The Film Daily (1948)

Friday, March 19, 1* IK NEKMTEB ^^M* IMLi Vol. 93, No. 54 Fri., March 19, 1948 10 Cts. JOHN W. ALICOATE DONALD M. MERSEREAU : Associate Publisher and General Manager CHESTER B. BAHN Editor Published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays at 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y.. by Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. J. W. Alicoate, President; Donald M. Mersereau, Vice President and Treasurer; Patti Alicoate, Vice President and Secretary. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 8, 1938, at the post-office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Terms (Postage free) United States outside of Greater New York $10.00 one year; 6 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00 Foreign, $15.00. Subscribers should remit with order. Address all communications to THE FILM DAILY, 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y. Phone BRyant 9-7117, 9-7118, 9-7119, 9-7120, 9-7121. Cable address Filmday, New York. DuMont Sees Tele Program Distrib. as Main Problem WEST COAST OFFICES Ralph Wilk, Manager 6425 Hollywood Blvd. Phnnn: Granite 6607 WASHINGTON BUREAU Andrew H. Older 6417 Dahlonega Rd. Phone: Wisconsin 3271 CHICAGO BUREAU Joseph Esler, Chief C. L. Esler 6241 N. Oakley Ave. Phone: Briargate 7441 STAFF CORRESPONDENTS LONDON— Ernest W. Fredman, The Film Renter, 127-133 Wardour St.. W. 1. HAVANA— Mary Louise Blanco, Virtudes 214. BOMBAY — Ram L,. Gogtay, Kitab Mahal, 190 Hornby Rd.. Fort. Bombay 1. ALGIERS — Paul Saffar, Fllmafrk, 8 Rue Charras. MONTREAL— Ray Carmichael, Room 9, 464 Francis Xavier St. VANCOUVER — Jack Droy. 411 Lyric Theater Bldg. SYDNEY— Bowden Fletcher. 19 Moxon Ave., Punchbowl, N. S. Phone. UY 2110. BRUSSELS— Jean Pierre Meys, 110 Rue des Paquerettes. COPENHAGEN— John Lindherg, Jernbanealle No. 3. Copenhagen -Van Loose. ROME — John Perdicarl. Via Ludovlsl 16. Phone, 42758. MEXICO CITY — Latin American News Service, Humboldt 49. nnAnciAL NEW YORK STOCK MARKET High Low Close Am. Seat 17S/8 173/8 175/8 Columbia Picts. vtc. 1 1 Vi llyi 11/2 East. Kodak 387/8 385/8 387/8 Gen. Prec. Eq 14% 143/4 14% Loew's, Inc 17% 17% 173/8 Paramount 203/8 19% 203/8 RKO 83/8 8% 83/8 Republic Pict 4 3% 4 Republic Pict. pfd... 10 10 10 20th Century-Fox . . . 207/8 203/8 20% 70th Cent.-Fox pfd.. . 34 34 34 Universal Pict 14 14 14 Warner Bros 11% 11% "Vi NEW YORK CURB MARKET Monogram Picts 3 3 3 RKO 2 13^ 13/i Sonotone Corp 3Vi 33/8 33/8 Technicolor 123/4 123/8 12% Trans-Lux 4% 4% 45/8 OVER THE COUNTER Bid Cinecolor 43,4 + % 4 Vs Asked 5% 43/4 RC Music Hall Books Two M-G-M, One Para. Film Radio City Music Hall has completed its Spring and early Summer schedule with the bookings of three films, G. S. Eyssell, president and managing director of the house, said yesterday. Bookings are Frank Capra's "State of the Union," released by M-G-M, to follow the current "I Remember Mama"; M-G-M's "The Pirate" and Paramount's "The Emperor Waltz." Economic distribution of programs throughout the country is the primary problem facing video broadcasters, declared Dr. Allen B. DuMont, president of the Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc., in an address before the Customers' Brokers Association yesterday. Though inter-city transmission has been solved by the coaxial cable and micro-wave relay systems, an economic problem still remains, he added, for if the rates soon to be established by the AT&T prove to be excessive, then broadcasters will be forced to establish independent networks. By the end of 1949, Dr. DuMont expects about 200 stations located in 75 cities and 33 states. He based his prediction on these figures: 19 stations are now in existence; FCC has granted 72 construction permits; 162 applications for building are still pending. Transcribed shows photographed directly from cathode ray tubes with prints made and then distributed to various stations will help greatly toward spreading tele nationally, he said. Dr. DuMont illustrated this point by showing the audience a recent transcribed film of a WABD program. His organization, he added, is developing inexpensive transmitters for small stations, at a cost of less than $100,000 a transmitter. Transmitters will pick up programs from the networks and re-broadcast them over a 20-mile radius. U-I Won't Get "Hamlet" Print Till Late April Master print of "Hamlet," J. Arthur Rank's ace release of the year, may not come over to Universal-Int'l until after the Sir Laurence Olivier's starrer bows before the King and Queen at the Odeon Leicester Square Theater, London, May 6, with the "take" swelling the King George Pension Fund for actors and actresses. Arrival is possible just prior to Rank's return to England on April 22. Dubbing and scoring has been completed, but printing of the blackand-white pic requires unusual attention as to graduation. SOPEG Wins $6.75 Hike For UA Employes About 150 SOPEG members employed at United Artists' home office yesterday won a $6.75 wage increase across the board, retroactive to May 31, 1947. Union rep. Peter Hawley dissented from the AAA decision, asserting that the wage hike was inadequate. Percentage wise, increase ranged from 18.5 per cent to 15 per cent; those earning less getting the higher increase. Impartial arbitrator was Prof. Walter Gelhorn of Columbia University. UA was represented by Jesse Lane. Johnston, Mulvey Lauded By Blumberg for U. K. Job (Continued from Page 1) said he was most impressed by the attitude of the British public whose interest in the Anglo-American