You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
f<br />
10 Film Companies Win ?!^?,i^S:/.!!f<br />
Philadelphia Trust Suit<br />
PHILADELPHIA—Ten major film distributing<br />
companies won a victory on Saturday<br />
114) in the U.S. district court when a jury<br />
acquitted them of alleged conspiracy to violate<br />
the federal antitrust laws.<br />
This was the first verdict by a jury in<br />
this district holding the distributors "not<br />
unreasonable" in their clearance practices.<br />
The case involved a $300,000 triple-damage<br />
claim filed by Fannie E. Han-ison. owner of<br />
the Bryn Mawr Theatre, charging the ten<br />
companies with discrimination.<br />
The Main Line Theatre, which is operated<br />
by William Goldman, was charged by Fannie<br />
E. Harrison with being discriminated against<br />
in clearances so that it was not able to compete<br />
with other theatres in the neighborhood.<br />
However, in answer to specific interrogatories,<br />
the jury held that the runs and clearances<br />
of pictures in this instance were "not<br />
unreasonable" as the theatres were in substantial<br />
competition.<br />
Defendants were Paramount Film Distributing<br />
Corp., Loew's, Inc., RKO Radio Pictures,<br />
Inc., United Artists Corp., Columbia Pictures<br />
Corp., Universal Film Exchange, Inc., 20th<br />
Century-Fox Film Corp., Warner Bros. Picture<br />
Distributing Corp., Warner Bros. Circuit<br />
Management Corp. and Stanley Co. of America.<br />
Department of Commerce Group<br />
Criticizes U.S. Antitrust Laws<br />
WASHINGTON — The Business Advisory<br />
Council of the Department of Commerce<br />
strongly criticized both the nation's antitrust<br />
laws and their administration in a report<br />
released by Secretary of Commerce<br />
Charles Sawyer on Monday (22).<br />
Strong criticism centered around ex post<br />
facto triple damages. On this subject the<br />
Council said:<br />
"A strong sense of injustice is aroused by<br />
penalizing people for action which they could<br />
not have known to be illegal.<br />
"A large majority of major antitrust cases<br />
are decided by a divided court. For example,<br />
In trade regulation cases in 1948-49 only four<br />
of 11 Supreme Court decisions were unanimous,<br />
dissents running from two to four in<br />
the other seven cases.<br />
"Furthermore, the Supreme Court overruled<br />
30 earlier decisions in 12 years.<br />
"The best efforts toward compliance cannot<br />
cope with such contingencies. Hundreds<br />
of millions of dollars of retroactive penalties<br />
hinge on such a state law.<br />
"Under these circumstances, it seems that<br />
where the evidence indicates lack of wilful<br />
violation, discretion should be used to avoid<br />
any effort to lmpo.se retroactive triple damages,<br />
often covering many years."<br />
Sawyer, In an accompanying statement,<br />
strongly agreed with a Council suggestion to<br />
the effect that a conference section be set<br />
up within the Justice Department for the<br />
purpo,se of settling cases before they reach<br />
the courts. The report estimated that 90 per<br />
cent of the cases would never get to the<br />
courts if there were a setup within Justice<br />
to bring justice officials and businessmen together<br />
for conferences.<br />
Sawyer also agreed that present laws, rulings<br />
and administrative decisions have made<br />
the antitrust field "a jungle," and that businessmen<br />
and their lawyers have an "incredibly<br />
difficult" job in merely trying to obey<br />
the law.<br />
Pix,<br />
Washington, Files<br />
$2,340,000 Trust Suit<br />
NEW YORK—An antitrust suit seeking<br />
$2,340,000 in damages has been filed in U.S.<br />
district court by Pix Theatre Co.. owner of<br />
the Pix Theatre, Washington, D. C, against<br />
eight major distributors and United Paramount<br />
Theatres. Discrimination against the<br />
Pix is charged.<br />
Co-partners in the operation of the Pix<br />
are: Samuel, Faith and Max Cummings, Rose<br />
Chatkin and Cecilia B. Cohen.<br />
Mrs. Edwards' 'Andersen'<br />
Letter Used by Boasberg<br />
NEW YORK—Several thousand copies of a<br />
letter by Mrs. Clara Edwards, motion picture<br />
chairman of the General Federation of<br />
Women's Clubs, praising "Hans Christian Andersen"<br />
ai-e being sent to exhibitors by Charles<br />
Boasberg. general sales manager of RKO Pictures<br />
with the suggestion that they cooperate<br />
with local women's organizations in promoting<br />
the picture.<br />
They also are asked to make blow-ups and<br />
to put the latter in lobbies.<br />
"Perfect in the part of the young cobbler<br />
