Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1941)

s Motion Picture Daily Thursday, October 9, 1 Off the Antenna THE boxing shows carried by Mutual since June 1 have been carried by an average of over 200 stations, the network reported yesterday. These include Mutual stations in this country, a number of the CBC stations in Canada and two in Hawaii. Eight fights have been broadcast thus far. The most recent, the Louis-Nova bout, was carried by 205 stations. • • • W2XQR, the FM affiliate of JVQXR, will move to its new frequency at 45.9 megacycles Monday. The station will continue its present broadcasting schedule, transmitting WQXR programs from 5 to 10 P.M. daily. When the FM station goes commercial it will have WS9A'Y as its call letters. • • • WABC on Oct. 18 will dedicate its new transmitter located in Long Island Sound. The network has been taking groups of advertising agency executives and sponsors on tours of Columbia Island where the new transmitter is located. • • • WOR and the Office of Emergency Management will cooperate in producing a new defense program to be carried Sundays, 10:30-11 P.M. over Mutual, starting Nov. 9. Clifton Fadiman will be master of ceremonies and Morton Gould musical director. The scripts will be by Lillian Hellman, Stephen Vincent Benet, Robert E. Sherwood, William Saroyan, Samuel and Bella Spewack and Moss Hart, and Rodgers & Hart will write a theme song. Guest stars for the first few weeks will be drawn from Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Brian Aherne, Paul Lukas, Burgess Meredith, Lawrence Tibbett, Lily Pons, Ethel Merman, Gladys Swarthout and Dinah Shore. • • • Bill Stern, NBC sports head, yesterday announced that the network had acquired exclusive rights for five years to broadcasts of the Roue Bowl football games and to an exclusive for this year only on the Sugar Bowl game. All will be available for sponsorship. Short Subject Reviews "Northern Neighbors" (Popular Variety) (Universal) Interesting views of Canada, in color, include Niagara Falls, the highlights of Toronto, a training base for the Canadian air force, and finally a visit to the Dionne Quintuplets and their famous physician, Dr. Roy Dafoe. Running time, 9 mins. Release, Oct. 13, 1941. "In the Groove" (Name Band Musical) (Universal) In the setting of a small town railroad station, Freddie Slack and his band perform, aided by several others, including a vocalist, a roller skating trio, and several dancers. With emphasis on the current type of swing music, this probably will find an audience among the younger generation, and not likely beyond that. Running time, 17 mins'. Release, Oct. 8, 1941. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Co. B" (Walter Lantz Cartoon) ( Universal) A cartoon has been made of the popular song number from "Buck Privates." A Harlem trumpet player extraordinary is drafted, and becomes the target of old shoes and razors from the other soldiers, but he ends their objections by giving them bugle calls in swing. Running time, 8 mins. Release, Sept. 1. 1941. "Shampoo Springs" (Stranger Than Fiction, No. 96) (Universal) A native of a California town has piped down from the mountains spring water so alive with chemicals that it lathers when rubbed on the hair. Renting towels, he does an excellent business. Other oddities in this number of an entertaining series include the baker who makes weird animals from dough and does well, and the professor whose hobby is collecting and cataloging strange odors. Running time, 9 mins. Release, Sept. 8, 1941. "The Hermit of Oklahoma" (Stranger Than Fiction, No. 97) ( Universal) A Cheyenne, Okla., man who became a hermit in 1914, and has been alone with his odd concrete sculptures ever since is the featured oddity in this interesting short subject. Others are an aged costume maker with young ideas, a child with a pet lamb, and a New York radio engineer who lives on a Chinese junk. Running time, 8 mins. Release, Oct. 6, 1941. "George Washington, Country Gentleman" (Variety Views) ( Universal) An interesting pictorial study of Mount Vernon, home of George Washington in Virginia, as it has been restored. It makes for an interesting subject. Running time, 10 mins. Release, Nov. 10, 1941. Independent Radio Stations to Organize {Continued from paye 1) mands of the musicians union and action on the Ascap situation. The group here expressed the belief the proposed Ascap licenses should be modified before acceptance, notwithstanding approval by the National Association of Broadcasters and the Independent Radio Network Affiliates. An invitation has been extended for the independent broadcasters to meet next Tuesday at the Drake Hotel here to