The Film Daily (1945)

DAILY Thursday, April 12, 19i 35 mm. Films for Troops in Europe (Continued from Page 1) Standard 35 mm. prints of current pictures will be used and the Army is negotiating individually with various distributors for product on the basis of a fee determined by attendance, although no admission charge will be made to the troops. Showings will be restricted to uniformed personnel. Sixteen former industry men now in service have reported for duty with the motion picture branch of the Special and Information Services in the European theater of operations. This agency will handle 35 mm. distribution and exhibition for the Army overseas, just as the U. S. Army Motion Picture Service has operated a similar circuit of more than 1,100 Army theaters in the United States and Caribbean bases. The following oiRcers are among the first 16 Army men to take over the new assignment: Capt. Paul W. Pine, former theater exec, of Shea Enterprises, Newark, 0.; Capt. Mike Cullen, former Western division manager for Loew's Theaters; Lt. John J. Nicholson, for 14 years with Warners Theaters; Lt. Carl L. Dorst, from Paramount's Detroit exchange; Lt. Joseph L. Lyne, from Columbia's Dallas exchange and husband of Besa Short of Interstate Theatres; and Lt. Edgar T. Bramwell, of Universal's Portland exchange. Tbe enlisted men are: Sgt. George Gaughan, Jr., for 14 years with Paramount in San Antonio, Dallas and Oklahoma City; T/3 Charles R. Ramsey, foi-merly with the Butterfield circuit in Michigan; Sgt. Victor J. Carlson, from the 20th Century-Fox exchange in Chicago; T/4 Richard Parks who managed theaters for Warner Bros, in Philadelphia; T/4 Andrew F. Gorzo, Warner Bros, theater manager in Pennsylvania; T/5 Vincent Proctor, RKO Theaters projectionist in New York City; T/5 Harold E. Smith, from Paramount's Long Island laboratory; T/5 J. P. Sylvia, projectionist with Fox West Coast Theaters; T/5 Howard T. Clark, Wai-ner Theater manager in Milwaukee; T/5 Louis J. Burlon, from Paramount's home office accounting department and T/5 Irving Riener, from Warner Bros, home office purchasing department. FEflimE TOUCH FLORENCE FRIEDMAN has joined the Film Classics office force in Cleveland as assistant to office manager Elaine Sugar. MARGARET STUDEBAKER, booker, Republic Pictures, Detroit. ETHEL GLADYS SHAPIRO has been promoted to assistant advertising manager of Warner's Music Publishers Holding Corp. MRS. RUTH SPAULDING, secretary, Confidential Reports, Omaha. MRS. GAIL COULTER, accountant, Confidential Reports, Omaha. BRIEfinC THE DRV'S REUJS "Adventure in Music" for FWC West Coaxt Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Los Angeles — FWC has booked the newly edited 30-minute version of "Adventure in Music" to play as associated feature to FWTBT on the circuit. Pic is an Artist Films release. • Sunday Hours Protested Lebanon, Tenn. — After a vote in favor of Sunday movies, the Princess Theater, only house in the city, may not operate under an enabling ordinance passed by the City Council which would not permit the theater 40% Rentai Ceiiing For Puerto Rico! (Continued from Page 1) tribution is expected to be passed momentarily. Under the new bill, an exhibitor would not be required to contract for a picture unless he has been supplied with a synopsis of the complete story. The measure outlaws any procedure or act limiting the freedom of the exhibitor to rent, hire or acquire the rights to use motion picture films that he may wish to select for his theater, for the number of days or exhibitions that he desires to select, without limitations, in what concerns the number of days, or whether or not those days are working days or holidays. A distributor who exercises pressure or influence upon an exhibitor to limit the latter's free enterprise for the free selection of pictui-es will be violating the provisions of the act. The bill prohibits a distributor from fixing the admission price of the exhibitor. A minimum fine of $100 for each violation, imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both, are the penalties for violations. to operate between 12.01 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. • Re-incorporate De Lodder Case Detroit — Two of the basic theater companies of the De Lodder Circuit are being re-incorporated, following their expiration after 15 years life. The Aloma Theater Co., owning the house of that name in the suburb of Grosse Pointe, is merely being re-incorporated, but the Flamingo Theater Co. is being renamed the Seven Mile Theater Company. Dave