Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, April 20, 19 ^ in Brief . . ALMOST 1.000 citizens from all walks of life have accepted posts on the committee for a benefit premiere of Eagle-Lion's "The Jackie Robinson Story," according to Youth United, the organization which will receive the proceeds to aid its settlement houses. Among the honorary sponsors for the premiere, to be held at the Astor Theatre here on May 16, are Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, Mayor William O'Dwyer and U. S. Senators Irving M. Ives and Herbert H. Lehman. • Toronto, April 19. — Stan Gosnell, a director and treasurer of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of _ Ontario, has been named vice-president of the organization to succeed George Peters, former vice-president of Odeon Theatres of Canada. Gosnell is manager of Loew's Uptown, Toronto. • Chicago, April 19. — The newlyformed Triangle Amusement Corp., headed by Arthur L. Stern, will take over the management of the Argmore, Avon and Liberty theatres from Essaness on May 1. Emil Stern, formerly with Essaness, will join Triangle in an advisory capacity. SEG Is New Title For Merged Guilds The Screen Employes Guild has been designated as the official title of the recently-merged Screen Publicists Guild and the Screen Office and Professional Employes Guild. An application for a charter has been submitted to the parent union, the United Office and Professional Workers of America. The new union now has jurisdiction over 3,300 employes in the industry and has 36 home office contracts,_ according to Jack Ryan, business director of SEG. Under the merger arrangement, the officership of the union will consist of five members, three from the SPG and two from SOPEG. Sig Maitless has already been ratified as president, and Sid Young is secretary of the treasury. Other officers now include Harry Hochfeld, second vice-president, and James Procaccini, recording secretary. A first vice-presidency is vacant. 4-City Premiere for 'Rock Island TraW James R. Grainger, Republic sales vice-president, left here yesterday for Boston, accompanied by John P. Curtin, special sales representative. Grainger will return to New York on Saturday and will leave on Sunday, accompanied by assistant general sales manager Edward L. Walton, for Chicago and Rock Island, 111., where they will arrive next Wednesday to attend the world premiere of Republic's "Rock Island Trail," which will have a quad-city opening in Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Moline, and in East Moline on April 27. Personal MURRAY SILVERSTONE, 20th Century-Fox International president, will return here today from Mexico City. • Gordon Lightstone, Paramount Canadian sales manager, has been reelected for the fourth time as president of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association. • W. French (Bill) Githens, chairman of the executive committee of Cinerama Corp., has received the Republican nomination for mayor of Bernardsville, N. J. • David Dent, associated with his father, Arthur Dent, in Adelphi Films, London, is in New York and plans to return to London at the end of the month. • Richard de Rochemont, March of Time producer, will be a guest star tonight on Irene O'Connell's WCBSTV program, "Rendezvous." • B. J. Kranze, Film Classics distribution vice-president, has returned here from Detroit and Chicago. Card Walker, Walt Disney studio executive, has arrived here from the Coast. 'High' Holds in 64% Of First 100 Dates Sixty-four per cent of the first 100 dates of "Riding High" have achieved higher holdover and moveover figures than any Bing Crosby film in the last three years, according to A. W. Schwalberg, president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp., who also declared that the new Crosby starrer has equalled records set in these situations by Bing's "Going My Way" and "Welcome Stranger." The Paramount sales chief attributed this to the all-out advertisingpublicity-exploitation campaigns conducted by members of Max E. Youngstein's staff. Para, to Film 'Goldbergs* With the signing of Gertrude Berg, star and originator of "The Rise of the Goldbergs," Paramount announces arrangements are now complete to film that radio and television show. Production is set for July, with Mel Epstein directing and N. Richard Nash collaborating with Miss Berg on the script. Signs for Garden Events Television rights to Madison Square Garden Saturday night sports events, for 26 weeks beginning Oct. 7, have been acquired by Columbia Broadcasting. Excluded are Garden boxing bouts and hockey games. Leveg Signs Two Aides Jules Levey, independent producer who will distribute the French film, "Fabiola," has signed Frederic Pressburger and Forest Izard to assist him in preparing an English version. Mention RONALD W. ALCORN, independent producer, accompanied by Ned Crawford, his advertising-publicity director, and Pat Patterson arrived here yesterday from the Coast. • John Di Benedetto, former assistant manager at Loew's