The Film Daily (1944)

W^DAJIY Friday, September 15, 19 Universal Hosts Press To Meet Star, Producer Vol. 86, No. 53 Fri., Sept. 15, 1944 10 Cents ICHN W. ALICOATE : : : Publisher DONALD M. MERSEREAU : Associate Publisher and General Manager CHESTER B. BAHN :::::: Editor Published daily except Saturday!, Sundays «nd Holidays at 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y., by Wid's Films and Film Folk. Ihc. J. W. Alicoate, President and Publisher; Donald M. Mersereau, Secretary Treaturer; Al Steen. Associate Editor. Entered ai second class matter, Sept. 8, 1938, at the post-office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Terms (Postage free) United States outside of Greater New York $10.00 one year; 6 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00. Foreign, $15.00. Subscribers should remit with order. Address all communications to THE FILM DAILY, 1501 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Phone BRyant 9-7117, 9-7118, 9-7119, 9-7120, 9-7121. Cable address: Filmday, New York. RepreienUtives : HOLLYWOOD, 28, Calif. —Ralph Wilk, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Phone Granite 6607. WASHINGTON— Andrew H. Older, 5516 Carolina Place, N. W„ Phone Ordway 9221; CHICAGO, 45, 111., Joseph Eiler, 6241 N. Oakley Ave., Phone Briargate 7441. LONDON— Ernest W. Fredman, The Film Renter, 127-133 Wardoui St., W. I. HAVANA — Mary Louise Blanco, Virtudei 214. HONOLULU — Mrs. Annabel Damon. MEXICO CITY— Marco-Aurelio Galindo, Apartado 8817, Mexico, D. F. SYD NEY— Allan White. SAN JUAN— E. San chez Ortiz. MONTREAL— Roy Carmichael manual. (.Thursday, Sept. 14) NEW YORK STOCK MARKET Net High Low Close Chg. 16l/2 16 16 — l/2 17l/2 171/4 1714 + Vl Am. Seat Col. Picts. vtc. (2i/2%) Columbia Picts. pfd. . Con. Fm, Ind Con. Fm. Ind. pfd . . East. Kodak 1 do pfd 1 Cen. Prec. Eq Loew's, Inc Paramount RKO RKO S6 pfd 20th Century-Fox . . . 20th Century-Fox pfd. Warner Bros NEW YORK Monogram Picts. . . . Radio-Keith cvs Sonotone Corp Technicolor Trans-Lux Universal Pictures . . Universal Picts. vtc. . 45/8 22 67 93 21 1/i 631/4 247/s 8i/2 89 23 s 8 30y4 115/8 CURB 35/g 1V4 45/8 4% 213/4 213/4 — % 67 167 — 1/2 93 193 — 2 211/2 66 245,8 23 1/2 30 1/8 IU/2 211/2 .. 63 — 243/4 . . 83/8 + 89 231/2 .. 301/4 — ns/a — MARKET 31/2 31/2— 1 1/4 11/4 . . 3s 21 3% 19% 2034 203/4 35/8 35/8 -f 1/8 191/4 191/4 — 1/2 Deon De Titta Celebrates Deon De Titta, veteran chief projectionist of 20th Century-Fox, celebrates two anniversaries today. The day marks the 28th year with the company and his 32nd wedding anniversary. The De Tittas have three sons in the armed forces. FILM DUBBING SCRIPT ADAPTATION GHOST VOICE SPANISH-PORTUCUESE-FRENCH Spanish Sound Studios 41 E. 42nd St.. N. Y. 17 . MU 2-5358 Universal tendered a luncheon yesterday at Hampshire House for Peggy Ryan, star of "The Merry Monahans" and the forthcoming "On Stage Everybody," at which the film actress met the trade press and Lou Goldberg who will be associate producer of the latter picture. Among those present were Maurice Bergman, Don Rich, Chester B. Bahn, Al Picoult, Marion Orford, James Jerauld, Al Horwits, Hank Linet. Bob Wile, Terry Ramsaye, Marie Slate, Jerrv Halprin, Charles Simonelli, Bob Ungerfeld, E. J. Eustace, Miriam Quirk, Richard May. Mel Konnecoff, Frank Leyendecker, Mike Wear, Walter Barber, Sherwin Kane, Mrs. Hazel Ryan, Charles Moss, Tom Kennedy, Morris Alin, Andy Sharick and Wanda Ellis. Briskin, Col. End Pact By Mutual Consent West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Contract between Columbia and Samuel J. Briskin has been terminated by mutual consent effective immediately. Briskin recently retired from the Army and reported back to Columbia on July 10 to resume a six-year contract as a producer. At the time he entered the armed forces, Briskin was vice-president and executive producer of Columbia and with the exception of years 1930 and 1931, when he was executive producer at the RKO studio, he has been with Columbia since 1920. It has not been determined whether he will remain to complete production of the pictures on which he had already begun preparation. WE's Paris Office Escaped Nazi Wrath Cable received by Fred Hotchkiss, manager of Western Electric Co. ( France 1 at main office here, declares "Paris office in excellent condition ready to resume activity as soon as new equipments available," and adds that little damage to installations, was caused in ousting of the Nazis. The cable was sent by Edward C. Buddy, director of the Newsreel Pool, who is now in Paris, where he resided for several year's prior to the war as Paramount News' head there. $30,000 Gross Rewards "Wilson" Atlanta Bow Mrs. Leo Spitz Heads "Night of Stars" Group Mrs. Leo Spitz, arriving in New York on Monday from Hollywood, has accepted the chairmanship of the Women's Group for the eleventh anniversary of the "Night Of Stars," it was announced by Sylvan Gotshal, this year's chairman of the huge entertainment. Honorary chairmen are Mrs. Eddie Cantor, Mrs. H. A. Guinzburg, Mrs. Ted Lewis, Mrs. Louis B. Mayer, Mrs. Spyros P. Skouras, Mrs. Roger W. Strauss, Mrs. Joseph Stroock, and Sophie Tucker. Kestenbaum to Join Columbia on Monday Samuel S. Kestenbaum will join Columbia Pictures exploitation department under Harry McWilliams on Monday, it was announced today by Frank P. Rosenberg, director of advertising and publicity. Kestenbaum resigned recently as PRC's exploitation manager, and was previously associated with Grand National, Republic, and Monogram in advertising, publicity, and promotional capacities. Atlanta — Southern premiere of 20th-Fox's "Wilson" at the Paramount theater here Wednesday night rolled up a ?30,000 gross and gave the city its biggest opening since the world premiere of GWTW. There was nary an Annie Oakley for the bow, the house being scaled at $5-$10-$15, with the proceeds going to the Tallulah Falls School for Mountain Children. Hollywood contingent here for the opening included Alexander Knox, Carmen Miranda, Dana Andrews, Lynn Bari, Roddy McDowall, Trudy Marshall, George Jessel and Lamar Trotti. Ballyhoo campaign was engineered by the publicity department of the Lucas & Jenkins organization, in which Earl Wingart, Leonard Allen, James Gillespie and Spence Pierce of 20th-Fox co-operated, acting for Hal Home, director of 20th's advertising-exploitation and publicity. Leserman Loans Berg For Sixth Loan Drive Herb Berg, veteran industry paper reporter and now United Artists industry press contact, will function as the news disseminating source for the 6th War Loan, working in association with publicity and advertising director John Hertz, Jr. Berg, loaned by Carl Leserman, UA executive, will make his headquarters at WAC shortly. "Seed" Beats "Harvest" At Hall by $75,000 M-G-M's "Dragon Seed" wound up an eight-week engagement at the Music Hall with a total gross approximately $75,000 better than "Random Harvest," which held the eight-week record for the company. Almost 1,250,000 persons saw the film while it played the largest theater in the world. COmiM and GOIflG LO In Maiden Bow Today The maiden issue of LO, new publication for employes of Loew's and M-G-M, will make its appearance today. It will consist of 20 pages in two colors. Mike L. Simons, editor of M-G-M's Distributor, is managing editor. foi^r" DARRYL F. ZANUCK left for the Coast night. GRAD SEARS, left yesterday for the Co CARL LEStRMAN is due to leave today. LEO CATCHER, publicity director for V guard Films, left yesterday for Chicago to m Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten and then depart for Hollywood. COL. H. A. COLE leaves tomorrow las. W. C. GEHRINC, Western sales manager 20th Century-Fox, who left New York weeks ago for sales conferences in the changes under his supervision, returns to home office desk this morning. LOUIS BRAGER, of home office real est1 department, off to Pittsburgh for a 10 i business trip. J. D. TROP, who is making plans to f duce a feature, leaves the Coast today for r ! York, but will return to Hollywood weeks. HERMA.N CLUCKMAN, permanent volunt on the WAC executive staff, doubling treasurer and handling distribution affairs, returned to New York after a rwo-mo sojourn in Hollywood. DOROTHY LAMOUR is at the Waldorf-Ash , from the Coast. BOB O'DONNELL, JOHN FRIEDL, DICK KE NEDY and RAY BEALL, heads of the Fifth \ Loan national committee who have been h ' for conferences with the executive staff of ij forthcoming Sixth War Loan Drive, leave to. for home. A. W. SMITH, JR., Eastern 20th-Fox s; manager, was in Washington yesterday. Chas. A. Buckley Dies; Requiem Mass Tomorrow (Continued from Page 1) be closed today out of respect to ri; memory. Body will be sent to Bucl ley's birthplace, Spring Valley, Y., for burial. Buckley was graduated from Ho Cross College, Worcester, Mass., ar|f, Fordham College, New York, a: was a member of the New York 1; firm of Chadbourne, Stanchfield Levy for eight years before comii I to the Coast in 1926 to join F • West Coast. He is survived by !sister, Catherine, of New York Cit : a son, who is in the Navy and : daughter. Active pallbearers at the funei services will be George Toppe George Bowser, O. A. Collins, Irvii Epseen, W. H. Loller and John Bertero. \t SEND BIRTHDA1 GREETINGS TO... September 15 Robert T. Kane Jean Renoir Tom Conway Charles Cohen Alfred N. Coldsmirh Jack Sogg Louis Cassnier J. E. Farrow Pete Lewis Penny Singleton George Brown September 16 Sir Alexander Korda Jackie Cooper Harry M. Kalmine Earl Carroll Neely Edwards Wally Coldwell Sam Spewack E. (Whitey) Lange September 17 Lewis Milestone Al Kingston Esther Ralston Helen Vinson Ed Paramore, Jr. Edward Ruff Monty Schaff Roddy McDowall Twinkle Watts Dolores Costello Barrymore