Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

FILE COP * Alert. Intelligent MOTION PICTtflKF DAILY First in Film am VOL. 44. NO. 19 NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1938 TEN CENTS ENTIRE INDUSTRY RALLIES TO PUT OVER AD CAMPAIGN "Ragtime" Air Show Points To New Trend Completion of plans for the broadicast of 20th Century-Fox's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" over CBS Aug. 3, which now promises to be one of the most elaborate film previews ever presented on the air, focuses attention to the increasing trend by all major studios to exploit their output via radio, indicating that the industry's objections to the broadcasting of screen previews, and the Additional developments in radio yesterday on page 8. presentation of screen players and material on the air, so marked just a season or two ago, has largely been overcome. Hardly a major picture of the past season, research discloses, has made its first night debut in a theatre without an accompanying broadcast. Films (Continued on page 8) Col. British Plans To Be Ready Shortly London, July 27. — Joseph A. McConville, foreign sales manager for Columbia, and Joseph Friedman, European manager for the company, promised an early announcement on Columbia's British quota production plans, at a press conference here today. The two declared the company probably will fulfill its quota obligations with two or three double-quota (Continued on page 3) 'Algiers'' in Second Week Takes $90,000 "Algiers" is continuing strong at the Music Hall, netting $90,000 for a second week after $96,000 in the first week. The picture did consistently good business throughout the two weeks and is expected to hold up well in the third, which will start today. "Love Finds Andy Hardy" is another good money getter, raising the Capitol's take to $30,000 for the first (Continued on page 3) O'Brien Files Appearance in Federal Suit The first appearance of any of the 167 defendants named in the Government's anti-trust suit against the organized industry was filed in U. S. District Court here yesterday by Dennis F. O'Brien, a director and general counsel of United Artists, and himself a defendant in the suit. In the appearance filed, Mr. O'Brien asks the court to direct the Attorney General's office to serve all papers in the action on him. Under an order of this kind Mr. O'Brien, presumably, will accept service for Dr. A. H. Giannini, George J. Schaefer, Harry D. Buckley, Arthur W. Kelly, Lloyd Wright, Harry J. Muller, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charles (Continued on page 2) Jacques Edelstein Killed; Byre Hurt Pakis, July 27. — Jacques Edelstein, managing director for M-G-M in France, died yesterday in a hospital at Poitiers from injuries he suffered last Saturday in a motor crash. Allan Byre, manager of the company's office branch here, who was accompanying (Continued on page 3) Over $825,000 Is Pledged; 75, 000 Sought for Drive Independent Exhibitors Join Majors and Affiliated Circuits in Record Drive For Business; Contest Included All branches of the industry joined yesterday at the Astor Hotel in pledging wholehearted support to the national advertising and promotion campaign to be undertaken this fall and winter to stimulate theatre business and effect a general improvement in the industry's public relations. More than 300 representative industry figures, most of them independent theatre operators from every section of the country, gave their approval at the meeting to the basic plans for the campaign and its broad objectives as described by George J. Schaefer and Howard Dietz, representing the working committees which have formulated the plans over the past three weeks. Approximately $1,000,000 will be expended on the campaign which will extend from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, embracing all pictures released from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. The basis of the drive, regarded as the most ambitious promotional undertaking ever attempted by the industry;, will be a $250,000 prize contest to be staged more than $40,000,000 for the 13week campaign. The national advertising will appear in every daily newspaper in the country, it was disclosed, thus benefiting every city, town and hamlet of sufficient size to support a daily publication. All of this advertising will call attention specifically to the local theatres participating in the campaign, to the new season pictures playing those theatres and to the necessity of seeing those pictures in order to qualify contestants for winning prize awards. Details of the $250,000 contest have still to be worked out by a national exhibitor committee appointed yesterday by Mr. Schaefer. It is evident, however, that a form of questionnaire, obtainable only at theatres participating in the campaign, will be devised which will make it necessary for con(Continued on page 6) in such a manner that attendance at the nation's theatres will be essential to qualify any entrant for participating in the 5,000 prizes which will be awarded within the span of the campaign. Mr. Schaefer told the meeting that it was the belief of the working committees that $1,600,000 could be added to the national box-office grosses every week for the 13 weeks of the campaign as a result of the business stimuli which would be brought into play. This figure, Mr. Schaefer said, represents only a 10 per cent increase in the average weekly box-office gross. The actual gross improvement may be as much as 20 per cent, he said, or More than $825,000 has been pledged toward the $1,000,000 cooperative advertisng campaign and business drive which the industry will launch Sept. 1, Gradwell L. Sears of the campaign's executive committee, said following the general industry meeting at the Astor yesterday. Producing and distributing companies have pledged $500,000 and affiliated theatres a. minimum of $250,000, contingent upon the subscription of the remaining $250,000 by independent theatres. The latter are asked to contribute at the rate of 10 cents per seat. At yesterday's meeting 744 theatres, representing 750,000 seats, pledged $75,000. Non-participating theatres will not be included in the national contest designed to draw continuous patronage to participating theatres throughout the campaign. Frank C. Walker, head of Comerford Theatres, was named treasurer of the campaign fund and will receive all pledges of contributions. The general budget for the campaign, as outlined by George J. Schaefer, allots $575,000 to $600,000 (Continued or page 6) May Be Annual That the industry's cooperative campaign to increase theatre attendance and advertise the more than 100 initial new season releases of all companies may be staged annually hereafter was suggested by George J. Schaefer at the Astor Hotel meeting yesterday. "Out of this may come an even more effective plan which the industry can emDloy year after year," Mr. Schaefer said.