The Film Daily (1948)

Thursday, August 5, 1948 FC Bernhard Drive To Run Thru Dec. 4 Film Classics has launched the Joseph Bernhard Drive, honoring fhe Company's prexy. B. G. Kranze, vicepresi4git and sales chief, said yesterday^'^'parmpa.ign will terminate Dec. ,4 aiifp^rizes will be distributed before Christmas. Nine branches will share in the prizes which will be based on playdates and collections on all product, new Cinecolor pictures, new black and whites, combination re-issues such as the Korda Technicolor hits, "Drums" and "Four Feathers," Real'art re-releases such as "Gung Ho" and "Eagle Squadron," Goldwyn rereleases, Selznick re-releases, Roaoh re-releases, short subjects and serials. . Participating in additional awards will be the division manager whose 'division wins first place. Israeli Producers Will Use Studios Near Prague Prague (Via Air Mail) — Israel film jproducers have signed contracts to use the Barandov Studios near Prague to make "Melody of the i Spinning Wheel." Production is 1 scheduled to begin Oct. 1 under the [direction of A. Ford. Film will feaiture Jewish actors from Israel and •Europe. 20th-Fox Taking Bids on Three "A" Pix in Philly (ConHnued from Page 1) "Escape" and "Lady in Ermdne." Bidding move, along with the fact that the Fox currently is playing Metro's "A Date With Judy," is being interpreted locally as meaning that the Fox no longer will be a first run show window exclusively for 20th-Fox product. Extend Silverstone Pact Twentieth-Fox has extended the employment contract of Murray Silverstone, prexy of its international subsidiary, for two years from Dec. 31, 1950. Rooney's Non-Exclusive Deal West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Mickey Rooney's new deal with Metro calls for his appearance in five pix in as imany years, and permits ihim to operate independently sans studio sanction. DEATHS ABE MORRISON, 77, retired Warner ' theater manager, in Memphis. FRANK HOLLIDAY, Jr., 35, film actor, in ' Hollywood. OWEN L. COON, 54, board chairman, I' General Finance Corp., and film financier, : in Chicago. ^J<rW «>a^ PHIL M. DALY Thursday's Tele-lines • • • BETTER READ NOT ONCE, but twice or three times thcrt Minneapolis dispatch published in Your Favorite Industry Newspaper yesterday under the headline, " 'Dating' Teen-Agers Cool to Pix" Sure, it was only a regional poll by the local Tribune But for any industry, such as ours, which has been placing, rightly or wrongly, its major dependence on teen-agers, the situation pointed up by the survey is damned disturbing When "dating" teen-agers prefer dancing, swimming, etc., to movie-going, and movie preference votes are dependent upon "they both liked popcorn," the red flag is up, pal And don't try to laugh off the poll by saying the kids polled were comparatively few That's an old pollster practice, witness those curious "projection" ads of the Satevepost in the met. dailies yesterday. ▼ T T • • • DIDJA READ that article on E. V. Richards' use of femmes as theater managers and house attaches in the August American mag.? If you didn't, it's recommended When the war brought a manpower shortage, Richards turned to women Today, his precept is, "Never employ a man where a woman can do the job" That's why he has retained women as managers in most of his 60 theaters, and why of the 888 on his payroll whose work brings them in contact with patrons, only 35 of these are men Nearly all of the femmes are over 35, too, the American mag. article reports. T T T • • • THERE WAS NO MORE interesting reading insofar as video is concerned yesterday than J. Howard Rutledge's illuminating leader in the Wall St. Journal on ne'wspaper tele station activity More than 100 papers of all sizes have set up stations or ore planning full or partial backing of them Having learned a lesson in radio, the newspapers are "buying in" into video to safeguard advertising revenues How many exhibitors, facing video's box office competition, can claim to be as smart? Too damn few And what are YOU doing about television? ... • Didja note that Para.'s "Beyond Glory" rated four stars in the New York Daily News? . . . • Dozens of trtinks and crates have been packed with files and records, ready for shipment from lATSE's headquarters to Cleveland where the biennial convention starts Aug. 16. T T T • • • EXHIBITOR SLANTS ON THE B.O. DROP. Met. area theater operator: "They never get past the chain grocery anymore" Charlotte territory house owner: "Everybody's staying crway and going to the ball games, myseli included." ... • RKO is re-releasing Disney's "Three Little Pigs" Mebbe it would do this biz good to sing, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" at that. ... • Nationcd Committee of 13 Against Superstition and Fear, gag-born group headed by Nick (Skouras) Matsoukas celebrates its second birthday by Ictunching on anti-superstition exhibit Aug. 13 at the American Museum of Natural History Which proves anew you never can tell about a gag. . . . • There'll be interesting announcements when William F. Rodgers of Loew's meets the industry press at a Hotel Astor luncheon Monday. . . . • Sierra Pictures is spending a million for space in mags, and dailies to sell "Joan of Arc." ... • Initial video program of ABC's Station WJZ-TV will be telecast Tuesday from the RKO Palace. ... • Don't believe those reports Paramount's theatrical tele outlet in Boston will be the M 4 P Esquire More logical choice is the M & P Metropolitan, 4,000-seafer If Para., via New England Theaters, Inc., does get a station permit for Boston, studio, however, will be in the building housing the Esquire. Selznick Circus Pix io Set Cost Record West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Daniel T. O'Shea, Vanguard prexy, scotched two tradecirculated rumors yesterday. One was that David 0. Selznick had transfen-eid his interests to video, abandoning big pic production for the next six months, the other that he would only furnish talent and be consultant on the four-pic Sir Alexander Korda deal. O'Shea said that Selanick scratched "What Evei-y Young Bride Should Know" and "If This Be My Hai-vest" because scripts were bad, but that he would make "The Greatest Show on Earth" next Winter as "the most expensive picture ever made in Hollywood." "Selznick won't compromise his decision about pictures because of the panic of others," said O'Shea. As for the Korda commitment, it was stated that Selznick would take "a most active part" in the production of the films. San Antonio Sodality In Theater Interdict San Antonio — Catholic youth of San Antonio enrolled in the Sodality Union reprimanded the Hi-Ho Theater, indie nabe, in a letter to Douglas Askey, manager. Miss Florence Ehrler, apostolic committee chairman of the San Antonio Sodality Union, said the youths placed the theater under interdict for one year, until June 30, 1949, charging that the management had on several occasions "attempted to offer its public motion picture entertainment that was offensive and often immoral." The letter specifically cited "Mom and Dad" and "The Outlaw." Askey could not be reached for comment. UJEDDinG BELLS Lupino-Young West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY La Jolla — Ida Lupino and Collier Young, Columbia exec, have obtained a marriage license and plan to be married here today. Walker-Moore West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Nancy Walker, star of "Look Ma, I'm Dancing," and Gary Moore, SRO player, were married here. Bremer-Rodriguez West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Lucille Bremer and Abelardo Louis Rodrig-uez were married at Catalina recently. Yuengling-Kohls Cincinnati — Ruth Yuengling, bookkeeper, M-G-M, has received a solitaire from Robert Kohls. Date for the wedding has not been set.