Modern

Philippines Leading
16mm Film Market
NEW YORK—The Philippines has developed
into the greatest 16mm market in the
world, according to Bert W. Palmertz, RKO
manager there. The country has 240 theatres
showing 16mm films, not including
homes, and 350 theatres showing 35mm films.
The 16mm industry there, which was pioneered
by RKO and MGM, has increased until
Columbia, Paramount. 20th Century-Fox,
Universal-International and Warner Bros.
are now also in the 16mm business in the
Philippines. All of this product is shown in
English, without subtitles, as most audiences
understand the language, Palmertz said. Between
30 and 40 local films in Tagalog (native)
dialect are produced in the Philippines
yearly, but less than half a dozen French,
Italian or Spanish pictures have been shown
there in the past few years.
While the theatres in Manila and one or
two other cities are modern, the majority of
the lermn houses are little more than cockpits,
with bamboo seats and roofs. These are
not direct competition for the 35mm houses.
Palmertz said. Of the 18,000,000 people in the
Philippines, at least half go to the films.
Business, which is off 35 per cent in 1948
from what it was in 1946, is still far ahead
of the pre war years, according to Palmertz.
While the people like the lavish Technicolor
musicals, they really prefer action pictures
with shooting or fighting. "Back to Bataan,"
the RKO picture about the Philippines, is still
the biggest grosser there. "A Thousand and
One Nights" (Coli, "The Black Swan" 20th-
Fox) and "Spanish Main" iRKOi were the
next most popular films.
Palmertz, who Is Swedish, recently made
his first visit to his native land in 22 years.
He is on his first visit to the United States.
He was scheduled to leave for the west coast
Sunday (12 1 and will fly back to the Philippines
early next week.
NBC Television Newsreel
To Move to RKO-Pathe
NEW YORK—The NBC television
newsreel
department will move into new headquarters
in the RKO-Pathe Studios at 106th St. &
Fifth Avenue about October 1, according to
Sidney N. Strotz, administrative vice-president
in charge of television. This move from
the present quarters at 630 Ninth Avenue has
been timed to coincide with the completion
of the reel's reorganization by Jerry Fairbanks
Productions, according to Strotz.
The entire job of editing, processing and
storing of the fOms will be performed in the
new studios, which were leased from RKO-
Pathe last May. The newsreel will be integrated
within NBC's news operations and
will continue to be supervised by WiUiam
Brooks, vice-president in charge of news and
international relations. Fairbanks cameramen
will continue to shoot the reel, as they
have done since August 1947. NBC now produces
and broadcasts three newsreels weekly
in addition to a weekly ten-minute review of
the news.
Barrymore as Sea Captain
Twentieth-Fox has borrowed! Lionel Barrymore
from Metro for the role of a sea
captain in "Down to the Sea in Ships."
Advertises for Pickets
And Makes Headlines
New York—Two Harvard boys picketed
the Gotham Theatre at the opening of
"Ruthless" and broke into the papers. It
was a gag—probably the first time that
a theatre had advertised for pickets. Fifty
replies were received in response to the
want ad in the New York Times and
Max E. Youngstein of Eagle Lion hired
them.
Their signs read: "Eagle Lion Films
'Ruthless' to Harvard Undergraduates."
The pickets explained to reporters that
Zachary Scott's role as a tycoon ruining
his associates was bad for their institution
of learning and culture.
UOPWA Votes Against
Taft-Hartley Affidavits
NEW YORK—A nationwide
referendum
by the United Office and Professional Workers
of America, CIO, parent union of the
Screen Publicists Guild and the Screen Office
and Professional Employes Guild, has rejected
the non-Communist affidavits called
for under the Taft-Hartley act. The membership
voted 36,297 in favor of continuing
the union's policy of not signing the affidavits
and 6,055 against, according to the UOPWA
administrative committee.
Refusal to sign the affidavits means that
the union will not be able to take advantage
of National Labor Relations Board services
in jitfisdictional disputes. SPG and SPOEG
members also recently voted not to sign the
non-Communist affidavits.
