Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1940)

2 Motion Picture daily Tuesday, August 27, 1940 Personal Mention Fay's Drops Shows After 23 Years' Use Providence, Aug. 26.— Fay's Theatre here, a vaudeville and film house for the past 23 years, will operate with a straight film policy this season. The stage shows originally had been eliminated for the Summer only and were to be resumed in the Fall. Two action films will be shown at popular prices. The Metropolitan, however, will open Sept. 12 with variety attractions and "name" bands three or four days each week. Agnew Calls Meeting On 'Northwest' Policy The possibility of roadshowing Cecil B. DeMille's "Northwest Mounted Police" will be discussed at a special meeting of Paramount district sales managers called by Neil Agnew for Sept. 10 in Kansas City. Agnew, who returned yesterday from the Coast preview of the film, said that its reception there convinced him that it merited special merchandising. Cecil B. DeMille, producer of the film, and William Pine, associate producer, are due here tomorrow from the Coast to confer with Agnew on the matter. The picture will be screened for the sales officials at the meeting, as will other recently completely Paramount product. This will include "Christmas in July," with Dick Powell and Ellen Drew ; "Arise My Love," with Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland ; "Moon Over Burma," with Dorothy Lamour, Robert Preston and Preston Foster, and partially completed versions of "Second Chorus," with Fred Astaire and Artie Shaw, and "Love Thy Neighbor," with Jack Benny and Fred Allen. Coast Flashes HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 26.— Approximately 250 members of National Theatres' Western division will attend the organization's annual gathering at the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel tomorrow. Winners of the Skouras Showmanship drive will be announced and plans made for the fifth campaign, starting Sept. 1. Spyros Skouras will leave for New York on Wednesday. • Members of the sciences branch of the Academy of M. P. Arts & Sciences will meet at the Walt Disney studio tomorrow night. William Garrity, Disney's chief engineer, will explain plant operations. • Artists Films, Inc., has been formed here to produce 21 short subjects with outstanding musicians and vocalists for distribution to schools and colleges. Associated with the new company are Rudolph Polk, vice-president of Columbia Artists Bureau, and Walter Lowendal and John Erskine, the latter to do commentaries for some of the subjects. The films will be released in a series of three concerts beginning Oct. 1, with distribution by Walter Gutlohn, Inc., New York. • Harry Rathner, president of Producers Releasing Corp., is here from New York for product conferences. Y FRANK FREEMAN, Para. mount vice-president and studio head, who arrived from the Coast by plane Saturday for conferences with home office executives, is scheduled to leave for Hollywood by plane tonight. • Morris Helprin, production assistant to Alexander Korda, arrived from the Coast over the weekend to work on the campaign for "Thief of Bagdad," Korda's new release. • R. J. O Donnell of Interstate Circuit is here from Dallas for a brief visit. James P. Clark, head of Horlacher Delivery Service, Philadelphia, has been named chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Campaign Committee. • Sid Meisbov, Warner publicist in Philadelphia, is back at his post after two weeks' air service with the R.O.T.C. at Roosevelt Training Field here. • Paul Castello, Warner district manager in Philadelphia, has returned from a St. Louis vacation. • Harry Felt, operator of the Park, Highland Park, Pa., has announced the engagement of his daughter, Hilda Irma, to Dr. Bernard Kushner. • Isaac Libson, managing director of RKO Midwest, Cincinnati, is here on business. • Edward Bomes, manager of the Liberty, Providence, has returned from a Coast vacation. • Ruth Farnham has resigned from the M-G-M Seattle office to become secretary to L. J. McGinley of Universale branch in that city. Josephine Farley of Boise will succeed Miss Farnham at M-G-M. • Mr. and Mrs. Irving H. Ludwig yesterday morning became parents of a girl. Smith Takes British Grand National Firm London, Aug. 26. — Sam Smith, managing director of British Lion Film Corp., today announced the acquisition of all the assets and business of Grand National here. British Lion will distribute all of Grand National's British and American films, take over existing contracts and the like. Grand National is expected to continue as a producing