The Film Daily (1944)

IHEl DAILY Wednesday, April 26, 1944 Vol. 85, No. 82 Wed., April 26, 1944 10 Cents JOHiN W. ALICOATE Publisher DONALD M. MERSEREAU : General Manager CHESTER B. BAHN : Editor Published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays at ISO! Broadway, New York 18, N. Y., by Wid's Films and Film Folk. Inc. J. W. Alicoate, President and Publisher; Donald M. Mersereau, SecretaryTreasurer; Al Steen. Associate Editor. 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. Subscribers should remit with order. Address all communications to THE FILM DAILY, 1501 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Phone BRyant 9-7117, 9-7U8, 9-7119, 9-7120, 9-7121. Cable address: Filmday, New York. Representatives: HOLLYWOOD, 28, Calif. —Ralph Wilk, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Phone Granite 6607. WASHINGTON— Andrew H. Older, 5516 Carolina Place, N. W., Phone Ordway 9221; CHICAGO, 45, 111., Joseph Esler, 6241 N. Oakley Ave., Phone Briargate 7441. LONDON— Ernest W. Fredman, The Film Renter, 127-133 Wardour ^t., W. I. HAVANA— Mary Louise Blanco, Virtudes 214. HONOLULU— Eiken O'Brien. MEXICO CITY— Marco-Aurelio Galindo, Apartado 8817, Mexico, D. F. FinnnciflL (Tuesday, April 25) NEW YORK STOCK Am. Seat Col. Picts. vtc. (21/2%) Columbia Picts. pfd. . Con. Fm. Ind Con. Fm. Ind. pfd East. Kodak .... do pfd Gen. Prec. Eq Loew's, Inc Paramount RKO RKO $6 pfd 20th Century-Fox . . . 20th Century-Fox pfd. Warner Bros NEW YORK Monogram Picts Radio-Keith cvs Sonotone Corp Technicolor Trans-Lux Universal Pictures . . . Universal Picts. vtc. . . High 14 17 44 3% 19 159 MARKET Net Low Close Chg. 14 14 — 17 17 + 43% 437/8 — 33/4 37/8 + 185/b 18% — 59 159 — 1 19 591/4 237/8 221/8 293/4 115/8 CURB 4 11/4 23/4 13 1/2 33/8 19 19 59 591/4 + 1/8 235/8 233/4 77/8 8 88 883/8 -1 3/g 22 221/8 + 1/8 293/4 293/4 — 1/8 11 '/2 11% + i/s MARKET 3% 4 + '" 11/4 . 23/4 — 11/4 23/4 '/8 131/2 131/2 33/8 33/8 — 1/8 203/4 201/2 203/4 + 1/4 7.000 Free B & K Tickets Weekly Go to the Services Chicago — B & K is turning over 7,000 free admissions weekly for distribution to service men by the Chicago Service Centers. In addition, approximately 80,000 service men and women benefit weekly through reduced admissions at circuit houses. 1600 otuvH, .(.v.cf V^V Oku ».oSlr».3-4 noiAei I c * noKcnoN tooM nun ixchanci cannuiioN suvia See Peak Turnout for RKO's Golf Tournament EKO's annual golf tournament will be held May 16 at the Westchester Country Club, the tournament committee reports. Based on ticket sales, which are running ahead of previous years, the ticket committee predicts the lai-gest turnout in the nine years of RKO tournaments. Prizes this year will be $25 War Bonds offered winners in 13 categories, in addition to prizes for foursome winners. Play will be over the twin West and South courses. Tickets are $10 for guests and $7.50 for employes, covering golf, lunch and dinner with luncheon and dinner tabs at $5 and dinner alone at $3. Tournament committee includes N. Peter Rathvon, Ned E. Depinet, Malcolm Kingsberg, Robert Mochrie, Edward Alperson, Garret Van Wagner, J. Henry Walter and Major Leslie Thompson. Publicity is being handled by S. Barret McCormick, Harry Mandel, Rutgers Neilson, Arthur M. Brilant, Jack Level and John Cassidy, while prizes will be under the jurisdiction of Depinet, J. Henry Walter, John Farmer and Dick Gavin. Latter two also handle ticket sales. "Dr. Wassell" Premiere At Little Rock Tonight Little Rock, Ark. — Producer Cecil B. DeMille and Com. Corydon M. Wassell (MC) USN, will be feted today prior to the two-theater world premiere of Paramount's "The Story of Dr. Wassell" at the Capitol and Arkansas Theaters tonight. Commander Wassell is a former Little Rock physician and City Health Officer. Today's schedule includes an official luncheon, a Governor's reception, military parade and dinner preceding the premiere. Mrs. DeMille, Signe Hasso, who appears in the picture, and Mrs. Wassell are in the official pai-ty, as are Sidney Biddell, associate producer, Carl Thurston, Gladys Rosson, DeMille's secretary, and Ken Whitmore. WB Release Schedule Set Through July 1 Warners will release three pictures, in addition to special limited showings of "The Adventures of Mark Twain," between now and July 1, Ben Kalmenson, general sales manager, revealed yesterday. Schedule includes "Between Two Worlds," with John Garfield, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet and Eleanor Parker, May 20; "Make Your Own Bed," with Jack Carson, Jane Wyman and Irene Manning, June 10, and "The Mask of Dimitrios," with Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson and Peter Lorre, July 1. From Films to Legit Cleveland, O. — The Metropolitan Theater, long a straight movie house, goes over to pop priced legit, on April 23. Tele