The Film Daily (1944)

onday, September 11, 1944 O^'VoAiLY 11 ! ( Offers Raw Stock onservation Plan (Continued from Page 1) sterday presented WPB Pix Chief ncoln Burrows with its plan for w stock conservation. In return, it ard Burrows tell of the need for Hct economy in film usage. Burrows spoke of the necessity r a sharp reduction in ordering, ping the industry toppers at the ine time that he is hopeful that e current tight supply situation jll not last longer than another onth or two. He said he expects permit ordering of up to 75 per fit of the 1941 rate of consumpm beginning next month. This is e allocation under which the indus\f has operated for nearly two iars. Burrows made it plain, however, !at he will not permit over-orders'. Distributors had actually used estimated 50,000,000 feet of stock jer and above that permitted unjr the allocation plan during the t six months of this year. o Confer on Disposal f Gov't Pix Equip. (Continued from Page II an all-industry problem and one (at must be met by all its branches ie committee, not yet appointed, 111 seek the co-operation of procer-distributor groups in preventt the wartime equipment and films jt>m becoming a competitive force. ,The question of whether to keep Raters open on V-Day was regarded , the directors as a local problem d not one to be decided by the tional organization. j'ross" Big in London .London — M-G-M's "The Seventh joss," which opened at the Empire, lb off to a smash start with indicains the first week's gross will be I best since April, 1942, when ohhny Eager" opened and had the Jiefrt of the Easter holidays. The fevious all-time high for a normal ek at the theater was chalked up ■ "Ninotchka," in February, 1940. FEmme TOUCH A ZALPHE is the new cashier at the Monogram exchange in Washington. |TY NAREN has joined the Columbia exchange in Philadelphia as booker's stenographer. 3EL HOWLETT, booker, PRC, Dallas. EVELYN BREWER, inspectress, Paramount, Memphis. If. NATALIE McLEOD, Columbia, New Haven. ANOR TEMPERANTE, Columbia, New «aven. GRIFFITHS, secretary to Nick Coldhammer, Film Classics home office. ERNE FITZMAURICE, booker-stenographer, RKO, St. Louis. More Revenue From Smaller Towns Seen Small towns and their theaters may play a larger part in post-war film receipts possibilities. Department of Commerce notes that' towns with less than 25,000 population, plus unincorporated rural areas, make up 60 per cent of all the people in the country while a survey indicates that 23 per cent of all city dwellers who moved into small towns to take war jobs plan to live there permanently. Allied, PCC Seen Headed for Merger (Continued from Page 1) meeting will be Martin Smith, Allied president, who will attend the December PCC session. He will not go to the meeting scheduled for next week in Seattle. At the banquet Thursday night tendered to Allied board members and independent exhibitors by the New England unit, Hugh Bruen the PCC delegate, announced that PCC would be host to an Allied convention in Los Angeles as soon after the war as possible. Because of the close co-operation between PCC and Allied observers predicted Friday that the time would come when PCC would affiliate itself with national Allied. Wilder in Producer Debut With Vicki Baum Film West Coast Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Hollywood — Wiiliam Wilder, New York industrialist, makes his debut as a producer with "The Great Flamarion," first of a series of three pictures for major distribution. Eric Von Stroheim will be starred in the psychological drama by Vicki Baum. Production is slated to start week of Sept. 11 at Charlie Chaplin's studio. Eastman, Bausch-Lomb Execs, on Bank Board Rochester, N. Y.— Charles K. Flint, vice-president of Eastman Kodak, and Carl S. Hallauer, vice-president of Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., have been elected directors of LincolnAlliance Bank & Trust Co. They fill vacancies caused by the deaths of Albert Sulzer, Kodak vice-president, and Edward Bausch, B & L board chairman. Celeste Fox Back Celeste Fox, secretary to Samuel Cohen, United Artists foreign pubeign publicity director, has returned from a leave of absence in Seattle. N. J. Allied Meets Sept. 20 Allied of New Jersey will hold a regional membership meeting in the Hotel Astor Yacht Room on Sept. 20. Son of Floyd B. Odium Shot Down, Held by Nazis (Continued from Page 1) combat over Austria, according to a letter received by his wife, Dorothy