Boxoffice-January.07.1950

—
Congress Is Cautious
On Cutting Ticket Tax
WASHINGTON—The senate bogged down
on the Formosa question late in the week
Ask Supreme Court Ruling
and failed to get around to excise taxes
and there was a rising suspicion in many On Ambridge, Pa„ Suit
quarters that Congress would go slow in repealing
the wartime amusement tax as well asked this week to set aside a circuit court
WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court was
as other of the so-called luxury taxes. ruling upholding the suit of Harry Norman
MeanwhUe, senate Democrats decided, as Ball, Ambridge, Pa., distributor, against the
predicted, against supporting any excise rider majors. Paramount, 20th Century-Fox,
on the oleomargarine tax repeal bill which Loews and RKO are defendants in the case,
seems to throw the whole thing back to the along with the Pennware Theatre Corp., in
administration and the house ways and which Paramount is a partner.
means committee.
The high court has been asked to overrule
Senator Harry Byrd of Virginia who leads a decision by the circuit coiirt making the
the Southern conservative Democratic group defendants responsible for proof that they
indicated that he would oppose any slicing are not guilty of conspiracy to freeze out
of the excise taxes until enough appropriation
bills had been passed to show what tax The Penn was formerly operated by Penn-
Ball's Perm Theatre, in Ambridge.
needs for the year would be. As this group ware, which decided to build a new house
could hold the balance of power in the when a higher rental for the Penn was demanded.
Ball took over operation of the
senate, such a position on the part of Byrd
and his followers could delay action on the Penn and went to court to try to block the
amusement tax until late spring.
booking of product into the new theatre,
There also was the somewhat unfavorable called the State.
statement of Senator Scott Lucas, senate majority
leader, that he prefers to let the house but the circuit court found a conspiracy by
The district court turned down Ball's suit
ways and means committee take the initiative
on cutting out excise taxes.
Ball and enjoined any further discrimination
the defendants, ordered a damage award to
The week also brought the first bill to repeal
the wartime amusement tax. Daniel did not succeed in his attempt to win a ban
against Ball in the booking of product. Ball
Reed, New York Republican who is his party's on the operation of the State.
highest ranking member on the ways and
means committee, introduced a bill to cut the
tax and to slice other excise levies. Congressman
Gary L. Clements of New York
TOA Midwinter Meeting
Dated for January 11
offers a bill to wipe out the amusement tax
completely, and Congressman Davenport NEW YORK—Theatre
of
Owners of America
Pennsylvania offers
officers
still another bill on
and directors will hold their annual
amusement taxes—one to slice the tax 10 per midwinter meeting January 11-12 at the
cent.
Mayflower hotel, Washington, D. C, and 75
At week's end it looked like there would be
are expected to attend, according to Gael
continued waiting by theatremen for a cut
Sullivan, executive director. There will be
in the ticket tax, even with the concerted a private dinner the evening of January 10.
effort by many opponents of the levy to get To date, the agenda includes ratification
rid of extra lug.
of TOA participation in the Council of Motion
Picture Organizations, mapping of strategy
toward winning passage of an excise tax
relief bill at the new session of Congress,
and a plan on theatre television.
Selznick Appoints Stone
Executive Assistant
NEW YORK—David O. Selznick has made
Louis Walcott Stone, New York attorney, executive
assistant and will send him abroad
soon to work out production details on two
pictures. Stone's departm-e will follow a conference
at Hollywood with Selznick. The pictures
the producer will make will be filmed
in England and France.
Stone has been assistant resident counsel
of Ascap. His work has dealt chiefly with
problems bearing on the public performance
of copyrighted music in the entertainment
field. He has been working recently on preventing
any performances of the music from
the forthcoming Selznick release, "The Third
Man," until its general release.
During the war. Stone was connected with
general staff work on war intelligence for the
war department. He was later in charge of
liaison with British intelligence and also commanding
officer of the European theatre
command of the office of director of intelligence.
What Press Is
Saying
(Continued from page 9)
do have a laudable cultural effect on American
life."
The Rutland (Vt.) "Herald" said that
"credit must be given to the educational influence
of some of its (Hollywood's) pictures,
particularly those based on the classics. Each
time a Shakespearean play is presented on
the screen, reports the Motion Picture Ass'n
of America ... it stimulates the demand for
his plays by readers . . . this is a cultural
achievement worth mention."
In the Rochester (N. Y.) "Times-Union,"
Columnist Amy H. Croughton noted the increased
demand for books following a movie.
"No matter whether the story of the film is
taken from Shakespeare," she wrote, "or from
the latest comer in the field of whodunit
fiction, the release of a picture brings an immediate
demand for the book."
Ferguson Quits MGM;
Terrell Succeeds
NEW YORK—William R. Ferguson, who
has been with MGM for the past 30 years,
most of the time as exploitation
director,
will retire within the
next few weeks, according
to Howard
Dietz, vice - president
and director of advertising,
publicity and
exploitation. He will
be succeeded by Dan
S. Terrell, who has
been assistant to
Ernest E m e r 1 i n g ,
Loew's Theatres advertising
and exploitation
W. R. Ferguson
head.
John Joseph, who joined MGM last March,
will assume charge of the publicity activities
in the east, taking over the post formerly
held by Herbert Crooker, who will be
given special assignments on specific big
pictures. Joseph, who has been serving as
special aide to Dietz since he joined the
company, arrived from the coast January 5
to start his new duties.
With these changes, Dietz' staff now consists
of Silas P. Seadler, advertising manager;
Howard Strickling, studio publicity
head; Joseph, in charge of New York publicity,
and Terrell, director of exploitation,
who will assume his new duties February 1.
Ferguson, who will devote his future time
to his own private interests, is one of the
best known men in the motion picture promotion
field. Under his supervision, the
MGM field exploitation staff has assisted
theatremen all over the nation. Among the
promotions he directed were: the MGM
Traveling studio, which visited cities and
towns throughout the U.S.; the traveling
MGM screen tests, the "Marie Antoinette"
museum tour and the "Trackless Train" of
1924. As president of Ampa in 1934-35, Ferguson
inaugurated a series of showmanship
luncheons that became the talk of the industry.
Commenting on Ferguson's retirement,
Dietz said: "We are sorry that Bill Ferguson
is leaving us. I have been associated with
him for more than 30 years and consider
him the outstanding exploitation director in
the industry."
Terrell has supervised advertising and publicity
for Loew's Theatres outside New York
for the past four years. He joined the Loew
organization in 1940, as Washington advertising-publicity
director.
Emerling said no successor will be named
for Terrell, but that Edward C. Dowden will
serve as assistant for both New York and
out-of-town advertising, publicity and exploitation.
Toxes' Leading 'Pinky'
NEW YORK — "Prince of Foxes," is running
ahead of "Pinky" in the first 58 engagements
reported to the 20th Century-Fox home office.
It also is ahead of "I Was a Male War Bride,"
one of the company's top 1949 grossers."
RKO to Show 'Cinderella'
NEW YORK—RKO will hold simultaneous
tradeshowings of Walt Disney's cartoon feature,
"Cinderella," in 32 exchange cities January
17.
10 BOXOFnCE January 7, 1950