Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1941)

2 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Friday, March 14, 1941 Personal Mention Late News Flashes from the Coast Hollywood, March 13 GEORGE BROWN, International president of the I.A.T.S.E., today received a new appeal from Technicians Local 695 for assistance in negotiating a studio contract calling for wage increases and partial jurisdiction held by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The appeal, made in a telegram, read in part: "We have waited a long time for your assistance in negotiating an agreement between the local and the major producers. . . . Your immediate assistance is requested as it will have a direct bearing on our attitude toward exemption or non-exemption in our hearing before the Wage-Hour administrator on March 25." • • Stuart Walker, 53, director and producer, died today of a heart attack at his Beverly Hills home. He was associate producer for Paramount from 1938 until last Fall. He started in film production as a writer for Columbia after a long career as an actor, playwright and producer. He was an associate of David Belasco in his early days in the theatre. Surviving is a son, Arthur H. Walker. • • William LeBaron's first production at 20th Century-Fox will be "Caribbean Cruise," in Technicolor, starring Carmen Miranda and Betty Grable. • • Ann Sheridan, suspended for several months in a salary dispute with Warners, will return to the studio tomorrow. Warners said she is returning under the terms of her present contract, the dispute having been settled by Jack Warner, vice-president in charge of production, and Myron Selznick, her agent. Her first assignment will be "Navy Blues." • • Max Gordon, Broadway producer, reported today at the Columbia studio to begin work as a producer. NED E. DEPINET, RKO vicepresident, is due today from the Coast. e Lee Newbury, president of Allied of New Jersey, plans a Florida trip in two weeks. • Robert Weitman, Nate Blumberg, Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Irving Berlin and Martin Moskowitz having lunch yesterday at Lindy's (51st St.). • William Brandt, Anita Louise, Jack Pearl, Morris Gest, Arthur Loew, Moss Hart, Russel Crouse, Vincent Trotta, and John Buchanan lunching at Sardi's yesterday. • Joseph Seidelman, Monroe Greenthal, Harry Buckley, Al Margolies, Arche Mayer and Irvin Shapiro at Lindy's (next to the Rivoli) yesterday for lunch. • Earle Hammons, Maurice Bergman, Dave Lipton, Jeffrey Bernerd, Charles Paine and Sid Silvers having lunch yesterday at the Tavern. • John and Hilda Connor, who operate the Strand at Glace Bay, N. S., are the parents of a son. Luncheon for O'Shea E. K. O'Shea, Central division manager for M-G-M, was honored at a luncheon yesterday in Nick's Hunting Room at the Hotel Astor, prior to his departure with Mrs. O'Shea for Florida. Present were: Martin Quigley, T. J. Connors, Ed Saunders, Clayton Bond, Lowell Calvert, Sam Shain and Max A. Cohen. Mayer Ampa Guest Arthur Mayer, operator of the Rialto on Broadway, will be the guest of honor at the luncheon meeting of the Ampa, scheduled for next Thursday at the Hotel Edison. Victoria Cordova, RKO singer, will entertain at the luncheon. RESTAURANTS 1626 BROADWAY 1655 (Next to the (51st Street Rivoli Theatre) Corner) For over 20 years the luncheon and dinner place for Motion Picture People Sole agents in New York for FAMOUS BLUM'S ALMONDETTES from San Francisco, California Warners to Show 'Wolf on Steamer Warner Bros, yesterday announced it would hold a "world premiere" of "The Sea Wolf," aboard the S. S'. America during the steamer's scheduled journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco next Friday. The ship is now en route to San Francisco from New York and will arrive in Los Angeles Thursday. Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield and Ida Lupino will be among the ship's guests on the coastal trip. The regular premiere will follow in San Francisco. The ship's screening was by special arrangement with the United States Lines. Smith on Drive Tour Cresson E. Smith, Western division sales manager for RKO, will join the Ned Depinet Drive tour at St. Louis on Monday. He will continue with the drive leaders through the Western territory to Los Angeles. Goodman in S. A. Morris Goodman, Republic vicepresident in charge of foreign sales, is in Mexico City, on the first leg of an annual trip to Republic's Latin American branches. He will be gone about four months. Reels Weigh Use Of Extra Footage Newsreel officials are giving consideration to the possibility of using surplus footage on news clips for separate reels to be shown in special localities, or as major distributors' short subjects or featurettes. There are differing opinions among the newsreel executives as to the practicability of the plan to make use of newsreel "overmatter." It was pointed out that certain of the reels used extra footage on last Fall's football games with considerable success in some localities, notably New England. Canadian Exhibitor Dies Halifax, N. S., March 13.