The Film Daily (1943)

U*\ DAILY Monday, April 26, 194i Population Shilt In War Under 3% (Continued from Page 1) per cent, or about 168,000, in new residents. Detroit, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Richmond areas also were among the heavy gainers, while the largest percentage losses were in the less populated states of Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona and Montana. Small Number of Exhibs. The survey also reveals that a very small number of exhibitors has been adversely affected by the wartime residential changes, and most of these changes are limited to such sparsely populated regions that the numerical differences are relatively small. Estimate also has been made that a 2 per cent increase in a city's population would benefit theaters by an even larger percentage. In most of the localities that registered a drop in number of inhabitants, the decline, from a moviegoing standpoint, was offset by greater patronage from the remaining residents, thus accounting for an overall gain in nation-wide business. Percentage change in population, by States, follows: Up 1 per cent or less: Arkansas, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah. Up 2 per cent or less: Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Rhode Island. Up 3 per cent or less: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Washington. Up 4 per cent or less: California, Delaware, Connecticut. Up 5 per cent: Maryland. Up 6 per cent: Michigan, Virginia. Up 16 per cent: Nevada. Up 25 per cent: District of Columbia. Down 1 per cent or less: Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri. Down 2 per cent or less: North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia. Down 3 per cent or less: Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, Wisconsin. Down 4 per cent or less : Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, Minnesota, Vermont, Wyoming, Nebraska. Down 5 per cent: Nebraska. Down 6 per cent or less: Montana, Oklahoma. Down 7 per cent: Arizona. Down 8 per cent: Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota. Breaking the national map down into territories as served by film exchange branches, the population gains and losses run as follows: Up 1 per cent or less: Cleveland, Memphis, New Orleans, San Francisco, Atlanta. Up 2 per cent or less: Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Dallas. Up 3 per cent or less: New Haven, Seattle. Up 7 per cent: Washington, D. O, Detroit. Down 1 per cent or less: New York City, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore.; Charlotte, St. Louis, Omaha. Down 2 per cent or less: Albany, Kansas City, Milwaukee. Down 3 per cent or less: Denver, Des Moines. Down 4 per cent or less: Salt Lake City, Minneapolis. Down 6 per cent : Oklahoma City. Mecca Theater Bldg. Sold Mecca Theater building, Avenue A and 14th St. has been acquired by a subsidiary of Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. as part of the site for a post-war housing development. Theater has been dark recently. To The Colors * COMMISSIONED * DONALD CLARK, USA, former Paramount chief accountant, Cincinnati, 2nd lieutenant. -• — * PROMO I ED * ORVAL MOATS, USA, former assistant manager, Tivoli, Chicago, promoted to sergeant. * ARMY * RALPH ERMILLO, State Lake Theater, Chicago. ROBERT BRUER, Riviera, Chicago. RICHARD KLINE, manager Peoples, Tarentum, Pa. ALAN KEUSCH, Paramount, Cincinnati. * MARINE CORPS * PHIL ARNOLD, B. & K. Tivoli, Chicago. * ARMY AlK~FORCES * HARRY PAPPAS, service chief, Chicago Theater, Chicago. ^ * R-A.F. * JOHN ARNOT1, Paramount aa sales manager, Birmingham, England. * WAACS * -STHER CLARK, Carrick Theater, Chicago. ^aVAUGHAN SPEtR, Paramount studio hairdresser, Hollywood. Feb. Admission Tax Collections Show Gain (Continued from Page 1) to $11,874,676.18, a rise of slightly more than half a million from the figure for the previous month. Approximately 90 per cent of the total presents motion picture theater admissions. Collections are always made on the previous month's receipts. March collections for the Third New York (Broadway) district on February receipts continued to rise, going from $2,093,101 for January receipts to $2,368,546.34. Of this total, theater admissions accounted for $2,220,021.82, brokers sales, $12,776.80, and admissions to roof gardens and cabarets, $135,593.88. This represented a sizeable increase from che previous month when theater admissions accounted for only $1,899,924 and was nearly four times the collections for the month before chat, when theater admissions collections were only $546,463. Total Broadway collection for March, 1942, was only $1,688,332— of which $1,578,184 was from theater admissions. National collection for March, 1942, was $10,592,455, considerably