Poli, Bridgeport, has returned to that city after serving as relief manager of Loew's Broad, Columbus, O., during the recuperation of Walter Kessler, the regular manager who was injured in an automobile accident. • Henry L. Nathanson, president of M-G-M Films, Ltd. of Canada, Ted Gould, general sales manager, and Dewey Bloom, field exploiteer, will leave here tonight for Toronto. • Harry Mears, vice-president of Cinematograph Exhibitors Association of Great Britain, arrived in Hollywood yesterday from New York. • Harold Wirthwein, MonogramAllied Artists Western sales manager, has left Hollywood for a tour of exchanges in his territory. • Max Blackman, Warner Theatres executive, will celebrate his 50th birthday on Saturday. Funeral Service Here Today for W. A. Orr Funeral services will be held at noon today at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Church here for William Anderson Orr, Loew's public relations department executive, who died Tuesday at the age of 67 at Harkness Pavilion after several weeks' illness. Orr was with the company 27 years and previously was city editor of the New York Tribune. Services Today for Jack Price, 55 Jacksonville, April 19. — Funeral services will be held tomorow for E. B. (Jack) Price, 55, Warner Brothers branch manager here, who died of a stroke Tuesday. Interment will be at Riverside Memorial Park. He joined Warner in 1947 as a salesman and became manager of the new Jacksonville branch upon its opening in August, 1949. Police Aid Drive-in Bow Ledgewood, N. J., police are sellingtickets for next Wednesday's opening of the 550-car Garden Auto-Torium drive-in there, operated by Wilfred P. Smith, formerly an executive of Eastern Drive-In Theatres. Opening night proceeds will go to the local Police Athletic League. Para, to Release 'Trio' Paramount will distribute J. Arthur Rank's "Trio" in the Western Hemisphere, it is announced here. The film, based on three Somerset Maugham stories, was produced by Sidney Box ; Anthony Darnborough was associate producer. New Pact Benefits Coast Publicists Hollywood, April 19. — Screen Publicists Guild's membership has voted unanimous approval of a new contract with major studios. The pact sets a $173.55 minimum weekly wage for senif, gjjublicists, with rates v er'ing down to $55.60 for apprentices. It provides for the establishment of a labormanagement committee comprising five members from the Guild and five from employers. Provision for a 100 per cent union shop is also included, subject to approval by Guild members in a mail ballot to be conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. Dubious Book Not Reason to Ban Filri Washington, April 19. — The nj tion picture committee of the Daua ters of the American Revolution too; advised its 165,000 members throug out the country that films based books of dubious moral content ; probably quite acceptable. In a report to the annual DAR a i vention, the committee, headed Mrs. Leroy Montgomery, pointed < that producers must conform to i| "rigid moral requirements of the Pi ! duction Code." Some films have be' banned on the basis of a book witho1 ever having been seen by the pera or organization doing the censoriii the committee said, adding that thisl most unfair to the producers. The report said that again all stal had reported "no Communism no; in any picture," and that most cr| cism of Hollywood films stressed "< many war pictures, too much fightii too much crime, too much brutalit: John Nolan, 58 (Continued from page 1) " siding in California and Arizona di ing the past few months because poor health. Nolan devoted almost his ent lifetime to the motion picture indtj try. He had been Eastern sales m; ager for 20th Century-Fox and v sent to Australia by the company manage, its interests in that countf He had to leave that position becaij of illness. John Roberts, head of the booki department for Comerford, and Tho | as P. Comerford, assistant to Nol { both of Scranton, Pa., are flying W to attend the funeral, which will tf place at Inglewood, Cal., from I Hardin and Flanagan Mortuary ] Inglewood. Surviving are three sisters : Motl Nolan of the Mesdames of the Saci Heart, in Tokyo, Japan, and M Edward T. Hays, and Mrs. E( O'Brien, both of Inglewood. No was the husband of the late M; Leavy Nolan of Albany, N. Y. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdt: Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpulf New York." Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secreta j James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, William R Wea\ Editor. Chicago Bureau, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Editorial and Advertising; Harry Toler, Advertising Representative; Jimmy Ascher, Editorial Representative. Washing* ; J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl : Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, Londo Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Internatio Motion Picture Almanac; Fame. 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