The Film Daily (1943)

iw DAILY Friday, May 14, 1943 N. Y. WAC Group Meets On "Prelude to War" Vol. 83, No. 93 Fri., May 14, 1943 10 Cents JOHN W. ALICOATE DONALD M. MERSEREAU CHESTER B. BAHN Publisher General Manager Editor Published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays at 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y., by Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. J. W. Alicoate, President and Publisher; Donald M. Mersereau, Secretary-Treasurer. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 8, 1938, at the post-office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Terms (Postage free) United States outside of Greater New York $10.00 one year; 6 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00. Foreign, $15.00. Subscriber, should remit with order. Address all communications to THE FILM DAILY, 1501 Broadway New York, N. Y. Phone BRyant 9-7117, 9-7118, 9-7119, 9-7120, 9-7121. Cable address: Filmday, New York. Representatives: HOLLYWOOD, Calif.— Ralph Wilk, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Phone Granite 6607. WASHINGTON— Andrew H. Older, 520 Third St. N.W., Phone District 1253. LONDON — Ernest W. -Fredman, The Film Renter. 127-133 Wardour St., W. I. PARIS— p. A. Harle, Le Film, 29 Rue Marsoulan (12). 'HAVANA — Mary Louise Blanco, Virtudes ••214. HONOLULU — Eileen O'Brien. : BUENOS AIRES— Dr. Walter P. Schuck, 'Casillo de Correo 1929.' MEXICO CITY— "Marco-Aurelio Galindo, Apartado 8817, Mex-ico, D. F. Exhibitors in the New York exchange area met yesterday at WAC headquarters to hold discussions on playing "Prelude To War." According to Fred Schwartz and Sam Rinzler, exhibitor co-chairmen of the territory, the 24 prints allotted will see virtually continuous service. All exhibitors present pledged to play the film. It was also decided by the group to show a trailer in all New York theaters, plugging the Greater New York Fund, which is currently in the midst of a campaign. The trailer, which runs for two minutes, features such personalities as Mayor LaGuardia, Eddie Cantor, Wendell L. Willkie, and Al Smith. A committee headed by Max Cohen and Fred Schwartz was set up to investigate methods of assisting the Civilian Defense Volunteer Office. FINANCIAL (Thursday, May 13) NEW YORK STOCK MARKET Net High Low Close Chg. Am. . Seat Columbia Piers, pfd.. 3714 Con. Fm. Ind 3% Con. Fm. Ind. pfd.. . 18% East. Kodak 168'/2 Gen. Prec. Eq 22 Loew's, Inc 57% Paramount 26% RKO 8% RKO $S pfd 88i/2 20th Century-Fox . . . 20% 20th Century-Fox pfd. 30 Warner Bros 14% do pfd 793/4 NEW YORK BOND MARKET Para. B'way 3s55. ..77 77 77 :para. Picts. deb. 4s56. 104V4 103% 104 1/4 + Warner Bros.' dbs. 6s48 1021/z 1021/2 1021/2 . NEW YORK CURB MARKET Monogram Picts 3% Radio-Keith cvs 1 1/2 Sonotone Corp 4% Technicolor 13 Trans-Lux 3 Universal Corp. vtc. 17% 37 3% 18% 168 21% 57 26% 8% 863/4 201/4 30 131/2 79 37% + 3% . ■ I8I/2 + 168 1/2 + 21% — 57 — 26% — 8 1/4 + 88% + 201/2 . . 30 13% + 79% — V2 CFI Quarterly Earnings $248,153 After Taxes " Net profit of $248,153.93 after Federal income and surtax provision, for the three months ended March 31, is reported by Consolidated Film Industries, Inc. Comparable 1942 figure was $174,379.98. Net profit is reported at $427,851.62 and estimated tax provision at $179,697.69 for the 1943 quarter, compared with a profit of $229,447.34 and tax provision of $55,067.36 in the comparable 1942 period. Earnings per share are equivalent to 50 cents on the 400,000 shares of preferred stock and 12 cents on 524,973 outstanding shares of common. Earnings in the 1942 quarter equalled 38 cents per share on the preferred. 33/8 1% 4% 12% 3 17% 33/4 1% 4% 12% 3 173/4 + 20th Century-Fox Declares Second Quarter Dividends The board of directors of 20th 'Century-Fox yesterday declared a cash dividend of $.37% per share for the second quarter of 1943 on the outstanding preferred stock of the corporation payable June 30, 1943 to stockholders of record at the close of .business June 15, 1943. At the same meeting the board declared a cash dividend of $.25 per share on the outstanding common stock of the corporation payable June 30, 1943 to stockholders of record at the close of business June 15, 1943. Memphis Loop Attendance Up 100% in Six Months Memphis, Tenn. — Theater attendance in the Loop district has more than doubled during the past six months. Week-end and evenings, box office lines extend half the block for both tickets and admission. The average good shows are held over, and the exceptionals linger from two to four weeks as in the case of "Random Harvest" which exceeds "GWTW" in both attendance and gross. Beale St. Negro theaters, are making new history. Though there are very few Negro soldiers in Memphis, the civilian and war jobs, which have increased the Negro's opportunity for pleasure spending, blocked traffic on Beale street last week-end with block-long lines at all three colored houses. Para. Studio Unions On 48-Hour Weeh West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Paramount has gone on a 48-hour week basis as far as its union employes are concerned, with the exception of laboratory technicians. Unions that have 36hour week contracts will have their members paid time and a half after six hours daily. 