The Film Daily (1942)

BT^VDAILY The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Four Yean Old i. >. NO. 77 NEW YORK. MONDAY. OCTOBER 19. 1942 TEN CENTS CANADIAN DIMOUT SWELLS FILM "TAKES" No Educational Production Censorship— Mellett THE WEEK IX REVIEW Films and the War = By L. H. MITCHELL = PIX LAUDED: The efforts of the industry to aid in the war effort found praise in various quarters during the week. The New York censor lauded the industry for what it has already done to that end. The Navy's public relations chief, Capt. Leland P. Lovette, in a Los Angeles speech, also heaped praise upon the industry. Howard Dietz, in a speech before the Marketing Assn., talked on films' place in the war. ,; SCRAP DRIVE: Scrap drive by J New York City's theaters started ''Thursday, with expectations that it , will net $16,000 for charity Scrap ' matinee trailers have been sent out, I in the national drive, to exhibs. of the country. All exhib. state chair' men for the drive have been named. , The WPB and the WAC plan scrap shows for Oct. 31. * * * I MISCELLANY: Charles F. "Sock,! er" Coe in Coast speech asked continued support for nation's exhibs. Films, he said, sparked the nation's patriotism, adding that the U. S. films would have to be destroyed ! before democracy could be extinguished. . . . Distribs. are maintaining release pace despite curtailment talk due to the war. . . . UTO of Illinois opposes higher admission prices on ground that price boosts would speed regulation. . . . PCC will undertake a survey to plot its i fight against higher rentals. . . . U. S. I Govt, may buy exhibs.' air conditioning plants. . . . MPPDA huddled •n effects of the wage stabilization law. . . . IATSE starts drive to unionize front-of-the-house employes in film theaters. . . . WAC will release one Victory short a month. . . . State Tax Committees, named by the defunct UMPI, will be maintained. ... Ed Kuykendall predicts no further trade talks for the duration. . . . Swiss market is lost to U. S. distribs. by Vichy's refusal to ship our pix through to Switzerland. . . . OPA warns exhibs. to convert to coal for heating. OWI Film Chief Outlines Allocation Policy in Answer to National Council Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Lowell Mellett, chief of the OWI Film Division, has emphatically denied protests of the National Council on Freedom from Censorship that there existed a censorship over the production of educational films. Possibility of such censorship was first raised by the Film News, published by the American Film Cen(Continued on Page 10) — Scrap Socks Japs — Columbia Setting Circuit Franchises Series of important circuit frandhise deals are under negotiation by Columbia. First with the Griffith Amusement Co., operating several hundred theaters in the Southwest and Midwest, was closed last week, A. Montague, general sales manager, said Friday. Others are approaching the signing stage, and may be finalized this week. Deal with the Griffith interests is (Continued on Page 9) —Scrap Socks Japs — Hershey Okays Exemption Of Newsreels' Personnel Washington Bureau vf THE FILM DAILY Washington — A directive exempting newsreel cameramen, technicians, laboratory workers and sound men is expected to be issued this week, (Continued on Page 9) D of J 'Divorcement' Plea Before Court Hearings on the petition of the Department of Justice to compel divorcement of 16 recently acquired theaters of Paramount and 20 of 20th -Fox will start today before Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard. The Government is seeking an order directing the two companies to give up their interests in these houses on the charge that they were obtained in violation of the consent decree. Stipulations have been signed by the litigants agreeing upon most of the facts at issue, and the hearings are expected to be confined mainly to the questions at law involved. Reverse St. Louis Clearance Decision A 14-day clearance between fifth and sixth-run theaters in a city the size of St. Louis appears to be unreasonable in the opinion of the motion picture appeal board which reversed the award of an arbitrator in (Continued' on Page 5) — Scrap Socks Japs — N. Y. City Scrap Drive By Theaters Called Off The scrap drive whioh was to have been launched by New York City theaters on Friday was called (Continued on Page 10) Copper Salvage Depots Set Carriers, Equipment Firms Aid Collections Warners Limiting YDD's Advanced-Price Dates Following out its plan to conserve the draw of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" for popular-price bookings, Warners is understood to be limiting its advanced-price engagements of the pic to around 200. More than 150 (Continued on Page 10) Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Arrangements for collecting thousands of pounds of critically needed copper salvaged by motion picture houses throughout the country were announced Friday by Christopher J. Dunphy, chief of the Amusements section of the WPB Services Branch. Theaters have been salvaging (Continued on Page 5) Night Attendance Jumps As People Quit Darkened Streets in the Dominion Toronto — The dimout in Canada during the past few weeks has been responsible for increased theater patronage, the darkened streets virtually driving the people into the theaters during the evening hours. The rationing of gasoline and restrictions on the sale of automobile tires have, as yet, had little effect on normal activities of the people, but the increasing tire problem (Continued on Page 10) — Scrap Socks Japs — Eastern Production Gels Lesser's Okay Sol Lesser sees no reason why pictures can't be made as effectively in the East as in Hollywood, the producer declared Friday in announcing that three weeks of shooting on "Stage Door Canteen" would be done at the Fox Movietone studio (Continued on Page 9) — Scrap Socks Japs — ATOI to Discuss Taxes, Higher Rental % Pix Indianapolis — Taxation, high film rentals and the increase of percentage pictures will be the principal subjects discussed at the one(Continued on Page 10) Yes, Indeed, Buffalo Business Is Booming Buffalo — Hayman's Lafayette set an all-time house record by grossing $19,500 for first week of "My Sister Eileen." House's average is $7,000. Film is now in its second week. The record take bettered the $18,500 of two weeks before, when the Abbott & Costello film, "Pardon My Sarong," shattered a 12-year house mark. Beginning with "Sarong," the Lafayette upped its scale from 35 to 40 cents afternoons and from 44 to 50 cents evenings. fe 0| SCRAP IS YOUR VICTORY INSURANCE — DON'T BE TOO LATE WITH TOO LITTLE! 0|