Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Friday, August 5, 1938 Ad Campaign Gets Pledges Of Canadians (.Continued from page 1) the I. T. O. of Ontario, endorsed the campaign on behalf of members of his organization. Numerous exhibitor pledges of financial support on the basis of contributions of 10 cents per seat were received. Mr. Fitzgibbons and Mr. Masters will conduct regional meetings in other parts of the Dominion, and will leave here by plane Friday night for Van couver, where the next meeting will be held. It will be followed in quick succession by meetings at Cal gary, 'Winnipeg and Montreal. Among those present at today's meet Ing were Col. J. A. Cooper, president, Motion Picture Distributors Associa tion; Mr. Fitzgibbons, N. A. Taylor, L. M. Devaney, Canadian general manager, Radio Pictures Corp. ; A W. Bolstad, Ben Geldsaler, Morris Stein, R. S. Roddick, Clarence Rob son, J. R. Nairn, C. T. Appel, all of Famous Players Canadian Corp. ; Mr. Freedman, J. M. Franklin, president, Franklin-Herschorn independent circuit, St. Johns, N. B.; P. J. Nolan, Ottawa ; Sam Fine and S. Bloom, B. & F. circuit, Toronto ; Mr. Masters, M. A. Milligan, general manager, Paramount Film Service, and J. L. Hunter, Toronto branch manager ; Henry L. Nathanson, general manager, Regal Films Limited ; J. F. Myers, Ontario, RKO branch manager ; Louis Rosenfeld, general sales manager, Columbia Pictures Corp. of Canada ; Sam Glazer, United Artists. Independents Represented S. Flak, Canadian Independent Theatres ; Dewey D. Bloom, Regal, Ray and Herb Allen, Premier Theatres ; Dave Coplan, Columbia ; Harry Paynter, Harry Law, Wolfe Cohen, Warner Bros. ; H. Pfaff , Paramount Ontario branch ; H. Bailey, 20th Century-Fox Films ; Jules Olfe, B. & F. Theatres ; R. Auerbach, Exhibitors Booking Association ; A. B. Cass, Columbia ; B. Fox, RKO, Toronto ; E. H. Wells, secretary, Toronto Film Board of Trade ; Harry Kauffman of Toronto ; A. J. Laurie, general sales manager, Empire-Universal Films, Limited; H. C. D. Main, general manager, Hanson Theatres Corn. ; H. N. Alexander, J. A. Boyd, H. Firestone, Harold Kay, Sam Lester, A. Lester, I. Axler, H. Yudin, A. Snider, A. Polakoff, S. Firestone, J. Scott, V. Simone, B. Ulster, H. Pringle, A. Rotenberg, J. A. Kuderka, G. E. Farrow, S. Strashin, all Toronto exhibitors; L. Anderson of Caledonia, J. Ironstone, Toronto branch manager, Regal Films ; S. Goldstone, Rex, Toronto, and R. Rush of Wiarton, Ontario. Bar Bank Night Cases Tallahasse, Fla., Aug. 4. — Criminal prosecutions against operators of Gulf Theatres, Inc., in Tampa, have been prohibited by the State Supreme Court. The prohibition was put into effect until the court can decide whether Bank Night is illegal. The court previously had overruled a Circuit Court injunction against Bank Night. Twin City Ad Meet Set for Wednesday Exhibitors in the Minneapolis territory will be asked to support the industry's cooperative national advertising campaign and better business drive at a meeting next Wednesday in the Nicollet Hotel. W. A. Steffes, Minneapolis independent exhibitor leader, and A. W. Smith, Jr., of United Artists, will conduct the meeting. Detroit exhibitors, at their meeting Wednesday, tentatively pledged about $10,000 for the drive. The 200 theatres represented at the meeting are expected to give final anoroval following a meeting of the cooperative booking agency in Detroit next Tuesday. Following that session, a statewide campaign to aid the drive will be organized by H. M. Richey, regional chairman, with the cooperation of Detroit exchanges. To Produce Short Subject The short feature which will be distributed to theatres participating in the drive early in September will be written and produced by Herman Hoffman of the M-G-M advertising department, and Lou Harris of the Paramount advertising department. Frank Whitback, M-G-M writer, will supervise. The subject has the tentative title, "Five Hundred Million People Can't Be Wrong," and will convey a comparison of the value an average man and his family derive from their expenditure for film entertainment with that derived from an equal sum expended on other forms of diversion. Campaign headquarters here reported yesterday that George Thomas, Joseph Shea and Robert Burkhardt had been added to the Hollywood staff for the drive and will work on publicity and stills for campaign use under the direction of Gabe Yorke. One of their assignments will be to obtain 100 articles signed by leading stars for use in campaign publicity. Indications yesterday were that Republic and Monogram will accept invitations to participate in the campaign. U.A. Still After "Gone with Wind" (Continued from page 1) port : "As you know, no deal for distribution for 'Gone with the Wind has been closed yet. The company which ultimately gets it will be for tunate. United Artists would be proud to distribute the picture." Mr. Silverstone said that the nego tiations for renewal of the Selznick International distributing agreement are in an "active state," but that no decisive development has occurred since his return to New York from the coast. John Hay Whitney, Selz nick International chairman, has gone to Saratoga from New York. Mr Silverstone, however, said that he is "in constant touch with the Selznick organization." The United Artists board of direc tors held a brief meeting yesterday. Company officials said that "nothing of importance" was acted on. Cleveland Theatres Pledge Ad Drive Aid Cleveland, Aug. 4.