The Film Daily (1944)

A series of six special features, to be produced independently over a period of three years t iir\^#<rm PlV trt 50th -Fox ■ ^y Edward L. Alperson, former general manager of RKO Theaters, will be distributed by 20th-Fox, that company announced on Saturday. First will be "Black Beauty." Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty-Six Years Old -1FDAILY VOL. 86, NO. 49 NEW YORK. MONDAY. SEPTEMBER 11. 1944 TEN CENTS FORMULATING TICKET-NUMBERING METHOD 60,935 World Theaters Open to Hollywood Pix Theater Seating Increase During Wold War Period Revealed by U. S. Survey Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Theater seating has increased through the war period. jLatest compilation of theaters available for showing American product |s estimated at 60,985, with 38,064,L04 seats, according to Nathan D. Golden, Department of Commerce j)ix chief. Golden's figures — pubished in the current issue of Foreign Commerce Weekly — are based on information available Jan. 1 of this year, and do not include any of ;he 4,013 theaters in Italy or those (Continued on Page 10) IAC Offers Raw Stock Conservation Plan Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Meeting for the first :ime in more than a year, the Mo:ion Picture Producers and Distributors Industry Advisory Committee (Continued on Page ID WB Legal Dept. Takes Over on Consent Decree Warner Bros, legal department is actively taking over the company's representation in the matter of the New York consent decree, it was learned at the week-end. Up to the (Continued on Page 7) Smith Gals Barred From Pix by Polio Springfield, Mass. — Smith College authorities Friday ordered students to remain aVay from motion pictures until further notice. Dr. Marion F. Booth, physician at the Northampton college, issued the order to students at the opening assembly, giving as her reason the current outbreak of poliomyelitis which has attacked more than 100 persons in this area and caused two deaths to date. TO SUPERVISE RANK CONTRACTS Eagle-Lion To Handle Distribution Pacts Here for Rank Group of Productions Immediate activities of EagleLion Films, Inc., the recently established American film distributing organization of J. Arthur Rank, British film baron, will be the supervision of any distributing contracts made in the U. S. for the socalled "Rank Group" of producers, it was said Friday by Arthur W. Kelly, president and treasurer. Kelly was elected to serve in those dual executive capacities at a meet ARTHUR W. KELLY ing held at mid-week in the offices of the company's general counsel, Maurice Leon, at 44 Wall St. At the meeting, which was attended by interested principals, including Barrington Gain, Rank exec, here from London, U. N. W. Ronalds was designated as board chairman, and Ralph E. Reynolds, secretary. Elected to serve on the board with Ronalds were Kelly, Reynolds, and Capt. Harold Auten, who has been serving as British Routing Liaison Officer, attached to the U. S. N. Port Director of New York. Kelly stated that the distribution deal just consummated with UA calls for seven features and an option on three more, or a total of 10 full length attractions, all of which are (Cont'nued on Page 11) Rodgers to Hold K. (. Exhibitor Luncheon Chicago — Before leaving for the Coast Saturday, on the conclusion of a three-day meeting with divisional sales heads E. K. (Ted) O'Shea, J. E. Flynn and J. J. Maloney, at the Blackstone Hotel, William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager for M-G-M revealed he is planning to hold an exhibitor (Continued on Page 10) Allied Board Attacks Prices of Re-issues Bretton Woods, N. H. — Allied's board of directors Friday condemned the alleged efforts of the distributors "in attempting to exact for reissues prices far in excess of those charged for that class of pictures during the 1943-44 season." The board asserted that the purpose in re-issuing product was to (Continued on Page 7) Disposal of Gov't Film Equip. Allied Com. to Consult With Trade Units UOPWA to Press Drive Among Pix "White Collars" Philadelphia — Aggressive drive to complete the organization of whitecollar workers in the picture field will result from the United Office and Professional Workers of America's convention which closed at the Hotel (Continued on Page 7) Bretton Woods, N. H. — A committee of five Allied members will consult with other branches of the industry on the matter of the disposal of 16 mm. equipment and films now owned by the Government after the war, it was decided here Friday at the closing session of Allied's board of directors' meeting. Allied directors see the situation (Continued on Page 11) Allied Seeks System to Protect Gov't Revenue, Prevent Blind-Checking Bretton Woods, N. H.— A ticketnumbering method which would protect the Government's revenue and at the same time prevent blindchecking by the distributors is being formulated by Allied. A committee headed by H. A. Cole and including Sidney Samuelson and Nathan Yamins is studying a large number of suggestions submitted by exhibitors for a serial numbering plan. Cole presented a partial report of the progress made (Continued on Page 10) Allied, PCC Seen Headed for Merger Bretton Woods, N. H. — National Allied hereafter will send a representative to each of the Pacific C^ast Conferenee meetings on the West Coast. It has been the custom for some time for PCC to send one or more delegates to Allied meeting's. First to represent Allied at a PCC (Continued on Page 11) Son of Floyd B. Odium Shot Down, Held by Nazis Lt. Stanley A. Odium, AAF, bombardier, missing since June, is reported officially to be a prisoner of war after being shot down in aerial (Continued on Page 11) Industry Drive Covers 22 Yeshiva Scholars • Noting that the industry raised funds to cover 22 scholarships at Yeshiva College, Samuel Levy, chairman of the school's board of directors, paid tribute to the filmland drive in a letter to George J. Schaefer, chairman of the industry committee. He paid pers-nal tribute to Schaefer who has been head of the scholarship fund-raising group five times. SA WH 3£JO^ Maw