Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1941)

10 Motion Picture Daily Friday, August 15, 194 Off the Antenna ARRANGEMENTS are under way, it was reported yesterday, to have the talks of Eleanor Roosevelt, which will start over NBC-Blue Sept. 28, broadcast to Latin America. Although it has not yet been settled whether the Pan-American Coffee Bureau, the sponsor, will send these programs over short wave, it was said, it was felt that both the talks themselves and the nature of the sponsorship might make this series excellent good-will material for broadcast to Latin America. Buchanan & Co. handles the account. • • 9 Program News: American Chicle Co. has renewed Don Goddard's newscasts over WEAF Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 :30-7 :45 A.M., until Dec. 31. . . . Modern Food Process Co. has renewed the 5-5:30 P.M. period on Sunday over 28 NBC-Bluo stations for an additional year, effective Sept. 14. • • • NBC, which opened a new "listening post" at Belmore, L. I., several weeks ago, will dedicate a similar post in North Hollywood tonight. The second post will pick up and report on propaganda from the Orient. The ceremonies will be carried on the Blue at 8:45 tonight and will also be short-waved to Latin America. • • • Two networks and three local stations will carry the National Emergency Rally sponsored by the Council for Democracy next Tuesday. NBC-Blue will broadcast the proceedings from 8 to 8:30 P.M. and CBS from 10:15 to 10-45 P M. WMCA will air the speeches between 8:30-9 ; WEVD 9:3010:45, and WQXR 9:45-10:45. • • • Princeton University, long a holdout against broadcasting of its football games, has succumbed at last. WOR will carry the games this scaston with Atlantic Refining Co. as sponsor. $11,162,000 New Theatre Projects For Six Months 20th -Fox Reports $861,278 Profit For Six Months (Continued from page 1) $1,150,000 of reserve for foreign assets, was $457,189. This compares with profit for the first quarter of $404,089 after a reserve of $350,000, and with a loss for the second quarter of 1940 of $236,163, after providing a reserve of $700,000. No dividends were received from National Theatres Corp. during the first half of either year. Total income for the first half of 1941 was reported at $21,652,127, and total expenses at $19,065,612. After interest and depreciation, but before taxes and provision of reserve for foreign assets, operating profit amounted to $2,435,578 for the period. Ad Groups Support Fight on Radio Tax (Continued from paqc 1) Agencies, objected to the levy on those grounds, declaring that "commercial radio advertising is not entertainment." "It simply uses entertainment as an aid to selling," he contended. "Therefore, the tax is on a method of selling and not on entertainment." The radio levies will be further explored by the committee next week, when Harold A. LaFount, former member of the Federal Communications Commission, and E. A. Alvord, tax expert retained by the National Association of Broadcasters, are scheduled to be heard. It is possible also that FCC Chairman James L. Fly will come to the support of the industry, it being known that Commission experts deem the proposed tax unwise. Mae Murray Sues Billy Rose on Dance Mae Murray, former screen star, yesterday filed suit in N. Y. Supreme Court for $150,000 damages and an injunction against Billy Rose, Billy Rose's Diamond Horse Shoe, Inc., Mitzi Haynes and Georges Fontana. The suit seeks to restrain Haynes and Fontana from dancing the "Merry Widow Waltz" at Rose's Diamond Horse Shoe. In March, 1941, Miss Murray's complaint states, she was employed by Rose to dance with Fontana at the Diamond Horse Shoe in an act called "Cavalcade of the Silver Screen." After she ceased dancing there on July 23, the complaint alleges, Rose continued with Fontana and Haynes while using Miss Murray's name and the title of the act in his advertisements. Miss Murray asserts that she has exclusive right to a re-creation of the Merry Widow Waltz, which she originated in the film of the same title in 1925. New Drive-In Opens Lewistown, Pa., Aug. 14. — The first open-air drive-in theatre in this territory was opened at nearby Kishacoquillas Park by James Moren and James Sturges. Using 16-mm. equipment and films, two performances are presented nightly, three nights a week. 110 NBC Affiliates Vote on Ascap Deal Reports yesterday on the voting of NBC affiliates on the proposed Ascap pact indicated that the returns continue slow with only about 110 heard from thus far, in a little more than a week. It was said, however, that a number of stations which had previously expressed disapproval have given their provisional approval. It was indicated that the dissidents still number about 20 per cent. AFRA Convention Starts in Detroit Detroit, Aug. 14. — Organization of committees and reading of reports occupied the first day of the American Federation of Radio Artists' fourth annual convention today at the Book-Cadillac Hotel here. The resolutions committee elected consists of True