The Film Daily (1940)

Monday, December 9, 1940 Balaban is Cleared In Contempt Action (Continued from Page 1) consent decree, which was the subject of the contempt proceedings filed in 1938. In the original report, Eldredge recommended that Loew's, Warner Bros., Fox, Universal, United Artists and RKO be found not guilty, but held that Paramount, B & K and B & K Management Corp. be found guilty. The latter three groups remain as defendants in the case. Santa Fe Ready for "Trail" Opening with 500 Deputies Santa Fe, N. M.— This city completed preparations for the threeday high jinks incident to the world premiere here next Saturday of Warners' "Santa Fe Trail" by appointing 500 special deputies to handle the tens of thousands expected to attend. The Hollywood delegation will leave on Thursday and the New Yorkers Wednesday. Both trains reach Santa Fe Friday afternoon. After receptions by the Mayor and the Governor, a historical pageant will be held in Fort Marcy stadium, to be followed by a "Friday the Thirteenth Fandango" costume ball. On Saturday, after the stars visit the Santa Fe Ski Club and attend a gymkhana, the premiere showings of "Santa Fe Trail" will be held in three theaters, two already sold out. Grand ball closes the program. William A. Haynes Dies In Utica; Illness Brief Utica, N. Y.— William A. Haynes, 51, manager of the Stanley here and at one time city manager of Loew's in Cleveland, O., is dead here after a brief illness. A former newspaper man in Dayton, O., he also had operated an exchange in Detroit, where he for a period owned the Harmony. Haynes leaves a widow, his father, Franklin D. Haynes, who was in the theater business in Philadelphia; a son, Roland, also of Philadelphia, and another son, Kenneth of Arlington, Va. Doyle Takes Over Orient Supervision for 20th-Fox Official appointment of Arthur Doyle as 20th-Fox supervisor of the Orient district, comprising China, Japan and the Philippine Islands, was disclosed at the week-end by Walter J. Hutchinson, Director of Foreign Distribution. Doyle formerly was the manager in Japan. McArdle Rites In Toronto Toronto — Largely attended by motion picture people, funeral of E. A. McArdle, former manager of Shea's Hippodrome, and later of the Gaiety, was held here at the week • • • ANY way you look at it (and at least a thousand of our industry gents are going to do so in person) the big social pageant of this week will be the 6th Annual Banquet of the Variety Club of Philadelphia (Tent 13) in the Belle vue-Stratford Hotel on Thursday night Although the function is dominantly a "Philadelphia story" by virtue of the fact that it's the party of Tent 13 (mighty lucky number for those who need a helping hand!) nevertheless 'twill have a decided New York flavor 'cause a whale of a large contingent is to attend from Manhattan's Film Row In our home office, et cetera wanderings on the week-end we made note of some o' the boys who'll head for the VC fiesta: Joe Bernhard. Herman Wobber, Bill Scully, Ned Depinet, Sam E. Morris, Andy Smith, Tom Connors, Frank Phelps Rube Jackter, Harry Goldberg, Max Weisfeldt. Leonard Schlesinger, Harry Gold Leon Netter. Harry Mayer. Nat Fellman, Bob Mochrie, Bill Sussman, Lou Kaufman, Ed Hinchey Lou Astor, Lou Weinberg, Ben Bernie, Ted Schlanger, Leonard Goldenson — while W. G. Van Schmus, Jimmy Grainger and Abe Montague are reported to be doin' their darnedest to be present T T T • • • EVERYBODY'S doing it, so why shouldn't we pick an All-American team? So here's Filmland's for 1940: Ends, — Hollywood and New York; Tackles, — D of J and Pressure Groups; Guards, Joe Breen and Ross Federal; Scenter, Pluto; Quarter-Back, Refunds; Left Half, West of the Mississippi; Right Half, East of the Mississippi; Full-Back, All of Us (with our biz responsibilities) Coach of the Year: "Stage to Chino" T ▼ T • • • THIS December morn we promptly pin on the collective lapel of the B & K boys out in Chi our famed and coveted decoration — The Order of Applause (With Two Palms) Citation: For having instituted, and continuing to present, the Americanization Juvenile Programs at which you show patriotic shorts and the Paramount feature, "Sons of the Legion," to the youngsters of your city to make better citizens of them V T T • • • STUFF: Eagerly awaited by our industry -ites is the book, "Lord Broadway," which is Dayton Stoddard's biog. of Sirae Silverman, the former Syracusan who founded Variety. (If 11 be published in January) The problem of what-to-do-and where-to-go on New Year's Eve is greatly simplified for Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland now that the former has been selected by the Northwestern University chapter of Psi Phi sorority as "the man I would rather date than anyone else on New Year's Eve," and the latter has been honored by the school's chapter of Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity as "the girl we would rather date more than anyone else on New Year's Eve" (Confidential note to the sorority: Wot's wrong, gals? Dony'a love Bill DeCorrevont in December as ya did in moleskins?) Sam Hadelman, of Bridgeport's Capitol and Colonial, and Mrs. Hadelman were feted at Baybrook Inn on their fifth wedding anniversary t'other day by a group of over 80 friends The Board of Trustees of Local 364 Motion Picture Operators out in Akron have voted to "adopt" 10 needy families for Christmas, following the custom inaugurated four years ago Staten Island's Borough Prexy Joseph Palma's setting aside a special "Knute Rockne Week" anent the engagement of Warners' "Knute Rockne — All American" at Fabian's St. George Theater marks the first time such a proclamation has been issued on the historic isle in behalf of a movie. (Can it be that Prexy Palma was also honoring the flaming grid deeds of a native son who attended Notre Dame, — Bill Shakespeare?) Canadian Grosses, Earnings Advancing (Continued from Page 1) theaters are in the vicinity of army camps. In addition, there are be tween 20,000 and 30,000 "traineef-r who serve a compulsory military training period of one month, Devaney said, pointing out that in areas where these men train theater business also is good. Devaney said unemployment in Canada has been greatly reduced, relief rolls have dropped off due to re-employment and, in general, more money is being spent with a natural beneficial reflection on box-office grosses. 150 Christmas Week Dates Set for "No, No, Nanette "No, No, Nanette" has been set for 150 Christmas week booking) to follow the world premiere at the Radio City Music Hall, New York, on Dec. 19, RKO reported at the week-end. Anna Neagle, film's star, will be in the national limelight via two major network broadcasts during the first week's run of the production in key cities. She will be featured on Dec. 26 on WGN's big holiday week show from Chicago, with complete Mutual network of 130 stations. On Dec. 27 the RKO Radio star will be the guest artist on Kate Smith's broadcast. Standard's Oklahoma City First-Runs Cut Prices Oklahoma City, Okla.— Standard Theaters first-runs which have been charging 35 cents plus tax from 2 to 6 p.m. for matinees, have cut matinee prices to 25 cents for this period and 40 cents plus tax after 6 p.m. Houses are the Criterion, Midwest, and Tower. This brings them in line with the opposition, the State theater, which has been charging only 25 cents for matinees ever since it opened for business three years ago. Copeland and Manfree To Swap Para. Berths Des Moines, la. — R. M. Copeland, veteran Des Moines manager of Paramount, will exchange posts with J. T. Manfree, Kansas City manager, next month, it is announced here. Copeland has been in charge of the Des Moines branch for the last 15 years and is one of the oldest film distribution managers in Des Moines in point of service. Col. Assigns Chester Morris West Coast Bureau of THE FILM (DAILY Hollywood — Columbia has assigned Chester Morris to the male lead in "The Return of Boston Blackie" which Robert Florey will direct.