Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1943)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, May 10, 1 Expect Crescent Suit Decree This Week Personal Mention Nashville, May 9. — Judge Elmer D. Davis of U. S. District Court expects to draw a decree this week in the civil anti-trust suit of the Government against Crescent Amusement Co. and others, he announced after hearing arguments on petitions for modification in findings of fact and conclusions filed by several defendants. Arguments in petitions, filed by United Artists, Rockwood Amusement Co., Cumberland Amusement Co., Cherokee Amusements, Inc., and Kentucky Amusement Co., were heard recently. Levey vs. Mono. Suit Postponed to June 2 Under a stipulation filed in Federal Court Friday, the examination before trial of Norton V. Ritchie, vice president of Monogram Pictures Corporation, in the $500,000 damage action filed by Arthur Levey, has been postponed until June 2. Levey's action, against Monogram, Pathe Pictures, Ltd., W. Ray Johnson, of California, and William Gell, of England, alleges a conspiracy by the defendants to deprive him of commissions due under an agreement entered into between Levey and Monogram in 1936. Under the agreement, Levey claims, he was to receive five per cent of the proceeds of all sums received by Monogram under any agreement between Monogram and Pathe relating to the exploitation, distribution and exhibition of Monogram films by Pathe in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands, Malta, Gibraltar and on English ships. 15m * Give Blood In Theatres Drive Exhibitors in the metropolitan exchange area have sent over 15,000 blood donors to Red Cross Blood Banks since the start of the theatres drive Feb. 8th, it was reported yesterday. During the week ending April 19th, 1,625 donations were secured bringing the total to 15,830. According to Fred J. Schwartz, WAC co-chairman, "Although this figure is a noteworthy one, the urgent need of the Red Cross and our soldiers fighting on every portion of the globe is so great that we cannot afford to relax our efforts until this figure is doubled or even tripled." Honor Schnitzer, Lefkowitz May 14 Friends of Edward Schnitzer and Sam Lefkowitz will honor them at a dinner Friday, May 14, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 7 p.m. Schnitzer was recently named United Artists Western division manager and Sam Lefkowitz, former New York branch manager, succeeds Schnitzer as district manager. Louis Brandt, of the Globe Theatre, is chairman of the committee. Set 55 'Moscow* Dates The Warner Bros, sales department has set 55 openings for "Mission to Moscow." Day-and-date showings are scheduled in three situations with the earliest opening set for Los Angeles on May 12. JOSEPH SCHENCK arrives on the Coast today. David Loew arrives in Hollywood today. Leon Schlesinger is in Baltimore. • Mike Felt, operator of the Bluebird Theatre, Philadelphia, has joined the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve, Volunteer Port Security Force. • Stanley A. B. Cooper, secretarytreasurer of the Citizens Theatre Company, Ind., has received a commission as a second lieutenant, junior grade, in the Navy, and has been ordered to duty early this month. • Jules Girden, of the Warner Theatres home office staff, has returned from Albany. • Nate Spingold is due here today. Al Lichtman is expected tomorrow from Hollywood. London Print Saving Plan to Start Today London, May 9. — The London region tomorrow will inaugurate the new three-way release system adopted recently to effect a reduction of required prints for the area to help conserve raw stock. Authorized bicycling of newsreels to conserve prints ended its first week of operation today with mixed reactions from exhibitors. Many complained that the new contract adopted for the system prevents cancellation of the reels and compels theatres to accept any reel delivered to them, whether or not it happens to be the one they customarily exhibited. Complaints also were heard that the same prices are being charged for transferred reels as for first run reels. The general council of the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association will discuss the complaints at their meeting this month. A.C.Blumenthal Buys Mexico City Hotel Mexico City, May 9. — A. C. Blumenthal of New York has acquired the Reforma Hotel here, appraised at approximately $1,000,000, and in which his highly successful Ciro's restaurant is located. He will take over the property about June 1. The property was acquired from Alberto J. Pani, capitalist, and Ricardo Pani, his son, who is the owner of Clasa film studio here. The two plan to devote their entire time to film production. Albany Variety Club Will Hear O'Donnell Albany, May 9. — R. J. O'Donnell, national chief barker of the Variety Clubs and John H. Harris, former chief barker, will be guests of honor at a luncheon to be given by the local ten at the Ten Eyck Hotel here tomorrow. War Activities plans and organization of a regional scrap drive along the lines which O'Donnell is .fostering among theatres and Variety Clubs nationally, will be discussed at the luncheon. WALTER GOULD, U.A., foreign manager, returns to his desk today