Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1946)

Thursday, February 28, 1946 Motion Picture Daily Short Subjects "The Forest Commandos" j {Warners) This Technicolor Special is dedicated to the members of Canada's flying firemen who fight forest fires from airplanes ; one of the pilots is followed on his rounds. He keeps in touch v ^his supervisor who warns campeiTjf fire hazards and illegal hunting. Produced by Gordon Hollingshead. Running time, 20 minutes. "Rhythm Wranglers" I (RKO Radio) Ray Whitley and his musicians, out of work again, apply for jobs at the Bar-X Ranch and walk right into a full-scale feud. Music is noted for soothing the savage beast, so it should come as no surprise that a guitar and ! a couple of songs from the plains ' nicely smooth over an inter-family fight. Running time, 19 minutes. Review "Border Bandits (Monogram) Hollywood, 1'eb. 27 THE Johnny Mack Brown-Raymond Hatton faithfuls are in for something of a treat this time, for producer Charles J. Bigelow, director Lambert Hillyer and scenarist William A. Sichner have collaborated here to supply perhaps the best Western in the series to date. It has more movement, more balance, and makes headway more legitimately and convincingly than most or all of its predecessors. This time the U. S. marshals, incognito, undertake to discover and bring to justice the person who murdered a pleasant old gentleman in order to obtain possession of jewels worth a small fortune. The mission takes them across the border into Mexico, giving the film that good-neighbor-policy flavor without over-doing it, and into many situations and complications calling for all-out display of their mental and muscular dexterity. It's not so much what is done, as how it is done, that makes the picture stand out. Others in the cast are Rosa Del Rosario, Riley Hill, John Merton, Tom Quinn, Frank LaRue, Steve Clark, Charles Stevens and Bud Osborne. Running time, 58 minutes. General audience classification. William R. Weaver as. il as \1 n w lltllll alio: ■ Wj lerci: 5 'emei lull n A4 M uctio III'! cot 10,000 Museum Members Membership of the Museum of Modern Art, here, now totals more than 10,000 according to John E. Abbott, executive vice-president. Additionally, he said, to accomodate increased attendance the Museum will remain open Thursday evenings, beginning today, when the afternoon film program will be repeated. Rogers Rejoins Piatt Hartford, Feb. 27. — Lt. Sherman E. Rogers, USNR, has rejoined PlattForbes, Inc., New York advertising agency, with a branch office in Hartford, as director of motion picture, radio, and television activities after three years' service with the training films branch of the Navy. Denny Named Acting Chairman of FCC Washington, Feb. 27.— Charles R. Denny, Jr., member of the Federal Communications Commission, has been named acting chairman of the FCC, succeeding Paul A. Porter who was appointed by President Truman to serve as head of the Office of Price Administration. That black and white television should not be held back from persons wishing to buy sets was the opinion expressed today by Denny. He pointed out that black and white was commercially ready to go before the war and asserted that ultra high frequency television is in the upstairs spectrum, and the trade's final resting place. He said FCC will speed decisions on all pending cases and expressed belief that 90 per cent of the standard cases being heard through March could be decided by the Commission in April or early May. Hoit, Gasser Promoted Rochester, N. Y., Feb. 27. — Gordon G. Hoit has been elected vice-president in charge of finance of the StrombergCarlson Co., and J. Lester Gasser has been named controller, it has been announced by Wesley M. Angle, board chairman. Howard Minsky to 20th Buffalo, Feb. 27.— Howard Minsky has been named branch manager for 20th-Fox in Buffalo, replacing Ira H. Cohn who has reported to the New York office. Minsky formerly was with Warners and served two years in the Navy. mart ■rttg» 'ft ivorl world of* Hadley Joins PRC Hollywood, Feb. 27. — Robert Hadley, who has been associated for the past IS years with his brother, Hap Hadley, in the latter's art studio, here, has joined PRC as art director succeeding Frank Begg, resigned. G. D. Larson Appointed St. Louis, Feb. 27. — Ted C. Kem per, central district manager for the Army Post Theatres, who died recently after a long illness, has been succeeded by G. Dale Larson, former assistant district manager. San Mateo Talks Tax San Mateo, Cal., Feb. 27. — This city may assess a three-cent amusement tax on admission tickets. Hollywood Television Press To Study Trends Reorganization of the Television Press Club of New York as a discussion-forum group to study trends and developments in television, was mapped at a meeting here yesterday at the Blue Ribbon Restaurant. A committee comprising Cliff Denton, Judy Dupuy, Will Baltin, Al Bernsohn, Paul Wendels and Ben Kaufman