The Film Daily (1945)

itlmaie in ^Vtacter iternaiional in Scope idapendent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Oi Motion Pictures Twenty-Seven Years Old -IFDAILY OL. 88. NO. 30 NEW YORK, MONDAY. AUGUST 13. 1945 TEN CENTS JRGE METRO 19 POINTS FOR ALL COMPANIES ':>ell-out Biz in 90% of 60 Open Luzon Theaters Editorial Lord Keynes . . . silly season By CHESTER B. BAHN UDGING from the verbal rumpus kicked ' up among our British cousins by Lord lynes' recent radio trumpeting of "Death t Hollywood!", bonny England as well as ;se United States has its silly season. While the staid London Times was moved \ comment editorially, there even was a • jckle in what it had to say about Hollylod's "insatiable desire to attempt to inI pret Europe according to her own peiar ideas," with the added thrust that ngland, as Hollywood is accustomed to i.'sent her, is little more than a quaint ,air of lath, plaster and misconception." The chuckle stems from a couple of ngs. For instance, the plaudits — and linds — which generally in the past have ivarded Hollywood's treatment of English 3mes and the British scene. For instance, ), the plans of our most recent disguished British visitor, J. Arthur Rank, to }duce in his own studios pictures of nerican life. 0 E that as it may, Hollywood has not gone undefended in Britain during the rbal rumpus. Perhaps the best retort what Lord Keynes had to say came from e pen of Ernest Fredman, managing editor the Daily Film Renter. Wrote Fredman: "Hollywood has given 20 million or more opie in this country — let alone elsewhere some mighty fine entertainment each week er the years, and. . . .without that contrition the picture theaters here could have ut up." His Lordship could find a hint in the timable Freddie's last two words. 0 T is inevitable of course that there should he lively speculation as to what the at ude of the new British Labor government wards film biz will turn out to be. The idustry does not appear among those !ted for future nationalization, nor is there |iy indication that t wll be subsequently Ided. However, it was only last year that e London Trades Council was proposing ivernment control of all studios and lab atories and the creation of a State Bank ' finance British production. From the industry viewpoint undoubtedly le two most important figures in the new ttiee Cabinet are Hugh Dalton, formerly resident of the Board of Trade and Min (Continued on Page 3) Prices Double Pre-War; OWI Handling Distrib.; Theaters Absorbing Tax By WIUIAM KADISON FILM DAILY War Correspondent Manila (By Air Mail) — Two of Manila's six pre-war first-run theaters are running at top business, with a third to open as soon as cement becomes available to patch up shell-blasted walls and floors. The other three are beyond salvage. Currently screening simultaneous release of understandably popular "Back to Bataan," the Ideal, erstwhile M-G-M product house owned (Continued on Page 7) CUBAN OISTRIBS. IN RADIO FIELD Buy Stations as Air Proves Promotional Value WAC Continuation Stiii Undetermined While discussions have been held periodically concerning the continuation of the War Activities Committee after the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, no decision has been reached. "It's still very indefinite," George (Continued on Page 6) Studio Strike Hearing By Green Off Till Today Chicago — The hearing on the studio strike which was to have been held here on Friday by William Green, president of the AFL, in a new attempt to end the walkout has (Continued on Page 3) By MABY LOUISE BLANCO FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Havana (By Air Mail) — Acquisition of Radio Stations CMBF and COBF by Justo Suarez, producerdistributor, and Octavio Gomez Castro, president of Continental Films, who will operate the stations under their newly-established firm, Organizacion Cine Radial, promises to be more far-reaching in its effects than the transaction indicates on the surface. Alert observers see the move as setting a pattern for further filmradio linkups not only in Cuba, but throughout Latin-America. It is ex( Continued on Page 3) Wood Asks Sales Heads To Use Metro Policy As Basis for "Magna Charta" Argentina Launclies Raw Stock Project Buenos Aires (By Cable) — Domestic manufacture of positive raw stock, aimed at fortifying the economy of Argentina's native film industry, is now being undertaken, and the raw stock will commence appearing shortly on the market under the trade name, "Delta." Joint manufacturers are Raul (Continued on Page 6 1 M-G-M's 19-point trade practice policy, recently announced by William F. Rodgers at the company's Chicago sales parley, should be used as a pattern by other companies in their relations with their exhibitorcustomers, it was indicated in a letter to the sales managers last week by P. J. Wood, secretary of the ITO of Ohio. Declaring that many of the points were not new, Wood contended that the "forthright manner in which (Continued on Page 7) lap Otter Cuts Theater Biz ''Takes" in the Big Keys Go Down Sharply Ampa Board Maps New Season Plans Tomorrow A meeting of the board of Ampa for discussion of plans for the new season has been called for tomorrow by Dave Bader, president of the organization. The Hotel Edison will be the place. The Ampa relief fxind will (Continued on Page 3) Attendance at film houses showed a general decline on Friday as the news of impending surrender of Japan spread quickly through the nation. Circuit and indie managers attributed the drop not only to the fact that millions of regular and prospective patrons kept "glued" pretty much to their radios, or otherwise awaited, in understandable expectarton, the climactic hour of the (Continued on Page 61 Raw Stocl( Meeting Deferred By WPB Washington Bureau of THE FILM ■DAILY Washington — Film Industry Advisory Committee meetings originally scheduled for Aug. 13, 14 and 15 have been postponed tentatively to Aug. 27, 28 and 29, Stanley P. Adams, director of WPB's Durable Goods Division, announced Friday., WPB is taking "time-out" said Adams to figure out what effect an (Continued on Page 6) Foreign Heads Meet With OWI on Pix for Germany A preliminary meeting was held Friday by Charles Goldsmith, acting head of the OWI overseas motion picture bureau and the foreign heads of the major companies to discuss the possible number and types of films to be shown in Gennany in the (Continued on Page 7) Direct Pix Shipment to Sweden in Effect Effective immediately, American motion picture films can be sent direct to Sweden on Swedish ships, Massce, Barnet & Co. reported Friday. Until now, films for Sweden were shipped via England.