The Film Daily (1948)

FILE COPY po NOT H^hAOV Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Thirty Years Old -IFDAILY' rOL. 94, NO. 21 NEW YORK. FRIDAY. JULY 30. 1948 TEN CENTS CHARGE UIDRnERS DOfliinflTE RBPC rJC%ie/ NeiAT Theater Interest in Ohio, Michigan Jiigh Building Charges Restrain Construction (n N.Y.-N.J. Territory tb.: Interest in new theater construc'ion is proving "spotty" from a geo,'raphical point of view, architect ohn Eberson told The Film Daily '^esterday. Chief activity at the moment cen.ers in the Ohio and Michigan areas, ;he architect declared, attributing ihe situation to the extremely high evel of well-paid employment in a :erritory that produces automobiles, leavy machinery and steel. 1 Exhibitor interest in the New I (Continued on Page 5) Film Classics Sales Meeting Opens Today ef: ' W: With branch managers, division ei'heads, foreign reps, and home office iexecutives in attendance, first worldwide sales meeting of Film Classics will be opened today in the East Ballroom of the Hotel Astor. Meeting will last three days. Delegates are to meet at Preview (Continued on Page 4) Editorial $20,000,000 £ox Adv.? . . . you figure it out =^== By CHESTER B. BAHN Rosenfeld to Supervise jSRO Sales in 5 Countries Appoimtment of Isidor Rosenfeld as supervisor for SRO in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile is announced by Milton A. (Continued on Page 5) Swarthout, Husband to Produce Tele Pix Washington Bur., THE FILM DAILY Washington — Gladys Swarthoutand husband Frank Chapman plan to produce 13 fifteen-minute films for television, the singer revealed here yesterday. The couple have already formed a special company to produce the films, and have acquired a studio in Connecticut, If the program is successful, they plan more films with other artists. /"^ORRECTLY or incorrectly — and the answer to the implied question will come along ^^ in due course — the feeling is growing in some American film industry circles that there could be far more than meets the eye in the Labor Government's plan to finance independent production in the United Kingdom at public expense to the tune of $20,000,000, be it more or less. And here again, if you please, the peg is the emphasis placed by Harold Wilson, Prime Minister Clement Attlee's president of the Board of Trade, upon the Government's belief the British film industry is "absolutely essential if we are to solve our long-term balance of payments problem." On the face of things, the $20,000,000 contemplated for investment (ah, happy word!) in independent British production, thru established British distributors, if Parliament gives the Wilson plan an approving nod in September, is industry pump-priming money. But, in the opinion of some industryites on this side who know their way 'round — one is tempted to add "the world" — that $20,000,(X)0 could be something else, too. It could be a Labor Government advertising appropriation. And the why o' that should be pretty plain. ♦ \A/HILE properly enough, in presenting the plan for the Film Finance Corporation, or ' " Film Bank, to Parliament, the BOT president was at pains to speak of the "safe and assured" domestic market assured by the high 45 per cent exhibitors quota, ref (Continued on Page 5) 'S' f !. Spots at $2,250 Plus % Chicago — Twenty neighborhood theaters will play RKO's "I Remember Mama" next week at a reported film rental of $2,250 weekly and a 35 per cent split. Schoenstadt Circuit will play the film at their Piccadilly and Atlantic Theaters, Van Nomikos Circuit (Continued on Page 4) No Drastic Change in "U" Studio Polky No drastic change of policy is contemplated when Universal resumes production activities in midSeptember, William Goetz, production chief, told the industry press yesterday upon his arrival from Europe aboard the S. S. America. Goetz said that he had investigated (Continued on Page 8) RKO Planning TV Pix Prod. Exec. Com./ Hughes to Discuss Situation Enter Seven U.S. Pix in '48 Venice Festival Rome (By Cable) — U. S. companies have entered seven features in the 1948 Venice Film Festival, which opens Aug. 19. They are Walt Disney's "Melody Time," M-G-M's "National Velvet," Paramount's "The Big Clock," RKO's "The Fugitive," 20th-Fox's "Gentleman's Agree(Continued on Page 5) IV est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Holly wood^Plans for RKO to produce films for television were yesterday reported to be in the blueprint stage. The new executive committee, headed by Bicknell Lockhart, C. J. Tevlin and Sid Rogell, are due to discuss this situation with Howard Hughes very soon. While no details have been disclosed, it is knov^m that Hughes has been interested in plans for television for a long time. Warter Answers M.P. Stockholder; Reveals WB Pix, Studio Investment London (By Cable) — Charges that Associated British Pictures Corp. is "dominated" by Warners, voiced by W. L. Wyatt, M. P., and a shareholder in the company, drew a quick denial at the annual company meeting here yesterday from Sir Philip Warter, board chairman. Sir Philip disclosed that Warners (Continued on Page 5) Levy Doubts Court's Power to Limit ASCAP Power of Judge Vincent Leibell to order ASCAP members to grant performance rights of their synchronized compositions only to pro(Continued on Page 8) "Mr. Peabody & Mermaid' Last Winter Garden Film "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" probably will be the last U-I film to play the Winter Garden, the U-I lease of which runs out on Sept. 30, (Continued on Page 5) Industry Tops Slated for Government Posts Washington Bur.. THE FILM DAILY Washington — Appointments of three industry officials to Government posts were sent to the Senate for confirmation yesterday by President Truman, even though Senate leaders have already declared they would not act on any major appointments at the special session. Included are the nomination of MPAA Proxy Eric Johnston, as a member of the ECA advisory board, Paramount executive committee chairman Stanton Griffis as Ambassador to Egypt, and Frank Capra as an alternate delegate to the UNESCO conference this Fall. Starting Monday: Critics Fornm of 194»