Boxoffice-May.12.156

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r-RIC JOHNSTON has returned to Washington
only for "flying trips" since his
hegira abroad.
The Motion Picture Ass'n of America, which
maintains its headquarters staff here, nevertheless
is making more news than ever since
the on-the-go nominal head of the industry
came baclc from his 'round-the-world tour.
After a brief vacation, he began to malce
news by his analysis of the Near East situation,
with which he is very familiar, having
served in that area as the President's envoy
extraordinary. Among other things, he is
appearing on the national "Youth Wants to
Know" program, and, undoubtedly, will be in
the limelight in other ways in the coming
weeks.
Johnston is represented by associates as
being "very optimistic" about the motion picture
business and he is as much in favor of
a "united front" by all elements of the industry
as ever.
Besides the annual meeting of MPAA,
Johnston has conferred with many producers
and distributors about changes in the Production
Code, and on other matters. There's
never a dull moment with an "executive's
executive" in the motion picture industry!
o-o-o
rj S. FILM companies shipped 28.362,510
linear feet of film to foreign nations in
January, with a total value of $1,019,292, the
U. S. Department of Commerce has reported
here, with the biggest shipment of
exposed positive film going to Brazil, which
received 2,443,603 linear feet valued at $59,497.
The report showed that the United Kingdom,
during the month, received 922,957 linear
feet of film, valued at $80,904: Canada, 1,136,-
753 linear feet, at $65,017: Italy. 1.285,540
linear feet, $59,705, and Australia, 968,800
linear feet valued at $53,404.
The statistical report showed that U. S.
companies imported 327 positive feature
prints of foreign pictures during January
1956, compared to 312 imported in the same
month a year before.
Some 165 films came from the United
Kingdom; 38 came from Mexico; 37 from
Hong Kong, and 36 from Japan. Others came
from the Bahamas, 16; France, 15; West
Germany, 8; Chile, 4; Italy, 4; Finland, 2 and
Canada and Belgium, one each.
U. S. distributors also imported 124 feature
film negatives from overseas countries, including
82 from Brazil, eight from Hong Kong,
eight from Panama, five from Japan, three
from West Germany, three from the Philippines,
two from Canada, one from Egypt, and
one from Australia.
0-0-0
THE Theatre Owners of America, through
A.
man,
Julian
has
Brylawski,
requested
its legislative chair-
permission—which no
doubt will be granted— to testify before the
subcommittee of the Senate Committee on
Labor and Public Welfare in opposition to
proposals to extend the federal minimum
wage law to motion picture theatres.
Actually, there is little threat this year,
from any organized source on Capitol Hill, in
favor of extending the minimum wage to "uncovered"
groups. The administration made a
big to-do about its intention to seek such additional
coverage before Congress met, but so
By LARSTON D. FARRAR
far there has been no recommendation from
the White House.
Meantime, the Democrats, who normally
might favor such a move, have been taken up
with the farm bill, and other legislation they
consider more pressing.
The unions, except through their various
publications, have not plugged hard for the
extension of coverage in this session. It seems
extremely unlikely that any bill will be reported
to both the Senate and the House of
Representatives this year.
"phe action of
the Federal Reserve Board in
raising its rediscount rate to three per
cent may or may not "stop inflation"—as it
allegedly is designed to do—but it certainly
will make it more difficult for motion picture
theatre owners to borrow money, for
either short-term or long-term use, although
they have found it increasingly difficult in
recent years.
In the context of today's strange economic
conditions, there is a big question about the
FRB's actions tightening bank credit. The
action will raise interest rates, no doubt
about it. This will rebound to the credit of
banks and other lending institutions.
It also will raise the cost of carrying the
federal government's huge debt, which now
stands at $7.1 billion a year. And it will raise
the cost of state and municipal debt-handling,
thus socking the average taxpayer, who
pays for all these interest rates through taxes
and. of course, when he makes loans.
The action may "stop inflation," but it certainly
will stop expansion by many small
businesses, and it also may be the piece of
straw that broke the camel's back in the case
of many a small busine.ss that has been "hanging
on" in hopes of a break. Bankruptcies
among small businesses are at the highest
rate in modern history now, and this move
will do nothing to stop this ominous trend.
All in all, you can't help but wonder whose
idea it was, although you do not have to
wonder long if you know many bankers.
Interest is the wages of money, and those
who have greenbacks are anxious for more
profits than even the record-breaking profits
they have made off handling currency in
recent years.
o-o-o
gUSINESS Briefs: Manufacturers in the
photographic equipment industry shipped
35mm motion picture equipment valued at
$24,594,000 in 1954, compared to 1947 shipments
of $10,642,000, the U. S. Bureau of
the Census has reported here. In the eight
mm and 16 mm combined, shipments for
1954 were $83,561,000 against 1947 shipments
of $79,460,000 . . . Representative Gordon H.
Scherer (R.Ohio), who went to Los Angeles
recently as a member of the House Committee
on Un-American Activities to hold
hearings, was "drafted" into a motion picture
role, when he stood around in his hotel lobby.
The director thought the Congi-essman was
an "extra," and ordered him to smoke,
although Scherer is not a smoker. The legislator
says he went through two packages of
cigarets in 15 retakes, and never did tell the
du-ector who he was. It was a hotel scene
in "Julie," star of which is Doris Day, who
hails
from Cincinnati.
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