The Film Daily (1945)

^ DAILY Monday, July 16, IS; RKO-Rank in Prod. (Continued from Page 1) Radio Pictures, Ltd., and RKO British Productions in London. Final details were consummated at a conference held by Rank, N. Peter Rathvon, RKO Radio board chairman, and Ned Depinet, president of RKO Radio. Wolff will be the liaison between the Hollywood and British studios. The Rank-RKO arrangement is regarded in the trade as having far-reaching implications, affecting, the world-wide production and distribution of motion pictures. The pictures will be produced in the United Kingdom, with RKO handlingthe distribution in the United States, United Kingdom, Central and South America and other countries to be determined. The Rank group, through its own distribution organizations, will function as distributors in Europe, Canada, Australia and other countries. The jointly-produced pictures will be high budget product and not the usual quota quality, it was said. They will be designed for the American and world markets and representative of the top standard which RKO Radio intends to establish with all pictures made in Great Britain in close association with the Rank group. The fact that the pictures will be jointly financed emphasizes that this is a partnership between RKO Radio and the Rank interests. The trade at the weekend was inclined to regard it as a pattern for things to come, and there was lively speculation as to a possible announcement by Rank of similar deals with other American interests at a scheduled "bon voyage" press conference this noon at the Sherry Netherlands. Rank and his "cabinet" depart on the Queen Mary tomorrow for England. Rank recently met with Charles Koerner at the RKO Radio studio and discussed plans. Several properties are now under discussion. Casts of top Hollywood and established British stars will be used and Hollywood producers and directors selected by Rank and Koerner will be sent to London. The first picture will be made at Rank's Denham studios for release in 1946. SEnO BIRTHORV GREETinCS TO: luly 16 Ginger Rogers Mary Philbin Barbara Stanwyck Gus Harris liana Massey A Reporter's Report to You • • • THE PERSONAL TOUCH: Hal Home, still smiling about that surprise party attended by members oi the 20th-Fox publicity, advertising, exploitation departments on the occasion of his birthday Hal blew out the 21 candles and was the recipient of some gag presents from the lads who think up the ads ... # Manny Reiner, erstwhile at Paramount, now with the OWI, postal-cards that Venice is more fabulous than Hollywood and that every filmite should visit there, par icularly exhibitors who are weary of Florida Manny swears they deliver films in Venice by gondoliers. . . 9 James Vincent O'Gara, formerly with 20th-Fox in Chile, Cuba, and the British West Indies, has joined the home office staff of Republic Pictures International . . . 9 C. C. Murray, manager of Fox-Lincoln Thsater, Spring.ieM, 111. has been elected chairman of the Sangamon County Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis ... 9 Bill Shelpark, formerly with Paramount, has joined Hal Wallis Productions to work in the business department with President Joseph H. Hazen ... # Sylvan Goldfinger, Western manager for Telenews Theaters, will turn concessionaire when the Congress Hotel reopens in Chicago next month Sylvan has garnered the tobacco, candy, newspaper, magazine rights. • D. John Phillips, formerly publicity manager for Paramount shorts, now attending AAF, OCS at Maxwell Field, Alabama, is still keeping his hand in show business, staging the show for the OCS graduating class last week Aside to Dud: better protect that sketch material by copyright ... • Pfc's Charles H. Alexander, of Watertown, N. Y., and Edward P. Law, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who run the Eighth Army Headquarters' movie projectors, in a report of their findings after two years of showing films overseas for the G.I.'s, contend that men overseas, in general, have the same likes and dislikes they had in civilian life, with the exception that they are escapists more than ever before. T T ▼ • • • OFF THE HOLLYWOOD WIRE: Glenn Ford draws the top male role opposite Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" Ford reports to Columbia following the completion of "Stolen Life," for which he is on loan at Warners ... • 20th-Fox has set Carmen Miranda for "Doll Face.". . O Hillary Brooke goes to Mexico City to star in a Spanish picture for William Rowland, after she completes "You'll Remember Me" at Republic ... • George Marshall will direct Bob Hope in "Monsieur Beaucaire" at Paramount ... 