Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

Tuesday, January 2, 1945 Motion Picture Daily 3 Film Stock Trading Light in November Philadelphia, Jan. 1. — A series of sales in which Albert Warner disposed of 6,500 shares of Warner Bros, common, leaving him with 220,950 shares, represented the major operation in film stocks by company officers and directors in November, it \ was reported over the weekend by the J Securities and Exchange Commission. The only other November transacJ'' tions shown in the Commission's monthly summary were in Monogram common, where Samuel Broidy bought 1,499 and sold 500 shares, increasing his holdings to 7,799 shares; Arthur G. Bromberg bought 900 shares through Monogram Southern Exchange, increasing its holdings to 21,539 shares; William B. Hurlbut bought 200 shares through Monogram Pictures of Michigan, to give it 1,600 shares; Herman Rifkin bought 1,867 Snares through Monogram Pictures, Inc., giving it 19,492 shares; Norton V. Ritchey bought 100 shares for a total of 4,667 shares, and Charles W. Trampe bought 400 shares through Monogram Midwest Film Company, which holds 2,700 shares. Columbia Report A delayed report on Columbia showed that in September Jack Cohn exercised his rights to exchange 2,000 common warrants held through the Robert Cohn trust for an equal number of shares of common stock. In the same month, Abraham Schneider disposed of 25 shares of common stock by gift, leaving him with 1,682 shares. Reports of the holdings of persons becoming officers or directors showed that Samuel Schneider held no Warner Bros, stocks when he became an officer of the company on Nov. 28. O'Brien Quits SEC; Will Aid Balaban {Continued from page 1) cepting the resignation with "great regret." O'Brien stated that he was resigning for personal reasons. O'Brien joined the commission in September, 1943, as attorney in the registration division, later becoming assistant director of the division. Subsequently he became assistant general counsel, associate director and director of the public utilities division and in February, 1942, was appointed a commissioner by President Roosevelt. Balaban stated on Friday that O'Brien, starting in his new post today, will act as liaison between Paramount officers and the company president, particularly between the Paramount secretary and general counsel, Austin Keough and the vice-president and studio head, Y. Frank Freeman, on the one hand, and Balaban on the other. O'Brien also will represent Paramount at organizational meetings such as MPPDA board meetings, and other industry and special meetings and conferences involving Paramount. WANTED ANIMATION-CAMERAMAN High Pay— Excellent Opportunity CINEFFECTS 1600 Broadway New York City Circle 6-6252 $26,000 Raised for Catholic Charities The 1944 Catholic Charities Campaign of Greater New York raised almost $26,000 for the Archdiocese within the industry, or about 15 per cent more than in 1943, according to John J. O'Connor, Universal vice-president, who was chairman of the industry's participation in the drive. The industry was among the top three industries in New York in the drive, which closed Saturday. N. Y. Houses Sell $41,284,464 Bonds (Continued from page 1) 962; Bronx, $6,420,150; Queens, $5,635,393; Nassau, $1,124,785; Westchester, $1,119,849; Suffolk, $993,175 ; Sullivan, Ulster, Rockland, Dutchess and Lower Orange combined, $671,443, and Richmond, $460,450. Loew's Bond Sales Exceeded B. O. 'Take' Loew's Theatres throughout the country have sold in excess of $18,000,000 of "E" bonds during the Sixth Drive, a sum which exceeded receipts at the box office of the theatres during the period of the drive, it was revealed by the company at the weekend. Actual counted receipts up to and including Dec. 25 show $16,142,795 in "E" bonds sold, with an additional $2,000,000 taken in up to Dec. 27. The final total will see Loew's over $4,000,000 ahead of its Fifth Bond drive sales total. So far, the Pitkin, Brooklyn, tops all theatres in the circuit with over $1,000,000 sold. The figures are for 141 theatres, of which 70 are in the Metropolitan area. Theatre Authority Collected $525,577 The Theatre Authority in which the Screen Actors Guild, Motion Picture Relief Fund, the I.T.O.A. of N. Y. and individuals from the industry are participants, to control the appearances of personalities in benefit performances, collected $525,577 in a 10-year period, Alan Corelli, executive secretary of the Theatre Authority disclosed in a report on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the organization at the weekend. Of this amount, the report disclosed, $329,902 has been allocated to various charity groups and $24,409 is held in trust on the West Coast for indigent actors. Where a: benefit charges admission and members of any of the participating actor groups perform, 15 per cent of the ticket sales to that particular function are paid to the Theatre Authority for reallocation of its component parts for the relief of indigent actors. WB to Show 'Burma' Warners will hold national tradeshowings of "Objective Burma" on Monday, Jan. 22. The film is tentatively scheduled for release about the middle of February. Enroll 5,000,000 Seats for 'Dimes' (Continued from page 1) according to a wire from chairman Joseph DeFiore of Wilmington. Last year Delaware turned in $17,360 for 22,027 seats, or $76.06 per seat. Printing of 13,000 trailers, starring Greer Garson, will begin this week at laboratories on both the East and West Coasts, and National Screen Service branch managers at 31 key spots are cooperating with state chairmen. W. Pa. 