Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

nday, February 21. 1938 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Opposition to Duals Spreads anong PTA's {Continued from page 1) a move to ascertain the attitude of Jkmembers to the showing of dual j%rams, and in the event that a ma ity are opposed, it is expected that plan will be devised for active op•sition to double bills. In Chicago the preparation of an . iinance to ban double bills already ,s started, and is expected to be ady for submission to the City Coun on March 2. The decision to proed with such a measure followed a •ling by Corporation Counsel Barnet Ddes that the city had the power regulate the exhibition of duals as health measure. The action was irted several weeks ago, when a ,oup of clubwomen and teachers, repsenting 150,000 school children of city, descended upon the City Hall protest duals as a menace to the •lalth of their children to Health )mmissioner Herman N. Bundeson. Independents Cooperate Independent theatre owners and op:ators of small circuits in Chicago >e known to be in favor of the elimition of duals. Action against duals also has been ken by the parent-teacher group of ronxville, Westchester County. In at community a movement has been irted to enlist general support for e abolition of the double programs, lich, it was contended, held children 1 the theatre too long. Similar action . s been taken in the Oranges, in New rsey. ,:The sudden introduction of triple 'ills in Toledo, where, as in most of hio, double bills have long been virtally standard theatre policy, has used considerable concern among . hibitors. In other widely separated sections the country women's organizations ve expressed opposition to duals, and some instances have undertaken ace campaigns to bring about the mination of the policy. nspect New NSS Studio J Hollywood. Feb. 20. — More than 1 0 guests representing studios, ex anges, circuits and press attended . luncheon and tour of inspection at ,e new National Screen Service jdio. In the new quarters the company s 16,000 feet of floor space, double former area, and is equipped with 1 gh speed Art Reeves developing marines and other latest model facili!s for turning out, from continuity : release print, the 400 prevues, or lilers, produced annually. Ben Cohen Is Honored New Haven, Feb. 20.— Ben Cohen, anager of Loew's Poli here, was •nored at a farewell dinner last ight by a group of friends and Poli .anagers. City officials, prominent :izens and newspaper men attended, ohen will leave March 2 for Bomy. India, where he will take charge 1 the Metro Theatre to be opened in ay or June. Golden Sees Danger In Dual Ban Fights (Continued from page 1) Golden observed, "apparently are unaware of the fact that they merely are serving as 'stooges' to further the interests of monopolistic groups within the industry itself, who have started this newest move only because all previous attempts to discredit the double feature have failed." He recounted unsuccessful efforts to ban double features under the industry's NRA code, by means of prohibitions written into exhibition license agreements, through the opposition of religious groups, by audience polls and other means. Golden asserted that if health ordinances are adopted prohibiting double features the way will be opened to municipal policing of all phases of theatre operation, such as requirements for fumigation and sterilization after every' performance, rigid regulation of ventilation and air-conditioning, all of the physical aspects of the theatre and, possibly, regulation of the type of picture permitted to be shown, giving rise to municipal censorship of the screen. Golden also warned of the economic consequences which he sees resulting from any eventual elimination of double featuring, such as a reduction of employment throughout the industry with 200 fewer features being made annually; loss of revenue from foreign markets, and control of rentals and admission scales by the distributors of the fewer number of features produced. He recalls, as well, thai production would suffer from the absence of a talent discovery and training field such as that now provided by "B" picture production. Delay Wisconsin Meet Milwaukee, Feb. 20.— Directors of the Independent Theatres Protective Association of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan have failed to set dates for the anticipated conference here. Indications are that the convention will be held sometime later in the year, possibly after the national Allied convention. Following last year's convention late in 1937, it was planned to hold another statewide gathering early in 1938, at which plans for a buying group were to have been discussed. RKO Sound Nearly Ready Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Completion of installation of new RCA equipment, started last summer, will be effected by April 1 at RKO. The new equipment includes 13 stage channels, 17 mixers and a new recording stage, the latter to be used for the first time on the Irene Dunne picture, "The Joy of Living." Richard Whiting Dead Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Richard Whiting, 46, Warner composer, died yesterday at his home in Beverly Hills. He had been teamed with Johnny Mercer in writing many Warner musical hits. He is survived by his widow, his mother and two children. Manages Omaha House Lincon, Feb. 20.— Leland Mischnick._ formerly city manager with William Youngclaus for the Lyric and Sterling in Superior, Neb., has resigned to become manager of Ralph Goldberg's Dundee, Omaha. G. N. Finance Deal Cools Over Weekend The $1,000,000 financing for Grand National which was to have included Phil Goldstone, Arnold and Robert M. Bernstein and Ira Greene, president of Continental Film Industries, cooled over the weekend. Arnold Bernstein, a son of David Bernstein, Loew's vice-president and treasurer, said he had discussed the matter recently with Edward Peskay, G. N. vice-president, but the discussions had not reached the status of a deal. Bernstein is a member of Loew's legal staff and associated with Peskay in some theatre ventures. Bernstein stated that his visit to Hollywood, from which he returned last week, apparently led certain quarters interested in the future of Grand National to believe that he went to the coast to further the discussions started with Peskay. In any event, it was said, nothing could be done about the matter until the return from Florida of David Bernstein, about March 1. Greene today will attempt to obtain more information on the status of the reported deal. It is reported, however, that Goldstone has pledged an investment up to $250,000 provided the balance of $1,000,000 will be forthcoming from others. First Rogers Check In G. B. Odium of Paramount has turned in the first check for the Will Rogers Memorial Fund drive to A. P. Waxman, in charge of the campaign. The check, for $1,000, was from the Sparks circuit in Florida. Legion Approves 15 Of 18 New Pictures Of 18 new pictures reviewed and classified by the National Legion of Decency for the current week, 11 were classed as unobjectionable for general patronage, four as unobjectionable for adults, two as objectionable in part, and one was condemned. The new films and their classification follow. Class A-l, Unobjectionable for General Patronage — "Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Albero di Adamo" (Italian), "Arsene Lupin Returns," "Blondes at Work," "Border Wolves," "Daredevil Drivers," "El 113" (Spanish), "Ihr Groesster Erfolg" (German), "Making the Headlines," "Painted Trail," "Sieben Ohrfeigen." Class. A-2, Unobjectionable for Adults — "The Affairs of Maupassant" (German), "No Basta Ser Madre" (Spanish), "Zweimal Zwei im Himmelbett," "Manhattan Melodrama." Class B, Objectionable in Part — "The Baroness and the Butler," "The Big Broadcast of 1938." Class C, Condemned— "Assassin of Youth." H. Jameyson Returns Kansas City, Feb. 20. — Howard Jameyson, district manager at Wichita for Fox Midwest, has returned from a convalescing trip to the South. Jameyson recently underwent an operation. Rosen on "Marines** Hollywood, Feb. 20.— Phil Rosen has been signed by Monogram to direct "The Marines Are Here." SAVE 25 NEW "EXCURSION" RATES EQUAL GROUND TRAVEL COSTS The Lindbergh Line now offers you the lowest round trip fares in de luxe air transportation. Bringing air travel down to the same general cost range of other forms of transportation, these new TWA rates permit everyone who travels — to fly . . . TWA's round trip excursions begin on Saturday, Sunday or Monday; are effective for 15 days; and apply on any schedule, any day, returning. TWA excursion tickets are good on any flight, including the world famous, overnight, coast-to-coast SKY CHIEF ... 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