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Scanned  from  the  collections  of 
The  Library  of  Congress 


Packard  Campus 
for  Audio  Visual  Conservation 
www.loc.gov/avconservation 

Motion  Picture  and  Television  Reading  Room 
www.loc.gov/rr/mopic 


Recorded  Sound  Reference  Center 
www.loc.qov/rr/record 


MOTION  PICTURE 

HERALD 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 

Hitler's  Children 

Happy  Go  Lucky 

Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour 

Shadows  on  the  Stage 

Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 
Secret  Weapon 

Lady  Bodyguard 

LATE  REVIEWS 

(In  Xcus  Section) 
Star  Spangled  Rhythm 
They  Got  Me  Covered 
Night  Plane  from  Chungking 


OP 


KEEPING  THE  FAITH 

C  If  th  rou  gh  all  h  is  days  a  man  in 
business  tells  the  truth  as  he  sees  it, 
keeps  his  word  as  he  gives  it,  works 
for  his  industry,  for  its  own  sake  along 
with  his,  he  gets  what  is  known  as  a 
good  reputation. 

I]  It  is  like  that,  too,  with  journals  of 
business.  Publications  that  matter  have 
many  of  the  attributes  of  personality. 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  is  happy 
in  the  consciousness  of,  and  responsi- 
bility to,  a  good  name. 


VOL  150,  NO.  I 

Entered  as  if  cor.  d-\  .ass  ma 
meekly  by  Qmigley  PuHi. 
the  Americas,  $10.00  a 


JANUARY  2,  1943 


HISTORY 

LATE  FLASH!  "RANDOM  HARVEST"  BREAKS  10 -YEAR  RECORD 
AT  MUSIC  HALL!  TOPS  ALL  HOLIDAY  WEEK-END  BUSINESS! 


MRS. 
MINIVER 
VOTED 
^  BEST 
PICTURE 
1942 


<  "It  took  a 

'Random  Harvest' 
to  top  'Miniver'! 
Looks  like  1943 


is  ano 


ther 


M-G-M  Year!" 


TO 

1  ■ 

fltl  H 

REPEATS! 

LATE  FLASH!  "RANDOM  HARVEST"  CROWDS  CIRCLE  ENTIRE 
BLOCK!  TO  HANDLE  MOBS,  THEATRE  OPENS  DOORS  DAILY 
AT  7:45  A.  M.  THE  EARLIEST  IN  ITS  HISTORY! 


"Not  for  just  a  day 
Not  for  just  a  Season"— 


"But 

■  h  ALWAYS!" 


M-G-M's 
RANDOM  1 
HARVEST  1 

New  Year  Prize 


Ready!  United 
Nations  Week 
S3  Jan.  14  thru  20 


VP  and  Wand  UP/ 


On  To  Victor)*! 
UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK  JAN.  14  THRU  JAN.  20| 


fcfc*0£/..OF  THE  HIGHEST 
NUMBER  OF  'BOXOFFICE'  BLUE  RIBBONS 
IN  1942... PROMISES  EXHIBITORS  ANOTHER 
BLUE  RIBBON  YEAR  FOR  1943! 

Send  your  pledge  in  today!  UNITED  NATIONS'  WEEK— Jan.  14  to  Jan.  20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QU1GLEY,  Editor-in-Cbief  and  Publisher 


Vol.  150,  No.  1 

January  2,  1943 

44 


of  the  People  "-1 943 


SO  now  we  march  into  1943  across  a  year's  end  with 
crowded  houses  and  a  war-prospering  public  of  workers 
seeking  entertainment.  This  is  in  happy  coincidence  with 
a  flow  of  pictures  of  high  average  appeal  to  the  multi- 
tudes without  precedent  for  any  equivalent  period  in  the  career 
of  the  motion  picture  theatre. 

As  reflected  in  the  financial  statements  and  statistics  for 
1942,  the  motion  picture  industry  has  enjoyed  the  most  general 
and  emphatic  upturn  set  down  in  figures  since  those  days  of 
World  War  I  when  the  storm  of  strife  overseas  delivered  world 
monopoly  to  American  pictures  and  distribution. 
And  so  far  so  good. 

Meanwhile,  from  manifestations  to  be  noted  from  Washington, 
Hollywood  and  New  York,  it  has  become  apparent  that  the 
motion  picture  industry,  while  remaining  yet  in  midstream  of 
regulative  attentions  on  trade  practices  by  the  Department  of 
Justice,  is  also  in  an  uncrystallized  relation  to  the  war  economy 
and  t/je  war  Government. 

Sweetness  and  light  shone  from  the  official  statements,  but 
the  fact  remained  that  the  War  Production  Board  was  "study- 
ing" the  double  bill  situation,  as  a  conservation  subject;  that 
the  OWI  was  "suggesting"  a  lot  of  attention  by  its  picture 
department  to  pictures  in  all  or  any  stages  of  production.  Dis- 
claimers of  contemplated  rulings  of  restriction,  or  of  pre- 
censorships,  were  abundant. 

In  sum  it  seemed  that  the  motion  picture  in  this  war-torn 
world  and  striving  nation  was  doing  quite  as  well  on  all  counts 
as  any  industry,  better  than  most — but  that  its  future  was  as 
tentative  in  many  aspects  as  for  all  the  rest  of  them. 

It  appears  appropriate  that  the  motion  picture  industry  and 
its  leaders  should  continue  to  be  alertly  concerned  with  the 
right  to  continue  its  cooperations  with  the  war  cause  in  the 
light  of  its  own  special  skills  and  understandings  as  a  public 
relations  medium,  and  that  it  continue  a  free  art  and  free 
industry  in  the  American  way. 

The  motion  picture  is  of  the  people. 

AAA 

FILM  of  FACT 

TODAY'S  pressures  of  Government  and  public  interest  in 
the  war  may  eventuate  in  the  establishment  of  a  new  place 
for  films  of  fact  on  the  screen  of  the  theatre  which  has 
became  so  exclusively  a  medium  of  fiction  and  story-book  fancy. 

The  dominance  of  the  picture  of  fiction  on  the  screen  is  not 
an  accurate  reflection  of  the  public  taste,  although  that  has 
been  a  factor.  The  larger  factor  of  influence  has  been  "sell- 
ing handles".  The  picture  of  fiction  with  its  stars  and  pre-sold 
story  values  and  titles  has  been  easier  for  Distribution  to  sell, 
simpler  and  easier  for  Exhibition  to  sell. 

Pictures  of  fact  in  feature  length  began  with  Charles  Urban's 


record  of  the  Durbar  in  Kinemacolor  and  Paul  J.  Rainey's 
African  Hunt.  The  Durbar  was  sabotaged  in  America  by  the 
Patents  Company,  which  opposed  invasion  by  color.  The 
Rainey  picture  was  a  Universal  release,  meeting  as  much  success 
as  trust-dominated  distribution  would  permit.  Incidentally,  it 
was  a  photographically  bad  job.  Market  controls  from  the 
beginning  were  against  such  pictures.  And  so  it  continued. 
Martin  Johnson  was  to  find  that  out  when  he  sought  release 
for  his  camera  adventures.  The  painful  fact  was  that  access 
to  the  screen  was  not  readily  to  be  yielded  by  those  who  had 
large  commitments  in  the  fiction  plants  of  Fort  Lee,  Flatbush 
and  Hollywood.  Also  their  sales  managers  found  it  easier  to 
sell  "Who's  in  it"  than  what. 

Fact  mainly  found  its  way  to  the  screen  in  ill-paid  shorts 
and  scenics  and  newsreels. 

Occasionally,  pictures  of  fact  fought  their  way  to  the  screen. 
Some  of  them  gained  a  considerable  fame,  few  of  them  any 
profit.  Consider  that  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  all, 
"Grass",  did  a  world  gross  of  $75,000;  "Nanook  of  the  North", 
under  Pathe's  independent  release,  $350,000;  "Moana  of  the 
South  Seas",  about  $  I  35,000;  "Martin  Johnson's  African  Hunt", 
$175,000.  Those  were  film  rentals.  Mr.  Johnson's  "Simba" 
was  roadshowed  to  box  office  gross  of  about  $1,200,000,  but 
about  $900,000  was  spent  getting  it. 

Th  en  came  a  new  era  of  films  of  alleged  fact  and  adventure. 
Hollywood  methods  came  in  and  "Bring  'Em  Back  Alive",  made 
by  studio  methods  in  a  compound  near  Singapore,  did  very 
well.  Then  came  such  studio  synthetics  as  "Trader  Horn", 
made  once  in  Africa  and  once  again  in  California  and  Mexico, 
and  "Eskimo",  a  Culver  City  creation  with  a  deal  of  processed 
Arctic  in  it.  The  fiction  technique  swiftly  took  command  over 
the  fact,  and  presently  the  product  was  to  be  seen  no  more. 
Since  then,  fact  has  been  left  to  the  newsreels,  which  them- 
selves have  tended  to  become  vaudeville  and  palaver  bor- 
rowed from  the  radio. 

The  very  large  and  considerably  conspicuous  fact  of  war 
offers  opportunity,  even  necessity,  for  film  of  fact.  A  con- 
siderable minority,  which  might  be  entertained  thereby,  may 
have  a  chance,  yet. 

AAA 

THOSE  big  holiday  grosses  on  New  York's  once  Great  White 
Way  slipped  into  the  box  offices  in  the  dark  of  the  war 
time  "dimout."  Mr.  Douglas  Leigh,  designer  and  builder 
of  the  famed  spectacular  advertising  signs  of  Broadway,  is 
credited  with  statistics  which  count  the  darkening  of  265,000 
lamps  and  sixty-five  miles  of  neon  tubes.  That  equipment  drew 
a  load  of  8,582,200  watts,  or  somewhat  more  than  ten  thousand 
horsepower.  But,  beyond  the  marquee  and  on  the  screen  there 
is  no  dimout — nor  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

— Terry  Ramsayc 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


48  Hour  Week 

UNCLE  SAM  wants  Hollywood  studio  em- 
ployees to  work  48  hours  per  week.  By  so 
doing,  they  will  release  more  men  to  other 
war  industries.  Hollywood's  unions  were 
thus  informed  Tuesday  by  Pat  Casey,  pro- 
ducers' labor  representative.  Closeted  with 
Mr.  Casey  and  the  union  men  were  studio 
labor  relations  directors.  The  immediate 
problem  of  all,  if  the  work  week  is  length- 
ened, is  changing  of  contracts.  Time  and 
a  half  pay,  if  given,  may  be  given  from  the 
40th  hour  or  the  36th ;  from  which,  the  con- 
ferees were  attempting  to  decide.  One  posi- 
tive effect  of  the  lengthening,  it  was  felt 
Tuesday,  would  be  assurance  of  steady  em- 
ployment for  technicians  remaining  with  the 
industry,  and  corollary  elimination  of  "cas- 
ual" workers,  some  of  whom  labor  at  as 
many  as  five  studios  during  a  week.  It  was 
also  said  production  would  probably  be  af- 
fected by  unavailability  of  craftsmen  for 
rush  calls.  A  union  spokesman  asserted  his 
unit  would  insist  on  minimum  work  calls  per 
week. 


PRODUCTION  policies,  duals  studied  by 
war  bureaus  Page  12 

EMPHASIS  on  comedy  in  British  money- 
maker poll  Page  15 

ROONEY  top  moneymalcing  star  in  British 
theatres  Page  16 

ALGER  is  named  arbitration  Appeal  Board 
chairman  Page  18 

CANADA  trade   organizes   under  closer 
regulation  Page  19 

FILM   stocks'   value   rises   sharply  during 
1942  Page  22 


WAR  restrictions  reshape  trade  economy 
in  year  1942  Page  26 

WAR  Bond  campaign  of  industry  netted 
$17,000,000  total  Page  34 

CIRCUIT  heads  see  duals  local  theatre 
problem  Page  35 

ARGENTINE  envoy  obtains  raw  stock  from 
United  States  Page  38 

FORESEE  marked  changes  in   British  ex- 
hibition Page  43 

KEY  exhibitors  face  keen  ice  show  com- 
petition Page  45 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  42     Obituaries  Page  56 

Managers'  Round  Table  Page  49     What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me  Page  47 

PRODUCT  DIGEST,  including  Reviews  and  Release  Chart  Page  59 


Sales  Plan 

ALL  the  answers  to  any  possible  objections 
exhibitors  might  have  to  including  War 
Activities  Committee  Victory  shorts  as  a 
regular  part  of  their  programs  are  being 
prepared  for  exchange  managers  and  field 
agents  of  the  WAC  by  the  distribution  ad- 
visory committee.  Headed  by  William  F. 
Rodgers,  the  group  of  film  sales  experts  will 
meet  at  New  York  on  Tuesday  to  discuss 
further  unification  of  WAC  distribution.  In 
the  group  will  be  Mr.  Rodgers,  George 
Dembrow,  A.  Montague,  Charles  Reagan, 
Herman  Gluckman  and  Henderson  Richey. 


Ounce  of  Prevention 

NEW  YORK'S  fire  commissioner  Patrick 
Walsh  last  Saturday  issued  a  special  order, 
effective  January  1st,  to  all  motion  picture 
houses  and  legitimate  theatres  in  the  city  re- 
quiring a  brief  talk  on  public  safety  and  the 
proper  conduct  to  be  followed  to  avert  dis- 
aster caused  by  fire  or  panic. 

For  legitimate  theatres,  a  special  message 
has  been  prepared  to  be  delivered  by  the 
firemen  on  theatre  detail  and  given  five  min- 
utes before  the  beginning  of  every  perform- 
ance. In  film  houses  where  no  fireman  is 
assigned,  a  copy  of  the  talk  will  be  given  to 
the  owner  or  manager  by  the  Division  of 
Licensed  Places  of  Public  Assembly  and 
that  person,  or  a  representative,  will  deliver 
it  to  the  audience  before  each  complete  show. 
In  motion  picture  theatres  where  a  firemen 
is  detailed,  the  fireman  will  give  the  talk 
at  the  beginning  of  each  complete  show. 

On  Tuesday,  officials  of  New  York  cir- 
cuits, including  Loew's,  RKO  and  Skouras. 
said  managers  of  their  theatres  would  com- 
ply with  the  order  issued  by  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, but  it  was  indicated  that  a  trailer 


would  be  made  to  be  shown  in  theatres,  to 
serve  the  purpose. 

Firemen  have  been  detailed  to  legitimate 
New  Y'ork  theatres  since  1876  when  fire  in 
a  Brooklyn  theatre  took  a  toll  of  more  than 
200  lives.  They  are  still  assigned  because  of 
the  fire  hazards  backstage  among  scenery 
and  costumes.  Film  houses  do  not  present 
the  fire  menace  of  legitimate  theatres  but 
they  are  under  periodic  inspection. 


Archives  Entertain 

FOR  FOREIGN  nationals  far  from  home 
at  this  holiday  season  the  National  Archives 
in  Washington  this  week  held  a  festival 
series  of  motion  picture  entertainments, 
heavily  attended  through  five  separate  per- 
formances. The  project  of  hospitality  was 
under  the  tripart  auspices  and  attentions  of 
the  Archives,  the  United  Nations  Club  and 
representatives  of  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try in  the  national  capital. 

The  festival  for  the  away-from-home 
audiences  grew  out  of  an  amplification  by 
John  G.  Bradley,  head  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture division  of  the  Archives,  of  the  annual 
Christmas  party  for  the  staff.  Dr.  Solon 
J.  Buck,  archivist  of  the  United  States,  an- 
nounced the  festival  as  a  war  service  and 
welcomed  the  guests  from  the  many  lands 
of  America's  allies  and  the  attending  mem- 
bers of  the  armed  services,  held  away  from 
home  by  duties  in  Washington. 

The  pictures  were  Paramount's  "Ruggles 
of  Red  Gap,"  Columbia's  "Lost  Horizon," 
Warners'  "The  Life  of  Emile  Zola,"  Walt 
Disney's  RKO  release,  "Saludos  Amigos," 
and  the  Playwrights  Company's  "Journey 
to  Jerusalem,"  filmed  in  theatre  performance 
by  Joseph  Poihk. 


Program  in  Percent 

IN  THE  first  statement  of  its  kind  to  come 
from  a  studio  since  Governmental  reduc- 
tion of  raw  stock  allotments,  Harry  Cohn 
this  week  announced  Columbia  production 
policy  in  terms  of  percentage  with  respect 
to  kinds  of  entertainment  to  be  produced. 
He  said,  following  a  meeting  of  company 
executives,  "We  plan  to  make  30  per  cent 
of  our  pictures  on  some  phase  of  the  war 
theme,  25  per  cent  comedies,  20  per  cent 
dramas,  15  per  cent  musicals  and  10  per 
cent  miscellaneous."  Columbia  producers 
have  been  told  to  put  emphasis  on  quality 
pictures  only,  according  to  the  statement, 
in  order  to  capitalize  to  the  utmost  on  the 
film  allotted  to  the  studio..  Stressing  the 
need  of  variety,  Mr.  Cohn  said,  "We  have 
made  a  survey  of  audience  reaction  in  this 
most  unpredictable  time  and  our  product 
will  be  keyed  accordingly.  Audiences  will 
tire  of  repetition,  no  matter  how  important 
or  popular  the  subject  matter  is." 


4,000  in  Service 

FOUR  THOUSAND  men  have  gone  from 
the  film  industry's  studios  into  the  armed 
forces,  according  to  a  survey  by  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Motion  Picture  Producers,  which 
adds  that  the  figure  represents  22  per  cent  of 
studio  manpower.  Hundreds  of  other  studio 
workers,  and  "casual"  workers  of  Holly- 
wood, have  gone  into  war  industries,  it  is 
noted.  The  draft,  volunteering,  and  the  lure 
of  war  industry  has  cost  the  talent  guilds 
heavily,  the  Screen  Actors  Guild  reporting 
900  withdrawals ;  the  Screen  Directors  Guild, 
104;  the  Screen  Writers  Guild,  158;  and  it 
is  estimated  that  from  the  ranks  of  execu- 
tives and  producers  40  have  gone. 


January    2  ,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


9 


Attack  on  Grierson 

A  LONG-GATHERING  storm  of  criticism 
broke  this  week  over  the  head  of  John 
Grierson,  director  of  the  National  Film 
Board  of  Canada.  The  attack,  carrying 
threats  of  a  Parliamentary  investigation  of 
the  finances  and  activities  of  the  Film 
Board,  was  based  on  the  alleged  political 
propaganda  content  of  "Inside  Fighting 
Canada,"  said  to  have  been  produced  at 
the  request  of  the  United  States  Office  of 
War  Information  for  release  in  the  States. 

Mitchell  F.  Hepburn,  Ontario  provincial 
treasurer  and  former  premier,  acting  as 
chairman  of  the  board  of  appeals  for  the  film 
censor  board,  banned  the  film  in  Ontario 
with  the  statement  that  "The  time  has  come 
to  halt  the  spending  of  public  funds  by  the 
Federal  Government  to  bolster  its  own  po- 
sition." It  was  indicated  the  proposed  Par- 
liamentary investigation  would  include  a  de- 
mand for  examination  of  all  correspondence 
with  the  U.  S.  concerning  the  picture. 

Mr.  Grierson  long  has  been  known  as 
one  of  the  ablest  of  documentary  producers. 
He  was  appointed  head  of  the  Dominion 
Film  Board  three  years  ago  and  has  been 
under  more  or  less  constant  but  submerged 
criticism  for  his  alleged  political  principles 
ever  since  his  appointment. 


Christmas  Party 

AN  INFLUX  of  out-of-town  visitors  and 
servicemen  on  furlough  joined  New  York 
crowds  during  the  Christmas  holiday  week- 
end in  seeking  respite  from  war  headlines 
and  thronged  Broadway's  motion  picture  and 
legitimate  theatres.  Film  houses,  present- 
ing top  screen  attractions  for  the  pleasure- 
bent  crowds,  reported  record  grosses  for  the 
three-day  weekend  and  forecast  one  of  the 
biggest  Christmas-New  Year's  holiday 
weeks  in  years.  Despite  the  rain,  hundreds 
of  moviegoers  stood  on  line  outside  the 
first  run  houses  during  the  early  part  of  the 
week.  Capacity  houses  and  record  grosses 
was  the  general  report.  A  few  film  thea- 
tres instituted  early  openings  to  accommo- 
date the  crowds.  Radio  City  Music  Hall 
opened  its  doors  at  7:45  A.  M.,  the  earliest 
ever  scheduled  at  that  house.  Typical  at- 
tendance figures  for  Thursday  through  Sun- 
day were :  Music  Hall,  "Random  Harvest," 
94,402;  Roxv,  "Black  Swan,"  63,637;  Capi- 
tol, "In  Which  We  Serve,"  96,000;  Strand, 
"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  and  Paramount, 
"Road  to  Morocco,"  60,000.  each. 


Real  Evidence 

NEW  YORK  Supreme  Court  Justice  J.  Sid- 
ney Bernstein  ruled  this  wreek  that  the  trial 
jury  of  General  Sessions  which  convicted 
Isidore  H.  Herk,  producer  of  the  now  closed 
"Wine,  Women  and  Song,"  on  charges  of 


RED  KANN 


QUIGLEY  Publishing  Company  an- 
nounces the  election   of  Red 
Kann  as  vice-president. 


With  the  New  Year,  Mr.  Kann  as- 
sumes charge  of  Hollywood  opera- 
tions for  Quigley  Publishing  Com- 
pany and,  from  the  vantage  point 
of  long  experience  and  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  motion  picture  and 
the  industry,  will  report  regularly  in 
the  columns  of  Quigley  Publications 
for  the  information  and  guidance  of 
the  nation's  theatremen. 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY 

President 


presenting  an  indecent  show  should  have 
been  permitted  to  witness  an  actual  perform- 
ance instead  of  hearing  about  it.  Judge 
Bernstein  granted  a  certificate  of  reasonable 
doubt  permitting  release  on  bail  of  the  pro- 
ducer, pending  appeal  from  his  conviction 
in  the  lower  court.  Herk  is  facing  a  six 
month's  sentence  meted  out  by  Judge  Owen 
W.  Bohan.  Sentences  given  to  Samuel  Funt, 
company  manager,  and  Herman  Shapiro, 
stage  manager,  were  suspended.  Judge 
Bernstein  termed  the  actual  exhibition  "real" 
evidence  and  likened  the  situation  to  that  of 
the  performance  of  a  motion  picture  where 
"the  best  evidence  would  be  furnished  by  a 
showing  of  the  picture  rather  than  by  its 
oral  description."  Audience  reaction  might 
be  a  factor,  too.  One  term  made  popular 
by  the  show  was  "take  it  off." 


Time  and  Talent 

RADIO  time  worth  $152,000,000  is  being 
contributed  to  the  Government  by  the  radio 
industry,  Frank  White,  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  Columbia  Broadcasting  System, 
told  the  Publicity  Woman's  Club  in  New 
York  last  Saturday.  This  figure,  he  said, 
was  an  estimate,  on  an  annual  basis,  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information.  Mr.  White  re- 
ported that  2.9  per  cent  of  CBS  operating 
hours  during  the  past  year  was  devoted  to 
the  war  effort.  Hollywood  talent,  including 
stars,  directors  and  writers,  was  represented 
on  a  great  number  of  programs  devoted  to 
the  war  effort  which  were  given  gratis  by  the 
radio  industry.  From  December  7th,  1941, 
until  April  of  last  year,  more  than  150  top- 
ranking  Hollywood  players  and  others, 
representing  $250,000  of  talent,  appeared  on 
more  than  30  radio  programs  in  the  interest 
of  drives  and  campaigns  by  various  Gov- 
ernment agencies,  and  war  relief  and 
charitable  organizations,  as  reported  by 
Motion  Picture  Herald  of  April  18th, 
1942. 


Waving  the  Big  Stick 

CONTRARY  to  widespread  opinion,  the 
anti-trust  laws  have  not  been  suspended  for 
the  duration,  Thurman  Arnold,  head  of  the 
anti-trust  division  of  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice, said  this  week.  He  indicated  he  had 
heard  an  erroneous  notion  to  that  effect  was 
prevalent  in  some  business  circles.  While 
to  a  "certain  and  well  defined  extent  our 
anti-trust  laws  have  had  to  yield  to  the 
emergency"  they  have  by  no  means  been 
permanently  discarded,  Mr.  Arnold  warned 
in  a  letter  to  Representative  Patman  of 
Texas,  chairman  of  the  House  Small  Busi- 
ness Committee.  He  reiterated  the  statement 
he  made  soon  after  Pearl  Harbor  which  ex- 
plained that  the  Department's  policy  was  to 
suspend  proceedings  under  anti-trust  sta- 
tutes when  either  the  Secretary  of  Navy 
or  of  War  believed  the  prosecution  would 
interfere  with  the  war  effort. 


Cut  Rates  for  WAAC's 

THE  TREASURY  last  wTeek  recognized 
women  in  the  military  or  naval  service  and 
ruled  that,  when  in  uniform,  they  might  be 
given  the  same  reduced  admission  prices  by 
theatres  as  are  extended  to  men  in  the  armed 
forces.  The  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue, 
recognizing  the  various  women's  forces,  re- 
defined the  term  "military  or  naval  forces  of 
the  United  States"  as  used  in  the  revenue 
law  as  including  "the  Marine  Corps,  the 
Coast  Guard,  the  Army  Nurse  Corps,  Fe- 
male, the  Women's  Army  Auxiliary  Corps, 
the  Navy  Nurse  Corps,  Female,  and  the 
Women's  Reserve  branch  of  the  Naval  Re- 
serve." 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Tdephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  cddress  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President  and  General  Manager;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor; 
Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Mill- 
wood Road,  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Square,  London  W  I,  Hope  Williams  Burnup,  manager;  cable  Quigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureau,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia, 
Cliff  Holt,  correspondent;  Sydney  Bureau,  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carmona  y  Valle  6, 
Mexico  City,  Luis  Becerra  Celis,  correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa 
Postal  1090,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  O.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Monte- 
video. Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  194"  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Better  Theatres,   Motion   Picture  Daily,   International  Motion   Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2  ,  1943 


EEK 


the  Camera  observes: 


"  G.  S.  EYSSELL,  managing 
director  of  the  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  cuts  the  theatre's 
birthday  cake  before  more  than 
600  employees  attending  a 
party  celebrating  the  tenth 
anniversary  of  the  world-famous 
showplace,  held  on  the 
theatre's  stage,  Monday. 


EXECUTIVES,  at  the  Twentieth  Century- Fox  Christmas  party 

in  the  Astor  Hotel,  New  York:  Tom  Connors,  Spyros  Skouras, 

W.  C.  Michel. 


TO  CHIANG  KAI-SHEK  goes  a  print 
of  "Sergeant  York".  Mort  Blumenstock, 
Warners'  eastern  advertising  and  pub- 
licity head,  presents  it  to  Major  General 
Be  Kung-Ksui,  in  Washington. 

OPENING  of  "In  Which  We  Serve"  in 
New  York  was  attended  by  many  personalities, 
among  them,  right,  Edward  C.  Raftery, 
United  Artists  president,  and  his  wife, 
and  Captain  and  Mrs.  Dennis  F.  O'Brien. 

Mr.  O'Brien  is  U.A.  counsel. 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


SUCCESSOR  to  the  late 
Judge  Van  Vechten  Veeder,  as  chairman  of 
the  film  industry  arbitration  appeal  board, 
is  George  W.  Alger,  below.  Robert  McCurdy 
Marsh  replaces  Mr.  Alger  on  the  board. 


ALTEC  PIONEERS  celebrate  the  service  company's  five  years'  employment 

by  the  film  industry,  at  New  York  luncheon.   Reading  clockwise,  and  beginning 

at  the  table  head:  L.  W.  Conrow,  president;  Stanley  Hand,  L.  J.  Patton, 

A.  J.  Rademacher,  C.  R.  Rininsland,  J.  H.  Littenberg,  P.  F.  Thomas,  H.  S.  Morris, 

Bert  Sanford,  G.  L.  Carington,  vice-president  and  general  manager; 

E.  Z.  Walters,  comptroller;   Lieutenant  (s.  g.)  Harold  Steele, 

Harold  Wengler,  A.  L.  Rubenstein,  F.  J.  Daut,  J.  H.  Johnson,  D.  L.  Turner, 

and  Harry  M.   Bessey,  secretary-treasurer. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


By  Staff  Photographer 


FROM  LONDON  to  New  York 
came  Sam  Smith,  below,  president 
of  the  Kinematograph  Renters  Society 
(distributors)  for  the  opening  of 
"In  Which  We  Serve". 


INDIGNATION  and  pleasure  were  expressed 
at  meeting  of  New  York's  Unaffiliated 
Exhibitors,  Inc.,  last  week.  Indignation  over 
poor  runs,  and  "persecution"  by  their  Mayor; 
pleasure  because  one  of  them,  Jacob  Leff, 
was  freed  from  arrest  for  Screeno  by  a  magis- 
trate who  thus  flouted  Fiorello  LaGuardia. 
Here  are  Mr.  Leff,  Julius  Charnow, 
Jesse  Stern,  Mrs.  Leff,  Fannie  Segal, 
Abe  Levy,  unit  organizers. 


NEW  district  manager  in  Boston 
for  Universal  is  Barney  Rose, 
formerly  Chicago  branch  manager. 


FOR  "OUTSTANDING  MERIT",  a  sil- 
ver plaque  is  awarded  I.  M.  Rappaport, 
owner  of  the  Hippodrome,  Baltimore, 
by  Colonel  Edward  J.  Rehmann,  of 
Fort  George  Meade.  Mr.  Rappaport 
has  sent  orchestras  and  shows  there. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


12 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


PRODUCTION  POLICIES,  DUALS 
AND  FOOTAGE  UNDER  STUDY 
BY  BUREAUS  OF  WAR 


By  TERRY  RAMSAYE 

As  the  compulsions  of  war  this  week  tightened  on  the  nation's 
economy,  the  motion  picture  entered  a-tiptoe  into  a  new  year 
of  adjustments  and  controls,  ranging  from  studio  to  box  office, 
all  inferentially  forecast  but  officially  undefined. 

The  atmosphere  was  full  of  hints  and  nudges  and  smiling 
words.  The  iron  hand  of  total  war,  laid  heavily  on  most  of  the 
industries,  some  of  the  arts  and  most  of  the  necessities  and 
most  all  the  luxuries,  still  wore  a  glove  for  the  movies — a  glove 
wearing  thin,  maybe,  between  thumb  and  forefinger. 

Meanwhile,  valiant  efforts  by  Industry  and  Government  alike 
continued  to  seek  arrangements  to  preserve  interests  of  the 
screen  and  its  public,  both  at  home  and  at  work,  and  abroad 
and  at  war — in  all-demanding  war.  For  the  time  being  all  is 
as  was. 

Government  had  not  yet  said  to  Hollywood  what  it  might 
make,  but  it  had  indicated  anew  a  very  acute  interest  in  what 
might  be  in  the  making  and  how  it  might  be  made.  That  was 
Lowell  Mellett's  "tempest  in  a  teapot"  which  arose  because  he 
had  caused  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  producers  reiterating  offers 
of  cooperative  consultation  on  pictures  in  the  making,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  national  war  interest.  The  teapot  started 
brewing  in  Hollywood  and  its  press,  but  the  last  cup  was  poured 
in  New  York  with  lots  of  sugar  and  statements  of  cooperative 
intent. 

There  were  some  who  seemed  to  recall  that  Mr.  Mellett,  as 
the  motion  picture  chief  of  the  Office  of  War  Information, 
by  way  of  personnel,  at  least,  had  inherited  in  his  office  some 
of  the  traditions  of  the  late  U.  S.  Film  Service  and  its  special 
objectives,  and  even  some  of  the  more  remote  aroma  of  view- 
points of  the  Motion  Picture  Research  Council  and  Payne  Fund 
studies. 

Some  flavour  of  this  obtained  in  a  sharp  outgiving  from 
John  O'Donnell,  columnist  and  head  of  the  New  York  Daily 
News  bureau  in  Washington,  a  decidedly  critical  person,  who 
did  a  screed  asserting  that  there  was  a  plan  and  design  for 


Washington  bureaucracy,  to  take  over  control  of  the  motion 
picture. 

Concurrently  in  Collier's  Weekly,  Ky|e  Crichton,  associate 
editor,  in  a  style  reminiscent  of  vigorous  Robert  Forsythe,  pro- 
tested that  Hollywood  should  be  demanding  recognition  of  the 
essential  nature  of  its  stars,  instead  of  letting  them  be  led  off 
to  war,  because  of  a  state  of  super-sensitivity.  Mr.  Crichton 
wants,  he  says,  not  to  save  the  movies  but  to  save  them  for 
the  nation. 

Also,  Government  had  not  yet  said  to  the  motion  picture 
theatre  how  it  should  be  run  and  how  programed,  but  the 
motion  picture  department  of  the  War  Production  Board  was 
making  studies  and  asking  questions  about  double  bills  and 
their  relation  to  the  national  film  economy.  That  was  a  con- 
tinued stirring  of  the  leaves  in  the  bottom  of  the  cup  from  the 
first  pouring  of  Mr.  Mellett's  teapot,  some  weeks  before  the 
censorship  "tempest".  Nothing  was  contemplated,  it  was  said, 
but  WPB  was  very  interested. 

Interestingly  the  WPB  letter  of  questionnaire  took  cognizance 
of  the  status  quo,  etc.,  between  the  industry  and  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  in  a  final  paragraph  which  indicated  that  the 
inquiries  could  be  answered  without  incurring  inferential  charges 
of  collusion  and  conspiracy.  This  was  a  remembering  that 
Thurman  Arnold,  trust-buster,  had  indicated  that  the  industry 
might  not  collectively  agree  on  anything,  or  even  coincidentally, 
but  in  this  case,  said  WPB,  their  counsel  thought  that  accidental 
agreements  might  not  be  subject  to  indictment. 

There  was  reflection  of  this  delicacy  of  understandings 
within  the  industry,  in  the  matter  of  newsreels  which  were  enter- 
ing upon  a  program  of  reduced  footage,  and  in  some  instances 
reduced  number  of  prints,  for  an  experimental  period  to  help 
meet  the  problem  of  over-all  film  raw  stock  cuts  for  the 
industry.  The  newsreels  could  not,  under  the  trust  laws,  agree 
among  themselves  but  they  could  agree  with  the  government. 
The  tentative  plan  had  been  reached  and  was,  at  least  par- 
tially, in  operation  but  announcement  was  yet  to  come,  if  ever. 
The  newsreels'  voluntary  cut  is  actually  in  behalf  of  feature 
footage. 


Mellett  Letter 
Defines  Relation 
As  'Voluntary9 

Discussions  of  the  content  of  motion 
pictures,  in  the  making,  between  Holly- 
wood and  the  Office  of  War  Information 
this  week  were  still  on  a  voluntary  basis, 
officially. 

Definition  of  that  voluntary  basis  came 
Monday  following  an  officially  termed 
"misunderstanding"  which  gave  Holly- 
wood censorship  jitters  and  brought  a 
rash  of  headlines  across  the  country. 

Two  weeks  ago  Lowell  Mellett,  chief  of 
the  motion  picture  division  of  the  Office  of 
War  Information,  wrote  a  letter  to  studio 


heads  designed,  he  said,  to  clear  up  "con- 
siderable confusion"  which,  he  said,  seemed 
to  exist  among  producers  regarding  Govern- 
ment channels.  One  paragraph  of  the  letter 
read,  "...  it  would  be  advisable  to  estab- 
lish a  routine  procedure  whereby  our  Hol- 
lywood office  (Nelson  Poynter)  would  re- 
ceive copies  of  studio  treatments  or  synopses 
of  all  stories  .  .  .  and  of  the  finished  scripts." 

Mr.  Mellett  called  the  ensuing  uproar,  in 
which  the  press  in  Hollywood,  New  York 
and  Washington  saw  a  threat  of  censorship, 
a  "tempest  in  a  teapot"  and  insisted  the  stu- 
dios had  not  been  asked  to  do  anything 
which  had  not  become  already  established 
routine.  In  this  he  was  supported  by  his 
chief,  Elmer  Davis,  who  called  the  discus- 
sions of  censorship  "highly  imaginative." 

Two  days  before  Christmas  Mr.  Mellett 
and  home  office  executives  met  in  New  York 
to  sniff  the  teapot.  The  result  was  a  state- 
ment from  Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  for  the  in- 


dustry, and  a  covering  letter  from  Mr.  Mel- 
lett, for  the  Government  and  the  OWI. 

"The  purpose  of  the  meeting,"  said  Mr. 
Schenck,  "was  to  review  the  product  pro- 
duced by  the  industry  during  the  past  12 
months  relating  to  the  war  effort  and  to  dis- 
cuss the  assistance  and  cooperation  made 
available  to  the  industry  by  the  Bureau  of 
Motion  Pictures  of  the  OWI.  We  took 
the  occasion  to  express  the  industry's  thanks 
and  appreciation  for  the  helpful  and  con- 
structive assistance  given  to  us  by  Mr.  Mel- 
lett in  dealing  with  the  many  new  and  novel 
problems  with  which  the  industry  had  to 
contend  since  Pearl  Harbor. 

"Both  the  industry's  cooperation  and  the 
services  of  the  Bureau  of  Motion  Pictures 
have  been  on  a  purely  voluntary  basis.  The 
element  of  voluntary  cooperation  which  has 
characterized  our  relationships  in  the  past 
will  continue  in  the  future. 

"The  vear  1943  will  find  us  a  war  industry 


January    2 ,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


3 


U.  S.  and  Industry  Declare  for  Cooperation 


(Continued  from  opposite  page) 

and  we  undoubtedly  will  avail  ourselves  of 
the  many  services  which  the  Bureau  of  Mo- 
tion Pictures  is  qualified  to  render  to  us." 

Following  the  meeting,  Mr.  Mellett  sent 
a  letter  of  confirmation  to  Mr.  Schenck 
which  follows: 

"I  am  happy  to  have  had  the 
talk  yesterday  with  Messrs.  Balaban, 
Rathvon,  Hazen  and  yourself.  As  I 
told  you,  there  never  was  any  need 
for  misunderstanding  concerning  rela- 
tions between  the  Office  of  War  In- 
formation and  the  motion  picture 
industry,  and  I  know  there  never  has 
been  any  such  misunderstanding  so 
far  as  you  gentlemen  are  concerned. 

"Put  on  paper,  the  pertinent  part 
of  my  statement  to  you  is  that  our 
office  is  not  asking  the  producers  of 
pictures  to  submit  such  pictures  to  us 
at  any  stage  of  production — original 
story,  shooting  script,  long  cut  or 
finished  picture.  We  are  suggesting, 
however,  that  the  purpose  of  the 
motion  picture  industry  to  cooperate 
as  fully  as  possible  in  the  war  effort 
will  be  best  served  if  pictures  or  pro- 
posed pictures  are  brought  to  our 
attention  at  each  of  these  stages  of 
production.  Our  aim  is  to  simplify 
the  procedures  that  now  prevail.  The 
nearer  a  picture  approaches  comple- 
tion, the  more  difficult  and  expensive 
becomes  the  making  of  any  altera- 
tions that  in  our  mutual  judgment 
may  seem  necessary. 

"As  you  are  aware,  the  process 
suggested  already  has  become  a 
pretty  general  practice.  My  letter  of 
December  9  was  intended  merely  to 
describe  this  process  for  the  benefit 
of  all  who  might  desire  to  participate 
fully  in  the  motion  picture  industry's 


by  FRANCIS  L.  BURT 

in  Washington 

The  War  Production  Board  is  studying 
the  question  of  double  bills,  but  officials  said 
this  week  that  they  had  no  intention  of  inter- 
fering with  the  operational  practices  of  ex- 
hibitors. 

A  letter  inquiring  into  the  double  bill  situ- 
ation recently  was  sent  to  important  mem- 
bers of  the  industry  by  Christopher  J.  Dun- 
phy,  chief  of  the  WPB  amusements  section, 
requesting  information  and  views  regarding 
the  scope  and  desirability  of  the  practice. 
This  letter  was  sent  to  company  officials, 
asking  for  the  results  of  their  inquiries,  and 
to  regional  exhibitor  organization  officials. 


ASKS  U.S.  ACTION  ON 
SCREEN  MANPOWER 

"America  faces  the  loss  of  its  most 
valuable  single  morale  weapon — the 
movies,"  unless  the  U.  S.  Government 
does  something  about  it,  declares 
Kyle  Crichton,  associate  editor  of 
Collier's,  in  the  January  9th  issue  of 
the  magazine.  In  an  article  entitled 
"Hollywood  Gets  Its  Teeth  Kicked 
In",  Mr.  Crichton  comments:  "Be- 
cause Hollywood  was  both  short- 
sighted and  oversensitive,  its  actors 
and  technicians  are  marching  off  to 
war  instead  of  making  films  essential 
to  the  war  effort. 

"The  time  has  come  for  Washing- 
ton to  proclaim  the  movies  an  essen- 
tial industry,  exactly  as  necessary  as 
steel  and  coal  and  ships  and  farms. 
.  .  .  Let  actors  be  brought  back  from 
the  services  before  it  is  too  late,"  he 
urges.  "The  movies  are  one  of  our 
lines  of  defense.  .  .  .  The  job  is  to 
make  the  best  pictures  in  the  world 
and  to  keep  on  making  them." 


voluntary  cooperation  with  the  gov- 
ernment. 

"My  best  wishes  for  the  Christmas 
season." 

—LOWELL  MELLETT,  Chief, 
Bureau   of  Motion  Pictures. 

The  Hollywood  studios  this  week  still  had 
taken  no  concerted  action  on  the  request  al- 
though the  Producers  Association  had  dis- 
cussed the  matter.  Warner  Brothers,  answer- 
ing Mr.  Mellett's  first  letter  last  week,  prom- 
ised full  cooperation  in  the  matter  of  sub- 
mitting scripts  in  advance.  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox also  answered  the  letter  but  the 
nature  of  the  reply  was  not  disclosed. 


The  text  was : 

"Mounting  requirements  for  war  produc- 
tion have  created  shortages  which  can  be  met 
only  through  new  and  substantial  savings  in 
competing  civilian  uses  of  materials.  The 
suggestion  has  been  volunteered  that  com- 
pulsory elimination  of  double  features  in 
motion  picture  theatres  would  both  reduce 
consumtpion  of  motion  picture  film  and  pro- 
long the  useful  life  of  existing  motion  pic- 
ture equipment.  The  merit  of  this  proposal 
is  questioned  by  others  on  various  grounds, 
such  as  the  possibility  that  the  addition  of 
short  subjects  and  extra  shows  by  exhibitors 
would  offset  the  gains  from  mandatory  elimi- 
nation of  the  second  feature. 

"To  aid  in  the  consideration  of  this  mat- 


ter, the  Amusements  Section  of  the  Service 
Equipment  Division  of  the  War  Production 
Board  would  appreciate  receiving  from  you, 
as  one  acquainted  with  the  motion  picture 
industry,  your  analysis  of  the  following 
problems,  together  with  a  summary  of  your 
conclusions  as  the  result  of  such  analysis: 

"1.  What  savings,  if  any,  in  motion 
picture  theatre  equipment 
would  be  accomplished  by 
prohibiting  double  features? 

"2  What  savings,  if  any,  in  film 
would  be  accomplished  by  such 
a  prohibition? 

"3.  What  economic  effect  would 
such  a  prohibition  be  likely  to 
have  upon  various  types  of  ex- 
hibitors? 

"All  that  you  are  asked  to  do  is  to  make 
a  study  of  these  problems  based  upon  your 
own  information  concerning  theatre  opera- 
tions. In.  our  view  it  will  not  be  difficult  for 
you  to  analyze  the  matter  on  the  basis  of 
such  data  as  you  already  have.  Hence  this 
letter  is  not  to  be  construed  as  an  authoriza- 
tion for  calling  meetings  of  exhibitors  or 
circulating  questionnaires,  making  agree- 
ments or  understandings,  or  taking  any  ac- 
tion which  might  lead  people  to  believe  that 
they  are  required  by  the  War  Production 
Board  to  divulge  any  information  which 
they  regard  as  confidential. 

"Our  General  Counsel  has  advised  us  that 
as  long  as  the  actions  you  take  pursuant  to 
the  request  made  in  this  letter  are  limited  as 
indicated  above,  you  ivill  be  within  the  pro- 
tection of  an  assurance  from  the  Attorney 
General  that  such  actions  will  not  be  re- 
garded as  violations  of  the  Anti-Trust 
Laivs." 

WPB  officials  explained  that  the  survey 
had  been  undertaken  to  obtain  information 
on  what  they  admitted  was  a  highly  contro- 
versial subject,  but  said  it  had  not  been  initi- 
ated in  Washington  but  by  members  of  the 
industry  who  have  been  flooding  the  WPB 
with  recommendations  that  something  be 
done  about  the  situation. 

No  specific  order  is  under  consideration, 
it  was  emphasized,  and  no  decision  has  been 
reached  as  to  whether  the  board  should  move 
into  this  field.  If  any  action  is  taken,  how- 
ever, it  will  be  purely  on  the  basis  of  the 
savings  of  critical  materials  that  may  be 
achieved. 

Spokesmen  for  the  board  declared  that 
they  had  no  intention  of  interfering  in  the 
operation  of  theatres  and.  in  fact,  believed 
that  it  could  not  be  done  successfully  from 
Washington.  They  cited  as  an  example  of 
the  difficulties  which  would  be  encountered 
recommendations  they  have  received  for 
regulation  of  the  running  time  of  shows,  and 
pointed  out  that  while  any  program  laid 
down  might  be  suitable  for  some  section 
where  life  is  still  more  or  less  normal  it 
would  not  do  at  all  for  a  defense  area  where 
war  plants  are  operating  around  the  clock. 

Similarly,  they  said,  any  action  taken  on 
dual  bills,  purely  from  the  standpoint  of 
their  desirability,  certainly  would  not  meet 
(Continued  on  following  pope") 


WPB  Explores  Duals;  Denies 
Intention  to  Ban  Them 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


Film  Rationing  Questions  Newsreel  Status 


{Continued  from  preceding  page) 

with  universal  approval.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  possible  that  double  features  do  consti- 
tute a  waste  of  materials  vitally  needed,  and 
to  determine  whether  that  is  so  is  the  point 
of  the  survey.  However,  it  was  indicated, 
unless  a  really  worth-while  saving  of  mate- 
rials could  be  demonstrated,  it  was  not  like- 
ly that  the  board  would  take  any  action. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  the  controversy 
over  dobule  features  was  not  an  outgrowth 
of  the  "war,  but  has  been  a  question  troubling 
the  industry  for  a  number  of  years.  Officials 
in  Washington,  generally,  believe  it  is  a 
problem  which  should  be  worked  out  by  the 
industry  itself,  but  it  was  said  that  a  large 
volume  of  letters  on  the  subject  had  been  re- 
ceived, many  of  them  demanding  that  duals 
be  eliminated. 

At  the  moment,  nothing  is  "in  the  mill" 
and  the  inquiry  is  purely  for  the  purpose  of 
acquiring  data  for  further  study,  they  added. 

Raw  Stock  Cut 
Bites  First 
At  Newsreels 

Beginning  with  the  shipments  this 
week-end  the  newsreels  of  the  American 
motion  picture  industry  will  be  shorter, 
addressed  at  an  average  of  750  feet  each, 
or  about  a  hundred  feet  less  than  the 
prior  normal  length. 

This  practice  is  allegedly  for  an  experi- 
mental period  of  three  months. 

Importantly  the  procedure  will  eliminate 
all  "specials,"  and  all  "locals."  That  means 
for  specials  the  important  swift  developments 
between  scheduled  releases,  and  for  locals 
all  events  of  particularized  interest  to  par- 
ticular areas. 

This  is  the  first  and  most  significant  result 
in  terms  of  product  of  the  War  Production 
Board  order  to  hold  producers  to  the  use  of 
seventy-six  percent  of  their  1941  consump- 
tion of  raw  stock,  which  was,  at  midweek, 
not  quite  yet  officially  an  order,  but  decidedly 
in  effect. 

The  WPB  order  was  yet  to  issue.  It  was 
to  be,  if  and  when,  a  revision  of  L-178, 
issued  August  20,  which  froze  all  film  stocks 
in  the  hands  of  manufacturers  and  set  allo- 
cations at  from  76  to  90  percent  of  1941 
production.  That  order  expired  December  18 
and  was  extended  to  December  31.  Officially 
something  more,  was  about  to  be  said  maybe. 
Meanwhile  the  whole  situation  moved  into 
a  silent  tentativity. 

The  degree  of  official  silence  on  the  sub- 
ject in  both  the  New  York  offices  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry,  where  the  newsreel  cut. 
was  evolved,  and  in  Washington  was  acous^, 
tically  colossal. 

It  became  apparent,  however,  that  the 
sharp,  even  if  experimental,  cut  of  the  news- 
reel  raw  stock  consumption,  had  been  arrived 
at  by  home  office  distribution  authorities 
conserving  footage  for  feature  releases. 

The  delicacy  of  the  situation  and  its  lack 
of  official  avowals  grew  out  of  the  fact  that 
while  the  WPB  orders  require  an  over-all 


SEES  "ALIBI"  AS 
DOUBLE  TALK 

John  O'Donnell,  in  his  column, 
"Capitol  Stuff",  for  the  Chicago 
Tribune  -  New  York  News  Syndicate, 
Thursday  of  last  week,  characterized 
the  official  OWI  explanation  of  the 
Mellett  letter  as  "alibis  in  double 
talk".  Accusing  the  Administration 
of  casting  jealous  eyes  at  the  screen 
as  the  most  vulnerable  of  the  media 
of  communications,  he  said: 

"...  The  camel  of  direct,  hard- 
boiled  movie  censorship  stuck  its 
head  in  the  Hollywood  tent  and  was 
somewhat  surprised  when  it  got  a 
belt  on  the  nose.  .  .  .  But  the  censor- 
ship camel  will  be  back  later.  Of 
that  all  Washington  is  convinced." 

The  columnist  said  the  OWI  action 
was  only  the  first  move  toward  Gov- 
ernment dominance  of  the  motion 
picture.  He  declared  the  Texas  school 
ssytem  was  being  used  as  a  testing 
ground  for  the  free  exhibition  of 
pictures  produced  and  directed  by 
the  OWI,  in  direct  competition  with 
theatres. 


planned  economy  of  film  the  Department  of 
Justice  and  its  Thurman  Arnold  insist  on  no 
collusion  in  movieland.  So  it  came  that  the 
production  -  exhibition  -  distribution  units, 
under  varying  influences  of  a  Consent  De- 
cree, might  not  agree  among  themselves  but 
might  all  agree  with  the  war-economy  wing 
of  the  government,  with  discretion. 

Newsreel  editors  were  sweating  over  the 
increasing  pressure  of  the  order  of  film 
which  "Mr.  Mellett  suggests,"  sometimes 
called  "Government  must,"  and  the  reduced 
screen  time  in  which  they  hoped  to  maintain 
the  entertainment  content  of  their  product 
as  components  of  the  theatre  program.  They 
foresaw  reels  carrying  nothing  save  the  bur- 
den of  "message." 

More  seriously  the  newsreel  makers  are 
also  wondering  about  the  preservation  of  the 
status  of  their  product  as  mediums  of  com- 
munication, screen  publication.  None  of  them 
personally,  all  of  them  institutionally,  saw 
again  the  newsreel  as  a  football  of  sales 
managers. 

Yet  remained  the  question  of  a  possible, 
even  probable,  reduction  of  the  number  of 
newsreel  release  prints.  That  was  yet  to 
come.  It  was  yet  to  come  in  the  face  of  a 
swiftly  rising  demand,  born  of  war  interest, 
for  early  runs  reducing  the  typical  working 
life  of  a  newsreel  print  from  a  prior  sixty 
to  ninety  days  to  an  effective  maximum  of 
thirty  days. 

Newsreel  offices  also  burned  in  the  asser- 
tion that  they  had  been  invited  to  a  "token" 
meeting,  but  that  the  plan,  project  and  pro- 
gram had  been  decided  for  them  in  advance. 

And,  the  while,  the  Government  and  the 
War  are  looking  for  more  screen  time. — TR 


Gasoline,  Fuel 
Cuts  Invade 
Box  Offices 

Nationwide  gasoline  rationing  and  the 
fuel  oil  shortage  in  the  eastern  area  of  the 
country  continue  to  present  major  diffi- 
culties in  motion  picture  theatre  opera- 
tion, with  exhibitors,  for  the  most  part, 
making  quick  adjustments  to  meet  the 
situation.  Conversion  from  oil  to  coal 
heating  systems  was  the  order  of  most 
theatres  which  had  not  already  changed 
over.  In  some  areas  theatre  managers 
announced  closing  down  their  houses  one 
night  a  week  to  alleviate  the  situation. 

While  a  new  system  of  appraising  oil  allot- 
ments— that  of  listing  their  essentiality — 
was  awaited  at  mid-week  from  Washington, 
it  was  intimated  by  New  York  rationing  and 
oil  industry  representatives  that  places  of 
amusement,  if  at  all  on  the  list,  would  be 
last.  Places  such  as  hospitals,  court  houses, 
and  the  like  would  apparently  be  first. 

The  Community  theatre,  Fairfield,  Conn., 
reported  on  Monday  it  would  discontinue 
midweek  matinees  January  5th  in  the  inter- 
est of  fuel  conservation.  The  Essex  Square, 
Essex,  Conn.,  will  have  one  show  nightly 
instead  of  two,  for  the  same  reason,  it  was 
said. 

In  New  Oxford,  Pa.,  William  H.  Snyder, 
Jr.,  owner-manager  of  the  Earl,  announced 
last  week  it  would  be  necessary  to  drop 
Monday  and  Tuesday  operation  after  the 
holidays  because  of  the  fuel  oil  situation. 
This  is  the  first  casualty  in  the  eastern 
Pennsylvania  area.  The  house  will  be  open 
four  days  a  week.  Inability  to  convert  to 
coal  was  given  as  the  reason. 

Indiana-Illinois  Theatres  have  converted 
three  of  six  oil-heated  houses  to  coal  and 
will  change  over  heating  systems  in  the 
other  theatres,  it  was  reported  this  week,  as 
soon  as  equipment  is  available. 

Car  owners  with  "A"  books  who  use  their  . 
automobiles  to  go  to  theatres  may  find  their 
gasoline  supplies  cut  off  if  the  oil  situation 
in  the  east  necessitates  elimination  of  all 
non-essential  driving,  it  was  indicated  in 
Washington  over  the  weekend.  While  offi- 
cials of  the  Office  of  Price  Administration 
are  hopeful  the  reduction  in  the  value  of 
"B"  and  "C"  coupons  from  four  to  three 
gallons  weekly  will  tide  the  east  over  its 
present  crisis,  they  warned  that  further  cur- 
tailment may  be  necessary. 

OPA  officials  said  there  has  been  consid- 
erable criticism  of  the  use  of  private  cars 
for  trips  to  theatres,  particularly  in  cities 
where  public  transportation  is  available  or 
neighborhood  houses  are  within  walking  dis- 
tance of  most  residents. 

Meanwhile,  the  OPA  announced  over  the 
weekend  that  the  deadline  for  local  War 
Price  and  Rationing  boards  to  issue  tem- 
porary transport  rations  for  trucks,  buses 
and  other  commercial  vehicles,  including  film 
delivery  trucks,  was  set  at  January  31st. 


The  Shot 
Heard  'Round 
The  World ! 


AMERICA  CALLS  ITS  PATRIOTIC  SHOWMEN! 

(Have  you  sent  in  your  Pledge?) 


JAN.  14th  —  GALA  OPENING  DAY  AND 

NIGHT.  City-wide  parade  all  local  organi- 
zations. Children  Committee  in  costume 
of  United  Nations  visits  Mayor  who  pro- 
claims United  Nations  Week.  Night  cere- 
mony of  cutting  tape  at  theatre. 

JAN.  15th —  INDUCTION  NIGHT.  Boys  of 
foreign  parentage  going  into  service  on 
stage  with  others.  United  induction  cere- 
mony on  stage  with  military  pomp. 

JAN.  16th.  —  CHILDREN'S  PARADE  OF 
PENNIES.  Throughout  nation  each  child  is 
bringing  one  cent  to  school.  Great  human 
interest  stunt  for  photos  and  publicity. 

JAN.  17th  — SERVICE  AND  PATRIOTIC 
CLUBS.  Line  up  all  groups.  Luncheon  with 
speakers.  Club  night  at  theatre. 


JAN.  18th  — FOREIGN  COMMUNITY  NIGHT. 

One  or  more  nights,  depending  on  popu- 
lation groups  in  your  vicinity.  Stage  cere- 
mony if  possible  with  groups  in  costume, 
singers,  dancers,  music  of  foreign- American 
sponsorship. 

J  AN.  19th —MISS  UNITED  NATIONS 
NIGHT.  Culmination  of  Beauty  Contest 
of  all  nations,  with  newspaper  tie-up. 
Local  entrants  publicized  in  advance. 
Finalists  appear  on  stage  in  costume  for 
judging. 

JAN.  20th  —  MOTHERS'  VICTORY  NIGHT. 

Invite  the  mothers  of  foreign  birth 
whose  sons  are  in  service.  Also  American 
war  mothers  for  a  joint  United  Nations 
Salute. 


It's  all  in  this  Big 

FRAILER — POSTERS — PROMOTION 


I 

UNITED  NATIONS  \SIEK 


Campaign  Book! 

PUBLICITY  STORIES  -  AD  MATS 


Sponsored  byWarActiiities  Committee 
150 1  Broadway,  New  York  City 


-CAMPAIGN  BOOK 


!8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


'Serve '  Leads 
Picture  Polls 


Alger  Arbitration 
Appeal  Chairman 


Appointed  Successor  to 
Veeder;  Marsh  Named  to 
Vacant  Position 

Federal  Judge  Henry  W.  Goddard  in 
New  York  Tuesday  appointed  George  W. 
Alger  chairman  of  the  film  industry  arbi- 
tration appeal  board  to  place  the  late 
Judge  Van  Vechten  Veeder.  Mr.  Alger 
currently  is  a  member  of  the  board  and 
his  place  will  be  taken  by  Robert  Mc- 
Curdy  Marsh,  named  by  Judge  Goddard. 
He  will  fill  Judge  Veeder's  unexpired  term 
until  November  20,  1943,  at  a  salary  of 
$20,000  annually. 

The  appointments  followed  submission  by 
the  Department  of  Justice  of  a  motion  in 
the  U.  S.  district  court  calling  attention  to 
the  chairmanship  vacancy  and  petitioning 
the  court  to  make  a  new  appointment.  At- 
torneys for  the  five  consenting  distributors 
present  at  the  hearing  Monday  offered  no 
objections  to  the  hearing. 

The  Appeal  Board  has  been  unable  to  func- 
tion since  Judge  Veeder's  death  because  the  con- 
sent degree  requires  action  on  arbitration  appeals 
by  a  three-man  board.  Moreover,  the  budget 
committee  of  the  industry  arbitration  system 
has  been  unable  to  meet  to  set  the  past-due 
annual  budget  because  the  chairman  of  the 
Appeal  Board,  who  automatically  becomes  a 
member  of  the  budget  committee,  must  be 
present  at  the  annual  meeting. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of 
Delafield,  Marsh,  Porter  and  Hope,  and  was  a 
Justice  of  the  New  York  State  Supreme  Court 
in  1922.  He  formerly  was  an  Assemblyman  in 
the  New  York  state  legislature,  and  is  a  sustain- 
ing member  of  the  New  York  Bar  Association. 

Acted  in  RKO 
Reorganization 

Mr.  Alger  was  born  in  Burlington,  Vt,  in 
1872.  He  received  his  A.B.  and  LL.D  from  the 
University  of  Vermont  and  an  LL.B  from  New 
York  University.  He  has  practiced  law  in 
New  York  since  1895  with  the  firm  of  Alger, 
Peck,  Andrew  and  Rohlfs.  The  new  appeal  board 
chairman  drafted  the  present  New  York  em- 
ployes' liability  act  in  addition  to  many  amend- 
ments to  labor  and  child  labor  laws,  according 
to  Who's  Who.  He  served  as  impartial  chair- 
man having  jurisdiction  over  disputes  in  the 
cloak  and  suit  industry  in  New  York  from  1931- 
1935.  In  1933,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  New  York  to  investigate  acts  and 
transactions  of  state  insurance  companies  and 
submitted  recommendations  of  his  findings  in 
October,  1934.  In  1937,  Mr.  Alger  was  ap- 
pointed special  master  in  the  reorganization  of 
RKO.  He  is  the  author  of  several  books  on 
law. 

Philadelphia 

In  an  award  made  public  Monday,  Philadel- 
phia arbitrator,  Walter  H.  Robinson  reduced 
the  10-day  clearance  of  the  Warner,  Queen 
and  Rialto  theatres  in  Wilmington,  Del.,  and 
of  the  Capitol  and  Temple,  Dover,  and  the 
Reese  theatre,  Harrington,  Del.,  over  the  Plaza 
Milford,  Del.,  to  seven  days.  The  award  ap- 
plied to  Paramount,  RKO  and  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox product.  Loew's  named  in  the  com- 
plaint filed  by  the  Sidney  Theatre  Corp., 
operator  of  the  Plaza,  was  excepted  from  the 


award.  The  complainant  had  asked  for  elimi- 
nation of  all  clearance  held  by  the  theatres 
named  over  the  Plaza.  It  was  Philadelphia's 
20th  case. 

St.  Louis 

Mrs.  Mildred  Rauth,  owner  of  the  Ritz 
theatre,  Rolla,  Mo.  filed  an  arbitration  complaint 
Monday  under  Section  VI  and  VII  of  the  Con- 
sent Decree  against  Paramount,  Loew's,  RKO 
Radio,  Twentieth  Century-Fox  and  Warner 
Bros.  Mrs  Rauth  won  a  some  run  decision 
against  the  five  defendants  November  19,  1941, 
but  she  now  says  the  companies  have  refused 
and  still  refuse  to  offer  her  pictures  on  terms 
and  conditions  not  calculated  to  defeat  the  pur- 
poses of  Section  VI.  She  also  charges  there 
never  has  been  a  second  run  of  pictures  in  Rolla 
and  the  five  companies  have  refused  to  give  her 
films  within  a  reasonable  time  after  their  na- 
tional release  date.  Named  in  the  petition  are 
the  rival  theatres,  Rolla-Mo  and  Uptown, 
operated  by  the  Gasconade  Amusement  Com- 
pany. 

Cleveland 

A  combination  clearance  and  run  complaint 
was  filed  this  week  in  Cleveland  against  Loew's 
RKO  Radio  and  Paramount  by  the  Bel-Pik 
Theatre  Corporation,  operator  of  the  Van  Wert 
theatre,  Van  Wert,  O.  The  complainant  charges 
that  after  purchasing  product  of  those  companies 
for  a  number  of  years,  the  Van  Wert  recently 
was  refused  their  pictures  except  on  what  is 
regarded  as  unreasonable  terms  and  clearance 
conditions.  The  complaint  asks  relief  in  con- 
nection with  clearance  granted  the  Warner 
Ohio  and  Sigma  at  Lima  over  the  Van  Wert. 


Technicolor  Earnings 
Equal  40  Cents  a  Share 

The  earnings  of  the  Technicolor  companies 
for  the  year  1942  after  depreciation,  taxes  and 
all  other  charges,  as  estimated  at  this  time, 
amount  to  approximately  40  cents  per  share  on 
the  outstanding  shares  of  Technicolor,  Inc. ; 
this  compares  with  $1.05  per  share  for  1941. 
It  was  decided  no  dividend  would  be  paid  at 
this  time. 

In  reporting  this  figure,  Dr.  Herbert  T. 
Kalmus,  president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Technicolor  companies,  said  further  that  while 
Technicolor  had  a  larger  volume  of  photography 
on  its  books  for  the  last  quarter  of  1942  and 
the  first  quarter  of  1943  than  ever  before  in 
its  history  for  the  corresponding  period,  the 
monthly  volume  of  business  and  profit  through- 
out 1942  was  spotty.  This  was  due  in  part  to 
postponement  of  pictures  into  1943,  due  to 
extended  runs  of  current  photoplays  in  the 
theatres,  and  due  to  unusual  conditions  pre- 
vailing in  the  studios  on  account  of  the  war. 
Further  reasons  adversely  affecting  1942  profit 
were  increases  in  wages,  diminished  operating 
efficiency  due  to  loss  of  key  men  to  the  armed 
services,  etc.,  diminished  and  abnormally  uneven 
volume  from  month  to  month  and  lowered 
royalties. 


Will  Ban  Bingo  Games 

A  ban  on  bingo  games  operated  by  profes- 
sional promoters  was  indicated  last  week  in 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  when  Mayor  Howard  J. 
Snowdon  instructed  the  Public  Safety  director 
to  investigate  a  number  of  the  weekly  sessions 
now  being  held. 


Following  the  Motion  Picture  Herald's 
survey  of  exhibitor  opinion  in  its  annual  "Money 
Making  Stars"  poll,  led  by  Abbott  and  Costello, 
other  "best"  selections  were  in  order  this  week, 
at  the  year's  end,  with  metropolitan  newspaper 
film  critics  collectively  and  individually  giving 
voice. 

The  New  York  Film  Critics  Circle  chose, 
as  best  picture  of  1942,  "In  Which  We  Serve"  ; 
performance,  that  of  James  Cagney  in  "Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy" ;  direction,  John  Farrow's  on 
"Wake  Island"  ;  best  actress,  Agnes  Moorehead, 
in  "The  Magnificent  Ambersons" ;  documentary 
film,  "Moscow  Strikes  Back." 

The  "ten  best"  films  in  the  opinion  of  Bosley 
Crowther,  New  York  Times,  were  "In  Which 
We  Serve",  "Journey  for  Margaret",  "Casa- 
blanca", "One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing", 
"Wake  Island",  "Mrs.  Miniver",  "Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy",  "The  Gold  Rush",  "Woman  of 
the  Year",  "Sullivan's  Travels". 

The  National  Board  of  Review's  Committee 
on  Exceptional  Photo  plays  picked:  "In  Which 
We  Serve"  as  the  best  picture  of  the  year,  and 
"Moscow  Strikes  Back"  as  the  best  documen- 
tary. Other  best  films,  in  the  committee's 
estimation  were  "One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Miss- 
ing", "Mrs.  Miniver",  "Journey  for  Margaret", 
"Wake  Island",  "Male  Animal",  "The  Major 
and  the  Minor",  "Sullivan's  Travels",  "The 
Moon  and  Sixpence"  and  "The  Pied  Piper". 


"Stand  By"  Opens 
In  Washington 

Under  the  sponsorship  of  the  Navy  League, 
MGM's  "Stand  By  for  Action"  opened  Wed- 
nesday night  at  Loew's  Palace  theatre  in  Wash- 
ington. High  ranking  Army  and  Navy  officials 
attended  the  premiere.  The  film  stars  Robert 
Taylor,  Charles  Laughton  and  Brian  Donlevy. 
At  a  War  Bond  premiere  of  the  picture  at 
Loew's  Valentine  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  last  Wednes- 
day, more  than  $400,000  in  Bonds  were  sold. 

On  Tuesday,  the  Navy  League  presented  a 
special  award  to  MGM  for  "Stand  By  For 
Action,"  as  a  film  which  "stirringly  portrays  the 
skill  and  tradition  of  the  U.  S.  Navy  and  is  a 
deserved  tribute  to  its  fighting  men." 

Military  attention,  in  the  form  of  a  parade 
and  presence  of  Army  officers  was  given  to  the 
premiere  of  "Commandos  .  Strike  at  Dawn," 
Wednesday  night  at  the  J.  P.  Harris  theatre, 
Pittsburgh.  The  film,  starring  Paul  Muni,  is 
a  Lester  Cowan  production  for  Columbia. 

Two  other  pictures  made  their  debuts  this 
week,  MGM's  "Whistling  in  Dixie,"  the  Red 
Skelton  vehicle  which  had  its  New  York  pre- 
miere at  Loew's  Criterion,  Wednesday,  and 
Paramount's  "Star  Spangled  Rhythm,"  which 
opened  at  the  Paramount  theatre  in  New  York 
the  same  night. 

New  Autry  Films  Depend 
On  Star's  Furloughs 

Following  the  announcement  that  Republic 
Pictures  would  reissue  eight  Gene  Autry  pic- 
tures, the  company  indicated  it  hopes  to  produce 
two  other  Autry  films  if  the  star  receives  a  long 
enough  furlough  from  duties  as  flight  sergeant 
in  the  Air  Corps. 

Scripts  are  in  preparation,  and  if  Army  per- 
mission were  granted,  immediate  production 
would  get  underway,  the  company  disclosed. 


Fire  Destroys  Texas  Theatres 

Theatres  at  Kilgore  and  Edna,  Texas,  were 
razed  by  fires  last  week.  The  damage  to  Kil- 
gore's  theatre  was  placed  at  $75,000.  while  the 
Ed-Tex  theatre  in  Edna  suffered  $12,000  loss. 


January    2.  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


- 


CANADA  TRADE  ORGANIZES 
UNDER  CLOSER  REGULATION 


Government  Tightens  Hold 
on  Industry;  Exhibition 
Presents    United  Front 

by  W.  M.  GLADISH 

hi  Toronto 

The  present  is  a  period  of  organization 
in  the  Canadian  Etna  industry — exhibitors 
and  exchange  executives  have  been  run- 
ning from  one  meeting  to  another — and. 
on  to  one  side,  the  Wartime  Prices  and 
Trade  Board  has  been  showing  its  teeth. 
It  hasn't  been  said  but  undoubtedly  there 
is  a  connection,  the  film  men  girding  for 
action  on  the  one  hand  and  Government 
officials  preparing  broadsides  to  tighten 
the  ring  of  control  around  the  theatres. 
Independent  owners  and  large  circuits  got 


together  for  a  united  front  in  the  Morion 
Picture  Theatres  Association  of  Ontario 
and  immediate  assurance  was  given  by  cir- 
cuit heads  that  they  did  not  want  office,  pow- 
er or  influence  in  the  new  organization.  It 
was  to  be  a  case  of  all  for  one  and  one  for 
all.  This  was  borne  out  at  the  subsequent 
meeting'  of  the  new  executive  board,  on 


which  there  is  a  balance  of  voting  privilege, 
when  a  small  town  theatre  owner  was  voted 
into  the  presidency. 

He  was  not  even  a  dark  horse  in  the  elec- 
tion race — his  name  had  not  been  mentioned 
as  a  presidential  prospect.  The  man  is  E. 
D.  Warren  of  Aurora,  a  town  of  2.500  north 
of  Toronto,  where  he  has  the  Royal  theatre, 
with  382  seats.  Perhaps,  some  day,  he  may 
be  accused  of  being  a  circuit  operator  be- 
cause he  has  another  theatre,  the  Star,  which 
is  in  Carleton  Place.  To  make  the  Warren 
statistics  more  definite,  the  Star  seats  378 
persons  when  packed  and  Carleton  Place, 
down  in  Eastern  Ontario,  has  a  population 
of  some  4.000. 

Neither  is  an  industrial  center  nor  boasts 
of  local  military  barracks,  so  that  Mr.  War- 
ren cannot  be  classed  as  a  war  profiteer.  Yet 
they  reached  out  from  big  Toronto  to  make 
him  president  of  the  new  exhibitor  body — 
and  he  did  not  immediately  issue  an  official 
comrnunique  to  solemnize  the  unusual  occa- 

Other  Officers  Also 
Are  Independents 

No  announcement  has  been  made  as  to 
who  nominated  Mr.  Warren  behind  the 
closed  doors  of  the  initial  executive  meeting 
of  the  MPTA  of  Ontario  but  whoever  he 
was.  he  was  a  Solomon.  Mr.  Warren  is  not 
a  Famous  Players  man.  an  Odeon  man,  an 
N.  A.  Taylor  rnan  or  listed  with  Exhibitors 
Booking  Association  or  Associated  The- 
atres, Ltd.  He  makes  the  rounds  of  the 
film  exchanges  to  book  pictures  and  every- 
body calls  him  '"Ed."  The  big  fellow  (physi- 
cally") must  be  neutral,  and  it  is  apparent 
that  Mr.  Warren  was  a  happy  choice. 

The  other  new  Ontario  officers  also  have 
the  earmarks  of  independence.  Hy  Freed- 
man, who  owns  the  Circle  in  North  Toronto 
and  the  Center  in  St.  Catharines  and  who 
really  started  the  agitation  for  something 


bigger  and  better  than  the  somewhat  one- 
sided Independent  Theatres  Association  of 
Ontario,  was  selected  as  vice-president.  Mr. 
Freedman  had  been  a  president  of  the  for- 
mer ITA  a  couple  of  times  and  the  nearest 
that  he  comes  to  being  a  next-of-kin  to  the 
larger  theatre  interests  is  that  he  gets  his 
films  through  the  Exhibitors  Booking  As- 
sociation. That  doesn't  count  as  a  circuit, 
however. 

For  treasurer,  Morris  A.  Milligan  was 
elected.  He  was  general  manager  of  Para- 
mount Film  Service  for  years,  until  he 
severed  the  connection  about  the  same  time 
that  N.  L.  Nathanson  stepped  out  of  Famous 
Players,  but  there  is  insistence  that  there  is 
no  connection  there.  Mr.  Milligan.  since, 
has  acquired  three  theatres  of  his  own  in 
Hamilton,  Ont.  The  search  for  a  secretary 
ended  with  Joseph  Garbarino,  out  Queen 
West  way  in  Toronto  with  a  strictly  neigh- 
borhood house,  the  Odeon.  The  name  does 
not  mean  that  he  is  with  the  Odeon  Circuit ; 
he  had  the  theatre  title  by  prior  rights  for 
years. 

Wartime  Price  Board 
Has  Wide  Power 

The  executive  secretary-treasurer,  full- 
time  occupant  of  the  association  offices  at  26 
Queen  Street  East,  Toronto,  organizer,  and 
the  man  who  has  been  in  practically  every 
theatre  from  coast  to  coast  in  Canada  and 
knows  everybody,  is  Sydney  Taube.  He's 
there  on  a  permanent  basis,  after  showing 
his  mettle  with  the  Canadian  Picture  Pio- 
neers, for  the  Motion  Picture  War  Services 
Committee,  in  War  Savings  Stamps  and 
Victory  Loan  campaigns,  apart  from  years 
of  experience  in  the  film  exchange  field.  His 
career  has  been  wide  and  diversified. 

The  leading  film  men  on  the  executive 
board  of  the  new  association  have  been 
relegated  to  minor  committee  positions.  Ben 
Geldsaler  of  Famous  Players,  Samuel  Fine 
of  B.  &.  F.  Theatres  and  Harry  Alexander, 
a  circuit  partner,  constitute  the  welfare  com- 
mittee. Haskel  Masters,  general  manager 
of  Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada;  N.  A.  Tay- 
lor of  20th  Century  Theatres,  and  Herbert 
Allen  of  the  Allen  Theatre  group  make  up 
the  organization  and  by-law  committee.  Mr. 
Milligan.  Mr.  Freedman  and  Mr.  Taube 
form  the  finance  and  budget  committee.  This 
list  puts  everyone  to  -work  for  the  cause. 

Unlimited  Powers 
For  Trade  Board 

In  the  meantime,  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment has  issued  an  Order-in-Council.  pro- 
viding unlimited  powers  to  the  Wartime 
Prices  and  Trade  Board  in  the  regulation 
and  control  of  businesses  and  services 
throughout  the  country — and  the  film  trade 
is  grouped  as  one  of  the  services  concerned. 
In  a  word,  the  Order-in-Council  incorpo- 
rates the  power  to  do  anything.  Other  Gov- 
ernment wartime  controllers,  outside  of  the 
Prices  Board,  also  have  been  amplifying 
their  ability  to  restrain,  limit,  prohibit,  con- 
strain, reduce,  ban    and    otherwise  order 


mere  business  enterprises  and  individuals 
under  the  heading  of  war  measures. 

A  meeting  is  to  be  held  shortly  between 
Wartime  Prices  Board  officials  and  the  In- 
dustrial Advisory  Council,  the  latter  headed 
by  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  president  of  Famous 
Players  Canadian  Corporation,  and  the  way 
things  are  shaping  up  this  Toronto  get-to- 
gether promises  to  be  a  warm  session.  A 
reorganization  of  the  industry's  council  is 
being  discussed.  Perhaps  there  will  be  new 
and  stronger  faces. 

The  National  Council  of  Independent  Ex- 
hibitors of  Canada  is  preparing  plans  to 
hold  its  second  general  meeting  in  Toronto 
early  in  the  new  year  to  deal  with  the  or- 
ganization's program  for  1943.  to  adopt  a 
constitution  and  bylaws  and  to  review  the 
activities  of  the  first  year  of  the  association. 

Controlled  Film  Buying 
Seen  Forestalled 

The  Council  is  made  up  of  the  presidents 
or  other  nominated  representatives  of  the 
various  Provincial  groups  of  independent 
theatre  owners,  with  A.  T.  Mason  of  Spring- 
hill,  N.  S.,  as  chairman,  and  the  suggestion 
has  been  made  from  Toronto  headquarters 
that,  having  served  a  year,  the  officers 
should  now  be  replaced  or  reelected  on  the 
basis  of  the  year's  work. 

In  a  report  to  the  Provincial  Councils 
from  Toronto,  it  has  been  pointed  out  that 
the  organization  has  been  busy  with  Gov- 
ernment control  matters  and  cooperative 
work  both  at  Toronto  and  Ottawa  where 
Federal  Board  offices  are  maintained.  Forced 
or  controlled  film  buying  has  been  fore- 
stalled, it  is  set  forth,  and  to  restrict  non- 
competitive theatres  to  the  combinations  of 
product  which  they  happened  to  have  during 
official  basic  period  will  lead  to  a  restricted 
program  diet  for  the  general  public  and  an 
eventual  reduction  in  the  quality"  of  pictures. 

Russian  Films  Gain 
Canadian  Audience 

by  ED  BAKER 

in  Winnipeg 

A.  J.  Laurie  of  Toronto,  general  manager 
of  Esquire' Films,  Ltd..  distributors  of  Russian 
films  in  Canada,  reports  heightened  interest  in 
Russian  films  on  the  part  of  the  patrons  in 
Canada. 

"Excellent  attendance  throughout  the  Do- 
minion has  been  increased  by  the  current  cam- 
paign of  the  Canadian  Aid  to  Russia  Fund  and 
also  by  the  courageous  battle  the  Soviets  have 
carried  on  against  Hitler."  he  said.  '"The  qual- 
ity of  the  films  themselves  is  greatly  improved." 

Many  of  the  recent  Russian  films,  including 
"Our  Russian  Front,"  "Our  Russian  Allies" 
and  "Moscow  Strikes  Back."  already  have 
played  first  run  theatres  in  Winnipeg  and  no-w- 
are showing  at  neighborhood  houses.  "This 
is  the  Enemy"  now  is  playing  the  principal 
cities  of  Canada  and  the  L'nited  States  and 
will  open  here  shortly  after  the  Xew  Year. 

H.  I.  Allen,  manager  of  the  Winnipeg  office 
of  Esquire  Films,  also  noted  wide  interest  in 
Russian  films  in  Winnipeg  and  throughout 
"Western  Canada. 


JAMES  CAGNEY..GEORGE  M.  COHAN, /'YANKEE  DOODLE  DANDY"w,thjoAN  leslie-walter  hus 


Jeanne  Cagney  Frances  Langford  ™e  S°n£s  b.y         #  Screen  Play  Dy  Robert  Buckner  and  Edmund  .  ,  ,^,elb^r-Di  >re^tt^K-,-r 

WHORF  *     George  Tobias- Irene  Manning     '  btU.  M.LUHAIN      Josech  .  Origrnai  Story  by  Robert  Buckner     M  ICH  AEL  CU  RTIZ 


22 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


FILM  STOCKS  VALUE  RISES 
TO  $644,512,787  IN  '42 


Highest  in  4  Years,  Based 
on  Greater  Earnings, 
Strengthened  Position 

By  THE  ANALYST 

Film  shares  advanced  sharply  on  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange  during  1942, 
responding  to  higher  earnings  reports,  the 
strong  financial  position  of  the  industry, 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  motion 
picture  is  the  public's  chief  relaxation 
during  war  tension  and  a  tendency  in 
Wall  Street  to  look  upon  film  stocks  more 
as  an  investment  than  a  speculation. 

The  market  value  of  listed  motion  picture 
shares  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange 
rose  during  1942  to  the  highest  level  in 
four  years,  totaling  $644,512,787,  compared 
with  $557,430,552  at  the  end  of  1941.  The 
last  time  the  1942  total  was  exceeded  was 
at  the  end  of  1938,  when  the  market  valu- 
ation of  film  stocks  was  $719,941,250. 

Every  motion  picture  security,  not  only 
shares  listed  on  the  stock  exchange,  but 
those  on  the  Curb  market,  and  bonds  on 
the  Stock  Exchange,  showed  an  advance  for 
the  year.  The  highest  prices  were  touched 
late  in  the  year,  when  the  general  market 
was  rallying  from  an  earlier  decline,  but 
motion  picture  securities  often  showed  in- 
dependent strength  as  a  result  of  Wall 
Street's  bullishness  toward  the  industry. 
Some  films  issues  even  crowded  out  old 
line  blue  chip  favorites  among  steels,  utili- 
ties, railroads  and  industrials  as  media  for 
investment  portfolios. 

Broad  improvement  in  the  industry's 
financial  position  was  the  major  factor. 
Earnings  rose  as  box  office  registers  jingled 
with  the  cash  of  a  public  whose  purchasing 
power  was  boosted  by  booming  industry  and 
whose  desire  for  relief  from  long  hours  and 
war  nerves  was  being  filled  more  and  more 
by  screen  entertainment.  This  was  particu- 
larly noticeable  during  the  summer  months 
when  restrictions  on  use  of  gasoline  were 
beginning  to  be  felt  as  a  deterrent  to  motor 
trips  as  a  form  of  relaxation. 

Earnings  Statements 
Reflect  Trend 

A  glance  at  the  latest  earnings  reports  of 
some  of  the  leading  companies  in  the  indus- 
try illustrates  this  development.  Loew's, 
Inc.,  for  example,  reported  for  the  40  weeks 
ended  June  4,  1942,  an  operating  income  of 
$3,901,590,  compared  with  $2,275,726  in  the 
40  weeks  ended  June  5,  1941. 

Twentieth-Century-Fox  Film  showed  the 
most  remarkable  earnings  increase  of  the 
year,  reflecting  largely  the  release  by  the 
British  Government  of  all  sterling  balances 
held  by  the  company  up  to  October  24,  1942. 
The  company  reported  a  net  income  of 
$7,256,003  for  the  39  weeks  ended  September 
26,  1942,  compared  with  $1,549,164  for  the 
39  weeks  ended  September  27,  1941. 

Paramount  Pictures  reported  for  the  nine 
months  ended  October  4,  1942,  a  net  income 
of  $9,278,000,  against  $7,450,000  for  the 
nine  months  ended  October  4,  1941.  Colum- 
bia Picture's  net  for  the  13  weeks  ended 


22,292  20TH-FOX  SHARES 
SOLD  IN  23  MINUTES 

A  block  of  22,292  shares  of  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  stock  was  sold  in 
23  minutes  last  Wednesday  on  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange  under  a 
special  offering  of  the  Exchange. 
Sponsored  by  Lehman  Bros.,  the  offer- 
ing was  at  a  price  of  14%,  with  a 
special  concession  of  40  cents  a  share 
to  Exchange  members.  It  was  re- 
ported that  39  brokerage  firms  han- 
dled the  purchases  for  133  buyers. 
The  largest  block  sold,  it  was  said, 
totaled  5,585  shares  and  the  smallest 
21. 


September  26,  1942,  was  $312,000,  compared 
with  $262,000  for  the  similiar  period  ended 
September  27,  1941.  Warner  Brothers  had 
a  net  income  of  $8,554,513  in  the  52  weeks 
ended  August  31,  1942,  against  $5,429,303  in 
the  preceding  fiscal  year. 

Wall  Street  took  cognizance  of  these 
figures,  particularly  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
they  were  being  made  in  the  face  of  higher 
operating  costs.  The  ability  of  some  of  the 
industry's  leading  units  to  strengthen  their 
financial  position  by  refunding  current  ob- 
ligations with  long  term  indebtedness  at 
interest  rates  as  favorable  as  those  granted 
other  industries  also  was  a  factor  and  there 
was  lively  bidding  at  times  for  motion  pic- 
ture shares. 

Loew's  Stock  Advances 
10  Points  for  Year 

The  biggest  advance  among  the  active 
film  issues  was  in  Loew's,  which  advanced 
about  10  points  for  the  year  to  around  47, 
its  best  price  in  three  years.  The  increase  in 
the  stock's  market  valuation  was  $16,240,702, 
second  only  to  that  of  the  high-priced  and 
relatively  inactive  Eastman  Kodak,  which 
advanced  $23,522,123  in  market  value  during 
the  year. 

Twentieth-Century-Fox  was  another  sharp 
gainer,  rising  about  eight  points  for  the 
year,  a  market  valuation  gain  of  $13,718,211. 
Columbia  Pictures  gained  around  five  points 
for  the  year  to  a  price  above  10.  Some  of 
the  industry's  preferred  shares,  becoming 
increasingly  popular  in  Wall  Street  for  in- 
come purposes,  showed  wide  advances.  At 
the  close  of  December  27th,  Warner  Bros, 
preferred  was  up  12  points  over  the  closing 
price  of  1941,  Universal  Pictures  preferred 
was  up  16  points,  Columbia  Pictures  pre- 
ferred up  83A  points,  Keith-Albee-Orpheum 
preferred  eight  points.  Paramount  1st  pre- 
ferred nine  points  and  20th  Century-Fox 
preferred  7y2  points.  On  the  Curb  Exchange 
Universal  Pictures  common  showed  a  rise 
of  18  points  over  its  closing  1941  price. 

Expectations  in  Wall  Street  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  new  year  were  that  1943  would 
see  motion  picture  attendance  hit  new  highs 
and  be  reflected  in  further  improvement  in 
earnings.  With  a  greater  income  and  less 


goods  to  spend  it  on,  the  public  was  ex- 
pected to  keep  motion  picture  box  office  cash 
registers  jingling  to  find  recreation  and  an 
antidote  to  war  nerves. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Government's  recog- 
nition of  the  motion  picture  as  one  of  the 
best  forms  of  "escapist"  entertainment  for 
a  war-tense  public  was  expected  to  assure 
that  no  serious  restrictions  or  priorities  that 
would  adversely  affect  the  industry  would  be 
placed  upon  it. 

Meanwhile,  another  favorable  augury  for 
film  shares  was  a  tendency  in  financial  cir- 
cles to  look  for  a  better  year  in  the  general 
market  during  1943.  The  market  was  ex- 
pected to  continue  through  the  new  year  an 
improvement  that  started  after  April  28th, 
on  which  day  the  major  stock  averages 
touched  their  lowest  levels  since  1934.  The 
market  also  picked  up  in  activity  in  the  last 
half  of  the  year  after  witnessing  the  lightest 
trading  since  1914.  Similarly,  the  prices  of 
stock  exchange  membership,  which  dropped 
to  the  lowest  since  1897,  were  rallying  at  the 
year  end. 


Companies  Get 
Frozen  Funds 

Distributors'  revenue  in  the  amount  of  ap- 
proximately $4,000,000  was  received  from 
Australia,  where  it  had  been  frozen  for  several 
years,  by  companies  in  New  York  just  before 
Christmas. 

The  Australian  Government  advised  further 
that  the  eight  major  distributors  would  be 
allowed  to  withdraw  a  total  of  $3,100,000  in 
quarterly  installments  during  1943  as  com- 
pared with  the  $2,300,000  which  was  al- 
lowed this  year.  The  approximately  $4,000,- 
000  which  was  remitted  was  the  final 
quarterly  withdrawal  for  the  year  and  amounted 
to  $575,000,  and  50  per  cent  of  the  companies' 
frozen  balances  in  Australia,  since  the  war 
started.  An  estimated  $3,500,000  of  those  funds 
was  received.  It  is  expected  that  the  remaining 
50  per  cent  will  be  released  by  June  1st  of  this 
year. 

Columbia  Stockholders 
To  Meet  January  I  Ith 

A  proxy  statement  made  public  last  week 
by  the  Columbia  Pictures  Corporation  pro- 
posed that  the  board  of  directors  be  reelected 
at  the  anual  meeting,  January  11th. 

The  meeting  will  vote  on  an  amendment 
providing  for  indemnification  of  directors  or 
officers  for  expenses  incurred  in  actions  in 
which  they  are  joined  because  of  their  positions, 
and  not  due  to  their  negligence.  The  present 
directors  of  Columbia  Pictures  are :  Harry 
Cohn,  Jack  Cohn,  Abe  Schneider,  N.  B.  Spin- 
gold,  Dr.  A.  H.  Giannini,  Leo  M.  Blancke 
and  Louis  J.  Barbano. 