Press Club Names Board of 10 Governors Television Press Club at its luncheon meeting yesterday at the Blue Ribbon unanimously elected the following Board of Governors comprised of charter members, to serve for six months: A. W. Bernsohn, assistant editor, Click; Richard W. Hubbell, editor, Television Review; Hermine Isaacs, managing editor, 'Theater Arts; Ben Kaufman, television columnist. Radio Daily; Stanley Kempner, radio-television editor, Retailing Home Furnishings; T. R. Kennedy, Jr., television writer, the New York Times; Wanda Marvin, television editor, the Billboard; Patricia Murray, television editor. Printers Ink; Mike Wear, film editor, Variety; Lewis Winner, editor, Communications. Drop War Dep't from Suit Over Negro Pic Release Action against the War Department, named as a defendant by Negro Marches On, Inc., producers of a film titled "We Have Come a Long, Long Way," was discontinued in notices filed yesterday in New York Federal Court. Suit is still pending against the WAC. The plaintiff reserves the right to bring action against the War Department in the U. S. District Court of Columbia, Washington, D. C. Producers of the Negro film charged that release of a similar film, "The Negi'o Soldier," by WAC on a gratis basis constitutes unfair competition by the Government with private enterprise. Censorship in Knoxville, Midnight Pix Ban, Too Knoxville, Tenn.— The City Council has passed an ordinance providing for an "emergency censorship committee" to "either endorse or prohibit" any stage show or motion picture "about which a question is raised." Policewoman Mary Allan and City Councilman Milton E. Roberts were named on this committee, with the ordinance becoming effective immediately. At the same time. City Safety Director P. Virgil Graves moved to enforce a midnight curfew law which, after seven years, affected the discontinuance of a Saturday midnight show at the Strand. Sunday movies were decisively defeated last year. Robert Weitman Named Honorary Ampa Member Robert M. Weitman, Paramount Theater managing director, has been made an honorary member of Ampa Vincent Trotta, president, announced yesterday. Honorarium, in the form of a scroll parchment, will be presented in recognition of "unusual co-operation" extended by Weitman during the past year, at tomorrow's annual meeting. COminG and GOIDC TOM C. CLARK, Assistant Attorney General, is due tomorrow for a three-day stay. CARL LESERMAN, general sales manager of United Artists, is due from the Coast Friday. JOHN BALABAN, B & K executive, and NATE PLATT, head of the circuit's stage booking department, left for Chicago last night, aftp' a New York visit. '" JAMES COSTON, Warner Circuit zone mani ' ger for Chicago territory; MOE SILVER, Pittsburgh zone manager, and HARRY FEINSTEIN, his assistant, return to their headquarters from New York. ARVID KANTOR, National Screen Service manager, Detroit, will be in Chicago next week, to meet MRS. KANTOR, returning from a threeweek stay at San Diego. HARRY F. SHAW, Loew's Poll division manager, leaves New Haven May 5 for a Florida vacation with MRS. SHAW. HERMAN RIFKIN of Boston, was a New Haven visitor. BEN SIMON, 20th-Fox manager. New Haven, in Boston two days for a confab. LOUIS WEINBERG, Columbia sales exec, is en route from the Coast. JOHN JENKINS, of Jenkins & Bourgeois, Dallas distributors, arrives in town today and will stay at the Hotel Edison. HAROLD HUTCHINS, Hillman Periodicals advertising director, has returned from Chicago. PHILIP KEENAN, general manager and v.-p. of Hillman Periodicals, is vacationing in Lakewood, N. J. MORENO CANTINFLAS, the Mexican comedian, will arrive in Puerto Rico on Friday. FLOODS in the Mid-west delayed the arrival in New York of W. C. GEHRINC, and HAL HORNE, until yesterday. LEO MORRISON, Hollywood agent, is en route to New York after conferences in Chicago with AL LOEWENTHAL of Famous Artists Syndicate. JOSE ITURBI has arrived in Hollywood to itart tests for a featured role in M-G-M's forthcoming musical, "Music for Millions." Brooklyn's Red Cross Collections, $146,101 Red Cross collections in Brooklyn theaters totaled $146,101.94, Edward C. Dowden, chairman of the Brooklyn Chapter Theater Committee, reported. Amount includes $10,000 from Loew's, Inc., proceeds from the M-G-M short, "America Speaks," amounting to $2,500, and the RKO home office contribution of $3,020. Red Cross receipts last year were $67,000 in Brooklyn theaters. Business May Cancel J. L. Warner Trip East Jack L. Warner, who was due in New York next Monday from the Coast, may have to cancel the trip at this time due to pressure of studio business, according to word received here yesterday. 43 Pre-Release Engagements Forty-three pre-release engagements have been set throughout the New England territory for Columbia's "Address Unknown."