Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1940)

10 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, May 28, 1940 Off the Antenna A PROMOTIONAL office in the midtown area here was formally approved yesterday by the board of directors of FM Broadcasters, Inc., at a meeting at the Hotel Ambassador. As previously disclosed, Dick Dorrance will act as promotion manager. The office will be opened within a few weeks. The engineering committee also met to consider plans for setting standards for FM transmitters, receivers and other equipment. At least two manufacturers, Stromberg-Carlson and General Electric, are already manufacturing sets to conform to the new F.C.C. frequency assignments. Present at yesterday's board meeting were John Shepard III, head of the Yankee Network and president of FMBI ; John V. L. Hogan, WQXR, who is FMBI vice-president; Theodore C. Streibert, WOR; Paul W. Morency, WTIC, Hartford; Carl Meyers, WGN, Chicago; Ray H. Manson, Stromberg-Carlson; C. M. Jansky, Jr., consulting engineer; Franklin M. Doolittle, WDRC, Hartford, and Walter J. Damm, WTMJ, Milwaukee. • • • From Des Moines comes the story that A. H. Blank, president of TriStates and Central States Theatres Corp., issued an order to the managers of more than 100 theatres in the circuit in Iowa and Nebraska to stop the projection machines when President Roosevelt delivered his "Fireside Chat" Sunday night and tune in on the address over the theatres' loud speakers. • • • Programs: Wythe Williams, Mutual' s commentator, whose contract with Philco expires Friday, will be fed to the entire Mutual network as a sustaining show at 9:30 P. M. Mondays and Wednesdays. . . . WABC yesterday signed two local sponsors. Dwight Wiman will sponsor "Musical Comedy Favorite/' on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8:15-8:20 A.M. on behalf of of his Broadivay production, "Higher and Higher." Starting tonight Gordon Baking Co. will sponsor "Hollywood Dreams" on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 A.M. . . . WEAF also signed two new shows to be aired by transcription. "Your Treat" will be sponsored by Armour & Co. for 52 weeks on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and Chrysler Dodge Corp. is sponsoring a five-minute show all this week. . . . Lennen & Mitchell has renewed "Jergens Journal" for an additional 13 weeks over NBC-Blue effective June 30. . . . "Truth and Consequences" has been renewed for a second 13 weeks over CBS. . . . A new type of commentator will be Burrill Frecdman who starts a new series, "The Psychology Behind the News" over WBNX tomorrow at 8 P. M. • mm A new wrinkle in film press books has been developed by Harry Shaw, Loew's New England division manager. It is a press book with sound effects. WTAG, Worcester, last week broadcast the Rita Johnson "homecoming" which had been staged in connection with the opening of "Edison, the Man." A recording of Miss Johnson's arrival, City Hall ceremonies and a radio interview was brought back by Shaw and he proudly played it yesterday for Loew officials gathered in the WHN studios. • • • Fred Waring will greet the 250,000th member of his studio audience tomorrow at a reception at the Hotel Bristol between broadcasts. Waring's "Pleasure Time" broadcasts over NBC for Chesterfield cigarettes attract huge studio audiences and he has invited newspapermen and agency representatives to be present when the ticket which rounds out a quarter of a million is presented at the Vanderbilt Theatre. • • • Purely Personal: Jack Hammann, commercial manager of WCAU, Philadelphia, has resigned, effective June 15. He will be associated with Advertising and Selling. . . . Joan Tetsel, actress in "When a Girl Marries" and "Woman of Courage" and John T. Mosman of the W ABC-CBS production staff, will be married June 21 and will honeymoon in Bermuda. . . . Dale Jackson has been added to the KDKA, Pittsburgh, continuity staff. . . . Tom Slater, WOR Newark studio manager, will speak on "Speech Interpretation" at Barnard College tomorrow. . . . Henry R. Luce, publisher of Time, will speak on "National Unity" over CBS at 6:30 P.M. Saturday. m m m All the networks and most of the local stations are observing a fourday holiday over the Memorial Day weekend. NBC will have only a skeleton staff on hand to handle emergencies created by the war news while the other networks will give employees the option of a Friday holiday for either Memorial Day or Independence Day weekend. Minnesota Officials Contest WNYC Plea May Seek Review Of Neb. Ascap Case Lincoln. May 27. — Indications are that the Nebraska Attorney General will move some time next month to obtain a review by the U. S. Supreme Court of the Federal statutory court decision which held the state's antiAscap law unconstitutional. A request for a new trial of the case made by William J. Hotz for the state was denied recently by the statutory court. The Attorney General's office here has spent considerable time during recent weeks on the Ascap case and further indications that an appeal is in the offing is had in persistent reports that financial aid to assist the state in making an appeal had been obtained in Washington some time ago. Admission Increase British Tax Problem London, May 27. — Considerable concern over the application of the new purchase tax to the industry centers chiefly about the impracticability of exhibitor collection from patrons without admission increases. The resulting heavier admission taxes