The Film Daily (1942)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Four Years Old -1FDAILY' 82, NO. 101 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1942 TEN CENTS DOUBIEBILL EDICT NOT NECESSARY:JRTHUR Buying Combines Won1* Affect Metro's Policies Deals Still Will Be Predicated on Possibilities Of Theater, Says Rodgers M-G-M's sales force has been advised by W. F. Rodgers, general sales manager, that buying combines will not change the company's sales policies. An exhibitor who hires an outside agency to do his buying will find his M-G-M deal still predicated solely on the theater's possibilities and the individual's own responsibilities, the field staff has been informed. In his message to the field staff, Rodgers said that the policy in the (Continued on Page 8) Can't Group Theater Supervisory Attaches Newark — Petition of the United Office and Professional Workers of America for designation as collective bargaining agent for managers, assistant managers, utilitarians and treasurers at 48 Northern New Jersey houses of the Warner-Stanley (Continued on Page 5) Warner Bros. Will End Production of "B" Pix West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Warner Bros, will drop the making of "B" pictures and has transferred William Jacobs, who has been head of the lim(Continued on Page 6) MPPDA'S Board Acts On Budget Tomorrow Board of directors of the MPPDA is scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss the budget for operations in 1943. While other subjects are reported to be on the agenda, the budget will be the principal topic for discussion. Approval of the new budget is expected at the quarterly meeting of the board, tentatively slated for Dec. 9. Whether the budget will be increased or cut is not known. Fox Theaters in Milwaukee Territory Play Top Pix Day and Date in Two First~Runs Milwaukee — The Fox circuit has adopted a new policy in this territory, calling for the playing of top pictures day and date in two first-run theaters, thereby reducing the amount of product formerly required. In spots where Fox has only one first-run theater, the circuit's second or third-run house is converted to a first-run to accommodate the new policy. Hub Goes Dark But Biz Remains Tops Boston — Boston and the New England Coast in the first experience under the drastic new blackout rules found that the crowds lessened not ac all. The downtown theaters were filled in the Hub while in suburban cities and towns the former bright lights districts stll were crowded. There has been considerable exhib. conjecture as to what the latest edict of Lt. Gen. Sherman Miles (Continued on Page 7) War Bond-Stamp Sales By Theaters Show Gain Returns from those of the 16,000-odd movie houses functioning as War Bond-selling agents which have reported to date show that for the month of October sales leaped to a total of $9000.000. In August, at which time no theaters were designated bond-issuing agents, and during which there was (Continued on Page 7) Smith and Valcarce Cuban Circuits Split Havana (By Air Mail) — Consolidation of the Smith and Valcarce circuits which placed all first-runs in Havana under one control has been terminated by mutual agreement. Under the setup, American distributors reportedly were unable to dictate selling terms with the result that many of their bigger pictures stayed on the shelf. Distributors of Argentinian and Mexican (Continued cm Page 6) Weshner Names Harris UA Publicity Director Robin Harris, former newspaper man, screen writer and exploiteer, has been appointed director of publicity for UA by David "Skip" Weshner, head of the advertising and publicity department. Harris formerly was on the staffs of the New York Times, New York World, New York Daily News, New (Continued on Page 5) CSEC to Mull Gov't Control Conference Board Meets in Early December Film Allocation Proposal Is Discussed in Capital Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Members of the Film Manufacturers' Industry Advisory Committee yesterday discussed the coming plan for allocation of film with Harold Hopper, chief of the Motion Picture Section of the WPB's consumers' durable goods branch, (Continued on Page 7) By GEORGE E. GUISE FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Minneapolis — With a resulting move for Government regulation and control of the entire film industry said not improbable, Allied Theater Owners of the Northwest over the week-end announced the board of trustees of the newly organized Central States Exhibitors Conference would meet early in December to formulate a course of action on nu(Continued on Page 6) F & M Exec. Declares the Industry Can Quit Duals Without Gov't Order St. Louis — A Government decree for the elimination of double features is unecessary, in the opinion of Harry C. Arthur, Jr., general manager of Fanchon & Marco Theaters, who, in a special statement, declared that the industry, itself, is capable of handling its own affairs. "The motion picture industry conceived double feature programs," Arthur said. "The same ingenuity, the same old-fashioned, two-fisted showmanship which has sold many an 'unsalable' production to a wary public can sell the theater-going public the idea of single-feature pro (Continued on Page 7) SOPEG, IATSE Split Para. Election Honors The Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild, Local 109, UOPWA, yesterday was able to win control of only three of the five Paramount units which participated in the company-wide balloting in the collective bargaining election ordered by the NLRB. The union acquired the right to represent the (Continued on Page 5) Metro District Managers To Meet in Chi. Saturday M-G-M will hold its regular midseason meeting of district managers at the Blackstone Hotel, Chicago, from Saturday to Monday. William (Continued on Page 6) Freeman Director of L.A. Fed. Res. Branch Washington Bur, THE FILM DAILY Washington — The Federal Reserve Board yesterday announced the appointment of Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount vice-president, as a director of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve System.