Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Jun 1949)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, June 27, 1949 Personal Mention HM. RICHEY, director of ex• hibitor relations for M-G-M, is scheduled to return to New York today from Indianapolis. • Al Corwin, new director of public information for the Motion Picture Association of America in New York, was hosted at a congratulatory cocktail party last week by his former "boss," Irving Maas of the Motion Picture Export Association. The former left here Friday for a vacation in Massachusetts and will join the MPAA on July 11. • James P. Masters, executive of Crescent Amusement Co., Nashville, was a visitor recently at the Paramount Coast studio. He is said to be one of the oldest theatre men in point of service in the U. S. • Paul Lazarus, Sr., continuing to stage a remarkable recovery in strength following his recent illness, was able to make a visit to town recently from his Lake Mahopac home where he is recuperating. • Sheila Cassidy, daughter of John A. Cassidy of RKO Theatres' publicity department here, was graduated last night from the St. Joan of Arc School in Jackson Heights. • Bill Tell, publicity director of the Rivoli Theatre here, will return to his desk today after a two-week vacation. • Jules Weill, president of Masterpiece Productions, is in Pittsburgh from New York. • Walter Wanger left New York for the Coast at the weekend. KMT A Convention Set for Sept. 20 21 Kansas City, Mo., June 26. — September 20 and 21 have been set by the directors of the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Association for the organization's annual convention. Senn Lawler of Fox-Midwest has been named general convention chairman. Morris Kravitz, 57, Local 306 Official Funeral services were held at Gutterman's Funeral Parlor in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon for Morris Kravitz, who died Thursday evening. He was business agent of IATSE Projectionists Local No. 306 here for 10 years, and is survived by the widow, Irene, and a son, Milton. Italian Film Man Dies Poison gas fumes from the Stromboli volcano killed Ludovico Muratori, 48, manager of the Berit Film Co., which is filming the Ingrid Bergman picture, "God's Earth," on the volcanic island, according to press dispatches reaching here from Rome. Confidential Reports Holding 3-Day Meet A three-day conference of district managers of Confidential Reports, Inc., started on Saturday at the Hotel Astor here. The following district managers are attending: Arthur Davis, Eastern district; Otto Stradley, Lake district; Frank Gergen, Midwest ; John Shine, Southern ; Thomas Holland, W estern. The following home office officials are attending: Isador Lubin, president ; Jack H. Levin, executive vicepresident ; Harold L. Groves, national field director; Jules Z. Willing, manager of branch operations ; Harold Saxe, comptroller; Joseph Moscou, house counsel. Niagara Falls Owner Face 5 Per Cent Tax Buffalo, June 26. — Niagara Falls is proposing a five per cent admission tax and exhibitors in that city are up in arms to fight the proposal. A meeting at which plans were made to combat the proposal was attended by the Basil Brothers of Basil Theatres, Vincent R. McFaul of Shea Theatres, Buffalo and Merritt A. Kyser, president of the MPTO of New York. MPAA Luncheon For Sir Sidney Clift Washington, June 26. — MPAA president Eric Johnston gave a luncheon here on Friday in honor of British exhibitor leader Sir Sidney Clift. Present at the luncheon, held at MPAA headquarters here, were Commerce Secretary Sawyer, Assistant Secretary Blaisdell, Rep. Cecil King, Sen. Harry Cain, Rep. John Phillips, Robert Burns of the British Embassy, Merrill C. Gay and Winthrop Brown of the State Department's commercial policy section, and Joyce O'Hara, Johnston's executive assistant. Johnston's Travel Schedule MPAA president Eric Johnston will be in New York today after weekend conferences in Indianapolis with Allied States Association leaders. He will leave here tonight for Chicago, where he will attend a United Airlines board meeting and will then go to Spokane, Seattle and San Francisco for about two weeks, returning to Washington in midJuly. He does not plant to visit Hollywood on this trip. Ruling on Mac Arthur Split Due This Week Washington, June 26. — U. S. District Court Judge Matthews McGuire is slated to hand down his decision this week in the complicated court fight between K-B Amusement Co. and WB's Stanley Co. over the future of the joint Mac Arthur Theatre venture. The decision could set important precedents on the value of jointlyowned theatres disposed of under Paramount case consent decrees. Second Drew Drive-In Buffalo, June 26. — Louis Drew, who operates the Delaware drive-in here, has opened his Olean Alleghany. Four New Theatres For Oilman Baehr Minneapolis, June 26. — Ed Baehr, Minneapolis oilman and financier, is building a 1,000-seat theatre and office building at Anoka, Minn., and is continuing his recently launched theatre building program with plans to enter Morris and Benson, Minn., and Williston, N. D. All will be deluxe stands. Baehr also owns a number of Northern Minnesota theatres which are under long-term lease to Home Theatres Co., as well as theatres at Bemidji and Alexandria, Minn. Paramount to Hold Six Sales Meetings Cleveland, June 26. — Paramount will hold a series of