PONDERS TAFT-HARTLEY WAL

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W. J. Kupper Honored
At Farewell Dinner
NEW YORK—Friends and associates of
William J. Kupper, until recently general
sales manager for 20th-Fox, gave him a
farewell dinner in the Sen room of the
Waldorf-Astoria Monday night iJune i3i :
Nearly 200 were present.
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Kupper will sail for London July 2 on the
Queen '
Elizabeth to take over as managing i
director for 20th-Fox in Great Britain.
William C. Gehring, assistant general sales
BON VOYAGK TO Kl'PPER—The
newly appointed managing director for 20ih-
Fox in Great Britain, thanks his associates for a diamond-studded platinum watch
given him by Spyros P. Skouras, president, and 200 of his friends at the 20th-Fox home
office at a surprise dinner for him at the \Valdorf-Astoria. Left to right: William J.
Kupper. W. ('. Gehring, .Skouras and A, VV. .Smith jr.
No Theatre Building in Australia
For Long Time, Says Ralph Doyle
NEW YORK- With 75 per cent of Australu.sla
.subject to theatre licensing by government
officials, the "down under" continent
Is like a "closed shop" for new exhibitors,
according to Ralph R. Doyle, RKO manager
In Australasia. Doyle, who arrived in
America June 20 after a five-day flight from
Sidney, will attend the RKO sales convention
July 7-9 before .sailing back home.
This government ruling, which has been in
exLstence for some time in every territory
except Victoria and western Australia, ".stops
progress," Doyle said. If the government
officials consider that a certain situation is
adequately covered by existing theatres that
"are maintained In the best public interest,
show the best pictures and are kept up to
date," the exhibitor can be guaranteed
against opposition. Warner Bros., which has
been fighting for a llcen.se for a showcase
theatre in Sydney, has the site but Is unlikely
to get the neces.sary llcen.sc, Doyle said. No
new theatre has been built In Sydney for 17
years and, with no theatre building possible
for another three years because housing
needs receive priority, it will be at least 20
years before any theatre building starts.
However, cxl.stlng exhibitors will be able to
get licenses for new hou.ses at that time, he
said.
ADMISSION PRICES SUP
Despite a high adml.s-slon tax of 30 per
cent, adml-sslon prices are generally lower,
nccordltig t^o Doyle. "The public Is shopping;
for its entertainment with the result that
business Is 25 to 30 per cent off from the wartime
high." However, "Song of the South"
and "Notorious" are doing outstanding business
with the latter recently breaking the
all-lime record at the Regent, Sydney. Sydney,
with Its 1.300,000 population, and Melbourne,
with 1,000,000, and the territories
adjacent bring m about 55 per cent of RKO's
Austrnllnn revenue, he said. New Zealand
accounts for about 18 per cent.
Although there has been Utile more than
one picture yearly produced In Australia during
the past few years, film making will .soon
be stepped up by J. Arthur Rank, who plans
to go into continuous production with his
partiiers In Sydney who are awaiting shipment
of equipment to build an up-to-date
studio here. "The Overlanders," the Australian
outdoors film starring Chips Rafferty,
played almost every theatre in Australia,
Doyle said.
British-made pictures are
getting good playing time there but they do
their best business in theatres which stick to
an exclusively British policy. The Australians
prefer "escapist" entertainment and
have recently revolted against the "arbitrary
violence" of gangster films. There are no
Sunday shows there and a federal censor-
.ship board passes on every film before it receives
public showings.
Mobile 35mm operators take care of the
outlying sections of Australia and Doyle sees
no immediate field for 16mm product.
Goodman Heads New Firm
To Sell Discina Films
NEW YORK Morris Goodman, former
vice-president in charge of foreign sales for
Republic, and Discina Films of France have
organized Discina International Films Corp.
with offices at 250 West 57th St. The new
company will distribute Discina and American
product in the U.S., Canada and Latin
America.
Goodman has been named president and
general manager of the new company. He
recently returned from Germany, where he
represented the MPEA, and is now visiting
Mexico and Cuba to set
up distribution deals
for Dl.scina International. The first two
films to be released by Discina are "L'Eternal
Retour" and "La Part de L'Ombre." They
will
have English titles.
Marett Head of BIS Group
NEW YORK—R. H. K. Marett has been
named director of the British Information
Services new films, publications and speakers
division. The division comprises the films,
film .strips, photographic displays, publications
and speakers departments. Thomas
Hodge hos been named deputy director.
manager, was toastmaster. On the dais were: ;
Spyros P. Skouras, W. C. Michel, Andrew W
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Smith jr., Irving Zion, mayor of Lawrence, '
L. I., where Kupper has lived for some time, f
Joseph Moskowitz. Murray SUverstone, Don- !'
aid Henderson, Dan Miehalove, Charles
Schlaifer, Edmund Reek, Otto Koegel, W. J
Eadie and Ray Moon.
