The Film Daily (1940)

S r I i? T HOMI'SON M l: dc n ?ii W 4 AT H ST F/-*f-f. Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought FILE COPY DO NOT REMOVE The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty-One Years Old V^ 77. NO. 1 NEW YORK. TUESDAY. JANUARY 2, 1940 Nebraska to Take Anti-Ascap Fight t RCA TOJNTRODUCE THEATRICAL TELEM IN '40 Industry Legislation to Fore as Congress Assembles Film Biz Has Stake in Variety of. Measures to be Considered Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — While the Neely bill, passed by the Senate and sent to the House at the last session, looms large in the Congressional spotlight, the session opening here tomorrow will see industry interest centered as well' on copyright, patent, anti-trust and trade agreement. Congress will be asked to consider copyright legislation evolved by the so-called Shotwell committee, representative of all groups interested {Continued on Page 11) talsotalIng accessories deal Universal and Advertising Accessories, Inc., are reported to be negotiating on a deal similar to the one recently closed between Paramount and the National Screen Service subsidiary. Progress is said to have been made although no pact has been signed as yet. If deal is set, the accessories or (Continued on Page 4) Kentucky Film Transit Line is Sought by TBA Louisville, Ky. — Backed by the newly-organized Theater Business Association of Kentucky, a move to establish a film transit line covering Kentucky is under way, Jesse L. Lausman, head of the association, (Continued on Page 4) Maclntyre to Blanket U. S. in Interest of RKO Drive Prepare Order for Transfer of RKO Assets front Trustee to New Company Management Hamilton C. Rickaby, attorney for the Atlas group, proponents ot the RKO reorganization plan, announced Friday to Federal Judge William Bondy that an order was being prepared which would effect transfer of the assets of RKO from the Irving Trust Co., as trustee of RKO, to the management of the new company. O. C. DOering, attorney for the Irving Trust, will shortly present this order to Judge Bondy, Rickaby stated, at an early hearing. Judge Bondy recessed the hearing to Jan. 9 at 2:30 p.m. for the purpose of considering the expected decision of the U. S. Supreme Court on writs to review his order which approved of the plan. STEADY UPWARDTREND i WALKER SEES MAYOR SEEN BY HARRY ROSSI ON N. Y. PRODUCTION "Quarterly surveys made by Ross Federal in 2,500 towns in the U. S. during the last six months have shown a steady trend toward better conditions in the economic structure for 1940. Weekly reports from 31 key markets substantiate (Continued on Page 4) Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia on Friday discussed Eastern production with former Mayor James J. Walker and issued a statement following the huddle to the effect that they I had talked over "the motion picture \ situation generally and some specific (Continued on Page 10) THE WEEK IN REVIEW Holiday Biz Spurts — Pix Backlog in Japan By L. H. MITCHELL Prepared to blanket the country in the interest of the Ned Depinet Drive, Herb Maclntyre, captain of the campaign, leaves today on a trip which will take him to 38 exchange centers in the U. S. and (Continued on Page 10) DOMESTIC GROSSES SWING UPWARD : Holiday business generally took a spurt. In Broadway theaters and Chi. Loop theaters it was 25 per cent over 1938. New York's gains continued throughout the week, with "GWTW" the big grosser. Other large cities reported holiday pickup. * * * LITIGATION: UA won dismissal of Samuel Goldwyn's suit for failure to include "indispensable" parties . . . Herman Weingarten's Florida antitrust suit was dismissed at his request, he having disposed of his the(Continued on Page 11) Neb. Will Ask U. S. Supreme Court to Uphold Validity of Anti-Ascap Law Cinema Laboratories Now Subsidiary of Pathe Lab. West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — As of yesterday, Cinema Laboratories, Inc., became Pathe Laboratories of California. C. (Continued on Page 4) Lincoln — The State of Nebraska will carry its fight to uphold the validity of its anti-Ascap statute to the U. S. Supreme Court. Questions involved in the case are so important to composers and music users that final adjudication from the nation's highest court as (Continued on Page 10) Sarnoff Announcement Presages a Lively LargeScreen Market Race RCA will introduce "improved projection of largescreen television images, of a size adequate for theater presentation" this year, it is announced by David Sarnoff, RCA prexy, in his year-end statement. With the FCC's approval of limited commercialization of television virtually assured, following public hearings on its television committee's recommendations which open on Jan. 15, the disclosure that RCA is preparing to develop the theatrical television field is of paramount industry interest. It presages a lively race for, in addition to RCA, other leading American companies — General Elec ( Continued on Page 4) "MARCHlNWASH'N" AGAINST NEELY BILL A virtual "march on Washington" by between 3,000 and 4,000 exhibitors from all parts of the country in protest against the Neely Bill is reported to be in the formulative stage, is was learned over the week-end. It is understood that a group of independent exhibitors is planning a (Continued on Page 4) Hammons Preparing Quick Moves to Revitalize GN Apparently assured that the RFC loan will be forthcoming within the week, E. W. Hammons, Grand National president, is preparing a ser (Continued on Page 10) Cohen Conciliation Board Action Expected This Week Max Cohen, president of New York Allied, is expected to swing into action this week in preparation (Continued on Page 10)