— R. J. Macadam, proprietor of the local Casino and its manager until three years ago, is dead here. He began his affiliation with theatres 30 years ago at Sydney, N. S., as manager of a silent picture house there. Stapleton Rites Held Ottawa, March 13. — Funeral services for Ben Stapleton, founder of the Center Theatre, were held yesterday. Burial was in Beechwood Cemetery. Newsreel Parade TjyAR defense and sports/ made up rr the greater part of the new issues with unanimous attention given to Roosevelt's signing of the historymaking Lend-Lease bill. The contents : MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 54— Roosevelt signs British-aid bill. Greeks push ojfc.jri Albania. French war heroes decojS) ' King George welcomes Winant in land. London firemen at work. Maryrand i plane factory speeds production. American troops in Newfoundland. Flower festival in Florida. Baseball players in training. Fishing in Washington. New York boys in boxing bouts. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 252— Greeks advance in Albania. Queen Elizabeth holds wartime court. Winant arrives in England. Roosevelt signs Lend-Lease bill. Navy gives gas defense instructions. Troops in Newfoundland. Golf match in Florida. Boys' Club holds bouts. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 57— Roosevelt signs aid-to-Britain bill. Winant meets King George. Bombers in Maryland for England. Army equipment set for shipment to England. New York boys in boxing bouts. Groundbreaking in Bermuda for U. S. base. Troops arrive in Newfoundland. U. S. bases on the Caribbean. Battle of Eritrea. RKO PATHE NEWS, No. 57— British march into Eritrea. British student officers in training. King George greets Winant. Roosevelt signs Lend-Lease bill. Maryland airplane plant expanded. Troops land in Newfoundland. Services in Athens lor General Metaxas. Gas mask drills in California and Washington. Exhibition of surrealist art in Virginia. Miniature auto race in Los Angeles. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL, No. 962— Roosevelt signs war-aid bill. Government appeals for labor's aid. British victory in North Africa. King George welcomes Winant. Gas maneuvers in Washington and California. Troops in Newfoundland. Maryland plane factory steps up production. New York youngsters in boxing bouts. Ski jumps in New Hampshire. Grainger Plans No Changes in Midwest Chicago, March 13. — No changes in personnel in any of the Midwest exchanges are contemplated at the present time, James R. Grainger, Republic president, announced here today. Grainger is in Chicago conferring on the new Republic product. This is his first visit since Republic purchased the Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin franchise from Irving H. Mandel. 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, William R. Weaver, Editor; Leon Friedman, Manager; London Bureau, 4 Golden Square, London Wl ; Hope Williams, Manager, cable address "Quigpubco, London." All contents copyrighted 1941 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 Americas and $12 foreign. Single copies 10c. 25 Years in Same House Pittsburgh, March 13 TWENTY-FIVE years ago Joe Miller wound the first film at the opening of the Plaza Theatre in the Bloomfield neighborhood. Last week he observed his 25th anniversary in the same house, estimating that he has projected 420,095,700 feet of celluloid on the job. Recalling the days when "projection booths .were just a few slabs of asbestos pieced together, about nine feet high and six feet wide," Miller also remembered that "we never paid much attention to schedules then as we do now. We were mainly interested in finishing the last show on time — at 11 P.M. If we were running behind, we just speeded up the machine. Many's the time I've had the characters running and jumping, all a-scramble on the screen so we wouldn't go nast quitting time. "Then again, if the show was going too fast, we'd slow up the film. Then the characters just loafed about." In 1916, Miller quit a shovel job to become an assistant operator at $1 a day.