The Film Daily (1945)

Paramount Celebrates ^^A Third of a Century jj Intimate In Character International in Scope Independent in Thought {See Pages G-28) The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Twenty Seven Years Old -IFDAILY' )VOL. 88 NO. 5 NEW YORK, MONDAY, JULY 9, 1945 TEN CENTS HOLD PARLEY ON DISPOSITION OF ARMY PIX 15 Film Execs, to Make Griffith Suit Depositions Reeling 'Round-' WASHINGTON By ANDREW H. OLDER ;^ il WASHINGTON U A NCTHER agency of Government last '^ month recorded its belief that pix were a vigorous weapcn in international af' fairs. For that was the opinion which, reluctantly, the officials in the Office of the Alien Property Custodian reached, albeit under pressure, when they decided not to go through with their scheduled auction of Nazi films. It is, basically, the same position which the State Department and even OWl have taken — one of recognition that even where propaganda is not obvious it is nonetheless present and strong in pix... A couple of years ago. Bill Rogers, then in Congress, remarked that American ifilms were the greatest propagandists Ameri*" ca had — "because they contained no propa" ganda." Congressmen like Manny Celler, Helen Gahagan Douglas, Ellis Patterson and Hugh DeLacey knew the truth of Bill's words when they protested to APC — and the MPPDA, it develops, also recognized the Itnith. , Although many in the industry were keenly interested in the fight to block distribution of these films, there was little press comment at the time quoting industry toppers. That's why we're glad to give you excerpts from letters by a few Hollywood leaders to Ellis Patterson, who inserted his protest in the Congressional Record and at the same time lauded the war record of our industry. .. ."We are indebted to you for your efforts in preventing the sale and distribution of these pictures," Charlie Skouras wrote. From Nicholas Schenck: "I agree with ycu and am certainly heartily in accord with your sentiments, and am delighted that the matter was brought to an end ". . . . Writing for Col. Jack Warner, who was in Europe, Jim Allen of Warner Bros, told Patterson, "I know Col. Warner would strongly approve of the stand you took with respect to the proposed sale of certain confiscated Nazi films by the Alien Property Custodian." ...Joseph Schenck's pride in his industry obscured his statement about the Nazi films, but it was the controversy over those films that prompted his letter. He wrote; "We in the motion picture industry are grateful to yow for the well-deserved tribute which you extended our industry for its splendid contribution to the war effort." e e THE recent hearings by the Kilgore Com • mittee on German economic penetra ( Continued on Page 30) Defense Attorneys Coming To New York to Take Them At the New York Bar Assn. Oklahoma City — Oral depositions in the Griffith Amusement Co. antitrust trial will be taken from 15 industry leaders starting July 16 in i New York, Griffith attorneys said Friday as they prepared to leave for i the East. 1 Notices to take the depositions I were placed in the mails Friday by Henry Griffing, chief Griffith counsel. The depositions will be used in presenting the defense side of the case (Continued on Page 321 HOUSE PASSES TAX RELIEF MEASURE Lifts Excess Profits Tax to 525,000; an Aid to Pix Firms I Little Accomplished, It I is Reported, as Army Here Turned Over Few Films Para. Settles Momand Action for $80,000 Federal Judge Alfred C. Cox on Friday approved an agreement between Paramount and A. B. Momand whereby Paramount will pay Momand $80,000 for damages claimed in theater operations in Wewoka, Okla. Settlement stems from the $4,960,000 anti-trust action brought by Momand against Griffith Amusement (Continued on Page 321 Independent Conference In Late Summer or Fall The Conference of Independent Exhibitors on the Consent Decree will meet in the late Summer or early Fall, it was reported at the weekend by Abram F. Myers, Allied gen( Continued on Page 29) Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — The House Friday passed without amendment the tax relief bill which provides for lifting the excess profits tax base from $10,000 to $25,000 and for immediate steps to cash in the 10 per cent post-war tax credits for payers of the excess profits tax. Attempts to raise the limit to $30,000 and to have the change applied to 1944 taxes were defeated on the floor. The bill, which now goes to the Senate, promises substantial relief for numerous pix firms — particularly those with profit figures between $10,000 and $25,000. The larger com(Continued on Page 2) Earle Hines Resigns From Scophony Board Earle G. Hines, it was learned on Friday, has resigned as a director of I Scophony Corp. of America, 527 Fifth Ave. Eesult of the Hines resignation is that General Precision Equipment Corp., largest holder of Class B common stock of SCA, is no longer represented on the SCA board. Paramount, which also owns an in(Continued on Page 311 Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — While two members of the Senate's Mead Committee are growing more and more interested in bringing out all the facts concerning the Army's handling of surplus prints of its training films, representatives of the Army, the Surplus Property Board and the Office of Education met Friday to discuss formulation of a new policy for disposal of those films turned over to the SPB by the Army. One participant in the meeting said little had been (Continued on Page 31) No. Central Allied Seeks 500 Theaters Minneapolis — With announcement of the filling of two important chairmanships. President Benjamin N. Berger of North Central Allied, independent exhibitors' organization, Friday said the first phase of the reorganization of this group has been complete. The next phase will be intensifica(Continued on Page 30) Para^ Augments Program Block of Stories Being Readied for Cameras Action Filed Over New Back Projection Screen Suit was filed on Friday in local Federal Court by United Research Corp. against Clair L. Farrand, asking ,the court to execute and deliver to United and Warner Bros, nonexclusive royalty-free license for a (Continued on Page 30) West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Augmenting the features which will be released in connection with Paramount Month and a backlog of completed films from which will be drawn the lead-off productions for the 1945-46 season. Paramount has five features before j the cameras and an imposing stock I of story properties which are being (Continued on Page 29l Schine Premieres Sold $2,144,000 in "E" Bonds With five more theaters yet to report, Schine Circuit home office announced that $2,144,000 in War Bonds had been sold at the premieres held (Continued on Page 29) Loew's Theaters Sold $18,046,670 Bonds Breaking all records for theater Bond sales. Loew's in-town and outof-town theaters have sold $18,046,670 maturity value in Bonds to patrons during the Seventh War Loan drive, up to Sunday evening, July 1. This represents 204,671 individual Bonds, according to an announcement made Friday by Charles C. Moskowitz, Loew's theater executive.