The Film Daily (1940)

Thursday, December 12, 1940 Product Lack May Close Cuban Houses (Continued from Page 1) for future runs. Cuban premiere of the "The Great Dictator," previously advertised for the latter part of this month, has now been indefinitely cancelled. The distributors are still standing pat on their request that the anti-Wock-booking decree be suspended, modified or revoked before they will resume servicing accounts, and a group of unions and indie exhibitors are equally as adamant that the bill be retained in its existing form. It is expected that the exhibitor group backing a move for suspension or revocation of the law will continue its efforts toward this end. RKO Gives Swank Party For Lucille Ball, Arnaz Yesterday afternoon RKO Radio tendered a swank cocktail party, on the eve of their departure for Hollywood, for Mr. and Mrs. Desi Arnaz (the Mrs. being Lucille Ball, star player in a number of RKO productions). The affair was given in the Honeymoon Cottage Suite of Hampshire House, Central Park South, and drew a large crowd of filmites and others. Among those present were: Thyra Samter Winslow, Ned E. Depinet, Mr. and Mrs. S. Barret McCormiek, Larry Reid, Pete Harrison, Alice Hughes, Paul Ash, Rutgers Neilson, John Farmer, Alice Thompson, Ken McCaleb, May Kelly, Elizabeth Lockwood, Jesse Dunster, Mr. and Mrs. Abel Green, Llewellyn Miller. William Hartley, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Zoty, Wade Nichols, Prunella Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Al Sindlinger, Elmer Roesner, Jesse Kay, Arthur Knorr, Rodney Butterworth, Pearl Finley, Susan Barden, Mr. and Mrs. William Boehnel, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Harmon, Arthur Levy and Evelyn Van Horn. Hughes Resumes "Outlaw' Filming at Week's End West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A spokesman for Howard Hughes emphatically declared that "The Outlaw" would be continued in production and that shooting would resume at the end of this week. This will be done whether Howard Hawks continues as director or whether a new director is named. Alliance Moves Offices Chicago — Alliance Theater circuit has moved its headquarters to 230 S. Clark St., the Continental Bank building. WEDDING BELLS Mr. and Mrs. Morris Hadelman, operator of Shelton and Bridgeport, Conn., houses, announce the engagement of their daughter, Dorothy to Edward Arthur Aaron of Hamden, Conn. The couple will be married in the Spring. • • • COASTING: George Pal has christened his puppe.toon leading man (a composite of Gable-Cooper-Milland) "Jim Dandy" and'll debut him later this month in "Western Daze" which is Pal's first American puppetoon release for Paramount, based on a short story by Vic McLeod and Norm Blackburn Dave Rankin, former Chaplin musical director, composed the original music. . . • That title change of E. H. Griffith's next production for Paramount — from "There's Always Juliet" to "One Night In Lisbon" — was actually suggested by the producer-director as long as six months ago, , « • Norman Taurog's use of some 400 moppets in Metro's "Men of Boys' Town" appears to confirm the belief that youngsters of the present era are no different from those of the yesteryears and their pranks haven't changed one iota D'ya recall that Mister Taurog used a like number of moppets about 10 years ago in "Skippy"? ▼ ▼ T • • • STILL COASTING: Republic will probably be the first to hit the contemporary screen with a comedy based on the conscription angle inasmuch as it has been working on an original authored by F. McGrew Willis and Albert J. Cohen — titled "Rookies Roost". . . • With a sure sense of the timely James A. FitzPatrick is preparing "Mediter renean Ports of Call" as his next TravelTalk for M-G-M The Technicolor one-reeler will include scenes of Algiers and Monte Carlo. . . * George W. Weeks, producer of the "Range Busters" series for Monogram, has set next Monday as starting date for the next adventure of Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune and John King Oliver Drake's original story, "Gun Smoke Valley," will provide the vehicle S. Roy Luby will direct. T T T • • • BACK EAST: Pa Knickerbocker's Grand Central Terminal was decidedly agog yesterday afternoon when Abe Lyman and his musical men piped send-off compositions for the news-hawks and other celebs, departing our town for the threeday world premiere of Warners' "Sante Fe Trail" in New Mexico Abe and his boys go into the Strand as the stage attraction on Dec. 20 — the date the Errol Flynn starrer comes to the house's screen Another highlight of the G.C.T. send-off yes'day was the appearance of a trio of Shinnecock Indians from their Long Island reservation who placed in the good care of Mort Blumenstock a fancy feather head-dress which the latter will present to the Santa Fe tribes as a token of friendship and esteem T T T • • • STILL EAST: Eddie McBride, publicity powerhouse of Loew's State movie house up Providence way, gave Metro's "Philadelphia Story" a helluva swell campaign one of whose many outstanding biz builders was a telephone call stunt which functioned on the gen. prin. of the now dormant chain-letter system There were 10 chairmen designated by the terms of Eddie's strategy Each, phoned two women Each of the latter phoned two more, etc until just about everybody in the town was hearing and thinking "The Philadelphia Story" The news got around so fast that folks in the R. I. area now call the McBride stunt — The Act of Providence! T T T • • • STUFF: Next Sunday's American Weekly carries in it we're told, a big feature yarn by movies' make-up expert. Dr. Rudolph G. Liszt, titled "Don't Like Your Face? Change It" Grand break that full page which Al (UA) Margolies placed in the JournalAmerican on "The Son of Monte Cristo" Emerson Yorke, independent shorts producer, has moved his studio headquarters from 245 West 55th St, to 130 West 46th St 1c Ticket Tax Looms in Nebraska (.Continued from Page 1) E. M. Neubauer, who had a couple of bills in the last session. They died, but he's already promising a new venture for 1941. He wants to charge a penny tax on every ticket sold in Nebraska theaters, regardless of the cost of the ticket. The other bill is likely to be Bob Livingston's pet, the clearance bill. Livingston, Capitol exhib., wants a rule laid down that films will have to be played within 45 days after general release date, and if unplayed in that length of time, will have to be paid for, and will be immediately open to subsequent-run bookings. War Damage Insurance Measure in Commons London (By Cable) — With more than 300 theaters damaged by Nazi air raids in the U. K., the film industry is keenly interested in the Government's insurance scheme against war damage which was introduced in the House of Commons yesterday. Insurance covers all war damage for the first two years of the war until next Aug. 31. Premiums are payable starting July 1, 1941. Premium on buildings will be two shillings (about 40 cents) annually on the pound (about $4) on a net schedule of income tax (or rateable value) payable for five years. Value" of buildings to be insured is estimated at $32,000,000,000. Film Folk on Ascap's Maryland Broadcast Frederick, Md. — A number of filmites appeared on the two-hour broadcast put on here over WFMD featuring 18 composers and commemorating their signing of a five-year contract with Ascap. Show was staged by R. H. Burnside, noted Broadway stage producer, and featured Oscar Hammerstein II, Joe E. Howard, Dr. Sigmund Spaeth, Nick Kenny and Isham Jones. Mayor Lloyd C. Culler of Frederick proclaimed the day as Ascap Musical Festival. Gov. Herbert R. O'Connor of Maryland headed a list of many notables who attended the banquet. Affair drew an attendance of 150. £300,000 in "Major Barbara" London (By Air Mail) — Total production cost of Gabriel Pascal's "Major Barbara" is now estimated at £300,000. STORKS! Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Brock Whitlock, assistant manager of Loew's Capitol, is the father of a 7-pound, 9-ounce son.