Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1937)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY The Newsreel Parade 10 U. A, Will Consider Korda Release Plea (Contimied from page 1) Selznick are at a standstill and, presumably, depende-it wholly upon the final outcome of the Selznick-M-G-M negotiations. Metro is said to have agreed to all of Selznick's terms, includinga world distribution charge of 20 per cent, but has balked at Selznick's request for separate selling of his product. The distributor contends that this would necessitate the creation of a separate sales force. United Artists, of course, sells its producers' product senarately but its domestic distribution charge ranges from 25 to 30 per cent. Naming of Blumherg Successor Deferred iContiuucd from page 1) share operating duties with the theatre department continuing as now constituted. Blumberg's resignation from RKO will become efifective at the end of next week, and on Jan. 3 he will begin his duties as Universal president. Official indications at the moment are that _ the designation of a theatre operating head will be deferred until Leo Spitz, RKO president, returns from the studio. The date of his return is still indefinite, but may be another 30 days or more in the offing. Claim Union Cinema Assets Transferred By AUBREY FLANAGAN London, Dec. 23. — Charges that certain assets of Union Cinemas had been transferred, thus benefiting individuals, who are unnamed, were aired today at the first annual meeting of the company since a controlling interest in the company was taken by Associated British Pictures. John Maxwell, head of Associated, who presided, did not propose the adoption of the financial report, and declared that no dividend will be voted for some time. He persuaded the shareholders to adjourn the meeting sine die. He had ordered a complete investigation of the company's affairs and canceled all building plans for the circuit. The company's bank overdraft was given at £L500,000. The assets were listed at £3,856,000, written up by £2,000,000. Loans made to a subsidiary company were in the form of salaries to directors. Amortization has been figured on a basis of 99 years as the life of the company's theatre properties, while actually it is probably not more than 20 or 30 years, it was said. McGuire Seeks Release Hollywood, Dec. 23.— William Anthony McGuire today asked for a release of his M-G-M contract following completion of "Girl of the Golden West,'" which he is producing for the company. He said he was anxious to return to Broadway to do a musical show. To Open 20th Fox Office New Haven, Dec. 23. — Exhibitors from the entire state have been invited to attend the formal opening of the new 20th Century-Fox Bldg., on Tuesday. A special screening will be held. Movietone News Vol. 20, No. 30 {2(}th Century-Fox) Diversified material, good narration and well staged features help to make this release an interesting and entertaining one in spite of the usual midweek shortage of spot news events. The news subjects include some good shots of the picketing of the Ford plant at Kansas City and incidental clashes of pickets and police ; the opening of the new Lincoln tunnel under the Hudson River from Weehawken, N. J., to midtown New York ; a Christmas party in Washington for the children of foreign diplomats ; the departure from Italy of the Duke of Aosta, newly appointed Viceroy of Ethiopia ; King George VI inspecting Britain's new fighting planes ; Dowager Queen Mary at a Christmas benefit sale for England's poor, and Sonja Henie's arrival in Chicago for a skating exhibition. Departmental features include the presentation of Congressional medals to members of an Antarctic expedition by Darryl Zanuck for the reel's Hollywood Spotlight section ; Vyvyan Donner's and Helen Claire's fashions ; the Navy's newest and largest flying "battleship" at San Diego, an aviation feature, and skiing scenes at home and abroad, a sports feature. Running time, 10 minutes. K. News of the Day Vol. 9, No. 228 {M-G-M) This issue devotes itself entirely to a review of the outstanding events of the past year. It was a particularly eventful period and the film is the better for it. The material is presented in effective clips and enough of each event is presented to refresh the mind of the audience. The dignified pageantry of the Coronation of George VI opens the reel. The culmination of the romance of Edward VIII follows with shots of his marriage to Mrs. Wallis Warfield. The horrible crash of the Hindenburg is shown again in its gruesome reality. Personalities are covered with clips of Pope Pius and the late John D. Rockefeller. Aviation includes a short bit on Amelia Earhart and the progress of trans-Atlantic flight. The damaging floods in the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys are shown. Some of the best shots of the war in China and Spain are run again. The inauguration of President Roosevelt and other items of home interest conclude the issue. The comment is handled by Adelaide Hawley, Paul Alley and Jean Paul King. Running time, ^Yz mins. P. Paramount News No. 41 (ParamouHt) Drama and entertainment, and a measure of general interest combine to make this a varied and effective issue of the reel. Probably unconsciously a sharp and dramatic contrast was afforded in the scenes of the terrible wreck oi a wooden train in Scotland in a night blizzard, which claimed 34 lives, against the pictures of the new streamlined