Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1942)

8 Motion Picture Daily Off the Antenna STATIONS in Mexico have been ordered to refrain from making comments on war and other news and to broadcast only authentic information or stories furnished by news services approved by their Government. Heavy fines and other penalties will be assessed for violations, according to the order. • • • Purely Personal: Jack Wyatt, formerly with the NBC production staff, has joined WNEW as assistant to William McGrath, director of progranns and production. . . . Ian Wythe Williams, son of the WHN commentator, has joined the French staff on NBC short zvave. . . . Joseph Thompson, NBC producer for the Fred Waring show, was released from the Army yesterday under the 28-year rule. Although he will be re-inducted in three zveeks. Thompson returned to his NBC duties. He zvas at Fort Monmouth and/ worked with Garson Kanin on Army films. . . . Roberto I. Unanue, CBS Latin American news editor, has been s'ent to Rio de Janeiro to cover thd Conference of Foreign Ministers for CBS short zvave. • • • The Committee to Celebrate the President's Birthday has distributed 500 transcriptions to stations with appeals for funds by Edward G. Robinson, Madeleine Carroll, Ronald Regan, Tyrone Power, Buster Crabbe and Jane Withers. • • « In Philadelphia: William Smith, former announcer with WKNY, Kingston, N. Y., has joined WHAT. . . . Roger W. Clipp, vice-president and general manager of WFIL and W53PH, has been named chairman of the research committee of the National Association of Broadcasters. . . . Harry Schlegel, New York newspaperman, has been named WPEN publicity head. . . . KYW has applied for a State license to operate an artists' bureau. • • • Program News: When Edward G. Robinson's "Big Tovon" program on CBS shifts to 9 :30-10 P.M. Thursdays, effective Jan. 22, it will take over the spot made vacant by the shortening of Major Bowes "Amateur Hour" to 30 minutes. . . . The debut concert of the newly organised Boston String' Orchestra will be broadcast by W43B, Boston, and W39B, Mt. Washington, the Yankee Network FM stations'. . . . "Wings Over Jordan" will start its fifth year on CBS Sunday. • • • WFBR, Baltimore, has a new program, "Military Matinee," to which 50 soldiers are invited Sunday afternoons. Refreshments are served, tickets to film houses distributed and listeners are asked to invite the soldiers to dinner. Report NBC Plans Web Divorcement Outright divestment of the Blue and Red networks of NBC and the creation of direct competition between the two has been decided upon by the management of the RCA, parent concern of NBC, the New York Times reports today. The Blue network, with WJZ as the key station, is to be set up as an entirely new corporate organization and operated wholly independent of RCA control it was stated. Changes in the executive setup of NBC as a result of the reported divestment are imminent, it was further stated. 175 Film Subjects On CBS Television During the first six months of regular operations, the CBS television station used 175 film subjects, ranging from one-reel shorts to fulllength features, network officials said yesterday. Films were used an average of about two and one-half of the 15 hours weekly on the air. Approximately 210,000 feet of film, both 35 and 16mm. were telecast. _ No complete films were obtained from major companies. Asks Patriotic Films Meanwhile, Norman D. Waters, president of the American Television Society, yesterday made public a request addressed to Francis S. Harmon, executive vice-chairman of the War Activities Committee-M. P. Industry, for major company films on patriotic themes which are being sought for television programs. Harmon said he had not received Waters' letter up to last night and if and when the request was received he would refer it to the Coordinating Committee of the industry's War Activities Committee for action. He pointed out that because of contract restrictions, many companies are legally restrained from making their films available to television. From Independent Sources With the exception of excerpts from "Citizen Kane" and "Dumbo," obtained from RKO for a special New Year's Day program, CBS television product has been exclusively from independent distributors, Government sources and the British Library of Information, it was reported. Equipment at the studio for film transmission includes a 16mm. silent projector and 16 and 35mm. sound projectors. Many of the films are silents, which are presented "not so much for their entertainment value as for their educational and historic value," it was said. CBS, it was added, is interested in developing a new technique for live shows and films are used mainly to ease the work of the studio personnel. CBS has been experimenting with transmission of color films and during the first six months included 12 hours of such films. Especially made test subjects are used for this purpose. Koussevitsky Gets Permit from Petrillo James C. Petrillo, president of the American