The Film Daily (1945)

&*\ BAILY Tuesday, August 21, 194! WPB Control Over Raw Stock at End HOLLYWOOD SPEAKING Br RALPH WHJC (Continued from Page 1) dustry if the need should arise, but Adams does not believe there will be any such need and anticipates that the personnel of the motion picture division together vi^ith more than half of WPB's totaJ personnel will be out of a job as of the first of October. Revocation of these orders follows cancellation of all outstanding Army and Navy film orders. The armed sei'vices will check their inventories in the next 30 to 60 days and may reorder after this check is made. Additional Army and Navy require-' ments are not expected, however, except of medical X-ray film, requirements for which would not affect commercial film, accoi'ding to Adams, who said the industry can count 25 to 30 million feet of 35 mm. film for use for the rest of this year. Petbora of Raw Stock There will be more film available than the producers can use said Adams, explaining that revocation of L-178, controlling 35 mm. film had been planned for the fourth quarter even prior to the surrender of the Japanese, as supplies had already reached the place where this could be done. Questioned as to the effect on the fcindependent producers if the "big pellows" should corner the raw film larket in the next few months, fAdams said that while WPB could |still grant ratings to individual proiucers who might have difficulty oblaining film, all ratings will be dis|continued except in the case of such m emergency, which he does not expect to arise Adams pointed out that Eastman ind other companies' distribution to laboratories was never controlled; it ras distributed at the laboratories level which was under WPB regulajiion. It was never found necessary, ;ie said, to tell film manufacturers irhat to distribute because most of ^he companies maintained an equitable system on their part. The same lequitable system was followed in |regard to distribution of roll film, ifhich was never under WPB order, said Adams, and there is, in his opin|ion, no reason to believe that a similar policy would not be followed nth respect to 35 mm. film especially as no shortage is anticipated. Intyentory controls may still be ex City Park Drive-In Plan Dratvs Rebuff New Orleans — The Music Committee of the City Park Improvement Association will submit a recommendation against the establishment of a drive-in theater in the New Orleans City Park at the next meeting of the City Park Board. The drive-in application had been filed by United Theaters of this city. HOLLYWOOD I NCLUDED in his production plans for ■ 1946-47, George Pal yesterday announced his writing staff was preparing a series of Technicolor Puppetoon subjects based on tne greatest collection of narrative poems in i:ngiish literature, Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." One of the first will be woven around Chanticleer The Cock, one of Chaucer's most famous characters. Goeffrey Chaucer, who lived in London in the late i-ourteenth Century, is known in literature as "the father of English poetry." • • Ireene Wicker, radio's "Singing Lady," is expected in Hollywood early in September to confer with studios on a series of education pictures for children of liberated and former enemy European countries. Following consultation with Hollywood producers, she will confer with officials in Washington on a program which calls for active Hollywood co-operation in the educational program. • o Hugh King, formerly with Myron Selznick, has joined the Harold Rose agency as an associate. In addition to handling the clients of the agency, he will establish a literary department for the office. King leaves for the East shortly to establish New York literary connections. • • Alexander-Stern, producer for PRC, has acquired the screen rights of "Keeping Up With the Joneses," comic strip drawn by Pop Momand and will produce a series of feature comedies. '"LJOLLYWOOD VICTORY CARAVAN," ' the industry's two-reel contribution to the next domestic and Canadian Victory Loan campaigns, went into production yesterday at Paramount studios. The subject, designed as a successor to the "All-Star Bond Rally" of the previous drive, is to play every theater in this country and the Dominion and is being made under the auspices of the WAC Hollywood division, and the OWI for the Treasury and Canadian War Finance Committee. Tom Baily is serving as co-ordinator. Featured in the cast are Robert Benchley, Humphrey Bogart, Joe Carioca, Carmen Cavallaro, Bing Crosby, William Demarest, Donna Drake, Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Alan Ladd, Paul Lee, Noreen Nash, Franklyn Pangborn, Olga San Juan, Barbara Stanwyck, Marjorie Weaver, Virginia Wells and the choir. • ' • Twentieth-Fox plans to produce the Helen Hunt Jackson novel. "Ramona" as a musical. Negotiations have been opened with Rudolf FrimI to write the music. • • Mary Hatcher, young singer who was signed by Paramount without ever having made a professional appearance, yesterday was loaned to the New York Theater Guild on a deal which assures her return to the screen with starring status. Under the agreement. Miss Hatcher will play the leading feminine role in the