The Film Daily (1942)

10 Monday, November 23, 1942 THE WEEK HV REVIEW Duals Blasted =By WINFIELD ANDRUS= DUALS HOLD SPOT: Reactions to Lowell Mellett's anti-duals declaration highlighted the week's events. While many industry leaders believe that a U. S. edict alone can end duals, a number of exhibitor groups got on the Mellett band wagon to urge the end of two features on a program. Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA president, issued a bulletin calling for a WPB order to abolish double features while national Allied's directors decided to leave the problem to "local option." Washington officials appeared to be "on the fence" regarding the Mellett proposal. * * * GOVT. IN FILMS: Plans of the U. S. Army Motion Picture Service contemplate the establishment of about 1,000 theaters in Army camps, it was revealed by Director R. B. Murray. Houses will include some 750,000 seats, will offer 6,750 programs weekly to an estimated annual attendance of 150,000,000 soldiers. Earlier in the week, word came from Washington that the Office of Education will soon ask for bids on 140-155 training films to be completed by June 1, 1943. Congress has authorized $1,000,000 for the Office's film program. * * * LABOR NOTES: Efforts of the IATSE to blanket the field of whitecollar exchange workers without the formality of a vote at branches where the international does not already have jurisdiction were defeated by a ruling of the NLRB in Washington. IATSE was fought in the move by the SOPEG, UOPWA and the Screen Office Employes Guild. Later in the week the board granted a petition of the SOPEG, Local 113, UOPWA for a bargaining election in behalf of managers and assistants of 48 Stanley-Warner houses in Northern New Jersey. * * * THIS AND THAT: David O. Selz nick's interests in story and play properties, outstanding stars, director and technicians were sold to 20th Century-Fox. ... A proposal for a conference and study by distributors to set up standards of industry business conduct was put forth by Ed Kuykendall in a bulletin to the MPTOA members. ... A ruling to clear up the status of free-lance actors under the wage freezing directives is expected from Washington shortly. . . . Allied's board of directors issued a protest against the Warner Bros, newsreel. . . . Heavy week-end business at Broadway theaters, prevalent for several months, baffles operators who can't find the right answers to the tremendous grosses. (.Continued from Page 3> under General Osborne's auspices to our fighting men overseas The Hollywood stars who tonight under auspices of USO Camp Shows are entertaining soldiers, sailors and marines in Alaska, Newfoundland and Iceland, in Trinidad, and at hundreds of camps across this country, again under General Osborne's supervision The ushers and usherettes who have collected $977,000 from our theater patrons for the USO; $1,450,000 for the victims of infantile paralysis; and $2,200,000 for Army and Navy Emergency Relief The producers, the distributors and the theater owners who are puttting up the money, attending daily committee meetings, and formulating the policies to enable our industry to render even more effective aid on behalf of speedy and complete victory for the United Nations" T ▼ T • • • AND to this Harmon added: "I cannot escape the conviction, Mr. Toastmaster, that if all these colleagues of ours were here, they wculd wish me to add in this final sentence that what they are doing is not for personal preferment or industry credit, but is being done for the sake of the Liberty Girl down yonder in New York harbor, to speed the day of victory when the flaming torch of freedom in her upraised hand may beam high enough and bright enough to light up the whole wide world!" ▼ T ▼ • • • AVENGE PEARL HARBOR! Yates and Grainger at Republic Coast Meeting West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Republic will wind up its series of quarterly sales meetings via the two days of sessions commencing this morning at its studios in North Hollywood, with discussions covering the 39 features and westerns and two serials to be released on the second half of its 1942-43 lineup. On the agenda is showing of rushes on "Hit Parade of 1943." Meeting will be attended by company's top solons, Herbert J. Yates, James R. Grainger and M. J. Siegel, studio head. Free French Ceremonies For 'Casablanca' Opening Under sponsorship of France Forever and the Free French War Relief, a Fighting French delegation of Foreign Legionnaires, will parade from Free French headquarters on Fifth Ave. to the Hollywood Theater on Thursday morning for ceremonies in connection with the premiere of Warners "Casablanca." Recruiting, souvenir and other booths will be set up by the Fighting French delegation in the rotunda of the Hollywood Theater. No Taxis for Film-going Omaha, Neb. — Theater patrons will not be permitted to use taxi cabs after Dec. 1, it was announced by the Omaha rationing board. War Takes Three Frisco Managers, Five Aides San Francisco — Armed services and war work have claimed three more theater managers and five assistants. Dan McLean, manager of the downtown Embassy, is a boatswain's mate in the Coast Guard; Charles Coovert, Amazon, is at Camp Roberts, Calif., and Reke Feliziani, Noe, is a private at Fort Scott, 111. The following assistant managers have gone — Robert Bayben, Daly City, and Hal Guyotti, Irvine, who are at Camp Roberts; Mervyn Mooney, Fox theater, Coast Guard; Tom Barlow, Noe, and Frank Shragg. Palace, now in the shipyards. 425 IA Projectionists Now In Armed Services Four hundred and twenty-five projectionist members of the IATSE are in the armed forces of the nation, according to the latest checkup. New York's Local 306 has contributed the largest number to the service — 21. WB Promotes Larry Wilson Kansas City — Larry Wilson, formerly of the booking department at Warners exchange, has been promoted to office manager, succeeding Frank Norris, who joined the Army Air Force. Frank Bowen has been added to the staff as salesman, taking over the former duties of Joe Maguire, who recently was fatally shot in a hunting accident. TO THE COLORS! South Norwalk, Conn.— Chief of j| Staff JOHN DALAZS of the Palace is in the Army. Ensign BOB JOHNSON, son of Adolph Johnson, of the Strand, Hamden, Conn., has been transferred from Boston to the sub chaser s*&x°l: Miami. aft. -•o. \9 Columbus, O.— CHARLES KENNEDY, former assistant manager at Loew's, here is stationed at Camp Croft, S. C. Montreal— RAYMOND MASSEY, Canadian born screen and stage star, has enlisted in the Canadian Army and will be employed in the adjutant general's branch with the rank of Major. Massey served as an artillery officer in the first World War and was severely wounded. Columbus, O. — ROGER GARRETT, staff organist at the Loew's Ohio theater here, has enlisted as a buck private in the Marine Corps. Roger's enlistment brings to a close one of the longest runs among theater organists in the country. He was originally engaged for one week back in April, 1933, and has stayed WILLIAM J. FIGUEROA, vicepresident of Astor Pictures has joined the Marine Corps. Following basic training, he will be placed in the department handling distribution of Corps films. WALTER BLAKE, who handled the Warner Bros, advertising for the Blaine-Thompson advertising agency was inducted by the Army on Friday and reports to Fort Dix, N. J., the end of this week. Miami Beach, Fla. — STANLEY STERN, formerly with the Cameo theater, is now attending Officers Candidate School at Miami Beach. THE ANSWER IS V.tA™ # We can reproduce your ad with the realism and lustre that makes good engraving the final step in the creation of convincing advertising. PHOTO ENGRAVING CORP. 250 WEST 54th STREET. NEW YORK IS H 1*7 V MHZ (I T (i / t . i ti vs