The Film Daily (1940)

m ct 7«« Intimate in Character nternational in Scope ndependent in Thought FILE COPY The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Two Years Old i /OL. 77. NO. 123 NEW YORK. MONDAY. JUNE 24. 1940 TEN CENTS i Illied asks distrib. aid to end duals lure I ^ssoc^itish StudyWCanadian Production ancouver Studios May be I'tilized if John Maxwell Jiosfiietermines on the Move By RALPH WILK est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Associated British ictures, headed by John Maxwell, , seriously considering production ijtivities in Canada, it was disclosed ifere Friday. Upon cabled instructions from Asijiciated British, Fred Brisson, agent, eKta ) making a survey of technicians ndCpid directors of British nationality {Continued on Page 3) SSll s, enlral Casting frike End Near! leiS on est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — No answer was forthj>ming Friday from union represen itives to the counter proposal made 7 the producers in an effort to setle the strike of Central Casting ' orp. employes, but producers were cpecting a favorable answer very )0n. I One report was that the union 9)ught recognition of two new Biions, one to represent casting dipctors and other office employes of central Casting. Producers refused ^ divulge details of their counter roposal. "'I toldwyn Heads Film [)i vision in Red Cross Drive "est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Red Cross announces lat Samuel Goldwyn has been apointed chairman of the Red Cross 3r the motion picture industry to D ordinate Hollywood's efforts {Continued on Page 26) Australian Quota Legislation Flops Sydney (By Cable) — Commonwealth's Chief Censor, in his annual report, declares that the quota legislation in the States of New South Wales and Victoria which was designed to encourage domestic film produdction had signally failed to effect its purpose since export applications for only two Australian-made feature films were received during the calendar year 1939. Philadelphia Gets Next Allied Meet Chicago — Philadelphia was voted the convention city for Allied meeting next year. Allied Would Stamp Out 16 mm. Menace Chicago — A move to halt the practice of producers in making their subjects available to 16 mm. operators was launched at the closing session of the Allied convention here. President Col. H. A. Cole was instructed to appoint a committee to confer with the producers and distributors immediately for the purpose of stamping out the evil. It was said that the situation had become so alarming that immediate and positive action was necessary, inasmuch as 16 mm. pictures had become a menace to the security of legitimate exhibitors. La. House Passes Bill Amending N. O. Amus. Tax Baton Rouge, La.— House Bill 609 which amends enabling act allowing New Orleans to tax amusements for Public welfare so that funds are paid directly to the Orleans Parish welfare director was passed Friday 86 to 1 and will go to the Senate. Another bill which would repeal the city's amusement tax right has not yet been acted upon. If Convention Took Any Action on Arbitration Or Divorcement, it was Not Disclosed; Rodgers Present But Did Not Participate in Proceedings By AL STEEN. FILM DAILY Staff Writer Chicago — Allied voted at the closing session of its convention Friday to seek the co-operation of the distributors in eliminating the practice of double and multiple feature programs. A previous proposal to ask the distributors not to book "A" pictures on double bills was set aside in favor of blanket discontinuance of the policy. In a resolution. Allied set forth that multiple feature policies were economically unsound in that they served to encourage producers to make features of mediocre and poor quality and to flood the market with inferior product. Further, it was said that duals created a shortage of pictures, resulting in a seller's market rather than maintaining an (Continued on Page 26) Agreeon10%Admish Tax Starting at 21 Cts. Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — House and Senate conferees on the amusement admissions tax compromised on a straight 10 per cent tax starting at 21 cents. House had suggested that the tax begin at the 40-cent admission rate while the Senate wanted the tax to start at the 10-cent price. Conferences got under way by 9:30 Friday morning and again at 3:30 in the afternoon, decision having been reached at a late hour that evening. 16 "U" 1940-41 Pix to be In Branches by Sept. 1 By Sept. 1 Universal will have 16 features on next season's program in the company's branch offices, Matthew Fox, vice-president and assistant to Proxy Nate J. Blumberg, said yesterday. Fox, who recently returned from the studios, stated that the company's plans for next season will not be altered because (Continued on Page 26) Deier Action on Neely's BUI Sub-Committee Awaits Decision on Recess John Gatelee, Industry Labor Executive, Dead Springfield, Mass. — John F. Gatelee, 55, New England representative for the lATSE for the past five years, and a labor leader for the past 30 years, died Friday while on a fishing trip in Maine. Gatelee was prominent in labor circles both in this state and throughout the country. He spent some time on the Coast last year during the internal {Continued on Page 23) Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — House sub-committee studying the Neely bill has voted to await developments on the matter of Congress recessing until August or September before taking action on the film measure. At an executive session the sub-committee decided to defer action until the decision on recess is made. If Congress does recess for the Summer, it is expected the sub-committee will vote to consider the bill during the recess, holding action until Congress meets again. Name Four to Allied Product Survey Com. Chicago — Committee to handle national Allied's product survey and information bureau will go into action in about two weeks. Named to the Committee at the convention here Friday were Sidney Samuelson, Philadelphia; Pete J. Wood, Columbus; Don Rossiter, Indianapolis and (Continued on Page 3) Allied Stands By Guns On Admissions Tax Chicago — The Allied convention Friday rejected Spyros Skouras' telegraphed explanation of his reported participation in the Senate's action in revising the admission tax bill. In a resolution passed at the (^Continued on Page 23) Farrow to Control Canadian Naval Info, Montreal — Lt. John Farrow, Hollywood director and husband of Maureen O'Sullivan, has succeeded Com. Eustace Brock as controller of naval Information at naval headquarters. Com. Brock goes to the Admiralty in London as liaison officer with members of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve now serving with units of the Royal Navy.