organization. The British Grand National company has no connection with the former American company of the same name. LYNN FARNOL, United Artists advertising and publicity director, will leave for the Coast on the Stratoliner tonight. Joseph R. Yogel, Sol Edwards, Lou Weinberg and Rube Jackter lunching at Lindy's (next to the Rivoli) yesterday. • Joseph Bernhard, Charles Stern. Erno Rapee, George Skouras, Adolph Zukor, Fred Lange, Russell Holm an, William Orr, Max Dreyfuss and Ed Saunders at Nick's Hunting Room in the Astor yesterday for lunch. • Colvin Brown, Fred McConnell, Ben Blake, W. Ray Johnston, Budd Rogers, Harry Thomas and Sam Citron lunched at the Tavern yesterday. • David A. Levy, Al Young, Arthur Gottlieb, Ben Moss and Al Jolson lunching yesterday at Lindy's (5st St.). • Stanton Griffis, Barney Balaban, Charles Sonin, Arthur Loew, Martin Beck, Dennis King, John Golden, Lee Shubert, John D. Hertz, Jr., Guy Bolton, Vernon Duke, Albert Lewis and Morris Gest lunching at Sardi's yesterday. • Frank W. Russ, Jr., president of Associated Theatres, Cincinnati, is vacationing in Canada. • Chet Thorpe has resigned as advertising sales manager of the 20th Century-Fox exchange in Seattle and is now employed at the Bremerton Navy Yard. • I. Levine, New Haven representative for Imperial Pictures, spent the weekend at Sebago Lake, Me. • Sol Patrignana, manager of the Globe, Vineland, N. J., became the father of a son last week. Century Circuit Sets 13-Week Sales Drive Managers, district managers and home office executives of Century Circuit at a meeting at the Waldorf Astoria yesterday formulated plans for a 13-week sales drive to start Sept. 2. Cash awards will be given to the winners. Among executives at the meeting were Joseph Springer, general manager of the circuit, presiding ; Fred Schwartz, chief film buyer ; Sam Goodman, assistant film buyer, Arthur Baker and Al Burns. Injunction Settles Chaplin -Life Case Stipulation settling the $1,000,000 damage suit of Charles Chaplin and Charles Chaplin Film Corp. against Time, Inc., as publisher of Life magazine, Henry R. Luce, John ShawBillings, Roy E. Larsen, and Charles D. Jackson was filed yesterday in the U. S. District Court. Under terms of the settlement the defendants are permanently restrained from publishing in Life or any other periodical scenes from Chaplin's picture "The Great Dictator." The plaintiffs waive all claims to damages, profits or costs. The stipulation provides that the defendants are to deliver to the plaintiffs within 10 days all stills of the picture in their ■ possession. The suit, filed in June, charged the defendants with unauthorized publication of a still depicting Chaplin as the Dictator. 'Brigham' at Higher Scale in St. Louis St. Louis, Aug. 26. — First advanced price run of "Brigham Young," 20th Century-Fox film, other than Salt Lake City, will start here Sept. 5 at the Ambassador, Fanchon & Marco house. The engagement will be for an extended run at 75 cents top. The Ambassador's top has been 56 cents nights. At the Centre, Salt Lake City, where the film was given its world premiere Friday, the scale has been advanced 25 per cent for matinees and one-third for evening shows. B. & K. Raises Scales For 'Town9 in Chicago Chicago, Aug. 26.— B. & K. will raise the admission scale at the United Artists and Roosevelt for the engagements of "Boom Town" starting Saturday at the two Loop houses. The increased scales will follow M-G-M's recommendations of an advance of 25 per cent for matinees and 33^ per cent for evenings. E. A. Phalen Dies West Allis, Wis., Aug. 26. — E. A. Phalen, 64, owner of the Allis Theatre here, died as the result of a heart attack. He was president of the West Allis fire and police commission for many years, and is survived by his wife and a daughter. 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; Alfred L. Finestone, Managing 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 coprighted 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 America* and $12 foreign. Single copiei 10c Films' History on NBC Program The history of the film industry will be dramatized this Sunday at 4:30 P. M. over the NBC-Red network as part of a series known as "The World Is Yours." Called "The Story of the Silver Screen," the program will trace the development of films from the days of Thomas A. Edison to modern sound pictures. The series is produced by NBC in cooperation with the U. S. Office of Education and the Smithsonian Institute. Gail Kubik has prenared a musical score which features music from "The Big Parade," "Birth of a Nation" and "The Jazz Singer."