Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

L. 57. NO. 44 MOTION PICTURE DAI LY NEW YORK, U.S.A., TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1945 TEN CENTS Rank to Build 50 Postwar Canada Houses To Cost Up to $150,000 Each; British Equipped By PETER J3URNUP London, March 5. — Plans to build new theatres on 50 sites throughout Canada which were obtained by Odeon Theatres of Canada have been finalized here by J. Arthur Rank, who recently entered into association with the . Dominion circuit. Construction plans, to be pushed to completion within two years after wartime building restrictions are lifted, call for each of the houses to cost between $80,000 and $150,000, and to seat from 800 to 1,500. Jay English, architect for Canadian Odeon, has just finished a month's in (Continued on page 10) File March 10 OnDeferment Washington, March 5. — Members of the motion picture industry who plan to seek deferment from military service for key workers here were warned today by the War Production Board that lists of such employees and applications for deferment must be filed with WPB regional offices by March 10. Since copies of the new Selective Service form No. 42-A are not expected to become available for some time, applications should be filed on forms {Continued on page 10) American Industry Seen in Italy Soon Recent action of the Allied Commission in Italy, which has been the dominating influence in that country's life since the occupation, in relinquishing some of its power, with, consequently, accretion of influence to the civilian Government, is seen bringing appreciably closer the day when the Office of War Information and the Psychological Warfare Branch will return film operations to the American companies, a spokesman for (Continued on page 10) I Curfew Cuts 10-15% from N. Y. Grosses Broadway theatres, which expected to be hard hit by the midnight curfew since most operated past midnight on weekdays and two and three hours past on Saturday nights, felt the full impact of the curfew last Saturday night, first under the new closing rules. The situation is different here from in other parts of the country where, as reported in Motion Picture Daily yesterday, there was no falling off in revenue for the first week. Estimates of the loss in revenue for the week range from (Continued on page 10) E. J. Mannix Made AMPP President Hollywood, March 5. — The Association of Motion Picture Producers tonight elected E. J. Mannix president, succeeding Y. Frank Freeman. B. B. Kahane was named first vice-president and Cliff Work second vicepresident. Reelected were Fred W. Beetson, executive vice-president ; and James S. Howie, secretary-treasurer. Joseph M. Schenck replaced Jason Joy as 20th Cent,ury-Fox representative on the board of directors. Following the meeting, the directors of the Central Casting Corp., AMPP subsidiary, reelected Beetson president, Howard Philbrick vice-president, and Howie secretary-treasurer. Esmond Resigns as Censor Director Albany, March 5. — Irwin Esmond, director of the motion picture division, State Education Department, for the last 14 years, has retired, having reached the statutory age of 70. Assistant Commissioner Irwin Conroe was named acting director. The division reviews and licenses all films, except news reels, exhibited in New York State. Esmond succeeded the first director, James Wingate, in 1932 when Wingate resigned to affiliate with the Hays organization. With the Education Department 30 years, Esmond was chief of the law division prior to his appointment as film division head. Industry in OWI Set-up Hollywood, March 5. — Robert Riskin, chief of the Office of War Information overseas film bureau, today revealed plans for an industry financed non-profit company to take over production and distribution of documentary and informational films under State Department guidance in order to carry forward and expand present OWI-type activity after the agency itself disbands. Riskin, here for two weeks to enlist studio heads' support for the project, said the plan contemplates a million dollar investment to finance first year's operations based on pro(Continued on page 7) Ohio, North Kentucky Theatres Are Closed by Great Floodwaters Cincinnati, March 5. — The Ohio river floor, inundating some 30 square miles of the Greater Cincinnati area, including northern Kentucky, and causing evacuation of hundreds of families and scores of business establishments by Red Cross disaster units, has closed the Riverside Theatre, with a number of feet of water in the auditorium. The house is operated by James Wilson. Many highways throughout are blocked, and truck film deliveries have been suspended, it is reported by H. J. Wessel, owner of the Film Service Co., largest film carrier in this territory. Equally serious flood conditions prevail in a number of Ohio and out-of-state situations traversed by the Ohio river and its tributaries. Other theatres closed in Ohio include the Dodge, New Richmond ; Lyric, New Boston; Ripley, Ripley; Lyric, Manchester, and Bendzue, Pomeroy. Closed in Kentucky are the Halls, Catlettsburg; Odeon, Augusta; Russell, Russell; Strand and Kentucky, Vanceburg, and Ren Roy, Greenup, as well as several houses at Ashland. In West Virginia, the Alpine at Point Pleasant and the Palace at Parkersburg have been victims of the flood. Set Oct. 8th as Trial Date On New Decree Court Reserves Decision On Clearance Injunction Trial of the Government's action for a new consent decree calling for theatre divorcement will start in Federal District court here before Judge Henry W. Goddard on Oct. 8. Robert L. Wright, special assistant to the attorney general, told Judge Goddard at a hearing yesterday that trial of the issues would be necessary and the trial may take from one to two years. A pre-trial conference, the first of several expected to be held, was set for March 26, at which time Government and industry counsel will meet informally in Judge Goddard's chambers to determine issues which may be agreed upon prior to trial. The Government's application for an injunction on clearance practices pre (Continued on page 7) Byrnes ' Order Is Attacked Washington, March S. — A Congressional investigation of the Byrnes' curfew, which he denounced as an invasion of the Constitution, was demanded today by Rep. Berkeley L. Bunker of Nevada. "I have watched with increasing alarm as some of our 'power-drunk' officials have paraphrased and applied line by line, paragraph by paragraph, and chapter by chapter, many of the orders that have been promulgated by loathsome dictators against whom our (Continued on page 6) Exhibitors Again Mainstay in 7th As in the past, exhibitors participating in the forthcoming Seventh War Bond drive. May 14June 30, will carry the primary responsibility, passed on by the Treasury, of selling series "E" bonds, for which a quota has been set at $4,000,000,000, much more than individuals have ever been (Continued on page 6)