Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1942)

4 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, January 13, 1942 N. Y, Independents See Loew's 5-4-5 Plan Bringing Them Fresher Product The new booking arrangement to begin on an experimental basis Jan. 20 in Loew's theatres in the New York area, by which programs will be changed three times in two weeks instead of the two changes a week, will be beneficial to the smaller subsequentrun houses, it was said yesterday by independent circuit officials. Under Loew's 5-4-5 plan, as it is called, one show will play five days, the second four days and the third five days, thus eliminating two-day runs. The move will be to the advantage of subsequents, observers feel, because the shows at the Loew's houses, while holding over the additional day or two, will provide less competition than a new show; the fourth show eliminated from the Loew's schedule will come to the subsequent spots as new, fresh material, and big pictures will go to the subsequents in less time. BVay Gross Fair As Cold Weather Hinders Business Though continued cold weather kept many New Yorkers at home, Broadway had a generally good weekend at the box-office, with mostly holdovers. New product making its entry this week includes "Pacific Blackout," which bows in at the Criterion tomorrow; Goldwyn's "Ball of Fire" at the Radio City Music Hall and "The Corsican Brothers" at the Capitol on Thursday; "I Wake Up Screaming" at the Roxy on Friday and "Paris Calling" at the Globe Saturday. The Paramount show, "Louisiana Purchase" and Gene Krupa's orchestra, is continuing big, taking an estimated $23,000 Saturday and Sunday and finishing its second week tonight with an estimated $60,000 expected. "Remember the Day" with a stage show at the Roxy brought an estimated $25,600 Thursday through Sunday and winds up a three-week run Thursday night. At the Music Hall, "Babes on Broadway" with the stage presentation drew an estimated $50,000 Thursday through Sunday. It is now in its second and final week. "The .Man Who Came to Dinner" and Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra accounted for an estimated $32,000 Thursday through Sunday at the Strand and starts a third week Thursday. "Unholy Partners" gave the Globe an estimated $6,200 in its second week and is now in its third and final week. Collins Reel Contact With U. S. Agencies Claude Collins, formerly associated with Pathe News, has been designated Washington contact for the five newsreels. He will act as liaison between the reels and Government agencies with which the reels have official contact, and particularly with the Office of the Coordinator of Government Films, headed by Lowell Mellett. Collins, who has recently been engaged in industrial film production, met yesterday with news editors of the reels for general discussions of his new assignment and will meet today with Francis Harmon, executive chairman of the War Activities Committee — Motion Picture Industry, and the newsreel heads for further discussions before leaving for Washington. Collins' assignment is designed to eliminate duplication of Governmental releases and requests to newsreels and to facilitate the coverage of official news for the reels with Government approval. Moran Succeeds Nick in St. Louis St. Louis, Jan. 12. — Elmer Moran has been appointed business agent of the St. Louis Stagehands Union, Local 6, IATSE, to replace John P. Xick, now serving a five-year Federal prison sentence for racketeering. Moran was appointed by James McGinn, vice-president. His salary will be $125 a week, which is half the amount paid to Nick. Moran was a >tagehand at the Norside Theatre. The meeting at which the appointment was made was stormy. RKO Stockholders' Meeting Postponed An annual meeting of RKO stockholders has been postponed for the second consecutive time and probably will not be held until June, the company announced yesterday following a meeting of its board of directors. Postponement of the meeting means that the election of new directors will not take place this month as scheduled. The present directors were appointed for two-year terms expiring this month by the Federal court on RKO's emergence from reorganization in January, 1940. The company's by-laws provide for an annual meeting of stockholders in June, but the meeting was not called last June due to the fact that the terms of the directors had not expired then and there was no other urgent business to come before a meeting, the company notified the shareholders. At that time, it was stated, a special meeting probably would be called in December or January, approximating the expiration of directors' terms. Hollywood, Jan. 12. — Most of RKO current season's productions will have been completed in a period of less than nine months, for the first time in the company's history, Joseph I. Breen, studio head, said today_. Eight features remain to be made on this season's program and work on 1942'43 product will be started in April, Breen said. Podoloff a Witness At Minn. Law Trial St. Paul, Jan. 12— Joseph M. Podoloff, 20th Century-Fox branch manager in Minneapolis, was today's witness in the State's anti-block-offive test trial here. It appeared today that the trial will continue through next week. Podoloff testified that the