The Film Daily (1939)

aily Short Subjei* file copy do not remove: Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty-One Years Old -1FDAILY' VCr^75, NO. 105 NEW YORK, THURSDAY. JUNE 1. 1939 TEN CENTS $12,000^000 Budget for Shorts Production in 1939-40 SENATECOM. FAVOgNEELY BJp TO 3 Hoyts-GUT Circuits Effect 20Year Amalgamation Deal 1 50 Theaters in Merger; Firm to Have New Name, New Setup By HOLLIS KENNAHAN FILM DAILY Staff Writer Amalgamation of H o y t s and treat er Union Theaters, Australian ..•ircuits, was effected yesterday for i 20-year period, The Film Daily earned last night. The two companies will be consolidated as one operating unit, a : lew corporate structure will be set . .up and a new name will be given the :hain, which will embrace approxi. .mately 150 theaters altogether. Affil; .iated interests of the two theater (Continued on Page 19) "U" MOVES IN BLACK FOR QUART. AND HALF J. Cheever Cowdin, Universal's 'board chairman, yesterday reported l^ia net profit for the company, before Federal income taxes, of $581,r587 for the 13 weeks ended April f29 last, as compared with a net (Continued on Page 18) SHORTS The Exhib. — Speaks Out — Expect Decision on Fox's Bankruptcy Case This Week Final hearing on the William Fox ankruptcy case was held in Atlantic [City on Saturday and a decision is expected this week, it was learned yesterday. It is reported that the $600,000 ,offer of settlement includes $350,000 (Continued on Page 18) Dickinson Reports Better Biz in English Theaters Theater business in England has 'increased considerably since the apparent passing of the war scare, according to C. G. Dickinson, Paramount's sales manager for Great (Continued on Page 18) 1 Several major companies plan to make some fourreel shorts for 1939-40. Do you favor this increased length for important short subjects? By a slight majority, exhibitors are leery of the four-reel short subject; 50 per cent of those voting saying no. In many cases, there seems to be a fear that the longer subjects might be padded two-reelers and not worth the extra cost or running time. Another argument against them is that exhibs. must play some of the shorts they buy and a four-reeler would take too much screen time. De luxe houses do not favor the longer subjects because of the time factor, making for fewer turnovers. Many of those who are in favor of the four-reelers qualified their approval by warning that the material in the subject must (Continued on Page 4) Bill Now Goes on Senate Calendar for Action This Session By PRESCOTT DENNETT Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — By a vote of 15 to 3, the Neely Bill was reported favorably late yesterday by the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee at a closed executive session of the body. The overwhelming majority came as a surprise even to some of the backers of the measure. Earlier in the day, the Interstate Commerce Sub-committee voted on the bill, with two Senators opposing it and two favoring it. The committee, following the en (Continued on Page 18) Scully Names Leo Abrams "U" Shorts Sales Manager Universal plans to concentrate more extensively on its short subjects sales and has created the post of short subjects sales manager which will be filled by Leo Abrams, (Continued on Page 16) New Tax Levy Will Close Theaters in Quebec City Quebec — All Quebec city theaters will close this week-end in protest against the additional 10 per cent taxation on admissions imposed by the municipality, which raises to (Continued on Page 3) Record Short Subject Budgets Set as Code Provisions Ban Forced Selling III. Intermission Measure Expected to Pass This Week Springfield, 111. — The Sandquist Bill, which would require theaters to have a 15-minute intermission after each two-hour show, has passed a third reading and passage is ex(Continued on Page 18) Accepting the challenge implied in the Trade Practice Code provision against the forced selling of shorts, producers of the sub-feature reels will pour in excess of $12,000,000 into their making during the 1939-40 season, a Film Daily survey establishes. With exhibitors permitted to pur(Continued on Page 16) "NO CHISELING" HELD CODE'S SUCCESS KEY Jacksonville, Fla. — No matter what has been written into the Trade Practice Code, a lot will depend upon the exchange managers and salesmen for its success, Ed. Kuykendall, MPTOA president, here for the SETOA convention believes. The spirit of the code must be followed without chiseling or it will be kicked about, Kuykendall de (Continued on Page 3) W. Va. Unit will Act Monday on Affiliation with Allied Pittsburgh — Meeting of the Independent Theater Owners of West Virginia has been called for Monday, in Morgantown, at which time this organization is expected to affiliate with National Allied. M. A. Rosenberg, president of the MPTO of Western Pennsylvania and regional vice-president of Allied States Association, will address ■ the ijiieet 1SSCI Y fJUfcld cl tfl