Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1939)

10 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Tuesday, May 16, 19 Theatre Boom For Montreal On Royal Visit Montreal, May 15. — More than 500,000 persons are expected to flock here for the visit of British royalty, scheduled Thursday, and exhibitors are anticipating a business increase up to 50 per cent. Tourists have been arriving here since Saturday, waiting for the British monarchs whose arrival has been delayed by fog at sea. The whole town has taken on a festive air. Theatres have arranged special shows and decorated their marquees. Exhibitors expect "dead" houses during the procession, but expect to catch good evening crowds. Royalty Newsreels Escape Delay Here Delay in the landing of British royalty will not affect newsreels adversely. In view of the postponement from yesterday until tomorrow, the negatives will reach here in time for the regular editions of the reels and will not require specials. Radio schedules have been revised because of the delay in arrival of the Empress of Australia. First programs, originally scheduled for yesterday morning, will begin tomorrow instead. Urge Longer Terms For Radio Licenses Longer terms for radio licenses and definite standards to guide censorship and control have been suggested to the Federal Communication Commission by the National Council on Freedom from Censorship. The proposals are aimed at promoting freedom of the air. ► Radio Personals 4 JOHN TILLMAN, formerly of WHAS, Louisville, and WSB, Atlanta, has joined the CBS announcing staff here. . . . Wallace Walker has joined Mutual's sales promotion department in a market research capacity. . . . Basil Rathbone and Patricia Ellis will make guest appearances on Bing Crosby's show Thursday. . . . Tom Fizdale is back in New York after an extended stay at his west coast offices. . . . Nan Wynn joins the Hal Kemp crew as vocalist May 19, succeeding Maxine Grav. Name King to Head Florida Broadcasters Jacksonville, May 15. — Frank M. King, head of the Florida Broadcasting Co., operating WMBR, Jacksonville, was named president of the Florida Association of Broadcasters at a meeting here in connection with a district convention of the National Association of Broadcasters. Other officers elected were Gilbert Freeman of WTAL, Tallahassee, first vice-president ; Harold Danforth, WDBO, Orlando, second vice-president; Spencer Mitchell, WDAE, the Tampa Times station, secretary-treasurer; Walter Tison, WFLA, Clearwater; Fred Borton, WQAM, Miami, and Henry Wells, WCOA, Pensacola, directors. Representatives of 33 stations in Florida, Georgia and Alabama attended a busines.s session called for the purpose of formulating a "very definite statement telling the reason why the south is not ready for television." Principal speakers at today's session were E. C. Mills of Ascap and Neville Miller, president of the N. A. B. Group Theatre Plays On Kate Smith Hour Ted Collins has entered into an agreement with the Group Theatre to present a series of radio versions of dramatic offerings starring players from that organization on the Kate Smith hour. Beginning with Thursday's broadcast, members of the Group Theatre will be heard in an adaptation of "Men in White," with Frances Farmer and Luther Adler ; May 25 Stella Adler and Morris Carnovsky will do "Life of Sarah Bernhardt." and on June 1 "Golden Boy" will be offered. NBC Will Televise Ball Game Tomorrow First televised showing of a baseball game has been scheduled by W2XBS, NBC short-wave station, for tomorrow when the cameras will cover the action of the intercollegiate game between Columbia and Princeton, from Baker Field, at 4 P.M. It will be the first sports telecast in this country. WIOD Labor Quiz Miami, May 14. — Labor practices of WIOD and its parent, Miami Daily News, will be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board at a hearing on charges growing out of the dismissal last fall of four radio artists. FCC Calendar of Hearings Washington, May 15. — Federal Communications Commission has tentatively assigned broadcasting applications for hearings as follows : . June 12: Application of KTSW, Emporia, Kan., for extension of time from day to unlimited. June 15: Application of Central Broadcasting Corp. for a new 1,500kilocycle station at Worcester, Mass., with 100 watts night, 250 watts day. June 26 : Application of Catawba Valley Broadcasting Co., Inc., for a new 1,370-kilocycle station at Hickory, N. C, with 100 watts night, 250 watts day. June 30: Application of KALE, Portland, Ore., for increase of day power from 1,000 to 5,000 watts. July 10 : Application of Samuel M. Emison for a new 1,420-kilocycle, 100 watt