Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1941)

8 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, December 31, "1941 Off the Antenna LOUIS RUPPEL, CBS director of publicity, will accompany Edward R. J Murrow, chief of the network's European staff, on part of the latter's lecture tour through the country. The first stop will be in Boston next week. • • • Purely Personal: Ralph J. Glea-son, formerly with "Printers Ink," has been named CBS trade news editor to succeed Robert Gerdy who joined the staff of the Office of the Coordinator of Information. . . . Charles S. Holbrook has joined the NBC-Blue sales Staff. . . . Red Barber has been selected by the National League as commiienta'tor for "Safe At Home," the League's annual film, and Bob Elson has been selected by the American League for "The Ninth Inning." . . . Edith Dick has been named assistant general manager of WWRL. Dudley Connolly has been made program, director; Walter Kaner, director of publicity and promotion, and Fred Barr, night Studio manager. . . . Raymond Gram Siving, Mutual commentator, will move to Washington Jan. 12. . . . Florence Smith has joined the WFIL sales staff. • • • With the days growing longer, daytime stations which are required to go off the air at sundown will gradually start to increase their time. An extra half-hour will be added to the daily schedules of such stations on Jan. 1, with further increases until July. • • • Frank N. Stanton, CBS director of research, and Paul F. Lazarfeld, director of the office of radio research of Columbia University, have just published a new book, "Radio Research 1941." It is planned as the first of a series of yearbooks on radio research with Stanton and Lazarfeld as permanent editors. Subjects covered in the first issue are "Foreign Language Broadcasts over Local American Stations," "The Popular Music Industry," "The Radio Symphony," "Invitation to Music," "Radio and the Press Among Young People" and "Radio Comes to the Farmer." • • • Program News: Cities Service, the oldest network sponsor in radio, has renewed its concert series over NBC-Red for an additional year, effective Jan. 30. . . . Weather reports have been cancelled on WHN's "Let's Go Skiing" program but disclosure of the snowfall at the various resorts is still permitted. . . . "Saturday Night Serenade" will be heard over W ABC beginning Jan. 17 when Pet Milk enlarges the CBS network for the show to 57 stations. . . . Phillips Chemical has renewed "Waltz Time" over 61 NBC-Red stations. . . . Feigenspan Brewing will sponsor Red Barber over WOR in a five-times-weekly sports review 9:15-9:30 P.M. beginning April 9. His present thrice-weekly contract for the Same sponsor expires Jan. 6. . . . Pabst Beer will sponsor the Chicago Bears-Pro All Stars football game from the Polo Grounds this Sunday. . . . WOR has sold "Go Get It" to Krueger Brewing Co. which will start sponsorship W edneSday, Feb. 4. ... /. B. Williams Co. has renewed "True or False" over 63 NBC-Blue stations for an additional 13 weeks. • • • CBS television will present a "Visual Review of the Year," 8:159:30 P.M. tomorrow. Included will be excerpts from the film, "Citizen Kane," produced by Orson Welles for RKO and winner of this year's New York Film Critics' award. Other features will be a fashion review by Saks Fifth Avenue; a television adaptation of William Saroyan's "The People With Light Coming Out of Them"; a demonstration of the "blood bank" technique; the year's three most popular songs, sung by Joan Edwards; objects of art loaned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a sports resume by Bob Edge; war news interpretations by Robert A. Smith of the "New York Times" foreign news department, and late war news bulletins. 'Penny a Plane' Drive on WHOM WHOM has started a "Penny a Plane" campaign on all its eight foreign language programs. The idea is to have all listeners contribute a penny every time an official communique announces that U. S. forces have shot down an enemy plane. Hershl Levine, the Yiddish commentator, suggested the idea on his program last week and enthusiastic listener response resulted in extension to the other seven language shows. FDR Birthday Fetes Set for Washington Washington, Dec. 30. — After weeks of indecision due to the war, plans were announced today for the regular observance here on Jan. 30 of the President's birthday with the customary Hollywood star-studded parties. At a meeting of the arrangements committee, headed by District Commissioner J. Russell Young, the green light was finally given for bringing the usual dozen or more screen players here to make guest appearances at hotel balls and downtown theatres. The 1941 parties raised $54,000 for the infantile paralysis fund. Edward Arnold, president of the Screen Actors Guild, attended the session and accepted an invitation to serve as liaison officer for procurement of the stars. Arnold reached Washington today primarily to consult with Red Cross officials on plans for the forthcoming Red Cross fund campaign in Hollywood. He was accompanied by Jack Beaman, of the Los Angeles chapter, and Edward Blackburn, associate of Jules Brulatour. Ball Programs Cut Summer