph  Marks,  until  recently  sales 
manager  for  Pathe  in  England,  has 
been  appointed  sales  manager  of  the 
Canadian  division  of  Selznick  Releas- 
ing Organization.  He  replaces  Charles 
M.  Weiner  who  will  be  given  a  special 
SRO  sales  assignment  in  the  U.  S. 


Ted  Tod  to  Midwest  for  SRO 

Robert  M.  Gillham,  Selznick  Re- 
leasing Organization's  Eastern  adver- 
tising and  publicity  director,  has  as- 
signed Ted  Tod  to  handle  special  ex- 
ploitation on  all  SRO  releases  in  the 
Midwest,  with  headquarters  in  Chi- 
cago. 


SMPE  Meet  Opens 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


convention.  The  convention,  which  or- 
iginally planned  only  nine  technical 
sessions  and  increased  the  number  to 
11,  will  be  held  at  the  Ambassador 
Hotel  starting  tomorrow  and  continu- 
ing through  Friday.  Loren  L.  Ryder, 
SMPE  president,  will  preside.  Among 
the  record  number  of  71  papers  to  be 
featured  at  the  sessions  will  be  discus- 
sions of  color  photography,  magnetic 
sound  recording,  television,  sound  re- 
cording, the  functions,  operations  and 
accomplishments  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Research  Council,  theatre  loud  speak- 
ers, film  flicker,  theatre  sites  and 
audio-visual  educational  films. 


$4,000  to  Hospitals 

Hartford,  May  16.  —  St.  Francis, 
Mt.  Sinai  and  Hartford  hospitals  have 
received  $4,000  from  the  charity  world 
premiere  of  "The  Fuller  Brush  Man," 
given  here  last  Wednesday  evening 
under  arrangements  made  by  Colum- 
bia, distributor  of  the  film. 


Sears  to  Coast  to 
Close  5 -Theatre  Deal 

Gradwell  L.  Sears,  United  Artists 
president,  will  leave  New  York  today 
for  Hollywood  to  make  final  arrange- 
ments for  the  sale  of  United  Artists 
stock  in  the  four  Music  Hall  theatres 
in  Los  Angeles  and  the  United  Artists 
in  San  Francisco  to  Sol  Lesser  and 
Sherrill  Corwin.  Sale  of  the  circuit, 
formerly  a  partnership  between  UA 
and  Joseph  Blumenfeld,  was  nego- 
tiated recently. 

While  on  the  Coast,  Sears  will  meet 
with  UA  producers  and  will  discuss 
new  product  deals  with  other  inde- 
pendents. 

Heiber  in  Montreal 
Wins  Sales  Award 

George  Heiber,  Montreal  branch 
manager  for  United  Artists,  will  this 
week  receive  the  Grad  Sears  gold  cup 
trophy  for  outstanding  sales  achieve- 
ment during  the  1947-1948  drive.  Ed- 
ward M.  Schnitzer,  UA's  Eastern  and 
Canadian  sales  manager,  will  present 
the  cup  to  Heiber  at  a  luncheon  on 
Wednesday.  Charles  S.  Chaplin,  UA 
Canadian  division  manager,  and  lead- 
ing exhibitors  of  Canada  will  attend 
the  luncheon. 

Branches  giving  the  closest  competi- 
tion to  Montreal  were :  Chicago,  To- 
ronto and  New  Orleans. 

Kalmenson  Sets 
14-Week  Drive 

Warner  Brothers  will  conduct  its 
annual  sales  drive  for  14  weeks  from 
May  23  to  Aug.  28,  according  to  Ben 
Kalmenson,  distribution  vice-president. 
Some  $35,000  in  cash  will  be  awarded 
to  the  winners. 

The  company's  Canadian  exchanges 
will  join  U.  S.  branches.  A  series  of 
regionals  in  connection  with  the  drive 
will  be  conducted  by  the  division  sales 
managers,  Roy  Haines  for  the  West, 
Jules  Lapidus  for  the  East  and  Can- 
ada, and  Norman  Ayres  for  the  South. 


H.  M.  Warner  To  Speak 

Washington,  May  16.  —  Warner 
Brothers  president  Harry  M.  Warner 
is  scheduled  to  deliver  an  address 
here  on  May  24  before  the  National 
Council  for  Community  Improvement 
on  "What  Motion  Pictures  Can  Do 
for  Communities." 


Warner  Books  'Arch' 

"Arch  of  Triumph"  has  been  booked 
across  the  entire  Warner  circuit  for 
June  and  July. 


Strotz  Promoted  to 
Top  NBC  Video  Post 

Sidney  N.  Strotz,  NBC  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  the  West,  has  been 
appointed  administrative  vice-president 
in  charge  of  television,  by  Niles 
Trammell,  president,  in  a  realignment 
following  the  resignation  of  Frank  E. 
Mullen  as  executive  vice-president  and 
a  member  of  the  NBC  board.  Mullen 
will  become  associated  with  George  A. 
Richards  as  president  of  stations 
WJR,  Detroit;  WGAR,  Cleveland, 
and  KMPC,  Hollywood. 

John  H.  MacDonald,  administrative 
vice-president,  will  coordinate  opera- 
tions and  financial  activities  of  NBC, 
while  Charles  P.  Hammond,  vice- 
president  and  executive  assistant  to 
Mullen,  was  appointed  assistant  to  the 
president.  Noran  E.  Kersta,  director 
of  television,  will  be  executive  assis- 
tant to  Strotz  who,  Trammell  said, 
will  continue  to  supervise  Western 
division  operations,  dividing  his  time 
between  New  York  and  Hollywood. 


Meet  Here  Tomorrow 
On  Television  Code 

Representatives  of  television  sta- 
tions, film  distributors  and  advertising 
agencies  will  meet  at  the  Hotel  Astor 
here  tomorrow  to  organize  a  perma- 
nent organization  to  establish  a  code 
of  ethics  in  the  video  industry  and 
assertedly  to  function  in  a  capacity 
somewhat  like  that  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America. 

Two  hundred  invitations  have  been 
sent  out  by  Melvin  L.  Gold,  National 
Screen  Service  advertising  director, 
who  was  named  for  the  job  at  a  recent 
meeting  of  the  Television  Institute. 


Europe  Filming  Project 

Hollywood,  May  16. — Dudley  Pic- 
tures cameraman  Ed  Olsen  and  Tom- 
mie  Braatelien  will  begin  filming  in 
Europe  next  month  for  pictures  slated 
for  television  release  as  part  of  Dud- 
ley's "This  World  of  Ours"  series. 
Carl  Dudley,  president,  will  join  the 
pair  in  Paris  on  Sept.  1  to  arrange 
for  shooting  in  the  Belgian  Congo. 


Dezel  Franchise  Deal 

Albert  Dezel  Productions'  national 
distribution  setup  has  been  completed 
with  the  exception  of  the  Philadelphia 
territory,  with  the  closing  of  a  deal 
for  release  of  Dezel  product  in  the 
Pittsburgh  exchange  area  by  Max 
Shulgod  of  Crown  Film  Co.,  Albert 
Dezel  announced  here  at  the  weekend. 


JOHNNY  APPLESEEDfrom 

(Oajlt  33>?sne>4s 

NEW  TECHNICOLOR  MUSICAL 


4 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  May  17,  1948 


U.  S.  Study 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Review 


this  year  and  much  of  the  additional 
funds  is  earmarked  for  anti-trust  ac- 
tivities. 

Government  sources  express  the 
view  that  with  the  Supreme  Court 
having  struck  down  monopolistic  prac- 
tices in  the  Paramount,  Schine,  Grif- 
fith and  Crescent  actions,  and  shown 
the  way  to  circuit  divestiture  _  where 
such  practices  existed,  the  Justice  De- 
partment should  not  permit  the  prac- 
tices condemned  to  be  perpetuated  by 
non-defendants. 

Would  Watch  New  Combines 

It  was  observed  also  that  the  De- 
partment should  remain  alert  to  the 
possibility,  in  the  event  large-scale 
divestiture  materializes,  of  powerful 
new  theatre  combinations  based  on 
divested  properties  being  formed  to 
replace  the  old  ones.  The  Justice 
Department  should  move  promptly 
against  such  combinations  in  the  event 
they  are  discerned,  officials  say. 

Basis  of  the  study  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  large  regional  independent 
circuits  is  expected  to  follow  closely 
the  lines  set  forth  in  the  Supreme 
Court  opinions  in  the  Schine  and  Grif- 
fith cases,  primarily.  Investigation  of 
the  origin  and  expansion  of  the  cir- 
cuits, circumstances  surrounding  thea- 
tre acquisitions,  possession  of  monop- 
olistic power,  whether  used  or  un- 
used, whether  closed  situations  were 
lumped  with  open  ones  in  making  film 
deals,  as  well  as  other  practices  spe- 
cifically branded  illegal  by  the  high 
court,  are  believed  part  of  the  pro- 
posed study  of  independent  circuits. 

Buying-Booking  Inquiry  Unlikely 

Inquiry  revealed  that  the  Depart- 
ment is  not  likely  to  extend  its  monop- 
oly study  to  film  buying  and  booking 
combines.  It  is  clear  that  Department 
officials  regard  such  combinations  as 
minor  violators,  at  most,  and  feel  that 
the  Government  should  concentrate 
upon  bigger  game.  The  inference  is 
that  where  such  combinations  are  in 
violation  of  the  law  as  laid  down  by 
the  Supreme  Court,  the  obligation  of 
bringing  them  to  bar  will  have  to  be 
assumed  by  producers  or  distributors 
who  feel,  they  have  a  cause  of  action, 
or  by  exhibitors  outside  the  combines 
who  have  been  discriminated  against 
or  suffered  from  the  competitive  ad- 
vantages obtained  by  members  of  the 
combine.  The  Government  itself  is  un- 
likely for  some  time  to  come,  at  least, 
to  assume  the  burden  of  prosecution 
for  them,  it  is  apparent. 


Jane  Doe" 

(Republic) 

SOME  intensely  dramatic  moments  are  offered  by  Vera  Ralston,  focal 
figure  in  "I,  Jane  Doe."  It  is  a  conventional  courtroom  drama,  slickly 
produced,  with  a  cast  which  also  includes  Ruth  Hussey,  John  Carroll  and 
Gene  Lockhart. 

The  story  documents  the  tale  of  a  young  Frenchwoman  who  is  on  trial 
for  the  murder  of  her  husband.  Refusing  to  disclose  her  identity,  Jane  Doe's 
background  slowly  comes  to  light  through  a  series  of  flashbacks.  It  develops 
that  she  had  rescued  her  husband,  a  downed  American  flier,  from  the  Nazis. 
Falling  in  love,  she  married  him.  Eventually  she  discovers  that  he  was 
already  married.  To  make  matters  worse  he  plots  a  series  of  treacherous 
acts  against  her. 

One  of  the  plot  twists  in  the  Lawrence  Kimble  screenplay  has  Jane  Doe 
defended  in  court  by  the  other  wife  of  the  deceased,  Miss  Hussey.  Miss 
Hussey  proves  an  able  lawyer  in  the  drama,  with  a  verdict  of  acquittal 
brought  in.  Rounding  .out  the  cast  are  John  Howard,  Benay  Venuta  and 
Adele  Mara.  John  H.  Auer  was  associate  producer-director. 

Running  time,  85  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  25.  Mandel  Herbstman 


Berger,  Kane 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


deeper  study  of  the  40-page '  decision 
"leaves  no  doubt  in  my  mind  but  that 
the  lower  court  has  been  ordered  by 
the  Supreme  Court  to  make  divorce- 
ment final  and  definite." 

In  reversing  his  first  expression  of 
disappointment,  Kane  now  describes 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  as  "a 
sweeping  victory  for  the  independents 
and  the  Government." 

Kane    predicts    endless  argur 
over  the  meaning  and  probable  reJ 
of  the  decision,  but  adds,  "the 
monopoly  stands  convicted,  and  it  must 
reform." 

Kane  had  planned  to  re-study  the 
old  North  Dakota  theatre  divorce  stat- 
ute, as  reported  by  Motion  Picture 
Daily  on  May  5,  with  the  indicated 
intention  of  having  a  similar  measure" 
introduced  in  the  Minnesota  legisla- 
ture. That  procedure  appears  to  be 
doubtful  now. 


Jrnf\  -, 
rest. 

e  finJ 


Set  Yolk  Injunction 
Hearings  for  May  24 

Minneapolis,  May  16.  —  Hearings 
have  been  set  for  May  24  in  the  dis- 
trict court  here  in  the  suit  of  the 
Volk  Brothers,  independent  exhibitors, 
who  seek  an  injunction  against  major 
distributors  to  halt  proceedings  in  al- 
leged fraud  complaints.  It  is  contend- 
ed that  the  distributors'  contracts  are 
invalid  because  they  fix  admission 
prices  in  violation  of  the  Sherman  Act. 

Hearings  had  been  set  for  May  10, 
but  counsel  for  the  distributors  asked 
for  a  postponement  to  study  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Para- 
mount case. 


Schine  Case 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Allied  Board  Meet 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Rembusch,  H.  A.  Cole  and  other 
Allied  leaders  will  conduct  the  dis- 
cussions. These  will  include  Myers' 
report  on  the  Government's  case; 
legal  problems  affecting  independent 
exhibitors;  Ascap;  16mm.  competi- 
tion, and  other  matters.  Convention 
meetings  will  be  open  forums. 

Entertainment  for  the  ladies  will  in- 
clude a  mountain  sightseeing  trip  and 
luncheon;  the  convention  banquet  is 
scheduled  for  Wednesday  evening. 


Dismiss  Shelvey  Suit 

Suit  brought  by  Matt  Shelvey  and 
his  associates  for  control  of  the  Amer- 
ican Guild  of  Variety  Artists  against 
the  parent  union  Associated  Actors 
and  Artistes  of  America  was  dis- 
missed here  Friday  by  Supreme  Court 
justice  Dennis  Cohalan.  Dismissal  was 
with  prejudice. 


Loop  Runs 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 


order,  in  which  Schine  agreed  to  sell 
16  theatres,  did  not  depend  on  the  fur- 
ther divestiture  proceedings  ordered  by 
the  Supreme  Court  decision,  and  that 
enforcement  of  the  consent  order 
"should  not  await  the  entry  of  a  final 
judgment  as  the  further  proceedings 
which  must  precede  a  final  judgment 
are  of  uncertain  duration.  The  appel- 
lants (Schine)  agreed  six  years  ago 
to  do  what  the  District  Court  was 
finally  constrained  to  appoint  a  trus- 
tee to  do.  That  agreement  was  made 
in  consideration  of  a  two-year  continu- 
ance, and  its  enforcement  should  no 
longer  be  delayed." 

The  Department  brief,  signed  by 
Solicitor  General  Philip  B.  Perlman, 
pointed  out  that  the  high  court's  opin- 
ion set  aside  the  divestiture  provisions 
of  the  decree  pending  findings  by  the 
District  Court  for  an  "appropriate  de- 
cree," and  had  deferred  consideration 
of  the  District  Court's  decision  to  ap- 
point a  trustee  to  sell  the  five  theatres 
as  "merely  implementing"  the  divesti- 
ture provisions  up  for  reconsideration. 

The  Government  said  that  if  the 
high  court  believes  the  trial  court  cor- 
rectly decided  that  a  trustee  for  sale 
should  be  appointed  to  enforce  the  con- 
sent order,  the  Government  should 
have  the  right  to  move  immediately 
for  an  order  appointing  a  trustee.  If 
the  Supreme  Court  believes  the  lower 
court  decision  incorrect,  the  brief  con- 
tinued, "it  is  important  that  this  court 
specify  the  error  involved,  as  a  guide" 
for  the  District  Court. 


further  added,  "it  is  crystal  clear  that 
the  entire  industry  is  going  to  comply 
with  the  law,  and  I  am  going  to  make 
sure  the  decree  is  sustained,  unless  a 
higher  court  modifies  it." 

Miles  Seeley,  attorney  for  RKO, 
filed  a  petition  asking  that  the  com- 
pany be  dismissed  of  contempt  charges 
on  the  grounds  that  the  RKO  Palace 
and  Grand  theatres  were  not'  owned 
by  RKO  Pictures,  but  are  two  sep- 
arate corporations.  Main  issue  involv- 
ing RKO  was  the  clearance  imposed 
on  "Tycoon." 

At  the  same  time,  Tom  McConnell, 
the  Jackson  Park  theatre  attorney,  to- 
day filed  a  petition  to  modify  the  de- 
cree to  clarify  certain  ambiguities  on 
clearance,  price  fixing,  double  featur- 
ing and  extended  runs  in  conformance 
with  the  recent  Supreme  Court  deci- 
sion in  the  Paramount  case.  The  main 
change  McConnell's  petition  asks  is 
that  Loop  runs  should  be  limited  to 
two  weeks  regardless  of  whether  or 
not  a  duplicate  print  is  released  to  out- 
lying theatres. 

Hearings  on  the  RKO  motion  and 
on  McConnell's  petition  are  scheduled 
for  Friday,  May  21. 


Studio  Labor 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


11.17  per  cent  payments  into  base  rates 
as  of  Jan.  1  last,  a  7.75  per  cent  in- 
crease as  of  the  same  date,  it  is  under- 
stood. The  increase  sought,  it  is  said, 
is  based  on  the  cost-of-living  rise  from 
Jan.  1,  1947,  to  Jan.  1,  1948,  according 
to  the  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics. 

Additionally,  the  locals  reportedly 
have  stipulated  that  the  new  contracts 
must  include  a  provision  for  increases 
every  six  months  if  there  is  a  rise  of 
five  per  cent  or  more  in  the  cost-of- 
living.  It  is  reported,  too,  that  the 
locals  are  willing  to  take  commensu- 
rate pay  cuts  if  the  cost-of-living 
drops,  and  have  offered  to  include  a 
provision  for  this  in  the  new  contracts. 


Film  Dividends  Off 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


skipped  its  April  dividend  entirely. 

Total  publicly-reported  cash  film 
dividends  for  the  first  four  months 
of  1948  was  $15,696,000,  against  $18,- 
221,000  in  the  same  1947  period.  The 
Department  figures  that  reported  divi- 
dends represent  about  60  per  cent  of 
all  dividends. 


RAW  DEAL 


III.  UTO  Meets  June  2-3 

La  Salle,  111.,  May  16.  —  Next 
meeting  of  United  Theatre  Owners  of 
Illinois  will  be  held  at  the  Kaskasia 
Hotel  here  on  June  3-4. 


Screen's  smashing  follow-up  to  "T-Men"  is  Edward  Small's 
"RAW  DEAL,"  with  Dennis  O'Keefe,  Marsha  Hunt  and 
Claire  Trevor.  Made  by  that  "T-Men"  team,  it's  ready  for 
record  business  from  Eagle  Lion ! 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTIOV  "ICftmlPbw 

...  srass^ M  : 


'  Si,  63.  NO.  96 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  MAY  18,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Cut  in  ERP 
Film  Funds 
Seen  Likely 

Budget  -  Trimming  Bent 
Of  House  Group  Cited 

Washington,  May  17.  —  It  is 
likely  that  the  House  Appropria- 
tions Committee  may  not  approve 
the  full  $15,000,000  authorized  in 
the  European  Recovery  Program  for 
underwriting  production  and  distribu- 
tion costs  of  film  and  other  informa- 
tion media  during  the  first  year  of 
ERP. 

This  is  the  opinion  of  two  top- 
ranking  members  of  the  deficiency 
sub-committee  which  is  now  holding 
hearings  on  appropriations  for  ERP. 
They  declared  this  would  not  be  due 
to  any  specific  criticism  of  the  film, 
book  and  magazine  program,  but  rath- 
er to  the  group's  consistent  budget- 
trimming  bent,  even  in  the  case  of 
funds  specifically  authorized  by  law. 

If  the  Appropriations  Committee 
does  trim  the  funds,  a  fight  can  be  ex- 
pected on  the  House  floor  and  in  the 
Senate  to  restore   the   full  amount. 

Figures  submitted  by  all  the  dif- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Van  Dyck  to  Remain 
Head  of  Colosseum 


A.  \Y.  Van  Dyck,  20th  Century- 
Fox  branch  sales  manager  in  Chicago, 
will  continue  as  president  of  the  Col- 
osseum of  Motion  Picture  Salesmen 
of  America  notwithstanding  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board  ruling 
that  managers  cannot  be  included  in 

(.Continued  on  page  4) 


Wilson  Beale  Gets 
State  Dept.  Film  Job 

Washington,  May  17. — Wil- 
son T.  Beale,  a  specialist  in 
relations  with  the  British, 
will  be  the  State  Depart- 
ment's motion  picture  adviser 
during  the  long  period  that 
A.  Horton  Henry  is  overseas 
on  a  special  Department  pro- 
ject in  the  Near  East. 

Beale  is  now  assistant 
chief  of  the  Commercial  Pol- 
icy Division  specializing  in 
U.  K.  problems,  and  handled 
tariff  negotiations  with  the 
British  at  the  recent  Geneva 
Trade  Conference. 


Rain  Shrinks 
N.  Y.  Grosses 


Rain  hurt  business  considerably  at 
the  majority  of  Broadway  first-runs 
yesterday  and  over  the  weekend.  A 
few  houses,  however,  are  grossing  bet- 
ter than  average.  The  week's  sur- 
prise performer  is  "Will  It  Happen 
Again?"  at  the  Rialto,  which  expects 
to  produce  a  phenomenal  $30,000. 
House  average  is  about  $8,500. 

"The  Iron  Curtain"  got  off  to  a 
healthy  start  at  the  Roxy,  where  an 
Ed  Sullivan  revue  is  on  stage;  $115,- 
000  is  seen  for  the  first  week  on  the 
basis  of  $90,000  grossed  during  the 
first  five  days. 

Registering  satisfactorily  in  its 
fourth  and  final  week  is  "State  of 
the  Union,"  together  with  a  Russell 
Markert  stage  presentation,  at  Radio 
City  Music  Hall,  where  $66,500  for 
four  days  is  seen  building  up  to  $102,- 
500.  Also  satisfactory  in  its  fourth 
and  final  week  is  "The  Big  Clock," 

(.Continued  on  page  7) 


Television's  Inroads 
Noted  at  SMPE  Meet 


Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  17. — 
Charging  the  film  industry  with  short- 
sightedness in  television,  Paul  Larson, 
associate  director  of  the  Los  Alamos 
Atomic  Research  Laboratory  and  as- 
sociate chairman  of  the  Society  of 
Motion  Picture  Engineer's  television 
committee,  today  warned  that  "if  the 
motion  picture  industry  doesn't  move 
fast,  radio  is  going  to  take  over 
television." 

He  said  his  committee  had  ap- 
proached Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  presi- 
dent, with  a  proposal  that  film  com- 
panies apply  for  high  frequency  chan- 
(Continued  on  page  -4) 


Allied  Board  Alerts 
Members  on  Decision 

Denver,  May  17. — Allied  States 
Association's  board  of  directors  de- 
clared itself  in  opposition  to  total  or 
part  ownership  of  theatres  by  film 
company  employes  in  order  to  offset 
what  it  regards  as  possible  advantages 
and  discriminations  in  film  deals.  In  a 
three-day  meeting  which  ended  here 
today  the  board  alerted  all  Allied  units 
to  be  on  the  lookout  for  actions  or 
court  decisions  which  might  jeopardize 
the  recent  Supreme  Court  decision  in 
the  Paramount  case. 

Following  a  report  by  Trueman 
Rembusch  on  the  prospects  for  tele- 
vision, the  board  voted  to  undertake 
further  study  before  trying  to  arrange 
a  meeting  of  theatre  and  television 
executives. 


Selznick  and 
Korda  in  Deal 


David  O.  Selznick  and  Sir  Alexan- 
der Korda  have  signed  a  contract  to 
collaborate  in  the  production  of  a 
series  of  films  to  be  made  in  England 
with  Hollywood  and  London  talent. 

The  deal  will  in  no  way  affect  Kor- 
da's  existing  distribution  deal  with 
20th  Century-Fox  under  which  he  has 
six  to  deliver,  with  an  option  for  six 
more. 

Plans  have  already  been  agreed 
upon  for  the  filming  by  Selznick- 
Korda  of  four  during  the  next  12 
months,  of  which  two  will  be  in  Tech- 
nicolor. Production  of  the  first  will 
start  in  September  and  others  there- 
after at  intervals  of  two  to  three 
months. 

The  films  will  be  produced  and  di- 
rected by  independents  associated  with 
Korda  at  his  Shepperton  and  Isle- 
worth  studios  in  England.  Jennifer 
Jones   and  Gregory  Peck  are  slated 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Guild  to  Terminate 
Contract  July  31 


Hollywood,  May  17.— Screen  Ac- 
tors Guild  has  served  mail  notice  to 
all  producers  that  its  revised  basic 
contract  expires  on  July  31,  and  the 
Guild  elects  to  terminate  it  at  that 
time.  The  letter  is  notice  in  legal 
conformance  with  the  labor-manage- 
ment relations  act  and  follows  the 
recent  withdrawal  by  the  Guild  from 
contract  negotiations  with  the  majors, 
which  the  Guild  attributed  to  the  lat- 
ter's  unwillingness  to  negotiate  01^  tal- 
ent's participation  in  profits  from  re- 
issues, television  and  other  secondary 
exhibitions  of  films  after  their  initial 
release.  The  letter's  wording  leaves 
the  door  open  for  resumption  of  ne- 
gotiations. 


Studios  Are  Opposing 
Raise,  SDG  Unit  Says 

Hollywood,  May  17. — Studios  are 
objecting  to  increases  in  wage  mini- 
mums,  the  negotiating  committee  of 
the  Screen  Directors  Guild  told  a 
membership  meeting  here  last  night. 
Counselling  against  hasty  action  on  a 
new  pact  to  replace  the  one  which  ex- 
pired in  March,  the  committee  also  re- 
ported that  talks  with  the  producers 
have  not  been  broken  off. 

George  Marshall  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  SDG,  succeeding  George 
Stevens  who  served  four  terms.  Joseph 
Mankiewicz  was  elected  first  vice- 
president,  Raoul  Walsh  as  second 
vice-president,  Albert  Rogell  as  secre- 
tary and  Lesley  Selander,  treasurer. 


Jackson  Park 
Decree  Drives 
Grosses  Down 


B.  &  K.  Loop  Income  Is 
Said  to  Be  Off  30-50% 

Chicago,  May  17. — The  Jackson 
Park  Theatre  decree,  and  particu- 
larly its  two-week  limitation  on 
Loop  runs,  continues  to  drive 
grosses  downward  in  the  defendants' 
first-run  theatres  here. 

Balaban  and  Katz  Loop  thea- 
tres are  singularly  affected, 
estimates  placing  the  decline 
in  grosses  at  those  houses  any- 
where from  30  to  50  per  cent 
below  pre-decree  levels,  from 
week  to  week. 

Because  of  the  two-week  limitation 
on  Loop  runs,  distributors  with  the 
exception  of  B.  and  K.'s  affiliate, 
Paramount,  are  selling  away  from  the 
circuit's  Loop  houses.  Pick  of  the 
product  now  is  going  to  the  Essaness 
Woods  and  Oriental,  and  the  Mon- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Set  Booking  Agency 
For  Foreign  Films 


Organization  of  the  first  film-buying- 
booking  service  here  to  handle  foreign 
product  exclusively  was  announced 
yesterday  by  Walter  I.  Lasker,  presi- 
dent of  Lasker-Schwartz,  Inc.,  of  this 
city,  following  a  three-month  tour  to 
study  the  market  in  this  country  for 
films  from  abroad. 

Lasker  said  that  "more  than  20" 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


hanger  Would  Plug 
Trust  Law  Loophole 

Washington,  May  17.  —  A 
Senate  judiciary  subcommit- 
tee, headed  by  Sen.  Langer, 
today  approved  a  bill  to  close 
a  loophole  in  the  Clayton 
Anti-Trust  Act  and  bar  one 
company  from  acquiring  the 
physical  assets  of  another 
when  the  result  is  to  restrain 
competition  and  establish 
monopoly. 

At  present,  the  law  merely 
outlaws  one  corporation  from 
acquiring  the  stock  of  an- 
other to  establish  a  monop- 
oly, leaving  the  "physical  as- 
sets" loophole. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  18,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


XJORTON  RITCHEY,  Monogram- 
LN  Allied  Artists  International  pres- 
ident, has  returned  to  New  York  from 
London  and  the  Continent. 

• 

Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  president  and 
honorary  chairman  of  the  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  Salvation  Army  cam- 
paign drive,  will  be  guest  speaker  at 
a  luncheon  there  today  launching  the 
Capitol  drive. 

• 

DeWitt  Celsor,  assistant  manager 
of  the  New  York  Paramount,  became 
a  father  yesterday,  a  daughter,  Peggy 
Dee,  having  been  born  to  Mrs.  Cel- 
sor at  Lenox  Hill  Hospital. 

• 

Charles  Schlaifer,  20th  Century- 
Fox   advertising-publicity   head,  will 
address  a  luncheon  today  of  the  Ad- 
vertising Club  of  Washington,  D.  C. 
• 

William  Satori,  Allied  Artists- 
Monogram  European  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  a  Pitts- 
burgh vacation. 

• 

David  Beznor,  attorney  for  the 
Colosseum  of  Motion  Picture  Sales- 
men, will  return  to  Milwaukee  today 
from  here. 

• 

William  Saltiel,  Marshall  Grant 
Productions  board  chairman,  has  left 
Chicago  for  Hollywood. 

• 

Paul  Hollister,  RKO  Radio  na- 
tional publicity  director,  has  returned 
here  from  the  Coast. 


Tradewise .  . . 


Industry  Clear  in 
Jersey  Legislature 

Washington,  May  17. — The  New 
Jersey  state  legislature  has  recessed 
until  August,  leaving  only  two  state 
legislatures  in  session,  according  to 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica legislative  representative  Jack 
Bryson.  It  still  has  to  determine, 
when  it  reconvenes,  how  to  pay  for 
a  soldiers'  bonus,  w7hich  it  has  just 
voted. 

Louisiana  went  into  session  last 
Monday  and  Massachusetts  has  been 
in  session  since  January.  Maryland 
has  called  a  special  session  for  May 
25  to  deal  with  the  pay  of  state  of- 
ficials. 


Fire  Record  Clear 

Washington,  May  17. — Motion  pic- 
ture exchanges  and  shipping  depots  in 
1947  were  free  of  fire  loss  for  the  sec- 
ond successive  year,  according  to  the 
annual  report  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America's  conservation 
department. 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


CECIL  B.  DeMILLE  refused 
to  pay  a  $1  assessment 
levied  by  the  American  Federa- 
tion of  Radio  Artists  during  the 
1944  elections  to  help  finance  a 
campaign  against  opponents  of 
the  closed  shop. 

His  idea  at  the  time  was 
simply  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
help  underwrite,  even  to  the  ex- 
tent of  $1,  a  legislative  aim  to 
which  he,  as  an  individual,  was 
opposed. 

AFRA,  after  making  repeated 
and  futile  demands  for  the  dol- 
lar, expelled  DeMille  from  mem- 
bership in  the  union.  In  con- 
sequence, he  was  unable  to  ap- 
pear with  his  own  program  or 
on  any  other  radio  program  in 
the  country  without  buying  the 
time  himself. 

Thereupon,  what  had  been  a 
purely  personal  fidelity  to  a  per- 
sonal conviction,  promptly  be- 
came a  cause  to  DeMille. 

It  was  no  financial  or  other- 
wise material  penalty  to  DeMille 
to  be  barred  from  the  air.  His 
fortune  had  been  made,  his 
career  and  reputation  were  se- 
cure. The  motion  picture  in- 
dustry in  which  he  had  achieved 
all  three,  and  its  rich  rewards, 
still  were  open  to  him. 

• 

But  DeMille  was  struck  with 
the  realization  of  what  his  ex- 
perience could  mean  if  visited 
upon  others  less  fortunately  sit- 
uated than  himself.  It  could,  he 
saw,  deprive  such  a  one  of  his 
only  means  of  livelihood. 

Thus  began  DeMille's  crusade 
for  "the  right  to  work." 

He  fought  the  issue  of 
AFRA's  right  to  deprive  him  of 
radio  work  through  the  state 
courts  and  all  the  way  up  to 
.the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  without  success. 
Rather  than  pay  the  $1  assess- 
ment in  which  he  did  not  be- 
lieve, even  though  the  payment 
would  have  resulted  in  his  im- 
mediate reinstatement,  DeMille 
deprived  himself  of  some  $480,- 
000,  representing  the  ensuing 
four  years'  income  from  his  ra- 
dio theatre  program,  he  spent 
thousands  more  for  legal  fees 
and  devoted  much  of  the  time 
that  commands  a  handsome  re- 
muneration in  motion  pictures 
and  radio  to  his  crusade. 

Loss  of  the  money  has  not  in- 
jured him  but,  even  though  he 
wins  his  battle  eventually, 
neither  can  the  victory  benefit 
him  materially  in  any  essential 
way. 


I 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b-wayat47u.  f 

LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM  £ 


Balaban  Flies  West 

Barney  Balaban,  president  of  Para- 
mount Pictures,  flew  from  here  to 
Hollywood  yesterday  for  conferences 
with  Henry  Ginsberg,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production.  Balaban  was 
accompanied  by  Ed  Weisl,  attorney  for 
Paramount  Pictures. 

MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.    Published  daily    except  Saturdays 

York  20,  N.  Y.    Telephone  Circle  7-3100.    Cable  address:  "Quigpubco! 
J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 

.         —   ■•  -    o   „  „,   ~  _         — rector;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver, 

tmtor;  Chicago  bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher,  Editorial  Representative  Washington  J  A 
ni    'n  tir-CSS  Clut''  WasninSton>  D-  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London" 

Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture  Herald;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac  Fame 
Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign- 
single  copies,  10c. 


DeMille's  is  a  crusade  to  cor- 
rect what  he  perceives  to  be  a 
fundamental  injustice  to  the  in- 
dividual and  a  danger  to  the  na- 
tion. Having  lost  in  the  courts, 
he  was  convinced  that  the  laws 
of  the  land  are  inadequate  for 
the  protection  of  the  working 
individualist  or  idealist. 

He  is  continuing  the  fight 
now  in  an  effort  to  have  reme- 
died by  legislation  what  he  per- 
ceives to  be  a  deficiency  in  exist- 
ing law. 

Thus,  last  week  he  appeared 
before  the  House  Labor  com- 
mittee and  pleaded  eloquently 
for  the  right-to-work. 

Although  the  Congress  is  not 
likely  to  enact  new  labor  legisla- 
tion prior  to  its  adjournment 
about  one  month  from  now,  it  is 
a  certainty  that  DeMille  will  be 
back  there  fighting  for  the  same 
legislation  when  the  new  Con- 
gress is  in  session. 

Whether  you  agree  with 
DeMille  or  not,  you  must,  as 
Senator  "Pappy"  O'Daniel  said 
of  him  at  last  week's  hearing  in 
Washington,  "admire  his  cour- 
age to  fight  untiringly  for  what 
he  thinks  is  right,"  against  great 
odds  and  at  great  financial 
sacrifice. 

Despite  reported  statements, 
attributed  directly  to  Howard 
Hughes,  that  he  does  not  con- 
template taking  a  key  adminis- 
trative role  in  RKO  affairs,  the 
trade  believes  he  will  do  just 
that. 

Why  else,  they  ask,  put  up 
$9,000,000  for  a  controlling  in- 
terest? If  it  was  simply  an  in- 
vestment that  Hughes  was  inter- 
ested in,  then  why  not  a 
$9,000,000  investment  in  some 
other  company,  say,  Paramount, 
which  would  not  entail  control? 

It  is  widely  believed  that 
Hughes,  because  of  the  20-year 
evidences  of  his  interest  in  pro- 
duction, will  actively  concern 
himself  with  the  studio.  In  con- 
sequence, it  is  assumed  that  N. 
Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  president, 
will  re-transfer  his  headquarters 
to  New  York  from  Hollywood, 
where  he  has  spent  the  bulk  of 
his  time  for  the  past  several 
years. 

It  is  also  regarded  as  likely 
that  the  New  York  offices  and 
personnel  of  Hughes  Prod., 
headed  by  Harry  Gold,  Alec 
Moss  and  others,  will  be  moved 
to  the  RKO  home  office.  Hughes 
Prod,  is  expected  to  be  liquidat- 
ed in  time. 


Morality  in  Films 
Topic  at  Luncheon 

Necessity  of  "liberty  and  freedom  in 
motion  pictures,  but  not  license"  was 
stressed  by  Father  Patrick  J.  Master- 
son,  of  the  National  Legion  of  De- 
cency, in  a  talk  here  yesterday  at  the 
annual  luncheon  of  the  motion  picture 
department  of  the  International  Fed- 
eration of  Catholic  Alumnae  at  the 
Hotel  Pierre.  Discussing  the  pervasive 
effect  of  the  screen,  Father  Masterson 
said  that  because  of  these  effects,^  • 
Legion  was  concerned  with  one  a^V  ; 
of  them — "the  moral  aspect." 

Others  on  the  dais  were :  Mrs. 
James  F.  Looram,  Rosalind  Russell, 
Austin  Keough,  J.  Robert  Rubin, 
Richard  Reed,  Mrs.  Henry  Mannix, 
Patrick  Scanlan,  Una  O'Connor, 
Francis  Harmon,  Hal  Hode,  Albert 
Hossen  and  the  Rev.  Thomas'  F. 
Little. 


Grady  Will  Manage 
Paramount  Branch 

Cincinnati,  May  17.  —  James  J. 
Grady,  former  20th-Fox  district  man- 
ager, has  taken  over  management  of 
the  local  Paramount  branch. 

Irene  Segal,  former  secretary  to 
Grady,  has  been  named  office  manager 
at  20th-Fox. 


Feltheimer,  Maxwell  Win 

RKO  Theatres'  "Stunt  of  the 
Month"  showmanship  awards  for 
April  have  been  won  by  Myron  Felt- 
heimer, manager  of  the  RKO  Shore 
Road,  Brooklyn,  and  George  Max- 
well, RKO  Keith's,  Syracuse.  Sol  A. 
Schwartz,  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  RKO  Theatres  presented 
both  with  prize  checks. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


7-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL-s- 

Rockefeller  Center 
Spencer       Katharine  Van 
TRACY   HEPBURN  JOHNSON 

Angela  Adolpha  Lewie 

LANSBURY  MENJOU  STONE  E 
in  FRANK  CAPUA'S 

"STATE  of  the  UNION"  '. 
Presented  by  M-G-M  and  Liberty  Film* 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


VERONICA  LAKE 
JOAN  CAULFIELD 
BARRY  FITZGERALD 


*ssam* 

/t  Paramount 
Pictura 


i     WIIKIE  COLLINS' 

'WOMAN 
UN  WHITE 

Sft  Starring 
m  ELEANOR  ALEXIS 

IPARKER  •  SMITH 

SYDNEY  GIG 


..  BEA  ANDRE  % 

WAIN  •  BARUCHI 

«CK  PAUL  | 

EIGEN  •  BRENNERi 

Sarah  Vaughan 

LARRY  GREEN  •orch  I 


i^i^ixi^  umi.i,  iiidiiiii   yuigiey,   r.uuor-in-^mei  ana  i'UDUsner;   snerwin   jvane,  cunor;  mart 
.Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  Yoi 
New  Wk.     Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 'Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Dire 


He  rings  the  bell  with 

one  of  the  funniest 
comedy  ideas  in  years! 


MR  MB 


DON  Mc6UIRE  •  HILLARY  BROOKE  ■  ADELE  JERGENS  •  ROSS  EORD  -  TRUDY  MARSHALL 

AN  EDWARD  SMALL  PRODUCTION 

Screenplay  by  Frank  Tashlin  and  Devery  Freeman 

Based  upon  a  SATURDAY  EVENING  POST  story  by  Roy  Huggins 

Produced  and  Directed  by  S.  SYLVAN  SIMON 
A  COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


4 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  May  18,  1948 


II 


m 


5sS 


I 
i 


II 


11 

I 


m 


■ 


I 

i 


UNITED'S  DC-6 
MAINLINER  300 

o nest op  daylight  luxury 

flight  to  Lockheed 
Air  Terminal  at  Burbank 

Lv.  12:15  p.m.  Ar.  8:25  p.m. 


"the  Hollywood"  provides  the  world's  finest,  most 
luxurious  air  service  to  the  Los  Angeles  area— the  only 
luxury  service  to  Lockheed  Air  Terminal  at  Burbank! 

Leave  New  York  at  12:15  p.m.  E.S.T.,  have  an  appe- 
tizing Mainliner  luncheon  aloft,  marvel  at  the  scenic 
splendor  of  Grand  Canyon,  Hoover  Dam,  and  the  West 
in  panorama,  enjoy  a  delicious  Mainliner  dinner,  and 
arrive  in  Los  Angeles  at  8:25  p.m.  P.S.T.! 


Airlines  Terminal,  80  East  42nd  Street;  Pennsyl- 
vania Hotel,  or  1  Wall  Street.  Brooklyn:  Hotel 
St.  George.  Call  MUrray  Hill  2-7300.  Newark  :  Call 
MArket  2-1122  or  an  authorized  travel  agent. 


11 

IS 


UNITED  AIR  LINES 

Passengers  •  Mail  •  Express  •  Freight 
It's  UNITED  to  Chicago  and  "all  the  West" 

piiilli 


5  in  Contempt  to 
Start  Stipulations 

Washington,  May  17. — Five  writ- 
ers and  directors  charged  with  con- 
tempt of  Congress  will  appear  in  U. 
S.  District  Court  here  tomorrow 
morning.  They  are :  Albert  Maltz, 
Samuel  Ornits,  Alvah  Bessie,  Herbert 
Biberman  and  Edward  Dmytryk. 

An  agreement  has  been  reached 
between  defense  counsel  and  the  Gov- 
ernment whereby  in  return  for  the 
five  waiving  trial  and  agreeing  to 
have  their  cases  decided  on  the  basis 
of  facts  stipulated  into  the  record 
tomorrow,  verdicts  will  be  withheld 
untiL  higher  courts  rule  on  the  con- 
victions of  writers  Dalton  Trumbo 
and  John  Howard  Lawson. 

Three  of  the  five  will  go  before 
Judge  David  A.  Pine,  who  presided 
over  the  Trumbo  trial,  while  the 
other  two  will  appear  before  Judge 
Richmond  B.  Keech. 

A  similar  arrangement  has  been 
worked  out  for  the  remaining  three 
of  the  10 :  Ring  Lardner,  Jr. ;  Les- 
ter Cole  and  Adrian  Scott,  who  will 
probably  appear  in  court  later  in 
the  week.  Argument  on  motions  for 
new  trials  for  Trumbo  and  Lawson 
are  still  set  for  Friday,  with  denials 
of  the  motions  and  immediate  sen- 
tencing considered  likely. 


SMPE  Meet 

(Continued  front-page  1) 


Colosseum 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  same  bargaining  units  with  sales- 
men. 

This  was  indicated  yesterday  by 
Colosseum  attorney  David  Beznor  fol- 
lowing a  conference  at  the  NLRB  of- 
fice here  among  lawyers  representing 
the  principals  concerned  in  the  forth- 
coming balloting  by  the  country's  1,- 
000-odd  film  salesmen  who  will  vote 
on  whether  or  not  they  desire  to  be 
represented  by  the  Colosseum  for  col- 
lective bargaining  purposes. 

Beznor  explained  that  the  NLRB 
ruling  does  not  disqualify  branch  sales 
managers  from  Colosseum  member- 
ship but  merely  deprives  them  of  bar- 
gaining rights  in  the  union.  Van 
Dyck  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in 
the  formation  of  the  Colosseum,  which 
already  has  a  membership  of  about 
820  salesmen  and  30  branch  sales 
managers. 

Yesterday's  meeting,  called  to  set 
an  election  date,  was  "inconclusive," 
because  distribution  companies  have 
not  as  yet  provided  the  NLRB  here 
with  payroll  lists  of  salesmen  who  are 
to  receive  NLRB  ballots.  As  a  result, 
according  to  an  NLRB  spokesman, 
the_  30-day  period  within  which  the 
voting  must  take  place  may  be 
extended. 


'4 A'  Video  Pact  Talks 
Recessed  Until  June 

Conferences  between  a  committee  of 
the  Associated  Actors  and  Artistes  of 
America  and  representatives  of  Du- 
mont,  New  York  Daily  News  and  the 
four  major  networks,  for  the  negotia- 
tion of  the  first  contract  governing  the 
employment  of  television  performers 
have  been  recessed  to  June. 

Meanwhile  the  telecasters  will  study 
proposals  submitted  by  the  AAAA  ne- 
gotiating group  headed  by  George 
Heller,  American  Federation  of  Radio 
Artists'  executive  secretary,  and  for- 
mulate counter-proposals  for  presenta- 
tion to  the  union  when  negotiations 
are  resumed. 


nels  by  which  they  could  televise  films 
directly  and  privately  from  studios  to 
theatres.  However,  he  had  been  re- 
buffed, Larson  asserted.  His  address 
was  roundly  applauded  by  some  600 
delegates  on  hand  for  the  opening  of 
the  SMPE's  63rd  semi-annual  conven- 
tion at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  here 
today. 

RCA  vice-president  W.  W.  Watts 
read  a  paper  containing  statjgT  i 
which  indicate  that  1,000  teleca^^ 
stations  will  be  operating  within  five 
years,  half  of  them  linked  to  the  four 
major  networks,  and  delivering  about 
two  and  a  half  hours'  entertainment 
daily.  This  will  require  a  film  equiva- 
lent of  1,825  feature-length  pictures 
annually,  he  said. 

At  the  same  time  Ralph  B.  Austrian, 
Foote,  Cone  and  Belding  vice-presi- 
dent, reported  that  the  results  of  a 
survey  among  415  home  set  owners  in 
New  York  disclosed  that  half  of  them 
have  reduced  their  film  patronage. 
Austrian  also  presented  charts  show- 
ing that  theatre  attendance  by  set 
owners  has  dropped  25  per  cent. 

SMPE  president  Loren  Ryder,  in 
his  annual  report,  claimed  that,  the 
society  in  its  long  career  has  estab- 
lished more  fixed  standards  in  the 
film  industry  than  have  ever  been  fur- 
nished in'  any  other  industry.  He 
pointed  out  that  these  have  resulted 
in  guaranteeing  uniformly  adequate 
presentation  of  the  industry's  product 
throughout  the  world. 


EK  Official  Describes  New 
Film  Base  at  SMPE  Meet 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  17. — A 
new  type  of  film  base,  adopted  by 
Eastman  Kodak  for  manufacture  of 
much  of  its  "safety"  motion  picture 
stock,  was  described  tonight  before 
the  convention  of  the  Society  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Engineers. 

Charles  R.  Fordyce,  superintendent 
of  manufacturing  experiments  at 
Kodak  Park,  in  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
told  the  meeting  that  Kodak  has  re- 
placed acetate  propionate  safety  film 
support  with  a  new  "high  acetyl" 
acetate  type. 


SMPE  To  Hear  Downes 

"Film  projection  equipment  for  tele- 
vision stations"  is  the  subject  of  a  talk 
to  be  given  tomorrow  evening  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Engineers  at  Hunter  College 
Playhouse,  by  L.  C.  Downes  of  Gen- 
eral Electric. 


Extras  Elect  Gordon 

Hollywood,  May  17. — Screen  Ex- 
tras Guild  last  night  elected  Richard 
H.  Gordon  president. 


I  BROOKLYN 

I  and 

HEAVEN 

sent  from  UA 


*  "Trailers  draw  31%  of 
your  Patrons"  ...says 
Woman's  Home  Com- 
panion in  authoritative 
1947  Movie  Survey! 

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SERVICE 

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MOTION  PICTURE  ASSOCIATES 


SALUTE 

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THE  WILL  ROGERS  MEMORIAL  HOSPITAL 


ANNUAL  BEACON  AWARD 

DINNER  AND  DANCE 

WALDORF-ASTORIA 

GRAND  BALLROOM 

FRIDAY,   MAY   21st,  1948 

TICKETS  $10.00  PER  PERSON 
— *— 
INFORMAL 

FOR  RESERVATIONS  CALL: 

NAT  HARRIS  HERMAN  SCHLEIER 

LA.  4-9190  CI.  6-6460 

OR  WRITE  TO  ROOM  170 


HOTEL  ASTOR,  NEW  YORK  19,  N.  Y. 


Tuesday,  May  18,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Buxton  to  England; 
Aids  Relief  Project 

Joseph  Buxton,  independent  theatre 
operator  of  Manchester,  England,  has 
arrived  in  New  York  en  route  back 
to  England  after  four  years  of  resi- 
dence in  California  for  reasons  of 
health. 

On  his  return  to  England,  Buxton 
will  endeavor  to  obtain  British  and 
French  government  approval  for  the 
release  of  some  frozen  dollar  credits 
to  /S.used  for  food  purchases  here 
tru  Jjpi  Meals  for  Millions,  a  non- 
profiTT  philanthropic  organization, 
which  would  distribute  the  food  to 
British  and  French  children. 


Films'  ERP 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ferent  information  media  as  to  their 
"minimum  requirements"  for  the  first 
year's  operation  add  up  to  better  than 
$20,000,000,  it  was  understood,  so  that 
even  if  the  full  $15,000,000  were  voted, 
each  branch  would  not  get  as  much 
as  it  would  like. 

The  motion  picture  industry  hopes 
to  get  between  $4,000,000  and  $6,000,- 
000  of  its  production  and  distribution 
costs  back,  with  most  commonly  men- 
tioned figure  about  $5,500,000.  A  cut 
in  the  $15,000,000  would  probably  re- 
quire a  proportionate  cut  in  funds  for 
films. 

The  Appropriations  Committee  heard 
testimony  last  week  in  favor  of  the 
full  $15,000,000,  with  State  Depart- 
ment officials  stressing  the  importance 
of  keeping  films  and  other  American 
products  moving  into  Europe.  Ques- 
tioning by  some  Republican  members 
was  sharply  critical,  however. 


Selznick-Korda  Deal 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


to  star  in  some  of  the  motion  pictures. 

The  contract  provides  for  various 
methods  of  consultation  between 
Selznick  and  Korda  on  scripts,  edit- 
ing, and  all  other  phases  of  produc- 
tion. 

Selznick  will  own  the  pictures  out- 
right for  the  Western  Hemisphere, 
while  Korda  retains  them  for  the 
Eastern  Hemisphere.  In  North  anc 
South  America,  they  will  be  distribut- 
ed by  Selznick  Releasing. 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
11  fly  world -proved 
TWA 

1|  One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 

1|  to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 

1|  Ireland,  Paris,Egypt  and  other 

•1|  key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 

|||  and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 

H|  dependable  TWA  Skyliner 

!|s  with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 

||  lions  of  trans- world  miles. 

For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


Set  Booking  Agency 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


first-runs  in  various  sections  of  the 
country,  some  assertedly  never  having 
shown  a  foreign  film,  already  had 
signed  with  the  new  firm.  He  hoped 
to  have  "50  or  even  75"  lined  up  by 
the  end  of  the  year. 

Lasker,  who  formerly  was  with 
Major  Pictures  and  Siritzky  Interna- 
tional, reported  his  tour  disclosed  an 
interest  in  foreign  pictures  among  ex- 
hibitors and  public  that  had  never 
been  adequately  met. 

"Wherever  I  went,"  he  said,  "I 
heard  the  same  story.  Foreign  films 
have  come  of  age.  Exhibitors  want 
more,  but  they  must  get  the  right 
films." 

According  to  Lasker,  his  company 
will  attempt  to  lift  the  presentation  of 
foreign  pictures  out  of  the  status  of  a 
hit-or-miss  proposition. 

Realizing  that  putting  across  a  for- 
eign picture  is  as  important  as  buying 
a  right  one,  Lasker  said  that  his  out- 
fit will  operate  as  "a  central  agency 
with  an  eye  on  the  individual  prob- 
lems of  member  exhibitors."  He  added 
that  the  company  will  provide  "assis- 
tance to  theatre  owners  in  advertising, 
promotion  and  programming." 

Associated  with  Lasker  is  Irving 
Schwartz,  an  attorney  formerly  with 
the  general  counsel's  office  of  the  OPA 
and  the  corporate  reorganization  divi- 
sion of  the  SEC. 


Hear  Motion  Today 
In  US  vs.  Ascap  Suit 

An  Ascap  motion  seeking  to  have 
Broadcast  Music,  Inc.,  made  a  party 
to  the  anti-trust  action  brought 
against  the  society  by  the  _  Govern- 
ment will  be  argued  today  in  U.  S. 
District  Court  here. 

Elimination  of  references  to  BMI 
in  Ascap's  answer  to  the  trust  charges 
is  sought  by  the  Government,  which 
accuses  the  society  of  participating 
illegally  in  a  worldwide  cartel  and 
conspiracy  to  monopolize  music  per- 
forming rights. 


New  5th  and  Walnut 
Trial  Starts  Here 

Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement's  $2,- 
100,000  anti-trust  action  against  eight 
distributors  went  to  trial  again  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  yesterday 
following  a  mistrial  last  week,  called 
after  a  plaintiff's  representative  al- 
legedly conversed  with  a  jury  member 
during  a  recess. 

A  new  jury  was  sworn  in  yesterday 
by  Federal  Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel 
and  today  trial  attorneys  will  begin 
their  opening  statements. 

'Unconquered'  Released 

Chicago,  May  17. — Paramount  to- 
day put  "Unconquered"  on  the  mar- 
ket for  immediate  bookings  for  neigh- 
borhood showing.  The  company  with- 
held the  film  for  subsequent-runs  up 
until  now,  pending  Judge  Michael 
Igoe's  decision  on  the  local  contempt 
hearings.  Withholding  of  the  film 
was  considered  by  Judge  Igoe  to  be 
in  violation  of  the  Jackson  Park  de- 
cree. 


U-I  Switches  Managers 

Chicago,  May  17. — Louis  Berman 
has  been  appointed  Chicago  branch 
manager  for  Universal-International, 
it  was  announced  here  today  by  M. 
M.  Gottlieb,  U-I  Midwest  district 
manager.  Jack  Bannon,  former  man- 
ager here,  will  occupy  that  post  in 
Milwaukee,  formerly  held  by  Berman. 


AT OI  Meet  at  French 
Lick,  July  26-28 

Indianapolis,  May  17. — Associ- 
ated Theatre  Owners  of  Indiana  will 
hold  its  eighth  annual  mid-summer 
convention  at  French  Lick  Springs, 
Ind.,  July  26-28.  Marc  Wolf  heads 
the  convention  committee. 


Jackson  Park 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


roe,  which  are  not  subject  to  the  de- 
cree and  hence  may  continue  runs  of 
indefinite  duration. 

B.  and  K.'s  product  dilemma  was 
described  to  the  Federal  Court  here 
last  week  in  an  unsuccessful  effort 
to  obtain  modification  of  the  two- 
week  run  limitation.  Ed  Johnson,  at- 
torney for  Paramount  and  B.  and  K., 
told  Judge  Michael  L.  Igoe  that  the 
circuit's  Loop  houses  are  unable  to 
get  the  better  product  or  even  enough 
product.  He  related  that  the  Gar- 
rick  Theatre  had  been  forced  to  aban- 
don first-run  policy  and  the  Chicago 
Theatre  had  dropped  its  time-honored 
stage  shows  in  an  effort  to  induce  dis- 
tributors to  place  more  of  their  top 
pictures  in  that  house. 

Judge  Igoe,  unmoved,  replied  that 
the  decree  will  not  be  changed  unless 
a  higher  court  sees  fit  to  change  it. 

Accepting  the  suggestion,  B.  and  K. 
reportedly  is  considering  an  appeal  to 
a  higher  court. 

B.  and  K.  houses  on  occasion  have 
been  forced  to  resort  to  reissues  to 
fill  in  open  playing  time  in  first-run 
houses  when  better  product  was  not 
available.  Price  scales  are  being 
maintained,  for  the  most  part,  how- 
ever, despite  the  fact  that  patrons  are 
rapidly  becoming  accustomed  to  see- 
ing new  pictures  in  neighborhood 
theatres  immediately  after  the  brief 
Loop  runs  for  lower  admission  prices. 


Sinatra  on  Cancer  Show 

Chicago,  May  17. — Frank  Sinatra 
will  appear  in  person  for  the  "Miracle 
of  the  Bells"  charity  premiere  for  the 
Cancer  Fund  to  be  held  May  25  at 
the  RKO  Palace.  Jesse  L.  Lasky, 
producer  of  the  film,  will  also  at- 
tend. 


N.  Y.  Grosses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


plus  Duke  Ellington's  band  on  stage, 
at  the  Paramount ;  $60,000  is  expect- 
ed. "The  Pirate"  will  take  over  at 
the  Hall  on  Thursday.  "The  Sainted 
Sisters"  will  move  into  the  Paramount 
on  Wednesday. 

"Homecoming"  is  holding  up  in  its 
third  week  with  Xavier  Cugat's  or- 
chestra at  the  Capitol,  where  $95,000 
is  expected.  A  so-so  $28,000  is  ex- 
pected for  a  fourth  week  of  "Arch  of 
Triumph"  at  the  Globe.  At  the  Astor, 
a  mild  $18,000  is  due  for  the  seventh 
week  of  "Mr.  Blandings  Builds  His 
Dream  House."  Also  mild  is  "The 
Woman  in  White,"  plus  Bea  Wain 
and  Andre  Baruch  on  stage  at  the 
Strand,  where  the  second  and  final 
week  looks  like  S40.000.  "Silver  Riv- 
er" will  open  Fridav. 

At  the  State,  "The  Fuller  Brush 
Man"  is  heading  for  a  good  $30,000 
in  its  first  week.  "Letter  from  an 
Unknown  Woman"  was  disappointing 
at  the  Rivoli,  where  a  third  and  final 
week  was  expected  to  bring  in  onlv 
$12,000.  "Another  Part  of  the  Forest" 
opens  there  today.  Also  disappoint- 
ing, in  its  second  and  final  week,  is 
"Dear  Murderer,"  due  to  bring  the 
Winter  Garden  a  mere  $6,000.  "River 
Lady"  will  move  in  on  Thursday. 
"The  Brothers"  is  holding  up  well 
at  the  Sutton,  where  the  second  week 
brought  a  good  $8,700. 

Business  elsewhere  is  expected  to 
shape  up  as  follows :  "Gentleman's 
Agreement,"  Mayfair,  27th  week,  $9,- 
000;  "The  Search,"  Victoria,  eighth 
and  final  week,  $9,500 ;  "The  Mika- 
do," Park  Avenue,  six-day  fifth  and 
final  week,  $4,000.  "Berlin  Express" 
will  move  into  the  Victoria  on  Thurs- 
day, and  "Citizen  Saint"  will  bow  in- 
to the  Bijou  on  the  same  day. 


Product    Lack  Closes 
Warner  Theatre  Here 

The  Warner  Theatre  here,  a  com- 
pany "showcase,"  ceased  operating  on 
Sunday.  A  spokesman  explained  yes- 
terday that  the  house  had  closed  be- 
cause of  a  product  shortage.  Broad- 
way had  heard  that  Warner  may  dis- 
pose of  the  house.  Legitimate  stage 
producers  are  said  to  be  interested  in 
leasing  it. 


Raw  action  . . .  twice  as  terriffic  as  "T-Men"  and  made  by 
the  same  team,  is  "RAW  DEAL."  This  box-office  natural 
stars  Dennis  O'Keefe,  Marsha  Hunt  and  Claire  Trevor. 
Edward  Small  produced,  Eagle  Lion  releases. 


lhe  Dude  Ooes  ^ 

satire  on  that  not ^only     ^  t 

from  start.  ^advantage  of  ^considerably 
fails  to  take  adv  b.mseU  c         s  t. 

West"  Crammed  vn*w  by  the  &n« 

°ut0frand  Printed  ^provide  87 

nations  ana  v  e  that  the  en 

Bros-,  it   s  »  Pking  amusement  otl 

minutes  of  Classification,  it  >s  differ- 

Wre  $  one  that  ^fZl  «*  & 

'  westerns,  but      masterful  ha        g    £  the 
ent  due  to  v  d  the  e  -ven  ,t 

comedy  "^KiMS  Bros,  have  g  Aftert 
characters.  lne  ded  by  «=■  heroine, 

,  *  excellent  cast,  B      Qrm  as  the  rton 
With  him  are  Gale         prospector,  as 
Tames  Gleasor, g£  man,  Brnme  Bar 
i  MacLane  as  the  d  urn  datd 

*e  edUCoo*hCy.^h^mvfdnal  delinea- 
as  a  smooth  B  each  »  support 

\  western  types,  behold.  E«n  goes 
Uon  a  Pleas"neusnany  good.  Much  c  ^  ^ 
I  ing  cast  is  unusu  Loo  nn 

to  Richard  ?ot  from  which  nity  for 

ihilarious  scr.pt,  n0  oppo   .  Bros. 

I  i«  his  wfth  this  offering  the  „ 
1  laughs.  W'th  t      forward  ib  t  eciahy 
,n^,:«p"tureV-;;;,;-de-ogpen-spaces 
ability  as  pi      .   their  nrst  ^ 
true  since  this  - 

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LIZA  CROCKETT... 
I     The  Dude  saved  her  from 
J     a  fate  worse  than  death!!! 

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I  HID   Id  Ull 

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J  NEWS 

V/  ^  63.  NO.  97 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  WEDNESDAY,  MAY  19,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Dip  In  Gross 
Level  at  Key 
City  Houses 

Rains,  Cold  Responsible; 
Weekly  Average  $14,545 

Theatre  grosses  in  many  key 
cities  slumped  last  month  as  a  result 
of  heavy  spring  rains  and  unseason- 
ably cold  weather,  according  to  re- 
ports on  168  situations  received  from 
Motion  Picture  Daily  corre- 
spondents in  the  field. 

Weekly  average  gross  per 
theatre  in  April  was  $14,545, 
against  $15,202  in  the  previous 
month.  Average  for  April,  1947, 
was  $16,401. 

Circuit  and  distribution  executives 
estimate  the  overall  decline  in  grosses 
during  April  at  seven  to  10  per  cent 
below  the  average  prevailing  at  the 
first  of  the  year.  This  continues  into 
the  second  1948  quarter  the  trend 
noted  during  the  January-through- 
March  quarter  of  an  average  decline 
in  grosses  of  approximately  10  per 
cent.  Generally  adverse  weather  con- 
ditions are  believed  to  have  been  a 

{Continued  on  page  11) 


Film  Exports  Off, 
Equipment  Rises 

Washington,  May  18. — Film  ex- 
ports during  the  first  quarter  of  1948 
fell  slightly  from  the  record  levels  set 
in  the  first  three  months  of  1947,  ac- 
cording to  Commerce  Department  film 
chief  Nathan  D.  Golden.  Equipment 
exports  showed  a  slight  increase. 

Exports  of  features  totaled  74,093,- 
423  feet  during  January-March,  com- 
pared with  77,540,641  in  the  first  three 
months  of  1947.    Raw  stock  shipments 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


'Heineman  Drive* 
Starts  on  June  4 

Eagle-Lion  on  June  4  will 
.launch  a  26-week  'Bill  Heine- 
man  Sales  Drive',  in  tribute 
to  the  company's  distribution 
vice-president.  Some  $27,500 
will  be  made  available  for 
prizes  for  district  and  branch 
managers,  salesmen  and  book- 
ers. Of  the  total,  $7,500  will 
be  available  for  J.  Arthur 
Rank  product  and  $5,000  for 
Edward  Small  releases. 


Time  for  Rehearing 
Petitions  Lapses 

Washington,  May  18. — No 
petitions  for  rehearing  of  the 
Paramount,  Schine  or  Grif- 
fith cases  had  been  filed  with 
the  Supreme  Court  by  de- 
fendants up  to  the  time  the 
court  clerk's  office  closed  at 
4:30  P.M.  today,  end  of  the 
15-day  period  for  the  filing  of 
such  petitions.  Moreover,  no 
requests  for  an  extension  of 
the  time  for  filing  had  been 
received. 

Technically,  defendants 
have  until  midnight  tonight 
to  file  petitions  for  rehearing 
and  could  comply  by  delivery 
of  papers  to  the  night  guard 
before  midnight.  Some  de- 
fendants had  seriously  con- 
sidered asking  rehearings  de- 
spite the  court's  almost 
unanimous  decisions. 


RKO  Appeal  Upheld 
In  Bordonaro  Suit 


Buffalo,  May  18. — Federal  Court 
Judge  Harold  P.  Burke  has  granted 
a  motion  by  RKO  Radio  to  set  aside 
a  jury  verdict  holding  the  company 
guilty  of  conspiring  with  Warner 
Brothers  and  Paramount,  but  turned 
down  similar  motions  by  the  latter 
two.  The  jury  verdict,  handed  down 
last  January  in  a  triple-damage  anti- 
trust action  brought  by  Bordonaro 
Brothers  Theatres,  Inc.,  of  Olean,  N. 
Y.,  awarded  $85,500  damages  to  the 
plaintiff,  operator  of  the  Palace  Thea- 
tre in  Olean. 

The  original  complaint,  filed  early 
last  year,  named  seven  companies  as 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Howard  Dietz  Hits 
Ads  in  Television 


Howard  Dietz,  advertising-publicity 
vice-president  of  M-G-M,  told  a 
luncheon-meeting  of  the  Advertising 
Women  of  New  York  at  the  Hotel 
Astor  here  yesterday  that  television 
has  "started  on  the  wrong  foot"  by 
selling  advertising  time.  "One  of  the 
things  that  made  motion  pictures  suc- 
cessful and  great,"  he  declared,  "was 
their  avoidance  of  commercial  adver- 
tising at  their  beginning." 

Dietz,  guest  at  the  gathering  of 
about  250,  delivered  a  "report  on  the 
motion  picture  industry"  immediately 
after  Richard  de  Rochemont,  March 
of  Time  producer,  also  a  guest  speak- 
er, had  predicted  that  television,  once 
it   attains   the   desirable   number  of 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Skouras  Predicts 
Higher  Earnings 

Domestic  film  income  of  20th-Fox 
for  the  first  half  of  1948  will  top  that 
for  the  same  period  of  1947,  while 
foreign  earnings  will  dip  below  last 
year's,  according  to  an  estimate  pre- 
sented by  Spyros  P.  Skouras,  com- 
pany president,  at  the  annual  stock- 
holders' meeting  here  yesterday. 

Skouras  said  that  earnings  were  ex- 
pected to  equal  $1.25  for  the  second 
quarter  of  1948  per  common  share  and 
$2.25  for  the  half,  with  a  third  quar- 
ter bigger  than  last  year's — provided 
profits  continue  at  present  levels — 39 
weeks  equal  to  1948's  and  a  final  quar- 
ter "possibly"  better  than  the  similar 
1947  period.  The  company  earned  84 
cents  per  share  in  1947  for  the  first 
quarter,  $2.91  for  the  half. 

A  net  profit  of  $2,926,842,  after  all 
charges,  for  the  first  quarter  of  1948 
ended  March  27  was  reported  at  the 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Abbott  Abolishes 
20%  Canadian  Levy 

Ottawa,  May  18. — Abolishment  of 
the  20  per  cent  war  excise  tax  on 
theatre  grosses  was  announced  tonight 
by  Finance  Minister  D.  C.  Abbott  in 
his  presentation  of  the  1948  budget  be- 
fore the  House  of  Commons. 

Ontario  exhibitors,  however,  re- 
garded the  move  as  bearing  little  bene- 
fit for  their  business  since  the  pro- 
vincial government  has  already  made 
legislative  arrangement  for  the  auto- 
matic levying  of  a  20  per  cent  ticket 
tax,  with  proceeds  to  go  to  hospitals. 
Other  provincial  governments  have 
also  been  studying  the  developments 
with  a  view  to  imposing  their  own 
levies. 


Divestiture  No 
Financial  Blow 

Says  Skouras 

Is  Renamed  President ;  All 
Other  Officers  Also  Stay 

Any  possibility  that  20th-Fox's 
financial  structure  might  be  weak- 
ened by  divestiture  of  its  theatre 
interests  under  a  Government  di- 
rective was 
scouted  by 
president  Spy- 
ros P.  Skouras 
at    the  com- 
pany's annual 
stockhold- 
er's meeting 
here  yesterday. 
Skouras  was 
re  -  elected 
president  of  the 
company    at  a 
meeting  of  the 
board  after  the 
stockhold- 
ers' session. 
All  other 
officers    were .  retained    as    follows  : 
William   C.   Michel,   executive  vice- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


E-K's  Plastic  Film 
Described  for  SMPE 


Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  18. — 
Eastman  Kodak  has  perfected  an  all- 
plastic  film  which  will  minimize  the 
need  for  fire  protection,  long  a  major 
cost  item  for  studios  and  theatres, 
Charles  R.  Fordyce  disclosed  today 
in  a  report  to  the  Society  of  Motion 
Picture  Engineers  convention  here. 

The  new  film  is  already  available 
in  quantities  sufficient  for  the  industry 
to  conduct  tests  in  a  field  which  might 
take  a  year,  he  said,  pointing  out  that 
Eastman  manufacturing  facilities  could 
meet  the  fullest  possible  demand  in 
two  years  if  the  change-over  from 
acetate  film  to  the  plastic  were  gen- 
eral. 

Cost  of  the  new  film  is  1.4  cents  per 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Spyros  Skouras 


Reserve  Decisions 
On  5  in  Contempt 

■  Washington,  May  18. — Two  Dis- 
trict judges  took  under  advisement 
today  the  cases  of  five  writers  and 
directors  charged  with  contempt  of 
Congress. 

Decisions  will  be  handed  down  after 
higher  courts  rule  on  appeals  of  John 
Howard  Lawson  and  Dalton  Trumbo, 
already  convicted  of  contempt.  The 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


22%  Is  20th's  Share 
Of  UK  Remittances 

Spyros  P.  Skouras,  presi- 
dent of  20th-Fox,  estimated 
at  the  stockholders'  meeting 
here  yesterday  that  22  per 
cent  would  be  the  company's 
share  of  remittable  earnings 
allowed  American  companies 
under  the  terms  of  the  Brit- 
ish ad  valorem  tax  settlement. 
Total  remittances  are  set  at 
$17,000,000,  plus  an  amount 
equivalent  to  the  earnings  of 
British  films  in  the  American 
market. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  May  19,  1948 


Personal  Mention 


MPA  Codes  Respect 
Freedom:  Schlaifer 

Washington,  May  18. — Pointing 
to  the  film  industry's  success  in  put- 
ting its  "own  house  in  order"  by  ad- 
hering to  the  voluntarily-adopted  pro- 
duction and  advertising  codes  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Association  of  Ameri- 
ca, 20th  Century-Fox  advertising-pub- 
licity director  Charles  Schlaifer  today 
told  the  Advertising  Club  of  Wash- 
ington, meeting  at  the  Statler  Hotel 
here,  that  although  the  codes  have  not 
"always  been  respected  by  outlying 
elements  in  the  industry  not  subject 
to  control  ...  we  cannot  under  our 
democratic  system  carry  even  our  pri- 
vate enforcement  methods  to  the  point 
of  curbing  anyone's  right  to  free  ex- 
pression, even  ugly  expression  from 
an  ugly  source." 

Schlaifer  told  the  meeting  that 
rigid  regulations  were  drawn  up  for 
enforcement  of  the  codes  and  stiff  pen- 
alties were  imposed.  Long  before 
they  were  adopted,  he  said,  "a  cam- 
paign designed  to  fasten  the  full  at- 
tention of  the  outlying  elements  upon 
this  responsibility  was  inaugurated 
and  is  still  continuing.  Even  our  in- 
dividual press-books  dealing  with 
given  pictures  carried  inserts  urging 
observance  of  this  charter  in  letter 
and  spirit."  The  trade  press,  he  con- 
tinued, "and  even  the  lay  press  are 
continually  taking  note  of  this  com- 
prehensive effort." 

Schlaifer  cautioned  his  listeners  to 
be  "eternally  alive  to  the  responsibili- 
ties that  go  with  the  privileges  of  be- 
ing free  citizens  in  a  democracy.  It 
is  that  freedom,"  he  said,  "which  per- 
mits us  to  make  all  kinds  of  pictures, 
including  the  current  film,  'The  Iron 
Curtain'." 

Priest  Urges  Films  to 
Stress  Family  Prayer 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  18. — Motion 
pictures  can  be  used  in  a  decisive  way 
to  promote  family  devotion,  stressing 
the  power  of  family  prayer,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Rev.  Patrick  Peyton, 
widely  known  in  Hollywood  through 
"The  Family  Theatre,"  a  radio  pro- 
gram, and  as  national  director  of  "The 
Family  Rosary  Crusade."  In  a  speech 
here,  the  priest  praised  screen  stars 
who  have  donated  their  services  for 
his  weekly  radio  program  and  the 
"Family  Rosary"  broadcasts  on  Christ- 
mas. He  also  thanked  the  Mutual 
Broadcasting  System  for  granting  him 
broadcast  time. 

Brylawski  Proposes 
Informational  Films 

Washington,  May  18. — Making  of 
16mm.  films  for  showing  at  conven- 
tions of  employer  groups  and  other  or- 
ganizations was  suggested  to  the  Na- 
tional Committee  to  Aid  the  Physi- 
cally Handicapped  today  by  A.  Julian 
Brylawski.  Brylawski  was  taking  the 
place  of  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
president  Ted  Gamble  at  a  meeting  of 
the  group's  publicity  committee. 

Brylawski  told  the  group  that  in 
view  of  its  limited  funds,  films  would 
be  the  most  effective  way  to  use  the 
money. 


DANIEL  T.  O'SHEA,  president, 
and  Ernest  L.  Scanlon,  vice- 
president  and  treasurer  of  Vanguard 
Films,  are  in  New  York  from  Holly- 
wood for  SRO  and  Vanguard  confer- 
ences. 

• 

Jack  L.  Warner,  Jr.,  will  be  given 
a  dinner  tomorrow  evening  by  War- 
ner home  office  executives  at  the 
Hotel  Warwick  on  the  occasion  of  his 
May  30  marriage  to  Barbara  Rich- 
man  of  New  Haven,  at  the  Hotel 
Pierre  here. 

• 

R.  A.  McNeil  and  Mrs.  McNeil 
have  arrived  here  from  a  South 
American  cruise  and  will  leave  for 
their  home  in  San  Francisco  on  Fri- 
day. 

• 

Ernest  L.  Hyman,  vice-president 
of  Paramount  Theatres  Service,  is  in 
Chicago  from  New  York,  and  from 
there  will  go  to  Minneapolis  tomor- 
row. 

• 

Lou  Cohen,  manager  of  Loew's 
Poli,  Hartford,  and  Mrs.  Cohen 
have  become  grandparents  again,  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  George  Cohen  of 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  having  given  birth 
to  a  daughter. 

• 

John  Thomas,  who  resigned  as 
Monogram  salesman  in  Denver,  is 
now  manager  of  Central  Booking 
Service  in  that  city. 

• 

E.  J.  Willis,  Atlas  Theatres  audi- 
tor in  Denver,  is  in  St.  Joseph's  Hos- 
pital in  that  city  for  surgery. 
• 

Arthur  Adams  of  M-G-M's  sales 
department,  has  returned  here  from 
Milwaukee. 

• 

H.  M.  Richey,  M-G-M's  exhibitor 
relations  head,  returned  to  New  York 
yesterday  from  Kansas  City. 

• 

Ike  and  Harry  Katz,  heads  of  Kay 
Film  Exchanges  in  the  Southeast,  are 
in  New  York  from  Atlanta. 

• 

Gerald    Mayer,    MPA  A  interna- 
tional division  chief,  was  in  Washing- 
ton yesterday  from  New  York. 
• 

•  Margaret  Ettinger,  industry  pub- 
lic relations  counsel,  will   arrive  in 
New  York  today  from  Hollywood. 
• 

Gaston  Dureau  of  Paramount- 
Richards  Theatres,  New  Orleans,  is 
in  New  York. 

• 

Arthur  Adams  of  M-G-M's  sales 
department,  has  returned  here  from 
Milwaukee. 

• 

Nate  Gerson,  Monogram  office 
manager  in  Cleveland,  and  his  wife 
are  vacationing  in  California. 


Philatelists  Meet  May  26 

Norman  Serphos,  president  of  the 
Scott  Stamp  and  Coin  Co.,  New  York, 
will  be  guest  speaker  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Cinema  Stamp  Collectors  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  on  Wednesday  evening, 
May  26. 


BUDD  ROGERS,  vice-president  of 
Realart  Pictures,  is  touring  the 
company's  Southern  and  Midwestern 
branches,  returning  here  in  two  weeks. 
• 

Irving  Lamm,  manager  of  the  Ra- 
mona  and  Holly  Theatres  in  Holly- 
wood and  son  of  Julius  Lamm,  man- 
ager of  the  Uptown  Theatre,  Cleve- 
land, and  Mrs.  Lamm,  will  be  mar- 
ried on  July  25  to  Pefpi  Braum- 
berger  of  Los  Angeles. 

• 

Frank  P.  Rosenberg,  independent 
producer,  has  arrived  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood  to  confer  with  Uni- 
versal-International executives  Wil- 
liam A.  Scully  and  Maurice  A. 
Bergman.  He  will  remain  in  New 
York  for  about  three  weeks. 
• 

Paula  Hofeman,  daughter  of  I. 
J.  Hoffman,  New  England  zone  man- 
ager for  Warner  Theatres,  and  Mrs. 
Hoffman,  has  become  engaged  to 
John  L.  Strauss  of  Mobile,  Ala. 
• 

George  Chasanas,  M-G-M  man- 
ager for  Egypt  and  the  Near  East, 
and  Jack  Guggenheim,  Switzerland 
manager,  are  in  New  York  for  home 
office  talks. 

• 

Bill  Minder,  exchange  and  dis- 
trict manager  in  the  Southeast  for 
various  distributors,  is  ill  in  an  At- 
lanta hospital. 

• 

Jane  Strudwick,  United  Produc- 
tions of  America  television  sales  and 
promotion  representative,  has  returned 
to  Hollywood  from  New  York. 
• 

Jack  Simons,  manager  of  the  Cen- 
ter Theatre,  Hartford,  and  Mrs.  Si- 
mons are  celebrating  their  24th  wed- 
ding anniversary. 

• 

Ben  Lamo,  assistant  manager  of  the 
Warner  Strand,  Hartford,  is  a  pa- 
tient at  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  Bal- 
timore. 

• 

Phil  Chakeres,  head  of  Chakeres 
Theatres,  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  Mrs. 
Chakeres  have  returned  to  that  city 
from  a  Florida  vacation. 

• 

George  F.  Foley,  Jr.  has  been  ap- 
pointed chairman  of  the  television 
committee  of  Newell-Emmett  Co. 
here. 

• 

John  Gaither  has  sold  his  Hef- 
lin  Theatre,  Heflin,  Ala.,  to  Richard 
and  Duncan  Theatres  Co. 

• 

Harold  Lane  of  the  State  The- 
atre, Crothersville,  Ind.,  has  returned 
to  his  post  after  an  operation. 
• 

Walter  Olds  of  Argus,  Inc., 
Cleveland,  and  Mrs.  Olds  are  visiting 
in  Phoenix,  Ariz. 


Kelly  in  Executive  Post 

Hollywood,  May  18— Burt  Kelly, 
who  has  been  a  Columbia  producer  for 
a  number  of  years,  has  been  named 
executive  producer  to  head  the  Robert 
Cohn-Rudolph  Flothow-Wallace  Mac- 
Donald-Ted  Richmond  unit. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  birth  of  the  new  Jewish  state 
is  featured  in  all  newsreels. 
Other  items  include  an  address  by 
President  Truman,  sports  and  human 
interest  topics.  Complete  contents 
follow : 

MOVIETONE,  NEWS,  No.  40^-Birth  of 
the  Jewish  State  of  Israel  is  marked 2zr... 
war.  Haganah  takes  city  of  Haifa.  Ai,  | 
York  rally  hails  Jewish  state.  Leugi  ef-j 
audi,  newly  elected  Italian  president; 
Princess  Elizabeth  on  her  first  visit  to 
Paris.  President  Truman  addresses  Young 
Democrats.  Sports:  The  Preakness,  char- 
ity golf,  Olympic  skaters. 

NEWS    OF    THE    DAY,    No.  274-The 

birth  of  a  nation:  Jewish  state  proclaimed 
in  Palestine.  Twenty-five  firemen  hurt  in 
San  Francisco  blaze.  President  Truman 
makes  an  election  prediction.  Derby  win- 
ner scores  again.    "He-men"  contest. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  77— Paris 
hails  Royal  visitors  from  London.  Big 
names  tee  off  in  benefit  drive.  Young 
Democrats  hear  President  Truman.  Meat 
strike:  Minnesota  calls  out  National  Guard. 
Mr.  America  muscles  in.  Rally  hails  new 
state  in  Palestine. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  77— Jews  de- 
fend new  Zion  state.  UN  wrangles  over 
Palestine  truce.  Paris  hails  Princess  Eliz- 
abeth. Celebrities  play  at  Washington. 
World  figure  skate  champ  thrills  Toronto 
crowd.  Mr.  America  of  1948.  Citation 
wins  Preakness. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  79— New 

Jewish  nation  born.  President  Truman 
talks  to  Young  Democrats.  Italy  installs 
new  president.  Amazing  new  lens.  Fatal 
fire  in  San  Francisco.  Elizabeth  and 
Philip  see   Paris.     Mr.  America,  1948. 


Fifth-Walnut  Trial 
Enters  Third  Day 

Attorneys  for  Fifth  and  Walnut 
Amusement  Co.  yesterday  read  into 
the  trial  record  its  $2,100,000  triple- 
damage  anti-trust  suit  against  eight 
distributors  testimony  taken  from  the 
defendants  before  the  present  hearing 
before  Federal  Judge  Vincent  L.  Lei- 
bel  and  a  jury.  Harold  Janicky,  co- 
owner  of  Fifth  and  Walnut,  took  the 
stand  yesterday  as  the  first  witness 
for  the  plaintiff.  Trial  will  enter  its 
third  day  today. 

New  'U'  Exchange  in 
Phila.  Opens  Monday 

Universal  will  open  its  new  Phila- 
delphia exchange  on  Monday.  William 
A.  Scully,  Universal  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager,  will  head 
a  New  York  delegation  of  executives 
participating  in  the  ceremonies. 

The  exchange  is  the  second  of  a 
group  of  four  nearing  completion. 
New  exchanges  in  Buffalo  and  Mil- 
waukee will  be  opened  shortly. 


Berkshire  in  New  York 

Curtis  Mitchell,  former  Paramount 
national  advertising-publicity  director 
and  new  treasurer  of  Berkshire  Enter- 
prises, Pittsfield,  Mass.,  has  disclosed 
that  some  SO  theatres  have  used  the 
company's  "Record  Night"  promotion 
and  that  the  company,  having  estab- 
lished its  headquarters  in  New  York, 
is  expanding  its  operations.  The  pro- 
motion utilizes  RCA- Victor  phono- 
graph records  as  giveaways. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  ■  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Wednesday,  May  19,  1948 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Czech  Reds  Legalize 
New  Film  Monopoly 

By  J.  B.  KANTUREK 

Prague,  May  14  (By  Airmail).— 
Following  the  Communist  coup  here, 
the  Czechoslovak  government  has  ap- 
proved legal  requirements  necessary 
for  the  formation  of  a  state  film  mon- 
opoly,   called    Ceskoslovensky  Statni 

jffiThis  act,  in  effect,  implements  by 
legislation  the  three-year-old  Czech 
film  monoply  known  as  Ceskosloven- 
ska  Filmova.  This  monopoly  was 
based  on  the  decree  of  Aug.  11,  1945, 
but  it  was  constantly  attacked  by 
right-wing  political  parties  as  an  il- 
legal monopoly. 

The  new  constitution  of  the  Czecho- 
slovak Republic  stipulates  the  future 
of  the  country's  film  industry  shall 
be  as  follows : 

"Right  to  production,  distribution, 
public  showing,  importing  and  ex- 
porting of  films  is  exclusively  reserved 
to  the  state. 

"To  exercise  this  right,  special  leg- 
islation will  be  passed  which  will  stip- 
ulate exceptions  especially  for  ama- 
teur films." 

The  new  decree  on  film  monopoly 
enlarges  the  highest  administrative 
body  of  Statni  Film  to  15  to  18  mem- 
bers, one-third  to  be  nominated  by 
the  Minister  of  Information  from  em- 
ployees of  the  industry  as  proposed 
by  trade  unions. 

By  order  of  the  Minister  of  Infor- 
mation every  theatre  in  the  country 
must  include  in  its  programs  a  short 
subject,  in  addition  to  customary 
newsreels.  Only  if  the  program  ex- 
ceeds 3,400  metres  can  the  short  be 
dropped.  Foreign  shorts  may  be 
played,  but  only  if  acquired  by  ex- 
change or  outright  purchase. 


Maas  To  Tour  MPEA 
European  Markets 

Irving  Maas,  vice-president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Export  Association, 
will  depart  on  May  22  on  the  S.S. 
Queen  Mary  for  a  six  weeks  tour  of 
MPEA  Continental  markets,  includ 
ing  Holland,  Czechoslovakia,  Poland, 
Hungary,  Yugoslavia,  Austria  and 
Germany.  Visits  to  Rumania  and  Bui 
garia  are  also  contemplated,  but  these 
are  contingent  on  visa  clearances. 

In  Prague,  Maas  will  confer  with 
officials  of  the  Czech  Film  Monopoly 
in  an  effort  to  work  out  a  distribution 
agreement  with  that  country  for  1948 
49.  In  an  additional  attempt  to  find  a 
basis  for  a  film  agreement  with  Yugo- 
slavia, the  MPEA  chief  will  go  to 
Belgrade  for  confabs  with  heads  of  the 
State  Film  Enterprise. 

Distribution  agreements  with  state 
film  monopolies  in  Poland  and  Bul- 
garia are  also  up  for  renewal  and  these 
will  be  major  objectives  of  visits  to 
Warsaw  and  Sofia. 


Selznick-Korda  Set 
Story  Properties 

Story  properties  tentatively  agreed 
on  for  the  four  features  to  be  made  in 
England  by  David  O.  Selznick  and 
Sir  Alexander  Korda  during  the  next 
year  are : 

Joseph  Conrad's  "An  Outcast  of 
the  Islands,"  Charles  Dickens'  "A 
Tal5  of  Two  Cities,"  scheduled  as  a 
Technicolor  production  starring  Greg- 
ory Peck;  Thomas  Hardy's  "Tess  of 
the  D'Ubervilles,"  in  Technicolor, 
starring  Jennifer  Jones,  with  Carol 
Reed  as  producer-director ;  "The 
Third  Man,"  also  with  Reed  as  pro- 
ducer-director. 

Additional  story  properties  avail- 
able include :  Daphne  du  Maurier's 
The  King's  General,"  Jules  Verne's 
Around  the  World  in  80  Days," 
Thomas  Mann's  "The  Magic  Moun- 
tain" and  Aldous  Huxley's  "Point 
Counterpoint." 

Present  plans  call  for  Selznick  to 
provide  most  of  the  stars,  Korda  the 
producers  and  directors. 


Video  Unit  Formed  to 
Probe  Film  Problems 

Television  Association  here,  headed 
by  Milton  L.  Gold,  director  of  adver- 
tising for  National  Screen  Service, 
yesterday  was  re-named  the  National 
Television   Film  .Council. 

A  meeting  was  held  at  the  Astor 
Hotel  attended  by  40  representatives 
of  film  distributors,  producers,  tele- 
vision stations  and  advertising  agen- 
cies, at  which  Gold  was  empowered 
to  appoint  a  film  committee  to  investi- 
gate distribution  problems.  A  similar 
committee  will  be  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate television  station  problems 
in  their  relation  to  films.  It  was  the 
consensus  of  opinion  at  the  meeting 
that  the  most  pressing  problem  in 
television  is  the  coordination  of  films 
insofar  as  rental  policies,  clearance 
problems  and  distribution  methods  are 
concerned. 


'Outsiders'  Barred 
From  Canada  Video 


Ottawa,  May  18. — Canadian  Broad- 
casting Corp.  announces  a  policy  of 
"not  granting  permission  for  indiv- 
idual private  Canadian  television  sta- 
tions to  become  outlets  for  non- 
Canadian  systems,"  hinting  that  chan- 
nels necessary  will  be  reserved  for 
"The  National  Systems,"  meaning 
CBS.  The  statement  reveals  that  the 
government  owned-CBS  is  studying 
the  establishment  of  television  in  Can- 
ada, the  report  indicating  the  "corpor- 
ation will  proceed  just  as  soon  as 
necessary  financing  can  be  arranged.'' 


Canada   Import   Curbs  Seen 
Hampering  Television  Plans 

Ottawa,  May  18. — Import  controls 
and  exchange  restrictions  occasioned 
by  Canada's  dollar  shortage  are  re- 
garded here  as  factors  which  will  act 
as  brakes  on  any  plans  for  introduc- 
tion of  television  into  Canadian  thea- 
tres. J.  Arthur  Rank  and  others  re- 
portedly have  such  plans,  but  the  nec- 
essity for  importing  some  $1,000,000 
in  equipment  from  the  U.  S.  will  not 
win  the  permission  of  the  Canadian 
government,  observers  say. 


Decision  Reserved  in 
AscapTrust  Suit  Move 

Federal  Judge  Simon  H.  Rifkind 
yesterday  reserved  decision  here  on 
a  move  by  the  Government  to  defeat 
an  attempt  by  Ascap  to  have  Broad- 
cast Music,  Inc.,  included  as  a  de- 
fendant in  the  anti-trust  action  against 
the  society. 

Manuel  Gorman,  special  Assistant 
U.  S.  Attorney,  argued  that  inclu- 
sion of  BMI  as  a  defendant  be  ruled 
out  as  insufficient  in  law. 

Louis  Frohlich,  counsel  for  Ascap, 
told  the  court  that  protection  of  Amer- 
ican authors  and  composers  demanded 
that  BMI  be  a  party  to  the  action. 

Ascap  is  accused  of  participating 
illegally  in  an  international  cartel 
and  conspiracy  to  monopolize  music 
performing  rights. 


Dietz,  Video  Ads 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Solons  Clear  Hughes 
On  Plane  Deals 

Washington,  May  18. — Democrat- 
ic Party  members  on  the  old  Senate 
War  Investigating  Committee  asserted 
today  that  Howard  Hughes,  new 
holder  of  the  controlling  stock  inter- 
est in  RKO,  was  in  the  clear  in  his 
wartime  deals  with  the  Government. 

The  report  was  signed  by  Demo- 
cratic Senators  Carl  A.  Hatch,  Claude 
Pepper,  J.  Howard  McGrath  and 
Herbert  R.  O' Conor,  and  represented 
a  dissent  from  a  recent  majority  re- 
port filed  by  committee  Republicans. 


Film  Exports  Off 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


dropped  from  130,274,333  feet  in  the 

1947  quarter   to   110,493,693   in  the 

1948  period.  Equipment  experts  rose 
from  $3,357,792,  to  $3,791,923. 

Exports  of  35mm.  negative  exposed 
film  dropped  from  3,529,333  feet  in  the 
first  quarter  of  1947  to  2,798,748  in  the 
1948  quarter,  and  35mm.  positive  ex- 
posed film  shipments  dropped  from 
70,388,008  feet  to  66,246,946. 


Wheeler  Franchise 
Sold,  Joins  Sack 

Dallas,  May  18. — Ed  A.  Wheeler 
has  been  appointed  sales  representa- 
tive for  Sack  Amusement  Enterprises 
for  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Indian- 
apolis, St.  Louis,  and  Pittsburgh. 

Wheeler,  Astor  franchise  holder  in 
Cincinnati,  has  disposed  of  his  ex- 
change holdings,  and  will  make  his 
headquarters  in  Cincinnati. 


outlets,  will  have  "enormous  demands" 
for  advertising  films.  March  of  Time 
produces  such  films  for  television. 

Television,  Dietz  held,  was  "ob- 
structed at  the  outset"  by  making 
it  commercially  sponsorable.  Ameri- 
can theatres  "would  be  empty  today" 
if  they  carried  advertising  to  the 
extent  that  radio  does,  he  claimed, 
asserting  that  television  could  be  genu- 
inely successful  only  if  it  were  oper- 
ated on  a  "coin-in-the-slot"  basis. 

Newspaper  film  reviewers  who  are 
prone  to  heap  praise  on  foreign  films 
just  because  thev  are  foreign-made 
were  sharply  criticized  by  Dietz,  who 
said  he  feels  many  unfavorably-re- 
viewed American  pictures  would  have 
received  better  treatment  by  the  crit- 
ics if  they  had  a  foreign  label. 

Among  others  on  the  dais,  in  addi- 
tion to  Dietz  and  de  Rochemont, 
were :  Si  Seadler,  Barret  McCor- 
mick.  Max  E.  Youngstein,  Hortense 
Shor,  Ulric  Bell,  Women's  Club  pres- 
ident Grace  Johnson,  and  others. 


Supreme  Court  Is 
Waiting  for  a  Bus 

Washington,  May  18. — Supreme 
Court  observers  believe  that  the 
court's  delay  in  announcing  whether 
or  not  it  will  hear  an  appeal  by  In- 
terstate Circuit,  Inc.,  and  major  dis- 
tributors in  the  Tivoli  Realty  Co. 
treble  damage  anti-trust  suit  is  be- 
cause the  court  has  under  advisement 
a  similar  case  involving  a  Government 
anti-trust  suit  against  West  Coast  bus 
lines  and  their  suppliers. 

The  day  the  court  announces  its  de- 
cision in  this  case,  observers  say, 
it  will  also  say  whether  or  not  it  is 
going  to  hear  the  motion  picture  case. 


Bordonaro  Suit 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Goldwyn  Heads  Drive 

Hollywood,  May  18. — Samuel  Gold- 
wyn has  accepted  the  presidency  of  the 
Los  Angeles  United  Jewish  Welfare 
Fund  Campaign  for  the  third  consecu- 
tive year.  He  named  Dore  Schary 
chairman  of  the  motion  picture  divi- 
sion, and  William  Gordon  and  Abe 
Lastofogel  co-chairmen. 


defendants,  but  the  jury  found  no 
cause  of  action  for  any  except  RKO, 
Warner  and  Paramount.  Plaintiff 
charged  the  companies  with  conspiracy 
to  prevent  its  Palace  from  obtaining 
first-run  product  and  favoring  War- 
ner's Haven  Theatre  in  Olean. 

The  action  by  Jud^e  Burke  may  be 
reargued  in  Federal  Court  or  appealed 
to  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals. 


Discuss  Decision  as 
ARMIT  Meet  Opens 

Denver,  May  18. — The  recent  Su- 
preme Court  decision  in  the  Govern- 
ment anti-trust  suit  against  the  majors 
was  the  subject  of  discussion  today  at 
the  opening  of  Allied  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Independent  Theatres  convention 
here.  Abram  Myers,  Allied  States  As- 
sociation general  counsel  and  chair- 
man, conducted  an  open  forum  on  the 
high  court's  ruling. 

About  75  delegates  have  registered 
for  the  convention  which  will  end  to- 
morrow with  the  election  of  officers. 


Reserve  Decisions 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Nasser  Expanding  Video 

Hollywood,  May  18.  —  Latest  de- 
velopments in  television  production 
will  be  installed  at  a  cost  of  $100,000 
as  part  of  an  expansion  program  at 
General  Service  Studios,  producer 
James  Nasser  reveals. 


Tri-States  Names  Allen 

Sioux  City,  la.,  May  18.— A.  Don 
Allen  has  been  named  city  manager 
here  for  Tri-States  Theatres.  He 
formerly  was  head  of  advertising. 


five  involved  are :  Albert  Maltz,  Al- 
vah  Bessie,  Samuel  Ornitz,  Herbert 
Biberman  and  Edward  Dmytryk. 

In  today's  proceedings,  each  of  the 
five  waived  jury  trial  and  then  de- 
fense counsel  and  Government  attor- 
neys stipulated  the  record  on  which 
the  cases  will  ultimately  be  decided. 
Each  record  consisted  of  portions  of 
the  arguments  in  the  Trumbo  and 
Lawson  trials  and  pertinent  portions 
of  the  House  Un-American  Activities 
committee's  Hollywood  hearings. 
Judge  David  A.  Pine,  who  presided 
over  the  Trumbo  trial,  heard  three  of 
the  cases  today,  and  Judge  Richmond 
B.  Keech  heard  two. 

Similar  proceedings  are  set  for  Les- 
ter Cole,  another  of  the  "unfriendly 
10,"  on  Friday,  while  the  cases  of 
Ring  Lardner,  Jr.,  and  Adrian  Scott 
will  be  heard  on  June  3.  Argument 
on  motions  for  new  trials  for  Trumbo 
and  Lawson  will  take  place  Friday. 


Canada  Building  Off 

Ottawa,  May  18.  —  Contracts  for 
the  construction  of  theatres  in  Can- 
ada dropped  in  February  to  $220,000, 
against  $250,000  in  the  previou.s 
month, 


v. 


V 


This  will  revive  ^ 
him,  Leo." 


/VITAMIN, 
I  MGM 


-  V 


v. 


M-G-M  HAS  THE  PICTURES! 
The  Line-up  that  Peps-up! 

APRIL  29 

SPENCER  TRACY,  KATHARINE  HEPBURN,  VAN  JOHNSON,  Angela 
Lansbury,  Adolphe  Menjou,  Lewis  Stone  in  FRANK  CAPRA's  "STATE  OF 
THE  UNION." 

NAY  20 

"SUMMER  HOLIDAY"  {Technicolor).  MICKEY  ROONEY,  GLORIA  DeHAVEN, 
Walter  Huston,  Frank  Morgan,  Butch  Jenkins,  Marilyn  Maxwell,  Agnes 
Moorehead,  Selena  Royle. 

NAY  27 

CLARK  GABLE,  LANA  TURNER,  Anne  Baxter,  John  Hodiak  in 
"HOMECOMING"  Ray  Collins,  Gladys  Cooper,  Cameron  Mitchell. 

JUNE  3 

"BIG  CITY"  MARGARET  O'BRIEN,  Robert  Preston,  Danny  Thomas, 
George  Murphy,  Karin  Booth,  Edward  Arnold,  Butch  Jenkins,  Betty  Garrett, 
Lotte  Lehmann. 

IUNE  lO 

JUDY  GARLAND,  GENE  KELLY  in  "THE  PIRATE"  (rechnico/orj.  Walter 
Slezak,  Gladys  Cooper,  Reginald  Owen. 

JUNE  24 

"ON  AN  ISLAND  WITH  YOU"  (Tecnmco/orJ.  ESTHER  WILLIAMS,  PETER 
LAWFORD,  RICARDO  MONTALBAN,  JIMMY  DURANTE,  CYD  CHARISSE, 
XAVIER  CUGAT. 

JULY  8 

IRVING  BERLIN'S  "EASTER  PARADE"  (Technicolor).  Starring 

JUDY  GARLAND,  FRED  ASTAIRE,  PETER  LAWFORD,  ANN  MILLER. 

JULY  29 

"A  DATE  WITH  JUDY"  (Tec/jmco/orj.  WALLACE  BEERY,  JANE  POWELL, 
ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CARMEN  MIRANDA,  XAVIER  CUGAT,  ROBERT 
STACK. 

AUGUST  5 

GREER  GARSON,  WALTER  PIDGEON  in  "JULIA  MISBEHAVES"  PETER 
LAWFORD,  ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CESAR  ROMERO,  Lucile  Watson,  Nigel 
Bruce,  Mary  Boland,  Reginald  Owen. 

AUGUST  12 

RED  SKELTON,  BRIAN  DONLEVY  in  "A  SOUTHERN  YANKEE"  Arlene 
Dahl,  George  Coulouris,  Lloyd  Gough,  John  Ireland,  Minor  Watson. 

SEPTENBER 

"THE  THREE  MUSKETEERS"  (Technicolor).  LANA  TURNER,  GENE  KELLY, 
JUNE  ALLYSON,  VAN  HEFLIN,  ANGELA  LANSBURY,  Frank  Morgan, 
Vincent  Price,  Keenan  Wynn,  John  Sutton,  Gig  Young. 


M-G-M  GREAT  IN  '48! 


LEO  TO 
THE 

RESCUE! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  May  19,  1948 


Reviews 

"Wall/lower" 

(Warner  Brothers)  _  Hollywood,  May  18 

ALIGHT  and  fairly  bright  family  comedy  in  the  "Janie"  tradition,  with 
Joyce  Reynolds,  Robert  Hutton,  Janis  Paige  and  some  others  in  the 
adolescent  roles  and  with  Edward  Arnold  and  Barbara  Brown  as  the  parents 
of  the  two  girls  whose  romantic  interests  are  what  the  story  is  about.  Its 
appeal  is  primarily  to  the  family  trade,  somewhat  especially  to  parents  and 
adolescents,  and  it  is  about  as  strong  in  terms  of  entertainment  as  the  cast 
names  are  in  pulling  power. 

Miss  Reynolds  portrays  the  more  retiring  of  two  sisters  by  adoption,  and 
Miss  Paige  the  more  aggressive  and  therefore  more  popular.  Early  incidents 
lead  to  a  situation  wherein  Miss  Reynolds,  having  remained  at  home  from 
the  country  club  dance  because  no  boy  had  invited  her  to  attend,  emulates  her 
sister's  manner  and  arrives  at  the  party  without  notice  on  the  arm  of  a  very 
hep  young  man,  becoming  the  cynosure  of  surprised  eyes.  Her  father,  who  is 
the  district  attorney,  and  Hutton,  who  has  come  with  Miss  Page  but 
switches  interest  at  once,  over-indulge  at  the  bar,  and  Miss  Reynolds,  taking 
Hutton  for  a  swim  to  sober  him  up,  lands  in  jail  on  the  front  pages  when  mis- 
chievous boys  steal  their  clothes.  It  winds  up  in  an  elopement  to  which  all 
parties  subscribe. 

Produced  strictly  for  laughs  by  Alex  Gottlieb,  and  directed  that  way  by 
Frederick  de  Cordova,  frorn  a  script  by  Phoebe  and  Henry  Ephron,  based 
on  a  stage  play,  it  affords  a  pleasant  item  for  a  program. 

Running  time,  77  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


"Port  Said" 

(Columbia) 

SEVERAL  murders  are  perpetrated  in  this  mystery  adventure  in  a  Port 
Said  locale,  wherein  William  Bishop,  playing  an  American  author,  helps 
police  solve  the  crimes.  Gloria  Henry  gives  a  convincing  performance  in 
the  dual  role  of  two  cousins,  the  daughter  of  a  magician  and  the  daughter 
of  the  culprit. 

Bishop  arrives  in  Port  Said  to  find  that  his  friend,  a  theatre  manager,  has 
been  murdered  for  booking  an  act  which  consists  of  a  magician  and  his 
daughter.  The  author  discovers  that  the  magician  is  searching  for  his 
brother-in-law  and  his  niece,  Fascist  collaborators  who  escaped  from  Europe 
with  many  valuable  articles.  Working  with  the  Fascists  are  Steven  Geray, 
as  a  cabaret  owner,  and  Jay  Novello,  as  a  hotel  clerk.  Bishop  wins  the 
acclaim  of  the  local  police  and  the  hand  of  the  magician's  daughter  when 
the  culprits  are  captured. 

There  is  much  action  and  suspense  throughout  the  film,  although  the 
screenplay,  by  Brenda  Weisberg,  based  on  the  story  by  Louis  Pollock,  lacks 
credibility.  Wallace  Macdonald  produced  and  Reginald  Le  Borg  directed. 

Running  time,  69  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
April  15. 


Expects  Settlement 
In  NT  Stock  Suit 

That  attorneys  for  the  defendants 
are  expected  to  make  an  offer  of  a 
settlement  in  the  suit  brought  by  six 
minority  stockholders  against  20th- 
Fox  over  the  sale  of  National  The- 
atres stock  to  the  parent  company 
was  disclosed  here  yesterday  by  Otto 
Koegel,   counsel   for  20th. 

Koegel  said  that  any  offer  that 
might  be  made  by  the  defendants 
would  be  subject  to  court  approval. 

Plaintiffs  seek  to  have  set  aside 
a  deal  under  which  Charles  P. 
Skouras,  head  of  National  Theatres, 
and  Elmer  C.  Rhoden,  Harold  J. 
Fitzgerald  and  F.  H.  (Rick)  Rick- 
etson,  realized  $6,000,000  from  the 
sale  of  the  stock. 


Skouras  Predicts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

meeting  for  20th-Fox  and  all  subsidi- 
aries, National  Theatres  Corp.  and 
Roxy  Theatre,  Inc.,  included.  Earn- 
ings amounted  to  $1  per  common 
share  after  deducting  dividends  on 
prior  preferred  and  convertible  pre- 
ferred stocks. 

In  the  same  period  of  1947  the  com- 
pany netted  _  $5,897,603  after  all 
charges.  This  was  equivalent  to 
$2.07  per  share  of  common  after  de- 
ducting preferred  dividends.  Net  for 
the  fourth  quarter  of  1947  amounted 
to  $3,395,541. 

Film  rentals  and  theatre  receipts 
totalled  $40,316,174  in  the  first  quar- 
ter of  this  year,  against  $46,996,356 
in  the  same  period  of  1947.  Federal 
income  taxes  were  $2,175,000  this  year 
and  $3,900,000  for  the  1947  quarter. 

Following  the  meeting  the  board 
of  directors  declared  a  quarterly  cash 
dividend  of  %\.\2y2  per  share  on  out- 
standing prior  preferred  stock,  pay- 
able June  15  to  stockholders  of  record 
on  June  1. 

The  board  also  declared  a  quarterly 
cash  dividend  of  Z7l/2  cents  per  share 
on  the  outstanding  convertible  pre- 
ferred stock  payable  on  June  30  to 
stockholders  of  record  on  June  7,  and 
another  of  50  cents  per  share  on  out- 
standing common,  payable  June  30  to 
stockholders  of  record  on  June  7. 


E-K's  Plastic  Film 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

foot,  compared  with  1.1  cents  for 
acetate,  he  added. 

Most  of  today's  session  was  domi- 
nated by  three  papers  and  a  practical 
demonstration  of  the  new  RCA  mag- 
netic recording-  system  and  equipment 
for  use  in  film  production.  Dorothy 
O'Dea,  Earl  Masterson,  G.  L.  Dim- 
mick  and  S.  W.  Johnson  described  the 
RCA  system  which,  they  said,  may 
now  be  fitted  into  studio  equipment 
without  interfering  with  standard 
photographic  recording. 

Five  papers  on  color  were  read 
during  the  evening  session. 


Rennie  Gets  Mono.  Post 

Denver,  May  18.  —  Hugh  Rennie, 
for  years  with  20th-Fox  as  branch 
manager  and  salesman,  has  been  made 
sales  manager  of  the  Denver  Mono- 
gram exchange,  owned  by  Lon  T. 
Fidler. 


Set  Para.- SPG  Hearings 

Hearings  in  the  wage  dispute  be- 
tween Paramount  and  the  Screen  Pub- 
licists Guild  will  begin  here  May  26 
before  the  American  Arbitration  As- 
sociation. 


Industry  Subject  to 
Kentucky  Wage  Order 

Louisville,  May  18. — The  film  in- 
dustry, including  theatres,  is  subject  to 
Kentucky's  minimum  wage  order,  the 
Kentucky  Association  of  Theatre 
Owners  has  been  advised  by  George 
C.  Burton,  new  commissioner  of  in- 
dustrial relations  for  the  state. 

On  May  21,  a  conference  will  be 
held  here  between  Burton  and  Rodes 
K.  Myers,  attorney  for  Crescent ; 
William  H.  Townsend,  attorney  for 
Schine;  Beverly  Jouett,  for  Chakeres ; 
Henry  J.  Stites  and  Guthrie  F.  Crowe 
on  behalf  of  KATO,  to  discuss  the  in- 
dustry's status  under  the  order. 


Wage  Increases  for 
E-Us  SPG  Unit 

Wage  increases  ranging  up  to  $20 
were  announced  here  yesterday  for 
publicity,  exploitation  and  advertising 
employes  of  Eagle-Lion's  home  office 
under  the  wage  reopening  clause  of 
the  company's  contract  with  the 
Screen  Publicists  Guild.  The  increases 
are  retroactive  to  last  Nov.  18. 


AFM  Convenes  June  7-11 

Wayne  Coy,  chairman  of  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission,  and 
Sen.  Wayne  Morse  will  address  the 
51st  annual  convention  of  the  Ameri- 
can Federation  of  Musicians  to  be 
held  June  7-11  at  Asbury  Park,  N.  J. 
Other  speakers  will  be  the  union's 
president,  James  C.  Petrillo,  and 
its  general  counsel,  Milton  Diamond. 


NSS  Employes  Win 
Wage  Increases 

Wage  increases  up  to  $7.50  have 
been  granted  some  203  home  office 
employes  of  National  Screen  Service 
in  an  award  handed  down  by  the 
American  Arbitration  Association,  it 
was  announced  here  yesterday  by  the 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployes Guild. 

Increases  are  retroactive  to  last 
Sept.  27.  The  NSS  award  was  the 
last  of  eight  arbitrations  between 
SOPEG  and  distributors. 


Seeks  Withdrawal 
Of  Union  Complaint 

Hartford^  May  18.  —  The  State 
Theatre  has  sought  to  withdraw  its 
NLRB  complaint  of  "feather-bed- 
ding" against  local  No.  400,  musi- 
cians union,  after  signing  a  new  con- 
tract for  next  season,  calling  for  a 
pit  orchestra  of  six  at  all  times  wheth- 
er or  not  there  is  a  "name"  band. 
The  old  contract  called  for  eight 
men. 


Famous  Sues  20th-Fox 

Famous  Records,  Inc.,  yesterday 
filed  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here  a 
$150,000  damage  action  against  20th 
Century-Fox  charging  that  it  was  rep- 
resented in  an  unfavorable  light  in 
20th's  "You  Were  Meant  For  Me." 
Twentieth's  legal  department  yester- 
i  day  declined  to  comment  on  the  suit. 


20th  Divestiture 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


president;  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production ; 
Murray  Silverstone  and  Joseph  H. 
Moskowitz,  vice-presidents ;  Donald 
A.  Henderson,  treasurer  and  sec- 
retary ;  Wilfred  J.  Eadie,  comptroller 
and  assistant  treasurer ;  Francis  T. 
Kelly,  newly  elected ;  Fred  L.  Metz- 
ler  and  Read  B.  Simonson,  assi^SK 
treasurers  ;  C.  Elwood  McCartney^ 
sistant  comptroller ;  J.  Harold  Lang, 
Norman  B.  Steinberg,  newly  elected; 
George  F.  Wasson,  Jr.,  and  William 
Werner,  assistant  secretaries. 

Vacancy  on  Board 

All  directors,  with  the  exception  of 
Tom  J.  Connors,  who  resigned  his 
post  with  the  company  a  year  ago, 
we"re  re-elected.  They  included  L. 
Sherman  Adams,  Robert  L.  Clarkson, 
John  R.  Dillon,  Eadie,  Daniel  O. 
Hastings,  Henderson,  Robert  Lehman, 
Michel,  William  P.  Philips,  Seton 
Porter,  Silverstone,  Skouras  and  Zan- 
uck. The  place  held  by  Connors  on 
the  board  remained  unfilled. 

Answering  a  stockholder  concerned 
about  the  possible  effect  on  the  com- 
pany's future  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court's  decision  in  the  Government 
anti-trust  suit  against  the  industry, 
Skouras  expressed  the  belief  that  "in 
the  long  run"  20th-Fox  stood  to  profit 
from  better  film  rentals  in  the  event 
divestiture  became  a  reality. 

The  20th-Fox  chief  was  confident 
that  other  developments  would  come 
along  to  offset  any  losses  resulting 
from  divestiture  and  bolster  industry 
profits. 

Divorcement  Procedure  Not  Set 

Skouras  said  he  wasn't  certain  how 
the  company  would  divest  itself  of  its 
theatre  holdings  should  it  be  com- 
pelled to  do  so.  He  said  the  company 
might  get  rid  of  its  theatres  "as  a  cir- 
cuit, as  a  series  of  circuits  or  by  in- 
dividual houses." 

Also  allayed  by  Skouras  were  any 
fears  that  television  might  spell  the 
ruin  of  the  film  business.  He  said  he 
didn't  believe  television  will  have  an 
adverse  effect  on  motion  pictures.  In 
fact,  he  predicted  that  video  will  ac- 
tually help  theatre  business. 

"I  believe,"  he  told  stockholders, 
"that  television  will  be  successful 
only  by  virtue  of  motion  pictures." 

Skouras  disclosed  that  20th-Fox  is 
trying  to  secure  the  limit  of  five  tele- 
vision stations  permitted  by  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission. 
He  said  the  stations  are  sought  by 
the  company  to  enable  it  to  bring  en- 
tertainment into  the  homes  of  the 
nation.  The  video  outlets,  according 
to  Skouras,  will  make  it  possible  for 
20th-Fox  to  service  many  theatres 
with  film  entertainment. 

$2,800,000  Cut  in  Expenses 

Stockholders  learned  that  the  com- 
pany succeeded  in  cutting  its  expenses 
by  $2,800,000  so  far  this  year.  Skou- 
ras said  that  the  24  or  25  pictures 
the  company  will  release  in  1948  cost 
an  average  of  $1,900,000  each  as 
against  $2,300,000  for  each  of  the  18 
films  released  last  year.  He  disclosed 
that  films  currently  in  work  represent 
a  cost  of  $1,600,000  each.  Improve- 
ment in  labor  conditions  and  concen- 
tration on  the  production  of  a  larger 
number  of  "intimate"  stories  were  said 
to  be  largely  responsible  for  the  re- 
duction in  production  costs. 


"Hi,  Jinx.  . 


"Hello,  Tex. . ." 


JINX  FALKENBERG  AND  TEX  McCRARY, 
N.B.C/s  FAMOUS  COUPLE,  ARE  BROADCASTING  TO  YOU 
-w-^w  THE  NE WS  ABOUT 

Paramount 
Shorts 

FOR  1948-49 


Tex:  Now  that  we're 
in  Paramount  shorts 
ourselves,  Jinx,  I 
feel  right  at  home 
talking  about  them. 


Jinx:  And  I'm  happy  to  preview 
for  my  exhibitor  friends  how 
Paramount  has  streamlined  its 
plans  to  give  them  more  shorts 
that  mean  more  entertainment 
.  .  .  and  60%  of  them  in  color  .  , 


Tex:  Yes,  Jinx, 
Paramount  found 
that  audiences 
want  MORE  1-REEL 
SUBJECTS  and  more 
cartoons  -  so ...  . 


Jinx:  And  that 
means  MORE 
COLOR- CARTOONS 
the  public  loves— 
30  THIS  YEAR 
INSTEAD  OE  24 
released  last 
season.  ..and  a  lot 
of  them  will  be  in 
that  wonderful  new 
Polacolor . . . 


Paramount 

JVILL  MAKE  10  SHORTS 
TOTALLING  10  REELS  FOR  1948-'49 
Against  64  Shorts  Totalling 

70  Reels  Last  Year 
Including  These  30  Great  Cartoons  t 


POPEYE 

Cartoons 
In  Color 


He's  Popeye,  The  Boxoffice 
Man  ...  so  definitely  a  con- 
temporary American  folk- 
hero  that  he's  a  "must"  on 
thousands  of  screens. 


NOVELTOONS 

In  Color 

Accenting  novelty,  they've 
introduced  a  score  of  popular 
characters  including  Little 
Audrey,  Herman  the  Mouse, 
Caspar  the  Friendly  Ghost, 
Buzzy  the  Crow  and  many 
others. 


SCREEN  SONG 

Cartoons 

In  Color 


starring 

The  Bouncing  Ball 

Audience-participation  sensation 
that  clicked  in  1946,  became  a 
series  in  '47 — and  now,  by  popu- 
ar  demand,  is  increased  from  8  to 
12  releases. 


Jinx: 
about 


Can  I  tell 
The  Pace- 


makers ,  Tex?  I  'm 
thrilled  that 
our  3  pictures 
will  be  part  of 
this  delightful 
series . . . 


Tex:  And  don't 
forget  the 
year-after-year 
achievements 
of  the 

3  JERRY 
FAIRBANKS 
SERIES. 

They 1  re  great 
favorites  with 
every  member  of 
every  family. . . 


 Paramount 

Pacemakers 

Produced  by  JUSTIN  HERMAN 

Double  the  number  this  year  with  at  least  half  em- 
phasizing music.  Packed  with  big  names  like  Tex  and 
Jinx,  Martin  Block,  Paul  Whiteman,  Ed  Sullivan  and 
Monica  Lewis,  to  mention  just  a  few. 


D  Speaking 

of  Animals 


Spiced  with  such  hilarious 
originality,  they've  won  2 
Oscars  and  the  laughter  of  all 
the  millions  who  love  animals 
—  and  fun. 


Popular  Science 

In  Color 


New  as  the  latest  research, 
this  series  turns  wonders 
of  science  into  wonders  of 
of  entertainment  to  thrill 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Average 
American. 


Unusual 
i  Occupations 

In  Color 

12th  year  of  finding  and  filming 
fascinating  professions  and  hobbies 
of  people  who  make  news  by  new 
ways  to  make  a  living. 


Jinx:  Do  you  think 
we  1 11  ever  equal 
the  28  years  of 
popularity  achieved 
by  the  public's 
favorite  sport 

series? . . 


Tex:  News  is  my 
department,  Jinx 
...  so  I  want  to  say 
that  no  film  news 
coverage  can 

compare  with . 


Jinx:  Since  we're  a 
typical  American 
family,  Tex— let's 
make  sure  our 
favorite  theatre 
in  our  home  town, 
Manhasset,  books 

all  the 


1 


Grantland  Rice 
Sportlights 

Produced  by  JACK  EATON 

They're  an  industry  institution  .  .  .  reports  on  sports  that  are  both 
completely  authoritative  and  dramatically  entertaining  .  .  . 


Paramount  News 

The  Eyes  and  Ears  of  the  World 
104  Issues— Plus  52  issues  of 
Canadian  Paramount  News 


The  Zoomar  Lens,  most  impor- 
tant innovation  in  screen  report- 
ingsince  sound,  makes  Paramount 
News  more  dramatic  than  ever. 
Now  from  the  local  ball-park 
to  the  international  conference 
table,  any  shot  can  be  made  a 
vivid,  thrilling  close-up  .  .  .  since 
this  newmagiceyehas  been  added 
to  the  Eyes  andEarsof  the  World. 


70  Shorts 

42  in  color 
8  series  — plus  Paramount  News 

From  Paramount 

IN  1948-49 


Wednesday,  May  19,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


n 


Key  City  Grosses 


J}  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
IP  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CHICAGO 


_7JrJeekend  attendance  was  off  be- 
arose  of  the  "I  Am  An  American" 
day  celebration,  drawing  over  100,000 
people.  Outdoor  amusements  and 
parks,  too,  are  taking  their  toll  of  pa- 
trons. "Iron  Curtain"  looks  only  av- 
erage despite  the  picket  ballyhoo.  Es- 
timated receipts  for  the  week  ending- 
May  20: 

ALIAS  A  GENTLEMAN  (M-G-M) — ORI- 
ENTAL (3,300)  (98c).  On  stage:  Milton 
Berle-Joan  Blondell,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
550,000.  (Average:  $40,000) 
BERLIN  EXPRESS  (RKO  Radio) — PAL- 
ACE (2,500)  X67c-98c).  Gross:  $19,000. 
(Average:  $25,000) 

FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (20th-Fox) 

—MONROE   (953)    (50c-67c-95c)   2nd  week. 
Gross:  $9,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 
RIVER     LADY     (U-I)— GRAND  (1,150) 
(67c-98c).     Gross:  $12,000.     (Average:  $16,- 
000) 

SMART      WOMAN      (Allied  Artists)— 

STATE  LAKE  (2,700)  (98c).  On  stage: 
Hal  Leroy.  Gross:  $25,000.  (Average:  $35,- 
000) 

SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Allied  Artists)— 

APOLLO  (1,200)  (98c).  Gross:  $11,000. 
(Average:  $17,000) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)- 

WOODS    (1,080)    (98c)    2nd   week.  Gross: 
$24,000.     (Average:  $23,000) 
THE   IRON    CURTAIN    (Z0th-Fox)— CHI- 
CAGO (3,900)  (98c).    Gross:  $37,000.  (Av- 
erage: $37,000) 

THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS 
(M-G-M)— UNITED  ARTISTS  (1,700)  (98c) 
5  days,  2nd  week.  HAZARD  (Para.)  2 
days.  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average:  $21,500) 
WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)— ROOSE- 
VELT (1,500)  (98c).  Gross:  $18,000.  (Av- 
erage: $20,000) 


ATLANTA 


Business  is  good  here  with  weather 
fair  and  hot.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ended  May  18 : 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)— LOEWS 
GRAND  (2,446)  (12c-60c).  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $14,000) 

FIGHTING  FATHER  DUNNE  (RKO  Ra- 
dio) —  PARAMOUNT  (2,446)  (12c-50c). 
Gross:  $6,500.  (Average:  $5,900) 
SCUDDA-HOO!  SCUDDA-HAY!  (20th- 
Fox) — FOX  (4,446)  (12c- 50c).  Gross:  $14,500. 
(Average:  $14,000) 

UNCONQUERED  (Para.)—  ROXY  (2,446) 
(12c-50c).    Gross:  $6,100.    (Average:  $5,800) 


CLEVELAND 


With  the  Metropolitan  Opera  play- 
ing to  more  than  75,000,  and  other 
heavy  competition,  it  is  taking  strong 
entertainment  to  bring  'em  to  film 
houses.     "Dr.    I.    Q.,"    on  Monday 


only,  helped  swell  the  Palace  coffers 
to  $24,000,  with  "Fort  Apache"  on 
the  screen.  Warners'  "Hip"  had  a  big 
$20,000  week  with  "Iron  Curtain"  and 
is  holding  it  for  a  second  week.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
May  18-19: 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA)— LOEWS 
STATE  (3,300)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $19,500. 
(Average:  $19,500) 

B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M) — LOEWS 
OHIO  (1,268)  (50c-70c)  2nd  week,  on  a 
moveover  from  the  State.  Gross:  $5,500. 
(Average:  $6,600) 

THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox) — WAR- 
NERS'   HIPPODROME    (3,500)  (55c-70c). 
Gross:   $20,000.     (Average:  $18,250) 
FORT     APACHE     (RKO     Radio)  RKO 

PALACE  (3,300)  (55c-70c).  On  stage, 
Monday  only,  "Dr.  I.  O."  Gross:  $24,000. 
(Average:  $15,500)- 

MARK  OF  ZORRO  (20th-Fox)  and  DRUMS 
ALONG     THE     MOHAWK  (Z0th-Fox)— 

WARNER'S  LAKE  (714)  (S5c-70c).  Gross: 
$3,000.  (Average:  $3,000) 
MOURNING  BECOMES  ELECTRA  (RKO 
Radio) — LOWER  MALL  (563)  (75c-$1.25). 
Gross:  $4,000.  (Average  at  regular  50c-70c 
scale  is  $2,500) 

THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)— RKO 

ALLEN  (3,000)  (55c-70c).  Gross:  $12,500. 
(Average:  $13,000) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)— 

LOEWS  STILLMAN  (1,900)  (50c-70c)  3rd 
week,  2nd  week  at  Stillman  after  one 
week  at  the  State.  Gross:  $8,500.  (Aver- 
age: $10,000) 


BALTIMORE 


First  break  in  spring  weather  is 
not  helping  first-runs,  although  sev- 
eral strong  attractions  are  on  hand. 
Openings  were  marred  by  rain.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
May  20 : 

ALL   MY  SONS    (U-I)— KEITH'S  (2,406) 
(25c-37c-44c-54c,  and  56c  weekends).  Gross: 
$12,500.     (Average:  $12,000) 
DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)— CENTURY 
(3.000)    (1st   time   here   at   popular  prices: 
29c-37c-45c-54c,   and  56c  weekends).  Gross: 
$15,000.     (Average:  $14,500) 
ENCHANTED     VALLEY     (E-L)— MAY 
FAIR   (1,000)    (21c-29c-54c).     Gross:  $6,250. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)— TOWN 
(1,450)  (29c-37c-56c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$10,000.  (Averager  $10,500) 
MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)— HIPPO 
DROME  (2,205)  (29c -37c -50c -58c).  With  a 
stage  show.  Gross:  $19,200.  (Averaue- 
$17  000) 

PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  HENRY  VIII  (Film 

Classics)— LITTLE  (328)  (1st  time  here  at 
regular  prices:  29c-37c-56c).  Gross:  $4,250. 
(Average:  $3,000) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)— 

VALENCIA  (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c,  and 
56c  weekends)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $8,000. 
(Average:  $5,000) 

THE    FIGHTING    69TH    (WB  Reissue)— 

STANLEY  (3,280)  (29c-37c-50c-58c).  Gross: 
$10,000.     (Average:  $14,500) 
THE  IRON   CURTAIN   (20th- Fox)  NEW 
(1,800)     (29c-40c-50c-56c).      Gross:  $12,250. 
(Average:  $11,750) 


TORONTO 


A  steady  tone  prevailed  at  most 
first-runs,  although  baseball  and  other 
outdoor  activities  are  getting  into 
their  seasonal  stride.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  May  20: 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)— UPTOWN  (2,761) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $11,600) 

THE   BIG   CLOCK   (Para.)— SHEA'S  (2,- 
480)   (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $16,100.     (Average:  $14,900) 
DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (Selznick)— LOEWS 
(2.074)     (20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)     6    days,  2nd 
week.     Gross:  $14,700.     (Average:  $14,200) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 
EGLINTON    (1.086)    (2Oc-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6 
days.     Gross:  $7,000.     (Average:  $7,400) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio) 
TIVOLI      (1,434)      (20c-30c-36c-48c-66c)  6 
davs.    Gross:  $9,000.     (Average:  $9,200) 
THE    IRON    CURTAIN    (20th-Fox)— IM- 
PERIAL     (3,343)      (20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $16,600.     (Average:  $14,600) 
SITTING      PRETTY      (20th-Fox) — NOR  - 
TOWN   (950)   (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  9th 
week.    Gross:  $3,800.     (Average:  $6,500) 
SITTING      PRETTY      (20th-Fox)  —  VIC- 


Gross  Reports  from  Field 


(Contiuned  from  page  1) 


big  factor  in  the  decline,  particularly 
in  view  of  the  absence  of  other  reli- 
able explanations  of  it. 

It  is  conceded  that  the  public  still 
is  shopping  for  its  entertainment,  per- 
haps with  increasing  discrimination. 
However,  the  increased  patronage  won 
by  the  better  pictures  is  offset  by 
the  high  production  costs. 

Appearing  most  often  as  the  box- 
office  leader  last  month  was  "The 
Naked  City."  A  close  second  was  "I 
Remember  Mama,"  followed  by  "Sit- 
ting Pretty."  Leaders  in  a  substan- 
tial number  of  situations  were :  "Gen- 
tleman's Agreement,"  "The  Big 
Clock,"  "Unconquered"  and  "Fort 
Apache." 

Others  turning  in  better-than-aver- 
age  grosses  in  a  number  of  situations 


were:  "Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  "April 
Showers,"  "A  Double  Life,"  "Casbah," 
"Duel  in  the  Sun,"  "The  Bishop's 
Wife,"  "An  Ideal  Husband,"  "You 
Were  Meant  for  Me,"  "Sign  of  the 
Ram." 

Also,  "To  the  Victor,"  "Relentless," 
"Alias  A  Gentleman,"  "Beauty  and 
the  Beast,"  "Albuquerque,"  "The 
Bride  Goes  Wild,"  "The  Smugglers," 
"The  Noose  Hangs  High,"  "Straw- 
berry Roan,"  "Design  for  Death," 
"Scudda  Hoo!  Scudda  Hay!",  "A 
Woman's  Vengeance,"  "The  Voice  of 
the  Turtle,"  "Winter  Meeting," 
"Tenth  Avenue  Angel,"  "Saigon"  and 
"Intrigue." 

Composite  key  city  box-office  re- 
ports for  1948  to  date,  compared  with 
corresponding  weeks  of  1947,  follow : 


1948 

Week  No^  cf  Total 

Ending  Theatres  Gross 

Jan.    2-3    179  $3,406,600 

Jan.  9-10    168  3,112,700 

Tan.  16-17    168  2.473,300 

Jan.  23-24    166  2,419.000 

Jan.  30-31    166  2,341.900 

Feb.  6-7    167  2.537.800 

Feb.  13-14    166  2,381,500 

Feb.  20-21    164  2,316,500 

Feb.  27-28   167  2,734.100 

Mar.  5-6    165  2,372,700 

Mar.   12-13    165  2,441,800 

Mar.   19-20   175  2,626,800 

Mar.  26-27    162  2.356,800 

April  2-3    171  2,953,503 

April  9-10    169  2,740,000 

April  16-17    175  2,493,600 

April  23-24    167  2,284,000 

April  30-May  1    159  2,232,300 


Average 

Per 
Theatre 

$19,031 
18,528 
14,722 
14,572 
14,108 
15,196 
14,546 
14,125 
16,372 
14,380 
14,799 
15.010 
14,548 
17,272 
16.213 
14.249 
13,677. 
14,040 


1947 

Week  No.  of 

Ending  Theatres 

Jan.  3-4    167 

Jan.  10-11    173 

Tan.  17-18    173 

"Jan.  24-25   176 

Tan.  3-Feb.  1   181 

Feb.  7-8    177 

Feb.  14-15    177 

Feb.  21-22    182 

Feb.  28- Mar.  1   166 

Mar.  7-8   . . .-   178 

Mar.   14-15    174 

Mar.  21-22    173 

Mar.  28-29    178 

April  4-5    179 

April  11-12    184 

April  18-19    177 

April  25-26    183 

May  2-3    177 


Average 
Total  Per 
Gross  Theatre 


$3,678,100 
3,363,200 
3,007,300 
3,043,700 
2,293,600 
3.089.600 
2,767,900 
3,042,700 
2.800,300 
2,906,400 
2,890,300 
2,922,900 
3,069.500 
2,838,800 
2,239,500 
2,973,400 
2,917,900 
2,699,800 


$22,024 
19,400 
17,383 
17,294 
18,197 
17,495 
15,638 
16,718 
16,869 
16,328 
16,610 
16.895 
17,245 
15,859 
17,606 
16.798 
15.945 
15,253 


ORIA  (1,240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  9th 
week.  Gross:  $3,800.  (Average:  $6,300) 
THE  WOMAN  IN  THE  HALL  (E-L)— 
DANFORTH  (1,400)  (20c-36c-50c-60c)  6 
days.  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average:  $6,500) 
THE  WOMAN  IN  THE  HALL  (E-L)— 
FAIRLAWN  (1,195)  (2Oc-30c-4Oc-50c-55c)  6 
days.     Gross:  $5,500.     (Average:  $5,500) 


CINCINNATI 


"Fort  Apache"  is  a  splendid  gross- 
er at  the  RKO  Albee,  and  is  leading 
the  field  by  a  wide  margin,  although 
other  releases  are  satisfactory.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ended 
May  18: 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)— LYRIC  (1.- 
400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  2nd  week,  on 
a  moveover  from  the  Grand.  Gross:  $5,- 
500.     (Average:  $5,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)— RKO  AL- 
BEE (3,300)  (50c  -  55c  -  60c-65c-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $20,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox)  RKO 
PALACE  (2.700)  (50c-5Sc-60c-65c-70c-75c). 
Gross:  $15,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 
Radio)— RKO  S HUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c- 
60c-65c-70c-75c)  2nd  week,  on  a  moveover 
from  the  Palace.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)— RKO 

GRAND     (1,500)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c). 

Gross:  $9,000.    (Average:  $8,000) 

THE  SMUGGLERS  (E-L)— KEITH'S  (1,- 

500)     (S0c-55c-60c-65c-75c).       Dualed  with 

THE    COBRA   STRIKES    (E-L).  Gross: 

$6,500.    (Average:  $7,500) 

STATE  OF  THE  UNION  (M-G-M)— RKO 

CAPITOL    (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c) 

3rd  week.   Gross:  $7,500.    (Average:  $10,000) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


Business  is  slow  at  most  first-run 
houses  here.  Fine  weather  and 
crowds  at  the  Speedway  for  trials 
preceding  the  500-mile  Memorial  Day 
race  are  largely  responsible.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
May  18-19 : 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA) — LOEWS 
(2,450)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $10,000.  (Aver- 
age: $11,000) 


CARY  AND  THE  BISHOP'S  WIFE 
(RKO  Radio) — KEITH'S  (1,300)  (44c-65c). 
On  a  moveover  from  the  Circle.  Gross: 
$5,000.  (Average:  $4,500) 
THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox) — INDI- 
ANA (3,200)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $11,500. 
(Average:  $12,000) 

THE  SMUGGLERS  (E-L)  and  LOUISI- 
ANA (Mono.)— LYRIC  (1,600)  (44c-65c). 
Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $6,000) 
WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  and  THE 
FIGHTING  69TH  (WB) — CIRCLE  (2.803) 
(44c-56c).  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $10,- 
000) 


'Time'  Opens  May  27 

"The  Time  of  Your  Life"  will  open 
at  the  Mayfair  Theatre  here  Thurs- 
day morning,  May  27. 


FIVE -STAR 

DC- 6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3k  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices:  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


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EAGLE-LION 

THE 
ENCHANTED 
VALLEY 

(Color) 
Alan  Curtis 

(Rev.  3/26/48) 

RUTHLESS 
Zachary  Scott 

D — 104  mln. 
(Rev.  4/6/48) 

THE  HAWK  OF 
POWDER  RIVER 
Eddie  Dean 

0—54  mln.  (856) 
(Rev.  3/11/48) 

THE  NOOSE 
HANGS  HIGH 
Budd  Abbott 
Lou  Costello 

C— 77  mln. 
(Rev.  4/1/48) 

THE  COBRA 

STRIKES 
Sheila  Ryan 
D 

OPEN  SECRET 
John  Ireland 
Jane  Randolph 

D — 70  mln.  (813) 
(Rev.  1/16/48) 

PRAIRIE 
OUTLAWS 
Eddie  Dean 
0 

ASSIGNED  TO 

DANGER 
Gene  Raymond 
Noreen  Nash 

D — 65  min. 
(Rev.  5/3/48) 

RAW  DEAL 

Dennis  O'Keefa 
Claire  Trevor 

D 

COLUMBIA 

ADVENTURES 
IN  SILVERADO 
William  Bishop 
D 

WEST  OF 
SENOBA 
Charles  Starrett 
0 

SONG  OF  IDAHO 
Kirby  Grant 
0 

THE  SIGN  OF 
THE  RAM 

Susan  Peters 

D — 84  mln. 

(Rev.  2/2/48) 

MY  DOG  RUSTY 
Ted  Donaldson 
D 

PORT  SAID 
Gloria  Henry 
D 

THE  MATING 
OF  MILLIE 
Glenn  Ford 
Evelyn  Keyes 

C— 87  mln. 
(Rev.  3/9/48) 

BEST  MAN  WINS 
Edgar  Buchanan 
C 

WHIRLWIND 
RAIDERS 
0 

TRAPPED  BY 
BOSTON  BLACKIE 

D — 67  mln. 
(Rev.  4/27/48) 

THE  LADY 
FROM  SHANGHAI 
Rita  Hayworth 
Orson  Welles 

3> — 87  mln. 
(Rev.  4/15/48) 

LU  LL 

§  H 

1 

1 

< 

♦ 

<  * 

<  * 

1  N 

1  * 

&  0 

MOTION  PftrrU&E 


DAILY 


Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  98 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  MAY  20,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


AFL's  'H-63\Pettijohn  Is 
Invades  CIO's  Dead  At  67 
SOPEG  Ranks 


Taft  Law,  'Red'  Issue 
Cited  by  UA  'Majority' 

First  invasion  of  Screen  Office 
and  Professional  Employes  Guild 
(CIO)  territory  by  the  IATSE 
(AFL)  occurred  here  yesterday 
when  an  "overwhelming  majority"  of 
the  140  United  Artists  home  office 
members  of  SOPEG  renounced  that 
affiliation  and  placed  their  collective 
bargaining  future  in  the  hands  of  the 
"IA"  Motion  Picture  Home  Office 
Employes  Local  Xo.  H-63. 

The  employes,  who  signed  a  con- 
tract with  H-63  business  agent  Rus- 
sell Moss  following  a  one-hour  meet- 
ing at  his  office,  immediately  notified 
the  company  that  they  were  no  long- 
er represented  by  SOPEG  and  called 
for  UA  to  file  with  the  Xational 
Labor  Relations  Board  a  petition  for 
a  new  shop  election.  The  unit's 
SOPEG  contract  will  expire  Ma}r  31. 

A  spokesman  for  the  majority 
group  said  the  switch  was  made  for 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


See  FCC  Video  Test 
In  Para.  Application 


Washington.  May  19.  —  Para- 
mount's  Gulf  Theatres,  Inc.,  has  asked 
the  Federal  Communications  Commis- 
sion to  grant  it  a  television  license  for 
Tampa.  Fla..  bringing  to  six  the  num- 
ber of  television  stations  owned  or 
being  sought  by  firms  which  Para- 
mount admits  it  controls. 

Observers  believe  Paramount  means 
to  use  the  Gulf  Theatres  application 
to  challenge  the  FCC's  ruling  limiting 
to  five  the  number  of  television  sta- 
tions which  one  firm  can  own  or  con- 
trol.   The  FCC  could  turn  the  Gulf 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Telecasters  Get  23 
Demands  from44AV 


Telecasters  here  have  under  consid- 
eration 23  proposals  presented  by  a 
committee  of  the  Associated  Actors 
and  Artistes  of  America  in  negotia- 
tions for  the  first  contract  bearing  on 
hours,  wages  and  conditions  of  em- 
ployment for  video  talent. 

The  AAAA  seeks  a  collective  bar- 
gaining agreement  with  the  four  ma- 

(Continucd  on  page  3) 


Ixdianapoi.is,  May  19. — Charles  C. 
Pettijohn,  67,  former  general  coun- 
sel for  the  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  Distributors  of  America  (predec- 
essor of  the 
Motion  Picture 
Association  of 
America),  died 
at  St.  Vincent's 
Hospital  here 
today.  He  en- 
tered the  hos- 
pital last  night 
suffering 
a  cerebral  hem- 
orrhage, having 
come  here  from 
his  home  in 
Harrison, 
X.  V..  April 
27,  to  place 
himself  under 
the  care  of  his  brother,  Dr.  B.  B. 
Pettijohn. 

Pettijohn  joined  the  legal  staff  of 
the  MPPDA  under  Will  H.  Hays  in 

{Continued  on  page  2) 


C.  C.  Pettijohn 


MPAA  Puts  Stress 
On  Shorts  Series 


Plans  for  an  industry-wide  trailer 
on  future  productions  have  been 
dropped  by  the  advertising-publicity 
directors  committee  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  in 
favor  of  the  "Industry  Film  Series" 
now  under  production  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Arts  and  Sciences  in  cooperation 
with  the  MPAA. 

Maurice  Bergman,  chairman  of  the 
committee,  further  disclosed  here  yes- 
terday that  the  committee  also  had 
tabled  a  plan  calling  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  an  over-all  production  story 
for  radio  broadcasts.  As  a  substitute, 
the  companies  will  make  available  to 

{Continued  on  page  2) 


112  Films  Added  to 
Children's  Library 

Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  yesterday  listed  112  addi- 
tional features  which  have  been  ap- 
proved for  children's  matinees  and 
will  be  made  available  to  the  2.500 
theatres  now  subscribing  to  the  Chil- 
dren's Film  Library  of  the  associa- 
tion. Arthur  DeBra,  director  of  the 
MPAA's  department  of  Community 
Relations,  and  his  associate,  Mrs. 
Marjorie  G.  Dawson,  who  is  chair- 

(Corttinued  on  page  2) 


Atlas  Delivers  RKO 
Shares  to  Hughes 

Howard  Hughes  yesterday 
came  into  formal  possession 
of  the  block  of  929,020  shares 
of  RKO  common  stock  pur- 
chased by  him  from  the  Atlas 
Corp.  to  give  him  working 
control  of  the  film  company. 
The  stock  changed  hands  at 
the  offices  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Jersey  City. 


25  Named  in  Indiana 
Treble -damage  Suit 

Indianapolis,  May  19. — Affiliated 
Theatres,  Inc.,  of  this  city :  Citizen's 
Theatre  Co.,  Brazil,  Ind.,  and  23  pro- 
ducer and  distributing  companies  were 
named  in  a  $381,000  treble-damage 
suit  filed  in  Federal  Court  at  Terre 
Haute  today  by  Fred  V.  and  Eva  M. 
Willey,  owners  of  the  Fox  Theatre  in 
Brazil  The  suit  was  brought  under 
the  Sherman  and  Clayton  Anti-Trust 
laws. 

Plaintiffs  charge  that  their  inability 
to  get  current  pictures  forced  them  to 
close  their  theatre  in  1946  and  sell 
their  equipment.  The  complaint  seeks 
treble  damages,  attorney's  fees,  court 
costs  and  an  injunction  to  restrain  the 
defendants  "from  continuing  monopo- 
listic practices." 


Renewed  Probe  of 
Coast  Strife  Off 


Washington,  May  19. — Resump- 
tion of  the  House  Labor  sub-com- 
mittee's hearings  on  the  Hollywood 
jurisdictional  dispute,  originally  set 
for  May  25.  has  been  indefinitely- 
postponed  due  to  the  inability  of  star 
witness  Westbrook  Pegler  to  appear 
at  that  time. 

While  sub-committee  Chairman 
{Continued  on  page  3) 


Voeller  Heads  Idaho 
Exhibitors  Unit 


Boise,  Ida.,  May  19.— C.  C.  Voeller 
of  Buhl  has  been  elected  president  of 
the  Idaho  Theatres  Association,  suc- 
ceeding Hugo  Jorgensen  of  Rigby. 
Others  elected  were :  Fulton  Cook,  St. 
Maries,  vice-president ;  Harry  Gor- 
don, Boise,  secretary,  and  Lawrence 
Xelson,  Jerome,  treasurer. 

The  association  has  been  discussing 
membership  in  the  Pacific  Coast  Con- 
ference of  Independent  Theatre 
Owners. 


Demands  for 
Clearance  Cuts 
Swamp  Offices 

Exhibitors  Also  Asking 
New  Runs;  Cite  Decision 

Home  offices  of  some  distribution 
companies  are  being  swamped  with 
exhibitor  demands  for  clearance  re- 
ductions and  better  runs  as  a  direct 
consequence  of  the  recent  Supreme 
Court  decision  in  the  Paramount, 
Schine  and  Griffith  cases,  it  was 
learned  here  yesterday. 

Branch  offices  around  the 
country  are  getting  their  full 
share  of  the  demands,  too,  it 
was  learned,  and  are  forward- 
ing them  to  home  offices  with 
increasingly  urgent  requests 
for  guidance  in  replying  to  the 
demands. 

Few  company  lawyers  have  yet 
progressed  sufficiently'  with  their 
study  and  interpretation  of  the  deci- 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


So.  Cal.  ITO  Hails 
High  Court  Ruling 

Hollywood,  May  19. — The  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Para- 
mount anti-trust  case  brings  "new 
freedom  of  competition  and  freedom 
from  restraint,  discrimination  and 
monopoly  finally  to  the  independent 
exhibitor."  declared  Fred  A.  Weller, 
general  counsel  of  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  Arizona,  in  a  report  on 
the  decision  to  board  members. 

"The  task  of  seeing  to  it  that  this 
bill  of  rights  for  the  industry  be- 
comes and  remains  vital  and  effective 
is  primarily  that  of  independent  ex- 
hibitors and  their  organizations," 
Weller  declared,  adding:  "Wherever 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


UTA  Told  of  Need 
For  'Strong'  Groups 

Salt  Lake  City,  May  19.— The 
need  for  strong  state,  regional  and 
national  theatre  owner  groups  was 
stressed  by  speakers  at  a  special  meet- 
ing of  the  Utah  Theatres  Associa- 
tion held  at  Orem,  Utah. 

Speakers  included  Tracy  Barham, 
vice-president  and  general  manager 
of  Intermountain  Theatres,  who  also 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  20,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


S TAX  TON  GRIFFIS,  U.  S.  Am- 
bassador to  Poland  and  chairman 
of  Paramount's  executive  committee, 
will  return  to  New  York  today  from 
Europe  on  the  SS  Queen  Mary.  Other 
passengers  include  Jerry  Dale,  adver- 
tising-publicity director  for  the  J. 
Arthur  Rank  Organization  here ;  Mae 
West  and  Harry  Green,  screen  star. 
• 

Paul  MacNamara,  public  rela- 
tions chief  for  David  O.  Selznick  En- 
terprises, and  Mrs.  MacNamara 
yesterday  became  parents  of  their  first 
child,  a  son,  born  in  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital,  Los  Angeles. 

• 

William  A.  Scully,  Universal-In- 
ternational distribution  vice-president, 
and  Maurice  Bergman,  Eastern  ad- 
vertising-publicity director,  will  leave 
here  for  England  on  July  1. 

• 

Charles  Reagan,  Paramount  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  Ted  O'Shea 
and  Al  Schwalberg  returned  here 
yesterday  from  a  three-day  divisional 
sales  meeting  in  Philadelphia. 

• 

Hugh  Owen,  Paramount  Eastern 
and  Southern  divisional  sales  mana- 
ger, who  is  at  the  Jacksonville  ex- 
change, will  visit  the  Charlotte  ex- 
change on  Saturday  and  Sunday. 
• 

Jack  Byrne,  M-G-M  Eastern  divi- 
sion sales  manager,  and  Herman 
Rlpps,  M-G-M  district  manager,  will 
leave  Boston  today  for  their  return 
to  New  York. 

• 

Ned  Depinet,  RKO  Radio  distribu- 
tion vice-president,  is  due  to  return 
to  New  York  from  the  Goast  over 
the  weekend. 

• 

Blanche  Livingston,  in  charge  of 
publicity  for  RKO  out-of-town  the- 
atres, will  fly  to  New  Orleans  this 
weekend  from  New  York. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal-Interna- 
tional assistant  general  sales  manager, 
returned  to  New  York  yesterday  from 
Nashville. 

• 

David  O.  Selznick  is  scheduled  to 
leave  for  the  Coast  over  the  weekend 
after  several  months  in  New  York. 
• 

Maury  Goldstein,  Monogram  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  is  due  back  in 
New  Y'ork  today  from  Boston. 
• 

E.  Z.  Walters,  Altec  Service  comp- 
troller, is  in  town  from  the  Coast. 


Fifth-Walnut  Owner 
Charges  'Freeze-Out' 

Harold  Janicky,  co-owner  of  Fifth 
and  Walnut  Amusement  Co.,  testified 
under  questioning  by  company  attor 
ney  Monroe  E.  Stein  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  yesterday  that  Fifth  and 
Walnut's  National  Theatre  in  Louis 
ville  was  "ideally  located"  for  first- 
run  pictures,  and  that  it  had  been 
"frozen  out"  of  first-run  by  the  dis 
tributor  defendants  in  the  $2,100,000 
triple-damage  anti-trust  suit  brought 
by  Fifth  and  Walnut. 

Janicky  will  resume  the  stand  to 
day,  fourth   day  of  the  trial  before 
Federal  Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel  and 
a  12-man  jury. 


New  Sales  Record  Is 
Set  by  20th-Fox 

A  new  all-time  company  record  for 
volume  of  feature  sales  to  theatre  ac 
counts  during  the  first  18  weeks  ot 
this  year  has  been  set  by  the  20th 
Century-Fox  domestic  sales  organiza- 
tion, A.  W.  Smith,  general  sales  man- 
ager, reported  yesterday. 

The  31  company  branches  in  th 
United  States  and  six  in  Canada  sur- 
passed by  52  per  cent  the  volume  of 
contracts  negotiated  the  same  period 
in  1947.  Also,  they  topped  the  previ 
ous  all-time  record,  established  in  the 
first  18  weeks  of  1946.  The  company 
did  not  disclose  the  number  of  sales 
accounts  for  periods  mentioned. 


'Iron  Curtain'  Gets 
'Plug'  from  Rankin 

Washington,  May  19. — "The  Iron 
Curtain,"  20th  Century-Fox,  got  sev- 
eral "plugs"  today  on  the  House  floor 
from  Rep.  Rankin. 

During  a  debate  on  the  Un-Ameri- 
can Activities  Committee's  bill  to  vir- 
tually outlaw  the  Communist  Party  as 
presently  constituted,  Rankin  repeat- 
edly urged  colleagues  to  see  the  film 
and  "then  you'll  understand  why  we 
need  this  bill."  The  House  passed 
the  bill  by  a  319-58  vote  late  today. 


MPAA  Puts  Stress 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Ontario  Imposes  20% 
Levy;  Expect  Others 

Ottawa,  May  19. — Although  thea- 
tre admission  prices  in  some  regions 
were  reported  today  to  be  dropping, 
especially  in  Quebec  and  Nova  Scotia, 
following  withdrawal  of  the  Canadian 
government's  20  per  cent  amusement 
tax,  Ontario  has  already  imposed  a 
similar  tax,  and  other  provinces,  in- 
cluding British  Columbia  and  Mani- 
toba, are  expected  to  do  the  same. 


all  exhibitors  radio  platters  pointing 
up  current  pictures. 

Bergman  explained  that  "after 
learning  that  these  short  subjects  (in 
the  Industry  Film  Series)  are  being- 
previewed  by  all  exhibitor  groups,  in- 
cluding the  Theatre  Owners  of  Amer- 
ica, Allied  States  and  the  Pacific 
Coast  Conference  of  Independent 
Theatre  Owners,  the  committee  felt 
that  it  could  not  be  guided  by  better 
professional  reactions." 


Children's  Library 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Wilcox,  Hargrave 
Of  EK  Reelected 


Rochester,  N.  Y.,  May  19. — Perley 
S.  Wilcox  and  Thomas  Hargrave  have 
been  reelected  board  chairman  and 
president,  respectively,  of  Eastman 
Kodak.  Also  reelected  were  the  fol- 
lowing :  Albert  K.  Chapman,  vice- 
president  and  general  manager ;  Dr. 
C.  E.  Kenneth  Mees,  Charles  K. 
Flint,  Adolph  Stuber,  Myron  J 
Hayes,  Ivar  N.  Hultman,  Edward  S, 
Farrow,  James  E.  McGhee,  Edward 
P.  Curtis  and  Donald  McMaster,  vice 
presidents;  I.  L.  Houley,  assistant 
vice-president ;  Marion  B.  Folsorn, 
treasurer;  Archbold  H.  Robinson, 
David  H.  Fulton  and  J.  Donald  Few- 
ster,  assistant  treasurers ;  Milton  K. 
Robinson,  secretary ;  William  F.  Shep- 
ard  and  Harmar  Brereton,  assistant 
secretaries ;  Cornelius  J.  Van  Niel, 
general  comptroller;  Thomas  J.  Mc- 
Carrick,  assistant  comptroller. 

A  quarterly  dividend  of  35  cents  a 
share  has  been  declared  on  the  com- 
pany's common  stock ;  the  dividend  is 
the  same  as  the  previous  one.  Regular 
dividend  on  the  preferred  stock,  $1.50 
a  share,  was  also  declared.  Both  are 
payable  July  1  to  stockholders  of  rec- 
ord on  June  5. 


C.  C.  Petti john 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Haines  Will  Hold 
Meeting  in  'Frisco 

San  Francisco,  May  19. — Roy 
Haines,  Warner  Brothers'  Western 
division  sales  manager,  will  preside 
over  a  two-day  meeting  of  the  com- 
pany's West  Coast  sales  force  at  the 
Mark  Hopkins  Hotel  here  Friday  and 
Saturday. 

Attending  will  be  Henry  Herbel, 
district  manager,  and  branch  mana- 
gers E.  A.  Bell,  Denver ;  Fred  Green- 
berg,  Los  Angeles:  Al  Oxtoby,  Port- 
land; Wm.  F.  Gordon,  Salt  Lake 
City;  Al  Shmitken,  San  Francisco; 
Vete  Stewart,  Seattle. 


ed 


1922  and  was  appointed  general  coun- 
sel in  1924.  He  resigned  on  March 
5,  1942,  to  enter  retirement  after  20 
years'  service  in  the  organization. 
During  his  MPPDA  career  he  led 
numerous  distributor  and  exhibitor 
fights  against  threatened  adverse  leg- 
islation in  cities,  states  and  in  Con- 
gress. He  set  up  and  supervised 
many  years  the  old  Film  Boar' 
Trade  located  in  key  cities. 

Born  in  Indianapolis  in  1881,  Pet- 
tijohn  started  to  practice  law  there 
in  1903  following  his  graduation  from 
Indiana  University.  His  first  contact 
with  the  industry  came  with  his  ap- 
pointment in  1916  as  legal  adviser 
for  the  old  American  Exhibitors' 
Association.  He  held  that  post  until 
1922  when  Hays  invited  him  to  join 
the  MPPDA. 

Survivors,  in  addition  to  Dr.  Petti- 
john,  include  the  widow,  the  former 
Helen  Irene  Lynch,  silent  film  actress ; 
two  sorts,  Bruce  David  and  Charles 
C,  Jr.,  the  latter  a  one-time  member 
of  the  Production  Code  Administra- 
tion staff  in  Hollywood,  and  a  daugh- 
ter,   Mrs.   Gertrude  Frary. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  on 
Friday  at  St.  Peter  and  Paul  Ca- 
thedral here.  Interment  will  take 
place  .at  Crown  Hill  Cemetery,  In- 
dianapolis. 


MPAA  Staff  Mourns  Pettijohn 

"Members  of  the  staff  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica," MPAA  vice-president  Francis 
Harmon  said  here  yesterday,  "received 
the  news  of  the  death  of  Charles  C. 
Pettijohn  while  they  were  holding  a 
regular  staff  conference  this  after- 
noon. The  older  members  of  the  staff 
who  had  been  associated  with  Petti- 
john over  a  period  of  years  reviewed 
the  long  history  of  Pettijohn's  ac- 
complishments for  the  motion  picture 
industry.  They  joined  with  me  in 
lamenting  the  passing  of  a  good  fel- 
A  motion  picture  of  the  home  for  '°w,  and  democratic  personality.  Pet- 
the  aged  and  Country  Home  Hospital  tlJolr"  w,-  be  remembered  by 

maintained  on  the  Coast  by  the  Motion  us  ,     •     ls,  lnfectl<>us   optimism  and 

~  enthusiasm. 


Actors'  Fund  Meeting 


Picture  Relief  Fund  will  be  shown  to- 
morrow at  a  meeting  of  the  Actors 
Fund  of  America  at  the  Coronet  The- 
atre here.  Jean  Hersholt,  president  of 
MPRF,  who  has  been  conferring  here 
with  Walter  Vincent,  president  of  the 
Actors'  Fund,  and  other  trustees  on 
plans  for  a  joint  fair  to  be  conducted 
in  New  York  in  November,  will  ex- 
plain the  activities  of  MPRF  •  at  to- 
morrow's meeting.  Other  speakers  will 
be  Louis  Calhern  and  former  New 
Jersey  governor  Harold  G.  Hoffman. 


man  of  the  library  committee,  re- 
port that  these  films  are  the  first  to 
supplement  the  50  productions  which 
are  already  in  the  library. 

These  pictures  are  available  for 
children's  programs  after  they  have 
completed  regular  local  bookings.  Ex- 
hibitors applying  for  them  must  show 
they  have  played  80  per  cent  of  the 
regular  library  subjects  to  date. 


Morris  Abrahams,  81 

Morris  Abrahams,  81,  father  of  Phil 
Abrahams,  head  of  the  Warner  print 
department  here,  died  at  his  home  yes- 
terday. Funeral  services  will  be  held 
today  at  Park  West  Memorial  Chapel. 

Joseph  Anthony,  64 

Chicago,  May  19.— Joseph  Anthony, 
64,  assistant  manager  of  Balaban  and 
Katz's  Apollo  Theatre,  died  of  a 
heart  attack  last  night  while  on  duty 
m  the  theatre. 


'Outstanding  Leader':  Skouras 

Upon  learning  yesterday  of  the 
death  of  Charles  C.  Pettijohn,  20th 
Century-Fox  president  Spyros  P. 
Skouras  made  the  following  state- 
ment: "In  the  passing  of  C.  C.  Petti- 
john, I  have  experienced  a  great 
personal  loss  and  the  industry  has 
lost  one  of  its  truly  outstanding  lead- 
ers. His  constructive  contribution  to 
the  motion  picture  industry,  during- 
his  many  years  of  association  with  it, 
cannot  be  estimated.  He  was  a  great 
friend  of  all  of  us,  and  his 
leaves  a  void  in  our  midst." 


passing 


Gradwell  Sears  Lauds  Pettijohn 

Gradwell  L.  Sears,  president  of 
United  Artists,  made  the  following 
statement  yesterday  upon  the  death 
of  Charles  C.  Pettijohn:  "Charlie 
Pettijohn  helped  nurse  our  industry 
through  its  swaddling-clothes  period. 
Now,  in  its  maturity,  his  guidance  and 
counsel  will  be  sorely  missed." 


iate  Editor.    Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
one  Circle  7-3100.    Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
ent  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary' 
irculation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Advertising  Representative;   Jimmy  Ascher, 
Wl.   Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 


Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.   Entered'as  iec^d^hts^matter"' S^^  w#  ,as  a  *ectio"  of  Motion  Picture 

3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10cf  '  5ept-  *3'  1938>  at  the  post  office  at  New  YorI<,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 


Thursday,  May  20,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Review 

''Melody  Time" 

{Walt  Disney-RKO  Radio) 

A HIGH-SPIRITED  musical  blend  of  fun  and  fantasy  has  been  turned 
out  by  the  seasoned  hand  of  Walt  Disney.  As  an  animation  and  live- 
action  feature  production  in  Technicolor,  "Melody  Time"  has  assured  appeal 
for  audiences  of  all  ages.  The  vehicle  provides  the  exhibitor  with  a  luxury 
of  names  for  the  marquee.  Featured,  either  in  person  or  with  dubbed-in 
voices,  are :  Roy  Rogers  and  Trigger,  Dennis  Day,  The  Andrews  Sisters, 
Fred  Waring  and  His  Pennsylvanians,  Freddy  Martin,  Frances  Langford, 
Ethel  Smith,  Buddy  Clark,  Bob  Nolan  and  the  Sons  of  the  Pioneers,  The 
Dinning  Sisters,  Bobby  Driscoll  and  Luana  Patten. 

In  story  structure,  the  film  comprises  seven  tales :  "Pecos  Bill,"  a  rare 
gem,  is  an  outdoor  action  drama  about  a  little  boy  who  grew  up  with  a 
family  of  coyote  pups  and  became  the  toughest  critter  that  ever  rode  a 
horse.  Then  one  day,  along  comes  Sluefoot  Sue,  bringing  our  hero  to  a 
mournful  end.  "Little  Toot"  is  a  delightful  story  of  a  mischievous  little  tug- 
boat which  gets  into  a  lot  of  trouble  outside  New  York  harbor,  but  finally 
redeems  itself.  Another  tale  depicts  the  legend  of  Johnny  Appleseed.  "Bumble 
Boogie"  interprets  a  bee's  fantasy  against  a  musical  background  of  Rimsky- 
KorsakofFs  "Flight  of  the  Bumble  Bee."  Other  chapters,  all  on  an  evenly 
high  par  of  entertainment,  are  "Once  Upon  a  Wintertime,"  "Trees"  and 
"Blame  It  on  the  Samba." 

Ben  Sharpsteen  was  production  supervisor.  Cartoon  directors  were :  Clyde 
Geronimi,  Wilfred  Jackson,  Hamilton  Luske,  Jack  Kinney.  Story  was  written 
by  Winston  Hibler,  Erdman  Penner,  Harry  Reeves,  Homer  Brightman,  Ken 
Anderson,  Ted  Sears,  Joe  Rinaldi,  Art  Scott,  Bill  Cottrell,  Bob  Moore, 
Jesse  Marsh,  John  Walbridge,  Hardie  Gramatky.  Musical  direction  was  by 
Eliot  Daniel  and  Den  Darby. 

Running  time,  75  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  July  release. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


Video  Trailers  Set 
For  Korda  Films 

Regular  trailers  will  be  used  for  the 
first  time  on  television  by  the  16  sta- 
tions which  have  bought  exclusive  lo- 
cal rights  to  24  Alexander  Korda 
films  from  WPIX,  the  Daily  News 
television  station  here.  Trailers  are 
available  for  all  of  the  films,  Robert 
L.  Coe,  station  manager  said,  and 
have  been  reduced  to  16mm.  by  Na- 
tional Screen  Service. 
-f^p  films  will  be  shown  by  WGN, 
vffligo;  WBZ,  Boston;  WWJ,  De- 
troit; WMAR,  Baltimore;  KSD,  St. 
Louis;  WFIL,  Philadelphia;  WTMJ, 
Milwaukee;  WBEN,  Buffalo; 
WMAL,  Washington ;  KSTP,  Minne- 
apolis; KTLA,  Los  Angeles;  WEWS, 
Cleveland;  WBAP,  Ft.  Worth; 
WIHO,  Dayton;  WSB,  Atlanta; 
WPIX,  New  York. 

Video  Trailer  Made 
For  'Emperor  Waltz' 

Hollywood,  May  19. — First  televi- 
sion trailer  made  to  publicize  a  Holly- 
wood premiere  has  been  produced  by 
Paramount  for  telecasting  over  station 
KTLA  here,  in  advance  of  the  pre- 
miere of  "The  Emperor  Waltz"  at 
the  Hollywood  Paramount  on  May  26. 

The  16mm.  trailer  includes  scenes 
from  the  film  and  an  announcement 
of  the  date  and  place  of  the  opening. 


See  FCC  Rule  Test 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

or  other  applications  down  for  a 
reason  other  than  the  five-station  rule, 
and  it  is  considered  possible  that 
Paramount  subsidiaries  may  submit 
additional  applications  in  the  near  fu- 
ture to  bring  a  clear-cut  test  of  the 
five-station  limit. 


FCC  Merges  Video  Hearings 

Washington,  May  19. — The  FCC 
today  ordered  a  20th  Century-Fox  ap- 
plication for  a  San  Francisco  station 
consolidated  for  a  hearing  with  hear- 
ings on  a  group  of  applications,  in- 
cluding one  from  Paramount's  Tele- 
vision Productions. 


'4AV  Demands 

(Confirmed  from  page  1  ) 

jor  networks,  and  DuMont  and  the 
New  York  Daily  News,  covering  New 
York  studio  organizations,  remote 
telecasts  by  local  stations  and  New 
York  pickups  outside  of  studios  here. 

The  union  demands  a  one-year  con- 
tract providing  for  a  union  shop  and 
a  pay  scale  for  performers  in  filmed 
telecasts  based  on  rates  in  the  existing 
Screen  Actors  Guild  basic  minimum 
agreement,  with  additional  payments 
for  "repeats."  Fees'  sought  for  per- 
formers in  "live"  telecasts  range  from 
a  minimum  of  $75,  not  including  re- 
hearsals, for  a  one  hour  and  a  half 
telecast  to  a  minimum  of  $40  for  a 
quarter-hour,  with  a  minimum  of  $35 
for  any  time  under  15  minutes.  The 
union  wants  $125  for  staff  announcers 
for  a  40-hour,  five-day  week,  and  $150 
or  $200,  depending  on  the  type  of 
sport,  for  sportscasters  for  each  tele- 
cast. Among  other  demands  is  a  12- 
hour  rest  period  between  daily  calls. 


Kelvinator-Para.  Deal 

With  a  new  series  of  one-minute 
spots  produced  on  film  for  television, 
the  Kelvinator  division  of  Nash-Kel- 
vinator  Corp.  will  extend  its  television 
coverage  over  Paramount's  KTLA, 
Los  Angeles,  and  WBKB,  Chicago. 


<H-63'  Invades 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

two  reasons:  (1)  SOPEG's  refusal 
to  file  with  the  NLRB  an  affidavit 
certifying  as  required  by  the  Taft- 
Hartley  Law,  that  none  of  its  officers 
are  Communists,  has  deprived  the 
union  of  access  to  NLRB  advantages, 
and  (2)  that  SOPEG  during  the  past 
two  years  has  appeared  more  con- 
cerned with  disseminating  political 
propaganda  than  with  advancing  the 
cause  of  trade  unionism. 

The  UA  home  office  employes'  ac- 
tion was  spearheaded  by  a  special 
committee  of  workers.  The  commit- 
tee had  asked  Moss  to  establish  an 
"IA"  unit  among  the  employes,  and 
Moss  set  to  work  with  the  assistance 
of  "IA"  international  organizer  James 
Rogers  whom  "IA"  international  pres- 
ident Richard  F.  Walsh  assigned  to 
Moss  when  the  latter  informed  him 
that  the  "invasion"  was  about  to  take 
place. 

SOPEG  has  represented  the  UA 
home  office  employes  for  collective 
bargaining  purposes  since  1942  when 
the  employes  first  organized.  That 
union  represents  "white  collar"  work- 
ers at  several  other  film  company 
home  offices  here,  except  Warners, 
Universal,  Pathe  Laboratories,  and 
a  number  of  the  newsreels,  all  of 
which  are  presented  by  AFL  H-63. 


Probe  Postponed 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Kearns  said  he  definitely  planned  to 
continue  the  hearings  when  Pegler  is 
available,  other  committee  members 
and  officials  indicated  there  might 
never  be  any  further  hearings,  and 
that  Pegler's  inability  to  testify  might 
be  a  convenient  way  for  ending  the 
proceedings.  Committee  Chairman 
Hartley  and  other  Republican  mem- 
bers have  indicated  their  belief  that 
the  sub-committee's  probe  has  al- 
ready dragged  on  too  long. 

Hartley  is  also  known  to  oppose 
anv  sub-committee  trip  to  the  West 
Coast,  but  Kearns  is  still  hopeful  of 
at  least  one  member  going  there  to 
take  testimony. 


3-Month  Ascap  Pacts 
UrgedatARMITMeet 

Denver,  May  19.  —  Allied  Rocky 
Mountain  Independent  Theatres  mem- 
bers were  advised  today  to  sign  con- 
tracts for  music  licensing  fees  with  the 
American  Society  of  Composers,  Au- 
thors and  Publishers  for  only  three 
months.  The  exhibitors'  organization 
is  holding  its  convention  here. 

The  committee  on  candy,  popcorn 
and  theatre  supplies  will  be  continued, 
with  buying  to  be  made  through  the 
Denver  Allied  office,  it  was  voted. 


Clearance  Demands 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

sions  to  provide  the  answers  to  their 
distribution  departments.  In  conse- 
quence, even  top  sales  executives  are 
not  in  a  position  to  advise  their  staffs 
on  such  matters  with  any  degree  of 
certainty. 

Adding  to  the  urgency  of  meeting, 
or  at  least  replying  to,  some  of  the 
exhibitor  demands  is  the  new  possi- 
bility of  damage  actions  being  insti- 
tuted by  exhibitors  whose  clearance- 
and-run  status  may  suggest  they  have 
been  or  are  being  discriminated 
against,  in  relation  to  their  competi- 
tion. Failure  to  reply  satisfactorily 
to  their  present  demands  might  be 
used  against  the  distributors  involved 
in  subsequent  court  actions,  attorneys 
point  out. 

The  Supreme  Court  found  un- 
reasonable clearance  to  be  illegal  and 
placed  the  burden  of  proof  of  reason- 
ableness upon  distributors.  The  de- 
cision also  threw  the  matter  of  runs 
into  complete  uncertainty  by  seeming- 
ly ruling  that  any  theatre  can  nego- 
tiate for  any  run  it  desires. 


So.  Cal.  ITO 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

an  independent  theatre  owner  is  still 
subjected  to  illegal  clearance,  to  dis- 
crimination of  any  kind,  or  unfair  tac- 
tics employed  by  those  possessing  cir- 
cuit buying  power,  he  must  not  hesi- 
tate to  demand  and  obtain  prompt 
corrective  action." 


P.  A.  Warner,  Beall 
In  New  Manley  Posts 

Kansas  City,  May  19. — P.  A. 
Warner,  Eastern  and  Southern  divi- 
sion manager  of  Manley,  Inc.,  has 
been  named  vice-president,  and  Ray 
Beall,  Interstate  Theatres  advertising- 
publicity  manager  in  Dallas,  has  been 
named  his  assistant,  it  was  disclosed 
here  today  by  Mrs.  V.  G.  Manley, 
president  of  the  company  which  mar- 
kets popcorn  machines  and  supplies  to 
theatres  and  other  places.  Both  will 
continue  in  Dallas. 

Beall,  who  will  also  have  charge  of 
public  relations  when  he  takes  over  his 
new  post  on  June  1,  had  been  an  Inter- 
State  executive  for  18  years  and  was 
national  advertising-publicity  director 
of  the  third,  fifth  and  Victory  war 
loan  drives,  under  L.  C.  Griffith,  R.  J. 
O'Donnell  and  Si  H.  Fabian,  respec- 
tively. Warner  will  divide  his  time  be- 
tween the  Dallas  and  New  York  of- 
fice of  Manley,  which  has  27  branches 
in  the  U.  S.,  Canada  and  Mexico. 

Edana  Romney  Guest 
At  U-I,  Rank  Fete 

Edana  Romney,  star,  co-producer 
and  author  of  the  forthcoming  "Cor- 
ridor of  Mirrors,"  which  will  be  re- 
leased in  this  country  shortly  under 
the  Prestige  Pictures  banner  ot  Uni- 
versal-International, was  honor  guest 
yesterday  at  a  Hampshire  House  re- 
ception held  by  U-I  and  the  J.  Ar- 
thur Rank  Organization  of  America. 
Miss  Romney  is  the  wife  of  John 
Woolf,  joint  managing  director  of 
Rank's  General  Film  Distributors. 

Among  industry  executives  present 
were :  Nate  J.  Blumberg,  Robert  Ben- 
jamin, M.  A.  Schlessinger,  Woolf, 
William  A.  Scully,  Joseph  H.  Seidel- 
man,  Charles  Prutzman,  J.  J.  O'Con- 
nor, E.  T.  Gomersall,  F.  j\  A.  Mc- 
Carthy, C.  J.  Feldman,.  Adolph 
Schimel,  Maurice  Bergman,  David  A. 
Lipton,  Monroe  Greenthal,  Al  Daff, 
Ben  Cohen  and  Al  Horwits. 

Races,  C ocktails, 
Banquet  for  SMPE 

Hollywood,  May  19. — Delegates  to 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engi- 
neers convention  today  journeyed  to 
Hollywood  Park  Race  Track  to  in- 
spect workings  of  Thorobred  Photo 
Service,  Inc.,  which  photographs 
horses  in  action  and  remained  as  the 
track's  guests.  Later  they  attended 
a  cocktail  party  in  the  Santa  Monica 
Ambassador,  which  was  followed  by 
the  annual  banquet. 

Sessions  will  resume  tomorrow. 


UTA  Told 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

appealed  for  wholehearted  coopera- 
tion .in  the  American  Overseas  Aid- 
United  Nations  Appeal  for  Children 
campaign ;  Bob  Graham,  Pacific 
Coast  Conference  of  Independent  The- 
atre Owners  attorney,  who  spoke  on 
the  recent  Supreme  Court  decision  and 
also  discussed  Ascap ;  Sam.  Gillette, 
Tooele  exhibitor,  who  explained  the 
present  status  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Foundation ;  John  Krier,  Intermoun- 
tain  Theatres'  purchasing  agent ;  Vic- 
tor A.  Anderson,  association  secre- 
tary, who  said  fees  will  be  kept  low 
to  induce  all  exhibitors  to  join  the 
UTA,  and  Emil  Ostlund,  president. 

New  Co-At-Co  Theatre 

Atlanta,  May  19.— Co-At-Co  The- 
atres has  opened  a  new  900-seat 
house  in  Cornilia. 


the  iron  curtai 
making  the 

;m 


YEAR'S 


OST 


SENSATIONAL 


HEADLINES 
IN  THE 


THE 


NEWSPAPERS 


AND  AT  THE 

BOXOFFICES 


OF  THE 


NATION!!! 

. . .  Tte  biggest  grosses  in  every  size  theatre  in  every  size  town* 


V 


"A    -  ml 


THE  EAST!..  .  NEW  YORK— 2nd  day  bigger  than  the  1st! 
3rd  day  bigger  than  the  2nd!  4th  day  bigger  than  the  3rd!  5th 
day  bigger  than  the  4th! .  •  .  and  building  those  big  20th  grosses 
in  PHILADELPHIA,  BOSTON,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C,  BUFFALO, 
ALBANY,  UTICA,  SYRACUSE,  READING,  ROCHESTER,  BRIDGEPORT, 
HARTFORD,  NEW  HAVEN  and  PORTLAND,  ME.! 


IN  THE  MIDWEST!.. .  MILWAUKEE -1 50%  over  all  other  true- 
to-life  record-breakers!  ...  a  sweeping  triumph  through  DES 
MOINES,  WATERLOO,  SPRINGFIELD,  INDIANAPOLIS,  CINCINNATI, 
KANSAS  CITY,  EVANSVILLE  and  ST.  LOUIS! 


THE  SOUTH!  .  .  .  Pacing  the  biggest  20th  real-life  triumphs 
in  HOUSTON,  MEMPHIS,  RICHMOND,  MIAMI,  OKLAHOMA  CITY 
and  LITTLE  ROCK! 


ON  THE  PACIFIC  COAST!  ...  All  up  and  down  the  western 
seaboard,  long  lines  lead  to  '  THE  IRON  CURTAIN/'  as 
LOS  ANGELES,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  LONG  BEACH,  PORTLAND, 
ORE.,  SAN  DIEGO,  SEATTLE  and  OAKLAND  keep  pace  with 
^     the  nation! 


ler  picture,  continue  to  be  made  by 


Century-Fox 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  20,  1948 


Reviews 


"Raw  Deal" 

(Edivard  Small — Eagle-Lion) 

C'lYE  key  figures  in  the  making  of  "T-Men" — producer  Edward  Small, 
*■  director  Anthony  Mann,  scriptwriter  John  C.  Higgins,  star  Dennis 
O'Keefe,  and  special  effects  photographer  George  J.  Teague — have  again  com- 
bined their  talents  in  the  interest  of  lively  melodrama.  "Raw  Deal,"  a 
formula  manhunt  saga,  may  not  be  too  hard-pressed  to  repeat  the  box-office 
performance  scored  by  "T-Men"  because  it  has  three  star  names  to  sell — 
O'Keefe,  Claire  Trevor  and  Marsha  Hunt — where  its  predecessor  had  but 
one.  But,  more  important,  if  it  can  be  promoted  as  effectively  as  was  the  in- 
trinsically exploitable  "T-Men,"  it  certainly  is  due  for  like  returns.  There 
rests  the  challenge  to  distributor  and  showmen. 

The  screenplay  by  Leopold  Atlas  and  Higgins,  adapted  from  a  story  by 
Arnold  B.  Armstrong  and  Audrey  Ashley,  starts  briskly  with  a  prison  break 
by  convict  O'Keefe  who  had  taken  the  "rap"  for  a  slack-mouthed  gang- 
leader  (Raymond  Burr).  Accompanied  reluctantly  by  his  lawyer's  secre- 
tary (Miss  Hunt)  and  most  willingly  by  his  jealous  sweetheart  (Miss 
Trevor),  O'Keefe  eludes  a  police  dragnet  and  ultimately  reaches  a  seaside 
hide-out  where  he  was  to  meet  Burr  and  receive  from  him  a  large  payoff. 
Meeting  him  instead  is  one  of  Burr's  "trigger-men,"  John  Ireland,  gun  in 
hand.  The  two  engage  in  a  savage  battle,  with  Ireland  the  loser.  O'Keefe 
then  seeks  out  Burr  and  both  are  killed  in  a  tense  showdown  fight.  Curt 
Conway  and  Chili  Williams  round  out  the  cast. 

In  its  action  scenes  this  Reliance  Picture  is  genuinely  absorbing ;  in  its 
conversational  scenes  it  is  handicapped  somewhat  by  uninspired  dialogue.  But 
action  predominates,  and  the  customers  will  like  it. 

Running  time,  71  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  26.  Charles  L.  Franke 


"Jinx  Money" 

(Monogram) 

Hollywood,  May  19 

LATEST  in  the  "Bowery  Boys"  group,  "Jinx  Money"  should  add  con- 
siderably to  the  series'  following,  with  pronounced  improvement  in  story 
texture  lifting  this  number  well  above  many  of  its  predecessors. 

The  screenplay  by  Edmond  Seward,  Tim  Ryan  and  Gerald  Schnitzer,  based 
on  a  story  suggested  by  Jerome  T.  Gollard,  opens  with  a  friendly  poker 
game  between  five  mobsters,  one  of  whom  wins  $50,000,  quits,  leaves,  and  is 
forthwith  murdered  by  somebody  who  does  not  get  the  money  because  it  was 
dropped  in  the  excitement.  The  Bowery  Boys  find  the  money,  make  no  secret 
of  doing  so,  and  the  other  mobsters,  one  after  another,  try  to  retrieve  it  but 
are  murdered  as  they  do  so.  Police  and  the  boys  cooperate  in  solving  the 
murders.  Meanwhile  they  have  made  so  many  pledges  of  donations  to  chari- 
ties that  by  the  time  they  make  good  on  these  and  pay  the  income  tax  they 
are  broke  again.    Jan  Grippo  produced  and  William  Beaudine  directed. 

The  cast  includes,  in  addition  to  the  Bowery  Boys,  Betty  Caldwell,  Sheldon 
Leonard,  Donald  MacBride,  Wanda  McKay  and  Lucien  Littlefield. 

Running  time,  68  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
June  17. 


Production  on  the 
Coast  Rises  to  35 

Hollywood,  May  19. — The  produc- 
tion index  rose  to  35,  compared  to 
32  in  the  previous  week.  Ten  new 
films  went  before  the  canvas  while 
seven  were  sent  to  cutting  rooms. 

Shooting  started  on  "FBI  Meets 
Scotland  Yard"  (Edward  Small), 
"Rusty  Pays  a  Debt"  and  "Walking- 
Hills,"  Columbia;  "Three  Godfathers" 
(Argosy    Production),    Metroj^  l- 


wyn-Mayer;  "Kidnapped,"  "MSB- at- 
tan  Folk  Song"  and  "Frontier  Fire- 
brand," Monogram ;  "Indian  Agent," 
(RKO  Radio)  ;  'West  of  Tomorrow" 
(Frank  Seltzer),  and  "Trouble  Pre- 
ferred" (Sol  Wurtzel),  20th  Century- 
Fox.  Shooting  finished  on  "Gentle- 
man from  Nowhere,"  Columbia ;  "No 
Minor  Vices,"  Enterprise ;  "Special 
Agent"  (Pine-Thomas),  and  "The 
Tatlock  Millions,"  Paramount ; 
"Nighttime  in  Nevada,"  Republic; 
"Sting  of  the  Lash"  (Western  Ad- 
venture), Screen  Guild;  "A  Kiss  in 
the  Dark,"  Warner  Brothers. 


6 


Key  City 
Grosses 


OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
■*  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LOS  ANGELES 


Business  in  most  instances  pepped 
up  considerably,  with  "Iron  Curtain" 
furnishing-  a  strong  leadership  and 
"Miracle  of  the  Bells"  also  tolling  a 
substantial  return.  Attendance  condi- 
tions were  ideal.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ended  May  19 : 

I,  JANE  DOE  (Rep.)  and  THE  MAIN 
STREET  KID  (Rep.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Downtown)  (3,595)  (5Oc-6Oc-8Oc-$1.0O)  6 
da  vs.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average:  $21,000) 
I,  JANE  DOE  (Rep.)  and  THE  MAIN 
STREET  KID  (Rep.)— PARAMOUNT 
(Hollywood)  (1,407)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  6 
days.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.)— CARTHAY 
CIRCLE  (1,516)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$12,500.  (Averaee:  $9,500) 
THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (2€th-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.)— CHINESE  (2,- 
500)  (SOc-aOt-SSc^l.OO).  Gross:  $17,500. 
(Average:  $15,700) 

THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.) — LOEWS 
STATE  (2.500)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$34,000.  (Average:  $21,700) 
THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.)-LOYOLA  (1,- 
265)  (50c-60c-85c-$l-00).  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

THE  IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.) — UPTOWN  (1,- 
716)  (50c-60c-S5c-$l.UO).  Gross:  $13,500. 
(Average:  $10,800) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN    (UI-Rampart)     and    PORT  SAID 

(Col.)— GUILD  (965)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $3,500.  (Average:  $7,100) 
LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID 
(Col.)— IRIS  (708)  (5Oc-6Oc-85c-$1.0O)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $7,100) 
LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (UI-Rampart)— RITZ  (1,376)  (50c-60c- 
S5c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $8,000.  (Aver- 
age :  $10,300) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (UI-Rampart)— STUDIO1  (880)  (50c- 
C0c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $6,900) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (UI-Rampart)  and  PORT  SAID 
(Col.) — UNITED  ARTISTS  (2,100)  (50c- 
6Oc-85c-$1.0O)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,200. 
(Average:  $15,400) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO- 

Radio)— HILLSTREET  (2,700)  (50c-60c-80c- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $18,000.  (Average:  $18,- 
300) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO- 

Radio)— PANTAGES  (2,000)  (50c-60c-80c- 
$1.00).  Gross:  $18,000.  (Average:  $17,300) 
THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)  and 
THE  COBRA  STRIKES  (E-L)— BEL 
MONT  (1,600)  (5Oc-6Oc-85c-$1.0O).  Gross: 
$6,900.  (Average:  $6,600) 
THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)  and 
THE  COBRA  STRIKES  (E-L)— EL  REY 
(861)  (50c-60fc-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $6,500. 
(Average:  $7,000) 

THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)  and 
THE      COBRA     STRIKES      (E-L)— OR- 

PHEUM  (2.210)  (50c-6Oc-85c-$1.0O).  Gross: 
$16,000.  (Average:  $14,300) 
THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)  and 
THE  COBRA  STRIKES  (E-L)— VOGUE 
(800)  ( 50c -(iJi-y  85c -$1.00).  Gross:  $8,500. 
(Average:  $7,500) 

STATE    OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)— 

EGYPTIAN  (1.000)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  3rd 
week.  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $13,900) 
STATE    OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)— 

EOX-WILSHIRE  (2,300)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
3rd  week.     Gross:  $11,000.     (Average:  $13,- 

800) 

STATE    OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)- 

I.OS  ANGELES  (2,096)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00) 
3rd  week.     Gross:  $9,000.     (Average:  $21,- 

200) 

WILL  IT  HAPPEN  AGAIN  ?  (Film  Clas- 
sics)  ejii  THE  ARGYLE  SECRETS  (Film 

Classics)—  MUSIC  HALL  (Beverly  Hills) 
(900)  (65c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $3,000.  (Aver- 
age: $4,300) 

WILL  IT  HAPPEN  AGAIN?  (Film  Clas- 
sics) ard  THE  ARGYLE  SECRETS  (Film 

Classics)  MUSIC    HALL  fDowntown) 

(900)  (65c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $6,000.  (Aver- 
age: $9  600) 

WILL  IT  HAPPEN  AGAIN?  (Film  Clas- 


sics) and  THE  ARGYLE  SECRETS  (Film 

Classics)— MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,000) 
(65c-85c-$1.0O).  Gross:  $3,000.  (Average: 
$5,200) 

WILLI  IT  HAPPEN  AGAIN?  (Film  Clas- 
sics) and  THE  ARGYLE  SECRETS  (Film 

Classics)-MUSIC  HALL  (Hollywood)  (490) 
(6Sc-85c-$1.0O).  Gross:  $3,000.  (Average: 
$4,300) 

WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  AL- 
WAYS TOGETHER  (WB)— WARNERS 
(Downtown)  (3,400)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $16,300) 
WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  AL- 
WAYS TOGETHER  (WB)— WARNERS 
'Hollywood)  (3,000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $8,000.  (Average:  $12,400) 
WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  AL- 
WAYS TOGETHER  (WB)— WARNERS 
(Wiltern)  (2,300)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.     Gross:  $7,500.     (Average:  $12,600) 


PHILADELPHIA 


Strong  bookings  helped  boost 
grosses  this  week  with  "Homecom- 
ing" the  box-office  leader.  Also  pull- 
ing above  -  average  figures  are 
"Mourning  Becomes  Electra,"  "Arch 
of  Triumph,"  "Iron  Curtain"  and 
"Lady  from  Shanghai."  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  May  18- 
20: 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA)— BOYD  (3,- 
000)  (50c-(.0c-74c-8Oc-85c-94c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $28,900.  (Average:  $23,100) 
B.  F.'S  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)— ARCADIA 
(900)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd  run. 
Gross:  $4,000.  (Average:  $6,000) 
CASBAH  (U-I)  -MASTBAUM  (4.700)  (50c- 
61c -74c -80c -85c -94c).  Gross:  $23,600.  (Av- 
erage: $27,800) 

HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  —  STANLEY 
(3,000)  (50c-6Oc-74c-8Oc-85c-94c).  Gross: 
$35,500.     (Average:  $20,5CO) 


I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio) — ER- 

LANGER  (1,800)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c) 
6th  week.     Gross:  $5,000.     (Average:  $18,- 

000) 

IRON  CURTAIN  (20th-Fox)— FOX  (3,- 
000)  (50c-60c-74c-80e-85c-94c).  Gross:  $27,- 
0CO.     (Average:  $20,400) 

THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)— 

KARLTO'N  (1,000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c). 
Gross:    $17,000.      (Average:  $12,CO0) 
MOURNING  BECOMES  ELECTRA  (RKO- 
Radic>)— ALDINE  (900)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c- 
94c).     Gross:  $16,200.     (Average:  $13,200) 
SITTING     PRETTY     (20th-Fox)— KEITH 
(2,200)     (50c-60c-74c-8C<c-85c-94c)     2nd  run. 
Gross:    $8,0CO.      (Average:  $6,100) 
STATE     OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)— 
GOLDMAN   (1,400)  (5Oc-6Oc-74c-80c-85c-S4c) 
3rd  week.     Gross:  $21,000.     (Average:  $22,- 
400) 

TO  THE  ENDS  OF  THE  EARTH  (Col.)- 

EARLE  (3,000)  (50c-6Cc-74c-80c-85c-94c)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $21,500.  (Average:  $24.3C0) 
VALLEY  OF  THE  GIANTS  and  THE 
FIGHTING  €9TH  (WB  Re-issues)— STAN- 
TON (1.000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c). 
Gross:  $9,500.     (Average:  $11,900) 


Bezel  Gets  Franchise, 
Splits  Territories 

Albert  Dezel  Productions  has  ac- 
quired the  Favorite  Films  franchise 
for  St.  Louis.  Also,  Masterpiece  Pro- 
ductions have  been  acquired  by  Dezel 
for  Kansas  City. 

Omaha  and  Des  Moines  will  hence- 
forth be  served  out  of  Chicago  and 
Kansas  City  offices  of  Dezel. 


New  Florida  Theatre 

Atlanta,  May  19.— E.  S.  Winburn 
and  Harlow  Lamb  are  constructing 
a  new  theatre  in  Chiefland,  Fla. 


  1 ! 

Legion  Classifies  22 
Pictures;  3  in  'B' 

Paramount's  "Dream  Girl,"  Mono-  J 
gram's  "Smart  Woman"  and  Super-  pi 
film's  "La  Vie  de  Boheme"  (French)  j* 
have  been  placed  in  Class  B  by  the  ,  j 
Legion  of  Decency.  Other  films  re- 
viewed this  week  by  the  Legion  are :  |i 
Class  A-I;  "The  Big  Punch,"  War-  1  ft 
ner ;  "Campus  Sleuth,"  "The  Dude  !  a 
Goes  West,"  "French  Leave,"  "Okla- 
homa Blues"  and  "Overland  Trails,"  R 
all  Monogram ;  "Give  My  Regards  tB 
to  Broadway,"  20th  Century-Fox ;  g 
"Guns  of  Hate,"  RKO  Radio ;  "Heart  is 
of  Virginia"  and  "Under  California 
Stars,"  both  Republic ;  and  "Whirl-  ft 
wind  Raiders,"  Columbia. 

In  Class  A-II :  "The  Argyle  Se-  in 

crets,"    "Devil's    Cargo,"   "For   You  G 

I  Die"  and  "Money  Madness,"  all  R 
Film  Classics ;  "Big  City,"  M-G-M ; 

"Crossed  Trails"  and  "I  Wouldn't  Be  . 

in  Your  Shoes,"  Monogram ;  and  "The  \ 
Emperor  Waltz,"  Paramount. 


Albany  Variety  Tourney 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  19.— June  21 
has  been  selected  as  the  date  and  the 
Shaker  Ridge  Club  as  the  place  for 
the  annual  golf  tournament  and  dinner 
to  be  held  by  the  Albany  Variety 
Club.  Nat  Winig  is  chairman  of  the 
arrangements  committee. 


Cincinnati  Variety  Dance 

Cincinnati,  May  19. — Local  Vari- 
ety Club,  Tent  No.  3,  will  hold  its  an- 
nual spring  dance  at  the  Netherland 
Plaza  on  June  5. 


MOfi  DEPICTURE 

DAILY 


VL.  6:      .  " 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  FRIDAY,  MAY  21,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Entire  Jensen 
&Von  Herberg 
Interests  Sold 

Seattle  Hotel  Man  Pays 
$2,000,000  for  Circuit 

Seattle,  May  20.— All  of  the 
theatre  and  other  interests  of  the 
Jensen  and  Von  Herberg  enter- 
prises with  headquarters  here  have 
been  purchased  by  William  Erdis, 
Seattle  hotel  operator. 