— About 125 independent and affiliated exhibitors today met with Gradwell L. Sears and M. B. Horowitz and pledged their cooperation in the industry's national advertising and business building campaign. Harry Reinhart, owner of the Mozart, was first to sign the contest pledge. Out-of-towners unable to attend wired assurances of their cooperation. Mr. Sears predicted complete success of the campaign in this area. Prepare 2 Pleas for U. K. Labor Congress By AUBREY FLANAGAN London, Aug. 4.— Resolutions sponsored by the Association of Cine Technicians demanding fair wages for members will be considered by the British Trade Union Congress at its meeting to be held next month. Another resolution that will reach the floor is that of the Electrical Trade Union demanding a 48-hour week for projectionists. Patent Office Makes Study of Monopoly (Continued from page 1) which is to be turned over to the Administration's monopoly investigating committee, some of the high officials of the office have been asked to fore go their vacations. The report which is to be prepared is expected to show the number of patents which have been acquired by various large concerns in certain in dustries and may also disclose the methods adopted to keep research scientists from taking out patents in their own names and other monopolistic devices. It is understood that a large num ber of film patents may come under scrutiny. On the basis of the Patent Office findings, it will be possible for the monopoly committee to make an investigation to determine the extent to which patents have been acquired and suppressed by big corporations. The alleged shelving of inventions was one of the bases for legislation sought at the last session of Congress for mandatory licensing of patents. Kalmus Reports Move For European Plants The establishment of Technicolor plants in Paris, Berlin and Rome was advanced by Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, president and general manager of the company, during a trip to Europe from which he returned yesterday. He said "great interest" has been displayed in color plants and negotiations are in progress. The Technicolor laboratory in London is making "good progress," he reported, with three color films now in work. These are Korda's "Four Feathers," "The Mikado" and "Sixty Glorious Years," a Herbert Wilcox production. Mr. Kalmus was gone two and a half months. He will confer at headquarters here and, following a vacation, will return to Hollywood in about a month. Get 16mm Travel Films Nu-Art Filmco has acquired the 16 mm rights for a series of shorts entitled "Today and Yesterday" and covering Scandinavia from Sylvia Sanders. &6 Cowboy" Big In Washington With $19,000 Washington, Aug. 4. — "Cowboy from Brooklyn" at the Earle made the best showing of the week $19JT<> $2,000 over par. Loew's Palace, showing "Little Miss Broadway," grossed $14,000, $2,650 over average, to place next best. Total first run business was $66,000. Average, $66,580. Estimated takings, exclusive of tax, for the week ending July 29 : "COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN" (W. B.) EARLE— (2,218), 25c-66c, 7 days. Stage: Norval Baptie and Gladys Lamb with Eric Wait in Lake Placid Ice Follies. Gross: $19,000. (Average, $17,000) "LITTLE MISS BROADWAY" (20th-Fox) LOEW'S PALACE^(2,370), 25c-55c, 7 days. Gross: $14,000. (Average, $12,650) "PORT OF SEVEN SEAS" (M-G-M) LOEW'S CAPITOL-(3,434), 2Sc-66c, 7 days. Stage: Jackie Heller, Paul Haakon. Frank Conville and Wilma Novak. Gross: $18,000. (Average, $18,075) "LITTLE TOUGH GUY" (Univ.) (6 days) "MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKENS" (RKO) (1 day) RKO KEITH'S — (1,836), 25c-40c, 7 days Gross: $7,000. (Average, $10,000) "LORD JEFF" (M-G-M) LOEW'S COLUMBIA— (1,243), 25c-40c, 7 days. Gross: $4,000. (Average, $4,325) "COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO" (U. A.) (Re-issue) METROPOLITAN— (1,591), 25c-40c, 7 days. Gross: $4,000. (Average, $4,450) Jack Camp in Hospital Milwaukee, Aug. 4.— Jack Camp, local Universal exchange manager, has been ill for several weeks. He has been in Columbia Hospital since the first part of July. Books Saturday Serial Washington, Aug. 4— Carter Barron has decided on an innovation at Loew's Capitol by booking "The Lone Star Ranger," Republic serial, for Saturday matinees only. Wall Street Warners, Loew's in Board Gain Net Open High Low Close Col 13% 1354 1354. 1354 Cons iys 154 m 154 E. K 176 177 176 177 E. K. pfd.,169 169 169 169 G. T. E. .. 14 1454 14 14 K.A.O. pfd 85 85 85 85 49 4854 49 Loew, pfd.. 105^4 10554 10554 10554 Para. 1054 1054 10/s WVs Para. 2 1054 1054 1054 1054 Pathe 9 954 9 954 RKO 2M 2% 2Vs 2M 20th Fox . 24^ 2sy8 24M 2554 20th pfd. .. 333/s 1M 33VS 33Vs W. B 654 654 654 654 W. B. pfd. 38 38 38 38 +1 +154 -54 + Vs Light Curb Movement -Vs + v» -H % +1 Net Open High Low Close Change G. N 11/16 11/16 s/s s/g, —1/16 Tech 2454 2454 2454 24fg — Vt Trans-Lux 254 2S/A 254 2^+54 Univ. Corp. 2% 3 27/s 3 Warner Bond Decline iy2 Pts. Net High Low Close Change Loew 354s '46. ...100 100 100 + 54 W. B. 6s '39. 7854 7754 7754 -154 (Quotations at close of Aug. 4)