The Film Daily (1939)

American Distribs. Seek to Head Off Sftfsr QuoWAct (See Column 4 Below) Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty-One Years Old VOL. 7P. NO. 8 NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JULY 13. 1939 TEN CENTS Allied May Spurn Commerce Dept. Parley Invitation HAYS ASKS "REASONABIeTREEDOM" FORWDUSTRY Neb.-W. la. MPTO Defers Code Action Until the Fall Indie Exhibs. Will Seek to "Get Rid of the Bad Points" By BILL ROMBERG FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Omaha — Indie exhibs. of Nebraska and western Iowa, called together by the MPTO organization here, shelved the Trade Practice Code for the time being, adopting a resolution calling for "no definite action." Charles Williams, veteran MPTO prexy, announced the proposal would go to a vote at the group's annual conclave next Fall. Exhibs. attending the called meeting declared the Code "Has both its good and bad {Continued on Page 6) EXCHANGES^) ADVISE ACCOUNTS OF JUBILEE Home offices of film companies notified their exchanges yesterday of the industry's intention to celebrate its Golden Jubilee from Oct 1-7 inclusive. Each exchange war sent an allotment of printed slips, to be dispatched in letters to exhib;tors. "Early in August," the slips' text (Continued on Page 6) Cheapening of South Amer. Money Upsetting Pix Market Commenting yesterday on film cond:tions in South and Central America, from wlrch he recently returned from a 14-week business trip, Morris Goodman, Republic's (Continued on Page 7) Four A's Triil of AFA Will Resume Tomorrow Four A's in absentia trial of the AFA will resume tomorrow with a closed session, with some possibility that a decision may be handed down (Continued on Page 6) ^Freedom of the Screen " — Defined by Hays "Freedom of the screen means opportunity to attend a theater with the knowledge that the entertainment to be presented will not negative the influence of the school, the church and the home; the certainty that pictures bearing the seal of selfregulation will not violate the canons of common decency; the freedom from any but the creative artist's best efforts, that banality shall not masquerade as art or entertainment. It means the freedom from fear that pictures treating of crime and violence may influence the youth of the family toward a criminal career; freedom from subversive propaganda on the screen that may be destructive to every patriotic influence." WILL H. HAYS JACK SKIRBALL QUITS BAR ASS'N APPROVES GRAND NATIONAL POST COPYRIGHT CHANGES Resignation of Jack H. Skirball as vice-president in charge of production and as a director of Grand National was announced yesterday in a joint statement by Skirball (Continued on Page 6) The section of patent, trade-mark and copyright law of the American Bar Association, at its annual meeting in San Francisco Monday, approved the unanimous report of its (Continued on Page 8) "Extremely Doubtful" If Allied Will Accept Commerce Dept.'s Bid -Myers N. W. Allied to Pay Steffes $15,000 a Year for 3 Years Minneapolis — All officers of Northwest Allied were re-elected at its meeting here except the treasurer who resigned. W. A. "Al" Steffes won a three-year term as president (Continued on Page 6) By PRESCOTT DENNETT Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Allied States will not participate in the series of industry conferences inaugurated by the Department of Commerce while the Neely bill is pending in the Senate and it is "extremely doubtful" if Col. H. A. Cole, Allied's (Continued on Page 4) MPPDA Prexy in Addressing NAB Urges Free Screen, Self-Regulation By RALPH WILZ West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A fervent plea for "reasonable freedom for American business to keep abreast of changing conditions and to erect a more stable edifice of prosperity" was voiced here last night by Will H. Hays, MPPDA prexy, addressing by radio the Atlantic City convention of the National Association of Broadcasters at the Hotel Ambassador. His subject, "The Three Mirrors of America" (press, screen and ra (Continued on Page 7) U. S. DSTRIBS-FIGHT SWISSQUOTAMEASURE Berne (By Cable) — Representatives of U. S. film distributors are attempting here to head off quota legislation which is held to be vir+ually certain of passage in some form, and quickly. For some time sub=;eauent to the (Continued on Page 7) Sales Heads Again Adiourn Trade Practice Conference Sales heads of the major comnanies will resume their trade practice Cede discussions today after a meeting yesterday which took up most of the afternoon. Progress made towards revising provisions pertaining to arbitration of clearance was not revealed. $6,000,000 Warner Loan Agreement is Completed Report made bv WamerBrosrPic^ tures, Inc., to SEC and made public yesterday discloses that bank (Continued on Page 8)