The Film Daily (1945)

51" «f Tiursday, September 27, 1945 13(^ DAILY iSEIU Theater Help fo Aid "El" Strike! (Continued from Page 1) 'tferday when it was learned that the tuilding Service Employes Internairaal Union strategists were plany^( to consider the advantage of 'Jf.-d^ing theater help affiliated with he BSEIU walk out in a sympathy nove. No date for a meeting to take ip the matter had been decided upon, t was said. When a spokesman for the international was asked to comment on a umor that BSEIU theater help The War Labor Board has called leaders of the ,striking elevator employes to meet at 2 p.m. this afternoon to shotv cause uhy the strike should not be terminated. night be called out, he remarked that 'the possibility is there." "If the strike is not settled we may have to ;ake such measures as are considered lecessary to force the issue," he idded. Beyond that he refused to ommit himself. Unions in the thea;er field here affiliated with the BSEIU are the Ushers and Ticket Takers' Union, Local 177, and the Theatrical and Amusement Service Employes, Local 54, which covers 3orters and cleaners. Some employes of Paramount's and '|Republic's home offices, as well as ivorkers in the Film Center Building, ;hose hardest hit in the industry by the current elevator operators' strike, just couldn't make the climb and yesterday reported by telephone. Several top executives operated from the lower floors of their buildings in offices made available through allied interests. The advertising and publicity departments of the two home offices affected were reported hit by lack of leliveries. HOrSE DEALS Chi. Area Houses Sold Chicago — Three area houses have changed hands recently. Jack Farrell and Fred Comeroto purchased the Midtown, Chicago, and the Hillside was taken over by Grace Berdie. Ohio Theater, Cicero, is now operated by Leo Degrazia while Bibb Bros, have taken over the Town in that city. Leon Buys Hilgers Interest El Paso, Tex.— G. D. Leon of the Leon Theaters has bought the interest of C. E. Hilgers in the Crawford Theater here and the Texas at :Ysleta, Tex. Several years ago Hilgers formed a partnership deal with the late H. S. Leon in operation of the theaters. Several months ago Hilgers turned full operating control back to the Leon home office but retained his half interest. Belgian Producer to Shotv New Doll Series Brussells (By Air Mail) — Claude Nissone Studios has developed a new type animated subject with dolls as characters. Subjects, all fairy tale scenarios, have a symphonic music background and are photographed against elaborate scenery. Temporarily titled "Formula X24," a number will be screened at the international exhibition to be held Nov. 30Dec. 6. Says Griffiths Sought Pix at Lowest Price (Continued from Page 1) without any consideration of the distributors' dealings with other exhibitors. ■ Falls, reciting many licensing negotiations with the former distributor defendants in the Griffith antitrust suit, said every contract was the result of lengthy wrangling and "horse trading." The sum total of his testimony purported to show that the Griffiths and distributors were never parties to a collusive monopoly in the industry. "They always thought their pictures were better than we did," said the veteran booker. Falls testified that the late R. E. Griffith, who withdrew from direct control of Griffith Amusement Co. in 1931 to set up his own circuits ^ in Texas and New Mexico, was active with him in negotiations for Griffith Amusement until 1939. R. E. Griffith until his death in 1943 was a co-defendant with L. C. and H. J. Griffith. Griffiths to Take Stand The surviving brothers are due to take the stand next as the attorneys announced that the Western Oklahoma Federal Court hearing could not be completed before next week. Robert L. Wright, chief Government counsel, revealed that he will have some rebuttal testimony to introduce. However, he still maintained that he would leave here tomorrow to return East to make final preparations for the New York case. A. R. Powell, Griffith partner in Guthrie, and W. T. Spears, likewise in Altus, Okla., testified earlv in the day. Powell described friendly relations with the Griffiths since 1926 and Spears since 1928. "Carriage Trade" Motif For "Spirit" Premiere A "carriage trade" premiere is nlanned for "Blithe Spirit" on Oct. 3 when the Noel Coward picture has its American premiere at the Winter Garden. Society's "favored 500" will be represented at the opening which, according to promotion plans, will have decorative motif of ton hats, orchids, jewels and gold braid. The Winter Garden switches to a «cREVjEUJS» "Sunbonnet Sue" with Gale Storm and Phil Regan (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW) Monogram 89 Mins. AMBITIOUS OFFERING WITH MUSIC CATCHES COLORFUL SPIRIT OF THE OLD BOWERY; SURE TO CLICK. Here is one of Monogram's more ambitious offerings that catches the spirit of the Bowery