Purchase  price  was  not  officially 
disclosed,  but  local  real  estate  and 
theatremen  estimate  that  Erdis  paid  in 
excess  of  $2,000,000  for  the  properties. 

Erdis  acquired  the  stock  of  the 
Pioneer  Securities  Co.,  corporate  par- 
ent of  the  Jensen  and  Von  Herberg 
interests.  He  said  that  no  changes 
in  present  personnel  are  planned. 

Theatres  included  in  the  deal  are 
the  first-run  Liberty  here,  the  Vene- 
tian, Bagdad  and  Roxy  here,  the  Roxy 
in  Ballard.  Roxy  in  Enumclaw,  Grand, 
Great  Falls,  Mont.,  and  the  Rainier,  in 
Rent  on.  Wash. 


Para.  Case  Delays 
Crescent  Divestiture 


Wolfberg  Reelected 
By  Rocky  Mt.  Allied 


Denver,  May  20. — Reelection  of 
John  Wolfberg  as  president,  and  Joe 
Ashby  as  general  manager  yesterday 
closed  the  two-day  convention  here  of 
Allied  Rocky  Mountain  Independent 
Theatres.  Joan  Livingston  was  re- 
elected secretary,  and  Walter  Ibold, 
treasurer. 

Elected  to  the  board  of  directors 
were :  Fred  Lind,  Robert  Smith,  Xeal 
Beezley.  E.  K.  Menagh,  J.  K.  Powell, 
Tom  Knight,  Lloyd  Kerby,  Carl 
Garitson,  Marlin  Butler,  Charles 
Flowers,  A.  S.  Kehr,  Hobart  Gates. 


Rodner  Gets  'Beacon 
Award'  Here  Tonight 

Presentation  of  its  "Beacon  Award" 
to  Harold  Rodner.  vice-president  of 
Warner  Brothers  Service  Corp.,  will 
be  a  highlight  of  the  annual  dinner  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Associates  at  the 
W  aldorf  Astoria  Hotel  here  tonight. 
The  organization  this  year  is  combin- 
ing the  award  presentation  with  "A 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Nashville,  May  20. — Final  phase 
of  the  Crescent  divestiture,  that  in- 
volving the  divestiture  of  the  subsidi- 
ary Newport  Amusements,  Inc.,  will 
be  stayed  until  final  disposition  of  the 
divestiture  phase  of  the  Paramount 
case.  Most  legal  authorities  believe 
that  will  entail  another  two  years  or 
more. 

Basis  for  the  delay  in  the  Newport 
instance  is  an  amendment  to  the  Fed- 
eral Court  decree,  approved  some  time 
ago  by  the  Department  of  Justice, 
which  relieves  Crescent  of  the  require- 
ment of  disposing  of  its  interest  in 
Newport  in  the  event  defendants  in 
the  Paramount  case  are  not  required 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


MPEA  Defers  Action 
On  Dutch  Situation 


Decision  on  the  future  method  of 
operation  by  the  U.  S.  film  industry 
in  the  Netherlands  was  deferred  yes- 
terday by  the  Motion  Picture  Export 
Association's  board  to  await  the  re- 
port of  a  special  committee  named  to 
confer  with  officials  of  the  Bioscoop 
Bond  in  Amsterdam. 

Appointed  to  the  committee  at  a 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Mono.-ABPC 
Deal  Nears 


London,  May  20. — While  the  board 
of  Monogram  in  the  U.  S.  and  Asso- 
ciated British  Pictures  Corp.  here  are 
reportedly  reviewing  a  plan  submitted 
by  Monogram  International  president 
Norton  V.  Ritchey  for  a  two-way 
production-distribution  deal,  prepara- 
tions are  nearing  completion  for  Mon- 
ogram to  begin  filming  at  ABPC's 
Wehvyn  or  Elstree  studios  in  Sep- 
tember. 

Immediate  ratification  of  Ritchey' s 
proposal,  which  was  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  on  April  27, 
is  expected.  Under  the  plan  Mono- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Says  Accord  Pointed 
Up  U.S.  Films' Value 

It  took  the  Anglo-American  film 
tax  settlement  to  drive  home  to  British 
exhibitors  their  dependence  on  Holly- 
wood product  and  at  the  same  time 
make  U.  S.  distributors  realize  fully 
the  importance  of  the  United  Kingdom 
market.  This  view  was  voiced  here 
yesterday  by  Samuel  Graham,  head  of 
SG  Cinemas,  Ltd.,  which  operates  14 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


UA  Workers  Take  Their 
Fight  for  "IA"  to  NLRB 


50%  of  Italian  Film 
Imports  from  U.  S. 

Rome,  May  17  (By  Airmail). 
— Secretary  for  Foreign  Trade 
granted  permits  for  the  im- 
portation of  991  foreign  films 
during  1947;  792  features  and 
199  shorts.  Origin  of  the  fea- 
tures was  as  follows:  U.  S., 
507  (more  than  50  per  cent); 
France,  101;  England,  78; 
Russia,  70;  Sweden,  26;  Aus- 
tria, five;  Mexico  and  Spain, 
two  each;  Switzerland,  one. 

During  1947,  1,302  permits 
for  the  export  of  Italian  pic- 
tures were  granted,  1,065  for 
features  and  237  for  shorts. 


Judge  Matthew  M.  Levy,  IATSE 
counsel,  yesterday  filed  with  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board  in  be- 
half of  an  "overwhelming  majority" 
of  United  Artists'  140  home  office 
"white  collar"  workers,  a  petition  for 
a  shop  election  to  determine  the  em- 
ployes' future  collective  bargaining 
representative.  The  NLRB  is  expect- 
ed to  act  on  the  petition  quickly  since 
the  unit's  Screen  Office  and  Profes- 
sional Employes  Guild  (CIO)  con- 
tract will  expire  on  May  31. 

As  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  yesterday,  the  UA  home  office 
"majority"  has  renounced  SOPEG 
affiliation  and  has  signed  with  Russell 
Moss,  a  business  agent  of  "IA"  Mo- 
tion Picture  Home  Office  Employes 
Local  No.  H-63  (AFL). 

Spokesmen  for  SOPEG  Local  No. 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Theatres  Still 
Show  Interest 
In  Arbitration 


Complaints  Coming  In; 
Company  S  tand  U  ncertain 


Despite  the  indeterminate  status 
of  industry  arbitration  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision in  the  Paramount  case,  ex- 
hibitor interest  continues  to  be  mani- 
fested in  this  method  of  settling  trade 
grievances. 

First  arbitration  complaint  to  be 
filed  since  the  Supreme  Court  deci- 
sion was  handed  down  on  May  3  has 
been  docketed  at  the  New  Haven 
tribunal  and  other  complaints  are  in 
prospect.  According  to  exhibition 
sources,  one  may  be  filed  with  the 
Detroit  tribunal  today. 

Supreme  Court  held  that  the  New 
York  District  Court  has  the  power  to 
authorize  the  maintenance  of  an  in- 
dustry arbitration  system  on  a  volun- 
tary basis  and  to  provide  rules  and 
procedure  for  its  operation,  but  left 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Lawson  and  Trumbo 
Sentences  Are  Due 


Washington,  May  20.  —  Screen 
writers  John  Howard  Lawson  and 
Dalton  Trumbo  will  probably  be  sen- 
tenced tomorrow  for  having  been  con- 
victed of  contempt  of  Congress.  Ar- 
gument on  motions  for  new  trials  for 
the  two  writers,  convicted  some  weeks 
ago,  is  set  for  tomorrow  morning.  The 
motions  will  almost  certainly  be 
turned  down. 

Lawson  faces  a  maximum  penalty  of 
$1,000  and/or  a  year  in  jail  in  his 
conviction  for  refusing  to  tell  the  Un- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Tilden,  Karlin  and 
Schmitt  Promoted 

Managerships  of  three  Latin  Ameri- 
can Loew  International  territories  are 
involved  in  a  series  of  promotions 
disclosed  here  yesterday  by  Morton  A. 
Spring,  vice-president. 

Jack  Tilden,  manager  of  Venezuela, 
will  move  up  to  the  top  post  in  Chile, 
now  being  temporarily  managed  by 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  May  21,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


EDWARD    MOREY,  Monogram 
vice-president,  and'  Morey  Gold- 
stein,  general    sales    manager,  will 
leave  New  York  today  for  the  Coast. 
• 

Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount 
distribution  vice-president,  and  Rob- 
ert O'Brien,  company  secretary,  both 
of  whom  have  been  named  to  the  ad- 
visory council  of  Notre  Dame  Uni- 
versity, left  New  York  yesterday  for 
South  Bend,  Ind. 

• 

Elmer  C.  Rhoden,  head  of  Fox 
Midwest,  and  Harold  J.  Fitzgerald, 
Fox  Wisconsin  president,  have  re- 
turned to  their  respective  headquar- 
ters in  Kansas  City  and  Milwaukee 
from  New  York. 

• 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  prospective 
television  film  producer,  became  a 
grandfather  yesterday  with  the  birth 
here  of  Arthur  L.  Mayer,  II,  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michael  F.  Mayer. 
• 

William  Heineman,  Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president,  and  Max 
Youngstein,  advertising  -  publicity 
chief,  will  leave  here  today  for 
Chicago. 

• 

Edwin   Knopf,   M-G-M  producer, 
and  Deborah  Kerr,  screen  star,  are 
due  here  today  from  the  Coast.  They 
will  sail  for  England  tomorrow  on  the 
Queen  Mary. 

• 

Joseph  L.  Mankiewicz,  producer, 
who  returned  to  the  Coast  from  New 
York  recently,  is  due  back  here  on 
Tuesday. 

• 

William    B.    Zoellner,  M-G-M 
short  subjects  sales  head,  will  return 
to  New  York  over  the  weekend  from 
a  Midwest  and  Southern  tour. 
• 

W.  Stewart  McDonald,  Warner 
Theatres  vice-president,  took  office 
last  night  as  president  of  the  Town 
Club  in  Scarsdale,  N.  Y. 

• 

William  J.  Gell,  chairman  and 
managing  director  of  Monarch  Pic- 
tures Corp.,  London,  leaves  here  for 
Hollywood  today. 

• 

Phil  Reisman,  RKO  Radio's  for- 
eign sales  chief,  sailed  from  England 
for  home  yesterday  aboard  the 
SS.  America. 

• 

Harold  Chesler,  Bingham,  Utah, 
exhibitor,  has  filed  for  nomination  for 
the  Utah  House  of  Representatives  on 
the  Democratic  ticket. 

• 

Cecil  Thornell  has  been  trans- 
ferred from  the  Liberty  Theatre  at 
Great  Falls,  Mont.,  to  the  American 
in  Caldwell,  Mont. 

• 

Myron  Fox,  M-G-M  studio  execu- 
tive, flew  back  to  the  Coast  last  night 
from  New  York. 

• 

Arthur  Hornblow,  Jr.,  M-G-M 
producer,  is  due  here  May  29  from 
the  Coast  en  route  to  Europe. 


59  Exhibitors  Aid 
TOA's  'Youth'  Drive 

Charles  P.  Skouras,  national  chair- 
man of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  Ameri- 
ca's 'Youth  Month"  campaign,  has  re- 
ceived acceptances  from  59  exhibitor 
territorial  chairmen  who  will  co- 
operate in  the  drive  against  juvenile 
delinquency  fostered  by  TO  A  at  the 
request  of  U.  S.  Attorney  General 
Tom  C.  Clark  and  the  National  Con- 
ference on  Prevention  and  Control  of 
Juvenile  Delinquency. 

First  step  in  the  campaign  will  be 
the  showing  of  "Report  for  Action," 
documentary  financed  by  TOA,  to  lo- 
cal committees  on  civic  welfare  in 
more  than  1,500  communities.  The 
film  will  be  sent  to  exchanges  by  June 
1  for  presentation,  in  non-operating 
theatre  hours,  before  field  workers. 


M.  A.  Silver  Promotes 
Totman  and  Burger 

Pittsburgh,  May  20. — James  M. 
Totman,  advertising-publicity  director 
for  Warner  theatres  in  the  Pittsburgh 
zone  for  seven  years,  has  been  pro- 
moted to  succeed  the  late  Thomas  J. 
Fordham  as  district  manager  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania,  by  zone  man- 
ager M.  A.  Silver. 

Henry  Burger,  assistant  advertising 
director  since  1942,  succeeds  Totman 
as  ad-publicity  head  in  the  local  office. 
Jack  Kahn,  formerly  with  Warner's 
theatre  and  distribution  exploitation- 
publicity  offices,  has  returned  to  the 
theatre  company  as  assistant  to  Bur- 
ger, and  Charles  Comar,  manager  of 
the  Enright  in  East  Liberty  has  been 
promoted  to  head  the  personnel  depart- 
ment. 


Serlin  Is  Promoted 

Mort  Blumenstock,  Warner  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  advertising- 
uublicity,  has  appointed  Bernie  Serlin 
field  man  in  the  Central  district  with 
headquarters  in  Cincinnati.  An  at- 
torney before  the  war,  Serlin,  who 
was  a  captain  in  the  Army,  joined 
Warner's  exploitation  department 
last  year. 


Warner  Chiefs  at 
Jack  L.,  Jr.'s,  Dinner 

Warner  office  executives  invited  to 
last  night's  dinner  given  for  Jack  L. 
Warner,  Jr.,  at  the  Warwick  Hotel  on 
the  occasion  of  his  forthcoming  mar- 
riage, included : 

Harry  M.  and  Albert  Warner,  Ben  Kal- 
menson,  Harry  Kalmine,  Mort  Blumen 
stock,  Samuel  Schneider,  Herman  Starr, 
Samuel  Carlisle,  W.  S.  McDonald,  Harold 
Bareford,  Barney  Klawans,  Rudolph 
Weiss,  Jules  Lapidus,  Norman  Ayres, 
Norman  Moray,  Clarence  Eiseman,  Clayton 
Bond,  Wolfe  Cohen,  Nat  Fellman,  Herb 
Copelan,  Harry  Mayer,  Stanleigh  Fried- 
man, Larry  Golob,  Ed  Hessberg,  Jules 
Levey,  Tom  Martin,  Robert  Perkins,  Har- 
old Rodner,  Harry  Goldberg,  Gil  Golden. 
Ralph  Budd,  Harold  Levinson,  James  Bren- 
nan,  Mike  Dolid,  Ed  Hinchy,  Albert  Haw- 
son,  Sam  Lefkowitz,  Jacob  Wilk,  Frank 
Phelps,  Morris  Ebenstein  and  Bill  Brum- 
berg. 


A  .S  chenck-GoldstoneDeal 

Harry  Goldstone's  Famous  Film 
Exchange  will  distribute  the  product 
of  Madison  Pictures,  headed  by  Ar- 
mand  Schenck,  in  the  Metropolitan 
New  York  territory. 


Analysis  of  Color 
At  SMPE  Session 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  May  20. — 
Theory,  uses  and  effects  of  color, 
without  any  direct  relation  to  color 
photography  and  projection,  was  the 
principal  topic  at  today's  session  here 
of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  En- 
gineers' convention.  The  fourth  day's 
session  was  capped  by  a  joint  session 
with  the  Inter-Society  Color  Council 
at  the  Academy  Awards  Theatre  in 
the  evening  where  Ralph  M.  Evans  of 
Eastman  Kodak  gave  a  demonstration- 
lecture  on  "Seeing  Light  and  Color." 
.  The  afternoon  session  was  high- 
lighted by  Watson  Jones'  expository 
paper  describing  RCA's  new  mobile 
recording  unit  which  weighs  only 
8,500  pounds  complete  with  truck  and 
batteries,  compared  with  present  units 
in  use  weighing  18,000  pounds. 


Bergman  and  Bing 
Top  Magazine  Poll 

Ingrid  Bergman  is  the  favorite 
screen  actress  of  American  women  for 
the  second  year  in  succession  in  the 
W onion's  Home  Companion's  fourth 
annual  poll.  Bing  Crosby  leads  male 
stars  for  the  third  year.  The  stars 
rated  as  follows : 

Bergman,  Greer  Garson,  Claudette 
Colbert,  Bette  Davis,  Joan  Crawford, 
Irene  Dunne,  Rosalind  Russell,  June 
Allyson,  Barbara  Stanwyck,  Lana 
Turner. 

Bing  Crosby,  Gregory  Peck,  Spen- 
cer Tracy,  Cary  Grant, -Clark  Gable, 
Walter  Pidgeon,  Gary  Cooper,  Jimmy 
Stewart,  Ronald  Colman,  Dana 
Andrews. 


Bobbins  Signs  for 
Mecca  Building  Here 

Herman  Robbins  yesterday  signed 
contracts  whereby  National  Screen 
Service,  of  which  he  is  president,  ac- 
quired the  Mecca  Building  here  from 
Loew's  International. 

The  premises  will  become  headquar- 
ters of  NSS,  which  expects  to  take 
occupancy  in  from  six  to  nine  months. 
Departments,  now  scattered  over  four- 
and-one-half  floors  at  the  Film  Center 
Building,  and  other  departments  op- 
erating elsewhere,  will  go  under  the 
one  roof. 


Talks  on  Film  Codes 

The  motion  picture  advertising  and 
production  codes,  in  their  relationship 
to  the  functioning  of  the  industry's 
public  relations,  will  be  discussed  here 
tonight  by  Charles  Schlaifer,  director 
of  advertising-publicity  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, at  the  fourth  session  of  his 
course  on  "The  New  Significances  in 
Motion  Picture  Public  Relations"  at 
the  New  School. 


Tilden  Promoted 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


Sidney  Schwartz,  traveling  auditor. 
Stepping  up  to  Tilden's  job  in  Vene- 
zuela will  be  Myron  D.  Karlin,  now 
M-G-M  head  in  Ecuador.  Replacing 
Karlin  will  be  Robert  Schmitt,  assist- 
ant sales  chief  of  16mm.  entertainment 
films  in  New  York.  The  Ecuador 
managership  will  be  Schmitt's  first 
overseas  post.  ■ 


Markert  Production 
Head  of  'Cavalcade' 


Russell  Markert,  stage  producer  of 
Radio  City  Music  Hall  here,  yester- 
day was  named  production  committee 
chairman  of  the  1948  "Cavalcade  of 
Stars"  by  New  York  Supreme  Court 
Justice  Samuel  Dickstein,  who  is 
overall  chairman  of  the  event,  which 
will  be  presented  at  Madison  Squjr*^ 
Garden  on  June  3.  Proceeds  willk 
to  Shield  of  David  Home  for  Orpnai/ 
Girls  in  the  Bronx. 

Others  appointed  to  the  committee 
are  :  Max  Wolff,  vice-chairman  ;  Sam 
Raush  and  Arthur  Knorr,  co-chair- 
men ;  Norman  Rettig,  secretary,  and 
Zeb  Epstein,  Jack  Edwards,  Sidney 
Piermont,  Bert  Lytell,  Al  Horwits, 
Harry  Levine,  Bert  Liebman,  Angel 
Lopez,  Nat  and  Harry  Kalcheim, 
Louis  Sobol,  Leonard  Romm,  Bill 
Miller,  James  Sauter,  George  Evans, 
Harry  Hershfield,  Earl  Wilson,  Nat 
Harris,  Ben  Boyer  and  Max  Meth. 
Performers  will  include  screen,  stage 
and  radio  stars  and  "name"  bands. 


Award  for  Rodner 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Salute  to  the  Will  Rogers  Memorial 
Hospital,"  to  which  half  of  the  din- 
ner's proceeds  will  be  donated. 

Rodner,  who  is  executive  vice- 
president  of  the  Will  Rogers  Me- 
morial Fund  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Jewish  Child  Care  Association,  is  be- 
ing honored  for  his  work  in  the  social 
rehabilitation  of  blind  veterans  and  for 
his  activities  in  behalf  of  servicemen 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


- — RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL" 

Rockefeller  Center 

Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 

in  "THE  PIRATE" 

Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


RAY  MILLAND 
CHARLES  1AUGHT0N  Awf uw^i 


,  THE 


BIG  CLOCK  \mmSuo 

A  Paramount  Picture  ^ 


DANA  ANDREWS  •  GENETIERNEY 

"THE  IRON  CURTAIN" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture 
PLUS  ON  STAGE 

ED  SULLIVAN 

his   DAWN   PATROL  REVUE 

=ROXY  7thA¥  & 


50th  St. 


Merle        %>6erf       Charles  fbuf 

OBERON  •  RYAN  •  KORVIN  •  LUKAS 


.BROADWAY  o"^,  'J'1*" 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quiglcy,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Y-ucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  May  21,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Reviews 


"Give  My  Regards  to  Broadway" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

AS  a  comedy-drama  about  a  vaudeville  family,  "Give  My  Regards  to 
Broadway"  is  a  brightly  pleasing  family  picture  with  a  special  quality 
of  charm.  Made  in  Technicolor,  it  has  some  memorable  tunes  and  a  good 
cast,  headed  by  Dan  Dailey,  Charles  Winninger,  Nancy  Guild,  Charlie  Rug- 
gles  and  Fay  Bainter.  It  obviously  constitutes  reliable  merchandise. 

All  through  the  story  Winninger,  an  old  trouper,  holds  fast  to  the  dream 
that  vaudeville  will  come  back,  and  in  preparation  for  that  day,  he  keeps 
the  family  at  practice  on  their  old  juggling  act.  Slowly,  however,  the  family 
grows  up  and  moves  away  from  vaudeville.  One  marries,  another  drifts 
towards  other  interests,  and  even  Dailey,  the  favored  son,  meets  Miss  Guild 
and  starts  thinking  of  marriage.  Thus  the  years  catch  up  with  Winninger, 
causing  him  to  finally  abandon  his  hope.  Fortunately,  though,  he  has  been 
advancing  in  his  job  all  the  while,  and  by  this  time,  he  finds  himself  a  suc- 
cessful vice-president  in  business. 

The  story  depicts  a  dream  that  is  lost,  but  it  does  so  with  mirth,  buoyancy 
and  steady  narrative  development.  As  a  father  and  son,  Winninger  and 
Dailey  spark  the  proceedings  with  some  delightful  song  and  dance  numbers. 
Lloyd  Bacon  directed  and  Walter  Morosco  produced.  The  screenplay,  by  the 
late  Samuel  Hoffenstein  and  Elizabeth  Reinhardt  was  based  on  a  story  by 
John  Klempner. 

Running  time,  89  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Set  for  June 
release.  Mandel  Herbstman 


"Return  of  the  Bad  Men" 

(RKO  Radio) 

<*  D  ETURN  of  the  Bad  Men"  has  enough  brigands  for  half  a  dozen  out- 
door  pictures.  The  result  is  an  orgy  of  villainy  that  will  project 
devotees  of  violence  on  the  screen  into  "seventh  heaven."  The  display  of  give- 
and-take  keeps  the  footage  unrolling  at  a  furious  pace  from  starting  gun  to 
finish,  under  Ray  Enright's  direction. 

Actually  the  film  is  a  routine  affair  made  to  seem  more  important  than  it 
is  by  virtue  of  a  cast  with  a  number  of  good  box-office  names.  Topped  by 
Randolph  Scott,  Robert  Ryan,  George  (Gabby)  Hayes  and  Anne  Jeffreys, 
they  have  to  work  hard  to  put  the  story  over.  The  prime  handicap  which 
they  are  called  upon  to  overcome  is  a  script  with  more  stereotyped  ingredients 
than  might  be  expected  of  a  Western  of  the  pretensions  of  "Return  of  the 
Bad  Men." 

It  tells  the  story  of  a  group  of  cutthroats,  among  them  Billy  the  Kid  and 
the  Dalton  boys,  who  terrorized  the  Oklahoma  territory  at  the  time  of  the 
great  land  rush.  Their  nemesis  is  Scott,  who  abandons  his  ambition  to  go  to 
California  in  order  to  establish  law  and  order. 

Ryan  has  a  routine  asignment  as  one  of  the  bad  men.  Hayes  handles  the 
comedy.  Scott's  interest  is  torn  between  Miss  Jeffrey,  leader  of  the  "baddies'" 
who  reforms,  and  Jacqueline  White.  Ryan's  murder  of  Miss  Jeffrey  solves 
Scott's  romantic  problem.  The  Charles  O'Neal-Jack  Natteford-Lucci  Ward 
screenplay  was  produced  by  Nat  Holt.  Jack  J.  Gross  was  executive  producer. 

Running  time,  90  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Set  for  July 
release.  P.E.L. 


U.  S.  Films  to  Stay 
On  Norway  Screens 

By  SVEN  WINQUIST 

Oslo,  May  IS  (by  Airmail).  —  End 
result  of  the  film  agreement  between 
the  U.  S.  and  Norway  is  that  Ameri- 
can product  will  stay  on  local  screens 
even  after  its  allocated  exchange  quo- 
tas have  been  reached. 

-^.The  agreement  has  three  provisions  : 
v)nericans  can  take  the  dollar  equiva- 

8£ht  of  1,000,000  kroner  ($200,000) 
out  of  the  country.  The  dollar  equiva- 
lent of  an  additional  1,000,000  kroner 
will  be  blocked  and  then  paid  to 
American  distributors  in  dollars  over 
a  period  of  four  years,  beginning  in 
1949.  American  companies  are  permit- 
ted to  continue  operations  beyond  the 
2,000,000  kroner  ($400,000)  eventually 
to  be  paid  to  them,  but  the  additional 
monies,  it  is  understood,  cannot  be 
claimed  by  the  Americans.  It  is  under- 
stood that  this  money  will  be  used  for 
operating  expenses  in  the  country. 
U.  S.  dollars  are  scarce  in  Norway 
and  difficult  to  obtain. 

The  municipally  controlled  cinemas 
— 90  per  cent  of  all  houses  in  Norway 
— will  give  one  per  cent  of  their  in- 
come to  a  special  fund  for  Norwegian 
producers  in  an  attempt  to  encourage 
native  production. 

During  1947,  398  films  were  im- 
ported from  seven  countries,  compared 
with  367  in  1946  from  nine  countries. 
The  1947  figures :  U.  S.,  227 ;  England, 
55 ;  Sweden,  53 ;  France,  36 ;  Russia, 
14;  Denmark,  12;  Mexico,  one. 

Ontario  Saw  65  UK 
Pictures  Last  Year 

Toronto,  May  20.  —  The  report  of 
O.  J.  Silverthorne,  chairman  of  the 
Ontario  Censor  Board  for  the  year 
ending  March  31  reveals  that  of  533 
features  approved  during  the  period, 
13  per  cent  were  classed  as  adult. 
The  list  included  65  British  features. 

The  report  also  stated  that  448  the- 
atres had  been  licensed  as  well  as 
935  projectionists,  both  totals  being 
an  all-time  record  for  Ontario.  Out 
of  38,877  items  of  film  advertising, 
650  pieces  were  rejected  while  250 
others  were  returned  for  revision. 


MPEA  Defers  Action 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

meeting  at  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America  offices  here,  at 
which  Francis  S.  Harmon,  MPAA 
vice-president,  presided,  were  Frank 
McCarthy,  Continental  manager  of 
the  MPAA,  chairman ;  Irving  Maas, 
MPEA  vice-president  and.  general 
manager,  and  two  Continental  man- 
agers of  member  companies  still  to  be 
selected.  The  quartet  will  proceed 
to  Amsterdam  later  this  month. 

The  MPEA  board  will  meet  again 
to  take  up  the  Dutch  situation  as  soon 
as  the  committee  turns  in  its  report 
on  the  outcome  of  the  conferences  with 
the  Bioscoop  Bond  officials. 

Upon  the  results  of  the.  later  con- 
ferences will  depend  whether  or  not 
the  MPEA  will  withdraw  from  the 
Dutch  scene. 


Canadian  Taxes  Drop 

Ottawa,  May  20. — Canadian  amuse- 
ment taxes  in  April  dropped  to  $1,- 
114,458,  from  $1,495,795  collected  in 
March.  They  were  still  higher  than  a 
year  ago,  however,  when  revenue  to- 
taled $1,070,315  in  April  and  $1,346,- 
175  in  March. 


20%  Admission  Tax 
In  British  Columbia 

Ottawa,  May  20. — British  Colum- 
bia has  joined  Ontario  in  imposing 
a  20  per  cent  amusement  levy  to  re- 
place the  tax  lifted  this  week  by  the 
Canadian  government.  Some  $2,000,- 
000  annually  are  expected  from 
British  Columbia's  levy. 

Meanwhile,  the  Ontario  provincial 
Treasury  Department  has  advised  that 
the  new  tax,  which  is  embodied  in  the 
Ontario  hospital  amusement  tax  act, 
has  been  levied  on  the  face  value  of 
each  admission  ticket,  whereas  the 
federal  tax  was  on  the  basis  of 
weekly  gross  receipts. 


Propose  Film  Tax 
For  French  Subsidy 

A  25  per  cent  tax  on  the  receipts  of 
producers  in  France  and  on  Holly- 
wood and  other  foreign  film  imports 
would  recover  a  1,000,000,000-franc 
($4,000,000)  subsidy  proposed  for  the 
French  motion  picture  industry,  ac- 
cording to  press  dispatches  reaching 
here  from  Paris. 

Legislation  for  the  subsidy  and  sub- 
sequent taxation  has  been  introduced 
in  the  National  Assembly  by  Com- 
munist Deputy  Fernand  Grenier,  and 
is  designed  to  promote  "a  rapid  and 
massive  production  of  French  films." 


$199,093  Net  for 
Eastern  Theatres 

Ottawa.  May  20.— Net  earnings  of 
Eastern  Theatres,  Ltd.,  for  the  53-week 
period  ended  Jan.  3  was  $199,093  com- 
pared with  $241,989  for  the  previous 
52  weeks,  according  to  the  company's 
annual  report.  The  1947  net  was 
equal  to  $3.17  per  common  share 
against  $3.24  per  share  in  1946. 

Total  assets  of  Eastern  Theatres 
were  $633,542  and  working  capital 
^227,375,  compared  with  1946's  assets 
of  $573,948  and  working  capital  of 
$179,745. 


NY-Albany  Coaxial  Cable 

A  new  long-distance  coaxial  cable 
will  be  put  in  service  between  New 
York  and  Albany  today  by  American 
Telephone  and  Telegraph.  The  cable 
contains  eight  coaxial  tubes,  a  pair 
of  which,  when  fully  equipped,  can 
handle  two  television  programs  or 
about  600  simultaneous  telephone  con- 
versations. 


Allen  Forms  Telefilm 

Toronto,  May  20.  —  Telefilm  of 
Canada  has  been  organized  by  I.  H. 
Allen  to  distribute  films  for  telecast- 
ing when  video  gets  under  way  in 
the  Dominion  under  the  license  con- 
trol of  the  Canadian  Broadcasting 
Corp. 


5  UN  Films  Have 
Been  Completed 

Washington,  May  20. — The  United 
Nations  Organization  has  completed 
five  documentary  pictures  and  hopes  to 
have  10  others  finished  by  the  end  of 
the  year,  UN  film  chief  William  H. 
Wells  told  a  luncheon-meeting  of  the 
Washington  Film  Council  today. 

Films  already  completed,  Wells 
said,  are:  "Clearing  the  Way,"  four- 
reeler  on  the  planning  of  the  new  UN 
headquarters  in  New  York;  "First 
Steps,"  Academy  Award  winning 
one-reeler  on  rehabilitation  of  physi- 
cally-handicapped children ;  and  three 
two-reelers :  "The  People's  Charter," 
"Searchlight  of  the  Nations,"  and 
"Maps  We  live  By."  UN  films  are 
being  made  in  nine  countries,  the  UN 
official  stated. 


U.S.  Films'  Value 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

.houses  in  Nottingham,  England. 

Graham,  in  New  York  to  discuss 
product  deals  with  major  distributors, 
said  the  accord  came  just  in  the  nick 
of  time,  British  exhibitors  having 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  barrel  as 
far  as  U.  S.  product  was  concerned. 
He  asserted  the  rejoicing  that  greeted 
the  settlement  in  England  attested  to 
the  popularity  of  our  pictures  there. 

The  visitor  counselled  American 
producers  to  keep  in  mind  in  making 
production  plans  that  people  today  are 
in  search  of  happy  entertainment.  He 
said  the  present  demand  in  his  country 
is  for  "gay"  pictures  to  make  the  pub- 
lic forget  its  troubles. 

According  to  Graham,  British  film- 
goers  are  now  shopping  for  quality 
without  regard  for  its  origin. 

Accompanied  by  his  wife,  the  British 
theatre  operator  will  leave  here  for  a 
Bermuda  vacation  on  Wednesday,  re- 
turning to  New  York  on  June  26.  He 
plans  to  return  home  a  week  later 
aboard  the  vS\5\  Mauretania. 


Mono.-ABPC 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

gram-Allied  Artists  would  distribute 
throughout  the  Americas  three  ABPC 
productions  in  return  for  which  Mono- 
gram would  produce  here  under 
ABPC  auspices  for  British  Pathe  dis- 
tribution in  the  United  Kingdom  and 
AA  distribution  in  America. 

At  the  same  time  the  agreement 
would  give  ABPC  a  dual  American 
outlet,  with  its  major  output  handled 
by  Warners  under  a  concluded  pact. 

Mrs.  Fanny  Feldman,  52 

Kansas  City,  May  20. — Mrs.  Fan- 
ny Feldman,  52,  wife  of  exhibitor  Ben 
J.  Feldman,  died  at  Menorah  Hospital 
here  yesterday  after  a  long  illness. 
Services  for  Mrs.  Feldman,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Council  of  Jewish 
Women  and  Kansas  City  Hadassah, 
were  held  here  today.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  who  is  co-owner  with 
Reuben  Finkelstein  of  the  Paseo  and 
Byam  theatres  in  Greater  Kansas 
City,  and  by  two  daughters. 


Alpha  Fowler,  Sr. 

Atlanta,  May  20. — Alpha  Fowler, 
Sr.,  veteran  Georgia  exhibitor  and 
legislator,  died  of  a  heart  attack  at 
the  Piedmont  Hospital  on  Monday. 
Fowler  was  one  of  the  largest  inde- 
pendent theatre  operators  in  the  state. 
In  addition  to  the  widow,  he  is  sur- 
vived by  three  sons,  Alpha,  Oscar  and 
Jimmie,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  R.  L. 
Whitehurst.  Funeral  service  was  held 
in  Douglasville  yesterday. 


RKO  SHOWMANSHII 
TO  RECORD-BREA 


^0 


Thousands  storm  doors  of  Boston 
Theatre  as  cyclonic  campaign  blank- 
ets Hub  City  area  . . .  New  opening 
record  for  the  picture  that's  headline- 
hot  with  authentic  drama  staged  in 
the  actual  settings  in  Berlin,  Frank- 

fort,  Paris... BROADWAY  RUN  BEGIN- 
NING  MAY  20  AT  VICTORIA  THEATRE  <** 


*  >,C    fund  I 


4000 


i 


Vie  to 


H  SI 


Hollywood  Stars,  Big  PS^g^BV    W      „  'V0  C  j&L    .  "*V 

;      St«o  Show  for     |2V  .  b  \*  Jg&J  „  *  CX^ 

!        cancer  Fund       HUgHi^-'- t»*        W  J00||, 


0U/ 


S^T^a**  Stars 
Film,  Stage p  mier« 

appear  ■»  > press 

V.4.  brilliance, 

dters  at  ft 


"~~^'i^tstonentertain-  PROGRA. 


2»s  P, 


LAUNCHES  TWO  MORE 
4G  OPENINGS! 


Fox  Theatre  draws  biggest  opening 
crowds  in  years,  as  parades,  radio, 
newspapers  and  continuous  public 
events  sweep  all  attention  to  the 
picture  with  unlimited  exploitation 
possibilities  and  terrific  audience  ap- 
peal!-ATLANTA  exploitation  opening 
follows  same  sensational  pattern  • . . 
with  more  and  more  to  come! 


Produced  by  PHIL  L.  RYAN  .  Directed  by  TED  TETZLAFF  •  Screen  Play  by  martin  RACKin  and  frank  Davis  •  Story  by  wiuiam  Rankin 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  May  21,  1948 


Arbitration 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


action  in  the  matter  up  to  the  lower 
court.  Since  no  provision  for  arbi- 
tration is  contained  in  the  decree  in 
the  Paramount  case  and  the  District 
Court  is  not  expected  to  act  in  the 
matter  for  some  months,  the  American 
Arbitration  Association  has  been  un- 
certain whether  it  would  continue  to 
accept  complaints  for  arbitration.  Its 
interim  procedure,  pending  court  ac- 
tion, will  be  to  accept  new  complaints 
and  endeavor  to  arrange  for  their 
arbitration. 

Arbitration  Views  Are  Split 

Defendants  in  the  Paramount  case 
apparently  have  made  no  decision  yet 
on  continued  participation  in  a  volun- 
tary arbitration  system  should  one  be 
authorized  by  the  New  York  court. 
Opinion  is  divided,  some  holding  that 
the  ultimate  decree  in  the  Paramount 
case  will  eliminate  most  of  the  factors 
which  give  rise  to  arbitration  com- 
plaints, whereas  others  believe  that 
the  decree  may  increase  such  causes, 
particularly  in  the  matter  of  clearance 
and  run,  and  that  arbitration,  in  con- 
sequence, will  be  more  needed  than 
before. 

Clearance  and  run  complaints,  in 
consequence  of  the  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision, already  are  swamping  many 
distribution  offices,  as  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  yesterday. 

Await  Companies'  Reaction 

The  complaint  filed  this  week  was 
by  Crown  Management  Corp.,  opera- 
tor of  the  Crown  Theatre,  Hartford. 
It  is  against  all  five  distributor-de- 
fendants, and  it  is  said  that  if  the 
companies,  which  yesterday  received 
notices  of  the  filing,  do  not  reject 
Crown's  move  it  will  be  a  tacit  indica- 
tion of  their  willingness  to  continue 
arbitration  pending  a  final  decree. 

Complainant  claims  that  pictures  of 
the  five  become  available  to  Crown 
five  and  six  months  after  a  first-run 
in  Hartford  and  that  hardship  is  cre- 
ated in  booking  and  buying  for 
Crown.  The  arbitrator  is  requested  to 
set  a  30-day  ceiling  after  first-run 
Hartford.  Hartford  first-run  named 
was  the  Rialto. 


Reviews 


"Showtime9* 

(English  Films') 

BRITISH  film  makers  present  a  story  inspired  by  the  memory  of  one  of 
their  top  theatrical  producers,  George  Edwardes.  The  story  of  his  rise, 
set  in  the  gas-lit  era,  quite  naturally  develops  against  a  background  of  musical 
comedy,  with  some  bright  entertainment  resulting  occasionally.  Popular  ac- 
ceptance here  may  be  hampered  by  the  accents  of  most  of  the  performers. 
The  picture's  best  asset  is  its  excellent  principals,  Richard  Greene  and  Ann 
Todd. 

The  screenplay,  devised  by  Katherine  Strueby  from  a  story  by  Richard 
Fisher  and  Peter  Creswell,  proceeds  along  formula  lines.  With  the  theatre 
in  his  heart,  Greene  goes  to  London,  is  attracted  by  a  young  entertainer, 
and  finally  wins  her  hand.  Once  married,  there  follow  the  ups  and  downs, 
the  bittersweet  moments  that  were  part  of  the  producer's  rise  to  the  heights 
of  theatreland.  Production  numbers  that  show  up  intermittently  are  of  a 
conventional  nature.  In  support  are  Peter  Graves,  Morland  Graham  and 
Hazel  Court.  A  British  Mutual  Film  Corp.  release,  George  King  produced 
and  directed. 

Running  time,  89  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  May  release. 

  M.H. 

"Whirlwind  Raiders*' 

(Columbia) 

ADURANGO  KID  Western  with  Charles  Starrett  and  Smiley  Burnette. 
Starrett,  as  a  masked  rider  on  a  white  horse,  and  Steve  Lanning,  a 
Texas  Ranger,  help  the  land  owners  in  their  fight  against  graft  and  corrup- 
tion. A  group  of  racketeers  use  the  shield  of  police  to  advance  their  own 
ends,  increasing  tax  rates  and  confiscating  land  and  cattle  when  the  ranchers 
are  unable  to  pay.  The  Durango  Kid  realizes  what  the  gang  is  doing  and 
he  leads  the  ranchers  in  their  fight  against  the  gang.  The  outlaws,  of  course, 
are  exposed. 

Smiley  Burnette,  as  a  singing  repair  man,  contributes  several  comic  inci- 
dents. Colbert  Clark  produced  and  Vernon  Keays  directed. 

Running  time,  54  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  13. 

"Guns  of  Hate" 

(RKO  Radio) 

WHILE  the  plot  of  "Guns  of  Hate"  is  one  of  the  old  Western  faithfuls, 
it  has  been  worked  out  against  pictorial  backgrounds  that  enhance 
its  interest  many  notches.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  cameraman  George  E.  Diskant 
that  the  production  seems  so  much  better  than  it  actually  is. 

Accorded  a  creditable  production  by  Herman  Schlom,  the  picture  has  an 
abundance  of  action  and  noise,  effected  by  the  unrelenting  direction  of  Lesley 
Selander,  who  worked  from  a  screenplay  by  Norman  Houston  and  Ed  Earl 
Repp.  Tim  Holt  gives  a  vigorous  account  of  himself  as  the  star.  He  and 
his  buddy,  Richard  Martin,  who  takes  care  of  the  comedy,  are  job-hunting 
cowboys  who  save  Nan  Leslie's  gold  mine  from  being  seized  by  a  gang 
after  her  dad  is  slain. 

Running  time,  62  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  P.E.L. 


Dennis  O'Keefe,  Marsha  Hunt  and  Claire  Trevor, 
in  "RAW  DEAL,"  the  picture  that  blasts  the  screen  with 
"T-Men"  fury.  It's  an  Edward  Small  production, 
an  Eagle  Lion  Films  release. 


UA  Workers 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


109  reported  yesterday,  however,  that 
the  union  "is  going  full  steam  ahead" 
in  its  1948  contract  negotiations  for 
the  UA  employes.  SOPEG  president 
Sidney  Young  is  understood  to  have 
held  a  special  membership  meeting 
here  last  night  to  weigh  strategy  in 
light  of  H-63's  invasion  of  its  ranks. 
He  is  said  also  to  have  "discharged" 
from  the  SOPEG  all  UA  workers 
who  had  formed  a  committee  to  spear- 
head a  movement  to  tie  up  with  "IA." 

SOPEG  said  yesterday:  "Reported 
attempts  by  the  IATSE  to  raid 
SOPEG's  jurisdiction  at  UA  is  a 
repetition  of  what  occurred  in  1946. 
At  that  time  the  'IA'  used  a  few  com- 
pany stooges  in  an  attempt  to  disrupt 
negotiations.  The  1946  contract,  which 
won  wage  increases  and  other  bene- 
fits, also  made  it  possible  for  UA  em- 
ployes to  win  1947  increases  through 
arbitration." 

The  UA  employes'  switch  was  de- 
scribed by  a  "majority"  spokesman  as 
due  mainly  to  the  fact  that  SOPEG's 
refusal  to  file  non-Communist  affidavits 
has  denied  the  union  access  to  the 
NLRB. 


Para.  Case  Delays 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


by  the  Supreme  Court  to  dispose  of 
their  theatres  or  are  permitted  by  the 
high  court  to  buy  or  sell  interests  in 
their  partly-owned  circuits. 

Subject  in  Lower  Court's  Hands 

While  the  Supreme  Court  refused 
Paramount  case  defendants  the  right 
to  buy  or  sell  partially-owned  theatre 
interests,  it  returned  the  question  of 
divestiture  to  the  lower  court  for  /&~\ 
termination.  Crescent,  therefore,  n-  J 
retain  Newport  pending  the  divestitb  ": 
determination  in  the  Paramount  case. 

All  other  phases  of  the  Crescent  di- 
vestiture have  been  concluded.  Rock- 
wood  Amusements,  headed  by  Kermit 
Stengel,  has  sold  its  interest  in  Ruffin 
Amusements  to  W.  F.  Ruffin,  Coving- 
ton, Tenn.,  for  cash. .  Rockwood  also 
has  sold  its  interests  in  Cherokee 
Amusements  and  Stengel  is  no  longer 
an  officer  or  director  of  the  latter. 
Rockwood's  interest  in  Kentucky 
Amusement  Co.,  reincorporated  as 
Elizabethton  Theatre  Co.,  was  sold  to 
J.  M.  Hobbs,  Elizabethton,  Ky. 

Stengel  is  no  longer  associated  with 
Crescent,  which  is  now  headed  by 
Robert  E.  Baulch,  son-in-law  of  the 
late  Tony  Sudekum.  Webster  D. 
Hayes  is  secretary-treasurer  of 
Crescent. 

One  Crescent  Petition  Rejected 

The  five-year  old  Crescent  decree 
prohibited  the  company  from  expand- 
ing where  unfair  competition  would 
result.  The  court,  however,  has  ap- 
proved construction  by  Crescent  of 
two  houses  in  the  Nashville  suburbs 
and  one  at  Alcoa,  Tenn.,  the  purchase 
of  another  at  Old  Hickory,  near  here, 
and  the  remodelling  of  theatres  in 
Brownsville,   Tenn.,   and  Earlington, 

The  only  Crescent  petition  opposed 
in  court  thus  far  was  one  for  remodel- 
ing and  enlargement  of  the  Ritz  Thea- 
tre, Alabama  City,  Ala.  The  court 
granted  permission  over  the  objections 
of  owners  of  a  competing  theatre. 


Lawson  and  Trumbo 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


American  Activities  Committee 
whether  he  was  or  ever  had  been  a 
Communist.  Trumbo  was  convicted 
on  two  counts,  for  refusing  to  say 
whether  he  was  a  Communist  and 
whether  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Screen  Writers'  Guild.  He  could  get 
up  to  two  years  and/or  a  $2,000  fine. 
Probably,  however,  the  sentences  on 
the  two  counts  will  be  made  to  run 
concurrently. 

Defense  attorneys  are  already  com- 
mitted to  appealing  the  decision,  and 
have  10  days  after  sentencing  to  file 
the  appeal. 


I  OF  COURSE 


I  TEXAS, 
I  BROOKLYN 

and 

HEAVEN" 

sent  from  UA 


°o  copy 


ft 


63.  NO.  100 


MOTT?-V  PICTORE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  MAY  24.  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


$5-Million  Net 
Reported  by 
RKO  for  1947 

RKO  Radio  Was  'In  the 
Red',  Now  'In  the  Black' 

RKO's  net  profit  in  1947  was 
$5,085,848,  equal  to  SI. 30  per  share 
of  outstanding  common  stock, 
against  512,187,805  in  1946.  equal 
to  S3. 18  per  share. 

In  a  letter  to  stockholders  ac- 
companying the  company's  an- 
nual financial  statement,  N. 
Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  president, 
explained  that  the  recession  in 
1947  consolidated  earnings  was 
attributable  to  a  substantial 
loss  by  RKO  Radio  Pictures, 
the  picture  producing  and  dis- 
tributing subsidiary.  Thus  far 
in  the  current  year,  operations 
of  this  subsidiary  have  shown  a 
small  profit,  while  theatre  oper- 
ations continue  very  profitable 
but  at  a  somewhat  lower  level 
than  at  the  same  time  last  year, 
Rathvon  added. 

Report  shows  that  although  earnings 
for  1947  were  lower  than  in  1946. 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


RKO  Seeks  Release 
From  Loop  Decree 

Chicago.  May  23. — Hearings  on 
RKO's  motion  to  exempt  the  company 
from  contempt  charges  in  the  Jackson 
Park  decree  were  placed  under  advise- 
ment Friday  by  Federal  Judge  Michael 
L.  Igoe  in  U.  S.  District  Court. 

Miles  Seeley,  RKO  attorney,  argued 
that  the  RKO' Palace  and  Grand  thea- 
tres were  not  named  defendants  in  the 
original  decree,  that  only  RKO  Pic- 
tures were  involved.  He  stated  that 
the  houses  are  separate  corporations, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Early  US  Action 
Seen  on  Blum  Pact 


Washington,  May  23.  —  With  the 
deadline  for  re-negotiation  of  the 
Blum-Byrnes  accord  nearing,  State 
Department  and  industry  officials  here 
expect  an  early  announcement  of  U.  S. 
agreement  to  reopen  the  pact,  and 
then  speedy  settlement  of  the  points  at 
issue. 

Under  the  accord's  terms,  the  re- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Decision's  Effect  on 
Theatres  'Unsettled' 

In  advising  stockholders 
on  the  recent  decision  by  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  Gov- 
ernment's Paramount  anti- 
trust action,  N.  Peter  Rath- 
von, RKO  president,  reports 
that,  as  further  proceedings 
must  be  held,  it  is  impossible 
to  foretell  what  theatres,  if 
any,  the  corporation  must 
dispose  of  and  what  general 
effect  the  opinion  of  the 
court  will  have  on  the  com- 
pany's business. 

Barney  Balaban,  Paramount 
president,  in  a  letter  to  his 
company's  stockholders  to- 
day, expresses  a  similar 
opinion. 


Another  Arbitration 
Complaint  Filed 

Further  manifestation  of  continuing 
exhibitor  interest  in  industry  arbitra- 
tion as  a  method  of  settling  trade 
grievances  came  with  announcement 
by  the  American  Arbitration  Associa- 
tion office  here  at  the  weekend  that  a 
clearance  complaint  had  been  docket- 
ed at  the  Detroit  tribunal.  It  was  the 
second  such  complaint  to  be  filed  fol- 
lowing the  May  3  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision in  the  Paramount  case. 

Latest  complainant  is  the  Grand 
Centre  Recreation  Co.,  operating  the 
Centre  Theatre,  Grand  Blanc,  Mich. 
Naming  all  five  trust-suit  distributor 
defendants,  the  complainant  claims 
that  clearance  granted  by  them  to  the 
Regent,  Strand.  Michigan,  Delia. 
Roxie,  Rialto,  Xortown  and  Burton 
theatres  of  Flint  is  excessive  and  un- 
reasonable. The  Centre,  complainant 
alleges,  is  compelled  to  wait  on  an  av- 
erage of  between  75  and  120  days  fol- 
lowing the  available  dates  of  the  thea- 
tres mentioned,  and  asks  a  reduction 
in  clearances. 


Trumbo  and  Laws  on 
Receive  Maximum 
Penalty;  To  Appeal 

.  Washington,  May  23.  ■ —  Screen- 
writers John  Howard  Lawson  and  Dal- 
ton  Trumbo  were  sentenced  Friday  to 
pay  a  fine  of  SI, 000  each  and  serve 
one  year  in  jail  for  having  been  con- 
victed of  contempt  of  Congress,  re- 
ceiving the  maximum  penalty  for  this 
crime. 

Defense  attorneys  immediately  filed 
notice  of  appeal.  Argument  on  the  ap- 
peal will  not  be  heard  until  the  Fall, 
due  to  time  allowed  each  side  to  file 
briefs  and  designate  the  portions  of 
the  record  to  be  sent  to  the  higher 
court,  and  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
Court  of  Appeals  for  the  District  will 
recess  next  month  until  the  Fall. 

Both  Lawson  and  Trumbo  were 
continued  on  bail  pending  the  outcome 
of  the  appeal. 

Sentencing  in  each  case  came  imme- 
diately after  District  judges  turned 
down  motions  for  new  trials  on  the 
ground  that  all  points  raised  in  the 
new  trial  motions  had  been  argued  in 
the  previous  trials. 

Judge    David    A.    Pine  sentenced 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


See  Delay  on  Video 
Permit  Hearings 

Washington,  May  23. — Further 
hearings  on  applications  for  new  tele- 
vision stations  in  most  large  cities 
will  probably  be  delayed  indefinitely 
under  a  policy  announced  by  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  on 
Friday. 

FCC  said  its  new  policy  is  necessi- 
tated by  recent  rulings  taking  away 
one  television  channel  and  ending  the 
sharing  of  others,  and  by  hearings 
next  month  on  complete  reallocation 
of  television  channels. 

Under    these    circumstances,  the 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Theatre  Companies  at 
5-Year  High,  Says  U.  S. 


Washington,  May  23. — Number  of 
firms  operating  motion  picture  thea- 
tres has  increased  steadily  during  the 
last  four  years,  the  Commerce  Depart- 
ment reports. 

At  the  end  of  1947,  there  were  14,- 
300  firms  operating  theatres,  the  De- 
partment's figure  shows.  This  com- 
pares with  12.300  at  the  end  of  1944, 
low  point  of  recent  years. 

At  the  end  of  1943.  there  were  12,- 
600  firms.     This  dropped  to  12.300 


during  1944,  picked  up  to  12,500  in 
June.  1945.  and  was  up  to  13.400  at 
the  end  of  1946.  The  trend  continued 
through  1947,  and  apparently  is  still 
continuing,  officials  believe. 

The  Department  cautioned  that 
these  figures  do  not  reflect  the  num- 
ber of  theatres,  but  only  the  number 
of  firms  operating  theatres.  Thus  a 
circuit  operating  50  or  500  theatres 
would  be  counted  only  as  one  firm  in 
the  survey. 


U.  A.  Rejects 
SOPEG,  Cites 
4Red'  Issue 


Offers  to  Deal  with 
Other  Bargaining  Units 

United  Artists  management  noti- 
fied the  Screen  Office  and  Profes- 
sional Employes  Guild  (CIO)  here 
at  the  weekend  that  it  "cannot  ne- 
gotiate" with  SOPEG's  contract  nego- 
tiating committee  because  the  "union 
has  refused  to  comply  with  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Act  of  1947" 
in  that  "its  officers  have  refused  to 
sign  affidavits  swearing  that  they  are 
not  Communists"  and  because  the 
union  "has  failed  to  file  a  financial 
report  with  the  Secretary  of  Labor." 

This  notification,  representing  the 
first  such  stand  to  be  taken  by  any 
film  company  on  SOPEG  since  the 
Taft-Hartley  Law  was  adopted,  was 
served  personally  by  UA  executives  at 
a  meeting  with  Sidney  Young, 
SOPEG  president,  and  other  officials 
of  the  union.  Immediately  following 
the  meeting,  the  management  assured 
the  140  "white  collar"  home  office  em- 
ployes affected,  in  writing,  that  "you 
will  not  suffer  the  loss  of  any  wage 
rates,  hours,  working  conditions  or 
any  other  privileges  attained  by  you 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Para.  Undecided  on 
Decision  'Problems' 


Paramount  has  not  yet  taken  any 
position  with  respect  to  the  problems 
presented  by  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court 
decision  in  the  Government  trust  suit 
against  the  industry,  Barney  Balaban, 
company  president,  discloses  in  a  let- 
ter to  stockholders  accompanying  the 
annual  proxy  statement. 

In  reporting  to  stockholders,  Bala- 
ban writes : 

'"The  opinion  of  the  Supreme  Court 
indicates  that  it  does  not  regard  the 
ownership  by  this  corporation  of  thea- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


All  Para.  Directors 
Up  for  Reelection 

All  directors  have  been  proposed 
for  reelection  at  Paramount's  annual 
stockholders'  meeting  here  on  June  15, 
according  to  the  company's  proxy 
statement. 

Listed  as  board  nominees  are 
Barney  Balaban.  Stephen  Callaghan. 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  May  24,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

MALCOLM  KINGSBERG,  RKO 
Theatres  president,  and  Sol  A. 
Schwartz,  vice-president  and  gener- 
al manager,  left  here  over  the  week- 
end for  Chicago  and  Kansas  City. 
They  will  return  on  Wednesday. 
• 

Eric  Johnston,  president  of 
MPAA,  and  Arthur  DeBra,  director 
of  the  MPAA's  community  relations 
department,  have  left  here  for  Port- 
land, Ore.,  to  address  the  General 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  con- 
vention there. 

• 

Ben  Cohen,  manager  of  the  Strand 
Theatre,  Cincinnati,  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  Uptown,  Cleveland.  Jack 
Silverthorn,  former  manager  of  the 
Telenews  in  Detroit,  succeeds  Cohen. 
• 

Mrs.  William  A.  White,  wife  of 
the  general  manager  of  Skouras  the- 
atres in  New  York,  is  a  patient  at 
Johns  Hopkins  Hospital  in  Baltimore, 
e 

Bernard  M.  Kamber,  Eastern  ad- 
vertising-publicity  representative  for 
Benedict   Bogeaus   Productions,  will 
leave  here  today  for  Hollywood. 
• 

L.  J.  Kaufman,  Warner  circuit 
executive,  left   here   last   night  for 
Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh.    He  is  due 
back  in  New  York  on  Wednesday. 
• 

Ed  Stevens,  president  of  Stevens 
Pictures,  has  returned  to  Atlanta  from 
a  New  York  sales  meeting. 

• 

Otto  Preminger,  20th  Century- 
Fox  producer-director,  left  here  yes- 
terday for  England. 

• 

J.  A.  Otten  and  Mrs.  Otten  of 
Motion  Picture  Daily's  Washing- 
ton bureau,  have  become  parents  of 
a  daughter. 

• 

Marian  J.  Jordan,  Motion  Picture 
Export  Association  general  manager 
of  Germany,  is  in  town  from  Berlin. 
• 

L.  M.  Eckert,  Selznick  studio  man- 
ager, is  in  town  from  the  Coast. 
• 

David  O.  Selznick  is  expected  to 
leave  New  York  today  for  the  Coast. 

Leo  McCarey  is  in  town  from  the 
Coast. 

Curtis  Bill  Asks  Cut 
In  Admission  Tax 

_  Washington,  May  23— Another 
bill  to  cut  the  admission  tax  back  to 
the  pre-war  10  per  cent  rate  has  been 
introduced  in  the  House,  this  one  by 
Representative  Curtis  of  Nebraska. 

Curtis,  who  called  for  repeal  of 
other  wartime  excise  rates  at  the  same 
time,  said  that  "reduction  of  these 
taxes  will  not  cut  Federal  revenue. 
The  20  per  cent  rates  are  so  high  they 
are  holding  back  sales,  and  their  reduc- 
tion will  increase  the  volume  of  sales 
taxed,"  said  Curtis. 


Appeals  Ct.  Upholds 
Fielding  on  'Outlaw* 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  23.— 
New  York  City  License  Com- 
misioner  Benjamin  Fielding 
had  the  legal  right  to  censor 
Howard  Hughes'  United  Art- 
ists release,  "The  Outlaw," 
the  New  York  State  Court  of 
Appeals  ruled  unanimously 
at  the  weekend.  No  opinion 
was  given. 

Fielding,  after  reviewing 
the  film  with  City  Police 
Commisioner  Arthur  Wallan- 
der,  threatened  on  Oct.  7, 
1946,  to  revoke  the  license  of 
any  theatre  showing  the  pic- 
ture. Two  Broadway  houses 
thereupon  cancelled  bookings, 
but  the  film  later  had  a  long 
run  at  the  Broadway  in  New 
York  after  cuts  were  made 
in  it. 


Mann  and  Lippert 
Circuits  Merged 


San  Francisco,  May  23. — George 
Mann  and  Robert  L.  Lippert  have  an- 
nounced completion  of  a  merger  of  the 
two  circuits  bearing  their  names,  ef- 
fecting a  consolidated  organization  of 
approximately  61  theatres. 

Terms  of  the  deal  were  not  dis- 
closed and  neither  Mann  nor  Lippert, 
who  is  on  location  with  a  Screen 
Guild  production,  could  be  reached 
for  further  comment  over  the  week- 
end. 

Mann's  houses  include  about  40',  lo- 
cated in  Klamath  Falls,  Eureka, 
Ukiah,  Marysville,  Woodland,  Dinu- 
ba,  Areata,  Fort  Bragg,  Fortuna  and 
Healdsburg. 

Lippert  theatres  are  located  here, 
in  Oakland,  Richmond,  Sacramento, 
Fresno,  Medford,  Ashland,  Corcoran, 
Sanger,  Guadalupe,  Malaga,  Pixley, 
San  Pablo,  Santa  Maria  and  Stock- 
ton. In  addition,  Lippert  operations 
include  a  number  of  drive-ins.  In 
association  with  Milton  Reynolds,  ball 
pen  manufacturer,  Lippert  had  been 
active  in  bidding  for  a  half  interest 
in  Mike  Naify's  United  California 
Theatres,  but  dropped  out  of  the  con- 
test some  time  ago. 


Strive  for  Accord 
In  NT  Stock  Suit 

Proposals  looking  to  a  settlement  of 
the  suit  brought  by  six  minority  stock- 
holders against  20th-Fox  over  the  sale 
of  National  Theatres  stock  to  the  par- 
ent company  are  still  under  discussion 
by  counsel  for  both  parties  to  the  liti- 
gation. 

Any  agreement  that  might  be  reach- 
ed will  be  subject  to  a  hearing  in 
N.  Y.  Supreme  Court. 

The  plaintiffs  are  opposed  to  a  deal 
under  which  Charles  P.  Skouras,  head 
of  National  Theatres ;  Elmer  C.  Rhod- 
en,  head  of  Fox  Midwest ;  Harold  J. 
Fitzgerald,  president  of  Fox  Wiscon- 
sin, and  F.  H.  (Rick)  Ricketson,  head 
of  Fox  Intermountain,  made  $6,000,000 
from  the  sale  of  the  stock. 


Vote  Will  Determine 
NY  Colosseum  Unit 


Formation  of  a  Colosseum  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Salesmen  unit  in  New 
York  will  await  the  outcome  of  the 
forthcoming  company-wide  elections 
among  the  country's  1,000-odd 
film  salesmen  who  will  vote  on  wheth- 
er or  not  they  desire  to  have  the 
Colosseum  represent  them  for  collec- 
tive bargaining  purposes,  a  spokesman 
for  the  union  has  indicated  here. 

Voting  may  get  underway  this 
week,  it  is  understood.  Howard 
Lichtenstein,  labor  attorney  for  the 
film  companies,  is  said  to  have  already 
received  from  nearly  all  his  clients  the 
lists  of  salesmen's  names  and  ad- 
dresses which  the  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  here  will  use  to  address 
ballots  to  the  salesmen.  Lichtenstein 
-is  expected  to  present  the  list  to  the 
NLRB  today,  and  Frank  Green- 
berg,  attorney  for  National  Screen,  is 
expected  to  turn  over  NSS's  list  to 
the  board  also  on  the  same  day. 

Approximately  850  members  of  the 
Colosseum  are  said  to  represent  85 
per  cent  of  the  country's  film  sales- 
men, the  remaining  15  per  cent  being 
in  the  New  York  City  and  some  New 
England  areas.  Colosseum  organizers 
will  be  able  to  judge  the  leaning  of 
New  York's  salesmen  after  the  elec- 
tion returns  are  in  and  will  know  then 
whether  there  is  the  nucleus  of  a  unit 
here  and  in  some  other  unorganized 
sections,  it  was  said. 

Sullivan  in  TO  A 
Bow  at  UTOI  Meet 

Gael  Sullivan,  who  will  assume  his 
new  duties  as  executive  director  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America  on 
June  1,  will  make  his  first  official  ap- 
pearance before  a  theatre  group  at  the 
meeting  of  the  United  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Illinois,  at  the  Kaskaskia  Ho- 
tel, La  Salle,  111.,  on  June  3-4.  Sul- 
livan will  speak  before  exhibitors  of 
his  home  state  at  the  invitation  of  Ed- 
ward Zorn,  president  of  UTOI. 

Herman  M.  Levy,  general  counsel 
of  TOA,  also  has  been  invited  to  ad- 
dress the  meeting.  He  will  discuss 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  on  the 
Paramount  case. 

Lawrence  Is  Named 
Rank  Executive  V-P 

Jock  Lawrence  has  been  promoted 
to  executive  vice-president  of  the 
U.  S.  J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization, 
it  was  announced  here  at  the  weekend 
by  Robert  S.  Benjamin,  president  of 
the  American  corporation.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
company,  _  Lawrence  has  been  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  public  relations 
since  its  formation  in  1945. 


Col.  Promotes  Silverman 

Walter  Silverman,  who  has  been  as- 
sociated with  the  Columbia  sales  force 
for  the  past  16  years,  will  assume  his 
new  duties  today  as  New  Haven 
branch  manager,  succeeding  T.  F. 
O'Toole,  who  will  remain  with  Co- 
lumbia in  an  advisory  capacity.  Sil- 
verman went  to  New  Haven  in  1944 
from  Boston. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


Tp  IGHTING  in  Palestine,  Dewey 
r  and  Stassen  debating  Commun- 
ism, sports,  fashions  and  human  in- 
terest subjects  round  out  current 
newsreels.    Complete  contents  follow. 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.    41— Dewey 
and   Stassen   debate   Communism.  Jewish 
state    proclaimed.     Free    election  held 
American  zone  of  Korea.    Flower  fashijj; 
Girl  gymnast.    Auto  race.  Dynamite 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  275— Israel  at 
war.  Total  eclipse  gives  Japs  a  thrill. 
Stassen  and  Dewey  debate  Reds.  Korea's 
first    free    election.      Girl    gymnast  from 

overseas. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  7S-Report 
from  Palestine.  Bob  Hope  dad  to  4,000 
kids  in  Las  Vegas  celebration.  Postmen 
of  Paris  in  walking  race.  Election  in  Korea. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWS,     No.  14S-Jews 

fight  for  survival  on  Palestine  front. 
Violence  breaks  out  during  Korean  election. 
Swedish  girl  gymnast  arrives.  Central 
Park  fashions.  College  rodeo  at  Austin, 
Tex.     T.N.T.  girl. 

WARNER    PATHE    NEWS,    No.    80  - 

First  pictures  from  Israel.  Stassen  and 
Dewey  debate  Reds.  Auto  race.  Swedish 
girl  gymnast.  Great  Americans:  Nathan 
Hale. 

Elect  Wirth  Head  of 
WB  Service  Corp, 

Ben  Wirth  has  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  Warner  Brothers  Service 
Corp.  Associated  with  the  home  of- 
fice real  estate  department  since  1930, 
Wirth  was  promoted  to  head  of  that 
department  in  Philadelphia  four  years 
ago.  Other  officers  of  the  Warner 
subsidiary  are  Harold  Rodner,  vice- 
president;  Robert  W.  Perkins,  secre- 
tary; Samuel  Carlisle,  treasurer. 


Blum  Pact 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

negotiation  must  be  completed  within 
six  months  of  the  date  either  party 
asks  for  a  revision,  or  the  entire  agree- 
ment lapses.  The  French  request  was 
made  on  January  27,  so  that  deadline 
for  complete  agreement  is  July  27. 

Present  plans  call  for  final  negotia- 
tions to  be  conducted  in  Paris  by  Am- 
bassador Jefferson  Caffrey  and  his 
staff.  Both  State  Department  and  in- 
dustry officials  are  confident  that  a 
final  settlement  will  be  made  by  the 
end  of  July,  or  a  French  agreement 
obtained  for  a  short  extension  of  the 
deadline. 


McDonald  to  England 

W.  Stewart  McDonald,  Warner 
Theatres  vice-president,  is  en  route  to 
England  on  the  5*5"  Queen  Mary  to 
settle  some  details  relating  to  War- 
ners' share  of  the  British  exchange 
agreement  with  the  American  film  in- 
dustry. Before  returning  here  he  will 
also  visit  the  company's  office  in 
Paris. 


'Outlaw'  for  U.  S.  Library 

Washington,  May  23. — Film  divi- 
sion of  the  Library  of  Congress  has 
requested  two  prints  of  Howard 
Hughes'  controversial  production, 
"The  Outlaw."  One  will  be  filed  in 
the  Library's  archives ;  the  other  will 
be  used  for  reference  purposes. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  P  ress  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


"A  picture  that'll  bring  joy  to  the  boxoffice."  —  Hollywood  Reporter 
"One  of  the  year's  big  boons  for  the  exhibitor!" — Daily  Variety 
"The  stuff  of  sock  audience  satisfaction." — Film  Daily 
"Earmarked  for  the  niftiest  kind  of  grosses." — Variety 


Paramount's 

RICH  AND  ROLLICKING  NEW-LOOK  MUSICAL 


o  Lavish  That  It  May  Never  ^ 


SO  WONDERFUL 
THAT  IT  TOOK  7  ACADEMY  AWARD 
WINNERS  TO  CREATE  ITS 


7M 


NUMBER  1  STAR 

Bing  Crosby,  winner  of  the  Gallup  Poll  of  the  public,  winner  of 
all  industry  polls,  "was  never  better"  says  M.  P.  Daily  "and 
not  as  good  since  'Going  My  Way',"  as  he  is  in  this  one. 

ACADEMY  AWARD  ACTRESS 

Joan  Fontaine,  coupled  with  Crosby  in  the  greatest  star  team  of  them 
all.  As  the  kissable  countess,  she  t-i-n-k-l-e-s  like  a  crystal  chandelier  when 
Bing  starts  his  melodious  love-making. 

BRACKETT  %  WILDER 

Gifted  Oscar-winning  producer-director  combination,  give  a  gay, 
foxy  view  of  a  pampered  social  set.  Variety  acclaims  them  for  "the 
zing  dialogue,  the  zippy  pace."  Film  Daily  for  "the  frisky  comedy." 

ROUSING  MUSIC 

Bing  sings  5  of  his  happiest  hits  including  "The  Kiss  In  Your  Eyes"  by  Johnny  Burke 
and  Richard  Heuberger,  "Friendly  Mountains"  by  Burke  and  Joseph  Lilley, 
"The  Whistler  and  His  Dog"  by  Roger  Pryor — and  others. 

TECHNICOLOR  SPECTACLE 

Indoor  grandeur!  Outdoor  wonderlands!  Glamorizing 
gilded  palaces  and  perfumed  retreats  in  the  emerald-green  ^ 
mountainous  Tyrol. 

BING'S  GRANDEST  ROMANCE 

He's  a  Yankee  salesman  selling  a  scandalous  bill-of-goods  to  Countess  Joan. 
Even  their  dogs  are  in  love— and  in  the  dog-house. 

HILARIOUS  COMEDY 

Treatment  so  sly,  so  unusual  that  it  sends  across  the  screen  a  fresh  breeze  of 
merriment  that  grows  to  a  tornado  of  laughs  because,  as  Film  Daily  notes  with  delight: 
"It's  strewn  with  clever  gags." 


;ain  Be  Equalled  On  The  Screen 


The  Splendor  of 


J 


n 


These  Famous  Scenes 
Will  Be  The  7  Wonders  Jh 
j  Of  The  Screen! 


J2  * 


Schoenbrunn  Palace  Ball,  Paramount'?^1"  g 
set  since  before  the  war 


A  whole  Tyrolean  village  bursting  into 
joyous  song 


Bing  gives  palace  guards  a  sales  pitch  on 
an  early  model  juke-box 


Royal  romancing  (but  beautiful)  on  an  e 
chanting  built-to-order  island 


An  imperial  audience  granted  to  a  poodle 
of  imposing  lineage 


Bing  bagging  his  countess  in  the  grandeur 
of  marble  halls 


The  Crosby  yodel  bringing  a  new  kind  c 
song  to  the  Bavarian  Alps 


POODLE  ABDICATES  FOR  LOVE 
Scheherazade  trades  royal  birthright  for  love 
of  Buttons,  a  gum-chewing  Yankee  mutt,  in 
what  Hollywood  Reporter  calls  "the  canine 
love  affair  that  upsets  an  empire." 


THE  CURTAIN  RISES 
May  26,  at  the  Paramount  Hollywood  with  a 
Gala  Red-Carpet  Night  Premiere  of 


Bing 


Joan 


Color  by 

TECHNICOLOR 

,ti.  Roland  Culver  •  Lucile  Watson  •  Richard  Haydn  •  Harold  Vermilyea 
Produced  by  Charles  Brackett  •  Directed  by  BILLY  WILDER 
Written  by  Charles  Brackett  and  Billy  Wilder 


TO  BE  FOLLOWED  BY  THE 
Eastern  Premiere, 
Radio  City  Music  Hall,  Early  in  June 


Monday,  May  24,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Allied  Artists  Heads 
Confer  on  Coast 


Hollywood,  May  23. — Eastern  and 
Allied  Artists  home  office  sales  exec- 
utives here  are  in  a  three-day  confer- 
ence, which  started  yesterday,  on  sales 
policies  for  Roy  Del  Ruth's  'The  Babe 
Ruth  Story"  and  King  Brothers'  "The 
Dude  Goes  West."  Key  decision  to 
made  is  whether  to  roadshow  the 
y^be  Ruth"  production;  the  recent 
t .  S.  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
Paramount  case  bans  price-fixing. 

Here  from  New  York  are  Maurice 
Goldstein,  AA's  general  sales  man- 
ager; Edward  Morey,  vice-president, 
and  Norton  V.  Ritchey,  head  of  for- 
eign distribution.  Meeting  with  them 
are  Steve  Broidy,  president ;  George 
W.  Burrows,  executive  vice-president 
and  treasurer,  and  Harold  Mirisch, 
vice-president. 

Also  on  the  agenda  are  discussions 
on  the  promotion  aspects  of  the  two 
productions,  in  which  conferences 
Buchanan  and  Company  representa- 
tives are  participating  as  Allied' s  ad- 
vertising agents.  The  Eastern  group 
will  leave  here  for  New  York  on 
Wednesday. 

Yates  to  Go  to  UK 
For  Korda  Parley 

Hollywood,  May  23. — Predicting 
that  the  United  Kingdom  will  once 
again  use  American  pictures  for  75 
per  cent  of  its  programs  now  that  the 
ad  valorem  tax  has  been  lifted,  Sidney 
Meyers,  British  Lion  assistant  manager 
in  charge  of  foreign  sales,  told  a  press 
conference  at  the  Republic  studio, 
where  he  has  been  conferring  with 
Republic  president  Herbert  Yates, 
that  Republic's  plan  for  production  in 
England  is  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
Yates  in  London  for  conferences  with 
Sir  Alexander  Korda. 

Meyers,  who  left  here  with  Yates 
for  New  York  at  the  weekend,  said 
that  British  Lion  will  increase  its  pro- 
duction schedule  from  six  to  eight 
features  this  year. 


Record  Booking  for 
Andy  Smith  Drive 

Some  14,870  theatres  have  booked 
product  for  20th  Century-Fox's  "Andy 
Smith  Anniversary  Month,"  a  com- 
pany record.  The  drive  will  run  from 
May  30  to  June  26. 


Warner  in  DC  Today 

Washington,  May  23. — Warner 
Brothers  president  Harry  M.  Warner 
is  due  to  arrive  here  tomorrow  to  ad- 
dress the  National  Council  for  Com- 
munity Improvement. 


OF  COURSE 


TEXAS, 
ROOKLYN 


HEAVEN" 


2  Pa.  Houses  'Plug' 
Rivals'  Presentation 

Pennsylvania,  which  em- 
braces the  "City  of  Brotherly 
Love,"  can  now  also  claim 
distinction  as  the  state  with 
"friendly  competitors."  In  ad. 
vertisements  in  local  papers 
the  Senate  Theatre  of  Harris- 
burg  and  the  Astor  of  Read- 
ing urged  patrons  to  see  20th 
Century-Fox's  "The  Iron  Cur- 
tain" at  the  Colonial  and  Em- 
bassy theatres,  respectively. 


UA  Rejects  SOPEG 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Trumbo,  Lawson 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


sent  from  UA 


through  past  negotiations  between  the 
company  and  the  union." 

"To  demonstrate  our  good  faith  a 
step  further,"  the  company  said  in  its 
statement  to  the  employes,  "if 
SOPEG  will  reconsider  its  stand  and 
will  swear  that  they  are  not  Commu- 
nists, by  means  of  signing  proper  affi- 
davits, and  will  make  out  the  necessary 
financial  statements  which  go  along 
with  signing  the  affidavits,  we  will  be 
glad  to  enter  into  negotiations  with 
them  as  your  bargaining  agent." 

Would  Deal  with  Other  Agent 

The  company  added  that  meanwhile 
if  SOPEG  "finds  it  impossible  to  sign 
these  affidavits  because  of  its  beliefs 
and  ideologies,  the  company  will  bar- 
gain with  (a)  a  group  of  our  em- 
ployes representing  the  unit  formerly 
known  as  the  SOPEG  unit,  or  (b) 
any  other  union  which  you  people 
may  see  fit  to  bring  in  as  your  bar- 
gaining representative  provided  that 
union  has  complied  with  the  laws  of 
these  United  States." 

This  latter  assertion  may  have  re- 
fered  to  the  IATSE  (AFL),  whose 
home  office  local,  No.  H-63,  has 
signed  up  an  "overwhelming  majority" 
of  the  140  workers  in  the  SOPEG 
unit,  and  whose  attorney,  Judge  Mat- 
thew M.  Levy,  has  already  filed  with 
the  National  Labor  Relations  Board 
in  behalf  of  the  "majority"  a  petition 
for  a  shop  election. 

SOPEG  Hits  UA,  'IA' 

NLRB  will  set  an  election  "imme- 
diately unless  SOPEG  tries  to  delay 
it,"  H-63  asserted  at  the  weekend  in 
a  circular  accompanied  by  a  report 
issued  by  Counterattack  on  the  alleged 
extent  to  which  SOPEG's  mother 
union,  United  Office  and  Professional 
Workers  of  America  (CIO),  is  sup- 
posed to  be  Communist-controlled. 
SOPEG  countered  with  a  circular 
terming  UA  and  the  "IA"  a  "union- 
busting  combination"  and  holding  that 
the  UA  workers  are  "threatened  with 
wage  cuts  and  layoffs  when  their  con- 
tract expires  on  May  31." 

In  giving  the  employes  assurance 
that  union  privileges  would  not  be 
affected,  UA  explained  its  position 
with  reference  to  SOPEG  as  follows : 
"To  us,  the  determining  factor  is  that, 
during  the  stress  and  strain  of  world 
conditions  today — when  our  Govern- 
ment is  frankly  worried  about  its  re- 
lationship with  Russia,  when  it  is 
deeply  concerned  about  the  effect  that 
Russia's  Fifth  Column,  the  Communist 
Party,  may  have  upon  it — it  is  un- 
thinkable that  an  American  corpora- 
tion should  enter  into  any  kind  of  an 
agreement  with  any  group  who  will 
not  come  right  out  with  the  statement, 
'I  am  not  a  Communist'." 


Trumbo,  declaring  the  writer  had 
"openly  and  flagrantly  defied"  the  leg- 
islative branch  of  our  Government,  and 
that  his  action  therefore  merited  "the 
extreme  limit  of  the  law". 

Pine  pointed  out  that  he  legally 
could  have  sentenced  Trumbo  to  two 
years  and  $2,000  for  having  been  con- 
victed on  two  counts,  refusing  to  tell 
the  House  Un-American  Activities 
Committee  whether  he  was  a  Com- 
munist and  refusing  to  say  whether  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Screen  Writers 
Guild.  However,  Pine  continued,  he  re- 
garded this  as  one  offense,  and  there- 
fore was  only  imposing  the  single  sen- 
tence. 

Charges  'Blacklist'  Intent 

Earlier,  Pine  had  heard  defense 
counsel  Charles  Houston  admit  "for 
the  purpose  of  this  argument"  that  the 
Committee's  questions  were  pertinent, 
but  argued  that  "the  Committee  passed 
beyond  the  scope  of  legislative  inquiry 
when  it  attempted  to  blacklist  Trum- 
bo". He  said  the  Committee  was  com- 
pelling Trumbo  to  answer  a  question 
designed  chiefly  to  impose  economic 
sanctions. 

Trumbo  himself  told  Judge  Pine 
that  as  a  union  member  he  had  learned 
how  important  it  was  for  working 
people,  to  be  able  to  organize  without 
their  employer's  knowing  who  be- 
longed to  the  union.  He  said  he  knew 
he  was  permanently  banned  from  earn- 
ing his  living  as  a  screen-writer  but 
had  done  nothing  which  he  regretted. 

Lawson's  proceedings  before  Judge 
Edward  M.  Curran  were  considerably 
briefer.  Curran  allowed  no  argument 
at  all,  declaring  he  had  read  the  de- 
fense briefs  and  found  no  merit  in 
them.  After  allowing  Lawson  to  read 
a  brief  statement  he  dryly  passed  sen- 
tence. 

Lawson  Stresses  'Free  Speech' 

Lawson  told  the  Court  he  had  prac- 
ticed film  writing  as  he  had  practiced 
citizenship,  "with  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility and  social  purpose". 

The  writer's  statement  stressed  the 
right  to  engage  in  political  activity  as 
being  basic  to  freedom  of  expression, 
and  said  that  "freedom  of  political  ac- 
tivity cannot  exist  if  it  is  subject  to 
interference,  review  or  exposure  by 
officials". 

Writer  Lester  Cole  also  appeared  in 
Court  Friday,  to  waive  jury  trial  and 
have  the  record  in  his  contempt  case 
agreed  to  and  taken  under  advisement. 
Six  writers  and  directors  now  have 
cases  under  advisement,  waiting  the 
outcome  of  the  Trumbo-Lawson  ap- 
peals. 


E-L  Concludes  Its 
Second  Sales  Meet 


Chicago,  May  23. — Cash  prizes  to 
Eagle-Lion  field  exploiteers  producing 
the_  best  campaigns  during  the  "Bill 
Heineman  Sales  Drive"  which  starts 
June  4,  were  made  here  yesterday  by 
Max  E.  Youngstein,  advertising-pub- 
licity vice-president,  at  the  second  of 
the  company's  four  regional  sales 
meetings,  held  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel. 

The  meeting  was  also  addressed  by 
Heineman,  distribution  vice-president; 
L.  Jack  Schlaifer,  his  assistant,  and 
Herman  Beiersdorf,  Western  sales 
manager.  Others  present  included  dis- 
trict managers  Edward  Heiber,  Clair 
Hilgers  and  Beverly  Miller,  and  branch 
managers  and  sales  personnel  from 
Chicago,  Detroit,  Indianapolis,  Mil- 
waukee, Minneapolis,  Kansas  City,  St. 
Louis,  Omaha  and  Des  Moines. 

The  exploitation  prizes  are  apart 
from  the  $27,500  in  prizes  to  sales 
personnel  and  managers  for  results  in 
the  Heineman  Drive. 

Following  the  meeting  here,  Heine- 
man,  Youngstein,  Schlaifer  and  Beiers- 
dorf leave  for  New  Orleans  for  the 
third  meeting,  at  the  Roosevelt  tomor- 
row. The  concluding  meeting  will  be 
held  in  San  Francisco,  at  the  St.  Fran- 
cis Hotel,  on  May  29. 


RKO  Seeks  Release 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  Palace  operating  under  the  Orphe- 
urn  Theatre  Co.  and  the  Grand  oper- 
ating under  the  Winston  Theatre  Co. 
The  RKO  Corp.,  he  said,  however, 
was  the  parent  company  of  all. 

Seeley  contended  that  the  portion  of 
the  decree  which  applied  to  exhibitor 
defendants  did  not  apply  to  the  RKO 
theatres. 

Eventual  decision  by  Judge  Igoe  on 
the  RKO  issue  may  determine  whether 
or  not  the  Palace  and  Grand  must 
continue  to  comply  with  the  two-week 
limit  on  Loop  runs  for  defendants' 
theatres. 

The  petition  entered  by  Thomas 
McConnell,  Jackson  Park  attorney,  to 
clarify  ambiguities  in  the  decree  was 
postponed  until  the  RKO  matter  is 
settled. 


Hadfield  to  Vienna 

Boston,  May  23. — Hurd  Hadfield, 
stage  and  screen  player,  plans  to  leave 
for  Vienna  in  August  to  appear  in  a 
picture  with  Suzanna  Foster,  if  he  can 
secure  a  release  from  a  stage  com- 
mitment. His  last  work  was  with 
20th  Century-Fox  in  Hollywood. 


FRANCES  WORD 

//tfyoditanp  and sUifinf 
Once  Upon  a  Wintertime  "from 

TECHNICOLOR  MUSICAL 


RELEASED  BY 
RKO-Radio  Pictures 


8 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Monday,  May  24,  1948 


Review 


"So  Evil  My  Love" 

(  Wallis-Paramount) 

PERFORMANCES  by  Ray  Milland  and  Ann  Todd  run  rather  substantially 
ahead  of  their  material,  and  Miss  Todd's  ahead  of  Milland's,  in  "So  Evil 
My  Love,"  which  Hal  B.  Wallis  produced  last  year  in  London.  Based  on  a 
novel  by  Joseph  Shearing  and  a  script  by  Leonard  Spigelgass  and  Ronald 
Millar,  this  is  a  heavy  and  unrelieved  drama  about  a  grand  passion  leading 
to  murder  and  double  murder. 

In  essence,  it  tells  about  Miss  Todd,  a  missionary's  widow  quite  evidently 
thwarted  in  love  who  meets  Milland  on  a  ship  bound  from  Jamaica  to  Eng- 
land, and  nurses  his  malaria.  It  is  established  early  that  Milland,  a  painter  of 
sorts  himself,  lives  by  pilfering  old  masters.  Ingratiating  himself  with  Miss 
Todd  whose  house  he  seeks  as  a  hideaway,  it  is  not  long  before  she  falls 
violently  in  love  with  him. 

While  the  relationship  is  conveyed  as  platonic,  Milland  becomes  responsible 
for  her  deterioration.  He  persuades  her  to  blackmail  Raymond  Huntley,  hus- 
band of  Geraldine  Fitzgerald,  her  school  chum  who  has  been  romancing  with 
another  man,  and  to  separate  the  chum  from  her  negotiable  bonds.  So  irre- 
trievably gone  is  Miss  Todd  on  Milland  that  she  finally  doctors  Huntley's 
medicine — he  suffers  from  heart  attacks — and  brings  about  his  death  although 
it  is  Miss  Fitzgerald  who  doles  out  the  poison.  Execution  facing  Miss  Fitz- 
gerald, Miss  Todd  persistently  sticks  by  her  guns  in  order  to  protect  Milland 
from  exposure,  although  the  pangs  of  remorse  grow.  Learning  of  Milland's 
two-timing  romancing  and  refusing  to  believe  he  is  finally  on  the  square  with 
her,  she  stabs  him  to  death  in  a  hansom,  gives  herself  up  to  the  authorities 
and  presumably  clears  Miss  Fitzgerald. 

"So  Evil  My  Love" — a  good  title,  by  the  way — has  many  stretches  of  inter- 
est and  dramatic  value.  Its  leads  do  very  well  indeed,  although  the  odds  go  to 
Miss  Todd.  The  small  supporting  cast  is  competent.  But  the  treatment  saw 
fit  to  tell  this  in  109  minutes.  Thus,  it  takes  too  long  for  the  climax  to  foment 
and  it  softens  impact  through  over-extension  of  scenes  and  dialogue.  Techni- 
cally, the  attraction  reflects  care  and  a  high  degree  of  excellence.  In  this 
respect,  certainly  it  stands  with  Hollywood's  professional  best.  Lewis  Allen 
directed. 

Running  time,  109  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
August  6,  1948.  Red  Kann 


RKO  Net 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


when  record  profits  were  reported,  the 
1947  figures  compare  favorably  with 
earnings  for  each  of  the  three  years 
prior  to  1946. 

Consolidated  operating,  income  for 
1947  was  $123,109,047,  compared  with 
$120,125,634.  This  included  theatre  ad- 
missions, film  rentals  and  sales,  rents 
and  other  income.  Other  gross  in- 
come for  1947,  including  equity  in  the 
profit  of  unconsolidated  foreign  sub- 
sidiaries, dividends  and  interest,  and 
profits  on  investments,  amounted  to 
$5,966,985,  compared  with  $2,175,253 
in  1946. 

Theatre  Profits  Above  '46  Net 

In  the  letter  to  stockholders,  Rath- 
von  pointed  out  that  ordinary  operat- 
ing earnings  of  theatre  subsidiaries  in 

1947  were  only  moderately  below  the 
record  levels  of  1946  and  that,  after 
taking  into  account  capital  gains  real- 
ized in  the  sale  of  several  properties, 
theatre  profits  exceeded  those  of  1946. 

Included  in  the  capital  gains  was 
profit  realized  upon  the  sale  of  RKO- 
Pathe  Newsreel  and  of  three  theatres. 
The  report  points  out  that  reserves 
were  created  of  $2,000,000  against  the 
cost  of  some  pictures  in  inventory  and 
$500,000  against  equity  in  foreign  sub- 
sidiaries, and  that  write-offs  were 
taken  aggregating  approximately  $2;- 
200,000,  principally  of  investments  in 
independently-produced  pictures.  All 
such  reserves  and  write-offs  were 
charged  against  the  profit  and  loss  ic- 
count  for  1947. 

Financial  Improvement  Noted 

The  report  states  that  the  general 
financial  position  of  the  corporation 
continued  to  improve  during  1947. 
Working  capital  increased  during  the 
year  approximately  $4,000,000,  exclu- 
sive of  increment  of  $9,000,000  from 
bank  borrowings  by  the  picture  com- 
pany. Total  working  capital  at  the 
end  of  1947  was  approximately  $53,- 
000,000.  At  the  end  of  1947  outstand- 
ing indebtedness  under  the  picture 
company's  five-year  revolving  credit 
arranged  in  April  of  that  year  was 
$9,000,000  and  theatre  subsidiary  in- 
debtedness totaled  $20,600,000. 

Rathvon  pointed  out  that  motion 
picture  companies  generally  experi- 
enced sharp  decreases  in  earnings 
from  production  and  distribution  in 
the  latter  part  of  1947  due  to  increased 
costs  of  production  in  the  face  of  mod- 
erate decline  in  domestic  income.  He 
stated  that  economies  in  distribution 
and  exhibition  departments  had  tended 
to  offset  the  loss  of  revenue  but  that 
economies  in  the  production  depart- 
ment will  not  be  reflected  generally  in 

1948  results  due  to  the  system  of 
amortization  by  which  production  costs 
are  charged  against  operating  rev- 
enue. 

'Conservative'  Stand  on  Dividends 

Rathvon  pointed  out  that  while  divi- 
dends on  RKO  common  stock  were 
paid  at  the  rate  of  30  cents  per  share 
in  each  of  the  first  three  quarters  of 
1947,  directors  of  the  company  de- 
cided near  the  end  of  the  year  to 
adopt  a  conservative  viewpoint  with 
respect  to  dividends  and  a  dividend  of 
15  cents  per  share  was  paid  in  the 
last  quarter  of  1.947  and  in  the  first 
quarter  of  1948.  Aggregate  cash  dis- 
tributed to  stockholders  on  the  four 
dividends  applicable  to  1947  was  $4,- 
087,321,  Rathvon  reported. 


Rodner  Gets  Annual 
MP  A  'Beacon  Award* 

Harold  Rodner,  Warner  Service 
Corp.  vice-president,  was  presented 
with  the  annual  "Beacon  Award"  for 
humanitarian  activities  by  Motion 
Picture  Associates  at  the  organiza- 
tion's 29th  annual  dinner  and  dance 
held  Friday  night  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel  here.  Arthur  Mayer, 
MPA  president,  made  the  presenta- 
tion. The  dinner-dance  had  as  its 
theme  a  "Salute  to  the  Will  Rogers 
Memorial  Hospital." 

Among  industry  executives  on  the 
dais  were :  William  F.  Rodgers,  Dave 
Weinstein,  Ed  Rugoff,  Sam  Rinzler, 
Malcolm  Kingsberg,  Si  Fabian,  Fred 
Schwartz,  Bernard  Kranze,  Gus 
Eyssell,  George  Schaefer,  Leo  Brech- 
er  and  Jack  Ellis.  Hiram  Sherman 
was  master  of  ceremonies. 


Wolf  Back  in  Boston 

Boston,  May  23. — M.  N.  Wolf,  as- 
sistant to  Henderson  M.  Richey  of 
M-G-M's  public  relations  department, 
has  returned  here  after  fulfilling 
speaking  engagements  in  the  Cleve- 
land, Chicago  and  Minneapolis  areas. 
Wolf  has  some  engagements  in  the 
New  England  territory  for  the  next 
few  weeks. 


Dan  Nolan  Deceased 

Hollywood,  May  23. — Dan  Nolan, 
brother  of  Joseph  Nolan,  RKO  Radio 
vice-president  in  charge  of  contracts, 
died  suddenly  Thursday  night.  The 
deceased  was  a  former  RKO  Radio 
exchange  operations  representative  in 
New  York  and  a  former  travelling 
auditor  for  the  company. 


Films  for  Dexter,  N.  M. 

Dexter,  N.  M.,  May  23.  —  Dexter 
will  have  films  when  Joe  H.  Gray, 
local  grocer,  remodels  a  building  into 
a  230-seat  theatre. 


Para.  Undecided 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tres  as  constituting  in  and  of  itself 
a  violation  of  the.  Sherman  Act,  but 
holds  that  it  is  necessary  that  more 
evidence  be  taken  as  to  the  circum- 
stances surrounding  the  acquisition  of 
theatre  interests,  the  character  of  their 
use  by  the  corporation  after  acquisi- 
tion and  the  nature  of  the  relation- 
ship between  the  corporation  and  its 
affiliated  theatre  owners  to  determine 
whether  such  ownership  is  illegal. 

"Arrangements  for  resumption  of  the 
trial  in  the  lower  court  have  not  yet 
been  made.  We  do  not  know  just  when 
the  trial  will  be  resumed.  We  are  mak- 
ing a  careful  and  thorough  study  of 
the  opinion  of  the  Supreme  Court.  We 
have  not  reached  final  conclusions  as 
to  its  full  meaning  and  any.  conclusions 
we  do  reach  will  be  subject  to  de- 
velopments and  rulings  in  the  course  of 
the  trial  in  the  lower  court  and  to 
further  review  by  the  Supreme  Court. 
In  these  circumstances,  it  is  impos- 
sible for  me  to  predict  the  outcome 
of  the  litigation  or  to  tell  you  now 
what  our  position  is  or  will  be.  in  rela- 
tion to  the  numerous  problems  which 
the  decision  presents  to  us. 

"You  may  be  assured  that  every 
step  we  take  in  connection  with,  or 
as  a  consequence  of,  this  litigation  will 
be  taken  with  a  view  to  husbanding 
the  assets  of  the  corporation  so  as  to 
preserve  the  fullest  possible  measure 
of  their  value  for  our  stockholders." 


BalabanNamedChairman 

Chicago'  May  23.  —  John  Balaban, 
president  of  Balaban  and  Katz,  has 
been  appointed  general  chairman  of  an 
American  "re-dedication"  period  from 
June  26  to  July  4  which  will  precede 
the  visit  here  of  "Freedom  Train"  on 
July  5.  Also  representing  the  film  in- 
dustry on  the  committee  are  Arthur 
Schoenstadt,  head  of  the  Schoenstadt 
circuit,  and  Nate  Piatt,  in  charge  of 
operations  for  B.  and  K. 


Coast  Production] 
Continues  to  Rise 

Hollywood,  May  23. — The  produc- 
tion level  rose  again,  to  37,  at  the 
weekend,  against  an  index  of  35  for 
the  previous  week.  Cameras  started 
on  10  new  films  while  eight  were  com- 
pleted. 

Shooting  started  on  "Hearsay," 
"Blondie's  Secret"  and  "El  Dorado 
Pass,"  all  Columbia ;  "Act  of  Vio- 
lence," M-G-M ;  "Whispers  in  the 
Dark,"  Republic ;  "Take  "Bf  9 
Tenses"  (Goldwyn),  RKO  RSi;  ; 
"The  Return  of  Wildfire,"  Screen 
Guild;  "The  O'Flynn"  (Fairbanks), 
Universal-International ;  "The  Girl 
from  Jones  Beach"  and  "The  Younger 
Brothers,"  Warner  Brothers.  Shoot- 
ing finished  on  "Rusty  Pays  a  Debt" 
and  "Loaded  Pistols,"  Columbia ; 
"Drums  Along  the  Amazon,"  Repub- 
lic; "Bodyguard,"  RKO  Radio; 
"Road  House,"  20th  Century-Fox ; 
"Rogue's  Regiment"  and  "Larceny," 
U  n  i  v  e  r  s  a  1-International ;  "Smart 
Money,"  Warner. 


Para.  Directors 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Y.  Frank  Freeman,  Harvey  D.  Gib- 
son, Leonard  H.  Goldenson,  A.  Con- 
ger Goodyear,  Stanton  Griffis,  Duncan 
G.  Harris,  John  D.  Hertz,  Austin  C. 
Keough,  Earl  I.  McClintock,  Maurice 
Newton,  Charles  M.  Reagan,  E.  V. 
Richards,  Edwin  L.  Weisl  and  Adolph 
Zukor. 

Payments  made  by  the  company  and 
its  subsidiaries  to  officers  and  direc- 
tors in  1947  totalled  $1,199,783,  stock- 
holders are  informed.  President  Bala- 
ban received  $156,000;  Henry  Gins- 
berg, production  vice-president, 
$241,000;  Freeman,  vice-president, 
$130,000;  Goldenson,  theatre  vice- 
president,  $91,000 ;  Keough,  vice- 
president  and  chief  counsel,  $91,000; 
Reagan,  distribution  vice-president, 
$86,233 ;  Zukor,  board  chairman, 
$109,750. 

The  proxy  statement  discloses  that 
no  further  contribution  to  its  pension 
trust  fund  is  contemplated  by  Para- 
mount, "except  to  cover  expenses  of 
administration  as  provided  by  the 
plan."  It  is  explained  that  "benefits 
payable  under  the  plan  will  be  derived 
from  individual  annuity  contracts  or 
from  the  reinvestment  by  the  trustees 
under  the  plan  of  the  proceeds  of  in- 
dividual annuity  contracts  which  have 
been  surrendered  for  cash." 

'The  further  disclosure  is  made  that 
the  plan  for  establishment  of  an  Em- 
ployees Investment  Co.,  approved  by 
the  stockholders  last  year,  is  still  to 
be  put  into  operation.  Employees  In- 
vestment Co.  was  designed  to  make  it 
possible  for  certain  key  employes 
of  Paramount  to  obtain  a  stock  inter- 
est in  the  corporation  through  their 
ownership  of  stock  in  the  EIC.  It 
was  felt  that  the  plan  would  provide 
an  incentive  for  Paramount's  key  em- 
ployes and  guarantee  the  retention  of 
their  services,  it  was  said. 


See  Video  Delay 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

FCC  said,  it  will  authorize  postpone- 
ment of  hearings  in  any  areas  where 
additional  channels  may  be  obtained, 
will  postpone  hearings  on  the  request 
of  the  parties  involved  in  areas  where 
channels  may  be  reduced,  and  will  go 
ahead  only  in  those  areas  where  no 
changes  have  been  ordered  or  pro- 
posed. It  also  listed  several  cities  in 
which  hearings  have  already  been 
postponed,  including  Dallas,  where 
Paramount  has  an  application  pending. 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  Pl£Tt7R£ 

DAILY 


Accurate 
Concise 


Impartial 


V  ^63.   NO.  101 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  MAY  25,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Free  Markets 
Would  Aid  the 
WorlchWarner 


52  -  a -Year 
For  Reich 


He  Says  Films  Are  a  Key 
To  Community  Progress 

Washington,  May  24.  —  Free 
and  unfettered  international  distri- 
bution of  American  motion  pictures 
would  accomplish  much  towards 
the  improve- 
ment of  our  re- 
lations with 
other  countries 
throughout  the 
world,  Harry 
M.  W  arner, 
president 
of  Warner 
Brothers, 
declared  today. 

He  told  the 
National  Coun- 
cil for  Com- 
munity Im- 
provement 
that  "going  to 
the  movies  has 

taught  more  than  one  person  how  to 
get  along  with  the  rest  of  the 
world." 

"Wouldn't  it  be  wonderful,"  he  said, 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Harry  M.  Warner 


Brisson  to  Open 
Offices  Here,  Abroad 


Frederick   Brisson,   executive  pro- 
ducer of  Independent  Artists,  Inc.,  in 
which  he  is  co-partner  with  his  wife, 
Rosalind  Russell,  and  Dudley  Nichols, 
will  open  a  New  York  office  with 
Samuel  Hacker  as  Eastern  representa 
tive.  Hacker  has  been  in  the  industn 
for  10  years  with  both  Columbia  and 
Republic  Pictures.  He  was  most  re 
cently  with  the  latter  as  manager  of 
the  contract  and  playdate  department 
and  assistant  to  the  general  sales  man 
ager  and  foreign  sales  manager. 

The  new  Eastern  representative  will 
act  as  the  producer's  representative 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


SOPEG  Hits  H-63  in 
Notes  to  'IA'  Heads 

Sidney  Young,  president  of  Screen 
Office  and  Professional  Employes 
Guild  (CIO)  here  has  sent  to  presi- 
dents of  New  York  IATSE  (AFL) 
locals  and  to  other  CIO  local  presi 
dents  a  circular  letter  charging  that 
"IA"  Motion  Picture  Home  Office 
Employes  Local  No.  H-63  "raided' 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Motion  Picture  Export  Association 
will  release  52  pictures  a  year  in  the 
American  and  British  zones  of  Ger- 
many from  now  on,  it  was  disclosed 
here  yesterday  by  Marian  Jordan, 
MPEA  general  manager  in  Germany, 
who  is  in  New  York  to  help  select 
features  for  showing  in  the  Reich.  He 
pointed  out  that  the  total  number  of 
U.  S.  pictures  released  through 
MPEA  in  Germany  last  year  was  30, 
and  said  that  Britain  will  release 
about  24  in  both  zones  next  year,  the 
same  number  that  country  marketed 
last  year,  through  J.  Arthur  Rank's 
Eagle-Lion  Export  Co. 

Jordan  said  that  MPEA's  product 
lays  1,500  of  the  2,245  theatres  in 
the  bi-zonal  area  which  includes  the 
Berlin  sector.  Reason  more  theatres 
are  not  reached,  he  said,  is  that  there 
is  a  shortage  of  rawstock  in  Ger- 
many. MPEA  has  been  devoting 
about  seven  prints  to  each  picture 
currently  in  release  in  the  zones. 

German  producers  made  five  pic- 
tures in  the  British  zone  last  year  and 
two  in  the  U.  S.  zone,  Jordan  said, 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


11  New  Southern 
Theatre  Projects 


Nashville,  May  24.  —  Eleven  new 
theatre  projects  were  reported  here 
ast  week  in  six  Southern  states  by 
Dixie  Contractor,  as  follows  : 

Greensboro,  N.  C,  theatre,  Modern 
Enterprises ;  John  F.  Wicker,  archi- 
tect;  to  cost  $100,000;  Lincolnton, 
N.  C,  drive-in,  A.  E.  Miller,  Lincoln- 
ton,  owner ;  M.  R.  Marsh,  architect ; 
(same  architect  drawing  plans  for 
houses  for  same  owner  in  Lincolnton, 
Madden,  and  Stanley)  ;  Clinton,  S.  C, 
theatre ;  Leland  Young,  Clinton,  own- 
er ;  Erie  G.  Stilwell ;  Dallas,  Ga.,  the- 
atre, Windell  Welch,  Dallas,  owner ; 
{Continued  on  page  5) 


Irving  Marks  Named 
Monogram  Manager 

Minneapolis,  May  24. — Monogram 
has  granted  the  request  of  Morrie 
Steinman  that  he  be  relieved  as  com 
pany  branch  manager  here  and  will 
be  succeeded  by  Irving  Marks,  it  was 
announced  by  Sol  Francis,  Midwest 
district  manager.  Change  is  effective 
June  1.  Steinman  has  agreed  to  remain 
with  the  company  as  sales  manager  at 
the  branch. 

Marks  is  currently  city  sales  man 
ager  for  Columbia  in  Minneapolis,  and 
except  for  two  years  in  service  has 
been  with  the  company  since  1928. 


Canada  Ticket  Taxes 
Rise  to  $15,369,000 

Ottawa,  May  24.— The  Ca- 
nadian government  reports 
that  revenues  derived  from 
amusement  taxes  increased 
to  $15,369,000  in  1947-48,  com- 
pared with  $14,552,000  in  1946- 
47,  and  $13,387,000  in  1945-46. 


Max  Cohen  Charges 
3  with  a  Conspiracy 


A  $1,800,000  triple-damage  anti- 
trust suit  was  filed  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  yesterday  by  Max  A. 
Cohen  enterprises  against  RKO 
Radio,  20th  Century-Fox  and  War- 
ners, one  of  the  charges  being  that  a 
conspiracy  exists  among  the  three 
whereby  any  two  refrain  from  the- 
atre competition  with  the  other  in 
various  areas  of  the  U.  S. 

Plaintiffs  are  Anco  Enterprises  and 
Anwell  Amusement  Corp.,  both  of 
New  York  and  both  headed  by  Cohen, 
whose  New  Amsterdam  Theatre  here, 
the  complaint  alleges,  was  discrimi- 
nated against  by  the  defendants.  Mil- 
ton Weisman  of  the  law  firm  of  Weis- 
man,  Celler,  Quinn,  Allen  and  Speet, 
is  attorney  for  Cohen. 

Named  also  as  defendants  are 
Radio-Keith-Orpheum  Corp.,  and 
Warner  Brothers  Distribution  Corp. 
The  suit  asks  the  court  for  a  perma- 
nent injunction  to  restrain  the  defend 
ants  from  allegedly  refusing  to  con- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Goldwyn  and  Korda 
In  UK  Filming  Deal 

Samuel  Goldwyn  and  Sir  Alexander 
Korda  have  concluded  an  agreement 
for  the  joint  filming  of  "The  Scarlet 
Pimpernel"  with  David  Niven.  Korda 
recently  made  a  similar  arrangement 
with  David  Selznick  and  he  also  has 
a  releasing  commitment  with  20th 
Century-Fox. 

The  picture  will  be  made  in  Eng- 
land with  Emeric  Pressburger  and 
Michael  Powell  as  producer  and 
director,  as  soon  as  Niven  arrives  in 
London  in  July.  It  will  be  distributed 
in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere  by  the 
Korda  organization  and  in  the  West 
ern  Hemisphere  by  Goldwyn. 


Carolina  T.  O.  To 
Meet  June  20-23 

Charlotte,  May  24.  —  Theatre 
Owners  of  North  and  South  Carolina 
will  hold  its  semi-annual  convention 
at  Myrtle  Beach,  June  20-23.  Guest 
speakers  will  include  Gael  Sullivan 
Robert  Coyne  and  Herman  Levy  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America. 


Attack  Gov't 
Petition  for 
Clarification 


Schine  Claims  U.  S.  Is 
Seeking  a  Reversal 

Washington,  May  24.  —  Schine 
Chain  Theatres,  Inc.,  today  opposed 
a  Government  petition  that  the  Su- 
preme Court  clarify  its  Schine  de- 
cision and  order  a  trustee  to  sell  five 
theatres  still  unsold  under  the  May, 
1942,  consent  order,  declaring  that  the 
purpose  of  the  Government's  petition 
is  "patently  not  clarification  of  any 
ambiguity  .  .  .  but  an  obvious  attempt 
to  persuade  the  court  to  reverse  itself." 

The  Justice  Department  had  said 
that  the  execution  of  the  consent  order 
did  not  depend  on  the  further  divesti- 
ture proceedings  ordered  by  the  high 
court's  decision.  It  declared  the  deci- 
sion was  not  clear  whether  the  sale 
of  these  five  theatres  was  to  go  ahead 
or  wait. 

Schine  answered  that  there  was  no 
doubt  that  the  court's  opinion  did  in- 
clude the  five  theatres.  In  the  order 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Sees  No  Monopoly 
In  Allied's  Buying 


Washington,  May  24. — Allied 
States  chairman  and  general  counsel 
Abram  F.  Myers  today  scoffed  at 
reports  that  Allied's  film  buying  and 
Caravan  activities  might  be  opened  to 
attack  by  the  Supreme  Courts'  film 
decisions. 

Terming  such  reports  "obviously 
inspired,"  Myers  said  that  the  Grif- 
fith decision  specifically  sanctioned 
cooperative  buying  to  get  price  ad- 
vantages as  long  as  such  buying  pow- 
er was  not  used  to  hurt  anyone.  He 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Heineman  Cautions 
Salesmen  on  Decision 

Chicago,  May  24.  —  Eagle-Lion 
Midwestern  field  forces,  meeting  with 
William  J.  Heineman,  Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president  at  the  Hotel 
Blackstone  here  over  the  weekend, 
were  cautioned  to  be  more  careful 
"from  now  on"  in  the  matter  of  clear- 
ance under  the  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision in  the  Government's  Paramount 
anti-trust  action.  Heineman  explained 
the  decision  and  disclosed  that  the 
company  will  sell  pictures  single  and 
in  full  compliance  with  the  decision. 

Sales    policies   were   discussed  on: 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  25,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


NED  DEPINET,  RKO  Radio  ex- 
ecutive vice-president,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  Holly- 
wood. 

Samuel  N.  Burger,  Loew's  Inter- 
national sales  manager,  and  David 
Lewis,  regional  director  for  Conti- 
nental Europe,  North  Africa  and  the 
Middle  East,  have  returned  to  New 
York  from  Europe. 

• 

Edward  Morey,  Allied  Artists  vice- 
president  ;  Maurice  Goldstein,  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  and  Norton  V. 
Ritchey,  head  of  the  company's  for- 
eign distribution  unit,  will  leave  the 
Coast  for  New  York  today. 

• 

Henry  Krumm,  Selznick  Releasing 
Organization  district  manager  in  At- 
lanta, has  returned  to  that  city  from 
Charlotte,  where  he  installed  Sam 
Hinson  as  branch  manager. 

• 

Sidney  Weiner,  New  York  ex- 
change office  manager  for  Film  Clas- 
sics, and  Mrs.  Weiner  have  become 
parents  of  a  daughter. 

• 

Herb  Pettey,  Station  WHN  man- 
aging director,  is  on  the  Coast  from 
New  York. 

• 

R.  B.  Wiley  and  J.  H.  Harrison 
of  Wilby-Kincey  Theatres  have  re- 
turned to  Atlanta  from  Birmingham. 


Next  Move  Set  on 
Bordonaro  Verdict 

Warner  and  Paramount  will  file 
briefs  Saturday  with  Federal  Court 
Judge  Harold  P.  Burke  in  Buffalo  for 
reargument  of  their  motions  to  set 
aside  a  jury  verdict  holding  them 
guilty  of  conspiracy  in  a  triple-damage 
anti-trust  action  brought  by  Bordo- 
naro Brothers  Theatres,  Inc.,  of 
Olean,  N.  Y.,  according  to  legal 
spokesmen  here  for  both  companies. 

Judge  Burke  rejected  the  Warner 
and  Paramount  motions  last  week 
while  upholding  a  similar  motion  by 
RKO  Radio.  The  jury  verdict  hold- 
ing Warner,  Paramount  and  RKO 
guilty  also  dismissed  charges  against 
four  other  defendants  named  by  the 
operator  of  the  Palace  Theatre  in 
Olean. 


Reject  Injunction 
Motion  by  Kimbark 

Chicago,  May  24. — Federal  Judge 
Michael  Igoe  has  denied  a  petition  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  filed  by 
Seymour  Simon,  attorney  for  the 
Kimbark  Theatre,  for  a  preliminary 
injunction  restraining  the  Tivoli, 
Tower  and  Maryland,  Balaban  and 
Katz  neighborhood  houses,  and  the 
Lex,  operated  by  the  Manta-Rose  cir- 
cuit, from  double-featuring  ahead  of 
the  Kimbark.  The  Kimbark  is  plain- 
tiff in  a  $510,000  anti-trust  suit 
against  the  majors  and  circuits  here. 

No  date  has  been  set  for  hearings 
on  the  suit. 


Actors'  Equity  Meet 
To  Be  Held  Friday 

Annual  meeting  of  Actor's  Equity, 
with  election  of  a  vice-president  to 
serve  one  year  and  10  councillors  to 
serve  five  years  highlighting  the  agen- 
da, will  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Astor 
here  next  Friday.  Basil  Rathbone  has 
been  nominated  for  the  vice-presiden- 
tial post  and  nominees  for  the  council 
positions  are:  Edith  Atwater,  Sidney 
Blackmer,  Clay  Clement,  Edith 
Meiser,  Eddie  Nugent,  Erin  O'Brien- 
Moore,  Barbara  Robbins,  Bill  Ross, 
Loring  Smith  and  Ann  Thomas. 

Chorus  Equity  Association  will  hold 
its  annual  meeting  on  June  4  at  the 
Hotel  Capitol  here.  Paul  Dullzell  has 
been  nominated  for  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee,  to  serve  one 
year. 


Eddie  Foster  Heads 
Atlanta  Colosseum 

Atlanta,  May  24.- — Eddie  B. 
Foster  has  been  elected  president  of 
the  local  Colosseum  of  Motion  Picture 
Salesmen  of  America.  Other  officers 
are :  vice-president,  Harris  Wynn,  Jr. ; 
board  chairman,  Frank  Salley;  trea- 
surer, Harry  Dashiell ;  recording  sec- 
retary, W.  R.  Word;  financial  secre- 
tary, C.  T.  Jordan,  Jr. 

The  Colosseum  is  preparing  for  an 
NLRB  election  which  will  determine 
whether  the  organization  will  be  the 
bargaining  agent  for  salesmen. 


SOPEG  —  H-63 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


SOPEG's  shop  at  United  Artists' 
home  office  and  that  the  alleged  raid 
will  start  layoffs  and  salary  cuts 
throughout  the  industry.  Letter  asks 
for  a  conference  on  the  issue. 

H-63  spokesmen,  meanwhile,  con- 
tinue firm  in  their  contention  that  it 
was  a  spontaneous  movement  among 
the  UA  "white  collar"  workers  that 
resulted  in  the  resignation  from 
SOPEG  of  an  "overwhelming  major- 
ity" which  has  signed  with  H-63. 
The  "IA"  local  claims  95  of  the  140 
employes  who  were  members  of 
SOPEG. 

Over  the  weekend,  SOPEG  mem- 
bers distributed  circulars  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Globe  Theatre  here  to 
passers-by.  The  circulars  urged  the 
public  to  write  to  UA  president  Grad- 
well  L.  Sears  in  protest  against  the 
company's  "using  the  Taft-Hartley 
Law  as  a  device  to  break  our  union." 
The  "IA"  was  not  mentioned  in  the 
circulars,  nor  was  the  AFL.  "Arch  of 
Triumph,"  a  UA  release,  is  playing  at 
the  Globe. 


Negotiate  Video  Series 

Hollywood,  May  24. — Indicative  of 
growing  collaboration  between  video 
and  films  are  current  negotiations  in 
which  the  Atkins-Gilbert  Agency 
seeks  to  affiliate  producer-director 
Maxwell  Shane  with  the  production  of 
a  series  of  television  pictures  spon- 
sored by  Admiral  Radio  Corp.  Agency 
is  bidding  for  Shane's  services  in  an 
executive  consultant  capacity.  He  is 
now  preparing  to  produce  "The  Salem 
Frigate,"  Geffen-Shane  initialer,  as 
well  as  "The  Amboy  Dukes"  for 
Universal-International. 


Trammell  Gives  Rates 
For  Coast  Video 

Hollywood,  May  24. — Rates  of 
KNBH,  NBC  television  station  sched- 
uled to  go  on  the  air  Oct.  1,  will  be 
$500  per  hour  for  time,  $750  per  hour 
for  studio  use  and  $250  for  film,  it  is 
disclosed  here  by  Niles  Trammell, 
president  of  the  network. 

Trammell  also  disclosed  that  NBC's 
kinescope  recording  service  will  be 
used  for  the  first  time  next  month 
with  Life  Magazine's  presentation  of 
the  highlights  of  the  national  political 
conventions  on  NBC's  video  network. 
Kinescope  recordings,  consisting  of 
film  made  directly  from  the  tube  of  a 
television  receiver,  will  be  flown  to 
stations  not  connected  to  NBC's  tele- 
vision network  by  coaxial  cable  or 
radio  relay. 


To  Name  New  Heads 
Of  Coast  Circuit 

Seattle,  May  24. — Appointment  of 
new  executive  officers  to  operate  the 
former  Jensen  and  Von  Herberg  en- 
terprises is  expected  to  be  made  by 
William  Edris,  the  new  owner,  within 
a  few  days. 

Edris  acquired  the  properties  last 
week  for  an  estimated  $2,000,000  from 
Claude  Jensen,  now  of  Portland,  who 
has  been  inactive  in  the  operation  of 
the  theatres  for  some  time  past,  and 
from  the  estate  of  the  late  John  Von 
Herberg.  Edris  is  a  Pacific  Coast 
hotel  operator. 


Wilkie  Heads  Miami 
Paramount  Publicity 

Miami,  May  24.— Al  Wilkie,  former 
New  York  home  office  publicity  man- 
ager for  Paramount  Pictures,  has 
been  named  publicity  -  advertising 
director  for  Paramount  Enterprises  in 
Greater  Miami,  by  George  C.  Hoover, 
general  manager  of  the  group  here. 

Wilkie  resigned  from  his  post  with 
Paramount  over  a  year  ago  and  has 
been  vacationing  in  Miami.  He  suc- 
ceeds Tom  Jefferson,  who  resigned 
recently  to  open  his  own  agency. 


20th  'Grass'  Bows  in 
Lancaster,  O.,  Today 

Twentieth-Fox's  "Green  Grass  of 
Wyoming"  will  have  its  premiere  to- 
day at  the  Palace  and  Broad  The- 
atres in  Lancaster,  Ohio.  More  than 
300  day-and-date  engagements,  which 
will  start  off  the  "Andy  Smith  Anni- 
versary Month"  drive,  will  follow  im- 
mediately. 


Skouras  to  Give  Awards 

Hollywood,  May  24. — Charles  Skou- 
ras, honorary  colonel  of  Allied  Post 
No.  302,  American  Legion,  will  award 
medals  and  citations  to  winning  ROTC 
cadet  units  at  the  organization's  annual 
Americanism  dinner  at  the  Ambassa- 
dor, tomorrow  evening. 


Law  Firm  Adds  Two 

George  A.  Raftery  and  Milton  M. 
Rosenbloom  have  been  admitted  to 
partnership  in  the  New  York  law 
firm  of  O'Brien,  Driscoll,  Raftery 
and  Lawler,  which  has  many  clients 
in  the  film  industry. 


Truman  Names  FCC 
Woman  Commissioner 

Washington,  May  24. — President 
Truman  today  nominated  Frieda  B. 
Henock,  New  York  attorney,  as  the 
Federal  Communication  Commission's 
first  woman  commissioner.  If  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate,  she  will  serve  a 
seven-year  term  starting  July  1,  when 
Commissioner  Clifford  Durr's  term 
expires. 


Finish  First  Se^s 
Made  for  Television 

Hollywood,  May  24.  —  Jerry  Fair- 
banks Productions  has  completed  a 
series  of  26  20-minute  films,  described 
as  the  first  such  series  ever  produced, 
directed  and  acted  solely  for  television 
purposes.  Using  screen  talent,  and  di- 
rected by  Lew  Landers,  the  series  was 
shot  in  11  weeks  on  35mm.  and  will 
be  reduced  to  16mm.  for  distribution. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — 3- 

Rockefeller  Center 
Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 

m  "THE  PIRATE" 

Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


VERONICA  LAKE  jr:***?^ 
JOAN  CAULFIELD 
BARRY  FITZGERALD/  jm/ffifc 


t  mm 


A/lerfe       %>6ert      CAarfes  That 

OBERON  •  RYAN-  *  KORVIN  *  LUKAS 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURE  /  '  BRQadwa7*"~ 


greatest  star- 
and-song-show! 


Released  thru  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


I ERROL  FLYNN  $ 

I  SHERIDAN  4*££D 
i  ciiV£*  JDUCHINI 

K  #  AND  HIS  ORCHESTRA  i 

|     Rl^l7  w  ARTIE  DANN  | 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b  way  at  47th  f 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V:  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


and  breathtaking  as  THE  SATURDAY  EVENING  POST  story ! 


One  of  the  most  rugged  Western  dramas  ever  screened ! 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  May  25.  1948 


S.  R.  O.  Field  Plans 
Set  on  'Standings' 

With  first-run,  key-city  release 
dates  set  for  June  11  for  "Mr.  Bland- 
ings  Builds  His  Dream  House"  in  the 
Roosevelt  and  Des  Moines  theatres. 
Des  Moines,  promotional  men  are  be- 
ing assigned  by  Selznick  Releasing 
Organization  to  coordinate  campaigns. 

Ted  Baldwin,  national  promotion 
director,  will  handle  campaigns  in  Al- 
bany and  New  England ;  Frank  Mc- 
Xamara  will  visit  Atlanta,  Chatta- 
nooga, Memphis  and  Knoxville,  and 
later,  Rochester,  Syracuse,  Buffalo  and 
Utica ;  George  Bennett  will  go  to 
Pittsburgh,  Baltimore,  Washington. 
Cleveland,  Toledo  and  Detroit ;  Ted 
Tod  will  be  in  charge  in  Des  Moines, 
Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Louisville,  St. 
Louis,  Omaha,  Indianapolis,  South 
Bend,  Kansas  City  and  Grand  Rapids. 

Ben  Babb  and  Max  Bercutt  will 
handle  the  Pacific  Coast  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  section,  and  Robert 
M.  Gillham,  Eastern  advertising-pub- 
licity director,  will  handle  the  South- 
west. 


MPEA,  Reich 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

pointing  out  that  there  is  little  like- 
lihood of  an  increase  in  German  pro- 
duction because  of  equipment  and 
material  shortages.  A  new  studio 
is  under  construction  in  the  British 
zone,  and  one  is  being  built  in  the 
French  zone,  he  said.  The  British, 
U.  S.  and  French  zones  do  not  ex- 
change films  with  the  Russian  zones 
where,  incidentally,  the  best  German 
rawstock  plants  are  situated.  Jordan 
reported. 


New  Brisson  Offices 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


with  RKO  Radio,  his  distributor,  as 
well  as  represent  the  company  for  tal- 
ent and  stories. 

During  Brisson's  New  York  stay  he 
has  completed  arrangements  with 
bankers  for  a  revolving  fund  to  take 
care  of  Independent  Artists'  require- 
ments. 

Brisson  will  leave  for  Europe  in 
June  to  set  up  European  offices  and 
representation. 


Review 


"The  Time  of  Your  Life" 

(Cagney-United  Artists) 

WILLIAM  SAROYAN  collected  an  array  of  honors  for  "The  Time  of 
Your  Life,"  his  play  on  which  this  kindly  and  warm,  but  unorthodox, 
attraction  is  based.  Acclaim  heaped  upon  the  stage  version,  which  the  film 
resembles  strongly,  included  the  Pulitzer  Prize  and  the  New  York  Drama 
Critics'  Circle  Award. 

"There  is  no  'plot'  in  the  ordinary  sense  in  this  story,"  the  foreword 
wisely  sets  forth.  "Rather,  it  is  a  comedy  of  characters,  moods,  tempo  and 
arresting  incidents — all  welling  up  into  a  crescendo  which  marks  the  climax. 
Each  sequence  is  a  cameo  in  itself  yet  all  combine  as  a  commentary  of  Life 
in  our  Time." 

In  a  sense,  this  foreword  turns  out  to  be  the  review.  Plot,  as  commonly 
expected  and  accepted,  is  absent.  Characters  and  moods  and  a  quiet  tempo, 
in  the  main,  assuredly  are  strong  assets.  Not  all  sequences  are  cameos.  The 
argument  can  be  supported  that  the  combined  results  do  emerge  as  com- 
mentary of  life  in  our  time. 

Saroyan  draws  a  sharp  reaction  with  his  stage  plays.  Audiences  either 
are  for  or  against  his  ofttimes  penetrating,  if  often  strange,  philosophic 
approach  to  men  and  the  effect  of  events  upon  them.  Inevitably,  this  will 
be  the  case  with  "The  Time  of  Your  Life." 

James  Cagney,  who  believes  in  dreams  more  than  he  does  in  statistics, 
is  the  central  character  around  whom  a  number  of  others  gravitate.  He 
symbolizes  the  good,  the  kind  and  the  understanding  and  appears  to  proceed 
on  the  conviction  all  those  who  cross  his  path  share  these  attributes  with 
him.  Thus,  he  befriends  Wayne  Morris  and  sees  to  it  that  he  and  Jeanne 
Cagney,  lady  of  doubtful  virtue,  seal  their  love  match.  He  influences  William 
Bendix,  who  runs  the  San  Francisco  beer  dive  in  which  practically  the  entire 
action — if  it  can  be  called  that — takes  place,  to  give  a  job  to  downbeaten 
Reginald  Beane,  who  plays  the  piano,  and  to  Paul  Draper,  who  dances. 
Cagney  appears  to  have  time  and  patience  with  all  comers,  including  James 
Barton,  prevaricating  old  prospector,  and  rises  in  an  aroused  fury  to  eliminate 
Tom  Powers,  symbolizing  the  forces  of  evil,  when  Powers  threatens  to  wreck 
the  romance  between  Morris  and  Miss  Cagney. 

While  these  characters  and  others,  including  love-sick  Jimmy  Lydon,  pin- 
ball  machine  addict  Richard  Erdman,  newsboy  Lanny  Rees,  waterfront  char- 
acter Pedro  de  Cordoba,  appear  throughout,  the  lines  holding  them  together 
are  very  tenuous.  "The  Time  of  Your  Life"  moreover,  is  difficult  to  assay 
because  it  follows  no  well-worn  film  groove  and,  as  its  only  parallel,  recalls 
"The  Human  Comedy,"  an  earlier  Saroyan  film  produced  some  years  ago 
by  Metro. 

Performances  are  of  a  high  order,  the  most  incisive  going  to  Barton.  The 
humor  is  warm  and  usually  glowing,  occasionally  exploding  into  roars.  The 
outstanding  single  laugh  comes  along  when  Erdman  hits  the  pin-ball  machine 
and  fireworks  go  off  and  flags  unfurl ;  this  piece  of  business  is  well  nigb 
priceless. 

The  chief  emotional  reaction  to  this  unusual  and  daring  venture  is  its 
ability  to  impart  a  good  time  to  those  willing  to  let  it.  Whether  the  broad 
mass  base  upon  which  successes  necessarily  are  predicated  will  be  willing  is 
something  else.  On  the  basis  of  formula  and  yardstick,  "The  Time  of  Your 
Life"  will  have  to  fight  for  its  life.  But,  while  its  philosophy  may  confuse, 
its  comedy  will  amuse.  That,  perhaps,  may  be  enough. 

William  Cagney  produced  with  H.  C.  Potter  directing  from  a  script  by 
Nathaniel  Curtis  whose  reference  to  the  play  version  is  decidedly  apparent. 

Running  time,  109  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release,  May, 
1948,  Red  Kann 


Overseas  Benefit  Tonight 

More  than  100  stars  will  highlight 
"Command  Performance,"  benefit  show 
which  will  take  place  tonight  at  Madi- 
son Square  Garden  for  American 
Overseas  Aid-United  Nations  Appeal 
for  Children.  Guest  of  honor,  General 
George  C.  Marshall,  will  deliver  a 
brief  message. 


I  NATURALLY 
I 

I 


HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


Legion  Classifies  11; 
Four  Placed  in  (By 

Four  films  are  placed  in  Class  B  by 
the  National  Legion  of  Decency  in  its 
review  of  11  pictures.  The  four  are: 
"Dreams  That  Money  Can  Buy," 
Hans  Richter  Productions ;  "Lady 
from  Shanghai,"  Columbia ;  "Not 
Guilty"  (French),  Andre  Lelarge- 
Araine  Production,  and  "Women  in 
the  Night,"  Film  Classics. 

Placed  in  Class  A-I  were :  "The 
Gallant  Legion,"  Republic,  and  "^.f 
Nach  Noten"  (German),  Wien  ^a-V~'i. 
In  A-II:  "Blonde  Ice"  and  "Will  It 
Happen  Again?",  both  Film  Classics; 
"The  Fuller  Brush  Man,"  Columbia ; 
"Maria  Ilona"  (German),  Terra  Pro- 
ductions, and  "Water  Front  at  Mid- 
night," Paramount. 


Free  Markets 

(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 


"if  we  could  show  our  pictures  in 
Russia  ?" 

The  motion  picture  and  the  film 
theatre  occupy  key  spots  in  the 
progress  of  the  community  and. 
through  the  community,  of  the  entire 
country,  Warner  added. 

"The  great  achievement  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  in  the  community  is  that 
it  has  made  history  entertaining," 
Warner  asserted.  "It  has  given  the 
American  citizen  more  and  more  in- 
formation from  which  he  can  make 
up  his  own  mind.  It  has  expressed,  in 
terms  of  entertaining  drama,  the 
American  ideas  of  tolerance." 

Warner  pointed  out  that,  although 
the  primary  function  of  the  motion 
picture  is  entertainment,  it  has  so 
broadened  the  scope  of  entertainment 
that  it  has  become  a  teacher.  It  has 
made  science  and  history  entertaining, 
and  has  given  the  American  people 
a  greater  understanding  of  each 
other's  work,  thereby  "helping  to 
create  better  mutual  understanding  in 
the  community." 

"The  motion  picture  gives  Ameri- 
cans a  chance  to  see  their  country, 
and  the  rest  of  the  world,  as  they 
would  never  be  able  to  otherwise," 
Warner  added.  "It  gives  them  a 
chance  to  compare  themselves  to 
other  Americans,  their  community  to 
other  American  communities." 

In  the  process  of  fulfilling  its  ob- 
jective of  providing  entertainment,  the 
motion  picture  "also  often  renders  a 
patriotic,  educational  and  public  serv- 
ice," Warner  pointed  out. 


Cagney  Here  for  'Time* 

James  Cagney,  star  of  "The  Time 
of  Your  Life,"  will  attend  the  bene- 
fit premiere  of  the  picture  at  the  May- 
fair  here  tomorrow  night.  With  him 
will  be  his  brother,  William,  the  film's 
producer,  and  his  sister,  Jeanne,  who 
is  in  the  cast.  Cagney  arrived  from 
Hollywood  yesterday. 


Charles  Cohen  with  U-I 

Charles  Cohen  is  an  addition  to  the 
Universal  -  International  advertising 
department  here.  He  formerly  was 
a  member  of  the  M-G-M  home  office 
advertising  and  publicity  department. 


FOR  SALE 

2 — 35mm  Bell  &  Howell  motion  pic- 
ture rackover  camera  outfits,  com- 
plete with  magazines,  carrying  cases, 
lenses  and  Akely  Gyro  Tripods.  Also 
lighting  equipment.  Call  Circle  6-0951. 


Tuesday.  May  25,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Review 


"The  Big  Punch" 

{Warner  Brothers)  Hollyzcood,  May  24 

THE  box-office  value  of  this  first  offering  in  the  recently  announced 
Warner  series  of  moderately-budgeted  features  designed  to  showcase  new 
talent  lies  in  the  presence  of  Gordon  MacRae,-  who  is  going  great  guns 
vocally  on  the  radio  and  who,  therefore,  it  seems  to  be  certain,  his  kilocycle 
public  will  pay  to  see  on  the  screen.  It  is  not  required  of  a  showman  that 
he  tell  his  customers  MacRae  does  not  sing  in  his  first  film  appearance,  but  if 
any  of  them  complain  on  that  score  the  management  can  mollify  them,  and 
presumably  sell  them  again  later  on,  with  the  information  that  he  will  sing 
in  his  next  Warner  offering,  "Silver  Lining."  Apart  from  this  aspect  of  the 
attraction,  there  is  not  a  great  deal  to  be  said  save  that  it  is  a  melodrama 
in  which  Wayne  Morris  turns  in  a  modern  portrayal  of  the  fighting-parson 
character  of  early  American  Westerns. 

Morris,  who  turns  down  a  professional  football  offer  to  enter  the  ministry, 
inspires  MacRae,  a  gamblers'  boxing  stooge,  to  win  instead  of  lose  a  sup- 
posedly fixed  fight.  MacRae  is  promptly  framed  for  a  murder  by  his  gangster 
boss,  but  flees  to  Morris,  who  gets  him  a  job  in  a  bank  in  the  town  where 
he  occupies  a  pulpit.  When  MacRae's  girl  friend  exposes  his  whereabouts  to 
the  gangster,  the  latter  attempts  vengeance  but  Morris  beats  him  up  and 
forces  a  confession  of  the  killing.  A  romantic  situation  in  the  background  is 
resolved  satisfactorily.  Saul  Elkins  produced  and  Sherry  _  Sheards  directed 
from  a  script  by  Bernard  Girard.  The  cast  also  includes  Lois  Maxwell,  Mary 
Stuart,  Jimmy  Ames  and  Marc  Logan. 

Running  time,  80  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 

nnt  set        °  WlLLIAM  R.  WEAVER. 


Schine  Attacks 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

for  further  divestiture  proceedings,  it 
declared  there  was  no  ground  to  as- 
sume the  District  Court  would  have 
directed  the  sale  of  these  and  11  other 
theatres  in  the  consent  order  except 
as  "part  of  the  general  scheme  of  re- 
lief upon  which  the  entire  decree  rest- 
ed and  which  this  court  has  held  to 
be  without  support  in  the  findings  and 
erroneously  grounded  in  law." 

.\7?3jstiture  of  these  five  theatres, 
tht^diine  brief  said,  must  be  based  on 
a  determination  either  that  their  own- 
ership violates  the  Sherman  Act  or 
that  their  retention  violates  the  agree- 
ment underlying  the  May,  1942  con- 
sent order.  "In  either  case,  such  de- 
termination of  unlawfulness  must  nec- 
essarily rest  upon  appropriate  finding 
of  fact. 

"The  conclusion  necessarily  follows," 
the  brief  said,  "that  the  sale  or  other 
divestiture  of  the  theatres  named  in  the 
order  is  controlled  by  precisely  the 
same  principles  and  consideration 
which  apply  to  appellants'  other  the- 
atres ;  that  no  ground  has  been  ad- 
vanced for  placing  them  in  a  category 
in  any  respect  different  from  such 
other  theatres ;  that,  in  their  case  also, 
the  appointment  of  a  trustee  'merely 
implements  the  divestiture  provisions 
which  must  be  reconsidered  by  the 
District  Court' ;  that  this  court's  fail- 
ure to  differentiate  such  theatres  was 
not  'inconclusive'  and  that  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  trustee  is  inappropriate  and 
unjustifiable  on  any  ground.  It  is  re- 
spectfully submitted  that  the  (Govern- 
ment's) petition  should  be  denied." 

The  Supreme  Court  is  officially 
scheduled  to  adjourn  for  the  summer 
next  Tuesday,  but  it  still  has  close  to 
40  cases  to  decide,  and  most  observ- 
ers believe  it  will  not  get  away  before 
June  14  at  the  earliest. 


Sees  No  Monopoly 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

said  he  was  quite  sure  this  covered 
any  cooperative  buying  in  Allied. 

As  for  the  Caravan,  Myers  de- 
clared it  does  not  buy  films  or  pool 
buying  power  but  merely  circulates 
price  information  on  closed  transac- 
tions. Such  an  information  service, 
he  said,  had  been  cleared  by  the  court 
in  many  decisions. 

Justice  Department  officials  have 
pointed  out  previously  the  court  ruling 
that  buying  power  can  be  pooled  so 
long  as  no  one  is  hurt,  but  have  re- 
fused to  say  whether  or  not  any  of 
the  Allied  pools  are  suspect.  Presum- 
ably that  would  be  a  matter  for  court 
decision  in  each  individual  case  if  an 
exhibitor  felt  he  was  damaged  by  an 
Allied  pool. 


Cautions  Salesmen 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

"Raw  Deal" ;  "Mickey,"  which  will 
have  a  world  premiere  June  22  in 
Moline,  and  in  Des  Moines  on  June 
23;  "Tulsa,"  produced  by  Walter 
Wanger ;  "Northwest  Stampede" ; 
"Let's  Live  a  Little" ;  "The  Spirit- 
ualist" and  J.  Arthur  Rank's  "Oliver 
Twist."  General  trend  of  the  meeting 
was  that  the  quality  of  the  company's 
new  product  will  command  higher 
rentals  than  ever  before. 

Addresses  were  also  made  by  Max 
E.  Youngstein,  advertising-publicity 
vice-president ;  Jack  Schlaifer,  assist- 
ant general  sales  manager ;  Herman 
Biersdorf,  Western  sales  manager ; 
Edward  Hieber.  Midwest  district 
manager,  and  Beverly  Miller,  district 
manager  in  Kansas  City. 


Uphold  Suit  Dismissal 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  24. — Court  of 
Appeals  today  upheld  dismissal  of  a 
$16,500  action  by  J.  Stephen  Holt, 
New  York  attorney,  against  Phoenix 
Fidelity  Insurance  Co.,  over  a  fire  at 
the  Colonial  Theatre  two  years  ago. 
Holt  and  Jack  Olshansky,  Albany  law- 
yer, after  negotiating  with  Berinstein 
Enterprises  for  purchase  of  the  house, 
were  preparing  to  take  physical  pos- 
session when  fire  damaged  the  house. 
The  insurance  company  contended  it 
paid  only  the  outstanding  claim  held 
by  Berinstein.  Holt  brought  suit  on 
the  other  claim,  but  the  highest  court 
ruled  against  him.  Olshansky  remodeled 
the  house,  then  operated  -it  a  for  year. 
Freedman  and  Orson  now  operate  it. 


11  Southern  Theatres 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Thomas  A.  Bradbury,  architect ;  Mi- 
ami, theatre  for  Negroes,  Wometco 
Theatres,  Inc. ;  Edwin  T.  Reeder, 
architect. 

Also,  Lake  Charles,  La.,  drive-in ; 
Southern  Amusement  Co. ;  F.  Shutts 
Sons,  architects ;  New  Orleans,  the- 
atre for  Negroes,  Oscar  J.  Tolman, 
owner ;  to  cost  $60,000 ;  Frayser, 
Tenn. ;  theatre,  M.  L.  Phillips,  Fray- 
ser, owner ;  W.  I.  Rosamond,  archi- 
tect ;  to  cost  $50,000 ;  Nashville,  drive- 
in.  Crescent  Amusement  Co. ;  Marr 
and  Holman,  architects ;  Shelbyville, 
Tenn.,  work  begun  on  new  theatre  to 
be  called  the  Princess,  a  1,000-seater. 


Cohen  Charges  3 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tract  with  the  plaintiff  Anco  for  ex- 
hibition of  films  produced  and  distrib- 
uted by  the  three  on  a  run  ahead  of 
or  simultaneously  with  New  York 
RKO  circuit  theatres,  including  the 
RKO  Palace  on  Broadway  which  was 
recently  converted  from  first  to  sec- 
ond-run. 

The  court  is  asked  to  direct  the  de- 
fendants to  "deal  in  good  faith"  with 
the  plaintiff  and  to  issue  licenses  for 
exhibition  of  their  features  at  the  New 
Amsterdam.  The  court  is  asked  also 
to  restrain  the  defendants  from  enter- 
ing contracts,  combinations  or  con- 
spiracies whose  object  would  be  to  de- 
prive the  plaintiff  from  the  right  to 
negotiate  with  defendants  for  run  and 
clearance  at  the  New  Amsterdam. 
Plaintiff  also  wants  any  contracts  al- 
legedly entered  by  the  defendants  with 
the  effect  of  postponing  the  playing 
time  of  any  of  defendants'  films  at 
the  New  Amsterdam  declared  illegal 
and  void. 

Court  is  asked  also  to  issue  a  pre- 
liminary injunction  restraining  the  de- 
fendants during  pendency  of  the  action 
from  refusing  to  contract  with  Anco 
on  a  run  ahead  of  RKO  23rd  Street 
and  RKO  Palace. 

Twentieth-Fox  and  Warners  oper- 
ate theatres  in  the  U.  S.,  but  operate 
no  circuit  in  New  York  City,  the  ac- 
tion states,  charging  that  where  20th- 
Fox  operates  its  circuit,  RKO  and 
Warners  give  no  competition ;  where 
Warners  operates  its  circuit,  20th- 
Fox  and  RKO  do  not  operate,  and 
where  RKO  operates,  20th-Fox  and 
Warners  do  not. 


Kingsberg  in  K.C. 

Kansas  City,  May  24. — Malcolm 
Kingsberg,  president  of  RKO  The- 
atres, and  Sol  Schwartz,  general  man- 
ager, arrived  here  today  for  an  in- 
spection of  Main  Street  Theatre  which 
may  be  reopened  and  operated  bv 
RKO. 


ANNOUNCING 

the 

29th  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

of  the 

ALLIED  THEATRE  OWNERS 
□f  NEW  JERSEY,  Inc. 

and 

EASTERN  REGIONAL  CONFERENEE 

with 

EXPOSITION  OF  MOTION  PICTURE 
THEATRE  EQUIPMENT  and  AECESSORIES 

HOLLYWOOD  HOTEL 

WEST  END,  NEW  JERSEY 
JUNE  28-29-30,  1948 

New  York  Headquarters 
ALLIED  THEATRE  OWNERS  of  NEW  JERSEY,  Inc. 

234  West  44th  Street,  New  York 
LAckawanna  4-1692 


F'LE  COPY 


MOT  T  O  W  PICTURE 

»OTr0!l  PICTURE  ASsOC.  Ui? 


447H  3i<f 
NSW  KGBK  18, 
N.  Y. 


ILY 


63.   NO.  102 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  MAY  26,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


1,000  Eligible 
For  Vote  on 
Colosseum 


NLRB  to  Ask  Added 
Time   for  Ballotting 

National  Labor  Relations  Board 
here  has  received  from  11  distribu- 
tors and  National  Screen  Service 
names  of  1,000  film  salesmen  en- 
titled to  receive  ballots  in  connection 
with  the  forthcoming  company-wide 
elections  to  determine  whether  the 
Colosseum  of  Motion  Picture  Sales- 
men of  America  shall  be  the  sales- 
men's collective  bargaining  representa- 
tive. 

An  NLRB  spokesman  speculated 
yesterday  that  the  election  will  be  in 
progress  by  mid-June,  and  that  results 
will  be  tabulated  by  the  end  of  next 
month.  NLRB's  election  department, 
he  said,  plans  to  apply  to  the  Wash- 
ington office  for  an  extension  of  the 
period  within  which  the  voting  may 
take  place.  The  board  in  Washington 
originally  ordered  the  election  to  be 
held  within  30  days  from  May  1. 


'IA'  and  SopegWill 
Meet  Here  Tonight 


The  two  opposing  film  labor  unions 
which  have  been  at  loggerheads  for 
the  past  week  over  representing  United 
Artists  home  office  "white  collar" 
workers  will  hold  separate  strategy 
meetings   here  this  evening. 

AFL's  IATSE  Local  H-63,  which 
claims  an  "overwhelming  majority" 
of  the  140  UA  workers  involved,  will 
meet  at  Malin  Studios.  Screen  Office 
and  Professional  Employes  Guild 
(CIO),  which  has  been  the  employes' 
collective  bargaining  agent  since  1942. 
but  which  the  UA  management  has 
rejected   as  "Communist-dominated," 

{Continued  on  page  5) 


British  Footage 
In  UK  Is  Up  2% 

London,  May  25. — Aggregate  foot- 
age shown  in  Britain  during  the  year 
ended  Sept.  30  last,  was  46,412,000 
feet,  compared  to  46,903,000  in  the 
previous  year,  it  is  reported  by  the 
British  Board  of  Trade. 

Total  British  footage  shown  was 
10,823,000  feet,  or  23  per  cent  of  the 
total,  against  21  per  cent  in  the  pre- 
vious year.  British  feature  percentage 
rose  from  18.58  to  20.87  per  cent. 
The  film  quota  prescribed  17.5  per 
cent  during  1946-47,  against  15  per 
cent  in  the  previous  year. 


Report  Schenck  Has 
Closed  Naify  Deal 

San  Francisco,  May  25. — 
Widely  circulated  reports 
which  it  has  been  impossible 
to  confirm  locally  credit 
Joseph  M.  Schenck  with  hav- 
ing completed  negotiations 
for  the  purchase  of  a  half  in- 
terest in  United  California 
Theatres  from  Mike  Naify, 
but  with  actual  closing  of  the 
deal  being  delayed  until  next 
month. 

Negotiations  for  the  half 
interest  in  the  large  North- 
ern California  circuit,  in 
which  Ted  R.  Gamble  and 
Milton  Reynolds  also  have 
figured,  reportedly  involve 
about  $12,000,000. 


End  Election  Clause 
In  Taft  Law:  SAG 


Washington,  May  25.  —  The 
Screen  Actors  Guild  today  asked  Con- 
gress to  repeal  a  section  of  the  Taft- 
Hartley  law  requiring  the  holding  of 
elections  before  employers  and  unions 
can  agree  on  a  union  shop  contract. 

Rep.  Nixon  read  the  SAG  message 
at  hearings  of  the  Joint  Congressional 
Committee  on  Labor-Management  Re- 
lations, which  is  considering  possible 
changes  in  the  Taft-Hartley  law.  The 
message  was  signed  by  SAG  president 
Ronald  Reagan  and  executive  secre- 
tary John  Dales,  Jr. 

The  Guild  said  that  it  has  had  union 
shop  contracts  with  producers  for 
more  than  10  years,  and  that  these 
contracts  have  the  overwhelming  ap- 
proval of  the  employes  involved.  "We 
respectfully  submit,"  said  the  Guild, 
(.Continued  on  page  5) 


Hughes'  RKO  Plans 
Hailed  by  Depinet 
On  Return  to  N.  Y. 


Ned  E.  Depinet,  executive  vice- 
president  of  RKO,  returned  to  New 
York  Monday  after  conferences  with 
Howard  Hughes,  Floyd  Odium,  N. 
Peter  Rathvon  and  Dore  Senary,  held 
in  Hollywood  and  at  Indio,  Calif. 

"I  am  very  favorably  impressed  by 
Mr.  Hughes'  ideas  and  intentions," 
said  Depinet,  who  met  him  for  the 
first  time.  "Mr.  Hughes  revealed 
high  ambitions  for  our  company  and 
I  am  convinced  he  is  the  type  of  man 
who  will  not  be  content  until  RKO 
is  the  undisputed  champion. 

"In  having  Mr.  Hughes  as  its  prin- 
cipal   shareholder,    RKO    gains  not 

{Continued  on  page  5) 


Testimonial  Dinner 
For  Smith  Tonight 


Andy  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  general  sales 
manager  for  20th  Century-Fox,  will 
be  honored  tonight  at  a  testimonial 
dinner  at  the  Waldorf  Astoria  Hotel 
on  the  occasion  of  his  completing  his 
first  year  as  head  of  the  company's 
domestic  distribution  department. 
Sales  division  managers  of  the  com- 
pany, who  are  launching  the  Andy 
Smith  anniversary  month  celebration, 
which  runs  from  May  30  to  June  26, 
are  sponsors  of  the  affair. 

With  Smith  on  the  dais  will  be 
company  president  Spyros  P.  Skouras, 
Frank  C.  Walker,  William  Powers, 
W.  C.  Michel,  Otto  Koegel,  Murray 
Silverstone,  Donald  A.  Henderson,  W. 
J.  Eadie,  W.  C.  Gehring,  Charles 
Schlaifer,  division  managers  and 
others.  Skouras  will  be  toastmaster  at 
the  dinner. 


44 


Easter  Parade 


99 


[M-G-M]  —  Astaire,  Garland  +  Berlin  Music  = 

ADVANCE  claims  that  "Easter  Parade"  is  a  top-range  musical  are 
/~%  completely  justified.  The  fact  is  it  is  one  of  the  Metro's  best  and  a 
certain  hit  for  all  categories  of  theatres  in  all  kinds  of  situations. 
That  is  giving  any  attraction  a  great  deal,  but  time  and  grosses  will  ride 
to  an  easy  rescue. 

There  are  17  numbers  from  Irving  Berlin's  lilting  pianoboard,  14  of 
them  old  or  near-old  and  three  new.  While  they  vary  in  quality  and 
appeal,  in  sum  total  the  score  is  as  engaging  and  as  captivating  as  any 
this  maestro  of  popular  music  ever  has  turned  out. 

Too,  there  is  Judy  Garland,  better  than  she  was  in  her  immediately 
preceding  release,  "The  Pirate,"  and  apparently  happier  and  more  con- 
tented in  mood  and  role  than  her  recent  pictures  have  revealed.  Her 
romantic  foil,  who  proves  a  reasonably  hard  guy  to  nab,  what  with  his 
persistent  infatuation  for  Ann  Miller,  is  Fred  Astaire.  Back  again  after 
an  unjustifiable  absence,  time  seems  to  display  a  habit  of  standing  still 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


WideRevisions 
In  Clearance 
Scales  Loom 


Even  'Reasonable'  Scales 
Will  Be  Readjusted 

Wide-scale  adjustments  of  clear- 
ance schedules  in  numerous  situa- 
tions are  likely  to  be  made  in  the 
near  future  upon  completion  of  cur- 
rent studies  by  most  distribution 
companies  of  existing  clearances  in 
the  light  of  the  recent  Supreme  Court 
decisions  in  industry  anti-trust  cases. 

The  Supreme  Court  held  that 
the  burden  of  proof  of  the 
reasonableness  of  clearances  is 
upon  the  distributor.  Accord- 
ingly, most  companies  in  their 
current  studies  of  existing 
schedules  are  employing  this 
approach: 

1.  Is  the  clearance  reason- 
able? 

2.  Can  it  be  justified  even  if 
reasonable? 

If  the  existing  clearance  is  not  re- 
garded as  reasonable,  adjustments 
bringing  it  into  line  will  be  more  or 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Admission  Tax  Cut 
Is  Definitely  Off 

Washington,  May  25. — It's  now 
final  and  definite — there  will  be  no  cut 
in  the  admission  tax  this  session. 
House  Ways  and  Means  committee 
Chairman  Knutson  told  reporters  to- 
day that  all  plans  for  excise  tax  cuts 
had  finally  been  abandoned  as  entail- 
ing too  great  a  loss  of  revenue.  He 
made  this  statement  as  his  committee 
gave  a  final  once-over  to  its  tax  re- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Action  on  Griffith 
Case  Off  Until  Fall 

Oklahoma  City,  May  25.— 
The  Federal  District  Court 
clerk  here  says  U.  S.  Judge 
Edgar  S.  Vaught  probably 
will  not  get  to  the  remanded 
Griffith  Theatres  case  until 
next  fall,  because  the  docket 
is  crowded  until  July  and  he 
will  be  out  of  his  office  on 
vacation  in  August. 

"It  will  be  after  Sept.  1, 
I'm  sure,"  the  clerk  said. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  May  26,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


DAVID  LOEW,  chairman  of  the 
Enterprise    board,    is    in  town 
from  Hollywood. 

• 

Phil  Reisman,  RKO  Radio  for- 
eign sales  manager,  and  Russell 
Muth,  European  supervisor  of  Fox 
Movietone  News,  are  among  passen- 
gers who  will  sail  for  Europe  tomor- 
row on  the  America. 

• 

Harry  M.  Warner,  Warner  presi- 
dent, and  Mort  Blumen  stock,  adver- 
tising vice-president,  left  Washington 
last  night  for  New  York. 

• 

Morris  Lowenstein,  president  of 
the  Oklahoma  Theatre  owners,  has 
been  confined  to  his  home  in  Okla- 
homa City  by  illness. 

• 

E.  T.  Gomersall,  assistant  to  Uni- 
versal-International distribution  chief 
William  A.  Scully,  left  here  yes- 
terday for  Chicago. 

•  v 

Ed  Hinchy,  head  of  the  Warner 
home  office  playdate  department,  is 
due  back  in  New  York  today  from 
Cleveland. 

• 

Francis  W.  McManus,  Mullin  and 
Pinanski  district  manager  in  Boston, 
is  ill  with  arthritis. 

• 

Stanley  Kramer,  producer,  has  ar- 
rived in  New  York  from  Hollywood. 


Quimby's  MGM  Pact 
Extended  5  Years 

Fred  C.  Quimby,  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  cartoon  producer  and  head  of 
short  subject  production,  whose  car- 
toon stars,  Tom  and  Jerry,  have  won 
four  Academy  Awards,  has  been 
signed  to  a  new  five-year  contract, 
the  company  announced  here  yesterday. 

Quimby  has  been  an  M-G-M  execu- 
tive for  23  years,  12  at  the  studio  in 
charge  of  shorts  and  11  as  general 
manager  of  short  subjects  in  New 
York. 


Canada  Is  Delaying 
Licenses  for  Video 

Toronto,  May  25. — Applications  for 
tele-casting  licenses  have  been  laid 
over  until  October  by  the  Canadian 
Broadcasting  Corp-  of  the  Dominion 
government,  to  give  further  study  be- 
fore television  is  introduced  in  Canada. 

Only  three  video  channels  will  be 
available  for  Ontario,  and  the  CBC 
will  reserve  one  channel  in  each  centre 
across  Canada  for  its  own  use,  it  is 
intimated. 


William  Kurtz's  Father 

Funeral  services  for  Joseph  Kurtz, 
77,  father  of  William  Kurtz,  general 
manager  of  the  Rialto  Theatre  here, 
were  held  yesterday  at  Midwood 
Memorial  Chapel,  Brooklyn.  Kurtz 
died  on  Monday.  Interment  took 
place  at  Mt.  Hebron  Cemetery  on 
Long  Island. 


Youth  Month  Film 
En  Route  to  Field 


Prints  of  "Report  for  Action," 
training  film  made  by  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America  as  the  first  step  in  its 
campaign  against  juvenile  delinquen- 
cy, are  now  being  sent  by  air  and  ex- 
press to  the  31  exchange  centers. 

Not  designed  for  public  exhibition, 
the  two-reel  subject  will  begin  its 
showings  on  June  1  before  welfare 
workers  and  civic  groups  in  more  than 
1,500  communities  across  the  country 
which  will  set  up  local  conferences  to 
put  into  action  the  programs  suggest- 
ed by  the  National  Conference  on  the 
Prevention  and  Control  of  Juvenile 
Delinquency. 

This  latter  group,  composed  of  near- 
ly 1,000  educators  and  welfare  work- 
ers, was  convened  in  Washington  at 
the  invitation  of  Attorney  General 
Tom  C.  Clark  and  the  Department  of 
Justice  to  study  causes  and  cures  for 
delinquency. 

State  chairmen,  appointed  by 
Charles  P.  Skouras,  national  chair- 
man of  TOA's  Youth  Month  Commit- 
tee, will  make  "Report  for  Action" 
available  to  any  group  at  the  request 
of  local  mayors  and  other  civic  lead- 
ers. Exhibitors  in  every  section  will 
lend  their  screens  for  showings. 

As  a  further  example  of  motion  pic- 
ture industry  coordination  in  its  pre- 
paration, the  film  was  produced  by  the 
"This  Is  America"  branch  of  RKO 
Radio,  prints  were  made  by  Pathe, 
and  its  exchange  distribution  is  being 
handled  by  20th  Century-Fox. 


Hersholt  for  Annual  Newsreel 

Parade 


Foreign  Films  Award 


Paramount  Concludes 
Central  Sales  Parley 

Chicago,  May  25.  —  Paramount's 
three-day  Central  division  sales  meet- 
ing was  concluded  at  the  Knicker- 
bocker Hotel  here  today.  Salesmen 
Ernie  Lund  of  Minneapolis,  Paul 
Chapman  of  Dallas,  and  booking  man- 
ager Tom  Luce  of  Dallas,  were  hon- 
ored by  division  manager  James  J. 
Donahue  and  were  made  members  of 
Paramount's  100%  Club. 

Vice-president  Charles  M.  Reagan, 
special  representative  Ted  O'Shea,  ad- 
vertising manager  Stanley  Shuford, 
exploitation  manager  Sid  Mesibov, 
publicity  manager  Ben  Washer,  and 
exchange  operations  chief  A.  W. 
Schwalberg  were  among  home  office 
officials  present. 


Will  Hear  Brylawki 
On  Building  Code 

Washington,  May  25. — A.  Julian 
Brylawski,  head  of  the  local  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  unit,  will  testify 
tomorrow  before  the  District  com- 
missioners in  favor  of  a  compromise 
plan  on  theatre  building  regulations 
worked  out  by  a  citizens'  committee 
he  headed  and  District  building  offi- 
cials. 

The  commissioners  are  expected  to 
proclaim  the  regulations  sometime 
next  month,  effective  July  1.  Last 
summer  the  building  department  sug- 
gested radical  changes  in  building  set- 
ups, but  the  Brylawski  group  con- 
ducted long  negotiations  with  the  Dis- 
trict officials  and  won  substantial  vic- 
tories. 


Hollywood,  May  25.  —  Energetic 
furtherance  of  plans  for  an  Interna- 
tional Film  Congress  to  be  held  here 
as  soon  as  world  conditions  permit 
and  the  establishment  of  an  annual 
award  for  the  best  foreign  language 
film  were  urged  by  president  Jean 
Hersholt  tonight  in  his  report  to  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  board  of  governors. 

He  also  reported  that  the  Academy's 
financial  position  has  been  stabilized 
by  the  rise  in  dues  charged,  increased 
charges  for  the  "Players'  Directory" 
and  the  renting  of  the  Academy  thea- 
tre for  press  screenings.  Income  was 
sufficient,  Hersholt  said,  to  operate  the 
Academy  building,  pay  bank  loan  in- 
stallments and  issue  a  five  per  cent 
dividend  to  stockholders. 


Republic  Stockholder 
Sues  Yates,  Company 

Republic  minority  stockholder  Si- 
mon L.  Levin  filed  suit  in  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  here  yesterday  against  the 
company,  president  Herbert  J.  Yates 
and  Onsrud,  Inc.,  a  holding  company, 
charging  sales  and  purchases  of  com- 
pany stock  in  violation  of  Section 
16-B  of  the  Securities  and  Exchange 
Act  of  1934.  Levin  asked  an  account- 
ing of  profits,  allegedly  $200,000. 


Minsky  Territory 
Expanded  by  E-L 

Joseph  Minsky,  Eagle-Lion  district 
manager  for  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh 
and  Washington,  will  also  assume  su- 
pervision of  the  company's  branches 
in  Cincinnati  and  Cleveland,  effective 
imrnediately,  it  was  announced  yes- 
terday by  William  J.  Heineman,  dis- 
tribution vice-president.  Minsky  will 
continue  to  make  his  headquarters  in 
Philadelphia. 


Ohio  ITO  Will  Meet 
On  Nov.  30-Dec.  1 

Columbus,  O.,  May  25. — Annual 
convention  of  the  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  of  Ohio  will  be  held  Tuesday 
and  Wednesday,  November  30-Decem- 
ber  1  at  the  Deshler  Wallick  Hotel 
here,  secretary  P.  J.  Wood  announces. 


Two  More  for  Harvey 

Stockton,  Cal.,  May  25.  —  Rotus 
Harvey,  president  of  Westland  Thea- 
tres, announces  that  construction  has 
been  started  on  a  new  850-seat  house 
at  Stockton  with  the  opening  set  for 
November.  Later,  Harvey  said,  the 
circuit  will  construct  another  house. 


Beale  in  Henry  Post 

Washington,  May  25. — R.  Horton 
Henry  left  his  State  Department  film 
desk  today  for  at  least  eight  to  10 
months  of  field  duty.  Wilson  T.  M. 
Beale  will  be  the  first  of  probably  a 
series  of  officials  who  will  fill  in  dur- 
ing Henry's  absence. 


Danz  Gets  Another  House 

Seattle,  May  25. — John  Danz,  pres- 
ident of  Sterling  Theatres,  will  take 
over  the  Elwha  Theatre  in  Port  An- 
geles. 


REPUBLICAN  candidates  cam- 
■*»-  paigning  and  Chaim  Weismann, 
president  of  Israel,  are  current  nevus- 
reel  highlights.  Sports,  a  dog  show 
and  other  human  interest  items  round 
out  the  reels.  Complete  contents 
follow: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  \iv. 
Dewey  in  Oregon.  President  TriVU\t:  at 
Girard  College.  Father  of  the  year?  The 
Hague  fire.  Jet  planes.  The  Scout-o-rama. 
Tulip  time  in  Holland,  Mich.  -Dog  show. 
Night  harness  racing.  Women's  auto  rac- 
ing. 

NEWS    OF    THE    DAY,    No.  276.— 

Israel's  first  president  thanks  U.S.  for  help. 
Navy's  lightning  jets  in  mass  hop  at  sea. 
Boy  scouts  thrill  New  York  in  great  jam- 
boree. Fire  sweeps  Dutch  palace.  Father 
of  the  year.  World's  fastest  human.  Blue- 
bloods  of  dogdom. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  79— Dog- 
dom's  high  society.  U.S.  meets  first  presi- 
dent of  Israel.  Queen  Mary  brings  celebri- 
ties. GOP  hopefuls  set  for  battle  of  dele- 
gates. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  146.— Gov. 
Dewey  tops  Harold  Stassen  in  Oregon 
primary.  President  Truman  visits  boys' 
school.  Navy  jets  tested  on  carrier.  New 
Russian  envoy  arrives.  Father  of  25  hon- 
ored. Fire  damages  Dutch  palace.  New 
president  of  Israel.  Track  stars  shine  in 
Los  Angeles.    Dog  show. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  81.— 

People  on  .shipboard.  Boy  Scouts  hold 
rally.  Israel's  bombed  Jews  dig  inr  Royal 
palace  burns.  Some  2,700  dogs  in  outdoor 
show.    New  York  boy's  PAL  bouts. 


SubpoenaSales  Heads 
In  Fifth-Walnut  Trial 

Distributor  sales  chiefs  and  division 
managers  have  been  subpoenaed  by 
Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement  Co.  to 
testify  at  the  current  hearing  in  U.  S 
District  Court  here  of  the  circuit's 
$2,100,000  triple-damage  anti-trust 
suit  against  distributors. 

Principal  witness  thus  far,  now  in 
its  second  week,  has  been  Harold 
Janicky,  co-owner  of  Fifth  and  Wal- 
nut^ who  claims  that  the  distributors 
denied  product  to  the  circuit's  Nation- 
al Theatre  in  Louisville.  Janicky  will 
return  to  the  stand  today. 


Broadmoor  Award  Is 
A  ppealed  by  20th-Fox 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  filed 
with  the  American  Arbitration  Asso- 
ciation an  appeal  of  the  arbitrator's 
award  in  the  Broadmoor  Theatre 
(Shreveport,  La.)  case,  the  AAA 
office  reported  here  yesterday. 

The  arbitrator's  decision  called  for 
30  days  clearance  in,  favor  of  the 
Broadmoor  after  the  first-run  in 
downtown  Shreveport. 


Holland  Is  Named 
CRI  District  Head 

Tom  Holland,  branch  manager  of 
the  Pittsburgh  office  of  Confidential 
Reports,  Inc.,  has  been  appointed  West 
Coast  district  manager  by  Jack  H. 
Levin,  vice-president  of  the  checking 
company.  He  replaces  Barry  Halbert 
who  died  last  month. 

Prior  to  the  Pittsburgh  manager- 
ship, Holland  was  manager  in  Cleve- 
land and  in  San  Francisco. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


THROW  AWAY 
THAT  RABBIT 
FOOT! 

Youll  have 
^  all  the  luck 

you  need 
with  magic 

VITAMIN 
M-G-M! 


in  NX  sell 
tickets  like 
hot-cakes/ 


hree  dates  sensational:  First 
four  weeks  at  Capitol,  N.  Y.  set 
biggest  M-G-M  total  in  the  entire 
annals  of  this  theatre.  Tremendous 
in  Trenton!  Fabulous  in  Philly! 
Watch  this  baby  blaze  its  name 
nationwide. 


Wherever  you  go  today,  they're 
talking  about  M-G-M's  Pep -up 
Line-up  of  Spring  and  Summer 
releases  that  are  invigorating  the 
entire  industry!  Starting  with 
Frank  Capra's  "State  of  the 
Union"  and  now  "Homecoming" 
followed  by  phenomenal  Press 
Previews  of  Irving  Berlin's 
"Easter  Parade"!  Week  after 
week  at  a  time  when  you  need 
them  most  — you  get  the  best! 


GABLE 
TURNER 

W0tV' 

THR1LUHG  record-breaking 


1„M5«ci««»""i»G0nF  AH  M-G  M  PICTURE 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  May  26,  1948 


N.  Y.  lst-Run 
Grosses  Mild 


Some  grosses  are  running  below 
average  at  Broadway  first-runs  with 
the  exception  of  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  where  "The  Pirate,"  with  a  stage 
presentation,  is  heading  for  a  rousing 
$139,000  for  its  first  week. 

Several  new  pictures  will  bow  in 
this  week :  "Melody  Time,"  at  the  As- 
tor ;  "Time  of  Your  Life,"  Mayfair ; 
"Noose  Hangs  High,"  Loew's  State; 
"Up  in  Central  Park,"  Criterion ; 
"Citizen  Saint,"  Bijou. 

Business  is  expected  to  shape  up  as 
follows  this  week  at  various  Broad- 
way situations :  "Another  Part  of  the 
Forest,"  Rivoli,  first  week,  $25,000; 
"River  Lady,"  Winter  Garden,  first 
week,  $16,000;  "Silver  River"  (plus 
Eddie  Duchin's  band  on  stage), 
Strand,  first  week,  $58,000;  "Iron 
Curtain"  (with  an  Ed  Sullivan  revue 
on  stage),  Roxy,  second  week,  $85,- 
000;  "Homecoming"  fXavier  Cu- 
gat's  band  on  stage),  Capitol,  fourth 
week,  $79,000. 

Also,  "Arch  of  Triumph,"  Globe, 
fifth  week,  $17,000 ;  "The  Sainted  Sis- 
ters" (stage  bill  headed  by  Henny 
Youngman),  Paramount,  first  week, 
$60,000;  "Mr.  Blandings  Builds  His 
Dream  House,"  Astor,  eighth  and 
final  week,  $14,000;  "The  Big  City," 
Criterion,  second  and  final  week, 
$15,000;  "Gentleman's  Agreement," 
Mayfair,  28th  and  final  week,  $6,000; 
"The  Brothers,"  Sutton,  third  week, 
$6,900. 

Also,  "Berlin  Express,"  Victoria, 
first  week,  $27,200;  "Will  It  Happen 
Again,"  Rialto,  second  week,  $12,000 
(first  week's  gross  was  $22,000)  ; 
"The  Fuller  Brush  Man,"  Loew's 
State,  second  week,  $19,000;  "Show 
Time,"  Park  Avenue,  first  week, 
$5,000. 


KMGM  On  Air  Tomorrow 

Hollywood,  May  25. — Louis  B. 
Mayer  and  Los  Angeles  Mayor 
Fletcher  Bowron  head  an  all-star  list 
of  studio  and  radio  talent  which  will 
inaugurate  Station  KMGM,  new 
M-G-M  frequency  modulation  outlet 
here,  on  Thursday. 


FIVE-STAR 

DC- 6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3h  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices:  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


'Time*  Benefit  Show 
At  Mayfair  Tonight 

"The  Time  of  Your  Life"  will  have 
a  benefit  premiere  at  the  Mayfair  here 
tonight,  with  proceeds  going  to  the 
Wiltwyck  School  for  Boys.  Stars  of 
the  film  headed  by  James  Cagney  will 
participate  in  the  ceremonies.  Among 
those  to  speak  will  be  Mrs.  Franklin 
D.  Roosevelt. 

The  United  Artists'  release  pro- 
duced by  William  Cagney  will  begin 
its  regular  engagement  at  the  Mayfair 
tomorrow  morning. 


'Green  Grass'  Makes 
Bow  in  Lancaster,  O. 

Lancaster,  O.,  May  25. — World 
premiere  of  20th-Fox's  "Green  Grass 
of  Wyoming"  took  place  here  tonight 
at  the  Palace  and  Broad  theatres. 
The  opening  was  preceded  by  a  se- 
ries of  civic  events  and  promotions 
climaxed  by  a  two-mile  parade  that 
attracted  thousands  from  neighboring 
communities.  The  parade  was  headed 
by   Gov.   Thomas   J.  Herbert. 


Admission  Tax  Cut 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


vision  bill,  which  it  will .  report  out 
tomorrow. 

Several  changes  may  benefit  film 
companies  and  film  officials.  The 
committee  would  revise  Section  102  of 
the  Internal  Revenue  Code  which  puts 
a  penalty  tax  on  "unreasonable  ac- 
cumulation" of  surplus  profits.  At 
present,  the  burden  of  proof  that  an 
accumulation  is  not  unreasonable  is  on 
the  taxpayer.  The  committee  would 
shift  this  to  the  Commissioner  of  In- 
ternal Revenue,  providing  a  company 
files  a  statement  explaining  its  reasons 
for  not  paying  larger  dividends  to 
stockholders. 

Another  provision  of  the  committee 
bill  will  change  the  present  system  of 
a  two-year  carryback  and  two-year 
carry-over  of  net  operating  losses  to 
a  one-year  carry-back  and  five-year 
carry-over.  The  bill  also  Would  give 
company  executives  more  lenient 
treatment  on  stock  options,  increase 
dividend  credit  with  respect  to  divi- 
dends of  foreign  corporations,  permit 
larger  foreign  tax  credits  for  domestic 
companies  as  regards  taxes  paid  by 
foreign  subsidiaries ;  ease  tax  treat- 
ment of  personal  holding  companies ; 
and  change  the  tax  treatment  of  vari- 
ous mergers  and  reorganizations. 


Monogram- A  A  Sales  Meet 

Boston,  May  25. — Local  contingent 
of  Monogram  Pictures  and  Allied 
Artists  will  leave  here  for  Chicago  on 
Thursday  for  sales  confabs  Saturday 
and  Sunday. 


OF  COURSE 


TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 


HEAVEN 

sent  from  UA 


44 


Easter  Parade " 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


for  this  light-footed  and  graceful  dancer  who  may  have  been  as  good  in  other 
attractions  but  assuredly  never  better. 

Frances  Goodrich  and  Albert  Hackett,  old  hands  at  the  business  of  writing 
for  Hollywood  films,  collaborated  on  the  original  story,  later  joining  hands 
with  Sidney  Sheldon  on  the  script.  It  cannot  be  charged  that  they  have  con- 
tributed much  which  is  new,  but  the  nice  point  about  their  gossamer-like  story 
is  its  pleasant  and  ingratiating  mood  and  its  avoidance  of  most  of  the  cliches 
in  which  backstage  musicals  so  uncomfortably  writhe.  /*E|  te 

Actually  and  no  doubt  unavoidably,  "Easter  Parade"  is  a  device  m^Lg 
it  possible  and  reasonably  logical  for  those  17  song  numbers  to  be  sung 
by  Judy,  Astaire,  Miss  Miller  or  played  by  the  orchestra.  To  do  this  Astaire 
is  a  two-a-day  vaudeville  headliner  whose  dance  act  is  interrupted  when  his 
partner,  Miss  Miller,  who  dances  beautifully,  decides  to  accept  a  solo-starring 
offer  in  a  Broadway  musical.  Astaire  loves  her,  or  thinks  he  does.  On  the 
rebound  he  picks  Miss  Garland  out  of  a  line  of  girls  in  a  second-rate  cafe, 
builds  her  to  starring  proportions  after  which  they  go  on  to  musical  comedy 
success  and  continued  high  romance.  Peter  Lawford  is  likeable  as  the  stage- 
door  Johnny  who  wanders  in  and  out  of  the  picture.  There  is  nothing  more, 
nothing  less  to  "Easter  Parade"  than  this  insofar  as  story  is  concerned. 

But  the  story  is  only  the  peg  for  songs,  dances,  sketches  in  Technicolor 
showing  off  what  1912  looked  like.  The  peg,  never  important,  becomes  less 
and  less  so  as  the  entertaining  routines  follow  one  another.  Highlights  are  a 
matter  of  taste,  but  one  undoubtedly  is  "Couple  of  Swells"  and  another  the 
clever  headwaiter  routine  by  Jules  Munshin,  newcomer  from  Broadway. 

The  bow-from-the-waist  division  must  include  Arthur  Freed  as  producer, 
Charles  Walters  as  director,  Johnny  Green  for  musical  direction  and  Robert 
Alton  for  staging  and  directing  the  musical  numbers. 

Running  time,  103  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  8,  1948.  Red  Kann 


Up  in  Central  Park" 

( U niversal-Intemational) 

DEANNA  Durbin  and  Dick  Haymes  singing  and  prancing  together  in  a 
screen  adaptation  of  the  stage  hit,  "Up  in  Central  Park,"  make  a  con- 
vincing selling  point  for  any  showman.  The  story,  while  a  pleasant  enough 
fable,  is  less  impressive.  Between  its  impromptu  songs  and  dances,  it  tells  the 
story  of  an  immigrant  girl  and  father  who  arrive  here  from  Ireland  and  get 
caught  up  in  the  web  of  Boss  Tweed's  political  corruption. 

Central  Park  offers  a  picturesque  background  for  the  serio-comic  doings, 
mostly  in  formula  vein.  The  Karl  Tunberg  screenplay  has  Vincent  Price  as  the 
suavely  villainous  Tweed  while  Haymes  is  the  enterprising  reporter  out  to 
expose  him.  As  it  develops,  Miss  Durbin  and  her  father,  Albert  Sharpe,  get 
taken  in  by  Tweed  and  come  to  think  of  him  as  a  grand  fellow.  Thus  clashing 
views  between  Miss  Durbin  and  Haymes  give  rise  to  the  romantic  conflict. 
A  comic  ending  irons  out  the  differences  with  Tweed  dethroned  as  a  result 
of  some  good  reporting. 

For  the  most  part  the  camera  lingers  fondly  on  Miss  Durbin  who  cavorts 
in  billowing  gowns.  Among  the  tunes  are  "When  She  Walks  in  the  Room," 
"Oh!  Say  Can  You  See,"  "Carousel  in  the  Park,"  with  lyrics  by  Dorothy 
Fields  and  music  by  Sigmund  Romberg.  Miss  Durbin  also  sings  Verdi's 
"Pace,  Pace  Mio  Dio."  Tunberg  also  was  in  charge  of  production.  William 
Seiter  directed.  ■ 
Running  time,  87  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  June  release. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


"Escape" 

(20th-Fox) 

BASED  loosely  on  the  John  Galsworthy  play  of  the  same  name,  "Escape," 
made  in  England,  is  another  picture  chronicling  an  escaped  prisoner's  flight. 
In  this  instance  the  pursuit  follows  a  routine  pattern  that  engenders  modest 
suspense  and  excitement  for  adults. 

While  the  film  succeeds  in  creating  sympathy  for  the  pursued,  an  unfor- 
tunate victim  of  circumstances,  the  average  person  is  not  likely  to  be  moved 
more  than  casually  by  the  fugitive's  plight. 

As  its  star  the  film  offers  Rex  Harrison,  a  potent  lure  for  women  s 
interest.  His  co-star  is  Peggy  Cummins,  a  worthy  come-on  for  the  masculine 
element  The  producer  is  William  Perlberg,  who  turned  out  the  film  frugally 
but  attractively.  As  its  director  the  film  boasts  Joseph  L.  Mankiewicz,  who  seem- 
ingly has  tried  hard  with  the  material  at  his  command.  The  screenplay  is 
by  Philip  Dunne  Also  a  decided  asset  are  the  backgrounds,  which  are  genuine 
and  contribute  pictorial  merit  to  the  film.  They  give  the  story  atmosphere 
and  color.  A  sop  for  the  women  is  a  flimsy  romance  between  the  stars  that 
ends  with  Harrison's  recapture  and  return  to  prison. 

Running  time,  78  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Set_for  July 
release. 


P.  E.  L. 


FOR  SALE 

2 — 35mm  Bell  &  Howell  motion  pic- 
ture rackover  camera  outfits,  com- 
plete with  magazines,  carrying  cases, 
lenses  and  Akely  Gyro  Tripods.  Also 
lighting  equipment.  Call  Circle  6-0951. 


FOR  LEASE 

5  Units  of  3000  square  feet  each  in 
the  West  Fifties  betwen  5th  and  6th 
Avenues,  adjoining  Rockefeller  Cen- 
ter. Available  late  spring  1949.  Will 
negotiate  long  term  leases  now.  Reply 

BOX  417.  M.  P.  DAILY 
1270  6th  Ave..  N.  Y.  20 


Wednesday,  May  26,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Hughes'  Plans 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


only  an  astute  and  courageous  young- 
business  man,  but  a  showman  who  has 
had  a  continuous  interest  in  motion 
pictures  for  25  years  and,  as  an  inde- 
pendent producer,  has  made  a  number 
of  top  box-office  pictures  of  the  past 
two  decades.  In  view  of  our  steady 
growth  and  even  brighter  prospects," 
De^f"l  said,  "I'm  sure  Mr.  Hughes 
haV^Ejrvested  his  money  in  the  right 
company." 

Depinet  said  he  felt  the  whole  in- 
dustry was  now  over  its  bad  case  of 
jitters,  off  the  detour  and  "again  on 
the  high  road  of  showmanship  where 
it  belongs,  with  banners  flying  and 
bands  playing." 

RKO  pictures  completed  and  for 
release  in  1948,  Depinet  announced,  in- 
clude Walt  Disney's  "Melody  Time," 
Leo  McCarey's  "Good  Sam,"  Rosalind 
Russell  in  "The  Velvet  Touch,"  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn's  "A  Song  Is  Born," 
Loretta  Young  and  Bob  Mitchum  in 
"Rachel  and  the  Stranger,"  and  the 
John  Ford-Merian  C.  Cooper  picture. 
"Fort  Apache." 

"The  motion  picture  event  of  the 
century,"  is  the  way  Depinet  de- 
scribed the  forthcoming  premiere  of 
Walter  Wanger's  "Joan  of  Arc," 
which  stars  Ingrid  Bergman.  "It 
is  truly  the  greatest  story  ever  told," 
he  said. 

"The  Boy  With  Green  Hair,"  a 
Dore  Schary  special,  Merian  Cooper's 
"Mr.  Joseph  Young  of  Africa,"  Cary 
Grant  in  "Every  Girl  Should  Be 
Married,"  "Weep  No  More,"  starring 
Joseph  Cotten  and  Valli,  and  "Balti- 
more Escapade,"  with  Robert  Young, 
Shirley  Temple  and  John  Agar,  are 
other  forthcoming  attractions. 


IA'  and  Sopeg 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


will  hold  a  joint  membership  meeting 
with  the  Screen  Publicists  Guild  at 
the  Hotel  Diplomat. 

The  National  Labor  Relations 
Board,  meanwhile,  is  expected  to  set 
a  date  soon  for  the  shop  election 
sought  by  H-63.  SOPEG  will  not 
appear  on  the  ballots,  however,  since 
that  union  has  not  filed  with  the 
NLRB  the  non-Communist  affidavits 
required  under  the  National  Labor 
Relations  law  of  1947. 

H-63  spokesmen  said  yesterday  that 
they  will  present  to  UA  employes  this 
evening  complete  statistics  to  substan- 
tiate "IA"  claims  that  its  wage  scales 
among  home  office  employes  exceed 
SOPEG's  in  every  category  and  that 
its  scales  are  higher  generally  by  10 
per  cent. 


Anti- 


Bar  Noise  Ballyhoos 

Columbus,  O.,  May  25.  — 
noise  ordinance,  which  has  gone  into 
effect  here,  bans  sound  trucks  and 
stationary  amplifiers  used  in  "attract- 
ing the  attention  or  inviting  the 
patronage  of  any  person." 


Permit  Sunday  Shows 

Morristown,  Tenn.,  May  25.  — 
Spurred  by  the  action  of  a  drive-in 
theatre  just  outside  the  city  limits  in 
holding  Sunday  showings,  the  city 
council  here  has  voted  to  permit  the 
two  local  theatres  to  open  on  Sunday. 


To  End  Sunday  Delivery 

Omaha,  May  25.  —  Sunday  deliv- 
eries by  film  transport  companies  in 
Nebraska  will  be  discontinued  begin- 
ning June  20.'  Also,  all  film  exchanges 
will  close  on  Sundays. 


Labor  Testimony 
Available  Free 

Washington,  May  25. — Anyone  in- 
terested in  reading  the  complete 
record  to  date  of  the  House  Labor 
sub-committee  investigating  the  Hol- 
lywood studio  jurisdictional  disputes 
can  now  get  it  free  of  charge — all  2,- 
445  pages.  The  committee  now  has 
the  hearings  printed  in  three  fat  vol- 
umes— one  for  the  August,  1947,  hear- 
ings in  Los  Angeles,  and  two  for  the 
hearings  here  in  February  and  March. 


SAG  Asks  Congress 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


"that  where,  as  in  the  motion  picture 
industry,  union  shop  conditions  have 
prevailed  for  an  extensive  period  of 
time,  no  useful  purpose  is  served  by 
requiring  the  holding  of  elections  to 
establish  what  is  already  too  clear  for 
any  possible  doubt." 

Asked  if  he  knew  how  producers 
stood  on  this  question,  Rep.  Nixon 
said  he  had  no  official  message,  but 
understood  from  "informal  conversa- 
tions" that  employer  groups  "recog- 
nize the  technical  problem  involved  in 
the  provision  and  I  believe  would  wel- 
come a  chance  to  get  away  from  these 
difficulties." 


Protest  Sign  Removals 

Chicago,  May  25. — A  city  propo- 
sal to  outlaw  overhanging  advertising 
signs  on  State  Street  between  Wack- 
er  Drive  and  Congress  Street,  is  being 
protested  by  Balaban  and  Katz  and 
the  Tele-News  Theatre,  which  claim 
it  will  hurt  their  business  if  the  pro- 
posal becomes  law. 


Wide  Revisions 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


less  automatic,  sales  executives  indi- 
cate. 

Even  though  existing  clearances 
may  be  regarded  as  reasonable,  fur- 
ther changes  are  likely  to  be  made 
where  it  appears  that  difficulty  might 
be  encountered  in  justifying  such 
clearances  if  the  company  were  called 
upon  to  do  so  in  court. 

Several  sales  executives  said  it  is 
their  intention  to  lean  over  backwards 
in  adjusting  dubious  clearance  sched- 
ules, and  the  rule  rather  than  the  ex- 
ception will  be  to  go  even  further  than 
reasonableness  or  the  courts  might 
require,  in  order  to  avoid  what  other- 
wise may  be  numerous  and  time-con- 
suming trips  to  court  to  justify  the 
schedules  in  effect. 

Most  distributors  also  are  reviewing 
company  practice  in  the  matter  of 
runs,  largely  to  make  sure  that  policy 
established  under  the  New  York  court 
decree  is  not  being  ignored  or  evaded 
in  the  field.  Refusals  to  license  for 
some-run  now  require  unassailable 
reasons,  sure  to  hold  up  if  challenged 
in  court.  Likewise,  if  exhibitors  re- 
quest the  right  to  bid  for  specific  runs 
they  will  automatically  be  given  the 
opportunity  to  do  so,  by  competitive 
bidding  in  some  cases  or  by  variations 
of  it  in  those  instances  where  circum- 
stances permit  or  where  companies 
regard  the  Supreme  Court's  disap- 
proval of  competitive  bidding  to  be 
sufficiently  emphatic  to  make  continu- 
ance of  the  practice  inadvisable. 


Favor  Sunday  Films 

Gallatin,  Tenn.,  May  25. —  A  lo- 
cal election  on  Sunday  shows  resulted 
favorably.  Daylight  saving  was  voted 
in  the  same  election. 


James  J.  Mage,  Rialto  Theatre  Owner,  says:  "BUSINESS  TERRIFIC- OVER  $13,000  for  WEEK-END!" 


Louella  Parsons  says:  "The  GREATEST  THING  OF  ITS  KIND  I'VE  EVER  SEEN!" 


A  RECORD-BREAKER — ON  BOTH  OMSK-EAST  AND  WEST! 


f  FROM 

Film  Classics,  Inc. 


The  NAVY  CLUB  of  U.  S.  A.  presents 


WILL  IT 

HAPPEN  AGAIN? 


HELD  OYER 
FOUR 
MUSIC 
HALLS 
IN  LOS  ANGELES 


\  1 


(The  LOVE-LIFE  of  ADOLPH  HITLER) 

^e&ajcd  itf  F ILM  C  LASS  ICS,  I  NC. 


TOP 
BUSINESS 


VLT0 

CORD 
tSHING 
ilNESS 


ADOLPH  HITLER 

EVA  BRAUN 

HERMANN  GOERING 

PAUL  JOSEPH  GOEBBELS 

JULIUS  STREICHER 

HEINRICH  HIMMLER 

BENITO  MUSSOLINI 
and  a  supporting  cast  of  famous 
and  other  infamous  personages 


OFF    HITLER'S     ^AFP    HITLER  AND  HIS      APP        HITLER'S  OFF    The  WOMAN 

At  L     GUARDED  Nfc.fc     MISTRESS  O  t  t        PERSONAL  Ott     BEHIND  THE 

LOVE  NEST!      W       fc    AT  PLAY!  SECRET  FILMS!  MAD  TYRAN 


WHEN  YOU  ORDER 
PROJECTOR  CARBONS- 
ORDER  "NATIONAL" ! 


H  ow  bright? 

That  is  the  $64  question  in 
movie  projection,  because  crater 
brightness  is  the  key  to  screen 
brightness,  audience  approval, 
and  big  box  office. 

National  Carbon  Company 
answers  the  question  with  the 
"traveling  eye,"  shown  above. 
With  scientific  accuracy,  this 
photoelectric  cell  in  the  metal 
tube,  traveling  across  the  actual 
crater  image,  measures  the 
brightness  of  the  "National" 
High  Intensity  arc.  Results  show 
that  the  brightness  of  "National" 
carbon  arcs  rivals  that  of  the 


The  travel  in 
eye.,,  proves  Nationa 
projector  carbons 

RIGHTER 


sun  itself! 

This  means  that  by  using  "Na- 
tional" High  Intensity  projector 
carbons  you  obtain  the  brightest 
light  available  for  movie  projec- 
tion. At  the  same  time,  you  obtain 
light  with  a  nearly  perfect  color 
balance.  Your,  color  movies  glow 
with  rich  vividness!  Your  black- 
and-white  pictures  sparkle! 
Good  business! 


The  term  "National"  is  a  registered  trade-mark  of  National  Carbon  Company,  Inc. 


NATIONAL  CARBON    COMPANY,  INC. 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation    ill  J  J   Division  Sales  Offices:  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Dallas, 
30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y.       Ml  '  "    Kansas  City,  New  York,  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco 


63.  NO.  103 


MOTION  PICTUM 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK.  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  MAY  27,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Unremittable 
Earnings  Plan 
'Inadequate' 

MPAA  Submits  Detailed 
Amendments  to  Britain 


London,  May  26. — Text  of  the 
permitted  uses  of  unremittable 
American  film  earnings,  which  was 
"prematurely  published  in  New 
York"  in  connection  with  the  Anglo- 
American  ad  valorem  tax  settlement, 
is  admitted  in  both  industry  and  gov- 
ernment quarters  here  to  be  inade- 
quate or  unsatisfactory  in  several  ma- 
terial particulars. 

The  changes  which  will  be  made 
will  result  from  the  new  series  of  talks 
initiated  last  week  between  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  ad- 
visers and  officials  of  the  British 
Treasurv  and  Board  of  Trade. 
MPAA's  Fayette  W.  Allport  and 
John  G.  McCarthy,  who  brought  back 
to  England  from  the  U.  S.  a  mass  of 
detailed   amendments    to  the  agree- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


See  Big  Demand  for 
U.  K.  Circuit  Issue 


Loxdox.  May  26. — First  full-scale 
public  stock  issue  to  be  offered  by  a 
theatrical  company  since  the  financial 
disruption  which  hit  the  industry 
with  the  embargo  on  the  screening  of 
American  films  will  be  the  $2,400,000 
of  five  per  cent  preference  shares  of 
the  Shipman  and  King  circuit,  which 
goes  on  the  market  Monday. 

It  is  expected  the  amount  offered 
will  be  over-subscribed  within  a  few 
moments  of  its  being  marketed. 

The  prospectus  shows  average  an- 
nual profits  of  the  29-theatre  circuit 
in  excess  of  S450.000  for  the  past 

(Continued  on  page  4) 

German  Producers 
Study  Code  Draft 

By  H.  ZU  LOEWENSTEIN 

Berlix,  May  22  (By  Airmail).— 
German  film  producers  and  other  in- 
terested parties  are  studying  the  draft 
of  a  proposed  production  code  similar 
to  that  governing  the  American  in- 
dustry. 

The  15-page  draft  of  the  "Voluntary 
Code  for  the  German  Film  Industry" 
explains  that  underlying  the  code 
would  be  the  premise  that  no  film 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


G.  S.  Evssell  Named 
Executive  Mgr.  of 
Rockefeller  Center 


G.  S.  Eyssell,  president  and  man- 
aging director  of  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  Corporation  and  the  Center  The- 
atre, yesterday  was  appointed  execu- 
tive manager  of 
Rockefell- 
er Center,  Inc., 
it  was  an- 
nounced by 
Nelson  A. 
Rockefeller  at  a 
meeting  of  the 
Rockefell- 
er Center 
board  of  direc- 
tors. 

The  46-year- 
old  film  execu- 
t  i  ve,  widely 
known  in  the 
motion  picture 
industry,  will  as- 
sume his  new  duties  as  operating  head 
of  the  famous  midtown  development 
immediately,  while  continuing  in  his 
present  capacities  at  both  the  6,200- 
seat  Music  Hall,  world's  largest  the- 
atre, and  the  Center  Theatre,  where 
ice  spectacles  have  been  presented  for 
the  past  few  years. 

