Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

Tuesday, March 27, 1945 Motion Picture Daily 3 Fisher Made Chief Booker for Odeon Toronto, March 26. — Further reorganization of Odeon Theatres of Canada in anticipation of quick postwar expansion moves has brought the appointment of Frank Fisher as chief booker and film buyer of the circuit's headoffice after serving as executive assistant to general manager A. W. Perry of Empire-Universal-Films. Fisher, who has served many years in the industry as branch manager at Calgary and Montreal before coming to Toronto, succeeds F. Ralph Dale, the latter becoming a partner in the Sam, Fingold circuit in Ontario. The latter is associated with Canadian Odeon. It has been stated that Canadian Odeon, now with 103 owned or controlled theatres, will launch a drive for the construction of 50 houses within two years after the war in Eurone. These will seat from 800 to 1,500 patrons and will cost from $75,000 to $150,000 with a uniformity of architectural style in which certain features of British design will be incorporated. Schnitzer, Buchanan Address Canada Meet Montreal, March 26. — Opening session of a United Artists sales meeting at the Mount Royal Hotel here today was highlighted by a complete sales analysis and merchandising plan on the company's current product. Edward M. Schnitzer, home office executive, presided at the meeting, which was attended by the companv's six Canadian branch managers. In discussing both current and new productions, Schnitzer revealed sales plans and policies to be followed on each picture. Barry Buchanan, UA director of advertising-publicity addressed the delegates and outlined merchandising plans on new pictures. Among the Canadian branch managers in attendance at the meeting were Charles Chaplin, Montreal; J. H. Reid, Calgary; George Heiber, St. John; Douglas Rosen, t Toronto; Harry Woolfe, Vancouver ; Abe Feinstein, Winnipeg ; Sam Kunitzky, Montreal, and Al. Iscove, Toronto. Schnitzer, Buchanan and Herb Berg will arrive in New York tomorrow morning. Chicago, March 27. — A registration statement covering 30,000 shares of cumulative preferred stock, four and one-quarter per cent series, par value $100 per share, and 150,000 shares of common stock, par value $10 per share, was filed by Bell and Howell with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Philadelphia today, J. H. McNabb, president, announces. This offering will constitute the first public offering of securities of Bell and Howell in its history. The 150,000 shares of common are to be sold by certain present stockholders and involve no new financing on the part of the corporation. The preferred stock represents new financing by the corporation, which plans to use the proceeds from its sale in part for the purchase of the Lincolnwood Plant, now operated under lease from the Defense Plant Corp., and in part to pay for a contemplated addition to this plant. Any balance remaining will be added to working capital of the corporation. Sinking fund provisions and call prices of the preferred stock will be filed by amendment. The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission follows by less than a month the authorization, by stockholders, of 1,000,000 shares of common stock and 60,000 shares of cumulative preferred. It was announced at that time that marketing of an initial series of 30,000 shares of Welles Will Answer DeMille forAFRA Hollywood, March 26. ■ — Orson Welles will speak over the Mutual Network Saturday for the American Federation of Radio Artists in reply to Cecil B. DeMille who has been suspended from the AFRA for failure to pay a one dollar assessment voted by the membership. DeMille, speaking over Mutual on March 17, gave his side of the case. He contended that the issue was public one and not requiring the union levy. Thus far, AFRA has been sustained by Judge Wilson of Call fornia Supreme Court. DeMille is appealing the decision but in the meantime he is off his regular CBS Lux Radio Theatre program. Irving Rapper Feted A reception in honor of Irving Rapper for his latest directional pro duction for Warners, "The Corn Is Green", was held at the Sherry Netherland Hotel, here, yesterday. 180,000 Shares of Stock Offered by Bell & Howell the preferred was contemplated and that half of the 1,000,000 shares of common would be issued and exchanged on a 25-for-one basis for the 20,000 shares of common stock of the par value of $25 per share which were held by individuals or in the company's treasury. It is expected that when the registration statement becomes effective public offering of the four and onequarter per cent series stock and the common stock will be made through a group of underwriters headed by Harriman, Ripley and' Co., McNabb said. Bell and Howell is primarily engaged in the design, production and sale of motion picture cameras and projectors and sound and picture-reproducing apparatus. Practically all of the company's peace-time