Philco  Net  $595,853 

Net  income  of  the  Philco  Corporation  in  the 
third  quarter  of  1942,  after  provision  for  esti- 
mated Federal  and  state  income  and  excess 
profits  taxes,  amounted  to  $595,853,  or  43  cents 
per  share,  of  which  $111,000  or  8  cents  per 
share  is  the  post-war  refund  provided  for  by 
the  Revenue  Act  of  1942,  it  was  announced 
by  James  T.  Buckley,  president. 


January    2 ,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


23 


MOTION  PICTURE  STOCKS  IN  1942 

High  and  Low  in  Stock  and  Bond  Trading  for  5  Year  Period 

(Closing  Prices  for  1942  in  All  Tables  Are  As  of  December  27) 
XEW  YORK  STOCK  EXCHAXGE 


Stock  and  Dividend 

Columbia  Pictures  (54B)  

Columbia  Pictures  pfd.  (2?i). 

Consolidated  Film   

Consolidated  Film  pfd  GO.. 

Eastman  Kodak  (5)  

Eastman  Kodak  pfd.  (6)  

Gen.  Precision  (1)  

Keith-Albee-Orpheum  pfd.  ... 

Loew's,  Inc.  (2A)  .  

Paramount  (1.20)   

Paramount  1st  pfd.  (6)  

Radio-Keith-Orpheurr.   

Radio- Keith-Orpheum  pfd.  . . . 

20th  Century- Fox  (1KB)  

20th  Century-Fox  pfd.  (1$4  ... 
Universal  Pictures" pfd.  (8Q.. 

Warner  Brothers   

Warner  Brothers  pfd.  (3.85C). 


Sales 

High 

Low 

Close 

Net 
Change 

High 

1941  

Low 

,  194*  , 

H  Lgh  Low 

,  1939  

High  Low 

,  193S- 

High 

Low 

u&ooo 

1054 

85^* 

754 

16 

1354 

9.000 

32% 

2854 

26  " 

1554 

3534 

2754 

13,900 

ji 

13/32 

+1/32 

154 

~  54 

154 

m 

ft 

254 

1 

19.S00 

9 

m 

+  34 

11 

7 

1054 

554 

1254 

754 

1254 

45-4 

mj6 

108 

147J4 

+  954 

14554 

12054 

166?; 

117 

wen 

13854 

187 

12154 

-.260 

ISO 

170 

178 

1S254 

160 

ISO 

155 

1S354 

15554 

173 

157 

W.600 

1434 

mi 

1454 

+  354 

16J4 

954 

1334 

734 

1554 

85i 

1654 

854 

210 

103 

9354 

103 

4-  8 

12154 

95 

109 

95 

10054 

85 

91 

63 

250.500 

4654 

37 

4654 

+  m 

393s 

28 

3/}4 

2054 

5454 

3054 

6254 

33 

644,000 

rm 

1134 

1674 

+  238 

1654 

10 

10J4 

454 

14}fi 

65-s 

1354 

554 

2-4.600 

123H 

10O54 

120 

+  9 

11554 

354 

9554 

99 

64 

10754 

72 

65 

120,600 

314 

2 

354 

+  34 

2 

334 

2% 

154 

551 

154 

6.100 

5454 

345s 

5354 

+  654 

5554 

3854 

not 

listed 

454.900 

16 

754 

+  7*4 

5 

1354 

5 

2654 

1156 

2854 

1654 

54.700 

2654 

19% 

2654 

+  754 

24 

16}4 

2554 

14 

3454 

1954 

38 

255-s 

1.490 

16S 

147 

168 

+16 

162 

133 

124 

59 

78 

4554 

83 

2754 

724.400 

854 

454 

S54 

-  2-c 

_654 

254 

454 

2 

6?? 

354 

8 

354 

4.310 

SOH 

65 

8054 

+12 

// 

53 

5654 

30 

58 

36 

45 

20 

A — Including  extras:  B — So  far  this  year;  C — Cumulative. 


Stock  and  Divider  d 

Monogram  Pictures   

Sentry  Safety  Control  

Technicolor  (J4A)   

Trans-Lux   

Universal  Pictures   

A — So  tar  this  year. 


XEW  YORK  CURB  EXCHAXGE 


■  1942- 


Net 

-1941  

,  1940- 

Sales 

High 

Low 

Close 

Change 

High 

Low 

High 

.-5.400 

IV* 

+3/16 

154 

54 

1 

9,700 

5/16 

54 

54 

+3/32 

54 
651 

154 

163s 

52. 203 

69s 

7 

+  54 

11 

74J000 

154 

54 

136 

+  "A 

i 

31 

134 

3.500 

25 

44 

+18 

3054 

1454 

1554 

-1939- 


Low 

High 

Low 

^54 

1 

3/16 

9/16 

5b 

854 

2254 
25s 

9?4 

34 

1 

4' 

954 

6 

-1S3S- 


Bond  and  Maturity 

Paramount -Bwav  3s  '55  

Paramount  4s  '56   

Warner  Brothers  6s  '48  


Bonds  on  Stock  Exchange 


1942  - 


Net 

,  1941  > 

,  1940- 

Sales 

High 

Low 

Close 

Change 

High  Low 

High 

Low 

$792,600 

71 

5854 

67 

+  9 

6054  52 

5254 

40 

2.952.000 

10034 

9854 

10034 

+  1 

not  listed 

768,000 

103J4 

95 

103 

+  754 

97  92 

973s 

78 

,  1939  

High  Low 

5754  4554 


92 


7954 


,  193*  

High  Low 

63  5634 


9154 


6354 


Comparison  of  Valuation  of  Stock  Issues,  1941-42 


Stock 

Colombia  Pictures   

Columbia  Pictures  pfd  

Consolidated  Film   

Consolidated  Film  pfd  

Eastman  Kodak   

Eastman  Kodak  pfd  

Gen.  Precision   

Keith-AIbee-Orpneum  pfd. 

Loew's,  Inc.   

Paramount  

Paramount  1st  pfd.  

Radio-Keith -Orpheum  -rrr.- 
Radio-Keith-Orpheum  pfd. 

20th  Century -Fox   

20th  Century-Fox  pfd  

Universal  Pictures  pfd  

Warner  Brothers   

Warner  Brothers  pfd  


Shares 

Close 

Close 

Outstanding 

1941 

Valuation 

1942 

Vahiaticc 

366.26S 

554 

Sl.922,907 

10J4 

S3.754.249 

75.000 

24 

1.SO0.SCO 

3231 

2.458-250 

524.973 

3s 

196.S65 

13/32 

213.270 

400,000 

754 

ZS50.000 

7?i 

3,150.000 

2.476.013 

138 

341.6S9.794 

14754 

365.211.917 

61.637 

176 

10.851.932 

178 

10.974,946 

586.087 

10?4 

6.373.696 

145s 

&571.522 

63.586 

95 

6.040.670 

103 

6.549.35S 

1.665.713 

36J4 

60.798.524 

4654 

77.039.226 

2,465.927 

1454 

33,755.941 

167s 

41.612.31S 

134.190 

111 

14.895.090 

120 

16,102.800 

2.753.053 

354 

S.947.422 

35s 

9.979.S17 

128,170 

47 

6,023.990 

5354 

6.S57.095 

1.741.995 

6A 

11.976,215 

1434 

25.694.426 

917,420 

185b 

17.0S6.947 

2651 

23.967.597 

20.  :oo 

152 

3.O40.0CO 

168 

3.360.000 

3.701.090 

554 

20.355.995 

834 

30.996.62? 

99.617 

6854 

6.S23.764 

S054 

&019.16S 

$557,430,552 

S644.512.7S7 

S5i 
1/32 
54 
954 


931 
23| 
+  9 
+  H 
+  654 


16 

27s 
12 


Net  Change  - 


S1.S31.342 
657.450 
16.405 
300.000 

—  23.522.123 
123.014 

2.197.S26 
50S.6SS 
16^40.702 
5.S56.577 
+  1.207.710 

—  1,032.395 

—  833.105 

—  13,718211 
+  6,880.650 
+  320.000 
+  10,640.633 
+  1,195,404 

— SS7.0S2.255 


26 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


WAR  RESTRICTIONS  RESHAPE 
TRADE  ECONOMY  IN  YEAR 


AT  the  year's  end,  the  motion  picture  industry,  decreed  by 
President  Roosevelt  as  "essential"  to  the  war  effort, 
emerges  from  a  multiplicity  of  wartime  factors  which 
affected  film  enterprise  no  less  than  other  American  industries, 
but  with  the  forecast  of  increasing  Governmental  control  on 
production,  distribution  and  exhibition  of  the  "essential"  business 
of  the  screen. 

Twelve  months  of  war  saw  the  industry  adjust  to  a  wartime 
economy,  voluntarily  utilizing  all  its  resources  wherever  possible 
in  the  direction  of  raw  stock  and  strategic  materials  conservation; 
production  of  war  training  and  war  propaganda  films;  distribu- 
tion of  U.  S.  Government-made  informational  shorts;  presenta- 
tion of  motion  pictures  gratis  for  the  armed  forces  overseas, 
and  abundant  and  frequent  activity  of  stars,  producers,  directors, 
exhibitors,  trade  unionists  and  others  in  the  industry  for  all-out 
participation  in  the  war  effort. 

In  a  year  marked  by  unprecedented  problems  of  operation, 
including  raw  stock  restrictions,  manpower,  materials  and  equip- 
ment shortages,  salary  ceiling  and  other  factors,  intra-industry 
upheavals  are  to  be  included  for  the  record.  The  industry's 
"unity"  movement,  which  was  born  shortly  before  Pearl  Harbor, 
developed  into  the  United  Motion  Picture  Industry  and  at- 
tempted a  new  formula  of  selling  and  distributing  motion  pic- 
tures within  the  structure  of  the  consent  decree  set  down  by  the 
U.  S.  Government. 

UMPI's  trade  practice  program  was  rejected  by  the  anti-trust 
division  of  the  Department  of  Justice,  under  the  hand  of  Thurman 
W.  Arnold.  On  September  1st,  the  five  consenting  distributors, 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  Paramount,  RKO  Radio,  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox and  Warner  Bros.,  became  free  to  sell  their  product  in 
whatever  manner  they  desired,  with  the  decree-fixed  advance 
trade  screenings  prevailing.  As  a  result,  the  arbitration  clause 
remained  the  only  provision  of  the  decree  in  operation. 

Controversy  on  the  age-old  issue  of  the  double  feature  pro- 


gram in  theatres  again  claimed  exhibitor-distributor  attention, 
this  time  touched  off  by  a  speech  delivered  in  November  by 
Lowell  Mellett,  director  of  the  motion  picture  bureau  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information.  Motion  Picture  Herald  in  three  pre- 
ceding issues  gave  opportunity  of  expression  on  the  subject  to 
showmen  throughout  the  land.  The  question  obviously  remains 
unsolved,  but  it  is  agreed  that  only  Government  order  can  banish 
the  double  bill  program  finally  and  totally. 

Financially,  the  motion  picture  industry  never  has  been  in  a 
better  position,  despite  the  loss  of  the  foreign  markets,  not  even 
since  the  golden  era  of  the  late  1 920  s.  Wall  Street  trading  in 
film  stocks  during  October,  November  and  December  reflected 
the  over-all  prosperity  of  the  industry.  Increased  earning  power 
of  millions  of  war  workers  and  war  pressures  causing  greater 
need  for  entertainment  on  the  part  of  the  public  are  the  de- 
termining factors  which  are  expected  to  bring  1942  net  profits 
for  producing  companies  and  film  theatres  to  the  highest  levels 
of  any  year. 

In  addition,  major  distributors  received  at  the  end  of  October 
$50,000,000  from  the  Treasury  of  Great  Britain  in  frozen  film 
revenues.  Indicative  of  the  soaring  profit  indices  is  the  recent 
annual  report  of  Warner  Bros,  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  August, 
1942,  which  showed  a  net  profit  of  $8,554,512. 

Highlight  of  industry  effort  for  the  successful  prosecution  of 
the  war  came  in  September  when  the  War  Bond  and  Stamp 
drive  conducted  by  the  industry  swelled  the  Treasury  warchest 
by  $835,000,000,  exceeding  by  $63,000,000  the  quota  set  by 
Treasury  officials.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  New  York,  in 
December,  of  the  War  Activities  Committee,  it  was  reported 
that  film  theatres  collected  200,000  tons  of  scrap  materials 
through  special  shows  and  matinees;  that  1,141  screen  players 
contributed  talent  and  time  during  the  year  to  numerous  rallies, 
campaigns  and  other  war  activities,  and  that  16,463  theatres 
were  pledged  to  show  Victory  Films. 


January  3 

Studios  step  up  production  plans  to  meet  the 
public's  war  needs  in  screen  fare.  Exhibitors 
mobilize  to  make  American  theatres  places  of 
safety  in  wartime.  George  Formby  gets  Num- 
ber One  position  in  the  1941  Motion  Picture 
Herald -Fain e  poll  of  Money-Making  stars  of 
Britain. 

January  10 

President  Roosevelt's  budget  message  estim- 
ates theatre  admissions  will  yield  $122,600,000  in 
Federal  taxes  in  current  fiscal  year.  U.  S. 
Census  Bureau  counts  15,115  theatres  with  an- 
nual gross  income  of  $673,000,000  as  of  turn  of 
1939-40.  Value  of  motion  picture  shares  listed 
on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  increased 
about  $29,000,000  in  1941.  Double  bills  appear 
as  Number  One  "peeve"  of  exhibitors  in 
Motion  Picture  Herald  survey.  MPTOA 
approves  "unity"  movement.  Walt  Disney 
signed  by  Office  of  Coordinator  of  Inter-Amer- 
ican Affairs  to  make  "goodwill"  films. 

January  17 

Lowell  Mellett,  Coordinator  of  Government 
Films,  confers  in  Hollywood,  indicates  no  funda- 
mental change  in  Government  production  setup. 
Army  Signal  Corps  takes  over  Paramount's 
Astoria,  L.  I.,  studio.  Office  of  Production 
Management  warns  of  growing  shortages  of 
theatre  materials.  War  Activities  Committee 
expands,  forms  new  committees.  W.  G.  Van 
Schmus,  managing  director  of  the  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  dies.  Blue  Network  separates  from 
National  Broadcasting  Company. 


January  24 

Hollywood  studios  and  International  Alliance 
of  Theatrical  Stage  Employees  sign  two-year 
contract  heralding  "complete  and  lasting  labor 
peace"  in  the  industry.  Lowell  Mellett,  Coor- 
dinator of  Government  Films,  tells  studios  to 
"stay  on  the  job"  making  entertainment  pictures. 
MPPDA  reports  public  paid  $1,100,000  to  16,- 
951  theatres  in  the  U.  S.  in  1941,  10  per  cent 
increase  over  1940.  Industry  leaders  meet  in 
New  York  to  set  up  "unity"  program.  G.  S. 
Eyssell  named  managing  director  of  Radio  City 
Music  Hall.  Truman  H.  Talley,  Movietonews 
chief,  dies.  Carole  Lombard  killed  in  plane 
crash  en  route  to  Hollywood  from  War  Bond 
rally. 

January  31 

Arnold  Stoltz  and  Frank  Bickerstaff  win 
Quigley  Showmanship  Awards  for  1941.  So- 
ciety of  Independent  Motion  Picture  Producers, 
Inc.,  organized.  Allied  States  Association 
charges  decree  selling  used  to  "jack  up"  rentals  ; 
M.  A.  Rosenberg  elected  Allied  president.  Wil- 
liam F.  Rodgers  named  permanent  chairman  of 
United  Motion  Picture  Industry ;  UMPI  be- 
gins work  on  five-point  trade  practice  program. 
War  Activities  Committee  approves  26  Victory 
Films  for  exhibition.  Studio  costs  increase  15 
per  cent  since  war.  U.  S.  tax  collections  doubled 
in  1941  to  $87,819,800. 

February  7 

Film  showings  of  Soviet  Russia  increase  60 
per  cent  in  U  S.  Industry  lawyers  of  east  and 
west  realign  industry's  public  relations  opera- 


tions. C.  C.  Pettijohn,  general  counsel  of  MP 
PDA,  resigns.  U.  S.  Government  files  action 
to  compel  Paramount  and  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  to  give  up  theatres  acquired  since  consent 
decree.    Arbitration  system  starts  second  year. 

February  14 

IATSE  decrees  "no  strikes  for  duration." 
U.  S.  begins  censoring  all  films  for  overseas. 
Attacks  launched  at  Office  of  Civilian  Defense 
over  appointment  of  Melvyn  Douglas.  Briga- 
dier General  Lewis  B.  Hershey  rates  films  as 
"essential." 

February  21 

UMPI  studies  numerous  proposals  for  re- 
forms. Allied  complains  pre-decree  practices 
are  still  common,  fndnstry  presents  Army  with 
16  mm.  prints  of  new  films  for  overseas  show- 
ing. Edmund  Reek  named  vice-president  and 
producer  of  Movietonenews.  IATSE  waives 
overtime  for  screening  of  Victory  Films.  Major 
companies  adopt  payroll  allotment  plan  for  War 
Bonds.  Government  orders  manufacture  of  ra- 
dio sets  to  cease  April  23rd ;  new  station  con- 
struction barred. 

February  28 

Brigadier  General  Hershey  rules  no  blanket 
deferment  for  studio  workers.  Department  of 
Justice  admits  decree  faults ;  open  to  sugges- 
tions for  changes.  IATSE  receipts  disclosed  as 
more  than  $400,000  a  year.  Wendell  Willkie 
pays  tribute  to  industry  at  Academy  of  Motion 
Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  awards  dinner.  "How 

(Continued  on  page  28) 


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28 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January  2 


19  4  3 

_ 


BOND  DRIVE  LED  WAR  AID 


(Continued  from  page  26) 

Green  Was  My  Valley"  receives  Academy 
award  as  most  outstanding  film  in  1941.  Survey 
reveals  11  distributors  in  the  field  service  16,951 
accounts. 

March  7 

UMPI  drafts  plan  for  blocks-of-12  as  substi- 
tute for  decree  selling  blocks-of-five.  Charles 
W.  Koerner  becomes  active  head  of  RKO  pro- 
duction while  Joseph  I.  Breen  is  on  vacation. 
Total  of  11,500  theatres  showing  Victory  Films 
approved  by  War  Activities  Committee.  Of- 
fice of  Civilian  Defense  standardizes  air  raid 
rules  for  theatres.  Paramount  reports  $10,125,- 
000  net  profit  for  1941.  NBC  and  CBS  obtain 
court  order  restraining  FCC  from  enforcing 
new  network  regulations. 

March  14 

President  Roosevelt  declares  film  theatres  a 
"necessary  and  beneficial  part"  of  the  war  effort. 
Survey  shows  motion  picture  business  on  in- 
crease. Exhibitor  organizations  begin  ballot- 
ting  on  new  UMPI  sales  plan.  First  Latin 
American  "goodwill"  films  arrive  in  U.  S.  The- 
atre air  raid  precautions  tested  in  regional 
blackouts. 

March  21 

Sidney  R.  Kent,  president  of  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox, dies.  Quigley  Showmanship  Awards 
presented  to  Arnold  Stoltz  and  Frank  Bicker- 
staff  at  Associated  Motion  Picture  Advertisers' 
luncheon.  Premiere  of  "Reap  the  Wild  Wind" 
climaxes  30th  anniversary  celebration  of  Para- 
mount and  tribute  to  Cecil  B.  DeMille.  IATSE 
proposes  "reforms ;"  would  bar  ex-convicts  from 
holding  office.  Regional  vote  on  UMPI  plan 
eight  to  five  against ;  four  divided.  Army  camps 
get  circuit  of  16  mm.  mobile  shows.  L.  J.  (Lar- 
ry) Darmour,  veteran  producer,  dies. 

March  28 

Exhibitor  protests  send  the  UMPI  selling 
plan  back  for  re-casting.  Seventy-four  exhibi- 
tors, exchangemen  organize  to  fight  adverse 
legislation.  Film  income  $15,000,000,  despite 
war ;  4,000,000  film  company  shares  traded  by 
officers  in  1941,  SEC  reports.  Federal  Trade 
Commission  cites  advertising  film  companies  for 
alleged  monopoly.  MGM  reports  $30,000,000 
gross  for  "Gone  With  the  Wind"  in  12,500  en- 
gagements. 

April  4 

UMPI  agrees  on  revised  selling  plan,  asks 
local  organizations  to  approve.  U.  S.  estab- 
lishes rigid  censorship  for  film  imports  and  ex- 
ports. International  public  relations  program 
set  by  New  York  and  Hollywood  committees. 
Charles  Francis  Coe  appointed  assistant  to  the 
president  of  MPPDA.  Will  H.  Hays,  MPP 
DA  president,  in  annual  report,  outlines  vigor- 
ous role  for  screen  in  war.  ASCAP  report 
shows  collections  of  $1,000,000  a  year  from  ex- 
hibitors. 

April  II 

War  Production  Board  stops  theatre  con- 
struction entailing  $5,000  or  more.  Exhibitors 
speed  approval  of  UMPI  selling  plan.  War 
opens  key  posts  in  theatre  field  to  women.  Nick 
Circella,  alias  Nick  Dean,  sentenced  to  eight 
years  in  jail  and  $10,000  fine  for  extortion  from 
film  companies.  Lawyers'  Committee  of  Six 
meets  on  coast  to  further  "streamlining"  of  in- 
dustry relations.  UMPI  plan  delays  sales  con- 
ventions of  major  distributors.  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox reports  profit  of  $4,921,926  for  1941. 

April  18 

UMPI  approvals  mount,  but  independent  pro- 
ducers attack  plan.    Industry  gets  first  U.  S. 


Obituaries,  1942 


The  personnel  of  the  industry  was  depleted  in  1942  by  the  passing  of  many 
individuals  whose  background  and  contribution  had  given  them  the  status  of  leaders 
and  made  their  passing  a  loss  to  industry  progress.  An  alphabetical  list  of  executives, 
stars,  exhibitors,  technicians,  writers  and  others  of  the  motion  picture  or  related  fields, 
who  died  during  the  year  just  ended,  follows: 


Allen,  Jay 
Alvord,  George  E. 
Ansin,  Edward  A. 
Ansin,  Mrs.  Edward 
A. 

Armsby,  George 
Asher,  Harry 

Barbour,  Ensley 
Baron,  Paul 
Baron,  Mrs.  Paul 
Barr,  Percy  R. 
Barrymore,  John 
Bass,  Sidney  J. 
Bates,  Blanche 
Benrimo,  J.  Harry 
Berger,  Lee 
Bergman,  Leonard 
Besier,  Rudolf 
Birnbach,  Fred 
Boehnel,  William 
Borchert,  Frank 
Boucher,  Victor 
Bowers,  Robert  Hood 
Braden,  Colonel  Wil- 
liam 
Briggs,  Caspar 
Buckley,  M.  J. 


Campbell,  Donald 
Carlyle,  Richard 
Cherry,  Addie 
Churchill,  Douglas  W. 
Churchill,  Frank 
Clark,  Anne 
Cleaver,  F.  Raoul 
Clemmer,  James 
Clemmons,  Joseph 
Cohan,  George  M. 
Connelly,  Eugene  L. 
Cook,  John  F. 
Cooke,  Edward 
Cboney,  James  Francis 
Corbin,  Virginia  Lee 
Cormack,  Bartlett 
Crews,  Laura  Hope 
Cruze,  James 
Curtis,  Roy 

Darmour,  Larry 
Davis,  Edwin 
Dietrich,  C.  E. 
Dittmar,  Louis 
Dolan,  Frank  J.  (Red) 
Donaldson,  John  M. 
Donegan,  Mrs.  Mary 
Duncan,  Charles 
Duncan,  Malcolm 


Ecker,  Adolph 
Ehrlich,  Simon 
Eisner,  Adolph  M. 
Ellis,  Carlyle 
Ellsler,  Effie 

Feltman,  Nat 
Field,  Rachel 
Fiske,  Harrison 
Flynn,  Joseph 
Ford,  Charles  E. 
Foster,  Frank 
Fowler,  Brenda 
Fox,  Guillermo 
Fox,  Sidney 
Frisch,  Max 
Frost,  Harold 

Gehrig,  W.  C. 
Geller,  Lou 
Genthe,  Dr.  Arnold 
Gest,  Morris 
Goetz,  Benjamin  F. 
Golden,  Robert 
Goosman,  Max 
Gould,  George  Minfield 
Sr. 

Gould,  Oscar  F. 
Greenberg,  Rube 
Gross,  E.  J. 

Hainline,  Andrew  L. 
Hall,  George  H. 
Halliwell,  Richard 
Hamilton,  Cosmo 
Hamilton,  Hale 
Hanley,  James 
Hansford,  Monte  M. 
Hawley,  Ormi 
Heib,  Conrad 
Henderson,  G.  Burt 
Hill,  Albert 
Hirschfield,  Max 
Holmes,  Phillips 
Hood,  George 
Hopfenberg,  Joseph  A. 
Hornblow,  Arthur, 
Sr. 

Horwitz,  Will 
Hutchinson,  Walter  J. 
Hyman,  Bernard 

Israel,  Jacob  A. 

Jackson,  Joe 
James,  Will 
Johnson,  Carl 
Jones,  Charles  "Buck" 
Justin,  Leo  G. 


Kahal,  Irving 
Kaplan,  Sam 
Kent,  Sidney 

Lamb,  Thos.  W. 
Lavene,  J. 
Lefebvre,  Eugene 
Leonard,  Frank 
Levenson,  Samuel 
Levin,  Bernard 
Levin,  Mrs.  Bernard 
Levin,  Dorothy 
Lewis,  Julius  A. 
Lewis,  Russ  M. 
Lombard,  Carole 
Lottman,  George 
Lucas,  George  W. 
Lucas,  Marion 
Lupino,  Stanley 
Lustig,  Bernard 
Lutz,  Herman 

Maguire,  Joseph 
Mansfield,  H.  I. 
Marqua,  Charles 
Martini,  Artillo 
McCormick,  Allen  L. 
McDermott,  Grace  E. 
Mcintosh,  Burr 
Mcintosh,  Hugh  D. 
McNamee,  Graham 
Meinenger,  Lou 
Miller,  Alice  D. 
Momand,  C.  Edgar 
Mordant,  Edwin 
Morton,  Edward 
Mosher,  John  C. 
Myers,  Henry 

Oberle,  C.  E. 
O'Keefe,  James 
Oliver,  Edna  May- 
Packard,  Frank 
Paggi,  M.  M. 
Phelps,  Russell 
Pickett,  Claude  E. 
Pryor,  Arthur 

Quigley,  George 

Rachman,  Jule 
Raylor,  Robert 
Read,  J.  Parker,  Jr. 
Regan,  Charles 

Francis 
Rice,  Alice  Hegan 
Rich,  Walter 
Rifkin,  Mrs.  Herman 
Robson,  May 
Rohs,  Karle  H. 
Rosing,  Bodil 
Roth,  I.  A. 


Royle,  Edwin 
Ruben,  J.  Walter 
Rubens,  Louis 
Rudnick,  Max 

St.  Pierre,  O.  A. 
Saltzman,  Gen.  Chas. 
Sanford,  Walter 
Sarg,  Tony 
Scott,  Vernon 
Selesky,  Philip 
Sennett,  William 
Shapiro,  Philip 
Sharbey,  Fred  Paul 
Sharbey,  Fred  Paul, 
Jr. 

Sheridan,  Mrs.  Mar- 
tin 

Simonis,  Edgar 
Singer,  Julius 
Skinner,  Otis 
Smith,  Robert  T. 
Stern,  Charles 
Stoll,  Sir  Oswald 
Stowe,  Lawrence 
Strauss,  Siegmund 
Sullivan,  E.  J. 
Sutherland,  Anne 

Talley,  Truman 
Taylor,  Charles 
Taylor,  R.  G. 
Tempest,  Marie 
Terhune,  Albert  Pay- 
son 

Thibault,  Joseph 
Trottman,  Ferdinand 
Troy,  Helen 
Turnbull,  Margaret 

Van  Huss,  V. 
Van  Schmus,  W.  G. 
Veeder,    Judge  Van 
Vechten 

Wagner,  Rob 
Walker,  C.  Ernest 
Ward,  Lem 
Wayburn,  Ned 
Weagant,  Ray 
Weber,  Joe 
Wells,  Carolyn 
Wenz,  August 
Werba,  Louis  F. 
Whitney,  George 
Willard,  John 
Winslow,  Max 
Wonders,  Guy 
Woodward,  Stacy 

Ziebarth,  C.  A. 
Zweig,  Stephan 


production  assignment  from  Lowell  Mellett ;  26 
short  subjects  on  war  effort;  Nelson  Poynter 
appointed  West  Coast  representative.  Minne- 
sota anti-decree  law  ruled  unconstitutional. 
Spyros  Skouras  elected  president  of  Twentieth 
Century-Fox ;  Wendell  Willkie,  chairman  of 
the  board ;  T.  J.  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution.    Samuel  Goldwyn  signs 


with  RKO  to  release  three  pictures.  ASCAP 
sued  by  157  theatres  in  anti-trust  action.  Wal- 
ter J.  Hutchinson,  20th  Century-Fox  director  of 
foreign  distribution,  dies. 

April  25 

Exhibitors  approve  UMPI   selling  plan  in 

(Continued  on  page  30) 


FRIENDLY  FACTS  FROM 
THE  FRIENDLY  COMPANY! 

Sweet  Music  from 
Radio  City  Music  Hall! 

RANDOM  HARVEST 
10 -YEAR  RECORD! 

Biggest  holiday  week-end  ever!  Long  run  begins!  Tops  'Miniver'! 

And  from  the  World 
Premiere  in  Toledo,  Ohio! 

STAND  BY  FOR 
ACTION  NEW  HIGH! 

Sets  new  all- time  attendance  record  at  Valentine  Theatre! 

And  another  M-G-M 
Hit  makes  its  bow! 

TIMELY!  REUNION  IN 
FRANCE  BOX-OFFICE! 

First  twenty  engagements  Big!  France  in  revolt!  Exciting! 

Metro-GOLDMINE-Mayer 

READY!  UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK! 


30 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2  ,  1943 


CROSSES,  ATTENDANCE  UP 


{Continued  from  page  28) 

ratio  of  four  to  one.  War  Production  Board 
tells  industry  it  will  have  to  economize  on  ma- 
terials ;  film  advisory  committee  set  up  at  Wash- 
ington meeting.  Office  of  Civilian  Defense  lists 
standard  rules  for  theatre  protection.  Hunt 
Stromberg  signs  to  release  through  United  Ar- 
tists ;  U.  A.  schedules  29  pictures.  Nationwide 
War  Bond  sale  in  theatres  to  start  May  30th. 

May  2 

Film  rentals  and  theatre  admissions  escape 
Government  price  ceilings  ;  President  Roosevelt 
suggests  $25,000  annual  individual  income  limit. 
Allied  asks  greater  representation  for  exhibitor 
organizations  in  war  effort  setup.  Christopher 
J.  Dunphy  starts  duties  as  chief  of  amusement 
section  of  services  branch  of  War  Production 
Board.  Office  of  Inter-American  Affairs  re- 
ports 48  films  shipped  to  Latin  America.  Brit- 
ish independent  exhibitors  in  dispute  with  cir- 
cuits. Charles  P.  Skouras  elected  president  of 
National  Theatres  Corp. ;  retains  post  as  presi- 
dent of  Fox  West  Coast  Theatres.  Deems  Tay- 
lor succeeds  Gene  Buck  as  ASCAP  president. 

May  9 

War  Production  Board  sets  limit  of  $5,000 
on  new  materials  for  studio  sets.  Allied  di- 
rectors approve  UMPI  sales  plan,  formulate 
conciliation  proposal ;  warn  high  rentals  menace 
harmony.  Twentieth  Century-Fox  sets  52- 
feature  program  for  new  season  at  $28,000,000 
budget ;  Hal  Home  appointed  advertising  and 
publicity  director.  Producer  Releasing  Corpor- 
ation sets  24  features,  18  Westerns  for  1942-43. 
Paramount  reports  $9,206,242  profit  for  1941. 
Seven  major  companies  sign  contract  with 
Screen  Publicists  Guild  of  New  York. 

May  16 

Joseph  I.  Breen  returns  to  post  as  director  of 
Production  Code  Administration ;  Charles  W. 
Koerner  succeeds  Mr.  Breen  as  general  manager 
of  RKO  studio ;  Edward  L.  Alperson  named 
head  of  RKO  theatres.  Republic  announces 
66  features,  four  serials;  $15,000,000  budget  for 
new  season.  MGM  to  have  50  to  52  features  in 
1942-43.  Monogram  holds  10th  anniversary 
convention  in  Los  Angeles,  announces  50  fea- 
tures for  new  season.  Lieut.  Col.  Darryl  F. 
Zanuck  arrives  in  London  to  coordinate  U.  S. 
and  British  army  training  films.  Office  of  Inter- 
American  Affairs  film  unit  plans  outlay  of  more 
than  $5,000,000  in  new  fiscal  year.  New  high 
in  story  purchase  price  set  by  20th  Century- 
Fox  ;  $300,000  for  John  Steinbeck's  "The  Moon 
in  Down." 

May  23 

"Unity"  sales  plan,  approved  by  UMPI,  pre- 
sented by  exhibitor  companies  to  Department  of 
Justice.  War  Production  Board  bans  installa- 
tion of  air  conditioning  units  ;  ultimate  ration- 
ing of  theatre  equipment  forecast.  U.  S.  post- 
pones Schine  trust  suit  two  years  ;  Schine  agrees 
to  dispose  of  16  theatres  and  not  acquire  others 
during  period.  Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
England  resigns  from  Allied  in  disagreement 
over  UMPI  approval.  Hollywood  Victory  Car- 
avan grosses  more  than  $600,000  in  13-city  tour 
for  Army-Navy  relief. 

May  30 

Hollywood  studios  form  conservation  commit- 
tee for  conservation  of  raw  stock  and  critical 
materials.  Transportation  priorities  force  stu- 
dios to  alter  location  plans.  WPB  stops  all 
amusement  construction  costing  $5,000  or  more, 
effective  June  6th.  Consenting  distributors 
agree  to  Unitv  plan,  ignore  June  1st  "escape" 
deadline ;  UMPI  studies  possible  changes  in  ar- 
bitration procedure.    Total  theatre  collections 


in  "March  of  Dimes"  drive  was  $1,450,000. 
NBC  and  CBS  reduce  television  broadcasting 
to  four  hours  weekly.  RKO  reports  $538,692 
profit  for  1941.  Laudy  Lawrence  appointed  di- 
rector of  foreign  distribution  for  20th  Century- 
Fox. 

June  6 

Martin  Quigley  in  editorial  defends  freedom 
of  screen,  answering  address  of  Archibald  Mac 
Leisch.  WPB  promises  priority  relief  to  thea- 
tres to  prevent  breakdowns.  Society  of  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers  takes  attack 
on  UMPI  plan  to  Department  of  Justice.  Uni- 
versal announces  55  features,  14  Westerns  for 
new  season.  Theatres  start  War  Bond  sales 
drive  with  rallies  and  parades.  U.  S.  war  ser- 
vices draw  heavily  on  industry  manpower ;  28 
"marquee"  names  in  armed  forces.  John  Barry- 
more  dies  at  age  of  60. 

June  13 

Hollywood  studios  devise  substitutes  for  19 
critical  materials ;  will  forego  equipment  expan- 
sion or  alteration.  George  J.  Schaefer  retires 
as  president  of  RKO.  Thirty  stars  tour  coun- 
try for  War  Bond  campaign.  Francis  Alstock 
succeeds  John  Hay  Whitney  as  film  division 
head  for  Office  of  Coordinator  of  Inter-Ameri- 
can Affairs.  Watterson  R.  Rothacker  named 
chairman  in  Los  Angeles  of  Office  of  Censor- 
ship film  board  of  review ;  Richard  R.  Smith 
heads  New  York  board.  IATSE  convention 
"revolt"  collapses ;  Richard  F.  Walsh  and  slate 
reelected. 

June  20 

Industry  prepares  film  conservation  program 
for  submission  to  WPB ;  most  screen  credits 
elimination  proposed.  Elmer  Davis  becomes 
head  of  Office  of  War  Information,  including 
films,  radio  and  press.  Schine  circuit  disposes 
of  five  theatres  under  agreement  with  U.  S. 
MP  PDA  adopts  broadened  public  relations  pro- 
gram. George  E.  Quigley,  former  general  man- 
ager of  Vitaphone  Corporation,  dies.  Trial 
starts  in  New  York  of  Paramount  stockholders' 
suit  involving  Browne-Bioff  payments. 

June  27 

Hollywood  studios'  inventories  rise  to  $115,- 
034,123  in  a  year  to  meet  consent  decree  blocks- 
of-five  selling  and  advance  screening  require- 
ments. War  order  in  Canada  compels  exhibi- 
tors to  obtain  permission  to  hire  new  help.  Ar- 
bitration Appeals  Board  rules  distributors  can 
"write  their  own  ticket"  on  clearance  for  affili- 
ated theatres.  War  transportation  orders  cut 
film  deliveries.  Paramount  stockholders'  suit 
involving  Browne-Bioff  payments  dismissed. 

July  4 

Rental  protests  grow  as  exhibitors  map  battle. 
Allies  expected  to  ask  U.  S.  to  produce  war 
features.  N.  Peter  Rathvon  elected  president 
of  Radio-Keith-Orpheum ;  Ned  Depinet,  presi- 
dent of  RKO  Radio  Pictures.  WPB  order  sets 
priority  for  theatre  maintenance.  War  cuts 
summer  stock  legitimate  shows  by  39  per  cent. 
Budget  for  Inter-American  films  cut  to  $2,704,- 
000. 

July  II 

U.  S.  lawyers  study  Unity  in  relation  to  con- 
sent decree.  Truckers,  exhibitors  cut  film  de- 
liveries 25  per  cent.  WPB  calls  on  theatre  own- 
ers to  turn  in  scrap  materials.  350  features  an- 
nounced to  date  by  10  companies. 

Julv  18 

Hollywood  film  conservation  committee  dis- 
cards proposal  of  elimination  of  screen  credits. 
A.  J.   Balaban  becomes  general  manager  of 


Roxy  theatre,  New  York.  Minnesota  court 
ruling  kills  block  booking  appeal.  Rentals  fight 
stirs  conflict  between  British  distributors,  thea- 
tres. \llied  urges  units  to  take'  rental  fight  to 
the  public.  Strikes  hit  Los  Angeles  exchanges, 
threaten  studios. 

July  25 

State  Department  planning  post-war  film  edu- 
cation. Quick  action  sought  on  Unity's  concil- 
iation plan.  War  Bond  sales  in  theatres  total 
$5,678,183  in  June.  Petrillo  control  of  AFM 
threatened  by  FCC-Congressional  inquiries. 
Studios  offer  substitute  cuts  for  raw  stock  sav- 
ings. 

August  I 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Henry  Morgen- 
thau,  Jr.,  asks  film  industry  to  lead  War  Bond 
campaign  in  September.  Office  of  War  Inform- 
ation film  aim  is  to  beat  the  Nazis  on  the  screen 
in  neutral  countries.  Sugar  shortage  threatens 
$14,000,000  annual  candy  sales  in  theatres. 
Talent  supply  becoming  major  problem  of  stu- 
dios. U.  S.  moves  to  halt  Petrillo  ban  on 
making  of  records. 

August  8 

Producers  agree  on  1U-24  per  cent  reduction 
in  raw  stock.  War  blocks  construction  of  50 
drive-in  theatres.  Distributors  mark  time  on 
1942-43  selling  plans.  New  England  exhibitors 
fight  decree  revisions.  Industry  speeds  plans 
for  September  $1,000,000,000  War  Bond  drive. 
U.  S.  theatres  mobilize  for  salvage  campaign. 
Petrillo  brought  to  Chicago  Federal  court  to 
answer  trust  charges.  Nation's  war  industries 
increase  use  of  motion  pictures  for  training, 
morale  purposes. 

August  15 

Sixty-two  per  cent  of  independents  favor  ar- 
bitration, 30  per  cent  do  not,  according  to  a  poll 
conducted  by  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Mex- 
ico establishes  cinema  institute.  U.  S.  Govern- 
ment extends  program  of  training  films.  Charles 
E.  Ford,  producer  and  former  managing  director 
of  Universal  Newsreel,  dies. 

August  22 

Department  of  Justice  rejects  UMPI  sales 
proposal  as  a  "uniform  plan  for  partial  blind 
selling"  and  restrictive  of  competitive  selling ; 
distributors  free  to  sell  as  they  choose,  but  all 
films  must  be  trade  shown.  WPB  freezes  film 
raw  stock ;  top  use  at  1941  levels.  Paramount 
backlog  of  30  features  hits  studio  record.  The- 
atres anticipate  problem  on  oil  heating.  Philips 
Holmes,  stage  and  screen  actor,  dies  in  plane 
crash  while  serving  in  R.C.A.F. 

August  29 

Van  Heflin  is  number  one  choice  of  exhibi- 
tors in  "Stars  of  Tomorrow"  poll.  WPB  warns 
keeping  theatres  open  will  be  difficult  because 
of  acute  materials  shortage.  Raw  stock  order 
bars  new  film  enterprises ;  WPB  prepares  quo- 
tas for  established  film  distributors  only.  Inter- 
American  film  unit  expands  staff ;  Mervyn  Le 
Roy  joins  coast  office.  Norton  Mears,  vice- 
president  of  RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  dies. 

September  5 

$51,161,250  in  War  Bonds  sold  in  first  hour 
of  industry  campaign.  Mandatory  blocks-of- 
five  selling  under  the  consent  decree  ends  for 
five  major  distributors.  Eddie  Bracken  leads 
in  Canada's  "Stars  of  Tomorrow"  poll.  Impact 
of  U.  S.   raw  stock  cut  is  felt  in  England. 

September  12 

Independent  exhibitors  in  seven  states  move 

{Continued  on  following  page) 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


31 


STUDIOS  ON  WAR  FOOTING 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

against  film  prices.  U.  S.  rushes  best  of  Holly- 
wood films  to  American  forces  in  England.  U. 
S.  Government,  with  114  productions,  is  number 
one  war  film  producer.  Canadian  exhibitors 
fight  change  in  price  control.  American  Feder- 
ation of  Music  bans  radio  recording ;  Petrillo 
faces  Senate.  Independent  producers  in  New 
York  organize  to  protest  WPB  raw  stock  order. 
Bernard  Hyman,  on  MGM's  executive  staff  at 
the  studio,  dies.  J.  Walter  Ruber,  MGM  pro- 
ducer, dies.  John  C.  Mosher  dead ;  was  film 
critic  of  the  New  Yorker  magazine. 

September  19 

Hollywood  studios  with  128  films  in  produc- 
tion rush  record  backlog.  Independents  push 
fight  for  raw  stock  and  survival.  U.  S.  works 
to  get  Hollyoood  product  on  Soviet  screen. 
\YPB  orders  10  to  24  per  cent  raw  stock  re- 
duction. Treasury  Department  reports  top  film 
salaries  in  1941  to  Louis  B.  Mayer.  James  Cag- 
ney,  Clark  Gable  and  Nicholas  M.  Schenck. 
Senate  starts  inquiry  into  Petrillo  rule  of  musi- 
cian's union. 

September  26 

Allied's  rental  control  crusade  wins  support. 
Slash  in  raw  stock  means  fewer  pictures.  Fam- 
ous Players  Canadian  sues  N.  L.  Nathanson, 
Canadian  circuit  owner,  to  get  back  theatres. 
Open  war  flares  in  Britain  over  film  rental  issue. 
Coast  office  worker  guild  walkout  averted. 

October  3 

UMPI  closes  its  doors  as  sales  practice  pro- 
gram is  abandoned.  U.  S.  seeks  cooling  systems 
for  war  plants.  Total  of  15,669  theatres  answer 
call  to  collect  nation's  scrap.  United  Artists 
lists  30  features  for  new  season  ;  gets  22  in  deal 
with  Paramount.  Motion  Picture  Relief  Fund 
opens  country  house  in  Hollywood.  Michigan 
exhibitors  call  for  central  film  buying.  Motion 
pictures  fostering  hatred  for  the  Axis  approved 
by  Government.  Screen  Publicists  Guild  Signs 
Loew's,  Republic. 

October  10 

War  booms  business  but  manpower  problem 
acute,  Motion  Picture  Herald's  study  of  war- 
time conditions  reveals.  Hollywood  studios  in- 
dicate fight  against  $25,000  salary  ceiling ;  seek 
clarification  of  the  order.  International 
Motion  Picture  Almanac,  14th  edition,  re- 
cords screen's  vital  part  in  war  effort.  The  in- 
dustry's September  War  Bond  drive  totaled 
S838.250.0OO,  exceeding  by  $63,000,000  the  Trea- 
sury quota. 

October  17 

Industry  organizes  distribution  of  war  pic- 
tures. Major  companies  give  7,000  men  to 
armed  forces  to  date.  Step  up  scrap  collections 
in  theatres,  Christopher  J.  Dunphy  of  WPB 
tells  industry-  Admission  scales  climb  in  war 
boom  areas. 

Federal  judge  dismisses  Government's  anti- 
trust suit  against  Petrillo ;  Thurman  Arnold 
says  he  will  appeal  case.  Illinois  exhibitors  act 
on  rentals ;  cooperative  buying  unit  formed, 
price  rise  opposed. 

October  24 

Twentieth  Century-Fox,  Paramount  win  U.  S. 
Divorcement  action ;  Judge  Goddard  rules  the- 
atres acquired  are  not  part  of  general  expansion. 
U.  S.  drafts  regulations  to  control  all  wages. 
Congress  boosts  taxes,  exempts  foreign  losses. 
War  drains  patronage  of  small  town  theatres. 
Jay  Allen,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  film  in- 
dustry in  Canada,  dies.  Simon  Ehrlich,  general 
manager  of  the  Saenger-Ehrlich  theatres,  dies. 
May  Robson  dead  at  78 ;  was  actress  58  years. 


Walter  Wanger  reelected  president  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences. 

October  31 

Debated  Government  rules  of  film  censors  re- 
vealed. Major  distributors  to  handle  British 
Government  films  in  the  U.  S.,  Sidney  Bern- 
stein reveals.  U.  S.  indicts  IATSE  aides  on 
$1,500,000  membership  levy.  Government  cuts 
salaries  of  film  talent,  others ;  $25,000  limit  set 
effective  January  1st.  Theatres  extend  scrap 
drive  indefinitely.  Industry  leaders  map  con- 
tinued War  Bond  sales.  Society  of  Motion 
Picture  Engineers  convenes  ;  discusses  war  films,, 
elects  Herbert  Griffin  president. 

November  7 

War's  population  shifts  remolding  sales  policy, 
changing  clearance,  zoning,  Motion  Picture 
Herald  survey  reveals.  Argentina  top  producer 
of  Spanish  pictures.  Mexican  Academy  of  Art' 
and  Technique  is  inaugurated.  Industry  studies 
effects  of  salary  regulations.  Canada  tightens 
control  over  film  industry.  Britain's  Treas- 
ury releases  $50,000,000  in  frozen  film  revenues 
to  American  motion  picture  companies. 

November  14 

Donald  Nelson,  WPB  chief,  warns  theatres 
that  "sacrifices"  of  materials  are  needed  for 
war  effort.  Operators  of  16  mm.  study  use  in 
field  for  war  propaganda  films ;  U.  S.  Govern- 
ment plans  non-theatrical  network  for  16mm 
films.  "The  Motion  Picture  and  the  War,"  an 
advertisement  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company, 
in  the  New  York  Times,  is  printed-in.  the  Con-  - 
gression-al  Record  at  the  request  of  Martin  J. 
Kenned}-,  New  York  Congressman.  Hollywood 
pay  defrosted  until  January.  George  M.  Cohan, 
actor,  producer,  playwright  and  composer,  dies. 
Edna  May  Oliver,  noted  actress,  dead.  Warner 
Bros,  announce  plans  to  produce  a  newsreel. 

November  21 

Lowell  Mellett's  speech  on  double  bills  stirs 
alarm  and  debate.  Office  of  War  Information 
enlists  industry  aid  for  campaign  in  North 
Africa.  Will  H.  Hays,  president  of  MP  PDA, 
speaks  on  the  "spiritual  unity"  of  America  at  a 
dinner  of  the  National  Conference  of  Christians 
and  Jews,  in  New  York.  Collections  of  scrap 
by  theatres  totals  167,000  tons.  Laura  Hope 
Crews,  stage  and  screen  comedienne,  dies.  Fed- 
eral court  upholds  FCC  regulations. 

November  28 

Picture  Pioneers  hold  annual  dinner  at  tne 
Waldorf  Astoria,  New  York ;  award  scroll  to 
War  Activities  Committee.  Small  producers 
ask  free  market  if  double  bills  are  banned. 
Lowell  Mellett  frames  new  list  of  picture  war 
themes.  Army  Motion  Picture  Service  estim- 
ates 1,000  film  theatres  by  end  of  year  to  seat 
750.000  and  serve  150,000,000  men  annually. 
Raw  stock  shortage  hits  producers  in  Argentina. 
October  War  Bond  sales  total  $9,000,000, 

December  5 

New  five  per  cent  raw  stock  cut  ordered  Dy 
the  War  Production  Board.  Government  moves 
to  reorganize  manpower  control.  Industry  hit 
by  nationwide  gas  rationing ;  OPA  warns  oi 
winter  fuel  ration  cuts.  Congressional  revolt 
on  the  salary  ceiling  grows.  Distributors  cut 
releases,  saving  product  backlog.  Bingo  ban  in 
New  York  ends  era  of  theatre  lotteries. 

December  12 

Raw  stock  shortage  halts  supply  ot  10  mm. 
films  for  armed  forces  overseas.  Warner  Bros, 
operating  profit  for  year  is  $8,554,512.  Bob 
Hope  again  voted  champion  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  radio  poll.    WPB  dallies  with  double 


feature  issue ;  exhibitors  take  sides  on  contro- 
versy. New  York's  Mayor  orders  closing  of 
"Wine,  Women  and  Song"  in  move  to  "clean 
up"  Broadway  stage.  New  censorship  rules  bar 
films  with  "social  messages"  and  gangster 
themes.  War  Activities  Committee  reports  on 
year's  work. 

December  19 

Leading  showmen  declare  positions  on  double 
bills.  Manpower  board  rules  12  studio  jobs  as 
"essential."  Army  films  to  be  made  on  cost 
contracts,  Col.  M.  E.  Gillette  of  the  U.  S.  Sig- 
nal Corps  announces.  Wendell  Willkie  receives 
citation  "for  distinguished  service  to  American 
unity"  from  National  Conference  of  Chirstians 
and  Jews.  Hunt  Stromberg  is  top  producer  in 
annual  Motion  Picture  Herald-Fow^  poll. 
Hollywood  Victory  Committee  reports  on  year's 
activities;  1,141  performers  aided  war  effort 
during  1942. 

December  26 

Money-Making  Stars  of  1942  designated  by 
the  11th  annual  Motion  Picture  Herald-Fow 
poll  of  exhibitors  ;  Abbott  and  Costello  get  first 
position  and  Gene  Autry  leads  the  Ten  Best 
Western  stars.  The  two  comedians  replace 
Mickey  Rooney  who  led  the  top  ten  last  year, 
in  1940  and  in  1939.  Clark  Gable,  who  won 
second  place  honors  this  year,  is  the  only  star 
who  has  been  voted  a  place  among  the  top  ten 
in  every  one  of  the  11  annual  ballotings  con- 
ducted by  the  Herald. 

"Corregidor"  Pre-Release 
Dates  Set  in  32  Cities 

"Corregidor,"  Producers  Releasing  Corpora- 
tion special,  will  have  pre-release  runs  the 
week  of  February  22nd.  It  will  play  in  32  key 
cities.  General  release  is  February  26th.  This 
permits  a  tieup  with  Red  Cross  Month.  That 
organization  is  cooperating  in  the  picture's 
national  promotion,  because  it  depicts  the  war 
work  of  nurses. 

Usher  Averts  Panic  in 
Washington  Theatre 

Panic  was  averted  in  a  fire  Saturday  night 
at  the  Little  theatre,  Washington,  by  George 
Dobson,  usher,  who  asked  the  audience  of  200 
to  remember  the  "Boston  fire,"  referring  to 
the  Cocoanut  Grove  disaster  of  November  28th 
in  which  500  were  killed,  chiefly  because  of 
panic.  The  Washington  fire  was  in  the  theatre's 
projection  booth. 


New  York  Theatre  Reopens 

The  Uptown  Operating  Corporation  reopened 
the  Uptown  theatre  at  Broadway  and  170th 
Street,  New  York,  on  Christmas  Day.  The 
theatre  formerly  was-operated  by  RKO.  G.  B. 
Odium  is  managing  director  of  the  corporation. 


Joins  20th-Fox  Exchange 

Merle  Rossen,  former  advertising  salesman 
with  the  San  Francisco  Examiner,  a  Hearst 
newspaper,  has  joined  the  sales  staff  of  the 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  exchange  in  San  Fran- 
cisco.   He  succeeds  Hugh  Fratto. 


Blood  Bank  for  Paramount 

A  committee  has  been  formed  to  sign  groups 
within  the  Paramount  home  office  as  volunteer 
blood  donors  for  the  Red  Cross,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week.  Barney  Balaban.  Para- 
mount president,  was  the  company's  first  volun- 
teer on  the  list. 


HERE  ARE  THE  REVIEWS! 


•  Enough  laughter,  mystery  and  horror  to  entertain 
everyone  and  keep  them  on  the  edge  of  their  seats. 

—Showmen's  Trade  Review 

•  Laugh-packed  picture.  Mirthful  murder  story  filled 

With  fun.  -The  Exhibitor 

•  Compares  with  the  best  of  its  kind  in  any  era...holding 
interest.. .justifying  expectation  of  solid  grosses.-At  P.  Herald 

•  Among  the  best  of  its  kind  for  wide  entertainment. 
Audience  regaler  extraordinary.  -Daily  Variety 

•  Produced  and  directed  in  style  and  scale  of  Columbia's 
top-level  product... It  provokes  an  abundance  of  laughter 
spiced  with  shudders.  -M.  P.  Daily 

•  Cast  sparkles.  Has  a  spontaneity  that  is  irresistibly  funny. 
This  one  can't  miss.  Hilarious  events... hectic  mystery. 

—Hollywood  Reporter 


CO-STARRING 


T 


LORETTA  YOUNG 


with 


(Miss)  JEFF  DONNELL 'WILLIAM  WRIGHT  •  SIDNEY  TOLER  ♦  GALE  SONDERGAARD  •  BLANCHE  YURKA  •  screen  way  by  Richard  nournoy 


THING  WHEN 


St* 


WYED  OR  /VOWPLAYMG. 


PAIACE 


•  •  • 


ONCINNA  Tl 


Jf>HmiS...PlTTSBURGH 
10EWS  STATE...SYRACUSE 


BIJOU 


•  •  • 


SPRINGFIELD. 


R  K  0  ORPHEUM 


•  •  • 


HIPPODROME 


MASS. 
MOINES 


•  •• 


lAFAYETTE 


BALTIMORE 


•  •  • 


BUFFALO 


METROPOLITAN...  WASHINGTON 
PALACE...  CLEVELAND 


i 


a**  SAIBKL  KSCHQFF  •  KreeM  kr  WSttRD  WALLACE 


34 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


Universal  Starts 
Sales  Drive 


War  Bond  Campaign 
Netted  $17,000,000 


Final  Total  Seen  Higher; 
Completing  Plans  for 
United  Nations  Week 

The  "On  to  Victory"  Week,  December 
7th  to  13th,  in  commemoration  of  Pearl 
Harbor,  and  staged  by  the  motion  picture 
industry  to  aid  the  Treasury's  Bond 
selling  campaign,  resulted  in  the  sale  of 
more  than  $17,000,000  worth  of  Bonds, 
according  to  the  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee in  New  York  this  week.  With 
other  reports  still  to  come,  the  final  total 
is  expected  to  be  greater. 

During  October,  the  WAC  said,  the 
theatres  sold  $12,000,000  worth  of  Bonds, 
while  during  the  seven  days  of  the  special 
drive,  they  sold  almost  50  per  cent  more. 

Meanwhile,  in  New  York,  final  plans 
for  "United  Nations  Week"  January  14th 
through  20th,  were  being  completed. 

A  special  eight-minute  film  has  been 
made  by  MGM.  It  is  "You,  John  Jones," 
and  features  James  Cagney,  Ann  South- 
ern and  five-year-old  Margaret  O'Brien. 
It  is  expected'  that  the  picture,  produced 
for  gratis  distribution,  will  continue  to 
be  played  after  the  drive. 

Support  of  United  Nations  Week  has 
been  "tremendous"  in  the  Atlantic  ex- 
change area,  William  K.  Jenkins  and 
Oscar  Lam,  co-chairmen  of  the  WAC 
United  Nations  drive  in  that  section,  an- 
nounced last  week.  Nearly  500  of  the  1,300 
theatres  in  the  territory  already  have 
pledged  cooperation,  Mr.  Jenkins  report- 
ed. "The  response  from  the  theatres  has 
been  terrific,"  he  added. 

Plan  Carole  Lombard 
Drive  in  Indiana 

Indiana  War  Bond  officials  this  week  an- 
nounced plans  for  a  campaign  to  sell  $2,000,000 
in  "extra"  Bonds  in  the  first  15  days  of  Janu- 
ary as  a  tribute  to  Carole  Lombard.  The  drive 
will  be  headed  by  county  executive  chairmen 
of  the  War  Savings  Staff  and  by  theatres.  On 
January  15th  a  rally  will  be  held  in  Indiana- 
polis and  part  of  the  program  will  be  a 
transcription  of  Miss  Lombard's  Bond-buying 
plea  which  she  made  in  Cadle  Tabernacle  there 
a  year  ago.  Miss  Lombard  was  killed  in  an  air 
liner  crash  the  day  following  her  appearance 
in  Indianapolis. 

Marjorie  Main,  Hoosier  film  star,  promoted 
the  sale  of  nearly  $600,000  worth  of  War 
Bonds  during  her  Indiana  visit  last  week.  At 
Shelbyville,  her  home  town,  $547,000  in  Bonds 
was  sold.  In  Indianapolis,  a  capacity  audience 
attended  the  $18.75  Bond-a-seat  midnight  show 
at  Loew's  theatre  recently. 

Fox  West  Coast  circuit  helped  boost  the 
total  Bond  sales  in  San  Francisco  by  $52,500 
last  week,  by  collaborating  with  radio  station 
KSFO  in  staging  a  two-hour  Bond  auction 
in  the  lobby  of  the  Mark  Hopkins  Hotel. 
Richard  Romo  of  the  FWC  office  in  San  Fran- 
cisco acted  as  auctioneer,  starlet  Shirley  Deane 
read  a  poem,  and  Bette  Davis  donated  a  lapel 
prize.  The  circuit  is  cooperating  with  KSFO 
maintaining  a  Bond  booth  in  the  theatre  lobby. 

Gratifying  success  has  attended  the  opera- 
tion of  plans  worked  out  by  Christopher  J. 
Dunphy,  chief  for  the  War  Production  Board 
amusements  section,  and  the  theatre  supply 
companies  and  exhibitors  for  the  salvage  of 


copper  from  carbons,  it  was  said  in  Washington 
this  week. 

A  large  amount  of  copper  has  been  recovered 
and  substantial  sums  have  accrued  to  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  and  United  Service  Organiza- 
tions, to  which  the  proceeds  of  sales,  bringing 
four  to  five  cents  per  pound,  have  been  con- 
tributed. 

Reports  collected  by  the  WPB  indicate  that 
in  the  last  10  days  more  than  30,000  pounds  of 
copper  were  recovered  and  sent  to  manufac- 
turing plants  for  re-use. 

New  York  Area 
WAC  Expanding 

The  New  York  and  New  Jersey  WAC  has 
expanded  in  anticipation  of  increased  opera- 
tions. WAC  "workers"  out  of  the  New  York 
exchange  area  have  been  augmented. 

For  New  York,  circuit  operators  Sam  Rinz- 
ler  and  Fred  Schwartz  continue  as  co-chairmen 
representing  the  exhibitors,  while  Robert  Wolf 
of  RKO  and  Henry  Randell,  of  Paramount, 
represent  the  distributors. 

Ben  Abner,  of  MGM  and  David  A.  Levy, 
Universal,  were  named  for  New  Jersey,  for  the 
distributors,  while  Don  Jacocks,  of  Warners 
and  Harry  Lowenstein,  independent  exhibitor 
with  the  added  assistance  of  Robert  Paskow, 
continue  on  behalf  of  the  exhibitors. 

"A  field  committee"  has  been  set  up  of  per- 
sonnel active  in  distribution  and  exhibition  to 
function  in  every  zone  and  county  in  both  states. 

Exhibitors  of  the  Los  Angeles  War  Activi- 
ties Committee  gathered  at  luncheon  Monday 
in  The  Ambassador  Hotel,  and  heard  George 
Schaefer  stress  the  importance  of  supporting 
the  war  effort.  Si  Fabian  reviewed  the  WAC 
contributions  of  the  year  past,  and  Edward 
Alperson  outlined  the  United  Nations  Drive. 
Other  speakers  were  Charles  Skouras  and 
Robert  Poole,  local  WAC  co-chairmen.  Dr. 
A.  H.  Giannini  presided. 

A  similar  meeting  was  held  Tuesday  at  the 
St.  Francis  Hotel,  San  Francisco,  for  northern 
California  exhibitors.  Mr.  Alperson  and  Mr. 
Fabian  again  were  speakers. 

Also  on  Tuesday,  other  meetings  in  support 
of  the  United  Nations  Week  were  held  in 
Washington  and  Salt  Lake  City.  Speakers  at 
the  first  were  Harry  Brandt,  Francis  Harmon 
and  A.  Julian  Brylawski ;  at  the  second,  Tracy 
Barham,  John  Rugar  and  Rick  Ricketson. 


Baltimore  Club  Elects 

L.  C.  Garman  has  been  elected  chief  barker 
of  the  Baltimore  Variety  Club.  Others  elected 
were :  William  K.  Saxton,  first  vice-president ; 
Rodney  Collier,  second  vice-president ;  Barry 
Goldman,  secretarp ;  O.  D.  Weems,  treasurer. 
Named  to  the  board  of  directors  were:  J.  Louis 
Rome,  C.  W.  Hicks,  Bernard  Seaman,  I.  M. 
Rappaport,  Frank  H.  Durkee,  Leon  Back, 
Samuel  Soltz,  Morris  Oletsky  and  Nathan 
Rosen. 


Children  Feted  at  Parties 

More  than  5,000  children  were  entertained  at 
two  theatre  parties  in  San  Francisco  during  the 
holiday  season.  The  Polk-Van  Ness-Larkin 
district  merchant's  association  held  one  affair 
at  the  Royal  theatre,  while  the  Elk's  Lodge 
tendered  its  annual  party  at  the  Castro  theatre. 


Joins  Universal  Sales  Staff 

Paul  Schmuck  has  joined  the  sales  staff  of 
the  Universal  exchange  in  San  Francisco,  suc- 
ceeding Samuel  Nathanson,  who  was  trans- 
ferred to  Seattle.  Mr.  Schmuck  worked  for 
Pathe  Studios  before  joining  Universal. 


Universal  Pictures  has  started  the  "W.  A. 
Scully  Sales  Drive,"  and  will  concentrate  on  im- 
portant product  during  the  drive  period,  from 
December  14th  to  May  8th. 

The  company  will  offer  such  pictures  as  Wal- 
ter Wagner's  "Arabian  Nights,"  Alfred 
Hitchock's  "Shadow  of  a  Doubt,"  and  Howard 
Hawk's  "Corvettes  in  Action."  Among  others 
to  be  included  are:  "It  Ain't  Hay,"  "When 
Johnny  Comes  Marching  Home,"  "Pittsburgh," 
"The  Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday"  and  "White 
Savage." 

A  departure  from  the  usual  competition  be- 
tween branches  was  established  for  the  sales 
drive.  Three  main  divisions,  each  containing 
offices  of  comparatively  equal  selling  strength, 
are  competing  for  prizes.  The  top  five  offices 
in  each  of  these  groups  will  be  chosen  winners, 
with  all  employees  who  participated  in  the  con- 
test sharing  the  awards.  The  prizes  range  from 
three  weeks'  salary  for  the  winning  groups 
to  one  week's  salary  for  the  fifth  place  offices 
The  winning  district  and  division  manager  will 
receive  a  special  prize. 

William  J.  Heineman,  assistant  general  sales 
manager  and  chairman  of  the  drive,  announced 
that  the  release  of  pictures  is  geared  to  permit 
consecutive  playing  of  the  company's  features 
by  exhibitors. 

Changes  and  promotions  in  various  sales 
offices  of  Universal  Pictures  were  announced 
Monday  by  W.  A.  Scully,  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager  of  the  company. 

Under  the  new  setup,  Barney  Rose  becomes 
district  manager  for  the  Boston,  New  Haven, 
Philadelphia  and  Washington  territory.  He  has 
been  with  Universal  more  than  20  years,  and 
started  first  as  a  salesman  in  the  middle  west. 
His  last  post  was  as  manager  of  the  Chicago 
office.  Edward  Heiber,  former  Detroit  manager, 
will  take  Mr.  Rose's  position.  Theodore  Men- 
delssohn has  been  named  Detroit  manager.  He 
was  promoted  from  salesman  in  the  Indiana- 
polis territory. 

John  J.  Scully  and  Abe  Weiner  were  as- 
signed as  managers  of  the  Boston  and  Buffalo 
sales  offices,  respectively.  John  Scully  formerly 
was  head  of  the  Buffalo  office.  Announcement 
was  also  made  of  the  appointment  of  Edward 
L.  McAvoy  as  assistant  eastern  division  mana- 
ger under  Fred  Meyers. 


Boeing  To  Aid  Ticket  Sale 

The  Boeing  Aircraft  Company  in  Seattle  and 
Wichita  will  set  up  ticket  booths  in  their  plants 
for  the  convenience  of  workers  who  wish 
tickets  for  "Air  Force,"  the  Warner  picture. 
The  special  openings  of  the  picture  in  these 
cities  will  follow  with  the  New  York  opening 
date. 


Four  Comerfords  in  Service 

Thomas  Comerford,  son  of  Mrs.  M.  B.  Com- 
erford  and  the  late  M.  B.  Comerford,  general 
manager  of  the  Comerford  Circuit,  has  been 
made  an  ensign  in  the  Navy.  Another  son, 
Michael,  will  start  his  naval  training  soon. 
Two  cousins  also  are  serving  with  the  armed 
forces.  Thomas  J.  Comerford  is  in  the  Marines 
and  Joseph  Comerford  is  training  to  become  an 
ensign  in  the  Navy. 


Estate  Goes  to  Daughters 

The  estimated  $325,000  estate  of  the  late 
Dr.  Albert  Kumler,  president  of  the  Mt. 
Lookout  Theatre  Company,  Cincinnati,  who 
died  recently,  was  left  to  his  two  daughters, 
under  terms  of  his  will,  filed  in  the  Cincin- 
nati Probate  Court. 


Manager  in  Army 

Guido  Luminello,  manager  of  the  Premier 
theatre,  Newburyport,  Mass.,  Warner  circuit 
house,  has  been  inducted  into  the  Army. 


January    2,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  35 

CIRCUIT  HEADS  SEE  DUALS 
LOCAL  THEATRE  PROBLEM 


That  the  determination  of  exhibition  policy  with  respect  to  double  features  is  based 
largely  on  local  conditions  is  further  borne  out  in  additional  letters  received  from  leaders 
of  exhibition  across  the  country.  Responding  to  Motion  Picture  Herald's  inquiry,  the 
results  of  which  have  been  published  in  three  preceding  issues,  three  other  circuit 
operators  point  out  that,  regardless  of  their  personal  reaction  to  the  policy  of  double 
bills,  theatre  experience  has  indicated  that  in  certain  localities  the  double  feature 
has  come  to  be  demanded  by  the  greater  percentage  of  patrons. 

The  additional  contributions  to  the  Herald's  symposium  on  the  double  feature, 
received  this  week,  follow: 


/.  BL  U  MEN  F  ELD 

Blumenfeli  Theatres,  San  Francisco 

In  our  opinion  the  public  at  this  particular 
time  wants  entertainment  in  greater  quanti  aes 
than  ever  but  they  do  not  want  war  shorts  or 
preachments.  On  numerous  occasions  it  has 
become  necessary  to  show  two  war  shorts  on 
a  program  in  order  to  keep  up  with  national  re- 
lease and  the  reaction  from  the  public  is  that 
they  are  rapidly  tiring  of  this  type  of  propa- 
ganda and  perhaps  it  is  being  overdone  by  the 
industry.  .  ■ 

There  is  no  question  thai  the  people  in  .North- 
ern California  definitely  want  double  features. 
We  have  had  the  opportunity  of  testing  this  on 
numerous  occasions  in  localities  ranging  from 
industrial  sections  working  day  and  night  on  the 
war  effort,  farming  communities  where  they  are 
having  difficulty  on  account  of  the  shortage  oi 
labor  and  strictly  residential  sections  where  peo- 
ple are  classified  as  the  ""white  collar  trade.*' 

In  each  and  every  situation  our  experiments 
ultimately  indicate  that  the  double  bill  is  the 
life  blood  of  the  industry  and  to  eliminate  one 
feature  would  definitely  cut  down  the  number 
of  people  attending  theatres  regularly.  The 
weakest  call  for  the  double  bill  is  from  the 
"white  collar  trade." 

They  are  more  inclined  to  ask  for  a  single 
feature,  some  good  shorts  and  the  opportunity 
of  going  home  early.  This  class,  however,  is  by 
far  in  the  minority.  Wherever  you  have  the 
average  American  laboring  man  and  his  fam- 
ily, working  in  or  out  of  the  essential  industries 
the  demand  is  for  plenty  of  entertainment,  the 
average  show  running  between  three  and  four 
hours.  They  want  two  features,  a  current  news- 
reel  and  a  cartoon.  This  makes  the  ideal  show 
from  their  viewpoint. 

I  cite  one  interesting  experiment.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1941.  we  acquired  the  United  Artists  The- 
atre, a  first  run  theatre  on  Market  Street  in 
San  Francisco.  The  policy  for  over  10  years 
had  been  single  bill,  catering  exclusively  to 
carriage  trade.  We  continued  with  this  policy 
for  a  short  time,  but  being  dissatisfied  with  the 
results,  changed  policy  in  the  middle  of  an  en- 
gagement and  added  a  second  feature.  Our  re- 
ceipts surprisingly  increased  the  first  day  oi 
this  change  to  such  an  extent  that  we  immedi- 
ately installed  a  definite  double  bill  policy  re- 
gardless of  the  quality  of  the  "A"  feature.  After 
operating  on  this  double  bill  policy  for  over  a 
year  we  found  that  the  theatre  enjoyed  the 
greatest  business  in  its  history,  attracting  a  dif- 
ferent clientele  due  mainly  to  the  addition  of 
the  second  feature. 

This  same  experiment  has  been  tried  in  other 
situations  varying  from  neighborhood  operation 
to  small  town  theatres  and  the  results  were 
such  that  the  double  bill  policy  was  made  a 
permanent  one.  Naturally,  there  are  always  ex- 
ceptions to  the  rules. 

There  is  no  question  that  the  motion  picture 


industry  is  doing  a  great  job  nationally,  main- 
taining the  morale  of  the  public  and  offering  en- 
tertainment at  prices  that  are  exceedingly  low 
compared  to  the  cost  of  entertainment  in  other 
lines.  In  our  opinion  every  effort  should  be 
made  to  convince  the  officials  of  this  Govern- 
ment that  this  industry  is  essential  from  that 
standpoint  and  no  curtailment  should  be  enact- 
ed forcing  the  showing  of  single  bills.  There 
are  many  sections  of  the  country  and  theatres 
in  other  sections  that  can  play  single  bills 
profitably,  but  on  the  whole  the  public  wants 
more  and  more  entertainment  for  their  money 
and  we  should  be  permitted  to  give  it  to  them 
wherever  it  is  required. 

E.  C.  GRAINGER 

Shea  Enterprises,  Inc.,  New  York 

Personally  I  dislike  double  bills,  as  I  think 
the  second  feature  detracts  from  an  outstanding 
"A"  picture  In  operating  our  circuit,  we 
have  from  time  to  time  eliminated  the  second 
feature  when  we  were  playing  an  outstanding 
first  feature.  Just  two  weeks  ago,  at  the 
Colonial  theatre,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  we  eliminated 
the  second  feature  when  we  pk^yed  "Black 
Swan,"  and  broke  the  house  record!  Previ- 
ous to  this  we  eliminated  the  second  feature 
when  playing  "Tales  of  Manhattan"  in  the 
same  city. 

In  New  England,  which  probably  has  more 
double  feature  theatres  than  any  section  of  the 
country,  we  have  from  time  to  time  eliminated 
second  features — but  the  results  were  not  as 
as  satisfactory  as  they  were  in  Akron. 

We  therefore  must  realize  conclusively  that 
regardless  of  one's  likes  or  dislikes,  where 
double  features  have  been  the  general  policy, 
that  policy  must  be  continued  to  get  successful 
results. 

Personally  I  would  like  to  see  double  fea- 
tures eliminated,  but  I  doubt  if  they  will  be 
eliminated  unless  there  is  some  Governmental 
decree  to  that  effect,  as  I  doubt  whether  ex- 
hibitors now  making  money  with  them  will 
want  to  change  a  money-making  policy. 

ALEX  SCHREIBER 

Associated  Theatres,  Inc.,  Detroit 

We  have  given  the  question  of  double  bills 
serious  consideration.  We  have  interviewed 
hundreds  of  patrons  and  have  also  taken  ballots 
on  this  question.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind 
that  the  vast  majority  of  the  theatregoing  pub- 
lic demands  double  bills  and  will  take  no  less 
unless,  of  course,  it  becomes  a  universal  law. 
Most  of  the  people  who  object  to  dual  bills  are 
those  who  do  not  patronize  the  theatre  very 
often  and  then  only  when  they  can  see  the  so- 
called  "Double  A"  attractions.  We  know  that  a 
great  many  theatres  owe  their  very  existence  to 
the  double  bill  policy  and  if  that  is  what  the 


masses  want,  I  am  afraid  we  will  have  to  cater 
to  their  wishes. 

Of  course,  certain  pictures  can  be  played  suc- 
cessfully on  a  single  bill  policy,  but  they  are 
few  and  far  between.  Yet  it  might  be  a  good 
starting  point,  if  these  certain  pictures  were  re- 
leased only  on  single  bill  policy  and  providing 
that  such  pictures  could  only  be  shown  single 
bill  irrespective  of  run.  This  may  be  the  first 
step  toward  re-educating  the  public. 

However,  "B,"  "C  and  "D"  pictures,  in  my 
opinion,  cannot  be  played  singly  to  any  good 
advantage.  In  fact,  there  is  a  vast  number  of 
patrons  who  prefer  western,  mystery  and  action 
pictures  to  the  "A"  type,  but  they  are  double  bill 
conscious  and  pictures  in  this  category  would 
necessarily  have  to  be  dual  billed. 

With  the  exception  above  noted,  I  do  not 
believe  it  practical  or  desirable  to  make  a 
change  in  the  double  bill  policy  now.  There  are 
sufficient  war  shorts  and  war  news  shown  at 
most  of  the  theatres  to  create  national  interest 
and  if  that  is  not  sufficient,  there  are  a  great 
marry  newsreel  theatres  to  satisfy  the  desires 
of  those  who  seek  this  form  of  entertainment. 
Through  Government  release  and  so-called 
propaganda  pictures,  the  theatre  public  is  fully 
reminded  of  the  fact  that  we  are  at  war  and 
what  is  expected  of  each  of  us  in  order  to  win 
it.  This  industry  is  essential  to  our  war  effort 
and  it  cannot  be  denied  that  we  are  doing  our 
share  in  the  sale  of  War  Bonds  and  Stamps,  in 
furnishing  information  to  the  public,  and  in 
budding  up  a  high  morale  through  sheer  enter- 
tainment at  -  a  price  to  fit  any  pocketbook  in 
spite  of  these  days  of  high  prices.  But  to  single 
bills,  in  toto,  I  cannot  subscribe. 

"Saludos"  Has  Radio 
Preview  on  CBS 

The  Walt  Disnej-  picture,  "Saludos  Amigos." 
had  a  radio  preview  on  the  Andre  Kostelanetz 
program  over  the  Columbia  Broadcasting  Sys- 
tem last  Sunday  afternoon.  A  new  character, 
Jose  Carioca,  was  introduced,  and  appeared  with 
Donald  Duck  and  Mr.  Disney. 

The  entire  program  was  given  over  to  the 
playing  of  musical  numbers  from  the  picture 
and  characterizations  of  the  Disney  creations. 
Tito  Guizar  also  was  on  hand  to  do  some  of  the 
singing.  "Saludos  Amigos"  will  have  wide  dis- 
tribution in  Latin  and  South  American  coun- 
tries. 

Mr.  Disney  recently  returned  from  Mexico 
City,  where  the  background  for  a  second  picture 
called  "La  Pinata"  was  gathered.  The  trip  took 
several  weeks,  and  hundreds  of  sketches  were 
drawn  with  many  Mexican  artists  employed  for 
the  making  of  recordings.  The  Office  of  the 
Coordinator  of  Inter-American  affairs  spon- 
sored the  visit. 


Host  to  Theatre  Staffs 

Willis  Vance,  operating  a  circuit  of  suburban 
theatres  in  the  Greater  Cincinnati  area,  was 
host  to  employees  of  the  Twentieth  Century. 
Ohio  and  Eden  theatres,  in  Cincinnati,  and  the 
State  theatre,  at  nearby  Newport.  Ky.,  at  a 
Christmas  party  and  buffet  lunch  in  the  foyer 
of  the  Twentieth  Century,  last  week. 


Theatre  Employees  Get  Bonus 

Bonuses  amounting  to  a  week's  salary  were 
paid  to  over  100  employees  of  theatres  in  Fall 
River.  Mass..  last  week.  The  extra  compensa- 
tion was  ariven  as  a  Christmas  token  bv  the 
Center.  Durfee.  Interstate  Empire,  Park. 
Strand.  Plaza  and  Capitol  theatres. 


? 


/  r. 


Records  Is  published  annually  by 
Associated  Publications  at  Ninth  and  Van 
Brunt  Blvd.,  Kansas  City.  Mo.  Hollywood 
Office:  6404  Hollywood  Blvd..  Ivan  Spear, 
Manager.  New  York  Office:  9  Rockefeller 
Plaza,  Raymond  Levy,  Manager.  Published 
October  1942.  Price  One  Dollar  Per  Copy. 


WeHern  St 


AN  POWER 


IS  THE  SECRET 


western 


RECORDS 


Republic  LEADS  IN  HAVING] 
69%  OF  ALL  WESTERNS  RAT- 
ING 100%  OR  OVER  AT  THE| 
BOX  OFFICE.  » 

Pet. 

STARDUST  ON  THE  SAGE  _  150 

HOME  IN  WYOMIN'  „  130 

HEART  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE  125 

SIERRA  SUE     125 

BELLS  OF  CAPISTRANO,  THE  125 

COWBOY  SERENADE   125 

CALL  OF  THE  CANYON  123 

SUNSET  ON  THE  DESERT  117 

APACHE  KID,  THE  116 

RED  RIVER  VALLEY  Ill 

SOUTH  OF  SANTA  FE  Ill 

JESSE  JAMES  AT  BAY  Ill 

MAN  FROM  CHEYENNE,  THE  „  110 

ROMANCE  ON  THE  RANGE   110 

SONS  OF  THE  PIONEERS   109 

SUNSET  SERENADE  107 

PHANTOM  PLAINSMEN   100 

JESSE  JAMES  JR  100 

DEATH  VALLEY  OUTLAWS  100 


*    ZJhe  TOPS  * 

Republic  HAS  71%  OF  ALL 

TOP  WESTERNS  RATING  110% 
OR  OVER  AT  THE  BOX  OFFICE. 


Pet. 

STARDUST  ON  THE  SAGE  _  150  1 

HOME  IN  WYOMIN'  „  „  ,...130 

COWBOY  SERENADE    125 

HEART  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE  125  j 

SIERRA  SUE  ...  „....125 

CALL  OF  THE  CANYON  ...123 

SUNSET  ON  THE  DESERT.  117 

APACHE  KID,  THE  116| 

JESSE  JAMES  AT  BAY  Ill 

RED  RIVER  VALLEY  _„  1 1 1 

SOUTH  OF  SANTA  FE  1 1 1 

MAN  FROM  CHEYENNE,  THE  110 


ar 
RECORD 

Republic  HAS  THE  4  T< 
WESTERN  STARS  AND  HE 
IS  THEIR  UNPRECEDENT 
RATING.  •£ 

P. 

GENE  AUTRY.  K 

SMILEY  BURNETTE  .lv 

ROY  ROGERS  II 

GEORGE  ''GABBY" 
HAYES   11 

* 

He's  Climbing  Fast 
DON  "RED" 

BARRY   1C 


epMic'i 


THE  AIM  OF  REPUBLIC  STUDIOS  IS 


AT    IMPORTANT    INTANGIBLE  IIS 


SUCCESS 


ESTERNS  ARE 


Western  Producer 

RECORDS 

epublic  LEADS  WITH  THE  TOP 
VESTERN   PRODUCERS  AND 
lERE'S  THEIR  RATING. 
* 

Pet. 

IARRY 

3REY  131 

★ 

OSEPH 

CANE  J 11 

GEORGE 

SHERMAN  101 


Western  ^Director 

RECORDS 

\Repubiic  LEADS  WITH  THE  TOP 
WESTERN  DIRECTORS  AND 
HERE'S  THEIR  RATING. 


WILLIAM 

MORGAN 


Pet. 

.131 


JOSEPH  w 

SANTLEY   123 

★ 

[JOSEPH 

KANE  Ill 

★ 

GEORGE 

SHERMAN  101 


lie  J  tern  Writer 

RECORDS 

Republic  LEADS  WITH  THE  TOP 
WESTERN  WRITER  RECORDS, 
AND    HERE'S   THEIR  RATING. 

^  Pet. 
DORRELL  and  STUART  McGOWAN  150 

STUART  PALMER  130 

NEWLIN  B.  WILDES  125 

EARL  FELTON  125 

JULIAN   ZIMET  125 

OLIVE  COOPER  124 

MAURICE  RAPF  123 

ELIOT  GIBBONS  116 

MALCOLM  STUART  BOYLAN  Ill 

HARRISON  JACOBS  Ill 

JAMES  WEBB  „  Ill 

GERALD  GERAGHTY  109 

MAURI  GRASHIN  109 

ROBERT  T.  SHANNON  „  109 

RICHARD  MURPHY  105 

WINSTON  MILLER  ,.  104 

ROBERT  YOST  „   104 

VT7 


'Western  Screenplay, 
RECORDS 

Republic  LEADS  WITH  THE  TOP ! 
WESTERN  SCREEN  PLAY 
WRITERS,  AND  HERE'S  THEIR 
RATING. 

*  Pet.  I 

ROBERT  TASKER  130 

EARL  FELTON  -  125 

LILLIE  HAYWARD  125 

JULIAN  ZIMET     125 

OLIVE  COOPER  124 1 

BETTY  BURBRIDGE   121 

M.  COATES  WEBSTER  120  I 

ELIOT  GIBBONS  116  | 

MALCOLM  STUART  BOYLAN  Ill 

WINSTON   MILLER  Ill 

JAMES  WEBB  Ill 

MAURI  GRASHIN  _  _  109  I 

ROBERT  T.  SHANNON  109 

EARL  FELTON  107 

GERALD  GERAGHTY  107 

RICHARD  MURPHY  105 

FRED  MYTON  -.104  | 

BERNARD  MeCONVILLE   101 

TAYLOR  CAVEN  100 

ROBERT  YOST  1 00 


kSHION  PICTURES  THAT  ARE  IN  GOOD  TASTE 


INDUSTRY  IN  WESTERN 
^     BOX  OFFICE 
|*  ATTRACTIONS 
★ 


it 


W  THE  THEATRE  PATRON  TO  DISTINGUISH 


OM  THE  OVERSTUFFED  TINSEL  VARIETY 


38 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


ARGENTINE  ENVOY  OBTAINS 
FILM  SUPPLY  FROM 


U.  S 


Dr.  Larreta  Negotiates  for 
Raw  Stock  as  Agent  of 
Native  Producers 

by  NATALIO  BRUSKI 

in  Buenos  Aires 

Great  interest  has  been  aroused  in  Ar- 
gentine cinema  circles  by  the  announce- 
ments made  by  Dr.  Augusto  Rodriguez 
Larreta,  who  has  just  returned  from  the 
United  States,  where  he  represented  the 
A.P.P.A.  (Asociacion  de  Productores  de 
Peliculas  Argentinas).  His  mission  was 
to  obtain  the  necessary  export  permits 
and  allotment  quotas  from  the  authori- 
ties in  Washington  for  the  import  into 
Argentina  of  unexposed  film. 

After  completing  primary  negotiations  of 
a  financial  and  political  nature  with  the  Ar- 
gentine authorities,  he  left  for  the  United 
States,  where  he  announced  the  object  of 
his  mission.  He  has  summed  up  the  results 
of  this  mission  in  a  statement  for  the 
Motion  Picture  Herald  and  Cine  Prensa 
of  Buenos  Aires,  as  follows : 

The  export  of  unexposed  film  from  the 
United  States  to  Argentina,  Dr.  Rodriguez 
Larreta  stated,  has  been  carried  out  through 
the  Eastman  Kodak  and  Duperial  compa- 
nies. Of  these,  the  first  mentioned  company 
has  exported  the  largest  quantities  in  the 
last  few  years,  the  Duperial  company  hav- 
ing engaged  in  the  business  only  recently 
in  order  to  supply  the  requirements  of  local 
industry.  Both  firms  have  imported  their 
products  into  Argentina,  where  they  are 
sold  through  established  agencies. 

The  two  companies  applied  for  the  nec- 
essary export  quotas  in  the  United  States, 
and  these  quotas  were  granted  more  or  less 
regularly  until  the  beginning  of  the  present 
year.  In  order  to  obtain  them  it  has  been 
necessary  to  comply  with  the  preliminary 
negotiations  demanded  by  the  War  Pro- 
duction Board  and  the  Board  of  Economic 
Warfare. 

Negotiated  with  Authorities 
Of  Argentine  Government 

Since  May  of  1942  the  above  mentioned 
boards,  being  compelled  to  restrict  the  use 
of  unexposed  film,  began  to  refuse  the  per- 
mits for  exports  to  Argentina.  This 
aroused  a  natural  feeling  of  alarm  among 
local  film  producers,  who  being  unable  to 
obtain  the  material  from  other  sources  (Bel- 
gium, Germany,  etc.)  were  in  danger  of 
having  to  close  down  their  studios. 

The  Eastman  Kodak  and  Duperial  com- 
panies then  suggested  the  advisability  of 
approaching  the  United  States  authorities 
for  the  purpose  of  arriving  at  a  solution 
to  the  problem.  It  was  for  this  purpose 
that  Dr.  Rodriguez  Larreta  was  interviewed 
by  the  members  of  the  A.P.P.A.,  who  en- 
trusted him  with  the  mission. 

Dr.  Rodriguez  Larreta  pointed  out  the 
difficulties  which  such  a  venture  would  en- 
tail, as  he  did  not  wish  to  arouse  undue 
optimism  regarding  its  success,  in  view  of 


the  great  difficulties  which  would  be  en- 
countered. However,  the  Argentine  produc- 
cers  pressed  him  to  undertake  the  trip  to 
the  United  States  for  two  reasons:  on  one 
hand,  to  exhaust  all  possible  resources  in 
order  to  obtain  a  vital  product  of  the  in- 
dustry, and  on  the  other,  to  determine  the 
exact  nature  of  future  prospects,  in  order 
to  adjust  business  accordingly. 

Before  leaving  for  the  United  States,  Dr. 
Rodriguez  Larreta  carried  out  a  number  of 
preliminary  negotiations  with  the  Argentine 
authorities.  As  unexposed  film  is  not  sub- 
ject to  export  permits  in  the  United  States, 
it  was  unnecessary  to  obtain  priority  certifi- 
cates. However,  it  was  necessary  to  obtain 
through  the  intervention  of  the  Argentine 
Embassy  in  Washington,  the  official  aid 
which  the  Government  grants,  once  the  Cen- 
tral Bank  has  investigated  the  needs  of  the 
industry  making  the  application. 

Made  Study  of  Needs 
Of  Local  Industry 

The  Central  Bank  made  an  exhaustive 
study  of  the  needs  of  the  cinema  industry, 
sending  its  report  to  the  Argentine  Em- 
bassy in  Washington  through  the  Ministry 
for  Foreign  Affairs. 