Federation of Musicians, has authorized members of the New York Philharmonic Symphony to play during the current centennial season under Dr. Serge Koussevitsky, conductor of the Boston Symphony, only major non-union orchestra in the country. Koussevitsky had been engaged to conduct six concerts later this month here, and Petrillo said he had made an exception to the strict rule forbidding union musicians to play under a non-union conductor out of consideration for Marshall Field, president of the Philharmonic Society, and in recognition of the good relations which have existed with the orchestra. Ontario Drops Reel British News Quota Toronto, Jan. 8. — The requirement that all newsreels shown in the Province of Ontario contain a quota percentage of British Empire news has been dropped quietly by the Ontario Provincial board of censors. The action was taken because of the substantial participation of the United States in actual warfare and because of the meager newsreel coverage from other parts of the Empire, it was learned. The policy heretofore had been to require that 25 per cent of each issue of the reels be devoted to British Empire or Canadian news items, but recent releases have been practically all American because of the great importance of recent developments. Friday, January 9, 1942* Exhibitors Prefer Fishing to Work, Says Ned Depinet (Continued from page 1 ) "bad luck" in losing stars after developing them. Depinet was on the stand in RanW sey County district court for the seH ond day in the trial of Paramounrr RKO and 20th Century-Fox for violation of the State anti-decree law.* He testified that RKO does not favor the decree but prefers to sell as much J of its product at one time as possible, and preferably all. He said the State law worked a definite hardship in distribution be1 cause it prohibited split deals and s most spot booking, but that a Minnesota exhibitor could still spot book from the 20 per cent of the films he i may cancel under the State law. Three-Picture Problem Depinet testified that RKO is hav-J ing difficulty booking Walt Disney's "Fantasia," "Bambi" and "Dumbo" in ; Minnesota because exhibitors are re-.; luctant to take all three. William ! Desmond, assistant Ramsey County attorney, elicited from him the admis; sion the exhibitor might, under the-i State law, cancel one of the three, | since they could be sold as the output j of one producer. The state law pro [ vides for a 20 per cent cancellation right of the producer's entire season's' output. Depinet stated that film showings, at Army camps in Minnesota are imperiled by the State law, since most camp shows are spot booked. He said that camp revenue is increasing and; might aggregate $750,000 this year. Blackett Top Agency On Mutual Network Blackett-Sample-Hummert, which placed $1,443,442 in gross billings with Mutual during 1941, topped all advertising agencies placing business with the network during the year. Bayuk Cigars, with $786,315 in gross billings, led among the sponsors. Following B-S-H among the sponsors were Ivey & Ellington, $854,410 ; R. H. Alber, $656,223 ; Erwin, Wasey, $497,088; J. Walter Thompson, $484,150; Federal, $407,576; William Esty, $353,568; D'Arcy, $301,857; Maxon, $281,620, and Hixson, O'Donnell, $203,497. Second among sponsors was General Mills with $662,273, followed^ by Gospel Broadcasting Association, $653,025 ; General Cigars , $455,406 ; Wander Co., $415,252; Pharmaco., $353,568; American Safety Razor. $344,513; Coca-Cola, $301,857; Gillette Safety Razor, $281,620, and R. B. Semler, $274,791. Musicians Ask FM Scale Philadelphia, Jan. 8. — A wage5 scale for musicians employed on FM stations will be set in negotiations be-j tween the local musicians' union and standard broadcast stations which 1 start Jan. 15. Stations whose contracts are expiring include WCAU, , WFIL and KYW, the first two also operating FM stations. 24,533 of 871,909 Radio Scripts In Year Given Special FTC Study Washington, Jan. 8.— A total of 24,535 out of 871,909 commercial radio broadcast continuities examined by the Federal Trade Commission during the fiscal year ended June 30, last, required more than cursory reading and an unspecified proportion led to complaints of false or misleading representations, it was disclosed tonight in the annual report of the commission. During the year, it was stated, the commission received copies of 857,890 continuities, amounting to 1,737,181 typewritten pages, comprising 1,197,199 pages of individual station script, 529,820 pages of network script and 10,162 pages of recorded script. The FTC review plan calls for individual stations to submit their scripts four times a year, but the frequency for individual broadcasters varies from time to time, dependent principally upon transmitter power, the service area and the advertising record of the stations. National and regional networks submit copies weekly for all programs involving two or more stations, and producers of transcripts submit monthly copies of all commercials in their recordings.