Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1940)

54 MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 6, 1940 OBITUARIES Walter Miller, Actor, Dead Walter C. Miller, 48, vaudeville and motion picture actor, died in Hollywood March 30th. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Miller played in motion pictures with Mary Pickford and was one of the first actors to receive a $1,000 a week salary. Mr. Miller began his career with the Roe & Stanley Stock Company of Jersey City and the Lyceum Stock Company of New York. He started his screen career with the Biograph Company under D. W. Griffith. His early films included "The Mothering Heart" for the Reliance Company; "Miss Robinson Crusoe" for Metro, and "The Marble Heart" for Fox Films. He appeared in "The Green Archer," a Pathe serial and 11 other serials. Mr. Miller's appearance in sound-films were confined to westerns and so-called thrillers, including "Hawk of the Hills," "Rough Waters," "Hell's Valley," "Sky Raiders," "Hurricane Horseman," "Manhattan Parade," "The Famous Ferguson Case," "Maizie" and "The Face on the Barroom Floor." He appeared in a number of serials for Universal in recent years. Gilbert Fleischman Dies Gilbert Fleischman, 44, chief booker at the Twentieth Century-Fox film exchange in Philadelphia for the last 20 years, died there March 31st following a long illness. He was a member of the Emile Zola Lodge of Brith Sholem and of Clare Post 37, American Legion, and a former director of Beth-An Israel Congregation in Philadelphia. Funeral services were held April 1st with interment in Mt. Sharon Cemetery. George Harris George F. Harris, who had been active in native film production in the Philippine Islands for a number of years, was fatally injured in an automobile accident in Manila March 27th. One of his last productions to be distributed in America was "Zamboanga," which was distributed by the former First Division exchanges in 1937. Charles M. Rappoport Charles M. Rappoport, 64, motion picture operator of Salem, N. J., died in a Philadelphia hospital March 27th following a long illness. Mr. Rappoport, who entered the motion picture industry 30 years ago, operated theatres in New York and Philadelphia before going to Salem. Thurman C. Riley Thurman C. Riley, who sold air conditioning equipment for National Ozone Company died in Detroit March 25th. He had played many Detroit theatres in former years as a mentalist under the name Thurman the Great. Hugo D. Keil Hugo D. Keil, owner of the New Mission theatre, San Francisco, died there March 24th on his 80th birthday. C. C. Craig C. C. Craig, producer of the early Hollywood Bowl pageants, died March 25th in his Beverly Hills home after a week's illness. Milliken to Speak in Indiana Carl E. Milliken, secretary of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, will address the annual convention of the Indiana League of Business and Professional Women in Indianapolis on May 23rd. Morgan JV alsh, Theatreman, Dies Morgan Walsh, vice-president and general manager of Redwood Theatres, National Theatres Syndicate of California and Associated Theatrical Enterprises in association with George W. Mann, operating 30 theatres, died March 31st in San Francisco from a heart attack. Mr. Walsh began his career in the industry in 1910, operating a one-man show. He joined Fox Film's Omaha exchange, becoming a salesman and later became manager of the company's Los Angeles exchange. He resigned to re-enter the theatre field in San Diego. He then held the Warner Brothers franchise for California but sold out to become Warners western district manager. He left Warners to take over T & D Theatre, Oakland. In 1932 he became vice-president and general manager of Redwood. In 1932 also he was elected president of the Independent Theatre Owners, Northern California. Guides on Seven Films Issued for Schools Guides to the discussion of the following photoplays are being nationally distributed by Educational and Recreational Guides, Inc., New York; "Northwest Passage," prepared by Alice P. Sterner, Barringer High School, Newark; "Gone with the Wind," Virginia Ballard and Adelaide Cunningham, Commercial High School, Atlanta; "Seventeen," Carolyn Harrow, Julia Richman High School, New York; "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," John T. Greenan, Scott High School, East Orange, with an introduction by Roy W. Hatch, State Teachers College, Montclair, N. J.; "The Blue Bird," Lenore Vaughn-Eames, State Teachers College, Newark; "Pinocchio," Dorothy McCuskey, State Teachers College, New Haven ; "Harvest," Max Lieberman, secretary, New York Association of French Teachers. In preparation are guides to "Pride and Prejudice," "The Dark Command," "Tom Brown's School Days," "Our Town," "Edison the Man" and "House of the Seven Gables." Universal Officers Are Reelected Reelection of all officers of Universal Pictures Company, Inc., and Universal Corporation, parent company, was scheduled at the annual meetings of the boards of the two companies in New York, Thursday. Officers of the picture company are : J. Cheever Cowdin, chairman of the board ; Nate J. Blumberg, president ; Charles D. Prutzman, vice-president and general counsel ; and Matthew J. Fox, William A. Scully, Joseph H. Seidelman, and Cliff Work, vicepresidents ; Peyton Gibson, secretary ; Samuel I. Machnovich, treasurer and assistant secretary; Ed Muhl, assistant secretary; Harold S. Brewster and Eugene F. Walsh, assistant treasurers. Officers of Universal Corporation are Mr. Cowdin, chairman ; Mr. Blumberg, president ; Mr. Prutzman, vice-president and general counsel ; Mr. Gibson, secretary and treasurer, and Margaret M. Sullivan, assistant secretary and assistant treasurer. IN COURTS Extend Fox Time Murray Hulbert, federal judge, in New York this week signed an order extending for two years the time of Capital Company to prosecute proceedings against William Fox for the collection of a judgment of $297,412 won by Capital in 1935. According to affidavits filed, Capital has been restrained from proceeding with its suit to recover over $200,000 still due until the Fox Bankruptcy proceedings have been concluded. File Plagiarism Suit Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation this week was named defendant in a plagiarism suit filed in federal court in New York by Earl Hobson Smith who seeks an injunction, an accounting and damages. The defendant is charged with pirating the plaintiff's play "Stephen Foster or Weep No More My Lady" in the film "Swanee River." Two Exhibitor Groups Hit Non-theatricals Detroit exhibitors are complaining of unfair competition from non-theatrical showings of 16 mm. films, including a number of original Hollywood releases. The basis of the complaint, which is shared by established non-theatrical distributors, is that a few itinerant 16 mm circuit operators have come into the territory with films which they are offering as low as $5 a show in some cases. In a statement issued by the Associatec Theatre Owners of Indiana, Inc., it is maintained that the 16 mm. operator is delivering to the public without admission charges entertainment supplied by producers upor which the theatre owner must depend for a living. "For producers to make feature.1available to 16 mm. operators, who pay a minimum film rental and exhibit the pictures without admission charge, is totalh unfair," the statement said. Miles Joins Lloyd John Peere Miles, recently publicity director for Samuel Goldwyn, has joined Frank Lloyd Productions, Inc., in the same capacity Lloyd is producing "Tree of Liberty" foi Columbia. Carey in Stage Play Harry Carey, returning to the Broadway stage after 27 years, will appear in the play "Heavenly Express," which is to open in New York next week after a week's tryout in Washington, D. C. Oestreicher to Conduct Course Fred Oestreicher, publicity director for Loew's, in Columbus, Ohio, will conduct a class in motion picture appreciation and review at the Adult School of the Ohio State University. Badgley Reelected Captain Frank C. Badgley, director of the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau, has been reelected president of the Rec Chevron Club, an organization of war veterans.