The Film Daily (1936)

THE -2&*i DAILV Wednesday, Dec. 16, 1936 COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS SHOW 8.1% DECLINE riMM.-J from Page \) proposals of the Duffy Bill, which had previously passed the Senate, but did not pass the House, the distributors would have been denied the right under their copyrights to protect their theatrical customers against the unfair competition of "semi-public' exhibitions in schools, churches, camps, hotels, fraternal halls, factories, etc., to which there is only restricted 'public' access, as well as against 'public' exhibition to advertise automobiles, beer, store sales, etc., where no admission fees are charged. "During the past summer the Bureau commenced an intensive investigation of motion pictures shown under non-theatrical auspices, to determine the source from which the prints are obtained. Between July 1 and Oct. 31, 1936, 1,010 non-theatrical places of exhibition were investigated, as well as 520 towns and villages to determine if non-theatrical exhibitions were given therein. Where suspicious circumstances were indicated, an investigation was made to ascertain whether proper bookings were made by the respective exchanges. Many cases of bicycling and subrenting have already been disclosed. In these cases, the source of the prints was usually a theatrical exhibitor in the locality. In some instances, the audience was 'cicycled', so to speak, to the infringing performances." Major Distribs. to File Briefs in Tax Appeal (Continued from Page 1) decision finding that the New York City 2 per cent sales tax applies to films. Frederick H. Wood is slated to argue the appeal for the distributors when hearing is reached next month. Brown-Sherwood Producing Rowland Brown and George Sherwood will produce a romantic comedy, "In Praise of Love", on Broadway, with rehearsals to commence the first week next month. Play, which was written by Brown, was tried out in Los Angeles FACTS ABOUT FILMS Of the 36 feature pictures shown in Czechoslovakia during September, 1937, 17 were from the U. S., including five German versions. &*$&& JIM. T ▼ T • • • WHEN A SHOWMAN who is also an Artist goes to work upon a picture even though it's only a short subject then we get gems like "Graveyard of Ships" Harold McCracken did the camera work on this Van Beuren special with Don Hancock handling production McCracken also wrote the descriptive narration and we don't know when we have heard a narration that so graphically and beautifully enhanced the subject this epic of wrecks cast up by the sea on the inhospitable shores of treacherous Cape Hal teras haunts you long after you have left the theater as we said, the subject treated by a Showman who is also an Artist produces a gem of motion picture entertainment T T T • • • A TALENT Quest has been arranged by the Criterion theater on Broadway to plug "Sing Me A Love Song" which opens there Xmas morn the contest is limited to male singers, and it being a Cosmopolitan picture, will be run with the cooperation of the Evening Journal first prize is a screen test at the Vitaphone studio under the personal supervision of Sam Sax additional cash prizes will be awarded the finalists will sing their songs at the Criterion the week after Christmas the judges will be the song writers Irving Kahal, Charley Tobias, Abel Baer, Dave Franklyn James Melton, star of the pix, will be master of ceremonies the contest will go out over Stations WINS. T ▼ T • • • A PERSONAL appearance tour has been arranged by Sol Lesser with the William Morris office for Louise Beavers the colored actress will be booked day and date with showings of "Rainbow On the River" in which she plays the role of Toinette T ▼ T • • • ANNUAL ELECTION of Local 802, the musicians' union, will be held tomorrow the administration ticket, headed by President Jack Rosenberg, which has governed the local for the past year, has a splendid record having achieved substantial gains for the union T T T • • • OUT IN Chicago they were treated to some freak showmanship when the State Lake theater set a new precedent by billing the Universal G-Man short, "You Can't Get Away With It," over the feature both in their newspaper ads and their house front Fritz Blocki of the State Lake hit every possible exploitation approach marquee, front, lobby boards, tie-ups, newspaper ads handled throughout with feature picture importance T T T • • • CAN YOU picture the feelings of Irving Caesar, composer of the new song hit "That's What I Want for Christmas' when he sat in the 20th Century-Fox projection room yesterday, waiting for his number to appear in the Shirley Temple pix, "Stowaway" reel after reel passed, and no song number while Irving started to get more and more Jittery was the darn thing on the cutting room floor? then in the last few hundred feet Shirley starts to sing the song and puts it over sensationally oh boy oh boy oh boy was that Irving lad relieved! ... • E. W. ^J1".0118 is a member of a syndicate which has just acquired a 33-foot sloop, with which they plan to do some extensive racing next season Family Ratings Given Six By National Review Board National Board of Review of Motion Pictures gives straight family ratings to current releases in its newest weekly guide to selected pictures. So rated are "Charlie Chan at the Opera", "Fugitive in the Sky", "Gold Diggers of 1937", "Head Hunters of Borneo", "Island of Demons" and "The Plainsman". Ex-All-American Opens New Waldo, Theater Waldoboro, Me. — Carroll T. Cooney, thrice named on Walter Camp's All-American while playing for Yale, has opened the new Waldo here. FPCC's 60 Cent Dividend Montreal — Famous Players Canadian Corp. has declared a dividend of 60 cents per share. COMMERCE LAWS MA' CONTROL INDUSTRY (Continued from Page 1) the question of constitutionality, it was declared. The opinion is held that the regulation can only apply to distribution and exhibition inasmuch as U. S. Supreme Court decisions, as in the Binderup case, have found that the handling of films comes within jurisdiction of interstate commerce laws. Report Briskin Will Get Long-Term RKO Radio Pact (Continued from Page 1 ) tract as soon as reorganization of the company is effectuated. Briskin recently returned to the coast after conferences with President LeoSpitz, the outcome of which was a one-year deal continuing him in his present post. Lord Ragnor Coming to U. S. To Make Studio Arrangement (Continued from Page 1) will accompany Harold Berg, production head, and Elmer Pearson, distribution chief, to Hollywood to settle studio arrangements there and will generally supervise the new set-; up. • Loew's Asks Tax Relief Providence — Loew's Theater and! Realty Corp. has filed a petition in Superior Court here charging that the Providence Board of Tax Asses-' sors had over-assessed it by $160,000 and over-taxed it by $3,920.49 for 1936. The theater corporation asks relief and a rebate from the tax paid for the current year. Hart, Gainer and Carr are counsel, for the theater corporation. New Haven Co. Incorporates New Haven— The Elm City State Theater Corp. operator as of Dec. 16 of the State Theater here, has filed its certificate of incorporation in the Secretary of State's Office, Hartford. Incorporators are Samuel Meadow, who has leased the property to Morris and Sam Hadelman for several years, Albert M. Hourwitz and Frank Meadow, all of New Haven. The Hadelmans continue to operate the Shelton Theater and the Capitol, Bridgeport. SHOWMAN'S REMINDER Check before the holidays all seats, carpets, stairs and flooring for breaks, tears, nails and splinters that might injure patrons.