Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, February 28, 1945 Personal Mention ARTHUR KRIM, on leave to the Army from the New York law firm of Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin and Krim, has been promoted to lieuten ant-colonel. Stationed at Washing ton, Krim is special labor and management representative to Under-Sec retary of War Robert Patterson and Lt.-Gen. Brehon Somerville. • Ted Lloyd, 20th-Fox home office radio promotion director, is in Chi cago, en route to Hollywood on the company's 30th anniversary radio plans. • David Davidson, until his retire ment with 20th Century-Fox -in Cleveland, and Mrs. Davidson, are observ ing their 50th wedding anniversary. • John Kalafat, Associated Circuit president, and P. E. Essick, Scoville, Essick and Reif partner, both of Cleveland, have gone to Miami Beach. • James Coston, Warner Theatres' zone manager in Chicago, has 'returned from a rest at his home in Eagle River, Wis. • William Borack, assistant to Harry David, head of Northio Theatres, Ohio, is in New York for a few days. • Jack Lieb, News of the Day war cameraman, addressed the Chicago Rotary Club yesterday. • Isador M. Rappaport, Baltimore Hippodrome Theatre owner, has returned from Florida. • John Ash, M-G-M traveling auditor, is at the Cleveland exchange for two weeks, from New York. Schaefer to See WPB On Stock Allocation George Schaefer, chairman of the War Activities Committee, and industry liaison with the War Production Board on raw stock, will leave here for Washington tonight for conferences tomorrow with Stanley B. Adams, head of the consumers durable goods division of the WPB, on second quarter raw stock allocations for the industry. Schaefer will also consult with representatives of the Foreign Economic Administration on raw stock for American film releases in Sweden. Frohlich in Post of Late 'Boh9 Murray The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers announced yesterday that Richard F. Frohlich, assistant to the late Robert L. Murray, will carry on the work of the public relations department. Virginia Shea has assumed the position of editor of ASCAP's radio program service. Pittsburgh, Other Regions Near 100% for Red Cross N. Peter Rathvon, national chairman of the industry's Red Cross War Fund Week, March 15-21, speaking at a gathering of 150 exhibitor-distributor representatives in Pittsburgh this week, commended the area for fast approaching 100 per cent in pledges of campaign participation. Out of 605 theatres, 601 had signed up, M. A. Silver, exhibitor chairman, informed the gathering. Other speakers included W. A. Scully and Arthur Alayer, deputy commissioner of the Red Cross in the Pacific area. Peter Dana, Universal branch manager, presided. Among other meetings held concurrently with the Pittsburgh session was one in Denver, addressed by Herman Wobber, representing the national distributors committee ; A. S. Abeles, 20th Century-Fox branch manager ; Robert J. Garland, president of the Rocky Mountain Screen Club, and Lieut. Ralph T. Ballard, Jr., war hero. 500 in Detroit In Detroit, Abe Montague and Si Fabian of the national committee addressed a gathering of 500 arranged by E. J. Hudson, Ray Branch and J. W. Gins. Col. J. Tracy Hale, veteran of both world wars, also spoke. Approximately 97 per cent of the 710 theatres in the Chicago area are oledged to the drive, John Balaban, local chairman, announced to 300 at a meeting there, addressed by national committeemen Robert Mochrie and M. A. Lightman, also Anthony L. Grasso and actors Dick Powell and Phil Regan. Henderson M. Richey carried the committee's message to Atlanta, where because of local conditions, the campaign will be held March 25-Arml 1. R. H. Wilby presided. Other speakers and guests included Henry Reeves ; Bobby Jones, Atlanta Red Cross chairman ; O. R. Brewer, Atlanta permanent chairman ; W. B. Zolner, area distributor chairman ; Bernard Kamber of United Artists. In Oklahoma City, where the pledges have reached 81 per cent, Tom Connors and R. J. O'Donnell were principal speakers. Oregon state chairman O. J. Miller presided at a rally in Portland, assisted by J. H. Mclntyre, chairman of the Pacific Coast district distributors. Speakers included Mayor Earl Riley ; Albert J. Finke, Oregon co-chairman of the War Activities Committee, and Budd K. Billings, wounded local Coast Guardsman. Philadelphia Strong Pledges from 751 of 763 houses in the Philadelphia area were announced by War Activities chairman George Schwartz at a meeting there. Among the speakers were Rathvon, Scully, Frank L. MacNamee, deputy chair man of the War Manpower Commis sion, and Earle W. Sweigert, area exhibitor chairman. Montague and Fabian addressed 100 representatives in Indianapolis, where the Red Cross mobilization has been arranged by Guy Craig and Marco Wolf. At a meeting in Charlotte, it was decided to dedicate the campaign there to the memory of James Wiggins Watts, Jr., son of a Carolina theatre owner. Speakers included Richey, Reeves, Ben Rosenwald, area distributor chairman, and H. F. Kincey, exhibitor chairman. In Omaha, 288 of 366 houses were pledged. On the program were Martin Smith ; R. Harold Johnson, exhibitor chairman, and William Miskell. WAC