Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

OL. 5/. NO. 41 MOTION PICTURE DAILY NEW YORK, U. S. A., THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1945 TEN CENTS 10 Films Are Over Average In 14 Cities 'Meet Me in St. Louis' Is Outstanding This Month By MILTON LIVINGSTON "Meet Me in St. Louis," in outstanding initial weeks in Pittsburgh, Chicago and two theatres in Boston, and in strong second weeks in Buffalo and Toronto, a third week in Cincinnati and a big 10th in Philadelphia, leads for the third time in Motion Picture Daily's reports of estimated box office receipts from 14 key cities, excluding New York City, for the week ending Feb. 28. The reports indicate that it is still too early to judge the possible effect of the nationwide midnight curfew on theatres which have been giving postmidnight performances. Reports in (Continued on page 8) U. S. Britain Talk Tax Ban Washington, Feb. 28. — Drafts of conventions between the United States and the United Kingdom, designed to eliminate double taxation, have been submitted to the governments of the two countries for final negotiation, it was learned today. The conventions were worked out in meetings between tax experts of the English government and officials (.Continued on page 6) 13,008 Red Cross Pledges Received With two weeks to go before the start of the motion picture industry's 1945 Red Cross War Fund Week, Leon J. Bamberger, national campaign director, announced yesterday that 13,008 pledges out of a possible total of 16,497, have already been received. This compares to last year's total of 13,434. Pledges already received, Bamberger said, do not include Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the state of Kentucky. David Loew Predicts New Major Company For Independents After the war, when manpower is more abundant, there will be other distribution companies formed as the result of the demand by independent producers for outside distribution, according to David Loew, independent producer releasing through United Artists. Loew, in an interview with Motion Picture Daily here yesterday, pointed out that there are only three companies which nominally handle independent product : United Artists, Columbia and RKO. If a new major distributing company should come into existence, and this development is foreseen by Loew, there will be a wholesale exodus of major studio directors, producers and stars to the new company in order (Continued on page 6) Red Cross Meet Reports Pouring in Reports of enthusiastic exhibitordistributor rallies this week on behalf of the industry's 1945 Red Cross War Fund Week, March 15-21, poured into national headquarters here yesterday from Dallas, Boston, Kansas City, New Orleans, Cleveland, St. Louis, Seattle and San Francisco. Maximum collections were pledged (Continued on page 6) Ask Single Bills As Bar 'Lifesaver' Cafe owners here, faced with heavy losses as the Government's midnight curfew cut their receipts 10 to 50 per cent below normal, were reported yesterday to have found that the biggest defection was in the theatre trade, which had time for only one quick drink after the show. Consequently, a movement was on foot to petition circuits and individual operators to eliminate double features, so that a quicker turnover of patrons would be available for early bar patronage. WPB to Clear Deferments Washington, Feb. 28. — Plans are being completed by the War Production Board to act as the central agency for the certification of deferment requests for irreplaceable and indispensable men under 30 years of age who are engaged in war work and essential civilian activities. An information bulletin outlining how employers are to submit lists of men who were reclassified as 2-A or 2-B January 1 will be issued before the end of the week. Requests for deferment of employes filed with local (Continued on page 6) FCC to Hear On Television TBA Plea Channels Washington, Feb. 28. — The Federal Communications Commission is expected to start to hear oral arguments on its proposed frequency allocations for television tomorrow after hearing frequency modulation representatives today. Stressing that the prompt adoption by the Commission of a nationwide television frequency assignment plan is essential, the Television Broadcasters Association, one of the petitioners to be heard, points out in its prepared brief that channel sharing by television with other services may be possible in some sections of the country but must be closely controlled and subordinate to all television use. The TBA also wants the FCC to allocate the channel from 102 to 108 megacycles to television at once and desires, if possible, to have the FCC allocate a 14th channel to television for a tem porary period of five years, immediately below 102 megacycles. While reiterating its appreciation of the Commission's recognition of the importance of the television industry to the nation's economy, TBA asks for security in the use of the channels. It is pointed out by TBA that if the FCC proceeds promptly with a nation-wide plan of assignment of television channels, rather than its present plan of having television share channels with other services, the 12 channels can serve more than ,400 television stations ; the first 140 market areas in the country ; and that 98,000,000 people will have at least one satisfactory monochrome television station ; approximately 90,000,000 people at least two such stations ; three such stations could be available for 85,000,000 people and 75,000,000 could hear four competitive stations. British Gov't Asks WPB For Raw Stock ' Way Ahead,' 20th Release, Sent to UK for Printing The British Government Board of Trade, London, concerned over the possibility that British product may be frozen out of the American market because of the raw stock shortage, has asked the British Embassy in Washington to take the matter up with the War Production Board, it was learned here. No special stock allocations have been made to foreign producers for release prints of pictures for American distribution. The WPB is understood to be cognizant of the problem and has stated that it is seeking a (Continued on page 6) WPB Limits New Houses Washington, Feb. 28.— The War Production Board is scanning all outstanding building authorizations and may shortly revoke all authorizations for projects in Group No. 1 labor areas on which construction has not started or has not progressed beyond the initial stages, it was learned here today. All of the theatre projects author(Continued on page 8) Trade 'Blacklists' Seen for Postwar _ Washington, Feb. 28. — "Blacklists" of South American and other concerns with Axis connections and prohibitions against dealings by American nationals and companies with such establishments are expected to be maintained in force by the United (Continued on page 6) In This Issue Review of "G. I. Honeymoon" and "Sudan" on page 3; Motion Picture Daily's booking chart, page 11.