With  these  preparations  completed,  Dr. 
Rodriguez  Larreta  began  his  negotiations 
in  Washington,  supporting  the  request  for 
export  licenses  to  cover  the  needs  of  the 
Argentine  cinema  industry,  which  the  East- 
man Kodak  and  Duperial  companies 
planned  to  file. 

Some  time  after  the  initial  negotiations 
had  been  carried  out,  export  licenses  were 
granted  on  a  small  scale.  The  success  of 
the  mission  was  not  yet  complete,  but  the 
negative  attitude  referred  to  above  was 
modified.  The  object  desired  was  the  ac- 
ceptance of  a  plan  based  on  the  calculations 
of  the  Argentine  Central  Bank. 

This  object  was  attained  in  the  War  Pro- 
duction Board,  although  not  to  the  extent 
requested.  Following  the  rule  applied  in 
the  United  States  of  not  adopting  measures 
involving  long  periods  of  time,  since  the 
country  is  at  war,  it  is  logical  to  suppose 
that  allowances  must  be  made  for  future 
circumstances,  which  may  alter  the  pres- 
ent conditions.  Nevertheless,  the  proposed 
plan  was  accepted  as  regards  the  time 
element,  the  arrangement  being  on  a  quar- 
terly basis. 

Argentina  To  Obtain  Equal 
Share  with  Others 

When  the  matter  was  passed  to  the  Board 
of  Economic  Warfare,  it  was  discovered 
that  the  request  made  by  Argentina  coin- 
cided with  requests  for  unexposed  film  from 
other  countries.  It  was  decided  that  it 
would  be  better  to  find  a  joint  solution, 
based  on  the  quantity  of  film  which  the 
United  States  could  spare  for  export.  Dur- 
ing his  visit  to  Washington,  Dr.  Rodriguez 
Larreta  was  unable  to  obtain  information 
as  to  the  number  of  metres  of  film  which 
would  be  allotted  to  Argentina  on  the  pro- 
rata plan.    He  was  informed,  nevertheless, 


that  as  a  result  of  his  negotiations,  Argen- 
tina would  be  incorporated  with  the  United 
Nations,  and  that  it  would  obtain  propor- 
tional and  equitable  supplies  in  this  scheme. 

It  should  be  stressed  that  Dr.  Rodriguez 
Larreta  received  the  support  of  the  State  De- 
partment in  his  negotiations.  With  a  clear 
understanding  of  this  aspect  of  the  negotia- 
tions, Dr.  Rodriguez  Larreta  had  a  number 
of  interviews  with  Mr.  Sumner  Welles,  As- 
sistant Secretary  of  State  of  the  U.  S.,  whom 
he  found  actuated  by  a  sincere  spirit  of  co- 
operation. In  addition  to  the  State  De- 
partment he  received  the  support  of  the 
Office  of  the  Co-ordinator  of  Inter-Ameri- 
can Affairs,  under  the  guidance  of  Nelson 
Rockefeller.  This  office  did  everything  in 
its  power  to  enable  supplies  of  the  required 
product  to  be  obtained  for  the  Argentina 
cinema  industry. 

While  no  conditions  were  demanded  for 
the  granting  of  the  request,  it  was  under- 
stood that  the  Argentine  producers  would 
take  particular  care  to  see  that  the  unex- 
posed film  did  not  pass  into  enemy  hands. 
It  was  also  understood  that  the  Argentine 
producers  would  apply  to  their  industry 
the  same  regulations  regarding  economy 
as  those  established  in  the  United  States 
for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  any  waste  of 
photographic  film. 

Argentine  Industry  To 
Guard  Against  Waste 

For  this  purpose  the  measures  to  be 
adopted  will  consist  of  careful  use  of  this 
material  during  the  filming  of  pictures  and 
the  curtailment  of  the  number  of  copies  to 
those  essential  for  the  exploitation  of  each 
picture.  This  number  can  be  appreciably 
reduced  if  a  rationed  system  of  distribution 
is  used. 

In  order  to  obtain  these  results  the 
A.P.P.A.  has  requested  the  Office  of  the 
Coordinator  of  Inter-American  Affairs  to 
send  a  technical  expert  to  Argentina,  who, 
in  collaboration  with  Dr.  Rodriguez  Lar- 
reta, will  give  the  local  industry  the  bene- 
fit of  the  experience  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry  in  the  United  States,  while 
the  regulations  remain  in  force. 

Dr.  Rodriguez  Larreta  stated  that  al- 
though he  considers  the  results  of  his  mis- 
sion to  be  highly  satisfactory,  he  has  warned 
Argentine  producers  not  to  entertain  un- 
founded hopes  for  the  future.  While  the 
war  lasts  it  will  not  be  possible  to  obtain 
guarantees  regarding  the  supply  of  any  ma- 
terials, he  indicated. 


Warners  Buy  Warehouse 

A  seven-story  building  at  447-449  West  49th 
Street,  New  York,  has  been  purchased  by  War- 
ner Brothers  for  storage  purposes.  It  was 
formerly  the  Erlanger  warehouse.  The  pur- 
chase price  was  $34,500.  Warners  was  repre- 
sented in  the  transaction  by  Benjamin  Wirth 
and  Miles  H.  Alben,  company  attorney 


Gutlohn  Soundies  Distributor 

Walter  O.  Gutlohn,  Inc.,  of  New  York  City, 
has  been  appointed  exclusive  distributor  of  the 
16mm.  musical  films  produced  by  Soundies  Dis- 
tributing Corporation  of  America,  Inc. 


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Free  Films  for 
British  Army 
New  Problem 

Whether  to  give  British  service  men  films 
without  charge  is  currently  occupying  the  at- 
tention of  British  distributors,  according  to 
Sam  Smith,  president  of  the  Kinematograph 
Renters  Society,  and  a  visitor  to  New  York 
this  week  and  last. 

Mr.  Smith,  who  was  in  the  city  to  attend 
the  premiere  of  the  United  Artists'  release, 
"In  Which  We  Serve,"  in  which  his  company, 
British  Lion,  has  a  financial  interest,  said  the 
English  distributors  are  being  pressed  to  new 
action  by  the  example  of  the  American  com- 
panies in  providing  the  latest  films  to  Ameri- 
can troops  in  England  without  charge. 

He  added  that  the  American  companies 
viewed  England  as  a  combat  zone.  The  British 
companies  thus  far  have  not  regarded  their 
own  soldiers  in  that  area  as  in  a  fighting  zone. 
However,  the  wave  of  comment  over  the  dif- 
ferent attitudes  has  impelled  the  discussion,  he 
said. 

British  distributors  for  many  years  have 
given  films  without  charge  to  the  Royal  Naval 
Film  Corporation,  he  observed,  and,  lately,  to 
all  three  services  at  a  small  charge,  which 
resulted  in  admission  prices  to  the  men  com- 
parable to  those  made  by  the  U.  S.  Army 
Motion  Picture  Service  to  men  in  Army  posts 
in  the  United  States  and  posessions. 

The  British  distributors  do  not  feel  that  the 
Ministry  of  Information's  mobile  film  units 
are  competition  to  theatres,  whatever  the  ex- 
hibitors believe,  Mr.  Smith  said.  The  films 
shown  are  propaganda,  he  commented,  and 
therefore  of  a  different  category.  The  mobile 
units  owned  by  the  services  are  definitely  not 
competitive,  he  believes. 

He  added  praise  for  exhibitor  cooperation 
in  the  whole  delicate  matter.  He  added  that 
there  have  been  instances  where  the  two  mile 
limit — between  unit  and  established  theatre — 
has  been  waived. 

Of  "In  Which  We  Serve,"  now  playing  the 
Capitol  theatre,  New  York,  he  predicted  that 
no  other  picture  but  "Gone  With  the  Wind" 
will  "roll  up  a  bigger  gross"  in  the  British 
Isles. 

Variety  Club  in  Albany 
Elects  New  Canvasmen 

The  Albany  Variety  Club  elected  its  11  can- 
vasmen at  a  meeting  in  the  Ten  Eyck  Hotel, 
Albany,  last  .  week.  They  will  elect  a  new  chief 
barker  and  other  officers  shortly.  Louis  R. 
Golding,  Fabian  division  head,  is  the  retiring 
chief  barker. 

Elected  as  canvasmen  were  Paul  S.  Krumen- 
acker,  Herman  Ripps,  Neil  Hellman,  C.  J. 
Latta,  Harry  Alexander,  Charles  Smakwitz, 
Jerry  Spandau,  Arthur  Newmann,  Joseph  Shure 
and  Max  Friedman.  Selected  to  attend  the  next 
national  convention  were  Mr.  Latta  and  Mr. 
Ripps,  while  alternates  are  Mr.  Smakwitz,  Mr. 
Hellman  and  Mr.  Friedman. 


Savini  Names  Assistant 

R.  M.  Savini,  president  of  Astor  Pictures, 
has  announced  that  Fred  Bellin  will  assume 
executive  duties  with  the  company.  As  assist- 
ant to  the  president,  Mr.  Bellin  also  will  act  as 
treasurer,  a  position  formerly  held  by  William 
J.  Figueroa,  who  is  now  in  the  Marines. 


Horwitz  Joins  Universal 

Al  M.  Horwitz,  former  sports  editor  of  the 
Philadelphia  Ledger,  this  week  joined  the 
Universal  home  office  publicity  department  in 
New  York.  He  will  be  on  special  assignment. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Six  New  Companies 
Chartered  in  New  York 

Michael  F.  Walsh,  who  retires  next  week  as 
Secretary  of  State  for  New  York,  has  an- 
nounced the  incorporation  of  six  more  motion 
picture  companies  and  change  of  status  in  sev- 
eral others. 

Cohoes  Regent  Theatre,  Inc.,  Cohoes,  was  incorpo- 
rated with  200  shares  of  stock  by  Walter  H.  Wertime, 
veteran  Chestertown  exhibitor,  his  son  Walter  H. 
Wertime,  Jr.,  Cohoes  and  Selma  K.  Wertime,  Chester- 
town.  The  Regent  Theatre  in  the  past,  has  been  leased 
to  Fabian  Circuit  but  there  are  rumors  the  Wertimes 
will  operate  it  independently   in  the  future. 

Charlou  Management  Corporation,  10  shares,  by 
Irving  Goldman,  11  West  42nd  Street,  New  York, 
Harry  Fishman,  1250  Manor  Avenue  and  Harriet 
Rosenthal,  3021  Holland  Avenue,  Bronx.  Irving  Gold- 
man filed  the  papers. 

Theatre  Ticket  Service,  Inc.,  100  shares,  by  N.  M. 
Palmer,  3705  79th  Street,  Jackson  Heights,  G.  T. 
Fitzpatrick,  Forest  Hills  and  Martha  Appleton,  225  E. 
63rd  Street,  New  York.  Papers  were  filed  by  Samuel 
D.  Antopol,  270  Broadway,  New  York. 

Uptown  Enterprises,  Inc.,  $5,000  capital  stock,  by 
Richard  B.  Persinger,  Peter  Bentley,  IV,  and  John  K. 
Pickens,  120  Broadway,  papers  being  filed  by  Simpson, 
Thacher  and  Bartlett,  same  address. 

Mipa  Productions,  Inc.,  Manhattan,  200  shares,  by 
Emil  Agostini,  Jr.,  Edna  Finsterer  and  K.  A. 
Wistrand,  7  Hanover  Square,  New  York,  papers  be- 
ing filed  by  Howard  N.  Deyo,  64  Water  Street,  New 
York. 

Barshac,  Inc.,  Bronx,  200  shares,  by  Morris  Honig, 
233  Broadway,  Leon  Schachter,  1372  Franklin  Avenue, 
and  Wolfe  Barzel,  212  W.  22nd  Street,  New  York, 
Mr.  Honig  filing  the  papers. 

Max  Gordon  Plays  and  Pictures  Corporation,  orig- 
inally formed  in  Delaware,  has  filed  a  surrender  of 
authority  with  the  Secretary  of  State  through  Abra- 
ham L.  Berman,  551  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

Fleetwood  Theatre,  Inc.,  has  filed  a  change  of  capi- 
tal through  Charles  Segal,  21  East  40th  Street,  New 
York.  The  company  has  reduced  its  authorized  capital 
stock  from  7,500  shares  to  750  shares,  no  stated  par 
value. 

Biograph  Studios  Corporation,  New  York,  has  been 
dissolved.  Papers  of  incorporation  were  originally  filed 
by  The  Corporation,  120  Broadway,  New  York. 


National  and  City  Film 
Groups  Will  Cooperate 

James  Shelley  Hamilton,  executive  director 
of  the  National  Board  of  Review  of  Motion 
Pictures,  announced  that  the  Schools  Motion 
Picture  Committee  of  New  York  City  will  work 
in  active  cooperation  with  the  National  Board, 
effective  January  1st. 

_  The  Committee  will  retain  its  special  func- 
tions as  an  individual  group,  but  will  issue  its 
recommendations  through  the  Board's  office. 
Mrs.  Alonzo  Klaw  will  continue  as  chairman 
of  this  committee  with  Mrs.  William  Barclay 
Parson,  Jr.,  and  Mrs.  Curtice  N.  Hitchcock  as 
vice-chairmen.  The  Committee  represents 
schools  in  the  metropolitan  area  and  its  aim  is 
to  obtain  better  motion  pictures  for  children. 


Federation  Luncheon  Set 
Back  to  January  7th 

The  annual  luncheon  of  the  Amusement  Divi- 
sion of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Federation 
of  Jewish  Charities  has  been  set  back  two  days 
to  January  7th,  instead  of  January  5th  as 
originally  planned. 

The  postponement  was  due  to  a  service  show 
to  be  given  by  Jack  Benny  on  January  5th. 
Mr.  Benny  is  to  be  tendered  the  Federation 
luncheon.  The  chairmen  for  the  luncheon  which 
will  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  are  Barney 
Balaban  and  Albert  Warner. 


Jack  Warner  in  New  York 

Jack  Warner,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
Warner  production,  arrived  in  New  York 
Monday  from  the  studio.  He  said  he  expected 
to  remain  until  after  the  premiere  of  "Air 
Force"  at  the  Hollywood  theatre,  New  York, 
in  January. 


Donald  Schine  to  Army 

Donald  G.  Schine,  son  of  Louis  W.  Schine 
of  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  has  enlisted  in  the 
Army  and  will  report  for  duty  in  the  Crypto- 
graphic Division,  February  1st.  His  father  is 
an  executive  of  the  Schine  circuit. 


January    2,  1943 

Myers  Urges 
Theatres  Fight 
High  Rentals 

Maximum  exhibitor  energy  should  be  di- 
rected currently  in  three  directions,  accord- 
ing to  Abram  Myers,  Allied  States  Associa- 
tion general  counsel:  to  resist  demands  for 
"exorbitant  film  rentals,"  to  combat  the  "in- 
creasing tendency  towards  political  censorship 
and  bureaucratic  domination,"  and  to  preserve 
the  independent  exhibitor,  "despite  a  wartime 
economy  which  tends  to  favor  big  business 
as  against  little  business." 

Mr.  Myers'  statement,  in  an  organization 
bulletin  last  week,  included  extended  references 
to  higher  rentals,  which  constitute,  in  his  be- 
lief, the  "greatest  problem  facing  exhibitors 
as  we  pass  into  1943."  He  added  that  the 
majors  evidently  do  not  "intend  to  ease  the 
strain ;  on  the  contrary,  they  have  made  it  plain 
they  intend  to  extract  from  the  exhibitors  the 
last  possible  penny." 

He  said,  "What  the  industry  needs  is  a 
practical,  self-imposed  ceiling  on  film  rentals 
that  will  keep  it  in  line  with  the  industries 
that  are  subject  to  Government-imposed  price 
ceilings.  If  that  is  not  soon  forthcoming,  the 
growing  demand  for  Government  regulation 
will  break  into  the  open." 

Of  defense  preparations,  Mr.  Myers  said  it 
was  "regrettable"  that  the  Office  of  Civilian 
Defense  booklet  was  devised  with  the  help 
of  large  theatre  operators  "and  consequently 
is  not  very  helpful  for  those  theatres  having 
less  than  10  employees  on  duty  at  all  times." 

20th  Century-Fox  Shorts 
Scheduled  for  Release 

Nine  short  subjects  are  scheduled  for  release 
by  Twentieth  Century-Fox  in  January  and 
February,  William  J.  Clark,  short  subjects 
sales  manager,  announced.  Of  the  group,  six 
will  be  in  Technicolor  or  Cinecolor. 

They  will  be  released  as  follows :  January 
1,  "Strange  Empire";  January  8,  "Scrap  for 
Victory";  January  15,  "Steelhead  Fighters"; 
January  22,  "He  Dood  It  Again" ;  January  29, 
"Climbing  the  Peaks" ;  February  5,  "Barn- 
yard Blackout" ;  February  12,  "Back  to  Bikes"  ; 
February  19,  "Shipyard  Symphony" ;  Febru- 
ary 26,  "Land  Where  Time  Stood  Still." 

Redwine  To  Represent 
Studios  in  Legislature 

Kent  H.  Redwine,  former  State  Assembly- 
man for  the  Hollywood  district,  will  take  up 
duties  as  legislative  representative  in  the  Cali- 
fornia legislature  for  the  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  Distributors  Association,  effective 
January  1st. 

There  has  been  no  occupant  of  that  position 
since  Jack  Bryson  vacated  the  post  to  become 
MP  PDA  representative  in  Washington  last 
summer.  Mr.  Redwine  was  elected  first  tol 
the  Assembly  from  the  Hollywood  57th  district 
in  1932.  He  will  maintain  his  Hollywood 
offices  for  the  practice  of  law. 


Shifted  to  Los  Angeles 

Robert  Pryor,  RKO  field  publicity  represen- 
tative in  Cincinnati,  has  been  transferred  to  the 
Los  Angeles  office.  No  successor  has  been! 
named  as  yet.  Mr.  Pryor  has  been  connected 
with  the  Cincinnati  exchange  since  last  April. 


Carbondale  Theatre  Reopens 

After  a  four-day  shutdown  for  renovations, 
the  Irving  theatre  in  Carbondale,  Pa.,  reopened 
Christmas  day.  It  was  the  first  time  in  20  years 
that  the  theatre  was  dark. 


FrThe  fiim  offers  All,     r  y  Pa»icular  bv*tm  °«  with 

S?"  °*er  tS  an\Md  h'^  All-g?   fe^tic r  J  ™™t  upon  £  f 
Dorothy  Bennet        Upport    The  <~chesKa-  the  Fou?  cf  °r„a  wMe, 
b"t  the  dialogue "s  c„a-"arrat''ve  o  *  nTf"^  ^  0,°ar  R6P^  ners 
»»  mounts  up? to  a ,  "P-t°-date  anW « w  af  ^  and 

M^te^       Bura,0Pk--'ness  o"  fc^ 
>^»VJ4SSai¥»>'         d'reCt,0n  b^  cfearnont 

Koscoe  WiLLlAMs 


For  the  '  Show  Me  Showman,"  ask 
Col.  Arthur  Frudenfeld  about  the 
Johnny  'engagement  at  the  Albee, 
Cincinnati  fhe  week  before  Xmas... 


GOOD  NEWS  FOR  YOUR  EYE  ...  EAR  ..  .  AND  BOXOFFICE! 


U.  S.  WAR  BONDS 


42  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  January    2,  1943 

THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


Data  of  significance  reflecting  its  first 
year  of  activity  are  supplied  by  the  Los 
Angeles  Theatre  Defense  Bureau,  which 
provided  the  pattern  after  which  national 
procedure  was  worked  out,  in  its  first  an- 
nual report. 

It  is  divulged  that  $75,000  was  spent  for 
special  equipment,  training  of  3,000  man- 
agers, ushers  and  cashiers,  who  devoted 
45,000  hours  to  receiving  instruction  in 
Red  Cross  technique  and  cooperation 
with  governmental  agencies  seeking  thea- 
tre exhibition  of  special  films. 

The  report  states  that  the  Bureau  "has 
accomplished  five  major  purposes  for  which 
it  was  formed.  These  are  the  building  of 
public  morale  and  aiding  the  cause  of  patri- 
otism, the  educating  of  the  public  in  war- 
time emergency  measures,  educating  theatre 
employees  in  the  fundamentals  that  make  for 
safety,  keeping  the  safely  constructed  amuse- 
ment centers  open  and  equipping  theatres 
with  Red  Cross  and  hospital  supplies  in  ad- 
dition to  doing  whatever  reconstruction  has 
been  found  necessary  to  guarantee  public 
safety." 

Seek  Vivien  Leigh  for 
"Saratoga  Trunk" 

"Girl's  Town,"  a  magazine  piece  by  Harry 
Henderson  and  Sam  Shaw  concerning  a 
town  in  which  war  production  activity  has 
produced  a  20  to  1  ratio  of  men  to  women, 
has  been  purchased  by  Paramount  for  early 
filming.  It  is  to  have  Mary  Martin,  Veron- 
ica Lake,  Helen  Walker,  Marjorie  Reynolds 
and  other  feminine  stars  at  the  top  of  the 
cast.  .  .  .  Warners  report  negotiations  are 
on  for  return  of  Vivien  Leigh  to  Hollywood 
to  play  the  lead  in  "Saratoga  Trunk,"  origi- 
nally announced  as  an  Ann  Sheridan  role. 
.  .  .  Lester  Cowan,  whose  "Commandos 
Strike  at  Dawn"  was  a  highlight  of  the  pre- 
view week,  a  Columbia  release,  is  in  New 
York  discussing  with  United  Artists  officials 
a  deal  for  filming  "Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen,"  in 
which  Paul  Muni,  star  of  "Commandos," 
would  appear,  as  a  United  Artists  release. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  expanded  Or- 
son Welles'  scope  of  activity  in  connection 
with  "Jane  Eyre,"  the  property  recently  ac- 
quired from  David  O.  Selznick.  Welles  was 
announced  the  other  week  as  leading  man 
of  the  picture.  This  week  it  was  disclosed 
that  the  film  will  bear  the  credit  line,  "pro- 
duction designed  by  Orson  Welles"  and  he 
will  participate  in  its  direction.  He  has  been 
reported  pleased  by  the  script  completed  by 
Aldous  Huxley.  .  .  .  The  same  studio  has 
purchased  "The  Incredible  Earl  of  Suf- 
folk," a  two-installment  story  by  William 
D.  Bayles  in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post, 
and  "Flight  Surgeon,"  a  Cosmopolitan 
Magazine  article  by  Donald  E.  Keough. 

Paramount  Buys  Story 
On  Radio  Short  Wave 

A  new  Paramount  acquisition  is  "Listen- 
ing Post,"  an  original  by  Henry  Wales,  for- 
mer European  correspondent  of  the  Chicago 
Tribune  concerning  men  who  interpret  for- 
eign short  wave  broadcasts. 

Edward  Dmytryk  has  been  assigned  direc- 


Holiday  Lag  at  Studios 

The  Christmas  holiday  accounted  for  a  lag  in  production  last  week,  when  only  one  new 
picture  was  started.  This  was  MGM's  "Swing  Shift  Maisie."  Seven  pictures  were  finished 
in  the  same  period.     The  production  data: 


COMPLETED 

Columbia 

Merry-Go-Round 

MGM 

Salute  to  the  Marines 
PRC 

Corregidor 
Republic 

Hit  Parade  of  1943 

United  Artists 

Meet  John  Bonniwell 
(Sherman) 

Warners 

Action  in  the  North 
Atlantic 

STARTED 

MGM 

Swing  Shift  Maisie 


SHOOTING 

Columbia 

Boy  from  Stalingrad 
Broadway  Daddies 
Destroyer 

MGM 

Bataan  Patrol 
Air  Raid  Wardens 
Dr.  Gillespie's  Prison 

Story 
I  Dood  It 
Private  Miss  Jones 
Above  Suspicion 
Gentle  Annie 

Monogram 

Ape  Man 
Robbers  Roost 

Paramount 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Lady  in  the  Dark 


Henry  Aldrich 

Swings  It 
Dixie 
China 

Miracle  of  Morgan's 
Creek 

RKO  Radio 

From   Here  to  Vic- 
tory 
Bombardier 

Republic 

Idaho 

Blocked  Trail 
Chatterbox 

20th-Fox 

School  for  Sabotage 
Moon  Is  Down 
Hello,  Frisco,  Hello 


United  Artists 

G  -  String  Murders 
(Stromberg) 

Stage  Door  Canteen 
(Lesser) 

Conquered  (Press- 
burger) 

Universal 

Good  Morning,  Judge 

Captive  Wild  Woman 

Solid  Senders 

Oh,  Doctor 

We've    Never  Been 

Licked 
White  Savage 
Corvettes  in  Action 

Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 
Old  Acquaintance 
Devotion 

Thank  Your  Lucky 
Stars 


tion  of  RKO  Radio's  "The  Falcon  Comes 
Back"  and  Gordon  Douglas  has  been  given 
"Gildersleeve's  Bad  Day"  as  his  next.  .  .  . 
Producers  Releasing  Corporation,  which  has 
figured  in  a  number  of  disputes  regarding 
priority  of  titles,  is  notifying  all  hands  that 
it  holds  first  claim  to  "Madagascar."  .  .  . 
Jess  Barker,  New  York  stage  player,  has 
been  signed  to  a  term  contract  by  Columbia, 
the  fifth  leading  man  contracted  by  that 
studio  in  recent  weeks.  The  others  are 
Lewis  Wilson,  Tom  Neal,  Craig  Woods  and 
Michael  Dunne. 

Goldwyn  Plans  Film 
Concerning  Russia 

Patsy  Kelly  has  been  assigned  a  featured 
role  in  RKO  Radio's  "Free  for  All,"  which 
she  will  undertake  after  completing  a  lead 
in  PRC's  "My  Son,  the  Hero."  .  .  .  Rob- 
ert Buckner's  "The  Man  Who  Won  the 
War,"  broadcast  last  week  with  Ronald  Col- 
man  in  the  name  role,  will  be  filmed  by 
Columbia  with  Colman  starred.  .  .  .  Lewis 
Milestone  has  commenced  preparation  of  an 
untitled  Samuel  Goldwyn  production  con- 
cerning Russia.  Goldwyn  has  added  to  the 
completed  "They  Got  Me  Covered,"  a  se- 
quence showing  Mussolini  fleeing  Italy.  .  .  . 
Monogram  has  purchased  the  Saturday 
Evening  Post  story,  "Twenty-four  Hours 
Leave,"  by  Richard  Hickman,  and  Sam 
Katzman  will  produce  it  as  a  vehicle  for 
the  East  Side  Kids. 

MGM  has  assigned  Gene  Kelly  to  the  role 
opposite  Lana  Turner  in  "Marriage  Is  a 
Private  Affair."  .  .  .  Universal's  "Good 
Morning  Judge,"  which  started  production 
last  week,  is  a  film  satire  on  law  suits  based 
on  plagiarism,  a  real  one  of  which  the  com- 
pany won  the  week  before. 


Women  in  Shipyards 
Canadian  Film  Subject 

Making  "Canada's  Women  Help  Build 
Ships,"  for  the  National  Film  Board  of  Canada, 
in  St.  John,  N.  B.,  are  Richard  Wright  and 
Hamilton  Wright,  Jr.,  both  of  New  York,  and 
LeRoy  Robbins,  of  Hollywood.  The  trio  have 
been  touring  eastern  Canadian  shipyards,  ar- 
ranging and  shooting  scenes  on  this  subject, 
and  have  spent  four  days  at  some  of  the  ship- 
building plants. 

Covered  in  the  making  of  the  production  are 
the  multiple  affiliations  of  women  and  girls  with 
Canadian  ship  construction. 


Special  Award  Considered 

A  recommendation  by  the  15th  annual  Awards 
Committee  was  made  to  the  board  of  governors 
of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  that  a  special  award  be  created  for 
the  best  film  exhibited  in  the  United  States  by 
a  foreign  producing  unit.  The  approval  of  such 
a  recommendation  would  allow  Noel  Coward's 
"In  Which  We  Serve"  to  be  considered.  Under 
present  rulings,  it  is  ineligible  because  it  was 
not  shown  in  Los  Angeles  prior  to  December 
31st. 


Taplinger  Joins  Navy 

Robert  S.  Taplinger,  executive  assistant  to 
Harry  Cohn  of  Columbia  Pictures,  has  been 
commissioned  a  lieutenant  junior  grade  in  the 
Navy,  and  will  serve  with  the  newly-formed 
Incentive  Division  under  Rear  Admiral  Clark 
W  oodward. 


Sherman  Film  Retifled 

The  Harry  Sherman  production,  "American 
Empire,"  has  been  changed  to  "My  Son  Alone," 
at  the  request  of  Government  war  agencies. 
The  picture  will  be  distributed  by  United  Art- 
ists. 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


43 


FORESEE  MARKED  CHANCES 
IN  BRITISH  EXHIBITION 


Present  Releasing  System 
Faces  Revision;  Quota 
Clarification  Needed 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

Although  prophecy  is  a  capricious 
craft,  particularly  that  devoted  to  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry  under  the  abnormal 
conditions  of  war,  the  signs  of  the  cine- 
matic zodiac  would  seem  almost  ines- 
capably to  indicate  that  the  next  calendar 
year  approaching,  1943,  in  Great  Britain, 
will  see  marked  and  emphatic  changes  in 
the  presentation  of  the  commodity  itself 
to  the  consuming  public. 

The  three  war  years,  so  far,  mainly  be- 
cause of  the  time  lag  in  the  arrival  into 
the  battlefield  of  the  U.  S.,  it  would  seem 
have  not  disturbed  the  general  conditions 
and  operations  of  the  picture  house — save, 
in  the  post-blitz  period,  to  propel  a  definite 
and  welcome  stimulus.  Now,  however,  with 
production  schedules  being  abbreviated  in 
Hollywood,  and  British  films  becoming 
numerically  less,  with  economies  foreshad- 
owed in  raw  stock,  and  other  obvious  con- 
siderations, it  would  seem  certain  that  the 
year  looming  on  the  horizon,  if  survival  is 
aimed  at,  will  see  alterations  in  long  estab- 
lished custom  in  the  picture  house. 

It  would  not  be  a  risky  matter  to  forecast 
that  the  trade  councils,  of  dire  necessity, 
will  have  to  consider  such  adjustments  as 
shorter  programs,  maybe  even  single  fea- 
ture shows,  and  certainly  an  adjustment  of 
the  present  release  system,  with  particular 
application  to  first  and  early  runs.  The 
quota  position,  so  comfortably  adjusted  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  distributor,  will  have 
to  be  clarified,  if  not  boldly  altered,  to  meet 
the  abnormal  and  paradoxical  position  in 
which  the  exhibitor  is  placed. 

Already  the  more  alarmist,  although  not 
necessarily  the  most  deta'ched  trade  students 
are  talking  of  a  product  shortage  as  being 
here  with  us  now.  That  films  will  be  fewer 
is  on  the  cards,  but  that  the  exhibitor  has 
really  felt  any  grievous  strain  in  filling 
his  bill  is  a  matter  yet  for  proof.  There  is 
undoubtedly  higher  percentage  of  "B"  pic- 
tures than  normal,  but  the  totals  have  not 
so  far  suffered  any  evident  alteration. 

Total  of  Year  Releases 
Same  as  Last  Year 

In  the  last  two  renters'  quota  years,  1940- 
41  and  1941-42,  there  were  respectively  400 
and  467  American  films  registered.  In  the 
six  months  just  passed  of  the  current  rent- 
ers' quota  year  233 — or  approximately  half 
last  year's  12-month  total — have  been  regis- 
tered. The  British  film  position,  of  course, 
is  worse.  The  figures  for  the  same  periods 
were  65  and  46. 

This  last  half-yearly  period  some  25  have 
been  registered.  October  and  November 
swelled  these  totals  by  more  than  60  for- 
eign and  a  dozen  British  films  respectively. 
In  the  current  week  of  reporting  13  trade 


shows  are  scheduled,  as  opposed  to  eight 
in  the  same  week  last  year.  It  is  notorious 
that  any  argument  can  be  proved  with  the 
magic  of  mathematics,  but  the  bare  facts  are 
there  without  comment. 

None  the  less,  it  is  perfectly  obvious  that 
a  tightening  up  of  the  production  schedules 
will  have  repercussions  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic  as  well  as  on  the  other.  The  prob- 
lems of  manpower  and  supplies  which  have 
concerned  us  here  for  three  years,  are  now 
present  as  very  urgent  problems  in  the  mar- 
ket whence  the  British  exhibitor  draws  the 
vast  bulk  of  his  films. 

Percentage  of  Reissues 
Rising  Rapidly 

Already  reissues  are  being  marketed  in 
an  increasingly  wide  ratio.  Indeed  so  fast 
and  so  intensely  has  this  business  increased 
that  the  Kinematograph  Renters  Society  at 
last  has  moved  in  the  direction  of  putting  a 
check  to  it.  Alive  to  the  fact  that  the  in- 
creasing reissue  business  means  a  decrease, 
in  equivalent  proportion,  to  the  screen  time 
and  playdates  commended  by  their  own  films, 
the  KRS  is  to  explore  the  whole  situation 
and  consider  a  resolution  that  none  of  their 
members  market  their  older  films  to  other 
renters  outside  the  Society. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  many  exhibitors, 
mainly  the  smaller  independents,  make  a 
considerable  livelihood  from  reissues.  The 
KRS,  certainly  many  KRS  members,  are 
alive  to  the  commercial  implications  of  this 
traffic,  but  suggest  additionally  that  many 
exhibitors  on  the  barred  list — a  blacklist  of 
picture  houses  with  whom  no  trade  is  done 
— are  getting  film  supplies  through  these 
channels. 

There  would  seem  to  be  no  objection  to 
reissues  by  the  houses  concerned,  or  for  that 
matter  by  other  members  of  the  Society. 
If  reissues  were  barred  altogether,  it  would 
be  a  case  of  cutting  off  somebody's  nose  to 
spoil  somebody  else's  face — a  pastime  above 
which  certain  traders  here  have  not  been  at 
times,  but  a  costly  one  under  present  condi- 
tions. 

Board  of  Trade  Aids 
Policy  of  Reissues 

Indeed,  one  suggestion  has  been  mooted 
by  exhibitor  Kenneth  Nyman,  former  presi- 
dent of  the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  As- 
sociation, that  there  are  hundreds  of  first 
class  films  which  have  not  been  seen  by 
millions  of  the  public.  These  are  the  films, 
says  Mr.  Nyman,  which  were  released  and 
screened  to  empty  houses,  or  hardly  screened 
at  all,  during  the  blitz  on  Britain,  when 
shelter  life  took  precedence  to  picture  going. 
A  wholesale  overhauling  of  these  releases 
and  the  reissue  of  appropriate  films  would, 
suggests  Mr.  Nyman,  be  profitable  to  both 
distributor  and  picture  house. 

A  certain  boost,  also,  to  reissues,  but  a 
boost  which  has  found  few  friends  among 
the  exhibitors,  has  been  given  by  the  Board 
of  Trade,  with  their  policy  that  old  British 
films  can  be  registered  for  exhibitors'  quota 
in  order  to  help  the  latter  to  meet  their  legal 


commitments.  Two  of  these  have  been  made 
during  the  last  few  days — the  compilation  in 
condensed  form  from  the  two  films  on 
Queen  Victoria,  and  "39  Steps,"  which  is 
available  for  exhibitors'  quota  although  it 
was  registered  as  far  back  as  1935. 

The  concession  has  been  made  because  of 
widespread  and  vexatious  protests  of  ex- 
hibitors that  it  is  materially  impracticable 
for  them  to  meet  their  quota  obligations  be- 
cause there  are  not  enough  films  to  go 
around,  and  that  what  films  there  are  find 
their  way  by  economic  law  to  the  circuits. 
The  reissue  suggestion,  far  from  placating 
exhibitors,  has  exasperated  them  to  an  even 
worse  degree,  and  it  is  freely  and  frankly 
contended  that  to  show  such  films  to  meet 
the  law  would  be  to  commit  commercial  sui- 
cide. 

CEA  Waits  Trade  Board 
Analysis  of  Quota 

The  fact  that  distributors  have  been  grant- 
ed the  privilege  of  an  easier  monetary  quota, 
whilst  the  exhibitor  has  been  left  flat,  of 
course  has  aggravated  the  situation  and 
those  who  are  victims  of  it. 

Meanwhile,  with  characteristic  caution, 
the  CEA  has  held  its  hand  until  the  Board 
of  Trade  has  concluded  the  exhaustive  analy- 
sis of  exhibitors'  quota  screenings  on  which 
it  is  engaged  at  present. 

Figures  recently  were  given  by  a  Board 
of  Trade  spokesman  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, which  would  seem  to  suggest  that  the 
Government  department  is  aware  of  the 
anomalies  of  the  situation.  It  was  stated  by 
Captain  Waterhouse  that  in  the  quota  year 
ended  September  30,  1939,  there  were  437 
defaults  and  only  three  prosecutions,  and  in 
the  year  just  passed  1,402  defaults  but  only 
four  prosecutions  so  far.  Prosecutions  or 
blind  eye,  the  exhibitor  would  prefer  to  know 
exactly  where  he  stands. 

California  Theatre  Tax 
Defeated  Second  Time 

A  second  attempt  to  impose  a  two-cent  tax 
on  theatre  admissions  in  northern  California 
was  unsuccessful  when  the  Stockton  City  Coun- 
cil proposal  was  defeated.  The  issue  was  first 
brought  up  in  Berkeley  a  few  weeks  previously. 

San  Francisco  and  Oakland  theatre  interests 
were  represented  at  the  hearing,  and  their  at- 
tack upon  the  plan  is  believed  to  have  brought 
sufficient  weight  to  quash  the  Council's  pro- 
posal. In  San  Diego,  a  theatre  admission  levy 
is  in  effect,  and  the  city  manager's  belief  that 
such  a  tax  is  workable  is  thought  to  have  pro- 
vided the  Stockton  and  Berkeley  councils  with 
a  similar  idea.  The  San  Diego  City  Manager's 
opinion  was  heard  at  a  recent  convention  of 
the  League  of  California  Cities. 


Form  Film  Critics  Group 

The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  New  York 
Foreign  Language  Press  Film  Critics'  Circle 
was  held  at  the  Hotel  Brevoort  on  Tuesday. 
The  group  was  organized  by  Sigmund  Gott- 
lober,  head  of  the  American  Foreign  Language 
Press  Service.  Leo  Mishkin,  member  of  the 
New  York  Film  Critics  Circle,  was  present  as  a 
representative  of  his  organization. 


44 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


Industry  in  Mexico  Is 
Uneasy  Over  Labor 


Film  Workers9  Support  of 
Railway  Union's  Fight 
Disturbs  Trade 

by  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

in  Mexico  City 

Much  uneasiness  has  been  provoked  in 
the  film  industry  in  Mexico  by  the  forth- 
right support  the  National  Cinemato- 
graphic Industry  Workers  Union  has  an- 
nounced for  employees  of  the  National 
Railways,  Mexico's  largest  and  most  im- 
portant railroad,  serving  three-fourths  of 
this  Republic,  in  their  rebellion  against 
the  program  for!  getting  the  company 
back  on  its  economic  feet.  This  program, 
which  has  developed  into  a  national  sen- 
sation, was  drawn  up  by  Margarito  Ra- 
mirez, the  railroad's  new  general  man- 
ager, an  appointee  of  President  Manuel 
Avila  Camacho.  The  Government  owns 
the  railroad. 

The  railroad's  workers  particularly  object 
to  those  phases  of  the  program  which  call 
for  reducing  wages  and  the  number  of  em- 
ployees. Mr.  Ramirez  asserted  that  this 
pruning  is  one  of  the  key  ways  of  enabling 
the  railways  to  come  back  and  be  really 
important  in  national  military  as  well  as 
civilian  service.  The  attitude  of  the  railroad 
workers  is  identical  with  that  which  film 
labor  long  has  made  only  too  plain.  The 
picture  workers  are  in  the  vanguard  of 
Mexican  labor  which  demands,  and  gets,  lots 
of  names  on  the  payrolls  and  a  maximum 
salary  for  all  of  them. 

The  Cinematographic  Union  was  the 
first  labor  organization  to  come  out  in  sup- 
port of  the  stand  of  the  National  Railways' 
employees.  Their  attitude  had  been  en- 
dorsed by  the  Confederation  of  Mexican 
Workers,  strongest  of  Mexican  labor 
groups,  to  which  both  the  railroad  and  the 
picture  workers  unions  belong. 

The  attitude  of  the  picture  workers  has 
provoked  much  comment  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  many  other  unions,  also  members 
of  the  Confederation,  have  either  definitely 
declined  to  support  the  railways  union  or 
are  holding  back  on  their  endorsement. 

Film  Contract  Expires 
Next  October  10th 

The  film  union's  attitude  is  regarded  as 
indicating  its  attitude  concerning  the  work 
contracts  with  the  eight  major  American 
distributors,  which  expire  next  October 
10th.  These  contracts  were  made  on  Octo- 
ber 11,  1941,  and  settled  the  strike  the  union 
had  waged  for  more  than  a  month  against 
five  of  these  majors  to  enforce  demands  for 
more  pay  and  other  costly  money  conces- 
sions. The  life  of  these  contracts  was  fixed 
at  two  years. 

The  picture  industry  is  wondering  about 
what  the  union  will  do  when  the  time  ar- 
rives for  making  a  new  working  agreement 
which  probably  will  be  figured  on  the  same 
basis  as  that  of  existing  pacts,  and  per- 


haps be  for  another  couple  of  years,  until 
the  autumn  of  1945. 

Conversations  probably  will  get  under 
way  late  next  summer.  Of  course,  the  world 
situation  obtaining  at  that  time  may  have 
some  influence  upon  these  talks  and  the  pacts 
they  will  be  intended  to  arrange.  Mean- 
while, film  labor  is  carrying  on,  in  accor- 
dance with  the  1941  agreements  and  no 
headaches  are  expected  until  the  talks  for 
the  new  pacts  begin. 

Warners  and  RKO 
Hold  Joint  Party 

The  strength  of  the  Confederation  next 
summer  is  also  seen  as  another  factor  in 
this  case.  The  Confederation  is  not  quite 
as  powerful  as  it  used  to  be. 

RKO  and  Warners  combined  here  for  the 
staging  of  a  joint  party  to  introduce  to  the 
local  public  respectively  Walt  Disney  and 
Ann  Sheridan,  at  the  Hotel  Reforma.  When 
Manager  Max  Gomez  of  RKO  and  Manager 
Oscar  Brooks  of  Warners  discovered  that 
they  had  arranged  a  party  at  the  same  place 
and  at  the  same  time,  they  got  together  and 
arranged  the  joint  fiesta. 

The  affair  was  an  outstanding  success. 
Some  500  persons  attended.  It  was  the 
biggest  affair  of  the  kind  ever  held  here. 
Among  those  present  were  Robert  Schless 
and  G.  R.  Keyser  of  Warners  foreign  de- 
partment; Jesus  Grovas,  Fernando  de  Fuen- 
tes  and  Juevenal  Urbina  of  Grovas  & 
Company,  producers ;  Gen.  Juan  F.  Az- 
carate,  former  Mexican  minister  at  Berlin 
and  now  president  of  Mexico-Espaha  Films ; 
Santiago,  and  Manuel  Reachi,  respectively 
presidents  of  Posa  and  Promesa  Films ; 
Oscar  and  Samuel  Granat,  owners  of  a  14- 
theatre  circuit  here,  Enrique  Zeinert,  coun- 
sel for  the  American  distributors,  and 
Emilio  Azcarraga,  owner  of  the  Alameda 
and  Bucareli  theatres,  and  radio  stations 
XEW  and  XEQ  here. 

V 

The  Cine  Colon,  select  first  run  theatre  at 
the  port  of  Vera  Cruz,  has  been  forced  out 
of  business  by,  so  explained  the  exhibitors, 
a  triple  tax  that  was  very  high,  high  wages 
employees  demanded  and  general  high  op- 
erating costs,  including  payments  to  dis- 
tributors, the  exhibitors  explained. 

The  triple  tax  was  the  state  levy,  the 
municipal  impost  and  one  for  the  poor  of 
Mexico,  the  latter  collected  by  the  Federal 
Government.  The  Colon  was  an  elite  the- 
atre. President  Manuel  Avila  Camacho 
used  to  attend  shows  there.  It  is  feared  that 
this  triple  tax,  plus  high  labor  costs  and 
renting  expenses  may  force  other  Vera  Cruz 
theatres,  at  the  port  and  in  the  state,  out 
of  business  before  long. 

Reachi  President  of 
Producer  Group 

Santiago  Reachi,  president  of  Posa  Films, 
S.A.,  a  specialization  production  company 
in  that  it  is  the  only  one  in  Mexico  to  make 
pictures  exclusively  with  one  big  star,  "Can- 
tinflas,"  the  tramp  comedian  who  in  private 
life  is  Mario  Moreno  and  vice-president  of 


the  firm,  was  chosen  president  for  the  en- 
suing year  of  the  Asociacion  de  Productores 
y  Distribuidores  de  Peliculas  Mexicanas 
(Mexican  Motion  Picture  Producers  and 
Distributors  Association)  at  its  annual 
meeting  here.  Mr.  Reachi  succeeds  Fer- 
nando de  Fuentes,  veteran  director  who  is 
now  a  producer.  Other  new  officers  are: 
Jesus  Grovas,  former  head  of  the  com- 
pany that  recently  underwent  reorganization 
and  is  the  biggest  producer  in  Mexico,  vice- 
president;  and  Salvador  Elizondo,  formerly 
chief  of  CLASA,  most  important  studio  in 
Mexico  and  now  the  Grovas  manager,  secre- 
tary-treasurer. Chosen  directors  for  the 
coming  year  were :  Carlos  Carriedo  Galvan, 
manager  of  the  Banco  Cinematografica,  the 
bank  the  industry  and  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment organized  here  some  months  ago ; 
Augustin  Fink,  president  of  Films  Mun- 
diales  Raul  de  Anda,  head  of  Producciones 
Raul  de  Anda,  and  Gonzalo  Elvira,  manager 
of  Cinematografica  Mexicana,  S.A. 

Warn  of  War  Problems 
During  1943 

Speakers  at  the  meeting  warned  of 
troubles  the  Mexican  industry  may  have  to 
face  in  1943  because  of  intensification  of  the 
war  with  its  resulting  reduction  of  supplies 
for  industry,  particularly  raw  film.  Some 
fear  was  expressed  that  this  condition  might 
hit  the  Mexican  industry  so  hard  that  some 
of  the  producers  might  have  to  suspend. 

Films  were  used  for  the  first  time  in  Mexico 
in  exhibitions  at  a  leading  first  run  theatre  in 
Mexico  City  to  counteract  Axis  prapaganda  and 
to  point  up  the  cause  of  the  United  Nations,  by 
the  local  civil  defense  committee,  which  is  di- 
rected by  the  civic  government.  These  exhibi- 
tions, during  what  was  called  "Cinematographic 
Week  for  Anti-Nazifascist  Action  and  Demo- 
cratic Orientation",  were  from  December  11th 
to  17th  at  the  Cine  Rex,  a  miniature  theatre, 
with  accommodations  for  only  1,000  at  a  show. 

Every  day,  Russian  films  and  United  Nations 
propaganda  pictures  were  exhibited.  All  these 
films  were  loaned  free  by  their  distributors.  The 
program  was  considered  highly  successful  by 
the  theatre  men  and  Government  officials. 

V 

More  evidence  of  the  upturn  of  picture  pro- 
duction in  Mexico  is  the  start  here  of  another 
company,  Espectaculos  Americas  Unidas,  S.  A., 
of  which  Jose  Reyneso  is  president  and  A. 
Oliver  manager.  The  company  will  start  mak- 
ing in  January  two  pictures,  both  written  by 
Duquesa  Olga,  whose  husband  is  Jose  Bohr, 
the  Argentinian  producer  and  stage,  picture  and 
radio  actor  and  stage  and  screen  writer.  She 
is  also  head  of  the  new  company's  production 
and  art  departments.  A  few  years  ago,  Duquesa 
Olga  headed  a  production  company  here  which 
merged  recently  with  two  other  companies  . 

Rooney  Favorite  of 
Mexican  Patrons 

Mexico  has  three  No.  1  film  favorites,  public 
regard  for  whom  is  based  strictly  upon  box  of- 
fice returns.  Their  names  are  rather  surpris-' 
ing.  One  is  an  American;  the  others  are  Mexi- 
cans. The  American  is  Mickey  Rooney.  The 
Mexicans  are,  first,  Sara  Garcia,  character  wo- 
man who  has  played  in  numerous  Mexican  pro- 
ductions, and  a  close  second  is  Fernando  Soler, 
dramatic  actor,  of  the  family  of  theatre  and  pic- 
ture folk  that  has  become  known  as  the  "Barry- 
mores  of  Mexico". 

V 

Joaquin  Busquets,  64,  one  of  Mexico's  pioneer 
picture  actors  who  was  featured  in  most  of  the 
silent  films  made  in  this  country  20  years  ago 
and  in  some  of  the  early  talking  pictures  from 
1930  to  1933,  died  at  his  home  here  after  a  long 
illness.  During  recent  years  he  had  worked  as 
a  radio  skit  producer  and  actor. 


January    2,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  45 


KEY  EXHIBITORS  FACE  KEEN 
ICE  SHOW  COMPETITION 


Three  Units  Now  on  Road 
Are  Expected  to  Gross 
$5,000,000  This  Year 

The  hottest  ice  show  competition  in 
years  is  on  the  calendar  for  exhibitors  in 
key  cities  across  the  nation  this  year. 

At  least  three  major  ice  shows  now  are 
on  the  road,  led  by  the  troupe  conducted 
by  Sonja  Henie,  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
star,  and  co-producer  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful ice  shows. 

The  Henie  show,  the  Shipstad-Johnson 
"Ice  Follies"  and  "Ice-Capades,"  operated  by 
the  Arena  Managers  Association,  will  gross 
at  least  $5,000,000  this  winter,  bookers  in 
New  York  estimate.  Perhaps  an  additional 
million  will  be  garnered  from  entertainment 
dollars  by  smaller  units  and  locally  pro- 
duced ice  carnivals. 

Competition  from  the  skating  shows  is 
reaching  a  point  where  it  exceeds  even  the 
circuses  as  a  dollar-gathering  invasion  of 
local  entertainment  markets,  one  film  man 
said.  The  proprietors  of  the  ice  shows  are 
unrestrained  in  their  predictions  for  a 
season  of  unprecedented  profits. 

Booming  defense  industries  in  many  of  the 
cities  usually  visited  by  the  ice  shows,  and 
an  increasing  interest  in  the  skating  stars 
and  productions  are  cited  as  contributing  to 
the  record  success.  The  itineraries  of  the 
shows  are  limited  to  cities  with  auditoriums 
or  hockey  arenas  seating  upwards  of  3,000. 
But  preliminary  reports  from  the  field  show 
that  they  continue  to  draw  from  a  wide  sur- 
rounding area  during  metropolitan  bookings, 
despite  gasoline  rationing. 

Ice  Shows  Take  Advantage 
Of  Film  Publicity 

Films  also  are  said  to  be  responsible  for  a 
part  of  the  public's  interest  in  the  skating  stars. 
Arthur  Wirtz,  head  of  the  syndicate  which  pro- 
duces Miss  Henie's  show,  and  his  staff  assert 
that  the  star's  screen  and  ice  show  appear- 
ances are  mutually  helpful.  They  declare  that 
the  latest  Henie  release  by  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox,  "Iceland,"  was  one  of  her  most  success- 
ful box-office  pictures.  They  said  it  has  brought 
people  to  her  personal  appearances. 

The  "Ice-Capades"  management  also  takes 
advantage  of  film  publicity.  The  company  ap- 
peared on  the  screen  for  Republic  last  year, 
and  is  again  under  contract  with  Herbert  J. 
Yates  and  James  Grainger,  Republic  executives, 
to  make  a  new  picture  at  the  end  of  their  pres- 
ent tour. 

Republic  last  week  released  a  second  "Ice- 
Capades  Revue,"  starring  Ellen  Drew  and 
Richard  Denning.  Vera  Hruba  and  the  Ice- 
Capades  company  appear  in  it.  Both  film  com- 
pany and  the  arena  show  plan  theatre  promo- 
tion tieups  where  their  dates  coincide. 

Exhibitors  differ  widely  in  their  opinions  of 
the  ice  shows,  and  the  best  methods  of  meeting 
the  competition.  In  the  past  many  have  resigned 
themselves  to  depleted  attendance  during  the 
skating  show  engagements,  and  have  booked  in 
low  cost,  run  of  mine,  screen  product. 

Others,  notably  in  Pittsburgh,  Indianapolis, 
and  Chicago,  have  countered  the  chill  on  their 
box-office  totals  by  booking  strong  product  in 
opposition  to  the  skating  dates.  They  have  re- 


REPUBLIC  PLANS 
COOPERATIVE  ADS 

Republic  will  promote  its  forthcom- 
ing screen  release  of  "Ice  Capades 
Revue"  with  an  extensive  local  news- 
paper advertising  campaign  in  co- 
operation with  first  release  exhibitors 
of  the  picture.  The  ice  picture,  which 
features  Ellen  Drew  and  Richard  Den- 
ning with  the  Ice  Capades  arena 
troupe  headed  by  Vera  Hruba,  was 
released  nationally  on  December  24th. 
The  policy  of  increased  cooperative 
advertising  on  fhe  ice  picture  was 
decided  on- by  H.  J.  Yates  following 
the  success  of  a  similar  trial  campaign 
initiated  with  "Flying  Tigers." 


ported  success  in  most  instances,  and  several 
theatres  which  have  tied  skating  pictures  in 
with  the  appearance  of  the  arena  shows  are  said 
to  have  reported  above  average  business. 

Mr.  Wirtz  and  John  Harris,  president  of  the 
Arena  Managers  Association  and  operator  of 
the  Harris  Circuit  in  Pittsburgh  have  asserted 
that  the  appearances  of  the  ice  shows  aid 
theatre  business  generally,  in  the  larger  cities. 
They  claim  that  the  shows  draw  many  out-of- 
town  visitors  who  spend  money  in  film  theatres 
as  well  as  the  arenas,  hotels  and  stores. 

Mr.  Harris'  circuit  has  booked  Sonja  Henie 
and  other  skating  pictures  during  and  soon 
after  the  ice  shows  with  considerable  success, 
it  is  reported  from  Pittsburgh.  The  Harris 
theatres,  and  houses  in  many  other  areas,  also 
engage  in  cooperative  promotion  from  the  skate 
shows  and  some  run  trailers  or  slides  announc- 
ing the  ice  date. 

Miss  Henie  and  Mr.  Wirtz  opened  their  show 
in  Indianapolis  on  November  26th,  playing  until 
December  5th.  The  show  grossed  approxi- 
mately $200,000,  compared  with  $115,000  taken 
in  there  in  six  days  last  year. 

Although  dropping  Omaha  and  St.  Louis 
from  her  schedule,  Miss  Henie's  managers  ex- 
pect to  gross  almost  $2,000,000  this  year.  In 
1942  she  earned  about  $1,200,000  and  in  1941 
approximately  $1,054,000. 

Travel  Restrictions  Are 
Not  Serious  Problem 

The  Sonja  Henie  "Hollywood  Ice  Revue,"  of 
which  she  is  co-producer  and  co-owner  with 
Mr.  Wirtz  and  his  arena  operating  syndicate, 
has  extended  its  playing  time  this  year  in  the 
five  cities  with  arenas  seating  10,000  or  more. 

William  H.  Burke  is  executive  producer  of 
the  Henie  show.  Dances  were  staged  by  Cath- 
erine Littlefield,  and  Bruno  Maine,  an  art  di- 
rector of  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  designed  the 
settings. 

Although  special  trains  no  longer  are  avail- 
able, transportation  restrictions  have  not  inter- 
fered seriously  with  the  ice  shows,  managers 
report.  However,  most  are  leaving  several  open 
days  in  order  to  obtain  accommodations. 

The  rest  of  the  Sonja  Henie  schedule,  with 
no  matinees  planned,  is  as  follows : 

Chicago   Dec.  25  to  Jan.  7 

Detroit   Jan.    9  to  Ian.  15 

New  York   Jan.  18  to  Jan.  27 

The  "Ice-Capades,"  sponsored  by  the  Arena 


Managers  Association,  has  been  on  the  road 
since  late  September  with  dates  so  far  in  Cleve- 
land, St.  Paul  and  Buffalo.  Its  tour  will  take 
it  through  16  cities,  up  to  May,  1943.  Vera 
Hruba,  Joe  Jackson,  Jr.,  and  a  company  of 
about  100  are  billed  by  the  show. 

It  is  estimated  that  it  will  collect  upwards 
of  $1,800,000  on  the  tour. 

The  itinerary,  according  to  George  D.  Ty- 
son, general  manager,  is  as  follows : 

Boston   Dec.  26  to  Jan.  6 

Providence   Jan.    7  to  Jan.  17 

Washington   Jan.  19  to  Feb.  3 

Hershey,  Pa  Feb.    4  to  Feb.  13 

Cleveland   Feb.  14  to  Feb.  20 

Philadelphia   Feb.  21  to  March  6 

Chicago   March  8  to  March  28 

Champagne,  111  March  29  and  30 

Kansas  City   April    1  to  April  7 

Fort  Worth   April  16  to  April  20 

Los  Angeles   April  27 

Ice  Follies  Expect 
Record  Gross 

The  Ice  Follies  of  1943,  produced  by  Edwin 
H.  and  Roy  L.  Shipstad  and  Oscar  Johnson, 
also  has  been  on  the  road  since  September  and 
is  booked  through  until  May.  A  spokesman  indi- 
cated that  the  company  on  the  basis  of  busi- 
ness to  date  would  shatter  all  previous  gross 
and  attendance  records.  He  estimated  that  more 
than  2,000,000  people  would  see  the  show  in 
comparison  with  a  1942  attendance  of  1,808,- 
000. 

Although  declining  to  estimate  grosses  to 
date  the  company  managers  said  they  would  not 
be  surprised  if  the  show  took  in  more  than 
$3,500,000  this  year.  Typical  of  attendance  to 
date  has  been  the  120,000  mark  which  it  set 
at  Washington  in  a  12-day  stay  ending  No- 
vember 15th.  To  date  the  show  has  played  Los 
Angeles,  Tulsa,  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Washing- 
ton, Toronto,  and  Cleveland. 

From  New  York  and  Hershey,  Pa.,  the  itin- 
erary is  as  follows : 


Philadelphia   Dec.  25  to  Jan.  23 

Buffalo   Jan.  25  to  Jan.  30 

New  Haven   Feb.    1  to  Feb.  8 

Boston   Feb.  10  to  Feb.  22 

Providence   Feb.  23  to  March  1 

Montreal   March    3  to  March  8 

Pittsburgh   March  10  to  March  20 

Minneapolis   March  22 


Seattle  and  San  Francisco  engagements  will 
follow  the  Minneapolis  dates. 


Form  Stage  Partnership 

Al  Dow,  Hartford,  Conn.,  theatrical  booker, 
and  Rocco  Matarese,  stage  manager  of  the 
Hartford  theatres,  have  formed  a  partnership 
to  operate  theatres  for  stage  productions.  They 
have  acquired  the  Holyoke  theatre,  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  and  the  Bayonne  Opera  House,  Bavonne, 
N.  J. 


Charter  Liberty  Productions 

Liberty  Productions,  Inc.,  New  York  City, 
has  been  incorporated,  according  to  Michael 
F.  Walsh.  Secretary  of  State,  at  Albany,  with 
$20,000  authorized  capital  stock.  Directors  of 
record  are  Louis  N.  Field,  Alfred  A.  Stander 
and  Gabriel  Wartels,  all  of  New  York. 


Open  East  Orange  Theatre 

The  Ampere  theatre,  East  Orange,  N.  J.. 
was  opened  this  week  by  Ampere,  Ltd.  The 
building  originally  was  a  theatre,  later  was  re- 
modeled into  a  garage,  and  recently  was  re- 
stored to  a  theatre. 


46 

Canada  Used  as 
Locale  in  More 
U.  S.  Pictures 

Canada  is  pictured  and  included  as  locale 
in  more  Hollywood  pictures,  as  a  result  of  a 
trip  he  and  John  Grierson,  Canadian  Film 
Commissioner,  made  to  the  American  produc- 
tion capital  in  April,  in  the  belief  of  Stuart 
Legg,  editor  of  the  "World  in  Action"  series 
produced  by  the  Board. 

The  two  men  spoke  to  Louis  B.  Mayer,  Al- 
fred Hitchcock,  Matthew  Fox,  Alexander 
Korda,  Jack  Chertok  and  many  other  produc- 
tion personalities,  asking  that  their  country  be 
included  by  mention,  theme  and  locale,  in  more 
pictures,  Mr.  Legg  said  Monday,  while  in  New 
York  on  a  brief  vacation.  He  said  that  the 
recent  Columbia  production,  "Commandos 
Strike  at  Dawn"  probably  was  one  result  of 
their  visit. 

The  Film  Board  will  not  make  features,  Mr. 
Legg  said,  after  being  reminded  of  the  March 
of  Time  feature  documentaries  and  answering 
a  query  as  to  whether  the  Board,  as  Canada's 
only  producer  of  documentaries  might  extend 
them  to  feature  length. 

Mr.  Legg  thinks  that  four  reels  is  the  desir- 
able maximum  for  documentaries.  Beyond  that 
length,  he  said,  dramatic  content  is  necessary, 
introducing  undesirable  obstacles  in  produc- 
tion and  impeding  the  film's  message. 

He  currently  is  working  on  a  three-and-a- 
half-reel  film,  title  of  which  has  not  been 
chosen.  It  is  on  the  ideologies  behind  the  pres- 
ent conflict.  He  coined  a  name  for  the  topic, 
which  he  said  might  be  used  in  exploiting  the 
picture :  "psychopolitics,"  after  the  much-used 
"geopolitics." 

He  and  other  Board  officials  have  been  con- 
sidering the  title:  "The  War  for  Men's  Minds" 
for  the  film,  he  said. 

Mr.  Legg  sees  no  need  for  a  national  film 
board  in  this  country.  He  pointed  at  the  Office 
of  War  Information  "which  is  able,"  he  said, 
"to  call  on  a  vast  panoply  of  existing  talent" 
and  established  documentary  producers  like 
the  March  of  Time,  MGM's  "Crime  Does  Not 
Pay"  series  and  others. 


M-G-M  TRADE 
SHOW 
CANCELLATION! 

• 

"PRESENTING 
LILY  MARS" 
advertised  for  Trade 
Showing  on  January 
5th,  will  not  be 
screened  on  that 
date.  A  new  trade 
show  date  for  this 
picture  will  be  an- 
nounced later. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

MGM  Sets  Ten  Films 
In  Second  Block 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's  second  block  of  new 
season  productions  will  consist  of  10  features, 
instead  of  12,  it  was  learned  this  week.  The 
company's  first  block  included  12  pictures. 
According  to  William  F.  Rodgers,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  distribution,  the  block-of-10 
follows  the  company's  sales  policy  of  releasing 
whatever  films  are  completed  and  ready  for 
distribution  and  does  not  represent  a  departure 
from  any  reportedly  set  policy  of  blocks-of-12. 

It  is  understood  that  four  December  releases 
are  to  be  included  in  the  block:  'Whistling  in 
Dixie,"  "Journey  for  Margaret,"  "Reunion  in 
France"  and  "Stand  By  for  Action."  Other 
titles  which  are  expected  to  be  released  in  the 
block  are :  "Keeper  of  the  Flame,"  "North  West 
Rangers,"  "Three  Hearts  for  Julia,"  "Tennes- 
see Johnson,"  "Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life" 
and  "Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant." 


WE  Executives  Speak 
At  Film  Forum 

J.  V.  Hilliard,  director  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture bureau  of  Western  Electric,  and  P.  L. 
Thomson,  director  of  public  relations,  were  the 
principal  speakers  at  the  "fighting  film"  forum 
recently  at  the  Advertising  Club  of  New 
York.  Mr.  Hilliard  traced  the  development 
of  the  company's  motion  picture  program  since 
1924  and  reported  that  all  the  Western  Electric 
films  made  before  the  war  and  the  two  pro- 
duced since  Pearl  Harbor  are  serving  as  train- 
ing pictures  for  industrial  employees.  He  also 
pointed  out  that  many  of  the  pictures  are  being 
used  by  the  Army  Signal  Corps,  the  Navy  and 
the  Coast  Guard  to  instruct  trainees  in  com- 
munications. 

"Telephone  Arsenal"  and  "Mines  Above 
Ground"  are  the  two  most  recent  pictures  pro- 
duced by  the  company. 

Lord  &  Thomas  Drops  Name 
As  President  Retires 

The  Lord  &  Thomas  advertising  agency  will 
discontinue  the  use  of  that  name  following  the 
announcement  of  the  retirement  of  Albert  D. 
Lasker,  president  and  principal  owner.  Mr. 
Lasker  is  leaving  to  devote  more  time  to  public 
affairs. 

The  New  York,  Chicago,  Los  Angeles  and 
San  Francisco  offices  will  be  operated  by  Emer- 
son Foote,  Fairfax  M.  Cone  and  Don  Belding, 
executive  vice-presidents,  with  the  same  per- 
sonnel as  heretofore.  Lord  &  Thomas  has 
handled  a  number  of  theatrical  accounts  in  the 
past,  among  which  was  RKO  Radio  Pictures. 


Honor  Moss  at  Dinner 

Edgar  Moss,  retiring  chief  barker  of  the 
Philadelphia  Variety  Club,  was  honored  by 
more  than  100  members  at  a  dinner  held  in 
the  club  quarters  at  the  Bellevue-Stratford 
Hotel  recently.  At  the  same  time,  Samuel 
Gross  was  inducted  as  the  incoming  chief 
barker,  together  with  the  other  officers.  Earle 
W.  Sweigert  was  toastmaster  for  the  affair 
and  Mr.  Moss  was  presented  with  a  signed 
scroll  and  a  desk  set.  It  also  was  announced 
that  the  club's  Heart  of  Variety  Fund  was 
nearing  its  $10,000  goal. 


Bonus  to  Exchange  Staff 

Christmas  bonus  checks  amounting  to  three 
weeks'  salary  were  handed  out  to  each  regular 
employee  of  the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  ex- 
change in  San  Francisco,  at  the  annual  Yule- 
tide  office  party.  Manager  Al  Laurice  distributed 
the  bonuses. 


Colonel  Zanuck  Has  Respite 

Colonel  Darryl  F.  Zanuck.  who  brought 
action  films  home  from  the  North  African 
campaign,  spent  the  holidays  with  his  family 
in  Hollywood  while  on  a  furlough. 


January    2,  1943 

New  York  Mayor 
Continues  Fight 
On  All  Games 

His  defeat  by  independent  New  York  City 
exhibitors,  who  are  now  playing  Screeno, 
bolstered  by  a  New  York  magistrate's  deci- 
sion of  last  week,  caused  Mayor  Fiorello  La- 
Guardia  to  warn  theatre  owners  Sunday  that 
they  must  give  Screeno  cards  to  everyone  with- 
out demanding  admission  to  theatres. 

The  warning  made  little  difference  to  the 
owners — now  banded  together  as  the  Unaffilia- 
ted Exhibitors,  Inc. — for  they,  had  observed  the 
rule. 

However,  the  Mayor  also  warned  in  his  cus- 
tomary Sunday  noon  broadcast  over  municipal 
Station  WNYC  that  the  owners  should  "re- 
member the  fire  rules  in  the  lobby",  and  the 
exhibitors  this  week  were  waiting  to  see  if 
the  Mayor  will  "make  it  tough"  for  them. 

Screeno  and  other  games  of  chance,  as  well 
as  premiums,  are  vitally  necessary  to  their 
livelihood,  to  which  they  are  entitled  as  much 
as  circuit  operators,  the  independent  owners 
declared  at  a  meeting  last  Wednesday. 

They  said  they  receive  films  later  than  every 
other  type  of  theatre,  and  hence  need  give- 
aways. Magistrate  Aimer  Surpless  last  Wed- 
nesday dismissed  the  case  against  Jacob  Leff, 
owner  of  the  Acme  theatre,  Queens.  Mr.  Leff, 
Jesse  Stern  and  Julius  Charnow  are  founders 
of  the  independent  unit,  which  last  week  ap- 
pointed a  nine-man  committee  to  further  the 
organization. 

New  Advertising  Setup 
At  20th  Century-Fox 

Hal  Home,  director  of  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  an- 
nounced that  effective  January  4th,  the  realign- 
ment and  expansion  of  the  three  divisions  would 
take  place.  William  Danziger  has  been  ap- 
pointed as  Mr.  Home's  assistant,  and  M.  E. 
Youngstein  is  now  in  charge  of  business  ad- 
ministration and  budget  control  over  all  sub- 
departments. 

The  three  divisions  will  operate  as  hereto- 
fore with  Charles  Schlaifer  as  advertising  man- 
ager, Rodney  Bush  as  exploitation  manager  and 
Richard  Condon  as  publicity  manager. 

WAC  to  Release  Four 
Films  in  January 

The  War  Activities  Committee  announced  [ 
that  four  films  would  be  released  in  January,  i 
two  by  the  Office  of  War  Information  and  two  ^ 
by  motion  picture  companies. 

"Community  Transportation,"  filmed  by  the  E 
OWI,  will  be  released  first,  followed  by  the 
MGM  picture,  "You,  John  Jones,"  with  James 
Cagney.  Another  OWI  film,  "Paratroops,"  ) 
will  be  released  next,  and  "Mr.  Smug,"  one  of  i 
the  "America  Speaks"  series  produced  by  Co- 1 
lumbia,  will  be  the  final  release. 

  i 

Warners  Sign  26  Players 
During  Past  Year 

Twenty-six  stars  and  featured  players  were1 
signed  by  Warner  Brothers  in  1942,  the  com-r 
pany   announced.     Among   them   are  Walter 
Huston,   Irene  Manning,   Sydney  Greenstreet, 
Raymond  Massey  and  Paul  Henreid. 


Joins  Film  Unit  as  Major 

Orton  H.  Hicks,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
Walter  O.  Gutlohn,  Inc.  of  New  York,  has  been 
commissioned  a  major  in  the  Army,  and  hast 
been  assigned  to  the  overseas  motion  picture 
branch.  A  temporary  leave  of  absence  has  been; 
granted  to  him. 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


47 


// 


WHAT  THE 

PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


\\ 


Columbia 


DARING  YOUNG  MAN:  Joe  E.  Brown— It  is  an 
amusing  comedy  with  a  few  good  laughs.  Joe  is  fun- 
ny in  a  double  role  as  his  own  grandmother.  People 
who  came  to  see  "Eagle  Squadron"  found  it  easy  to 
sit  through.  Attendance  good.  Played  Friday,  Sat- 
urday. December  11,  12.— W.  Varick  Nevins  III,  Al- 
fred "  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y.  Small  college 
town  patronage. 

FLIGHT  LIEUTENANT:  Pat  O'Brien,  Glenn  Ford- 
Well  liked  and  had  a  nice  draw.  Pat  O'Brien  will  out- 
draw  most  of  the  big  name  stars  here. — A.  E.  Eliasen, 
Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

FLIGHT  LIEUTENANT:  Pat  O'Brien,  Glenn  Ford 
— Due  to  bad  weather  the  crowd  was  small  but  those 
who  did  see  it  said  it  was  good.  I  had  lots  of  pa- 
trons who  said  they  planned  to  see  it  but  weather  kept 
them  away.  Flayed  Monday,  Tuesday,  December  7, 
8. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena 
Vista,  Ga.    Small  town  patronage. 

MEET  THE  STEWARTS:  William  Holden,  Fran- 
ces Dee — Yes,  I  met  a  disgruntled  few  who  were  in 
attendance.  Played  Tuesday,  December  1. — A.  H.  Ed- 
wards, Orpheum  Theatre,  Orwigsburg,  Pa. 

TALK  OF  THE  TOWN:  Jean  Arthur,  Cary  Grant, 
Ronald  Colman — No  business  on  this  one.  It  pleased, 
but  the  second  and  third  day  business  was  just  aver- 
age.— A  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville, 
Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

THEY  ALL  KISSED  THE  BRIDE:  Melvin  Doug- 
las, Joan  Crawford — Business  only  poor  on  this  pic- 
ture.— Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham, 
Ont.,  Can. 

THREE  GIRLS  ABOUT  TOWN:  Joan  Blondell,  J. 
Howard — This  was  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  all.  If  your 
audience  likes  comedies  play  this  by  all  means. — 
Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

TWO  YANKS  IN  TRINIDAD:  Pat  O'Brien,  Brian 
Donlevy — Although  this  was  a  very  good  _  picture, 
Kenos  proved  too  much  for  it. — Harland  Rankin,  Plaza 
Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont.,  Can. 

WIFE  TAKES  A  FLYER:  Joan  Bennett.  Franchot 
Tone — Drew  well  on  a  Bank  Night. — A.  E.  Eliasen, 
Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

CROSSROADS:  Hedy  Lamarr,  William  Powell- 
Amnesia,  akin  to  insanity,  damnable  entertainment  if 
entertainment  is  permissible,  and  above  all  foreign  lo- 
cale; Ye  Gods!  In  this  murderous  age  when  every- 
thing reeks  with  bloody  war,  then  to  be  prodded  for 
84  minutes  with  a  subject  that  is  inexcusable  at  this 
serious  period  of  human  existence.  Laughter,  non- 
sense, that  is  what  this  ace  nation  is  crying  for!  Let's 
have  it!  The  several  patrons  that  were  in  walked 
out.  The  children,  well,  we  had  to  put  them  out  for 
disorderly  conduct,  and  we  had  an  early  quit.  Played 
Tuesday,  December  15th. — A.  H.  Edwards,  Orpheum 
Theatre,  Orwigsburg,  Fa. 

MRS.  MINIVER:  Greer  Garson,  Walter  Pidgeon— 
No  use  telling  you  it  is  a  wonderful  picture.  I  got 
around  to  it  rather  late  so  that  most  of  the  audience 
already  had  seen  it  two  or  three  times.  However,  a 
good  number  came  again  so  receipts  were  well  above 
average.  As  a  picture  it  certainly  is  tops.  Played 
Fridav.  Saturdav.  December  4.  5. — W.  Varick  Nevins 
in,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y.  Small  col- 
lege town  patronage. 

MRS.  MINIVER:  Greer  Garson.  Walter  Pidgeon— 
Everyone  said  it  was  a  grand  show.  If  you  have  not 
played  it  by  all  means  do.  It  is  one  of  the  war  pictures 
that  really  went  over  well.  Business  good.  Plaved 
Wednesday,  Thursday.  December  9.  10.— Miss  Cleo 
Manry,  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small 
town  patronage. 

RIO  RITA:  Abbott  &  Costello— It's  been  a  long  time 
since  I  reported  on  pictures  but  there  has  been  so 
little  difference  in  the  quality  of  product  that  one 
report  would  have  covered  all  of  them  until  we  played 
"Rio  Rita."  This  is  without  question  the  poorest 
excuse  for  a  picture  we  have  seen  in  a  long  time. 
That  dance  number  (why  it  was  put  in  there  I'll  never 
know)  was  an  insult  to  all  decent  people.  If  that  be 
art,  give  me  garlic.  It  smells  much  better.  There 
should  be  built  into  every  theatre  a  hole  for  the  man- 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product — providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


ager  to  crawl  into  after  showing  a  picture  like  this. 
Played  Saturday,  Sunday,  December  12,  13.— H.  M. 
Gerber,  Roxy  Theatre,  Hazelton,  N.  D.  Small  town 
and  rural  patronage. 

TORTILLA  FLAT:  Spencer  Tracy,  John  Garfield, 
Hedy  Lamarr — Business  not  up  to  expectations.  Tracy 
did  usual  fine  job,  but  unsympathetic  parts  are  bound 
to  hurt  him  at  the  box  office.  Garfield  good.  Miss 
Lamarr  not  so  hot.  Many  were  disappointed  with 
story.  Supporting  cast  excellent.  Hollywood  appar- 
ently still  believes  in  miracles.  We  small  exhibitors 
have  just  about  given  up  hoping  for  one.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday,  December  6,  7. — A.  C.  Edwards, 
Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  CaL  Small  labor  town  pat- 
ronage. 


Paramount 


HOLIDAY  INN:  Fred  Astaire,  Bing  Crosby— Ran 
rather  late  on  this  one  but  had  a  very  good  crowd 
anyway.  The  folks  told  me  this  was  just  what  they 
wanted,  as  they  went  out  smiling.  It  has  gaiety,  mu- 
sic and  dancing  from  beginning  to  end.  It  ought  to 
do  well  anywhere,  especially  in  this  season  of  the 
year.  Played  Thursday.  December  10. — W.  Varick 
Nevins  m,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  X.  Y.  Small 
college  town  patronage. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— Was 
fairly  well  liked,  but  as  for  drawing  the  people,  it  just 
didn't.  We  pushed  this  one  hard,  but  still  it  didn't 
draw. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville, 
Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

NIGHT  OF  JANUARY  16:  Robert  Preston,  Ellen 
Drew — A  very  good  picture  that  was  thoroughly  en- 
joyed.— Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont.. 
Can. 


RKO  Radio 


BASHFUL  BACHELORS :  Lum  &  Abner— Critics 
have  knocked  this  team — but  for  us  in  the  small  spots, 
who  cater  to  the  farmers  and  little  people,  it's  the  kind 
of  film  fun  we  like — and  make  a  profit  on.  Personally, 
I'll  take  Lum  &  Abner  and  do  more  business  with 
them  than  one  by  each  of  the  Big  Ten  in  filmdom— 
and  no  fooling. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre. 
Paynesville,  Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

HERE  WE  GO  AGAIN:  Fibber  McGee  and  Molly, 
Edgar  Bergen — Outside  of  the  names  in  it,  this  is  just 
a  rather  inexpensively  produced  comedy  that  did  get 
some  good  laughs  but  no  raves  from  my  audience. 
Attendance  was  a  little  above  average.  From  the 
reports,  some  of  the  rest  of  you  have  been  doing  big 
business  with  this  one.  Well,  that's  the  way  it  goes. 
Played  Thursday.  December  3. — W.  Varick  Nevins  HI. 
Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y.  Small  college 
town  patronage. 


Republic 


BLACK  CAT,  THE:  Bela  Lugosi,  Basil  Rathbone— 
Played  this  on  a  horror  program.  Did  business  de- 
spite pre-Christmas  slump. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre 
Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

CAPTAINS  OF  THE  CLOUDS:  James  Cagney— 
Excellent  production,  plaved  late,  but  good  anv  time. 
Played  Friday,  Saturday,  December  11,  12. — W.  B. 
Pyle.  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural 
small  town  patronage. 

FIGHTING  BILL  FARGO:  Johnny  Mack  Brown— 
The  average  Western  star  does  not  do  the  business 
Cassidy  or  Autry  does. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Thea- 
tre, Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

HEART  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE:  Gene  Autry— 
One  of  the  best  Autry s,  with  exceptionally  good  sup- 
porting cast.    Flayed  Friday,  Saturday,  December  4,  5. 


— W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask., 
Can.,  Rural  small  town  patronage. 

MYSTERY  OF  MARIE  ROGET:  Maria  Montez, 
Patric  Knowles — Very  good  mystery  that  we  doubled 
with  "The  Black  Cat."— Harland  Rankin,  Centre  The- 
atre, Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

STARDUST  ON  THE  SAGE:  Gene  Autry— Gene 
Autry  is  to  me  what  Tom  Mix  and  Buck  Jones  were 
in  their  heyday.  Regardless  of  the  poor  material  Re- 
public gives  Autry  he  still  packs  them  in.  The  so- 
called  highbrows  sort  of  sniff  in  the  air,  but  the  good 
old  rabble  are  still  in  the  great  majority.  Plaved 
Saturday,  November  28th. — A.  H.  Edwards,  Orpheum 
Theatre,  Orwigsburg,  Pa. 

SUNSET  ON  THE  DESERT:  Roy  Rogers— Did  nice 
weekend  business  with  this  picture.— Harland  Rankin, 
Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont.,  Can. 

WHAT'S  COOKIN':  Andrews  Sisters— Thoroughly 
enjoyed  by  the  airmen  as  it's  packed  with  comedv  and 
real  jive.  Played  Sunday,  December  6.— W.  B.  "Pvle, 
Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can.  Airport 
personnel  patronage. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

FOOTLIGHT  SERENADE:  Betty  Grable,  John 
Payne — Very  poor  musical — had  no  draw,  and  L  per- 
sonally, thought  20th-Fox  could  have  done  much  better 
with  the  cast  they  wasted  in  this.— A.  E.  Eliasen. 
Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

HOW  GREEN  WAS  MY  VALLEY:  Walter  Pid- 
geon, Maureen  O'Hara— "What  a  powerful  picture!" 
"Boy,  what  acting!"  "It  was  a  dandy!"  Those  are 
some  of  the  comments  heard  as  the  men  left  the  audi- 
torium. They  certainly  speak  for  the  picture,  a  picture 
that  has  everything.  A  grand  storv,  excellent  direc- 
tion, singing  by  the  Welsh  Singers,  humor— despite 
its  background  and  basic  theme,  and  excellent  per- 
formances by  a  swell  cast.  So  good  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morgan  (Donald  Crisp  and  Sara  Algood).  Min- 
ister GrufTydd  (Walter  Pidgeon).  Angharad  (Maureen 
O'Hara)  and  Huw  (Roddy  McDowell),  we  would  not 
even  attempt  to  bestow  special  honors  upon  anv  one 
or  them.  Mr.  Theatre  Owner,  don't  disappoint"  vour 
ians  by  failing  to  show  this  picture.  Plaved  Saturdav. 
November  26.— J.  A.  Reynolds.  Director  of  Education 
and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton.  N. 
J.    Prison  patronage. 

IT  HAPPENED  IN  FLATBUSH:  Llovd  Nolan, 
Carole  Landis— This  is  reallv  a  good  picture"  for  base- 
ball lovers.  I  double  billed"  it  with  "Silver  Bullet=." 
Pleased  the  weekend  patrons.  Plaved  Fridav,  Satur- 
day, December  11.  12.— Miss  Cleo  Manrv,  Buena  Vina 
Tehatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga.    Small  town  patronage. 

MOONTIDE:  Jean  Gabin,  Ida  Luoino— Real  good 
picture  that  is  different  and  will  draw.  Gabin  a  real 
ravonte  and  Ida  Lupino  alwavs  good.  Plaved  Fridav 
Saturday,  November  27.  2S.— W.  B.  Pvle. "  Dreamland 
Theatre.  Rockglen,  Sask..  Can.  Rural  and  small  town 
patronage. 

ORCHESTRA  WIVES:  George  Montgomerv-Well 
liked  _  and  good  business,  can  easily  stand  a  three-day 
run  m  small  situations.  We  got  generous,  foolishlv, 
and  gave  it  to  them  on  Bank  Night. — A.  E.  Eliasen 
Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

PIED  PIPER.  THE:  Monty  Woollev-This  pleased 
all  who  were  able  to  come  on  these  davs:  the  attend- 
ance was  affected  by  frigid  weather  and"  snow.  Plaved 
Friday.  Saturday,  December  IS,  19.— Thomas  Di  Lor- 
enzo, New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y.  Small 
town  patronage. 

PIED   PIPER,   THE:   Montv  Wootlev-Very  well 
liked— but  no  business.    We  were  dubious  about  this 
(.Continued  on  follozring  page) 


48 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


(.Continued  from  preceding  page) 
one.    But  although  we  paid  too  much  for  it  in  com- 
parison  to  our   gross,   we   liked   it. — A.    E.  Eliasen, 
Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.    Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

TALES  OF  MANHATTAN:  Charles  Boyer,  Ginger 
Rogers — Comment  on  this  was  mixed;  some  thought 
it  good,  others  said  they  didn't  like  it  at  all.  Busi- 
ness was  very  poor  due  to  terriffic  snowstorm.  The 
star-studded  cast  should  have  been  enough  to  please. 
Played  Sunday,  Monday,  December  13,  14.— Thomas 
Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 
Small  town  patronage. 

THIS  ABOVE  ALL:  Tyrone  Power,  Joan  Fontaine 
— Very  poor  business.  We  played  it  late  and  got 
caught  on  the  start  of  gas  rationing.  Well  liked  and 
could  be  easily  comparable  to  "Mrs.  Miniver."— A.  E. 
Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural 
and  small  town  patronage. 

THUNDER  BIRDS:  Gene  Tierney,  Preston  Foster 
— Well  liked,  very  nice  color,  and  nice  little  story, 
but  fell  flat  on  the  flying,  of  which  we  expected  a  lot, 
but  outside  of  the  fair  business  we  liked  it. — E.  A. 
Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural 
and  small  town  patronage. 


United  Artists 

BUTCH  MINDS  THE  BABY:  Virginia  Bruce,  Brod 
Crawford — Fair  comedy  that  got  by  on  a  double  bill. 
— Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont.,  Can. 

DUDES  ARE  PRETTY  PEOPLE:  Noah  Beery,  Jr., 
Jimmy  Rogers — A  pleasant  change  from  usual  West- 
erns, this  little  picture  brought  lots  of  laughter  from 
the  small  attendance  which  came  to  see  "The  Pied 
Piper."  Weather  elements  were  too  much  to  cope 
with  as  it  was  10  degrees  below  zero  and  the  roads 
here  were  covered  with  snow  and  ice.  Played  Friday, 
Saturday,  December  18,  19. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y.  Small  town  patron- 
age. 

MISS  ANNIE  ROO'NEY:  Shirley  Temple,  Guy  Kib- 
bee — Here  is  my  voice  to  shout  about  Shirley  Temple. 
She  is  still  tops  in  my  theatre  and  even  at  this  Christ- 
mas season  slump  she  set  a  record  for  my  theatre. 
I  don't  know  the  reaction  this  picture  may  have  on 
the  ones  I  hope  MGM  will  produce  with  her,  but 
"Miss  Annie  Rooney"  with  Shirley  certainly  made  my 
heart  glad.  Played  Saturday,  December  12. — A.  H. 
Edwards,   Orpheum   Theatre,   Orwigsburg,  Pa. 


Universal 

DEEP  IN  THE  HEART  OF  TEXAS:  Johnny  Mack 
Brown — Average  Western — good  music — fair  draw. — A. 
E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Ru- 
ral and  small  town  patronage. 

EAGLE  SQUADRON:  Robert  Stack,  Diana  Barry  - 
more — Ran  this  with  "Daring  Young  Man"  to  good 
attendance.  This,  without  a  doubt,  is  the  best  picture 
of  actual  war  combat  scenes  that  we  have  shown  so 
far.  In  general  they  do  not  come  out  for  war  stories 
here  but  this  seemed  to  be  an  exception  and  they 
came  in  good  numbers  and  praised  it  highly.  Not  a 
slow  moment  from  beginning  to  end  and  excellently 
photographed.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  December  11, 
12— W.  Varick  Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Al- 
fred, N.  Y.    Small  college  town  patronage. 

GIVE  OUT,  SISTERS:  Andrews  Sisters— A  pleas- 
ing musical  picture  for  our  audience,  all  of  whom  en- 
joyed it.  Business  poor,  but  not  due  to  the  picture; 
the  weather  and  snow-covered  roads  were  too  much 
for  us.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  16, 
17. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New 
Paltz,  N.  Y.    Small  town  patronage. 

LADY  IN  A  JAM:  Irene  Dunne — Should  have  been 
"exhibitor  in  a  jam"  but  not  with  a  crowd;  a  jam  to 
pay  expenses.  Played  Tuesday,  November  17. — A.  H. 
Edwards,  Orpheum  Theatre,  Orwigsburg,  Pa. 

SILVER  BULLETS:  Johnny  Mack  Brown— Good 
Western.  Business  only  fair.  Played  Friday,  Satur- 
day, December  11,  12. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vis- 
ta Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga.    Small  town  patronage. 

