7i^€uAm^to*i ^efiont •pHE MOVE TO GAIN representation by the Theatre Owners of America on the Council of Motion Picture Organizations appears destined to run into trouble. Allied Exhibitors Ass'n doesn't like it. Although he emphasized that the association could take no official stand until the board of directors studies it at the midwinter meeting. Allied board chairman and general counsel Abram F. Myers stated bluntly that if the TOA campaign "is a deliberate attempt at politicking. Allied won't go along." Myers said it was his personal view that everybody seems to be satisfied with COMPO's structure except TOA. Increased membership on the executive board, he declared, could only result in turning COMPO into a "town meeting." Intimating that behind the formation of the Gamble corrmiittee is the basic objective of getting California theatre operator Charles Skouras on the COMPO board, Myers said that Allied had split its two-man representation on COMPO geographically, and there was nothing to stop TOA from doing the same thing. "TOA could have appointed Charles Skouras or some other westerner as one of its representatives instead of electing two easterners, Sam Pinanskl and Gael Sullivan," he stated. Myers said he would not attempt to predict the action of the Allied board when it meets early next year, but his reputation as a weather vane of independent exhibitor thinking, coupled with the record of previous Allied-TOA friction, is strong indication that the board will take a very dim view of the TOA proposal. "If TOA insists on playing politics," Myers warned, "it stands a chance of wrecking COMPO." * * • TELEVISION SET manufacturers appear to be unconcerned over the prospects of a sharp drop in sales because of the new tax, consumer credit controls on instalment buying, or public confusion regarding the color situation. Their optimism is reflected in the latest report by the Radio-Television Manufacturers Ass'n, which placed production of television receivers in October at an all-time record rate. RTMA estimates, based on reports of both member and nonmember companies, set October TV production at 813,851 sets for a weekly average of 203,462 receivers. Total production for the first ten months of 1950 amounted to 5,777,610 TV sets, RTMA reported. The survey pointed out that the October figure was only slightly below the September total of 817,157 sets, which covered a five-week reporting period. The October weekly average, however, was considerably above the September level of 163,431 sets, RTMA emphasized. Detracting somewhat from the significance of the TV set manufacturing record last month was the approach of the Christmas By ISABEL OLDER holiday buying season, which was reflected in peak radio set production in addition to the increased turnout of television receivers. Home, auto and portable radio sets produced in October totaled 1,413,563, high mark for the first ten months of this year. FCC CHAIRMAN WAYNE COY's letter to the Hallicrafters Co. is reminiscent of earlier "fighting" commissions with reputations for not letting the broadcasting industry slap them down, and indicates the beginning of a real showdown battle on the decision licensing the CBS color system. The TV set manufacturing company, in a full-page newspaper ad, charged that the FCC ruling was a "threat to the American way of life," that "five men have seen fit ... to impose their will on an entire industry and on the nation." Coy, in a letter to Hallicrafters president W. J. Halligan, denounced the attack as "pretty contemptible," a "hit-and-run attack," "misleading," and said the FCC decision "means giving the people the advantage of new inventions as soon as they are developed instead of trying to shelve them so as not to interrupt the flow of profits from existing products." It is considered unlikely by observers here, however, that the commission will make any reply to RCA's refusal to make its tri-color tube available to CBS, or take any punitive action against RCA. There is no legal method of forcing RCA to turn over its tube to CBS for experimental purposes, but there has been some speculation that a rejection of the commissions' request would be followed by further restrictions against RCA experimental color broadcasts. Only recently, the commission ordered RCA to cut out color broadcasts during regular commercial broadcasting hours. It is considered far more likely that the commission will maintain silence on this question until it comes up for a complete airing in the Chicago court. In view of the imminence of the court test, some informed sources were expressing the opinion that the refusal was bait for the commission to swallow by taking reprisals and thereby damaging its chances before the three-judge tribunal. As it now stands, the FCC is serenely confident that its jurisdiction will be upheld, although commission attorneys concede that the issue will not be finally settled until it reaches the Supreme Court, where it is expected to be taken immediately following the lower court's judgment. Buys Film About Saint NEW YORK — Amber Films, Inc., newly formed company of which Joseph Burstyn is president, has bought U.S. distribution rights to "The Girl From the