station at Vincennes, Ind. July 12: Application of KUTA, Salt Lake City, for change of frequency from 1,500 to 570 kilocycles and increase of power from 100 to 1,000 watts. Application for a construction permij for a new 1.340-kilocycle, 1,000watt station has been filed by the Porto Rican American Broadcasting Co. Inc., Ponce, P. R. Other applications included the requests of KQV, Pittsburgh, for increase of night power from 500 to 1,000 watts, and KMTR, Los Angeles for increase of power from 1,000 to 5,000 watts. Set New WMCA Series A new Friday musical and variety series featuring Billy Glason, .will start over WMCA May 19 from 10 to 10:30 P. M. The series will be titled "Laff Parade," and in addition to Glason will have Lee Grant's orchestra, and Shirley Hall, Jimmy Blair and Mildred King. 'Chips' Ads on Radio M-G-M, through Donahue & Coe, is using spot announcements for one week over WNEW to advertise "Good-Bye Mr. Chips," opening at the Astor today. Study Television Here San Francisco, May 15. — David Worrall, head of the Australian Broadcasting System and manager of 3DB, Sidney, is here with C. P. McGregor, Hollywood transcription producer, to see RCA television and other radio exhibits at the exposition. Shift Television Time NBC has revised its television film schedule, from Mondays, 11 A.M. to 4 P.M., to Saturdays from 4 to 9 P.M. Film schedule is primarily for dealer showings, and the new schedule has been arranged as an accommodation to dealers who have urged the Saturday showings as the best time to demonstrate the sets to the public B anner LINES Renew Reiser Pact Al and Lee Reiser have received their fourth renewal as conductors of the "All-Star Revue," heard Thursday at 7:30 P.M. over WEAF. The renewal is for 13 weeks starting June ?? To Short-Wave Mutual Beginning June 1, W1XAL, Boston, in addition to its regular shortwave schedule, will pick up the Mutual network's programs from 10 A. M. to 12 noon, Monday through Saturday, for transmission to Europe and South America. IRKED by the success of BBj in getting short-wave progran ! into Germany, the Nazi Ministr of Propaganda has issued a dictioi ary defining some of the terms fre^ quently used in the British broac, casts. Some of the official dej;-i tions, according to Ncwsdom, \ Gentlemen — In England everyone : i gentleman so long as it is not put icly demonstrated that he isn't. Consultation — To ask permissionof England, naturally. Freedom — A word for which than is a fondness, to cover up other ill sounding ideas. Calico — Cotton goods, petroleunj coal, naval bases, steel, rubber — whs the English statesmen mean whe| they speak of God or Righteousnes T The Helen Menken series, "Second Husband," used to have a sombre not\ ■about each episode, but iiozl1 it's mm gayer and more sprightly. If yc seek an explanation, the change format is due to the change in weati cr. In other words, for spring at summer the show zvill stress lightnc and gayety; in the winter it will pic up its worrisome habits again. T John Steinbeck's "Grapes (1 Wrath" is a best-seller withoul the aid of Alton Cook's appendix, <J course, but the fact remains thai the sale of the book took an upwar I hike while the radio editor of thl World-Telegram was convalescini from his appendectomy. Thus fa| he's received six copies of the booi from friends. T Guy Hickok of NBC's short-wav I division, showed us the letters fronl German listeners. A batch of theml all requesting the network to mai I them copies of the words and lyric: £ of — "The Star Spangled Banner." ▼ When the King and Queen of Eng land arrive in Washington for tin l June 8-9 stopovers. Mutual will mef(/4 the special events staffs of three sta-% tions to handle the event, WOV\ Washington ; WBAL, Baltimore, one , WOR, Neiv York. ▼ CBS Institutional Note. Th<i handball fever is raging over or Madison Ave. with the network's oroduction department team chal lenging all comers, particularly NBC. On the team are Mel Allen Ed Scoville, Bob Ray, Charles Cur tin, John Allen Wolfe, Jack Slocuir (a ringer), Art Mundorff, John Reic King and George Putnam. T The Modernaires are feuding with the 'Merry Macs — similarity of arrangements is the cause. — Jack Banner Foster WLW Announcer Cincinnati, May 15. — Fred Foster, Jacksonville, Fla., will replace Del King as WLW announcer when the latter leaves shortly to take a post in Chicago. Dunham at Meeting Dr. Franklin Dunham, NBC educational director, left yesterday to attend the three-day annual meeting of the American Association for Adult Education at Niagara Falls. Today he will participate in the Association's round table on new agencies of adult education, which will include a discussion of radio.