Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1948)

2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, April 15, 1948 Personal Mention J ROBERT RUBIN, M-G-M • vice-president and general counsel, is expected back in New York Monday from the Coast. • Robert Smith, partner in the Chief Theatre, Steamboat Springs, Colo., and the Rio, Oak Creek, Colo., has been elected mayor of Steamboat Springs. • Don McElwaine, of the M-G-M studio publicity department, will leave for the Coast Tuesday after visiting New York and Washington. • William B. Jaffe, film attorney, has returned to New York from a Palm Beach vacation. • Joseph R. Vogel, Loew vice-president, is back in New York from a Florida vacation. • Jay Eisenberg, M-G-M legal sales department liaison, is back in New York from Miami. • William Satori, Monogram European representative, has arrived here from London. • William A. Scully, UniversalInternational distribution chief, is in Miami from New York. • Max Wolff, M-G-M purchasing head, has returned here from the Coast. • Max Jacobs of the Marvel Theatre, Cleveland, and Mrs. Jacobs are visiting in Florida. • Nat H©lt, independent producer, is in New York from the Coast. • Frank Capra will return to the Coast Tuesday from New York. J. /. Friedl Rites to Be Held Saturday Minneapolis, April 14. — Funeral services for John J. Friedl, SO, who was president of Minnesota Amusement Co. for 15 years until his retirement in January, 1947, will be held on Saturday afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa. Friedl died in Mission, Texas, Monday. He entered the theatre business 25 years ago, handling theatres in Texas, Louisiana. Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas for ParamountPublix. After he joined Maco in 1932 the circuit grew to 97 theatres in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas. He moved to Texas after his retirement. Survivors include the widow, Florence, two sons and three grandchildren. Vote Copyright Fee Raise Washington, April 14. — The Senate has passed a bill to raise the copyright fee from $2 to $4. The bill goes to conference with a House-approved measure. Glixon Inaugurated Cinema Lodge Head "Our first obligation in our neverending fight against bigotry and intolerance is to understand and respect our neighbors regardless of race, color or creed," S. Arthur Glixon, newly-elected president of Cinema Lodge, B'nai B'rith, declared at the Lodge's president's dinner at the Hotel Astor here last night on being inducted into office. More than 500 from the entertainment industry attended. The dinner was a tribute to Glixon and Robert M. Weitman, retiring president of Cinema Lodge. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, was presented with a gold B'nai B'rith medallion and a life-time membership in Cinema Lodge for his ceaseless devotion to the interests of the Lodge since its inception. In addition, Weitman presented him with a check for $2,500, representing the Lodge's 1948 contribution to the United Jewish Appeal. Balaban heads the entertainment industry division of the drive. Weitman also presented a check for $100 to Barney Ross for Haganah, the fighting arm of the Jewish forces in Palestine. Inducted into office with Glixon were vice-president and treasurer Leo Jaffe ; vice-presidents Maurice A. Bergman, S. M. Chartock, Julius M. Collins, Bernard Goodman. Marvin Kirsch, Martin Levine, Milton Livingston, Louis A. Novins and Robert K. Shapiro ; secretary Dr. Hyman Chartock ; sergeant-at-arms Edward Black, and Chaplains, Rabbis Bernard Birstein and Ralph Silverstein. Lawson Trial (Continued from page 1) N. Y. Loan Drive (Continued from page 1) witness to appear following the selection of a jury. Margolis brought out the admission from Thomas that, in determining whether or not Lawson should be asked whether he was a Communist the committee had relied on previous testimony by producer Sam Wood and writers Howard Rushmore and John Charles Moffett, alleging the defendant had headed Hollywood Communists. This testimony, Margolis offered to show, was "perjury." Direct examination of Thomas by the Government was limited to having the committee chief read the transcript of Lawson's appearance' during the hearings, which led to the contempt citation against him. Margolis hammered away at the "credibility" of the witness in efforts to show "bias and prejudice." Curran, however, sustained objections by the Government, excluded most of the defense questions and reiterated that the only issue to be decided by the jury is whether or not Lawson refused to answer the committee's question. The jury, chosen with few challenges by either side, consists of eight women, four of whom are Negroes, and four men, two of whom are Negroes. Only two jurors are Government workers. 