Eyssell  will  replace  Hugh  S.  Rob- 
ertson, who  is  retiring.  Xelson 
Rockefeller,    who   was    president  of 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


G.  S.  Eyssell 


$353,548Monogram 
Loss  in  39  Weeks 


Hollywood.  May  26. — Monogram 
and  subsidiaries,'  headed  by  Steve 
Broidy,  has  a  net  loss  of  S353.548,  af- 
ter all  charges  and  taxes,  for  the  39 
weeks  ended  March  27,  compared  with 
a  net  profit  of  $260,991  for  the  same 
period  one  year  ago.  Loss  before  pro- 
vision for  Federal  taxes  was  8296,646. 
compared  with  a  profit  of  $414,042 
for  the  same  period  in  the  previous 
year. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  operating 

(Continued  on  page  4) 

Trade  Act  Extension 
Is  Passed  by  House 

Washington,  May  26. — The  House 
today  passed  and  sent  to  the  Senate  a 
one-year  extension  of  the  Reciprocal 
Trade  Agreements  Act,  with  substan- 
tial limitations  on  the  power  of  the 
President  to  negotiate  new  agreements. 
The  House  earlier  had  rejected  a 
move  to  extend  the  act  for  three  years, 
with  the  Administration  retaining  a 
free  hand.  Film  industry  leaders 
have  supported  the  three-year  exten- 
sion. 


Hersholt  Reelected 
Academy  President 

Hollywood,  May  26. — Jean 
Hersholt  was  reelected  presi- 
dent of  the  Academy  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences at  a  meeting  here  last 
night  which  resulted  in  the 
election  of  Charles  Brackett 
and  Jack  Warner  as  vice- 
presidents;  Robert  Montgom- 
ery, secretary;  Thomas  Moul- 
ton,  assistant  secretary;  N. 
Peter  Rathvon.  treasurer, 
and  Charles  Clark,  assistant 
treasurer. 

The  board  voted  to  estab- 
lish an  annual  award  for  the 
best  foreign  picture  and  vot- 
ed Rathvon  chairman  of  a 
committee  to  plan  an  inter- 
national film  festival  in  Hol- 
lywood. 


Predict  Six-Month 
Record  for  20th 


That  20th-Fox's  revenue  and  book- 
ings for  the  first  half  of  1948  will  es- 
tablish a  new  all-time  record  for  the 
company  was  divulged  last  night  at 
the  testimonial  dinner  given  for  Andy 
W.  Smith,  Jr..  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
Hotel  here  to  mark  his  first  year  as 
the  distribution  chief. 

The  disclosure  was  made  in  reports 
to  president  Spyros  P.  Skouras  by 
20th-Fox  division  sales  managers  who 
are  sponsoring  the  "Andy  Smith  An- 
niversary Month"  sales  drive,  running 
from  May  30  to  June  26.  Reporting 
were  Herman  Wobber.  Harry  G.  Bal- 
lance,  Raymond  Moon.  Jack  Lorentz. 
Arthur  Silverstone  and  Howard 
Minsky. 

In  addition  to  reporting  a  new  six- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


700  Vote  on  Union 
Shop  at  WB  Today 

More  than  700  Warner  home  office 
"white  collar"  employes  will  ballot  to- 
day to  determine  whether  the  present 
union  shop  shall  prevail.  The  workers 
have  been  represented  for  several 
years  for  collective  bargaining  pur- 
poses by  IATSE  Home  Office  Em- 
ployes Local  No.  H-63,  but  since  a 
new  contract  is  about  to  be  negotiated 
an  election  is  necessary  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Taft-Hartley  Law. 

A  similar  election  will  be  held 
shortly  among  Universal  home  office 
employes  who  also  are  represented  by 
H-63.  The  date  will  be  set  at  a  forth- 
coming meeting  between  H-63  busi- 
ness agent  Russell  Moss  and  "U"  ex- 
ecutives. 


Supreme  Court 
Mandates  Seen 
Meeting  Delay 

Due  Tomorrow,  They  May 
Not  Be  Issued  for  Days 

Washington,  May  26. — Indica- 
tions are  that  the  Supreme  Court's 
mandates  in  the  Paramount,  Schine 
and  Griffith  cases,  which  are  due 
on  Friday,  will  not  be  forthcoming 
until  some  time  next  week. 

Ordinarily  routine  procedural  de- 
lays prevent  Supreme  Court  mandates 
from  being  issued  the  same  day  they 
are  due,  except  in  cases  involving  ur- 
gency, the  circumstances  of  which 
have  been  communicated  to  the  high 
court  in  advance  of  the  date  the  man- 
date is  due. 

No  representations  of  urgency  in 
any  of  the  industry  cases  have  been 
conveyed  to  the  court  thus  far.  More- 
over, some  delay  in  issuance  of  the 
mandate  in  the  Schine  case  may  result 
from  the  Government's  pending  re- 
quest, and  Schines'  opposition  to  it, 
for  clarification  of  a  trustee's  appoint- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 

Loop  Rialto  Switch 
May  Aid  Majors 

Chicago,  May  26. — The  downtown 
Rialto  Theatre's  recent  switch  to  a 
moveover  policy  may  prove  a  lucra- 
tive outlet  for  Jackson  Park  defendant 
distributors,  whose  grosses  on  films 
playing  defendant  Loop  theatres  has 
been  proportionately  less  under  the 
two-week  limit  imposed  by  the  Jack- 
son Park  decree.- 

Since  the  Rialto  is  a  non-defendant 
theatre,  distributors  are  protected  in 
playing  moveover  product  in  that 
house  because  they  are  not  compelled 
under  the  decree  to  release  films  to 

(Continued  on  page  5) 

Financing  Dilemma 
Develops  in  Italy 

By  ARGEO  SAXTUCCI 

Rome,  May  22  (By  Airmail).— The 
difficulty  of  obtaining  proper  financ- 
ing for  film  production  has  developed 
into  one  of  the  most  serious  problems 
facing  the  Italian  industry. 

The  dilemma  is  due  to  two  factors. 
One  is  the  restrictions  placed  by  the 
Bank  of  Italy  on  credits  to  all  manu- 
facturing industries  in  order  to  retard 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  27,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

SPYROS     P.    SKOURAS,  20th 
Century-Fox  president,  and  Lem 
Jones,  his  executive  assistant,  flew  to 
the  Coast  last  night  from  New  York. 
• 

Joseph  McConville,  Columbia  In- 
ternational president,  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Conville, and  Claude  Rains  and 
Mrs.  Rains,  are  among  passengers 
due  here  today  from  Europe  on  the 
•S\S"  Queen  Elisabeth. 

• 

Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  president, 
will  leave  Washington  today  for  Port- 
land, Ore.,  where  he  will  address  the 
General  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs 
tomorrow. 

• 

Phil  Reisman,  RKO  Radio  for- 
eign distribution  head,  will  arrive  in 
New  York  today  from  Europe.  It 
was  erroneously  reported  here  yester- 
day that  he  was  sailing  for  Europe. 
• 

Rudolph  Weiss,  head  of  the  War- 
ner home  office  real  estate  department, 
and  Miles  Alben,  Warner  Theatre 
executive,  are  due  in  Washington  to- 
day from  New  York. 

• 

P.  J.  Wood,  secretary  of  Independ- 
ent Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio,  has  been 
elected  treasurer  of  Variety  Tent  No. 
2,  Columbus,  succeeding  the  late 
Jacob  L.  Luft. 

• 

Harry  F.  Shaw,  division  manager 
of  Loew's  Poli-New  England  the- 
atres, and  Mrs.  Shaw  have  returned 
to  New  Haven  from  a  Central  and 
South  American  vacation. 

• 

Stanley  Meyer,  general  manager 
of  United  Artists  Theatre  Circuit,  has 
returned  to  Los  Angeles  from  New 
York. 

• 

B.  G.  Kranze,  Film  Classics  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  will  leave  here 
today  for  a  tour  of  West  and  Midwest 
exchanges. 

• 

Charles  C.  Moskowitz,  Loew 
vice-president  and  treasurer,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  a  Miami 
vacation. 

• 

Louella  Parsons  is  due  here  today 
from  the  Coast.  She  will  sail  for 
England  Wednesday  on  the  5\S" 
America. 

• 

Arthur  Jeffrey,  Eagle-Lion  ex- 
ploitation manager  left  here  yesterday 
for  Des  Moines  and  Moline. 

• 

Harry    Rowson,    veteran    of  the 
British  motion  picture  industry,  has 
arrived  in  New  York  from  London. 
• 

John  Alton,  Eagle-Lion  camera- 
man, is  in  town  from  the  Coast. 


20th-Fox  Press  Junket 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  will  be  host 
to  the  press  this  evening  on  a  trip 
to  Roosevelt  Raceway,  in  connection 
with  the  company's  "Green  Grass  of 
Wyoming." 


Testifies  National 
Theatre  Profitless 


Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement's  Na- 
tional Theatre  in  Louisville  was  prof- 
itless during  the  three  years  after  it 
was  purchased  in  1943  by  Albert  J. 
Hoffman  for  $80,000.  This  was 
brought  out  yesterday  in  testimony 
presented  by  Hoffman  at  the  trial  of 
Fifth  and  Walnut's  anti-trust  suit 
against  distributors.  Plaintiff  is  seek- 
ing $2,100,000  triple-damages. 

Hoffman,  who  paid  a  $20,000  down 
payment  for  the  house,  said  he  subse- 
quently leased  it  to  Fifth  and  Walnut 
for  a  rental  of  $25,000  a  year  plus  a 
percentage  of  profits.  He  added  that 
no  profits  were  made,  however. 

Harold  Janecky,  co-owner  of  Fifth 
and  Walnut,  was  the  sole  witness  in 
a  week  of  hearings  prior  to  the  ques- 
tioning of  Hoffman.  Under  examina- 
tion by  plaintiff's  attorney  Monroe  E. 
Stein,  Janecky  submitted  earnings  fig- 
ures intended  to  substantiate  the 
charge  that  defendants'  alleged  re- 
fusal to  supply  first-run  product  was 
unjust. 

Stockholder's  Suit 
Disclaimed  by  Yates 

In  a  statement  released  by  Repub- 
lic here  yesterday,  Herbert  J.  Yates, 
president,  declared  that,  "I  have  never 
owned  any  stock  in  Onsrud,  Inc.,  I 
have  never  been  an  officer  or  director 
of  Onsrud,  Inc.,  and  at  no  time  have 
I  had  any  voice  in  its  management." 

The  statement  followed  the  suit 
filed  on  Tuesday  by  Republic  minority 
stockholder  Simon  L.  Levin  in  U.  S. 
District  Court  here  against  Yates  and 
Onsrud,  a  holding  company,  charging 
sales  and  purchase  of  Republic  com- 
pany stock  in  violation  of  the  Securi- 
ties and  Exchange  Act.  Yates  said 
that  all  of  his  transactions  in  Republic 
stock  "were  fully  disclosed  to  the 
SEC  and  no  rules  or  regulations  of 
the  SEC  were  violated." 

Acker  man  Succeeds 
Martin  in  CBS  Post 

Ernest  H.  Martin  has  resigned  as 
director  of  network  programs  in  Hol- 
lywood, for  Columbia  Broadcasting, 
effective  June  15,  when  he  will  be  suc- 
ceeded by  Harry  S.  Ackerman,  CBS 
executive  producer  in  New  York. 

Martin  is  leaving  his  post  to  con- 
centrate on  the  production  of  a  Broad- 
way stage  show  scheduled  to  open  this 
fall.  It  is  to  be  a  musical  version  of 
"Charley's  Aunt,"  starring  Ray  Bol- 
ger  and  written  and  directed  by 
George  Abbott. 

Map  New  Plan  to 
Guard  Information 

Washington,  May  26. — A  group  of 
Army,  Navy  and  Air  Force  informa- 
tion officers  are  working  out  a  new 
program  for  safe-guarding  vital  mili- 
tary and  defense  information,  Secre- 
tary of  Defense  Forrestal  told  his 
Press  Advisory  Council  today. 

The  Council  had  a  luncheon  session 
with  Forrestal  and  top  military  offi- 
cials, attended  by  Motion  Picture  As- 1 
sociation  press  chief  Kenneth  Clark.  | 


20th  Record 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

month  record,  the  division  chiefs  told 
Skouras,  who  was  toastmaster,  that 
the  domestic  sales  organization  will 
produce  in  the  first  five  months  of  this 
year  more  revenue  than  was  earned 
during  the  first  six  months  of  1947. 
They  further  reported  that  in  June  of 
this  year  more  theatres  in  the  U.  S. 
and  Canada  will  show  20th-Fox  prod- 
uct than  in  any  other  month  in  the 
company's  history.  Latest  figures 
showed  that  more  than  15,500  thea- 
tres are  booked  to  play  two  or  more 
20th-Fox  pictures  during  the  anniver- 
sary period. 

Success  of  the  new  policies  intro- 
duced by  Smith  in  his  first  year  as 
general  sales  manager  was  lauded  in 
a  wire  from  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  pro- 
duction head,  who  said  that  remaining 
1948  releases  have  been  completed  ex- 
cept for  one  which  will  go  into  pro- 
duction this  week.  Congratulations 
also  were  wired  by  Joseph  M. 
Schenck. 

Skouras  paid  a  tribute  to  Smith's 
policies.  Other  tributes  came  from 
former  Postmaster-General  Frank 
Walker,  W.  C.  Michel,  Murray  Sil- 
verstone,  Otto  Koegel,  Judge  William 
Powers,  W.  C.  Gehring,  Charles 
Schlaifer  and  Lowell  Thomas. 

Smith  responded  by  saying  that  re- 
sults were  made  possible  only  by  the 
team  work  of  the  company's  sales 
force. 

RKO  Gets  Memphis 
'Cooperative9  Award 

Memphis,  May  26.— RKO  Radio 
won  the  Memphis  Better  Film  Coun- 
cil's award  as  "the  most  cooperative 
producing  company"  and  Augustine 
Cianciola,  owner  of  the  Rosemary 
Theatre  here,  as  the  most  cooperative 
theatre  owner. 

Other  awards,  presented  at  the  or- 
ganization's "Oscar  party"  at  the 
home  of  its  president,  Mrs.  Carrington 
Jones,  went  to  Edwin  Howard,  dra- 
matic editor  of  the  Press-Scimitar ; 
Harry  Martin,  dramatic  editor  of  the 
Commercial  Appeal,  and  to  the  Cen- 
tral High  School  Photoplay  Club  for 
cooperation  with  the  council's  special 
children's  matinee  work. 

'Frisco  E  -  L  Sales 
Meet  This  Weekend 

Hollywood,  May  26. — Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president  William  J. 
Heineman  and  advertising-publicity 
head  Max  E.  Youngstein,  accompanied 
by  _  L.  Jack  Schlaifer,  assistant  to 
Heineman,  will  leave  here  tomorrow 
for  San  Francisco  to  wind  up  a  series 
of  regional  sales  meetings  over  the 
weekend  at  the  St;  Francis  Hotel. 
Herman  Beiersdorf,  Western  sales 
manager,  will  also  address  the  session. 


To  Film  at  Oak  Ridge 

Permission  to  photograph  portions 
of  Oak  Ridge  as  background  for 
"These  Were  My  Orders,"  story  by 
former  Army  Counter  Intelligence 
Corps  agent  Norbert  Gagen,  has  been 
granted  to  Eagle-Lion.  Bryan  Foy, 
E-L  producer,  accompanied  by  actors 
and  technicians,  will  leave  the  Coast 
June  15  to  start  filming  the  story 
about   CIC  methods. 


To  Send  SDG  Pacts 
To  All  Majors  Here 


Within  the  next  two  weeks,  all 
major  film  companies  in  the  East  will 
receive  copies  of  a  new  contract  pro- 
posed by  the  Screen  Directors  Guild 
as  a  prelude  to  the  opening  of  nego- 
tiations, Gene  Martel,  Eastern  SDG 
president,  revealed  here  yesterday. 
The  majors  may  negotiate  with  the 
SDG  either  on  an  industry-wide  "h.  "~ 
or  individually,  it  was  pointed  otf 

In  the  meantime,  SDG,  which  is 
seeking  to  standardize  wages,  hours 
and  working  conditions  in  the  East, 
will  hold  its  second  meeting  here  next 
week  with  representatives  of  indepen- 
dent producers  of  industrial,  docu- 
mentary and  educational  films.  Ac- 
cording to  Martel,  a  dozen  indepen- 
dent producers  have  already  signed 
contracts  without  negotiating. 

In  regard  to  television,  Martel  said 
that  in  order  to  cooperate  and  encour- 
age production,  SDG  is  allowing  a  20 
per  cent  cut  in  its  wage  schedule. 

Writer,  SWG  Named 
In  Nebenzal  Suit 

Los  Angeles,  May  26.  —  Screen 
Writers  Guild  and  writer  Edwin  J. 
Mayer  were  named  defendants  in  a 
Superior  Court  suit  filed  today  by 
Seymour  Nebenzal's  Stellar  Pictures, 
Inc.,  for  return  of  $5,000  paid  to  the 
writer  under  a  contract  which  the 
complainant  claims  Mayer  violated 
and  for  an  injunction  against  SWG 
for  a  letter  assertedly  circulated  among 
its  membership  declaring  Stellar  Pic- 
tures unfair.  The  suit  may  be  prece- 
dent-setting. 

The  SWG  letter,  the  complaint 
maintains,  operated  to  deprive  the 
company  of  talent.  Mayer  was  hired 
last  November  to  revise  the  script  of 
"Queen  of  Hearts"  for  $10,000,  Stellar 
alleges,  paying  him  $5,000,  with  the 
balance  due  upon  delivery  of  the 
script,  and  also  giving  him  a  percent- 
age of  the  picture's  profits  if  the  job 
were  completed  on  time. 

On  Jan.  5,  the  complaint  continues, 
Mayer  reported  he  would  be  unable  to 
complete  the  script  in  time,  but  finally 
turned  in  a  longer  script  than  was 
sought.  He  subsequently  demanded 
$2,500  per  week  while  reducing  the 
script's  length,  Stellar  asserts. 


TO  A  Reel  Luncheon 

Charles  Skouras  and  Ted  Gamble, 
presidents  of  National  Theatres  and 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  respec- 
tively, will  be  hosts  to  the  trade  press 
here  today  at  a  luncheon  at  the  St. 
Moritz  Hotel  following  a  screening  of 
"Report  for  Action."  The  two-reel 
subject  was  made  by  the  TO  A  at 
RKO  studio  at  the  request  of  the 
Department  of  Justice  and  Attorney 
General  Tom  Clark  to  combat  juve- 
nile delinquency. 


Griffis  Sees  Truman 

Washington,  May  26. — Stanton 
Griffis,  Ambassador  to  Poland  and 
chairman  of  Paramount's  executive 
commitee,  had  a  brief  visit  this  noon 
with  President  Truman.  Griffis  left 
for  New  York  this  afternoon. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco' 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary- 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  'Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnupj 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  'Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


ARSON r  PAIGE * DeFOMif  ."ROMANCE  ON  THE  HIGH  SEAS" 


with  OSCAR  LEVANT  ■  S.  Z.  SAKALL  ■  fortunio  sonanova 

DIRECTED  BY  MICHAEL  CURTIZ     PRODUCED  BY  ALEX  GOTTLIEB  'I\U *V 

A  MICHAEL  CURTIZ  PRODUCTION  \MIP/ 

Screen  Play  by  Julius  J.  &  Philip  G.  Epstein  ■  Additional  Dialogue  by  I.  A.  L.  Diamond 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  May  27,  1948 


Jacques  Feyder,  54, 
French  Film  Maker 

The  death  of  the  French  motion  pic- 
ture producer-director,  Jacques  Fey- 
der, at  Rives  de  Prangins  in  the  Can- 
ton of  Vaud,  Switzerland,  was  report- 
ed by  the  French  Agency  in  Paris,  ac- 
cording to  press  dispatches  arriving 
here. 

Born  in  Belgium,  Feyder,  54  years 
old,  was  naturalized  here  in  1928  and 
produced  a  large  number  of  French 
films.  He  also  on  several  occasions 
went  to  Hollywood,  where  he  directed 
"Son  of  the  Rajah,"  with  Ramon  Na- 
varro, and  made  the  French  and  Ger- 
man versions  of  "Anna  Christie,"  with 
Greta  Garbo ;  "Father's  Day"  and 
"Olympia,"  and  the  French  film, 
"Children  in  Flanders,"  among  others. 


Dilemma  in  Italy 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  devaluation  of  the  lira.  The 
other  is  the  fact  that  the  special  funds 
of  the  section  for  motion  picture 
credit  of  the  Banca  Nazionale  del  La- 
voro — funds  which  were  assigned  by 
the  government — are  not  proportion- 
ate to  the  cost  of  production. 

The  current  total  of  the  special 
funds  is  only  300,000,000  lire  (about 
$550,000).  The  average  cost  of  a 
feature  is  now  about  80,000,000  lire 
($150,000). 

Giulio  Andreotti,  the  state  secretary, 
who  has  jurisdiction  over  films,  has 
promised  that  these  funds  will  be  in- 
creased by  the  new  government.  Ban- 
ca Nazionale  officials  hope  that  the  to- 
tal government  grant  will  be  1,000,- 
000,000  lire  (about  $2,000,000). 


German  Code 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


should  be  produced  which  would  tend 
to  lower  the  moral  level  of  the  patron, 
or  which  might  induce  a  disregard 
for  the  laws  of  natural  and  human 
rights,  or  arouse  sympathy  for  viola- 
tion of  these  laws. 

Written  to  conform  with  European 
standards,  the  proposed  code  holds 
that  the  natural  rights  are  those  which 
are  written  into  the  "heart  of  human- 
ity as  prescribed  by  justice  and  con- 
science," while  human  right  is  defined 
as  the  right  guaranteed  in  law  books. 


Review 


"The  Vicious  Circle 

(United  Artists) 

AS  a  courtroom  drama,  "The  Vicious  Circle"  has  some  moments  of  flaring 
excitement,  with  a  theme  on  racial  intolerance,  and  treatment  that  is  out- 
spoken. For  its  story,  the  film  goes  to  the  Hungarian  court  records  of  1882 
and  recounts  a  tale  which  actually  took  place.  Unfortunately,  the  film  was  shot 
almost  entirely  in  court,  and  the  result  is  an  uneven  affair  with  more  docu- 
mentation than  characterization.  The  picture's  subject  matter  will  give  it  strong 
appeal  among  specialized  audiences,  but  it  is  lacking  in  persuasive  marquee 
names. 

The  well-remembered  Conrad  Nagel  marks  his  return  to  the  screen  as  a 
defense  attorney  and  he  again  proves  himself  an  accomplished  actor.  The 
screenplay,  by  Guy  Endore  and  Heinz  Herald,  concerns  five  Jewish  farmers 
who  were  framed  for  murder  by  a  landed  aristocrat  who  does  not  like  "certain 
people"  and  besides,  he  would  like  to  expand  his  acreage.  There  follows  the 
arduous  task  by  the  defense  of  exposing  the  fake  evidence  and  overcoming 
corrupt  officials.  This  is  done  with  a  constant  ebb  and  flow  of  dramatic 
excitement,  until  finally  the  "murder"  is  revealed  as  a  suicide,  and  the  fraud 
exposed.  Fritz  Kortner  as  one  of  the  defendants,  Reinhold  Schunzel  as  the 
land  baron  and  Lyle  Talbot  as  the  prosecutor  round  out  the  cast.  Taken  from 
the  play,  "The  Burning  Bush,"  by  Heinz  Herald  and  Geza  Herczeg,  W.  Lee 
Wilder  produced  and  directed. 

Running  time,  77  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  30.  Mandel  Herestman 


British  Earnings 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ment,  are  confident  that  the  talks  will 
conclude  before  June  14,  the  date  on 
which  the  tax  agreement  becomes  ef- 
fective. In  the  final  analysis;  however, 
conclusion  of  the  talks  on  that  date 
will  depend  on  the  rate  of  progress 
made  in  the  examination  of  the  admit- 
tedly intricate  implications  of  the 
schedule  -of  uses  for  unremitted  earn- 
ings, it  is  said. 

Allport  said  that  the  MPAA  has  no 
objection  to  the  publication  of  the 
agreement  now  with  the  schedule  in 
its  present  form.  BOT  officials,  how- 
ever, have  indicated  they  will  with- 
hold publication  until  the  schedule  has 
been  clarified. 


U.  K.  Circuit  Issue 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


10  years.  The  company  carries  no 
mortgages,  debentures  or  other 
charges  and  the  net  assets  of  more 
than  $6,500,000  cover  the  preference 
shares  now  outstanding  more  than 
2%  times. 


Blasting  the  screen  with  that  T- MEN  fury! 

An  EDWARD  SMALL  Production  •  An  Eagle  Lion  Films  Release 


Prints  at  all   Eagle-Lion   Exchanges  available  for  booking  immediately 


Fitzgibbons  Flays 
Ontario  for  Tax 

Toronto,  May  26. — President  J.  J. 
Fitzgibbons  of  Famous  Players,  de- 
scribed the  action  of  the  provincial 
government  as  that  of  a  pickpocket  in 
immediately  imposing  a  20  per  cent 
amusement  tax  following  abolishment 
of  the  20  per  cent  war  levy  on  grosses 
by  the  Dominion  government. 


MGM  Ends  Novel  Award 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  has  discon- 
tinued its  novel  award  contest,  in- 
stituted in  1944.  It  was  an  annual 
event  until  1947,  when  it  was  made 
semi-annual.  The  winning  author  was 
guaranteed  $150,000,  with  a  possible 
maximum  of  $250,000,  described  by 
M-G-M  as  "the  most  lucrative  award 
in  literary  history." 


Century  To  Build  * 

Century  Theatres  plans  to  erect  a 
theatre  in  Rockville  Centre,  Long 
Island.  Tentatively  named  the  Deane, 
it  will  have  a  parking  area  for  patrons 
and  a  package  checking  service. 


and  overseas, 
ily  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris,  Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans-world  miles. 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 

c\r  vntir  trrive>l  rtrr&nf- 


Monogram  Loss 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


losses  for  the  current  fiscal  year  are 
expected  to  allow  the  company  a  re- 
fund of  Federal  income  taxes  paid  in 
prior  years,  due  to  loss  carry-back 
provisions  of  income  tax  laws.  Al- 
though no  credit  has  been  shown  in 
the  company's  operating  statement  for 
the  tax  refund,  the  amount  of  credit, 
based  on  the  operating  loss,  at  March 
27,  1948,  has  been  estimated  at  ap- 
proximately $290,000,  which  woW 
reduce  the  consolidated  net  loss  #■ 
March  27  from  $353,548  to  $63,546." 

Gross  income,  after  eliminating  in- 
ter-company transactions,  for  the  first 
39  weeks  ended  March  27,  amounted 
to  $6,590,540,  compared  with  $5,743,- 
340  for  the  same  period  of  the  previ- 
ous year. 


First  Hollywood 
Premiere  Telecast 

Hollywood,  May  26.— Paramount 
tonight  staged  the  world  premiere  of 
"The  Emperor  Waltz"  at  the  Para- 
mount Theatre,  attended  by  stars,  in- 
dustry leaders,  society,  civic  and  busi- 
ness figures.  The  event  was  telecast 
by  station  KTLA  for  an  hour  and 
was  aired  by  KFWB.  The  telecast 
was  said  to  be  the  first  in  Hollywood 
premiere  history. 


'Bells'  Aids  Cancer  Fund 

Chicago,  May  26— Local  premiere 
of  "Miracle  of  the  Bells"  at  the  RKO 
Palace  last  night  netted  $7,500  for  the 
city's  Cancer  Fund.  Producer  Jesse 
L.  Lasky,  accompanied  by  Fred  Mac- 
Murray,  Frank  Sinatra,  Bill  Williams 
and  Barbara  Hale,  presented  the  pro- 
ceeds to  Maurice  Goldblatt,  president 
of  the  society. 


Film  Skips  Second-Run 

Boston,  May  26.— Warners'  "Win- 
ter Meeting"  has  gone  to  the  third- 
run  Olympia  and  Scollay  theatres  here 
from  the  first-run  Metropolitan,  there- 
by skipping  the  usual  stops  at  the 
second-run  Paramount  and  Fenway 
theatres.  The  film  did  $26,000  in  its 
first  week  at  the  Metropolitan. 

WB  Sales  Meet  in  Boston 

Boston,  May  26.  —  F.  D.  Moore, 
newly-appointed  Warner  district  man- 
ager for  the  Northeast,  has  concluded 
his  first  sales  meeting  at  the  Boston 
office. 


Declare  Loew  Dividend 

Loew's  board  of  directors  has  de- 
clared a  dividend  of  37%  cents  per 
share  on  the  common  stock,  payable 
June  30  to  stockholders  of  record  on 
June  11. 


I  ruu 

I  HOUSE? 

I 

"TEXAS 


■i 


am 

sent  from  UA 


Thursday,  May  27,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


LOS  ANGELES 

ilver  River"  and  "Raw  Deal" 
Jem!  the  first-run  procession  by  widen- 
ing margins  in  a  week  of  pleasant 
weather.  Most  grosses  continued  un- 
impressive. Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ended  May  26 : 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (Zflth-Fax)— GUILD  (965) 
(50c-65c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $7,000.  Aver- 
age: $7, ICO) 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th- Fox) — IRIS  (708)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average: 
$7,100) 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th-Fox)— RITZ  (1,376) 
(5Gc-60c-S5c-S1.00).  Gross:  $11,500.  (Aver- 
age: $10,300) 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (ZOth-Fcx) — STUDIO  (880) 
(50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross:  $8,000.  (Aver- 
age: $6,900) 

ALL    MY    SONS    (U-I)    and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th-Fox) — UNITED  ART- 
ISTS    (2,100)     (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 
$16,000.      (Average:  $15,400) 
B.    F.'s    DAUGHTER    (M-G-M)— EGYP- 
TIAN   (1.000)     (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)    6  days. 
Gross:  $12,500.    (Average:  $13,900) 
B.       F.'s    DAUGHTER    (M-G-M) — FOX- 
WILSHIRE  (2,300  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days. 
Gross:  $13,000.     (Average:  $13,800) 
B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)— LOS  AN- 
GELES   (2,096)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)    6  days. 
Gross:  $20,000.     (Average:  $21,200) 
FOUR    FACES    WEST  (Sherman-UA)— 
MUSIC  (Beverly  Hills)  (900)  (65c-85c-$1.00) 
6  days.    Gross:  $4,500.    (Average:  $4,300) 
FOUR    FACES    WEST  (Sherman-UA)— 
MUSIC  HALL  (Downtown)  (900)  (65c-85c- 
$1.00)    6   days.    Gross:    $7,500.  (Average, 
S9.600) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (Sherman-UA)— 

MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,000)  (65c-85c- 
$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $4,600.  (Average: 
$5,200) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (Sherman-UA)— 

MUSIC  HALL  (Hollywood)  (490)  (65c-85c- 
$1.00)  6  da  vs.  Gross:  $4,500.  (Average: 
$4,3CO) 

I,  JANE  DOE  (Rep.)  and  THE  GALLANT 
LEGION  (Ren.)  —  PARAMOUNT  (Down- 
town) (3.595)  (50c -60c -80c -$1.00)  2nd  week 
for  "I,  Jane  Doe"  only.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Av- 
erage: $21,000) 

I,  JANE  DOE  (Rpp.)  and  THE  GALLANT 
LEGION  (Rep.)— PARAMOUNT  (Holly- 
wood) (1,407)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd  week 
fcr  "I,  Jane  Doe"  only.  Gross:  $4,000.  (Av- 
erage: $15,000) 

THE    IRON    CURTAIN    (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST    MAN     WINS     (Col.)— CARTHAY 
CIRCLE      (1,516)      (;0c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.     Gross:  $8,000.     (Average:  $9,500) 
THE    IRON    CURTAIN    (ZOth-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.) — CHINESE  (2,- 
3C0)    (50c-60c-S5c-$1.00)   2nd   week.  Gross: 
$11,000.    (Average:  $15,700) 
THE    IRON    CURTAIN    (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST     MAN      WINS      (Col.)— LOEWS 
STATE  (2,500)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $18,000.     (Average:  $21,700) 
THE    IRON    CURTAIN    (ZOth-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS   (Col.) — LOYOLA  (1,- 
265)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.0O)   2nd  week.  Gross: 
$10.r.0O.      (Average:  $10,000) 
THE    IRON    CURTAIN    (20th-Fox)  and 
BEST  MAN  WINS  (Col.) — UPTOWN  (1,- 
716)    (50c-60c-8Sc-$1.00)    2nd    week.  Gross: 
S8.500.    (Average:  $10,800) 
THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 
Radio)  and  WRECK  OF  THE  HESPERUS 
(Col.) — HILLSTREET    (2,700)  (50c-60c-80c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.    Gross:  $11,000.  (Average- 
$18,300) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 
Radio)  and  WRECK  OF  THE  HESPERUS 
(Col.) — PANTAGES  (2,000)  (50c-60c-80c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,500.  (Average- 
$17,300)  ' 
RAW  DEAL  (E-L)   and  ASSIGNED  TO 


DANGER  (E^L) — BELMONT  (1,600)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $8,000.  (Aver- 
age: $6,600) 

RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L) — EL  REY  (861)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average: 
$7,000) 

RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L) — ORPHEUM  (2,210)  (50c- 
6Oc-85c-$1.0O)  6  days.  Gross:  $20,000.  (Av- 
erage: $14,300) 

RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L)— VOGUE  (800)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $8,000.  (Average: 
$7,500) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Downtown)  (3,400)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  6 
days.  Gross:  $22,000.  (Average:  $16,300) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  —  WARNERS: 
(Hollywood)  (3,000)  (50c-60c-8Oc-$l.OO)  6 
days.  Gross:  $20,000.  (Average:  $12,400) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(WILTERN  (2.300)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  6 
days.    Gross:  $20,000.    (Average:  $12,600) 


BOSTON 


FOR  SALE 

2 — 35mm  Bell  &  Howell  motion  pic- 
ture rackover  camera  outfits,  com- 
plete with  magazines,  carrying  cases, 
lenses  and  Akely  Gyro  Tripods.  Also 
lighting  equipment.  Call  Circle  6-0951. 


Business  in  Boston  was  pretty  fair 
because  of  the  weather.  Rain  and  cold 
helped  over  the  weekend  to  keep 
grosses  up  to  average.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ended  May  26 : 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA)  and  HERE 
COMES  TROUBLE  (UA)— STATE  (3,500) 
(40  to  80c).  GROSS:  $18,000.  (Average:  $12,- 
000) 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA)  and  HERE 
COMES  TROUBLE  (UA)  —  ORPHEUM 
(3.C00)  (40  to  80c).  Gross:  $30,000.  (Average: 
$27,000) 

FORT     APACHE      (RKO     Radio)  and 
BLONDE  ICE  (FC) — RKO1  BOSTON  (3,- 
200)  (40  to  80c).  Gross:  $18,000.  (No  average 
here  on  account  of  summer  schedule. 
HAZARD  (Para.)   and  ANGELS  ALLEY 
(Mono.)— PARAMOUNT  (1,700)  (40  to  80c). 
Gross:  $18,000.  (Average:  $17,000) 
HAZARD   (Para.)   and  ANGELS  ALLEY 
(Mono.)  —  FENWAY    (1,373)    (40   to  80c). 
Gross:  $12,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
IRON  CURTAIN   (ZOth-Fox)  and  ROCKY 
(Mono.) — METROPOLITAN    (4,367)    (40  to 
80c).    2nd   week    gross:    $24,000.  (Average: 
$27,000). 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (UI)  and  MONEY  MADNESS  (FC) 

—RKO    MEMORIAL    (40   to  80c).  Gross: 

$26,000.   (Average:  $22,000) 

SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)  and  HEART 


RKO  Family  Shut  Again 

Cincinnati,  May  26.  —  The  RKO 
Family  Theatre,  which  has  been  play- 
ing a  double-feature  policy,  changing 
three  times  weekly  since  reopening  re- 
cently after  a  brief  shutdown,  has 
closed  for  the  summer.  No  indication 
is  given  as  to  the  date  of  reopening  or 
future  policy. 


F-C  Office  in  Salt  Lake 

Film  Classics  has  opened  a  branch 
office  in  Salt  Lake  City  to  be  oper- 
ated out  of  Denver  by  Tom  Bailey, 
B.  G.  Kranze,  F-C  general  sales 
manager,  reports  here. 


Mandates 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ment  to  dispose  of  five  of  the  chain's 
theatres  ordered  divested  by  the  lower 
court  some  time  ago. 

The  three-day  weekend  holiday  also 
is  expected  to  account  for  some  de- 
lay in  issuance  of  the  mandates.  The 
court  officially  is  scheduled  to  adjourn 
for  the  summer  next  Tuesday  but  its 
uncompleted  work  is  expected  to  hold 
it  in  session  until  June  14.  Meanwhile, 
no  new  actions  in  the  cases  can  be 
instituted  in  the  lower  courts  until 
they  have  received  the  mandates. 

Meanwhile,  the  Justice  Department 
dismisses  as  "trade  talk"  all  reports 
of  the  possibility  of  a  new  consent  de 
cree  being  discussed  in  the  Paramount 
case.    The  Department's  attitude  ap 
pears  to  be  that  there  is  little  defend 
ants  would  be  willing  to  concede  in 
the  event  a    decree    was  discussed 
which  would  not  be  implicit  in  the  Su 
preme   Court's   opinion,  whereas  the 
Government  stands  to  win  much  more 
by  returning  to  the  lower  court  with 
that  opinion  behind  it. 


OF  VIRGINIA  (Rep.)— ASTOR  (1,300)  (40 
to  80c).  $9,500.  (No  average  established  here) 
PARADINE  CASE  (SRO)— ESQUIRE  (1,- 
000)  (90c  to  $1.25).  2nd  week.  Gross:  $12,500. 
SMUGGLERS  (EL)  and  I  KNOW  WHERE 
I'M  GOING  (UI) — EXETER  (1,300)  (45  to 
75c).  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,500. 


Eyssell  Named 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Rockefeller  Center,  Inc.,  until  1940, 
will  resume  the  presidency  left  va- 
cant last  May  11  by  the  death  of  Bar- 
ton P.  Turnbull. 

As  executive  manager  of  the  great 
city-within-a-city,  Eyssell  will  have 
under  his  direction  not  only  the  Music 
Hall  and  Center  Theatres  but  also 
the  management  of  the  15  buildings 
that  occupy  more  than  12  acres  com- 
prising Rockefeller  Center.  Eyssell 
first  entered  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness at  the  age  of  16  when  he  became 
general  assistant  to  the  manager  of 
a  Kansas  City  suburban  theatre.  In 
1925  he  went  to  Los  Angeles  as  man- 
ager of  the  Million  Dollar  Theatre. 
He  soon  became  a  key  executive  with 
Paramount-Publix  with  important  as- 
signments on  the  Coast,  in  Texas  and 
New  York. 

He  became  associated  with  Rocke- 
feller Center  when  he  joined  the  ex- 
ecutive -  staff  of  the  Music  Hall  in 
1933,  four  months  after  the  theatre 
opened,  and  in  1942  became  president 
of  the  Radio  City  Music  Hall  Cor- 
poration and  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  Rockefeller  Center, 
Inc. 


Loop  Rialto  Switch 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


outlying  theatres  until  completion  of  a 
run  at  a  non-defendant  house. 

A  defendant  distributor,  for  exam- 
ple, Metro,  could  move  over  its 
"Easter  Parade"  into  the  Rialto,  were 
it  to  play  the  Chicago  Theatre,  a  B. 
and  K.  defendant  house,  for  a  two- 
week  run  before  the  neighborhoods 
play  it.  However,  under  the  decree, 
should  a  distributor  decide  to  impose 
any  clearance  on  a  film  following  a 
moveover  at  the  Rialto,  the  clearance 
must  revert  back  to  the  time  of  the 
original  engagement,  if  it  is  a  defend- 
ant house. 


He  makes  the  most 
of  moonlit  moments  •  •  • 


IT'S  mighty  important  to  star  . . .  direc- 
tor . . .  movie-goer  ...  to  have  this  moon- 
lit moment  come  alive  upon  the  screen. 

And  when  it  does — in  all  its  subtlety 
of  mood  in  light  and  shadow — the  cred- 
it's due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  im- 
portant contribution  of  the  laboratory 
control  engineer. 

For  his  knowledge  of  photochemistry, 
his  "eye"  for  photographic  quality  .  .  . 


his  vigilant  control  of  printing  density 
and  contrast  ...  do  much  to  make 
moonlight  footage  look  like  moonlight, 
and  help  to  bring  out  the  best  in  every 
frame  of  film. 

Quality  of  film  contributes,  too;  and 
this  important  assistance  the  laboratory 
control  engineer  is  sure  of  when  he 
works  with  the  famous  Eastman  family 
of  motion-picture  films. 


EASTMAN   KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER  4,   N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT   LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


MOTION5 


DAILY 


63.  NO.  104 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  MAY  28,  1948 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 

TEN  CENTS 


Allied  Urges 
Bolstering  of 
Trust  Laws 

SIMPP  Also  Supports 
Action  by  House  Group 

Washington,  April  27.  —  A 
House  committee  investigating 
ways  to  tighten  the  anti-trust 
laws  has  been  asked  by  Allied 
States  to  "inquire  especially  into  the 
need  for  strengthening  those  laws 
with  respect  to  vertical  integration 
and  to  amend  the  Robinson-Patman 
Act  to  prevent  discrimination  in  roy- 
alties and  rentals  under  copyrights  and 
patents." 

Allied's  request  was  made  in  a  tele- 
gram signed  by  general  counsel  Abram 
F.  Myers,  who  pledged  Allied's  sup- 
port of  the  investigation,  which  is  be- 
ing undertaken  by  the  House  Small 
Business  Committee.  The  committee 
also  received  a  pledge  of  support  and 
cooperation  from  the  Society  of  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers, 
delivered  over  the  phone  by  Gunther 
Lessing,  vice-president  of  the  Society. 

Myers  said  later  what  he  had  in 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


National  Monogram 
Meeting  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  May  27.  —  Monogram 
franchise  holders,  district  and  branch 
managers  and  salesmen  from  all 
branches  will  meet  here  at  the  Drake 
Hotel  on  Saturday  and  Sunday,  with 
Steve  Broidy,  president;  Edward 
Morey,  distribution  vice-president,  and 
Maurice  Goldstein,  sales  manager, 
presiding.  Sales  policy  will  be 
stressed  on  "The  Babe  Ruth  Story," 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Egypt  Orders  Film 
Remittances  Halted 

Film  remittances  from 
Egypt  have  been  stopped,  ac- 
cording to  a  cable  received 
here  yesterday  by  Gerald  M. 
Mayer,  director  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica's international  division. 
Mayer  said  it  is  assumed  that 
the  step  was  taken  by  the 
Egyptian  government  because 
of  the  situation  in  Palestine. 

Prior  to  the  ban,  U.  S.  film 
companies  had  been  receiving 
a  remittance  of  50  per  cent. 


British  Will  Study 
Needs  of  Producers 


London,  May  27. — Despite  a  gen- 
eral feeling  in  the  House  of  Commons 
and  the  industry  here  that  British 
Board  of  Trade  president  Harold  Wil- 
son was  rash  in  promising  govern- 
mental subsidy  for  needy  independent 
producers,  Wilson  is  expected  to  an- 
nounce shortly  a  committee  to  inquire 
into  the  requirements  of  those  inde- 
pendents, most  of  whom  are  now  out 
of  business. 

This  was  indicated  in  Commons  to- 
day by  Wilson's  deputy,  Overseas 
Trade  Secretary  A.  G.  Bottomley, 
who  told  the  house  that  the  Anglo- 
American  film  agreement  may  be  pub- 
lished early  next  week. 

London  financial  quarters  view  with 
apprehension  Wilson's  four-month-old 
pledge  to  secure  government  aid  for 
independents,  and  today  several  of  the 
government's  own  supporters  in  Com- 
mons described  present  conditions  as 
providing  the  greatest  opportunity  for 
the  British  film  industry  to  establish 
itself  on  a  "firm  basis." 


Gamble  Top  Stassen 
Aide  in  Philadelphia 

Ted  R.  Gamble,  president  of  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  has 
agreed  to  serve  as  convention  man- 
ager for  Republican  Presidential  can- 
didate Harold  P.  Stassen,  according 
to  a  TOA  press  statement.  Gamble, 
who  is  now  at  his  home  in  Portland, 
will  arrive  in  Philadelphia  next 
Wednesday  to  handle  organization 
work. 

"During  the  recent  primary  in  Ore- 
gon, Mr.  Gamble  supported  Stassen 
and  made  public  appearances  with 
him,"  and  "although  Governer  Dewey 
won  the  popular  vote  by  a  small  ma- 
jority, Stassen  succeeded  in  carrying 
a  large  majority  of  the  counties  in  the 
state  by  the  popular  vote,"  TOA  said. 


Fielding  Will  Join 
Loew's  on  July  1 

Coincident  with  the  an- 
nouncement here  yesterday 
by  Mayor  William  O'Dwyer 
that  New  York  City  License 
Commissioner  Benjamin  Field- 
ing had  resigned,  Nicholas  M. 
Schenck,  president  of  Loew's, 
announced  that  Fielding  will 
join  the  company  in  an  ex- 
ecutive capacity  on  July  1. 

Fielding's  duties  will  in- 
volve various  departments  to 
which  his  experience  in  fi- 
nance, economics  and  admin- 
istration will  be  adapted. 


Oblivion  Overtakes 
NY  Censorship  Bill 

New  York  City  Councilman  Ed- 
ward A.  Cunningham's  bill  to  broaden 
City  License  Commissioner  Benjamin 
Fielding's  censorship  powers  over  mo- 
tion pictures,  plays  and  all  advertis- 
ing relating  to  them  has  lain  dormant 
in  the  Council's  general  welfare  com- 
mittee since  it  was  introduced  some 
seven  weeks  ago.  At  the  time  he  in- 
troduced the  bill,  which  Fielding 
opposed  strenuously  on  the  ground 
that  "there  is  sufficient  statutory  au- 
thority now,"  Cunningham  indicated 
that  "speedy  action"  would  be  taken 
for  "immediate  passage." 

The  clerk  of  the  committee  said 
yesterday  that  no  requests  have  been 
made  for  the  bill  to  be  reported  out 
for  action  by  the  Council.  There  is 
no  way  to  tell,  he  added,  whether  the 
bill  ever  will  be  considered  by  the 
legislators. 

Spokesmen  for  New  York  theatre 
interests  said  they  believe  the  bill  is 
"dead."  Exhibitors  here  have  gone  on 
record  against  the  proposal. 


Hacker  and  Fitz Gibbons 
Receive  1947  QP  Awards 


Charles  R.  Hacker,  district  man- 
ager for  Standard  Theatres  Manage- 
ment in  Milwaukee,  and  Mildred  Fitz- 
Gibbons,  manager  of  the  Skouras 
Roosevelt  Theatre  in  Flushing,  N.  Y., 
yesterday  were  presented  with  the 
1947  Quigley  Showmanship  Awards 
plaques  by  Martin  Quigley  at  a  re- 
ception at  the  Monte  Carlo  here. 
Hacker,  who  received  the  Silver 
Grand  Award,  sent  his  winning  entry 
while  managing  the  Palace  Theatre  in 
Milwaukee.  Miss  FitzGibbons  received 
the  Bronze  Award. 

Among  those  invited  to  the  recep- 
tion were  George  Skouras,  Harry  Kal- 


mine.  Oscar  Doob,  Howard  Dietz, 
Leonard  Goldenson,  Silas  Seadler, 
Malcolm  Kingsberg,  Charles  Schlaifer. 
Dan  Michalove,  Maurice  Bergman, 
John  O'Connor,  Mort  Blumenstock, 
Harrv  Goldberg,  Gus  Eyssell,  Harrv 
K.  Williams,  David  O'Malley,  Lige 
Brien,  Alfred  Zimbalist.  Lynn  Farnol. 
Arthur  Schmidt.  Ernest  Emerling. 
H.  M.  Richey,  Ben  Washer,  Sid  Mesi- 
bov,  Steve  Edwards,  Milt  Silver. 

Also,  S.  Barret  McCormick,  Leon 
Bamberger,  Harry  Mandel,  Ben 
Grimm.  Rutgers  Neilson,  Jock  Law- 
rence, Paul  Lazarus,  Jr.,  Sam  Shain, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


U.  S.  to  Move 
For  Decree  but 
Not  by  Consent 

Decision  Ranked  Among 
2  Top  Ones  This  Term 

Washington,  May  27. —  Attor- 
ney General  Tom  Clark  declared 
here  today  that,  "we  are  going  to 
move  ahead  for  a  decree  in  the 
Paramount  case,  and  it  won't  be  a 
consent  decree." 

Clark  told  a  press  conference  that 
the  Justice  Department  has  not  been 
approached  on  the  subject  of  a  pos- 
sible consent  decree. 

The  Attorney  General  hailed  the 
Paramount  decision  as  the  most  im- 
portant anti-trust  ruling  "from  the 
standpoint  of  concentration"  in  many 
years.  He  said  that  the  Paramount 
decision  ranked  with  the  decision  in 
the  cement  case  as  the  two  most  im- 
portant anti-trust  decisions  this  term, 
a  term  that  he  declared  to  be  more 
significant  than  any  in  years  as  far  as 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Industry  Backs  UA 
Stand,  Sopeg  Avers 

Charging  that  the  industry  "is  be- 
hind" the  refusal  of  United  Artists' 
management  to  negotiate  a  contract 
renewal  with  CIO's  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employes  Guild  and  also 
the  so-called  "shop  raid"  by  AFL's 
IATSE  Home  Office  Employes  Local 
No.  H-63,  a  special  membership  meet- 
ing of  SOPEG  has  instructed  the 
SOPEG  executive  board  to  prepare 

(Continued  cn  page  3) 


Simonelli  Heads  'U' 
Exploitation  Here 

Charles  Simonelli  has  been  appoint- 
ed to  the  new  post  of  Eastern  exploi- 
tation manager  for  Universal-Interna- 
tional, it  was  announced  yesterday  by- 
John  Joseph,  national  director  of  ad- 
vertising-publicity, and  Maurice  A. 
Bergman,  Eastern  director. 

Simonelli  joined  the  department  in 
New  York  six  years  ago,  and  has 
been  director  of  special  events. 


No  Paper  Monday 

Motion  Picture  Daily  will 
not  be  published  on  Monday, 
a  legal  holiday  in  observance 
of  Memorial  Day  on  Sunday. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  May  28,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


HERMAN  WOBBER,  Harry  G. 
Ballance,  Jack  Lorentz,  Ray 
Moon  and  Arthur  Silverstone,  20th 
Century-Fox  division  sales  managers, 
left  here  yesterday  for  their  respective 
posts  in  the  field. 

• 

Chris  DeFilippo,  assistant  man- 
ager of  Walter  Reade's  Carlton  Thea- 
tre in  Red  Bank,  N.  J.,  will  be  mar- 
ried on  Sunday  to  Anne  Sweel  of 
Red  Bank,  former  Reade  employee  at 
the  Strand  of  that  town. 

• 

Vincent  Trotta,  National  Screen 
Service  art  director,  will  fly  to  Ath- 
ens, Tenn.,  tomorrow  from  New 
York  to  attend  the  graduation  of  his 
daughter,  Maria,  from  Tennessee 
Wesleyan  College. 

• 

H.  William  Auten  of  Eagle- 
Lion's  foreign  department,  will  fly  to 
London  today  from  here  on  a  trip 
to  Continental  Europe  and  the  Near 
East. 

• 

Norman  Ayres,  Warner  Southern 
division  sales  manager,  has  left  here 
for  Atlanta  and  Charlotte.  He  is  due 
back  next  Tuesday. 

• 

Mrs.  Minette  Goldstein,  field 
public  relations  representative  for 
Century  Theatres  here  for  15  years, 
has  resigned. 

• 

William    B.    Zoellner,  M-G-M 
short    subjects    sales    manager,  left 
Boston  yesterday  for  a  tour  of  Cen- 
tral, Midwest  and  Western  exchanges. 
• 

M.  J.  Mullen  and  Sam  Pinanski 
of  the  New  England  circuit  are  ex- 
pected to  return  to  Boston  today  from 
New  York. 

• 

Thornton    Sargent    of.  National 
Theatres,  and  Sam  Shain,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox exhibitor  relations  head,  are 
in  Washington  from  New  York. 
• 

A.  Pam  Blumenthal,  member  of 
the  Cinecolor  board,  will  leave  Holly- 
wood by  plane  today  for  New  York. 
• 

Otto  Koegel,  20th  Century-Fox 
general  counsel,  left  here  yesterday  by 
train  for  the  Coast. 

Charles  Skouras,  National  Thea- 
tres president,  is  expected  here  next 
Thursday  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Herman  Mankiewicz,  producer- 
writer,  is  due  back  in  Hollywood  to- 
day from  New  York. 

• 

G.  L.  Carrington,  Altec  president, 
and  A.  A.  Ward,  vice-president,  are 
here  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Vance  Schwartz,  operator  of  the 
National     Theatre,     Louisville,  left 
New  York  yesterday  for  Dallas. 
• 

Delight  Evans  has  resigned  as 
editor  of  Screcnland  magazine. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


ANSWERING  a  stockhold- 
er concerned  about  the 
possible  effect  on  the  company's 
future  as  a  result  of  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court's  decision  in  the 
Government  anti  -  trust  suit 
against  the  industry  [Spyros] 
Skouras  expressed  the  belief 
that  'in  the  long  run'  20th-Fox 
stood  to  profit  from  better  film 
rentals  in  the  event  [theatre]  di- 
vestiture became  a  reality" — 
Motion  Picture  Daily,  May 
19. 

"We  have  not  reached  final 
conclusions  as  to  its  [the  deci- 
sion's] full  meaning  and  any 
conclusions  we  do  reach  will  be 
subject  to  developments  and  rul- 
ings in  the  course  of  the  trial 
in  the  lower  court  and  to  fur- 
ther review  by  the  Supreme 
Court.  In  these  circumstances, 
it  is  impossible  for  me  to  pre- 
dict the  outcome  of  the  litigation 
or  to  tell  you  now  what  our  po- 
sition [as  to  theatres]  is  or  will 
be  in  relation  to  the  numerous 
problems  which  the  decision  pre- 
sents to  us." — Barney  Balaban 
in  a  letter  to  Paramount  stock- 
holders. 

"In  view  of  the  fact  that  fur- 
ther proceedings  must  be  held, 
it  is  impossible  to  foretell  what 
theatres,  if  any,  your  company 
must  dispose  of  and  what  gen- 
eral effect  the  opinion  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  will  have  upon  the 
operation  of  the  business  of 
your  company." — N.  Peter 
Rathvon  in  his  annual  report  to 
RKO  stockholders. 

Is  everything  clear  now? 
■  ■ 

No.  1  on  the  industry's  Hit 
Parade :  "There'll  Be  Some 
Changes  Made." 

U  ■ 

Spyros  Skouras  was  tracing 
the  downward  curve  of  20th- 
Fox's  negative  charges  the  other 
day.  Average*  cost  of  the  24  to 
25  attractions  to  be  released  this 
year  is  $1,900,000  for  a  total  in- 
vestment of  $47,500,000.  This 
compares,  he  said,  with  an  av- 
erage of  $2,300,000  for  each  of 
18  released  last  year,  or  a  total 
of  $41,400,000.  'Films  now  in 
production — they  won't  reflect 
themselves  for  some  months — 
are  averaging  $1,300,000  each. 

What  follows  doesn't  prove 
much  of  anything,  but  is  an  in- 
teresting set  of  figures  to 
ponder : 

If  1948  negative  cost  levels — 
$1,900,000  per  film— had  pre- 
vailed in  1947,  the  company 
would  have  gotten  22  attractions 
instead  of  18.     If  current  cost 


levels— and  $.1,600,000  per  pic- 
ture— had  been  the  order,  25 
films  would  have  come  out  of 
that  $41,400,000. 

On  the  basis  of  25  attractions, 
furthermore,  the  present  level  of 
$1,600,000  per  release  would 
mean  an  overall  investment  of 
$40,000,000.  A  reduction  of 
$7,500,000. 

It  can  make  all  the  difference. 

■  ■ 

Neatest  Trick  of  the  Year  : 
"We  do  not  take  that  course  in 
the  case  of  formula  deals  and 
master  agreements,  for  the  find- 
ings in  these  instances  seem  to 
stand  on  their  own  bottom  and 
apparently  have  no  necessary 
dependency  on  the  provision  for 
competitive  bidding." — Pgh.  6, 
Sec.  4  [Formula  Deals,  Master 
Agreements  and  Franchise] 
United  States  vs.  Paramount,  et 
al.  Mr.  Justice  Douglas  deliver- 
ing the  opinion  of  the  court. 

■  ■ 

Hollywood  -  type  reporting : 
Hedda  Hopper  says  "Robinson 
Crusoe,"  a  contemplated  project 
of  M-G-M,  has  never  been 
staged  or  filmed  before  except 
in  a  theatre  in  London. 

FBO,  which  was  RKO  if  you 
trace  it  back  far  enough,  re- 
leased a  "Crusoe"  in  '28. 

■  ■ 

Double  event  for  Charles  Si- 
monelli  today :  His  25th  birth- 
day and  first  day  in  his  new  post 
as  Eastern  exploitation  manager 
for  Universal.  Six  years  ago  he 
was  an  office  boy  who  also 
clipped  newspapers. 

■  ■ 

Have  you  heard  about  that 
film  which  turned  out  to  be  such 
a  flop  it  set  back  the  nephews  in 
Hollywood  25  years?  . 

■  ■ 

Success  Note  :  "T-Men"  cost 
$450,000  to  produce  and  is  head- 
ing for  a  $1,500,000  gross. 
Domestic,  that  is. 


I  OF  COURSE 
I 

I 


E-L  to  Distribute 
Cavalier  Productions 

Hollywood,  May  27.  —  Cavalier 
Productions,  headed  by  actor  Robert 
Young  and  Eugene  B.  Rodney,  will 
distribute  through  Eagle-Lion,  making 
it  the  eighth  independent  operating  on 
the  E-L  lot,  including  Walter  Wan- 
ger,  Bryan  Foy,  United  California 
Pictures,  Paul  Henreid,  William 
Moss,  Bebe  Daniels  and  William 
Katzell. 

Lou  Weiss  to  MnLe 
Five  Beatty  Films 

Hollywood,  May  27. — Louis  Weiss 
has  signed  Clyde  Beatty  to  star  in  five 
pictures,  to  be  turned  out  at  the  rate 
of  one  a  year.  Beatty's  lions,  tigers 
and  other  beasts  will  appear  with  him. 


Sack  Names  Jackson 

Dallas,  May  27. — Jack  Jackson, 
industry  veteran,  has  been  named  head 
of  the  foreign  films  division  of  Sack 
Amusement  Enterprises,  by  Alfred  N. 
Sack,  general  manager. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — i 

Rockefeller  Center 

Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 

in  "THE  PIRATE" 

Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


VERONICA  LAKE 
JOAN  CAULFIELD  , 
BARRY  FITZGERALD^^ 

—  >^  Pldura 


Mer/e       XbSerf      Cfarfes  1&uf 

OBERON  •  RYAN  •  KORVIN  •  LUKAS 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURE  /_  '  BRQadw""^*  TJ?ce°tfe 


2 


greatest  $lar- 
ond-song-show.1 


Released  Ihru  RKO  Radio  Pictutes 


DANA  ANDREWS  •  GENE  TIERNEY 

"THE  IRON  CURTAIN" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture 
PLUS  ON  STAGE 

ED  SULLIVAN 

his  DAWN  PATROL  REVUE 
 p  Q       Y      7th  Ave'  & 


50th  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3.  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  May  28,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Allied  Urges 

(Continued  from  page  1.) 


mind  was  a  study  of  the  possibility  of 
prohibiting  ownership  by  one  firm  of 
production,  distribution,  and  retailing 
set-ups. 

He  said  that  while  this  "may  not 
be  necessary  in  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry if  the  Supreme  Court's  Para- 
mount decision  is  carried  out  in  good 
faith,  it  might  still  be  necessary  in 
otJa"r  fields."  The  court's  decision  in 
%j"  'aramount  case  said  that  vertical 
itineration  was  not  illegal  per  se,  but 
depended  on  various  factors. 

Myers  pointed  out  that  the  Robin- 
son-Patman  Act  at  present  prevents 
discrimination  only  in  sales  of  articles, 
and  not  leases  or  licenses.  He  said 
an  exhibitor  now  can  use  the  fact  that 
circuits  are  getting  better  terms  only 
as  one  factor  in  a  Sherman  Act  case, 
and  can  do  nothing  with  the  fact  un- 
der the  Robinson-Patman  Act.  If  the 
act  were  amended  as  suggested  by  Al- 
lied, discrimination  alone  would  give 
an  exhibitor  a  cause  for  action. 

No  legislation  will  be  submitted  to 
this  session  of  Congress  but  the  com- 
mittee hopes  its  recommendations  will 
be  the  basis  of  legislation  next  ses- 
sion. 


U.  S.  to  Move 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Reviews 


'The  Gallant  Legion' 


(Republic) 

BUDGET-wise  and  in  virtually  every  other  respect  "The  Gallant  Legion" 
stands  head-and-shoulders  above  the  routine  Western.  Production  effort, 
camera  work,  acting,  story  and  direction  are  commendable.  Its  principal  failings 
are  that  it  is  overlong  in  the  telling  and  its  ending  lacks  elements  of  surprise. 

Cast  is  headed  by  William  Elliott  Adrian  Booth,  Joseph  Schildkraut  and 
Bruce  Cabot,  with  principal  support  rendered  by  Andy  Devine,  Jack  Holt. 
Grant  Withers,  Adele  Mara  and  James  Brown.  Gerald  Adams'  screen  play, 
from  an  original  by  John  K.  Butler  and  Gerald  Geraghty,  contains  a  com- 
plicated plot,  the  principal  channel  of  which  follows  Elliott  an  heroic  Texan, 
to  victory  over  a  band  of  renegades  and  traitors  who  sought  to  partition 
the  state  at  the  end  of  the  Civil  War. 

Cabot  is  the  arch-villain  whose  ambition  is  to  become  "emperor"  of  West 
Texas,  and  Schildkraut  secondary  villain,  aids  in  inciting  their  henchmen 
to  robbery  and  plunder  to  point  up  the  Texas  Rangers  as  impotent  in  police 
work  and  deserving  of  replacement  by  the  former  carpetbagger  police  force. 
To  complicate  things,  Schildkraut's  pretty  niece,  Miss  Booth,  and  Elliott 
fall  in  love.  Producer-director  Joe  Kane  keeps  the  proceedings  moving  at  a 
lively  clip,  and  this  has  compensated  considerably  for  plot  transparency. 

Running  time,  88  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  25.  Charles  L.  Fraxke 


broadening  Government  anti-trust 
powers. 

Pointing  out  that  the  death  of  Judge 
John  Bright  will  necessitate  choosing 
a  new  member  for  the  three-judge 
New  York  court,  Clark  said  the  Jus- 
tice Department  will  begin  arguments 
"as  soon  as  we  can"  for  those  portions 
of  the  case  left  open  by  the  Supreme 
Court  decision. 

Asked  whether  he  thought  the  sec- 
tion of  the  Paramount  decision  on 
freedom  of  the  press  showed  that  the 
court  was  ready  to  reverse  its  1915 
decision  on  local  censorship,  Clark 
said  he  had  not  read  the  opinion  with 
this  point  in  mind  and  was  not  ready 
to  pass  on  the  matter.  However,  he 
pointed  out,  the  passage  in  Justice 
Douglas'  opinion  is  not  in  itself 
enough  to  reverse  the  1915  decision, 
which  must  be  tested  on  a  clear-cut 
case  in  which  censorship  is  the  main 
issue. 


Vadnay  to  Europe 

Hollywood,  May  27. — Laszlo  Vad- 
nay, screen  writer,  has  left  here  for 
Europe  to  obtain  background  mate- 
rial for  "Miklos  and  the  Dancing 
Bear,"  which  George  Pal  will  produce. 


"13  Lead  Soldiers" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

DULLDOG  Drummond,  the  suave  sleuth,  is  confronted  with  a  series  of 
murders  which  are  committed  to  gain  possession  of  some  lead  soldiers. 
This  is  a  better-than-average  mystery  film  which  should  satisfy  detective- 
story  fans,  telling  a  fascinating  tale  in  an  effective  manner. 

Tom  Conway,  as  Drummond,  discovers  that  there  are  several  groups  work- 
ing to  locate  the  13  lead  soldiers  plus  an  ancient  manuscript  which  holds  the 
key  to  the  hiding  place  of  a  vast  treasure  of  an  Anglo-Saxon  king.  Drummond 
realizes  the  significance  of  the  soldiers  and  sets  a  trap  for  the  murderer. 
He  out-smarts  the  others,  discovers  the  key,  finds  the  treasure  and  apprehends 
the  murderer. 

Others  in  the  cast  include  Maria  Palmer,  as  one  of  the  persons  seeking 
the  lead  soldiers:  Helen  Westcott,  as  the  daughter  of  a  murdered  scholar 
and  John  Neeland  as  "Algy,"  Drummond's  faithful  assistant.  Bernard  Small 
produced  and  Frank  MacDonald  directed.  Irving  Elman's  screenplay  is  based 
on  a  "Sapper"  story. 

Running  time,  67  minutes.  General  audience  classification. 


'Report  for  Action' 
Message  Is  Effective 

"Report  for  Action,"  screened  here 
yesterday  for  the  trade  press  by  20th 
Century-Fox,  a  training  film  of  the 
Xational  Conference  on  the  Preven- 
tion of  Juvenile  Delinquency,  is  a  pic- 
torial blueprint  for  the  setting  up  of 
community  conferences  to  explore  the 
causes  of  juvenile  delinquency  and  in* 
stitute  curative  measures.  In  terms  of 
its  aims,  the  film  is  a  neatly-edited 
affair  with  a  clear  and  effective  mes- 
sage. 

The  subject  runs  17  minutes  and 
was  made  by  RKO  Pathe  for  the 
TO  A  at  the  request  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice ;  prints  are  available 
at  20th  Centurv-Fox  exchanges. 

M.H. 


Dismiss  Suit  vs.  'IA' 
Closed  Shop  Policy 

Hollywood,  May  27. — Federal  Judge 
J.  F.  T.  O'Connor  has  sustained  a 
motion  by  IATSE  Local  Xo.  659  for 
dismissal  of  a  $975,000  suit  brought  by 
Curtis  Courant.  European  camera- 
man, who  became  a  U.  S.  citizen  last 
year  and  who  claimed  that  "IAV 
closed-shop  policy  here  had  deprived 
him  of  an  opportunity  to  work  at  his 
craft.  The  jurist  held  the  court  has  no 
jurisdiction  since  no  diversity  of 
citizenship'  now  exists. 


'Big  Town  Scandal" 


(Paramount) 

THE  subjects  of  juvenile  delinquency  and  Boys  Town  again  serve  as  the 
basis  for  the  latest  production  co-produced  by  William  Pine  and  William 
Thomas.  It  is  an  interesting  piece,  both  appealing  and  entertaining. 

A  newspaper  reporter,  Hillary  Brooke,  and  her  managing  editor,  Philip 
Reed,  become  interested  in  a  group  of  boys  who  broke  into  a  sporting  goods 
store  to  steal  basketball  equipment.  The  judge  paroles  the  boys  to  Reed, 
his  paper  gives  them  jobs  and  converts  their  building  into  a  basketball 
court,  with  the  managing  editor  becoming  the  coach. 

One  of  the  boys,  the  captain  of  the  team,  gets  involved  with  some  gamblers 
and  fur  robbers,  who  force  the  lad  to  work  with  them.  At  first  he  enjoys 
the  easy  money,  but  later  realizes  his  folly.  The  mobsters  shoot  him  as  he 
attempts  to  double-cross  them  and  is  taken  into  custody  by  the  police.  It  is 
indicated  that  he  will  receive  credit  for  good  behavior.  Thomas  directed, 
from  Milton  Raison's  screenplay.  Miss  Brooke  and  Reed  are  pleased  with 
their  experiment  in  the  fight  against  juvenile  delinquency  and  plan  to  con- 
tinue their  efforts. 

Running  time,  62  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  30. 


ANDREWS  SISTERS 

"LITTLE  TOOT  PROM— 

NEW  TECHNICOLOR  MUSICAL 

7W£ 


RELEASED  BY 
'  RKO-Rodio  Pictu 


Monogram  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


SOPEG  Avers 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


"The  Dude  Goes  West,"  and  other 
product. 

Others  attending  include  Scott  R. 
Dunlap.  Harold  Mirisch.  Lou  Lifton, 
Norton  Ritchey,  Lloyd  Lind,  franchise 
holders  A.  C.  Bromberg,  Herman 
Rifkin,  Irving  Mandel,  E.  Blumenthal, 
Lloyd  Rust,  William  Hurlburt,  Lon 
Fidler,  Howard  Stubbins,  Mel  Hull- 
ing. C.  W.  Trampe,  Ben  Williams,  H. 
L.  Berkson.  William  Onie,  Nate 
Schult,  and  125  men  from  the  field. 


"every  step  for  1948  contract  negotia- 
tions, including  strike  preparations." 
it  was  disclosed  here  yesterday  by  Sid- 
ney_  Young,  president  of  the  union. 

Young  said  a  membership  meeting 
also  held  by  Screen  Publicists  Guild 
"followed  the  same  pattern  and  em- 
phasized the  mutual  need  for  closest 
cooperation  between  the  two  guilds 
against  every  form  of  employer  at- 
tack." 

The  UA  management  recently  in- 
formed SOPEG  it  would  not  negotiate 
with  a  union  that  had  failed  to  file 
non-Communist  affidavits  as  provided 
by  the  Taft-Hartley  Law.  SOPEG 
has  not  filed  such  affidavits. 

96%  of  Voters  Favor  Union 
Shop  in  NLRB  Vote  at  WB 

Ninety-six  per  cent  of  the  Warner 
home  office  "white  collar"  employes 
voted  in  favor  of  a  union  shop  in  their 
election  yesterday,  it  was  announced 
by  Russell  Moss,  business  agent  of 
IATSE  Home  Office  Employes  Local 
No.  H-63,  the  employes'  bargaining 
agency.  Of  629  workers  who  were 
eligible  to  vote.  601  voted  for  and  28 
voted  against.  Moss  stated. 

The  election  result  empowers  Moss 
to  negotiate  a  new  contract  with  the 
company.  H-63,  which  has  represented 
Warner  workers  for  several  years,  is 
seeking  a  1214  per  cent  across-the- 
board  increase. 


Elliott  Promoted 

Robert  Mochrie,  RKO  Radio  dis- 
tribution vice-president  has  promoted 
Arthur  Elliott,  former  salesman  at  the 
Montreal  branch,  to  exchange  man- 
ager in  Calgary,  replacing  Reg  Dodd- 
ridge, resigned. 


QP  Awards 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Hank  Linet.  Melvin  Gold,  William 
White.  Alec  Moss.  Bill  Schulman  and 
members  of  Quigley  Publications. 

The  1947  winners  were  selected 
from  scores  of  entries  submitted  by 
showmen  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Canada  and  in  several  foreign 
countries,  by  industry  executives  who 
participated  in  the  annual  judging  at 
New  York's  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel, 
last  March,  conducted  by  Motion  Pic- 
ture Herald's  Managers'  Round  Table, 
of  which  Walter  Brooks  is  director. 


 wftlf  3irf  the 

biggest  showmanship 
events  of  the  year. . . 


THE  IRON  CURTAIN 


The  first  film  ever  to  become 
an  international  front  page 
news  event!  Returns  from 
the  400-theatre  Premiere 
are  writing  boxoffice  head- 
lines daily  across  the  land! 


GREEN  GRASS 
of  WYOMING 

TECHNICOLOR 

Now!  Watch  for  record- 
breaking  grosses  to  match 
the  size  of  the  tremendous 
12-state,  268-theatre  day- 


and-date  premiere! 


GIVE  MY  REGARDS 
TO  BROADWAY 

TECHNICOLOR 

Boston's  regards  to  20th  in 
June  with  the  big  World  Pre- 
miere at  the  Memorial  The- 
atre!.......to  be  followed  day- 

and-date  across  the  nation! 


enters  the  Month 
of  June  with 
tested  product, 


proved  boxoffice 
power,  payoff 
showmanship  ! 
to  back  up  its 
Sales  Managers' 
Salute  to  Andy 
Smith  Month!  i 


1948  J~  X_T  ^J"  E  1948 


Captain 
From  Mile 


TECHNICOLOR 

One  of  the  year's 
great  hits!  Motion 
Picture  Herald  Box- 
office  Champion  two 
months  in  a  row! 


Gentleman's 
Agreement 


Most  acclaimed  film 
in  history!  Acade- 
my Award  Picture! 
M.  P.  Herald  Box- 
office  Champion, 
February,  March, 
April  .  .  . 


Anna 
Karenina 


From  the  most 
widely  read  novel  of 
all  time!  "That  the 
picture  will  play  to 
big  grosses  is  cer- 
tain," says  Variety! 


Call 
North*  777 


The  biggest  box- 
office  of  all  20th's 
true-to-life  tri- 
umphs! Outgrossing 
"Boomerang!"  and 
"13  Rue  Made- 
leine"! 


Sitting 
Pretty 


Right  up  there  with 
"Margie"  and 
"Mother  Wore 
Tights"!  M.  P. 
Herald  Boxoffice 
Champion,  April... 


Fury  At 
Furnace  Creek 


Big  and  exciting  as 
all  outdoors!  Action 
^ .  .  .  on  the  screen 
and  at  the  boxoffice! 


You  Were 
Meant  For  Ne 


All  the  sweet  things 
rolled  into  one  tune- 
jp  ful  ticket  seller!  The 
new  musical  tech- 
nique that's  terrific! 


Scudda-Hoo! 
Scudda-Hay! 

TECHNICOLOR 


A  boxoffice  triumph 
in  the  tradition  of 
"Flicka  '  '  and 
"Home  In  Indiana"! 


...and  wherever 
these  pictures  play, 
smart  showmen  are 
booking  them  with 
MOVIETOHE  HEWS, 
MARCH  OF  TIME, 
TERRYTOOHS 
or  other  selected 
SHORT  SUBJECTS! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  May  28,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


Reviews 


Blonde  Ice 


» 


CHICAGO 

Loop  box-office  leader  is  the  Horace 
Heidt  show  which  is  doing  capacity 
business.  Weekend  attendance  was 
brisk,  with  ideal  weather  prevailing. 
Majority  of  hold-overs  are  doing  mod- 
erate business.  "Hazard"  is  okay. 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ed May  27 : 

BERLIN     EXPRESS     (RKO-Radio)  — 

PALACE  (2,500)  (67c-98c)  5  days,  2nd  week. 
MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO-Radio) 
2  da  vs.  Gross:  $23,000.  (Average:  $25,000). 
CAGED  FURY  (Para.)  —  STATE  LAKE 
(2,700)  (98c).  On  stage:  Sammy  Kaye. 
Gross:  $35,000.  (Average:  $35,000). 
FURY  AT  FURNACE  CREEK  (ZOth-Fox) 
— MONROE  (953)  (50c-67c-98c)  5  days,  3rd 
week.  THE  SEARCH  (M-G-M)  2  days. 
Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $12,000). 
HAZARD  (Para.)  -  UNITED  ARTISTS 
(1,700)  (98c).  Gross:  $22,000.  (Average: 
$21,500). 

RIVER  LADY  (U-I)  —  GRAND  (1,150) 
(67c-98c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Aver- 
age: $16,000). 

SONG  OF  MY  HEART  (Allied  Artists)  — 

APOLLO   (1,200)    (98c)  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$9,000.     (Average:  $17,000). 
STATE    OF    THE    UNION    (M-G-M)  — 
WOODS    (1.080)    (98c)    3rd   week.  Gross: 
$20,000.     (Average:  $23,000). 
THE   CRIMSON    KEY    (ZOth-Fox)  —  ORI- 
ENTAL  (3,300)    (98c).     On   stage:  Horace 
Heidt.     Gross:  $70,000.     (Average:  $40,000). 
THE   IRON   CURTAIN    (20th-Fox)— CHI- 
CAGO   (3.900)    (98c)    2nd    week,    6  days. 
Gross:  $28,000.    (Average:  $37,000). 
WOMAN    IN    WHITE    (WB)  —  ROOSE- 
VELT   (1.500)    (98c)    5    days,    2nd  week. 
DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)  2  days.  Gross: 
$18,000.     (Average:  $20,000). 


(Film  Classics) 

LESLIE  BROOKS,  Robert  Paige  and  Walter  Sande  are  starred  in 
"Blonde  Ice,"  a  routine  murder  yarn  which  derived  its  title  from  a 
cold  and  scheming  blonde  who  murders  several  men  who  thwarted  her  social 
and  financial  ambitions. 

Adapted  by  Kenneth  Garnet  from  the  novel  "Once  Too  Often"  by  Whitman 
Chambers,  the  picture  opens  with  Miss  Brooks  shooting  her  socialite  hus- 
band and  returning  to  the  arms  of  Paige,  a  sportswriter.  Later  she  kills  a 
small-time  gangster  attempting  blackmail  and  then  a  politician  who  refuses 
her  hand  in  marriage.  All  the  while  Paige  is  suspected  of  the  crimes.  A 
psychiatrist  traps  her  into  a  confession.  Produced  by  Martin  Mooney  and 
directed  by  Jack  Bernhard,  the  picture  should  go  over  in  those  situations 
where  patrons  enjoy  crime  films. 

Running  time,  72  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  20. 


"King  of  the  Gamblers" 


See  Dietz  for  Allied 
Post  in  St.  Louis 

St.  Louis,  May  27. — Andy  Dietz 
has  resigned  as  field  man  for  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  St.  Louis, 
Eastern  Missouri  and  Southern  Illi- 
nois in  what  is  described  on  Film 
Row  here  as  the  first  move  in  an 
attempted  Allied  States  raid  on  the 
St.  Louis  territory,  long  dominated  by 
Fred  Wehrenberg's  MPTO. 

Dietz  is  reported  to  have  been  re- 
tained at  the  Allied  States  board 
meeting  in  Denver  last  week. 


Tax  Pends  in  Mt.  Sterling 

Mt.  Sterling,  O.,  May  27. — A  three 
per  cent  admission  tax  has  been  pro- 
posed by  the  village  council.  Annual 
license  fee  of  $1  also  would  be  im- 
posed. Fee  of  $15  yearly  would  be 
charged  for  any  coin-operated  ma- 
chine. 


Final  Schlaifer  Lecture 

Final  session  of  the  five-week  course 
on  "The  New  Significance  in  Motion 
Picture  Public  Relations,"  given  by 
20th  Century- Fox  advertising-publicity 
head  Charles  Schlaifer,  will  be  held 
here  tonight  at  The  New  School. 


FOR  SALE 

2 — 35mm  Bell  &  Howell  motion  pic- 
ture rackover  camera  outfits,  com- 
plete with  magazines,  carrying  cases, 
lenses  and  Akely  Gyro  Tripods.  Also 
lighting  equipment.  Call  Circle  6-0951. 


(Republic) 

HEADLINES  of  some  months  ago  concerning  racketeering  in  sporting 
fields  provide  the  basis  for  a  plot  with  action  which  has  a  tense  and 
exciting  climax  when  an  innocent  man  is  cleared  of  a  murder  charge.  The 
cast  is  headed  by  Janet  Martin,  as  the  sister  of  a  murdered  football  player, 
and  William  Wright,  as  the  clever  lawyer  who  wins  the  acquittal.  Others  in 
the  cast  include  Thurston  Hall,  editor  of  a  sports  paper,  and  George  Meeker, 
"king  of  the  gamblers." 

A  group  of  gamblers  are  fixing  football  games.  When  the  player  accepting 
the  bribes  decides  to  reveal  the  story,  he  is  murdered  by  the  gang  and  another 
football  player  is  framed.  The  latter's  lawyer  gathers  the  evidence  which 
frees  the  innocent  athlete.  Stephen  Auer  was  associate  producer  and  George 
Blair  directed,  from  an  original  by  Albert  DeMond  and  Bradbury  Foote. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  20. 


Republic  Dividend 

Republic's  board  yesterday  declared 
a  regular  quarterly  dividend  of  25 
cents  per  share  on  preferred  stock, 
payable  July  1  to  stockholders  of  rec- 
ord on  June  10. 


Academy  Adds  30 

Hollywood,  May  27. — Thirty  mem- 
bers have  been  added  to  the  Academy 
of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences. 


Declare  RKO  Dividend 

Board  of  directors  of  Radio-Keith 
Orpheum  yesterday  declared  a  divi 
dend  of  15  cents  a  share  on  the  com 
mon  stock,  payable  July  1  to  stock 
holders  of  record  on  June  15. 


Joins  Century  Projector 

Mark  S.  Hoban  has  been  appointed 
factory  manager  of  Century  Projector 
Corp.  here. 


Video  Is  No  Threat 
To  Theatres:  Popkin 

Hollywood,  May  27. — "Within  two 
years,  television  will  be  less  of  a 
problem  than  radio  was  in  its  hey- 
day," in  the  opinion  of  Harry  Popkin, 
head  of  Cardinal  Pictures  and  oper- 
ator of  30  theatres  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. 

"Television  will  take  no  appreciable 
bite  out  of  box-office  revenues,  ^jfert 
from  the  initial  appeal  value,"(  A>  pd 
Popkin,  who  is  just  finishing  thff-arst 
of  10  for  United  Artists  release. 


Delay  Deluxe  Hearing 

Chicago,  May  27. — Hearings  on  the 
Deluxe  Theatre  case  in  which  Abra- 
ham Brussells,  plaintiff's  attorney,  was 
required  to  furnish  briefs  in  opposition 
to  a  motion  by  Paramount  and  Bala- 
ban  and  Katz,  defendants,  to  strike 
out  certain  paragraphs,  was  moved  to- 
day from  May  29  to  July  28  in  U.  S. 
District  Court,  before  Judge  Campbell. 


Two  'Duel'  Records 

Mexico  City,  May  27. — "Duel  in 
the  Sun"  set  two  new  records  for 
Mexico,  a  run  of  seven  months  and 
a  $225,000  gross  up  to  May  22,  ac- 
cording to  Manny  Reiner,  Selznick 
Releasing  Organization  supervisor  for 
Latin  America  and  Australasia,  who 
is  here  preparing  for  "The  Paradine 
Case"  opening  next  month. 


Morton,  20th  Talk  Deal 

Talks  between  20th-Fox  and  Alfred 
H.  (Doc)  Morton,  president  of  the 
National  Concert  and  Artists  Corp., 
on  a  deal  to  join  the  film  company's 
television  department  are  under  way. 
Morton  once  headed  NBC's  video 
activities. 


E.  A.  Harms,  Exhibitor 

Columbus,  Neb.,  May  27. — Serv- 
ices were  held  here  for  E.  A.  (Gus) 
Harms,  who  formerly  owned  the  Ar- 
bor and  Apollo  theatres  in  Omaha. 


64 


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i^tij^r        The  sensational  pages 
PI    of  A.  J.  CR0NI N'S  most  daring 
best-seller,  come  to  life  in  a 
gripping  drama  from 
PARAMOUNT 


It 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTlOtf°FICiURE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.   NO.  105 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  JUNE  1,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


450  Drive-ins 
Operating  by 
Season's  End 


300  Now  in  Business; 
600  Cars  Is  the  Average 

Drive-in  theatres  in  the  U.  S. 
total  about  300,  with  an  average 
capacity  of  600  cars,  according  to 
a  Motion  Picture  Daily  survey 
of  the  field,  and  indications  are  that 
there  will  be  about  ISO  more  by  early 
autumn. 

Drive-ins  are  widely  dispersed. 
Greatest  concentration  exists  in  the 
Atlantic  seaboard  area.  There  are 
relatively  few  in  the  internal  North- 
west, land  of  great  distances  and  few 
concentrations  of  motoring  population. 

The  Chicago  metropolitan  area  is  to 
have  five  more  drive-ins.  Frank  Find 
and  Irving  Gandell,  owners  of  Out- 
door Theatre,  Inc.,  are  building  on 
North  Avenue,  to  open  about  July  1. 
The  LaGrange  drive-in  has  been  com- 
pleted, and  its  builder,  Mid-West 
Drive-ins,  Inc.,  is  building  in  Griffith, 
Ind.  In  Oaklawn.  111.,  the  Twin 
Open-Air  Theatres  are  being  built 
with  two  screens  back  to  back,  each 
to  show  films  to  occupants  of  1,000 
cars,  at  a  reported  $690,000. 


UA  'Majority'  Is 
Now  Officially  6IA' 


"An  overwhelming  majority"  of 
United  Artists'  home  office  "white 
collar"  workers  today  will  become 
dues-paying  members  of  AFL's 
IATSE  Home  Office  Employes  Local 
No.  H-63  and  thus  will  sever  all  ties 
with  Screen  Office  and  Professional 
Employes  Guild  (CIO),  it  was  re- 
ported at  the  weekend  by  H-63  spokes- 
men. SOPEG's  contract  with  UA  ex- 
pired yesterday,  and  the  company  has 
refused  to  negotiate  a  new  contract 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Downing  and  Gould 
Promoted  by  Eyssell 


Russell  V.  Downing  was  named  ex- 
ecutive vice-president  of  Radio  City 
Music  Hall  Corp.  over  the  weekend 
by  G.  S.  Eyssell,  president.  He  was 
formerly  vice-president  and  treasurer. 
Eyssell,  who  last  week  was  named 
executive  manager  of  Rockefeller  Cen- 
ter, Inc.,  made  the  announcement  at  a 
luncheon-meeting  of  the  theatre's  ex- 
ecutive staff.   He  also  announced  the 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


April  Taxes 
Were  Off 


Washington,  May  31. — General  ad- 
mission tax  collections  in  April,  re- 
flecting March  box-office  business, 
were  off  considerably  from  April, 
1947,  the  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue 
reports,  April  collections  totaling 
$31,146,236,  compared  with  $33,412,- 
813  in  April,  1947. 

March,  1948,  collections  exceeded 
the  1947  total,  but  February  collec- 
tions this  year  were  below  last  year's. 
Thus,  in  only  one  the  first  three 
months  of  1948  was  box-office  busi- 
ness better  than  in  1947. 

These  figures  are  only  for  general 
admissions,  including  sporting  events, 
legitimate  theatres,  and  other  admis- 
sions as  well  as  motion  picture  thea- 
tres, but  do  not  include  cabaret  taxes 
or  taxes  on  various  ticket  overcharges 
and  premiums.  April,  1948,  collections 
from  general  admissions  and  the  other 
categories  were  $35,897,575,  compared 
with  $38,619,325  last  April. 


High  Court  Action 
Asked  by  10  Cited 


Washington,  May  31. — The  10 
Hollywood  writers,  directors  and  pro- 
ducers charged  with  contempt  of  Con- 
gress asked  the  Supreme  Court  on 
Friday  to  accept  a  case  challenging 
the  constitutionality  of  the  House  Un- 
American  Activities  Committee,  de- 
claring they  did  not  believe  the  high 
court  "will  permit  such  a  Govern- 
mental inquisition  to  endure." 

Counsel  for  the  10  filed  a  petition 
to  act  as  friend  of  the  court  in  a  case 
being  appealed  by  officers  of  the  Joint 
Anti-Fascist  Refugee  Committee. 
These  officers  were  also  convicted  for 
being  in  contempt  of  the  House  group. 

"On  behalf  of  all  citizens  and  artists 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Television  Will  Not 
Hurt  Films:  Babson 

Boston,  May  31. — Television 
will  not  hurt  the  motion  pic- 
ture business  for  many  years, 
if  then,  because  it  is  quality 
and  not  quantity  that  counts 
in  films,  in  the  opinion  of 
Roger  W.  Babson,  president 
of  the  Babson  Statistical  Or- 
ganization of  Wellesley,  Mass. 

Film  stocks  will  remain 
steady  and  firm,  he  predicted, 
despite  current  trade  uncer- 
tainties occasioned  by  the 
Supreme  Court  decision,  for- 
eign market  conditions  and  a 
lag  in  domestic  theatre  at- 
tendance. 


Clark  Praises  TOA 
On  Youth  Drive 


Washington,  May  31. — Theatre 
Owners  of  America  campaign  in  sup- 
port of  the  Attorney  General's  drive 
against  juvenile  delinquency  got  warm 
praise  Friday  from  Attorney  General 
Tom  Clark  at  a  luncheon  given  to 
show  the  press  "Report  for  Action," 
the  two-reel  film  made  by  RKO- 
Pathe  for  TOA.  Clark  told  reporters 
how  much  indebted  the  drive  was  to 
TOA  for  financing  the  film,  and  even 
more  for  generally  getting  behind  the 
campaign  when  it  began  to  lag  and 
start  it  rolling  again. 

The  luncheon,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  National  Conference  on  Juvenile 
Delinquency,  was  presided  over  by 
Thornton  Sargent,  director  of  public 
relations  for  Fox  West  Coast  Thea- 
tres, who  represented  Charles  Skou- 
ras,  chairman  of  TOA's  "Youth 
Month"  committee.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  Sam  Shain,  head  of  20th 
Century-Fox  exhibitor  relations  de- 
partment. 


Loew's  Counts  on  State 
As  Long-run  Showcase 


Dating  of  "Easter  Parade"  at 
Loew's  State  beginning  June  30  will 
mark  inauguration  of  an  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  Loew  organization  to  de- 
velop a  new  long-run  show  window 
for  M-G-M  product  in  the  Times 
Square  area. 

It  is  understood  the  plan  is  an  out- 
growth of  careful  study  made  of  the 
Mayfair,  former  Loew  subsequent-run 
house  which  was  leased  a  number  of 
months  ago  to  Brandt  Theatres.  First 
attraction  under  Brandt  management 
was  "Gentlemen's  Agreement,"  which 
played  at  advanced  prices  for  28  weeks. 


Loew  executives  see  no  reason  why 
the  same  procedure  cannot  apply  to 
the  State  and  feel  inception  of  the  new 
policy  there  will  get  off  to  an  appro- 
priate start  with  the  attraction  select- 
ed. They  also  are  aware  that  one  of 
the  problems  confronting  them  will  be 
the  successor  attractions,  but  are  con- 
fident Metro's  stockpile  will  suffice. 

The  State  recently  dropped  vaude- 
ville for  first  runs  which  the  Loew 
circuit  could  not  fit  into  the  Criterion 
schedule.  Top  Metro  product  has  been 
split  between  the  Capitol  and  Radio 
City  Music  Hall. 


SWG  Will  Sue 
Majors  Today 
On  Blacklists 


Johnston,  MP  A  A,  SIMPP 
And  IMPPA  to  be  Named 


Hollywood,  May  31.  —  The 
Screen  Writers  Guild  announced 
at  the  weekend  that  it  will  file  in 
New  York  Federal  Court,  tomor- 
row a  suit  seeking  an  injunction  to 
prevent  producers  from  implementing 
their  policy  against  employment  of 
suspected  subversives  as  enunciated  by 
Eric  Johnston  on  November  25  in 
sequel  to  the  Washington  hearings  of 
the  Thomas  House  Committee  inves- 
tigating "Reds"  in  Hollywood. 

The  suit,  long  in  preparation 
by  SWG  attorney  Thurman 
Arnold,  will  name  Johnston,  as 
president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America,  the 
MPAA,  the  Society  of  Indepen- 
dent Motion  Picture  Producers, 
the  Independent  Motion  Picture 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


U.  S.  Notifies  Firms 
Of  Proposed  Decree 

Company  defendants  in  the  Para- 
mount case  have  received  notice  that 
the  Government  is  prepared  to  file  its 
proposed  order  carrying  out  the  Su- 
preme Court  decision  as  soon  as  the 
high  court's  mandate  in  the  case 
reaches  the  New  York  District  court. 

Similar  orders,  routine  in  all  such 
cases,  have  been  prepared  by  the  Gov- 
ernment in  the  Griffith  and  Schine 
cases,  for  filing  with  the  Oklahoma 
City  and  Buffalo  Federal  District 
courts  but  hearings  may  not  be  sought 
on  the  latter  two  until  some  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  Paramount  case. 

The  Government's  notice  to  defen- 
dants in  the  latter  case  advises  them 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Vote  on  U.  S.  'Take' 
On  British  Pictures 

Parties  to  the  discussions 
on  the  workings  of  the  Anglo- 
American  ad  valorem  tax 
settlement  have  voted 
against  the  inclusion  of  U.S.- 
owned  British  picture  earn- 
ings here  in  the  British 
dollar  pool  for  extra  remit- 
tances. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  1,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


BARNEY  BALABAN,  Paramount 
president,  and  Ed  Weisl,  attorney 
and  board  member  have  returned  to 
New  York  from  Los  Angeles. 
• 

Dorothy  Farrington,  associated 
with  Comerford  Theatres'  office  here 
for  the  past  17  years,  left  the  organi- 
zation on  Friday  to  retire  to  private 
life. 

• 

Stuart  Dunlap,  M-G-M  manager 
for  Argentina,  arrived  here  at  the 
weekend  from  the  Coast.  He  will  re- 
main here  until  June  8  before  heading 
for  his  Buenos  Aires  headquarters. 
• 

Adele  Harris,  daughter  of  Ted 
Harris,  managing  director  of  the 
State  Theatre,  Hartford,  and  Mrs. 
Harris,  will  be  married  to  Victor 
Feingold  of  Hartford  on  June  20. 
• 

Frank  Ramsey,  Coast  publicist 
and  a  former  Warner  theatre  mana- 
ger in  Hartford,  has  returned  to  Cali- 
fornia from  Connecticut. 

• 

Sam  Horwitz,  assistant  manager 
of  Loew's  Poli,  Hartford,  has  re- 
turned to  his  post  following  a  leave 
of  absence. 

• 

Bill  Haines,  United  Artists  spe- 
cial sales  representative  in  Atlanta, 
has  resigned  to  join  Selznick  Releas- 
ing Organization  in  the  same  capacity. 
• 

William  Baker,  Republic  branch 
manager  in  Chicago,  has  returned  to 
his  office  after  several  months'  ab- 
sence due  to  an  illness. 

• 

Walter  MacEwen,  producer,  flew 
to  London  over  the  weekend  from 
New  York.  He  is  due  back  early  next 
month. 

• 

Arthur  W.  Kelly,  United  Artists 
executive  vice-president,  returned  to 
New  York  on  Saturday  from  London 
and  Paris. 

• 

Paul  Terry  and  his  family  will  go 
to  Europe  this  month  on  a  combined 
business  and  pleasure  trip. 

• 

Alex  Evelove,  Warner  studio  pub- 
licity director,  left  the  Coast  at  the 
weekend  for  New  York. 

• 

Norman  Elson,  Translux  vice- 
president,  left  here  for  Mexico  over 
the  weekend. 

• 

Bert  Kulick,  Bell  Pictures  execu- 
tive, is  in  Hollywood  from  New  York. 
• 

Vincent  Sherman,  Warner  direc- 
tor, is  here  from  Los  Angeles. 


Tradewise . 


Davis  III,  Towler 
Succeeds  at  SRO 

Atlanta,  May  31. — Bert  Davis,  has 
resigned  from  Selznick  Releasing  Or- 
ganization on  account  of  illness  and 
has  returned  to  his  home  in  Texas. 
Nelson  Towler,  former  branch  man- 
ager of  Eagle-Lion,  replaces  him  as 
special  SRO  sales  representative  here. 


By  SHERWiN  KANE 


THE  Department  of  Justice, 
as  reported  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  last  week,  charac- 
terized current  reports  of  con- 
sideration being  given  to  a  con- 
sent decree  by  some  defendants 
in  the  Paramount  case  as  "trade 
talk." 

The  Justice  Department 
spokesman  said  "the  Department 
has  not  been  approached  on  the 
subject  by  anyone"  and  inferred 
that  the  Government  is  not  in- 
terested in  a  consent  decree  he- 
cause  it  regards  the  Supreme 
Court  decision  as  granting  the 
Government  far  more  than  the 
defendants  conceivably  would  be 
willing  to  concede  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  consent  decree. 

Twenty-four  hours  later  At- 
torney General  Tom  Clark  told 
a  press  conference  that  the  Gov- 
ernment is  ready  to  move  for  a 
decree  in  the  Paramount  case, 
but  "not  a  consent  decree." 
• 

Quite  obviously  this  is  a  case 
of  the  Government  "protesting 
too  much." 

As  the  stories  were  heard  in 
New  York,  there  was  no  infer- 
ence that  anyone  had  approached 
the  Department  on  a  consent  de- 
cree. The  reports,  subsequently 
verified,  were  that  at  least  two 
defendants  in  the  Paramount 
case  were  considering  the  ad- 
visability of  investigating  with 
the  Department  the  present  pos- 
sibilities of  a  consent  decree. 
That  is  only  natural  in  the  cir- 
cumstances. 

One  major  company  general 
counsel,  interested  in  consent  de- 
cree exploration,  told  this  de- 
partment that  a  great  deal  of 
time,  money  and  labor  might  be 
saved  for  both  sides  if  a  consent 
decree  could  be  agreed  upon.  He 
added  that  it  was  his  conviction 
that  reasonable  people  could  ac- 
complish more  by  sitting  down 
together  around  a  table  than  by 
pursuing  legal  contests  to  the 
last  technical  move. 

Accordingly,  consideration  of 
a  consent  decree  is  merely  one 
avenue  regarded  by  some  Para- 
mount case  defendants  as  worth 
exploring.  It  is  not  in  itself  a 
basic  defense  stratagem  or  a 
procedure  which  all  or  even  a 
majority  of  the  defendants  are 
agreed  upon  as  being  worth- 
while. Unless  it  receives  more 
support  among  defendants  than 
it  apparently  has  had  up  to  now, 
it  is  highly  unlikely  that  it 
ever  will  be  broached  to  the  De- 
partment as  a  method  of  dispos- 
ing of  the  case  insofar  as  all 


of  the  defendants  are  concerned. 
• 

Any  good  horse-trader  will 
recognize  the  Government's  pro- 
testations that  no  one  has  ap- 
proached it  yet  concerning  a 
consent  decree,  and  even  Clark's 
declaration  that  the  Government 
will  move  for  a  decree,  but  not  a 
consent  decree,  as  an  invitation 
to  open  up  the  bargaining. 

What  the  Government  really 
is  saying  is  that  it  does  not 
propose  to  make  the  first  move 
but  that  if  you  boys  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  us  on  the  subject, 
we're  ready  to  listen. 

In  classifying  the  Paramount 
case  as  one  of  the  two  most  im- 
portant to  be  handled  by  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  1947-'48 
session,  Clark  attaches  a  sig- 
nificance to  it  that  it  conceivably 
does  not  possess  now.  That  is 
because  somfc  of  the  major 
phases  of  the  case  still  remain 
to  be  determined.  Its  actual  im- 
portance remains  to  be  seen. 

That  could  be  what  is  behind 
Clark's  thinkly  veiled  invitations 
to  discuss  a  consent  decree.  The 
odds-makers  give  Clark  seven 
more  months  in  his  present  posi- 
tion. If  in  that  time  he  is  able 
to  wrap  up  this  case  by  consent 
decree  it  could  be  a  most  im- 
portant and  impressive  addition 
to  the  record  of  the  present  At- 
torney General's  tenure  in  office. 
•  • 

Speaking  off  the  record  about 
television  recently,  a  major  com- 
pany president  placed  himself  on 
the  side  with  those  who  see  the 
new  medium,  at  least  *for  years 
to  come,  as  a  form  of  at-home 
diversion  on  a  par  with  the 
radio  set  and  the  card  table. 

Then  hedging,  because  he  ad- 
mitted without  qualification  that 
he  regarded  his  own  opinion  as 
no  more  reliable  than  many  an- 
other's, he  pointed  out  that  if  he 
is  wrong  and  television  really 
becomes  a  vital  commercial  en- 
tertainment form  within  a  mat- 
ter of  a  few  years,  motion  pic- 
tures inevitably  will  be  its  stand- 
ard program  material.  Somebody 
will  have  to  supply  that  demand, 
of  course,  and,  inferentially,  who 
is  better -prepared  to  do  it  than 
film-makers  ? 

When  and  if  that  time  comes, 
he  said,  he  believes  that  theatres 
still  will  be  the  foremost  re- 
tailers of  that  entertainment — 
films  by  television. 

"Therefore,"  he  concluded, 
"our  major  research  in  tele- 
vision today  is  in  the  field  of 
large  screen  theatre  projection." 


Verbal  Tilt  on  Sales 
Policies  Sparks  Trial 

Question  of  whether  or  not  dis- 
tributors sell  pictures  uniformly  in 
various  cities  and  areas,  and  whether 
or  not  conspiracy  is  involved  when 
selling  policies  are  not  uniform, 
served  as  the  basis  of  a  sharp  verbal 
exchange  on  Friday  between  opposing  ; 
attorneys  in  the  Fifth  and  Walnut 
anti-trust  suit  being  tried  in  U.  S. 
District  Court  here. 

Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel  on  FrJ^j  ■ 
adjourned  hearing  of  the  $2,10Vf<j 
triple-damage  action  until  Thursday. 


Clark  Awarded  $500 

Holdenville,  Okla.,  May  31.  —  A  j 
$500  cash  award  has  been  sent  to  Her-  | 
ace  Clark,  local  manager  for  Griffith  I 
Theatres,  for  his  booklet  on  how  to  !i 
operate  popcorn  concessions  more  J 
profitably. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 
Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 

;n  "THE  PIRATE" 

Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 

spectacularstage  presentation 


VERONICA  LAKE 
JOAN  CAULFIELD 


Merfe        Roiert      Charles  f&uf 

OBERON  ■  RYAN  •  KORVIN  •  LUKAS 


greatest  star- 
andrsong-shawl 


Released  thru  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


ERROL  FLYNN  t 

EDDY 


ANN 


i 


Sll**      i*iQ      ANP  HIS  ORCHESTRA  * 

t     RM^Y  w  ARTIE  DANN  I 


wi*2i.*w  STRAND/, 


OPENS  9:30  AM  b  way  at  47th  § 


LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM 


MOTION  PICTCKE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Tlieo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  an.l  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington.  J.  A.  Otten,  National  I'ress  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubro,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Will  Goliath  defeat  David  this  time? 

The  Amusement  Industry  appeals  to  YOU  for  the  United  Jewish  Appeal 

This  is  why  we  are  so  keenly  interested  in  the  United 
Jewish  Appeal,  and  why  you,  and  everyone  else  in  the 
amusement  world,  should  be  interested. 

World  War  II  is  over  for  the  United  States,  and  the  British 
Empire,  and  France,  and  all  the  Allies.  World  War  II  is  over 
for  Germany  and  Japan.  The  war  is  over  for  everyone. 
Everyone — except  the  Jews  in  Palestine,  in  Cyprus  and 
the  D.  P.  camps  in  Europe. 

The  Holy  Land  has  become  a  vast  battlefield.  Yet  the 
Jews  in  Cyprus  and  the  D.  P.  camps  are  eager  to  go  there. 
They  are  more  than  willing  to  do  their  share  of  defending 
and  dying,  to  save  the  Holy  Land  from  the  invader. 

Goliath  has  invaded  Palestine  again.  David  has  defied 
Goliath  again.  Will  history  repeat  itself?  Or  will  David  be 
defeated  this  time? 

David,  right  now,  is  more  than  defending  his  religion  and 
his  people  and  his  life.  He — and  only  he — has  braved 
bullets  and  bayonets  and  bombs,  to  protect  the  holy  land- 
marks of  all  faiths,  from  desecration  and  devastation. 

A  New  York  Times  editorial  says,  "Mankind's  most 
sacred  shrines"  are  threatened  with  destruction.  David 
stands  alone  and  he  defends  alone.  But  while  he  stands, 
every  sacred  shrine  stands.  He  is  menaced  with  defeat.  But 
he  won't  retreat.  "Retreat  to  Where?"  And  echo  answers: 
"Retreat  to  Where?" 

In  the  language  of  show  business,  he  is  giving  a  great 
performance.  He  deserves  a  hand  from  everyone  of  us. 
The  defender  of  the  Holy  Land  is  a  worthy  descendant 
of  the  immortal  warriors  of  the  Bible.  We  must  help 
him.  Either  we  contribute — or  we  contribute  to  his 
defeat.  And  his  "Retreat  to  Where"? 


Amusement  Industry  Division 
United  Jewish  Appeal 


THIS  SPACE  DONATED  BY 
QUIGLEY  PUBLICATIONS 


Theagencies  included  in  thecampaign  of  the 
UNITED  JEWISH  APPEAL  OF  GREATER  NEW  YORK 
250  WEST  57  th  STREET,  NEW  YORK  19,  N.  Y. 

United  Palestine  Appeal 

Joint  Distribution  Committee 

United  Service  for  New  Americans 

Joint  Defense  Appeal  of  the  American 
Jewish  Committee  and  Anti-Defama* 
tion  League  of  B'nai  B'rith 

American  Jewish  Congress 

National  Jewish  Welfare  Board 

Jewish  Telegraphic  Agency 


THE  FUNNIEST  COMED 

r 


co-siarring 

JANET  BLAIR 

OON  McGUIRE  •  HILLARY  BROOKE  •  ADELE  J E RGENS  •  ROSS  FORD  •  TRODY  MARSHALL 


AN  EDWARD  SMALL  PRODUCTION 

Screenplay  by  Frank  Tashlin  and  Devery  Freeman 

sed  upon  a  SATURDAY  EVENING  POST  story  by  Roy 

Produced  and  Oirected  by  S.  SYLVAN  SIMON 

A    COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


H  uggins 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  1,  1948 


Newsreel 
Parade 


rJy  HE  crisis  in  Palestine  and 


the 

burial  of  Father  Flanagan  mark 
current  newsreel  highlights.  Other 
items  are  Chaitn  IVcizmann  visiting 
President  Truman,  sports,  fashions, 
etc.  Complete  contents  folloiv: 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.    43.— UN 

faces  crisis  over  war  in  Palestine.  Appeal 
for  children.  Princess  Elizabeth  at  race- 
track. Westerner  says  he's  Jesse  James. 
Canadian  oil  well  erupts.  Boys  Town  is 
final  resting  place  for  Father  Flanagan. 
Hogan  wins  golf  tourney. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  277. — War 

zone  report  from  Palestine.  Laboratory  car- 
ries on  at  Bar  Harbor,  Maine,  after  dis- 
astrous fire.  Boys  Town  mourns  Father 
Flanagan.  Sheep  begin  summer  trek.  Golf 
classic. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  80. — Pales- 
tine: Days  of  trial.  Father  Flanagan 
funeral  at  Boys  Town.  Some  2,400  sheep 
cross  Coulee  Dam.  Jesse  James  reported 
alive.    Golf :  Hogan  wins  championship. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS.  No.  147.— Secre- 
tary Marshall  appeals  for  UN  children. 
President  of  Israel  visits  White  House. 
Sheep  cross  Grand  Coulee  Dam.  Canadian 
oil  field  goes  on  rampage.  Hollywood  hair 
styles.  Congressmen  slug  it  out  on  base- 
ball diamond. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  82.— 

Israel  President  visits  U.  S.  President. 
Sheep  cross  Grand  Coulee  Dam.  Vacation 
fashions  in  cotton.  Hogan  wins  golf  tour- 
ney. Canadian  wrestlers  get  rough.  Motor- 
cycle races  plane.  Great  Events:  Bunker 
Hill. 


Set  Up  Video  Films, 
Ad  Agency  in  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  May  31. — Edward  J. 
Noble,  nephew  of  Edward  J.  Noble  of 
American  Broadcasting,  has  estab- 
lished an'  advertising  agency,  Adver- 
tising and  Administration,  S.A.,  here. 
He  resigned  last  month  from  McCann 
Erickson's  Mexican  associate,  Publici- 
dad  Elias. 

Charles  B.  Woram,  head  of  RKO 
Radio's  Churubusco  Studios  and  a 
member  of  several  film  financing  and 
production  companies,  is  a  director  of 
the  agency,  and  Ryland  Madison,  in- 
dependent producer  and  one-time  head 
of  the  film  production  division  of  the 
coordinator's  office,  is  board  chairman 
of  a  television  and  film  unit,  Produc- 
ciones  Comerciales,  S.A.,  set  up  to 
produce  television  shorts  here  for  use 
in  the  U.  S. 


Reviews 


"Secret  Service  Investigator" 

(Republic) 

TN  "Secret  Service  Investigator,"  Republic  offers  a  standard  action  melo- 
A  drama  in  which  an  ex-GI  is  hired  by  the  FBI  to  assume  someone  else's 
identity  in  order  to  help  break  a  counterfeit  ring. 

While  the  picture  contains  scenes  of  tension,  especially  toward  the  end, 
the  subject  has  been  treated  more  excitingly  in  the  past.  Artificial  situations 
are  created  constantly  and  some  of  the  acting,  although  competent  in  sub- 
stance, is  most  unconvincing.  Nevertheless,  because  of  its  subject  matter,  the 
film  provides  exhibitors  with  some  fine  exploitation  possibilities.  George 
Zucco  plays  the  cultured  but  cold-blooded  villain  for  all  it's  worth.  Sidney 
Picker  was  associate  producer ;  R.  G.  Springsteen's  direction  is  uninspired  ; 
John  K.  Butler  wrote  the  screenplay. 

The  story  is  quite  involved  and  implausible.  Lloyd  Bridges,  pleasant  new- 
comer to  the  screen,  is  a  GI  looking  for  a  job.  After  he  meets  Lynne  Roberts 
he  is  contacted  by  men  claiming  to  be  from  the  FBI.  They  give  him  the  job 
of  taking  the  part  of  an  ex-convict  who,  while  in  jail,  made  perfect  plates 
for  counterfeiting.  Eventually  the  FBI  officers  turn  out  to  be  fakes.  Then 
Lloyd  is  hired  by  the  real  FBI  and,  although  already  discovered  by  the  gang 
to  be  a  "phony,"  is  given  the  same  job  all  over.  A  royal  fight  ensues  when 
the  real  FBI  moves  in  for  the  kill. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
May  31. 

"Carson  City  Raiders" 

{Republic) 

ALLAN  (ROCKY)  LANE  almost  single-handedly  overcomes  a  gang  of 
bandits  who  attacked  a  wagon  train.  The  action  and  suspense  of  this 
offering  place  it  in  the  class  of  very  satisfactory  Western  entertainment, 
with  outdoor  thrills  and  adventure  in  almost  every  foot. 

A  gang  holds  up  stage  coaches,  seizes  the  freight  and  resorts  to  murder 
when  necessary  to  attain  its  ends.  When  Lane,  as  an  investigator  for  the 
insurance  company,  arrives  on  the  scene,  he  works  with  the  wagon-line 
operator,  played  by  Eddy  Waller,  and  sets  a  trap  for  the  gang.  In  the  final 
sequence  there  is  a  gunbattle  in  a  gold  mine  and  the  culprits  are  captured. 
Frank  Reicher  plays  the  mastermind  of  the  gang.  Gordon  Kay  was  associate 
producer  and  Yakima  Canutt  directed.  Earle  Snell  wrote  the  screenplay. 
Others  in  the  cast  are :  Beverly  Jons,  Hal  Landon,  Steve  Darrell,  Harold 
Goodwin,  Dale  Van  Sickel,  Tom  Chatterton  Edmund  Cobb,  Holly  Bane  and 
Bob  Wilkie. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification  Release  date 
May  13. 


Durban  and  Barrett 
Head  Video  Society 

Charles  J.  Durban  and  Halsey  J. 
Barrett  have  been  elected  president 
and  vice-president,  respectively,  of  the 
American  Television  Society.  Emer- 
son Yorke  was  elected  secretary,  and 
Arch  Braunfeld,  treasurer. 

New  board  members  are :  Don  Mc- 
Clure,  Edward  Sobol,  Paul  Mowrey, 
Charles  Alicoate,  George  Moskovics, 
George  Shupert  and  Warren  Caro. 


II 


GUNS  or  WOMEN 

HE  COULDN'T  STAY  AWAY 
FROM  EITHER  ...  even  if 
it  meant  his 


Blasting  the  screen  with  thatT-MEN  fury! 

An  EDWARD  SMALL  Production  •  An  Eagle  Lion  Films  Release 

Prints,  at  all  Eagle-Lion  Exchanges  available  for  booking  immediately. 


36  Productions  in 
Work  in  Hollywood 

Hollywood,  May  31.— The  produc- 
tion tally  stood  at  36  at  the  weekend, 
dropping  one  from  the  previous  week. 
Work  started  on  nine  new  films  while 
10  were  sent  to  cutting  rooms. 

Shooting  started  on  "Inside  the 
Wall,"  Eagle-Lion ;  an  untitled  Albert 
J.  Cohen  production,  Film  Classics; 
"High  Tension"  and  "The  Fighting 
Ranger,"  Monogram;  "The  Plunder- 
ers," Republic;  "Every  Girl  Should 
Be  Married,"  RKO  Radio;  "Yellow 
Sky,"  20th  Century-Fox;  "South  of 
St.  Louis"  (United  States  Pictures), 
and  "Fighter  Squadron,"  Warner. 
Shooting  finished  on  "El  Dorado 
Pass,"  Columbia;  "29  Clues,"  Eagle- 
Lion;  "Melody  Man"  (formerly 
"Manhattan  Folk  Song")  and  "Back 
Trail,"  Monogram;  "Dark  Circle," 
Paramount ;  "Indian  Agent,"  RKO 
Radio;  "The  Retuw  of  Wildfire," 
Screen  Guild;  "That  Wonderful 
Urge,"  "West  of  Tomorrow"  (Selt- 
zer) and  "Trouble  Preferred"  (Wurt- 
zel),  20th  Century-Fox. 


F amous  Players  Dividend 

Ottawa,  May  31.— Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.  has  declared  a  divi- 
dend of  25  cents  per  share,  at  the  rate 
of  $1  per  share  per  annum,  for  the 
quarter  ending  June  30  on  common 
shares,  payable  June  26  to  holders  of 
record  on  June  11. 


Warner  Dividend 

Quarterly  dividend  of  25  cents  per 
share  payable  July  6  to  common  stock 
holders  of  record  on  June  8  was  de- 
clared here  at  the  weekend  by  War- 
ner's board  of  directors, 


Short 
Subjects 


"Crime  Lab" 

(RKO  Radio — This  Is  America) 

Scientific  crime  detection  methods 
employed  by  American  police  is  the 
theme  of  this  exciting  short.  ^T^S 
body  of  a  murdered  girl  is  found  ] 
abandoned  car.  Detectives  soon  jSicL 
up  clues,  and  through  painstaking  and 
far-reaching  efforts,  gather  evidence 
to  catch  the  killer.  It  has  wide  gen- 
eral interest.  Jay  Bonafield  produced 
and  Edward  Montagne  directed.  Run- 
ning time,  17  minutes. 

"Makers  of  Destiny" 

(As-tor  Pictures) 

First  of  a  series  of  subjects  dealing 
with  important  events  and  personali- 
ties, this  one,  under  the  pretentious 
title  of  "Makers  of  Destiny,"  offers 
glimpses  of  Washington  commentators 
at  work  and  play.  Appearing  are : 
Eric  Sevareid,  Baukhage,  Fulton 
Lewis,  Jr.,  Elmer  Davis,  Morgan 
Beatty,  Drew  Pearson  and  Ernest 
Lindley.  The  film  was  shot  on  16mm. 
Kodachrome  and  blown  up  to  35mm. 
in  color  for  theatrical  distribution. 
For  all  its  interest,  the  subject  seems 
haphazardly  put  together.  Edwin 
Ware  Hullinger  directed  for  Hull- 
inger  Productions.  Running  time,  15 
minutes. 


Para.  Bids  FCC  Rule 
On  DuMont  Question 

Washington,  May  31. — Paramount 
has  asked  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission  to  rule  on  whether  it 
controls  Allen  B.  DuMont  Labora- 
tories before  hearings  are  held  in 
Cleveland  and  Boston  on  the  applica- 
tions of  Paramount  subsidiaries  and 
other  outfits  for  television  stations. 

Paramount  apparently  feels  its 
chances  for  the  stations  in  Cleveland, 
Boston  and  other  cities  will  be  better 
if  the  DuMont  issue  is  decided  in  its 
favor.  If  the  issue  is  decided  against 
it,  such  a  decision  might  open  the  way 
for  a  test  of  the  FCC's  five-station 
limit  rule. 

The  Cleveland  hearings  were  origi- 
nally scheduled  for  June  14  and  those 
in  Boston  for  June  28,  but  both  have 
been  indefinitely  postponed  by  the 
Commission. 


Ethel  Meyer 

Ethel  Meyer,  cashier  at  the  Capitol 
Theatre  here,  died  Friday  afternoon 
at  Flower  Hospital.  She  was  with  the 
Capitol  for  17  years. 


NATURALLY 


I  fillS, 

I  BROOKLYN 
I  and 

HEAVEN" 


sent  from  II A 


Tuesday,  June  1,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


'Frisco  Meeting  Ends 
E~L  Regional  Series 

San  Francisco,  May  31. — Reports 
by  William  J.  Heineman,  Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president,  and  Max 
E.  Youngstein,  advertising-publicity 
head,  on  the  company's  plans  for  han- 
dling J.  Arthur  Rank  product  to  be 
released  here  highlighted  the  final  in 
a  series  of  regional  sales  meetings 
fcdd  here  Saturday  and  Sunday.  An 
rdine  of  the  company's  new  regional 
iMa.  sales  plan  under  which  major 
product  will  be  released  in  day-and- 
date  engagements  to  blanket  individual 
territories  was  also  presented. 

Heineman  and  L.  Jack  Schlaifer,  his 
assistant,  went  to  Portland  upon  con- 
clusion of  the  meeting  and  are  due 
back  in  New  York  on  Thursday  after 
stopovers  for  conferences  in  Chicago 
and  Detroit.  Youngstein  returned  to 
New  York  over  the  weekend. 

Kaufman,  Hart  Head 
UJA  Theatrical  Unit 

With  the  setting  up  of  a  legitimate 
theatre  committee  under  the  co-chair- 
manship of  Moss  Hart  and  George  S. 
Kaufman,  S.  H.  Fabian,  New  York 
chairman  of  the  United  Jewish  Appeal 
campaign,  has  completed  the  roster  of 
committees  formed  in  cooperation  with 
Barney  Balaban,  national  chairman, 
for  the  amusement  industry  division  of 
the  UJA  drive. 

The  legitimate  theatre  unit  will  be 
host  at  a  luncheon  on  June  17  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  for  outstanding  figures  in 
the  film,  stage  and  allied  fields.  Billy 
Rose,  Sam  Behrman  and  Emil  Fried- 
lander  are  associate  chairmen  with 
Hart  and  Kaufman. 


Testimonial  for  Lewis 

Hartford,  May  31. — A  testimonial 
dinner  will  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Bond, 
Wednesday  night,  June  9,  for  Rube 
Lewis,  stage  manager  of  Loew's  Poli- 
Palace,  and  business  agent  for  Local 
No.  84,  IATSE.  Dick  Walsh,  interna- 
tional IA  president,  will  be  among 
those  attending.  Arrangement  commit- 
tee includes  Charles  Obert,  M.  and 
P.'s  Allyn;  Lew  Mello,  Loew's  Poli, 
and  Harry  Sweet,  Warner's  Strand. 


U.  S.  Notifies 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

that  a  hearing  on  the  proposed  order 
will  be  sought  of  Federal  Judge  Au- 
gustus N.  Hand  on  June  15.  Indica- 
tions are  that  the  court  will  be  un- 
able to  hear  the  arguments  at  that 
time  and  will  put  proceedings  over  to 
next  fall. 

The  Supreme  Court  mandate  in  the 
Paramount  case  is  expected  to  be  re- 
ceived by  the  New  York  court  any 
day  now,  after  which  the  Govern- 
ment's proposed  order  can  be  filed. 

Notices  to  defendants  on  the  pro- 
posed order  by  the  Government  re- 
quest defendants  to  present  their  ob- 
jections to  the  content  of  the  order,  in 
writing,  to  the  Department  of  Justice, 
thus  indicating  that  changes  may  be 
made  before  it  is  filed.  Unsatisfied 
company  objections  can,  of  course,  be 
argued  when  the  court  hears  the  Gov- 
ernment petition. 

Defense  attorneys  said  the  Govern- 
ment's proposed  order  "follows  the 
Supreme  Court  opinion  pretty  closely." 
It  eliminates  from  the  proposed  order 
those  findings  by  the  high  court  which 
were  sent  back  to  the  lower  court  for 
reconsideration,  such  as  divestiture, 
franchises  and  some  phases  of  clear- 
ance. In  addition,  it  asks  the  defen- 
dants to  submit  their  views  on  how 
divestiture  should  be  carried  out. 

The  proposed  order  also  includes  a 
request  for  interim  relief  prohibiting 
defendants  from  acquiring  theatres 
pending  final  disposition  of  the  case. 
The  high  court  removed  that  restric- 
tion from  the  New  York  court's  de- 
cree. 

The  remainder  of  the  proposed  or- 
der would  simply  make  the  New  York- 
decree  conform  with  the  Supreme 
Court  decision  in  all  particulars  ex- 
cept those  remanded  for  further  con- 
sideration and,  upon  receiving  court 
approval,  would  make  the  new  decree 
operative. 

Defendant  companies,  of  course,  also 
can  move  for  -proposed  orders  in  the 
case  and  could  even  do  so  before  the 
Government's  order  is  filed. 


SWG  Will  Sue 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Producers  Association,  and  all 
major  studios.  It  will  be  filed 
in  the  names  of  the  SWG  and 
30  writers. 

The  SWG  reiterates  that  the  suit  is 
not  intended  to  be  in  defense  of  the  10 
indicted  for  contempt  in  refusing  to 
testify  before  the  committee  as  to 
whether  or  not  they  are  or  ever  were 
Communists,  but,  rather,  seeks  to  pre- 
vent blacklisting. 

In  a  move  restricted  to  production 
in  Hollywood,  top  executives  of  ma- 
jor companies  and  independents  held  a 
two-day  meeting  here  on  November 
23-24  on  the  subject  of  employment  of 
known  Communists  and  adopted  a 
policy  of  discharging  or  suspending 
the  10  cited  for  contempt  and  not 
employing  any  Communist  or  other 
person  belonging  to  a  group  advocat- 
ing the  overthrow  of  the  Government. 


Downing  and  Gould 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


promotion  of  James  Gould,  assistant 
treasurer,  to  the  post  of  treasurer. 

Downing  has  served  on  the  Music 
Hall  staff  since  1933,  prior  to  that 
being  assistant  to  the  president  of 
Tidewater  Oil  Co.  and  later  treasurer 
of  the  Prudence  Co.,  financial  organ- 
ization, 


Film  Lecture  Series 
Ended  by  Schlaifer 

An  awareness  of  responsibility  to 
the  community,  in  addition  to  technical 
knowledge  and  exhibition  experience, 
are  the  three  ingredients  most  impor- 
tant to  the  motion  picture  publicist, 
Charles  Schlaifer,  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  advertising  and  publicity  director, 
told  New  School  students  here  Frida*y 
at  the  final  session  of  his  course  on 
"The  New  Significance  in  Motion 
Picture  Public  Relations." 

New  School  has  asked  Schlaifer  to 
prepare  an  enlarged  series  of  lectures 
for  next  year.  . 

Two  New  Theatres 
Set  for  Northwest 

Seattle,  May  31.  —  Plans  for  a 
$150,000  suburban  theatre  and  store 
building  have  been  completed.  Con- 
struction of  the  990-seater,  which  will 
be  operated  by  L.  W.  Roe,  is  set  to 
begin  tomorrow. 

At  the  same  time,  construction  of 
a  $40,000  theatre  in  Tacoma  has  been 
authorized  in  a  permit  issued  to  A.  G. 
Pecchia  of  Eatonville.  Work  has  al- 
ready begun  on  the  house  which  will 
have  500  seats.  , 


UA  'Majority' 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

with  that  union  because  it  has  not 
complied  with  the  non-Communist  affi- 
davit requirements  of  the  Taft-Hartley 
Law. 

The  "majority"  group  has  already 
named  an  H-63  contract  negotiating 
committee  and  grievance  committee  of 
UA_  workers.  H-63,  meanwhile,  is 
awaiting  word  from  the  National  La- 
bor Relations  Board  on  its  application 
for  a  shop  election. 


Sherman  Adds  Kyne  Yarn 

Hollywood,  May  31. — "The  Pride 
of  Palomar,"  by  Peter  B.  Kyne,  has 
been  added  to  Harry  Sherman's  pro- 
duction schedule.  Other  stories  sched- 
uled include  "Tennessee's  Partner," 
his  next  for  Enterprise,  and  "Brandy 
for  Heroes,"  "Ring  Horse,"  "Carmen 
of  the  West"  and  the  W.  C.  Tuttle 
"Hashknife"  yarns. 


Coming 
Events 


June  3-4 — United  Theatre  Owners  ol 
Illinois  meeting,  Kaskaskia  Hotel, 
La  Salle,  111. 

June  16-18 — Annual  territorial  exhibi- 
tor-distributor "Round-Up"  of  the 
Salt  Lake  City  Motion  Picture  Club 
in  that  city. 

June  20-23 — Theatre  Owners  of  North 
and  South  Carolina  summer  meet- 
ing, Myrtle  Beach,  S.  C. 

June  28-30— Allied  Theatre  Owners 
of  New  Jersey  annual  convention, 
Hollywood  Hotel,  West  End,  N.  J. 

July  26-28— Associated  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Indiana  annual  convention, 
French  Lick,  Ind. 


10  Cited 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

who  value  intellectual  freedom,"  the 
petition  urged  the  Court  to  review  the 
lower  court  decision  "so  that  one  of 
the  most  momentous  issues  ever  to 
come  before  the  Court  may  be  fully 
presented  and  argued." 

The  "unfriendly  10"  cited  attempts 
of  the  committee  during  the  October 
Hollywood  hearings  to  get  suspected 
Communists  discharged  from  film  jobs 
as  "one  glimpse  behind  the  curtain" 
into  how  the  committee  abridges  free- 
dom of  opinion  and  belief.  The  petition 
declared  that  belief  and  formulation  of 
belief  must  remain  absolutely  free  un- 
der the  Constitution,  and  that  "the 
clear  and  present  danger  doctrine"  is 
a  limitation  only  on  conduct,  not  be- 
lief. Finally,  .  the  petition  said,  the 
committee  has  consistently  functioned 
so  as  -to  deny  witnesses  before  it  the 
due  process  of  law  guaranteed  by  the 
Fifth  Amendment. 


Giants  at  Screening 

A  special  screening  was  held  for  the 
New  York  Giants  at  the  Paramount 
home  office  here  Friday,  in  which 
they  saw  themselves  in  the  Grantland 
Rice  Spor.tlight  subject,  "Big  League 
Glory."  The  10-minute  subject,  made 
by  Jack  Eaton,  will  be  released  na- 
tionally on  June  11. 


Harry  K. 
Thaw's 

Luxurious  60-acre  summer 
estate  on  Lake  George  is 
now  for  sale. 

...  at  a  fraction  of  its  original  cost. 
The  palatial  18-room  Spanish  Villa- 
type  residence  overlooks  the  lake  near 
Bolton  Landing.  FEATURES:  Handsome 
paneling,  beamed  and  vaulted  ceilings, 
exquisitely  carved  fireplaces,  7  master 
bedrooms,  7  baths.  Billiard  room, 
bowling  alley,  electric  pipe  organ. 
Famed  gardens,  magnificent  shade 
trees.  Quarter-mile  shoreline,  sandy 
beach.  Garage-lodge  with  9-room 
apartment.  Ideal  school,  sanitarium, 
private  club. 

$90,000  unfurnished.  $125,000  furnished. 
Property  #42145.  Your  broker  or 

PREVIEWS,  Inc. 

The  National  Real  Estate  Clearing  House 

49  EAST  53rd  ST.,  NEW  YORK  22 
PLaza  8-2630 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  1,  1948 


Newsreel 
Parade 


^T^  HE  crisis  in  Palestine  and  the 
■I  burial  of  Father  Flanagan  mark 
current  newsreel  highlights.  Other 
items  are  Chaim  Weizmann  visiting 
President  Truman,  sports,  fashions, 
etc.  Complete  contents  follow. 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.    43. — UN 

faces  crisis  over  war  in  Palestine.  Appeal 
for  children.  Princess  Elizabeth  at  race- 
track. Westerner  says  he's  Jesse  James. 
Canadian  oil  well  erupts.  Boys  Town  is 
final  resting  place  for  Father  Flanagan. 
Hogan  wins  golf  tourney. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  377. — War 

zone  report  from  Palestine.  Laboratory  car- 
ries on  at  Bar  Harbor,  Maine,  after  dis- 
astrous fire.  Boys  Town  mourns  Father 
Flanagan.  Sheep  begin  summer  trek.  Golf 
classic. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  80.— Pales- 
tine: Days  of  trial.  Father  Flanagan 
funeral  at  Boys  Town.  Some  2,400  sheep 
cross  Coulee  Dam.  Jesse  James  reported 
alive.    Golf:  Hogan  wins  championship. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  147. — Secre- 
tary Marshall  appeals  for  UN  children. 
President  of  Israel  visits  White  House. 
Sheep  cross  Grand  Coulee  Dam.  Canadian 
oil  field  goes  on  rampage.  Hollywood  hair 
styles.  Congressmen  slug  it  out  on  base- 
ball diamond. 

WARNER  PAT  HE  NEAVS,  No.  82.— 
Israel  President  visits  U.  S.  President. 
Sheep  cross  Grand  Coulee  Dam.  Vacation 
fashions  in  cotton.  Hogan  wins  golf  tour- 
ney. Canadian  wrestlers  get  rough.  Motor- 
cycle races  plane.  Great  Events:  Bunker 
Hill. 


Set  Up  Video  Films, 
Ad  Agency  in  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  May  31. — Edward  J. 
Noble,  nephew  of  Edward  J.  Noble  of 
American  Broadcasting,  has  estab- 
lished an'  advertising  agency,  Adver- 
tising and  Administration,  S.A.,  here. 
He  resigned  last  month  from  McCann 
Erickson's  Mexican  associate,  Publici- 
dad  Elias. 

Charles  B.  Woram,  head  of  RKO 
Radio's  Churubusco  Studios  and  a 
member  of  several  film  financing  and 
production  companies,  is  a  director  of 
the  agency,  and  Ryland  Madison,  in- 
dependent producer  and  one-time  head 
of  the  film  production  division  of  the 
coordinator's  office,  is  board  chairman 
of  a  television  and  film  unit,  Produc- 
ciones  Comerciales,  S.A.,  set  up  to 
produce  television  shorts  here  for  use 
in  the  U.  S. 


Reviews 


Secret  Service  Investigator" 

(Republic) 

TN  "Secret  Service  Investigator,"  Republic  offers  a  standard  action  melo- 
.  drama  in  which  an  ex-GI  is  hired  by  the  FBI  to  assume  someone  else's 
identity  in  order  to  help  break  a  counterfeit  ring. 

While  the  picture  contains  scenes  of  tension,  especially  toward  the  end, 
the  subject  has  been  treated  more  excitingly  in  the  past.  Artificial  situations 
are  created  constantly_  and  some  of  the  acting,  although  competent  in  sub- 
stance, is  most  unconvincing.  Nevertheless,  because  of  its  subject  matter,  the 
film  provides  exhibitors  with  some  fine  exploitation  possibilities.  George 
Zucco  plays  the  cultured  but  cold-blooded  villain  for  all  it's  worth.  Sidney 
Picker  was  associate  producer;  R.  G.  Springsteen's  direction  is  uninspired; 
John  K.  Butler  wrote  the  screenplay. 

The  story  is  quite  involved  and  implausible.  Lloyd  Bridges,  pleasant  new- 
comer to  the  screen,  is  a  GI  looking  for  a  job.  After  he  meets  Lynne  Roberts 
he  is  contacted  by  men  claiming  to  be  from  the  FBI.  They  give  him  the  job 
of  taking  the  part  of  an  ex-convict  who,  while  in  jail,  made  perfect  plates 
for  counterfeiting.  Eventually  the  FBI  officers  turn  out  to  be  fakes.  Then 
Lloyd  is  hired  by  the  real  FBI  and,  although  already  discovered  by  the  gang- 
to  be  a  "phony,"  is  given  the  same  job  all  over.  A  royal  fight  ensues  when 
the  real  FBI  moves  in  for  the  kill. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification  Release  date 
May  31. 

"Carson  City  Raiders" 

(Republic) 

ALLAN  (ROCKY)  LANE  almost  single-handedly  overcomes  a  gang  of 
bandits  who  attacked  a  wagon  train.  The  action  and  suspense  of  this 
offering  place  it  in  the  class  of  very  satisfactory  Western  entertainment, 
with  outdoor  thrills  and  adventure  in  almost  every  foot. 

A  gang  holds  up  stage  coaches,  seizes  the  freight  and  resorts  to  murder 
when  necessary  to  attain  its  ends.  When  Lane,  as  an  investigator  for  the 
insurance  company,  arrives  on  the  scene,  he  works  with  the  wagon-line 
operator,  played  by  Eddy  Waller,  and  sets  a  trap  for  the  gang.  In  the  final 
sequence  there  is  a  gunbattle  in  a  gold  mine  and  the  culprits  are  captured. 
Frank  Reicher  plays  the  mastermind  of  the  gang.  Gordon  Kay  was  associate 
producer  and  Yakima  Canutt  directed.  Earle  Snell  wrote  the  screenplay. 
Others  in  the  cast  are :  Beverly  Jons,  Hal  Landon,  Steve  Darrell,  Harold 
Goodwin,  Dale  Van  Sickel,  Tom  Chatterton  Edmund  Cobb,  Holly  Bane  and 
Bob  Wilkie.  _ 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification  Release  date 
May  13. 


Durban  and 
Head  Video 


Barrett 
Society 


Charles  J.  Durban  and  Halsey  J. 
Barrett  have  been  elected  president 
and  vice-president,  respectively,  of  the 
American  Television  Society.  Emer- 
son Yorke  was  elected  secretary,  and 
Arch  Braunfeld,  treasurer. 

New  board  members  are :  Don  Mc- 
Clure,  Edward  Sobol,  Paul  Mowrey, 
Charles  Alicoate,  George  Moskovics, 
George  Shupert  and  Warren  Caro. 


1 


Blasting  the  screen  with  thatT-MEN  fury! 

An  EDWARD  SMALL  Production  •  An  Eagle  Lion  Films  Release 


Prints  at  all  Eagle-Lion  Exchanges  available  fir  booking  immediately.  WM% 

■mmmmf/WMmm. 


36  Productions  in 
Work  in  Hollywood 

.  Hollywood,  May  31.— The  produc- 
tion tally  stood  at  36  at  the  weekend, 
dropping  one  from  the  previous  week.' 
Work  started  on  nine  new  films  while 
10  were  sent  to  cutting  rooms. 

Shooting  started  on  "Inside  the 
Wall,"  Eagle-Lion;  an  untitled  Albert 
J.  Cohen  production,  Film  Classics ; 
"High  Tension"  and  "The  Fighting- 
Ranger,"  Monogram;  "The  Plunder- 
ers," Republic;  "Every  Girl  Should 
Be  Married,"  RKO  Radio;  "Yellow 
Sky,"  20th  Century-Fox;  "South  of 
St.  Louis"  (United  States  Pictures), 
and  "Fighter  Squadron,"  Warner! 
Shooting  finished  on  "El  Dorado 
Pass,"  Columbia;  "29  Clues,"  Eagle- 
Lion;  "Melody  Man"  (formerly 
"Manhattan  Folk  Song")  and  "Back 
Trail,"  Monogram;  "Dark  Circle," 
Paramount ;  "Indian  Agent,"  RKO 
Radio ;  "The  Return  of  Wildfire," 
Screen  Guild;  "That  Wonderful 
Urge,"  "West  of  Tomorrow"  (Selt- 
zer) and  "Trouble  Preferred"  (Wurt- 
zel),  20th  Century-Fox. 

Famous  Players  Dividend 

Ottawa,  May  31.— Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.  has  declared  a  divi- 
dend of  25  cents  per  share,  at  the  rate 
of  $1  per  share  per  annum,  for  the 
quarter  ending  June  30  on  common 
shares,  payable  June  26  to  holders  of 
record  on  June  11. 


Warner  Dividend 

Quarterly  dividend  of  25  cents  per 
share  payable  July  6  to  common  stock 
holders  of  record  on  June  8  was  de- 
clared here  at  the  weekend  by  War- 
ner's board  of  directors. 


Short 
Subjects 


"Crime  Lab" 

(RKO  Radio — This  Is  America) 

Scientific  crime  detection  methods 
employed  by  American  police  is  the 
theme  of  this  exciting  short.  - 
body  of  a  murdered  girl  is  found  (r.  . 
abandoned  car.  Detectives  soon  p'ick 
up  clues,  and  through  painstaking  and 
far-reaching  efforts,  gather  evidence 
to  catch  the  killer.  It  has  wide  gen- 
eral interest.  Jay  Bonafield  produced 
and  Edward  Montagne  directed.  Run- 
ning time,  17  minutes. 

"Makers  of  Destiny" 

(As-tor  Pictures) 

First  of  a  series  of  subjects  dealing 
with  important  events  and  personali- 
ties, this  one,  under  the  pretentious 
title  of  "Makers  of  Destiny,"  offers 
glimpses  of  Washington  commentators 
at  work  and  play.  Appearing  are : 
Eric  Sevareid,  Baukhage,  Fulton 
Lewis,  Jr.,  Elmer  Davis,  Morgan 
Beatty,  Drew  Pearson  and  Ernest 
Lindley.  The  film  was  shot  on  16mm. 
Kodachrome  and  blown  up  to  35mm. 
in  color  for  theatrical  distribution. 
For  all  its  interest,  the  subject  seems 
haphazardly  put  together.  Edwin 
Ware  Hullinger  directed  for  Hull- 
inger  Productions.  Running  time,  15 
minutes. 


Para.  Bids  FCC  Rule 
On  DuMont  Question 

Washington,  May  31. — Paramount 
has  asked  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission  to  rule  on  whether  it 
controls  Allen  B.  DuMont  Labora- 
tories before  hearings  are  held  in 
Cleveland  and  Boston  on  the  applica- 
tions of  Paramount  subsidiaries  and 
other  outfits  for  television  stations. 

Paramount  apparently  feels  its 
chances  for  the  stations  in  Cleveland, 
Boston  and  other  cities  will  be  better 
if  the  DuMont  issue  is  decided  in  its 
favor.  If  the  issue  is  decided  against 
it,  such  a  decision  might  open  the  way 
for  a  test  of  the  FCC's  five-station 
limit  rule. 

The  Cleveland  hearings  were  origi- 
nally scheduled  for  June  14  and  those 
in  Boston  for  June  28,  but  both  have 
been  indefinitely  postponed  by  the 
Commission. 


Ethel  Meyer 

Ethel  Meyer,  cashier  at  the  Capitol 
Theatre  here,  died  Friday  afternoon 
at  Flower  Hospital.  She  was  with  the 
Capitol  for  17  years. 


NATURALLY 


'TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 

anjdj 

HEAVEN 

sent  from  UA 


Tuesday,  June  1,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


'Frisco  Meeting  Ends 
E-L  Regional  Series 

San  Francisco,  May  31. — Reports 
by  William  J.  Heineman,  Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president,  and  Max 
E.  Youngstein,  advertising-publicity 
head,  on  the  company's  plans  for  han- 
dling J.  Arthur  Rank  product  to  be 
released  here  highlighted  the  final  in 
a  series  of  regional  sales  meetings 
Iseid  here  Saturday  and  Sunday.  An 
rqjiine  of  the  company's  new  regional 
^€a  sales  plan  under  which  major 
product  will  be  released  in  day-and- 
date  engagements  to  blanket  individual 
\  territories  was  also  presented. 

Heineman  and  L.  Jack  Schlaifer,  his 
assistant,  went  to  Portland  upon  con- 
clusion of  the  meeting  and  are  due 
back  in  New  York  on  Thursday  after 
stopovers  for  conferences  in  Chicago 
and  Detroit.  Youngstein  returned  to 
New  York  over  the  weekend. 

Kaufman,  Hart  Head 
UJA  Theatrical  Unit 

With  the  setting  up  of  a  legitimate 
theatre  committee  under  the  co-chair- 
manship of  Moss  Hart  and  George  S. 
Kaufman,  S.  H.  Fabian,  New  York 
chairman  of  the  United  Jewish  Appeal 
campaign,  has  completed  the  roster  of 
committees  formed  in  cooperation  with 
Barney  Balaban,  national  chairman, 
•  for  the  amusement  industry  division  of 
the  UJA  drive. 

The  legitimate  theatre  unit  will  be 
host  at  a  luncheon  on  June  17  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  for  outstanding  figures  in 
the  film,  stage  and  allied  fields.  Billy 
Rose,  Sam  Behrman  and  Emil  Fried- 
lander  are  associate  chairmen  with 
Hart  and  Kaufman. 


Testimonial  for  Lewis 

Hartford,  May  31. — A  testimonial 
dinner  will  be  held'  at  the  Hotel  Bond, 
Wednesday  night,  June  9,  for  Rube 
Lewis,  stage  manager  of  Loew's  Poli- 
Palace,  and  business  agent  for  Local 
No.  84,  IATSE.  Dick  Walsh,  interna- 
tional IA  president,  will  be  among 
those  attending.  Arrangement  commit- 
tee includes  Charles  Obert,  M.  and 
P.'s  Allyn;  Lew  Mello,  Loew's  Poli, 
and  Harry  Sweet,  Warner's  Strand. 


U.  S.  Notifies 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

that  a  hearing  on  the  proposed  order 
will  be  sought  of  Federal  Judge  Au- 
gustus N.  Hand  on  June  IS.  Indica- 
tions are  that  the  court  will  be  un- 
able to  hear  the  arguments  at  that 
time  and  will  put  proceedings  over  to 
next  fall. 

The  Supreme  Court  mandate  in  the 
Paramount  case  is  expected  to  be  re- 
ceived by  the  New  York  court  any 
day  now,  after  which  the  Govern- 
ment's proposed  order  can  be  filed. 

Notices  to  defendants  on  the  pro- 
posed order  by  the  Government  re- 
quest defendants  to  present  their  ob- 
jections to  the  content  of  the  order,  in 
writing,  to  the  Department  of  Justice, 
thus  indicating  that  changes  may  be 
made  before  it  is  filed.  Unsatisfied 
company  objections  can,  of  course,  be 
argued  when  the  court  hears  the  Gov- 
ernment petition. 

Defense  attorneys  said  the  Govern- 
ment's proposed  order  "follows  the 
Supreme  Court  opinion  pretty  closely." 
It  eliminates  from  the  proposed  order 
those  findings  by  the  high  court  which 
were  sent  back  to  the  lower  court  for 
reconsideration,  such  as  divestiture, 
franchises  and  some  phases  of  clear- 
ance. In  addition,  it  asks  the  defen- 
dants to  submit  their  views  on  how 
divestiture  should  be  carried  out. 

The  proposed  order  also  includes  a 
request  for  interim  relief  prohibiting 
defendants  from  acquiring  theatres 
pending  final  disposition  of  the  case. 
The  high  court  removed  that  restric- 
tion from  the  New  York  court's  de- 
cree. 

The  remainder  of  the  proposed  or- 
der would  simply  make  the  New  York 
decree  conform  with  the  Supreme 
Court  decision  in  all  particulars  ex- 
cept those  remanded  for  further  con- 
sideration and,  upon  receiving  court 
approval,  would  make  the  new  decree 
operative. 

Defendant  companies,  of  course,  also 
can  move  for  -proposed  orders  in  the 
case  and  could  even  do  so  before  the 
Government's  order  is  filed. 


SWG  Will  Sue 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Producers  Association,  and  all 
major  studios.  It  will  be  filed 
in  the  names  of  the  SWG  and 
30  writers. 

The  SWG  reiterates  that  the  suit  is 
not  intended  to  be  in  defense  of  the  10 
indicted  for  contempt  in  refusing  to 
testify  before  the  committee  as  to 
whether  or  not  they  are  or  ever  were 
Communists,  but,  rather,  seeks  to  pre- 
vent blacklisting. 

In  a  move  restricted  to  production 
in  Hollywood,  top  executives  of  ma- 
jor companies  and  independents  held  a 
two-day  meeting  here  on  November 
23-24  on  the  subject  of  employment  of 
known  Communists  and  adopted  a 
policy  of  discharging  or  suspending 
the  10  cited  for  contempt  and  not 
employing  any  Communist  or  other 
person  belonging  to  a  group  advocat- 
ing the  overthrow  of  the  Government. 


Downing  and  Gould 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


promotion  of  James  Gould,  assistant 
treasurer,  to  the  post  of  treasurer. 

Downing  has  served  on  the  Music 
Hall  staff  since  1933,  prior  to  that 
being  assistant  to  the  president  of 
Tidewater  Oil  Co.  and  later  treasurer 
of  the  Prudence  Co.,  financial  organ- 
ization, 


Film  Lecture  Series 
Ended  by  Schlaifer 

An  awareness  of  responsibility  to 
the  community,  in  addition  to  technical 
knowledge  and  exhibition  experience, 
are  the  three  ingredients  most  impor- 
tant to  the  motion  picture  publicist, 
Charles  Schlaifer,  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  advertising  and  publicity  director, 
told  New  School  students  here  Friday 
at  the  final  session  of  his  course  on 
"The  New  Significance  in  Motion 
Picture  Public  Relations." 

New  School  has  asked  Schlaifer  to 
prepare  an  enlarged  series  of  lectures 
for  next  year. 

Two  New  Theatres 
Set  for  Northwest 

Seattle,  May  31.  —  Plans  for  a 
$150,000  suburban  theatre  and  store 
building  have  been  completed.  Con- 
struction of  the  990-seater,  which  will 
be  operated  by  L.  W.  Roe,  is  set  to 
begin  tomorrow. 

At  the  same  time,  construction  of 
a  $40,000  theatre  in  Tacoma  has  been 
authorized  in  a  permit  issued  to  A.  G. 
Pecchia  of  Eatonville.  Work  has  al- 
ready begun  on  the  house  which  will 
have  500  seats. 


UA  'Majority' 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

with  that  union  because  it  has  not 
complied  with  the  non-Communist  affi- 
davit requirements  of  the  Taft-Hartley 
Law. 

The  "majority"  group  has  already 
named  an  H-63  contract  negotiating 
committee  and  grievance  committee  of 
UA_  workers.  H-63,  meanwhile,  is 
awaiting  word  from  the  National  La- 
bor Relations  Board  on  its  application 
for  a  shop  election. 


Sherman  Adds  Kyne  Yarn 

Hollywood,  May  31. — "The  Pride 
of  Palomar,"  by  Peter  B.  Kyne,  has 
been  added  to  Harry  Sherman's  pro- 
duction schedule.  Other  stories  sched- 
uled include  "Tennessee's  Partner," 
his  next  for  Enterprise,  and  "Brandy 
for  Heroes,"  "Ring  Horse,"  "Carmen 
of  the  West"  and  the  W.  C.  Tuttle 
"Hashknife"  yarns. 


Coming 
Events 


June  3-4 — United  Theatre  Owners  ol 
Illinois  meeting,  Kaskaskia  Hotel, 
La  Salle,  111. 

June  16-18 — Annual  territorial  exhibi- 
tor-distributor "Round-Up"  of  the 
Salt  Lake  City  Motion  Picture  Club 
in  that  city. 

June  20-23— Theatre  Owners  of  North 
and  South  Carolina  summer  meet- 
ing, Myrtle  Beach,  S.  C. 

June  28-30— Allied  Theatre  Owners 
of  New  Jersey  annual  convention, 
Hollywood  Hotel,  West  End,  N.  J. 

July  26-28— Associated  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Indiana  annual  convention, 
French  Lick,  Ind. 


10  Cited 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

who  value  intellectual  freedom,"  the 
petition  urged  the  Court  to  review  the 
lower  court  decision  "so  that  one  of 
the  most  momentous  issues  ever  to 
come  before  the  Court  may  be  fully 
presented  and  argued." 

The  "unfriendly  10"  cited  attempts 
of  the  committee  during  the  October 
Hollywood  hearings  to  get  suspected 
Communists  discharged  from  film  jobs 
as  "one  glimpse  behind  the  curtain" 
into  how  the  committee  abridges  free- 
dom of  opinion  and  belief.  The  petition 
declared  that  belief  and  formulation  of 
belief  must  remain  absolutely  free  un- 
der the  Constitution,  and  that  "the 
clear  and  present  danger  doctrine"  is 
a  limitation  only  on  conduct,  not  be- 
lief. Finally,  .  the  petition  said,  the 
committee  has  consistently  functioned 
so  as  -to  deny  witnesses  before  it  the 
due  process  of  law  guaranteed  by  the 
Fifth  Amendment. 


Giants  at  Screening 

A  special  screening  was  held  for  the 
New  York  Giants  at  the  Paramount 
home  office  here  Friday,  in  which 
they  saw  themselves  in  the  Grantland 
Rice  Spor.tlight  subject,  "Big  League 
Glory."  The  10-minute  subject,  made 
by  Jack  Eaton,  will  be  released  na- 
tionally on  June  11. 


Harry  K. 
Thaw's 

Luxurious  60-acre  summer 
estate  on  Lake  George  is 
now  for  sale. 

...  at  a  fraction  of  its  original  cost. 
The  palatial  18-room  Spanish  Villa- 
type  residence  overlooks  the  lake  near 
Bolton  Landing.  FEATURES:  Handsome 
paneling,  beamed  and  vaulted  ceilings, 
exquisitely  carved  fireplaces,  7  master 
bedrooms,  7  baths.  Billiard  room, 
bowling  alley,  electric  pipe  organ. 
Famed  gardens,  magnificent  shade 
trees.  Quarter-mile  shoreline,  sandy 
beach.  Garage-lodge  with  9-room 
apartment.  Ideal  school,  sanitarium, 
private  club. 

$90,000  unfurnished.  $125,000  furnished. 
Property  #42145.  Your  broker  or 

PREVIEWS,  Inc. 

The  National  Real  Estate  Clearing  House 

49  EAST  53rd  ST.,  NEW  YORK  22 
PLaza  8-2630 


We're  inviting 
all  showmen  to 
see  how  today's 

TICKET  BUYERS 

enjoy  the  movie 
that  reviewers 
hail  as  1948  s 
surprise  smash! 


"Pick  of  the  pictures!  Packed  with  laughs!"  —  JIMMIE  FIDLER 


"Most  stimulating  surprise  in  ready  memory! "  — M.P. HERALD 


with 


THEATRE  PREVIEWS  IN  ALL  KEY  CITIES! 


CITY  THEATRE 

ALBANY  Delaware 

ATLANTA  Preview  June  9    ...  .  Paramount 

BALTIMORE  Mayfair 

BOSTON  Capitol 

BUFFALO  20th  Century 

CHARLOTTE  Broadway 

CHICAGO   .......  To  be  announced 

CINCINNATI   Grand 

CLEVELAND  Hippodrome 

DALLAS   Palace 

DENVER  Preview  June  7  Paramount 

DES  MOINES  Paramount 

DETROIT  United  Artists 

INDIANAPOLIS  Lyric 

KANSAS  CITY  Uptown 

LOS  ANGELES   .  .  El  Rey 

Please  contact  your  Allied 


CITY 


THEATRE 


MEMPHIS.  .  .  .   Warner 

MILWAUKEE  Riverside 

MINNEAPOLIS  State 

NEW  HAVEN  Dixwell 

NEW  YORK  .  RKO  Colonial 

OKLAHOMA  CITY  Warners 

OMAHA   Orpheum 

PHILADELPHIA    ........  Commodore 

PITTSBURGH  Sheridan  Sq. 

PORTLAND   .Orpheum 

ST.  LOUIS   .  Missouri 

SALT  LAKE  CITY  Uptown 

SAN  FRANCISCO   .  .  Warfield 

SEATTLE  Orpheum 

TULSA  ,  .  .  Ritz 

WASHINGTON  Naylor 

Artists  Exchange  for  tickets 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  1,  1948 


Reviews 

"Marius" 

(Siritzky  International — French,  with  English  sub-titles) 
r"\IRECTED  by  Alexander  Korda  and  written  and  produced  by  Marcel 
i-J  Pagnol,  "Marius"  still  is  a  refreshing  comedy-tragedy,  despite  the  fact 
that  it  was  produced  in  1935. 

It  is  a  cleverly  woven  story  which  evolves  around  "Marius"  (Pierre 
Fresnay)  who  forsakes  "Fanny"  (Orane  Demazis)  for  the  sea.  However, 
it  is  Raimu  as  "Cesar,"  the  father  of  the  impulsive  lad;  who  keeps  the 
picture  moving  at  its  rapid  pace.  His  earthy  dialogue  and  actions  are  de- 
signed primarily  for  adult  audiences,  but  are  typical  of  those  of  a  water-front 
barkeeper.  Chronologically,  this  is  part  one  of  M.  Pagnol's  trilogy  but  its 
release  follows  "Fanny,"  which  was  concerned  with  her  problems  after 
"Marius"  had  gone  to  sea.    "Cesar,"  still  to  come,  will  conclude  the  group. 

Running  time,  125  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Current  release. 


"The  Room  Upstairs" 

(Lopert  Films — French  with  English  subtitles) 

MARLENE  DIETRICH'S  first  French  picture  is  a  moody  production 
which  lacks  story,  good  acting  and  good  photography.  Even  art  theatre 
patrons  lured  by  the  marquee  attraction  of  La  Dietrich  and  Jean)  Gabin, 
probably  will  be  disappointed. 

The  story  treats  the  somewhat  ticklish  topic  of  a  woman  with  loose  morals 
who,  once  she  does  fall  in  love  and  gives  up  a  prospective  rich,  though  de- 
generate husband,  is  misunderstood  and  dies  by  the  hand  of  her  former 
lover.  It  is  all  told  within  the  framework  of  a  trial.  The  Alcina  Production 
was  directed  by  Georges  Lacombe. 

Running  time,  90  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Current  release. 


Valley's  First  Drive  -  In 

Seattle,  May  31.  —  Plans  for  the 
construction  of  a  $50,000  drive-in,  first 
of  its  kind  in  Okahogan  Valley  were 
announced  here.  Arnold  Varrelman, 
Mansfield  theatre  owner,  and  Guy 
Bishop  will  be  co-owners  of  the  drive- 
in,  to  be  located  at  Omak. 


Resigns  Variety  Post 

Memphis,  May  31.  —  David  Flexer, 
president  of  Flexer  Theatres,  has  re- 
signed as  chief  barker  of  the  Memphis 
tent  of  the  Variety  Club  because  of 
business  pressure.  Flexer  is  taking- 
over  the  650-car  Drive-In  Theatre  in 
Fort  Smith,  Ark. 


Norwegians  Drive 
For  Tax  Reduction 


Washington,  May  31. — Norwegian 
exhibitors  are  using  declining  earn- 
ings as  a  powerful  argument  in  their 
campaign  to  remove  the  40  per  cent 
luxury  tax  on  box-office  receipts  for 
foreign  films,  including  Hollywood's, 
according  to  a  Commerce  Department 
report. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Ministry  of 
Finance,  the  National  Association  of 
Municipal  Theatre  Operators  pointed 
out  that  theatre  earnings  were  off 
about  -11  per  cent.  In  Oslo,  receipts 
were  off  12.6  per  cent,  in  Trondheim, 
27.3  per  cent,  and  in  Bergen,  9  per 
cent.  Theatres  in  rural  districts  nre 
reported  to  be  in  even  worse  shape. 


Philippine  Theatre  Attendance  Off 
65%;  Manila's  Is  Down  50% 

Washington,  May  31. — Attendance 
in  Manila  is  off  50  per  cent  and  in  the 
rest  of  the  Philippines  it  is  off  up  to 
65  per  cent,  a  Commerce  Department 
report  states. 

The  report,  prepared  by  motion 
picture  consultant  Nathan  D.  Golden, 
says  U.  S.  films  are  affected,  but  that 
the  chief  reason  behind  the  box-office 
slump  is  "awakening  of  consumer  re- 
sistance to  current  domestic  produc- 
tions." 

Golden  says  that  some  industry 
officials  consider  the  present  situation 
"more  of  a  return  to  normal  than  a 
crisis."  During  the  immediate  post- 
war era,  he  says,  there  was  a  war- 
accumulated  thirst  for  films,  plus  a 
shortage  of  other  goods.  Any  film 
went  over  then.  Now,  with  other 
goods  coming  on  the  market  and  the 
war-thirst  for  films,  assuaged,  poorer 
productions  are  having  a  harder  time, 
and  many  independents  may  be 
eliminated. 


U.  S.  Companies  in  Bolivia  Not 
Affected  Much  by  Exchange  Cut 

Washington,  May  31. — U.  S.  film 
firms  will  not  be  very  much  affected 
by  Bolivian  action  reducing  by  about 
36  per  cent  the  monthly  allotment  of 
exchange  for  importing  motion  pic- 
tures, a  Commerce  Department  report 
predicts. 

The  report  says  that  the  largest 
importer  of  U.  S.  films  has  retained 
its  previous  exchange  quota,  while  the 
largest  reduction  has  been  taken  by 
two  importers  which  bring  in  only  a 
few  Hollywood  productions. 

U.  S.  films  account  for  about  68  per 
cent  of  the  436  feature  films  which 
Bolivia  needs  each  year,  the  report 
estimates.  Mexico  furnishes  about  17 
per  cent  and  Argentina  about  13  per 
cent. 


Production  in  India  Sets  a  New 
Record,  with  195  Made  in  a  Year 

Washington,  May  31.  —  India's 
domestic  film  production  set  a  new 
record  in  1947,  the  Commerce  Depart- 
ment reports,  citing  trade  sources  in 
India  to  the  effect  that  195  features 
were  turned  out,  compared  with  156 
in  1946. 

Despite  record  production,  however, 
the  report  states,  1947  was  "a  year 
of  continued  depression  and  uncer- 
tainty." The  Department  feels  the 
communal  rioting  "considerably  af- 
fected the  earnings  of  the  industry, 
and  demobilization  of  the  armed  forces 
also  told  heavily  on  box-office  col- 
lections." 

Of  449  features  reviewed  by  the 
Bombay  Board  of  Censors  in  1947, 
the  Commerce  Department  states,  225 
were  American. 


US  Firms  May  Pull 
Out  of  Argentina 

Argentina  is  in  a  dubious  state  as 
a  market  for  Hollywood  product,  with 
U.  S.  film  company  operations  in 
that  country  becoming  increasingly 
difficult  under  the  weight  of  Argen- 
tinian restrictions,  according  to  carirt^ 
reaching  private  sources  here  frwi^ 
Buenos  Aires.  U.  S.  company  man- 
agers in  Argentina,  it  is  reported, 
are  "extremely  pessimistic"  over  the 
fact  that  new  import  permits  have  not 
been  issued  as  promised  some  weeks 
ago  when  all  import  licenses  were  can- 
celled. 

Major  U.  S.  distributors  are 
reported  prepared  to  close  their 
branches  in  Argentina.  The  ex- 
planation is  that  there  will 
soon  be  no  product,  for  even 
though  the  Argentine  govern- 
ment decreed  recently  that  for- 
eign film  distributors  shall  be 
permitted  to  import  the  numer- 
ical equivalent  of  only  25  per 
cent  of  their  1947  imports,  the 
25  per  cent  cannot  be  imported 
without  permits. 

The  U.  S.  film  companies  have  been 
unable  to  get  remittances  out  of  Ar- 
gentina since  last  August,  and  press 
dispatches  from  Buenos  Aires  strike  a 
new  depressing  blow  in  the  direction 
of  whatever  remittance  prospects  ex- 
isted with  the  report  that  the  Central 
Bank  of  Argentina  has  notified  all 
other  banks  that  they  no  longer  have 
the  right  to  remit  dollars,  Swiss  francs 
or  Swedish  kroners  for  imports. 

The  belief  exists  among  foreign 
managers  here  that  the  "delays"  and 
restrictions  imposed  on  U.  S.  film 
companies  by  Argentina  are  part  of 
a  "game"  which  that  country  is  play- 
ing in  its  behind-the-scenes  bid  for 
Marshall  Plan  aid  from  the  U.  S. 
Another  Argentinian  move  in  this  re- 
spect was  to  increase  the  dollar  ex- 
change to  5.50  from  4.05  pesos. 


CHANGE  IN  DATE 

SALT  LAKE  CITY 

Trade  Showing 

of  WALT  DISNEY'S 

Technicolor   Musical  Comedy 

MELODY  TIME'' 

FRI.,  JUNE  18  AT  10:30  A.  M. 

STUDIO  THEATRE 
161  South  Main  Street 

instead  of  June  14 
as  previously  advertised 


MITCHELL  MAY,  Jr. 

CO.,  INC. 

INSURANCE 
• 

Specializing  ' 

in  requirements  of  the 

Motion  Picture  Industry 

75  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 
510  W.  6th  St.,  Los  Angeles 


M-C-M  TRADE  SHOW 

A  DATE 
WITH  JUDY" 

New  York- New  Jersey  Territories  Only 

.  * 

MONDAY 
JUNE  14th  *830  P.M. 

★ 

LOEWS  72nd  ST.  Theatre 

72nd  STREET  and  THIRD  AVENUE,  N.  Y.  C. 


From  QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York 
Press  Release 


1923 
1948 


The  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  New  York  and  Hollywood,  has 
announced  a  Silver  Anniversary  Number  of  Better  Theatres,  first  pub- 
lication concerned  exclusively  with  the  architecture  and  mechanics 
of  motion  picture  exhibition.    Published  every  four  weeks  as  a 'section 
of  the  weekly  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres  will  mark  its 
25th  birthday  in  the  issue  of  July  3rd,  with  "Parade  of  Progress" 
identifying  the  dominant  editorial  theme.  • 

When  Better  Theatres  was  established  in  1923,  the  motion  picture 
industry  was  still  intent  upon  the  maturing  arts  of  the  silent  screen, 
for  which  it  had  begun  to  "build  theatres  that  might  obliterate  a  humble 
past  of  nickelodeons.    Sound  added  its  intricacies  to  the  physical  side 
of  exhibition  in  1928. 

Today  the  16,880  regularly  operating  motion  picture  theatres  in 
the  United  States  represent,  in  physical  plant  alone,  an  investment 
of  around  two  "billion  dollars.     It  now  takes,  on  an  average,  about 
$175,000  to  build  a  theatre,  and  at  least  $28,000  to  equip  it,  while 
approximately  $75,000,000  a  year  are  spent  for  replacements  and  oper- 
ating supplies. 

Development  of  this  exhibition  establishment  has  been  "essentially 
a  process  of  products,"  representing  "the  inventive  genius  and  enter- 
prise of  many  industries,"  it  is  pointed  out  in  a  brochure  entitled 
"Invitation  to  a  Parade,"  announcing  the  anniversary  number. 

For  20  years,  Better  Theatres  has  been  edited  by  George  Schutz, 
and  Ray  Gallo  has  been  advertising  manager  since  1931. 


Silver  Anniversary  Number  of 


with  your  Motion  Picture  Herald  of  July  3rd 


3S0C. 


BfR.  JOYCE  D*ft£82l, 
MOTION  PICTURE  A3 
A^ERrCA, 

2  3  WEST  44TH  ST.,  21  ST 
NE#  YORK,  M.  Y. 


63.  NO.  106 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  2,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Industry  Sued 
By  SWG  to 
End'Blacklists' 


Injunction  Is  Sought 
Under  Anti-Trust  Laws 

A  suit  for  an  injunction  to  stop 
an  alleged  conspiracy  by  the  indus- 
try against  the  employment  of  per- 
sons suspected  of  being  subversive 
was  filed  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here 
yesterday  in  behalf  of  the  Screen 
Writers  Guild  and  a  group  of  30 
writers. 

Basis  for  the  action  is  the  resolu- 
tion against  the  hiring  of  known  Com- 
munists adopted  by  industry  leaders 
at  a  New  York  meeting  on  November 
25  following  Washington  hearings  of 
the  Un-American  Activities  Commit- 
tee. 

The  suit  was  brought  under  the 
anti-trust  laws  on  the  theory  that  the 
"illegal  conduct"  of  the  defendants 
"occurred  in  commerce  among  the 
several  states"  and  "had  the  effect,  as 
was  intended  by  them   (the  defend- 

{Continucd  on  page  6) 


High  Court  Readies 
Three  Mandates 


Washington,  June  1. — The  Su- 
preme Court's  mandates  in  the  Para- 
mount, Schine  and  Griffith  cases  will 
probably  be  mailed  out  to  the  District 
Courts  tomorrow,  court  officials  said : 

Justice  Department  attorneys  said 
they  would  probably  submit  their  pro- 
posed order  in  the  Paramount  case  to 
the  New  York  District  Court  some 
time  next  week.  Defense  attorneys 
have  already  been  informally  notified 
of  the  orders'  contents,  they  said. 
They  indicated  it  might  be  a  little 
longer  before  they  were  ready  to  go 
ahead  in  the  Schine  and  Griffith  cases. 


Balaban  Cited  for 
Aiding  Goodwill 

Boston,  June  1. — Highlight  of  the 
11th  annual  dinner -of  the  Massachu- 
setts Committee  of  Catholics,  Protes- 
tants and  Jews,  to  be  held  Thursday 
evening  at  the  Hotel  Statler  will  be 
the  awarding  of  citations  to  distin- 
guished Americans,  including  Barney 
Balaban,  president  of  Paramount.  The 
citations  arc  for  outstanding  service  in 
promoting  good  will. 

Judge  Abraham  Pinanski,  brother 
of  San  Pinanski  of  M.  and  P.  Thea- 
tres, will  be  toastmaster  at  the  din- 
ner. 


Holiday  Rains  Spur 
NY  Grosses ;  'Time,' 
'Pirate'  Stand  Out 


Rainy  weather  sent  theatre  grosses 
upward  at  Broadway's  first-runs  over 
the  extended  Decoration  Day  week- 
end. As  a  result,  the  current  week 
promises  improved  business  at  those 
houses  after  several  weeks  of  gener- 
ally mild  returns. 

The  rain  was  responsible  also  for 
good  business  at  neighborhood  houses 
and  at  legitimate  stage  theatres  which, 
like  first-run  film  houses,  drew  added 
patronage  from  among  holiday  cele- 
brants who  were  kept  away  from 
beaches  and  other  outdoor  places  of 
amusement  by  the  inclement  weather. 

Business  was  singularly  big  at 
Radio  City  Music  Hall  where  the  sec- 
ond week  of  "The  Pirate,"  together 
with  a  stage  presentation,  is  expected 
to  bring  $145,000  on  the  basis  of  $112,- 
500  for  five  days,  including  the  holi- 
{Continued  on  page  7) 


U.  A.  Seeks  Rights 
To  'Miss  Blandish' 


London,  June  L — Negotiations  for 
American  distribution  by  United  Art- 
ists of  "No  Orchids  for  Miss  Bland- 
ish," the  much-publicized  gangster 
film  produced  by  George  Minter's  Re- 
nown Pictures,  are  under  way  here. 

European  distribution  rights  to 
"No  Orchids"  were  acquired  for  U.A. 
by  Arthur  W.  Kelly,  executive  vice- 
president,  during  his  recent  visit  here, 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


$1,345,327  Is  RKO 
Net  for  Quarter 

Net  profit  of  Radio-Keith- 
Orpheum  and  subsidiaries  for 
the  first  quarter  of  1948  was 
$1,345,327  after  taxes  and  all 
other  charges,  equivalent  to 
approximately  34  cents  per 
share  on  3,899,914  shares  of 
common  stock  outstanding, 
compared  with  a  consolidated 
net  of  $2,270,683  for  the  first 
quarter  of  1947,  equivalent  to 
approximately  58  cents  per 
share  on  3,899,912  shares. 


BOT  Excludes  U.  S. 
Members  in  Naming 
New  Films  Council 


London,  June  1. — Americans  are 
excluded  from  the  new  Cinematograph 
Films  Council,  whose  membership  was 
announced  today  by  the  British  Board 
of  Trade,  despite  traditional  inclusion 
of  U.  S.  industry  executives  among 
the  council's  distributor  representa- 
tives. The  exclusion  has  left  U.  S. 
distributors  here  very  indignant.  The 
new  council's  first  meeting  will  be 
held  June  10.  Discussion  will  center 
around  the  quota  percentages  to  be 
made  operative  in  October. 

Named  to  the  council  are  the  fol- 
lowing: Earl  of  Drogheda  (chair- 
man), Mrs.  Irene  White,  F.  J.  L. 
Hardie,  Albert  Palache,  Sir  Arnold 
Plant,  all  independent  members ;  E. 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Petition  for  a  Clearer 
Schine  Ruling  Rejected 


Flood  Sweeps  Away 
Gamble  Ore.  House 

Portland,  Ore.,  June  1. — Ted 
R.  Gamble's  1,000-seat  Van- 
port  Theatre  in  nearby  Van- 
port  was  swept  away  by  the 
flood  waters  which  have  al- 
most completely  buried  that 
city  of  18,500  population.  The- 
atre patrons  were  warned  on- 
ly 10  minutes  in  advance  of 
the  onrushing  flood  and  as  a 
result  no  lives  were  lost,  al- 
though the  last  person  out 
had  to  "swim  for  it." 

Damage  to  the  Vanport  was 
estimated  at  $100,000. 


Washington,  June  1. — The  Su- 
preme Court  today  turned  down  the 
Government's  petition  for  clarification 
of  its  Schine  case  decision  and  ap- 
pointment of  a  trustee  to  dispose  im- 
mediately of  five  of  16  Schine  thea- 
tres still  unsold  under  a  May  1942 
consent  order. 

The  court's  action  in  denying  the 
petition  in  effect  says  that  the  Buffalo 
District  Court  will  make  new  findings 
and  disposition  plans  on  the  five  thea- 
tres along  with  all  other  Schine  the- 
atres. The  Government  had  said  that 
the  original  decision  did  not  make 
plain  whether  the  "further  proceed- 
ings" ordered  in  the  May  decision 
applied  to  the  theatres  covered  by  the 
consent  decree. 

Schine  had  answered  that  there  was 
no  doubt  that  the  high  court  meant  to 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Commons  Gets 
Text  of  Film 
TaxAgreement 

Control  Committee  Seen 
Dominant;  Talks  Still  On 

London,  June  1. — As  the  text  of 
the  film  tax  agreement  was  laid  on 
the  House  of  Commons  table  today 
with  a  note  that  "discussions  are 
proceeding  on  various  points  of  in- 
terpretation in  connection  with  this 
text  and  on  the  methods  of  giving 
effect  to  its  provisions,"  American 
film  executives  here  predicted  stern 
government  supervision  of  all  opera- 
tions under  the  agreement. 

Their  comments  referred  to 
repeated  emphasis  upon  the 
wide  jurisdiction  over  the 
agreement  to  be  given  to  the 
control  committee,  which  will 
be  dominated  by  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  will  reflect  the  gov- 
ernment's viewpoint. 

American  executives  also  com- 
mented that  much  depends  upon  the 
outcome  of  the  continuing  talks  on 
interpretation  of  the  agreement.  Many 
expressed  apprehension  that  officials 
may  devise  even  more  arduous  condi- 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Rank  Plans  a  New 
GB-Odeon  Company 

London,  June  I. — Although  details 
of  J.  Arthur  Rank's  plans  to  pool 
the  Gaumont-British  and  Odeon  cir- 
cuits have  been  closely  guarded,  it  is 
learned  that  Rank  wishes  to  form  a 
new  company,  Circuit  Management 
Association,  Ltd.,  to  manage  the  555 
theatres  in  the  two  groups. 

Earnings  from  all  of  the  theatres 
would  go  into  a  pool  controlled  by  the 
new  company  and  shared  between 
them  on  a  basis  of  their  respective 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


Renegotiation  of 
Blum  Pact  Begins 

Washington,  June  1. — Renegotia- 
tion of  the  Blum-Byrnes  accord  has 
begun  in  Paris,  a  reliable  industry  of- 
ficial said  here  today. 

He  expressed  confidence  that  a  set- 
tlement would  be  arrived  at  before  the 
July  27  deadline. 

It  is  now  believed  that  the  State 
Department  will  not  make  formal  an- 
nouncement of  the  beginning  of  nego- 
tiations, but  allow  the  preliminary 
{Continued  on  page  3) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  2,  1948 


Decision  Before  NCA 
Board  on  Monday 

Minneapolis,  June  1. — The  board 
of  directors  of  North  Central  Allied 
will  meet  here  next  Monday  to  dis- 
cuss the  Supreme  Court  decision  in 
the  New  York  equity  case  and  to  map 
plans  to  put  into  action  national  Al- 
lied's  move  to  "police"  the  high  court 
decision.  NCA  president  Ben  Berger 
and  Stan  Kane,  executive  secretary, 
will  review  the  court  decision. 

Locally,  an  unnamed  committee  has 
already  been  appointed  to  "police"  the 
decision  and  may  report  to  the  June  7 
meeting. 

Kane  will  leave  for  Wisconsin  this 
week  to  visit  members  in  the  Western 
part  of  the  state  outlining  the  "po- 
licing" plan,  and  jurisdictional  trade 
practices  and  legislation  as  divided  be- 
tween the  Minneapolis  and  Milwaukee 
units.  He  will  be  accompanied  by 
Harry  Pierson,  executive  secretary  of 
Wisconsin  Allied. 


Sullivan  Will  Report 
Monday  at  TO  A  Here 

Gael  Sullivan,  who  resigned  as  ex- 
ecutive director  of  the  Democratic 
national  committee  to  take  over  the 
same  position  with  Theatre  Owners 
of  America,  has  postponed  his  re- 
porting at  TOA  headquarters  here 
until  next  Monday.  He  was  orig- 
inally slated  to  report  yesterday. 
Meanwhile,  he  will  attend  the  United 
Theatre  Owners  of  Illinois  meeting 
tomorrow  and  Friday  at  LaSalle. 

Sullivan  replaces  Robert  W.  Coyne 
as  TOA  executive  director. 

Percy  Heiliger,  66 
20th-Fox  Attorney 

Percy  Heiliger,  66,  attorney  in  the 
home  office  of  20th  Century-Fox 
Film,  died  in  his  home  in  Ridgewood, 
N.  J.,  on  Sunday,  after  a  lengthy  ill- 
ness. 

Heiliger  was  born  in  New  York. 
After  several  years  in  private  practice 
he  entered  the  law  firm  of  Rogers  and 
Rogers,  and  in  1920  became  associated 
with  Fox  Film  Corp.  In  his  early 
years  with  the  company  he  special- 
ized in  copyright  law  and  later  han- 
dled distribution  problems.  Surviving 
are  the  widow  and  two  daughters. 

Johnson  of  Ad  Films 
Dies  in  New  Orleans 

W.  ( Bill )  Johnson,  president  of 
Motion  Picture  Advertising  Service, 
of  New  Orleans  and  New  York,  died 
suddenly  on  Monday  in  New  Orleans. 
Funeral  services  will  be  held  in  that 
city  this  morning.  Johnson  was  a  pio- 
neer in  the  motion  picture  advertising 
field. 


Dame  May  Whitty 

Hollywood,  June  1. — Services  for 
Dame  May  Whitty,  who  died  Satur- 
day at  the  age  of  82,  will  be  held 
tomorrow  at  Pierce  Brothers  Chapel 
in  Beverly  Hills.  The  remains  will 
be  sent  to  England  where  the  char- 
acter actress  was  born.  Her  daugh- 
ter, Margaret  Webster,  Broadway 
producer,  director  and  actress,  is  the 
sole  survivor. 


Personal 


EDWARD  A.  GOLDEN  has  re- 
turned to  the  Coast  from  New 
York. 

• 

Babe  Ruth  and  William  Bendix, 
who  impersonates  Ruth  in  Allied 
Artists'  "The  Babe  Ruth  Story,"  will 
be  guests  of  honor  at  the  Sportscast- 
ers'  annual  luncheon  on  June  14  at 
Al  Schacht's  restaurant  here. 
• 

Norman  H.  Moray,  Warner  short 
subjects  sales  manager,  left  here  last 
night  for  a  tour  of  the  company's 
Western  branch  offices  en  route  to 
the  Coast. 

Mickey  Gross,  former  manager  of 
the  Orpheum,  Denver,  has  returned 
to  that  town  as  city  manager  for 
Cinema  Amusements  and  Drive-in 
Theatres. 

• 

J.  Herbert  Lewis,  Warner  execu- 
tive; Joseph  Buxton,  British  circuit 
owner,  and  Louella  Parsons  are 
among  passengers  who  will  sail  for 
Europe  todav  on  the  -S\S"  America. 
• 

Al  Horwits,  Universal-Interna- 
tional Eastern  publicity  manager,  and 
Charles  Simonelli,  Eastern  exploi- 
tation manager,  will  be  in  Philadel- 
phia today  from  New  York. 

• 

Terry  Turner,  RKO  Radio  gen- 
eral exploitation  and  advertising  man- 
ager, is  due  in  Boston  today  from 
New  York. 

• 

Budd  Rogers,  Realart  vice-presi- 
dent, has  returned  to  New  York  -from 
a  tour  of  Southern  and  Midwest  ex- 
changes. 

• 

E.  T.  Gomersall  of  Universal-In- 
ternational, returned  to  New  York 
yesterday  from  Chicago. 

Nate  Blumberg,  Universal  presi- 
dent, has  returned  to  the  Coast  from 
here. 

• 

Russell  Hardwick  of  the  Cloyis 
Theatre,   Clovis,   Cal.,   is  on  a  six- 
week  cruise  to  South  America. 
• 

Theodore    R.     Black,  Republic 
counsel,  is  in  Havana  from  New  York. 
• 

Orson  Welles  is  in  town  from  the 
Coast. 


Joseph  Quits  E-L  Post 

Chicago,  June  1. — Irwin  Joseph 
lias  resigned  as  Eagle-Lion  sales  man- 
ager here,  effective  this  weekend,  to 
operate  the  State  Theatre  in  this  city. 


John  Reardon,  74 

Hartford,  June  1. — John  J.  Rear- 
don, 74,  who  retired  from  ownership 
of  the  Capitol  Theatre,  Milford,  years 
ago  after  operating  it  11  years,  died 
at  his  Milford  home. 


John  Tegu,  Exhibitor 

St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. — Virus  pneu- 
nomia  has  claimed  the  life  of  John 
Tegu,  79,  who,  with  his  son,  Andrew, 
founded  the  Tegu  Theatres. 


Mention 


T  OU    LIFTON,    Allied  Artists- 
■L>  Monogram  advertising-publicity 
director,  is  in  town  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Steve  Broidy,  Allied  Artists-Mono- 
gram president ;  George  D.  Bur- 
rows, executive  vice-president  and 
treasurer ;  Scott  R.  Dunlap,  execu- 
tive assistant  to  Broidy,  and  Harold 
Mirisch,  vice-president,  have  re- 
turned to  Hollywood  from  Chicago. 
• 

Sydney  H.  Eiges,  NBC  vice-presi- 
president  in  charge  of  press,  and  Mrs. 
Eiges  have  become  parents  of  their 
second  child,  a  son,  born  last  week 
at  the  Lying-In  Hospital,  New  York. 
• 

Lee  Goldsmith,  Universal-Interna- 
tional office  manager  in  Cleveland,  is 
being  transferred  to  Atlanta  after  a 
two-week  vacation  in  Miami. 

• 

William  B.  Zoellner,  M-G-M 
short  subjects  sales  head,  is  due  back 
in  New  York  on  June  21  from  a  tour 
of  exchanges. 

• 

E.  W.  McClellan,  assistant  chief 
of  engineering  of  Westrex,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  a  round- 
the-world  trip. 

• 

Joe  L.  Brown,  Allied  Artists  stu- 
dio publicist,  has  left  Hollywood  on 
a  tour  of  Eastern  and  Midwestern 
cities. 

• 

Walter  Steuve,  owner  of  the  State, 
Ohio  and  Lyceum  theatres  in  Findlay, 
O.,  and  Mrs.  Steuve  have  returned 
to  that  town  from  their  honeymoon. 
• 

J.  Myer  Schine  of  the  Schine  cir- 
cuit, is  in  town  from  Gloversville, 
N.  Y. 

• 

John     J.     Houlihan,  Republic 
branch  manager  in  Cleveland,  spent 
the  weekend  holiday  in  St.  Louis. 
• 

Harry  Walders,  RKO  Radio 
branch  manager,  has  returned  to 
Cleveland  from  Chicago. 

• 

Jerry  Scholer,  manager  of  War- 
ners' Ohio  Theatre  in  Sandusky,  O., 
is  hospitalized  in  Cleveland. 

• 

Leroy  Kendis  of  the  Associated 
Circuit,  Cleveland,  has  returned  to 
his  desk  after  a  spinal  operation. 


RKO  Defers  Annual 
Stockholders'  Meet 

Change  in  the  control  of  RKO  has 
forced  a  postponement  of  the  com- 
pany's annual  stockholders'  meeting  to 
a  date  still  to  be  selected.  The  meet- 
ing was  originally  scheduled  for  to- 
day. -  . 

Lack  of  information  on  the  nomi- 
nees for  the  board  unde.r  the  new 
Howard  Hughes  regime  has  held  up 
the  preparation  and  mailing  of  proxy 
statements  to  stockholders. 


New  WB  Omaha  Building 

Omaha,  June  1. — Warner  Brothers 
will  open  a  new  $200,000  exchange 
building  here  this  month. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  sinking  of  the  warship  U.S.S. 
Salt  Lake  City  and  Joe  Louis  and 
Joe  Walcott  training  for  their  return  I 
'bout  mark  newsreel  highlights.  Na-  1 
tional  and  international  events  as  well  1 
as  the  lighter  side  of  the  nezvs  round 
out  the  reels.   Complete  contents  jol-  ' 


MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  44.— Navy 
sinks  famed  "A"  bomb  warship.  Legisla- 
ture meets  in  Nanking  to  elect  president. 
Cardinal  Spellman  attends  festival  in  Aus- 
tralia. New  Swiss  guards  for  the  Pope  are 
appointed.  Father  of  the  year.  New-born 
bear  cubs.  National  athletic  meet,  postponed 
10  years  because  of  war,  is  held  in  Shang- 
hai. Joe  Louis  and  Joe  Walcott  in  training 
for  heavyweight  title  bout. 

NEWS    OF    THE    DAY,    No.  278.— 

Death  at  sea  for  famed  warship.  Gen. 
Eisenhower  honors  Drew  Pearson.  Princess 
Elizabeth  visits  Coventry.  Vatican  swears 
in  new  guards.  Adelaide  Hawley's  lighter 
side  of  the  news.  Joe  Louis  and  Joe  Wal- 
cott get  ready  for  big  fight.  Snappy  ideas 
for  sea-going  vacationers. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  81. — Taps 
for  U.S.S.  Salt  Lake  City.  Father  of  the 
year.  World  premiere  in  Hollywood  of 
"Emperor  Waltz."  News  on  the  novel  side: 
human  fish,  three  cub  bears. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  148— Famed 
warship  goes  to  grave.  Oil  well  drilled  at 
sea  off  Louisiana.  Eight  die  in  British 
railway  wreck.  Bear  cubs  take  first  step. 
Drew  Pearson — Father  of  '48.  Lacrosse 
thrills  sport  fans  in  Baltimore.  Joe  Louis 
and  Joe  Walcott  train  for  return  match. 

WARNER  FATHE  NEWS,  No.  83. — 

U.S.S.  Salt  Lake  City  is  sunk.  Circus  wed- 
ding. News  fashions  from  Paris.  Joe  Louis 
and  Joe  Walcott  train  for  match.  Bear  cubs 
learn  facts.    Paratroopers  rescued  in  jungle. 


Jack  Stewart  Quits 

Kansas  Clty,  June  1. — Jack  Stew- 
art has  resigned  as  general  manager 
of  Allied  of  Kansas  and  Missouri,  a 
post  which  he  assumed  last  Feb.  15. 
Applicants  are  now  being  considered 
to  succeed  Stewart  and  one  will  be 
selected  within  30  days. 


FIVE-STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

1 1  hours,  1 0  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3%  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices-.  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quiglev  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
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Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
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Wednesday,  June  2,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


'Voice'  Broadcasts 
Hit  Hollywood  Too 


Washington,  June  1. — Hollywood 
was  disparaged  in  National  Broad- 
casting's "Know  North  America" 
scripts  broadcast  to  Latin  America 
just  "as  much  as  were  some  of  the 
states  of  the  Union,  it  was  disclosed 
here  today  at  two  Congressional  com- 
i^tee  hearings  investigating  the 
=*ice  of  America"  programs.  Writer 
\uQjie  scripts  on  Hollywood  was  Rene 
Borgia  who  said  he  worked  for  20th 
Century-Fox  and  other  studios. 

Typical  of  the  script's  references  to 
Hollywood  are  the  following  excerpts  : 
"How  is  Hollywood?  The  answer  is 
rather  difficult  because  there  is  noth- 
ing as  indescribable  as  this  marvelous 
city-asylum."  .  .  .  "Hollywood  and  its 
extension,  Beverly  Hills,  is  an  archi- 
tect's nightmare."  .  .  .  "Does  Holly- 
wood provide  anything  but  film? 
Absolutely  nothing!" 


Jaffe  a  Law  Firm 
Partner  with  Grant 

William  B.  Jaffe  yesterday  entered 
a  full  partnership  with  Arnold  Grant 
in  the  New  York  law  firm  of  Weis- 
man,  Grant  and  Jaffe  and  will  devote 
his  activities  to  financing,  tax  and 
corporate  work. 

Jaffe  is  a  well  known  film  and  the- 
atrical attorney  who  was  formely  gen- 
eral counsel  to  Columbia  and  now 
represents  Monogram  legally  in  the 
East.  Also,  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Manning  Plan  which  dealt  with  defer- 
ment induction  of  skilled  labor  in  New 
York  State  during  the  war  and  was 
legal  advisor  to  the  War  Manpower 
Commission  for  New  York  State. 


Theatre  Quota  in 
French  Indo-China 

Washington,  June  1.  — 
French  Indo-China  now  re- 
quires theatres  to  show 
French  films  for  at  least  four 
weeks  out  of  each  13,  accord- 
ing to  a  Commerce  Depart- 
ment report.  Another  ruling 
requires  all  distributors  to  be 
approved  by  the  government. 
Also,  U.  S.  firms  will  now 
have  to  operate  through 
French  representatives. 

The  government  has  tenta- 
tively set  aside  $100,000  for 
U.  S.  film  imports  this  year. 

The  plan  must  still  be  ap- 
proved by  Paris. 


Press  for  Ticket 
Tax  Relief  in  UK 


Murphy  of  Airlines, 
Gerald  Mayer's  Aide 

Washington,  June  1. — United  Air- 
lines executive  James  L.  Murphy  has 
been  named  special  assistant  to  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America 
international  chief  Gerald  Mayer,  and 
will  work  in  London  on  British  tax 
problems,  the  MPAA  announced  today. 

Murphy  will  leave  for  London  after 
about  two  months  indoctrination  in 
New  York.  A  resident  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Murphy  was  in  charge  of 
United's  West  Coast  operations  and 
later  was  assistant  to  United  Presi- 
dent William  Patterson. 


Sweeping  Probe  of 
N.  Zealand  Industry 

By  R.  A.  USMAR 

Wellington,  N.  Z.,  May  26  (By 
Airmail). — The  government's  inquiry 
into  the  film  industry  has  taken  defi- 
nite shape.  The  Parliamentary  Com- 
mittee, which  is  to  conduct  the  in- 
quiry, has  decided  to  investigate  the 
following : 

Whether  existing  monopoly  condi- 
tions in  exhibition  are  compatible  with 
public  interest  and  whether  any  legisla- 
tive action  is  needed  to  limit  or  regu- 
late these  conditions ;  whether  control 
of  theatres  should  be  kept  in  the 
hands  of  New  Zealand  or  British  na- 
tionals ;  whether  a  system  of  restric- 
tive licensing  of  theatres  should  be 
continued ;  whether  the  exhibition  of 
sub-standard  films  should  be  con- 
trolled ;  whether  the  existing  condi- 
tions of  supply  of  films  to  independent 
exhibitors  are  reasonable ;  whether 
existimg  admissions  are  reasonable ; 
whether  the  amount  or  form  of  taxa- 
tion is  reasonable,  and  whether  it  is 
in  the  national  interest  to  foster  pro- 
duction in  New  Zealand. 


London,  June  1. — Exhibitors  here 
are  hopeful  of  some  admission  tax  re- 
lief following  a  joint  exhibitor-dis- 
tributor-films' union  delegation  meet- 
ing with  Sir  Stafford  Cripps,  Chancel- 
lor of  the  Exchequer,  on  the  subject. 

Sir  Stafford  would  not  commit  him- 
self to  the  deputation  but  did  ask  that 
officers  of  the  Cinematograph  Exhibi- 
tors Association  enter  into  discussions 
with  his  financial  advisers  on  a  long- 
term  policy  for  readjustment  of  the 
admission  tax.  Exhibitors  hope  that 
some  measure  of  relief  may  material- 
ize this  week  in  the  course  of  the 
House  of  Commons  committee  con- 
sideration of  the  Finance  Bill. 

Sir  Alexander  King  has  been  a 
prime  mover  in  the  campaign  for  tax 
relief  and  was  a  member  of  the  dele- 
gation which  called  upon  Cripps. 


Commons  Gets 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


Lunch  With  Beale 

Washington,  June  1. — Motion  Pic 
ture   Association   of  America  inter- 
national chief  Gerald  Mayer  and  other 
top  MPAA  officials  had  lunch  here  to 
day  with  the  State  Department's  new 
film   adviser,   Wilson   T.   M.  Beale 
Discussion  of  the  industry's  foreign 
problems  was  very  general,  one  official 
said.   Others   at   the   luncheon  were 
Joyce  O'Hara,  Edward  Cheyfitz,  Ken 
neth  Clark  and  Manning  Claggett. 