Odium, from the War Department. He had completed 25 missions over enemy territory. Lt. Odium is the son of Floyd B. Odium, president of Atlas Corp. and chairman of RKO Corp.'s directorate, by his former wife, Mrs. Hortense Odium. Odium's present wife is Jacqueline Cochran, Director of Women Pilots, Army Air Forces. Special Pic Groups Sold $1,846,164 in War Bonds Employes' clubs and groups generally among the major and leading indie companies in the New York area sold via a special campaign during the recently conducted Fifth War Loan drive a total of $1,846,164, it was announced on the week-end by John Whitney Richmond, deputy manager of the War Finance Committee for New York, following final compilation of figures. The special campaign's objective was to sell as many extra bonds as possible, independent of the local industry's over-all effort, and its success is attested by both a Fifth War Loan Citation and a Treasury Citation, in addition to a letter of commendation, sent to all the employes' groups and clubs which participated. Breakdown of the bond sales by companies' workers who took part is as follows: Loew's, Inc., $473,896.75; 20th-Fox, $305,144.75; Columbia, $285,106; Paramount, $254,289; Warner Bros., $174,673; Universal, $156,250; RKO, $112,013.75; UA, $58,249.50; Republic, $17,841.50; and PRC, $8,700. Company employes and club groups each selected a "military objective" for their bond selling efforts, such as a Flying Fortress, Tank, Landing Craft, etc., and in virtually every instance the objective was reached or exceeded. Richmond stated that special groups at large during the Fifth War Loan campaign vended more than $125,000,000 in War Bonds. Philly Testimonial For Davis, Humphries Philadelphia — A dual testimonial dinner will be held tonight by the Motion Picture Associates in honor of Al Davis, newly appointed branch manager here for Monogram Pictures, formerly sales manager for 20th Century-Fox in the local branch, and William Humphries, 20th-Fox salesman, who was upped into the sales manager's post. George Beattie is chairman of the affair with Al Cohen, Jack McFadden, and Lester Wurtele acting as aides. Seven New Pix to Start West Coast Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Hollywood — Seven new pictures go into production this week, making a total of 47 shooting. British Producers Urge Quota Boost London (By Cable) — An increase in the renters' quota from 20 to 22 Mi per cent, to be jumped to 25 per cent after one year, has been proposed to the Board of Trade by the British Film Producers Association for the period starting April 1, 1945. Group also proposes an exhibitors' quota of five per cent less. British members of the Kinematograph Renters Society are believed to seek a 25 per cent quota while U. S. distributors are said to be holding out for retention of the present 20 per cent. Moves follow the circulation, early in July, of a Board of Trade circular which asked for proposals to be considered by the BOT before it recommends any changes in the Films Act to Parliament. At present, the Act is operating under a three-year modification which, because of war difficulties reduced quotas through March 31, 1944. If Parliament does not act, the renters' quota automatically jumps to 27% per cent on April 1. Eagle-Lion Here to Supervise Contracts 'Continued from Page 1) to be made by producers within the Arthur Rank setup. This deal nominally covers a period of two years, stretching over the seasons of 194445 and 1945-46 on the premise that it will, because of wartime conditions and the usual time factors of production, require an indefinite period to get the product into UA's hands. The Eagle-Lion pact with UA is understood to be so geared that both companies can renegotiate its provisions to permit both a wider and closer relationship, depending upon developments during the two-year contract's life. Rank's interests in film product which has come into this country in the past will also come under the supervision of Eagle-Lion organization here, it was asserted. 20-Week Run Percentage Chicago — Essaness Circuit says Samuel Goldwyn will receive approximately $180,000 as his percentage on the 20-week run of "Up in Arms" at the Woods Theater. STORK REPORTS Chicago — A seven-pound son was born at Augustana Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Moi'ton van Praag. Charles S. Aaronson of the Motion Picture Herald editorial staff, has a second daughter born late last week.