The Exhibitor (Nov 1942-May 1943)

5 BUSINESS GOOD, BROADWAY REPORTS "Air Force" Starts Fast New York — Good business is now the accepted thing in the Broadway first-runs with reports for last week end reaching The Exhibitor from usually reliable sources indicating that practically all houses were doing okay with the current run of product. The break-down is as follows: “STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM" (Paramount) — Paramount, with stage show headed by Johnny Long and Orchestra, reported $23,000 on Saturday and Sunday, with the week estimated at $43,000. “MARGIN FOR ERROR” (20th Century-Fox) — Globe did $4,200 on Saturday and Sunday. “CASABLANCA” (Warners) — Strand, with stage show headed by Sammy Kaye and Orchestra, got $28,900 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. “AIR FORCE” (Warners) Hollywood reported $27,053 from Wednesday through Sunday. “IMMORTAL SERGEANT” (20th Century-Fox) — Roxy, with stage show headed by Connee Bos¬ well, did $66,500 from Wednesday through Sunday. Week is estimated at $85,000. "RANDOM HARVEST" (MGM) Music Hall, with the usual stage show, reported $64,000 from Thursday through Sunday. 20th Century-Fox Union Elects New York — Seven directors, five credit committee members, and three supervis¬ ory committeee members of the 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox Employes Credit Union were elected at the annual meeting of the or¬ ganization last week as follows: Board of directors: Eugene McEvoy, Mary Kaem, Murray Chikofsky, Molly Grill, Nat Brower, Ted Shaw, Luke Stager. Credit committee: Raymond Schreiber, William Krewer, Harry Fenster, Deon De Titta, Sam Shapiro. Supervisory commit¬ tee: Dave Mason, Hi Salant, Helen Portnoy. At a board of directors meeting of the 20th Century-Fox Employes Credit Union, the following officers were elected: Pres¬ ident, Nat Brower; vice-president, Molly Grill; treasurer, Mary Kaem; secretary, Murray Chikofsky. Paramount Declares Dividends New York — The board of directors of Paramount Pictures, Inc., last week de¬ clared the regular quarterly dividends of 30 cents per share on its common stock and $1.50 per share on its first preferred stock, payable on April 1, 1943, to the holders of record of both classes of stock on March 18, 1943. New Readers' Scales New York — A new wage scale ranging from $52.40 to $60 per week was okayed last week by the WLB for inside readers at 20th Century-Fox on petition of the Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild, Local 109, UOPWA. The old scale ran from $35 to $50. February 10, 1943 Pa. "Anti-Spying" Bill HARRISBURG, PA. — Legislation to prohibit “spying” upon the business operations of competing motion pic¬ ture houses and other businesses, was introduced last week in the House by Assemblyman Kenneth C. Leydic, R., Allegheny County. The bill is now pending committee action. Violation of the proposed law would be subject to fines of not less than $25 to more than $500, or impris¬ onment of not more than one year, or both. Corporations violating the pro¬ posed law would be barred from the right to do business in Pennsylvania. DR. A. H. GIANNINI DIES IN LOS ANGELES HOME Los Angeles — Dr. A. H. Giannini, 69, banker, motion picture executive and civic leader, died here last week of a heart attack. He had just returned from a busi¬ ness trip to New York, and is survived by his widow and a son, Bernard. Associated with the banking business since 1908, Dr. Giannini is credited with being the first banker to recognize motion picture making as a legitimate industry. Louis B. Mayer once said “He started pro¬ ducers whose greatness would never have been known had it not been for his cour¬ age.’’ He is credited with having loaned $3,000,000 to Samuel Goldwyn, $4,000,000 to William Fox, and lesser sums to other producers. He is quoted as having once said: “I am not an ‘angel.’ I make loans to make money for my banks. The box office of a good show is the quickest-pay¬ ing cash business in the world.” Sound Masters Adds Two New York — Harold E. Wondsel, presi¬ dent, Sound Masters, Inc., announced last week the appointment to the vice-presi¬ dency of Laurence M. Corcoran, for the past six years director of motion picture activities for General Motors. Corcoran, after operating a circuit of small town theatres in Virginia and West Virginia, became associated with General Motors in 1936. Wondsel also announced the ap¬ pointment to vice-president in-charge-ofproduction of Frank R. Donovan. H. C. Bate Passes New York — Lieutenant Colonel Henry Clay Bate, 52, a veteran of the first world war and a newsreel monologue writer at Universal, whose publicity department he joined 18 years ago, died last week in the Veterans Administration Hospital, Bronx, following a lingering illness. THE EXHIBITOR SC0PH0NY C0RP. MAKES U. S. BOW Levey Heads Television Company New York — Large screen television projection and easy adaptability to color will presently be available to American television enthusiasts in homes, schools, churches, restaurants, and theatres under the British patent rights controlled for the entire western hemisphere by the newlyformed Scophony Corporation of America, Arthur Levey, president, announced last week. The new corporation’s initial board of directors consists of Joseph E. Swan, banker, partner in E. F. Hutton and Co.; Franklin Field, director, Piper Aircraft Company and chief operations advisor. Outpost Division, OWI; Paul Raibourn, President, Television Productions, Inc., subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, Inc., Earle G. Hines, president, General Pre¬ cision Equipment Corporation; and Arthur Levey, one of the founders and director of Scophony Ltd., of London. Scophony Corporation of America now brings the “supersonic” method of tele¬ vision projection developed during 14 years of research, it is said. This method of projection was used successfully for more than eight months in two London theatres prior to the outbreak of the war. Working models of the various “super¬ sonic” projectors, including the projector giving an 18 foot television picture, used at the Odeon, London, are now here under the care of S. H. Dodington, chief of the British company’s electrical staff. Supersonic projection differs basically from the electronic projection used in all other American television systems. Util¬ izing waves produced in frequencies of the order of 20,000,000 cycles, supersonic projection produces clearer and larger images, and is easily adaptable to color by use of a small color disc even on pro¬ jectors capable of presenting images on theatre full-size screens, according to the claims made by President Levey. Officers of the new company are: Ar¬ thur Levey, president; J. E. Swan, vice president; Franklin Field, treasurer; R. B. LaRue (appointed by General Pre¬ cision Equipment Corporation), secre¬ tary; Bernard Goodwin (appointed by Television Productions, Inc.), assistant secretary. The newly-formed corporation has taken offices at 527 Fifth Avenue. Williams Upped By MOT New York — Phil A. Williams was ap¬ pointed publicity and promotion director of March of Time last week as successor to Albert E. Sindlinger. Williams, who joined MOT five years ago, had been Sindlinger’s assistant for the past two years. Si Seadler To Coast New York — Si Seadler, Metro advertis¬ ing manager, left last week for a trip to the company’s Culver City studios to see product. QUIN.