Boxoffice-March.20.1948

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