The Film Daily (1941)

,-♦ , q -|-« ■ . Washington — The Government is preparing a report on theater ex . JOV t tO Report OI1 I heater UXpanSIOn : pansion during the first year of the consent decree, it was learned esterday. Survey, which is now under way by the Government, is to determine whether the five theater-owning majors have made unwarranted acquitons of theater properties during the year. Government has received many complaints on this score from exhibitors, mainly in the Western area. FILE COPY Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought I The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Three Years Old -IF DAILY U ). 80, NO. 90 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 5, 1941 TEN CENTS BIG 5JIAY UTILIZEJ'ESCAPE OAUSE" Propose Special Committee of FCC on Television Body Would Be Clearing House For Tele's Use In National Defense A special committee of the FCC, appointed by the Government to serve as a clearing house and "aid the television industry by co-ordinatang all ends of the Government in -co-operation with manufacturers of ■equipment and operators of television stations," was proposed and i agreed upon yesterday at a meeting of representatives of leading television manufacturers and broadcast (Continucd on Paae 7) Unity Idea Spreads, Wisconsin ITPA Told Milwaukee — J. E. Flynn, Chicago district manager for M-G-M, addressing the third annual convenL tion of the Independent Theaters' 1 Protective Association of Wisconsin P and Upper Michigan, at the Hotel {Continued on Page 3) RKO Met. Circuit to Play "York" on Single Policy "Sergeant York" will open Nov. 20 throughout the RKO Metropolitan i circuit on a single feature policy with {Continued on Page 6) Two Technicolor Pix In Third Para. Block Paramount's third block-of-five pictures was announced yesterday by Neil Agnew, general sales manager. Screenings of the third package will be held in company exchanges on Dec. 4-5. The new group will consist of the Technicolor production, "Bahama Passage," starring Madeleine Carroll and Stirling Hayden; the Fleischer feature cartoon, "Mr. Bug Goes To Town," also in Technicolor; the Preston Sturges fsature "Sullivan's Travels," with Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake; "No Hands on the Clock" and "Midnight Angel." SOPEG Calls for Repeal of Neutrality Act, Investigation of America First Committee Supporting the Government's national defense policy, the Executive Council of Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild, Local 109, UOPWA, is calling for a repeal of the Neutrality Act and a Senatorial investigation of the activities of the America First Committee. Both measures were urged in Council resolutions passed by unanimous vote, and copies were sent yesterday to the President and to Senators Wagner and Mead. Local 109 represents film office employes in the majors' home offices. Scully Calls Chi., United Parents Ass'n N. Y. Sales Confabs Planning Pix Survey A special meeting of Universal's Western district and branch managers has been called by William A. Scully, general sales manager, for next Saturday and Sunday at the Blackstone Hotel, Chicago. A similar meeting for the Eastern sales forces has been set for Nov. 14-16 in New York. In announcing the meeting, Scully said that the original program has been so enhanced by new picture properties and star values that only a regular sales parley can bring their importance to the sales staff. Current and forthcoming product is {Continued on Page 3) Jury Likely to Get Browne-Bioff Case Today Trial of George E. Browne and William Bioff will probably go to the jury in the Federal Court late this afternoon. When the trial resumes {Continued on Page 7) An active direct mail campaign to determine the proper film fare for children will be launched by the United Parents Association, it was learned yesterday. Organization is located in Greater New York and has approximately 400,000 members. Survey will attempt to judge the type of picture most preferred by the children, their parents' reactions to sending their children to motion pictures, and the reactions of various types of films on children. UPA recently completed a direct mail survey of radio programs with (Continued on Page 7) Waxman Carries Denial Of Writ to Circuit Court Philadelphia — Harry Waxman, Atlantic City theater operator, has filed an appeal in the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals here against the decision of Federal Judge Guy K. Bard deny (Continued on Page 3) Unity Now or Gov't Control Industry Helping to Latter End, Says Col. Cole Possibility Stronger as Gov't Hints It May Not Get Decree vs. Little 3 IVahington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Possibility that the Big Five might utilize the "escape clause" in the consent decree grew stronger here yesterday as a result of the first inkling by the Government that it would be unable to obtain a decree against Universal, Columbia and United Artists or the Little Three. According to Robert L. Wright, special assistant to the Attorney General and head of the special D of J unit established under the consent decree, the fact that the Department of Justice was bringing the (Continued on Page 6) Election Day Hypos Broadway Pix Biz Election Day grosses in Broadway houses yesterday were described as "very good" by managers who reported that the figures could not compare with election day last year but were well above ordinary Tuesday business. Estimated grosses at 5 o'clock last night were as follows: (Continued on Page 6) Strand, Plainfield, N. J., Files Clearance Action Strand Theater, Plainfield, N. J., yesterday filed a demand for arbi(Continuid on Page 6) Foy Quits Nathanson To Join Oscar Hanson Toronto — Still more movement of personnel is evident in the Toronto film trade with the resignation of James Foy from the position of general manager of Sovereign Film Distributors, Ltd., a Nathanson com (Continued on Page 3) Dallas — "The all-industry committee is important more than ever now if the industry is to escape the trend towards Governmental supervision and control," Col. H. A. Cole, president of Texas Allied, told the delegates here attending the unit's annual convention at the Adolphus Hotel. "That trend," Cole continued in (Continued on Page 7) Scheftel Named to Board of Trans-Lux Herbert Scheftel, president of the Telenews Theaters, Inc., circuit of newsreel theaters operating in the Midwest, and on the Pacific Coast, has been elected a director of the Trans-Lux Corp. Scheftel is a member of the New York Stock Exchange^ president of the Bullirfgdon 'Realty Corp., and <lc e5>rfei5j?nt ofAhe EtorC Publishing Co. "~| _d _L S I Z i 'i i ci cm M ±t