Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1940)

Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, March 5, 1940 i Purely Personal ARTHUR M. LOEW, vice-president of M-G-M in charge of foreign activities, and Oscar A. Doob, advertising and publicity manager of Loew theatres, returned from the Coast yesterday by plane. • Ben Kalmenson, Warners' Western and Southern sales manager, returned to his desk at the home office yesterday from a trip to the pany's exchanges in the South was gone about four weeks. Storm Damages Grosses; Broadway Take 35% Off office cornHe William J. Lee, father of Arthur Lee and associate of Pat Casey at the latter's New York office, who has been seriously ill at his home for the past few weeks, was reported much improved yesterday. • Walter Green, president of National Theatre Supply Co., on visit at the company's Hollywood office, leaves tomorrow for San Francsco, Seattle and Chicago prior to" returning to New York. • Jacob Soltz, owner of the Rhumba Theatre, Pittsburgh, and Dorothy Leiffand, recently married, will hold a reception for friends and Variety Club members at the William Penn Hotel there March 17. Fred Lange, general European representative for Paramount, arrived from Lisbon on the American Clipper yesterday. He is here for his annual home office visit. • Major Peter P. Devlin, producer of travel subjects, is the father of a boy, born to Mrs. Devlin yesterday at Bay Ridge Hospital, Brooklyn. • Helen Hayes will be guest of honor today at a luncheon and fashion show in St. Louis for the city's Finnish Relief Fund drive. • Lester Sturm, 20th Century-Fox branch manager in Detroit, left for his headquarters yesterday after conferring at the home office. • Douglas Whitney, David Carter and James Clark of the RKO home office are in St. Louis on an exploitation assignment. • Leon Netter returned to the Paramount home office yesterday following a three weeks trip to Florida and Cuba. Henry Wendt, manager of the Kirkwood, Mo., is the father of a girl, born last week to Mrs. Wendt. • Sam Dembow, Jr.. Irving Kaye Davis, Leon Netter, Leonard Gold (Continucd from page 1) yesterday. Generally, however, the take on Sunday night was off about 20 per cent in the city subsequent runs and off about 40 per cent up-State and in Staten Island. The Century Circuit house in Huntington, L. I., was forced to close yesterday when electric service was interrupted. However, the St. James, in Asbury Park, N. J., a Walter Reade house, benefited despite the storm. In a tieup with local school officials, children were dismissed early to attend a showing of "Swiss Family Robinson." At the Rustic Cabin, a restaurant at Englewood, N. J., the lights blew out while Reggie Childs was conducting his band for a broadcast over NBC-Blue. The musicians were forced to play by the light provided by pocket flashes. All radio stations disrupted their schedules to broadcast news about traffic conditions and warning motorists to leave their cars home. Suburban schools requested WOR to broadcast notices that school had been suspended. Shortly after 10 A. M. the WOR 40-foot high frequency transmitter atop a building at 1,450 Broadway cracked under the weight of the ice and police were forced to rope off the street below and lash the mast to the building. Stations carried courtesy announcements during the period WABC was off the air. Terry DeLapp Quits Post at Paramount Hollywood, March 4. — Terry De Lapp, Paramount studio publicity di rector, today resigned his post in order to handle accounts independently No change is contemplated in the de partment set-up by Cliff Lewis, who is in charge of studio advertising and publicity. WANTED SCRATCHED FILMS You can get extra revenue out of your prints by having us restore your scratched film to practically new condition. Telephone CO 5-6767 for our low prices. AMERICAN RECONO. INC. 245 WEST 55lh ST., NEW YORK, N. Y. Negative-Positive-Technicolor Film Rejuvenated William Yost Dies William Yost, 60, veteran New York exhibitor, died suddenly yesterday morning while on a vacation at Miami Beach. He operated the Superior at 31st St. and Third Ave and the 34th St. Theatre, on East 34th St. A daughter, Frances, sister and a brother survive. The body is en route here from the re sort. (Continued from page 1) the 11th stanza. The 11th week of the same film at the Astor continued at capacity with an estimated $22,000. At the Roxy, the popular-priced run of "The Blue Bird," plus a stage show, started Friday and drew an estimated $15,500 for the first three days. Pinocchio," in its fourth week at the Center, had its second biggest day last Saturday when it drew an estimated $10,500, but suffered from the bad weather on Sunday. It grossed an estimated $16,800 for the weekend with an estimated $33,000 indicated for its fourth week which closes tomorrow. