The Film Daily (1942)

Monday, July 6, 1942 Wss? Early D of J Okay Of UMPI Plan Seen (Continued from Page 1) the group that only one or two small changes were made in the £>n submitted and that Justice "i-^ials intimated approval would b"e forthcoming about the middle of this week. The following represented the industry at the conference: Austin Keough, Paramount's legal chief; William F. Rodgers, UMPI head; Abram F. Myers, Allied general counsel and board chairman; Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA president; William Brandt, head of New York's ITOA; Col. Robert Barton, attorney for Virginia's ITOA, and William Crockett, president of the Virginia group. —Keep 'Em Flying! — Bookers Included in IA's Organizational Campaign (Continued from Page 1) Richard F. Walsh, president of the IA. The fact that their earnings are far in excess of those of other exchange white-collar workers will not exempt bookers in the IA's newest organizational drive, Walsh asserted. TO THE COLORS I Chicago — Paul Giganti, of the Metro Exchange booking department has joined the Navy as yeoman, first class. Seattle — Bud Denton of Metro's branch staff, will shortly be in the Army. Seattle — Gordon Morris, formerly of the B. F. Shearer Equipment Co., is now in the Army. West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Victor Mature, sworn into the Coast Guard as a coxswain, is expected to be granted a furlough to complete RKO's "Sweet or Hot" which is scheduled to end late in July. Pittsburgh — Robert Kimmelman, booker for the local Columbia exchange, has joined the Volunteer Officers Corps and is awaiting call for active service. Hooversville, Pa. — Eugene Orban, manager of the Savoy Theater and brother of its owner, Farnk A. Orban, Jr., has joined the Army and has been assigned to Lowry Field, Denver, Colo. Chicago — Ted Schneider, Paramount exchange booker, has resigned to join the Marines. He goes to San Diego for training. DRIVE-INS' BIZ DOWN 25 TO 40% Midwestern Theaters Least Affected — Downtown Houses Gaining — Boston Attendance Up 25% ' (Continued from Page l) ~ dim-outs so much as to daylight saving. To prove this he cites the fact that Milwaukee and Detroit offer the greatest decline in business. Neither district has gas rationing as yet, but daylight saving has caused drive-in theaters not to be able to open until close to 10 o'clock, with the result that patrons remain at home or go to the regular intown theaters earlier in the evening. Smith also says that undoubtedly the fact that people have not been able to buy new automobiles and are conserving on tires has done a great deal to send drive-in business downward to a new low all over the country. Eastern Drive-Ins Off 40 Per Cent In the Eastern states, he has found drive-in business off about 40 per cent, but here the blackout and dim-out factor is added to that of the gasoline rationing. By the same observation, Smith finds business in town or downtown theaters in all the larger cities definitely up about 35 per cent, taking the Mid-west and East as a criterion. Neighborhood theaters, according to Smith, are just about holding their own at this time. Inquiry at Boston theaters disclosed the fact that business is definitely up 25 per cent over past several weeks and theater managers feel that, with the city resigned to the fact that blackouts must continue now for the duration of the war, people are again coming down town to the larger theaters. The theaters in Brookline, Newton, Cambridge, Revere, Somerville, Dorchester, Brighton, Allston and Dedham, all continuances of the Boston area, are reporting business much better than in past four weeks but not quite up to standard of one year ago. Locally all such theaters are wondering what will happen after July 22 when the new gas ration cards are distributed. E. M. Loew drive-ins are doing better business than in past fortnight, but still are about 25 per cent off normal business. Loew's largest drive-ins are located almost directly on the Coast and thus suffer more from coastal blackouts than do inland theaters. M & P Business Improves M & P Theaters report gratifying increase in downtown attendance as also do RKO Theaters and the Loew Circuit in town. The Majestic has returned to legitimate shows and has abandoned the picture and vaudeville policy formerly announced. Night clubs in this area report heaviest business in years. The Terrace Room at Hotel Statler, with name bands, remains open for Summer for first time in years. Theater men believe this aids their business in bringing diners downtown to remain for picture shows later. Theater men of Boston have now two booths on Boston Common from which war stamps and