Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1940)

Alert, InteWgei >aWe to the^l gtion Picture Industry DO NOT" F MOTION PICTURE DAIL VOL. 48. NO. 1 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, JULY 1, 1940 Foreign Revenue Lost Through War Golden Sees Nazi Films Dominating Europe By BERTRAM F. LINZ Washington, June 30. — Approximately 75 per cent of the foreign revenues of American films have been lost as a result of the war, it is estimated by Nathan D. Golden, chief of the Film Section of the Department of Commerce. If Germany wins and becomes the dictator of Europe, it is considered probable by officials that the Hitler ideologies will be extended to the point where only Nazi-made or Naziapproved films will be shown on the screens of Europe. Golden's figures show that last year American films accounted for 62 per cent of the picture showings in Norway, 71 per cent in Denmark, 63 per cent in Holland, 60 per cent in Belgium, 45 per cent in France, 54 per cent in Finland, 77 per cent in England, 55 per cent in Switzerland, 57 per cent in Greece, 66 per cent in Jugoslavia, 70 per cent in Turkey, 41 per cent in Bulgaria, 75 per cent in Albania (in 1938), 60 per cent in Poland (1938), and 80 per cent in Portugal. Nowhere in Washington will any official attempt to predict the future of the European film market. It all depends upon the outcome of the war. If England wins and the vanquished, partitioned nations are reconstituted, (Continued on page 5) New York Allied May Join MPTOA Allied Theatre Owners of New York, of which Max A. Cohen is president, may join the M.P.T.O.A. as the New York State organization. The unit was ousted by national Allied last year in a disagreement over policies. The executive board at a special meeting in New York last Wednesday considered an invitation from the M.P.T.O.A., and "it is expected that the State organization will look favorably" toward an affiliation, an Allied statement said over the weekend. The directors voted to maintain present admission scales and to pass the new defense tax to the public. They also offered the services of the organization to President Roosevelt to aid national defense. U. S. Going Ahead With Griffith Co. Suit in Oklahoma The Government pressed forward last week with the prosecution of the anti-trust suit against the Griffith Amusement Co. and the major distributors, now pending in the Federal District Court in Oklahoma City, by serving all defendants with a series of interrogatories. Objections to the interrogatories must be filed this week but there is an understanding between counsel that the time will be extended. In the New York case, the Government will request one week's adjournment of the trial until next Monday when it is called in Federal Court here this morning. A representative of the Government staff will explain to Judge Henry W. Goddard that the settlement conferences are "progressing" favorably and that a further adjournment is necessary. The conferences will continue daily. The interrogatories served in the Griffith action are much less extensive than those filed in the New York suit. Demand is made for information concerning the local area only and the interrogatories deal with the nature of the contracts, the principals involved and the like. Attorneys were reluctant over the weekend to express any opinion on the significance of the Government's latest move. There is a general un (Continued on page 5) DISTRIBUT TO PROTEC Republican Meet Costs Nets $332,000 Radio coverage of the Republican convention in Philadelphia last week cost the three major networks, NBC, CBS and Mutual, a total of $332,200, it was estimated over the weekend. The cost includes cancellation of commercially sponsored programs, talent on such cancelled programs which had to be paid by the networks, and payment of announcers and technical costs. For the fiveday duration of the convention, the cost figures an average of $66,000 a day. Television station W2XBS, the NBC outlet, set a record on Thursday when it remained on the air for nine hours and 23 minutes, the longest program service furnished within a single day. In all, W2XBS remained on the air about 33 hours during the week. CBS cancelled 11 hours of commercial programs during the 18 (.Continued on page 5) 1938 Industry Salary List Led By Mayer's $688,369 Washington, June 30. — The Treasury Department tonight made public the salaries of approximately 250 individuals receiving compensation in excess of $75,000 from corporations for personal services in 1938, headed by Louis B. Mayer, who received $688,369 from Loew's, Inc. Tonight's list was a supplement to the annual salary report submitted to Congress last January by the Treasury and for the most part covers corporations which were granted additional time in filing their voluminous income tax returns. Of the approximately 250 names reported, 153 were those of film stars and picture company officials, who were listed as follows : Columbia Pictures — Jack Cohn, $106,120 ; Harry Cohn, $185,500 ; Jean Arthur, $136,666.67; Samuel J. Briskin, $106,000; Sidney Buchman, $92,750; Frank Capra, $294,166.67; Walter Connolly, $82,500; Cary Grant, $181,250; Al Hall, $83,750; Howard Hawks, $112,500; Katharine Hepburn, $75,000; William Perlberg, $92,750; Everett Riskin, $92,750. Loew's, Inc. — Lionel Barrvmore, $136,584.82 ; Freddie Bartholomew, $118,166; Wallace Beery, $355,000; David Bernstein, $191,585.81 ($93,600 salary, $87,307.81 bonus, $10,678 other compensation); Ray Bolger, $87,000; Frank Borzage, $166,083.33; Fanny Brice, $166,500 ; Clarence Brown, $188,708.33; Arlington Brugh (Robert Taylor), $184,833.32; Edward Chodorov, $78,000; J. J. Cohn, $99,000; Claudette Colbert, $125,000; J. W. Considine, Jr., $122,666.66; Jack Conway, $182,000; Joan Crawford, $305,384.43; George Cukor, $125,883.33. Also, Jack Cummings, $79,750 ; Melwn Douglas, $98,585.34; Sam Eckman, Jr., $122,410.97 ($102,410.97 salary, $20,000 other compensation) ; Ncison Eddv, $146,416.67; Victor Fleming, $156,000; Sidney Franklin, (Continued on page 5) Less Clearance If Houses Cut Prices to Escape Tax Starting Today With the start today of the new Federal defense tax on admissions, major distributors are determined to protect the present clearance and zoning regulations for theatres in the face of possible disruption resulting from the reduction of admissions below the 21-cent minimum taxable by the government, it was disclosed by authoritative spokesmen over the weekend. Wherever such reduction in scale stretches the differential in admission price to a point beyond that which exists now between specific runs, the distributors will also widen clearance and delay availability accordingly. An alternative to the exhibitor would be to pay a higher rental for the film in order to maintain the same availability terms. The distributors fear that a tendency to reduce admission may develop at houses charging 25 cents, which would escape the new Federal tax by a 20cent price. No exhibitor making such revisions should be permitted to upset the clearance of the prior run, according to distribution officials. The distributors, it is asserted, intend to keep the situation (Continued on page 5) Selznick Denounces 'Rebecca' as Triple Chicago, June 30.— A scathing denouncement of the triple-feature program, "Rebecca," "House Across the Bay" and "Viva Cisco Kid," shown recently at the Balaban & Katz Belmont theatre here is contained in a telegram received by Jack Kirsch, president of Illinois Allied, from David O. Selznick. _ Selznick said in part: "The situation is disgraceful. I am more depressed than I can say that a picture of which I have been so proud as I have of 'Rebecca' should be permitted to be part of a triple bill in an important theatre." He ended the telegram by saying: "I am taking steps to avoid the inclusion of any future production of mine in any such destructive program."