Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1940)

s Motion Picture Daily Friday, May 24, 1940 Off the Antenna NBC is trying to demonstrate the value of television to the film companies as an exploitation medium, according to Arthur Hungerford who arranges the film shows for W2XBS. As a result, four programs have recently been arranged in connection with premieres and the station is willing to continue the practice, Hungerford says. Two programs were televised in connection with the opening of "Edison, the Man" last week, one showing the parade and another showing celebrities arriving at the Hollywood in East Orange. On Wednesday and again yesterday a trailer for "Irene" was shown in connection with its opening at the Music Hall. Previously, NBC had sought to obtain old short subjects or features in return for its cooperation but in the more recent cases no exchange of favors was obtained. Better relations with the film industry is all that is wanted, Hungerford says. Only two feature length films will be televised next week. "Street Scene" with Sylvia Sidney and William Collier, Jr., will be shown on Wednesday, and "Men of the Plains" with Rex Bell on Friday. • • • Personals: Franklin Dunham, NBC religious and educational director, speaks today on "Radio in the Life of the People" at Marywood College in Scranton, Pa. . . . Kenneth L. Watt, radio director at Fuller & Smith & Ross, Inc., will address distributors of Westing-house Electric & Manufacturing Co. products at Hot Springs, Ark., on Sunday. . . . Earl Mullin, assistant manager of NBC's press department, left for Chicago yesterday to attend the Adz'ertising Club's 50th anniversary dinner for W right Patterson, managing editor of the Western Newspaper Union. . . . Cecil B. DeMille begins his fifth year as producer of the "Lux Radio Theatre" on Monday. . . . Otis T. Wingo, press representative for Fulton Lewis, Jr., returned to Washington yesterday after a short visit here. • • • DuMont is rushing its television transmitter to completion and should have a test pattern on the air within 60 days, officials declared yesterday. All adjustments on DuMont receivers (which are required because of the F.C.C. decision abolishing one television channel and setting up another) will be made free of charge by DuMont in accordance with its guarantee to make without charge all adjustments required by a change of standards. RCA has not yet disclosed whether it will follow the same policy but is likely to do so. • • • Another Short Wave Commercial: L. P. Yandell, NBC executive in charge of short wave commercials, has obtained a third sponsor for the international division. All prize fights staged by Mike Jacobs or Madison Square Garden during the next year will be short-waved to Latin America under the sponsorship of Adam Hats which now sponsors such bouts over NBCBlue for this country. A minimum of 22 fights is guaranteed but at least two should be particularly attractive to Latin Americans. The Baer-Campolo bout on June 6 should go well because Campolo is from Argentina ; and on June 20, the return Louis-Godoy fight should create another sensational response in Latin America. Yandell expects the fight broadcasts to establish the NBC short wave stations with the sport loving Latin Americans and he expects to line up a 15-minute sports review under commercial sponsorship shortly. Adam Hats will pay for one half hour's time for each broadcast regardless of the bout's duration. Eli Canel and Alfredo Barrett will do the announcing in Spanish. The price to Jacobs for the rights was not disclosed. • • • Programs: King George of England zvill be heard over most stations this afternoon at 4 and President Roosevelt will deliver a "Fireside Chat" on Simday at 10 :30 P.M. . . . Princess Pat cosmetics has not renewed its contract for sponsorship of former Mayor James J. Walker's "Opportunity How" from the stage of Loew's State over WHN and the program has been dropped. WHN will introduce "Soldiers With Wings" Monday night at 9 P.M. The U.S. Army Air Corps zvill handle the program to explain the activities of the Corps. WCAU, Philadelphia, will also launch an aviation program on June 15 with a new department at the station to handle the activities, an exhibit at the station, and the creation of WCAU aviation club with both adult and junior divisions. • • • Broadcast Music yesterday announced the purchase of the music publishing house of Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, Inc., and the signing of a contract with Bruno Granichstaedten, Viennese composer. The publishing catalogue includes 2,000 songs and should provide a variety of thematic music for backgrounds and dramatic programs on radio, as well as arrangements for orchestras and vocalists. Levey to Oversee 'Boys' Promotion Jules Levey, producer of "The Boys from Syracuse" for Universal release, will supervise the exploitation and advertising of the picture, he said here yesterday. Levey, former RKO sales manager, will set up his own exploitation staff and plans to visit all exchange centers to confer with exhibitors on special campaigns. "My slogan is : 'Make 'em and sell 'em,' " Levey said. "I am convinced I have a good picture and I want to make sure that no opportunities in presenting it either to exhibitors or the public are overlooked. I think this is a procedure that more and more producers will have to follow while existing conditions persist." Levey plans to leave for the Coast within the next few days but will return here in about two weeks to plan