The Film Daily (1938)

3fl DAILY Monday, August 29, 1938 MEX. SOCIALISTIC PIX REPORT DENIED (Continued from Page 1) denial here of the allegations made this past week by the Mexican Producers Association that the labor groups sought to make the producers finance an annual socialistic-theme feature whose resulting profits, when the film had been released, would go in their entirety to the workers. He added that the Confederation is only endeavoring to gain the point "that studio owners and all other persons within the motion picture industry furnish their building and equipment in order that the Sole Union of Workers of the Motion Picture Industry, on its own, and if it finds it convenient, may make a picture of that kind each year." As a result of the present tangle between labor and producers, the latter have tabled all plans for future production, and are merely finishing those pictures upon which work has been started. Observers here contend that the threat of the producers to withdraw entirely from Mexico as the result of "impossible" demands of labor is more than a gesture aimed at a settlement of difficulties. Several well-informed circles are sure that withdrawal has already been decided upon if a peace is not arranged. THE WEEK IN REVIEW Set Educational Deal — Mexican Labor Woes Second Week of Kent Drive 12 p. c. Ahead of Last Year (Continued from Page 1) tendance shattering 'performances by "Alexander's Ragtime Band" throughout the country, ran around 12 per cent ahead of the second week of the drive last year. Last year's drive set an all time business record for the company and piled up the largest individual week's business in the history of the company. Coincident with the selling of the company's feature product are the sales of its short subjects program and newsreel. The newsreel contracts are expected to reach the largest total the company has ever had by the end of the season. Loew Shifts Asst. Mgrs. Loew's has announced the following shifts of assistant managers around the New York circuit: Murray Sharf from Pitkin to State; Samuel Fromson from Brevoort to Premier; Daniel Jacobson from Warwick to Victory; Reginald Caufield from Astoria to Warwick; Edward Schwartz from Premier to Palace. Joe Hamilton goes to Woodside as temporary assistant. Edward J. Burke, former assistant at the State, N. Y., is promoted to managership of Melba, Brooklyn. Hub's Trans-Lux to Open Boston — The new Trans-Lux Theater, formerly the Hub Theater, is scheduled to open early in September according to Arthur Tuohy, manager. It will be the first TransLux Theater in New England. DOMESTIC (Continued from Page 1) was signed by E. W. Hammons, Educational's prexy, and Loyd Wright and E. L. Alperson, GN trustees. Terms of the agreement were withheld pending submission to the GN creditors and to the U. S. District Court of California in Los Angeles. * * * Execs, of the industry's promotional drive, Motion Pictures' Greatest Year, reported the mapping of final phases of organization for the city-wide drive in the New York area's some 850 theaters; that, inspired by a stirring address by Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA chief, a meeting of approximately 170 film house owners, exchange managers and salesmen at the Hotel Coronado in St. Louis went over the top 100 per cent for the drive; and that indie exhibs. by mid-week, last, had pledged close to $150,000 to the campaign. Corroborating the declaration of John Balaban in New York, on the eve of his return to Chicago from a business visit to Paramount's home office, to the effect that a b.o. upswing is already in evidence in the Chi. territory, and that the tide of revenue is rising in other sections of the U. S., Wall Street sources reported, following a survey of national conditions, that movie attendance is on the increase, and further that film securities showed markedly more favorable strength last week. Balaban said that strong forthcoming product; the Motion Pictures' Greatest Year campaign; and a spirit of generous co-operation generally among all branches of the trade will give the industry a great 1938-39 season. * * * Two other prosperity highspots were the revelation that about 25 features will be made in the new season at Eastern Service Studios, Astoria, and that many pix houses now closed are hastening to reopen by the Labor Day week-end. Rank and file of the industry mourned the death of Erpi's president, Whitford Drake, at his Summer home in Chatham, Mass., on Wednesday, last. Filmland's leaders attended rites in New York on Friday afternoon. * * * Reports from Washington on Wednesday that major companies and others named in the Govern ment's suit in anti-trust would move for a consent decree were dismissed as unlikely by pix