The Film Daily (1943)

w DAELV Tuesday, June 1, 19 Game Held Lottery As Court Reverses Oklahoma City— The State Supreme Court has ruled out another form of the familiar theater weekly prize event, holding that it conflicted with the State's anti-lottery statute. The decision, which found the court divided 5 to 4, reversed a former opinion issued earlier in the year. The court directed issuance of an injunction sought by Johnston County Attorney Charles E. Draper, against E. D. Lynch, as operator of two theaters in Tishomingo from continuing weekly $20 handouts. "The test of a lottery is in the working rather than in the wording of the plan," the decision held. The plan permitted participants to register their names without charge and required they appear in or near the theater when the money was given to be eligible to receive it, but did not require purchase of a ticket. The former decision said one of three essential elements of a lottery was missing, payment of a consideration. The court pointed to the requirement of registration and attendance and that the hope of winning increased attendance and revenues of the theaters. "Examined in any light, it is clear that this scheme is only another effort, cloaked with the outward habiliments of apparent legality, to escape the stigma of being denominated a lottery." the court said. The dissenting opinion termed it "nothing more than an advertising method which does not involve the element of gambling and is not any more vicious than many admittedly lawful advertising practices to stimulate lawful business." Valor Medal to Winner, Pathe News Cameraman The National Headliners' Club has established the War Correspondents Valor Medal to pay tribute to the war correspondents who perform heroic deeds in pursuit of their assignments. First newsreel rep. to win it is RKO Pathe News cameraman Howard Winner, who was selected on the basis of recommendation by the Army and Navy, plus information gathered from Editor and Publisher. Cagney Picks Donahue & Coe Donahue & Coe, Inc., has been selected by Cagney Productions, Inc. as advertising counsel to handle the campaign on UA's "Johnny Come Lately." Account will be serviced by William Schneider, vicepresident of the Agency. B & K Theater Man Dies in Plane Crash Chicago— Flight Officer Robert H. Miller, AAF, formerly of the S B & K Genessee Theater, Waukegan, was killed in an Army airplane crash in South America recently, it is announced. *i-Yt The Last Edition: • • • ON the streets of his native Minneapolis at the century's turn, a lad hawked daily his armful of newspapers Today that voice is stilled But wherever newspapers are sold o'er North America, and in the earth's four corners, life's end for this same newsboy has just been told, and the thousands, — literally thousands — , who were his friends are cloaked in sorrow If an epitaph can be suggested for his resting place in the family plot at Toronto, under the skies of the Canada he loved and adopted, it might well read, "I will hew great windows for my soul" For this, throughout his career was the fundamental motivation It is likewise true that he hewed great windows for the diversion and well-being of some millions of his fellow beings These windows. — show windows — -, stretch across the Dominion to our North, and are, if not so much as a headstone were erected to his memory, impressive monuments to the urchin boy who became one of international filmland's most distinguished sons T ▼ ▼ <i • • IT has been recorded that Nathan Louis Nathanson's advent in pictures occurred with his purchase of the old Majestic Theater on Adelaide St. in Toronto But actually it was in a photograph of the Minneapolis Journal's Newsboys Band, a print of which always occupied a place of prominence upon his office desk in the Queen City's Royal Bank Building He played a cornet This, in itself, furnishes a symbol of contrast in light of his subsequent and spectacular march to commercial eminence Evolution was from brass notes to gold notes In youth he dealt in pennies In maturity he dealt in millions T T T • • • ALWAYS self-assured, imaginative, and charged with dynamic ambition, Nate attained inevitable cinematic renown As General Theaters Corp. president, and head of Famous Players Canadian Corp. before the so-called "great schism" with the latter organization, he was the cornerstone of exhibition in the Dominion, yes, and of the trade there generally Unswerving in his conviction that the Canadian arm of the industry must enjoy complete self-determination in matters cinematic, unfettered by any power or influence across the border, he was, nevertheless, a flaming exponent of Reciprocity, insofar as cooperation and exchange of advice were concerned There must not be, his credo set forth, any tariff on business brotherhood and good-will He was ever the grim and powerful fighter for all he believed to ba right Because he engineered and accomplished so many things of consequence, he had enemies along with friends But opponents so frequently became his converts, indeed, in some instances, his respectful associates T ▼ ▼ • • • NATE, like all his fellow men, had hobbies,— but foremost of these was his fellow men He was fascinated by people, and knew their pulse, as all truly fine showmen do This accounts largely for his theater empire But among people, his favorites were the underprivileged kids, country vacations for whom were and are championed by the Toronto Daily Star Fresh Air Fund His/ purse and lieart were always open Here again was exemplified his lender memory of boyhood days, when he himself hawked newspapers He will not pass this way again, but there remains his spirit And the great windows hewed by his soul T T T • • • AVENGE PEARL HARBOR! DATE BOOK Today: Monogram regional sales meeting, Wi wick Hotel. June 2: RKO stockholders' meeting, Dov Del. June 3-4: War Conference of Screen, Sta Radio, under auspices of Associated Act and Artistes, N. Y. Times Hall. June 4: Chorus Equity annual meeting. June 4: Allen B. DuMont Television Laborato' stockholders meeting. June 5: Monogram Midwest regional s« meeting, Hotel Blackston, Chicago. June 5-6: Columbia Western regional S£ convention, St. Francis Hotel, San Francis June 5-6: Columbia sales meeting, Frisco. June 6-8: National Film Carriers conventi Hotel Asror. June 9: Monogram regional sales meeting, He Muehlbach, Kansas City, Mo. June 9-10: Theater Owners of Oklahoma an convention, Oklahoma City. June 9: TO of Oklahoma annual meeting SI vin Hotel, Oklahoma City. June 10: National War Conference, Instit for Advancement of Visual Education, \ dinah Club, Chicago. June 13: Monogram West Coast regional saj meeting, San Francisco. June 14-18: American Federation of Musicia annual convention, Columbus, O. June 15: Paramount home office. stockholders' meeti Final Briefs Submitted In "U" Merger Proposal Weighing by Supreme Court Jv, tice William T. Collins of the fai ness of the proposed plan to mer Universal Pictures Co. and Univers Corp. was begun on Friday wh attorneys for the two corporatio filed final briefs in support of t' proposal. The filing was in confori ity with the court's instructions c Thursday when hearings in the ca terminated with decision reserved 1 Justice Collins. The companies propose to subrr the merger agreement to stockhol ers as soon as possible after tl court rules on the fairness of tl plan, it was learned. Approval at least two-thirds of the outstanj ing common shareholders of bo companies would be required. Justice Collins is not expected hand down a decision until the mi die of June, or possibly June 25. Talent Ranges From Ballyhoo to Bard! Capability as well as versatility of filmland's WAC staff was again, and uniquely, demonstrated via the U. S. Army air show at 7:30 p.m. o'er WJZ on Saturday night. Not only was "Prelude To War" spotlighted grandly, but Raymond Massey presented a tone-poem, exquisitely authored and delivered. The tonepoem was written by Ed Schreiber, WAC promotional director, and Massey's presence on the show was also Schreiber-engineered.