was selected to set future luncheon forums for the club, which offers membership to newspaper people engaged in writing about television. By THALIA BELL Hollyivood, Feb. 27 EDWARD SMALL will produce "Bella Donna" for International Pictures, starting in May, instead of ior United Artists, as previously announced, under terms of a somewhat ingular arrangement worked out when, according to Small, it turned out that the producer would be unable to produce the film at RKO Pathe studio, where he has made most of his pictures, due to unavailability of space. The "Bella Donna" script had been completed by Thoeren, ^and Merle Oberon and Charles Jorvin have been signed for the leads, with Andre De Toth to direct, and these arrangements are to remain intact. The Small deal with International is for the one picture only, according to his announcement. NBC Promotes McCray Thomas McCray, formerly NBC Eastern program manager, has been appointed national program manager of the network, by Clarence L. Menser, vice president in charge of programs. ABC Names Greig Humboldt J. Greig has been named assistant to Fred Thrower, vice-president in charge of sales for American Broadcasting, and Tom Fry, recently returned to ABC following three years' service with the Marines, will assume direction of the network's business development department. Rawls in Television Richard B. Rawls, formerly manager of studio operations for Columbia Broadcasting, has been named manager of television operations of American Broadcasting. Alexander Advances J. M. Alexander has been appointed publicity director for Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, in addition to his duties as advertising manager. WBKB Shuts Down Chicago, Feb. 27. — The Balabanj and Katz television station here, WBKB, went off the air Friday for two weeks to make necessary technical adjustments to move from its present channel No. 3 to channel 4. This will be the permanent WBKB frequency under the new FCC frequency assignments which allot a total of seven channels to the Chicago area. The new channel covers the 66-72 megacycle band. Florsheim Appointed Stanley C. Florsheim, formerly director of the co-operative program department, has been appointed to the new position of director of merchandising of American Broadcasting, it was announced here recently by Fred Thrower, vice-president in charge of sales. Hole Rejoins CBS Leonard Hole, manager of CBS television operations before joining the Navy in 1942, has been appointed to the newly created post of director of CBS Television Plans Division, Lawrence W. Lowman, vice-president in charge of CBS Television, announces. Stockton with Martin Atlanta, Feb. 27.— J. H. Thompson of the Martin-Thompson Theatres announces the appointment of L. M. Stockton, of Amory, Miss., as special press representative. CBS Names Reedy Appointment of Paul H. Reedy as chief engineer of the engineering research and development department of Columbia Broadcasting has been an nounced by Peter C. Goldmark, direc tor of the department. Jene Leaves Warners Atlanta, Feb. 27. — Frank Jene, office manager for Warner Brothers here, resigned after 20 years of serv Films to Supplement Agriculture Bulletins Washington, Feb. 27. — Congressman H. C. Anderson of Minnesota has requested that the Department of Agriculture not expand its motion picture program at the expense of farmers' bulletins and yearbooks, normally issued by the agency. The representative asserted that while picture production is important nothing" must be done that will decrease its other information activities. R. L. Webter, assistant director of information, is reported to have assured Anderson that no such action will be taken when he appeared before the Agriculture Appropriations Committee. "This will be an expansion of our general program," Webster said. "Our increase in motion picture production will not decrease our other services." Taylor to Paramount Rex Taylor, recently public relations director for the Meredith Publications, Des Moines, has joined the Paramount publicity department as publicity stills coordinator under the supervision of Al Wilkie, publicity manager. 'Tomorrow' Grosses Receipts for "Tomorrow Is Forever," in Salt Lake City, as reported in Motion Picture Daily yesterday should have been $13,000 instead of $7,000 at the Uptown, and $7,275 instead of $5,800 at the Rialto, according to International Pictures here. 'Two Sisters' Tradeshow M-G-M will tradeshow "Two Sisters from Boston," produced by Joe Pasternak, in Los Angeles and New York on March 4. Other exchange areas are being lined up for similar screenings on March 6. Lightman Buys Building Memphis, Feb. 27. — M. A. Lightman, Sr., president of Malco Theatres, has bought a three-story building here to be used for storage, shipping and servicing of supplies. Tedesco to Omaha Omaha, Feb. 27. — Tony Tedesco, former Des Moines Monogram branch manager, has been transferred to Omaha as manager.