20th To Implement Industry Promotion Twentieth Century-Fox's field forces and other facilities have been placed at the disposal of the public, the exhibitor and the industry in general as a means of aiding the current industry bid for a wider audience on the basis of improved product. The plan to aid public relations is now in operation after several mo'-jl r of testing, Charles Schlaifer. di{w of advertising-publicity for 20irf-Fox) said. Four main points of the plan include close coordination of the field staff with the exhibitor on campaigns designed to inform the public of high calibre industry product; establishment of a home office information bureau to service the press with statistics and factual data; a weekly newsletterpresenting showmanship ideas to exhibitors, and advance press sheets on company pictures. Mestanza Honors Home H. Alban-Mestanza and Mrs. Mestanza of Foreign Screen Corp. were hosts Tuesday evening at a dinner given for David Home, newlyappointed foreign manager of Film Classics. Variety Award (Continued from page 1) "Are You With It?" The ceremonies, participated in by stage and screen personalities, including Donald O'Connor, marked the "kick off" of the Treasury's Security Loan Drive in New York State. Coyne spoke as a Treasury consultant. Reels Aid Bond Drive All five newsreels will include in their April 16 issues clips featuring James Stewart in an appeal on behalf of the Treasury's Security Bond Drive. The Stewart footage already has been approved by the Theatre Owners of America for exhibition by members. Mayor at 'Arch' Benefit Mayor William O'Dwyer will head city officials at the benefit premiere Monday night of "Arch of Triumph" at the Globe Theatre here for the American Overseas Aid-United Nations Appeal for Children. Evans at SMPE Meet Santa Monica, Cal., April 14 — Ralph M. Evans, superintendent of color film and print processing at Eastman Kodak, Rochester, will deliver the feature paper on color at the 63rd semi-annual convention of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, May 17-21, at the Ambassador Hotel here. in October but heading for transfer to Washington under the circumstances. Second business session considered badly-needed financial aid for the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital at Saranac Lake, N. Y. On tap is a proposal whereby the international organiza tion of Variety will advance up to $7,000 which would keep this tuber cular hospital going another month, these funds to be met by Variety Club members throughout the nation on the basis of an assessment of $1 per member, fixed at Local or tent levels. Decision was tabled until Thursday morning for the views of Si Fabian who flew in late this afternoon after New York conferences on the subject. Discussion brought to light for what is believed to be the first time the fact the Motion Picture Foundation has been reviewing this situation on the possibility Saranac may become MPF's first financially-supported project. Wanger Film to Aid Follow-up to "Variety Girl" as a fund-raiser for various tents will be "Bad Boy," a story dealing with the Texas Boys' Ranch near Belton, Tex. Walter Wanger will produce under an agreement which will give five per cent of the proceeds to the International office of Variety, an undesignated percentage to the Dallas tent and a swimming pool at the Texas Boys' Ranch. Universal-International will release on its regular program, probably next season. The convention voted unanimously to limit associate memberships in a move to confine Variety's roster to existing tents. Houston no doubt will become tent No. 34 and Seattle is ready to organize. In introducing various executives among the visitors, O'Donnell included Herman Robbins and George Dembow of National Screen Service and paid them and their organization an official tribute from Variety. "They're always ready whenever we need them," O'Donnell said. Connors' First Ad Film Gets Cordial Reception Miami Beach, April 14. — "The New Tobaccoland, U.S.A.," advertising reel produced in Cinecolor for Liggett and Myers (Chesterfield Cigarettes) by Louis De Rochemont, was screened for Variety convention delegates here today, and appeared to get a generally favorable reaction. Tom Connors, who will sell it, stated Wilby-Kincey Circuit is the first of the Paramount-affiliated theatre partners to make a deal for its showing. R. J. O'Donnell openly declared Interstate Circuit of Texas is willing to run it. Fox West Coast already has made a deal for it. Casual Mention of Sponsor A well-done short, the picture unfolds steps by which tobacco is grown, nurtured, cured and sent to market. Aside from one narrative track mention at the close when the slogan, "They Satisfy," enters, the film might be a straight entertainment reel efficiently and completely depicting its subject matter. There is mention in almost invisible lettering of Liggett and Myers on the main title, and four different flashes of Chesterfield — the name on an office building, on the uniform of a worker, on the packaged cigarettes, and on cartons. The film is the first to be distributed nationally by Tom Connors on the basis of approximately $10 per 1,000 admissions. Money, of course, is payable to the exhibitor. Running time, eight minutes. R.K. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Martin Quigley, Jr., Associate Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; David Harris, Circulation Director; Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, William R. Weaver, Editor; Chicago Bureau, 120 South La Salle Street, Editorial and Advertising. Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden S'q., London Wl. Hope Burnup, Manager, Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres, published every fourth week as a section of Motion Picture Herald; International Motion Picture Almanac, Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies, 10c.