SIN  TOWN:  Constance  Bennett,  Brod  Crawford- 
Good  Friday -Saturday  show  to  average  business — 
well  liked. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynes- 
ville, Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 


Warner  Brothers 

MALE  ANIMAL,  THE:  Henry  Fonda,  Olivia  de 
Havilland — A  good  adaptation  of  the  successful  stage 
play  of  the  same  same,  this  picture  afforded  our  audi- 
ence many  laughs.  Poor  Professor  Turner  (Henry 
Fonda)  has  a  difficult  but  amusing  time  (1)  trying  to 
convince  the  "powers  that  be"  of  Midwestern  College 
that  he  is  a  worthy  teacher  and  (2)  trying  to  convince 
his  lovely  wife  (Olivia  de  Havilland)  that  he  and  not 
All-American  Joe  Ferguson  (Jack  Carson),  former 
Midwestern  football  great,  is  worthy  of  her  devoted 
and  undivided  attention.  The  professor  finally  achieves 
success  when  he  delivers  a  stirring  address  on  free 
speech  and  the  rights  of  the  teacher  in  defiance  of  the 
college  authorities  and  is  acclaimed  a  hero  bv  the  stu- 
dent body  and  the  college  officials.    This  picture  has 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 


Week  of  December  2%th 
ASTOR 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

Picturesque  Massachusetts  ..  MGM 
feature:  For  Me  and  My  Gal.  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

First  Aid  MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve.  Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

The  Loan  Stranger  Universal 

Person-Oddities  Universal 

Feature:  Who  Done  It}  Universal 

PARAMOUNT 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

Jasper    and    the  Haunted 

House  Paramount 

Feature:  Road  to  Morocco.  .  .  Paramount 

RIALTO 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

Baby  Wants  a  Bottleship.  .  .  .  Paramount 
Superman  in  the  Bulleteers.  .  Paramount 
Gentleman's  Gentleman  ....  RKO-Disney 
Feature:  Quiet  Please,  Murder.  20th  Cent.-Fox 

RIVOLI 

Army  Mascot  RKO 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

Feature:  Arabian  Nights  Universal 

ROXY 

Strange  Empire  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Mouse  of  Tomorrow  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Monkey  Doodle  Dandy  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

Feature:  The  Black  Swan.  .  .  .  20th  Cent.-Fox 


something  in  it  for  everyone,  and  should  have  special 
appeal  in  college  towns  because  of  its  collegiate  back- 
ground. Played  Saturday,  November  28.— J.  A.  Rey- 
nolds, Director  of  Education  and  Recreation,  New  Jer- 
sey State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J.    Prison  patronage. 

THIS  WAS  PARIS:  Ann  Dvorak,  Ben  Lyon— May- 
be we  shouldn't  have  brought  this  up  at  all,  only 
some  one  else  might  find  it  profitable  to  read  these 
lines  and  shelve  this  instead  of  failing  to  gross 
enough  for  film  rental  as  was  our  experience.  Ye 
gods!  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  2,  3. 
—A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  Cal.  Small 
labor  town  patronage. 


Short  Features 
Columbia 

OLD  BLACKOUT  JOE:  Phantasies  Cartoons— Quite 
a  funny  cartoon  that  drew  good  laughs. — W.  Varick 
Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

IT'S  A  DOG'S  LIFE:  Pete  Smith  Specialties— Cute 
and  funny  Pete  Smith  reel.  Good  as  usual.  W.  Varick 
Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y. 

MR.  BLABBERMOUTH:  Two-Reel  Specials— Very 
well  done  double  reel  showing  why  it  is  important 
to  keep  one's  mouth  shut  about  military  matters  and 
rumors  of  all  kinds.  Worth  playing  everywhere  as  it 
holds  interest  very  well. — W.  Varick  Nevins  III,  Al- 
fred Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y. 

MAGIC  ALPHABET,  THE:  Passing  Parade— Our 
audience  found  this  an  interesting  and  enlightening 
subject. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New 
Palta,  N.  Y. 

SURPRISED  PARTIES:  Our  Gang  Comedy— An- 
other good  subject  _  to  show  to  the  kiddies  on  the 
weekend.  Made  a  big  hit  and  drew  lots  of  laughs  from 
our  Saturday  attendance. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

VICTORY  VITTLES:  Pete  Smith  Specialties— Good 
job  in  color  by  Fete  Smith,  showing  some  very  luscious 
looking  foods  made  economically.    The  ladies  will  like 


it.— W.  Varick  Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre, 
Alfred,  N.  Y. 

WE  DO  IT  BECAUSE:  Passing  Parade— An  inter- 
esting subject  on  some  of  our  common  habits,  inter- 
estingly told,  which  filled  its  spot  on  our  program 
adequately. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre, 
New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

Paramount 

YOU'RE  A  SAP  MR.  JAP:  Popeye— Another  good 
cartoon  from  Paramount.  This  made  them  laugh. — 
Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz, 
N.  Y. 


RKO 

WALT  DISNEY'S  CARTOONS:  We  play  these 
every  week  at  Airport  Recreation  Hall  and  they  are  a 
big  hit  with  British  airmen. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland 
Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can. 

Twentieth  Century- Fox 

ARISTOCRATS  OF  THE  KENNELS:  Sports  Re- 
view— Nice  enough  dog  reel. — W.  Varick  Nevins  HI, 
Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y. 

F.B.I.  FRONT:  March  of  Time— Another  excellent 
"March   of   Time"  issue.— W.    B.   Pyle,  Dreamland 

Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can. 

TIRE  TROUBLE:  Terrytoons— I  think  the  car 
drivers  got  as  much  kick  out  of  this  as  the  children. 
— Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena 
Vista,  Ga. 


United  Artists 

MASK  OF  NIPPON:  World  in  Action— Played  at 
airport.  Very  much  enjoyed.  Some  scenes  very  grue- 
some.— W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen, 
Sask.,  Can. 

Universal 

SWING  FROLIC:  Musicals— Very  good  two-reel 
musical,  with  good  dance  acts. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dream- 
land Theatre,   Rockglen,   Sask.,  Can. 

VICTORY  GARDEN:  Andy  Panda  Cartoon— Very 
entertaining  cartoon;  good  color. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo, 
New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

Vitaphone 

DON  COSSACK  CHORUS:  Melody  Masters  Bands 
— One  of  the  best  shorts  it  has  been  our  pleasure  to 

play.  You  cannot  miss  this  one. — J.  A.  Reynolds, 
Director  of  Education  and  Recreation,  New  Jersey 
State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

DOVER  BOYSv  THE:  Merrie  Melodies  Cartoons— 
Whenever  something  new  in  cartoons  comes  along, 
Schlesinger  is  back  of  it.  This  is  the  wackiest  one  we 
have  played  in  some  time  and  it  has  the  crowd  in 
stitches.  It  is  a  burlesque  of  the  old  melodrama  and 
is  probably  a  forerunner  of  more.  Am  I  right? — W. 
Varick  Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred, 
N.  Y. 

GOOFY  GROCERIES:  Merrie  Melody— Received 
very  poor  print,  no  title  or  end.  It  wasn't  so  hot 
either. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen, 
Sask.,  Can. 

HARE    BRAINED    HYPNOTIST,    THE:  Merrie 

Melodies  Cartoons — Bugs  Bunny  is  a  favorite  here 
and  this  one  holds  to  the  high  laugh  standard  of  the 
others.— W.  Varick  Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatres, 
Alfred,  N.  Y. 

PACIFIC  FRONTIER:  Broadway  Brevity— Done  in 
color,  this  is  a  trip  around  the  Pacific  area  where 
the  war  is  now  raging.  Very  informative  and  inter- 
esting for  our  audience. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

RICHARD  HIMBER  AND  ORCHESTRA:  Melody 
Masters  Bands — Himber's  sweet  music  would  appeal 
to  our  audience  any  time.  This  short  makes  a  very 
good  program  filled. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of 
Education  and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison, 
Trenton,  N.  J. 

SHEEPISH  WOLF,  THE:  Merrie  Melodies  Car- 
toons— Usual  good  Schlesinger  color  cartoon  with  a 
surprise  ending. — W.  Varick  Nevins  III,  Alfred  Co- 
Op  Theatre,  Alfred,  N.  Y. 

SWEENEY  STEPS  OUT:  Hollywood  Novelties- 
Cute,  well  edited,  different  type  of  reel  that  in  the 
main  shows  the  animals  in  Bronx  Zoo  in  varying 
moods.  However,  the  sound  track  is  not  the  clearest 
we  have  ever  run.  Your  audience  will  like  it. — W. 
Varick  Nevins  in,  Alfred  Co-Op  Theatre,  Alfred, 
N.  Y. 

THERE  AIN'T  NO  SUCH  ANIMAL:  Hollywood 
Novelties — We  did  not  believe  there  were  such  beings 
until  we  saw  this  short.  It  is  a  very  good  program 
filler,  something  different. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director 
of  Education  and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison, 
Trenton,  N.  J. 


January    2  ,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


49 


MANAGERS* 

ROUND  TABLE 


xiAn  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  weekly 
in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 


BOB  WILE,  Editor 


GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


OP 


Quigley  Awards 

SO  long  and  well  established  are  the  Quigley  Awards  that 
it  practically  goes  without  saying  that  they  have  started 
on  their  tenth  year.   Material  received  from  now  on  is 
to  be  considered  for  the  new  year's  Awards. 

Just  for  the  record,  let  us  state  here  what  the  aims  and  pur- 
poses of  the  Quigley  Awards  are.  They  were  originally  con- 
ceived and  have  been  since  carried  on  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  fostering  and  encouraging  showmanship  in  the  theatre. 
That  they  have  accomplished  this  is  well  known.  The  Quigley 
Awards  have  become  an  institution  in  the  industry. 

"For  those  of  you  who  tuned  in  late,"  says  one  radio  pro- 
gram, "we  repeat":  Any  theatre  manager  is  eligible  to  com- 
pete. In  order  to  do  so,  he  need  merely  send  in  reports  of 
his  exploitation  campaigns,  documented  with'  photographs, 
tear  sheets  and  samples  as  far  as  possible.  Consistency  of 
effort  is  required  for  consideration. 

At  the  end  of  each  Quarter,  all  of  the  campaigns  of  each 
competing  individual  are  assembled  for  the  consideration  of 
the  Judges.  The  Judges  are  leaders  in  the  fields  of  theatre 
operation,  advertising  and  publicity  or  distribution. 

The  top  eight  campaigns  selected  by  the  Judges  are  given 
Awards.  The  top  three  get  Quarterly  Plaques;  the  next  five 
are  awarded  Medals.  This  is  the  procedure  each  Quarter.  In 
the  case  of  repeat  winners,  a  plate  is  given  to  affix  to  a  Plaque 
and  a  bar  to  attach  to  the  Medal. 

After  the  year's  Competition  is  over,  all  of  the  material  sub- 
mitted during  the  year  by  each  of  those  who  won  a  Quarterly 
Award  is  judged  by  the  Grand  Awards  Committee  at  a  special 
meeting  for  the  purpose.  The  showman  who  receives  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  is  the  Silver  Grand  Award  winner;  the 
runner  up  is  given  the  Bronze  Award. 

There  are  other  rewards  besides  the  actual  possession  of  the 
Plaques  or  Medals  or  Citations  for  runners  up.  Many  of  the 
winners  of  the  Grand  Awards  and  even  of  Quarterly  Awards 
have  been  rewarded  with  promotions  and  important  recog- 
nition. 

Lest  any  small  town  showman  think  that  he  is  unable  to  com- 
pete with  the  others,  let  him  set  his  mind  at  rest.  Each  show- 
man is  regarded  by  the  Judges  in  the  light  of  what  he  is  able 
to  do  as  well  as  what  he  has  done.  The  man  in  a  town  where 
the  newspaper  is  not  cooperative  has  the  same  chance  as  the 


fellow  v/ho  is  able  to  get  four  column  art,  front  page  stories 
and  contests  every  day — it  depends  on  the  situation. 

You  are  hereby  invited  to  compete.  Send  in  your  material 
to  Managers'  Round  Table.  If  there  is  sufficient  for  you  to  be 
regarded  as  a  consistent  showman,  it  will  be  considered  for 
the  Quigley  Awards. 

United  Nations  Week 

The  showmanship  phase  of  United  Nations  Week  is 
important.  The  job  of  putting  it  over  has  been  given  to  the 
motion  picture  industry  because  of  the  great  job  of  showman- 
ship v/hich  the  industry  has  done  on  previous  drives — the  March 
of  Dimes,  USO,  Army  and  Navy  Relief,  War  Bonds,  Scrap  col- 
lections, Salute  to  Our  Heroes,  and  Avenge  Pearl  Harbor. 

A  press  book  has  been  prepared  embracing  every  type  of 
showmanship.  Radio  tieups,  fronts,  lobbies,  ballyhoos,  news- 
paper slugs,  trailers,  every  conceivable  type  of  advertising  has 
been  included.    The  materials  are  there. 

Credit  for  this  fine  job  goes  to  Harry  Mandel's  staff  at 
RKO,  who  prepared  it.  Practical  showmen  all,  who  are  daily 
handling  theatre  exploitation,  they  were  rightly  counted  upon 
to  turn  in  a  workable,  practical  pressbook  free  of  all  window 
dressing.  For  the  record,  credit  Fred  Herkowitz,  John  A. 
Cassidy,  Blanche  Livingston  and  Hal  Seroy. 

A  Real  Accomplishment 

Recently  to  come  to  hand  is  a  26-page  edition  of  The 
Commercial  Appeal  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  sent  to  us  by  Maurice 
Druker,  manager  of  Loew's  State  theatre  there,  who  was  one 
of  the  co-sponsors  of  this  special  paper.  At  first  glance  there 
is  nothing  remarkable  about  it.  The  news  on  Dec.  7,  1942,  in 
Memphis  appears  to  be  about  the  same  as  the  news  anywhere 
else  was  on  that  day.  But  worthy  of  special  attention  were  the 
ads.  Of  all  the  advertisements  in  this  paper — and  there  were 
a  good  many  of  them — every  single  one  urged  the  purchase 
of  War  Bonds  and  Stamps  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else. 
The  name  of  the  advertiser  was  included  but  not  a  single  word 
about  his  usual  merchandise.  Promoting  an  issue  of  this  kind 
is  a  considerable  task  and  Mr.  Druker  and  his  co-workers  are 
to  be  congratulated  on  a  fine  job  well  done. 

—BOB  WILE 


50 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


LATEST  IN  NOVEL  DISPLAYS 


Lewis  Breyer,  manager  of  the  Strand,  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  gave  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  an  extensive 
campaign.   Here  he  is  shown  (center)  in  front  of 
his  lobby  display  flanked  by  members  of  the 
armed  forces.  In  addition,  Breyer  had  a  special  radio 
broadcast,  sidewalks  were  stencilled  and  window 
displays  were  arranged  with  music  stores. 


I  *******r 
****** 

Hi***** 
**★**; 


A  life  size  cutout  of  Hedy  Lamarr  as 
Tondelayo  was  an  intriguing  part  of  the 
lobby  display  used  by  Bill  Elder  in 
advance  of  the  picture's  engagement 
at  Loew's  theatre,  Indianapolis. 


Uniforms  of  all  the  women  in  the  armed  services  were  displayed  in  the  window  of 
a  Boston  department  store  through  an  arrangement  made  by  Red  King,  RKO  Boston 
publicity  chief,  when  "Women  in  Arms"  of  the  "This  Is  America"  series  played  the 
Keith  Memorial  in  The  Hub. 


A  musical  display  in  the  lobby 
helped  sell  "You  Were  Never 
Lovelier"  for  Stewart  Gillespie 
and  Larry  Ryan,  manager  and 
assistant,  respectively,  at  the  Elgin 
theatre,  Ottawa. 


January    2,  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


51 


Life  size  cutouts  of  the 
four  principals  with  a 
sinking  ship  as  the 
background  made  up 
this  striking  display 
used  by  Lester  Pollock 
on  the  mezzanine  of 
Loew's  theatre,  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.  The  lifeboats 
the  "water"  added 


to  th 


e  realism. 


A  life  size  cutout  of  Carmen  Miranda  and  a  40  by  60 
on  "Springtime  in  the  Rockies"  flanked  a  juke  box  which 
played  tunes  from  the  picture  in  the  lobby  of  the  Poli 
theatre,  Hartford,  Conn.,  managed  by  Lou  Cohen. 


Lichtman's  Lincoln 
theatre,  Washington, 
D.C.,  used  this  unusual 
method  to  sell 
"Invisible  Agent." 
The  shadow  of  the  man 
with  the  knife  flashed 
on  and  off  every 
minute.  This  was  done 
with  a  paper 
background  and  a 
strong  light  with 
flasher  attached. 


FRIDAY 

INVISIBLE  AGENT 

J.  N.  Fendley,  manager  of  the  Martin  theatre, 
Roanoke,  Ala.,  uses  this  set  piece  in  the  middle  of 
"he  standee  rail.  It  is  vari-colored  and  is  lit  with 
'ndirect  colored  lights. 


The  banner  used  by  Bob  Sidman  to  plug  "Arabian  Nights"  in 
Harrisburg  was  nearly  three  stories  high  (note  building  at  left). 


52 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2  ,  1943 


Druker  Enlists 
Cooperation  of 
Welfare  Head 


Selling  Points 

ON  UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK 

(The  material  below  reflects  the  press  book  prepared  for  this  campaign  and  represents  the 
point  of  view  of  the  sponsors  of  the  drive  about  the  methods  for  putting  it  over.) 

For  juvenile  attention,  it  is  suggested  that  school  authorities  be  approached,  including 
superintendents,  principals,  PTA  groups,  parochial  schools,  etc.,  and  ask  them  to  make 
United  Nations  week  a  subject  of  classroom  discussion.  Ask  them  to  conduct  essay 
contests  on  "What  United  Nations  Week  means  to  America"  and  kindred  subjects. 
Merchants  may  be  promoted  in  this  connection  to  award  prizes.  The  winning  essays 
can  be  read  over  the  air  and  printed  in  newspapers  and  read  from  the  stage  of  the 
theatre,  with  winners  appearing  in  person  to  receive  awards.  Teachers  of  the  English 
and  history  classes  could  act  as  judges.  Perhaps,  too,  the  schools  might  stage  playlets, 
pageants  along  the  United  Nations  theme.  Also,  a  Children's  Parade  of  Pennies  could 
be  launched,  each  child  on  a  selected  day  bringing  one  cent  to  school,  the  collection 
to  be  turned  over  to  the  fund.  A  citywide  parade  of  local  patriotic  and  civic  organiza- 
tions, Boy  Scouts,  Girl  Scouts,  Red  Cross,  USO  and  groups  representing  the  United 
Nations  in  costumes  is  another  suggestion.  Short  addresses  by  local  officials,  Army 
or  Navy  commandants  are  in  order,  while  a  bannered  car  could  be  in  the  line  of 
march  with  a  flat  top  into  which  spectators  could  throw  coins.  Radio  coverage  should 
include  contacting  the  manager  of  the  station  for  his  cooperation  in  plugging  the 
seven  days'  celebration  whenever  and  wherever  his  programs  permit.  Spot  announce- 
ments should  be  on  the  air  continually  before  and  during  the  seven  days.  Local 
sponsors  might  be  willing  to  devote  a  small  portion  of  the  periods  alloted  to  their 
commercials  to  this  end.  A  radio  playlet  on  United  Nations  Week  can  be  presented. 
As  with  newspapers,  each  department  of  the  radio  station  should  be  appealed  to 
for  a  special  tribute.  Record  programs  could  give  music  from  different  United  Nations 
each  night  during  the  week;  political  commentators  could  stress  what  the  United 
Nations  are  doing  on  each  of  the  war  fronts;  women's  programs  to  tell  of  foreign 
foods  and  clothes;  guest  programs  to  present  local  people  each  night  who  were  born 
or  lived  in  one  of  the  United  Nations.  Merchant  cooperation  should  be  enlisted,  with 
all  stores  displaying  flags,  using  special  windows  as  well  as  decorations  inside  the 
stores  themselves.  The  merchants  might  also  declare  a  United  Nations  Shopping  Day, 
with  a  percentage  of  all  sales  on  that  day  to  go  to  the  fund.  Stores  should  also  be 
supplied  with  collection  containers  appropriately  marked,  and  perhaps  a  girl  in  cos- 
tume do  the  collecting.  The  Mayor's  proclamation  of  the  week  might  be  used  for 
newspaper  purposes,  with  the  official  or  some  other  prominent  civic  personage  appear- 
ing on  the  stage  the  night  of  January  14th  to  open  the  United  Nations  Week.  This 
should  be  covered  with  photographers  and  reports. 


Fitzpatrick  Appeals  to  Kids 
On  "Thunder  Birds"  Contest 

An  extensive  campaign  was  executed  for 
"Thunder  Birds"  by  Ed  Fitzpatrick  at 
Loew's  Poli,  in  Waterbury,  Conn.,  the  high- 
light of  which  was  a  "knowledge  and  color- 
ing" contest  in  the  Daily  Neurs  during  the 
picture's  engagement.  The  Contest  was 
headed :  "Hey  kids,  Know  Your  Thunder 
Birds  ?"  Readers  were  asked  to  look  at  the 
published  silhouettes  of  a  number  of  Ameri- 
can Thunder  Birds  and  list  their  names,  by 
number,  in  the  extensive  space  reserved  for 
the  contest.  Directly  underneath  the  silhou- 
ettes was  a  three-column  layout  featuring  the 
line  cut  drawings  of  Preston  Foster,  Gene 
Tierney  and  John  Sutton,  which  boys  and 
girls  were  asked  to  color  to  the  best  of 
their  ability.  War  Savings  stamps  and  guest 
tickets  were  given  to  winners  and  runnersup. 

Five  thousand  comic  strip  heralds  depict- 
ing in  brief  the  story  of  "Thunder  Birds" 
were  distributed  around  the  city's  busy  area 
by  a  girl  attired  in  attractive  sky  hostess 
uniform  and  a  boy  in  pilot  garb.  In  addi- 
tion, Fitzpatrick  tied  up  with  the  Woolworth 
and  Kresge  companies  for  the  distribution 
of  two  thousand   imprinted  aquatone  fan 


photos  in  conjunction  with  a  large  House 
of  Westmore  cosmetic  tieup.  Two  attractive 
window  displays,  each  featuring  a  30  by  40 
on  Gene  Tierney,  were  also  secured. 


Greer  Sends  Reports  on 
Christmas  Activities 

As  a  goodwill  gesture,  G.  R.  Greer  at 
the  Grand  theatre,  in  Chicago,  extended  an 
invitation  to  the  WAACS  and  WAVES 
to  attend  his  Christmas  day  show  as  guests 
of  the  management.  On  the  lighter  side, 
Dick  also  hung  a  large  cluster  of  mistletoe 
above  the  entrance  door,  taking  pains  to  call 
particular  attention  to  it.  Also  as  a  Christ- 
mas stunt,  Greer  distributed  food  baskets  to 
the  needy  through  the  Salvation  Army  and 
invited  them  to  the  Christmas  show. 


Heckman's  Food  Show 

William  Heckman,  manager  of  Warners' 
Lion  theatre,  Red  Lion,  Pa.,  staged  a  char- 
ity food  matinee  on  Nov.  25  in  co-operation 
with  the  local  Boy  Scout  troops.  The  food 
collected  was  sent  to  needy  families  in  the 
town  in  time  for  the  Thanksgiving  Day 
dinner. 


In  the  interests  of  the  early  playdate  of 
"Journey  for  Margaret"  at  Loew's  State, 
in  Memphis,  Maurice  Druker  reports  that 
Mrs.  Edna  Blue,  Executive  Chairman,  Fos- 
tre  Parents  Plan  for  War  Children,  made 
a  one-day  visit  to  the  city  through  the  ef- 
forts of  William  R.  Ferguson  of  MGM. 
All  of  her  interviews  and  appearances  in 
the  city  were  closely  identified  with  the  local 
showing  of  the  picture. 

One  hundred  prominent  representatives 
of  Tennessee  Child  Welfare  organizations 
attended  a  luncheon  honoring  Mrs.  Blue ; 
Mayor  Walter  Chandler  presiding  and  urg- 
ing attendance  at  the  picture.  Mrs.  Blue  vis- 
ited the  juvenile  court  and  sat  on  the  bench 
with  Judge  Camille  Kelly  to  observe  cases 
of  juvenile  delinquency  resulting  from  lack 
of  parental  supervision  due  to  the  adult 
employment  in  War  Lndustries.  A  full  15- 
minute  broadcast  was  also  arranged,  and 
a  special  invitational  screening  was  held 
in  the  theatre  four  days  prior  to  opening,  for 
representatives  of  groups  interested  in  child 
welfare,  civilian  defense,  PTA,  Medical  Asso- 
tion,  etc.  Needless  to  say,  the  newspapers 
came  through  generously  with  stories  and 
art  on  the  whole  affair. 

Issues  Blackout  Warning 

Taking  advantage  of  an  extensive  county- 
wide  "sneak  test  blackout,"  Druker  issued 
heralds  tying  in  with  the  picture  with  scare 
heading  "Blackout  Warning  for  Memphis." 
Listed  below  were  rules  for  conduct  in  addi- 
tion to  picture  art  and  credits.  The  local 
distributor  o{  Readers  Digest  gave  excellent 
newsstand  coverage  with  200  specially- 
printed  window  cards  and  theatre  made 
banner  on  the  fleet  of  trucks. 

Bookmarks  were  distributed  in  the  main 
library  and  its  branches  throughout  the  city ; 
window  cards  were  planted  to  attract  down- 
town Christmas  shoppers,  bumper  strips 
were  used  on  taxis ;  ballyhoo  truck  toured 
the  downtown  area  and  special  photographic 
enlargements  were  used  on  the  front. 

Hamilton  Promotes 
Christmas  Co-op 

Some  eleven  stores  were  promoted  by  Al 
Hamilton  at  the  Empress  theatre,  in  South 
Norwalk,  Conn.,  for  a  four-column  coopera- 
tive ad  spread  which  was  topped  by  a  smil- 
ing cut  of  Santa  Claus.  The  copy  read : 
"The  following  merchants  join  with  the  • 
M&P  Empress  Theatre  management  in  ex- 
tending Season's  Greetings  to  the  residents 
of  Norwalk  and  surrounding  communities." 
This  was  followed  by  a  list  of  the  cooperat- 
ing merchants'  names. 

In  a  box  at  the  bottom  of  the  ad  the 
following  was  run:  "May  we  suggest,  as 
a  solution  to  your  gift  purchasing  prob- 
lems a  booklet  of  M&P  Empress  theatre  ad- 
mission tickets  at  reduced  prices.  Tickets 
can  be  used  anytime.  Solve  some  of  your 
problems  by  giving  many  happy  hours  of 
entertainment.  The  cost  is  small,  the  en- 
joyment will  be  great.  Books  now  on  sale 
at  M&P  Empress  theatre  boxoffice." 


January    2.    1943  MANAGERS"    ROUND    TABLE  53 

UNUSUAL  ADVERTISING  IDEAS 


gt**U  TOMORROW 


RANFORD 


^'jHnnOnsnBS 

-BONDS 


ihe  use  of  speciial  copy  by  Bill  Exion,  Here  is  one  of  ihe  Warner  Jersey  zone  ads  created  for  Bob  Paskow,  director  oi 

~~'^z^'  zz  —  e  Rcc^e.e  e=— e  advertising  and  publicity,  by  Ben  Adler  in  the  Newark  art  department. 

Kenosha.  Wis. 


B4 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


Local  Kids  Build" 
Model  Airplanes 
In  Navy  Tieup 


LAST  1942  CONTRIBUTORS 

This  is  the  last  list  of  1942  showmen.  All  contributions  received  after  this  list  appears 
will  be  considered  for  the  1943  Awards.  The  First  Quarter  Judging  will  be  in  April.  Now 
is  the  chance  for  new  contributors  to  start  in  sending  their  material  to  the  Round  Table. 


RALPH  ARMSTRONG 
Empress,  Chicago,  III. 


BILL  ELDER 

Loew's,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 


ERVIN  E.  JANOT 
Rex,  Sheboygan,  Wis. 


TED  ARNOW 
Valencia,  Jamaica,  L.  I. 


DICK  FELDMAN 
Paramount,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


A.  J.  KALBERER 

Switow's  Indiana,  Washington,  Ind. 


MORT  BERMAN 
Orpheum,  Springfield,  III. 


ED  PITZPATRICK 

Loew's  Poli,  Waterbury,  Conn. 


SID  KLEPER 

Poli  Bijou,  New  Haven 


JOSEPH  BOYLE 

Poli  Broadway,  Norwich,  Conn. 


STEWART  GILLESPIE 
Elgin,  Ottawa,  Can. 


ARTHUR  KROLICK 
Century,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


LEWIS  BREYER 
Strand,  Holyoke,  Mass. 


ED  GOTH 

Fabian,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y. 


LESTER  POLLOCK 
Loew's,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


CLAYTON  CORNELL 
Pontiac,  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y. 


ALICE  GORHAM 

United  Detroit  Theatres,  Detroit 


CARL  ROGERS 
Granada,  Cleveland,  Ohio 


HARRY  CRAWFORD 
Missouri,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


G.  R.  GREER 
Grand,  Chicago, 


M.  N.  STEINKRITZ 
Crown,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


FRANCIS  DEERING 
Loew's  State,  Houston,  Tex. 


AL  HAMILTON 

Empress,  So.  Norwalk,  Conn. 


ARNOLD  STOLTZ 
Avon,  Utica,  N.  Y. 


ROBERT  DEITCH 
DeWitt,  Bayonne,  N.  J. 

MAURICE  DRUKER 

Loew's  State,  Memphis,  Tenn. 


WILLIAM  L.  HEISS 
Markay,  Jackson,  Ohio 

BILL  HOYLE 


F.  TICKELL 

Orpheum,  Ft.  William,  Ont. 
DON  WERNLI 


Lichtman  Theatres,  Washington,  D.C.  Palace,  Alton,  la. 


Beauty  Salon  Cooperates 
On  "I  Married  a  Witch" 

Effective  was  the  tieup  arranged  with  a 
local  beauty  salon  in  the  interests  of  Ed 
Fitzpatrick's  date  on  "I  Married  a  Witch" 
at  Loew's  Poli,  in  Waterbury,  Conn.  On 
the  shop's  three  radio  spots  daily  a  week  in 
advance,  the  picture  was  plugged  along  with 
details  of  their  special  offer  of  guest  tickets 
to  their  operators  for  every  three  of  their 
customers  that  they  induced  to  try  the  new 
Veronica  Lake  coiffure.  They  also  an- 
nounced via  their  window  display  and  radio 
spots  that  an  added  special  discount  would 
be  offered  to  any  of  their  patrons  bringing 
in  their  ticket  stub  from  the  showing  of 
"I  Married  a  Witch"  after  its  opening. 

The  Salon,  through  the  use  of  attractive 
stills  of  Veronica  Lake  in  their  window  and 
on  the  walls  of  all  the  booths  throughout 
the  shop,  advertised  a  special  price  for  all 
girls  coming  in  for  the  new  Lake  hairdo. 
All  cards,  etc.,  were  sniped  with  the  theatre's 
playdates.  Fitz  says  that  the  fact  that  Christ- 
mas was  so  near  was  a  very  good  factor  in 
promoting  the  contest,  since  the  merchant 
was  anxious  to  try  something  new  in  pro- 
moting his  business  for  the  holiday  season. 

"Me  and  My  Gal"  Endorsed 
By  Y.M.C.A.  for  Teschner 

As  a  teaser  ahead  of  the  opening  of  "For 
Me  and  My  Gal"  at  the  Esquire  theatre,  in 
Toledo,  Ohio,  Ted  Teschner  promoted  lead- 
ing hotels  and  restaurants  for  the  planting  of 
"reserved"  tent  cards  on  the  tables  in  the 
dining  rooms.  Printed  on  silver  stock,  the 
copy  read:  "Reserved  for  Me  and  My  Gal. 
See  Judy  Garland  in,"  etc.,  etc.  Three  large 
music  stores  in  the  downtown  area  devoted 


full  windows  to  displays  with  40  by  60's 
plugging  the  hit  tunes  from  the  picture  with 
cast  photo  in  the  center  and  sheet  music 
spread  on  all  sides.  Various  orchestras 
around  town  also  featured  the  music  ahead. 

The  entire  fleet  of  local  news  trucks  was 
appropriately  bannered  with  28  by  44  cards. 
The  membership  secretary  of  the  YMCA 
reviewed  the  picture  and  wrote  personal  let- 
ters to  members  suggesting  that  they  see  the 
picture  which  portrayed  YMCA  activities 
during  the  last  war,  and  prominently  dis- 
played 40  by  60's  in  all  downtown  branches. 
Newspapers  also  played  an  important  role 
in  the  campaign,  with  art  and  readers  used 
profusely  in  twenty  papers  within  a  fifty 
mile  radius. 

Ted  Teschner,  since  putting  this  over,  has 
been  transferred  to  the  Valentine. 


Tommy  Tucker  Launches 
Holland's  Bond  Rally 

To  open  the  recent  bond  drive  in  Akron, 
Sid  Holland  at  the  Palace  theatre  arranged 
for  a  rally  on  his  stage  with  Tommy  Tucker, 
then  appearing  in  person,  to  act  as  master  of 
ceremonies,  in  a  special  program  which  was 
broadcast  over  Station  WJW.  The  band 
leader  introduced  Karl  Tucker,  president  of 
the  Summit  County  Veterans  Association, 
who  gave  a  talk  on  the  War  Bond  promo- 
tion. 

Recruiting  officers  of  the  various  services 
spoke  from  the  stage  and  divisional  leaders 
were  introduced.  An  American  Legion 
color  guard,  headed  by  the  chairman  of  the 
veterans  division  of  the  War  Bond  Commit- 
tee, added  a  military  note  to  the  program. 
Holland  reports  that  in  the  half  hour's  pro- 
gram, $11,500  worth  of  Bonds  were  sold. 


With  the  Navy  making  a  concerted  effort 
to  urge  kids  to  build  model  planes  to  scale, 
Clayton  Cornell  at  the  Pontiac  theatre,  in 
Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y.,  conceived  an  excel- 
lent goodwill  slant  which,  in  addition,  has 
helped  at  the  boxoffice. 

In  his  particular  community  this  work 
has  been  turned  over  to  the  Saranac  Lake 
Study  and  Craft  Guild,  who  in  turn  have 
their  instructors  conducting  classes  and  su- 
pervising the  construction  of  these  models 
by  patients  in  bed,  ill.  Where  Clay  comes 
in  on  this  is  to  obtain  classes  of  children 
from  his  Saturday  matinee  audience  to  have 
them  trained  at  the  Guild.  Inasmuch  as  this 
project  is  not  being  handled  by  the  schools, 
the  Guild  has  opened  up  new  classes  for 
the  children.  When  the  members  of  the 
class  have  built  a  sufficient  number  of  planes, 
they  are  entitled  to  a  Certificate  of  Merit, 
which  is  awarded  by  the  Navy.  Plans  call 
for  the  awarding  of  these  Certificates  on 
the  stage  of  the  Pontiac. 

To  give  impetus  to  the  idea,  Cornell  has 
arranged  a  lobby  display  of  some  of  the 
models,  which  will  help  him  obtain  inter- 
est in  this  work.  Clay  says  that  it  is  quite 
possible  that  this  new  class  of  children  who  [ 
are  definitely  interested  in  doing  this  high- 
ly technical  work  will  meet  at  the  wood-  !; 
working  shop  at  the  high  school,  where  they 
may  enjoy  all  of  its  facilities.  In  addition 
to  the  planes,  a  lobby  display  of  plans  and 
material  furnished  by  the  school  to  further 
interest  in  the  subject  will  be  featured. 

Instructor  Addresses  Kids 

The  Guild  instructor  will  attend  a  Satur-  | 
day  matinee  and  address  the  kids  on  this  ; 
work  and  enroll  a  class  after  the  matinee  i 
out  of  those  signifying  their  intentions  to-  |j 
ward  this  endeavor.     The  project  will  be 
plugged  in  the  theatre,  on  the  screen,  with 
newspaper  readers,  at  Scout  meetings  and 
in  the  public  and  parochial  schools.  From 
time  to  time  model  planes  will  be  exhibited 
in  the  lobby  of  the  theatre  with  each  prop- 
erly identified  with  the  name  and  type  of 
plane.  Cornell  says  it  is  hoped  that  when 
the  proper  time  comes,  some  Navy  author- 
ity will  be  present  to  make  the  awards  for 
the  work  accomplished. 


Flying  Tiger  Model  Plane 
Used  to  Exploit  Picture 

Locating  a  member  of  the  local  model 
aeroplane  club  who  had  a  "Flying  Tiger" 
model  about  a  yard  wide  with  the  nose  t 
painted  just  like  the  real  thing,  Dick  Feld- 
man,  in  advance  of  that  date  at  the  Para- 
mount theatre,  in  Syracuse,  promoted  the 
use  of  the  model,  which  was  used  for  lobby 
display  purposes  in  connection  with  the  pic- 
ture of  the  same  name. 

For  the  co-feature,  "Scattergood  Survives 
a  Murder,"  Dick  promoted  Station  WFBL, 
which  ordinarily  carries  the  Scattergood  : 
program,  for  ten  spot  announcements,  and 
the  Post-Standard  devoted  two  columns  to  a 
scene  mat  and  a  contest. 


ijanuary    2.  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


55 


OF  AND  ABOUT  SHOWMEN 


BIRTHDAY  WISHES 


January  2nd 

Frank  Drachrnan 
Alexander  Maus 
Elmer  field 
Ted  Hodes 
M.  Augenbliclc 
Peter  L  Banes 
Chef  E.  McSwain 

3rd 

William  Leroy  Miller 
David  Goodman 
Dave  Jones 
Chuck  Milan 

4th 

David  M.  Brotman 
Jack  D.  Braunagel 
Jack  Lykes 
Laura  Wernick 
Arthur  Joy 
C.  R.  Stoflet 
Gene  Yarnell 

~~-=:  Z   Z.   '■'  "5  = 

-         E.  -s'- 
Clarence  R.  Bosch 
Walter  Hints 
Albert  Laile 
Moe  Weiss 
Sez-z^  S'-z-z 
Tommy  Danish 


-  =  -.  =  ■•  3-- 


=  -ZZ'Z- 

John  E.  Moore 


2- 


L  W.  Bevel 
Joseph  Josack 
M.  E.  Cowan 
Bert  C.  Wild 
Frank  L  Willis 
James  May 
>  e  :  ~  i  3-ee-c  =  :ge- 
James  F.  Collins 


L  Allen 


Harris  Lumberg's  Career  Dates 
Back  to  1894  and  Stage  Shows 

Not  many  Round  Table  members  have 
theatres  named  after  them  but  Harris  Lum- 
berg has.  There  was  a  Lumberg  theatre  in 
Xiagara  Falls  and  a 
Lurr.ltrg  theatre  :r. 
„  .  Utica,  X.  Y.,  both 
given  that  name  by 
Harris  himself.  To 
begin  at  the  begin- 
ning, Harris  was 
born  in  Svracuse  on 
Sept.  29,  18  7  9. 
Rutherford  B. 
Hayes  was  Presi- 
dent then  and  the 
first  World's  Fair 
was  still  a  long  way 
off.  But  when  Har- 
he  was  assistant  treasurer 
in  the  Opera  House  in  Syracuse  for  the 
Wagner  and  Reis  Circuit.  He  held  tha: 
job  under  S.  S.  Shubert  for  three  years. 
Then  he  was  transferred  to  the  Froth  ing- 
ham  at  Scran  ton,  Penna.,  and  then  back  to 
Syracuse  as  treasurer.  Two  years  later  he 
leased  the  International  theatre  in  Niagara 
Falls  and  played  road  shows  in  the  winter 
f~nd  stock  companies  in  summer.  In  1903, 
he  arranged  with  Vitagraph  to  run  pictures 
on  Sundays  and  off  days  when  there  were  no 
shows.  Admission  was  10,  20  and  30  cents. 
The  Lumberg  theatre  in  Xiagara  Falls, 
which  he  built  was  the  first  motion  picture 
r.ouse  in  that  city.  He  also  built  the  Lum- 
berg in  Utica.  He's  had  a  lot  of  well  known 
;hows  in  the  theatres  he  has  managed. 

Right  now,  Harris  is  managing  the  Belle- 
.ue  theatre  in  Xiagara  Falls,  for  Shea  Buf- 
'alo  theatres.  He  has  been  with  that  circuit 
lor  several  years  past.  Harris  has  two  step- 
sons, one  in  the  Army  Air  Force  and  the 
•ther  in  the  Xaval  Air  Service. 


ris  was  only  1: 


CHARLES  DARBY,  manager  of  the 
Cameo  theatre,  in  South  Weymouth,  Mass., 
has  enlisted  in  the  Navy. 

CHARLES  D.  CROWLEY,  former  man- 
ager of  the  Grand  and  Globe  theatres,  in 
Yineland,  X.  J.,  has  just  been  commissioned 
a  second  Lieutenant  in  the  Army. 

HOWARD  WHITTLE,  manager  of  the 
Perm  theatre,  in  West  Reading,  Pa.,  has 
replaced  Franklin  W.  Maury  as  manager 
of  Winner  &  Vincent's  State  theatre,  in 
AUentown,  Pa.  The  latter  has  resigned  to 
enter  Voluntary  Officers'  Training  School. 

ALLEX  LEWIS,  manager  of  the  Dante 
theatre,  in  Philadelphia,  has  taken  over  the 
managership  of  the  Breeze  and  Victory  the- 
atres there,  replacing  Robert  Hexter,  who 
left  to  become  an  air  cadet. 

JAMES  GRADY,  manager  of  Loew's  Xew 
Rochelle,  has  been  made  district  manager 
for  Xew  Rochelle,  Mi,  Vernon,  Yonkers, 
White  Plains  and  the  Post  Road  and  Amer- 
ican theatres  in  the  east  Bronx.  Other 
Loew  changes  in  that  territory  include: 
Salli  Levj7,  manager  of  Loew's  46th  Street, 
Brooklyn,  was  promoted  to  manager  of  the 
division  including  the  46th  Street,  Coney 
Island,  Boro  Park,  Oriental,  Alpine  and 
Bay  Ridge  theatres,  in  Brooklyn.  Larry 
Beatus,  district  manager  for  Westchester, 
was  given  supervision  of  the  west-Manhat- 
tan group  of  11  houses,  plus  the  Capitol 
and  Astor.  Maurice  Seidlitz,  Eugene 
Myers,  William  Downs  and  S.  H.  Meinhold 
continue  as  division  heads.  Seymour  May- 
er, district  manager,  left  to  become  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Army. 

KARL  H.  UXDERWOOD,  former  man- 
ager of  the  Capitol,  at  Burlington,  la.,  has 
taken  over  the  managerial  reins  at  the  Cres- 
co,  in  Cresco,  la.,  succeeding  Mrs.  Joe  Cole, 
who  will  return  to  her  home  at  Charles  City 
to  assist  her  husband  in  the  management  of 
the  Charles  theatre  there.  Fred  Savery, 
manager  of  the  Zephyr  theatre,  at  Burling- 
ton, la.,  will  manage  the  Capitol. 

GEORGE  BOROS,  manager  and  newsreel 
editor  of  the  Telenews  theatre,  in  Buffalo, 
has  entered  the  Army  as  an  aviation  cadet. 
He  will  be  succeeded  by  Jack  H.  Birnbaum. 
newsreel  editor  and  promotion  manager  of 
the  Telenews  theatre,  in  Cleveland. 


Larry  Green  Hastens  to  Join 
Round  Table  Before  the  Army 

Although  he  is  soon  to  join  the  Arm}", 
Larry  E.  Green,  manager  of  the  Carlton  the- 
atre, Carrollton,  111.,  said  he  wanted  to  be 
sure  to  be  a  member  of  Managers'  Round 
Table  before  he  left  his  post.  Larry  was 
born  in  Barry,  Illinois,  just  about  19  years 
ago.  When  he  was  12  years  old  he  started 
passing  out  handbills  for  the  Star  theatre  in 
Barry.  From  that  job  he  rose  to  an  usher 
and  when  the  Clark  theatre  was  built  he 
learned  how  to  run  the  projectors.  Then  he 
was  made  assistant  manager.  Last  Ma}"  he 
came  to  Carrollton  as  manager.  "However, 
after  the  war,  I  intend  to  take  up  again 
the  business  I  am  now  leaving,"  says 
Larrv. 


MILITARY  ADDRESSES 

JACK  EBERSBERSER 

formerly  manager  of  the  Sheboygan  theatre, 
in  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  may  be  reached  at  Co. 
1417,  U.  S.  Naval  Training  Station,  Grand 
Island,  III. 

DAVID  BACHNER 

who  left  Warner  Brothers  publicity  office  in 
Cleveland  to  join  the  Navy,  now  reports 
from  U.  S.  N.  35301790.  Co.  A-l  Ith 
R.C.D.A.C.,  A.P.O.  923,  c  o  Postmaster,  San 
Francisco,  Cal. 

J.  M.  (SONNY)  SHEPHERD 
who  left  the  Lincoln  theatre  in  Miami  to  join 
the  Air  Corps,  may  be  reached  as  Lt.  Shep- 
herd, Naval  Air  Station,  Argentia,  Newfound- 
land. 


WALTER  CHEXOWETH  has  been  trans- 
ferred from  the  Metro,  in  San  Francisco,  to 
the  Alexandria,  replacing  Albert  Levin,  now 
with  the  Marines.  The  new  manager  at  the 
Metro  is  Elwood  Rubin.  Jack  Falvey  was 
transferred  from  the  Vogue  to  the  Midtown 
when  the  latter  s  Chester  Bell  went  to  Vi- 
salia  as  manager  of  the  State.  Fred  Curtis 
left  the  Strand  to  succeed  Bill  Crosby,  an- 
other Marine  recruit,  at  El  Rev.  James 
Phoenix  moved  to  the  Strand  from  the  Xoe, 
and  Frank  Lovette  becomes  manager  at  the 
latter  house. 

SALVATORE  J.  ADORXA,  JR.,  is  the 
manager  of  the  reopened  Astor  theatre,  in 
East  Hartford,  Conn. 

KEITH  LIXFORTH,  former  manager  of 
the  Mission  Theatre,  in  Seattle,  has  been 
transferred  to  the  Grand.  He  is  succeeded 
by  Vernon  Baker. 

WILLIAM  CRULL,  manager  of  Loew's 
Vendome,  in  Xashville,  for  the  last  six 
years,  has  resigned  to  become  manager  of 
the  Ritz  theatre,  in  Birmingham. 

CHARLES  COHEX.  assistant  manager  of 
the  Plaza,  in  Philadelphia,  has  been  promot- 
ed to  manager  of  the  Mode;  Pat  Leto,  chief 
of  service  at  the  Savoia,  has  been  promoted 
to  assistant  manager.  John  Iaquinao  is  now 
assistant  at  the  Alhambra;  Harry  De  An- 
gelis,  chief  of  service  at  the  Broadway,  has 
been  promoted  to  assistant  at  the  Avon. 

ALLEX  LEWIS,  formerly  manager  of  the 
Dante  theatre,  in  Philadelphia,  has  been  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  Breeze  and  Victory 
theatres,  succeeding  Robert  Hexter,  who  re- 
signed to  enter  the  Army  Air  Force.  Mil- 
ton Lewis  has  been  named  manager  of  the 
Dante. 

ALBERT  LEVIX  of  the  Alexandria  thea- 
tre, and  BILL  CROSBY  of  the  El  Rey. 
San  Francisco,  have  joined  the  Marines. 

TED  TESCHXER  has  been  transferred 
from  the  Esquire  to  Loew's  Valentine,  in 
Toledo.  Harry  Klotz,  assistant  at  the  Val- 
entine, succeeds  Ted. 


56 

OBITUARIES 

William  Hamilton  Osborne 
Dead;  Lawyer,  Writer 

William  Hamilton  Osborne,  lawyer,  expert 
on  copyright,  and  counsel  for  the  Authors 
League  of  America  and  Dramatists  Guild,  died 
Christmas  Day  at  his  home  in  Newark,  N.  J. 
He  was  69. 

Mr.  Osborne,  chairman  of  the  Authors  League 
copyright  committee,  was  himself  a  prolific 
author.  He  had  written  many  novels,  and  ap- 
proximately 500  short  stories.  He  wrote  "Neal 
of  the  Navy",  in  1915,  a  motion  picture  serial. 

He  left  a  widow,  two  sons,  William  Jr.,  and 
Frederick,  and  a  sister,  May. 


Benjamin  Bache,  Sr. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Bache,  Sr.,  62,  projec- 
tionist at  Warner's  Midway  theatre,  Phila- 
delphia, died  December  20th  at  his  home  in 
Philadelphia.  He  was  a  direct  descendant  of 
Benjamin  Franklin.  His  son,  Benjamin  Bache, 
Jr.,  is  a  member  of  the  Warner  Bros,  sales 
staff  in  Philadelphia,  and  another  son,  Harry 
Bache,  is  a  Metro  booker  in  Philadelphia  and 
the  newly-elected  president  of  the  Film  Ex- 
change Employees  Union.  Other  survivors 
include  his  wife,  a  step-daughter  and  three 
brothers. 


Charles  M.  Clark 

Charles  M.  Clark,  former  newsreel  photo- 
grapher, died  December  23rd  at  his  home  in 
Philadelphia.  He  was  62  years  of  age.  During 
the  last  war,  his  interest  in  photography  turned 
to  motion  pictures  and  after  the  war,  he  was 
Philadelphia  representative  for  Fox-Movietone 
News  for  1 1  years.  His  wife  and  two  daughters 
survive. 


Shots  Kill  Herbert  Holtz 

Two  pistol  shots  at  approximately  2  :30  A.M. 
Sunday  morning  in  Central  Park,  New  York, 
killed  Herbert  Holtz,  MGM  exchange  clerk. 
He  would  have  been  35  years  old  February 
22nd.  Police  this  week  were  seeking  the  mur- 
derer. They  were  asserted  to  have  as  clues 
only  three  45-caliber  shells  and  bullets.  Mr. 
Holtz  leaves  a  mother,  brother  and  sister. 


William  H.  Shugard 

William  H.  Shugard,  member  of  the  adver- 
tising department  of  the  Warner  theatres  cir- 
cuit in  Philadelphia,  died  December  26th  at 
his  home  in  Cynwyd,  Pa.  He  was  77  years  of 
age.  Before  joining  the  circuit  last  January, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  theatrical  advertising 
staff  of  the  Philadelphia  Evening  Ledger  until 
it  suspended  publication.  A  son  survives. 


Fall  Kills  Edna  Hibbard 

Edna  Hibbard,  once  a  co-star  of  "Gentlemen 
Prefer  Blondes"  New  York  hit  play,  died  Satur- 
day in  Mother  Cabrini  Hospital,  that  city, 
after  falling  down  a  stairway.  She  was  47. 
Miss  Hibbard  had  a  long  stage  career.  Sur- 
viving is  her  husband,  Lester  Bryant. 


Corliss  Powers  Walker 

Corliss  Powers  Walker  died  in  Winnipeg 
last  week,  at  89.  He  was  a  pioneer  theatre 
manager  there,  and  builder  of  the  Walker 
Theatre. 


Mary  Asquith 

Mary  Asquith,  former  actress,  author  and 
play  broker,  died  last  week  in  Brooklyn,  at  69. 
Miss  Asquith  was  at  one  time  a  scenario  writer 
and  reader  for  Fox  Films. 


William  M.  Brandt 

William  M.  Brandt,  former  co-receiver  for 

St.  Louis  operators'  local  143,  died  Sunday  in 
that  city,  aged  74. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Mexico  and  U.  S. 
Sign  Film  Pact 

A  reciprocal  trade  agreement  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico  will  eliminate  quan- 
titative restrictions,  the  U.  S.  State  Depart- 
ment announced,  resulting  in  film  being  admit- 
ted at  a  lower  rate. 

The  present  rate  of  duty  on  sound  films  is 
2il  pesos  per  legal  kilogram  on  imports  not 
m  excess  of  100,000  meters  in  any  calendar 
year,  and  40  pesos  on  imports  in  excess  of  that 
quantity.  The  temporary  entry  of  films  under 
bond  will  be  permitted  in  the  case  of  pre- 
liminary showings  and  censorship  without  pay- 
ment of  duty  if  they  are  re-exported  within 
30  days  without  public  showing. 

Mexican  rates  on  motion  picture  apparatus 
being  exported  there  will  be  decreased  by  17 
to  50  per  cent  of  present  rates.  It  was  reported 
that  Mexican  imports  on  apparatus  in  1940 
were  valued  at  $121,000,  and  imports  of  mo- 
tion picture  films  were  approximately  $281,000. 
The  United  States  will  reduce  by  50  per  cent 
the  duty  on  exposed  negatives,  positives,  prints 
and  duplicates  from  Mexico.  Imports  in  1940 
amounted  to  800,000  feet,  out  of  a  total  6,- 
000,000   feet   from  all  countries. 


Radio  Officials  Discuss 
Policies  With  OWI 

Officials  of  the  Office  of  War  Information 
met  this  week  with  regional  representatives  and 
station  operators  for  a  discussion  of  a  number 
of  matters  relating  to  wartime  broadcasting. 

The  conference  was  conducted  by  William  B. 
Lewis,  chief  of  the  radio  bureau,  but  both  Elmer 
Davis,  director  of  the  OWI,  and  Gardner 
Cowles,  Jr.,  director  of  domestic  operations, 
attended  and  addressed  the  meeting. 

A  number  of  problems  in  connection  with  the 
airing  of  Government  messages  were  considered, 
and  a  report  was  received  on  a  new  plan  for 
the  use  of  transcriptions  and  spot  announce- 
ments which  has  been  under  trial  in  Phila- 
delphia with  a  view  to  determining  its  desira- 
bility for  adoption  throughout  the  country. 

RCA  Merger  Announced 
At  Special  Meeting 

The  consolidation  of  the  RCA  Manufacturing 
Company  with  the  Radio  Corporation  of 
America,  parent  organization,  became  effective 
Thursday  following  a  special  meeting  of  the 
RCA  board  of  directors,  presided  over  by 
David  Sarnoff,  president  of  the  company. 

The  RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  wholly- 
owned  subsidiary  of  RCA,  will  continue  as  here- 
tofore with  the  same  personnel  and  policies. 
The  move  was  explained  by  Mr.  Sarnoff  as  a 
unification  measure  which  would  increase  the 
flexibility  of  operation.  George  K.  Throck- 
morton was  elected  a  vice-president  of  RCA 
at  the  meeting. 


Shelvey  AGVA  Head 

The  Associated  Actors  and  Artists  of  Amer- 
ica has  named  Matt  Shelvey,  national  represen- 
tative in  charge  of  the  San  Francisco  local  of 
the  American  Guild  of  Variety  Artists  as 
national  administrative  director  of  the  AGVA. 
He  will  replace  Walter  N.  Greaza  who  resumes 
duties  with  Actors  Equity  Association  as  as- 
sistant executive  director.  David  Fox  was 
appointed  head  of  the  New  York  local  of  the 
union,  replacing  Ross  Pepe. 


Providence  Manager  Honored 

George  E.  French,  manager  of  the  RKO 
Albee  theatre  in  Providence,  last  week  was 
given  a  luncheon  by  friends  before  entering 
the  officers  school  of  the  Army.  Among  those 
present  were  Edward  M.  Fay,  Edward  L.  Reed, 
Judge  James  E.  Dooley,  Archibald  Silverman, 
Martin    Toohey   ar.d   William  Spragg. 


January    2,  1943 


IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS— No.  32,  Vol.  25— U.  S.  plane 
carrier  in  spectacular  sea -air  battle.  .  .  .  Naval  air 
cadets  inducted.  .  .  .  Marine  officers  in  training  at 
Quantico.  .  .  .  British  take  Benghazi.  .  .  .  Toledo 
women  make  aircraft  glass.  .  .  .  WAAC  take  over  ! 
desk  jobs.  .  .  .  Chicago  fire  destroys  hotel.  .  .  .  Lew  [ 
Lehr  attends  Christmas  party  at  zoo. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— No.  33,  Vol.  25.— President's  j 
holiday  message  to  all  Amerisans.  .  .  .  Latest  news  j 
from  North  Africa.  .  .  .  D'arlan's  assassination.  ... 
Air  power  for  Australia.  .  .  .  RAF  blasts  Genoa.  J 
.  .  .  Mass  ship  launching.  .  .  .  New  oil  pipeline.  ...  3 
Elmer  Davis  and  Secretary  Wickard  announce  food  , 
rationing.  .  .  .  Hollywood  stars  entertain  at  Can-  |l 
teen.  .  .  .  Special  pre -showing  of  Rose  Bowl  game.  J 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY — No.  230,  Vol.  14.— U.  S.  Flat-  1 
top  wins  round  two  in  epic  fight.  .  .  .  British  roll  • 
past  Benghazi.  .  .  .  Soviet  turns  tide  against  Nazis 
as  Russia's  winter  offensive  rolls  ahead.  .  .  .  Presi-  r 
dent  Roosevelt's  Christmas  message. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY — No.  231,  Vol.  14—  British  blitz  • 
Genoa  in  night  raid.  .  .  .  French  troops  in  North  t 
Africa  join  Yanks  to  fight  Nazis.  .  .  .  Message  of 
cheer  from  the  President.  .  .  .  P-38's  carry  war  to 
Japs  in  New  Guinea.  .  .  .  More  rationing  of  food  ; 
announced  in   Washington.   .   .   .   News  from  Peru 
and  Chile. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  35.— Stalingrad  front.  .  .  . 
Mosquito    bombers    in    Canada    are    newest  blitz 
weapon.  .  .  .  Mules  versus  jeeps  in  Colorado.  ■  ■  .  | 
More  barrage  balloons  in  Ohio.  .  .  .  The  sea  battle  I 
in  the  Pacific. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  3«.— French  aid  American  ! 
drive  in  Africa.  .  .  .  Railroad  train  wreck  in  Dixon, 
111.  .  .  .  United  Nations  condemn  Nazi  mass  slay- 
ings.    .    .    .    Senator    Pepper   and    Wendell  Willkie 

make  speeches.  .  .  .  P-38's  reach  New  Guinea  

First   pictures   of  bombing  of  Italy. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— No.  35,  Vol.  14.— U.  S.  carrier  j 
downs  Jap  planes.  .  .  .  Loyal  Japs  form  U.  S.  Army  . 
unit.  .  .  .  Plexiglas:  transparent  armor.  .  .  .  British 
sweep  into  Benghazi.  .  .  .  Elizabeth  Kenny  Insti-  i 
tute  opened  in  Minneapolis.  .  .  .  New  plywood  bomb- 1- 
er  gets  test  for  RCAF  in  Ottawa. 

RKO   PATHE   NEWS— No.   35,   Vol.   14.— President's 
Christmas  message.  .  .  .   Peru  fetes  Prado's  third  1 
year.  .  .  .  War  bonds  buy  cruiser  carrier.  .  .  .  P-38's 
arrive  down  under.  .  .  .  Wickard  and  Davis  on  food 
rationing.  .  .  .  RAF  blasts  Genoa.  .  .  .  Rose  Bowli- 
— Georgia  vs.  U.C.L.A. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— No.  148,  Vol.  15.— Great 
battle  of  the  flat-tops.  .  .  .  British  take  Benghazi,  j 
.   .   .   Glass  for  fighter  planes.   .   .   .    Bill  of  Rights 
birthday  celebrated.   .  .   Four  die  in  Chicago'  hotel 
fire.  .  .  .  Dorothy  Nugent  takes  poke  at  Axis. 

UNIVERSAL   NEWSREEL— No.    149,    Vol.    15.— Ad- 1 

miral  Darlan  assassinated.  .  .  .  Allies  in  North 
Africa.  .  .  .  Peru  parades  new  weapons.  .  .  .  New| 
ships  added  to  Navy.  .  .  .  RAF  bombers  blitz  Genoa.! 
.  .  .  Big  surprise  for  Japs.  .  -,  .  FDR  Christmas 
day  broadcast. 


National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  Eight  Films 

Of  eight  films  reviewed  by  the  National" 
Legion  of  Decency  during  the  current  week/' 
four  were  found  unobjectionable  for  adults,! 
three  were  unobjectionable  for  general  patro- 
nage, and  one  was  objectionable  in  part.  The* 
classification  follows : 

Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  General;1 
Patronage :  "London  Blackout  Murders,"  "One! 
Dangerous  Night"  and  "Rangers  Take  Over." 
Class  A-2,  Unobjectionable  for  Adults:  "'Neath 
Brooklyn  Bridge,".  "Quiet  Please,  Murder." 
"Ravaged  Earth"  and  "Time  to  Kill."  Class  B, 
( Objectionable  in  Part:   "Arabian  Nights." 


Arbitrate  Waqe  Dispute 

The  League  of  New  York  Theatres  and  thes 
Association  of  Theatrical  Agents  and  Manager? 
were  represented  in  a  hearing  on  Wednesday 
involving  salary  disputes  between  the  two  or-  E 
ganizations,     Professor    Paul    Brissendon  ol 
Columbia  University  was  the  arbitrator. 


School  Show  Is  Xmas  Gift 

Edward  Ramsey,  operating  the  Plymouth 
theatre,  at  Plymouth,  Ohio,  gave  a  showing  o 
pictures  in  the  high  school  at  nearby  Willarch 
Ohio,  under  the  sponsorship  of  various  lodge' 
and  organizations  there,  as  a  Christmas  treat  l  \ 
the  children  of  that  area. 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


57 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


CLASSIFIED 
ADVERTISING 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contra  ct  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  no! 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED  AT  ONCE  —  Al  PROJECTIONIST. 
Sober,  draft -exempt.  Small  house  southern  Michigan. 
Write  qualifications,  salary  expected.  ASHMUN  THE- 
ATRES, Caro,  Mich. 


AT  ONCE  —  THEATRE  MANAGER.  DRAFT- 
•xempt.  State  salary,  qualifications  and  include  snap- 
shot. Southern  Michigan  town.  ASHMUN  THE- 
\TRES,  Caro,  Mich. 


THEATRES 


WANTED— A  SMALL  PROFITABLE  RUNNING 
lotion  picture  house  in  or  near  New  York.  Would 
onsider  active  partnership.  Write  details.  BOX  1588, 
IIOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

WANTED  HIGH  CLASS  THEATRE  IN  OKLA- 
jloma,  Arkansas  or  Texas,  500  to  800  seats.  BOX  1589, 
'IIOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


1  BRAND  NEW  VACUUM  CLEANERS— COMMER- 
ial  type — HP  motor;  VA"  reinforced  hose;  extension 
ods;  heavy  floor  brush;  every  conceivable  attachment; 

ballbearing  throughout.  Immediate  shipment  without 
riority,  $189.50.  Junior  model  for  small  theatres  only 
39.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 


OPPORTUNITIES 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
alesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatres 
aw  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
rives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
ed   men.    Supply    complete   details   in    first  letter. 

OX  1584A.  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


j THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
Ibsitions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
ertising.  Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
:hed  since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
>TRE  MANAGERS  SCHOOL,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


FOR  SALE— THEATRE  EQUIPMENT.  INCLUD- 
ing  seats,  air  conditioning,  electric  dimmer  and  control 
panels.  Revolving  turntable,  spotlights,  auditorium  and 
stage  lighting,  weights,  sheaves,  etc..  house  and  as- 
bestos curtains,  color  screens,  two  35mm.  motion  pic- 
ture machines  with  amplifier,  speaker  and  rectifiers. 
Capable  of  operating  a  theatre  of  1,000  seats.  Used 
only  a  short  time.  In  perfect  condition.  Inquire  BOX 
1585.  MOTTON  PICTURE  HERALD. 

2'A  GAL.  FIRE  EXTINGUISHERS,  $17.85;  ONE 
quart  type,  $6.95;  ticket  chopper,  $39.50:  corn  poppers, 
$37.50;  arc  lamps,  from  $39.50;  amplifiers,  soundheads, 
from  $9.95.  Mammoth  bargain  bulletin  shows  many 
other  values.  Ask  for  your  copy.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 

FOR  SALE— 1100  HEYWOOD- WAKEFIELD  USED 
spring  edge  chairs.  BEN  B.  POBLOCKI,  5779  S. 
HOWELL  AVE.,  MILWAUKEE,  WIS. 

FOR  SALE  —  HOLMES  35MM.  PROJECTORS, 
amplifiers  and  speakers;  also  stereopticons,  rewinds, 
phonographs.  Excellent  condition.  Priced  reasonably. 
LANE  THEATRE  CIRCUIT,  Caroll,  la. 


POSITION  WANTED 


PROJECTIONIST  -  21  YEARS'  EXPERIENCE, 
non-union.  Can  give  reference.  Married.  J.  B.  KUHN, 
Cameron,  W.  Va. 

ARE  YOU  LOOKING  FOR  A  MAN  WITH  A 
thorough  knowledge  of  vaudeville -motion  pictures- 
supervisory  and  house  operation?  Am  available  for  a 
position  anywhere,  am  married — 50  years  of  age  and 
have  a  background  of  31  years,  can  give  the  best 
of  references  as  to  my  experience  and  ability.  BOX 
1590,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED   TO  BUY 


WANTED  USED  16MM.  SOUND  EQUIPMENT. 
MULTIPRISES,  Box  1125,  Waterbury,  Conn. 


BUSINESS  BOOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS.  DIE  CUT.  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75. 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


BOOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING - 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  enginesring.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
OUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
changes.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
codes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  NEW  1942-43  MOTION  PICTURE 
ALMANAC.  Edited  by  Terry  Ramsaye.  Tha  indus- 
try's most  complete  "Who's  Who."  More  than  11,000 
biographies  and  over  1,100  pages,  chock  full  of  refer- 
ence information.  Everyone  in  the  motion  picture 
industry  should  have  a  copy.  Be  sure  to  send  in  your 
order  today.  $3.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

READY  SOON  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble - 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  «quipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple— so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre.  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Ro*e- 
feller  Center,  New  York. 


PRESS  OF 
C.    J.    O'BBIEN.  INC. 
NEW   YOBX.   0.   |.  A. 


58  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

LATE  FILM  REVIEWS 

For  other  reviews  see  Product  Digest  Section, 
starting  on  opposite  page 


Star  Spangled  Rhythm 

(Paramount) 

Musical  Comedy  in  Multiple 

The  billing  of  this  omnibus  attraction  lists  sixteen  stars  of  first  rank,  a  larger 
number  of  principals  just  slightly  less  distinguished  as  marquee  magnets,  plus  a  num- 
ber of  standouts  in  other  fields  of  entertainment,  Yet  the  billing  is  an  understatement 
of  the  case.  The  film  is  a  hit  from  end  to  end,  produced  in  high  humour  and  packed 
with  music,  mirth,  beauty,  song,  dance  and  laughter  throughout  every  one  of  its 
hundred  minutes.  It  warrants  all  the  exploitation  that  can  be  given  it,  and  it  fur- 
nishes the  wherewithal  for  all  the  exploitation  there  is  in  the  book  of  showmanship. 


Unlike  other  films  which  have  enrolled  a 
multiplicity  of  stars  this  one  is  no  broken 
cavalcade  of  thinly  related  sequences.  It  is 
a  straight  story  by  Harry  Tugend  in  which 
all  the  notables  appear  as  themselves  for 
valid  reason.  It's  a  tale  about  a  sailor  who 
thinks  his  father  is  boss  instead  of  gate- 
keeper of  the  Paramount  Studio,  and  about 
the  way  in  which  the  sailor's  girl  manages 
to  make  his  belief  stand  up.  There's  a  world 
of  humour  in  the  doing,  with  Eddie  Bracken, 
Betty  Hutton  and  Victor  Moore  playing 
these  roles. 

The  stars  perform  in  all  the  possible  group- 
ings, as  when  Paulette  Goddard,  Dorothy  La- 
mour  and  Veronica  Lake  sing  a  trio  number 
kidding  themselves,  again  as  Fred  MacMurray, 
Franchot  Tone,  Ray  Milland  and  Lynne  Over- 
man perform  a  skit  burlesquing  as  many 
women  playing  cards. 

Bob  Hope  plays  a  part  in  the  story,  as  him- 
self, and  is  master  of  ceremonies  in  the  section 
which  represents  an  impromptu  performance 
staged  for  a  ship's  company  of  seamen.  Bing 
Crosby  also  doubles  as  character  and  performer, 
and  all  hands  figure  in  the  running  narrative, 
which  adds  up  to  excellent  entertainment. 

Cecil  B.  DeMille,  Preston  Sturges  and  Ralph 
Murphy  play  themselves,  turning  in  smart  and 
humourous  performances,  while  Y.  Frank  Free- 
man and  B.  G.  De  Sylva  take  a  prodigious  kid- 
ding as  represented  by  characters  wearing 
names  only  lightly  veiled. 

Few  pictures  have  ever  started  at  such  a  pace 
and  maintained  it  so  well.  No  picture  in  kind 
has  assembled  a  comparable  number  and  variety 
of  production  numbers,  specialties,  skits,  black- 
outs and  running  gags  with  such  smoothness  of 
flow  and  legitimacy  of  connective.  The  cus- 
tomers may  be  told  that  plenty  of  anything  they 
want  to  see  in  pictures,  except  tragedy,  is  avail- 
able to  them  in  this  one. 

For  devising  a  script  that  embraces  all  of 
these  personalities  with  sacrifice  to  none  and 
profit  to  all,  Harry  Tugend  rates  a  salute.  For 
directing  this  mass  of  talent  in  such  wise  that 
it  is  always  talent  and  never  a  mob,  George 
Marshall  rates  acclaim  to  the  echo.  To  asso- 
ciate producer  Joseph  Sistrom,  an  accolade  with 
plumes.  To  the  house  of  Paramount,  for  sub- 
jecting itself  to  a  profound  ribbing  in  the  in- 
terests of  entertainment  for  its  customers, 
cheers. 

Upwards  of  a  dozen  song  numbers  by  Johnny 
Mercer  and  Harold  Arlen  follow  the  beam  of 
today's  predilection,  both  in  melody  and  lyric, 
with  Robert  Emmett  Dolan's  musical  direction 
extracting  a  maximum  of  result  from  every 
measure. 

This  is  a  film  as  full  as  a  tick  with  the 


amusement  merchandise  in  demand  at  the  mo- 
ment from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other. 

Previewed  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  trade- 
show,  Los  Angeles,  where  some  500  or  more 
exhibitors,  press  and  professional  people  had  the 
time  of  their  preview  lives.  Reviewer's  Rating : 
excellent. — W.  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time,  10O  min.  PCA 
Certificate  No.  8591.    General  audience  classification. 

Starring-  Bing  Crosby,  Ray  Milland,  Vera  Zorina, 
Eddie  Bracken,  Bob  Hope,  Victor  Moore,  Mary  Martin. 
Veronica  Lake,  Fred  MacMurray,  Dorothy  Lamour, 
Dick  Powell,  Alan  Ladd,  Franchot  Tone,  Faulette 
Goddard,  Betty  Hutton,  Rochester;  with  William  Ben- 
dix,  Susan  Hay  ward.  Lynne  Overman,  Cass  Daley. 
Walter  Catlett,  Walter  Dare  Wahl  and  Company, 
Jerry  Colonna,  Marjorie  Reynolds,  Gary  Crosby, 
Ernest  Truex,  Sterling  Holloway,  Macdonald  Carey, 
Betty  Rhodes,  Johnnie  Johnston,  Katherine  Dunham, 
Golden  Gate  Quartette,  Walter  Abel,  Dona  Drake, 
Gil  Lamb.  Arthur  Treacher  and  Cecil  B.  DeMille, 
Preston  Sturges,  Ralph  Murphy. 

They  Cot  Me  Covered 

(RKO  Radio) 

Hope  Goes  to  Washington 

Bob  Hope's  ability  in  the  putting  over  of  a 
gag  line  is  the  mainstay  of  this  mixture  of 
journalistic  comedy  and  espionage  melodrama 
produced  by  Samuel  Goldwyn  and  directed  by 
David  Butler  in  a  pattern  which  is  a  departure 
from  the  style  of  both.  Dorothy  Lamour  fur- 
nishes the  billing  for  the  right  hand  side  of 
the  marquee  and  plays  a  straight  role  in 
normal  attire  for  something  less  than  the  total 
of  effectiveness  she  grosses  in  sarong  and  tech- 
nicolor. The  support  is  made  up  of  depend- 
ables  who  deliver  as  expected. 

The  screenplay  by  Harry  Kurnitz  and 
Frank  Fenton  brings  Hope  home  from  Russia 
as  a  war  correspondent  in  trouble  with  his 
managing  editor  and  sends  him  to  Washing- 
ton where  he  gets  on  the  trail  of  a  story  about 
a  spy  ring.  There's  a  murder  and  an  abduc- 
tion to  start  the  ball  rolling,  after  which  a 
variety  of  incidents  in  the  spy  tradition  occur, 
played  mostly  for  laughs,  the  whole  ending  in 
a  rough  house  finish  which  provides  the  proper 
ending  without  bothering  to  go  back  and  pick- 
up a  number  of  story  lines  left  dangling. 

Hope  collects  a  lot  of  laughs  from  a  script 
which  furnishes  him  a  lesser  supply  of  typical 
dialogue  than  is  par  for  him  on  radio  or  screen, 
and  he  is  given  no  competition  in  the  field  of 
humor  by  his  associates.  Apart  from  the  hu- 
mor of  Hope's  quips,  wisecracks  and  fade- 
ways  which  click  solidly,  the  film  contains  also 
a  measure  of  slapstick,  notably  in  a  beauty 
parlor  sequence,  which  amuses. 

"Palsy  Walsy,"  a  song  by  Johnny  Mercer 
and  Harold  Arlen,  is  the  single  venture  into 
the  musical,  figuring  principally  as  a  piece  of 
business. 

With  Hope  voted  Champion  of  Champions 


January    2,  1943 

in  the  Quigley  Publications  Radio  Poll  and 
number  five  in  the  Exhibitor  Poll  of  money 
making  stars  of  1942,  the  picture  stacks  up 
as  a  natural  so  far  as  attracting  the  cus- 
tomers is  concerned,  and  it  does  give  his  fans 
a  chance  to  see  him  in  what  amounts  to  a  solo 
performance. 

Previewed  at  the  Rits  Theatre,  Hollywood, 
to  a  Tuesday  night  audience,  unapprised  of 
the  previewing,  which  responded  to  Hope's 
offerings  with  gusto.  Reviewer's  Rating:  Good. 
— William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time,  96  minutes. 
PCA  No.  8819.    General  audience  classification. 

Bob  Hope   Robert  Kittredge 

Dorothy  Lamour   Christina  Hill 

Otto  Preminger   Fauscheim 

Edward  Ciannelli,  Donald  Meek,  Walter  Catlett, 
Marion  Martin,  Phyllis  Ruth,  Philip  Ann,  Donald  Mac- 
Bride.  Mary  Treen,  Bettye  Avery,  Margaret  Hayes. 
Mary  Byrne,  William  Yetter,  Henry  Guttman,  Flor- 
ence Bates,  John  Abbott,  Frank  Sully. 


NightPlane from  Chungking 

(Paramount) 
Spy  Stuff 

Over-deliberation  in  the  making  of  points 
which  are  clear  in  advance  to  the  customers 
deprives  this  item  of  suspense  at  cost  to  il- 
lusion. The  material  for  the  marquee  over- 
states the  case  for  the  attraction,  although  the 
players  do  their  best  under  circumstances  of 
story  and  direction  beyond  their  control. 

The  story  by  Harry  Harvey  concerns  a  bus- 
load of  people  bombed  by  Japs  on  a  road  in 
China,  and  taken  to  a  Chinese  airfield  com- 
manded by  an  American.  He  detects  a  woman 
in  the  party  in  an  act  of  espionage  and  she  is 
imprisoned.  Later  he  tries  to  fly  the  rest  out 
of  China,  but  the  plane  is  brought  down  in  a 
jungle,  and  a  clergyman  in  the  group  takes 
them  to  refuge  in  a  monastery  where  he  re- 
veals himself  as  a  German  agent  cooperating 
with  the  Japs,  after  which  there  is  imprison- 
ment, escape,  shooting  and  assorted  violence, 
all  of  which  bogs  down  for  lack  of  valid  cause. 

Ellen  Drew  and  Robert  Preston,  as  Ameri- 
cans who  meet  in  China,  work  out  a  romance 
in  the  midst  of  the  melodramatics. 

Direction  is  by  Ralph  Murphy,  production 
by  Walter  McEwen  with  Michael  Kraike  in 
association. 

Previewed  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  trade 
show,  Los  Angeles,  to  a  sprinkling  of  ex- 
hibitors and  press  people  zvho  manifested  bore- 
dom. Reviewer's  rating :  mediocre. — W.  R. 
Weaver 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time  68  min.  PCA 
Certificate  No.  8766.     General  audience  classification. 

Captain  Nick  Stanton  Robert  Preston 

Ann  Richards   Ellen  Drew 

Rev.  Dr.  Van  Der  Linden  Stephen  Geray 

Seng  Yung,  Soo  Yong.  Otto  Kr.uger,  Ernest  Dorion, 
Tamara  Geva.  Allen  Jung. 

Paramount  Buys  Into 
Scophony  Television 

Paramount,  together  with  the  General  Pre- 
cision Equipment  Corporation,  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, has  bought  an  interest  in  Scophony,  Ltd., 
television  firm  of  that  country.  Post-war  de- 
velopment of  the  company's  television  system 
in  America,  is  said  to  be  planned.  Scophony 
has  had  a  mechanical  scanning  system,  differ- 
ing from  the  electronic  system  used  especially 
in  this  country. 

General  Precision  Equipment  Corporation 
was  formerly  the  General  Theatre  Equipment 
Corporation.  Paramount  is  a  principal  owner 
of  the  Dumont  Radio  and  Television  Corpora- 
tion. 

Ten  year  financial  control  of  Scophony  was 
recently  acquired  by  W.  G.  Elcock,  former  as- 
sociate of  the  late  Oscar  Deutsch,  in  the  Odeon 
circuit  of  Great  Britain. 


Heads  Theatre  Conference 

Professor  Lee  R.  Norvelle,  head  of  the  In- 
diana University  division  of  speech  at  Bloom- 
ington,  Ind.,  has  been  elected  president  of  tho 
National  Theatre  Conference. 


January    2,  1943 

•  :  ; 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


•  1  • 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

REVIEWS 


Hitler's  Children 

(Edward  A.  Golden-RKO) 
Anti-Nazi  Drama 

Out  of  Gregor  Zeimer's  "Education  for  Death,"  non-fiction  best  seller,  Edward 
A.  Golden  has  produced  in  "Hitler's  Children"  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  anti- 
Nazi  indictments  yet  to  emerge  from  Hollywood.  It  is  a  strong  picture  dramatically 
and  realistically.   And  it  should  be  a  strong  attraction  with  a  sweeping  and  serious 

appeal  to  those  who  are  aware  of  the  world  conflict  and  what  has  brought  it  about. 

This  reviewer  traces  the  essential  strength  Warner,  as  the  impassioned  bishop  who  lashes 

of  "Hitler's  Children"  to  its  factual  base,  al-  Nazi  political  thinking  for  its  denial  of  funda- 

though  the  story  at  all  turns  is  personalized  mental  human  right,  proves  a  patriarchal  and 

in  terms  of  individuals  caught  up  in  the  venerable  figure;  he  is  excellent     Lloyd  Cor- 

,                 ....    ,       ,     ,.  .    °              ,       .  rigan,  as  a  liberal  hemmed  in  by  an  inability 

barbaric  political  and  religious  philosophy  of  t0  speak  his  mindj  nevertheless  rfses  above  hi's 

the  men  oi  Berlin.  own  fears  to  remain  true  to  his  own  convic- 

Implanted   against   the   foreground  of   Tim  tions ;  he,  too,  is  excellent  in  a  small  role. 

Holt,  a  German  born  in  America,  and  Bonita  Otto  Kruger   is   properly   malevolent  as  the 

Granville,  an  American  born  in  Germany,  is  a  Gestapo  colonel,  and  Kent  Smith,  as  the  Amer- 

narrative  development  of  National  Socialism — ■  ican  professor  teaching  in  Germany,  is  effective 

its  poisoning  of  the  mental  processes  of  Ger-  on  the  screen  and  as  the  occasional  off-screen 

man  children,  the  drumming  into  their  heads  narrator. 

of  the  "glories"  of  Nazi  militarism,  the  "ex-  "Hitler's  Children"  by  no  means  is  a  pretty 
altation"  of  dying  for  Der  Fuehrer,  the  rough-  picture.  Those  who  are  after  honey  and  light 
shod  overriding  of  individual  thought  and  per-  wjn  not  fincj  e;ther  in  this  attraction.  Those 
sonal  pursuits  in  dictatorship  service  of  the  who  evidence,  or  who  may  require,  an  aware- 
state,  the  sterilization  of  men  and  women  ar-  ness  of  the  issues  which  the  United  Nations 
bitranly  and  callously  judged  to  be  unfit,  weak  are  determined  to  batter  into  destruction  and 
or  sick,  the  practice  of  the  forced  labor  batal-  wh0  are  not  afraid  to  face  an  impressive  ac- 
lion  for  women,  and  the  fantastic  cruelties  of  counting  of  them  will  find  in  "Hitler's  Chil- 
the  infamous  Gestapo.  dren"  a  vibrant  and  dramatic  documentation  of 
All  of  this  is  conveyed  in  unmistakable  im-  the  truth.  This  story  is  one  that  had  to  be 
pact  through  the  two  principal  pawns  in  the  told. 

Nazi  game.    Holt,  the  German  boy,  is  fed  Na-  Reviewed  in  the  Music  Hall,  New  York,  pro- 

tional  Socialism  from  his  school  days.    He  fits  jection  room.     Revierver's  Rating:  Excellent. 

the  pattern  designed  for  him,  grows  to  manhood   RED  Kann. 

and  into  Nazi-style  perfection.    His  opposite  is  Release  date>  February  26>  1943.  Running  time,  g3 

MlSS  Granville  whose  basic  appreciation  of  the  min.     PCA  No.  8878.     General  audience  classification. 

freedoms  of  the  democratic  way  carry  her  from     Karl  Bruner  Tim  Holt 

one  indignity  to  another  until  she  faces  sterili-     Anna  Muller....  Bonita  Granville 

..       r      ,       i,    .       »  ,  „   .        Professor  Nichols  Kent  Smith 

zation  for  her   crimes    against  the  government.     ColoneI  Henkel  0tto  Kruge,. 

Her  stalwart  convictions  and  her  unflinching     The  Bishop  H.  B.  Warner 

devotion  to  her  political  ideals,  plus  her  love     |"ran|  Erhardt  Lloyd  Corrigan 

for  him  and  his  for  her  ultimately  cause  Holt  Dn  Schm,dt Erford  Gage 
to  save  her  from  a  public  lashing  and  drag 
both  of  them  before  a  trial  the  outcome  of 

which  is  never  in  doubt.  _^      .  • 

Offered  a  hero's   death  and  a  grand-scale  nODDy  CjO  LUCKy 

military  funeral  if  he  confesses  his  officially 
described  crime  to  the  Youth  of  Germany —  (Paramount) 
Hitler's  children — Holt  accepts  a  broadcast  of  ~       j    •    ±l    r»  -ll 
the  trial  on  the  outlined  basis.    However,  he  Comedy  in  the  Caribbean 
converts  his  "confession"  into  a  dramatic  plea  a   colorful   group   of  calypso   singers  and 
for  the  youth  of  the  land  to  strike  off  their  dancers  introduces  the  audience  to  the^island  of 
shackles  and  reach  out  for  freedom.     He  is  coconuts  and  sarongs  where  this  gay  romantic 
shot  down,   and   so   is   Miss   Granville,   who  comedy  runs  its  improbable  course.    The  hero- 
rushes  to  his  side,  but  not  before  the  impact  jne  js  making  a  much  publicized  arrival  as  the 
of  his  brief  message  goes  over  the  air.  hero  observes  her  with  amusement  from  a  small 
Performances  are  uniformly  good.     H.  B.  and  dirty  boat.     Off  in  the  distance,  and  not 


Reviews 


This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


yet  introduced,  is  Rudy  Vallee  leading  an  up- 
right life  on  his  palatial  yacht. 

Thus  the  scene  is  set  for  another  variation 
on  an  old  theme,  but  with  Betty  Hutton  and 
Eddie  Bracken  assisting  Mary  Martin  and 
Dick  Powell  the  treatment  is  a  merry  and  mu- 
sical one.  In  the  course  of  Miss  Martin's  ef- 
forts to  ensnare  Mr.  Vallee  there  is  time  for 
a  sprightly  group  of  songs  by  Frank  Loesser 
and  Jimmy  McHugh,  notably  the  title  number, 
"Sing  a  Tropical  Song"  and  two  Betty  Hut- 
tou  specialties,  "The  Fuddy  Duddy  Watch- 
maker" and  "Murder  He  Says."  Eddie  Bracken 
is  also  being  pursued,  by  Paramount's  "Blonde 
Bombshell,"  and  finally  succumbs  to  a  voodoo 
love  potion. 

Curtis  Bernhardt,  who  directed  the  film,  has 
managed  to  keep  the  natural  exuberance  of  his 
performers  within  control,  while  Harold  Wil- 
son rates  applause  for  the  production  end. 

An  outstanding  asset  of  the  film,  in  addition 
to  the  five  top  cast  names  and  the  lively  music, 
is  the  unusual  beauty  of  its  Technicolor  effects. 
Subtle  shadings  in  the  ladies'  costumes  delight 
the  eye,  while  more  spectacular  swaths  of 
aquamarine  water  and  emerald  shores  set  the 
holiday  mood. 

Previewed  in  the  New  York  Paramount  the- 
atre where  a  full  house  laughed  often  and 
clapped  after  some  of  the  specialty  acts.  Re- 
viezi'er's  Rating :  Good. — E.  A.  Cunnixgham 

Release  date,  Block  4.  Running  time,  81  min.  PCA 
No.  S353.    General  audience  classification. 

Marjory  Stuart  Marv  Martin 

Pete  Hamilton  Dick  Powell 

Wally  Case  Eddie  Bracken 

Bubbles  Hennessy  Betty  Hutton 

Alfred  Monroe  Rudy  Vallee 

Mabel  Paige,  Clem  Bevans.  Sylvia  Opert,  Gene  Gale. 
Frances  Raymond.  Irving  Bacon,  Arthur  Loft.  Paui 
McVey,  Donald  Kerr. 


Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Clamor 

(Paramount) 

Family  Comedy 

This  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  successful 
Aldrich  family  series  being  made  at  Paramount 
and  contains  more  laughs  and  chuckles  than 
any  of  its  predecessors.  Jimmy  Lydon  is  again 


Product  Digest  Section     I  089 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


seen  in  the  title  role,  with  Charles  Smith  as 
"Dizzy." 

This  time  Henry  complicates  his  life  and  the 
political  career  of  his  father  by  becoming  in- 
volved with  a  film  star  whom  he  met  in  Holly- 
wood while  there  as  an  essay  contest  winner. 
In  order  to  convince  her  producer  that  she 
should  play  "Juliet"  in  a  film  version  of  "Ro- 
meo and  Juliet,"  she  goes  to  Centerville,  re- 
ceiving a  lot  of  publicity  about  her  youthful 
friend.  When  things  look  darkest,  she  relents 
in  her  tactics  and  straightens  matters  out  by 
explaining  the  ruse  to  the  townspeople. 

Seen  in  their  customary  roles  are  John  Litel, 
Olive  Blakeney,  Diana  Lynn  and  Vaughan 
Glaser.  The  star  is  played  by  Frances  Gifford. 

Hugh  Bennett  extracted  the  maximum  of 
laughs  from  the  adept  screenplay  by  Edwin 
Blum  and  Allen  Leslie.  Jules  Schermer  was 
Walter  MacEwen's  associate  producer. 

Trade  shown  at  the  Ambassador  Theatre, 
Los  Angeles,  to  an  audience  of  press  and  ex- 
hibitors who  enjoyed  the  unreeling. — Reviewer 's 
Rating  :   Good. — V.  K. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  72  min.  PCA 
No.  8688.    General  audience  classification. 

Henry  Aldrich  Jimmy  Lydon 

Dizzy  Stevens  Charlie  Smith 

John  Litel,  Olive  Blakeney,  Diana  Lynn,  Frances 
Gifford,  Gail  Russell,  VauRhan  Glaser. 

Sherlock  Holmes  and' 
the  Secret  Weapon 

(Universal) 
Melodrama 

Continuing  in  their  portrayals  of  Sherlock 
Holmes  and  Dr.  Watson  respectively,  Basil 
Rathbone  and  Nigel  Bruce  undertake  in  this 
instance  to  protect  an  inventor  and  a  bomb  sight 
which  he  makes  available  to  the  Royal  Air 
Force  although  retaining  the  secret  of  its  manu- 
facture. Moriarty,  played  by  Lionel  Atwill,  is 
in  the  Nazi  pay  and  abducts  the  inventor  for  the 
purpose  of  forcing  him  to  deliver  the  invention 
to  Germany. 

The  script  by  Edward  T.  Lowe,  W.  Scott 
Darling  and  Edmund  L.  Hartman  places  the  de- 
tective in  jeopardy  under  various  circumstances 
but  ends,  of  course,  with  the  bomb  sight  in 
British  hands  and  the  villain  dispatched  to  what 
appears  to  be  his  death.  Sliding  panels,  trap 
doors,  secret  codes,  deductions,  escapes,  cap- 
tures and  pursuits  through  blackouts  supply  the 
excitement. 