Boardman, Los Angeles ; Wayne Short, St. Louis ; Virginia Payne, Chicago ; Mark Smith, New York ; Herbert Mann, Racine, Wis., and Gwen Delany, Detroit. Lon Clark of Cincinnati was selected temporary chairman. About 50 delegates have registered. The meeting represents 12,000 members, according to Emily Holt, national executive secretary. Shift Canada Managers Toronto, Aug. 14. — Al Perley, manager of the Centre at London, Ont., has been appointed manager of the Community Theatre at Hamilton and has been succeeded at London by Melville Stephens, formerly assistant manager of the Park Theatre, Windsor. (Continued from pane 1) 000 square feet of floor space, as compared with 1,594,000 square feet of floor space involved in the 362 projects up to July 1, this year. In June, this year, theatre building projects were authorized for a total expenditure of $1,966,000. In the same month last year the authorized projects were valued at $1,535,000. In the first six months of 1939, a total of 502 projects, at a cost of $11,638,000 was reported. Dodge Reports stated that defense industries and selective service contributed a good deal to this year's theatre building and renovating developments. In addition to a number of theatres going up in towns near Army camps, increased payrolls at plants handling defense work warranted alterations at theatres nearby, it was stated. Cincinnati Games Gross U p in July Cincinnati, Aug. 14. — Although Chief of Police Eugene T. Weatherly reported fewer chance game parties in July than duriner any month since August, 1940, and the attendance was correspondingly lower, the gross, net and average cost per player were higher than in June. The report, which did not disclose the number of parties, showed total attendance of 271,352; gross, $200,168.34, and prizes, $49,056.68, leaving net of $151,111.66 to sponsoring organizations. Average net cost per player was 55.7 cents. Comparatively, total attendance at 262 parties in June was 283,143; gross was $194,881.35, prizes, $46,798, and net, $148,083.35. Average net cost per player was 52.3 cents in June. Guest Buys House Toronto, Aug. 14. — Fred Guest, former owner of three theatres in Hamilton and one in Vancouver, has bought the Majestic at Dundas, Ont. 12,055 Contracts on 'Rebecca' Is Record United Artists obtained 12,055 exhibition contracts for David O. Selz-; nick's "Rebecca," establishing a recordj for that company for an individual picture, Arthur W. Kelly, vice-president, announced yesterday. The picture was first released in« April, 1940, and the count was taken as of Aug. 2, 1941, about 16 monti«i later. Additional contracts for fl| film are still being made, he salu! "Rebecca" had a domestic gross during the period in excess of $2,000,000, according to officials, and its British gross is estimated at £275,000. In addition, it was exceptionally strong in the Swedish and Latin American markets. The film was sold on about 7,000 contracts in advance as a untitled Selznick production, officials stated. The balance of the contracts, or about 40 per cent of the total, were closed for the specific film, "Rebecca." 11,843 'Bagdad' Contracts Second on the list released byj Kelly was Alexander Kord's "Thief of Bagdad" with 11,843 contracts. The Korda production was released in September, 1940, and had a domestic gross up to Aug. 2 of approximately $1,200,000, and contracts are still being received. Kelly's list also included the following releases : "South of Pago Pago," released July, 1940, 11,193 contracts; "Kit Carson," Aug., 1940, 11,551; "Son of Monte Cristo," November, 1940, 10,840; "My Son, My Son," March, 1940, 10,842; "Four Feathers," August, 1939, 11,129; "Pot o' Gold," April, 1941, 10,209 ; "Captain Caution," August, 1940, 10,214; "Housekeeper's Daughter," October, 1939, 10,639; "Chump at Oxford," February, 1940, 10,897 ; "The Westerner," September, 1940, 10,466; "Real Glory," September, 1939, 10,128; "Foreign Correpondent," August, 1940, 10,775; "House Across the Bay," March, 1940, 10,308; Winter Carnival," July, 1939, 9,912, and "That Uncertain Feeling," April, 1941, 9,799. Revealed at Meeting Kelly's statement did not reveal whether the number of contracts made were all actually played out. Kelly's statement added that the contract figures were first revealed at a district managers' meeting by Harry L. Gold, Eastern division sales manager, and Haskell Masters, Western division sales manager. 'Can't Deal Forever,' Says Capra toU.A. (Continued from page 1) pictures," Capra said. "I can't afford to deal forever." He declared that he had "bought at considerable expense three stories which were to be my first three pictures for U. A." The negotiations had been on since last May. Capra revealed that he has no plans beyond his present commitment to produce and direct "Arsenic and Old Lace" for Warners. Dismantle Poli Plaza New Haven, Aug. 14. — The LoewPoli-Plaza here has been dismantled and the 30-year-old building, one 'of the original houses of the Poli circuit, will be converted into a store.