The Film Daily (1937)

4 THE PRATT GIVES APPROVAL (Continued from Page 1) which the company has agreed to cut in half. The claims of the general creditors of the equity receiver total $38,026. The report of the special master now goes to Federal Judge Caffey for confirmation. A hearing has been set for May 21. Under the plan 20th Century-Fox will acquire the theater. In his report, Special Master Pratt found that the Roxy Corp. is insolvent and that the stockholders have no equity in the property. He found that the value of the Roxy Theater, exclusive of the value of the Roxy name, was $7,211,329 and that total liabilities were $7,481,596. The report fixed the value of land and leaseholds at $2,413,750; building less depreciation at $4,172,995 End equipment less depreciation at $528,916. The master said that plan was presented in good faith and that no one had delayed the hearings. Samuel Kramer, counsel for the stockholders' protective committee, said that he would maintain his contention that the stockholders had an equity in the property at the hearing before Judge Caffey on confirmation of the plan. If Judge Caffey rules against him, he will accept 20th Century-Fox's offer of a small payment to stockholders, he said. Sutton Joins Tri-State X. F. Sutton has joined Tri-State Pictures, Inc., Cleveland, in an executive capacity. This firm was recently organized to take over the business of Tri-State Motion Picture Co. after the death of J. T. Flanagan, president. Sutton resigned as president of Sound Pictures Corp., Cleveland, to join forces with this new organization, backed by a number of prominent Cleveland business men. Fox Suit Trial Deferred Supreme Court Justice Louis Valente postponed to Oct. 4 trial of the Lexington and 59th St. Corp. $1,250,000 suit against William Fox for breaching a contract to build a theater on premises owned by the plaintiff. Effort is being made to settle the suit. BIG, NEWS 3fl|L AS SEEN BY J THE PRESS | AGENT ' TO Sophie Tucker was born aboard an ocean liner, 500 miles at sea from Odessa, Russia, home of her parents. — M-G-M. StmhtheiT^ • • • THE NEW administration of AMPA started off auspiciously with a luncheon at Sardi's a big gang turned out to welcome President Ralph Rolan and his officers Ralph spoke in that modulated gentlemanly voice of his rnd the roughneck pressageys had to sit quiet and listen Ralph will eventually learn that you have to holler at those mugs if you want them to pay attention ▼ ▼ T • • • ONE OF the cheerful notes was the report by Herb Berg for the finance committee showing $690 profit on the annual Dinner-Dance ex-prexy Gordon White was presented with a handsome gold wrist-watch as a token of appreciation by the members for his splendid administration the passing of Al Friedlander was noted, one of the kindliest and most generous hearted of men a loss to AMPA as to the entire industry which he served so brilliantly Hattie Gray Baker, censor for the 20th Century-Fox organization, took a bow and also Glendon Allvine, a past prexy in from the coast and Donald Flamm, chief of WMCA . . there will be one more meeting of the association before the summer recess on May 27 M. H. Aylesworth is expected to be the honor guest • • • A FEW days ago a wire was sent by Ben Cohn, exploiteer for U. A., to his chief Monroe Greenthal, from Worcester, Mass where he was working on "A Star Is Born" Ben stated he could make a swell tie-up with the K. of C. who were running a Beano Game every Thursday eve which draws around 25,000 for 100 passes Ben said he could get plugs on the K. of C. public address system for the picture Greenthal wired back "Okay for passes, and bet a buck for me." two days later Greenthal's sec handed him a clipping from a Worcester paper telling about Cohn winning two prizes at the Beano game — one for a hundred smackers and another for fifty Greenthal wired Cohn: "How about the buck you bet for me?" Cohn replied: "Don't worry about it, boss, just put it on next week's expense account." • • • SEVERAL YEARS ago Ward Morehouse saw the name of Peggy Quis, the script girl, on the door of an office at Paramount's studio in Longisle the name fascinated him, and he made a note of it to use it some day in his writings now Random House is about to publish a play titled "Miss Quis" by the author Peggy at present is holding a secretarial job with Sound Film Enterprises at 723 Seventh • © • YOU WILL recall Dawn O'Day who recently was with Ben Bernie at the Cocoanut Grove on the coast Ben changed her name to Dawn Roland, for luck or somethin'. ..... she opened last nite at the ritzy show at the St. Moritz and went veree veree swell 9 • • A NOVEL display in the rotunda of the Roxy they are educational appliances from the New York Museum of Science and Industry one of the mechanical contraptions shows the first development of the motion picture. . . . • The current issue of Life mag has some interesting data on the industry a neat bit on "Woman Chases Man," and one on Sam Goldwyn « « « » » » 3 DISTRIB. CONTROL « BILLS IN PA, SENATE (Continued from Page 1) the committee on law and order. No publicity has been given the bills. The first bill, No. 1163, outlawing "blind booking," would require a synopsis of each film before each picture could be sold. The synopsis would contain an outline of the story and, a statement describing the manner of treatment of dialogue concerning scenes depicting vice, crime or suggestive of sexual passion. If the film were different from the synopsis, the exhibitor could cancel. Fines of $1,000 to $5,000 are provided as well as imprisonment. The second bill, No. 1164, would prohibit compulsory block booking. Disagreements between distributors and exhibitors would be settled by judges of the common pleas courts of the state sitting in equity of the particular county. Fines ranging from $500 to $5,000 are provided. The th'rd bill, No. 1165, would ban preferred playing time. Fines from $100-$800 are provided. The Attorney General would enforce the law with the secretary of the commonwealth having the right to revoke the certificate of any corporalion authorized to do business in the commonwealth which should be convicted under the act. Complete Television Survey West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Carl Dreher, chairman of the Academy Research Council Scientific Committee, yesterday announced completion of a survey on current television developments in England, the results of which will be included in a report on television in connection with picture production which is now in preparation by the committee. Arranging Friedlander Funeral Plans were being made yesterday for the funeral of Al Friedlander, who died of an heart ailment in New York Wednesday. Exact time had not been fixed up to last night. FACTS ABOUT FILMS Of 192 motion pictures presented in Berlin during the past year only 33 were made in the United States.