Minnesota law was detrimental to both exhibitor and distributor because it eliminated spot booking and thereby deprived the exhibitor of a "stop gap" he frequently had occasion to use. He cited a large number of cases in which his company had permitted exhibitors to cancel a picture to which they objected and had spot booked another film to take its place. The State law, he said, would permit the exhibitor no such liberty after he had made his cancellations. N. J. Allied Meets Today Allied of New Jersey committees will submit their annual reports at a membership meeting today at the organization's offices here. Grosses Cut 50% In Albany Blackout Albany, Jan. 12. — Albany's first trial blackout, starting at 7 :45 P. M. for 10 minutes, tonight cut theatre attendance in the Albany-Troy area by at least 50 per cent, it was estimated in a survey of circuit and independent houses. As instructed, nearly every home kept tuned to stations WOKO and WABY, which gave the "alert" and "all clear." Air raid wardens estimated that nearly 90 per cent of the homes were tuned in for the blackout program. The early hour of the test gave theatregoers an opportunity to attend the second show. Governor Lehman broadcast an eyewitness commentary from atop the 35-story State Office Building, speaking through the facilities of both radio stations. Harold E. Smith, general manager of WOKO and WABY, conceived the idea of uniting the stations for the test and the installation of a siren in the radio center building to warn radio listeners of the impending blackout. Miami Blackout Test Will Be Held Sunday Miami Beach, Jan. 12.— The Miami area will have it's first blackout test Sunday night. The 15 houses of the Wometco Circuit, the 15 of Paramount and the independents, in keeping with defense council requests, have prepared to carry on inside the theaters as usual, but with foyer, lobby and all outside lights darkened. Managers and ushers have been trained in air raid warden duties and will address the patrons as the alarm sounds. Set Blackout Rules For Phila. Theatres Philadelphia, Jan. 12. — -Theatre rules for blackouts and air raid precautions, proclaimed by Mayor Bernard Samuel, provide that shows and programs may continue, but light locks must be provided so that the use of the entrance and exit facilities will not permit the escape of light to the outside. Para. Will Discuss ' Wild Wind' Policy Special sales handling of Cecil B. de Mille's "Reap the Wild Wind" will be discussed by Paramount home office officials with Neil F. Agnew, vice-president and distribution chief, and Robert M. Gillham, advertising and publicity director, this week. Agnew and Gillham returned from the studio yesterday after seeing the de Mille picture and other product. Del. Theatre Seeks Run from Loew's; File New Ind. Case Operators of a Newcastle, Del. theatre have filed an arbitration com plaint at the Philadelphia local boan seeking an award directing Loew's t( offer their theatre the same run whicli they have obtained from other tributors, American Arbitration^ } sociation headquarters here repcwjl yesterday. Indianapolis Actions The Arbitration Association al ( reported the filing of a complaint al the Indianapolis board and the with; dravval of another complaint there following an agreement among the principals. The new case was filed b] William Rosenthal, operator of thi Irving Theatre, Indianapolis, agains Loew's. It seeks the reduction of I existing clearance and names Eaten Theatre Corp.'s Rivoli as an inteffl ested party. The complaint withdrawn was on involving some run, brought n Charles G. Bowles, operator of thi Grand, Elizabethtown, Ky., againi the five consenting distributors, oj Crescent Circuit's Ritz and a ne\ house under construction in Eliza bethtown. Bowles advised the In dianapolis board that the film con) panies have agreed to sell him prod uct. File Second Complaint Complainants in the Delaware cas are John and Grace Koczak, open tors of the Earle Theatre, Newcastle who acquired the house from Davi Silver last Summer. Silver initiate a some run complaint against M-G-2 and Loew's Parkway, Wilmingtoi last April. He received an awan which was appealed by M-G-M ar; affirmed by the appeals board in Oil tober. Meantime, the Koczaks wen substituted as plaintiffs. The new complaint charged tbj the run offered by Loew's in compll ance with the award was calculah to defeat the purpose of the some n section of the decree. The col) plainants also ask the same clearam from Loew's that their theatre r I ceives from other distributors, whii is 10 days after Wilmington. Seek Decree Views Before Allied Mee\ New Haven, Jan. 12.— Alii J States regional units are urged to pi their members for a formal expre sion on the consent decree prior to t national Allied board meeting in N( York, Jan. 22, in a letter prepared ' ! Allied Theatres Owners of Connec cut. The local organization recently coi pleted its own poll of independent e hibitors in this territory, whi showed that 98 per cent are oppos i to the decree. The Connecticut ui I has noted the possibility that an e tension of the decree escape clai beyond June 1 may be sought by t Government and believes that tl might be forestalled if exhibitor (I ganizations go on record immedia > as being overwhelmingly opposed the decree.