Boxoffice-January.24.1953

Industry Dividends
For 1952 in Decline
WASHINGTON—Film industry publicly
reported cash dividends during 1952 were estimated
at $27,257,000 by the Commerce Department
Thursday (22). This was a substantial
drop from the $35,122,000 publicly
reported in 1951, and the lowest since the
$23,665,000 in 1945. Highest year was just
under $55,000,000 in 1947.
Industry dividends reported during December
were estimated by the Department at
$4,440,000, compared with $6,751,000 in December
1951.
Substantial differences in dividends as between
1952 and 1951. mostly drops, were reported
by several companies.
Columbia's 1951 total was $609,000. compared
to $444,000 in 1952. Consolidated
Amu.sement, Ltd., dropped from $450,000 to
$400,000. Loew's went from $7,716,000 to
$5,016,000; Paramount Pictures from $4,606.-
000 to a slightly higher $4,684,000 in 1952;
United Paramount Theatres from $6,520,000
to $4,125,000; 20th Century-Fox from $5,817,000
to $3,460,000; United Artists Theatre Circuit
from $344,000 to $189,000; Universal Pictures
from $832,000 up to $1,206,000 in 1952; Warner
Pictures from $6,800,000 to $5,450,000.
National Theatres, Inc., not reported in
1951, publicly declared $415,000 in dividends
in December 1952. The Stanley Corp.. described
as alway;) late in reporting, had not
been heard from for 1952. but paid $272,000
in 1951. RKO Theatres, which declared $392,-
000 in October of 1951, had also not reported
for 1952.
To Resume Red Hearings
In Los Angeles by March
WASHINGTON—The House
Un-American
Activities Committee, at its organizational
meeting Thursday (22), unanimously agreed
to re-subpena some 70 witnesses, including a
few from the motion picture industry, whom
the committee had not been able to reach in
it,s hearings last October on Communism in
the Los Angeles area.
Those hearings, held in Los Angeles, encompassed
Red activity in several professional
fields, of which films was only one.
The committee felt it should complete this
phase of its activities, particularly since some
of the witnesses would be "friendly." and it
would be unfair not to let them have their
day in court after having announced that
they had been subpenaed.
The hearings will resume in Los Angeles,
according to Rep. Donald L. Jackson
(R., Calif.), but not before the end of February
at the earliest, since a probe of certain
aspects of the educational field have been
scheduled for Washington hearings some
time during the month.
Industry Honors Dr. DuMont
NEW YORK—Members of the radio and
television industries paid tribute to Dr. Allen
B. DuMont. president of Allen B. DuMont
Laboratories, Inc., at the annual dinner sponsored
by the radio, television and appliance
division for State of Israel bonds Thursday
1221 at the Savoy Plaza hotel. Benjamin
Abrams is chairman of the New York committee
for State of Israel bonds.
Senator Wiley Is Briefed
On Film Situation Abroad
WASHINGTON — Detailed information
about U. S. motion pictures abroad was provided
Sen. Alexander Wiley, new chairman
of the powerful Senate foreign relations committee,
by Eric Johnston, president of the
Motion Picure Ass'n of America, and company
executives at a gathering here January 16.
Sen. Karl E. Mundt, another committee
member, attended briefly.
The whole matter of U. S. films abroad, including
their reception in various countries
and restrictions put on them, was discussed.
The committee had indicated earlier that it
might hold hearings on the subject. Johnston
had had lunch with Wiley early in
December.
Member company representatives included
Barney Balaban, Paramount; Nichcla' M.
Schenck, MGM; Spyros P. Skouras, 20th
Century-Fox; John J. O'Connor. Universal-
International; William Zimmerman, RKO;
Ned E. Depinet; Theodore R. Black, Republic;
Edward Morey, Allied Artists, and Raymond
Bell, Columbia.
Representing MPAA besides Johnston were
Ralph B. Hetzel jr.; Sidney Schreiber. Edward
Cooper and Kenneth Clark.
Vietheer to NY as MPAA
Reorganizes Foreign End
NEW YORK—Initial steps to reorganize the
foreign division of the Motion Picture Ass'n
of America were taken Friday (23i at a
meeting of foreign managers, with Eric
Johnston, president, presiding. The move was
made necessary by the death of Joyce O'Hara
who. as executive assistant to Johnston, was
in close touch with the foreign situation.
