Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1941)

r ill vv/r t :o the^jgti 3icture ndustry tion DO NOT REMOVE MOTION PICTURE DAILY Accu and Impartial I SE 50. NO. 9 NEW YORK, U. S. A., MONDAY, JULY 14, 1941 TEN CENTS )ecline Halted it Box -Office, Golden Says ommerce Dep't Official Finds Attendance Rise itll am ^Washington. July 13.— The boxBee decline has been halted and featre attendance is beginning to imb as exhibitors adjust operamis to new conditions created by lie defense program, it is said by athan D. Golden, industrial conltant on films of the Department Commerce, who has just reTned from Hollywood, fin some communities, Golden said, leatres are remaining open until the Ely hours of the morning for the mvenience of defense workers on the It.. 12 P.M. shift. | While seasonal factors undoubtedly 'ere responsible for some of the de (Continued on page 4) ( . lub in Cincinnati To Honor Rosian I Cincinnati, July 13.— The local ariety Club will tender a testimonial nner to Peter Rosian tomorrow, in 'onor of his recent promotion from ■xral Universal manager to district :Biiager of the newly-created terri|rv including Cincinnati, IndianMis, Dallas and Oklahoma City, i-osian will continue to make his headquarters here. I Orchestras to Play Anthem at All Shows All union musicians were instructed to play "The Star Spangled Banner" at the start and finish of each performance by James C. Petrillo, American Federation of Musicians president, on Friday, until further notice. Programs will start five minutes earlier and end five minutes later so that the musicians will play the anthem on their own time. The order will be in effect for all theatres, restaurants and other places where union musicians are employed. The anthem will not be required on short radio shows, but will be played for studio audiences at longer programs in the event the sponsor does not wish it broadcast. Houston Uses New Soldiers' Tickets Houston, Texas, July 13. — Interstate Theatres here and Loew's State Theatre have perfected a type of special ticket to sell to men in the armed forces of the country at 25 per cent reduction from the regular price. The tickets are good in any of the 14 Houston houses at any hour and on any day. They are sold only in the several Army, Navy and Coast Guard camps and cantonments in this area. Product 'Refusal' Told in Crescent Trial Testimony Nashville, July 13. — Testimony that Paramount and M-G-M sold away from a Gallatin, Tenm, exhibitor when Crescent Amusement Co. opened a house in the town was given Friday on the fifth day of the Government's trial of Crescent and the "Little 3." The trial enters its second week tomorrow in Federal district court here. The witness, W. F. Roth, operator since 1913 of the Palace in Gallatin, said that he had contracted for M-G-M pictures since 1916 and Paramount product since 1914 until the 1937-'38 season, when the two distributors sold to the new Crescent house. Roth testified that early in 1938, when lie renewed negotiations with both companies, Roy Avey, M-G-M (Continued on page 4) INDUSTRY ALERT FOR TRADE SHOWS 20th-Fox Sets 50 Features In New Season Hollywood, July 13. — Twentieth Century-Fox will announce a program of 50 pictures for 1941-'42 at the annual sales convention starting Wednesday and running through Friday at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. Three hundred delegates are due to arrive on six special trains Tuesday. Plans for the company's production and seling policy under consent decree provisions will be discussed in opening addresses by Joseph M. Schenck, Darryl F. Zanuck, Wiliam Goetz and Herman Wobber, who will preside at the sessions. Pictures definitely scheduled for the season, as disclosed by the studio, are : "A Yank in the RAF," Darryl Zanuck Production, starring Tyrone Power and Betty Grable. "How Green Was My Valley," Zanuck Production, directed by John Ford, with Walter Pidgeon, Roddy McDowall, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Anna Lee and John Loder. "Charley's Aunt," with Jack Benny. "Belle Starr," Gene Tierney, Randolph Scott, Dana Andrews, Louise Beavers. (Continued on page 4) Odeon Claims 100 Houses In Canada Race with FPC Fisher Gets Phila. Variety Club Post Philadelphia, July 13. — The board of canvassmen of the local Variety Club has elected Al Fisher as canvassman and property master to fill the vacancy left by the late John I. Munroe. Roger Clipp, Earle Sweigert and Milton Rogasner have been named to represent the tent on the Atlantic City Miss America pageant committee. Xewly elected club members include C. Richard Ingram, Nathan I. Miller and Samuel Shapiro. Toronto, July 13.— Gradually the physical scope of Odeon Theatres of Canada, Ltd., which came into being with the resignation of N. L. Nathanson as president of Famous Players Canadian Corp., is taking shape and the importance of the new circuit has been indicated in the official declaration that Odeon "now has more than 100 theatres in all parts of Canada." Apart from formal announcement with respect to a comparatively few theatres in Ontario, there is no indication of Odeon acquisitions as a whole. This attitude has been ex (Continued on page 2) Companies Launch New Sales System Under Decree Today The industry today embarks on a new selling procedure with the first trade showings signalizing offerings of product in groups of five pictures or less under the terms of the New York case consent decree. The five companies which are parties to the decree — M-G-M, Paramount, RKO, Warners and 20th Century-Fox — are adopting the new procedure. Universal, Columbia and United Artists will continue selling as they have in the past. M-G-M and RKO inaugurate trade screenings today, 20th Century-Fox on July 21 and Paramount on July 28. Warners are expected shortly to announce the dates of its trade screenings. [Complete listing of trade shozvings this week appeared in Friday's Motion Picture Daily.] The showings are only for exhibitors and the trade press, of features to be released after Sept. 1, which is the effective date of the decree and (Continued on page 4) Para. Partners' Meet Will Discuss Buying Shawnee-on-the-Delaware, Pa., July 13. — Consent decree buying and the question of double features will be on the agenda of the meeting of the Paramount Theatre partners and associates which will get under way here tomorrow. Leonard Goldenson, Paramount's home office theatre chieftain, will lead the discussions. The meeting is expected to run for two or three days. About 40 of Paramount's (Continued on page 4) Western N. Y.MPTO Will Meet Tomorrow Buffalo, July 13. — A meeting of the Western New York MPTO has been called for Tuesday afternoon at the organization's offices here by A. Charles Hayman, president. Up for discussion will be next season's buving under the consent decree and chance games and giveaways. Hayman will report on the MPTOA convention in Los Angeles, which he attended.