products are being used either directly or indirectly for war purposes. In addition, the corporation has produced motion picture cameras, instruments and numerous training devices for the Armed Services. After the war, Bell and Howell contemplate production of several new lines of cameras and projectors in the motion picture field, sound equipment for both the professional and amateur fields and the manufacture of still cameras and projectors, according to McNabb. In addition, the company contemplates production of several items which have been developed in the field of electronics. Hope to Get Vivian Leigh Back in U.S. London, March 26. — With the High Court having granted an application to postpone action until next term on David O. Selznick's request for an injunction to restrain Vivian Leigh from appearing in a stage play here, Sir Walter Monckton, K.C., of Selznick's London counsel, states that he hopes to achieve a settlement of the controversy whereby Miss Leigh would return to the U. S. to make pictures. The actress, under contract to Selznick, was granted a leave of absence to work in this country while her husband, Laurence Olivier, was in military service here. Keese and Halper to Expedite RWLB Plea William Keese of the law office of Dwight, Harris, Koegel and Caskey, here, representing 20th Century-Fox, and David Halper of the office of J.udge Matthew M. Levy, IATSE attorney, left New York yesterday for Chicago to consult with regional War Labor Board officials there about pending applications for 10 per cent wage increases for film exchange service .workers in Chicago, Indian apolis, Minneapolis and Milwaukee. Mandell With FC Harry Mandell, listed as a genera! partner in Film Classics Distributing Co. in Motion Picture Daily yester day is a New York representative of the company and is not to be confused with Harry Mandel, advertisingpublicity head of RKO Theatres. D'Arcy Named Chief Of De Vry Engineers Chicago, March 26. — Appointment of E. W. D'Arcy to the post of chief engineer of DeVry Corp. is announced by president William C. DeVry. Formerly research engineer of Essanay Film Corp., here, D'Arcy joined DeVry in 1940 in a similar capacity. In this post he contributed to design and production developments in the manufacture of motion picture sound, radar, navigating and gunnery train ing equipment for the Armed forces. Local F37 Elects Cincinnati, Mar. 26. — Marie King, RKO branch treasurer, and Al Kokemeyer, of Universal, have been elected vice presidents of Film Workers Local No. F37. Re-elected were: George Daubmeyer, Warners, president ; Gladys Pollak, M-G-M, secretary, and Robert Morrell, M-G-M business manager. Ontario Tax Threat Killed by Election Toronto, March 26.— With the defeat of the Ontario Government on a non-confidence vote in the Provincial Legislature and the calling of an early election, the danger of a Provincial amusement tax, on top df the Federal 20 per cent tax, is believed to have been passed for the 420 theatres in the territory. When the late Government threatened to revive the impost in Ontario, leaders of rival parties made it known they opposed the re-introduction of Provincial amusement taxation. Mitchell F. Hepburn, House leader of one group, abolished the ticket levy in 1938 when he was Premier of the province on the ground that it was a nuisance tax although it brought $2,000,000 annually to the exchecquer. E. B. Jolliffe, opposition leader in the recent Legislature, also informally opposed the tax revival on the basis that it hit lower-wage classes. FP-C Considering Entering Production Toronto, March 26— Famous Players-Canadian circuit has under consideration a plan to enter production, initially with a program of 15 short subjects on Dominion documentary themes, it is learned, although company executives are not in a position to issue an official announcement as yet because a number of details remain to be worked out. Adolph Zukor, chairman of the board of directors of Paramount, which owns substantial interests in FP-C, mentioned, when he spoke at the Canadian circuit's 25th anniversary celebration here recently, the possibility of the American parent company making short subjects in the Dominion, based on local themes. PRC Gets Kulick' s Franchise for N. Y. Continuing its program of expansion in distribution, PRC has consummated plans whereby it will acquire the New York exchange on April 6, from Bert Kulick, recently appointed general manager of distribution. The exchange will continue to be managed by Frances Kulick. _ Plans for the acquisition of additional exchanges in the near future now are under way, according to Leon Fromkess, PRC president, indicating the ultimate control of the major portion of the company's domestic distribution in the near future. RKO RADIO PICTURES, INC. NEW YORK TRADE SHOWING OF "TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE" MONDAY, APRIL 2 . . . 2:30 P. M. RKO Projection Room, 630 Ninth Ave., New York, N. Y.