more than a million dollars under this year. Temporary Deferment for Actors in Certain Cases West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — It is understood that representatives of the State Selective Service board have informed studio executives that temporary deferments will be granted to contract actors who are scheduled to appear in heavy budgeted stories that are actually in preparation. However, no stalling on story preparations to delay induction of an actor will be tolerated and a definite date must be set for start of production and Selective Service advised of such a date. Crescent Trust Suit Wind-Up May 6 (Continued from Page 1) possible by setting a deadline of May 6 on all objections to the form of the decree and on all motions to amend the findings of fact and conclusions of law filed by him on March 3. Judge Davies' order says: "On this April 19, the plaintiff presented a decree for entry in this cause, objections being made to the form of the decree by defendant United Artists Corp. and by other defendants. The court ordered that all objections to the form of the decree as proposed by the plaintiff be submitted to him prior to May 6, 1943, and ordered further that on said date the decree in this cause be finally settled and entered on the minutes of the court. It is further ordered that on said date of May 6, 1943, the court will hear and determine all motions filed herein by the defendants to amend the findings of fact and conclusions of law filed herein by the court on March 3." George H. Armistead, Jr., chief council for Crescent, will file one or more additional motions on behalf of his client and W. H. Mitchell, Florence, Ala., attorney for Muscle Shoals, Inc., has stated that he will also file in behalf of his client. Quincy, Mass., Award Modified on Appeal {Continued from Page 1) of the first-runs in Boston and own ers of other theaters in Quincy anc nearby towns. Complainant ha< charged that the 28-day clearance was unreasonable, to which the / bitrator agreed. V Vitagraph, 20th Century-Fox anc New England Theaters, Inc., inter vened, asking that the award be re versed and the case dismissed. Th< appeal board, however, contendec that some reduction was justified Because the Strand is nine miles from downtown Boston and is a mil* closer to Boston than Lynn, whicl follows Boston first-runs by 21 days plus the fact that Quincy is beyonc the service of the Boston Elevatec Railway, the board fixed the clearance at 21 days after the termination of the run at the theater whicl f shall play the picture first; provided j however, that this award shall nol apply to Paramount, Loew's andj RKO pictures playing in their owrjj theaters. Mass. Senate Would Probe Pix Ticket Speculators PRC Steps Up Musicals; Starts Six in Four Months West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — PRC is preparing to make six musicals, with the lineup setting a new record for productions of this type. All will start shooting during the next four months under supervision of Leon Fromkess. Pictures are: "Oh, Say Can You Sing,"' to be produced by Jack Schwarz; "Oh Baby," Ripley-Monter picture starring Fifi D'Orsay; "I'm from Arkansas," hillbilly picture to be made by Alexander Stern; "Talent School," a Jack Schwarz production; "Minstrel Man" and an untitled story. (Continued from Page 1) cies to the extent that "they are being fleeced of thousands of dollars nightly" by persons engaged in the reselling of tickets to the public advanced a resolution calling upor Attorney General Bushnell to investigate. It is alleged that not only are legitJ tickets being immediately seized by speculators but that the "specs" now hire boys and girls to stand in line at the de luxe picture houses to buy tickets and then to sell these at greatly advanced price to those whe either do not wish to stand in line or who are told there are no seats available. "We are seeking to prevent the fleecing of the public," said Sen Maurice M. Goldman, Boston. "A racket exists whereby the operatoi in the box-office and ticket specula tors or agencies have entered intc an arrangement and work together. The difference in the price betweer' that legitimately charged and thati charged by the speculators is thenj split between them." Goldman charged that the public! is being fleeced of sums between$1,000 and $2,000 nightly in Boston. The measure asking that Attorney General Bushnell investigate the charges was then offered in a resolution by Senator George Stantonj of Fitchburg. 20th-Fox Sets Releases National release dates on four1 new productions have been set by 20th-Fox as follows: "My Friend Flicka," which went into release on Friday; "Tonight We Raid Calais," April 30; "They Came to Blow Up America," May 7; "Crash Dive," May 14.