Boris  Morros  Plans 

London,  June  1. — Boris  Morros  is 
the  latest  American  arrival  here  with 
European  production  plans.  Morros 
wants  to  make  pictures  not  only  here 
but  in  Scandinavia  and  other  European 
countries. 


Canada  Limits  Recorders 

Ottawa,  June  1. — As  part  of  its 
United  States  dollar-saving  program 
the  Canadian  government  has  brought 
sound  recorders  under  import  control 
effective  June  5. 


Rank  Plans 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


earnings  over  the  last  three  years. 
The  split  will  be  made  on  a  basis  of 
57  per  cent  to  Odeon  and  43  per  cent 
to  G-B. 

Rank  has  emphasized  that  the  plan 
is  not  a  merger  but  a  pooling  opera- 
tion designed  to  streamline  the  two 
circuit  operations  and  thereby  effect 
desired  economies.  Details  of  the 
plan  have  been  sent  to  the  Kinemato- 
graph  Renters  Society,  asking  KRS 
approval  thereof.  No  action  has  been 
taken.  American  members  of  KRS 
feel  it  is  up  to  Harold  Wilson,  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trade,  to  ap- 
prove or  disapprove  it. 

Independent  exhibitors  are  appre- 
hensive over  possible  effects  on  them 
of  the  new  booking  system  involved, 
while  American  distributors  feel  it 
may  result  in  reduced  playing  time 
for  their  pictures  or  less  favorable 
terms  from  the  pooled  operations. 
United  Artists  has  a  large  interest  in 
Odeon,  and  20th  Century-Fox  in  G-B. 


New  Serkowich  Firm 
Handling  U-I  Film 

The  recently  organized  firm  of 
Benjamin  H.  Serkowich  has  been  en- 
gaged by  Universal-International  to 
handle  a  special  promotion  campaign 
for  the  Monty  Shaff-Frank  Rosenberg 
production,  "Man  Eater  of  Kumaon," 
it  was  announced  here  yesterday  by 
Maurice  A.  Bergman,  U-I  Eastern 
advertising-publicity  director. 

Serkowich  was  most  recently  ad- 
vertising, publicity  and  exploitation 
director  of  Columbia  Pictures. 


U.  A.  Seeks  Rights 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Loew's   to  Release 
McGraw-Hill  Films 

Arthur  M.  Loew,  president  of 
Loew's  International,  has  concluded  an 
agreement  with  McGraw-Hill  under 
which  educational  films  produced  by 
McGraw-Hill  will  be  distributed  by 
M-G-M  in  all  countries  of  the  world 
outside  the  United  States  and  Canada. 


Okays  Tax-Free  Tickets 

Washington,  June  1. — The  Senate 
today  passed  a  bill  to  permit  tax-free 
tickets  given  to  hospitalized  service- 
men and  hospitalized  veterans.  Mea- 
sure is  slightly  different  from  a  simi- 
lar bill  that  the  House  passed,  and 
therefore  must  go  back  to  the  House 
for  approval. 


along  with  two  other  gangster  sub- 
jects, "I'm  a  Fugitive"  and  "Brighton 
Rock,"  both  made  by  Associated 
British. 

Kelly  reserved  space  at  Alfred 
Shipman's  Riverside  Studio,  starting- 
August  1,'  for  U.A.'s  British  produc- 
tion program.  Probable  first  subject 
will  be  "Dick  Turpin,"  a  story  of 
Britain's  legendary  highwayman.  A 
script  has  been  prepared  in  Holly- 
wood, but  the  present  intention  is  to 
assign  an  English  director  to  the  film. 
Earlier  reports  that  UA.  might  be 
prevented  from  proceeding  with  its 
production  plans  here  proved  ground- 
less. 


BOT  Excludes 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


tions  than  those  now  contained  in  the 
agreement. 

The  government  said  that  "as 
agreement  is  reached  on  these  points 
(interpretation  and  implementation) 
it  will  be  recorded  in  a  schedule  of 
interpretations  attached  to  this  agree- 
ment." 

Await  Interpretation  Schedule 

Government  spokesmen  admit  that 
the  whole  tendency  and  force  of  the 
agreement  depends  upon  the  interpre- 
tation schedule  and  it  is  not  known 
when  this  will  be  available  in  view 
of  the  extremely  involved  talks  now 
in  progress.  F.  W.  Allport,  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  rep- 
resentative here,  declares  that  the 
talks  are  concerned  with  technicali- 
ties only.  Though  still  uncertain,  he 
hopes  the  talks  will  be  finalized  by 
June  14,  when  the  agreement  is  sched- 
uled to  become  operative. 

Text  of  the  agreement  as  placed  be- 
fore Commons  today  follows  gener- 
ally the  versions  of  the  agreement  pre- 
viously published  in  America  but  with 
some  important  textual  differences. 
Clause  Eight,  concerning  permitted 
uses  of  blocked  funds  relative  to  taxes, 
does  not  appear  in  the  official  text. 
Also,  published  references  to  "sub- 
ject to  the  approval  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  Treasury'-'  has  been  amend- 
ed to  read  "subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  Control  Committee." 

The  government  attaches  impor- 
tance to  that  change,  indicating  that 
the  committee  virtually  will  control 
all  American  activities  here  under  the 
agreement. 

In  addition,  the  official  text  con- 
tains no  reference  to  the  previously 
published  Clause  27,  relating  to  pay- 
ments to  promote  merchandise  ex- 
ports, etc. 

Cite  Non-Industry  Uses 

The  official  text  includes  Schedules 
B  and  C.  m  The  former  embraces  per- 
mitted uses  of  blocked  funds  outside 
of  normal  operations  in  the  film  in- 
dustry, citing  the  acquisition  of  real 
estate  or  activities  designed  to  foster 
tourist  travel  in  Britain.  The  latter 
provides  for  temporary  investment, 
subject  to  the  Control  Committee,  in 
government  or  other  securities  pro- 
vided the  investments  do  not  consti- 
tute permanent  use  or  disposal  of 
funds. 

A  government  spokesman  points  out 
that  the  principles  of  the  text  empha- 
size particularly  that  expenditures 
shall  not  create  additional  pressure 
on  British  exchange;  that  none  of  the 
permitted  uses  goes  beyond  the  limits 
of  fair  competition,  and  that  no  dis- 
posable balance  may  be  used  in  any 
way  that  would  damage  Britain's  pro- 
ductive economy.  The  government's 
pledge  to  extend  all  cooperation  with- 
in the  framework  of  these  principles 
is  contained  in  the  text. 


H.  Anstey,  A.  Havelock  Allan,  Sir 
Alexander  Korda,  J.  Arthur  Rank, 
representing  producers;  Major  R.  P. 
Baker  and  Sir  Arthur  W.  Jarratt 
(latter  replaces  Columbia's  J.  Fried- 
man ) ,  representing  distributors  ;  Cecil 
Bernstein,  E.  J.  Hinge,  Sir  Alexan- 
der B.  King,  C.  P.  Metcalfe,  Sir 
Philip  Warter  all  representing  exhib- 
itors ;  G.  H.  Elvin,  Percy  Pilgrim, 
W.  G.  Stevens,  and  Tom  O'Brien, 
representing  trade  unions.  Two  more 
independent  members  will  be  named 
momentarily  to  complete  the  list. 


Blum  Pact 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


talks  to  slide  into  final  conferences  un- 
noticed, and  merely  announce  the 
final  settlement.  The  French  Minis- 
try of  Commerce  and  Industry's  M. 
Lacoste  made  a  similar  statement  re- 
cently in  the  French  Chamber,  when 
he  announced  it  was  "not  customary" 
to  divulge  the  detailed  progress  of 
international  negotiations. 


YOU  DON'T  NEED 
THAT  FOUR 
LEAF  CLOVER! 


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LUCKY 

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M-G-M ! 


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LUCKY! 

about  "THE  PIRATE" 


Judy 
Garland 


Following  Frank  Capra's  joyous 
"State  of  the  Union"  at  Radio 
City  Music  Hall,  "The  Pirate" 
is  Big  in  3rd  week!  (new 
M-G-M  record  for  first  4  days 
of  opening  week!)  Second  big 
week  in  Montreal! 


LUCKY! 

about  "HOMECOMING" 


Clark 
Gable 


Blazing  across  the  nation. 
Sensational  everywhere.  Fol- 
lowing five  record  weeks  at 
Capitol,  N.  Y.,  tremendous  in 
Trenton,  fabulous  in  Philly, 
it's  generating  steam  in  every 
opening! 


LUCKY! 

about  "EASTER  PARADE" 


Judy 
Garland 


Fred 
Astaire 


You  hear  it  everywhere.  Irving 
Berlin's  "Easter  Parade"  is  the 
greatest  musical  in  screen 
history.  Get  a  load  of  those 
trade  paper  reviews.  They  spell 
M-O-N-E-Y! 


LUCKY  ABOUT  JULIA  MISBEHAVES!" 

(Read  this  telegram)  " Audience  reaction  at  sneak  preview  of  *  Julia 
Misbehaves'  assures  another  smash  hit  to  add  to  Vitamin  M-G-M's 
Spring  and  Summer  line-up!  Rousing  applause  for  reunion  of 
Greer  Garson  and  Walter  Pidgeon. 
Hilarious  comedy  situations  had  audience 
howling  from  first  scene  to  last  with 
tremendous  burst  of  applause  at  end. 
Movie -goers  want  comedy  and  this  had 
them  rolling  in  aisles.  Great  cast  also 
includes  Peter  Lawford,  Elizabeth  Taylor, 

Cesar  Romero.  Director 
Jack  Conway,  Producer 
k  Robert  Riskin,  have 
f  turned  out  a  gold-mine 
attraction!" 


6* 


r 


EXTRA!  "SUMMER  HOLIDAY"  CONTINUES  TECHNICOLORIFIC  BIZ  IN  ALL  TEST  CITIES! 

NATCH!  M-G-M  GREAT  IN  '48! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  2,  1948 


St.  Louis  Has  Power 
To  Close  Theatre 

St.  Louis,  June  1. — The  Missouri 
Supreme  Court  has  upheld  the  city's 
power  to  close  the  Robin  Theatre  for 
alleged  violation  of  the  new  building 
code.  The  court  granted  injunctive  re- 
lief to  the  Robin  owners,  Arthur  F. 
D.  Kalbfell  and  Marie  K.  Winderly, 
to  bar  the  city  from  tearing  down  the 
theatre  but  upheld  the  lower  courts' 
ruling  that  the  city  could  close  the 
house.  "Regulating  motion  picture 
theatres  for  safety  of  the  public,"  the 
court  held,  "is  a  valid  exercise  of 
police  powers." 


Four  in  New  Orleans 
Area  Change  Hands 

New  Orleans,  June  1. — Bob  Con- 
rad has  assumed  part  ownership  and 
management  of  the  Bruce  Theatre  in 
Jennings,  La. ;  the  Star  Theatre,  Ty- 
lertown,  Miss.,  which  has  been  closed 
following  its  sale  by  J.  V.  Dampeer, 
has  resumed  operation  under  the  new 
owner,  H.  Solomon ;  the  White  Hall, 
at  White  Hall,  La.,  has  a  new  owner 
and  manager,  Joseph  A.  Loupe,  Jr. ; 
the  Castle,  Pachuta,  Miss.,  has  been 
sold  by  A.  M.  Royal. 


Delay  Rivoli  Rockne 
Hearing  to  July  1 

Chicago,  June  1. — Hearings  in  the 
Rivoli  Rockne  $900,000  anti-trust 
suit  against  the  majors  and  circuits 
here,  scheduled  for  today,  were  moved 
back  until  July  1  in  Judge  Sullivan's 
and  Judge  Igoe's  U.  S.  District  Courts. 
Plaintiff's  attorney,  Lloyd  C.  Root, 
was  granted  the  additional  time_  in 
which  to  reply  to  defendant's  motion 
to  strike  out  and  clarify  certain  para- 
graphs. 


Directors  Open  Pact 
Talks  with  IMPPA 

Hollywood,  June  1.  —  Negotiations 
by  talent  guilds  and  unions  here  with 
the  Independent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers Association  for  contract  re- 
vision or  renewal  have  gotten  under 
way  with  a  meeting  of  Screen  Direc- 
tors Guild  representatives  and  an 
IMPPA  committee. 

The  Screen  Actors  Guild  will  ap- 
point a  negotiating  committee  tonight 
and  other  guilds  and  unions  will  fol- 
low suit. 


High  Prices  Hurt 
Theatre  Business 

Boston,  June  1. — Exhibitors  in 
New  England  say  that  business  in 
general  is  just  fair  and  spotty.  Pa- 
trons who  used  to  attend  a  theatre 
once  or  twice  a  week  are  now  attend- 
ing only  every  other  week.  High 
prices  for  food  and  clothing  are  given 
as  the  main  reasons  for  business  be- 
ing spotty.   


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
ily  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris,  Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans-world  miles. 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


Williamson  Heads 
Variety  in  Memphis 

Memphis,  June  1. — E.  C.  William- 
son, manager  of  Warner  Bros.'  local 
branch,  was  elected  chief  barker  of 
the  Variety  Club  today  to  replace 
David  Flexer  of  Flexer  Theatres, 
Inc.,  who  resigned. 


Dinner  for  N.  H.  Zook 

Marking  his  retirement  after  15 
years  as  building  maintenance  super- 
intendent of  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
N.  Hayden  Zook  was  honored  at  a 
farewell  dinner  given  by  G.  S.  Eys- 
sell,  Music  Hall  president  and  man- 
aging director,  in  the  theatre's  studio 
apartment  last  night.  Zook,  who  is  65, 
plans  to  reside  in  Los  Angeles  with 
his  wife  and  a  daughter. 


Chinich  Joins  Northio 

Cincinnati,  June  1. — Jesse  Chinich, 
formerly  film  buyer-booker  for  Inter- 
mountain  Theatres,  Salt  Lake,  has 
been  appointed  to  a  similar  post  with 
Northio  Theatres  here,  controlling  18 
houses  in  Ohio  and  nearby  territory. 
He  succeeds  William  Borack,  who 
resigned  to  join  Cooperative  Theatres 
in  Pittsburgh. 


SWG  Suit 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Remodel  in  New  Haven 

Hartford,  June  1.  —  The  Crown 
Realty  Corp.  has  started  remodeling 
the  Adley  Building  on  Crown  St., 
New  Haven,  into  a  450-seat  theatre, 
Operation  should  start  in  the  fall. 
Maurice  Bailey,  theatreman,  is  among 
those  in  the  firm. 


Another  Telenews  House 

Chicago,  June  1. — Plans  are  under- 
way for  construction  of  a  500-seat 
Telenews  theatre  to  cost  over  $200,000, 
on  North  Rush  Street,  outside  of  the 
Loop,  to  be  operated  by  Herbert 
Scheftel  and  Alfred  G.  Byrger. 


Remodeling  Coast  House 

Quincy,  Cal.,  June  1.  —  Remodel- 
ing plans  for  the  Town  Hall  Theatre 
have  been  completed  by  architect 
Huhrt  Goodpaster  of  Sacramento,  and 


Frouge  to  Build  Two 

Hartford,  June  1. — The  Board  of 
Building  Commissioners  has  granted 
the  Frouge  Construction  Co.,  Bridge- 
port, authority  to  construct  two  new 
theatres  in  that  city. 


Schine  Ruling 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


include  the  five  theatres  in  the  further 
District  Court  proceedings. 

There  was  no  opinion  rendered  on 
the  subject  today — the  denial  of  the 
petition  for  clarification  merely  being 
listed  in  the  court's  orders,  issued  at 
the  close  of  today's  decision  session. 
Justices  Murphy  and  Jackson  did  not 
participate  in  considering  or  deciding 
on  the  Government's  application. 


ants ) ,  of  restraining  trade  and  com- 
merce, and  of  imposing  burdens  upon 
trade  and  commerce,  among  the  sev- 
eral states." 

Named  as  defendants  are  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Association  of  America, 
the  Association  of  Motion  Picture 
Producers,  the  Society  of  Independ- 
ent Motion  Picture  Producers,  Para- 
mount, Loew's,  RKO,  Warner  Bros., 
20th- Fox,  Columbia,  Universal  and 
Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  president. 

30  Plaintiffs  in  Suit 

Listed  as  plaintiffs  are  Sheridan 
Gibney,  Robert  Ardrey,  Art  Arthur, 
Claude  Binyon,  Charles  Brackett, 
Frank  Cavett,  Valentine  Davies,  Rich- 
ard English,  Everett  Freeman,  Paul 
Gangelin,  Albert  Hackett,  F.  Hugh 
Herbert,  Milton  Krims,  Arthur  Kob- 
er,  Ernest  Pascal,  George  Seaton,  Ar- 
thur Sheekman,  Leonard  Spigelglass, 
Dwight  Taylor,  Harry  Tugend,  all 
members  of  the  SWG  board,  and  the 
following  members  of  the  council  of 
the  Authors  League  of  America :  Os- 
car Hammerstein,  II,  John  Hersey, 
Russel  Crouse,  Moss  Hart,  Chris- 
topher La  Farge,  Howard  Lindsay, 
Richard  Rodgers,  Rex  Stout,  John 
Vandercook  and  Glenway  Wescott. 
The  complaint  makes  it  clear  that  the 
plaintiffs  in  the  action  do  not  repre- 
sent the  10  indicted  for  contempt  of 
Congress  for  refusing  to  tell  the  Un- 
American  Activities  Committee  wheth- 
er or  not  they  were  Communists. 

The  complaint  terms  the  defendants 
a  "combination"  guilty  of  formulating 
"a  code  which  purports  to  govern  the 
political  views  and  associations  of  per- 
sons engaged  in  the  production  of 
motion  pictures." 

Hit  'Vague,  Indefinite  Standards' 

"That  code,"  the  complaint  adds, 
"imperils  and  threatens  to  destroy  the 
free  market  for  original  and  creative 
work  and  thus  irreparably  damages 
and  threatens  to  damage  the  plain- 
tiffs. ...  It  infringes  and  endangers 
their  civil  liberties  by  setting  up 
vague  and  indefinite  standards  of  so- 
cial and  political  affiliation,  which  are 
to  be  enforced  by  concerted  action  of 
all  defendants.  It  establishes  for  the 
motion  picture  industry  the  un-Ameri- 
can principle  of  guilt  by  association. 
The  judgments  of  this  combination 
are  carried  out  by  the  combined  ac- 
tion of  its  members  sitting  as  a  quasi- 
court  which  threatens  to  deny  to  any 
offending  writer  an  opportunity  to 
write  for  the  screen." 

It  is  charged  that  by  acting  in  con- 
cert the  defendants  "are  able  to  ex- 
ercise a  domination  over  every  writer 
employed  in  the  production  of  motion 
pictures  as  well  as  over  every  writer 
who  desires  to  enter  this  field,"  that  as 
a  "combination"  they  possess  "power 
to  dictate  what  the  American  people 
shall  see  and  what  they  shall  not  see 
in  almost  all  the  motion  picture  the- 
atres throughout  the  nation,"  and  that 
as  a  group  they  have  "effective  power 
to  make  the  industry  they  control 
an  instrument  for  any  line  of  propa- 
ganda which  at  any  time  seems  to 
them  desirable." 

Allege  Conspiracy  to  'Appease' 

The  purpose  of  the  alleged  con- 
spiracy is  said  to  be  "to  form  a  com- 
bination of  all  the  producers  in  the 
industry  to  the  end  that  by  joint  ac- 
tion the  entire  industry  can  immedi- 
ately respond  to  and  appease  any  wave 
of  hysteria  directed  at  the  screen, 
by  offering  to  blacklist  screen  writers 


and  other  employes  who  happen  to 
be  temporary  victims  of  that  hys- 
teria." 

According  to  the  plaintiffs,  if  the 
conspiracy  charged  against  the  de- 
fendants is  allowed  to  continue  it  will 
have  the  effect  of  "imposing  a  paralyz- 
ing censorship  upon  dramatic  writ- 
ing for  the  screen." 

The  November  meeting  in  New 
York  is  referred  to  as  a  scheme  on 
the  part  of  the  defendants  "to  per- 
fect an  illegal  private  government  and 
to  establish  a  private  and  un^'-'ul 
judicial  system  for  the  industry!  -r' 

The  complaint  also  charges  that  un- 
der the  policy  enunciated  by  Johnston 
on  November  25  screen  writers  are 
compelled  to  work  in  a  state  of  "fear 
and  uncertainty,"  while  "the  uncer- 
tain standards  of  censorship,  based  as 
they  are  upon  the  desire  to  placate 
intolerant  or  prejudiced  groups,  will, 
if  continued,  reduce  all  pictures  to  a 
common  level."  This  policy,  according 
to  the  plaintiffs,  will  do  "irreparable 
injury"  to  the  public  as  well  as  to 
the  Guild  and  its  members. 

Production  Code  Reference 

A  section  of  the  complaint  makes 
a  disparaging  reference  to  the  Produc- 
tion Code,  but  the  request  for  relief 
lists  no  action  to  be  taken  with  re- 
spect to  the  Code.  The  code  is  repre- 
sented as  catering  to  "the  prejudices 
of  local  groups  on  matters  involving 
sex,  race  and  other  subjects  which 
might  arouse  sectional, .local  or  group 
criticism."  The  complaint  adds  that 
"the  result  of  such-  censorship  is  to 
prevent  the  frank  and  intelligent  treat- 
ment of  any  serious  subject  which 
may  arouse  controversy  or  incur  the 
attack  of  any  intolerant  or  prudish 
organization  strong  enough  to  cause 
unfavorable  publicity." 

No  damages  are  sought — merely  in- 
junctive relief  against  the  "combina- 
tion" and  "conspiracy."  The  suit 
seeks  to  discover  what  procedure  the 
defendants  propose  to  use  in  finding 
writers  guilty  of  violating  the  policy 
governing  the  employment  of  suspect- 
ed subversives  and  what  opportunities 
for  defense  will  be  made  available  to 
accused  writers. 

The  case  was  prepared  by  Thurman 
Arnold,  counsel  for  the  SWG. 


THE 
BANK  OF  THE 
MOTION  PICTURE 
INDUSTRY 


Bank  of 

NATIONAL  1N"„c%  association 

MEMBER  FEDERAL  DEPOSIT  INSURANCE  CORPORATION 
MEMBER  FEDERAL  RESERVE  SYSTEM 


Wednesday,  June  2,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Estimates  of  Key  City  Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


:ago 


Strong  crop  of  new  films  lifted 
grosses  to  a  higher  level  than  in  many 
previous  weeks.  Holiday  weekend  at- 
tendance was  good.  Weather  was  per- 
fect. Estimated  receipts  for  the  week 
ending  June  3 : 

DEAR  MURDERER   (U-I)-GRAND  (1. 

150)  (67c-98c).  Gross:  $12,000.  (Average: 
$13,500) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)—  ROOSE- 
VELT (1,500)  (98c).  Gross:  $23,000.  (Av- 
erage: $20,000) 

HATTER'S  CASTLE  (Para.) — APOLLO 
(1.200)  (98c).  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average: 
$17,000) 

HAZARD  (Para.)— UNITED  ARTISTS 
(1.700)  (98c)  5  days,  2nd  week.  THE 
BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M),  2  days. 
Gross:  $17,000.  (Average:  $21,500) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  —  ORIENTAL 
(3,300)  (98c).  On  stage,  Louis  Jordan. 
Gross:  $60,000.  (Average:  $40,000) 
MAN  FROM  TEXAS  (E-L)  and  RETURN 
OF  RIN  TIN  TIN  (PRC)-GARRICK  (1,- 
000)  (44c-60c-80c-85c).  Gross:  $10,000.  (Av- 
erage: $10,000) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 
Radio) — PALACE  (2,500)   (67c-98c).  Gross: 
$30,000.     (Average:  $25,000) 
THS     "SAINTED"     SISTERS  (Para.)— 

STATE  LAKE  (2,700)  (98c).  On  stage, 
Jane  Powell.  Gross:  $36,000.  (Average: 
$35,000) 

THE  SEARCH  (M-G-M) — MONROE  (953) 
(50c-70c-95c).  Gross:  $12,000.  (Average: 
$12,000) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB)— CHICAGO  (3,900) 
(98c).    Gross:  $40,000.    (Average:  $37,000) 
STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)- 

WOODS  (1,080)  (98c)  4th  week.  Gross: 
$18,500.     (Average:  $23,000) 


ATLANTA 


Business  this  week  is  just  about 
average.  Weather  is  hot.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  June  2 : 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (U-A)  —  LOEWS 
GRAND  (2.446)  (12c-65c).  Gross:  $13,500. 
(Average:  $14,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)— FOX  (4,446) 
(12c-50c).  Gross:  $13,775.  (Average:  $14,000) 
I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)— 

ROXY  (2nd  week  on  a  moreover  from  the 
FOX  (2.446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $6,000.  (Av- 
erage: $5,800) 

THE    "SAINTED"    SISTERS     (Para.) — 

PARAMOUNT  (2.346)  (12c-50c).  Gross: 
$6,000.    (Average:  $5,900) 


CINCINNATI 


The  extended  weekend  holiday 
helped  business  in  the  majority  of 
houses,  with  Vaughn  Monroe  and  his 
orchestra  on  the  RKO  Albee  stage, 
plus  "The  Hunted"  on  the  screen, 
zooming  to  one  of  the  highest  figures 


at  this  house  in  some  time.  Weather 
is  warm.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ended  June  1 : 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)  LYRIC 
(1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  7  days,  3rd 
week,  following  an  opening  week  at  the 
Albee  and  a  first  moveover  week  at  the 
Lyric.  Gross:  $5,500.  (Average:  $5,000) 
THE  FULLER  BRUSH  MAN  (Col.)— 
RKO  SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-60c-65c- 
70c-75c)  7  days,  2nd  week,  on  a  moveover 
from  the  Albee.  Gross:  $7,500.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (20th- 
Fox) — RKO  PALACE  (2,700)  (50c-55c-60c- 
65c-70c-75c)  7  days.  Personal  appearance 
of  Charles  Coburn.  Peggy  Cummins  and 
Martha  Stewart  on  the  opening  day. 
Gross:  $11,500.  (Average:  $15,000) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)— RKO  CAPI- 
TOL (2,000)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-7Oc-75c)  7  davs. 
Gross:  $18,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
THE  HUNTED  (AA)-RKO  ALBEE  (3,- 
300)  (55c-95c)  7  days.  On  stage,  Vaughn 
Monroe  and  orchestra.  Gross:  $35,000. 
(Average:  $30,000) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (U-I)— KEITH'S  (1,500)  (50c-55c-60c- 
65c-75c)  7  days.  Gross:  $8,600.  (Average: 
$7,500) 

SUMMER     HOLIDAY     (M-G-M)  —  RKO 

GRAND  (1.500)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  7 
days.     Gross:  $7,500.     (Average:  $8,000) 


BOSTON 


Weekend  weather  opened  up  warm 
with  temperatures  in  the  upper  70s. 
They  cooled  off  over  Sunday  and 
Memorial  Day.  This  accounts  for 
grosses  to  be  rather  steady.  Night 
baseball  games  hit  a  bit.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  June  2 : 
BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M)  and  PORT 
SAID  (Col.)— STATE  (3.500)  (40c  to  80c). 
Gross:  $18,000.  (Average:  $12,000) 
BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M)  and  PORT 
SAID  (Col.)— ORPHEUM  (3,500)  (40c  to 
80c).  (Gross:  $30,000.  (Average:  $27,000) 
FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)  and 
BLONDE  ICE  (FC)-RKO  BOSTON  (40c 
to  80c).  Gross:  $16,000.  (No  average  on 
account  of  summer  schedule) 
HATTERS  CASTLE  (Para.)  and  WATER- 
FRONT AT  MIDNIGHT  (Para.)— PARA- 
MOUNT (1,700)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $17,- 
500.    (Average:  $17,000) 

HATTERS  CASTLE  (Para.)  and  WATER- 
FRONT AT  MIDNIGHT  (Para.)— PARA- 
MOUNT (1.373)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $11,- 
0CO.    (Average:  $10,000) 

LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN    (U-I)     and    MONEY  MADNESS 

(FC)— RKO  MEMORIAL  (3,000)  (40c  to 
80c)  5  days  of  2nd  week.  Gross:  $14,500. 
(Average:  $22,000) 

PARADINE  CASE  (SRO)— ESQUIRE  (1.- 
000  (9Cc  to  $1.25)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $10,000. 
(No  average) 

SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)  and  HEART 
OF  VIRGINIA  (Rep.)— ASTOR  (1,300  (44c 
to  80c).  Gross:  $7,500.  (No  average) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  and  13  LEAD 
SOLDIERS  (20th-Fox)— METROPOLITAN 
(4.367)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $29,750.  (Av- 
erage: $27,000) 

FANNY  (Siritzky-Int.) — EXETER  (1,300) 
(45c-75c).    Gross:  $2,000.    (Average:  $5.00T 


BALTIMORE 


The  holiday  weekend  helped  boost 
business,  after  average  openings  for 
new  attractions.  Best  grosses  are 
from  "Homecoming"  and  "Silver 
River."  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ending  June  3 : 

BERLIN  EXPRESS  (RKO  Radio)  TOWN 
(1.450)  (29c-37c-56c).  Gross:  $12,000.  (Av 
erage:  $10,500) 

FRENCH  LEAVE  (Mono.)— HIPP( ) 
DROME  (2,205)  (29c-37c-50c-58c)  With  a 
stage  show.  Gross:  $18,750.  (Average: 
$17,000) 

GREEN    GRASS    OF    WYOMING  (20th- 

Fox)— NEW  (1,800)  (29c-40c-50c-58c).  Gross: 
$12,000.     (Averave:  $11,750) 
HAZARD    (Para.)    KEITH'S    (2,40(,i  (25c 
37c -44c -54c  and  56c  weekends).    Gross:  $10,- 
500.    (Average:  $12,000). 

HOMECOMING   (M-G-M)  -  CENTURY 

(3,000)    (29c-37e-45c-54c   and   56c  weekemU). 

Gross:  $20,000.     (Average:  $14,500) 

I'VE  ALWAYS   LOVED   YOU  (Rep.-Re- 

issue)  —  MAYFAIR     (1,000)  (21c-29c-54c). 

Gross:  $4,500.     (Average:  $5,000) 

MAN  ABOUT  TOWN  (RKO  Radio)-LIT- 


TLE  (328)  (29c-37c-56c).  Gross:  $3,500. 
(Average:  $3,000) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB) — STANLEY  (3,280) 
(29c-37c-50c-58c).  Gross:  $17,000.  (Average: 
$14,500) 

SUMMER  HOLIDAY  (M-G-M)— VALEN- 
CIA (1.466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c  and  56c  week- 
ends) 2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average: 
$5,000) 


TORONTO 


Five  of  10  first-runs  held  over  their 
programs  for  either  a  second  or  third 
week  in  spite  of  a  warm  wave.  Out- 
door activities,  including  horse  racing 
and  baseball,  were  making  a  difference 
to  theatre  patronage.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  June  3  : 
CALL  NORTHSIDE  777  (  20th-Fox) — NOR  - 
TOWN  (950)  (20c-42c-60c)  6  days,  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $6,000.  (Average:  $6,500) 
CALL  NORTHSIDE  777  (20th-Fox)— VIC- 
TORIA (1.240)  (20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days,  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $5,800.  (Average:  $6,300) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— 
EGL1NTON  (1,086)  (20c -36c -50c -66c)  6  days, 
3rd  week.  Gross:  $6,400.  (Average:  $7,400) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)- 
TiVOLI  (1,434)  (20c-36c-50c-66c)  6  days, 
3rd  week.  Gross:  $8,200.  (Average:  $9,200) 
LETTER  FROM  AN  UNKNOWN  WO- 
MAN (U-I)— UPTOWN  (2,761)  (20c-36c- 
48c-66c-80c)  6  days.  Gross:  $11,600.  (Av- 
erage: $11,600) 

THE      SAINTED      SISTERS  (Para.)— 

SHEA'S  (2,480)  (20c-36c-50c-66c-90c)  6  days. 

Gross:  $17,400.    (Average:  $14,900) 

SHOE     SHINE      (Alliance)— DAN  FORTH 

(1,400)  (20c-36c-50c-60c)  6  days.  Gross:  $6,- 
300.    (Average:  $6,500) 

SHOE     SHINE      (Alliance)— FAIRLAWN 
(1.195)    (20c-36c-50c-|55c)    6    days.  Gross: 
J5.3CO.    (Average:  $5,500) 
STATE    OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)— 

LOEWS  (2.074)  (20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)  6 
days.  2nd  week.  Gross:  $13,700.  (Aver- 
age: $14,200) 

TO  THE  ENDS  OF  THE  EARTH  (Col.) 

—IMPERIAL  (3,343)  (20c-36c-50c-66c-90c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $16,100.     (Average:  $14,600) 


Legion  Classifies  7; 
2  Films  Rated  B' 

United  Artists'  "Red  River"  and 
Siritzky  International's  "They  Are 
Not  Angels"  (French)  were  placed  in 
Class  B  by  the  National  Legion  of 
Decency  in  its  rating  of  seven  pic- 
tures this  week.  UA's  "The  Time  of 
Your  Life"  was  classified  A-II. 
Placed  in  A-I  were :  "Big  Town 
Scandal,"  Paramount ;  "Carson  City 
Raiders,"  Republic ;  "Melody  Time," 
RKO  Radio,  and  "Trapped  by  Boston 
Blackie,"  Columbia. 


Coast  'Dream  House' 
Opens  on  Thursday 

One  of  the  largest  press  parties  in 
Hollywood  history  will  be  held  Thurs- 
day afternoon,  when  the  Los  Angeles 
replica  of  the  "Blandings  Dream 
House"  which  appears  in  RKO-SRO's 
"Mr.  Blandings  Builds  His  Dream 
House,"  is  formally  previewed.  All 
proceeds  from  its  display  will  go  to 
the  Memorial  Medical  Center. 

Cary  Grant  and  "Myrna  Loy,  two  of 
the  stars  of  "Mr.  Blandings,"  will 
officially  open  the  door  of  the  house. 


New  York  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


day  weekend.  At  the  Mayfair,  "The 
Time  of  Your  Life"  opened  very  im- 
pressively, and  on  the  basis  of  $45,- 
000  taken  in  for  the  first  five  days, 
a  rotund  $60,000,  plus,  is  seen  for 
the  initial  week. 

"Homecoming,"  plus  Xavier  Cu- 
gat's  band  on  stage,  continues  strong 
in  its  fifth  and  final  week  at  the  Cap- 
itol where  $88,000  is  expected  for  the 
last  stanza ;  "The  Bride  Goes  Wild" 
will  bow  in  tomorrow.  "Hazard" 
opened  at  the  Paramount  today,  re- 
placing "The  Sainted  Sisters"  which, 
together  with  Henny  Youngman  on 
stage,  brought  a  satisfactory  $60,000 
for  a  second  and  final  week.  At  the 
Bijou,  "Citizen  Saint"  had  a  better- 
than-average  opening,  with  $11,000 
seen  for  the  first  week. 

The  following  are  grossing  in  the 
fair-to-good  range :  "Melody  Time," 
Astor,  first  week,  $46,000;"  "Up  in 
Central  Park,"  Criterion,  first  week, 
$27,000;  "The  Noose  Hangs  High," 
Loew's  State,  first  week,  $22,500 ; 
"Arch  of  Triumph,"  Globe,  sixth 
week.  $17,500;  "Will  It  Happen 
Again,"  Rialto,  third  week,  $9,000; 
"The  Iron  Curtain,"  plus  Ed  Sulli- 
van's revue  on  stage,  Roxv,  third 
week,  $85,000;  "Silver  River,"  with 
Eddie  Duchin's  band  on  stage.  Strand, 
second  week,  $57,000 ;  "Berlin  Ex- 
press," Victoria,  second  week,  $17,500. 

Producing  lesser  grosses  are :  "An- 
other Part  of  the  Forest,"  Rivoli, 
second  week  $18,500;  "River  Lady," 
Winter  Garden,  second  week,  $11,000; 
"Showtime,"  Park  Avenue,  second 
and  final  week,  $5,600.  "Challenge" 
will  take  over  at  the  Park  Avenue 
today. 


Watch  for  that 


p 


From 
PARAMOUNT 


ROAN 


with 


GLORIA  HENRY  •  JACK  HOLT  •  DICK  JONES  •  PAT  BUTTRAM  fe. 

Screenplay  by  Dwight  Cummins  and  Dorothy  Yost 
Directed  by  JOHN  ENGLISH  •  Produced  by  ARMAND  SCHAEFER 
A  Gene  Autry  Production 


j0tCE  O'H^ 


NO.  107 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JUNE  3,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Film  Salesmen 
Are  Named 
In  Trust  Suit 


2  Named  Allegedly  Run 
Houses  Given  Preference 


Washington,  June  2.  —  Film 
salesmen  were  named  among  de- 
fendants in  an  anti-trust  action  to- 
day when  the  Center  Theatre. 
Centreville,  Md.,  filed  a  §150,000 
triple-damages  and  injunction  suit  in 
District  court  here. 

The  salesmen  are  Charles  Wingfield 
of  Columbia  Pictures,  and  F.  B.  Klein 
of  20th-Fox,  both  of  whom  also  op- 
erate theatres  in  Church  Hill  and 
Chestertown,  Md.  Other  defendants 
are  Paramount,  20th-Fox,  RKO  and 
Columbia. 

The  suit  accuses  the  defendants  of 
a  conspiracy  to  grant  the  Klein  and 
Wingfield  houses  a  monopoly  of  first- 
run  product.  The  plaintiff  asserts  that 
the  two  salesmen  are  assigned  to  cov- 

{Continued  on  page  5) 


Calumet  Trust  Case 
Settled  by  Majors 


Chicago,  June  2. — After  nine 
months  of  litigation,  the  Calumet  The- 
atre anti-trust  suit  against  major  cir- 
cuits and  distributors  here  has  been 
dismissed  by  agreement  of  all  parties. 
While  the  settlement  was  not  dis- 
closed, it  is  understood  that  the 
agreement  will  result  in  a  substan- 
tially improved  playing  position  for 
the  plaintiff  theatre,  which  was. repre- 
sented by  attorney  Seymour  Simon. 
Defendants  were  represented  by  attor- 
neys Miles  Seeley,  Vincent  O'Brien 
and  Edward  Johnston. 


U-I  Opens  Sales 
Meeting  Here  Today 

First  of  two  meetings  of  district 
managers  to  formulate  plans  on  pic- 
tures for  release  in  connection  with 
the  company's  "Presidential  Sales 
Drive"  will  be  held  by  Universal-In- 
ternational here  today  and  tomorrow. 
The  second  conference  will  take  place 
in  Los  Angeles  later  next  week. 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  U-I  assistant  general 
sales  manager,  and  E.  T.  Gomersall, 
assistant  to  general  sales  manager 
William  A.  Scully,  will  preside  at  the 
New  York  meeting.   Present  from  the 

{Continued  on  page  5) 


Employment  Looking 
Better  on  the  Coast 

Hollywood,  June  2.— Halt- 
ing a  steady  decline  which 
set  in  last  September,  studio 
employment  rose  in  April  to 
79.5  per  cent  from  March's 
77.3  on  the  index  maintained 
by  the  California  Labor  Sta- 
tistics Bureau.  Employment 
figure  for  April,  1947,  was 
101.1  per  cent.  Average  week- 
ly earnings  in  April  was 
§96.69,  up  from  March's  $95.55. 


Yates,Keough,Cohn,  |  Two  Mandates 

Mont  ague,  S  chneider 
In  Stock  Tradings 


Allied  Meet  Nov.  27- 
Dec.l  in  New  Orleans 


Washington,  June  2.  —  Allied 
States  Association  will  hold  its  1948 
convention  at  New  Orleans  on  No- 
vember 29-December  1,  with  Allied 
Gulf  States  president  W.  A.  Prewitt, 
Jr.,  general  convention  chairman. 

Allied's  fall  board  meeting  will  be 
held  immediately  preceding  the  con- 
vention, on  November  27-28. 

Allied  board  chairman  Abram  F. 
Myers,  in  making  the  announcements, 
said  that  the  convention  had  been 
awarded  to  New  Orleans  "in  recog- 
nition of  the  splendid  growth  and 
progress  of  the  Allied  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  the  Gulf  States."  The  Gulf 
unit  celebrated  its  first  birthday  yes- 
terday with  a  party  at  the  New  Or- 
leans Lakewood  Country  Club. 

Maurice  J.  Artigues,  secretary  of 
Allied  of  the  Gulf  States,  will  assist 
Prewitt  with  convention  arrangements, 
Mvers  said. 


Washington,  June  2. — Republic 
president  Herbert  J.  Yates  has  bought 
22,387  shares  of  Republic  common, 
bringing  his  common  holdings  to  73,- 
687  shares,  and  12,895  shares  of  cap- 
ital stock  of  affiliate  Associated  Mo- 
tion Picture  Industries.  Inc.,  boosting 
his  holdings  in  that  firm  to  20,885 
shares,  according  to  a  Securities  and 
Exchange  Commission  report  on  trad- 
ing by  corporate  officers  and  direc- 
tors. 

Yates  reported  that  in  addition  to 
his  common  holdings  in  Republic,  he 
also  owned  900  shares  of  its  $1  cu- 
mulative preferred  and  $25,000  worth 
{Continued  on  page  4) 


Video  News  Slated 
For  Rialto  Here 

Plans  to  incorporate  daily  local 
television  news  into  the  programming 
of  the  Rialto  Theatre  here  have  been 
made  by  owner  James  J.  Mage.  At 
present  Mage  and  W.  R.  Hearst  tele- 
vision principals  are  discussing  "ways 
and  means."  Several  years  ago  the 
Rialto  conducted  large  screen  tele- 
vision experiments.  At  that  time  the 
house  was  operated  by  Arthur  L. 
Mayer  from  whom  Mage  recently 
purchased  it. 

Evelyn  Lawson  resigned  yesterday 
as  public  relations  director  of  Mage's 
theatre  interests  to  devote  full  time  to 
her  own  television  and  film  public  re- 
lations business.  Concurrently  the  cir- 
cuit became  one  of  her  accounts. 


U.  K.  Press  Renews  Attacks 
On  Film  Tax  Agreement 


London,  June  2. — Publication  of  the 
film  tax  agreement  was  the  signal  for 
a  new  outbreak  of  savage  press 
criticism  here,  rivaling  that  which 
followed  announcement  of  conclusion 
of  the  agreement  last  March. 

One  newspaper,  heading  its  com- 
ment "Wilson  (Harold,  president  of 
the  Board  of  Trade)  Memorial  to 
British  Film  Industry  Officially  Un- 
veiled," said  that  while  it  is  impor- 
tant to  appreciate  that  independent  ex- 
hibitors here  who  were  threatened 
with  extinction  by  the  withdrawal  of 
Hollywood  films  eagerly  accepted  the 
agreement,  the  feeling  grows  that 
American  film  traders  avidly  took  ad- 
vantage of  a  situation  that  apparently 
finds  Britain  a  second-rate  power  now, 
and  accordingly  at  the  mercy  of 
American  prospectors. 


The  "sober"  Times  devotes  its  first 
editorial  to  a  discussion  of  the  agree- 
ment's purpose  to  restrict  the  dollar 
drain  here  and  proceeds  ironically  to 
emphasize  the  27  means  by  which 
Americans  may  utilize  their  unremit- 
table  balances.  It  concludes  ruefully 
that  "all  the  joint  Control  Committee 
can  do  is  to  try  within  the  limits  of 
its  powers  to  prevent  harm  being  done 
to  legitimate  British  industries  wheth- 
er in  or  out  of  the  film  industry." 

Most  other  newspapers  protested 
Wilson's  agreement  as  a  means  to  sell 
out  Britain's  artistic  integrity  to  Hol- 
lywood. 

The  admittedly  jaundiced  outlook  of 
Lord  Beaverbrook's  Daily  Express  is 
reflected  in  its  comment :  "Let  nobody 
have  any  doubt  that  under  Wilson's 

{Continued  on  page  4) 


Are  Issued  by 
Supreme  Court 

Clear  Way  for  Further 
Proceedings  in  Cases 

Washington,  June  2.  —  The 
Supreme  Court's  mandates,  giving 
effect  to  its  recent  decisions  in  the 
Paramount  and  Schine  cases,  were 
dispatched  from  here  yesterday  to  the 
New  York  and  Buffalo  Federal  Dis- 
trict courts. 

With  their  receipts  by  those  courts, 
probably  tomorrow,  the  way  will  be 
cleared  for  further  proceedings  in  the 
two  cases. 

The  high  court's  mandate  in  the 
Griffith  case  was  delayed  by  pressure 
of  court  work  and  did  not  go  out 
today.  Indications  are  that  it  will  be 
issued  tomorrow. 

Next  move  in  the  Paramount  case 
is  likely  to  be  the  filing  of  the  Gov- 
ernment's motion  for  hearing  of  *a 
proposed  order  based  on  the  Supreme 
Court  decision.    Defendants  have  been 

{Continued  on  page  5) 


MGM  Distribution 
For  Enterprise  Set 

The  long-anticipated  deal  whereby 
Enterprise  will  distribute  world-wide 
through  M-G-M  has  been  closed.  The 
contracts  provide  for  four  pictures, 
three  of  which  are  set,  including  "No 
Minor  Vices"  with  Louis  Jourdan, 
Dana  Andrews  and  Lilli  Palmer ; 
"Tucker's  People,"  which  is  in  pro- 
duction with  John  Garfield,  Margaret 
Pierson  and  Thomas  Gomez,  and 
"Wild  Calendar,"  slated  for  produc- 
tion this  month  or  next. 

Enterprise's  six-picture  deal  with 
UA  on  the  domestic  distribution  side 
and  Loew's  International  on  the  for- 
eign washes  up  with  "Tennessee's 
Partner,"  which  Harry  Sherman  will 
launch  in  mid-September.  Joel  Mc- 
Crea  will  star. 


Britain  Rejects  '48 
Ticket  Tax  Relief 


London,  June  2. — Chances  of  relief 
from  Britain's  heavy  admission  taxes 
this  year  ended  today  as  Glenville 
Hall,  financial  secretary  of  the 
Treasury',  told  the  House  of  Commons 
during  debate  on  the  new  finance  bill 
that  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  Sir 

{Continued  on  page  4) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  3,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


ARTHUR  W.  KELLY,  United 
Artists  executive  vice-president, 
and  Paul  N.  Lazarus,  Jr.,  advertis- 
ing-publicity director,  are  due  back 
here  from  Hollywood  over  the 
weekend. 

• 

William  A.  Scully,  Universal-In- 
ternational vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  accompanied  by  John 
C.  Woolf,  joint  managing  director  of 
General  Film  Distributors,  London, 
are  in  Chicago  from  New  York  en 
route  to  Milwaukee  and  Kansas  City 
on  a  tour  of  U-I  exchanges. 
• 

William  Heineman,  Eagle-Lion 
distribution  vice-president,  and  L. 
Jack  Schlaifer,  his  assistant,  will 
return  here  today  from  the  Coast. 
Max  Youngstein,  advertising-pub- 
licity vice-president,  returned  to  New 
York  yesterday. 

• 

David  Skirversky,  20th  Century- 
Fox  booker  and  salesman  in  Boston, 
will  leave  for  Europe  July  9  on  a 
six-months'  leave  of  absence.  Bessie 
Cohen  will  fill  the  post  during  his 
absence. 

• 

Herman  Ripps,  field  assistant  to 
M-G-M  Eastern  sales  manager  John 
P.  Byrne,  is  due  in  New  York  today 
from  Albany,  and  Bob  Lynch,  Phila- 
delphia district  manager,  is  due  here 
from  that  city. 

• 

Elkan  Reiner,  Warner  home  office 
executive,  and  Mrs.  Reiner  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  a  daughter, 
Susan  Wynne,  born  at  Yonkers 
General  Hospital. 

• 

Montague  Salmon,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
managing  director  of  the  Rivoli  Thea- 
tre, New  York,  will  be  graduated 
from  the  U.  S.  Merchant  Marine 
Academy  on  June  14. 

• 

Mary  McGavran,  Ohio  State 
Journal  theatre  editor,  and  Harold 
Koebel,  also  of  the  Journal  staff,  will 
be  married  in  the  fall. 

• 

Maurice  N.  Wolf,  assistant  to 
M-G-M  exhibitor  relations  chief  H. 
M.  Richey,  will  leave  here  tomorrow 
for  Boston. 

• 

Phyllis  M.  Mountford,  Altec  of- 
fice secretary  in  New  York,  and  U. 
S.  Army  Staff  Sgt.  H.  S.  McIntosh 
have  become  engaged. 

• 

Jay  Eisenberg,  M-G-M  legal  and 
sales   department   liaison,   will  leave 
New  York  Sunday  for  Minneapolis. 
• 

Al  Zimbalist,  Film  Classics  ad- 
vertising-publicity director,  is  in 
Cleveland  from  New  York. 

• 

Walter  Klements,  manager  of  the 
Biltmore    Theatre,    Miami,    has  re- 
turned to  his  post  following  an  illness. 
• 

Irving  Allen,  Monogram  produc- 
er-director, will  leave  Hollywood  June 
15  for  Paris. 


Rankin  Asks  Probe 
Of  ERP  Media  Funds 


Washington,  June  2. — Apparently 
completely  unaware  that  the  Euro- 
pean Recovery  Program  legislation 
specifically  earmarked  $15,000,000  to 
pay  production  and  distribution  costs 
of  film  companies,  book  publishers, 
and  other  information  media,  Rep. 
Rankin  of  Mississippi  today  called  for 
a  Congressional  investigation  of  re- 
ports that  these  media  would  get  the 
funds  under  a  bill  which  the  House 
Appropriations  committee  will  report 
tomorrow. 

Rankin  quoted  on  the  House  floor 
newspaper  reports  that  the  committee 
will  vote  the  $15,000,000  in  subsidies, 
and  declared  that  "if  this  is  true,  it 
certainly  is  an  outrage  and  should  be 
investigated  at  once." 

Testimony  by  the  State  Depart- 
ment's J.  Noel  Macy  on  the  use  of  the 
guaranty  will  be  released  by  the  com- 
mittee tomorrow  along  with  the  bill. 


Earmark  $28,000,000  for  Overseas 
Program  of  State  Department 

Washington,  June  2.  —  House- 
Senate  Appropriations  Committee 
conferees  have  decided  to  give  the 
State  Department's  overseas  informa- 
tion program  only  $28,000,000  for  op- 
erations during  the  coming  fiscal  year. 
This  is  the  figure  originally  voted  by 
the  House,  and  is  $1,600,000  less  than 
that  voted  by  the  Senate,  and  $6,400,- 
000  less  than  that  asked  by  the 
President. 


Hershfield  Is  Head 
Of  UJA  Drive  Unit 

Harry  Hershfield  has  been  appoint- 
ed chairman  of  the  columnists  com- 
mittee of  the  amusement  industry's 
campaign  for  the  United  Jewish 
Appeal.  The  committee  will  initiate 
its  activities  on  June  17  at  a  luncheon 
at  the  Hotel  Astor  here  which  will  be 
sponsored  by  Moss  Hart  and  George 
S.  Kaufman  for  the  legitimate  theatre 
and  allied  fields. 


MPAA,MPEA  Boards 
Meet  Here  Monday 

Meetings  of  the  boards  of  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  and 
Motion  Picture  Export  Association 
are  scheduled  to  be  held  here  on  Mon- 
day. Eric  A.  Johnston  is  expected 
in  New  York  from  Washington  to 
preside  at  the  meetings. 


Huston-Spiegel  Set  First 

Hollywood,  June  2 — Horizon  Pro- 
ductions, newly-formed  John  Huston- 
Sam  Spiegel  organization,  has  signed 
Jennifer  Jones  and  John  Garfield  to 
star  in  its  first  production  which 
will  be  released  through  Columbia, 
based  on  one  of  the  stories  in  Robert 
Sylvester's  "Rough  Sketch." 


Danzigers  Filming  First 

Edward  J.  and  Harry  L.  Danziger, 
owners  of  Eastern  Sound  Studios  here, 
foreign-language  dubbers  for  some  of 
the  majors,  are  producing  "Jig  Saw" 
in  Metropolitan  New  York,  without 
using  any  sets  or  studio  space.  Fletch- 
er Markle  of  CBS,  is  directing. 


Mullin  Plugs  the 
Leaks  at  M.  and  P. 

Boston,  June  2. — Martin  J. 
Mullin,  M  and  P  Theatres 
head  has  ordered  all  execu- 
tive office  doors  closed  at  all 
times  to  keep  all  important 
matters  from  leaking  out. 
This  also  includes  the  tele- 
phone operators'  room. 


Gehring  to  Resume 
Survey  of  the  Field 

Continuing  a  survey  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox branches,  W.  C.  Gehring, 
assistant  general  sales  manager,  will 
leave  here  today  on  a  two-week  tour 
of  the  South,  spending  the  weekend 
in  Charlotte,  where  he  will  be  joined 
by  Harry  Ballance,  Southern  division 
manager,  who  will  accompany  him  to 
New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Oklahoma 
City  and  Dallas. 

Gehring  recently  completed  a  sur- 
vey of  the  Central  division  and  will 
continue  his  trips  to  the  company's 
branches. 


Paramount  Meeting 
In  K.  C.  Tomorrow 

Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  accompanied 
by  E.  K.  O'Shea  and  Alfred  Schwal- 
berg  will  leave  here  today  for  a  divi- 
sional sales  meeting  in  Kansas  City 
at  the  Muehlbach  Hotel  tomorrow  and 
Saturday.  Also  attending  will  be  Stan- 
ley Shuford,  Ben  Washer  and  Sid 
Mesibov,  advertising,  publicity  and  ex- 
ploitation managers,  respectively. 


H.  A.  Berg  son  Named 
Successor  to  Sonnett 

Washington,  June  2. — Herbert  A. 
Bergson,  who  has  been  serving  as  ex- 
ecutive assistant  to  Attorney  General 
Tom  Clark,  was  today  named  assis- 
tant Attorney  General  in  charge  of  the 
anti-trust  division  by  President  Tru- 
man. Bergson,  who  has  been  in  the 
Justice  Department  since  1934,  is  suc- 
ceeding John  F.  Sonnett,  who  re- 
signed May  15. 


Miss.  Owners  to  Meet 

Jackson,  Miss.,  June  2. — Annual 
convention  of  the  Mississippi  Theatre 
Owners  has  been  called  for  June  20- 
22  at  the  Buena  Vista  Hotel,  Biloxi, 
it  was  announced  here  today  by  E. 
W.  Clinton  of  Monticello,  secretary- 
treasurer  of  the  organization.  M.  A. 
Connett  of  Newton,  is  president. 


Another  Video  Delay 

Hartford,  June  2.  —  The  Federal 
Communications  Commission  has  post- 
poned television  application  hearings 
in  Hartford  to  August  2.  Three  appli- 
cants for  the  city's  two  channels  are 
Travelers  Broadcasting  Service,  The 
Hartford  Times,  and  Connecticut 
Broadcasting. 


M.  &  P.  House  to  Resume 

Boston,  June  2.  —  M.  &  P.'s  Cri- 
terion Theatre  will  reopen  shortly 
after  a  complete  renovation  due  to  a 
fire  a  few  years  ago. 


Paramount  Reissues 
DeMille's  'Crusades' 


Cecil  B.  DeMille's  "The  Crusades," 
first  released  in  1935,  has  been  reis- 
sued by  Paramount.  It  now  runs  126 
minutes,  a  one-and-a-half  minute  pro- 
logue having  been  added,  consisting 
of  newsreel  clips  of  current  fighting 
in  the  Holy  Land,  with  a  narration  by 
DeMille.  As  a  religious  spectacle  of 
fire,  sword  and  lavish  costumr^ 
"The  Crusades"  holds  up  well  by  i~~  f. 
rent  picture-making  standards.  Staf1- 
ring  are  Loretta  Young  and  Henry 
Wilcoxon. 

A  review  in  Motion  Picture  Daily 
on  August  2,  1935,  said  that  the  film 
"gives  exhibitors  super  de  luxe  en- 
tertainment," and,  "DeMille  has  cre- 
ated one  of  the  biggest  box-office 
grossers."  M.  H. 


Miss  Jean  Lightman 
To  Be  Wed  on  Sunday 

Memphis,  June  2. — Jean  Lightman, 
daughter  of  M.  A.  Lightman,  Sr., 
Malco  Theatres  president,  and  Mrs. 
Lightman,  will  be  married  here  on 
Sunday  to  Herbert  Raymond  Levy, 
son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Levy  of 
New  York. 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Lightman,  Jr.,  will  be 
matron  of  honor.  Groom  will  be  at- 
tended by  his  father,  as  best  man,  and 
by  M.  A.  Lightman,  Jr.,  and  Richard 
Lightman,  brothers  of  the  bride. 


Shaw  and  Fine  to  "M.C" 

Hartford,  June  2. — Harry  F.  Shaw, 
Loew's  Poli  circuit  division  manager, 
and  Hy  Fine,  district  manager  for 
M.  and  P.  Theatres,  will  be  masters- 
of-ceremonies  at  the  Hotel  Bond  June 
9  testimonial  dinner  in  honor  of  Rube 
Lewis,  business  manager  for  the  past 
25  years  of  Local  No.  84,  IATSE. 
Lewis  is  also  stage  manager  of  Loew's 
Poli  Palace.  Richard  Walsh,  president 
of  IATSE,  will  attend. 


Scoppa  Recuperating 

Sal  J.  Scoppa,  business  agent  of 
IATSE  New  York  motion  picture  stu- 
dio mechanics  Local  No.  52  and  a 
member  of  City  Commerce  Commis- 
sioner Edward  C.  Maguire's  industry 
coordinating  committee,  is  recuperat- 
ing at  his  home  here  from  a  heart 
attack.  His  duties  at  the  local  have 
been  taken  over  temporarily  by  re- 
cording secretary  Edward  Muller. 


Rathbone  in  Equity  Post 

Basil  Rathbone  has  been  elected 
third  vice-president  of  Actors  Equity. 
Elected  council  members  to  serve  for 
five  years  were :  Sidney  Blackmer, 
Edith  Atwater,  Erin  O'Brien-Moore, 
Eddie  Nugent,  Barbara  Robbins, 
Clay  Clement,  Ann  Thomas,  Bill 
Rose,  Edith  Meiser  and  Loring 
Smith. 


Thad  Barrows  Dead 

Boston,  June  2. — A  heart  attack 
today  brought  death  to  Thad  Barrows, 
chief  projectionist  at  the  Metropolitan 
Theatre  here  since  1925.  He  was  a 
past  president  of  the  Boston  operators' 
local. 


MOTION  PICTLRE  DAILY  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherw.n  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
>.ew  York.  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kar.n,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer-  Leo  J.  Brady  Secretary 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative-  Timmy  Ascher 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl  Hope  Burnup  Manager '  Peter  Burnup' 
Editor;  cable  address,  Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York  N  Y  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


IN  COLOR  8V 


JACK 


JANIS 


DON 


a  sea  breeze/  Hp 


DORIS 


TKe 


A  NEW  DAY  FOR  THE 
SINGING.  DANCIN6  SCREEN 
A  marvelous  new  personality  I 

Mh  OSCAR  s  Z 

LEVANT  *  SAKALL 

FORTUNIO  BONANOVA 

DIRECTED  BY 

MICHAEL  CURTIZ 

PRODUCED  BY 

ALEX  GOTTLIEB 
MICHAEL  CURTIZ 

PRODUCTION 

Screen  Play  by  Julius  J.  4  Philip  G.  Epstein 
Additional  Dialogue  by  I.  A.  I.  Diamond 
Musical  Numbers  orchestrated 
and  conducted  by  Ray  Heindorf 

WARNED  BROS. 
PICTURES 

RELEASE 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  3,  1948 


German  Exhibition 
Staging  Comeback 

By  H.  ZU  LOEWENSTEIN 

Berlin,  May'  30  (By  Airmail). — 
With  the  opening  of  its  70th  theatre, 
Hamburg  now  has  a  total  seating 
capacity  of  almost  31,000  and  is  re- 
gaining its  pre-war  position.  In  1943, 
the  city  had  100  theatres. 

Within  one  week,  Munich  reopened 
its  40th  and  41st  theatres.  In  the 
Rhineland,  Duesseldorf  is  developing 
into  the  main  film  metropolis.  Its  two 
most  recently  opened  theatres  seat  800 
and  1,500,  respectively. 

A  new  center  of  the  industry  is  de- 
veloping at  Goettingen  in  the  British 
zone.  In  the  past  18  months,  three  new 
studios  have  been  built  under  the  su- 
pervision of  the  Goettingen  production 
company,  Filmaufbau-Gesellschaft.  The 
studios  will  be  leased. 

The  Motion  Picture  Export  Asso- 
ciation is  meeting  with  increasing  com- 
petition from  the  British  Eagle-Lion. 
"Caesar  and  Cleopatra"  is  a  sweeping 
success  in  many  of  the  principal  cities 
and  towns  of  the  American  zone.  A 
large  number  of  other  Eagle-Lion  pic- 
tures are  being  shown  or  will  be 
shown :  "The  Years  Between,"  "The 
Overlanders,"  "Great  Expectations," 
"The  Wicked  Lady,"  and  othert. 


11 

m 

I 
1 


1 


1 


United's  DC-6 
Mainliner  300 
onestop  flight 

Leave  New  York  12:15 
pm,  arrive  Los  Angeles 
(Lockheed  Air  Termi- 
nal) at  8:25  pm. 

Fares  are  surprisingly 
low.  Flights  operate  on 
Standard  Time. 

UNITED 

AIR  LINES 

NEW  YORK  &  BROOK- 
LYN: Call  Murray  Hill 
2-7300. 

NEWARK:  Call  Market 
2-1122  or  an  authorized 
travel  agent. 


Si: 


POINT  OF  SALE 

ADVERTISING 


Colorful  -  Self  Adhesive  -  Cellophane,  processed 
in  Rolls.  Easy  to  buy  -  Easy  to  apply  -  used  foe 
Packaging -  Point  of  Sale  advertising  -  Parts  mark- 
ing   and    Aircraft    Wire    terminal    ident  i6cat  ion. 

TOPFLIGHT  TAPE  CO.  -  YORK,  PA. 


Britain  Rejects 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Stafford  Cripps  has  agreed  to  discus- 
sions between  the  Cinematograph  Ex- 
hibitors Association  and  government 
officials  later  this  year  to  examine  the 
practicability  or  desirability  of  making 
changes  in  the  tax  for  the  1949  budget. 

Exhibitors  were  hopeful  of  some  re- 
lief this  year  after  a  conference  with 
Cripps  last  week  during  which  the 
latter  expressed  sympathy  with  the 
predicament  of  some  theatres. 

Representing  Cripps  at  the  finance 
bill  debate  today,  Hall  rejected  the 
proposal  for  admission  tax  relief  this 
year.  Admitting  that  it  is  necessary 
to  watch  the  case  of  the  smaller  ex- 
hibitors, Hall  claimed  that  the  larger 
circuits  still  are  doing  well.  He  said 
he  is  satisfied  that  the  tax  currently 
does  not  militate  against  the  industry's 
prosperity. 

A  CEA  delegation  had  told  Cripps 
that  many  small  theatres  have  been 
operating  at  a  loss  which  could  be 
converted  to  a .  profit  by  a  slight 
change  in  the  admission  tax. 


U.  K.  Press 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


bargain  Americans  have  regained  the 
power  and  right  to  destroy  British 
film  making." 

The  authoritative  Manchester  Guar- 
dian comments  on  the  significant  note 
attached  to  yesterday's  published  text 
of  the  agreement  stating  that  discus- 
sions are  still  proceeding  on  interpre- 
tation of  the  settlement,  saying  that 
implies  that  an  agreement  has  not  yet 
been  reached  by  Wilson  and  Eric 
Johnston,  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  president.  The  Guardian 
remarks  on  the  trade's  growing  impa- 
tience over  the  outcome  of  the  con- 
tinuing discussions. 

Brendan  Bracken's  Financial  Times 
makes  the  acid  remark  that  "As  both 
parties  speak  what  in  essence  is  the 
same  language,  the  results  of  their  de- 
liberations seem  to  have  been  marked 
by  a  singular  lack  of  precision." 

It  is  felt  here  that  earlier  publica- 
tion of  the  agreement  might  have 
eased  the  present  situation. 


Mexicans  Charge 
Discrimination 

Mexico  City,  June  2.  —  Asserting 
that  film  friction  between  Argentina 
and  Mexico  is  steadily  worsening, 
with  boycotting  and  discrimination 
fast  driving  Mexican  pictures  from 
Argentinian  screens,  the  National 
Cinematographic  Commission  has 
asked  the  Mexican  government  to  take 
diplomatic  action  in  the  case,  telling 
the  government  that  while  Argen- 
tinian pictures  enjoy  full  facilities  in 
Mexico,  where  their  exhibition  is 
good,  all  obstacles  short  of  total  pro- 
hibition are  being  put  in  the  way  of 
Mexican  pictures  in  the  Argentine. 


Await  Myers'  Ideas 
On  British  Junket 

Suggestions  concerning  arrange- 
ments for  independent  exhibitors  to 
visit  British  studios  and  theatres, 
preferably  this  summer,  at  the  invita- 
tion of  J.  Arthur  Rank  are  expected 
from  Abram  F.  Myers,  chairman  and 
general  counsel  of  Allied  States,  with- 
in the  next  two  weeks,  according  to 
Robert  Benjamin  and  Jock  Lawrence 
of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization 
here,  who  conferred  with  Myers  in 
Washington  on  the  matter  recently. 


Eire  Reduces  Tax, 
Uruguay  Increases 


Washington,  June  2.  —  The  Irish 
government  has  cut  its  entertainment 
tax  and  the  Uruguay  government  has 
effected  an  increase,  Nathan  D. 
Golden,  Commerce  Department  film 
consultant  reports. 

Eire  removed  the  additional  tax 
which  it  imposed  in  January,  assuring 
a  continuing  strong  market  for  films 
in  Ireland  with  the  U.  S.  maintain- 
ing its  pre-eminent  position. 

Golden  reports  that  normal  imports 
of  U.  S.  films  into  Ireland  have  been 
resumed,  following  the  British-Amer- 
ican tax  settlement.  He  points  out 
that  Ireland  gets  its  films  from  Brit- 
ish subsidiaries  of  U.  S.  firms  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  got  no  new 
American  films  while  the  embargo  to 
Britain  was  in  effect.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  more  than  92  per  cent  of 
the  films  imported  into  Ireland  in 
1947  were  Hollywood  productions. 

Uruguay's  10  per  cent  tax  on  tick- 
ets costing  from  .50  peso  to  one  peso 
and  the  IS  per  cent  tax  on  tickets 
costing  more  than  one  peso  have  been 
retained,  but  there  is  now  also  a  one 
centesimo  tax  on  tickets  costing  up 
to  .30  peso,  two  centesimos  on  tickets 
costing  up  to  .40  peso,  and  three  cen- 
tesimos on  tickets  up  to  .50  peso.  This 
is  the  first  time  low-priced  admissions 
have  been  taxed  in  Uruguay. 


Nova  Scotia  Will 
Not  Increase  Tax 

Ottawa,  June  2. — Premier  Angus 
Macdonald  of  Nova  Scotia  has  indi- 
cated that,  though  the  Canadian  gov- 
ernment has  abandoned  the  20  per 
cent  war-time  amusement  tax,  there 
will  be  no  new  amusement  tax  in  his 
province  this  year. 

Likewise,  it  is  understood  that  Que- 
bec may  not  increase  its  own  10  per 
cent  amusement  tax,  as  some  prov- 
inces contemplate  doing. 


$840,000  for  Theatres 

Ottawa,  June  2.  —  The  Canadian 
government  reports  that  contracts 
awarded  throughout  the  nation  for  the 
construction  of  theatres  totaled 
000  during  April. 


Stock  Transactions 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


of  4  per  cent  cumulative  preferred 
debentures. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Yates 
transactions,  which  were  consummated 
earlier,  the  report  covers  the  period 
from_  March  11,  1948,  to  April  10. 
Trading  was  fairly  heavy  in  compari- 
son with  previous  months. 

At  Paramount,  Austin  Keough  gave 
away  1,000  shares,  leaving  him  with, 
only  500  shares.  At  Columbia,  Jzfy?: 
Cohn  trusts  sold  500  shares,  droppiV.r< 
holdings  to  23,619  shares.  Cohn  him- 
self held  47,969  shares.  A.  Mon- 
tague sold  300  shares,  dropping  his 
holdings  to  8,032  and  warrants  for 
10,426  shares.  A.  Schneider  gave 
away  700  shares  to  the  Schneider 
Foundation,  leaving  him  with  11,979 
shares. 

Loew's,  Inc.,  bought  71  more  shares 
of  Loew's  Boston  Theatres  common, 
boosting  its  holdings  to  123,104. 
Monogram's  Norton  V.  Ritchey  sold 
1,800  shares  of  his  firm's  common, 
dropping  his  total  to  5,954. 

At  20th  Century-Fox,  Wilfred 
Eadie  and  Donald  Henderson  each 
bought  100  shares,  bringing  their  hold- 
ings to  101  and  110  shares,  respec- 
tively. Universal  director  Ottavio 
Prochet  sold  100  shares  of  common, 
leaving  him  with  100  shares  and  war- 
rants for  1,011. 

There  was  considerable  activity  in 
Trans  Lux  Corp.  common.  Norman 
W.  Elson  bought  2,000  shares  to  bring 
his  holdings  to  2,900;  A.  D.  Erickson 
boosted  his  holdings  to  1,400  shares 
with  the  purchase  of  a  block  of  800 ; 
Emil  Friedlander,  who  resigned  as 
director  March  30,  sold  500  shares, 
leaving  him  with  2,000 ;  Percival  E. 
Furber  bought  1,000  shares,  for  a 
total  of  2,800;  Aquila  Giles  bought 
700  for  a  total  of  900 ;  J.  Whitney  Pe- 
terson bought  500  for  a  total  of  2,000, 
and  Edwin  G.  Lauder,  Jr.,  sold  5,000 
shares,  leaving  him  with  5,000. 


New  Cleveland  Theatre 

Cleveland,  June  2.  —  P.  E.  Essick 
states  that  the  new  1,800-seat  May- 
land  Theatre  which  he  and  his  asso- 
ciates, Howard  Reif  and  J.  S.  Jossey 
are  building,  will  be  completed  late 
thus  summer,  at  a  cost  close  to  $500,- 
000. 


BULLETS!  WOMEN! 

CAN'T  STOP  A  MAN 
LIKE  HIM! 


w  m  m 


Blasting  the  screen  with  thatT-MEN  fury! 

An  EDWARD  SMALL  Production  •  An  Eagle  Lion  Films  Release 

Prints  at  all  Eagle-Lion  Exchanges  available  for  booking  immediately. 


mi : 


Thursday,  June  3,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Key  City  Grosses 


tp  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
JL  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


PHILADELPHIA 


hiladelphians  who  stayed  home 
during  the  holiday  weekend  seemed  to 
prefer  "All  My  Sons"  at  the  Earle. 
"Silver  River"  also  did  well,  while 
"Lady  from  Shanghai,"  "Homecom- 
ing" and  "Mourning  Becomes  Elec- 
tra"  are  faring  nicely  in  the  holdover 
class.  Estimated  receipts  for  the  week 
ending  June  1-3  : 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)— EARLE  (3.C0G) 
(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross:  $32,500. 
(Average:  $24,300) 

ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA)— BOYD  (3,000) 

(50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)    4th   week.  Gross: 

$15,900.     (Average:  $23,100) 

THE     BIG     CLOCK     (Para.)— ARCADIA 

(900)      (50c-60c-74c-8Oc-85c-94c)     2nd  run. 

Gross:  $5,200.    (Average:  $6,000) 

FOUR   FACES    WEST    (UA) — STANTON 

(1,300)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).    Gross:  $9,- 

800.    (Average:  $11,900) 

GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (ZOth- 
Fox) — FOX  (3,000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c). 
Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $20,400) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)— STANLEY  (3,- 
000)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  3rd  week. 
Gross:  $24,600.  (Average:  $20,500) 
I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)- 
KEITH  (2,200)  (50c-e0c-74c-8Cc-85c-°4c)  5 
days.  Gross:  $4,500.  (Average:  S6,100) 
LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.) — KARL- 
TON  (1,CC0)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c)  3rd 
week.  Gross:  S13.C00.  (Average:  $12,000) 
MOURNING  BECOMES  ELECTRA  (RKO 
Radio)— ALDINE  (900)  (50c-6Oc-74c-80c-85c- 
94c)  3rd  week.  Gross:  $13,200.  (Average: 
$13,200) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB) — MASTBAUM  (4.- 
700)  (50c-60c-74c-80c-85c-94c).  Gross:  $28,- 
500.    (Average:  $27,800) 

STATE    OF    THE    UNION  (M-G-M)- 

GOLDilAN  (1,400)  (50c -60c -74c -80c -85c -94c) 
5th  week.  Gross:  $16,000.  (Average:  $22,- 
400) 


DENVER 


Three-day  holiday,  which  tied  in 
with  heavy  rain  and  hail  on  Sunday, 
took  a  heavy  toll  from  grosses.  "Out 
law"  is  getting  a  fourth  week  at  the 
Broadway.  Estimated  receipts  for  the 
week  ended  May  27-28 : 

FOREIGN  CORRESPONDENT  (Associat 
ed)    arid   SILVER   QUEEN  (Associated) 

TABOR   (1,967)    (35c-74c)   7   davs.  Gross 

$6,000.     (Average:  $8,000) 

HAZARD  (Para.)— D'ENHAM  (1,750)  (35c 

70c)    7    days.      Gross:    $9,500.  (Average 

$11,00) 

IRON  CURTAIN  (ZOth-Fox)  and  13  LEAD 
SOLDiERS  (2<Hh-Fox)  —  RIALTO  (878) 
(35c-74c)  7  days,  after  a  week  at  the  Den 
ver.  Esquire,  Webber  and  Aladdin.  Gross: 
$2,000.  (Average:  $2,000) 
LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)  and 
HEART  OF  VIRGINIA  (Rep.) — DENVER 
(2,525)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  day-and-date  with 
the  Webber.  Gross:  $12,000.  (Average: 
$13,000) 

LADY     FROM    SHANGHAI     (Col.)  and 


HEART  OF  VIRGINIA  (Rep.)— WEBBER 
(/50)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  day-and-date  with 
the  Denver.  Gross:  $2,000.  (Average: 
$2,000) 

MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)  and  MA- 
DONNA OF  THE  DESERT  (Rep.) — ES- 
QUIRE (742)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  day-and- 
date  with  the  Paramount.  Gross:  $2,000. 
(Average:  $2,000) 

MATING  OF  MILLIE  (Col.)  and  MA- 
DONNA    OF     THE     DESERT  (Rep.)— 

PARAMOUNT  (2,200)  (35c-74c)  7  days, 
day-and-date  with  the  Esquire.  Gross:  $9,- 
000.    (Average:  $10,000) 

OUTLAW  (U  A)— BROADWAY  (1,500) 
(35c-74c)  7  days,  3rd  week.  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $7,000) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  and  TRAPPED 
BY  BOSTON  BLACKIE  (Col.)— ALAD- 
DIN (1,400)  (35c-74c)  7  days,  after  a  week 
at  the  Denver,  Esquire  and  Webber. 
Gross:  $2,500.  (Average:  $2,500) 
SUMMER  HOLIDAY  (M-G-M)  and 
BURNING  CROSS  (SG)— ORPHEUM  (2.- 
600)  (35c-74c)  7  days.  Gross:  S13.500. 
(Average:  $13,500) 


THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)— LYRIC 
(1,100)  (S0c-70c;  7  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
S5.10O.  (Average:  S5,500) 
THREE  DARING  DAUGHTERS 
(M-G-M)— RADIO  CITY  (4,000)  (50c-70c) 
7  days.    Gross:  $12,500.    (Average:  $17,000) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


BUFFALO 


The  last  two  weeks  have  been  list- 
less here,  probably  because  of  nice 
weather.  "Homecoming"  was  best  at 
the  Buffalo.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  June  5  : 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO'  Radio)  and 
SMART  POLITICS  (Mono.) — TWENTI- 
ETH CENTURY  (3,000)  (40c-50c-60c-70c)  7 
days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  S8,000.  (Average: 
$15,000) 

FULLER  BRUSH  MAN  (Col.)  and 
WRECK    OF    THE    HESPERUS  (Col.)— 

LAFAYETTE  (3,000)  (40c -50c -60c -70c)  7 
days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average: 
$15,000) 

HOMECOMING     (M-G-M)  —  BUFFALO 
(3,489)     (40c-50c-60c-70c)    7    days.  Gross: 
$19,500.     (Average:  $18,000) 
SUMMER      HOLIDAY      (M-G-M)  and 
COUNTERFEITERS      (20th-Fox)  —  TECK 
(1,500)   (40c-50c-60c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $3,800.    (Average:  $5,500) 
UNCONQUERED      (Para.)— GREAT 
LAKES    (3.000)    (40c-50c-60c-70c)    7  days. 
Gross:  $13,200.    ((Average:  $17,000) 
WOMAN  IN  WHITE  (WB)  and  ARGYLE 
SECRETS  (FC)— HIPPODROME  (2,100) 
(40c-50c-60c-70c)     7    days.      Gross:  58,600. 
(Average:  $10,000) 


MINNEAPOLIS 


Business  was  slow  all  along  the 
line  as  the  holiday  weekend  had  the 
city  almost  deserted.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  June  4: 
BELLE  STARR  (20th-Fox) — GOPHER  (1,- 
000)  (44c-50c)  7  days.  Gross:  $3,500.  (Av- 
erage: $3,500) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)— STATE  (2,- 
300)  (50c-70c)  7  days.  Gross:  $7,500.  (Av- 
erage: $11,800) 

FCRT   APACHE    (RKO    Radio)    —  RKO 

ORPHEUM     (2.800)      (50c-70c)     7  davs. 
Gross:  $13,000.    (Average:  $14,000) 
RIVER   LADY   (U-I)— RKO   PAN  (1,500) 
(50c -70c)  7  days.    Gross:  $7,000.  (Average: 
$8,800) 

SITTING  PRETTY  (ZOth-Fox)  —  CEN- 
TURY (1,500)  (50c-70c)  7  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $5,8C0.     (Average:  56,100) 


The  long  weekend  failed  to  revive 
first-run  business  here.  "Homecom- 
ing" is  the  only  attraction  with  an  im- 
pressive box-office  take  this  week.  It 
will  hold  over  at  Loew's.  Outdoor 
weather  and  the  500-mile  race  on 
Decoration  Day  took  the  crowds  away 
from  theatres.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  June  1-2 : 

THE  GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING 
(20th-Fox)  and  13  LEAD  SOLDIERS  (ZOth- 
Fox) — CIRCLE  (2.8C0)  (44c-65c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)— LOEW'S  (2,- 
450)  (44c-65c)  7  days.  Gross:  S18,000.  (Av- 
erage: $11,000) 

I  REMEMBER  MAMA  (RKO  Radio)— IN- 
DIANA  (3.200)    (44c-65c)    7   days.  Gross: 
$12,000.    (Average:  S12.000) 
PANHANDLE  (AA)  and  ROCKY  (Mono.) 

—LYRIC  (1.600)  (44c-65c)  7  days.  Gross: 
56,000.    (Average:  56,000) 

SHAGGY  (Para.)  and  CLOSE-UP  (ED- 
KEITH'S  (1,300)  (44c-65c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$3,000.    (Average:  $4,500) 


Hearings  on  Cohen's 
Trust  Suit  June  15 

Federal  Judge  Alfred  C.  Coxe  yes- 
terday signed  an  order  postponing  un- 
til June  15  hearings  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  on  motions  made  by  the 
Max  A.  Cohen  enterprises  and  Anco 
and  Anwell  Amusement  corporations, 
in  the  $1,800,000  triple-damage  anti- 
trust suit  filed  against  RKO  Radio, 
20th  Century-Fox  and  Warners.  Hear- 
ings were  scheduled  for  yesterday. 


Two  Mandates 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


i  msn  pa 

I  TErXAS*^ 

and 

HEAVEN" 


sent  from  UA 


$2,000  'Fanny'  Opener 

Siritzky  -  International's  French- 
made  "Fanny"  grossed  $2,000  on  its 
opening  day,  last  Monday,  at  the 
1,300-seat  Exeter  in  Boston,  the  Sirit- 
zky office  here  reports.  This  contrasts 
with  a  gross  of  $2,000  estimated  for 
the  current  week's  engagement  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily's  Boston  cor- 
respondent. 


Competition  in  Boston 

Boston,  June  2.  —  Forty-six  night 
baseball  games  will  be  played  at  Fen- 
way Park  and  Braves  Field  here  this 
summer.  Exhibitors  say  the  games  will 
cut  heavily  into  grosses.  Average  at- 
tendance at  night  games  is  about 
30,000. 


U-I  Sales  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


home  office  will  be  Fred  Meyers,  F.  J. 
A.  McCarthy,  C.  J.  Feldman,  James  J. 
Jordan,  E.  L.  McEvoy,  Jack  Huber, 
Milton  M.  Schneiderman,  Ray  Coyle 
and  Frank  Mooney.  Eastern,  Middle 
Western  and  Southern  district  man- 
agers in  attendance  will  include  John 
J.  Scully,  David  Levy,  Dave  Miller, 
P.  F.  Rosian,  J.  E.  Garrison,  M.  M. 
Gottlieb  and  P.  T.  Dana. 

Advertising  and  promotion  plans  on 
forthcoming  U-I  releases  will  be  dis- 
cussed by  Maurice  A.  Bergman,  East- 
ern advertising-publicity  director. 


Philadelphia  Premiere 

"So  This  Is  New  York"  will  have 
its  world  premiere  in  Philadelphia  at 
the  Earle  Theatre  on  June  24,  United 
Artists,  distributors  of  the  Enterprise 
film,  announces.  Henry  Morgan 
makes  his  first  screen  appearance  in 
the  film  which  also  features  Rudy 
Yallee  and  Hugh  Herbert. 


notified  that  the  Government  will  seek 
a  June  15  hearing  on  the  proposed 
order  and  have  been  asked  to  send 
their  objections  to  the  Department  of 
Justice  on  its  contents. 

The  order,  of  course,  cannot  em- 
brace those  phases  of  the  case  which 
the  Supreme  Court  remanded  to  the 
lower  court  for  reconsideration.  It 
must  adhere  to  the  issues  already  de- 
cided by  the  Supreme  Court. 


Salesmen  Named 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


er  that  territory  for  their  companies, 
allegedly  giving  them  an  advantage  in 
inducing  the  distributor  defendants  to 
grant  them  first-run  preference  for 
the  theatres  which  they  operate.  Dis- 
crimination in  clearance,  percentage 
and  playing  time  is  charged. 

The  plaintiff  is  represented  by  the 
New  York  law  firm  of  Isseks,  Meyers 
and  Yerdon  and  by  Robert  Sher  of 
this  city. 


Shuberts  Lose  Appeal 

The  ruling  upholding  Columbia's 
use  of  the  Winter  Garden  settings  in 
"The  Jolson  Story"  was  affirmed  yes- 
terday by  the  Appellate  Division  of 
the  State  Supreme  Court  in  the  suit 
brought  by  the  Shuberts. 


B.&K.  House  to  Schivyn 

Toledo,  June  2. — Carl  Schwyn  will 
take  over  the  Paramount  Theatre  on 
July  1  from  Balaban  and  Katz.  He 
will  retain  Marvin  Harris  as  man- 


From  PARAMOUNT^ 

6 


United  Artists' 


executives  have,  in  the  last 
few  days,  shown  Howard  Hawks1  "Red  River'' 
to  the  leading  film  buyers  of  the  Southwest. 
These  showmen  agree  unanimously  and 
without  reservation  that  "Red  River"  will  take 
its  place  in  motion  picture  history  beside  such 
epics  as  "The  Covered  Wagon"  and  "Cimarron". 


The  Southwest  today  — 
tomorrow  the  whole  industry  will  know  that 


us  moving 


f 


V/(?^63.  NO.  108 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JUNE  4,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


See  Companies 
Using  Bids  on 
'Larger  Scale' 

Levy  Tells  UTOI  Meet 
Trade  Upheavals  Coming 

By  JIMMY  ASCHER 

LaSalle,  111.,  June  3. — Predic- 
tion that  competitive  bidding  will 
be  used  by  distributors  "on  an  even 
larger  scale  than  heretofore"  was 
made  by  Herman  Levy,  general  coun- 
sel of  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  in 
analyzing  "special  aspects"  of  the 
Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Para- 
mount case  at  the  annual  convention 
of  United  Theatre  Owners  of  Illinois 
here  today. 

Levy  was  accompanied  here  by  Gael 
Sullivan,  new  TOA  executive  director, 
who  made  his  first  official  appearance 
in  the  industry  in  that  capacity. 

Pointing  out  that  despite  the  Su- 
preme Court's  disapproving  views  of 
competitive  bidding,  that  selling  sys- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Skouras  Cites  Video 
As  Revenue  Source 


San  Francisco,  June  3. — Final  wit- 
ness at  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission  television  hearings  here 
last  night  was  Spyros  P.  Skouras, 
20th  Century-Fox  president,  who  tes- 
tified his  company  is  interested  in  tele- 
vision primarily  as  a  potential  source 
of  additional' revenue.  If  its  applica- 
tion is  granted  by  the  FCC,  Skouras 
said,  his  company  plans  to  erect  a 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Film  Rentals  Are  Off 
6%  to  7%:  Balaban 

Boston,  June  3. — Asserting  that  big- 
pictures  do  not  mean  much  at  the  box 
office  at  present,  Barney  Balaban, 
Paramount  president,  said  here  today 
that  film  rentals  are  off  six  to  seven 
per  cent.  He  pointed  out  that  British 
films  do  not  do  business  in  this  coun- 
try and  said  that  Paramount  will  not 
make  many  pictures  in  Britain. 

Television  eventually  will  affect  the 
theatre  business,  he  said,  intimating 
that  the  new  medium  is  not  a  very 
important  competitive  factor  at  present. 


Columbia  to  Meet  in 
New  York,  Chicago 

Columbia  has  scheduled  two 
five-day  sales  meetings.  A. 
Montague,  general  sales  man- 
ager, will  preside  at  both. 

First  will  be  at  New  York's 
Warwick  Hotel  on  Monday 
through  Friday.  Second  is 
scheduled  for  June  14-18,  at 
the  Drake  Hotel,  Chicago. 
Home  office  executives  and 
branch  and  district  managers 
will  attend. 


House  Unit  Slashes 
ERP  Media  Fund 
By  $5,000,000 


Washington,  June  3. — The  House 
Appropriations  Committee  today  sliced 
from  $15,000,000  to  $10,000,000  the 
funds  that  the  European  Cooperation 
Administration  can  use  to  guarantee 
film  firms  and  other  information 
media,  convertibility  of  costs  of  send- 
ing motion  pictures,  books,  newspapers 
and  magazines  into  Marshall  Plan 
countries.  The  committee  also  ordered 
the  FCA  to  stretch  the  funds  through 
June  30,  1949,  instead  of  April  3,  1949. 
The  original  European  Recovery  Pro- 
gram bill  authorized  information 
media  to  get  a  full  $15,000,000  for  the 
first  year  of  ECA  operation. 

The  slice  in  the  information  funds  is 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


$50  MILLIONS  ARE 
BLOCKEDJOHNSTON 


UA  Meet  Discusses 
UK  Pact,  Decision 


Hollywood,  June  3. — Implications 
of  the  U.  S.  industry's  pact  with  Great 
Britain  to  end  the  ad  valorem  tax  and 
of  the  recent  Supreme  Court  decision 
with  respect  to  United  Artists  were 
canvassed  today  by  UA  president 
Gradwell  L.  Sears  at  a  meeting  with 
the  company's  contributing  producers. 
He  declined  to  comment  on  whether 
Howard  Hughes'  acquisition  of  RKO 
would  entail  withdrawal  of  Hughes' 
completed  product  from  United  Artists 
release. 

In  a  report  on  his  observations  dur- 
ing his  recent  trip  abroad,  executive 
vice-president  Arthur  W.  Kelly  dis- 
closed that  the  company  is  hoping  to 
re-enter  the  Holland  market. 

Sears  also  declined  to  comment  on 
reports  that  M-G-M  will  take  over 
domestic  distribution  of  Enterprise 
product  previously  carried  by  UA. 

[Finalization  of  the  M-G-M  deal 
with  Enterprise  was  announced  yester- 
day.—Editor's  Note.] 

Sears  and  Kelly  will  leave  here  by 
plane  tomorrow  for  New  York,  while 
Paul  Lazarus,  Jr.,  advertising-pub- 
licity vice-president,  will  remain  here 
through  Tuesday. 


Theatre  Video  Pickups 
By  Approval  Only:  NBC 


Theatres  will  not  be  permitted  to 
pick  up  National  Broadcasting's  tele- 
casts for  commercial  usage  on  then- 
screens  without  an  agreement  with  the 
network.  Sidney  Strotz,  NBC's  tele- 
vision administrative  vice-president  as- 
serted here  yesterday.  Details  of  such 
an  agreement  have  not  been  deter- 
mined, he  added. 

Eventually,  he  said,  the  issue  will 
have  to  be  fought  out  in  the  courts. 
Strotz  pointed  out,  however,  that  he 
"did  not  say  television  deals  could  not 
be  made  with  theatres."  Strotz,  who 
replaces  Frank  Mullen,  resigned,  will 
divide  his  time  between  New  York 
and  Hollywood. 


Strotz  said  that  no  theatre  has  ap- 
proached NBC  for  permission  to  use 
its  telecasts.  As  to  product,  he  de- 
clared that  NBC  has  been  "approached 
by  practically  everyone  in  Hollywood 
to  make  films,"  but  prices  are  too 
high. 

He  called  Hollywood  "a  natural 
production  center  for  television  be- 
cause of  its  wealth  of  talent,"  and 
added  that  it  would  be  a  rival  to  New 
York  in  video  production.  Strotz  esti- 
mated that  NBC  will  have  Coast-to- 
Coast  television  in  1953. 

He  also  revealed  that  the  company's 
stations  in  Cleveland,  Chicago  and 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Sees  No  Improvement  in 
Foreign  Situation;  Not 
Considering  Censor  Test 


Washington,  June  3. — Motion 
Picture  Association  president  Eric 
Johnston  indicated  today  that  the 
film  industry  now  has  more  than 
$50,000,000  blocked  overseas. 

There's  about  $18,000,000  blocked 
in  France  alone,  Johnston  estimated, 
and  another  $3,000,000  in  Italy. 

Other  Johnston  statements  at  a 
trade  press  luncheon  included : 

The  whole  foreign  situation  is  in 
many  respects  worse  than  it  was  a 
year  ago,  and  certainly  no  better. 

He  has  given  "no  consideration"  to 
an  MPAA  suit  challenging  local  cen- 
sorship laws  on  the  basis  of  the  "free- 

(Continned  on  page  3) 


UK  Rental  Parley 
Hits  A  Deadlock 


London,  June  3. — The  Cinemato- 
graph Exhibitors  Association  and 
Kinematograph  Renters  Society  joint 
committee  has  opened  discussions  on 
possible  lower  rental  terms  for  small 
exhibitors,  but  a  deadlock  has  ap- 
peared already. 

CEA  is  pressing  to  have  the  number 
of  theatres  qualifying  for  "special 
rental  treatment"  increased  and  asks 
that  identification  of  such  houses  be 
on  the  basis  of  a  maximum  weekly 
gross  income  average  of  150  pounds 
($600)  instead  of  125  pounds  ($500), 
as  at  present. 

KRS,    however,    has    submitted  a 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


O  g  den  Exhibitors 
Get  50%  Tax  Cut 

Salt  Lake  City,  June  3. — Indica- 
tive of  the  relief  that  can  be  gained 
from  high  wartime  taxes  when  a  con- 
certed appeal  by  local  exhibitors  con- 
vinces municipal  authorities  that  such 
relief  is  essential,  the  city  of  Ogden, 
second  largest  in  Utah,  has  reduced  its 
annual  theatre  license  levy  50  per  cent, 
from  $400  to  $200. 

Ted  Kirkmeyer  of  Fox-Intermoun- 
( Continued  on  page  3) 


WAR  m  WSMk  ° 


in  July  and  August 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  June  4,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


SPYROS  P.  SKOURAS,  20th 
Century-Fox  president,  accompa- 
nied by  his  executive  assistant,  Lem 
Jones,  returned  here  yesterday  from 
San  Francisco. 

• 

Charles  D.  Prutzman,  Universal 
vice-president  and  general  counsel,  is 
at  State  College,  Pa.,  for  the  30th  re- 
union of  his  Penn  State- class  and  the 
graduation  of  his  son,  Charles  D., 
Jr.,  from  the  college  this  weekend. 
The  son  will  enter  Yale  Law  School 
next  fall. 

• 

Preston  L.  Hickey,  assistant  to 
Arthur  De  Bra,  MPAA  community 
relations  director,  has  become  a  grand- 
father with  the  birth  of  a  son  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  James  B.  Hickey  in  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

Robert  W.  Chambers,  director  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  research  department,  and 
Mrs.  Chambers,  have  become  parents 
of  their  second  son,  Thomas  Heath. 
• 

Ed  Hinchy,  Warner  home  office 
playdate  department  head,  is  due  in 
Chicago  and  will  visit  Milwaukee  be- 
fore returning  to  New  York  on 
Monday. 

• 

Sally  Fairbanks,  daughter  of  R.  D. 
Fairbanks,  Altec  branch  manager  in 
Boston,  and  Major  Lloyd  Patch  of 
Brockton,  Mass.,  were  married  last 
weekend. 

• 

David  A.  Lipton,  Universal-Inter- 
national studio  coordinator  of  adver- 
tising and  promotion,  returned  to  the 
Coast  yesterday  from  New  York. 
• 

Orton  H.  Hicks,  director  of 
Loew's  International's  16mm.  depart- 
ment, is  due  back  here  tomorrow  from 
London. 

• 

William    R.    Ferguson,  M-G-M 
exploitation  director,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  a  Maine  vacation. 
• 

Alfred  Hitchcock  is  due  here  from 
London  over  the  weekend  en  route  to 
the  Coast. 

• 

David  Horne,  Film  Classics  for- 
eign sales  manager,  will  leave  here  to- 
day for  a  tour  of  South  America. 
• 

William  Cacney  has  left  here  for 
Hollywood. 


AM  PA  Induction  Set 
For  Next  Thursday 

The  32nd  annual  installation  lunch- 
eon of  the  Association  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Advertisers,  for  1948-49  officers, 
headed  by  Max  E.  Youngstein,  and 
induction  of  new  members  will  be  held 
next  Thursday  in  the  Hotel  Astor 
here. 

Phil  Williams,  outgoing  acting 
president,  will  introduce  Youngstein. 
Other  officers  are:  David  Blum,  vice- 
president  ;  Harry  McWilliams,  trea- 
surer; Evelyn  Coleman,  secretary. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


*TpHE  facts  are  accumulating. 

While  not  in  sufficient  vol- 
ume to  draw  hard  and  fast  con- 
clusions, enough  are  on  hand  to 
justify  these  paragraphs. 

RKO  Radio  has  rounded  out 
plans  for  "Battleground,"  a 
story  of  the  famous  Battle  of  the 
Bulge.  Dore  Schary  views  it  as 
early  as  now  as  one  of  his 
regime's  outstanding  attractions 
next  year.  Washington  official- 
dom is  cooperating. 

M-G-M  has  in  work  "Com- 
mand Decision,"  a  celluloid  ver- 
sion of  the  Broadway  stage  hit. 
Clarke  Gable  stars.  This  will 
make  two  in  a  row  about  the 
war  with  him.  "Homecoming," 
beginning  to  bite  deeply  into 
first-run  time  now  around  the 
country,  is  capturing  heavy 
grosses  in  its  early  engage- 
ments. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  will 
have  "Twelve  O'Clock  High," 
also  based  on  the  exploits  of  the 
Eighth  Air  Force. 

With  the  blessings  and  active 
cooperation  of  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment, Warner  is  committed  to 
"Task  Force,"  based  on  the  his- 
tory of  naval  aviation.  Jerry 
Wald,  the  producer,  and  Delmer 
Daves,  the  director  of  "Destina- 
tion Tokyo"  and  "Pride  of  the 
Marines,"  again  are  teamed  for 
this  enterprise. 

The  same  studio  already  has 
in  work  "Fighter  Squadron," 
hopefully  viewed  by  the  manage- 
ment at  Burbank  as  a  saga  of 
the  Army  Air  Force  in  Techni- 
color. 

■ 

All  of  these  projects  do  not 
pretend  to  be  anything  but  what 
they  are.  They  are  stories  about 
World  War  II,  on  and  over  the 
fields  of  battle  where  guns 
roared  and  men  on  both  sides 
died.  In  these  days  of  Holly- 
wood's pronounced  leaning 
toward  the  semi-documentary  in 
treatment,  it  seems  an  easy  fore- 
cast to  venture  that  they  will  be 
hard-hitting  and  perhaps  even 
calloused  in  their  realisms  and 
brutalities. 

The  war  is  returning  as  a 
significant  facet  of  next  year's 
entertainment  beyond  any 
doubts. 

■ 

There  should  be  no  surprise 
in  this.  At  least,  there  is  none 
in  this  corner,  where  for  some 
time  the  unflinching  opinion  has 
been  that  big  attractions  dealing 
with  the  late  conflict  would  not 
be  blocked  by  the  passage  of 
time.     The  event  was  too  big, 


too  world-shaking  and  too  per- 
sonal with  incalculable  millions 
to  have  outlived  its  dramatic 
value  simply  because  the  cycle 
was  overdone  the  first  time 
around. 

The  parallel  between  the  first 
World  War  and  the  second  ac- 
tually conveys  the  pattern.  It 
has  to  be  remembered,  too,  that 
"The  Big  Parade"  and  "All 
Quiet  on  the  Western  Front," 
the  two  distinguished  films  of 
the  first  embroilment,  were  pro- 
duced years  after  the  din  of 
battle  had  quieted.  "The  Big 
Parade"  smashed  through  in 
1925.  It  was  five  years  later 
before  "All  Quiet"  reached  its 
first  theatre  date. 

History  does  not  always  re- 
peat itself,  but  here  is  one  in- 
stance in  which  we  daresay  it 
will. 

■  ■ 

When  New  York  City  License 
Commissioner  Benjamin  Field- 
ing joins  Loew's  the  end  of  the 
month,  he  will  operate  initially 
on  a  roving  assignment.  First, 
he  has  to  learn  what  makes  mo- 
tion pictures  move.  Thereafter, 
as  Loew's  has  stated,  he  will 
concern  himself  with  matters 
where  his  experience  in  finance, 
administration  and  economics 
apply. 

The  company  might  have  add- 
ed economies,  too. 

■  0 

Latest  quirk  in  exhibition 
comes  out  of  Boston,  where  the 
"Canoe-In  Theatre"  appears  to 
be  in  the  throes.  Audiences 
would  sit  in  canoes,  instead  of 
seats.  Canoes  would  be  parked 
in  Maple  Cove,  in  the  Charles 
River,  near  Waltham.  Shorts 
on  16mm.  would  comprise  the 
two-hour  show. 

No  information  on  whether 
customers  would  have  to  pass  a 
swimming  test. 

■  ■ 

Harry  L.  Gold — "I  read  you 
regularly,"  says  he  fortunately 
— reports  that  UA  had  a  "Mr. 
Robinson  Crusoe"  in  1932.  Add- 
ed to  RKO's  in  1928,  that  makes 
Hedda  Hopper  wrong  twice. 
She's  been  saying  Metro's  pro- 
posed version  of  the  Defoe 
classic  would  be  the  first  on  film 
or  stage. 

■  ■ 

Telephone  Piece:  "Morning, 
Gus.  How's  the  boss  of  Rocke- 
feller Center  today  ?" 

Eyssell,  rejoining:  "He's  fine. 
But  just  don't  tell  him  your 
lights  are  out  or  the  elevator 
service  isn't  so  hot." 


'Cavalcade  of  Stars' 
Staged  at  the  Garden 

The  1948  "Cavalcade  of  Stars"  was 
staged  at  Madison  Square  Garden  here 
last  night  with  stars  of  screen,  stage 
and  radio  participating.  Proceeds  will 
go  to  the  Shield  of  David  Home  for 
Orphan  Girls  in  the  Bronx. 

Chairman  of  the  event  was  New- 
York  Supreme  Court  Justice  Samuel 
Dickstein.  The  committee  in  charge  of 
the  production  was  headed  by  Rusfll 
Markert,  stage  producer  of  Radicle1  / 
Music  Hall  here. 


'Regards'  Premiere 
In  Boston  June  IS 

Twentieth-Fox  has  scheduled  a 
series  of  key  city  day-and-date  open- 
ings of  "Give  My  Regards  to  Broad- 
way" to  be  held  on  June  16  to  sup- 
port the  world  premiere  of  the  film 
on  that  day  at  the  RKO  Memorial 
Theatre,  Boston.  Premiere  was  set 
back  from  June  9. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


-RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 

Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 

in   THE  PIRATE" 

Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


rnuL&i i l 

GODDARD 

MACDONALD 

CAREY.  <A 


TRIO 


Mer/e       Xb6erf      Chrfes  fhuf 

OBERON  •  RYAN  •  KORVIN  •  LUKAS 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURE  BRQADw"  "(ft^?/*^/ 


greatest  star- 
i IJy^ljJ 'II  I'M  andrsong-showl 


Released  thru  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


DANA  ANDREWS  •  GENE  TIERNEY 

"THE  IRON  CURTAIN" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture 
PLUS  ON  STAGE 

ED  SULLIVAN 

his   DAWN   PATROL  REVUE 

=ROXY  7thAV6& 


50th  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kar.n,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
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Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;,  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  June  4,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Rosenberg  Will  Make 
Picture  on  His  Own 


Plans  for  his  first  solo  effort  as  a 
:  producer  were  disclosed  here  yester- 
day by  Frank  P.  Rosenberg.  The  film, 
"Night  Cry,"  based  on  a  novel  by 
William  L.  Stuart,  will  be  made  by 
the  former  Columbia  advertising-pub- 
licity director  under  the  firm  name  of 
Colony  Pictures,  of  which  he  is  presi- 
dent. Rosenberg  said  the  picture  will 
be  Wgeted  at  about  $900,000,  and  is 
scTZT^ed  to  start  in  the  fall,  with 
ex.  ^rs  to  be  shot  in  New  York. 
Rosenberg's  initial  venture  in  pro- 
.  duction  was  "Man  Eater  of  Kumaon," 
:  by  Jim   Corbett,   British   hunter.  A 
Universal-International    release,  the 
adventure  film,  produced  by  him  in 
:  association  with  Monty  Shaft,  is  ten- 
■  tatively  set  to  have  its  world  premiere 
at  the  Winter  Garden  here  on  July  1. 
Rosenberg  disclosed  that  the  produc- 
tion cost  $700,000,  which  was  under  its 
budget. 

Balaban  Honored  for 
Fostering  Goodwill 

Boston-,  June  3. — A  citation  for  his 
contribution  to  goodwill  through  his 
activities  in  behalf  of  the  Freedom 
Train  was  awarded  to  Barney  Bala- 
ban, Paramount  president,  here  to- 
night at  the  annual  dinner  of  the 
Massachusetts  Committee  of  Catho- 
lics, Protestants  and  Jews,  held  at  the 
Hotel  Statler. 

"The  greatest  threat  of  Communism 
lies  not  on  a  military  battleground  but 
in  the  hearts  of  our  people,"  he  as- 
serted. "As  long  as  we  have  faith  in 
ourselves  and  cling  to  our  heritage  of 
freedom,  then  no  power  can  destroy 
our  way  of  life.  Give  us  hearts  that 
are  sound,  hearts  that  beat  to  the  tra- 
ditional rhythm  of  America — and 
we'll  take  Stalin  in  stride  as  we've 
taken  Hitler  and  Mussolini." 


Skouras  on  Video 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

transmitter  on  Mount  Tamalpais  and 
a  $1,000,000  studio  adjoining  the  Fox 
Theatre  on  Market  Street  here. 

In  discussing  television  as  a  poten- 
tial new  revenue  source,  Skouras  re- 
vealed that  20th-Fox  grossed  $140,- 
000,000  and  netted  $14,000,000  in  film 
and  theatre  income  last  year,  com- 

|   pared  to  $190,000,000  and  $22,000,000, 

I    respectively,  in  1946. 

Other  applicants  for  the  single  tele- 
vision channel  to  be  allocated  here  are 
Television  California,  owned  by  Ed- 
win Pauley ;  Paramount,  Columbia 
Broadcasting  and  Oakland's  Station 
KROW. 


Theatre  Video 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Hollywood  will  be  on  the  air  by  mid- 
October  ;  the  first  of  the  three  NBC 
sound  stages  leased  from  RKO  Pathe 
here  will  be  in  operation  by  July; 
and  NBC  can  process  film  programs 
to  be  shipped  in  one  day.  Strotz  an- 
nounced that  a  national  television  film 
distribution  organization  is  "being  pur 
together  at  the  moment." 


M err itt  -  Altec  Deal 

Birmingham,  June  3. — Frank  V. 
Merritt  of  Community  Theatres  here 
has  signed  a  service,  sound  and  booth 
parts  contract  with  Altec  for  the 
Woodlawn,  East  Lake  and  Avondale 
theatres  in  Birmingham,  the  North 
Birmingham  in  that  city  and  the  Tar- 
rant in  Tarrant  City,  Ala.  Elmer 
Dedels  negotiated  for  Altec. 


Johnston 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

dom  of  the  press"  passage  in  the  Su- 
preme Court's  Paramount  opinion,  and 
thinks  that  in  view  of  other  imminent 
problems,  such  a  case  would  be  "put- 
ing  the  cart  before  the  horse." 

American  film  firms  will  not  pro- 
duce more  than  12  films  a  year  in 
Britain  for  the  next  two  or  three 
years. 

$90,000,000  Remitted  Last  Year 

The  industry  got  about  $90,000,000 
in  remittances  last  year  and  will  get 
"much  less  than  that"  this  year. 

Statements  of  British  officials  on 
what  American  companies  could  do 
in  the  U.  K.  with  unremitted  sterling 
have  been  "far  more  restrictive  than 
we  contemplated  but  that  doesn't  mean 
we'll  settle  that  way.  Bargainers  al- 
ways ask  for  more  than  they  get." 

The  motion  picture  industry  has 
been  going  through  a  readjustment 
period  for  the  last  few  months  that 
other  industries  are  just  reaching  or 
will  not  reach  for  another  year. 

Motion  picture  salaries  are  still  too 
high. 

He  will  leave  for-  France  "sometime 
very  soon"  to  participate  in  the  rene- 
gotiation of  the  Blum-Byrnes  accord. 

Extension  of  the  Reciprocal  Trade 
Agreements  Act  in  its  present  form  is 
extremely  important  for  the  film  in- 
dustry in  the  long  run. 

Will  Call  Parley  on  Video 

He  hopes  to  call  a  conference  of 
company  heads  in  two  or  three  months 
to  go  over  the  entire  television  pic- 
ture as  it  affects  the  industry. 

Johnston  was  asked  if  our  blocked 
funds  have  not  now  reached  propor- 
tions where  there'  is  little  chance  of 
recovering  large  amounts  of  them. 

"If  the  European  Cooperation  Ad- 
ministration functions  as  it  must,"  he 
stated,  "then  in  three  or  four  years  it 
is  possible  we  will  begin  liquidating 
some  of  these  sums.  As  far  as  for- 
eign sales  are  concerned,  the  motion 
picture  industry's  chief  hope  is  the 
economic  rehabilitation  of  the  world." 

He  estimated  that  it  would  be  Sep- 
tember or  October  before  the  British 
tax  agreement  is  finally  clarified  and 
'  interpreted. 

'First  Things  Come  First' 

Johnston  declared  that  he  did  not 
know  of  any  individual  company  that 
was  planning  to  challenge  local  cen- 
sorship in  the  courts,  and  declared  he 
felt  "first  things  come  first."  He  list- 
ed the  foreign  situation,  better  films, 
public  relations  and  labor  as  four 
"imminent"  problems  which  should 
receive  attention  before  the  censorship 
issue  is  fought. 

Opportunities  for  growth  in  the 
motion  picture  industry  are  as  great 
as  ever,  Johnston  declared.  He  said 
the  industry  was  through  a  depres- 
sion "perhaps  ahead  of  other  indus- 
tries and  may  find  itself  in  a  better 
position  later  than  other  industries." 
He  said  he  did  not  expect  the  film  in- 
dustry "to  go  down  much  farther" 
from  the  war  peaks. 


Get  50%  Tax  Cut 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tain  Theatres,  headed  a  delegation  of 
theatre  owners  to  a  meeting  with  the 
City  Commission  which  heard  the  ex- 
hibitors' appeal  for  a  cut.  Drive-in 
theatre  expansion  and  reduced  theatre 
attendance  were  given  as  the  reasons 
for  seeking  a  lower  levy. 


1947  -  48  Product  Is 
The  Poorest:  Yamins 

Boston,  June  3.— Nate  Yam- 
ins  of  Fall  River,  New  Eng- 
land independent  exhibitor 
leader,  states  that  in  the 
many  years  he  has  been  in 
the  business  never  has  he 
seen  such  poor  product  as 
that  produced  for  the  1947-48 
season. 

Yamins  was  one  of  the  first 
exhibitors  to  fight  against 
the  former  block  booking  sys- 
tem, the  elimination  of  which, 
exhibitors  claimed  at  the 
time,  would  improve  product. 


Ambassador  to  Make 
Feature  in  Austria 

Eugen  Sharin,  former  European 
sales  chief  for  Eagle-Lion  and  now 
president  of  the  newly-formed  Am- 
b'assador  Films,  has  completed  ar- 
rangements for  making  a  feature  film 
in  English  in  Vienna  in  August.  It 
will  be  titled  "Time  Table  for  Love," 
with  Steven  Vas  doing  the  script. 

Back  from  a  European  visit,  Sharin 
also  has  acquired  Western  hemisphere 
rights  for  television  as  well  as  theatre 
exhibition  for  two  short  subjects.  He 
brought  the  films  back  from  Europe 
but  will  not  distribute  them  himself. 


MPEA  Directors  To 
Meet  Next  Friday 

Washington,  June  3. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Export  Association  directors  will 
meet  next  Friday,  June  11,  not  next 
Monday  as  originally  announced, 
MPEA  president  Eric  Johnston  said 
here  today.  He  declared  that  the  di- 
rectors will  go  over  the  general  for- 
eign situation,  and  spend  considerable 
time  on  the  British  problem. 

Johnston  said  he  hoped  to  be  able 
to  squeeze  an  MPAA  board  meeting 
in  Friday  afternoon. 


ERP  Fund  Cut 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

a  considerable  blow  to  the  film  indus- 
try, which  gave  the  State  Department 
figures  indicating  it  hoped  to  get 
about  _  $4,500,000  from  the  guaranty 
provision,  for  operations  in  14  Mar- 
shall Plan  nations,  excluding  the 
United  Kingdom  and  Ireland. 

Since  the  totals  sought  by  the  vari- 
ous information  media  came  to  close 
to  $21,000,000  in  the  first  place,  it  was 
obvious  all  along  that  each  media 
would  have  to  be  cut  some  for  the 
total  to  come  within  $15,000,000.  Now 
with  the  latest  appropriations  commit- 
tee action,  a  further  sharp  cut  in  the 
film  industry's  share  is  in  sight.  The 
exact  amount  will  depend  on  whether 
the  House  Committee's  action  is 
changed  any  on  the  House  floor  or  in 
the  Senate,  and  how  the  administrator 
divides  up  the  guaranty  melon. 

There  will  probably  be  some  fight- 
ing on  the  House  floor  for  the  full 
$15,000,000  but  probably  an  even 
stronger  movement  to  cut  the  infor- 
mation funds  back  further.  The  Sen- 
ate, however,  would  be  more  likely  to 
vote  the  full  sum. 

Members  of  the  House  Rules  Com- 
mittee yesterday  were  openly  hostile 
to  the  information  funds  provision, 
some  favoring  complete  elimination  of 
the  _  section.  They  charged  that  the 
section  was  a  device  for  repaying  pro- 
Marshall  Plan  papers  and  magazines 
for  supporting  the  Administration. 


UK  Rentals  Parley 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

counter  proposal  calling  for  elimina- 
tion of  the  identification  by  a  gross 
limit  and  substitution  of  a  new  prac- 
tice whereby  complaining  exhibitors 
disclose  their  books  to  the  KRS.  Ex- 
hibitors have  refused  to  agree  to  this, 
claiming  it  would  be  an  infringement 
of  their  trading  rights. 

Meanwhile,  KRS  has  undertaken  to 
consider  the  CEA  proposal,  but  it  is 
understood  that  there  is  little  likeli- 
hood of  its  adoption  while  exhibitors 
persist  in  their  present' mood. 


m 


Look  Out  For  A 


From  PARAMOUNT 


4 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  June  4,  1948 


UTOI  Meet 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


tem  is  not  illegal.  Levy  said  "it  is 
false  security  for  exhibitors  to  feel  it 
will  not  be  employed  by  some  dis- 
tributors and  that  it  will  not  be  called 
for  by  some  exhibitors."  He  said  that 
in  order  to  avoid  anti-trust  charges 
of  monopoly,  distributors  may  resort 
to  the  system  in  self-defense. 

He  reiterated  an  earlier  warning 
that,  under  the  decision,  the  New  York 
District  Court  has  the  right  to  evolve 
some  other  selling  system,  but  that 
would  not  develop  for  some  time  and, 
meanwhile,  competitive  bidding  could 
be  employed. 

Block  Booking  'Still  Possible' 

Levy  also  pointed  out  that  block 
booking  still  is  possible  even  though 
compulsory  block  booking  has  been 
outlawed. 

"Exhibitors  may  purchase  in  groups 
or  blocks  if  they  wish  to,  and  if  dis- 
tributors are  agreeable  and  provided, 
further,  that  in  the  particular  group 
or  block  in  question  there  has  been  no 
conditioning  of  one  picture  upon  any 
other,"  he  added. 

Predicting  widespread  changes  in 
clearances,  Levy  said  many  exhibitors 
are  not  yet  "conscious  of  the  prob- 
lem." The  difficulty  of  distributors 
hewing  to  the  line  of  what  is  "reason- 
able" clearance,  he  said,  offers  "one 
of  the  greatest  litigation  potentials 
ever  visited  upon  the  industry." 

"Many  clearances  of  long  standing 
will  suffer  an  upheaval,"  Levy  said, 
adding  that  "it  is  reasonable  to  as- 
sume that  clearances  granted  by  the 
several  companies  will  vary.  Uniform- 
ity and  fixedness  of  clearance  are 
things  of  the  past." 

Levy  concurred  with  views  of  nu- 
merous other  industry  members  that 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  will  en- 
courage "substantial  construction  of 
theatres  by  those  who  feel  they  are 
now  guaranteed  a  particular  run  or  a 
split  of  product."  He  warned  that 
suits  over  arbitrary  refusal  of  run 
will  join  as  a  defendant  the  exhibitor 
enjoying  the  run  in  question. 

Sees  Many  Runs  'Disturbed' 

He  said  the  court's  pronouncements 
on  the  latter  subject  "may  very  well 
disturb  runs  in  many  situations  that 
have  been  enjoyed  by  exhibitors  for 
years." 

Sullivan,  who  was  sole  speaker  at 
the  banquet  this  evening,  cited  a  num- 
ber of  forthcoming  pictures  "that 
combine  good  entertainment  with 
good  citizenship,"  including  "State  of 
the  Union,"  "Emperor  Waltz,"  "The 
Iron  Curtain,"  "The  Pirate"  and  "An- 
other Part  of  the  Forest." 

"The  factual  and  realistic  films  of 


1  OF  COURSE 

M  P 

TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 

and 


sent  from  UA 


Review 


Coroner  Creek 

(Prod.  Actors  Corp. — Columbia) 

A SOLID  and  reliable  attraction  of  the  early  West  photographed  in  con- 
stantly improving  Cinecolor — that's  "Coroner  Creek,"  adapted  from  a 
Saturday  Evening  Post  novel  by  Luke  Short  and  handled  on  a  scale  that 
befits  the  story. 

Randolph  Scott,  whose  lanky  shanks  fit  well  into  the  saddle  and  whose 
gun-finger  curls  effectively  around  his  six-shooter  trigger,  is  the  lead. 
Marguerite  Chapman,  who  runs  the  hotel  at  Coroner  Creek,  is  the  romantic 
interest  although  she  and  Scott  don't  get  together  until  George  Macready, 
the  heavy,  is  eliminated  and  Scott's  trail  of  vengeance  ends. 

Performances  are  standard,  but  good.  Production  values  are  excellent. 
The  story  has  its  guts.  It  also  has  its  brutality,  such  as  crushing  the  gun- 
hands  of  two  of  the  characters  by  mauling  them  under  foot,  which  is  not 
precisely  essential  to  the  development  of  the  yarn  although  there  is  impact 
in  it. 

Harry  Joe  Brown  produced  and  Ray  Enright  directed,  from  a  screenplay 
by  Kenneth  Garnet.  Reliables  in  the  cast  include  Sally  Eilers,  Edgar  Buch- 
anan, Wallace  Ford  and  Russell  Simpson. 

Runing  time,  90  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Red  Kann 


recent  years  prove  that  it  is  possible 
to  entertain  and  instruct  at  the  same 
time,"  he  declared,  adding  that  war- 
time documentary  films  brought  new 
patrons  to  commercial  theatres. 

Pointing  to  the  "great  strides"  made 
by  theatre  owners  in  construction  of 
theatres,  Sullivan  said  their  aim  is  not 
beauty  alone  but  also  safety.  In  re- 
ply to  a  query,  he  said  that  the  great 
task  for  the  future  of  the  industry  is 
"providing  for  a  nationwide  consump- 
tion of  satisfactory  leisure." 

He  concluded  by  pointing  out  that 
TOA,  seeing  a  changing  panorama  in 
the  entertainment  world  with  the  ex- 
pansion of  television,  is  preparing  to 
meet  that  challenge. 

Earlier,  Edward  Zorn,  UTOI  presi- 
dent, attacked  the  distributors  and 
National  Screen  Service  on  what  he 
called  the  shortcomings  of  trailers  in 
theatres.  "There  is  no  conceivable 
reason  why  the  exhibitor  must  fur- 
nish his  screen  theatre  and  the  audi- 
ence, and' still  pay  National  Screen  for 
an  accessory,"  he  said.  Furthermore, 
he  added,  the  exhibitor  pays  a  consid- 
erable royalty  through  NSS  to  the 
producer  for  advertising  the  latter's 
product.  Praising  TOA  for  its  suc- 
cess in  negotiating  equitable  rates 
with  the  American  Society  of  Com- 
posers, Authors  and  Publishers,  Zorn 
emphasized  that  the  money  Ascap 
"extorts  is  peanuts"  compared  with 
what  the  distributors  collect. 


D.C.  House  Converts 

Washington,  June  3. — Washing- 
ton's only  legitimate  playhouse  now 
operating,  the  National  Theatre,  to- 
day announced  plans  to  become  a  mo- 
tion picture  theatre  in  September.  The 
theatre  management  had  been  notified 
by  Actors  Equity  that  its  members 
will  not  appear  in  plays  at  the  house 
after  Aug.  1  unless  the  management 
changes  its  policy  of  not  admitting 
Negroes. 


Blytheville  Theatre  Burns 

Blytheville,  Ark.,  June  3. — The 
theatre  at  the  air  base  near  here  was 
destroyed  by  fire  yesterday.  Loss  is 
estimated  at  $60,000.  The  theatre  was 
re-opened  May  19  for  public  use  after 
being  closed  when  the  base  was  de- 
activated here.  It  was  under  lease  to 
Erwin  Jones,  Rev.  McQuisiton  and 
James  Fisher. 


Garland  Theatre  Opening 

Little  Rock,  June  3. — Formal  open- 
ing of  the  Garland  Theatre  here,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Floyd  B.  Peek, 
manager,  will  be  held  on  June  8. 


Court  Weighs  Cases 
Of  Lardner,  Scott 

Washington,  June  3. — Contempt  of 
Congress  cases  of  Ring  Lardner,  Jr., 
and  Adrian  Scott  .were  taken  under 
advisement  today  by  Judge  Edward 
Curran.  Trial  record  was  stipulated 
on  the  basis  of  Un-American  Activities 
Committee  hearings  and  the  record  in 
the  John  Howard  Lawson  and  Dalton 
Trumbo  trials.  They  will  be  sentenced 
on  the  basis  of  action  in  the  Lawson 
and  Trumbo  appeals. 

Lardner  and  Scott  were  the  last  two 
of  the  10  defendants  to  have  their 
cases  disposed  of.  Two  have  been  con- 
victed and  six  others  had  their  cases 
taken  under  advisement  earlier  pend- 
ing the  outcome  of  the  Lawson  and 
Trumbo  appeals. 


Capital  Eases  Up 
On  Building  Code 

Washington,  June  3. — Dis- 
trict commissioners  have  ap- 
proved minor  changes  in 
building  code  requirements 
for  theatres,  which  will  cost 
Washington  theatre  owners 
only  about  $50,000.  This  is  re- 
garded as  a  victory  for  the 
owners,  who  fought  proposal^ 
made  by  District  building  ; 
ficials  which  would  have  col. 
$2,000,000. 

A  group  of  owners  worked 
out  the  compromise  with  the 
building  officials. 


5th  -  Walnut  Queries 
Competitor  in  Trial 

Monroe  E.  Stein,  trial  counsel  for 
Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement  Co., 
sought  to  show  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  yesterday  through  exami- 
nation of  Fred  Dolle,  operator  of 
Louisville's  Brown,  Rialto,  Strand  and 
Uptown  theatres,  that  Dolle's  first-run 
houses  have  not  been  getting  maxi- 
mum running  time  value  out  of  films 
supplied  by  distributor-defendants  in 
Fifth  and  Walnut's  $2,100,000  triple- 
damage  anti-trust  action. 

Plaintiff  contends  that  its  National 
Theatre,  Louisville,  could  have  given 
pictures  maximum  running  time  if  it 
had  been  granted  first-run. 

Dolle  testified  yesterday  that  the 
length  of  time  a  picture  remains  at 
his  theatres  depends  on  his  own  dis- 
cretion. Trial  will  resume  today  be- 
fore Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel  and  a 
jury. 


Edward  Lachman 

president, 

Allied  Theatre  Owners 
of  New  Jersey,  and  owner, 
State  Theatre,  Boonton,  N.  J. 
says: 


"WE  HAVE  DISCOVERED,  OVER  THE  YEARS 
THAT  ALTEC  SERVICE  IS  'ON  OUR  SIDE' 


*!  Events  in  recent  years  teach  us 
that  we  have  to  be  vigilant  all 
the  time— not  just  now  and  then 
—about  making  our  theatre  a 
place  people  .prefer  to  come  to 
for  entertainment.  We've  got  to 
make  the  most  of  the  product 
we  show,  and  to  do  so,  we've  got 
to  make  the  most  of  what  people 
hear  as  well  as  what  they  see. 
Over  the  years,  Altec  has  con- 
stantly kept  our  sound  equip- 
ment working  at  top  quality. 
Altec's  only  object  is  to  make 


.ALTEC 


our  theatre  do  a  better  enter- 
tainment job:  it's  no  mere  side 
line  with  them.  Altec  Service  is 
'on  our  side.' " 


Altec  Service,  known  for  its  serv- 
ice "over  and  above  the  contract" 
is  a  vital  ingredient  of  your  thea- 
tre's ability  to  meet  successfully 
the  competition  of  other  forms  of 
entertainment.  An  Altec  Service 
contract  is  the  soundest  long 
term  investment  an  exhibitor  can 
make  today. 


161  Sixth  Avenue 
New  York  13,  N.  Y. 


THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


MOTION  Vltlfi(m£ 

DAILY 


VP  "  S3.   NO.  109 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  JUNE  7,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Gov't's  Notice 
This  Week 
On  Its  Motion 


Defendants  May  Oppose 
Or  Submit  Alternates 


Washington  June  6. — Present 
Justice  Department  plans  are  to 
serve  notice  sometime  this  week  on 
counsel  for  the  Paramount  case  de- 
fendants informing  them  that  the  Gov- 
ernment's proposed  temporary  order 
will  be  submitted  to  Judge  Learned 
Hand  in  New  York  District  Court  on 
June  15. 

Notice  of  a  hearing  must  be  given 
to  other  parties  five  days  in  advance 
of  the  hearing,  so  that  if  the  June  15 
date  is  not  changed,  the  notice  must 
be  served  on  or  before  the  10th. 

Defendants  can  presumably  either 
oppose  portions  of  the  Government 
order  and  offer  alternate  sections  or 
can  offer  an  entirely  different  order. 

Justice  Department  Attorney  Rob- 
ert Wright  said  he  did  not  think  that 
a  third  member  of  the  court  would 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


6IA,'  Sopeg  to  Argue 
At  NLRB  Thursday 


Representatives  of  AFL's  IATSE 
Home  Office  Employes  Local  No. 
H-63  and  CIO's  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employes  Guild  will 
meet  here  before  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  hearing  officer  Arthur 
Younger  on  Thursday  to  present  re- 
spective arguments  in  connection  with 
H-63's  petition  for  a  shop  election  at 
United  Artists'  home  office  where  an 
"overwhelming  majority"  of  the 
"while  collar"  workers  have  renounced 
SOPEG  in  favor  of  "IA"  member- 

(Coniinued  on  page  3) 


Govfs  Case  May 
Get  Judge  Leibel 

U.  S.  District  Court  Judge 
Vincent  L.  Leibel  is  likely  to 
replace  the  late  Judge  John 
Bright  as  a  member  of  the 
three-judge  statutory  court 
assigned  to  the  Paramount, 
et  al,  anti-trust  suit,  it  is 
reported  in  court  circles  here. 
The  other  two  judges  are 
Learned  Hand  and  Henry  W. 
Goddard.  Leibel  is  currently 
hearing  the  Fifth  and  Walnut 
theatre  anti-trust  suit. 


Shortages  Continue 
In  Some  Materials 


Washington",  June  6. — Commerce 
Department  reports  that  production  of 
some  building  materials  took  a  sharp 
upturn  in  March — latest  month  for 
which  the  Department  has  figures — 
but  officials  believe  some  materials 
used  in  theatre  construction  will  con- 
tinue in  tight  supply  throughout  the 
year. 

Toughest  spot,  of  course,  will  be 
steel,  steel  pipe,  and  other  steel  prod- 
ucts. Cuts  in  European  Recovery 
Program  appropriations  may  ease  the 
domestic  situation  a  bit,  but  theatre 
owners  will  probably  continue  to  have 
trouble  in  this  field  for  many  months 
Commerce  officials  discount  talk  of 
cement  shortages  and  believe  these 
may  be  the  result  of  temporary  dis- 
locations following  the  Supreme 
Court  cement  case  decision.  Cement 
production  was  up  nine  per  cent  in 
March  over  February. 

Government  experts  think  theatre 
builders  may  have  to  continue  to  pay 
premium  prices  for  cast  iron  pipe. 


Somervell  May  Head 
UK  Control  Group 


London.  June  6. — R.  G.  Somervell, 
high-ranking  official  of  the  British 
Board  of  Trade,  is  generally  regarded 
here  as  the  most  likely  government 
appointee  to  head  the  all-important 
Control  Committee  which  will  admin- 
ister the  film  tax  agreement,  sched- 
uled to  become  effective  on  Monday. 
June  14. 

F.  W.  Allport.  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  representative 
here,  is  expected  to  be  named  to  the 
committee  as  the  American  member. 
There  is  as  yet  no  indication  of  the 
identity  of  other  members  of  the  com- 
mittee. 

The  Control  Committee  is  expected 
to  reflect  the  authoritative  govern- 
ment viewpoint  on  interpretation  and 
application  of  the  agreement  and  par- 
ticularly in  connection  with  every 
aspect  of  administration  of  the  per- 
mitted uses  of  the  American  com- 
panies' blocked  funds.  Somervell 
played  an  important  behind-the-scenes 
role  in  the  negotiations  leading  up  to 
the  tax  agreement. 


29  Columbia  Sales 
Officials  Meet 


Managers  of  14  Columbia  branches, 
14  home  office  executives,  and  de 
partment  heads,  and  five  division  man- 
agers will  be  present  this  morning  at 
the  Hotel  Warwick,  New  York,  for 
the  opening  of  a  five-day  sales  meet- 
ing, running  through  Friday,  with  A. 
Montague,  general  sales  manager, 
presiding. 

Also  attending  the  meeting  from  the 
home   office   will   be   Rube  Jackter, 

(Continued  on   page  3) 


Opposition  to 
U.S.  Para.  Case 
Order  Likely 

Counsel  Also  Consider 
Filing  Own  Proposals 

Defense  attorneys  in  the  Para- 
mount case  probably  will  oppose 
all  phases  of  the  Government's  pro- 
posed order  with  the  exception  of 
the  non-controversial  issues  disposed 
of  by  the  Supreme  Court  in  its  May 
3  opinion,  it  was  indicated  following 
a  conference  of  defense  counsel  here 
on  Friday. 

Actual  strategy  to  be  employed, 
however,  was  left  in  doubt  when  in- 
timations were  given  that  some  attor- 
neys still  are  considering  the  advisa- 
bility of  preparing  their  own  form  of* 
a  proposed  order  for  court  considera- 
tion. 

Replies  to  the  Government's  pro- 
posed order,  or  a  counter  order  by  the 
defense,  are  due  by  Thursday.  The 
Government  has  proposed  a  June  15 
hearing  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here 
on  the  form  of  order  to  be  entered  in 
the  case. 

In  addition  to  asking  the  entry  of  an 
order  covering  all  issues  decided  by 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Water  in  Theatres  from 
Portland  to  Astoria,  Ore. 


Action  on  ERP  Fund 
Now  Up  to  Senate 

Washington,  June  6. — Hopes  for 
Congressional  appropriation  of  the 
full  515,000,000  convertibility  guaranty 
for  films  and  other  information  media 
under  the  European  Recovery  Pro- 
gram, shifted  to  the  Senate,  as  the 
House  on  Friday  stood  by  the  action 
of  its  appropriations  committee  in 
slashing  funds  sharply. 

However,  information  groups  got 
off  better  than  was  expected,  since 
the  House,  in  a  surprise  vote,  defeated 
by  117-67  a  move  to  cut  all  informa- 
tion funds  from  the  ERP  appropria- 
jjjl-  tions  bill. 


Beiersdorf  Named 
E-L  Division  Chief 

Herman  Beiersdorf  has  been  named 
Southern  division  sales  manager  for 
Eagle-Lion  Films,  effective  immedi- 
ately, by  William  J.  Heineman,  dis- 
tribution vice-president. 

Beiersdorf  will  make  his  headquar- 
ters in  Dallas  and  will  supervise 
Dallas,  New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Char- 
lotte, Oklahoma  City,  Atlanta,  St. 
Louis,  Kansas  City,  Des  Moines, 
Omaha,  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City. 
A  veteran  in  distribution  posts  at  20th 
Century-Fox  and  other  companies, 
Beiersdorf  joined  Eagle-Lion  in 
1947  as  Dallas  manager,  and  later  was 
made  Southwestern  district  manager. 


Portland,  Ore.,  June  6. — The  Pa- 
cific Northwest's  worst  flood  in  dec- 
ades, seriously  affecting  grosses  all 
over  the  area,  has  theatres  submerged 
to  varying  degrees  at  all  points  from 
Portland  to  Astoria  along  the  Colum- 
bia and  Willamette  rivers,  besides 
theatres  in  Woodland,  Kalama  and 
Longview,  Washington,  and  in  many 
sections  of  British  Columbia. 

As  previously  reported,  Ted  Gam- 
ble's Vanport  theatres  were  destroyed 
and  subsequently  the  Amphi-Theatre 
at  Meadows,  Portland,  was  com- 
pletely ruined. 

Exhibitors  plan  a  huge  show  to 
raise  money  for  the  18,000  victims  of 
Vanport  who  lost  their  homes  and 
belongings. 


Variety  Mid-year 
Meeting  Sept.  16-18 


Robert  J.  O'Donnell,  international 
chief  barker  of  Variety  Clubs,  has 
called  the  mid-year  meeting  of  the 
national  canvassmen.  international 
representatives  and  international  of- 
ficers for  September  16-18  at  the 
Statler  Hotel  in  Washington. 

Delegates  will  arrive  in  the  capital 
on  Thursday,  September  16,  and  will 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Music  Hall  Scales 
Now  at  $1.40  Top 

Radio  City  Music  Hall  has  in- 
creased its  night  admission  scale  from 
$1.25  to  a  new  top  of  $1.40,  and  the 
matinee  scale  from  95  cents  to  $1.00. 

The  increases,  first  to  be  made  by 
the  Music  Hali  in  the  past  several 
years,  still  leave  scales  at  the  Rocke- 
feller Center  show  place  lower  than  a 
number  of  other  Broadway  first-run 
houses,  including  some  without  stage 
shows.  Increased  operating  costs  are 
responsible  for  the  boosts,  which  went 
into  effect  with  the  current  engage- 
ment of  "The  Pirate,"  according  to 
Russell  Downing,  executive  vice-presi- 
dent. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  June  7,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


EDWARD  LACHMAN,  president 
of  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of 
New  Jersey,  will  leave  New  York 
for  Paris  on  Wednesday. 

• 

Joseph  A.  McConville,  Columbia 
International  president,  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Conville;  Irving  Pichel,  Claude 
Rains  and  his  wife,  and  Sir  Ralph 
Richardson  and  Lady  Richardson 
are  among  passengers  due  here  today 
from  Europe  on  the  Si'  Queen  Mary. 
• 

Lois  Butler,  star  of  Eagle-Lion's 
"Mickey,"  will  be  accompanied  by 
guests  of  the  company  on  a  sight-see- 
ing cruise  around  Manhattan  Island 
Wednesday  evening,  with  buffet  sup- 
per to  be  served  on  board. 

• 

Edward  F.  O'Connor,  regional  di- 
rector of  the  Far  East  for  Loew's 
International,  is  due  back  in  New 
York  today  from  a  six  months'  tour 
of  his  territory. 

Robert  Seidelman,  son  of  Univer- 
sal-International executive  Joseph  H. 
Seidelman  and  Mrs.  Seidelman,  has 
become  engaged  to  Phyllis  A.  Kent 
of  this  city. 

Al  Horwits,  Eastern  publicity 
manager  of  Universal-International, 
has  gone  to  the  Coast  from  New 
York  for  studio  conferences. 

• 

Mrs.  Howard  Strickling,  wife  of 
M-G-M's  studio  publicity  chief,  will 
arrive  here  from  the  Coast  on  June 
14  en  route  to  Europe. 

• 

Sam  Sherman,  Eagle-Lion  booker 
in  Atlanta,  will  be  married  to  Ann 
Powell  in  that  city  on  June  26. 
• 

Tomas    Flores,    manager    of  the 
Warner  exchange  in  Manila,  arrived 
in  Los  Angeles  over  the  weekend. 
• 

Robert  F.  Pinson,  head  of  Astor 
Pictures  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  has  re- 
turned there  from  New  York. 
• 

Otto  Koegel,  20th  Century-Fox 
general  counsel,  is  due  back  in  New 
York  today  from  Hollywood. 

B.  G.  Kranze,  Film  Classics  gener- 
al sales  manager,  is  due  back  in  New 
York  today  from  Pittsburgh. 

• 

Arthur  Hornblow,  M-G-M  pro- 
ducer, and  his  wife  left  here  over  the 
weekend  for  the  Coast. 

• 

George  Glass,  vice-president  of 
Screenplays,  Inc.,  is  due  here  today 
from  Hollywood. 

Bex  Katz,  Universal-International 
Midwest  publicity  representative,  is 
here  from  Chicago. 

Don  L.  Turner,  Altec  district 
manager  in  Atlanta,  is  in  New  York. 

Bryan  Foy,  Eagle-Lion  producer, 
is  here  from  the  Coast. 


Tradewise . 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


'T'HE  one  thing  on  which  most 
responsible  executives  are 
agreed  in  connection  with  cur- 
rent business  is  that  it  has  failed 
to  measure  up  as  yet  to  expec- 
tations of  a  few  months  ago. 

There  is  no  agreement  on  why 
that  is  so. 

Eric  Johnston  last  week  re- 
ferred to  a  "depression"  in  dis- 
cussing what  has  been  and  is 
happening  to  the  industry.  He 
said  the  industry  was  through 
a  depression  "perhaps  ahead  of 
other  industries  and  may  find  it- 
self in  a  better  position,  later, 
than  other  industries." 

But  is  it  a  depression?  If 
so,  it  bears  little  family  resem- 
blance to  what  was  referred  to 
in  1933-1935  as  a  depression  in 
the  industry.  But  if  it  is  so,  it 
would  seem  necessary  to  revise 
that  much-used  economic  motto, 
"The  industry  is  the  last  to  feel 
a  business  depression  and  the 
first  to  recover." 

• 

There  are  many  who  disagree 
with  Johnston  that  a  depres- 
sion, or  anything  like  one,  con- 
fronts the  industry.  Their  the- 
ories of  what  is  wrong  and  how 
to  cure  it  cover  a  wide  range 
of  territory. 

Some  blame  it  entirely  on 
product,  contending  every  pic- 
ture is  getting  exactly  what  it 
merits  and  if,  in  sum  toto  that's 
not  good  enough,  then  neither  is 
the  product. 

Nathan  Yamins,  veteran  New 
England  independent  exhibitor, 
told  Motion  Picture  Daily's 
Boston  correspondent  last  week 
that  1947-48  product  is  the  poor- 
est he  has  seen  during  his  many 
years  in  theatre  business. 

But  one  is  left  to  wonder 
whether  Yamins  has  been  look- 
ing at  the  product  or  only  at  the 
gross  reports  of  his  theatres,  and 
whether  those  others  who  place 
all  the  blame  on  product  have 
actually  seen  it? 

No  one  will  dispute  the  fact 
that  many  pictures  currently  in 
release  are  inferior  productions 
and  poor  box-office  attractions 
despite  the  high  negative  costs 
attached  to  most  of  them.  It  is 
equally  unsound  to  ignore  the 
many  good  pictures  either  re- 
leased or  on  the  way. 

If  good  attractions  fail  to  pay 
off  at  the  box-office,  the  exhib- 
itor would  do  well  to  examine 
his  own  merchandising  proce- 
dures before  placing  all  of  the 
blame  on  product.  He  might 
find  TOany  a  good  bet  being 
missed ;  many  a  box-office  hit 


being  wasted  merely  because  his 
organization  is  still  living  in 
the  dream  world  of  1945  and 
1946  when  the  only  function 
that  many  an  exhibitor  who  fan- 
cied himself  a  successful  show- 
man performed  was  "unlocking 
his  doors  and  getting  out  of  the 
way  of  the  inrushing  crowd." 

By   and   large,   current  and 
forthcoming   product   is  better 
than  it  was  in  those  days.  But 
has  showmanship  kept  pace? 
• 

Others  will  place  the  blame  on 
high  admission  prices.  They 
are  usually  the  ones  who  are  ac- 
quainted only  with  uniquely  high 
scales,  within  the  confines  of  a 
single  city  or  locality.  They  ig- 
nore completely  the  thousands  of 
first-run  theatres  distant  from 
the  great  metropolitan  areas 
which  today  are  scaled  at  50  and 
65  cents  top  adult,  night  admis- 
sions. Subsequent  runs  in  those 
areas  naturally  are  scaled  down- 
ward from  that  level. 

With  operating  costs  what 
they  are  everywhere  today,  is  it 
reasonable  to  make  a  blanket  in- 
dictment of  admission  prices? 
Many  scales  in  the  largest  of  the 
nation's  cities,  neighborhoods  as 
well  as  first-runs,  are  too  high. 
In  New  York,  in  particular,  they 
are  in  many  instances  high 
enough  to  discourage  patronage 
and  do  discourage  it  to  an  in- 
determinate degree.  But  operat- 
ing costs  are  relatively  higher 
in  New  York  than  elsewhere 
and  even  top  prices  here  cannot 
conveniently  be  reduced  by  any 
appreciable  margin. 

The  evil  of  high  scales  lies  in 
those  relatively  few  operations 
which  exploit  the  public.  Refer- 
ence is  made  to  scales  based  not 
upon  fixed  policy  but  upon  the 
old  carnival  tactic  of  taking  the 
suckers  for  whatever  the  traffic 
will  bear. 

• 

There  appears  no  ready  an- 
swer to  what  is  wrong  with  bus- 
iness and  what  will  cure  it.  High 
living  costs  reduce  the  entertain- 
ment budget,  say  some.  The  in- 
troduction of  new  forms  of  com- 
petitive entertainment  and  the 
better  selling  of  older  forms  are 
hurting  attendance,  say  others. 

Everyone  may  be  right,  at 
least,  in  part.  But  it  would  be 
well  to  remember  that  the  one 
combination  in  show  business 
that  never  has  been  defeated  is 
that  happy  team,  a  good  show 
in  the  hands  of  a  good  show- 
man. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  Columbia  River  flood  and  the 
Palestine  war  mark  newsreel  high- 
lights. Events  around  the'  globe  as  well 
ais  sports  and  human  interest  items 
round  out  the  reels.  Complete  contents 
follow : 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  45.— Some 
100,000  homeless  as  Columbia  River  gets 
on  rampage.  Tel  Aviv  bombed  by  atjj.  In- 
dia: Mahatma  Gandhi  assassin  <  \  -ial. 
Italy:  Marshall  Plan  grain  arrive?011  esi- 
dent  Truman  observes  Memorial  Day. 
James  F.  Byrnes  and  Senator  Vandenberg 
honored  by  Columbia  University.  Auto  rac- 
ing. Boxing. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  279.— UN 
strives  for  truce  to  halt  Palestine  war. 
Marines  sail  for  Europe's  troubled  zones. 
Columbia  University  honors  statesmen.  Ber- 
lin gets  fight  fever.  Indianapolis  speed 
classic.  Northwest's  greatest  flood. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  82.— Pacific 
Northwest  hard  hit  by  raging  flood  waters. 
South  African  election.  Italy  receives  aid 
cargo  from  U.  S.  New  stamp  honors  heroic 
clergymen.  U.  S.  statesmen  honored  at  Col- 
umbia University.  French  fleet  on  review. 
German  boxing. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  149.— Fight- 
ing continues  in  Palestine.  Thousands  home- 
less from  Pacific  Northwest  floods.  First 
ERP  shipments  arrive  in  Greece  and  Italy. 
Columbia  University  honors  statesmen.  Pine- 
apple harvest  in  Puerto  Rico.  German  box- 
ing slugfest. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS.  No.  84. — 

Floods  ravage  Northwest.  Queen  Mary  is 
81  years  old.  Britain  builds  bitsy  bike.  Fish- 
ing census.  Sports:  U.  S.  and  Germany. 
Great  events:  William  Penn's  treaty  with 
the  Indians. 


Arthur  Loew  in  New 
Pact  with  Loew's 

Arthur  Loew,  vice-president  of 
Loew's,  Inc.,  in  charge  of  foreign  dis- 
tribution, who  recently  had  been  re- 
ported to  be  considering  leaving  the 
company  to  engage  in  production,  has 
been  signed  to  a  new  long  term  con- 
tract under  which  he  will  continue  in 
his  present  position. 

Company  officials  declined  to  com- 
ment on  details  of  the  new  pact  but 
it  was  reported  that  a  clause  contained 
in  his  old  contract  permitting  Loew  to 
cancel  it  at  his  option,  has  been 
eliminated  from  the  new  agreement. 


Urges  Boycott  of 
British  Product 

Sons  of  Liberty  Boycott 
Committee,  opening  a  "Boy- 
cott Britain"  campaign  here, 
because  of  British  policy  on 
Palestine,  has  started  to  pick- 
et theatres  showing  British 
films.  Among  the  first  to  be 
picketed  is  the  Trans  Lux 
Eighty-fifth  Street  Theatre 
on  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York,  playing  "I  Know  Where 
I'm  Going,"  where  pickets 
carry  signs  attacking  the 
British. 

Double-spread  newspaper 
advertisements  appearing  in 
New  York  papers  urged  the 
public  not  to  see  British 
films  and  not  to  buy  British 
goods. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kar.n,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Monday,  June  7,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


AA  Will  Not  Road 
Show  'Babe  Ruth' 

Allied  Artists  has  abandoned  con- 
sideration of  a  roadshow  policv  for 
Roy  Del  Ruth's  "The  Babe  'Ruth 
Story."  Decision  was  reached  follow- 
ing discussion  of  the  proposal  at  the 
company's  recent  sales  conferences  in 
Los  Angeles  and  Chicago. 

Recent  Supreme  Court  condemna- 
tion of  film  price-fixing  in  the  Para- 
mount case,  which  outlaws  advanced 
adrr^'Mon  price  policies  for  defendant 
co  .ies,  and  could  be  used  as  a 
precv-^ent  by  exhibitors  against  non- 
defendants  adopting  the  policy,  played 
no  part  in  the  decision  not  to  road- 
show the  "Babe  Ruth"  picture,  AA 
officials  said.  Consensus  was  that  the 
best  marketing  method  for  the  picture 
was  to  release  it  to  exhibitors  in  the 
usual  way,  they  stated. 

N.  J.  TO  A  Meets  in 
Asbury  Park  June  17 

The  New  Jersey  chapter  of  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  America  will  hold 
its  first  annual  convention  at  the 
Berkely-Carteret  Hotel,  Asbury  Park, 
on  June  17.  Presiding  will  be  Maury 
Miller,  president  of  the  chapter. 

Invitations  to  attend  have  been  ex- 
tended to  Robert  W.  Coyne,  retiring 
executive  director  of  the  TOA ;  Gael 
Sullivan,  his  successor  ;  Herman  Levy, 
general  counsel,  and  Stanley  W.  Pre- 
nosil,  assistant  executive  director. 


Tragedy  Interrupts 
Final  UTOI  Session 

La  Salle,  111.,  June  6. — The  meet- 
ing of  the  United  Theatre  Owners  of 
Illinois  was  interrupted  by  tragedy 
here  on  Friday  when  Mrs.  Norma 
Metzger,  30,  jumped  to  her  death 
from  the  roof  of  the  Kaskaskia  Hotel. 
Mrs.  Metzger  was  attending  the  meet- 
ing with  her  husband,  Edward,  affili- 
ated with  the  Kerasotes  theatre  circuit. 
A  suicide  note  was  left. 

Interim  Committees 
For  Video  Council 

Temporary  committees  and  chair- 
men to  function  until  the  election  of 
permanent  officers  of  the  National 
Television  Film  Council  have  been 
named  by  Melvin  L.  Gold,  temporary 
chairman  of  the  NTFC  and  National 
Screen  Service  advertising-publicity 
director.  Committee  chairmen  are : 
Irwin  Shane,  by-laws;  Myron  Mills, 
film  distribution ;  Robert  Paskow, 
television  stations ;  Jay  Williams,  pro- 
grams, and  Sally  Perle,  press  rela- 
tions. 


20th-Fox  Named  in 
$1,000,000  Suit 

Dallas,  June  6.— Suit  for  $1,000,- 
000  against  20th  Century-Fox  has  been 
filed  here  by  Vera  Blanch  Edens,  Dal- 
las resident,  who  claims  authorship  of 
a  musical  scenario,  "Hunters  of  the 
Promised  Land,"  allegedly  produced 
and  released  by  the  company  as 
"Where  Do  We  Go  from  Here?" 


FitzPatrick  to  Talk 

Chicago,  June  6. — A  luncheon- 
meeting  sponsored  by  the  Chicago 
Convention  Bureau  will  be  addressed 
at  the  Sherman  Hotel  here  tomorrow 
by  James  A.  FitzPatrick,  M-G-M 
Travelogue  producer.  A  feature  will 
be  a  preview  of  his  two  one-reelers, 
"Night  Life  in  Chicago"  and  "The 
City  Beautiful." 


'IA,'  Sopeg  to  Argue 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ship.  UA  has  refused  to  deal  with 
SOPEG,  which  represented  the  em- 
ployes for  six  years,  because  that 
union  has  failed  to  comply  with  the 
non-Communist  affidavit  provisions  of 
the  Taft-Hartley  Law. 

H-63  officers  are  said  to  be  con- 
fident that  an  early  election  date  will 
be  set  at  the  meeting.  However,  be- 
cause SOPEG  has  failed  to  file  the 
non-Comunist  affidavits,  that  union 
will  not  be  eligible  for  appearance  on 
the  ballots,  and  it  is  expected  there- 
fore that  SOPEG  will  seek  a  court 
injunction  to  postpone  the  election  un- 
til the  constitutionality  of  the  Taft- 
Hartley  Law'  has  been  decided.  Courts 
which  have  been  approached  in  this 
connection  in  the  past,  however,  have 
declined  to  order  permanent  injunc- 
tions and  have  ordered  instead  tem- 
porary injunctions  of  only  five  to  10 
days,  it  was  said. 


NLRB  Meetings  Next  Monday  on 
Universal  Shop  Election 

Representatives  of  Universal,  United 
World  and  Castle  Films  will  confer 
at  the  National  Labor  Relations  Board 
office  here  next  Monday  with  Russell 
Moss,  business  agent  of  IATSE  Local 
No.  H-63  to  determine  a  mutually 
satisfactory  date  for  holding  shop 
elections  among  "white  collar"  home 
office  workers  of  those  affiliated  com- 
panies. Some  385  employes  are  in- 
volved. 

A  new  contract  is  about  to  be  nego- 
tiated between  the  companies  and  Moss 
who  is  seeking  cost-of-living  wage  in- 
creases, and  under  the  Taft-Hartley 
Law  shop  elections  are  required  before 
negotiations  can  get  underway.  Pres- 
ent contracts  expire  on  June  30. 

Petrillo  to  Open  AFM 
Annual  Meet  Today 

Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  June  6. — 
James  C.  Petrillo,  president  of  the 
American  Federation  of  Musicians, 
will  open  the  organization's  conven- 
tion at  the  Berkley-Carteret  Hotel 
here  tomorrow  with  his  annual  report. 

Tuesday  will  be  devoted  primarily 
to  committee  work,  and  on  Wednes- 
day there  will  be  addresses  by  U.  S. 
Senator  Wayne  Morse  of  Oregon  and 
AFM  general  counsel  Milton  Dia- 
mond. Principal  business  on  Thurs- 
day will  be  nomination  of  officers. 


Gov't  Notice 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

have  to  be  chosen  to  hear  argument 
and  issue  the  temporary  order.  He  de- 
clared he  thought  Judge  Hand  could 
hear  argument  and  act  by  himself,  or 
could  do  it  with  Judge  Goddard. 

Orders  have  been  prepared  by  the 
Government  in  the  Schine  and  Griffith 
cases  also,  it  is  understood,  but  no 
dates  have  been  fixed  yet  for  present- 
ing them  to  the  Buffalo  and  Oklahoma 
District  Courts. 


Para.  Case  Order 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  Supreme  Court,  the  Government's 
proposed  order,  also  due  for  filing 
Thursday,  seeks  interim  relief  in  the 
form  of  a  temporary  injunction  re- 
straining defendants  from  acquiring 
theatres  or  changing  their  present 
holdings,  pending  the  entry  of  a  final 
decree  in  the  case.  The  Supreme 
Court  removed  the  lower  court's  ban 
on  theatre  expansion  by  defendants 
pending  final  determination  of  affili- 
ated theatre  divorcement. 


Resume  Shipments  to 
Pakistan  Dominion 

The  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
American  has  received  a  cable 
from  its  Bombay  representative  report- 
ing that  U.  S.  film  companies  there  had 
resumed  shipments  to  Pakistan  after 
that  independent  British  dominion  re- 
duced what  was  described  as  a  pro- 
hibitive tariff  on  film  imports. 

Shipments  were  halted  last  week 
when  Pakistan  raised  the  tariff  to  two 
annas,  equivalent  to  3%  cents  per 
foot.  This  has  been  cut  to  l/2  an  anna, 
or  15/16ths  of  a  cent. 

David  Golding  Joins 
Trans- Atlantic  Films 

London,  June  6.— David  Golding, 
former  American  publicity  contact 
here  for  Sir  Alexander  Korda's  pro- 
ductions, has  resigned  that  post  to  join 
Alfred  Hitchcock's-Sidney  Bernstein's 
Trans-Atlantic  Pictures  in  a  similar 
capacity.  Golding  will  be  U.  S.  press 
liaison  for  "Under  Capricorn,"  second 
picture  to  be  produced  by  Trans-At- 
lantic for  Warner  release,  which  will 
go  into  production  here  early  next 
month. 


Sues  Over  Soviet  Footage 

Suit  for  an  injunction  to  compel 
Film  Classics  to  withdraw  "Will  It 
Happen  Again?"  has  been  filed  in 
New  York  Supreme  Court  by  Artkino 
Pictures,  the  action  being  based  on 
the  allegation  that  incorporated  in  the 
picture  about  Hitlerism  is  newsreel 
footage  produced  in  Russia,  in  viola- 
tion of  Artkino's  exclusive  rights  to 
the  distribution  of  all  Soviet  film  in 
the  U.S. 

A  Film  Classics  statement  said  that 
showing  of  the  picture  has  brought 
"a  storm  of  protests  from  Russian 
sources,"  to  which  FC  president  Joseph 
Bernhard  added:  "The  truth  hurts!" 


Woolf  Extends  Tour 

John  C.  Woolf,  joint  managing  di- 
rector of  General  Film  Distributors, 
a  J.  Arthur  Rank  company  in  London, 
who  is  visiting  Universal-Internation- 
al exchanges  in  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
Minneapolis  and  Kansas  City,  has  ex- 
tended his  tour  to  Des  Moines,  Oma- 
ha, Denver,  Los  Angeles,  Seattle  and 
Portland. 


Fabian  Golf  Tourney 

Si  Fabian  and  Sam  Rosen  have  sent 
out  invitations  to  Fabian  Theatres' 
annual  golf  tournament  and  party,  to 
be  held  at  Preakness  Hills  Country 
Club,  Wayne  Township,  N.  J.,  June  24. 


Variety  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


be  given  a  reception  by  local  Varietv 
Club  Tent  No.  11. 

On  September  17  the  group  will 
meet  in  the  Statler  where  matters 
carried  over  from  the  April  conven- 
tion will  be  discussed.  Officers  will 
make  mid-ye'ar  reports  and  discussions 
on  new  tent  charters  will  be  held. 

On  Sunday,  September  19,  delegates 
will  see  the  annual  charity  football 
game  sponsored  each  year  by  the 
Washington-Baltimore  Tents  to  be 
held  in  Baltimore  and,  following  the 
game,  they  will  be  guests  of  the  Bal- 
timore Tent  at  its  clubrooms. 

Arrangements  have  been  completed 
under  the  direction  of  Carter  Barron, 
first  assistant  international  chief 
barker,  for  the  annual  Humanitarian 
Award  dinner  on  September  18  at 
which  Secretary  of  State  George  C. 
Marshall  will  receive  the  1947  award 
which  could  not  be  presented  to  him 
during  the  Miami  Beach  convention 
due  to  the  pressure  of  international 
affairs  which  made  it  impossible  for 
him  to  be  present. 

In  announcing  the  dinner  at  the 
weekend,  Variety  heads  John  H.  Har- 
ris and  O'Donnell  disclosed  that  it 
will  be  strictly  stag  and  will  be  held 
in  the  Statler  Hotel.  In  addition  to 
the  guest  of  honor,  the  dais  will  in- 
clude top  men  in  Government  affairs, 
including  Cabinet  members.  Repre- 
sentatives of  foreign  governments  and 
others,  including  the  heads  of  motion 
picture  companies  and  their  executives, 
will  also  be  present. 


Columbia  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Louis  Astor,  Louis  Weinberg,  Irving 
Wormser,  Maurice  Grad,  George  Jo- 
sephs, H.  C.  Kaufman,  Joseph  Frei- 
berg, Seth  Raisler,  Vincent  Borelli, 
Sydney  Singerman,  Irving  Sherman 
and  Irving  Moross. 

Present  from  the  field  will  be  divi- 
sion managers  Nat  Cohn,  New  York; 
Sam  Galanty,  Mideast ;  Carl  Shalit, 
Central;  I.  H.  Rogovin,  New  Eng- 
land ;  Harry  Weiner,  Southern  New 
Jersey-Northern  Pennsylvania,  and 
managers  Jack  Bullwinkle,  Albany ; 
Tom  O'Brien,  Boston ;  Phil  Fox, 
Buffalo ;  Allan  Moritz,  Cincinnati ; 
Oscar  Ruby,  Cleveland ;  Ed  Hochstim, 
Detroit ;  Guy  Craig,  Indianapolis ; 
Harry  Olshan,  Milwaukee ;  Walter 
Silverman,  New  Haven;  Saul  Trau- 
ner,  New  York ;  Arthur  Levy,  Pitts- 
burgh; C.  D.  Hill,  St.  Louis;  Ben 
Caplon,  Washington  ;  Harvey  Harnick, 
Toronto. 


SOKPIONEERS 

"BLUE  SHADOWS'Vrom 


TECHNICOLOR  MUSICAL 

MELODY 

r  fug? 


RELEASED  BY 
RKO-Radio  Pictures 


<5> 


"O 


...   -    ....       .        ...  - 


Released  thru  RKO  RADIO  PICTURES 


with  these  great  be 

ROY  ROGERS  •  DENNIS  DA 
FREDDY  MARTIN  •  ETHEL  SMITH 
THE  PIONEERS  •  THE  DINNING  I 


HEMIERE  ENGAGEMENT  NOW 


ml 


,  NEW  YORK 


6/a€t D tine? 4 

flew  TECHNICOLOR  Song  and  Star  Show 


§1  f 


V 


Wonderful  new  Disney  stars  like  "Pecos  Bill/'  "Johnny  Appleseed/ 
"Little  Toot,"  "Sluefoot  Sue,"  and  others  ...  in  Disney's  gayest 
world  of  laughter,  melody,  beauty  and  color. 


iff  ice  names  singing  and  playing  §  SONG  HITS! 

fiTHE  ANDREWS  SISTERS  •  FRANCES  LANGFORD 
ItUDDY  CLARK  •  FRED  WARING  KtvAN.ANs  *  SONS  OF 

SISTERS  *  JACK  FIN  A  *  LUANA  PATTEN  and  BOBBY  driscoll 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  June  7,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


fp  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
*  Hire  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


Review 


LOS  ANGELES 

The  long  holiday  weekend  was 
mighty  kind  to  most  exhibitors  along 
the  local  first-run  front,  weather  being 
ideal  and  sight-seers  cramming  the 
streets.  "Emperor  Waltz,"  opening 
in  the  wake  of  a  super-colossal  pre- 
miere, did  business  that  would  have 
been  sensational  in  the  boomingest 
days  the  oldest  citizen  here  can  re- 
member. Estimated  receipts  for  th£ 
week  ended  June  2 : 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th-Fox)— GUILD  (965) 
(5i  c-65c-85c-$1.0O)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,500. 
(Average:  $7,100) 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th-Fox) — IRIS  (708)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$l.G0)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,000. 
(Average:  $7,100) 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  and  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th-Fox)— RITZ  (1,376) 
(5Oc-6Oc-85c-$1.0O)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,500. 
(Average:  $10,300) 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)  andl  ARTHUR 
TAKES  OVER  (20th-Fox)— STUDIO  (880) 
(50c -60c -85c -$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,- 
000.     (Average:  $6,900) 

ALL.    MY    SONS    (U-I)    and  ARTHUR 
TAKES     OVER     (20th-Fox)   —  UNITED 
ARTISTS     (2,100)     (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.     Gross:  $10,200.     (Average:  $15,400) 
B.    F.'s    DAUGHTER    (M-G-M)— EGYP- 
TIAN  (1,000)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.0O)   2nd  week. 
Gross:   $10,000.     (Average:  $13,900) 
B.     F.'s     DAUGHTER     (M-G-M) — F0X- 
WILSH1RE    (2,300)    (50c-6Oc-85c-$1.0O)  2nd 
week.    Gross:  $9,000.    (Average:  $13,800) 
B.  F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)-LOS  AN- 
GELES (2.0%)  (50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $12,000.    (Average:  $21,200) 
THE  EMPEROR  WALTZ  (Para>)— PARA- 
MOUNT  (Downtown)    (3,595)  (50c-60c-80c- 
$1.00).    Gross:  $36,500.     (Average:  $21,000) 
THE      EMPEROR      WALTZ  (Para.)- 
PARAMOUNT    (Hollywood)    (1,407)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00).     Gross:    $25,500.  (Average: 
$15,000) 

FORT    APACHE    (RKO    Radio)— HILL- 
STREET  (2,700)  (50c-6Oc-85c-$l.O0).  Gross: 
$36,000.     (Average:  $18,300) 
FORT     APACHE     (RKO     Radio)— PAN 

TAGES   (2,000)    (50c-60c-85c-$1.00).  Gross: 

$31,000.     (Average:  $17,300) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (UA-Sherman)— 

MUSIC  HALL  (Beverly  Hills)  (900)  (65c- 
85c-$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $2,200.  (Aver- 
age: $4,300) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (UA-Sherman)- 

MUSIC  HALL  (Downtown)  (900)  (65c-85c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average: 
$9,600) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (UA-Sherman)- 

MUSIC  HALL  (Hawaii)  (1,«00)  (65c-85c- 
$1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $2,300.  (Average: 
$5,200) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (UA-Sherman)— 

MUSIC  HALL  (Hollywood)  (490)  (65c-85c- 
S1.00)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $2,200.  (Average: 
$4,300)  ,  , 

GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (20th- 
Fox)      Emd     THE  COUNTERFEITERS 


"Mine  Own  Executioner 

(Korda-20th  Century-Fox) 

THAT  there  are  in  a  psychiatrist's  daily  routine  the  makings  of  interesting 
screen  drama  is  demonstrated  in  "Mine  Own  Executioner,"  a  well-turned 
story  sent  over  from  London  by  Alexander  Korda.  What  sets  this  one  apart 
is  its  freedom  from  the  artificial  plot  premises  that  deprive  most  psychological 
thrillers  of  reality.  The  narrative  proceeds  leisurely  and  believably,  at  times 
taking  tumultous  turns,  but  not  excessively  so.  Burgess  Meredith  is  the  one 
name  for  the  marquee.  Others  in  the  cast  are  Kieron  Moore  (Count  Vronsky 
in  "Anna  Karenina")  and  Dulcie  Gray.  Previous  experience  with  British  prod- 
uct should  be  a  factor  in  evaluating  it  as  box-office  material. 

In  the  course  of  his  profession,  Meredith  finds  himself  treating  personalities 
in  all  stages  of  maladjustment.  Highlighted  is  a  case  history  of  a  schizo- 
phrenic who  eventually  kills  his  wife  and  himself,  and  thus  throws  Meredith 
into  a  crisis  with  the  courts.  Along  with  difficulties  with  the  patients,  runs 
the  story  of  Meredith's  own  life,  in  love  with  his  wife,  but  infatuated  with 
another  woman. 

The  screenplay,  fashioned  by  Nigel  Balchin  from  his  own  novel,  sees  to  if 
that  things  eventually  turn  out  right.  Bits  on  the  soundtrack  as  well  as 
some  turns  in  the  plot  may  run  counter  to  the  grain  of  some  tastes.  Anthony 
Kimmins  directed  and  handled  the  production  along  with  Jack  Kitchin. 

Running  time,  105  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  7.  Mandel  Herbstman 


Coast  Production 
Up  One,  to  37 


(20th-Fox— Reliance)  —  CHINESE  (2,300) 
(50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $15,000. 
(Average:  $15,700) 

GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (20th- 
Fox)  and  THE  COUNTERFEITERS  (20th- 
Fox — Reliance)— LOEWS  STATE  (2,500) 
(50c-60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $22,500. 
(Average:  $21,700) 

GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (20th- 
Fox)  and  THE  COUNTERFEITERS  (20th- 

Fox — Reliance — LOYOLA  (1,265)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.0O)  6  days.  Gross:  $12,500.  (Aver- 
age: $10,000) 

GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (20th- 
Fox)  and  THE  COUNTERFEITERS  (20th- 
Fox— Reliance)— UPTOWN  (1,716)  (50c-60c- 
$1.00)  6  days.  Gross:  $11,000.  (Average: 
$10,800). 

THE  LOST  ONE  (Col.)— FOUR  STAR 
(900)  (50c-60c-8Sc-$1.00)  6  days.  Gross: 
$11,000.  (Average:  $11,400) 
RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L)— BELMONT  (1,600)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$5,000.    (Average:  $6,600) 

RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L) — EL  REY  (861)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.00)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $7,000) 

RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L)— ORPHEUM  (2,210)  (50c- 
60c-85c-$1.00)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross: 
$11,000.  (Average:  $14,300) 
RAW  DEAL  (E-L)  and  ASSIGNED  TO 
DANGER  (E-L)— VOGUE  (800)  (50c-60c- 
85c-$1.0O)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,000. 
(Average:  $7,500) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  —  WARNERS 
(Downtown)  (3,400)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $19,000.  (Average:  $16,300) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)— WARNERS  (Hol- 
lywood) (3,000)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $14,000.  (Average:  $12,400) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)— WARNERS  (Wil- 
tern)  (2,300)  (50c-60c-80c-$1.00)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $12,000.    (Average:  $12,600) 


Reagan  at  Coast  Meeting 

Kansas  City,  June  6— Charles  M. 
Reagan,  distribution  vice-president  of 
Paramount,  accompanied  by  E.  K. 
O'Shea  and  Alfred  Schwalberg,  left 
here  yesterday  to  attend  a  divisional 
sales  meeting  at  the  Fairmont  Hotel  in 
San  Francisco,  tomorrow  through 
Wednesday.  Reagan  will  then  spend 
several  days  in  Los  Angeles  before 
returning  to  New  York. 


Hollywood,  June  6. — The  produc- 
tion index  stands  at  37,  moving  up  one 
from  the  previous  week.  Shooting 
started  on  nine  new  films,  while  eight 
were  finished. 

Shooting  started  on  "Photo  Finish," 
Columbia ;  "The  Million  Dollar  Week- 
end" (Masque),  Eagle- Lion  ;  "Tuck- 
er's People,"  Enterprise  ;  "Tlw  -J^ast 
of  the  Badmen"  (Allied  AdWyj), 
Monogram ;  "Desperadoes  of  \-s-<3dge 
City,"  Republic ;  "Outlaw  Valley"  and 
"Baltimore  Escapade,"  RKO  Radio; 
"Jungle  Goddess"  (Robert  L.  Lip- 
pert),  Screen  Guild;  "Family  Honey- 
moon," Universal-International. 

Shooting  finished  on  "Blondie's  Se- 
cret," Columbia ;  "Inside  the  Wall," 
Eagle-Lion;  "The  Babe  Ruth  Story" 
(Allied  Artists),  "Kidnapped,"  "High 
Tension"  and  "The  Fighting  Ranger," 
Monogram1;  "The  Accused"  (Wal- 
lis),  Paramount;  "Homicide  for 
Three,"  Republic. 


Negro  Film  to  Savini 

R.  M.  (Bob)  Savini,  president  of 
Astor  Pictures  has  concluded  a  deal 
with  Oscar  Micheaux  for  what  is  de- 
scribed to  be  the  first  Negro  road- 
show film.  Entitled  "The  Betrayal,"  it 
is  also  said  to  be  the  first  all-Negro 
feature  to  have  been  written,  produced 
and  directed  by  a  Negro,  Micheaux, 
from  whose  "Wind  from  Nowhere" 
novel  the  picture  was  taken. 


CLEVELAND 


I    OF  COURSE 


TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 

andl 

HEAVEN" 

sent  from  UA 


"Homecoming"  and  "Silver  River" 
were  the  only  new  releases  to  attract 
business.  Saturday- Sunday  business 
was  slow,  picking  up  on  Monday. 
Fine  weather,  baseball  and  outdoor  at- 
tractions competed.  Estimated  receipts 
for  the  week  ended  June  2-3 : 

BERLIN    EXPRESS    (RKO   Radio)— RKO 

PALACE  (3,300)  (55c-70c).  On  stage,  Dr. 
I.  Q.,  for  a  third  week,  on  Monday  nights 
only.  Gross:  $17,500.  (Average:  $15,500) 
DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)-LOEW'S 
OHIO  (1,268)  (50c-70c)  2nd  week,  on  a 
moveover.  Gross:  $7,000.  (Average:  $6,600) 
GREEN  GRASS  OF  WYOMING  (20th- 
Fox) — RKO  ALLEN  (3,000)  (55c-70c). 
Gross:  $11,500.  .(Average:  $13,000) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  —  LOEWS 
STATE  (3,300)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $24,500. 
(Average:  $19,500) 

IRON  CURTAIN  (20th- Fox) — WARNER'S 
LAKE  (714)  (55c-70c)  3rd  week  on  a  move- 
over.  Gross:  $2,900.  (Average:  $3,000) 
PANIC  (Tricolore)— LOWER  MALL  (563) 
(50c-70c).  Gross:  $3,300.  (Average:  $2,500) 
THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)- 
I-OEW'S  STILLMAN  (1,900)  (50c-70c). 
Gross:  $8,500.  (Average:  $10,000) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  —  WARNERS' 
HIPPODROME  (3,500)  (55c-75c).  Gross: 
$18,(XO.     (Average:  $18,250) 


AN  FA  To  Hold  Regionals 

Cincinnati,  June  6.  —  First  in  a 
series  of  regional  meetings  of  the 
Allied  Non-Theatrical  Film  Associa- 
tion will  be  held  on  June  25-26  at  the 
Netherlands-Plaza  Hotel  here,  Jack 
Carter,  president,  announces.  Alan 
Twyman  and  Ralph  Haile  will  be  co- 
chairmen  of  arrangements. 


Crosby,  Hope,  Others 
Win  'Kilroy'  Awards 

Winners  of  the  10  "Kilroy"  awards 
as  a  result  of  ballo.tting  conducted 
among  the  American  audience  of 
American  Forces  Network  in  the  U.  S. 
occupation  zone  of  Germany  are: 
Bing  Crosby,  male  vocalist;  Jo  Staf- 
ford, female  vocalist;  Henry  Morgan, 
comedy  program ;  "Suspense,"  dra- 
matic; "20  Questions,"  quiz;  "Science 
Magazine  of  the  Air,"  educational ; 
Fred  Waring,  musical  program; 
Vaughn  Monroe,  orchestra ;  Bob 
Hope,  comedian,  and  Joan  Davis, 
comedienne. 


Graziano-Zale  Bout  Film 

RKO  theatres  in  Greater  New 
York,  Westchester,  Newark,  Union 
City,  Trenton  and  New  Brunswick 
will  hold  exclusive  local  showings 
Thursday  of  official  pictures  of  the 
Rocky  Graziano-Tony  Zale  middle- 
weight championship  bout  to  be  held 
in  Newark  Wednesday  night. 

Picks  'Enchanted' 

_  After  considering  more  than  7,200 
titles  submitted  front  every  state  in  the 
union  as  a  result  of  his  announcement 
that  the  title  of  the  film  made  from 
Rumer  Godden's  "Take  Three  Tenses" 
would  be  changed,  Samuel  Goldwyn 
has  selected  "Enchanted"  as  the  final 
title  for  the  picture  now  in  production. 

Salt  Lake  Grosses  Off 

Salt  Lake  City,  June  6.  —  Warm 
weather,  opening  of  resorts  and  other 
outside  entertainment  attractions  have 
combined  to  cut  theatre  grosses  in 
this  area,  according  to  several  man- 
agers. 


1 

fly  | 

United'*  DC-6  1 
Mainliner  300  j 
onestop  flight  \ 

Leave  New  York  12:15 
pm,  arrive  Los  Angeles 
(Lockheed  Air  Termi- 
nal) at  8:25  pm.  \ 

i 

Fares   are   surprisingly  j 
low.  Flights  operate  on 
Standard  Time. 

UNITED  I 

AIR  LINES 

NEW  YORK  &  BROOK- 
LYN: Call  Murray  Hill 
2-7300. 


NEWARK:  Call  Market 
2-1122  or  an  authorized 
travel  agent. 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


.  63.   NO.  110 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  JUNE  8,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


SAG  Plans  to 
Resume  Studio 
Pact  Parleys 

Says  Earlier  Talks  Broke 
Down  on  Video  Provision 


Hollywood,  June  7.  —  Inter- 
rupted negotiations  between  the 
Screen  Actors  Guild  and  major 
producers  for  a  contract  to  super- 
sede the  pact  which  expires  on  July 
31  will  be  resumed  "shortly,"  the 
SAG  board  has  disclosed  in  a  report 
to  its  membership. 

The  report  reiterates  an  earlier 
statement  that  talks  broke  down  be- 
cause the  studios  refused  to  bargain 
with  the  guild  concerning  player 
rights  in  films  subsequently  televised, 
and  declares  that  the  producers  recog- 
nized this  principle  in  its  contract 
with  the  American  Federation  of  Mu- 
sicians two  years  ago. 

The  board  added  that  the  guild  is 
willing  to  negotiate  a  separate  con- 
tract covering  the  use  of  films  in  tele- 
vision. 


UA  Stand  on  Sopeg 
To  NLRB  Thursday 

Harry  D.  Buckley,  United  Artists 
vice-president,  will  present  to  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board  here  on 
Thursday  the  company's  reasons  for 
refusing  to  deal  with  CIO's  Screen 
Office  and  Professional  Employes 
Guild,  namely,  because  SOPEG, 
which  represented  the  employes  since 
1942,  has  failed  to  comply  with  the 
non-Communist  affidavit  provisions  of 
the  National  Labor  Relations  Act  o£ 
1947.    Buckley  will  be  a  party  to  an 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Montague  Lists  15 
New  Productions 

Delegates  to  Columbia's  five-day 
branch  and  district  manager's  meet- 
ing, currently  in  session  at  the  Hotel 
Warwick  here  yesterday  heard  A. 
Montague,  general  sales  manager,  out- 
line sales  and  liquidation  plans  for 
the  IS  productions  currently  in  re- 
lease and  forthcoming. 

Montague  listed  "The  Fuller  Brush 
Man,"  "Coroner  Creek,"  "The  Loves 
of  Carmen,"  "Lulu  Belle,"  "The 
Black  Arrow,"  "The  Return  of  Oc- 
tober," "The  Wrangler,"  "FBI  Meets 
Scotland  Yard,"  "Undercover  Man," 
"The  Walking  Hills,"  "The  Gallant 
Blade,"  "Let's  Fall  in  Love,"  "Win- 
ner Take  Nothing,"  "The  Strawberry 
Roan"  and  "The  Big  Sombrero." 


B 'way  Grosses 
Running  Mild 


Grosses  are  very  moderate  at  Broad- 
way first-runs  this  week.  Only  Radio 
City  Music  Hall,  where  "The  Pirate" 
and  a  Leonidoff  stage  presentation 
share  the  bill,  is  enjoying  better-than- 
average  business.  Holdovers,  which 
are  predominant,  found  new  pictures 
offering  only  mild  competition. 

On  the  basis  of  $79,000  taken  in  on 
Thursday  through  Sunday,  the  third 
week  of  the  Music  Hall  program  is 
expected  to  produce  a  good  $121,000. 
At  the  Capitol,  "The  Bride  Goes 
Wrild"  plus  Woody  Herman's  band  on 
stage,'  bowed  in  fairly  strong,  with 
$66,000  estimated  for  the  first  week. 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


WB  Publicists  Get 
Retroactive  Raise 


Wage  increases  for  publicity,  adver- 
tising and  exploitation  employes  at  the 
New  York  home  office  of  Warner 
Brothers  have  been  awarded  to  the 
Screen  Publicists  Guild,  Local  No. 
114,  UOPWA-CIO,  by  a  board  of  ar- 
bitrators under  the  voluntary  labor 
arbitration  rules  of  the  American 
Arbitration  Association.  The  in- 
creases, which  are  retroactive  to  Sept. 
27,  1947,  the  date  specified  in  the  con- 
tract between  the  guild  and  the  com- 
panies for  wage  reopening,  follow  the 
industry  pattern  established  previously 
(Continued  on  page  9) 


Reagan  Presides  at 
Final  Sales  Meeting 


San  Francisco,  June  7. — Climax- 
ing the  series  of  Paramount's  five  di- 
visional sales  meetings  in  advance  of 
the  1948-49  season,  a  three-day  meet- 
ing for  Western  division  branch  repre- 
sentatives started  here  today  at  the 
Fairmont  Hotel  under  direction  of 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  distribution  vice- 
president.  The  meeting  is  preparing 
the  ground  work  for  next  season's 
product  and  policies  and  discussing 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


20th-Fox  Files  for 
Third  Video  Station 

Washington,  June  7. — Twentieth 
Century-Fox  today  asked  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission  for  per- 
mission to  operate  a  television  station 
in  Seattle.  Twentieth  already  has  in 
one  bid  for  a  Boston  video  station, 
and  the  newly-organized  20th  of 
California  has  asked  for  a  station  at 
San  Francisco. 


High  Court  Cites 
Decision  to  Others 

Washington,  June  7.  —  The 
Supreme  Court  today  made  it 
plain  that  the  Paramount, 
Schine  and  Griffith  opinions 
will  have  to  be  studied  by 
lots  of  lawyers  outside  the 
motion  picture  field,  as  well 
as  by  film  counsel. 

An  opinion  on  a  Govern- 
ment anti-trust  case  against 
U.  S.  Steel  was  loaded  with 
citations  from  the  court's 
three  film  opinions,  and  the 
court  indicated  it  would  con- 
tinue to  rely  heavily  on  these 
three  decisions  in  its  future 
interpretations  of  the  Fed- 
eral anti-trust  laws. 


F.B.I.  Is  Probing 
Unauthorized  Shows 


The  Federal  Bureau  of  Investiga- 
tion has  been  conducting  a  drive 
against  unauthorized  16mm.  showings 
during  the  past  two  years  throughout 
the  U.  S.,  particularly  with  regard  to 
16mm.  prints  donated  by  the  industry 
to  entertain  the  Armed  Services  over- 
seas, it  is  understood. 

Henry  L.  Brook  and  Joseph  Albino 
pleaded  not  guilty  in  Brooklyn  Federal 
Court  yesterday  before  U.  S.  Judge 
Harold  M.  Kennedy  to  a  six-count  in- 
dictment charging  them  with  infringe- 
ment of  copyrights  in  four  motion 
pictures.  Involved  are  "Gilda,"  Co- 
lumbia ;  "Leave  Her  to  Heaven," 
20th-Fox;  "Bad  Bascomb,"  M-G-M ; 
and  "Murder  in  the  Music  Hall," 
Republic.  The  indictment  was  hand- 
ed down  on  May  27th  by  a  Federal 
Grand  Jury. 


High  Court  Turns 
Down  Tivoli  Case 


Washington,  June  7.  — ■  The  Su- 
preme Court  today  refused  to  re- 
view a  lower  court  decision  allow- 
ing Tivoli  Realty,  Inc.,  to  prosecute  in 
Wilmington  District  Court  its  treble- 
damage  anti-trust  suit  against  Inter- 
state Circuit,  Texas  Consolidated 
Theatres  and  seven  major  distributors. 

The  court  did  not  give  any  reasons 
for  its  decision,  but  it  was  obviously 
made  in  conformance  with  an  opinion 
in  a  Government  anti-trust  suit  against 
three  bus  lines  and  their  suppliers.  In 
a  decision  that  may  have  great  im- 
portance for  distributors  facing  many 
more  damage  suits,  the  court  there 
ruled  that  as  long  as  a  defendant  is 
doing  business  in  the  court  district 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


See  Producers 
Facing  AFM 
Wage  Hike  Bid 

Petrillo  Sets  the  Mood; 
Wants  an  Early  Meeting 

Asbury  Park,  June  7.  —  Many 
of  the  delegates  attending  the  open- 
ing session  today  of  the  American 
Federation  of  Musician's  conven- 
tion at  the  Berkeley-Carteret  Hotel 
here  read  into  president  James  C. 
Petrillo's  annual  report  a  bid  for 
wage  increases  for  the  several  hun- 
dred motion  picture  studio  musicians 
in  the  U.  S.  and  Canada.  The  Holly- 
wood studios'  contract  with  the  AFM 
will  expire  on  Aug.  31,  and  J.  W. 
Gillette,  AFM's  international  studio 
representative,  who  is  "here  from  Los 
Angeles,  said  yesterday  that  he  and 
Petrillo  "are  anxious  to  meet  soon 
with  the  producers'  committee  on  the 
basic  studio  agreement." 

Petrillo   told  the  convention  that, 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Coast  Trial  Delayed 
For  US  Suit  Ruling 


Los  Angeles,  June  7. — U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  here  today  granted  a 
Paramount  plea  for  postponement  of 
trial  in  its  case  against  Partmar  Corp. 
and  Fanchon  and  Marco  for  recovery 
of  possession  of  the  Downtown  Para- 
mount Theatre.  The  court's  action 
suspends  the  case  pending  final  de- 
cision in  the  Government's  industry 
anti-trust  suit,  according  to  F.  and  M. 
counsel,  but  does  not  affect  the  treble- 
damage  counter-suit  filed  by  Partmar 
and  F.  and  M.  which  seeks  S4,500,000. 


'News'  Will  Reject 
Ads  in  Bad  Taste 

"Increasingly  concerned 
with  the  type  of  material 
submitted  for  publication  of 
late,"  the  New  York  Daily 
Xews  advertising  department 
"is  adopting  a  clean-up  policy 
in  the  cinema  line  by  reject- 
ing ads  of  dubious  character. 
Copy  that  doesn't  adhere  to 
the  dictates  of  good  taste 
and  accuracy  is  getting  the 
blue  pencil  or  the  wastebas- 
ket.  Evoking  the  campaign 
were  certain  ads  pertaining 
to  foreign  films,"  the  Xews 
said. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  8,  1948 


French  Film  Official 
Feted  by  MPAA  Here 

Motion  pictures,  "even  more  than 
the  press  or  radio,  can  show  to  the 
people  of  the  world  that  the  greater 
number  of  people  are  working  for  us 
to  attain  peace,  and  that  only  through 
the  United  Nations  can  they  attain 
such  a  peace,"  Georges  Huisman, 
chairman  of  the  UN's  French  commit- 
teen  on  motion  pictures,  declared  here 
yesterday.  Huisman,  who  is  also 
head  of  the  French  film  censoring  of- 
fice, was  guest  at  a  luncheon  given 
by  the  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  at  the  Harvard  Club. 

His  remarks,  which  were  in  French, 
were  translated  by  Gerald  Mayer, 
director  of  the  MPAA  international 
division. 

Huisman  arrived  here  two  weeks 
ago  to  consult  with  Jean  Benoit-Levy, 
UN  director  of  motion  pictures,  on 
what  service  the  film  industry  can 
render  to  the  UN.  "During  the  last 
few  days,"  he  said,  "we  have  worked 
on  the  ideas  of  what  we  should  col- 
laborate on.  We  found  complete 
unanimity  with  American  ideas." 

Francis  Harmon,  MPAA  vice-presi- 
dent, "and  Benoit-Levy  also  addressed 
the  group.  The  luncheon  guests  stood 
in  respect  to  Louis  Lumiere,  French 
film  pioneer,  who  died  Sunday. 

Also  present  were:  John  J.  O'Con- 
nor, Russell  Holman,  Jacob  Wilk, 
Tom  Connors,  Gael  Sullivan,  Stan- 
ley Prenosil,  F.  W.  DuVall,  Theo- 
dore Smith  and  Maurice  Liu  and  Wil- 
liam Wells  of  the  UN  film  division. 


Senate  Group  Rejects 
'As-Is'  Trade  Pact 

Washington,  June  7. — The  Sen- 
ate Finance  Committee  today  rejected 
Democratic  moves  for  "as-is"  exten- 
sion of  the  Reciprocal  Trade  Agree- 
ments Act.  By  a  party-line  vote,  the 
committee  turned  down  motions  for 
one-year,  two-year  and  three-year  ex- 
tensions. 

The  committee  is  expected  to  vote 
out  a  bill  tomorrow,  providing  a  one- 
year  extension  with  substantial  power 
given  to  the  tariff  commission,  but 
minus  the  Congressional  "veto"  pro- 
vision in  the  House  bill.  Industry 
leaders  have  favored  a  three-year  ex- 
tension of  the  act  in  its  present  form. 


Lang  to  Use  Nassour 

Hollywood,  June  7. — Fritz  Lang, 
who  recently  acquired  Diana  Pictures 
from  Walter  Wanger  and  Joan  Ben- 
nett, will  place  the  company's  "Win- 
chester 73"  before  the  cameras  at 
Nassour  Studios  by  July  1.  Follow- 
ing abrogation  of  the  releasing  deal 
with  Universal-International  by  mu- 
tual agreement,  Diana  is  now  seeking 
a  new  outlet. 


Loew  Foreign  Party 

Loew's  International  will  be  host  at 
a  cocktail  party  at  Sardi's  here  to- 
morrow for  Ed  O'Connor,  regional 
director  in  the  Far  East,  who  has  just 
returned  to  the  home  office  after  sev- 
en months  in  his  territory.  Orton 
Hicks,  head  of  the  company's  16mm. 
division,  who  returned  recently  from 
Europe,  may  .  also  attend. 


Personal  Mention 


JOSEPH  I.  BREEN  of  the  Pro- 
duction     Code  Administration, 
Hollywood,    arrived    here  yesterday 
from  the  Coast  and  Washington. 
• 

Frederick  Hodgson,  recently  with 
Paramount's  home  office  publicity 
staff,  has  been  named  public  relations 
director  for  the  New  York  Tubercu- 
losis and  Health  Association. 

• 

Dorothy  Dolores  Payette,  daugh- 
ter of  Warner's  Washington  zone 
manager,  John  Payette,  was  married 
on  Saturday  in  Washington  to 
Charles  Kemp  Devereux. 

• 

Gradwell  L.  Sears,  United  Artists 
president,  and  Paul  Lazarus,  Jr.,  ad- 
vertising-publicity   head,     have  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Jock  Lawrence,  vice-president  of 
the  J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization  of 
the  U.  S.,  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  will 
leave  here  tomorrow  for  London. 
• 

William  E.  Osborne,  Monogram 
Far  East  and  Middle  East  represen- 
tative, has  left  Los  Angeles  by  plane 
for  a  tour  of  his  territory. 

• 

Frank    Rosenberg,    producer  of 
"Man-Eater   of  Kumaon,"    is  sched- 
uled to  leave  here  today  for  the  Coast. 
• 

Bernard  J.  Gates,  Monogram 
Latin  American  supervisor,  is  in  Mex- 
ico City  from  Cuba. 

• 

Harry  A.  Simons,  M-G-M  field 
auditor,  is  in  Charlotte  from  New 
York. 

• 

Irving  Asher,  Warner  executive  in 
London,  is  in  town  from  the  Coast. 

Jack  L.  Warner  is  scheduled  to 
sail  for  Europe  on  June  25. 

• 

Paul  Broder,  Realart  president,  is 
here  from  Hollywood. 


SPYROS  P.  SKOURAS,  20th 
Century-Fox  president,  and  Mur- 
ray Silverstone,  international  dis- 
tribution chief,  will  fly  to  London  to- 
morrow from  here. 

• 

Lt.  Col.  Jack  F.  Dailey,  adminis- 
trative assistant  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  New  York,  is  attending  a  two- 
week  conference  of  reserve  officers  at- 
tached to  the  office  of  Selective  Serv- 
ice Records  in  the  Eastern  states  at 
Camp  Kilmer,  N.  J. 

• 

Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  president,  ar- 
rived here  yesterday  from  Washing- 
ton. He  was  accompanied  by  his  ex- 
ecutive assistant,  Joyce  O'Hara,  who 
returned  to  Washington  later  in  the 
day. 

• 

Oscar  Doob,  Loew  theatre  execu- 
tive, and  Harry  Moskowitz,  Loew 
engineering  chief,  left  here  yesterday 
for  Toronto  and  London,  Ontario. 
They  are  due  back  tomorrow. 
• 

Tom  Waller,  New  York  publicity 
director  for  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America,  is  on  a  week's 
vacation. 

• 

Neil  F.  Agnew,  Selznick  Releas- 
ing Organization  president,  is  back  in 
New  York  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Vincent  Sherman,  Warner  direc- 
tor, will  return  to  the  Coast  this 
weekend  from  New  York. 

Alex  Evelove,  Warner  studio  pub- 
licity chief,  will  leave  here  Thurs- 
day for  Burbank. 

• 

Jack  Karp  of  the  Paramount  stu- 
dio staff  and  his  wife  are  here  from 
Hollywood. 

• 

E.  Z.  Walters,  Altec  comptroller, 
has  returned  to  the  Coast  from  New 
York. 


'Muddled'  Situation 
In  UK:  McConville 

The  situation  in  England  was  char- 
acterized as  "muddled"  yesterday  by 
Joseph  A.  McConville,  president  of 
Columbia  Pictures  International  Corp., 
who  pointed  out  that  the  British  are 
still  in  the  throes  of  straightening  out 
the  tax  agreement.  McConville  re- 
turned here  yesterday  on  the  S.S. 
Queen  Mary.  Other  passengers  in- 
cluded Irving  Pichel,  director,  and 
Claude  Rains. 

McConville  asserted  that  American 
film  business  is  picking  up  on  the 
Continent.  He  also  pointed  out  that 
it  would  take  another  three  or  four 
months  before  American  films  reach 
British  screens  en  masse  because  cir- 
cuits are  booked  that  far  in  advance. 