his "pre-selling" campaign. His future production plans will be held in abeyance until "The Boys from Syracuse" has been launched, he said. 300 of RKO Sales Staff Due for Meet Approximately 300 members of RKO's sales force will arrive here over the weekend to attend the company's annual sales convention, opening Monday at the Waldorf-Astoria. Members of the foreign sales staff have been arriving throughout the week, and a special train carrying more than 100 of the Western sales forces will arrive tomorrow morning from Chicago. Arrivals from the studio will include J. J. Nolan, vice-president and studio head, due today ; Harold B. Franklin, Sam Coslow and Jack Votion, producers for RKO release, due by train Monday, and Perry Lieber, RKO studio publicity head, who will arrive tomorrow. The delegates will be on their own over the weekend and numerous social affairs have been spotted on the three-day convention program, including receptions by Pathe News, March of Time, a beefsteak dinner and a windup banquet. The meeting will be concluded Wednesday. Two K. C. Stations Ask FM Facilities Kansas City, May 23.— KMBC (Midland Broadcasting Co.) and WDAF (Kansas City Star) have filed applications for permission to erect frequency modulation stations. KMBC officials would like to be on the air June 20 with their new F-M broadcaster. Radio distributors and retailers here have been selling limited quantities of F-M sets, but this is being stepped up. Midland Broadcasting has had an application on file for over a year for a television station, and has the studio equipment built. It is already to go with the exception of one transmitter. Harris Shifts Managers I'n in i", ii. May 23. The Harris Amusement Co. has shifted Morton Henderson from manager of the William Penn to the Harris-Perry : Harry Segal of the Familv to the William Penn ; Henrv Miller of the Becchview to the Family; John P. Harris from the Palace to the Beechview. KPO April Sales Double San Francisco, May 23. — KPO (NBC — Red) local sales practically doubled in April, with an increase of 91.8 per cent rise over March. KGO (NBC — Blue) shows a five per cent gain. Metro Sued on Film Los Angeles, May 23. — Roxie Parsons, Hollywood writer, has filed a $150,000 damage suit against M-G-M, charging unauthorized use of her story, "Singing Through" in the film, "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry." Talks 'Baker' Remake Los Angeles, May 23.— Paul Kohner, former Universal producer, is here from New York to negotiate the sale of remake rights to "The Baker's Wife" for Marcel Pagnol, French producer. He has conferred with M-G-M and two other major studios. Edelman to 20th-Fox Hollywood, May 23. — Lou Edelman, former associate producer at Warners, has been signed in a similar post at 20th Century-Fox. Milliken Traces Film Growth as Art Indianapolis, May 23. — Development of the American motion picture as an educational and art form in its span of 50 years was traced by Carl E. Milliken, secretary of the M.P.P. DA., in an address at the annual dinner of the Indianapolis Business and Professional Women's Clubs here tonight. Milliken lauded Will H. Hays, a native of Indiana, for his leade* ' '-n and service to the industry dur" period when it made its greatest advances— the past 18 years. "The motion picture," said Milliken," was born in America and has grown in America to be the greatest universal entertainment in the world. It could have so developed only by sinking its roots deep in the soil of a free land. The American motion picture is the free expression of a free people. Especially in these perilous times, freedom of the screen and freedom of the press stand as an eternal reiteration of the Bill of Rights." Seeks Stockholder List in Columbia Suit James F. Burke, a Columbia stockholder, filed proceedings yesterday in the N. Y. Supreme Court to compel Columbia to turn over a list of its stockholders for the alleged purpose of obtaining stockholders' support for an action to dissolve the company. Burke alleges six grounds of dissolution : war conditions, the antitrust suit, television, high salaries of officers, the Neely Bill and the loss of Frank Capra. In an answering affidavit, Abe Schneider, treasurer of Columbia, scoffed at the suit as "preposterous" and brought without "good faith." Schneider pointed out that Columbia earned $400,000 in the last quarter of 1939 and declared that prospects of Columbia and the film industry in general are good. Bankhead Contests Equity Council Seat Contest by Tallulah Bankhead for one of the council seats and a report to the members of plans for one big union by the Associated Actors and Artistes of America will feature the quarterly meeting of Actors Equity at the Hotel Astor this afternoon. Miss Bankhead has been nominated independently by the conservative faction. Bert Lytell is unopposed for reelection as president. There is no contest for any of the remaining offices. Paul Dullzell, executive secretary is expected to summarize the report of Bernard Reis on the merger of all 4-A branches. At the last two quarterly meetings the question of a merger has been discussed but no action was taken pending the Reis report. Mohawk Pictures Open Offices Here Mohawk Pictures Corp., of which B. H. Mills is president, and Jack Berkson vice-president in charge of sales, have opened offices at 723 Seventh Ave. The company recently acquired the Grand National assets for liquidation. Mohawk plans 19 features, including eight westerns, which will be sold through independent exchanges.