The Film Daily (1948)

•^^^^^^ Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Thirty Years Old /G^4. NO. 50 NEW YORK. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 10. 1948 TEN CENTS HOPES RAISED OF film $ $ FROm flRGEnTinil Rise in "V" Billings Betters Cash Position Expected to Still Rumors Of Changes and the Entry Of New Money Interests With nine completed productions n the cutting I'ooms and an addidonal five pictures starting to hit che key city situations this month, Universal-International looks to Considerably improve its cash iposi;ion during the coming weeks and 5till some of the rumors which are current about changes in the company's top eschelon and the entrance jf new money interests. ' It is understood that the com(Continued on Page 6) Shuford Heads East >Ad-Publi(ily Com. Stanley Shuford, advertising manager of Paramount, yesterday was elected chairman of the AdvertisingPublicity Directors Committee at a meeting in the MPAA headquarters. Maurice A. Bergman, Eastern adpublicity director of U-I, is the retiring chairman. Post is filled on a rotating basis, with the chairman serving for six months. This will be the first time that Shuford has so functioned. Waldman's N. Y. Branch Top FC Drive Winner Winners of the recent Film Classics branch managers' new product drive were announced yesterday by B. G. Kranze, vice-president and general sales manager. Top prize of .$1,750 went to George (Continued on Page 4) U. K. Indie Producers Hit Distrih. Charges London (By Cable! — The indie producers association will meet next week to prepare evidence to submit to the Board of Trade committee of investigation into distribution and exhibition which will be established during the Fall. The indie producers will claim distribution charges are excessive and that distribs. have a stranglehold which prevents indie production. IRB Thumbs Dowm Drive-in Cash Registers; Concedes Tax on Youngsters Admitted Free Chicago — Cash register receipts of Drive-In theaters are not recognized by the Internal Revenue Department, according to word received by the Chicago office from Washington headquarters. As a result Drive-ins which have been using that method of recording receipts must re-equip with ticket registers. Drive-ins were assured by Richard Morgan, in charge of the IRB office here, that no tax need be collected on youngsters under 12 years old when no admission is charged. Question had been raised by operators who permit parents to take the children in without charge. Johnston Expeded To Talk With Stalin Paris (By Cable)— Eric A. Johnston, MPAA-MPEA president, accompanied by his executive assistant, Joyce O'Hara, was scheduled to leave here by plane yesteixiay for Moscow. Quietly arranged, and not included in ' the original Johnston European itinerary, the trip was regarded by American film interests here as of a hush-hush nature until press association dispatches split the veil of secrecy. Nominally, Johnston goes to the Russian capital to visit Walter Bedell Smith, the American Ambas(Continued on Page 6) Allied Caravan Com. In Session in Philly Philadelphia — Caravan Committee of National Allied met here yesterday for the second successive day of meetings devoted to a discussion of current industry selling practices. Among those attending were William L. Ainsworth, Sidney Samuelson, Trueman Rembusch, H. A. Cole and Irving Dollinger. RKO Would Lease UK Theater for "Milty" London (By Cable)— RKO is dickering with Val Parnell for the lease of the Prince of Wales Theater for the West End pre-release run of "The Private Life of Walter Mitty." The Goldwyn-produced pic would play an indefinite run at the theater which, located in the heart of the West End theater district, is normally devoted to legit, and musicals. Clark Confers at State Dept. on UN Day Fete Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — MPAA public relations director, Col. Kenneth Clark, yesterday conferred both at the State Department and at the White House on plans for the observance October 24 of United Nations Day. This is to be a world wide celebration, and film exhibitors are definitely being asked to participate. Clark was substituting for MPAA President Eric A. Johnston, who is a member of the over-all committee to arrange for observance of the day. (Continued on Page 6) Round Table Talks at Fox Meet Zanuck to Outline Global Filming Plans Fennelly Named Manager For Mono, in Des Moines Des Moines — V. M. Fennelly has been promoted from salesman to manager of the local branch, succeeding Mayo Beatty, resigned. Fennelly was associated with Tri-States Theaters and Screen Guild before (Continued on Page 5) Round table discussions, to be led by divisional and exchange managers, will take the place of formal speeches at the 20th-Fox national sales conference in Los Angeles next week, Andy W. Smith, Jr., general sales manager, said yesterday, in outlining plans for the new type of national sales meeting. Business sessions will be held at the headquar(Continued on Page 8) Planned Maroglio Mission Seen First Indication of Break in U. S. Embargo Buenos Aires (By Cable) — Word that Orlando Maroglio, president of the Central Bank, plans to leave for the U. S. Monday in an efltort to break the virtual embargo in effect on exports from America, is seen by distributor representatives here as the first gleam of hope that U. S. film companies will be able to remit some of their blocked earnings to home offices. While the embargo does not affect films, it and Argentina's dollar (Continued on Page 4) Delay Para. Tele Plans For Midwest Network Chicago — WBKB, Paramount outlet here, announced yesterday a revamp in its proposed plans for a Midwest regional network which would have provided video coverage for a large part of Illinois and Indiana, including weekly telecasts of Purdue and the University of Illinois football games. Station officials said that shortage of materials and (Continued on Page 4) Broidy Predicts 4-Million Gross on "Babe Ruth Story' West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Steve Broidy, president of Allied Artists, has predicted a domestic gross on "The Babe Ruth Story" of $4,000,000. Broidy's estimate was based on returns from the (Continued on Page 6) Leprechatin 'Horace' Goes to Notre Dame South Bend — What with Notre Dame being a bit of the "ould sod" in the midst of Indiana, it seems likely that a leprechaun named Horace might bring them a bit of "The Luck of the Irish," after the picture of the same name. So the entire football squad turned out to see the 20th-Fox pic at a special preview showing and Coach Leahy received a "Horace" statuette