The Film Daily (1943)

w • L i,*+ T H ST ' '■'l Inti I mate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought FILE COPV 00 MOT REMQVg The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Four Years Old 'Ij^L. 83. NO. 82 ■:-C . NEW YORK, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1943 TEN CENTS OVERBUYING NOT TRUST LAW VIOLATION IK; "Theater Men Can Appeal "Or Else" Orders • Reeling 'Hound • WASHINGTON ■Br ANDREW H. OLDER; —WASHINGTON. ■i '\A/HEN the Allied board meets next week, "^ it'll have a good-sized volume on the consent decree to consider. Abram Myers has not only prepared a lengthy report on suggested changes, but has also written a ^ comprehensive story on the decree as it has operated and on the New York equity suit and what led up to it. . . . Should make very interesting reading. . . . Depart • : ment of Justice has not yet received the proposals for settlement of the Griffith Amusement case, nor have concrete proI posals come in yet from the Pacific Coast Council of ITO. . . . • • \A/ITH the raw stock situation apparently not causing many sleepless nights, Harold Hopper returned this week from a ten-day trip to the Coast in excellent spirits. Only serious studio materials problem these days, apparently, is lumber, and he's hopeful that some satisfactory solution can be worked out there before the week is up. He's discussing the question of more lumber for the studios here, and will be in New York today or tomorow to go over the question with representatives of WPB's construction division. DY THE end of the week, the New York " MPPDA should have ready to submit to Rep. John M. Costello, of Hollywood, a : comprehensive plan to ease the talent manpower situation. Costello will then take the matter up with the Army. . . . Best bet is that the MPPDA draft will call for furloughs for actors, with the Army okaying the pix they'll be sent out to make. If the Army can be sold on that idea — and it has not been receptive to the various feelers • put out so far — that is certainly the best solution that can be hoped for. . . . Deferments are so unlikely it's a waste of time to go after them — and it's too late by this time. Incidentally, we're told that the studios made a mistake in grasping so eagerly at the Manning Tables. USES now has a neatly drawn "chart of availability" to share with the local draft boards, which are reported to be insisting that the studios release even skilled technicians according to the tables. . . . The rub is that the studios have been (Continued on Page 2) Selective Service Says Men Have 30 Days to Protest; Lack Info, on Conn. Cases Washington Bureau of THE FILM (DAILY Washington — Connecticut theater men who have been directed by their draft boards to change to "essential" war jobs within 30 days or face reclassification as 1-A's should file an appeal if they feel that they have been unjustly treated, Selective Service headquarters here pointed out yesterday. Pleading lack of full information on the Connecticut cases, involving a theater operator, a theater man (Continued on Page 6) Post-Easter Business 26% Ahead of 1942 With only three days to go to complete the current week initiated by Easter Sunday, box-office returns compiled by Film Daily correspondents, as supplied by numerous circuits and individual exhibitors, indicate that business for the sevenday span will exceed by 26 per cent the paid attendance clocked in the (Continued on Page 6) Short Subjects Sales Running 15 P.C. Ahead A new spurt in short sales is announced by industry sales executives on the basis of reports received from all over the country. Sales are repoi'ted to be running at (Continued on Page 6) "Prelude to War" Set For Entire WB Chain Lt. Col. Frank Capra's "Prelude to War," first of the series of "orientation" films originally made by the War Department Special Services for showing to our troops, will be booked over the entire Warner Bros, circuit throughout the country, it was announced by Joseph Bernhard, the company's vice-president and general manager of theaters, at yesterday's meeting of zone managers from all over the nation. Bookings will start immediately. See 322 Situations For 16 mm. Group With 72 members and enough applications to bring the membership to 122, controlling 322 situations, the 16 mm. Exhibitors' Association now seeks permanent headquarters. A meeting is to be held in the near future to establish the base. Wall Street backing is said to be (Continued on Page 5) Charge Dayton Clearance Over Piqua Unreasonable Federal Jury Reverses White Bear Lake Case, Finding for Defendant Charging unreasonable clearance, the Belpik Theater Corp., operating the Piqua and Miami Theaters, Piqua, 0., has filed a demand for arbitration in Cincinnati against the five consenting companies. Com (Continued on Page 5) Press-Films Fight Together Cotten Hails Industry at Press Club Loew N. Haven House Sells $1,100,000 in War Bonds Special million dollar War Bond premiere, which officially introduced the new first-run plan at the Loew Poli Bijou in New Haven brought in $1,100,000. Although the theater (Continued on Page 6) St. Paul, Minn. — Upholding the right of exhibitors to contract for more pictures than actually needed in one season, as a means of protecting themselves against showing features of poor quality, a jury in Federal District Court here yesterday exonerated the State Theater Corporation of White Bear Lake, Minn., and its officers, of charges they violated anti-trust laws. The action constituted a second trial of a suit started by the White Bear Theater Co. and David Ratner, its president, against the State The (Continued on Page 15) 12 Technicolor Films Awaiting Release . An even dozen big Technicolor attractions, each completed but unreleased, form a formidable backlog for the remainder of the 194243 season, a check-up yesterday disclosed. An interesting and significant result of a survey just made (Continued on Page 5) M of D Collections Pass $1,120,000 Mark The March of Dimes collections in motion picture theaters throughout the country, during the recent infantile paralysis drive, have (Continued on Page 15) Washington Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Washington — The motion picture industry is "fighting side by side with the newspapers of the free world to stamp out the evil forces which are attempting to enslave the press of the world, the cultural and artistic forms of the world, and the people of the world," industry press (Continued on Page 6) Day Off for Femmes In Conn. Labor Bill Hartford, Conn. — Provisions assuring women a day off each week and preventing them from working on shifts changing between 1 and 6 a.m., unless given transportation by their employer have been written into the women's 55-hour week bill just passed in the State Legislature.