Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Saturday, March 19, 193 MOTION PICTURi DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 43 March 19, 1938 No. 64 MARTIN QUIGLEY Editor-in-Chief and Publisher A-MIKE VOGEL, Editor J. M. JERAULD, Managing Editor JAMES A. CRON, Advertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and holidays by Quigley Publishing Company. Inc. Martin Quigley. Dresident; Colvin Brown, vice-president and treasurer. Publication Office: 1270 Sixth Avenue at Rockefeller Center, New York. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, New York." All contents copyrighted 1938 by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications: MOTION PICTURE HERALD, BETi'r-K THEATRES, TEATRO AL DIA, INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC and FAME. HOLLYWOOD: Postal Union Life Building. Vine and Yucca Sts.; Boone Mancall, Manager. CHICAGO: 624 S. Michigan Ave.; C. B. O'Neill, Manager. WASHINGTON: Albee Building; Bertram F. Linz, Representative. AMSTERDAM: 87 Waalstraat; Philip de Schaap, Representative. BERLIN: Steulerstrasse 2, Berlin W. 35; Joachim K. Rutenberg, Representative. BUDAPEST: 3 Kaplar-u, Budapest II; Endre Hevesi, Representative. BUENOS AIRES: Avallaneda 3949; N. Bruski, Representative. COPENHAGEN: Vesterbrogada 20; Kris Winther, Representative. HELSINKI: Fredriksgatan 19C; Charlotte Laszio, Representative. LONDON: 4 Golden Square, W. 1; Cable address, Quigpubco, London ; Hope Williams, Manager. MELBOURNE: Regent Theatre Buildings, i: Collins St. ; Cliff Holt, Representative. MEXICO CITY: Apartado 269: James Lockhart. Representative. MONTEVIDEO: P. O. Box 664; Paul Bodo, Representative. MOSCOW: Petrovski Per 8; Beatrice Stern, Representative. PARIS: 29 Rue Marsoulan; Pierre Autre, Representative. PRAGUE: Uhelny trh 2. Prague 1; Harry Knopf, Representative. BIO DE JANEIRO: Caixa Postal 3558; L. S. Marinho, Representative. ROME: 54 Via Delia Mercede; Joseph D. Ravotto, Representative. SANTIAGO de CHILE: Casilla 13300; A. Weissmann. Representative. SHANGHAI: Rooms 38-41; Capital Theatre Building, 142 Museum Road; J. P. Koehler, Representative. STOCKHOLM: Kungsgatan 36; Ragnar Allberg, Representative. TOKYO: 880 Sasazuka, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba-Ken; H. Tominaga, Representative. VIENNA: Neustiftgasse 54 Vienna VII; Hans Lorant, Representative. Entered as second class matter January 4, 1926, at the Post Office at New York. N. Y.. under Act of March 3. 1879. Subscription rates per year $6 in the Americas, and foreign $12. Single copies: 10 cents. "U" Makes Wittman Philly Branch Head Sig Wittman, eastern district manager for Universal, has been transferred to Philadelphia as branch manager. He replaces Joseph Engel, who will transfer to the Cleveland office. Dave Miller, branch manager in Cleveland, will be given a new position. Miller yesterday conferred with William Scully, general sales manager. Friedmans Fly West Joseph Friedman, Columbia's European manager, left by TWA plane yesterday for the coast for conferences with Harry Cohn, president, and studio officials. He expects to return to England in about two weeks. Flying west with him were his son, Seymour, and daughter-in-law, who were married recently in London. Seymour is a member of Columbia's production staff. John Joseph Heads East Hollywood, March 18. — John Joseph, advertising and publicity director for Universal, will leave on the Chief today after five weeks at the company's studios. i Purely Personal ► WALTER BRANSON has returned from a tour of the RKO branches in the interest of the Ned E. Depinet Drive. He was accompanied by Harry Michaelson, short subject sales manager. • Theodore A. Shaw, assistant division manager of 20th Century-Fox, will leave Monday for a trip to the company'^ Toronto and Montreal exchanges. • Bobby Breen will be a guest star at the benefit to be conducted by the Israel Orphan Asylum at Madison Square Garden tonight. • Milton and Mrs. Silver plan a cocktail party Sunday afternoon for Charles Curtis Munz, author of "Land Without Moses." • J. J. Sullivan, Fox West Coast film buyer, is here on his annual film buying expedition and expects to make it an extended stay. • Dr. Saul C. Colin has left for the coast where he will confer on the summer tryouts of his fall productions. • Harry Arthur, general manager of Fanchon & Marco Theatres, boarded a TWA plane yesterday for St. Louis. • Lew Seiler, Hollywood director, and Mrs. Seiler will sail for the Pacific Coast today on the California. • Ed Peskay, Grand National sales head, arrived yesterday from the coast and reorganization conferences. • William Gluck has resigned from Joe Hornstein, Inc., to join Reflex Service Corp. as contact man. • Joe Felder, Monogram's New York branch manager, will arrive in a few days from the coast. • Leroy Prinz, Paramount dance director, will leave for the coast March 28. • Spyros Skouras plans to fly to the Ned E. Depinet dinner in Dallas March 26. • Mrs. Nils T. Granlund arrived on the coast yesterday by TWA. Report "Chicago" Mark Reports to the local offices of 20th Century-Fox tell of a record-breaking opening day for "In Old Chicago," featured on a single bill at the Paramount, San Francisco. The opening day gross of $4,249.20 is said to exceed by several hundred dollars the best previous take for an initial day. RKO Signs "Snow" Deals RKO has closed deals for the playing of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" with the Lucas & Jenkins circuit in Georgia and with the Interstate Circuit