Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

iday, February 15, 1938 MOTION PICTURE DAILY hll Dedicate WTAM Uudios on Saturday C. M. Pettit Joining KDKA Program Staff M-G-M Drops Proposal for 3 -Reel Films Ileveland, Feb. 14. — The new linOO studios of WTAM here, the ■Powned and operated station, will formally dedicated on Saturday. : highlight will be a special halfir broadcast from the new studios, ^t-to-coast over the NBC-Red at LM. (E.S.T.). Frank Black, NBC i.ic director, will conduct a symny orchestra of 40 musicians from Cleveland Symphony. Margaret jaks and Mario Cozzi will be lists. ; pproximately 650 guests will tour studios and a supper and dance -| follow the broadcast. During the rent week, and earlier in the day Saturday, elaborate plans have been l.nged for the dedication ceremonies. AM operates on a frequency of '0 kilocycles, with a power of |00 watts. Provision has been made ilhe studio for television broadcast IcAdoo in "America" Program Senator William G. McAdoo will 1 the list of speakers on the >ienth annual "Hello America" proma which will be broadcast on the C-Blue Feb. 28 from 11:30 P. M. i 2:30 A. M. The program will be rented by the Veterans of Foreign :rs. Other scheduled speakers are ttt Squyres and Mrs. Laurie ' ertle. Eddy Duchin, Henry Busse, ,by Newman and the U. S. Navy id will supply the music. Harbord Starts World Tour ten. James G. Harbord, chairman 'the board of RCA, left yesterday jj a tour of inspection of his comy's plants and facilities in Europe, a and Australia. He will address io and communications experts at World Radio Conference in Syd. He will return home by way of ifecovv and Europe, planning to ifch New .York in July. \ I NBC to Broadcast Fight BC has obtained exclusive rights -he Joe Louis -Nathan Mann heavy:*ht championship bout tc be held E 23 at Madison Square Garden. 1 Blue network will handle the > ch beginning at 10 P. M. Sam b. Bill Stern and Clem McCarthy be at the microphones. ' To Handle Mutual Exhibit ob Edge will be in charge of an . ibit at the National Sportsmen's w at Grand Central Palace, beginf Feb. 18, called "Around the Clock WOR-Mutual." The following he will begin a new series of prons on hunting and fishing. Steel Firm Band on Mutual j he Yorkville Band from the i eeling Steel Co. plant will be fea; d on the "Musical Steelmakers" ?ram over Mutual on Feb. 20 from ■ 5 :30 P.M. The program originates | n WWVA, Wheeling, W. Va. ^uise Rainer on "Good News" ui-e Rainer will be featured in Ier the Wire." Jean Cocteau sketch, he "Good News of 1938" program [ 24. Pittsburgh, Feb. 14. — Clarence M. Pettit, Denver business man, has been added to the staff at KDKA, where he will be in charge of building sustaining programs. Derby Sproul remains in charge of commercial shows. Another shift at KDKA takes Lynden Morrow, former radio editor of the Post-Gazette, out of sales promotion and moves him to the regular sales department. Morrow joined the station several years ago as publicity director, a job now held by Kay Barr. To Air Salute to Estonia A salute to Estonia on the 20th anniversary of that country's declaration of independence will be broadcast over the NBC-Red at 2:30 P.M. on Feb. 24. Charles Kuusik, Consul General of Estonia, will deliver a talk, while the musical portion of the program will be furnished by Vladimir Padwa, Ludwig Juht and Miriam LeMon. To Air Basketball Tourney Indianapolis, Feb. 14. — Buick has signed for the broadcast of the finals of the Indiana State High School Basketball Championship, through the Arthur Kudner Agency, New York. WFBM will feed the program to a statewide network. Len Riley and Gilbert Forbes of WFBM will handle the descriptions. New Show "Royal Crown Revue" "Royal Crown Revue" is the title of the new Nehi Co. program which will start March 11 over 58 stations of the NBC-Blue. George Olsen and bis band, Tim and Irene, Graham McNamee, Teddy Bergman, Bud Pearson and the Golden Gate Quartet will be featured. Hull to Speak on Mutual Program The National Farm Institute program on Mutual on Feb. 19 will feature Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who will speak on foreign trade, and Sir Wilmott Lewis, American correspondent for the London Times, whe will be heard from KSO, Des Moines. Tarshish Returns on WOR Jacob Tarshish, "The Lamplighter," will return to the air over WOR on Feb. 27, from 3:45 to 4 P. M. and Sundays thereafter, in another series of weekly talks on human problems The series will conclude on April 3 Liebmann Signs WHN Deal Liebmann Breweries of Brooklyn have been signed by WHN for eight weeks of spot announcements. ErwinWasey is the agency. "Romance" Next Lux Show Madeleine Carroll and Herbert Marshall will do scenes from "Romance" on the Lux Radio Theatre next Monday over CBS. Vallee to Interview Guedalla Philip Guedalla, prominent biographer, will be interviewed by Rudy Vallee on the Royal Gelatin Hour Thursday. (Continued from page 1) released. Chertok returned