Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1942)

2 Motion Picture daily Thursday, February 26, 1942 Coast Flashes Hollywood, Feb. 25 ARRIVING home after midnight ■ Tuesday following pressures of arranging the Academy Awards dinner, Donald Gledhill, Academy executive secretary was notified of the raid alarm and spent the rest of the night patrolling the community in line of duty as chief air warden for the first Hollywood district. He went from there to the Academy office and picked up where he had left off. • John P. Miles, publicity director for Arnold Productions, releasing through United Artists, today was appointed publicity director for Loew-Lewin Productions, Inc., which shortly starts shooting on "Moon and Sixpence," starring George Sanders and Herbert Marshall, for U. A. Miles will continue with Arnold Productions. • The Los Angeles local of the American Guild of Variety Artists has offered to arbitrate differences with Earl Carroll over his roadshow unit which has been placed on the unfair list. No Release Set on 'Pride of Yankees' Samuel Goldwyn has not yet set the releasing arrangements on "The Pride of the Yankees," feature starring Gary Cooper and concerning the life of the late Lou Gehrig. "Ball of Fire" was released by RKO, but Goldwyn made only a one-picture deal with that company. Douglas Croft has been cast in "Pride of the Yankees" to play Gehrig as a boy. Dr. Conrado Traverso, Argentine consul general here, will receive the Lou Gehrig Award, to be presented to the winner of the Argentine Baseball League by Goldwyn, at a ceremony at the Argentine consulate in Rockefeller Center this afternoon. Cut Assessment on WB House in Phila. Philadelphia, Feb. 25. — Additional tax assessment reductions certified by the Board of Revision of Real Estate Taxes, reduced the 1942 valuation of Warners' Keith Theatre to $528,100 from $583,500 last year. The 1941 figures were continued for the circuit's Karlton at $980,600 and Aldine at $549,000, and the Academy of Music, concert hall, at $1,025,000. Jersey Allied Unit To Meet March 3 Film buying and State legislation affecting the industry will be taken up at a meeting of the Southern division of New Jersey Allied set for March 3 at the Walt Whitman Hotel, Camden, it was announced yesterday. E. Thornton Kelly will preside. Plan Newsreel House Oakland, Cal., Feb. 25. — FoxWest Coast Theatres have leased a portion of the Tapscott Building, and will remodel it for a 560-seat newsreel theatre immediately. The circuit also is planning a new theatre for Richmond. 10 miles north of here, because of the great increase in shipbuilding there. Personal Mention EDWARD ALPERSON left California last night for New York. • Edward A. Golden has returned here from a trip to the South, West and Midwest. • Milton M. Krueger of United Artists' Indianapolis branch is in Florida. • Henry Starr Richardson, former member of the Pennsylvania Board of Motion Picture Censors, is ill at the Germantown Hospital, Philadelphia, following an operation. • Al Stiefel, manager of the Roxy and Boro, Philadelphia, and Sylvia Pearlman have announced their engagement. JOSEPH R. NELSON, 20th-Fox »J sales manager in Indianapolis, is vacationing here. • Herbert Weiner, son of Harry E. Weiner, Columbia branch manager in Philadelphia, has joined the Army. • R. M. Savini is in the Midwest. L. W. Conrow, president of Altec Service Corp., has returned from the Southwest. • John Menzies, assistant manager of the Century Theatre in Rochester, N. Y., has joined the Army. • Toni Spitzer leaves for Florida this weekend. Rationing Cuts Phila, Visits by N. J. Public Philadelphia, Feb. 25. — Although downtown theatre business does not reflect it, a drop in night traffic over the Delaware River Bridge from Southern New Jersey is attributed to the fact that the people in the adjoining Jersey communities are no longer coming here for their amusements and theatricals. Since tire and auto rationing began, Joseph K. Costello, chairman of the Delaware River Bridge Commission, has reported that there is a drop in evening bridge tolls. "It indicates," he said, "that the people are no longer driving to Philadelphia for their movies and amusements, instead, patronizing such places close to their homes because of the tire and auto rationings." Chicago Approves Revised 'Roxie Hart' Chicago, Feb. 25.