The Film Daily (1948)

TWI DAILY Tuesday, July 27, 194S Nat'l TV Coverage by Stratovision Planned (Continued from Page 1) sion hearings, which opened the channel reallocation sessions. Westinghouse Electric Corp., petitioning for a channel to relay video broadcasts, told the FCC a coast-tocoast net is planned to carry four tele and five FM net programs, and requiring only eight planes and 400 miles apart. Addition of another six planes would cover 78 per cent of the nation's population. The possibility of severe restriction in the coverage of all or nearly all TV stations, if tropospheric interference is not taken into account, was raised by ABC. Full revision of Commission Rule 3.606 to take this interference into account was asked. ABC said that, since in section 3.606 the FCC has undertaken to specify the cities in which tele stations can be located, they should also specify in connection with each city and area which a station located in this city in intended to serve. Distinguished To Handle 12 New Imported Features Distinguished Films, Inc., will release 12 new foreign pix and three films which have had New York premieres, in the U. S. during the coming year, it is announced. List includes 10 French productions, one Hungarian, one Italian, one British and one Austrian. Release will include "Dangerous," "An Only Love," Wrath of God," "Hoboes in Paradise," "Vautrin," "The Wicked Duchess," "Savage Brigade," "You Didn't Die That Way," "Confessions of a Rogue," and "Passionelle," all from France. Also, "Four Steps in the Clouds" (Italian); "Fury in the Desert," "Lysistrata," (U. S. Zone in Austria); "Quiet Week-end," (England) and "Passionate Spring" (Hungarian.) nEIU POSTS JOHN W. COYNE, Metro office manager at San Francisco to salesman in the same territory. MELVIN TURNER, Metro head booker at Minneapolis, to salesman, some branch. CLARENCE KEIM, Metro head booker at Chicago, to salesman, same office. DON BLOXHAM, from manager. Varsity Theater, Des Moines, to office manager and booker for Eagle Lion exchange. HERMAN COFFMAN, from office manager for Eagle Lion, Des Moines, to salesman. ROBERT KENNEDY, manager. State theater, at Cedar Rapids, la. REED J. JEFFREY, assistont manager of Paramount theater. Cedar Rapids, la. GENE SOBEHART, assistant manager. State Theater, Cedar Rapids, la. C. F. HUGHES, manager. Strand, Waynesville, N, C. ARNOLD SPIRRSON, manager, DuPage Lombard, ill. RALPH CLARK, manager, Idaho Theater, Sumner, III. W. I. BROTMAN, manager, Menri Drive-ln, Milan, III. HOLLVUOOD-VmE VflRD By RALPH WILK HOLLYWOOD TONY OWEN is reported to be negotiating with Allied Artists for production of a film dealing with the Green Bay Packers, pro football team. . . . ■^ John Wayne is seeking the rights to the life story of Jim Thorpe, famed Indian gridiron, baseball and decathlon star. Wayne wants to produce and star in the picture, which would be made at Republic. ... -^ Producer Albert J. Cohen has optioned the best-seller, "Don't Cry for Me," written by John Weld and published by Scribners. . . . Story deals with the tragic adventures of the Donner Party in California in 1846. ... -^ Derwin Abrahams directs "The Gallant Texan," musical western starring Jimmy Wakely, which starts tomorrow at Monogram. . . . -^ Republic has set Richard Crane to do a P. A. tour with "Drums Along the Amazon" in the three Indiana cities, Indianapolis, Terre Haute and South Bend, opening late in August. • • * lOHNNY WEISMULLER will play the title role in a new Columbia series to be called "Jungle Jim," based on a comic strip. He signed a fiveyear pact calling for two pix a year. . . . Sam Katzman will produce, William Berke directs. ... -^ "Sorry, Wrong Number," Hal Wallis production for Paramount based on the radio classic, will be brought out by Bantam in a 25-cent edition with a first printing of one million copies in conjunction with its release. . . . ^ Fred MacMurray will be featured in a new Jerry Fairbanks short subject for Paramount. . . . The star will demonstrate Hollywood's newest physical training aids now being sponsored by the Bing Crosby Research Foundation. ... -^ After completing his role in William Wyler's "The Heiress" at Paramount, Montgomery Clift plans to return to New York to appear in a stage dramatization of "The Naked and the Dead." * • * CCREEN GUILD'S schedule for 1948-49 will be increased to 12 productions under terms of a deal made with William Stephens. . . . -^ Irene Hervey, who recently returned from England, gets one of three top feminine roles in Paramount's "One Woman." ... -^ Atomic