Legion  Rates  4  Films 

Eagle-Lion's  "Assigned  to  Danger" 
and  "Close-Up"  and  20th  Century- 
Fox's  "Escape"  have  been  classified 
A-II  by  the  National  Legion  of  De- 
cency. M-G-M's  "Easter  Parade"  was 
rated  A-I. 


Favor  $15  Millions 
For  ERP  Film  Plan 

Washington,  June  7. — The  Senate 
Appropriations  committee  is  expected 
to  be  considerably  kinder  to  the  $15,- 
000,000  film  information  and  other 
media  funds  in  the  European  Recov- 
ery Program  appropriations  bill  than 
was  the  House,  but  the  House  still 
may  get  its  way  on  cuts  in  conference. 
Several  members  of  the  committee 
said  they  thought  the  committee 
should  vote  the  full  $15,000,000  and 
other  senators  said  they  would  attempt 
to  get  this  voted  on  the  Senate  floor 
if  the  committee  did  not  grant  it. 

The  Senate  group  hopes  to  complete 
hearings  on  the  bill  this  week,  and 
report  the  measure  out  Saturday  or 
early  next  week. 


Preview  for  Explorers 

"Man-Eater  of  Kumaon,"  the  Mon- 
ty Shaff-Frank  Rosenberg  production, 
will  be  given  an  invitational  preview 
by  Universal-International  at  the 
Park  Avenue  Theatre  here  on  June 
15  for  the  Explorers'  Club. 


Sullivan  Reports  At 
TO  A  Headquarters 

Gael  Sullivan,  formerly  executive 
director  of  the  Democratic  national 
committee,  who  resigned  to  take  over 
the  same  position  with  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America,  reported  yesterday  at 
TOA  headquarters  here.  He  attended 
the  meeting  of  the  United  Theatre 
Owners  of  Illinois  at  LaSalle,  111.,  last 
week,  and  is  scheduled  to  speak  at  the 
first  annual  convention  of  the 
Jersey  TOA,  to  be  held  June  1,  t 
the  Berkeley-Carteret  Hotel  in  As- 
bury  Park.  Sullivan  will  also  attend 
the  June  20-23  meeting  of  the  Theatre 
Owners  of  North  and  South  Carolina 
at  Myrtle  Beach,  S.  C. 

Robert  W.  Coyne,  retiring  TOA 
executive  director,  who  this  week  is 
on  a  Midwest  lecture  tour  as  special 
consultant  to  the  U.  S.  Treasury,  will 
continue  at  the  TOA  office  until  Sulli- 
van has  familiarized  himself  with  the 
post. 


Canada  Theatre  Burns 

Ottawa,  June  7. — The  St.  Jacques 
Theatre  at  Thurso  has  been  seriously 
damaged  by  fire  believed  to  have  been 
started  by  spontaneous  combustion  in 
a  neighboring  store. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


i— RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — a 


Rockefeller  Center 


Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 


in 


THE  PIRATE 


Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


PAULETTE 


G0DDARD 

MACD0NALD 

CAREY  a 


greatest  star- 
1  P7*»"Vif ')!  and-song-show! 


TE&liteotOR! 


Released  thru  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


ERR0L  FLYNN  *  I 


SHERIDAN 

aiVfR  jDUCHINi 

-  #**0  §  AND  HIS  ORCHESTRA  | 

Rl^l7  <w  ARTIE  DANNJ 


OPENS  9:30  AM  bway  at  47th  f 


LATE  MIDNIGHT  FILM  J 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kar.n,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,' Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Who  says  so? 

The  Official  Forecast  is:  "The  Greatest  Motion  Pictures  in  Years 
®    Are  Coming  from  All  Studios."  And  the  Most  Persuasive  Proof  of 
All  Is  Coming  From  the  Paramount  Studio  on  the  Crest  of 


Imagine  All  These  Great  Pictures 


.0  © 


ick- 


«2v 


A*1 


erica 


||  cele 


bra»e 


the 


4th 


July 


v/ith 


f1  A 


The  new-look,  king-size  musical 
combining  the  talents  of  7  Acad- 
emy Award  Winners.  Brackett  & 
Wilder  —  plus  Paramount  —  have 
made  it  Bing's  most  novel  and 
magnificent  vehicle.  He's  a  Yankee 
salesman,  selling  a  scandalous  bill 
of  goods  to  a  kissable  countess — 
with  five  rousing  love  songs. 

First  trade  prediction  in  Film  Daily 
says  "It's  going  to  kick  its  heels 
into  the  season's  big  boxoffice 
money" — and  you  can  watch  this 
come  true  at  its  Hollywood  World 
Premiere,  followed  soon  by  the 
Eastern  Premiere  at  Radio  City 
Music  Hall. 


%3 


wilh 

ROLAND  CULVER  •  LUCILE  WATSON 
RICHARD  HAYDN  •  HAROLD  VERMILYEA 
Produced  by  Charles  Brackett 
Directed  by  BILLY  WILDER 
Written  by  Charles  Brackett  and  Billy  Wilder 


Between  July  Fourth  and  Labor  Day 


It  Takes  4  Handsome  Guys  With  a  Gleam  in  Their  Eyes  To  Make  Her  Dreams  Come  True. . . 


Already  It's  the  Talk  of  the  Trade! 

"A  sure  winner,  this  version  of  Elmer  Rice's  smash 
play!" — says  Variety 

"A-l  comedy  will  be  the  same  success  it  was  on  the 
stage."— says  Hollywood  Reporter 

"A  landslide  of  coin — let  out  all  the  stops!" — says 
Showmen's  Trade  Review 


She's  the  Rage  of  the  Stage  as  a  Diva! 
She's  the  Topic  of  the  Tropics  in  a  Dive! 
She's  a  Singing  Sister  in  a  Honkytonk! 
She's  the  greatest  Hutton  character  you've  ever 


seen  playing  all  these  different  roles! 


The  Lady  is  a  Dream . . . 
The  Gentleman  \s  a  Wolf . . . 
The  Picture  is  a  Hit 
Every  Bit  as  Gay  as  the  Play! 

c  •  •  * 


Betty  Macdonald 

HUTTON  CAREY 


with 

PATRIC  KNOWLES  -  VIRGINIA  FIELD 
WALTER  ABEL  •  PEGGY  WOOD 


A  Mitchell  LEISEN  Production 

Produced  by  P.  J.  WOLFSON 
Directed  by  MITCHELL  LEISEN 

From  the  Play  by  Elmer  Rice 


Do  You  Remember  Any  Such  Wealth  of  Hit 


'In  your 
arms 


0 


.1  know 
no  right 
or  wrong, 


11 


From  a  bold  best-seller,  based  on  an  amazing 
true  case.  A  good  woman  suddenly  swept  away 
from  all  the  standards  she  lived  by — into  a 
fury  of  infatuation  so  overpowering  she  would 
lie,  steal — yes  murder — to  hold  the  love  of  a 
worthless  rogue.  This  is  Paramount's  finest 
romantic  drama  since  "To  Each  His  Own." 


RAY  ANN 

MILLAND  TODD 

(By  courtety  of  J.  Arthur  Rank) 

GERALDINE 

FITZGERALD 


HALWALLIS, 


production 


my  LLd  y& 


,iih  Leo  G.  Carroll  •  Raymond  Huntley 
Martita  Hunt  •  Raymond  Lovell 

Moira  Lister  •  Roderick  Lovell 

Directed  by  LEWIS  ALLEN 

Screenplay  by  i/ponard  Spigelgass  and  Ronald  Millar 
Based  on  a  novel  by  Joseph  Shearing 


You  have 
made  me 
what 
you  are. 


v 


■r 


so  evil 
my  love!' 


From  Any  Company  in  Any  2-Month  Period? 


an 

tremendous 
August 


It's  BRACKETT  &  WILDER'S  entry  for  the 
romantic  comedy  hit-of-all-time  award.  And  they've 
brought  back  JEAN  ARTHUR  in  a  role  recalling 
the  hilarity  of  "The  More  the  Merrier." 


MARLENE  DIETRICH 

at  her  sultriest,  and  singing 
again  the  kind  of  songs  that 
made  her  famous ! 


JOHN  LUND  now  proves  himself  the  great  star 
you  knew  he'd  be.  He's  marvelous  as  the  man-in- 
the-middle... between  a  career  woman  and  a  woman 
whose  career  is  love.  Just  listen  to  any  sneak  pre- 
view audience  and  you'll  realize  what  kind  of  a 
hit  it  is  .  .  . 


JEAN  ARTHUR 
MARLENE  DIETRICH 
JOHN  LUND 

A  foreign 

with 

Millard  Mitchell 
Produced  by  CHARLES  BRACKETT 
Directed  by  BILLY  WILDER 

Screenplay  by  Charles  Brackett,  Billy  Wilder 
and  Richard  Breen 

Adaptation  by  Robert  Harari  •  Original  Story  by  David  Shaw 
Music  and  Lyrics  by  Frederick  Hollander 


Climaxed  By  This  Terrific  Paramount -Week  Attraction 


The  stirring  story  of  a  man  caught  in  the  rest- 
lessness of  our  postwar  generation — a  man  who 
meets  the  wife  of  the  friend  he  believes  he  has 
murdered.  Through  her  he  learns  a  courage 
beyond  glory.  A  completely  different  Ladd 
picture  and  unquestionably  his  greatest! 

•      •  • 


"SUMMERTIME,  AND  THE  LIVIN 
IS  EASY" -WITH 


A  radically  new  departure  from  previous  Ladd 
pictures  ...  to  give  full  dramatic  opportunity  to 
the  star  exhibitors  put  in  the  Top  3  in  every  poll. 


ALAN  DONNA 

LADD -REED 

£6  in 

Beyond 

QWIfY" 

with 

GEORGE  MAC  READY- GEORGE  COULOURIS 
HAROLD  VERMILYEA  •  HENRY  TRAVERS 

Produced  by  Robert  Fellows 
Directed  by  JOHN  FARROW 

Original  Screenplay  by  Jonathan  Latimer,  Charles  Marquis  Warren  and 
William  Wister  Haines 


Tuesday,  June  8,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daila 


9 


Key  City  Grosses 


T?  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
•*  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 

CINCINNATI 


Minus  signs  are  the  rule  rather  than 
the  exception  in  the  current  week's 
lineup  for  both  new  arrivals  and  hold- 
overs, with  record  hot  weather  pre- 
dominating. Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  June  8: 

ADVENTURES  OF  CASANOVA  (E-L) — 

KEITH'S  (1,500)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-75c)  7 
days,  dualed  with  THE  RETURN  OF  RIN 
TIN  TIN  (E-L).  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average: 
$7,500) 

ANOTHER  PART  OF  THE  FOREST 
(U-I)— RKO  PALACE  (2,700)  (50c-55c-60c- 
65c-70c-75c)  7  days.  Gross:  $9,500.  (Aver- 
age: $15,000). 

FORT  APACHE  (RKORadio)  —  RKO  LY- 
RIC (1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  3  days, 
4th  week,  following  an  opening  week  at  the 
Albee  and  two  moveover  weeks  at  the 
Lyric. 

BRIDE  OF  FRANKENSTEIN  (U-I  reis- 
sue)— RKO  LYRIC  (1,400)  (50c-55c-60c-65c- 
70c-75c)  4  days,  dualed  with  SON  OF 
FRANKENSTEIN  (U-I  reissue).  Combined 
gross:  $5,500.  (Average,  7  days,  $5,000) 
FULLER  BRUSH  MAN  (Col.)  —  RKO 
SHUBERT  (2,150)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c) 
7  days,  3rd  week,  following  an  opening  week 
at  the  Albee,  and  a  moveover  week  at  the 
Shubert.  Gross:  $8,000.  (Average:  $5,000) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  —  RKO  CAPI- 
TOL (2,000)  (50c-55c-6Oc-65c-70c-75c)  7  days, 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $11,000.  (Average:  $10,- 
000) 

PANHANDLE  (AA)— RKO  GRAND1  (1,500) 
(50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  7  days.  Gross: 
$7,500.  (Average:  $8,000) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)  —  RKO  ALBEE 
(3,300)  (50c-55c-60c-65c-70c-75c)  7  days. 
Gross:  $13,000.     (Average:  $15,000) 


BALTIMORE 

Between  holdovers  and  the  lack  of 
major  new  attractions  at  downtown 
first-run  houses,  this  week's  attendance 
slips  back  to  below  average  at  most 
houses.  For  the  previous  several 
weeks,  figures  had  scored  some  en- 
couragement. What  openings  were 
held  proved  feeble  and  weekend  busi- 
ness failed  to  help  much.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  June  10 : 

ANNA     KAREN  IN  A     (ZOth-Fox)  —  NEW 

(1.800)  (29c-40c-50c-58c).  Gross:  $12,500. 
(Average:  $11,750) 

NINOTCHKA  (M-G-M  Reissue)— VALEN- 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
fly  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris,  Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans-world  miles. 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


TRANS  WORLD  AIRLINE 
U.S.A.  •  EUROPE  •  AFRICA  •  ASIA 


CIA  (1,466)  (29c-37c-45c-54c)  and  56c)  week- 
ends). Gross:  $4,500.  (Average:  $5,000) 
HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  —  CENTURY 
(3,000)  (29c-37c-45c-54c  and  45c  weekends) 
2nd  week.  Gross:  $13,000.  (Average:  $14,- 
500) 

RUTHLESS  (E-L)  — TOWN  (1,450)  (29c- 
37c-56c).  Gross:  $11,500.  (Average:  $12,000) 
SILVER  RIVER  (WB)— STANLEY  (3,280) 
(29c-37c-50c-58c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $14,500) 

STORY  OF  TOSCA  (Scalera-Era) — LIT- 
TLE (328)  (29c-37c-56c).  Gross:  $3,000. 
(Average:  $3,000) 

THE  HUNTED'  (AA)  —  MAYFAIR  (1,000) 
(21c-29c-54c)  Gross:  $4,750.  (Average: 
$5,000) 

WILL  IT  HAPPEN  AGAIN?  (Film  Clas- 
sics)—KEITH'S  (2,406)  (25c -37c -44c -54c  and 
56c  weekends).  Gross:  $8,000.  (Average: 
$12,000) 

WRECK   OF   THE   HESPERUS  (Col.)- 

HIPPODROME  (2,205)  (29c-37c-50c-58c) 
With  a  stage  show.  Gross:  $17,000.  (Av- 
erage: $17,000) 


ATLANTA 


Business  is  somewhat  off,  on  ac- 
count of  many  outdoor  attractions  and 
hot  and  close  weather.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  June  9 : 
ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)— LOEW'S  GRAND 
(2,446)  (12c-60c).  Gross:  $13,000.  (Average: 
$14,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)— ROXY,  on 
a  moveover  from  the  FOX  (2.446)  (12c-50c). 
Gross:  $5,700.    (Average:  $5,800) 
THE  IRON  CURTAIN   (ZGth-Fox)  —  FOX 

(4,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $15,000.  (Average: 
$14,000) 

WINTER  MEETING  (WB)  —  PARA- 
MOUNT (2,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $5,800. 
(Average:  $5,800) 


TORONTO 


For  the  first  time  in  months  there 
were  no  holdovers  at  key  theatres  in 
Toronto,  probably  on  account  of  warm 
and  rainy  weather,  horse  racing,  an 
international  trade  fair,  baseball  and 
other  distractions.  Two  of  the  newer 
first-runs  had  double  bills  for  the  first 
time.  Estimated  receipts  for  the  week 
ending  June  10  : 

APRIL  SHOWERS  (WB)— NORTON  (950) 
(20c-36c-42c-60c)  6  days.  Gross:  $6,500. 
(Average:  $6,500) 

APRIL    SHOWERS     (WB)  —  VICTORIA 

(1,240)     (20c-36c-42c-60c)    6    days.  Gross: 

$5,800.     (Average:  $6,300) 

ARCH    OF    TRIUMPH    (UA)  —  LOEW'S 

(2,074)  (20c -36c -48c -66c -78c)  6  days.  Gross: 

$16,200.     (Average:  $14,200) 

THE  LADY  FROM  SHANGHAI  (Col.)— 

(2,480)  (20c-36c-50c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross: 

$15,900.    (Average:  $14,900) 

LOVE  FROM  A  STRANGER  (Intl.)  and 

HEADING  FOR  HEAVEN   (Intl.)— DAN- 

FORTH    (1,400)    (20c-35c-50c-60c)    6  days. 

Gross:  $6,300.    (Average:  $6,500) 

LOVE  FROM  A  STRANGER  (Intl.)  and 

HEADING  FOR  HEAVEN  (Intl.)— FAIR 

LAWN    (1,195)     (20c-36c-50c-60c)    6  days. 

Gross:  $5,300.    (Average:  $5,500) 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 

Radio)  —  IMPERIAL    (3,343)  (20c-36c-50c- 

66c-90c)  6  days.    Gross:  $16,100.  (Average: 

$14,600) 

RIVER  LADY  (U-I)  —  UPTOWN  (2,761) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $10,600. 
(Average:  $11,600) 

TEMPTATION  HARBOR  (Intl.)— EGLIN- 
TON  (1,086)  (2Oc-36c-50c-66c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$6,900.    (Average:  $7,400) 

TEMPTATION  HARBOR  (Intl.)-TIVOLI 

(1,434)  (20c-36c-50c-66c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$8,200.     (Average:  $9,200) 


3-Week  RCA  Vacations 

What  was  described  as  the  first 
union  contract  in  the  mass  production 
industries  providing  three-week  vaca- 
tions after  10  years'  employment  has 
been  agreed  upon  by  the  Radio  Cor- 
poration of  America  and  the  United 
Electrical,  Radio  and  Machine  Work- 
ers, CIO.  The  agreement  covers 
10,000  workers  in  four  RCA  plants,  at 
Hollywood,  Camden,  Lancaster,  Pa., 
and  Pulaski,  Va. 


Broadway  Grosses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


"Hazard,"  paired  with  the  King  Cole 
Trio  on  stage  at  the  Paramount,  is  ex- 
pected to  gross  a  mild,  though  satis- 
factory, $65,000  in  a  first  week.  An- 
other newcomer,  "The  Challenge,"  is 
heading  for  a  so-so  $4,800  in  its  first 
week  at  the  Park  Avenue. 

The  following,  in  second  weeks,  are 
playing  to  fair-to-mild  business  :  "Mel- 
ody Time,"  Astor,  $30,000;  "Up  in 
Central  Park,"  Criterion,  -$15,000; 
"Citizen  Saint,"  Bijou,  $5,200;  "Time 
of  Your  Life,"  Mayfair,  $35,000, 
"Noose  Hangs  High,"  Loew's 
State,  $16,000.  "The  Lady  from 
Shanghai"  will  take  over  at  the  Cri- 
terion tomorrow,  and  "Summer  Holi- 
day" will  bow  in  at  the  State  on 
Friday. 

Third-week  films  are  expected  to 
perform  as  follows :  "Another  Part  of 
the  Forest,"  Rivoli,  $15,000  (mild)  ; 
"Silver  River,"  plus  Eddie  Duchin's 
band  on  stage,  Strand,  $36,000  (mild)  ; 
"Berlin  Express,"  Victoria,  $13,000 
(mild)  ;  "River  Lady,"  Winter  Gar- 
den, $8,000  (low).  "Wallflower"  will 
move  into  the  Strand  on  Friday,  "De- 
sign for  Death"  will  take  over  at  the 
Victoria  on  Thursday,  and  "Bad  Sis- 
ter" will  be  the  new  Winter  Garden 
tenant  as  of  tomorrow. 

"The  Iron  Curtain,"  plus  an  Ed 
Sullivan  revue  on  stage,  at  the  Roxy, 
has  fallen  off  to  a  low  $45,000  in  a 
fourth  and  final  week;  "The  Green 
Grass  of  Wyoming"  will  take  over 
there  tomorrow.  "Arch  of  Triumph" 
is  so-so  in  its  seventh  week  at  the 
Globe,  with  $15,500  expected.  Fourth 
week  of  "Will  It  Happen  Again?"  at 
the  Rialto  is  expected  to  bring  a  satis- 
factory $8,000. 


WB  Publicists 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


in  the  arbitration  of  wage  increases 
between  the  Guild  and  20th  Century- 
Fox,  and  in  direct  negotiations  be- 
tween the  guild  and  Eagle-Lion,  ac- 
cording to  SPG. 

Senior  publicists  will  receive  a  $20 
weekly  increase  ;  publicists,  $15  ;  asso- 
ciate publicists,  $10,  and  apprentices, 
$5.50,  with  new  minimum  pay  scales 
set  at  $125,  $87.50,  $62.50,  and  $40. 

The  arbitrators  were  Mitchell  M. 
Shipman,  impartial  chairman ;  Aaron 
Schneider,  regional  director  of  the 
UOPWA,  and  E.  K.  Hessberg  of 
Warner  Brothers. 


NLRB  Charge  Dismissed 

Hartford,  June  7. — The  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  charges  of 
"featherbedding"  against  Local  No. 
400  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Musicians,  were  dismissed  over  the 
weekend  by  trial  examiner  C.  W.  Wit- 
temore.  Accompanying  the  dismissal 
in  the  State  Theatre  case  was  the 
granting  of  a  request  by  the  theatre 
to  withdraw  charges  against  the  mu- 
sicians' union.  Notification  by  the 
examiner  of  the  closing  incident  in  the 
dispute  was  given  to  Harold  Strauch, 
union  counsel,  following  a  union 
agreement  to  modify  its  contract. 


AGVA  to  Elect  Officers 

Ballotting  will  get  under  way  short- 
ly for  executive  officers  and  45  nation- 
al board  members  of  the  American 
Guild  of  Variety  Artists,  an  affiliate 
of  the  Associated  Actors  and  Artistes 
of  America.  AGVA  held  its  first  con- 
vention here  over  the  weekend.  A 
constitution  barring  from  elective  or 
appointive  office  Communists  or 
Fascists  was  adopted  by  the  delegates. 


Producers,  AFM 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


before  the  advent  of  sound,  musicians 
in  theatres  of  the  U.  S.  and  Canada 
earned  $48,000,000  yearly,  whereas 
such  musicians,  now  numbering  only 
1,222,  earn  $5,000,000  annually.  Point- 
ing out  that  "Hollywood  services 
screens  of  the  world"  and  that  motion 
pictures,  like  radio,  have  served  to 
reduce  employment  opportunities  for 
musicians,  Petrillo  asked  the  dele- 
gates :  "How  can  the  situation  be 
remedied  ?" 

Presumably,  one  of  the  several  con- 
vention committees  which  will  meet 
here  today  will  take  up  the  AFM 
president's  question  for  consideration, 
and  will  very  likely  report  on  it  be- 
fore the  convention  ends  later  this 
week.  A  committee  recommendation 
that  demands  be  made  for  higher 
wages  for  film  studio  musicians  is 
seen  as  inevitable. 

In  summarizing  the  progress  of  his 
office  during  the  past  year,  Petrillo 
pointed  out  that  if  the  picture  appears 
darker  for  AFM  this  year  it  is  due 
primarily  to  the  Taft-Hartley  Law 
and  the  Lee  Act.  He  criticized  the 
labor  record  of  Republican  legislators 
in  Washington  and  said  he  would 
support  any  party  that  shows  it  is 
"for  the  workers." 


UA  Stand  on  Sopeg 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


NLRB  conference  which  will  include 
representatives  of  AFL's  IATSE 
Home  Office  Employes  Local  No. 
H-63  and  S  O  PEG. 

The  conference  was  called  by 
NLRB  preliminary  to  setting  a  date 
for  a  shop  election  among  UA's 
"white  collar"  home  office  workers. 
Local  H-63,  which  claims  "an  over- 
whelming majority"  of  the  employes, 
has  asked  the  NLRB  for  an  election. 

Buckley  will  present  also  to  NLRB 
the  UA-SOPEG  contract  which  ex- 
pired on  May  31  last,  along  with  pay- 
roll and  other  pertinent  data.  "IA" 
will  be  represented  at  the  conference 
by  Russell  Moss,  H-63  business  agent, 
and  James  Rogers,  international  or- 
ganizer. SOPEG  representation  will 
be  headed  by  SOPEG  president  Sid- 
ney Young.  Attorneys  for  both 
unions  and  the  company  are  expected 
to  be  on  hand  also. 


Boys'  Town  'Memorial 

Omaha,  June  7. — M-G-M's  "Boys 
Town,"  which  has  been  shown  annu- 
ally to  Boys'  Town's  graduating  class, 
will  be  given  a  special  showing  here 
shortly  in  a  memorial  to  the  late  Mon- 
signor  E.  J.  Flanagan,  the  Rev.-Ed- 
mond  C.  Walsh,  acting  director,  has 
announced.  This  year  "Men  of  Boys' 
Town"  will  be  screened  for  the  grad- 
uates. 


I  NATURALLY 
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sent  from  UA 


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Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  8,  194: 


Disney  Net  Drops  to 
$68,126for6Months 


Hollywood,  June  7. — After  all 
charges  net  profit  of  Walt  Disney 
Productions  in  the  first  27  weeks  of 
1948  was  $68,128,  which  was  equal, 
after  providing  for  dividends  on 
cumulative  convertible  preferred 
stock,  to  eight  cents  a  share  on  652,- 
840  common  shares  outstanding.  In 
the  corresponding  period  of  1947  net 
profit  was  $264,383,  or  38  cents  per 
share. 

President  Roy  O.  Disney,  in  a  letter 
to  stockholders  today,  stated  total  in- 
come of  Disney  Productions  for  the 
27  weeks  ended  April  3  last  was  $2,- 
543,286.  During  the  26  weeks  ended 
March  29,  1947,  total  income  amount- 
ed to  $2,984,097. 

Disney  stated  that  while  it  is  antici- 
pated that  earnings  during  the  second 
half  of  the  1948  fiscal  year  will  show 
improvement  over  those  of  the  first 
six  months,  no  material  improvement 
can  be  expected  until  international 
currency  difficulties  become  less 
severe. 

"The  company  is  being  greatly  af- 
fected by  the  shortage  of  American 
dollars  in  foreign  countries  and  by  the 
blocking  of  substantial  amounts  of 
revenue,"  said  a  company  statement, 
which  added :  "As  a  matter  of  caution, 
management  is  heavily  discounting 
these  blocked  funds  in  its  reckoning, 
with  the  result  that  the  projected 
profit  margin  on  current  product  is 
small." 


New  Pittman  House 
Opens  in  Louisiana 

New  Orleans,  June  7. — The  Dal- 
ton  Theatre,  new  first-run  house,  has 
opened  in  Baton  Rouge,  becoming  the 
third  house  bought  by  T.  A.  Pittman, 
New  Orleans  contractor  and  theatre 
owner,  in  the  past  two  years.  He  al- 
ready operates  the  Rex  in  Baton 
Rouge  and  the  Delta  in  New  Orleans. 

His  son,  Al  Pittman,  supervised 
construction  of  the  new  house  and  will 
transfer  his  activities  to  the  Park 
Theatre  at  Homer  to  get  that  house 
ready  for  a  July  3  opening.  Pittman 
also  plans  to  build  a  first-run  in  each 
of  five  additional  towns  in  Louisiana. 


Latta  Testimonial 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  7. — Local  Va- 
riety Club  will  hold  a  testimonial  din- 
ner here  Friday  night  for  C.  J.  Latta, 
who  was  recently  renamed  second  as- 
sistant chief  barker  of  national  Va- 
riety. Latta,  who  was  chief  barker 
of  the  Albany  club,  is  New  York 
State  zone  manager  for  Warner  The- 
atres. Charles  Smakwitz,  Joseph 
Saperstein  and  Gerald  Atkin  are  in 
charge  of  arrangements  for  the  dinner. 


Reagan  Presides 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

bookings  and  merchandising  for  new 
pictures,  including  "The  Emperor 
Waltz,"  "Dream  Girl,"  "Hazard," 
"Beyond  Glory,"  "So  Evil  My  Love" 
and  "A  Foreign  Affair." 

Attending  are  George  A.  Smith, 
Western  division  manager;  Hugh 
Braly,  district  manager ;  branch  man- 
agers A.  H.  Taylor,  Neal  East, 
Wayne  Thiriot,  Henry  Haustein, 
Frank  Smith,  C.  J.  Duer,  and  sales- 
men and  head  bookers  of  six  branches. 
Harold  Wirthwein,  assistant  division 
manager,  and  Ralph  Ravenscroft,  field 
advertising  representative,  are  also 
attending. 


Reviews 

"Romance  on  the  High  Seas" 

(Curtiz-Warner  Brothers) 

Hollywood,  June  7 

EASY  on  eye  and  ear  by  reason  of  riotous  Technicolor  and  tip-top  tunes, 
this  Michael  Curtiz  production  figures  to  do  right  well  for  itself  at  the  box 
office,  with  Jack  Carson,  Janis  Paige,  Oscar  Levant,  Don  De  Fore  and  S.  Z. 
Sakall  bringing  in  the  customers  and  with  the  newcomer,  Doris  Day,  giving 
them  something  new  and  special  in  the  way  of  stimulating  entertainment.  She 
is  a  brilliant  personality,  sparklingly  efficient  in  putting  over  a  slick  song  or  a 
fast  line  of  dialogue,  and  sure  to  be  heard  from  in  future  musicals.  The  pic- 
ture, in  whole,  is  decidedly  on  the  lush  side,  a  handsome  layout  put  together 
without  insistence  upon  order  or  credibility  but  with  steady  emphasis  on 
glamor. 

Miss  Day  is  featured  in  most  of  the  10  or  more  musical  numbers,  by  Jule 
Styne  and  Sammy  Cahn,  some  of  which  sound  like  sure-fire  "Hit  Parade" 
material,  and  in  two  of  these  she  is  admirably  accompanied  by  the  Page  Cav- 
anaugh  Trio.  Carson  stars  in  a  catchy  song  number,  Avon  Long  in  another, 
and  Levant  gets  loose  periodically  for  a  sprint  over  the  piano  keyboard.  The 
numbers  range  from  cozy  sets  in  the  informal  manner  to  mammoth  produc- 
tion numbers  rivalling  the  kaleidoscopic  for  color  effects. 

The  script,  by  Julius  J.  and  Philip  D.  Epstein,  presents  De  Fore  and  Miss 
Paige  as  mutually  jealous  man  and  wife.  She  pretends  to  leave  New  York 
for  a  South  American  cruise  but  sends  a  cafe  singer,  Miss  Day,  in  her  stead, 
so  she  can  stay  home  and  spy  on  her  husband.  He  sends  a  private  detective, 
Carson,  on  the  cruise  to  spy  on  his  wife.  Carson  and  Miss  Day  meet  on  ship- 
board, each  pretending  to  be  others,  and  fall  in  love.  Stops  at  Cuba,  Havana 
and,  finally,  Rio,  background  the  ensuing  complications.  Alex  Gottlieb  pro- 
duced. Busby  Berkeley  created  and  directed  the  musical  numbers  with  telling 
skill. 

Running  time,  102  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


Feudin',  Fussin'  and  A-Fightinf 

( Universal-International) 

Hollywood,  June  7 

THE  cue  for  showmen  submitting  this  to  their  customers  seems  to  be  to 
dwell  on  the  fact  that  Percy  Kilbride  and  Marjorie  Main,  the  Pa  and  Ma 
Kettle  of  "The  Egg  and  I,"  are  to  be  seen  together  again  in  a  comedy  of  rustic 
type.  That  is  about  as  far  as  a  showman  is  warranted  in  going  on  that  tack, 
but  he  can  switch  easily  to  mention  of  Donald  O'Connor  as  the  star  of  the 
picture,  plus  the  fact  that  the  story,  under  title  of  "The  Wonderful  Race  at 
Rimrock,"  appeared  in  Collier's  magazine  and  that  its  author,  D.  D.  Beau- 
champ,  also  wrote  the  screenplay.  The  picture  title  stems  from  the  song  hit 
of  the  same  name,  which  is  used  as  background  music  for  the  title  card,  and 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  proceedings,  which  include  two  small  musical 
interludes  employing  other  previously  published  numbers.  The  film  compares 
more  directly  to  those  60-minute  musicals  the  company  used  to  turn  out  be- 
fore the  merger  and  expansion  than  to  anything  it  has  turned  out  since, 
although  it  does  run  83  minutes. 

It  is  a  determinedly  comic  tale  of  small  town  life  in  the  horse-and-buggy 
days,  and  all  of  the  characters  are  hoked  up  to  the  point  of  caricature.  O'Con- 
nor portrays  a  travelling  salesman  who  is  detained  in  Rimrock  by  the  may- 
oress (Miss  Main)  and  compelled,  by  measures  Mack  Sennett  invented,  to 
run  a  foot-race  with  the  pride  of  the  neighboring  community  of  Big  Bend. 
The  thing  is  long  and  indecisive  before  the  race  begins,  at  which  time  it  gen- 
erates quite  a  laugh  appeal,  and  the  players  rely  upon  gesture  and  grimace  in 
lieu  of  effective  dialogue.  In  addition  to  those  named,  the  cast  includes  Penny 
Edwards,  Joe  Besser,  Harry  Shannon,  Fred  Kohler,  Jr.,  Howard  Chamberlin 
and  Edmund  Cobb.  Leonard  Goldstein  produced  and  George  Sherman 
directed. 

Running  time,  81  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  W.  R.  W. 


Louis  Lumiere,  83, 
Is  Dead  in  France 

Louis  Lumiere,  83,  one  of  the  first 
pioneers  of  the  French  Sim  industry, 
died  Sunday  on  the  French  Riviera 
after  a  long  illness,  according  to  news 
dispatches  received  here. 

Lumiere,  who  aided  in  the  develop- 
ment of  screen  photography,  was  as- 
sociated with  his  brother  Auguste  in 
introducing  the  art  of  film  photogra- 
phy outside  the  U.  S.  as  early  as  1895. 
The  brothers  are  said  to  have  drawn 
their  inspiration  from  Thomas  Edi- 
son's invention  of  the  Kinetoscope. 
Lumiere  also  pioneered  in  color  pho- 
tography. He  presented  a  color  process 
to  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences  in 
1903. 

Lumiere  was  honorary  president  of 
the  French  Chamber  of  Cinema,  head 
of  the  council  of  the  French  Society 
of  Physics  and  a  grand  officer  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor. 


See  New  Hearing  on 
N.  Y.  Building  Code 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  7.— Another 
hearing  may  be  necessary  on  the  pro- 
posed revisions  in  the  New-  York  State 
building  code  before  the  new  docu- 
ment is  promulgated,  perhaps  next 
September,  it  is  reported  by  officials 
who  are  studying  the  recommendations 
made  at  hearings  a  year  ago  by  thea- 
tre owners  and  others.  If  another 
hearing  is  held  it  will  probably  be  in 
a  single  city,  possibly  Albany,  rather 
than  follow  the  previous  pattern  of 
sessions  in  various  cities. 


Representative  Owens 

Washington,  June  7. — Rep.  Thom- 
as Owens,  a  member  of  the  Kearns 
House  labor  subcommittee  investigat- 
ing the  Hollywood  jurisdictional  dis- 
pute, died  here  of  a  heart  condition 
today. 


Tivoli  Case 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


where  it  is  sued,  the  judges  canno 
dismiss  the  suit  on  the  ground  that  i 
would  be  more  "convenient"  to  hav 
the  suit  brought  elsewhere.  The  higi 
court  said  Congress  had  intended  ti 
give  the  plaintiffs  in  anti-trust  suit 
wide  choice  in  picking  the  forum  mos 
advantageous  for  them  in  order  to  ge 
more  effective  enforcement  of  the  anti 
trust  laws. 

The  decision  was  appealed  bfk-  \ 
two  Texas  circuits  and  Parameter' 
Loew's,  RKO,  Warner,  Columbia 
United  Artists  and  Universal.  They 
claimed  that  the  theatre  firms  and  the 
Dallas  exchanges  of  the  distributor 
do  all  their  business  in  Texas  and 
that  it  would  be  oppressive  and  in 
equitable  to  force  them  to  defent 
themselves  in  Baltimore. 

The  District  Court  ruled  for  the! 
distributors,  but  the  Circuit  Court  re- 
versed this.  Tivoli  is  asking  $750,000 
damages— $250,000  trebled. 


RMA  Meets  Next  Week 

Washington,  June  7. — Television, 
FM  broadcasting  and  recent  Govern- 
ment proposals  for  industrial  mobiliza- 
tion and  increased  buying  of  military  | 
equipment  will  highlight  the  agenda] 
of  the  24th  annual  convention  of  the 
Radio  Manufacturers  Association 
which  will  be  held  at  the  Stevens  Ho- 
tel, Chicago,  June  14-17.  Officers  and 
14  directors  will  be  elected.  Max  F. 
Balcom,  RMA  president,  will  make 
his  annual  report  at  a  luncheon  on 
June  17. 


MPAA  Seeks  RKO  Short 

Washington,  June  7. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  president 
Eric  Johnston  and  other  top  MPAA 
officials  saw  RKO  Pathe's  "Letter  to 
a  Rebel"  over  the  weekend,  and  are 
willing  to  sponsor  it  as  the  second  in 
the  association's  screen  editorial  series, 
if  agreeable  to  RKO. 


MOT  Reception 

A  reception  was  held  here  yesterday 
by  March  of  Time  for  sports  writers 
of  the  Metropolitan  press  as  well  as 
members  of  the  trade  press.  On  the 
occasion,  March  of  Time's  new  sub- 
ject, "The  Fight  Game,"  was  screened. 
Richard  de  Rochemont,  MOT  pro- 
ducer, was  host. 


Clautice  Joins  Sindlinger 

George  H.  Clautice  has  been  ap- 
pointed New  York  representative  for 
Sindlinger  and  Co.,  market  and  audi- 
ence research  organization,  by  Albert 
E.  Sindlinger,  president.  He  will  oper- 
ate out  of  the  Hopewell,  N.  J.,  head- 
quarters until  the  company  opens  its 
New  York  office  late  this  month. 


Newark  Bans  Film 

Newark  June  7. — John  B.  Keenan, 
director  of  public  safety,  has  banned 
the  showing  here  of  the  French  film 
"Passionnelle,"  acting  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  local  censorship  com- 
mittee. The  production  was  to  have 
opened  Friday  at  the  Broad  Street 
Theatre. 


Selznick  Television 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  7.  —  Selznick 
Television  Corp.  of  Dover,  Del.,  has 
filed  a  registration  certificate  here. 
New  York  City  offices  are  at  400 
Madison  Ave.,  where  Selznick  Releas- 
ing Organization  is  located.  Paine, 
Kramer  and  Marx  of  New  York  are 
the  attorneys. 


1  FIRST  1  MOTION  PICttTR^f^ 

IN  A     TT   T  TT  Concise 

[  FILM      ■   ■  /m     ■      ■  j  and 

NEWS      B  m   ■      ■  ^     1      I  ^Partial 

T  ^63.  NO.  Ill  NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  9,  1948  TEN  CENTS 


U.  K.  Tax  Pact 
Changes  Cause 

Concern  Here 


MP  A  A,  MPEA  Boards 
To  Weigh  Subject  Friday 

Revisions  in  the  British  film  tax 
agreement  being  requested  by  Lon- 
don government  officials  have  at- 
tained such  scope  that  industry 
leaders  here  feel  that  they  would  have 
the  effect  of  altering  the  agreement 
itself. 

Concern  over  the  proposed 
revisions  is  so  great  that  it  is 
likely  that  discussion  of  the 
subject  will  be  the  first  order 
of  business  at  the  meetings  of 
the  boards  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  and  the  M.  P. 
Export  Association  here  on 
Friday. 

The  agreement,  negotiated  in  Lon- 
don last  March    by    Eric  Johnston, 

(Continued  on  page  2) 

RKO,  WB,  20th-Fox 
Pay  for  Arbitration 

Three  of  the  five  theatre-owning 
defendants  in  the  industry  anti-trust 
suit  have  formally  indicated  their  in- 
tention of  continuing  to  support  the 
industry  arbitration  system  with  re- 
ceipt by  the  American  Arbitration 
Association  here  of  monthly  assess- 
ment checks  from  RKO  Radio,  War- 
ners and  20th  Century-Fox. 

Paramount  and  Loew's,  the  other 
two .  theatre-owning  defendants,  are 
expected  to  mail  assessment  checks  to 
the  AAA  this  week. 

Two  exhibitor  complaints  have  been 
filed  for  arbitration  since  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  ruled  in  the  Para- 
mount case  on  May  3. 

Senary  4in  Accord' 
With  Hughes'  Policy 

Hollywood,  June  8. — Dore  Senary, 
RKO  Radio  production  executive,  to- 
day asserted  that  he  and  Howard 
Hughes,  who  recentlv  acquired  con- 
trol of  RKO  from  Floyd  B.  Odium, 
"are  in  complete  accord  on  present 
policy"  and  "projected  program"  for 
the  studio.  He  explained  that  his 
statement  was  made  "with  the  desire 
to  dispel  all  of  the  rumors"  concerning 
a  change  in  production  management 
it  RKO. 


45-Day  Deadline  Is 
Asked  by  US  for 
Filing  Schine  Data 

In  its  proposed  order  to  be  entered 
in  District  Court  in  Buffalo  on  June 
14  in  accordance  with  the  U.  S.  Su- 
preme Court's  mandate  in  the  Schine 
anti-trust  suit,  the  Government  asks 
a  45-day  deadline  after  that  date  for 
the  filing  by  the  defendant  of  an  ac- 
counting of  all  company  theatre  inter- 
ests of  any  description.  Copies  of  the 
order  and  of  a  memorandum  support- 
ing the  order  have  been  served  on 
counsel  for  Schine. 

Willard  S.  McKay  of  counsel  for 
Schine  said  yesterday  no  action  would 
be  taken  on  the  proposed  order  pend- 
ing a  study  of  the  document. 

In  each  instance  the  defendant  is 
required  to  list  the  name  of  the  the- 
atre, its  location,  seating  capacity,  na- 
ture of  Schine's  interest  and  any 
periods  during  which  the  house  may 
have  been  closed  between  Jan.  1,  1946, 
and  June  1,  1948. 

Under  the  order,  the  defendant  is 
also  compelled  to  file  with  the  Buffalo 
District  Court  a  statement  on  any 
other  theatre  realty  interests,  giving 
the  nature  of  the  interest  in  each  case, 
the  type  of  property  and  the  location. 

Within  60  days  after  presentation 
of  the  order  to  Federal  Judge  John 
Knight  by  the  Government,  both  par- 
ties are  directed  to  file  with  the  Dis- 
trict  Court   any   new   and  amended 

(Continued  on  page  6) 

NY  Warner  Theatre 
Sold  for  $2  Million 

Warner  Brothers  has  sold  the  War- 
ner Theatre  here,  one  of  its  two 
"showcases"  on  Broadway,  to  Albany 
industrialist  Anthony  Brady  Farrell, 
principal  backer  of  the  Broadway 
stage  musical,  "Hold  It !"  He  will 
convert  the  house  into  a  legitimate 
theatre  and  reopen  it  on  Sept.  9  with 
"Hold  It !"  now  tenanted  elsewhere. 
Farrell,  who  announced  his  purchase 
at  a  press  interview  yesterday,  has 
given  Warners  a  $200,000  down-pay- 
ment and  will  pay  the  remainder  of 

(Continued  cm  page  6) 

Selznick  to  Open 
Branch  in  Albany 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  8. — Selznick 
Releasing  Organization  will  open  an 
exchange  here  within  two  weeks,  to 
be  managed  by  Schuyler  Beattie,  now 
functioning  as  the  company's  sales  rep- 
resentative here.  All  shipping  now  be- 
ing done  from  New  York  and  Buffalo, 
will  go  out  from  this  city,  with  phy- 
sical distribution  handled  by'  Clark- 
Film  Distributors. 


Initiate  Plan 
To  Aid  Rogers 
Hospital  Fund 


National  film  company  sales  man- 
agers yesterday  divulged  plans  for 
a  series  of  contests  to  be  conducted 
within  the  industry  as  a  means  of 
raising  funds  to  continue  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  at  Saranac 
Lake,  N.  Y.  With  $25,000  in  cash  on 
hand  and  pledges  beyond,  the  tubercu- 
lar sanitorium  can  operate  until  No- 
vember 1,  according  to  Edmund  C. 
Grainger,  assistant  treasurer. 

Idea  of  the  contests  stems  from  the 
success  attained  by  various  Variety 
Club  tents.  Robert  Mochrie;  general 
sales  manager  of  RKO  Radio,  point- 
ed out  the  Boston  tent  had  sold  $60,- 
000  worth  of  tickets  and  came  off  with 
net  of  $45,000,  Philadelphia  raised 
$45,000  and  Washington  $40,000. 

The  New  York  exchange  area  will 
(Continued  on  page  2) 

Mid-Central  Allied 
Formed  in  St.  Louis 

St.  Louis,  June  8. — Allied  States 
Association  today  launched  its  St. 
Louis  area  unit  at  an  all-day  meeting 
at  the  Sheraton  Hotel  here  with  some 
40  exhibitors  attending.  The  meeting- 
adopted  the  name  of  Mid-Central  Al- 
lied Independent  Theatre  Owners  and 
elected  an  organization  committee. 
Andy  Dietz  was  chairman  of  the  ses- 
sions, and  H.  A.  Cole  of  Dallas,  and 
Trueman  T.  Rembusch  of  Indianapo- 
lis were  the  principal  speakers. 

Representation  at  today's  meeting- 
was  mainly  from  out-lying  districts, 
and,  as  was  expected,  this  first  Allied 
move  here  drew  few  recruits  from  St. 
Louis  itself,  long  a  stronghold  of  Fred 
Wehrenberg's  Motion  Picture  Thea- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


5  More  Percentage 
Suits  Are  Settled 


Providence,  June  8. — Percentage 
suits  involving  the  Palace,  Gem  and 
Thornton  theatres  in  Arctic,  R.  I., 
and  the  Weymouth  in  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  have  been  marked  ended  in 
Federal  Court  here  with  the  filing  of 
a  stipulation  in  each  action  to  the  ef- 
fect that  the  defendant  exhibitors  have 
accounted  to  the  plaintiff  distributors 
and  have  paid  to  them  the  amounts 
agreed  to  be  due. 

Actions  were  pending  on  behalf  of 
Paramount,  Loew's,  20th  Century- 
Fox,  RKO  and  Warner  Brothers. 


Option  to  Buy 
Para.  Holdings 
To  Interstate 


Hoblitzelle  Links  Move 
To  High  Court  Decision 

Dallas,  June  8. — Interstate  Cir- 
cuit and  Texas  Consolidated  The- 
atres have  an  option  to  buy  the 
Class  "B"  stock  owned  by  Para- 
mount, it  was  disclosed  by  Karl  Hob- 
litzelle, head  of  the  circuits,  who  said 
that  he  will  consolidate  all  of  his  hold- 
ings if  they  acquire  the  "B"  stock 
held  by  Paramount. 

Arising  from  the  Supreme  Court 
ruling  in  the  Paramount  case  which 
might  force  defendant  distributor- 
producers  to  divest  themselves  of  the- 
atre holdings  under  certain  condi- 
tions, this  was  the  first  indication  by 
a  theatre  partner  that  he  will  seek  to 
buy  out  the  interests  of  the  defend- 
ant. 

Hoblitzelle  said  that  Interstate  and 
Texas  Consolidated,  numbering  183 
houses  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico, 
which  control  the  Class  "B"  and  "A" 
stock,  would  also  acquire  all  of  the 
Paramount-owned  "B"  shares  in  those 
circuits. 


Propose  Settlement 
Of  N.  T.  Stock  Suits 


Proposals  for  the  settlement  of 
20th  Century-Fox  stockholders'  suits 
which  involved  more  than  $6,850,000, 
representing  sale  of  National  Thea- 
tres' stock  and  salaries  and  bonuses  of 
five  N.  T.  officers,  were  received  by 
the  company  yesterday. 

Details  of  the  proposed  settlement 
were  not  disclosed  pending  notice  to 
20th-Fox  stockholders  and  approval 
by  the  court  and  board  of  directors, 
but  a  possible  readjustment  of  $3,550,- 
000  was  indicated  by  the  company. 
Officers    of    N.    T.    involved  were 

(Continued  on  page  6) 

Senate  Committee 
Approves  Trade  Pact 

Washington,  June  8.— The  Senate 
Finance  Committee  today  approved  a 
one-year  extension  of  the  Reciprocal 
Trade  Agreements  Act,  with  the  Pres- 
ident required  to  give  Congress  his 
reasons  if  he  ignores  Tariff  Commis- 
sion recommendations  on  how  much 
of  a  cut  should  be  made  in  any  par- 
ticular item  in  new  trade  agreements. 

The  Senate  group  removed,  how- 
ever, a  provision  in  the  House- 
approved   bill    giving    Congress  the 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  8,  1948 


Reviews 


Tivoli  Case 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


Disney  Net  Drops  to 
$68,126for6Months 

Hollywood,  June  7. — After  all 
charges  net  profit  of  Walt  Disney 
Productions  in  the  first  27  weeks  of 
1948  was  $68,128,  which  was  equal, 
after  providing  for  dividends  on 
cumulative  convertible  preferred 
stock,  to  eight  cents  a  share  on  652,- 
840  common  shares  outstanding.  In 
the  corresponding  period  of  1947  net 
profit  was  $264,383,  or  38  cents  per 
share. 

President  Roy  O.  Disney,  in  a  letter 
to  stockholders  today,  stated  total  in- 
come of  Disney  Productions  for  the 
27  weeks  ended  April  3  last  was  $2,- 
543,286.  During  the  26  weeks  ended 
March  29,  1947,  total  income  amount- 
ed to  $2,984,097. 

Disney  stated  that  while  it  is  antici- 
pated that  earnings  during  the  second 
half  of  the  1948  fiscal  year  will  show 
improvement  over  those  of  the  first 
six  months,  no  material  improvement 
can  be  expected  until  international 
currency  difficulties  become  less 
severe. 

"The  company  is  being  greatly  af- 
fected by  the  shortage  of  American 
dollars  in  foreign  countries  and  by  the 
blocking  of  substantial  amounts  of 
revenue,"  said  a  company  statement, 
which  added :  "As  a  matter  of  caution, 
management  is  heavily  discounting 
these  blocked  funds  in  its  reckoning, 
with  the  result  that  the  projected 
profit  margin  on  current  product  is 
small." 

New  Pittman  House 
Opens  in  Louisiana 

New  Orleans,  June  7. — The  Dal- 
ton  Theatre,  new  first-run  house,  has 
opened  in  Baton  Rouge,  becoming  the 
third  house  bought  by  T.  A.  Pittman, 
New  Orleans  contractor  and  theatre 
owner,  in  the  past  two  years.  He  al- 
ready operates  the  Rex  in  Baton 
Rouge  and  the  Delta  in  New  Orleans. 

His  son,  Al  Pittman,  supervised 
construction  of  the  new  house  and  will 
transfer  his  activities  to  the  Park 
Theatre  at  Homer  to  get  that  house 
ready  for  a  July  3  opening.  Pittman 
also  plans  to  build  a  first-run  in  each 
of  five  additional  towns  in  Louisiana. 


Latta  Testimonial 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  7. — Local  Va- 
riety Club  will  hold  a  testimonial  din- 
ner here  Friday  night  for  C.  J.  Latta, 
who  was  recently  renamed  second  as- 
sistant chief  barker  of  national  Va- 
riety. Latta,  who  was  chief  barker 
of  the  Albany  club,  is  New  York 
State  zone  manager  for  Warner  The- 
atres. Charles  Smakwitz,  Joseph 
Saperstein  and  Gerald  Atkin  are  in 
charge  of  arrangements  for  the  dinner. 


Reagan  Presides 

(Continued  from  page  1 ) 

bookings  and  merchandising  for  new 
pictures,  including  "The  Emperor 
Waltz,"  "Dream  Girl,"  "Hazard," 
"Beyond  Glory,"  "So  Evil  My  Love" 
and  "A  Foreign  Affair." 

Attending  are  George  A.  Smith, 
Western  division  manager ;  Hugh 
Braly,  district  manager  ;  branch  man- 
agers A.  H.  Taylor,  Neal  East, 
Wayne  Thiriot,  Henry  Haustein, 
Frank  Smith,  C.  J.  Duer,  and  sales- 
men and  head  bookers  of  six  branches. 
Harold  Wirthwein,  assistant  division 
manager,  and  Ralph  Ravenscroft,  field 
advertising  representative,  are  also 
attending. 


Louis  Lumiere,  83, 
Is  Dead  in  France 

Louis  Lumiere,  83,  one  of  the  first 
pioneers  of  the  French  film  industry, 
died  Sunday  on  the  French  Riviera 
after  a  long  illness,  according  to  news 
dispatches  received  here. 

Lumiere,  who  aided  in  the  develop- 
ment of  screen  photography,  was  as- 
sociated with  his  brother  Auguste  in 
introducing  the  art  of  film  photogra- 
phy outside  the  U.  S.  as  early  as  1895. 
The  brothers  are  said  to  have  drawn 
their  inspiration  from  Thomas  Edi- 
son's invention  of  the  Kinetoscope. 
Lumiere  also  pioneered  in  color  pho- 
tography. He  presented  a  color  process 
to  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences  in 
1903. 

Lumiere  was  honorary  president  of 
the  French  Chamber  of  Cinema,  head 
of  the  council  of  the  French  Society 
of  Physics  and  a  grand  officer  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor. 


See  New  Hearing  on 
N.  F.  Building  Code 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  7. — Another 
hearing  may  be  necessary  on  the  pro- 
posed revisions  in  the  New-  York  State 
building  code  before  the  new  docu- 
ment is  promulgated,  perhaps  next 
September,  it  is  reported  by  officials 
who  are  studying  the  recommendations 
made  at  hearings  a  year  ago  by  thea- 
tre owners  and  others.  If  another 
hearing  is  held  it  will  probably  be  in 
a  single  city,  possibly  Albany,  rather 
than  follow  the  previous  pattern  of 
sessions  in  various  cities. 


Washington,  June  7— Rep.  Thom- 
as Owens,  a  member  of  the  Kearns 
House  labor  subcommittee  investigat- 
ing the  Hollywood  jurisdictional  dis- 
pute, died  here  of  a  heart  condition 
today. 


where  it  is  sued,  the  judges  cannot 
dismiss  the  suit  on  the  ground  that  it 
would  be  more  "convenient"  to  have 
the  suit  brought  elsewhere.  The  high  | 
court  said  Congress  had  intended  to  f 
give  the  plaintiffs  in  anti-trust  suits 
wide  choice  in  picking  the  forum  most 
advantageous  for  them  in  order  to  get 
more  effective  enforcement  of  the  anti- 
trust laws.  rK 

The  decision  was  appealed  bfck- je 
two  Texas  circuits  and  PararnVi^,  I 
Loew's,    RKO,    Warner,    Columbia,  j 
United  Artists  and  Universal.  They 
claimed  that  the  theatre  firms  and  the  j 
Dallas  exchanges  of  the  distributors 
do  all  their  business  in  Texas  and 
that  it  would  be  oppressive  and  in- 
equitable  to   force   them   to  defend 
themselves  in  Baltimore. 

The  District  Court  ruled  for  the 
distributors,  but  the  Circuit  Court  re- 
versed this.  Tivoli  is  asking  $750,000 
damages— $250,000  trebled. 


Romance  on  the  High  Seas 

(Curtis-Warner  Brothers) 

Hollywood,  June  7 

EASY  on  eye  and  ear  by  reason  of  riotous  Technicolor  and  tip-top  tunes, 
this  Michael  Curtiz  production  figures  to  do  right  well  for  itself  at  the  box 
office,  with  Jack  Carson,  Janis  Paige,  Oscar  Levant,  Don  De  Fore  and  S.  Z. 
Sakall  bringing  in  the  customers  and  with  the  newcomer,  Doris  Day,  giving 
them  something  new  and  special  in  the  way  of  stimulating  entertainment.  She 
is  a  brilliant  personality,  sparklingly  efficient  in  putting  over  a  slick  song  or  a 
fast  line  of  dialogue,  and  sure  to  be  heard  from  in  future  musicals.  The  pic- 
ture, in  whole,  is  decidedly  on  the  lush  side,  a  handsome  layout  put  together 
without  insistence  upon  order  or  credibility  but  with  steady  emphasis  on 
glamor. 

Miss  Day  is  featured  in  most  of  the  10  or  more  musical  numbers,  by  Jule 
Styne  and  Sammy  Cahn,  some  of  which  sound  like  sure-fire  "Hit  Parade" 
material,  and  in  two  of  these  she  is  admirably  accompanied  by  the  Page  Cav- 
anaugh  Trio.  Carson  stars  in  a  catchy  song  number,  Avon  Long  in  another, 
and  Levant  gets  loose  periodically  for  a  sprint  over  the  piano  keyboard.  The 
numbers  range  from  cozy  sets  in  the  informal  manner  to  mammoth  produc- 
tion numbers  rivalling  the  kaleidoscopic  for  color  effects. 

The  script,  by  Julius  J.  and  Philip  D.  Epstein,  presents  De  Fore  and  Miss 
Paige  as  mutually  jealous  man  and  wife.  She  pretends  to  leave  New  York 
for  a  South  American  cruise  but  sends  a  cafe  singer,  Miss  Day,  in  her  stead, 
so  she  can  stay  home  and  spy  on  her  husband.  He  sends  a  private  detective, 
Carson,  on  the  cruise  to  spy  on  his  wife.  Carson  and  Miss  Day  meet  on  ship- 
board, each  pretending  to  be  others,  and  fall  in  love.  Stops  at  Cuba,  Havana 
and,  finally,  Rio,  background  the  ensuing  complications.  Alex  Gottlieb  pro- 
duced. Busby  Berkeley  created  and  directed  the  musical  numbers  with  telling 
skill. 

Running  time,  102  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


"Feudin',  Fussin'  and  A-Fightin' 

(Universal-International) 

Hollywood,  June  7 

THE  cue  for  showmen  submitting  this  to  their  customers  seems  to  be  to 
dwell  on  the  fact  that  Percy  Kilbride  and  Marjorie  Main,  the  Pa  and  Ma 
Kettle  of  "The  Egg  and  I,"  are  to  be  seen  together  again  in  a  comedy  of  rustic 
type.  That  is  about  as  far  as  a  showman  is  warranted  in  going  on  that  tack, 
but  he  can  switch  easily  to  mention  of  Donald  O'Connor  as  the  star  of  the 
picture,  plus  the  fact  that  the  story,  under  title  of  "The  Wonderful  Race  at 
Rimrock,"  appeared  in  Collier's  magazine  and  that  its  author,  D.  D.  Beau- 
champ,  also  wrote  the  screenplay.  The  picture  title  stems  from  the  song  hit 
of  the  same  name,  which  is  used  as  background  music  for  the  title  card,  and 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  proceedings,  which  include  two  small  musical 
interludes  employing  other  previously  published  numbers.  The  film  compares 
more  directly  to  those  60-minute  musicals  the  company  used  to  turn  out  be- 
fore the  merger  and  expansion  than  to  anything  it  has  turned  out  since, 
although  it  does  run  83  minutes. 

It  is  a  determinedly  comic  tale  of  small  town  life  in  the  horse-and-buggy 
days,  and  all  of  the  characters  are  hoked  up  to  the  point  of  caricature.  O'Con- 
nor portrays  a  travelling  salesman  who  is  detained  in  Rimrock  by  the  may- 
oress (Miss  Main)  and  compelled,  by  measures  Mack  Sennett  invented,  to 
run  a  foot-race  with  the  pride  of  the  neighboring  community  of  Big  Bend. 
The  thing  is  long  and  indecisive  before  the  race  begins,  at  which  time  it  gen- 
erates quite  a  laugh  appeal,  and  the  players  rely  upon  gesture  and  grimace  in 
lieu  of  effective  dialogue.  In  addition  to  those  named,  the  cast  includes  Penny 
Edwards,  Joe  Besser,  Harry  Shannon,  Fred  Kohler,  Jr.,  Howard  Chamberlin 
and  Edmund  Cobb.  Leonard  Goldstein  produced  and  George  Sherman 
directed. 

Running  time,  81  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  W.  R.  W. 


RMA  Meets  Next  Week 

Washington,  June  7. — Television, 
FM  broadcasting  and  recent  Govern- 
ment proposals  for  industrial  mobiliza- 
tion and  increased  buying  of  military 
equipment  will  highlight  the  agenda 
of  the  24th  annual  convention  of  the 
Radio  Manufacturers  Association 
which  will  be  held  at  the  Stevens  Ho- 
tel, Chicago,  June  14-17.  Officers  and 
14  directors  will  be  elected.  Max  F. 
Balcom,  RMA  president,  will  make 
his  annual  report  at  a  luncheon  on 
June  17. 


MPAA  Seeks  RKO  Short 

Washington,  June  7. — Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  president 
Eric  Johnston  and  other  top  MPAA 
officials  saw  RKO  Pathe's  "Letter  to 
a  Rebel"  over  the  weekend,  and  are 
willing  to  sponsor  it  as  the  second  in 
the  association's  screen  editorial  series, 
if  agreeable  to  RKO. 


MOT  Reception 

A  reception  was  held  here  yesterday 
by  March  of  Time  for  sports  writers 
of  the  Metropolitan  press  as  well  as 
members  of  the  trade  press.  On  the 
occasion,  March  of  Time's  new  sub- 
ject, "The  Fight  Game,"  was  screened. 
Richard  de  Rochemont,  MOT  pro- 
ducer, was  host. 


Clautice  Joins  Sindlinger 

George  H.  Clautice  has  been  ap- 
pointed New  York  representative  for 
Sindlinger  and  Co.,  market  and  audi- 
ence research  organization,  by  Albert 
E.  Sindlinger,  president.  He  will  oper- 
ate out  of  the  Hopewell,  N.  J.,  head- 
quarters until  the  company  opens  its 
New  York  office  late  this  month. 


Newark  Bans  Film 

Newark  June  7. — John  B.  Keenan, 
director  of  public  safety,  has  banned 
the  showing  here  of  the  French  film 
"Passionnelle,"  acting  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  local  censorship  com- 
mittee. The  production  was  to  have 
opened  Friday  at  the  Broad  Street 
Theatre. 


Selznick  Television 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  7.  —  Selznick 
Television  Corp.  of  Dover,  Del.,  has 
filed  a  registration  certificate  here. 
New  York  City  offices  are  at  400 
Madison  Ave.,  where  Selznick  Releas- 
ing Organization  is  located.  Paine, 
Kramer  and  Marx  of  New  York  are 
the  attorneys. 


Representative  Owens 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


'r- 

Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


V  ^63.  NO.  Ill 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  9,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


U.  K.  Tax  Pact 
Changes  Cause 

Concern  Here 

MP  A  A,  MPEA  Boards 
To  Weigh  Subject  Friday 

Revisions  in  the  British  film  tax 
agreement  being  requested  by  Lon- 
don government  officials  have  at- 
tained such  scope  that  industry 
leaders  here  feel  that  they  would  have 
the  effect  of  altering  the  agreement 
itself. 

Concern  over  the  proposed 
revisions  is  so  great  that  it  is 
likely  that  discussion  of  the 
subject  will  be  the  first  order 
of  business  at  the  meetings  of 
the  boards  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  and  the  M.  P. 
Export  Association  here  on 
Friday. 

The  agreement,  negotiated  in  Lon- 
don last  March   by    Eric  Johnston, 
{Continued  on  page  2) 


RKO,  WB,  20th-Fox 
Pay  for  Arbitration 


Three  of  the  five  theatre-owning 
defendants  in  the  industry  anti-trust 
suit  have  formally  indicated  their  in- 
tention of  continuing  to  support  the 
industry  arbitration  system  with  re- 
ceipt by  the  American  Arbitration 
Association  here  of  monthly  assess- 
ment checks  from  RKO  Radio,  War- 
ners and  20th  Century-Fox. 

Paramount  and  Loew's,  the  other 
two .  theatre-owning  defendants,  are 
expected  to  mail  assessment  checks  io 
the  AAA  this  week. 

Two  exhibitor  complaints  have  been 
filed  for  arbitration  since  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  ruled  in  the  Para- 
mount case  on  May  3. 


Senary  4in  Accord' 
With  Hughes'  Policy 

Hollywood,  June  8. — Dore  Schary, 
RKO  Radio  production  executive,  to- 
day asserted  that  he  and  Howard 
Hughes,  who  recently  acquired  con- 
trol of  RKO  from  Floyd  B.  Odium, 
"are  in  complete  accord  on  present 
policy"  and  "projected  program"  for 
the  studio.  He  explained  that  his 
statement  was  made  "with  the  desire 
to  dispel  all  of  the  rumors"  concerning 
a  change  in  production  management 
at  RKO. 


4 5 -Day  Deadline  Is 
Asked  by  US  for 
Filing  Schine  Data 


In  its  proposed  order  to  be  entered 
in  District  Court  in  Buffalo  on  June 
14  in  accordance  with  the  U.  S.  Su- 
preme Court's  mandate  in  the  Schine 
anti-trust  suit,  the  Government  asks 
a  45-day  deadline  after  that  date  for 
the  filing  by  the  defendant  of  an  ac- 
counting of  all  company  theatre  inter- 
ests of  any  description.  Copies  of  the 
order  and  of  a  memorandum  support- 
ing the  order  have  been  served  on 
counsel  for  Schine. 

Willard  S.  McKay  of  counsel  for 
Schine  said  yesterday  no  action  would 
be  taken  on  the  proposed  order  pend- 
ing a  study  of  the  document. 

In  each  instance  the  defendant  is 
required  to  list  the  name  of  the  the- 
atre, its  location,  seating  capacity,  na- 
ture of  Schine's  interest  and  any 
periods  during  which  the  house  may 
have  been  closed  between  Jan.  1,  1946, 
and  June  1,  1948. 

Under  tbe  order,  the  defendant  is 
also  compelled  to  file  with  the  Buffalo 
District  Court  a  statement  on  any 
other  theatre  realty  interests,  giving 
the  nature  of  the  interest  in  each  case, 
the  type  of  property  and  the  location. 

Within  60  days  after  presentation 
of  the  order  to  Federal  Judge  John 
Knight  by  the  Government,  both  par- 
ties are  directed  to  file  with  the  Dis- 
trict  Court   any  new   and  amended 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


NY  Warner  Theatre 
Sold  for  $2  Million 


Warner  Brothers  has  sold  the  War- 
ner Theatre  here,  one  of  its  two 
"showcases"  on  Broadway,  to  Albany 
industrialist  Anthony  Brady  Farrell, 
principal  backer  of  the  Broadway 
stage  musical,  "Hold  It !"  He  will 
convert  the  house  into  a  legitimate 
theatre  and  reopen  it  on  Sept.  9  with 
"Hold  It!"  now  tenanted  elsewhere. 
Farrell,  who  announced  his  purchase 
at  a  press  interview  yesterday,  has 
given  Warners  a  $200,000  down-pay- 
ment and  will  pay  the  remainder  of 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Selznick  to  Open 
Branch  in  Albany 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  8. — Selznick 
Releasing  Organization  will  open  an 
exchange  here  within  two  weeks,  to 
be  managed  by  Schuyler  Beattie,  now 
functioning  as  the  company's  sales  rep- 
resentative here.  All  shipping  now  be- 
ing done  from  New  York  and  Buffalo, 
will  go  out  from  this  city,  with  phy- 
sical distribution  handled  by'  Clark 
Film  Distributors. 


Initiate  Plan 
To  Aid  Rogers 
Hospital  Fund 


National  film  company  sales  man- 
agers yesterday  divulged  plans  for 
a  series  of  contests  to  be  conducted 
within  the  industry  as  a  means  of 
raising  funds  to  continue  the  Will 
Rogers  Memorial  Hospital  at  Saranac 
Lake,  N.  Y.  With  $25,000  in  cash  on 
hand  and  pledges  beyond,  the  tubercu- 
lar sanitorium  can  operate  until  No- 
vember 1,  according  to  Edmund  ■  C. 
Grainger,  assistant  treasurer. 

Idea  of  the  contests  stems  from  the 
success  attained  by  various  Variety 
Club  tents.  Robert  Mochrie,  general 
sales  manager  of  RKO  Radio,  point- 
ed out  the  Boston  tent  had  sold  $60,- 
000  worth  of  tickets  and  came  off  with 
net  of  $45,000,  Philadelphia  raised 
$45,000  and  Washington  $40,000. 

The  New  York  exchange  area  will 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Mid-Central  Allied 
Formed  in  St.  Louis 


St.  Louis,  June  8. — Allied  States 
Association  today  launched  its  St. 
Louis  area  unit  at  an  all-day  meeting 
at  the  Sheraton  Hotel  here  with  some 
40  exhibitors  attending.  The  meeting- 
adopted  the  name  of  Mid- Central  Al- 
lied Independent  Theatre  Owners  and 
elected  an  organization  committee. 
Andy  Dietz  was  chairman  of  the  ses- 
sions, and  H.  A.  Cole  of  Dallas,  and 
Trueman  T.  Rembusch  of  Indianapo- 
lis were  the  principal  speakers. 

Representation  at  today's  meeting- 
was  mainly  from  out-lying  districts, 
and,  as  was  expected,  this  first  Allied 
move  here  drew  few  recruits  from  St. 
Louis  itself,  long  a  stronghold  of  Fred 
Wehrenberg's  Motion  Picture  Thea- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


5  More  Percentage 
Suits  Are  Settled 


Providence,  June  8. — Percentage 
suits  involving  the  Palace,  Gem  and 
Thornton  theatres  in  Arctic,  R.  I., 
and  the  Weymouth  in  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  have  been  marked  ended  in 
Federal  Court  here  with  the  filing  of 
a  stipulation  in  each  action  to  the  ef- 
fect that  the  defendant  exhibitors  have 
accounted  to  the  plaintiff  distributors 
and  have  paid  to  them  the  amounts 
agreed  to  be  due. 

Actions  were  pending  on  behalf  of 
Paramount,  Loew's,  20th  Century- 
Fox,  RKO  and  Warner  Brothers. 


Option  to  Buy 
Para.  Holdings 
To  Interstate 


Hoblitzelle  Links  Move 
To  High  Court  Decision 

Dallas,  June  8. — Interstate  Cir- 
cuit and  Texas  Consolidated  The- 
atres have  an  option  to  buy  the 
Class  "B"  stock  owned  by  Para- 
mount, it  was  disclosed  by  Karl  Hob- 
litzelle, head  of  the  circuits,  who  said 
that  he  will  consolidate  all  of  his  hold- 
ings if  they  acquire  the  "B"  stock 
held  by  Paramount. 

Arising  from  the  Supreme  Court 
ruling  in  the  Paramount  case  which 
might  force  defendant  distributor- 
producers  to  divest  themselves  of  the- 
atre holdings  under  certain  condi- 
tions, this  was  the  first  indication  by 
a  theatre  partner  that  he  will  seek  to 
buy  out  the  interests  of  the  defend- 
ant. 

Hoblitzelle  said  that  Interstate  and 
Texas  Consolidated,  numbering  183 
houses  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico, 
which  control  the  Class  "B"  and  "A" 
stock,  would  also  acquire  all  of  the 
Paramount-owned  "B"  shares  in  those 
circuits. 


Propose  Settlement 
Of  N.  T.  Stock  Suits 


Proposals  for  the  settlement  of 
20th  Century-Fox  stockholders'  suits 
which  involved  more  than  $6,850,000, 
representing  sale  of  National  Thea- 
tres' stock  and  salaries  and  bonuses  of 
five  N.  T.  officers,  were  received  by 
the  company  yesterday. 

Details  of  the  proposed  settlement 
were  not  disclosed  pending  notice  to 
20th-Fox  stockholders  and  approval 
by  the  court  and  board  of  directors, 
but  a  possible  readjustment  of  $3,550,- 
000  was  indicated  by  the  company. 
Officers  of  N.  T.  involved  were 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Senate  Committee 
Approves  Trade  Pact 

Washington,  June  8. — The  Senate 
Finance  Committee  today  approved  a 
one-year  extension  of  the  Reciprocal 
Trade  Agreements  Act,  with  the  Pres- 
ident required  to  give  Congress  his 
reasons  if  he  ignores  Tariff  Commis- 
sion recommendations  on  how  much 
of  a  cut  should  be  made  in  any  par- 
ticular item  in  new  trade  agreements. 

The  Senate  group  removed,  how- 
ever, a  provision  in  the  House- 
approved    bill    giving    Congress  the 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  9,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


SAM  SCHNEIDER,  Warner  vice- 
president,   will   leave   here  this 
week  for  London. 

• 

Leonard  Goldenson.  Paramount 
vice-president  in  charge  of  theatre 
operations,  and  Mrs.  Goldenson  yes- 
terday became  parents  of  their  second 
daughter,  born  at  White  Plains  Hos- 
pital. 

• 

Charles  P.  Skouras,  Jr.,  son  of 
the  president  of  National  Theatres, 
was  graduated  from  the  U.  S.  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  West  Point  yes- 
terday as  a  second  lieutenant. 
• 

Charles  MacArthur,  screenwrit- 
er, arid  his  wife,  Helen  Hayes,  and 
Abel  Green  are  among  passengers 
who  will  sail  for  Europe  today  on 
the  5"S  Queen  Mary. 

• 

John  Pecos,  20th  Century-Fox 
salesman  in  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Patricia  Reagan,  assist- 
ant cashier,  were  married  in  Boston 
last  weekend. 

• 

Robert  Wile,  Universal-Interna- 
tional home  office  publicist,  has  re- 
turned to  his  desk  after  recuperating 
from  the  measles. 

• 

Nat  Fellman,  Warner  theatre  ex- 
ecutive, and  his  assistant,  Harry  Kap- 
lowitz,  are  due  back  here  tomorrow 
from  Cleveland. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal-Interna- 
tional assistant  general  sales  mana- 
ger, has  arrived  in  Los  Angeles  from 
New  York. 

• 

Ben  Katz,  Universal-International 
Midwest  publicity  representative,  left 
here  yesterday  for  his  headquarters 
in  Chicago. 

• 

Virginia  R.  Egan  of  Altec's  Bos- 
ton office  will  be  married  in  Medford, 
Mass.,  on  Sunday  to  Michael  Noel 

HOEY. 

-  • 

Vincent  Sherman,  Warner  direc- 
tor, will  fly  back  to  the  Coast  on  Fri- 
day from  New  York. 

• 

Jack  Broder,  Realart  vice-presi- 
dent, arrived  here  yesterday  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

Marvin  Schenck,  Loew  executive, 
will  leave  here  tomorrow  for  the 
Coast. 


Spencer  Steenrod,  60 

Nelsonville,  O.,  June  8— Spencer 
S.  Steenrod,  60,  pioneer  exhibitor  and 
owner  of  the  Majestic  and  Orpheum, 
died  suddenly  in  a  Columbus  hospital 
45  minutes  after  he  was  admitted. 


Mrs.  Charles  Brackett 

Hollywood,  June  8.— Mrs.  Charles 
Brackett,  wife  of  the  Paramount  writ- 
er-producer, died  Monday  night  at  her 
home  in  Bel  Air,  after  a  prolonged 
illness. 


Taplinger  Resigns 
From  Enterprise 

Hollywood,  June  8. — Robert  Tap- 
linger  has  resigned  as  advertising- 
publicity  vice-president  of  Enterprise, 
effective  at  the  end  of  this  month.  It 
is  believed  that  no  successor  will  be 
appointed  since  the  consummation  of 
the  recent  Enterprise  releasing  deal 
with  M-G-M  eliminates  the  need  for 
the  post. 

Taplinger  would  not  comment  on 
his  future  plans. 


U.  K.  Tax  Pact 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


MPAA  president,  and  James  Mulvey, 
representing  the  Society  of  Independ- 
ent Motion  Picture  Producers,  is 
slated  to  go  into  effect  next  Monday. 

Some  industry  leaders  here  contend 
that  the  purported  "interpretations"  of 
the  agreement  which  have  been  ad- 
vanced in  London  recently  actually 
amount  to  changes  in  the  pact  which, 
if  conceded,  would  have  the  effect  of 
altering,  if  not  endangering,  the  basis 
of  the  agreement.  Most  of  the  revi- 
sions being  sought  by  London  are 
concerned  with  the  permitted  uses  of 
the  American  companies'  blocked 
funds  and  with  the  administration  of 
that  phase  of  the  agreement. 

It  is  indicated  that  Johnston  may 
return  to  London  in  the  near  future 
if  the  situation  is  not  relieved 
promptly. 


Mayer  to  France  on 
Byrnes  -  Blum  Pact 

Gerald  M.  Mayer,  director  of  the 
international  division  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  will 
leave  for  France  this  week  to  act  in  a 
consultative  capacity  on  the  Blum- 
Byrnes  accord  renegotiations  affecting- 
films. 


Approves  Trade  Pact 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


right  to  veto  any  new  agreements 
which  include  tariff  cuts  not  author- 
ized by  the  Tariff  Commission. 

Industry  leaders  have  supported  the 
Administration's  demand  for  a  three- 
year  extension  without  any  curbs  on 
the  President's  power  to  negotiate 
new  agreements. 


Tax-Free  Ticket  Bill 
Sent  to  President 

Washington,  June  8. — The  House 
has  sent  to  the  White  House  a  bill 
removing  the  admission  tax  from 
tickets  given  free  to  hospitalized 
servicemen  and  veterans.  It  took  ac- 
tion by  agreeing  to  Senate  amend- 
ments to  a  bill  which  passed  the 
House  some  months  ago. 


Lewis  Dinner  Tonight 

Hartford,  June  8. — Testimonial  din- 
ner will  be  held  tomorrow  night  in 
the  Hotel  Bond  here  for  Rube  Lewis, 
business  agent  of  Local  No.  84, 
IATSE,  for  the  past  25  years,  and 
stage  manager  of  Loew's  Poli  Palace. 
Harry  Shaw,  Loew  Poli  division 
manager,  and  Hy  Fine,  M.  and  P. 
circuit  district  manager,  will  be  mas- 
ters-of-ceremonies. 


Rogers  Fund 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


inaugurate  the  plan  in  which  coopera- 
tion of  exhibitors  on  the  sale  of  tickets 
will  be  sought.  Audiences  will  not  be 
solicited  in  any  areas.  Metropolitan 
area  district  and  branch  managers  im- 
mediately organized  a  committee  fol- 
lowing a  kick-off  luncheon  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  yesterday  where  details 
of  the  overall  campaign  were  divulged. 

It  was  explained  that  the  general 
sales  managers  are  acting  as  individ- 
uals and  the  program  had  its  origin 
at  the  behest  of  Abe  Montague,  Col- 
umbia's general  sales  manager,  who 
first  interested  his  confreres  in  other 
companies  and  thereafter  obtained  au- 
thority of  the  hospital's  board  of  di- 
rectors to  work  out  a  method  of  bol- 
stering the  sanitarium's  ailing  finances. 

Phila,  Boston  Meets  Set 

Although  the  task  was  described  as 
one  devolving  essentially  on  distribu- 
tion, Mochrie  stated  it  was  the  sales 
managers'  opinion  that  the  cause  was 
sufficiently  worthy  to  include  exhibi- 
tion. Yesterday's  luncheon  will  be 
followed  by  one  next  week  in  Phila- 
delphia and  one  in  Boston  in  the  suc- 
ceeding week. 

Sub-committees  made  up  of  national 
sales  managers  will  explain  the 
agenda  and  as  rapidly  as  possible 
thereafter  visit  other  exchange  cities 
primarily  in  the  Eastern  half  of  the 
country.  Montague,  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr., 
general  sales  manager  of  20th-Fox, 
and  Joseph  J.  Unger,  general  sales 
manager  of  UA,  comprise  the  sub- 
committee which  has  accepted  the  or- 
ganizing job  on  behalf  of  the  entire 
contingent. 

Grainger  appeared  yesterday  as  sub- 
stitute for  Gus  Eyssell,  managing  di- 
rector of  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  who 
is  treasurer  of  the  Memorial  and  who 
probably  will  resign  the  latter  post 
under  pressure  of  his  new  duties  as 
executive  manager  of  Rockefeller 
Center.  Grainger  stated  annual  oper- 
ating costs  are -about  $170,000  and 
that,  currently,  the  major  companies 
as  a  group  are  contributing  approxi- 
mately $7,500  a  month.  The  majors 
have  indicated  an  intention  of  main- 
taining half  of  the  annual  cost  pro- 
vided distribution  and  exhibition  can 
develop  a  method  of  paying  for  the 
other  half,  he  added. 

$20,000  from  Actors'  Fund 

Walter  Vincent,  president  of  the 
hospital,  stated  the  Actors'  Fund  of 
America,  of  which  he  is  also  presi- 
dent, will  maintain  its  current  con- 
tribution of  $20,000  annually. 

The  hospital  has  a  capacity  of  from 
90  to  100  beds  and  today  has  48 
patients.  _  -  Several  speakers  explained 
new  patients  are  not  being  accepted 
because  of  currently  low  funds.  , 

Rodgers,  Montague,  Morey  at 
Boston  Meeting  on  June  22 

Boston,  June  8.— William  F.  Rodg- 
ers, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ;  A.  Mon- 
tague, Columbia,  and  Edward  Morey, 
Monogram,  will  attend  a  luncheon  at 
the  Hotel  Statler  here  on  June  22  to 
address  branch  managers  of  all  ex- 
changes on  raising  funds  for  the  Will 
Rogers  Foundation  Hospital  at  Sara- 
nac  Lake,  New  York.  Exchange  man- 
agers of  New  Haven  will  also  at- 
tend. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


PRESIDENT  TRUMAN  touring 
the  nation,  and  the  resignation  of 
Eduard  Bencs  mark  nezvsreel  high- 
lights. Sweepstakes,  sports  and  human 
interest  items  round  out  the  reels. 
Complete  contents  follow : 

MOVIETONE   NEWS,    No.    46.— Ten 

sion  over  truce  brings  new  climax  to ^£^~Vs- 
tine  war.  President  Truman,  touring  C^t,  ). 
speaks  in  Chicago.  Midshipmen  szy^Jxi- 
well  to  Annapolis.  Midget  auto  racing. 
English  derby.  Sweepstake's  ticket  brings 
$25,000  to  Bronx  family. 

NEWS    OF    THE    D*Y,    No.  280.— 

President  Truman  begins  a  cross-country 
tour.  Eduard  Benes  resigns  as  Reds  tighten 
grip  on  Czechoslovakia.  Happy  day  for 
future  admirals.  Big  fair  boasts  world 
trade.  Palestine  war  news.  Long  shot  wins 
English  Derby. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  83.— Heel- 
and-toe  classic.  Canada  trade  fair.  Inside 
Czechoslovakia.  President  Truman  makes 
10,000-mile  speaking  tour.    English  Derby. 

UNIVERSAL,  NEWS,  No.  150.— Mid- 
shipmen graduate  at  Annapolis.  President 
Truman  at  Chicago  and  Omaha  on  Midwest 
tour.  Canada's  trade  fair  opens  at  Toronto. 
Cops  play  kids  at  PAL  outing.  Long-shot 
wins  English  Derby.  Midget  racing  in  New 
York  debut. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  85.— 
President  Truman  on  tour.  Eduard  Benes 
resigns.  Report  from  Palestine.  Annapolis 
graduation.  Miss  Europe  selected.  Walking 
on  land;  walking  on  water.  English  Derby. 
Midget  car  races. 


Columbia  to  Sell 
Serial  as  a  Special 


Columbia's  "Superman"  serial  will 
be  sold  as  a  -special,  with  separate 
contracts,  and  not  as  part  of  the  gen- 
eral serial-short  subject  program, 
Columbia  branch  and  district  man- 
agers were  told  here  yesterday  by  A. 
Montague,  general  sales  manager,  at 
the  second  day  of  the  five-day  meeting 
at  the  Hotel  Warwick  here.  The  seri- 
al is  being  sold  to  first-run  houses 
which  have  never  previously  shown 
chapter  plays,  it  was  said. 

"The  Jolson  Story,"  Montague  an- 
nounced, will  remain  available  for 
bookings  for  an  additional  90  days, 
until  Sept.  1. 


Paul  White  Forms 
His  Own  Company 

Paul  White,  who  was  Paris  repre- 
sentative for  David  O.  Selznick,  re- 
signing recently  to  enter  production, 
has  launched  Paul  White  Productions, 
with  offices  at  Movietone  Studios  here. 
He  will  first  make  13  shorts,  entitled 
"This  Is  Your  World."  Globe-trotter 
William  Winter,  former  CBS  news 
analyst  and  "Voice  of  America  in  the 
Pacific"  for  the  State  Department, 
will  direct  and  narrate.  Charles  R. 
Senf,  chief  film  editor,  will  have  the 
first  three  ready  for  release  in  July. 


Graduates  Hear  Quigley 

Charlotte,  June  8. — Martin  Quig- 
ley today  delivered  the  address  to 
graduates  at  the  graduation  exercises 
of  Belmont  Abbey  College.  The  sub- 
ject of  his  address  was  "The  Crisis 
of  the  Times." 


^ml'^nH1^??  i?AALYl  Mln¥l-  Suie]eJ'  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  hohdays^by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.    Telephone  Circle  7-3100.    Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 

sident  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca 

cuiLoi  ,  ^incai/u  Dureau.   i^ij  ^oucn  i^a  ^a ne  street.  tLmtnria 

Washington 


,  Advertising  Representative;   Jimmy  Ascher, 
RUf"'  rV *  I0"3  r.  Kr5S  •       '  Washington,  D   C.    London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.   Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 


Editorial  Representative. 

8£JE/  cable  address.  "Quigpubco,  London.''  Other  Quigley  Publications:' Motion  Picture  Hlraldr''BetWTh7a^res7"publ'ished  every"  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald,  Theatre  bales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.    Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23    1938  at  the  post  offic 

3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 


You  too 
can  have 
lhat 
Vitamin 

M-G-M 
look!'' 


Do  you  wake  up  in  the  morning  with  that  tired  feeling?  Do  you  see  spots  before  your 
eyes  when  you  read  your  box-office  reports?  You  need  Vitamin  M-G-M!  You  need  hits  like 
"HOMECOMING"  (Gable-Turner  wow!)  and  "STATE  OF  THE  UNION"  {Frank  Capra's 
laugh  hit).  Your  theatre  needs  a  Technicolor  transfusion  at  the  ticket- window,  six  in  a  row: 
"THE  PIRATE"  {qth  Big  Week  at  Music  Hall!  First  2  weeks  are  the  second  all-time 
M-G-M  Music  Hall  high!);  Irving  Berlin's  "EASTER  PARADE"  {yes,  it's  as  great  as  they 
say!);  "A  DATE  WITH  JUDY"  {ditto!);  "SUMMER  HOLIDAY" {the  vacation  picture!); 
"ON  AN  ISLAND  WITH  YOU"  {better  than  a  cooling  plant!);  "THREE  MUSKETEERS" 
{just  wait  and  see!).  All  this  and  "JULIA  MISBEHAVES"  {Garson  -  Pidgeon  reunited  in 
a  riotous  romance)  and  "A  SOUTHERN  YANKEE"  {Skelton's  funniest  of  his  career!). 
Some  product  for  the  summer  months ! 


M-G-M  has  the  pictures  and  Leo's 
Vitamin  M-G-M  is  giving  the  entire 
industry  a  much-needed  shot  in  the  arm. 


Unsurpassed  leadc 


REPUBLIC  serials  fill  seals  tl 


ship  in  •  •  • 
OFFICE  SERIALS 

mty  years! 


lit  were  never  filled  before! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  9,  19-18 


Key  City 
Grosses 


U*  OLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
r  ture  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CHICAGO 

"Homecoming"  among  holdovers  is 
getting  heavy  coin.  Single  new  film, 
"Bride  Goes  Wild"  is  average.  Cool 
weekend  weather  drew  sizeable  crowds 
downtown,  helping  to  boost  grosses 
from  an  otherwise  fairish  week.  Esti- 
mated receipts  for  the  week  ending 
June  10: 

THE    BRIDE    GOES    WILD  (M-G-M)— 

UNITED  ARTISTS  (1,700)  (98c).  (Aver- 
age: $21,000) 

DEAR  MURDERER  (U-1)— GRAND  (1,150) 
(67c-98c)  5  days,  2nd  week.  INTERMEZZO 
(SRO)  2  days.  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average: 
$13,500) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  -  (SRO)— ROOSE- 
VELT (1.500)  (98c)  5  days,  2nd  week. 
SCUDDA  HOO!  SCUDDA  HAY!  (20th- 
Fox)  2  days.  Gross:  $17,000.  (Average: 
$20,000) 

HATTER'S  CASTLE  (Para.)  —  APOLLO 
0,200)  (98c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,C00.  (Av- 
erage: $17,000) 

HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  —  ORIENTAL 
(3.300)  (98c)  On  stage:  Louis  Jordan.  2nd 
week.  Gross:  $58,000.  (Average:  $40,000) 
THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  BELLS  (RKO 
Rrdio)  -  PALACE  (2,500)  (67c-98c)  5  days, 
2nd  week.  LETTER  FROM  AN  UN- 
KNOWN WOMAN   (U-I)  2  days.  Gross: 

$19,0CO.   (Average:  $25,000) 

THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)  — 
STATE  LAKE  (2,700)  (98c)  On  stage:  Jane 
Powell.  2nd  week.  Gross:  $24,000.  (Aver- 
age: $35,000) 

THE  SEARCH  (M-G-M)— MONROE  (953) 
(50c-75c-95c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,500.  (Av- 
erage: $12,000) 

SILVER  RIVER  (WB)— CHICAGO  (3.900) 
(98c)  6  days,  2nd  week.  Gross:  $29,000. 
(Average:  $37,000) 

STATE     OF    THE     UNION  (M-G-M)- 

WOODS  (1,080)  (98c)  5th  week.  Gross: 
S13.000.     (Average;  $23,000) 


BOSTON 


Weather  was  hot  for  Thursday  and 
Friday,  and  it  rained  on  Saturday, 
which  helped  keep  grosses  steady  and 


FIVE -STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3k  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  /our  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices-.  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


about  average.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  June  9 : 

ANNA  KARENINA  (20th-Fox)  and 
COUNTERFEITERS  (20th-Fox)  —  PARA- 
MOUNT (1,700)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $17,- 
500.     (Average:  $17,000) 

ANNA  KARENINA  (20th-Fox)  and 
COUNTERFEITERS  (ZOth-Fox)  —  FEN- 
WAY (1,373)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $10,5(10. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

ANOTHER  PART  OF  THE  FOREST 
(U-I)  and  MAIN  STREET  KID  (Rep.)— 

RKO  MEMORIAL  (3.000)  (40c  to  80c). 
Gross:  $25,000.  '  (Average:  $22,000).  Bill 
opened  on  May  31,  1948.  This  figure  for  10 
days. 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)— STATE  (3,- 
500)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $14,500.  (Average: 
$12,000) 

DUEL  IN  THE  SUN  (SRO)-ORPHEUM 

(3,000)  (40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $28,000.  (Av- 
erage: $27,000) 

FANNY  (Siritzky)— EXETER  (1,300)  (45c 
to  75c).  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $5,000) 
FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)  and 
BLONDE  ICE  (FC)— RKO'  BOSTON  (3,- 
200)  40c  to  80c).  Gross:  $15,000.  (Aver- 
age: none) 

NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)  and  AD- 
VENTURES    OF     CASANOVA  (E-L.)— 

METROPOLITAN  (4,367)  (40c  to  80c). 
Gross:  $22,000,  (Average:  $27,000) 
PARADINE  CASE  (SRO)— ESQUIRE  (1.- 
000)  (90c  to  $1.25)  4th  and  final  week. 
Gross:  $10,000.  (No  average) 
SIGN  OF  THE  RAM  (Col.)  and  HEART 
OF  VIRGINIA  (Rep.)— ASTOR  (1,300) 
(44c  to  80c).     Gross:  $6,500.     (Xo  average) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


First-run  business  still  is  in  the 
doldrums.  "Sainted  Sisters"  is  the 
only  attraction  beating  average.  Un- 
usually warm,  rainless  weather  for 
this  time  of  year,  amounting  to  a 
drought,  seems  to  be  keeping  custom- 
ers outdoors.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  June  8-9 : 

THE  FUGITIVE  (RKO  Radio)  and  MA- 
DONNA    OF     THE     DESERT  (Rep.) 

LYRIC  (1,600)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $5,500. 
(Average:  $6,000) 

HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)— LOEWS  (2.- 
450)  (44c-65c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $9,000. 
(Average:  $11,000) 

I    REMEMBER    MAMA    (RKO  Radio)- 

KEITH'S  (1,300)  (44c-65c).  On  a  move- 
over  from  the  Indiana.  Gross:  $4,500.  (Av- 
erage: $10,000) 

THE  SAINTED  SISTERS  (Para.)  and 
WATERFRONT  AT  MIDNIGHT  (Para.) 

—CIRCLE  (2.8C0)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $12,000. 
(Average:  $10,000) 

SILVER  CITY  (WB)  and  THE  ARGYLE 
SECRETS  (FC)— INDIANA  (3,200)  (44c- 
65c).    Gross:  $10,000.     (Average:  $12,000) 


Bernstein  Aids  Serkowich 

Abraham  Bernstein,  until  recently 
New  England  promotion  representa- 
tive for  Columbia,  has  joined  Ben- 
jamin Serkowich  in  the  promotion  of 
the  Monty  Shaff-Frank  P.  Rosen- 
berg production,  "Man-Eater  of  Ku- 
maon,"  which  Universal-International 
is  releasing. 


Palace  to  Stay  Open 

RKO's  Palace  Theatre  on  Broad- 
way will  not  be  closed  or  sold,  ac- 
cording to  Sol  A.  Schwartz,  RKO 
Theatres'  vice-president  and  general 
manager.  He  announced  here  yes- 
terday that  the  house  will  be  on  a 
double-feature  policy  indefinitely. 


Wood  with  Monogram 

Hollywood,  June  8  .  —  Allen  K. 
Wood  has  been  signed  as  production 
manager  at  Monogram  by  Scott  R. 
Dunlap,  executive  assistant  to  presi- 
dent Steve  Broidy.  Wood  was  recent- 
ly unit  manager  at  Eagle-Lion.  He 
replaces  Glenn  Cook,  who  resigned. 


McCoy  Names  Chalman 

Atlanta,  June  8.  —  Carl  Chalman, 
former  sales  representative  for  Para- 
mount in  Atlanta,  has  been  appointed 
by  Ralph  McCoy  in  the  same  capacity 
at  Film  Classics. 


N.  T.  Stock  Suits 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Charles  Skouras,  Elmer  Rhoden, 
Frank  H.  Ricketsou  and  H.  J.  Fitz- 
gerald, to  whom  the  N.  T.  stock  was 
sold  in  1944,  and  from  whom  it  was 
repurchased  in  1946.  Suits  were  filed 
in  1946. 

A  20th  Century-Fox  statement  is- 
sued yesterday  indicated  that  the  cor- 
poration stood  to  recover  through  the 
settlement  approximately  $1,800,000, 
and  that  amendments  to  the  employ- 
ment contract  of  Skouras,  president  of 
National,  extending  over  the  next 
seven  years,  "could  save  the  companv 
a  total  of  $1,750,000"  additional,  "at 
current  earnings  and  tax  levels." 

"In"  addition,"  the  statement  said, 
20th-Fox  "would  obtain  from  execu- 
tives calls  expiring  Dec.  31,  1949,  at 
$22^  per  share  on  18,500  shares  of 
20th  Century-Fox  common  stock." 


4  Sales  Chiefs  Testify 
In  5th -Walnut  Suit 

Sales  executives  William  Gehring 
of  20th  Century-Fox ;  Nat  Levy, 
RKO  Radio:  Frank  J.  A.  McCarthy, 
Universal,  and  Louis  Weinberg,  Co- 
lumbia, were  examined  in  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  here  yesterday  by  plain- 
tiff's attorneys  Monroe  E.  Stein  and 
Herbert  J.  Fabricant  in  the  Fifth 
and  Walnut  Amusement  Co.'s  $2,100,- 
000  anti-trust  suit  charging  distribu- 
tors with  having  illegally  denied  first- 
run  product  to  the  circuit's  National 
Theatre  in  Louisville. 

Stein  and  Fabricant  questioned  them 
"in  order  to  bring  out  the  unique  pat- 
tern of  defendants'  distribution  of  their 
product  in  the  Louisville  area."  Wein- 
berg will  resume  the  stand  today. 
Trial  is  in  its  fourth  week  before 
Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel  and  a  jury- 


Upholds  20th' s  Right 
To  'Curtain'  Music 

New  York  Supreme  Court  Justice 
Edward  Koch  has  denied  a  mo- 
tion by  four  Russian  composers  ask- 
ing that  20th  Century-Fox  be  re- 
strained from  using '  their  music  in 
"The  Iron  Curtain."  Koch  ruled  that 
.he  music  in  question  "is  in  the  public 
domain  and  enjoys  no  copyright  pro- 
tection whatever." 

The  composers  are  Dmitri  Shosta- 
kovich, Serge  Prokofiev,  Aram  Kha- 
chaturian  and  Nicolai  Miaskovsky. 


Warner  Theatre  Sold 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 


the  purchase  price,  said  to  be  "close  to 
$2,000,000,"  in  a  month.  The  theatre 
has  been  dark  due  to  a  product  short- 
age. 

The  sale  will  return  to  the  ranks  of 
legitimate  theatres  the  1,600-seat  house, 
situated  at  Broadway  and  51st  Street, 
which,  since  its  completion  in  1931  as 
a  key  film  and  presentation  house  of 
Warner's,  has  housed  first-run  films 
and  such  stage  spectacles  as  "Calling 
All  Stars,"  "Sunny  River"  and  "Ban- 
jo Eyes."  Since  1941  the  theatre, 
called  the  Hollywood  until  last  year, 
has  shown  only  motion  pictures. 

Farrell  said  he  will  change  the 
name  of  the  house  to  "The  Brafar," 
and  will  devote  the  next  eight  weeks 
to  redecorating  and  refurbishing. 


Immerman  Recuperating 

Chicago,  June  8. — Walter  Immer- 
man, Balaban  and  Katz  vice-president, 
was  reported  today  to  be  recovering 
in  Henrotin  Hospital  here  from  a 
heart  attack  suffered  Sunday  night. 


Chicago,  State  Lake 
To  Revert  on  Policy 

Chicago,  June  8. — Balaban  and 
Katz's  Chicago  Theatre  will  revert 
to  combination  stage  and  screen  shows 
starting  June  24  and  the  State  Lake 
will  switch  back  to  a  straight  picture 
policy.  Under  the  impact  of  the  Loop 
decree's  provision  for  two-week  runs, 
the  Chicago  abandoned  stage  shows 
for  top  product  and  the  State  Lake 
turned  to  combination  shows,  but  tbfise 
policies  proved  unsuccessful. 


Schine  Case 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


findings  and  provisions  of  the  final 
judgment  that  may  be  deemed  neces- 
sary under  the  Supreme  Court  deci- 
sion, also  proposals  for  any  other  ac- 
tion by  the  lower  court. 

Any  objections  to  the  proposals 
must  be  filed  by  both  sides  within  30 
days  after  service. 

It  is  decreed  that  "all  provisions 
of  the  amended  judgment  and  order 
not  vacated  by  the  order  shall  hence- 
forth be  in  full  force  and  effect." 

The  memorandum  explains  that  "the 
proposed  order  is  intended  to  make 
only  those  modifications  in  the  exist- 
ing findings  of  fact,  conclusions  of  law 
and  decree  which  are  plainly  required 
by  the  Supreme  Court's  opinion." 

"In  some  instances,"  the  memoran- 
dum adds,  "the  findings,  conclusions 
and  provisions  of  the  judgment  va- 
cated by  the  proposed  order  might  be 
retained  upon  the  making  of  additional 
findings.  It  seems  better,  however,  to 
vacate  them  for  the  present  until  the 
court  and  the  parties  have  had  time  to 
consider  what  findings  should  be  made 
in  the  light  of  the  Supreme  Court's 
opinion." 

According  to  the  memorandum,  the 
order  "sets  in  motion  procedure  es- 
sential to  the  entry  of  a  final  judg- 
ment." 

It  is  pointed  out  that  until  adequate 
findings  are  made  with  respect  to 
clearance  the  conclusion  of  law  on  that 
question  "is  without  a  finding  of  fact 
on  which  it  may  be  based." 


Mid-Central  Allied 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


tre  Owners  unit.  However,  out-of- 
town  delegates  today  were  broadly 
representative  of  the  Southern  Illi- 
nois and  Eastern  Missouri  areas. 

Named  to  the  organization  commit- 
tee, in  addition  to  Dietz,  were :  Loren 
Cluster,  Alvin  Weick,  Gene  Beckam, 
Charles  Bennaniti,  W.  T.  Zimmerman, 
O.  F.  Jeffreys,  Earl  Vandiver,  Caesar 
Brutt,  Henry  Halloway  and  Hugh 
Graham. 

First  formal  meeting  of  the  new 
unit  will  be  held  late  in  July. 


OF  COURSE 


HEAVEN 

sent  from  UA 


!)!/ 


he  shot  that  will  be  seen  'round  the  world! 


On  May  29,  the  cameras  stopped  turning  on 
Roy  Del  Ruth's  "The  Babe  Ruth  Story,"  a  film  which 
has  excited  more  exhibitor  and  fan  interest  than  any 


production  in  recent  years.  Cutting  and  scoring  began  immediately 
and,  soon,  theatre  men  can  look  forward  to  seeing 
and  selling  that  Home  Run  of  Hits,  'The  Babe  Ruth  Story," 


an  Allied  Artists  Production. 


STILL  BOOKING 
AND  HOW! 

Official  Motion  Pictures  of  The  BATTLE  OF  A  DECADE 


The 


World's  Middleweight 
Championship 


BOXING  CONTEST 
Between 


THE  CHAMPION 

ROCKY  GRAZIANO 


vs 


THE  FORMER  CHAMPION 

TONY  ZALE 


*  *  *  * 


CONTACT  YOUR  LOCAL  DISTRIBUTOR 


723 
Circle  5-4240 
Circle  6-3082 


CORAM  PICTURES  CORP. 

7th  AVENUE  NEW  YORK  19,  N.  Y. 

JOHN   O'CONNOR,  Pres. 
MANNIE   BAUM,   Gen.  Mgr. 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


cfvi 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


63.  NO.  112 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JUNE  10,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


U.  A.  Directors 
Approve  Deals 
For  11  Films 


Production  'Pinch'  Eased  ; 
Kelly  Makes  UK  Report 

United  Artists'  board  of  directors 
approved  at  a  meeting  here  yester- 
day deals  for  the  release  of  11  pic- 
tures scheduled  by  five  producers. 
The  new  deals  will  ease  materially 
the  production  "pinch"  which  had 
threatened  UA  for  later  in  the  season. 

Yesterday's  meeting  heard  a  report 
by  vice-president  Arthur  W.  Kelly  on 
his  recent  visit  to  England.  He  dis- 
closed that  a  number  of  UA  pictures 
are  now  being  seen  by  J.  Arthur 
Rank  with  a  view  toward  booking 
them  in  his  British  theatres.  UA's 
relationship  with  the  Rank  organiza- 
tion, Kelly  said,  is  "most  cordial." 
Following  a  recent  meeting  of  Odeon 
Cinema  Holding  Corp.,  jointly  owned 
by  UA  and  Rank,  general  agreement 

{Continued  on  page  4) 


Hearing  Tuesday  on 
RKO  Union  Dispute 


New  York  State  Labor  Relations 
Board  will  conduct  a  hearing  here 
next  Tuesday  on  a  complaint  filed 
last  Tuesday  against  RKO  Service 
Corp.  by  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Operating  Managers  and  Assistant 
Managers  Guild  charging  the  com- 
pany with  refusal  to  bargain  collec- 
tively on  a  new  contract.  Contract 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Demands  End  of 
Federal  Ticket  Tax 

Salt  Lake  City,  June  9.  — 
Mayor  Earl  J.  Glade  demands 
the  Federal  Government  re- 
lease monies  collected  from 
amusement  taxes  to  cities  or 
get  out  of  this  taxing  field 
altogether  and  leave  it  up  to 
the  cities. 

Glade  said  there  is  quite 
properly  a  cry  for  lower 
taxes,  but  he  believes  that  it 
should  focus  on  Federal  and 
state  governments  and  not 
on  city.  At  present  there  are 
no  municipal  taxes  on  the- 
atres in  Utah,  but  there  is  a 
state  sales  tax  of  two  per 
cent. 


SAG  Clearing  Way 
For  Strike  Action 
If  Pact  Talks  Fail 


Hollywood,  June  9. — In  compliance 
with  the  Taft-Hartley  Act,  the  Screen 
Actors  Guild  tonight  sent  notices  to 
the  Federal  Mediation  and  Concilia- 
tion Service  in  Washington,  the  Cali- 
fornia State  Department  of  Industrial 
Relations  and  the  New  York  Labor 
Department's  mediation  board  that  a 
"labor  dispute  exists"  between  the 
union  and  some  400  producers. 

Although  the  guild  and  producers 
plan  further  talks  for  a  contract  to 
replace  the  one  expiring  July  31,  the 
SAG  board  is  taking  all  legally  re- 
quired steps  to  free  itself  for  strike 
action  on  Aug.  1,  if  necessary. 

Meanwhile,  the  guild  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers  Association  met 
yesterday  for  preliminary  discussions 
of  a  new  contract. 


U.  S.,  Technicolor 
Hold  Decree  Talks 


Washington,  June  9. — Negotiations 
for  a  consent  decree  in  the  Justice 
Department's  anti-trust  suit  against 
Technicolor,  Inc.,  have  been  resumed 
here,  a  Justice  Department  spokes- 
man declared  today.  Pre-trial  confer- 
ence in  the  case  is  now  set  for  some 
time  in  September,  the  official  said, 
so  that  even  if  the  consent  decree 
negotiations  fall  through,  nothing  fur- 
ther will  happen  in  the  case  until  fall. 

Negotiations  looking  toward  a  con- 
sent decree  were  entered  into  once 
before,  but  were  broken  off  by  the 
department  because,  it  charged,  Tech- 
nicolor was  not  making  any  real  con- 
cessions. "Now  they  seem  to  be  try- 
ing harder,"  the  Justice  official  stated. 

More  Paramount 
Ads  on  New  Films 


San  Francisco,  June  9. — Intensified 
promotion  of  its  product  is  planned  by 
Paramount,  with  advertising  in  a 
wider  field,  it  was  disclosed  at  the 
close  of  the  three-day  divisional  sales 
meeting  here  today. 

As  one  phase  of  the  wider  scope, 
Paramount  will  merchandise  its  prod- 
uct as  a  whole  with  advertising  em- 
bracing an  entire  group  of  pictures. 
Initially,  it  will  concentrate  on 
"Dream  Girl,"  "A  Foreign  Affair," 
"The  Emperor  Waltz,"  "Beyond 
Glory,"  "So  Evil  My  Love,"  "Sealed 
Verdict"  and  "My  Own  True  Love." 
An  ad  campaign  comprising  several 
new  pictures  has  just  started. 

New  York  home  office  executives 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Salesmen's  Ballots 
Mailed  by  NLRB 

National  Labor  Relations 
Board  here  yesterday  finished 
mailing  ballots  to  1,000  film 
salesmen  in  the  country  who 
are  eligible  to  vote  whether 
or  not  they  desire  to  be  rep- 
resented by  the  Colosseum  of 
Motion  Picture  Salesmen  of 
America  for  collective  bar- 
gaining purposes. 

Eleven  distributors  and 
National  Screen  are  involved 
in  the  company-wide  elec- 
tions. 


2  Firms  Dismissed 
In  Windsor  Case 


Washington,  June  9. — U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Judge  Bolitha  J.  Laws  has  dis- 
missed two  Baltimore  firms — Hilton 
Theatre  Co.  and  Walbrook  Amuse- 
ment Co.— as  parties  to  the  $600,000 
trust  suit  filed  against  them  and  War- 
ners, 20th-Fox,  Paramount,  Loew's, 
Universal  and  U.A.,  by  the  Windsor 
Theatre  Co.  of  Baltimore,  on  the 
ground  that  they  could  not  be  consid- 
ered under  the  anti-trust  laws  to  be 
"transacting  business"  in  the  District 
of  Columbia  and  so  could  not  be  sued 
in  Washington. 

Judge  Laws  pointed  out  that  Wind- 
sor claimed  the  two  firms  did  transact 
business  here  because  their  general 
manager  came  to  Washington  to  book 
films  and  to  secure  rental  adjustments. 

The  opinion  declared  that  the 
amount  of  business  which  a  firm  must 
transact  in  a  district  in  order  to  be 
sued  there  in  an  anti-trust  proceeding 
is  less  than  that  required  in  other 
types  of  suits,  but  said  that  "the  acts 
relied    on    to    constitute  transacting 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Rauland  Licenses  on 
Non-Exclusive  Basis 


Chicago,  June  9. — Rauland  Televi- 
sion Co.  here  will  not  make  exclusive 
deals  with  anyone  for  its  large  screen 
theatre  television  equipment  when  it 
is  ready  for  the  market,  E.  N.  Rau- 
land, president,  disclosed  here. 

The  Rauland  large  screen  equip- 
ment is  regarded  by.  some  television 
authorities  as  the  farthest  advanced  of 
any  such  equipment  at  the  present 
time,  but  the  company  reports  it  is 
still  proceeding  with  developments. 
Licenses  will  be  placed  on  the  open 
market  when  it  is  ready,  Rauland  said. 

J.  Arthur  Rank  will  be  one  of  the 
first  to  use  the  Rauland  large  screen 
television.  His  deal  was  concluded 
with  the  company  here  some  time  ago. 


60-Day  Limit 
To  List  Joint 
Holdings:  US 

Will  Ask  Temporary  Stay 
Against  Theatre  Deals 


When  its  proposed  order  intend- 
ed to  give  force  to  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court's  opinion  in 
the  industry  anti-trust  suit  is  pre- 
sented to  Judge  August  N.  Hand  in 
District  Court  here  on  June  IS,  the 
Government  will  ask  that  theatre- 
holding  defendants  be  limited  to  60 
days  after  that  date  for  the  submis- 
sion of  statements  listing  joint  theatre 
ownerships  claimed  to  involve  invest- 
ments by  persons,  not  actual  or  poten- 
tial theatre  operators. 

This  was  disclosed  here  yesterday 
when  copies  of  the  order  and  of  a 
memorandum  in  support  of  the  order 
were  served  on  attorneys  for  the  de- 
fendant companies. 

The  order  would  require  each 
defendant  laying  claim  to  "in- 
nocent investment"  to  give  the 
name,  address  and  business,  if 
any,  of  each  such  investor.  It 
is  indicated  that  the  demand 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Hearing  Set  on  N.T., 
20th  Settlement 


New  York  Supreme  Court  Justice 
Ferdinand  Pecora  yesterday  set  Au- 
gust 3  for  hearing  of  proposals  for 
settlement  of  the  consolidated  stock- 
holders' actions  against  National 
Theatres  and  20th  Century-Fox  of- 
ficials. A  20th-Fox  statement  issued 
Tuesday  indicated  that  the  company 
could  benefit  up  to  $3,550,000  by  the 
settlement  proposals  involving  four 
N.  T.  officials  on  stock  sold  to  them 
in  1944  and  repurchased  in  1946,  to- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Mass.  May  Face  a 
$1  Per  Reel  Tax 

Boston,  June  9. — Legislative 
circles  are  discussing  a  $1  per 
reel  state  tax  on  motion  pic- 
tures, for  introduction  in  the 
next  session  of  the  legisla- 
ture, to  help  defray  the  rec- 
ord high  cost  of  operating 
the  government. 

Nearby  Rhode  Island  has  a 
similar  tax. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  10,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


Churubusco  'In  the  Yugoslavia  Building;  250  Films  Yearly  to 

Attendance  Spurts 


Red'  for  $500,000 


N PETER     RATHVON,  RKO 
•  president,  will  arrive  here  today 
from  the  Coast. 

Fred  Meyers,  Universal-Interna- 
tional Eastern  division  manager,  Ed 
McCoy,  Dave  Miller  and  Eugene 
Vogel,  all  of  the  Universal-Interna- 
tional sales  staff,  were  visitors  at  the 
Schine  Circuit  office  in  Gloversville, 
N.  Y.,  yesterday. 

• 

Mrs.  James  F.  Looram,  chairman 
of  the  International  Federation  of 
Catholic  Alumnae,  Legion  of  Decency 
reviewing  group,  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Humane  Letters  yester- 
day from  Fordham  University, 
e 

C.  J.  Feldman,  Universal-Interna- 
tional Western  division  sales  manager, 
is  due  back  in  New  York  today  from 
Omaha  and  Des  Moines. 

• 

Mrs.  Ben  Goetz,  wife  of  M-G-M's 
British  studio  head,  will  leave  the 
Coast  on  June  20  to  join  her  husband 
in  London. 

• 

Burtus  Bishop,  Jr.,  M-G-M  Mid- 
western sales  manager,  and  Jay 
Eisenberg,  sales-legal  liaison,  are  due 
in  Minneapolis  today  from  Milwau- 
kee. 

• 

Ray  Beall,  currently  in  New  York 
on  a  business  trip  for  Manley  Pop- 
corn Co.,  Kansas  City,  will  leave  for 
Boston  in  a  few  days. 

• 

Robert  Powers,  assistant  to  Para- 
mount vice-president  Leonard  Gold- 
enson,  is  recuperating  from  a  recent 
heart  attack. 

• 

Louis  Phillips,  Paramount  coun- 
sel, is  recovering  from  the  effects  of 
an  infected  finger  which  had  to  be 
lanced. 

• 

Gerald  M.  Mayer,  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  international 
division  manager,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  Paris. 

• 

W.  C.  DeVry,  president  of  DeVry 
Corp.,  and  his  brother,  E.  B.  DeVry, 
secretary-treasurer,  will  celebrate 
birthdays  next  Tuesday. 

• 

Jack  Ellis,  United  Artists  district 
manager,  will  return  to  New  York 
today  from  Oneida,  N.  Y. 

• 

Seymour  Moses,  M-G-M  manager 
in  Finland,  and  Mrs.  Moses  are  vaca- 
tioning in  New  York. 

• 

Hal  W.  Boehme,  head  of  Special 
Attractions,  Seattle,  has  returned  to 
his  headquarters  from  New  York. 
• 

Jerry  Pickman,  Eagle-Lion  assis- 
tant    advertising-publicity  director 
will  leave  here  today  for  Denver. 
• 

Lou  F.  Edelman,  Warner  produc- 
er, is  in  town  from  Hollywood. 


Mexico  City,  June  9. — The  trade  is 
disturbed  over  developments  that  may 
close  Mexico's  newest  and  one  of  its 
best  studios,  at  Churubusco,  local 
suburb,  opened  by  RKO  and  its 
Mexican  partner,  Productores  Asoci- 
ados  Mexicanos. 

Churubusco  has  asked  the  Federal 
Board  of  Conciliation  and  Arbitration 
for  sanction  to  reduce  wages  by  40 
per  cent  and  eliminate  most  of  the 
costly  economic  benefits  it  allows  its 
employes,  contending  that  since  its 
opening  it  has  lost  $500,000,  on  a 
gross  income  of  $1,200,000  and  ex- 
penditures of  $1,700,000. 

With  Churubusco's  plea  to  the 
board,  the  National  Cinematographic 
Industry  Workers  Union,  controlling 
studio  employes,  pressed  its  demand 
before  the  board  for  revision  of  its 
members'  collective  labor  contract, 
featuring  a  60  per  cent  hike.  Churu- 
busco's manager,  Charles  Woram,  told 
the  board  that  because  of  its  economic 
difficulties  it  is  impossible  for  it  to 
grant  any  part  of  the  union's  demands. 
The  case  is  expected  to  come  to  a 
climax  by  June  30. 

Churubusco's  troubles  are  attributed 
in  film  circles  to  the  deepening  of  the 
Mexican  industry's  depression  which 
they  blame  mostly  upon  increasingly 
higher  operating  costs. 


Costs  Coin  to  Call 
A  Capital  Copper 

Washington,  June  9. — The  House 
has  approved  and  sent  to  the  Senate  a 
bill  to  permit  the  District  to  collect 
from  Washington  theatre  owners  and 
other  amusement  places  the  cost  of 
any  extra  police  or  fire  protection  for 
special  events.  Cost  of  routine  inspec- 
tion and  protection  is  already  covered 
in  District  theatre  license  fees,  which 
were  boosted  only  last  year  to  coyer 
increased  inspection  and  protection 
costs. 


Maguire  at  AMP  A 

Judge  Edward  C.  Maguire,  coordi- 
nator of  Mayor  O'Dwyer's'  New  York 
City  motion  picture  committee,  will 
be  guest  speaker  at  the  32nd  annual 
installation-luncheon  of  AMPA  for 
1948-49  officers,  headed  by  Max  E. 
Youngstein,  Eagle-Lion  advertising 
vice-president.  The  luncheon  will 
be  held  Thursday,  June  17,  in  the 
Hotel  Astor. 


By  STOYAN  BRALOVITCH 

Belgrade,  June  4  (By  Airmail). — 
Theatre  building  and  rebuilding,  thea- 
tre attendance  and  film  production  are 
on  the  increase  here.  Yugoslavia  now 
has  680  theatres;  in  1947,  the  number 
of  permanent  theatres  was  increased 
from  576  to  635. 

In  1946,  attendance  in  all  houses 
totaled  25,988,127.  In  1947  it  reached 
40,613,419.  In  February,  1948,  atten- 
dance was  5,389,700,  which  compares 
with  3,421,960  for  February,  1947. 


Girden  Named  Head 
Of  Trans-Lux  Corp. 

William  M.  Girden  yesterday  was 
named  president  of  Trans-Lux  Corp. 
to  succeed  Percy  N.  Furber  who  be- 
comes chairman  of  the  board. 

Directors  elected  at  the  annual 
stockholders'  meeting  preceding  the 
board  session,  include :  Lee  Shubert, 
Jacob  Starr,  Joseph  Viertel,  Jay 
Emanuel,  Herbert  E.  Herrman,  Ralph 
Wiener,  Milton  C.  Weisman  and 
Philip  G.  Whitman. 


Far  East:  O'Connor 


Business  in  the  Far  East  is  gener- 
ally better  than  the  pre-war  period 
but  not  equal  to  the  post-liberation 
period,  Ed  O'Connor,  Loew's  Inter- 
national Far  East  regional  director, 
said  here  yesterday  at  a  reception 
held  for  him  and  Orton  Hicks,  head 
of  the  company's  16mm.  division's* 
Sardi's.  Hicks  has  just  returned  ffcfai 
England,  Belgium,  France  and  ItaVv. 

O'Connor  pointed  out  that  Ameri- 
can pictures  are  most  popular  in  his 
territory  and  that  some  250  are  im- 
ported a  year.  In  Hong  Kong  and 
Singapore,  he  said,  regulations  de- 
mand that  one-tenth  of  all  playing 
time  be  devoted  to  British  product. 

Hicks  asserted  that  the  16mm.  in- 
dustry has  been  showing  a  steady 
growth  abroad.  There  are  about 
1,500  16mm.  installations  in  England, 
about  2,900  in  France,  250  in  Bel- 
gium and  600  in  Italy. 


Yassenoff  Cuts  Again 

Springfield,  O.,  June  9.  —  Adult 
admission  has  been  reduced  from  49 
cents  to  39  cents  at  the  Globe,  local 
unit  of  a  group  operated  by  Leo  Yas- 
senoff of  Columbus.  Top  admission 
was  75  cents  when  Yassenoff  reopened 
the  house,  which  he  acquired  as  the 
Hippodrome  several  months  ago  after 
Chakeres  Theatres  failed  to  renew  the 
lease. 


Timin  Starts  Series 

Carl  L.  Timin  has  started  pro- 
ducing and  directing  the  first  of  a. 
series  of  two-reelers  based  on  the 
"Can  You  Top  This?"  radio  pro- 
gram, featuring  Senator  Ford,  Harry 
Hershfield,  Joe  Laurie,  Jr.,  Peter 
Donald  and  Ward  Wilson,  Dan 
Shapiro  and  Milton  Pascal  wrote  the 
script.  Columbia  will  distribute. 


60  Cops  Guard  Albee 

Police  guard  of  60  split  into  two 
shifts  went  on  duty  yesterday  at  the 
Albee  Theatre  in  Brooklyn  when  20th 
Century-Fox's  "The  Iron  Curtain" 
opened.  When  the  film  opened  at  the 
Roxy  in  New  York  rioting  between 
Communists  and  sympathizers  and 
members  of  the  Catholic  War  Vet- 
erans broke  out. 


Brisson  To  Open  Offices 

Frederick  Brisson,  Independent 
Artists  executive  producer,  sailed  for 
Europe  yesterday  on  the  Queen 
Mary  to  set  up  offices  and  representa- 
tives for  the  company  in  London  and 
Paris,  and  to  arrange  for  production 
in  England  and  Denmark  and  search 
for  talent.  He  is  due  back  in  New 
York  around  July  20. 


Bram,  Goldsmith  Shifted 

Cleveland,  June  9. — Robert  Bram, 
transferred  from  the  Denver  U-I  ex- 
change, succeeds  Lee  Goldsmith  as 
office  manager  in  the  Cleveland  ex- 
change. Goldsmith  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  Atlanta. 


To  Argue  Artkino  Case 

Motion  will  be  argued  in  New 
York  Supreme  Court  tomorrow  in  an 
action  instituted  by  Artkino  Pictures 
to  restrain  Film  Classics  from  using 
footage  made  in  the  Soviet  Union  and 
which  is  incorporated  in  F.C.'s  "Will 
It  Happen  Again?"  Plaintiff  charges 
the  defendant  does  not  have  the  legal 
right  to  use  the  footage. 


'Island'  Premiere  June  IS 

Philadelphia,  June  9. — M-G-M's 
"On  an  Island  with  You"  will  have 
its  world  premiere  at  the  Goldman 
Theatre  on  Wednesday,  June  16,  this 
date  having  been  chosen  to  coincide 
closely  with  the  Republican  national 
convention  which  opens  here  June  20. 


Several  Accept  Bid 
To  Jersey  Meeting 

Edward  Lachman,  president  of  New 
Jersey  Allied,  who  left  here  yesterday 
for  a  week  in  Paris,  reported  prior 
to  his  departure  that  distribution  and 
circuit  executives  will  join  officers 
and  members  of  various  units  of  na- 
tional Allied  at  the  annual  convention 
of  New  Jersey  Allied,  to  be  held  at 
the  Hollywood  Hotel,  West  End, 
N.  J.,  on  June  28-30. 

Invitations  to  attend  have  been  ac- 
cepted by  Leon  J.  Bamberger,  RKO 
Radio ;  Henderson  Richey,  M-G-M ; 
Nat  Furst  and  Morey  Goldstein, 
Monogram;  Saul  Trauner,  Columbia; 
Harold  Bennett,  National  Screen; 
Sol  Schwartz,  RKO;  Ben  Abner, 
Loew's ;  Len  Gruenberg,  RKO ;  Sam 
Shain,  20th  Century-Fox.  Following 
Allied  officials  will  attend;  William 
Ainsworth,  Allied  president;  Meyer 
Leventhal,  Herman  Blum,  Lauritz 
Garman,  Benjamin  Berger,  and  others. 


French  Arc  Carbon 
Rights  to  Lachman 

Edward  Lachman,  president  of 'Al- 
lied Theatre  Owners  of  New  Jersey, 
left  New  York  yesterday  by  plane 
for  Paris  to  close  a  deal  for  U.  S. 
distribution  rights  to  French  projector 
lamp  carbon. 

He  will  return  here  in  a  week,  at 
which  time  he  will  announce  full  de- 
tails of  his  new  business. 


E  -  L  Fetes  Scribes 
On  Boat  Trip  Here 

Many  representatives  from  daily 
newspapers,  syndicates,  magazines, 
radio  and  the  trade  press  were  guests 
of  Eagle-Lion  last  night  aboard  the 
■SS1  Sightseer  on  a  tour  around  Man- 
hattan at  a  welcome  party  for  Lois 
Butler,  star  of  E-L's  "Mickey."  Sup- 
per and  entertainment  highlighted  the 
affair. 


Horan  Promotes  Daytz 

Boston,  June  9. — Mickey  Daytz  is 
the  new  sales  manager  at  Warner's 
Boston  branch.  He  was  promoted  by 
George  W.  Horan,  branch  manager. 


James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


t 


a  -jet* 


3^ 


Henry  Morgan  agrees  with  the  Trade  Press! 


lie  ENTERfRISt  STUDJOS 

Henry  Morgan 

SO  THIS  IS 
HEW  YORK 


with  RUDY  VALLEE  •  HUGH  HERBERT  -  BILL  GOODWIN 

Virginia  Grey  •  Dona  Drake  .  Jerome  Cowan  .  Leo  Gorcey  •  Arnold  Stang 
Screenplay  by  Carl  Foreman  and  Herbert  Baker  •  Based  on  the  novel  "The  Big  Town"  by  Ring  Lardner 

Directed  by  Richard  0.  FLEISCHER  •  Produced  by  STANLEY  KRAMER 

A  Screen  Plays,  Inc.  Production 

So  this  is  released  thru  UA 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


4 


60-Day  Limit 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

for  a  listing  of  such  claims  will 
be  opposed  by  counsel  for  the 
defendants  at  the  June  15  hear- 
ing on  the  order  before  Judge 
Hand. 

At  the  same  time  both  sides  would 
have  to  file  with  the  court  any  new 
or  modified  findings  or  provisions  of 
the  final  judgment  considered  neces- 
sary under  the  Supreme  Court's  de- 
cision. 

Under  the  order  the  Government 
and  the  defendants  would  have  30  days 
after  the  receipt  of  new  proposals  to 
file  objections  to  them.  The  Govern- 
ment would  have  the  right  to  include  a 
specification  of  any  claims  of  innocent 
investment  it  might  wish  to  contest. 

Would  Enjoin  Theatre  Deals 

The  Government  asks  that,  pending 
entry  of  a  further  order,  the  five 
major  defendants  be  temporarily  en- 
joined "from  selling  or  acquiring  any 
theatre  interests"  or  "from  making  or 
enforcing  any  franchises  covering 
theatres  affiliated  with  one  or  more  of 
them  (the  defendants)  discriminating 
against  film  licensees  competing  with 
licensees  affiliated  with  one  or  more 
of  them  in  any  manner." 

A  hearing  on  the  proposals  and  ob- 
jections to  them  raised  by  either  side 
will  be  set  by  the  District  Court. 

While  the  ruling  of  the  lower  court 
affirming  the  right  of  each  major  dis- 
tributor to  license  films  distributed  by 
it  to  theatres  in  which  it  has  a  pro- 
prietary interest  of  95  per  cent  or 
more  is  admittedly  "not  explicitly 
dealt  with"  in  the  high  court's  deci- 
sion, the  memorandum  urges  that  it 
must  also  be  set  aside  "to  permit  the 
entry  of  a  final  judgment  consistent 
with  the  new  findings." 

The  memorandum  holds  that  "it 
would  seem  desirable"  to  set  aside  all 
findings  on  franchises  both  to  effect  a 
literal  compliance  with  the  Supreme 
Court's  opinion  and  to  permit  the  Dis- 
trict Court  to  "start  afresh  in  its  de- 
termination of  appropriate  findings  in 
respect  of  franchises." 

Ask  'Concrete  Proposals  for  Relief 

The  memorandum  points  out  that 
"while  the  adoption  of  theatre  divesti- 
ture provisions  and  a  permanent  in- 
junction controlling  theatre  acquisi- 
tions must  await  new  findings,  the 
submission  of  concrete  proposals  for 
such  relief  as  the  parties  deem  proper 
is  essential  to  clarify  their  position  as 
to  the  intended  effect  on  the  judgment 
of  the  findings  submitted  by  them." 
It  further  asserts  that  the  Supreme 
Court's  opinion  "does  not  explicitly 
order  the  vacation  of  the  injunction 
against  franchises,  but  such  elimina- 


tion seems  a  necessary  result  of  the 
direction  to  vacate  the  findings  which 
support  it." 

It  is  explained  in  the  memorandum 
that  the  temporary  injunction  is 
sought  because  it  will  "at  least  pre- 
serve the  status  quo  pending  the  entry 
of  a  final  judgment." 

"Since  the  injunction  against  thea- 
tre expansion  was  not  stayed  by  the 
appeals,"  it  adds,  "it  remains  in  effect 
pending  the  entry  of  an  order  on  the 
mandate  of  the  Supreme  Court.  These 
proceedings  cannot  terminate  in  an 
effective  divestiture  judgment  unless 
appropriate  judicial  control  over  the 
defendants'  theatre  holdings  is  con- 
tinued." 

Opinions  on  Schine,  Para.  Cited 

According  to  the  memorandum, 
"The  Schine  and  Paramount  opinions, 
when  read  together,  make  certain  that 
the  major  defendants  should  be  at 
least  equally  restricted  with  respect  to 
theatre  acquisitions,  pending  the  entry 
of  a  further  order." 

Appearing  for  the  Government  at 
the  June  IS  hearing  before  Judge 
Hand  here  will  be  Robert  L.  Wright, 
special  assistant  to  the  attorney  gen- 
eral. He  will  be  assisted  by  Harold 
Lasser,  Government  attorney  attached 
to  the  anti-trust  division  here. 


NCA  to  File  Damage  Suits  for 
Alleged  Breaches  of  Decision 

Minneapolis,  June  9. — Damage 
suits  against  major  distributors  on  a 
"wholesale  scale"  for  alleged  viola- 
tions of  the  Supreme  Court  edict  in 
the  Paramount  et  al.  case  in  con- 
ditioning sales  of  one  picture  upon 
that  of  another,  will  be  instituted  by 
North  Central  Allied  in  behalf  of  ex- 
hibitors as  soon  as  evidence  can  be 
gathered  and  papers  drawn  up,  it  has 
been  disclosed  by  Ben  Berger,  NCA 
president,  and  Stanley  Kane,  execu- 
tive director.  The  NCA  board  also 
adopted  plans  to  present  affidavits  to 
the  Department  of  Justice  for  con- 
tempt proceedings. 


RKO  Union  Dispute 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

executed  on  May  13,  1946  for  a  two- 
year  term,  expired  last  April  IS,  and 
the  Guild  reports  that  at  a  recent 
conference  before  the  State  Mediation 
Board  the  company  advised  the  Guild 
that  it  would  decline  to  enter  into  a 
new  contract. 

George  Dunn,  Guild  president,  said 
yesterday  that  he  sent  to  Howard 
Hughes  on  May  19  a  letter  explaining 
the  union's  position  and  asking 
Hughes  to  intervene.  He  said  Hughes, 
RKO's  controlling  stockholder,  has 
not  replied  yet,  and  that,  accordingly, 
"we  have  no  choice  except  to  proceed 
with  the  filing  off  formal  charges 
against  the  company  and  with  various 
other  actions  to  protect  the  interests 
of  our  members." 

The  Guild  was  certified  by  the  State 
Labor  Relations  Board  in  1944  as  the 
collective  bargaining  representative  of 
100  managers  and  assistant  managers 
of  RKO  theatres  in  New  York  City 
and  Westchester  County. 


'Freedom  Train'  Drive 

Chicago,  June  9. — Plans  of  theatre 
owners  for  publicizing  the  arrival  of 
the  "Freedom  Train"  here  on  July  S 
were  completed  in  the  offices  of  Ar- 
thur Schoenstadt,  local  chairman  for 
theatres,  under  supervision  of  John 
Balaban,  general  chairman.  Trailers, 
lobby  displays  and  a  special  reel  will 
be  part  of  the  campaign.  Norman 
Kassel,  Essaness  Theatres  advertising 
head,  is  local  publicity  chief. 


U.  A.  Directors 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 

_was  reached  as  to  general  policy,  he 
added. 

Approved  product  deals  include :  A 
five-picture  contract  with  Screen- 
plays, Inc.,  headed  by  Stanley  Kra- 
mer, for  "The  Champion"  (for  Au- 
gust 15  shooting),  John  Berry  direct- 
ing ;  "Six  Shades  in  Blue,"  Irving 
Reis  directing;  "High  Moon,"  Berry 
directing;  "Juno  and  the  Paycock," 
Mark  Robson  directing,  and  Taylor 
Caldwell's  "Wide  House" ;  a  three- 
picture  deal  with  producer  James 
Masser  for  "Some  Rain  Must  Fall" 
(for  August  shooting),  Alfred  E. 
Green  directing;  "Joe  Macbeth," 
Lloyd  Bacon  directing ;  "Caesar  the 
Great,"  Bacon  directing;  one-picture 
deals  with  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Jr.,  for 
"Diplomatic  Passport,"  which  will  be 
shot  in  France;  Buster  Collier,  for 
"Cautious  Amorist,"  to  be  produced 
in  England  in  August,  with  Noel 
Langley  directing,  and  one  with 
Amusement  Enterprises,  Inc.,  headed 
by  Bernard  Luber,  for  Craig  Rice's 
"The  Lucky  Stiff,"  Lewis  Foster  di- 
recting. 

Gradwell  L.  Sears,  UA  president, 
presided  at  the  meeting. 

McCarthy  on  Pact 
Administration  Unit 

John  G.  McCarthy,  associate  man- 
ager of  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America's  international  division,  has 
been  appointed  temporarily  to  serve 
with  F.  W.  Allport,  MPAA  repre- 
sentative in  London,  as  U.  S.  repre- 
sentative on  the  control  commission 
which  will  administer  the  new  Anglo- 
American  film  agreement  when  it  be- 
comes operative  on  June  14,  the 
MPAA  reported  here  yesterday. 

McCarthy,  now  in  London,  was 
appointed  pending  selection  of  a  per- 
manent U.  S.  member.  Allport  is  a 
permanent  member  of  the  commission 
which  was  designed  to  include  two 
Americans  and  two  Britons.  One  of 
the  latter  is  expected  to  be  R.  G. 
Somervell  of  Britain's  Board  of  Trade. 


N.T.  Settlement 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

gether  with  adjustments  in  bonus 
provisions  to  Charles  Skouras,  N.  T. 
president. 

In  addition,  the  settlement  proposals 
give  20th- Fox  calls  expiring  Dec.  31, 
1949,  at  $22J4  per  share,  on  18,500 
shares  of  20th-Fox  common  stock. 
The  shares  concerned  represent  10 
per  cent  of  options  granted  to  Spyros 
Skouras,  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  and  W.  C. 
Michel,  by  the  company.  Zanuck's  op- 
tion totaled  100,000  shares,  of  which 
10,000  would  be  subject  to  call  by  the 
company.  The  remaining  8,500  shares 
represent  10  per  cent  of  the  options 
granted  to  Skouras  and  Michel. 


More  Paramount  Ads 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

who  attended  the  meeting  include 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  distribution  vice- 
president,  who  presided;  E.  K.  O'Shea, 
A.  W.  Schwalberg,  Stanley  Shuford, 
Ben  Washer,  Sid  Mesibov  and  Fred 
LeRoy.  George  A.  Smith,  Western 
division  manager,  Hugh  Braley,  dis- 
trict manager,  and  representatives  of 
six  branches  also  attended. 


Lift  Two  'Blue  Laws* 

Atlanta,  June  9. — Sunday  shows 
have  been  voted  for  Gallatin  and  Mor- 
ristown,  both  in  Tennessee. 


Thursday,  June  10,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


FOLLOWING  are  estimated  pic- 
ture grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 


Business  here  is  very  slack,  grosses 
in  all  but  two  instances  being  below 
average.  The  exceptions  are  "Fuller 
Brush  Man"  and  "Arch  of  Triumph." 
Estimated  receipts  for  the  week  end- 
ing June  9 : 

ANNA  KARENINA  (20th- Fox) — UNITED 

NATIONS  (1,129)  (60c-85c)  1st  week. 
Gross:  $5,800.  (Average:  $9,900) 
ARCH  OF  TRIUMPH  (UA)— ST.  FRAN- 
CIS (1,430)  (60c-85c)  3rd  week.  Gross: 
$13,500.  (Average:  $14,600) 
ENCHANTED  VALLEY  (EL)  and  UN- 
DER CALIFORNIA  STARS  (Rep.)— 
STATE  (2,135)  (60c-85c).  Gross:  $6,500. 
(Average:  $8,200) 

THE  FULLER  BRUSH  MAN  (Col.)  and 
PORT  SAID  (Col.)-ORPHEUM  (2,440) 
(55c-85c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $14,500.  (Aver- 
age: $14,700) 

FORT     APACHE     (RKO     Radio)— RKO 

GOLDEN  GATE  (2,825)  (95c)  3rd  week. 
Gross:  $12,000.  (Average:  $27,000) 
HAZARD  (Para.)  and  HEART  OF  VIR- 
GINIA (Rep.)— PARAMOUNT  (2,735)  (60c- 
85c).  Gross:  $19,000.  (Average:  $19,500) 
THE  HUNTED  (AA)  and  IN  FAST 
COMPANY  (Mono.)  —  ESQUIRE  (1,008) 
(55c-85c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,500.  (Aver- 
age: $9,000) 

HOMECOMING  (M-G-M)  and  I 
WOULDN'T     BE     IN     YOUR  SHOES 

(Mono.) — FOX   (4,651)    (60c-85c)   2nd  week. 
Gross:  $18,500.     (Average:  $23,000) 
SUMMER      HOLIDAY      (M-G-M)  and 
SECRET      SERVICE  INVESTIGATOR 

(Rep.)  —  WARFIELD      (2,672)  (60c-85c). 
Gross:  $17,500.     (Average:  $18,800) 
THE    TIME    OF    YOUR    LIFE  (UN- 
UNITED ARTISTS  (1,465)  (85c)  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $14,700.     (Average:  $11,300) 


OMAHA 


Theatre  grosses  here  continue  on 
the  pale  side,  with  alarm  about  the 
continued  warm  and  dry  weather 
growing.  Estimated  receipts  for  week 
ending  June  9-10 : 

ANGELS  ALLEY  (Mono.)  and  HIGH 
WALL  (M-G-M)— STATE  (750)  (50c-65c). 
Gross:  $5,300.  (Average:  $5,000) 
THE  DOCTOR  TAKES  A  WIFE  (Col.) 
and  MORE  THAN  A  SECRETARY  (Col.) 
—OMAHA  (2,000)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $7,100. 
(Average:  $8,600) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio)  and  MARY 

LOU  (Cel.) — RKO  BRANDEIS  (1,100)  (50c- 
65c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $6,200.  (Average: 
$6,800) 

HAZARD  (Para.)  and  WHISPERING 
CITY  (E-L)— ORPHEUM  (3,000)  (50c-65c). 
Gross:  $8,700.  (Average:  $9,500) 
THE  NAKED  CITY  (U-I)— PARA- 
MOUNT (2,900)  (50c-65c).  Gross:  $10,800. 
(Average:  $10,600) 


2  Firms  Dismissed 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


business  must  constitute  a  substantial 
part  of  the  ordinary  business  of  the 
corporation  and  must  be  continuous 
or  at  least  of  some  duration." 

At  the  same  time,  Harold  Shilz,  at- 
torney for  Windsor,  filed  an  amend- 
ment today  to  the  original  complaint 
contending  that  the  New  York  court's 
finding  in  the  Paramount  case,  hold- 
ing that  distributors  maintained  an  un- 
reasonable clearance  system  to  the 
detriment  of  independent  exhibitors, 
was  conclusive  and  entitled  his  client 
to  judgment  without  any  need  for 
proof  of  conspiracy  or  damage. 

This  is  believed  to  be  the  first  time 
this  charge  has  been  included  in  a  film 
anti-trust  proceeding  since  the  Su- 
preme Court's  Paramount  decision. 


She  remembers  Mama... 


NOTHING  here  betrays  the  days  that 
passed  between  the  camera's  visits  to 
this  room.  To  movie-goers,  all  seems  the 
same  as  when  they  looked  in  "only  a 
moment  ago." 

Because — before  the  camera  rolled — 
the  script  girl  had  every  single  detail  in 
mind — from  the  actors'  make-up,  cos- 
tumes, action,  down  to  the  smallest 
prop.  And  thus  the  director's  "second 


memory"  made  sure  that  smooth  con- 
tinuity would  be  faithfully  preserved. 

Through  such  unflagging  watchful- 
ness, the  script  girl  adds  much  to  every 
picture's  perfection  .  .  .  saves  many  a 
costly  retake,  too.  In  this,  of  course, 
she's  not  alone — her  "silent  partners" 
are  films  of  great  dependability  and  uni- 
formly high  quality — members  of  the 
famous  Eastman  family. 


EASTMAN   KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER   4,   N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT  LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY'S  BOOKING  CHART 

WARNERS 

WALLFLOWER 
Joyco  Roynolds 

D— 77    mln.  (720) 
(Rev.  5/10/48) 

x  „ 

3    i-  — ^ 

*  c  ■ 

ROMANCE  ON 
THE   HIGH  SEAS 
(Color) 
Jack  Carson 
Janis  Paige 
M — 102  mln.  (728) 
(Uev.  0/8/48) 

rDcrfes  Are  Based  on  National  Release  Schedules  and  Are  Subject   to  Change.     Letters   Denote  the  Following:    (Dl  Drama.-- 
[IMI  Musical.  ICI  Comedy.  tOI  Outdoor  Action.  Production  Numbers  Are  in  Parentheses.  IRev.l  Motion  Picture  Daily  Review  Date  i 

UNIV.-INT'L. 

(April-May 
(Releases) 

BLACK  BART 

(Color) 
Yvonno  do  Carlo 
Dan  Duryoa 

D— 80  mln. 
(Rev.  1/20/48) 

CASBAH 
Tony  Martin 
Yvonno  do  Carlo 

I)— 84  mln. 
(Rev.  3/3/48) 

ARE  YOU 
WITH  IT? 

Donald  O'Connor 
Martha  Stewart 

C— 00  ml. 
(Rev.  3/17/48) 

DEAR 
MURDERER 
Eric  Portman 
Grota  Gynt 

T) — 84  mln. 
(Rev.  0/20/47) 

ALL  MY  SONS 
Edward  G.  Robinson 
Burt  Lanrastor 
Howard  Duff 

D — 03  min. 
(Kev.  2/10/48) 

(June  Releases) 

LETTER   FROM  AN 
UNKNOWN 
WOMAN 

Joan  Fontaine 
Louis  Jourdan 

D— 90  mln.  (859) 
(Itov.  4/8/48) 

ANOTHER  PART 
OF  THE  FOREST 
Fredric  March 
Ann  BIyth 

1)    1117  min.  (000) 
(Rev.  4/15/48) 

RIVER  LADY 

(Color) 
Yvonne  De  Carlo 
Rod  Cameron' 

D— 78  mln.  (001) 
(Rev.  5/7/48) 

UP  IN 
CENTRAL  PARK 
Deanna  Durbin 
Dick  Haymes 
Vincent  Price 

ii  s7  mm.  (oc.2) 

(Hey.  5/20/48) 

<" 

(May  Releases) 

FOUR  FACES 
WEST 
Joel  McCrea 
Frances  Dee 

D — 90  min. 
(Itov.  5/14/48) 

THE  TIME  OF 
YOUR  LIFE 
James  Cagney 

William  Bondix 

D— 109  mln. 
(Rov.  5/25/48) 

(June  Releases) 

SO  THIS  IS 
NEW  YORK 
Henry  Morgan 
Virginia  Grey 

0—79  min. 
(Rev.  5/7/18) 

VICIOUS  CIRCLE 
Conrad  Nagel 
Fritz  Kortner 

n— 77  mln. 
(Rov.  5/27/48) 

(July  Releases) 

TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN  AND 

HEAVEN 

Diana  Lynn 
Guy  Madison 
James  Dunn 

C 

20TH-FOX 

(May  Releases) 

ARTHUR  TAKES 
OVER 
Lois  Collier 
Jerome  Cowan 
D— 03  mln. 
(Rev.  4/5/18) 

FURY  AT 
FURNACE  CREEK 
Victor  Mature 
Colleen  Gray 

D — 88  mln. 
(Rev.  4/7/48) 

THE  IRON 
CURTAIN 
Dana  Andrews 
Gene  Tiernoy 

IV- 89  mln. 
(Rev.  5/7/48) 

ANNA  KARENINA 
Vivion  Leigh 
Ralph  Richardson 

1) — 110  mln. 
(Rov.  4/18/48) 

(June  Releases) 

GREEN  GRASS 
OF  WYOMING 

(Color) 
Peggy  Commins 
Charles  Coburn 

D— 87  min.  (818) 
(Rov.  4/28/48) 

GIVE  MY 
REGARDS 
TO  BROADWAY 

(Color) 
Dan  Dailoy 
Nancy  Guild 

MO — 92  mln.  (827) 
(Rov.  5/21/48) 

COUNTERFEITERS 
John  Sutton 

D— 73  mln.  (Sill) 

(July  Releases) 

ESCAPE 
Rox  Harrison 
Peggy  Cummins 

11—78  min. 
(Rev.  5/20/48) 

THE  STREET 
WITH  NO  NAME 

Mark  Stovens 
Barbara  Lawronce 

D 

THE  CHECKERED 
COAT 

Tom  Conway 

MINE  OWN 
EXECUTIONER 
Burgess  Meredith 
D— 105  mln.  (821) 
(Itov.  0/7/48) 

(Auu;.  Releases) 

WALLS  OF 
JERICHO 
Linda  Darnell 
Cornel  Wilde 

D 

DEEP  WATERS 

Dana  Andrews 
Jean  Poters 

D 

THE  WINNER'S 
CIRCLE 
Jean  Willes 
D 

S.R.O. 

(July  Releases) 

MR.  BLANDINGS 

BUILDS  HIS 
DREAM  HOUSE 

Cary  Grant 
Myrna  Loy 
Molvin  Douglas 

C— 06  mln.  (200) 
(Rev.  8/25/48) 

THE  PARADINE 
CASE 
Gregory  Pock 
Ann  Todd 
Valli 
D— 117  mln.  (105) 
(Rov.  12/30/47) 

RKO  RADIO 

(Specials) 
1  REMEMBER 
MAMA 
Irono  Dunne 
Barbara  Bel  Geddes 
D— 137  mln.  (808) 
(Rov.  3/9/48) 

THE  MIRACLE 
OF  THE  BELLS 
Fred  Mac  Murray 
Frank  Sinatra 
Valli 

D — 120  min.  (800) 
(Rev.  3/2/48) 

FORT  APACHE 
John  Wayne 
Henry  Fonda 

D— 127  min.  (870) 
(Rev.  3/10/48) 

(Block  4) 
TARZAN  AND 
THE  MERMAIDS 
Johnny  Wolsmuller 

D — 08  min.  (813) 
(Rev.  3/23/48) 

THE  ARIZONA 
RANGER 

Tim  Holt 

0— 03  mln. 
(Itov.  3/25/48) 

(Block  0) 
BERLIN 
EXPRESS 
Robort  Ryan 
Merle  Oberen 
D— 80  min  (816) 
(Rev.  4/6/48) 

FIGHTING 
FATHER  DUNNE 
Pat  O'Brien 

D— (816) 
(Rov.  5/13/48) 

RETURN  OF  THE 
BADMEN 
Randolph  Scott 
Robert  Ryan 

0— 90   min.  (817) 
(Rev.  5/21/48) 

GUNS  OF  HATE 
Tim  Holt 

0—62  mln. 
(Rov.  5/21/48) 

(Reissue) 

BRING  'EM 
BACK  ALIVE 
Frank  Buck 

D — 05  min.  (815) 
EOT.  S/25/32 

REPUBLIC 

SECRET  SERVICE  | 
INVESTIGATOR 
Lloyd  Bridges 

I) — oo  mln. 
(Rev.  0/1/48) 

TIMBER  TRAIL 
Monto  Hale 

O — G7  min. 

TRAIN  TO 
ALCATRAZ 

Don  Barry 
D— 00  mln. 
EYES  OF  TEXAS 
(Color) 
Roy  Rogers 
O 

CODE  OF 
SCOTLAND  YARD 
Oscar  Homolka 

D 

GALLANT 
LEGION 
William  Elliott 

0—88  min. 
(Rev.  5/28/48) 

PARA. 

(Reissue) 

THE  CRUSADES 
Lorotta  Young 
Henry  Wilcoxon 

D — 120  mln. 

(7-3508) 
(Rov.  8/2/35) 
SHAGGY 
(Color) 
Bronda  Joyce 
D — 72  mln.  (1717) 
(Rev.  4/16/48) 

HATTER'S 
CASTLE 
Jamos  Mason 
Doborah  Kerr 

D— 90  mln. 
(Rev.  4/7/48) 

WATERFRONT 
AT  MIDNIGHT 
William  Gargan 

D— 03  mln.  (4719) 
(Rov.  5/7/48) 

EMPEROR  WALTZ 

(Color) 
Bing  Crosby 
Joan  Fontaine 

M— 100  mln, 
(Uev.  5/3/48) 

DREAM  GIRL 

Betty  Hutton 
Macdonald  Carey 

C— 85  mln. 
(Rev.  5/0/48) 

BIG  TOWN 
SCANDAL 
Philip  Reod 
Hillary  Brooks 

D— 02  min.  (4722) 
(Rev.  5/28/48) 

SO  EVIL  MY 
LOVE 
Ray  Milland 
Ann  Todd 

T>— 109  mln,  (4723) 
(Rov.  5/24/48) 

MONO. 

(Allied  Artists) 
THE  DUDE  GOES 
WEST 
Eddie  Albert 
Gale  Storm 

C— 87  mln.  (AA8) 
(Rov.  4/20/48) 

RANGE 
RENEGADES 

Jimmy  Wakoly 

O — 57  mln,  (4811) 

STAGE  STRUCK 
Kane  Richmond 

D— 71  mln.  (4715) 

TRIGGERMAN 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 

O— 58  mln. 

JINX  MONEY 
Loo  Gorcey 

O— 08  mln.  (47)7) 
(Rev.  5/20/48) 

THE  SHANGHAI 
CHEST 
Roland  Winters 

D— 05  mln.  (4718) 

10  FATHOMS 
DEEP 

Lon  Chanoy,  Jr. 

A  JOE  NAMED 
PALOOKA 

Joo  Kirkwood 
Elyse  Knox 

D 

M-G-M 

BIG  CITY 
Maroarot  O'Brion 
Robert  Proston 

1) — 103  mln. 
(Rev.  3/24/48) 

THE  PIRATE 

(Color) 
Judy  Garland 
Gone  Kelly 

M— 102  min. 
(Rov.  3/29/48) 

ON  AN  ISLAND 
WITH  YOU 

(Color) 
Esther  Williams 
Peter  Lawford 

MO— 107  mln. 

(Rov.  4/27/48) 

t 

EAGLE-LION 



SWORD  OF  THE 
AVENGER 

Ramon  del  Gado 

d— 70  mln,  (932) 

(Rev.  5/10/48) 

«.   t  i? 

3  x 

'     t=       -  '~ 

u  a  £i 

(/>  = 
O    e  • 

-i  "  <b  ; 

o   <   '-  k 

TIOGA  KID 
Eddio  Dean 

0—54  mln.  (858) 
(Rov.  3/11/48) 

MICKEY 
(Color) 
Irene  Hervoy 

D— 87  mln.  (825) 

CANON  CITY 
Scott  Brady 

D— 83  mln.  (826) 

THE 
SPIRITUALIST 
Turhan  Bey 
Lynn  Bari 

D— 70  min.  (827) 

OLIVER  TWIST 
Robert  Newton 

D— 115  mln.  (828) 

SHED   NO  TEARS 
Wallace  Ford 
June  Vincent 

n— 70  mln.  (829) 

NORTHWEST 
STAMPEDE 
Joan  Leslie 
Jamos  Craig 

0—79  mln.  (830) 

COLUMBIA 

THE  LADY 
FROM  SHANGHAI 
Rita  Hayworth 
Orson  Welles 

D — 87  mln. 
(Rev.  4/1C/48) 

BLONDIE'S 
REWARD 
Penny  Singleton 

o — 07  mln, 

THE  FULLER 
BRUSH  MAN 
Red  Skelton 
Janet  Blair 

C — 93  mill. 
(Rev.  5/7/48) 

BLAZING 
ACROSS  THE 

PECOS 
Charles  Starrett 
0 

THUNDERHOOF 

Preston  Foster 

T> — 77  mln 

CORONER  CREEK 

Randolph  Scott 
Marguerite  Chapman 

D— 90  mln. 

(Rov.  6/4/48) 
ARKANSAS 

LIVING 
Gloria  Henry 

UJ  u- 

^O 

£  o 

s  ^ 

>-5 

e  n 

55  O 
3  CM, 

•-i 

<U 

S  IN 

3  <N 

1-5 

3 

»H 

3 

&  oo 

3  >-* 

^  IT) 

3  <N 

>-4 

3  ^ 

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3  00 
< 

V*H&  63.  NO.  113 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JUNE  11,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


U.  K.  Control 
Unit  Members 
Reported  Set 

Wilson  Seen  Chairman, 
Eady, Somervell  Members 

London,  June  10. — Although  the 
British  composition  of  the  Control 
Committee  is  being  kept  secret 
while  questions  of  interpretation  of 
the  film  tax  agreement  remain  unset- 
tled, informed  sources  here  believe 
that  Sir  Wilfred  Eady,  Treasury  of- 
ficial ;  R.  G.  Somervell  of  the  British 
Board  of  Trade,  and  Harold  Wilson, 
BOT  president,  already  have  been 
named. 

Although  Wilson  is  likely  to  be 
committee  chairman  for  the  British 
delegation,  it  is  tacitly  understood  here 
that  Somervell  will  be  the  real  dicta- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Trans-Lux  Plans 
To  Double  Circuit 


Trans  Lux  Corp.  will  double  its 
present  circuit  of  eight  theatres,  it 
was  disclosed  here  yesterday  by  Nor- 
man '  Elson,  company  vice-president. 
The  expansion  will  be  concentrated  in 
the  Metropolitan  New  York  area, 
Elson  said. 

Edison  Rice,  a  division  manager  for 
the  Randforce  Circuit  of  Brooklyn  for 
the  past  five  years,  will  become  Trans- 
Lux's  first  division  manager.  He  will 
take  over  on  Monday. 

The  additions  to  the  Trans-Lux  cir- 
cuit will  not  be  confined  to  any  specific 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Some  RKO  Houses 
Here  Increase  Prices 

A  number  of  RKO  neighborhood 
theatres  in  the  Metropolitan  New 
York  area  have  established  admission 
price  increases,  a  company  official  said 
yesterday,  explaining  that  the  raises 
have  not  been  general  in  the  circuit 
but  represent  adjustments  at  individu- 
al locations  to  meet  conditions  existing 
in  those  areas. 

In  most  instances  the  increase  has 
been  from  60  cents  to  65,  for  adults, 
evenings. 


Majors  Will  Oppose 
All  Controversial 
Issues  in  U.  S.  Order 


Virtually  every  section  of  the  Gov- 
ernment's proposed  order  in  the  Para- 
mount case,  with  the  exception  of 
those  portions  bearing  on  issues  that 
are  not  in  controversy,  will  draw  the 
fire  of  defense  attorneys  when  the 
order  comes  up  for  hearing  on  Tues- 
day in  District  Court  here  before 
Judges  Augustus  X.  Hand  and  Henry 
W.  Goddard.'  This  was  learned  yes- 
terday in  the  wake  of  continuing 
strategy"  meetings  of  defense  counsel. 

Opposition  to  the  proposed  order  is 
expected  to  center  on  the  charges  of 
monopoly  in  exhibition.  Defendants 
are  understood  to  be  planning  a  vigor- 
ous stand  against  the  Government's 
attitude  on  clearance. 

It  seemed  certain  yesterday  that  the 
theatre-holding  defendants  would  op- 
pose the  provision  that  they  be  re- 
quired to  submit  statements  listing 
joint  theatre  ownerships  claimed  to  in- 
volve investments  by  persons  not  ac- 
tual or  potential  theatre  operators. 
The  feeling  is  said  to  be  that  this  in- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Para.  Also  Remits 
For  Arbitration 

As  of  yesterday  Loew's  remained 
the  only  one  of  the  five  theatre-owning 
defendants  in  the  industry  anti-trust 
suit  whose  monthly  assessment  check 
had  not  been  received  by  the  American 
Arbitration  Association.  Paramount 
yesterday  made  its  payment,  thus  in- 
dicating formally,  as  have  RKO  Ra- 
dio, Warners  and  20th  Century-Fox, 
continued  support  of  the  industry  arbi- 
tration system  following  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court's  May  3  ruling  in  the 
Paramount,  et  al,  case. 

Loew's  payment  is  due  early  next 
week,  it  was  said. 


3  Percentage  Suits 
Filed  in  New  Haven 

New  Haven,  June  10. — Harry  L. 
Lavietes  was  named  defendant  in 
three  percentage  suits  filed  today  by 
Paramount,  20th  Century-Fox  and 
Loew's  in  U.  S.  District  Court.  In- 
volved is  the  Pequot  Theatre,  New 
Haven. 

Joseph  F.  Berry  of  Day.  Berry  and 
Howard,  Hartford,  is  attorney  for  the 
distributors,  with  Sargoy  and  Stein  of 
New  York  as  counsel. 


Reveal  New  British 
Quota  on  Tuesday 

London,  June  10. — The  Films 
Council  concluded  its  debate 
today  on  the  new  exhibitor 
quota  and  forwarded  its  rec- 
ommendations to  Harold  Wil- 
son, president  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  who  will  announce 
the  new  percentage  in  the 
House  of  Commons  on  Tues- 
day. 

The  trade  believes  the  per- 
centage will  be  anywhere  from 
35  to  50.  Anything  over  35  is 
regarded  as  impractical  and 
likely  to  result  only  in  larger 
exhibitor  defaults.  J.  Arthur 
Rank  recommended  a  50  per 
cent  quota  and  other  trade 
sources  40  per  cent.  New 
quota  is  effective  June  30. 


Mochrie  Promotes 
Lefko,  Silverman 


Strong  Stand 
On  IL  K.  Tax 
Pact  Likely 

U.  S.  Film  Industry  Feels 
Agreement  Is  Endangered 

A  strong  stand  by  the  industry  on 
indicated  repudiations  of  the  film 
tax  agreement  by  British  Board  of 
Trade  officials  is  likely  to  be  taken 
at  meetings  today  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  and  M.  P.  Export 
Association.  The  agreement  will  be- 
come effective  on  Monday. 

Trade  leaders,  gravely  concerned 
over  at  least  a  half-dozen  interpre- 
tations by  British  authorities  which 
are  regarded  here  as  contravening  the 
tax  agreement,  indicated  yesterday 
that  an  uncompromising  attitude  is 
called  for  if  the  entire  agreement  is 
not  to  be  abandoned. 

One  official  said  that  if  the  agree- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Robert  Mochrie,  RKO  Radio  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  has  appointed 
Maurice  E.  Lefko  Eastern  Central 
district  manager,  succeeding  Milton 
Cohen,  resigned.  Lefko.  who  will 
have  headquarters  in  Cleveland,  has 
been  with  the  organization  for  18 
years,  most  recently  as  branch  man- 
ager in  Pittsburgh. 

David  C.  Silverman  will  succeed 
Lefko  in  Pittsburgh.  Both  changes 
will  become  effective  on  Monday. 
Silverman  has  been  with  the  company 
for  24  years,  and  at  present  holds  the 
post  of  salesman. 


Orr  Quits  UA  July  1 
To  Head  Family  Firm 

Maury  Orr.  United  Artists  Western 
division  manager,  has  resigned  his 
post,  effective  July  1.  to  become  presi- 
dent of  the  Orr  Blanket  Co.  of  Piqua, 
Ohio,  it  was  announced  here  yesterday 
by  Gradwell  L.  Sears,  UA  president. 
Orr  has  held  his  UA  post  for  the  past 
three  years. 

He  entered  the  business  as  a  War- 
ner salesman  in  New  York  in  1941, 
becoming  Cleveland  branch  manager 
soon  after.  In  1943  he  joined  UA  in 
the  latter  capacity,  and  was  promoted 
to  Western  division  manager  in  1945. 
No  successor  has  been  named.  The 
Ohio  company  was  founded  by  his 
grandfather. 


Pending  Labor  Case 
To  Decide  UA  Tilt 


Anticipating  an  early  Federal  Court 
ruling  with  respect  to  the  constitu- 
tionality of  the  non-Communist  affi- 
davit provisions  of  the  Taft-Hartley 
Law,  the  National  Labor  Relations 
Board  here  left  the  jurisdictional  dis- 
pute between  the  CIO's  Screen  Office 
and  Professional  Employes  Guild  and 
AFL's  IATSE  hanging  in  the  bal- 
ance yesterday  following  an  NLRB 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Ask  Dismissal  Today 
Of  5th-Walnut  Suit 

Distributor-defendants  in  the  Fifth 
and  Walnut  Amusement  anti-trust 
suit  will  move  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
here  today  for  a  directed  verdict  of 
dismissal,  their  attorneys  indicated 
yesterday  as  the  plaintiff  ended  pres- 
entation of  its  case  after  four  weeks 
of  hearings  before,  Judge  Vincent  L. 
Leibel  and  a  jury  of  12. 

In  making  the  motion,  defense  attor- 
neys will  hold  that  evidence  brought 
out  by  plaintiff's  trial  counsel,  Mon- 
roe E.  Stein  and  Herbert  J.  Fabricant, 
has  not  been  sufficient  to  warrant  con- 
tinuation of  the  trial. 


at  regular  prices 


BOXOFFICE  CHAMPrON 
FOR  THE  MONTH  OF  MAY 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  June  11,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


GRADWELL  L.  SEARS,  United 
Artists  president,  entered  New 
York  Hospital  yesterday  for  a  peri- 
odic check-up. 

• 

Donald  Schine,  president  of  Dar- 
nell Theatre  Co.  and  son  of  Schine 
Circuit  vice-president  Louis  W. 
Schine,  and  David  Schine,  son  of 
J.  Myer  Schine,  will  sail  for  Europe 
next  Wednesday  on  the  JkS"  Queen 
Elizabeth. 

• 

Reeve  O.  Strock,  Westrex  Corp. 
recording  manager,  is  en  route  to 
London  for  a  four-month  stay  to  sub- 
stitute for  R.  J.  Engler,  London  re- 
cording manager,  who  will  return 
here  for  home  leave. 

• 

Edward  L.  Hyman,  Paramount 
Theatres  Service  Corp.  vice-president, 
and  Max  Fellerman,  Paramount 
Theatres  executive,  will  leave  here 
Tuesday  for  Marion,  O.,  en  route  to 
Detroit. 

• 

Leon  Roth,  United  Artists  national 
promotion  manager,  will  be  in  Chicago 
tomorrow  from  New  York  for  the 
National  Association  of  Music  Manu- 
facturers convention. 

• 

Lou  Lifton,  Allied  Artists-Mono- 
gram advertising-publicity  head,  will 
return  to  the  Coast  over  the  weekend 
after  a  two-week  stay  in  New  York. 
• 

William  Goetz,  Universal-Interna- 
tional production  executive,  left  the 
Coast  yesterday  en  route  to  London 
for  talks  with  J.  Arthur  Rank. 
• 

J.  Lawrence  Schanberger,  owner 
of   Keith's    Theatre,    Baltimore,  and 
Mrs.    Schanberger,    are  observing 
their  28th  wedding  anniversary. 
• 

Fred  Jack,  United  Artists  South- 
ern district  manager,  is  in  town  from 
Dallas. 

• 

George  A.  Hickey,  M-G-M  West- 
ern sales  manager,  is  in  New  York 
from  Los  Angeles  for  a  month's  stay. 
• 

A.  W.  Schwalberg,  Eagle-Lion 
sales  head,  will  leave  the  Coast  Sun- 
day for  Dallas. 

Hal  -Wallis  left  Hollywood  yes- 
terday for  New  York. 


Petrillo  Gets  Another 
Term  as  AFM's  Head 

Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  June  10. — 
James  C.  Petrillo  was  nominated  yes- 
terday, without  opposition,  to  again 
serve  as  president  of  the  American 
Federation  of  Musicians.  He  will  be 
elected  tomorrow  by  the  AFM  con- 
vention here  at  the  Berkley-Carteret 
Hotel. 

The  convention  recommended  today 
that  AFM  acquire  or  establish  radio 
stations  of  its  own,  but  Petrillo  op- 
posed the  suggestion  on  the  ground 
that  thev  would  "cost  too  much." 


Insider9 s  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


VISITING  New  York  from 
London  for  the  first  time  in 
well  over  a  decade  is  Harry 
Rowson,  veteran  of  the  British 
industry  and  remembered  well 
by  many  as  the  fountainhead  of 
Ideal  Films,  Ltd.,  with  his 
brother,  Simeon. 

At  hand  now  is  a  letter  in 
which  he  observes : 

"I  have  been  reading  an  adver- 
tisement in  last  Thursday's  New 
York  Evening  Post  beginning  with 
'Boycott  Britain.' 

"In  Motion  Picture  Daily  you 
have  been  giving  cable  reports 
from  British  newspapers  in  refer- 
ence to  an  agreement  recently  con- 
cluded on  behalf  of  the  American 
film  industry  and  the  British  Board 
of  Trade  which  was  intended  to 
remove  restrictions  imposed  nearly 
a  year  ago  on  the  importation  of 
films  there. 

"As  a  resident  over  40  years 
ago,  a  frequent  visitor  and  at  one 
time  the  largest  purchaser  of  films 
in  this  country  for  the  British 
Isles  I  desire  respectfully  to  make 
it  clear  to  the  film  interests  here 
and  to  the  clergymen  who  have 
endorsed  this  'Boycott  Britain'  ad- 
vertisement that  this  and  similar 
outbursts  only  provide  fodder  to 
powerful  elements  in  the  British 
Isles  who,  on  financial  grounds 
only,  oppose  imports  of  all  luxur- 
ies, which  comprise  tobacco  in  the 
first  place  and  films  in  the  second. 

"It  is  surely  not  difficult  to  an- 
ticipate the  great  possibility  of  re- 
taliation and  reprisal  to  boycotting 
suggestions  when  it  is  realized  that 
this  country  exports  to  the  British 
Isles  luxuries  many,  many  times 
the  value  of  their  imports  to  this 
country  of  things  which  the  people 
there  require  and  are  forced  to  be 
without. 

"A  people  which  has  twice  in 
one  generation — at  times  almost 
alone — faced  and  resisted  an  all- 
conquering  enemy  at  the  height  of 
its  success,  struggling  to  recover 
from  the  consequences  of  these  huge 
efforts  will,  I  think,  be  able  to 
face  the  loss  of  its  great  pleasure 
and  enjoyment  of  smoking  tobacco 
and  seeing  films. 

"Instead  of  being  intimidated  by 
such  a  prospect,  there  is  the  great 
possibility  of  the  people  of  the 
British  Isles,  quite  apart  from  any 
government  measures  that  may  be 
taken,  deciding  to  stop  smoking  or 
seeing  films.  What  then?" 


This  much  may  be  said: 
There  is  no  possibility  of  a 
boycott  on  the  part  of  the  organ- 
ized industry.  Responsible  ex- 
ecutives at  the  top  level  are  not, 
would  not,  could  not  be  parties 
to  such  a  tactic.  This  was  the 
fact  when  the  impasse  growing 
out  of  the  75  per  cent  ad  valo- 
rem tax  was  at  its  very  worst. 
It  is  now  the  fact  in  the  political 


machinations  which  characterize 
the  existing  situation  over  the 
new  State  of  Israel. 

We  have  ample  reason  to 
make  the  statement,  also,  that  no 
boycott  of  British  goods,  film 
and  otherwise,  ever  has  been 
considered  by  those  Jewish 
agencies  which  are  most  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  Zion- 


But,  in  a  situation  in  many 
ways  as  complex  as  this,  it  has 
to  be  realized  that  the  attitudes 
and  the  actions  of  individuals 
and  of  individual  organizations 
are  quite  apt  to  be  independently 
pursued.  There  are  different 
viewpoints  on  Palestine  even 
within  Jewish  circles.  It  seems 
logical  to  assume  this  prevails  in 
relation  to  Britain's  official  pol- 
icy on  Israel  and  that  some,  or 
perhaps  many,  of  those  in  sharp 
disagreement  consider  their  most 
effective  method  of  protest  is  to 
ban  British  goods. 

However,  it  does  not  follow 
that  scattered  action,  or  attempts 
to  precipitate  mass  action,  will 
be  successful  to  that  degree 
which  would  justify  genuine 
concern.  Nothing  of  such  a  na- 
ture has  developed  thus  far, 
noisy  inconsequentials  notwith- 
standing. The  probability  is  it 
will  not. 


A  hurdle  jumped:  "I  have  had 
a  number  of  talks  with  Howard 
Hughes  and  we  are  in  complete 
accord  on  present  policy  and  on 
the  projected  program  for 
RKO.  We  have  a  big  schedule 
of  pictures  planned  and  all  of 
us  at  RKO  must  now  stop  lis- 
tening to  rumors  and  bend  all 
of  our  efforts  to  making  as 
many  good  pictures  as  we  pos- 
sibly can." — Dore  Schary,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion. 

■  ■ 

Enter  Anthony  Brady  Farrell 
whose  grandfather  was  Anthony 
N.  Brady,  utilities  magnate, 
with  purchase  of  the  Warner 
Theatre,  hard  by  Lindy's,  as  a 
future  home  for  "Hold  It!", 
stage  musical  of  which  he  is  the 
chief  backer.  Advance  tele- 
grams heralding  a  press  inter- 
view to  signalize  acquisition  of 
the  theatre  described  Farrell  as 
an  "Albany  multi-millionaire." 

Asked  a  curious  reporter, 
"How  many  millions  would  that 
be?" 

Replied  Farrell  after  due  con- 
templation :  "I  can't  keep  track 
of  everything." 


$5,000  for  Winners 
Of  FC  Sales  Drive 

Film  Classics  has  earmarked  $5,000 
to  be  awarded  to  winners  in  the  com- 
pany's new  product  sales  drive,  now 
under  way,  it  was  disclosed  here  by 
B.  G.  Kranze,  general  sales  manager. 
The  drive  will  run  another  eight 
weeks. 


Marie  Van  Slyke  to  E-L 

Marie  Van  Slyke  has  joined  Eagle- 
Lion  as  special  home  office  prorpCjVi 
coordinator  for  J.  Arthur  R  j1-  "s 
"Oliver  Twist"  and  "Red  Shoes."  She 
was  formerly  with  the  publicity  de- 
partments of  Paramount,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox and  Universal. 


Scheinbaum  with  RKO 

Chicago,  June  10. — Dick  Schein- 
baum, former  city  sales  manager  for 
Paramount  in  Minneapolis,  has  joined 
the  RKO  Radio  sales  force  here,  re- 
placing Art  O'Toole  who  resigned  be- 
cause of  poor  health. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 

Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 


THE  PIRATE 


Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULARSTAGE  PRESENTATION 


rnuiL i  it 

G0DDARD 

MACD0NALD 

CAREY 


greatest  star- 
and-song-show!  ' 


Released  Ihru  RKO  Radio  Pitluics 


Air-Conditioned 

Victoria8^1 

Doors  Open  9.45  A.M.  •  Late  Show  Nitely 


PEGGY  CUMMINS 


CHARLES  COBURN 


ROBERT  ARTHUR 

"Green  Grass  of  Wyoming" 

A  20th-C entury-Fox  Picture  in  Technicolor 
PLUS  ON  STAGE— HARRY  RICHMAN 
THE  CRADDOCKS  -  MING  &.  LING 
CHANDRA    KALY   and    His  Dancers 

=  ROXY  nirii&== 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


20th  CENTURY- FOX  HAS  MORE  PICTURES 
PLAYING  MORE  DATES  IN  MORE  THEATRES 
DURING  JUNE  THAN  ANY  MONTH  IN  HISTORY! 


1 


™  THESE  HITS  PLAYING .' 


Gentleman's  Agreement 
Captain  From  Castile 

TECHNICOLOR 

Call  Northside  777 


Sitting  Pretty 
The  Iron  Curtain 
Scudda-Hoo!  Scudda-Hay! 


TECHNICOLOR 


Fury  At  Furnace  Creek 
Anna  Karenina 
Green  Grass  of  Wyoming 


MEANS  BUSINESS 


!L*H  THESE  HITS 


Give  My  Regards  To  Broadway 


TECHNICOLOR 


The  Street  With  No  Name 
Escape 

The  Walls  of  Jericho 

Deep  Waters 
The  Shamrock  Touch 
Martin  Rome 


TECHNICOLOR 


That  Lady  In  Ermine 

TECHNICOLOR 

The  Snake  Pit 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Review 


"Bad  Sister" 

(Rank-Universal-International) 

A WORLD  of  theatricalism  has  gone  into  the  creation  of  this  British 
film  in  an  effort  to  brew  a  storm  of  emotions.  While  a  good  deal  of  the 
material  is  forced  and  stilted,  it  may  be  depended  upon  to  wring  a  fair 
quota  of  tears  from  the  feminine  brigade,  especially  since  a  lot  of  the  action 
involves  two  children,  one  poor,  the  other  rich. 

The  production  tells  two  stories  of  misery,  one  that  of  Joan  Greenwood,  a 
victim  of  poverty  who  attempts  to  kill  her  illegitimate  baby  and  herself  in 
her  despair,  the  other  that  of  Margaret  Lockwood,  a  woman  of  means  whose 
husband's  (Ian  Hunter's)  dominance  keeps  her  from  sharing  in  the  life  of 
her  young  daughter  and  results  in  divorce.  Robert  Westerby,  A.  R.  Rawlin- 
son  and  Moie  Charles,  who  did  the  screenplay  from  the  Flora  Sandstrom 
novel  "The  White  Unicorn,"  have  set  one  story  against  the  other  in  an 
endeavor  to  work  out  the  reformation  of  Miss  Greenwood  under  the  guidance 
of  Miss  Lockwood,  warden  of  an  institution  for  delinquent  girls  to  which  the 
former  is  committed.  At  the  end  woe  gives  way  to  happiness  as  the  two 
mothers  are  about  to  be  reunited  with  their  children.  A  John  Corfield  pro- 
duction turned  out  with  care  by  Harold  Huth,  the  film  was  directed  by 
Bernard  Knowles  a  bit  too  stiffly  although  with  full  regard  for  the  dramatic 
possibilities  of  the  story.    The  acting  is  sincere. 

Running  time  90  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  For  June  release. 

P.E.L. 


4 


Query  Quota  Status 
Of  Korda-Selznick 

London,  June  10. — Questioned  in 
the  House  of  Commons  today  as  to 
whether  films  to  be  made  in  England 
under  the  recent  Korda-Selznick  deal 
could  be  counted  for  the  quota,  Har- 
old Wilson,  president  of  the  British 
Board  of»Trade,  replied  that  it  would 
depend  on  whether  the  labor  cost  pro- 
visions of  the  Cinematograph  Act 
were  fulfilled. 

According  to  provisions  of  the  act, 
pictures,  to  qualify  for  quota  eligibil- 
ity, must  have  shown  British  labor 
costs  amounting  to  a  given  proportion 
of  the  total  production  cost.  Wilson 
further  pointed  out  in  replying  to  the 
Commons  question  that  the  British 
labor  cost  concerned  could  not  be 
finally  determined  until  a  picture  is 
completed. 

H oily  wood  Films 
At  Venice  Festival 

American  film  companies  have  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  to  participate  in 
the  1948  Venice  Film  Festival,  August 
11-26,  the  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  announced  here  yesterday. 
The  festival  is  held  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Italian  government  and  the  In- 
ternational Exhibition  of  Cinemato- 
graphic Art  of  Venice,  in  cooperation 
with  the  Italian  Motion  Picture  Tech- 
nical Association. 


TV.  J.  Allied  Socials 

Several  social  events,  including 
television  entertainment,  a  golf  tour- 
nament, a  day  at  the  Monmouth  Race 
Track,  a  swimming-diving  exhibition 
and  a  number  of  cocktail  parties  have 
been  arranged  in  conjunction  with  the 
annual  convention  of  Allied  of  New 
Jersey,  to  be  held  on  June  28-30  at 
the  Hollywood  Hotel,  West  End, 
N.  J.,  it  was  reported  here  yesterday 
by  Wilbur  Snaper,  convention  chair- 
man. 


Owners  Promote  Safety 

Washington,  June  10.  —  District 
theatre  owners  will  cooperate  with 
Washington's  safety  drive  by  showing 
a  special  safety  trailer  and  distributing 
over  250,000  copies  of  a  four-page 
safety  booklet,  according  to  A.  Julian 
Brylawski,  chairman  of  the  local  the- 
atre owners'  traffic  committee. 


MPEA  Talks  in  Prague 

Prague,  June  10. — Negotiations  are 
under  way  here  for  a  new  contract 
for  exhibition  of  U.  S.  product  in  this 
country,  the  Motion  Picture  Export 
Association  announced  today.  The  last 
pact  expired  in  December. 


I  OF  COURSE 


I  and 
HEAVEN 

sent  from  U 


U.  K.  Tax  Pact 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ment  is  not  to  be  honored  in  both 
spirit  and  letter  by  British  officials, 
their  default  should  be  called  to  the 
attention  of  the  State  Department  for 
appropriate  action.  It  was  intimated 
that  the  American  industry  will  stand 
pat  on  the  wording  of  the  agreement 
but  that  this  position,  regardless, 
might  not  eliminate  the  necessity  for 
Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  president,  and 
James  A.  Mulvey,  representative  of 
the  Society  of  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers,  returning  to  Lon- 
don for  a  showdown. 

Contest  Ban  on  Pooling  Funds 

An  example  of  the  indicated  repudi- 
ation of  the  tax  agreement  is  the  Brit- 
ish interpretation  that  blocked  funds 
cannot  be  pooled  for  production  pur- 
poses there,  industry  officials  contend. 
They  maintain  the  agreement  clearly 
permits  the  pooling  of  funds  for  that 
purpose  since  it  provides  for  financial 
participation  "in  whole  or  in  part." 

It  is  also  contended  that  the  British 
interpretation  that  blocked  funds  can- 
not be  used  for  payment  of  expenses 
and  services  anywhere  in  the  sterling 
area  contravenes  the  agreement. 

Comparable  rulings  on  other  phases 
of  the  agreement  cast  doubt  on  British 
intentions  in  the  whole  matter,  some 
executives  here  feel. 
Concern  Over  Quota  Suggestion 

Executives  are  concerned  also  over 
J.  Arthur  Rank's  recommendations  of 
a  50  per  cent  exhibitor  quota  to  the 
British  Films  Council,  starting  June 
30.  Rank  had  previously  indicated 
that  his  theatres  will  use  only  12  fea- 
tures each  from  Universal,  RKO  Ra- 
dio, 20th  Century-Fox  and  Paramount, 
and  eight  from  Eagle-Lion,  during  the 
1948-'49  season.  Columbia  and  Unit- 
ed Artists  would  be  excluded  entirely. 

Rank  is  reported  to  have  indicated 
that  his  theatres  will  comply  with  a 
50  per  cent  quota  and,  if  possible,  will 
maintain  a  60  to  65  per  cent  ratio  of 
British  product.  Officials  here  point 
out  that  the  result  could  be  a  further 
reduction  of  the  American  film  book- 
ings presently  contemplated  for  the 
new  season  by  Rank. 


Build  Nebraska  House 

Schuyler,  Neb.,  June  10. —  Work 
has  begun  here  on  a  new  600-seat 
theatre  to  be  operated  by  E.  G.  Gannon. 


UA  Labor  Tilt 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

conference  participated  in  by  repre- 
sentatives of  both  unions  and  United 
Artists  officials. 

An  NLRB  spokesman  pointed  out 
at  the  conference  that  the  situation 
whereby  "an  overwhelming  majority" 
of  UA  "white  collar"  home  office 
workers  deserted  SOPEG  for  mem- 
bership in  "IA's"  Home  Office  Em- 
ployes Local  No.  H-63  is  patterned 
precisely  along  the  lines  of  a  labor 
jurisdictional  case  involving  United 
Electrical  Workers  and  United  Auto- 
mobile Workers  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here,  and  on  which  Federal 
Judge  Rifkin's  ruling  has  been  pend- 
ing for  four  weeks. 

If  Rifkin's  ruling  should  uphold  the 
right  of  the  company  in  the  UE- 
UAW  case,  Parker-Kalon  Co.,  to  re- 
fuse to  deal  with  a  union  that  had 
failed  to  file  non-Communist  affidavits, 
it  appears  UA  will  be  sustained  in  its 
refusal  to  bargain  with  SOPEG  for 
the  same  reason,  it  was  said.  In  that 
event,  the  NLRB  would  comply  im- 
mediately thereafter  with  H-63's  pe- 
tition for  a  shop  election  at  the  UA 
home  office,  the  NLRB  spokesman 
added. 

By  awaiting  Rifkin's  ruling,  NLRB 
explained,  both  unions  save  time  and 
money  in  settling  their  dispute. 


Control  Unit 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tor  in  the  committee's  deliberations. 

On  the  American  side  of  the  Control 
Committee,  in  addition  to  F.  W.  All- 
port,  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  representative  here,  and 
Frank  McCarthy,  temporary  member, 
will  be  Donald  Bliss,  commercial  at- 
tache of  the  American  Embassy  here. 
Allport  may  alternate  with  Wilson  as 
committee  chairman. 

Although  the  tax  agreement  theo- 
retically begins  to  operate  on  Monday, 
the  MPAA  talks  with  government  of- 
ficials here  on  interpretations  of  the 
agreement  are  still  continuing  and  the 
end  is  not  yet  in  sight. 

Meanwhile,  Wilson's  "Molotov  at- 
titude "  on  the  permitted-uses  sched- 
ule of  the  agreement  is  provoking  per- 
sistent rumors  here  that  the  MPAA's 
Eric  Johnston  and  the  SIMPP's 
James  Mulvey  may  be  obliged  to  come 
here  shortly  to  revive  the  whole  dis- 
cussion on  the  agreement. 


Friday,  June  11,  1948 


NAB  Head  Hits  Bill 
On  Powers  of  FCC 

Washington,  June  10. — The  "free- 
dom of  speech"  passage  in  the  Su- 
preme Court's  decision  in  the  industry 
anti-trust  case  was  cited  today  by 
Justin  Miller,  National  Association  of 
Broadcasters  president,  in  opposing 
the  new  White  bill.  He  said  that  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission 
control  of  program  content,  provided 
in  the  proposal,  would  in  effect  repeal 
Constitutional  guarantees  of  freedr"7f 
of  speech  and  press,  and  ref errec  ;  £  ' 
the  high  court's  decision  last  morlen" 
that  films,  like  newspapers  and  radio, 
are  included  in  the  guarantees  of  free- 
dom in  the  First  Amendment. 

Miller  also  asked  whether  the  FCC 
would  exert  control  over  Facsimile. 


FCC  Authorizes  Facsimile 

Washington,  June  10. — Commer- 
cial Facsimile,  the  technique  of  broad- 
casting words  and  pictures  into  special 
home  receivers,  has  been  authorized 
by  the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission, beginning  July  15,  and  using 
the  FM  band.  Heretofore  it  has  been 
experimental. 


New  Film  Projector 
Displayed  by  RCA 

The  new  35mm.  Brenkert  projector 
for  medium-size  theatres  was  intro- 
duced by  RCA  yesterday  at  its  Ex- 
hibition Hall  in  Radio  City.  The 
demonstration  marked  the  opening  of 
the  40th  anniversary  of  Brenkert 
Light  Projection  Co.,  RCA  subsidiary. 
Karl  Brenkert,  president  of  the  firm, 
presided  at  the  demonstration. 


FCC  Defers  Hearing 

Washington,  June  10. — The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  has 
postponed  from  June  14  to  June  29 
its  proposed  hearing  on  plans  to  re- 
allocate the  12  television  channels. 
Commission  said  its  action  was  to 
give  interested  parties  additional  time 
to  become  familiar  with  the  various 
proposals  and  prepare  statements. 


Must  File  Real  Names 

Boston,  June  10. — The  Massachu- 
setts legislature  has  voted  a  bill  com- 
pelling entertainers  who  perform  un- 
der professional  names  to  file  their 
real  names  with  the  State  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  Safety. 


Trans-Lux 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

type  of  house.  Some  will  play  double 
features  and  some  singles  in  contrast 
to  the  present  policy  of  single  features 
and  newsreels,  a  policy  which  will  be 
retained  by  the  circuit  for  its  present 
houses. 

Percy  N.  Furber  has  been  made 
honorary  chairman  of  the  company's 
board ;  his  son,  Percy  E.  Furber,  for 
11  years  president,  succeeding  him  as 
chairman.  The  new  president  is  Wil- 
liam M.  Girden. 


U.S.  Order 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

formation  should  be  sought  in  some 
other  manner  than  through  such  an 
order. 

The  view  in  some  quarters  is  that 
the  Government  in  presenting  the 
order  is  seeking  a  short  cut  to  a  final 
judgment  without  the  necessity  of 
presenting  any  additional  evidence. 

The  proposed  order  was  filed  in 
District  Court  here  yesterday. 


J^D  THE  N  Y.  PARAMOUNT 

-WITH  LOBBY- 


COLLECTS 

CROWDING  THRONGS  WHO 
SEE  BY  THE  PAPERS  THAT 

'Hazard'  is  tops.  If  you're  looking  for  en- 
tertainment, this  is  your  dish.  Among 
the  happiest  of  the  season." 

— Lee  Mortimer,  Daily  Mirror 

'Slapstick  roughhouse  fight  in  which 
Paulette  finds  herself  entangled  with 
Macdonald  Carey  sends  the  audience 

into  Stitches."     — Kate  Cameron,  Daily  News 

'A  picture  you'll  be  glad  to  have  seen." 

— Alton  Cook,  World-Telegram 


'Very  funny.  Paulette  is  involved  in  a 
cross-country  chase  admirably  assisted 
by  Macdonald  Carey  who  is  excellent." 

— Howard  Barnes,  Herald  Tribune 

'A  picture  made  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
entertaining  people.  A  remarkable  young 
actor  named  Stanley  Clements  is  won- 
derful."       —Archer  Winsten,  New  York  Post 


It'll  Warm  UpYourBoxoffice 
forlhst  Summer  Hit  Wave 

from  Paramount 


with 

FRED  CLARK 
STANLEY  CLEMENTS 
FRANK  FAYLEN 
MAXIE  R0SENBL00M 

Produced  by 

MEL  EPSTEIN 

Directed  by 

GEORGE  MARSHALL 

Screen  Play  by  Arthur  Sheekman 
and  Roy  Chanslor 


box-office  successor  to  terrific  "T-Men." 
Produced  by  Edward  Small  with 
original  "T-Men"  team,  it  stars  Dennis 
O'Keefe,  Claire  Trevor,  Marsha  Hunt. 


EAGLE  LION  has 


"OLIVER  TWIS' 
world-beloved  Charles  Dickens  sto 
Presented  by  J.  Arthur  Rank,  ai 
brought  to  the  screen  by  the  m 
who  made  "Great  Expectations!" 


EAGLE  LION  has 


Paul  Henreid  and 
Joan  Bennett,  in  "HOLLOW  TRIUMPH," 
star-teamed  for  big  box-office  in  one 
of  the  most  powerful  man-woman 
stories  ever  filmed ! 


EAGLE  LION  has 


Hedy  Lamarr  and 
Robert  Cummings  riotously  together 
in  "LET'S  LIVE  A  LITTLE."  Marquee- 
powered  stars  in  the  laugh  show 
headed  for  top  grosses! 


EAGLE  LION  has 


"CANON  CITY" 
—  savage,  factual  drama  of  recent 
Colorado  State  Prison  break.  Told 
with  the  naked  fury  of  truth.  Intro- 
duces Scott  Brady. 


3  Lois  Butler,  Amer 
ca's  new  sweetheart,  in  "MICKEY. 
Filmed  in  Cinecolor.  Her  glorious  voic 
will  thrill  millions  in  this  heart-warm 
ing  teen-age  story. 


EAGLE  LION  has 


"NORTHWEST 
STAMPEDE,"  year's  greatest  outdoor 
action  spectacle,  in  Cinecolor.  Joan 
Leslie,  James  Craig,  and  Jack  Oakie 
are  starred. 


EAGLE  LION  has 


.  the  official 
Technicolor  filmization  of  the  "1948 
OLYMPIC  GAMES,"  presented  by 
J.  Arthur  Rank.  The  biggest  screen 
scoop  of  the  year! 


EAGLE  LION  has 


"TULSA,"in  Tech- 
nicolor, starring  Susan  Hayward. 
Walter  Wanger's  production  is  the 
rip-roaring  spectacle  of  a  brawling 
boom  town! 


EAGLE  LION  has 


Richard  Baseharf 
with  Scott  Brady,  in  the  much-discussec 
"29  CLUES:'  Title  is  tip-off  to  one  o| 
the  most  dramatic  manhunts  eve 
filmed!  Top  exploitation  thriller! 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICT*%J. 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


\^&f  63.    NO.  114 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  JUNE  14,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


1st  Twin  City 
MGM  Bids  for 
Subsequents 

See  System  Possibly 
Extended  in  the  State 


Minneapolis,  June  13.  — ■  Sales 
policy  precedent  has  been  estab- 
lished here  by  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  with  its  invitation  to  Twin 
Cities  independent  neighborhood  ex- 
hibitors to  bid  for  its  product  for  the 
first  time  fn  Minneapolis-St.  Paul. 

This  was  disclosed  when  the  op- 
erators of  the  Richfield  and  Boulevard 
theatres  were  notified  that  M-G-M 
would  accept  bids  from  the  two  houses 
on  future  releases.  "The  State  of  the 
Union",  is  expected  to  be  the  first  to 
be  set  up  for  bidding. 