9 Femme lead in 20thFox' "An American Guerrilla in the Philippines" goes to Linda Darnell ... # Marilyn Maxwell heads East in August to appear in the Eddie Cantor-Nat Carson production of "Billie Bly" . . . # Leslie Vincent is now recording a series of Hawaiian stories for Decca Records ... # Benedict Bogeaus has set Francis Lederer for a heavy role in "The Diary of a Chambermaid" Robert Newton, English actor, originally schedu'ed for the role is unable to come at this time. • Warners have loaned Ona Munson to Republic for the second femme lead in "Dakota.". . ▼ T T • • • CUFF NOTES: If, as reported, the announcement of that Selznick-RKO deal caught United Artists executives on the Coast by surprise, they may find some consolation in the fact that there were other executives in the East who were no less taken unawares. , . • "Teen-Age Girls" is proving one of the March of Time's lop exploitation pix. . . • Warners' "Conflict" has been given extended playing time clear across the board in its more than 30 Fourth of July openings • • • WE'RE AVENGING PEARL HARBOR! M-G-M Sets Dates fol Regional Confereno Chicago — Five compact regio conferences will be held by M-G sales managers starting tomorrc^ it was announced at the manage conference here. Tomorrow si Wednesday, John E. Flynn, Westt sales manager, will conduct sessic at the Blackstone Hotel here with \ following: Henry A. Friedel, Denvii Ralph W. Maw, Minneapolis; & Shirley, district managers; Jo Kemptgen, Milwaukee; W. H. Wo] man, Minneapolis; Gerald McGlyi Omaha; Carl Nedley, Salt Lake Cit D. C. Kennedy, Des Moines; W Banford, Chicago, branch manage: Edward K. O'Shea, Eastei-n sales mianag' will meet July 19-20 at the Astor Ho New York, with district manag-ers Herm Ripps, Albany; Bob Lynch, Philadelph' lack Bo'wen, New York: Morris Wolf, Boati and New Jersey, and the following brar manag-ers: Tom Donaldson. Boston; Ha: Rosenblatt, New Haven; Jack Mundstv Buffalo: Ralph Pielow, New York; Ben A ner. New Jersey Loii Formato, Philadelph On July 18-19, John J. MaJoney, Centi ?ales manager, will convene at the Stat Hotel, Cleveland, with district manag-ers Jo P. Byrne, Detroit: John S. Allen, WaShingt and the following branch managers, Ja Sog-g, Cleveland: Frank J. Dcwiiey, Detro. Poster Gauker, Indianapolis; Prank Willir; haim. St. Louis; Edwin Booth, Cincinna Saal Gottlieb, Pittsburg-h. Rudolph Berg-er, Southern sales manag-i will have a two-day meeting starting July It the Blackstone Hotel, New Orleans, wi Charles Kessnich, Atlanta; Burtus Bisho Jr., Dallas, district managers, and the folio ing branch manag-ers: William Zoellner, 'anta: Benn Rosenwald, Charlotte; Jam! Briant, New Orleans; Leroy Blokel, Dalla Frank Hensler, Kansas City; Jack Revill, Oklahoma City; and Louis Ingram, Memph: Althougrh George Hickey, West Coast sali manag-er, hasn't definitely set a date he wi meet within the next 10 days with branmanagers Sam Gardner, Los Ang:eles; Lou Amacher, Portland; L. C. Wingham, Sj Francisco: Maurice Saffle, Seattle. Purpose of the meetings -will be to over the important toipies discussed here t William F. Rodgers, general sales manag-e Howard Dietz, on Friday, gave a details resume on the magnitude of the pre-selliri .job being done and also talked about sipecii stunts being lined mp for "Ziegfeld Pollies.i He also discussed national advertising caa^ paigns. Rodgers discussed briefly some of ne product, such as "Anchors Aweig-h," "Week end at the Waldorf," "Her Highness and th Bellboy," "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes "Abbott & Costello in Hollywood," "The Were Expendable," "Yolanda and the Thief, in Technicolor, "The Harvey Girls," "Strang Adventure," "The Postman Always Ring Twice," "Letter for Eve" and "She Went t( the Races." Si Seadler. advei-tislng manager, discussei advertising in a different slant from Dietz William R. Ferguson, exploitation managei talked on exploitation angles, and Henderso: M. Richey on exhibitor relations. One Way to Furnish Your Runtpus Room Chicago — Selective pilfering seems to be the order of the day among local theater thieves. Manager Barry, rf Warner's Capitol, got word from his janitor that a nine-foot section of the main floor brass rail had disappeared, while Lester Stepner, manager of the LaSalle, reports that two floor lamps are on the missing list. Nd word on how the stuff was gotten out of the houses. J