road production of "Oklahoma," opening in Philadelphia early in September and continuing until next Spring. erted by field officers of the WPB in line with President Truman's announced reconversion policy. Color "Scramble" No Madder The "mad scramble" in the color fihn industry will be no "madder," said Adams, as a result of the lifting of WPB controls because the trouble in that branch of the industry has always been "facilities bottleneck not a raw film bottleneck." Less than 10 per cent of Army and Navy's production as in color, not enough to damage the supply of color film. Lifting of some of WPB's construction and building materials controls, some of which were removed yesterday, and further relaxation of which is expected, may help to ease the color pix bottleneck but no real solution will be found as long as labor difficulties continue. Revocation of 219 orders and schedules announced by WPB yesterday included those controlling jute and jute products (M-70), widely used in theater carpeting, and those on cotton sale yarn (M-317-B), used in seat upholstery. Restrictions on distribution of oil-burning heaters (L-349) were also lifted. Unfortunately, however, oil continues in short supply. The order controlling air-conditioning equipment remains in force. Construction Orders in Effect Most construction orders remains in effect, but some indication of relaxation in this field is to be found in the announced revocation of L-192, controlling construction machinery and equipment, L-311, controlling logging construction machinery and equipment, L-311, controlling logging, lumber and wood products. Machinery and equipment, and various orders controlling specific types of lumber. Most lumber controls have not been lifted, however, and L-41, which restricts all construction, remain in effect. Early revision or perhaps revocation of this order is expected. Sees Pix Responsibility "The motion picture industry inherits a responsibility with respect to maintenance of goodwill and development of trade between the United States and other nations greater than that of any other industry," Adams said. With the withdrawal' of WPB's regulations controlling raw film, FEA's relaxation of most controls except import-export licensing, and the expectation that film will follow many other commodities into the list covered by general license, industry is "on its own," says Adams, "and more responsible for getting us off on the right foot internationally than any other industry. I think the industry is cognizant of this fact." Adams bowed out of film regulation with the comment that "motion picture people have been more co-operative than most. I have found that, generally speaking, they have been most willing to do their part in our programs." Detroit Unions Plan Wage Increase Drive (Continued from Page 1) trial city where amusement labor hail had to take a back seat generally ill favor of industrial labor for th(| duration. Local 38, Stagehands has soughil increases in connection with the vari-l ous legit theaters and auditoriums'! as well as with Jam Handy OrganiJ zation, leading commercial film proil ducers. Procedure of taking thesel cases before the WLiB has been un-l der consideration for some time, and| action along this line is indicated. Meanwhile, Local 38, which hagl contracts expiring this September] with all major local theaters, vaude-j ville and motion picture, is expected! to seek increases in their new con^J tracts, in addition to those in the] specialized fields already indicated.! At the same time, Local 199, made! up of projectionists, is renewing its] biennial contracts with some 200l theaters in the city territory, and isj expected to seek improved scales, although details have not been disclosed. Tipoff to the general trend is thel intention of the Detroit Federationi of Musicians, as disclosed by George! Clancy, secretary, to seek raises inl virtually all fields for their members! — something that will affect virtual-I ly every department of show busi-| ness locally. First definite move byll the musicians will be to secure a sixday week for the first time, Clancy said, with the provision that this will be sought at the rate of present seven days' pay. Injuries Fatal to Lt. Evens Cleveland — ^Word has just been received here of the death of Lt. Deles W. Evens, former Warner assistant ta-.^ contact manager. Lt. Evens 1^^ died July 14 from injuries suf'■""^ fered while on duty in Southern France, serving with the Fourthi Division of the Third Army. He had! received a Bronze Star for gallantry in action. Lt. Evens had been associated with the Cleveland Warner! office from 1938 to 1942 when he en-' listed in the Army. M P Research Society Has New Brainstorm St. Paul— The Motion Picture Research Society, Inc., which proposes to "classify motion pictures whose casts include divorced actors and actresses, "has filed articles of incorporation in the office of Mike Holm, Minnesota secretary of state. The three-fold plan of operation will include furnishing information to organizations interested in censorship, discouraging filming and viewing of motion pictures with casts which include divorced actors and actresses, and 'educating' the moviegoing public.