are seen in some quarters as ultimately defeating the purpose of the tax by decreasing patronage. Exhibitors, who will meet the distributors shortly for discussion of the situation, are expected to contend that the only solution to the problem is a reduction of film rentals. It is expected that the purchase tax on distributor rentals will be 10 per cent and become effective July 1. The Cinematograph Exhibitors Association on Wednesday is expected to ratify the agreement with the National Association of Kine and Theatrical Employes to grant all theatre employes a seven and one-half per cent wage bonus, from June 1. U ABritish National Deal Is Completed Deal by which United Artists will distribute two British National pictures here to meet quota requirements of Samuel Goldwyn and Selznick International has been formally closed, it was stated yesterday by Gerald Freeman, managing director of AngloAmerican Films, distributor for British National. An agreement on the deal was reached about a week ago. "Contraband," starring Conrad Veidt, and "Gaslight," starring Diana Wynyard and Anthony Walbrook, are the two British National productions involved in the deal. Freeman plans to leave for England in about two weeks. He is awaiting the arrival of a print of "Gaslight," recently completed at Elstree. Seven New Features Approved by Legion National Legion of Decency has approved all seven films reviewed and classified for the current week, four for general patronage and three for adults. New films and their classification follow : Class A-l, Unobjectionable for General Patronage — "Bad Man from Red Butte," "The Kid from Santa Fe," "Rocky Mountain Rangers," "Sandy Is a Lady." Class A-2, Unobjectionable for Adults — "Babies for Sale," "Lillian Russell," "Earthbound." McManus Dies on Coast John Lynn McManus, radio script writer and former newspaperman and editor of Fox Movietone News, died of a heart attack in Hollywood on Saturday. He joined Movietone in 1931 as a newsreel reporter. He wrote scripts for Floyd Gibbons, W. C. Fields and Bob Burns and was handling the Rudy Vallce Sealtest program at the time of his death. linger Rites Today Funeral services will be held here today for Gladys B. Unger, playwright and screen writer, at St. Bartholomew Chapel. Miss Unger died Saturday after a long illness at the age of 55. Hold Fleischman Rites Hollywood, May 27. — Funeral services for Walter Fleischman, 38, writer and publicity man, were held yesterday at Pierce Brothers Mortuary. Fleischman died Friday at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital after two months' illness. Surviving are his widow, his mother, a son and a brother. Conselman Dies Hollywood, May 27. — William Conselman, Sr., 53, writer, producer and newspaperman, died Saturday of a heart attack at his home here. He is survived by his widow ; a son, William, Jr., also a film writer; and a daughter, Dierdre. Washington, May 27. — Fighting for retention of a clear channel for WCCO, Minneapolis, Minnesota state officials today told the F. C. C. that they were opposed to any invasion of the rights of WCCO by WNYC, New York municipally owned station, which is seeking the right to operate until 11 P.M. instead of signing off when the sun sets in Minneapolis. Four Minnesota Congressmen ay"™ a representative of the Minnesota J\~ torney General declared that the in-' crease of time to WNYC would impair WCCO's service. Special Counsel Alfred W. Bowen declared that Minnesota is not "seeking a controversy with the City of New York" but "will not run away from any controversy which in the course of our efforts to protect our people may be forced upon us." H. J. McCarthy, of District Attorney Dewey's office, represented New York City. 306-Empire Battle Front Is Widened The dispute between Operators Union Local 306 and Empire State Operators Union widened yesterday with the announcement by Empire that it had succeeded in obtaining a contract at the Carlton, Jamaica. The Carlton was formerly a Brandt house which employed members of 306. It has been taken over by the landlord, . and the Empire contract was disclosed yesterday. Meanwhile, picketing and cross E picketing continue at seven houses in the city. Empire officials declared yesterday they did not expect to extend cross-picketing in the Broadway |, area in retaliation for the 306 picketing of the Continental. Opera on Tour Files Union Action Appeal Notice of appeal to the N. Y. Court of Appeals from a decision of the Appellate Division of the Supreme j! Court denying an injunction against I the American Federation of Musicians and the I.A.T.S.E. was filed yesterday by Opera on Tour, Inc. Plaintiff seeks to restrain a strike called by the I.A.T.S.E. at the alleged instigation of A.F.M. to compel the plaintiff to employ musicians instead of using recorded music for opera presentations. Appeal Dismissed In Suit Against CBS Washington, May 27.— The U. S. Supreme Court today dismissed the appeal of Station KIRO, Seattle, and CBS, in a libel suit brought against them by the Waldo Hospital Association, asking $25,000 damages for statements made in a broadcast over the station. The hospital asked and secured dismissal of the case last April 19, leaving nothing for the court to rule on. Fire Damages House Duncannon, Pa., May 27. — Flames caused $1,800 damage to the Fox Theatre here early yesterday morning. George L. Ickes, operator of the theatre, is undecided whether to repair the damage or rebuild the structure.