The Film Daily (1942)

Morgenihau Reports $775,000,000 Quota Met (j5^p Column 3 Below) Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought /-v The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Four Years Old FDAIL 82. NO. 66 NEW YORK, THURSDAY. OCTOBER 1. 1942 32 TITLES SET, UA^SJONVEN N.Y. Film Circuits Convert Plants for Coal Heat TEN CENTS Editorial Scratch-Pad . . . jottings = By CHESTER B. BAHN = IT TOOK vision on the part of executives of both United Artists and Paramount to make that 22-picture deal. . . . Which is one reason why it would be mighty poor judgment to sell this industry short, regardless of the lamentable demise of UMPI. . . . And speaking of UMPI, some day there'll be a unity move patterned after it which iwili click and the entire trade will be the better for it. . . . There are just so many folks, however, who insist upon learning the hard way. . . . Film biz, of course, has no monopoly on them. . . . Meanwhile, FILM DAILY'S Order of Applause with Two Palms to Metro's Bill Rodgers and those others who gave UMPI their best, for industry service generously and loyally rendered. , . . The leadership was there . . . but unfortunately it was ahead of the times. . . . • GETTING back to United Artists, watch the smoke of the Grad Sears-Car! Leserman selling organization in the months immediately ahead. . . . 'Cause the pace they'll set will be so hot that's all you'll probably see . . . the smoke as they tear by. ... A helluva lot of theaters that never played UA product before will be flashing UA titles in marquee lights this season. . . . Incidentally, there's more than just distributor bread-and-butter money in Harry Sherman's corking Hopalong Cassidys as Paramount can testify. . . . And to hundreds of theaters around the country they're "musts." . . . Naturally, in this way alone UA stands to swell its roster of happy exhibitor customers. ... As for the seasonal program outlined to the Chicago convention yesterday by an enthusiastic and confident Sears, it speaks for itself. . . . • KIOW for a couple of things that make ■^ sense. . . . One, the SMPE warning that before the industry goes in for any mechanical change-over to conserve raw stock, the proposed methods should be given the acid test of performance by a committee of competent neutral engineers. . . . There's not a single question set down in the Society's questionnaire that should be skipped by that committee. . . . The industry, down to the little exhib. in Hartshorne, Okla., has too much at stake. ... An editorial nod, too, to Eddie Mannix for his (Continued on Page 2) ' Change-Over from Oil Will Require Theaters to Add One Man to House Staffs Local film circuits have already converted their theaters' heating systems to coal where feasible or else are in the process of doing so in order to meet the oil shortage which threatens to hit the nation this winter, it was learned yesterday. Some circuits have prepared themselves to the extent of stocking their theaters with coal. The chains have been able to accomplish the change-over at not too great an expenditure since chiefly in(Continued on Page 5) — Get in the Scrap! — Expect Momand Suit To Trial on Kov. 9 Oklahoma City— Trial of the A. B. Momand anti-trust action against the Griffith Amusement Co. and the majors, long pending, is expected to open before Federal Judge Bower Broaddus here on Nov. 9. Court has expressed the hope that trial {Continued on Page 6) — Get in the Scrap! — Research Council Okays SMPE Change-Over Stand West Coast Bureau, of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Representatives of the Academy Research Council declared the Council agrees with SMPE's recommendation that haste be avoid (Continued on Page S) TREASURY SECY SAYS QUOTA MET $3,000,000 in War Bonds Sold at Garden's Rally The September War Bond drive "sparked" by the film industry came to a spectacular finish at 1 a.m. this morning with some 20,000 New Yorkers in Madison Square Garden for the Army Emergency Relief show, "We're All In It" wildly cheer Harold M. Graves, assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, terms the industry-led War Bond drive "an outstanding success." (Turn to Page 5.) ing and buying Bonds in a last minute rally that swept the month's total sales past the billion dollar (maturity value) quota. Harold M. Graves, assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury stated at (Continued on Page 5) — Get in the Scrap! — Cal. Drive-in Award Is Upheld on Appeal An arbitrator's award reducing the 63-day clearance of three theaters over the Sun Val drive-in theater in Burbank, Cal., has been affirmed by the motion picture appeal board. The (Continued on Page 6) TwoWeek Scrap Drive Here Opens Oct. 15; National Campaign on Today Crescent Head Opposed To Admission Increase Nashville, Tenn.— With a record of not having raised admission prices in his theaters for the past five years or more, Tony Sudekum, president of the Crescent Amusement Co. and holding an interest in other theater (Continued on Page 6) All pix theaters in Greater New York will open a concentrated twoweek drive for the collection of scrap beginning Oct. 15, it was voted yesterday at a meeting of New York City exhibs. held at WAC headquarters. Campaign will be in addition to the scrap activities some of the city's exhibs. already have started and plan to continue for the entire (Continued on Page 4) 13 More Features "Now In Preparation," Sears And Leserman Disclose Chicago— With the titles of 18 features, six westerns and eight Hal Roach streamliners identified, United Artists seasonal program which, as now framed calls for a total of 31 features, was announced at the sales convention at the Blackstone Hotel here yesterday by Grad Sears, viceprexy in charge of distribution, and Carl Leserman, general sales manager. UA's supporting shorts lineup will total 13; 12 will comprise the "World in Action" series, the 13th, a Bob Hope-Bing Crosby golf short. Pix for which titles were desig(Continued on Page 6) — Get in the Scrap! — Philly Exhib. Files $225,000 Trust Suit Philadelphia — An anti-trust suit was filed yesterday in U. S. district court by Flora H. Friedman, as owner of the local Lawndale, against Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., (Continued on Page 4) — Get in the Scrap! — Italian Propaganda Film Distrib. Seized by FBI "The principal distributor of Italian propaganda films in the United States," according to P. E. Foxworth, (Continued on Page 6) January Shooting for "The American Way" Harry Goetz expects to put "The American Way" into production in January. The long heralded production, the stage version of which had an extended successful engagement at the Center Theater, will be directed by George Stevens and released by Columbia. Goetz arrived in New York this week from the Coast. With Gregory , Ratoff, he recently completed "Something to Shout About" for Columbia. (^ ^ DIG UP THAT SCRAP! — TAKE A RAP AT THE JAP! — AVENGE PEARL HARBOR!