George Vietheer. administrative head of the
Washington office, will be moved to New York
to assist Ralph B. Hetzel jr., vice-president,
who in addition to holding administrative
control of the New York office has foreign
division responsibilities as well. Vietheer was
administrative assistant to Hetzel in the Department
of Commerce and the Economic
Stabilization Administration before joining
MPAA.
Gerald Cahill. assistant to Jack Bryson,
who handles legislative matters, will take
over Vietheer's Washington post.
No one will be named immediately to the
O'Hara post. His work will be distributed.
Kenneth Clark, public relations head, is
among those assigned additional work.
Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th Centui-y-Fox,
reported in detail on his recent
survey of business throughout the world. Another
meeting on the foreign situation will be
held Wednesday (28).
Radio-Relay Now Bringing
U.S. TV Shows to Canada
NEW YORK—Canada began regularly receiving
U.S. television programs Monday il9)
over radio-relay facilities of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Co. Programs are
beamed from a microwave antenna atop a
telephone building in Buffalo to a station
at Fonthill. Ont. Two transmitters send the
signal across Lake Ontario to Toronto.
T\velve intermediate towers are being built
east of Toronto to interconnect Montreal to
the U.S. network.
In the past. U.S. programs have been shown
by kinescope over the Toronto and Montreal
stations of the Canadian Broadca-sting Corp.
Republic N. Y. Sales
Meet 3rd of Series
NEW YORK—Republic Pictures sales force
held the third of a .series of four regional
meetings starting Thursday i22)
at the home
office and finishing Friday afternoon. Herbert
J. Yates, president, addressed the opening
day's session.
James R. Grainger, executive vice-president
and director of sales, presided. James V.
O'Gara. John Curtin. Walter L. Titus jr. and
Paul Webster attended. Branch managers
present were: William Murphy. New York:
Norman Silverman. Philadelphia; Jake Flax,
Washington: George H. Kirby, Cincinnati:
Bernard Brager. Indianapolis: I. T. Sweeney.
Pittsburgh; Arthur Newman, Albany: Leon
A. Herman. Buffalo: Frank Dervin, Bo.ston;
Jules Livingston. New Haven: I. H. Pollard,
Cleveland, and Sam Seplowin, Detroit.
Al.so present were: Richard G. Yates, executive
assistant to Grainger; Jack Alexander,
contract department manager: A. E. Schiller,
branch operations manager, and Steve
Edwards, director of advertising and publicity.
The second meeting of the series ended in
Chicago Tuesday (20i with a dinner in honor
of Paul Webster, newly appointed miriwestern
sales manager. Among those present were
Dave Wallerstein and Duncan Kennedy of
Balaban & Katz; Alex Halperin of Warner
Bros, and John Dromey of Great State.", Theatres.
The fourth meeting of the series will be
held at the Columbus hotel, Miami. Wednesday
and Thursday (28, 29).
Department of Justice Drops
Radio and TV Probe
WASHINGTON— Investigations leading to
possible criminal antitrust actions against the
radio-television manufacturing industry were
dropped by the Justice Department on Monday
1 19 1, with the Department continuing to
probe into whether civil proceedings should
be instituted.
Retiring attorney general James P. Mc-
Granery explained that the action merely discharges
the New York grand jury's authorization
for lodging the criminal charges. The
investigation would go on, he said.
"Most of the persons to whom subpenas
were directed have complied substantially
with them." he said. "The Department study
of the documentary material submitted suggests
that removal of whatever restraints may
exist in the industry should more properly
be the subject of civil litigation than of
criminal prosecution.
"The study thus far made of the documents
has not disclosed the use of force, strong
arm tactics or activities of a similar punitive
nature."
The investigation, instituted last January
by the then attorney general J. Howard Mc-
Grath. had as one of its main points the
question of whether the industry had conspired
within itself to hold back color television.
S. D. Brecher to DuMont
NEW YORK—Samuel D. Brecher has been
named manager of the New York factory
distributing branch of the receiver division
of Allen B. DuMont Laboratories. Inc., by
Irving Rosenberg, director of operations.
42 BOXOFHCE January 24, 1953