The Film Daily (1939)

MP P A 13 2 11 W A4TH ST Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought D'O NOT REMOVC The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty-One Years Old V 1 76, NO. 42 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1939 TEN CENTS NLRB Orders Coast Studio Jurisdiction Vote by Sept. 21 WAR APPEARS CERTAINAMONG INDUSTRTUNIONS Warner Circuit Sales at 78 P. C. of Possibilities Deals Closed Up 15 Per Cent Over the Same Time Last Year Warner Bros, has closed product deals for the 1939-40 season totaling 78 per cent of circuit possibilities, an increase of 15 per cent over the same time last year, despite the fact that the company has completely revised its contract terms with the coming season's product calling for higher film rentals than ever before, Gradwell L. Sears, general manager of distribution, announced yesterday. Sears expects the company to (Continued on Page 6) Film Stocks Ip Despite Crisis While Europe yesterday was admittedly "up in the air," as was the plane carrying Sir Neville Henderson, British Ambassador, to London with the Nazi reply, motion picture stock on Wall Street's big board paradoxically did some soaring of their own. At closing, fractional gains were recorded in all film issues from the previous day's final quotes, the one exception being Eastman Kodak's preferred. However the company's common was up a point and a half. Bond market, as far as pix securities were concerned, was relatively quiet, as were Curb and Over-the-Counter transactions. KING WANTS FURTHER I COL, EXHIBS. HUDDLE PATENT LAW STUDIES MONOGRAM WILL SHOW SIX-MONTHS PROFIT Monogram will show a profit of approximately $45,000 for the first six months of this year in the financial statement which will be released the latter part of this week, it was reported yesterday. This will be the first profit that the two-year old company has shown. W. Ray Johnston, prexy, and (Continued ok Page 6) Delaware Senate Approves Plan to Study "Blue" Laws Wilmington — The State Senate in Dover has approved the concurrent resolution, previously adopted by the House, providing for appointment of a nine-member commission to study the need for revising Delaware's 144 year old Sunday "Blue" laws. Each house will name four mem (Continued on Page 6) World's Fair to Schedule "Movie Week" on Program Plans to hold a Movie Week which will pay tribute to the film industry and its players are being discussed by World's Fair executives, it was reported last night. Negotiations (Continued on Page 6) Washington Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Washington — Opposition to revision of the patent laws as suggested by the TNEC has been voiced by Sen. ator William H. King (D-Utah) who declared in a statement that the patent situation had not yet been studied fully enough by the committee. While he is not opposed to all the recommendations, King declared, (Continued on Page 7) Hearing on Mpls. Program Length Regulation Heated Minneapolis — Charges that the sole purpose of a proposed ordinance to limit movie programs in Minneapolis to two hours and 15 minutes is an attempt to regulate the industry, was hurled by opponents of the ordinance at a heated public hearing held yesterday at the City Hall under (Continued on Page 7) ON PRODUCT POLICIES Moving to bring about closer relations between Columbia and the exhibitors it sells, the company announced yesterday that starting tomorrow it will inaugurate a series of conferences between executives of the company and exhibitors in order to guide the future (Continued on Page 7) Paramount Lays Plans for Speedy War News Coverage With a European crisis special in distribution, Paramount News yesterday laid plans to ship its films from Europe with all expediency, even to the extent of chartering its own plane if it was deemed necessary, it was learned last night. Paramount reel now in the theaters was shipped via Clipper and it (Continued on Page 7) Major Coast Studio Employes to Vote on IATSE or Guild in Secret Ballot Eight New Kentucky Houses Opened; Three Being Built Louisville — Within the last few weeks, eight new theaters have opened in Kentucky and construction work has been started on three others, two of them here. New openings have included the Kentucky at Latonia, the Gray at (Continued on Page 7) Washington Bureau, of THE FILM DAILY Washington — The National Labor Relations Board yesterday stepped into the Hollywood labor tangle when it order a secret ballot election, on or before September 21, among employes of major studios, to determine whether they desire to be represented by the IATSE or the United Studio Technicians Guild, (Continued on Page 6) IATSE Prexy Browne Flatly Rejects Three-Point Proposal of 4A's With the AAAA three-point peace proposal flatly rejected yesterday by IATSE president George E. Browne at a three-hour huddle between representatives of the two organizations, the jurisdictional dispute between the two unions flared into an open warfare last night that may embroil the entire film industry in the middle of a paralyzing strike situation. The AAAA had previously threatened a general strike of its actors, and there is no indication that it does not intend to follow through with this plan if necessary, as ratifi (Continued on Page 7) DEADLINE ON MOMAND ANSWERS THIS WEEK Oklahoma City — Deadline for filing by defendants in the A. B. Momand anti-trust suits asking $4,500,000 damages will arrive this week with defendants' answers to Momand's petitions due to be filed, following which filing the issues are to be joined and trial of the case (Continued on Page 7) Westway Trust Defendants Given More Time to Answer Baltimore — Counsel for the defendants in the Westway versus Edgewood and seven major producing companies asked for a motion of extension of time and this was consented to by Judge W. Calvin Ches (Continued on Page 7) Expect RKO Hearing to be Postponed if Bondy Absent Sources close to the impending RKO hearing, set for Sept. 20, asserted yesterday that, should Federal Judge William Bondy still be absent from New York on that date, (Continued on Page 7)