take up the problems immediately confronting them, and to form an organization. The committee in charge includes : William J. Scripps, WWJ. Detroit; Hoyt Wooten, WREC, Memphis ; Eugene Pulliam, WIRE, Indianapolis ; Stanley Hubbard. KSTP, St. Paul, and William O'Neil, WJW, Akron. Postpone W. B. Meeting Chicago, Oct. 8. — A regional meeting here of Warner Theatre managers, scheduled for today, has been postponed to next Tuesday. W. B. Raises Prices In Conn. Theatres New Haven, Oct. 8. — Warners have increased admissions in several spots, although retaining the same scale for the most part, with addition of the new taxes. The two-a-week Rialto, South Norwalk, and Capitol, Danbury, bargain nights have gone up from 20 cents to 22 cents plus three cents tax. The Strand, Waterbury ; Palace, Torrington and Circle, Manchester, raised from 15 cents and 25 plus three cents tax, to 18 plus two cents, and 27 plus three cents. The Capitol, Ansonia, Broadway, Norwich and Palace, Norwich, went up from 39 cents to 40 cents, including tax. Subsequent runs in many towns have added a few cents more than the tax to make even number amounts, generally raising 15 to 20 cents or 20 to 25 cents. 'Outlaw' Release Dec. 15 It is reported that "The Outlaw," produced by Howard Hughes for 20th Century-Fox release, and which was given a Production Code Seal recently, will be nationally released about Dec. 15. Ascap Seeks New Sources For Revenin {Continued from page 1) agement to better equip it for real** ing on new enterprises also has b( j discussed within Ascap, it is ^ i The society's position in l(" | vision field, should that mediura l i come a commercial factor in the m' future, is problematic, officials adrr Indications are that television rig] I to music will be the property ll authors, composers and, or publishe ! and whether or not Ascap will he any standing in that field may hi \ • to be decided by test cases in ffl courts. Some Ascap officials estimate tl the juke box field could return $3,00 i . 000 annually to Ascap on the basis 1 ' a license fee of $10 per machine year. The new Federal tax wh: went into effect Oct. 1 placed a le of that amount on the machines. Radio Revenue Frozen Ascap's need for new sources revenue stems from the fact that return from the major radio netwoii: under its new contract is frozen | an estimated $3,000,000 annually U the next 18 years. This compai with a $4,000,000 radio revenue £ \ . year for the society on a basis whi , permitted re-negotiation of contraij at much shorter intervals than is pi vided for in the new contract. The society will lose an estimat' vS4,000,000 in revenue this year asi result of its dispute with the netwdrj ■ Additionally, because of that fight, is saddled with a Federal consent c cree and is confronted with continui competition from the rival Broada Music, Inc., the networks' rmi! licensing organization. Move Managers of Hamrick-Evergree Seattle, Oct. 8. — Al Rosenbei head of Washington state theatres the Hamrick-Evergreen circuit, lr appointed Robert Monaghan ci manager of the Bellingham theatn succeeding the late James Can Monoghan thus moves from t American Theatre to the Mt Bak Theatre in that city*. His position the American will be filled by Jol Bretz, at present manager of the Ne7 tune Theatre in Seattle's LTniversf district. Bretz's successor here has n yet been selected, and Carl Mahi '. manager of the University Egyptia ; is also temporarily directing the Ne tune operation. Seeks New Station In West Virgini Washington, Oct. 8.— The A1H gheny Broadcasting Corp. has appli< to the FCC for a construction perrr for a new 1,240-kilocycle, 250-wa station at Elkins, W. Va. Gilliam in Chicago Chicago, Oct. 8. — Tom R. Gilliai for many years branch manager of i Warner exchange here, and recent manager of Warners' Atlanta, G: office, has joined the sales staff Paramount here, handling city sale 29 States to Celebrate Thanksgiving Nov. 20, and 19 the Following Week This year 29 states will celebrate Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 20 and 19 on Nov. 27, according to the Association of National Advertisers. The holiday probably will return to the traditional last Thursday of the month next year, since the House has passed and sent to the Senate a resolution to that effect, and President Roosevelt has voiced support of the measure. States celebrating Thanksgiving this year on Nov. 20 are: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, NewYork, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Nov. 27 will be Thanksgiving Day in the following: Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Montana. Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Vermont.