Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1941)

tfav. October 27. 1941 [ ajors Face ax Liens on toff Payment Motion Picture Daily (Continued from fii'J<-' D Supreme Court ruling has upthis contention, it was stated. ^ principal witness a> the defense Mi its case Friday was Pat Casey, facers' labor contact. Under direct hination by Michael Luddy. attort'or Bioff, he testified that Nicho(VI. Schenck. president of Loew s, not present at the Saturday mornbasic pact meeting on April 18, .. This was the date on which •nek had previously testified (Aiie and Bioff had submitted their quotation of $50,000 from the cipal companies and $25,000 from others, to Schenck and Sidney R. t. president of 20th Century-Fox. Dates Cleared Up he discrepancy in dates, however, quickly cleared on cross-examiion when Casey explained that he given the dates to C. C. Mositz and mistakenly had told the sr that Schenck had attended all meetings. asey declared that nobody had ever him that Browne or Bioff were jig paid money, or that they had janded any, or of any threat to |<e if the money was not paid. He testified that since jirowne became IATSE presi'. ent the producers had paid a E(otal of $5,000,000 in wage inreases to members of that nion. He described Browne's ttitude as "rather pugnaious" at the meetings with proucers and that his represenation of the IATSE continued :ust as vigorous and "just as •ugnacious" after the date of he alleged payments. He said hat he had never noticed any hange in attitude on the part •f Browne. .'rider cross-examination, Casey dered that he represented the pro:ers in their studio lalx>r problems y and had nothing to do with thete labor. He said the closing of the•es in 1935-193o would have "put ! producers out of business"' and it this condition obtained up to the •?>ent year but was no longer true. Tells of Disputes Tasey began with the situation in J3 when the International Brotheroil of Electrical Workers and the TSE were contending for jurisdicm over soundmen. The IATSE tlidrew from the basic pact that year d its membership in the studios popped from five or six thousand to lout 150, with the IBEW and the rpenters dividing the membership 'tween them. In 1935, after the Chigo theatre strike. Browne demanded at IATSE men be restored to the adio, Casey continued, and Schenck Id Casey that lie wanted the IATSE stored to the basic pact because it Juld save Loew's a great deal of luble in the theatres. 1 Leaders of the other unions in the id objected to the restoration of the ATSE but after insistence by Browne at his men "were not going to be eked around" and a Sunday conferice which lasted from 10 A.M. to 8 -M.. the other unions agreed to the Off the Antenna THE bands of Kay Kyser, Guy Lombardo, Sammy Kaye, Tommy Dorsey and Eddy Duchin will be the first five heard on "Spotlight Bands," the six-nights-a-week Coca Cola show which starts over Mutual Nov. 3. The sixth band, in the Saturday night spot, will be selected by a nationwide survey to determine which has made the best-seller phonograph record of the week. • • • Program News: George Jessel will return to radio Friday, 6:45-7 P.M., on WEAF in a one-man show called "Here's Looking at New York." Greater New York Breweries, Inc.. is the sponsor. . . . Vick's Chemical Co. has renewed "News for Women" over CBS and has expanded the schedule to five times Weekly, 3-3:15 P.M. Monday through Friday, beginning today. . . . Illinois Meat Co. will use participations in Arthur Godfrey's program over, W'.IBC beginning next Monday. • • • The four NBC Symphony concerts to be directed by Leopold Stokowski, Tuesday evenings, Nov. 4-25, will be played in the Cosmopolitan Opera House (formerly Mecca Temple) instead of the network studio due to the large demand for tickets, it was announced. Instead of the usual free admissions, tickets will be sold at prices ranging from 55c to $1.65. • • • Edwin P. Curtin, formerly an advertising agency publicity director, and now an Army captain at Camp Wheeler, Ga., is producing a series of transcriptions which will be aired over WINS here and WDRC, Hartford, Conn. Trainees arriving from the New York or Hartford areas will get a chance to speak to the folks back home. Pvt. Bill Stynes, former WIN'S announcer, will conduct the interviews. The music for the program will be conducted by Pvt. Harrison Cooper, former arranger for bandleader Herbic Kay, and Pvt. Thomas Hanlon. formerly with WBRY, Danbury, Conn., will handle engineering details. The unusual case of a network delating a program to the meteoric rise of the star of a rh-al web be presented Sunday zvhen Norman Corwim will produce "The Rise ami Fall oi Henry Morgan" as the last of the "26 by Corwin" series over CBS. Morgan, now a Mutual headlines, previously has appeared on the Corwin series and will play the title role. • • • WBYN will be ready to increase its power to 1,000 watts day and 500 night in about four weeks, it was said Friday. The station recently obtained permission for the power increase from the FCC. WBYN now operates on 500 watts day and night. NBC Accepts Beer and Ale Sponsorship NBC has decided to accept beer and ale advertising on its network, thus abandoning its policy of refusing network business from sponsors who advertise alcoholic beverages, it was learned over the weekend, and has taken the Ballantine Ale and Beer account away from .Mutual for broadcast on about 80 stations of the Blue network. The program, "Three Ring Time," which features Milton Berle, Charles Laughton, Bob Crosby's band, Shirley Ross and Bill Godwin, started on Mutual in September. Although the 13-week contract on Mutual will not have expired by Tuesday. Nov. 7, it will start over NBC on that date. Mutual refused to comment on the situation but it was reported that the sponsor is prepared to pay for the time over Mutual, if necessary, in order to start over NBCBlue on the scheduled date. Although NBC has accepted beer and ale accounts over its wholly owned single stations in the past, such sponsors have been consistently rejected for the network. The code adopted by the National Association of Broadcasters bans only "hard or spirituous liquors," making ion of beer. On the other "Working Manual" issued for the guidance of its staff ing agencies and sponsors on the network's program policies, declares: "Alcoholic beverages may not be advertised on any network program." no menhand, the by NBC advertis restoration and the producers accepted their decision. Casey also testified to disputes over jurisdiction with the American Society of Cinematographers, the IATSE demands for a closed shop and 10 per cent increases granted the IATSE in 1936 and 1937. The first witness for the defense was a typist employed by the Postal Telegraph Co.. who testified that she had transcribed a telegram signed by Mr. and Mrs. Harrv M. Warner to Mr. and Mrs. William Bioff in February, 1938, wishing the latter "bon voyage" as they were about to embark on a vacation cruise. After objecting to admission of this testimony, Mathias F. Correa, U. S. Attorney, brought out on cross-examination that the stenographer did not know who signed the telegram or who sent it, except that it came over the Warner Bros, direct wire. Defense counsel were unable Friday to state who the next witnesses would be. They said that they would spend the weekend conferring about the procedure. Miss. Broadcasters Form Association Jackson, Miss., Oct. 26. — Representatives of 12 stations formed the Mis sissippi Broadcasters Association at a meeting here. Officers elected were : C. J. Wright. WFOR Hattiesburg. president; H. M. Smith, WAML, Laurel, vice-president; L. M. Sepaugh, WSLI, Jackson, secretary-treasurer. "Don't change The Little Flower for Poison Ivy" TODAY 12:30 Festive Luncheon— Astor Hotel "STARS' PARTY FOR MAYOR LAGUARDIA" Gayety in the Grand Ball Room ! Everybody will be there! Enjoy the lighter side of the campaign. If you haven't made reservations phone Circle 6-4600 or come over and we'll find room for you. (Tickets $1.75 each). Broadcast over WHN from 1:45 to 2:30.