of Texas. Cresson E. Smith represented the company in the transactions. Guest List Growing For Depinet Dinner Dallas, March 18. — Acceptances continue to be received for the dinner which Karl Hoblitzelle is sponsoring at the Hotel Baker here on March 26 to mark the 30th anniversary of the entrance of Ned E. Depinet into the film industry. Among those who have expressed their intention to attend are Gradwell L. Sears and Carl Leserman of Warners, Neil F. Agnew of Paramount, Herman Robbins, Herbert J. Yates, John Wood, Sam Dembow, Bill Saal, George and Charles Skouras, Willard McKay, Al Barlow, John E. Hennegan, Jack Pegler, Mike Rosenberg, Billy Wilkerson, Arthur Ungar and Nate J. Blumberg, president of Universal, and Will Hays. Those from RKO who will join in doing honor to the company's vicepresident and distribution head will include Leo Spitz, president ; Jules Levy, J. R. McDonough, S. Barret McCormick, Harry Cohen, Lee Marcus, Robert Sisk, Cliff Reid, Lou Lusty, Howard Benedict, Phil Reisman, Fred Ullman, Cresson E. Smith, Ed McEvoy, Ralph Rolan, William Mallard, Ben Cammack, Ricardo Cortez and Milton Berle. March 26, day of the dinner, has been declared Ned Depinet Day by Mayor George Sprague. The dinner will be broadcast over a coast-to-coast radio hookup and will be shot by Pathe News. ' Follies" Gross for Five Weeks $95,500 "The Goldwyn Follies" grossed $95,500 in its five-week run at the Rivoli, which ended last night. The fourth week take was $11,500 and the others, consecutively, were : $38,000, $27,000, $19,000. The Strand finished with $17,000 for the third week of "A Slight Case of Murder," compared with $34,000 for the first stanza and $19,400 for the second. The anticipated St. Patrick's Day business increase failed to materialize at the Roxy, which took $54,500 in the first week of "Mad About Music." "Dangerous to Know" at the Criterion garnered $9,500. No Major-IA Agreement An all-day meeting at the Warner home office yesterday failed to result in an agreement between representatives of the major distributors and the I.A.T.S.E., who conferred on terms of a basic agreement covering exchange unions in 31 distribution centers. Another meeting is scheduled for Monday when the agreement is expected to be ratified. All major companies were represented. I.A.T.S.E. spokesmen were Lou Krouse, assistant president, and John Gatelee, New England organizer. Representatives were also present from a number of out-of-town locals. O'Toole to New Haven Boston, March 18. — Timothy O'Toole, for many years Columbia branch manager here, has been shifted to New Haven. The change will take effect Monday. O'Toole has been in ill health for some time and it is felt that the easier assignment at New Haven will act as a tonic. Harry Rogovin has transferred from New Haven to take over O'Toole's post here. To Honor Dr. Silver Of Palestine Appea Dr. Abba Hillel Silver of Cleve land, national chairman of the Unite Palestine Appeal, next Wednesda; will be guest of honor at a luncheon t be tendered by the amusement divisio of the drive. The affair, which wil be held at the Hotel Astor, will b under the chairmanship of Leo Sb&;, Dr. Silver and Louis Nizer will^» liver addresses. The amusement division committe named by Spitz includes Jack Alicoatc Barney Balaban, Ben Bernie, Davi Bernstein, Nate J . Blumberg, Be 1 Boyar, Harry Brandt, J. E. Brulatoui Gene Buck, Irving Caesar, Eddie Can; tor, Jack Cohn, Joseph H. Cooper, S; Fabian, Donald Flamm, Mauric Goodman, Max Gordon, Harry Hersh field, Arthur Hopkins, Lawrenc| Langner, Jules Levy, Al Lichtmar Arthur Mayer, William C. Miche: Jack Mills, William Morris, Paul Moss, Arthur Murray, Louis Phil lips, Martin Quigley, Walter Read« Herman Robbins, W. F. Rodger;. Saul E. Rogers, Billy Rose, Louis K Sidney, Sidney Silverman, George J Schaefer, Lee Shubert, Spyros P] Skouras, Alexander Smallens, Franl^ V. Storrs, James Stroock, Elia] Sugarman, Sophie Tucker, W. G. Vaij Schmus, Albert Warner, Joseph NJ Weber, Orson Welles, Ed Wynn ana Adolph Zukor. M-G-M Frisco Meet To Get Start Todai San Francisco, March 18. — Th< first of M-G-M's regional sales con ferences will get under way here to \ morrow for two days with William F Rodgers, general manager of distribu; tion; Al Lichtman and E. M. Saun( ders, division manager, attending. The following will also attend George Hickey, western distric1 manager, and branch managers L Furman, San Francisco ; L. Amacher Portland; M. Saffle, Salt Lake City and L. Wingham, Seattle. Rodgers will go from here to Chi cago for another regional meeting oi . Thursday and Friday. Frank Congratulated William Frank, assistant manage at Loew's Oriental, Brooklyn, ha;j been congratulated by Loew's official on his presence of mind in averting ; fire at the theatre the other night; With the lobby crowded, Franl' noticed the artificial flowers in a vasi had caught fire from a pipe emptiei by a patron. Frank rushed the vasi to the manager's office, closed the doo an extinguished the blaze. There wa:' no damage except to his eyebrows. Luise Rainer Re-Signed Hollywood, March 18. — Luisi Rainer has been signed by M-G-M t< | a new long term contract. The actres: is now at work on "The Toy Wife,' formerly known as "Mile. Frou Frou.' In support are Robert Young, Melvyi; Douglas and H. B. Warner. Sets Educational Drive April 25 to May 28 has been desig nated by John D. Clark, 20th CenturyFox sales head, as Educational Anni versary Month. Educational is offering $1,000 in prizes to bookers in the United States branches during the drive.