'Dimes' Group Names Maloney, Others Pittsburgh, Jan. 1. — John Maloney, Loew's district manager here, was unanimously elected local distribution chairman for the 1945 March of Dimes drive in Western Pennsylvania at a committee meeting held recently in the office of M. A. Silver, Western Pennsylvania state chairman. Morris Finkel, president of the independent exhibitors, was named assistant chairman to work with Silver, and Harry Greenman, manager of Loew's Penn Theatre, was appointed head of a committee to cover key downtown theatres. Illinois Allied Will Aid 'Dimes' Drive Chicago, Jan. 1. — Allied of Illinois' 150 member theatres are pledged to support the forthcoming March of Dimes Drive, it was announced by president Jack Kirsch, who is also Illinois co-chairman of the drive. Kirsch is also enlisting the aid of non-member exhibitors, circuits and independents to make collections during the drive. Meyer Hollywood Chairman Hollywood, Jan. 1. — The Permanent Charities Committee has appointed Fred S. Meyer chairman of the Hollywood industry infantile paralysis campaign. He set a record in collections as chairman last year. Invite Ideas for Red Cross Drive Publicity committee of the 1945 industry Red Cross War Fund Week, March 15 to 21, is asking showmen to submit ideas and stunts to be included in the 16-page press book now in preparation. Suggestions should be mailed not later than Monday, Jan. 8, to S. Barret McCormick and Harry Mandel, national publicity directors, at the RKO home office. U. S. Trailer Appeals For Maritime Men The War Shipping Administration released last week through Fox Movietone, M-G-M, Universal and Pathe newsreels, a United States Maritime Service recruiting trailer which will be exhibited nationally for two weeks. The sequence, designed to help relieve a current maritime manpower emergency, urges all men between 17 and 50 to join up for service aboard the ships that deliver war goods. Personal pleas also are being made from theatre stages. Hollywood By THALIA BELL Hollywood, Jan. 1 ANN HARDING has been signed for a featured role in "Those Endearing Young Charms," which Bert Granet will produce for RKO . . . Jane Frazee will have the feminine lead in Columbia's "Ten Cents a Dance" . . . Republic has signed Victor McLaglen to a term deal whereby he will make a number of pictures for that studio next year . . . The first Monogram film to star Acquanetta will be "Jungle Queen," based on an original by William Lively. Sam Katzman and Jack Dietz will produce. • Seymour Nebensal states that he intends proceeding ivith a remake of "Mayerling," for which he says he holds sole remake rights. Nebensal adds that mider his arrangement with Mary Pickford, he will be the sole producer . . . Martin Garralaga has been cast for an important comedy role in "Masquerade in Mexico," Paramoun fs romantic drama starring Dorothy Lamowr and Arturo de Cordova. • Robert Buckner will visit New York shortly after Jan. 1 to confer with Herman Shumlin, who will direct "Confidential Agent" for Warners . . . Steve Sekely, who will produce and direct "The Healer" for Republic, has left for Mexico City to film background exteriors. ... Jo Carol Dennison has had her option lifted by 20th Century-Fox. • Carl Esmond has been assigned a top role in M-G-M's current production, "Her Highness and the Bellboy," which stars Hedy Lamarr and Robert Walker . . . Joyce Reynolds, who played the title role in "Janie," has had her Warner contract renewed . . . Alan Jones will star in Universale comedy "Have a Heart." Wheeler Seeks Video Licensing Control Washington, Jan. 1. — Senator Burton K. Wheeler, chairman of the Interstate Commerce Committee, will oppose the issuance of television licenses on a first come, first served basis, he revealed in a statement here at the weekend. Pointing out that this practice, followed in the early days of standard broadcasting, would result in a concentration of licenses in metropolitan centers to the disadvantage of outlying regions, the Senator said : "It seems to me that we should be studying right now the issuance of television wave lengths on a geographical basis for allocations." Sponsor of a broad radio regulatory bill which never came to a vote in the last session of Congress, Senator Wheeler said any new legislation should be based on the principle that radio was a public service supported by advertising and not primarily an advertising medium. He expressed the belief that the Federal Communications Commission already had the right to pass on the re-sale of licenses and added that broadcasting should be forced to grant equal time for discussing both sides of any controversial questions.