The Film Daily (1937)

rqnm Intimate in Character -"^ternational in Scope /independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Nineteen Years Old VOL. 71, NO. 1 NEW YORK. SATURDAY. MAY 29. 1937 TEN CENTS oac $60,000 Budget for Six "4" Features ALLIED TO ASK MAJORS TO CIRCUIT CURB PARLEY Sees Television Giving Films Production Short Cuts R. C. Beal of RCA Tells SMPE Compensating Technical Aids Certain By RALPH WILK West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Television will compensate the motion picture industry for its borrowings from film technique by developing devices and methods which will offer the movies technical short cuts to production, Ralph C. Beal, supervisor of research of RCA observed yesterday in an address at the S. M. P. E. convention. Beal described the present status {Continued on Page 4) BUENO HEADS MEXICAN PRODUCERS' ASS'N Bv MARCO-AURELIO GALINDO FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Mexico, D. F. — Native producers have formed the Asociacion Mexicana de Productores Cinematograficos (Mexican Association of Motion Picture Producers), with Jose Luis Bueno, of Producciones Bueno, as president, Juan Pezet, of Cinematografica Excelsior, as secretary, (Continued on Page 3) FMPC Sees Early Peace on Studio Labor Front West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Satisfactory settlement of the technicians' strike within "a few days" is confidently expected by FMPC executives. William Cullen, who laid the (Continued on Page 4) k Films Hurt the Drama! Sale of the film rights to "Having Wonderful Time" to RKO for a reported $100,000 has an aftermath in the announcement by Marc Connelly that the cast of 40 appearing in the Broadway production will get salary boosts of from 5 to 10 p.c, effective next week. More Prizes Pour in for FILM DAILY Golf Tournament Decoration Day, — like a skilled golfer, — made a swell approach as far as additional trophies for the 25th Annual (Silver Jubilee) FILM DAILY Tournament are concerned. Consolidated Film Industries literally "decorated" the already heavily-laden trophy table with a gold putter, which will be awarded to the fortunate winner of the freefor-all putting contest, — a high spot of the fun-filled day awaiting you at the Elmsford Country Club, White Plains, on Wednesday, June 9. Runner-up prizes (there will be two, — one for second place and the other for third place) have also been received respectively from Eastman, which is giving a Kodak, and RCA, which is posting a pippin of a radio. SETTLEMENT OF TWO RKO CLAIMS FAVORED Settlement of the Hoblitzelle claims against RKO for $750,000 and of the Walter Reade claim arising out of the disaffirmance of the Mayfair Theater lease for $500,000 will be proposed in a petition to be submitted in Federal Court by the Irving Trust Co., RKO trustee. The Hoblitzelle claims had been allowed by Federal Judge Bondy for $492,417 and the Reade claim, in (Continued on Page 3) "Paris" Detroit Opening Gets Record Radio Plug Detroit — Opening of Para's "I Met Him in Paris" at the Michigan Theater here tomorrow will be the beneficiary of what is termed the most extensive radio hookup in film exploitation in this area. All local stations in the Detroit (Continued on Page 3) I l~Ul u« KORDA IN U. A Capital to be used by Alexander Korda in acquiring the shares of Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in United Artists will be supplied partly by British and partly by American interests, Korda told The Film Daily yesterday. The sale price is $6,000,000 and the option runs until the end of the year, he stated. Kor ( Continued on Page 3) Max A. Cohen Purchases New Amsterdam Theater Max A. Cohen has purchased the New Amsterdam Theater, legitimate playhouse, from The Drydock Savings Bank. The theater, long famous as the home of Flo Ziegfeld productions, will probably go into pictures. Kosch, Lewin & Reuben acted as attorneys for Cohen in the transaction. Hal Roach Plans to Spend $3,500,000 On Six "A" Pix for 1937-38 Release Pratt Induced 20th-Fox To Better Its Roxy Offer It was the insistence of Special Master Addison Pratt that won 20th Century-Fox over to making an offer of $1 a share to Roxy stockholders which will cost the film (Continued on Page 2) Six features to be produced by Hal Roach for M-G-M release next season will all be "A" pictures and will cost a total of $3,500,000, Roach said yesterday on arriving from the West Coast. First of the group will be "Road Show," by Eric Hatch, author of "My Man Godfrey." Roach is considering making ( Continued on Page 3 ) Steffes Committee Action Move Toward Allied MPTOA Merger By ARTHUR W. EDDY Milwaukee — Extending the olive branch in the direction of the producers with theater affiliations, Allied, at its closing convention session yesterday, authorized its Special Defense Committee to decide as to whether or not an effort will be made to confer with the major company heads on plans for curbing the affiliated circuits. Appearing as an apostle of peace, Al Steffes, chairman of the committee, urged that the circuits be asked to give up their houses which are in competition with independents, particularly in small towns, and to discard their "spite theaters." Steffes also demanded that the ma (Continued on Page 3) . TO GET FIRST CIRCUIT TAX MEASURE Milwaukee — First circuit tax bill to be sponsored by Allied will be introduced in the Minnesota legislature which soon plans to hold a special session to pass a revenue measure. Model bill drafted by the Defense (Continued on Page 4) 'J. S. Distribs. Battling Italian Dubbing Fee Jump American producing companies are conferring with Italian authorities at Rome over a proposed raise in dubbing fees which would increase the cost to American firms (Continued on Page 4) Memorial Day Observance Due to the observance of Memorial Day, there will be no edition of THE FILM DAILY published on Monday.