The Film Daily (1940)

M I' I'WMI) 1)1 SI 2H W 4 4 ST NYC Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought FILL COPY do not remove: The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Twenty-One Years Old -^FDAILY V^>2 77, NO. 21 NEW YORK. TUESDAY. JANUARY 30. 1940 TEN CENTS 25 Pictures Suitable for Classroom Study in 1939 RELEASES! THE U. S. DWNG 1939 TOTALLED 761 Enforcement of Ohio's Film Rental Tax is Expected Hearing on Ohio Tax Slated For March Hearing; See Victory for State Columbus, O. — With about all possible dilatory motions exhausted, it now seems likely that the taxpayers' suits involving non-payment of sales tax on film rentals will be heai'd by mid-March. One year ago when the suits were first filed, the odds were even on the court's decision. Now all indications point to a decision requiring the payment of the tax. The hopes of the exhibitors who (Continued on Page 3) ACADEMY NOMINATES 11 SHORT SUBJECTS j West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY „ Hollywood — Eleven short subjects j will be voted on for Academy Awards , at the annual banquet next month. ; "Oscars" will be awarded for three classifications of shorts, one-reel, ers, two-reelers and cartoons. Nom'; inations in each group, as announced yesterday, are: One-reelers: "Busy Little Bars," I Paramount; "Information Please," (Continued on Page 3) ITO of Ohio to Determine Most Profitable 1939 Pix Columbus, 0. — P. J. Wood, secretary of the Ohio ITO, is conducting a survey to determine the most profitable product used in 1939. Said Wood: "I have found that a vast majority of theater owners do not (Continued on Page 3) Debute Neely Bill Montclair, N. J. — Felix Jenkins of 20th Century-Fox and Col. H. A. Cole, Allied president, debated the Neely Bill controversy before the Motion Picture Council here last night at the YMCA. Jenkins argued against the measure. Cole spoke in favor of it. Russia Wants Three 20th-Fox Pictures Bid by the Russian Government for three 20th-Fox pictures was reported yesterday, with "The Grapes cf Wrath" one of the pictures the Soviet is seeking. Other two are "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "In Old Chicago." PROPOSED N.Y. TAX PAYNTER NEW SALES HIT BY LABOR CHIEF: HEAD OF EMPIRE-T The seriously adverse effects which imposition of a sales tax would place on the motion picture biz, for example, was sketched by Thomas Murtha, president of the Central Trades and Labor Council here in blasting the Bewley-Whitney retail sales impost bill as pending in Taxation Committees in Albany now. Murtha, whose AFL unions, include the powerful IATSE groups, said in a public statement: "To take only one of its provis (Continued on Page 3) Pathe Completes Purchase Of Cinema Lab.'s Assets West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Pathe Laboratories, Inc., has completed the purchase of all the assets of Cinema Labora (Continned on Page 2) Montreal — Harry Paynter, Province of Quebec manager for EmpireUniversal Films, has been appointed general sales manager of that company and will leave for Toronto next week to begin his new duties. He is succeeded in Montreal by Mickey Isman, who for a number of years has been provincial manager for Warner-Vitagraph at Montreal. Judges Hand Down Decrees In Nebraska Ascap Action Lincoln, Neb. — Judges Garner, Munger and Donohoe, who heard the arguments in Ascap's suit to test constitutionality of the antiAscap law passed by the 1937 Nebraska legislature, handed down their decree last week. It has three points, (1) making the temporary injunction set up Nov. (Continued on Page 3) Improvement in Quality of Pictures Noted by Natl Educational Group Dannenberg Contends GN Got Worst of Educ. Deal Joseph Dannenberg, attorney for the trustees of Grand National, at yesterday's examination of Earle W. Hammons attempted to show that GN got the worst of a deal in which it turned over to Educational Pictures 1,100,000 shares of common stock and assumed Educational's (Continued on Page 3) Improvement in the quality of motion pictures during the last five years is evidenced by the yearly increase in the number of features recommended for classroom study, according to William Lewin, chairman of the committee on motion pictures of the National Education Association's Department of Secondary Education. Prior to 1935, Lewin said yesterday, not more than two or three pic(Continued on Page 6) American Companies Produced 483 Pictures Last Year; 278 Pix Imported Features released in the U. S. market during 1939 totaled 761, of which 388 were released by the eight major companies and 373 by independent distributors. Americanmade features totaled 483 (including seven foreign language films), of which 367 were produced by the majors and 116 by indies. Imported features totaled 278 of which 21 were released by majors and 257 by indies. U. S. produced features gained 28 over 1938 when 455 were released, 346 by majors and 109 by indies. Imported features, however, dropped off 36 from the 314 brought in (Continued on Page 6) W. B. TOlOLDSALES MEETING IN CHICAGO Warner Bros, will hold a two-day mid-season sales meeting of district and branch managers and field exploitation men in Chicago Feb. 3-4. Grad Sears, general sales manager, called the meeting to discuss plans for merchandising the balance of (Continued on Page 3) Rowland Brown to Produce "Young Man of Manhattan" Rowland Brown's first picture to be made at Eastern Service Studios will be "Young Man of Manhattan." Paramount will distribute. Joel (Continued on Page 3) Three Pix Start West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Three pictures are scheduled to go into production this week. At 20th Century-Fox: "Charlie Chan's Cruise" with Sidney Toler. At Republic: "Rancho Grande" starring Gene Autry. At Monogram: "The Cheyenne Kid" starring Jack Randoll with Louise Stanley.