Boxoffice-March.26.1949

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Theatre Shiits
QNE of the surprising features of the current
excitement over consent decrees is
the widespread belief that large numbers
of theatres are to be thrown on the market.
This will turn into a disappointment for
many men who contemplate forming new
circuits in competition with old ones.
Paramount has been disposing of theatres
since June 11. 1946 and the total has
already reached 171.
Only the shrewd operators familiar with
regional conditions will be able to form
new circuits out of old ones. In Texas, for
instance, if Karl Hoblitzelle buys out Paramount's
share of Interstate, there will be
practically no changes. In Florida there
may be opportunities for some independent
to build a new circuit because Paramount
must drop 31 houses.
In New England the company separated
its Netoco operations for Mullin & Pinanski
so fast that competitors were surprised.
There may be some important changes
in the Michigan area, because the huge
Butterfield circuit, in which Paramount
and RKO both had shares, may be broken
up. Paramount's new theatre company
can acquire eight houses. The Butterfield
interests, which include some estates, are
expected to receive independent offers for
important segments of their holdings.
Nobody knows yet what will happen to
the 20th Century-Fox theatre holdings.
The company has, however, offered to give
up a number of jointly-owned houses, and
has already withdrawn from operation of
theatres with other defendants.
The last public announcement was that
20th-Fox, like Warner Bros., would go into
court prepared to carry their cases through
to a decision, rather than by consent decrees.
Similar announcements were made
by RKO and Paramount from time to time.
The Loew's settlement is expected to be
comparatively simple, because most of the
company's present theatre holdings were
formerly operated by a separate theatre
company. The theatres were obtained as
vaudeville houses and even some of the government
lawyers admit there is practically
no monopoly element involved since the
company began to adhere to the new trade
practices ordered by the three-judge court.
Since the Paramount decree the Schine
interests have decided to drop their fiveyear
old struggle and negotiate for a consent
decree.
UA Sale Hangs Fire
THERE are many persons in the United
Artists organization and many more
ootside of it who predict that after the
current negotiations are suspended the
company will still be owned by Mary Pickford
and Charlie Chaplin.
It Isn't merely a matter of temperament,
as some insist; a unique situation is involved.
Both Miss Plckford and Chaplin
helped create and build this company; they
take pride in it. They don't need money.
In fact, if they make any more of it, the
.By JAMES M. JERAULD
government's share will increase. That is
why some of the observers, after adding up
all the factors pointing to a sale and all
those pointing against it, come to the conclusion
nothing will happen.
Raibourn on Television
DAUL RAIBOURN, Paramount vice-president,
has a happy faculty for taking
the bunk out of research. He told the Investment
Bankers Ass'n in Chicago in detail
about studies the company had made
of the effects of television on film attendance
and said frankly he still didn't know
the answers. The New York area is the
only one where there are enough television
sets to make any effective study possible,
and even here the proportion of set owners
to the population is extremely small.
Raibourn ventured into the realm of
prophecy when he said television probably
would eliminate B films. Perhaps! Television
programs to date have been very
much B, C and D. After they have all come
up to a level comparable to B films, the
producers who shoot for 100 per cent A
films will probably miss the target with
the same regularity they have always
missed it.
FCC Still Coy
THE heading might be considered a pun.
but it wasn't intended to be so in spite
of the fact that the Federal Communications
commission chairman is named
Wayne C. Coy. Every effort of film men
to find out the commission's policy on
granting station licenses to this industry
has fallen flat.
The obvious reason is that the FCC
doesn't know yet how many stations there
are going to be and what wave lengths
they will operate on. Moving up into higher
frequencies can be a serious business for
set owners and manufacturers.
On top of all this the commission seems
to feel it necessary to inquire into the
antitrust angles of the film business. Most
of these probably will be ironed out in a
few months. Many new theatre companies
will be eligible to make applications
for station licenses, but they will keep on
hestitating to do so until the FCC gets
ready to make its policy plain.
SIMPP Belligerent
PLUS G. ARNALL, president of the Society
of Independent Motion Picture
Producers, likes to rush into print. His
latest outgiving includes the information
that he will seek court actions wherever
closed situations continue after the antitrust
decrees have been signed.
During the ten years of the Paramount
defense there were only 16 closed situations
involving 39 theatres in ten states maintained
by this company and its affiliates.
There were many others that were nearly
closed, because the independent houses
were subsequent runs of small size.
TRUMAN'S 'OSCAR'—President Truman,
who was voted "best" by the White
House News Photographers Ass'n for the
newsreel story in which he imitated a
well-known radio commentator, receives
his special "Newsreel Oscar" from George
Dorsey, manager of the Washington bureau
of Warner-Pathe News. Dorsey was
inducted as president for the fourth term
of the photographers association at a
banquet in honor of the President
March 19.
Jones, Bell and Golding
Get New 20th-Fox Jobs
NEW YORK—A number of
reassignments
of personnel at 20th Century-Fox have occurred
without public announcement. Lem
Jones, former assistant to Spyros P. Skouras,
president, is now assistant to Al Lichtman,
new vice-president. Ulric Bell, eastern publicity
manager, has become director of information.
David Golding takes over Bell's
former post.
The reassignments have occurred since the
arrival of Lichtman and of Charles Einfeld
as vice-president in charge of advertising
publicity and exploitation, the elevation of
Andy W. Smith, general sales manager, to
a vice-president and the appointment of
Jonas Rosenfield as advertising manager.
Sam Shain remains d'rector of exhibitor
and public relations for distribution, and
Rodney Bush remains exploitation manager.
Harold Beecroft Named
EL District Manager
NEW YORK—Harold L. Beecroft. assistant
to Jack Lorentz, 20th Century-Fox midwestem
district manager for the past six years,
has been named Eagle Lion district manager
in charge of the Dallas, Oklahoma City, St.
Lou's, Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City
exchange territories. He will headquarter in
Dallas.
Grover Parsons, southern district manager,
who has been in charge of the Atlanta, Charlotte
and New Orleans territory for EL, also
will take over the supervision of the Memphis
exchange.
Matt Sullivan Named Head
Of FC Buffalo Branch
NEW YORK—Matt Sullivan, branch manager
of the Film Classics Milwaukee exchange,
has been transferred to Buffalo by
B. G. Kranze, vice-president and general
sales head. Sullivan, who will serve as branch
head with supervision over Albany, succeeds
Joe Miller, resigned.
Eddie Gavin has been promoted from salesman
to branch manager in Milwaukee.
32 BOXOFPICE March 26, 1949