Boxoffice-August.19.1950

BIG PUSH FOR COMPO SUPPORT
AIMED AT EXHIBITOR GROUPS
Mayer Out to 'Convince'
Industry of Need for
Financial Backing
NEW YORK—An immediate effort to
convince exhibitors of the country that it
is to their interest and to the interest of
the industry to get the Council of Motion
Picture Organizations going speedily during
the war emergency is to be made by
Arthur Mayer, executive vice-president, in
cooperation with exhibitor organization
leaders.
Preliminary financing has been assured by
the pledge of Motion Picture Ass'n members
to begin their contributions of one-tenth of
one per cent on film rentals by September 1.
A rough estimate based on 1949 financial reports
of eight major companies and their
theatre affiliates places the prospective income
from this source at about $70,000 per
year.
BILLINGS DUE ON THE 15TH
The present plan is to add COMPO contributions
to exhibitors' bills on the ISth
of each month for the previous month. For
those exhibitors who get their consents in by
October 15 this would mean their contributions
for September.
It is figured that Theatre Owners of America,
Allied States Ass'n of Motion Picture
Exhibitors, the Pacific Coast Conference of
Independent Exhibitors, Independent Theatre
Owners Ass'n of New York and Metropolitan
Motion Picture Theatres Ass'n include
close to 15,000 theatres in their memberships.
No collections are planned for members of
the Motion Picture Industry Council, which
includes the talent guilds, as these are all
employes of different companies. This also
applied to Variety Clubs International in a
different way.
How members of the Society of Independent
Motion Picture Producers will contribute has
not been decided. This probably will be
through their distributing companies where
these companies are members of
the MPAA.
EXHIBITOR SESSIONS SCHEDULED
A number of exhibitors' meetings, both
national and regional, are to be held between
now and the year end. The TOA is scheduled
to meet at the Shamrock Hotel. Houston,
Tex., October 30-November 2. The executive
committee has already taken action endorsing
the COMPO program and Gael Sullivan,
executive director, was one of the incorporators
of COMPO.
Considerable missionary work will be done
to convince individual members that COMPO
will benefit them and the industry, and action
on the problem will be taken at the
Houston meeting. In the meantime bulletins
or a printed brochure will be sent to individual
units and members.
National Allied is scheduled to meet at
Pittsburgh October 2-4. Because Allied's decision
to join COMPO was for one year only,
when it was made last October in Minne-
Project Ideas Piling Up
For Industry Program
NEW YORK—Some of the more important
objectives of the Committee of Motion Pict
u r e Organizations
scheduled for action
when the preliminary
details have been gotten
out of the way by
Arthur L. Mayer were
approved by the executive
committee
Wednesday (9). These
and others had previously,
been discussed
and approved by the
committee on planning
Arthur Schmidt
and {)rogram.
First among the objectives
is a program of basic research designed
to give COMPO competent market
analyses, to furnish a realistic picture of
the industry and to explain reasons for boxoffice
difficulties. This work will be done by
one or more market analysis groups.
The idea is not for the analysts to point
out solutions, but to furnish data, pleasant
or unpleasant, upon which the COMPO executive
committee can act.
The executive board of the program and
planning committee is made up of Arthur
Schmidt (chairman), Charles Einfeld, Walter
Reade jr., Oscar A, Doob, Irving DoUinger
and Ben Shlyen.
A committee has already been named to
study the possibility of holding motion picture
expositions in strategic locations around
the country. It will report on the cost and
probably effectiveness of these.
A permanent legislative committee is
planned to deal with national legislative
problems affecting the industry, to serve as
collector and disseminator of information on
legislative problems, to be available for the
aid of local groups in putting the influence
of the national body behind any legislative
problem engaging any locality on request,
and to reach the smallest situation that may
need help.
Ned E. Depinet will send out a letter soon
to the 238.000 individuals deriving income
apolis, it will be necessary for the board to
reaffirm this action.
It is expected that this will be done. Since
that time Abram F. Myers, Allied chairman
of the board and general counsel, has been
the leader of the COMPO legislative committee's
outstanding campaign for ticket tax
reduction, and Trueman T. Rembusch, president,
has been one of the most active advocates
of war emergency cooperation with
from the industry asking each individual to
appoint himself a "committee of one" to
work for the improvement of the industry's
public relations, to strive for greater harmony
in the industry and to answer attacks
on the industry.
Several thousand exhibitors are not members
of any organization and the letter will
be directed to all of them. Maurice Bergman,
William C. Allen and S. F. Seadler will
cooperate in preparing a statement of objectives.
At least two seminars will be held. The
idea of these is to have an exchange of views
by producers, distributors, artists and exhibitors.
The first probably will be held on the
coast and the second at the grassroots level.
Those attending these seminars will be
asked to pay their own expenses. The committee
in charge of the project includes:
Gael Sulhvan (chairman), Trueman T. Rembusch,
H. V. "Rotus" Harvey, Fred J.
Schwartz, Allen Rivkin, Art Arthur and Robert
J. Rubin.
One of the important problems to be taken
up as soon as possible will be the preparation
of a theatre directory. One of these was
published by the Motion Picture Ass'n of
America in 1948, but it is now out of date,
and COMPO will need a new one in order
to prepare a mailing list. Questionnaires will
be sent out. A special committee to prepare
the questionnaires and to make detailed recommendations,
including costs, for the project
includes: Earl Hudson (chairman), Andy W.
Smith jr., Chester Bahn, Maurice Kann and
John Montgomery.
Other proposals include the establishment
of a library of industry information with
branches in New York and Hollywood; arrangements
for a speakers' bureau and speakers'
kits: participation in the White House
Mid-Century Conference on Youth; a proposal
for holding one annual collection, instead
of many put on by request, either in
theatre lobbies or audiences: studies on how
to improve the boxoffice; institutional advertising;
enlistment of fan magazines to
support industry public relations.
government departments through COMPO.
Regional units will be asked to take action
as rapidly as possible. Whether this will
be in the form of a request for individual
consents from members or a blanket authorization
to distributors to put the one-tenth
of one per cent charge on bills has not been
decided.
It is expected that each bill will have a
(Continued on page 14)
BOXOmCE :
: August 19. 1950