Roy  William  Neill's  direction  maintains  an 
even  but  leisurely  pace,  keeping  intact  the  tradi- 
tion of  the  Holmes  procedure.  Howard  Bene- 
dict is  associate  producer. 

Previewed  at  the  Hollywood  studio.  Review- 
er's Rating  :  Fair. — William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running-  time,  68  min.  PCA 
No.   8657.     General   audience  classification. 

Sherlock   Holmes   Basil  Rathbone 

Dr.  Watson   Nigel  Bruce 

Moriarty   Lionel  Atwill 


Lady  Bodyguard 

(  Paramount ) 
Romantic  Comedy 

The  central  factor  in  this  comedy  is  an  insur- 
ance policy  which  a  malicious  secretary  has 
made  out  for  a  million  dollars  instead  of  the 
modest  $1,000  originally  intended.  The  fact  that 
it  has  been  drawn  as  a  gift  on  the  life  of  a  test 
pilot  and  forced  upon  him  by  the  company's  at- 
tractive feminine  representative  provokes  some 
of  the  complications,  and  the  rest  are  supplied 
by  the  three  assorted,  impatient  beneficiaries. 

A  competent  and  personable  cast  does  what 
it  can  with  the  material,  but  the  comedy  is  too 
often  half-hearted,  either  as  a  satire  on  big  busi- 
ness methods  or  just  plain  slapstick.  Eddie  Al- 
bert and  Anne  Shirley  are  appealing  as  the  pilot 
and  business  woman,  respectively,  with  bene- 
ficiaries Raymond  Walburn,  Ed  Brophy  and 


Reviews  received  too  late  for 
this  Section  are  printed  in  the 
regular  news  pages  of  the 
Herald  and  are  reprinted  the 
following  week  in  Product 
Digest  for  their  reference  value. 


Maude  Eburne  lending  adequate  support.  Roger 
Pryor,  Mary  Treen,  Gus  Schilling  and  Clem 
Bevans  do  well  with  smaller  roles. 

Several  attempts  are  made  to  inject  a  timely 
note  into  the  script.  A  minor  collision  is  re- 
gretted chiefly  for  the  possible  damage  to  the 
car's  tires,  while  the  finale  takes  place  in  an 
airplane  over  blacked-out  Los  Angeles,  with 
anti-aircraft  guns  ablaze  and  the  pilot  asleep  at 
the  controls. 

Sol  C.  Siegel  produced  the  film  and  William 
Clemens  directed. 

Previewed  at  an  exhibitors'  trade  showing  in 
New  York,  where  laughs  zvere  few.  Reviewer's 
Rating  :  Mediocre. — E.  A.  C. 

Release  date,  Block  4.  Running  time,  70  min.  PCA 
No.  8534.     General  audience  classification. 

Terry    Moore   Eddie  Albert 

A.  C.  Baker   Anne  Shirley 

Raymond  Walburn,  Roger  Pryor,  Ed  Brophy,  Maude 
Eburne,  Clem  Bevans,  Mary  Treen,  Gus  Schilling. 


Shadows  on  the  Sage 

(  Republic  ) 
Western 

The  mistaken  identity  theme  is  employed  in 
displaying  the  talents  of  the  Three  Mesquiteers 
who  help  an  aged  sheriff  friend  to  apprehend 
a  group  of  outlaws  in  the  employ  of  the  town's 
bank  president. 

Bob  Steele  plays  the  double  role  of  "Tucson," 
the  hero,  and  "Curly,"  the  bandit  leader.  "Tuc- 
son" trails  the  outlaws  to  their  hideout,  is  cap- 
tured and  detained,  while  "Curly,"  by  imper- 
sonating the  Mesquiteer,  regains  possession  of 
the  money  after  shooting  a  mine  owner.  Be- 
lieving that  "Tucson"  was  the  guilty  party,  a 
posse  is  organized  to  avenge  the  miner's  death. 
However,  "Tucson's"  two  partners  arrive  on 
the  scene  to  correct  the  error  with  the  result- 
ant capture  of  the  bandit  leader  and  lawless 
banker. 

Tom  Tyler  and  Jimmie  Dodd,  with  Bob 
Steele,  make  up  the  Mesquiteer  trio,  and 
Cheryl  Walker  is  the  girl.  Louis  Gray  was 
the  producer,  Lester  Orlebeck  directed  the 
film.  The  timeworn  plot  is  offset  by  fast  ac- 
tion, and  although  the  audience  seemed  to  antic- 
ipate each  move,  mild  suspense  was  maintained 
to  the  finish. 

Seen  at  the  New  York  Theatre,  New  York. 
An  audience,  composed  largely  of  men,  seemed 
fairly  attentive.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Fair. — 
Lew  Barasch 

Release  date,  August  24,  1942.  Running  time,  57  min. 
PCA  No.  8645.    General  audience  classification. 

Tucson  Smith  Bob  Steele 

Stony  Brooke  Tom  Tyler 

Lullaby  Joslin  Jimmie  Dodd 

Cheryl  Walker,  Harry  Holman,  Bryant  Washburn, 
Griff  Barnett,  Freddie  Mercer,  Tom  London,  Yakima 
Canutt. 


When  Johnny  Comes 
Marching  Home 

(Universal) 

Music  for  the  Many 

On  the  occasion  of  its  previewing  to  a  Holly- 
wood audience  this  musical  made  good  Univer- 
sal   Vice-President    W.    A.    Scully's  signed 


promise,  published  as  an  advertisement  in  the 
November  28th  edition  of  this  periodical,  that 
"it  will  entertain  your  patrons  and  send  them 
out  with  a  smile". 
It  did  just  that. 

This  is  the  picture,  it  will  be  remembered, 
of  which  Mr.  Scully  said,  "We  believe  in  the 
subject  just  as  we  believed  in  'Buck  Privates'". 
He  also  said,  "We  request  that  you  do  not  book 
this  picture  until  you  see  it".  It  is  to  be  re- 
ported that  the  preview  audience  did  not  turn 
the  flipflops  another  preview  audience  did  for 
"Buck  Privates,"  although  it  gave  them  plenty 
of  amusement,  and  that  showmen  who  for  any 
reason  can't  get  to  a  screening  of  the  film  in 
advance  of  booking  it,  needn't  postpone  the  con- 
tracting out  of  apprehension.  It  is  a  better 
piece  of  entertainment  than  its  billing  suggests. 
Music  is  the  mainstay  of  the  production  and 
there  is  a  world  of  it,  well  presented  in  all  the 
standard  forms  and  ranging  over  the  whole 
scale  of  variety.  The  classics  and  the  topicals 
are  given  expert  attention  in  turn,  orchestrally, 
vocally  and  in  terms  of  dance.  Just  about  every- 
thing that  can  be  done  with  a  musical  number 
is  done. 

Comedy  is  the  runner-up  content  and  it's 
sprightly  stuff  which  kept  the  youngsters  in  the 
audience,  particularly,  in  a  burble  of  merriment. 
There  is  also  the  usual  romance. 

Allan  Jones  sings,  alone  and  with  others,  the 
Phil  Spitalny  Hour  of  Charm  All  Girl  Orches- 
tra plays,  both  independently  and  in  accompani- 
ment, and  the  Four  Step  Brothers  dance  a 
couple  of  feature  routines.  So  do  Gloria  Jean, 
Donald  O'Connor  and  Peggy  Ryan,  who  also 
sing  in  the  course  of  portraying  a  youthful  trio 
trying  to  be  helpful  in  the  romantic  equation, 
and  Jane  Frazee,  opposite  Jones  in  the  story, 
also  sings.  Evelyn  and  her  magic  violin,  fea- 
tured by  Spitalny,  does  a  lot  of  entertaining 
with  her  bow  in  a  specialty  number. 

Oscar  Brodney  and  Dorothy  Bennett  collabo- 
rated on  the  script,  which  concerns  a  soldier 
hero  home  on  leave  who  tries  to  hide  out  from 
his  fans  and  who  is  suspected  of  being  a  de- 
serter, not  seriously.  The  tale  serves  as  frame- 
work for  the  music. 

Production  is  by  Bernard  W.  Burton  and  di- 
rection by  Charles  Lamont,  both  of  whom  rate 
bows  for  their  endeavors. 

There  is  mirth,  music  and  much  lightheaded- 
ness in  the  film,  nothing  at  all  of  strain  or  sig- 
nificance.   It  belongs  on  anybody's  screen. 

Previewed  at  the  Four  Star  Theatre,  Holly- 
wood, to  a  Friday  night  audience  composed  in 
part  of  young  people  and  in  whole,  on  the  evi- 
dence of  their  responses,  of  pleasantly  enter- 
tained citizens.  Reviewer's  Rating  :  Excellent. — 
W.  R.  W. 

Release  January  I,  1943.  Running  time,  74  min.  PCA 
8933.    General  audience  classification. 

Soldier  Allan  Jones 

Singer   Jane  Frazee 

Gloria  Jean,  Donald  O'Connor,  Peggy  Ryan,  Phil 
Spitalny  and  his  All-Girl  Orchestra,  Four  Step 
Brothers. 

(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 


Arabian  Nights 

(Universal-W  anger) 
Adventure  in  Technicolor 

In  an  excursion  afield  from  the  zone  of  earn- 
estness to  which  he  has  addressed  his  attentions 
during  recent  years,  producer  Walter  Wanger 
has  assembled  here  a  variety  of  ingredients  not 
commonly  associated  and  has  blended  them,  with 
skill  and  a  measure  of  daring,  in  a  picture  like 
none  other  the  screen  has  seen.  It  is  a  com- 
bining of  fantasy,  fable,  conflict,  comedy,  beauty 
to  test  the  compass  of  the  Technicolor  process 
and  narrative  which  seeks  only  and  successfully 
to  supply  amusement. 

The  scene  is  old  Bagdad  and  most  if  not  all 
of  the  Arabian  Nights  familiars  are  among 
those  present.  The  script  by  Michael  Hogan 
concerns  the  romance  between  Haroun-Al- 
Raschid  and  Sherazade  and  no  fable  ever  re- 
ceived a  more  spectacular  yet  lighthearted  nar- 


1090  Product  Digest  Section 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


ration.  In  the  manner  of  retaining  the  spectacu- 
lar whilst  indulging  the  lightheartedness  Mr. 
Wanger  and  director  John  Rawlins  achieved 
what  amounts  in  effect  to  a  new  dimension  in 
fantasy. 

Their  material  ranges  from  the  pattern  em- 
ployed by  the  late  Douglas  Fairbanks  in  "The 
Thief  of  Bagdad"  to  the  format  of  the  present 
Abbott  and  Costello.  It  includes  uses  of  the 
dagger,  the  rack,  bow  and  arrow,  spear,  war- 
riors afoot  and  horseback  (in  a  desert  attack 
which  takes  the  breath  away)  and  combatants 
in  pairs,  groups  and  battalions. 

It  also  includes  uses  of  the  harem,  the  slave 
block,  and  of  a  large  number  of  young  women 
becostumed  in  the  interests  of  display.  Its  use 
of  the  auction  block  is  of  a  kinship  with  Gypsy 
Rose  Lee's  use  of  a  runway,  although  the  dis- 
robing is  attended  to  by  the  auctioneer  instead 
of  the  disrobee  and  the  result  of  it  is  visible  to 
the  prospective  buyers — who  seem  to  view  it 
with  much  pleasure — instead  of  to  the  audience. 
This  sequence  is  a  revelation  to  the  less  subtle 
practitioners  of  the  techniques  of  revelation  and 
perhaps  a  precedent. 

Jon  Hall,  Maria  Montez,  Sabu  and  Leif  Erik- 
son  are  the  principals  who  portray  their  charac- 
ters with  considerations  of  plausibility  for  such 
customers  as  insist  upon  taking  a  story  seri- 
ously. Billy  Gilbert,  Edgar  Barrier,  John 
Qualen,  Shemp  Howard,  Richard  Lane  devote 
themselves  alongside  the  principals,  to  the  types 
of  comedy  they  commonly  dispense  in  films  of 
modern  dating.  Gags  are  phrased  in  the  ver- 
nacular of  the  era  and  profit  by  the  formality. 
Slapstick  is  of  course  ageless.   Ditto  sex. 

In  one  way  or  another  the  picture  bids  for 
interest  of  all  in  the  audience  scale.  There  is 
plenty  of  adventuring  for  the  juvenile.  There  is 
comedy  enough  for  the  laugh  crowd.  There  is 
enough  of  romance  to  satisfy  the  amorous  and 
enough  of  beauty,  of  all  kinds,  to  keep  the  eye 
of  young,  old  or  in  between  from  straying. 

Previewed  at  the  Filmarte  Theatre,  Holly- 
wood, to  an  afternoon  turnout  of  invitees  repre- 
senting press  and  profession.  Concensus  verging 
on  unanimity  zvas  that  the  film  is  a  bonanza. 
Reviewer's  Rating:  Excellent. — William  R. 
Weaver. 

Release  date  December  25,  1942.  Running  time,  87 
min.    PCA  No.  8967.    General  audience  classification. 

Sherazade   Maria  Montez 

Haroun-Al-Raschid   John  Hall 

Sabu,  Leif  Erikson,  Billy  Gilbert,  Edgar  Barrier, 
Shemp  Howard,  Thomas  Gomez,  Turhan  Bey,  Elyse 
Knox,  Acquanetta,  Carmen  D'Antonio,  John  Qualen, 
Richard  Lane. 

(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 


ADVANCE  SYNOPSES 


CHINA 
(Paramount) 

Adventure  Drama 

PRODUCER:  Dick  Blumenthal.  Directed  by  John 
Farrow. 

PLAYERS:  Loretta  Young,  Alan  Ladd,  William  Ben- 
dix,  Philip  Ahn,  Richard  Loo. 

SYNOPSIS 

Three  Americans,  two  men  working  for  an 
oil  company,  and  a  girl  missionary,  aid  in  the 
evacuation  of  young  Chinese  girls  before  the 
onrushing  hordes  of  Japs  through  China.  Driv- 
ing in  a  huge  truck,  they  become  involved  in 
quarrels  concerning  the  neutrality  of  America 
in  the  Sino-Japanese  war.  The  dissident 
American  is  swayed  by  argument  in  humanity's 
cause,  and  aids  in  impeding  the  Jap  troops. 
They  hear  the  news  that  Pearl  Harbor  has 
been  bombed,  and  both  men  give  their  lives  to 
block  the  Japs,  the  missionary  continuing  on 
with  the  girls. 


THE  MOON  IS  DOWN 
(20th  Century- Fox) 

Drama  of  Occupation 

PRODUCER:  Nunnally  Johnson.  Directed  by  Irving 
Pichel. 

PLAYERS:  Sir  Cedric  Hardwicke,  Margaret  Wyn- 
cherly,  Henry  Travers,  Lee  J.  Cobb,  Dorris  Bowdon, 
Henry  Rowland. 

SYNOPSIS 

This  is  the  adaptation  of  John  Steinbeck's 
best  selling  novel  and  play  of  the  German  oc- 
cupation of  a  Norse  country,  for  which  the 
record  price  of  $300,000  is  reported  to  have  been 
paid.  The  scene  is  a  small  town,  the  characters 
being  German  occupation  authorities,  the  Quis- 
lings and  the  townspeople  itching  under  the 
yoke  of  the  Hun  oppression.  Execution  of 
hostages  in  reprisal  for  sabotage  and  the  grow- 
ing, unnamed  fear  by  the  Germans  of  their 
silent  foes  constitute  the  plot. 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  DOCTOR 
(Warner  Bros.) 

Melodrama 

PRODUCER:  William  Jacobs.  Directed  by  Ben 
Stoloff. 

PLAYERS:  Lester  Matthews,  Forrester  Harvey,  John 
Loder,  Frank  Mayo,  Eleanor  Parker,  Bruce  Lester. 

SYNOPSIS 

The  moors  of  Cornwall  are  haunted  by  the 
legend  of  a  headless  ghost  whose  reported 
wanderings  keep  a  valuable  tin  mine  from  being 
worked.  A  professor  on  a  walking  tour  of 
England  investigates  the  reports  and  a  series 
of  murders  by  decapitation  follow.  At  the 
climax,  it  is  revealed  that  one  of  the  landowners 
is  a  descendant  of  German  nobility  and  that  he 
fostered  the  superstitions  and  the  murders  to 
prevent  the  mine's  operation. 


THE  AIR  RAID  WARDENS 
(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 

Laurel-Hardy  Farce 

PRODUCER:  B.  F.  Zeidman.  Directed  by  Edward 
Sedgwick. 

PLAYERS:  Laurel  and  Hardy,  Jacqueline  White, 
Horace  McNally,  Donald  Meek. 

SYNOPSIS 

Laurel  and  Hardy,  with  their  usual  antics 
and  pantomime,  get  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
patriotism  and  seek  to  become  air  raid  wardens. 
Their  endeavors  lead  to  naught  but  grief  for  the 
Civilian  Defense  chieftains,  the  pair  managing  to 
get  virtually  everything  in  the  community  tied 
up.  The  real  work  of  the  Civilian  Defense  of- 
fice is  shown  in  a  sincere  light,  however. 


CRIME  BY  NIGHT 
(Warner  Bros.) 

Melodrama 

PRODUCER:  William  Jacobs.  Directed  by  William 
Clemens. 

PLAYERS:  Jane  Wyman,  Jerome  Cowan,  Stuart 
Crawford,  Eleanor  Parker,  Cy  Parker,  Charles  Wil- 
son, Faye  Emerson. 

SYNOPSIS 

Made  from  "Forty  Whacks,"  a  Crime  Club 
book  selection  by  Geoffrey  Homes,  "Crime  By 
Night"  has  a  private  detective  hired  by  a  crip- 
pled musician  to  find  the  murderer  of  his  father- 
in-law  and  butler,  who  are  hacked  to  death  with 
an  axe.  The  musician  is  suspected  of  the  double 
murder,  and  it  evolves  that  a  Nazi  spy  ring  is  at 
the  bottom  of  the  crimes  in  an  attempt  to  obtain 
a  secret  formula. 


AERIAL  GUNNER 
(Paramount) 

Action  Story 

PRODUCERS:  William  Pine  and  William  Thomas. 
Directed  by  William  Pine. 

PLAYERS:  Chester  Morris,  Richard  Arlen,  Lita 
Ward,  Jimmy  Lydon,  Dick  Purcell. 

SYNOPSIS 

Made  with  the  cooperation  of  the  war  depart- 
ment, this  weaves  a  story  of  the  hatred  of  two 
men  for  each  other,  both  winding  up  at  the 
Aerial  Gunnery  School  at  Harlingen,  Tex.  One 
whose  father  was  an  ex-convict  who  committed 
suicide  while  being  questioned  by  the  other  who 
had  worked  in  a  district  attorney's  office  tries 
to  use  his  post  as  instructor  for  revenge.  The 
student  saves  the  teacher's  life,  and  the  latter 
returns  the  favor,  protecting  him  with  his  life. 


SALUTE  FOR  THREE 
(Paramount) 

Musical  Comedy 

PRODUCER:  Walter  MacEwen.  Directed  by  Ralph 
Murphy. 

PLAYERS:  Macdonald  Carey,  Betty  Rhodes,  Dona 
Drake,  Mary  May,  Cliff  Edwards,  Lorraine  and 
Rognan. 

SYNOPSIS 

This  is  a  musical  comedy  with  a  canteen 
background,  involving  a  romantic  tug  of  war 
with  a  sergeant,  who  becomes  a  national  hero, 
and  a  press  agent,  over  a  girl  singer.  After 
various  and  devious  battles,  the  sergeant  wins 
out  over  his  rival.  This  may  be  the  last  pic- 
ture for  the  duration  by  Carey,  who  scored  in 
"Wake  Island,"  as  he  has  enlisted  in  the 
Marines. 


DIXIE 

(Paramount) 

Drama,  with  Music 

PRODUCER:  Paul  Jones.  Directed  by  Edward 
Sutherland. 

PLAYERS:  Bing  Crosby,  Dorothy  Lamour,  Billy 
De  Wolfe,  Marjorie  Reynolds,  Lynne  Overman, 
Raymond  Walburn,  Eddie  Foy,  Jr. 

SYNOPSIS 

Pictured  in  Technicolor,  this  is  the  story  of 
Dan  Emmett,  author  of  "Dixie."  It  tells  of 
his  early  start  in  New  Orleans,  his  falling  in 
love  with  a  southern  belle  and  marrying  a 
northern  girl  to  whom  he  had  been  betrothed, 
as  well  as  of  the  start  of  the  first  "minstrel 
shows"  with  the  interlocutor  as  master  of  cere- 
monies. Laid  in  New  Orleans  in  the  days  be- 
fore the  Civil  War,  it  combines  drama,  music 
and  comedy. 


LADY  IN  THE  DARK 
(Paramount) 

Musical,  in  Technicolor 

PRODUCER:  Dick  Blumenthal.  Directed  by  Mit- 
chell Leisen. 

PLAYERS:  Ginger  Rogers,  Ray  Milland,  Warner 
Baxter,  Mischa  Auer,  Phyllis  Brooks,  Don  Loper, 
Edward  Fielding. 

SYNOPSIS 

Taken  from  the  Moss  Hart  play,  this  tells  the 
story  of  a  highly  successful  career  woman  who 
is  intensely  uphappy  until  a  psychoanalyst  dis- 
covers and  solves  her  problems.  The  solution 
is  reached  through  the  interpretations  of  her 
fantastic  dreams,  the  dream  sequences  being  the 
most  spectacular  of  the  film. 

Product  Digest  Section     |  09  I 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


SHORTS  CHART 


Production  Numbers 
Release  Dates 
Running  Time 


COLUMBIA 

Prod.  Rel.  P.D 

No.         Title  Date  Page 

ALL  STAR  COMEDIES 
(Average  17  Mln.) 
1942-43 

4421  Phony  Oronles   8-27-42  899 

(Brendel) 

4422  Carry  Harry   9-3-42  926 

(Langdon) 

4401  Even  As  I0U  9-18-42  960 

(Stooges) 

4423  Kiss  and  Wake  Up  10-2-42  974 

(Downs) 

4409  College  Belles   10-16-42  998 

(Gloveslinger) 

4424  Sappy  Pappy   10-30-42  1010 

(Clyde) 

4402  Sock-a-bye  Baby   11-13-42  1048 

(Stooges) 

4425  Ham  and  Yeggs  11-27-42  1046 

(Brendel) 

4426  Piano  Mooner   12-11-42  1094 

(Langdon) 

4410  The   Great  Glover  12-25-42 

(Gloveslinger) 

4403  They  Stooge  to  Conga  1-1-43  1094 

(Stooges) 

4428    His  Wedding   Scare  1-15-43 

(Brendel) 

COLOR  RHAPSODIES 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4501  Song   af   Victory  9-4-42  926 

4502  Tito's  Guitar   10-30-42  1010 

4503  Toll  Bridge  Troubles  11-27-42  1046 

4504  King  Midas  Junior  12-18-42 

4505  Slay  It  with  Flowers  1-8-43 

PHANTASIES  CARTOONS 
(Average  9  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

S70S   Old   Blackout  Joe  8-27-42  699 

1942-  43 

4701  The  Gullible  Canary  9-18-42  930 

4702  The  Dumb  Conscious  Mind.  10-23-42  1010 

4703  Malice  In  Slumberland ...  1 1 -20-42  1046 

4704  Cholly  Polly   12-18-42  .. 

4705  The  Vitamin  G  Man  1-22-43 

COMMUNITY  SING  (Series  7) 
(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4651  No.  I — Rhumba  and  Conga 

Hits   8-15-42  859 

4652  No.  2— "Yankee  Doodler". 9-17-42  950 

(Baker) 

4653  No.  3— College  Songs  10-15-42  1010 

4654  No.  4— Service   Songs. ...  1 1 -12-42  1007 

4655  No.  5— 

Songs  of  the  States  12-11-42  1094 

4656  No.  6 — MacDonald's  Son. ..1-1-43 

QUIZ  REEL8 
(Average  10  Mln.) 
1942-43 
(Series  8) 

4601    Klehen  Quiz  No.  1  8-21-42  899 

PAN0RAMIC8 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4901  Cajuns  of  the  Teche  (-13-42  856 

(Quaint  Folks  No.  I) 

4902  Oddities   (La  Varre)  10-8-42  998 

4903  Our  Second  Front  12-11-42  1078 

4904  Merchant  Seamen   1-15-43 

T0UR8 
(IS  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4551  Journey  te  Denall  (La  Varre) 

8-5-42  877 

4552  Old  and  Modern  New 

Orleans   10-2-42  974 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS  (Series  22) 
(I*  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4851    No.   I   8-7-42  859 


For  short  subject  synopses  turn  to  the  Product  Digest 
Section  pages  indicated  by  the  numbers  which  follow 
the  titles  and  release  dates  in  the  listing. 


Prod.  Rel.  P.D. 

No.  Title  Date  Page 

4852  No.  2   8-11-42  S26 

4853  No.  3   10-23-42  998 

4854  No.  4   11-26-42  1046 

4855  No.  5   12-25-42  1094 

WORLD  OF  SPORTS 
(10  Mlnstes) 

1941-  42 

3810    Canvas  Cut-Ups   8-28-42  899 

1942-  43 

4801  Trotting    Kings   9-25-42  »74 

4802  Wizard  of  the   Fairway. .  1 1-6-42  1010 

4803  Winter  Paradise   12-8-42  1094 

KATE  SMITH 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4751    America  Sings  With 

Kate  Smith  8-21-42  8*9 

FAMOUS  BANDS 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-43 

4951  Ted  Powell  (1280  Club)  .8-27-42  899 

4952  Hal  Mclntyre   10-23-42  998 

4953  Shep    Fields    12-23-42  1094 

AMERICA  SPEAKS 

4961  Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  12-31-42  1094 

4962  Our  Second   Front  12-11-42  1078 


Prod. 

No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


M-G-M 


TWO  REEL  SPECIALS 
(20  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

A-305    Mr.  Blabbermouth   8-8-42  877 

1942-  43 

A-401    Keep  'Em  Sailing  11-28-42  1022 

FITZPATRICK  TRAVELTALK8  (Color) 
(•  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T-4II  Picturesque 

Massachusetts   10-3-42  998 

T-412    Modern  Mexico  City  11-8-42  1010 

T-4IS    Glimpses  of  Ontario  12-5-42 

T-414    Land    of    Orizaba  1-2-43 

PETE  SMITH  SPECIALTIES 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

S-371    It's  a  Dog's  Life  8-22-42  877 

S-372    Victory  Vlttles   9-19-42  950 

S-373  Football  Thrills  of  1941 .  .9-26-42  998 
S-374   Calling  All  Pa's  10-24-42  998 

1942-  43 

S-462    Marines  in  the  Making  12-26-42 

PASSING  PARADE 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

K-387   The  Magic  Alphabet. ..  10-10-42  995 

K-388    Famous  Boners   10-24-42  1010 

K-389   The  Film  That  Was 

Lost   10-31-42  994 

1942-  43 

K-481    Madero  of  Mexico  11-28-42  1022 

MINIATURES 
(It  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

M-336    The   Greatest  Gift  9-5-42  926 

M-337    ATCA   10-3-42  994 

M-338   The  Good  Job  10-10-42  994 

M-339    Listen.  Beys   10-17-42  998 

M-340    Brief    Interval  11-28-42  1022 

1942-  43 

M-431    The   Last   Lesson  12-19-42 

M-432    People  of  Russia  12-26-42 


OUR  GANG  COMEDIES 
(Average  II  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

C-399    Rover's   Big   Chance  8-22-42  856 

C-400    Mighty  Lak  a  Goat  10-10-42  998 

1942-  43 

C-401    Unexpected  Riches   11-28-42  1022 

TECHNICOLOR  CARTOONS 
(9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

W-352    The   Blitz  Wolf ....... .8-22-42  950 

W-353  The  Early  Bird  Dood  It. 8-29-42  950 
w-354  Chips  Off  the  Old 

Block   9-12-42  950 

W-355  Fine  Feathered  Friend.  10-10-42  1010 
W-356   Wild    Honey   11-7-42  1022 

1942-  43 

W-441    Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   12-26-42 


PARAMOUNT 

UNUSUAL  OCCUPATIONS  (Color) 
(II  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

LI -8    No.  6   8-21-42  877 

1942-  43 

L2-I    No.  I   10-9-42  974 

L2-2    No.  2   12-4-42  1070 

L2-3    No.  3   2-12-43 

BENCHLEY  CO MED I E8 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-42 

SI -5   The  Men's  Angle  8-14-22  950 

FASCINATING  JOURNEYS  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-42 

MI-2    Indian   Temples   9-4-42  928 

SUPERMAN  COLOR  CARTOONS 
(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

WI-9   8uperman  Id  Terror 

en  the  Midway  8-28-42  877 

WI-10  Superman  and  the 

Japoteurs   9-18-42  950 

Wl-ll  Superman  In  Showdown. .  10-18-42  974 
Wl-12  Superman  In  Eleventh 

Hour   11-20-42  1070 

1942-  43 

W2-I    Superman  In  Destruction,  Ine. 

12-25-42 

W2-2   Superman  In  the  Mummy 

Strikes   1-29-43 

W2-3   Superman  in  Jungle 

Drums   3-5-43 

HEDDA  HOPPER'8  HOLLYWOOD 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

ZI-5    No.  5   8-14-42  877 

ZI-8  «  9-18-42  850 

HEADLINER8 
(10  Minutes) 

1942-  43 

A2-I    The  MeFarland  Twins  A 

Orchestra   10-2-42  998 

A2-2   Johnny  "Seat"  Davis 

&  Orchestra   11-6-42  1010 

A2-3    Hands  of  Women  12-11-42  1070 

A2-4  Mitchell  Ayres  &.  Orch.. .  1-15-43 
A2-5    Ina  Ray  Hutton  &  Orch.  .3- 19-43 


Prod.  Rel.  P.D 

No.  Title  Date  Pag. 

MADCAP  MODELS  (Color) 
(9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

U 1-6   The   Little   Broadcast  9-25-42  998 

1942-  43 

U2-I    Jasper  and  the  Haunted 

House  10-23-42  1010 

U2-2  Jasper  and  the  Choo-Choo.  1-1-43 
U2-3    Bravo  Mr.  Strauss  3-12-43 

POPEYE  THE  SAILOR 
(7  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

El- 1 1  You're  a  Sap,  Mr.  Jap... 8-7-42  859 
El  - 12    Alona  on  the  Sarong  Seas. 9-4-42  926 

1942-  43 

E2-I    A  Hull  of  a  Mess  10-16-42  974 

E2-2   Scrap  the  Japs  11-20-42  1007 

E2-3    Me  Musical  Nephews  12-25-42  1070 

E2-4   Spinach  for  Britain  1-22-43 

E2-5   Seein'  Red,  White 

'n  Blue   2-19-43 

E2-6    A  Jolly  Good  Furlough ...  .3-26-43  .. 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

J2-I    No.  I   10-2-42  974 

J2-2    No.  2   11-27-42  1010 

J2-3    No.  3   2-5-43  .. 

SPEAKING  OF  ANIMALS 
(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

YI-5   At  the  Dog  Show  8-28-42  926 

Y 1-6    In  South  America  9-25-42  974 

1942-  43 

Y2-I    Speaking  of  Animals  and 

Their  Families   12-18-42  1070 

SPORTLIGHTS 
(9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

R I  - 13   Timber  Athletes   9-11-42  928 

1942-  43 

R2-I    Sports  I.Q  10-9-42  974 

R2-2   The  Fighting  Spirit  11-13-42  1007 

■•2-3    Modern  Vikings   1-8-43 

R2-4   Trading    Blows   2-12-43 

R2-5    Hike  or  Bike  3-19-43 

VICTORY  SHORTS 
(IS  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T2-I    A  Letter  from  Bataan. .  .9-15-42  946 

T2-2   We  Refuse  to  Die  10-13-42  946 

T2-3  The  Price  of  VIetory. ...  12-3-42  1018 
T2-4   The  Aldrleh  Family  Gets 

Into  Scrap   -.  

RKO 

WALT  DISNEY  CARTOONS  (Color) 
(8  Minutes) 
1941-42 

24.108  T-Bone  far  Two  8-14-42  858 

24.109  How  to  Play  Baseball. .  .9-4-42  926 
24,100   The  Vanishing  Private.  .9-24-42  974 

24.111  Olymple  Champ   10-9-42  998 

24.112  How  to  Swim  10-23-42  1010 

24.113  Sky  Trooper   11-6-42  1022 

24.114  Pluto  at  the  Zoo  11-20-42  1070 

24.115  How  to   Fish  12-4-42  1094 

DISNEY  SPECIALS 

Der   Fuehrer's   Face  12-18-42  1067 

Education  for  Death  1-5-42  1067 

INFORMATION  PLEASE 
(Average  II  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

24.210  No.  10   John  Carradlne.8-14-42  877 

24.211  No.  II  Russell  Crouse  ..9-11-42  874 

8P0RT8C0PE 
(Average  »  Mia.) 
1*41-42 

24,313    Record  Breakers   8-7-42  877 

1942-  43 

34.301  Show   Horse   9-11-42  974 

34.302  Touchdown  Tars   10-9-42  998 

34.303  Winter    Setting  1 1-6-42  1022 

34.304  Q-Men   12-4-42  1094 


1 092  Product  Digest  Section 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Proi.  Rtl.  P..D. 

No.        Titlt  Datt  Pagi 

PICTURE  PEOPLE 
(19  Mlnutei) 

1941-  42 
24,413    Hollywood  mi  the 

Hudson   S- 1 4-42  82* 

EDGAR  KENNEDY 
(Average  18  Mil.) 
1142-43 

33.401  Twt  for  the  tats  8-14-42  828 

33.402  Rough  »g   Reirti  10-30-42  1010 

LEON  ERROL 
(Average  II  W  In.  i 

no-a 

33.701  Ms.il  Trouble   8-4-42  82* 

33.702  Deer,  Deer   10-23-42  1010 

33.703  Pretty  Dolly   12-11-42  1094 

JAMBOREES 
(.Average   10  Mln.) 

1942-  43 

34.401  Jerry  Wald  i   Orcb  9-11-42  950 

34.402  Johnny   Lens   4-   Oreh.. .  10-2-42  993 

34.403  Ray  MeKinley  4.  Ore*. .  10 -30-42  1022 

34.404  Disk  Stabile  i.  Orth.. .  1 1 -27-42  1070 
34,4:5    Er.ri:  Madrigcera  i. 

Orth.   12-25-42  1034 

VICTORY  SPECIALS 
1942-43 

34.201  Conquer  by  the  Clock. ..  10-27-42 

34.202  Spit,   Grit  and  Rivetj  

FAMOUS  JURY  TRIALS 
(Average   18  Mln.) 
I §42-43 

33.201  The  State  vs.  Glen 

Willet   3-18-42  874 

33.202  The  State  vs.  Thomas 

Thomas  Crosby   11-13-42  1070 

THIS  IS  AMERICA 
(Average  19  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.101  Pr'rvate  Smith  ef  the 

U.  S.  A.   10-2-42  971 

33.102  Women  at  Arms  10-30-42  1031 

33.103  Array  Chaplain   11-27-42 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

ADVENTURES  N EWSCA M ER AM AN 
(Average  9  Mil.) 
1842-43 

3201    Along  the  Texas   Range. .  10-9-42  974 

22*2   Climbing  the  Peaks  1-29-43 


MAGIC  CARPET 
(1  MintrtHj 
1942-43  (Celer) 


3151 

Desert   Wonderland  ... 

..1 

■1-42 

855 

3152 

Wedding    In  Bikaner... 

.8 

26-42 

839 

3153 

Valley    :'    BliStems. . . . 

.9- 

25-42 

950 

3154 

Royal  Araby   

10 

23-42 

998 

3135 

Gay  Rio   

1 1 

28-42 

1022 

3156 

[-1-43 

3157 

Land  Where  Tine  Stc:d 

Still   2-23-43 


SPORTS  REVIEWS 
(8  Mlnutei) 
1942-43 

SOI    Well-Rowed    Harvard  8-14-42  899 

3351    Heptane's  Daughters   11-20-42  1022 

3302  When  Winter  Comes. ...  12- 18-42 

3303  Steelhead   Fighters   1-15-43  .. 

3304  Back  to   Bikes  2-12-43 

TERRYT00N8  (TECHNICOLOR) 
(7  Mlntrtu) 

1942-43 

3551  All    Oirt   for   "V"  8-7-42  92* 

3552  Life  with  Fldo  8-21-42  925 

3553  School   Daze   9-18-42  950 

3554  Night  Life  in  tin  Army.  10-2-42  974 

3555  The  Mease  of  Tomorrow.  10-16-42  1048 
3555  Nancy  in  Doing  Their 

Bit   10-30-42 

3557  Frankenstein's  Cat   11-27-42 

3558  Barnyard   WAAC   12-11-42 

3559  Strap  for  Victory.  1-8-43  .. 

3560  Barnyard   Blackout   2-5-43 

3561  Shipyard   Symphony   2-19-43 

3567  Somewhere  in  the  Pacific.  12-25-42 
3563    He  Deed  It  Again  1-22-43 


Proi.  Rtl.  P.D. 

No.         Titlt  Datt  Pagt 

TERRYT00NS  (Black  1  White) 
(7  MlnHtaa] 

1942-43 

3501  The   Big   Build-Up  9-11-42  926 

3502  Ickle   Meets  Pickle  11-13-42  1046 

THE   WORLD  TODAY 

(9  Mlnirte:i) 
I942>43 

3401    Our  Last  Frontier  9-11-42 

MARCH  OF  TIME 

(Average  20  M  Inutei) 
1942-43 

V9-I    The  F.B.I.  Front  9-4-42  911 

V9-2   The  Fighting  French  10-9-42  946 

V9-3    Mr.   and   Mrs,   America. .  1 1-6-42  1007 

V9-4   Prelnde  to  Victory  12-4-42  1055 

V9-5   The  Navy  and  the  Nation  

DRIBBLE   PUSS  PARADE 

(9  Minutes) 

3901    Monkey  Doodle  Dandies. ..  T2-4-42  1046 

VICTORY  FILM 

3801    Its    Everybody's   War  11-6-42  1031 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

WORLD   IN  ACTION 


(Two  Reel!) 
1941-42 

  Oil-  Russian  Ally  8-14-42  784 

....    Hitler's  Plan   9-4-42  854 

  Road  to  Tokyo   SS8 

  Inside  Fighting  China  10-2-42  896 

  Mask   of    Nippon  11-8-42  971 

  Fighting   Freighters   1-9-43  1055 

  Paratroops   2-12-43 


UNIVERSAL 

COLOR  CARTUNE 
(Avenge  7  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

6253    Pigeon   Patrol  1-3-42  813 

1942-  43 

7241  Andy  Panda'i  Victory 

Garden   9-7-42  12:9 

7242  The  Loan  Stranger  10-19-12  998 

7243  Air  Radio  Warden  12-21-42 

SWING  SYMPHONIES 
(942-43 


7231    Yankee  Dtw-dle  Swing 


7232 

Boogie  Wccgle  Slotoc  

1 1-30-42 

1046 

7233 

"Cow-Cow   Boogie"  .... 

..1-4-42 

STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

(9  Minutes) 

1 94 1  -42 

6384 

8-10-42 

877 

5385 

Smoke  Painter   

8-3I-42 

899 

PERSON— ODDITIES 

1942-43 

7371 

.9- 14-42 

926 

7372 

Jail  Hostess   

.9-2:8-42 

950 

7373 

King  of  the  49-ers  

10-12-42 

1046 

7374 

Double  Talk  Girl  

11-16-42 

1007 

7375 

Designed  by 

Fannie  Hunt   

.12-14-42  . 

VARIETY  VIEWS 

(9  Mlnutei) 

1941-42 

53.65 

Crater  City   

8-17-42 

659 

1 942-43 

7351 

Trouble  Spot  of  the  Easl 

. . 9-7-42 

8*9 

7352 

Can  ad  las  Patrol   

.9-21-42 

926 

7353 

Spirit  of  Democracy  

.10-3-42 

974 

7354 

New  Era  In  India  

.11-2-42 

lOfO 

7355 

Western  Whoopee  

12-28-42 

899 

MUSICALS 

(Average  11  Min, 

) 

1941-42 

6231 

Shuffle  Rhythm   

.8-19-42 

877 

1942-43 

7121 

Trumpet  Serenade  

. .9-9-42 

899 

7122 

Serenade    In  Swing  

10-14-42 

899 

7123 

Jlvln'  Jam  Session  

11-11  -42 

899 

7124 

Swing's  the  Thing  

.  12-2-42 

1007 

7125 

Chasin'  the  Bluet  

1-13-43 

1046 

PLEDGE   FOR  VICTORY 

IS42-43 

0995 

Keeping  Fit   

10-26-42 

9S8 

2- R EEL  SPECIAL 

71 1 1 

Roar,   Navy  Rear  

1 1-25-42 

1048 

71  10 

Proi.  Rtl.  PS). 

No.         Titlt  Datt  Pagi 

VITAPHONE 

TECHNICOLOR  SPECIALS 
(Average  20  Mle.) 


1942-43 

8001  A  Ship  It  Born  10-10-42  1010 

8002  Fighting  Engineers   1-2-43 

8003  Young  and   Beautiful  1-30-43 

8044    Eagles  of  the  Navy  


BROADWAY  BREVITIES 

(20  MlnartM) 

1941-  42 

7112    "Divide  and  Cenqner"  8-29-4  2  794 

1342-43 

3101    The  Spirit  of  Annapolis. .  .9-5-42  S26 

8102  The  Nation  Dances  9-26-4  2  974 

8103  The  Spirit  of  West  Point.  1 1 -28-42  1007 

8104  Beyond  the  Line  of  Duty.  1 1-7-42  1010 

8105  Vaudeville   Days   12-19-42  1070 

8106  The  Man  Killers  

8107  Little  Isles  of  Freedom. .  .2-13-43  1078 

8108  Our  African  Frontiers  2-27-43 

HOLLYWOOD  NOVELTIES 
(19  Minutes) 

1942-  43 

8301  Sweeney  Steps  Out  9-12-42  959 

8302  You  Want  tt  Give  Up 

Smokinn   11-14-42  1022 

8303  Stars  on  Horseback  

8304  So  You  Think  You  Need 

Glasses   12-26-42  .. 

THE  SPORTS  PARADE 
(10  Mlnutei) 

1941-  42 

7419   Argentine    Horses   8-8-42  877 

1942-  43 

8401  Sniffer  Soldiers   9-12-42  950 

8402  South  American  Sports. .  10- 17-42  1007 

8403  The    Right   Timing  10-31-42  1022 

8404  Cuba,  Land  of  Romance  and 

Adventure   1-16-43  1070 

8405  America's  Battle  of 

Beauty   11-21-42  1070 

8406  Horses!  Horses!  Horses!. .  12-12-42  1070 

8407  Sporting  Dogs   2-20-43 

MELODY   MASTERS  BANDS 

(19  Ml  nates) 
1 94 1  -42 

7510    Glen   Gray  &  Band  8-15-42  977 

1942-43 

8501  Army  Air  Force  Band  9-19-42  950 

8502  Six  Hits  and  a  Miss. ...  10-24-42  1007 

8503  U.  S.  Marine  Band  11-14-42  1007 

zl'.i    B:-rsh  MinfvJtth  ini  bit 

Harmonica  School   12-26-42 

LOONEY    TUNES  CARTOONS 
(7  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

7614  The  Ducktator   8-1-42  859 

7615  Eatln'  on  the  Gaff  8-22-42  877 

7616  The   Impatient  Patient  9-5-42  877 

1942-  43 

8501    The   Hep  Cat  10-3-42  950 

8602  The  Daffy  Duekaroo  10-24-42  1022 

8603  My   Favorite    Dnck  12-5-42  1007 

8604  Confusions  of  a  Nutzy  Spy 

1-9-43  IO07 

8605  To  Duck  or  Not  to  Duck. .  I -23-43  1070 
8605    Hop  and  Go  2-6-43 

MERRIE   MELODIES   CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

7723  Fcney  Fables   8-1-42  858 

7724  The  Sqirawkln'  Hawk  .....S-8-42  S77 

7725  Fresh  Hare   *-22-42  377 

7726  Fox  Pop   9-5-42  877 

1942-  43 

8701  The  Dover  Boys  9-19-42  950 

8702  The  Sheepish  Wolf  10- 17-4  950 

8703  The  Hare  Brained 

Hypnotist   10-31-42  1007 

8704  A  Tale  of  Two  Kittles. ..  1 1-21-42  1007 

8705  Ding  Dog  Daddy  12-5-42  1097 

8706  Case  of  the  Missing 

Hare   12-12-42  1007 

8707  Coal  Black  aid  de  Sibben 

Dwarfs   1-9-43  1007 


Proi.  R*i-  P-D. 

No.         Titlt  Datt  Paat 

8703  Pigs  in  a  Polka  1-23-43  1070 

8709  Tortoise  Wins  by  a  Hare. .2-6-43  .. 

8710  Fifth  Column  Mouse  2-20-43 

8711  Flop  Goes  the  Weasel  

OFFICIAL    U.  8.   VICTORY  FILMS 
(Distribrted  try  Varlotn  Ma)*r  Excfcuau) 

Bomber    50* 

Pott   to    Planes   53* 

Food   for    Freedom   50* 

Red    Cross   Trailer   50* 

Women    In    Defeat*   503 

Safeguarding    Military    iBformatloa   50* 

Tanks    50* 

Any  Bonds  Today    509 

Ring  of  Stool    587 

Flghtlig    F  'ft    Bomb*   587 

Lake  Carrier    715 

United   China  Relief  

Winning  Your  Wlngt   374 

Keep  'Em   Rolling   374 

Mr.  Gardenia  Jones   874 

Your  Air  Raid  Warden   776 

Vlgilanea    771 

Out  of  the  Frying  Pan   8K 

Salvage    948 

Manpower    87 1 

Japanese  Relocation    871 

Dover    I  *  I  * 

Fuel  Conservation    104* 

Colleges  at  War   1078 

U.  S.  TREASURY  DEPT. 
(Released  Through  Natloaal  Screen) 
The    Ntw   Spirit   529 

WAR   ACTIVITIES  COMMITTEE 
(Released  Through  20th-Fex) 
Battle  ef  Midway   912 

BRITISH   MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION 

Young  Veterans    371 

Commandos    371 

Yesterday  It  Over  Your  Shoulder   871 

Musical    Poster    371 

21  Mile*    371 

Neighbors  Under  Fire    371 

Ferry  Pilot    371 

Scotland  Speaks    371 

Shunter  Black's  Night  Off   871 

Troopship    871 

The  Builders    371 

From  the  Four  Corners   871 

Control   Room    1018 

C.  E    M.  A   1018 

Fighting  French  Navy   1070 

Lift  Your  Head  Comrade   1094 

Letter  from  Ulster   1094 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Movie  aula,  No.  I  and  2   354 

(Movie  Quiz  Distributing) 

Shcck  Troops  for  Defense   871 

(Brandon  Fllmi) 

Scrap  for  Victory   371 

(Brandon  Fllmt) 

Quebec  (Canadian  Film  Board)   1070 

Kokoda  Battle  Front   1070 

(Australian  Dept.  of  Information) 

Sword  of  the  Spirit   1055 

(Verity  Film) 


SERIALS 
COLUMBIA 


1942-43 

4120   The  Secret  Code  9-4-42  389 

(15  Episode*) 

4140   The  Valley  of  Vanishing  Men 

(15  episodes)   12-27-42 


REPUBLIC 

1942-43 

281  King  of  the  Meuntles. ..  10-18-42  998 

(12  episodes) 

282  G-Men  vs.  the  Blaek  Dragon 


(IS  Episodes)  1-2-43  1022 

UNIVERSAL 

1942-43 

7881-92   Junior  G-Men  ef  the 

Air   SS3-42  734 

(12  episodes) 

7781-95    Overland   Mall   9-22-42  950 

(IS  C3lM«tt) 

7681-93    Adventures  of  Smllla'  Jack 

(13  episodes)  1-5-43  994 


Product  Digest  Section  1093 


MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  January    2,  1943 

SHORTS 

advance  synopses  and 
information 


SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS  No.  5  (Col.) 

(4855) 

Hollywood  of  days  gone  by  is  pictured  in  this 
reel  of  clips  from  the  era  of  silent  films.  Some 
are  from  motion  pictures ;  others  were  taken 
at  social  events.  Audiences  can  pick  out  their 
former  favorites  among  such  names  as  Dolores 
Costello,  Conrad  Nagel,  Colleen  Moore,  Lloyd 
Hughes,  Billie  Dove,  Maria  Korda,  Chester 
Conklin,  Sue  Carol,  Walter  Byron,  Winnie 
Lightner,  Gloria  Swanson  and  Marian  Marsh. 
Release  date,  December  25,  1942      10  minutes 


ENRIC  MADRIGUERA  AND  HIS 
ORCHESTRA  (RKO) 

Jamborees  (34,405) 

The  characteristic  Latin  American  rhythms 
of  Enric  Madriguera's  orchestra  are  featured 
in  the  latest  Jamboree  release.  The  popular 
samba  "Brazil"  is  followed  by  "Bim  Bam 
Bum,"  a  rhumba  with  a  maracca  specialty. 
Patricia  Gilmore  sings  a  Portuguese  Samba  in 
English  and  then  a  conga,  "Pan  American 
Way." 

Release  date,  December  25,  1942         8  minutes 


PRETTY  DOLLY  (RKO) 

Leon  Errol  (33,703) 

Leon  Errol  has  wife  trouble  again,  all  start- 
ing from  a  generous  gesture.  He  buys  a  doll 
for  her  and  some  of  the  incriminating  blonde 
hair  clings  to  his  coat.  Then  the  girl  at  the 
cigar  stand  sends  his  secretary  an  autographed 
picture.  All  evidence  is  found  by  the  wife  and 
naturally  misconstrued.  Explanations  avail 
little  when  Errol's  picture,  with  the  girl  in  his 
arms,  is  published  in  the  papers. 
Release  date,  December  11,  1942      17  minutes 


THEY  STOOGE  TO  CONGA  (Col.) 

Three  Stooges  (4403) 

Moe,  Larry  and  Curly  set  out  as  handy  men 
for  odd  jobs  in  the  neighborhood.  Their  first 
try  at  a  broken  bell  deprives  the  house  of  elec- 
tricity, without  disturbing,  however,  the  short- 
wave transmitting  station  of  the  spies  within. 
The  Stooges  locate  the  set  and  guide  the  path 
of  a  radio-controlled  submarine  to  an  American 
plane,  which  bombs  it. 

Release  date,  January  1,  1943  17  minutes 


HOW  TO  FISH  (RKO) 

Walt  Disney  (24,115) 

Goofy  takes  up  another  sport  in  this  latest 
Disney  short,  or  perhaps  it's  the  other  way 
around.  His  first  effort  is  trout  fishing,  but  the 
fish  goes  off  with  hook  and  lure.  While  casting 
he  becomes  a  little  involved  with  the  line  and 
ends  up  in  a  strip  tease.  Another  cast  catches 
a  tree  and  then  runs  afoul  of  a  motor  boat. 
The  nature  of  the  catch  provides  the  comedy 
finish. 

Release  date,  December  4,  1942         7  minutes 


Synopses  Indexed 

Page  numbers  on  short  subject 
synopses  published  in  Product  Digest 
are  listed  in  the  Shorts  chart,  Prod- 
uct Digest  Section,  pages  1092-1093. 


SHEP  FIELDS  (Col.) 

Famous  Bands  (4953) 

The  origin  of  the  characteristic  "Rippling 
Rythm"  of  Shep  Fields  and  his  orchestra  is 
attributed  in  this  short  to  his  memory  of  soap- 
bubble  blowing.  This  narrative  drama  is  fol- 
lowed by  two  typical  numbers  by  the  band  with- 
out trombones  or  trumpets,  "Long  May  We 
Love,"  and  "Breathless." 

Release  date,  December  23,  1942       10  minutes 


Q-MEN  (RKO) 

Sportscope  (34,304) 

The  intriguing  title  of  this  sports  release 
refers  to  the  wizards  of  the  billiard  table.  Willie 
Hoppe,  Charlie  Peterson  and  Irving  Crane  show 
off  some  of  their  best  shots  and  interpolate  some 
of  the  fundamentals  of  billiards  and  pool.  Stunts 
and  trick  shots,  as  well  as  standard  but  intricate 
plays  like  the  "draw"  and  "follow"  shots,  en- 
liven the  proceedings. 

Release  date,  December  4,  1942  8  minutes 


COMMUNITY  SING  NO.  5  (Col.) 

(4655) 

A  musical  medley  devoted  to  "Songs  of  the 
States"  suggests  a  tour  of  five  leading  states  of 
the  Union.  The  songs  are  "Jersey  Bounce,"  "A 
Little  Bit  South  of  North  Carolina,"  "The 
Pennsylvania  Polka,"  "Back  Home  in  Indiana" 
and,  for  a  finale,  "California,  Here  I  Come." 
Release  date,  December  11,  1942      9  minutes 

WINGS  FOR  THE  FLEDGLING  (Col.) 

America  Speaks  (4961) 

This  is  the  first  of  Columbia's'  Victory  shorts, 
distributed  under  the  $1.00  a  day  rental  plan. 
It  depicts  the  training  of  an  Army  air  cadet 
from  his  enlistment  to  the  day  when  he  is 
awarded  his  commission. 

Release  date,  December  31,  1942       11  minutes 

PIANO  MOONER  (Col.) 

Langdon  (4426) 

Harry  Langdon's  nuptials  are  again  approach- 
ing with  more  than  one  trouble  in  store  for  the 
hero.  Primarily,  he  needs  a  dress  suit  and  is 
low  in  funds.  He  arranges  a  deal  to  tune  a 
piano  in  exchange,  but  the  plan  is  imperiled  by 
the  entrance  of  an  old  clothes  collector,  Fifi 
D'Orsay,  his  in-laws  and  finally  his  bride-to-be. 
The  wedding  is  still  in  sight  when  the  comedy 
is  over. 

Release  date,  December  11,  1942      17  minutes 


WINTER  PARADISE  (Col.) 

World  of  Sports  (4803) 

Winter  sports  at  Lake  Placid  are  featured 
in  this  Columbia  release.  The  athletic  events 
include  racing  and  figure  skating,  tobogganing 
and  skiing.  The  participants  are  men  and 
women  of  assorted  ages  and  skills,  from  novice 
to  champion. 

Release  date,  December  8,  1942         11  minutes 


SHORTS  REVIEWS 


LIFT  YOUR  HEAD,  COMRADE 

British  M.O.I. 

This,  the  first  of  the  monthly  M.O.I,  releases, 
which  will  supplant  the  "five  minuters"  which 
British  exhibitors  have  shown  in  their  theatres 
gratuitously,  is  an  undoubted  improvement,  in 
all  ways,  on  the  original  formula.  Its  entertain- 
ment qualities  are  discernible,  it  has  good  pro- 
duction values  and  there  is  some  propaganda 
weight  behind  it.  The  subject  concerns  itself 
with  the  foreign  members  of  the  Pioneer  Corps, 
mostly  refugees  from  totalitarian  tyranny,  and 
humanly  touches  on  their  lives,  both  the  life 
they  have  left  behind  and  the  new  life  into 
which  they  have  given  themselves.  Thus  are 
seen  not  only  the  work  done  by  the  Pioneers — 
a  conglomerate  band  of  craftsmen,  barristers, 
miners,  doctors,  etc.— their  adaptability  to  mili- 
tary life,  and  their  eagerness  to  serve  the 
Democracies,  but  no  less  the  cruelties  and  tor- 
tures they  have  escaped.  It  is  a  vivid  human 
document,  with  flashes  of  humor,  not  without 
its  faults,  but  doing  what  it  set.s  out  to  do  with 
competence  and  wit. — A.  F. 

15  minutes 


A  LETTER  FROM  ULSTER 

British  M.O.I. 

This  film,  made  in  Ireland  by  an  Irishman 
for  the  British  Government,  is  presumably  the 
first  propaganda  tribute  the  screen  here  has 
made  to  the  American  forces  and  the  doughboys 
in  Ulster.  It  is  a  pleasant  and  human  produc- 
tion, good  to  look  at,  amusing  to  listen  to, 
agreeable  entertainment  and,  if  its  actual  prop- 
aganda is  a  little  vague,  its  documentary  quality 
is  effective.  Brian  Desmond  Hurst  went  to 
Northern  Ireland  with  a  small  unit  and  filmed 
the  U.  S.  Army  on  the  spot.  He  had  a  grand 
backcloth  of  sweeping  mountain  and  sleepy 
villages,  a  canvas  of  permanence  and  placidity  at 
odd  contrast  to  the  highpowered  efficiency  of 
many  of  the  towns  whence  came  the  boys  in 
the  film.  The  picture  takes  on  the  form  of  a 
letter  written  by  two  soldiers,  and  traces  their 
camplife,  their  strolls  through  the  countryside, 
the  kindliness  of  the  people,  and  finally  the 
toughening  process  to  which  they  are  subjected. 
For  release  here  as  well  as  in  the  U.  S.,  it  should 
go  equally  well  in  both  places. — A.  F. 

35  minutes 


I  094  Product  Digest  Section 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

Short  Subject  Release  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found 
on  pages  1092-1093. 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company 
by  Company,  in  order  of  release,  on  pages  1080-1081. 


Title  Company 

ABOVE  Suspicion  MGM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic  WB 

Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones  Mono. 

Adventures  of  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 

•  Affairs  of  Martha,  The  MGM 
(formerly  Once  Upon  a  Thursday) 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 

A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

American  Empire  U  A 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

•Are  Husbands  Necessary?  Para, 

Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

•Atlantic  Convoy  Col. 

Avengers,  The  (British]  Para, 
(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn) 

BABY  Face  Morgan  PRC 

Background  to  Danger  WB 

Bad  Company  Univ. 

•Bad  Men  of  the  Hills  Col. 

Bambi  (color)  RKO 

Bandit  Ranger  RKO 

Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue)  UA 
(formerly  Kukan) 

Battle  for  Siberia  (Russian) 

Behind  Prison  Walls 

Behind  the  Eight  Ball 
•Bells  of  Capistrano 

Berlin  Correspondent 

Between  Us  Girls 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses,  Caroline 
•Beyond  the  Blue  Horizon  (color)  Pai 

Big  Street,  The 

Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC 
•Silly  the  Kid  in  Law  and  Order  PRC 

Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 

Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox 

•B'ondie  for  Victory  Col. 

Bombardier  RKO 

Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The  Col. 

Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC 

•Boss  of  Hangtown  Mesa  Univ, 

Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood  Col. 

Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono. 

Buckskin  Frontier  Para. 

8usses  Roar  WB 

CABIN  in  the  Sky  MGM 

Cairo  MGM 

Calaboose  UA 

Call  of  the  Canyon  Rep. 

•Calling  Dr.  Gillespie  MGM 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 

Casablanca  WB 

Cat  People  RKO 


Artkino 
PRC 
U  niv. 
Rep. 
20th-Fox 
Univ. 


RKO 


Prod. 
Number 

202 


245 


302 


304 
7063 
413 


3045 


317 


3207 
39 
38 


7029 
3 

7010 

4130 

301 

358 
261 

357 


320 
3019 

4026 
310 

4030 

203 

307 

131 
247 
312 


Start 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Marsha  Hunt-Richard  Carlson 

John  Garfield-Gig  Young 

Laurel  and  Hardy 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Richard  Dix-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Ray  Milland-Betty  Field 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
John  Beal-Virginia  Field 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 
George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 
Dead  End  Kids 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Disney  Feature  Cartoon 
Tim  Holt 
Chinese  Feature 

Barbara  Miasnikova-Lev  Sverdlin 
Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 
Ritz  Bros. -Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 


Release 
Date 

Not  Set 
Sept.  5/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  '42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 
Dec.  13/42 
Not  Set 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Dec.  25/42 
Block  7 
Sept.  4/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
July  2/42 
Block  3 


Dorothy  Lamour-Richard  Denning 
Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 
Penny  Singleton-Arthur  Lake 
Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 
Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 
John  Litel-Florenee  Rice 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 
Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 
Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 
Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Sept.  15/42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  13/42 
Aug.  2 1  ,'42 
Sept.  25/42 
Aug.  7/42 

Aug.  26/42 
Not  Set 
Dec.  4/42 
Sept.  15/42 
Sept.  I  1/42 
Sept.  4/42 

Block  6 
Sept.  4/42 

Jan.  22/43 
Aug.  2 1/42 

Nov.  20/42 

Oct.  2/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Aug.  6/42 
Shirley  Not  Set 
Oct.  22/42 
Dec.  7/42 
Aug.  21/42 
Nov.  5/42 
Oct.  30/42 
Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5/42 

Lionel  Barrymore-Philip  Dorn  Aug.,  '42 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison  Sept.  18/42 

Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman  Not  Set 

Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway  Jan.  1/43 


Running 

Time 

98m 


66m 


58rr 


Aug.  22/42  927 


<—  REVIEWED  -n 

M.  P.        Product  Advance  Servu 

Herald        Digest  Synopsis  Dat* 

Issue          Page          Page  Pag' 

1081 
726 
983 
1055 
936 
1091 

613  756 

°36 

1091 


May  23/42  673 


Oct.  10/42  945 


1033 

55m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

1031 

85m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

855 

70m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

772 

912 

66m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

58m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

68m 

794 

63  m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

983 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

903 

1019 

101m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

71m 

Aug.  22/42 

938 

800 

84m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

69m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

102m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

936 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

962 

67m 

July  1  1/42 

927 

81m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

92m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

796 

66m 

June  27/42 

938 

726 

87m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

872 

1082 

79m 

June  13/42 

714 

663 

984 

63  m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

701 

1019 

66m 

July  1 1/42 

765 

751 

88m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

65m 

July  25/42 

903 

1058 

1055 

69  m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

70m 

May  30/42 

685 

1034 

61m 

July  5/41 

840 

90m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

1078 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

73  m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

70m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

89m 

Aug.  29/42 

890 

772 

76m 

May  9/42 

646 

527 

947 

87m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

701 

1034 


873 


Product  Digest  Section 


1095 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    2.  1943 


ntle  Company 

China  Para. 

China  Girl  20+h-Fox 

City  of  Silent  Men  PRC 

City  Without  Men  Col. 
Coastal  Command  (British)  Para. -Crown 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn  Col. 

Coney  Island  20th-Fox 

Constant  Nymph,  The  WB 

Corvettes  in  Action  Univ. 

Counter  Espionage  Col. 

Cover  Sirl,  The  (color)  Col. 

Crash  Dive  (color)  20th-Fox 

Crime  By  Night  WB 

Criminal  Investigator  Mono. 

•Crossroads  M6M 

Crystal  Ball,  The  UA 

•DANGER  in  the  Pacific  Univ. 

Daring  Young  Man,  The  Col. 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide  Mono. 
Day  Will  Dawn  (British)  Soskin-Gen'l 

(now  The  Avengers) 

Deadline  Guns  Col. 

Dead  Men  Walk  PRC 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas  Univ. 

Desert  Song,  The  (color)  WB 

Desperados,  The  (color)  Col. 

Desperate  Journey  WB 

Destination  Unknown  Univ. 
Devil  with  Hitler,  The  UA-Roach 

Dixie  Para. 

Dixie  Dugan  20th-Fox 

*Dr.  Broadway  Para. 

Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant  MGM 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret  20th-Fox 

•  Drums  of  the  Congo  Univ. 
DuBarry  Was  a  Lady  MGM 

•EAGLE  Squadron  Univ. 

Edge  of  Darkness  WB 

•  Enemy  Agents  Meet  Ellery  Queen  Col. 
En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish)  Scandia 

•Escape  from  Crime  WB 

Eyes  in  the  Night  MGM 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Univ. 

FALCON'S  Brother,  The  RKO 
Fall  In  UA-Roach 

Fighting  Chetniks  20th-Fox 
Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD 

First  of  the  Few,  The  Howard-Gen'l 
(British) 

Flesh  and  Fantasy  Univ. 

Flight  for  Freedom  RKO 

•  Flight  Lieutenant  Col. 
Flying  Fortress  (British)  WB 

•Flying  Tigers  Rep. 

Follies  Girl  PRC 

Footlight  Serenade  20th-Fox 

Foreign  Agent  Mono. 

Foreman  Went  to  France 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Forest  Rangers,  The  (color)  Para. 

Forever  Yours  Univ. 

For  Me  and  My  Gal  MGM 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color)  Para. 

Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man  Univ. 

From  Here  to  Victory  RKO 
•Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail  PRC 
•Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals  PRC 

•  GAY  Sisters,  The  WB 

•  General  Died  at  Dawn,  The  Para. 
Gentle  Annie  MGM 
Gentleman  Jim  WB 
George  Washington  Slept  Here  WB 
Get  Hep  to  Love  Univ. 
Girl  Trouble  20th-Fox 

•Give  Out,  Sisters  Univ. 

Glass  Key,  The  Para. 
Goose  Steps  Out,  The  Ealing-UA 
(British) 

Gorilla  Man,  The  WB 

Great  Gildersleeve,  The  RKO 

Great  Impersonation,  The  Univ. 

Great  Without  Glory  Para. 


Prod 
Number 

323 
308 


4027 


244 


6056 
402 


31 
707 


204 

7030 


4128 

32 1 
6040 


3038 

137 
309 


309 


301 
21 


30 


255 

138 
4140 

212 
210 

7022 
309 

7021 


7032 


Stars 

Lore+ta  Young-Alan  Ladd 
George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 
Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 
Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 
War  Documentary 
Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 
Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 
Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 
Patric  Knowles-Dick  Foran 
Warren  William-Eric  Blore 
Jinx  Falken berg-Rita  Hayworth 
Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 
Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 
Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 
William  Powell-Hedy  Lamarr 
Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Don  Terry-Leo  Carrillo 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 

Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 

Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 
Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 
Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 
Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 
Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 
Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 
James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 
Macdonald  Carey-Jean  Phillips 
Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 
Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 
Stuart  Erwin-Ona  Munson 
Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton 

Robert  Stack-Diana  Barrymore 
Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 
Margaret  Lindsay-William  Gargan 
Ingrid  Bergman-Olof  Sandborg 
Julie  Bishop-Richard  Travis 
Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 
Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney,  Jr. 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 
William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 
Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 

War  Documentary 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 
Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 
Pat  O'Brien-Glenn  Ford 
Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 
John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 
Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 
John  Payne-Betty  Grable 
John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 

Constance  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder 
Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 
Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 
Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 
Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman 

Lon  Chaney-Bela  Lugosi 
Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day 


Bill 
Bill 


(Radio) 
(Radio) 


Boyd-Art  Davis 
Boyd-Art  Davis 


Kelcate 
Date 

Not  Set 
Jan.   I, "43 
Oct.  1 2, '42 
Jan.  14/43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  3.'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Oct.  23.'42 
July,  '42 
Jan.   I  .'43 

July  10/42 

Oct.  8,'42 
Dec.  I8,'42 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Feb.  I0,'43 
Sept.  25,"42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Sept.  26/42 
Oct.  9/42 
Oct.  9/42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Block  6 

Not  Set 
Dec.  1 1/42 
July  17/42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 

July  30/42 
Not  Set 

July  25/42 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Jan.  8/43 

Nov.  6/42 
Nov.  20/42 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
July  9/42 
Dec.  5/42 
Oct.  8/42 
Feb.  12/43 
Aug.  1/42 
Oct.  9/42 

Not  Set 
Block  2 
Not  Set 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Oct.  19/42 
Sept.  4/42 


Barbara  Stanwyck-George  Brent  Aug.  1/42 

Gary  Cooper-Madeleine  Carroll  Reissue 

Robert  Taylor-Susan  Peters  Not  Set 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith  Nov.  14/42 

Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan  Nov.  28/42 

Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige  Oct.  2/42 

Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett  Oct.  9/42 

Andrews  Sisters- Richard  Davies  Sept.  1 1  ,'42 
Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Lake-Alan  Ladd        Block  I 

Will  Hay  Not  Set 


Running 
Time 

95m 
64m 

73m 
98m 


72m 


61m 

84m 


61m 

73m 
66m 
98m 


66  m 
62m 


107m 
61m 
45m 


67m 
86m 
58m 
61m 


109m 

64  m 

89m 
60m 
79m 
61m 

63  m 


37m 
1 18m 


78m 
68m 
102m 

80m 
64m 


—  REVIEWED  -> 

M.  P.         Product  Advance 

Herald       Digest  Synopsis 

Issue          Page  Page 


Service 
Date 


90m 
87m 


John  Loder-Paul  Cavanagh 
Harold  Peary-Freddy  Mercer 
Ralph  Bellamy-Evelyn  Ankers 
Joel  McCrea-Betty  Field 


Not  Set 
Jan.  15/43 
Dec.  18/42 

Not  Set 


60m 

108m 
93  m 

104m 
93  m 
77m 
82m 
65m 
85m 
78m 

64m 
62  m 
71m 


Dec.  5/42 
Sept.  12/42 

Nov.  14/42 
Dec.  19/42 


Oct.  10/42 


Dec.  12/42 
June  27/42 


Aug.  8/42 
Dec.  19/42 
Dec.  19/42 
May  23/42 


Sept.  12/42 


Aug.  22/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Oct.  24/42 


May  9/42 
Nov.  15/42 
Dec.  17/42 
July  25/42 


June  20/42 

Aug.  29/42 
Dec.  26/42 
June  6/42 
Sept.  12/42 
Oct.  17/42 

Oct.  3/42 


Sept.  12/42 
Sept.  5/42 


June  27/42 
June  27/42 
Sept.  26/42 

July  ii, '42 
Sept.  19/42 

May  2/42 
Oct.  3/42 


104m       Sept.  12/42 


June  6/42 
Sept.  12/36 

Oct.  3 i. "42 
Sept.  19/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Sept.  19/42 
Sept.  5/42 
Aug.  29/42 
Aug.  29/42 

Dec.  12/42 
Nov.  15/42 
Dec.  19/42 


1091 

1041 

872 

898 

!009 

1005 

1078 

962 

995 

945 

871 

962 

1  DPI 

1054 

I  UJJ 

737 

tot 

OOJ 

940 
Tew 

827 

1067 

871 

1066 

103 1 

673 

1081 

1031 

898 

872 

871 

915 

946 

912 

969 

1091 

1082 

646 

527 

1005 

959 

936 

794 

1019 

725 

635 

982 

870 

1077 

698 

687 

898 

797 

960 

935 

871 

796 

995 

898 

889 

1058 

983 

751 

914 

921. 

915 

715 

91 1 

634 

933 

872 

936 

897 

751 

855 

1055 

1081 

1033 

697 

663 

91 1 

1043 

981 

936 

909 

871 

934 

923 

855 

889 

914 

870 

1054 

1006 

995 

(066 

912 

912 

1082 


1082 


873 


1082 


1034 


947 
1082 
984 

873 


1034 


984 


1034 
1034 


1034 


1096  Product  Digest  Section 


January    2,  1943 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


—  REVIEWED  — 


Tttli  Company 

HAIL  to  the  Rangers  Col. 

Half  Way  to  Shanghai  Univ. 

Happy  Go  Lucky  (color)  Para. 

Hard  Way,  The  WB 

Heart  of  the  Golden  West  Rep. 

He  Hired  the  Boss  20th-Fox 

Henry  Aid  rich ,  Editor  Para. 

Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamor  Para. 

•  Her  Cardboard  Lover  MGM 
Here  We  Go  Again  RKO 
Hi,  Buddy  Univ. 
Hidden  Hand,  The  WB 
High  Explosive  Para. 
Highways  by  Night  RKO 

•  Hillbilly  Blitzkrieg  Mono. 
Hil  Neighbor  Rep. 
Hit  Parade  of  1943  Rep. 
Hitler,  Dead  or  Alive  House 
Hitler's  Children  RKO 

•  Holiday  Inn  Para. 
Human  Comedy,  The  MGM 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue  Rep. 

Iceland  20th-Fox 

•  I  Live  on  Danger  Para. 

•  I  Married  an  Angel  MGM 
I  Married  a  Witch  UA 
Immortal  Sergeant,  The  20th-Fox 
In  the  Rear  of  the  Enemy 

(Russian)  Artkino 

•  Invisible  Agent  Univ. 
In  Which  We  Serve 

(British)  Two  Cities-UA 

Isle  of  Missing  Men  Mono. 

It  Ain't  Hay  Univ. 

I  Walked  with  a  Zombie  RKO 

JACARE  UA 

•  Jackass  Mail  MGM 

•  Joan  of  dark  Rep. 
Johnny  Doughboy  Rep. 
Journey  for  Margaret  MGM 
Journey  Into  Fear  RKO 

•  Jungle  Siren  PRC 
Junior  Army  Col. 
Just  Off  Broadway  20th-Fox 


KEEPER  of  the  Flame 
•King  of  the  Stallions 


MGM 
Mono. 

RKO 
Para. 

PRC 
Univ. 
Para. 
Col. 

Col. 
Anglo 
20th-Fox 
Univ. 
20th-Fox 
Mono. 
Rep. 
Col. 
PRC 

PRC 


LADIES'  DAY 
Lady  Bodyguard 
Lady  from  Chungking 

•  Lady  in  a  Jam 

Lady  in  the  Dark 
Laugh  Your  Blues  Away 

(formerly  How  Do  You  Do?) 
Law  of  the  Northwest 
Let  the  People  Sing  (British) 
Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty 
Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler 
Little  Tokyo.  U.S.A. 
Living  Ghost,  The 
London  Blackout  Murders 
Lone  Prairie,  The 

•  Lone  Rider  in  Border  Roundup 
Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 

Boulder  Pass 
Lone  Rider  in  Overland 
Stagecoach  PRC 

•  Lone  Rider  in  Texas  Justice  PRC 
Lone  Star  Trail,  The  Univ. 
Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  The  20th-Fox 
Lucky  Jordan  Para. 
Lucky  Legs  Col. 

•Lure  of  the  Islands  Mono. 

MADAME  Spy  Univ. 

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The  RKO 

•Maisie  Gets  Her  Man  MGM 

Major  and  the  Minor,  The  Para. 

Man  in  the  Trunk,  The  20th-Fox 

Manila  Calling  20th-Fox 

Man  of  Courage  PRC 

Man's  World,  A  Col. 

Margin  for  Error  20th-Fox 

Mashenka  (Russian)  Artkino 

Meanest  Man  in  the  World  20+h-Fox 


Prod.  Reltati 

Number                 Stan  Date 

Charles  Starrett  Not  Set 

7035  Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor  Sept.  18, '47 

Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Vallee  Block  4 

209  Ida  Lupino-Dennis  Morgan  Not  Set 

251  Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes  Dec.  Il,'42 

....  Stuart  Erwin-Evelyn  Venable  Not  Set 

■  Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith  Block  2 

....  Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith  Block  4 

241  Norma  Shearer-Robert  Taylor  June  '42 

305  Fibber  McGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Charlie"  Oct.  9,'42 
•  Dick  Foran-Harriet  Hilliard  Not  Set 
208  Craig  Stevens-Elizabeth  Fraser  Nov.  7,'42 

....  Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker  Not  Set 

304  Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph  Oct.  2,'42 
....  Edgar  Kennedy-Bud  Duncan  Aug.  1 4, '42 

201  Lulubelle  &  Scotty-Jean  Parker  July  27, '42 

....  John  Carroll-Susan  Hayward  Not  Set 

  Ward  Bond-Dorothy  Tree  Not  Set 

....  Tim  Holt-Bonita  Granville  Feb.  26,'43 

4134  Bing  Crosby-Fred  Astaire  Block  7 
....  Mickey  Rooney-James  Craig  Not  Set 

206  Ellen  Drew-Richard  Denning  Dec.  24,'42 

306  Sonja  Henie-John  Payne  Oct.  2, '42 

4135  Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker  Block  7 
238  Nelson  Eddy-Jeanette  MacDonald  June  '42 

....  Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake  Oct.  30, '42 

....  Henry  Fonda-Maureen  O'Hara  Not  Set 

  War  Documentary  Oct.  9,'42 

6049  llona  Massey-Jon  Hall  July  3 1, '42 

....  Noel  Coward-Bernard  Miles  Dec.  25, '42 
  John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland  Sept.  I8,'42 

  Abbott  &  Costello  Not  Set 

....  Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway  Not  Set 

....  Animal  feature  Nov.  27, '42 

243  Wallace  Beery-Marjorie  Main  Jury  '42 

104  Judy  Conova-Joe  E.  Brown  Aug.  1/42 

205  Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook  Not  Set 

....  Robert  Young-Laraine  Day  Not  Set 

307  Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Del  Rio  Oct.  23,'42 
203  Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe  Aug.  I4,'42 

4038  Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop  Nov.  26, '42 

310  Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver  Sept.  25,'42 

....  Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn  Not  Set 
  Chief  Thundercloud-David  O'Brien  Sept.  Il,'42 

....  Lupe  Velez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Baer  Not  Set 

Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley  Block  4 

302  Anna  May  Wong-Harold  Huber  Dec.  21, '42 
6008  Irene  Dunne-Patric  Knowles  June  I9,'42 

....  Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland  Not  Set 

4033  Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg  Nov.  I2,'42 

....  Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson  Not  Set 

....  Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney  Not  Set 

322  Monty  Woolley-lda  Lupino  Dec.  25, "42 

7072  Johnny  Mack  Brown  Nov.  1 3, '42 

303  Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce  Aug.  I4,'42 
....  James  Dunn-Joan  Woodbury  Nov.  27, '42 
....  John  Abbott-Mary  McLeod  Jan.  I4,'43 
4209  Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Oct.  I5,'42 

266  George  Houston-Al  St.  John  Sept.  I8,'42 

....  George  Houston-Al  St.  John  Not  Set 

363  Bob  Livingston-AI  St.  John  Dec.  Il,'42 

265  George  Houston-Al  St.  John  June  2 1, '42 

7077  Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter  Not  Set 

305  John  Sheppard-Linda  Darnell  Aug.  28, '42 
Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker  Block  3 

4032  Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris  Oct.  1/42 

....  Margie  Hart-Robert  Lowery  July  3, '42 

7034  Constance  Bennett-Don  Porter  Dec.  I  I, '42 

371  Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Costello  Jury  I0,'42 

240  Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton  June  '42 

....  Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland  Block  I 

315  Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes  Oct.  23,'42 

314  Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis  Oct.  I6.'42 

319  Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters  Jan.  4, '43 

4044  M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright  Sept.  I7.'42 

....  Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle  Not  Set 

....  V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetiov  Nov.  20, '42 

....  Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane  Not  Set 


I  13m 
67m 


65m 
80m 
80m 
63m 
79m 
69m 
68m 
69m 
65m 

1 00m 
63m 


70m 
70  m 
83m 

69  m' 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Running 

Herald 

Digeit 

Synoptit 

Data 

Timt 

1  nut 

Page 

Page 

Page 

1055 

62  m 

Sept.  19, '42 

923 

•  ■  ■ 

1  AOO 

1  US/ 

81m 

Jan.  2, '43 

1 089 

797 

97m 

Sept.  19, '42 

923 

70J. 
/TO 

65m 

Nov.  21, '42 

1017 

986 

72m 

Oct.  3.'42 

934 

663 

72m 

Jan.  2, '43 

1089 

986 

90m 

May  30, '42 

686 

648 

/TO 

76m 

Aug.  29, '42 

938 

■  •  ■ 

1  U  ;  L 

1 079 

'  '  ' 

67m 

Sept.  19, '42 

910 

•  ■  • 

1 082 

983 

63  m 

Aug.  8, '42 

938 

715 

63  m 

Aug.  8, '42 

827 

794 

72m 

July  25,'42 

927 

772 

1043 

70m 

Nov.  21/42 

1018 

1 082 

83m 

.  Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

101  m 

June  13/42 

713 

663 

1034 

1019 

79m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

797 

79m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

1082 

73  m 

June  13/42 

713 

film 

ivi  ay  l  j ,  -ti 

©  /  a 

507 

984 

78m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1034 

995 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

79m 

Aug.  8/42 

826 

Oct.  17/42 
Aug.  15/42 


Dec.  26/42 
June  20/42 
July  25/42 
Dec.  26/42 
Oct.  3 1  ,'42 
Aug.  8/42 
Oct.  3 1  ,'42 


957 
927 


1077 
726 
793 
1077 
981 
903 
982 


Aug.  15/42  902 


Dec.  19/42 
Aug.  29/42 


Jan.  2/43 
Nov.  7/42 
July  4/42 


1065 
870 


1090 
1007 
749 


772 

1058 
1057 


715 

971 
912 
796 

1009 
797 

936 
800 

962 

946 
574 
613 
1091 
986 

1018 


100m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

599 

85m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

962 

64m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

64m 

July  11/42 

938 

61m 

Oct.  3  1  ,'42 

982 

59m 

Dec.  12/42 

1067 

55m 

1058 

1033 


1018 


947 

1082 
1034 


984 


1082 


60m 

1019 

67m' 

July  11/42 

914 

751 

84m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

986 

1082 

64m 

797 

61m 

800 

63m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

88m 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

947 

86m 

May  30/42 

687 

648 

756 

100m 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

1082 

71m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

855 

81m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

871 

67m 

1031 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

995 

67m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

962 

Product  Digest  Section 


1097 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


r-  REVIEWED 


Title 


Prod 

Company  Numbet 


■•Men  of  Texas  Univ.  6010 

Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant  RKO  302 

•  Mexican  Spitfire  Sees  a  Ghost  RKO  230 
Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The  Para.  .... 
Mission  to  Moscow  WB  .... 
Miss  V  from  Moscow  PRC  318 
Moonlight  in  Havana  Univ.  7026 
Moon  and  Sixpence,  The  UA 
Moon  Is  Down,  The  20th-Fox 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian)  Rep. 
Mountain  Rhythm  Rep. 
Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting  MGM 

•  Mrs.  Miniver  MGM  260 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para. 
Mug  Town  Univ. 
Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ.  7019 
Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 
Murder  on  Wheels  WB 
My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th-Fox 
My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy  Para. 

•My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 
Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 


Relent 

Stan  Bate 

Robert  Stack-Anne  Gwynne  July  3,'42 

Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol  Sept.  II, '42 

Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol  June  26, '42 

Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton  Not  Set 

Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding  Not  Set 

Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison  Nov.  23, '42 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee  Oct.  1 6/42 

George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall  Oct.  2, '42 
Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly       Not  Set 

Documentary  Aug.  I5,'42 

Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry  Jan.  8, '43 

Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers  Not  Set 

Greer  Garson-Walter  Pidgeon  Aug.,'42 

Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee  Block  2 

Dead  End  Kids  Dec.  18/42 

Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox  Oct.  23,"42 

Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman  Not  Set 

Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker  Not  Set 

Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster  Not  Set 

Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll  Block  3 

Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne  Sept.  30, '42 

Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder  Not  Set 


Runninx 


M.  P. 

Herald 


Product 
Digest 


Advance  Service 
Synoptit  Data 


Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Pag* 

oim 

July  1 1 ,  4z 

711 

7  66 

11 3 

LA  _ 

onm 

Aug.   0,  nl 

(ft  

oVm 

ki  ...    O  'AO 

May  t ,  4* 

L.AL 
0^6 

oSo 

of  3 

1  U/T 

1  ubo 

71m 

Dec.  5,'42 

1042 

1031 

62m 

Oct.  I7,"42 

959 

o  o  

oVm 

oept.  1 I,  'tl 

O  1  0 
7  1  L 

\  UJn 

1091 

55m 

Aug.  I5,'42 

840 

1034 

/Um 

uec.  1  L,  Hl 

1  UD*r 

1  UU7 

1  ft70 

1  U/ 7 

133m 

May  16/42 

661 

527 

1034 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

61m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

970 

1079 

962 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

871 

96m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

772 

1082 

1091 


NAVY  Comes  Through,  The 
'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge 
Next  of  Kin,  The  (British) 
Nightmare 
Night  for  Crime,  A 
►Night  in  New  Orleans 
Night  Monster 
Night  Plane  from  Chungkin 
Night  to  Remember,  A 
Northwest  Rangers 
No  Place  for  a  Lady 
No  Time  for  Love 
Nothing  Ventured 
Now,  Voyager 


OFF  the  Beaten  Track 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The 
Old  Homestead,  The 
Omaha  Trail 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 
On  The  Beam 
Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon 
One  Dangerous  Night 
One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British) 
One  Thrilling  Night 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 
Orchestra  Wives 
•  Orders  from  Tokyo 

Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge 
•Overland  to  Deadwood 
Over  My  Dead  Body 
Ox-Bow  Incident,  The 
Ox  Train 

(now  Omaha  Trail) 


RKO 

308 

Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Ealing-UA 

Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam 

Univ. 

Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy 

PRC 

304 

Gienda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot 

Para. 

4127 

Preston  Foster-Patricia  Morison 

Univ. 

7038 

Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi 

g  Para. 

Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew 

Col. 

Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne 

MGM 

James  Craig-Patricia  Dane 

Col. 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay 

Para. 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray 

MGM 

Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 

WB 

206 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid 

Univ. 

Ritz  Brothers-Carol  Bruce 

Univ. 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Rep. 

202 

Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry 

MGM 

311 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Univ. 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

RKO 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant 

Col. 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

•  PACIFIC  Rendezvous 
Palm  Beach  Story,  The 
Panama  Hattie 

•  Parachute  Nurse 
Pardon  My  Gun 

•Pardon  My  Sarong 

Payoff,  The 
•Phantom  Killer 

•  Phantom  Plainsmen 
Pied  Piper,  The 
Pilot  No.  5 

•Pierre  of  the  Plains 

Pirates  of  the  Prairie 

Pittsburgh 
•Police  Bullets 
•Postman  Didn't  Ring,  The 
•Powder  Town 

Power  of  God,  The 

Powers  Girl 

Power  of  the  Press 

Prairie  Chicken 
•Prairie  Gunsmoke 

Presenting  Lily  Mars 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The 

Princess  O'Rourke 

Priorities  on  Parade 

•  Prisoner  of  Japan 
Private  Miss  Jones 


UA  ....  Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman 

Mono.  ....  John  Beal-Wanda  McKay 

20th-Fox  308  George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherford    Sept.  4/42 

Almo  ....  Danielle  Darrieux-Anton  Walbrook  Not  Set 

Rep.  272  Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick  Oct.  27/42 

Col.  3208  Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden  Sept.  25/42 

20th-Fox  325  Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes  Jan.  18/43 

20th-Fox  ....  Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes  Not  Set 

MGM  ....  James  Craig-Dean  Jagger  Sept.-Nov.,'42 


MGM         239  Lee  Bowman-Jean  Rogers  June  '42 

Para   Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea  Block  3 

MGM         303  Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Col.       3044  Kay  Harris-M.  Chapman  June  18/42 

Col.       4202  Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll  Dec.  1/42 

Univ   Abbott  &  Costello-Virginia  Bruce  Aug.  7/42 

PRC        303  Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer  Jan.  21/43 

Mono   Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury  Oct.  2/42 

Rep.         167  Three  Mesquiteers  June  16/42 

20th-Fox        304  Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowell  Aug.  21/42 

MGM        ....  Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt  Not  Set 

MGM         246  John  Carroll-Ruth  Hussey  Aug.  '42 

RKO         382  Tim  Holt  Nov.  20/42 

Univ   Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne  Dec.  11/42 

Mono.       ....  John  Archer-Joan  Marsh  Sept.  25/42 

20th-Fox        252  Richard  Travis-Brenda  Joyce  July  3/42 

RKO        226  Victor  McLaglen-Edmond  O'Brien  June  19/42 

St.  Rts.        ....  John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden  Not  Set 

UA        ....  Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy  Jan.  15/43 

Col   Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy  Not  Set 

UA-Roach       ...  Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Col.       3215  Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter  July  16/42 

MGM       ....  Judy  Garland-George  Murphy  Not  Set 

RKO  Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright  Not  Set 

WB        ....  Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummingi  Not  Set 

Para.         ...  Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna  Block  I 

PRC        204  Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael  July  22/42 

MGM        ....  Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly  Not  Set 


Oct.  30/42 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

Nov.  20/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Not  Set 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

Nov.  13/42 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

Feb. 18/43 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

Block  6 

75m 

May  9/42 

647 

635 

Oct.  23/42 

73  m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Block  4 

983 

Dec.  10/42 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

Not  Set 

64m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

981 

960 

Not  Set 

1057 

Not  Set 

855 

Not  Set 

1057 

Oct.  3 1/42 

1  1 7m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

Not  Set 

794 

Dec.  11/42 

Aug.  17/42 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

61  m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

Not  Set 

986 

Nov.  27/42 

1  16m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

855 

Jan.  21/43 

983 

Oct.  16/42 

1 10m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

903 

June  5/42 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

97m 
80m 
57m 
58m 
68m 


Aug.  15/42 
Aug.  1/42 

Nov.  2 1  ,'42 
Nov.  28/42 
Dec.  12/42 


927 
810 
1017 
1030 
1053 


797 


995 
872 
796 


1082 


1082 


1034 


76m 

May  23/42 

673 

648 

90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1082 

79m 

July  25/42 
Aug.  1/42 

915 

396 

1034 

63m 

810 

701 

57m 

1058 

84m 

Aug.  8/42 

825 

984 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

65m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

87m 

July  1 1/42 

903 

751 
971 

1082 

66m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

57m 

1033 

93m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

69m 

May  30/42 
May  9/42 

687 

79m 

647 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

93m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

1055 
986 

56m 

962 

120m 

July  18/42 

915 

1082 

962 

79m 

Aug.  1/42 

914 

64m 

July  4/42 

750 

715 

947 

1079 


I  098  Product  Digest  Section 


January    2  ,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


CUlt  Company 

QUEEN  of  Broadway  PRC 
Quiet  Please,  Murder  20th-Fox 


Prod. 
Number 

312 


RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin  Univ. 