TWO HANDSOME GIFTS
Kupper was presented a diamond-studded '
platinum watch by his associates, and Charles
Skouras, president of National Theatres, sent
a combination overnight bag and brief case.
Those present included: Mel Allen, Earl Allvuie, '
Lawrence Ayers, A. ]. Balaban. Abe BlumenAt«m
Morns Breggin, Frank Barry, Jack Bloom, S:3 .
Blumenstock, Nal Brower, Rodney Bush. Winter.
I
Burrhus, George Blenderman, Fred Bullock, Frani
Bryan, Alex Bearman, Marty Berrigan, Olto '
W ,
Bolle, Carlo Bowetla, loe Burke, Ulric Bell. Pro«p»:
Buranelli, John Caskey, Thomas J. Connors, Moms
Coplan, F. X. Carroll, E. H. Collins. Murray Chikoisky.
Seymour Cohen, Albert Cornlield, E. X Col- '
lahan, James Connolly, £. X. Callahan jr., Richard w
A. Carroll. 1
Harvey B. Day, Jack Darrock, Leon De Titta. Arthur
De Titta, Jack Dinan, Daniel Dougherty, Rich- }
ard De Rochemont, George Dickman, Wilfred Eodl*. .
George Eisele.
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Alan Freedman, Joseph Farrlngton, John Femicola,
Roger Fern, Jules Fields, Steve Fitzgibbons, WilUaml
Freedman, Seymour Florin, Daniel Frankel, Edwinl
S. Eraser, Samuel Fishmon, Pete Fishman, J. A
Feloney, A. S. Gambee, Leonard Gaynor, George .
Generalis, Joseph Goldenberg, Abe Goodman, Moe -
Grassgreen, James Glynn. William Groskey, Roy L
Gerardi. Sam Germain.
Donald Henderson, Eric Haight. Jack Haney. Clarence
A. Hill, Joseph Holton, Nat Harris. Donu-'
Houlihan, Frank Irby, Leo Israel, Lamoyne lone^
Ted Jaediker, Edwin Kilroe, Arthur Knorr, David T
Kalz, Irving Kahn, William Krewer, William Kup-
per jr., Richard W- Kupper, Morris Kinzler. Frank,
Kelly, Moe Kurtz, Lou Kulller, Charles B. Kesco.
LEW LEHR IS THERE
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Lew Lehr, Jack Lang, Harry Lawrenson. Peter
Levathes, Isador Lancer. Ben Lowree, Edward Legi
Pewie, Harry Lerner, C. E. McCartney, E. M. Mc-
,
arland, Harry Mclntyre. Eugene Mctvoy, Edward
Mack, Harry Mersay, Mack Miller, Meyer Mishkin
Dorvid Mason, Charles Minck, John Messa, Inring '
Maas, A Mendelson. Norbert Murray, Jerry Novol.
William L. Naejel, Michael Nuzzola, David Om-.
stem, James O'Connor.
Fred J. Pride, Mike Pagano, Pal Patterson, lack
Painter. Joseph Pincus, John Peckow, Ralph Pielow.
Samuel Rauch. Harry Reinhardt, George RoberH.
Jonas Rosenfield. Joe Rosen, William Rowell
Murray Scher, Joseph St. Clair, Ben Simon. Son
Schlein. Sam Shorn, Louis Shanlield, Jack Sichelman.
Sterling Silliphant, Emanuel Silverstone, n
B Simonson, Dan Smoklen. Ed Solomon, Earl I
Sponable, Norman Steinberg, Arthur Sorenson, Art
Stromberg. Joe Seco. Stephen Stephens. T. A Shaw.
Moe Sanders, Murray SchaKor. Jack Salle. Ho")'
Spencer. Allen Silvcrbach. William Sulbvan. Hugh
Strong. Ed Sullivan, Arthur Steigler, Fred Shier,
Lowell Thomas, Edward Thorgersen, Paul Terry,
Arthur Tourtellot, William Tavernise, Henry Ungar.
Westbrook Van Voorhees, Boris Vermont. Jam**
Victory. William Weiss. William Werner. Les Whalen.
Christie Wilbert. Earl W Wingart. Sam Weintraub
Edward Weiss and Michael Soman
Women's Clubs Federation
Holds Film Luncheon
NEW YORK— Jennifer Jones was guest of
honor at a limchcon sponsored by the Fed-'
eratlon of Women's Clubs at the Hotel Commodore
June 27.
James Stewart, who Is In New York rehearsing
for the Broadway stage play, "HM't
vey," was presented with an award for "It si
a "wonderful Life," the best picture representing
American ideals.
52 BOXOFnCE
:: June 28. 19471