The Film Daily (1943)

heaters' Bond Sales $165,000,000: For the nine months ending Feb. 28, 3,700 theaters sold a total of $165,000,000 in War Bonds and Stamps, Si Fabian, head of the WAC theaters division, old the MPTOA board of directors yesterday at the Hotel Astor. Inasmuch as approximately 8,500 theaters are selling Bonds and Stamps, the total expected to go far beyond the figure. Fabian said a new plan for reporting the Bond sales would be put into operation in June when theaters .ould report to the territorial WAC chairman, instead of reporting direct to New York. Intimate in Character [International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Four Years Old ir. 83, NO. 86 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1943 TEN CENTS IRITISH LIFT "FREEZING" ORDER ON PK COIN War Job or 1A Order to Trade Workers Illegal ■i Fabian Tells MPTOA arley WAC Is Setting raft Boards "Right" By AL STEEN ssociate Editor, THE FILM DAILY Draft boards that have ordered dustry personnel to get into war bs or be classified as 1-A are dog so illegally and steps are being iken to clear up the misunderstandg, Si Fabian, head of the theaters vision of the WAC, told the PTOA board of directors yester A draft board cannot change the (Continued on Page 3) Warners Buy $5,000,000 in War Loan Bonds Wit tie Execs, and Employes Take $530,000 Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., has subscribed to $5,000,000 in Bonds of the Second War Loan, while execs, and other employes have taken an additional $530,000, it was revealed yesterday by Samuel Schneider, assistant to Prexy Harry M. Warner, following a preliminary tabulation of results of recent war loan rallies. Final report should boast the total substantially, Schneider said. Of the amount purchased by the company, $1,000,000 was bought through Jack L. Warner, executive producer, on the Coast. Home office execs subscribed to $125,000 following the New York rally. Remaining $405,000 was subscribed by employes at the home office, throughout the theater circuit, branches, offices and studios. Oct. 25 Last Made Effective Date; Companies to Get Millions in Blocked Funds ieservations Pour In or UJA's Luncheon Final organizational details for hat is hailed as one of the most tal meetings in the annals of the idustry's welfare activities, — the fth annual luncheon conclave of the nited Jewish Appeal's Amusement ivision, next Tuesday in the Hotel stor — , were completed at a lunleon session there yesterday, at;p.ded by some 30 committeemen. o-Chairman David Bernstein preded, and the meeting was informal (Continued on Page 7) Three Regional Sales Meets for Columbia As a step to conserve transportation in wartime, Columbia will divide its annual sales convention into three separate meetings, it was announced yesterday by A. Montague, company's general sales manager. Initial meeting will be held in Chicago, May 11-12-13, to be followed by the New York conclave, (Continued on Page 3) Indie Poster Exchanges In NSS Suit Settlement Isks Receiver for "U" 'harging Mismanagement I W ilmington, Del. — A complaint was . Jled in the U. S. District Court here jl|esterday on behalf of Dorette A. |'Tise, a resident of Red Bank, N. J., ■feainst the Universal Corp., the I' nited Pictures Co., Inc., the Stand (Continued on Page 3) Vame Michalove To MPTOA Board Dan Michalove of National Theaters yesterday was named a member of the MPTOA board of directors to replace Spyros Skouras. Skouras became ineligible to serve as a director i when he became president of 20th Century-Fox. Action of independent poster exchanges against National Screen Service Corp., Loew's, Inc., Paramount Pictures, Inc., and RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., brought in U. S. District Court of Pennsylvania, has been settled, it was announced yes (Continued on Page 6) No Roadshow Policy For Lesser's 'Canteen' "Stage Door Canteen," Sol Lesser's forthcoming UA production, will be released within the next month at regular admission prices, Carl Leserman, general sales manager, announced yesterday at the second session of UA's district managers' meeting here. Policy was arrived at after con (Continued on Page 6) Exhibs. Won Over to P.C. Deals, Says Kalmenson A distinct victory, diplomatic and financial, for the U. S. film industry was registered yesterday with the disclosure, via a confirming statement released by Will H. Hays, MPPDA prexy, that the British Government had tei-minated its special remittance restrictions as of Oct. 25 last. Transfers of British film coin in the future thus will be subject only to the Exchange Control Regulations in the ordinary way and will be handled through the same machinery as other remittances from Eng (Continued on Page 7) 21 Directors, Officers At MPTOA's Session Ben Kalmenson, Warners general sales manager, addressing yesterday's session of the all-week meeting of field reps, presided over by Mort Blumenstock, declared that an increasing number of exhibitors are being won over to percentage deals (Continued on Page 6) Theater Fire Losses Up 400% Smith Lays Jump to Inexperienced Operators St. Louis MPTO Accepts Plan for Control of Duals St. Louis — A plan for the control of duals in St. Louis and St. Louis County has been agreed upon by the MPTO of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. Provisions call for single feature handling (Continued on Page 3) Theater losses due to fires increased 400 per cent in the last four months over the previous four months, A. G. Smith, head of the division of the WPB, told the MPTOA board of directors in session at the Hotel Astor yesterday. Smith said the losses were largely due to inexperienced operators. Smith warned theater men to take (Continued on Page 7) After laying the groundwork yesterday for the more important discussions to come, the MPTOA today will take up the problems facing the industry and act on them accordingly. Twenty-one directors and offi (Continued on Page 7) Harmon to Fill Speaking Dates in Southern Cities Francis S. Harmon, WAC executive vice-chairman, will address the Rotary Club of New Orleans on (Continued on Page 3) Indie Exhihs. Pay Half of WAC Expenses Of the $60,000 assessed against the nation's theaters for their part in contributing to the WAC budget, more than $50,000 already has been collected. Of this amount, approximately one-half has been sent in by independent exhibitors. This was revealed yesterday by Si Fabian at the MPTOA board of directors meeting.