chairman. Federal Tax Revenue Is Off $7,000,000 (Continued from page 1) responding period a year ago under former lower rates. All but $4,343,699 of the January collections came from amusements, that figure representing the taxes paid by night clubs and cabarets, which in December paid $4,797,945 and in January, 1944, $1,638,296. The drop in business experienced by the amusement industries in December was entirely outside of New York, where the special report for the Third (Broadway) District showed January collections of $4,766,726, against $4,611,188 in the preceding month, and $3,290,906 in the corresponding month last year. Keate on Lifton Staff Hollywood, Feb. 27. — Earl Keate has been added to Lou Lifton's publicity staff at Monogram, to be in charge of pressbook exploitation. Keate spent the past four years with 20th Century-Fox, two on national exploitation assignments in the field. Milestone and Hersh Form Superior Corp. Hollywood, Feb. 27. — Lewis Milestone, David Hersh and John T. Fisher have formed Superior Pictures Corp., which will take over ownership of the recently completed "Walk in the Sun," produced and directed by Milestone for Samuel Bronston's Comstock Productions, Inc. Announcement of the new company says Superior has settled all outstanding claims, including a Comstock suit stemming from original financing. Superior spokesman said two releasing offers are under consideration. Benny's Rest Will Delay LeRoy at WB Hollywood, Feb. 27. — Because of Jack Benny's entertainment program for the Armed Forces during the past year and his need of a rest between picture assignments, his next Warner production, "Chicken Every Sunday," has been postponed, and Mervyn LeRoy, who was to have directed, goes back to RKO to work on "The Robe." Film Managers Are Rescued in Manila (Continued from page 1) Prida, their child and DePrida's mother are safe in Manila. DePrida joined Universal in 1938 as manager for the Philippines. He and his family were interned in the Santo Tomas University with the fall of the capital. The child was born during the Jap4s occupation. dt") Charles H. Core, United ArtWmanager in the Philippines, and his , wife and daughter, who were taken prisoners by the Japs shortly after Pearl Harbor, were among the Americans recently liberated from the Japanese prison camps in Manila by ' General Douglas MacArthur's forces. George Kallman, formerly RKO manager for Chile and more recently manager of the Phillipines, who was captured by the Japanese, is one of the Americans rescued from Santo Tomas Camp. O'Byrne Heads New Instructional Films Toronto, Feb. 27. — A company to be known as Motion Picture Instructional and Educational Films, Ltd., has been formed with a federal charter and with head office in Toronto, to produce and distribute 16mm product under the direction of Frank O'Byrne, who has resigned as Toronto branch manager of Associated Screen News, Ltd., to take charge. This is another Paul Nathanson project, intended for postwar development in what is expected to be a rapidly expanding field of theatrical, commercial and educational uses. Plans call for the erection of a studio in the Toronto district and the company will also distribute releases from Hollywood and Britain. Lt. McBride Here on Way to Australia Postwar theatre construction of large proportions in strategic areas in Australia was predicted yesterday by Lt. Glen McBride, RAN, former publicity director ->f Ozone Theatre Circuit, Adelaide. Lt. McBride, who is visiting in New York after four years' service in England and elsewhere, will meet with Ewen and Clyde Waterman, chairman and managing director, respectively, of Ozone and S-A Theatres, Australia, who are expected in New York during March. Producers Protest SDU Jurisdiction (Continued from page 1) findings be verified so that bargaining negotiations hereafter may be conducted by the producers with the Set Decorators' Union. His 48-hour ultimatum to the producers to comply expires at six p. m. tomorrow. After the ultimatum expires, Sorrell may buy newspaper space, thereby carrying the issue to the public before taking final action on a walkout. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, President and Editor-in-Chief; Colvin Brown, Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Executive Editor, Published daily except Saturday, Sunday, and holiday! by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York, 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address, "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown, Vice-President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Theo Sullivan, Secretary; Sherwin Kane. Executive Editor; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michigan Ave.. Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union Life Bldg., William R. Weaver, Editor; London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl, Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor: cable address, "Quigpubco, London." All contents copyrighted 1945 by Quigley Publishing Co., Inc. Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres, International Motion Picture Almanac, 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 412 foreign; single copies, 10c.