Formerly  an  account  of  Metro,  the 
Boulevard  is  zoned  for  a  56-day  clear- 
ance after  first-run,  and  the  Richfield, 
located  less  than  two  miles  distant  in 
suburban  Richfield,  has  not  used 
M-G-M  product  since  the  house 
opened  last  year.  The  latter  has  been 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Decisions  Please 
Independents:  Myers 

Washington,  June  13. — Indepen- 
dent exhibitors  are  "well  pleased" 
with  the  Supreme  Court  decisions  in 
the  industry  cases,  Abram  F.  Myers, 
Allied  States  chairman  and  general 
counsel,  reported  at  the  weekend  after 
attendance  at  exhibitor  meetings  in 
many  parts  of  the  country  during  the 
past  month.  The  decisions  were  the 
principal  topic  of  discussion  at  the 
meetings. 

Myers  said  that  independents  feel  a 
new  "code  of  conduct"  has  been  pre- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Republic  Dismissed 
In  5th-Walnut  Suit 


Charges  against  Republic  in  the 
Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement  anti- 
trust suit  were  dismissed  in  U.  S. 
District  Court  here  at  the  weekend  by 
Federal  Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel  who 
ruled  against  the  dismissal  pleas  of 
all  other  defendants,  including  War- 
ners, Columbia,  Loew's,  20th-Fox,  Par- 
amount, United  Artists,  RKO  Radio 
and  Universal.  Meyer  H.  Lavenstein 
was  Republic's  trial  counsel. 

Monroe  E.  Stein,  plaintiff's  attor 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


$7,311,000  6-Month 
WB  Net;  '47  Period 
Netted  $14,013,000 


Warner  Brothers  reports  a  net 
profit  of  $7,311,000  for  the  six  months 
ending  February  28,  after  provision 
of  $5,200,000  for  Federal  taxes.  Net 
profit  for  the  six  months  ending 
March  1,  1947  totaled  $14,013,000, 
after  provision  of  $8,400,000  for  Fed- 
eral taxes. 

The  net  profit  for  the  1948  six 
months  is  equivalent  to  $1.00  per 
share  on  7,295,000  shares  of  common 
stock  outstanding.  Net  for  the  corre- 
sponding period  last  year  was  equiva- 
lent to  $1.89  per  share. 

Film  rentals,  theatre  admissions, 
sales,  etc.,  after  eliminating  inter-com- 
pany transactions,  for  the  six  months 
ending  February  28,  amounted  to  $75,- 
852,000,  compared  with  $85,053,000  for 
the  corresponding  period  in  1947. 

Current  and  working  assets  on  Feb- 
ruary 28  were  $69,140,216,  including 
cash  of  $14,191,229,  against  current 
liabilities  of  $29,659,289.  Total  as- 
sets were  $181,337,396. 


Cohen  Named  E-L 
Division  Manager 

Milton  E.  Cohen  has  been  named 
Eastern  division  sales  manager  for 
Eagle-Lion  Films,  effective  immedi- 
ately by  William  J.  Heineman,  dis- 
tribution vice-president.  He  will  su- 
pervise ten  branches. 

A  veteran  of  many  years  as  a  film 

(Continued  on   page  3) 


ECA  in  a  Quandary 
Over  Media  Funds 

Washington,  June  13. — Offi- 
cials of  the  Economic  Co- 
operation Administration  are 
still  trying  to  determine  how 
they  will  administer  the  con- 
vertibility guaranty  provided 
films,  books  and  other  in- 
formation media  in  the  Euro- 
pean Recovery  Program,  a 
top  ECA  official  said. 

He  declared  that  working- 
out  policy  on  the  information 
fund  is  one  of  the  toughest 
problems  of  the  ERP  pro- 
gram, and  it  might  be  several 
weeks  or  longer  after  the 
funds  are  voted  by  Congress 
before  the  ECA  is  ready  to 
tell  publishers  and  film  pro- 
ducers to  "come  and  get  it." 


Louisiana  Owners 
Fight  3  Tax  Bills 

Washington,  June  13. — Louisiana 
exhibitors  are  confident  of  blocking 
three  theatre  tax  bills  now  pending  in 
the  state  Louisiana  legislature,  ac- 
cording to  Jack  Bryson,  legislative 
representative  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America.  The  bills  are 
a  two  per  cent  sales  tax,  a  10  per 
cent  admission  tax.  and  a  special  thea- 
tre license  tax  which  graduates  the 
license  fee  in  proportion  to  a  theatre's 
rentals. 

Louisiana  and  Massachusetts  are 
the  only  two  state  legislatures  still  in 
session;  the  latter  is  slated  to  adjourn 
in  a  few  days. 


Industry  Will 
Stand  Tat'  on 
|  UK  Agreement 

Await  Developments  As 
Pact  Is  Now  In  Effect 


Indications  following  Friday's 
meeting  of  company  heads  and  for- 
eign managers  at  Motion  Picture 
Association  offices  here  were  that 
the  American  industry  will  stand  pat 
on  the  language  of  the  film  agree- 
ment as  negotiated  in  London  last 
March  by  Eric  Johnston  and  James 
Mulvey. 

Possible  repudiations  of  the 
the  agreement  which  have  been 
suggested  in  London  in  at  least 
six  instances  apparently  will  be 
ignored  for  the  present  pending 
completion  of  the  present  work 
on  clarification  of  the  agree- 
ment, it  was  indicated. 

However;  should  the  suggested  eva- 
sions of  the  pact  be  translated  into 
official  action  in  Britain  in  carrying 
out  the  agreement,  which  is  effective 
as  of  today,-  a  firm  stand  will  be  taken 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


it 


99 


A  Foreign  Affair 

[  Paramount  ]  —  Slick,  Sleek  and  Smart 

PRODUCER  Charles  Brackett  and  director  Billy  Wilder  combine 
their  talents  on  behalf  of  a  romantic  comedy  with  a  post-Berlin 
background.  Their  talents  shine  all  the  way,  suffusing  the  script 
which  they  wrote  with  Richard  Breen  and  the  .performances  which  they 
drew  with  brightness  and  intelligence  without  ignoring  the  demands  of 
the  crass  commercial. 

In  several  of  its  approaches  the  story  of  an  inhibited  Congresswoman 
from  Iowa  investigating  the  morale  of  United  States  troops  in  the 
American  zone  in  Germany  conveys  a  familiar  ring,  although  its  locale 
is  new.  She  is  Jean  Arthur,  burying  herself  in  the  manifold  duties  of  a 
legislator  but  re-aroused  emotionally  on  contact  with  John  Lund,  Army 
captain  carrying  on  with  Marlene  Dietrich,  ex-mistress  of  a  Gestapo 
bigwig  and  prepared  to  resume  the  Hitler  line. 

Actually,  Lund  starts  Miss  Arthur's  emotional  dynamo  humming  in  an 
effort  to  keep  her  off  Miss  Dietrich's  recorded  trail.  Unplanned  or  other- 
wise, he  begins  to  fall  for  the  icebound  solon  from  Iowa — his  own  state, 
too — as  he  falls  out  of  the  glamour  sphere  which  Miss  Dietrich  has 
woven  around  him.  The  situation  turns  complicated  when  Miss  Arthur 
learns  of  l'affaire  Dietrich-Lund  from  Marlene's  own  lips  and  further  so 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Rank's  G-B-Odeon 
Pool  Seen  Set  Up 

London,  June  13. — Calling  off  a 
trade  press  conference  here  on  Mon- 
day by  John  Davis,  top  aide  to  J. 
Arthur  Rank,  to  elucidate  on  the  for- 
mation and  operation  of  Rank's  new 
Circuit  Management  Association,  Ltd., 
would  indicate  that  the  long-contem- 
plated pooling  of  the  G-B  and  Odeon 
circuits  has  been  completed.  There 
are  some  555  theatres  in  the  two 
groups.  Approval  of  the  Kinemato- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


UJA  Unit  To  Honor 
Mayer  Here  June  29 

Louis  B.  Mayer  will  be 
honor  guest  at  a  dinner  at 
the  Hotel  Astor  here  on  June 
29,  to  be  given  by  the  amuse- 
ment industry  division  of  the 
United  Jewish  Appeal.  Barney 
Balaban,  S.  H.  Fabian  and 
Emil  Friedlander  are  chair- 
men of  the  affair.  Louis  Nizer 
will  be  toastmaster,  David 
Weinstock,  representing  the 
exhibitors  committee,  is  in 
charge  of  reservations. 


■ 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  June  14,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

STEVE  BROIDY,  Allied  Artists 
Monogram  president,  will  leave 
Hollywood  Thursday  for  New  York, 
e 

Moe  Kerman  and  J.  J.  Felder, 
president  and  vice-president,  respec- 
tively, of  Favorite  Films,  left  here  at 
the  weekend  for  the  Coast,  with  a 
scheduled  stop-off  in  Chicago. 
• 

William  Goetz,  Universal-Inter- 
national production  head,  and  Mrs. 
Goetz,  who  arrived  here  Friday  from 
the  Coast,  will  sail  for  London  Wed- 
nesday on  the  6\S  Queen  Elisabeth, 
• 

Edward  L.  Walton,  Republic  as- 
sistant sales  manager,  left  here  yes- 
terday for  San  Francisco.  He  will 
return  next  month. 

• 

Syd  Gross,  assistant  to  Film  Clas- 
sics advertising-publicity  director  Al 
Zimbalist,  will  fly  to  Buffalo  today 
from  Xew  York. 

• 

Y.  Frank  Freeman,  Paramount 
production  executive,  has  arrived  here 
from  Hollywood. 

a 

Pam  Blumenthal,  Cinecolor  board 
chairman,  left  here  over  the  weekend 
for  Hollywood. 

• 

William  A.  Scully,  Universal-In- 
ternational general  sales  manager,  re- 
turned here  Friday  from  Kansas  City. 
• 

William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  will  go  to 
Boston  on  June  21. 


Selznick  Plans  Film 
Production  for  Video 

Hollywood,  June  13. — David  O. 
Selznick  is  preparing  to  form  a  com- 
pany to  produce  films  for  television, 
he  disclosed  here  at  the  weekend.  De- 
tails of  the  project  are  expected  to 
be  announced  shortly. 


Selznick  Television  Corp.  of  Dover, 
Del.,  recently  filed  a  registration  cer- 
tificate in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  to  do  busi- 
ness in  New  York. 


Five  More  Percentage 
Suits  Are  Settled 

Boston,  June  13. — Five  percentage 
suits  pending  in  Superior  Court  here 
have  been  settled,  with  final  decrees 
entered  in  suits  filed  by  Warner,  Par- 
amount, Loew's  Universal  and  20th 
Century-Fox.  Theatres  involved  were 
the  Capitol  in  Maiden,  Capitol, 
Bridgewater,  and  the  Stoneham  in 
Stoneham. 


SMPE  Meet  Wednesday 

Demonstration  of  developments  in 
sound  reproduction  will  be  given  to 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engi- 
neers here  by  Dr.  Harry  F.  Olson, 
director  of  RCA's  acoustical  labora- 
ties,  Wednesday  evening.  It  will  be 
open  to  non-members. 


New  Levies  on  Films 
Looming  in  France 

Washington,  June  13. — The  State 
I  Department  has  received  confirmation 
of  a  Motion  Picture  Export  Associa- 
tion report  that  the  French  Assembly's 
finance  committee  has  approved  new 
taxes  on  admissions  and  on  film  foot- 
age, it  was  disclosed  here  by  a  de- 
partment spokesman.  The  levies  were 
approved  by  the  Assembly's  press  and 
cinema  committee  in  May. 


Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  and  MPEA  representatives 
in  New  York  declined  at  the  weekend 
to  disclose  details  of  the  French  tax 
measure  on  admissions  and  footage. 

British  Lion  Now 
Controls  3  Studios 

London,  June  13. — British  Lion  has 
obtained  a  long-term  lease  on  British 
National  Studios  at.  Elstree.  The 
company  also  controls  studios  at  Shep- 
perton  and  Isleworth. 

Sir  Alexander  Korda  will  com- 
mence production  at  Elstree  in  July. 
Herbert  Wilcox  also  has  a  high  El- 
stree production  priority. 


GB,  Odeon 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

graph  Society  had  been  sought,  and 
apparently  has  been  given. 

As  stated  in  Motion  Picture  Daily 
on  June  2,  earnings  from  all  of  the 
theatres  would  go  into  a  pool  con- 
trolled by  the  new  company  and 
shared  between  them  on  a  basis  of 
their  respective  earnings  over  the  last 
three  years.  The  split  will  be  made 
on  a  basis  of  57  per  cent  to  Odeon 
and  43  per  cent  to  G-B. 

Rank  has  emphasized  that  the  plan 
is  not  a  merger  but  a  pooling  opera- 
tion designed  to  streamline  the  two 
circuit  operations  and  thereby  effect 
desired  economies. 

Canadian  Exports 
Are  Increasing 

Ottawa,  June  13.— Exports  of  films 
from  this  country  are  increasing,  ris- 
ing to  $302,000  in  April,  1948,  com- 
pared with  $151,000  in  April,  1947, 
and  totaling  $1,231,000  in  the  first 
four  months  of  1948,  against  $846,000 
in  the  corresponding  period  last  year. 


Solon  Honors  Balaban 

Washington,  June  13. — Rep.  John 
W.  McCormack  on  Friday  told  Con- 
gress that  Paramount  President  Bar- 
ney Balaban  delivered  an  "inspiring 
speech"  on  June  3  in  Boston,  at  the 
dinner  of  the  Massachusetts  Commit- 
tee of  Catholics,  Jews  and  Protes- 
tants. McCormack  put  the  entire  text 
of  Balaban's  address  into  the  Con- 
gressional Record. 


Postpone  Artkino  Hearing 

Motions  in  connection  with  Art- 
kino's  action  to  restrain  Film  Classics 
from  using  Russian-made  footage  in 
"Will  It  Happen  Again?"  will  be 
argued  next  Friday  in  New  York 
Supreme  Court  here,  attorneys  for 
both  sides  having  agreed  at  the  week- 
end to  a  postponement  from  last  Fri- 
day. 


U.  K.  Agreement 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


by  the  American  industry,  it  appears 
certain. 

Meanwhile,  there  is  no  present 
prospect  of  Johnston  or  Mulvey  re- 
turning to  London  for  showdown  dis- 
cussions, it  was  stated.  The  Ameri- 
can industry  will  adhere  to  the  letter 
of  the  agreement  and  expects  British 
officials  to  do  the  same. 

Further  "clarification"  of  the  agree- 
ment was  accomplished  in  London  last 
week  on  questions  referred  by  John- 
ston to  F.  W.  Allport,  MPAA's  Lon- 
don representative,  in  discussions  with 
R.  G.  Somervell  of  the  British  Board 
of  Trade.  The  "clarifications"  ob- 
tained will  be  studied  by  Johnston  and, 
perhaps,  referred  back  to  London  with 
other  points  still  at  issue. 

Commons  to  Debate  Thursday 

The  House  of  Commons  is  tenta- 
tively scheduled  to  debate  the  whole 
film  agreement  situation  on  Thursday. 

Under  the  agreement,  which  is  now 
in  effect,  Britain  will  authorize  the 
remittance  to  the  U.  S.  of  approxi- 
mately $1,416,000  monthly.  Alloca- 
tions will  be  made  quarterly  to  Ameri- 
can producer-distributors  on  a  basis 
to  be  determined  by  the  proportion 
which  the  three  months  billings  of 
their  individual  releases  bear  to  the 
total  of  American  film  billings  in  Brit- 
ain. This  will  account  for  the  $17,- 
000,000  total  annual  remittance  per- 
mitted by  the  agreement. 

Additional  remittances  equivalent  to 
the  American  earnings  of  British  pic- 
tures will  be  determined  later,  prob- 
ably on  an  annual  basis.  The  re- 
mainder of  American  film  earnings  in 
Britain  will  remain  there,  with  27  per- 
mitted uses  prescribed  for  it. 

Remittances  Control  Starts  Today 

Full  and  unregulated  remittances  of 
American  film  earnings  in  Britain 
ended  last  midnight. 

The  detailed  paper  work  of  han- 
dling and  allocating  remittances  may 
be  turned  over  to  an  industry  clearing 
house  to  be  set  up  in  London.  The 
clearing  house  idea  was  discussed  at 
Friday's  meeting  in  a  general  can- 
vass of  the  whole  foreign  situation, 
including  the  new  British  exhibitors' 
quota  to  be  announced  tomorrow  in 
London. 

Re-negotiation  of  the  Blum-Byrnes 
accord  and  France's  recent  offer,  still 
in  negotiation,  to  release  $5,000,000  of 
frozen  industry  funds  in  the  next  three 
years,  with  a  concurrent  freezing  of 
future  earnings,  also  were  discussed. 
Sessions  included  the  regular  quar- 
terly MPAA  board  meeting  and 
a  special  meeting  of  the  board  of 
MPEA. 


Correction 

A.  W.  Schwalberg,  assistant  to 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  distribution, 
was  inadvertently  identified  in  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily  last  Friday  as 
Eagle-Lion  sales  head,  his  former 
position.  Schwalberg  joined  Para- 
mount last  winter,  with  William  J. 
Heineman  becoming  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  for  E-L. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  TRUCE  in  Palestine  and  the 
tour  of  President  Trmnan  mark 
current  newsreel  highlights.  Other 
events  are  graduation  at  West  Point, 
Olympic  swimmers  in  action,  and  an 
ERP  talk  by  Senator  Vandenberg. 
Complete  contents  follow. 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,   No.  ll—jE^- 

tine  truce  opens  way  to  peace.  Pr^L 
Truman  hailed  in  Far  West.  Senator  \"ali- 
denberg  and  the  ERP.  Atlantic  City 
Shriners  parade.  West  Point  graduation. 
President  Auriol  visits  Normandy.  U.  S. 
visitors  flock  to  Canada.  U.  S.  Olympic 
divers. 

STEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  281. — GOP 

convention  preview.  President  Truman  re- 
laxes. West  Point  graduation.  Normandy 
four  years  after.  Diving  stars  show  pre- 
Olympic  form.  Sail  boat  race  for  teen  age 
skippers. 

PARAMOUNT     NEWS,     No.    84.  — 

Water  sports:  Tuna  fish  on  the  hook.  Inter- 
faith  group  in  Boston  honors  Americans. 
Vacation  season  here  again.  55  Queen  Mary 
brings  Sir  Ralph  Richardson.  Senator  Van- 
denberg assails  cut  in  foreign  aid.  Pales- 
tine cease-fire  showdown. 

UNIVERSAL   NEWSREEL,   No.  151. 

— Senator  Vandenberg  blasts  ERP  fund 
slash.  President  Truman  continues  pre- 
election tour.  West  Point  graduation.  New 
exemption  for  tourists  in  Canada.  Third 
generation  midgets'  second  birthday.  Olym- 
pic divers  in  Los  Angeles. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  86. — 

West  Point  graduation.  People  in  the  news: 
Vandenberg,  Truman,  King  Michael  and 
Princess  Ann,  Count  Bernadotte.  Canada 
tourist  boom.  Fashions  in  the  swim.  Under- 
water picnic.  Flee-weight  fighters.  Great 
Americans:  Custer's  last  stand. 


Spills,  Excitement 
In  Fight  Pictures 


_  In  a  notable  feat  of  speed  and  skill, 
pictures  of  the  championship  bout  be- 
tween Rocky  Graziano  and  Tony  Zaie 
were  being  shown  in  Metropolitan 
theatres  here  less  than  12  hours  after 
the  contest  took  place  Thursday  night. 
Increase  in  business  was  reported  by 
RKO  at  the  Palace  Theatre  on  Broad- 
way as  well  as  at  other  RKO  houses 
where  the  fight  films  were  shown.  At 
the  Trans-Lux  newsreel  theatre  on 
Broadway,  manager  Weber  Schoening 
reported  a  substantial  increase. 

Produced  by  Coram  Pictures  Corp., 
prints  on  Friday  were  on  their  way 
to  exchanges  from  Coast  to  Coast. 

The  film  itself  runs  17  minutes,  and 
through  its  excellent  camerawork,  re- 
captures all  the  spills  and  excitement 
of  the  fiery  three-round  spectacle.  It 
offers  a  better  than  ringside  view  of 
the  hostilities,  as  seven  cameras 
manned  by  crews  of  30  camera  and 
sound  men  caught  the  flurries  and 
exchanges  from  every  vantage  point. 
Decisive  blows  and  knockdowns  are 
later  re-run  in  slow  motion.  Some  of 
the  pre-fight  and  post-fight  ringside 
color  is  also  included  in  the  film. 

M.H. 


New  Schaefer  Firm 

A  change  of  name  to  Selected  Films, 
Inc.,  has  been  registered  in  Albany 
by  George  J.  Schaefer  Associated, 
Inc.  Schaefer  said  Friday  the  change 
had  been  made  to  avoid  any  conflict 
with  his  association  with  Enterprise, 
of  which  he  is  head. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Heraki;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Monday,  June  14,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


"A  Foreign  Affair 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


when  Lund  is  ordered  to  continue  the  romance  in  order  to  capture  the  Gestapo 
big  shot  whose  attraction  for  Miss  D.  brings  him  into  the  open  where  he  is 
eliminated  from  the  scene.  Finally,  the  two  Iowans  are  brought  together 
through  Millard  Mitchell,  Lund's  colonel,  as  Miss  Dietrich  is  hauled  away  to 
a  labor  camp. 

This  is  the  kind  of  role  in  which  Miss  Arthur,  absent  from  the  screen  since 
"3§s?  Impatient  Years,"  four  years  ago,  excels.  Her  selection  for  the  part 
Ci^jjjfnot  have  been  improved  upon  nor  could  her  performance.  She  is 
excellent  in  getting  across  her  established  mannerisms  and  histrionic  gadgets 
and  should  not  be  permitted  to  allow  another  four  years  to  elapse  before  her 
capabilities  as  a  polished  performer  are  to  be  seen. 

Miss  Dietrich,  too,  is  splendid  as  the  glamorous  woman  of  the  world  who 
knows  her  onions  and  her  men.  She  looks  the  part  of  the  stunning  demi-monde 
',  and,  provided  there  is  manly  chivalry  left  ill  a  strife-torn  world,  should 
accelerate  the  art  of  the  wolf  call  into  an  unexplored  high.  One  of  her  three 
song  numbers  is  called  "Black  Market"  in  which  she  offers  her  bistro  audience 
her  undeniable  charms  for  sale.  This  is  a  highly  sophisticated  number  which 
advances  to  the  borders  of  the  risque  and  becomes  unnecessarily  dirty. 

The  good-looking  Lund  is  effective  as  the  pivot  around  which  both  women 
tussle.  Mitchell,  with  not  too  much  to  do,  is  perfectly  swell  as  the"  hard-bitten 
and  often  harassed  colonel.  In  fact,  all  performances,  large  and  small,  are 
expertly  guided  under  Wilder's  sure  hand. 

The  story  line  is  strengthened  immeasurably  by  the  director's  many  adroit 
touches  and  the  fluidity  with  which  he  combines  actual  shots  of  bombed-out 
Berlin  with  his  fictional  material.  An  assist  of  no  mean  proportions  is  a  script 
punched  through  with  first-class  dialogue,  developed  from  an  original  story 
by  David  Shaw  and  an  adaptation  by  Robert  Harari. 

Running  time,  116  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
August  20,  1948.  Red  Kann 


"Lulu  Belle" 

(Columbia) 

THE  PRESENCE  of  Dorothy  Lamour  as  a  nightclub  singer  in  an  old- 
fashioned  melodrama  should  be  -a  comforting  thought  to  many  a  showman. 
As  popular  entertainment,  "Lulu  Belle"  has  its  moments  of  interesting  drama 
as  well  as  some  pleasant  rounds  of  song,  but,  generally,  it  is  weakened  by  a 
script  that  lacks  reality.  It  should,  nonetheless,  have  a  decided  appeal  to 
women,  since  it  recounts  the  story  of  a  lady  who  wanted  to  get  ahead  even 
at  the  expense  of  others.  Miss  Lamour  has  the  title  role,  with  others  in  the 
cast  including  George  Montgomery,  Albert  Dekker,  Otto  Kruger  and  Glenda 
Farrell. 

A  Benedict  Bogeaus  production  with  a  turn-of-the-century  setting,  it  has 
Miss  Lamour  start  her  career  in  a  cheap  Natchez  dive.  She  capriciously 
marries  Montgomery,  but  her  driving  determination  is  to  get  ahead,  and  so 
along  the  way  she  exploits  a  succession  of  men,  discarding  them  when  they  are 
no  longer  of  help  to  her.  The  film  is  told  in  flashbacks  which  frequently  take 
melodramatic  turns,  including  a  shooting,  before  the  happy  finale. 

Characterizations  are  generally  conventional.  The  screenplay  was  written 
by  Everett  Freeman,  from  the  play  by  Charles  MacArthur  and  Edward 
Sheldon.  Miss  Lamour  also  is  provided  an  opportunity  to  cavort  in  an  array 
of  fetching  gowns.  Leslie  Fenton  directed. 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date,  not  set. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


Decisions 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

scribed  which  will  end  "the  most  seri- 
ous abuses." 

He  said  that  independents  now 
"must  be  bold"  in  their  thinking  and 
the  assertion  of  their  rights  under  the 
decisions,  adding  that  they  no  longer 
need  fear  retaliation.  He  advised  ex- 
hibitors not  to  bring  bad  cases  into 
court  or  the  ground  gained  may  be 
lost. 


I   OF  COURSE 


I  BROOKLYN 
I  audi 

HEAVEN 


Twin  City  Bids 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


buying  product  on  a  42-day  clear- 
ance after  loop  runs. 

Under  the  Metro  offer,  bidding  be- 
tween the  two  houses  will  be  on  a  42- 
day  clearance  schedule.  (The  Boule- 
vard recently  demanded  of  Metro  and 
other  majors  better  clearance  than  the 
56-day  setup,  stipulating  that  rentals 
should  not  be  raised  on  threat  of  law 
suits.) 

Metro  surprised  film  circles  here 
some  weeks  ago  with  the  announce- 
ment that  the  semi-legitimate  Lyceum 
Theatre  was  successful  bidder  for 
three  pictures  in  the  Minneapolis  Loop 
against  Minnesota  Amusement  Co., 
the  RKO  Orpheum  and  Pantages, 
and  the  World. 

It  is  expected  additional  competitive 
situations  will  be  opened  in  the  Twin 
Cities  and  possibly  elsewhere  in  the 
state. 


sent  from  UA 


Tom,  FC  Sign  Deal 

Chinamerica  Film  Exchange  of 
Hong  Kong  will  distribute  Film 
Classics  product  in  China  under  a 
r'eal  concluded  here  between  David 
Home,  FC  foreign  sales  manager,  and 
C.  Y.  Tom,  Chinamerica  president. 


Two  Candidates  for 
License  Post  Here 

New  York  City's  new  commissioner 
of  licenses,  a  post  directly  related  to 
many  phases  of  motion  picture,  activ- 
ity here,  will  be  either  Myles  H.  Lane, 
former  U.  S.  assistant  district  attor- 
ney, or  Denis  McMahon,  chief  dis- 
trict field'  officer  of  the  Internal  Rev- 
enue Bureau  in  this  area,  it  is  reported 
in  City  Hall  circles  here.  Mayor  Wil- 
liam O'Dwyer  is  said  to  regard  these 
two  as  the  outstanding  candidates  for 
the  post  which  will  be  vacated  on  July 
1  by  Commissioner  Benjamin  Field- 
ing who  has  resigned  to  take  an  execu- 
tive post  with  Loew's. 


Cohen  Named 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


sales  executive  and  for  the  past  two 
years  East-Central  district  manager 
for  RKO  Radio,  Cohen  first  joined 
Columbia  as  Chicago  salesman,  later 
being  promoted  to  sales  manager  in 
Detroit.  In  1938  he  resigned  to  become 
Detroit  salesman  for  RKO,  and  was 
promoted  to  manager.  In  1946  he  was 
named  district  manager. 


Republic  Dismissed 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ney,  opposed  all  pleas  for  dismissal, 
holding  that  the  evidence  submitted 
thus  far  in  the  four-week-old  trial 
pointed  to  a  conspiracy  on  the  part 
of  the  defendants  to  deprive  Fifth 
and  Walnut's  National  Theatre,  Louis- 
ville, of  first-run  product. 


Montague  to  Preside 
In  Chicago  Today 

Chicago,  June  13. — Second  of  two 
Columbia  sales  meetings  will  get  un- 
der way  here  tomorrow  morning  in 
the  Drake  Hotel,-  and  will  continue 
through  Friday,  with  A.  Montague, 
general  sales  manager,  presiding.  First 
meeting  was  held  last  week  in  New 
York. 

Four  division  managers  and  17 
branch  managers  will  attend,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  following  from  the  home 
office :  Rube  Jackter,  Louis  Astor, 
Louis  Weinberg,  Irving  Wormser, 
Maurice  Grad,  George  Josephs,  H.  C. 
Kaufman,  Joseph  Freiberg,  Seth  Rais- 
ler,  Irving  Sherman,  Sydney  Singer- 
man,  Vincent  Borelli  and  Irving  Mo- 
ross  as  well  as  division  managers. 


Council  Leader  Sees 
Censor  Bill's  Defeat 

The  Cunningham  censorship  bill  to 
broaden  the  city  license  department's 
powers  over  films,  stage  shows 
and  their  advertising  has  scant 
chance  of  being  enacted  when  it  comes 
before  the  New  York  City  Council 
tomorrow,  Joseph  Sharkey,  Demo- 
cratic vice-chairman  and  ;  majority 
leader  in  the  Council,  has  declared. 
The  bill  is  not  an  administration 
measure,  he  also  said. 

Even  if  Council  votes  favorably  on 
the  proposal  tomorrow,  it  must  bs 
acted  upon  by  both  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate and  the  Mayor,  and  public  hear- 
ings would  be  held  before  both, 
Sharkey  pointed  out. 


cfAmerica's  J\[ew 
"X  Sweetheart!  / 


All  America  will  soon  be  seeing  Lois  (MICKEY)  Butler, 
and  hearing  her  glorious  voice  in  Eagle  Lion's  Cinecolor 
production,  "MICKEY,"  starting  with  world  premieres 
in  Des  Moines  and  Moline,  and  more  than  a  hundred  day- 
and-dates  the  last  week  in  June. 


SPECIAL  OFFER:  To  every  exhibitor,  a  free  copy  of  Lois  (MICKEY) 
Butler's  latest  Capitol  recording  "Dreams  in  My  Heart." 
Write,  wire,  or  phone  Exploitation  Department, 
Eagle  Lion  Films,  165  West  46th  Street,  New  York  19,  N.  Y. 


starring 


as 

"Narain" 


JOANNE  PAGE 


as 
"Lali" 


and 


as 

The  Hunter 


WENDELL  COREY 

with  MORRIS  CARNOVSKY 

DIRECTED  BY  PRODUCED  BY 

BYRON  HASKIN  •  MONTY  SHAFF 


bACK  INTO 


sHOW  BUSINESS/ 

It's  gonna  be  a  lot  of  fun  getting  back  in  the  showmanship 
groove  again.  Yes,  boys,  ballyhoo  days  are  here  again!  It's  been  a 
long  time  since  you've  had  an  opportunity  to  go  to  town  with  the 
kind  of  showmanship  that  built  this  business.  Here's  your  chance! 

Everybody  in  our  publicity  and  exploitation  departments  is 
excited  over  sure-fire  "Man-Eater  of  Kumaon."  And  why  not? 

Look  what  they've  got  to  work  with  —   and  look  what 
youVe  got  to  work  with...  KEY  CITY  TOUR  OF  MAN-EATING  TIGER! 

SPECIAL  FIELD  FORCE  FOR  KEY 
CITY  ENGAGEMENTS! 

TREMENDOUS  NATIONAL  RADIO  TIE-UPS! 

NATIONAL  TIE-UP  WITH  BOY  SCOUTS 
AND  GIRL  SCOUTS! 

SPECIAL  ACTION  EXPLOITATION  PRESSBOOK 
LOADED  WITH  LOCAL  TIE-UPS,  BALLYHOO! 

...and plenty  more  to  come! 


Based  on  the  Book  "Man -Eaters  of  Kumaon"  by  Jim  Corbett 
Screenplay  by  Jeanne  Bartlett  and  Lewis  Meltzer 
Adaptation  by  Richard  G.  Hubler  and  Alden  Nash 

A  UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL  RELEASE 


IN  ASSOCIATION  WITH 

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FILM 
NEWS 


V,3|63.  NO:  115 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  JUNE  15,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Thomas  Group 
Bulwarked  in 
Tilt  With  '10' 


Eisler  Appeal  Decision 
Sets  Pattern  for  Fall 


Washington,  June  14. — The 
power  of  the  House  Committee  on 
Un-American  Activities  got  strong- 
backing  today  in  two  court  actions 
here. 

U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals  upheld  the 
contempt-of-Congress  conviction  of 
Gerhart  Eisler  for  refusing  to  be 
|  sworn  in  or  to  answer  the  committee's 
questions  unless  he  could  make  a 
statement  first.  The  case  closely  ap- 
proximates that  of  the  10  Holly- 
woodites  cited  for  contempt,  and  may 
set  the  pattern  for  the  decision  in  the 
appeals  of  John  Howard  Lawson  and 
Dalton  Trumbo,  which  will  be  argued 
I  in  the  same  court  next  fall. 

At  the  same  time,  the  U.  S.  Su- 
I  preme  Court  refused  to  hear  the  ap- 
peal of  Edward  Barsky  and  other  of- 
I  ficials  of  the  Joint  Anti-Fascist  Refu- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


\B  'way  Yields 
\Fair  Grosses 


Business  is  only  fair  at  Broadway 
I  first-runs  this  week.   Weekend  rains, 
which  signaled  financial  disaster  for 
concessionaires  at  beaches  and  other 
outdoor  places,  gave  Broadway  busi- 
Iness  a  slight  boost  and  did  consider- 
|ably  better  by  neighborhood  houses. 

Brightest  business  is  still  being  done 
I  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall  where  the 
fourth  and  final  week  of  "The  Pirate," 
plus  a  Leonidoff  presentation  on  stage, 
is  heading  for  a  good  $115,000  on  the 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Senate  Backs  1-Year 
\Trade  Act  Extension 

Washington,  June  14. — The  Sen- 
late  today  voted  a  one-year  extension 
of  the  Reciprocal  Trade  Agreements 
Act,  with  the  President  required  to 
give  Congress  his  reasons  whenever 
he   ignores   recommendations   of  the 
I  Tariff  Commission  on  how  much  he 
lean  raise  or  lower  import  duties.  Pro- 
I  vision  voted  by  the  House  giving  Con- 
Igress  power  to  veto  any  treaties  which 
I  include  cuts  or  increases  outside  the 
'bounds  set  by  the  Tariff  Commission 
lis    omitted    in    the    Senate  version. 
I  The  House  is  expected  to  go  along 
with  the  Senate  bill. 


Balaban  and  Zukor 
Reelection  Today 

Barney  Balaban  and  Adolph 
Zukor  are  listed  for  reelection 
as  Paramount's  president  and 
board  chairman,  respectively, 
at  the  company's  annual  di- 
rectors' meeting  here  this 
afternoon.  Election  will  fol- 
low the  annual  stockholders 
meeting. 

The  only  scheduled  business 
to  come  before  stockholders 
will  be  the  naming  of  direc- 
tors, all  of  whom  are  nomi- 
nees for  reelection. 


Hearing  Today  on 
Government  Order 


The  Government's  proposed  order 
devised  to  give  effect  to  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court's  opinion  in  the  Para- 
mount anti-trust  case  is  scheduled  to 
come  up  for  hearing  in  District  Court 
here  today  before  Judges  Augustus  N. 
Hand  and  Henry  W.  Goddard. 

Defense  counsel  will  oppose  nearly 
every  phase  of  the  order,  especially  the 
Government's  demands  for  statements 
listing  joint  theatre  ownerships  claimed 
to  involve  investments  by  persons  not 
actual  or  potential  theatre  operators, 
and  for  a  temporary  injunction  against 
acquiring  or  selling  any  theatre  inter- 
ests or  alleged  discriminatory  prac- 
tices pending  the  entry  of  a  further 
order.  Defendants  will  also  ask  that 
the  order  be  simplified. 


Lesser  Deal  with 
Blumenfeld  Is  Off 


San  Francisco,  June  14. — Negotia- 
tions for  the  sale  of  the  Blumenfeld 
Circuit  of  35  theatres  in  Northern 
California,  have  fallen  through,  ac- 
cording to  Joseph  Blumenfeld,  presi- 
dent. 

For  the  past  few  weeks  Sol  Lesser 
and  Sherrill  Cohen  have  been  in  com- 
munication with  Blumenfeld  for  the 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Crowe  Will  Continue 
As  KATO  President 

Louisville,  June  14. — Guthrie  F 
Crowe  will  continue  as  president  of 
the  Kentucky  Association  of  Theatre 
Owners.  A  meeting  of  the  KATO 
board,  attended  by  Crowe  and  Henry 
J.  Stites,  Morris  Blacker,  Leon 
Pickle,  E.  T.  Denton,  Dennis  Long, 
Johnson  Musselman,  Roger  Daley,  W. 
Freeman  Smith,  E.  L.  Ornstein,  Andy 
Anderson,  Willard  Gabhart,  Charles 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Rank,  Hailing  New 
Quota,  Says  He  Will 
Help  Make  It  Work 


London,  June  14.— J.  Arthur  Rank, 
jubilant  over  the  new  45  per  cent  ex- 
hibitor quota,  told  a  trade  press  news 
conference  here  today  that  independent 
exhibitors,  lacking  enthusiasm  for 
British  pictures  and  preferring  a  large 
number  of  films  from  which  to  choose, 
will  have  to  have  a  change  of  heart. 

Rank  claimed  that  it  is  scandalous 
that,  with  a  larger  number  of  British 
pictures  available,  there  still  is  a  larg- 
er number  of  quota  defaulters. 

"I  am  going  to  take  my  coat  off  to 
see  that  everybody  plays  his  45  per 
cent  quota,"  Rank  said,  adding  that  he 
will  prepare  statistics  for  the  Board 
of  Trade  to  show  that  British  pictures 
are  available  to  the  defaulters.  He 
said  that  except  for  British  producers' 
activities  during  the  past  12  months 
the  exhibitor's  position  would  have 
been  very  difficult. 

Terming  present  rental  arrange- 
(Coniinued  on  page  3) 


CEA  Convention  •  in 
Arms  Over  UKQuota 

Douglas,  Isle  of  Man,  June  14. — 
Exhibitors  assembling  here  for  the 
Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Association 
convention  were  stunned  by  receipt  of 
news  from  London  of  the  new  quota 
percentage,  claiming,  firstly,  that  the 
figure  is  unrealistic  and,  secondly,  that 
Harold  Wilson's  order  will  contribute 
monopolistic  powers  to  J.  Arthur 
Rank's  film  empire. 

Exhibitor  indignation  here  was 
marked  by  wild  talk  tonight  of  the 
promotion  of  a  general  theatre  strike 
against  playing  any  British  films, 
thereby  compelling  Wilson  to  alter  his 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Postpone  Action  on 
Critical  French  Tax 


Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  international  division  man- 
ager Gerald  M.  Mayer,  now  in  Paris, 
was  reported  here  yesterday  to  have 
won  from  the  French  Assembly  back- 
ers of  a  confiscatory  film  import  foot- 
age tax  a  two-week  delay  of  action 
on  enabling  legislation.  Reports  em- 
anating at  the  weekend  from  Wash- 
ington and  Paris  had  pointed  to  the 
likelihood  of  French  Assembly  action 
on  the  measure  this  week. 

Mayer,  who  has  been  conferring  in 
Paris  on  proposed  changes  in  the 
Blum-Brynes  Accord,  was  said  to  have 
secured  the  delay  of  action  on  the  im- 
port tax  pending  top-level  discussion. 


UK  Exhibitors' 
Quota  Set  at 
45  Per  Cent 


Effective  for  Year;  25% 
Is  Supporting  Fare  Quota 

London,  June  14.  —  The  new 
British  exhibitors'  quota  is  45  per- 
cent for  first  features  and  25  per 
cent  for  short  subjects  and  support- 
ing program  pictures,  Harold  Wilson, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  told 
the  House  of  Commons  today. 

Wilson  said  his  order  establishing 
the  new  quota  will  be  operative  for 
12  months,  starting  next  Oct.  1. 

The  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  As- 
sociation had  recommended  a  feature 
quota  of  20  per  cent  to  the  Films 
Council  last  week,  and  the  British 
Film  Producers  Association,  headed  by 
J.  Arthur  Rank,  recommended  a  50 
per  cent  quota.  The  present  quota  ;is 
17^4  per  cent  and  many  British  ex- 
hibitors defaulted  on  that  despite  the 
several  months'  embargo  on  shipment 
of  Hollywood  films  in  protest  against 
the  ad  valorem  film  tax. 


Columbia  Net 
Is  $855,000 


Estimated  net  earnings  of  $855,000 
after  Federal  taxes  of  $570,000,  were 
reported  here  yesterday  by  Columbia 
for  the  39  weeks  ended  March  27. 
This  was  equivalent  to  98  cents  per 
common  share  after  preferred  stock 
dividends.  Net  profits  for  the  39 
weeks  ended  March  29,  1947,  amount- 
ed to  $2,935,000,  or  $4.23  per  share, 
after  taxes  of  $1,705,000. 


Convertibility  Fund 
Voted  by  Senate  Unit 

Washington,  June  14. — Senate  Ap- 
propriations Committee  today  recom- 
mended that  $10,000,000— $5,000,000 
less  than  originally  fixed  in  Marshall 
Plan  legislation — be  appropriated  to 
guarantee  convertibility  of  costs  of 
producers  and  publishings  in  distribut- 
ing films  and  books  in  Marshall  Plan 
nations,'  but  said  that  this  should  be. 
used  within  a  year  rather  than 
stretched  for  15  months  as  required 
by  the  House.  Senate  approval  is 
expected  later  this  week,  after  which 
the  measure  will  go  to  conference 
with  the  House. 

The  committee  also  earmarked 
$125,000,000— $25,000,000  less  than  the 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  15,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  F.  RODGERS, 
M-G-M  distribution  vice-presi- 
dent, will  return  to  New  York  tomor- 
row from  Chicago. 

• 

C.  Y.  Tom,  president  of  Chinameri- 
ca  Film  Exchange,  will  leave  here  to- 
day for  Hong  Kong.  He  will  stop 
off  at  Washington  and  Hollywood  en 
route. 

• 

Jules  Weill,  Masterpiece  Produc- 
tions president,  will  tour  the  com- 
pany's branches  from  Hollywood  be- 
fore returning  to  New  York. 

• 

Dr.  Everett  Clinchy,  president  of 
the  National  Conference  of  Christians 
and  Jews,  left  here  yesterday  for  Eu- 
rope on  the  55"  Mauretania. 

• 

F.  J.  A.  McCarthy,  Universal-In- 
ternational Southern  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  left  New  York  yester- 
day for  Canada. 

• 

Alfred  H.  Tamarin,  United  Art- 
ists home  office  publicity  director,  and 
Lucille  Lortel,  will  co-present  "Red 
Roses  for  Me"  on  Broadway  this  fall. 
• 

Maurice  Silverstein,  Loew's  In- 
ternational regional  director  of  Latin 
America,  will  leave  here  today  for 
Brazil  on  a  tour  of  his  territory. 
• 

George  R.  Ginoux,  field  representa- 
tive for  Technicolor,  Hollywood,  is 
in  Boston  and  will  visit  Montreal  be- 
fore returning  to  the  Coast. 

• 

N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  presi- 
dent, left  over  the  weekend  for  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

J. -J.  Unger,  United  Artists  sales 
manager,  will  leave  here  today  for 
Philadelphia. 

• 

Arthur  Jeffrey,  Eagle-Lion  ex- 
ploitation manager,  left  here  yesterday 
for  Chicago. 

• 

Carol  Brandt,  M-G-M  Eastern 
story  head,  will  return  here  from  the 
Coast  on  July  3. 

• 

Walter  L.  Titus,  Republic  division 
manager,  is  in  Dallas  from  New  York. 


Memphis  Variety  Installs 

Memphis,  June  14. — Ed  William- 
son, Warner  manager  here,  was  in- 
stalled today  as  chief  barker  of  the 
local  Variety  Club  at  a  luncheon  at 
which  Harry  Martin,  president  of  the 
American  Newspaper  Guild,  spoke  of 
his  experiences  as  a  U.  S.  delegate  to 
the  United  Nations  conference  on  free- 
dom of  information  at  Geneva.  Wil- 
liamson announced  a  projected  intensi- 
fication of  the  club's  charitable  enter- 
prises. The  club's  annual  picnic  will 
be  held  July  24. 


Sullivan  Luncheon  Today 

Gael  Sullivan,  new  executive  direc- 
tor of  Theatre  Owners  of  America, 
will  be  formally  introduced  to  the 
trade  press  today  at  a  TOA-sponsored 
luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Astor  here. 


Philadelphia  Meet 
On  Rogers  Memorial 

Andy  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  general  sales 
manager  of  20th  Century- Fox ;  Rob- 
ert Mochrie,  distribution  vice-presi- 
dent, RKO  Radio ;  and  Joseph  J.  Un- 
ger,  general  sales  manager,  United 
Artists,  will  hold  a  meeting  today  at 
the  Broadmoor  Hotel  in  Philadelphia, 
with  local  distribution  representatives, 
companies,  exhibitor  organizations,  and 
the  trade  press  to  organize  a  local 
campaign  for  the  Will  Rogers  Memo- 
rial Sanatorium  at  Saranac.  Also  in 
attendance  from  New  York  will  be 
Nat  Levy,  Eastern  division  manager 
of  RKO,  and  Sam  Shain,  director  of 
public  relations  for  20th  Century-Fox. 


UA  Chiefs  Get  SPG 
Bid  Backing  SOPEG 

United  Artists  president  Gradwell 
L.  Sears,  vice-president  Harry  D. 
Buckley,  and  advertising-publicity  di- 
rector Paul  Lazarus,  Jr.,  were  urged 
yesterday  in  letters  sent  by  UA  unit 
members  of  the  Screen  Publicists 
Guild  to  reconsider  action  regarding 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployes Guild.  The  company  has  assert- 
ed it  will  not  negotiate  with  SOPEG 
because  that  CIO  union  has  failed  to 
comply  with  the  non-Communist  affi- 
davit provisions  of  the  Taft-Hartley 
Law.    SPG  and  SOPEG  are  sister 


Artists  Managers, 
SAG  Extend  Pact 

Hollywood,  June  14.  —  In  an  ar- 
rangement believed  to  be  unique  in 
contract  negotiation  procedure,  Screen 
Actors  Guild  and  Artists  Managers 
Guild  have  announced  agreement  to 
extend  to  Jan.  1,  1949  their  present 
10-year-old  contract  which  expires 
Sept.  18.  The  agreement  stipulates 
that  they  will  open  negotiations  if, 
and  when,  SAG  is  .successful  in  draw- 
ing up  a  new  pact  with  producers. 

The  extension  frees  SAG  to  nego- 
tiate for  a  new  contract  with  the  pro- 
ducers to  replace  the  one  which  ex- 
pires at  the  end  of  July. 

Malco  Acquires  Four 
Arkansas  Theatres 

Memphis,  June  14.  —  Malco  Thea- 
atres  has  leased  four  Fayetteville, 
Ark.,  theatres  from  W.  F.  Sonneman. 

Malco  will  take  over  July  3.  Ex- 
tensive remodeling  of  the  four  thea- 
tres is  scheduled.  M.  A.  Lightman  is 
president  of  Malco. 


Aid  TO  A  Drive:  Walsh 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  presi- 
dent, has  asked  'IA'  members  to  vol- 
unteer their  services  at  special  screen- 
ings of  "Report  for  Action,"  spon- 
sored by  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
as  part  of  its  program  to  combat 
juvenile  delinquency.  The  film  is  avail- 
able to  special  groups  during  non- 
operating  hours  of  theatres. 


Schenck  Buys  Racetrack 

Los  Angeles,  June  14.  —  Joseph 
Schenck,  20th  Century-Fox  produc- 
tion executive,  has  purchased  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  Del  Mar  racetrack. 
He  declined  to  disclose  the  price,  but 
it  is  reported  to  have  been  $2,000,000. 


Video  Nets'  Pool  to 
Cover  Conventions 


Coverage  of  the  Republic  and  Dem- 
ocratic national  Presidential  conven- 
tions in  Philadelphia  by  telecasters 
along  the  Eastern  Seaboard  will  be 
on  a  pooled  basis.  Eighteen  television 
stations  —  largest  hook-up  ever  —  will 
transmit  the  two  events.  Major  tele, 
vision  networks  are  pooling  both  man 
power  and  facilities.  In  addition  to 
the  day-long  telecasts  directly  from 
the  scenes  of  both  conventions,  tele- 
casters  will  film  the  proceedings  and 
fly  them  to  television  stations  in  the 
Midwest  and  West  where  no  cable 
or  microwave  relay  facilities  are  avail- 
able for  direct  transmissions.  , 

Four  television  cameras,  each  fitted 
with  a  turret  of  four  lenses — permit- 
ting 16  different  angles  of  coverage — 
are  to  be  installed  in  Convention  Hall 
in  Philadelphia. 

The  Television  pool  will  share  with 
radio  broadcasters  the  sound  pickups 
of  convention  activities.  Forty-eight 
microphones  have  been  installed  on  the 
convention  floor  for  use  by  delegates 
from  each  of  the  states,  and  micro- 
phones on  the  speakers'  rostrum  will 
pick  up  the  voices  of  party  leaders  as 
they  address  the  assemblage. 


Video  Station  Costs 
Estimated  by  Para. 

Washington,  June  14. — Paramount 
today  estimated  that  it  will  cost  $600,- 
000  to  operate  its  San  Francisco  tele- 
vision station  during  the  first  year — 
if  the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission lets  it  have  the  station  at  all. 
The  company  filed  with  the  FCC  to- 
day preparatory  to  final  hearings  here 
on  Monday. 

Paramount  estimated  it  would  spend 
$493,150  to  get  the  station  built  and 
equipped — the  $600,000  would  be  on 
top  of  this. 


U-I  Assigns  Two 
And  Promotes  Three 

Maurice  (Bucky)  Harris,  veteran 
exploiteer,  and  Matt  Cantillon,  for- 
merly a  member  of  the  Warner  pub- 
licity department,  have  joined  Uni- 
versal-International's Eastern  exploi- 
tation staff.  Harris  will  specialize  in 
new  openings.  Cantillon  will  help  de- 
velop theatre  promotion  material. 

Alfred  N.  Mendelsohn  has  been  pro- 
moted to  radio  promotion,  Jerome  M. 
Evans  has  been  assigned  to  national 
advertising  tie-ups,  and  Herman  Kass 
will  be  liaison  between  circuit  adver- 
tising and  exploitation  departments. 


Lightstone  to  Preside 
At  Paramount  Meet 

Toronto,  June  14. — Annual  sales 
convention  of  Canadian  Paramount 
will  open  here  tomorrow  at  the  King 
Edward  Hotel,  under  the  direction  of 
Gordon  Lightstone,  Canadian  general 
manager,  with  branch  managers  and 
staff  representatives  from  the  six  key 
centers  of  the  Dominion  attending. 

The  meeting  will  be  attended  by 
Oscar  Morgan,  sales  manager  of  the 
short  subjects  and  newsreel  depart- 
ments in  New  York. 


Latta  Leaves  Albany 
W.  B.  Theatre  Post 

Albany,  June  14. — The  dinner  giv- 
en by  the  local  Variety  Club  to  C.  J. 
Latta  at  the  Ten  Eyck  Hotel  here 
Friday  turned  out  to  be  a  farewell 
party  _  with  the  disclosure  that  Latta 
is  retiring  as  Upstate  zone  manager 
of  Warner  Theatres  to  take  a  new 
post  to  be  announced  by  Harry  War- 
ner. Latta  reported  to  the  Warner 
home  office  today  after  seven  years  in 
his  post  here.  '  ^ 

Warner  home  office  spokesmen  iBff 
Latta's  new  assignment  has  not  been 
officially  made  yet,  nor  his  successor 
at  Albany  named. 


Defer  S chine  Order 
Hearing  for  Week 

Buffalo,  June  14. — Hearing  on  the 
proposed  Government  order  in  accord- 
ance with  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court's 
mandate  in  the  Schine  anti-trust  suit, 
scheduled  for  today  in  District  Court 
here,  has  been  postponed  until  next 
Monday.  The  Government  is  asking 
for  a  45-day  deadline  for  the  filing  by 
the  defendant  of  an  accounting  of  all 
company  theatre  interests. 

W.B.  Boatride  Today 

Warner  home  office  employes,  mem- 
bers of  the  Warner  Club,  will  embark 
on  their  annual  boat  ride  up  the  Hud- 
son to  Bear  Mountain  today. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


—RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — 9 

Rockefeller  Center 

Judy  GARLAND  •  Gene  KELLY 

in  "THE  PIRATE 


Songs  by  COLE  PORTER 
Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


Paramount  praianti 
BETTY  MACDONALD 

HUTTON  •  CAREY 


»       A  MITCHELL  LEISEN  PROOU CIIOH 


greatest  star- 
and-seng-show! 


Released  th<u  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


Air-Conditioned 

ICTORIAB'&?hvs? 

Doors  Open  9:45  A.M.  •  lote  Show  Nitely 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Tuesday,  June  15,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


D  ominionB  ankHead 
Hails  US  Projects 


International  cooperation  is  more 
effective  than  legal  restriction  in  the 
case  of  Canada  and  the  American  film 
industry,  Donald  Gordon,  deputy  gov- 
ernor of  the  Bank  of  Canada,  told 
executives  of  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America  at  a  luncheon 
given  in  his  honor  yesterday  at  the 
JSjjprd  Club  here. 
4— S  the  luncheon,  which  was  pre- 
sided over  by  Francis  S.  Harmon, 
MPAA  vice-president,  Taylor  Mills 
of  the  MPAA  staff,  who  is  serving  as 
New  York  coordinator  of  the  Canadi- 
an Cooperation  Project,  reported  that 
American  newsreels  have  included  64 
subjects  on  Canada  in  their  releases 
this  year.  Producers  of  features  as 
well  as  short  subjects  are  presenting 
ample  proof  of  their  cooperation. 
Mills  said. 

Next  week  Fitz  Patrick  Travel- 
Talks  will  start  making  photographic 
studies  of  Quebec  and  Ontario,  and 
Monogram  this  summer  will  make  the 
first  of  10  features  in  Canada,  all  of 
which  are  scheduled  for  completion 
within  the  next  two  years,  he  added. 


Convertibility  Fund 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


sum  sought  by  the  Administration 
for  a  Far  Eastern  recovery  program 
in  Japan,  Korea  and  the  Ryukyus.  It 
is  not  known  how  much  of  the  $125,- 
000,000  would  be  used  for  guarantee 
ing  convertibilitv  for  information 
media. 


CEA  Convention 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


stand.  However,  calmer  counsels  are 
expected  to  prevail  at  tomorrow's 
C.E.A.  executive  meeting  which  may 
take  the  form  of  a  decision  to  promote 
a  Parliamentary  campaign  to  secure 
an  amendment  before  the  new  quota 
becomes  operative. 

General  attitude  of  exhibitors  here 
is  that  the  new  quota  is  so  impractic- 
able and  uneconomic  that  it  will  re- 
sult in  an  epidemic  of  defaults  which 
may  make  the  statute  a  dead  letter  be- 
fore the  end  of  its  first  year.  - 

Convention  delegates  also  expressed 
anger  over  the  timing  of  Rank's  an- 
nouncement of  his  new  booking  terms, 
which  they  take  to  indicate  he  will 
insist  upon  despite  any  GE.A.  views. 
Tliis  is  also  expected  to  promote 
angry  debate  here  tomorrow. 

Exhibitors  also  are  surprised  that 
the,;  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America,  so  far  as  is  '  known,  has 
not  made  appropriate  representations 
concerning  what  is  regarded  as  the 
new  quota's  gr^e  threat  to  American 
interests. 


Thomas  Group 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


gee  committee  from  a  contempt-of 
Congress  conviction  for  refusal  to 
produce  records  for  the  House  group 
Counsel  for  the  "unfriendly  10"  had 
filed  an  amicus  curiae  brief  asking  the 
court  to  hear  the  case. 

Justices  Bennett  Clark  and  James 
Proctor,  the  majority  in  the  Circuit 
Court  decision,  said  that  Eisler  was 
summoned  by  lawful  authority  and 
was  bound  to  conform  to  the  proce- 
dure of  the  committee. 


Rank  Hails  Quota     I  B'way  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


ments  with  the  Cinematograph  Exhib- 
itors Association  as  unsatisfactory, 
Rank  said :  "I  am  going  to  substitute 
for  this  system  one  that  other  people 
and  I  think  fair."  Exhibitors  desir- 
ing my  pictures  will  have  to  abide 
by  the  system,  he  added. 

Rank  observed  that  the  American 
industry  may  be  found  taking  off  its 
coat  to  sell  British  pictures  there  in 
the  next-  few  months,  as  it  is  in  their 
interest  to  do  so.  He  said  he  wishes 
he  had  a  few  theatres  in  America, 
claiming  that  with  them  he  could  show 
two  British  pictures  a  month  and 
make  more  money  with  them  than 
with  American  films.  He  said  that 
in  Canada  British  pictures  make  more 
money  than  American  pictures. 

Confirming  completion  of  his  pool- 
ing of  the  Gaumont-British  and 
Odeon  circuits-,  Rank  disclosed  that  the 
move  would  result  in  a  single  manage- 
ment with  300  or  400  personnel  leav 
ing  the  organization.  The  new  com 
pany,  known  as  Circuit  Management 
Association,  Ltd.,  has  the  full  approv- 
al of  the  Board  of  Trade,  Rank  said 
The  two  circuits  will  continue  to  book 
separately  but  substantial  savings  in 
operations  are  expected.  He  reiterat- 
ed that  he  expects  60  per  cent  of  his 
theatres'  programs  to  be  British  this 
year. 

It  was  revealed 'that  current  grosses 
are  below  the  1944-'46  period. 


Crowe  Will  Continue 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


You  Have  A  Date  for  Thursday  June  17th! 

it's 

AMP  AS 
BIG  INSTALLATION  LUNCHEON 

for 

INCOMING  OFFICERS  and  NEW  MEMBERS 

JUDGE  EDWARD  C.  MAGUIRE 

Mayor  O'Dwyer's  Motion  Picture  Coordinator 

WILL  BE  GUEST  SPEAKER 
MAX  E.  YOUNGSTEIN 

New  AMPA  president  will  outline  his 
plans  for  the  new  administration. 

it's 

Thursday,  June  17th 

HOTEL  ASTOR  —  12:30  P.M.  —  NORTH  BALLROOM 
GET  YOUR  TICKET  NOW 

FOR  RESERVATIONS  CALL 
Charles   Alicoate  —  Film  Daily 

1501  Broadway 


R.  Mitchell,  Adolph  Baker,  Louis 
Wiethe,  Rex  Carr  and  Joe  Isaacs, 
gave  Crowe  authority  to  employ  such 
person  or  personnel  as  is  necessary  to 
continue  organization  work  during  his 
activities  organizing  the  new  state 
police  force  of  which  he  was  recently 
appointed  commissioner  by  Gov.  Earle 
Clements. 

The  directors  went  on  record  op 
posing  a  16mm.  situation  appearing  in 
Cloverport.  Also  discussed  was  the 
release  of  stories  for  radio  dramatiza- 
tion coincident  with  the  release  of 
films,  on  which  opinions  were  divided 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  nomi- 
nate directors;  appointed  were  Fred 
Dolle,  E.  L.  Ornstein,  W.  Freeman 
Smith  and  Cliff  Buechel,  with  Crowe. 


Chester  Friedman 


Phone:  BR.  9-71 17 
Box  Office 
9  Rockefeller  Plaza 
Phone:  CO.  5-6370 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


basis  of  $73,000  grossed  Thursday 
through  Sunday.  At  the  Criterion, 
The  Lady  from  Shanghai"  got  off  to 
a  good  start,  with  $35,000  seen  for  the 
first  week. 

New  pictures  bowing  in  this  week 
include  "The  Emperor  Waltz,"  Music 
Hall;  "Dream  Girl,"  Paramount; 
"Lulu  Belle,"  Rivoli ;  "The  End  of 
the  River,"  Park  Avenue. 

Other  first-week  pictures  are  regis- 
tering as  follows  :  "Summer  Holiday," 
Loew's  State,  $28,000  (above  aver- 
age) ;  "Green  Grass  of  Wyoming," 
plus  Harry  Richman  on  stage,  Roxy, 
$60,000  (unimpressive  start)  ;  "Wall- 
flower," with  Ed  Gardner  and  Jane 
Russell  on  stage,  Strand,  $56,000 
(good)  ;  "Design  for  Death,"  Vic- 
toria, $12,000  (modest)  ;  "Bad  Sister," 
Winter  Garden,  $12,000  (very  mod- 
erate) . 

Second-week  pictures  are  doing 
moderately  well,  as  follows :  "The 
Bride  Goes  Wild,"  with  Woody  Her- 
man's band  on  stage,  Capitol,  $55,000 ; 
"Hazard,"  with  a  stage  bill  headed 
by  the  King  Cole  Trio,  Paramount, 
$60,000 ;  "Challenge  of  the  Mysterious 
Matterhorn,"  Park  Avenue,  '$4,800. 

Pictures  in  third  weeks  are  doing 
about  ai  follows :  "Melody'  Time," 
Astor,  $30,200  (fair)  ;  "Time  of  Your 
Life,"  Mayfair,  $29,000  (fairly  strong)  ; 
"Citizen  Saint,"  Bijou,  $4,500  (so-so). 

"Another  Part  of  the  Forest"  at  the 
Rivoli  is  due  for  a  modest  $13,000  in 
its  fourth  week,  and  will  run  three 
days  of  a  fifth.  At  the  Rialto,  "Will 
It  Happen  Again"  looks  like  $6,000  in 
a  fifth  and  final  week.  "The  Brothers" 
finished  its  sixth  and  final  week  yes- 
terday with  a  mild  $3,500.  A  fair 
$15,000  is  due  for  "Arch  of  Triumph" 
in  its  eighth  week  at  the  Globe. 


Lesser  Deal  Off 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
ily  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris,Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans-world  miles. 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


purpose  of  acquiring  the  circuit.  How- 
ever, Lesser  now  says  that  although 
he  had  raised  $3,000,000  toward  the 
purchase  price,  he  and  Blumenfeld 
could  come  to  no  agreement  and  ne- 
gotiations were  called  off.  Lesser  and 
Cohen  recently  purchased  Blumenfeld's 
San  Francisco  United  Artists  Theatre, 
but  turned  the  house  back  after  three 
weeks. 


Ascap  Board  Reelected 

Annual  election  of  the  board  of  ap- 
peals of  the  American  Society  of  Com- 
posers, Authors  and  Publishers,  has 
returned  to  office  all  six  members. 
Zez  Confrey  is  chairman.  Reelected 
are  Peter  de  Rose,  Abel  Baer  and 
Douglas  Moore,  writer  members,  and 
Max  Mayer,  John  Sengstack  and 
Sam  Stept,  publishers. 


NATURALLY 


I  BROOKLYN 

I  aid] 

HEAVEN" 


sent  from  UA 


ONE  OF  THE  MOST 


BRUTAL 

as  THE  SATURDAY  EVENING  POST  story! 


george  MACREADY  ■  sally  EILERS  •  edgar  BUCHANAN 

screenplay  by  Kenneth  Gamet  •  Adapted  from  the  novel  "Coroner  Creek"  by  Luke  Short 
Directed  by  RAY  ENRIGHT  •  Produced  by  HARRY  10E  BROWN 

A     COLUMBIA  PICTURE- 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICTt?KfeT, 


DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.  NO.  116 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  16,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Para.  Capital 
Status  Keyed 
To  Divestiture 


Balaban  Sees  Reduction 
In  Theatre  Interests 


Any  reduction  of  Paramount 
theatre  holdings  made  necessary  by 
court-imposed  divestiture  will  be 
compensated  for  by  a  corresponding 
reduction  of  the 
company's  capi- 
tal structure, 
Barney  Balaban, 
P  a  ramount 
president,  told 
company  stock- 
holders at  their 
annual  meeting 
at  the  home  of- 
fice here  yester- 
day. 

"I  do  not 
know  what  the 
outcome  will 
be,"  Balaban 
said  in  refer- 
ring to  the  re- 
cent U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decisions 
in  the  industry  cases,  "but  I  believe 
that  our  theatre  interests  will  be  re- 
duced with  a  corresponding  reduction 
of  our  ultimate  earning  power. 

"If  the  assets  and  earning  power 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Barney  Balaban 


Paramount  Officers, 
Directors  Reelected 


Barney  Balaban  and  Adolph  Zukor 
Paramount  president  and  board  chair- 
man, respectively,  were  reelected  here 
yesterday,  with  all  other  company  of 
ficers,  at  the  annual  directors'  meet 
ing.  At  the  stockholders  meeting 
earlier  in  the  day,  all  16  directors 
were  reelected. 

Other  officers  reelected  include : 
vice-presidents :  Y.  Frank  Freeman 
Austin  C.  Keough,  Charles  M.  Rea- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Delft  Organizing  a 
Second  Film  Combine 

Minneapolis,  June  IS. — Delft  The 
atres,  operating  more  than  a  dozen 
theatres  in  Northern  Michigan  and 
Northeastern  Wisconsin,  is  forming  a 
new  buying-and-booking  combine,  to 
service  accounts  from  Milwaukee. 

John  B.  Schuyler,  general  manager 
of  Delft,  will  head  the  new  combine 
with  Fonlas  Georgeaddis,  former  Fox 
circuit  booker,  assuming  a  similar 
post  with  Delft. 


British  Are  Not  Acting  in 
Good  Faith,  Balaban  Says 


Expressing  dissatisfaction  over  the 
new  British  exhibitors'  45  per  cent 
quota,  Barney  Balaban,  Paramount 
president,  told  the  company's  annual 
stockholders'  meeting  here  yesterday 
that  he  does  not  think  the  British 
"are  acting  in  good  faith."  He  assert- 
ed that  Paramount  will  make  repre- 
sentations to  the  British  to  change  the 
quota. 

Balaban  also  voiced  displeasure 
with  the  permissive  provisions  of  the 
British  tax  agreement,  saying  that  the 
uses  are  so  hedged  and  restricted, 
and  the  attitude  so  far  indicated  by  the 
English  governmental  authorities  is  so 
narrow,  that  we  are  not  presently  jus- 
tified in  counting  upon  them  as  a 
means  of  bolstering  our  dollar 
resources." 

"Accordingly,"  he  declared,  "we  can, 
at  best,  use  blocked  funds  in  the  pro- 
duction of  only  a  limited  number  of 
pictures,  if  at  all,  in  England."  Dis- 
cussing some  of  the  troublesome  as- 
pects of  even  limited  production,  he 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Sir  Alexander  King 
Calls  Quota  a  'Farce' 

London,  June  IS. — Terming _  the 
new  45  per  cent  British  exhibitors' 
quota  a  "farce,"  Sir  Alexander  King, 
Britain's  leading  exhibitor  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Cinematograph  Ex- 
hibitors Association,  predicted  today 
that  as  a  result  of  it  twice  as  many 
theatres  will  be  in  default  of  their 
quota  committment  in  1950  as  were 
last  year,  when  1,300  theatres  could 
not  meet  the  quota  calling_  for  \7y'2 
per  cent  playing  time  for  British  films. 
Sir  Alexander's  comment  was  typical 
of  the  mood  with  which  other  British 
exhibitors  greeted  the  new  quota. 

Producers  here  were  enthusiastic 
(Continued  on  page  3) 

Name  Board  for  New 
Rank  Pooling  Group 

London,  June  15.— Directors  of  Cir 
cuit  Management  Association,  which 
evolved  from  a  pooling  of  J.  Arthur 
Rank's  Gaumont-British  and  Odeon 
circuits,  were  announced  here  today 
as  follows  :  Rank,  chairman ;  John  Da- 
vis, managing  director;  and  J.  A. 
Callum,  L.  W.  Farrow,  Lawrence 
Kent  and  Mark  Ostrer. 

Some  564  theatres  and  20  companies 
in  the  Odeon — G-B  groups  will  be  af- 
fected for  a  period  of  five  years  by 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


British  Exhibitors 
Set  to  Defy  Quota, 
Rank's  Rental  Terms 


By  PETER  BURNUP 

Douglas,  Isle  of  Man,  June  15. — 
In  an  atmosphere  of  intense  indigna- 
tion, the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors 
Association  convention  here  prepared 
today  to  do  battle  over  both  the  new 
45  per  cent  exhibitors'  quota  and  J. 
Arthur  Rank's  new  rental  terms. 

The  CEA  executive  committee  at 
its  meeting  today  recommended  to  the 
general  council,  which  meets  tomor- 
row, that  all  independent  exhibitors 
be  advised  to  refuse  to  book  Rank's 
films  on  his  proposed  terms  and,  in- 
stead, invoke  the  relief  clauses  of  the 
Quota  Act  whereby  exhibitors  are  en- 
abled to  default  when  unable  to  fulfill 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Reciprocal  Trade 
Pact  to  President 


Washington;  June  15. — The  House 
today  sent  to  the  White  House  a  bill 
extending  the  Reciprocal  Trade 
Agreement  Act  for  one  year,  with 
the  President  required  to  give  Con- 
gress his  reasons  anytime  he  ignores 
recommendations  made  by  the  Tariff 
Commission  on  new  treaties. 

There  is  some  speculation  that  Pres- 
ident Truman  may  veto  the  bill.  The 
Administration  has  been  pushing  for 
a  three-year  extension  without  any 
curbs  on  the  President. 

Sullivan  Calls  for 
Industry  Harmony 

Deploring  the  "minus  signs"  which 
have  come  between  producers,  distrib- 
utors and  exhibitors,  Gael  Sullivan, 
Theatre  Owners  of  America's  new  ex- 
ecutive director,  yesterday  called  for 
"plus  signs"  instead,  and  pledged  him- 
self to  assist  in  the  movement  for 
greater  harmony  in  the  industry's  op 
erations. 

The  occasion  of  Sullivan's  remarks 
was  a  luncheon  sponsored  by  TOA 
for  the  purpose  of  introducing  the 
former  executive  director  of  the  Na- 
tional Democratic  Committee  to  trade 
press  editors  and  distribution  and  ex- 
hibition executives  here.    He  was  in 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Para.  Case  to 
Get  New  Start 
Here  Oct.  13 


Court  Declines  to  Act 
Until  Third  Judge  Named 

A  further  protracted  battle  in  the 
Paramount  anti-trust  case  was  indi- 
cated yesterday  when  the  Govern- 
ment's proposed  order  designed  to 
to  give  force  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court's  opinion  in  the  suit  came  up 
for  hearing  before  Judges  Augustus 
N.  Hand  and  Henry  W.  Goddard  in 
District  Court  here  and  was  post- 
poned to  Oct.  13. 

Denying  the  Government's  applica- 
tion for  an  order  on  the  Supreme 
Court's  mandate  with  injunctive  pro- 
ceedings, the  court  postponed  a  fur- 
ther hearing  on  the  ground  it  had  no 
jurisdiction  in  judicial  matters  pend- 
ing the  appointment  of  a  third  judge 
to  sit  on  the  case.  Because  it  con- 
sidered the  question  of  jurisdiction 
"too  doubtful,"  the  tribunal  declined 
to  make  any  findings  at  yesterday's 
hearing  and  proposed  to  confine  it- 
self meanwhile  merely  to  entering  an 
order  conforming  with  suggestions  ad- 
vanced by  the  court.  Such  an  order 
was  prepared  later  in  the  day  and 
will  be  served  on  the  defendants  to- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


MacMillen  Named 
E-L  Vice-president 


William  C.  MacMillen,  Jr.  has  been 
appointed  vice-president  in  charge  of 
operations  of  Eagle-Lion,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  by  Arthur 
B.  Krim,  president.  MacMillen's  re- 
sponsibilities will  be  in  administration, 
personnel  and  finance  and  will  in  no 
wajr  affect  the  position  of  William 
J.  Heineman  as  distribution  vice-pre- 
sident. Eagle-Lion  is  a  subsidiary  of 
Pathe  Industries,  of  which  MacMillen 
has  been  an  officer  since  1946.  He  has 
also  been  president  of  the  Federation 
for  Railway  Progress  and  assistant 
to  Robert  R.  Young,  principal  Pathe 
stockholder.  MacMillen,  35  years  old, 
will  make  his  headquarters  here. 


Corcoran  to  Manage 
Western  Pa.  Allied 

Pittsburgh,  June  15. — George  Cor- 
coran has  been  named  general  mana- 
ger of  Allied  Motion  Picture  The- 
atre Owners  of  Western  Pennsylvania, 
succeeding  James  Alexander,  resigned. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  16,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


Tradewise .  . . 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


SAMUEL  SCHNEIDER,  Warner 
vice-president,  and  his  wife  will 
sail  for  London  today  on  the  6"^ 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

• 

Eric  Johnston,  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America  president,  has 
returned  to  Washington  from  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  where  he  attended  the 
graduation  of  his  daughter  from  Smith 
College. 

• 

Herbert  S.  Nusbaum,  Hollywood 
attorney,  has  arrived  here  from  the 
Coast  for  his  wedding  on  Sunday  to 
Barbara  Aaron,  daughter  of  M-G-M 
assistant  sales  manager  Edwin  W. 
Aaron. 

• 

Mrs.  Ben  Goetz,  wife  of  M-G-M's 
head  of  British  production,  and  Mrs. 
Howard  Strickling,  wife  of  the  stu- 
dio's publicity  chief,  will  sail  for  Eu- 
rope tomorrow  on  the  5"S  Queen  Eli- 
sabeth. 

• 

Mary  Pickford  and  her  husband, 
Buddy  Rogers,  who  will  leave  for  Eu- 
rope aboard  the  55  America  on  June 
23,  arrived  here  yesterday  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

Mrs.  C.  J.  Latta,  whose  husband 
retired  as  Warner  zone  manager  in 
upstate  New  York,  was  honor  guest 
at  a  farewell  dinner  given  by  the  Al- 
bany Ladies'  Theatrical  Club. 
• 

Edward  A.  Golden,  head  of  Golden 
Productions,  is  in  Texas  from  Holly- 
wood, while  his  son,  Robert  S.  Gold- 
en, producer,  is  in  New  York  from 
the  Coast. 

• 

Adele  Harris,  daughter  of  Ted 
Harris,  managing  director  of  the 
State  Theatre,  Hartford,  will  be  mar- 
ried there  Sunday  to  S.  Victor  Fein- 
gold. 

• 

Rene  Schine,  daughter  of  J.  Myer 
Schine  and  Mrs.  Schine,  will  sail 
on  a  conducted  tour  of  Europe  on 
Saturday.  She  is  a  Syracuse  Univer- 
sity student. 

• 

Herbert  J.  Yates,  Republic  presi- 
dent, and  James  R.  Grainger,  distri- 
bution vice-president,  flew  to  Boston 
yesterday  from  New  York. 

• 

Rutgers  Neilson,  RKO  Radio 
publicity  manager,  has  been  reelected 
to  the  board  of  governors  of  the  Cir- 
cus Saints  and  Sinners  here. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal-Interna- 
tional assistant  general  sales  manager, 
returned  to  New  York  last  night  from 
Los  Angeles. 

• 

I.  E.  Lopert,  Lopert  Films  presi- 
dent,   will    return   here   today  from 
France  and  Italy  on  the  .S".9  America. 
• 

Walter  Bibo,  Excelsior  Pictures 
president,  left  here  yesterday  by  plane 
for  Europe. 

• 

Sam  Marx,  M-G-M  producer,  is  in 
town  from  Hollywood. 


HPHERE  is  a  good  deal  of  top- 
A  level  talk  these  days  of  the 
advisability  of  creating  an  in- 
dustry council  composed  of  ex- 
perienced executives  who  would 
give  continuous  attention  to  some 
of  the  weightier  industry  prob- 
lems now  unresolved  and  to 
new  ones  as  they  may  arise  in 
the  future. 

The  idea  is  not  new.  It  ap- 
pears to  be  a  corollary  of  difficult 
times. 

During  a  comparable  period, 
10  years  ago,  the  organized  in- 
dustry delegated  similar  respon- 
sibilities to  what  was  termed  the 
Committee  of  Six.  The  group 
consisted  of  three  top-flight  in- 
dustry attorneys  in  New  York 
and  three  in  Hollywood. 

• 

The  record  of  the  accomplish- 
ments of  the  Committee  of  Six 
was  recorded  only  superficially 
in  industry  annals  of  the  period. 
That  was  due  less  to  the  record- 
ers' lack  of  interest  in  the  Com- 
mittee's activities  than  it  was  to 
the  traditional  shyness  of  attor- 
neys where  the  public  prints  are 
concerned. 

In  any  event  it  is  difficult  to 
appraise  the  contributions  of  the 
Committee  now  but  it  is,  per- 
haps, significant  that  the  need 
for  reestablishment  of  a  similar 
group  is  being  argued  in  influen- 
tial sectors. 

• 

In  the  1937-'39  period  during 
which  the  Committee  of  Six 
functioned,  the  trials  that  beset 
the  industry  were  not  greatly 
different  from  those  which 
plague  it  today.  A  decade  ago, 
as  now,  there  were  problems 
which  derived  from  financial  dif- 
ficulties, at  the  box  office  and  in 
Hollywood,  from  Governmental 
and  legal  attentions  and  from 
relations  (adverse,  that  is)  with 
the  public,  which  is  synonymous 
with  the  ticket  buyer. 

Because  of  the  obscure  record, 
it  is  not  clear  whether  the  Com- 
mittee of  Six  resolved  most  of 
the  problems  of  that  day  and 
went  out  of  business  quietly,  or 
whether  the  resurgence  of  good 
pictures  at  reasonable  costs,  si- 
multaneously with  a  rapidly  bet- 
tering economic  condition 
throughout  the  country,  dissolved 
the  problems  and  ended  the  need 
for  the  committee. 

However  that  may  be,  the  re- 
turn to  healthy  profits  and  the 
inactivation  of  the  committee 
were  fairly  well  synchronized. 

Once  again  now  the  cycle  ap- 


pears to  have  been  completed. 

If  an  industry  council  can  con- 
tribute anything  either  to  the 
solution  of  the  urgent  and  all  too 
numerous  problems  which  con- 
front the  industry  today,  or  to 
the  speeding  of  the  industry's 
economic  recovery,  then  such  a 
council  certainly  should  be  ap- 
pointed. 

• '  • 

Production  costs  continue  to 
be  a  major  concern  of  most  com- 
panies. 

Significant  economies  have 
been  made,  appreciable  waste 
eliminated.  But  there  are  many 
cost  fundamentals,  major  ones, 
on  which  no  impression  has  yet 
-been  made. 

One  seeming  effect  of  high 
negative  costs  is  the  understand- 
able tendency  of  some  distribu- 
tion companies  to  withhold  their 
better  releases  from  the  market 
while  awaiting  a  box-office  up- 
turn. 

Some  responsible  industry  di- 
agnosticians condemn  that  policy 
in  strong  terms.  They  argue 
that  it  not  only  permits  the  mar- 
ket to  continue  its  decline  but 
actually  contributes  to  that  re- 
sult. Their  conviction  is  that  no 
appreciable  box-office  upturn  is 
possible  without  the  release  of 
the  very  strongest  product  in 
quantity  sufficient  to  initiate  and 
sustain  the  recovery. 

These  analysts  contend  further 
that  the  job  is  too  big  to  be  per- 
formed by  one-quarter  or  one- 
half  of  the  industry.  They  sug- 
gest that  every  producing-dis- 
tributing  company  line  up  four 
or  five  of  its  outstanding  attrac- 
tions and  schedule  them  for  re- 
lease beginning,  say,  July  1. 

It  is  their  contention  that  such 
a  program  would  give  impetus  to 
the  market  which  would  condi- 
tion it  to  provide  the  best  returns 
for  top  product  and  which  would 
also  find  it  ready  to  absorb  the 
weaker  product  when  released  at 
reasonable  intervals  during  the 
anticipated  upturn. 

Just  incidentally,  a  producer 
lately  arrived  from  Hollywood 
was  discussing  the  recent  flow  of 
high  cost,  medium  quality  pic- 
tures, souvenirs  of  the  recent  era 
of  plenty.  His  capsule  explana- 
tion : 

"Hollywood  has  too  much  of 
everything  except  taste  and  judg- 
ment." 

We  just  can't  wait  to  see  his 
next  picture. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


PRESIDENT  TRUMAN  on  tour, 
■L  Jerusalem  battle  scenes  and  King 
Michael's  wedding  to  Princess  Anne 
are  current  newsreel  highlights.  Sports 
and  human  interest  items  round  out 
the  reels.  Complete  contents  follow. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  48 — Presi- 
dent Truman  sees  flood  areas  in  Oregon. 
President  blasts  Russia.  Arab  occupaJton 
of  old  city  of  Jerusalem.  Ex-King  M/JJk ' 
weds  Princess  Anne.  Tricky  chimpj|(P-^ 
put  on  show  at  St.  Louis  zoo.  Silver  aVTm- 
versary  of  Yankee  Stadium.  Golf:  Ben 
Hogan.     Citation  wins  Belmont  stakes. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  282— Great- 
er New  York's  Golden  Jubilee.  Jerusalem 
battle  films.  President  Truman  says  Soviet 
blocks  road  to  peace.  King  Michael  weds 
Anne.  Citation  wins  triple  crown.  Chimps 
put  on  a  show. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  85 — Free- 
dom Train.  Zoo  circus.  New  Look  gets 
into  the  swim.  Presidential  fireworks.  Babe 
Ruth  hailed  at  Yankee  Stadium. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL,,  No.  152— 
Rocket  plane  flies  faster  than  sound.  North- 
west greets  President  Truman.  Wedding  of 
King  Michael  in  Athens.  New  flood  perils 
British  Columbia.  Zoo  chimp  thrills  kids. 
Fans  honor  Babe  Ruth.  Citation  wins 
triple  crown. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  87 — 

Plane  flies  faster  than  sound.  Behind  Arab 
lines.  Michael  and  Anne  are  wed.  Re- 
publican candidates'  wives.  President  Tru- 
man on  tour.  Yankee  Stadium  anniversary. 
Belmont  stakes. 

Fifteen  Inducted  in 
AM  PA  Tomorrow 

Fifteen  will  be  inducted  in  the 
Associated  Motion  Picture  Adver- 
tisers tomorrow  at  a  meeting  in  the 
Hotel  Astor,  including  Marmi  Gedge, 
Jeanette  Sawyer,  Milt  Silver,  Steven 
Straussberg,  Dennis  Carlin,  Sidney 
Schaefer,  Al  Rylander,  Leo  Brody, 
Jack  C.  Alicoate,  Larry  Graburn, 
Ephrain  Epstein,  Leonard  G.  Goldman, 
Albert  Floersheimer,  Bill  Bentley  and 
Edward  De  Angelis. 

Judge  Edward  C.  Maguire,  coordi- 
nator of  Mayor  O'Dwyer's  New  York 
City  film  committee,  will  be  guest 
speaker.  Max  Youngstein,  AM  PA 
president,  will  preside. 

Jack  Goldstein  to 
Join  Hal  Home 

The  Hal  Home  Organization  here 
has  appointed  Jack  Goldstein  general 
manager  of  its  motion  picture  division. 
Simultaneously,  Goldstein  was  elected 
vice-president  of  Sing-A-Tina  Studios, 
a  Home  affiliate. 

Goldstein,  who  has  disposed  of  his 
Hollywood  agency  interests,  was  for- 
merly studio  representative  for  RKO 
Radio,  Eastern  advertising-publicity 
director  of  David  O.  Selznick,  and 
Eastern  publicity  director  of  20th 
Century-Fox. 

Baker  Is  Columbia's 
Des  Moines  Manager 

Chicago,  June  15. — Clark  Baker, 
city  salesman  in  Columbia's  Detroit 
branch  and  a  Columbia  employee  for 
10  years,  has  been  named  manager  of 
the  company's  Des  Moines  exchange, 
replacing  Mel  Evidon,  who  has  re- 
signed. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Wednesday,  June  16,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Production  Drops 
To  32,  from  37 


Hollywood,  June  15. — The  produc- 
tion tally  dipped  to  32  from  last  week's 
37.  Shooting  began  on  six  new  films, 
while  11  were  sent  to  cutting  rooms. 

Shooting  started  on  "The  Bribe," 
M-G-M ;  "Letter  to  Three  Wives," 
20th  Century-Fox;  "Mexican  Hay- 
ride,"  Universal-International ;  "Grand 
yon  Trail"  and  "Son  of  God's 
t — ntry,"  Republic ;  "Quick  on  the 
Trigger,"  Columbia.  Shooting  fin- 
ished on  "Photo  Finish,"  Columbia; 
"The  Million  Dollar  Weekend" 
(Masque),  Eagle-Lion;  "The  Un- 
believable" (Albert  J.  Cohen),  Film 
Classics;  "Three  Godfathers"  (Ar- 
gosy), M-G-M;  "Sorrowful  Jones," 
Paramount;  "Desperadoes  of  Dodge 
City,"  Republic ;  "Outlaw  Valley" 
and  "Weep  No  More,"  RKO  Radio; 
"Jungle  Goddess"  (Robert  L.  Lip- 
pert),  Screen  Guild;  "Burlesque," 
20th  Century-Fox,  and  "My  Dear 
Secretary"  (Cardinal),  United  Art- 
ists. 


Four  New  Theatres 
In  Charlotte  Area 

Charlotte,  June  15. — Two  theatres 
are  going  up  in  the  little  town  of 
Stanley,  N.  C.  One,  due  to  open  late 
in  June,  will  be  the  Stanley,  to  be  op- 
erated by  Lewis  Ballard  and  C.  M. 
Lowe  and  will  be  included  in  the  Ex- 
hibitors' Service  circuit.  The  other 
has  been  announced  by  A.  E.  Miller 
who  operates  theatres  in  Lincolnton. 

The  Whitaker  Hall  Theatre  in  Mc- 
Coll,  S.  C,  operated  by  a  group  of 
businessmen,  opened  there  recently 
The  Hollywood  Theatre  in  Winston 
Salem,  which  was  damaged  by  a  fire 
in  January,  will  be  razed  and  a  new 
building  will  be  erected  by  the  Blum 
enthal  circuit. 


Action  Deferred  on 
NYC  Censorship  Bill 

New    York    Councilman  Edward 
Cunningham  yesterday  asked  the  City 
Council  to  withhold  action  on  his  cen 
sorship  bill.     Overwhelming  opposi 
tion  to  the  measure  has  emanated  from 
theatre  interests  here. 

Although  Cunningham  sought  post 
ponement  until  next  Tuesday,  spokes 
men   in   the    forefront   of   the  fight 
against  the  bill  expressed  the  belief 
that  the   bill's   sponsor   will  refrain 
from  calling  for  a  vote.    He  said  he 
asked  for  the  postponement  becaus 
of  "confusion"  revolving  around  the 


Covington  Adopts 
Film  Censorship 

Covington,  Tenn.,  June  15. — This 
town  has  become  the  first  in  the  Mid 
South  to  follow  Memphis  and  adopt 
film  censorship. 

Mayor  Clyde  Walker  said  one 
Covington  theatre,  the  Gem,  has  been 
showing  pictures  censored  in  Mem 
phis.  Covington  officials  have  taken 
the  stand  that  any  film  banned  in 
Memphis  automatically  will  be  banned 
in  Covington. 


20th-Fox  Boatride  Today 

More  than  900  members  of  the  20th 
Century-Fox  Family  Club  and  their 
guests  will  embark  today  on  the  club's 
annual  boatride  to  Bear  Mountain, 
aboard  the  S.S.  Robert  Fulton. 


Defy  Quota,  Rank 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  quota  on  reasonable  economic 
terms. 

This  constitutes  an  unprecedented 
step,  the  CEA  heretofore  having  in- 
variably taken  the  stand  that  quota  de- 
faults are  a  matter  between  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  individual  exhibitors 
only. 

Envisaging  wholesale  quota  defaults, 
the  CEA  is  enthusiastically  accepting 
Rank's  challenge  and  virtually  is  coun- 
seling all  independents  to  wilfully 
default. 

Term  Rank  Films  'Poison' 

Today's  CEA  executive  meeting 
roundly  alleged  that  a  high  proportion 
of  Rank's  recent  film  output  is  "plain 
box-office  poison  ivy." 

The  executive  meeting  also  stated 
officially  that  the  proposed  quota  is 
completely  unworkable,  owing  to  an 
insufficient  supply  of  suitable  films.  If 
Harold  Wilson,  Board  of  Trade  presi- 
dent, persists,  it  was  stated,  his  Quota 
Act  immediately  becomes  a  dead  letter 
for  the  majority  of  independent  ex- 
hibitors. 

Discussing  the  new  booking  terms 
which  Rank  would  impose  on  the 
whole  industry,  the  executive  meeting 
recommends  that  the  CEA  general 
council  refuse  to  consider  terms  ex- 
ceeding 50  per  cent,  adding  signifi- 
cantly that  a  considerable  proportion 
of  Rank's  recent  output  doesn't  justi- 
fy even  35  per  cent. 

Expect  Debate  in  Commons 

Wilson's  order  fixing  the  new  quota 
percentage  requires  an  affirmative 
resolutjon  by  both  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment which,  it  is  anticipated,  will  pro- 
voke debate  in  Commons.  The  CEA 
does  not  place  undue  reliance  on  any- 
thing vital  resulting  from  that  but  it 
is  determined  to  pursue  tactics  which 
will  render  Wilson's  quota  inoperative. 
The  CEA  anticipates  that  the  Board 
of  Trade  dare  not  risk  wholesale  legal 
prosecutions  for  defaults. 

The  view  was  expressed  that  Wil- 
son's impossible  percentage  is  a  subtle 
political  move  throwing  the  ball  to 
Rank,  who  now  must  justify  his  claims 
that  his  films  are  good  enough  to  sat- 
isfy the  customers.  In  any  event,  the 
CEA  is  ready  to  do  battle  with  Rank, 
whether  or  not  the  government  aids. 


Calls  Quota  'Farce' 

(Continued  from  page  I) 


over  the  new  law,  however.  They 
claimed  they  will  certainly  be  able  to 
provide  the  films  demanded  for  meet- 
ing the  quota.  Said  Sir  Henry  French, 
director  general  of  the  British  Film 
Producers  Association :  "It  is  great 
encouragement  and  incentive  for  a  fu- 
ture satisfactory  conclusion  of  the  pro- 
ducers' campaign."  Sir  Alexander 
Korda  considers  the  45  per  cent  figure 
"realistic." 


Allied's  Ascap  Bill 
Dies  in  Committee 

Washington,  June  15. — The 
Allied  States-sponsored  Lewis 
Bill,  to  force  film  producers 
to  acquire  public  performing 
rights  to  Ascap  music,  finally 
dropped  completely  out  of  the 
picture  of  the  80th  Congress 
today  when  the  House  Judi- 
ciary Committee  finished  its 
last  meeting  of  the  session 
without  taking  action  on  the 
bill. 

Allied  has  indicated  it  will 
press  the  bill  again  in  the 
next  session. 


New  Film  Video  Unit 
To  Hold  Elections 

Election  of  officers  of  the  new  Na- 
tional Television  Film  Council  will 
take  place  at  a  dinner-meeting  at  the 
Williams  Club  here  tomorrow  night. 
The  unit  was  formed  to  set  up  a  code 
of  ethics  for  the  film  television  in- 
dustry and  to  reconcile  other  problems. 

Guest  speakers  will  include  Norman 
Blackburn,  NBC's  director  of  tele- 
vision programming ;  Ed  Evans, 
CBS's  director  of  films;  Kendall 
Foster,  television  director  of  William 
Esty  Co.;  and  Gene  Martel,  president 
of  the   Screen   Director's  Guild. 


Gael  Sullivan 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


troduced  to  the  gathering  of  about  40 
by  S.  H.  Fabian,  head  of  Fabian 
Theatres,  who  warned  that  the  rela- 
tionship between  exhibitor  and  dis- 
tributor "is  now  at  the  lowest  ebb," 
that  the  industry  has  never  had  such 
a  low  status  with  the  public  as  it  has 
at  present,  and  that  manifestations  of 
"jealousy  and  envy"  must  end  between 
exhibitor  and  distributor. 

Retiring  TOA  executive  director 
Robert  W.  Coyne  reviewed  for  Sulli- 
van and  the  gathering  the  challenges 
which  the  industry  faces  in  taxes,  tele- 
vision, high  costs  and  "shrinking  for- 
eign markets."  Fabian  joined  with 
Coyne  in  expressing  confidence  that 
Sullivan  is  equipped  by  experience  and 
background  to  help  guide  the  destiny 
of  TOA.  "Politics  is  played  for  keeps 
in  this  industry,"  Fabian  admonished, 
and  drew  a  burst  of  laughter  from  the 
audience  when  he  turned  to  Sullivan 
and  added  jovially:  "I'm  looking  for- 
ward to  your  first  encounter  with  Mr. 
Abram  Myers."  Myers  is  National 
Allied's  general  counsel. 


Loop  House  Reverts 
To  2nd  -  Run  Policy 

Chicago,  June  15. — Shortage  of 
first-run  product  is  causing  the  Mon- 
roe Theatre  in  the  Loop  to  revert 
on  Friday  to  a  second-run  policy  at 
reduced  admissions.  Owned  by  James 
Jovan,  the  Monroe  adopted  a  first-run 
policy  several  months  ago  principally 
because  the  house  is  not  affected'  by 
the  Jackson  Park  decree  and  is  there- 
fore able  to  play  films  beyond  the  two- 
week  limit.  Jovan  intends  to  go  back 
to  first-run  at  the  Monroe  when  prod- 
uct becomes  available. 


State  Hearing  Today 
On  RKO  Union  Tilt 

New  York  State  Labor  Relations 
Board  hearing  on  the  contract  dispute 
between  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Op- 
erating Managers  and  Assistant  Man- 
agers Guild  and  RKO  Service  Corp., 
originally  scheduled  for  yesterday,  was 
postponed  until  today. 

Guild  charges  that  the  company  re- 
fuses to  bargain  collectively  will  be 
heard  by  hearing  officer  Ben  Wolfe. 


Rank  Pooling  Group 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  pooling,  which  requires  ratification 
by  the  individual  companies. 

The  J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization 
yesterday  released  in  London  a 
lengthy  statement  outlining  in  detail 
the  modus  operandi  to  be  pursued  by 
Circuit  Management.  The  Rank  Or- 
ganization here  released  the  statement 
in  turn.  It  contained  substantially  the 
same  outline  of  operating  methods 
previously  reported  by  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily,  and  added :  "Experience 
has  shown  that,  to  be  most  successful, 
a  theatre  should  show  a  balanced  pro- 
gram of  British  and  American  pic- 
tures ;  but  the  success  of  a  theatre  to- 
day depends  to  a  very  large  extent  on 
the  number  and  quality  of  brother 
films  it  can  obtain  for  exhibition." 


Explorers  See  'Kumaon' 

Members  of  the  Explorers'  Club, 
the  Adventurers'  Club,  executives  of 
the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  the 
Indian  League  and  the  Consul  Gen- 
eral of  India,  were  guests  at  a  screen- 
ing of  the  Monty  Shaff -Frank  P.  Ro- 
senberg Universal-International  pro- 
duction "Man-Eater  of  Kumaon,"  at 
the  Park  Avenue  Theatre  in  New 
York  last  night. 


SRO  Distribution 
Set  in  Two  Areas 

Philadelphia,  June  15. — National 
Film  Service  representatives,  Okla- 
homa City  Shipping  and  Inspection 
Bureau,  Oklahoma  City,  and  Film  In- 
spection Service,  New  Orleans,  will 
handle  physical  distribution  for  Selz- 
nick  Releasing  Organization.  This  in- 
cludes film  inspection,  shipping,  mount- 
ing, storage,  etc. 


Mangham,  White  and 
Houck  to  Produce 

Atlanta,  June  15. — John  W.  Mang- 
ham, J.  Francis  White  and  Joy  B. 
Houck  have  formed  Western  Adven- 
ture Productions  to  make  eight  West- 
erns annually  in  Hollywood  at  the 
Ingram  Ranch — to  star  Peggy  Stewart 
and  Lash  (Al)  Rue. 


New  DuMont  Video  Link 

New  Haven  June  15.— WNHC-TV, 
affiliate  of  DuMont,  is  now  on  the  air 
with  test  patterns  and  is  expected  to 
begin  telecasts  of  network  programs 
this  week.  Lawrence  Phillips,  director 
of  the  DuMont  net,  pointed  out  that 
the  station  will  be  the  first  affiliate  of 
any  television  network  to  begin  opera- 
tions with  a  full  schedule  of  network 
programs  available,  made  possible  by 
DuMont's  construction  of  a  micro- 
wave relay  system  between  New 
Haven  and  New  York. 


New  GWTW  Run  Here 

"Gone  with  the  Wind"  will  open  at 
the  Elysee  Theatre  here  on  June  19 
for  an  indefinite  run,  in  its  fourth 
release  throughout  the  country. 


2nd  MPAA  Short  Ready 

"Letter  to  a  Rebel,"  second  of  the 
industry's  short  subjects  on  American 
Democracy,  will  be  released  on  June 
25,  it  was  announced  jointly  yester- 
day by  RKO-Pathe  and  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America.  The 
series  is  sponsored  by  the  association 
to  illuminate  aspects  of  American  life. 
Member  companies  are  producing. 
"Letter  to  a  Rebel"  carries  a  fore- 
word by  Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  presi- 
dent. 


Moffitt  Theatre  Burns 

Atlanta,  June  15. — The  New  Fort 
Theatre  in  Fort  Deposit,  Ala.,  was 
destroyed  by  fire  with  a  loss  of  be- 
tween $10,000  to  $12,000.  John  Mof- 
fitt is  the  owner. 


READY  TO  GO  TO  WORK  FOR 


MGM  GREAT 


APRIL  29 

SPENCER  TRACY,  KATHARINE  HEPBURN,  VAN  JOHNSON,  Angela  Lansbury, 
Adolphe  Menjou,  Lewis  Stone  in  FRANK  CAPRA's  "STATE  OF  THE  UNION." 

MAY  20 

"SUMMER  HOLIDAY"  [Technicolor).  MICKEY  ROONEY,  GLORIA  De  HAVEN, 
Walter  Huston,  Frank  Morgan,  Butch  Jenkins,  Marilyn  Maxwell,  Agnes 
Moorehead,  Selena  Royle. 

MAY  27 

CLARK  GABLE,  LANA  TURNER,  Anne  Baxter,  John  Hodiak  in 
"HOMECOMING"  Ray  Collins,  Gladys  Cooper,  Cameron  Mitchell. 


JUNE  3 

"BIG  CITY,"  Starring  Margaret  O'Brien,  Robert  Preston,  Danny  Thomas, 
George  Murphy,  Karin  Booth,  Edward  Arnold,  Butch  Jenkins,  Betty  Garrett, 
Lotte  Lehmann. 

JUNE  10 

JUDY  GARLAND,  GENE  KELLY  in  "THE  PIRATE"  (recfim'co/or).  Walter  Slezak, 
Gladys  Cooper,  Reginald  Owen. 

JUNE  24 

ESTHER  WILLIAMS,  PETER  LAWFORD,  RICARDO  MONTALBAN,  JIMMY  , 
DURANTE,  CYD  CHARISSE,  XAVI-ER  CUGAT  in  "ON   AN  ISLAND  WITH 

YOU"  {Technicolor). 


OF  '48 ! 


ER   LONG  ! 


JULY  8 

IRVING  BERLIN'S  "EASTER  PARADE"  [Technicolor).  Starring 
JUDY  GARLAND,  FRED  ASTAIRE,  PETER  LAWFORD,  ANN  MILLER. 

JULY  29 

"A  DATE  WITH  JUDY"  {Technicolor).  Starring  WALLACE  BEERY,  JANE  POWELL, 
ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CARMEN  MIRANDA,  XAVIER  CUGAT,  ROBERT  STACK. 

AUGUST  5 

GREER  GARSON,  WALTER  PIDGEON  in  "JULIA  MISBEHAVES"  PETER 
LAWFORD,  ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CESAR  ROMERO,  Lucile  Watson,  Nigel 
Bruce,  Mary  Boland,  Reginald  Owen. 


AUGUST  12 

RED  SKELTON,  BRIAN  DONLEVY  in  "A  SOUTHERN  YANKEE"  Arlene  Dahl, 
George  Coulouris,  Lloyd  Gough,  John  Ireland,  Minor  Watson. 

SEPTEMBER 

"THE  THREE  MUSKETEERS"  (Tec/imco/or).  LANA  TURNER,  GENE  KELLY, 
JUNE  ALLYSOK,  VAN  HEFLIN,  ANGELA  LANS3URY,  Frank  Morgan,  Vincent 
Price,  Keenan  Wynn,  John  Sutton,  Gig  Young. 


LASSIE  in  "HILLS  OF  HOME"  (Technicolor).  Co-starring  EDMUND  GWENN, 
DONALD  CRISP,  TOM  DRAKE,  JANET  LEIGH. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  16,  1948 


Para.  Case 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Para.  Capital 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


day.  The  date  for  its  submission  to 
the  court  has  not  been  set. 

Judge  Hand  said  that  steps  would 
be  taken  between  now  and  Oct.  13 
to  name  a  third  judge  to  replace 
the  late  Judge  John  Bright.  The 
question  of  a  third  judge  was  given 
much  weight  at  the  hearing.  Express- 
ing fear  that  the  proceedings  would 
be  long-drawn  out,  Judge  Hand  sug- 
gested the  possibility  of  having  the 
case  heard  by  a  one-judge  court.  If 
a  three-judge  court  was  mandatory, 
he  said,  perhaps  an  outside  jurist 
could  be  called,  in.  With  a  touch 
of  humor,  he  questioned,  however, 
whether  an  outside  judge  would  want 
to  sit  on  the  case  even  if  he  were  a 
young  man.  He  mentioned  the  name 
of  Circuit  Court  Judge  Thomas  W. 
Swan  as  a  possible  candidate  for  the 
third  place  on  the  bench,  but  ex- 
pressed doubt  that  Judge  Swan  might 
want  to  sit. 

Further  support  for  the  belief  that 
the  court  and  the  industry  were  faced 
with  lengthy  proceedings  came  from 
Whitney  North  Seymour  of  counsel 
for  Paramount.  He  told  the  court 
there  was  no  way  of  establishing 
the  legality  of  theatre  holdings  except 
by  considering  the  matter  situation  by 
situation. 

That  a  long  battle  lay  ahead  was 
additionally  indicated  in  a  statement 
made  by  Austin  C.  Keough  later  in 
the  day.  'We  again  may  have  to 
battle  our  way  up  to  the  Supreme 
Court,"  he  said,  "and  we  are  pre- 
pared to  do  it." 

Wright  Presses  for  Action 

Robert  L.  Wright,  special  assistant 
to  the  attorney  general,  disputed  that 
a  third  judge  was  necessary  in  passing 
on  the  Government's  request  for  a 
temporary  writ  to  restrain  the  de- 
fendants from  selling  or  acquiring 
theatres,  from  making  franchise  deals 
covering  theatres  affiliated  with  one 
or  more  of  the  defendants  and  from 
discriminating  against  film  licensees 
competing  with  licensees  affiliated 
with  one  or  more  of  the  companies, 
pending  entry  of  a  further  order. 

Wright  petitioned  for  temporary 
relief  until  a  full  court  could  render 
final  judgment.  Judge  Hand  took 
issue  with  Wright  on  the  latter's  con- 
tention that  injunctive  measures  would 
prove  an  adequate  substitute  for  the 
present  arbitration  system.  "We've 
got  to  start  afresh,"  Wright  said  in 
arguing  that  the  arbitration  system 
was  "not  subject  to  amendment"  and 
did  not  suffice  to  halt  discrimination. 
The  court  was  urged  by  the  Govern- 
ment's prosecutor  that  the  monopoly 
and  integration  issues  be  reconsidered. 

Judge   Hand   indicated  to  Wright 


OF  COURSE 

i  mmim 


are  to  be  reduced,  it  is  prudent  for 
us  to  take  steps  to  compensate  for 
that  reduction  by  shrinking  our  cap- 
ital structure.  Accordingly,  it  is  our 
aim  to  design  a  program  through 
which  any  proceeds  from  the  disposi- 
tion of  assets  will  be  applied  to  a 
contraction  of  our  capital  so  that  the 
end  structure  will  be  adapted  to  the 
assets  and  earning  power  left." 

Theatres  Valued  on  '32-'35  Levels 

In  replying  to  stockholders'  ques- 
tions, Balaban  said  that  Paramount 
would  make  every  effort  to  hold  on 
to  as  many  theatres  as  possible  and, 
if  forced  to  sell  theatres,  the  company 
would  try  to  hold  on  to  the  leases. 
The  company's  balance  sheets  do  not 
show  the  true  value  of  its  theatre 
holdings,  he  noted,  because  they  are 
carried  at  1932  and  1935  levels. 

Balaban  told  the  meeting  that  Para- 
mount's  theatre  earnings  "have  held 
up  much  better  than  those  from  pro- 
duction-distribution." Although  the- 
atre receipts  were  down  in  about  the 
same  proportion  as  film  rentals,  costs 
in  theatre  operations  increased  less 
than  those  in  production-distribution, 
he  said. 

Observing  that  each  branch  of  op- 
eration must  "stand  on  its  own  feet," 
Bala4>an  said  the  need  for  an  inde- 
pendently healthy  business  condition 
is  accentuated  by  "the  uncertainty 
cast  upon  our  theatre  holdings  by  the 
anti-trust  suit." 

Discussing  increased  costs  and  low- 
er volume  of  business,  Balaban  said 
the  best  that  can  be  done  is  to  hold 
costs  to  the  lowest  point  consistent 
with  quality  product  and  the  "main- 
tenance of  an  alert,  vigorous  organi- 
zation." In  this  respect,  he  said,  some 
costs,  such  as  labor,  salary  and  wages, 


HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


having  been  set  by  bargaining,  tend 
to  become  fixed  "and  are  largely  un- 
responsive to  management  efforts  to 
effect  a   readjustment. 'k 

Therefore,  he  said,  continued  effort 
must  be  made  to  eliminate  waste  in 
those  areas  in  which  the  power  to 
shape  costs  obtains,  particularly  in 
production  activities. 

"If  Paramount  is  to  remain  a  major 
factor  in  production-distribution," 
Balaban  said,  "it  is  imperative  that 
we  make  quality  pictures  at  a  cost 
which  will  permit  their  distribution 
at  a  profit." 

"I  believe  that  inventory  and  cost 
control  are  the  most  important  cri- 
teria of  success  or  failure  in  our  in- 
dustry today,"  he  said,  observing  that 
no  one  knows  how  long  the  present 
critical  period  will  last. 

He  said  that  Paramount  reduced  its 
inventory  by  approximately  $2,400,000 
last  year  and  that  current  inventory  is 
about  the  same  as  at  the  year  end. 
Cash  is  down  about  $1,250,000,  but 
bank  debt  has  been  reduced  from  $8,- 
000,000  to  $6,000,000,  while  $3,571,- 
000  was  applied  to  purchase  of  166,000 
shares  of  the  company's  stock  this 
year. 

Seasonal  Decline  Is  'Prolonged' 

"In  the-  second  quarter,"  Balaban 
said,  "we  have  been  experiencing  the 
same  seasonal  drop  as  occurred  last 
year.  It  is  more  intense  and  appears 
to  be  more  prolonged  this  year  due, 
perhaps,  to  the  wider  variety  of  di- 
versions which  are  now  open  to  the 
public.  The  pictures  which  we  will 
release  during  the  second  half  are, 
on  the  whole,  very  good.  If,  as  we 
expect,  the  levels  of  domestic  the- 
atre business  for  the  second  half  of 
1948  hold  up  reasonably  well,  they 
will  serve  to  cushion  the  decline  in 
film  earnings  and  will  enable  us  to 
strengthen  further  the  foundations  for 
profitable  operations  in  production 
distribution,"  Balaban  said. 


that  the  Supreme  Court  had  compli- 
cated the  task  of  the  District  Court 
by  failing  to  make  it  clear  what  find- 
ings the  lower  tribunal  was  expected 
to  make.  At  this  point  a  question 
arose  as  to  the  interpretation  of  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  proposed  order,  es- 
pecially in  regard  to  divestiture. 

John  W.  Davis  of  Loew's  counsel 
argued  against  the  Government's  de- 
mand that  the  theatre-holding  defend- 
ants be  compelled  to  submit  a  compila- 
tion of  ioint  theatre  ownerships  in  an 
attempt  to  establish  which  are  legal 
and  which  illegal.  He  held  that  it 
was  the  Government's  job  to  list  own- 
erships considered  to  be  illegal.  "The 
Government,"  he  said,  "shouldn't  shift 
the  burden  to  the  defendants  to  prove 
which  are  legal  and  which  illegal." 

Holds  Court  Is  'Ministerial' 

It  was  Davis'  contention  that  the 
statutory  court,  as  presently  consti- 
tuted, was  a  "ministerial"  one  and 
could  not  determine  judicial  matters. 

Appearing  for  Warner  Bros.,  Judge 
Joseph_  Proskauer  argued  that  many 
of  the  issues  in  the  Government's  pro- 
posed order  were  so  controversial  they 
:ould  not  be  ruled  upon  without  a 
'ull  court.  Asserting  there  existed 
'no  practical  need  for  any  kind  of 
njunc'tion,"  he  assured  the  court  the 
defendants  would  operate  in  accord- 
■nce  with  any  ruling  of  the  District 
Court  until  a  final  judgment  in  the 
:ase. 

That  the  Government's  motion  was 
'unusual  and  unnecessary"  and  it  was 
ip  to  the  Department  of  Justice  to 
lecide  what  attitude  was  to  be  taken 
by  the  defendants  in  further  proceed- 


ings was  the  argument  made  by  James 
F.  Byrnes,  appearing  for  20th-Fox. 

A  suggestion  that  the  Government 
sit  down  with  the  defendants  in  an 
effort  to  "find  out  what  it  wants  in 
a  specific  way"  was  presented  to  the 
court  by  Thomas  Turner  Cooke,  who 
represented  Universal.  He  said  that 
a  sweeping  injunction  against  alleg- 
edly discriminatory  practices  would 
leave  the  industry  open  to  charges  of 
discrimination  at  every  move,  thereby 
proving  a  serious  hindrance  to  the 
conduct  of  the  business. 


Para.  Reelection 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


gan,  Henry  Ginsberg,  Leonard  H. 
Goldenson  and  Paul  Raibourn  ;  secre- 
tary, Robert  H.  O'Brien;  treasurer, 
Fred  Mohrhardt ;  assistant  secre- 
taries, Jacob  H.  Karp,  Frank  Meyer 
and  Russell  Holman. 

Directors  reelected  include :  Bala- 
ban, Stephen  Callaghan,  Freeman, 
Harvey  D.  Gibson,  Goldenson,  A. 
Conger  Goodyear,  Stanton  Griffis, 
Duncan  G.  Harris,  John  D.  Hertz, 
Keough,  Earl  I.  McClintock,  Maurice 
Newton,  Reagan,  E.  V.  Richards, 
Edwin  L.  Weisl  and  Zukor. 


'Waltz'  Time  on  WPIX 

Paramount  became  the  first  film 
company  to  make  commercial  use  of 
the  facilities  of  WPIX  last  night  when 
the  New  York  Daily  News  television 
station  started  operations.  The  com- 
pany purchased  time  to  promote  "The 
Emperor  Waltz,"  which  opens  at  the 
Music  Hall  here  tomorrow. 


Balaban  Optimistic 
Of  Video  in  Future 

Television  will  offer  the  film  indus- 
try many  "plusses  and  minuses," 
Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  president, 
told  company  stockholders  at  their 
annual  meeting  here  yesterday.  He 
said  it  is  premature  to  predict  any 
definite  effects,  but  that  on  the  whole 
he  is  "optimistic." 

Two  matters  were  cited  by  Bala- 
ban as  having  an  important  bearing 
on  the  company's  expansion  iilffi^ 
television  field.  He  listed  thesWT-i 
the  preparatory  judgment  which  the 
company  has  filed  to  determine  wheth- 
er the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission has  the  right  to  limit  any 
company  to  five  television  stations, 
and  forthcoming  hearings  in  Wash- 
ington on  whether  Paramount  con- 
trols DuMont. 


Balaban  on  British 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


said  that  the  company  could  not  pay 
the  full  costs  in  pounds  sterling  for 
the  reason  that  American  talent  and 
personnel  must  be  employed  in  En- 
gland if  the  picture  is  to  have  Ameri- 
can appeal  as  well  as  worldwide  ap- 
peal, and  to  the  extent  that  American 
components  are  used,  costs  must  be 
paid  in  U.  S.  dollars. 

Balaban  pointed  out  that  the  com- 
pany's revenues  were  not  actually  af- 
fected by 'the  recent  75  per  cent  Brit- 
ish ad  valorem  tax  because  Paramount 
had  a  supply  of  pictures  in  England 
to  which  the  tax  did  not  apply.  He 
added  that  the  supply  is  not  yet  whol- 
ly exhausted,  fie  said  that  conse- 
quently, while  the  terms  of  the  Brit- 
ish agreement  "are  more  favorable 
than  the  British  ad  valorem  tax,  ac- 
tual operating  conditions  during  the 
time  the  tax  was  in  effect,  though 
temporary,  were  more  favorable  to  us 
than  the  situation  now  is  under  the 
agreement." 

Reviewing  the  general  foreign  situ- 
ation, Balaban  reported  the  situation 
is  "unchanged"  since  his  last  report. 
He  said  that  it  is  still  a  "story  of  re- 
strictive measures  against  the  importa- 
tion and  showing  of  our  films  in  for- 
eign countries." 


FIVE-STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

ZH  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices-.  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MC 


DAI  LY 


Concise 

and 
Impartial 


i  V^^63.  .NO.  117 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JUNE  17,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


MPAA  Board 
Weighs  Action 
On  U.  K.  Quota 

Meeting  Here  Today  Also 
Takes  Up  Tax  Agreement 

A  strong  American  protest 
igainst  the  new  British  exhibitor 
juota  of  45  per  cent  is  expected  to 
je  drafted  in  New  York  today  at  a 
meeting  of  company  presidents  and 
'oreign  managers.  Meeting  will  be 
idd  at  the  Motion  Picture  Associa- 
:ion  of  America  office  here  with 
MPAA  president  Eric  A.  Johnston 
^residing. 

Speculation  was  strong  yesterday 
hat  Johnston  will  fly  to  London  with- 
n  a  few  days  to  deliver  such  a  pro- 
est  personally. 

The  meeting  was  called  yesterday 
ifter  Johnston  in  Washington  received 
i  long  report  by  trans-Atlantic  tele- 
)hone  from  MPAA's  F.  W.  Allport 
n  London,  giving  details  of  the  new 
juota  act,  an  interpretation  of  its 
irobable  impact  on  the  U.  S.  industry, 
ind  details  of  recent  developments  in 
he   Anglo-American   tax  agreement 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


LO  Canadian  Films  to 
Monogram,  Allied 

Hollywood,  June  16. — Contracts 
ailing  for  the  production  of  10  pic- 
ures  in  Canada  within  two  years  for 
vorld  distribution  by  Allied  Artists 
nd  Monogram  were  signed  here  today 
iy  Steve  Broidy,  president  of  both 
ompanies,  and  Leonard  Fields,  repre- 
enting  Canadian  International  Screen 
Productions,  and  Renaissance  Films, 
'Oth  of  Montreal. 

Five  produced  by  CISP  will  be 
igh-budget  films  for  AA  distribution 
nd  five  by  Renaissance  for  Mono- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


$50,000,000  Gross 
In  Italian  Theatres 

Rome,  June  11  (By  Airmail). 
— An  all-time  record  525,420,- 
000  theatre  tickets  were  sold 
in  Italy  during  1947  for  29,000,- 
000,000  lira  ($50,000,000).  The 
previous  record  was  set  in 
1942  when  477,134,079  tickets 
were  sold.  There  were,  how- 
ever, far  fewer  theatres  in 
1942  than  in  1947. 


Court  Ruling  Favors 
'  IA'  in  Sopeg  Tilt 


Ruling  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here 
on  the  so-called  Parker-Kalon  labor 
case,  Federal  Judge  Simon  H.  Rif- 
kind  has  denied  a  petition  by  a  CIO 
union,  whose  officers  have  refused  to 
file  non-Communist  affidavits  required 
by  the  Taft-Hartley  Act,  for  an  order 
restraining  the  NLRB  here  from  hold- 
ing a  collective  bargaining  election 
sought  by  a  complying  union. 

The  decision  is  described  as  favor- 
ing the  IATSE  position  in  the  dispute 
with  the  Screen  Office  and  Profes- 
sional Employes  Guild  over  "white 
collarite"  jurisdiction  at  United  Art- 
ists home  office  in  that  the  NLRB 
here  is  now  consequently  in  a  position 
to  order  a  shop  election  at  UA  in 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Rosenman  Is  MPAA 
Counsel  in  SWG  Suit 


Judge  Samuel  Rosenman,  former 
adviser  to  the  late  President  Roose- 
velt, has  been  retained  by  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  and 
member  companies  to  serve  as  coun- 
sel in  the  pending  action  brought  by 
the  Screen  Writers  Guild. 

SWG,  represented  by  Thurman 
Arnold,  former  U.  S.  Attorney-Gen- 
eral, filed  suit  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
here  against  the  majors  for  an  injunc- 
tion to  end  an  alleged  conspiracy 
against  the  employment  of  persons 
slispected  of  being  subversive. 


Labor  Dispute  Shuts 
Park  Ave.  Theatre 


A  dispute  arising  from  negotiations 
between  the  Park  Avenue  Theatre 
here  and  the  Moving  Picture  Machine 
Operators  Union,  Local  No.  306, 
IATfsE,  according  to  the  theatre 
manager,  Robert  Ungerfeld,  has  re- 
sulted in  the  unexpected  closing  of 
the  theatre  and  indefinite  postponement 
of  the  premiere  of  "The  End  of  the 
River."  Ungerfeld  said  here  yester- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


RKO  Will  File  Brief 
In  Union  Controversy 

New  York  State  Labor  Relations 
Board  has  ordered  RKO  Service 
Corp.  to  file  briefs  within  10  days  ex- 
plaining its  position  in  connection  with 
charges  by  the  Motion  Picture  Operat- 
ing Managers  and  Assistant  Managers 
Guild  that  the  company  has  refused 
to  bargain  collectively.  The  order 
was  made  yesterday  following  a  pre- 
liminary hearing  here  on  the  dispute. 


Court  Rules  Out  EMI 
In  Ascap  Trust  Suit 

The  Government's  motion 
resisting  Ascap's  attempt  to 
have  Broadcast  Music,  Inc., 
included  as  a  defendant  in 
the  trust  suit  against  the  so- 
ciety has  been  granted  by 
Judge  Simon  H.  Rifkind  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here. 

Illegal  participation  in  an 
international  cartel  and  con- 
spiracy to  monopolize  music 
performing  rights  are 
charged  against  Ascap  by  the 
Government. 


To  Outline  Video 
Exhibition  Contract 


Proposed  standard  exhibition  con- 
tract for  films  on  television  will  be 
outlined  at  a  meeting  of  the  National 
Television  Film  Council  to  be  held 
here  tomorrow  evening  at  the  Wil- 
liams Club.  A  central  agency  for 
clearing  television  film  rights,  and 
technical  clinics  for  bettering  televi- 
sion film  production  will  also  be  de- 
tailed at  the  meeting  and  dinner  pre- 
ceding it,  to  be  presided  over  by  the 
council's  temporary  chairman,  Melvin 
L.   Gold,  advertising-publicity  direc- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Claim  Video  Films 
Should  Be  Censored 

Baltimore,  June  16. — Motion  pic- 
tures exhibited  in  Maryland  are  sub- 
ject to  approval  of  the  State  Board  of 
Censors.  Since  special  films  are  tele- 
vised without  having  to  be  submitted 
to  the  censors,  state  authorities  are 
confronted  with  a  problem. 

So  far,  there  is  no  sign  of  a  solu- 
tion. If  films  shown  on  a  screen  must 
carry  the  board's  seal,  then  pictures 
going  out  over  the  air  should  come 
under  the  same  jurisdiction,  it  is 
claimed  by  many  exhibitors.  State 
officials  are  confused. 


Lesser,  Poe  Will 
Represent  W anger 

Irving  Lesser,  former  manager  of 
the  Roxy  Theatre  here,  and  Seymour 
Poe,  who  has  represented  Hollywood 
producers  in  the  East,  have  become 
Walter  Wanger's  Eastern  representa- 
tives, it  is  understood,  •  through  the 
partnership  which  the  former  two  es- 
tablished some  weeks  ago. 

Until  recently  Wanger  had  been 
represented  by  Budd  Rogers,  who 
meanwhile  has  become  head  of  Realart 
Pictures.  Rogers  is  also  a  board 
member  of  Universal-International. 


U.K.Exhibitors 
Flay  Rank  and 
New  Quota  Law 

Would  Drop  Rank's" Films  ; 
Call  Quota  'Unworkable* 

By  PETER  BURNUP 

Douglas,  Isle  of  Man,  June  16. — 
Angry  denunciation  of  the  new 
British  exhibitors'  quota  of  45  per 
cent  and  of  J.  Arthur  Rank's  new 
booking  terms  and  business  methods 
marked  today's  meeting  of  the  Cine- 
matograph Exhibitors  Association 
general  council  here. 

The  temper  of  the  whole 
meeting  was  that  a  now-or- 
never  stand  must  be  made  if  in- 
dependent exhibitors  are  to 
survive.  A  nationwide  cam- 
paign against  Rank's  methods 
was  proposed  on  the  theory 
that  not  only  independents  but 
the  whole  industry  are  likely  to 
perish  if  he  persists. 
It  was   with   some   difficulty  that 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Gov't  Bows  to  Full 
Court  in  Para.  Suit 


Dismissal  of  the  Government's  mo- 
tion for  injunctive  proceedings  to  give 
force  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court's 
decision  in  the  Paramount  anti-trust 
case  is  asked  by  the  Department  of 
Justice  in  a  new  order  prepared  in 
conformity  with  suggestions  advanced 
on  Tuesday  at  a  hearing  in  District 
Court  here.  The  move  was  made  "for 
want  of  jurisdiction." 

The  Government  also  asks  that  fur- 
ther proceedings  under  the  decision 
be  held  "before  a  full  court  of  three 
judges"  starting  on  Oct.  13. 

The  new  order,  copies  of  which 
were  served  on  the  defendants  yester- 
day, will  be  presented  to  Judges  Au- 
gustus .N.  Hand  and  Henry  W.  God- 
dard  for  entry  on  June  21. 


Plan  Coast  Meet  on 
Publicity  Council 

Hollywood,  June  16.  —  Edward 
Cheyfitz  of  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America's  Washington  of- 
fice has  arrived  here  to  represent 
MPAA  president  Eric  Johnston  at  a 
meeting  of  a  committee  of  representa- 
tives of  producers,  distributors,  guilds, 
unions  and  exhibitors  to  plan  an  in- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  16,  1948 


Para.  Case 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

day.  The  date  for  its  submission  to 
the  court  has  not  been  set. 

Judge  Hand  said  that  steps  would 
be  taken  between  now  and  Oct.  13 
to  name  a  third  judge  to  replace 
the  late  Judge  John  Bright.  The 
question  of  a  third  judge  was  given 
much  weight  at  the  hearing.  Express- 
ing fear  that  the  proceedings  would 
be  long-drawn  out,  Judge  Hand  sug- 
gested the  possibility  of  having  the 
case  heard  by  a  one-judge  court.  If 
a  three-judge  court  was  mandatory, 
he  said,  perhaps  an  outside  jurist 
could  be  called,  in.  With  a  touch 
of  humor,  he  questioned,  however, 
whether  an  outside  judge  would  want 
to  sit  on  the  case  even  if  he  were  a 
young  man.  He  mentioned  the  name 
of  Circuit  Court  Judge  Thomas  W. 
Swan  as  a  possible  candidate  for  the 
third  place  on  the  bench,  but  ex- 
pressed doubt  that  Judge  Swan  might 
want  to  sit. 

Further  support  for  the  belief  that 
the  court  and  the  industry  were  faced 
with  lengthy  proceedings  came  from 
Whitney  North  Seymour  of  counsel 
for  Paramount.  He  told  the  court 
there  was  no  way  of  establishing 
the  legality  of  theatre  holdings  except 
by  considering  the  matter  situation  by 
situation. 

That  a  long  battle  lay  ahead  was 
additionally  indicated  in  a  statement 
made  by  Austin  C.  Keough  later  in 
the  day.  'We  again  may  have  to 
battle  our  way  up  to  the  Supreme 
Court,"  he  said,  "and  we  are  pre- 
pared to  do  it." 

Wright  Presses  for  Action 

Robert  L.  Wright,  special  assistant 
to  the  attorney  general,  disputed  that 
a  third  judge  was  necessary  in  passing 
on  the  Government's  request  for  a 
temporary  writ  to  restrain  the  de- 
fendants from  selling  or  acquiring 
theatres,  from  making  franchise  deals 
covering  theatres  affiliated  with  one 
or  more  of  the  defendants  and  from 
discriminating  against  film  licensees 
competing  with  licensees  affiliated 
with  one  or  more  of  the  companies, 
pending  entry  of  a  further  order. 

Wright  petitioned  for  temporary 
relief  until  a  full  court  could  render 
final  judgment.  Judge  Hand  took 
issue  with  Wright  on  the  latter's  con- 
tention that  injunctive  measures  would 
prove  an  adequate  substitute  for  the 
present  arbitration  system.  "We've 
got  to  start  afresh,"  Wright  said  in 
arguing  that  the  arbitration  system 
was  "not  subject  to  amendment"  and 
did  not  suffice  to  halt  discrimination. 
The  court  was  urged  by  the  Govern- 
ment's prosecutor  that  the  monopoly 
and  integration  issues  be  reconsidered. 

Judge   Hand   indicated  to  Wright 


Para.  Capital 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

are  to  be  reduced,  it  is  prudent  for 
us  to  take  steps  to  compensate  for 
that  reduction  by  shrinking  our  cap- 
ital structure.  Accordingly,  it  is  our 
aim  to  design  a  program  through 
which  any  proceeds  from  the  disposi- 
tion of  assets  will  be  applied  to  a 
contraction  of  our  capital  so  that  the 
end  structure  will  be  adapted  to  the 
assets  and  earning  power  left." 

Theatres  Valued  on  '32-'35  Levels 

In  replying  to  stockholders'  ques- 
tions, Balaban  said  that  Paramount 
would  make  every  effort  to  hold  on 
to  as  many  theatres  as  possible  and, 
if  forced  to  sell  theatres,  the  company 
would  try  to  hold  on  to  the  leases. 
The  company's  balance  sheets  do  not 
show  the  true  value  of  its  theatre 
holdings,  he  noted,  because  they  are 
carried  at  1932  and  1935  levels. 

Balaban  told  the  meeting  that  Para- 
mount's  theatre  earnings  "have  held 
up  much  better  than  those  from  pro- 
duction-distribution." Although  the- 
atre receipts  were  down  in  about  the 
same  proportion  as  film  rentals,  costs 
in  theatre  operations  increased  less 
than  those  in  production-distribution, 
he  said. 

Observing  that  each  branch  of  op- 
eration must  "stand  on  its  own  feet," 
Bala-ban  said  the  need  for  an  inde- 
pendently healthy  business  condition 
is  accentuated  by  "the  uncertainty 
cast  upon  our  theatre  holdings  by  the 
anti-trust  suit." 

Discussing  increased  costs  and  low- 
er volume  of  business,  Balaban  said 
the  best  that  can  be  done  is  to  hold 
costs  to  the  lowest  point  consistent 
with  quality  product  and  the  "main- 
tenance of  an  alert,  vigorous  organi- 
zation." In  this  respect,  he  said,  some 
costs,  such  as  labor,  salary  and  wages, 


that  the  Supreme  Court  had  compli- 
cated the  task  of  the  District  Court 
by  failing  to  make  it  clear  what  find- 
ings the  lower  tribunal  was  expected 
to  make.  At  this  point  a  question 
arose  as  to  the  interpretation  of  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  proposed  order,  es- 
pecially in  regard  to  divestiture. 

John  W.  Davis  of  Loew's  counsel 
argued  against  the  Government's  de- 
mand that  the  theatre-holding  defend- 
ants be  compelled  to  submit  a  compila- 
tion of  ioint  theatre  ownerships  in  an 
attempt  to  establish  which  are  legal 
and  which  illegal.  He  held  that  it 
was  the  Government's  job  to  list  own- 
erships considered  to  be  illegal.  "The 
Government,"  he  said,  "shouldn't  shift 
the  burden  to  the  defendants  to  prove 
which  are  legal  and  which  illegal." 

Holds  Court  Is  'Ministerial' 

It  was  Davis'  contention  that  the 
statutory  court,  as  presently  consti- 
tuted, was  a  "ministerial"  one  and 
could  not  determine  judicial  matters. 

Appearing  for  Warner  Bros.,  Judge 
Joseph  Proskauer  argued  that  many 
of  the  issues  in  the  Government's  pro- 
posed order  were  so  controversial  they 
:ould  not  be  ruled  upon  without  a 
"ull  court.  Asserting  there  existed 
'no  practical  need  for  any  kind  of 
nj unction,"  he  assured  the  court  the 
defendants  would  operate  in  accord- 
Mice  with  any  ruling  of  the  District 
"ourt  until  a  final  judgment  in  the 
:ase. 

That  the  Government's  motion  was 
'unusual  and  unnecessary"  and  it  was 
ip  to  the  Department  of  Justice  to 
lecide  what  attitude  was  to  be  taken 
by  the  defendants  in  further  proceed- 


having  been  set  by  bargaining,  tend 
to  become  fixed  "and  are  largely  un- 
responsive to  management  efforts  to 
effect  a  readjustment.'* 

Therefore,  he  said,  continued  effort 
must  be  made  to  eliminate  waste  in 
those  areas  in  which  the  power  to 
shape  costs  obtains,  particularly  in 
production  activities. 

"If  Paramount  is  to  remain  a  major 
factor  in  production-distribution," 
Balaban  said,  "it  is  imperative  that 
we  make  quality  pictures  at  a  cost 
which  will  permit  their  distribution 
at  a  profit." 

"I  believe  that  inventory  and  cost 
control  are  the  most  important  cri- 
teria of  success  or  failure  in  our  in- 
dustry today,"  he  said,  observing  that 
no  one  knows  how  long  the  present 
critical  period  will  last. 

He  said  that  Paramount  reduced  its 
inventory  by  approximately  $2,400,000 
last  year  and  that  current  inventory  is 
about  the  same  as  at  the  year  end. 
Cash  is  down  about  $1,250,000,  but 
bank  debt  has  been  reduced  from  $8,- 
000,000  to  $6,000,000,  while  $3,571,- 
000  was  applied  to  purchase  of  166,000 
shares  of  the  company's  stock  this 
year. 

Seasonal  Decline  Is  'Prolonged' 

"In  the-  second  quarter,"  Balaban 
said,  "we  have  been  experiencing  the 
same  seasonal  drop  as  occurred  last 
year.  It  is  more  intense  and  appears 
to  be  more  prolonged  this  year  due, 
perhaps,  to  the  wider  variety  of  di- 
versions which  are  now  open  to  the 
public.  The  pictures  which  we  will 
release  during  the  second  half  are, 
on  the  whole,  very  good.  If,  as  we 
expect,  the  levels  of  domestic  the- 
atre business  for  the  second  half  of 
1948  hold  up  reasonably  well,  they 
will  serve  to  cushion  the  decline  in 
film  earnings  and  will  enable  us  to 
strengthen  further  the  foundations  for 
profitable  operations  in  production- 
distribution,"  Balaban  said. 


ings  was  the  argument  made  by  James 
F.  Byrnes,  appearing  for  20th-Fox. 

A  suggestion  that  the  Government 
sit  down  with  the  defendants  in  an 
effort  to  "find  out  what  it  wants  in 
a  specific  way"  was  presented  to  the 
court  by  Thomas  Turner  Cooke,  who 
represented  Universal.  He  said  that 
a  sweeping  injunction  against  alleg- 
edly discriminatory  practices  would 
leave  the  industry  open  to  charges  of 
discrimination  at  every  move,  thereby 
proving  a  serious  hindrance  to  the 
conduct  of  the  business. 


Para.  Reelection 

 (Continued  from  page  1) 

gan,  Henry  Ginsberg,  Leonard  H. 
Goldenson  and  Paul  Raibourn ;  secre- 
tary, Robert  H.  O'Brien;  treasurer, 
Fred  Mohrhardt ;  assistant  secre- 
taries, Jacob  H.  Karp,  Frank  Meyer 
and  Russell  Holman. 

Directors  reelected  include:  Bala- 
ban, Stephen  Callaghan,  Freeman, 
Harvey  D.  Gibson,  Goldenson,  A. 
Conger  Goodyear,  Stanton  Griffis, 
Duncan  G.  Harris,  John  D.  Hertz, 
Keough,  Earl  I.  McClintock,  Maurice 
Newton,  Reagan,  E.  V.  Richards, 
Edwin  L.  Weisl  and  Zukor. 


'Waltz'  Time  on  WPIX 

Paramount  became  the  first  film 
company  to  make  commercial  use  of 
the  facilities  of  WPIX  last  night  when 
the  New  York  Daily  Neivs  television 
station  started  operations.  The  com- 
pany purchased  time  to  promote  "The 
Emperor  Waltz,"  which  opens  at  the 
Music  Hall  here  tomorrow. 


Balaban  Optimistic 
Of  Video  in  Future 

Television  will  offer  the  film  indus- 
try many  "plusses  and  minuses," 
Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  president, 
told  company  stockholders  at  their 
annual  meeting  here  yesterday.  He 
said  it  is  premature  to  predict  any 
definite  effects,  but  that  on  the  whole 
he  is  "optimistic." 

Two  matters  were  cited  by  Bala- 
ban as  having  an  important  bearing: 
on  the  company's  expansion  ir^Sfc 
television  field.  He  listed  theslP"j 
the  preparatory  judgment  which  the 
company  has  filed  to  determine  wheth- 
er the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission has  the  right  to  limit  any 
company  to  five  television  stations, 
and  forthcoming  hearings  in  Wash- 
ington on  whether  Paramount  con- 
trols DuMont. 


Balaban  on  British 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

said  that  the  company  could  not  pay 
the  full  costs  in  pounds  sterling  for 
the  reason  that  American  talent  and 
personnel  must  be  employed  in  En- 
gland if  the  picture  is  to  have  Ameri- 
can appeal  as  well  as  worldwide  ap- 
peal, and  to  the  extent  that  American 
components  are  used,  costs  must  be 
paid  in  U.  S.  dollars. 

Balaban  pointed  out  that  the  com- 
pany's revenues  were  not  actually  af- 
fected by 'the  recent  75  per  cent  Brit- 
ish ad  valorem  tax  because  Paramount 
had  a  supply  of  pictures  in  England 
to  which  the  tax  did  not  apply.  He 
added  that  the  supply  is  not  yet  whol- 
ly exhausted.  He  said  that  conse- 
quently, while  the  terms  of  the  Brit- 
ish agreement  "are  more  favorable 
than  the  British  ad  valorem  tax,  ac- 
tual operating  conditions  during  the 
time  the  tax  was  in  effect,  though 
temporary,  were  more  favorable  to  us 
than  the  situation  now  is  under  the 
agreement." 

Reviewing  the  general  foreign  situ- 
ation, Balaban  reported  the  situation 
is  "unchanged"  since  his  last  report. 
He  said  that  it  is  still  a  "story  of  re- 
strictive measures  against  the  importa- 
tion and  showing  of  our  films  in  for- 
eign countries." 


FIVE -STAR 

DC- 6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3*4  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices:  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


MC 


»J3f 


DAILY 


V 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


V?=|?63.  NO.  117 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JUNE  17,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


MPAA  Board 
Weighs  Action 
On  U.  K.  Quota 

Meeting  Here  Today  Also 
Takes  Up  Tax  Agreement 

A  strong  American  protest 
against  the  new  British  exhibitor 
quota  of  45  per  cent  is  expected  to 
be  drafted  in  New  York  today  at  a 
meeting  of  company  presidents  and 
foreign  managers.  Meeting  will  be 
held  at  the  Motion  Picture  Associa- 
tion of  America  office  here  with 
MPAA  president  Eric  A.  Johnston 
presiding. 

Speculation  was  strong  yesterday 
that  Johnston  will  fly  to  London  with- 
in a  few  days  to  deliver  such  a  pro- 
test personally. 

The  meeting  was  called  yesterday 
after  Johnston  in  Washington  received 
a  long  report  by  trans-Atlantic  tele- 
phone from  MPAA's  F.  W.  Allport 
in  London,  giving  details  of  the  new 
quota  act,  an  interpretation  of  its 
probable  impact  on  the  U.  S.  industry, 
and  details  of  recent  developments  in 
the   Anglo-American   tax  agreement 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Court  Ruling  Favors 
'  IA'  in  Sopeg  Tilt 

Ruling  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here 
on  the  so-called  Parker-Kalon  labor 
case,  Federal  Judge  Simon  H.  Rif- 
kind  has  denied  a  petition  by  a  CIO' 
union,  whose  officers  have  refused  to 
file  non-Communist  affidavits  required 
by  the  Taft-Hartley  Act,  for  an  order 
restraining  the  NLRB  here  from  hold- 
ing a  collective  bargaining  election 
sought  by  a  complying  union. 

The  decision  is  described  as  favor- 
ing the  IATSE  position  in  the  dispute 
with  the  Screen  Office  and  Profes- 
sional Employes  Guild  over  "white 
collarite"  jurisdiction  at  United  Art- 
ists home  office  in  that  the  NLRB 
here  is  now  consequently  in  a  position 
to  order  a  shop  election  at  UA  in 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


10  Canadian  Films  to 
Monogram,  Allied 

Hollywood,  June  16. — Contracts 
calling  for  the  production  of  10  pic- 
tures in  Canada  within  two  years  for 
world  distribution  by  Allied  Artists 
and  Monogram  were  signed  here  today 
by  Steve  Broidy,  president  of  both 
companies,  and  Leonard  Fields,  repre- 
senting Canadian  International  Screen 
Productions,  and  Renaissance  Films, 
both  of  Montreal. 

Five  produced  by  CISP  will  be 
high-budget  films  for  AA  distribution 
and  five  by  Renaissance  for  Mono- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


$50,000,000  Gross 
In  Italian  Theatres 

Rome,  June  11  (By  Airmail). 
—An  all-time  record  525,420,- 
000  theatre  tickets  were  sold 
in  Italy  during  1947  for  29,000,- 
000,000  lira  ($50,000,000).  The 
previous  record  was  set  in 
1942  when  477,134,079  tickets 
were  sold.  There  were,  how- 
ever, far  fewer  theatres  in 
1942  than  in  1947. 


Rosenman  Is  MPAA 
Counsel  in  SWG  Suit 


Judge  Samuel  Rosenman,  former 
adviser  to  the  late  President  Roose- 
velt, has  been  retained  by  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  and 
member  companies  to  serve  as  coun- 
sel in  the  pending  action  brought  by 
the  Screen  Writers  Guild. 

SWG,  represented  by  Thurman 
Arnold,  former  U.  S.  Attorney-Gen 
eral,  filed  suit  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
here  against  the  majors  for  an  injunc- 
tion to  end  an  alleged  conspiracy 
against  the  employment  of  persons 
suspected  of  being  subversive. 


Labor  Dispute  Shuts 
Park  Ave.  Theatre 


A  dispute  arising  from  negotiations 
between  the  Park  Avenue  Theatre 
here  and  the  Moving  Picture  Machine 
Operators  Union,  Local  No.  306, 
IATS>E,  according  to  the  theatre 
manager,  Robert  Ungerfeld,  has  re- 
sulted in  the  unexpected  closing  of 
the  theatre  and  indefinite  postponement 
of  the  premiere  of  "The  End  of  the 
River."  Ungerfeld  said  here  yester- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


RKO  Will  File  Brief 
In  Union  Controversy 

New  York  State  Labor  Relations 
Board  has  ordered  RKO  Service 
Corp.  to  file  briefs  within  10  days  ex- 
plaining its  position  in  connection  with 
charges  by  the  Motion  Picture  Operat- 
ing Managers  and  Assistant  Managers 
Guild  that  the  company  has  refused 
to  bargain  collectively.  The  order 
was  made  yesterday  following  a  pre- 
liminary hearing  here  on  the  dispute. 


Court  Rules  Out  BMI 
In  Ascap  Trust  Suit 

The  Government's  motion 
resisting  Ascap's  attempt  to 
have  Broadcast  Music,  Inc., 
included  as  a  defendant  in 
the  trust  suit  against  the  so- 
ciety has  been  granted  by 
Judge  Simon  H.  Rifkind  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here. 

Illegal  participation  in  an 
international  cartel  and  con- 
spiracy to  monopolize  music 
performing  rights  are 
charged  against  Ascap  by  the 
Government. 


To  Outline  Video 
Exhibition  Contract 


Proposed  standard  exhibition  con- 
tract for  films  on  television  will  be 
outlined  at  a  meeting  of  the  National 
Television  Film  Council  to  be  held 
here  tomorrow  evening  at  the  Wil- 
liams Club.  A  central  agency  for 
clearing  television  film  rights,  and 
technical  clinics  for  bettering  televi- 
sion film  production  will  also  be  de- 
tailed at  the  meeting  and  dinner  pre- 
ceding it,  to  be  presided  over  by  the 
council's  temporary  chairman,  Melvin 
L.  Gold,  advertising-publicity  direc- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


U.K.Exhibitors 
Flay  Rank  and 
NewQuotaLaw 

Would  Drop  Rank's' Films  ; 
Call  Quota  'Unworkable* 

By  PETER  BURNUP 

Douglas,  Isle  of  Man,  June  16. — 
Angry  denunciation  of  the  new 
British  exhibitors'  quota  of  45  per 
cent  and  of  J.  Arthur  Rank's  new 
booking  terms  and  business  methods 
marked  today's  meeting  of  the  Cine- 
matograph Exhibitors  Association 
general  council  here. 

The  temper  of  the  whole 
meeting  was  that  a  now-or- 
never  stand  must  be  made  if  in- 
dependent exhibitors  are  to 
survive.  A  nationwide  cam- 
paign against  Rank's  methods 
was  proposed  on  the  theory 
that  not  only  independents  but 
the  whole  industry  are  likely  to 
perish  if  he  persists. 
It  was   with   some   difficulty  that 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Claim  Video  Films 
Should  Be  Censored 

Baltimore,  June  16. — Motion  pic- 
tures exhibited  in  Maryland  are  sub- 
ject to  approval  of  the  State  Board  of 
Censors.  Since  special  films  are  tele- 
vised without  having  to  be  submitted 
to  the  censors,  state  authorities  are 
confronted  with  a  problem. 

So  far,  there  is  no  sign  of  a  solu- 
tion. If  films  shown  on  a  screen  must 
carry  the  board's  seal,  then  pictures 
going  out  over  the  air  should  come 
under  the  same  jurisdiction,  it  is 
claimed  by  many  exhibitors.  State 
officials  are  confused. 


Lesser,  Poe  Will 
Represent  W anger 

Irving  Lesser,  former  manager  of 
the  Roxy  Theatre  here,  and  Seymour 
Poe,  who  has  represented  Hollywood 
producers  in  the  East,  have  become 
Walter  Wanger's  Eastern  representa- 
tives, it  is  understood,  •  through  the 
partnership  which  the  former  two  es- 
tablished some  weeks  ago. 

Until  recently  Wanger  had  been 
represented  by  Budd  Rogers,  who 
meanwhile  has  become  head  of  Realart 
Pictures.  Rogers  is  also  a  board 
member  of  Universal-International. 


Gov't  Bows  to  Full 
Court  in  Para.  Suit 


Dismissal  of  the  Government's  mo- 
tion for  injunctive  proceedings  to  give 
force  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court's 
decision  in  the  Paramount  anti-trust 
case  is  asked  by  the  Department  of 
Justice  in  a  new  order  prepared  in 
conformity  with  suggestions  advanced 
on  Tuesday  at  a  hearing  in  District 
Court  here.  The  move  was  made  "for 
want  of  jurisdiction." 

The  Government  also  asks  that  fur- 
ther proceedings  'under  the  decision 
be  held  "before  a  full  court  of  three 
judges"  starting  on  Oct.  13. 

The  new  order,  copies  of  which 
were  served  on  the  defendants  yester- 
day, will  be  presented  to  Judges  Au- 
gustus. N.  Hand  and  Henry  W.  God- 
dard  for  entry  on  June  21. 


Plan  Coast  Meet  on 
Publicity  Council 

Hollywood,  June  16.  —  Edward 
Cheyfitz  of  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America's  Washington  of- 
fice has  arrived  here  to  represent 
MPAA  president  Eric  Johnston  at  a 
meeting  of  a  committee  of  representa- 
tives of  producers,  distributors,  guilds, 
unions  and  exhibitors  to  plan  an  in- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  17,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


HOWARD  DIETZ,  M-G-M  ad- 
vertising-publicity vice-president, 
left  New  York  yesterday  for  the 
Coast. 

• 

J.  Parnell  Thomas,  chairman  of 
the  House  Un-American  Activities 
Committee,  who  has  been  in  a  hospital 
for  several  weeks,  has  returned  to  his 
home  in  Allendale,  N.  J.,  for  con- 
valescence. 

• 

Jules  Stein,  Music  Corporation  of 
America  president,  and  his  wife ; 
Charles  Boyer,  Raymond  Massey 
and  Mrs.  Massey  are  among  passen- 
gers sailing  for  Europe  today  on  the 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

• 

.  Frank  McKenna  of  M-G-M's 
Eastern  story  department,  and  Mrs. 
McKenna  have  become  parents  of 
their  fifth  child,  John  Joseph,  born 
at  the  Holy  Name  Hospital,  Teaneck, 
N.  J. 

• 

George  D.  Burrows,  Allied  Artists- 
Monogram  executive  vice-president 
and  treasurer,  will  accompany  Steve 
Broidy,  president,  when  the  latter 
leaves  the  Coast  for  New  York  today. 
• 

Lexda  Burnett,  head  of  the  Film 
Classics  booking  department  in  Atlan- 
ta, has  left  that  city  for  Washington 
and  New  York. 

• 

Carroll  Puciato,  assistant  to  Real- 
art  sales  manager  Budd  Rogers,  is 
in  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City  this 
week  from  here. 

• 

Norman  Elson,  Trans-Lux  Thea- 
tres vice-president,  is  in  Boston  today 
and  will  return  to  New  York  on 
Monday. 

• 

Alfred  Hitchcock  is  due  here  over 
the  weekend  from  the  Coast  and  will 
fly    to    England    Sunday.  Ingrid 
Bergman  will  accompany  him. 
• 

Scott  R.  Dunlap,  Monogram  stu- 
dio executive,  has  returned  to  the  stu- 
dio after  being  confined  to  his  home 
by  influenza. 

• 

Carmen  Miranda  and  her  husband, 
Dave  Sebastian,  are  due  here  today 
from  Europe  on  the  SS  America. 
• 

Alec  S.  Nyary,  United  Artists  spe- 
cial representative,  flew  here  yester- 
day from  Honolulu. 

• 

Jules  Lapidus,  Warner  Eastern 
sales  manager,  is  in  Boston  from  New 
York. 

• 

Jack  Schwartz,  Bridgeport  exhibi- 
tor, has  been  elected  vice-president  of 
the  Jewish  Service  Bureau  of  that  city. 
• 

James  A.  FitzPatrick,  short  sub- 
jects producer,  is  in  town  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

Tomas  Flores,  Warner  acting  man- 
ager in  the  Philippines,  is  here  from 
the  Coast. 


Loew's  Minority  Suit 
Settlement  Approved 

Settlement  of  a  minority  stockhold- 
ers' suit  against  Loew's  and  present 
and  former  officers  and  directors  over 
operation  of  the  circuit's  candy  coun- 
ters by  the  People's  Candy  Co.  has 
been  affirmed  in  N.  Y.  Supreme  Court 
here  by  Justice  Louis  Valente. 

Under  the  settlement,  which  was 
proposed  by  Loew's,  the  company 
agrees  to  revise  contracts  with  Peo- 
ple's Candy,  requiring  the  candy  firm 
to  pay  Loew's  subsidiaries  approxi- 
mately $161,000  additional  for  the  year 
ended  Dec.  31,  1947. 

Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  Loew's  presi- 
dent, will  grant  the'  company  a  one- 
year  option  to  acquire  from  him  10,- 
000  shares  of  present  stock  of  the 
firm  at  $13.33  per  share.  This  provi- 
sion was  made  in  answer  to  charges 
that  Loew's  failed  to  deduct  as  a  cor- 
porate expense  for  income  tax  pur- 
poses alleged  profit  made  by  Schenck 
on  the  exercise  of  options  on  the  com- 
pany's stock  and  to  recover  profits 
made  by  him  in  a  stock  sale. 

People's  Candy  also  was  named  a 
defendant  in  the  suit. 


'Kingsblood'  Will  Be 
First  Pioneer  Picture 

First  picture  to  be  produced  by 
Pioneer  Pictures,  formed  recently  by 
Ralph  Cohn  and  Jules  Bricken,  will 
be  "Kingsblood  Royal,"  based  on  Sin- 
clair Lewis'  novel.  Deal  for  the 
screen  rights  will  guarantee  Lewis 
about  $75,000,  including  a  percentage 
of  profits,  a  spokesman  for  the  com- 
pany said.    Release  has  not  been  set. 

Pioneer  is  negotiating  with  Ben 
Hecht  to  write  the  screenplay.  Plans 
call  for  filming  in  the  East. 


Two  Mexican  Studios 
Face  Strike  June  26 

Mexico  City,  June  16. — Strike  no- 
tice for  a  shutdown  of  two  of  five  lo- 
cal studios,  beginning  June  26,  has 
been  filed  by  the  National  Cinemato- 
graphic Industry  Workers  Union 
over  its  demand  for  a  60  per  cent 
wage  rise.  Involved  are  RKO  Ra- 
dio's Churubusco  and  the  Azteca, 
which  was  recently  damaged  severely 
in  a  $1,000,000  fire. 


<IA,'  Sopeg  Tilt 

(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 


compliance  with  a  petition  filed  by 
"IA"  Local  H-63.  SOPEG's  contract 
expired  last  May  31. 

An  election  date  is  expected  to  be 
set  at  a  forthcoming  NLRB  confer- 
ence here  among  representatives  of 
both  unions  and  the  company. 
SOPEG,  a  CIO  non-complying  union, 
lost  an  "overwhelming  majority"  of 
its  UA  unit  membership  to  H-63,  and 
in  addition  the  company  has  refused 
to  deal  with  SOPEG  because  of  its 
non-compliance. 


New  B'nai  B'rith  Film 

S.  Arthur  Glixon,  president  of  New 
York's  Cinema  Lodge  of  B'nai  B'rith, 
is  producing  "Dealing  in  Futures,"  a 
documentary  suggested  by  the  voca- 
tional guidance  work  being  done  by 
the  group. 


5,700  Passes  Weekly 
To  Flood  Victims 

Portland,  Ore.,  June  16. — 
All  film  houses  in  this  city 
are  jointly  contributing  5,700 
passes  weekly  to  aid  the  mor- 
ale of  the  Vanport  flood  ref- 
ugees. The  tickets  are  being 
handled  by  the  recreation  of- 
fice of  the  local  Red  Cross, 
headed  by  director  William 
Graeper  of  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Oregon. 


Foresees  Video  as 
Theatre  Competitor 

Chicago,  June  16. — It  is  too  early 
to  predict  the  precise  effect  which  tele- 
vision will  have  on  the  film  industry, 
but  it  eventually  will  prove  highly 
competitive,  Max  F.  Balcom,  president 
of  the  Radio  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion, said  at  the  organization's  nation- 
al meeting  here  at  the  Stevens  Hotel. 
The  sessions  which  began  on  Monday 
will  conclude  tomorrow. 


Video  Contract 

(Continued  from- page  1) 


tor  of  National  Screen  Service. 

Members  of  the  comparatively  new 
organization  will  also  vote  on  by-laws, 
elect  officers  and  establish  an  agenda 
for  future  operations.  Its  sponsors 
contemplate  national  expansion,  to 
embrace  television  stations,  advertis- 
ing agencies  and  film  distributors  and 
producers. 

Tomorrow  night's  speakers  will  in- 
clude Gene  Martel,  president  of  the 
Screen  Directors  Guild  and  Para- 
mount's  Eastern  talent  scout ;  Norman 
Blackburn,  NBC's  director  of  televi- 
sion programming ;  Ed  Evans,  CBS's 
director  of  films,  and  Kendall  Foster, 
television  director  of  the  William  Esty 
Advertising  Agency. 


Sells  NCAC  Interest 

Alfred  H.  Morton,  whose  resigna- 
tion as  president  of  National  Concert 
and  Artists  Corp.,  effective  July  1, 
has  been  accepted  by  the  board,  has 
sold  his  interest  in  NCAC  to  O.  O. 
Bottorff  and  Marks  Levine,  vice- 
presidents,  who  will  continue  as  sole 
stockholders  and  who  will  alternate 
each  year  as  board  chairman  and  pres- 
ident. Morton  has  joined  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox to  direct  television  activities. 


Kelly  in  Television  Post 

NBC's  N.  Ray  Kelly  has  been 
named  assistant  to  the  director  of 
NBC  television  features  service  by 
Sidney  N.  Strotz,  television  vice- 
president.  The  service,  established 
last  week  with  Russ  Johnston  as  di- 
rector, will  act  as  liaison  between 
NBC  and  Jerry  Fairbanks,  Inc.,  in 
the  production  and  procurement 
films  for  NBC. 


of 


Griffith  Building  One 

Oklahoma  City,  June  16.  —  Work 
has  begun  at  Henryetta  on  the  latest 
addition  to  the  Griffith  Theatres' 
Southwestern  circuit,  to  cost  $100,000, 
and  be  ready  late  this  fall. 


FCC  Adopts  Video 
Broadcast  Ruling 

Washington,  June  16.  —  Federal 
Communications  Commission  today 
finalized  a  ruling  proposed  last  month 
graduating  the  number  of  hours  dur- 
ing which  television  stations  must 
telecast  programs  weekly  in  propor- 
tion to  the  length  of  time  the  station 
has  been  operating. 

The  rule,  which  will  go  into  effect 
on  July  1,  requires  stations  during 
first  18  months  of  operation  to  preincr 
programs  not  less  than  two  hliis 
daily,  five  days  a  week,  and  a  mini- 
mum of  12  hours  a  week,  and  stations 
after  three  years  must  telecast  seven 
days  a  week  for  a  minimum  of  28 
hours  weekly. 


Park  Ave.  Theatre 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


day  that  he  closed  the  house  Tuesday 
night  when,  during  a  private  screen- 
ing, projectionists  put  a  reel  of  film  in 
the  projector  upside  down. 

Issues  involved  are  the  number  of 
projectionists  employed,  wage  in- 
creases and  vacation  replacements  for 
the  booth  men,  both  labor  spokesmen 
and  theatre  management  said.  The 
Park  Avenue,  which  employs  seven 
projectionists,  is  seeking  a  "reason- 
able" reduction  to  bring  the  costs  into 
line  with  those  prevailing  in  "com- 
petitive" situations,  according  to  John 
J.  O'Connor,  Universal-International 
vice-president.  U-I  operates  the  house 
on  a  lease  from  Walter  Reade  Thea- 
tres. 

Herman  Gelber,  president  of  Local 
No.  306,  in  terming  the  theatre's  ac- 
tion a  lockout,  said  that  a  crew  stood 
by  yesterday  upon  instructions  from 
IATSE. 


Publicity  Council 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


dustry  council  to  guide  public  rela- 
tions. The  meeting,  while  not  yet  set, 
is  expected  to  be  held  in  a  few  days. 

Last  previous  discussion  of  the  plan, 
to  which  all  sectors  of  the  industry 
have  pledged  their  participation,  took 
place  on  April  8,  with  Johnston  pre- 
siding. The  idea  for  an  all-industry 
public  relations  council  first  took  root 
while  Byron  Price  served  as  MPAA 
vice-president  in  Hollywood.  Chey- 
fitz  said  he  expects  to  remain  here 
for  two  weeks. 


Albany  Golf  Tourney 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  16. — Variety 
Club  here  expects  to  have  the  largest 
turnout  for  its  golf  tournament  at 
Shaker  Ridge  Country  Club  on  Mon- 
day, according  to  Nate  Winig,  chair- 
man. 


Charles  W.  Powers,  58 

Cleveland,  June  16. — Charles  W. 
Powers,  58,  owner  of  the  Hudson 
Theatre  in  Hudson,  O.,  and  a  former 
Paramount  salesman  in  this  territory, 
died  Monday  after  a  heart  attack. 
Burial  was  in  New  Haven,  Conn.  The 
widow  survives. 


Mrs.  Nat  Furst 

Mrs.  Nat  Furst,  wife  of  Nat  Furst, 
Monogram  branch  manager,  died  here 
suddenly  yesterday. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100  Cable  address-  "Qui^pubco 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President ;  Red  Kann  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;' 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative-  Jimmy  Ascher 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl  Hope  Burnup  Manager  Peter  Burnup* 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London.  1  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York  N  Y  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c.  >     •  ■> 


"It's  riotous!  Tip-top! 
Doris  Day  brilliant,  and  something 
new  and  special !"-m  p .daily 


"In  every  detail  reminiscent 
of  the  top  filmusicals  for  which 
Warners  are  famed V-boxoffice 


JN,  RUN,  RUN 

H 


"Will  have  them  buying 
heavily!  Devastating  Doris  Day 

iS  SOCllO!"  -FILM  DAILY 

"Lush  and  exquisite! 
Enormously  entertaining! 
Doris  Day  someone  to  rave 

abOUt  V -HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


directed  by 


produced  by 


iscar  levant  s.z.saka[Ifortun,obonanova.  MICHAEL  CURTIZ  ALEX  GOTTLIEB 

A  WARNER    BROS.  PICTURES   RELEASE  Screen  Play  by  Julius  J  &  Philip  G  Epstein   Additional  Dialogue  by  I.  A.  L.  Diamond  •  Orchestral  Arrangements  by  Ray  Heindorf 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  17,  1948 


Para.  25-Year  Club 
Caps  Canada  Meet 

Toronto,  June  16.  —  Paramount 
Service  Ltd.  annual  sales  convention 
closed  tonight  with  the  staging  of  the 
yearly  banquet  of  Canadian  Para- 
mount's  25-year  Club,  with  Mabel 
May  as  the  sole  initiate.  Theatre  and 
distributors  executives  were  among 
the  guests  at  the  affair  for  which 
Gordon  Lightstone,  Canadian  general 
manager,  was  master  of  ceremonies. 

Others  present  were  managers, 
bookers  and  salesmen  of  the  six 
branches  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  as  well  as  officials  from  the 
Toronto  office. 

Two  New  Canadian 
Producing  Firms 

Toronto,  June  16. — Two  new  inde- 
pendent companies,  Canam  Films  and 
Carillon  Pictures,  plan  to  produce 
here.  R.  Montgomery  is  reportedly 
interested  in  Canam,  while  officers  of 
Carillon  include  Mel  Turner,  presi- 
dent ;  David  J.  Ongley,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  George  H.  Beeston,  secre- 
tary-treasurer ;  the  latter  is  a  former 
director  of  Odeon  of  Canada. 


Hancock  to  Build  Two 

Boston,  June  16.  —  The  John  Han- 
cock Life  Insurance  Co.  will  build  a 
theatre  on  its  housing  development  in 
Boston  to  seat  about  1,000.  It  will  also 
have  a  theatre  in  its  new  office  build- 
ing to  seat  1,600. 


500  New  Theatres 
In  Spain  in  28  Mos. 

Washington,  June  16. — The 
Spanish  Syndical  Committee 
reports  that  97  new  theatres 
were  opened  in  Spain  in  1946, 
263  in  1947,  and  148  in  the 
first  four  months  of  1948,  ac- 
cording1 to  a  Department  of 
Commerce  study  prepared  by 
film  consultant  Nathan  D. 
Golden. 


Mono,  and  Allied 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

gram,  all  presenting  Hollywood  stars 
with  Canadian  talent  in  support  so  far 
as  possible,  and  with  only  such  techni- 
cal personnel  as  is  not  yet  available 
in  Canada  recruited  from  Hollywood. 

Renaissance  is  entirely  Canadian- 
owned.  CISP,  organized  by  execu- 
tive producers  Joseph  Than  and 
Fields,  long  active  in  Hollywood  pro- 
duction, is  Canadian. 


'Foreign  Affair'  Premiere 

Overseas  Press  Club  will  sponsor 
the  world  premiere  of  Paramount's 
"A  Foreign  Affair"  at  the  Paramount 
theatre  here  on  June  28,  with  pr®- 
ceeds  of  the  benefit,  derived  from  the 
sale  of  mezzanine  tickets  for  that 
night,  to  go  to  the  club's  "correspon- 
dents' fund." 


U.  K.  Exhibitors 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

W.  R.  Fuller,  CEA  general  secretary, 
persuaded  the  meeting  to  postpone  ac- 
tion on  a  proposal  that  all  CEA  mem- 
bers discontinue  the  bookings  of  Rank's 
films  until  exhibitors  reach  an  agree- 
ment with  him  on  his  new  booking 
terms.  Counselling  prudence,  Fuller 
made  arrangements  for  Rank  to  meet 
with  the  CEA  general  council  next 
month,  and  delegates  reluctantly 
agreed  to  postpone  action  until  then. 

The  general  council  today  adopted  a 
resolution  which  declared  the  "pro- 
posed 45  per  cent  quota  is  unworkable 
owing  to  an  insufficient  supply  of  suit- 
able British  films  and,  if  persisted  in, 
will  make  the  Quota  Act  a  dead  letter 
from  the  outset  for  a  considerable 
number  of  exhibitors." 

Inform  Commons  of  Stand 

The  resolution  was  telegraphed  to 
all  members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons preliminary  to  their  debate  on 
the  new  quota. 

A  succession  of  irate  speeches  sug- 
gesting that  Rank  is  endeavoring  to 
squeeze  out  all  opposition  in  "a  colos- 
sal financial  operation"  characterized 
the  council  session.  The  tenor  of  all 
speeches  was  that  Rank's  current  out- 
put is  not  worth  high  percentages. 

Charles  Medcalf,  a  highly  respected 
exhibitor,  declared:  "Rank  is  churn- 
ing out  rotten  things ;  rotten  in  every 
sense." 

Other  speakers  claimed  Rank  is 
dominated  by  financial  interests  only. 
Leslie  Hill  of  CEA's  Devon  and  Corn- 
wall branch  said :  "There's  not  one 
showman  in  the  top  flights  of  the 
Rank  organization." 

All  speakers  expressed  resentment 
over  what  they  see  as  Rank's  assump- 
tion, in  his  public  utterances,  of  dic- 
tatorial powers  with  the  manifest  in- 
tention of  crushing  all  independents  by 
a  "financial  monstrosity." 

Suggest  Secession  from  CEA 

Several  speakers  urged  independent 
exhibitors  secede  from  CEA  and  form 
their  own  "simon-pure"  independent 
association. 

Agreement  was  reached  not  to  pay 
more  than  50  per  cent  for  any  Rank- 
picture  and  not  more  than  35  per  cent 
in  most  instances. 

Fuller  pointed  out  that  exhibitors 
competing  with  three  or  more  circuit 
houses  are  entitled  to  apply  to  the 
Board  of  Trade  for  a  reduced  quota 
and  advised  all  exhibitors  so  situated 
to  apply  immediately  for  relief. 

The  council  approved  of  advising  in- 
dependents not  to  hesitate  to  default 
on  the  new  quota  in  the  event  that 
Rank  does  not  concede  better  terms. 


MPAA  Board 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

picture,  including  latest  interpretations 
of  the  27  permitted  uses  of  unremit- 
table  American  earnings. 

The  meeting  today  will  weigh  all 
aspects  of  the  Allport  report  and  if 
MPAA  decides  against  registering  a 
protest  on  the  quota  it  is  likely  some 
companies  will  protest  individually  to 
the  Board  of  Trade. 

The  meeting  may  also  go  into  other 
foreign  developments,  including  the 
French  situation.  Some  of  the  urgen- 
cy has  been  removed  from  the  French 
situation,  however,  by  the  success  of 
Gerald  Mayer,  MPAA  international 
division  manager,  now  in  Paris,  in  get- 
ting a  two-week  delay  in  action  in  the 
French  Assembly  on  two  new  confis- 
catory film  import  taxes. 


Short 
Subjects 

"The  Fight  Game" 

(March  of  Time— 20th- Fox) 

With  professional  boxing  currently 
enjoying  something  of  a  renaissance 
of  popular  enthusiasm,  March  of  Time 
has  what  should  prove  to  be  a  strong 
business  ptuller.  Although  "The  Fk;"*ff 
Game"  makes  no  attempt  to  uneal^V 
undisclosed  facts  about  the  $14,000,000 
boxing  game  it  does  serve  up  an 
adequately  engrossing  examination  of 
the  outward  manifestations  of  it, 
namely,  how  some  fights  are  "fixed," 
ring  fatalities,  the  boxer-manager  re- 
lationship, and  fight  promoting.  It  is 
a  fast-action  subject.  Running  time, 
19  minutes. 


"My  Name  Is  Han" 

(Protestant  Film  Commission) 

"My  Name  Is  Han,"  second  docu- 
mentary to  be  produced  by  the  Protes- 
tant Film  Commission  and  showing  in 
impressive  manner  the  benefits  of  the 
work  of  Protestant  missionaries  in 
China  to  a  Chinese  farmer.  The  film, 
running  27  minutes,  will  have  simul- 
taneous openings  in  125  American  and 
Canadian  cities  June  15.  It  is  being 
released  through  Religious  Film  As- 
sociation in  both  35mm.  and  16mm. 
Paul  F.  Heard  was  executive  pro- 
ducer. The  picture,  which  has  En- 
glish narration  spoken  by  a  Chinese, 
tells  of  a  Chinese  farmer  and  his  fam- 
ily returning  to  their  ravaged  home 
and  field. 


Legion  of  Decency 
Condemns  3  Films 

Distinguished  Films'  "Passionelle" 
(French),  Oxford  Film'  "Torment" 
(Swedish),  and  Wilshire  Productions' 
"Street  Corner"  have  been  placed  in 
Class  C  by  the  National  Legion  of 
Decency. 

Other  films  newly  classified  are: 
"Feudin',  Fussin'  and  A-Fightin,' " 
Universal-International,  and  "Trail  to 
Laredo,"  Columbia,  both  in  Class  A-I ; 
"Portrait  of  Innocence"  (French), 
Siritzky  International,  and  "The  Velvet 
Touch,"  RKO  Radio,  in  A-II,  and 
"Bad  Sister,"  J.  Arthur  Rank — Uni- 
versal-International, and  "Mine  Own 
Executioner,"  20th  Century-Fox,  in 
Class  B. 


Ice  Shows  for  Roxy 

The  Roxy  Theatre  will  open  an 
$80,000  ice  stage  with  the  change  of 
program  starting  next  Wednesday, 
A.  J.  Balaban,  executive  director,  an- 
nounces. 


Enchanting  Lois  (MICKEY)  Butler,  screen  s  newest  sensation, 
sings  gloriously  in  Eagle  Lion's  heartwarming  "MICKEY,"  in 
Cinecolor.  More  than  100  Micl  west  Jay -and -dates  follow 
June  22nd  World  Premiere! 


HEARING  IS  BELIEVING!  We'll  send  you,  absolutely  FREE,  Lois  Butler's 
latest  Capitol  recording,  "Dreams  in  My  Heart."  Write,  wire  or  phone 
Exploitation  Dept.,  Eagle  Lion  Films,  165  W.  46th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 


Thursday,  June  17,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Reviews 


"Man-Eater  of  Kumaon" 

(Universal-International) 

THE  exploitation-minded  exhibitor  is  offered  in  this  tale  of  jungle  menace 
a  clear-cut  opportunity  to  exercise  his  promotional  ingenuity  _  in  terms 
of  old-time  spectacular  showmanship.  "Man-Eater  of  Kumaon"  (title  refers 
to  the  calibre  of  tiger  which  is  native  to  a  section  of  India)  is  one  , of  those 
highly  exploitable  pictures  the  grossing  strength  of  which  is  vested  chiefly 
lhe  quality  of  the  customer  lures  that  can  be  created  in  its  behalf. 
5ased  on  a  book  of  the  same  title  by  Jim  Corbett,  the  film  recites  at  an 
andante  pace  the  mortal  rivalry  between  a  hunter  from  America  (Wendell 
Corey)  and  a  constantly  stalking  jungle  cat  which,  by  virtue  of  having  been 
wounded,  is  forced  to  prey  among  the  less  fleet  native  villagers  in  the  Indian 
province.  What  the  film  lacks  in  histrionic  values  is  compensated  for  consid- 
erably in  the  gripping  photography  of  the  handsome  beast  in  action. 

The  Jeanne  Bartlett-Lewis  Meltzer  screenplay  portrays  Corey  as  somewhat 
indifferent  at  the  outset  to  the  fact  that  his  initial  failure  to  "finish  off"  the 
wounded  animal  has  created  a  menace  to  life  among  the  natives  of  the  area, 
but  when  he  comes  to  observe  first-hand  the  unhappiness  wrought  by  the  stalk- 
ing tiger  he  resolves  to  kill  the  beast.  In  so  doing  he  makes  secure  the  future 
happiness  of  Sabu  and  Joanne  Page,  cast  as  a  young  married  native  couple, 
but  loses  his  own  life  in  a  bloody  struggle  with  the  tiger.  With  the  exception 
of  Morris  Carnovsky,  who  lends  vigor  to  his  portrayal  of  a  native  village 
leader,  the  acting  is  only  passable.  Monty  Shaff  and  Frank  P.  Rosenberg  pro- 
duced and  Byron  Haskin  directed.  Adaptation  was  by  Richard  G.  Hubler  and 
Alden  Nash. 

Running  time,  79  minutes.    General  audience  classification.    July  release. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


"Beyond  Glory' 


(Paramount) 

IN  "Beyond  Glory,"  West  Point  serves  as  the  background  for  a  drama  which, 
while  unpretentious  in  its  handling,  proves  an  absorbing  exhibit  that  will 
gain  warm  appraisal  from  the  majority  of  patrons.  Its  heavy  reliance  on 
human  interest  gives  the  story  ready  acceptability  as  popular  entertainment 
and  the  film  succeeds  uncommonly  well  in  creating  a  sympathetic  attitude  to- 
ward Alan  Ladd,  a  veteran  who  has  the  audience  with  him  all  the  way  in  an 
inquiry  bearing  on  his  fitness  to  continue  as  a  member  of  the  cadet  corps. 

In  his  direction,  John  Farrow  lost  little  opportunity  to  give  the  material 
as  much  suspense  as  possible.  The  series  of  moves  by  which  Ladd  is  saved 
from  expulsion  are  certain  to  be  followed  with  heightened  interest  by  the 
ordinary  filmgoer.  The  problem  faced  by  Ladd  in  the  effort  to  clear  him  of 
charges  made  against  him  by  a  disgruntled  youth  expelled  from  the  Academy 
has  emotional  value  which  should  widen  the  picture's  potential  audience.  Ladd's 
story  is  told,  however,  with  an  excessive  use  of  flashbacks  which  may  slow  up 
the  film  for  some.  There  is  no  questioning  the  sincerity  of  the  acting,  es- 
pecially on  the  part  of  Ladd  and  Donna  Reed,  who  are  teamed  to  a  romantic 
advantage.  George  Macready,  George  Coulouris  and  Henry  Travers  are 
among  others  worthy  of  mention.  Robert  Fellows  produced  from  an  effective 
script  by  Jonathan  Latimer,  Charles  M.  Warren  and  William  Wister  Haines. 

Running  time,  82  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Sept.  3.  P.  E.  L. 


'Mickey" 


(Eagle-Lion) 

LOIS  BUTLER,  a  promising  16-year-old  talent  of  splendid  voice  and  win- 
ning looks,  makes  her  screen  debut  in  "Mickey."  The  vehicle  provided 
for  the  occasion  is  a  pleasing,  homespun,  comedy  drama  in  Cinecolor  about 
a  small-town  tomboy  who  has  a  penchant  for  upsetting  the  applecarts  of  con- 
vention. Its  amiable  brand  of  formula  humor  and  portraiture  seems  made  to 
order  for  the  family  trade,  and  especially  the  teen-agers,  for  whom  exploita- 
tion angles  are  facile  and  many. 

As  Mickey,  the  central  figure  in  the  story,  Miss  Butler,  it  seems,  would 
rather  play  baseball  than  practice  singing,  or  any  other  lady-like  avocations. 
As  the  story  progresses,  one  of  Mickey's  innocent  activities  becomes  so  dis- 
torted by  the  local  gossips,  that  her  widowed  father,  a  doctor,  comes  close 
to  losing  his  opportunity  to  head  the  new  town  hospital.  Things  all  turn  out 
well,  however,  with  Mickey  even  successfully  turning  her  father's  marital 
attentions  in  the  direction  of  an  attractive  fashion  editor. 

Bill  Goodwin  portrays  the  father  and  Irene  Hervey  the  editor.  Others  in 
the  cast  include  John  Sutton  and  Rose  Hobart.  The  screenplay,  by  Muriel 
Roy  Bolton  and  Agnes  Christine  Johnston,  is  a  simple  and  conventional  one, 
although  it  has  moments  of  tasty  flavor.  Aubrey  Schenck  produced  and  Ralph 
Murphy  directed.  Among  the  songs  are  "Father  Goose,"  "Dreams  in  My 
Heart"  and  "Minute  Waltz." 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  August 
release.  Mandel  Herbstman 


LOUIS  vs.  WALCOTT 
FITE  PICTURE  VALANCES 

SIZE:    10x3    FEET  $9.75 

National  Flag  Company 

43  W.  21st  ST.,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
Tel.  GRamercy  5-5858 


Ansco  Promotes  Two 

Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  June  16. — Wil- 
liam Balch  has  been  named  Eastern 
sales  manager  for  Ansco  and  Harold 
A.  Edlund  has  been  appointed  West- 
ern manager  by  Allan  Williford,  An- 
sco general  manager.  Balch  will  con- 
tinue as  New  York  district  manager 
and  Edlund  as  Chicago  manager. 


TH  E  SURPRISE 

PICTURE  OF 


THE  YEAR! 


The  Fuller.  Brush  Mai 

is  doing  sensational  business 
in  all  engagements- large  and 
small -holding  over  everywhere 


s 


>/SEATTLE 
VtAKLAND 

v^tockton 

v/harrisburg 

v^incinnati 


Cleveland  v^buffalo 
vsan  francisco  >/new  york 


V^AVERHILL,  Mass. 
^PORTLAND,  Ore. 


yllARTFORD 
^DETROIT 


i 


n/OKLAHOMA  CITY  y^POKANE 
VDENVER  v^ALT  LAKE  CITY 

OLUMBIA  PICTU 
presents 


as 


Check  with  the  exhibitors 
who  have  played  it  or 
are  playing  iti 


ttarring 


uer.  Brush 

JANET  BLAIR 


with 


Don  McGuire  •  Hillary  Brooke  •  Adele  Jergens  •  Ross  Ford  •  Trudy  Marshall 
AN  EDWARD  SMALL  PRODUCTION 

Screenplay  by  Frank  Tashlin  and  Devery  Freeman 

Based  upon  a  SATURDAY  EVENING  POST  story  by  Roy  Huggins 
Produced  and  Directed  by  S. SYLVAN  SIMON 


MOTTOM  PlCtVRJE 

— ~~n   _  murv«       ft  n  n  A./*  />TT*  V  A**  A 


MOTION  PICTURE  ASSOC.  OF 
AMSHrCA.,    {HO.  (CHAMBERS) 
23  WEST  44TH  ST., 
NSW  ¥ORK  18, 
H.  Y. 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


rf[y..  63.  NO.  118 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JUNE  18,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Partner  Sues 
W-  B.  to  Force 
Theatre  Sale 


First  Divestiture  Test 
Under  High  Court  Ruling 

Washington,  June  17. — Proba- 
bly the  first  suit  to  employ  the  Su- 
preme Court's  Paramount  decision 
as  basis  for  forcing  one  of  the  big 
five  to  give  up  a  theatre  jointly  owned 
with  an  independent  was  filed  in  Dis- 
trict Court  here  today  by  the  K-B 
Amusement  Co.  against  Stanley  Co., 
Warner  Brothers  theatre  operating 
subsidiary. 

K-B  and  Stanley  each  own  50  per 
cent  of  the  MacArthur  Theatre  here, 
and  the  complainant  asks  the  court, 
among  other  things,  to  order  Stanley 
to  transfer  its  interest  in  the  MacAr- 
thur on  the  ground  that  the  Para- 
mount decision  said  the  big  five  must 
give  up  jointly-owned  theatres  where 
the  join  ownership  is  an  alliance  with 
one  who  would  be  an  independent  op- 
erator but  for  the  joint  ownership. 

The  case  has  many  complications 
and  ramifications  beyond  this,  how- 
ever.   The  complaint  charges  Stanley 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


D  of  J  Holds  N.  Y. 
Court  Injunction 
Governs  Para.  Case 


Majors,  SAG  Pact 
Talks  Set  for  Tues. 


Hollywood,  June  17. — Screen  Ac- 
tors Guild  and  producers'  representa- 
tives are  preparing  to  resume  contract 
negotiations  here  on  Tuesday.  Talks 
were  broken  off  by  the  guild  on  April 
2  due  to  the  reported  unwillingness  of 
producers  to  make  reissues  and  tele- 
vision clauses  the  first  items  for  dis- 
cussion. 

It  is  believed  that  agreement  has 
been  reached  between  the  parties  to 
assign  these  questions  to  special  study 
committees  while  other  issues  are  dis- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Washington,  June  17. — Rejection 
of  the  Government's  proposed  order 
and  temporary  injunction  in  the  Para- 
mount case  by  the  New  York  Federal 
Court  last  Tuesday  results  in  the  re- 
instatement of  the  original  injunction 
of  the  lower  court,  Robert  L.  Wright, 
assistant  to  the  Attorney  General,  said 
today. 

With  that  injunction  now  in  effect, 
all  the  guess  work,  and  the  responsi- 
bility for  wrong  guesses,  is  up  to  the 
defendant  companies'  lawyers,  he 
pointed  out.  The  Justice  Department's 
idea  in  presenting  the  new  order,  he 
said,  was  to  clarify  and  reinterpret 
everything  in  the  light  of  the  Supreme 
Court  decision. 

The  lower  court's  refusal  to  act, 
Wright  contends,  means  that  the  le- 
gality of  many  courses  of  action  is 
uncertain  and  will  continue  so.  Con- 
(Continued  on-  page  4) 


ASCAP  in  New  Bid 
For  Consent  Decree 


Washington,  June  17. — ASCAP 
officials  have  submitted  a  new  pro- 
posed consent  decree  to  the  Justice 
Department  in  the  Government's  anti- 
trust suit  against  the  Society's  for- 
eign affiliations,  Justice  officials  re- 
vealed today. 

They  declared  they  thought  there 
was  a  "good  possibility"  of  reaching 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Raise  $252,575  at 
UJA  Drive  Opening 


A  total  of  $252,575  was  raised  here 
yesterday  at  the  amusements  division 
of  the  United  Jewish  Appeal  luncheon 
at  the  Hotel  Astor,  marking  the  form- 
al launching  of  the  campaign  for  1948. 
No  fixed  quota  has  been  set  for  this 
year's  drive. 

Principal  speaker  at  the  luncheon 
was  Reuven  Dafni,  a  major  in  Israel's 
security  forces,  who  discussed  the 
present  crisis  in  Palestine.  Moss  Hart 
and  George  S.  Kaufman,  playwrights, 
were  co-chairmen  of  the  luncheon,  and 
Harry  Brandt,  circuit  executive,  was 
fund  raiser.  Brandt  reminded  that 
the  amusement  division  will  hold  a 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Test  Case  Sought  on 
Legality  of  Cryptix 


The  Government  has  been  asked  to 
make  a  test  case  of  the  legality  of 
Cryptix,  a  method  of  numbering  tick 
ets  that  enables  a  theatreman  to  keep 
his  grosses  confidential,  it  was  dis- 
closed here  yesterday  by  Willis  Vance, 
Cincinnati  exhibitor  serving  on  the 
ticket  committee  of  Allied  States. 

Vance  reported  that  the  Federal 
Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue  had  ruled 
against  the  continued  use  of  Cryptix, 
which  provides  each  exhibitor  with  his 
own  individual  ticket  numbering  sys- 
tem. The  theatre  man,  who  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  development  of  Cryp- 
tix, said  that  use  of  the  system  will 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


U.S.  Council  Member 
Unneeded:  Wilson 

London,  June  17. — British 
Board  of  Trade  president 
Harold  Wilson  told  a  meeting 
of  the  Kinematograph  Rent- 
ers Society  council  in  reply 
to  remonstrances  over  the  ex- 
clusion of  American  repre- 
sentation on  the  British  in- 
dustry Films  Council  that 
there  is  no  reason  for  think- 
ing American  representation 
is  necessary. 

Wilson's  assertion,  together 
with  KRS  comments,  has  been 
sent  to  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  of  America,  it 
was  said. 


Commons  Told  U.  S. 
Out-Traded  Britain 


London,  June  17. — Britain's  delay 
in  publishing  the  Anglo-American  tax 
agreement  and  "the  manner  in  which 
terms  dribbled  out"  gave  the  impres- 
sion that  the  government  was  "thor- 
oughly ashamed  of  the  agreement," 
Parliament  member  Oliver  Lyttleton 
stated  in  Commons  today. 

Lyttleton  acknowledged  that  Board 
of  Trade  president  Harold  Wilson's 
position  in  the  negotiations  was  "dif- 
ficult," but  said  he  thought  Wilson 
underestimated  the  negotiating  position 
of  the  British  industry.  The  agree- 
ment, he  held,  bears  many  signs  of 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


MPEA  to  Ask 
State  Dep't  to 
Protest  Quota 

Claims  Britain  Violates 
Anglo-U.  S.  Trade  Pacts 

The  board  of  directors  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Export  Association 
yesterday  asked  Eric  Johnston, 
president,  to  request  the  State  De- 
partment to  make  a  vigorous  protest 
to  the  British  government  against  the 
new  British  45  per  cent  film  quota. 

Johnston  also  will  ask  the  State  De- 
partment to  request  negotiations  with 
the  British  government  to  reduce  or 
eliminate  the  greatly  increased  quota, 
as  provided  in  the  general  trade  agree- 
ment and  the  Havana  ITO  Charter. 

At  the  same  time,  the  State  Depart- 
ment will  be  asked  to  protest  the 
elimination  of  American  representation 
from  the  Cinematograph  Films  Coun- 
cil, an  advisory  group  to  the  Board 
of  Trade.    This  Council,  after  elimi- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Industry  Publicity 
Fails :  Youngstein 

The  industry's  public  relations  effort 
as  fostered  by  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America  and  exhibitor 
organizations  is  "the  worst  butchered 
job  in  the  industry's  history,"  Max  E. 
Youngstein,  Eagle-Lion's  advertising- 
publicity  vice-president,  charged  yes- 
terday as  he  began  his  administration 
as  president  of  the  Associated  Motion 
Picture  Advertisers. 

Addressing  a  gathering  of  some  300 
AMPA  members  and  industry  guests 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


MPEA  Relinquishes 
Selling  in  Holland 


Directors  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Association  voted  here  yesterday  to 
sell  independently  in  the  Netherlands 
following  expiration  on  Aug.  31,  of 
present  licensing  agreements.  The  ac- 
tion was  taken  because  the  market  has 
made  sufficient  progress  economically 
to  warrant  restoration  of  individual 
company  operation,  it  was  stated. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  Paramount, 
RKO,  20th  Century-Fox  and  Warner 
Bros,  will  operate  within  the  frame- 
work of  a  modified  MPEA,  which 
will  function  thereafter  as  a  service 
organization.    Allied  Artists,  Colum- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Name  Gadoni  Loew's 
Manager  for  Omaha 

Chicago,  June  17. — The  appoint- 
ment of  William  Gadoni  as  Loew's 
branch  manager  in  Omaha  was  an- 
nounced here  by  William  F.  Rodgers, 
Loew's  general  sales  manager.  Gadoni 
succeeds  Jerry  McGlynn  who  is  being 
transferred  to  Des  Moines  as  branch 
manager,  replacing  D.  C.  Kennedy, 
who  is  leaving  the  industry. 


Coyne  Sees  Video 
Competing  for  Films 

Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  June  17. — 
With  a  view  to  adjusting  the  motion 
picture  industry  to  television,  which  he 
characterized  as  "the  Number  One 
scare  of  every  theatreman,"  Robert  W. 
Coyne,  retiring  executive  director  of 
Theatre  Owners  of  America,  today 
urged  that  the  industry  study  the 
question  of  establishing  "exclusives" 
in  television  for  theatre  use.  He  also 
recommended,  in  his  talk  at  the  first 
annual  convention  at  the  Berkeley- 
Cartaret  Hotel  here  of  the  New  Jer- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  June  18,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

W'lLLIAM  A.  SCULLY,  Univer- 
sal -  International  distribution 
vice-president,  was  in  Boston  yester- 
day from  New  York. 

• 

Harry  M.  Warner,  Warner  presi- 
dent, became  a  grandfather  on  Wed- 
nesday when  Dr.  Nathan  S.  Hiatt 
and  Mrs.  Hiatt  became  parents  of  a 
son,  born  in  Los  Angeles.  Mrs.  Hiatt 
is  the  former  Lita  Warner. 

• 

Leon  J.  Bamberger,  RKO  Radio 
sales  promotion  manager,  will  attend 
the  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  New- 
Jersey  convention  at  West  End, 
N.  J.,  June  28-30. 

• 

Sam  Marx,  M-G-M  producer,  who 
returned  here  yesterday  from  Boston, 
will  leave  early  next  week  for  the 
Coast. 

Ed  Berkson,  treasurer  of  Screen- 
craft  Pictures,  will  be  married  on 
Sunday  to  Miss  Helen  Silver  of  this 
city. 

• 

E.  R.  Holtz,  Detroit  theatre  oper- 
ator, will  return  to  that  city  tomorrow 
from  New  York. 


Nero  Films,  Nebenzal 
Named  in  U.S.  Suit 

Los  Angeles,  June  17. — Nero  Films 
and  Seymour  Nebenzal  today  were 
named  defendants  in  a  Federal  Court 
suit  filed  by  Attorney  General  Tom 
Clark  in  which  the  Government  con- 
tends that  the  defendants  sold  radio 
rights  to  "Mayerling"  for  $1,000  after 
having  been  notified  that  ownership 
of  the  property  had  passed  to  the  Of- 
fice of  Alien  Property  Custodian.  The 
suit,  first  of  its  kind,  is  regarded  as 
intended  to  establish  a  precedent.  The 
novel  by  Jean  Schapler  has  been  the 
subject  of  lengthy  litigation. 


Eisenhower  at  Screening 

Gen.  Dwight  D.  Eisenhower  was 
host  yesterday  at  a  screening  of  Para- 
mount's  "Beyond  Glory"  in  the  com- 
pany's home  office  projection  room. 
Adolph  Zukor,  Paramount's  board 
chairman,  welcomed  the  general  and 
his  party  of  45  that  included  Gen. 
Courtney  H.  Hodges,  Major  Gen. 
Willard  G.  Wyman,  Mrs.  Eisenhower, 
Mrs.  John  Eisenhower,  Gen.  James 
Doolittle  and  Bobby  Jones. 


William  D.  Ward  Dies 

Cleveland,  June  17. — William  D. 
Ward,  industry  veteran,  died  yester- 
day of  a  heart  attack  at  his  home  in 
Kenton,  Ohio.  He  was  a  former  man- 
ager of  the  20th  Century-Fox  branch 
in  Detroit  and  former  owner  of  the 
Ohio  Theatre,  Kenton. 


Universal  Dividend 

Universal  Pictures  Corp.  board  of 
directors  yesterday  voted  a  Quarterly 
dividend  of  25  cents  per  share  on  the 
common  stock,  payable  July  31  to 
holders  of  record  on  July  15. 


Video  Competition 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


sey  TOA  chapter,  that  exhibitors  pro- 
vide for  large-scale  television  in  their 
theatres. 

Alluding  to  the  divorcement  pro- 
visions of  the  Supreme  Court  decree 
in  the  Paramount  case,  Coyne  inti- 
mated that  video  stations  will  be 
placed  on  the  same  competitive  foot- 
ing as  theatres,  with  producers  free 
to  sell  to  the  highest  bidder. 

Other  speakers  at  the  meeting  were 
Gael  Sullivan,  who  is  Coyne's  suc- 
cessor, and  Herman  Levy,  TOA  gen- 
eral counsel,  who  conducted  a  discus- 
sion of  the  industry  anti-trust  suit. 

Asserting  that  the  industry  is  suf- 
fering from  "court  shock,"  Sullivan 
called  for  the  abandonment  of  "status 
quo  thinking"  in  favor  of  "positive 
action." 