negotiations was mirrored in the British press which headlined the fact that American films were coming back to Britain. "Papers played up the agreement as the major event of the year," added Seidelman. Concerning their five-week visit abroad, with their respective spouses, both U-I execs, felt that the situation over there has not deteriorated. Seidelman said that French production was at a standstill; discussions were being held on the Blum-Byrnes pact which the French say needs revising. Blumberg took the opportunity to put in a plug for JAR's "Hamlet," by noting that it is "one of the greatest things I've ever seen." If the term, genius, should be applied to anyone, Blumberg concluded, "it should go to Sir Laurence Olivier who did a wonderful job on the picture." Truman, Coyne Address Bond Drive Planners Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — TOA executive director Robert Coyne was a featured speaker along with President Truman last night at a dinner attended by the nation's leading bankers and others called by Treasury Dept. to help plan a security bond drive. Earlier in the day, Secretary of the Treasury John Snyder had spoken of the pix industry's generosity and initiative in helping the wartime bond drives, and expressed his confidence the Government can count on the industry again if need be. Notaro Set as Warner Havana Theatre Manager Pat R. Notaro, manager of the Stanley Warner Bromley Theater in Philadelphia, has been appointed theater city manager for Warners in Havana. Notaro, who will work under the jurisdiction of Herbert Copelan, zone manager for Warners' LatinAmerican Theaters, leaves March 25 for Havana to manage the recently completed Warner Theater and the Plaza there. Leo Forbstein Rites West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Los Angeles — Rabbi Edgar Magnin officiated at the funeral services held yesterday for Leo Forbstein, Warner Bros, musical director, who died Tuesday. Entombment was at the Home of Peace Mausoleum. Pallbearers were Sam Bischoff, David Butler, Harry Rapf, Arthur Stebbins, Ray Heindorf and Herman Kamp. Honorary pallbearers were Jack L. Warner, Eddie Mannix, Sam Briskin, Darryl Zanuck, William Goetz, Ben Kahane, Max Steiner, Edward Blackburn, Pan Berman, Alfred Stan, Vic Aller, Casey Chung and Harold Brown. comiriG priD goirg ERIC A. JOHNSTON, JOYCE O'HARA, ALLE DULLES, EDWARD CHEYFETZ and KENNET CLARK of the MPAA returned to Washingtc last night from New York. PAUL MacNAMARA, vice-president in chare of public relations for Selznick Enterprise arrived from Hollywood yesterday for^f 'erenc with David O. Selznick, Neil Agne«r l oth SRO executives. W R. HILTON, Chicago district manager f Altec Service, is in town for executive confe ences. WILLIAM HEINEMAN, Eagle Lion distribute chief, was in Philadelphia yesterday. MAX YOUNGSTEIN, ad-publicity director Eagle Lion, emplanes for Hollywood next Frida returning on Monday. VICTOR PEERS, Transatlantic Pictures produ tion manager, who planed in from the Coast ye terday, takes off by plane today for London. TED R. GAMBLE, president of TOA, is Washington to attend a White House meetii j of the executive committee and *oard of dire j tors of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial fou dation. RUTH A. INGL1S, of the Department of Soc ology. University of Washington, who has been I New York conferring with company toppeii returns to Seattle tomorrow. HOWARD STRICKLING, M-G-M studio pu I licity chief, arrives from the Coast today fj brief home office conferences. HILDA LESSER RICKLES, secretary to E. I Saunders, M-G-M assistant general sales ma ager, returned yesterday from a West Indi cruise vacation. MARSHALL THOMPSON, M-G-M player, pi companied by Bill Lyon of the studio publici department, leaves today for Philadelphia, D] troit and the Coast. SI SEADLER, M-G-M advertising manage i arrives Monday at the M-G-M studio afi vacationing in Arizona. He will remain at I studio for a week. JACK OSSERMAN, RKO's Latin Americ supervisor, arrives here Monday from Rio Janiero for a series of home office confabs. PAUL HOLLISTER, RKO's national publici director, entrained for Chicago yesterday; f re | there he will fly to the West Coast for a St I of several weeks. PHIL REISMAN, RKO v. p. in charge of d tribution, and ROBERT WOLFF, RKO's genei manager in the U. K., leave next Friday I L. A. JOHN CALVERT, lead player in Film Classic "Devil's Cargo," began a p. a. tour yesterday the Hippodrome in Baltimore where he will i main until Wednesday. Following day he ope ut the RKO in Boston. DOROTHY McGUIRE sailed for Europe yesti day with her husband, John Swope. She will "A Doll's House," for SRO in Sweden. HAL ROACH left New York for Hollywood plane last night following a short business tr AL HORWITZ, U-I Eastern publicity manag leaves today for Philadelphia to appear on thi radio programs in behalf of 'The Naked Cit; "All My Sons" and "Another Part of the Fores Ontario Plans Regulation Of Adult Pix Showings Toronto — Ontario censor ehairm: | O. J. Silverthorne announced that theater permit control system planned to regulate the showing adult features. Rites for Leo A. Burstine Springfield, 111. — Funeral servic were held here for Leo A. Burstii 59, a member of Frisina Amusenr Corp. Survivors include his wife. son, a daughter, and a brother. George Solomon Dead Boston — George Solomon, vetei operator of the Columbia Theat died following a long illness. His w had died a week earlier. His s Louis, had been managing the Colu bia during his father's illness.