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Ted<br />
O'Shea,<br />
Paramounteers Hear<br />
Product Discussions<br />
NEW YORK—Informal product discussions<br />
featured a luncheon for 55 Paramount<br />
executives and members of the advertising,<br />
publicity and exploitation departments at<br />
the Hotel Astor on Tuesday 1I61.<br />
Austin Keough and Paul Raibourn called<br />
upon those who had just returned from the<br />
coast to talk candidly and extemporaneously<br />
of the pictures they had seen. Rex Taylor<br />
covered "Night Has a Thousand Eyes": Rudy<br />
Montgelas of Buchanan & Co., "My True<br />
Love"; Paul Ackerman, "Sealed Verdict":<br />
Russell Holman. "The Long Gray Line":<br />
Stanley Shuford, "A Foreign Affair," and<br />
Sid Me.sibov, "Whispering Smith."<br />
I<br />
E. K. Hugh Owen, Robert<br />
O'Brien, Robert M. Weitman, Ed Hyman,<br />
Leon Netter and Fred Mohrhardt, members<br />
of the foreign publicity department, and six<br />
representatives of Buchanan & Co. were<br />
present.<br />
NBC Affiliates Hear Plans<br />
On Television Operation<br />
NEW YORK — NBC's future television<br />
plans were discussed by Niles Trammell, president,<br />
and Frank E. Mullen, executive vicepresident,<br />
at a recent meeting of NBC television<br />
station affiliates. Representatives of<br />
22 affiliated stations attended, in addition<br />
to officials of NBC stations in Cleveland,<br />
Chicago and Washington.<br />
William S. Hedges, vice-president in<br />
charge of planning and development for<br />
NBC, and Noran E. Kersta, director of television<br />
operations, also spoke.<br />
Stations represented included WAVE,<br />
Louisville: WDEL, Wilmington: KCPN, Port<br />
Worth: WRTV, New Orleans: WTVT, Toledo:<br />
WBEN-TV, Providence: WSYR, Syracuse:<br />
WTVR. Richmond: -WBZ-TV, Boston:<br />
KSTP-TV, St. Paul: WBAL-TV, Baltimore;<br />
WRGB. Schenectady: WOW, Omaha; WPTZ,<br />
Philadelphia: WLWT, Cincinnati: KST-Tv',<br />
St. Louis: WWJ, Detroit: HAM, Rochester;<br />
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee; WSB, Atlanta, and<br />
WBAP.<br />
N. Y. Court Denies Motion<br />
Asked by Island Circuit<br />
NEW YORK— Justice Aaron Steuer of the<br />
New York supreme court has denied the motion<br />
for an injunction asked by Island Theatre<br />
Circuit Corp. against Liggett-Stiefel<br />
Booking Service. Island had asked for an<br />
injunction barring Liggett-Stiefel from servicing<br />
its customers on the grounds that the<br />
defendant corporation and employes had conspired<br />
to "steal" Island customers. Norma<br />
Fallenberg and S. E. Weissberger were the<br />
employe defendants.<br />
The suit was filed last August about one<br />
month after Jules E. Liggett had resigned<br />
as Island booker to become a partner in the<br />
Stlefel Booking Service. During that month<br />
31 Island accounts shifted their business to<br />
the ne\4' organization.<br />
Testimony was heard during a three-dav<br />
trial held before Justice Steuer.<br />
William Gold, attorney for Island, .said he<br />
will appeal the decision. Monroe Stein is attorney<br />
for the defendants.<br />
Government Officials See<br />
'Roosevelt' at Du Pont<br />
WASHINGTON — "The Roosevelt<br />
Story"<br />
lUAi was shown at two special screenings<br />
for government officials at the new Du Pont<br />
Theatre here, Thursday (18), before the picture<br />
started its regular run.<br />
The first .showing was attended by Senators<br />
Scott W. Lucas. Olin D. Johnston, Lister Hill,<br />
Brien MacMahon and Elbert D. Thomas, and<br />
Congressmen Paul Brown, Sam Hobb, Albert<br />
Thomas, George D. Sadowski and Francis J.<br />
Myers. Also present were ambassadors from<br />
Colombia. Chile, Brazil. Australia, France.<br />
Yugoslavia, Denmark. Poland, Siam, Dominican<br />
Republic and Honduras and ministers<br />
from Finland, Luxembourg, Lebanon, Syria,<br />
Liberia and the Union of South Africa.<br />
Mrs. John R. Steelman, wife of assistant<br />
to President Ti-uman, was chairman of the<br />
evening showing. Proceeds went to the<br />
Society for Crippled Children.<br />
Film Classics Officials<br />
Hold Lunch for Wheeler<br />
NE-W YORK— Sam Wheeler, recently appointed<br />
executive head of the western division<br />
for Film Classics, was given a testimonial<br />
luncheon March 12 at the Astor hotel.<br />
B. G. Kranze, vice-president and head of<br />
worldwide sales for Film Classics, served as<br />
toastmaster. Joseph Bernhard, president of<br />
the company, spoke of Wheeler's duties and<br />
of the importance of his job to the organization.<br />
The western division includes Los<br />
Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle,<br />
Salt Lake City and Denver territories.<br />
