The Film Daily (1939)

111 Vol. 76, No. 51 Wed., Sept. 13, 1939 10 Cents JOHN W. ALICOATE Publisher DONALD M. MERSEREAU CHESTER B. BAHN : General Manager : : : Editor I'uljlishecl daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays at 1501 Broadway, New York, N. Y , Wy Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. J. W. Alienate, President .and Publisher; Donald M. Mersereau, Secretary-Treasurer; Entered as second class matter, Sept. 8, 1938, at the post-office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Terms (Postage free) United States outside of Greater New York $10.00 one year; 6 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00. Foreign, $15.00. Subscriber should remit with order. Address all communications to THE FILM DAILY, 1501 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Phone BRyant 9-7117, 9-7118, 9-7119, 9 7120, 9-7121. Cable Address: Filmday, New York. Hollywood, California— Ralph Wilk, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Phone Granite 6607. London — Ernest W. Fredman, The Film Renter, 127-133 Wardour St., W. I. Paris— P. A. Harle, La Cinematographic Francaise, 29 Rue Marsoulan (12). Mexico City — Marco-Aurelio Galindo, Depto. 19, 5A, Dr. Lucio No. 102. Mexico, D.F. Buenos Aires — Chas. de Cruz, Heraldo Del Cinematografista, Corrientes 1309. f innnciRL NEW YORK STOCK MARKET Net High Low Close Chg. 10 10 10 ) 7 6% 6% — Vs Am. Seat Col. Picts. vtc. (2i/2% Columbia Picts. pfd. Con. Fm. Ind Con. Fm. Ind. pfd. East. Kodak do pfd Cen. Th. Eq Loew's, Inc do pfd Paramount Paramount 1st pfd. . Paramount 2nd pfd. Pathe Film RKO 20th Century-Fox 20th Century-Fox pfd. Univ. Pict. pfd Warner Bros do pfd 1 8 15H/4 1 1 1 73/4 8 491/2 150'/2 8 1/2 32'/2 102 1 63/4 '77/8 91/4 1% 12% 211/4 50i/2 33/4 421/2 8 1/4 8 1/2 301/2 311/2 01% 101% 6% 65/8 73/8 8 1/4 1% 12 203/4 7% 9% + % l Vi 121/4 + 'A 21% + 3/8 501/2 501/2 + 1/2 3% 33/4 40 42% MARKET 991/2 99% 11/2 '/4 NEW YORK BOND Keith B. F. ref. 6s46.100 Loew's deb. 3'/2s46. 97 1/4 96 Vi 96% — Vi Para. B'way 3s55 Para. Picts. 6s55 Para. Picts. cv. 3 '/4s47 RKO 6s41 553/s 55 55—5 Warner Bros.' cv. 6s39 Warner Bros.' dbs. 6s48 80% 80 80% — % NEW YORK CURB MARKET Monogram Picts. ... 1 % 1 % 1 Vs — Vs Sonotone Corp 1 Vi 1 14 1 % Technicolor 10% 10i/4 10% Trans-Lux 2 2 2 Universal Corp. vtc Universal Picts N. Y. OVER-THE-COUNTER SECURITIES Bid Asked Pathe Film 7 pfd 102 Fox Thea. Office Bldg. 1st '46... 3% 5 Loew's Thea. Realty 6s 1st '47 Met. Playhouse, Inc. 2nd deb. '45.. 63 68 Roxy Thea. Bldg. 4s 1st '37 58 61 ■ PROGRESS FILM LIBRARY ■ STOCK SHOTS of Every Possible Description Conveniently Catalogued "•' 729 SEVENTH AVE. N.Y.C. BRYANT 9-5600 ■ Appellate Division Asks What's Sexy in "Ecstasy" Albany — Counsel for the New York Department of Education was sharply questioned on what portions of the 1939 edition of "Ecstasy" Censor Irwin Esmond and his reviewers maintained to be "sexy," with Presiding Judge J. P. Hill of Norwich on the interrogating end and C. A. Brind of State counsel on the answering, as the Appellate Division, Third Department, reviewed the film. Presiding Judge Hill asked Brind to elaborate on his reply that "the entire picture places undue emphasis on sex." The State placed part of its emphasis on the grounds that the same court had upheld censorship on "Ecstasy" in the( latter part of 1937, but two new Justices have since been appointed, Judge Gilbert Schenck of Albany and Judge Christopher Heffernan of Amsterdam. "Ecstasy," has been shown throughout the country, Counsel Henry Pearlman of Eureka Productions, appellants, stated, without trouble from censorship except in New York and Pennsylvania. Appoint New Sales Heads for Two Mexican Offices Mexico City — Enrique Molina Reyes, for many years chief booker with Paramount Films, S. A., has been appointed general sales manager of the Para, exchange to succeed James Bulnes who resigned to go to Trinidad. Louis Moulinie, formerly general sales manager of the Mexican exchange of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, has assumed a similar post at the local office of RKO Radio Pictures, succeeding Alfonso Valadas, resigned. Outline Convention Plans at W. Pa. MPTO Luncheon Pittsburgh — Annual convention of the MPTO of Western Pennsylvania, Inc., at the Roosevelt Hotel here Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 23 and 24, will close with a banquet. Convention chairman and heads of the various committees will be appointed shortly. A membership meeting and lunchon was held at the Roosevelt yesterday at which the product survey recently made by this organization was discussed. Convention plans were also outlined. Para, to Pay Pfd. Dividends At a meeting of Para.'s Board of Directors yesterday, the regular quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share on first preferred stock and the regular quarterly dividend of 15c per share on the second preferred stock were declared. These dividends are payable on Oct. 2, to stockholders of record at the close of business on Sept. 22. DAILY Wednesday, September 13, 1939 RKO Radio Sets Releases on 12 Features to Nov. 24 RKO will release 12 features between Sept. 15 and Nov. 24, it was announced yesterday. Three pictures, "Conspiracy," "Full