DECEMBER

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7Ke«t^Md SvcHt^
FiihiliQLiion Outlook
PROSPECTS that Eric Johnston will call
a conference to see whether it is possible
to work out a formula for salvaging the
arbitration plan are good. Johnston is expected
back from South America December
7 or 8.
He may want to take a few days to discuss
the outlook with company heads.
Whether it will be a call for a conference
of the drafting committee that succeeded
the original unwieldly arbitration committee,
or an informal meeting of exhibitor
unit heads with distribution heads remains
to be decided.
Alfred Starr, TOA president; Mitchell
Wolfson, past president, and Herman Levy,
general counsel, held out an olive branch
to Allied at a press conference last week
by saying that they had worked with Allied
from the start of the arbitration negotiations
and there had been no disagreement
between the groups, even on the desire to
arbitrate film rentals. All three emphasized,
however, that they did not want to
scrap the whole project because of inability
to get everything asked for.
Starr also said there were a few things
in the last draft submitted that TOA
members did not like and further negotiations
were required to get these
straightened out.
Johnston keeps in touch with the New
York MPAA offices while on trips, so he is
familiar with the general outlines of current
developments.
Bidding
YARIATIONS Of exhibitor complaints on
competitive bidding practices have become
so numerous it is no longer possible
to keep a record of them. It makes no
difference whether it is a regional exhibitor
convention, or a national convention, or
Allied or TOA, the complaints roll in.
In Washington at the TOA meet no less
a personage than M. A. Lightman made
some violent remarks about bidding. At the
Allied clinics in Chicago the stories were
the same from both small and large towns.
Sooner or later there will have to be
rules covering bidding. Apparently it is
common for salesmen and exchange managers
to tell exhibitors what their competitors
have bid, even when no bids have been
submitted, in order to get higher offers.
Often, it appears, the sales representative
calls up several days before a bidding
period has expired and says: "Joe Doakes
has offered $50 more than you have; you'll
have to top it."
The arbitration plan provides that an
exhibitor can find out what the bids have
been, if he wants to make a written application
after the pictures have been
awarded. This ought to help.
20th-Fox Report Good
^HE 20th Century-Pox financial report for
the 39 weeks ending September 27 was
the last in which theatre receipts will be
•By JAMES M. JERAULJ>
included. The reorganization under the divorcement
decree went into effect on that
date.
The figures were quite satisfactory from
the stockholders' viewpoint—earnings at
the rate of $1.39 per share. Even without
the addition of a special credit of $1,077.-
755 brought about by a change in bookkeeping
procedure on foreign income the
$2,768,191 net was ahead of the same
period last year by $620,563.
The theatre income was $41,508,215,
which was $2,110,061 below the previous
year for the same period. How much of
this was due to sale of theatres under the
decree requirements was not stated.
Ease Chicago Decree
J^ODIFICATION of the Jackson Park decree
in Chicago, so that Loop theatres
can run double features for two weeks and
second runs can play them an additional
week in case the first run is less than two
weeks, came just about a week after Allied
had decided to go back into the courts for
another seige of litigation.
The Jackson Park decree has been a
classic example of the dangers of court rule
over a technical distribution-exhibition
problem. It was punitive—designed to get
films out to the subsequents after two
weeks in the Loop. Each time that a distributor
has had a film that required more
than two weeks to make the distribution
profitable it has been necessary to go into
court and get permission after a hearing
an expensive delay. And bills have been
singles.
Eventually it may be possible to convince
the court that customs prevailing in all
other cities of the United States are applicable
to Chicago.
Kaye as a Speaker
J)ANNY KAYE told George Jessel before
the Motion Picture Pioneers dinner that
public speaking "was not his racket."
Maybe not, but it's
his forte.
Kaye has ease of manner, elegance of
diction and timing and clarity of expression.
His sincerity is impressive.
Few speakers at film gatherings have
created such a definite impression as he
did on this occasion and by his tribute to
Nate Blumberg.
Color and Black
Prints
On Two Fox Reissues
NEW YORK—Some confusion ha.s
arisen over the release of two 20th Century-Fox
rei.ssues, "Leave Her to Heaven"
and "To the Shores of Ti-ipoll." Originally,
both were in Technicolor. However, color
prints are now available only in the west,
south and Canada. This means that all
states north of the Mason-Dixon line and
east of Colorado are being served with
black and white prints only.
B. G. Kranze Becomes
UA Sales Manager
NEW YORK—B. G.
appointed general sales
States and Canada)
for United Artists by
William J. Heineman,
V ice-pr e s i d e n t in
charge of distribution.
Kranze has been
executive assistant to
Heineman since April
1951. He began his
career in the industry
at the Paramount Long
Island Studios in 1921.
He has been a salesman,
branch manager
eastern-central
and
manager for RKO.
Kranze has been
manager i United
B. G. Kranze
Later he became assistant general sales
manager for the J. Arthur Rank Organization
in the United States, and in 1948 was named
vice-president in charge of sales for Film
Classics. From there he went to Eagle Lion
Classics as vice-president in charge of distribution
before joining United Artists.
TOA Committee Chairmen
Are Appointed by Starr
NEW YORK—Alfred Starr, president of
Theatre Owners of America, Wednesday i26)
named the chairman of standing committees
as follows:
Leon Levenson, Boston, concessions; Sam
Pinanski, Boston. Council of Motion Picture
Organizations; S. H. Fabian. New York, theatre
television;
Jack Braunagel, Kansas City,
drive-ins; Elmer Rhoden, Kansas City, public
relations; A. Julian Brylawski, Washington,
D. C, national legislation; Robert Bryant,
Rock Hill, S. C, and LaMar Sana, Jacksonville,
state and local legislation; Herman M.
Levy, New Haven, legal
advisory.
Also. George Kerasotes, Springfield, 111.,
and E, D. Martin, Columbus. Ga.. organization
and membership; Joseph J. Zaro, Nashville,
Tenn.. theatre equipment and accessories;
R. B. Wilby, Atlanta, arbitration: Henry Anderson.
New York, building and safety codes,
and Myron Blank, Des Moines, research.
Lou Smith on Arrangements
For Adolph Zukor Jubilee
NEW YORK—Lou Smith, who has been
handling Movietime U.S.A. for COMPO. will
be executive aide to R. J. O'Donnell in handling
the Adolph Zukor Golden Jubilee Celebration.
He has been loaned by COMPO for
this purpose.
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Smith, who has been in New York for the
past week conferring with O'Donnell. has
gone back to the coast. During the jubilee
celebration he will have headquarters at the
Motion Picture Producers Ass'n on the coast
and at the COMPO offices. 1501 Broadway,
New York.
Charles Skouras, president of National Theatres,
has agreed to act as west coast chairman
for the observance. Skouras and O'Donnell
will meet soon to arrange the details of
the coast celebration.
Zukor's 80th birthday will occur on January
7.
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20 BOXOFnCE December 6, 1962