Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1945)

Iff iff-) NO' WlCTORY I LOAN 0CT.29-DEC.8 MOTION PICTURE DAILY )vOL. 58. NO. 106 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1945 TEN CENTS 46 WB Films In Work in First Quarter Jack Warner Reports on Record in Production Plans for the immediate launching of a multi-million-dollar program which will establish all-time employment and production records at the Warner Studio in Burbank and initiate a sustained program of expa n s i o n in studio activities is announced by Jack L. Warner, executive producer, who arrived in New York over the weekend from Chicago and the Coast. Involved i n the unprecedented activity will be shooting and (Continued on page 10) Jack L. Warner U. S. Delays Schine Hearing to Feb. 4 At the request of the Department of Justice, counsel for Schine Chain Theatres have acceded to a postponement of the hearing on their motion to amend the U. S. District Court's findings in the Schine anti-trust suit in Buffalo, scheduled for Dec. 10 and now delayed to Feb. 4. Schine counsel have also acceded to the government's request, made through Ernest S. Myers, Special Assistant to Attorney (Continued on page 11) Rodgers to Launch MGM Meeting Today William F. Rodgers, M-G-M vicepresident and general sales manager, will make the opening speech at a sales and promotional meeting today when 35 salesmen and field exploitation representatives gather at the Astor Hotel, here, for the first of a series of sessions to be held this week A second group of 30 will arrive here for similar meetings, but the ar (Continued on page 11) Industry Activities Will Center in Capital This Week Washington, Dec. 2. — The nation's capital will become the center of key current activities beginning tomorrow and continuing through Wednesday and during which a proposed new nationwide organization of theatremen is to be decided upon, the Government will formally acknowledge the industry's war work with a testimonial dinner and the awarding of plaques, and film executives will sit in with President Truman at the White House to discuss the industry's participation in the "March of Dimes" drive for 1946. Also to be held will be a conclave of the Conference of Independent Exhibitors, tomorrow, at the Hotel Statler where that organization's mem(Continued on page 11) To Map Expansion Of C1E At Meeting Washington, Dec. 2. — Plans to enlarge the activities of the Conference of Independent Exhibitors on a permanent basis, to include all independent exhibitors, and a discussion of possible recommendations to be made to the Attorney General should the government be successful in its New York anti-trust suit, will highlight a CIE conference at the Hotel Statler, here, tomorrow, CIE "moderator" Jesse L. Stern discloses. The meeting is also expected to de (Continued on page 11) 27 Theatres in U. S. Show Foreign Films The entire country has only 27 theatres with a more or less steady policy of showing "unusual" foreign language films (excluding British), with a few others occasionally exhibiting them. New York has seven; Hollywood, four; Washington, three; Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, two each, and one each in Cleveland Detroit, Los Angeles, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Bond Leaders Meet On Drive Extension Following a strategy meeting called by S. H. Fabian, national chairman of films' Victory Loan drive, at the weekend, machinery was set in motion to rally the entire industry toward assuring success of the campaign in the three-week extension asked for by Ted R. Gamble of the Treasury. The strategy conference was attended by Max A. Cohen, assistant to Fabian ; Oscar A. Doob, campaign director; Charles M. Reagan, distributor chairman ; Chick Lewis, coordinator; Ray Beall, national publicity director and liaison for R. J. O'Donnell, Southern regional chairman ; Charles Thall, Herman Schleier, Joseph Ryan, Paul Levi and Ralph McGowan, regional liaison men; Jerry Zigmond, assistant to Reagan ; Herman Gluckman and Walter T. Brown of the War Activities Committee. French Will Not Scrap Film Pact with U. S. French Government circles here disclose that, according to the best information available to them, France has no intention of denouncing the Franco-American trade treaty of 1938 which permitted the importation of a certain number of U. S. films annually. They point out that Fourre Cormery, head of the film division of the French Ministry of Information, in Paris, is not in favor of treaty abrogation, and that Andre Malraux, newly appointed Minister of Information, has a reputation of friendliness toward the U. S. French quarters here admit, however, that the French government is still seeking to reach an agreement for a changed film quota, but that the. treaty as such would not be abrogated. The government would not take such a drastic step, they said, while French production and exhibition is in its present confused state because of lack of equipment. Reports that the American industry is disunited in the negotiations continuing in France are discounted by film company foreign departments here. They insist that the American industry is presenting a united front toward the French in the negotiations. Another French government representative is reported to have arrived here and is now in Washington to discuss trade matters, including films, with the State Department. Say Television Best Suited For Trailers B. & K. Gives 'Lowdown' To Canadian Showmen By SAM HONIGBERG Chicago, Dec. 2. — In an important question-and-answer discussion on television as a threat to future exhibition, held by Paramount affiliates, the Famous Players-Canadian partners and associates, who closed a three-day conference here tonight, were told that the new entertainment medium will help rather than hurt theatre operation. The questions came from over 60 FPC partners and the answers were given by John Balaban, head of Balaban and Katz ; J. J. Fitzgibbons, president of FPC, and William Eddy, head of -B&K's television station, WBKB, here. The group was brought to the (Continued on page 11) Joseph Sets a New Unit in the East John Joseph, Universal's national advertising-publicity director, who will return to Universal City tomorrow, has made certain realignments in the Eastern staff, and, additionally, has formed a special events department which will be headed by Charles Simonelli. "T his new d e p a rtment," Joseph stated, "will consolidate the exploitation department and special events, such as international broadcasts which are being planned in connection with the (Continued on page 10) John Joseph Five Reviews Today "A Letter for Evie," "A Game of Death," "Life with Blondie" are reviewed on page 8; "House of Dracula," 10; "Marshal of Laredo," 11.