Confession" and "The Fighting Gringo," were September releases prior to the 15th. "Full Confession" was the first picture on the 1939-40 schedule. Pictures and their release dates up to Nov. 24 include: "The Day the Bookies Wept," Sept. 15; "Fifth Avenue Girl," Sept. 22; "Nurse Edith Cavell," Sept. 29; "Everything's On Ice," Oct. 6; "Three Sons," Oct. 13; "The Flying Deuces," Oct. 20; "Allegheny Frontier," Oct. 27; "Queen of Destiny," Nov. 3; "The Marshal of Mesa City," Nov. 3; "Vigil in the Night," Nov. 10; "Reno," Nov. 17, and "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," Nov. 24. "Fifth Avenue Girl" and "Everything's on Ice" are 1938-39 releases. Court Orders Wanger's Suit vs. Daily News to Trial New York Supreme Court Justice Felix Benvenga yesterday upheld the legal sufficiency of the complaint of Walter Wanger and Walter Wanger Productions, Inc., which seeks $1,000,000 damages for allegel libel committed by News Syndicate Co., Inc., publishers of the New York Daily News and Ed Sullivan, columnist. The Court, in denying an application to dismiss the complaint or to strike out parts of it, ordered that a jury decide whether an article written by Sullivan for the Daily News on the Goldwyn dispute with United Artists is libelous as far as Wanger is concerned. The opinion stated that it was a "closed question" whether the article charges Wanger with incompetence and inefficiency as a producer or whether it was merely fair and honest comment, and that different inferences could be drawn by different persons reading the article. Nathan Straus Will Again Head "The Night of Stars" Nathan Straus, administrator of United States Housing Authority, will head the sixth annual "Night of Stars," the gigantic theatrical benefit for the settlement of Jewish Refugees in Palestine, which will be held on Wednesday night, Nov. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, by arrangement with the United Jewish Appeal. Straus succeeds the late Harold Jacobi, who occupied the chairmanship for three years. Straus originated and held the chairmanship of the "Night of Stars" during its first two editions. As his first move, Straus has called over 500 community leaders to a special luncheon at the Hotel Astor next Tuesday, Sept. 19, to discuss his preliminary plans to make the affair a success. Ben Boyar and Marvin H. Schenck, associate chairmen of the producing committee will report. COmiliG ADD GOIfM COL. H. A. COLE, president of Allied States, leaves today for his home in Dallas. ORSON WELLES planed from Newark last night for Hollywood to resume work on filming of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," as writer-star-director-producer for RKO. MAUREEN O'SULLIVAN will leave IreUqd on the Yankee Clipper tomorrow, accordin vord received by her husband, John Farrow. . PAT J. MULLEN, Hill Top Theater, Pittsburgh; HARRY FRIED, Fried circuit, Wayne, Pa.; C. B. WOLF and BENJAMIN BECK, both of the Pimlico Theater, Baltimore, were recent guests at RKO Radio's exhibitors' lounge. RECINALD RUBINSON of London is stopping at the Prince George Hotel. MRS. HELEN DALY of the MPTOA GHQ is on a Havana cruise. ROY T. HAINES, Warners' Eastern and Canadian sales manager, left the home office last night to visit company exchanges in Boston, Buffalo and Detroit, and returns next Monday. ERROL FLYNN, who has been vacationing in New York, is scheduled to return to the Coast this week. WILLIAM C. CEHRING, central division manager for 20th-Fox, is on a tour of mid-West exchanges. JANE HALL, who scripted "It's a Date" for "U's" next Deanna Durbin picture, leaves the Coast for New York this week on magazine assignment. J. H. ERLANCER, Continental attorney for Warner Bros., has arrived in this country from Holland. WILLIAM KUPPER, Western division manager for 20th-Fox, is back in New York after a tour of his exchanges. LOUIS D. FROHLICH and HERMAN FINKELSTEIN left yesterday for Lincoln, Neb., to prepare for trial of Ascap's suit against the state anti-Ascap law. JACK OSSERMAN, Chicago branch manager for RKO Radio, is in town. SAM MARX, Columbia story editor, has returned to the Coast following h.o. story conferences. WE Paying 75c Div. At a meeting of the directors of the Western Electric Co. yesterday a dividend of 75 cents per share on its common stock was declared. The dividend is payable on Sept. 30, to stock of record at the close of business on Sept. 22. Warner Club to Elect Annual election of the Board of Governors and officers of the National Warner Club, Inc., will be held at the Warner Home Office on Sept. 30. Delegates from all branches of the Club will take part in the election. MALE SECRETARY! Will more than prove my worth to you Mr. Busy Executive in LESSENING YOUR BURDENS! ! An able assistant with unlimited qualifications. Thorough knowledge of the motion picture, theater and radio industries. Thoroughly competent in taking complete charge of an office and all its details to the most minute degree. A stenographer of merit and competency. Affidavits and recommendations, out of the ordinary, as to my integrity, character, capabilities and qualifications. Crant me an interview! And you will be more than satisfied! ! Box No. 1300 1501 B'way THE FILM DAILY N. Y. C.