attorneys. Spokesmen denied that any such step was even contemplated. * * * Speaking before a group of television experts and newspapermen, Marshall P. Wilder, television engineer of National Union Radio Corp., disclosed that Germany has made tremendous strides privately in television, and that a new camera has been perfected there which takes pictures, develops them and dries film in 80 seconds, with film ready to be shown over the television set in that time. FOREIGN (Continued from Page 1) would pull out of Mexico, if the latter insisted on pressing demands. Confederation of Workers of Mexico reiterated its stand upon collective contracts, both with the producers and with owners of studios where pix are made. Labor group further moved for its members' participation wholly in one picture a year carrying a socialistic theme, and for production interests to pay the expenses of a labor committee to journey to foreign countries to inspect and survey film making methods. British production for the coming season, according to a London cable, will hit a new high in color. Many more pictures will be made in this medium than in any preceding year, and, in addition, 80 shorts have already been scheduled. A number of pix are set for Technicolor, and Dufaycolor has announced that in the next 12 months it will be printing a minimum of 15,000,000 feet of film. Foreign film distribs, in Japan were reporting eyeing with some alarm the continued growth of small newsreel houses in communities of all sizes, including the large cities where they are most prevalent. Practice is held as educating Nippon's moviegoers to their own country's product, to the exclusion of imported pictures. Japanese officials have been carrying on the newsreel theater program to propagandize the China incident. Centers of population are becoming overseated rapidly, and the future alone, experts say, will determine what disposition will be made of the "mushroom" theaters. EDUG.-GN MERGER APPROVED BY COURT (Continued from Page 1) two-thirds of par value or have a maximum cash obligation of $200,000. Co-trustee Loyd Wright tesL..dd that the new corporation would be principally a distributing organization, although Educational proposes to set up a separate unit which will have a capitalization of $1,000,000 to finance independent producers. Edward L. Alperson is to serve as vice-president under a contract for one year with options at $1,000 a week and Federal Judge James was asked to relieve Alperson of cotrusteeship and to name Wright as sole trustee. Attorney Jules Gladstone, formerly chief counsel for Grand National and who has a claim of $17,500 for legal services, voiced his opposition to the merger, contending that the new company will be handicapped in not having sufficient working capital and that administrative expenses would be heavy. He offered no alternative, but disagreed with Wright who declared that under liquidation creditors would receive less than under a merger. Attorneys for various other creditors expressed their approval of the merger. Wright testified that between $250,000 and $275,000 would be ample working capital for the new company, which he estimated would have a weekly income of more than $50,000. FP Canadian Talks Vaude Toronto — Famous Players Canadian is negotiating with Shermar Productions for an eight weeks' vaudeville booking over the circuit, inaugurating a new policy. It is expected that the deal will be closed in the near future. Handy Names Johnson W. Halsey Johnson, Jr., has been named exploitation supervisor in New York City for the sales training sound motion picture, "Selling America," Jamison Handy, president of the Jam Handy organization, an To Attend Labor Parley Chicago — President Peter Shayne, Vice-President Neal Bishop and Business Agent John Smith will represent the Chicago Operators Union at the annual convention of the Illinois Labor Federation to be held at Peoria, Sept. 12-18. Frank Olson will represent IATSE, Local No. 2, at the same meeting. Pix Aids Safety Drive Washington Bureau of THE FILM {DAILY Washington — Motor safety pix produced by Paramount News in the interest of the Washington NewsWRC-Warner campaign, and now showing in the 14 local Warner houses, will go into 54 District of Columbia theaters, according to A. Julian Brylawski, prexy of the MPTO of Washington and Variety Club barker. I : 20th Closes Co-op Deal Deal with the Detroit Co-operative circuit has been closed by 20thFox for a complete product lineup for the coming season, W. C. Gehring, central division manager for 20th-Fox, told The Film Daily last week. Gehring attended a Toronto meeting of Famous Players Canadian Corp. personnel where he conferred with John J. Fitzgibbons, vice-prexy and general manager of theater operations.