after an illness of several weeks. • Morton Levine, Southern New Jersey district manager for Warner Theatres, returned to Camden over the weekend following a New York visit. • Edward Cullen, of RKO's purchasing department, reports for induction into the Army today. • Charles F. Coe returned from Florida on Friday. " • Helen La Grande, daughter of Frank La Grande, Paramount Long Island laboratory head, was married to Aviation Cadet John Ellwood Zimmerman, of Carlstadt, N. J., over the weekend at Coleman, Texas. • Jack Smith, manager of the Hollywood Theatre, Philadelphia, has joined the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve, Volunteer Port Security Force. Heineman Honored By Univ. Associates Associates of William J. Heineman, former assistant general sales manager of Universal who assumes the post of general sales manager for Samuel Goldwyn today, honored him at a dinner party Friday night at Toots Shorr's Restaurant. Among those who attended were William A. Scully, E. T. Gomersall, F. J. A. McCarthy, Fred Meyers, Charles D. Prutzman, John J. O'Connor, Joseph Seidelman, Sam Machnovitch, Adolph Schimel and David Levy. 'This Land' Premiere Held in Mid-West Cincinnati, May 9. — "This Land of Mine" opened here Friday with players Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak, Kent Smith and Nancy Gates making personal appearances. Heavy exploitation coverage of station WLW aided. Ned Depinet, Terry Turner, Robert Mochrie, of RKO, and Jules Lapidus and Charles Rich of Warners home office attended. Ike Libson, local RKO managing director, and Arthur Frudenfeld, Division manager, also were present at the premiere. The opening took place in 49 other Mid-West cities as well. SPG to Open Wage Negotiations Today The first meeting of Screen Publicists Guild representatives with C. J. Scollard and L. E. Thompson, home office representatives for distributors, to negotiate new wage schedules for guild members will be held today. Annual reopening of the Guild's three-year contract with the companies for such negotiations is provided for in the pact. Acquires 'Sheik* Rights Chicago, May 9. — Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin distribution rights for "Son of the Sheik" have been acquired from Artcinema Associates by Herbert Elisberg. The picture, starring Rudolph Valentino, was originally released in 1926. Hollywood By WILLIAM R WEAVER Hollywood, Mai THE Sam Jaffee-Lloyd Ea "U.S.S. Sullivans," based on lives of the five Sullivan brothers Waterloo, Iowa, who perished in Ij tie in the South Pacific, evidential to be no war picture in the accetfi sense. Ed Doherty, veteran n(j paper man here from Chicago Waterloo to write the story, told low journalists at a luncheon welci ing him back to the town where was a pioneer among film corresj dents that the home town experier of the brothers during boyhood adolescence are to constitute the t of the picture, the war entering as it did in their careers. The \ derives, of course, directly from factual character of the subject m; rial, yet it is not without a preced which might argue powerfully in . vor of the outcome. The prececj is "The Human Comedy." • Not all the fundamentals of Hollywood scene have to do u names and fames. Twenty Acade Research Council technologists lu just devised, at signal Corps requ mobile photographic, sound, proj tion and laboratory equipment wei. ing 250 pounds, a reduction from 71 And the Warner sound department I just developed an arc-lighting genet ing filter of increased mobility win will be made available to the entire 1 dustry. Names and fames perish. 1 provements do not. • RKO-Radio has signed Tom N for the lead in "Behind the Risi Sun." . . . Donald O'Connor will < star with Susana Foster in U versal's "Angela" with Felix Fe directing for producer Bernard Bi ton. . . . Grace McDonald and Da' Bruce will play the romantic lea in that studio's "Girls, Inc." Mother of 20th-Fox Mq Des Moines, May 9. — Mrs. S: Mayer, 79, mother of Stanley J. M; er, 20th Century-Fox branch manaj here, died in Kansas City. MOTION PICTURE DAILY I MARTIN QUIGLEY President and Editor-in-Chief COLVIN BROWN, Publisher SAM SHAIN, Editor Published daily except Saturday, Sunday I holidays by Quigley Publishing Compa Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Cen" New York City. Telephone, Circle 7-31, Cable address, "Quigpubco, New York." M[ tin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown, V President; Red Kann, Vice-President; T. Sullivan, Secretary; Sam Shain, Edit James A. Cron, Advertising Manag Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michinj Avenue, Oscar Lundy, Corresponde I Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union I I Building, William R. Weaver, Editor; L don Bureau, 4 Golden Square, London V j Hope Burnup, Manager, Aubrey FlanagJ Editor; cable address "Quigpubco, LJ| don." All contents copyrighted 1943 1 Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. 0£J Quigley Publications: Motion Picture HI aid, Better Theatres, International Mottj Picture Almanac and Fame. Entered i| second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938, at It post office at New York, N. 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