The Film Daily (1943)

w Stricter Enforcement Of Driving Ban Seen {Continued from Page 1) York police stations started yesterday afternoon to run down violators. They and a "substantial" number of inspectors appeared to be concentrating their first attentions on base DAILY Friday, May 21, 1943 Washington Buy., THE FILM DAILY Washington — Despite statements by OPA officials that the pleasure driving ban would be listed at the earliest possible moment, Petroleum Administrator Ickes yesterday declared that further restrictions on motorists probably will be necessary before the gasoline shortage is alleviated. ball parks, race tracks and other amusement spots. All available OPA men are to be put to work on the drive. District managers have been given authority to stop and question all motorists driving under circumstances which indicate a violation of the ban; to question all motorists stopped for traffic violations and to check on motorists found at race tracks, amusement parks, beaches and other places where their presence is evidence of a violation of the ban. Last category would include theaters. Retraction of gasoline rations for the balance of this year has been mentioned as a possible punishment for violators. Gasoline Ban Not Likely To be of Short Duration Washington Bureau of THE FILM ■DAILY Washington — There is nothing to indicate that the OPA ban on pleasure driving announced yesterday will be of short duration. Theater operators in the affected area find themselves in the same straits as last winter, when all non-essential driving was banned for a period of several weeks. The supply situation was declared to be worse than ever by OPA Administrator Prentiss Brown, as he announced the ban, despite the cut in A rations and the recent move to elimiriate non-essential driving by B and C card holders. Driving to theaters is definitely out, although stopping off at a theater while driving from work for instance is not forbidden. There is no reliable indication as to how long the present ban will be in effect, although the seriousness of the situation is apparent by the determination of OPA that it be enforced sternly— with harsh penalties for violations. It is hoped that elimination of non-essential driving can save enough gas to make further restrictions upon occupational driving unneces Still Bicycling! At the United Artists trade screening of "Stage Door Canteen" at the Normandie Theater here such an unexpected crowd of met. area exhibitors showed up that some of the UA publicity lads had to bicycle the film to their home office projection room to take care of the overflow. There was just one print of "Stage Dpor Canteen" available. 20th-Fox to Stress Pre-selling of Films Twentieth-Fox, will place greater emphasis upon pre-selling of product, with campaigns to be initiated simultaneously with the purchase of a story or play property, or company announcement of the decision to turn an original idea into a screenplay. The over-all program looks ahead to post-war operation and as well provides for the inaugural of institutional advertising to increase theater attendance. But 6 of 16 Schine Theaters Disposed Of (Continued from Page 1) been received up to Wednesday night, court attaches said. Under the temporary order postponing the Schine trial two years, Schine was to file monthly reports on divestiture progress. The court clerk yesterday reported none received for the twelfth month. From April 20 to May 19 no progress had been reported for the four previous months. The court has been notified of the disposal of only six of the 16 theaters affected by the order. Federal District Attorney George L. Grobe said he had no word from the Department of Justice regarding the Schine case. Robert L. Wright, special assistant to the Attorney General, who handled final preparations for the Schine trial a year ago after Seymour Simon went into the Navy, was believed tied up with the Crescent case at Nashville. Broidy to Hold Mono. Regional Here June 1 Second of a series" of five Monogram regional sales meetings will be held in New York on June 1 with Steve Broidy, general sales manager, presiding. The New York meeting will include representatives from the company's Boston, Albany, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh and New York offices. Other meetings at which sales policies are to be discussed will be scheduled shortly by Broidy Meanwhile, Monogram's New York exchange has moved from the seventh floor to the fourth and street floors of the Film Center Bldg. Harry Thomas, Eastern sales chief, headquarters on the fourth floor while the booking and sales departments under Joseph I. Felder are on the ground floor. Expect Early Byrd Report On CIAA-OWI Spendings Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Issuance of a report on the spending of the CIAA and OWI motion picture bureaus by the joint Congressional Economy Committee headed by Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia is almost