Griesdoi'i to Head Canadian PRC Distribution (Continued from Page 1) in the distributing company in which he had acquired an interest following his resignation as British Columbia supervisor of Odeon Theaters of Canada. Griesdorf, who joins PRC here April 16, was formerly with James Roosevelt production company and United Artists in the U. S. and had been appointed to Canadian Odeon by Haskell Masters who also resigned from Odeon circuit. Allen said yesterday addition of Griesdorf marked the start of PRC expansion program in Canada. Metro's "Navy" for Globe M-G-M's "This Man's Navy" opens at the Globe, April 14, following the run of "The Three Caballeros." WPB Quizzing Cos. On Raw Stodc Use (Continued from Page 1) the WPB orders, and in the case of over-quota use of raw stock might possibly bring legal action resulting in heavy fines or suspensions. One company was fined last year for alleged violation of a construction materials order, and it is felt at WPB today that the raw stock situation is far more serious than was the WPB construction order violated. One major and a laboratory have already been questioned, lit was learned here, with representatives of several other companies believed to have been questioned as well. It is believed in some quarters that WPB intends to be very tough on violations it might uncover. Wobber to Serve as 7th's Western Distrib. Chairman (Continued from Page 1) terday. The area includes 11 states. and the exchange areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake and Denver. Wobber will represent Connors at the Western Seventh War Loan Conference at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver next Monday, presenting the distributors' plan and bringing a personal message from Connors. Wobber will work in co-operation with Charles P. Skouras, president of National Theaters and Seventh War Loan chairman for the Western area. Mclnerney Press Contact For Miller Bond Show Robert M. Weitman, WAC's special events chairman for the Seventh War Loan, announced yesterday that Jack Mclnerney, publicity director of the New York Paramount, has been named to handle press relations for the Maj. Glenn Miller War Bond Show and Soldier Pageant at that theater June 5. Minn. Divorcement Can't Pass Tliis Year (Continued from Page 1) passing bills. The same fate pro ably is in store for the anti-Asci bill fathered by Representative Osc Widstrand of Hibbing. "The divorcement bill still is I the General Legislation Committee Chilgren said last night. "Even \ an attempt were made to report t] measure out favorably it could ni hope to obtain House action in th session. Hearings would be nece sary and there is so much maj< legislation still awaiting action th; the divorcement bill could not 1 reached for House action. I hai given up hope for the year." The anti-Ascap bill still is in tl House Judiciary Committee whic met yesterday for 15 minutes witl out this measure being mentioneWidstrand for several days has ni been optimistic over the bill's ehanc( and with each passing day they bi come less. This bill faces the sam blockade of major legislation th^ lies across the path of the divorei' ment matter. 1 Jackson Park Brief Claims Defendants Were Victims (Continued from Page 1) in the Jackson Park Theater casi Tentative date for oral argumeni was set for May 8. The brief states that the Jacks^ Park Theater owners were victi: rather than participants in the fendants' alleged combination ai conspiracy. Other points made by McConne' are: That the Chicago system of r< lease is a part of a price-fixin scheme and therefore illegal undei the Sherman act; that the system q release was created by contract a; not by custom in order to buy proi uct; that the Jackson Park had get product from competitors; The the distributors limited tl number of prints so that those pri duced could be sold at higher rentali that the release system was designei to help Balaban & Katz and War ner theaters; that the fixing of mini mum admission prices makes the en tire system illegal; and that th plaintiff's' damage was caused by thi alleged price-fixing conspiracy. The brief cites the statement o: Walter Immerman, B & K genera manager, that the Chicago releast 5ystem was more effective in sup pressing competition of subsequent run theaters in good times than ir a period of business depression. T is claimed that the Jackson Pari Theater averaged $44,000 in annua earnings during the depression, evei though film contracts prevented i^ from reducing admission prices t( compete with prior-run theaters.