Air Slump Baseball broadcasts have had the effect of reducing the annual Summer slump in radio listening, according to the annual report of the Cooperative Analysis of Broadcasting, issued yesterday. The report covers the period from Oct. 1, 1940, to Sept. 30, 1941, during which nearly threequarters of a million telephone interviews were made. It was pointed out that radio's loss in daytime listeners last Summer was less than half the drop found among evening listeners. The daytime decrease, as reported by CAB, was 13.5 7>er cent as compared with a 29 per cent drop for night audiences. Baseball broadcasts closed the season with an average rating of 13.8 per cent. These broadcasts of both major and minor league games were heard in 30 of the 33 population centers where CAB conducts surveys. Aid Waste Paper Drive Scranton, Pa., Dec. 30. — Bundles of papers, magazines or other salvage are being accepted as admission to eight Comerford theatres in this area. The action was taken as the first in a civilian defense salvage campaign here. Coast ITO Seeks Duals Elimination (Continued from page 1) lieve single bills are a possible business stimulant under these conditions. Meanwhile, the organization today issued a statement to the effect that it had been unsuccessful in attempts to obtain a general modification or reduction of rental terms from major distributors since the war began. Most companies answering telegrams, the statement indicated, replied that they would be "glad to endeavor to solve each exhibitors' problem individually, but that they would not consider granting general modification or reduction to meet the present emergency." The ITO statement declared that the consent decree "has very substantially increased rental prices" without a remedy to exhibitors. Capital Grosses Off Slightly in Blackout (Continued from page 1) theatres in the District of Columbia, marquee and lobby illumination was completely shut off and each staff member of every theatre fulfilled duties assigned with respect to crowd handling, preventing patrons from leaving during the period and keeping the performance moving smoothly. Those who cooperated in facilitating the blackout drill were Roland Robbins, Trans-Lux ; Sidney Lust, Lust Theatres ; Gene Ford, Loew's ; Hardie Meakin, RKO Keith's ; Louis Bernheimer, Bernheimef Theatres ; Abe Lichtman, Lichtman Theatres ; L. Wimen ; Edmund Plohn, National Theatre ; B. Ferber, Gayety Theatre ; E. N. Reed, Harry Lohmeyer and Harry Anger, Warner Theatres ; Harry S. Brown, Republic Pictures ; Dan Peck, electricians ; Tom Read, projectionists ; and C. T. Trundle, stagehands. Short Subject Review "Cavalcade of Aviation" ( Universal ) The idea of a cavalcade of aviation, with its timeliness and wide appeal, is an excellent one, and as developed in this short subject by Thomas Meadegr and Joseph O'Brien, the producers, is a fine subject. Although some or"^ the scenes depicting the highlights in the history of aviation have been seen before — such as Lindbergh's takeoff for Paris, the burning of the Hindenburg at Lakehurst, and the like — their presentation with continuity and in chronological order takes on new interest. The chronicle begins with the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, N. C, and Byrd, Chamberlain, Earhart, Elder and others important in the development of aviation are shown along with shots of outstanding events, leading up to the importance of air power in the present war. There is, too, some amusing footage on experiments in aviation by radical inventors. Running time, 19 minutes. Release, Dec. 31, 1941. 16mm Showing Held Copyright Violation (Continued from page 1) in residences or such places where there is no admission charge but such films may not be shown in public theatres, auditoriums or any other places of assembly where there is either direct or indirect profit" Herbert Silverberg, attorney for Festival, said several other actions are pending over the Festival-owned Chaplin films and added that, under the court's ruling, various jack-rabbit shows in the Midwest may be stopped from using other films. The ruling also applies to church charity shows, according to Silverberg. Kohn had been operating the Movie Parade with revivals of important silent films for several years. Festival charged in its action that its contemplated revival of Chaplin shorts had been damaged by Kohn's exhibition. Chaplin films involved in the action were "The Adventurer," "The Vagabond," "The Fireman," "Behind the Screen," "Easy Street" and "The Immigrant." Mutual Intervenes In FCC-Web Action The Federal statutory court which will hear the suits of CBS and NBC against the FCC to restrain the commission from enforcing the new network regulations yesterday granted the petition of Mutual for permission to intervene in the suit. Mutual will be added as a defendant. The hearing on the injunction will take place Jan. 12. Dismiss Plagiarism Suit Federal Judge John C. Knox has dismissed the plagiarism action of Beatrice M. Gottlieb and Bertrand Robinson against Warners for failure to prosecute. Suit claimed infringement of an original story, "It's Your Fault," in the Warner film, "Racket Busters."