Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1940)

Alert, InteWigei ana y Indjspen to thet^ Gjtion Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY First in OL. 48. NO. 64 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1940 TEN CENTS Hanbury, RKO English Head, Killed by Bomb Four Others of Family Nazi Raid Victims By AUBREY FLANAGAN London, Sept. 29. — Ralph Hanbury, chairman and managing director of RKO Radio Pictures, Ltd., operating head of _^ RKO's sales ^P^mMTV organization in the United Kingdom, was killed with four members of his family in the early hours of Friday morning, when a Nazi bomber made a direct hit on the Hanbury I country home X I near London. He was 49 years old. Hope was held today for the recovery of Mrs. Hanbury, who was seriously injured in the explosion. Hanbury was the first victim of the Nazi air raiders among important film men in this country. Hanbury had one son, Ralph Hanbury, Jr., and two married daugh (Contimied on page 2) Ralph Hanbury Japan May Ban All U. S. Films American films, which have found the going difficult in Japan for many months, may be banned there entirely in the near future as a result of the signing by Japan of its 10-year treaty with Germany and Italy, foreign department officials here stated over the weekend. The treaty with the axis powers covers economic as well as military and political considerations. A Japanese ban on further American film imports undoubtedly would apply to all of Japanese occupied China, as well, just as the German ban invoked this month applied to occupied territory on the Continent. UA Will Show 'Dictator' in 2 Theatres in Key Cities United Artists plans to present "The Great Dictator," the new Charlie Chaplin film, at two theatres simultaneously in the more important key cities, on the same basis as the picture will be presented in New York, Maurice Silverstone, chief executive of the company, announced Saturday. Harry L. Gold, vice-president in charge of eastern and southern sales, is presently negotiating for such twin showings in several Eastern cities, while L. J. Schlaifer, vice-president in charge of Western sales, is in Chicago negotiating for such showings in that city with Balaban & Katz. Among other cities where the plan may be put into execution are Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Cleveland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The policy provides for the presentation of the picture in one theatre on a two-a-day basis at $2.20 top, and at the second theatre on a continuous policy at 75 cents top matinees and $1.10 evenings. In New York, the demand for tickets for the premiere to be held Oct. IS at the Astor and the Capitol theatres, by Loew's, is so strong that a special press performance of the film is being contemplated in advance of the opening night performances. 3,230 Firms Had 1938 Taxable Net Washington, Sept. 29.— Only 3,230 out of 10,353 amusement industry corporations reported taxable net income from 1938 operations, it was reported tonight by the Internal Revenue Bureau in an analysis of income returns filed last year. These 3,230 concerns, the report showed, had an aggregate gross income of $797,709,000 and a net income of $80,734,000, on which they paid (Continued on page 7) 400 Anticipated at Quigley Luncheon More than 400 persons, including many of the industry's leading executives, will attend the Ampa luncheon on Wednesday honoring Martin Quigley on his 25th anniversary as a film trade paper publisher. The luncheon will be held in the grand ballroom of the Hotel Edison. Leon Bamberger, Ampa president, will preside. Already 21 table reservations from major companies have been received, {Continued on page 8) Myers Endorses U. S. Decree; Companies Get Legal Draft Formal legal drafts of the proposed Federal consent decree were reported as completed on Saturday by the drafting committee of Government and company attorneys and distributed to the home offices of the five consenting companies. After checking the language of the draft, attorneys for the consenting companies will meet with Government representatives again tomorrow to dispose of any questions which may arise in the checking process and then give preliminary confirmation to the draft. Not until then will copies of the final draft be sent to Washington for action there, according to Department of Justice spokesmen. Action by Washington is expected in time to present the draft to Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard at the hearing scheduled for a week from today. However, it was intimated by Govern (Continued on page 7) Atlantic City, Sept. 29. — Abram F. Myers, Allied States general counsel, personally endorsed the proposed Federal consent decree settling the New York antitrust suit, in an address at the final session of the New Jersey Allied convention here. Myers' endorsement, given Friday afternoon, was the first indication of the position of Allied leaders. Stressing that his approval was entirely personal and that Allied's support of the decree depends on the national (Continued on page 7) Abram F. Myers Industry Needs Exhibitor Aid, Says Rodgers Should Help on Revenue, He Tells N. J. Allied Atlantic City, Sept. 29. — William F. Rodgers, M-G-M general sales manager, declared at the New Jersey Allied convention here Friday that unless new avenues of revenue are discovered and increased admissions on certain films are a tried and tested revenue producer, exhibitors must face either a general increase in rentals or a lowering of product quality. Declaring that the present and future of the industry is at stake, Rodgers said: "Exhibitors must cooperate and not fight the distributor. You can't expect the same values from us or any other producers without our making an effort to offset (Continued on page 7) William F. Kodgers Expect British Quota Relief London, Sept. 29.— The British Government is expected soon to give relief or exemption to American distributors on the Quota Act due to the war. American companies consider it impossible to make and market multiple quota films here and believe they have a good case for exemption from the quota obligations. The increasing commandeering of studios by the Government and the difficulty of obtaining stars and major technicians may persuade the Government of the fairness of the distributors' case, according to belief. Meanwhile, Paramount, Warners, RKO and 20th Century-Fox have films in production.