Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1941)

4 Motion Picture Daily Monday, October 6, 194 Browne, Bioff Trial Begins On Wednesday (Continued from page 1) action. Among those subpoenaed were: Nicholas M. Schenck, Loew's; Barney Balaban, Paramount; W. C. Michel, 20th Century-Fox; George J. Schaefer, RKO, and Pat Casey and Fred Pelton, producers' labor contacts. Labor leaders subpoenaed included : Frank Carothers, William Hutchinson, Joseph Touhy, Joseph Cambrianni, Joseph N. Weber, Ed Brown and Walter Redmond. Several postponements of the trial have occurred already. Mathias Correa, United States Attorney for this district, will prosecute the action. Martin Conboy is attorney for Browne. Subsequent to the original Federal Grand Jury indictment obtained by Correa, Browne was ordered by the court to produce books and records of. the IATSE, sought by Correa in the course of the Grand Jury investigation of the union's financial affairs. The Government is trying to trace an alleged special assessment against union members which is estimated by Correa's office to amount to $6,500,000 annually, based on an average salary of $50 weekly for the union's 125,000 members throughout the country. AFL May Act On Browne Post Today Washington, Oct. 5. — Possibilities that the reported plan of the American Federation of Labor executive council to drop George E. Browne, president of the IATSE, from the vice-presidency of the national body is to be pushed, were seen tonight in the annual report of the council to be submitted to the 61st annual A. F. of L. convention at Seattle tomorrow. In that report, the council recommends that the number of vice-presidents, increased from eight to 15 in 1934, be reduced to 13. The reason given for the proposal is that it has been found increasingly difficult to secure a quorum at sessions of the council, because of the demands on the time of the vice-presidents. No mention is made of any particular official whom it is proposed to drop if the change is approved. There is no mention of motion pic-, tures in the report, but the council recommends that studies be made to determine how the use of radio programs may be more widely employed for the dissemination of labor news. New Selznick Deal With U.A.Is Closed (Continued from page 1) Raftery, represented United Artists in the transaction. Attorney Lloyd Wright and Dan O'Shea of the Selznick office acted for the latter. It is also reported that under the terms conditioned by Selznick, if he should elect to become a stockholder, after a given time, a change of the company's name would be considered. Reviews "Mob Town" ( Universal — 1941-'42 Release) Hollyivood, Oct. 5 T_T ERE are some of the Dead End Kids and some others in another of *■ ■* those Tenth Avenue melodramas wherein the youngsters fascinated by the monetary display of criminals learn in due time and by experience what is wrong with crime as a vocation. In this number they do somewhat more of their rough-and-tumble scrapping than is average for their exercises and they also make their points a bit more convincingly. The film is a mite above par for the series. Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bernard Punsly, Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne, Samuel S. Hinds, Darryl Hickman, Victor Killian, Truman Bradley, John Butler and John Sheehan are in the cast. Ken Goldsmith, producer, and William Nigh, director, get quite a lot out of their material, slipping most noticeably at midpoint where a continuity gap suggests the leaving out, inadvertently or otherwise, of some melodramatic incidents which might have given the picture more impact. The tale concerns some kids whose ambitions toward gangsterism are thwarted in time and to the end of reformation by a friendly policeman. Running time, 62 minutes. "G."* Roscoe Williams "Three Sons O' Guns" ( Warners— 1 940-'41 Release ) HP HIS little comedy has a group of "names" to offer which should he *■ chiefly responsible for what results it might bring. The characters of the title and the situations in which they are involved are intentionally preposterous for laugh purposes, but are at times overdone and fall a bit short in achieving the desired result. The cast members, well known in most circles, include Irene Rich, Wayne Morris, Tom Brown, Marjorie Rambeau and William T. Orr. Miss Rich and Miss Rambeau are mother and aunt, respectively, of the three irresponsible and mentally deficient boys, who are well-meaning but unproductive. The spirited playing helps to make some parts of the picture amusing. It is brought to a close with the sons victimized by the draft people, and Miss Rich, a widow, trotting off to the marriage bureau with a wealthy businessman. Ben Stoloff directed. Running time, 65 minutes. "G."