Random  Harvest  MGM 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The  PRC 

Ravaged  Earth  Crystal 

Red  River  Robin  Hood  RKO 

Reunion  MGM 

Rhythm  Parade  Mono. 
Riders  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Col. 

•  Riders  of  the  Northland  Col. 

•  Riders  of  the  West  Mono. 
Ridin'  Double  Mono. 
Rid  in1  Down  the  Canyon  Rep. 
Ridin'  Through  Nevada  Col. 
Road  to  Morocco  Para. 
Robin  Hood  of  the  Range  Col. 

•  Rubber  Racketeers  Mono. 

•  SABOTAGE  Squad  Col. 
Saludos  Amigos  (color)  RKO 
Salute  for  Three  Para. 
Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt.-Anglo-Am. 
Salute  to  the  Marines  MGM 
Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 
Secret  Enemies  WB 
Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-Gen'l 
Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed  PRC 
Secrets  of  the  Underground  Rep. 
Seven  Days  Leave  RKO 
Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz  RKO 
Seven  Sweethearts  MGM 
Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Univ. 
Shadows  on  the  Sage  Rep. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 

Terror  Univ. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon  Univ. 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  Fights  Back) 
Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 

Silent  Witness  Mono. 

•  Silver  Bullet  Univ. 
Silver  Queen  UA 
Sin  Town  Univ. 

•  Smart  Alecks  Mono. 
Smith  of  Minnesota  Col. 
Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish)  Scandia 
Sombrero  Kid,  The  Rep. 
Something  to  Shout  About  Col. 
Somewhere  I'll  Find  You  MGM 

•  Sons  of  the  Pioneers  Rep. 
Spirit  of  Stanford,  The  Col. 
Spring  Song  (Russian)  Artkino 
Springtime  in  the  Rockies  [color) 

20th-Fox 

•Spy  Ship  WB 

Squadron  Leader  (British)  RKO 

Stand  By,  All  Networks  Col. 

Stand  By  for  Action  MGM 
(formerly  Clear  for  Action) 

Star  Spangled  Rhythm  Para. 

Street  of  Chance  Para. 

Strictly  in  the  Groove  Univ. 

Submarine  Alert  Para. 

•Sunday  Punch  MGM 

Sundown  Kid  Rep. 

•Sunset  Serenade  Rep. 

•Sweater  Girl  Para. 

•TAKE  a  Letter,  Darling  Para. 
Take  My  Life  Toddy 
Tales  of  Manhattan  20th-Fox 
Talk  About  Jacqueline 

(British)  Excelsior-Metro 

•Talk  of  the  Town  Co). 

*Terzan's  New  York  Adventure  MGM 
Tarzan  Triumphs  RKO 
Taxi  Mister  UA-Roach 
Tennessee  Johnson  MGM 

•Ten  Gentlemen  from  West  Point  20th-Fox 
Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground  Univ. 
Texas  to  Bataan  Mono. 

•Texas  Trouble  Shooters  Mono. 
Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars  WB 
That  Narty  Nuisance  UA-Roach 
That  Other  Woman  20th-Fox 


351 


3206 


253 
4201 


3046 


306 
205 

309 

310 

261 
7020 


6066 
7017 
4035 
271 

3oi 

157 
4022 


317 
139 

4042 


2028 

234 

273 

4129 
4126 

313 


3001 
242 


251 


7074 


318 


Releaii 

Star,  Date 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe  Mar.   2, '43 

Gail  Patrick-George  Sandert  Not  Set 

Johnny  Mack  Brown  Not  Set 

Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson  Not  Set 

Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill  Dec.  25, '42 

Documentary  on  China  Not  Set 

Tim  Holt  Not  Set 
Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn-John  Wayne      Not  Set 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery  Dec.  I  I  ,'42 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Not  Set 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden  June  1 8, '42 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy  Aug.  2 1, '42 

King-Sharpe-Terhune  Not  Set 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes  Dec.  30, '42 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson  Oct.  1/42 
Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour       Block  2 

Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris  Not  Set 

Rochelle  Hudson-Ricardo  Cortez  June  26,'42 

Bruce  Bennett-Kay  Harris  Aug.  27,'42 

Disney  South  American  feature  Jan.  8, '43 

Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes  Not  Set 

Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway  Not  Set 

Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter  Not  Set 

Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes  Oct.  1 6, '42 

Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson  Oct.  1 7, '42 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann  Not  Set 

Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer  Oct.  26/42 

John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey  Dec.  18/42 

Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature  Nov.  13/42 

James  Craig-Bonita  Granville  Jan.  22/43 
Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson             Sept.-Nov.,  '42 

Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten  Not  Set 

Three  Mesquiteers  Aug.  24/42 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce  Sept.  18/42 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce  Not  Set 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce  Not  Set 

Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon  Not  Set 

Johnny  Mack  Brown  June  12/42 

George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane  Nov.  13/42 

Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford  Sept.  25/42 

East  Side  Kids  Aug.  7/42 

Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge  Oct.  15/42 

Edvard  Persson  Sept.  12/42 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick  July  31/42 

Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair  Not  Set 
Clark  Gable-Lane  Turner  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Roy  Rogers-"Gabby"  Hayes  July  2/42 
Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman  Sept.  10/42 
Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  11/42 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne  Nov.  4/42 

Craig  Stevens-Irene  Manning  Aug.  15/42 

Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley  Not  Set 

John  Beal-Florence  Rice  Oct.  29/42 

Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor       m  Not  Set 

Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  Moore  Special 

Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor  Block  2 

Leon  Errol-Mary  Healey  Nov.  20/42 

Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie  Not  Set 

William  Lundigan-Jean  Rogers  May/42 

Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson  Dec.  30/42 

Roy  Rogers  Sept.  14/42 

Eddie  Bracken-June  Preisser  Block  6 

Rosalind  Russell-F.  MacMurray  Block  6 

Harlem  Tuff  Kids  Not  Set 

C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers  Oct.  30/42 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann  Not  Set 

Cary  Grant-Jean  Arthur-R.  Colman  Aug.  20/42 
Johnny  Weissmuller-Maureen  O'Sullivan  June/42 

Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford  Not  Set 

William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley  Not  Set 

Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey  Not  Set 

Maureen  O'Hara-Geo.  Montgomery  June  26/42 

Johnny  Mack  Brown  Feb.  5/43 

King-Sharpe-Terhune  Oct.  16/42 

Range  Busters  June  12/42 

All  Warner  Contract  Players  Not  Set 

William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer  Not  Set 

Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison  Nov.  13/42 


Running 
Time 

62m 

7Cm 


126m 

68m 
57m 
102m 
70m 

58m 
60m 

55m 
61m 
83m 

67m 


r—  Kt VIEWED  -> 

M.  P.  Product  Advance  Servlct 
Herald        Digest      Synopsii  Data 


\iiue 

Nov.  28/42 
Dec.  19/42 


Nov.  28/42 


Dec.  5/42 
Oct.  17  42 
Dec.  5/42 
Dec.  19/42 


Sept. 
Aug. 


5. '42 
1/42 


Dec.  12/42 


Oct.  3/42 


June  27,  42 


Page 

1030 
1066 


1029 

1043 
960 

1 04  r 

1067 

890 
810 

1054 

933 

751 


Page 

1018 
983 

1009 
796 
1055 


872 
983 
1019 
677 
800 
1019 
1019 
1058 
872 
1057 


855 


P*gt 


1082 


1034 


984 


64m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

772 

43  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

1091 

96m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

1057 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

59m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

1009 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

62  m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

1034 

936 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

983 

62m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1033 

56m 

Aug.  8/42 

826 

726 

88m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

936 

73m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

898 

66m 

June  27/42 

738 

947 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

56m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

796 

1043 

107m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

726 

984 

61m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

78m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

796 

1082 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1082 

•  62m 

June  6/42 

698 

687 

100m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

64m 

797 

109m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

74m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

871 

1082 

60m 

July  4/42 

914 

772 

75m 

Apr.  18/42 

611 

58m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

77m 

May  9/42 

647 

527 

93m 

May  9/42 

645 

635 

1082 

77m 

July  11/42 

767 

1 18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

1034 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

1 18m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

70  i 

1034 

71m 

Apr.  18/42 

610 

575 

984 

983 

986 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

946 

103m 

May  30/42 

685 

677 

795 

1018 

56m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

55m 

699 

1058 

1019 

75m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

960 

936 

Product  Digest  Section 


1099 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


January    2,  1943 


Prod. 

Tit  It                              Company  Number 

•  There's  One  Born  Every  Minute  Univ.  6043 
They  Flew  Alone  (British)  RKO 

(now  Wings  and  the  Woman) 

They  Sot  Me  Covered          Goldwyn  .... 

•  They  Raid  by  Night  PRC  212 
•This  Above  All                     20th-Fox  253 

This  Is  the  Enemy                   Artkino  .... 

Those  Kids  from  Tetwn  (British)  Anglo  .... 

Three  Cheers  for  Julia              MGM  .... 

•Thru  Different  Eyes                20th-Fox  250 

Thunder  Birds  (color)             20th-Fox  307 

Thunder  Rock  (British)  Charter-Metro  .... 

•Thundering   Hoofs                      RKO  286 

•  Timber  Univ.  6057 
Time  to  Kill  20th-Fox  326 
Tish  MGM 

•Tombstone                                 Para.  4132 

Tomorrow  We  Live                    PRC  307 
Tomorrow  We  Live  (British)    Brit.  Lion 

Tornado  in  the  Saddle                 Col.  4210 

Trail  Riders                             Mono.  .... 

Traitor  Within,  The                     Rep.  207 

True  to  Life                              Para.  .... 

•Tumbleweed  Trail                       PRC  254 

Two  Fisted  Justice                    Mono.  .... 


Release  Running 

Stan  Date  Time 

Hugh  Herbert-Guy  Kibbee  June  26,'42  60m 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton  Not  Set  94m 

Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour  Not  Set  .... 

Lyle  Talbot-June  Duprez  June  26,'42  72m 

Tyrone  Power-Joan  Fontaine  July  24,'42  110m 

Russian  Documentary  Not  Set  74m 

Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill  Not  Set  75m 

Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas  Not  Set  .... 

Frank  Craven-Mary  Howard  June  19/42  65m 

John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney  Nov.  20, '42  78m 

Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen  Not  Set  I  I  I  m 

Tim  Holt  July  24/42  61m 

Leo  Carrillo-Andy  Devine  Aug.  I4,'42  60m 

Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel  Jan.  22, '43  61m 

Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman  Sept.-Nov.,'42  83m 

Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford  Block  7  79m 

Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortez  Sept.  29,'42  64m 

John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle  Not  Set  85m 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Dec.  15/42  59m 

King-Sharpe-Terhune  Dec.  4/42  .... 

Don  Barry-Jean  Parker  Dec.  16/42  62m 

Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone  Not  Set  .... 

Bill  Boyd-Art  Davis-Lee  Powell  July  10/42  57m 

King-Sharpe-Terhune  Not  Set  .... 


r-  REVIEWED  — > 
M.  P.  Product 

Herald  Digest 
Issue  Page 


May  2/42  838 


Sept.  5/42 
May  16/42 
July  1 1/42 
May  2/42 

May  30/42 
Oct.  17/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Dec.  13/41 
Aug.  15/42 
Dec.  5/42 
July  25/42 
June  13/42 
Sept.  26/42 
Dec.  26/42 


Dec.  5/42 


890 
661 
766 
633 

686 
958 
935 
407 
839 

1042 
938 
714 
922 

1077 


1043 


Advance 
Synopsis 
Page 


872 


1009 
674 
796 

387 

995 
772 


1058 
1018 
983 
1079 

1031 


Service 
Date 
Page 


1034 


1034 


1034 


UNCENSORED  (British)  Gains.-Gen'l 
Undercover  Man  UA  4140 
Underground  Agent  Col.  4039 
Undying  Monster,  The  20th-Fox  319 
•  United  We  Stand  20th-Fox  254 
Unpublished  Story  (British)  Col  


Eric  Portman-F.  Culley 
William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 
Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 
James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 
News  Documentary 
Richard  Greene-Miles  Malleson 


Not  Set 

100m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

Oct.  23/42 

68m 

May  9/42 

647 

Dec.  3/42 

68m 

1009 

Nov.  27/42 

60  m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

970 

936 

1082 

July  10/42 

70m 

June  27/42 

738 

947 

Not  Set 

91m 

Apr.  11/42 

598 

VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men 

Rep. 

262 

Tyler-Steele-Dodd 

Nov.  13/42 

1031 

Varsity  Show  (Reissue) 

WB 

215 

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring 

Dec.  19/42 

120m 

Aug.  21/37 

1043 

Vengance  of  the  West 

Col. 

3216 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter 

Sept.  3/42 

WAKE  Island 

Para. 

Brian  Donlevy-Robert  Preston 

Block  1 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

772 

1034 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 

306 

Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

86m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

797 

1082 

War  Dogs 

Mono. 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 

Nov.  13/42 

63  m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

Watch  on  the  Rhine 

WB 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Lucas 

Not  Set 

986 

We  Are  the  Marines 

20th-Fox 

324 

Marine  Feature 

Jan.  8/43 

73m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen 

Not  Set 

93m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

982 

Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney 

Not  Set 

92m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

We  Sail  at  Mid- 

night (British) 

Crown  Film 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

27m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

West  of  the  Law 

Mono. 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 

Nov.  2/42 

55m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

When  Johnny  Comes 

Marching  Home 

Univ. 

Allan  Jonei-Jane  Frazee 

Jan.  1/43 

74m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

Whistling  in  Dixie 

MGM 

Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford 

Not  Set 

74m 

Oct.  3 1  ,'42 

981 

946 

1082 

White  Cargo 

MGM 

310 

Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

871 

1082 

White  Savage 

Univ. 

Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 

Not  Set 

1079 

Who  Done  It? 

Univ. 

7002 

Abbott  &  Costello 

Nov.  6/42 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

971 

1082 

Wildcat 

Para. 

Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge 

Block  1 

73  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)  RKO 

303 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Sept.  18/42 

94m 

May  2/42 

903 

1082 

(formerly  They  Flew  Alone 

) 

•Wingi  for  the  Eagle 

WB 

136 

Ann  Sheridan-Dennis  Morgan 

July  18/42 

83m 

June  6/42 

697 

687 

984 

World  at  War 

WAC 

Documentary 

Sept.  18/42 

66m 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

Wrecking  Crew 

Para. 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris 

Block  3 

73m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

Wyoming  Hurricane 

Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1079 

X  Marks  the  Spot 

Rep. 

204 

Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish 

Nov.  4/42 

56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

YANK  at  Eton,  A 

MGM 

306 

Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

726 

1034 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy 

WB 

201 

James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 

Jan.  2/43 

126m 

June  6/42 

903 

674 

1082 

•Yank  in  Libya,  A 

PRC 

220 

H.  B.  Warner-Joan  Woodbury 

July  24/42 

67m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

772 

Yanks  Ahoy 

UA-Roach 

Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 

Not  Set 

Oct.  3/42 

1019 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The 

PRC 

301 

Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  9/42 

65m 

935 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 

Mono. 

Edward  Norris-Joan  Woodbury 

Not  Set 

Sept.  26/42 

1081 

1034 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever 

WB 

207 

George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 

Oct.  10/42 

77m 

92  i 

898 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier 

Col. 

4002 

Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 

Nov.  19/42 

97m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

796 

1034 

Young  and  Willing 

UA 

William  Holden-Susan  Hayward 

Jan.  29/43 

663 

Youngest  Profession,  The 
Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British) 

MGM 

Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  &  Guests   Not  Set 

July  4/42 

1081 

20th-Fox 

316 

Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 

Not  Set 

103  m 

914 

Youth  on  Parade 

Rep. 

203 

John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 

Oct.  24/42 

75m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 
in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1080. 


I  I  00  Product  Digest  Section 


THE  WORLDWIDE 
AUTHORITY  ON 
TALENT  VALUES 


The  ninth  annual  edition  of  FAME  is  now  on 
the  press.  Edited  by  Terry  Ramsaye,  it  will 
be  published  about  January  1st,  1943,  and  will 
analyze  and  summarize  the  year's  outstanding 
talent  successes.  Among  its  features  it  will 
present  the  box  office  champions  of  1942  with 
complete  analysis  and  personnel  credits  .  .  .  the 
money-making  stars  of  the  season,  evaluated  and 
reported  upon  by  the  exhibitor  showmen  of  the 
world  .  .  .  the  Stars  of  Tomorrow  as  picked  by 
theatre  men  .  .  .  the  radio  champions  of  1942 
as  polled  by  Motion  Picture  Daily  among  the 
editors  of  the  daily  newspapers  of  America  .  .  . 
Fame  and  Radio — an  analysis  of  the  extent  to 
which  the  air  waves  lean  on  Hollywood  for 
talent. 


PUBLICATION 


F  A  M 


mm 


LINDA 
DARNELL 


EDGAR  BUCHANAN  •  MICHAEL  DUANE 

SARA  ALLGOOO  6LENDA  FARRELL  LESLIE  BROOKS -DORIS  DODLEY 

RELEASED  JAN.  14 


SEND  IN  YOUI 
PLEDGE  FOR 
'UNITED  NATIO 
WEEK 


MOTION  PICTURE 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 

The  Immortal  Sergeant 
Three  Hearts  for  Julia 
Fortress  on  the  Volga 
Margin  lor  Error 

LATE  REVIEWS 

(In  Nett/s  Section) 
Shadow  of  a  Doubt 
Meanest  Man  in  the  World 
Chetnils  (The  Fighting  Guerrillas) 


RALD 


Paramount  adventures 
with  New  Sales  Plan 
on  Box  Office  Values 


An  article  by  RED  KANN 


How  to  Plan  Auditorium  Floor  Slopes 


VOL.  150,  NO.  2 


JANUARY  9,  1943 


)ley  Publish 


at* 


A5 


est' 


f£QDNt> 


I 


II 


THE  TEN  STRIKE! 


Robert  TAYLOR,  Charles  LAUGHTON,  Brian  DONLEVY  in  "STAND  BY  FOR  ACTION" 
"ANDY  HARDY'S  DOUBLE  LIFE"  with  LEWIS  STONE,  MICKEY  ROONEYand  the  Folks 

RED  SKELTON  in  "WHISTLING  IN  DIXIE" 
Joan  CRAWFORD,  John  WAYNE,  Philip  DORN  in  "REUNION  IN  FRANCE" 
"JOURNEY  FOR  MARGARET"  with  Robert  YOUNG,  Laraine  DAY,  'Margaret'  O'BRIEN 
SPENCER  TRACY,  KATHARINE  HEPBURN  in  "KEEPER  OF  THE  FLAME" 
"NORTHWEST  RANGERS" -The  West  in  action! 
"DR.  GILLESPIE'S  NEW  ASSISTANT"  with  LIONEL  BARRYMORE 
"TENNESSEE  JOHNSON"  with  Van  HEFLIN,  Lionel  BARRYMORE,  Ruth  HUSSEY 
ANN  SOTHERN,  MELVYN  DOUGLAS  in  "THREE  HEARTS  FOR  JULIA" 


Bowl  em  over  with  Big  Ones! 


LET'S  GO 
UNITED  NATIONS 
WEEK! 


*  N.Y.  Strand,  for  instance: 

FOLLOWS  5-MONTH  ADVANCE- PRICE  BROADWAY  RUN  WITH 
BIGGEST  2  WEEKS  IN  ALL  ITS  28  YEARS!  HELD  INDEFINITELY! 


On  To  Victory ! 
UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK  JAN.  14  THRU  JAN.  20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

MARTIN  QVIGLEY,  Editor -hi -Chief  COLVIN  BROWN,  Publisher  TERRY  RAMSAYE,  Editor 


Vol.  150,  No.  2  January  9,  1943 


SOCIAL  LOSSES 

FOR  a  while  we  have  not  been  hearing  so  much  about 
"social  gains",  now  that  the  demands  of  war  bite  deeper 
into  the  national  economy.  It  is  a  time  of  sacrifice  and 
inevitable  "social  losses",  in  terms  of  luxury  at  least,  for  every- 
body. 

Among  the  invasions  close  at  hand  is  the  menace  of  fuel 
shortage  for  theatre  heating,  and  around  the  corner  of  the 
coming  season  the  probable  drafting  of  air  conditioning  equip- 
ment in  behalf  of  munition-  plant  demands.  Meanwhile,  too, 
the  materials  of  theatrical  decoration  and  ornate  splendor  are 
no  longer  to  be  had.  At  best,  exhibition  will  be  getting  along 
on  what  it  has,  or  less. 

This  has  a  considerable  meaning  to  those  multitudes  to  which 
the  theatre  is  not  only  a  place  of  entertainment  but  also  a 
house  of  luxury  to  which  they  may  escape,  for  little  price,  from 
tawdry  homes,  boarding  houses  and  hall  bedrooms,  into  splen- 
dours and  a  realm  of  gold-laced  majestic  courtesy,  a  place 
where  every  customer  is  Somebody  for  his  moment.  There's 
morale  in  the  sheer  environment,  and  service  for  a  lot  of 
starved  egos  that  always  need  it,  now  more  than  ever. 

Those  restrictions  which  tend  to  take  that  out  of  the  public's 
motion  picture  theatre  represent  social  loss,  and  for  the  many. 
This  is  something  for  the  planners  of  both  war  and  peace  to 
know  and  remember. 

It  is  the  capacity  of  the  motion  picture  theatre  to  give  more 
to  more  people  for  a  lot  less.  It  is  a  piece  of  national  economy 
to  keep  it  going — and,  as  nearly  as  possible,  as  was. 

AAA 

NEWSREEL  POLICY 

THAT  decision  to  make  the  reduction  of  footage  for  news- 
reels  experimental  and  tentative  for  three  months  indi- 
cates a  less  than  positive  state  of  mind.  It  does  not,  how- 
ever, guarantee  in  a  large  sense  that  the  experience  of  ninety 
days  will  be  proving  anything  of  a  positive  nature  about  the 
total  effect  on  the  audience  or  reaction  on  the  institution  of 
the  amusement  theatre.  Most  likely  the  public  will  not  be 
articulate  about  it.  Thereupon  it  may  be  decided  that  the 
move  is  a  success. 

The  fact  still  remains  that  over  the  years  the  newsreel  has 
been  a  large,  and  perhaps  largest,  contributor  to  the  status 
of  the  motion  picture  screen  in  the  minds  of  the  more  intelli- 
gent patrons.  Broadly,  the  newsreel  has  always  done  more  for 
the  motion  picture  than  the  industry  has  done  for  it. 

The  current  decision  taking  footage  from  the  newsreels  to 
give  it  to  drama  and  comedy  is  profoundly  a  commercial 
decision,  and  doubtless  very  dollar-wise,  for  the  immediate 
now.  Also,  it  may  be,  too,  that  the  newsreel,  like  the  scenic 
shorts  and  adventure  features,  is  to  go  into  a  diminuendo  and 
fade-out.  All  those  films-of-fact  pertained  to  the  era  when 
theatres  played  "programs"  and  depended  on  a  weekly  turn- 


over of  patronage.  The  theatre  was  then  a  medium  of  publica- 
tion, with  its  customers  in  effect  regular  subscribers. 

That  relation  of  customer  to  theatre  probably  still  obtains 
in  a  numerical  majority  of  houses,  but  it  does  not  exist  for  the 
big  top  runs  where  the  cream  of  the  "A"  picture  market  is. 
Inevitably,  it  is  that  region  of  long  runs  and  big  grosses  which 
dominates  and  tends  to  control  the  state  of  mind  in  motion 
picture  merchandising.  It  is  precisely  there  that  the  newsreel 
is  of  the  least  ostensible  importance,  the  place  where  it 
becomes  the  most  casual  of  fillers. 

Bear  in  mind  that  the  decision  to  reduce  newsreel  footage 
is  not  a  Government  order,  but  precisely  what  the  motion  pic- 
ture organizations  concerned  have  decided  to  do  with  their 
film  allotments. 

That's  why  the  newsreel  is  behind  the  8-ball  now. 

AAA 

HINDSIGHT  SELLING 

ROXY  used  to  say  that  "the  public  always  knows  exactly  what 
it  wants,  right  after  it  has  had  it."  By  the  same  process  of 
logic  it  can  be  said  that  anybody  can  judge  the  value  of 
a  motion  picture  after  it  has  been  sold  and  the  gross  is  counted. 
Also  the  process  of  selling  and  buying  pictures  in  theatrical 
distribution  has  been  long  beset  by  problems  created  by  the 
fact  that  no  one  ever  knows  with  even  passable  accuracy  what 
a  picture  will  do  until  it  has  done  it. 

Now  comes  Paramount  with  a  plan  to  sell  pictures  to  its  own 
partners,  and  some  others,  on  a  tentative  basis  of  estimated 
exhibition  value  subject  to  final  adjustment  to  the  facts  as 
disclosed  by  the  working  experience  of  the  picture.  Here  is 
an  endeavour  to  give  the  sales-and-buying  relation  the  benefit 
of  mutual  hindsight. 

This  is  the  subject  of  a  news  story  in  this  issue  from  the  hand 
of  Mr.  Red  Kann,  and  is  the  first  of  his  contributions  in  his  new 
post  with  Quigley  Publications.  As  Mr.  Kann  records,  this 
experiment  has  reminiscences  of  the  First  National  "exhibition 
value"  plan  of  years  agone.  And  it  may  be  added  that  First 
National  Exhibitors  Circuit  was  itself  an  adventure  in  trade 
relations,  trade  practises  and  merchandising  which  succeeded 
as  long  as  it  maintained  a  real  mutuality  between  buyer  and 
seller,  and  faded  when  that  mutuality  became  impaired. 

AAA 

COUNTRY  ALLEGORY— From  the  snowdad  thickets  and 
woodlands  of  this  Connecticut  valley  feathered  adventurers 
come  to  partake  of  suet  and  sunflower  seeds  which,  by  the 
mad  magic  of  man,  they  find  in  a  feeding  box  against  the  lee 
of  a  great  tree.  Hunger  flirts  with  fear  and  small,  timid  things 
grow  da  ring.  Chickadees  dodge  from  belligerent  sparrows 
which  in  turn  duck  when  the  nuthatches  come.  But  the  wood- 
peckers chase  them  all  away.  It  seems  that  the  chiselers  tend 
to  dominate.  Apparently  this  planned  economy  will  never 
really  work  unless  it  is  disciplined  with  a  shotgun,  after  which 
there  would  be  nothing  but  chickadees.  Possibly  it  is  better 
to  let  nature  take  its  course.  —Terry  Ramsaye 


8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


Walk-ins 

THEATRE  PATRONS,  after  Thursday 
noon,  were  liable  to  lose  their  gasoline  ra- 
tioning books,  if  they  drove.  This  develop- 
ment in  the  gasoline  and  oil  crisis  in  the  17 
Eastern  states,  blazoned  in  newspaper  ban- 
ners Wednesday  afternoon,  was  ordered  by 
the  Office  of  Price  Administration  which 
flatly  banned  all  "pleasure  driving." 

Automobiles  found  at  places  of  amuse- 
ment will  be  presumed  used  for  pleasure. 
According  to  the  wired  stories  from  Wash- 
ington, all  police  authorities  were  requested 
to  assist  the  OPA,  which  added  that  the 
"misuse"  of  gasoline — to  see  a  motion  pic- 
ture, for  instance — might  justify  ration  book 
seizure.  A  passenger  car  at  an  amusement 
place,  the  OPA  said,  "will  be  taken  as  prima 
facie  evidence  that  rations  and  tires  are 
being  dissipated  needlessly  and  illegally." 

The  OPA  also  said  Wednesday  fuel  oil 
rations  for  all  but  residential  buildings  would 
be  sharply  cut,  but  did  not  specify  how 
much. 


Pirating 

MANY  Hollywood  feature  films  still  were 
being  shown  in  Italy  as  late  as  last  August, 
according  to  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce in  the  December  26th  issue  of 
Foreign  Commerce  Weekly.  Italian  audi- 
ences, the  periodical  said,  are  understood 
to  prefer  U.  S.  motion  pictures,  with  Ger- 
man films  second  and  Italian  pictures  taking 
third  place.  Apparently  the  Italian  people 
have  to  look  at  home-grown  product  but  they 
don't  have  to  like  it,  not  even  with  II  Duce 
standing  by  with  that  big  stick. 

The  publication  reports  also  that  a  fac- 
tory for  the  production  of  raw  film  is  to  be 
established  in  Hungary,  construction  for 
which  is  expected  to  start  in  the  near  future. 
Cost  of  the  project  is  estimated  at  approxi- 
mately $584,000.  Formerly,  all  raw  film 
used  by  that  country  was  imported  from 
Germany  and  Italy. 


Deductible 

EXPENSES  incurred  by  broadcasting  sta- 
tions in  connection  with  the  promotion  of 
sales  of  War  Bonds  have  been  ruled  by  the 
Internal  Revenue  Bureau  to  be  deductible 
from  gross  income  in  the  making  of  Federal 
income  tax  returns.  Both  the  expenses  in- 
curred in  the  broadcasting  of  information  re- 
garding bonds  and  in  the  handling  of  orders 
for  them  may  be  deducted,  under  the  terms 
of  the  bureau  interpretation. 

"The  business  of  a  radio  broadcasting  sta- 
tion includes,  among  other  things,  the  broad- 
casting of  news,  advertising  of  products,  and 
dissemination  of  other  matters  of  interest  to 
the  public,"  it  was  held.  "In  broadcasting 
information  with  respect  to  the  purchase 
of  United  States  War  Bonds,  radio  broad- 
casting stations  are  carrying  on  one  of  the 
functions  for  which  they  are  organized,  and 


WAR  changing  pattern  of  sales  practice 
for  1943  Page  12 

PARAMOUNT  rental   plan   is   keyed  to 
national  gross  Page  13 

OWI  outlines  "voluntary"  propaganda  re- 
quirements Page  15 

WPB  sets  film  schedules,  saving  400,000,000 
feet  Page  16 

THEATRE   closings   uniikely   in   oil  crisis, 
U.  S.  officials  say  Page  25 


the  expenses  incurred  in  connection  here- 
with are  deductible  as  ordinary  and  neces- 
sary business  expenses  under  Section 
23(a)  1  of  the  Internal  Revenue  Code,  as 
amended." 


Adding  Luster 

MARY  PICKFORD  is  returning  to  the 
screen  again.  Her  last  comeback  was  in 
"Secrets,"  in  1933.  She  now  will  have  a 
role  in  Sol  Lesser's  forthcoming  "Stage 
Door  Canteen." 

The  star  of  "Tess  of  the  Storm  Country," 
"Heart  of  the  Hills"  and  "Daddy-Long- 
Legs,"  in  recent  years  has  been  a  business 
woman  of  many  parts,  not  the  least  of  which 
has  been  her  interest  in  United  Artists,  of 
which  she  is  one  of  the  founders  as  well  as 
a  producer-partner.  That  company  will  dis- 
tribute "Stage  Door  Canteen,"  the  cast  of 
which,  according  to  present  plans,  will  in- 
clude more  than  50  top  stars. 


Rosenwald  Resigns 

LESSING  J.  ROSENWALD,  former 
chairman  of  the  board  of  Sears  Roebuck, 
and  during  the  past  year  director  of  the  War 
Production  Board's  conservation  division, 
announced  his  resignation  Tuesday,  in 
Washington.  He  will  leave  before  the 
month's  end.  Mr.  Rosenwald,  with  whom 
the  leaders  of  the  film  industry  consulted 
when  the  WPB  warned  it  might  be  forced  to 
requisition  theatre  and  office  air-condition- 
ing equipment  for  war  factories,  said  he  re- 
signed from  the  board  because  he  is  dissatis- 
fied with  a  reorganization  which  placed  his 
division  under  the  new  War  Resources 
Agency. 


GOVERNMENT  agency  rules  studios  may 
exercise  talent  options  Page  26 

BRITISH  studying  revision  of  quota  legisla- 
tion Page  27 

GROSS  records  fall  in  key  cities  in  big 
holiday  week  Page  30 

WAR  disrupts  casting  plans  of  Top  Ten 
winners  Page  31 

INDUSTRY  is  ready  to  launch  new  drive  in 
United  Nations  Week  Page  46 


Page  57 
Page  47 
Page  40 
Page  79 


Running  the  Blockade? 

FILM  has  foiled  the  Japanese.  Their  block- 
ade of  China,  which  prevents  detailed  mili- 
tary and  scientific  information  from  reach- 
ing that  country  from  the  Western  world, 
as  well  as  guns  and  munitions,  has  been 
breached  by  microfilm,  presumably  flown  to 
Chungking.  Chinese  officials  may  now 
read  the  New  York  Times,  Foreign  Af- 
fairs, Fortune,  Atlantic  Monthly,  Harpers 
and  other  topical  magazines,  and  copies  of 
almost  50  other  magazines  of  specialist  na- 
ture. Two  reading  libraries  are  open  in  the 
capital  city,  and  others  are  expected. 


Reissues  in  Britain 

TO  ALLEVIATE  an  increasing  product 
shortage,  British  distributors  are  preparing 
to  reissue  pictures  on  a  large  enough  basis 
to  necessitate  special  departments,  according 
to  a  London  cable  Tuesday  from  Aubrey 
Flanagan,  Motion  Picture  Herald  repre- 
sentative. Discussions  have  occurred  in 
the  Kinematograph  Renters  Society,  their 
organization.  Anglo-American  Pictures  al- 
ready has  formed  a  reissue  section,  in  charge 
of  Kenneth  Nyman,  former  president  of  the 
Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Association. 


Here  to  Stay 

PERHAPS  a  sign  of  the  times  is  the 
change  in  program  of  the  high  school  at 
Castile,  New  York,  near  Rochester.  Tire 
and  gasoline  rationing  had  curtailed  the 
school's  basketball  schedule.  So  it  has  sub- 
stituted a  series  of  film  programs. 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

BETTER  THEATRES,  Equipment  and  Maintenance 
Late  Reviews  Page  34     Managers'  Round  Table 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  35     What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me 

PRODUCT  DIGEST,  including  Reviews  and  Release  Chart 


January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


9 


Up  to  the  Unions 

HOLLYWOOD'S  work  week  may  shortly 
be  of  48  hours.  Studio  union  officials,  told 
two  weeks  ago  their  Government  desired 
such  a  week  so  that  more  men  mig'ht  be 
available  for  war  service  and  industry,  met 
Tuesday  in  the  production  capital  with 
representatives  of  the  War  Manpower  Com- 
mission ;  and  Wednesday,  with  representa- 
tives of  producers. 

The  unions,  now  on  a  minimum  work  call 
of  six  hours  and  a  36-hour  week,  were  told 
Tuesday  by  a  WMC  delegate  that  the  film 
industry  probably  would  receive  an  essential 
status,  placing  it  under  WMC  jurisdiction. 
They  also  were  informed  the  Commission 
would  permit  wages  and  working  conditions 
in  a  48-hour  week  to  be  decided  solely  by 
studios  and  unions,  and  that  the  retention 
of  thousands  of  workers  on  casual  work  calls 
was  undesirable. 

It  is  expected  that  the  new  hours  of  work 
will  be  discussed  fully  at  the  semi-annual 
meeting  of  the  International  Alliance  of 
Theatrical  Stage  Employees  executive  board 
in  Denver,  January  25th  through  29th. 


On  the  Ceiling 

J.  CHEEVER  COWDIN,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  Universal  Pictures,  will  oppose  the 
executive  order  limiting  salaries  to  $25,000 
in  a  debate  to  be  broadcast  on  a  coast  to 
coast  network  by  the  Mutual  Broadcasting 
System  Sunday  night.  On  Mr.  Cowdin's  side 
in  the  discussion,  which  will  be  the  Ameri- 
can Forum  of  the  Air  program,  will  be  Sen- 
ator John  A.  Danaher  of  Connecticut.  Sup- 
porting the  ceiling  will  be  James  G.  Pat- 
ton,  president  of  the  National  Farmer's 
Union,  and  James  B.  Carey,  secretary  of  the 
CIO. 


Clark  vs.  Petrillo 

JAMES  PETRILLO'S  foes  in  Congress 
are  determined  to  investigate  the  music  labor 
czar,  even  over  the  antipathy  or  apathy  of 
their  colleagues.  Senator  D.  Worth  Clark, 
Idaho,  declared  Tuesday  that  if  Congress 
was  indifferent  when  he  reintroduced  his 
bill  to  bring  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  within  anti-trust  laws  he  would  ap- 
peal to  President  Roosevelt. 

A  Department  of  Justice  anti-trust  suit 
against  Mr.  Petrillo,  the  AFM,  and  other 
officers,  which  cited  the  still  standing  ban 
against  recordings  by  members,  collapsed 
last  autumn  in  Chicago  Federal  Court.  The 
ban  and  other  actions  in  the  indictment  were 
ruled  purely  labor  matters ;  and  it  was  noted 
similar  cases  against  unions  were  decided 
in  their  favor  by  the  Supreme  Court. 

Senator  Clark  plans  to  question  Mr.  Pe- 
trillo next  Tuesday,  before  the  Senate  Inter- 


state Commerce  Committee  subcommittee, 
which  he  heads.  He  said  Tuesday  he  be- 
lieved the  President  had  wartime  authority 
to  act  if  Congress  turned  down  the  Clark 
bill.  He  added  the  course  of  the  subcommit- 
tee investigation  would  depend  upon  the  Pe- 
trillo testimony,  and  asserted  the  AFM 
president  had  not  made  any  solid  peace  pro- 
posals. 


1,000,000  Feet  a  Year 

THE  BRITISH  firm  trade  and  the  Ministry 
of  Information  are  now  omitting  the  official 
censor's  certificate  from  every  film  shown 
in  British  cinemas.  The  certificate,  which 
was  compulsory,  takes  up  about  25  feet  of 
film,  and  it  is  estimated  that  about  1,000,000 
feet  of  film  is  used  in  this  way  every  year. 
It  is  proposed  that  the  official  seal  shall 
be  included  in  each  film's  title.  Thus  ends 
a  familiar  sight  in  every  cinema  since  T.  P. 
O'Connor,  first  film  censor,  introduced  it  in 
1916. 


14th  Calf 

THE  WARNER  BROTHERS'  "Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy"  has  acquired  a  long  list  of 
critical  and  commercial  credits  from  record 
breaking  theatre  runs  to  ten  best  list  honors 
and  annual  awards  for  the  production  and 
cast.  A  recent  release  from  the  Warner 
publicity  department  in  New  York  tabulates 
these  and  concludes  with:  "...  and  the 
14th  calf  of  Carnation  Ormsby  Madcap 
Fayne,  prize-winning  milk  giver  of  the 
Broadway  Cow  Lovers  League,  was  chris- 
tened 'Yankee  Doodle  Dandy."  Wonder  if 
it's  a  boy. 


Scaring  Them 

CATCHWORDS  learned  in  their  neighbor- 
hood theatres  and  from  their  radio  listening 
are  serving  American  soldiers  well  these 
days.  A  United  Press  report  from  the  south- 
ern Tunisian  front  this  week  told  how  an 
American  raiding  party  captured  an  enemy 
town  defended  by  Italian  troops,  using  the 
battle  cry  of  "Hi  Ho  Silver,  Away"  to  scare 
the  defending  gunners.  "The  Italians  began 
shooting  wildly  in  all  directions,"  Captain 
Stephen  C.  Morrissey,  in  charge  of  the 
raiding  party,  reported. 


Last  Curtain 

ONE  of  the  most  widely  known  legitimate 
theatres,  the  Ford,  Baltimore,  was  ordered 
closed  by  that  city  Tuesday  until  "put  in 
safe  condition."  The  theatre,  at  which  many 
famous  actors  and  actresses  have  appeared, 
opened  in  1871. 


War  or  Escape? 

A  DIFFERENCE  of  attitude  between  Gov- 
ernment and  the  entertainment  world  was 
illustrated  by  interpretation  this  week,  in 
the  statement  of  Harry  Ratcliffe,  industrial 
commissioner  in  the  British  Ministry  of 
Labor,  a  guest  last  week  of  Walter  Wanger, 
producer,  in  Hollywood. 

Mr.  Ratcliffe,  touring  this  country's  war 
production  centers,  asserted  the  British  peo- 
ple want  more  American  features  with  war 
themes,  rather  than  less.  He  thus  contra- 
dicts numerous  British  showmen,  who  have 
told  the  press  on  their  arrival  here  that  the 
British  public  sorely  needs  "escape"  films, 
and  indeed  attends  theatres  in  record  num- 
bers in  search  of  it,  and  who  have  predicted 
a  wave  of  resentment  against  war  films  here 
similar  to  that  in  Britain. 

However,  Mr.  Ratcliffe  insisted,  "Con- 
trary to  general  belief  in  your  country,  the 
English  people  prefer  pictures  that  lean 
heavily  on  the  war  effort.  Instead  of 
sophisticated  and  other  peacetime  pictures, 
they  desire  more  to  see  them  based  upon 
your  great  wartime  industries,  your  ship- 
yards, training  of  youth  for  sea,  and  so  on." 
Such  pictures,  according  to  Mr.  Ratcliffe, 
will  tell  the  British  what  America  is  "doing 
to  win  the  war." 


Coming  Attraction 

"THE  ROUT  of  Rommel"  may  soon  ap- 
pear on  the  screen.  It  will  not  be  a  studio 
production,  but  the  real  thing,  filmed  by 
dozens  of  the  British  Eighth  Army's  cam- 
eramen as  the  Afrika  Korps  reeled  back 
toward  Tripoli.  The  men,  mostly  sergeants, 
exposed  approximately  40,000  feet  of  film 
now  being  edited  in  London.  The  British 
public  may  see  the  film  about  February  1st. 


No  Axis  Copyright 

ALL  citizens  who  share  with  those  of  en- 
emy or  enemy-occupied  countries  ownership 
of  interests  in  copyrights  must  file  reports 
with  Leo  T.  Crowley,  Alien  Property  Cus- 
todian, by  January  15th.  The  order,  issued 
by  the  Treasury  Department,  primarily  af- 
fects copyright  in  motion  pictures,  record- 
ings, radio  mechanisms,  and  music. 


Offering  Bars 

APPLICATIONS  for  commissions  from 
fully  experienced  motion  picture  cameramen 
and  sound  recording  experts  will  be  received 
by  the  Officer  Procurement  Service  of  the 
Second  Service  Command  at  42  Broadway, 
New  York,  it  was  announced  at  Governors 
Island  this  wek.  The  Second  Service  Com- 
mand covers  only  New  York.  New  Jersey 
and  Delaware. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address  "Ouigpubco, 
New  York  "  Martin  Quigley'  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South 
Michigan  Avenue  Oscar  Luridy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Road,  Toronto,  Ontario, 
Canada  W  M  Gladish  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Square,  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burnup  manager-  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Ouigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureau,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
correspondent-  Sydney  ' Bureau  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carmona  y  Voile  6,  Mexico  City, 
Luis  BeceTa  Celis  correspondent-  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa  Postal  1090, 
Rio  de  Janeiro  Brazil  Alfredo  C  Machado  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  O.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  'of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Ouigley  Publica- 
tions: Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


Camera  observes: 


PIONEERS'  meeting:  Jesse  Lasky,  producer,  with 
Sergeant  R.  W.  Boetvill,  parachute  expert  for  25  years  past,  at 
Kelly  Field,  near  San  Antonio,  Texas.    Mr.  Lasky's  "Wings"  (1927) 
had  many  scenes  made  at  the  field.  The  producer  was  in  San  Antonio 
for  the  wedding  of  his  daughter,  Betty,  to  a  Brooks  Field  officer. 


POSTERS— 500,000  of  them  like  this— 
are  available  for  theatres  to  use  during 
United  Nations  Week,  January  14th  through 
20th.   In  three  sizes,  they  are  from  the 
Office  of  War  Information. 


TO  THE  NAVY  this  week  went 
W.  French  Githens,  president  of  the 
Embassy  Newsreel  Theatres,  New  York, 
as  lieutenant,  photography  division, 
Bureau  of  Aeronautics. 


HONORING  MGM  for  its  portrayal  of  the 
"skill,  courage,  and  tradition"  of  the  Navy 
in  "Stand  By  For  Action",  a  plaque  is 
presented  in  Washington  by  Samuel  Crocker, 
vice-president  of  the  Navy  League, 
to  Orville  O.  Dull,  picture's  co-producer. 


THE  NEW  Post  Office 
stamp  honoring  the 
United  Nations  and  to  be 
placed  on  sale  Janu- 
ary 14th,  first  day  of 
United  Nations  Week. 


Jan 


u  a  r  y 


1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


"IN  WHICH  WE  SERVE"  premiere 
at  New  York's  Capitol  brought  forth, 
among  many  personalities,  Mess- 
more  Kendall,  above,  of  the  theatre, 
and  Alma  Clayburgh,  right,  singer. 


FIRST  film  theatre  canteen  for 
service  men  and  women  is  housed, 
below,  in  mezzanine  of  Slcouras'  State, 
Jersey  City. 


THEY  PICKED  "In  Which  We  Serve" 
as  the  year's  best  film,  and  other 
"bests".  They  are  the  New  York 
Film  Critics,  and,  seen  here  at  their 
annual  awards  party  in  New  York, 
Sunday  afternoon,  comprise,  left: 
Tom  Pryor,  New  York  Times;  David 
Piatt,  Daily  Worker;  Dorothy  Masters, 
Daily  News;  John  McManus,  PM- 
Wanda  Hale,  Daily  News;  Alton  Cook, 
World-Telegram;  Kate  Cameron, 
Daily  News;  Irene  Thirer,  Evening  Post. 
Front  row:  Louise  Levitas,  PM; 
Edgar  Price,  Brooklyn  Citizen;  Joe 
Pehodna,  Herald-Tribune,  and 
Leo  Mishkin,  Morning  Telegraph. 


ALL  OUT  for  war: 
Carl  Burrows,  Warner 
Los  Angeles  head  booker, 
now  Navy  chief  petty 
officer;  Mrs.  Burrows, 
now  a  WAA'C;  Carl,  Jr., 
a  midshipman. 


BRIEF  FAREWELL  in  New  York  RKO  office, 
as  Robert  Wolff,  district  manager,  departs  from 
office  of  Robert  Mochrie,  general  sales  man- 
ager, on  "pep"  tour  for  Ned  Depinet  Drive. 


12 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


WAR  CHANCING  PATTERN 

OF  1943  SALES  PRACTICE 


Transportation  Problems, 
Manpower  Cuts  Add  to 
Selling  Difficulties 

Wartime  problems  of  transportation 
delay,  gasoline  and  rubber  rationing,  and 
manpower  shortages  coming  on  top  of  the 
recent  realignments  of  the  Consent  De- 
cree are  keeping  the  pattern  of  motion 
picture  distribution  in  constant  change. 
Not  one  major  sales  executive  in  New 
York  would  even  guess  at  what  specific 
changes  in  sales  practice  1943  might  bring. 

Never  before  has  both  sales  management, 
and  the  man  in  the  field  been  faced  with 
such  constantly  changing  conditions,  they 
said.  The  film  salesman  seldom,  if  ever,  lias 
had  trouble  reaching  his  customers.  Never 
before  did  he  have  to  count  mileage  by- 
tenths,  or  worry  about  making  return  calls. 
Always  the  flow  of  product  has  been  ample 
and  without  threat  of  delay. 

But  this  picture  is  no  more.  Now,  with 
many  top  salesmen  in  uniform,  exchange 
staffs  sometimes  short-handed,  and  other 
problems  developing  daily,  every  day  on 
the  road,  every  visit  to  a  theatre  must  be 
made  to  count,  salesmen  are  told. 

A  sort  of  composite  picture  of  what  the 
coming  months  may  hold  in  the  way  of  sales 
practices  can  be  put  together  from  the  cur- 
rent policies  of  the  major  distributors,  plus 
the  comments,  usually  cautious  and  off  the 
record,  of  the  executives  who  direct  distribu- 
tion from  New  York. 

This  composite,  as  outlined  by  the  execu- 
tives, would  seem  to  show  that  this  year : 

Theatres  will  be  visited  less  frequently 
by  salesmen. 

There  is  a  very  real  possibility  of  product 
shortage.  Raw  stock  curtailments,  it  is 
said,  inevitably  will  mean  fewer  pictures  and 
fewer  prints. 

Extended  Bookings 
To  Be  Sought 

Salesmen  will  sell  several  groups  of  trade 
shown  pictures  at  one  visit.  Particularly 
among  subsequent,  and  outlying  theatres 
they  will  try  to  close  deals  for  10,  15  or 
sometimes  20  trade  shown  pictures  at  one 
call. 

Extended  bookings,  and  holdover  agree- 
ments will  be  sought  by  salesmen  almost 
as  earnestly  as  they  seek  a  sales  contract. 

Pooling  of  transportation  by  salesmen  is 
unlikely.  Theatre  men  won't  have  to  face 
the  sales  arguments  of  six  or  10  film  agents 
at  once,  as  some  imaginative  persons  have 
foreseen. 

But  salesmen  will  write  and  wire  ahead 
for  appointments  much  more  frequently.  And 
they  will  ask  exhibitors  to  cooperate  in  eas- 
ing their  transportation  woes  by  keeping 
dates  to  discuss  product. 

"Mail  order"  selling  will  not  prove  very 
practicable.  Exhibitor  and  sales  agent  will 
continue  to  reach  a  deal  by  bargaining,  in 
person,  much  as  always. 

At  least  three  companies,  Warners,  Me- 
tro-Goldwvn-Maver  and  United  Artists,  will 
continue  to  give  individual  selling  attention 


to  each  picture.  The  other  consent  decree 
signers,  RKO,  Paramount  and  Twentieth 
Century-Fox,  may  seek  to  increase  the  num- 
ber of  pictures  which  they  will  tradeshow 
and  sell  in  one  block.  As  yet,  however,  they 
have  taken  no  specific  steps  in  this  direction. 

Pre-Release  Test  Runs 
Are  on  Increase 

All  companies  are  making  extra  efforts  to  • 
sell  exhibitors  on  extended  runs,  and  holding 
product  for  the  maximum  time.  This,  they 
point  out,  will  help  to  ease  print  and  prod- 
uct shortages.  Also,  by  decreasing  the  num- 
ber of  "B"  and  "C"  changeover  and  second 
features  required,  it  in  large  measure  will 
answer  critics  of  double  features,  salesmen 
say. 

Special  pre-release  test  engagements  are 
on  the  increase  among  all  companies.  They  , 
find  that  the  early  box  office  and  holdover 
records  established  by  their  top  pictures  are 
the  most  effective  sales  argument  with  which 
to  obtain  longer  dates  from  subsequent  ex- 
hibitors, and  those  in  other  cities.  Much 
careful  planning  is  going  into  the  selection 
of  opening  spots  that  will  be  typical  of  many 
accounts. 

Warners  and  MGM  both  have  been  very 
active  in  this  pre-release  booking.  They 
have  tested  pictures,  with  special  advertis- 
ing and  exploitation  in  both  their  own  and 
other  circuits.  The  Warner  first  run  re- 
lease period  now  extends  over  almost  six 
weeks.  Selling  its  pictures  individually,  the 
company  reports  that  pictures  released  as. 
recently  as  "Flying  Fortress,"  from  the  sec- 
ond block,  are  sold  to  almost  95  per  cent  of 
regular  accounts.  Holdovers  have  increased 
40  per  cent,  the  company  claims. 

Metro  likewise  reports  that  there  is  a 
sharp  upswing  in  the  holdover  time  of  its 
recent  product.  Such  releases  as  "Random 
Harvest,"  "Stand  By  for  Action"  and 
"Journey  for  Margaret"  are  being  booked 
on  the  strength  of  early  dates  for  runs  that 
will  press  close  to  the  record  "Mrs.  Min- 
iver" engagements.  The  company  has  closed 
most  subsequent  accounts  on  its  first  block 
of  12  and  now  is  working  on  the  second 
group,  trade  shown  early  last  month. 

RKO  to  Maintain 
Blocks-of-Five 

RKO  Radio,  according  to  Ned  Depinet. 
president,  will  not  make  any  immediate 
change  in  its  block-of-five  pattern.  Four 
blocks  of  these  are  now  being  sold,  at  least 
three  of  them  in  subsequent  situations. 

Mike  Poller,  assistant  to  sales  chief  Rob- 
ert Mochrie,  disclosed  that  RKO  salesmen 
are  closing  deals  frequently  for  two  or  more 
trade  shown  blocks  when  they  visit  small 
towns.  Also  they  are  successfully  selling 
contracts  for  some  of  the  last  1941-42  prod- 
uct. They  are  making-  efforts  to  wire  or 
telephone  exhibitors  for  definite  appoint- 
ments, to  save  road  time,  and  insure  oppor- 
tunity to  discuss  their  full  portfolio.  Ex- 
hibitors, he  said,  are  proving  very  coopera- 
tive, in  keeping  these  dates,  pointing  out  that 


it  saves  them  travel  to  exchange  cities.  Other 
companies  report  similar  results. 

In  connection  with  this  travel  problem 
sales  officials  are  agreed  that  it  is  too  early 
to  determine  the  overall  effect  of  national 
gasoline  rationing.  Not  until  the  end  of 
January  will  it  be  possible  to  determine 
whether  limited  mileage  has  affected  the 
average  returns  of  salesmen,  they  said,  point- 
ing out  that  ordinarily  it  takes  more  than 
a  month  to  cover  a  territory  with  each  block. 

See  Industry  Able  to 
Meet  Conditions 

While  declaring  that  the  pooling  of  autos 
for  calls  to  theatre  men  would  be  impossible 
among  representatives  of  competitive  dis- 
tributors, sales  officers  pointed  out  that  fre- 
quently salesmen  double  up  in  trips  back  to 
the  exchange  from  outlying  cities. 

Also,  where  possible,  salesmen  are  leaving 
their  automobiles  in  the  field  and  traveling 
back  to  the  office  by  train.  Edward  Aarons, 
MGM  sales  executive,  said  that  all  of  the 
company's  field  men  have  been  instructed  to 
do  this.  Supervisors  and  district  managers 
also  are  substituting  train  or  bus  for  car  on 
every  possible  mile. 

Whatever  unpredictable  changes  1943, 
and  the  war,  bring  to  film  sales  procedure, 
sales  leaders  say,  confidently,  that  the  in- 
dustry will  be  able  to  meet  them  without  dis- 
ruption. 

The  industry  had  weathered  the  virtually 
complete  revolution  in  practices  forced  on 
it  by  the  Consent  Decree,  they  pointed  out. 
It  is  certain  in  1943  that  theatres  still  will 
have  plenty  of  good  product.  Although  few- 
er pictures  and  prints  may  be  in  the  offing 
there  is  confidence  that  holdovers,  longer 
bookings  and  higher  quality  product  will 
keep  the  exhibitors'  tills  jingling  as  usual. 

"We  will  still  try  to  get  there  first,  with 
the  best  pictures,"  said  one  executive  in  sum- 
ming up  his  plans. 

Paramount  Says  All 
Top  Circuits  Sold 

Having  successfully  concluded  contract 
negotiations  with  the  Cooperative  Circuit 
of  Detroit,  Charles  M.  Reagan,  ■  assistant 
general  sales  manager  at  Paramount,  an- 
nounced last  week  that  every  important  the- 
atre circuit  in  the  country,  in  accordance 
with  the  company's  national  policy,  has  now 
bought  Paramount's  1942-43  product. 

The  Cooperative  Circuit,  numbering  near- 
ly 100  theatres,  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
Middlewest.  Among  the  other  circuit  deals' 
recently  closed  were  with  McNeil-Naify  Cir- 
cuit in  San  Francisco ;  the  Essaness,  H.  &  E. 
Balaban,  Schoenstadt,  Van  Nomikos,  Rein- 
heimer,  Jack  Rose  and  the  Bailey  and  Alger 
circuit,  all  in  Chicago. 

Despite  the  holiday  season,  the  Paramount 
sales  staff  during  the  week  accounted  for 
1,147  contracts,  the  company  said.  This 
compares  with  304  sold  in  the  corresponding 
holiday  week  of  the  previous  year  on  the 
company's  first  three  blocks. 

Exhibitors  in  the  Northwest  are  buying 
pictures  in  blocks  of  10  to  20  and  in  some 

(Continued  on  patie  14.  column  1) 


January    9,     1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  13 

PARAMOUNT  RENTAL  PLAN 
KEYED  TO  NATIONAL  CROSS 


May  Add  Shorts,  Newsreel 
To  New  Sales  Plan  Later 

Paramount's  sliding  scale  selling  plan,  predicated  on  estimated  national  grosses, 
embraces  its  feature  product  only.  The  understanding  is  that  shorts  and  the  news- 
reel  will  be  included  at  some  future  time,  currently  indefinite  on  the  calendar. 

Strictly  a  family  affair  and  designed  to  be  kept  that  way  for  the  present  anyway, 
Fox  West  Coast  is  the  only  external  circuit  doing  business  with  Paramount  under 
the  formula. 

As  an  indication  of  how  the  automatic  measuring  rod  simplifies  Paramount's 
selling  job  are  these  figures: 

Paramount's  theatre  affiliations  contribute  about  20  per  cent  of  its  film  gross. 

Fox  West  Coast  and  secondary  circuits  controlled  or  identified  with  Richards- 
Publix  Theatres  headquartering  in  New  Orleans  contribute  an  approximate 
10  per  cent  additional. 

This  leaves  70  per  cent  for  home  office  sales  executives  and  gasless  salesmen 
to  handle. 


New  Formula  Uses  Fore- 
cast of  Potential  Gross  as 
Yardstick  for  Contract 

by  RED  KANN 

Automatic  rentals,  based  on  estimated 
national  grosses  and  retroactively  adjust- 
able up  or  down,  in  the  sliding  scale  man- 
ner after  the  returns  are  tallied,  consti- 
tute a  selling  innovation  developed  by 
Paramount. 

The  plan  is  reminiscent  of  some  aspects 
of  the  original  First  National  franchise 
and  sub-franchise  formula.  Paramount 
is  applying  it  only  to  the  company's  own 
theatre  partnerships  and  associates  and 
the  Fox  West  Coast  circuit.  It  may 
never  go  beyond  that.  Then,  again,  there 
is  always  the  possibility  it  may. 

The  system,  whipped  up  after  much 
mathematics  and  statistical  analysis,  springs 
from  a  long  held  desire  at  Paramount  for 
an  automatic  sales  formula  acceptable  to 
its  theatre  affiliates.  Behind  that  design  is 
a  checkered  history  of  dickerings  over  ex- 
hibition values,  percentages,  designation  of 
theatres,  preferred  playing  time  and  length 
of  run.  The  result,  over  a  period  of  time, 
divided  distribution's  selling  fire,  kept  in- 
side-the-family  squabbles  alive  and  reduced 
selling  results  with  accounts  outside  the 
Paramount  structure. 

Out  of  this  background  gradually  devel- 
oped the  intent  to  invent  a  yardstick  which 
could  apply  mechanically,  and  without  bar- 
ter, to  the  company's  own  theatre  chain. 
After  considerable  effort  and  a  lot  of  blue- 
printing, a  plan  was  reached  and  tried  with 
the  1941-42  program,  found  to  work  with 
such  smoothness  that  it  is  now  designed 
to  apply  it  to  the  1942-43  lineup  as  well. 
There  are  "bugs,"  but  the  venture  is  viewed 
by  Paramount  executives  as  successful,  de- 
spite the  hitches.  The  cautious  ones  there 
insist  it's  all  "experimental"  even  now. 
however. 

Based  on  Demonstrated 
Ability  to  Pay 

This  is  the  plan : 

Rentals  for  individual  circuits  and  situa- 
tions have  been  worked  out  on  the  basis  of 
their  demonstrated  ability  to  pay.  The 
company's  records  furnished  the  data  and 
the  assemblage  was  routine,  if  extensive. 
I  To  that  base  figure  was  added  an  approxi- 
mate 10  per  cent  to  cover  the  general  sub- 
sequent run  theatre  in  which  some  partners 
and  associates  had  been  playing  only  part 
of  the  Paramount  product,  and  that  usually 
flat.  The  calculation  here  was  that  the 
uppage  represented  distribution's  share  more 
equitably.  Furthermore,  it  provided  a 
blanket  elimination  of  discussions,  some- 
times acrid,  over  percentage  bookings  in  the 
later  runs. 

Having  established  the  base  figures  in 
dollars,  the  next  step  was  to  divide  all  con- 
tributing circuits  and  theatres  into  percent- 


age segments  of  a  key  which,  in  total,  of 
course  comprised  one  hundred  per  cent. 
One  situation  may  represent  one  per  cent 
of  the  entire  circuit's  rental  obligation,  but 
the  percentage  naturally  varies  with  differ- 
ent Paramount  circuits  in  different  parts  of 
the  country. 

Forecast  Is  Based 
On  Test  Runs 

The  sales  department  then  embarks  on  a 
a  series  of  test  runs  and,  after  their  com- 
pletion, goes  into  its  forecast  of  the  attrac- 
tion's national  gross.  After  the  estimate  is 
made,  allocations  in  the  percentage  key  at 
once  swing  into  operation.  Thus,  on  the 
basis  of  a  $1,000,000  estimate,  the  circuit 
which  has  a  quota  of  one  per  cent  auto- 
matically is  assessed  $10,000  as  its  rental 
and  proceeds  to  pay  off  in  17  weeks.  How- 
ever, after  the  first  15  weeks  in  the  life  of 
each  attraction,  Paramount  may  determine 
to  revise  its  first  estimate.  In  the  event  a 
51,000,000  estimate  is  unwound  to  $800,000 
subsequently,  theatre  quotas  drop  according- 
ly and  the  situation  which  paid  $10,000 
then  pays  only  $8,000. 

The  system  runs  over  a  period  of  15 
months,  then  the  final  checkup  is  made  and 
the  period  of  adjustment  entered  upon.  If 
the  actual  dips  under  the  estimate,  there  is 
a  kickback  from  Paramount  distribution  to 
Paramount  exhibition.  But,  if  the  actual 
goes  over  estimate,  there  is  also  a  kickback 
— this  time  from  Paramount  exhibition  to 
Paramount  distribution. 

The  formula  has  no  definite  authorship, 
but  represents  a  combination  of  ideas  and 
contributions.  However,  Neil  F.  Agnew. 
vice-president  in  charge  of  the  company's 
sales,  is  known  to  regard  it  with  favor,  and 
this  goes  for  other  Paramount  officials  as 
well.  From  Mr.  Agnew's  viewpoint  auto- 
matic selling  to  his  own  theatre  associates 
releases  him  and  his  entire  organization  for 
concentration  on  other  accounts.    It  makes 


it  potentially  possible  for  him  to  increase 
his  business  around  the  country.  Likewise 
does  it  open  up  the  opportunity  to  outdis- 
tance his  estimates  with  actual  figures, 
thereby  making  it  mandatory  for  the  theatre 
affiliates  to  pay  more  in  rental. 

On  the  other  hand,  Paramount  circuit 
men  benefit  through  a  whole  set  of  contrib- 
uting conditions.  Under  the  new  formula, 
the  product  virtually  becomes  their  prop- 
erty while  it  remains  in  their  hands.  They 
may  play  a  given  attraction  in  any  of  their 
theatres,  keep  it  there  as  long  as  it  holds  or 
as  long  as  they  please,  move  it  over  to  a 
house  strictly  of  their  own  selection  and 
arrange  booking  time  in  their  subsequents, 
if  they  operate  any,  exactly  as  they  may 
elect. 

Because  their  contribution  to  the  basic 
key  gives  them  a  dollar  mark  at  which  to 
shoot  and  because  it  is  assumed  good  show- 
manship will  seek  to  handle  pictures  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  values,  it  is  felt  at 
Paramount  that  its  circuit  tieups  are  doing 
their  best. 

Understood  Partners 
Favor  Practice 

If,  however,  the  circuits  should  sluff  an 
attraction  or  go  cold  on  it  and  the  rest  of 
Paramount^  regular  accounts  boom  and  go 
hot,  the  national  gross  may  outrun  the  esti- 
mate and  compel  the  Paramount  outlets  to 
put  more  rental  on  the  line.  This  is  proving 
to  be  a  see-saw  equation  which  works  both 
ways. 

It  is  understood  the  Paramount  partners, 
in  the  main,  favor  the  new  plan.  Provided 
their  proportionate  contribution  to  the  basic 
key  is  equitably  reached,  as  it  appears  to 
have  been,  they  appear  content  to  rest  on 
the  outcome.  For  they  have  the  assurance 
that  miscalculations  in  estimates  or  missouts 
in  national  performance  will  be  adjusted 
when  the  finals  are  in.  "What  can  thev 

(Continued  on  following  page,  column  1) 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Award  for  Number  One 
Stars  in  Moneymaker  Poll 


MONEY-MAKERS  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello  receive  from  Walter  Wanger 
the  Motion  Picture  Herald  scroll  informing  them  they  were  chosen  by  the  nation's 
exhibitors  as  the  top  money-making  stars  of  1942.  The  president  of  the  Academy 
of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  told  the  comedians  that  with  their  "rare 
abilities"  they  had  contributed  "countless  hours  of  happiness  and  entertainment  to 
millions."  The  presentation  was  made  New  Year's  Eve,  on  the  Abbott  and  Costello 
regular  National  Broadcasting  Company  coast-to-coast  program. 


Paramount  Plan 
Based  on  Gross 

{Continued  from  preceding  page) 

lose  ?"  is  how  one  Paramount  executive 
puts  it. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  original  First 
National  franchise  and  sub-franchise  for- 
mula usually  provided  for  test  engagements 
up  to  50  or  thereabouts,  after  which  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  set  permanent  exhibition 
values.  There,  the  national  breakdown 
usually  remained,  although  some  adjust- 
ments were  made  when  performance  failed 
to  match  proxies.  However,  Paramount's 
departure  varies  in  that  no  final  evalua- 
tion is  computed  until  the  15-month  life 
allotted  to  each  attraction  runs  its  span. 


War  Changing 
Sales  Patterns 

(Continued  from  page  12) 
instances  in  groups  as  large  as  26,  indicat- 
ing that  theatre  managers  in  that  territory 
"definitely  do  not  care"  for  the  blocks-of- 
five  deal  which  was  provided  in  the  consent 
decree,  according  to  a  survey  conducted  by 
the  Central  States  Exhibitors  Conference, 
reported  last  week  in  Minneapolis.  Fred 
Strom,  executive  secretary  of  the  Northwest 
Allied,  said  that  while  all  the  questionnaires 
have  not  been  returned,  approximately  200 
exhibitors  had  replied  and  most  of  them  ap- 
peared satisfied  with  the  present  deals  of 
distributors. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Central  States  board 
scheduled  for  early  this  month,  a  more  ac- 
curate report  on  the  survey  would  be  avail- 
able, it  was  reported. 


Decision  Reserved  in 
Pathe-Du  Pont  Suit 

Decision  was  reserved  this  week  by  Federal 
Judge  John  W.  Clancy  on  an  application  by 
Pathe  Laboratories,  Inc.  for  an  order  ruling  of- 
ficials of  Du  Pont  Film  Manufacturing  Corp. 
in  contempt  of  court  for  a  claimed  refusal  to 
submit  its  books  and  records  to  an  examination 
by  Pathe.  Inspection  is  sought  in  reference  to 
Pathe's  $610,000  damage  suit  against  Du  Pont 
in  which  it  is  asserted  that  the  defendant 
breached  an  agreement  to  sell  raw  stock  for  a 
fixed  price  of  cost  plus  a  definite  percentage. 

Alleged  refusal  to  submit  Du  Pont  books  fol- 
lowed an  order  of  the  Federal  court  in  Decem- 
ber. On  argument  of  the  contempt  motion,  Du 
Pont  maintained  that  it  had  permitted  the  in- 
spection of  its  books  to  all  but  one  questioned 
accountant  of  the  plaintiff. 

New  Year  Bonuses  Go  to 
Canadian  Staffs 

Cash  bonuses  were  distributed  among  mem- 
bers of  the  staffs  of  the  distribution  branches 
in  St.  John,  N.  B.,  as  New  Year  gratuities  to 
employees.  The  branches  cover  the  provinces 
of  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia  and  Prince 
Edward  Island  and  Newfoundland.  In  other 
years,  some  of  the  branches  were  represented 
in  bonus  giving.  In  addition  to  the  bonuses, 
the  branches  sent  gifts  to  former  employees 
now  in  the  armed  forces.  Each  received  a  box, 
regardless  of  where  located,  and  each  box 
continued  sweets,  fruits,  warm  clothing  and 
cigarettes. 


PRC  Deals  with  Circuits 
Increase  50  Per  Cent 

With  circuit  deals  up  50  per  cent  and  the 
volume  of  bookings  in  excess  of  100  per 
cent  over  a  corresponding  period  last  year, 
sales  of  Producers  Releasing  Corporation  in 
the  first  three  months  of  the  1942-43  season 
are  headed  for  a  "record  business"  on  cur- 
rent product,  according  to  Arthur  Green- 
blatt,  sales  chief  for  PRC.  He  has  been  in 
New  York  for  the  past  two  weeks  conferring 
with  O.  Henry  Briggs,  president,  and  Leon 
Fromkess,  production  head,  on  the  com- 
pany's product  plans. 

PRC  also  announced  that  1942-43  product 
has  been  sold  to  the  Charles  Morse  circuit 
in  New  England  and  to  the  R.  E.  Griffith 
Theatres  in  Texas. 


Report  Bingo  Banned  in 
Philadelphia  Churches 

Although  there  has  been  no  official  announce- 
ment, it  was  learned  that  Dennis  Cardinal 
Dougherty  has  banned  the  playing  of  bingo  in 
churches  of  the  Diocese  of  Philadelphia.  The 
action  follows  that  taken  several  weeks  ago 
in  the  Archdiocese  of  New  York  and  the  Dio- 
cese of  Brooklyn  and  Queens  in  New  York. 

It  is  understood  that  the  action  was  taken 
in  the  Diocese  of  Philadelphia  because  an  ex- 
amination of  the  state  laws  indicated  bingo 
could  be  considered  a  violation  of  the 
gambling  laws.  The  playing  of  bingo  in 
churches  of  various  denominations  in  Philadel- 
phia was  criticized  recently  in  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  Baptist  Ministers  Association 
and  the  Methodist  Ministers  Association. 


Screen  War  Aid 
Is  Reviewed 

A  summary  of  the  motion  picture  industry's 
extensive  and  continuing  support  of  the  national 
war  effort  discloses  that  during  the  year  past 
600  of  Hollywood's  leading  personalities  from 
the  Hollywood  Victory  Committee — appeared 
in  camp  shows  sponsored  by  the  USO.  Many 
of  the  stars  entertained  troops  in  Ireland,  Eng- 
land, Panama,  Alaska  and  the  Aleutians,  the  1 
Caribbean  and  Newfoundland,  according  to  the 
Industry  Service  Bureau  of  Motion  Pictures, 
Hollywood,  which  this  week  recapitulated  the  1 
film  industry's  war  aid. 

It  listed,  among  many  things,  the  production 
of  training  films,  the  preparation  of  technicians, 
donation  of  features  and  shorts  in  16mm.  for 
combat  zones,  national  distribution  of  Govern- 
ment documentary  films,  contribution  of  con- 
fidential material  for  military  intelligence,  ; 
instruction  in  camouflage  projects,  assignment 
of  stars  to  short-wave  broadcasts  for  troops,  ! 
fund-raising  by  stars'  personal  appearances, 
direct  contribution  and  theatre  collections,  scrap 
metal,  copper,  and  rubber  drives  by  theatres, 
sales  of  War  Bonds  in  industry  offices,  and  by 
its  theatres  and  stars,  and  co-operation  with  the 
Cordinator   of   Inter-American  Affairs. 

The  survey  added  that  training  films  produced 
by  studios  now  number  282  reels  on  107  sub-  | 
jects;  that  four  have  been  submitted  for 
approval,  21  are  now  in  work,  and  17  in  prep- 
aration, and  that  the  Signal  Corps  has  stated 
the  studios  will  be  required  to  make  1,000  reels 
this  year. 

It  also  was  pointed  out  that  more  than  4,000 
of  the  approximately  18,000  male  workers  in 
Hollywood  are  in  the  armed  service. 


January  9 


9  4  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


OWI  OUTLINES  VOLUNTARY' 
PROPAGANDA  REQUIREMENT 


New  Suggestions  Are 
Based  on  Treatment 
Rather  Than  Subjects 

\  by  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Hollywood  Editor 

Suggestions  for  fashioning  the  films  of 
commerce  into  sinews  of  war  without  sac- 
rifice of  essentials  at  either  end  of  the 
process  are  continuing  to  flow  from  the 
Office  of  War  Information  to  producers 
in  Hollywood. 

Producers  are  continuing  to  accord 
them  heed,  voluntarily,  in  about  the  num- 
ber and  manner  prevalent  before  OWI's 
Lowell  Mellett  proposed  standardization 
of  the  procedure  of  cooperation  which 
had  evolved  during  the  eight  months  fol- 
lowing establishment  of  the  agency's  Hol- 
lywood branch  under  the  administration 
of  Nelson  Poynter. 

The  new  suggestions,  mentioned  but  not 
disclosed  by  Mr.  Mellett  on  his  visit  to  Hol- 
I  lywood  in  November,  differ  in  substance  and 
scope  from  the  26  recommendations  of  topics 
which  he  offered  producers  last  May. 

Those  consisted  of  suggestions  that  the  26 
topics  then  regarded  as  useful  to  the  nation 
in  its  prosecution  of  the  war  be  dealt  with 
in  that  many  short  subjects,  although  no 
producer  was  barred  from  using  them  for 
features  and  some  were  so  used.  The  list 
was  placed  before  all  producers  with  an  invi- 
tation to  pick  and  choose. 

This  year's  suggestions  are  not,  in  all 
cases,  recommendations  for  the  treatment  of 
specified  topics  in  films  planned  for  that  pur- 
pose, but  are  designed  also  to  furnish  the 
benefit  of  OWI  sources  and  viewpoint  to 
producers  whose  pictures,  of  whatever  kind, 
touch  at  any  point  upon  the  subjects  per- 
tained to. 

These  are  not  being  placed  before  the  pro- 
ducers in  bulk  but  are  being  made  available 
individually,  this  change  of  method  stem- 
ming from  the  1942  experience  in  which 
some  of  the  26  topics  appealed  to  everybody 
present  and  some,  which  did  not,  received 
'  less  effective  handling. 

Suggestions  to  Producers 
For  Film  Treatment 

It  has  been  learned  that  the  OWI  is  now 
suggesting  to  HoU}Twood  producers  that  they 
'  fashion  their  pictures  in  such  a  way  that, 
without  sacrifice  of  entertainment  values, 
they  will : 

Interpret  the  meaning  of  the  Four  Freedoms  in 
terms  to  make  clear  to  all  the  nature  of  the 
cause  for  -which  the  war  is  being  fought; 
Personalize  to  the  man  in  the  aisle  seat  the  na- 
ture of  the  things  to  be  gained  by  sacrifice 
and  victory  as  compared  to  that  of  the  things 
a  defeat  would  bring ; 
Depict  democracy  by  showing  persons  of  dif- 
ferent race,  religion  and  economic  status 
mingling  on  even  terms  in  factory  or  other 
war  service  and  also  in  settings  of  everyday 
life ; 

Give  effect  to  the  helpfulness  of  loyal  aliens: 
Demonstrate  that  the  processes  of  democracy 

that  can  win  the  war  are  the  same  ones  that 

can  build  a  •worthwhile  peace : 


Dispel  the  impression  that  Hitler,  Musolini,  or 
Tojo,  or  Germans,  Italians  and  Japanese,  are 
the  enemy,  substituting  the  view  that  a  great 
number  of  people  following  their  doctrine 
constitute  the  enemy  force  to  be  eliminated ; 

Dramatize  the  rumor  monger,  recalcitrant  and 
shirker  as,  in  effect,  Axis  agents ; 

Prevent  spread  of  the  notion  that  the  enemy 
is  an  inferior  type  of  individual  to  be  de- 
feated easily ; 

Convey  steadily  the  realization  that  there  are 
30  United  Nations,  fighting  in  unison,  and  not 
exclusively  the  three  or  four  that  come  first  to 
mind; 

Clarify  Lend-Lease 
Operations 

Clarify  confusion  regarding  Lend-Lease  by 
showing  treatment  and  facilities  accorded  our 
armed  forces  in  other  countries  and  the  flow 
of  critical  materials  from  Allied  nations  to 
the  United  States : 

Depict  the  people  of  Allied  nations  faithfully 
instead  of  using  formula  portrayals,  costum- 
ing, theatrical  flourishes,  to  identify  them. 

Bring  to  theatre  goers  incisive  picturizations  of 
the  mental  and  physical  result  of  Axis  domi- 
nation in  the  occupied  countries ; 

Reveal  the  importance  of  the  individual  worker 
in  the  war  effort  and  depict  him  in  terms  of 
humanness  and  naturalness; 

Reveal  working  men's  bosses  and  employers  as 
also  individuals  of  humanness  and  naturalness 
contributing  to  the  work  effort ; 

Dramatize  labor-management  committees  as 
typifying  teamwork  that  can  win  a  war  ; 

Show  women  in  training  or  at  work,  indicating 
means  by  which  they  have  adjusted  them- 
selves to  the  war  need ; 

Present  the  type  of  scene  which  shows  older 
men,  Negroes  and  foreign-born  Americans  on 
the  production  j  ob ; 

Show  the  manner  in  which  farmers,  railroad 
men,  miners,  merchant  seamen  and  others  not 
often  heroized  in  films  are  doing  their  share 
of  the  war  job; 

Bring  into  emphasis  the  small  factories  turning 
out  streams  of  war  materials  in  support  of  the 
larger  plants ; 

Depict  adjustment  of  lives  to  the  24-hour  sched- 
ule of  working  shifts ; 

Contrast  the  American  system  of  free  labor 
with  the  Axis  scheme  of  slavery ; 

Present  people  in  general  as  making  the  small 
sacrifices — sugar,  coffee,  transportation  con- 
veniences, etc. — cheerfully  and  voluntarily; 

Emphasize  voluntary  participation  in  civilian 
activities  with  war  purpose — Red  Cross,  Ci- 
vilian Defense,  etc. — on  the  part  of  all  types 
of  citizens; 

Give  effect  via  camera  when  appropriate  to 
posters  on  walls  of  stores,  cafes,  etc.,  concern- 
ing War  Bond  drives,  relief  campaigns  and 
similar  movements ; 

Reflect  Contemporary 
American  Scene 

Reflect  contemporary  American  conditions,  in 
crowd  or  street  scenes,  by  including  fewer 
male  civilians,  more  women  in  uniform,  girls 
in  taxi  cab  and  filling  station  jobs : 

Mirror  the  activity  of  boys  and  girls  in  their 
teens  as  participants  in  voluntary  war  ef- 
fort ; 

Picture  curtailment  of  pleasure  spending  in  fa- 
vor of  War  Bond  purchase  and  payment  of 
taxes  as  offsets  against  inflation ; 

Spread  attention  of  the  citizenry  to  encompass 
all  branches  of  armed  service  instead  of  con- 
centrating on  one  or  two ; 


Point  out  the  care  exercised  in  training  for 
combat  and  indicate  that  this  limits  lossss ; 

Prepare  the  populace  for  reports  of  casual  ries 
by  showing  wounded  men  occasionally  in 
crowd  scenes  and  by  dialogue  in  which  char- 
acters talk  realistically  and  without  hysteria 
about  men  in  danger  on  the  war  fronts ; 

Establish  the  fact  of  racial  equality  by  showing 
colored  as  well  as  white  enlisted  men  and  offi- 
cers in  street  scenes  or  large  gatherings ; 

Present  the  facts  of  combat  for  what  they  are 
instead  of  as  props  to  a  narrative ; 

Register  the  permanent  usefulness  of  training 
in  mechanical,  technical  and  other  fields  giv- 
en the  soldiers  in  preparation  for  war  duties ; 

Prepare  parents  and  families  in  so  far  as  pos- 
sible for  news  of  fatalities  by  imparting  gen- 
eral and  authentic  knowledge  of  the  objectives 
which  justify  sacrifice  of  life. 

Axis  Propaganda  Lines 
Are  Indicated 

By  availing  themselves  of  these  sugges- 
tions, the  OWI  view  holds,  producers  in 
general,  whether  making  a  picture  based  on 
a  war  theme  or  any  other  subject  which 
uses  today  for  its  setting,  have  it  in  their 
power  to  participate  in  the  nation's  war  ef- 
fort. 

To  the  end  that  producers  may  apply  the 
OWI  suggestions,  if  they  wish,  with  full 
awareness  of  their  purpose,  a  summary  of 
Axis-propaganda  lines  also  is  available. 
These,  it  is  learned,  are: 

That  democratic  peoples  are  decadent,  incapable 
of  unity,  yet  consider  themselves  superior  to 
all  other  peoples; 

That  wealthy  men  in  the  democracies  engi- 
neered the  war  and  are  running  it  on  a  plat- 
form of  profit  above  patriotism ; 

That  Americans  are  hypocrites  fighting  to 
maintain  a  system  of  racial  inequities  and 
political  chicanery; 

That  United  Nations  population  cannot  stand 
rationing  and  other  privations  and  that  ad- 
ministration of  these  is  faulty ; 

That  the  American  Government's  policy  with 
respect  to  Latin- American  countries  is  camou- 
flage for  imperialism ; 

That  Allied  leaders  are  unreliable  and  disposed 
to  betray  each  other ; 

That  America  is  the  dupe  of  England,  being  de- 
ceived into  supplying  food  and  munitions  for 
which  it  will  receive  no  return ; 

That  Allied  peoples  are  without  common  inter- 
est and  their  unity  will  crack; 

That  the  United  Nations'  Number  One  Enemy 
is  Japan ;  and, 

That  the  majority  of  the  nationals  of  occupied 
countries  are  collaborating  with  the  Axis. 

Summaries  Indicative 
Of  OWI  Counsel 

_  Neither  of  the  foregoing  summaries  is  de- 
rived verbatim  from  any  official  documentation 
of  OWI  policy  and  neither  is  complete,  for 
there  is  no  point  of  completeness  save  from 
day  to  day  in  the  development  of  the  nation's 
war  problem  and  the  OWI  problem  of  dealing 
with  it.  The  summaries  do  portray  in  essence, 
however,  the  OWI  counsel  proffered  producers. 

The  extent  of  producers'  compliance  with 
suggestions  available  to  them  and  advisory 
services  tendered,  according  to  informed  Holly- 
wood opinion,  figures  to  increase  rather  than 
decrease  as  result  of  the  flurry  caused  by  the 
recent  Mellett  letter  proposing  standardization 
of  procedure. 


16 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


WPB  SETS  FILM  SCHEDULES 

SAVING  400.000.000  FEET 


Major  Companies  Are  Held 
to  75%  of  1941  Footage, 
Others  Cut  to  88% 

by  FRANCIS  L.  BURT 

in  Washington 

Major  company  consumption  of  35mm. 
film  in  1943  will  be  held  to  75  per  cent  of 
the  amount  consumed  in  1941  and  small 
companies  will  be  held  to  88  per  cent  of 
the  film  used  in  that  year,  under  a  re- 
vised limitation  order  L-178  issued  Janu- 
ary 1st  by  the  War  Production  Board. 

Aiming  at  a  saving  of  400,000,000  feet 
of  film,  the  board  set  up  specific  alloca- 
tions for  the  11  producer-distributors,  for 
the  first  three  months  of  the  year  allow- 
ing them  302,018,840  feet. 

No  restriction  whatever  is  placed  upon  the 
use  of  the  film,  but  the  amount  allocated  each 
company  represents  all  that  it  will  be  al- 
lowed for  its  regular  operations,  under  a 
definition  of  entertainment  films  as  including 
newsreels  and  trailers  for  entertainment  pic- 
tures as  well  as  features. 

The  new  order  also  gives  the  WPB  com- 
plete control  over  the  amount  of  stock  used 
in  the  production  of  factual  and  special  pic- 
tures, including  those  made  for  all  Govern- 
ment agencies  except  the  Army,  Navy  and 
Office  of  Strategic  Services. 

Factual  pictures  are  defined  as  those  made 
for  informational  or  instructional  purposes, 
and  film  for  them  cannot  be  obtained  or  used 
without  specific  authorization  of  the  Direc- 
tor General  for  Operations.  A  maximum  of 
44,300,000  feet  will  be  authorized  for  such 
films  during  the  six  months  ending  June 
30th,  next. 

Special  pictures  include  those  made  for 
purposes  of  scientific  research,  micro-film- 
ing, identification,  and  other  purposes  speci- 
fied by  the  Director  General  for  Operation, 
and  cannot  be  made  without  special  WPB 
authorization. 

WPB  officials  disclosed  that  the  new  al- 
locations will  make  the  saving  of  film  about 
one>third  greater  than  was  accomplished 
under  the  original  order  of  last  August, 
calling  for  cuts  of  10  to  24  per  cent.  The 
average  cut  for  the  final  quarter  of  1942  was 
18.74  per  cent. 

Three  Classifications 
Set  Up  by  WPB 

The  board  set  up  three  classifications, 
each,  for  producers  and  distributors,  but 
made  specific  allocations  only  as  follows: 

Class  A  producers  and  distributors:  Co- 
lumbia Pictures,  30,168,738  feet;  Loew's, 
Inc.  (MGM),  51,237,449  feet;  Paramount 
Pictures,  40,664,577  feet;  Radio-Keith-Or- 
pheum,  32,005,224  feet;  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  41,282,295  feet;  Universal  Pictures,  32,- 
950,758  feet;  Vitagraph  (Warner  Bros.), 
33,152,212  feet;  Republic  Pictures,  17,- 
653,771  feet. 

Class  B  distributors:  Monogram  Produc- 


SPECIFIC  RAW  STOCK 
ALLOCATIONS 

Under  the  new  raw  stock  reduction 
order  issued  by  the  War  Production 
Board,  the  producing  companies  will 
receive  specific  allocations  of  raw 
stock  as  follows:  Columbia,  30, 1 68,738 
feet;  MGM,  51,237,449;  Paramount, 
40,664,577;  RKO,  32,005,224;  20th 
Century-Fox,  41,282,295;  Universal, 
32,950,758;  Warners,  33,152,212;  Re- 
public, 17,653,771;  Monogram,  5,- 
617,180;  PRC,  3,052,332;  United 
Artists,  14,234,304. 


tions,  5,617,180  feet;  Producers  Releasing 
Corporation,  3,052,332  feet;  United  Artists, 
14,234,304  feet. 

Class  B  producers  were  defined  as  includ- 
ing all  producers  other  than  Class  A,  who 
made  at  least  one  entertainment  picture  in 
1941  for  exhibition  in  theatres,  which  was 
distributed  by  a  Class  A  or  Class  B  distribu- 
tor; they  must  obtain  authorizations  of  the 
Director  General  for  Operations  for  use  of 
any  35mm.  film  except  that  which  they  ob- 
tain through  their  Class  A  or  Class  B  dis- 
tributors. 

Class  C  producers  and  distributors  include 
all  not  covered  by  Class  A  or  Class  B  defini- 
tions ;  they  are  restricted  in  their  use  of  film 
in  the  first  quarter  of  1943  to  22  per  cent  of 
the  total  amount  used  by  them  in  1941. 

Army,  Navy,  OSS 
Not  Affected 

The  only  exceptions  to  the  allocation  pro- 
visions are  that  orders  for  the  Army,  Navy 
or  Office  of  Strategic  Services  are  not  af- 
fected by  the  limitations  and  the  Director 
General  for  Operations  may  make  special 
authorizations  to  Class  A,  B  and  C  produc- 
ers and  distributors  for  use  of  film  outside 
their  quotas,  but  not  in  excess  of  57,000,000 
feet  during  the  next  six  months. 

In  addition  to  the  film  directly  allocated 
to  them,  distributors  are  to  receive  in  each 
three-month  period  50  per  cent  of  the 
amount  of  film  which  they  used  in  35mm. 
positive  prints  turned  over  to  the  Army  and 
100  per  cent  of  the  film  so  used  for  prints 
turned  over  to  the  Navy  in  the  preceding 
quarter. 