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," with a stage show, garnered an estimated $48,000 for the first four days of the second week at the Music Hall. An estimated $60,000 is indicated for the week. "Too Many Husbands" starts Thursday. At the Strand, "The Story of Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet," with Tommy Tucker and his band on the stage, drew an estimated $24,000 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the second week. "Three Cheers for the Irish" is the next film for the Strand. "Grapes of Wrath" at the Rivoli is still grossing well and should do an estimated $25,000 for its sixth week. "It's a Date" is scheduled to follow "Grapes of Wrath" on March 21. A revival of "Hell's Angels" brought an estimated $5,500 for one week at the Rialto. "Marines Fly High" is the current attraction. Week end business at the Globe, where "Castle on the Hudson" was previewed Saturday with "Convicted Woman was good for an estimated $7,500. "Convicted Woman," shown singly the previous week, drew only an estimated $5,000. Industry Protesting Library Service Cut Curtailing of the service rendered by the circulating picture department of the New York Public Library has brought protests from many sources, including the film industry. Harold Hendee, director of research f RKO, has written to Franklin F. Hopper, head of the library's picture department, expressing the hope that the service will be resumed on a fulltime basis, since it is of considers* research value as a source materia^ ' An increase in subscribers and the growth of the collection, in contrast to a cut in the appropriation for its maintenance, has forced the department to close on Wednesdays and Fridays, effective this week. Film companies use the picture colection for authentic material on backgrounds, costuming and the like in film production. The collection numbers about 1,000,000 illustrations, including about 50,000 motion picture stills. enson, John D. Hertz, Jr., Frank McHugh and Lee Shubert at Sardi's for lunch yesterday. • Albert Lewin left for the Coast by plane yesterday. David Loew will remain here until Friday. • David Bernstein, treasurer of Loew's, has returned from a Florida vacation. George Walsh was a visitor at the Paramount home office yesterday. Walter J. Hutchinson, director of foreign distribution for 20th CenturyFox, and Leslie Whelan, foreign advertising and publicity director, have returned from Florida. Publishers Guests At Ampa Luncheon Representatives of publishing houses book critics and authors will be the guests at Ampa's luncheon on Thurs day at Jack Dempsey's Restaurant. Es tablishment of an annual award by the publishers for the best film taken from a book will be announced. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, vice-presi dent of Doubleday-Doran, will act as toastmaster for the publishers. Kathe rine Brown of Selznick International John Selby, book critic of the Asso ciated Press ; Gilbert Seldes, and Annie Laurie Williams, literary agent also will speak. Deals for 'Pinocchio' Made for 20 Circuits RKO has closed deals for "Pinoc chio" with 20 circuits, with the result that several hundred day-and-date openings have been set for the pic ture for Easter week, beginning March 24. Among circuit deals closed are those with Warners, RKO, Publix-Shea Famous Players Canadian, Jay Eman uel, Loew's New England, Comer ford, Schine, Publix-Netco, Interstate Butterfield, Maine & New Hampshire Fabian, Chatkin-Katz, S. A. Lynch Sparks, Cooper, Malco, Dent and Rialto, Salt Lake City. Ontario Bans 'Time9 Subject on Canada (Continued from page 1) ning of "Canada at War" in Ontario that Premier Hepburn has brought political pressure to bear ' in forcing the censor ban. He declared that the March of Time is shown everywhere in the world except Russia, Nazi Germany, and now the Province of Ontario. He pointed out that the subject is being shown in every Canadian province except Ontario. He said necessary steps have been taken to prepare an appeal from he censor's ruling. Protests Free Film Exhibit at the Fair (Continued from page 1) plain how pictures are made and where screen tests may be given. This would be sponsored by all major companies with the cooperation of equipment companies and others. The committee's recommendations will be discussed at a meeting of major company presidents at the Hays office Thursday. Initiative for the proposal came from World's Fair officials. Ray J. Dunn, assistant to John Halleran, acting president of the Borough of Queens, has issued a statement assailing the "obvious indifference" of the film industry to the Fair. 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." Mar tin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and General Manager; Watterson R. Rothacker, Vice President; 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, Wil liam R. Weaver, Editor; London Bureau, 4 Golden Square, London Wl, Hope Williams manager, cable address "Quigpubco, Lon don." All contents copyrighted 1940 by Quig ley Publishing Company, Inc. Other Quiglc publications: Motion Picture Herald, Bettei Theatres, International Motion Picture Al manac and Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938, at the post office a' New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year $6 in the America! and $12 foreign. Single copiei 10c