The Film Daily (1940)

Friday, April 5, 1940 nci DAILY = .j.S. SUBPOENA ORDER fOR EQUITY WITNESSES (Continued fiom Pat/e 1) e issued for other witnesses within ^he next few weeks. The Government order was chained on an affidavit of Special Asisl__^ Attorney General Paul Wil ' diryj /\vho stated "that the testilony of said witnesses is material ind necessary in the trial of the uit, and without the testimony of -aid witnesses the U. S. can not afely proceed to trial." Those amed in the order were : if William W. Hodkinson, Carlsbad, alif.; Richard Rowland, Los Ancles; T. L. Tally, Los Angeles; I. ;. Chadwick, Hollywood; Chris Lamlos, Farrell, Pa.; Joseph, William i;nd Al Weiss, McKeesport, Pa.; Wilam D. Davis, Triangle Theater, ittsburgh; Thomas A. Gilbert, New akland Theater, Pittsburgh; Charles [orse, Boston; H. A. Batastini, Aline Theater, Punxsutawney, Pa.; M. . Ouslander, Pinebrook Theater, cranton; and Harry Stahl, Nu Luna i heater, Sharon, Pa. fi The order to subpoena witnesses required under the Federal Code :' Procedure, because the witnesses ;side over 100 miles from the place ' trial. Other witnesses, who live aarer to the court will be served iithout a prerequiste permissive •der. New Title for "Flotsam"? est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — David L. Loew and Ibert Lewin, who will make Erich aria Remarque's "Flotsam" as eir first UA release, conferred with Raymond Everitt, vice-president Little, Brown & Co. regarding a ssible title change. Cortez on "No Exit" . v/ Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood— Stanley Cortez is pho' graphing "No Exit," at Universal, le picture is being directed by larles Lamont and the cast inades Wallace Ford, Donald Woods, athryn Adams and Mona Barrie. Besf wishes from THE FILM DAILY to the following on their birthdays: APRIL 5 Spencer Tracy Estelle Bradley Melvyn Douglas Mike Simmons APRIL 6 Walter Huston J. C. Nugent Dudley Nichols Arthur Cozine APRIL 7 Irene Castle Neal Hart Walter Winchell Gavin Gordon ALCNG THE WITH riilL M. DALTi • • • WHO should bob into our oiiice yes'day but Fred Perry and we don't mean the tennis player although the Fred Perry we mean has certainly shown some excellent net results (forgive the pun) managing plus publicizing pix houses Down Bing hamton way. Mister Fred Perry has carved a nice niche of prestige for himself as a guy who knows both how to run a house and to head herds of folk toward the b.o to lamp 'most ony kinda film attraction In short, he's a go-getter who gets 'em to go. T T T • • • THIS corner has vivid recollections of Mister Perry in the days when he was serving under the banner of Kornblite & Cohen whose houses eventually found their way into the Mike Comerford camp with Dave Cohen as associate 'Twas in those days that Mister Perry began a bevy of brilliant ballyhoos which really put the "Bing" in Binghamton How'd he do it? Savvy and initiative, yes but more than that — free rein His employers operated on the wise theory that a theaterman should be a showman and that a showman should know not only how to manage a house but how to manage the matter of bringing in the customers The Messrs. Kornblite & Cohen figured further that if they managed to refrain from interfering with the manager everything would be hotsy-totsy The result was RESULTS T ▼ ▼ • • • MISTER Perry must have enjoyed at least one grand and glorious feeling in that he didn't have to make a long distance phone call to a district or home office every time he wanted to buy a mazda lamp or a phial of metal polish Perhaps that's why he had the time and heart to go out and mingle with the local newspaper gentry and build contacts, and effect tieups, with community folks who could render valuable assistance to the theater materially and on the score of goodwill T ▼ T • • • FEW appreciate the many house managers there are who, frankly, are fettered not merely by the gnawing fear of spending a few bucks here, there and legitimately but by a commensurate fear that they are forever under unnecessary scrutiny on duty and off House personnel at large of times is "fear bitten" We recall particularly the instance of a New England house Some years back, a great genius in a circuit h.o. got the brainwave to employ some idle college gals. . . . whose "intriguing" duties rivaled Mata Hari Out went the spying femmes disguised as plain patrons to get anything they could on theater personnel One gal uncovered a terrible scandal which amounted to the fact that the fiancee of a house publicist called for him one night at the theater The spy reported that the gent was entertaining women in his office after hours To the everlasting credit of the publicist he paid his own expenses to New York in order to resign where the resignation would be most emphatic T T T • • • YEAH, we're still getting phone calls from folks who want to know what picture ^vas meant wrhen we talked Tuesday about the failure to drive home its merits to the trade Would you believe it some seven features have been guessed thus for And in that, too, there is certainly siill more food for thought GROUP THEATER WILL SEEK FILM FINANCING (Continued from Page 1) it was learned from reliable channels, coincident with the departure yesterday for the Coast of Harold Clurman, director of the Group Theater. Latter plans, it is asserted, to remain in Hollywood for several months for negotiations to be launched and commitments arranged. One phase of the Clurman plan, it is said, concerns collaboration between the Group Theater and the yet undesignated film organization On the matter of suitable scripts. These would be selected with an eye to both stage and screen suitability, with the services of top-bracket Hollywood writers enlisted. Clurman's departure follows closely on the heel of the westward trek of George S. Kaufman, whose mission is reported to involve the production of "The Man Who Came to Dinner." Kaufman and his associates aim if possible to convert this property to the screen themselves, with release being handled by a major outfit in the 1941-42 season. Recent reports have it that the property may go to 20th-Fox, although bidding is understood to still be open. Film production of the Allan Woods comedy, "The Weak Link," is assured by recent purchase of rights by Warners for a reported $15,000 as a vehicle for Eddie Albert. Ernst Lubitsch's negotiations for screen rights to "Margin for Error" are still in near-closing stages, according to sources close to the Aldrich & Myers offices, the other principal in the proposed deal. Current barrier is asserted to be an agreement on price. The picture rights to Aldrich & Myers' "My Dear Children," are reported being sought by David 0. Selznick, who will arrive today. Any sale would call for the film services of John Barrymore. "Primrose Path" Clicking RKO reports that "Primrose Path" is topping the grosses recorded by "Gunga Din" in its early pre-release engagements. WEDDING BELLS Engagement of Ruth Jean Bolle, daughter of Otto Bolle, South African manager for 20th-Fox, and Mrs. Bolle, to Neville Edward Rocca Sauer, a Johanesburg business man, was announced this week. Impending marriage of John Ringling North and Germaine Aussey, French pix actress, was made known yesterday. Marriage is scheduled to take place the latter part of this month when Miss Aussey arrives here from Europe. M