The  order  continues  the  freezing  provi- 
sions with  the  exception  that  film  labora- 
tories and  other  service  organizations  proc- 
essing 35mm.  film  may  transfer  the  film 
without  authorization  to  Class  A  and  B 
distributors,  the  Army,  Navy  and  Office  of 
Strategic  Services.  All  other  transfers  of 
film  require  the  specific  authorization  of  the 
Director  General  for  Operations. 

Specific  authorization  to  use  35mm.  film 
may  be  sought  by  anyone  in  applications  on 
form  PD-763  filed  with  the  motion  pictures 
and  photographic  section,  consumer  durable 


goods  division  of  the  WPB.  Class  A  and  B 
producers  are  to  apply  directly  to  the  section 
on  the  same  form  for  authorization  to  obtain 
and  use  picture  negative  and  sound  record- 
ing stock,  but  all  other  types  of  film  will  be 
authorized  through  the  laboratories  and 
other  service  organizations  processing  film. 

Applications  relating  to  factual  pictures 
must  contain  specific  information  as  to  the 
relationship  of  the  picture  to  the  war  ef- 
fort, showing  the  extent  to  which  the  pro- 
posed picture  duplicates  pictures  already 
produced  or  in  production;  the  extent  to 
which  it  is  planned  in  conjunction  with  an 
organized  picture  program  of  a  specific  Fed- 
eral department  in  furtherance  of  the  war 
effort;  the  extent  to  which  it  is  to  be  used 
in  connection  with  a  national  or  regional 
campaign ;  the  extent  of  the  applicant's  ac- 
tivities in  producing  similar  films  in  1941, 
and  the  extent  to  which  the  film  is  to  be 
used  for  classroom  instruction  if  it  is  an 
educational  picture. 


WPB  Halts  Construction 
Of  California  Theatre 

Completion  of  a  theatre  in  Richmond,  Cal., 
has  been  prohibited  by  the  War  Production 
Board,  the  order  charging  that  construction 
was  undertaken  last  summer  without  authori- 
zation. 

Material  and  equipment  will  be  withheld  for 
a  period  of  at  least  six  months  under  the  sus- 
pension order,  S-185.  Until  the  penalty  is 
revoked  the  owners,  Charles  Patterson,  Henry 
and  Richard  J.  Nasser,  will  be  unable  to  con- 
tinue construction. 


Choose  Roy  Rogers  Film 

The  Republic  picture,  "Heart  of  the  Golden 
West,"  with  Roy  Rogers,  has  been  judged 
one  of  the  seven  best  films  of  1942,  according 
to  the  Young  America  magazine,  which  goes 
to  more  than  375,000  youngsters.  It  also  was 
chosen  as  the  best  Western  picture  of  the  year. 


Field  Men  Transferred 

Irving  Yergin,  Warner  Brothers  field  repre- 
sentative in  the  Chicago  territory,  has  been 
transferred  to  the  eastern  division,  and  Ted 
Tod,  formerly  in  Kansas  City,  will  replace  him, 
it  was  announced  last  week  by  Mort  Blumen- 
stock,  eastern  advertising  and  publicity  direc- 
tor. Mr.  Tod's  successor  has  not  been  named 
as  yet. 


Rebuild  Burned  Theatre 

The  rebuilding  of  the  Harris-Grand  theatre, 
Bloomington,  Ind.,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire 
last  July,  has  been  authorized  by  the  War 
Production  Board.  The  rebuilding  was  per- 
mitted because  additional  recreational  facilities 
were  needed  in  the  area  for  service  men  and 
women  at  Indiana  University,  Camp  Atterbury 
and  Burns  City. 


Sale  of  Records  Strong 

The  sale  of  records  of  songs  from  Columbia's 
"Revielle  with  Beverly"  already  amounts  to  18,- 
500,000,  it  was  reported.  The  orchestras  of 
Count  Basle,  Duke  Ellington,  Bob  Crosby  and 
Freddie  Slack  appear  in  the  picture. 


"One  for  all . . .  and  all  for  Freedom!" 

1 

I 

*  .t) 


Their  pledge  is  in  for  the  duration! 
Here's  your  pledge  for 

UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK 

|  STARTING  JANUARY  14*h  THROUGH  20th 

"I  promise  to  do  my  share  in  the  job  that  my  country 
has  given  me!  With  all  my  showmanship  skill  I  will 
promote  America's  salute  to  the  United  Nations,  for 
they  are  the  comrades-in-arms  of  our  fighting  sons. 
I  will  show  the  heart-stirring  trailer  on  my  screen  in 
behalf  of  the  stricken  peoples  of  our  allies.  I  am 
proud  to  be  a  fighter  in  an  industry  that  considers  it 
a  privilege  to  be  at  the  forefront  of  the  home-front!" 

Sponsored  by  War  Activities  Committee.  1501  Broadway,  "New  York  City 


18 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


March  of  Time 
Buys  Red  Film, 
'Day  at  War9 

March  of  Time,  the  monthly  magazine  of 
the  nation's  screen,  and  a  branch  of  the  Time- 
Life-Fortune  corporate  structure,  will  bring  the 
story  of  Russia's  front  line  and  home  front 
battles  against  the  Nazis  to  American  audiences 
in  its  January  28th  release,  it  was  learned  in 
New  York  this  week. 

"Russia  Marches  On,"  tentative  title  of  the 
next  March  of  Time  issue,  now  is  being  edited 
and  cut  to  MOT  screen  pattern  from  the  nine- 
reel  documentary,  "A  Day  at  War."  This  is 
the  Soviet  film  which  was  made  last  June  13th 
by  140  Russian  cameramen  who  took  their 
equipment  to  battle  points  along  that  country's 
2,000-mile  front  to  film  activities  in  every  branch 
of  military  and  home  defense  service. 

Although  no  official  announcement  was  forth- 
coming from  March  of  Time  on  the  acquisition 
of  the  film,  it  was  learned  on  Tuesday  that 
Artkino  Pictures,  Inc.,  distributors  of  Soviet 
films  in  the  U.  S.,  had  completed  negotiations 
this  week  with  Richard  de  Rochemont,  MOT 
managing  director,  for  distribution  in  America 
of  what  is  termed  "one  of  the  most  important 
war  films  to  come  out  of  Russia  to  date." 

Nicola  Napoli,  head  of  Artkino,  declined  to 
comment  on  the  deal.  Last  November,  however, 
Artkino  reported  that  the  film  had  arrived  in 
the  U.  S.  and  that  arrangements  for  its  distri- 
bution here  were  under  way.  Mr.  Napoli  also 
said  that  15  Russian  cameramen  who  had  taken 
part  in  filming  battle  scenes  at  the  front  for 
the  picture  had  been  killed  in  action. 

It  is  understood  that  March  of  Time  is  plan- 
ning extensive  exploitation  of  the  motion  picture 
through  its  radio  program,  which  is  broadcast 
nationally  and  through  mutual  advertising- 
publicity-exploitation  plans  now  being  prepared 
with  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  distributors  of 
the  screen  magazine. 

It  has  been  indicated  that  the  distribution  of 
this  Russian  film  in  the  U.  S.,  particularly  by 
the  March  of  Time,  has  been  welcomed  by  the 
Office  of  War  Information,  which  is  said  to 
regard  "A  Day  of  War"  as  important  propa- 
ganda fare  for  the  American  public.  Whether 
or  not  the  OWI  was  instrumental  in  cementing 
the  negotiations  between  MOT  and  Artkino, 
however,  could  not  be  learned. 

March  of  Time  currently  is  building  a  treat- 
ment in  its  own  fashion  around  the  footage  of 
the  motion  picture.  Mr.  de  Rochemont  is  in 
charge  of  preparing  the  material  for  its  release 
later  this  month. 

Since  March  of  Time  switched  its  release 
recently  from  RKO  Radio  to  Twentieth  Cent- 
ury-Fox, the  problem  of  raw  stock  allotment 
for  the  monthly  issue  has  caused  the  latter 
company  much  concern.  It  was  reported  last 
week  that  Tom  J.  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  for  20th  Centruy-Fox, 
conferred  in  Washington  with  Harold  B.  Hop- 
per, chief  of  the  motion  picture  division  of  the 
War  Production  Board,  to  determine  whether 
or  not  the  WPB  would  allocate  extra  footage 
for  March  of  Time.  The  company  contended, 
according  to  reports,  that  use  of  raw  stock 
by  MOT  should  not  be  charged  up  to  the  20th 
Century-Fox  allocation  for  features.  It  could 
not  be  learned  at  midweek  what  decision  the 
WPB  finally  had  reached  concerning  March  of 
Time  footage. 

Meanwhile,  Artkino  announced  Tuesday  that 
90,000  feet  of  Russian  film  arrived  in  New  York 
last  week,  including  15,000  feet  of  newsreel 
shots.  Included  in  the  footage  are  six  feature- 
length  films,  some  with  regular  plots  woven 
against  war  backgrounds  and  others  of  straight 
documentary  fare.  The  reels  were  brought  to 
this  country  by  air  and  Artkino  officials  now 
are  studying  footage  to  determine  what  is  suit- 


U.  S.-RUSSIAN  DEALS 
FOR  FILM  LAGGING 

Since  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion, through  its  motion  picture  divi- 
sion of  the  overseas  branch,  extended 
a  helping  hand  last  September  to  fur- 
ther interchange  of  American  feature 
films  and  Soviet  product,  only  two 
probable  evidences  of  OWI  influence 
in  bringing  Russian  screen  fare  to 
American  theatre  patrons  are  on  the 
record.  No  deal,  to  date,  however, 
has  been  set  by  any  U.  S.  major  film 
company  with  the  Soviet  Government 
for  sale  of  Hollywood  product  to  the 
Russians,  although  several  Hollywood 
films  are  said  to  be  under  considera- 
tion in  Moscow.  Details  of  the  plan 
were  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Herald  September  19,  1942. 

Last  October,  Republic  acquired 
distribution  rights  on  a  percentage 
basis  from  Artkino  Pictures  for  the 
documentary,  "Moscow  Strikes  Back". 
Latest  deal  is  the  one  reported  this 
week  between  March  of  Time,  dis- 
tributed by  Twentieth  Century- Fox, 
and  Artkino  for  release  of  "Russia 
Marches  On",  February  issue  of 
MOT.  Since  the  U.  S.  became  an 
ally  of  Russia,  and  up  to  last  Octo- 
ber, release  of  Soviet  pictures  in  the 
U.  S.  had  been  effected  through  inde- 
pendent distributor  deals  made  with 
Artkino. 


able  for  distribution  in  the  U.  S.  According  to 
present  plans,  Artkino  will  negotiate  with  major 
distributors  for  release  of  the  new  feature  mater- 
ial, presumably  on  a  similar  basis  as  that  worked 
out  with  Republic  for  "Moscow  Strikes  Back," 
recent  documentary. 

The  company  also  reported  that  fresh  news- 
reel  material  included  in  the  batch  and  repre- 
senting battle  shots  on  the  Stalingrad  front 
taken  as  recently  as  five  weeks  ago,  probably 
will  be  used  by  one  or  more  American  news- 
reel  companies  this  week.  This  is  in  line 
with  recent  arrangements  which  made  it  possible 
for  the  Soviet  Government  to  make  available 
regular  weekly  shipments  to  this  country  of 
more  timely  Russian  newsreels.  Under  that 
plan,  thus  far  two  items  were  included  in 
American  reels  in  two  successive  weekly  issues 
recently. 

FCC  Approves  Network 
Sale  to  General  Tire 

The  Federal  Communications  Commission 
last  week  approved  the  sale  of  the  Yankee  Net- 
work to  the  General  Tire  and  Rubber  Com- 
pany of  Akron,  overriding  objections  by  Com- 
missioners Walker  and  Durr,  who  declared 
that  a  hearing  should  be  held  before  action 
was  taken. 

The  dissenting  commissioners  contended  that 
the  business  of  broadcasting  should  be  free  of 
rontrol  by  manufacturing  interests.  The  net- 
work owns  21  New  England  stations. 


Play  All  Victory  Films 

Hartford  theatres  "are  playing  Victory  Films 
100  per  cent,"  according  to  an  announcement 
made  by  Henry  L.  Needles,  Hartford  division 
manager  for  Warner  Theatres,  and  chairman 
of  the  Hartford  War  Activities  Committee. 


Plan  for  Peace, 
Says  Warner 

Problems  and  obligations  even  greater  than 
those  now  being  shouldered  in  aid  of  the  war 
effort  are  faced  by  the  motion  picture  industry 
after  the  end  of  the  world  conflict,  and  Holly- 
wood must  start  planning  now  to  meet  those 
requirements,  said  Harry  M.  Warner,  president 
of  Warner  Bros.,  in  a  statement  on  the  outlook 
for  1943  released  in  Hollywood  Tuesday. 

"The  enormous  task  of  reconstruction  and 
rehabilitation  that  lies  ahead",  said  Mr.  Warner, 
"will  require  a  thoroughly  informed  public 
opinion  and  sane  guidance  of  national  and  in- 
ternational thought  in  order  to  assure  the  kind 
of  world  justice  that  will  make  for  lasting 
peace.  For  the  accomplishment  of  this  end, 
there  is  no  medium  more  effective  than  the 
screen. 

"It  is  the  responsibility  and  obligation  of  the 
film  industry  to  see  that  public  thinking  for 
the  future  is  guided  in  the  right  channels.  To 
do  this  intelligently  requires  the  most  minute 
study  of  distant  probabilities  and  the  courage 
to  proceed  accordingly,"  Mr.  Warner  said. 

"The  mechanics  of  creating  a  motion  picture 
necessarily  are  slow,  and  a  subject  which  is 
of  timely  importance  today  may  have  lost  much 
of  its  significance  six  months  from  now.  So 
we  must  look  and  plan  far  ahead.  Certain  in- 
formation on  current  world  happenings  and 
probable  future  developments  is  available  to 
every  studio  alike.  How  that  information  is 
analyzed,  appraised  and  utilized  by  each  studio 
depends  entirely  upon  the  keenness  and  fore- 
sight of  its  production  executives." 

Mr.  Warner  cited  a  number  of  Warner  pic- 
tures, which,  he  said,  served  the  dual  purpose 
of  entertaining  and  informing  the  public. 

WE  Sound  Pacts 
End  in  2  Years 

Termination  of  Western  Electric  contracts 
licensing  producers  to  use  the  Bell  System 
sound  recording  patents  will  occur  in  two  years. 
WE  announced  this  week,  adding  that  contract- 
ual notice  had  been  given. 

New  contracts  will  be  available  on  expiration 
of  those  current.  They  will  continue  to  permit 
use  of  the  Bell  patents,  and  will  run  to  the  end 
of  1954. 

WE  spokesmen  said  Monday  in  New  York 
that  attorneys  now  are  working  on  the  draft 
of  the  new  contract,  and  that  it  will  differ 
from  the  old  in  patent  protection  claims  and  in 
providing  lower  royalties. 

Ban  on  Film  Containers 
Hurts  Shipments 

A  ban  on  cardboard  containers  used  for  film 
shipments  to  Latin  America  has  been  placed 
in  effect  by  the  Coast  Guard  at  New  Orleans, 
threatening  a  stoppage  of  export.  The  reason 
given  by  Coast  Guard  headquarters  in  New 
York  is  that  such  containers  constituted  a 
hazard  aboard  ships.  Metal  containers  were 
used  in  pre-war  times. 

Protests  by  the  MPPDA  and  Massce-Bar- 
nett  Company,  film  shippers,  have  been  made 
to  the  State  and  Navy  Departments.  A  tem- 
porary supply  of  metal  containers  has  been 
issued  to  allow  further  shipments  until  the 
situation  can  be  relieved.  New  Orleans  is  the 
only  port  which  is  affected  by  the  ruling  thus 
far,  it  was  said. 


Heads  War  Savings  Group 

Lamar  Swift,  theatre  manager  of  Waycross, 
Ga.,  has  been  named  chairman  of  the  Georgia 
War  Savings  Committee  in  Ware  County. 


BOB  HOPE 


FRED  MacMURRAY  *  FRANCHOT  TOME 


RAY  MILLAND 
DOROTHY  LAMOUR 
PAUIE1TE  GODDARD 

>DICK  POWELL 


VICTOR  MOORE 
VERA  ZORINA 
MARY  MARTIN 
I  BETTY  HUTTON 


EDDIE  BRACKEN    *  VERONICA  LAKE 


ALAN  LADD 


ROCHESTER 


,       rnionna  *  Macdonald  Carey  *  Albert  Dekker 
w„h  William  Bendix  *  Jerry  Co.onna  M _       ^     ^     ^  ^  ^ 

WoUer  Abe.  *  Susan  H^^^JJl  Johnston  .  Gil  Lamb  *  Ca„ 
Orake  *  Lynne  J^^gS^  *  Arthur  Treacher  *  Walter  Cat.ett 


PARAMOUNT  S  REALLY  SPREADING  ITSELF  ON  THIS  ON 


,«8 


25 


THEATRE  CLOSINGS  UNLIKELY 
FUEL  OIL  OFFICIALS  SAY 


But  Exhibitors  Must  Shift 
to  Coal  If  Possible  or  Be 
Deprived  of  Fuel 

oy  FRANCIS  L.  BURT 

•n  Washington 


Xc  theatres  cr  other  business  e;:a; 
ments  will  be  closed  for  lack  of  oh 
result  of  the  present  east  coast  shor 
_r.ies;  ccr.citicrs  become  m 
than  they  are  no  v.'.  but  exhi 
tan  conver 
:e  deprive' 


if  oil.  Washington  of 


lish- 
as  a 
:age 
orse 
who 
mav 
cials 


e  owners  would  be  i 

in  New  York  City, 
iness,  city  officials 
the  crisis  essentia 
d  be  permitted  to 
ras  understood  thev 


die  drafting  of  a  priority  list  of  indus- 
;s  and  activities  to  be  denied  fuel  oil  in 

event  of  necessity,  with  theatres  ru- 
red  in  first  place.  Such  a  list  undoubt- 
f  has  been  drawn  up,  observers  said. 

whether  theatres  will  be  the  first  to 
;  their  oil  is  debated,  and  many  believe 
t  other  places  of  amusement  of  less  ini- 
tance  will  suffer  before  theatres  are 
;ed. 

Yhile  Washington  has  no  program  for 
bbing  Peter  to  pay  Paul,"  it  is  reported 
unlikely  that  in  an  emergency  in  a  par- 
ilar  state  the  Office  of  Price  Administra- 


wfaole  the  theatre  industry  looms 
i  the  Government's  war  program 
■essed  except  as  a  last  resort,  it 
in  the  capitol. 


wever,  a  survey  < 
inly  a  tew  indepen< 
by  lack  of  oiL  A 
converted  their  o 


include  theatres, 
houses  disclosed 
ents  would  be  a 
circuit  theatres 
plants  to  coal.  Some  of  the  largest  houses 
are  heated  by  the  New  \ork  Steam  Com- 
pany. 

In  upstate  New  York,  small  town  theatre 
operators  this  week  planned  to  close  houses 
for  as  much  as  two  days  per  week,  unable 
to  obtain  sufficient  oil  for  seven  days'  op- 
eration. 

In  Massachusetts,  where  Governor  Lev- 
eret! Saltonstall  was  reported  a  month  ago 
to  have  suggested  theatre  closing,  state  of- 
ficials warned  this  week  that  the  maximum 
which  will  be  allowed  to  a  theatre  per 
month  is  10  000  gallons. 

Pleasure  Driving 
Is  Outlawed 


10  Per  Cent  Slashed 
Off  Period  3  Coupons 

Period  Three  fuel  oil  coupons  on  Monday 
became  worth  nine  instead  of  10  gallons 
for  home  owners,  and  90  instead  of  100  for 
operators  of  large  buildings,  by  order  of 
the  Office  of  Price  Administration.  The 
order  affected  the  17  rationed  eastern  states 
and  the  District  of  Columbia.  It  was  in 
contrast  to  an  OPA  order  recentl\T  which 
raised  the  value  of  home  oil  coupons  in  13 
Middle  Western  states  from  10  to  11  gal- 
lons. 

Leon  Henderson,  Price  Administrator, 
suggested  to  local  ration  boards  that  ra- 
tions for  all  large  buildings  except  homes 
be  discontinued  unless  they  supply  written 
proof  that  conversion  to  coal  is  impossible 
because  of  construction,  or  of  material  and 
labor  shortage. 

He  also  cancelled  extra  gasoline  rations 
for  traveling  salesmen  in  the  17  Eastern 
states. 

The  Plaza  and  Visulite  theatres,  and  the 
Charlotte,  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  have  short- 
ened operating  hours,  to  conserve  oil.  The 
While  the  situation  currently  is  admitted     gj.5j  wo  open  dailv  at  3:15  P.M..  instead 
by  W  ashington  to  be  serious  and  with  little     of  at  1  p  M  .  ^  ^e  Charlotte  at  1  P.M.. 
indication  ot  improvement  m  the  near  ru-     i^ead  of  11  A.M. 

rare,  petroleum  administration  officials  are  jn  J^ew  Haven,  the  1,269- seat  Pequot 
hope  ml  tney  can  meet  rationed  requirements  theatre  has  dropped  five  week-dav  matinees, 
without  interference  with  business  opera- 

•  -  Closings  Averted 

source  of  entertainment  for  defense  workers 

ma^erf  for^ead\sSKtStoi^e™civ-     ^U    ^  ICClgO  Area 

Oil  heated  theatres  in  the  Chicago  district 
have  received  relief  from  the  disaster  which 
threatened  when  the  first  12  days  of  De- 
cember turned  out  to  be  the  coldest  in  the 
history  of  the  local  weather  bureau.  A  10 
per  cent  increase  in  the  allotment  and  an 
assurance  that  if  satisfactory  conservation 
measures  were  taken  additional  needs  would 
be  covered  averted  threatened  closings. 

With  fuel  oil  rationed  on  the  basis  of 
67  per  cent  of  the  amount  used  in  the 
previous  mild  winter  theatres  were  forced 
to  use  the  supply  reserved  for  later  con- 
sumption in  order  to  maintain  the  standards 


wed  all 
)  an  i  C 
Atlantic 
a  tier.  :f 


likely  thai  "A"  gasoline  cards 
validated  and  non-essential  mote 

On  Wednesday,  the  OPA  c 
pleasure  driving  to  holders  of 
gasoline  rationing  cards  on  i 
seaboard  and  prescribed  the  ca 
rations  as  the  penalty  for  violations.  The 
OPA  said  "the  presence  of  passenger  cars  at 
any  gathering  for  purposes  of  sport  or 
amusement  will  be  taken  as  prima  facie  evi- 
dence that  srastiire  ratirrs  ana  tire;  are  be- 
ing dissipated  needlessly  and  illegally." 

Reports  have  been  current  in  W  ashington 


of  the  Health  Department  Even  these 
standards  had  been  changed  to  permit  a  min- 
imum of  65  degrees  and  a  50  per  cent  re- 
circulation of  air  as  compared  to  68  de- 
grees and  100  per  cent  fresh  air  previously 
required. 

Conversion  of  coal  has  been  going  along 
at  a  rapid  pace  with  priorities  on  material 
holding  back  many  of  them.  The  recently 
establshed  office  of  the  Petroleum  Coordi- 
nator says  that  every  house  that  can  pos- 
sibly do  so  will  be  required  to  change  over. 

Many  of  the  larger  houses  use  oil  and  in 
some  cases  reconstruction  costs  are  consid- 
ered to  be  too  great  to  make  the  change 
worth  while.  In  the  case  of  Indiana- Illinois 
circuit  where  three  conversions  have  been 
made  three  remaining  houses  will  be  changed 
to  coal  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  are  lo- 
cated in  the  heart  of  the  Indiana  oil  refining 
industry. 

Essaness  has  completed  six  changes  out 
of  seven  theatres  which  formerly  were 
heated  with  oil  and  Warner  Brothers  ac- 
complished the  same  in  two  out  of  six.  It 
is  difficult  to  say  how  many  situations  will 
be  permitted  to  remain  unchanged  but  an 
estimate  that  nearly  50  per  cent  of  those 
completed  and  of  those  that  will  be  re- 
quired is  believed  accurate.  Control  mea- 
sures include  insulation  and  weather  strip- 
ping, examination  and  repair  of  the  heat- 
ing plant  and  keeping  the  theatres  cooler  at 
night  in  order  to  conserve  fuel. 

Problem  Xot  Acute  in 
Minneapolis  Area 

In  the  Minneapolis  territory,  most  of  the 
theatres"  heating  plants  fall  within  the  speci- 
fied regulations  laid  down  by  the  OPA,  and 
the  few  houses  which  use  fuel  oil  are  plan- 
ning to  convert  to  coal  since  large  coal 
stores  are  available  at  Duluth.  In  instances 
where  the  theatres  are  situated  in  the  busi- 
ness blocks  of  the  twin  cities,  central  heat- 
ing plants  reduce  difficulties. 

In  Duhith  and  Virginia,  municipal  steam 
plants  operated  by  coal  provide  the  theatre 
buildings  with  heat.  While  there  have  been 
some  closings  in  the  territory,  they  gener- 
ally have  been  attributed  to  the  manpower 
shortage  or  loss  of  population,  and  not  to 
the  oil  rationing. 

-Vo  Theatres  Forced  to 
Close  in  Canada 

In  Canada,  no  theatres  were  forced  to 
close  because  of  the  fuel  oil  shortage  despite 
frequent  snow  storms  and  cold  waves.  Also, 
there  was  no  changeover  from  oil  burners 
to  coal  required  by  the  authorities,  and  it 
was  expected  that  no  demand  will  be  made 
this  winter. 

Of  the  598.244  gallons  of  oil  used  last 
year  by  Warner  Xew  England  theatres. 
459.347  have  been  saved  by  conversion  of 
plants  to  coal,  representing  76  per  cent,  it 
was  reported  from  Xew  Haven  Tuesdav. 
All  the  Loew-Poli  circuit's  15  houses  have 
converted.  Independent  theatres  of  the  area 
are  estimating  conversion  costs  and  order- 
ing grates. 


26 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Rules  Studios  May 
Exercise  Options 


Byrnes  Order  Limits  Total 
of  Resulting  Increase  to 
$25,000  Ceiling 

Although  they  provide  increased  pay, 
options  may  be  exercised  for  motion  pic- 
ture industry  talent,  the  Treasury  De- 
partment and  Office  of  Economic  Stabili- 
zation ruled  on  Monday. 

Thus  were  apparent  some  results  from 
conferences  in  Washington  last  week  be- 
tween officials  of  motion  picture  com- 
panies and  James  Byrnes,  Stabilization 
Director.  The  salary  limitation,  much 
discussed  since  its  imposition  as  an  anti- 
inflation  measure,  and  scheduled  to  come 
under  sharp  debate  in  the  new  Congress 
which  convened  this  week — limited  sal- 
aries to  $25,000  net. 

In  the  first  legal  action  to  clarify  the 
status  of  optionable  talent  contracts  under 
the  Government's  salary  freezing  edict, 
Hedy  Lamarr  on  Tuesday  filed  suit  in  Los 
Angeles  Superior  Court  against  Loew's, 
Inc.,  seeking  abrogation  of  her  contract  if 
the  stipulated  increase  in  compensation  is 
not  forthcoming.  The  actress  charges  the 
company  notified  her  in  three  letters  on 
November  25th  that  it  was  picking  up  her 
option  but  would  pay  her  only  her  then 
salary  of  $1,500  a  week  instead  of  the  $2,000 
weekly  specified  in  the  contract.  The  com- 
plaint disputes  the  validity  of  the  company's 
exercise  of  its  option  without  fulfillment  of 
all  terms  of  the  pact. 

The  new  Treasury  ruling  limited  the 
total  of  increased  pay  under  options  to  the 
$25,000  limit.  And  they  may  not  be  exer- 
cised if  they  provide  for  payment  above 
that.  The  ruling  is  only  applicable  to  op- 
tions in  contracts  made  before  the  salary 
order. 

In  New  York  film  company  headquarters, 
it  was  believed  the  Treasury's  new  leniency 
will  aid  studios  with  new  talent ;  it  will 
enable  them  to  meet  options  and  thereby 
provide  incentive. 

However,  it  was  emphasized  there  re- 
main many  problems  caused  by  the  execu- 
tive salary  limitation,  upon  which  clarifi- 
cation is  still  asked. 

Wage  Limit  Fight 
Up  in  Congress 

With  Congress  convened  Wednesday  for 
a  new  term,  the  fight  against  President 
Roosevelt's  salary  control  shifted  to  Cap- 
itol Hill,  where  the  legislators  were  con- 
fronted with  the  problem  of  defying  the 
Chief  Executive  and  the  CIO,  which  orig- 
inally sponsored  the  idea,  or  of  going  along 
with  a  policy  in  which  few  of  them  believe. 

Indications  are  that  many  members  will 
adopt  the  former  course  and  that  a  definite 
effort  will  be  made  to  outlaw  the  salary  con- 
trol order  and  to  deny  the  President's  com- 
plementary recommendation  for  imposition 
of  similar  restrictions  on  other  income. 

Official  actors'  comment  upon  the  salary 
ceiling  came  this  month  from  the  Screen 


Actors  Guild,  through  its  magazine,  Screen 
Actor.   It  said: 

"Actors  support  the  Administration's 
contention  that  a  limitation  on  income  is  a 
war-necessary  measure.  They  have  no  quar- 
rel with  that  limitation  being  set  at  $25,- 
000;  they  would,  in  fact,  accept  any  limita- 
tion that  would  help  in  the  winning  of  the 
war.  But  they  do  feel  strongly  that  the  only 
equitable  way  to  have  incomes  regulated  is 
through  taxation,  rather  than  through  the 
application  of  an  arbitrary  ceiling. 

"If  an  actor's  income  is  not  permitted  to 
exceed  $25,000  net,  he  would  like  to  know 
that  everything  he  can  earn  in  excess  of 
that  amount  is  turned  over  to  the  Govern- 
ment. Instead,  as  the  regulations  now 
stand,  his  excess  earnings  are  retained  by 
the  producing  company  for  which  he 
works." 


Bonwick  Named 
PRC  Executive 

George  J.  Bonwick,  former  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  Pathe  Film  Corporation,  has  been 
named  executive  vice-president  of  Producers  Re- 
leasing Corporation,  it  was  announced  by  O.  H. 
Briggs,  president  of  the  company,  following  a 
special  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  on  De- 
cember 31st. 

Mr.  Bonwick,  who  started  his  new  duties  the 
first  of  the  year,  was  a  public  accountant  from 
1933  to  1939,  and  for  the  following  six  years 
president  of  the  Jersey  Management  Corpora- 
tion.   He  joined  Pathe  Film  in  January,  1940. 

M,r.  Briggs  also  announced  the  appointment 
of  Arthur  Greenblatt,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  sales,  to  fill  the  vacancy  on  the  board  caused 
by  the  resignation  of  Robert  Benjamin,  who 
joined  the  Army.  Mr.  Bonwick  also  was  named 
to  the  board  of  directors  which  also  includes 
Leon  Fromkess,  John  S.  Young,  George  Gill, 
Kenneth  Young  and  Mr.  Briggs.  Leo  J. 
McCarthy  was  named  assistant  sales  manager 
under  Mr.  Greenblatt. 

Roberto  Socas,  foreign  manager  of  Pro- 
ducers Releasing  Corporation,  has  sent  ques- 
tionnaires to  his  Latin  American  distributors  in 
an  attempt  to  appraise  current  tastes.  PRC 
will  take  into  account  the  viewpoint  expressed 
in  the  answers  when  preparing  next  season's 
schedule,  it  was  said.  Latin  American  theatre 
audiences,  according  to  a  company  spokesman, 
have  shown  a  preference  for  pictures  about 
youth  in  the  United  States,  also  favoring  pic- 
tures with  musical  backgrounds.  They  have 
shown  little  enthusiasm,  however,  for  the  so- 
called  "thrillers,"  the  company  said. 


Plan  Historical  Short 

A  two-reel  film  titled  "The  Voice  That 
Thrilled  the  World"  will  be  put  into  production 
this  month  by  Warner  Brothers.  It  will  tell 
the  history  of  sound  films. 


Release  Religious  Film 

The  Globe  Film  Company  of  Chicago  has 
announced  that  the  film,  "The  Power  of  God," 
has  been  released  for  non-theatrical  distribu- 
tion in  churches,  clubs  and  other  organizations. 
Hamilton  MacFadden  directed  the  picture, 
which  was  produced  by  the  Roland  Reed  Pro- 
ductions. 


USO-Camp  Show 
International 
Pool  Formed 


USO-Camp  Shows  announced  in  New  York 
Monday  that  the  organization  had  formed  a 
talent  pool  to  coordinate  its  expanding  enter- 
tainment service  to  the  armed  forces  in  offshore 
bases  on  an  international  scale.  A  new  branch, 
known  as  USO-Camp  Shows-ETO,  European 
Theatre  of  Operations,  has  been  estblished  and 
an  ETO  division  has  been  set  up  in  England 
to  centralize  activities. 

Sam  Eckman,  managing  director  for  MGM 
in  England,  will  serve  as  chairman  of  the  over- 
all volunteer  committee  for  ETO,  representing 
the  various  theatrical  groups.  Teddy  Brown, 
secretary  of  American  Overseas  Artists,  is 
chairman  of  the  talent  committee,  which  in- 
cludes Ben  Lyon,  Bebe  Daniels  and  Vic  Oliver. 
George  Black,,  head  of  General  Theatres  Com- 
pany and  Moss  Empires,  Ltd.,  heads  the  British 
advisory  committee  comprised  of  other  leaders 
in  the  British  theatrical  industry.  William  B. 
Dover,  one  of  the  top  executives  of  the  Holly- 
wood Victory  Committee  and  vice-chairman 
of  the  West  Coast  talent  group  of  USO-Camp 
Shows,  will  leave  for  London  shortly  to  act 
as  executive  administrator  of  the  new  ETO 
project. 

USO  also  announced  that  Herschel  Stuart, 
former  executive  for  Fox  West  Coast  and  Fox 
Intermountain  circuits  and  now  with  the  Hoyt 
circuit  in  Australia,  has  been  appointed  repre- 
sentative of  the  overseas  operation  of  ETO  in 
Australia. 

The  ETO  talent  pool  in  England  will  be 
sufficient  _  to  provide  several  traveling  show 
units  which  will  perform  for  U.  S.  servicemen 
overseas.  Periodically,  it  was  said,  USO  will 
dispatch  other  entertainment  units  to  the  ETO 
base  to  replenish  the  poo!,  and  from  time  to  time 
these  units  will  be  supplemented  by  "name" 
personalities,  volunteering  their  time  and  tal- 
ents. Kay  Francis,  Carole  Landis,  Martha  Raye 
and  Mitzi  Mayfair  are  now  in  England,  com- 
pleting a  tour  of  American  Army  camps.  A 
permanent  off-shore  entertainment  service  has 
been  functioning  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands  for 
more  than  a  year  under  USO  auspices  and  up 
to  the  preesent  time,  27  different  complete  shows 
have  entertained  troops  in  several  offshore 
basees  where  performers  have  traveled  from 
camp  to  camp. 

Currently,  70  traveling  units  are  touring 
1,000  military  posts  in  the  U.  S.  for  Camp 
Shows,  it  was  reported. 


USO-Camp  Shows  Auditions 

USO-Camp  shows  will  hold  auditions  every 
second  and  fourth  Tuesday  of  the  month,  from 
2  to  5  P.  M.  at  Nola  Studios,  1657  Broadway, 
New  York  City.  The  move  is  calculated  to  in- 
crease the  number  of  acts  which  may  be  seen 
by  service  men,  according  to  an  announcement 
by  Abe  Lastfogel,  president  of  the  organization. 
The  first  audition  will  be  held  next  Tuesday. 

Edmund  Lowe  and  Ann  Savage,  Columbia 
Pictures'  star,  began  a  personal  appearance  tour 
of  Army  camps  and  Navy  stations  on  Tuesday/ 
at  Fort  Devens,  Mass.,  with  the  USO-Camp 
Shows  production  of  "Blackstone." 


Fire  in  Wichita  Theatre 

A  fire  which  is  believed  to  have  started  on 
the  mezzanine  floor  caused  an  estimated  $25,000 
damage  to  the  Palace  theatre  in  Wichita  during 
a  late  Christmas  Eve  show.  The  audience  left 
in  orderly  fashion,  and  no  casualties  were  re- 
ported. 


Story  Editor  Joins  Service 

Francis  Langton,  story  editor  of  Republic 
Pictures,  has  joined  the  service  and  has  been 
replaced  by  Frances  Manson. 


January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


27 


BRITISH  STUDYING  REVISION 
OF  QUOTA  LEGISLATION 


Substitution  of  New  Basis 
Under  Consideration  by 
Board  of  Trade 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

Although  the  Quota  Act — despite  its 
various  modifications  and  amendments — 
remains  on  the  Statute  Book  of  the  Brit- 
ish Constitution,  although  the  recent  ad- 
justment of  the  Monetary  Quota  in  fa- 
vour of  American  interests  here  might 
seem  to  wear  an  air  of  finality,  it  is  not 
by  any  means  certain  that  the  last  word 
has  been  heard  on  the  subject  and  the 
matter  of  British  film  production  during 
the  war. 

It  is  a  fact  that  behind  the  chaste  doors 
of  the  Whitehall  Government  departments 
there  have  been  and  are  movements  and 
considerations,  deputations  and  suggestions, 
which  yet  may  have  an  effect  upon  legisla- 
lion  as  it  affects  British  film  makers,  and 
more  especially  those  foreign  interests  which 
have  commitments  in  this  regard.  Not 
least  of  these  are  ideas  hinging  around  the 
blessed  word  "reciprocity." 

it  is  known  that  certain  British  interests — 
which  for  the  time  being  will  be  nameless — 
have  presented  in  the  highest  places  schemes 
and  plans  for  the  preservation  and  indeed  the 
stimulus  of  British  production  on  entirely 
new  lines,  lines  which,  although  subversive 
of  the  Quota  Act  as  it  is  known,  are  based 
upon  that  very  vexed  word  "quota,"  and 
which  would  have  the  effect  of  reversing 
the  process  by  substituting  for  the  principle 
of  what  British  films  you  acquire  shall  be 
based  on  what  you  import,  the  revolutionary 
formula  that  what  you  import  shall  be  based 
upon  the  British  films  you  acquire  or  produce. 

A  scheme  founded  on  this  has  been  before 
the  Board  of  Trade  for  some  months  now, 
and  it  is  a  significant  fact  that  it  has  been 
considered  and  so  far  has  not  been  dismissed 
out  of  hand,  but  passed  from  council  to  coun- 
cil. However,  it  would  have  no  bearing 
upon  wartime  operation,  being  designed  spe- 
cifically for  post-war  conditions. 

Reciprocity  Involved 
In  Another  Plan 

Meanwhile,  another  scheme  devised  around 
the  principle  of  reciprocity  has  been  con- 
ceived and  is  already  on  the  desks  of  some 
of  the  highest  and  most  directly  concerned 
authorities  both  in  the  U.  S.  and  in  Great 
Britain.  Author  of  it  is  Filippo  del  Giudice. 
impresario  behind  the  record  breaking  "In 
Which  We  Serve"  and  creator  of  Two 
Cities  Films,  Ltd.  It  is,  however,  probably 
a  more  than  personal  scheme,  for  Mr.  del 
Giudice  has  the  confidence  and  backing  of 
J.  Arthur  Rank,  chief  of  the  giant  British 
production-distribution-theatre  trust,  under 
whose  paternal  wing  are  the  Gaumont  com- 
panies, Odeon,  Gainsborough  Pictures,  Den- 
ham  and  Pinewood  Studios,  and  allied  with 
which  are  other  production  interests. 

The  scheme  proposed,  and  for  the  present 


OPEN  FILM  THEATRES 
AT  BRITISH  CAMPS 

More  than  60  stationary  cinemas 
have  been  installed  in  service  camps 
in  Great  Britain  by  Entertainments 
National  Service  Association,  official 
group  supplying  entertainment  to  the 
British  armed  forces.  Film  shows  also 
are  given  through  the  ENSA  in  14 
military  hospitals,  with  regular  pro- 
grams sent  overseas.  Also  ENSA 
operates  more  than  100  mobile  film 
units,  seven  equipped  with  35mm. 
apparatus. 


emergency,  is  based  on  a  reciprocity  prin- 
ciple and  calls  for  active  collaboration,  in 
their  own  interests,  of  the  American  major 
motion  picture  corporations.  A  feature  of 
it  is  that  it  calls  for  a  reduction  in  the  vol- 
ume of  films  made  in  Britain  rather  than 
an  increase,  but  an  equivalent  intensification 
of  their  quality  and  commercial  value. 

Objective  of  the  proposal  is  not  to  supply 
the  American  companies  with  the  films  they 
need  to  fulfil  their  Monetary  Quota  obliga- 
tions, or  even  designed  to  relieve  them  of 
the  responsibility  of  making  these  pictures, 
but  to'  establish  the  British  feature  film  on 
a  market  basis  equivalent  to  that  enjoyed 
by  the  "A"  films  handled  by  the  U.  S.  dis- 
tributors. The  films  would  be  made  by  the 
Rank-Two  Cities  interests. 

Would  Produce  Films 
For  U.  S.  Companies 

Although  superficially  this  may  seem  to 
have  an  obvious  catch  in  it,  the  suggestion 
should  be  regarded  in  the  light  of  the  fact 
that  currently  the  Rank-Two  Cities  interests 
are  producing,  and  during  the  last  quota 
period  have  produced,  nearly  half  the  total 
of  films  made  in  Britain. 

It  is  the  del  Giudice  plan  that  with — 
under  the  Monetary  Quota  as  amended  this 
year — only  one  film  needed  from  each  Amer- 
ican company,  the  group,  by  agreement  with 
the  U.  S.  companies,  should  take  over  the 
practical  task  of  producing  these  films,  say 
10  or  12 — if  the  product  were  considered 
commercially  rather  than  constitutionally 
each  year.  They  would  be  films  of  the  high- 
est international  market  quality,  equal  to, 
if  not  even  better  than,  "First  of  the  Few," 
"The  Invaders,"  "In  Which  We  Serve"  and 
"Pygmalion."  all  of  them  either  Rank  or 
Two  Cities  creations. 

In  consideration  of  this  acceptance  of  pro- 
duction responsibility  certain  considerations 
would  be  involved  and  agreements  reached. 
On  the  distributing  side  there  would  be  a 
minimum  guarantee  of  50  per  cent  budget 
cost,  the  U.  S.  companies  would  advance  the 
cost  of  distribution,  publicity  and  prints,  to 
be  reinbursed  from  the  initial  grosses,  there 
would  be  no  interference  with  films  of  the 


calibre  of  those  made  by  Noel  Coward  and 
Leslie  Howard,  they  would  be  treated  and 
released  in  the  U.  S.  and  here  as  first  fea- 
tures and  proceeds  from  distribution  outside 
the  LTnited  Kingdom  would  be  split  fifty- 
fifty. 

Would  Seek  to  Maintain 
American  Appeal 

Nor  is  this  the  be-all  and  end-all  of  the 
reciprocity  principle.  In  order  to  ensure 
full  U.  S.  appeal  and  full  British  appeal  for 
the  U.  S.  distributors'  product,  dialogue  ex- 
perts would  be  brought  from  Hollywood  to 
assist  in  maintaining  American  appeal  and 
preventing  a  too  exclusively  British  idiom. 
Stars  likewise  would  be  brought  from  the 
U.  S.  studios.  Hollywood-owned  subjects 
with  British  background  would  be  trans- 
ferred for  production  here. 

It  is  clear,  to  a  far  wider  sphere  than  the 
production  circle  directly  concerned  with 
this  new  scheme  that  the  existing  Quota 
Act  has  become,  so  near  as  to  make  no  appre- 
ciable difference,  a  dead  letter.  In  the  opin- 
ion of  the  sponsors,  an  opinion  which  is  not 
exclusive  with  them,  the  original  Act  was 
an  attempt  to  overcome  the  crisis  in  the  pro- 
ducing industry  when  studios  were  closed 
and  thousands  unemployed. 

With  the  war  a  certain  intensity  or  vital- 
ity has  been  brought  to  the  industry  here, 
not  only  in  the  quality  and  commercial  ap- 
preciation of  British  films  but  in  the  max- 
imum output  figure  as  placed  against  the 
depleted  amount  of  studio  space  and  labour 
available  for  production  processes. 

Mr.  del  Giudice's  contention,  as  he  pre- 
sents this  new  formula,  is  that  it  is  no  longer 
true  to  say  that  U.  S.  audiences  are  indiffer- 
ent to  British  films.  Experience  with  some 
of  the  later  and  better  product  argues  on  his 
side.  Conversly  he  contends  that  not  all 
American  films  are  good,  but  that  distribut- 
ing machinery  so  operates  that  even  the 
lesser  "B"  pictures  can  be  made  to  balance 
their  budgets  and  go  well  over. 

Based  on  Mutual 
Collaboration 

Says  Mr.  del  Giudice:  "It  is  well  known 
that  apart  from  the  theatres  in  the  centres  of 
the  great  cities,  if  pictures  are  shown  prop- 
erly with  fair  playing  time  and  percentage 
on  the  screens  of  the  best  theatres  audiences 
pay  for  their  seats  without  knowing  whether 
a  picture  is  good  or  bad.  ...  It  is  only  in 
the  distributors'  goodwill  to  establish  a 
priori  how  much  a  film  can  gross  once  they 
have  honestly  decided  to  screen  it  in  an 
agreed  group  of  theatres." 

"As  the  Americans  can  show  their  bad 
films  grossing  remarkable  sums  of  monev 
they  likewise  can  screen  British  films — par- 
ticularly those  which  British  producers  be- 
lieve to  be  of  better  quality  than  many  poor 
American  ones." 

The  proposal,  of  course,  is  based  unon 
mutual  collaboration  and  goodwill,  neither 
of  which  would  seem  to  be  lacking  between 
both  sections  of  the  motion  picture  industry 
at  the  present  moment. 


II 


II 


it 


II 


II 


HURLS  DRAMATIC  BOMBSHELL 

IHTO  BOX-OFFICES  OF  THE  NATION '  m>m 

WILL  STORM  BOX-OFFICES  Hollywood  Reporter 

PULSE-POUNDING  THRILLS  AND 

DRAMATIC  ENTERTAINMENT"  Showmen's  Trade  Review 
DONE  ON  A  GRAND  SCALE  Motion  Picture  Daily 

UNBEATABLE  BOX-OFFICE  *** 

Send  In  Your  Pledge  For  "United  Nations"  Week! 


CARRIES  A  KICK  LIKE  AN  ARMY  MULE  Motion  Picture  Herald 


HIGH  ON  LIST  OF  MONEY-MAKERS  The  Exhibitor 


SHOULD  BE  BIG  MONEY-MAKER  Daily  Variety 


Boxoffice 


ERITS  SUPERLATIVE  PRAISE 


ANNA  LEE  ■  LILLIAN  GISH  •  SIR  CEDRIC  HARDWICKE  •  ROBERT  COOTE 


Cosmopolitan  Magazine  Story  •  Screen  play  by  Irwin  Shaw 

COWAN  PRODUCTION  •  a  Columbia  picture 


30 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Gross  Records  Fall 
In  Holiday  Week 


Key  City  Theatres  Enjoy 
Business  Reminiscent  of 
Boom  Days  of  '20's 

Motion  picture  theatres  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  New  Haven  and 
other  key  cities  throughout  the  country 
reported  record-breaking  grosses  for  New 
Year's  Eve  and  for  the  holiday  weekend 
as  well.  Good  news  from  the  United  Na- 
tions' war  zones,  increased  public  purchas- 
ing power,  influx  of  visitors  and  service 
men  on  furlough  and  a  rousing  holiday 
spirit  despite  the  war  created  a  tuneful 
jingle  jangle  at  box  offices  in  key  situa- 
tions across  the  land. 

In  New  York,  film  theatres  reported  busi- 
ness on  New  Year's  Eve  was  "the  best  in 
years"  and  that  grosses  for  the  weekend 
continued  at  record  pace,  parallel  to  similar 
reports  for  the  previous  Christmas  holiday 
weekend. 

Philadelphia's  Chamber  of  Commerce  es- 
timated that  approximately  $2,000,000  was 
spent  by  its  residents  to  usher  in  the  new 
year.  "It  was  the  merriest,  gayest  and  most 
expensive  New  Year's  Eve  since  the  lush 
days  before  the  1929  debacle,"  one  observ- 
er commented.  While  the  night  clubs  and 
hotels  enjoyed  a  major  portion  of  the  $2,- 
000,000,  downtown  film  houses,  all  of  which 
had  staged  midnight  shows  that  ran  con- 
tinuously until  the  early  hours  of  the  morn- 
ing, had  capacity  business  and  grossed  an 
estimated  $250,000. 

"S.R.O."  crowds  jammed  Connecticut's 
downtown  theatres  on  the  holiday  eve,  in- 
cluding Loew's  Poli,  in  New  Haven,  the 
Hartford  in  Hartford  and  the  Roxy  in  New 
Britain,  which  reported  big  grosses. 

A  crowd  estimated  at  400,000  packed 
Times  Square  in  New  York  New  Year's 
Eve  for  one  of  the  best  holiday  nights  en- 
joyed on  Broadway  in  many  years.  Mo- 
tion picture  and  legitimate  theatres,  night 
clubs,  restaurants  and  other  amusement 
places  set  records  for  the  night.  With  an 
array  of  Hollywood's  top  entertainment  fea- 
tures available,  celebrants  paid  advance 
prices  at  box  offices  that  night.  The  price 
scale  was  continued  for  the  weekend  at  most 
theatres. 

Music  Hall  Has  Biggest 
Holiday  in  Its  History 

Radio  City  Music  Hall  had  the  biggest 
Christmas-New  Year's  holiday  week  in  its 
10-year  history,  grossing  an  estimated 
$125,000  for  the  period  with  MGM's  "Ran- 
dom Harvest"  offered  to  pleasure-bent 
crowds.  The  Greer  Garson-Ronald  Colman 
film  began  its  fourth  week  on  Thursday. 
"Star  Spangled  Rhythm,"  Paramount's 
star-studded  film  at  the  Paramount  theatre, 
shattered  every  previous  record  in  the  16- 
year  history  of  the  house  in  the  first  five 
days  of  its  run. 

Other  screen  attractions  which  drew  cap- 
acity audiences  for  the  holiday  eve  and 
weekend  included:  "The  Black  Swan," 
20th  Century-Fox,  at  the  Roxy,  which  be- 


ban  its  third  week  Thursday;  "In  Which 
We  Serve,"  Noel  Coward-United  Artists, 
Capitol ;  Warner  Bros.  "Yankee  Doodle 
Dandy,"  Strand,  which  began  its  third  week 
Friday;  "Casablanca,"  Warner  Bros.,  at 
the  Hollywood,  which  started  its  seventh 
week  on  Thursday ;  Universal's  "Arabian 
Nights,"  at  the  Rivoli ;  "Jacare,"  United 
Artists,  which  began  its  second  week  over 
the  weekend,  at  the  Globe  and  MGM's  "For 
Me  and  My  Gal,"  12th  week  at  the  Astor. 

"Commandos"  Opens  in 
New  York  January  13th 

MGM  this  week  announced  that  "Tennes- 
see Johnson"  will  open  at  the  Astor  theatre, 
New  York,  next  Friday,  January  12th. 
"Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn,"  Lester 
Cowan's  Columbia  production  starring  Paul 
Muni,  will  have  its  New  York  premiere  at 
Loew's  Criterion  on  January  13th,  and  the 
following  day  the  film  will  have  a  special 
showing  in  Washington  at  the  Govern- 
mental Auditorium.  William  Munthe  de 
Morgenstierne,  Ambassador  to  the  United 
States  from  the  Norwegian  Government-in- 
Exile,  will  act  as  host  at  the  screening, 
which  was  arranged  to  coincide  with  United 
Nations  Week,  sponsored  by  the  industry 
War  Activities  Committee. 

"Hitler's  Children,"  RKO  Radio's  screen 
version  of  the  book  on  inside  Germany, 
which  Edward  A.  Golden  produced,  will 
have  a  50-city  premiere  in  the  middle-west 
on  January  14th,  the  company  announced 
this  week.  Stars  of  the  film  are  expected 
to  participate  in  a  number  of  special  events 
being  arranged  for  the  openings. 


Notables  from  Show  World 
Attend  Annual  Luncheon 

Notables  from  the  entertainment  world 
gathered  in  the  Hotel  Astor  on  Thursday,  at 
the  annual  luncheon  of  the  amusement  divi- 
sion of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Federa- 
tion of  Jewish  Charities.  The  guest  of  honor 
was  Jack  Benny  and  George  Jessel  presided  as 
master  of  ceremonies. 

The  efforts  of  the  amusement  division,  of 
which  David  Bernstein  and  Albert  Warner 
are  co-chairmen,  will  continue  through  the  cur- 
rent month.  Barney  Balaban  and  Albert  War- 
ner were  in  charge  of  the  luncheon  arrange- 
ments committee. 


Republic  Names  Gould 
Chile  Branch  Head 

The  appointment  of  David  Gould  as  branch 
manager  of  Cia.  Republic  Films  Chilena  was 
announced  by  the  Republic  Pictures  on  Mon- 
day. He  will  be  in  charge  of  distribution  in 
Chile. 

Mr.  Gould  left  immediately  to  take  up  duties 
in  Santiago.  He  recently  returned  from  Trini- 
dad, where  he  headed  Republic's  branch  in 
Port-of-Spain. 


Storms,  Snow, 
Floods  Slash 
Grosses 


Swollen  rivers,  cold,  rain,  sleet  and  snow 
continued  this  week  in  many  areas  to  make 
theatres  suffer  along  with  their  communities. 

A  new  storm  hit  theatres  this  week  in  the 
Mohawk  and  Cherry  Valley  region  of  New 
York.  Ice  covered  roads  and  broke  power  lines. 
Theatres  in  Narrowsburg,  Waddington,  Adams 
and  Johnstown  closed  over  the  weekend. 
Property  was  damaged  in  Gloversville,  Water- 
town,  Ogdenburg,  Lake  Placid,  Cobleskill, 
Glens  Falls,  Dodgeville,  Rome,  Oneida  and 
other  centers.  A  snow  storm  crippled  trans- 
portation in  Rochester. 

The  Pittsburgh  flood  last  week  damaged  few 
theatres,  closing  only  the  Barry.  Closed  for 
three  days  was  the  Shea's  Orpheum,  McKees 
Rocks  and  the  People's  and  Palace,  Tarentum. 

Cincinnati  theatres  continued  operating  this 
week,  despite  the  fact  the  Ohio  River  was  10 
feet  above  flood  level.  Some  film  delivery 
trucks  were  held  up.  Theatres  were  forced  to 
close,  however,  in  Marietta,  Ohio ;  Cateletts- 
burg  and  Augusta,  Ky. ;  and  Point  Pleasant, 
W.  Va. 

Sleet  and  ice  delayed  print  deliveries  in 
northern  Missouri  and  western  Kansas  last 

week. 

Central  and  southern  Oregon  rivers  rose  30 
feet  above  normal  and  closed  15  houses  in 
Eugene,  Springfield,  Salem  and  other  locations 
late  last  week. 


Hold  Benefit  at  Rivoli 
For  Army-Navy  Group 

A  benefit  show  called  "Women  Can  Take  It," 
with  an  all-women  cast  recruited  from  the  stage, 
screen,  radio,  opera  and  the  literary  field  will 
be  held  at  the  Rivoli  theatre,  New  York,  next 
Tuesday  night.  The  entire  production  is  being 
directed  by  Nat  Karson,  art  director  of  Radio 
City  Music  Hall,  and  Russell  Markert,  also  of 
that  theatre,  will  present  a  group  of  debutantes 
in  a  "Rockette"  chorus  number. 

One  of  the  feature  attractions  of  the  evening 
will  be  a  special  preview  of  Alfred  Hitchcock's 
production,  "Shadow  of  a  Doubt,"  Universal 
release.  Proceeds  of  the  event  are  for  the  Citi- 
zens' Committee  for  the  Army  and  Navy.  It 
is  reported  that  the  management  of  the  Rivoli 
donated  the  use  of  the  theatre  to  the  committee 
for  the  performance. 

Fannie  Hurst,  Clare  Luce,  Ilka  Chase,  Mrs. 
Quentin  Reynolds,  Mrs  Lou  Gehrig,  Mrs.  Lin 
Yutang  and  a  score  of  other  celebrities  will 
appear  in  various  tableaus  and  skits  prepared 
for  the  show. 


Skouras  War  Program 
On  New  York  Radio 

The  Skouras  circuit's  "War  Effort  Depart- 
ment" began  a  series  of  Sunday  afternoon 
broadcasts  over  the  New  York  radio  station, 
WINS,  last  week. 

The  first  program  was  for  the  Greek  War 
Relief  Drive,  with  Margo  and  other  players 
appearing  in  a  dramatization  of  "They  Are 
With  Us,"  a  story  of  guerilla  warfare  in 
Greece. 


Rtzmaurice  Is  Navy  Ensign 

E.  J.  Fitzmaurice,  vice-president  of  Inter- 
national Seat  Corporation,  has  enlisted  in  the 
Navy  and  has  been  assigned  to  Jacksonville, 
Fla.,  as  an  ensign. 


Warners  Announce  Six  Shorts 

Six  sports  shorts  will  be  released  by  Warner 
Brothers  during  the  coming  year  and  will  be 
made  in  Technicolor  under  the  supervision  of 
Van  Campen  Heilner,  editor  of  Field  and  Stream 
magazine,  it  was  announced  by  Norman  H. 
Moray,  short  subjects  sales  manager.  The  title 
of  the  first  film  is  "With  Rod  and  Reel  on 
Anticosta  Isle." 


[January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


31 


WAR  DISRUPTS  CAST  PLANS 
OF  TOP  TEN  WINNERS 


Few  Certainties  on  Future 
Schedules  of  Stars  in 
Herald  Annual  Poll 

Hollywood  Bureau 

When  the  paths  of  Fame  and  Finance 
intersect  at  right  angles — as  when  a 
Money-Making  Star  of  1942  discovers  that 
the  U.  S.  Treasury  Department  holds  $25,- 
000  net  to  be  a  proper  limitation  of  annual 
incomes — anything,  or  even  nothing,  can 
happen. 

Just  what  and  how  many  pictures  ex- 
hibitors and  their  customers  are  to  re- 
ceive next  year  starring  the  Top  Ten 
Money-Making  Stars  of  1942,  determined 
in  the  Motion  Picture  Herald  poll  con- 
cluded with  last  week's  announcement  of 
the  leaders,  is  at  this  point  a  question 
more  fascinating  in  aspect  than  answer. 

Hollywood  is  wondering  what  the  Top 
Ten  will  do,  and  how  much  of  it. 

Washington  is  to  be  supplying  some  tan- 
gibility in  the  matter  soon  or  late. 

Certainties  are  few,  and  they  follow : 

Bud  Abbot  and  Lou  Costello,  Number 
One  box  office  attraction,  have  completed 
"It  Ain't  Hay"  and  are  nearing  completion 
of  "Oh  Doctor."  That  rounds  out  their 
commitment  to  Universal  for  the  1942-43 
season.  It  is  probable  that  they  will  make 
three  pictures  for  that  company's  1943-44 
season,  but  this  probability  is  not  yet  in  an- 
nouncement stage  and  nobody's  talking  in 
terms  of  finality  about  anything  that  far 
ahead. 

Between  completion  of  their  "Oh  Doctor" 
and  start  of  their  next  undertaking  for  Uni- 
versal Abbott  and  Costello  are  free  to  make 
a  picture  for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  both 
parties  being  agreeable,  but  the  Hollywood 
community  has  been  hearing  for  some  time 
now  that  the  comedians  do  not  relish  the 
prospect.  It  has  been  hearing  nothing  at  all 
:n  the  point  from  MGM  sources,  but  that 
studio  at  the  weekend  was  declining  to  say 
ithat  such  a  picture  was,  or  was  not,  a  pos- 
sibility. 

Clark  Gable,  second  in  the  list  of  Money- 
Making  Stars,  is  to  be  making  no  pictures 
for  Hollywood  until  he  completes  his  com- 
mitment to  Uncle  Sam. 

Rooney  Scheduled  for 
'Girl  Crazy"  Next 

Gary  Cooper,  third  on  the  list,  can  have  his 
choice  of  roles  at  any  studio  in  Hollywood — 
lor  order  one  for  himself  if  he  doesn't  happen 
l:o  like  what  they've  got  on  hand — but  he 
nasn't  chosen  any  and  is  under  no  commit- 
ment. His  longtime  contract  with  Samuel 
Goldwvn  has  run  out  and  he  has  made  no 
ethers.  His  "For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls," 
lone  for  Paramount,  is  a  coming  attraction, 
completed  in  1942,  which  will  take  him  ul- 
:imately  to  the  customers  in  1943,  however, 
[t  is  hardly  to  be  conjectured  that  he  will  not 
make  at  least  one  picture  in  1943,  but  there 
is  nothing  in  evidence  to  suggest  that  he'll 
iiake  two  or  more. 

Mickey  Rooney,  Number  Four  on  the  poll 


list,  is  to  start  work  next  month  in  "Girl 
Crazy,"  from  the  George  Gershwin  musical, 
with  Judy  Garland  co-starred.  The  studio 
has  nothing  scheduled  positively  for  him 
beyond  that  enterprise.  It  does  have  him 
coming  out  shortly  in  "The  Human  Com- 
edy," from  the  William  Saroyan  script,  but 
this  is,  as  concerns  termination  of  work  and 
allocation  of  income,  a  1942  enterprise. 
There  are  no  Hardy  Family  pictures  on 
schedule,  although  something  may  be  done 
about  that.  As  of  now,  "Girl  Crazy"  could 
constitute  the  Rooney  activity  for  1943. 

Autry's  Future  Work 
Is  Now  Uncertain 

Bob  Hope,  Number  Five,  is  to  face  the 
Paramount  cameras  in  January  in  "Let's 
Face  It,"  a  musical  from  Vinton  Freedly's 
Broadway  show,  in  which  he's  to  co-star 
with  Eddie  Bracken.  Hope's  "They  Got  Me 
Covered,"  Goldwyn-RKO,  was  reviewed  in 
last  week's  issue  of  the  Herald.  He  is  under 
commitment  to  make  another  picture  for 
Samuel  Goldwyn,  this  arrangement  having 
grown  out  of  Mr.  Goldwyn's  lending  of 
Gary  Cooper  to  Paramount  for  "For  Whom 
the  Bell  Tolls,"  but  there  is  no  date  on  the 
deal  and  no  specific  picture  property  has  been 
settled  upon.  Meanwhile,  and  some  time 
back,  the  star  has  indicated  to  Paramount 
that  he  regards  two  or  three  pictures  a  year 
as  about  enough  for  him  to  undertake.  He 
is  scheduled  definitely  for  nothing  beyond 
"Lets  Face  It." 

James  Cagney,  Number  Six,  has  an- 
nounced Louis  Bromfield's  "McLeod's  Folly" 
as  his  first  picture  to  be  produced,  by  Wil- 
liam Cagney,  for  United  Artists  distribu- 
tion. The  Cagneys  have  announced  no  other 
production. 

Gene  Autry,  Number  Seven,  is  a  brother- 
in-arms  with  Clark  Gable  and,  despite  vari- 
ous rumorings  of  possible  return  to  Holly- 
wood for  productions  of  various  kinds  un- 
der various  auspices,  is  not  down  on  any  list 
as  a  scheduled  contributor  to  the  1943  out- 
put of  box  office  merchandise. 

Betty  Grable,  Number  Eight,  is  at  work 
now  upon  "Coney  Island"  for  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  and  figures  to  make  two,  pos- 
sibly three,  more  features  in  1943.  She  goes 
next  into  "Sweet  Rosie  O'Grady"  and  has 
been  named  for  "Pin  Up  Girl,"  formerly 
called  "The  Girl  on  the  Police  Gazette," 
although  this  project  is  in  nebulous  status 
at  this  point.  The  studio  also  has  acquired 
"Something  for  the  Boys,"  by  Dorothy  and 
Herbert  Fields,  with  a  view  to  arranging 
for  its  Broadway  stage  production  by  Mike 
Todd,  with  or  without  Miss  Grable  in  the 
stage  version,  and  with  the  star  in  mind  for 
the  eventual  film  version. 

Tracy  Will  Appear  in 
"Guy  Named  Joe" 

Greer  Garson,  Number  Nine,  is  to  play 
the  name  role  in  MGM's  "Madame  Curie," 
but  has  no  other  fixed  assignments.  Her 
"Random  Harvest"  is,  of  course,  yet  to  go 
into  exhibition  generally. 

Spencer  Tracy.  Number  Ten,  has  two 
pictures  on  his  1943  agenda.  "A  Guy  Named 


Joe,"  in  which  he  will  co-star  with  Irene 
Dunne,  is  dated  for  starting  this  month. 
"America,"  King  Vidor  production  starring 
Tracy,  was  postponed  last  week  to  free 
him  for  this  engagement,  but  according  to 
the  studio,  also  is  expected  to  be  completed 
some  time  in  1943. 

Commonly,  the  announcement  in  Motion 
Picture  Herald  of  the  Money-Making 
Stars  of  the  year  has  been  followed  by  a 
rash  of  studio  announcements,  frequently 
running  to  such  a  number  of  production 
enterprises  as  defied  time  and  circumstance 
to  materialize. 

That  can  happen  again  this  year,  of  course, 
and  doubtless  will,  when  and  if  Washington 
makes  clear  and  definite  the  rules  governing 
the  interests  of  stars  whose  earnings  exceed 
$67,200  gross.  Mayhap  something  like  it 
can  happen,  regardless  of  what  Washington 
does  or  doesn't,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  picture  commit- 
ments on  record  to  suggest  that  it  is  going 
to. 

Hollywood  Studies 
Top  Ten  Future 

That  Hollywood,  producer,  star,  personnel 
from  president  of  the  biggest  company  to 
player  of  the  smallest  bit,  is  studying  the 
future  of  the  Top  Ten  with  utmost  concern 
and  hope  goes  without  saying.  As  the  Top 
Ten  go,  it  may  be  said,  so  go  the  fortunes 
of  the  thousands  whose  earnings  veer  up- 
ward or  downward  in  proportion  to  the  ex- 
tent and  frequency  of  their  activities.  Holly- 
wood will  tell  you.  also,  that  as  the  films 
of  the  leading  stars  go,  so  go  the  theatre 
habits  of  the  public,  likewise  the  public's 
money,  ditto  the  screen's  power  to  serve  the 
country  and  its  people  in  the  many  ways  of 
service  attributed  to  it. 

When  the  paths  of  Fame  and  Finance 
intersect  at  right  angles,  anything  or  nothing 
can  happen. 

RKO  Names  Holt  Liaison 
Between  Theatres,  Studio 

RKO  Pictures  has  appointed  Nat  Holt,  west- 
ern division  manager  of  RKO  Theatres,  liaison 
between  the  theatres  and  the  studio.  He  be- 
gan his  duties  January  1st. 

Mr.  Holt  will  handle  special  exploitation 
openings  in  connection  with  RKO's  1943-44 
product  besides  retaining  his  position  as  head 
of  the  company's  western  division.  He  will 
operate  from  the  studio's  coast  offices. 

Discuss  Production  Plans 

Five  Columbia  Pictures  executives  arrived 
in  Hollywood  on  Monday,  and  will  confer 
with  Harry  and  Jack  Cohn  on  the  company's 
production  schedule,  which  recently  underwent 
revision.  The  officials  were  Abe  Schneider, 
treasurer  ;  Leo  Jaffe,  assistant  to  Mr.  Schneider  : 
Abe  Montague,  general  sales  manager ;  J.  A. 
McConville,  foreign  manager,  and  Joseph  Fried- 
man, British  manager. 

Extras'  Wages  $304,345 

The  Central  Casting  Corporation  has  an- 
nounced that  earnings  for  extras  in  the  month 
of  November  totaled  S304.345.  The  average 
daily  wage  for  the  month  was  $11.76. 


SOMETHING  NEW!  A  WESTERN  MYSTERY  SERIAL! 
HAIR-RAISING  THRILLS  THUNDERING  TO 


SIDE  SPLITTING  (jM/GNTBR/ 


Like  nothing  ever  seen  in  serials! 
Bandit  and  redskin  battles  one 
moment!  Riotous  comedy  the  next 
second!  With  no  time  for  breath- 
catching  between  thrills  and  roars! 


DICING ! 


ser,  Lewis  Clay 
ncer  G.  Bennet 

l-PLAY 


.  5 


34  MOTION    PICTURE  -HERALD 

LATE  FILM  REVIEWS 

For  other  reviews  see  Product  Digest  Section, 
starting  on  page  79. 


Shadow  of  a  Doubt 

(Universal) 

A  Study  in  Murder 

The  entrance  of  a  murderer  into  the  home 
of  a  normal,  middle-class  American  family, 
as  their  long-cherished  "Uncle  Charlie,"  sets 
off  a  story  of  fear  and  suspicion  in  the  best 
Hitchcock  manner.  It  is  a  tense  film  for  all 
of  its  108  minutes,  with  excellently  sustained 
character  and  mood,  and  promises  to  grip 
audience  attention  to  the  final  frame. 

The  screenplay  shows  in  its  economy  of  word 
and  scene  the  care  that  Thornton  Wilder,  Sally 
Benson  and  Alma  Reville  have  taken  with  Gor- 
don McDonell's  story.  The  presentation  and 
performances  of  supporting  and  featured  play- 
ers carry  the  unmistakable  brand  of  Alfred 
Hitchcock,  of  "Suspicion"  and  "Saboteur". 

The  warped  mind  of  the  criminal  dominates 
the  scene.  His  ruthlessness  and  frantic  dread 
break  through  the  veneer  of  charm  and  con- 
fidence which  he  has  assumed  and  arouse  the 
reluctant  doubts  of  his  niece.  These  are  con- 
firmed quickly  and  overwhelmingly  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  detectives,  the  small  details  which 
escape  his  notice,  and  his  own  over-zealousness 
to  cover  his  tracks.  With  her  realization  of  the 
hideous  truth,  the  film  is  a  struggle  between 
her  desire  for  justice  without  hurting  her  family 
and  his  determination  to  silence  her  at  any 
cost. 

Joseph  Cotten  is  excellent  as  the  murderer, 
cool  and  malevolent.  In  the  role  of  the  niece, 
Teresa  Wright  adds  another  to  her  growing 
list  of  fine  characterizations.  Patricia  Collinge 
is  impressive  as  the  mother,  who  remains  oblivi- 
ous to  all  but  delight  in  rediscovering  her 
brother.  And  Macdonald  Carey,  Henry  Trav- 
ers,  Hume  Cronyn,  Wallace  Ford  and  Edna 
May  Wonacott  are  all  very  competent  in 
smaller  roles. 

Photography  and  musical  background  are 
cleverly  attuned  to  theme  and  mood,  and  the 
background  is  enhanced  by  the  realism  of  the 
setting,  many  scenes  having  been  filmed  on  the 
spot  in  New  York  and  Fresno,  Calif.  Jack 
Skirball  produced. 

Previewed  at  the  home  office  projection  room. 
Reviewer's  Rating :  Good. — E.  A.  Cunning- 
ham. 

Release  date,  January  15.  1943.  Running  time,  108 
min.     PCA   No.   9011.     Adult   audience  classification. 

Charles  Oakley  Joseph  Cotten 

Charlie  Newton  Teresa  Wright 

Macdonald  Carey.  Henry  Travers.  Patricia  Collinge, 
Wallace  Ford.  Hume  Cronyn,  Edna  Mae  Wonacott. 


Chetniks 

(20th  Century-Fox) 
Jugoslavia's  Fighting  Guerillas 

Life  and  death,  literally,  is  the  drama  woven 
into  this  action  story  for  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  by  producer  Sol  Wurtzel.  It  shows  ex- 
citingly, yet  with  warm  and  human  incident, 
the  continuing  fight  against  Germans  in  Jugo- 
slavia by  guerillas  under  the  leadership  of 
General  Draja  Mihailovitch. 

True  accounts,  some  from  front  pages,  some 
from  the  underground,  provide  incidents  that 
are  factual  and  current  reenactment  of  guerilla 
sabotage,  raids,  brave  cunning,  and  suffering 
in  the  Jugoslav  mountains.  There  is  a  picture 
also  of  Nazi  firing  squads  and  brutality.  But 


these  people,  fierce  in  will  for  freedom,  meet 
even  this  with  a  last  shouted  challenge. 

Added  to  this  current,  almost  documentary 
background,  is  a  moving  emotional  problem. 
Draja,  played  by  Philip  Dorn,  faces  the  terrible 
choice  between  his  cause  and  the  lives  of  his 
wife  and  children.  There  is  suspense  and  skilled 
acting  in  his  decision. 

Anna  Sten,  as  his  wife,  and  Merrill  Rodin 
and  Patricia  Prest,  the  children,  are  convinc- 
ing, too,  when  their  roles  deliver  them  to  the 
Gestapo.  A  mother  and  children's  surrender 
in  order  to  save  the  army  could  scarcely  fail 
to  grip  audiences. 

From  the  crack  of  a  patriot  rifle,  slaying  the 
Nazi  commander  at  headquarters  in  the  open- 
ing scene,  there  is  swiftly  moving  action.  Axis 
supplies  are  raided,  and  the  guerillas  send  im- 
pudent taunts,  even  as  the  news  has  reported. 
In  finale  the  guerillas  storm  a  hostage  town, 
winning  a  seaport  and  saving  the  wives  and 
children  of  both  the  commander  and  his  gueril- 
las. It  is  done  by  a  clever  stratagem  and 
courage. 

The  leading  parts  are  admirably  played  by 
Dorn,  a  newcomer  from  England,  Miss  Sten, 
the  children,  and  John  Shepperd  and  Virginia 
Gilmore  as  young  lovers.  The  Nazis  are  in 
the  stock  Reich  villain  vein,  but  this  seems 
to  augment  their  patterned  brutality.  Emotion 
and  dramatic  interest  keep  propaganda  subordi- 
nate. 

Louis  King's  direction  keeps  action  and  story 
properly  paced  while  Mr.  Wurtzel's  production 
adds  much  valuable  detail  to  the  story  written 
by  Jack  Andrews  and  Edward  E.  Paramore. 
The  "Song  of  the  Chetniks"  is  a  stirring  musi- 
cal background. 

Previezved  at  the  home  office  to  a  press 
and  National  Board  of  Review  audience  which 
followed  with  a  frequently  anxious  attention. 
Reviewer's  Rating:  Good. — John  Stuart,  Jr. 

Release  date,  February  5,  1942.  Running  time,  73 
min.    PCA  No.  8853.    General  audience  classification. 

General  Mihailovitch  Philip  Dorn 

His  Wife  Ann  Sten 

Their  Children  Merrill  Rodin,  Patricia  Prest 

Colonel  Brockner  Martin  Kosleck 

John  Shepperd,  Virginia  Gilmore,  Felix  Basch,  Frank 
Lackteen  and  Leroy  Mason. 

The  Meanest  Man  in  the 
World 

(20th  Century-Fox) 
Benny  in  Less  Than  an  Hour 

With  shortages  popping  up  in  every  hand, 
there  may  be  foundation  for  expectancy  that 
the  customers  who  are  always  so  right  will  take 
in  their  stride  this  57-minute  feature  offering 
Jack  Benny,  Priscilla  Lane,  Rochester  and 
others  commonly  seen  in  product  of  Grade  A 
running  time,  but  it's  a  problem  for  showmen 
to  conjure  with  in  their  programming.  The 
film  stacks  up  as  a  small  A  or  a  big  B,  a  long 
short  or  a  short  feature,  and  in  either  or  any 
case  as  a  romp  for  Benny  in  the  field  of  humor 
to  which  he  has  accustomed  his  fans,  not  his 
best  nor  his  worst  offering,  but  certainly  his 
most  perplexing  contribution  to  the  theatre 
man's  flow  of  screen  ware. 

The  script  by  George  Seaton  and  Allan  House 
is  from  a  play  of  the  same  title  produced  some 
years  ago  by  George  M.  Cohan  which  is  tele- 
scoped here  to  the  dimensions  and  trim  of  a 
protracted  skit.  It  casts  Benny  as  a  small 
town   lawyer  who   goes   to   New   York  and 


January    9,  1943 

acquires  no  clients  until  he  gets  himself  a  news- 
paper reputation  as  a  legalistic  brute  given  to 
evicting  aged  women,  literally  stealing  candy 
from  children  and  delighting  generally  in  the 
inflicting  of  distress.  1  his  fame  brings  him  a 
rich  client  but  places  him  in  trouble  with  his 
$ancee,  at  which  point  the  tale  goes  off  on  a 
tangent  and  terminates  in  a  pistol  wedding 
played,  as  the  whole  of  this  is,  for  laughs. 

Rochester,  as  the  lawyer's  manservant,  ac- 
companies the  principal  steadily  and  collects  as 
many  or  more  laughs.  Priscilla  Lane  plays  the 
fiancee  and  Anne  Revere  amuses  as  the  secre- 
tary. Others  have  little  to  do. 

Production  is  by  William  Peiiberg  and  direc- 
tion by  Sidney  Lanfield,  both  of  whom  engage 
commonly  in  enterprises  of  greater  dimension 
and  substance. 

Previewed  at  the  Ritz  theatre,  Hollywcod,  to- 
a  mixed  audience  attracted  by  the  billed  attrac- 
tion, "Random  Harvest".  Benny  fans  in  the 
gathering  could  be  located  by  their  laughter, 
ivhich  zvas  louder  than  it  was  frequent.  Foyer 
comment  disparaged  the  offering.  Reviewer's 
rating:  Fair. — W.  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time,  57  min.  PCA 
Certificate  No.  8851.   General  audience  classification. 

Richard  Clark  Jack  Benny 

Janie   Priscilla  Lane 

Shutro   Rochester 

Edmund  Gwenn,  Matt  Briggs.  Anne  Revere,  Margaret 
Seddon,  Helene  Reynolds,  Lyle  Talbot,  Don  Douglas, 
Harry  Hayden,  Arthur  Lost. 

Pittsburgh  Service  Men 
Canteen  Is  Opened 

Pittsburgh's  new  service  men's  canteen  was 
opened  recently,  sponsored  by  the  local  Variety 
Club,  for  the  exclusive  use  of  men  and  women 
in  the  armed  forces.  The  canteen  is  open  from 
10  P.  M.  to  1  A.  M.,  and  is  staffed  by  members 
of  the  Variety  Club.  Their  wives  serve  as 
senior  hostesses,  and  debutantes  act  as  junior 
hostesses. 

Everything,  food,  soft  drinks,  entertainment, 
magazines  and  cigarettes  is  offered  free.  All 
branches  of  the  Pittsburgh  entertainment  indus- 
try contribute  to  the  operation  of  the  canteen. 
Entertainment  is  furnished  each  night  by  visit- 
ing stage,  screen  and  radio  artists.  A  new 
permanent  USO-Variety  Club  canteen  is  now 
under  construction  and  is  expected  to  be  opened 
this  summer. 

French  Titles  Planned 
For  "Commandos  Strike" 

French  titles  are  being  added  to  the  film, 
"Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn,"  it  was  an- 
nounced by  Columbia  Pictures  on  Monday. 
Prints  will  be  shipped  to  •  North  Africa, 
where  they  will  be  shown  to  the  Allied  troops. 

The  members  of  the  Office  of  War  Infor- 
mation and  various  film  executives  who  have 
seen  advance  previews  believe  that  the  pic- 
ture carries  morale  value,  it  was  said  by  an 
executive  of  Columbia. 


Fined  for  Exit  Violation 

Charles  Fine,  owner  and  manager  of  the 
neighborhood  Empire  theatre,  Cincinnati,  one 
of  the  six  theatre  operators  for  whom  war- 
rants recently  were  issued  for  violation  of  the 
city  building  code,  was  fined  $25  and  costs  by 
Municipal  Judge  Otis  R.  Hess  for  failure  to 
have  an  exit  sign  illuminated. 


Academy  Banquet  March  4th 

The  15th  annual  banquet  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  will  be 
held  on  March  4th,  it  was  announced  last  week. 
Mervyn  LeRoy  was  chosen  chairman  of  the 
program  committee  for  the  third  successive  year. 


Durst  Joins  Altec  Lansing 

J.  F.  Durst,  formerly  chief  sound  engineer 
of_  International  Projector  Corporation,  has 
joined  the  war  production  engineering  staff  of 
Altec  Lansing  Corporation  at  Los  Angeles. 


January    9,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  35 

THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


Paramount,  which  ran  up  the  biggest 
backlog  of  product  in  its  history  last  year 
and  reduced  it  by  a  process  of  sale  at  the 
source,  appears  on  its  way  toward  dupli- 
cating that  state  of  affairs.  According  to 
weekend  announcement,  the  studio  will 
have  12  features  in  shooting  stage  simul- 
taneously in  January. 

Three  of  the  features  named  in  the 
announcement  will  be  carryovers  from  De- 
cember. They  are  "Dixie,"  a  Technicolor 
project  with  Bing  Crosby,  Dorothy  Lamour 
and  Marjorie  Reynolds;  "So  Proudly  We 
Hail,"  with  Claudette  Colbert,  Paulette  God- 
dard  and  Veronica  Lake;  and  "Lady  in  the 
Dark,"  another  Technicolor  job,  with  Ginger 
Rogers,  Ra\-  Milland,  Warner  Baxter  and 
Jon  Hall. 

Those  set  for  the  start  of  shooting  in  January 
are  "Five  Graves  to  Cairo,"  with  Franchot 
Tone.  Anne  Baxter,  Akim  Tamiroff  and  Erich 
von  Stroheim ;  "Riding  High,"  Technicolor  musi- 

i  cal,  with  Dorothy  Lamour,  Dick  Powell  and 
Victor  Moore ;  "Let's  Face  It,"  a  musical  with 
Bob  Hope,  Eddie  Bracken,  Betty  Rhodes,  Mar- 
jorie Reynolds  and  Dona  Drake;  "Incendiary 
Blonde,"  based  on  the  story  of  Texas  Guinan, 
with  Betty  Hutton  and  Alan  Ladd ;  "Hostages," 
from  the  Stefan  Heym  novel,  with  William  Ben- 
dix  and  others;  "Henry  Aldrich  Plays  Cupid," 
a  series  item;  "The  Good  Fellows,"  with  Susan 
Hayward,  James  Brown  and  Cecil  Kellaway, 
and  "Alaska  Highway,"  a  Pine-Thomas  number 
with  Richard  Arlen  and  Jean  Parker. 

|  Republic  at  the  weekend  announced  the  arrival 
at  the  halfway  point  in  completion  of  its  sched- 
ule for  the  1942-43  season  and  named  seven 
features  for  January  start.  They  are  "Tahiti 
Honey,"  "The  Purple  V,"  "Shantytown,"  Roy 
Rogers'  "King  of  the  Cowboys,"  Don  "Red" 
Barry's  "Carson  City  Cyclone"  and  an  untitled 
number  in  the  Three  Mesquiteers  series. 

Columbia  has  listed  10  features  with  war 
themes,  inferentially  for  production  early  in  the 
new  year,  on  its  adjusted  production  schedule. 
They  are: 

"Attack  By  Night,"  Based  on  Elliott  Arnold's 
"The  Commandos,"  to  co-star  Merle  Oberon 
and  Brian  Aherne ;  "Sahara,"  a  story  of  the 
Allied  Foreign  Legion,  to  be  produced  by  Harry 
Joe  Brown  and  directed  by  Zoltan  Korda ; 
"Women  at  War,"  to  be  produced  by  Isadore 
Goldsmith  and  to  feature  10  leading  women ; 
"Wingmates"  and  "Victory  Caravan,"  Louis 
Edelman  productions;  "Knights  Without 
Armor"  and  "Appointment  in  Berlin,"  B.  P. 
Schulberg  productions ;  "House  in  Stalingrad," 
not  otherwise  identified ;  "Dear  Mr.  Private,"  a 
comedy ;  and  "Officer's  Candidate  School,"  to  be 
produced  by  Edward  Kaufman.  The  company 
also  has  "Destroyer,"  Lou  Edelman  production 
directed  by  William  A.  Seiter  and  starring  Ed- 
ward G.  Robinson,  nearing  completion. 

Harry  Sherman  Has 
Western  Museum 

Jack  L.  Warner  has  declared  his  intention  of 
producing  a  sequel  to  "The  Gay  Sisters"  which 
will  bring  together  again  Barbara  Stanwyck, 
Nancy  Coleman  and  Geraldine  Fitzgerald. 
Henry  Blanke  is  to  produce  . . 

When,  after  peace  has  come,  transportation 
has  survived  its  travail,  equilibrium  in  general 
has  been  restored  and  showmen  again  make 
Hollywood  a  point  of  annual  visitation,  a  place 
to  go  to  see  the  Old  West  as  it  was  before  the 
war,  before  even  that  other  war,  even  before 
six-guns  ceased  to  be  street  dress,  is  Harry 
Sherman's  western  museum,  property  of  the 


Production  Index  Dips 

The  upshot  of  holiday  foreshortening  of  the  work  week  was  a  dip  of  the  production 
index  figure  to  32,  lowest  point  reached  in  many  months.  Whether  and  to  what  extent 
the  shape  of  things  to  come  may  have  influenced  the  decline  was  not  at  once  ascer- 
tainable. Offset  to  speculation  in  that  direction  was  a  flurry  of  year-end  studio  announce- 
ments pertaining  to  the  starting  of  production  upon  large  numbers  of  pictures  in  January. 

The  three  new  pictures  started  were:  "Attacked  by  Night",  Columbia,  co-starring 
Merle  Oberon  and  Brian  Aherne,  "Faculty  Row",  MGM,  with  Mary  Astor,  Herbert 
Marshall,  Richard  Carlson  and  Susan  Peters,  and  "Cowboy  of  Manhattan",  Universal, 
with  Robert  Paige,  Frances  Langford  and  Leon  Errol. 

The  week  by  title: 


COMPLETED 

Monogram 

Ape  Man 
Robber's  Roost 

Paramount 

Henry  Aldrich 

Swings  It 
Miracle  of 

Morgan's  Creek 

PRC 

Corregidor 

RKO  Radio 

Bombardier 

Republic 

Blocked  Trail 
Chatterbox 

20th-Fox 

School  for  Sabotage 
Hello,  Frisco,  Hello 


UA 

Meet  John  Bon- 

niwell  (Sherman) 

Universal 

Captive  Wild  Woman 
Solid  Senders 
White  Savage 

STARTED 

Columbia 

Attacked  by  Night 
MGM 

Faculty  Row 
Universal 

Cowboy  of  Manhattan 


SHOOTING 

Columbia 

Boy  from  Stalingrad 
Broadway  Daddies 
Destroyer 

MGM 

Bataan  Patrol 
Air  Raid  Wardens 
Dr.  Gillespie's 

Prison  Story 
I  Dood  It 
Private  Miss  Jones 
Above  Suspicion 
Gentle  Annie 
Swing  Shift  Maisie 

Paramount 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Lady  in  the  Dark 
Dixie 
China 

RKO  Radio 

From  Here  to  Victory 


Republic 

Idaho 

20th-Fox 

Moon  Is  Down 
UA 

G-String  Murders 
(Stromberg) 

Stage  Door  Canteen 
(Lesser) 

Unconquered  (Press- 
burger) 

Universal 

Good  Morning,  Judgt 
Oh,  Doctor 
We've  Never  Been 

Licked 
Corvettes  In  Action 
Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 
Old  Acquaintance 
Devotion 
Thank  Your 

Lucky  Stars 


veteran  producer  of  Westerns  and  of  his  asso- 
ciate, Dick  Dickinson,  now  ensconced  on  the 
premises  of  the  Harry  Sherman  studio,  where 
picture  making  also  may  be  seen  under  better 
than  most  conditions. 

The  museum  is  of  many  years  in  accumu- 
lation. It  includes  a  saddle  that  Queen  Victoria 
of  England  presented  to  Buffalo  Bill  Cody,  a 
rawhide  rope  made  especially  for  use  of  Pancho 
Villa,  the  front  axle  from  Brigham  Young's 
wagon,  Will  James'  lariat  and  key  ring  and  the 
trick  rope  used  by  the  late  Will  Rogers  on  his 
tours  of  the  country.  It  is  stocked  with  horse 
jewelry,  with  sidearms  that  spoke  their  pieces 
in  many  a  frontier  fracas,  with  all  the  impedi- 
mentiae  and  apparatum  of  the  great  open  spaces 
where  men  were  men  and  behaved  or  misbe- 
haved in  that  tradition. 

