The Film Daily (1945)

^ DAILY Friday, April 13, 1945 INDUSTRY MOURNS DEATH OF ROOSEVELT Cuba Freezes Raw Stock, Sets Up Control Unit Prohibits Use of Raw Stock for Prints of Mexican, Argentine Pix By MARY LOUISE BLANCO FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Havana (By Cable)^Drastic measures to alleviate the progressively critical raw film shortage and to assure adequate and fair distribution have been instituted with approval of the Cuban Government. The Office of Price Regulation and Supply has declared negative and positive film "basic and essential," and has created a National Raw Film Distribution Board composed of nine members representing the newsreels, (Continued on Page 9) Small Biz Com. Has M "Squeeze" Case Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Announcement of a second case on which the staff is working will be made early next week by the Senate Small Business Committee, it was learned here yesterday. The first case to be referred to in detail was that in Butte, Mont., involving the Park Butte Amusement Co. The new case is believed to lie along the same lines, with charges that one or more of the big five attempted to "squeeze" an independent. The committee's counsel, Dewey Anderson, said yesterday has (Continued on Page 10) Speed Restoration of Polish Film Theaters Moscow (By Cable) — Relative rapidity with which restoration of film theater facilities are advancing in various sections of Poland is indicated by reports from Czestochowa in Kielce province, one of Poland's (Continued on Page 10) Howi To Acquire a Theater In Wartime Great Falls, Mont. — Montana's Supreme Court has found this city "not guilty" of alleged illegal leasing cf the Civic Center to E. E. Harris to operate it privately as a movie house. The city, the court said, "acted wisely for the best interests of the taxpayers," for otherwise no income would accrue from the property. Ac^ipn was brought against Great Falls arid Harris by G. R. Colwell, local resident. Following Receipt of ]\etvs of the President's Death, Coast Studios Closed Down Production West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Following receipt of word of the death of President Roosevelt, Warners, M-G-M, 20th-Fox, Paramount, Columbia, RKO, Universal, Samuel Goldwyn studios, RKO Pathe and Moncgram closed down production. This was done on their own initiative, and the industry itself will participate in whatever national observance is decided upon. President Had Strong Friendship Bonds With Films and Film People WPB Clarifies Photo No Truce Pending Equipment Ruling Strike Rehearing Washiiujton Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — All orders for new restricted photographic equipment and accessories authorized for delivery by the WPB on form WPB1319 and accepted by manufacturers are to be filled according to the preference rating assigned on the form or, if no rating is indicated on the form, as if they were rated AA-5, WPB explained yesterday in interpretation to limitation order L-267. This applies to orders for which the purchaser will pay $500 or less as well as to orders for more than $500 worth of photographic equipment or accessories, even though L267, as amended March 14, 1945 requires manufacturers to obtain spe(Continued on Page 9) West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY I Hollywood — Herbert K. Sorrell, president of the Conference of Stu'' dio Unions, yesterday declared "there I will be no truce" pending the new I NLRB hearing on April 26 on the dispute over what union should have ' jurisdiction over set decorators. Sixty-three members of Cinema Lodge 1185 and all employes of the Mitchell Camera Co., Los Angeles, protested against assessments of $3 to $5 weekly for support of the strike. They have asked AFL President William Green and national officers of the Machinists' union to suspend officials of their local and audit its books. A complaint was made that local officials refused to accept dues unless assessments are paid up. The motion picture industry joined with all Americans and the peoples of the United Nations last night in mourning the tragic, sudden passing of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, four times elected president of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief of its military might in the greatest of all world conflicts. The President's death occurred at 4:35 p.m., EWT, yesterday afternoon in Pine Cottage, the "Little White House," atop Pine Mountain, at Warm Springs, Ga., and was attributed to a cerebral hemorrhage. He had been resting at the Georgia re( Continued on Page 12) I Patent License Pacts Under D of J Scrutiny Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Apparently aiming to clear the industrial decks for orderly reconversion, the D of J's AntiTrust Division has commenced a nation-wide investigation beamed at bringing thousands of patent licensing agreements under official scrutiny. The goal of the drive is to do away with illegal patent restrictions which may have the effect of blocking the full post-war growth of industries based on the new technol(Continued on Page 10) Yamins Challenges Theater Designation Boston — Charging that RKO refused to license "It's a Pleasure" for the Empire Theater, Fall River, Mass., but requested that it play the Durfee Theater instead, Nathan Yamins, operator of both theaters, yesterday filed a demand for arbitration in the local tribunal. Admission prices at both theaters are the same, but the Empire has a seating capacity of 1,800, while the Durfee seats 2,200. This is the first case to be filed (Continued on Page 10) Trade Press in 7th Pledge Vital to Drive's Success, Says Pinanski Boost Puerto Rico Levy To Finance Arts School? San Juan, P. R. (By Cable) — With a three cent tax on film admissions already in eff^ect, the House Finance Committee is considering a proposal to increase the levy to five cents, the additional revenue to be used to finance a proposed Fine Arts School in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile (Continued on Page 9) The full and enthusiastic support of the industry's press was pledged the "Showmen's Seventh" War Loan campaign yesterday at a luncheon meeting of the WAC Trade Press Division at the Astor which heard talks by Sam Pinanski, national industry drive chairman; Si Fabian, ' chairman of the WAC theaters division; John Hertz, Jr., national publicity director for the drive, and Jack Alicoate, WAC Trade Press (Continued on Page 9) Film Leaders Voice Grief at FDR's Death Leaders of the American motion picture industry, shocked by the news of the President's sudden and wholly unexpected death at Warm Springs, Ga., were quick to express their sorrow. Among them were: WILL H. HAYS: "President Roosevelt is a war casualty as certainly as any soldier killed in battle while ^ serving in the country's army which he commanded. As this ai'my shall march to complete military victory sor must the citizenry make certain that] (Continued on Page 8) Pix Theater Biz Dipped At News of F.D.F.'s Death | Film theater business across the country dipped last night under theff impact of the news of the President's death yesterday m Warm Springs, Ga. This was especially true in the larger cities, but reports (Continued on Page 10) I \A/E of show business feel a double ^ ' loss in the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, for not only was he an inspiring leader among the nations of the world, but he was a friend — and a warm one — of this industry. He never let an opportunity pass to show his deep affection for what it had done, and what it could do, for national morale, and he was always grateful for what it had done for him. The full impact of his passing cannot be expressed in mere words. JACK ALICOATE Publisher, THE FILM DAILY