with a great gift for story telling is a new and<br />
surprisingly ideal Danny Kaye," wrote Mrs.<br />
Edwards.<br />
Another passage from the letter reads:<br />
"And here, in a frame of superlative photography,<br />
is the age-old precept that within<br />
ourselves is the power to make our lives what<br />
we wish them to be."<br />
At the end is a quote from a letter by Robert<br />
E. Sherwood to Samuel Goldwyn which<br />
reads: "Children will absolutely love it and<br />
so will grown-up people who want to forget<br />
theii- troubles and feel like children again."<br />
Jerry Pickman Goes West<br />
For Studio Conference<br />
NEW YORK—Jerome Pickman. Paramount<br />
vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity<br />
and exploitation, left Wednesday (24)<br />
for the coast for conferences with studio<br />
executives.<br />
Pickman attended the Christmas day premiere<br />
of Hal Wallis' "Come Back, Little<br />
Sheba" at the Pine Arts Theatre, Los Angeles,<br />
and the opening of "Road to Ball" at<br />
the Paramount Hollywood Theatre.<br />
He will attend the Adolph Zukor 80th birthday<br />
dinner January 7 at the Palladium,<br />
Hollywood.<br />
To Quarterly Lineup<br />
NEW YORK—MGM has increased its release<br />
schedule for the four months starting<br />
January 1 from 12 pictures originally announced<br />
to 16 features, an average of foiu- a<br />
month, according to Charles M. Reagan, general<br />
sales manager. In addition, two Technicolor<br />
features, "Lili" and "The Story of Three<br />
Loves," will be given special handling although<br />
not listed on the regular release sheet.<br />
Four of the 16 pictures will be in Technicolor,<br />
two of them for February release and<br />
one each in March and April.<br />
For January the pictures will be "Above and<br />
Beyond," starring Robert Taylor and Eleanor<br />
Parker with James Whitmore; "The Clown,"<br />
starring Red Skelton with Jane Greer and<br />
Tim Considine: "The Bad and the Beautiful."<br />
starring Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Dick<br />
Powell and Walter Pidgeon, with Gloria<br />
Grahame, Barry Sullivan and Gilbert Roland;<br />
"Desperate Search," staiTing Howard Keel<br />
with Jane Greer and Keenan Wynn, and "The<br />
Hoaxters." a 36-minute subject narrated by<br />
Dore Schary, Robert Taylor, Howard Keel and<br />
George Murphy among others.<br />
In February the pictures will be "The<br />
Naked Spur," in Technicolor, starring James<br />
Stewart and Janet Leigh with Millard<br />
Mitchell: "Rogues March," starring Peter<br />
Lawford: "Ivanhoe," in Technicolor, starring<br />
Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine,<br />
George Sanders and Emlyn Williams,<br />
and "Jeopardy," starring Barbara Stanwyck<br />
with Barry Sullivan and Ralph Meeker.<br />
The March release will be "Dream Wife,"<br />
starring Gary Grant, Deborah Kerr and<br />
Walter Pidgeon; "Confidentially Connie,"<br />
starring Van Johnson, Janet Leigh and Louis<br />
Calhern, and "I Love Melvin," in Technicolor,<br />
starring Debbie Reynolds and a group of<br />
guest stars, including Robert Taylor. Vera-<br />
EUen and Howard Keel.<br />
For April the pictures will be "Battle Circus,"<br />
starring Humphrey Bogart. June Allyson<br />
and Keenan Wynn; "Small-Town Girl." in<br />
Technicolor, starring Jane Powell. Farley<br />
Granger, Ami Miller. Nat King Cole; "See<br />
How They Run." with Dorothy Dandridge<br />
and Robert Horton. and "Never Let Me Go."<br />
starring Clark Gable. Gene Tierney and<br />
Richard Haydn.<br />
Clubwomen Rate 3 Films<br />
Of 11 for the Family<br />
NEW YORK—Three pictiu-es are rated for<br />
family audiences, five for adults and young<br />
people and three for adults in the December<br />
15 joint estimates of current motion pictures<br />
prepared by the Film Estimat« Board of National<br />
Organizations. The family films are<br />
"Hans Christian Andersen" (RKO>, recommended<br />
as an outstanding film of its type;<br />
"Cattle Town" (WBi and "Plymouth Adventure"<br />
(MGM).<br />
The adult-young people films are "The Importance<br />
of Being Earnest" (U-D, recommended<br />
as an outstanding film; "The Iron<br />
Mistress" (WB). "Sky Pull of Moon" (MGM).<br />
"The Thief of Venice" (20th-Foxi and<br />
"Thunderbirds" (Rep). The adult films ai'e<br />
"Come Back. Little Sheba" (Para), recommended<br />
as outstanding; "Kansas City Confidential"<br />
(UA) and "Ruby Gentry" c20th-Pox).<br />
v<br />
#<br />
1. J<br />
11<br />
w<br />
i<br />
m m<br />
wm<br />
L<br />
"'10<br />
1011®<br />
"%w<br />
30<br />
BOXOFFICE December 27, 1962