The Film Daily (1945)

fiday, July 13, 1945 ^ n DAILY elly Quits Rank lo Produce Pix (Continued from Page 1) at he ultimately will form a disibuting company. Kelly, whose contract was for five lars at $1,600 a week, is understood have settled the pact for 50 per :nt of the remaining period of ap •oximately four jars. While there IS been no con rmation from ly source, re jrts were cur .nt yesterday lat Capt. Harold uten would suc eed Kelly as resident of lagle Lion. Cap ain Auten is a lember of the ompany's board f directors and is e turning with Lank on Tuesday 0 London. Kelly joined Rank's American set p in February, 1944, following con erences between Rank and Kelly in iOndon. Prior to his affiliation with ]agle Lion, Kelly was vice-president f United Artists and headed the for ign department for many years. He oined tJA shortly after its founding, erving as treasurer and vice-presi lent. He took over the supervision if the foreign department in 1924 md in 1943 he was named chairman if the finance committee. ARTHUR W. KELLY arainger to Hold Chi. Sales Meet Next Week (Continued from Page 1) jroups will be scheduled during the season. Accompanying Grainger to Chiago will be Edward L. Walton, excutive assistant and assistant gen3ral sales manager, and the pair will be joined by Will Baker, Midwestern sales manager; Nate E. Steinberg, Prairie sales manager, and Sam Seplowin, iCentral sales manager. Branch managers to attend include E. H. Brauer, Indianapolis; Jack Prackman, Milwaukee; William M. Grant. Minneapolis, William Feld, Chicago, Harry Lefholtz, Omaha; Dave Nelson, Des Moines, and Robert Withers, Kansas City. Lt. Addis Recuperating Chicago — ^Lt. Mel Addis, formerly a theater manager for B & K, is at the Mayo Hospital, Galesburg, 111., recuperating from battle wounds. STORK REPORTS Portland, Me. — Harry Botwick, manager of the M & P State Theater here, and Mrs. Botwick, are parents of a second daughter, Judith Gail, bom on her father's birthday. Win Cr. K. Raw Siock Victory Board of Trade Ends U. S. Print Export Ban (Continued development of Continental markets by U. S. distributors. Prints of American films destined for the Continent are made in Lon Coincident with the receipt yesterday of FILM DAILY'S London story, the MPPDA here announced the arrival of a cable from the British capital advising of the Board of Trade's action in lifting the ban on export of prints front U. S. negatives from Britain. The MPPDA pointed out that the British change of front stemmed from State Department intercession. don and halting the practice would have necessitated an additional drain on U. S. raw stock allocations as well as more work for already busy American laboratories. U. S. State Dept., through the Embassy, has for some time been fighting the BOT order banning export of made-in-England prints by from Page 1) American companies. Although the order was technically applicable to all foreign distributors, U. S. companies are the only foreigners making prints here for export. State Dept. held that the order discriminated against American companies in contrast to WPB allocations for British prints in the U. S. which allow as much raw stock as was formerly used while American distributors were forced to take large cuts. BOT, it is believed, finally came around to the American viewpoint on U. S. allocations for British prints after originally feeling that British exporters were being unfairly treated. (Move followed reports published in a New York trade paper Wednesday that the State Dept. had failed in its effort to get the BOT to modify the order. Yesterday's Film Daily reported that the Embassy was concentrating its fire on the project and that State Dept. officials were hopeful that differences could be adjusted.) Two Pittsburgh Booking Combines in Merger (Continued from Page 1) nounced here yesterday in the following statement: "James R. Alexander of Pennsylvania Enterprises, Inc., a buying and booking organization representing approximately 45 out-of-town theaters, and Bert M. Stearn of Cooperative Theater Service, a buying and booking organization representing approximately 80 city and suburban theaters, announced yesterday the merger of the two organizations. "On account of the larger quarters of the recently acquired new premises occupied by Co^Operative Theater Service, the Pennsylvania Enterprises, Inc., will give up its downtown offices located in the Law and Finance Building and all booking and buying will be handled at the offices located at 1701 Boulevard of Allies. "Alexander will continue in an executive capacity, handling and assisting in the administrative affairs of the combined companies." This merger will become effective two weeks from yesterday. B. D. Stoner, buyer for Pennsylvania Enterprises, and George Purcell, booker, are not joining the new outfit and have not yet announced their future plans. Before joining Pennsylvania, Stoner was branch manager for M-G-M here and Purcell managed the Penn and State Theaters in Uniontown, Pa. It is reported that Stoner will return to distribution, and Purcell to theater managership in another situation, but this is indefinite. Defer Chi. Pact Hearing Chicago — Theater owners and projectionists' meeting on a new contract has been postponed to next Wednesday. Tom Connors and Gehring Leave for Coast Confabs (Continued from Page 1) geles, where they will sit in on studio conferences with Joseph M. Schenck, executive head of production, and see many of the new 1945-46 productions. Sells 1,250,000 Kroehler Shares Chicago— The A. G. Brecker Co. yesterday sold to the public at $103 per share, 1,250,000 share of Kroehler Manufacturing Co., makers of Pushbak seats. $42,018,225 in Bonds Sold by 5 Circuits Five Metropolitan area circuits, controlling 265 theaters, or 40 per cent of New York houses participating in the Seventh War Loan, sold $42,018,225 in Bonds during the campaign, Irving Lesser, area WAC general chairman, reported yesterday. Circuits embrace Loew's RKO, Skouras, Century and Randforce. Adding their totals to the $10,414,175 sold by 16 Broadway houses, a total of $52,432,400 was sold by only 281 theaters. Lesser pointed out. Individual circuit reports are as follows: Loew's, $11,426,800; Skouras, $11,523,575; RKO, $7,076,925; Century, $9,000,000, and Randforce, $2,990,925. Lesser anticipates that New York area theaters will exceed their Seventh Drive quota by a wide margin. Bronx Scdes in Seventh Bring Praise for Myers Noting that Bronx theaters were responsible for over seven million dollars of the $19,300,000 Seventh War Loan "E" Bond quota attained by the Borough, William E. Boyland, chairman of the Bronx WFC, paid tribute to Gene Myers, Loew's district manager, for the success of the Drive. "You of the motion picture industry have been greatly responsible for the phenomenal success of the Seventh War Loan Drive in the Bronx," Boyland said. Myers was WAC chairman for the Bronx theaters. Angelo Brecia Dead Chicago — Angelo Brecia, Alvin theater operator, is dead, after a short illness. M-G-M TRADE SHOW WEDNESDAY, JULY 18th OUR ViMES HAVE TENDER GRAPES New York-New Jersey Territory Only M-G-M SCREEN ROOM-630 NINTH AVENUE at 1:30 P.M. THURSDAY, JULY 19th WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF New York-New Jersey Territory Only M-G-M SCREEN ROOM-930 NINTH AVENUE at 1:30 P.M.