bonds are sold in huge quantities each afternoon and evening. Booths are manned by executives of Boston theaters and amusement centers. New Britain's Capitol Burns; Loss, $150,000 New Britain, Conn. — An estimated loss of $150,000 has been suffered by Warner Theaters here as a result of a fire of unknown origin which burned completely the 1,400-seat Capitol, 30-year-old theater built originally bv Fox. The house was completely renovated in 1937 by Warner's, and was on a Friday to Monday schedule since Spring. Buy War Savings Bonds and Stamps Nebenzahl Buys "Hangman" West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Seymour Nebenzahl, who produced "Mayerling," has bought rights to "The Hangman," an original story by Emil Ludwig, historian. It deals with life and assassination of Rudolf Heydrich, Nazi leader. Nebenzahl is negotiating with Francis Lederer for a leading role. No distribution arrangements have been made as yet. Buy War Savings Bonds and Stamps De Havilland as Morgan West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Olivia De Havilland will be Warners' Helen Morgan in the torch singer's biog. film. "Miniver" Policy, Schenck Leadership Praised by "38" Philadelphia — The Committee of 38, indie group organized here by 200 theaters several months ago, has sent a letter to Nicholas M. Schenck, Loew's prexy, commending Loew's no-advanced-admissions policy for "Mrs. Miniver." David Barrist, for the Committee, termed the policy set by Schenck "in line with the public interest and the present national need for price stabilization." Pointing out that the Committee has been waging "a vigorous campaign" against advanced admissions for certain films, letter concludes, "That Loew's, Inc., has seen fit to release so outstanding a picture as 'Mrs. Miniver' at regular prices is a further demonstration of the broad-gauge leadership your company has long enjoyed." — Keep 'Em Flying!— Harrison, District Manager Springfield, Mass. — Edward Harrison has been named by the E. M. Loew's circuit as district manager for Springfield, Worcester and North Adams, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. He has been manager of the Court Square Theater in Springfield. WPB Order Stymies Building in Buffalo (Continued from Page 1) quire acquisition of critical materials. The jobs are remodeling of the Teck, former Buffalo legit theater, to become a Shea-operated downtown film house; building of the Colvin, a new Basil Bros, nabe, on the Buffalo-Kenmore border, and construction of the Dunkirk at Dunkirk. Owners are still hopeful that the Government may relax its edict in situations like theirs, but Spencer Balser, representing Basil Bros., appeared to represent the attitude of all when he remarked: "We are willing and anxious to do whatever the Government deems necessary." The Lathrop-owned Dunkirk is reported to be three-fourths completed. Colvin's walls and roof are completed. Balser said no critical materials are needed to finish the job. Teck task, more than 50 per cent completed, finds foundation walls in and part of roof on. Paradoxically, partial razing of the old building released hundreds of tons of salvaged materials which were routed to war production channels. These included 50 tons of usable structural steel, 200 of scrap iron, 10 of steel and galvanized iron pipe, 1% of copper and one-half of brass. "We have released more materials than we have bought," said the property manager of the insurance company owning the building. "The contractors have enough materials to complete the job, except for fabricated materials not classified as critical." Detroit Theaters Restrict Ads to War Bonds-Stamps Detroit — Major Detroit theaters united in a city-wide drive for sale of War Bonds and Stamps, (by devoting their entire newspaper advertising display space for two days to the campaign. This was part of a move in which every retailer in the city using newspaper space devoted his entire copy to the cause with not a single line of regular merchandising copy. It's the first time this ever occurred in any metropolitan newspaper. Vital character of show business was recognized in the fact that the only regular ads run were the small spaces in the theater directory, which were felt to be a necessity for public convenience. All first-run houses, and the Hollywood and RKO Uptown joined in devoting their regular space to the drive. Similar 100 per cent devotion to the drive was reported from all radio programs for two days, which replaced commercial plugs by plugs for war bonds. — Keep 'Em Flying! — Rise Stevens in "Romance"? West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Rise Stevens may star in a Metro re-make of "Romance."