Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

VOL. 56. NO. 109 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1944 TEN CENTS New Building Code for N. Y. Theatres Feb. 1 Exhibitor Complaints Expected on Changes The New York State Labor Department's advisory committee which is drafting a revised building code for theatres and places of public assembly in all parts of New York State except New York City, is expected to complete the revisions by Feb. 1, according to a spokesman of the Department here. Continued satisfactory progress is being made and the sessions have been without any major controversial incidents— so far, it was said. The next (Continued on page 6) Rathvon Picks Red Cross Drive Aides N. Peter Rathvon, president of RKO, who was named earlier this week to the national chairmanship of Red Cross 'Movie Week' in the 1945 Red Cross War Fund Campaign, in March, has appointed an executive staff to assist him during the drive. Major L. E. Thompson of RKO Theatres has been named national executive coordinator, Leon J. Bam (Continued on Page 7) Warners to Make Patriotic Films ! "Patriotic and educational pictures will form a permanent part of Warner Bros.' production program ;' they will not cease at the conclusion of the war," Harry M. Warner, president of the company, told a gathering of Navy and Coast Guard officials, headed by Lt. Commander Jack Dempsey, as well as Warner employees, at a home office screening of 'Beachhead to Berlin," yesterday. Other speeches were made by returned veterans. Others present were: Major Albert Warner, Samuel Schneider, Arthur Sachson, Norman H. Moray, Harry M. Kalmine, Harry Goldberg, Karl Macdonald, and Jacob Wilk. Strike No Bar to 'Free Movie Day* "Despite the threatened shutdown of additional theatres in St. Louis, no National 'Free Movie Day' shows for today for the Sixth War Loan Drive will be affected," Fred Wehrenberg, co-chairman for the campaign in that territory, wired national drive headquarters here yesterday. STRIKE IN ST. LOUIS DARKENS 30 HOUSES Skouras Cites Films9 Value Spyros Skouras, 20th-Fox president, stressed the role of motion pictures in cementing international relations and good-will, in the principal address of the company's fourday sales session at the Hotel Astor here yesterday. He cited such films a s "Wilson," which, he said, made an important contribution to the subject of world peace, and "The Song of Bern adette." "B e r nadette," Skouras predicted, is the forerunner of films to Spyros Skouras (Continued on page 3) Walsh Assigns Snow To Probe Strike; Was Not Authorized Richard F. Walsh, 1ATSE international president, said here yesterday that he has directed Felix Snow of Kansas City, IATSE vice-president, to make an immediate investigation of the St. Louis strike situation. "The IATSE has not authorized the strike," Walsh said. Labor spokesmen in New York yesterday told Motion Picture Daily that if St. Louis exchange Locals B-l and F-l have acted upon (Continued on page 6) Proposes Producers Pay for Navy Aid Washington, Dec. 6. — Possibilities that Hollywood producers will not much longer be able to use U. S. Navy facilities for background and other use in pictures without paying for them were hinted at today in testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, released with introduction of an appropriation bill in which the Navy Department is given (Continued on page 3) Yule Shopping Sends Many First Runs Below Average The pre-Christmas holiday box office slump is at hand, reports from Motion Picture Daily field correspondents reaching here yesterday disclosed. Whereas most weekly box office reports of key city first runs have for weeks infrequently shown belowaverage receipts, and nearly as infrequently maintained only a just-average pace, usually running well above, current box-office figures show a large number below par. Typical of field reports reaching Motion Picture Daily yesterday were the following : Cincinnati, where only one first run was above average for the week, two maintained average and four were below ; Philadelphia, six above, four below ; Toronto, six first runs below average ; Los Angeles and Hollywood experienced an usually heavy slump, with only two reporting above average grosses, one reporting average and 12 going under par ; Providence, four above, three below ; Buffalo, only one above, four below ; Kansas City had only two above, four others hitting only average, or below. Paramount, Republic, 20th, Warner Brothers And RKO Are Involved St. Louis, Dec. 6. — Some 30 theatres are dark here tonight, including the first-run Missouri and Ambassador theatres, as the film exchange union strike spread to 20th Century-Fox and Warner Bros. Also on strike are workers of Paramount, RKO and Republic, with no prospect of an early settlement. Local spokesmen indicated the spread of the strike over the state, and possibly the nation, is threatened, although efforts are being expended to keep it localized. Ironically, the three theatres originally involved in the dispute, because of their refusal to hire union projectionists, have remained open; they are the Ozark in (Continued on page 6) Loew to Increase Common Stock Loew's board of directors, meeting here yesterday, recommended a program to cancel all authorized preferred stock, and to increase the authorized common from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 shares. A special meeting of stockholders will be called later, and if approved, it is proposed to split the present common on a three-for-one basis, with the intention of placing the new common on a dividend basis of $1.50 annually. The board also declared a dividend of 50 cents a share on the common, plus an extra dividend of $1.50 a share, payable Dec. 30 to stockholders of record Dec. 19. This makes the total dividend $4.00 a share on the common for the year. Reviewed Today Review of "Destiny" appears on page 6; "Firebrands of Arizona," on page 7.