division sales meetings starting in Cleveland tomorrow, with Al Benson presiding. Subsequent meetings will be in Detroit, June 29-30; Cincinnati, July 5-6; Pittsburgh, July 7-8; Philadelphia, July 12-13, and Washington, July 14-15. Mexico's New Money Rate Hits US Income Mexico City, June 26. — The Mexican peso has been stabilized by the government at 8.65 to the dollar, the highest rate ever established in peacetime. Previous official rate was 4.85 to the dollar. Analyzing the new rate in terms of the film industry's interests, it is found that it will mean higher costs for materials which the trade here must import and will also mean less money from Mexico for Hollywood and other foreign films. $2-Million Involved In Loop Houses Sale Chicago, June 26. — A two-way transaction involving the sale of two Loop theatre properties, the Woods Theatre Building and the LaSalle Theatre property, has been closed. The Woods property was purchased by Essaness Theatres, headed by Edwin Silverman for $1,500,000 from the Franciscan Fathers, Roman Catholic order, who in turn bought the LaSalle Theatre property from the Marshall Field Estate for slightly over $500,000. at which site a church and Monastery will be eretced. The LaSalle has been operated by the Jones, Linick and Schaeffer Circuit, since 1933. Lippert Heads New Financing Company Albany, N. Y., June 26.— Motion Picture Financial Corp. has been chartered here to participate in the financing of motion picture production. Certificate listed Sydney B. Weill as second vice-president, and Weisman, Grant and Jaffe, New York City, as attorneys. Motion Picture Financial Corp. has been formed here primarily for the purpose of financing Robert Lippert productions, Lippert being president of the new company. However, it may finance other producers. Newsreel Parade rT^HE Big Four parley and the new J heavyweight champ are current newsreel highlights. Other items include a talk by Secretary Johnson, sports, fashions, etc. Complete contents follow: MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 50— Big Four come to terms. Portable iron lung. Emperor Baodai of Indo-China. CharlesWalcott fight. Wimbledon tennis. Canoe race. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 385— Big Four parley ends in Paris. New iron lung. Envoy Perle Mesta. Bear cub. Raising chickens and ducks. New world champion, Ezzard Charles. Bike thriller. Wimbledon tennis. PAH AMOUNT NEWS, No. 88— Ezzard Charles beats Walcott. July 4th presentation: a salute to our country. TEEENEWS DIGEST, No. 25-B— Yugoslavia: Cominform boycott. Washington: Secretary Johnson sees end of atomic secrecy. Capitol scandal on government contracts. Miniature railroad. Air crash near Memphis. American farm youths go abroad. Garry Davis crosses border. Daredevil drivers. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 359— West Point cadets get paratroop pointers. Long Island drought. Plane crash. Poultry farm. Boxing. Motorcycle race. Wimbledon tennis. WARNER PATHE, No. 90— Big Four meet ends; Acheson here. People in the news: Mrs. Mesta, Emperor Baodai, Milton Berle. Bike fashions, Duck farm. CharlesWalcott fight. Canoe race. Hell divers. Coast Production Continues to Climb Hollywood, June 26— The production index maintained its forward movement, adding two to last week's figure for a total of 45 in work. Nine new pictures were started and seven were finished. Started were: "Girls' School" and "Mary Ryan, Detective," Columbia; "Haunted Trails" and "Angels in Disguise," Monogram; "Where Men Are Men," Paramount ; "Bed of Roses," RKO Radio; "Texas Manhunt," Screen Guild ; "Front and Center," 20th-Fox; "Perfect Strangers," Warner. Completed were : "Stars in My Crown," M-G-M ; "Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters," Monogram ; "Sunset Boulevard," Paramount ; "The Dalton Gang," Screen Guild; "Three Came Home," 20th-Fox ; "Francis," Universal International ; "White Heat," Warner. Astor Sales Drive Will Honor Savini First sales drive honoring Robert M. Savini, president of Astor Pictures , has been set for all Astor exchanges in the U. S. and Canada for August 1 -September 30. Fred Patterson, head of Real Productions, Astor's franchised exchanges in San Francisco and Los Angeles, will be captain of the drive, which will observe Savini's 45th year in the film business. 'Yankees' on RKO Circuit Samuel Goldwyn's "The Pride of the Yankees," now being re-released by RKO Radio, has been booked by the entire RKO circuit. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane. Editor; Terry Rams aye. Consulting Editor. Published dailv, except Saturdays, bundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, fvew iork. Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel. Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau, YuccaVine Building, William R. Weaver, T"dlA°r^, Chicago Bureau, 120 South La Salle Street, Editorial and Advertising; Urben Farley, Advertising Representative; Jimmy Ascher, Editorial Representative. Washington, k C" Ate"'i Nat'onal Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau. 4 Golden Sq., London Wl; Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; International Motion Picture Almanac; Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept, 23, 1938, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 m the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies, 10c.