24 Writers Contributing To 18-Reel "Battle Cry" About two dozen writers, including some of the best known "names" in literature, drama, radio and the screen, will contribute to "Battle Cry," which Howard Hawks will produce and direct for Warners, it is revealed by Jack L. Warner, executive producer, who will personally supervise the picture dealing with the fight for freedom in the United Nations. Picture is expected to be in 18 reels, according to Warner, who is now in New York, and will consist of a series of episodes, each by a different author. Bill Bacher, radio writer and producer, already has completed the Chinese sequences. William Faulkner is working on the American episode. Names of other writers at work on material are being withheld to protect those whose contributions are found unsuitable. Organized Vandals Hit Richmond Loew House Richmond, Va. — Loew's Theater has been the victim of an organized campaign of hoodlumism for several weeks since George Peters, manager, evicted a group of high school students for being disorderly. While plainsclothesmen and special detectives are constantly in the house, only two boys have been caught, and in the meantime over 200 lamps have disappeared from mezzanine fixtures; some lamps were thrown from the balcony and curtains of both the men's and women's lounges were deliberately set afire. House is also getting phone calls telling of strange happenings which will take place. Circuits At Testimonial Leading major and indie circuit operators have made reservations for tables to the testimonial dinner being tendered both Edward Schnitzer and Sam Lefkowitz at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel tonight. Visual Education Group Plans Chicago Conference A national war conference on industrial films has been called by the Institute for the Advancement of Visual Education and Vocational Training at the Medinah Club, Chicago, June 10. Representatives of Government agencies, of many industries and of advertising agencies will attend. Herbert S. Houston, chairman of the Institute, will be in the chair while the keynote address will be delivered by William Benton, vice-chairman of the Committee for Economic Development and vicepresident of the University of Chicago. COmiHG and G0IDG LORETTA YOUNC arrives in Columbus from Hollywood tomorrow to begin a tour of Army camps. PAULETTE CODDARD will be in Chicago for the "I Am an American Day" rally there on Sunday. WILLIAM TERRY leaves New York tomo.Aa to report at the RKO studio on the CoastV^l his next screen role. NANCY GATES is on her way back to the Coast for her next acting assignment at the RKO studio. LILLIAN HELLMAN is scheduled to return from the Coast in two weeks. W. STEWART McDONALD, Warner Bros. Theaters executive, returns today from a trip to Cleveland. MOE SILVER, zone manager for Warner Theaters in the Pittsburgh territory, arrived in New York yesterday for a short visit. WIN BARRON, Paramount exploitation rep. in Canada, is in New York from Toronto conferring at the home office on the campaign for "Five Craves to Cairo." CHARLES COETZ is en route from the Coast. EDWARD RAFTERY leaves Hollywood for New York today. GEORGE J. SCHAEFER returns to New York from the Coast over the week-end. FRANK BUCK is due on the Coast May 26. LESTER CUTLER trains out from Hollywood today for New York. MOSS HART yesterday embarked on a tour of Army air schools to gather material for a play planned for the benefit of the Army Emergency Relief Fund. W. R. FRANK, Minneapolis circuit operator, arrives on the Coast today to confer with his director, Alfred Zeisler, on plans for "Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, His Life and Loves." NAT DORFMAN, press rep. for Max Cordon, leaves for the Coast May 23 to open a publicity office. While there he will exploit Gordon's "The Doughgirls." HARRY F. SHAW, Loew-Poli division manager, and MRS. SHAW left yesterday for a Miami vacation of three weeks. Drop Color Plans for Hitchcock's "Lifeboat' Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" will be made in black and white instead of in Technicolor as previously announced. Picture, which goes into production in about a month, will be released by 20th Century-Fox. MAY 14 Arthur W. Eddy Robert J. Benjamin Hester V. Browning MAY 15 Irving Browning Allen Davey MAY 16 Margaret Sullavan Rosa Madell Rae Manheimer