Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1940)

2 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, January 23, 1940 Expect $300,000 From N.Y. Film Tax Albany, Jan. 22. — An estimate of $300,000 from the three mills per foot tax on films licensed for state exhibition, was included in the budget for the next fiscal year, submitted to the New York state legislature tonight by Governor Lehman. The estimate, according to the Governor, was "predicated on past behavior." The Motion Picture Division in the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, collected $298,023 and for the previous year $304,073. Of importance to exhibitors in the Governor's budget of $396,700,000 for the year is the appropriation for unemployment relief of $85,300,000, which may necessitate the imposition of a state sales tax. Such a tax probably would include theatre admissions. E. C. Grainger Holds Cincinnati Meeting Cincinnati, Jan. 22. — E. C. Grainger, general manager of Feiber & Shea, and the circuit's managers in the field held a breakfast-meeting at Netherland-Plaza Hotel here last week. Present were : Ray C. Hickman, field representative ; Frank King, manager of the Midland and Auditorium, Newark ; Dan Gilhula, manager of the State and Ohio, Cambridge; Edward J. Hiehle, manager of the Weller, Zanesville ; Duke Prince, manager of the Ohio and Strand, Marietta, Tom Alfred, general manager of the Lancaster Amusement Co., Lancaster; Harold Snyder, manager of the Lyric, Lancaster, and Jack Shea, booker, of New York. Panama's President Greets Para. Chiefs Adolph Zukor and John W. Hicks, currently on a business and goodwill tour of Central and South America for Paramount, were received by Dr. Augusto Boyd, President of Panama, on their arrival there last weekend, according to word received at the home office yesterday. The Paramount executives also were entertained by William Dawson, American envoy to Panama, and Major General Van Voorhis, commander of the Canal Zone. Shea Official Testifies Boston, Jan. 22. — Alexander Kearney, assistant manager for the Shea circuit with headquarters in New York City, testified today in the Morse and Rotherberg. anti-trust suit against the major distributors. Counsel for the Shea circuit, Edward C. Raftery, was also present today. MITCHELL MAY, Jr. CO., INC. INSURANCE • Specializing in requirements of the Motion Picture Industry 75 Maiden Lane, New York 510 W. 6th St. Los Angeles i Purely AH. BLANK, head of Tri-States • Theatres, Des Moines, and Mrs. Blank have left for a three-week vacation at Hollywood, Fla. • J. E. Garrison, head of the Universal branch in St. Louis ; George McKean, former manager of the 20th Century-Fox branch there, and Joseph Desberger, owner of the Norside, Upper Alton, 111., are on the sick list in St. Louis. • Ben L. Heidingsfeld, attorney, vice-president of RKO Midwest, and an associate of Isaac Libson in other theatre activities, has been named chairman of the board of the Security Savings and Loan Co., Cincinnati. • Victor Shapiro, newspaper and publicity man, has been named public relations counsellor for Lieut. Gov. Ellis E. Patterson, who seeks the Democratic Senatorial nomination in California. • James J. Grady, manager of the 20th Century-Fox exchange in Cincinnati, is recovering from minor injuries sustained when his car skidded on an icy street and struck a pole. • , Louis Nizer, Clayton Bond, Harry Sherman, William Orr, Sidney Phillips, Louise Rainer and Joseph Wein stock at Nick's Hunting Room in the Astor for .lunch yesterday.' Morris Joseph, Universal exchange manager in New Haven, and his sonin-law, Sam Bailey, of the Whalley Theatre in that city, have left for a Florida vacation. • Ross Garver, owner of the Little Virginia Theatre, Terre Haute, Ind., is the grandfather of a boy, William Ross Racey, born in Albany, N. Y. • John Cromwell, RKO director, returns to Hollywood from Washington today after a week's stay in New York and a day in the Capital. • Jack McInerney, Robert Weitman, Arthur Loew, Ben Boyar, Al Lewis, Joe Cook and John Golden lunching at Sardi's yesterday. • James Dunn, director of publicity at the Rivoli, returned to his desk yesterday after a four-week illness. • William F. Rodgers, M-G-M general sales manager, is due Thursday from Florida. Cliff Lewis, Paramount studio publicity head, arrived yesterday from the Coast. • Errol.Flynn returned to the Coast by plane Sunday after a week's stay here. • Joe Penner arrived from the Coast yesterday and will broadcast from here. • Edward G. Robinson is in town. Moray to Coast Feb. 12 Norman H. Moray, Vitaphone sales manager, is expected in Hollywood Feb. 12 for conferences with studio executives over the 1940-'41 shorts schedule. A possible increase in the number of historical shorts will be the principal topic of discussion. Personal ► [ OUIS B. MAYER, vice-president l~j in charge of M-G-M production, accompanied by Howard Strickling, publicity