today after several weeks in New York more than ever convinced that improved quality in shorts will eventually induce exhibitors to discard double features. Chertok conferred with Government officials in Washington on the possibility of making a series of shorts explaining the operations of various departments and including "behind-thescenes" material. He said he has a writer working on an outline of such a series, but it has not been definitely decided to what extent they will be made for new season release. The company will continue to budget some shorts as high as $40,000 and, as in the case of "Servant of the People," at $52,000, he said. The series of one-reel subjects of a topical nature which was scheduled for production with John Booth Nesbitt, radio commentator, may be shelved, it was said. Eastern executives are not strong for the idea. Chertok plans to return to New York next year since Robert Benchley's contract permits him to be in the east six months of the year. While in the east Chertok completed three Benchleys. Report Appeal Group Appointed in Albany (Continued from page 1) Picture Division and Commissioner Frank P. Graves, has been delayed until the March meeting of the Regents. Though confirmation is lacking, it is understood that Susan Brandeis of New York, daughter of U. S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, and George J. Ryan of Flushing, president of the Board of Education in New York City, have been named to the committee as two of the Regents. A third member is believed to have been named, though his acceptance or rejection has apparently not yet been received. Chancellor Thomas J. Mangan of Binghamton and vice-chancellor William J. Wallin of Yonkers are exofficio members of all Regents' committees and hence will undoubtedly sit in review on important pictures up on appeal. It was stated on good authority that the Regents' sub-committee will use the Motion Picture Division's projection room at 80 Center St., State Office Bldg., New York, for reviews. It is not known whether the Regents commented on the new appeal concerning "The Birth of a Baby," though any action was understood to have been delayed until next month. "Nocturno" Ban Upheld Albany, Feb. 14. — The Board of Regents has disapproved the appeal of Gustave Schwab on "Nocturno," German film previously denied a license by Irwin Esmond, head of the N. Y. censor board. The examiners who viewed the film declared it came under the provisions of the law as "indecent," "immoral" and "tending to corrupt morals." 7 Production Gains With 34 Shooting (Continued from page 1) one, preparing zero, editing three ; Goldwyn, zero, zero, zero, zero ; M-G-M, zero, five, two, four ; Monogram, zero, one, zero, zero ; Paramount, zero, four, one, 10 ;' Principal, zero, zero, zero, one ; RKO, one, two, four, four ; Republic, one, two, zero, five ; Roach, zero, one, zero, one ; Selznick, zero, zero, zero, zero ; 20th Century-Fox, zero, 10, one, four ; Universal, zero, two, three, three ; Wanger, zero, zero, one, zero; Warners, one, six, two, 16. Three shorts are currently shooting, one each at Columbia, RKO and Roach. Two are being prepared at M-G-M and one at Roach. A total of 13 are in the cutting rooms at the present time. Majors Study Wage Demands in Mexico (Continued from page 1) inally had given the distributors until yesterday to reply to the demands, but later extended the deadline to Wednesday to permit the company representatives to further advise their home offices. The unions have threatened a walkout in the event the demands are not granted. Refinancing Halted G.N. Court Action (Continued from page 1) conference between Judge James and B. F. Zeidman Productions, Inc., Pacific Title & Art Studios, Inc., and Howard Anderson, creditors ; Phil Krasne, Grand National vice-president, and Harry Dunn of Omelveny, Tuller & Myers, representing the producers. Judge James set Feb. 21 as the date for a hearing in the case after Krasne stated that Edward L. Alperson, president, had wired from New York that new money had been obtained and that the appointment of a temporary trustee was premature inasmuch as Grand National had had no opportunity to discuss the case. "Zola," Muni Winners Hollywood, Feb. 14. — As a result of The Minneapolis Journal's nationwide poll of film editors on daily newspapers, "The Life of Emile Zola" has been chosen as the best film and the work of Paul Muni in the title role of the same picture has been declared the finest individual performance of the year. Presentation was made here on the Burbank lot of the Warner studios. Rolsky's Son to Wed Kansas City, Feb. 14. — The wedding of Robert Rolsky, eldest son of E. Rolsky, former head of the I.T.O. and operator of the National, and Annette Kopald will take place at the Rolsky home Feb. 20. "Algiers" for Cromwell Hollywood, Feb. 14. — Walter Wanger has signed John Cromwell to direct "Algiers," story of the French underworld which will star Charles Boyer.