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NEWS AND VIEWS THE PRODUCTION CENTER
(Hollywood Office— Suite 219 at 6404 Hollywood Blvd.: Ivan Spear, Western Manager
Britain Is Big Question
In Foreign Film Net
LOS ANGELES—Tempered optimism as to
the amount of foreign revenue U.S. filmmakers
may expect in the coming year keynoted
remarks emanating from Eric Johnston, president
of the Motion Picture Ass'n of America,
at a press confeemce staged after his arrival
here for the Theatre Owners of America convention.
American motion picture companies now
are receiving 38 per cent of their total film
rentals from countries outside the U.S., Johnston
disclosed, somewhat lower than last year,
when dollar remittances from Britain were
unrestricted. It is "anybody's guess," he
added, as to what will happen after next
June, when the present dollar agreement with
Britain, whereby the U.S. industry receives
$17,000,000 annually, will terminate.
The MPAA chieftain reiterated, in some detail,
the many trade deals through which
American film companies arrange to convert
such merchandise as textiles, wood pulp, cement
and oil—produced in foreign lands—into
dollars in exchange for celluloid. The industry
has "done very well on remittances" in
the past year, Johnston added, declaring that
he hopes "we can do better" in 1950.
The MPAA executive planned to check out
September 17 for Europe on a joint mission
for the Economic Cooperative administration
and the MPAA. He will visit Greece, Turkey
and other countries and will conduct an extensive
survey of the motion picture situation
abroad.
Start on Chest Film
HOLLYWOOD — United Productions of
America laimched production on a Community
Chest sales training picture, "It's Up to
Us." The film will open with an introduction
by George J. O'Brien, Community Chest
campaign chairman in the Los Angeles area.
Working with UPA are Commimity Chest
executives Guy Thompson, campaign director,
and Ben Wells, chairman of the sales
committee. Also cooperating are Thornton
Sargent of Pox West Coast Theatres, the
Screen Actors Guild and Screen Writers
Guild.
Relief Fund Cards on Sale
HOLLYWOOD—Christmas isn't as far away
as you think. The Motion Picture Relief
Fund has already launched its annual sale
of yuletide greeting cards, proceeds from
which are used throughout the year to purchase
toys, clothing and layettes for the children
of the fund's beneficiaries. Lucile Brown
is chairman of the sales drive committee.
AT TOA CONVENTION—Shown in the
accompanying picture, taken at one of
the exhibits during the recent TOA convention
in Los Angeles, above, are Mr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Walker, Fruita,
Colo., and bottom, Mr. and Mrs. Victor C.
Anderson, Orem, Utah.
lA Wins in Dispute
Over Decorators
HOLLYWOOD—One of the jurisdictional
tangles which was a primary cause of the
1946 studio strike—a dispute over whether
the lATSE or the Brotherhood of Painters
should represent set decorators in the film
foundries—has been written off the books.
The lATSE came out the winner when the
National Labor Relations Board finally got
around to counting ballots cast last May by
the set decorators, who were offered their
choice of lA or painters brotherhood affiliation.
Last spring's vote-tallying had been
delayed because all the ballots were challenged.
Of 36 ballots accepted (challenges against
15 others were sustained by the NLRB), the
lA made a clean sweep, with the set decora-
thus coming under lA jurisdiction.
tors
Hal Roach Will Start
New TV Film Series
HOLLYWOOI>—Hal Roach sr., who some
months ago disclosed he was abandoning
theatrical film production to devote his entire
time to the TV film market, early in
1950 will start on a series of 52 television
pictures based on American corporations and
how they operate. Under the overall title,
"Industrial U.S.A..," the films will have a
running time of 30 minutes each. They are
being underwritten by the corporations involved
and time on TV stations will be purchased
by brokerage firms representing the
industrialists. The pictures also will be
shown in schools and brokerage houses.
* * *
Pi-oducer Nat Holt is using television to
introduce his new acting find. Dale Robertson,
to the industry and public. Robertson
was presented both live and in film clips from
Holt's "Fighting Man of the Plain," made
for 20th-Fox release, over the CBS video
outlet in Los Angeles, Station KTTV, on
September 12. Holt plans to use the same
TV introduction procedure for Robertson on
a national basis just prior to the November
release of the picture.
* * *
With the purchase of more than 18,000
television receivers in the Los Angeles area
during August, total number of sets in operation
rose to 186,777. it was reported by the
Southern Calif. Radio & Electrical Appliance
Ass'n in its monthly report. The tally of Los
Angeles area TV sets has jumped more than
46,000 in the last 90 days. Estimated at five
viewers per set, television addicts in the area
now total nearly 1.000,000.
* * *
Hollywood gossiper Erskine Johnson, in assooiation
with Coy Watson, has incorporated
Johnson-Watson Productions to turn out a
weekly TV Hollywood newsreel, covering spot
news and "behind-the-scenes" activities in
filmmaking. The reels will be distributed by
TeeVee Films, Inc. Johnson will write and
narrate, with Watson directing, photographing
and editing.
* * •
Manning J. Post has been set by Gordon
LeVoy's Television Enterprises to produce 26
video films for sponsorship by Proctor and
Gamble. Post's Pyramid Pi-oductions will
launeh filming early next month at the Hal
Roach studios.
DeMille, Lasky Honored
HOLLYWOOD—Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse
L. Lasky were awarded lifetime honorary
membership in the Society of Motion Picture
Art Directors at a dinner meeting held September
15 at the Bel Air hotel.
BOXOFTICE September 17, 1949 43