* Eugene Arneel Minn. Anti-5 Statute Held Constitutional "G" denotes general classification. Scout Reports of 'U'-Nathanson Split (Continued from page 1) twice in the past few weeks, reportedly conferring on the new developments. No Discussions, Say 'U' Officials Universal home office officials stated over the weekend that there have been no discussions concerning any possible change in franchise arrangements for Canada. Responsible home office executives stated that Universal has taken the position that its product may not be used to strengthen any circuit's position in Canada and that it will insist upon continued servicing of all of the company's established theatre accounts of good standing in the Dominion, and to this end will require submission of all contracts to the home office for approval. "We will not approve contracts which involve the selling away from any long-established and acceptable customer of Universal," a home office executive stated. W. B. Buys Para. Story Hollywood, Oct. 5. — Warner Bros, has announced the purchase of "Country Lawyer," Bellamy Partridge story, from Paramount, and its sequel, "BigFamily." Adjourn Clearance Hearing in St. Louis St. Louis, Oct. 5. — Hearing of the clearance complaint of Victor Thien, operator of the Palm, North St. Louis, was adjourned to Thursday after former Circuit Judge J. Wesley McAfee, arbitrator, heard the plaintiff. Thien stated that his availability on Paramount and 20th Century-Fox product depended on whether the competing Aubert and Union theatres were operated by Fanchon & Alarco's St. Louis Amusement Co. He testified that in no instance could he obtain pictures from the two companies until after the Aubert had played them, despite the fact that the house is farther from the Palm than it is from the Union. Despite this, he testified, he is required to wait 33 days after the second-run Union and seven days after the third-run Aubert. He testified that his admission scale is approximately the same as the Union's and higher than the Aubert's. He is asking for availability ahead of the latter. Phila. Clearance Hearing Continued Philadelphia, Oct. 5. — The hearing on the clearance complaint of Columbus Stamper, operator of the Great Northern here, was continued until Oct. 9 after an all-day session Friday. Possibly, it was said, to forestall an appeal of the case after its adjudication, all parties agreed that any rules made by the arbitrator shall be bind (Continued from page 1) before Judge Goddard in New Yorl in order to sell in Minnesota actf tl ing to the terms of the Minns*/" W law. The statute requires sale of an [ entire season's product en bloc, with the privilege of canceling up to 20 J per cent of the block. Exchanges in | Minneapolis have been compelled to ' sell by blocks of five in their territory outside Minnesota, while some I have sold no pictures in this State. Their reported sales in the State, in blocks of five, or through distributor-theatre affiliations, will be scrutinized by the Allied Legislative Committee, it was reported, with a view to demanding action by law enforcement authorities. Meanwhile the suit of the majors for a permanent injunction and final ruling of the law's constitutionality is still pending in Ramsey County District Court. It is expected this action will be deferred. The Hanft ruling read : "Had the instant statute been enacted a decade or two ago, under decisions recognizing the inviolability of the right-tocontract doctrine, it would very likely have been held unconstitutional as a temerarious interference with the right of property and contract and the law of supply and demand. But the world moves, this country progressively. "Within the last decade, vast social and economic changes have taken place with astonishing rapidity. Government found it necessary to take a decisive hand to meet new conditions. Modern problems had to be met by legislative, executive and the judicial departments of government. Laws originally sustained under police power as to safety and morals are now sustained upon the additional ground of health and 'welfare' of the people, and the term welfare has in the last two or three years vastly expanded to meet existing social and economic conditions." As a "remarkable" example of how courts will adjust themselves to meet existing conditions. Judge Hanft pointed to the women's minimum wage law case in New York. He pointed out the U. S. Supreme Court in 1923 ruled against the law, but reversed itself in 1937. Mexico Strike Peace Is Near, N. Y. Hears (Continued from page 1) would end all major company film service to Mexican theatres. Five companies, Columbia, Loew's, Warners, RKO and Paramount, have been closed by strike action and Universal, United Artists and 20th Century-Fox would discontinue service in line with their notices to exhibitors, effective as of last midnight. Bernhard to Chicago Meet Joseph Bernhard, general manager of Warner Theatres, and Harry Goldberg, director of advertising and publicity for the circuit, leave early this week for Chicago to preside over a meeting of Warner theatre managers.