Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1944)

First In [Radio ]l r ti 1 / j Accural and Impartial MOTION PICTURE DAILY L. 55. NO. 38 NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1944 TEN GENTS Theatre Men Puzzled About Decree Draft More Testify to Their Unfamiliarity With It More rank and file exhibitors idded their testimony yesterday to hat gathered earlier by Motion 3icture Daily indicating that the verage exhibitor is without any pecific information on the proposals !| the five consenting companies for n amended consent decree. A large lajority agree that they would have een better informed had the Depart'ient of Justice made the proposals 'vailable to the trade press for pub1 cation. ' The statements were not confined to 'xhibitors who are not members of oranized groups, but included many who re identified with local or regional xhibitor organizations. Those who re not members of an organization Dint out repeatedly that they have i other source of information than le trade press on subjects of the kind, /ith this avenue of information closed i them by the Department of Justice, ley lack sufficient knowledge of the (.Continued , on page 14) iuigley 1944 Awards Judging on Feb. 28 Industry exhibition and distribution cecutives here will assemble on Mon;ty, Feb. 28, at noon, at the Hotel stor to select the theatre showmaniip winners of the Quigley Awards r 1943 sponsored by Motion Picture erald through its Managers' Round able. Entries will consist of those (.Continued on page IS) Manufacture of Raw Stock Up 30% Washington, Feb. 23.— Manufacture of film, both still and motion picture totalled 546,093,000 feet in 1943, an increase of more than 30 per cent over the pre-war production of 418,028,000 feet in 1941, it was reported today by the War Production Board. Most if not all of the increase was at the request of the armed services. The figures were based on the operations of eight manufacturers, representing virtually the entire industry. Depinet, Robbins and Brandt to Aid Red Cross Ned Depinet, president of RKO Radio, was named yesterday by Joseph Bernhard of Warners, and industry Red Cross drive chairman, to serve as chairman of the distributors' group during the March 23-29 period of the campaign for theatre collections. Herman Robbins, president of National Screen Service, was named corporate gifts chairman and Harry Brandt, circuit owner, will be field chairman. A. W. Smith, Eastern division manager of 20th-Fox, has been added to the list of executives who will tour the field. Names of the others appeared yesterday in Motion Picture Daily. With Charles A. Smakwitz, Warner Albany theatre executive, named national industry publicity chairman, as previously mentioned, Bernhard will have key city publicity representatives in each territory; these also were named yesterday. Bernhard's executive staff is now complete, the aforementioned adding (Continued on page 15) Exhibitors Urged To Seize Postwar Ad Opportunities Holiday Grosses Hit New Highs on B'way Many Broadway theatres registered record-breaking grosses on Washington's Birthday, despite rain. This followed in the wake of heavy business on Monday when schools were closed. Typical of business done are the following figures : Radio City Music Hall with "Jane Eyre," grossed $21,000 in five Tuesday shows. Paramount, opening "Lady in the Dark," smashed 18 years of first day records with almost $21,000. Warners' Hollywood, with "Passage to (Continued on page 15) British Promise Halt to Expansion London, Feb. 23. — Questioned in the House of Commons over the possibility of monopolistic control in the British film and theatre industry, Hugh Dalton, president of the Board of Trade, said the government has received assurances from Mrs. John Maxwell and Max Milder, managing director for Warners in Great Britain, that Associated British Picture Corp., Ltd., would not, without governmental consent, acquire theatres in (Continued on page 14) By MILT LIVINGSTON Calling upon exhibitors to advertise during the present war period to institutionalize their theatres and perhaps prevent a post-war slump, Maurice Bergman, U n i v e r sal's Eastern advertising and publicity head, cited five ways in which exhibitors can make the most of their opportunit i e s through advertising i n an address at an AMPA luncheon meeting at the Hotel Edison yesterday. Approximately 200 persons were present. "The day of ballyhoo has given way (Continued on page 15) Maurice Bergman House Will Act on Tax Bill Veto Today Washington, Feb. 23. — The House of Representatives is expected to act upon the new Federal tax bill tomorrow and, in so doing, it will virtually determine whether or not there will be an increased admission tax for theatres for many months to come, since it is a foregone conclusion here that if the House over-rides the President's veto, the Senate will do so when it acts upon the bill. Leaders in both Houses of Congress (Continued on page 14) $16,744,936 Tax Is All-Time High Washington, Feb. 23. — Admission tax collections reached a new high in January at $16,744,936, surpassing the previous record, established last October, by $245,000, it was reported here tonight by the U. S. Internal Revenue Bureau. The first 1944 collections were (Continued on page 15) Clark Weighs Suit Trial, Coast Hears Dissatisfied with Decree Proposals, Tells Daily By JACK CARTWRIGHT Los Angeles, Feb. 23. — Federal Court action under the anti-trust laws, seeking divorcement of exhibition from distribution, will be filed by Assistant U. S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark unless greater concessions than those proposed by the majors in the new consent decree are forthcoming within three weeks, Motion Picture Daily has learned. At the same time, a suit charging Fox West Coast Theatres with illegally fostering, sustaining and extending a monopoly banned under the 1940 consent decree was filed in Federal Court here today on behalf of Jenne Dodge, operator of the Mayfair and Mission Theatres in Ventura. While here over last weekend, Clark (Continued on page 15) Casey Gets Demands From SOEG, MPEG Hollywood, Feb. 23. — Pat Casey, labor representative for the Association of Motion Picture Producers, today received demands from the Screen Office Employes Guild and the Motion Picture Editors Guild. SOPEG seeks vacations with pay, accumulative sick leave and preferential hiring. It plans separate negotiations for wage increases allowable (Continued on page 14) *A Bond for Every Seaf Goal Near The industry has accounted for. approximately 10,000,000 sales of Fourth War Loan "E" bonds as of the end of last week, indicating that its self established goal of a bond sale for every one of the nation's 11,500,000 theatre seats will be realized by Feb. 29, the end of the sales period, the industry campaign committee, of which Charles P. Skouras is chairman, reported yesterday on the basis of records on hand and after consultation with the Treasury Department.