train, which presents a striking picture of the most modern note in transportation. Extremely effective are the scenes in Rome, as Mussolini greets his council, then announces to the cheering throngs Italy's withdrawal from the League. The reel is late with pictures of the escape of two convicts from Alcatraz Island. Shown is the navy's new "flying battleship," a flying monster of war. Scenes of the home of France's new Bluebeard ; freshmen at Lille, France, undergoing a vigorous and amusing initiation, coed styles for all types of wear, and the greetings of the season from children of various countries, seen in the Washington embassy circle, complete the reel. Running time, 9 mins. A. RKO Pathe News Vol. 9, No. 45 {RKO) The assortment of items that went into the makeup of this issue of RKO Pathe News generally manages to be interesting in spite of the fact that little of significant pictorial value has transpired. There are nine items and they range from the manufacture of wool from milk in Italy to the recent premiere of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in Hollywood. The opening of the new Lincoln Tunnel occupies first place. There are good shots of the various officials attending the ceremonies. The "Snow White" opening follows with good scenes of film personalities as they enter the theatre. The recent train wreck in Scotland, the various privileges enjoyed by Congressmen, a proposed hunt for giant dinosaurs in Colorado, the Italian conversion of milk into wool. Senator Wagner explaining the Housing Act, a humorous scene of the "hangup" demonstration of a fellow in Ohio who would propel himself on ice skates with rockets and the opening race at Tropical Park in Florida, described by Clem McCarthy, supply the balance of the reel. Running time, 8 mins. P. Universal Newsreel Vol. 9, No. 626 { Universal) There is plenty of variety in subjects and a liberal selection of material in this release, although none of it is outstanding and little of it is of consequence. The 11 subjects comprising the reel are the Inaugural Handicap at Miami ; a Christmas party for crippled children of Hollywood, given by a handicapped girl ; the arrival in France of British gold shipments ; a church congress for children at Havana ; the departure of Italy's new viceroy for Ethiopia ; the aftermath of a sleet storm in Oklahoma City ; flood scenes ia the south of France ; a Cleveland warehouse fire ; the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New Jersey and midtown New York ; a California Santa Claus who travels by glider, and the scoring plays in a recent hockey game between the Canadiens and the N. Y. Rangers. The reel's variety and the brevity of the more inconsequential subjects give the release a pace which makes it as diverting as the average reel. Running time, 9 mins. K. Friday, December 24, 1937 To Sell ''U" Panay Picture as Special (Continued from page 1) to San Francisco with 5,000 feet of film. He is scheduled to arrive on the coast on Monday and in New York the following day. If the schedule is maintained the release should be generally available Dec. 30. The possibility that the U. S. State Dep't or Navy might delay release of the film, pending its viewing and possible censorship by the Government officials, was dispelled yesterday when immediate and uncensored release of the reel was authorized in Washington, according to Charles E. Ford, editor of the reel. David Lipton, formerly with B. & K. and a number of other circuits, has been engaged as a special publicity representative for the film. Alley in L. A. Monday Hollywood, Dec. 23. — Norman Alley, cameraman of Universal Newsreel, who photographed the bombardment and sinking of the Panay, will arrive herd Monda} on a Pacific clipper with his views of the action in the Yangtze River. Universal has chartered a United Airlines plane to fly Alley, his wife, children and the newsreel footage to New York. Dave Lipton is flying here to accompany Alley east. Montreal Men Held In Child Law Cases Montreal, Dec. 23. — The law prohibiting admission of children under 16 years of age to any theatre in the Province of Quebec during a film showing has brought fresh trouble to a number of exhibitors, nine of whom have been summoned for an alleged breach of statute. For more than 10 years the theatre owners have battled with the Provincial authorities for a repeal of the law which went into effect following the Laurier Palace disaster. Following a recent agitation, the Montreal police apparently retaliated by making a roundup of neighborhood theatre owners. The Allied Theatrical Industries, which is the association representing the theatre owners, has held an emergency meeting and plans have been laid to make an issue of the prosecutions. Renewed attempts for a change in the law will be laid before the session of the Quebec Legislature which opens in January. Yiddish Film Opening "The Cantor's Son," first Yiddish musical film produced in this country, will open tomorrow at the Squire. The film is the first of six planned by Arthur Block and Sam Segal for Eron Pictures. Monogram Film at Globe "Federal Bullets" has been booked into the Globe starting tomorrow and "Country Fair" will start an engagement at the Central today. Both are Monogram films. Charter Pacific Film Dover, Del., Dec. 23. — Pacific Film Service, Inc., has been formed here with a capitalization of $250,000. The incorporators are M. L. Rogers, L. A. Irwin and M. M. Nichols.