director, arrive this morning from the Metro studios on the Coast. • Felix Seymour, Hollywood and Broadway dance creator, left for the Coast over the weekend for an assignment at 20th Century-Fox after completing production of the show for the new Ziegfeld Midnight Roof here. • Tryone Power "arrives from the Coast Friday and will attend the President's Birthday Ball in Washington Monday night. Brenda Joyce, also of 20th CenturyFox, will attend the ball and then come here. • Ruth Weisberg, Mort Blumenstock's office manager at the Warner home office publicity department, leaves within the next few days for a vacation in Florida. • Charles Roberts, Columbia home office supervisor for Latin America, is en route to the company's Mexico City office for an indefinite stay. • Col. H. A. Cole, president of Allied States, has arrived here from Washington and plans to remain to the end of the week. • R. J. O'Donnell of Interstate Circuit, Dallas, is in New York for Paramount home office conferences. • Alfred Santell, director, arrived here yesterday from the Coast. Sam Shain is in Washington. Seidelman Leaves For Central America Joseph H. Seidelman, Universal vice-president and foreign department head, left for a six-week business trip to Mexico and Central America after participating in the company's new season production conferences which were concluded at the studio last week. Seidelman will go to Central American points from Mexico and return to New York about March 1 by way of Cuba and Puerto Rico. N. J. Allied Meets Today Allied of New Jersey members at a meeting at the organization's offices today will receive a report on the national board meeting held last week in Washington. Lee Newbury, president ; Ralph Wilkins of Pitman and Harry Loewenstein of Newark represented the unit at the session. General Takes Offices General Film Co., headquarters of which is in Hollywood, has leased space on the 15th floor of the RCA Building, Rockefeller Center. For Lunch, Dinner or Supper LaHIFF'S TAVERN The Industry's MEETING and EATING PLACE 1 56 W. 48th St. Tel. CHickering 4-4200 Edwin Carewe Dies In Hollywood at 57 Hollywood, Jan. 22. — Edwin Carewe, 57, veteran producer-director, was found dead today, presumably the victim of a heart ailment, in the home of Winston Piatt, a nephew, here. Carewe had been ailing for some time. His most recent film venture was in organizing a company to make ed£°^y tional and religious films. He islWvived by his widow, Mary Aiken Carewe, three children, Sally Ann, Carol Lee and William Carewe, by his present marriage, and two daughters, Rita and May Jane by a former marriage. Contributing to his ill health were four years of litigation with the Government over allegedly due back income tax. He compromised the case recently by payment of approximately $100,000. Silverstone, Helprin Get Jobs with Pascal Emanuel Silverstone and Morris Helprin were named American representatives for Ernest Pascal yesterday. They will act in the same capacities for Pascal, who last week effected a deal for release of his pictures here through United Artists, as they have for Alexander Korda for some time past. Silverstone will be in charge of sales operations and Helprin of advertising and publicity. Hickey Heads New N, S. S. Department Duke Hickey, publicity man, has been appointed promotional director and manager of the newly created special service department at the Chicago office of National Screen Service. Hickey will advise exhibitors on matters of exploitation. Hickey formerly was exploitation, publicity and advertising manager at the Universal exchange in Chicago and the Big U Exchange, New York. Ernest Morrison Dies Atlanta, Jan. 22. — Ernest W. Morrison, 46, former manager of theatres operated in the South by Paramount, died at an Atlanta hospital. He had been associated with the company for 25 years, but ill health had kept him inactive for some time. His widow and a daughter survive. MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Published daily except Saturday, Sunday and holidays by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York City. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher: Colvin Brown, Vice-President and General Manager; Watterson R. Rothacker, VicePresident; Sam Shain, Editor; James A. Cron, Advertising manager; Chicago Bureau. 624 South Michigan Avenue, C. B. O'Neill, manager; Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union Life Building, Boone Mancall, manager, William R. Weaver, Editor; London Bureau, 4, Golden Square, London Wl, Hope Williams, manager, cable address "Quigpubco, London." All contents copyrighted 1940 by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. Other Quigley publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres, International Motion Picture Almanac and Fame. Entered as second class matter. Sept. 23. 1938, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign. Single copies 10c.