The Film Daily (1945)

wKTSklLY: Thursday, July 5, 194 Florida Campaign Keyed to Location (Continued from Page 1) poses, and upon the basis of the report, the State will extend official invitations to companies and studios, offering full co-operation to those accepting the bids, it was said here yesterday by Claude F. Lee, Paramount's director of public relations, one of those named to the committee. That the committee had been appointed by Gov. Millard F. Caldwell, following authorization by the State Legislature, was exclusively reported in a Jacksonville dispatch to The Film Daily yesterday. Lee, a former Floridian and personal friend of Governor Caldwell, agreed to serve on the committee after an exchange of wires and phone calls. Advices from Jacksonville yesterday indicated that there was no intention on the part of the state to lure studios to Florida. Location work there, however, is regarded as a "natural." Local 306, Companies Agree on New Pact (Continued from Page 1) been reached on most points at issue. Besides a five per cent wage increase under the provisions of the Little Steel Formula the employers are reported to have agreed to two hours a week overtime for maintenance work. The wage boost would be retroactive to September, 1944, when the old contracts expired. The new two-year agreements would run to Aug. 31, 1946. The union is expected to resume negotiating with the employers on a collective basis next week, following the failure of individual conferences. Zukor, DeMille, Para. Stars, Execs, on Anniversary Tour In preparation for Paramount Month, Aug. 26 to Sept. 29, climax of Paramount's Third of a Century celebration. Paramount stars, including Ray Milland, Sonny Tufts, Betty Hutton and William Demarest plus Messrs. Adolph Zukor and Cecil B. DeMille, are joining company sales executives on a swing that will take them to each of the country's 31 key exchange cities before the tours end on July 28 in New York. fmm TOUCH HAZEL EDISON has joined Monogram's booking department in Atlanta. GOLDIE DAVIDSON, office manager, Film Classics exchange, Chicago. FRAN HARRIS, director of television department, Ruthrauff & Ryan, Chicago. GLADYS LAX, office manager. Supreme Pictures exchange, Chicago. All in the Day's News • • • THE PERSONAL TOUCH: Bob Christenberry of the Hotel Astor and Harry C. Zapf of Skouras Theaters are national chairman and treasurer, respectively, of the newly launched Veteran's Political Committee, Inc., of the U. S The non-partisan organization aims at good government and proposes to function as the political arm of all American veterans. . . • RKO's Hardie Meakin finally has found a Cincinnati apartment for his family, thus relieving Washington's housing shortage by just that much, too. . . • New Ascap members embrace Charlie Abbott, Art Harry Herman, Teddy Hall, Lucius "Lucky" Millinder, Leo J. "Lee" Pearl, Aexel Stordahl, Harold Bauer, Williom Bergsma, Alberte Chiaffarelli and Paul Creston. . . • Howard Feigley, Sr., manager of Toledo's Rivoli and dean of the city's showmen, is celebrating 24 years as an exhib. . . • Metro's Ralph Pielow returns today from a San Antonio reunion with Junior, now a patient in Brooke General Hospital there The youngster was wounded in the Belgian break thru last December. . . • Capt. Jesse Sabin, after three years in the service in Cairo and England, has been discharged and has rejoined News of the Day headquarters in New York. . . • Spyros P. Skouras is expected in Chicago to preside at National Greek Relief sessions at the Palmer House on July 20-21. . . • Harold Goldraben, former out-oftown booker for Loew's theaters, has switched to the, foreign dept. , . • Didja know that Warners' Chicago zone manager, James Coston, has been appointed to the Policemen's Retirement and Pension Board by Mayor Edward Kelly? T T T • • • ODDS AND ENDS: Didja know that the distribs. are querying Chicago theater operators on public reaction to gangster films there, following the municipal censors' rejection of "Dillinger" and "Crime, Inc.?" • The Mystery Writers of America, Inc., threatens to enter the "Oscar" field with an award for the best mystery pic of the year. . . • RKO has exercised its option for two more Dick Tracy sagas thru Al Lowenthal who represents cartoonist Chester Gould. . . • Credit Charlie Smakwitz of Warners for that nifty industry promotion stunt in Albany which saw the Mayor proclaim "Movie Lot to Beachhead" Week, with all Albany urged to read the tome. . . • Is it news that the Army Pictorial Service is working on a series of Signal Corps Photo Center shorts for exhibition in a Trans-Lux-type theater which the ATC proposes to establish at Natal, Brazil, for the entertainment of transient military personnel? ... • It's estimated that this year in Chicago alone industry expenditure for radio time will hit around $500,000 Sounds out of line, but the source is emphatic. . . • If the deal goes thru, Jeffrey Bernerd will be back in old England, come Fall, to produce a picture starring Kay Francis in association with Pathe Pictures, Ltd. . . • Looks as though the strawhat circuit total for the season will hit 30, or approximately the same number as lost year.' . . • The Army is using Walt Disney's "The Three Caballeros' as the basis of a promotional campaign to sell War Bonds to the armed forces stationed in Central Latin-American and other Spanish-speaking countries ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • WE'RE AVENGING PEARL HARBOR! Film Center Bld'g Rally A Seventh War Loan rally will be held in front of the Film Center Bldg. today at noon and will feature the Victory Band of World War IL Rally will be conducted by Arthur Boran of the Treasury Dept., who will auction off dinners at some of the best known night clubs. Seattle Breaks Drive Records Seattle — Breaking records of all earlier Bond drives, Seattle theaters have sold $31,600,000 during the Mighty Seventh. Of this, $31,300,000 is from Bond Premieres, with the top figure $11,166,165 from the Fifth Avenue Theater show. Distribs. to Probe Exhibitor Complaints (Continued from Page 1) exhibitors along the Eastern coas Midwest and Pennsylvania in cor| piling data, and the complaints fuj nished by those exhibitors are e pected to be investigated, in part, . least, by the defendants. ( Grad Sears Returns To Activity at UA (Continued from Page 1) tors in order to devote his full dutii to distribution. He said that his pre ent UA contract ran to Dec. 31, 194 Reports that David Coplan, UA head in England, was resigning ■ take an executive position with tl J. Arthur Rank organization in Cai ada, were denied by Sears. He ai nounced that UA had acquired tl world-wide distribution rights of English picture made by Two Citi( titled "The Way to the Stars," whic he praised highly. Picture fills UA quota requirements. ! Harry Walker Instantly Killed in Auto Crash Pittsburgh — Funeral rites we] held Tuesday for Harry Walker, 3, who with his brother William < Walker, operated theaters in Crafto and Sharpsburg. Walker was kilU instantly in an automobile accider on his way home from the theate when his car crashed into a loade steel truck. According to the coj oner's verdict. Walker suffered ■ heart attack. ] He also is survived by his widov two children. The Walker brothei are grandsons of Harry Williami who for many years owned and oj erated the local Academy, and ai prominently known throughout th Tri-State area. UlEDDinC BELLS Ollson-Finnegan Holyoke, Mass. — Gerald E. Finne gan, manager of the Plymouth, a Worcester, was married to Kathlee; V. Olson of Holyoke, in that city. Finnegan-Olson Worcester, Mass. — Jerry Finnegai manager of E. M. Loew's Plymoutl was married to Kathleen Olson. Th couple are honeymooning in Ne-( York. Johnson-Bundman Cincinnati — Mildred Johnson, aa sistant manager of the RKO Lyri announced her marriage, in May, t Jack Bundman.