Legislation  affecting  New  Jersey 
exhibitors  was  discussed  during  the 
business  session,  with  the  TOA  unit 
agreeing  to  call  upon  the  Federation 
of  New  Jersey  Theatres  to  spearhead 
a  "united  front"  attack  on  the  Bator 
bill  which  would  prohibit  children  un- 
der 16  from  admittance  to  theatres  if 
unaccompanied  by  adults,  thereby  rais- 
ing the  age  limit  from  the  current  14. 

Maurey  Miller,  president  _  of  the 
New  Jersey  chapter,  was  chairman  of 
the  meeting. 


UJA  Drive  Opening 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


dinner  for  Louis  B.  Mayer  at  the  As- 
tor  Hotel  here  on  June  29. 

Those  attending  the  luncheon  in- 
cluded: George  Abbott,  Claud  Allis- 
ter,  A.  J.  Balaban,  Barney  Balaban, 
William  Brandt,  Harry  Brandt,  James 
J.  Brenen,  Max  A.  Cohen,  Paula  Cry- 
stal, Nat  N.  Dorfman,  Leo  Edwards, 
S.  H.  Fabian,  George  Feinberg, 
Frieda  Fishbein,  Emil  Friedlander, 
William  J.  German,  Leonard  H.  Gold- 
enson,  Max  Gordon,  Frank  Green, 
Jack  Monroe,  Bernard  Hart,  Clifford 
Hayman,  Morris  Jacobs,  Red  Kann, 
S.  J.  Kaufman,  William  Klein,  Her- 
bert Kubly,  Malcolm  Kingsberg, 
George  Leffler,  Louis  Litito,  Phillip 
Loeb,  Karl  Maiden,  Michael  Mok, 
Louis  A.  Novins,  Samuel  Rinzler, 
Richard  Rodgers,  Sam  Rosen ,  Phil 
Silvers,  Sol  Strausberg,  A.  P.  Wax- 
man,  David  Wayne,  David  Weinstock, 
Mrs.  Billy  K.  Wells,  H.  Williams,  J. 
Wildberg,  Walter  Vincent. 


ASCAP  Decree 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


some  agreement  on  the  new  proposal. 
Justice  attorneys  feel  that  their  hand 
has  been  strengthened  by  a  recent  rul- 
ing in  New  York  District  Court  grant- 
ing the  Government's  motion  to  dis- 
miss an  amended  answer  by  ASCAP. 

The  Government  officials  said  that 
if  final  agreement  were  not  reached  in 
the  next  four  or  five  weeks,  they 
would   move  to  have  the  trial  set. 


$20,000  'Waltz'  Opener 

One  of  the  biggest  Radio  City  Mu- 
isc  Hall  opening  days  in  some  time 
was  recorded  yesterday  with  Para- 
mount's "The  Emperor  Waltz,"  a 
gross  of  approximately  $20,000  being 
estimated  for  the  day. 


KMT  A  Board  Names 
Group  to  Plan  Meet 

Kansas  City,  June  17. — Glen  Hall, 
Virgil  Harbison  and  Dale  Danielson 
were  today  named  co-chairmen  of  a 
general  committee  to  plan  the  annual 
convention  of  Kansas-Missouri  Thea- 
tre Association  which  will  be  held 
here  October  5-6.  They  were  named 
at  a  meeting  of  the  K-MTA  board  of 
directors,  at  which  Homer  Strowig, 
the  association's  president,  was  chair- 
man. 

The  board  also  discussed  local 
phases  of  "Youth  Month"  activities  as 
part  of  the  Theatre  Owners  of  Amer- 
ica project  to  combat  juvenile  delin- 
quency. 


'Hard  Bargaining'  Is 
Cited  in  Trust  Trial 

John  F.  Murphy,  Loew's  booking 
executive  in  Louisville,  testified  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  yesterday 
that  there  has  been  "nothing  cut  and 
dried"  about  negotiating  for  Colum- 
bia product  for  Loew's  houses  in  that 
city. 

A  witness  for  the  distributor-defen- 
dants in  Fifth  and  Walnut  Amuse- 
ment's $2,100,000  anti-trust  suit,  which 
is  now  in  its  fifth  week  of  trial  be- 
fore Federal  Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel 
and  a  jury  of  12,  Murphy  described 
the  "stormy  sessions"  he  said  he  has 
had  with  Columbia  sales  executive 
Louis  Weinberg  in  his  efforts  to  se- 
cure product  terms. 


Alters  Plea  in  Suit 
On  Copyright  Breach 

Joseph  Albino,  one  of  two  defen- 
dants charged  with  criminal  infringe- 
ment of  film  copyrights  involving 
Columbia's  "Gilda,"  has  changed  a 
previous  plea  of  not  guilty  before 
U.  S.  Judge  Harold  M.  Kennedy  in 
Federal  Court  for  the  Eastern  Dis- 
trict in  Brooklyn.  Sentencing  of  Al- 
bino has  been  deferred  until  next 
Thursday,  while  co-defendant  Henry 
L.  Brook  will  go  on  trial  June  28. 


Bessey,  Ward  Named 
Altec  Vice-Presidents 

H.  M.  Bessey  has  been  designated 
executive  vice-president  of  Altec  Serv- 
ice and  A.  A.  Ward  vice-president  in 
charge  of  manufacturing,  according  to 
an  announcement  made  at  a  board 
meeting  by  G.  L.  Carrington,  pre- 
sident. 

Officers  reelected  to  the  board  are: 
Carrington,  Bessey,  Ward,  P.  F. 
Thomas,  treasurer;  and  R.  J.  Belmont, 
assistant  secretary-treasurer. 


Wilder  To  Make  Two 
Per  Year  for  U.A. 

W.  Lee  Wilder,  producer  of  United 
Artists'  "The  Vicious  Circle,"  to  open 
here  shortly,  has  concluded  arrange- 
ments with  UA  for  the  distribution 
of  two  films  each  year  for  the  next 
two  years.  Wilder's  first  is  scheduled 
to  start  within  60  days.  His  second, 
"Desert  Brigade,"  will  be  in  color. 
Wilder  also  has  in  preparation  W. 
Somerset  Maugham's  "Sheppey." 


Cryptix  Test 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


be  continued  in  his  four  theatres  until 
an  interpretation  of  the  Internal  Reve- 
nue Bureau's  ruling  can  be  made.  He 
termed  the  Government's  ban  unjusti- 
fied and  asserted  it  was  based  on  out-  i 
dated  tax  regulations. 

According  to  Vance,  Cryptix,  which 
substitutes  alphabetical  characters  for 
conventional  figures  on  tickets,  has  the 
support  of  national  Allied  and  is  now 
in  use  in  some  30  houses  in  thejr^;  ip 
area. 


Majors  -  SAG  Talks 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


cussed.  SAG  has  insisted  that  it  will 
not  sign  a  contract  to  replace  the  one 
which  expires  at  the  end  of  next 
month  without  provisions  on  reissues 
and  video. 

Meanwhile,  SAG  has  taken  the 
necessary  legal  steps  for  strike  action 
if  the  negotiations  fail.  The  guild  is 
also  continuing  talks  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers 
Association,  which  was  accorded  spe- 
cial concessions  last  year. 


c — RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — □ 


Rockefeller  Center 

JOAN 


:  CROSBY  FONTAINE 

lin  "THE  EMPEROR  WALTZ" 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Paramount  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


Para  mows)  praxntt 
BETTY  MACDONALD 

HUTTON  •  CAREY 


»"  umitam  IEISEN  noTncTiaH 


IOMT  FCATUII 
NIGHTIV 


greatest  star- 
andrtong-showl 


Released  thru  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


\'tr -Conditioned 

ICTORIA'K? 

Doors  Open  9:45  A.M.  *  Lole  Show  Nilely 


PEGGY  CUMMINS    ■    CHARLES  COBURN 
ROBERT  ARTHUR 

"Green  Grass  of  Wyoming" 

A  20th-Century-Fox  Picture  in  Technicolor 
PLUS  ON  STAGE— HARRY  RICHMAN 
THE  CRADDOCKS  -  MING  &  LING 
CHANDRA   KALY  and   His  Dancers 

Rrt  Y  V  7th  Ave.  &  
w  yV  I     50th  st.  rr=. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  ami  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  1<  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
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Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


"This  motion  picture 
was  adapted  from  the 
files  of  the  FBI.  Wher- 
ever possible  it  was  pho- 
tographed in  the  original 
locale  and  played  by 
the  actual  FBI  person- 
nel involved!" 


WCHARO  W,DmZNO  NAME" 

'U*M  KEIGHLEY  ?  p°2?  *  How0rd  s^  Pev„ey 


Or/, 


CENTURY-FOX 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  June  18,  1948 


Youngstein 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


at  the  organization's  induction  lunch- 
eon in  the  Hotel  Astor  here,  Young- 
stein lashed  out  bitterly  against  the 
making  of  industry  public  relations  ex- 
clusively the  domain  of  "a  bunch  of 
executives  who  sit  in  a  room  and  ex- 
change bromides." 

Deploring  as  unjust  many  of  the 
criticisms  which  have  been  hurled  at 
the  industry  by  outsiders,  the  AMPA 
president  asserted  that  the  way  to  im- 
prove industry  public  relations  is  to 
include  in  the  effort  toward  betterment 
the  active  participation  of  rank  and 
rile  publicists,  namely,  AMPA's  mem- 
bers. Additionally,  he  declared,  good 
pictures  are  also  the  answer — not  talk. 

AMPA,  he  acknowledged,  has  been 
on  the  point  of  dissolving  for  several 
months,  but  he  resolved  to  bring  about 
its  revitalization  during  the  coming 
year  with  the  cooperation  of  the  mem- 
bers. 

New  York  City's  motion  picture 
production  code,  which  is  now  nearing 
completion,  will  be  applicable  as  well 
to  television  operations,  it  was  dis- 
closed yesterday  by  Judge  Edward  C. 
Maguire,  chairman  of  Mayor  William 
O'Dwyer's  film  coordination  commit- 
tee. Meanwhile,  he  added,  the  one- 
day  service  which  has  been  established 
by  the  city  in  the  past  year  in  the 
granting  of  motion  picture  location 
shooting  permits  is  now  being  enjoyed 
by  television  producers  also. 

Sharing  the  dais  with  Youngstein 
were :  David  Blum,  Evelyn  Koleman, 
Irene  Rich,  Phil  Williams,  Lois  But- 
ler, Judge  Edward  C.  Maguire  and 
Charles  Alicoate. 


New  Price  Scale  Ups 
'Time'  Attendance 

Attendance  at  the  Mayfair  Theatre 
here,  where  "The  Time  of  Your  Life" 
continues  in  the  fourth  week  of  its 
premiere,  jumped  over  1,000  admis- 
sions a  day  since  last  Tuesday  when 
a  lowered  price  scale  went  into  effect, 
United  Artists,  distributors  for  the 
William  Cagney  production,  an- 
nounced. The  new  price  policy  ranges 
from  60  cents  opening  until  1  P.M. ; 
85  cents  to  6  P.M.;  and  $1.25  for 
evening  hours.  The  Sunday  scale 
ranges  from  90  cents  to  $1.25. 


Video  Equipment  at 
20th's  Boston  Office 

Boston,  June  17. — Camera  and  tele- 
vision equipment  will  be  housed  in 
20th  Century-Fox's  Boston  office,  it 
was  disclosed  today  following  confer- 
ences here  between  company  television 
officials  from  New  York  and  Edward 
Callahan,  20th-Fox  Boston  manager, 
and  Albert  Fowler,  publicist. 


Tom  Miller  Appointed 

Ottawa,  June  17. — Tom  Miller  has 
been  placed  in  charge  of  theatrical 
distribution  in  Western  Canada  for 
National  Film  Board. 


LOUIS  vs.  WALCOTT 

FITE  PICTURE  VALANCES 

SIZE:    10x3    FEET  $9.75 

National  Flag  Company 

43  W.  21st  ST.,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
Tel.  GRamercy  5-5858 


Review 


A  Date  with  Judy 

(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)  Hollywood,  June  17 

PRODUCED  lavishly  in  Technicolor  by  Joe  Pasternak,  this  comedy  with 
music,  derived  from  the  radio  program  of  the  same  title,  is  light,  pleasant, 
high  class  entertainment  for  the  whole  family,  and  is  stocked  with  marquee 
names  equal  to  the  exploitation  requirements  of  all  types  of  theatres. 

Teen-age  romance  and  family  life  are  the  prime  story  ingredients,  but  Jane 
Powell,  Carmen  Miranda,  Xavier  Cugat  and  his  orchestra  supply  a  lively 
musical  content,  the  numbers  fitting  snugly  into  the  narrative.  Wallace 
Beery  as  the  father  and  Selena  Royle  as  the  mother  are  especially  effective 
in  a  uniformly  competent  cast  that  includes  Elizabeth  Taylor,  Robert  Stack, 
Scott  Beckett,  Leon  Ames  and  George  Cleveland.  This  attraction  figures  to 
do  top  business. 

The  script  by  Dorothy  Cooper  and  Dorothy  Kingsley  opens  on  the  eve 
of  a  high  school  dance  for  which  Miss  Powell,  as  Judy,  has  a  date  with 
Beckett,  whose  sister,  Miss  Taylor,  Judy's  rival,  persuades  him  to  send  a 
substitute.  Miss  Powell  enlists  Stack,  college-age  soda  jerker,  to  'escort  her 
to  the  dance,  and  quickly  believes  herself  to  be  in  love  with  him,  although 
he  is  enamored  of  Miss  Taylor,  and  she  of  him. 

From  this  start  stem  several  complications  and  sub-themes  concerning 
neglectful  parents,  rhumba  lessons,  radio  programs  and  wedding  anniversaries, 
all  woven  smoothly  into  the  running  story,  which  is  principally  funny,  some- 
times emotional  and  always  amusing. 

The  direction  by  Richard  Thorpe  is  remarkably  successful  in  view  of  the 
multiplicity  of  story  threads  and  the  shifting  emphasis  on  the  principals. 
Georgie  Stoll's  musical  direction  gets  the  maximum  value  from  the  numbers. 

Running  time,  113  minutes.  General  classification.  Release,  not  set. 

William  R.  Weaver 


Britain  Out-Traded 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


imprecision  and  unnecessary  haste. 
Lyttleton  maintained  a  better  deal 
could  have  been  gotten  for  Britain  if 
her  negotiators  had  been  more  tena- 
cious. Many  of  the  provisions,  he 
added,  bear  no  sign  of  skilful,  expert 
negotiation. 

He  said  there  is  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  net  amount  of  remit- 
tances to  the  U.  S.  will  be  confined 
to  $17,000,000.  All  permissive  uses 
here  of  unremittable  earnings,  he  said, 
save  dollars  for  the  American  compa- 
nies. 

O'Brien  Applauds  Wilson 

While  Opposition  members  continued 
their  attack  on  the  agreement,  Labor 
members,  head  by  National  Associa- 
tion of  Theatrical  and  Kine  Employes 
general  secretary  Tom  O'Brien,  sup- 
ported Wilson.  O'Brien  asserted  that 
Wilson  is  to  be  congratulated  for  "a 
first  class  piece  of  work." 

In  replying  that  he  agreed  that  an- 
nouncement of  the  terms  were  delayed 
unusually  long,  Wilson  said  there  was 
no  other  way  to  reduce  the  dollar 
drain.  Before  the  agreement  became 
effective,  remittances  were  $1,000,000 
a  week,  he  said. 

It  is  impossible  to  keep  theatres 
open  without  American  films,  Wilson 
pointed  out,  adding  that  the  British 
were,  therefore,  not  in  a  position  to 
dictate  terms  with  respect  to  blocked 
sterling  or  bigger  bookings  in  Amer- 
ica for  British  product. 

Films  Talks  with  Russia 

Wilson  also  revealed  that  prelimi- 
nary negotiations  for  exchange  of 
films  with  the  Russian  government 
have  begun. 

Regarding  the  quota  issue,  Wilson, 
questioned  in  Commons  as  to  what 
steps  he  proposes  to  increase  the  show- 
ing of  short  subjects,  in  British  thea- 
tres, replied  that  he  has  no  power  to 
make  such  proposals  at  present,  but 
added  that  he  intends  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  review  short  subjects 
distribution  and  exhibition  terms. 

Meanwhile,  he  said,  he  would  like  to 
see  distributors  arrange  for  greater 
showing  of  British  shorts. 


MPEA-State  Dep't 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


nating  American  representation, 
recommended  the  high  quota  adopted 
by  the  Board  of  Trade. 

"This  screen  quota  is  excessive  and 
unnecessary,"  Johnston  said.  "Its  re- 
quirements obviously  can't  be  fulfilled 
by  British  producers.  We  can  there- 
fore only  consider  it  as  a  gratuitous 
affront  to  the  American  motion  pic- 
ture industry. 

"We  shall  immediately  ask  the  State 
Department  to  protest  to  the  highest 
levels  in  Great  Britain  because  a  45 
per  cent  quota  clearly  violates  the 
spirit  of  the  international  trade  agree- 
ments to  which  our  two  countries  are 
signatory. 

"These  agreements  seek  to  reduce 
trade  barriers  and  promote  freer  trade 
among  nations  in  the  interest  of  sound 
world  economic  recovery.  This  45  per 
cent  quota  obviously  runs  counter  to 
these  aims,"  Johnston  said.  "The  pur- 
pose of  the  new  quota  proposal  is  to 
damage  and  discriminate  against 
American  interests." 

Prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  ITO 
Charter  in  Havana,  the  British  also 
imposed  a  distributors'  quota,  but  this 
so-called  renters'  quota  was  outlawed 
by  the  Charter. 

Pending  further  developments  on 
the  quota  situation,  the  board  voted  to 
postpone  consideration  of  the  schedule 
of  interpretations  of  the  Anglo-Ameri- 
can film  agreement. 


Partner  Sues 


MPEA  Relinquishes 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


bia,  United  Artists  and  Universal  re- 
served decis  ion  on  their  use  of  MPEA 
facilities  until  a  later  date.  Under 
the  new  arrangement,  each  of  the 
participating  members  will  have  its 
own  sales  supervisor,  salesmen,  book- 
ers and  publicity  men,  with  MPEA 
carrying  out  the  physical  distribution 
of  films,  billing  and  collection  of  film 
rentals  and  maintenance  of  records. 

The  MPEA  board  designated  Arn- 
old C.  Childhouse,  MPEA  managing 
director  in  Holland,  to  serve  as  tem- 
porary manager  of  the  new  service 
organization. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


and  Warner  with  plans  to  maintain 
and  preserve  "monopolistic  control"  in 
one  Washington  area,  and  specifically 
with  attempting  to  block  K-B  plans 
for  a  new  theatre  by  refusing  to  dis- 
pose of  their  interest  in  the  Mac- 
Arthur  unless  K-B  abandons  its  new 
project.  K-B  says  Warners  fears  the 
proposed  theatre  would  compete  with 
several  Warner  theatres  in  the  j£  Y 

Would  Have  WB  Yield  Site  Interest 

In  addition  to  asking  the  court  to 
force  Warners  to  give  up  its  interest 
in  the  MacArthur,  K-B  is  also  asking 
that  the  court  determine  what  interest, 
if  any,  Warner  has  in  the  site  for  the 
new  theatre,  and  also  force  the  com- 
pany to  give  up  whatever  that  interest 
may  be. 

According  to  the  complaint,  back  in 
1945,  K-B,  which  operates  a  chain  of 
theatres  in  Washington,  announced 
plans  in  1945  to  build  a  new  theatre 
on  MacArthur  Boulevard.  Warner 
within  several  weeks  announced  it  had 
plans  to  build  a  theatre  less  than  three 
blocks  away,  solely,  K-B  says,  to  in- 
timidate it.  The  two  companies  got 
together  and  agreed  to  form  a  part- 
nership to  run  the  new  theatre. 

Say  WB  Balked  on  Second  Theatre 

At  the  same  time,  as  part  of  the 
deal,  the  two  companies  agreed  with 
Kass  Realty  Co.,  which  owned  the 
MacArthur  site,  that  within  two  years 
they  would  pick  a  site  for  a  second 
jointly-operated  theatre  or  forfeit 
$100,000.  When  the  New  York  Dis- 
trict Court  entered  its  findings  in  the 
Paramount  case,  the  complaint  says, 
Warner  refused  to  go  ahead  with 
plans  for  the  second  theatre,  Kass  re- 
fused an  extension  on  the  time,  and 
K-B  itself  designated  the  new  site. 

One  attorney  for  Warner  Brothers 
here  said  that  "without"  having  seen 
the  complaint  he  would  judge  that  the 
K-B  company  could  not  get  any  final 
action  out  of  District  Court  here  until 
the  New  York  court  conducted  hear- 
ings and  entered  new  findings  on  the 
divestiture  question,  as  directed  by  the 
Supreme  Court.  "Until  then,"  he  said, 
"I  just  don't  see  how  they  have  a 
case." 


D  of  J  Holds 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


tempt  liabilities  will  accrue  now  for 

violations  of  any  parts  of  the  court's 
injunction  which  ultimately  are  upheld. 
Thus,  defendants'  attorneys  will  have 
to  guess  which  parts  will  be  sustained 
and,  accordingly,  which  parts  must  not 
be  violated  without  risking  contempt 
penalties. 


I  OF  COURSE 


BROOKLYN 

and; 

HEAVEN" 


sent  from  UA 


^^63.  NO.  119 


MOTION  PltrffolE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  JUNE  21,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


38.7%  of  U.S. 
Theatres  Show 
Singles:  MPAA 

25  Per  Cent  Are  on  a 
Straight  Dual  Policy 

Only  38.7  per  cent  of  the  18,351 
film  accounts  listed  in  the  records 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Association 
of  America  have  a  single-feature 
policy;  the  remaining  61.3  per  cent 
show  doubles  full  or  part  time. 

Some  25.1  per  cent  present 
double  bills  only,  and  an  addi- 
tional 38.7  per  cent  double  part 
of  the  time,  the  MPAA's  re- 
search department  will  reveal 
today,  in  reporting  an  April, 
1948,  national  theatre  survey. 

The  New  York  exchange  area  leads 
theatres  showing  double  features  regu- 
larly, with  a  percentage  of  76.6;  10.6 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Vogel  Cites  Loew's 
Caution  in  Booking 


Joseph  R.  Vogel,  Loew  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  theatre  operations, 
testifying  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here 
at  the  weekend  at  the  trial  of  Fifth 
and  Walnut  Amusement's  anti-trust 
action  against  distributors,  revealed 
that  20  years  ago  Loew's  legal  depart- 
ment cautioned  the  company  to  refrain 
from  booking  product  of  other  thea- 
tre-owning distributors,  and  said  that 
that  advice  has  been  followed  as  close- 
ly as  possible  ever  since.  The  legal 
department,  he  testified,  so  advised  in 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


True-Name  Bill  Now 
Massachusetts  Law 

Boston,  June  20— The  true- 
name  bill  signed  by  Governor 
Bradford  will  affect  all  mo- 
tion picture  and  other  actors 
performing  within  Massachu- 
setts. Upon  entering  the 
state  they  must  file  with  the 
Department  of  Public  Safety 
their  true  names  and  ad- 
dresses. This  will  also  include 
those  making  personal  ap- 
pearances. However,  they  can 
use  their  assumed  name 
while  performing.  Massachu- 
setts is  the  first  state  to  have 
such  a  law. 


Canada  Plugs  Leak 
On  Projector  Tax 

Ottawa,  June  20.  —  The  25 
per  cent  excise  tax  on  16mm. 
projectors  has  been  extended 
to  cover  16mm.  projector 
mechanisms,  sound  equip- 
ment, arc  lamps,  lenses,  bases 
and  reels  because  they  are 
being  imported  as  untaxed 
parts  and  later  assembled  in 
Canada  to  avoid  the  excise  on 
finished  projector  imports. 


Congressional  Probe 
Of  FCC  Starts  Soon 

Washington,  June  20. — A  Con- 
gressional investigation  of  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  ap- 
pears likely  this  summer.  The  House 
rules  committee  on  Friday  cleared  for 
floor  action  a  resolution  establishing  a 
special  investigating  committee. 

The  committee  would  be  authorized 
to  go  into  the  Commission's  power  to 
consider  program  content  in  licenses, 
whether  it  had  in  any  way  favored 
Communist  Party  members  in  grant- 
ing stations,  and  other  matters. 

Meanwhile,  Republican  Senator 
Capehart  continued  to  block  confirma- 
tion of  the  nomination  of  Frieda  B. 
Hennock  as  FCC  Commissioner. 


Para.,  20th-Fox  Video 
Permits  Up  Today 

Washington,  June  20.— Hearings 
on  five  applications,  including  those 
of  Paramount  and  20th  Century-Fox, 
for  San  Francisco's  three  remaining 
television  channels  will  resume  here 
tomorrow.  Spyros  P.  Skouras,  20th 
Fox  president,  is  a  scheduled  witness. 

Hearings  were  held  on  the  West 
Coast  a  few  weeks  ago,  and  recessed 
to  resume  in  Washington. 


See  Boycott 
Again  in  UK 


London,  June  20. — British  exhibitors 
fear,  not  without  reason,  that  the  latest 
developments  arising  from  the  45  per 
cent  film  quota  for  theatres  may  re- 
sult in  the  return  of  the  American 
companies'  boycott  which  arose  from 
the  enactment  of  the  75  per  cent  ad 
valorem  levy  last  year. 

Action  of  the  board  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Export  Association,  in  New 
York  last  Thursday,  in  deciding  to 
protest  the  quota  increase  to  the  U.  S. 
State  Department  on  the  grounds  that 
Britain  is  violating  Anglo-U.  S.  trade 
pacts,  brought  from  a  British  Board 
of  Trade  spokesman  the  observation 
that,  "Surely,  Americans  cannot  com- 
plain we  encourage  our  own  indus- 
try," pointing  out  that  even  with  the 
45  per  cent  quota  there  still  is  55  per 
cent  of  British  screen  time  available 
to  American  product. 

In  considering  the  how  and  why 
American  film  interests  interfere  with 
"our  internal  legislation,"  the  impres- 
sion is  gained  in  some  British  film 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Refutes  D  of  J  On 
Technicolor  Decree 

Hollywood,  June  20. — Technicolor 
president  Herbert  T.  Kalmus  denies 
Motion  Picture  Daily's  story  of  June 
10  from  Washington  quoting  a  De- 
partment of  Justice  official  to  the  ef- 
fect his  company  is  seeking  a  consent 
decree  in  the  Government's  anti-trust 
suit.  Kalmus  had  previously  stated 
Technicolor  holds  the  Government  has 
no  case  and  that  the  company  will  de- 
fend the  case  on  its  merits.  He  said 
no  negotiations  for  a  consent  decree 
have  been  carried  on  and  none  are 
contemplated. 


Film  Controls  Abroad  Are 
Increasing,  US  Reports 


Washington,  June  20.— Controls  of 
varying  nature  have  been  imposed  in 
Hungary,  Finland,  Uruguay  and  Al- 
geria, having  varying  effect  on  Holly- 
wood product  or  the  operations  of 
American  companies  in  those  coun- 
tries. 

Hungary  has  taken  two  steps  _  to 
broaden  its  control  over  production, 
imports,  distribution  and  exhibition, 
the  Commerce  Department  reports. 

Film  consultant  Nathan  D.  Golden 
states  that  all  matters  relating  to  films 
have  been  centralized  in  the  new  Na- 
tional Motion  Picture  Bureau,  direct- 
ly under  the  supervision  of  the  Prime 
Minister.  A  new  decree  provides  for 


more  intensive  censorship  to  eliminate 
scenes  and  dialogue  which  do  not  re- 
flect the  politics  of  the  present  re- 
gime. 

Control  of  admission  prices  by  Fin- 
land has  ended,  but  the  trade  imme- 
diately set  up  a  council  to  control 
prices  and  only  small  changes  have 
taken  place  so  far,  according  to  Golden. 

He  reports  that  audiences  have  de- 
clined considerably  recently  as  part  of 
a  general  economy  move. 

Uruguay  has  decided  to  create  a 
national  film  industry.  Golden  said  the 
Ministry  of  Industries  and  Labor  has 
appointed  a  commission  of  five  to  draft 
legislation  creating  the  industry. 


Protest  on  UK 
Quota  Is  Held 
Unlikely  by  US 

State  Dept.  Awaiting 
Official  Embassy  Report 

Washington,  June  20.  —  State 
Department  officials  have  indicated 
that  any  U.  S.  Government  protest 
against  the  increase  in  the  British 
quota  law,  which  was  approved  by  the 
House  of  Commons  late  Thursday 
night,  was  "extremely  unlikely." 

Admitting  that  they  still  want  to  get 
an  official  report  from  the  London 
Embassy  and  study  that,  the  officials 
said  judging  by  press  reports  there 
was  nothing  in  the  film  quota  revision 
which  discriminated  only  against 
American  companies,  and  hence  there 
existed  no  basis  for  a  U.  S.  protest. 

The  Motion  Picture  Export  Asso- 
ciation on  Thursday  directed  Eric 
Johnston,  its  president,  to  ask  the 
State  Department  to  protest  to  the 
British  government  against  the  revised 
quota  on  the  grounds  it  is  in  violation 
of  international  trade  agreements  to 
which  the  U.  S.  and  the  United  King- 
dom are  parties. 


British  Quota  Gets 
Commons'  Approval 

London,  June  20. — The  House  of 
Commons  approved  at  the  weekend 
the  order  requiring  that  45  per  cent 
of  the  films  shown  in  Britain  be  Brit- 
ish-made. The  order  will  now  go  to 
the  House  of  Lords  for  confirmation. 
It  will  be  operative  for  12  months, 
starting  October  1,  next. 

British  Board  of  Trade  president  J. 
Harold  Wilson,  in  his  motion  for 
Commons'  approval  on  Friday,  insist- 
ed that  the  new  quota  figure  was  based 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Video  Exhibition 
Contract  Drafted 


First  draft  of  a  standard  exhibition 
contract  for  films  in  television,  for- 
mulated by  the  National  Television 
Film  Council,  will  be  turned  over  to 
its  television  film  committee  shortly 
for  consideration,  following  which  it 
will  be  submitted  to  television  stations 
and  film  distributors  for  approval.  The 
committee  is  headed  by  Robert  M. 
Paskow,  film  director  of  WATV, 
Newark.    The  proposed  contract  is 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  June  21,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


JOSEPH      BERNHARD,.  Film 
Classics  and  Cinecolor  president, 
left  here  at  the  weekend  for  the  Coast. 
• 

Messmore  Kendall,  president  of 
the  New  York  Capitol  Theatre,  and 
Messmore,  Jr.,  will  leave  here  by 
plane  tomorrow  for  London,  where 
they  will  meet  Mrs.  Kendall,  and 
will  then  visit  France,  leaving  the  son 
there  for  schooling  and  returning  here 
late  in  July. 

• 

Herman  Lew  and  Gael  Sullivan 
of  Theatre  Owners  of  America  left 
here  over  the  weekend  to  attend  the 
Theatre  Owners  of  North  and  South 
Carolina  convention  at  Myrtle  Beach, 
S.  C,  today  through  Wednesday.  H. 
M.  RrcHEY  of  M-G-M  also  left  here 
over  the  weekend  for  Myrtle  Beach. 
• 

Spyros  P.  Skouras,  20th  Century- 
Fox  president,  who  returned  here  over 
the  weekend  from  Paris  with  20th-Fox 
International  head  Murray  Silver- 
stone,  will  be  in  New  Haven  today 
to  attend  the  graduation  of  his  son, 
Spyros,  Jr.,  from  Yale. 

• 

Robert  Coy'ne  of  Theatre  Owners 
of  America  left  New  York  over  the 
weekend  to  attend  the  convention  of 
Mississippi  Theatre  Owners  at  Biloxi, 
Miss.,  today  and  tomorrow. 

• 

Charles  H.  Lehman,  president  of 
Telesonic  Theatrephone  Co.,  hearing 
aid  manufacturers,  has  opened  new 
headquarters  at  3  East  48th  St.,  New 
York. 

• 

Edward  L.  Hyman,  Paramount 
Theatres  Service  vice-president,  and 
Max  Fellerman,  theatre  department 
executive,  have  returned  here  from 
Detroit. 

• 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  presi- 
dent, is  attending  the  Texas  State 
Federation  of  Labor  convention  in 
Fort  Worth  today. 

• 

Julian  Berman,  Loew's  Interna- 
tional manager  in  Cuba,  and  Mrs. 
Berman  are  vacationing  in  New 
York. 

• 

E.  J.  Mannix,  M-G-M  studio  ex- 
ecutive, has  left  Hollywood  for  a 
month's  vacation  in  Hawaii. 


McCullah  St.  Johns  has  resigned 
as  managing  editor  of  Photoplay  and 
Radio  Mirror,  effective  Thursday. 
• 

Fred  Myers,  Universal-Internation- 
al Eastern  division  sales  manager,  is 
in  Buffalo  from  New  York. 


Press  Party  at  Roxy 

The  Roxy  Theatre  here  and  20th 
Century-Fox  will  be  host  to  the  press 
at  a  midnight  ice  festival  tomorrow  to 
inaugurate  the  theatre's  new  ice  pres- 
entations which  will  supplement  the 
regular  screen  and  "in-person"  show. 
A.  J.  Balaban,  executive  director  of 
the  Roxy,  will  be  host  at  a  buffet 
supper. 


Filming  Spurts  at 
Hollywood  Studios 

Hollywood,  June  20. — The  produc- 
tion index  rose  to  36  from  last  week's 
32.  Eight  new  films  went  before  cam- 
eras and  four  were  completed. 

Shooting  started  on  "The  Strange 
Mrs.  Crane"  (John  Sutherland  Prod- 
uction), Eagle-Lion;  "Silver  Trails/' 
Monogram ;  "Brothers  in  the  Saddle," 
RKO  Radio ;  "Chicken  Every  Sun- 
day" and  "Tucson"  (Sol  M.  Wurtzel), 
20th  Century-Fox ;  "Some  Rain  Must 
Fall"  (James  Nasser)  and  "Indian 
Scout"  (Edward  Small),  United 
Artists  and  "Criss  Cross,"  Universal- 
International.  Shooting  finished  on 
"Quick  on  the  Trigger,"  "Walking- 
Hills,"  "Undercover  Man"  and  "FBI 
Meets  Scotland  Yard"  (Edward 
Small),  Columbia. 


Johnston  Asks  End  of 
Protectionist  Policy 

Calling  for  a  change  from  "some 
moss-backed  thinking  habits  of  our 
own  foreign  trade,"  Eric  Johnston, 
president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation of  America,  declared  here  at 
the  weekend  that  the  U.  S.  should 
show  the  way  toward  a  world  of  freer 
trade.  He  spoke  on  Friday  at  the 
convention  banquet  of  the  National 
Federation  of  Sales  Executives  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel. 

"We  expect  Europe  to  hack  down 
its  artificial  barriers  and  integrate 
economies,  but  here  at  home  some  of 
us  still  think  that  to  export  is  divine 
but  to  import  is  dastardly,"  Johnston 
said,  in  part,  and  added:  "Every  dog- 
ma has  its  day,  but  our  high  protec- 
tionist dogma  is  getting  mangy  and 
has  outlived  its  usefulness." 


Quota  Approved 

(C 'ontinued  from  page  1) 


on  sober  calculation.  It  compares  with 
a  current  quota  figure  of  17^4  per 
cent. 

Referring  to  criticism  of  the  order 
which  has  come  from  British  exhibi- 
tors and  from  America,  Wilson  de- 
nied that  the  quota  is  fantastic  and 
claimed  he  would  be  failing  in  his  duty 
if  he  fixed  any  other  figure. 

Lords'  approval  of  the  quota  will 
make  it  law. 


See  Boycott  Again 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


circles  that  the  Americans  are  not 
satisfied  with  the  ad  valorem  agree- 
ment, which  has  not  yet  been  given  a 
chance  to  operate,  and  also  the  Amer- 
icans do  not  fully  appreciate  that 
Britain  cannot  afford  even  the  $17,- 
000,000  released  to  them  under  the 
agreement. 


DC  Bill  Awaits  Signature 

Washington,  June  20. — With  Sen- 
ate passage  of  a  bill  requiring  thea- 
tres and  other  amusement  places  in  the 
District  of  Columbia  to  pay  the  cost 
of  any  extra  police  or  fire  service  re- 
quired for  "special  events,"  the  mea- 
sure is  awaiting  the  President's  signa- 
ture. The  House  passed  the  bill 
June  8. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


PRESIDENT  TRUMAN  on  his 
tour,  and  honoring  of  Yank  dead 
in  France  mark  newsreel  highlights 
in  the  current  releases.  Cardinal 
Spcllman  in  Tokyo  as  well  as  sports 
and  human  interests  round  out  the 
reels.    Complete  contents  follouf: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  49^Presi- 
dent  Truman  hailed  at  Los  Angeles;  winds 
up  his  tour  of  nation.  Italy:  President 
Luigi  Einaudi  takes  charge  of  Italian  army. 
Cardinal  Spellman  visits  Tokyo.  American 
dead  honored  in  France.  American  beauties. 
Miss  Atlantic  City.  Sports:  horseracing. 
Japanese  derby.  Gymnastics.  Austria's 
Olympics.    Water  skiing. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  383— UN 
mediator  seeks  Palestine  peace.  President 
Truman  gets  an  eight-ball  from  Los  Angeles 
press  club.  Cardinal  Spellman  in  Tokyo. 
France  honors  American  dead.  Search  be- 
gins for  Miss  America.  Aqua-ski  thriller. 
Darby  day  in  Tokyo. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  8ft— U.  S. 

Olympic  boxing  finals.  Tennis  matches  in 
Britain.  Tokyo  race  track.  Memorial  for 
fallen  Yanks  in  France.  Truman  family  on 
tour.     Swedish  sailing  expedition. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  158— Danish 
ship  hit  by  mine.  French  honor  Yank 
heroes    in    Paris.      Puerto    Rico's  largest 

_  sugar    crop.      Flying    barnyard    takes  off. 

'Rodeo.  Trick  pistol-shooter  displays  skill. 
Steeplechase  thrills. 

WARNER  PAT  HE.  NEWS,  No.  88— 

People:  Gen.  Smuts,  President  Truman. 
Duke  Phillip  and  Cardinal  Spellman.  Pal- 
estine under  truce.  Bouncing  baby.  Potato 
harvest  in  California.  Frenchman  lives  up 
side  down.  Kids  vs.  chopsticks.  Olympic 
divers.    Great  Events:  Gettysburg. 


Rogers  Fund  Meeting 
Tomorrow  in  Boston 

Boston,  June  20. — Representatives 
of  distributors  and  exhibitor  organiza 
tions  of  New  England,  meeting  at  the 
Hotel  Statler  here  on  Tuesday,  will  be 
addressed  by  William  F.  Rodgers, 
M-G-M  distribution  vice-president ; 
Abe  Montague,  Columbia  sales  head, 
and  Edward  Morey,  Monogram  vice- 
president,  in  an  appeal  for  industry 
cooperation  in  the  drive  for  funds  for 
the  Will  Rogers  Memorial  Sanatori 
um.  This  will  be  the  third  in  a  series 
of  territorial  meetings. 


MPAA  Ad  Unit  Keep 
Vigil  on  Censor  Bill 

Although  the  Cuningham  censorship 
bill  to  enlarge  the  powers  of  New 
York's  license  commissioner  is  expect- 
ed to  die  in  committee  in  City  Coun 
cil,  the  Advertising  Advisory  Council 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  is  watching  for  attempts  to 
push  the  proposal  through  council,  ac- 
cording to  Charles  Schlaifer,  chair- 
man of  the  advisory  group,  who -has 
been  working  with  Arthur  De  Bra  of 
the  MPAA  against  the  measure. 


Charges  ICC  Violations 

St.  Louis,  June  20— U.  S.  Attorney 
Drake  Watson  has  filed  an  informa- 
tion charging  30  counts  alleging  viola- 
tions of  Interstate  Commerce  Com- 
mission tariff  regulations,  Title  No. 
49,  Sec.  317,  on  over-charges  for 
transporting  motion  picture  films, 
against  Burtt's  Delivery  Service,  op- 
erated by  Clifford,  Audrey  and  Marie 
Burtt. 


Buck  and  O'Brien 
Head  Catholic  Actors 

Gene  Buck  and  Pat  O'Brien  were 
reelected  president  and  vice-president 
at  Friday's-  annual  meeting  of  the 
Catholic  Actors  Guild.  Also  elected 
were :  second  vice-president,  Jay  Jos- 
tyn;  recording  secretary,  Ed  Begley; 
historian,  Kathryn  Givney ;  chairman 
of  the  executive  board,  Frank  McNel- 
lis;  social  secretaries  (Theatrical), 
Sibyl  Bowan;  (non-Theatrical),  Lil- 
lian R.  Fallon.  * 

Executive  board  members  fcV^Stj; 
Martin  Begley,  Kirk  Brown,  Fa'fsy 
Campbell,  Donat  Gautier,  Jane  Hoy, 
Jason  Johnson,  Tom  Kane,  Tom  Mc- 
Elhany,  Mrs.  Paul  Munter,  William 
G.  Norton,  Harry  B.  Oldridge,  Jane 
Taylor. 


H-63  Meeting  Today 

Reports  on  progress  in  negotiations 
and  organizing  will  be  the  principal 
subject  of  a  general  membership 
meeting  to  be  held  by  IATSE  Home 
Office  Employes  Local  No.  H-63  this 
evening  at  Palm  Garden  here.  H-63 
has  made  inroads  recently  into  areas 
in  which  Screen  Office  and  Professional 
Employes  Guild  has  been  functioning. 


fly 

United'*  DC-6 
Mainliner  300 
onestop  flight 

Leave  New  York  12:15 
pm,  arrive  Los  Angeles 
(Lockheed  Air  Termi- 
nal) at  8:25  pm. 

Fares  are  surprisingly 
low.  Flights  operate  on 
Standard  Time. 

UNITED 

AIR  LINES 

NEW  YORK  &  BROOK- 
LYN: Call  Murray  Hill 
2-7300. 

NEWARK:  Call  Market 
2-1122  or  an  authorized 
travel  agent.  j 


LOUIS  vs.  WALCOTT 

FITE  PICTURE  VALANCES 

SIZE:    10x3    FEET  $9.75 

National  Flag  Company 

43  W.  21st  ST.,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
Tel.  GRamercy  5-5858 


sociate  Editor.    Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
one  Circle  7-3100.    Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
resident  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
is,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca-] 
Farley,  Advertising   Representative;   Jimmy  Ascher, 

fral,!    w,tf„,  ti,   :*   ui-  Z~*J  London  Wl.   Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  BurnupJ 

erald,  Better   Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture] 


Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.    Entered  as  second   class  mntter   &^ln~TaiaFZZ'7u"~  Y"i£  WC<;K  as  a  secuon  ot  motion  ncture 

\,  1870.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c?  '         '  P°St  °ftce  at  New  York'  N-  Y-  under  the  act  of  March; 


it 


The  name  is 

WIDMARK ! 

The  electric  excitement  that  has  raced 
through  the  industry  since  the  first 
preview  of  "THE  STREET  WITH 
NO  NAME"  is  matched  only  by 
the  word-of-mouth  on  the  perform- 
ance of  Richard  Widmark,  first  dis- 
covered as  the  brutal,  blustering  'Big 
Man'  in  the  "KISS  OF  DEATH"! 


In  addition  to  a  great  boxoffice  attrac- 
tion, every  showman  has  a  great  new 
boxoffice  star! 


UO»S»*«K  STEVENS 


FIL£S  OF  THE  F 


CENTURY-FOX 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  June  21,  1948 


Review 

"The  Gay  Intruders 


(Sc1tzer-2Qth  Century  Fox) 

PSYCHIATRY  is  used  as  a  springboard  for  mirth  in  "The  Gay  Intruders," 
a  Frank  Seltzer  production.  Sharing  the  leads  in  this  comedy  of  marital 
errors  are  such  notables  of  the  legitimate  stage  as  John  Emery  and  Tamara 
Geva.  Net  result  is  pleasing  entertainment,  although  at  times  the  script's 
development  is  routine. 

Story  focuses  on  an  acting  couple  who  offer  ideal  harmony  on  the  stage, 
but  are  the  essence  of  marital  discord  off  stage.  Both  consider  themselves 
perfectly  normal,  and  so  each  seeks  out  a  psychiatrist  to  help  the  other. 
Psychiatrists  Leif  Erickson  and  Virginia  Gregg  have  a  time  of  it  curing 
their  respective  patients,  and  in  the  process,  get  caught  up  in  some  boisterous 
doings,  including  a  fine  case  of  mistaken  identity.  The  finale  sees  not  only 
husband  and  wife  readjusted  to  each  other,  but  also  the  psychiatrists  about 
to  become  husband  and  wife.  Emery  and  Miss  Geva  perform  well  in  a 
screenplay  by  Francis  Swann,  from  an  original  by  himself  and  Ray  McCarey. 
Also  in  the  cast  is  Roy  Roberts,  as  a  theatrical  agent.  McCarey  directed, 
Hugh  King  was  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  68  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Mandel  Herbstman 


Video  Film  Recorder 
Set  for  GOP  Meet 

The  kinescope  recording  system  will 
be  used  by  National  Broadcasting 
Television  for  the  first  time  during 
the  Republican  national  convention  in 
Philadelphia  this  week.  The  programs 
will  be  recorded  on  film  as  they  are 
presented  on  the  NBC  video  network 
and  then  sent  to  New  York  for  proc- 
essing. The  prints  will  be  ready  for 
shipment  by  air  within  12  hours  after 
the  conclusion  of  each  program. 

These  recordings  will,  in  effect,  pro- 
vide a  coast-to-coast  television  service 
for  those  stations  not  interconnected 
to  the  NBC  network  by  coaxial  cables 
or  micro-wave  relays. 


Video  Contract 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Singles,  Doubles 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

per  cent  play  combination  single  and 
double  features,  and  the  remainder, 
12.8,  run  singles  only.  New  Haven 
is  a  close  second  with  75.5  per  cent, 

17.2  per  cent  are  on  the  combination 
policy,  and  the  balance  of  8.3  show 
singles.  Los  Angeles  is  third  with 
64.7  per  cent,  28  per  cent  show  either 
single  or  double,  and  the  rest,  8.3,  are 
single  runs.  Detroit  is  fourth  with 
58.1  per  cent,  29.8  per  cent  on  the 
combination  policy,  and  12.1  use  sin- 
gles. 

Theatres  South  of  the  Mason-Dixon 
line  predominate  with  the  single  fea- 
ture policy.  The  Charlotte  area  heads 
the  list,  at  77  per  cent.  Oklahoma 
City  is  second  with  75.2  per  cent,  New 
Orleans  third  with  70.6  per  cent,  Dal- 
las fourth,  69.5  per  cent,  Minneapolis, 

67.3  per  cent,  and  Memphis  sixth  with 
63.1  per  cent. 


OF  COURSE 


TEXAS, 

BROOKLYN 

audi 

HEAVEN 


designed  to  "protect  the  station's  clear- 
ing rights,  provide  for  the  physical 
condition  and  handling  of  films,  estab- 
lish the  responsibility  of  film  distribu- 
tors, standardize  programming  meth- 
ods, expedite  the  return  of  film  and 
the  physical  protection  of  prints  and 
to  otherwise  standardize  film  prac- 
tices." 

Permanent  officers  of  NTFC  will  be 
elected  at  a  meeting  in  September. 
Meanwhile  Melvin  L.  Gold,  director 
of  advertising-publicity  for  National 
Screen  Service,  has  been  re-elected 
temporary  chairman,  and  Robert 
Wormhoudt,  executive  vice-president 
of  Telecast  Films,  Inc.,  is  secretary- 
treasurer. 

A  proposed  central  information  bu- 
reau of  NTFC  would  provide  regis- 
tering of  television  rights  of  film  and 
music,  and  that  registry  would  pro- 
vide seals  of  approval  guaranteeing  to 
television  stations  the  legal  right  of 
exhibition  of  such  films.  The  bureau 
would  also  provide  a  catalogue  of 
available  films  approved  for  television. 


Vogel  on  Booking 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


light  of  industry  litigations  which  had 
been  pending  and  threatening  at  that 
time.  But  the  advice  represented  no 
"iron-bound"  rule,  he  said  under 
cross-questioning. 

Under  questioning  by  defense  attor- 
ney Edward  Raftery,  Vogel  said  that 
if  Loew  owned  the  National  Theatre 
in  Louisville,  Fifth  and  Walnut  house 
which  the  plaintiff  alleges  has  been  de- 
nied first-run  product  illegally,  it 
would  be  operated  as  a  theatre  for 
Negro  patrons.  He  reminded,  how- 
ever, that  Loew's  theatre  operating 
policy  does  not  include  Negro  houses. 


sent  from  UA 


Roadshow  Negro  Film 

Astor  Pictures  will  roadshow  "The 
Betrayal,"  Negro  feature  written,  pro- 
duced and  directed  by  Oscar  Micheaux, 
starting  here  Thursday  at  the  Mans- 
field Theatre,  it  has  been  announced 
by  Robert  M.  Savini,  Astor  president. 
The  film  will  be  roadshown  nationally. 

FCC  Defers  Hearing 

Washington,  June  20.  —  Federal 
Communications  Commission  has  post- 
poned until  September  28  further 
hearings  on  the  inter-city  television 
relay  rates  charged  by  A.  T.  and  T. 
and  Western  Union. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


' «.  63.  NO.  120 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  JUNE  22,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Counter-Order 
Defendants 
DueTomorrow 


By 


Two  Gov't  Orders  Will 
Be  Filed  Concurrently 


A  proposed  counter-order  on  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court's  decision  in 
the  Paramount  anti-trust  case  will 
be  submitted  by  the  defendants  to 
Judges  Augustus  N.  Hand  and  Hen- 
ry W.  Goddard  in  District  Court  here 
tomorrow  for  their  approval. 

At  the  same  time  the  Department  of 
Justice  will  present  to  the  court  two 
new  orders  for  its  consideration,  one 
bearing  the  Supreme  Court's  mandate, 
the  other  on  the  Government's  motion 
for  injunctive  proceedings. 

The  defendants  will  ask  that  the 
Government's  motion  be  dismissed  "for 
want  of  jurisdiction  of  the  sitting 
judges  to  determine  it,"  and  that  the 
proceedings  be  conducted  before  "a 
full  court  of  three  judges"  beginning 
Oct.  13.    They  take  the  position  that 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


'Waltz'  Sets  New 
Record  Here  As 
BVay  Grosses  Lag 


"The  Emperor  Waltz"  and  a  Leoni- 
doff  stage  presentation  are  a  record- 
breaking  combination  at  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  while  business  at  most 
other  Broadway  first-runs  is  only  fair 
this  week.  Warm  weather  over  the 
weekend  turned  most  crowds  toward 
beaches  and  other  outdoor  amusement 
places,  with  theatres  for  the  most  part 
noting  lighter  attendances  in  conse- 
quence. 

First  four  days  of  the  new  Music 
Hall  bill  brought  a  huge  $97,000,  an 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


McNeil  Seen  Backing 
New  Coast  Circuit 


Levy  Warns  of  New 
Court  Potentials 


Myrtle  Beach,  S.  C,  June  21. — 
The  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
U.  S.  vs.  Paramount  has  brought  new 
problems  and  great  litigation  poten- 
tials to  the  industry,  such  as  the  de- 
termination by  distributors  of  the 
reasonableness  of  clearance  granted  by 
them,  the  employment  of  competitive 
bidding  and  the  restriction  against  the 
distributors  arbitrarily  refusing  a  run 
requested  by  an  exhibitor,  Herman 
Levy,  Theatre  Owners  of  America 
general  counsel,  told  the  Theatre- 
Owners  of  North  and  South  Carolina 
convention  here  today. 

Calling  for  conciliation  instead  of 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


B  &  K  Cuts  Matinee 
Prices  in  the  Loop 

Chicago,  June  21. — In  an  effort  to 
restore  falling  matinee  attendance  and 
to  bolster  grosses  generally,  all  six 
Balaban  and  Katz  theatres  in  the 
Loop  will  cut  afternoon  admission 
prices  by  nearly  50  per  cent,  it  was 
announced  today  by  John  Balaban. 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  circuit. 

The  new  scale  will  go  into  effect 
on  Thursday.  Evening  admissions 
will  continue  at  98  cents,  except  at 
the  Garrick,  where  85  cents  will  be 
charged. 

Balaban  stated  that  the  decision  is 
designed  to  redistribute  theatre-going, 
which  is  now  concentrated  in  evening 
hours  and  to  contribute  a  measure 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


San  Francisco,  June  21. — Creation 
of  Trans-California  Theatres,  Inc.,  is 
announced  with  the  resignation  of  Rex 
Stevenson,  division  manager  of  the 
San  Francisco  and  peninsula  area,  and 
David  Bolton,  division  manager  of 
Oakland,  from  Golden  State  Theatres, 
with  which  both  were  associated  for 
many  years.  Reported  to  be  the  guid- 
ing force  behind  the  new  organization 
is  Robert  McNeil,  who  last  year  sold 
his  partnership  in  Golden  State. 

Stevenson  and  Bolton  will  launch 
Trans-California  with  the  manage- 
ment of  theatres  plus  a  film  booking 
and  buying  service.  Starlite  Drive-in 
at  Belmont,  former  Lippert  house,  and 
the  new  Starlite  in  South  San  Fran- 
cisco have  been  acquired.  Other 
houses  to  be  managed  include  the 
Roxy  at  Santa  Rosa,  Del  Rio  at  Los 
Banos,  and  a  new  house  under  con- 
struction in  Los  Banos. 


British  Quota 
Cannot  Be 
Met:  Johnston 


Sends  Protest  to  U.  S.; 
Lords  To  Rule  Tomorrow 


Cheyfitz  Cites  Unity 
Need  at  AFL  Meet 

Hollywood,  June  21. — Calling  upon 
industry  labor  and  management  for 
"oneness  of  thinking  and  action"  in 
the  period  of  economic  adjustment 
now  confronting  the  motion  picture 
industry,  Edward  T.  Cheyfitz,  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  execu- 
tive, today  cited  three  forces  at  work 
on  the  industry  which  compel  all  in- 
dustry groups  "to  seek  areas  of  agree- 
ment. He  spoke  at  a  luncheon  of  the 
Hollywood  AFL  Film  Council. 

The  three  forces  he  named  were 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Washington,  June  21. — Eric  A. 
Johnston,  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America,  to- 
day formally  asked  the  U.  S.  State 
Department  to  protest  Britain's  45  per 
cent  quota  and  in  a  subsequent  state- 
ment characterized  the  measure  as 
"impractical  and  impossible  of  fulfill- 
ment." 

Johnston  has  had  informal  conver- 
sations with  high  State  Department 
officials,  though  not  with  Secretary 
Marshall,  to  whom  his  communication 
was  addressed,  and  on  the  basis  of 
these  he  is  said  to  be  confident  that  a 
protest  will  be  forwarded  to  London. 

Late  last  week  a  formal  protest  was 
considered  "extremely  unlikely"  by 
State  Department  spokesmen,  who, 
however,  added  that  an  official  report 
from  the  London  Embassy  had  yet  to 
be  received. 

Johnston  supported  his  "impractical- 
and-impossible"  charge  by  stating  that 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Shorter  Clearance  for 
Theatres  in  Twin  Cities 


Para.,  20th  Resume 
Video  Permit  Fight 

Washington.  June  21. — Para- 
mount and  20th  Century-Fox  today 
entered  the  second  phase  of  their  fight 
to  obtain  approval  of  a  San  Francisco 
video  channel  from  the  Federal  Com- 
munications Commission.  Five  appli- 
cants seek  assignment  of  two  avail- 
able outlets. 

Hearings  were  begun  on  the  West 
Coast  last  month,  but  were  transferred 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Decision  Reserved  in 
Schine  Case  Motion 

Buffalo,  June  21. — U.  S.  District 
Court  Judge  John  Knight  today  re- 
served decision  on  a  Department  of 
Justice  application  for  a  temporary 
order  to  restrain  Schine  Chain  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  from  selling  or  acquiring 
any  theatre  properties  without  court 
permission.  Argument  on  the  Gov- 
ernment's motion  in  the  Schine  case 
was  presented  by  Philip  Marcus  of 
the  Justice  Department,  who  main- 
tained that  the  order  was  intended  to 
carry  out  the  mandate  of  the  Supreme 
Court  which  recently  ordered  the 
District  Court  to  restudy  the  divesti- 
ture clause. 

Willard  S.  McKay,  representing 
Schine,  contended  that  the  mandate 
should  be  filed  with  the  District  Court 
with  no  qualifications. 


Minneapolis,  June  21. — An  in- 
creased number  of  28-day  availability 
runs  in  Twin-City  double-A  houses 
is  contemplated  by  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer,  following  M-G-M's  recent 
move  in  inviting  the  Boulevard,  Min- 
neapolis, and  the  suburban  Richfield, 
both  independent  theatres,  to  bid  for  a 
41-day  run.  It  is  understood,  how- 
ever, that  bidding  for  the  runs  will  be 
slow,  if  accepted  at  all. 

Metro  sales  toppers  have  conferred 
with  Harry  French,  Minnesota 
Amusement  Co.  president,  on  clear- 
ance schedules,  and  made  suggested 
clearance  changes  which  they  contend- 
ed met  the  legal  aspects  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  decision  in  the  Para- 
mount anti-trust  suit,  as  it  pertained 
to  making  product  available  to  all 
competitive  situations. 

Maco  reportedly  stymied  the 
changes  for  the  time  being,  the 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Johnston  to  Aid 
ERP  Advisory  Unit 


Washington,  June  21. — President 
Truman  has  nominated  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  president  Eric  Johns- 
ton to  be  one  of  12  leading  citizens  to 
advise  Economic  Cooperation  Admin- 
istrator Paul  G.  Hoffman. 

ECA's  Public  Advisory  Board  was 
set  up  in  the  original  European  re- 
covery legislation  to  advise  the  ad- 
ministrator on  matters  of  "general 
or  basic  policy."  The  law  provided 
that  the  12  must  meet  at  least  once 
a  month.  Since  Congress  adjourned 
without  Senate  approval  of  the  12,. 
they  will  probably  be  given  interim 
appointment  by  the  President. 


Conver tibility  Bill 
Goes  to  President 

Washington,  June  21. — Converti- 
bility of  $10,000,000  of  the  costs  in- 
curred by  producers  and  publishers  in 
sending  films  and  other  information 
media  into  Marshall  Plan  countries 
would  be  guaranteed  in  a  bill  which 
Congress  passed  and  sent  to  the 
President  over  the  weekend. 

The  bill  makes  appropriations  for 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  22,  1948 


30NewsreelCameras 
Eve  GOP  in  Phila. 

Philadelphia,  June  21. — The  five 
newsreels,  operating  independently 
rather  than  on  a  pooling  basis  at  the 
Republican  national  convention  have  a 
total  of  30  cameras  (in  company  with 
much  television  apparatus)  to  provide 
theatres  with  the  most  intensified  cov- 
erage of  any  subject  since  the  UN 
organizational  meeting  in  San  Fran- 
cisco at  war's  end. 

For  the  most  part,  definite  plans  on 
issuing  specials  have  not  been  set,  the 
plan  being  to  incorporate  most  of  the 
footage  in  regular  issues,  except  cov- 
erage of  any  developments  the  news- 
worth  of  which  warrant  special  treat- 
ment. However,  at  least  Universal 
and  News  of  the  Day  intend  to  ship 
shots  of  today's  opening  session  to- 
night, instead  of  holding  for  the  mid- 
week issues  on  Wednesday. 

George  Dorsey,  Warner  Pathe 
News'  Washington  manager,  has  been 
appointed  by  all  newsreels  and  the 
Republican  National  Committee  to  di- 
rect all  newsreel  policies  at  the  con- 
vention. Dorsey  will  also  direct  War- 
ner Pathe  News  coverage  with  Al 
Butterfield,  editor-in-chief,  and  Jack 
LeYien,  news  editor. 


Fly  GOP  Video  Films 
To  Chicago's  WGN 

,  Chicago,  June  21. — Ten-minute  film 
presentations  of  the  highlights  of  the 
Republican  convention  in  Philadelphia 
will  be  seen  here  twice  daily  starting 
tomorrow  over  WGN-TV.  Shots  will 
be  prepared  by  the  newsreel  depart- 
ment of  WPIX  in  New  York  and 
flown  to  WGN  for  showing  approxi- 
mately 24  hours  after  the  events  take 
place. 

Similar  television  highlights  of 
Democratic  convention  will  also  be 
covered  by  the  station  through  ar- 
rangements with  WPIX. 


Richards  Rescued 
From  Sinking  Craft 

New  Orleans,  June  21. — E.  V. 
Richards,  Paramount-Richards  theatre 
head,  Mrs.  Richards,  and  their  son 
Billy,  were  in  a  night  rescue  from 
their  sinking  yacht,  the  Sis.  They 
were  taken  from  the  boat  after  a  sud- 
den squall  and  high  waves  swamped 
it.  The  party  had  left  Pascagoula  on 
a  vacation  trip  along  the  Gulf  to  Pen- 
sacola. 


Kirk  Quits  Republic; 
2  Managers  Shifted 

Thomas  B.  Kirk  has  resigned  as 
Republic  Dallas  branch  manager. 
James  R.  Grainger,  executive  vice- 
president,  said  Kirk  is  entering  the 
theatre  business  in  Arkansas. 

Grainger  also  announced  two  trans- 
fers in  branch  managers,  with  John 
J.  Houlihan  moving  from  Cleveland 
to  Dallas,  and  Irwin  Pollard  from 
Detroit  to  Cleveland. 


Four  20th-Fox  Reissues 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  will  reissue 
"Belle  Starr"  and  "Frontier  Marshall" 
this  month,  and  "Rose  of  Washington 
Square"  and  "Slave  Ship"  in  July. 


Personal  Mention 


CHARLES  M.  REAGAN,  Para- 
mount distribution  vice-president, 
has  arrived  in  Hollywood  from  New 
York. 

Y.  Frank  Freeman,  Paramount 
production  executive,  and  his  wife, 
and  Jack  Karp,  studio  legal  advisor, 
and  his  wife  have  returned  to  the 
Coast  from  New  York. 

• 

Percival  B.  Singh,  general  man- 
ager of  Roodal  Theatres,  Caribbean, 
Port  of  Spain,  Trinidad,  B.W.I.,  is 
here  for  a  two-month  visit. 

• 

Edward  Lachman,  Allied  Thea- 
tre Owners  of  New  Jersey  president, 
returned  to  New  York  yesterday  by 
plane  from  Paris. 

• 

Albert  Mannheimer,  who  is  in 
charge  of  Film  Classics  exchange  op- 
erations, will  leave  here  today  for  the 
Midwest. 

• 

Charles  P.  Skouras,  president  of 
National   Theatres,   has    returned  to 
Los  Angeles  from  New  York. 
• 

Bernard  Goodman,  Warner  ex- 
change supervisor,  will  be  in  Boston 
and  Albany  this  week. 

• 

Steve  Broidy,  Monogram-Allied 
Artists  president,  arrived  here  yester- 
day from  the  Coast. 

• 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  distribu- 
tion chief,  returned  here  yesterday 
from  the  Coast. 

• 

Vera   Ralston,   Republic  actress, 
will  leave  here  tomorrow  for  Europe. 
• 

Syd  Gross,  Film  Classics  publicist, 
will  leave  here  today  for  Boston. 


ANDY  W.  SMITH,  JR.,  20th 
Century-Fox  sales  head,  is  due 
in  Los  Angeles  on  Friday  from  New 
York. 

• 

Sam  Geison  of  Columbia's  special 
events  department  and  chairman  of 
the  American  Veterans  Committee 
motion  picture  chapter  has  been  named 
public  relations  director  for  the  na- 
tional AVC,  effective  July  1. 

• 

Abe  Goodman,  production  manager 
of  20th  Century-Fox's  advertising  de- 
partment, is  celebrating  the  arrival  of 
a  new  son  to  Mrs.  Goodman,  at 
Gotham  Hospital  here.  The  baby  is 
the  Goodmans'  third  child. 

• 

Marie  Elizabeth  Mulvey,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions 
president  James  Mulvey,  and  Mrs. 
Mulvey,  was  married  in  Brooklyn 
Sunday  to  William  G.  Ward. 
• 

Herbert  J.  Yates,  Republic  presi- 
dent, and  Mary  Pickford  and  her 
husband,  Buddy  Rogers,  are  among 
passengers  sailing  tomorrow  for  Eu- 
rope on  the  5\S"  America. 

• 

Rita  Bloom,  daughter  of  Jack 
Bloom,  20th  Century-Fox  home  office 
sales  executive,  was  married  on  Sun- 
day to  Eli  Lagoze  at  the  Sherry 
Netherland  Hotel. 

• 

Max  Youngstein,  Eagle-Lion  ad- 
vertising-publicity vice-president,  left 
here  yesterday  for  Des  Moines. 
• 

Edward  A.  Golden  of  Golden  Pro- 
ductions is  due  back  in  New  York 
next  Monday  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Maurice  T.  Groen,  president  of 
Films  of  the  Nations,  Inc.,  will  leave 
here  on  July  3  for  Europe. 


190  Want  Kaufman  as 
License  Dept.  Chief 

A  committee  of  190  from  the  enter- 
tainment industry  here  has  launched 
a  campaign  to  secure  the  appointment 
of  S.  J.  Kaufman,  member  of  Ameri- 
can Arbitration  Association  and  the 
Association  of  Theatrical  Agents  and 
Managers,  to  the  post  of  New  York 
City  License  Commissioner  which  will 
be  vacated  by  Benjamin  Fielding  on 
June  30.  Fielding  will  join  Loew's  in 
an  executive  capacity  on  July  1. 

Among  industry  representatives  on 
the  committee  are  A.  J.  Balaban, 
Howard  Dietz,  George  Jessel,  Guy 
Kibbee,  Otto  Kruger,  Lew  Lehr, 
Fredric  March,  Arthur  L.  Mayer, 
Louis  Nizer,  J.  Robert  Rubin,  Marvin 
Schenck,  Walter  Vincent. 


Plan  K-MTA  Convention 

Kansas  City,  June  21. — Members 
of  the  committee  which  will  handle  ar- 
rangements for  the  Kansas-Missouri 
Theatre  Association  convention  to  be 
held  here  October  5-6  are :  Frank 
Plumlee,  George  Baker,  Bob  Shelton 
and  Sam  Abend  of  Kansas  City,  and 
Elmer  Bills  of  Salsbury.  "Doc"  Cook 
is  secretary,  Fred  Meyn  is  treasurer, 
and  Glen  Hall,  Virgil  Harbison  and 
Dale  Danielson  are  co-chairmen. 


Jack  Kuhne  Heads 
Movietone  Filming 

Jack  Kuhne,  associated  in  newsreel 
and  short  subject  production  with 
20th  Century-Fox  and  its  precessor 
companies  for  35  years,  has  been 
named  supervisor  of  that  organiza- 
tion's short  subject  filming,  by  Ed- 
mund Reek  Movietone  producer. 
Kuhne  succeeds  Jack  Darrock,  who  is 
convalescing  from  a  serious  ailment. 


Bergman  to  Europe  Julyl 

Maurice  Bergman,  chairman  of  the 
Advertising  and  Publicity  Directors 
Committee  of  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America,  will  sail  for 
Europe  on  July  1.  During  his  absence 
of  about  a  month,  Bergman  has  ap- 
pointed Arthur  A.  Schmidt,  director 
of  advertising-publicity  for  Columbia, 
temporary  chairman. 


New  Theatre  Here  Sept.  14 

The  Paris  Theatre,  first  new  film 
house  to  be  built  in  New  York  since 
the  war,  will  open  on  September  14, 
according  to  Jacques  Chabrier,  presi- 
dent of  Pathe  Cinema  of  the  U.  S., 
owners  of  the  theatre,  at  Fifth  Avenue 
and  58th  Street. 


C.J.  Latta  to  W.B.'s 
Office  in  London 

C.  J.  Latta,  former  Upstate  New 
York  zone  manager  for  Warner  The- 
atres, is  being  assigned  to  the  London 
office  of  Warner  Brothers,  where  he 
will  take  over  some  of  the  duties  here- 
tofore handled  by  Max  Milder,  War- 
ners managing  director  for  Britain, 
who  has  been  obliged  to  curtail  activi- 
ties for  reasons  of  health.  Latta  is 
scheduled  to  arrive  in  London  today 
with  Sam  Schneider,  Warner  viug| 
president.  ^Zfc- 

Indications  are  that  Charles  Sma!<> 
witz,  assistant  zone  manager  at  Al- 
bany, will  be  named  to  replace  Latta 
there. 


Lehrbas  Heads  U.  S. 
Film  'Voice'  Unit 

Washington,  June  21. — Lloyd  A. 
Lehrbas,  veteran  newspaperman  once 
associated  with  Fox  Movietone  News, 
has  been  named  by  the  State  Depart- 
ment as  director  of  its  Office  of  Inter- 
national Information.  Lehrbas,  who 
succeeds  William  J.  Stone,  will  be 
in  charge  of  the  department's  inter- 
national motion  pictures,  press  and 
"Voice  of  America"  broadcasts. 

Stone  has  been  assigned  as  special 
assistant  to  George  V.  Allen,  Assis- 
tant Secretary  of  State. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


—RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — a 

Rockefeller  Center  1 
BING  JOAN  ! 

CROSBY        FONTAINE  ! 

in  "THE  EMPEROR  WALTZ"! 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

A  Paramount  Picture  , 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE   PRESENTATION  ! 


ParamounJ  projenti 
BETTY  MACDONALD 

HUTTON  •  CAREY 


greatest  star- 
and-song-show! 


Released  thru  RKO  Radio  Pictures 


In  Person; 
EDf  -GARDNER 
h?s  DUFFY'S  TAVERN 


ON  SCREEN! 


WITH  HIS  RADIO  GANG 

„uf  MATTY  MALNECKSORCH.  % 

featuring  HENRY  JEROME  "*• 

,<  •/;:  .;  JANE  RUSSELL 


ROBEHT 

HUTTON 

Oovce  :> 

REYNOLDS  I 

JAN  IS  £ 

PAI6E  1 


;OPENS  9:30  AM  lATE  film  at  midnight  f  • 
Hate  stage  show  td:15  pm-b'way  at  47th| 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  liuilding,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Tuesday,  June  22,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Henry  Kohn  Leaves 
National  Screen 

Henry  H.  Kohn,  for  22  years  asso- 
ciated with  National  Screen  has  re- 
linquished his  post  as  supervisor  of 
branch  operations. 

A  nephew  of  the  late  Joe  Pollack, 
one  of  the  founders  of  NSS,  Kohn 
began  in  the  New  York  service  de- 
partment and  after  three  years  _  was 
named  office  manager  in  Chicago 
Vi^^e  he  remained  until  appointed 
iF  *fial  branch  supervisor  in  1941. 

Withdraw  Two  Films 
On  Pickets'  Protest 

"Passionelle,"  French  picture,  and 
"Torment,"  Swedish,  branded  "inde- 
cent" by  the  National  Legion  of  De- 
cency, were  withdrawn  over  the  week- 
end from  the  Parthenon  in  Queens 
and  the  Kinema  in  Brooklyn  before 
completing  two-day  runs  after  both 
houses  were  picketed  in  protest  by  the 
Catholic  War  Veterans  and  church 
groups. 

Morgan  a  Dinner  Guest 

Henry  Morgan,  star  of  Screen 
Plays'  first  production  for  United  Art- 
ists, "So  This  Is  New  York,"  will 
augment  the  premiere  promotion  of 
the  film  at  the  Earle  Theatre,  Phila- 
delphia, Thursday  evening,  as  guest 
speaker  at  the  Poor  Richards  Club's 
annual  dinner  for  the  American  Mar- 
kets Association.  He  is  scheduled  to 
make  25  nationwide  and  local  radio 
and  television  broadcasts  prior  to  the 
opening. 

RKO  to  Film  Louis  Tilt 

RKO  Pathe  will  shoot  exclusive 
coverage  of  the  Joe  Louis-Jersey  Joe 
Walcott  bout  tomorrow  night.  The 
film  will  be  released  at  once  as  a  spe- 
cial two-reel  subject.  Producer  will 
be  Jay  Bonafield. 


Levy  Warns 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


continued  litigation  of  industry  dis- 
putes, Levy  urged  distributors  to  start 
by  eliminating,  insofar  as  they  are 
able,  all  "litigation  potentials." 

"There  must-  be  a  forum  in  the  in- 
dustry," he  said,  "preferably  one  sim- 
ilar to  .arbitration  where  exhibitors 
may  go  to  air  their  grievances.  There 
is  nothing  wrong  with  our  system  of 
arbitration  that  cannot  be  corrected." 

Welcoming  address  to  the  some  200 
exhibitors  on  hand  was  made  by  May- 
or Happy  Televast,  with  Senator  Roy 
Rowe,  Burgaw,  N.  C,  exhibitor,  re- 
sponding. Speakers  today,  in  addition 
to  Levy,  were  Gael  Sullivan,  new 
TOA  executive  director,  and  H.  M. 
Richey,  M-G-M  exhibitor  relations 
director. 

A  board  of  directors  meeting,  with 
president  George  D.  Carpenter  of  Val- 
dese,  N.  C,  as  chairman,  was  held 
this  evening. 

Committees  will  report  on  such  ac- 
tivities as  conciliation,  membership, 
16mm.  films,  public  activities,  legis- 
lative actions,  rentals,  accessories, 
trailers  and  television  at  a  closed  ses- 
sion tomorrow  morning.  Following  a 
beach  party  in  the  afternoon,  the  con- 
vention banquet  will  be  held  tomor- 
row night. 


Gov.  Turner  in  Film 

Oklahoma  City,  June  21.— Roy 
Turner,  Governor  of  Oklahoma,  will 
have  a  role  in  "Tulsa,"  a  Walter 
Wanger  production  for  Eagle-Lion  re- 
lease. Shooting  will  start  on  Turner  s 
ranch  this  week. 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
ily  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris.Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans- world  miles. 
For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  ofhce 
or  your  travel  agent 


Para*  Seeks  Relief 
For  'Waltz'  in  Loop 

Chicago,  June  21. — Permission  to 
exhibit  "The  Emperor  Waltz"  in  the 
Loop  longer  than  the  two-week  limit 
prescribed  by  the  Jackson  Park  decree 
was  asked  by  Paramount  and  B.  and 
K.  in  a  petition  filed  here  today  in 
Judge  Michael  Igoe's  U.  S.  District 
Court. 

Representing  the  defendants,  attor- 
ney Albert  Teton  told  the  judge  that 
"Waltz"  cost  in  excess  of  $4,500,000 
and  that  granting  of  relief  would  not 
create  any  backlog  of  product  due  to 
an  existing  product  shortage,  nor 
would  the  relief  be  contrary  to  the 
intention  of  the  decree.  Hearings 
were  set  for  July  2,  while  Jackson 
Park  attorney  Tom  McConnell  was 
given  until  July  1  to  prepare  his  argu- 
ments against  the  petition. 


Third  Post  -  Decision 
AAA  Complaint  Filed 

Another  clearance  complaint,  the 
third  since  the  Supreme  Court  de- 
cision in  the  Paramount,  et  al,  case, 
has  been  filed  with  the  American  Ar- 
bitration Association,  the  AAA  office 
reported  here  yesterday. 

Docketed  at  the  Detroit  tribunal, 
complaint  was  filed  by  Callier  Enter- 
prises, Inc.,  operating  the  Callier 
Theatre,  Belding,  Mich.  Complainant 
names  all  five  distributor-defendants, 
holding  that  unreasonable  clearance 
was  granted  to  the  Silver  and  Gibson 
Theatres,  Greenville,  Mich.,  causing  a 
wait  of  60  to  240  days  for  product 
following  their  showing  at  the  two 
theatres.  New  clearance  is  sought  for 
the  competitive  area  at  30  days  after 
national  release. 


B&KCuts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Shorter  Clearance 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Arbitration  Is  Backed 
100%  as  Loew  Remits 

With  receipt  by  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  here  yesterday  of 
Loew's  monthly  assessment  check  the 
distributor-defendants  in  the  industry 
anti-trust  suit  stand  100  per  cent  in 
formal  support  of  the  industry's  arbi- 
tration system. 

RKO  Radio,  Warners,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox and  Paramount  made  their 
payments  more  than  a  week  ago. 


stumbling  block  presumably  being  the 
Uptown,  in  Minneapolis,  now  enjoying 
a  highly  profitable  28-day  availability 
at  60  cents  top.  Observers  believe 
the  big  Paramount  affiliate  will  join 
the  independents  in  sidestepping  com- 
petitive bids,  contending  the  proposed 
clearance  changes  are  nothing  more 
than  a  devised  plan  to  bring  benefits 
to  distributors. 

MGM  Invites  Two  to  Bid 

Metro's  invitation  to  the  Boulevard 
and  Richfield  to  bid  on  a  number  of 
films  have  gone  unanswered  so  far,  it 
is  learned.  Failure  of  the  invited  thea- 
tres to  make  a  bid  leaves  the  distribu- 
tor clear  to  make  the  film  available 
on  almost  any  basis  without  running 
afoul  of  the  Supreme  Court  edict,  it 
is  held. 

Maco's  rejection  of  Metro's  pro- 
posed changes  in  availability  for  indi- 
vidual houses,  and  failure  of  the  Bou- 
levard, Richfield  and  other  designated 
theatres  to  offer  competitive  bids  will 
act  only  as  a  temporary  delay,  it  is 
said,  in  major  distributors'  plans  to 
speed  up  liquidation  of  films  for  a 
more  rapid  return  on  the  product  in- 
vestment. 

See  MGM  Setting  Schedule 

Some  observers  believe  the  next 
move  by  Metro  will  be  a  "take  it  or 
eave  it"  availability  schedule  for  des- 
ignated houses  for  both  Maco  and 
the  independents,  an  action  which 
would  likely  be  paralleled  by  20th- 
Fox  and  possibly  RKO  Radio  and 
Warners,  as  well  as  by  Universal-In- 
ternational, which  has  long  harbored 
a  desire  for  quicker  playoff  for  its 
product. 


TRANS  WORLD  AIRLINE 
U.S.A.  •  EUROPE  •  AFRICA  •  ASIA 


I  NATURALLY 
I 
I 

TEXAS, 
BROOKLYN 


of  relief  to  the  increasing  strain  on 
the  average  pocketbook. 

"Since  the  war  years,"  he  said,  "the 
public  has  shown  a  preference  for  eve- 
ning entertainment.  Morning  and  af- 
ternoon attendance,  which  was  sub- 
stantial before  the  war,  has  fallen  off. 
Today,  with  evening  patronage  still 
very  healthy,  we  hope  to  restore  mati- 
nee theatre-going. 

"Moreover,"  he  continued,  "we  hope 
the  new  reduced  prices  will  bring  a 
boon  to  the  average  income  now 
strained  by  living  costs." 

It  is  worth  noting,  said  Balaban, 
that  these  new  prices  differ  very  little, 
insofar  as  net  receipts  to  the  theatres 
are  concerned,  from  the  prices  prevail- 
ing in  1921  when  the  Chicago  Theatre 
opened.  "If  we  can  help  start  the 
ball  rolling  toward  general  reduction 
in  commodity  prices  it  will  be  the  best 
investment  in  our  more  than  30  years 
serving  Chicago,"  he  concluded. 

New  matinee  scales,  effective  at  the 
Apollo,  Chicago,  Garnck,  Roosevelt, 
Mate-Lake  ana  United  Artists,  includ- 
ing taxes,  are:  50  cents  to  one  P.M.,  - 
65  cents  to  five  P.M.,  weekdays,  and 
65  cents  to  three  P.M.,  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays.  Former  all-day 
scales  were  98  cents  in  most  instances. 

Testimonial  for  Cohen 

Cleveland,  June  21.— A  testimonial 
dinner  in  honor  of  Milton  E.  Cohen 
will  be  held  Monday,  July  12  at  the 
Statler  Hotel,  with  Harry  Walders, 
Lester  Zucker  and  M.  B.  Horwjitz  in 
charge.  Occasion  is  the  appointment 
of  Cohen  as  Eagle-Lion  division  man- 
ager. He  resigned  as  RKO  Radio 
district  manager  to  accept  this  post. 

Merritt  Davis,  Jr. 

Atlanta,  June  21.— Merritt  Davis, 
Jr.,  son  of  Merritt  Davis,  former 
Southern  district  manager  of  Republic 
and  now  special  sales  representative, 
died  at  a  local  hospital  after  an  illness 
of  several  months.  Davis,  Jr.,  was  at 
one  time  in  the  sales  department  of 
Republic. 


Counter  -  Order 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


the  mandate  and  motion  should  be 
covered  in  a  single  order,  rather  than 
in  two,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Govern- 
ment. 

In  a  memorandum  accompanying  the 
defendants'  proposed  order  the  request 
is  to  be  made  that,  pending  further 
order  of  the  District  Court,  the  tribu- 
nal maintain  "in  full  force  and  effect" 
those  provisions  of  the  judgment  which 
were  not  appealed  from  or  which, 
having  been  appealed,  were  affirmed  by 
the  Supreme  Court. 

The  Government  originally  submit- 
ted a  single  order  to  the  court.  A 
hearing  on  it  was  held  on  June  14. 
A  new  order  was  prepared  when  the 
court  denied  the  Government's  appli- 
cation for  injunctive  proceedings  and 
put  off  further  hearings  until  a  suc- 
cessor to  the  late  Judge  John  Bright 
has  been  named. 


Mrs.  Sarah  Haas,  84 

Mrs.  Sarah  Haas,  84,  mother  of 
Walter  Haas  of  the  advertising  staff 
of  Motion  Picture  Daily,  died  here 
Sunday.  Services  will  be  held  to- 
morrow at  Park  West  Chambers,  with 
burial  at  Mt.  Hebron  Cemetery,  Flush- 
ing, L.  I.  Other  survivors  include 
the  widower  and  two  other  sons. 


Donald  Bayne,  56 

Donald  Bayne,  56,  president  and  a 
director  of  Grand  Central  Theatre, 
Inc.,  which  operates  a  film  theatre  in 
Grand  Central  Terminal  here,  died  on 
Sunday  in  the  Lawrence  Hospital, 
Bronxville,  N.  Y.,  after  a  long  illness. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Herman 

Pittsburgh,  June  21.— Dr.  Charles 
E.  Herman,  physician  and  theatre 
operator  of  Carnegie,  Pa.,  died  last 
Thursday.  He  was  a  former  presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 


Warner  Richmond,  53 

Hollywood,  June  21.— Services 
will  be  held  here  tomorrow  at  Pierce 
Brothers  Chapel  for  Warner  Rich- 
mond, 53,  actor,  who  died  Saturday 
following  an  illness  of  two  years,  at 
the  Motion  Picture  Country  Home. 


GEORGE 

TONTGOMERY 


inTT 


da  Farrell  -  Greg  McClure 

al  Dialogue  by  Karl  Kamb 


Albeit  ucnnc 


Screenplay  by  Everett  Freeman  •  Addit 
Based  upon  the  play  by  Charles  MacArthur  and  Edward  Sheldon, 
produced  by  David  Belasco 

Directed  by  LESLIE  FENTON  •  A  BENEDICT  BOGEAUS  PRODUCTION 


'iisto  of  a  glittering,  shocking  era! 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


6 


Quota  Protest 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

films  played  in  U.  K.  theatres  during 
the  last  four  years  averaged  310 
American  features  annually,  against 
106  British.  His  conclusion  is  that 
British  exhibition  could  not  get  along 
if  45  per  cent  of  its  playing  time  is  to 
be  reserved  for  home  product.  There 
"must  be  other  reasons  behind"  the 
quota,  he  observed. 

A  top  State  Department  official  said 
today  that  "no  one  here  likes  the 
British  action,"  but  added  this  did  not 
mean  there  would  of  necessity  be  a 
protest.  «He  said  he  believes  there 
are  ample  grounds  for  holding  the 
British  to  have  violated  the  spirit  of 
various  conventions  and  treaties  but 
there  has  been  no  legal  or  technical 
breach.  "The  British  are  completely 
within  their  rights,"  he  added. 

Johnston  said  he  urged  prompt 
State  Department  action  because  the 
quota  already  has  been  accepted  by  the 
House  of  Commons  and  is  scheduled 
for  consideration  in  the  House  of 
Lords  on  Wednesday. 

Johnston  requested  the  State  De- 
partment "to  ask  the  British  govern- 
ment to  enter  negotiations  promptly 
with  our  Government  to  reduce  dras- 
tically or  eliminate  this  quota"  en- 
tirely. 


Company  Heads  Discuss 
British  Problems  Here 

Company  heads  are  scheduled  to 
consider  further  the  British  market 
problems  at  a  meeting  here  today.  In- 
dications are  that  the  meeting  will  be 
primarily  for  an  exchange  of  views 
on  further  action  with  respect  to  the 
new  quota  and  other  British  develop- 
ments preliminary  to  a  meeting  of  the 
Mdtion  Picture  Export  Association 
board  later  in  the  week. 


Convertibility  Bill 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  Economic  Cooperation  Adminis- 
tration which  administers  the  guaran- 
ty program.  House- Senate  conferees 
said  the  funds  would  cover  the  15- 
month  period  through  June  30,  1949, 
unless  the  Administrator  and  Presi- 
dent agreed  it  was  necessary  to  use 
them  up  in  a  12-month  period.  The 
agreement  is  considered  likely. 

The  conferees  also  approved  a  Far 
Eastern  recovery  program  which  may 
include  similar  convertibility  guaran- 
tees for  sending  films  and  printed 
matter  into  Japan  and  Korea. 

The  original  ERP  legislation 
authorized  $15,000,000  for  the  informa- 
tion media  guaranty  in  the  first  year. 
The  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  told  the  State  Department  it 
hoped  to  get  $4,500,000  of  the  amount. 


Holleb  Takes  a  Partner 

Zanesville,  O.,  June  21. — Kenneth 
C.  Ray  of  McConnelsville,  state  direc- 
tor of  education  from  1941  to  1945,  has 
joined  Lou  Holleb  in  a  partnership  to 
operate  the  newly-conditioned  Imperial 
here.  Holleb  formerly  managed  the 
Majestic  at  Columbus. 


LOUIS  vs.  WALCOTT 

FITE  PICTURE  VALANCES 

SIZE:    10x3    FEET  $9.75 

National  Flag  Company 

43  W.  21st  ST.,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
Tel.  GRamercy  5-5858 


Walsh  Will  Arbitrate 
Park  Avenue  Dispute 

IATSE  international  president  Rich- 
ard F.  Walsh,  now  in  Fort  Worth, 
Texas,  will  be  asked  by  Universal- 
International  and  "IA"  Moving  Pic- 
ture Machine  Operators  Local  No.  306 
to  arbitrate  the  projectionist  labor 
dispute  at  the  Park  Avenue  Theatre 
here,  U-I  vice-president  John  J. 
O'Connor  reported  yesterday.  Mean- 
while, he  said,  the  company  and  die 
local  have  established  a  "truce"  under 
which  four  instead  of  the  usual  seven 
projectionists  will  be  employed  at  the 
theatre. 

Name  Coast  'I A'  Unit 
In  Taft  Law  Action 

Hollywood,  June  21. — In  the  first 
action  here  of  its  kind  under  the  Taft- 
Hartley  law,  the  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  has  filed  unfair  labor 
practice  charges  against  Wilshire  Pic- 
tures, Inc.,  and  the  IATSE  Makeup 
Artists  Local  No.  706,  setting  Sept.  7 
for  hearings.  Complaint  asserts  that 
Wilshire  refused  to  employ  members 
of  the  Independent  Makeup  Artists 
Guild  because  IATSE  allegedly  threat- 
ened a  work  stoppage  if  it  did  so. 


MP  A  A  Wins  30-Day 
Stay  in  SWG  Suit 

The  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  and  member  companies  won 
a  30-day  delay  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
here  yesterday  to  file  answers  to  the 
Screen  Writers  Guild's  suit  asking  for 
an  injunction  to  stop  an  alleged  con- 
spiracy aganist  the  hiring  by  the  ma- 
jors of  persons  suspected  of  being- 
subversive. 

AAAA  Opens  Talks 
On  Stronger  Union 

Conferences  looking  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  more  powerful  talent 
union  were  initiated  at  the  Hotel 
Roosevelt  here  yesterday  by  a  commit- 
tee of  the  Associated  Actors  and  Art- 
istes of  America,  parent  of  all  per- 
former unions  here.  The  sessions  are 
scheduled  to  run  through  Friday. 


Para.,  20th  Resume 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

here  after  two  weeks  of  arguments  on 
technical  problems.  These  continued 
today,  with  discussion  limited  to  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  advantages  of  varied 
height  levels  of  the  sites  acquired  by 
the  applicants  and  to  possible  interfer- 
ence with  other  nearby  video  stations. 
Paramount  'and  20th  sites  are  located 
at  an  altitude  of  2,374  feet,  while  those 
of  the  other  applicants  are  approxi- 
mately 1,400  feet. 

Representing  Paramount  before 
FCC  hearing  examiner  Jack  Blume  is 
Karl  Smith,  of  Hogan  and  Hartson, 
Washington  attorneys.  Vincent  Welsh 
of  Welsh,  Mott  and  Morgan,  Wash- 
ington, is  appearing  for  20th  Century. 
Hearings  are  expected  to  continue  all 
week. 


NBC  Sets  5  Video  Units 

National  Broadcasting  will  have 
five  of  its  own  television  stations  in 
operation  from  Coast  to  Coast  by 
October,  according  to  Sidney  N. 
Strotz,  NBC  television  vice-president. 
New  York,  Washington,  Hollywood, 
Chicago  and  Cleveland,  will  be  their 
iocations. 


Broadway  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

all-time  non-holiday  four-day  record 
for  the  theatre ;  a  sensational  $160,000 
is  anticipated  for  the  first  week,  end- 
ing tomorrow. 

At  the  Paramount,  "Dream  Girl" 
plus  Phil  Spitalny  and  his  all-girl  or- 
chestra on  stage  opened  smartly  with 
a  tidy  $75,000  due  for  a  first  week. 
Opening  in  a  more  moderate  vein  was 
"Lulu  Belle"  which  is  heading  for  a 
$20,000  first  week  at  the  Rivoli  on  the 
basis  of  $7,000  taken  in  on  Saturday 
and  Sunday. 

Fair  grosses  are  expected  elsewhere, 
as  follows :  "Arch  of  Triumph,"  Globe, 
ninth  week,  $15,000;  "Melody  Time," 
Astor,  fourth  week,  $25,000;  "Time 
of  Your  Life,"  Mayfair,  fourth  week, 
$28,000;  "Lady  from  Shanghai,"  Cri- 
terion, second  week,  $26,500 ;  "Sum- 
mer Holiday,"  Loew's  State,  second 
week,  $17,500;  "The  Bride  Goes 
Wild,"  with  Woody  Herman's  band 


Cheyfitz 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


technological,  including  the  impact  of 
television  and  the  rising  importance  of 
color;  financial,  combining  the  cur- 
tailment of  foreign  market  revenues 
and  soaring  production  costs  as  well 
as  high  living  costs  which  indirectly 
depress  domestic  theatre  attendance; 
and  the  third,  he  said,  is  legal.  He 
indicated  how  the  industry  anti-trust 
case  decision  will  alter  the  structure 
of  the  industry. 

Rumors  about  extensive  foreign 
production    by    American  companies 


Tuesday,  June  22,  1948 


on  stage,  third  and  final  week.  $49,-  f 
000;  "Wallflower,"  plus  Jane  Russell 
and  Ed  Gardner  on  stage,  second  and 
final  week,  $44,000;  "Citizen  Saint,"  ! 
Bijou,  fourth  week,  $4,000;  "Bad  Sis- 
ter," Winter  Garden,  second  week, 
$8,000;  "End  of  the  River,"  Park 
Avenue,  first  week,  $5,000. 

Following  are  very  weak  in  their 
final  stanzas :  "Green  Grass  of  Wy- 
oming," plus  Harry  Richman  on  stage, 
Roxy,  second  week,  $45,000;  "Design 
for  Death,"  Victoria,  second  week, 
$10,000.  M\ 

New  pictures  will  open  this  wW*' 
as  follows :  "Fort  Apache,"  Capitol ; 
"Give  My  Regards  to  Broadway," 
Roxy;  "Romance  on  the  High  Seas," 
Strand ;  "Fighting  Father  Dunne," 
Victoria. 


Esbaugh  Production 

Current  stage  show  at  the  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  has  a  three-color 
screen  prologue  which  was  produced 
especially  for  the  Hall  by  Ted 
Esbaugh,  New  York. 


are  ridiculous,  Cheyfitz  also  told 
the  luncheon  group.  It  would  be 
impossible  for  American  producers  to 
make  more  than  12  films  a  year  in 
England,  while  no  more  than  six 
could  be  made  in  other  countries,  he 
said. 

Cheyfitz,  who  will  return  to  Wash- 
ington next  weekend,  met  tonight  with 
studio,  guild  and  union  representa- 
tives at  the  Beverly  Hills  Hotel  on 
plans  for  establishing  an  industry 
council  to  guide  public  relations.  Dore 
Schary  presided  as  chairman. 

MPAA  president  Eric  Johnston 
will  probably  visit  Hollywood  next 
month,  Cheyfitz  revealed. 


TOP  THEATRES  THAT  f 

hwbr  pimp  semis 


Bit  ORB  ARE  BOOKING 


Colm 

|  the  one 

and  only 

// 


Copyright  1948 
National  Comics  Publications,  Inc. 


. . .  because 
many  millions 
who  never  saw 
serials  before  want 
to  see  SUPERMAN! 


FILE  COPY 

[first 

"MOTION  PICTURE 

Accurate 

IN 

Vfc  ATT  "%7" 

Concise 

FILM 

1  1  /\  1   1  W 

and 

I  NEWS 

MJJ\.L  \j  jl 

Impartial 

63.  NO.  121 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  23,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Resume  Work  (7.  5.  Weighs  Quota  Action; 
On  MPF  Soon,|Lo/i</orc  #as  jVb  WW  Fef 
Richards  Says 


Tells  Miss.  TO  Trust  Suit 
Suspended  Activities 

Biloxi,  Miss.,  June  22. — Organi- 
zational work  for  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Foundation  "will  proceed 
according  to  plan  within  a  few 
months,"  E.  V.  Richards,  head  of 
Paramount-Richards  Theatres  and  an 
MPF  executive,  informed  the  Missis- 
sippi Theatre  Owners  in  a  message 
read  by  Norman  Carter,  Paramount- 
Richards  executive  vice-president. 
Some  140  exhibitors  are  on  hand  for 
the  convention  which  opened  here  yes- 
terday. 

Richards,    in    his    message,  also 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


20th-Fox,  CBS  Hit 
Para,  in  Video  Row 


Washington,  June  22.  —  Para- 
mount faced  a  concerted  barrage  of 
sharp  questioning  from  20th  Cen- 
tury -  Fox  and  Columbia  Broadcast- 
ing regarding  its  announced  methods 
and  costs  of  operating,  its  proposed 
San  Francisco  television  station,  dur- 
ing the  second  day  of  FCC  hearings 
on  five  pending  applications  for  two 
available  video  channels  there. 

Judge  Sam  Rosenman,  CBS  counsel, 
and    Vincent    Welch,  representing 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


20th  -  Fox  Theatre 
Video  Test  Tonight 

Twentieth  Century-  Fox 
will  experiment  with  large- 
screen  television  at  the  3,200- 
seat  Fox  Theatre  in  Philadel- 
phia tonight.  The  show  will 
consist  of  telecasts  of  the  Joe 
Louis  -  Joe  Walcott  heavy- 
weight championship  fight,  if 
it  goes  on  as  scheduled,  and 
of  Republican  convention 
scenes.  The  Fox  Theatre's 
regular  program  will  be  can- 
celed. 


Washington,  June  22. — State  De- 
partment officials  now  admit  that  the 
British  government  may  soon  be  told 
that  the  U.  S.  is  "concerned"  over  the 
new  British  quota  order. 

At  the  same  time  there  was  specula- 
tion that  Secretary  of  State  Marshall 
might  hit  the  screen  quota  revision 
at  a  press  conference  he  has  scheduled 
for  tomorrow. 

Department  officials  still  emphasize 
that  action  by  them  would  not  be  a 
protest  in  the  strict  State  Department 
sense.  A  protest,  they  explain,  re- 
quires legal  grounds,  and  they  main- 

CContinued  on  page  6) 


London,  June  22. — No  protest  on 
Britain's  new  exhibitor  quota  was  re- 
ceived here  today  from  the  U.  S.  State 
Department,  a  check  at  the  American 
Embassy  disclosed.  The  Board  of 
Trade  also  said  it  has  no  knowledge 
either  of  an  Embassy  or  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  protest 
on  the  quota. 

The  quota  order,  accepted  by  the 
House  of  Commons  last  Thursday,  is 
scheduled  for  approval  by  the  House 
of  Lords  next  Monday.  The  order  has 
been  protested  by  the  American  indus- 
try which  asked  the  State  Department 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


SIMPP  Trust  Suits 
Get  Board  Approval 

Trustees  of  the  Society  of  Indepen- 
dent Motion  Picture  Producers  have 
approved  the  preparation  of  anti-trust 
suits  against  a  number  of  circuits  and 
film  buying  combines  around  the 
country,  it  is  learned  here. 

The  action  is  the  result  of  a  studv 
made  by  Robert  J.  Rubin,  SIMPP 
counsel,  who  visited  several  key  East- 
ern cities  early  in  the  spring  gather- 
ing data  on  instances  of  alleged  dis- 
crimination against  independent  pro- 
ducers who  are  members  of  the  or- 
ganization. These  were  in  the  form  of 
the  circuits'  and  combines'  alleged  ar- 
bitrary setting  of  playing  terms  and 
the  refusal  to  book  product  when  the 
terms  were  rejected  by  the  indepen- 
dents. It  could  not  be  learned  here 
whether  the  legal  actions  contemplated 
will  be  instituted  by  the  SIMPP  it- 
self or  by  its  members  individually. 


Milton  Kramer  Heads 
Selznick  Television 

Milton  A.  Kramer  is  president, 
Richard  S.  Greenlee  is  vice-president- 
secretary,  and  Leonard  R.  Case  is 
treasurer  of  Selznick  Television  Corp., 
recently  chartered  in  Delaware,  with 
offices  in  New  York.  The  latter  two 
are  members  of  Paine,  Kramer  and 
Marx,  David  O.  Selznick's  legal  ad- 
visors here. 

Cecil  Barker,  Selznick  assistant, 
has  been  in  New  York  City  from 
Hollywood  for  the  past  three  months 
in  order  to  make  a  survey  of  the 
i  television  field. 


Industry  Council 
Weighed  on  Coast 

Hollywood,  June  22. — Whether  the 
establishment  of  an  industry  council 
to  supervise  and  coordinate  public  re- 
lations is  practicable,  and  how  such  an 
institution  might  function  best,  were 
questions  canvassed  fully  but  without 
conclusion  last  night  at  a  Beverly 
Hills  Hotel  meeting  attended  by  30 
representatives  of  producers,  guilds 
and  unions. 

Chairman  of  the  meeting  was  Dore 
Schary,  production  executive  of  RKO 
Radio.  Edward  T.  Cheyfitz,  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  ex- 
ecutive, represented  MPAA  president 
Eric  Johnston. 

The  committee  of  30,  which  has  had 
the  project  under  study  for  some  time, 
will  reconvene  here  on  July  13,  at 
which  time  it  is  expected  to  give  fur- 
ther consideration  to  a  plan  contem- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Lachman  Sets  Nine 
Outlets  for  Carbon 

Carbons,  Inc.,  new  projector  lamp 
carbon  distribution  organization,  has 
established  sales  in  nine  cities,  Edward 
Lachman,  company  president,  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  following  his 
recent  return  from  Paris  where  he 
conferred  with  executives  of  LaSociete 
Carbone-Lorraine,  manufacturer  of  the 
product.  The  nine  cities  are  New 
York,  New  Orleans,  -  Albany,  Syra- 
cuse, Buffalo,  Chicago,  Kansas  City, 
Denver  and  Los  Angeles. 

Additionally,  Lachman  reported,  his 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Trade  Action 
Vs.  U.  K.  Quota 
Is  Under  Study 

Company  Heads  Defer 
Decisions  Until  Monday 

A  course  of  action  on  the  British 
film  quota  increase  will  be  laid 
down  by  the  U.  S.  industry  at  a 
conference  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Motion  Picture  Export 
Association  at  the  Motion  Picture  As- 
sociation of  America  offices  here  on 
Monday. 

The  whole  British  quota  problem 
was  discussed  yesterday  at  a  prelimi- 
nary meeting  of  the  MPEA  executive 
committee.  The  British  situation 
was  aired  in  its  entirety  at  the  meet- 
ing, the  film  agreement  ending  the 
ad  valorem  tax  dispute  being  among 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Rank  to  Meet  CEA 
On  Terms  July  14 

London,  June  22. — J.  Arthur  Rank 
will  meet  with  the  Cinematograph 
Exhibitors  Association  general  coun- 
cil on  July  14  to  discuss  exhibitor  op- 
position to  his  recently  announced 
booking  terms. 

The  CEA  has  resolved  not  to  pay 
more  than  50  per  cent  for  any  Rank 
film  and  has  threatened  a  buyers' 
strike  of  his  product  if  an  agreement 
is  not  reached. 


To  Ask  Ban  Only  on 
Griffith  Expansion 

Washington,  June  22.— The 
Justice  Department  will 
probably  ask  the  Oklahoma 
District  Court  for  an  order 
temporarily  restraining  the 
Griffith  circuit  from  acquir- 
ing new  theatres,  and  will 
not  ask  for  a  ban  on  any 
trade  practices,  it  was  indi- 
cated here  today. 

The  case  will  be  argued  July 
1,  with  Robert  L.  Wright  al- 
most certain  to  appear  for 
the  Government. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  23,  1948 


Justice  Department 
In  Field  Expansion 

Washington,  June  22. — The  Jus- 
tice Department's  anti-trust  division 
is  ready  to  go  ahead  with  ambitious 
plans  for  new  field  offices  to  investi- 
gate complaints  and  prepare  cases,  it 
was  learned  here  today. 

The  Congress  which  just  adjourned 
increased  the  anti-trust  section's 
budget  from  $2,400,000  to  $3,400,000, 
and  one  of  the  chief  ways  the  Depart- 
ment plans  to  use  the  extra  funds  is 
by  opening  new  branches.  There  are 
now  seven  field  offices,  in  New  York, 
Boston,  Chicago,  Cleveland,  Los  An- 
geles, San  Francisco  and  Portland. 
Justice  officials  are  discussing  new 
ones  for  Detroit,  Pittsburgh,  St.  Louis, 
Miami  or  Jacksonville,  and  other 
Southern  and  Southwestern  cities. 


Anti  -  Censor  Council 
Advances  Program 

In  another  move  towards  the  at- 
tempted formation  of  an  organization 
to  fight  censorship  in  motion  pictures, 
radio  and  publishing,  it  was  agreed 
here  yesterday  at  a  meeting  at  the 
Hotel  Woodstock  that  interested  or- 
ganizations would  send  delegates  to  a 
future  meeting  for  the  purpose  of 
electing  a  temporary  executive  com- 
mittee. This  committee  would  lay  the 
groundwork  for  a  permanent  organi- 
zation to  "fight  increased  threats  to 
freedom  of  expression." 

Yesterday's  meeting  was  under_  the 
sponsorship  of  the  National  Council  on 
Freedom  from  Censorship.  Chairmen 
were  Elmer  Rice  and  Roger  Baldwin. 
Among  those  attending  were  repre- 
sentatives from  National  Board  of  Re- 
view, Cinemart,  Screen  Writers  Guild, 
Allied  Non-Theatrical  Film  Associa- 
tion. 


NYC  Censorship  Bill 
Back  to  Committee 

New  York  Councilman  Edward  A 
Cunningham's  bill  to  extend  censor- 
ship powers  of  the  City  License  De 
partment  over  film  and  stage  perform 
ances  and  advertising  relating  to  them 
was  recommitted  to  the  Council's  gen 
eral  welfare  committee  during  yester 
day's  Council  session. 

The  bill,  which  has  been  the  target 
of  intense  opposition  from  exhibitor 
and  stage  interests  here,  is  not  expect- 
ed to  be  given  a  public  hearing,  a 
Council  spokesman  said  last  night. 
"It  is  now  a  dead  issue,"  he  said,  add 
ing  that  "reporting  it  back  to  commit 
tee  is  the  best  way  to  bury  it." 


Beattie  To  Manage 
For  SRO  in  Albany 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  22. — Schuyler 
Beattie,  Selznick  Releasing  Organiza- 
tion sales  representative,  has  been 
named  manager  of  the  company's  new 
branch  here.  Ruth  Larkin,  formerly 
with  the  local  Paramount  exchange 
has  been  named  SRO  office  manager. 

The  company  will  start  servicing 
this  territory  directly  on  Monday 
using  the  physical  facilities  of  Clark 
Film  Distributors.  Company  has  been 
servicing  Albany  out  of  Boston. 


Personal  Mention 


LOUIS  B.  MAYER,  M-G-M  pro- 
duction head,  is  due  here  tomor- 
row from  Hollywood. 

• 

Robert  J.  Weitman,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  Paramount  Theatre  here, 
will  leave  New  York  tomorrow  for 
Chicago. 

Charles  Simonelli,  Universal-In- 
ternational Eastern  exploitation  man- 
ager, will  be  in  Philadelphia  today 
from  New  York. 

• 

Ed  Hinchy,  Warner  home  office 
playdate  department  head,  is  due  back 
in  New  York  tomorrow  from  Wash- 
ington. 

• 

William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  cancelled  a 
trip  to  Boston  yesterday  because  of 
illness. 

• 

Robert  Benjamin,  president  of  the 
J.  Arthur  Rank  Organization  of  the 
U.  S.,  will  leave  here  tonight  for 
Hollywood. 

• 

Marvin  Schenck,  Eastern  repre- 
sentative for  M-G-M  studios,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Billy  Wilder  arrived  in  New  York 
yesterday  from  Europe. 


HARRY  M.  KALMINE,  Warner 
theatres  president,  left  here  yes- 
terday for  Chicago  and  Milwaukee. 
• 

Richard   H.   Mansfield  has  re- 
signed as  Chase  Bank  vice-president, 
to  become  chairman  of  the  finance 
committee  of  Rockefeller  Center,  Inc. 
• 

Dore  Schary,  RKO  Radio  produc- 
tion head,  and  Perry  Leiber,  studio 
publicity  chief,  are  due  here  Sunday 
from  Hollywood. 

• 

Andy  Gold,  Warner  Pathe  News 
cameraman,  and  Mrs.  Gold  have  be- 
come parents  of  a  daughter,  their  sec- 
ond child. 

Karl  Hoblitzelle,  head  of  Inter- 
state Circuit,  is  scheduled  to  leave 
Dallas  early  next  month  for  an  ex- 
tended vacation  in  Honolulu. 

• 

Sam  Marx,  M-G-M  production  ex- 
ecutive, is  due  back  in  Hollywood  this 
week  from  New  York. 

• 

William  R.  Ferguson,  M-G-M  ex- 
ploitation head,  returned  here  yester- 
day from  Ogunquit,  Me. 

• 

Si  Fabian,  Fabian  circuit  head,  is 
in  Boston  from  New  York.  < 


Newsreel 
Parade 


Fifth  -  Walnut  Trial 
Wind-up  Due  Friday 

Presentation  of  testimony  is  expect- 
ed to  end  on  Friday  in  the  trial  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  of  Fifth  and 
Walnut  Amusement's  $2,100,000  anti- 
trust action  against  distributors,  attor- 
neys in  the  case  indicated  yesterday. 
Summing  up  by  both  sides  is  likely  to 
take  place  on  Monday  with  Federal 
Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibel's  charge  to 
the  jury  to  follow  on  Tuesday. 

Robert  Mochrie,  RKO  Radio  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  was  a  defense 
witness  yesterday.  A.  Montague,  Co- 
lumbia's general  sales  manager,  is 
scheduled  to  testify  today. 


Mono.  Abandons  Plan 
For  N.  Y.  'Showcase* 

Monogram-Allied  Artists  has  aban- 
doned plans  to  secure  a  New  York 
"showcase,"  president  Steve  Broidy 
said  here  yesterday,  indicating  that  the 
company  no  longer  sees  advantages  in 
making  such  acquisition. 

Broidy,  who  has  arrived  from  Hol- 
lywood in  connection  with  the  setting 
of  distribution  arrangements  for  "The 
Babe  Ruth  Story,"  reported  that  AA 
has  slated  13  for  production  within 
the  next  year  while  Monogram  will 
make  48,  of  which  16  will  be  Westerns. 


Miss  Bergson  Services 

Funeral  services  for  Lillian  Berg- 
son, booker  at  the  Paramount  ex- 
change here,  were  held  yesterday  at 
Hellman  Funeral  Parlor.  Miss  Berg- 
son, who  had  been  employed  at  the 
exchange  for  25  years,  died  Saturday 
at  the  Will  Rogers  Memorial  Hospi- 
tal at  Saranac  Lake. 


Rule  Wage  Rate  for 
Women  and  Minors 

Louisville,  June  22. — Women  and 
minor  employes  of  theatres  in  Ken- 
tucky are  to  be  paid  "the  minimum 
fair-wage  rates"  established  in  a  man- 
datory order  issued  May  27,  1947,  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Industrial  Rela- 
tions of  the  Commonwealth  of  Ken- 
tucky, it  has  been  ruled  by  Commis- 
sioner Burton.  The  order  is  retro- 
active to  April  7,  1948,  and  must  be 
complied  with  by  July  1,  1948._  The 
ruling  was  made  after  a  question  of 
interpretation  of  the  order  had  arisen 
among  exhibitors. 

Copies  of  the  order  have  been 
mailed  by  the  Kentucky  Association  of 
Theatre  Owners  to  its  members. 


'Flying  Doctor*  in  Films 

A  feature  version  of  the  "Flying 
Doctor"  of  Australia  will  be  produced 
by  Paul  White  Productions,  of  which 
Paul  White  is  president.  Negotiations 
for  the  semi-documentary  production 
were  completed  this  week  with  the 
New  York  arrival  of  "Flying  Doctor" 
John  Grieve  Woods,  who  will  be  fea- 
tured in  the  film.  His  hospital  air 
base  is  at  Broken  Hill,  Australia, 
where  the  picture  will  be  filmed. 


THE  Republicans'  Convention  in 
Philadelphia  is  featured  in  all 
current  nczvsreels,  with  three  of  the 
reels  devoting  all  footage  to  the  event. 
Complete  contents  follow: 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.  50 — GOP 

meets  to  nominate  candidates  for  President 
and  Vice-President.  Sports.  "Splashket- 
ball."    Rodeo.  i5M 


NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  284 

plete  film  story  of  GOP  drama  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  87— Repub- 
lican convention. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWS,    No.  154 — GOP 

leaders  meet  to  pick  candidates. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  89— 

Republican  convention  opens.  UN  guards 
fly  to  Palestine.  Airplane  crash  kills  43. 
Miss  Press  Photographer. 


U.  A.  Managers  Are 
Meeting  in  Chicago 


Chicago,  June  22. — A  two-day 
United  Artists  sales  meeting  of  branch 
managers  from  the  Midwest  and 
Prairie  districts  got  under  way  here 
today.  Presiding  are  J.  J.  Unger,  gen- 
eral sales  manager ;  M.  B.  Orr,  West- 
ern sales  manager,  whose  resignation 
from  the  company  becomes  effective 
on  July  1,  and  Ralph  Cramblett,  Mid- 
west district  manager. 

Sales  policies  on  "The  Time  of 
Your  Life"  and  "On  Our  Merry 
Way"  will  be  discussed. 

Attending  branch  managers  are  Ed 
Stoller,  Elmer  Donnelly,  D.  V.  Mc- 
Lucas,  William  Truog,  Robert  Allen, 
Bernard  Mariner  and  Nat  Nathanson. 


Levine  Will  Produce 
For  FC  Distribution 

San  Francisco,  June  22.  —  Irving 
M.  Levin,  divisional  director  of  San 
Francisco  Theatres,  Inc.,  enters  pro- 
duction with  M.R.S.  Pictures,  Inc.. 
independent  group  which  has  signed 
with  Simon  and  Schuster,  publishers, 
for  screen  rights  to  Inner  Sanctum 
mysteries.  Release  will  be  through 
Film  Classics'  with  the  contract  call- 
ing for  three  a  year. 

Others  in  the  company  include  Rich- 
ard B.  Morros,  son  of  Boris  Morros ; 
Walter  Shenson,  former  Columbia 
studio  art  director,  and  Samuel  Rhein- 
er,  production  head  of  Federal  Films. 
The  company  is  located  on  the  Hal 
Roach  lot. 


Oregon  Theatre  Burns 

Portland,  Ore.,  June  22.— The 
Hiway  Theatre  has  been  destroyed  by 
fire,  at  a  loss  of  $100,000,  only  par- 
tially covered  by  insurance. 


Tax  -  Free  Bill  Signed 

Washington,  June  22. — President 
Truman  has  signed  legislation  making 
tax-free  tickets  given  to  hospitalized 
veterans  or  hospitalized  servicemen. 


Woods  and  Oriental 
Will  Not  Cut  Prices 

Chicago,  June  22. — The  Woods  and 
Oriental  theatres  in  the  Loop  will  not 
reduce  admissions,  it  was  announced 
here  today  by  Edwin  Silverman,  pres- 
ident of  the  Essaness  Circuit,  who 
said  the  theatres  will  continue  with  a 
98-cent  admission  at  all  times  which 
includes  state  and  Federal  taxes. 

This  was  disclosed  by  Silverman 
after  the  announcement  Monday  that 
Balaban  and  Katz  will  reduce  morn- 
ing and  afternoon  prices  from  98  cents 
to  50  cents  and  65  cents,  respectively, 
up  to  five  o'clock,  including  Satur- 
days and  Sundays. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  '  Ouigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Woaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Ivlitor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


NATURE  BOY  DOES  IT  AGAIN. 


More  big  news  from  lightning  Leo! 
While  the  entire  industry  is  still  raving 
about  the  trade  shows  of  Irving  Berlin's 
"Easter  Parade"  along  comes  another 
big  M-G-M  Technicolor  Musical  hit! 
"A  Date  With  Judy"  had  its  first  Trade 
Show  last  week  in  a  New  York  neigh- 
borhood theatre.  It  was  sensational. 
See  for  yourself  at  the  Theatre -Trade- 
Show  in  your  territory  why  this  picture 
is  predicted  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
fan  attractions  of  the  year. 


He's  so  full  of  Vitamin  M-G-M!  His  box- 
office  appeal  is  drawing  millions  of  ro- 
mantic people  to  "Homecoming,"  Frank 
Capra's  "State  of  the  Union,"  "The  Pirate" 
(Technicolor),  "Summer  Holiday"  (Techni- 
color) and  soon  three  more  big  Technicolor 
shows,  Irving  Berlin's  "Easter  Parade,"  "A 
Date  With  Judy,"  "On  An  Island  With  You" 
and  plenty  more  all  through  the  summer. 


-M  presents  "A  DATE  WITH  JUDY"  starring  WALLACE  BEERY,  JANE  POWELL,  ELIZABETH  TAYLOR,  CARMEN  MIRANDA. 
'IER  CUGAT  and  his  Orchestra,  ROBERT  STACK  •  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR  •  Screen  Play  by  Dorothy  Cooper  and  Dorothy 
»sley  •  Based  on  the  Characters  Created  by  Aleen  Leslie  •  Directed  by  RICHARD  THORPE  •  Produced  by  JOE  PASTERNAK. 


and  ADELE  MAP 
A  REP 


COAST 


THROUGH  RAl 

RALPH      TBI  ITU 
EDWARDS'  I  KU  I  tl  0 

An  audience  of  more  than  60, 
search  for  "Miss  Jane  Doe"  in 


Mary  Ruth  Wade  of  Lake  Charles,  La., 
selected  from  15,000  entries. 
She  will  soon  be  seen  in 

Republic's  "The  Plunderers, 


RROLL  vera  RALSTON 

HOWARD  *  BENAY  VENUTA 

IDES  BELL  •  JOHN  LITEL 
i  C  PICTURE 


ITO  COAST 

fS  MOST  POPULAR  SHOW 

ONSEQUENCES 

0,000  heard  the  nation-wide 
ree  weeks  of  smash  publicity. 

I 


Screen  Ploy  by  LAWRENCE  KIMBLE    Adaptation  by  DEC  LA  DUNNING 

Associate  Producer-Director— JOHN  H.  AUER 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  23,  1948 


Para.  Video  Row 

{Continued  from  page  1) 


20th-Fox,  attempted  to  tear  down 
Paramount's  exhibit  of  construction 
and  operating  costs,  personnel  require- 
ments and  programming  schedules  in 
an  all-day  cross  examination  of  Klaus 
Landsberg,  manager  of  KTLA,  Para- 
mount's Los  Angeles  television  outlet. 

Paramount  Data  Revised 

The  Paramount  statistics  had  been 
revised  considerably  since  Coast  hear- 
ings last  month.  Especially  singled  out 
by  Rosenman  for  criticism  was  the 
claim  that  the  new  station  would  be 
able  to  make  use  of  Paramount  Pic- 
tures' stars,  directors,  booking  ser- 
vice, "props,"  story  properties,  news- 
reel,  and  other  films,  with  the  parent 
organization  absorbing  part  of  the  ex- 
pense. 

Rosenman's  questioning  brought  out 
the  admission  from  Landsberg  that, 
with  few  exceptions,  no  Paramount 
talent  had  been  featured  on  regular 
KTLA  programs  since  the  station 
went  on  a  commercial  basis  in  Janu- 
ary, 1947. 

Contest  Company's  Assertions 

Both  Welch  and  Rosenman  ques- 
tioned Paramount's  cost  and  person- 
nel figures,  attempting  to  disprove  the 
contentions  that  a  50-hour  operating 
week,  most  ambitious  of  any  of  the 
applicants,  could  be  accomplished 
within  the  estimated  range.  Newest 
Paramount  figures  estimated  construc- 
tion costs  at  $493,000.  At  San  Fran- 
cisco these  figures  had  been  estimated 
at  $421,000.  Annual  operating  costs 
were  revised  upward  from  $570,000  to 
$600,000. 


WPIX  Gets  22  More 
Features,  60  Shorts 

Station  WPIX,  New  York  Daily 
News  television  outlet,  has  signed  with 
Regal  Television  for  one-year  video 
exhibition  rights  in  New  York  to  15 
United  Artists  features  and  44  short 
subjects.  It  has  also  secured  seven 
Laurel  and  Hardy  features  and  16 
other  shorts.  The  station  also  has  ex- 
clusive U.  S.  rights  to  24  Alexander 
Korda  features. 


FIVE-STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3%  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices:  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
AIRLINES 


Review 


"The  Street  with  No  Name" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

THE  technique  of  documentary-styled  drama  receives  one  of  its  finest  treat- 
ments in  "The  Street  with  No  Name."  An  FBI  tale  about  the  tracking 
down  of  a  gang  of  thugs,  it  moves  with  a  steady,  accelerated  pace,  never  once 
falling  back  on  the  ancient  cliches  for  melodramatic  effect.  The  production  is 
presented  as  one  of  20th-Fox's  answer  to  exhibitors  who  contend  that  what 
the  industry  needs  is  better  product.  It  should  gross  a  lot,  a  large  part  of 
the  exhibitor's  exploitation  job  being  accomplished  by  word-of -mouth  recom- 
mendation which  the  picture  should  receive. 

The  high-powered  story  is  a  good  one,  strikingly  played  by  Mark  Stevens, 
Richard  Widmark,  Lloyd  Nolan,  Barbara  Lawrence  and  John  Mclntire, 
among  others.  After  a  series  of  killings  that  appear  to  emanate  from  the 
same  source,  Stevens,  an  FBI  agent,  is  assigned  to  the  case.  In  time  be 
mixes  with  the  suspected  thugs  and  eventually  is  taken  into  the  gang. 

An  outstanding  aspect  of  the  production  is  its  quality  of  authenticity  that 
William  Keighley's  direction  and  Harry  Kleiner's  original  have  created.  By 
the  time  the  FBI  moves  in  for  the  kill,  a  most  engrossing  series  of  adventures 
have  run  their  course.  Stevens  is  extremely  competent  and  winning  in  his 
role  which  frequently  calls  on  him  to  use  his  fists  as  well  as  his  wits.  The 
same  applies  to  Mclntire,  another  agent.  As  the  gangland  mastermind, 
Widmark  offers  an  unforgettable  vignette,  crawling  in  and  out  of  scenes  like 
a  malevolent  insect.  A  capable  bit  is  turned  in  by  Miss  Lawrence  as  Wid- 
mark's  punishment-taking  wife.  Bouquets  can  be  offered  in  all  departments 
of  Samuel  G.  Engel's  production. 

Running  time,  91  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  July 
release.  Mandel  Herbstman 


Action  vs.  Quota 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  other  subjects  considered.  These 
problems  as  well  as  the  quota  are  ex- 
pected to  be  acted  upon  on  Monday. 

Lack  Support  for  New  Embargo 

It  was  reported  that  yesterday's 
meeting  heard  some  talk  of  imposing 
a  new  embargo  on  American  film 
shipments  to  Britain,  but  that  solid 
support  for  the  suggestion  was  lack- 
ing. It  was  also  reported  that  some 
sentiment  favored  throwing  the  ball 
back  to  Britain  with  an  American  pro- 
posal that  the  quota  be  made  100  per 
cent,  whereas  others  present  appeared 
to  favor  joining  hands  with  the  Cine- 
matograph Exhibitors  Association  in 
Britain,  which  is  equally  opposed  to 
the  new  45  per  cent  quota  order  and 
has  sought  a  meeting  with  Harold 
Wilson,  president  of  the  British  Board 
of  Trade,  to  protest  its  adoption. 

Indications  are  that  a  considered 
plan  of  action  will  be  drawn  up  with- 
in the  next  few  days  and  submitted  to 
Monday's  meeting  for  adoption. 

No  Plan  for  Johnston  Trip 

As  of  now,  Johnston  has  no  plans  to 
return  to  England  for  further  discus- 
sions on  the  British  situation,  it  was 
said  following  yesterday's  meeting. 

Johnston  presided  at  the  meeting. 
Among  others  present  were  Spyros  P. 
Skouras,  W.  C.  Michel,  S.  S.  Broidy, 
Norton  V.  Ritchey,  Nicholas  M. 
Schenck,  Joseph  R.  Vogel,  J.  J. 
O'Connor,  Joseph  Seidelman,  Jack 
Cohn,  A.  Schneider,  Ned  Depinet, 
Theodore  Black,  Gradwell  Sears,  Bar- 
ney Balaban,  Albert  Warner  and 
James  Mulvey,  who  represented  the 
Society  of  Independent  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers. 


Industry  Council 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


plating  the  establishment  of  a  council 
headquarters  here  with  officers  and  a 
board  representing  all  phases  of  the 
industry,  in  charge  of  a  permanent 
secretary.  Cheyfitz  denies  that  he  had 
been  asked  to  take  charge  and  devotd 
full  time  to  the  proposed  council. 
Cheyfitz  will  leave  here  for  the  East 
at  the  weekend,  returning  for  the  July 
13  meeting. 


U.  S.  Weighs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


tain  that  the  British  have  acted  within 
their  legal  rights.  But  they  do  now 
admit  that  there  is  a  violation  of  the 
spirit  of  recent  trade  negotiations,  and 
hence  the  notice  that  we  are  "con- 
cerned." 

Motion  Picture  Association  presi- 
dent Eric  Johnston's  request  that  the 
Department  ask  the  British  to  enter 
into  negotiations  for  reviewing  their 
action  is  not  headed  for .  any  equally 
speedy  action,  however,  the  Depart- 
ment spokesmen  ssty.  "The  State  De- 
partment does  not  ask  other  govern- 
ments to  enter  into  negotiations  over- 
night," one  official  declared.  "That's 
a  step  that  takes  a  lot  of  preliminary 
discussion." 


London  Has 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


in  Washington  to  intervene  on  the 
grounds  that  the  order  violates  exist- 
ing trade  agreements  between  the 
U.  S.  and  Britain.  The  State  Depart- 
ment also  was  asked  to  request  the 
British  government  to  negotiate  reduc- 
tion or  elimination  of  the  new  quota. 

Although  Harold  Wilson,  Board  of 
Trade  president,  is  away  from  Lon- 
don now,  the  Cinematograph  Exhibi- 
tors Association,  which  also  is  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  new  quota,  still  is  hope- 
ful that  Wilson  will  receive  a  CEA 
delegation  to  discuss  the  matter  with 
him  before  action  is  taken  by  the 
House  of  Lords. 


Main  Heads  Ontario 
Exhibitors  Group 

Toronto,  June  22. — Dick  Main,  own- 
er of  two  rural  theatres,  is  the  new 
president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Thea- 
tres Association  of  Ontario,  succeed- 
ing Clare  J.  Appel  of  Toronto,  East- 
ern general  manager  of  Odeon  Thea- 
tres of  Canada,  who  has  resigned.  Roy 
Miller,  manager  of  a  St.  Catherines, 
Ont.,  circuit,  replaces  Main  as  vice- 
president. 


Italian  Film  to  20th-Fox 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  will  dis- 
tribute "Don  Giovanni,"  produced  in 
Italy  by  Pegoraro  Productions. 


U-I  Sets  4  July 
World  Premieres 


Universal-International  has  set  four 
world  premieres  for  next  month.  The 
pictures  are  "Man-Eater  of  Kumaon," 
which  will  bow  at  the  Winter  Garden 
here  on  July  1 ;  "Feudin',  Fussin'  and 
A-Fightin',"  at  Tri-States  circuit  the- 
atres in  Omaha  and  Des  Moines,  July 
8;  "Tap  Roots,"  at  the  Goldman  g?V 
atre  in  Philadelphia  and  six  addit^ 1 
cities  in  that  territory,  July  14;  "Mr. 
Peabody  and  the  Mermaid,"  at  the 
Hollywood,  Atlantic  City,  July  28. 


Lachman  Sets  Nine 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


company  has  set  up  home  offices  in 
New  York  and  in  Boonton,  N.  J. 
The  latter  location  includes  a  plant 
where  batteries  and  other  carbon 
products  are  to  be  manufactured  un- 
der French  patent  rights. 

New  Jersey  Allied  to  Get  New 
President;  Lachman  Won't  Run 

Allied  of  New  Jersey  will  soon  have 
a  new  president.  Edward  Lachman, 
head  of  the  organization,  disclosed 
here  yesterday  that  he  will  not  be  a 
candidate  for  reelection  at  the  organi- 
zation's annual  convention,  June  28- 
30,  at  the  Hollywood  Hotel,  West 
End,  N.  J. 

Lachman  gave  as  his  reason  for  de- 
clining to  run  the  fact  that  he  has 
engaged  in  the  U.  S.  distribution  of 
French  projector  lamp  carbon. 

Convention  chairman  Wilbur  Snap- 
er  said  yesterday  that  the  principal 
topic  of  the  three-day  meeting  will  be 
high  costs  and  diminishing  profits. 
Paul  Raibourn,  Paramount  Televi- 
sion Productions  president,  will  be  a 
speaker,  Snaper  reported. 


MPF  Resuming 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


pointed  out  that  organizational  activi- 
ties have  been  "suspended  temporarily 
in  deference  to  exigencies  created  by 
the  Supreme  Court  case"  involving 
the  industry. 

Robert  Coyne,  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  retiring  executive  director, 
paid  tribute  in  his  address  "to  the  pro- 
gressive Southern  exhibitors  who 
were  not  content  with  the  status  quo" 
and  "who  had  been  largely  instrumen- 
tal in  the  creation  of  TOA."  He  cited 
instances  of  exhibitor  progress  in  such 
matters  as  Ascap,  16mm.  competition 
and  also  discussed  the  role  of  exhibi- 
tors in  relation  to  television. 

State  Senator  John  Farese  also  ad- 
dressed the  convention.  Max  Connett 
of  Newton  presided. 


OF  COURSE 


BROOKLYN 

undl 

HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


II 


•  We  put  "National"  projector 
carbons  in  the  water-cooled  jaws 
of  this  special  mechanism  .  .  .  sock 
them  with  king-size  jolts  of  elec- 
tricity .  .  .  try  them  at  different 
angles  .  .  .  experiment  with  doz- 
ens of  sizes  and  types  —  and  come 
up  with  projector  carbons  that  are 
tailor  made  for  your  theatre.  The 
light  from  "National"  carbons  is 
therefore  brighter.  It  is  steadier. 
It  is  nearly  perfect  for  bringing 
out  the  rich  tones  of  color  movies. 


This  experimental  arc  mecha- 
nism is  only  one  detail  in  National 
Carbon  Company's  extensive  labo- 
ratory effort  to  develop  better  pro- 
jector carbons.  You,  the  exhibitor, 
reap  the  benefits  in  better  screen 
visibility,  satisfied  patrons,  and 
bigger  box  office! 

The  term  "National"  is  a  registered  trade-mark  of 

NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC. 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 

DEB 

30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 
Division  Sales  Offices:  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Dallas, 
Kansas  City,  New  York,  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco 


«k.q   BUY  "NATIONAL^ 
WHEN  ,O^J^!l^l^  


hup  C'/iZ\. 


Solid  box  office  ...across- 
the-board  customer  appeal!" 

if  action's  what  audience 
wants,  they'll  get  it  here! 

"Will  pay  off  largely  at  box- 
office!  Follows  T-Men  / 

rafs  hard... strong  woman's  angle1/' 

"A  solid  item  ...Should  keep  all 
audiences  in  a  state  of  excitement!" 

Good  music  to  any  exhibitor's  ears!" 

Should  clean  up!  Names  will 
insure  good  business! 


>WARD  SMALL  presents    RAW  DEAL*St  . 
John  Ireland  •  RAYMOND  BURR  •  CURT  CONWAY  •  CHILI  WILLIAMS  •  Dir.cd  bv  ANTHONY  MANN  -  bv  uopwo  atu 

JOHN  C.  ti  coins  .  by  0  itory  bf  ARNOl„  „,  ARMSTRONG  ond  AUDREY  ASHIEY  .  A  Reliance  Picture  •  An  EAGLE  LION  FILMS  Rel 


MLE  COPY 


Y<"CT63.   NO.  122 


MOTION  PICTtfKE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JUNE  24,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Phila.  Court 
Halts  Free 
Video  Pickup 

Restrainer  on  Places 
Charging  Admissions 

Unauthorized  reproductions  of 
television  programs  in  theatres 
were  declared  illegal  by  a  Phila- 
delphia Common  Pleas  Court  yes- 
terday in  a  ruling  characterized  in 
video  circles  as  vastly  significant  in 
that  it  could  well  point  the  way  to  a 
more  authoritative  decision. 

Almost  simultaneously,  announce- 
ment was  made  of  the  postponement  to 
tonight  of  the  Louis- Walcott  bout 
which  prompted  the  legal  contest,  a 
Philadelphia  exhibitor  having  openly 
planned  to  present  a  large-screen  video 
account  of  the  event  as  part  of  his 
theatre  program.  National  Broadcast- 
ing, Philco  Corp.,  Gillette  Safety  Ra- 
zor Co.  and  others  asked  for  and  re- 
ceived the  order  restraining  the  thea- 
treman,  Henry  Friedman,  operator  of 
the  Lawndale,  from  following  through 
with  his  plan.  The  Lanbar  Hotel  also 
was  a  defendant. 

Said  to  be  the  first  court  interpreta- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Orders  on  Decision 
To  District  Court 


Two  Government  orders  on  the  U. 
S.  Supreme  Court's  decision  in  the 
Paramount  anti-trust  case  were  pre- 
sented to  Judges  Augustus  N.  Hand 
and  Henry  W.  Goddard  in  District 
Court  here  yesterday  for  their  ap 
proval.  The  orders  replace  the  orig 
inal  order  on  which  argument  was 
heard  before  the  two  jurists  on  June 
14,  when  the  court  directed  that 
changes  be  made  in  the  document.  One 
covers  the  Supreme  Court's  mandate ; 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Deny  Adelman  Move 
In  Anti-Trust  Suit 


Broadway  Grosses 
Rise    25  Per  Cent 

Business  at  key  first-runs 
on  Broadway  Tuesday  and 
yesterday  were  described  as 
being  20  to  25  per  cent  better 
than  during  the  past  several 
weeks.  Chief  factor  in  favor 
of  higher  grosses  was  the  in- 
flux for  the  postponed  Louis- 
Walcott  championship  bout 
scheduled  for  last  night. 


Connett  Criticizes 
Exhibitor  'Slackers' 


Biloxi,  Miss.,  June  23.— Exhibitors 
who  "are  always  ready  to  complain 
and  are  never  available  to  help  in  the 
solution  of  industry  problems"  were 
castigated  by  Max  Connett  of  Newton, 
before  140  theatre  owners  present  at 
the  convention  here  of  the  Motion  Pic 
ture  Theatre  Owners  of  Mississippi. 
Connett  presided  at  the  two-day  meet- 
ing, which  ended  last  night. 

"The  same  few  carry  the  ball  every 
year,"  he  stated,  "while  the  many  give 
lip  service  in  bemoaning  the  ills  and 
give  no  service  in  seeking  the  cures." 

State  Senator  John  Farese  pointed 
out  to  the  exhibitor  delegates  that 
state  and  national  legislatures  cannot 
act  intelligently  in  a  vacuum  of  in- 
formation when  considering  new  legis- 
lation. "It  is  incumbent  on  individuals 
and  industries  to  provide  honest  in- 
formation and  argument  bearing  upon 
the  issues  being  considered,"  he  added. 

Connett  was  reelected  president  of 
the  exhibitors'  organization,  with 
E.  W.  Clinton  as  secretary  and 
treasurer.  W.  S.  Taylor  of  Laurel, 
Dwight  Blissard  of  Okolona,  and 
B.  V.  Sheffield  of  Poplarville  were 
elected  vice-presidents. 


Classics  Sets  34 
New  Films  for  1949, 
Against  10  in  1948 

Film  Classics  has  scheduled  34  new 
features  for  1948-49,  against  about  10 
new  ones  this  season,  and  will  have 
only  eight  or  10  reissues  next  year, 
against  12  in  the  current  year,  B.  G. 
Kranze,  distribution  vice-president, 
disclosed  here  yesterday. 

Of  the  34  new  ones,  17  will  be  in 
Cinecolor.  A  12-chapter  serial,  "Sil- 
ver King,"  will  also  be  in  Cinecolor. 
Two  of  the  reissues  will  be  Sir  Al- 
exander Korda's  "Drums"  and  "Four 
Feathers,"  both  in  Technicolor. 

The  new  productions  will  include : 
"Sofia,"  produced  by  Robert  R.  Pres- 
nell,  Sr.,  and  John  Reinhardt,  directed 
by  Reinhardt,  with  a  cast  headed  by 
Gene  Raymond,  Sigrid  Gurie,  Patricia 
Morison  and  Mischa  Auer ;  "Mirac- 
ulous Journey,"  produced  by  Sigmund 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


RKO  Loop  Houses 
Will  Cut  Prices 

RKO's  Grand  and  Palace  in  Chica- 
go's Loop  are  understood  to  be  pre- 
paring to  reduce  morning  prices  from 
67  cents  to  SO,  effective  June  30,  in 
line  with  admission  price  cuts  an- 
nounced earlier  this  week  by  Balaban 
and  Katz  for  their  Loop  theatres  in 
Chicago. 

The  new  RKO  schedule,  which  will 
prevail  for  weekends  also,  will  hold 
until  one  P.M.,  but  will  remain  at  67 
cents  until  five  P.M.,  and  98  cents  for 
evenings. 

Business  has  dropped  at  B.  &  K. 
and  RKO  Chicago  Loop  theatres  be- 
cause of  the  two-week  limitation  in 
playing  time  under  the  Jackson  Park 
decree,  causing  both  circuits  to  cut 
matinee  prices. 


State  Dep't. 
'Concern' Over 
Quota  Voiced 

Withholds  Any  'Protest', 
Pending  Embassy  Report 

Washington,  June  23.  —  The 
State  Department  has  instructed  the 
U.  S.  Embassy  in  London  to  ex- 
press "our  concern" 'to  the  British 
government  over  the  45  per  cent  Brit- 
ish exhibition  quota  and  "to  get  full 
and  accurate  information"  on  the 
subject. 

This  was  announced  today  at  a  press 
conference  by  Under-Secretary  of 
State  Robert  A.  Lovett,  pinch-hitting 
for  Secretary  Marshall,  who  was  un- 
able to  attend. 

Lovett  emphasized  that  this 
was  not  an  official  protest. 

"We  would  like  all  the  facts  before 
making  a  formal  protest  or  starting 
formal  negotiations,"  he  declared. 

The  implications  were  that  the 
State  Department  will  not  take  the 
word  of  anyone  outside  the  Depart- 
ment on  a  matter  of  such  importance. 

Asked  what  the  Department  would 
do  if  the  facts  bore  out  Eric  Johns- 
ton's statement,  the  Under-Secretary 
said  the  Department  "would  take  up 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Wilmington,  June  23. — U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  Justice  Richard  S.  Rod- 
ney has  denied  the  motion  of  I.  B. 
Adelman,  operator  of  the  Delman 
Theatre  in  Dallas  and  Houston,  for 
a  judgment  by  default,  in  the  anti- 
trust suit  against  the  majors  and  In- 
terstate Circuit  and  Texas  Consolidat- 
ed Theatres.  Triple  damages  of  more 
than  $3,000,000  are  sought  in  civil 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Tap  Roots  ' 


[  Wanger-Univer sal-International  ]  —  Big  Show,  Big-Scale 

[T  cost  a  lot  of  money,  but  "Tap  Roots"  looks  it.  Production  values 
and  Technicolor-embellishments  provide  substantial  and  impressive 
backdrops  for  an  interesting  story  of  the  Civil  War,  aided  by  a 
collection  .of  very  good  performances.  The  result :  A  big  show  handled 
in  a  big  way  by  producer  Walter  Wanger  and  director  George  Marshall, 
"Tap  Roots"  looks  like  one  for  the  money,  and  plenty  of  it. 

It  is  quite  safe  to  observe  that  this  attraction  is  one  of  the  most  am- 
bitious attempted  in  any  quarter  since  the  fabulous  "Gone  with  the 
Wind,"  which  it  resembles  in  some  respects.  The  period  is  identical.  The 
locale  is  the  South.  The  Vivien  Leigh  of  "Tap  Roots"  is  Susan  Hayward, 
and  just  about  as  wilful  and  flirtatious.  The  Rhett  Butler  is  Van  Heflin, 
who  is  approximately  as  despicable.  They  furnish  the  warm-to-sizzling 
sides  of  a  romantic  triangle  which  includes  Whitfield  Connor  as  the 
original  soldier-suitor. 

The  film,  based  on  a  novel  by  James  Street  and  a  screenplay  by  Alan 
Le  May,  claims  a  historical  base.  It  tells  the  story  of  the  Dabney  family 
which  appropriated  Lebanon  Valley  in  Mississippi  and  determines  to  set 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


FCC  Rejects  Warner 
Video  Hearing  Bid 

Washington,  June  23. — The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  to- 
day turned  down  Warner  Brothers' 
request  to  appear  at  hearings  next 
week  on  reallocation  of  television 
channels  among  major  cities  and  to 
protest  plans  to  cut  Chicago  from 
seven  to  six  channels.  Reason  given 
was  that  the  Warner  application  was 
received  after  the  deadline  and  did  not 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Public  Shopping  for 
New  Faces:  Popkin 

It  takes  more  than  star  names  and 
faces  that  have  been  on  the  screens 
for  the  last  IS  or  20  years  to  induce 
customers  to  buy  theatre  tickets  today, 
Harry  Popkin,  California  circuit  own- 
er and  independent  producer  releasing 
through  United  Artists,  said  here 
yesterday. 

Popkin  is  in  New  York  to  shoot  ex- 
tensive exteriors  here  for  "Impact," 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  24,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

ERIC  JOHNSTON,  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America 
president,  was  a  visitor  at  the  Re- 
publican National  convention  in  Phila- 
delphia yesterday. 

• 

Spvros  P.  Skouras,  president  of 
20th  Century-Fox ;  Charles  Schlai- 
fer,  advertising-publicity  director,  and 
other  company  home  office  executives 
will  leave  New  York  for  the  Coast 
over  the  weekend. 

• 

Jack  Needham,  former  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox salesman,  has  been  named 
booker-buyer  of  the  Orpheum  and 
Majestic  theatres,  Nelsonville,  O., 
which  are  owned  by  Mrs.  Frances 
Steenrod. 

• 

Flo  Browne  Grippo,  Hollywood  lit- 
erary agent  and  wife  of  Monogram 
producer  Jan  Grippo,  is  here  from  the 
Coast. 

Thomas    Benge,    with  Redwood 
Theatres,  California,  for  IS  years,  is 
the    recipient   of   $750    cash   and  a 
watch  for  his  service  anniversary. 
• 

John  Rubach,  recently  a  United 
Artists  salesman  in  Albany,  N.  Y., 
has  been  appointed  Universal-Interna- 
tional salesman  in  that  city. 

• 

Gradwell  Sears,  United  Artists 
president,  will  return  to  his  desk  here 
Monday  following  a  checkup  at  New 
York  Hospital. 

• 

Sid  Blumen stock,  20th  Century- 
Fox  assistant  exploitation  manager, 
was  in  Washington  yesterday  from 
New  York. 

• 

Leo  Jaffe.  Columbia  assistant 
treasurer,  was  married  yesterday  in 
Elkton,  Md.,  to  Teri  Gold. 

• 

Howard  Dietz,  Loew  vice-presi- 
dent, will  return  here  today  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

George  A.  Hickey,  M-G-M  West- 
ern sales  manager,  will  leave  here 
Tuesday  for  Los  Angeles. 

• 

H.  M.  Richey,  M-G-M  exhibitor 
relations  head,  is  due  back  in  New 
York  today  from  Myrtle  Beach,  S.  C. 
• 

Carroll  Puciato,  Realart  sales  ex- 
ecutive, has  returned  to  New  York 
from  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City. 
• 

David  Horne,  Film  Classics  for- 
eign sales  manager,  is  en  route  to 
London  from  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
• 

Frank  Simetz  of  the  20th  Century- 
Fox  press  book  department  here,  has 
been  married  to  Estelle  Becker. 
• 

Mrs.  Ann  Carnahan  has  joined 
World  Video,  Inc.,  here  as  program 
producer. 

• 

Gary  Cooper  is  in  town  from  the 
Coast. 


MPE A  Is  Ruled 
Out  of  Hungary 

Washington,  June  23.— Hungary 
will  open  its  screens  only  to  "pro- 
gressive" films,  and  will  not  "permit 
the  Motion  '  Picture  Export  Associa- 
tion to  reign  over  the  screens  of  Buda- 
pest's theatres,"  Hungary's  president 
told  a  press  conference,  according  to 
the  U.  S.  Commerce  Department. 

The  Department  said  that  the  Pres- 
ident declared  he  "expected  discon- 
tinuation of  private  film  commerce  to 
take  place  soon  in  Hungary,"  and  that 
the  Film  Office  would  take  over  all 
film  activities  and  prevent  the  show- 
ing of  "reactionary"  films. 

Another  behind-the-iron-curtain  de- 
velopment reported  by  the  department 
is  a  conference  of  Polish  and  Czech 
film  representatives,  at  which  a  com- 
mittee for  the  exchange  of  film  ex- 
perience between  the  two  countries 
was  set  up. 

GB-Odeon  Companies 
Approve  Pooling 

London,  June  23. — Twenty  compa- 
nies within  the  Gaumont-British- 
Odeon  circuit  groups  overwhelmingly 
approved  at  meetings  here  today  the 
Circuit  Management  Association  pool- 
ing arrangement  set  up  by  J.  Arthur 
Rank. 

Rank,  who  owns  controlling  inter- 
ests in  GB  and  Odeon,  is  chairman  of 
CMA.  Some  564  theatres  are  repre- 
sented by  the  20  companies. 


State  Dept. 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

the  matter  more  formally  if  the  facts 
warrant  it."  He  said  that  in  the  past, 
the  Department  has  not  used  any  hard 
and  fast  standards  for  deciding  wheth- 
er actions  of  a  foreign  government 
should  be  protested  but  rather  "a  rule 
of  reason." 

Lovett  indicated  that  he  did  not 
know  whether  the  London  Embassy 
had  already  delivered  our  message, 
nor  when  further  developments  might 
be  expected. 

Johnston,  at  the  direction  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Export  Association 
board,  had  asked  the  State  Depart- 
ment to  protest  the  new  British  quota 
and  to  ask  the  British  government  to 
negotiate  a  reduction  or  elimination 
of  the  quota.  The  industry  contends 
that  the  quota  violates  existing  trade 
agreements'  between  the  U.  S.  and 
Britain. 

Motion  Picture  Daily  forecast 
yesterday  that  the  State  Department 
was  unlikely  to  do  more  than  express 
its  "concern"  at  this  stage  of  the 
situation. 

Selznick  Office  in 
Mexico  Opens  Today 

Selznick  Releasing  Organization's 
sales  outlet  will  be  opened  today  in 
Mexico  City,  it  was  announced  here 
yesterday  by  SRO  president  Neil  Ag- 
new.  At  the  same  time,  the  Mexico 
City  premiere  of  "The  Paradine  Case" 
is  set  for  today  at  the  new  Cosmos 
Theatre  as  a  benefit  for  the  Mexican 
Tuberculosis  Fund. 


'London  Times'  Hits 
U.  S.  Quota  Protest 

London,  June  23. — It  never  has 
been  very  clear  to  the  London  Times 
why  the  Anglo-American  film  agree- 
ment was  made  with  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  and  not 
the  U.  S.  Government,  that  paper  edi- 
torialized today.  Terms  of  the 
MPAA  protest  to  the  new  British 
film  quota,  the  Times  said,  shows  that 
British  film  policy  and  the  facts  be- 
hind it  are  not  understood  in  America. 

Continued  the  editorial :  The  new 
quota  is  part  of  the  British  govern- 
ment's answer  to  the  risk  taken  under 
the  agreement.  MPAA  president 
Eric  A.  Johnston  cannot  expect 
Britain  to  shoulder  unlimited  future 
dollar  liability  at  the  pleasure  of 
American  films  or  forego  its  inten- 
tion of  redressing  the  balance  in  favor 
of  British  producers. 

SAG,  Majors  Start 
Pact  Negotiations 

Hollywood,  June  23.  —  With  the 
creation  of  a  subcommittee  to  seek  a 
solution  to  the  television  proposals 
sought  by  the  Screen  Actors  Guild, 
representatives  of  major  producers 
and  the  actors'  guild,  who  last  night 
resumed  contract  negotiations  broken 
off  early  in  April,  h^ve  settled  down 
to  the  business  of  drawing  up  a  pact 
to  replace  the  one  which  will  expire 
at  the  end  of  July.  An  announcement 
today,  issued  jointly  by  the  two  parties, 
failed  to  mention  the  reissue  clause, 
which  was  one  of  the  seven  key  issues 
mentioned  by  SAG. 

The  negotiating  committees  agreed 
to  meet  each  Thursday  and  Tuesday 
morning  from  now  on,  and  the  tele- 
vision subcommittee  will  meet  on 
Thursdays. 

Allege  Infringement 
By  Fabian  Drive-ins 

Wilmington,  Del.,  June  23. — A 
treble-damage  action  charging  patent 
infringement  has  been  filed  in  U.  S. 
District  Court  here  by  Park-In  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  of  Camden,  against  Fabian 
Securities,  Inc.,  and  its  subsidiary 
Fabian  Enterprises,  Inc.  It  is  the 
third  suit  to  be  filed  here  by  the  plain- 
tiff in  jts  attempt  to  establish  the  ex- 
clusive nature  of  its  rights  to  drive-in 
theatre  construction  and  licensing"  over 
alleged  infringement  of  the  Hollings- 
head  patent  assigned  to  Park-In  in 
1933. 


Decision  Orders 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  other,  the  Department  of  Justice's 
motion  for  injunctive  proceedings. 

Also  submitted  to  the  court  yester- 
day for  its  consideration  was  a  pro- 
posed counter-order  by  the  defendants, 
who  are  protesting  the  wording  of  the 
Government's  order  bearing  on  a  mo- 
tion for  injunctive  proceedings  and 
who  ask  that  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice limit  itself  to  a  single  order. 

Set  SPG-Loew  Hearings 

American  Arbitration  Association 
has  set  July  8-9  for  hearing  dates  in 
the  wage  dispute  between  the  Screen 
Publicists  Guild  and  Loew's. 


Public  Shopping 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

second  of  10  pictures  which  he  is 
scheduled  to  deliver  to  U.  A.  in  the 
next  three  years.  "My  Dear 
Secretary,"  his  first  under  the  deal, 
will  be  released  soon. 

Speaking  as  a  circuit  operator,  Pop- 
kin  reported  that  theatre  business 
around  his  Southern  California  terri- 
tory is  off  about  25  per  cent.  He 
related  that  good  pictures  still  pul^X 
business,  but  that  star  names  no  lv>j? 
er  assure  a  profitable  picture.  Trie 
public  is  looking  for  new  faces  and 
substantial  stories,  he  believes. 

Popkin  said  financing  for  established 
independent  producers  still  is  avail- 
able, but  that  banks  have  tightened 
their  reins,  with  the  result  that 
"promoters"  have  been  virtually  elimi- 
nated from  the  independent  production 
field.  He  said  U.  A.  stands  as  the 
guaranty  of  continued  independent 
production  and  deserves  the  support 
of  the  industry,  as  well  as  of  leading- 
independent  producers,  in  the  vital  role 
it  plays. 

"Give  U.  A.  the  pictures  and  it  will 
do  the  job,"  he  said. 

'Look  What  We  Did; 
Says  Justice  Dept. 

Washington,  June  23. — The  Jus- 
tice Department  is  still  blowing  its 
horn  over  its  victory  in  the  Paramount 
and  other  film  trust  cases. 

Attorney  General  Tom  Clark  today 
issued  a  general  press  release  citing 
the  "unusual  success"  of  the  Depart- 
ment in  pushing  cases  before  the  Su- 
preme Court  this  term. 

"The  Department  of  Justice  was 
successful  in  more  important  anti-trust 
cases  in  the  Supreme  Court  than  dur- 
ing any  other  term,"  the  release  said, 
adding :  "One  of  the  most  important 
anti-trust  victories  was  that  against 
the  major  motion  picture  producers, 
distributors  and  exhibitors,  known  as 
the  Paramount  case,  which  was  per- 
sonally argued  by  the  Attorney  Gen- 
eral. Other  Government  victories  in- 
cluded the  Schine  and  Griffith  motion 
picture  cases." 


Deny  Adelman  Move 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

actions  under  Adelman's  own  name 
and  that  of  Tivoli  Realty,  Inc.,  of 
which  he  is  president. 

The  plaintiff  charged  that  the  de- 
fendants had  not  moved  or  pleaded 
with  respect  to  the  original  complaint 
within  the  time  allotted  by  the  court, 
but  Judge  Rodney  upheld  the  defend- 
ants in  their  contention  that  their  moT 
tion  to  strike  out  portions  of  the 
original  complaint  negated  any  default 
motion.  A  hearing  in  which  both  cases 
were  consolidated  has  been  concluded. 
The  court  has  taken  the  motion  to 
strike  under  advisement. 


4  New  Trans-Lux  Firms 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  23. — Advancing 
Trans-Lux  Theatre  Corp.'s  recently- 
announced  circuit  expansion,  certifi- 
cates of  incorporations  have  been  reg- 
istered here  with  the  office  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  for  Trans-Lux  Colony 
Corp.,  Trans-Lux  Monroe  Corp., 
Trans-Lux  Grenada  Corp.,  Trans-Lux 
Crest  Corp.  Stock  valuation  of  each  is 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau.  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies.  10c. 


HUMPHREY 


EDWARD  6 


A  CAST  AS  EXPLOSIVE  AS  ITS  SfORY/ 


!  INDUSTRY  EVENT: 

Warner  Bros. 


JULY  6TH: 


BARRYMORE 


CUURE 

TREVOR 


ANO 


I 


MEZ  JDHN  RODNEY-JofflfflBiOM'j 


PRODUCED  BY 


Screen  Play  by  Richard  Brooks  and  John  Huston     Based  onithe  Play  by  MAXWELL  ANDERSON  As  Produced  on  the  Spoken  Stage,  by  the  Playwrights  Company  •  Music  by  Max  Steinei 


STAMPEDING  THE 


1st  reissue  date,  Chicago,  60% 
over  new  high  budget  Paramount 
hit.  2nd,  Rochester,  within  $7  of 
another  new  topper. 


NATION- 
JRITE  SUN... 


SHAGGV 


HAZARD 


HATTER'S 
CASTLE 

mi 


fi 


Packing  the  Paramount  as  N.Y. 
Post  keynotes  acclaim,  calling 
it  "most  enjoyable  American 
picture  in  months." 


Pine-Thomas  match 
"Albuquerque"  with  "A  sure 
bet  in  beautiful  Cinecolor" 
says  "The  Exhibitor." 


Kansas  City,  first  date, 
paced  it  within  $30  of  smash 
"Road  to  Rio." 


Playing  to  results  that  double- 
check  Film  Daily's  appraisal 
of  "Boxoffice  in  large  letters." 


"Potent  boxoffice,"  says  Daily 
Variety,  "and  departure  from 
usual  Ladd  swashbuckler." 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  June  24,  1948 


"Tap  Roots  " 


(Continued  from-  page  1) 

itself  up  as  a  separate  state  when  Mississippi  secedes  in  the  War  Between 
the  States.  Ward  Bond,  the  current  Dabney,  makes  the  decision  in  which 
Hefiin,  gun-shooting,  hard-hitting  country  editor  joins,  not  because  lie  thinks 
the  madcap  scheme  can  win  but  because  he  has  fallen  for  the  attractive  Miss 
Hayward,  one  of  the  Dabney  girls. 

The  romantic  conflict  thus  is  provided  by  Miss  Hayward  and  Hefiin,  both 
headstrong  and  strong-willed,  but  evidently  well-suited  to  one  another,  whi^a^ 
Connor  decides  for  Julie  London,  the  other  Dabney  girl.  The  physical  coP  .1 
flict  develops  between  the  country  folk  who  throw  in  their  lot  with  Bond  amf*" 
the  Confederate  squadrons  assigned  to  the  suppression  of  the  insurrection. 
Aided  by  artillery  and  mounted  troops,  the  outcome  is  never  in  doubt.  Before 
the  attack  is  launched,  however,  Miss  Hayward  throws  herself  at  Connor, 
who  commands  the  troops,  in  a  futile  effort  to  delay  the  onslaught.  She 
does  not  spend  the  entire  night  with  him  precisely,  but  enough  hours  to 
suggest  they  did  not  dance  the  polka. 

For  the  contrived  ending,  Heflin  promises  to  rebuild  Lebanon,  although 
how  he  escapes  the  punishment  which  he  keeps  on  repeating  he  expects 
for  his  part  in  the  revolt  against  vested  authorities  is  casually  ignored,  thereby 
leaving  the  conclusion  of  the  tale  hanging  in  mid-air.  "Tap  Roots"  is  not 
without  its  cliches  and  obvious  theatricalisms  as  well  as  one  piece  of 
astounding  casting  in  Boris  Karloff  as  a  Choctaw  Indian  who  speaks  like 
a  cultivated  Englishman. 

However,  these  are  relatively  minor  criticisms  of  a  job  handled  with  scope 
and  sweep  and  an  astute  combination  of  situations  which  many  times  have 
proven  their  ability  to  entertain  and  hold  audiences  in  substantial  number. 
The  film,  additionally,  demonstrates  that  Marshall,  who  has  been  making 
them  commercial  for  years,  has  lost  none  of  his  Midas  touch. 

Running  time,  109  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
August,  1948.  Red  Kann 


"Race  Street" 

(RKO  Radio) 

AN  assortment  of  bookmakers  with  an  allegiance  to  George  Raft  as  kingpin 
comes  to  grips  with  unfriendly  intruders  trying  their  heavy  hands  at  the 
"protection"  racket  in  a  rather  smoothly  developed,  melodramatic  affair  that 
shapes  up  as  a  reasonably  safe  bet  for  most  locations. 

Raft  has  an  eye  on  Marilyn  Maxwell,  not  knowing  that  she  is  married  to 
Frank  Faylen,  head  of  the  "muscle  men"  bent  on  cutting  in  on  the  bookie 
business.  William  Bendix  has  a  prominent  assignment  as  the  honest  cop  out 
to  clear  up  matters  in  legal  fashion.  He  has  been  a  friend  of  Raft's  since  for 
many  years.  So,  too,  was  Henry  Morgan  (not  the  H.  M.  of  radio),  first  to  be 
murdered  by  the  racketeers.  Raft  sets  for  vengeance,  is  killed  in  the  final, 
blazing-gun  climax,  by  Faylen,  and  the  latter  is  brought  to  book  by  Bendix. 

Martin  Rackin's  screenplay  is  set  in  San  Francisco  and  partly  employs  the 
fashionable  documentary  technique.  Two  musical  numbers  in  a  nightclub 
setting  are  worked  in  nicely  and  are  a  definite  asset.  These  are  "Love  That 
Boy"  and  "I'm  in  a  Jam  with  Baby,"  with  Gale  Robbins  and  Cully  Richards 
vocalizing.  Dore  Schary  was  in  charge  of  production,  Nat  Holt  produced  and 
Jack  J.  Gross  was  executive  producer,  according  to  the  credit  list,  which 
names  Edwin  L.  Marin  as  director. 

Running  time,  79  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Gene  Aeneel 


Presbyterians  Ask 
For  Film  'Clean-Up' 

Toronto,  June  23.  —  Delegates  at- 
tending the  74th  General  Assembly  of 
the  Canadian  Presbyterian  Church, 
urged  a  "clean-up"  of  motion  pictures 
both  in  North  America  and  Europe, 
together  with  a  more  stringent  censor- 
ship, production  of  more  religious 
films,  abolishment  of  midnight  shows 
and  a  change  of  the  Cinematographs 
Act  of  Ontario  to  prevent  children  un- 
der 16  from  attending  theatres  without 
guardians  on  Saturday  afternoons. 


Smakwitz  in  Variety  Post 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  23. — Charles 
A.  Smakwitz,  acting  zone  manager 
here  for  Warner  Theatres  and  a  for- 
mer chief  barker  of  the  Albany  Vari- 
ety Tent,  has  been  named  chairman 
of  the  tent's  Heart  Fund  committee, 
succeeding  C.  J.  Latta,  who  retired 
as  zone  manager  to  become  a  Warner 
executive  in  London. 


To  Support  Youth  Month 

The  Advertising  Association  of  the 
West  has  notified  the  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  America  that  it  "heartily  en- 
dorses the  industry's  Youth  Welfare 
program"  and  has  offered  its  support 
toward  the  success  of  September  as 
"Youth  Month." 


Bell  To  Supervise  32 

St.  Petersburg,  Fla.,  June  23.  — 
Florida  State  Theatres  has  appointed 
Frank  Bell  supervisor  of  32  theatres. 
He  was  formerly  manager  of  the 
company's  theatres  in  Lakeland. 


Classics  Sets  34 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Neufeld  and  directed  by  Peter  Stew- 
art ;  "Unknown  Island,"  produced  by 
Albert  Jay  Cohen  and  directed  by 
Jack  Bernhard ;  "Return  to  Treasure 
Island,"  produced  by  Alan  Posner  and 
Sam  X.  Abarbanel ;  "Babes  in  Toy- 
land,"  produced  by  Boris  Morros ; 
"Daughter  of  Ramona,"  produced  by 
Martin  Mooney  and  Samuel  Goldwyn, 
Jr. ;  "God's  Children,"  produced  by 
W.  Lee  Wilder ;  "Florentine  Chest," 
to  be  produced  in  Italy  by  Dario  Sa- 
batello  (dialogue  in  English)  ;  "Capri 
Magic,"  also  to  be  produced  in  Italy, 
by  Sabatello  (English  dialogue);  six 
Westerns,  all  in  Cinecolor,  to  be  pro- 
duced by  A.  L.  Lane ;  three  to  be 
produced  by  Walter  Bachelor — two, 
"Hellgate"  and  "Gay  Street,"  to  be 
made  in  New  York ;  three  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Gregory,  Cook  and  Griffith — 
the  first,  featuring  Boris  Karloff  and 
Bela  Lugosi,  is  tentatively  titled  "The 
Strange  Case  of  Malcom  Craig." 

Also,  a  State  Department  story ;  a 
large-budget  Western  in  Cinecolor ; 
one  starring  Milton  Berle ;  "Bar 
Mothers,"  produced  by  John  Rogers ; 
"Fatima,"  in  Cinecolor;  "Pocahontas," 
in  Cinecolor ;  two  "Falcon"  pictures, 
to  be  produced  by  W.  Lee  Wilder ; 
"Shark  Man,"  to  be  produced  by  In- 
sular Films,  Inc.,  and  three  "Inner 
Sanctum"  pictures,  to  be  produced  by 
M.  R.  S:  Pictures,  from  the  Simon 
and  Schuster  stories. 


Bookers  Club  Dance 

Motion  Picture  Bookers  Club  will 
hold  its  ninth  annual  dinner-dance  at 
the  Hotel  Commodore  here  on  Oct.  17. 


Davis  to  Screen  Guild 

Atlanta,  June  23.  —  Ripley  Davis, 
former  owner  of  the  Royal  Theatre, 
Panama  City,  Fla.,  and  with  many 
exchanges  on  local  Film  Row,  has 
returned  to  Screen  Guild  Productions 
as  special  sales  representative  and 
assistant  to  John  W.  Mangham,  presi- 
dent; Joe  Fieldman  has  also  been  ap- 
pointed sales  representative,  replac- 
ing Carl  Chalman,  resigned. 


New  Meriden  Theatre 

Hartford,  June  23. — Nicholas  Kou- 
naris,  Paul  Tolis  and  George  Ulyssis 
will  construct  a  new  1,000-seat  thea- 
tre in  Meriden.  Kounaris  and  Tolis 
are  partners  in  the  Newington  Thea- 
tre at  Newington. 


Form  Booking  Company 

Atlanta,  June  23. — Jimmy  Wilson 
and  Charles  Moore  have  organized 
Jimmy  Wilson  Enterprises,  theatre 
booking  company,  here.  They  were 
formerly  with  Wil-Kin  Theatre  Sup- 
ply Co.,  Atlanta. 


See  Omaha  Aided 

Omaha,  June  23. — Local  exhibitors 
expect  lagging  business  to  get  a  boost 
now  that  downtown  stores  are  closing 
at  five  P.M.  on  Mondays. 


M.  &  P.  Building  Halted 

Boston,  June  23. — The  new  theatre 
that  M.  and  P.  Theatres,  Paramount 
affiliate,  had  planned  for  Newton, 
Mass.,  has  been  delayed  for  the  pres- 
ent due  to  the  cost  of  materials. 


Tom  Thompson  Building 

Yankton,  S.  D.,  June  23. — William 
Burke,  RKO  Radio  office  manager  at 
Kansas  City,  will  manage  the  new 
theatre  which  Tom  Thompson  of 
Kansas  City  is  building  here. 


REMINDER  I 

NEXT  TUESDAY,  JUNE  29th,  AT  6:30, 
IS  THE  DATE  FOR  THE  DINNER  . 
IN  HONOR  OF 

LOUIS  B.  MAYER 

AS  A  TRIBUTE  TO  HIS 
LEADERSHIP  IN  THE  INDUSTRY, 
IN  PUBLIC  SERVICE,  AND  IN 
PHILANTHROPIC  ACTIVITIES. 
SPONSORED  BY 
THE  AMUSEMENT  INDUSTRY  DIVISION 
OF  THE  UNITED  JEWISH  APPEAL, 
GRAND  BALLROOM,  HOTEL  ASTOR 

BARNEY  BALABAN,  S.  H.  FABIAN, 
EMIL  FRIEDLANDER,  CHAIRMEN 


Thursday,  June  24,  1948  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  7 


Video  Pickups 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


tion  of  the  law  governing  theatre  tele- 
vision pickups  of  the  kind,  Justice 
Harry  S.  McDevitt  held  that  the 
plaintiffs'  intended  action  would  con- 
•  stitute  "an  unlawful  appropriation  of 
property  rights."  The  decision  covered 
all  public  places  where  admission 
.  ^prices  of  any  sort  are  charged. 

|  Vr£p   Similar  Ruling  in  Boston 

A  similar  ruling  is  reported  from 
Boston,  involving  Mechanics  Hall.  In 
that  case  a  motion  to  quash  the 
restraining  order  was  made  and 
promptly  denied  by  the  court. 

An  official  of  Radio  Corp.  of  Amer- 
ica, prior  to  the  Philadelphia  court's 
opinion  disclosure,  said  here  yesterday 
that  legal  steps  would  be  taken  against 
any  unauthorized  use  of  its  television 
programs. 


Postponement  of  Fight 
Delays  Video  Tests 

Postponement  of  the  Joe  Louis-Joe 
Walcott  fight  to  tonight  delayed  the 
testing  of  inter-city,  large-screen  tele- 
vision relay  scheduled  for  last  night 
at  the  Fox  Theatre,  Philadelphia. 
Television  films  of  the  fight  are  sched- 
uled to  be  shown  at  the  Paramount 
Theatre  here  if  the  fight  goes  on  to- 
night as  now  scheduled. 

NBC  will  transmit  the  show  over 
micro-wave  relay  and  coaxial  cable 
both,  thus  giving  its  Philadelphia  af- 
filiate, Philco's  WPTZ,  its  choice  of 
pictufes  for  its  general  television  audi- 
ence. The  Fox,  though,  will  have  ac- 
cess only  to  the  relay  images  which 
will  be  fed  to  it,  as  arranged  by  NBC, 
through  Tac,  video  term  for  Tele- 
phone Audio  Contact.  The  Fox  re- 


RKO  Pathe  Crew  Set 
For  Fight  Coverage 

Top  speed  will  mark  RKO  Pathe's 
coverage  of  the  postponed  Louis-Wal- 
cott  fight  at  the  Yankee  Stadium  here, 
with  Metropolitan  New  York  theatres 
showing  the  films  the  following  morn- 
ing and  air  express  bringing  them  to 
houses  in  the  field  a  day  later.  Rain 
caused  a  postponement  of  the  event 
last  night.  Harry  Michalson,  short 
subject  sales  manager,  expects  the  de- 
mand will  exceed  the  1,200  prints  for 
the  previous  contest  between  the  two. 

The  film  will  be  made  in  two  reels. 
Under  Jay  Bonafield's  supervision,  six 
cameramen  will  cover  the  event  as 
part  of  a  crew  of  25.  RKO  Radio 
will  distribute. 


ceiver  will  be  RCA's  specially  de- 
signed, 7-inch,  high  intensity  kinescope 
tube.  This  is  the  direct  projection 
method  in  which  the  images  are 
thrown  back  from  the  tube  to  a 
spherical  mirror  and  reflected  on  the 
projection  ray. 

Para,  to  Use  Film  Process 

At  the  Paramount,  the  film  com- 
pany's own  "66-second"  film  process 
will  be  employed,  whereby  the  tele- 
vision images  are  photographed,  the 
films  developed  and  then  projected. 
Thus,  Paramount  patrons  will  see  the 
Yankee  Stadium  show  66  seconds  after 
it  hegins. 

The  Fox's  audience  will  be  in- 
vited, non-paying.  The  Paramount  will 
charge  admissions,  offering  the  tele- 
vision special  as  a  supplement  to  its 
regular  program.  Both  paid  the  same 
amount  for  the  rights,  according  to 
NBC,  which  refused  to  specify  how 
much. 


FCC  Rejects 


.(Continued  from  page  1) 


meet  other  procedural  requirements. 
Warner  had  applied  for  a  Chicago 
television  station,  hence  its  protest. 

The  FCC  today  also  announced  the 
lineup  for  the  hearings,  which  will 
open  June  29.  Among  those  scheduled 
to  appear  are  20th  Century-Fox  of 
New  England,  Allen  B.  Dumont  Lab- 
oratories, Columbia  Broadcasting,  and 
Television  Broadcasters  Association. 

Paul  Raibourn,  Paramount  tele- 
vision executive,  told  the  FCC  today 
that  he  "envisions"  the  production  of 
feature  films  solely  for  home  consump- 
tion through  television,  but  added  that 
while  serious  consideration  is  being 
given  to  the  matter,  Paramount  does 
not  plan  to  produce  such  films  in  the 
immediate  future. 

Video  vs.  Theatre  Boxoffice 

The  close  relationship  between  thea- 
tre boxoffice  and  television  was 
brought  out  in  cross-examination  of 
Raibourn  by  Judge  Samuel  Rosenman, 
CBS  counsel,  and  John  Hearn,  San 
Francisco  attorney  representing  Sta- 
tion KROW  of  Oakland,  which  is  also 
applying  for  a  San  Francisco  video 
channel.  Rosenman  intimated  that  if  the 
Paramount  theatres  in  San  Francisco 
should  be  damaged  economically  by 
television  and  Paramount  is  operating 
a  video  station  in  that  city,  there 
might  be  an  inclination  to  lower  video 
program  standards. 

Raibourn  readily  admitted  that 
television  was  beginning  to  bite  into 
boxoffice,  particularly  when  such 
major  events  as  the  current  Repub- 
lican convention  and  championship 
prize-fights  compete. 

Queried  about  the   effect  of  tele- 


vised features  on  boxoffice  receipts, 
Raibourn  said  that  the  value  of  pic- 
tures are  affected  by  video  presenta- 
tion until  the  film  has  exhausted  its 
theatre  exhibition  outlets.  He  predicted 
that  television  showings  will  be  an 
economic  asset  for  films  when  tele- 
vision can  "make  it  worth  our  while 
to  show  features." 

WBKB  Manager  on  Stand 

Other  witnesses  today  were  William 
C.  Eddy,  manager  of  WBKB  in  Chi- 
cago, who  described  the  operations  of 
the  Paramount  video  outlet,  and  Shel- 
don F.  Sackett,  KROW  president  and 
sole  owner,  who  asserted  that  the 
major  portion  of  the  financing  for  his 
proposed  video  station  would  come 
from  his  personal  fortune  and  enter- 
prises. 

With  the  hearings  now  expected  to 
wind  up  next  Wednesday,  according 
to  FCC  examiner  Jack  P.  Blume,  20th 
Century-Fox  probably  will  not  testify 
before  Tuesday. 


New  Ohio  Meeting  Date 

Columbus,  O.,  June  23.  —  Conven- 
tion of  the  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers of  Ohio  will  be  held  September  14- 
15  at  the  Deshler-Wallick  Hotel  here 
rather  than  November  30-December  1, 
as  originally  announced.  Conflict  with 
dates  of  the  National  Allied  conven- 
tion at  New  Orleans  caused  the 
change. 


'Castle',' Crusade' To  Open 

Paramount's  British  production  of 
"Hatter's  Castle"  and  the  reissue  of 
Cecil  B.  DeMille's  "The  Crusades" 
have  been  set  for  New  York  runs, 
the  former  starting  next  Wednesday 
at  the  Ambassador  Theatre,  and  the 
latter  opening  at  the  Rivoli  on  July  3. 


A  DECIDED  PLUS  FOR  ANY  THEATRE...  ANYWHERE! 


The  One  and  Only 


f       ..  _  — 


Copyright  1948 
National  Comics 
Publications,  Inc, 


.".SERIAL  SCOOP 
OF  SCOOPS! 


10  Years... a  comic  book  standout! 
9  Years... a  nation-wide  newspaper  feature! 
8  Years,.. a  radio  sensation! 

Millions  and  millions  of  constant  fans  you  can  reach  and 
add  to  with  Columbia's  exciting  exploitation  campaign! 

A  COLUMBIA  SERIAL 


She  remembers  Mama... 


NOTHING  here  betrays  the  days  that 
passed  between  the  camera's  visits  to 
this  room.  To  movie-goers,  all  seems  the 
same  as  when  they  looked  in  "only  a 
moment  ago." 

Because — before  the  camera  rolled — 
the  script  girl  had  every  single  detail  in 
mind — from  the  actors'  make-up,  cos- 
tumes, action,  down  to  the  smallest 
prop.  And  thus  the  director's  "second 


memory"  made  sure  that  smooth  con- 
tinuity would  be  faithfully  preserved. 

Through  such  unflagging  watchful- 
ness, the  script  girl  adds  much  to  every 
picture's  perfection  .  .  .  saves  many  a 
costly  retake,  too.  In  this,  of  course, 
'she's  not  alone — her  "silent  partners" 
are  films  of  great  dependability  and  uni- 
formly high  quality — members  of  the 
famous  Eastman  family. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER   4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT  LEE    •    CHICAGO    •  HOLLYWOOD 


FIRST 
IN 


FILM 
NEWS 


DO  NOT  REMOVE 

MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JUNE  25,  1948 


Theatre  Grosses  Leveling 
Off  in  Key  Situations 


U  Vf  ^63.  NO.  123 


Unanimity  on 
British  Quota 
Stand  Lacking 

Divided  Interests  Make 
New  Embargo  Unlikely 

Individual  companies  are  prepar- 
ing suggestions  for  dealing  with  the 
problem  of  Britain's  45  per  cent 
quota  order  and  are  scheduled  to 
place  them  on  the  table  for  discussion 
here  at  a  meeting  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Motion  Picture  Ex- 
port Association  on  Monday. 

The  individual  proposals  are  ex- 
pected to  be  of  varying  character, 
following  along  the  lines  of  each 
company's  obligations  and  business 
prospects  in  Britain.  Accordingly, 
there  is  little  likelihood  of  any  unanim- 
ity on  a  renewed  embargo  of  film 
shipments  to  Britain. 

Universal  and  Eagle-Lion  are  com- 
mitted to  film  deliveries  to  J.  Arthur 
Rank  and  could  not  join  in  an  embargo 
of  the  kind  proposed  now  without  vio- 
lating their  contracts.  Loew's  and 
Warners  are  assured  of  fair  playing 
time  in  Britain  over  the  Associated 

b.  {Continued  on  page  4) 

Majors  Sued  for 
$600,000  in  Miss. 

Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  24. — A 
$600,000  suit  charging  conspiracy  has 
been  filed  in  U.  S.  District  Court  here 
1  by  Joe  Appleblum  and  Bertram  E. 
Simms,  Greenville,  Miss.,  theatre  own- 
ers, against  Paramount,  Warner,  Uni- 
versal, United  Artists,  20th-Fox, 
RKO  Radio,  Loew's,  Columbia,  Re- 
public, Paramount,  Richards  Theatres 
of  New  Orleans,  and  Clyde  G.  Dar- 
den  of  Greenville,  and  W.  Q.  Presitt, 
Jr.,  of  New  Orleans,  a  partnership. 

Plaintiffs  assert  they  were  denied 
access  to  product  until  from  60  to  90 
days  or  more  after  the  Paramount 

(Continued  on  page  2) 

Mexican  Studios 
May  Close  Today 

Mexico  City,  June  24. — Total  stop- 
page of  Mexican  production  is  due 
here  tomorrow,  the  National  Cinema- 
tographic Industry  Workers  Union 
(STIC)  having  advised  the  Federal 
Board  of  Conciliation  and  Arbitration 
that  it  will  then  call  a  strike  against 
four  of  the  five  local  studios — Churu- 
busco,  Azteca,  Clasa  and  Tepeyac — 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


The  10  per  cent  dip  which  hit 
theatres  grosses  in  key  cities  at  the 
end  of  the  first -four  months  of  1948 
appeared  to  level  off  last  month, 
according  to  reports  on  some  160  sit- 
uations received  from  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  field  correspondents.  This 
circumstance  prevailed  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  unfavorable  weath- 
er, big  political  rallies  and  baseball 
tended  to  cut  into  theatre  attendances 
from  time  to  time  in  various  sections. 

Weekly  average  gross  per  theatre 
in  May  was  $14,163,  only  slightly  be- 
hind the  previous  month's  $14,545  and 
the  weekly  average  for  May,  1947, 
which  was  $14,945. 

"State  of  the  Union"  was  far  and 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Jameyson  Retires, 
Souttar  Succeeds 


Kansas  City,  June  24. — Howard 
E.  Jameyson,  manager  of  district  No. 
3  of  Fox  Midwest  since  it  was  organ- 
ized 18  years  ago,  is  retiring.  He 
will  be  succeeded  by  Fred  Souttar, 
promoted  from  manager  of  district  No. 
4,  St.  Louis,  and  his  district  post  goes 
to  John  Mernardi,  for  two  years  as- 
sistant to  Lon  Cox  as  Fox  Midwest 
film  buyer.  Mernardi  joined  Fox 
Midwest  18  years  ago.  He  managed 
theatres  and  booked  in  St.  Louis. 

Jameyson  wrote  from  Kansas  City 
for  the  old  Moving  Picture  World  in 

1914,  joined  Pathe  as  a  salesman  in 

1915,  and  then  was  with  the  Hardings 
in  operating  the  Doric '  and  Liberty 
theatres  in  Kansas  City.  Thirty  years 
ago  he  went  with  M.  Miller  at  Wichi- 
ta, whose  theatres  went  into  Fox 
Midwest  12  years  later. 


Warner  and  Cohn  in 
Stock  Transactions 


Washington,  June  24. — Trading  by 
film  executives  in  their  companies' 
stocks  was  generally  light  during  the 
period  from  April  11  to  May  10,  ac- 
cording to  a  report  of  the  Securities 
and  Exchange  Commission. 

Warner  president  Harry  M.  War- 
ner made  four  gifts  totaling  6,250 
shares,  leaving  him  with  284,350  shares 
plus  16,000  shares  in  trust  accounts. 

At  Monogram,  George  D.  Burrows 
sold  4,600  shares,  dropping  his  hold- 
ings to  3,033  shares.  Universal  di- 
rector Daniel  M.  Sheaffer  sold  1,600 
shares  of  Universal  common,  leaving 
him  with  13,207  shares. 

At  Columbia,  Jack  Cohn  trust  hold- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Fox  in  Phila.  Shows 
Convention  Telecast 


Philadelphia,  June  24.  —  An  in- 
vited audience  at  the  Fox  Theatre  here 
tonight  witnessed  the  first  direct, 
large-screen  theatre  exhibition  of  a 
five-minute  telecast  from  the  Repub- 
lican convention.  Disappointed  for  the 
second  consecutive  night  over  post- 
ponement of  the  Joe  Louis-Joe  Wal- 
cott  fight  because  of  rain  in  New 
York  and,  therefore,  of  the  cancella- 
tion of  the  inter-city  video  relay  test, 
the    audience    nevertheless  appeared 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


NY  Supreme  Court 
Bans  Video  Pick-up 


A  New  York  County  Supreme 
Court  injunction  yesterday  called  a 
halt  to  the  plans  of  the  Audubon  Ball- 
room, dance  hall  here,  to  pick  up  the 
Joe  Louis-Joe  Walcott  fight  which 
was  to  be  shown  in  conjunction  with 
a  "victory  dance,"  with  an  admission 
scale  of  $1.80  to  $2.40,  plus  tax'.  The 
establishment  had  advertised  "ring- 
side" seats  and  a  10-by-12  foot  screen. 
National  Broadcasting,  Gillette  Razor, 
Louis  and  Walcott ,  among  others, 
were  the  plaintiffs,  contending  that  the 
fight  pictures  were  the  chief  attrac- 
tion, not  the  dance,  and  there  was  no 
authorization  for  the  video  pick-up. 
Justice  Lloyd  Church  agreed. 

The  Lawndale  Theatre,  Philadel- 
phia, was  similarly  restrained  by  a 
Common  Pleas  Court  decision  on 
Wednesday. 

Video  Disappoints 
At  GOP  Convention 

Philadelphia,  June  24. — Physical 
distortions  in  telecasts  of  speakers  and 
others  at  the  Republican  Convention 
here  have  resulted  in  widespread 
criticism  of  the  medium's  deficiencies 
and  could  lead  to  the  placing  of  re- 
strictive measures  on  its  use  at  future 
public  functions  of  non-professional 
character,  it  is  generally  believed 
here. 

An  opinion  frequently  encountered 
is  that,  if  restrictions  are  not  imposed 
upon  television,  the  medium  should 
impose  them  on  itself  for  its  own 
good  since  the  highly  unfavorable  re- 
action .  of  those  noting  the  grotesque 
images  of  speakers  and  others  with- 
out make-up. 


Accurate 

Concise 
and 

- 

Impartial 

E  ■  ■ 

h   _  i 


TEN  CENTS 


Act  on  Severe 
French  Film 
Levy  Today 


Its  Adoption  Would  Be 
Followed  by  Embargo 

Distribution  executives  here  vir- 
tually resigned  themselves  yester- 
day to  the  possible  loss  of  the 
French  market  as  word  was  re- 
ceived that  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
will  vote  in  Paris  today  on  a  film  im- 
port tax  proposal  which  would  virtu- 
ally wipe  out  profits  from  distribution 
of  U.  S.  pictures  in  France. 

The  tax  would  amount  to  between 
$1,000  and  $1,200  per  print,  U.  S. 
companies'  Paris  managers  report. 
The  enabling  bill,  a  left-wing  measure, 
is  termed  an  initial  nwe  toward  ulti- 
mate socialization  of  the  entire  French 
film  industry.  An  additional  provision 
stipulates  an  increase  in  admission 
taxes  from  five  to  10  francs  with  total 
revenue,  estimated  at  1,000,000,000 
francs  yearly,  marked  for  subsidizing 
the  French  industry. 

By  acting  on  the  bill  today  the 
French  Assembly  would  be  "jumping 

(Continued  on  page  4)  - 


SeveninNetherlands 
Through  the  MPEA 


Columbia  and  Universal-Interna- 
tional, at  a  meeting  here  yesterday  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Export  Association,  an- 
nounced that  they  would  join  the  new 
MPEA  service  organization  which 
will  operate  in  the  Netherlands  start- 
ing Sept.  1,  1948. 

The  new  setup,  under  which  mem- 
ber companies  will  sell  independently 
in  that  country,  through  MPEA  facili- 
ties, now  has  seven  distributing  com- 
panies, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  Para- 
mount, RKO  Radio,  Warner  Brothers 
and  20th  Century-Fox  having  previ- 
(Continued  on-  page  4) 


Film  Dividends  Off 
Again,  US  Reports 


Washington,  June  24. — Film  com- 
panies' dividend  payments^  dropping 
since  January  1,  were  off  again  in 
May,  the  Commerce  Department  re- 
ports. Publicly-reported  cash  divi- 
dends of  film  companies  in  May  to- 
taled $186,000,  compared  with  $217,- 
000  in  May  of  last  year.  Chief  reason 
for  the  drop,  Commerce  says,  is  that 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  June  25,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


PAT  CASEY,  industry  labor  rela- 
tions   consultant,    has   arrived  in 
New  York  from  Hollywood. 

• 

Joseph  Hazen,  Hal  Wallis  Produc- 
tions president,  left  here  yesterday  for 
the  Coast  where  he  will  remain  for 
the  summer.  Hal  Wallis  will  return 
to  the  Coast  from  here  today. 
• 

Berry  Greenberg,  Far  Eastern  spe- 
cial sales  representative  for  Samuel 
Goldwyn  Productions  and  Walt  Dis- 
ney Productions,  is  here  for  home  of- 
fice talks. 

• 

Jerry  Pickman,  Eagle-Lion  assis- 
tant advertising-publicity  director,  will 
leave  New  York  today  for  Canon 
City,  Col. 

Max  E.  Youngstein,  Eagle-Lion 
advertising  -  publicity  vice  -  president, 
will  be  on  the  Coast  over  the  week- 
end from  Des  Moines. 

Charles  Simonelli,  Universal-In- 
ternational Eastern  exploitation  man- 
ager, returned  to  New  York  yesterday 
from  Philadelphia. 

Walter  L.  Titus,  Jr.,  Republic 
division  manager,  will  return  to  New 
York  today  from  Cleveland  and  Cin- 
cinnati. 

• 

George  Glass,  Screen  Plays,  Inc., 
vice-president,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  the  Coast. 

• 

William  Perlberg,  20th  Century- 
Fox  producer,  is  due  here  today  from 
England. 

• 

Al  Horwits,  Universal-Interna- 
tional Eastern  publicity  manager,  re- 
turned here  yesterday  from  the  Coast. 


20th-FoxProductioii 
Confabs  on  the  Coast 


Johnston  Named  to 
EC  A  Advisory  Unit 

Washington,  June  24. — Eric  John- 
ston, Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America  president,  was  today  given 
an  interim  appointment  by  President 
Truman  as  a  member  of  the  Public 
Advisory  Board  of  the  European  Co- 
operation Administration.  Johnston 
and  the  11  other  members  of  the  board 
will  serve  until  a  new  board  is  named 
by  the  President  next  year.  The 
nominations  were  sent  to  the  Senate 
on  Saturday,  but  since  Congress  end- 
ed its  session  without  acting  on  them, 
the  interim  appointments  were  neces- 
sary. 


Headed  by  20th  Century-Fox  presi- 
dent Spyros  P.  Skouras,  home  office 
sales  and  advertising  executives  will 
leave  here  over  the  weekend  to  start 
a  series  of  conferences  on  Monday  at 
the  studio.  Distribution  of  new  prod- 
uct and  advertising  plans  will  be  dis- 
cussed. 

Included  in  the  party  which  will 
meet  with  Joseph  M.  Schenck,  pro- 
duction executive,  and  Darryl  F. 
Zanuck,  production  vice-president,  are 
Andy  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  general  sales 
manager ;  W.  C.  Gehring,  assistant 
general  sales  manager  ;  Charles  Schlai- 
fer,  advertising-publicity  director ; 
Stirling  Silliphant,  executive  assistant 
to  Schlaifer ;  Christy  Wilbert,  adver- 
tising manager,  and  Louis  Shanfield, 
art  director. 

Product  to  be  discussed  includes : 
"The  Snake  Pit,"  "That  Lady  in 
Ermine,"  The  Shamrock  Touch," 
"Apartment  for  Peggy,"  "Martin 
Rome,"  "Unfaithfully  Yours,"  "When 
My  Baby  Smiles  at  Me"  and  "Road 
House." 


ITOA  Installs  Brandt 
Head  for  15th  Year 

At  the  15th  annual  installation 
luncheon  of  the  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  Association  at  the  Hotel  As- 
tor  here  yesterday  Harry  Brandt  was 
installed  as  president  for  the  15th 
consecutive  year.  Acting  as  installa- 
tion officer  was  Milton  C.  Weisman, 
general  counsel  of  the  organization. 
Others  installed  were  1st  vice-presi- 
dent, David  Weinstock;  2nd  vice-pres- 
ident, Max  A.  Cohen ;  treasurer,  Leon 
Rosenblatt ;  secretary,  J.  Joshua 
Goldberg ;  sergeant-at-arms,  John  C. 
Bolte,  Jr. 


Stamp  To  Tie  In 
TOA  'Youth  Month' 

Postmaster  -  General  Jesse 
M.  Donaldson  has  authorized 
a  special  commemorative  pos- 
tage stamp  honoring  the 
Youth  of  America,  his  action 
following  a  request  by  Thea- 
tre Owners  of  America's  ex- 
ecutive director,  Gael  Sulli- 
van, to  tie  in  with  TOA's 
"Youth  Month"  program  in 
September. 


Theatre  Grosses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Johnston,  Dewey  Chat; 
Press  Speculates 

Washington,  June  24. — MPAA 
president  Eric  Johnston  remained  in 
Philadelphia  today  at  the  Republican 
convention.  At  one  point  during  the 
day,  after  the  MPAA  head  had  con- 
ferred with  Gov.  Thomas  E.  Dewey, 
press  dispatches  speculated  on  whether 
Johnston  might  be  considered  as  Dew- 
ey's running  mate. 


Gellis,  Stein  Associated 

Maurice  Appleton  Gellis,  former 
special  assistant  to  the  U.  S.  Attorney- 
General  in  the  anti-trust  division  of 
the  Department  of  Justice  and  for- 
mer assistant  corporation  counsel  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  has  become 
associated  with  New  York  attorney 
Monroe  E.  Stein,  who  numbers  many 
film  companies  among  his  clients. 
Stein  is  one  of  the  plaintiff's  attorneys 
in  the  Fifth  and  Walnut  anti-trust 
suit  which  is  currently  being  tried  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here. 


Convention  Telecast 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


satisfied  with  tonight's  show. 

Images  were  clear  and  sharp  and 
reception  generally  was  good,  with 
frequent  "angling"  of  perspectives  and 
shifting  of  scenes.  Convention  Hall, 
from  which  point  the  telecast  was 
picked  up,  is  about  15  blocks  from 
the  Fox.  Before  the  telecast,  the  au- 
dience saw  a  special  screening  of  "The 
Street  With  No  Name." 


Riffle  Leaves  Altec 

Louisville,  June  24.— Frank  H. 
Riffle  has  resigned  as  Altec  Service 
field  manager  working  out  of  Cincin- 
nati to  join  Falls  City  Theatre  Equip- 
ment Co.  as  chief  engineer. 


away  the  leader  last  month.  In  sec- 
ond place,  but  considerably  outdis- 
tanced, was  "The  Iron  Curtain," 
pressed  closely  by  "Fort  Apache"  and 
"Miracle  of  the  Bells,"  which  tied  for 
third  spot. 