King of Egypt Receives
Griffis in Splendor
CAIRO—Stanton Griffis presented his credentials
to King Farouk of Egypt as U.S. am.-
bassador in a setting that would do credit to
Cecil B. DeMille.
Griffis, who is also a member of the Paramount
board of directors, and 20 of his embassy
aides made the trip to the king's
palace in eight royal Cadillac limousines
painted crimson. The entourage passed
through crowd-lined streets.
At the palace morning coats, striped pants,
gaudy uniforms were the costumes worn by
the local officials and U.S. diplomats. Griffis
and his aides bowed tliree times and shook
hands with the king when the letters of credentials
were presented.
Loev7 Executive to Study
Film Conditions Abroad
NEW YORK—Samuel N. Burger, Loew's
International sales manager, will leave September
10 for a tour of 22 countries on three
continents that will take about four months.
After a first stop at Tokyo he will visit all
MGM offices in the Far East. Edward O'Connor,
far eastern regional director, will accompany
him as far as India. At Istanbul
Burger will be jomed by David Lewis, regional
director of continental Europe, north Africa
and the middle east, for a tour of those areas.
Burger will return here about Christmas time.
To Screenplay 'Roseanna McCoy'
Samuel Goldywn has signed Paul Green to
work on the screenplay of "Roseanna McCoy"
for RKO.
Company Heads Sell
23,200 Film Shares
WASHINGTON—Sales of film stock by
top executives in four companies for the
month prior to August 10 totaled 23,200 shares,
with the sellers retaining 474,087 shares and
warrants for 12.500 shares, according to a
report by the SEC.
Maj. Albert Warner sold 6,500 shares of
Warner Bros. $5 par common, retaining 434,-
500 in his own name and 21,000 in a trust.
Daniel Sheaffer sold 7,500 shares of Universal
common, retaining 5,307. and Preston Davie
200 shares of the same stock, retaining 5,209.
N. Peter Rathvon sold 5,000 shares of RKO
dollar common, retaining 1,500. W. Ray
Johnston and Norton V. Ritchie each sold
2,000 shares of Monogram dollar common,
the former retaining 2,617 shares and warrants
for 12,500 and the latter retaining
3,954 shares.
The SEC said additionally that Loew's, Inc.,
has acquired another 75 shares of Loew's Boston
Theatres $25 par common, bringing its
holdings to 123,179 shares.
The stock holdings of Jay Emanuel, Lee
Shubert, Jacob Starr and Lee and J. J. Shubert
of Trans-Lux dollar common at the time
they became Trans-Lux officials in June,
according to the SEC, were respectively 6,000,
3,500 2,000 and 3,000 shares. Harry Brandt
held 88,665 shares in his own name and
17,100 in other accounts.
Settle Argentine Union
Dispute by Telephone
NEW YORK—Radio telephone conversations
between film executives here and Argentine
film men representing American firms
averted a paralyzing strike of 1,000 employes
on Wednesday. Start of a strike had
been set for Thursday.
While foreign managers of member companies
of the MPAA were in an emergency
session with John G. McCarthy, associate
managing director of the international division
of the MPAA, a similar meeting was
held in Buenos Aires. How to meet the situation
created by demands of the Argentine
ti'm union was discussed at length. Under
the terms of the settlement Argentine film
workers v/ill receive a 28 per cent maximum
increase while the film companies retain
their managerial rights.
Six Warner Features Set
For Release in England
NEW YORK—Warner Bros, will release six
features in England during the balance of
the calendar year. They are: "Silver River."
co-starring Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan;
"The Unsuspected," a re-release starring Joan
Caulfield and Claude Rains; "Life With
Father," starring Irene Dunne and William
Powell; "The Voice of the Turtle," starring
Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Parker; "My
Wild Irish Rose," starring Dennis Morgan,
and Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope," starring
James Stewart.
Draws Buffalo Patrons
BUFFALO— By placing ads in Buffalo
newspapers and booking big name bands and
other celebrities for stage shows, Batavla"s
Mancuso Theatre, some 35 miles from the
city, is making a considerable draw from
here these days.
fee.
50 BOXOFFICE
:: September 11, 1948