— "Roxie Hart," 20th Century-Fox film, given an "adults only" permit by the local censor board last month, has been approved for general showing following the submission of a new print. Instead of cuts being made here, it is understood the picture was returned to Hollywood, where the studio dubbed new dialogue into the scenes to which the censor objected. The procedure is said to have saved considerable cutting on the film locally. Miss. Sunday Film Measure Up Again Jackson, Miss., Feb. 25. — The proposal to repeal Mississippi's ban on Sunday films twice defeated in the House probably will be argued again this week on the floor of the Senate, which has received a new bill to allow theatres within 30 miles of Army establishments to operate on Sunday. K.C. Theatres Get Defense Measures Kansas City, Feb. 25. — A letter outlining precautionary measures for theatres has been sent to managers here by John McManus, manager of Loew's Midland, acting for the theatres division of the Department of Plant Protection of the local unit of the Office of Civilian Defense. Victory Committee Forms Talent Unit Hollywood, Feb. 25. — Marshalling of all of the industry's star talent for army camp entertainment and other patriotic work, a new subcommittee of the Hollywood Victory Committee was appointed today from the ranks of talent agents and casting directors. Charles K. Feldman will be chairman. Members are Jules Stein, Walter Kane, M. C. Levee, Al Kingston, Frank Vincent, Arthur Lyons, Bill Woolfenden, agents ; Steve Trilling, Max Arnow, Fred Datig, Lew Schreiber, William Meiklejohn, Ben Piazza, Robert Speers, Bob Mclntyre, Bobby Webb, casting directors. Toronto Opening Set For 'Hatter's Castle' "Hatter's Castle," Paramount's latest British production, is scheduled to have its American premiere in Toronto next week, opening here later, David Rose, managing director for England, said here yesterday. He will go to Toronto for the opening. Following his return to England in about two weeks, Rose will confer with Government officials on cooperation in the production of the next Paramount English production, "Channel Port," story of the Commandos. Cincinnati Club's Installation Held Cincinnati, Feb. 25. — Approximately 125 attended the third annual installation dinner of the Cinema Club of Cincinnati in the Variety Club quarters. Addressing the meeting were Mayor James G. Stewart and Judge John W. Hausserman of New Richmond, O., former Judge-Advocate in the Philippines, and S. H. Nelson, of the local F.B.I, staff. Williams to Cincinnati Cincinnati, Feb. 25. — Ross Williams, West Virginia salesman for RKO, has been named Cincinnati city salesman. He succeeds Albert Kolitz, recently named Denver manager. Joins RKO Sales Staff Kansas City, Feb. 25. — Laurel C. Ringler has joined the sales staff of the local RKO exchange, of which James Lewis is manager. Hanger Matinee Hazleton, Feb. 25 FIFTEEN wire coat hangers in good condition were accepted for admission to a special matinee show held for children by Manager Carl Pfeil at the Family Theatre. The show was held in conjunction with a local cleaning and dyeing firm. The firm later reimbursed the theatre for the admissions at full price. 49 Foreign Pictures Seen by Pa, Censor Philadelphia, Feb. 25. — During 1941, the Pennsylvania Board of Motion Picture Censors reviewed 2,025 Q pictures. Of these only 49 were in f foreign languages, it was disclosed by jj Mrs. Edna R. Carroll, chairman of the board. In the past three years, \\ the board has had pictures in 19 different languages, including Chinese j and two in Arabic. Mrs. Carroll said that American I films are definitely superior to foreign j films and emphasized that motion pic j tures are important to the morale of j the whole United States. "We just |i cannot live too close to reality and \ survive, we have to have romance and a sense of adventure," she said. ! "Through movies we travel all over j, the world. They are a source of education as well as of escape." Labor Concession For Mexican Lab Mexico City, Feb. 25. — The concession of a guarantee of freedom from labor troubles, a most important concession in Mexico, has been given by authorities to Alfredo Lasso de la Vega for the establishment of a film developing laboratory in San Luis Potosi City. The guarantee has been given by the state of San Luis Potosi. De la Vega operates an important circuit in the state, and his plant, scheduled to open April 1, will be in the annex of the Cine Azteca. Theatre Pioneer Dies Oakland, Cal., Feb. 25. — Allen E. King, owner of the Moulin Rouge Theatre and a pioneer exhibitor here, died after a brief illness. MOTION PICTURE DAILY {Registered U. S. Patent Office) Published daily except Saturday, Sunday and holidays by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York City. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address, "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and General Manager; Watterson R. Rothacker, VicePresident; Sam Shain, Editor; Alfred L. Finestone, Managing Editor; James A. Cron, Advertising Manager; Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michigan Avenue, C. B. O'Neill, Manager; Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union Life Building, William R. Weaver, Editor; London Bureau: 4 Golden Square, London Wl, Hope Williams, Manager, cable address "Quigpubco, London." All contents copyrighted 1942 by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres. International Motion Picture Almanac and Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938 at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign. Single copies 10c.