Meanwhile,  the  following  demon- 
strated notable  grossing  strength  in 
several  situations:  "Sitting  Pretty," 
"Duel  in  the  Sun,"  "The  Naked  City," 
"Lady  from  Shanghai,"  "The  Sainted 
Sisters,"  "Saigon,"  "The  Big  Clock," 
"The  Outlaw"  and  "I  Remember 
Mama." 

Others  turning  in  better-than-av- 
erage.  grosses  in  a  lesser  number  of 
situations  were :  "Winter  Meeting," 
"Tarzan  and  the  Mermaids,"  "The 
Smugglers,"  "Unconquered,"  "Black 
Bart,"  "Lost  Honeymoon,"  "Song  of 
My  Heart,"  "The  Bishop's  Wife," 
"Woman  in  White,"  "Always  Togeth- 
er," "Caged  Fury,"  "Arch  of  Tri- 
umph," "To  the  Ends  of  the  Earth," 
"If  You  Knew  Susie,"  "The  Mating 
of  Millie,"  "Mourning  Becomes  Eles- 
tra,"  "Fighting  Father  Dunne,"  "All 
My  Sons,"  "Hazard,"  "The  Fuller 
Brush  Man,"  "Silver  River,"  "Raw 
Deal,"  "Homecoming"  and  "Scudda 
Hoo!  Scudda  Hay!" 


NTFC  Chairmen  To 
Meet  Here  Tonight 

A  meeting  of  all  sub-committee 
chairmen  of  the  National  Television 
Film  Committee  has  been  called  for 
tonight  by  NTFC  chairman  Melvin  L. 
Gold.  Among  the  topics  expected  to 
be  discussed  are  the  new  standard  ex- 
hibition contract,  membership  drive, 
selection  of  legal  counsel  and  other 
activities. 

Also  attending  will  be  Robert  M. 
Wormhoudt,  secretary-treasurer ;  Ir- 
win Shane,  by-laws  committee  ;  Myron 
Mills,  distribution ;  Robert  Paskow, 
television  stations  committee ;  Jay 
Williams,  productions;  Sally  Perle, 
press  relations. 


Fabian  Theatres'  Party 

John  Murphy  and  Harold  Rinzler 
were  awarded  first  and  second  prizes, 
respectively,  for  low  gross  scores  at 
the  annual  Fabian  Theatres'  golf 
tournament  and  party  held  yesterday 
at  Preakness  Hills  Country  Club  at 
Wayne  Township,  N.  J.  Some  200 
exhibitors  and  distributors  from  the 
Metropolitan  area  as  well  as  Phila- 
delphia and  Albany,  N.  Y.,  participat- 
ed in  the  day's  activities.  A  number 
of  other  prizes  in  different  golfing 
categories  was  also  awarded. 


Majors  Sued 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Theatre  in  Greenville,  and  21  to  30 
days  or  more  after  the  Lake,  in  the 
same  town.  The  Paramount  is  op- 
erated by  Paramount  Richards  Thea- 
tres, and  the  Lake  by  Darden  and 
Presitt. 

It  is  charged  that  the  plaintiffs 
"have  repeatedly  requested  earlier 
availability  from  distributing  defend- 
ants." 

Don  Velde  Quits 

Donald  L.  Velde  has  resigned  from 
National  Screen  Service  after  eight 
years.  Burton  E.  Robbins,  assistant  to 
Herman  Robbins,  NSS  president,  will 
absorb  his  duties. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


c — RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL- 

Rockefeller  Center 
BING  JOAN 

CROSBY  FONTAINE 

in  "THE  EMPEROR  WALTZ"3 

Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 
A  Paramount  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION  I 


BITTY  MACOpNAlO 

HUTTON  •  CAREY 


»    » iimni  IEISEN  rioDoenoii 


greatest  star' 
and-song-showl 


TBef/MieotOHi 


Released  thru  RK0  Radio  Pictures 


RKO 

presents 


FIGHTING 
FATHER  DUNNE 

starring  PI  — 

PAT  O'BRIEN  -SSS  /.'«« 

Victoria 


DAN  DAILEY 

"Give  My  Regards  To  Broadway" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  in  Technicolor 
On  Variety  Stage — THE  ANDREWS  SISTERS 
DEAN    MARTIN   and   JERRY  LEWIS 

On    Ice  Stage  — 
CAROL    LYNNE     -    ARNOLD  SHODA 


ROXY 


7th  Ave.  & 
50th  St.  : 


JOHN  FORD'S 
MASTERPIECE 

"FORT 

APACHE 


COOL 


IN  PERSON  jr 

LENA  HORNE  , 

Special!  It 

PAUL  WINCHELL  9 

Extra!  Ifi 

SKINNAY  ENNIS  A 


B'way  & 
51  it  SI. 


and  his  ORCH. 


CAPITOL 


New  York."   Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President:  Mnrtin  nJ.™    v?l  »™?k„>e^YnT*  i°'„.N-  Y„.Tel£Pho.ne  Circle  .7-3100.    Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 


bert"v;-Feci.V,  AdSinf^a^r^Gus  h!  *  »fe  :P  »-J"-  -SuHiX?n..  Vice-President  .and  1   .I.o,  J        ,1;  S,, 

Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street, 


Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  (  "s^F^L?li0d*5io? D?.vi,d  HaIri?.  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yuc 


Editorial  Representative.    Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club    Washington    b  f    1™^  P Advertising     Urben   Farley,  Advertising  Representative;   Jimmy  Ascher, 

Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."    Other  Quiglev  Publications-  M^tUnS  Goldlr  ?qi'  Lo"donIWl;   H°Pf  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 

Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanacf  Fame Entered I  as  second  ~  "  7*2^..*****  every  fourth  week  as_a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign; 


class  matter.  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
single  copies,  10c. 


JOHN  EDGAR  HOOVER 
DIRECTOR 


ife&eral  i&uteau  of  Imieatigatiott 
United  §tatpa  iDcpartment  of  Ifustire 
aiaahington,  2L  QL 


June  27,  1948 


The  street  on  which  crime  flourishes  is  the  street 
extending  across  America.   It  is  the  street  with  no 
name.   Organized  gangsterism  is  once  again  returning. 


Americans  will  eventually  become  its  victims. 

Wherever  law  and  order  break  down  there  you  will 
find  public  indifference.  And  wherever  law  and  order 
break  down,   there  you  will  find  the  FBI  meeting  the 
challenge  of  the  new  criminal  onslaught. 

20th  Century-Fox  revealed  in  "The  House  on  92nd 
Street"  the  story  of  the  FBI  at  war!  Now  the  same 
studio,  with  information  adapted  from  our  files  and 
with  the  cooperation  of  this  bureau,  brings  you  the 
story  of  the  FBI  today--"The  Street  With  No  Name"! 


If  permitted  to  go  unchecked,   three  out  of  every  four 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  June  25,  194: 


French  Tax 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  gun"  by  several  days  in  light  of 
the  agreement  secured  by  Motion  Pic- 
ture Association  of  America  interna- 
tional division  director  Gerald  M. 
Mayer,  now  'in  Paris,  for  a  postpone- 
ment of  consideration  of  the  measure 
until  two  weeks  from  June  14. 

The  U.  S.  industry  is  expected  to 
place  an  embargo  on  further  ship- 
ments to  France  if  the  tax  is  passed, 
just  as  it  did  last  August  in  the  case 
of  Britain.  But  breaking  off  relations 
with  France  will  be  regarded  as  con- 
siderably less  serious  since  American 
companies  have  not  been  getting  any 
remittances  out  of  that  country.  Some 
$18,000,000  due  the  Americans  is  now 
frozen  in  France. 

Under  a  quota  set  up  by  the  French 
Assembly,  the  U.  S.  companies  were 
permitted  to  ship  about  125  pictures  a 
year  into  France,  but  the  MP  A  A 
companies  did  not  send  that  many. 

The  proposed  tax  would  be  levied 
on  prints  made  in  France.  Since  all 
dubbing  prints  must  be  made  in  that 
country  under  French  law,  all  U.  S. 
features  shown  in  France  are  printed 
there. 


Mexican  Studios 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


unless  they  meet  its  demand  for  pay 
hikes  of  40  to  60  per  cent,  and  the 
studios  having  told  the  board  that  it 
is  impossible  for  them  to  grant  such 
demands  because  of  poor  business. 
Churubusco,  which  RKO  and  its 
Mexican  associate,  Productores  Aso- 
ciados  Mexicanos,  opened  on  Novem- 
ber 1,  1945,  has  asked  the  board  to 
allow  it  to  cut  wages  by  40  per  cent. 

STIC  included  the  Clasa  and  Tepe- 
yac  studios  in  its  strike  in  order  to 
make  a  "solid  front."  Clasa  is  owned 
by  Clasa  Films  Mundiales,  important 
producer,  and  Tepeyac  by  Theodore 
Gildred,  American  film  man,  and  asso- 
ciates. STIC  ignored  the  fifth  studio, 
operated  by  Jorge  Stahl,  presumably 
because  that  studio  is  not  doing  very 
much. 


Equipment  Export 
Licenses  Extended 

Washington,  June  24. — Li- 
censes for  exports  of  motion 
picture  equipment  to  Europe 
and  adjacent  areas  will  now 
be  issued  on  a  six-month 
rather  than  on  a  90-day 
basis,  the  Commerce  Depart- 
ment has  announced  here. 

No  licenses  are  needed  for 
exports  of  exposed  film,  and 
raw  stock  will  continue  on  a 
90-day  basis. 


Stock 

Transactions 

(Cont 

inued  from  page  1) 

Unanimity  Lacking 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


British  circuit,  and  20th  Century-Fox 
appears  to  be  content  with  the  play- 
ing time  allocated  to  its  product  over 
Rank's  circuits.  Columbia  and  United 
Artists,  which  have  not  been  allocated 
any  time  on  the  Rank  circuits,  have 
the  least  to  lose  through  a  new  em- 
bargo. 

Therefore,  indications  are  that  some 
milder  form  of  action  than  an  em- 
bargo will  be  the  result  of  Monday's 
meeting.  Either  that,  or  a  wait-and- 
see  policy,  is  anticipated. 


ings  disposed  of  2,000  shares,  leaving 
21,619.  Cohn  himself  has  47,969  shares. 
A.  Montague  sold  200  shares,  but  ac- 
quired 195  as  a  stock  dividend,  winding- 
up  with  8,027  shares,  plus  warrants 
for  10,426  more.  A.  Schneider  sold 
1,000  shares,  but  acquired  274  as  a 
stock  dividend,  leaving  his  holdings 
726  shares  less,  at  11,253  shares.  Don- 
ald S.  Stralem  acquired  24  Columbia 
shares  as  a  stock  dividend  to  bring 
his  total  to  992. 

Paramount  director  Duncan  G. 
Harris  bought  200  shares,  to  increase 
his  holdings  to  2,600,  while  Maurice 
Newston  bought  150  shares  and 
promptly  gave  them  away,  leaving 
him  with  18,605,  plus  18,380  in  trust 
accounts. 

Harry  Brandt  of  Trans  Lux  Corp., 
bought  1,500  shares,  increasing  his 
holdings  to  88,565  shares.  Broadyork, 
Inc.,  owns  another  1,000,  Brandt  re- 
ported, Harday  Operating  Co.  another 
1,400  shares,  and  Brandt's  wife  14,700. 
Earle  G.  Hines  of  General  Precision 
Equipment  Corp.,  sold  500  shares, 
leaving  him  1,500. 


Film  Dividends  Off 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Loew's  Boston  Theatres  omitted  its 
usual  May  dividend  this  year. 

Total  for  the  first  five  months  of 
1948  is  $15,871,000,  compared  with 
$18,438,000  in  the  same  1947  period. 
In  only  one  month,  February,  was  the 
1948  figure  ahead  of  1947,  totaling 
$226,000,  compared  to  $217,000  in 
1947. 

The  department  usually  figures  that 
publicly-reported  cash  dividends  ac- 
count for  about  60  per  cent  of  all 
dividend  payments. 


I  OF  COURSE 
I 

I 

"TEXAS. 
BROOKLYN 


HEAVEN 


sent  from  UA 


Netherlands  MPEA 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ously  approved  membership  in  the 
joint  organization.  Of  MPEA's  nine 
member  companies,  only  Allied  Art- 
ists and  United  Artists  indicated  deci- 
sion to  operate  outside  of  the  MPEA 
in  that  market.  Francis  Harmon, 
MPEA  vice-president,  presided. 


SRO  To  Sell  Del  Rio 
Picture  in  Mexico 

Selznick  Releasing  Organization 
will  distribute  "Historia  De  Una 
Mujer  Mala"  ("The  History  of  a 
Bad  Woman")  in  Mexico.  Adapted 
from  Oscar  Wilde's  "Lady  Winder- 
mere's Fan,"  the  Dolores  Del  Rio  pic- 
ture was  made  in  Argentina. 

The  distribution  deal  was  made  with 
Miss  Del  Rio  by  Manny  Reiner, 
SRO's  managing  director  for  Latin 
America,  and  Alfredo  Holguin,  the 
company's  Mexican  manager. 


Specialists  analyze  Boxoffice  Dream 
find  she's  tops  onlhe  Boxoffice  Beam  I 


;irl  with  her  hea 
in  the  clouds 


is  the  wolf  with  the 
gleam  in  his  eye 


is  based  on  the  play  that 
wowed  Broadway... 


No.  2  in 


with 

PATRIC  KN0WLES 
VIRGINIA  FIELD 
*  „    WALTER  ABEL 
PEGGY  WOOD 

A  Mitchell  [_[[|SEN  Production 
^        Produced  by  P.  J.  W0LFS0N 
Directed  by  MITCHELL  LEISEN 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


MOTION  PICfUR 

Daily 


Vf  "%3.  NO.  124 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  JUNE  28,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Colosseum  Is 
Victorious  In 
NLRB  Voting 

Chosen  for  10  Companies 
But  Loses  in  NSS  Vote 


Colosseum  of  Motion  Picture 
Salesmen  of  America  at  the  week- 
end became  the  collective  bargain- 
ing representative  for  the  film  sales- 
men of  all  11  distributors,  it  was  de- 
termined by  a  count  of  ballots  at  the 
National  Labor  Relations  Board  of- 
fice here.  Except  in  the  case  of  the 
Loew's  salesmen,  the  voting  in  the 
company-wide  elections  was  heavily  in 
favor  of  the  union. 

However,  the  Colosseum  lost  in  the 
ballotting  by  National  Screen  sales- 
men, who  chose  by  a  vote  of  32  to  19 
to  have  no  union  representation. 

Although  the  general  victory  for 
the  union  was  not  unexpected,  A.  M. 
Van  Dyke,  Colesseum  president,  said 
following  the  tabulation  that  the  loss 
of  NSS  and  winning  of  Loew's  repre- 
sentation were  mildly  surprising. 
Loew's  salesmen  voted  43  in  favor  of 
the  Colosseum  and  30  against. 

Acknowledging  that  the  union  has 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


U.K.  Quota  to  House 
Of  Lords  Tomorrow 


London,  June  27. — House  of  Lords 
action  on  the  new  45  per  cent  film 
quota  order  will  not  occur  until  Tues- 
day, instead  of  tomorrow,  as  original- 
ly scheduled. 

Approval  of  the  quota  order  by 
Lords  is  regarded  here  as  a  certainty 
in  view  of  the  absence  of  any  strong 
opposition  to  it  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, which  already  has  approved  it. 


MPEA  Meeting  Is 
Put  Off  to  Thursday 

Meeting  of  the  M.  P.  Export 
Association  executive  board 
which  had  been  scheduled  for 
today  te  give  consideration  to 
the  new  British  quota  order 
and  other  British  market 
problems  has  been  postponed 
until  Thursday. 

Eric  Johnston,  MPEA 
president,  said  the  absence 
from  New  York  of  several 
board  members  made  the 
postponement  necessary. 


Employment 
Up  42%  in  WB 
Studio  Boom 


Spearheading  an  upswing  in  mo- 
tion picture  industry  employment 
and  production,  Jack  L.  Warner, 
executive  producer,  discloses  that 
work  at  Warner 
Brothers'  Coast 
studio  is  at  its 
highest  level 
since  1940,  and 
that  it  will 
reach  an  even 
higher  peak  in 
July.  Warner, 
now  in  New 
York  from  Hol- 
lywood, expects 
to  leave  here 
Wednesday  for 
Europe.  Dur- 
ing the  past  11 
weeks  employ- 
ment at  the  Burbank  studio  has  risen 
42  per  cent,  to  reach  an  approximate 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Jack  L.  Warner 


Paramount  Defies 
Video  Pickup  Ban 

The  possibility  of  a  test  case  on  the 
right  of  a  theatre  to  pick  up  a  news 
telecast  and  reproduce  it  on  its  large 
screen  for  a  paying  audience,  without 
authorization  by  the  television  firms 
involved,  came  to  the  fore  at  the  week- 
end, following  Thursday  night's  sur- 
prise showing  of  video  pictures  of  the 
Philadelphia  Republican  convention  at 
the  Paramount  Theatre  here. 

Paramount  previously  had  applied 
for  the  rights,  reportedly  offering  to 
(Continued  on  page  2) 


Midwest  Rains  Flood 
Out  Film  Patronage 

Kansas  City,  June  27. — Rain 
starting  a  week  ago  produced 
floods  in  Eastern  Kansas  and 
Western  Missouri  which  tem- 
porarily blocked  many  high- 
ways and  trains,  but  there 
have  been  no  reports  of  any 
theatre  inundated  or  closing. 

One  region  still  threatened 
is  Central  Kansas.  Oklahoma 
conditions  are  still  danger- 
ous. 

Theatre  patronage  in  towns 
of  flooded  areas  has  been 
sharply  reduced  for  several 
days. 


$522,000  Anti-trust 
Suit  in  Indianapolis 

Indianapolis,  June  27. — An  anti- 
trust suit  asking  $522,000  has  been 
filed  in  Federal  Court  here  by  Central 
Avenue  Theatre  Corp.,  operator  of  the 
Zaring  Theatre,  against  six  distrib- 
utors and  operators  of  five  downtown 
and  four  neighborhood  houses.  The 
complaint  charges  that  the  method  of 
distribution  and  clearance  has  created 
a  monopoly  in  violation  of  the  Sher- 
man and  Clayton  anti-trust  acts. 

The  plaintiff,  a  subsidiary  of  Manny 
Marcus  Enterprises,  named  Loew's, 
20th  Century-Fox,  Paramount,  Co- 
lumbia, Universal,  United  Artists, 
Amusements  Enterprises,  Inc.,  the 
Greater  Indianapolis  Amusement  Co. 
and  Fourth  Avenue  Amusement  Co.  of 
Louisville  as  defendants.  The  treble- 
damage  suit  claims  the  Zaring  lost 
$174,000  in  patronage  since  April  1, 
1947. 

Greater  Indianapolis  and  Fourth 
Avenue  jointly  operate  the  Indiana, 
Circle,  Lyric  and  Keith's  in  down- 
town Indianapolis. 


Para.  Fight  Telecast  Sets 
Theatre  Video  as  a  'Fact9 


Goldman  Demands 
Phila.  Divestiture 

Philadelphia,  June  27. — William 
Goldman,  independent  exhibitor  here 
who  won  a  $375,000  judgment  against 
major  distribution  -  exhibition  com- 
panies, petitioned  Federal  Court  here 
on  Friday  to  force  Warner  Brothers 
and  other  companies  to  give  up  own- 
ership of  theatres  in  the  Philadelphia 
district.  Judge  William  H.  Kirkpat- 
rick  set  a  hearing  for  tomorrow. 

Goldman,  in  his  latest  action,  main- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


By  GENE  ARNEEL 

No  longer  to  be  considered  in  terms 
of  potentiality,  but  as  fact,  and- now, 
is  theatre  television.  This  was  clearly 
demonstrated  at  the  Paramount  Thea- 
tre here  on  Friday  night,  when  the 
video  account  of  the  Joe  Louis-Joe 
Walcott  championship  bout  was  repro- 
duced on  the  18-by-24  foot  screen  of 
Paramount  Picture's  Broadway  show- 
case before  an  obviously  excited  audi- 
ence. The  images  were  completely 
discernable,  wholly  adequate  and  the 
only  shortcoming  was  not  in  the  tele- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Conciliation 
Plan  Is  Set  By 
20th-Fox,NCA 

Committee  of  Exhibitors 
Will  Screen  Grievances 


Minneapolis,  June  27.  —  North 
Central  Allied  and  20th  Century- 
Fox  have  joined  in  a  new  program 
to  mediate  differences  which  may 
arise  between  members  of  the  exhibi- 
tor organization  and  the  company, 
Benjamin  Berger,  NCA  president,  an- 
nounced. 

The  agreement,  first  of  its  kind  in 
the  industry,  directs  that  the  Allied 
unit  create  a  grievance  committee  of 
three  permanent  members  and  three 
alternates.  The  group  will  consider 
complaints  of  exhibitors  and,  .if  they 
are  found  to  be  justified,  they  will  be 
referred  to  20th-Fox  officials  to  be 
designated.  Under  the  arrangement, 
the  committee  will  hear  all  complaints 
except  those  of  a  private  or  personal 
nature.  Additionally,  it  will  not  at- 
tempt to  negotiate  contracts  for  any 
exhibitor. 

"The  plan  is  non-partisan  in  its  ap- 
plication and  its  founders  are  hopeful 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


French  Tax  Action 
Off  Indefinitely 


The  French  Assembly  has  postponed 
indefinitely  the  taking  of  any  action  on 
the  left-wing  proposal  which  would 
levy  a  confiscatory  film  import  tax, 
according  to  word  received  from  Paris 
at  the  weekend.  The  postponement 
was  made  at  the  request  of  the  French 
Foreign  Ministry. 

The  Ministry's  action  delayed  the 
Assembly's  attempt  to  act  on  the  mea- 
sure on  Friday.  As  reported  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily  at  the  weekend,  the 
planned  tax  would  amount  to  between 
$1,000  and  $1,200  per  print. 


Rodgers  Promotes  4 
Of  MGM  Field  Force 


Four  promotions  in  M-G-M's  field 
force  were  announced  at  the  weekend 
by  William  F.  Rodgers,  distribution 
vice-president. 

William  D.  Gaddoni,  salesman  at 
Chicago,  has  been  made  manager  at 
Omaha ;  Gerald  E.  McGlynn,  man- 
ager at  Omaha,  has  been  transferred 
to  Des  Moines,  to  succeed  D.  C.  Ken- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  June  28,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 

JOHN  G.  MULDER  of  Eastman 
Kodak's  film  quality  control  staff, 
has  been  elected  an  associate  member 
of  the  Oval  Table  Society,  honorary 
organization  devoted  to  advancement 
of  "the  art  and  science  of  photogra- 
phy." 

• 

Minna  Jackter,  daughter  of  Co- 
lumbia assistant  general  sales  manager 
Rube  Jackter,  was  graduated  on  Fri- 
day from  Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning 
Junior  High  School,  Bronx,  as  an 
honor  student. 

• 

Edmund  C.  Grainger,  Jr.,  son  of 
the  Shea  Circuit  executive,  was  mar- 
ried Saturday  to  Miss  Virginia 
Rocke  at  Resurrection  Church,  Rye, 
N.  Y. 

• 

Max  Schosberg,  retired  head  and 
founder  of  Paramount  Theatres  con- 
fectionery department,  left  here  at  the 
weekend  by  plane  for  Geneva. 
• 

Bernice  Kornblum,  secretary  to 
Beatrice  Ross  at  Republic  here,  was 
married  this  weekend  to  Hal  Ship- 
man. 

• 

Alan  F.  Cummings,  head  of 
M-G-M  exchange  operations,  will  re- 
turn to  New  York  today  from  a 
vacation. 

• 

Jack  C.  Alicoate,  Eagle-Lion 
trade  press  contact,  and  Mrs.  Ali- 
coate left  here  over  the  weekend  for 
a  Florida  and  Cuba  vacation. 

Lachman  Opens  NJ 
AUied  Meet  Today 

Edward  Lachman,  retiring  president 
of  Allied  of  New  Jersey,  will  open  the 
organization's  annual  convention  at  the 
Hollywood  Hotel,  West  End,  N.  J., 
today.  Several  hundred  exhibitors 
and  distributor  representatives  will  be 
on  hand  for  the  three-day  conclave 
which  will  feature  many  discussions 
on  industry  problems. 

A  number  of  social  events,  including 
golf,  swimming  and  horse  racing,  have 
been  scheduled  by  convention  chair- 
man Wilbur  Snaper. 

Minsky  Resigns  E-L 
District  Sales  Post 

Joseph  Minsky,  Eagle-Lion  district 
sales  manager  since  1946,  has  resigned 
to  enter  another  field,  it  was  an- 
nounced at  the  weekend  by  William  J. 
Heineman,  Eagle-Lion  vice-president 
in  charge  of  distribution. 


William  V.  Ripps 

William  V.  Ripps,  father  of  Her- 
man L.,  assistant  Eastern  division 
manager  of  M-G-M  and  of  Ralph 
Ripps,  M-G-M  salesman  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  died  Thursday  at  his  home 
here.  Interment  was  on  Friday.  Also 
surviving  are  the  widow  and  three 
other  children. 


Fight  Telecast 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

vision,  but  in  the  fight  itself,  which 
was  dull  until  the  11th  round  when 
Louis  scored  the  knockout. 

Paramount,  in  its  agreement  with 
the  telecasters  and  promoters  of  the 
event,  had  not  made  known  its  plans 
to  show  the  bout  until  nine  P.M.,  or 
about  one  hour  and  IS  minutes  before 
it  actually  began.  At  nine,  marquee 
signs  proclaimed  the  special  and  a 
sound  truck  toured  Times  Square. 
The  immediate  effect  was  a  long 
queue  to  the  boxoffice.  It  was  a  busi- 
ness stimulant  beyond  question. 

But  the  majority  of  Paramount  cus- 
tomers were  surprised,  having  entered 
the  theatre  earlier,  solely  for  the 
"Dream  Girl"-Phil  Spitalny  stage 
show  combination.  The  feeling  of  ex- 
pectancy pervaded  the  audience  from 
the  very  start  of  the  bout,  this  being 
easily  determined  by  the  shouts  of  ap- 
proval when  the  first  of  the  very  few 
genuine  pugilistic  blows  were  ex- 
changed. The  theatre's  process,  em- 
ploying films  taken  direct  from  a  re- 
ceiver in  the  projection  booth  and 
thrown  on  the  screen,  was  doubtless  a 
success. 

Paramount  had  its  own  employes 
spotted  around  the  house  to  gauge  au- 
dience reaction.  Their  report  was 
unquestionably  highly  favorable. 

Gillette  Razor  Co.,  as  the  television 
sponsor,  was  left  out  in  the  cold  so  far 
as  plugs  for  its  products  were  con- 
cerned at  the  Paramount.  The  in- 
between-round  intervals  were  given  to 
film  trailers  heralding  the  next  at  the 
house,  "A  Foreign  Affair,"  and  an- 
other, "The  Emperor  Waltz,"  current 
at  the  Music  Hall. 

As  for  the  business  end  of  the  deal, 
Paul  Raibourn,  president  of  Para- 
mount's  Television  Productions,  re- 
ports that  the  contracts  with  all  inter- 
ested parties  are  out-distanced  in 
wordiness  only  by  the  Versailles 
Treaty.  He  would  not  say  how  much 
it  cost. 


Paramount  Defies 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


share  coaxial  cable  costs,  but  this  was 
turned  down  by  the  18  television  sta- 
tions which  joined  in  a  pooling  ar- 
rangement for  coverage  of  the  event. 

It  is  understood  that  Paramount 
thereupon  assumed  the  position  that 
the  convention — particularly  Gov. 
Dewey's  acceptance  speech,  which  it 
projected  on  its  large  screen — made 
for  a  public  service  program,  that  it 
was  intended  to  be  seen  and  heard  by 
the  public,  hence  the  theatre  had  it 
within  its  right  to  so  service  the 
public. 

Last  month  the  18  stations  an- 
nounced they  were  opposed  to  repro- 
duction of  their  televised  material  in 
any  place  where  an  admission  price  is 
charged.  It  was  after  this  that  Para- 
mount made  its  bid  for  authorization, 
it  is  understood.  Paramount  had  fig- 
ured on  paying  between  $4,000  and 
$5,000  in  costs,  it  is  reported. 

Court  decisions  in  Philadelphia, 
Boston  and  New  York  declared  as  il- 
legal last  week  unauthorized  pickups 
of  the  Louis-Walcott  fight  wherever 
an  admission  price  of  any  kind  was  to 
be  charged. 


FCC  Asked  to  Rule 
On  Video  Control 

Washington,  June  27. — Columbia 
Broadcasting  System  has  asked  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission 
to  tell  it  how  much  stock  it  can  own 
in  a  television  station  before  the  com- 
mission says  it  controls  it. 

Columbia  is  concerned  that  some  of 
its  applications  for  television  stations 
will  be  ruled  out  as  bringing  it  above 
the  FCC's  five-station  limit.  In  some 
stations  it  is  in  the  process  of  acquir- 
ing or  negotiating  for,  its  interest 
goes  as  high  as  47  per  cent.  So  on 
Friday,  Columbia  asked  the  FCC  to 
examine  its  various  holdings,  say 
which  it  "controls,"  and  so  guide  it  on 
its  future  television  policy. 

Columbia  did  not  challenge  the  five- 
station  limit  ruling,  as  Paramount 
Pictures  is  reported  ready  to  do. 


B.&K.  Chicago  Gross 
Zooms  on  Price  Cut 

Chicago,  June  27. — A  strong  $10,- 
000  gross  at  the  Balaban  and  Katz 
Chicago  Theatre  on  Thursday  inaugu- 
rated the  return  to  stage  shows 
coupled  with  a  reduction  of  morning 
and  afternoon  prices.  If  the  pace  con- 
tinues, observers  say,  the  house  looks 
to  hit  a  solid  $65,000  in  the  first  week. 
"The  Fuller  Brush  Man"  is  on  the 
screen  and  Billy  DeWolfe  on  the 
stage.  Price  reductions  in  five  other 
B.  and  K.  Loop  theatres  also  went 
into  effect  Thursday. 


Arbitrate  Para.  Raise 

What  was  believed  to  be  the  last 
in  a  series  of  hearings  before  a  three- 
man  arbitration  panel  on  a  30  per  cent 
wage  increase  asked  by  Paramount 
members  of  the  Screen  Publicists 
Guild  was  held  in  New  York  at  the 
weekend.  Arbiters  heard  testimony 
from  Sid  Mesibov,  Ben  Washer  and 
Stanley  Shuford  on  operations  of  their 
departments.  The  three  had  been 
called  as  company  witnesses.  The 
arbitration  panel  included  Pete  Haw- 
ley  for  the  union,  Albert  G.  Whaley 
for  the  companies  and  Prof.>  Milton 
Handler  as  impartial  arbitor. 


Motion  on  "U"  Suits 

Hearing  on  motions  by  Universal 
for  summary  judgments  and  dismissal 
of  the  complaints  in  two  stockholder 
suits  was  put  over  to  July  13  here  on 
Friday  by  Federal  Judge  John  W. 
Clancy.  In  one  suit  Stephen  Truncale 
asks  for  an  accounting  of  sums  real- 
ized from  the  sale  and  purchase  of 
Universal  stock.  Five  directors  are 
named  co-defendants.  In  the  other 
Truncale  and  an  intervenor,  William 
Freiday,  are  suing  the  company  and 
19  directors  over  a  stock  option  deal. 


Magnavox  Preview 

Magnavox  Co.  marked  its  entry  into 
the  television  field  with  a  luncheon 
preview  of  its  television  receivers  at 
the  Hampshire  House  here  at  the 
weekend.  Frank  Freimann,  executive 
vice-president,  announced  the  company 
would  reach  a  capacity  of  10,000  units 
per  month  by  fall. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  entire  footage  of  all  current 
newsreels  is  devoted  to  Governor 
Dewey  winning  the  nomination  at  the 
Republican  convention. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  si— Dewey 
wins  nomination. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  285— Dewey 

wins  nomination. 

PARAMOUNT   NEWS,    No.   88— D^1 

wins.  -  '- 

UNIVERSAL    NEWS,    No.  155— Dewe*y 

wins. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  90-GOP 

convention.  Dewey  wins. 


WB  Employment 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

total  of  4,188  in  all  classifications, 
Warner  revealed.  Since  the  beginning 
of  the  year  Warner  studio  personnel 
has  nearly  doubled,  he  said. 

Now  before  cameras  are  eight  fea- 
tures, a  10-year  high  for  Warner, 
which  since  last  summer  has  main- 
tained the  highest  average  of  produc- 
tion among  major  studios,  and  with 
more  pictures  slated  for  starting  than 
for  completion  next  month,  the  com- 
pany expects  presently  to  have  nine  or 
10  in  work.  In  April  Warner  called 
on  the  industry  for  increased  activity 
to  solve  the  double  problem  of  unem- 
ployment and  entertainment. 

"This  will  not  be  a  sudden  spurt  or 
a  seasonal  peak;  we  will  continue  to 
bend  every  effort  toward  maintaining 
the  highest  volume  of  production 
throughout  the  year,"  Warner  said. 


Colosseum 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

made  no  headway  in  efforts  to  organ- 
ize salesmen  in  the  New  York  City 
area,  Van  Dyke  said  he  and  Colosse- 
um attorney  David  Beznor  planned  to 
confer  here  over  the  weekend  with 
several  local  salesmen  in  an  attempt 
to  get  a  New  York  unit  started.  He 
felt  the  results  of  the  company-wide 
elections  will  stimulate  enthusiasm 
among  salesmen  here.  In  addition  to 
Loew's,  the  other  companies  whose 
salesmen  chose  the  Colosseum  are: 
Warners,  Monogram,  Universal,  Re- 
public, Columbia,  RKO  Radio,  20th- 
Fox,  United  Artists,  Eagle-Lion  and 
Paramount. 


Rodgers  Promotes  4 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

nedy,  who  has  resigned  to  run  a  thea- 
tre which  he  recently  purchased. 

Also,  Vincent  Flynn,  acting  man- 
ager at  Omaha  during  the  illness  of 
McGlynn,  has  been  appointed  assistant 
manager  at  Milwaukee,  and  Harry 
Buxbaum,  formerly  a  salesman  at 
Washington,  has  been  named  assistant 
manager  at  San  Francisco. 


'Illegals'  Screening  Set 

A  special  press  screening  will  be 
held  tomorrow  afternoon  at  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox here  of  "The  Illegals,"  pro- 
duced, directed  and  written  by  Meyer 
Levin.  The  film  will  be  distributed  by 
Mayer-Burstyn. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


M 


onday,  June  28,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


$1,200,000  Theatco 
Action  Is  Settled 

Sax  Francisco,  June  27. — Out-of- 
court  settlement  of  the  $1,200,000  anti- 
trust suit  brought  by  Theatco,  Inc., 
against  circuit  and  distributing  com- 
panies, was  disclosed  by  Ben  Levin, 
head  of  Theatco,  and  operator  of  the 
Empire  Theatre. 

^fc.hough  attorneys  would  not  dis- 
c  Ljthe  amount  of  damages  agreed 
upon,  defense  attorney  Theodore 
Roche  indicated  it  was  less  than  set- 
tlements reached  in  similar  Eastern 
suits.  Some  of  these  have  been  set- 
tled for  one-third  of  the  amount 
sought.  In  addition  to  the  damage 
settlement,  defendants  agreed  to  fol- 
low a  new  pattern  for  first-run 
release. 

Harold  Faulkner,  attorney  for  the 
plaintiffs,  said,  "The  ruling  is  satis- 
factory to  the  small  operators,  and  is 
as  binding  as  any  contract." 

Undetermined  was  Theatco's  de- 
mand that  Fox  West  Coast  be  re- 
strained from  ever  building  or  acquir- 
ing theatres  West  of  Twin  Peaks  in 
San  Francisco,  and  that  it  be  forced 
to  divest  itself  of  stock  in  certain  other 
theatres,  including  United  California 
Theatres,  Inc. 


Discontinuance  of 
Cryptix  Ordered 


Cincinnati,  June  27.  —  Standard 
Cryptix  numbering  system,  for  use  in 
numbering  theatre  tickets  as  a  substi- 
tute for  conventional  figure  number- 
ing, installed  in  a  number  of  theatres 
in  the  Cincinnati  area,  should  not  be 
used,  according  to  the  Cincinnati  dis- 
trict U.  S.  tax  office.  At  the  same 
time  the  office  requested  each  theatre 
to  advise  it  when  it  would  be  practical 
for  them  to  quit  using  Cryptix  tickets. 
Willis  Vance,  of  Cryptix  and  a  Cin- 
cinnati exhibitor,  reports.  Vance  said 
that  most  exhibitors  feel  the  Govern- 
ment is  being  hasty  in  making  this  de- 
cision in  light  of  the  court  controversy 
on  the  matter.  Vance  is  making  a  test 
case  by  continuing  to  use  the  system 
in  his  theatre. 


Counter-Order  Is 
Approved  by  Court 

A  proposed  counter-order 
on  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court's 
decision  in  the  Paramount 
anti-trust  case,  submitted  to 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  on 
Wednesday  by  the  defend- 
ants, was  signed  and  ap- 
proved on  Friday  by  Judges 
Augustus  N.  Hand  and  Henry 
W.  Goddard.  At  the  same 
time,  the  jurists  rejected  two 
Government  orders,  one  on 
the  Supreme  Court's  mandate, 
the  other  on  a  motion  for  in- 
junctive proceedings.  The 
defendants'  counter  -  order 
covers  both  mandate  and 
motion. 


Conciliation 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Actress  Sues  Col.,  Small 

Los  Angeles,  June  27. — Janet  Blair 
has  filed  a  Federal  Court  suit  here, 
asking  $250,000  damages  from  Colum- 
bia and  Edward  Small  Productions  for 
alleged  violation  of  her  contract,  now 
terminated,  under  which  she  was  as- 
sured co-star  billing  with  Red  Skelton 
in  "The  Fuller  Brush  Man." 


that  its  eventual  success  may  recom- 
mend it  as  a  pattern  to  be  followed 
elsewhere,"  Berger  said. 

The  attempt  at  mediation  stemmed 
from  a  letter  to  Berger  from  Andrew 
W.  Smith,  Jr.,  20th-Fox  general  sales 
manager,  in  which  the  latter  cited 
trade  press  reports  that  Berger  intend- 
ed to  encourage  damage  suits  on  a 
"wholesale"  basis.  Smith  suggested 
that  before  any  court  action  be  taken 
the  possibilities  of  round-table  discus- 
sions be  considered. 

Sees  Adoption  by  Others 

Berger,  in  his  reply,  expressed  the 
opinion  that  an  "honest  effort"  on  the 
part  of  20th-Fox  will  "do  away  with 
99  per  cent  of  brewing  litigation." 
He  said  he  felt  certain  of  the  success 
of  the  program  if  given  a  fair  trial 
and  added  the  company  might  do  well 
to  expand  the  policy.  He  said  further 
that  the  program's  success  undoubted- 
ly would  mean  its  adoption  by  other 
distributors. 

(A  canvass  of  other  distributors  in 
New  York  at  the  weekend  showed 
that  none  has  any  immediate  plans 
for  such  an  undertaking.  At  M-G-M 
it  was  said  that  the  company  has  long- 
since  encouraged  exhibitors  to  take 
any  grievances  to  the  company. 
M-G-M's  exhibitor  relations  depart- 
ment is  in  existence  to  a  large  part 
for  this  purpose,  it  was  said. 

Minneapolis  Meeting  Called 

The  exchange  of  letters  led  to  a 
Minneapolis  meeting  attended  by 
Smith,  Berger,  Stanley  Kane,  XCA 
executive  director ;  Martin  Moskow- 
itz,  executive  assistant  to  Smith ; 
Jack  Lorentz,  Central  division  sales 
manager ;  Moe  Levy,  Minneapolis 
branch  manager,  and  Sam  Shain,  di- 
rector of  exhibitor  and  public  rela- 
tions for  distribution. 

Xorth  Central  Allied' s  committee 
members  are  E.  L.  Peaslee,  chairman, 
and  Henry  Green  and  Ted  Mann.  Al- 
ternates are  Jack  Wright,  George 
Granstrom,  and  one  yet  to  be  named. 
Kane  will  serve  as  counsel. 


Para.  Plans  Drive-in 
Near  Poughkeepsie 

Plans  are  under  way  here  for  the 
construction  of  a  600-car  drive-in  on 
a  site  owned  by  Paramount  outside  of 
Poughkeepsie,  X.  Y.  The  theatre  will 
be  operated  by  Xetco  Theatres.  Para- 
mount affiliate  of  which  Harold  Roy- 
ster  is  general  manager. 


52  Anti-trust  Suits 
For  $46,755,000 


Paramount  president  Barney  Bala- 
ban's  annual  letter  to  company  stock- 
holders discloses  that  52  anti-trust 
suits  have  been  brought  by  exhibitors 
against  distributors  in  some  of  which 
money  damages  were  demanded,  while 
in  others  injunctive  relief  against 
clearance  or  a  right  to  an  earlier  run 
of  pictures  was  sought.  In  those  suits 
in  which  a  money  judgment  is  sought, 
the  total  amount  claimed  is  $46,755,- 
000.  To  date,  approximately  $1,000,- 
000  dollars  has  been  paid  out  by  Para- 
mount in  expenses  and  in  judgments 
in  connection  with  such  suits.  Atten- 
tion of  the  stockholders  was  called  to 
the  item  "Reserve  for  Contingencies" 
on  the  company's  balance  sheet  in  the 
amount  of  $9,711,327.  Balaban  stated 
that  this  reserve  had  been  created  out 
of  past  earnings  for  all  contingencies, 
possible  liabilities  from  judgments 
against  the  corporation  being  only  one 
of  them. 


Goldman  Demands 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


tained  that  according  to  the  recent 
Supreme  Court  ruling  in  the  industry 
anti-trust  suit  "competitive  bidding  is 
an  inadequate  remedy."  If  this  move 
is  unsuccessful,  Goldman's  petition 
continued,  he  will  seek  an  injunction 
to  bar  companies  from  cross-licensing 
in  this  area. 


US  to  Ask  Injunction 
In  Griffith  Case 

Oklahoma  City,  June  27. — Herbert 
Bergson,  assistant  Attorney  General, 
has  told  the  U.  S.  attorney  for  West- 
ern Oklahoma  to  set  in  motion  steps 
which  will  give  the  Government  an 
injunction  July  1  to  prevent  the  Grif- 
fith circuit  from  acquiring  or  dispos- 
ing of  financial  interests  or  theatres 
involved  in  the  Government  anti-trust 
suit.  Bergson  said  the  action  is  in 
line  with  the  Supreme  Court  mandate 
on  clearances  and  reductions. 

One  major  local  exhibitor  says  re- 
ductions started  in  most  cases  prior 
to  the  Griffith  case,  with  deluxe  sec- 
ond-run clearances  beginning  locally 
more  than  a  year  ago.  Two  other  ex- 
hibitors said  there  have  been  no  re- 
ductions as  far  as  it  concerned  them. 


SGP  Directors  Hold 
Meeting  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  June  27. — Routine  busi- 
ness matters  were  discussed  at  a  two- 
day  board  of  directors  meeting  of 
Screen  Guild  Productions  which  end- 
ed here  on  Friday.  John  J.  Jones, 
SPG  president,  presided.  In  addition 
to  21  franchise  holders,  among  those 
attending  were:  F.  A.  Bateman,  West- 
ern sales  manager ;  Arthur  Greenblatt, 
Eastern  sales  manager,  and  Robert 
Lippert,  vice-president.  Board  mem- 
bers present  were  Al  Dezel,  Jack  En- 
gel,  Bert  Stern,  John  Franconi,  J. 
Francis  White  and  A.  Lockwood. 


'M  ICKEY' 

America's  U^w 


Sensational  150-plus  Jay -and -date  engagements  now 
establishing  box-office  highs  throughout  Midwest  as 
LOIS  BUTLER,  America's  new  young  singing  sensation, 
captures  all  hearts  in  Eagle  Lion's  "MICKEY,"  in  Cinecolor! 


HEARING  IS  BELIEVING!  We'll  send  you,  absolutely  FREE,  Lois  Butler's 
latest  Capitol  recording,  "Dreams  in  My  Heart."  Write,  wire  or  phone 
Exploitation  Dept.,  Eagle  Lion  Films,  165  W.46th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 


ROARING  RKO  SHOWN 
BACK  AS  BOXOFFICE 


SLAM-BANG  BALLYHOO  AND  HEP  EXPLOITATION 
SWEEP  100-THEATRE  PREMIERES  TO  ASTOUNDING 
GROSSES! . . .  Big  cities  and  small  towns  in  Cincinnati, 
Cleveland  and  Indianapolis  Exchange  areas  register 
grosses  better  than  with  new  pictures —  towns  like 
Cincinnati,  Dayton,  Columbus,  Lexington,  Hamilton 
.  .  .  Cleveland,  Youngstown,  Toledo,  Canton,  Marion 
.  .  .  Indianapolis,  Richmond,  Wabash,  Muncie,  Louis- 
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fronts,  public  events,  tieups  and  radio  promotion  out 
of  this  world  help  boom  one  of  the  screen's  greatest 
all-time  attractions  to  the  sure-fire  quick-money 
special  of  today!  dtfuCC 

From  Bangor,  Me.,  to  Stamford,  Conn.;  from  Boston, 
Mass.  to  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  —  57  towns 
set,  as  we  go  to  press,  for  the  biggest 
blowoff  of  all  —  in  the  Albany,  Boston, 
Buffalo  areas! 


1 


GIGANTIC  TERRITORIAL 
PROMOTIONS  TO  BE  HELD 
ALL  OVER  THE  NATION! 


I- 


FRANK  BUCK'S 

ORtG/MAL 


Directed  by 

CLYDE  E.  ELLIOTT 


RE-RELEASE 


9  9  SI  9  IB  98  8  91  9  9  9  81 9  9  Mi  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  89  9  9F# 

9  IB  9  9  91  98  89  98  98  IB!  89  9  91 89  91  98  98  89  98  89  98  91  98  89  89  89  881. .119 ..8(8. 89  98. 98  98  8Bf  99 .89  99  98  99  89  99  99  89| 


1 9  9  9  9  9  99 


nATionoL.  \  veem  service 

PRiZfBaBr  of  memDusmv 


mum 


y 


63.  NO.  125 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  JUNE  29,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


20th-Fox  Set 
To  Expand  Its 
Conciliation 


Smith  to  Consider  All 
Exhibitor  Bids  for  Plan 


Twentieth  Century-Fox  is  ready 
and  willing-  to  consider  expanding 
its  new  conciliation  plan,  which 
had  its  origin  in  Minneapolis  last 
week  in  a  joint  effort  with  North 
Central  Allied,  to  any  territory  which 
wants  it,  Andrew  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  20th- 
Fox  general  sales  manager,  declares. 

At  the  same  time,  Smith  said  he  is 
convinced  the  program  will  go  a  long 
way  toward  resolving  exhibitor-dis- 
tributor issues  out  of  court.  "It  has  a 
good  chance  of  succeeding,"  he  said. 
Equally  optimistic  is  Benjamin  N. 
Berger,  president  of  the  Allied  unit, 
which,  in  carrying  out  its  part  of  the 
program,  has  appointed  a  three-man 
grievance   committee   to   hear  com- 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Lippert  Succeeds 
Jones  in  SGP  Post 


Hollywood,  June  28. — Screen  Guild 
Productions  president  John  J.  Jones 
today  announced  his  resignation  from 
that  post  to  devote  himself  henceforth 
to  his  Chicago  exhibition  interests,  re- 
taining the  Chicago  and  Indianapolis 
SGP  franchises  and  membership  on 
the  SGP  board. 

Executive  vice-president  Robert  L. 
Lippert  succeeds  Jones  in  the  presi- 
dency ;  second  vice-president  Arthur 
{Continued  on  page  6) 


Delaware  Clearance 
Is  Under  Review 


In  accordance  with  the  practice  of 
the  defendants  in  the  Paramount  anti- 
trust case,  of  making  clearance  adjust- 
ment wherever  called  for  under  pro- 
visions of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court 
decision,  major  distributors  are  re- 
viewing or  have  reviewed  the  clear- 
ance situation  in  Wilmington,  Del. 
Up  to  now  the  city  has  enjoyed  clear- 

{Continucd  on  page  6) 


UJA  Testimonial  to 
Mayer  Here  Tonight 

Hundreds  from  all 
branches  of  the  amusement 
industry  will  gather  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  here  this  evening 
to  pay  tribute  to  Louis  B. 
Mayer,  M-G-M  production 
head,  in  conjunction  with  the 
1948  campaign  of  the  amuse- 
ment division  of  the  United 
Jewish  Appeal  of  Greater 
New  York. 

Co-chairmen  of  the  testi- 
monial are  Barney  Balaban, 
S.  H.  Fabian  and  Emil  Fried- 
lander.  Industry  attorney 
Louis  Nizer  will  be  toast- 
master. 


lst-Runs  Pick 
Up  on  B'way 


A  number  of  Broadway  first-runs 
are  enjoying  improved  business  this 
week.  Three  factors  are  said  to  ac- 
count for  the  spurt :  rainy  weather, 
an  influx  of  out-of-towners  for  the 
Louis-Walcott  bout  and  vacations  and 
school  holidays.  However,  not  all 
first-runs  have  picked  up. 

The  Roxy,  with  "Give  My  Regards 
to  Broadway"  and  a  stage  bill  topped 
by  an  ice  show,  is  heading  for  its  big- 
gest gross  in  weeks.  On  the  basis  of 
$105,000  taken  in  during  the  first  five 
days,  plus  an  extra  day  of  the  ice 
show,  the  new  Roxy  program's  first 
{Continued  on  page  6) 


To  Scold,  Not  Sue, 
Para,  in  Video  Row 


The  18-station  television  pool  which 
shared  the  expense  of  covering  the  Re- 
publican convention  in  Philadelphia 
last  week  has  decided  against  taking 
legal  action  over  Paramount  Televi- 
sion Productions'  pickup  of  Gov. 
Dewey's  acceptance  speech  and  repro- 
ducing it  on  the  Paramount  Theatre 
screen  here  without  authorization. 

The  Paramount  action  being  "an 
accomplished  fact,"  National  Broad 
casting's  legal  department  is  said  to 
have  advised  against  a  suit  since  dam- 
ages necessarily  would  be  involved  and 
the  likelihood  of  a  favorable  decision 
is  not  too  strong. 


Lazarus  Will 
Assist  Sears 


Paul  N.  Lazarus,  Jr.,  director  of 
advertising-publicity  of  United  Artists 
since  1943,  has  been  named  executive 
assistant  to  UA  president  Gradwell  L. 
Sears. 

The  post  is  a 
newly  -  created 
one,  to  provide 
a  more  effective 
liaison  between 
the  UA  presi- 
dent and  the 
sales,  advertis- 
ing and  admin- 
istration poli- 
cies of  the  com- 
pany. 

Lazarus,  35, 
has  been  in  the 
industry  since 
1933,  when  he 
joined  Warner 

Brothers  following  his  graduation 
from  Cornell.  In  10  years  with  that 
company  he  rose  from  an  assistantship 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Paul  Lazarus,  Jr. 


20th's  2nd  Quarter 
Seen  Ending  Deficit 

The  high  level  of  20th-Fox  busi- 
ness recorded  in  the  "Andy  Smith 
Month"  campaign  during  June  will  re- 
sult in  a  second-quarter  revenue  that 
will  eliminate  a  deficit  in  the  first 
three  months  of  the  year,  it  is  under- 
stood. 

The  showing  during  the  month  is 
said  to  have  made  it  possible  for  the 
company  to  earn  for  the  second  quar- 
ter of  the  year  an  amount  representa- 
tive of  the  highest  first  six  months' 
{Continued  on  page  6) 


Paramount  Frees  8 
In  Brandt  Action 


Paramount  has  asked  permission  to 
eliminate  eight  defendants  from  its 
$563,265  percentage  action  against 
Brandt  Theatres  and  some  160  other 
exhibitors  and  officers  of  exhibitor 
corporations  and  has  sought  to  replace 
these  with  eight  new  defendants.. 

The  distributor's  attorneys,  Phillips, 
Nizer,  Benjamin  and  Krim,  moved  in 
New  York  Supreme  Court  yesterday 
{Continued  on  page  6) 


US  Expects  a 
Report  on  UK 
QuotaThisWk. 

Will  'Jiggle'  London  If 
None  Is  Forthcoming 

Washington,  June  28.  —  The 
State  Department  hopes  to  get  its 
report  on  the  British  screen  quota 
revision  from  its  London  Embassy 
sometime  this  week,  but  all  indications 
are  that  quite  a  bit  of  time  will  lapse 
after  that  before  a  decision  is  made 
on  whether  the  Department  will  make 
a  formal  protest  or  ask  Great  Britain 
to  enter  negotiations.  . 

"We  hope  to  get  something  later 
this  week,"  one  Department  official 
said.  "If  we  don't  have  a  report  by 
Wednesday,  we'll  probably  jiggle  Lon- 
don's memory.  But  after  that  we'll 
just  let  things  take  their  course. 
When  you  discuss  spiritual  violations 
you  move  very  carefully.  It'll  be 
some  time  before  we  decide." 

This  official  indicated  that  a  formal 
State  Department  answer  to  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  presi- 
dent Eric  Johnston's  protest  letter  will 

{Continued  on  page  8) 


Cole  to  Quit  Top 
Texas  Allied  Post 


Dallas,  June  28. — Allied  Theatre 
Owners  of  Texas  directors  were  called 
into  special  meeting  by  president  H. 
A.  Cole  to  hear  Cole  disclose  that  he 
would  no  longer  serve  as  head  of  the 
unit  following  the  next  annual  conven- 
tion, set  for  November  1-2. 

Cole  told  the  directors  that  the  unit 
has  been  a  one-man  affair  too  long, 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Exhibitors  Told  to 
Claim  Video  Rights 

West  End,  N.  J.,  June  28.— Ex- 
hibitors must  assert  their  rights  _  to 
television  or  they  will  be  breaking 
their  backs,  Paul  Raibourn,  Para- 
mount vice-president  in  charge  of  tele- 
vision, told  the  first  day  of  the  29th 
annual  convention  of  Allied  of  New 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


WIPS  m  VtlM  #i 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  29,  1948 


Personal 
Mention 


CHARLES  M.  REAGAN,  Para- 
mount    distribution  vice-presi- 
dent, is  due  here  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Henry  A.  Linet,  Universal-Inter- 
national Eastern  advertising  manager ; 
Al  Horwits,  Eastern  publicity  man- 
ager, and  Charles  Simonelli,  East- 
ern exploitation  manager,  were  in 
Philadelphia  yesterday  from  New 
York. 

• 

Jack  Cohn,  Columbia  vice-presi- 
dent, accompanied  by  A.  Schneider 
and  Leo  Jaffe,  will  leave  here  tomor- 
row for  the  Coast.  A.  Montague 
and  Joseph  McConville  will  leave 
here  on  Friday  to  join  them. 

• 

Dore  Schary,  RKO  Radio  produc- 
tion head,  has  cancelled  his  trip  to 
New  York  from  the  Coast.  Perry 
Lieber,  studio  publicity  chief,  is  here 
from  Hollywood. 

• 

Fred  Meyers,  Universal-Interna- 
tional Eastern  division  sales  manager, 
will  be  in  Cleveland  today  and  in 
Pittsburgh  on  Thursday  from  New 
York. 

• 

George    Hickey,    M-G-M  West 
Coast  sales  chief,  will  leave  here  to- 
day for  his  headquarters,  with  stop- 
overs at  Denver  and  San  Francisco. 
• 

J.  Robert  Rubin,  M-G-M  general 
counsel  and  vice-president,  returned 
to  New  York  yesterday  from  Dur- 
ham, N.  C. 

• 

Leo    F.    Samuels,    Walt  Disney 
Productions  sales  executive,  has  left 
New  York  for  Atlanta  and  Dallas. 
• 

Carol  Brandt,  M-G-M  Eastern 
story  head,  will  return  here  today 
from  the  Coast. 

• 

Leonard   W.    Brockington,  vice- 
president  of  Odeon  Theatres  of  Can- 
ada, is  in  England  from  Toronto. 
• 

Abel  Green  is  due  back  here  today 
from  Europe  on  the  SS  Queen  Elisa- 
beth. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M  Southern 
sales  manager,  is  due  here  today  from 
Washington. 

• 

Leo  Seligman,  Favorite  Films 
treasurer,  is  in  Toronto  from  New 
York. 


Coyne  Not  Severing 
All  TO  A  Connections 

Robert  W.  Coyne  will  continue  as  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Theatre  Owners  of  America,  as 
well  as  consultant,  after  his  resigna- 
tion as  executive  director  becomes  ef- 
fective, about  July  15.  He  has  tenti- 
tive  plans  for  a  New  England  vaca- 
tion, to  return  here  about  Sept.  1  to 
assist  in  arrangements  for  the  organ- 
ization's convention  in  Chicago  on 
Sept.  24-25. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


THIS  becomes  a  slight  adven- 
ture outside  celluloid  boun- 
daries. David  Kay,  president  of 
Shell  Products  Co.,  Inc.,  of  New 
York,  sees  it  as  his  public  duty 
to  pay  for  advertising  in  New 
York  newspapers  in  which  he 
gets  off  his  chest  his  views  of 
various  problems  besetting  this 
harried  world. 

In  pursuit  of  such  a  program, 
the  other  day,  his  byline  led  off 
comment  on  a  letter  from  Harry 
Rowson,  pioneer  of  the  British 
industry,  recently  published  in 
this  column.  Rowson  had  ar- 
gued quietly  enough  against  a 
public  boycott  of  English  films 
here  on  the  ground  this  might 
excite  enough  British  opinion  to 
strike  for  a  complete  elimination 
of  U.  S.  pictures  from  their  most 
important  overseas  market.  In 
rebuttal,  we  remarked  the  ac- 
tions of  individuals — many,  per- 
haps— should  not  be  misunder- 
stood in  London  as  necessarily 
reflecting  the  attitude  of  the 
American  people  at  large.  More 
emphatic  was  the  rebuttal  which 
made  it  clear  the  organized  in- 
dustry here  was  not  party  to 
such  a  campaign. 

■ 

Kay,  who  is  a  most  discerning 
person  in  our  book  because  he 
saw  fit  to  describe  us  as  "a  cel- 
luloid oracle  in  filmdom,"  never- 
theless accuses  us  of  having  gone 
diplomatic  by  trying  to  pour  oil 
on  troubled  British  waters.  He 
believes  the  boycott  is  gathering 
momentum  and  will  "spread  un- 
til that  squirming  government  of 
yours,  [Rowson's]  wakes  up." 
Kay  may  turn  out  to  be  right, 
but  we  reserve  the  right  to 
think  otherwise. 

Joe  Skeptic,  always  down-to- 
earth,  seems  to  have  placed  a 
convincing  digit  on  the  whole 
situation  with  a  few  choice  ob- 
servations : 

"Boycott  against  British  films? 
Why  take  the  trouble?  Their 
films  are  boycotting  themselves. 
Anyone  who  has  bothered  to  sit 
through  most  of  the  recent  im- 
ports knows  it." 

■ 

The  45  per  cent  quota  on  Brit- 
ish exhibitors,  already  approved 
by  the  House  of  Commons  and 
up  for  consideration  in  Lords 
today ;  has  set  in  motion  a 
chain  reaction  against  Britain, 
her  films  and,  chiefly,  Arthur 
Rank,  which  continues  to  blaze 
with  indignation  and  intensity. 
It  has  revived  that  executive 
school  of  thought  which  looked 


upon  the  Johnston-Mulvey  ac- 
ceptance of  the  75  per  cent  ad 
valorem  tax  settlement  with 
little  enthusiasm  and  argued  it 
would  have  been  better  to  cut 
off  shipments  until  the  wails  of 
British  exhibition  crescendoed 
into  a  roar  which  the  Labor 
Government  could  not  ignore. 


It  was  responsible  for  sub- 
stantial opinion  giving  consid- 
ered thought  to  a  complete  with- 
drawal from  the  English  market 
until  the  realistic  cousins  there 
appreciate  how  realistic  the  real- 
isms can  be.  This  movement  is 
understood  to  have  been  spear- 
headed by  Grad  Sears  who  tem- 
porarily abandoned  hospitaliza- 
tion to  attend  a  meeting  of  the 
MPAA  at  which  the  situation 
was  discussed.  He  failed  to  win 
his  point,  largely  due  to  counter 
argument  set  up  by  Spyros 
Skouras.  But  between  the  two 
extremes  of  the  situation  Barney 
Balaban  walked  out  of  the  ses- 
sion as  an  expression  of  his  dis- 
approval of  Skouras'  exhorta- 
tions of  moderation  and  was 
persuaded  to  return  only  at 
Sears'  behest. 

This  points  up  a  split  which 
may  show  up  again  any  moment 
now. 


Reverting  to  a  viewpoint  re- 
cently emphasized  and  thereafter 
ignored,  Andy  Smith,  Jr.,  gen- 
eral sales  manager  of  20th-Fox, 
is  telling  his  U.  S.  selling  crew : 

"Our  hopes  that  the  foreign 
market  would  substantially  im- 
prove this  spring  have  failed 
to  materialize.  Rather,  condi- 
tions are  seemingly  more  com- 
plicated than  ever  and  calcula- 
tions of  only  several  months  ago 
furnish  absolutely  no  barometer 
of  what  may  be  earned  abroad 
in  the  light  of  recent  Govern- 
mental and  other  developments 
in  the  past  few  weeks.  • 

"With  the  erasure  of  millions 
of  dollars  annually  from  foreign 
sources,  the  exhibitor  must  be 
prepared  to  take  less  and  pay  us 
proportionately  more  than  he  has 
in  the  past — if  he  expects  us  to 
continue  to  provide  him  with  at- 
tractions of  strong  power.  The 
exhibitor  must  be  satisfied  with 
a  lower  percentage  of  profits. 
.  .  .  There  will  be  no  security 
for  American  companies  until 
they  have  made  themselves  do- 
mestically independent  of  what- 
ever happens  in  other  lands." 


Hoffman  on  His  Own 

George  Hoffman,  who  for  12  years 
handled  advertising  and  publicity  for 
Arthur  Mayer  at  the  Rialto  Theatre 
here,  and  who  left  there  recently 
when  new  management  took  over,  has 
returned  from  a  stay  at  Virginia 
Beach,  and  started  his  own  business. 


Vaughan  Joins  Cowan 

Hollywood,  June  28. — Al  Vaughan 
has  resigned  as  publicity  director  of 
Sierra  Pictures  to  join  Lester  Cowan 
Productions  in  a  similar  capacity.  ^ 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


c — RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL — s" 


Rockefeller  Center 


BING 

CROSBY 


JOAN 

FONTAINE 


in  "THE  EMPEROR  WALTZ" 

|  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

i  A  Paramount  Picture 

! SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


foranount  present*  jj-y 


JOHN  FORD'S 
MASTERPIECE 


IN  PERSON  m 

LENA  HORNE  , 

Spec/aK  L 

PAUL  WINCHELL 

Extra! 


"FORI  t„ 
APACHE"llMJMNlsi 
 CAPITOL™'^' 


COOL 


greatest  star- 
onaVsong-showl  ^ 


P„R,K°„  FIGHTING 
FATHER  DUNNE 


PAT  O'BRIEN 

Victoria 


r»mn 

DUNNE 


B'WAV  ol 
46th  ST. 


JACK  JAN  IS       -J    .     _  "k 

i  CARSON  •  PAIGE  I  In  Person  | 

£  DON  OORIS    if  DAD 

iDeFORE^DAY;  CROSBY  I 

I  *^OM\SCt>  °*>#AND  THE  ClOB  IS  S 

S*?ttHlGHStfAS>f  ORCHESTRA 
t  c.*t?AT".tV>«  gflvs  GALA  SHOW  1 
'/j  A,  MICHAEL  CUBTII  PRQ1>V    -*"   £ 


"SSSH'w  STRAND/, 


OPENS  9:30  AM  l*TE  FILM  *T  MIDNIGHT ,| 
ILATE  STAGE  SHOW  10:15  PM  •  B'WAY  AT  47thf 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  .Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Feckc,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  K.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Othei  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


FRANK  "Muscles 

STRANAHAN 

British  Amateur 
Champion,  U.S 
Tournament 
Ace! 


A  new  RKO  Pathe  scoop  to 
delight  the  growing  host  of 
golfing  millions  —  and  every 
other  sports  lover.  The  most 
thrilling  golf  shots  ever  caught 
by  camera.  RELEASED  NOW 
at  season's  peak! 


LOUISE  SUGGS, 

U.S.  and  British  Women's 
Amateur  Champion! 


An  RKO  Pathe 

^  SPORTSCOPE  1 

\  mseits 


Produced  by  JAY  BON  AFIELD 
Distributed  by 
RKO  Radio  Pictures,  Inc. 


UNIVERSAL- INTERNATIONAL  presents 

DONALD  O'CONNd 

.nFEUDI 

with  PENNY  EDWARDS  •  JOE  BESSER  •  Scree 
Directed  by  GEORGE  SHERW 


hi 


// 


Don't  take  our  word 
for  the  entertainment 
value  of  FEUDIN; 
FUSSIN'  AND  A-FIGHTIN.' 
I  think  you  owe  it  to 
yourselves,  to  the 
business  and  to  your 
customers  to  screen 
this  picture  for  an 
audience  before  you 
book  it. 

I  his  is  the  best  way 
to  prove  to  you  that 
FEUDIN/  FUSSIN'  AND 
A-FIGHTIN'  is  a  great 
audience  picture." 


MA      PA  KETTLE  OF  "THE  EGG  AND  I"  Together  Again/ 

ARJORIE  MAIN  •  PERCY  KILBRIDE 

SSIN'  AND  A-FIGHTI 

iD.  BEAUCHAMP  from  his  Collier's  Magazine  story 
uced  by  LEONARD  GOLDSTEIN 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  29,  1948 


BVay  lst-Runs 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


week  is  expected  to  hit  a  gratifying 
$135,000. 

Meanwhile,  Radio  City  Music  Hall 
continues  to  do  very  big  business  in 
the  second  week  of  "The  Emperor 
Waltz,"  plus  a  stage  presentation,  with 
a  robust  $152,500  due,  on  the  basis 
of  $91,000  grossed  Thursday  through 
Sunday.  At  the  Capitol,  "Fort 
Apache,"  with  a  stage  bill  headed  by 
Lena  Home,  is  heading  for  a  rousing 
first-week's  gross  of  $120,000. 

Elsewhere  business  varies  from  so- 
so  to  fair,  as  follows :  "Dream  Girl," 
plus  Phil  Spitalny  and  his  All-Girl 
Band  on  stage,  Paramount,  second 
and  final  week,  $55,000 ;  "Romance  on 
the  High  Seas,"  with  Bob  Crosby  and 
his  orchestra  on  stage,  Strand,  first 
week,  $48,000;  "Fighting  Father 
Dunne,"  Victoria,  first  week,  $16,000; 
"Melody  Time,"  Astor,  fifth  week, 
$22,000;  "Arch  of  Triumph,"  Globe, 
10th  week,  $14,000  ;  "Time  of  Your 
Life,"  Mayfair,  fifth  week,  $22,000; 
"End  of  the  River,"  Park  Avenue, 
second  week,  $4,000;  "Lady  From 
Shanghai,"  Criterion,  third  week,  $20,- 
000. 

Second  week  of  "Lulu  Belle"  at  the 
Rivoli  is  very  slow  with  only  $9,500 
expected.  Two  pictures  are  in  their 
third  and  final  (five-day)  weeks,  and 
are  due  to  wind  up  as  follows :  "Sum- 
mer Holiday,"  Loew's  State,  $9,000; 
"Bad  Sister,"  Winter  Garden,  $5,000. 
"Citizen  Saint"  is  expected  to  give 
the  Bijou  only  $2,500  in  a  fifth  week. 
Two  new  pictures  will  bow  in  tomor- 
row: "A  Foreign  Affair"  at  the  Par- 
amount, and  "Easter  Parade"  at 
Loew's  State.  Winter  Garden  will 
be  closed  today  and  tomorrow  in 
preparation  for  the  world  premiere  of 
"Man-Eater  of  Kumaon"  on  Thurs- 
day. 


Lazarus  Promoted 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


in  the  press  book  department  to  ad- 
vertising manager  and  to  sales  and 
promotion  director,  after  which  he 
joined  Buchanan  and  Co.,  advertising 
agency  here,  leaving  there  to  become 
director  of  advertising-publicity  for 
United  Artists. 


Coast  to  coast 
and  overseas, 
tly  world-proved 
TWA 

One  airline,  TWA,  takes  you 
to  principal  U.  S.  cities  or  to 
Ireland,  Paris,  Egypt  and  other 
key  points  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  Asia.  When  you  go,  fly  by 
dependable  TWA  Skyliner 
with  crews  seasoned  by  mil- 
lions of  trans-world  miles. 

For  reservations, 
call  your  TWA  office 
or  your  travel  agent 


Set  July  6  for  FC 
Tilt  on  Video  Rights 

Hearing  has  been  scheduled  for 
July  6  in  New  York  Supreme  Court 
on  Film  Classics'  "show  cause"  order 
in  connection  with  its  suit  against 
London  Films  and  Hecuba  Corp.,  al- 
leging contract  irregularity  in  the 
granting  of  television  station  WPIX 
here  video  rights  to  24  Alexander 
Korda  productions.  Film  Classics  in- 
stituted the  damage  action  on  the 
ground  that  no  agreement  regarding 
television  rights  had  been  made  when 
the  contract  giving  FC  seven-year 
rights  to  the  pictures  was  signed  in 
December,  1946. 


Exhibitors  Told 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Jersey,  meeting  at  the  Hollywood 
Hotel  here. 

Citing  the  injunctions  against  Phila- 
delphia theatre  television  use,  Rai- 
bourn  said  these  are  establishing  a 
legal  trend  which  will  hurt  theatre 
owners  if  they  don't  intelligently  com- 
bat them.  He  asserted  that  if  broad- 
casters are  able  to  maintain  all  the 
rights  they  think  are  theirs,  radio  set 
manufacturers  will  be  chief  bene- 
ficiaries. The  address  aroused  such 
interest  that  president  Edward  Lach- 
man  announced  that  the  closed  East- 
ern regional  tomorrow  morning  would 
be  devoted  mainly  to  television. 

'Industry  May  Harness  Video' 

Some  other  points  Raibourn  made 
were  that  there  will  always  be  impor- 
tant television  events  to  keep  people 
at  home;  the  industry  may  be  able  to 
harness  television;  that  since  tele- 
vision shows  must  be  negotiated  in- 
dividually with  tremendous  complexity, 
new  films  probably  would  not  be  used 
on  television ;  and  that  Paramount 
itself  is  being  sued  for  $100,000  in  Los 
Angeles  for  running  an  old  indepen- 
dent picture. 

Raibourn  observed  that  to  use  a 
picture  now  on  television  would  cost 
up  to  $5,000  per  picture  in  investi- 
gators' fees  alone. 

Lachman  opened  the  convention, 
calling  the  fight  against  taxation  con- 
tinuous and  noting  that  the  fight 
against  16mm.  competition  has  driven 
it  from  taverns  and  grocery  stores. 
The  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the 
industry  anti-trust  suit,  he  said,  will 
end  oppression  long  a  part  of  the  in- 
dustry and  added  that  members  are 
watching  for  decree  violations.  He 
called  the  new  North  Central  Allied- 
20th-Fox  local  grievance  committee 
plan  "an  industry  model." 

'Distributors  More  Cooperative' 

William  Ainsworth,  National  Allied 
president,  said  the  few  distributor  rep- 
resentatives with  whom  he  has  talked 
seemed  cooperative  since  the  court  de- 
cision and  added  he  would  reserve 
additional  comment  until  Wednesday. 
Other  speakers  today  were :  Wilbur 
Snaper,  convention  chairman,  and 
Meyer  Leventhal,  Eastern  regional 
vice-president. 


Lippert,  Jones 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Lockwood  takes  Lippert's  post.  Jones 
a  month  ago  called  a  press  conference 
for  the  purpose  of  denying  a  report 
he  would  resign. 

Jones  will  remain  at  SGP  head- 
quarters here  for  several  months  to 
act  in  an  advisory  capacity  while 
Lippert  familiarizes  himself  with  the 
presidency. 


Delaware  Clearance 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


ance  over  all  other  Delaware  commu- 
nities. 

It  is  understood  that  the  distributors 
propose  to  make  changes  in  clearances 
in  Delaware  situations  where  it  is  felt 
an  injustice  prevails  and  just  cause  for 
a  complaint  exists. 

The  big  circuits  operating  in  Wil- 
mington are  waiving,  if  they  have  not 
already  done  so,  clearance  over  situa- 
tions considered  to  be  a  reasonable 
distance  removed  from  that  city.  No 
set  pattern  will  be  followed.  All 
changes  in  clearance  will  be  predicated 
on  conditions  in  each  situation. 


Fourth  Clearance  Complaint 
Since  Decision  Is  Filed 

Another  clearance  complaint  has 
been  filed  with  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association,  bringing  to  four  the 
number  filed  since  the  Supreme  Court 
ruled  in  the  industry  anti-trust  suit 
on  May  3,  the  AAA  reported  here. 

Also  the  third  complaint  to  be  dock- 
eted with  the  Detroit  tribunal  in  the 
same  period,  it  was  filed  by  Priscilla 
Theatre,  Detroit,  against  all  five  dis- 
tributor-defendants, and  holds  that 
clearance  granted  to  East  Side  Thea- 
tre, Detroit,  is  unreasonable  in  com- 
pelling the  Priscilla  to  wait  on  an 
average  of  between  10  and  30  days 
following  availability  to  East  Side. 
Complainant  claims  also  that  the  two 
are  not  in  the  same  competitive  area, 
wants  clearance  abolished  and  new 
clearance  fixed  within  the  competitive 
area  at  seven  days  after  the  Your 
Theatre,  or  14  days  after  the  Rial  to, 
both  in  Detroit. 


Para.-Brandt  Action 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


for  permission  to  serve  proposed 
amended  and  supplemental  summonses 
and  amended  complaints  to  alter  the 
list  of  defendants  and  correct  certain 
"defects  and  mistakes"  in  the  original 
complaint.  The  court  said  it  will  hold 
a  hearing  on  the  motion  on  July  6. 

The  defendants  which  Paramount 
would  eliminate  are :  Andear  Amuse- 
ment, Anwell  Amusement,  Mangood 
Amusement,  Rogel  Amusement,  Ray 
V.  Wemple,  Richie  Amusement,  Lan- 
roc  Operating  Corp.  and  Moe  Gold- 
man. 

New  defendants  which  the  plaintiff 
wishes  to  include  in  connection  with 
all  or  some  of  the  causes  cited  in  the 
original  complaint,  are :  Milroy  Thea- 
tre Corp.,  The  62  Delancy  Street  The- 
atre Corp.,  Safeway  Corp.,  Bell  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  Traymore  Operating  Corp., 
R.  and  M.  Operating  Corp.,  A.  M. 
Rapf  and  Michael  Rudin. 


Cole  to  Quit 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


and  he  urged  a  more  active  participa- 
tion of  all  directors,  officers  and  mem- 
bers in  association  matters.  He  offered 
to  continue  actively  as  the  state  repre- 
sentative in  national  Allied  matters 
and  to  continue  to  work  with  both  the 
national  and  local  boards. 

Decision  was  reached  to  inaugurate 
a  new  election  procedure.  Members 
in  districts  will  nominate  a  director 
for  the  district  and  the  directors  in 
turn  will  elect  officers.  In  the  interim 
organization  was  started  for  the  No- 
vember convention  by  the  naming  of 
Phil  Isley  to  be  chairman  of  interim 
activities  and  to  preside  at  the  conven- 
tion. Rubin  Frels  was  made  finance 
chairman  and  C.  D.  Leon,  entertain- 
ment chairman. 


Fifth-Walnut  Verdict 
Expected  This  Week 

A  verdict  in  the  Fifth  and  Walnut 
Amusement's  $2,100,000  triple-damage 
anti-trust  suit  against  distributors  may 
be  forthcoming  this  week  in  U.  S 
District  Court  here,  it  appeared  yes- 
terday. 

Attorneys  for  plaintiffs  and  defend 
ants  completed  summations  before  a 
jury   yesterday,   and   Federal  Judge 
Vincent  L.  Leibel's  charge  to  the  jury 
may  be  made  today. 

Four  Distributors  in 
Georgia  Trust  Action 

Alma,  Ga.,  June  28. — Warner, 
Eagle-Lion,  Republic,  Monogram 
Southern  Exchanges  and  local  theatre 
operator  L.  A.  Stein  are  defendants  in 
an  anti-trust  action  for  damages  of 
$21,000  filed  by  the  Alma  Amusement 
Co.  Plaintiff  charges  a  conspiracy 
which  resulted  in  his  inability  to  ob- 
tain top-grade  product. 


20th's  Conciliation 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


plaints  by  members.  The  group, 
which  consists  of  three  alternates  as 
well,  thereupon  is  to  endeavor  to  medi- 
ate differences  with  20th  Century-Fox 
officials. 

In  no  case  is  an  exhibitor  to  be 
deprived  of  his  legal  rights,  Smith 
stressed. 

One  condition  of  introducing  the 
plan  around  the  country,  he  said,  is 
that  all  exhibitor  organizations  in  any 
one  area  must  have  representation.  In 
any  territory  where  Allied  and  Thea- 
tre Owners  of  America  have  members, 
both  groups  must  have  spokesmen  on 
the  grievance  board.  Minneapolis  be- 
ing predominantly  an  Allied  strong- 
hold, only  that  organization  will  deal 
with  20th-Fox,  Smith  said. 

Smith  said  his  faith  in  the  success  of 
the  plan  lies  importantly  in  its  local- 
ized nature.  Exhibitor  groups  have 
wanted  such  a  system,  he  added.  He 
said  that  he  believes  previous  efforts 
to  settle  disputes  failed  because  they 
were  on  a  national  basis,  "with  too 
many  different  interests  involved." 


20th's  Quarter 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


revenue  in  the  history  of  the  firm,  to 
consume  more  playing  time  in  the 
quarter  than  in  any  previous  cor- 
responding period  and  improve  play- 
ing time  and  contractual  terms  in 
every  film  classification.  It  is  under- 
stood that  the  Andy  Smith  month 
drive  helped  to  raise  the  volume  of 
feature  sales  and  bookings  above  the 
corresponding  period  of  1946,  which 
was  a  record  year. 


NATURALLY 


"TIMS, 
BROOKLYN 

and 

HEAVEN 

sent  frnm  IJA 


In  "Romance  on  the  High  Seas". . .  A  MICHAEL  CURTIZ  PRODUCTION 

Photographed  in  Color  by  TECHNICOLOR 

(A  Warner  Bros.  Release) 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  June  29,  1948 


'Letter  to  a  Rebel', 
Industry  -  Sponsored 


Benefits  of  capitalism  and  the  pri- 
macy of  the  American  Way  are  de- 
scribed in  "Letter  to  a  Rebel,"  a 
This  Is  America  subject  made  by 
RKO  Pathe  with  the  sponsorship  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Association  of 
America.  The  subject  is  the  second  in 
the  series  sponsored  by  the  MPAA  to 
illuminate  the  essential  aspects  of  free 
enterprise  in  America.  Each  of  the 
major  companies  is  expected  to  de- 
velop a  subject  on  a  similar  theme. 

As  explained  at  a  trade  press,  screen- 
ing here  by  David  Palfreyman,  MPAA 
director  of  theatre  services  and  trade 
relations,  these  subjects  are  intended 
to  "improve  the  public  relations  of  the 
industry  and  show  how  it  can  perform 
a  public  service." 

"Letter  to  a  Rebel"  employs  the 
dramatic  technique  of  having  a  small 
town  country  editor  write  a  letter  to 
his  radical  son  who  has  written  an 
article  for  his  college  paper  using  such 
leftish  shibboleths  as  "mean  and  crafty 
capitalists,"  etc.  The  father's  letter 
takes  up  in  simple,  understandable 
terms  the  vital  facts  of  capitalism, 
and  private  enterprise,  depicting  their 
workings  and  the  benefits  which 
"rebel"  sons  derive  from  them,  in 
scenes  of  every-day  life  in  a  typical 
small  city,  Monroe,  N.  Y.  Towns- 
people comprise  the  cast,  for  the  most 
part,  only  three  professionals  being 
used  in  the  picture.  It  is  a  well-done, 
effective  presentation  of  a  vital  facet 
of  the  American  Way,  deserving  of 
anyone's  screen.  It  carries  a  foreword 
by  Eric  Johnston,  MPAA  president. 

The  subject,  running  17  minutes, 
can  be  spot-booked  by  exhibitors 
separately  from  the  series  by  arrange- 
ments with  RKO  Radio.  It  was  pro- 
duced by  Jay  Bonafield,  directed  and 
photographed  by  Larry  O'Reilly  and 
supervised  by  Phil  Reisman,  Jr. 

M.H. 


Louisiana  Withdraws 
Two  Film  Tax  Bills 

Washington,  June  28. — Two  film 
tax  bills  introduced  in  Louisiana's 
special  session  have  been  withdrawn, 
according  to  Jack  Bryson,  Motion 
Picture  Association  of  America  legis- 
lative representative.  The  bills  would 
have  taxed  film  rentals  and  gross  re- 
ceipts. Still  pending  is  a  general  sales 
tax  bill. 

Special  sessions  in  Louisiana  and 
Wyoming  are  the  only  legislatures 
now  sitting,  with  New  Jersey  sched- 
uled to  return  on  August  30.  Massa- 
chusetts adjourned  June  21.  The  in- 
dustry has  a  clean  slate  in  all  state 
legislatures  so  far  this  year,  Bryson 
stated. 


McDonald  is  Labor  Aide 

Charles  B.  McDonald,  RKO  divi- 
sion manager,  has  been  assigned  to 
assist  Leslie  Thompson  in  charge  of 
labor  relations  for  the  RKO  circuit 
here,  while  McDonald's  former  duties 
will  be  absorbed  by  other  New  York 
division  managers.  McDonald  will 
make  his  headquarters  here. 


20th-Fox  Preview  in  DC 

An  audience  of  officialdom  and  the- 
atre executives  will  be  on  hand  to- 
morrow evening  when  20th  Century- 
Fox  previews  "Street  with  No  Name" 
at  the  Statler  Hotel  in  Washington. 
Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  and  J.  Edgar  Hoover, 
FBI  director,  will  be  hosts. 


Review 


"Canon  City" 

(Eagle-Lion) 

SHOWMANSHIP  values,  dramatic  suspense  and  action,  authenticity  of 
story  and  all-around  entertainment  qualities  rate  high  in  "Canon  City,"  a 
splendid  production  of  its  kind,  by  Bryan  Foy,  directed  by  Crane  Wilbur. 

The  brutalities  and  grimness  of  prison  life  and  crime  are  restrained,  unlike 
so  many  pictures  concerning  jailbirds.  Stressed,  instead,  is  an  effective  lesson 
on  crime-does-not-pay,  one  of  the  best  of  its  type. 

Exploitation-wise,  showmen  can  turn  to  the  screaming  headlines  of  last 
December  which  told  how  12  desperate  convicts  escaped  from  Colorado  State 
Penitentiary  one  blizzardy  night,  and  were  either  all  captured  or  killed  within 
60  hours  by  posses  led  by  Warden  Roy  Best,  famed  in  the  West.  Its  authen- 
tic aspects  bring  in  Warden  Best  himself,  many  scenes  from  the  "pen's"  cell- 
blocks  and  jailyard  and  many  of  the  inmates  as  extra-players.  Especially 
noteworthy  is  John  Alton's  photography — he  filmed  "T-Men"  —  and  the 
dialogue  by  director  Wilbur.  Performances,  too,  are  splendid,  particularly 
those  of  Jeff  Corey  and  Scott  Brady. 

Running  time,  82  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  6. 


Convertibility  Bill 
Is  Now  Federal  Law 


Washington,  June  28. — President 
Truman  today  signed  the  foreign  aid 
appropriations  bill,  which  bears  $10,- 
000,000  for  the  film  industry  and  other 
information  media. 

The  funds  are  to  guarantee  the  con- 
vertibility of  costs  of  sending  films, 
books,  newspapers  and  magazines  into 
Marshall  Plan  nations  during  the  next 
year.  A  similar  plan  for  the  Far  East 
may  be  worked  out  under  funds  ap- 
propriated for  a  Far  Eastern  recovery 
program. 

Truman  has  also  signed  the  one- 
year  extension  of  the  Reciprocal  Trade 
Agreements  pact,  but  criticized  the 
measure  for  being  only  one  year,  in- 
stead of  the  three  years  sought,  and 
for  giving  the  Tariff  Commission  au- 
thority to  suggest  limits  on  new  tar- 
iff cuts  or  increases. 


See  ECA  Pacts  Fitting 
Film  Industry  Needs 

Washington,  June  28. — The  Eco- 
nomic Cooperation  agreements  be- 
tween the  U.  S.  and  each  of  the  Mar- 
shall Plan  nations — the  first  two  were 
signed  today  with  Italy  and  Eire — 
contain  several  sections  that  may 
come  in  handy  for  the  film  industry. 

The  State  Department  released  to- 
day a  model  pact.  One  section  binds 
the  European  country  to  cooperate  in 
reducing  quotas  and  other  restrictive 
devices.  Another  promises  consultation 
on  to  any  projects  proposed  by  Ameri- 
can firms  "with  regard  to  which  the 
American  Government  may  appropri- 
ately make  guaranties  of  currency 
transfer."  Still  another  section  stress- 
es the  importance  of  full  publicity  on 
the  progress  of  the  program,  and 
pledges  the  European  government  to 
aid  this  dissemination. 


'Fric-Frac'  Rated  (C; 
Legion  Reviews  12 

Oxford  Films'  "Fric-Frac"  (French) 
has  been  placed  in  Class  C  by  the 
Legion  of  Decency.  Classified  as  A-I 
are :  "Beyond  Glory,"  Paramount ; 
"Fighting  Back,"  20th  Century-Fox, 
and  "Mickey,"  Eagle-Lion. 

Placed  in  A-II  were  the  following 
eight:  "Canon  City,"  Eagle-Lion; 
"The  Checkered  Coat"  and  "The 
Street  with  No  Name,"  20th-Fox;  "I, 
Jane  Doe"  and  "King  of  the  Gam- 
blers," Republic ;  "Jinx  Money,"  Mon- 
ogram ;  "Key  Largo,"  Warners,  and 
"Man-Eater  of  Kumaon,"  Universal- 
International. 


Palestine  Has  Many 
Film  Plans:  Levin 


Palestine  is  very  motion  picture  con- 
scious with  many  plans  for  the  con- 
struction of  production  centers  now 
under  consideration,  Meyer  Levin, 
who  has  just  made  "The  Illegals", 
asserted  here  yesterday.  Levin  said 
that  Oved  Ben  Ami,  mayor  of  Na- 
thanyah,  has  plans  for  a  film  center 
to  cost  $4,000,000.  As  soon  as  things 
"quiet  down"  in  Palestine,  production 
should  start  in  earnest,  Levin  said. 

"The  Illegals,"  a  documentary 
drama  about  the  underground  route 
from  Europe  to  Palestine,  was  made 
at  the  low  cost  of  $25,000,  he  said. 
The  development,  cutting  and  other 
laboratory  work  was  done  in  Paris, 
where,  Levin  said,  costs  are  about  one- 
third  less  than  in  Hollywood.  The 
films,  paid  for  by  Americans  for 
Haganah,  will  be  distributed  here  by 
Mayer-Burstyn. 


Scully,  Bergman  to 
Europe  Tomorrow 

William  A.  Scully,  Universal-Inter- 
national vice-president,  and  Maurice 
A.  Bergman,  Eastern  advertising-pub- 
licity director,  will  sail  for  England 
aboard  the  SS.  Queen  Elisabeth,  to- 
morrow for  conferences  with  officials 
of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank  organization. 

They  expect  to  see  some  of  the 
Rank  productions  allocated  to  U-I  for 
American  release,  including  "Day- 
break," "Snowbound,"  "Good  Time 
Girl,"  "Dulcimer  Street,"  "The  Pas- 
sionate Friends,"  "The  Blue  Lagoon," 
"Woman  Hater"  and  "Christopher 
Columbus." 


UK  Quota  Report 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


probably  go  out  late  today  or  tomor- 
row. "It'll  just  tell  him  what  he  al- 
ready knows  from  the  press  reports 
of  Under-Secretary  of  State  Robert 
A.  Lovett's  conference,  however,"  this 
official  said.  "We'll  tell  Mr.  Johnston 
that  we  have  told  our  Embassy  to  ex- 
press our  concern,  and  are  now  await- 
ing a  full  report." 

House  of  Lords  action  on  the  45 
per  cent  quota  order  is  due  today. 
Approval  of  the  order  by  Lords  is 
regarded  here  as  a  certainty  in  view 
of  the  absence  of  any  strong  opposi- 
tion to  it  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
which  already  has  approved  it. 


RKO  Fight  Film 
A  Superb  Job 


Audiences  in  just  about  every  part 
of  the  world  are  currently  viewing  the 
Joe  Louis-Joe  Walcott  fight  picture. 
As  produced  by  RKO  Pathe,  it  makes 
a  superb  sport  film,  glowing  in  every 
inch  of  its  footage  with  professional 
competence. 

It  offers  an  interesting  study  in  con- 
trasts with  the  television  accou^  / 
the  bout  that  was  flashed  on  the  lm  ,  ■ 
24  foot  screen  of  the  Paramount  Tne- 
atre  here  the  night  of  the  bout.  As 
successful  a  job  as  the  television  ac- 
count was,  it,  in  many  respects,  came 
out  second  best  to  the  motion  picture 
account.  For  one  thing,  the  film  was 
shown  in  sharper  focus  and  captured 
better  close-ups.  The  11th  round,  in 
which  Louis  finally  caught  up  with 
his  fleet-footed  opponent  and  admin- 
istered his  battering  assault,  is  shown 
in  a  clearly  visible  angle,  and  is  then 
shown  again  in  slow  motion. 

On  the  television  screen,  the  savage 
flurry  of  blows  that  dropped  Walcott 
were  partially  obscured  by  Louis'  back. 
The  motion  picture  account  skirts 
briskly  over  the  less  eventful  rounds, 
sparing  the  non-boxing  minded  any 
possible  tedium. 

Produced  by  Jay  Bonafield,  the  18- 
minute  subject  includes  a  dressing 
room  interview  with  the  victor.  It 
also  shows  some  candid  shots  of  such 
ringside  celebrities  as  Bob  Hope,  Jack 
Benny,  Eddie  Cantor,  Joan  Blondell, 
and  others.  M.H. 


Walsh  Remains  Aloof 
In  Park  Ave.  Dispute 

Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  inter- 
national president,  declined  yesterday 
to  arbitrate  the  projectionist  labor  dis- 
pute at  the  Park  Avenue  Theatre 
here.  Walsh  said  he  has  assigned 
"IA"  vice-president  James  J.  Bren- 
nan  to  act  as  negotiator  in  the  clash 
between  Universal-International,  op- 
erators of  the  house,  and  "IA"  local 
No.  306. 

Pending  resumption  of  talks,  the 
company  and  the  local  have  established 
a  "truce,"  which  brought  a  halt  to  a 
projectionists'  walkout  and  threatened 
counter-action  by  the  company.  Prime 
point  of  the  dispute  concerns  the  num- 
ber of  projectionists  to  be  stationed 
at  the  house. 


Increases  for  56  at 
RKO  Home  Office 

Wage  increases  ranging  from  $5.50 
to  $20  have  been  granted  some  56 
employes  of  RKO  Radio  and  RKO 
Theatre  Service  Corp.  in  an  award 
handed  down  by  the  American  Arbi- 
tration Association,  it  was  announced 
here  yesterday  by  the  Screen  Pub- 
licists Guild.  The  award  follows  the 
same  pattern  set  by  Warner,  20th 
Century-Fox  and  Eagle-Lion,  the  lat- 
ter having  been  settled  without 
arbitration. 


Cole  Trial  for  MGM 
Job  Set  for  Nov.  16 

Los  Angeles,  June  28. — Federal 
Court  Judge  Leon  Yankwich  today  set 
November  16  as  the  trial  date  for  Les- 
ter Cole's  suit  against  M-G-M  for 
restoration  of  his  employment  which 
was  terminated  following  House  Com- 
mittee on  Un-American  Activities 
hearings  in  Washington.  At  the  pre- 
trial hearing,  Judge  Yankwich  ruled 
that  the  case  will  be  tried  with  a  jury. 


FIRST 

IN 
FILM 
NEWS 


picruftE^i 


J 


Accurate 

Concise 

and 
Impartial 


63.   NO.  126 — IN  TWO  SECTIONS 
SECTION  ONE 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  30,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


5th  and  Walnut 
Trust  Suit  Won 
By  Defendants 


Jury  Finds  No  Evidence 
Of  Conspiracy,  Monopoly 


A  verdict  in  favor  of  the  defen- 
dants was  returned  in  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  here  yesterday  by  the 
jury  in  the  $2,100,000  anti-trust 
suit  brought  against  the  distributors 
by  the  Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement 
Corp.  of  Louisville.  The  jury  of  11 
men  and  one  woman,  after  deliberating 
for  nearly  four  hours,  held  that  there 
was  no  evidence  of  monopoly  or  con- 
spiracy on  the  part  of  the  defendants. 

Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibell  charged 
the  jury  for  three  hours,  pointing  out 
that  the  burden  of  proof  was  on  the 
plaintiff.  The  trial  was  in  progress 
for  about  seven  weeks. 

The  plaintiff  had  accused  the  de- 
fendants of  engaging  in  a  conspiracy 
(Continued  on  page  3,  section  I) 


6IA'  Bids  Lawmakers 
Attend  Convention 


Members  of  Congress  who  voted 
for  the  Taft-Hartley  Act  were  in- 
vited yesterday  to  attend  IATSE's 
international  convention  as  a  means 
of  finding  out  at  first  hand  whether 
America  needs  more  or  less  labor- 
control  legislation. 

The  bid  ■  came  from  Richard  F. 
Walsh,  "IA"  president.  He  said  Con- 
gressmen, the  press  and  public  may 
attend  the  biennial  gathering  of  the 
union  in  Cleveland  on  August  16. 
There,  he  declared,  they  will  find 
"conclusive  proof  that  the  duly  selected 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Oregon  Clearances 
Have  Been  Reduced 

Portland,  Ore.,  June  29.— In 
consequence  of  the  recent 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decision 
in  the  Paramount  case,  clear- 
ance schedules  for  Oregon 
theatres  have  been  moved  up 
from  seven  to  14  days  by 
most  film  exchanges  here. 

The  advanced  playdates, 
however,  have  not  been 
enough  to  overcome  the  sum- 
mer slump  which  finds  box- 
office  receipts  down  by  10  to 
15  per  cent  in  this  area. 


Mayer  Feted 
By  UJA  Here 


Motion  Picture  Association  of  Amer- 
ica president  Eric  A.  Johnston,  The- 
atre  Owners   of   America  president 
Ted   R.    Gamble,    industry  attorney 
Louis  Nizer  and 
James  D.  Mc- 
Donald,  U.  S. 
r  e  p  r  esentative 
-•Jj  '     to  Israel, 
last  night  cited 
before  a  gather- 
ing of  1,000  at 
the  Hotel  Astor 
here  the  indus- 
try, public  ser- 
vice and  philan- 
thropic activi- 
ties of  Louis  B. 
Mayer,  produc- 
tion  head  of 

Louis  B.  Maj-er  M-G-M 

The  occasion 
was  a  dinner  given  by  the  Amusement 
industry  division  of  the  United  Jewish 
Appeal,  under  the  chairmanship  of 
S.  H.  Fabian,  who  heads  the  amuse- 
ment group  of  UJA  in  the  New  York 
Metropolitan  area.  Gamble  was  toast- 
master. 

Johnston  presented  Mayer  with  a 
large  illuminated  scroll  of  appreciation 
in  behalf  of  the  industry. 

"The  story  of  Louis  B.  Mayer  is 
the  great  American  story  told  all  over 

(Continued  on  page  2,  section  I) 


Allied  Backs  20th's 
Conciliation  Plan 


_  West  End,  N.  J.,  June  29.  —  Na- 
tional Allied,  through  its  president, 
William  Ainsworth,  and  its  Eastern 
units,  through  their  respective  repre- 
sentatives, have  endorsed  fully  the 
local  grievance  committee  plan  estab- 
lished by  20th-Fox  in  Minneapolis  in 
cooperation  with  North  Central  Allied, 
to  be  made  applicable  by  20th  to  other 
territories. 

The  Allied  action  is  the  first 
formal  organizational  approval 

(Continued  on  page  3,  section  I) 


Lachman  Accepts 
Jersey  Presidency 


West  End,  N.  J.,  June  29.— Ed- 
ward Lachman,  who  has  been  presi- 
dent of  New  Jersey  Allied  for  the 
nast  two  years,  was  prevailed  upon  by 
the  organization's  membership  at  to- 
day's session  of  its  annual  convention 
to  accept  re-election.  Lachman  had 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


French  Reject  25% 
Tax  on  Film  Imports 

Paris,  June  29.— -The  French 
National  Assembly  voted  to- 
day 408  to  183  against  a  Com- 
munist proposal  to  tax  re- 
ceipts of  foreign  films  in 
France  25  per  cent  in  order 
to  provide  a  $3,300,000  subsidy 
for  the  French  film  industry. 
The  Assembly  also  deferred 
action  on  a  second  bill  to  set 
up  a  tax  on  French  and  for- 
eign films  according  to  foot- 
age by  sending  the  proposal 
back  to  committee  for  study. 


LeSieur  Heads  UA's 
Ad-Publicity  Dept. 

Howard  LeSieur,  assistant  director 
of  advertising-publicity  of  United 
Artists  since  January,  1947,  has  been 
named  director  of  that  department, 
it  was  an- 
nounced here 
yesterday  by 
Gradwell  L. 
Sears,  president 
of  the  company. 
He  succeeds 
Paul  N.  Laz- 
arus, Jr.,  who 
has  been  named 
executive  assis- 
tant to  Sears,  as 
previously  re- 
ported. LeSieur, 
with  the  com- 
pany since  1933 
after  five  years 

with  the  Hanff-Metzger  Advertising 
Agency    ( now    Buchanan   and    Co. ) , 
(Continued  on  page  2,  section  I) 


Howard  LeSieur 


'IT  Filming  Will 
Cease  in  August 


Hollywood,  June  29.  —  Universal 
officially  disclosed  today  that  the  studio 
will  have  no  pictures  shooting  during 
August,  and  all  personnel  whose  pres- 
ence is  not  required  by  editing,  scor- 
ing, or  other  post-shooting  operations, 
will  take  vacations  during  that  period. 
Although  the  studio  points  out  that 
the  plan  was  worked  out  prior  to  LT-I 
production  chief  William  Goetz's  de- 
parture for  England,  it  was  made  pos- 
sible by  a  large  backlog  of  completed 
films,  and  contemplates  a  September 
start  on  scripts  completed  during  the 
production  lull. 

Hollywood  observers,  however,  in- 
terpret the  arrangement  as  well  timed 
with  respect  to  possible  consequences 
of  an  actors  strike  in  August. 


Lords  Approve 
New  British 
Quota  Order 

Swinton  Warns  It  May 
Encourage  Poor  Films 

London,  June  29. — The  House 
of  Lords  today  approved  the  new' 
45  per  cent  film  quota  order  with- 
out division,  as  had  been  expected. 
Already  approved  by  Commons,  the 
order  is  now  law,  effective  next 
Oct.  1. 

Opposition  to  the  order  during  the 
debate  in  the  House  of  Lords  was 
limited  for  the  most  part  to  Lord 
Swinton,  former  president  of  the 
Board  of  Trade. 

In  replying  to  the  opposition,  Lord 
Chcrley,  government  spokesman,  stat- 
ed significantly  that  while  Harold 
Wilson,  Board  of  Trade  president,  had 
attempted  to  adopt  a  realistic  attitude 
in  establishing  the  new  percentage,  the 
quota  had  been  fixed  with  the  potenti- 
alities of  the  larger  circuits  in  mind. 

Lord  Chorley  admitted  that  British 
producers  are  perhaps  unduly  optimis- 
(Continued  on  page  3,  section  I) 


Say  New  U.S.  Film 
Embargo  Is  Unwise 


London,  June  29. — That  American 
companies  would  be  unwise  to  contem- 
plate another  withdrawal  from  the 
British  film  market  was  the  unani- 
mous view  of  the  London  branch  of 
the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Asso- 
ciation at  its  meeting  here  today. 

Holding  that  the  new  45  per  cent 
British  film  quota  is  ludicrous,  if  not 
tragic,  and  roundly  criticizing  J.  Ar- 
thur Rank,  the  meeting  nevertheless 
felt  it  would  not  only  be  bad  tactics 
but  worse  business  for  Americans  to 
pull  out  of  this  market  again. 

The  meeting  referred  to  Rank's  in- 
satiable appetite  and  his  "gluttonous 
(Continued  on  page  3,  section  I) 

Canada  Will  Not 
Restrict  FilmDollars 


Ottawa,  June  29.  —  After  sev- 
eral months  of  negotiations  between 
Ottawa  and  the  U.  S.  industry,  it  is 
definitelv  reported  now  that  the  $10,- 
000,000 "  to  $15,000,000  spent  annu- 
ally in  Canada  on  film  rentals  will 
continue  and  no  restrictive  measures 
will  be  adopted  by  the  government  to 
conserve  the  spending  of  U.  S.  film 
(Continued  on  page  3,  section  I) 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  30,  1948 


Services  Are  Held 
ForW.G.Underwood 


Dallas,  June  29. — Ned  Depinet  and 
Sam  Dembow,  from  New  York,  were 
among  the  scores  of  film  industry 
leaders  who  attended  funeral  services 
here  today  for  William  G.  Underwood, 
pioneer  in  distribution  and  exhibition. 
Underwood,  who  was  72,  died  Sunday 
morning  in  a  Dallas  hospital  after  a 
six-week  illness. 

Underwood  was  founder  of  the  Un- 
derwood and  Ezell  circuit,  which  con- 
trols and  operates  17  theatres  and 
drive-ins — mostly  drive-ins — in  Texas, 
and  in  which  Claude  C.  Ezell  is  a 
partner. 

Underwood,  who  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago, moved  to  Dallas  in  1915.  He 
was  in  the  theatre  business  in  Texas 
for  45  years. 

A  Mason  and  a  Shriner,  Underwood 
also  was  a  member  of  the  V ariety 
Club  of  Texas  and  a  member  of  the 
Dallas  Athletic  Club. 

Surviving  are  the  widow  and  a 
daughter  as  well  as  a  brother  and  two 
sisters.  Pallbearers  included  Depinet 
and  Dembow,  Eph  Charninsky,  Ezell, 
Lowell  Russell  and  Albert  Revnolds. 


RKO  Directors  Set 
To  Meet  on  Coast 

Directors  of  RKO  are  scheduled  to 
leave  here  for  the  Coast  after  July 
4th  to  visit  the  company's  studios  and 
to  meet  Howard  Hughes,  the  com- 
pany's new  controlling  head.  During 
their  stay  in  Hollywood  the  directors 
will  hold  their  next  board  meeting, 
with  July  10  as  the  probable  date. 


Capra  An  Alternate 
For  UNESCO  Meet 

Washington,  June  29.  —  Producer 
Frank  Capra  has  been  named  by  Pres- 
ident Truman  as  an  alternate  U.  S. 
delegate  to  the  third  general  confer- 
ence of  the  United  Nations  Education- 
al, Social  and  Cultural  Organization, 
to  be  held  this  fall. 


LeSieur  Promoted 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

started  as  advertising  production  man- 
ager. In  1935  he  added  the  duties  of 
house  magazine  editor,  after  which  he 
was  promoted  to  sales  promotion  man- 
ager. In  1944  he  became  advertising 
manager,  from  which  post  he  was 
named  assistant  director  of  advertis- 
ing-publicity. 


J.  R.  Donnelly,  Exhibitor 

Atlanta,  June  29. — James  R.  Don- 
iv  lly,  37,  vice-president  of  the  Sevier 
Theatre  Corp.,  Johnson  City,  Tenn., 
died  of  a  heart  attack  at  his  home 
there. 


Kriedberg  to  St.  Louis 

Minneapolis,  June  29. — Conrad 
Kriedberg,  Selznick  Releasing  Organ- 
ization sales  manager  here,  has  been 
transferred  to  St.  Louis  for  a  special 
assignment. 


Personal  Mention 


LYNN  FARNOL,  Eastern  adver- 
tising-publicity director  for  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn  Productions,  will  leave 
here  for  the  Coast  on  Friday  before 
starting  a  vacation  in  Colorado. 
• 

Samuel  Weiss,  former  Eagle-Lion 
branch  manager  in  St.  Louis,  and 
Joseph  Bohn,  E-L  branch  manager 
in  Indianapolis,  have  joined  the  sales 
staff  of  Lee  Goldberg,  Realart  distrib- 
utor in  the  Cincinnati  and  Indianapolis 
territories. 

• 

Jack  Ochs,  associated  with  his 
father,  Herbert  Ochs,  in  the  opera- 
tion of  a  drive-in  circuit  in  Ohio  and 
Canada,  will  be  married  to  Grace 
Couden  on  July  24  in  Christ  of  the 
King  Church,  East  Cleveland. 
• 

Michael  Piccirillo,  formerly  with 
Loew's  Theatres  in  New  York,  has 
been  appointed  manager  of  the  Center 
Theatre  in  Hartford,  succeeding  Jack 
Simons  who  is  now  managing  direc- 
tor of  the  Beacon  Theatre  here. 
• 

Bernard  Stewart,  manager  of  the 
Astor  Theatre,  Boston,  has  resigned 
to  go  to  California.  Jeff  Sullivan, 
former  manager  of  the  Loew's  State 
in  Boston,  has  succeeded  Stewart. 
• 

Nancy  Sawyer  Jacocks,  daughter 
of  Irving  J.  Jacocks  who  is  treasurer 
of  the  MPTO  of  Connecticut,  was 
married  last  weekend  to  John  E. 
Taft  in  Banford,  Conn. 

• 

Larry  Caplane,  manager  of  the 
RKO  Grand  in  Columbus,  O.,  will 
become  manager  of  the  RKQ  Brandeis 
in  Omaha  on  July  20. 

• 

Peter  Perakos  of  Perakos  Theatres 
in  New  Britain,  Conn.,  is  observing 
his  41st  year  in  the  motion  picture 
business. 

• 

Harold  Lancaster,  manager  of  the 
Strand  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  and  Mrs. 
Lancaster  have  become  parents  of 
a  son. 

• 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg,  president  of 
Monogram   Southern  '  exchanges,  has 
returned  to  his  Atlanta  headquarters 
from  New  York  and  Washington. 
• 

Maurice  Kallis,  Universal-Inter- 
national studio  advertising  art  direc- 
tor, has  returned  to  Hollywood  from 
New  York. 

• 

Wallace  Beery  and  his  daughter, 
Carol  Ann  Beery,  are  in  town  from 
the  Coast. 

Sam  Schbouf,  manager  of  Loew's 
Poli  Lyric  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  is 
vacationing  in  Florida. 

• 

Joe  Dumas,  Republic  office  man- 
ager in  Atlanta,  hafs  returned  to  his 
post  after  several  weeks'  illness. 
• 

Deveraux  Bessif.v,  vice-president 
of  Stevens  Pictures,  Miami,  is  in  Hol- 
lywood. 

• 

R.  M.  Savini,  Astor  Pictures  presi- 
dent, is  in  Hollywood  from  New  York. 


P  J.   A.   McCARTHY,  Universal- 
*■  •  International    Southern   and  Ca- 
nadian sales  manager,  will  return  to 
New  York  today  from  Atlanta. 
• 

Hal  Dawson,  motion  picture  repre- 
sentative for  Dell  Publishing,  has 
been  elected  managing  director  for' the 
Association  of  Screen  Magazine  Pub- 
lishers, succeeding  Homer  Rockwell, 
president,  whose  term  of  office  expired 
on  June  1. 

• 

Mollie  Prince,  head  of  the  J. 
Arthur  Rank  print  traffic  department 
here,  will  leave  New  York  today  for 
the  Coast. 

• 

Adele  Harris,  daughter  of  Ted 
Harris  of  the  State  Theatre,  Hart- 
ford, and  Mrs.  Harris,  was  married 
recently  to  Samuel  Feingold  of  Hart- 
ford. 

• 

Monty  Shaff,  producer  of  "Man- 
Eater  of  Kumaon"  has  arrived  in  New 
York  from  the  Coast  for  the  premiere 
of  the  film  tomorrow  at  the  Winter 
Garden. 

Harry  Schiffrin,  formerly  with 
the  Warner  staff  in  Buffalo,  has  be- 
come United  Artists  salesman  in  New 
Haven. 

• 

Ben  Bartzoff,  theatre  and  adver- 
tising executive,  will  open  his  radio 
station,  WVOM,  in  Brookline,  Mass., 
shortly. 

• 

Slocum  Chapin,  account  executive 
for    American     Broadcasting  radio 
sales,  has  been  named  Eastern  sales 
manager  for  ABC  Television. 
• 

Al  Brandon,  former  M-G-M  sales- 
man in  Denver  and  Texas  territories, 
has  joined  Realart  as  salesman  in 
Denver. 

• 

Rose  Travers  of  the  Eagle-Lion 
non-theatrical  department  here  will  be 
married  on  Saturday  to  Austin  Fitz- 
gerald. 

• 

Jack  Ellis,  United  Artists  New 
York  district  manager,  is  in  Glovers- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  from  here. 

• 

Earl  Wright,  Columbia  salesman 
in  Chicago,  has  been  transferred  to 
the  New  Haven  exchange. 

• 

Dick  Perry,  United  Artists  sales- 
man in  New  York,  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  Albany,  N.  Y. 

• 

Isador  M.  Rappaport,  owner  of  the 
Hippodrome  in  Baltimore,  is  a  New 
York  visitor. 

e 

John  J.   Maloney,  M-G-M  Cen- 
tral sales  manager,  has  returned  to 
Pittsburgh  from  New  York. 
• 

Edward  M.  Saunders,  M-G-M  as- 
sistant general  sales  manager,  is  va- 
cationing in  Maine  and  Canada. 
• 

Jack  Cummings,  M-G-M  producer, 
left  Boston  yesterday  for  the  Coast. 
• 

Sam  Galanty,  Columbia  district 
manager,  is  in  Cleveland  from  here. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


T~\EWEY  and  Warren  heading  the 
Republican  ticket  are  the  news-l 
reel  highlights.  International  and  na-\ 
tional  affairs  as  well  as  sports  and  hu- 
man interest  items  round  out  the  reels. 
Complete  contents  follozv: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  52.— War- 
ren nominated  for  vice-president.  Germany: 
U.  S.  Military  Government  issues  ne«^"ir- 
rency.  V  iolence  in  Holy  Land.  L  c  A 
Mountbatten  returns  to  England,  m  .s 
America  of  1947  gets  a  new  title  of  Trause- 
wife.  Joe  Louis  quits  ring.  Germany: 
Soap-box  derby. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  286— Berlin 
under  Red  seige.  Red  rubber  ship  set  afire. 
The  Warrens  meet  the  Deweys.  Patty  Berg 
wins  open  golf  title.  India  bids  farewell 
to  Lord  Mountbatten. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS.  No.  88.— Berlin: 
New  days  of  crisis.  Tito  in  Yugoslavia. 
Lord  Mountbatten's  farewell  to  India. 
Haganah  forces  clash  with  Irgunists.  GOP 
set  for  big  campaign.  Dewey  and  Warren. 
Joe  Louis  retires.  Patty  Berg  wins  golf 
title. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWS,  No.  156.— War- 
ren nominated  for  vice-president.  Lord 
Mountbatten  leaves  India.  Strike  in  France. 
Colorado  beetles.  Telescopic  ladder.  Water 
skating.  Mechanical  surfboard.  Soap-box 
derby. 

WARNER  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  91.— 

Warren  on  Dewey  ticket.  Count  Bernadotte 
in  Rhodes.  Miss  America  is  married.  Lord 
Mountbatten  leaves  India.  French  bathing 
suits. 


Mayer  Honored 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


again,"  the  MPAA  president  said  in 
making  the  presentation,  adding  that 
"it  is  the  Louis  B.  Mayers  who  have 
made  this  country  great  and  who  are 
the  timeless  inspirations  for  others  to 
follow  in  the  sturdy  paths  which  they 
have  beaten." 

Hailing  Mayer  as  "a  leader  in  one 
of  the  noblest  causes  of  our  times," 
Johnston  said  that  "the  United  Jewish 
Appeal  is  not  the  cause  alone  for  those 
of  the  Jewish  faith."  "It  is  a  cause 
for  all  Americans,"  he  declared.  "It 
is  humanity's  cause." 

The  following  were  invited  to  the 
dais,  besides  those  previously  men- 
tioned : 

Samuel  Leidesdorf,  Herman  Rob- 
bins,  David  Weinstock,  Jack  Cohn, 
Albert  Warner,  Hugo  Rogers,  Vin- 
cent Impelliteri,  T.  O.  Thackrey, 
Dr.  Jonah  B.  Wise,  Barney  Bala- 
ban,  Albert  Lasker,  J.  T.  Mc- 
Donald, Will  H.  Hays,  J.  Robert 
Rubin,  Emil  Friedlander,.  Bert  Lytell, 
Sylvan  Gotshal,  Max  Gordon,  Mal- 
colm Kingsberg,  Richard  F.  Walsh, 
George  J.  Schaefer,  Steve  Broidy, 
Julius  Joelson,  Gael  Sullivan,  Charles 
Strausberg,  Fred  Schwartz. 

Also,  George  Skouras,  Marvin 
Schenck,  Leopold  Friedman,  William 
F.  Rodgers,  Joseph  R.  Vogel,  Charles 
Moskowitz,  Leonard  Goldenson,  Gus 
Eyssell,  Max  Cohen,  Harry  Brandt, 
William  German,  Sam  Rinzler,  Sam 
Rosen,  Martin  Quigley,  James  Mul- 
vey,  Jack  Alicoate,  Chick  Lewis,  Wal- 
ter Vincent,  Walter  Reade,  Jr.,  Wil- 
liam Brandt,  William  Klein  and  Billy 
Rose. 

Balaban,  Fabian  and  Friedlander 
were  co-chairmen  of  the  affair.  Wein- 
stock was  chairman  of  arrangements, 
and  Cohen  headed  the  reception  com- 
mittee. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,' Vice-President ;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  .T.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London,  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Othei  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  cl.iss  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreien;  single  copies.  10c. 

PUBLISHED  JUNE  30,  1948  IN  TWO  SECTIONS— SECTION  ONE 


r  1Kb  1 

MOTION  PICTURE 

JL  ▼  mMm                      Mm      JL    ^^mW    JL   ^            Mm       Mm    ^^m**      Mm  JL%<AmT 

Accurate 

IN 

■  ^  ATT  "\7m 

Concise 

FILM 

and 

NEWS 

1 

JLKA.1  JL  I 

Impartial 

OL.  63.  NO.  126 — IN  TWO  SECTIONS 
SECTION  TWO 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  WEDNESDAY  JUNE  30,  1948 


TEN  CENTS 


Big  Production 
Spurt  on  Coast 


Hollywood,  June  29. — The  produc- 
tion tally  has  spurted  to  43  from  last 
week's  36.  Work  started  on  12  new 
films  while  five  were  sent  to  cutting 
rooms. 

Shooting  started  on  "Boston  Black- 
ie's  Honor,"  "Wings  Westward," 
"Challenge  of  the  Range"  and  "Song 
of  India"  (Gibraltar),  all  Columbia; 
"Tulsa"  (Wanger),  Eagle-Lion;  "The 
Heiress"  (Wyler),  Paramount;  "The 
Denver  Kid,"  Republic ;  "Tarzan  and 
the  Arrow  of  Death"  (Lesser),  RKO 
Radio ;  "Sand"  and  "Bungalow  13" 
(Belsam),  20th  Century-Fox;  "Black 
Velvet,"  Universal-International ;  and 
"Night  Beat,"  Warner.  Shooting  fin- 
ished on  "The  Dark  Past,"  Columbia; 
"The  Strange  Mrs.  Crane"  (Suther- 
land), Eagle-Lion;  "The  Plunderers" 
and  "Son  of  God's  Country,"  Repub- 
lic; "My  Dream  Is  Yours"  (Curtiz), 
Warner. 


Additional  Drive-ins 
Planned  in  the  Field 


Numerous  new  drive-ins  have  been 
opened  all  over  the  country,  besides 
many  others  contemplated,  Motion 
Picture  Daily  field  correspondents 
report.  Among  them  are  the  follow- 
ing: 

The  Sundown  Auto  Theatre  has 
opened  in  Springfield,  Mass.  Heading 
the  ownership  is  Owen  Holmes,  for- 
mer owner  of  the  Auto  Vision  Thea- 
tre, Albany,  N.  Y.  Rapp  and  Rapp, 
Chicago  theatre  architects,  have  com- 
pleted plans  for  the  Sonoma  Realty 
Co.  to  build  a  1,000-car  drive-in  at 
Niles,  Mich.  Alex  Manta  of  Chicago 
heads  the  company.  Plans  call  for 
a  summer  opening.  Cost  is  estimated 
at  $200,000. 

DeVry,  equipment  manufacturers, 
reports  its  products  are  being  in- 
stalled in  drive-ins  at  the  following 
locations :  Muncie,  Ind. ;  San  Diego, 
Cal. ;  Thomasville  and  Moultrie,  Ga. ; 
Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  Sioux  City,  la. ; 
Wilmington,  O. ;  Springfield,  O. ;  St. 

(Continued  on  page  3,  Section  II) 


Research  Council  to 
Aid  Theatre  Sound 

Hollywood,  June  29.  — Mo- 
tion Picture  Research  Coun- 
cil has  released  and  made 
available  to  exhibitors,  on  re- 
quest, a  technical  bulletin  de- 
scribed as  an  "aid  to  securing 
the  best  possible  sound  re- 
production from  all  types  of 
sound  equipment." 


1948  Key  Grosses  to  Date 
Compared  with  Last  Year  's 

Recovering  from  the  10  per  cent  dip  during  the  first  four  months  of  1948, 
theatre  grosses  in  key  cities  leveled  off  in  May,  according  to  reports  on  some 
160  situations  received  from  Motion  Picture  Daily  field  correspondents, 
and  compare  with  corresponding  weeks  of  1947  as  follows : 


1948 

Week 

Ending 

Jan.  2-3  .. 
Jan.  9-10  . 
Jan.  16-17 


Jan. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 


23-24  . 
30-31  . 
6-7  .. 
13-14  . 
20-21  . 
Feb.  27-28  . 
Mar.  5-6  .. 
Mar.'  12-13 
Mar.  19-20 
Mar.  26-27 
April  2-3  .. 
April  9-10  . 
April  16-17 
April  23-24  . 
April  30-May  1... 
May  7-8  .. 
May  14-15 
May  21-22 
May  28-29 


Average 

No.  of 

Total 

Per 

Theatres  Gross 

Theatre 

179 

$3,406,600 

$19,031 

168 

3,112,700 

18,528 

168 

2,473,300 

14,722 

166 

2,419,000 

14,572 

166 

2,341,900 

14,108 

167 

2,537,800 

15,196 

166 

2,381,500 

14,546 

164 

2,316,500 

14,125 

167 

2,734,100 

16,372 

165 

2,372,700 

14,380 

165 

2.441,800 

14,799 

175 

2,626,800 

15,010 

162 

2,356,800 

14,548 

171 

2,953,500 

17,272 

169 

2,740,000 

16.213 

..  175 

2,493,600 

14,249 

167 

2,284,000 

13,677 

..  159 

2,232,300 

14,040 

167 

2,416,500 

14,470 

167 

2,301,200 

13,780 

149 

2,118,300 

14,217 

158 

2,241,100 

14,184 

1947 

Week 

Ending 

Jan.  3-4 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 
Mar. 


No.  of  Total 

Theatres  Gross 


..  167 

10-11    173 

17-18    173 

24-25    176 


1. 


April  4-5 
April 
April 
April 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 


3 -Feb. 

7-8   

14-15   

21-22   

28- Mar.  1. 

7-8   

14-15   

21-22   

28-29   


181 
177 
177 
182 
166 
178 
174 
173 
178 
179 

11-12    184 

18-19    177 

25-26    183 

2-3    177 

9-10    175 

16-17    176 

23-24    169 

30-31    173 


$3,678,100 
3,363,200 
3,007,300 
3,043,700 
2,293,600 
3,089,600 
2,767,900 
3,042,700 
2,800,300 
2,906,400 
2,890,300 
2,922,900 
3,069,500 
2,838,800 
2,239,500 
2,973,400 
2,917,900 
2,699,800 
2,578,100 
2,650,400 
2,369,100 
2,590,100 


Average 

Per 
Theatre 

$22,024 
19,400 
17,383 
17,294 
18,197 
17,495 
15,638 
16,718 
16,869 
16,328 
16,610 
16,895 
17,245 
15,859 
17.606 
16,798 
15,945 
15,253 
15,732 
15,059 
14,018 
14.972 


Scores  Over-Buying 
Of  Foreign  Pictures 

Box-office  slump  currently  being 
experienced  by  foreign  language  pic- 
tures in  New  York  and  the  reduction 
in  the  number  of  first-run  foreign  film 
theatres  here  are  the  result  of  the  in- 
clination of  most  importers  at  this 
point  to  give  greater  consideration  to 
quantity  rather  than  quality  in  acquir- 
ing overseas  product,  in  the  opinion 
of  Ilya  Lopert,  head  of  Lopert  Films, 
who  returned  here  recently  from  Paris. 

Lopert  pointed  out  that  the  number 
of  first-run  foreign  language  houses 
in  New  York  has  dropped  from  22  to 
17.  He  said  that  foreign  pictures  have 
been  unable  to  escape  the  general  drop- 
off in  theatre  business  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  their  "select"  audiences 
have  become  regular  patrons.  Even 
"art"  house  customers  shop  for  enter- 
tainment, he  said. 

While  in  Paris,  Lopert  acquired  two 
films  for  U.  S.  distribution  to  be  re- 
leased in  the  fall. 


Kentucky  Owners  To 
Pick  Board  July  9 

Louisville,  June  29. — Annual  elec- 
tion of  directors  of  the  Kentucky  As- 
sociation of  Theatre  Owners  will  be 
conducted  on  July  9. 

Twelve  board  members  are  to  be 
elected.  Candidates  are  Ned  Greene, 
Leon  Pickle,  Mrs.  Gratia  Locke,  Ken- 
neth Arnold,  W.  Bruce  Aspley,  J. 
Van  Snook,  Gene  Lutes,  L.  O.  Davis, 
W.  T.  Cain,  Mrs.  O.  J.  Minnix,  Lew 
Hensler  and  E.  L.  Ornstein. 


MajorsReportToday 
OnTheatreHoldings 


The  five  theatre-owning  defendants 
in  the  industry  anti-trust  case  will  file 
with  the  New 1  York  Federal  Court 
today  quarterly  reports  on  their  the- 
atre holdings,  as  directed  by  the  court 
here  in  its  decree.  It  is  understood, 
however,  that  the  companies  will  re- 
serve the  question  of  the  necessity  of 
the  reports,  the  feeling  being  that  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court  in  its  opinion 
failed  to  make  this  point  clear. 

Actually,  for  the  most  part  previous 
reports  have  constituted  little  more 
than  a  formality,  the  companies  having 
declared  no  reduced  or  increased  in- 
terests in  exhibition  in  previous  re- 
ports. 


Boosted  Scales  for 
Loew's  State  Here 

New  price  policy  to  go  into  effect 
at  Loew's  State  here  beginning  with 
this  morning's  world  premiere  of 
"Easter  Parade,"  follows :  New  week- 
day prices  will  be  80  cents  to  one 
P.M.,  $1.20  to  six  P.M.  and  $1.50 
thereafter.  Old  scales  were  55  cents 
to  one  P.M.,  80  cents  to  five  P.M. 
and  $1.25  thereafter. 

What  the  new  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day prices  will  be  has  not  been  de- 
cided. Saturday  prices  have  been  70 
cents  to  one  P.M.,  85  cents  to  five 
P.M.  and  $1.25  to  closing.  Old  Sun- 
day scales  were  80  cents  to  one  P.M* 
$1  to  five  P.M.,  $1.25  to  10:30  P.M. 
and  80  cents  to  closing.  The  policy 
of  seven  shows  daily  will  be  retained. 


UA  Labor  Hearing 
At  NLRB  Tomorrow 


Clash  between  AFL's  IATSE  and 
CIO's  Screen  Office  and  Professional 
Employes  Guild  over  labor  jurisdic- 
tion at  United  Artists'  home  office  will 
get  its  second  airing  at  the  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  office  here  to- 
morrow at  a  conference  before  NLRB 
field  examiner  Arthur  Younger. 

The  conference,  to  be  participated 
in  by  representatives  of  "IA"  Local 
No.  H-63,  SOPEG  and  U.A.,  is  ex- 
pected to  result  in  the  setting  by 
Younger  of  a  date  for  an  NLRB  elec- 
tion among  UA's  home  office  "white 
collar"  workers. 

At  an  earlier  conference  Younger 
delayed  setting  an  election  date  pend- 
ing the  handing  down  of  a  decision  in 
(.Continued  on  page  3,  Section  II) 


Admission  Taxes 
Continue  to  Drop 

Washington,  June  29. — Theatre 
business  in  April  continued  well  be- 
low 1947  levels,  making  February  the 
only  month  this  year  when  box-office 
receipts  exceeded  those  of  1947,  ac- 
cording to  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue 
figures. 

General  admission  tax  collections  in 
May,  reflecting  April  box-office  busi- 
ness, totaled  $28,309,290,  close  to  $3,- 
000,000  below  the  $31,266,930  collect- 
ed in  May,  1947.  May  collections  were 
also  well  below  collections  in  April, 
1948,  which  amounted  to  $31,146,236. 

These  figures  are  only  for  general 
admissions,  including  sporting  events, 
legitimate  theatres,  and  other  admis- 
sions, as  well  as  motion  picture  thea- 
tres. They  do  not  cover  cabaret  taxes 
or  taxes  on  various  ticket  overcharges 
and  premiums.  All  admission  collec- 
tions in  May,  1948,  covering  all  of 
these  categories,  totaled  $32,167,271, 
compared  with  $36,145,428  in  May, 
1947. 


$2,000,000  Martin 
Building  Program 

Atlanta,  June  29.  —  E.  D. 
Martin  Theatres  will  spend 
$2,000,000  for  new  theatres  in 
Alabama,  Georgia  and  Florida. 
Theatres  are  to  be  con- 
structed in  Columbus,  Ga. ; 
Sylcauga,  Ala.;  Bainbridge, 
Ga.;  Opelika,  Ala.;  Talladega, 
Ala.;  Phenix  City,  Ala.  and 
drive-ins  in  Columbus  and 
Marietta,  Ga.  Their  affiliates 
are  now  building  in  Hawkins- 
ville,  Ga.,  and  Tavares,  Fla. 


and  Marlene  around  — I  wonder  why 
they  ever  sent  10,000  ping  pong 
tables  to  Army  recreational  halls?" 


WE  PREDICT: 
One  Person  Will  Tell  Another 
"It's  The  Funniest  Picture  I 
Ever  Saw!'' 


Paramount^ 


World  Premiere  NOW 

DOORS  OPEN  8:30  A.M.-55*  TO  1  P.  M.  ^Sj^t&u^ 


Times  Square  •  Midnight  Feature  Nightly 


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Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  30,  1948 


Telecasters'  Confab 
On  Democrats'  Meet 


Representatives  of  the  18  television 
stations  which  pooled  to  cover  the 
Republican  Party  convention  in  Phila- 
delphia last  week,  will  meet  here  Fri- 
day at  the  office  of  Mutual  Broad- 
casting's J.  R.  Poppele  for  a  review 
of  the  assignment  and  to  consider  pos- 
sible improvements  in  handling  the 
Democratic  convention,  opening  July 
12  in  the  same  city. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  Paramount's 
reproduction  of  Gov.  Dewey's  accept- 
ance speech  at  its  Broadway  show- 
case will  come  up  for  discussion,  Pop- 
pele said,  but  as  reported  yesterday, 
legal  action  is  not  contemplated. 

Paramount  originally  had  applied 
for  authorization  from  the  pool,  offer- 
ing to  share  the  coaxial  cable  costs, 
but  was  refused.  As  of  yesterday  it 
had  not  sought  rights  for  the  television 
pictures  of  the  Democratic  conclave. 


'FriscoTheatre  Opens; 
2  More  Are  Planned 

San  Francisco,  June  29. — Golden 
State's  El  Rev  Theatre  in  Chico,  a 
900-seat  showcase  replacing  the  Amer- 
ican which  burned,  has  been  opened 
here. 

Two  other  new  houses  are  planned 
for  South  San  Francisco.  A  $60,000, 
500-seat  house  is  to  be  built  by  Charles 
Ide  in  Soquel,  and  the  Arthur  Mayer- 
Joseph  Jacobs  theatre  at  Capitola, 
construction  of  which  was  halted  sev- 
eral months  ago  by  Federal  regula- 
tions, has  been  resumed.  It  will  cost 
about  $70,000. 


Minneapolis  Combine 
In  Deal  with  Para. 

_  Minneapolis,  June  29.— After  a 
six-month  so-called  "boycott"  of  Para- 
mount product  due  to  disagreement 
over  terms.  Independent  Theatres  As- 
sociation, Minneapolis  buying  combine 
of  27  members,  submitted  a  deal  to  the 
Paramount  exchange  here  and  it  has 
been  approved  by  the  home  office. 

Meanwhile,  Theatre  Associates, 
largest  of  the  Minneapolis  buying 
combines,  is  still  holding  out  against 
Paramount's  terms  after  almost  two 
years  of  intermittent  negotiations. 


Schreiber  Quits  Century 

Edward  Schreiber,  for  the  last  two 
years  advertising-publicity  director 
for  Century  Theatres,  has  resigned,  ef- 
fective tomorrow,  to  enter  business 
outside  the  film  industry. 

Schreiber  began  in  the  industry  at 
Warners  13  years  ago  and  left  during 
the  war  to  head  the  advertising  and 
publicity  department  of  the  WAC.  Af- 
ter a  year  as  partner  in  a  public  rela- 
tions agency,  he  took  the  post  with 
Century. 


Benedict  on  U-I  Stint 

Lowell  Benedict,  former  M-G-M 
magazine  contact,  has  joined  the  Uni- 
versal-International publicity  staff  as 
a  temporary  replacement  for  Jeff  Liv- 
ingston who  has  been  assigned  to  spe- 
cial duties  for  J.  Arthur  Rank's 
"Hamlet." 


Reviews 


"The  Twisted  Road" 

(RKO  Radio) 

AN  unusual  screen  attempt  to  examine  human  emotions  in  the  extremity 
of  fear  and  hopelessness  is  made  in  "The  Twisted  Road."  The  story 
of  two  young  lovers  in  a  grim  flight  from  the  police,  it  unfolds  with  relent- 
less drive.  As  entertainment,  it  should  have  especially  strong  appeal  to  patrons 
whose  tastes  go  beyond  the  formula  plots.  The  cast  assembled  is  an  extremely 
effective  one,  headed  by  Cathy  O'Donnell  and  Farley  Granger  as  the  young 
lovers,  and  including  Howard  Da  Silva,  Jay  C.  Flippen,  William  Phipps, 
and  Ian  Wolfe. 

What  is  most  striking  about  the  Charles  Schnee  screenplay  is  the  credibility 
of  its  situations,  made  all  the  more  so  by  excellent  camera  work.  Granger, 
convinced  that  he  was  "railroaded"  to  prison,  escapes  with  two  hardened 
lifers,  Da  Silva  and  Flippen.  At  a  hideaway  Granger  meets  and  eventually 
marries  Miss  O'Donnell.  Thoughts  of  starting  life  anew  fill  the  pair  and 
they  even  toy  with  the  hope  of  being  eventually  cleared  through  legal  aid. 
However,  Granger  finds  that  his  past  delinquencies  have  too  much  momentum 
to  be  sidetracked.  His  prison  pals  force  him  to  participate  in  new  crimes, 
and  even  after  their  death,  he  finds  he  cannot  escape  the  grip  of  circum- 
stances. What  is  worse,  Granger  in  time  finds  himself  resorting  to  the  same 
brutalities  that  made  his  pals  so  despicable.  As  seems  fated,  a  fusillade  of 
bullets  ends  Granger's  life. 

Performances  are  superb  all  around.  Many  fascinating  touches  stud  the 
film,  not  the  least  of  which  is  singer  Marie  Bryant  in  a  nightclub  rendition 
of  "Your  Red  Wagon."  There  are  some  occasional  heavy  stretches  in  the 
John  Houseman  production,  but  for  the  most  part  it  is  strong  and  compelling 
entertainment.  Nichols  Ray  has  directed  with  distinction. 

Running  time,  95  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Set  for  July  release. 

Mandel  Herbstman 


"The  End  of  the  River" 

{Prestige-  Universal-International) 

A JUNGLE  adventure  drama  that  has  many  of  the  allurements  of  a  trave- 
logue has  been  sent  here  by  J.  Arthur  Rank,  for  Prestige  Pictures  release. 
It  is  the  story  of  an  Indian  boy  and  his  struggles  to  find  a  place  for  himself  in 
a  seemingly  hostile  world.  The  picture  was  mostly  photographed  in  Brazil. 
Produced  by  Michael  Powell  and  Emeric  Pressburger,  and  starring  Sabu,  it 
suggests  many  merchandising  angles  for  the  selective  audience. 

The  opening  has  Sabu  on  trial  as  a  killer,  the  story  then  proceeding  to  tell 
in  restrospect  all  the  hardships  that  befell  the  young  Indian  boy.  When  a  child 
his  entire  family  was  massacred  by  an  evil  tribal  leader,  and  the  incident 
burned  into  his  memory.  Through  adolescence  he  gets  a  variety  of  jobs  and 
is  almost  continually  beaten  or  exploited  by  white  employers.  His  misfortunes 
culminate  in  the  murder  of  a  man. who  symbolizes  for  him  the  same  evil  that 
wiped  out  his  family.  An  acquittal  ends  the  story,  with  the  boy  going  to  the 
end  of  the  river  to  live  with  his  wife  in  harmony. 

Bibi  Ferreira  offers  a  naturalistic  portrayal  as  the  yeung  wife.  The  char- 
acterization of  a  seaman's  trade  union  as  a  totalitarian  outfit  that  deceives  its 
membership  and  finally  makes  a  thrust  at  overthrowing  the  government,  may 
provoke  objection  from  labor-conscious  circles.  Wolfgang  Wilhelm  did  the 
screenplay,  from  the  Desmond  Holdridge  novel.  Derek  Twist  directed. 
A  production  of  The  Archers,  the  British  Philharmonia  Orchestra  was  under 
Muir  Mathieson's  direction. 

Running  time  80  minutes.   General  audience  classification.   For  July  release. 

M.  H. 


16  Fathoms  Deep 

[Monogram)  Hollywood,  June  29 

FIRST  feature  picture  to  be  filmed  in  Ansco  Color  and  it  has  a  good  deal 
apart  from  that  circumstance  to  recommend  it  as  box-office  material.  The 
presence  of  Lon  Chaney,  Arthur  Lake  and  John  Qualen  in  principal  roles  takes 
care  of  marquee  needs,  and  the  subject  matter — built  around  sponge  fishing  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico — has  the  appeal  of  the  unique.  Additionally,  the  melo- 
dramatic action,  toward  which  the  picture  builds  slowly,  generates  a  highly 
satisfactory  degree  of  suspense.  The  scene  is  principially  Tarpon  Springs,  Fla., 
beautifully  caught  by  Ansco  cameras,  and  there  is  a  wealth  of  undersea 
material  with  a  charm  of  its  own. 

The  story,  by  Eustace  L.  Adams  and  screenplay  by  Max  Trell,  present 
Chaney  as  an  unprincipled  dealer  in  the  sponge-fishing  trade,  Qualen  as  an 
elderly  captain  whose  boat  Chaney  takes  from  him  by  chicanery  and  seeks  to 
retain  by  thwarting  the  new  owner  (Eric  Reldary)  in  his  effort  to  finance  his 
purchase  by  making  a  first  catch  equal  to  the  required  payment.  The  attempt 
to  sabotage  the  voyage  results  in  a  murder,  for  which  Chaney  pays  with  his 
life,  unofficially,  when  the  enraged  fishermen  learn  what  has  happened  and 
close  in  on  him.  Lake  supplies  comedy  relief  as  a  tourist  with  a  camera. 
Others  in  the  cast  are  Lloyd  Bridges,  Tanis  Chandler,  Ian  MacDonald,  Dickie 
Moore,  Happy  Cheshire,  John  Bibifer,  Frant  Means  and  Allen  Mathews.  It  is 
an  Arthur  Lake  production,  produced  by  James  S.  Burkett  and  Irving  Allen 
and  directed  by  the  latter. 

Running  time,  83  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  25.  William  R.  Weaver 


FCC  Probe  in  Work 
In  48  Hrs:  Harness 


Washington,  June  29.  —  House 
Speaker  Martin  today  named  Rep. 
Harness  of  Indiana  chairman  of  a 
special  committee  to  investigate  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission. 

Harness,  who  sponsored  the  resolu- 
tion to  set  up  the  committee  which 
was  passed  in  the  closing  hours  off 
Congress,  said  he  hopes  to  have  a\, 
staff  at  work  in  48  hours. 

Other  members  of  the  committee  are 
Republican  Representatives  Hall  of 
New  York  and  Elston  of  Ohio,  and 
Democratic  Congressmen  Priest  of 
Tennessee  and  Harris  of  Arkansas. 

A  Senate  Interstate  Commerce  sub- 
committee is  also  planning  to  spend 
part  of  the  summer  and  fall  looking 
into  the  FCC. 


District  Theatres9 
27th  a  First-Run 

Washington,  June  29.  —  District 
Theatres  has  acquired  the  1,400-seat 
Royal  Theatre  in  Baltimore,  bringing 
to  27  the  number  of  theatres  it  is  now 
operating  in  Maryland,  Virginia  and 
the  District  of  Columbia.  The  theatre 
will  have  a  policy  of  first-run  double 
features  every  other  week  and  a  sin- 
gle feature  plus  a  stage  show  the 
other  weeks.  Sam  Ward  will  be  re- 
tained as  manager. 


Mexico  City  Now 
Has  92  Theatres 

Mexico  City,  June  29. — Active  the- 
atres here  now  number  92,  with  pros- 
pects that  they  will  total  100  by  Octo- 
ber 1.  Two  new  ones  have  just  opened, 
the  Arcadia,  a  3,200-seater  owned  by 
Arcady  Boytler,  the  Russian  who  has 
been  in  Mexican  pictures  for  25 
years,  and  the  Cosmos,  seating  3,650, 
which  opened  today  with  Selznick  Re- 
leasing's  "The  Paradine  Case." 


DuMont  To  Testify 

Washington,  June  29. — Allen  B. 
DuMont  Laboratories  and  Philco 
Corp.  have  been  granted  permission 
by  the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission to  participate  in  hearings  re- 
opening in  September  on  the  reason- 
ableness of  intercity  television  rates 
charged  by  A.T.  and  T.  and  Western 
Union. 


New  Television  Station 

Cincinnati,  June  29. — A  television 
station  will  be  built  and  operated  by 
WCPO,  Scripps-Howard  station  op- 
erated by  the  Cincinnati  Post.  Two 
other  television  stations  are  now  in 
operation  here,  one  by  Crosley  Broad- 
casting Co.,  the  other  by  WKRC,  local 
Columbia  affiliate,  operated  by  the 
Cincinnati  Times-Star. 


New  Theatre  for  Guidry 

New  Orleans,  June  29.— Construc- 
tion of  a  900-seat  theatre  in  the  Nona 
Trading  Center  in  Lafayette,  La.,  has 
been  started  by  Milton  Guidry.  He 
also  operates  theatres  in  several  other 
towns  in  this  state. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwiri  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily,  except  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address:  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo  J.  Sullivan,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary; 
James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Gus  H.  Fausel,  Production  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Yucca- 
Vine  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  120  South  La  Salle  Street,  Editorial  and  Advertising.  Urben  Farley,  Advertising  Representative;  Jimmy  Ascher, 
Editorial  Representative.  Washington,  J.  A.  Otten,  National  Press  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager,  Peter  Burnup, 
Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  published  every  fourth  week  as  a  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald;  Theatre  Sales;  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  vear,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 

PUBLISHED  JUNE  30,  1948  IN  TWO  SECTIONS— SECTION  TWO 


Wednesday,  June  30,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Reviews 


Mystery  in  Mexico 

(RKO  Radio) 

THE  pursuit  of  a  diamond  necklace  results  in  a  series  of  melodramatic 
adventures  in  "Mystery  in  Mexico,"  a  formula-mystery  filmed  at  Churu- 
busco  Studios  in  Mexico  City.  The  story  is  a  rambling  affair,  obvious  in 
structure,  but  with  sufficient  excitement  and  interest  to  make  it  a  satisfactory 
item  in  its  category. 

William  Lundigan  plays  the  part  of  a  special  investigator  who  is  sent  to 
fexico  by  an  insurance  company  to  probe  the  disappearance,  of  another 
..ivestigator  who  had  been  on  the  trail  of  the  necklace.  Also  bound  for 
Mexico  on  the  same  plane  is  Jacqueline  White,  sister  of  the  missing  man. 
Lundigan  suspects  she  may  be  involved  in  the  missing  necklace  and  decides  to 
watch  her  from  a  closer  vantage  point.  Eventually  the  pair  fall  in  love,  but 
in-between  there  is  a  lot  of  melodramatic  skullduggery,  punctuated  by  scurry- 
ing cabs,  nightclub  scenes  and  automobile  rides  in  Mexico's  outdoor  stretches. 
Suave  villain  of  the  piece  turns  out  to  be  Ricardo  Cortez,  who  is  shot  down 
in  a  nick-of-time  entrance  by  the  police.  Some  of  the  picture's  best  touches 
result  from  the  use  of  local  talent.  Sid  Rogell  produced  and  Robert  Wise 
directed,  from  a  screenplay  by  Lawrence  Kimble. 

Running  time,  66  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
July  4.  M.  H. 

"Michael  O'Halloran" 

( Windsor  Productions-Monogram) 

Hollywood,  June  29 

GOOD,  solid  entertainment  with  a  special  appeal  to  the  family  trade  and 
interest  for  both  old  and  young.  From  the  first  of  four  Windsor  pro- 
ductions contemplated  from  Gene  Stratton  Porter  novels,  producers  Julian 
Lesser  and  Frank  Melford  have  fabricated  a  narrative  which  is  spread  gener- 
ously with  rich,  warm  and  timeless  values.  John  Rawlins'  direction  is  com- 
mendable.   Script  was  by  Erna  Lazarus. 

Allene  Roberts  portrays  with  simple  charm  the  crippled  girl  whose  young 
friend,  Tommy  Cook,  intervenes  when  an  accident  to  her  widowed  and  alco- 
holic mother,  Isabel  Jewell,  makes  the  child's  placement  in  an  institution  immi- 
nent. He  installs  her  in  the  room  of  his  newsboy  friend,  Scotty  Beckett, 
where  she  acts  as  housekeeper.  The  two  eventually  develop  romantic  interest, 
until  gossips  make  trouble.  Scotty  learns  from  a  doctor  that  the  girl's  crippled 
condition  is  due  to  mental  cause,  rather  than  organic,  and  when  he  is  charged 
with  abducting  the  girl  and  placed  on  trial  this  diagnosis  proves  correct  as  she 
walks  from  her  chair  without  realizing  what  she  is  doing.  Her  mother,  real- 
izing that  her  way  of  life  has  been  responsible  for  the  girl's  infirmity,  vows 
abstinence.  Others  in  the  cast  are  Charles  Arnt,  Jonathan  Hale,  Gladys  Blake, 
Roy  Gordon,  Florence  Auer  and  William  Haade. 

Running  time,  76  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set. 


"Northwest  Stampede" 

(Eagle-Lion) 

USING  the  colorful  beauty  of  the  Canadian  Rockies  as  a  backdrop,  Eagle 
Lion  here  presents  showmen  with  an  excellent  opportunity  to  cash  in 
once  again  with  a  well-done  and  exciting  outdoor  film  which  utilizes  all  the 
stable  ingredients  that  have  spelled  out  "success"  in  the  past. 

"Northwest  Stampede"  has  an  unusually  good  cast,  headed  by  the  talented 
Joan  Leslie  and  James  Craig,  who  here  match  wits  and  skills  as  the  cowgirl 
and  the  rodeo  star  who  knows  all  the  angles.  Jack  Oakie  is  good  for  laughs 
as  Craig's  sidekick. 

Photographed  in  Cinecolor,  the  film  is  intelligently  handled  to  combine 
all  of  its  attractive  elements  into  a  story  that  sparkles  with  fine  scenes  from 
the  rodeo  ring,  of  Craig's  pursuit  of  a  wild  white  stallion,  of  an  exciting 
chuck-wagon  race,  of  the  girl's  love  of  the  travel-happy  cowboy  and  her 
determination  to  outdistance  him  in  the  accomplishments  of  ranch  life. 

Taken  altogether,  producer-director  Albert  S.  Rogell ;  David  Hersh,  execu- 
tive producer,  and  Art  Arthur  and  Lillie  Hayward  who  wrote  the  story  and 
the  script,  have  turned  out  a  highly-exploitable  package  that  ought  to  please 
a  wide  audience.  The  Canadian  scenery  and  the  quality  of  the  performances 
contribute  no  little  to  the  picture's  appeal. 

Running  time,  79  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  about  Aug.  1. 


"The  Betrayal" 


(Astor  Pictures) 

OBVIOUSLY  a  labor  of  fervent  conviction,  "The  Betrayal,"  an  all-Negro 
production,  wrestles  with  the  problem  of  mixed  marriage  along  with 
other  racial  questions.  Written,  produced  and  directed  by  Oscar  Micheaux, 
it  turns  up  some  scattered  moments  of  engrossing  drama  in  the  course  of  its 
three-hour  wanderings,  but  for  the  greater  part,  unfortunately,  the  pace  is 
slow,  the  direction  crude  and  the  story  excessively  detailed.  It  should  be 
pointed  out,  nonetheless,  that  many  a  Negro  audience  may  find  in  the  film 
a  reflection  of  their  own  problems  and  thereby  be  moved. 

The  picture  features  Leroy  Collins  as  Martin  Eden,  a  young  Negro  who 
builds  an  agricultural  empire  in  North  Dakota.  Falling  in  love  with  a  white 
woman,  he  rejects  her,  feeling  that  inter-marriage  would  be  unwise.  He 
marries  a  colored  woman  and  there  follow  years  of  marital  misunderstanding, 
combined  with  other  strife,  famine  and  hardship.  Finally,  it  is  learned  that 
the  white  woman  is  colored  after  all,  and  thus  a  happy  marriage  is  con- 
summated. Others  in  the  cast  are  Myra  Stanton,  Verlie  Cowan,  Harris  Gaines 
and  Yvonne  Machen. 

Running  time,  3  hours.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date,  June  24. 

M.  H. 


TunesmithSoundsSourNote; 
Sues  Those  Ascap  'Pirates 9 


Ascap  and  others  have  plagiarized 
his  72  songs  in  the  past  15  years,  in- 
cluding "Nature  Boy,"  in  a  "gigantic 
swindle  and  fraud,"  composer  Ira  B. 
Arnstein  charges  in  a  suit  filed  in  New 
York  Supreme  Court.  Among  other 
things  Arnstein  demands  that  Ascap 
and  the  Music  Publishers  Protective 
Association  pay  to  him  "all  money 
collected  for  the  72  piracies" — this  he 
figures  will  amount  to  more  than 
$50,000,000. 

Incorporated  in  tne  complaint,  writ- 
ten by  the  plaintiff,  are  "defamation-of- 
character"  charges  hurled  at  Louis 
Frohlich,  Ascap's  litigation  counsel ; 
Herman  Finkelstein,  resident  counsel ; 
Deems  Taylor,  former  president,  and 
Sigmund  Spaeth,  known  as  the.  "Tune 


Detective."  Arnstein  wants  $100,000 
from  each  of  them. 

The  plaintiff  alleges  that  Ascap  and 
its  members  "steal  90  per  cent  of  their 
publications"  from  both  living  and 
deceased  composers.  He  says  that 
Taylor  "was  hired  by  them  as  a  front 
or  stooge  ...  to  pull  their  chestnuts 
out  of  the  fire,  to  come  to  court  to 
perjure  himself,  to  lie  about  the  ob- 
vious facts  and  to  deny  any  plagiarism 
by  Ascap  members." 

Spaeth,  Arnstein  has  decided,  is  a 
"notorious  faker."  He  asserts  further 
that  Frohlich  and  Finkelstein  assisted 
in  spreading  lies,  including  that  he, 
Arnstein,  is  an  alien,  a  Communist 
traveler,  intemperate  and  mentally 
ill. 


More  New  Drive-Ins 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Mary's,  O. ;  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. ; 
Asheville,  Statesville  and  Charlotte, 
N.  C. ;  New  Kensington,  Pa.;  Mid- 
land, Tex. :  Elkins  and  Meadowbrook, 
Va.;  Lansing,  Ont. 

National  Theatre  Supply  reports  it 
recently  equipped  drive-ins  at  Wyan- 
dotte, Mich. ;  San  Diego,  Cal. ;  Den- 
ver ;  Troy,  N.  C. ;  Greenville,  O.,  and 
Dodge  City,  Kan.  Omaha's  first 
drive-in  has  opened  under  manage- 
ment of  Bernard  Dudgeon.  Tri-States 
Theatres  promoted  Dudgeon  from 
manager  of  the  Oil  City  at  Falls  City. 
Sandusky  Drive-in,  Sandusky,  O.,  has 

Application  has  been  made  to  the 
San  Francisco  council  for  permission 
to  build  a  new  drive-in  east  of  May- 
fair  Village,  Cal.  Leslie  Kessler  and 
Albert  H.  Kessler  of  Berkeley,  Cal., 
in  partnership  with  Herbert  Rosener 
of  Oakland,  have  incorporated  under 
the  name  of  Vallejo  Drive-in  Theatre, 
Inc.,  to  construct  an  outdoor  theatre 
near  the  Napa  junction  on  the  Napa- 
Vallejo  highway.  From  Fresno,  Cal., 
comes  word  that  application  has  been 
made  to  the  County  Planning  Commis- 
sion by  Lloyd  C.  Miller  for  permission 
to  construct  a  $1,000,000  drive-in. 

M.  H.  Sparks  and  Ray  Coleman, 
operators  of  the  Strand,  Edmonton, 
Ky.,  have  joined  in  a  drive-in  enter- 
prise and  have  announced  plans  foi 
construction  of  one  in  Hopkinsville, 
Ky.  Louis  Weithe,  operator  of  seven 
neighborhood  houses  in  Cincinnati,  has 
acquired  the  650-car  Park-In  Theatre 
at  nearby  Mt.  Healthy.  A  new  500- 
car  drive-in  is  under  construction  on 
the  Harrisburg  pike,  near  Columbus, 
O.,  with  completion  set  for  late  this 
month.  Frank  Yassenoff,  associated 
with  Harold  Schwartz  in  operation  of 
the  Riverside  and  Eastside,  Columbus, 
is  the  owner.  Drive-in  will  cost  be- 
tween $60,000  and  $75,000,  and  it  will 
be  the  third  theatre  in  western  Frank- 
lin County. 


Six  Pre  -  releases  for 
Columbia's  'Carmen' 

Pre-release  engagements  have  been 
set  for  "Loves  of  Carmen"  in  six 
cities  this  fall  by  A.  Montague,  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  who  has  returned 
from  a  branch  and  district  branch 
manager's  meeting  in  Chicago.  The 
six  are  Detroit,  Buffalo,  Houston, 
San  Francisco,  Baltimore  and  Cin- 
cinnati. 


Theatre  Manager  Shifts 

Ottawa,  June  29. — Isser  Singerman, 
manager  of  the  Rideau  and  Imperial 
theatres  here  for  the  past  12  years,  is 
leaving  to  manage  the  Lake  Theatre 
in  Toronto.  Don  Watts  succeeds  him. 
Ernie  Taylor,  assistant  manager  of 
the  Elgin  replaces  Watts  at  the  Park, 
with  Leslie  Jefferies  replacing  Taylor 
at  the  Elgin. 


UA  Labor  Hearing: 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


a  Federal  Court  labor  case  wherein 
NLRB's  right  to  set  such  elections 
had  been  challenged.  The  decision  has 
been  made  meanwhile,  and  it  has  up- 
held NLRB's  right. 

H-63  had  asked  for  the  election, 
claiming  an  "overwhelming  majority" 
of  UA  workers  whose  contract,  under 
SOPEG  aegis,  expired  last  May  31. 
UA  management  refused  to  negotiate 
with  SOPEG  on  the  ground  that  the 
union  failed  to  comply  with  the  non- 
Communist  affidavit  provisions  of  the 
Taft-Hartley  Law. 

Among  those  expected  to  be  at  to- 
morrow's NLRB  meeting  are  Russell 
Moss  and  James  Rogers  from  H-63, 
Sidney  Young  from  SOPEG,  UA 
vice-president  Harry  D.  Buckley,  and 
attorneys  representing  all  three  prin- 
cipals. 


Lift  up 

this  corner 
please. . . 


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C3 

MILLARD  MITCHELL 

Produced  by 

:HARLES  BRACKET! 

Directed  by 

5 ILLY  WILDER 

Screenplay  by  Charles  Brackett, 
Billy  Wilder  and  Richard  L.  Breen 
Adaptation  by  Robert  Harari 
Original  Story  by  David  Shaw 


BeCQUSe-for  sheer  fu  n  and  sly  surprises  it 
will  rate  your  ovation  and  cheers  from  the  nation! 


Because—  you're  going  to  go  "M-m-m-m!" 
as  always-sultry  Marlene  reaches  new  heights 
when  she  sings  "illusions"— and  other  new  hits! 


of  the  Chesterfield  Supper  Club 


Extra  Added  Attraction 

And  His 

ORCHESTRA 

Capitol  Recording  Star  featuring  BILL  LOCKWOOD  •  HAROLD  HAHN 

,  GEORGIE  KAYE  •  THE  LANE  BROTHERS 


STAFFORD  SAM  DONAHUE 


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--tie 


MONO. 

STAGE  STRUCK 
Kane  Richmond 

D— 71  min.  (4715) 

TRIGGERMAN 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 

O — 58  mln. 

JINX  MONEY 
Leo  Gorcey 

O—68  mln.  (4717) 
(Rev.  5/20/48) 

COWBOY 
CAVALIER 

Jimmy  Wakely 

0 

THE  SHANGHAI 
CHEST 
Roland  Winters 

D— 65  mln.  (4718) 

BACK  TRAIL 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
O 

16  FATHOMS 

bEEP 
Lon  Chaney,  Jr. 
D 

• 

A  JOE  NAMED 
PALOOKA 
Joe  Klrkwood 
Elyse  Knox 
D 

M-G-M 

ON  AN  ISLAND 
WITH  YOU 

(Color) 
Esther  Williams 
Peter  Lawford 

MC — 107  min. 
(Kev.  4/27/48) 

EASTER  PARADE 

(Colon 
Judy  Garland 
Fred  Astaire 

M-103  min. 
(Rev.  5/26/48) 

A  DATE  WITH 
JUDY 

(Color) 
Wallace  Beery 
Jane  Powell 
Elizabeth  Taylor 

MD-113  min. 
(Rev.  6/18/48) 

JULIA 
MISBEHAVES 
Greer  Garson 
Walter  Pidgeon 

r> 



A  SOUTHERN 
YANKEE 
Red  Skelton 
Brian  Donlevy 

C 

EAGLE-LION 

TIOGA  KID 
Eddie  Dean 

0—54  mln.  (858) 
(Rev.  3/11/48) 

MICKEY 
(Color) 

.  a  » 

ijl 

CANON  CITY 
Scott  Brady 

D— 83  min.  (826) 
(Rev.  6/29/48) 

THE 
SPIRITUALIST 
Turhan  Bey 
Lynn  Bari 

D— 79  min.  (827) 

OLIVER  TWIST 
Robert  Newton 

D — 115  min.  (828) 

SHED  NO  TEARS 
Wallace  Ford 
June  Vincent 

D — 70  mln.  (829) 

NORTHWEST 
STAMPEDE 
Joan  Leslie 
James  Craig 

0—79  mln.  (830) 

COLUMBIA 

THE  FULLER 
BRUSH  MAN 
Red  Skelton 
Janet  Blair 

C — 93  min. 
(Rev.  5/7/48) 

BLAZING 
ACROSS  THE 
PECOS 

Cflitf*l6S  StSfT6tt 

0 

THUNDERHOOF 

Preston  Foster 
D — 77  mln. 

CORONER  CREEK 
(Color) 
Randolph  Scott 
Marguerite  Chapman 

D — 90  mln. 
(Rev.  6/4/48) 
ARKANSAS 

SWING 
Gloria  Henry 
M 

LU  LL. 
^O 

s  ^ 
>1 

U 

c  0 

w 

C  IN 

►-4 

s  ^ 

s  <s 

s  ^ 

< 

bi 

ar  00 
< 

1  M 

< 

Wednesday,  June  30,  1948 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Walsh's  Reelection 
Will  Be  Unopposed 

For  the  first  time  since  he  became 
IATSE  international  president,  six 
years  ago,  Richard  F.  Walsh  will  be 
unopposed  for  reelection  at  the  "IA" 
bi-annual  convention  in  Cleveland 
starting  August  16,  according  to  early 
speculation  among  convention  dele- 
gates. 

^\was  pointed  out  that  heretofore 
v  1  there  was  to  be  opposition, 
candidates  began  pouring  campaign 
literature  into  the  field  many  months 
in  advance  of  a  convention.  The 
Cleveland  convention  is  less  than  two 
months  away  and  there  are  no  de- 
clared opposition  candidates.  About 
two  months  ago  Walsh  announced  that 
he  and  all  other  incumbent  officers 
will  be  up  for  reelection. 

Also  about  two  months  ago,  Eugene 
Atkinson,  business  agent  of  Local  No. 
110,  Chicago,  was  reported  to  be  a 
candidate  for  the  presidency,  but  he 
has  since  denied  this  and  has  an- 
nounced he  will  support  Walsh's  re- 
election. 

Spokesmen  of  various  "IA"  locals 
have  said  that  Walsh's  reelection  this 
year  became  a  certainty  last  fall  when 
his  administration's  reputed  victory  in 
the  Coast  labor  jurisdictional  dispute 
was  climaxed  with  his  successful  op- 
position at  the  AFL  San  Francisco 
convention  to  an  attempt  by  Carpen- 
ters' union  head  William  Hutchinson 
and  United  Mine  Workers'  president 
John  L.  Lewis  to  expel  the  "IA"  from 
the  AFL. 


IA  Bids  Lawmakers 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


US  Dollars  in  Canada 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


delegates  are  our  supreme  govern- 
ment." 

This  democratic  precept,  Walsh 
added,  "is  law  for  a  vast  majority  of 
America's  labor  organizations"  and  is 
"scrupulously  applied."  He  said  labor's 
enemies  "have  made  capital  of  the 
myth  that  unionists  are  helpless  vic- 
tims of  so-called  dictatorial  leaders" 
and  that  through  this  means  they 
"hope  to  divide  and  conquer  us." 

To  Discuss  'Reds  in  Hollywood' 

Along  with  problems  growing  out 
of  the  Taft-Hartley  Act,  the  Cleve- 
land convention  will  take  up  Commu- 
nism in  Hollywood,  according  to  the 
"IA." 

"By  exposing  and  defeating  the  pro- 
Communist  forces  that  sought  to  con- 
trol the  key  medium  of  public  informa- 
tion we  serve,  the  Alliance  has  played 
a  prominent  part  in  the  battle  against 
a  world  movement  aimed  at  destroy- 
ing America's  democratic  institutions," 
the  "IA"  points  out. 

Other  business  on  the  "IA"  conven- 
tion agenda  include  the  development  of 
employment  opportunities  in  television 
and  16mm. 

29  New  Locals  in  Two  Years 

Eligible  to  attend  the  convention  are 
1,171  delegates;  representing  938  locals. 
Since  the  last  "IA"  gathering,  two 
years  ago,  29  new  locals  have  been 
chartered.  These  are  made  up  of  tele- 
vision broadcasting  studio  employes, 
projector  operators,  stage  employes, 
theatrical  wardrobe  attendants,  treas- 
urers and  ticket  sellers,  theatre  em- 
ployes and  film  exchange  employes. 

The  International  convention,  sched- 
uled to  run  a  full  week  in  Cleveland's 
Public  Auditorium,  will  be  preceded 
by  14  district  gatherings  at  Hotel 
Hollenden,  convention  headquarters. 


dollars.  This  is  unlike  import  bans 
or  quotas  established  to  save  U.  S. 
exchange  in  other  Canadian  industries. 

Based  on  Co-operation  Project 

However,  this  free  spending  of  U.S. 
dollars  for  Hollywood  films  is  con- 
ditioned on  the  help  which  the  newly- 
formed  Canadian  Co-operation  Project 
shall  give  in  solving  the  exchange 
problem.  The  "gentleman's  agree- 
ment" calls  for  more  location  shots 
in  Canada,  more  features  and  shorts 
to  be  made  here,  and  other  contribu- 
tions by  American  film  interests. 

Discussing  the  cooperative  project 
with  leaders  of  the  American  industry 
at  the  Harvard  Club  in  New  York  last 
June  14,  Donald  Gordon,  deputy  gov- 
ernor of  the  Bank  of  Canada  stated 
that  international  cooperation  is  more 
effective  than  legal  restriction  in  the 
situation  involving  the  Dominion  gov- 
ernment and  the  American  industry. 
The  occasion  was  a  luncheon  given  to 
Gordon  by  the  Motion  Picture  Asso- 
ciation. 

U  S  Steps  Up  'Angling'  of  Films 

Indicative  of  the  results  of  this 
"gentleman's  agreement"  to  avoid  any 
arbitrary  cut-off  of  the  Canadian  mar- 
ket for  Hollywood  films  is  the  in- 
creased newsreel  coverage  of  Canadian 
events  for  U.  S.  theatres.  Likewise, 
more  U.  S.  shorts  are  concentrating 
on  Canada.  Paramount  is  currently 
releasing  its  new  two-reeler,  "Neigh- 
bor to  the  North,"  a  documentary. 
Universal  has  a  short  "Snow  Capers," 
featuring  winter  sports  in  Canada. 
Other  Canadian  shorts  in  production 
or  about  to  be  released  include  War- 
ner's "Calgary  Stampede,"  a  series  on 
North  American  cities  by  Universal, 
travelogues  in  the  James  A.  Fitzpat- 
rick  series,  Movietone's  one-reeler  on 
Canada,  and  others. 


New  Film  Embargo 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


exhibition  in  gorging  himself  on  the 
entire  industry."  J.  W.  Davies,  chair- 
man, alleged  that  Rank  is  seeking  to 
become  a  common  informer  against 
his  brother  exhibitors  and  pleaded  for 
a  forthright  stand  by  CEA  officers 
at  the  meeting  with  Rank  on  Thurs- 
day, in  order  to  avoid  a  long  and  bitter 
struggle  which  would  inevitably  weak- 
en the  structure  of  the  whole  industry. 

Members  generally  took  the  view 
that  despite  their  anxiety  to  encourage 
British  pictures,  that  will  not  be  pos- 
sible in  view  of  Rank's  present  pro- 
posed booking  terms,  and  certainly  not 
if  production  quality  is  not  maintained. 

It  is  understood  that  negotiations 
are  now  proceeding  to  book  a  con- 
siderable number  of  American  films 
direct  to  independent  subsequent-run 
exhibitors  here,  particularly  by  Co- 
lumbia. Discussions  have  been  direct- 
ed at  large-scale  bookings  and  arc 
understood  to  be  progressing.  They 
undoubtedly  will  be  further  imple- 
mented if  Rank  fails  to  concede  better 
terms  at  his  July  meeting  with  the 
CEA. 


Associated  British 
Net  Is  $2,055,604 

London,  June  29. — Associated  Brit- 
ish Picture  Corp.  had  a  net  profit  of 
513,901  pounds  ($2,055,604)  _  for  the 
year  ending  March,  1948,  against  956.- 
174  pounds  ($3,824,696)  for  1947. 
Dividends  for  1948  totaled  22r/2  per 
cent,  compared  with  30  per  cent  in 
1947. 


Bevin,  Lewis  Dine 
But  Not  on  Films 

London,  June  29.  —  Foreign 
Minister  Ernest  Bevin  today 
lunched  with  American  Am- 
bassador Lewis  Douglas,  Don- 
ald Bliss  and  other  American 
Government  representatives. 

It  is  authoritatively  under- 
stood that  the  State  Depart- 
ment's "concern"  over  Brit- 
ain's new  45  per  cent  film 
quota  order  was  mentioned 
but  Embassy  officials  said 
only  that  "We  have  far  more 
desperate  things  on  our 
plates  than  films  just  now." 


Lords  Approve 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


tic  about  their  possibilities  of  turning 
out  greatly  increased  schedules  and  he 
emphasized  that  the  Quota  Act  pro- 
vides exemptions  for  smaller  exhibi- 
tors who  can  satisfy  the  Board  of 
Trade  that  they  are  unable  to  meet 
the  quota. 

His  statement  is  regarded  as  impor- 
tant, being  the  first  governmental 
acknowledgement  of  the  independents' 
case,  as  well  as  indication  that  the 
Cinematograph  Exhibitor  Associa- 
tion's agitation  against  the  new  quota 
is  bearing  fruit  already. 

Lord  Swinton's  opposition  to  the  45 
per  cent  quota  hewed  mainly  to  the 
line  that  it  would  encourage  British 
producers  to  mass  production  of  quota 
"quickies"  at  the  expense  of  the  Brit- 
ish industry  at  home  and  abroad.  He 
pointed  out  that  his  personal  record 
in  securing  legislative  approval  of  the 
original  quota  against  great  opposition, 
when  he  headed  the  Board  of  Trade, 
acquitted  him  of  any  accusation  that 
he  is  not  solicitous  of  the  welfare 
of  British  production. 

Swinton  said  his  quota  act  delib- 
erately fixed  the  quota  below  the  max- 
imum potential  of  British  studios'  out- 
put, its  object  being  to  make  it  an 
incentive  to  British  producers  to  not 
only  fill  the  quota  but  to  produce  films 
which  would  be  acceptable  abroad. 

If  Wilson's  quota  plan  fails,  he  said, 
and  Wilson  is  obliged  to  reduce  the 
percentage,  that  will  be  a  bad  adver- 
tisement for  British  film  quality. 

Inferentially  criticizing  J.  Arthur 
Rank,  Swinton  said  naturally  a  pro- 
ducer who  is  also  an  exhibitor  is  con- 
cerned about  his  own  product,  but  he 
is  readily  able  to  make  appropriate 
program  changes. 


Britain  Needs  Our 
Best  Films;  Rank 

In  informing  Boston  papers  of  Uni- 
versal-International's plans  to  hold 
the  American  premiere  of  "Hamlet" 
at  the  Astor  Theatre  there  on  August 
13,  J.  Arthur  Rank  said  that  "the 
finest  British  pictures  should  always 
play  in  the  United  States  and  the  fin- 
est American  pictures  should  always 
play  in  Britain,"  it  was  announced 
here  yesterday  by  U-I,  which  will 
distribute  the  production  here. 

Rank  was  further  quoted  as  saying : 
"I  frequently  read  erroneous  reports 
which  might  indicate  that  we  here  in 
England  feel  otherwise.  This  is  far 
from  fact.  We  want  the  finest  Holly- 
wood pictures  always  for  our  public  as 
we  hope  you  will  always  want  ours. 
We  need  your  good  films  to  bring  us 
closer  together  and  we  hope  that  you 
will  always  want  ours  for  the  same 
reason." 


20th  -  Fox  Plan 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


of  the  conciliation  plan  since  it 
was  accepted  by  NCA  last  week. 

The  endorsement  came  this  morning 
during  a  three-hour  discussion  be- 
tween Eastern  regional  representatives 
and  members  of  N.  J.  Allied.  The 
consensus  was  that  the  plan  was 
workable  and  constructive  and  the 
only  question  raised  was  what  subjects 
may  be  considered  by  such  local  com- 
mittees. The  Jersey  unit  will  further 
discuss  the  subject  at  tomorrow's  gen- 
eral meeting  and  at  that  time  will  ap- 
point a  committee  of  inquiry  to  meet 
with  20th-Fox's  general  sales  man- 
ager, Andy  Smith,  Jr. 

Cites  20th-Fox  'Leadership' 

"The  most  important  aspect  of  the 
plan,"  said  Wilbur  Snaper,  Allied  of 
New  Jersey  vice-president-elect,  "is 
the  leadership  shown  by  a  major  com- 
pany. We  hope  other  companies  will 
follow  20th-Fox.  It  means  we  can 
settle  problems  without  acrimony  and 
the  courts." 

National  Allied  endorsement 
came  from  Ainsworth,  who  sat 
in  on  the  meeting  and  who  an- 
nounced that  "any  movement, 
any  idea  originating  from  any 
branch  of  this  business  which 
is  good  for  this  industry,  that 
will  bring  distributors  and  ex- 
hibitors closer  together  will 
have  the  sincere  support  of 
National  Allied." 

The  plan  will  be  taken  for  consid- 
eration to  their  respective  units  by 
Eastern  representatives  Sidney  Hel- 
don,  Eastern  Pennsylvania ;  Maxwell 
Alderman,  Connecticut ;  Julian  Rifkin, 
Massachusetts ;  Meyer  Leventhal, 
Maryland. 

Eastern  Seaboard  Committee 

These  four,  together  with  Edward 
Lachman  and  Irving  Dollinger  of  New 
Jersey,  also  comprise  a  committee  un- 
der Leventhal  which  will  meet  on 
Eastern  Seaboard  problems  between 
conventions  and  report  directly  to  the 
national  Allied  board. 

The  morning  meeting  here  also  dis- 
cussed television  without  any  conclu- 
sion reached. 


Lachman  Accepts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


announced  in  New  York  last  week 
that  he  would  not  be  a  candidate  be- 
cause of  his  entry  into  the  projector 
lamp  carbon  field. 

Also  re-elected  at  the  meeting,  held 
in  the  Hollywood  Hotel  here,  were 
Haskell  Block,  secretary,  and  Sam 
Frank,  Southern  New  Jersey  vice- 
president.  Elected  were  :  Wilbur  Snap- 
er, vice-president ;  Morris  Fogelson, 
treasurer ;  Sidney  Franklin,  assistant 
treasurer,  and  Joseph  Siccardi,  ser- 
geant-at-arms.  New  directors  are 
Clark  Hildinger,  David  Snaper,  Jack, 
Unger  and  Franklin. 


5th  and  Walnut 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


to  deny  the  National  Theatre  in 
Louisville  access  to  first-run  product. 
Fifth  and  Walnut  Amusement  Corp. 
operates  the  house. 

Also  named  as  defendants  were  the 
Marcus  Loew  Booking  Agency  and 
United  Artists  Theatre  Circuit. 

Counsel  for  the  plaintiff  was  grant- 
ed until  July  5  to  serve  notice  to  have 
the  verdict  set  aside.  Motion  on  the 
notice  is  expected  to  be  argued  before 
Judge  Leibell  on  July  9. 


I 


A  new  Giant  takes 
its  place  amond  tke 
screen's  all-time  Great! 
Irving  Berlin's 
"Easter  Parade"  is  a 
sensation  in  its  first 
en^a^ement.  Marking 
an  innovation  in 
Broadway  presentations, 
Loew  s  State  Theatre  has  0* 
teen  honored  with  the 
World  Premiere  of  M-G-M's 
remarhahle  musical. 
Already  previewed  hy  tke  press 
and  the  trade,  it  is  acclaimed 
the  greatest  attraction 
of  its  hind  ever  made. 


P 


i  c  ted 


BY  SPECIAL  ARRANGEMENT 

THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  ENGAGEMENT 
IN  THE  HISTORY  OF 


Broadway  at  45th  Street 


NOW  PLAYING 

of 

METRO- GOLD  WYN-MAYER'S 

OUTSTANDING  ACHIEVEMENT ...  THE  MUCH 
HERALDED  MOTION  PICTURE  EVENT 

IRVING  BERLIN'S 


starring 


JUDY  GARLAND  •  FRED  ASTAIRE 

PETER  LAWFORD  •  ANN  MILLER 

Screen  Play  by  Sidney  Sheldon,  Frances  Goodrich  and  Albert  Hackett 
Original  Story  by  Frances  Goodrich  and  Albert  Hackett 
Lyrics  and  Music  by  Musical  Numbers  Directed  by 

IRVING  BERLIN        •         ROBERT  ALTON 

Directed  by  CHARLES  WALTERS    •    Produced  by  ARTHUR  FREED 

A  METRO -GOLDWYN- MAYER  PICTURE  (£ 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  June  30,  1948 


Key  City 
Grosses 


tp  OLLOIVING  are  estimated  pic- 
m.  hire  grosses  for  current  engage- 
ments in  key  cities  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Daily  correspond- 
ents. Estimates  omit  admission  tax. 


CHICAGO 

The  much  needed  "shot-in-the- 
arm"  to  strengthen  grosses — in  this 
case,  reduced  admissions  in  B.  and 
K.'s  Loop  houses — met  with  varying 
degrees  of  success.  Notable  is  the 
Skelton-DeWolfe  combo  at  the  Chi- 
cago, headed  for  a  huge  $65,000,  or 
better.  Estimated  receipts  for  the  week 
'ending  July  1st  are: 

ALL  MY  SONS  (U-I)— PALACE  (2,500) 
(67c-98c)  5  days,  2nd  week.  UP  IN  CEN- 
TRAL PARK  (U-I)  2  days.  Gross:  $16,- 
000.    (Average:  $21,000) 

ARCH  CF  TRIUMPH  (UA)— WOODS  (1,- 
U80)  (98c)  2nd  week.  Gross:  $18,500.  (Av- 
erage: $23,000) 

THE  BIG  PUNCH  (WB)  and  WHISPER- 
ING CITY  (E-L)— GARRICK  (50c-65c- 
98c).  Gross:  $9,000.  (Average:  $10,000) 
THE  CRUSADES  (Para.) — UNITED  ART- 
ISTS (50c-65c-9Sc)  5  days,  2nd  week.  B 
F.'s  DAUGHTER  (M-G-M)  2  days.  Gross: 
$15,500.  (Average:  $20,000) 
FIGHTING  FATHER  DUNNE  (RKO  Ra- 
dio)— GRAND  (1,150)  5  days,  2nd  week. 
ANOTHER  PART  OF  THE  FOREST 
(U-I)  2  days.  Gross:  $9,500.  (Average: 
$11,500) 

FOUR    FACES    WEST  (UA)-APOLLO 

(1,200)  (50c-65c-98c).  Gross:  $12,000.  (Av- 
erage: $14,000) 

THE    FULLER    BRUSH    MAN  (Col.)— 

CHICAGO  (3.900)  (50c -65c -98c).  On  stage: 
Billy  De  Wolfe.  Gross:  $65,000.  (Aver- 
age: $40,000) 

THE  GAY  RANCHERO  (Rep.)-ORIEN- 

TAL  (3,300)  (98c).  On  stage:  Tex  Wil- 
liams. Gross:  $35,000.  (Average:  $40,000) 
MR.  BLANDINGS  BUILDS  HIS  DREAM 
HOUSE  (SRO)— STATE  LAKE  (2,700) 
(50c-65c-98c).  Gross:  $29,500.  (Average: 
$30,000) 

WALLFLOWER  (WB)  —  ROOSEVELT 
(1,500)  (50c-65c-98c)  5  days.  CORONERS 
CREEK  (Col.)  2  days.  Gross:  $10,000. 
(Average:  $18,000) 


CLEVELAND 


All  theatres  took  a  tumble  after 
last  week's  Jack  Benny  record.  Only 
picture  that  stood  up  against  a  week 
of  excessive  heat  was  "The  Pirate," 
which  hit  a  better  than  average  take 


FIVE-STAR 

DC-6 

FLAGSHIPS 

LOS  ANGELES 

11  hours,  10  minutes 

CHICAGO 

3k  hours 

Phone  HAvemeyer  6-5000 
or  your  travel  agent 

Ticket  Offices.-  Airlines  Terminal 
Rockefeller  Center  •  Hotel  New  Yorker 
120  Broadway  •  Hotel  St.  George 

AMERICAN 
A/RUNES 


Review 


"Deep  Waters" 

J.20th  Century-Fox) 

FEW  film  cliches  of  the  "homespun"  variety  were  overlooked  in  the  making 
of  this  sepia-tinted  perusal  of  life  in  a  Maine  coast  lobster-fishing  com- 
munity. But  in  spite  of  them  it  turns  out  to  be  a  likable  picture.  Much  of 
its  appeal  lies  in  the  tender  message  it  conveys  on  the  importance  of  human 
understanding  in  adults'  relationships  with  impressionable  children,  and  also 
in  its  mellow  appeal  for  tolerance  and  kindness.  It  must  have  been  a  happy 
assignment  for  producer  Samuel  G.  Engel,  director  Henry  King  and  an 
ingratiating  cast  topped  by  Dana  Andrews,  Jean  Peters,  Cesar  Romero, 
young  Dean  Stockwell  and  Anne  Revere.  The  organized  exhibitors  who  are 
currently  engaged  in  a  "youth  drive"  can  point  with  pride  to  "Deep  Waters," 
which  additionally,  appears  to  be  in  store  for  substantial  grosses  as  A-l 
family  entertainment. 

Richard  Murphy's  screenplay,  based  on  the  novel,  "Spoonhandle,"  by  Ruth 
Moore,  was  filmed  for  the  most  part  along  the  rocky  coast,  of  Maine  where 
a  nor'easter  can  play  havoc  with  venturesome  fishing  craft.  The  appealingly 
simple  story,  in  brief,  concerns  fisherman  Andrews'  understanding  affection 
for  orphan  Dean  and  the  cross-currents  of  emotion  which  are  inspired  by 
state  welfare  worker  Peters'  apprehensions  for  the  boy's  future.  The  lad  has 
a  fisherman's  son's  love  for  the  sea,  and  she,  notwithstanding  her  romantic 
attachment  for  Andrews,  looks  with  fear  upon  the  fishermen's  graves  which 
the  sea  has  become.  Distaff  audiences  are  provided  with  one  or  two  morose 
sequences,  but  there  are  also  some  chuckles  couched  in  Romero's  portrayal 
of  Andrews'  Portuguese  partner  who  yearns  for  a  farm.  All  performances 
are  good. 

Running  time  85  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  For  July  release. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


at  Loew's  Stillman.  Estimated  re- 
ceipts for  the  week  ending  June  29-30 : 
ANOTHER  PART  OF  THE  FOREST 
(U-I) — WARNERS'  HIPPODROME  (3,- 
500)  (55c-70c).  Gross:  $10,000.  (Average: 
$18,250) 

BING  'EM  BACK  ALIVE  (RKO  Radio)— 

RKO    ALLEN    (3,000)     (55c-70c).  Gross: 
$10,500.    (Average:  $13,000) 
FLOWING     GOLD     (WB)     and  GOD'S 
COUNTRY  AND  THE  WOMAN  (WB)— 

RKOi  PALACE  (3,300)  (55c- 70c)  6  days. 
On  stage,  Monday  night  only,  Dr.  I.  Q. 
Gross:  $13,500.  (Average:  $15,500) 
GIVE  MY  REGARDS  TO  BROADWAY 
(20th-Fox) — WARN ERS'  LAKE  (714)  (55c- 
70c)  2nd  week  on  a  moveover  from  the 
Hippodrome.  Gross:  $2,500.  (Average:  $3,- 
000) 

MAN  OF  EVIL  (UA)— LOWER  MALL 
(563)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $2,000.  (Average: 
$2,500) 

OLD  LOS  ANGELESi  (Rep.) — LOEW'S 
OHIO  (1,268)  (50c-70c).  Gross:  $5,000. 
(Average:  $6,600) 

THE  PIRATE  (M-G-M)  —  LOEW'S 
STILLMAN  (1,900)  (50c-70c)  2nd  week,  on 
a  moveover  from  the  State.  Gross:  $12,- 
000.    (Average:  $10,000) 

SUMMER  HOLIDAY  (M-G-M)— LOEW'S 
STATE  (3,300)  (S0c-70c).  Gross:  $15,500. 
(Average:  $19,500) 


TORONTO 


With  school  out  and  the  Dominion 
Day  holiday,  there  was  a  mild  upturn 
in  first-run  business.  Main  opposi- 
tion in  a  warm  spell  was  horse  racing 
and  baseball.  Estimated  receipts  for 
the  week  ending  July  1 : 

ANOTHER  PART  OF  THE  FOREST 
(U-I)— UPTOWN  (2,761)  (20c -36c -48c -66c- 
90c)  6  days.  Gross:  $12,000.  (Average: 
$11,600) 


I     OF  COURSE 

I  "TEXAS 

I  BROOKLYN 

audi 

HEAVEN 

sent  from  UA 


BAMBI  (RKO  Radio)  and  CARTOON 
FESTIVAL— EGLINTON  (1,086)  (20c-36c- 
S0c-66c)  6  days.  Gross:  $6,400.  (Average: 
$7,400) 

BAMBI     (RKO    Radio)    and  CARTOON 

FESTIVAI  TWO  LI    (1,434)    (20c -36c -50c- 

66c)  6  days.  Gross:  $8,200.  (Average: 
$9,200) 

THE     FUGITIVE     (RKO'    Radio)— NOR 

TOWN  (950)   (20c-42c-60c)  6  days.  Gross: 
$6,000.     (Average:  $6,000) 
THE     FUGITIVE     (RKO     Radio)— VIC- 
TORIA   (1,240)     (20c-36c-42c-60c)    6  days. 
Gross:  $6,000.    (Average:  $6,300) 
THE    FULLER    BRUSH    MAN  (Col.)— 
SHEA'S  (2,480)  (20c-36c-50c-66c-90c)  6  days. 
Gross:  $17,900.    (Average:  $14,900) 
OUT  OF  THE  BLUE  (Intl.) — DANFORTH 
(1,400)    (20c-36c-50c-60c)   6  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:   $6,300.     (Average:  $6,500) 
OUT  OF  THE  BLUE  (Intl.) — FAIRLAWN 
(1,195)   (2Oc-36c-50c-55c)   6  days,  2nd  week. 
Gross:  $5,300.     (Average:  $5,500) 
THE  PIRATE  (M-G-M)-LOEW'S  (2,074) 
(20c-36c-48c-66c-78c)    6  days.     Gross:  $15,- 
200.    (Average:  $14,200) 

TARZAN  AND  THE  MERMAIDS  (RKO 
Radio)   and  Louis- Walcott  Fight  Picture — 

IMPERIAL  (3,343)  (20c-36c-50c-66c-90c)  6 
days.    Gross:  $17,100.     (Average:  $14,600) 


INDIANAPOLIS 


Business  is  a  little  firmer  at  first- 
run  houses  here  this  week.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  June 
29-30: 

THE  BRIDE  GOES  WILD  (M-G-M)  and 
THE   WOMAN   FROM  TANGIER  (Col.) 

—LOEW'S     (2,450)     (44c-65c)     2nd  week. 

Gross:  $9,000.    (Average:  $11,000) 

FORT  APACHE  (RKO  Radio) — INDIANA 

(3,200)  (44c-65c).    Gross:  $12,500.  (Average: 

$12,000) 

THE  NOOSE  HANGS  HIGH  (E-L)  and 
THE  COBRA  STRIKES  (E-L)— CIRCLE 
(2,800)  (44c-65c).  Gross-:  $11,000.  (Average: 
$10,000) 

OLD  LOS  ANGELES  (Rep.)  and  THE 
TIMBER  TRAIL  (Rep.)-LYRIC  (1,600) 
(44c-65c).  Gross:  $5,000.  (Average:  $6,(100) 
WALLFLOWER  (WB)  and  VALLEY  OF 
THE  GIANTS  (WB  reissue) — KEITH'S 
(1,300)  (44c-65c).  Gross:  $4,000.  (Average: 
$4,500) 


ATLANTA 


With  hot  and  dry  weather,  business 
in  all  theatres  is  average.  Estimated 
receipts  for  the  week  ending  June  30 : 

CALL     NORTH  SIDE     777  (ZOth-Fox)— 

ROXY  (2,446)  (12c-50c).  Moveover  from 
the  Fox.  Gross:  $5,800.  (Average:  $5,800) 
GIVE  MY  REGARDS  TO  BROADWAY 
(2©th-Fox)— FOX  (4,446)  (12c-50c).  Gross: 
$14,000.  (Average:  $15,000) 
HAZARD  (Para.) — PARAMOUNT  (2.446) 
(12c-50c).  Gross:  $6,500.  (Average:  $5,800) 
PIRATE  (M-G-M)— LOEW'S  GRAND  (2,- 
446)  (12c-50c).  Gross:  $14,500.  (Average: 
$15,000) 


Short 
Subject 


"Ireland  Today" 

(Irish  American  Film  Corp.) 

This  is  an  81  minute  color  trav- 
elogue with  songs  and  music  intended 
for  Irish  audiences  in,  the  United 
States.  It  will  appeal  to  persons  born 
in  Ireland  who  are  glad  to  have  ;  ', 
picture  of  it  and  will  excuse  im^ 
iections.  The  subject  was  produce'd 
and  narrated  by  John  H.  Furbay  evi- 
dently with  the  blessing  of  the  TWA 
airline,  the  Irish  Tourist  Association, 
certain  motoring  interests  and  the 
Irish  Government. 

The  color  is  Kodachrome  and  is 
sometimes  excellent.  The  photography 
ranks  at  the  top  of  the  amateur  or  the 
bottom  of  the  professional  class.  The 
editing  is  poor.  Seven  new  songs  by 
Carle  and  Saunders  and  sung  by 
Michael  Shannon  and  Julie  Conway 
are  dubbed  in.  While  some  Irish- 
Americans  will  be  attracted  by  the 
film  and  entertained,  it.  is  a  woefully 
inadequate  treatment  of  'Ireland  To- 
day.' M.Q.  jr. 


DuMont  to  Vote  on 
New  Stock  Proposal 

Passaic,  N.  J.,  June  29.— Allen  B. 
DuMont  Laboratories  common  stock- 
holders will  meet  July  22  to  vote  on  a 
proposal  to  create  an  issue  of  pre- 
ferred stock  which  would  consist  'of 
150,000  shares  five  per  cent  cumulative 
convertible  preferred,  par  $20.  The 
company  would  sell  at  $20  a  share. 


Spencer  on  U-I  Film 

Universal-International  has  engaged 
Perry  Spencer,  the  company's  former 
exploitation  representative  in  the 
South,  to  handle  the  territorial  pre- 
miere of  "Feudin',  Fussin'  and  A- 
Fightin' "  on  the  Tri-States  Circuit 
starting  July  8  in  Des  Moines. 


e 


BANK  OF  THE 
MOTION  PICTURE 
INDUSTRY 


Bank  of 
America 

NATIONAL  IW&'ol  ASSOCIATION 


MEMBER  FEDERAL  DEPOSIT  INSURANCE  CORPORATION 
MEMBER  FEDERAL  RESERVE  SYSTEM 


20 


IttH 


CREW 


OF  THE 


On  2  major  networks 
...hundreds  of  ABC 
and  MBS  stations! 


If  you  are  a  teen-age  girl  thinking  of  leaving 
home  to  become  an  actress,  or  if  you  are  the 
mother  or  father  of  such  a  young  lady, 
make  it  a  point  to  see  'STAGE  STRUCK/ 
It  reveals  the  pitfalls  that  await  immature 
career  girls.  And  forewarned  is  forearmed/' 


roduced  by  JEFFREY  BERNERD  •  Directed  by  William  Nigh 


Screenplay  by  George  W.  Sayre  and  Agnes  Christin 
Original  Story  by  George  W.  Sayre 


LV.  TtcHN\COtOR 


Ask  the  theatre  men 
who  played  it  in 


LOS  ANGELES  (5  theatres  day- and -date !) . . 
NEW  YORK . . .  CLEVELAND . . .  NEWARK ...        1 , 
DENVER . . .  INDIANAPOLIS . . .  SALT  LAKE  CITY. . . 

WASHINGTON . . .  OAKLAND . . .  SPRINGFIELD,  MASS. 
...OKLAHOMA  CITY...and  all  the  other  great 
engagements  across  the  board,  big  and  small! 


).  mm  RANK  prwMtt 

"THE  SMUGGLERS"  COIOK  BY  TtCMNICOlOR 
MICHAEL  REDGRAVE  •  jean  kent  •  joan  grffnwood 

-  pr,  ATTENBOROUGH  »it*  FRANCIS  L.  SULLIVAN  •  BASIL  SIDNEY 


PMocul  to  MURIlLud  SIC 
hWK  tire  Mwtl  The  Mm  MM"  try  GRA 
A  SIONEV  BOX  PRODUI 


:v  box 


The  Trade  Press 
Called  the  Turn! 

"IT  SHOULD  PILE  UP 
INTERESTING  GROSSES" 

(Film  Daily) 

"Vivid,  uncompromising 
drama"  (M.  p.  Daily) 

"Marked  by  topflight 
performances"  (Exhibitor) 

"Should  endear  it  to 
action-loving  audiences!" 

(M.  P.  Herald) 


j 

!