The Film Daily (1938)

VLB Pix WageHours Rulings Must Wait, Industry is Told Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought (See Column 3 Below) The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty Years Old VCJ74, NO. 94 NEW YORK, MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1938 TEN CENTS Allied and Distribs Resume Talks in Chicago Thurs. TRADE REFORMS HOLD SPOTLI G HT AS MPTOA MEETS Selznick Making No Deals at Present Time —Whitney MPTOA, 1938 . . . as a tip-off . By CHESTER B. BAHN ===== IT IS a traditional practice on the part of * the trade press to greet the opening of each succeeding MPTOA national convention with the cheerful forecast that it will prove to be "the most important ever held." However appropriate the use in the past, the phraseology applies with telling effect to the Oklahoma City convention, the first session of which starts today. From the industry standpoint, certainly, these are history-making days. The future of this business is being charted, and the decisions now being formulated within the industry in all probability will determine whether that future shall be marked by its continued freedom of action or an exercise of supervision or control by outside forces. — • — \A/HAT is disclosed at Oklahoma City * ^ reasonably may be the tip-off. The first clue will be found in the annual report of Prexy Ed Kuykendall, proponent of the "10-point" program, to be read this morning. As important, perhaps more important, will be tomorrow's appearance before the convention of William F. Rodgers, Metro's sales chief, who will discuss "Trade Relations in Distribution and Exhibition." Kuykendall, for the MPTOA, and Rodgers, for the distributors' negotiating committee, have been key men in the present trade reform parleys here. "Definite progress," it has been announced, was made at the early conferences; exactly what that constitutes undoubtedly will be defined in Oklahoma City today. — • — IT is true, of course, that there are other * parties to the reform negotiations, each group with its own agenda. Yet, basically, these programs have much in common, and their reconciliation to provide an industry Magna Carta should not be an impossible task. Essentially, this is a trading industry, with all that implies. The formula devised at the parleys in progress here (and which, insofar as the MPTOA is concerned, are expected to con (Continued on Page 2) S-l Board Chairman Says RKO Reports Wholly Without Foundation Selznick International is making no deals at the present time. Talk of an RKO deal with John Hay Whitney, S-I board chairman, accepting RKO stock in place of his S-I holdings is baseless, and reports that other deals are being discussed at this time are equally without foundation. No future plans of the company will be discussed with anybody {Continued on Page 6) PHILLY EXHIBITORS FORM ALLIED UNIT FLSA RULINGS REFUSED Consult Labor, Cut Classes, Administrator Advises Philadelphia — A new Allied unit came into being here Friday when a large group of territory exhibitors met and formed an organizing committee. Assembled exhibitors were urged (Continued on Page 12) Wobber Says "Alexander" U. S. Gross at 2 Million Domestic gross of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" already has reached $2,100,000, Herman Wobber, general (Continued on Page 7) By MILTON F. LUNCH Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Advising the majors to get together with labor first before asking the FLSA Administration to rule on over 600 separate classifications of the motion picture employes under the Wage and Hour law, administration officials on Friday told representatives of the industry at a conference that the classifications would have to be handled in the same manner as all others, and no ruling could be made until labor in the industry had also been heard. Those attending the conference (Continued on Page 22) Kuykendall's Annual Report Today Will Touch on Concessions By AL STEEN FILM DAILY Staff Writer Oklahoma City — Developments at the trade reform conferences under way in New York during the last two weeks will hold the spotlight at the MPTOA's 18th annual convention, it was indicated as the sessions officially opened at the Biltmore Hotel here this morning. Results of the parleys were un (Continued on Page 18) Schaefer Plans No Early Visit to Coast Studios George J. Schaefer, RKO Radio Pictures' new prexy, plans no immediate visit to the studio, published reports to the contrary notwithstanding. "There are no immediate prob (Continued on Page 22) Summary of Trade Practice Parleys To Be Submitted to Al\ied*s Board Pittsburgh Variety Club Dinner Attracts Over 900 Pittsburgh — More than 900 guests and members attended the Variety Club banquet held under the Big Tent in the ball room of the William Penn Hotel last night. John H. Harris, national president of Variety Clubs and general chairman of (Continued on Page 7) Trade practice parleys between the Allied committee and the distributors' group will be continued in Chicago on Thursday. At that time Allied's board will receive the report of the organization's negotiating panel which has been huddling with the distribs. for the last two weeks in New York on a fair trade practice program. Following the board meeting, Al (Continued on Page 20) TO ADJOURN HEARING ON GOV, EQUITY SUIT Hearing scheduled for tomorrow on the major distributors' motion for a bill of particulars in the government's equity suit probably will be set back as it is understood that the Department of Justice is (Continued on Page 22) Foreign Complications Call Jack Cohn Abroad That Columbia's large stake in the European film market will not be left to the vagaries of economic and political conditions, nor to the individual judgments of Continental managers, was evidenced on Friday (Continued on Page 22) Prevention of Fire Holds Interest at SMPE Meeting Detroit — Sound recording both film and disc, lighting problems of theaters and studios, 16-mm. recording and reproduction, and miscellaneous applications of cinematogra (Continued on Page 20)