The Film Daily (1948)

I [niimale in Character [nternational in Scope ndependent in Thought ^^ fjttl^d?H'Y Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Thirty Years Old -IPDAILY' 'C^4. NO. 26 NEW YORK, FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1948 TEN CENTS^ tRITISH PIK QURLITV SHARPLV DOUin Berlin Pother Shortage Cuts Film Production ijline Features This Year Jl Reds End Blockade; Munth Studios Not Affected German motion picture studios in he American zone will turn out nine feature productions during 1948 if he shortage of electricity arising out ■f the Berlin blockade is alleviated in I'ufRcient time, according to Lt. Col. 'Villiam C. Rogers, Chief of the Moion Picture Section of the U. S. i.rmy Civil Affairs Division. J Accomplishment of the scheduled s (Continued on Page 3) ^tate Dept. Pix Post billed by Merrill Gay \Washiutitoii Bureau of THE FILM DAILY . Washington — Merrill C. Gay, acting associate chief of the State Department's Commercial Policy Divi.ion, was yesterday assigned respon^ibilitv for "coordination of policy ,.nd action on matters affecting comnercial motion pictures" in the inernational field. One time Professor (Continued on Page 8) The Film Daily presents today the fifth installment of a selection of the opinions of newspaper and radio commentators on the cinema from the more than 300 answers in the 1948 Critic s Forum, an annual symposium in which leading critics and commentators are invited to comment on topics currently of major industry interest. A summary of the critics' answers will be published at a later date. Question Number 1 In your opinion, what will be the effect of Coast-to Coast television, when it comes, upon the motion picture and the motion picture theater? 5&K Bids High for 'Arch" in Three Spots ■ Chicago — United Ailists exchange eports "Aich of Triumph" has been old on bids to B & K for early* show hgs at the ace Marbro, Tivoli and (Continued on Page 3) 'Hamlet' at Parh Ave. Starting in October J. Arthur Rank's "Hamlet," instead of going into a Broadway stand, will be housed for its New York run, starting about Oct. 1, in U-I's Park Avenue Theater, it was announced last night. Pic will play two performances daily except Saturday when an extra matinee will be given. Top will be $2.40. Decision to use the Park Avenue obviously result; from a variety of reasons. U-l, which holds the lease, has be n having some difficulty i.i finding product for it. Also there's t'le expectation that the pic will have a very long run. YW'E THINK the movies will be smart enough to ally themselves with the new medium. DOROTHY MASTERS The News, New York, N. Y. ♦ ^TELEVISION WILL HELP by rendering some of the juvenile trash unprofitable on the screen by putting it on Television, I hope. A. "WINSTEN New York Post ♦ 'TELEVISION "WILL HURT but only to a small degree. Many people will want to stay home and see television rather than go to a movie for a while. But eventually, they'll start dividing their time, for, although television may in the future give them equal entertainment it still won't entirely take the place of the motion picture, for there's nothing like going out for an evening. JAY SEYMOUR WPAT, Paterson, N. J. ♦ WAHEN RADIO came into wide usage, many predicted it would hurt the phonograph industry. On the contrary it stimulated phonographs and recordings to a high degree and created the buyer's urge in those who did not possess them. To a modified extent I feel that television, once it becomes well established, will serve as a stimulus in some respects — and a dambener in others. If pictures are good, more people will hear about it and want to see it; if bad, they will be successfully warned away. If this sounds too middle-of-the-roadish, let me reiterate that television will brovide a boon all around and its harmful efjects will be negligible. PAUL R. MITCHELL 'WRA'W, Reading, Pa. ♦ '"pHIS IS difficult to answer — it certainly won't help motion pictures — it may hurt them very much — in time. But until television is perfected to a greater degree than it is right now, it will have no effect, I believe. Television is still a novelty — while movies are established. PHYLLIS PERRY KALL, Salt Lake City, Utah ♦ T DON'T know enough about television at the moment to comment, but I do believe that it will have some effect at first. ELSIA THOMAS •WHIS, Bluefield, 'W. Va. ♦ npELEVISION WILL HELP. It will give more intimate pictures of stars — will see greater more than once a year. JOSEPH R. DUEREON KELD, El Dorado, Ark. ♦ "pOi? THE time being, at least, until television coast to coast is ironed out I don't think the motion picture will have to worry. WARREN EDWARDS WISR, Butler, Pa. ♦ W/'HEN PEOPLE can stay home and see things — why go to the movies to see the awful stuiT that Hollywood (Continued on Page 4) "Speedup in Production" Cited as Responsible by ¥/alls in Memo to Wilson London (By Air Mail) — A shar^ reduction in the quality of British films has been evidenced within the past six months as the result of the "speedup in production," CEA President D. C. Walls has told the Board of Trade. In a special memorandum submitted in the wake of Board President Harold Wilson's statement that the British public would have to learn to like British pictures, the CEA (Continued on Page 4) Put ^f $10,321, Net profit of $10,321,000 for the nine months ended May 29 was reported by Warner Bros, and subsidiaries after deducting $7,400,000 for Federal taxes. For the comparative period in 1947 the net amounted to $19,134,000. Federal income taxes that year amounted to $11,900,000. The '48 figure is equivalent to (Continued on Page 8) WMGM Radio Programs To Use Metro's Talent Coincident with the change in its pall letters from WEN to WMGM on Seipt. 15 when it formally opens its new quarters at 711 Fifth Ave., the Loew-owned and Oiperated radio station will lean heavily on Metro talent in programming, it was reported yesterday. It is understood plans are well in hand for the utilization of Culver (Continued en Page 4) iVew RKO Program Under Consideration West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — It is reported Howard Hughes and Ned E. Depinet, executive vee-pee of RKO, are discussing a five-point program for RKO embracing distribution, sales, overall company operations, theater operations, and television. No details have been disclosed.