Boxoffice-11.11.1950

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In
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Senator 'Has Nothing
fo Hide' on Color TV
WASHINGTON—Senator Edwin C. Johnon,
chairman of the senate Interstate Comnerce
committee, called for "full disclosures"
lif all joint activities by TV set manufacjurers
regarding color television. Johnson
laid he hoped that "every shred of corespondence"
between him and the FCC and
bss dealing with color television would
made public.
lie
identical letters to FCC Chairman
Vayne Coy and CBS Pi'esident Frank Stan-
Ion, Johnson said he had read newspaper
eports that Pilot Corp. had served subpenas
III the commission and CBS asking them to
iroduce all such correspondence with the
enator.
Pilot is a party to the RCA suit which
lies to court in Chicago Tuesday. Its presi-
.ient was reported by the press to have sug-
;ested that Johnson "has evidenced more
han a legislative interest" in color teleision.
Said Johnson: "I have nothing to hide and
have nothing to cover up. I am sure that
my correspondince will only go to show that
iiiy sole interest has been to see that the
l)ublic is not denied color television. In
iddition, I believe it would be well for Pilot
liadio Corp. to make full disclosures of meetings,
correspondence and understandings beween
them and other television manufacturrs
in relation to color television."
Quaker City Associates
Elect 1950-51 Officers
PHILADELPHIA—The Motion Picture
Asociates
of Philadelphia Monday (6) elected
ifficers for 1950-51. They are Jack Engel,
nanager at Screen Guild, president; George
iiutcheon, WB cashier, vice-president; Harry
i3ache, office manager at MGM, treasurer,
iind Joseph Farrow, RKO office manager,
ecretary.
Elected to the board of directors were
Seorge Beattie. film buyer; William Goldnan;
Joe Engel, office manager, Quality
Premiums; Jack Greenberg, exhibitor; Lester
lAfurtele, sales manager, Columbia; David
liupowitz, architect. Two past presidents,
3ill Doyle, salesman at Republic, and Sleg
lorowitz, manager at 20th-Fox, automaticaly
became members of the board.
Dinner was served prior to the meeting,
i radio donated by Meyer Adelman of the
^ew Jersey Messenger Service was won by
Jaurice Levin of National Screen Service.
The MPA of Philadelphia is an organizaion
composed of film salesmen, exploiteers,
lookers, office managers, etc., of the film exhanges
and allied service organizations. The
)urpose is to look after the needy in the
listribution end of the business.
Robert Flaherty Forms
Shorts Producing Firm
NEW YORK—Robert Flaherty, documentary
producer-director of "Nanook of the
North" and the more recent "The Louisiana
Story," has formed a new production company,
Robert Flaherty Film Associates.
The organization will produce short documentary,
industrial and institutional shorts
under Flaherty's supervision. Flaherty will
serve as president of the firm and his brother,
David, and Kenneth Cofod of Kenco Films
are other officers.
Tri-Dimension Meet
Called for Monday
NEW YORK—Officers of Cinerama Corp.
and Cinema Productions will meet Monday
(13) to decide if the latter will supply financing
for production by Lester Cowan of
a three-dimensional picture using the Cinerama
process. The matter has been under
discussion for some time. The tentative plan
has been to show the film on a large panoramic
screen in a New York theatre, and
later to roadshow it throughout the country.
Cowan also will make a special film for
Cinema Productions which will call for the
use by audiences of polaroid glasses to attain
a three-dimensional effect. No special
theatre equipment will be required.
All exhibitors backing Cinema have seen
the Cinerama process. One problem to be
ironed out, if the deal goes through, will be
the manufacture of a portable outfit consisting
of projectors and a special screen to
tour the country in a truck.
FYed Waller, chairman of the board and
inventor of the process, and Hazard E. Reeves,
president, who is head of Reeves Sound Studios,
will represent Cinerama during the
negotiations. The Cinema group consists of
M. A. Lightman, president; Fred J. Schwartz,
treasurer; Ben Trustman, attorney for Sam
Pinanski, secretary, and the following sponsors;
Harold Stoneman, Boston; Prank
Walker, Scranton; Mitchell Wolfson, Miami;
George Skouras, S. H. Fabian and Sam
Rinzler, New York.
Reeves said that negotiations for use of
the Cinerama process are not limited solely to
Cinema.
UPT Reported Eager
To Buy ABC Network
NEW YORK—The film, radio and television
industries were agog late in the week
over reports that United Paramount Theatres
is negotiating for the American Broadcasting
Co. network of 289 radio stations and
five owned and operated television stations.
The latter have 50 affiliates. No comment
was forthcoming either from Leonard H.
Goldenson, UPT president, or any ABC official,
ABC stocks went up on the New York
Stock exchange.
The only film company that has owned a
broadcasting company is Paramount Pictures,
which was obliged to give up the Columbia
Broadcasting System during an economy
wave several years ago. Since then two other
attempts have been made by film interests
to buy ABC. Negotiations conducted by
20th Century-Fox early in 1949 fell through,
presumably because of the high price demanded.
Reports were current last April
that Howard Hughes sought to acquire the
network, but nothing came of that.
At the time the UPT- ABC report broke
here, reports were coming out of Washington
that the Federal Communications commission
may turn thumbs down on film companies
as television station licensees. This
resulted in a 20th-Fox request for an industrywide
hearing if any FCC action affecting
film company applications is planned.
From the viewpoint of film men, special
interest in the UPT-ABC rumor attaches to
the fact that if it is true and negotiations
result in a passage of title, Goldenson, a firm
believer in large-screen theatre television,
would have available a setup of great value
to a very active group of television-minded
exhibitors with whom he is associated. The
television stations he would acquire are
located in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los
Angeles and San Francisco, in other words
practically spanning the U.S.
Goldenson's recent suggestion to film company
heads that they cooperate with Phonevision
by supplying features was under fresh
scrutiny to determine if there was any link
between it and the reported negotiations for
purchase of ABC.
^ew Offices for Ettinger
NEW YORK — The Ettinger Co.. public
elations counselors with offices here and in
loUywood, has moved into larger quarters at
45 Fifth Ave. The eastern staff, headed by
iichard E. Tukey, vice-president, has been
augmented by Lida Livingston, who served in
he Ettinger Hollywood offices for many
/ears, according to Margaret Ettinger, presilent.
POXOFFICE :: November 11, 1950
PRIZE WINNERS—Ted .Schlanjftr, zone manager for Warner Theatres in Philadelphia,
recently distributed prizes to winners of the Midcentury showmanship drive.
Left to right: Jerry Weissler, Leader Theatre; Dominic Lueente, Savoia manager; Nat
Watkins, manager of Capitol, Yorlt; Schlanger; Lew Black, Warner, Wilmington, and
Ben Blumberg, Uptown manager.
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