The Film Daily (1938)

w DAILY Monday, November 7, 1938 JACK (JOHN WILL TALK NEW DEAL WITH ASHER (Continued from Page 1) Daily when he sailed Friday on the Queen Mary. Cohn emphatically denied that J. A. McConville would be supplanted as the company's foreign head. He stated that no changes are contemplated in the foreign department. McConville and his assistant, Jack Siegel, accompanied Cohn. Budd Rogers, vice-president and general manager of Alliance Films, will shortly join Columbia as the head of a new department which will distribute foreign films in this country, Cohn said. McConville said that the three pictures Asher is making at Denham for Columbia, one of which "Q Planes," has been completed, were budgeted between $250,000 and $300,000. These pictures will be distributed in this country. Cohn stated that no set number of foreign pictures had been scheduled yet for release here, but that the best ones available would be bought. Production in France is possible if equitable arrangements can be worked out, Cohn said. It is also possible that English pictures will be brought over as well as French, he revealed. McConville will work on special distribution deals for "You Can't Take It With You" while abroad. He expects the Columbia foreign gross to be over last year's returns. The three execs, expect to return in December. Montague Goldman Quits Paramount British Post (Continued from Page 1) of its affairs in the United Kingdom, advising that Montague Goldman has resigned his post of general sales manager with Paramount ^ilm Service. No successor has been named, it was stated. Goldman was assistant to J. C. Graham, Paramount Film Service's former managing director who relinquished that office a few weeks ago. Ultra-High Frequency May Solve Tele Network Puzzle (Continued from Page 1) mit television programs to a network as far West as Chicago. Programs would originate with NBC's new ultra-high frequency station in New Jersey, W2XDG. New NBC plan significantly disregards the formula of the coaxial cable. New High in Signs Bethlehem — Lloyd Seibert, manager of the College Theater, claims a new high in signs. For Capra's "You Can't Take It With You," he had 10-foot ladders made of the title and cemented them to the mountainside. Sign was 200 feet long and visible for 10 miles. 4LCN6 THE with PHIL M. DALY ▼ T T • • • ALL SET to finish in a burst of glory that Great Waltz competition wouldn't be surprised if it is in some way connected with the production from the M-G-M studios known as "The Great Waltz" anyway, the finals of this nation-wide dance contest will take place at the Waldorf-Astoria in the grand ballroom, on Dec. 12 to be known as the Great Waltz Festival before we go ahead with this story, we hope all our readers are now impressed with the fact that we are talking about a ballyhoo in connection with Metro's "Great Waltz" there wouldn't be much point in a trade paper columnist talking about a stunt on a big, dazzling, outstanding epic production unless he got over the name of the feature, would there? .... ▼ T ▼ • • • BUT the Big News about this Great Waltz Festival as it will be known is that Metro has tied it in with the World-Telegram and the Red Cross in such a ritzy setting, Billy Ferguson promises that this stunt will go over as the CLASSIEST big-time exploitation attraction ever launched in the metropolis the newspaper will give the event publicity for six weeks prior to the event daily stories will be carried on the local and state Great Waltz competition contests to be run by the Loew theaters in the New York area the proceeds will go to the Red Cross (Station Announcer speaking: "To all those who came in on this broadcast after it started, and missed the mention of the attraction involved, we repeat: It is Metro's 'The Great Waltz'.") ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • AT A local exhibitors' meeting, some guy mentioned that "Pygmalion" was going into the Astor Theater and another guy pipes up: "Gee, so they're replacing Manager Leon Kamern. For why?" T T T • • • A LETTER to Harry Warner from Franklin K. Mathiews, Librarian of Boy Scouts of America written after he saw a preview of "Angels With Dirty Faces" in which he makes this statement "I wish every person, the whole country over, sincerely concerned for the welfare of youth, might see it" ▼ TV • • • THREE stalwarts of the theater have been added to the long list of .talent to appear at "Night of Stars" on Wednesday eve, Nov. 16 at Madison Sguare Garden they are Orson Welles, Walter Huston and Raymond Massey a new idea has been devised for this year's show with two audiences one will be the capacity throng of 20.000 the other will be the combined cast of 1,200 actors, singers, musicians and dancers who will sit on the stage and pass judgment on the show ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • WE LIKE that story Allyn Butterfield, editor of Pathe News, tells about the party he threw on his recent trip to London he told a Britisher in the industry who knew everybody in films that he would like to give a cocktail party for the press meaning of course the trade journalists the Britisher said he would send out the invitations so Allyn was all set with champagne cocktails and a swell buffet lunch in a private banquet room in the swanky Hotel Savoy he expected an intimate li'l gathering of a dozen or so but the guests kept streaming in for hours till Allyn gave up counting his British pal had invited the ENTIRE London press!.... « « « » » » KORDA CONCENTRATES ON LF PRODUCTION (Continued from Page 1) Film Daily when he sailed Friday on the Queen Mary for England. Korda will relinquish his t enti office as London Films managli.s di-lj rector; however, he will retain a di1 rectorate seat on the controlling j company board. E. H. George and 1 P. C. Stapleton are said to be under j consideration as general manager | and operating manager, respectively,: for Denham Studios, but appoint-1 ments must be okayed by Prudential and meet with approval of Korda. Stapleton now fills the operations post. Further internal changes are also contemplated in London Films, it was learned, with Irving Asher a strong possibility as a director of the new Korda company. Division of the company will allow it to enter the market for studio space on a more competitive basis, Pallos said. Pallos will confer with Korda as soon as he arrives, with final details of the reorganization plan scheduled to be ironed out rapidly. The British exec, stated that he was pleased with the distribution LF was getting here, and stated that he believed the recent Korda ^pictures have enjoyed an improved reception. Pallos contemplates an early return to the U. S. Grand National Foreign Deals Set by Barnstyn (Continued from Page 1) tive distribution throughout the world, J. C. Barnstyn, GN foreign manager, revealed last week. He stated that a deal has been closed in Australia which also embraces the New Zealand and Tasmanian territories, South America has been closed solidly and the Latin I American and Caribbean territories J have been closed with the exception ] of Mexico, where a deal is now being | negotiated. Distribution in France is being j handled from the Paris office, and the French branch is also handling distribution in the Scandinavian territory. He said that about 44 pictures on the first year's program would re j ceive world-widedistribution. Deals j are being negotiated in the far East and Canada is being serviced by the company's six exchange affiliations there. No appointments have been made to bolster the foreign department i forces yet, but men for a number of j posts are being considered now, he said. Next! Chicago— Don't tell this to CBS! But, piling horror on horror, the Grove and Ogden theaters, Warner-operated, are packing 'em in with midnight spook shows which supplement horrific pix.