The Film Daily (1946)

M. F. Production Dist. 28 W, 44th St. 21st floor New York N. Y. RETMOVp Intimate in Character [International in Scope ndependent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Seven Years Old -1FDAILY NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 24, 1946 TEN CENTS 20TH-FOX25 "A" FIX AT RECORD BUDGET National Theaters in $20,000,000 New Financing oans Secured irom Met. ife Insurance, Bank of America and Chase Nat'l Completion of arrangements for .e private sale of $20,000,000 prinpal amount of debt obligations to te Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., he Bank of America and Chase Naonal Bank by National Theaters orp., its theater subsidiary, was ade known yesterday by 20th-Fox. The obligations, due over a period (Continued on Page 6) xlend La/s Chain evy to Theaters! Baton Rouge, La. — The Louisiana evenue Code Commission, in a preaiinary report to the governor and gislature, made public here, recomended among other things: Raising the chain store tax to oproximately double its present ite, broadening its scope to cover her chains such as theaters and )tels, and allocating the entire avenue from this tax to the governental subdivisions where the links the chain are situated. H H enry V" Opens June 17 a N. Y/s City Center "Henry V" will open at the City enter of Music and Drama on or oout June 17 under a contract gned yesterday by United Artists rap. and representatives of the (Continued on Page 14) RKO-French Pathe Plan Bi-lingual Pix London (By Cable) — RKO will make bi-lingual pictures in association with Pathe at the Joinville studios in France, it was announced here yesterday by Jack Votion, foreign production liaison. Votion said three films yearly were ccntemplated, using French and English speaking players. Skouras Discloses That 20th Century-Fox Will Expand Activities to Include 16 tit tit. Disclosure that 20th-Fox was preparing to join the ranks of American film companies expanding their activities to include the distribution of 16 -mm. versions in the foreign market was made yesterday by Spyros P. Skouras, who said a special organization was being set up for the purpose. The company head, just back from a European visit, informed the industry press that the idea was to use mobile units to bring Hollywood screen entertainment to areas all over the world where there exist no conventional means of exhibiting pictures. Skouras said that "proper subjects" for screening would be selected from the company's product, adding that among the selections would be items of an educational value. Screen Bound to Give New Facts— Warner West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — While all effective motion pictures must be entertainment films, the politically free screen is morally bound to present new and significant facts with courage and complete honesty, Jack L. Warner, vice-president of Warner Bros., declared yesterday in accepting the first World Peace Prize of the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association. Prize was awarded (Continued on Page 14) E. Pa. Exhibitors Hear ATA Objectives Tomorrow Objectives of the American Theater Association will be explained to exhibitors of Eastern Pennsylvania tomorrow when Ted R. Gamble, chairman of the board; Si Fabian, president, and Robert W. Coyne, executive director, address (Continued on Page 13) Argue Injunction En Hughes Suit Today A motion for a temporary injunction will be argued at 2:30 p.m. today in New York Federal Court in the $1,000,000 action brought by Howard Hughes Productions against the MPAA over the association's rejection of advertising copy for ''The Outlaw." Federal Judge Vincent L. Leibell, before whom the motion will be argued, yesterday induced the MPAA to cancel a board meeting scheduled for the afternoon to hear the (Continued on Page 13) United World's Execs. To Plan Sales Meet Plans for a convention of United World's sales staff and other organizational projects will be discussed tomorrow at a meeting of the international company's New York executives. It is planned to hold a (Continued on Page 6) Cancer Collections 30% Ahead National Poll Shows Response "Phenomenal 1946 Lenten Biz Off 5% But Gains in Dominion Theater business in general during Lent was off approximated five per cent, with many of the key situations reporting normal grosses for their (Continued on Page 11) // Theater collections for the industry's participation in the cancer fund-raising campaign are running 30 per cent ahead of Red Cross collections, a poll of exhibs in small and large theaters reveals. The poll was taken under the direction of Robert W. Selig, executive (Continued on Page 6) Expansion in Britain Up to Board of Trade; G-B, Odeon in Overseas Move By LOU PELEGRINE FILM DAILY, Staff Writer Fresh from a trip to England and France, President Spyros P. Skouras of 20th-Fox told the industry press at an interview yesterday that: (1) "About 25" A pictures were planned by 20th-Fox for next season on a budget exceeding, any in the company's history; (2) In London, he had ar(Continued on Page 12) Building Opens New Market in Argentina Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Theater building program in Argentina will open new markets for American motion picture equipment, the Department of Commerce reported yesterday. In addition, equipment in existing Argentina theaters is generally antiquated and in need of replacements. The Department of Commerce said (Continued on Page 14) Publishers Wary of Tele, But Watchful of Progress While not openly supporting the new electronic developments — tele, vision, FM and facsimile — the publishers attending the annual conven(Continued on Page 14) AFM, Studios Talk Terms Again Today Recessed by the illness of Nicholas M. Schenck, one of the producer representatives, negotiations between the American Federation of Musicians and the eight majors for new contracts to supplant those that ran out on March 31 are scheduled to be resumed this afternoon at the offices of the AFM.