Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

*lert. intelligent ^dispensa > the f icture industry otion DO ftiOTB&WUvh MOTION PICTURE DAILY L. 44. NO. 32 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1938 TEN CENTS £udio Wages To Remain at Present Level greement Signed After Two-Hour Conference \ stand-off agreement under which sting wage and hour schedules estabied in March, 1937, for the five :rnational unions which are signages of the five-year basic agreement h studios will continue in effect il next spring was reached yesterduring a two-hour conference of jor company heads and representais of the internationals. \s predicted, the unions replied to major companies' request for a 10 cent decrease in existing scheds by asking a 10 per cent increase, e stand-off agreement resulted, hav been reached after a two-hour disi-.sion, one of the shortest negotiat; sessions to occur in the history of annual conferences involving the ;ic agreement. Pat Casey, studio labor contact, who ved as chairman of the meeting, ns to return to Hollywood at the (Continued on page 11) Look for $80,000 2nd. "Band" Week "Alexander's Ragtime Band" continues at a record-breaking pace at the Roxy, where an $80,000 gross is anticipated for the second week on the strength of weekend business. A six or seven-week run is expected. The second week's figures to date are not much behind the first, it was reported, with the attendance count (.Continued on page 11) o Trade Practice Session, Says Kent Xo formal meetings of the distribu•s' negotiating committee on trade actice regulation are scheduled for ; next few weeks and the probility is that none will be held until fer Labor Day, Sidney R. Kent, airman, said yesterday. Mr. Kent came to New York from vacation home at Rangely, Me., r the meeting yesterday of major mpany heads with representatives of (Continued on page 14) Reserves Decision On Fox Cash Offer I Atlantic City, Aug. 15— Credits of William Fox met here today consider a $500,000 cash offer to :ar part of the Fox bankruptcy situion. Federal Referee Allen B. Enditt, Jr., who presided, took the offer ider advisement. Counsel for Mrs. va Fox and Mrs. Mona Tauzig and rs. Belle Schwartz, daughters, made e offer conditional on withdrawal (Continued on page 14) Radio News — P. 16 Harrison Sees Extension of Admission Tax Washington, Aug. 15. — Extension of the admission tax was forecast today by Senator Pat Harrison of Mississipi, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who also predicted that needs of the Treasury may well result in a broadening of the tax base through the lowering of personal exemptions. Discussing the Government's financial situation, Senator Harrison said that he could see no way to avoid consideration of a complete new tax bill at the next session of Congress, but stood firm against the imposition of any taxes or rates which would serve to slow down business. The admission and other nuisance levies are due to expire June 30 next, unless extended, and while there had been some suggestions that they might be abandoned, Senator Harrison's views today merely reinforced those previously expressed by Treasury officials that the revenue from these levies was too important to be released. Pledges Pass $900,000 in Big Ad Drive Many Regional Meetings Still to Be Held Industry pledges to the "Motion Pictures' Greatest Year" campaign passed the $900,000 mark yesterday with the receipt of approximately $40,000 in pledges during the past eight days, according to a tabulation compiled from reports on regional meetings held last week. A prior tabulation placed the total of pledges at more than $875,000. Indications are that the $1,000,000 goal for the campaign will be reached before the end of the month, inasmuch as there are still nearly a score of regional meetings in the United States and Canada at which pledges will (Continued on page 11) Decree Ready for No. Dakota Court Preparation of the decree giving effect to the recent Federal statutory court decision upholding the constitutionality of the North Dakota affiliated theatre "divorce" law was completed by attorneys for Paramount and the state in Minneapolis yesterday, according to information received in New York. The decree will be entered in Federal court at Fargo in a day or two, it is believed. Under the form of decree agreed upon, a 30-day stay of enforcement of the statute will be granted Para (Continued on page 14) M-G-M's Total For Season to Be Forty-Five Will Deliver One Over Contract Minimum "Drums" Gets One of Those New Swank Trade Showings By J. M. JERAULD A year or so back a trade show was a trade show. Exhibitors and their wives and sisters-in-law dropped into the Astor or some place — usually in the morning — and saw a picture, and the exhibitors went home for dinner and argued about how much they should pay for it. Of late something has come over trade shows. They're a mild form of premiere without the bright lights, but with flashlight bulbs and crowds on the sidewalk and an occasional auto graph hunter who can't tell a circuit operator from a star. (There are some ! ) Last night's showing of "Drums" at the Hollywood Theatre was one of those new kind of trade showings. Automobiles with chauffeurs pulled up to the curb. Harry Cohn and Nate Spingold and Harry Charnas arrived that way. Arthur W. Kelly and Mrs. Kelly also impressed the waiting crowd and the photographers got busy (Continued on page 3) M-G-M will deliver 45 out of the maximum of 52 features scheduled for 1937-'38, closing the season Aug. 26 with national release of "Marie Antoinette." Contracts were sold on the basis of a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 52 features, and the delivery total is one more than the minimum promised. Of the seven titles that will not be delivered on 1937-'38 contracts, two are in the 35 per cent allocation, one in the 30 per cent group and four designated at 20 per cent. All of the 25 per cent pictures have been made and delivered. "Marie Antoinette" is the last of four 1937-'38 pictures allocated at 40 per cent. The others, all delivered, are: "Test Pilot," "Rosalie" and "Girl of the Golden West." The sales department reports contracts for 1938-'39 are exceeding last year's at this time in number. By last (Continued on page 14) Nov. 1 Extensions Set in Trust Suit Stipulations were filed yesterday in the U. S. District Court in which the Government extended to Nov. 1 the time to answer of 39 of the defendants in the anti-trust suit against the eight major companies. Consent, which operates as an extension from Aug. 9, was given in behalf of the Government by Wendell Berge, special assistant to the Attorney General. J. Robert Rubin, as attorney, signed the stipulation in behalf of Loew's, Inc., Metro-GoldwynMayer Corp., (Continued on page 14) National Theatres Opens L.A. Meeting Los Angeles, Aug. 15. — More than 100 operating heads, district managerial delegates and executives of National Theatres, Inc., today opened the three-day western regional meeting at the Ambassador Hotel. Following the welcome by Charles P. Skouras the delegates immediately launched into the business sessions at which various executives discussed intramural problems of organization. The first order of business was the (Continued on page 3)