Boxoffice - Feb. 17, 2014

;
the
Coated Paper Award
Goes to UA
New York—First prize in the annual
competition of the Martin Cantine Co.
for "outstanding skill" in the use of
coated paper in tradepaper advertising
during 1939 has been awarded to UA.
The competition, open to all companies,
covered all forms of advertising and
printed announcements in which coated
paper was used, and is conducted each
year as "a means of advancing the art
of display advertising."
rime to Think, Cut
]ut Badges-Walker
New York—"The picture business needs
) do a lot of thinking just now." in the
pinion of former Mayor James J. Walker,
aiming credit for organizing the Motion
icture Theatre Owners of America years
?o. out of which grew the MPTOA.
Walker was recently proposed by Harry
randt. president of the ITOA of New
ork. as a logical head for one national
vhibitor organization, if and when. The
)rmer mayor was asked if there were any
?velopments toward the merging of
:ptoa, Allied and several independent
;hibitor organizations. He replied that
; knew of none— "no one has talked to
e personally about it."
Asked if he would consider the post as
iggested by Brandt if such a merger
•entuates. Walker declared: "I couldn't
) it if it involved traveling across the
luntry to weld the organizations together,
owever. if this thing is finally accomished
it would serve a useful purpose.
:iere is a compound of jealousies that
lould be eliminated. The desire of men
world to wear badges and sashes
! terrible."
ew York Allied Moves to
eorganize Albany Unit
New York—Allied of New York's execu-
/e committee has resolved to reorganize
i Albany unit and elect officers to reace
those who recently quit over disreement
on the organization's anti-
-;ely bill position.
Ray Pashley has been appointed viceesident
pro tern of the Albany unit pendig
an election, tentatively scheduled next
nnth. Ed Souhami. Allied counsel. Josih
Abramson of Brooklyn and Pashley
'11 comb the Albany area in a few weeks
lior to election.
The executive committee also selected
•'racuse. May 23-23, as the scene for a
fitewide meeting, the highlight of which
'11 be a testimonial dinner to Max Cohen,
lesident, in commemoration of his 30th
iniversary in the business.
•'eorge West on 3-Week
'our of Monogram Units
^Ew York—George West. Monogram
fmchise holder, is on a three-week tour
c exchanges at Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas
(y and Cincinnati, in which he holds an
i^erest. He also has the Screeno francse
for the east.
Nat'l Theatres Veers Toward
Decentralized Film Buying
Block Booking Wins
Place in Congress
WA.SHINGTON—Members of Congress are
becoming "block booking conscious."
This was developed during recent hearings
on the Navy Department appropriation
bill for the fiscal year beginning July
1. next, when Representative James G.
Scrugham (Dem.i of Nevada, a member of
the House appropriations committee, questioned
Commander F. V. Lake of the bureau
of navigation, as to the conditions
under which the Navy gets the pictures
that are shown on its ships and at its
shore stations and navy yards.
There is absolutely no block booking involved
in the Navy's program. Commander
Lake declared. The Navy, he said,
gets the latest pictures produced, at a
very reasonable price, takes the pictures
of every company and secures about the
same price from each.
The bureau executive urged the committee
to increase the usual $85,000 appropriation
for pictures to $135,000, explaining
that the number of ships has been increased
and a new squadron has been established
which will make it necessary for
the department to secure three prints of
each picture, instead of two as in the past.
The increase was denied, however, be-
Educational Petition Says
Erpi Largest Creditor
New York—Erpi. with a secured claim
of $211,600, is named as the largest creditor
in the voluntary banki-uptcy petition
filed in U. S. district court by Educational
Films Corp. of America, subsidiary of Educational
Pictures, Inc. Other secured creditors
are Jeremiah D. McGuire. $20,466.
and the National City Bank. $10,000. Tax
claims, now in dispute, are listed at $47.-
349. Assets are set forth as the trade
mark "The Spice of the Program." cash on
hand of $259. and 16mm and substandard
rights to films, of unknown value, being
distributed by eight companies.
New Jersey Allied Eyes
Pending Legislation
Trenton—Pending and anticipated New
Jersey legislation affecting the industry
was informally discussed by members of
Allied of New Jersey at a meeting at the
Stacy-Trent here. Maury Miller, vicepresident,
presided. Due to the severity of
the snow storm, the session drew only a
few members.
Los Angeles—Although not officially
announced, it is reliably reported one of
the changes in policy adopted at the conclave
of National Theatres divisional managers,
just concluded, calls for a radical
change in film-buying methods for the 500-
odd theatres in the nation-wide circuit.
Henceforth the swing will be toward
buying film in local distribution centers to
a much greater degree than has been the
practice. In the past few years NT's president.
Spyros Skouras, and W. T. Powers,
head buyer, have lined up seasonal product
purchases from the majors through the
distributors' New York offices. Tliis custom
is, largely, to be dispensed with and
the responsibility or acquiring product
turned over to the various divisional managers
working through exchange centers
in their respective territories.
Sessions Extended One Week
The NT parley wound up officially
February 12. It began January 29 and the
original one-week schedule was extended
seven days in order to cover the ground
charted for discu.ssion. In the closing days,
Charles Skouras. president of Fox West
Coast, was named field marshal of the second
annual Spyros Skouras Showmanship
Campaign, to be conducted among NT's
operating districts April 14 to July 13. The
conventionites, who had visited 20th Century-Pox
and Metro to survey the product
outlook, paid calls upon RKO Radio to
hear President George J. Schaefer and
Ned E. Depinet outline that company's
plans, and upon Paramount to hear a simi-
cause members of the committee felt that
if the department got two prints for the
present figure, the cost of the third print
should not be so much more, but held in its lar talk by Y. Frank Freeman. First to
report on the bill that the department leave were Harry Cox of the New York office.
should be able to meet the increased cost
Powers and Dave Idzal. manager of
from the profits of the ships' stores, which the Fox, Detroit. Divisional managers attending
complement the government's contribution
included:
for pictures by an equal amount.
Harold Fitzgerald, Milwaukee: E. C. Rhoden,
Kansas City; Rick Ricketson. Denver;
Frank Newman, Seattle, and Arch M.
Bowles, San Fi-ancisco. A number of homeoffice
executives also were on hand.
Brandt Sees Independent
Future in Small Towns
New York—"The future of independent
exhibition lies in smaller communities
where there is a chance to get a run of
product and where an increase in population
is definite." says Han-y Brandt, in
explanation of his decision to expand his
circuit with the construction of 11 theatres
in New England.
Asked how he thought it possible to
operate successfully in the situations he
contemplates in view of his oft-repeated
statements on alleged iUs facing the average
independent operator. Brandt replies:
"Most of the towns we are going into
only have one house. This makes it
possible for us to get the product the existing
theatre does not use. Such a thing
we would not be able to do In urban cities,
where the product situation is bad and
where overseating is already a problem."
He says six of the new units will be In
operation by next fall.
BXOFTICE : : February 17, 1940
14-C