Others who spoke were; Jules K. Chapman,<br />
Al Zimbalist, Ted Birnbaum and Eugene<br />
Arnstein, all of the Film Classics home<br />
office.<br />
Byrd Confers With Kranze<br />
NEW YORK—Rear Admiral Richard E.<br />
Byrd conferred with B. G. Kranze, Film<br />
Classics vice-president in charge of worldwide<br />
sales, on distribution plans for "Discovery."<br />
The picture Is Byrd's filmed account<br />
of his South Pole expedition. Arrangements<br />
have been made for Byrd to make personal<br />
appearances in connection with the opening<br />
of the picture.<br />
lATSE May Represent WTT<br />
BALTIMORE—The right of the lATSE<br />
represent technical workers at DuMont's<br />
to<br />
Wa.shington television station WTTG was upheld<br />
by Ross M. Madden. Baltimore regional<br />
director of the NLRB. He dismissed charges<br />
by the National Ass'n of Broadcast Engineers<br />
and Technicians that the imion was involved<br />
in unfair labor practices. •<br />
Boost 'Sitting Pretty'<br />
NEW YORK—"Sitting Pretty" (20th-Fox)<br />
has been selected as the picture-of-themonth<br />
for March by the New York Subway<br />
Advertising Co. The picture stars Clifton<br />
Webb, Robert Young and Maureen O'Hara.<br />
Buys NBC Newsreel<br />
SCHENECTADY—The electronics department<br />
of General Electric Co. has purchased<br />
the National Broadcasting Co.-produced<br />
television newsreel for sponsorship on Fridays<br />
at 9 p. m. over WRGB, Schenectady.<br />
Industry in Germany<br />
Split by U.S. Decree<br />
BERLIN—Film production, distribution and<br />
exhibition in the U.S. zone of occupation in<br />
Germany have been separated and the industry<br />
has been decentralized since March 8<br />
under the U.S. decartelization order. German<br />
companies have four months to comply with<br />
the order and end existing contracts violating<br />
its provisions. The order was passed a<br />
year ago.<br />
It contains the following provisions:<br />
Production, distribution and exhibition are<br />
completely separated, except that a producer<br />
may distribute his own product directly or<br />
through a wholly-owned subsidiary.<br />
Exhibiting companies are restricted as to<br />
the number of theatres they may own in relation<br />
to the population of a specified political<br />
area. In areas with a population of<br />
100,000 or less exhibitors are pennitted one<br />
theatre. In areas with over 1,000,000 population,<br />
exhibitors may own five theatres. No<br />
exhibitor may own, operate or have a financial<br />
interest in more than ten theatres anywhere.<br />
The order also states that any group of<br />
theatres with a total seating capacity of 750<br />
or less, operating no more than four days<br />
each week is classed as one theatre.<br />
As a special concession for German producers<br />
who have difficulty getting equipment,<br />
the joint export-import agency in Germany<br />
has agreed to pay advance royalties, in the<br />
form of dollar credits up to $10,000 per film,<br />
to producers who can show the probability<br />
of export sale on their pictures. This money<br />
must be used to buy material and equipment<br />
abroad and will be deducted from the total<br />
royalty due the producer.<br />
Columbia Workers Given<br />
Retroactive Wage Hikes<br />
NEW YORK—A total of 298 office workers<br />
at Columbia have been granted wage increases<br />
ranging from $6 to $10 weekly retroactive<br />
to Sept. 27, 1947, by the American<br />
Arbitration Ass'n. Arbitrators in the case<br />
included Sidney A. Wolff, impartial chairman:<br />
Al Shepard, representing the Screen<br />
Office and Pi-ofessional Employes Guild, and<br />
Arthur W. Schwartz, Columbia.<br />
During the week Justice Morris Eder of<br />
the New York supreme court granted Paramount's<br />
request for a stay of arbitration in<br />
a<br />
case involving layoffs of SOPEG employes.<br />
New Broadway Bookings<br />
NEW YORK—The Globe and Rialto theatres<br />
here have booked t\Vo Eagle Lion films<br />
for Easter week. "Adventures of Casanova"<br />
will open at the Globe following the run of<br />
"Body and Soul." "The Smugglers," J. Arthur<br />
Rank production, will open at the Rialto following<br />
the run of "Furia." "The Lost One"<br />
I Coll, produced in Italy, will open at the<br />
Golden Theatre March 29.<br />
Broadcast Ampa Luncheon<br />
NEW YORK—Irene Kuhn. assistant director<br />
of information for NBC, will conduct a<br />
broadcast on the activities of women in advertising<br />
at a luncheon meeting of Ampa,<br />
Thursday, March 25. Station WNBC will<br />
record the proceedings for broadcast. The<br />
luncheon will honor advertising and publicity<br />
women in the motion picture industry.<br />
BOXOFFICE March 20, 1948