of another day. It is colorful and has been given splendid direction by Ralph Murphy. To Scott R. Dunlap goes credit as the producer. Gale Storm and Phil Regan do pleasing w:rk in the leading roles, with George Cleveland and Charles D. Brown giving fine portrayals in character parts. In fact, Brown, as a witty, kindly neighborhood priest, turns in one of the best supporting characterizations of the year. "By The Light Of The Silvery Moon," "School Days," "The Bowery" and "Yip-IAddy-I-Ay" are among the old song hits that aid in giving the production its nostalgic atmosphere. The production numbers were effectively staged by Jack Boyle. To gain more social standing, Edna Holland, a wealthy socialite, gives a cotillon in honor of her niece, Jane Storm. She does not disclose that Jane has been singing in Jane's father's Bowery saloon. But this becomes known when Jane's irate parent, George Cleveland, arrives and starts a fight to take his daughter back to the Bowery. Matters are adjusted by the Governor's wife, Minna Gombeli, who was reared on the lower East Side and who was a childhood friend of Cleveland. CAST: Cale Storm, Phil Regan, George Cleveland, Minna Combell, Edna M. Holland, Raymond Hatton, Charles D. Brown, Alan Mowbray, Charles )udels, Gerald 0. Smith, Billy Green. Jerry Franks, Jr. CREDITS: Producer, Scott R. Dunlap; Director, Ralph Murphy; Executive Director, Trem Carr; Autliors, Paul Gerard Smith and Bradford Ropes; Screenplay, Ralph Murphy and Richard A. Carroll; Cameraman, Harry Neumann; Editor, Richard Currier; Art Director, Ernest R. Hicl<son; Musical Director, Edward Kay; Production Numbers staged by Jack Boyle; Prologue written by Sidney Sutherland; Commentator, Michael Raffetto. DIRECTION, Splendid. PHOTOCRAPHY, Good. "Dillinger" Anti-Crime, Broidy Tells Johnston West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Contending that "Dillinger" is "the greatest indictment against crime that has ever been produced," Steve Broidy, executive vicepresident of Monogram, ci'iticized Samuel Goldwyn's position in a published statement on gangster films in general and the Monogram picture in particular. "Almost all of those who are opposed to 'Dillinger' have never even seen the picture," Broidy said. He asked, "Would Sam Goldwyn concede that 'North Star' made communists ? Then what basis can he have for asserting that 'Dillinger' makes gangsters ?" screen policy after a long career of stage attractions, starting in 1910. From 1928 to 1932, the house showed pictures and then reverted again to revues. Coast Strike Up At lA Exec. Board Meet (Continued from Page 1) ber of lATSE unions in this area have been called to this morning's session to hear a report on the strike by Richard F. Walsh, lATSE head, who is (presiding at the conference, which opened on Monday. Roy M. Brewer, international representative of the lATSE in charge of the Alliance's Hollywood office, has arrived from the Coast to discuss with Walsh means of carrying out the order of William Green, AFL head for settlement of the jurisdictional dispute between the lATSE and the Conference of Studio Unions over set designers which caused the CSU to call the strike seven months ago. The order was issued by Green at a conference held last week in Washington with Walsh and representatives of other unions involved in the strike. Unions Warn NLRB Labor Relations Act is at Issue West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A warning to all that the Labor Relations Act is a question at issue in an NLRB board hearing at Washington tomorrow was sounded by 15 Hollywood unions. A resolution reminding NLRB that the constitutional right to strike is protected by the Wagner Act and that any decision denying such proection would imperil the fundamental rights of labor and would make of NLRB a strike-breaking and antilabor agency, was voted by the CSU strike strategy committee. NLRB was urged not to subvert its purposes by adopting a union-busting principle. Strike Attitude "Biased" Brewer Tells Calif. Reps. West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Roy M. Brewer, international representative of lATSE, has written Representatives Ellis E. Patterson, Ned Healy and Helen Gahagan Douglas calling upon them to refrain from giving further support to film strike factions detrimental to a loyal organization of workers. "The 14,000 members of our unions now employed in studios deeply resent the biased position which you have taken in this dispute," Brewer wrote in part. "We wish to remind you that these striking unions called a strike in definance of instructions of the War Labor Board, AFL and their own international union. They attempted to close the studios and throw out of work 20,000 members of AFL who did not want to strike." IN CIVVIES * Honorably Discharged -k LARRY HERMAN, from the Army to Snider circuit. Boston. MICKEY CHAPIN, formerly of the Strand, Scranton, Pa., from the Navy.