The Film Daily (1938)

TKW ID I S T j Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought COPT WO f\JOT R£MOV| The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty Years Old :\ r*% 74, NO. 32 NEW YORK, MONDAY. AUGUST 8. 1938 TEN CENTS 41 Exchanges Named Shipping Points for Drive Aids FILM BIZJIO WAGE-HOURSPROBLEM, SAYSANDREWS Expect Metro to Distribute S-l "Gone With the Wind" J A Said Out of the Picture; Selznick Also Weighs Warner Proposal Selznick-International is almost ertain to close a deal with M-G-M or distribution of "Gone With the Vind," The Film Daily learned Tom an authoritative source over tie week-end. Selznick is said to be et on Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, s he is convinced nobody else will t the part. Metro deal, it is understood, not nly will give Gable to S-I for the ole, but will also give Selznick a (Continued on Page 5) !0TH-FOX RUNS AHEAD WITH CIRCUIT DEALS With a larger percentage of ciruit deals closed than ever before at his point in the selling season, inluding the important National Thea (Continued on Page 7) •pyros Skouras Forecasts Early Upturn in Business Stating that he anticipated an arly upturn in business, and expected to close the rest of National heaters product deals soon, Spyros (Continued on Page 4) 'ft Pays to Advertise' Twentieth Century-Fox's "Alexander's Ragtime Band," setting a new attendance record at its Roxy premiere, ran 2,315 admissions ahead of "The Cockeyed World," Saturday's audit established. "Band" played to 29,614 on its opening day as against's "World's" 27.299, a mark established in August. 1929. Remarkable showing of "Band," in the face of record heat, was conceded a triumph for the selling power marshalled behind the premiere by Charles E. McCarthy's department at 20th-Fox and the theater. Pix debut had the backing of a heavy advertising budget and comprehensive campaign. Attendance at press time Saturday pointed as well to a new Roxy week-end record. At that hour attendance was up to Frdiay's level. Conn. MPTO, Allied Call Biz Drive Meet New Haven — Every exhibitor in the state has been invited to attend a joint Connecticut MPTO and Allied Theaters of Connecticut meeting at the Hofbrau Haus Restaurant Wednesday noon to discuss co-operation in this territory with the national "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" campaign this Fall. Maurice Shulman, president of Allied and Irving C. Jacocks, Jr., president of MPTO, will preside, and Dr. J. B. Fishman will report on the recent meeting in New York, at which the campaign was proposed and outlined. A Connecticut committee for the Connecticut district will be chosen and a plan of co-operation will be adopted. Hammons to Swing into Production Quickly When GN Deal is Concluded Production on EducationaPs 193839 short subjects is expected to get under way immediately following the anticipated court's approval of the proposed Educational-Grand National merger. Under the present plan all shorts planned by the new company will be made in the East, (Continued | as well as at least four features : based on well known Broadway \ stage hits. Owing to the delay in getting the I new season's shorts under way, because of the details connected with the merger, it is believed that the number of shorts originally planned on Page 7) THE WEEK IN REVIEW Trade Reforms Delayed — WB London Opening By GEORGE H. MORRIS DOMESTIC FOREIGN Sidney R. Kent, 20th-Fox prexy, | London reported and New York and chairman of the distributor confirmed the official opening date, committee charged with the fram1 Oct. 11, of Warners' Theater in ing of trade reform proposals, de Leicester Square, the first house to clared in a statement on Thursday | be operated by the company in a (.Continued on Page 6) Set Up Distribution System for Biz Drive Supplies and Adv. Accessories Depinet Drive Top Award Goes to Buffalo Exchange RKO's Buffalo exchange, Charles Boasberg, manager, takes the top money award in the Ned Depinec drive, it was announced Saturday by Drive Captain Walter Branson. Boasberg and every employe in his (Continued on Page 7) Forty-one exchanges in the U. S. and Canada have been designated as shipping points for supplies and advertising accessories in the "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" campaign. Distribution will be in charge of James Clark. The "movie quiz" booklets, con I taining essential information on the industry contest, will be the first (Continued on Page 6) Persons "Under Contract" Likely to Be Ruled Professionals By AL STEEN FILM DAILY Staff Writer The motion picture business is not a "sweated" industry and probably will be little affected by the Federal wagehours-law, Elmer F. Andrews, recently named Federal Administrator, told The Film Daily over the week-end in his first interview with a film trade paper. Further, Andrews declared that, in his opinion, the film industry would prove a comparatively minor problem, viewed from the enforce 1 Continued on Page 6) CANADIAN REGIONALS SET FOR BIZ DRIVE Toronto — Plans for the industry's advertising drive in Canada will be launched at seven regional meetings, first of which is scheduled for today at the Vancouver Hotel, Vancouver, B. C. This will be followed (Continued on Page 4) u. s. Body Studying Labor Trends Now in Sweden Washington Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Washington — Indications at the Labor Department Saturday were that the special United States com (Continued on Page 4) 37 Before Cameras West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Thirty-seven pictures are before Hollywood cameras, with Warner Bros, heading the list with nine, followed by Paramount with six; M-G-M, five; 20th Century-Fox and Universal, four each; RKO is making three and Columbia, two; Coldwyn, Republic, Darmour and Roadshows, one each.