Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1941)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY viove First in NEW YORK, U.S.A., WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1941 TEN CENTS Jniversal Has ;0%ofl941-'42 ineup Ready 4 of 47 Are Completed Or in Work Now al; TO Universal has completed or in ork at this time approximately 50 er cent of its scheduled product >r the 1941-'42 season, the comany announced yesterday. At the sales convention held last February it was indicated the company plans to release 47 features next season. In work or completed now are 24 for the new season, in addition to three scheduled for August release, concluding the current season's lineup, it was stated. The company announced two weeks |go that a total of 32 features for (Continued on page 7) Upstate Exhibitor Wins Arbitration Case on Clearance 58 Exhibitors See ; 2nd RKO Showing Thirty-eight representatives of circuits and individual exhibitors were oresent yesterday morning at the trade showing at the Broadway Theatre iere of RKO's "Here Is a Man," in compliance with the New York case consent decree. At the first RKO rrade show, on Monday, that of "Parachute Battalion," 45 exhibitors and circuit representatives were present. -A large number of women also were in attendance yesterday. Bob Wolff, RKO's New York district manager, was in charge of the showing. "Here Is a Man" is previewed on ' Page 4. M-G-M will have its first New York trade showing at the Astor (.Continued on pane 7) Services Held Here :|! For Jerome Jackson Funeral services for Jerome J. Jackson, 41, formerly managing director of the Warner studio in Teddington, England, were held yesterday at the Riverside Memorial Chapel here. Burial was at the Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, Long Island. He died Monday at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Jackson was head of the Warner Teddington studio for a year and a half until he resigned in 1938. Previ; ous to that he was an associate producer and assistant to Irving Asher, (Continued on page 6) Albany, July 15. — Arbitrator Morton J. Hall today gave his decision in the Albany territory's first arbitration complaint, upholding Alex P. Papayanakos of Canton in his contention that a 14-day clearance for Ogdensburg is "unreasonable." The arbitrator ruled that present and future clearance "shall be none." Costs of the proceedings are to be paid by RKO and Warners, against whom Papayanakos complained. Papayanakos, who operates the American Theatre, Canton, attacked the 14-day clearance held by the Strand Theatre, Ogdensburg. The Strand is operated by Schine Theatres. Neither the Strand nor the Schine circuit was named in the suit, however. Hall stated in his opinion that Papayanakos' theatre had discontinued chance games and never had given (Continued on page 6) U. S. Seeks to Prove Crescent Favoritism Nashville, July 15. — Government counsel attempted today to prove distributors discriminated against a former independent theatre operator of Rogersville, Tenn., by licensing films at lower rentals to a competing theatre opened there in 1936 by the Cumherland Amusement Co., affiliate of and associate defendant with Crescent Amusement Co., in the anti-trust trial in progress here in Federal Court. The first Government exhibits and testimony against United Artists and Universal were introduced during ex (Continucd on page 6) Selznick-Capra Deal Ready, Kelly States Arthur Kelly, vice-president and acting head of United Artists, said yesterday that the contracts with David O. Selznick and Frank Capra for participation in U. A. ownership are completed and await approval. It is expected each will produce two pictures a year. The signing of the contracts is expected to take place in Hollywood, where Selznick and Capra are expected this week. 20th-FoxWill Open Annual Meet Today Los Angeles, July 15. — The 250 delegates from 37 exchanges in the United States and Canada arrived here today for the opening at the Ambassador Hotel tomorrow of the 20th-Century-Fox annual sales convention, over which Herman Wobber, general manager of distribution, will preside. New season's product and the new selling methods under the consent decree will be the chief topics of discussion at the three-day session. Wobber will deliver the opening address tomorrow and introduce Hermann Place, recently elected chairman of the executive committee. Talks will follow by Irving Maas, Ben (Continued on page 6) Roosevelt Asks Authority to Order Daylight Time to Conserve Power Washington, July 15. — President Roosevelt today asked Congress for authority to establish daylight saving time in such parts of the country and for such months of the year as may be found necessary. Exhibitors have always opposed daylight time as a competitive factor. In a letter to Speaker of the House Rayburn, the President explained the proposal is designed to save power in areas where there may be shortages. He said the need would vary among sections of the country and it is not desirable to adopt all-year daylight saving time nationally because of the hardship to investors in power companies. The proposal has the support of the Office of Production Management, the Federal Power Commission and Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, who originally proposed advancing the clocks. At the same time, the President wrote the Governors of Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida, asking them to proclaim daylight saving immediately. It is planned also to extend the advanced time to the District of Columbia. U.A. Plans to Build Circuit Of First Runs Show Windows for Films Is Aim, Kelly Says To counteract what he described as inadequate representation in theatres for United Artists product, the company plans to undertake a theatre purchasing venture, with an investment of between $5,000,000 and $6,000,000, Arthur W. Kelly, vice-president and acting head of the U. A. stated yesterday at a press conference. Kelly said that negotiations aready are under way to acquire a circuit of 12 first-run theatres around the country, but he declined to identify either the theatres under consideration or the individuals concerned in possible deals. Several months ago, company officials discussed the advisability of purchasing the Rivoli Theatre on Broadway in order to provide a show-window. There has been no indication since, however, of whether such plans are to be carried through. The Rivoli is now closed. Kellv indicated that in the event the (Continued on page 4) Revised U.A. List Totals 18 Pictures United Artists' lineup for the new season has been revised to include 18 features, Arthur Kelly, vice-president and acting head, announced yesterday. Additionally Hal Roach will supply 10 "streamlined" productions, two of which are ready now. Kelly declared that Max Gordon and Harry Goetz plan a minimum of two and a maximum of three films a year for three years. Included in these will be "The American Way," Broadway play in which RKO has an (Continued on page 4) Ind. Portable Show Not Liable for Fees Indianapolis, July 15. — Outdoor portable film shows do not come under the State law licensing and regulating film theatres, Attorney General George N. Beamer has informed Clem Smith, State Fire Marshal. Beamer said these do not constitute a fire hazard, and since they are mostly given without admission charge it would be difficult to fix a license fee on any audience capacity basis,