Marshes," a dramatization of the life of Maria Goretti who was made a saint last June. The Italian film has received three foreign awards. It was directed by Augusto Genia. Trade Commission Order. No Long, Exclusive Ad Film Contracts WASHINGTON — The four largest com-' panics making and distributing advertising' films have been ordered by the Federal Trade commission to stop making exclusive screening contracts with exhibitors if the contracts run for more than a year. The companies affected are Reid H. Ray Film Industries, Inc., formerly Ray-Bell Films, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.; Alexander Film Co., Colorado Springs, Colo.; United Film Service, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., and Motion Kcture Advertising Service Co., Inc., New Orleans. The PTC action came almost four years after the original complaint and follow- 1 ing lengthy hearings all over the country. The exclusive screening contract binds the exhibitor not to show any advertising films on his screen other than those furnished by the contracting ad film company. A majority of the commission — Commissioner Lowell Mason dissented—found that such contracts running for more than a year violated the FTC act in that they unduly restrained competition. Contracts of less than a year, even when exclusive, were legal, the FTC majority held. They argued that the advertising film companies needed some assured screen time on which to sell prospective advertisers. Chairman James M. Mead wrote the majority opinion. In his dissent. Commissioner Mason said trailer ads were an important source of income for small theatres and that • any restriction on their right to lease suchi films might represent the difference between profit and loss. He questioned whether the commission was acting wisely in trying to decide "how long an ad taker's lease shall run." In addition to barring future exclusive contracts that run for more than 12 months, the FTC order directs the companies to end present exclusive contracts that have more than a year to run. The commission order emphasized that it was still perfectly legal for advertising film companies and exhibitors to enter into longterm contracts so long as they were not exclusive screening agreements. As of August 1, 1947, there were 12,676 U.S. theatres showing advertising films, the commission found, and approximately three- 1 ( fourths had exclusive contracts with one or' another of the four film companies involved in the action. It said these agreements deprived competitors of outlets for their films, and in some instances had forced competitors out of business. Variety-AGVA Benefit Scheduled December 1 NEW YORK—"Agvariety of 1950," a benefit show, will be jointly sponsored by Tent 35 Variety Club and the American Guild of Variety Artists December 11 at Madison Square Garden. The welfare funds of both organizations will benefit from the proceeds, as well as the Will Rogers hospital in Saranac Lake. S. Jay Kaufman is coordinator for the benefit show committee, and he will w-ork with i Max Wolff and the entertainment committee! I which includes Cy Seymour, Lou Wolff. Harry!" Jackson and Dave Ferguson. " 22 BOXOFFICE November 11. 1950
Portrait of an l^xhibitor^s Wife .(5>\ V
- Page 1 and 2: V/etoen. MctuM yndocd^ Bob Hope, Lu
- Page 3 and 4: OF FAME ! Next: M-G-M! M-G-M presen
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- Page 7 and 8: ' mil. , Sara I ike . 21-23 I Franc
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- Page 11 and 12: k. State Censors Called To National
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- Page 21: dIe 24.000 YOU'VE GOT TO BE TO STAY
- Page 25 and 26: land, Nancy Davis and John Hodiak.
- Page 27 and 28: iccaj^on -v viib^.^^^K^. \ I >-N, \
- Page 29 and 30: they've played Columbia's sensation
- Page 31 and 32: I Use the NSS LUE RIBBON AWARD KIT
- Page 33 and 34: Monogram and U-I Have Big Backlogs
- Page 35 and 36: i P. .^( CHESTER FRIEDMAN EDITOR ox
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- Page 39 and 40: Football Fans Enter Guessing Contes
- Page 41 and 42: ; In ' and • Almost f until I see
- Page 43 and 44: I In ^ Senator 'Has Nothing fo Hide
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- Page 57 and 58: ; On I I . . Back . . . . ELC ^ SEA
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' I . . . Abe . . . MGM q I CONGRAT
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Texas Variety Club Re-EIec!s Office
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• hotel, ' jSays Exhibitors Share
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HALT TO COMPETITIVE BIDDING IS ASKE
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; BOXOFFICE Small-Towner Must Watch
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' TOwTisend I DETROIT—lATSE 1 The
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f i I (15) • Rufe, Allied Film Cl
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Hartford Theatre Marks Fifth Year H
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BOXOFFICE BookinGuide Nov. 11, 19 ^
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' j ' ExhihiioT Has His Say (Contin
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