explosions on the sun leaping 250,000 miles into the air have been filmed in color by Jerry Fairbanks and will be featured in "Solar Secrets," the producer's next short for Paramount. ... -^ Vincent Sherman has been set by Warners to direct "Into the Night," original suspense melodrama by Larry Marcus. Australian CEA in Bid For Higher B. O. Scales wr ■ Melbourne, Victoria (By Air Mail) — Controversy over increased admission prices continues here. Jack Graham, secretary of Cinematograph Exhibitors Association, said increased ticket charges are inevitable sooner or later. Scales, he pointed out, have been static since 1939, while amusement taxes have been raised from 200 to 400 per cent, depending on seat prices. Vaughan Marshall, secretary of Independent Exhibitors Association, would not indicate whether his organization intends to apply for increased ticket prices. Johnston Assigns Jackson To MPAA Eastern Office West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Transfer of Stephen S. Jackson of the PCA staff to a special post with the legal department of MPAA in New York was announced at the week-end by Eric A. Johnston, MPAA president. Assigned to PCA in April, 1947, Jackson took over administration duties during the illness of Joseph I. Breen. Latter now resumes as PCA director. 14 20th-Fox Films Given To Academy Film Library West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A group of 14 20thFox pictures which have been nominated for or won Academy awards in past years has been turned over to the Academy film library by the studio. Presentation was to Jean Hersholt, Academy president, by Col. Jason Joy of 20th-Fox. Films included in the gift are "Wilson," "The Black Swan," "The Fighting Lady," "State Fair," "The Rains Came," "The Razor's Edge," "The House on 92nd St." "Laura," "How Green Is My Valley," "Leave Her to Heaven," "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," "Crash Dive," "In Old Chicago" and "Song of Bernadette." 20th-Fox Loses Bid To Amend Video Application Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington— Bid of 20th-Fox to amend its application for a San Francisco video outlet to include plans for a second studio in Oakland was turned down by FCC Commissioner George E. Sterling. Decision will be appealed to the full commission. Film Co. Dividends Continue To Shrinic Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAIL) Washington — While the pu,blic reported cash dividends fo:i^;ncorporations as a whole werW' .joi 10 per cent higher in June than June of 1947, payments by pix con panies dropped off by nearly hajjiiTi a million— from $7,959,000 in Jui 1947, to $7,478,000 in June of th year. And while payments for the secoi quarter of 1948, for all industiwere $116 million better than f' the second quarter of 1947, film i dustry payments dropped from $1J: 645,000 for the period from Api through June last year to only $11 605,000 for the same period th year. The shrinkage in film company di idends was reflected also in the tota for the first half of 1947, and a lil period of 1948— $26,397,000 and $2 349,000, respectively. Mailers Asks Opportunity To Bid on Theater Stock ■ I tioi Warsaw, Ind. — Nick Mailers, opeler ator of the Centennial Theater, fihnst proceedings in Circuit Court askir|iiie that a purported sale of stock in tl building containing his theater 1, set aside and that he be given opportunity to bidding. Stock w; purchased from estate of the late D Angus C. MacDonald by John Boice, operator of the Strand The;jig ter. Mailers contends that he notifiejset the trustee that he was willing pay more than the amount accepte f,, from Boice. ^^ Mary Pickford Wins Pact f Action Brought By LaCav West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DATLylil Hollywood — Breach of contrai ts action brought by Gregory LaCa\ against Mary Pickford was decidejiw in favor of Miss Pickford by Sup rior Court Judge Elmer W. Heal LaCava sought $1,653,750 damag«Jy!. in connection with the filming c "One Touch of Venus." Cadets Kid ''Oscars" with Dunihjohn Award With portraits of Caesar, Napwleon, Richard Coeur de Lion and other warriors of the past watching the ceremony, the United States "Military Academy Award" will be presented to Cadet John Saxon at West Point tomorrow night. Saxon is being honored for his "mephitic" performance in Paramount's "Beyond Glory," portions of which were filmed at the Point where the young cadet was drafted into his part in the picture. Saxon will receive a simulated "Oscar," termed a "Dumbjohn" by his classmates. Tb Itri