The Film Daily (1948)

DAILY Monday, May 17, 194J Allied Board to Set Trust Action Policy National Allied policy in the face of the U. S. Supreme Court's decision in four important anti-trust actions is being plotted at a meeting of the Allied board in Denver, which opened Saturday and closes today. Meeting in the Cosmopolitan Hotel is expected to map plans in line with the opinion of Abram F. Myers, board chairman and general counsel, that further actions by the lower courts is certain to break up the remaining affiliated circuits, and that "tomorrow belongs to the independent exhibitors." What, if anything, the Allied board will do to encourage the filing of damage actions, in light of the final William Goldman Theaters decision, is unknown. As reported earlier, the board is expected to recommend a national policy on ASCAP for Allied units. At present the autonomous Allied groups are pursuing a variety of plans for handling the music license problem. Spokesmen at the weekend were unwilling to speculate whether the Allied board would look further into the Exhibitor Foundation proposed here recently. Allied, however, has been in opposition to the Motion Picture Foundation plan. To Finalize Sale of UA Coast Theaters This Week West Coast Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Hollywood — Final arrangements for the sale of UA stock in theaters in this city and San Francisco to Sol Lesser and Sherrill Corwin will be made this week following the arrival here from New York of Gradwell L. Sears, UA president. Sale of the circuit which comprises the four Music Hall Theaters here and the United Artists Theater in San Francisco, was announced recently. Theaters were formerly owned by UA and Joseph Blumenfeld in partnership. While here, Sears will meet with company's producers who have product ready for release in the near future and will discuss new deals with independents. Kelly, Col. Exec. Producer West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Burt Kelly, who has been a producer at Columbia for a number of years, has been elevated to an executive producer spot. He will head a unit under which Robert Cohn, Rudolph Flothow, Wallace MacDonald and Ted Richmond will produce. :: Send JSlrtkdau % I Qreetingd 75o May 17 Ruth Donnelly Malcolm St. Clair Maureen O'Sullivan fiViZiWtTlW. hArW u,m PHIL M. DALY Monday Morning Memos • • • WALL ST. EXPECTS Floyd B. Odium to invest the approximately $9,000,000 paid by Howard Hughes for RKO's stock in listed securities, not over-the-counter securities closely held. ... 9 Enterprise pulled what well may prove to be the Washington promotional coup of the year Friday when Henry Morgan, star of "So, This is New York," shared speaking honors at the Young Democrats big shindig with a Missourian by the name of Harry S. Truman Credit it to Fred Polangin, Enterprise's Eastern ad-publicity chief. ... • When the Catholic War Veterans state board of officers meets on June 6, Com. Paul I. Dolan will recommend Spyros P. Skouras for an Americanism award in recognition of "The Iron Curtain." ... • Hartford, Conn., charity premiere of Columbia's "The Fuller Brush Man" put more than $4,000 at the disposal of the Hartford, St. Francis and Mt. Sinai Hospitals. ... • IMPPA's bronze plaque in appreciation of his "achievements as an inspired member of the motion picture industry and servant of humanity" will be presented to Bob Hope by I. E. Chadwick and Steve Broidy on June 1. ceremony being aired by NBC. ... • Watch for the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge film censorship on the basis of the Supreme Court's extension of the freedom of the press mantle to films. ... • U-I hosts a cocktail party Wednesday at the Hampshire House for Edana Romeny, British producer-writer-actress. T T T • • • BELL TELEPHONE OF CANADA has officially advised a Dominion Parliamentary body that it's ready as of now to design video plants and provide service to any Canadians desiring it. . . . • Harry Sherman visited Santa Fe Saturday for the first time since 1916 when he was peddling "Birth of a Nation"; Saturday's visit was, of course^ for the opening of his "Four Faces West." ... • Richard de Rochemont as well as Howard Dietz 'will speak at tomorrow's luncheon meeting of Advertising Women of New York at the Hotel Astor. ... • William L. Parker is the new executive editor of Mechanix Illustrated. ... • ABC starts field tests this week of its new mobile tele unit. ... • Glenn McCarthy Prods, is launching a talent hunt upon 4-H Club members for a youngster to be featured in its first pic, "The Green Promise." T T T • • • WALT DISNEY'S little Luanna Patten will meet the press at a Waldorf-Astoria reception tomorrow afternoon, hosted by Hall Bros. ... • Alliance Circuit has sent a check for $1,004 to the Damon Runyan Cancer Fund. ... • Didja know that seven Eagle Lion releases are currently playing throughout Boston? That's blanketing the town. ... • Ann Blyth makes a Rivoli p. a. tomorrow. ... • GE has launched a new house organ, Mike and Camera, which is aimed for public circulation at a dollar a year. T T T • • • A DOFF OF PHIL M'S CHAPEAU— Homburg to you— once again to UA's hucksters headed up by Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., and Al Tamarin This time, it's the big-time campaign for the Jimmy Cag ney pic, "The Time of Your Life," which tees off with a benefit premiere May 26 at the Mayfair Proceeds go to the Wiltwyck School for Boys Probably the ace gimmick devised for mailing to the nation's leading exhibs. is a gaily-colored folded card which, opened, discloses two tickets One entitles the recipient to two free drinks at New York's smart Monte Carlo, the second admits two to any Mayfair showing UA also has come up with a precedent breaking tieup with the NBC Guided Tour booths Then there's the tieup with the Roosevelt Raceway, with the harness racing track's press kick-off being titled — natch! — "The Time of Your Life" party There's plenty more in the extensive campaign, making for a beautiful pre-opening build-up And the premiere itself will make more news, what with Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt speaking from the Mayfair's stage. Film-Video Theater For New M. S. Garden! A combination motion picture an television theater will in all pro! ability be incorporated into the coi struction plans for the new Ma^iso Square Garden, but no comir ir for the space has as yet been4rd_d( a spokesman for the Garden tol The Film Daily at the weekend. Exploratory discussions concerr ing the film-tele phase of the projec have already been held with severt of the major film companies, th. spokesman declared, although n, agreement, has been reached witj any one. Assignment of space, it is believec will be contingent upon approval b; the Triborough Bridge and Tunne Authority which is financing th' project by authorization of the Stat legislature. Construction is expected to begii as soon as the present tenants in th. area can be relocated and it is hopet that the new structure will be read1 I in 1951. Murray Product to be Available for Video , ' 0 All of his product will be mad available to NBC's video station i Los Angeles, once the AFM okay the use of musical films in TV, Mar tin Murray, head of the film company bearing his name, told The Film Daily over the week end. Harry Revel of the Gordon-Revel \ music team will collaborate on the production of "Movie Melodies," 2%minute, 16 mm. shorts for home and video use. Two-reel 20-minute featurettes like "Life in Hollywood" are also scheduled for production, Mur : ray announced. Not only would TV spur the sale of his shorts just as radio did with records and sheet music, but his 35 young players under contract to him would prove to be an excellent reservoir of new talent that could be developed further both for films and' TV. While in New York to set up a distribution deal for their home, movies, in the East, Murray and Revel announced that Bell Int'l, 16mm. distribs., has signed as exclusive foreign distributor for all films produced by Martin Murray Productions. No tele rights go to Jack Goslin, prexy of Bell, but he can sell Murray's product for home and the ater use in foreign territory. DEATHS ANTHONY Z1TO, 46, president of De Angeiis Outdoor Advertising Co., at his home in Crest-wood. CHRISTOPHER EVAN KING, 65, retired assistant secretary of General Aniline and Film Corp., in Binghamron, N. Y. SCOTT E. CHESNUTT, 68, 20th-Fox film salesman, in Birmingham, Ala.