certain for the near future, according to the committee's chief investigator. Senator Byrd has gone over rather full figures on both agencies, and it is to be presumed that he has found evidence of unwise spending. Margon, "U" Foreign Exec. Dies; Funeral Rites Today (Continued from Page 1) afternoon at 3 o'clock at the Park West Memorial Chapel. A veteran of World War 1, Margon joined Paramount's foreign department under Joseph Seidelman in 1921. His association with Seidelman, now Universal vice-president and general manager of foreign affairs, was continuous from that time, having been with him at Columbia and then at Universal. Margon was' responsible for the installation of the first sound equipment in Central and South America. He also was credited with having created the original cut-in titles for talking pictures which became the forerunner of the superimposed titles used today. Survivors are his widow, Mrs. Ottilie Margon; a daughter, Mrs. Maxine Spiegelbaum; his mother, a sister and two brothers. Rockefeller, Alstock Leave For H'wood MPSA Meeting Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Nelson Rockefeller, CIAA administrator, will leave for Hollywood Sunday to attend the annual meeting next week of the Motion Picture Society for the Americas. CIAA motion picture chief Francis Alstock, left last night. Wallace K. Harrison, assistant coordinator in charge of press, radio and motion pictures, will accompany Rockefeller. Detailed plans for the CIAA production program for the next year are expected to be laid before the society with Rockefeller rumored to be ready to ask several departures from the procedure followed until now. Walter Wanger is president of the society. Whether he will accept the office again is not known, but elections of officers and the board of directors are to be held. Census of Industry Left for Peace Era (Continued from Page 1) meeting yesterday. Bureau had the project under consideration for more I than six months. Variety of reasons influenced the decision, among them the conviction that a survey at this time woufC ht reflect the conditions normally ^".valent. Turnover in personnel was i cited as an example. Tack Ellis Appointed UA's N. Y. Branch Mgr. (Continued from Page 1) Artists' New York branch. He succeeds Sam Lefkowitz. Ellis takes over his new post on June 1. Canadian Reps, to Attend Columbia Sales Meet Here U. S. British Producers Can Aid Peace — Saunders (Continued from Page 1) of Hilary A. St. George Saunders, assistant to the librarian of the House of Commons. He pointed out that if the United States and England had collaborated following World War I, it is unlikely that the present war would have occurred. Saunders said .that the United States and England drifted apart after the first war. He declared that there has been a social revolution in England, that class distinctions are being wiped out and that the masses in the United States and England have much in common. Saunders asserted that American-made pictures dealing with British themes should be written by writers who have been in England recently, pointing out that there have been numerous changes in the island kingdom in the past few years. He said English producers are handicapped by a lack of carpenters and English-made pictures suffer in comparison with American pictures and that minor parts are usually poorly enacted. In fact, he declared that he would have no opposition to American producers taking over England's producing industry. Representatives of Columbia's Canadian offices, headed by Louis Rosenfeld, general manager, will attend the New York sales meeting May 26-28, at the Warwick Hotel. This is the second in a series of three gatherings being held by Columbia, with A. Montague, general sales manager, presiding. Dominion branches represented will be Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, St. John, Cal J gary and Vancouver. Home office executives, division managers, branch managers and the entire sales personnel of the following exchanges will attend the New York sales meet: New York, Albany, Boston, Buffalo, New Haven, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Washington. Yorke to Film Nelson's Speech to Tool Plant Men Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Cameramen f o r Emerson Yorke will shoot War Production Board Chief, Donald M. Nelson, this morning delivering a speech of about two minutes directed at workers in machine tool plants. Nelson will congratulate the work-: ers on the fine production records they have maintained since long before Pearl Harbor. The sequence will be included in an "Incentive", film being made by Emerson Yorke ! for showing in machine tool plants.] Eric Semon Dies Eric Semon, 61, European representative of the Metropolitan Opera Co., and long a leading European concert manager, died yesterday at his home here. WEDDING BELLS Memphis — Maxine Wilkinson, secretary to L. W. McClintock, Paramount, was married to John Hisaw.