The Film Daily (1940)

13% DAILY Tuesday, January 16, 1940 NLRB DISMISSES SGG CERTIFICATION PLEAS (Continued from Page 1) sentatives of employes for four Hollywood animated cartoon producers. Companies involved are Walter Lantz Productions, North Hollywood; Loew's, Inc., Culver City; Raymond Katz Studio, Los Angeles; and Leon Schlesinger Productions, Hollywood. The NLRB specified that this dismissal will not preclude Screen Cartoonists Local 852 of International Brotherhood of Painters, Paperhangers and Decorators of America (AFL) claiming to be a successor to the Screen Cartoon Guild, from filing a petition for certification of representatives with respect to any of these employes. Following the announcement of an election order on Oct. 23, 1939 Local 852 requested the NLRB to reopen the record for the purpose of receiving additional evidence to establish that Screen Cartoon Guild is now non-existent and that Local 852 is its successor. Local 852 further requested the board to exclude cameramen from the unit found to be most appropriate. The Board stated that under all the circumstances the better procedure would be to deny the motion of Local 852 and to dismiss the petition without prejudice. The board added that there was no statement by Local 852 that the question concerning representation which it had formerly found to have arisen, now exists, or that a new question concerning representation has since arisen. The board stated that it would not determine whether Local 852 was the same entity as or one different from Screen Cartoon Guild. E. J. Weisman Dead Milwaukee, Wis. — E. J. Weisman, 38, manager of the former Educational Film Exchange, Inc. here for six years and more recently a salesman for Grand National Films, Inc., is dead here. Weisman is survived by his wife, his mother and two brothers. ■est wishes from THE FILM DAILY to the following on their birthdays: JANUARY 16 Harry Carey Diana Wynyard Katherine Stewart Elmer G. Leterman Mildred Terris • • • WHILE pix houses in the Great White Way area were quite understandably a'gloating o'er the protracted wave of attendance during the first fortnight of 1940 something was happening up in Worcester, Mass., which is even more symbolic of fanatical film-going although the "something" involved but a single personage one Victor Wassell age 14 a fugitive from the seventh grade chain gang of a Worcester school Master Wassell was picked up last Saturday by that city's cops after he set what is probably a national record for pix show attendance having spent last week in the Olympia Theater and the week before that in the Plaza Theater enjoying the highly repetitious screen performances He slept in the theaters at night and subsisted on a diet of borrowed candy and water which, when you think about it, is a helluva lot more sensible than the practice of goldfish gobblin' in some universities T ▼ T • « • NOT to be sneezed at anent enthusiasm for movies is the quintette of fans who phoned the Wilmington (Del.) Rialto Theater from Chester, Pa asking what time the next feature went on Slightly more than 45 minutes elapsed and believe it or not there were the Chester fans at the Rialto's b.o to catch the start of the pix Though their speed in getting from Chester to Wilmington was unusual Wilmington's geographical position is responsible for folks from four states bein' frequently found in the same audience T ▼ T • • • DEAR Jimmie Fidler: Thanks for your congratulations to 478 of the 542 pix critics who voted "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" the top feature of 1939 in THE FILM DAILY'S poll You said you weren't applauding their choice 'cause you don't agree with them but their fairness in voting what they deemed was the best pix regardless of where made or the nationality of the majority of its players "Hollywood's system of awarding laurels has been going from bad to worse," you say in contrast to the fairness of THE FILM DAILY poll Jimmie, — now and forever you can bet all the left-over holly in Hollywood that we don't care what pix win 'cause FD means more than just FILM DAILY It means FAIR DEAL That is the indestructible cornerstone of this l'il ole trade paper's policy and poll T T T • • • SPEAKING of indestructible cornerstones there's that of The American Hebrew "For Better Understanding Between Christians and Jews" and annually 'tis that publication's custom to compile a Who's Who among American Jews and among Christians notable in mutual endeavor during each year It is edifying to examine the new 1939 list which contains the names of several pix personalities including Harry M. Warner, David Sarnoff, David O. Selznick, Paul Muni, Francis Lederer, Sidney Kingsley, Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman and Eddie Cantor Their deeds remind us what a distinguished world statesman once wrote on the flyleaf of a book for your correspondent: "Humanity is one, and knows neither East nor West!" T ▼ T • • • A truly big humanitarian job has just been allocated by former President Herbert Hoover to Major Leslie E. Thompson whom Mr. Hoover has appointed Chairman of the, Motion Picture Division for the Finnish Relief Fund « « « » » *> ENLIST WOMEN'S AID TO DEFEAT NEELY BILL (Continued from Page 1) sored by a "pitiful minority," Kuykendall added: "Those public spr }ted and well meaning women whd ji'ave been misled by the propaganda from the above mentioned little group into believing that the Neely Bill will moralize the screen are the ones we must carry the truth to, as these ladies will make or defeat the bill." Kuykendall urged that exhibitors should do their talking where it will will do the most good, contending that "one sensible chat with one of these women leaders is worth far more than a dozen high-powered speeches to meetings of the industry. N. Y. Times Places Neely Bill Pro and Con Before Public Indicative of the keen lay interest in the Neely bill, as House consideration of the anti-block-booking and blind-selling impends, the New York Times on Sunday devoted approximately two columns on its film page to a Thomas M. Pryor by-liner, "Some arguments pro and con on the Neely bill." Pointing out that uncertainty as to the ultimate effect of its passage exists, Pryor says it might affect the general public in any of the following ways: "If passage of the bill reduces film production, then we might expect abandonment of the double-feature. But if its passage reduces film production qualitatively, rather than just quantitatively, then movie-goers can bid good-bye to the higher budgeted and generally (but not always) superior films which have given the screen the entertainment pre-eminence it now claims. And, if its passage seriously curtails production both qualitatively and quantitatively, then the nation's unemployment rolls will be increased by tens of thousands of film workers — a factor that would affect all of us." Bachman With Warners in Philadelphia Sector Philadelphia — Harry Bachman, formerly Monogram's branch manager in Washington, took over as Warners' salesman in the Philadelphia area yesterday. He succeeds Roger Mahan, recently promoted to New Haven branch manager. And It Did Bristol, Conn. — The two-story Bristol Theater building was destroyed by fire, with damage estimated by Manager Victor Morelli at $50,000. Pix scheduled for the day was: "Money to Burn."