Paramount  has  assigned  Frank  Tuttle  to  di- 
rect "Hostages,"  the  novel  by  Stefan  Heym, 
which  deals  with  the  Czechoslovakian  resist- 
ance to  the  Gestapo  and  the  assassination  of 
Heydrich.  Sol  C.  Siegle  will  produce.  William 
Bendix,  who  came  to  the  fore  in  "Wake  Island," 
has  been  assigned  a  principal  role  .  .  .  On  re- 
quest of  Admiral  William  Stanley,  U.  S.  N., 
Jack  Warner  supplied  a  print  of  the  short,  "Be- 
yond the  Line  of  Duty,"  starring  Major  Hewitt 
T.  Whelass,  for  transmission  to  Moscow.  The 
film  was  made  for  Army  exhibition  only  but 
later  was  okayed  for  general  release  and  is  up 
for  Academy  nomination. 

After  many  weeks  of  shooting  and  publicity 
under  the  title  of  "Merry-Go-Round,"  Colum- 


bia's George  Stevens  production  co-starring 
Jean  Arthur  and  Joel  McCrea  is  to  carry  the 
permanent  title  of  "The  More  the  Merrier."  The 
decision  to  make  the  switch  was  taken,  accord- 
ing to  the  studio,  as  result  of  a  survey  by  the 
George  Gallup  organization.  The  five  titles  sub- 
mitted to  a  cross-section  of  the  theatre-going 
public  were,  "The  More  the  Merrier,"  "Wash- 
ington Story,"  "Love  Is  Patriotic,  Too,"  "Full 
Speed  Ahead"  and  "Come  One,  Come  All".  .  .  . 
Vera  Vague  has  been  added  to  Paramount's 
cast  for  "Henry  Aldrich  Plays  Cupid"  .  .  . 
Warners  have  signed  Hans  George,  professional 
ski  champion,  for  "Mission  to  Moscow"  .  .  . 
MGM  will  enter  Pete  Smith's  short,  "Marines 
in  the  Making,"  for  an  Academy  Award. 

Lola  Lane  is  to  be  starred  in  "North  African 
Incident,"  by  Arthur  St.  Clair,  which  Producers 
Releasing  Corporation  will  place  in  production 
shortly.  .  .  .  "Road  to  Yesterday,"  an  original 
story  by  Stanley  Russell  and  Herbert  Biber- 
man,  has  been  purchased  by  Columbia.  No  pro- 
ducer or  director  has  been  named.  .  .  .  MGM 
producer  Sam  Marx  is  gathering  material  for 
"Army  Chaplain"  at  the  U.  S.  Army  Chaplain 
School  at  Harvard  University.  .  .  .  "Unknown 
Heroes,"  by  Norman  Lodge,  has  been  purchased 
by  Monogram  for  its  1942-43  season. 

Nine  Technicolor  cameras  were  in  operation 
at  MGM  one  day  last  week  on  two  pictures, 
"Salute  to  the  Marines"  and  "Private  Miss 
Jones."  War  has  prevented  the  manufacture  of 
additional  Technicolor  cameras  to  serve  the 
war-created  need  for  this  equipment. 


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38 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


$285,000  Budget  Set 
For  Arbitration  Year 


Appropriation  May  Be  Last 
Under  System  Set  Up  by 
Consent  Decree 

A  budget  of  $285,000  for  the  third  and 
final  year  of  the  motion  picture  arbitra- 
tion system  was  approved  at  New  York 
on  Tuesday.  Under  the  terms  of  the  de- 
creee,  as  it  now  stands,  the  allocation  may 
be  the  industry's  last  required  contribu- 
tion to  the  system  of  arbitrating  clearance 
and  run  disputes  imposed  by  the  consent 
decree. 

A  contingency  fund  of  $25,000,  the  same 
as  for  1942,  was  authorized. 

The  sum  approved  by  the  finance  commit- 
tee, operating  under  the  authorization  of  the 
federal  district  court,  was  $15,000  less  than 
the  $300,000  appropriated  for  1942.  It  was 
the  equivalent  of  the  exact  cost  of  operating 
the  Appeal  Board,  administrative  office,  and 
tribunals  in  31  exchange  cities  during  the 
past  year,  the  American  Arbitration  Associ- 
ation, administrator,  reported. 

Action  on  the  new  budget,  postponed  since 
November,  was  taken  by  George  W.  Alger,  new 
chairman  of  the  Appeal  Board ;  Joseph  Hazen, 
vice-president  of  Warner  Brothers,  representing 
the  five  consenting  distributors,  and  P.  M. 
Haight,  for  the  arbitration  association.  Mr. 
Haight,  a  director  of  the  Association,  replaced 
Sylvan  Gotshal,  chairman  of  the  AAA  motion 
picture  administrative  committee.  He  is  secre- 
tary-treasurer of  the  International  General 
Electric  Company. 

There  will  be  no  curtailment,  or  administra- 
tive revision  of  the  regional  tribunals,  or  their 
staffs  of  clerks  and  secretaries,  as  a  result  of 
the  committee  action.  The  31  tribunals,  and 
Appeal  Board  office  at  New  York,  will  con- 
tinue operations  through  to  the  expiration  of 
the  consent  decree. 

The  initial  three  year  trial  period  set  in  the 
decree  for  the  arbitration  system  ends  on 
November  20th,  1943. 

Support  of  the  experiment,  shared  by  the  five 
consenting  film  distributors,  will  total  approxi- 
mately $885,000.  This  is  considerably  under 
the  $1,125,000  originally  foreseen  as  the  cost 
of  the  system. 

Formal  approval  of  the  1943  budget  by  Judge 
Henry  W.  Goddard,  who  signed  the  decree,  is 
expected  to  be  given  within  a  few  weeks. 

Although  tribunals  were  thrown  open  to  la- 
bor, commercial  and  wartime  arbitration  cases, 
with  part  of  the  fees  for  these  cases  to  accrue  to 
the  film  fund,  the  AAA  indicated  that  the 
financial  return  from  these  cases  had  been  negli- 
gible. Most  of  the  savings  were  reported  to 
have  been  effected  through  the  administrator. 

Boston 

The  clearance  complaint  of  the  Orpheum 
theatre,  Danvers,  Mass.,  was  withdrawn  by  the 
plaintiff  at  the  Boston  tribunal  last  Friday  with 
the  consent  of  all  parties  and  reportedly  follow- 
ing a  voluntary  adjustment.  It  was  Boston's 
14th  case.  The  complaint  named  all  five  con- 
senting distributors  and  charged  that  the  Or- 
pheum, which  played  14  days  after  the  Em- 
pire, Paramount  and  Plaza  at  Salem,  Mass., 
was  forced  to  wait  unreasonably  long  periods 
for  product  due  to  delays  by  the  prior  runs 
in  setting  play  dates. 

New  York 

The  Courier  Amusement  Company,  operating 
the  Ormont  theatre  in  East  Orange,  N.  J., 


filed  a  clearance  complaint  against  all  five  on 
Monday  at  the  New  York  tribunal.  The  com- 
plainant claims  the  14-day  clearance  granted 
the  Tivoli,  Newark,  is  unreasonable  as  to  time 
and  area  and  should  be  eliminated  or  reduced 
to  one  day. 

The  plaintiff  also  charges  the  14  days  granted 
to  the  Hollywood,  East  Orange,  and  Palace, 
Orange,  as  'to  time  is  unreasonable  and  should 
be  reduced  to  five  days.  Also  that  the  14-day 
first  run  and  seven-day  second  run  clearance 
in  the  Oranges,  as  granted  to  the  Embassy 
theatre,  Orange,  is  unreasonable  as  to  time  and 
should  be  reduced  to  one  day,  and  finally,  that 
the  14  days  granted  the  Hollywood  and  Palace 
over  the  Embassy  is  unreasonable  as  to  time 
and  should  be  reduced  to  five  days  and  that 
pictures  should  be  available  to  the  complainant 
not  later  than  12  days  after  exhibition  at  the 
Hollywood  or  Palace. 

Albany 

Joseph  Casey,  former  Albany  corporation 
counsel,  as  arbitrator,  decided  on  Monday  that 
the  clearance  held  by  Schine's  Glove  theatre  in 
Gloversville,  over  Smalley's  Johnstown  should 
be  reduced  from  30  to  12  days.  It  is  Albany's 
sixth  case.  Last  summer  Smalley  Theatres,  Inc., 
filed  clearance  complaints  against  the  Schine 
circuit  and  all  five  attacking  the  14-day  margin 
held  by  the  Schine  Palace  and  Oneonta  theatre, 
Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  over  Smalley's  Coopertown ; 
the  30  days  of  the  Schine  Hippodrome  and 
Glove  theatres,  Gloversville,  over  Smalley's 
Johnstown,  and  the  30  days  of  the  Schine 
Palace  and  Oneonta  in  Oneonta  over  the  Smal- 
ley theatre  in  Delhi,  N.  Y. 


Spokane  Theatre  Receipts 
Swelled  by  War  Workers 

Receipts  of  Spokane  theatres  have  risen 
sharply,  according  to  latest  reports  from  ex- 
hibitors in  the  city.  The  higher  grosses  were 
attributed  to  war  industries  located  there. 

Bad  weather,  dimouts  and  gasoline  restric- 
tions caused  a  temporary  lull  in  business,  but 
it  was  expected  that  at  least  a  50  per  cent  in- 
crease in  the  holiday  business  over  the  same 
period  last  year  would  be  noted.  Pictures  have 
been  held  over  in  many  instances  in  first  run 
houses,  and  the  promotion  of  "shopping  nights" 
by  Spokane  merchants  has  swelled  theatre  audi- 
ences further. 


Lawrence  Resigns  as 
Foreign  Distribution  Head 

Laudy  Lawrence,  head  of  foreign  distribu- 
tion for  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  has  resigned. 
He  succeeded  the  late  Walter  Hutchinson  in 
the  post  last  May.  Designation  of  a  successor 
had  not  been  decided,  executives  reported  on 
Wednesday.  Overseas  operations  will  continue 
under  the  supervision  of  Irving  Maas  and  Fran- 
cis L.  Harley,  the  company's  managing  director 
for  Britain.    Mr.  Harley  now  is  in  New  York. 


Draft  New  Fire  Rules 

The  San  Francisco  Fire  Prevention  Bureau 
is  drafting  an  ordinance  requiring  all  night 
clubs  in  the  city  to  be  housed  in  fire  resistant 
buildings,  it  was  reported.  Rules  established 
after  the  Club  Shamrock  fire  in  1939,  which 
caused  deaths  and  injuries,  already  exist.  Night 
clubs  requesting  license  renewals  will  need  ap- 
proval of  the  Fire  Prevention  Bureau,  the 
police,  and  the  City  Department  of  Electricity. 


'Fantasia'  Voted 
Best  in  Cuba 


by  RAFAEL  MARTINEZ 

in  Havana 

"Fantasia"  has  been  selected  as  the  best 
American  film  distributed  in  Cuba  during  the 
year  1942  by  the  Federation  of  Motion  Picture 
Writers  of  Cuba  (Federacion  de  Redactores 
Cinematograficos ) . 

Five  American  and  five  Spanish  films  were 
selected.  In  order  of  rating,  following  the 
RKO-Disney  film,  "Fantasia,"  the  American 
films  were :  "Hold  Back  the  Dawn,"  Para- 
mount ;  "Blossoms  in  the  Dust,"  "Sergeant 
York,"  Warners ;  "Between  Us  Girls,"  Uni- 
versal. 

The  Spanish  films,  in  order  of  selection  were : 
"Las  Maestrita  de  los  Oberos,"  EFA,  Argen- 
tina ;  "Historia  de  un  Gran  Amor,"  Continental, 
Mexico ;  "El  Tercer  Beso,"  V.  Blanco,  Argen- 
tina; "Cancion  de  Cuna,"  Ibero-America, 
Argentina ;  "El  Conde  de  Monte  Cristo,"  Con- 
tinental, Mexico. 

Honorable  mention  was  awarded  to  "The 
Talk  of  the  Town,"  Columbia,  and  "Sonar,  No 
Cuesta  Nada,"  Argentine  film  distributed  by 
V.  Blanco  &  Company. 

An  additional  special  award  was  made  to 
"United  We  Stand,"  distributed  by  Twentieth 
Century-Fox,  as  the  best  documentary  film  de- 
signed to  further  the  cause  of  democracy  and 
unity. 


Inspect  Amusement  Places 
In  Eastern  Provinces 

Stemming  from  the  Boston  and  St.  John's 
disasters  inspections  are  being  made  of  theatres 
through  the  Canadian  eastern  provinces  and 
Newfoundland.  In  many  places,  special  boards 
have  been  created  to  make  the  inspections  and 
order  changes,  if  any  are  needed.  Although 
dance  halls,  night  clubs  and  bingo  halls  have 
been  closed  pending  completion  of  inspections 
or  changes,  there  has  been  no  such  action  on 
the  theatres. 

Safety  conditions,  generally  speaking,  were 
found  to  be  satisfactory  at  the  theatres,  and  far 
more  so  than  at  the  dance  halls,  night  clubs 
and  bingo  halls.  The  changes  that  have  been 
ordered  are  minor  and  involving  little  expense. 
The  inspectors  have  been  concerned  chiefly 
with  exits  and  their  condition  and  access  to 
seat  holders,  and  with  projection  booth  pre- 
cautions. Exhibitors  have  been  warned  against 
allowing  people  to  stand  in  the  aisles  and  over- 
crowding, and  to  give  special  attention  to  bal- 
conies and  mezzanine  floors  during  business 
hours.  The  inspecting  boards  and  committees 
number  from  three  to  a  half  dozen  civic  offi- 
cials, and  include  the  local  fire  chiefs,  build- 
ing inspectors  and  engineers. 


Ontario  Ban  Lifted 

The  Board  of  Appeals  for  the  Film  Censor- 
ship Committee  of  Ontario  has  lifted  its  ban 
on  "Inside  Fighting  Canada,"  Canadian  Na- 
tional Film  Board  production  made  under  the 
supervision  of  John  Grierson,  director  of  the 
board.  The  censors  had  refused  to  allow  the 
picture  to  be  shown  in  Ontario  after  Mitchell 
F.  Hepburn,  Ontario  provincial  treasurer  and 
chairman  of  the  censor  Board  of  Appeals,  had 
charged  that  it  contained  propaganda. 


Enters  Merchant  Marine 

Donald  Condon,  recently  appointed  booker 
for  the  Hamrick-Evergreen  circuit  in  Seattle 
after  several  seasons  booking  films  for  the  U.  S. 
Army  theatres,  resigned  January  1st  to  enter 
war  service.  He  is  in  the  U.  S.  Merchant 
Marine  as  a  purser  for  the  Maritime  Commis- 
sion.   His  successor  has  not  yet  been  appointed. 


on;  mcA i  ke- wiiii 
A  JUBILANT  SPIRI 


tiien      D  R  E 
Hicttard  DENNING 

COLONNA 

JiailUna  Qo  ALLEN 


(VERA     V  A  GUf j 


HAROLD  HUBER 
MARILYN  HARE 
BILL  SHIRLEY 
PIERRE  WATKIN 

SI     J  E  N  K  S 
SAM  BERNARD 
GEORGE  BYRON 
★       ★  ★ 

Featuring  The  ICC   CAPADCS  Company 
With    the    Internationally  Famous 
Skating  Stars 

VERA 

HRUBA 

MEGAN 

TAYLOR 

LOIS 

DWORSHA 

donna  atwood 
"red"  McCarthy 
phil  taylor 
-tackson,  jr.  •  jackson  & 
bin  lee  •  dench  &  stew 
the    benoits    •    eric  wai 
babs  savage 

★ 

Directed  by  BERNARD  VORHAUS 
Screenplay  by  BRADFORD  ROPES    •    GERTRUDE  PURCELL 
nal   Story    by    ROBERT    T.    SHANNON     •     MAURI  GR 

REPUBLIC  PICTURE 


40 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


// 


WHAT  THE 

PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


\\ 


Columbia 


MY  SISTER  EILEEN:  Rosalind  Russell,  Brian 
Aherne — Better  than  the  stage  show.  A  laugh  riot. 
Please  anyone.  Business  O.  K.  Who  said  the  small 
companies  don't  have  pictures? — Philip  Schwartz, 
Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.  General  patron- 
age. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 


CROSSROADS:  William  Powell,  Hedy  Lamarr,  Basil 
Rathbone — You  can  check  this  one  as  one  of  the 
weaker  pictures  that  Metro  has  come  through  with 
this  year.  There  was  no  enthusiasm  displayed  by  the 
audience.  You  would  expect  more  from  a  picture  with 
Metro's  two  top  stars,  but  somewhere  the  director 
slipped. — A.  E.  Hancock,  Columbia  Theatre,  Columbia 
City,  Ind. 

EYES  IN  THE  NIGHT:  Edward  Arnold,  Dona 
Reed,  Ann  Harding — Good  program  picture  and  it  has 
story,  action,  and  superlative  acting  by  Arnold  and 
the  dog,  Friday.  Miss  Harding  was  okay  in  her 
small  role,  too. — A.  E.  Hancock,  Columbia  Theatre, 
Columbia  City,  Ind. 


Paramount 


FOREST  RANGERS,  THE:  Fred  MacMurray, 
Paulette  Goddard — This  is  a  backwoods  story  in  Tech- 
nicolor. Lots  of  comedy  and  an  all  around  good 
picture.  Played  Thursday — Saturday,  December  17-19. 
— M.  Bailey,  Strand  Theatre,,  Dryden,  pat..  Can.; 
Small   town  patronage. 

MAJOR  AND  THE  MINOR,  THE:  Ginger  Rogers, 
Ray  Milland — A  frothy  little  comedy  and  this  is  what 
the  people*  want.  You  like  ta  see  them  come  out 
smiling,  instead  of  with  the  grim  tenseness  that  is 
apparent  when  you  have  grimmer  fare,  and  I  refer 
to  war  pictures,  and  the  spy  and  sabotage  stuff  that 
is  coming  through.  Why  do  the  producers  and  gov- 
ernment not  see  this?  Of  course,  you  can't  expect 
much,  when  the  gas  questionnaire  for  farmers,  who 
operate  tractors,  asked  how  many  miles  their  tractors 
traveled.  (You  city  birds,  won't  get  this.)  Farming 
is  done  by  the  acre,  not  miles.  That  is  the  stuff  that 
is  keeping  the  public  riled  up. — A.  E.  Hancock,  Colum- 
bia Theatre,  Columbia  City,  Ind. 

SECRETS  OF  THE  WASTELANDS:  William  Boyd 
— For  a  Western  ,  give  me  any  one  but  Hop.  He's 
old  enough  to  retire.  Draws  two  kids  and  one  old 
fan.  He's  too  overconfident  in  every  picture  he's  in. 
Not  much  suspense  to  anyone  of  his  oat  eaters.  Sorry. 
Mr.  Cassidy. — Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre, 
Bridgeport,  Conn.     General  patronage. 

WILD  CAT:  Richard  Arlen,  Arline  Judge— Good 
action  picture  but  only  average  business.  Played 
Tuesday,  December  15. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 


RKO  Radio 


BIG  STREET:  Henry  Fonda,  Lucille  Ball— This  is 
a  long  drawn  out,  soul-stirring  drama  not  worth  play- 
ing in  small  towns.  We  had  the  poorest  weekend 
business  in  years.  Played  Thursday — Saturday. 
December  3-5.— M.  Bailey.  Strand  Theatre,  Dryden. 
Ont..   Can.      Small    town  patronage. 

FALCON'S  BROTHER:  George  Sanders,  Tom  Con- 
way— Very  good  little  picture.  No  walkouts  and  no 
kicks.  Story  interesting  and  business  fair.  M.  Bailey, 
Strand  Theatre,  Dryden,  Ont.,  Can. 

MEXICAN  SPITFIRE'S  ELEPHANT:  Leon  Errol. 
Lupe  Velez — The  few  who  came  didn't  care  for  it. 
Many  walked  out.  Plaved  Monday,  Tuesday,  November 
30,  December  1.— M.  Bailey.  Strand  Theatre,  Dryden, 
Ont.,  Can.    Small  town  patronage. 

PRIDE  OF  THE  YANKEES:  Gary  Cooper— Good 
picture  but  light  business  due  to  coming  of  gas  ra- 
tioning. Those  who  came  liked  it.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday.  December  13,  14. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount Theatre.  Dewey.  Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 


Republic 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  It  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product — providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


FLYING  TIGERS:  John  Wayne— This  picture  is  the 
nearest  to  realism  of  all  flying  pictures  I  ever  played. 


To  the  Editor  of  trie  Herald: 

Here  is  a  line  on  the  usefulness  of  "What 
the  Picture  Did  for  Me." 

I  understand  that  this  department  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Herald  has  been  established 
since  1916,  and  has  contributed  much  to 
the  success  of  your  Herald.  I  have  been  a 
reader  and  subscriber  of  your  Herald  for 
the  last  12  years,  and  it  is  through  this  de- 
partment I  derive  the  greatest  value, 
"What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me." 

I  have  found  its  value  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. 

I  clip  the  reviews  and  list  them  alpha- 
betically in  an  index  notebook,  9x6% 
inches,  which  can  be  bought  in  any  10-cent 
store  with  loose  leaf  pages.  One  can  realize 
the  usefulness  of  compiling  these  reports  to 
a  great  advantage.  We,  being  a  subse- 
quent run  in  this  city,  the  value  is  great, 
because  of  these  advance  reports.  One 
can  determine  what  the  picture  is  doing 
elsewhere  at  the  box  office,  type  of  picture, 
time  of  picture,  stars,  buying  pictures — 
in  other  words,  a  summary  of  the  pictures 
in  a  hurry — and  by  clipping  these  reviews 
one  can  refer  to  them  time  and  time  again. 

At  this  time  I  would  like  to  thank  all  the 
exhibitors  for  their  cooperation,  time  and 
effort,  as  they  made  this  department 
possible  by  contributing  their  reports 
week  after  week  in  the  past,  to  create 
something  worthwhile  for  other  exhibitors 
—  "What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me." — 
WILLIAM  C.  GUSE,  Abbey  Theatre, 
Milwaukee. 


Very  fine  production.  Should  hold  its  own  any  place, 
any  time. — Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridge- 
port, Conn.  General  patronage. 

IN  OLD  CALIFORNIA:  John  Wayne,  Binnie 
Barnes — A  rip  roaring  fightin'  shootin'  story  of  the 
gold  rush  in  California  with  John  Wayne  at  his  best. 
The  first  fights  keep  them  dragging  on  their  seats. 
A  story  that  will  bring  them  in,  in  any  small  town 
theatre  such  as  this.  Can  recommend  this  for  a  spot 
like  mine.  Played  Saturday,  December  19. —  A.  L. 
Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and 
small  town  patronage. 

SLEEPYTIME  GAL:  Judy  Canova — Judy  Canova  is 
not  a  very  popular  star  among  my  fans  although  my 
Saturday  night  crowd  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  If  the  pro- 
ducer had  allowed  her  to  sing  her  song  "Sleepytime 
Gal"  all  through  it  would  have  given  my  audience  a 
chance  to  hear  this  lady  sing  a  real  song.  Some 
comedy  in  this  and  the  final  dancing  and  singing 
sequence  was  much  enjoyed.  Can  recommend  this. 
Played  Thursday-Saturday,  December  3-5. — A.  L. 
Dover.  Bengough  Theatre,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

SPRINGTIME  IN  THE  ROCKIES:  Betty  Grable, 
John  Payne — Good  picture  and  very  good  business. 
The  Technicolor  was  excllent.  Played  Wednesday, 
Thursday, :  December  16.  17.— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Dewey, 
Okla.      Small  town  patronage. 

TALES  OF  MANHATTAN:  Charles  Boyer,  Rita 
Hayworth,  Ginger  Rogers— More  stars  than  in  the 
heavens.  Glamor,  action,  suspense,  drama  and  every- 
thing else  to  make  good  jelly — but  it  doesn't  jell. 
My  guarantee  was  about  50  per  cent  too  high.  How- 
ever, I  enjoyed  the  picture. — Philip  Schwartz,  Park- 
way Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.  General  patronage. 

UNDYING  MONSTER:  John  Howard,  Heather 
Angel — Good  little  horror  picture  which  pleased  on 
Friday,  Saturday.  Played  December  18.  19— E.  M. 
Freiburger.  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 


Uni 


iversai 


SEVEN  SINNERS:  Marlene  Dietrich— Played  this 
very  late  but  thoroughly  good  entertainment  for  my 
audience,  plenty  of  action  and  Dietrich  swell  in  this 
production.  Some  came  to  see  this  a  second  time 
and  the  fight  in  the  night  club  took  the  house  by 
storm.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  December  10-12. — 
A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and 
small   town  patronage. 


w 


arner  Bros. 


ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC:  Humphrey  Bogart— Good 
picture — but  no  better  than  when  Bogart  was  sold 
for  one-half  of  present  price.  Not  as  suspenseful  nor 
as  thrilling  as  "Maltese  Falcon."  Don't  know  where 
that  name  came  from.  It  doesn't  fit  the  picture. 
— Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre.  Bridgeport. 
Conn.     General  patronage. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Errol  Flynn,  Ronald 
Reagan — Plenty  of  action  for  the  kids.  However, 
not  proper  type  of  picture  for  adults  with  any  in- 
telligence. One  would  think  the  Nazis  are  morons  and 
pushovers.  This  kind  of  picture  lulls  the  less  in- 
telligent group  into  a  false  sense  of  security.  Why 
worry  when  one  Errol  Flynn  can  subdue  a  nation 
and  to  top  it  off  at  the  end  of  the  picture  he  tells 
us  he's  going  to  take  care  of  the  Japs  next?  One 
man — can  you  imagine  that  ?  You  top  this  one. — 
Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 
General  patronge. 

GAY  SISTERS:  Olivia  DeHaviland— Pleasing  pic- 
ture. Not  for  action  houses;  should  be  the  Sad  Sisters, 
nothing  gay  about  the  picture. — Philip  Schwartz. 
Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.  General  pa 
tronage. 

NOW,  VOYAGER:  Bette  Davis,  Paul  Henreid— 
Poison  to  me.  Only  Bette  Davis  picture  I  played  in 
a  long  time  that  did  not  click.  Strictly  a  class  pic- 
ture for  the  intellectual  type. — Philip  Schwartz.  Park- 
way Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.     General  patronage. 

Short  Features 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

MIGHTY  LAK  A  GOAT:  Our  Gang  Comedy- 
Average  Our  Gang  comedy. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount  Theatre,   Dewey,  Okla. 

Paramount 

DOVER:    Official   U.    S.   Victory   Film— Interesting 

(Continued  on  page  42) 


In  a  great  movie  theatre,  an  audience  of  thousands 
— carried  out  of  their  everyday  lives— look,  and  listen, 
to  the  drama  pouring  from  a  strip  of  photographic  film 
about  one  inch  wide.  Everything  is  on  this — not  only  the 
living,  moving  scenes  of  the  story,  but  on  the  tiny  "sound 
track"  at  the  left,  the  sound:  whispered  words  of  love 
.  .  .  a  terrified  scream . . .  the  nerve-shattering  roar  of  a 
dive  bomber. . .  an  enchanting  voice  crooning  a  lullaby. 
Film  carries  it  all. 


Most  Hollywood  movies  are  on  film  made  by  ES^dMk 


FROM  the  time  when  Thomas  A. 
Edison  and  George  Eastman 
worked  together  on  the  early,  flicker- 
ing movies,  the  improvement  of  mate- 
rials for  professional  motion  pictures 
has  been  one  of  the  chief  fields  of 
Kodak  research.  Kodak  has  been  the 
pacemaker,  and  is  by  far  the  largest 
supplier  of  Hollywood. 

From  "the  flickers"  to  art 

Kodak's  original  production  of 
transparent  roll  film,  the  key  to  motion 
pictures  .  .  .  specialized  negative  and 
positive  films  .  .  .  the  production  of 
high-speed  panchromatic  materials  . . . 
the  modern  color  phase,  now  rapidly 
expanding  .  .  .  these  are  important 
scenes  in  the  advance  from  "the  flick- 
ers" to  today's  work  of  art,  in  which 
Kodak  has  played  a  leading  role.  And 


there  is  another  .  .  .  The  success  of 
"sound"  pictures  hinged  on  making 
the  spoken  words,  or  music,  or  "sound 
effects,"  a  basic  part  of  the  picture.That 
is  what  you  have  today,  because  . . . 

Sound,  too,  is  pictured 

With  special  fine-grain  emulsions, 
Kodak  "sensitizes"  film  for  sound 
recording.  In  effect,  sound  is  changed 
into  light,  and  this  light  is  recorded 
on  the  film,  simultaneously  with  the 
recording  of  the  scenes.  Lips  move — 
a  voice  speaks.  Yet  the  voice  is  also  a 
"picture" — an  effect  of  light  on  film. 
The  voice  changes  from  a  whisper  to 
an  angry  roar — each  tone  is  a  series  of 


"light"  pictures,  different  in  quality. 

As  you  sit  in  the  theatre,  the  process 
is  reversed  —  the  "light  pictures"  on 
the  sound  track  are  changed  back  into 
sound  . .  .The  "sound"  newsreels  are 
made  in  much  the  same  way. 

Movies  for  everybody 
For  children,  movies  are  education. 
For  normal  men  and  women  they  are 
the  grandest  form  of  entertainment, 
reaching  almost  everyone.  For  those 
distraught  by  worry'  or  sorrow,  they 
are  wholesome  escape.  For  our  service 
men  on  ships  or  in  distant  camps,  they 
are  a  little  of  everything  that  is  needed 
to  give  a  man  a  "lift"  .  .  .  Eastman 
Kodak  Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


Serving  human  progress  through  Photography 


This  institutional  advertisement  is  one  of  a  series  covering  a  wide  variety  of  Kodak 
products  and  services.  It  appeared  in  December  popular  magazines  read  by  millions. 


42 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


{Continued  from  page  40) 
war  reel  released  by  British  Ministry  of  Information. 
— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

JOHNNY     "SCAT"     DAVIS     &  ORCHESTRA: 

Headliners— Musical  reel.  Not  so  hot.— E.  M.  Frei- 
burger, Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

NIGHT  SHIFT:  British  Ministry  of  Information- 
Dull  reel  issued  by  British  Ministry  of  Information.— 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

SCRAP  THE  JAPS:  Popeye  the  Sailor— Average 
Popeye  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  The- 
atre, Dewey,  Okla. 


RKO 

FIRE  CHIEF:  Disney  Cartoons — Good  color  cartoon. 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


Universal 

DOIN'  THE  TOWN:  Musicals— Very  good  enter- 
taining two-reel  subject. — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough, 
Sask.,  Can. 

HYSTERICAL  HIGH  SPOTS  IN  AMERICAN 
HISTORY:  Color  Cartoons— Very  good  single  reel.— 
A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough,  Sask.,  Can. 

ISLE  OF  FAITH:  Travelogue  of  the  South  Atlantic 
Islands. — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Sask.,  Can. 

JINGLE  BELLS:  Musicals— This  number  was  very 
much  appreciated  by  my  audience,  especially  the  mu- 
sical trio,  the  electric  organ  and  the  quartet  of 
singers. — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough,  Sask.,  Can. 

SWING  FROLIC:  Musicals— A  good  two-reel  sub- 
ject. Doll  dancer  stole  the  show. — M.  Bailey,  Strand 
Theatre,  Dryden,   Out.,  Can. 

Famous  Studios  To  Open 
New  York  Branch 

The  Famous  studios  of  Miami  will  establish 
a  branch  at  24  West  45th  Street,  New  York 
City,  according  to  an  announcement  by  Rus- 
sell Holman,  eastern  production  manager  of 
Paramount  Pictures.  "Popeye"  and  "Super- 
man" cartoons  are  the  principal  product  of  the 
studios. 

The  vocal  and  musical  talent  shortage  be- 
cause of  the  Army  personnel  in  Miami  was 
said  to  be  the  reason  for  the  shift,  although 
the  Miami  studios  will  operate  as  before,  but 
on  a  reduced  scale. 


Fire  Destroys  Crosby  Home 
With  $250,000  Loss 

The  twenty-room  home  of  Bing  Crosby  in  the 
Toluca  Lake  district  in  Hollywood  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  Sunday  night,  with  damage 
estimated  at  $250,000.  The  fire  was  bejieved 
to  have  started  when  Christmas  tree  decora- 
tions were  being  removed  by  Mrs.  Crosby. 

Valuable  golf  trophies  and  record  collections 
were  lost,  and  despite  the  efforts  of  firemen 
to  check  the  blaze,  the  two-story  colonial  house 
was  said  to  be  a  total  loss.  The  Crosby  home 
was  situated  on  a  four-acre  estate,  and  was 
one  of  the  film  capital's  show  places. 


Burton  Joins  Fairchild 

Charles  C.  Burton,  formerly  in  charge  of 
architecture  and  engineering  for  the  Paramount 
Theatre  Service  Corporation  and  well  known 
to  the  motion  picture  industry  at  large  through 
his  contributions  to  the  pages  of  Better  The- 
atres, has  accepted  a  position  with  the  Fair- 
child  Aircraft  Corporation  as  director  of  engi- 
neering. He  will  make  his  headquarters  at  the 
company's  main  plant  in  Burlington,  N.  C. 


Visiting  RKO  Branches 

Robert  Wolff,  RKO  metropolitan  district 
manager  in  the  New  York  area,  left  Monday 
for  a  tour  of  the  company's  branch  offices  in 
this  country  and  Canada  in  connection  with  the 
1943  Ned  Depinet  Drive.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Harry  Gittleson,  assistant  western  division 
sales  manager,  and  stops  will  be  made  at  ex- 
change centers  in  38  cities,  where  sales  meetings 
will  be  held. 


DIMOUT  ORDERED 
IN  PHILADELPHIA 

Philadelphia  and  the  suburban  area 
was  dimmed  out  Monday  night  for 
the  duration,  Army  officials  having 
claimed  that  the  lights  over  the  city 
provided  a  beacon  for  airplanes  by 
the  reflection  on  the  water.  As  much 
as  a  two-minute  delay  to  the  fast- 
est bombing  planes  would  be  caused 
by  the  dimout,  it  was-  said. 


44  Legislatures 
To  Convene 

State  legislatures  will  convene  in-  43  states  in 
January,  and  another  will  meet  in  April,  mak- 
ing 44  legislatures  which  will  have  regular 
sessions.  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Mississippi  and 
Virginia  are  those  states  having  no  scheduled 
sessions,  while  Florida  convenes  in  April,  three 
months  later  than  the  others. 

Local  United  Motion  Picture  Industry 
branches  which  are  still  intact  after  the  dis- 
solution of  the  parent  organization  will  con- 
tinue to  function  locally  in  many  parts  of  the 
country.  Their  legislative  committees,  com- 
posed of  exhibitors  and  distribution  representa- 
tives, will  follow  closely  developments  vital 
to  the  industry,  and  reports  will  be  made  to 
local  and  national  exhibitor  organizations  by 
the  exhibitor  members,  while  distribution  mem- 
bers will  report  to  their  home  offices. 

Bryson  To  Handle  Federal  and 
New  York  Legislative  Contacts 

Jack  Bryson,  legislative  representative  at 
Washington  for  the  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  Distributors  Association,  also  will  main- 
tain contact  with  New  York  State  legislation 
by  working  out  of  the  MPPDA  offices  in  New 
York  City  three  times  weekly. 

The  rest  of  the  time,  Mr.  Bryson  will  be 
active  in  Washington,  where  he  has  made  his 
offices  since  his  appointment  last  summer. 


Paramount  Sets  April  23  as 
"Reap"  Release  Date 

Paramount  Pictures  will  release  "Reap  the 
Wild  Wind"  at  regular  box  office  prices  be- 
ginning April  23rd,  Neil  Agnew,  sales  mana- 
ger, announced.  The  picture  has  been  showing 
since  May  at  advanced  prices. 

More  than  6,000  accounts  have  played  the 
picture  at  the  advanced  scale,  and  it  was  Para- 
mount's  best  money  maker  for  the  1942  sea- 
son, it  was  reported  by  the  company. 


Seamen's  Club  Dedicated 

The  dedication  of  the  American  Theatre 
Wing  Merchant  Seamen's  Club  at  107  West 
43rd  Street  in  New  York  City  took  place  Mon- 
day. The  co-chairmen  of  the  enterprise,  Mrs. 
Brock  Pemberton  and  John  Golden,  participat- 
ed in  the  ceremonies,  which  were  attended  by 
Mayor  LaGuardia  and  Mrs.  Eleanor  Roosevelt. 
Many  stars  of  stage,  screen  and  radio  also  were 
present. 


Schwalm  Gets  Commission 

John  W.  Schwalm,  son  of  John  A.  Schwalm, 
manager  of  the  Northio  Rialto,  in  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  who  has  completed  a  course  at  Fort  Bel- 
voir,  Va.,  has  been  made  second  lieutenant,  and 
assigned  to  the  U.  S.  Army  Engineering  Corps. 


Blue  Law  Repeal 
Bill  Expected  in 
N.  Y.  Legislature 

by  RICHARD  CONNERS 

in  Albany 

The  exact  part  that  legislation  concerning 
the  motion  picture  industry  will  play  during  the 
1943  session  of  the  New  York  legislature  is 
not  yet  clear  although  the  solons  opened  their 
session  January  6th.  Unlike  the  past  two  de- 
cades, when  Democratic  governors  and  Republi- 
can legislatures  made  it  hard  to  hazard  what 
bills  could  receive  legislative  action,  the  control 
this  year  is  clear. 

With  Governor  Thomas  E.  Dewey,  all  state 
departments  and  both  the  Senate  and  Assembly 
in  GOP  hands,  bills  backed  by  that  party  this 
year  appear  certain  to  pass. 

One  important  bill  is  certain  to  be  reintro- 
duced, aimed  at  repealing  obsolete  "blue  law" 
provisions  of  the  state  law  concerning  child  ac- 
tor restrictions.  The  measure  was  introduced 
and  passed  through  the  legislature  the  past 
three  years  by  Assemblyman  Harold  B.  Ehrlich 
of  Buffalo,  who  sponsors  the  legislation  with 
the  help  of  the  Children's  Aid  Society. 

At  the  present  time,  children  under  16  are 
violating  a  state  law  in  appearing  on  the  radio, 
on  theatre  stages,  etc.  Not  enforced  too  much 
in  New  York  City,  upstate  the  ban  has  prevent- 
ed certain  plays  with  child  parts  from  showing 
in  cities,  notably  Buffalo  and  Rochester.  The 
Ehrlich  bill  was  vetoed  three  times  by  Gov- 
ernor Herbert  H.  Lehman,  although  the  meas- 
ure had  the  support  of  both  motion  picture  and 
radio  people.  With  Governor  Dewey  in  office,  a 
new  legislative  attempt  is  likely  to  wipe  out  the 
"blue  law"  and  instead  give  local  educational 
authorities  the  power  to  issue  permits  for  ap- 
pearances when  convinced  the  child  will  suffer 
no  educational  disadvantage. 

In  the  wake  of  disastrous  fires  in  Boston  and 
Halifax  places  of  public  amusement,  efforts  to 
amend  present  safety  laws  in  New  York  state 
are  understood  to  be  ready  for  introduction. 

The  chance  games  confusion  in  New  York 
City  seems  likely  to  draw  many  measures,  some 
intending  to  legalize  bingo  and  theatre  games  of 
chance  and  still  others  aimed  definitely  at  bar- 
ring such  practices.  Generally  speaking,  rural 
legislators  are  opposed  to  relaxation  of  anti- 
gambling  provisions  in  the  state  constitution, 
with  most  New  York  City  legislators  and  those 
from  upstate  cities  counted  i-n  favor  of  legaliza- 
tion proceedings.  Due  to  inclusion  of  an  anti- 
gambling  restriction  in  the  constitution,  a  con- 
stitutional amendment,  passed  in  two  successive 
sessions  and  then  submitted  to  the  people  in  a 
referendum,  is  necessary  to  make  any  change. 

Among  public  safety  measures  affecting  places 
of  amusement  may  come  proposals  for  further 
safeguarding  of  projection  booths,  although  the- 
atrical unions  have  made  no  announcement  in- 
dicating such  sponsorship.  Continued  inspec- 
tion of  exits  and  doors  may  be  strengthened 
through  a  measure,  with  theatre  men  upstate 
believing  a  proposal  publicly  to  convey  knowl- 
edge of  every  exit  to  patrons  each  day  may  be 
introduced. 

No  new  tax  proposals  are  expected,  although 
the  fiscal  year  may  be  moved  up  to  April.  The 
ban  on  billboard  advertising  and  a  renewed 
drive  for  an  extra  hour  of  daylight  savings 
time  are  sure  to  be  proposed,  although  theatre 
and  labor  allies  undoubtedly  will  continue  their 
opposition.  An  absence  of  anti-theatre  bills  is 
expected,  although  the  tax  measure  to  assess 
chain  stores  and  theatres  is  likely  to  pop  up 
again  as  in  the  past. 


Circuit  Head  Joins  Army 

Baruch  LeWitt,  partner  in  the  Glackin-Le- 
Witt  Theatres  of  Connecticut,  has  joined  the 
Army. 


*  How  RCA  Theatre  Equipment  Helps  the  War  Effort!  * 


THE  BATTLE  THAT  WAS  FOUGHT  500  TIMES! 


It  was  a  brilliant  action.  Our  forces  maneuvered 
with  perfect  skill  and  coordination.  The  plan  of 
attack  was  carried  out  to  the  last  man  and  the  last 
gun.  The  enemy  didn't  have  a  chance. 

Back  home,  thousands  of  officers-in-training,  who 
would  soon  have  to  execute  just  such  maneuvers, 
could  have  learned  an  invaluable  lesson — if  only 
they  had  been  on  the  spot  to  see  the  battle. 

The  army  did  take  these  officers  to  the  scene 
of  battle — through  films.  Photographic  records  of 
the  actual  operation  were  played  to  audiences  of 
officers — not  once,  but  dozens  of  times.  These 
films  were  run  and  re-run,  accelerated  and  slowed 
down,  stopped  and  played  again — till  every  im- 
portant detail,  every  lesson  that  could  be  learned 
was  clear  and  fixed  forever  in  their  minds. 

In  this  way,  films  help  strengthen  the  strate- 
gic striking  power  of  our  armed  forces.  Every 


training  station  is  supplied  with  vital  films  of  this  type 
— films  that  help  instruct  and  explain,  films  that 
prepare  men  and  officers  for  handling  weapons,  for 
maneuvering,  for  operations  and  combat  conditions. 

Recently,  the  U.  S.  Army  Signal  Corps  announced 
that  the  use  of  films  had  not  only  materially  in- 
creased the  efficiency  of  their  training,  but  had 
speeded  up  their  training  program  at  least  40%. 

Wherever  these  films  are  used,  RCA  projectors, 
film  recording  and  reproducing  facilities,  play  an 
important  part.  In  the  greatest  military  train- 
ing program  ever  undertaken  in  history — RCA 
Photophone  equipment  serves  dependably  and 
effectively. 

You  can  make  your  theatre  equipment 
last  longer  and  perform  better  by  having 
it  serviced  by  the  RCA  Theatre  Ser- 
vice Division.  Ask  for  details. 


RCA  PHOTOPHONE 
MILITARY  TRAINING  EQUIPMENT 


Theatre  Equipment  Division,  RCA  Manufacturing  Co.,  Inc.,  Camden,  N.  J. 


edited   by    Terry  Ramsaye 

i 


A  QU  IGLEY 
PUBLICATION 


OUT  TH 


M 

^  The  ninth  annual  edition  of  the  international  appraisal 
of  talent  values  is  off  the  press. 

^  The  box  office  champions  of  1942  presented  with  conv 
plete  analysis  and  personnel  credits — the  money  making 
stars  of  the  season  evaluated  and  reported  upon  by  the 
exhibitor  showmen  of  the  world — the  stars  of  tomorrow 
as  picked  by  theatre  men. 

CJ  The  radio  champions  of  1942  as  polled  by  MOTION 
PICTURE  DAILY  among  the  editors  of  the  daily  news- 
papers of  America. 

S  WEEK 


46 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Longer  Runs  Seen 
In  Subsequents 


Industry  Is  Ready  for 
United  Nations  Drive 


One-Week  Campaign  Will 
Start  Thursday,  with 
Allied  Unity  Stressed 

The  nation's  exhibitors,  supporting  the 
war  effort  through  the  film  industry's 
War  Activities  Committee,  this  week 
prepared  to  exert  maximum  effort  in  its 
next  national  drive,  the  United  Nations 
Week,  next  Thursday  through  January 
20th. 

Led  by  Edward  Alperson,  national  cam- 
paign chairman  for  the  week  and  RKO  cir- 
cuit general  manager,  the  WAC's  officials 
have  canvassed  showmen  throughout  the  na- 
tion, explaining  in  detail  at  numerous  meet- 
ings the  campaign  plans,  and  offering  and 
asking  suggestions  applicable  in  local  situa- 
toins.  The  drive  in  part  will  include  the 
raising  of  funds  through  theatre  collections. 
United  Nations'  unity  will  be  stressed. 

Mr.  Alperson  ended  his  national  tour 
Tuesday  in  St.  Louis  at  the  Coronado  Hotel. 
It  was  a  WAC  rally,  with  Harry  Arthur, 
area  chairman,  presiding. 

It  was  estimated  at  WAC  headquarters 
in  New  York  Monday  that  Mr.  Alperson 
had  covered  almost  10,000  miles.  Last  week 
he  spoke  in  Los  Angeles,  San  Francisco  and 
Oklahoma  City.  Some  of  the  cities  he  had 
already  visited  were  Denver,  Omaha,  Des 
Moines,  Milwaukee,  Cincinnati,  New  Hav- 
en, Boston,  Minneapolis  and  Chicago. 

On  Monday,  other  WAC  meetings  in  sup- 
port of  the  campaign  were  held  in  Port- 
land, Ore.,  with  Bob  White  the  speaker,  and 
Albert  Finke  and  O.  J.  Miller  as  co-chair- 
men ;  and  in  Salt  Lake  City,  with  Rick  Rick- 
etson  guest  speaker,  and  Tracy  Barham  and 
John  Rugar  co-chairmen. 

Wednesday  morning,  in  the  RKO  Proc- 
tor's theatre,  Newark,  N.  J.,  an  estimated 
300  theatre  owners  heard  WAC  officials  and 
the  New  York  consul  general  of  Poland, 
Sylwin  Strakacz,  urge  support  of  the  drive, 
and  also  specific  plans  for  participation  in 
the  Northern  New  Jersey  area. 

Special  Short  Subject 
In  Distribution 

The  meeting  was  arranged  by  Harry 
Lowenstein  and  Robert  Paskow.  Other 
speakers  were  Francis  Harmon,  WAC  co- 
ordinator ;  Samuel  Rinzler,  Fred  Schwartz, 
William  F.  Rodgers,  Harry  Mandel,  Leon- 
ard Goldenson  and  Leon  Bamberger. 

Being  distributed  this  week  to  approxi- 
mately 16,000  theatres  was  the  special  short 
subject,  'You,  John  Jones,"  in  which  appear 
James  Cagney,  Ann  Sothern  and  Margaret 
O'Brien.    Prints  numbered  1,200. 

The  picture,  made  by  MGM,  and  screened 
last  week  in  Washington  for  Government 
officials,  brought  praise  from  Lowell  Mel- 
lett,  chief  of  the  motion  picture  division  of 
the  Office  of  War  Information. 

The  Office  last  week  reported  18,000  re- 
productions of  the  "Declaration  by  United 
Nations"  with  the  signatures  of  United  Na- 
tions government  agents,  for  use  in  the  thea- 
tres during  the  drive.  A  United  Nations 
two-cent  stamp  is  being  issued  by  the  Post 


Office  Department.  The  city  of  New  York 
has  donated  advertising  space  in  subway 
stations  for  the  campaign. 

RKO  has  made  available  to  the  United 
Nations  Week  Committee  the  Edward  Gold- 
en production,  "Hitler's  Children,"  for  spe- 
cial presentation  in  certain  cities  at  one  per- 
formance, with  reserved  seat  roadshow 
prices,  and  all  receipts  to  be  given  the  Unit- 
ed Nations  Fund. 

The  following  dates  have  been  set:  Janu- 
ary 19th  at  RKO  Keith's  Memorial,  Boston ; 
the  Century,  Rochester,  and  the  Paramount, 
Syracuse ;  January  20th  at  the  RKO  Palace, 
Chicago;  Allen,  Cleveland;  RKO  Orpheum, 
Kansas  City ;  Orpheum,  New  Orleans ;  RKO 
Keith's,  Lowell ;  RKO  Albee,  Providence ; 
RKO  Capitol,  Trenton,  and  RKO  Keith's, 
W  ashington. 

Copper  Collection 
Is  Continuing 

Meanwhile,  in  all  cities,  exhibitors  con- 
tinued the  collection  of  copper,  in  accord- 
ance with  special  appeals  by  Christopher 
Dunphy,  of  the  War  Production  Board's 
theatres  division.  They  have  been  running 
copper  matinees,  and  collecting  drippings 
and  strippings  in  projection  booths. 

In  the  Sale  Lake  City  exchange  area,  ex- 
hibitors arranged  for  schools  to  be  collec- 
tion depots.  They  give  admissions  to  mati- 
nees at  the  rate  of  one  ticket  per  pound  of 
copper. 

The  copper  drive  in  the  Kansas  City  terri- 
tory begins  next  Monday.  Theatres  will  ad- 
mit without  charge  those  presenting  copper 
weighing  four  ounces  or  more. 

Independent  Producer  Unit 
To  Study  Trust  Activity 

John  C.  Flinn,  executive  secretary  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Independent  Motion  Picture  Produc- 
ers, shortly  will  leave  for  Washington  to  ob- 
serve the  actions  of  the  anti-trust  division  of 
the  Department  of  Justice  with  regard  to  the 
selling  and  distribution  procedure  of  motion 
pictures. 

The  group  authorized  Mr.  Flinn  to  make  the 
trip  after  a  meeting,  held  last  Thursday  in 
Hollywood. 

Warner  to  Washington 

Jack  L.  Warner,  executive  producer  for 
Warner  Bros.,  went  to  Washington  this  week 
from  New  York  to  confer  with  Congressman 
Will  Rogers,  Jr.,  regarding  the  late  Will 
Rogers'  life  story  soon  to  be  placed  in  produc- 
tion by  Warners.  The  son  of  the  famous  cow- 
boy philosopher-actor  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
U.  S.  Army  until  his  recent  recall  from  duty 
to  assume  his  post  in  Congress  as  a  represen- 
tative from  California. 


RCA  Opens  Branch 

RCA  will  establish  a  branch  in  Philadelphia 
for  its  RCA  Service  Company,  .Inc.,  primarily 
dealing  in  the  servicing  of  telegraphic,  radio 
and  motion  picture  apparatus,  and  other  elec- 
trical apparatus  of  ail  types.  Application  for  a 
certificate  of  authority  to  conduct  its  business 
in  the  state  was  filed  with  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Department.  The  branch  office  will  be 
established  in  Philadelphia  at  123  South  Broad 
Street. 


Following  the  lead  of  first  runs,  where  length 
of  playing  time  this  season  is  up  from  25  to  200 
per  cent,  a  definite  trend  toward  longer  engage- 
ments of  its  product  in  subsequent  run  houses 
is  reported  by  Warner  Bros. 

This  additional  playing  time  at  present  is 
running  about  25  per  cent  over  last  year,  with 
strong  indications  that  the  tendency  will  be 
further  extended  as  product  conservation  is  in- 
tensified in  the  months  ahead,  the  company  said. 

Among  data  disclosed  by  Warner  playdate 
records  is  the  fact  that  pictures  like  "Seargeant 
York,"  "Gay  Sisters,"  "Desperate  Journey," 
"Kings  Row,"  "In  This  Our  Life,"  "Wings  for 
the  Eagle,"  "Now,  Voyager"  and  others  that 
played  longer  than  usual  engagements  in  their 
first  run  bookings  are  also  going  into  additional 
time  in  many  of  the  subsequent  runs. 

Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  manager,  said 
it  was  due  not  only  to  better  quality  of  product 
but  a  substantially  increased  potential  audience 
and  more  frequent  attendance  by  individual  pa- 
trons. As  a  result,  Mr.  Kalmenson  said,  first 
runs  do  not  "milk"  a  situation  as  thoroughly 
despite  longer  runs. 

A  case  is  cited  by  Warners  in  the  bookings  of 
"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  in  Philadelphia.  Dur- 
ing its  engagement  at  the  advanced  scale  of 
$1.10  in  the  Boyd  theatre,  the  film  played  to 
200,000  paid  admissions,  or  10  per  cent  of  the 
local  population,  according  to  Warners.  On 
its  return  at  popular  prices  in  the  Mastbaum 
theatre,  the  picture  drew  $32,000  for  its  first 
week,  the  company  said.  On  Broadway,  where 
"Dandy"  played  20  weeks  and  two  days  at  road- 
show prices,  it  has  broken  all  records  in  the  28- 
year  history  of  the  Strand,  with  a  $70,000  first 
week,  it  was  claimed. 

35  Pictures  Completed 
By  Twentieth  Century- Fox 

Thirty-five  pictures  were  completed  by  the 
first  of  January,  Twentieth  Century-Fox  an- 
nounced, of  which  25  already  had  been  re- 
leased and  10  are  in  the  cutting  room. 

The  company's  production  established  a  new 
record  over  any  previous  year,  it  was  disclosed, 
and  will  allow  most  of  the  pictures  shooting  in 
the  first  three  months  of  the  year  to  be  sched- 
uled for  the  1943-44  season.  Three  films  are 
in  the  final  last  days  of  production,  and  eight 
others  are  being  prepared  for  January  and 
February  production. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  will  release  five  fea- 
tures in  block  seven  in  January  and  February, 
according  to  Tom  J.  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution. 

Heading  the  group  will  be  "Immortal  Ser- 
geant" starring  Henry  Fonda,  which  is  sched- 
uled for  January  29th.  Others  are  "Chetniks," 
February  5th ;  "The  Meanest  Man  in  the 
World,"  February  12th ;  "Margin  for  Error," 
February  19th;  "Young  Mr.  Pitt,"  February 
26th. 


"North  Star",  Goldwyn  Film  Title 

"The  North  Star"  has  been  selected  as  the 
title  for  the  original  screenplay  written  by 
Lillian  Hellman  for  production  by  Samuel 
Goldwyn.  The  title  is  the  name  of  the  Russian 
village  in  the  Ukraine  where  the  story  takes 
place,  and  it  concerns  the  effect  of  the  war  upon 
a  group  of  Russian  children.  Walter  Brennan 
and  Dana  Andrews  have  been  added  to  the 
cast.   Teresa  Wright  will  be  starred. 


Ross  Doyle  Joins  MGM 

Ross  Royle,  formerly  assistant  war  news 
editor  of  the  New  York  World-Telegram,  has 
joined  the  home  office  publicity  department 
of  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


47 


MANAGERS* 

ROUND  TABLE 

zAn  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  weekly 
in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 


op 


BOB  WILE,  Editor 


GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


Hoarding 


The  showman,  it  would  seem,  Is  hardly  in  a  position  to  do 
any  hoarding.  The  only  commodity  he  sells  is  intangible — it's 
the  privilege  of  watching  a  picture.  When  the  picture's  run  is 
finished,  he  can't  keep  if  there  to  show  it  to  more  people, 
hoarding  against  the  time  he  isn't  going  to  have  as  many  pic- 
tures. He  has  to  return  it  whence  it  came. 

But  there  is  something  the  showman  can  hoard.  That  some- 
thing is  ideas.  The  man  who  discovers  a  new  method  of  put- 
ting over  his  attractions  cannot  keep  it  to  himself.  The  man 
who  has  learned  some  new  quirk  in  operation  can't  v/ithhold 
it  from  his  competitors. 

In  this  respect,  the  showman's  position  is  akin  to  the  scien- 
tist who,  upon  discovering  something,  immediately  makes  it 
available  to  the  rest  of  the  world  with  the  implicit  thought: 
"Here  is  something  valuable.  Use  it  if  you  wish  and,  if  you  can 
find  a  better  way  of  doing  it  or  an  improvement  about  it, 
good  luck  and  tell  the  world  about  it  as  we  have  done". 

That  should  be  exactly  the  motto  of  even/  showman.  It  is 
the  creed  of  all  the  thousands  of  members  of  Managers' 
Round  Table  who  through  the  medium  of  these  pages  each 
week  say  in  effect  fust  what  the  scientists  do. 

Each  contributor  to  these  pages  is  motivated  largely  by  the 
desire  to  make  the  showman's  world  a  better  world  to  live  in. 
It  may  be  safely  assumed  that  for  each  idea  contributed  to 
the  Round  Table  at  least  one  has  been  obtained.  It  is  note- 
worthy that  many  of  the  communications  to  the  Round  Table 
state  that  the  ideas  are  being  passed  along  for  the  benefit  of 
others.  Some  of  them  state  .that  they  noted  another  show- 
man's promotion  and  submit  new  slants  on  it.  These  pages 
are  as  fine  an  example  of  the  give-and-take  spirit  as  exists  in 
the  industry.  And  the  material  herein  quite  definitely  indicates 
that  showmanship  is  a  science  and  the  showman  a  first  class 
scientist. 


Trade  News  is  Local  News 

The  Norwich,  Conn.,  'Record'  points  with  pride  to  the  fact 
that  Joseph  Boyle,  manager  of  the  Loew-Poli  Broadway  theatre 
in  Norwich,  is  mentioned  in  the  December  26th  issue  of  Motion 
Picture  Herald.  The  occasion  of  the  mention  was  Joe's  fine 
lobby  display  on  Pearl  Harbor  week.  Thus,  what  was  trade  news 
becomes  home  town  news,  too. 


Manager's  Christmas 

It  has  long  been  axiomatic  that  the  theatre  manager  works 
while  other  folks  play.  The  very  nature  of  his  job  compels  this. 
The  average  theatre  patron  would  ordinarily  just  take  this  for 
granted.  Not  even  Christmas  Day,  the  one  day  that  even  war 
workers  get,  is  vouchsafed  the  theatre  manager. 

Instead  of  bemoaning  the  fate  that  kept  him  from  enjoying 
Christmas  with  his  children,  Arnold  Stoltz,  of  the  Avon,  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  set  the  clock  ahead  and  called  up  the  newspaper. 

Christmas  Day  is  ordinarily  a  poor  one  for  news,  so  the 
newspaper  was  delighted  to  be  able  to  present  photographs 
on  Christmas  Day  of  children  enjoying  Santa  Claus,  the 
Chris  tmas  tree  and  their  gifts.  Arnold  arranged  for  his  chil- 
dren, Marjorie  Lynn,  seven  and  a  half  months,  and  Pamela 
Frances,  two  and  a  half  years  old,  to  have  their  Christmas  the 
day  before.  Two  big  pictures  appeared  in  the  paper  that 
must  have  warmed  the  hearts  of  many  Uticans,  as  they 
explained  the  reason  for  the  Stoltz  children  having  their 
Ch  ristmas  in  advance. 

A  Showman  at  Heart 

Not  long  ago,  Jack  Ebersberger,  manager  of  the  Rex  and 
Sheboygan  theatres,  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  heard  his  country's  call 
and  joined  the  Navy.  His  successor,  Ervin  Janot,  corresponded 
with  Jack  and,  as  a  result,  when  the  Rex  was  about  to  play 
"The  War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley"  Ervin  capitalized  on  the  'cor- 
respondence. 

Jack  had  an  opportunity  to  see  the  picture  in  advance  at 
the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  where  he  is  stationed. 
Through  an  arrangement  with  Ervin,  Jack  sent  out  1,000 
post^  cards  plugging  the  picture  with  the  theatre  playdates. 
Jack's  membership  in  the  Elks  Club  of  Sheboygan  was  taken 
full  advantage  of,  with  250  of  the  cards  going  to  lodge  mem- 
bers. A  few  days  later,  Jack  and  Ervin  followed  it  up  with  a 
newspaper  ad  bearing  Jack's  picture  and  an  open  letter  to 
■ihe^people  of  Sheboygan  plugging  the  picture  again. 

If  Jack  hadn't  been  a  snowman  at  heart,  he  might  have  losf 
mterest  in  his  job  right  after  he  left  the  theatre.  But  he  was 
interested  enough  to  work  with  his  successor  on  this  idea  and 
follow  it  through.  He  was  home  a  few  days  later,  on  leave, 
and  found  that  both  post  card  and  ad  had  a  good  reception!' 

P.  S.:  Now  Ervin  is  in  the  Army. 

—BOB  WILE 


48 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


SEASONAL  DISPLAYS  AND  TIEUPS 


By  Lewis  K.  Pearson 

Jed  Prouty  reports  that  the  Christmas  decorations  at  the  Colonial,  Belfast,  Maine, 
made  quite  an  impression  on  the  patrons.  Jed's  ushers,  Malcolm  Vaughn  and  Basil 
Porter,  did  the  decorating  work. 


HI 


1  Mf  RRY  CHRISTMAS 
I     EVERYBODY  • 

si    Ik  Management  a  ltd  SUff 

.1 

lip   pi  This  Tlitatif  B'iifi«  qua  n& 
ml    wars  H'fitfrful.flwutcMS 

1 

j 

■ 

1 

r  '  '; 

i.   li  iini^M^Bi 

i  °- 
■  >j  ?' 

t 

t" 

'  ■  ■  ■ 

Christmas  greetings  from  the  staff 
of  Loew's  Granada,  Cleveland,  were 
high-lighted  by  blow-ups  of  the 
staff  and  Carl  Rogers,  the  manager. 
Each  staff  member  signed  it. 


A  street  parade  featured 
the  theatres'  observance  of 
Pearl  Harbor  Day  in 
Hartford,  Conn.  Lou  Cohen, 
manager  of  the  Poli  sent 
this  picture. 

Les  Kropp  had  a  tieup  with  a  bake 
shop  to  give  chances  on  fruit  cakes 
with  each  Stamp  purchase  at  the 
Melba  theatre,  St.  Louis. 


This  is  one  of  six  windows  in  downtown  Salt  Lake  City 
using  stills  from  "Dr.  Renault's  Secret"  and  "The 
Undying  Monster,"  a  double  bill  horror  show  which 
Charlie  Pincus  played  at  the  Capitol  in  the  Utah 
capital.  The  books,  of  course,  are  all  murder  mysteries. 


The  Christmas  display  used  by  Ed  Enke  at  the  Hempstead 
theatre,  Hempstead,  N.  Y.,  aroused  considerable  comment. 
The  panel  at  the  left  with  the  signatures  of  each  employee 
and  a  cartoon  showing  his  job  and  the  one  at  the  right 
with  the  copy  after  the  catchline,  "Peace  on  Earth",  were 
attention-provoking.  The  latter  was  in  raised  gold  letters 
with  the  rest  of  the  copy  in  white  on  three  shaded  red 
background. 


9.  1943 


MANAGERS     ROUND  TABLE 


49 


QUICLEY  AWARDS  ENTER 
THEIR  TENTH  YEAR 


AWARDS  RULES 

There  are  no  classifications  of  population  or 
situation.  Every  entrant  starts  from  scratch — 
circuit  or  independent,  first-run  or  subsequent, 
downtoun  or  neighborlwod,  big  city  or  small 
town. 

• 

Consistency  of  effort  is  a  paramount  con- 
sideration in  the  Quigley  Awards.  One-shot 
campaigns  or  ideas  are  not  eligible  for  con- 
sideration. 

• 

Whole  campaigns  need  necessarily  not  be 
submitted  but  are,  of  course,  acceptable. 
Single  ideas  or  promotions  are  eligible  for  con- 
sideration if  the  entrant  is  a  consistent  con- 
tributor. 

Entrants  most  often  represented  in  each 
Quarter  trill  receive  first  consideration  for  the 
Quarterly  Awards. 

• 

The  1943  Quigley  Awards  began  on  fan- 
nary  1.  There  will  be  three  Plaques  and  five 
Medals  issued  in  each  Quarter,  with  the  Grand 
Awards  to  be  given  to  the  best  two  of  all 
Quarterly  winners. 

• 

In  case  of  repeat  winners,  a  plate  is  given 
to  be  affixed  to  Plaques  and  a  bar  to  place  on 
the  Medals. 

• 

In  addition  to  exploitation  on  pictures — 
features,  shorts  or  serials — entries  may  be  made 
on  institutional  promotions.  Exploitation  on 
stage  shotts,  presentations,  etc.,  is  also  definitely 
eligible  for  consideration. 

A  single  idea  may  be  confined  to  a  window, 
contest,  newspaper  or  program  publicity,  street 
stunt,  lobby  display,  ad  or  ad  series,  newspaper 
section,  radio  tiein,  etc. 

• 

A  single  promotion  may  include  more  than 
one  slant,  providing  all  slants  relate  to  tlx 
original  idea.  Thus,  a  single  contest  promotion 
may  be  carried  in  newspapers,  on  t/je  radio,  in 
windows,  ads,  lobby,  etc. 

• 

No  fancy  entries  are  necessary.   Costly  and 
~ime-using  "Gingerbread"  decorations  are  not 
encouraged.   Showmanship  only  counts. 
• 

Evidence  proving  authenticity  of  each  entry 
-nust  be  submitted,  such  as  photos,  tear  sheets, 
programs,  heralds,  ads,  letters,  etc. 

• 

Entries  must  be  forwarded  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible after  exploitation  is  completed.  Address 
all  entries  to: 

Quigley  Awards  Committee, 
Managers'  Rount)  Table, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 


PREVIOUS  GRAND  AWARDS  WINNERS: 

*  Grand  Awards  winners  for  previous  years  are  listed  below.  Their 
positions  at  the  time  they  won  are  given  first  and  their  present  posts 
listed  afterward. 

1934 —  Bill  Hendricks,  Warner,  Memphis,  Tenn.;  Downtown,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
Morris  Rosenthal,  Majestic,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

1935 —  Harry  Goldberg,  Warner  Bros.  Circuit,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  now  director  of 

advertising  and  publicity  for  all  Warner  theatres. 

Lester  Pollock,  Loew's  Theatre,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
1936) — Lew  Chatham,  Griffith  Theatres,  Norman,  Okla.;  now  supervisor  of  all  Grif- 
fith theatres  in  Tulsa,  Okla. 

Sidney  Holland,  Elco,  Elkhart,  Ind.;  now  Palace,  Akron,  O. 

1937 —  Ted  Kirkmeyer,  Rio,  Helena,  Mont.;  now  Paramount,  Idaho  Falls,  Ida. 
Jules  Seltzer,  Warner  Bros.  Circuit,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  now  in  the  U.  S.  Navy. 

1938 —  John  Burhorn,  Indiana-Illinois  Theatres,  Chicago,  III.;  now  on  'Daily  Calumet'. 
George  Limerick,  city  manager,  Griffith  Theatres,  Enid,  Okla. 

1939 —  Ray  Bell,  Loew's  Theatres,  Washington,  D.  C;  now  in  M-G-M  home  office. 
Lige  Brien,  Prince,  Ambridge,  Pa.;  now  at  Kenyon,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

1940 —  Everett  C.  Callow,  Warner  Bros.  Circuit,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

J.  R.  Wheeler,  Roxy,  LaPorte,  Ind,;  now  at  Granada,  South  Bend,  Ind. 
I  94 1 — Arnold  Stolfz,  Avon  Theatre,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Frank  Bickerstaff,  Palace,  Athens,  Ga.;  now  in  the  U.  S.  Navy. 


ONCE  again — in  fact,  for  the  tenth 
time — a  new  year  for  the  Quigley 
Awards  has  started. 
There  will  be  no  change  in  the  manner 
of  Judging  the  Awards  or  the  rules  which 
govern  them. 

A  simple  restatement  of  the  conditions 
and  purposes  of  the  Quigley  Awards  seems 
appropriate  here  and,  to  refresh  the 
memory  of  old-timers  and  inform  any  new- 
comers, this  is  the  situation  in  a  space  a 
little  larger  than  the  proverbial  nutshell: 

Three  Plaques  and  five  Medals  are 
awarded  in  each  Quarter  of  the  year.  The 
Quarters  in  turn  are  divided  into  periods 
of  six  or  seven  Fortnights.  To  qualify  for 
consideration,  an  entrant  should  have  at 
least  one  campaign  in  each  Fortnight. 
However,  the  showman  who  inadvertently 
misses  one  or  even  two  Fortnights  is  not 
penalized.  Conceivably  he  might  be  play- 
ing a  holdover  attraction,  he  might  be  on 
vacation  or  ill.  It  should  be  emphasized, 
though,  that  the  men  who  are  represented 
in  the  Fortnightly  listings  oftenest  are  the 
ones  whose  campaigns  and  ideas  will  be 
submitted  to  the  Judges  at  the  end  of  the 
Quarter. 

A  listing  of  the  principal  contributors 
is  carried  each  Fortnight  in  the  Round 
Table  section. 

In  order  to  be  mentioned  in  these  Fort- 
nightly listings  and  also  to  be  considered 
for  the  Quarterly  Awards,  a  showman  need 
send  in  no  more  than  a  single  promotion 
on  each  of  several  pictures.  Complete 
campaigns  are  not  required,  although  they 
are  considered. 


This  decision  was  arrived  at  some  time 
ago  and  was  made  in  deference  to  the 
many  consistent  contributors  to  the  Round 
Table.  It  does  to  some  extent  militate 
against  the  showman  who  goes  "all  out" 
on  one  campaign  and  sends  in  a  book 
replete  with  descriptions,  photographs, 
clippings,  etc.,  of  what  he  did  on  a  single 
attraction. 

The  contest  for  Quigley  Awards  is  there- 
fore weighted  in  favor  of  the  consistent 
showman  and  against  the  "flash-in-the-pan 
methods".  Consistency  of  effort  is  a  car- 
dinal principle  of  the  Quigley  Awards  and 
is  taken  largely  info  consideration. 

The  opportunities  for  exploitation  and 
publicity  available  to  each  contestant  are 
carefully  weighed  by  the  Judges,  too.  The 
showman  in  the  town  where  the  newspaper 
has  a  fixed  policy  which  precludes  any 
publicity  for  motion  pictures  has  the  same 
opportunity  io  win  a  Quigley  Award  as 
the  man  whose  clippings  on  a  single  attrac- 
tion fill  a  press  book.  It  is  perfectly  pos- 
sible— and  indeed  it  has  happened — that  a 
showman  reads  lines  like  these,  decides  the 
Quigley  Awards  contest-  is  worth  his  while 
getting  into  and  immediately  begins  send- 
ing in  his  material,  with  the  result  that  in 
three  or  four  months  he  has  sent  in  enough 
to  become  eligible  for  a  Plaque  and  has 
thereupon  won  it. 

Any  campaign  submitted  to  the  Quigley 
Awards  Committee  may  also  be  entered 
for  any  other  contest.  However,  it  should 
be  submitted  first  for  consideration  by  the 
Quigley  Awards  Committee;  upon  request, 
it  will  then  be  delivered  elsewhere. 


50 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Selling  Points 

ON  THE  NEW  PRODUCT 

[The  material  below  reflects  press  books  now  in  preparation  and  represents  the  point  of 
view  of  the  distributors'  exploiteers  about  the  selling  points  and  special  merit  of  these  pictures.) 

ARABIAN  NIGHTS  (Universal):  The  trade  paper  ads  have  given  an  impression  that 
this  picture  is  being  sold  by  the  distributor  as  a  spectacle,  with  special  emphasis  on 
technicolor  and  the  girls.  The  picture  is  full  of  action  and  this  feature  is  stressed  in 
the  advertising.  The  type  of  equippage  in  which  Maria  Montez  is  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  strong  men  can  be  duplicated  for  street  ballyhoo.  Signs  giving 
playdates  and  other  information  can  be  on  all  four  sides  of  the  "vehicle." 
One  of  the  logical  promotions  for  a  gala  opening  is  an  "Arabian  Nights"  Costume 
Ball.  Proceeds  of  the  affair  may  be  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  War  Bonds  and  the 
Bonds  presented  to  charity.  Of  course,  all  publicity  and  programs  will  mention  that 
the  affair  was  inspired  by  the  picture.  Capitalizing  on  the  dimout,  a  store  window 
could  have  a  tent  with  blowups  of  girls  inside.  Lighting  would  be  very  soft  and  blue, 
and  copy  would  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  dimout  is  nothing  new — it  was  used 
to  advantage  by  the  harem  girls  in  "Arabian  Nights".  Maria  Montez,  starred  in  the 
picture,  was  publicized  as  the  Mmmmm-girl.  You  might  select  a  local  Mmmmm-girl 
or  several  of  them — one  from  each  school  or  each  war  plant — with  the  finals  on  the 
stage  on  opening  night.  An  "Arabian  Nights"  fortune  teller  would  be  an  appropriate 
idea  in  the  lobby  for  a  week  in  advance.  Through  promotions  arranged  with  the  news- 
paper and  local  stores,  you  could  make  it  a  real  "Arabian  Nights"  come  true  for  the 
most  beautiful  girl  or  girls,  selected  from  photographs.  A  lobby  display  is  easy  to 
arrange  with  the  wealth  of  material  suggested  by  the  title.  For  instance,  pottery  of 
the  Arabian  type,  appropriately  lettered,  would  make  an  interesting  display  in  store 
windows,  too.  Among  the  other  items  which  can  be  used  to  decorate  the  lobby  are 
spears,  cutlasses  and  palms;  cutouts  from  the  posters  or  stills  blown  up  to  life  size; 
canvas  in  the  shape  of  a  tent  with  cutouts  so  that  it  can  hang  over  the  marquee  and 
alio  wspace  for  pedestrians  to  walk  through;  girls  in  harem  garb  dancing  on  a  plat- 
form; atmospheric  music  played  over  a  public  address  system;  Arabian  type  horses 
guarded  by  a  man  in  Sheik's  clothing.  Local  tieups  may  be  made  with  various  mer- 
chants for  articles  labeled  "Arabian  Nights",  such  as  evening  slippers,  jewelry,  candy, 
cosmetics,  etc. 


Deering's  Coloring  Contest 

To  launch  "White  Cargo"  at  Loew's  State, 
in  Houston,  Francis  Deering  planted  a  three 
day  coloring  contest  in  the  local  daily.  Five 
cash  prizes  were  awarded  each  day  to  the 
top  winners,  with  guest  tickets  going  to  run- 
nersup. 


Special  Press  Book  Ready 
On  Spitalny's  Orchestra 

Because  of  the  national  popularity  of  Phil 
Spitalny  and  his  All-Girl  Orchestra,  appear- 
ing in  Universal's  "When  Johnny  Comes 
Marching  Home,"  a  special  press  book  de- 
voted exclusively  to  suggestions  on  how  to 
capitalize  on  this  added  feature  of  the  pic- 
ture's selling  values  has  been  prepared. 
Names  and  pictures  of  all  the  girls  are 
given  and  their  home  towns  as  well,  offering 
a  chance  for  local  tieups.  Special  ads  fea- 
turing the  orchestra  have  been  prepared  and 
there  is  a  special  full  color  one  sheet.  A 
cooperative  ad  is  also  suggested  on  which 
the  title  appears  prominently  together  with 
advertising  for  some  produce  to  be  available 
after  the  war. 


Harold  Janecky,  manager  of  the  Academy 
of  Music  in  New  York  {left),  delivers  a 
$1,000  War  Bond  to  one  of  his  patrons  at 
a  rally  held  on  the  stage.  Jack  Kelly,  of  the 
American  Legion,  master  of  ceremonies,  is 
on  the  right. 


Carey's  Ruler  Slant 

For  the  attention  of  school  children, 
James  A.  Carey  at  the  Hiway  theatre,  in 
York,  Pa.,  distributed  paper  rulers  with  the 
following  copy :  "Make  it  a  rule  to  attend  the 
Hiway  Theatre  Kiddie  Show  Every  Satur- 
day." As  a  goodwill  gesture,  Jim  recently 
donated  passes  for  prizes  in  connection  with 
the  Parent-Teachers  Association  card  party. 
So  well  pleased  was  the  body  with  the  offer 
that  a  special  letter  of  appreciation  was  sent 
to  the  manager. 


Carnegie  Hall 
Opening  Far 
Shart  Subject 

Famous  Carnegie  Hall,  scene  of  many  a 
concert  triumph,  had  a  motion  picture  pre- 
miere recently  when  Warner  Bros,  showed 
"Little  Isles  of  Freedom,"  a  two-reel  sub- 
ject, for  the  first  time  to  an  audience.  A 
full  evening's  program  was  planned  around 
the  picture.  It  was  the  first  time  a  motion 
picture  had  ever  been  shown  in  Carnegie 
Hall.  • 

Because  the  subject  deals  with  the  Free 
French  expedition  to  St.  Pierre  and  Mique- 
lon  a  year  ago,  it  was  of  special  interest  and 
was  therefore  given  this  honor.  Similar  in- 
terest can  be  obtained  for  it  in  other  cities. 
Conrad  Nagel  acted  as  master  of  ceremonies 
at  the  premiere  which  featured  Dorothy 
Thompson,  well  known  columnist  and  politi- 
cal analyst,  and  Ruth  Draper,  impersonator 
and  monologuist. 

Conrad  Nagel,  noted  screen  and  radio 
personality,  presided  over  the  affair,  which 
was  run  as  a  benefit  for  St.  Pierre  and 
Miquelon,  the  two  little  islands  just  off  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland  which  figured  prom- 
inently in  the  news.  These  islands,  whose 
magnificent  story  is  told  graphically  in  the 
film,  were  originally  French.  When  France 
fell  to  Germany,  they  fell  under  the  Nazi 
yoke  also.  However,  they  were  unhappy 
under  the  Vichy  regime,  and  endeavored  to 
free  themselves.  They  were  unable  to  do 
so  until  the  day  when  help  finally  arrived  in 
the  form  of  a  Free  French  ship  filled  with 
supplies. 

The  program  was  opened  by  Lily  Djanel 
of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company,  sing- 
ing "La  Marseilles,"  and  then  Henry  Torres 
delivered  an  impassioned  plea  for  France 
and  the  French  veterans.  A  group  of 
French  and  Russian  songs  was  sung  by  Jen- 
nie Toural,  and  the  pianist  Anatole  Kitain 
was  warmly  received  as  he  played  Debussy's 
"Reflections  in  the  Water"  among  other 
selections. 

Ruth  Draper  appeared  in  two  character 
sketches  "Viva  la  France"  in  1916  and 
again  in  1940,  and  Dorothy  Thompson  spoke 
briefly  but  pointedly  on  the  world  situation 
and  more  particularly  on  the  plight  of  the 
two  islands  concerned.  The  program  con- 
cluded with  a  screening  of  the  short  subject. 
When  the  "Marseilles"  was  sung  in  the 
picture,  the  audience  broke  out  into  a  spon- 
taneous accompaniment.  Charles  Boyer 
narrates  the  film,  which  was  seen  by  2,500 
people  at  a  $2.20  top. 


Druker  Aids  in  Sponsoring 
Special  Issue  of  Paper 

A  special  edition  of  The  Commercial  Ap- 
peal of  Memphis  was  published  on  Decem- 
ber 7  with  Maurice  Druker,  manager  of 
Loew's  State,  and  co-chairman  of  the  War 
Activities  Committee  of  the  Memphis  area, 
as  one  of  the  sponsors.  A  red,  white  and 
blue  illustration  occupied  a  prominent  spot 
on  the  front  page. 

Most  remarkable  feature  of  the  paper  was 
the  fact  that  every  ad  in  its  26  pages  (and 
there  were  plenty)  plugged  War  Bonds  and 
no  commercial  products  or  services  at  all. 


January    9,    I  943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


51 


MORE  UNUSUAL  ADVERTISING 


Af  fliy-Wif-at  feD  over  EnplcaiJ 
six  TT»-n  mnaca  into  t  bcnnier 
tLe  jnlot  irerted  it  tcuTirti 
its  tarpel  ia  Genxumv  w-venJ 
Iipotf  Ibict  it  Mil  seen  DjSng 
3o»  gwer  HoBmdb  car  toliat 
ileatl.  tar  oiier  fpattrnng- 
3j).=  .og  a.i.iuJc  it 
crasnrj  pefplr  mis 
to  „j,  U  a 
alive  — 3f  ttaaai 
Wtul  Lad  LajTpeneJ'f 
TITkrre  -»jis  its  crro  ' 


ONE  OF  OUR 
AIRCRAFT  IS 
MISSING 


ERIC  TOFTKfiN  EONJELD  CD1VEK 
HUGH  TE3JAM5    GOO  CUE  TUHER5 

uceue  moon    godeety  mni 


iat  n 


HURRY !  final 


BwayCAPITOL 


ADDS  7ZATLTt£— A  10i'  ANDJT.'E  JAMMED  MIS1CAL  COMEDV 

MOONLIGHT     IN  HAVANA 


Clare  Appel,  director  of  publicity  for  Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada,  was  responsible 
for  this  unusual  ad  for  the  opening  of  "One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing"  in  Toronto. 
William  Bounsall  is  the  artist. 


Sid  Holland  Books  Big 
Broadway  Show  for  the  Palace! 


«-- 


St*' 


***** 


I  he  headline  tells  the  story.  Sid  Holland,  manager  of  the  Palace, 
Akron,  wired  to  the  local  editor  and  used  the  wire  in  his  ad. 

JACK  BENNY  and  ANN  SHERIDAN 

.4  MERRY  CHRISTMAS 

and  a  HAPPY  NEW  YEAR 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  SLEPT  HERC' 


STA2TT5G 
CHKISTKAS-DAY 
AT  THE 


Fred  Tickell  at  the  Orpheum,  Fort  William,  Ont., 
a  Christmas  card  for  his  Yuletide  show. 


Alice  Gorham,  advertising  head  of 
United  Detroit  Theatres,  was 
the  author  of  this  one. 


HOST  PEBFEOT  SWEETHEABTS '. 
STARTS  TODAY 


J.P.HARRIS 


Eielitin  Totoj  il  Tkree  riatrts  I  MARCH  OF  TIME 
J.  P.  HARRIS  '  SEMTOf '  I  El  St  EEl  •  "Prelude  to  Victory" 


Fail  I 


Ads  like  the  one  above  were  a  part  of  a  huge  campaign 
staged  by  Kenneth  Hoel,  publicity  director  of  Harris 
Amusements,  for  the  opening  of  "Ice  Capades"  in 
Pittsburgh;  275  taxicabs,  200  street  cars,  50  24-sheet 
boards,  500  one-sheet  boards  and  a  dozen  windows 
downtown  carried  messages  about  the  picture. 


52 


MOTION-  PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


OF  A  PERSONAL  NATURE 


Bill  Duggan  Went  to  College 
While  Managing  Theatres 

Bill  Duggan,  now  manager  of  the  San 
Marco  theatre,  South  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  is 
one  of  the  many  boys  who  started  as  an 
.  usher.  Moreover 
Bill's    record  with 
the  Florida  State 
Theatres,     Inc.,  is 
one  to  be  proud  of. 

He's  a  native  Flor- 
idan,    having  burst 
upon  this  world  at 
Lakeland,    Oct.  27, 
1918.    His  first  job 
was  in  the  Polk  the- 
atre in  Lakeland  in 
1936  as  usher.  Later 
he    did    some  bill 
posting  and  then  was 
assistant  in  the  sign  shop.    After  a  short 
period  there  he  was  transferred  to  the  Pal- 
ace in  the  same  city  as  doorman. 

Finally  he  decided  to  try  for  a  college 
education  and  was  assisted  in  this  endeavor 
by  B.  B.  Garner,  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  Florida  State  Theatres  who  had 
him  transferred  to  Gainesville,  home  of  the 
University  of  Florida.  Bill  was  made  as- 
sistant manager  of  the  Lyric  theatre  there 
and  later  manager,  while  he  completed  three 
years  of  college  work.  He  was  shifted  to 
the  State  theatre  in  Gainesville  until  a  dis- 
astrous fire  destroyed  the  entire  auditorium. 
His  next  assignment  was  the  Beach  in 
Jacksonville  Beach  where  he  won  first  prize 
in  the  circuit's  anniversary  drive  for  show- 
manship. After  that  he  was  given  his  pres- 
ent post  at  the  San  Marco,  which  has  been 
described  as  the  South's  finest  suburban  the- 
atre. 


CONGRATULATIONS 


GLEN  ELDREDGE  has  returned  to  Seattle 
from  Army  service  and  goes  back  into  har- 
ness as  a  Sterling  Circuit  manager,  in 
charge  of  the  Rivoli.  He  succeeds  Ed 
Lewis,  who  moves  to  the  Roosevelt.  Richard 
Reed,  Roosevelt  manager,  moves  to  the  Mis- 
sion theatre  to  replace  Joe  Cooper  at  the 
Uptown. 

ERNIE  SCHMIDT  of  the  Strand  and 
Temple  theatres,  in  Berwick,  Pa.  is  a  civil- 
ian aviation  instructor  for  Lafayette  and 
Muhlenberg  College  aviation  cadets. 


January  9th 

John  C.  White,  Jr. 
Frank  X.  Linn 
Claude  L.  Flater 
James  M.  Raskin 
Rene  Daigneault 
Joseph  Feeney 
Robert  F.  Black 

I  Oth 

A.  E.  Ableson . 
W.  L.  Stratton 
MarkT.  Kempenich 
J.  Edwin  Milestein 
C.  W.  Davis 
C.  Russell  Marsh 
Kenneth  Higgins 
Andrew  Csch 
C.J.  Hubley,  Jr. 
John  J.  Gildea 

I  Ith 

Harry  M.  Rouda 
Lawrence  Waters 
Harry  E.  Jones 
Dave  Davidson 
Ralph  W.  Tarkington 
David  Collie 

12th 

F.  H.  Jones,  Jr. 
Merrill  F.  Hannah 
Henry  E.  Newberry 


January  12th 

William  V.  Novak 
Robert  T.  Marhenke 
O.  C.  Lam,  Jr. 
Donald  H.  Alldritt 

13th 

Thomas  Reilly 
Anton  Janssen 
Robert  Holland 

14th 

John  J.  Revels 
Alvin  K.  Lavender 
Jules  Koenig 
Charles  Stephenson 
W.  Spencer  Bentley 
Philip  Sigel 
Raymond  Fahrenholz 
Henry  Sutton 
Conrad  Manross 
Russell  Callen,  Sr. 

15th 

Charles  Dearth 
J.  Roger  MacGuigan 
Nat  Goldberg 
W.  L.  Barritt 
James  T.  Barnett 
Albert  Garfield 
W.  J.  Lindeman 
Harold  Grott 
Elmer  R.  Nimmer 


George  Haag  Rises  Rapidly; 
Now  at  Franklin  Square,  L.  I. 

From  doorman  to 
manager  in  three 
years  is  rapid 
progress  and  George 
Haag,  one  of  the 
newest  Round  Table 
members  is  justly 
proud  of  his  record. 
George  is  a  native 
of  Brooklyn ;  date  of 
birth — December  6, 
1912,  so  he  has  just 
recently  turned  30. 
After  his  first  ex- 
perience as  a  door- 
man, he  was  made  assistant  manager  at  the 
College  theatre  in  Brooklyn  in  1940.  He 
was  transferred  to  various  other  theatres 
in  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  and  in  1942 


date  being  April  1, 


Annual  Christinas  party  for  managers,  assistants  and  department  heads  of  United  Detroit 
Theatres  brought  the  above  group  together.  Beginning  fourth  from  left,  seated  at  the 
table,  and  continuing  left  to  right  are:  foe  Busic,  supervisor  of  theatres;  Jack  Keegan, 
film  buyer;  Alice  Gorham,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity;  Earl  J.  Hudson, 
president;  E.  J.  Welling,  accounting  head. 


became  house  manager  at  the  Floral  theatre, 
Floral  Park.  He  is  now  manager  of  the 
Franklin  theatre,  Franklin  Square,  Long 
Island,  "one  of  the  finest  little  towns  I  have 
ever  had  the  pleasure  to  work  in."  His 
entire  career  was  spent  with  the  Century 
Circuit.  George  is  married  and  the  father 
of  a  girl,  five  years  old. 

Rosenthal  Becomes  Manager 
and  Father  All  in  One  Year 

Gabriel  Rosenthal, 
although  in  the  in- 
dustry only  since 
June  of  1941,  is  al- 
ready an  experi- 
enced man,  since  the 
Randforce  Circuit 
for  which  he  is 
working  has  given 
him  opportunities  to 
learn  theatre  opera- 
tion in  several  of  the 
circuit's  houses. 
Gabe  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  the  exact 
1911.  His  first  post 
in  a  theatre  was  as  assistant  manager  of 
the  Lefferts  theatre,  Richmond  Hill,  where 
he  remained  for  six  months.  Then  he 
was  shifted  to  the  Maspeth  theatre,  also 
in  Queens  for  another  month  and  then 
promoted  to  manager  and  assigned  to  the 
Oasis  in  Ridgewood.  Six  months  there  and 
he  was  transferred  to  the  more  important 
Highway  theatre  on  Kings  Highway  in 
Brooklyn.  Gabe  is  married  and  the  proud 
father  of  Laura  Beatrice,  born  Nov.  9,  1942. 

Bob  Rogers  Known  in  South 
As  Specialist  in  Drive-ins 

Bob  Rogers  is  known  throughout  the 
South  as  a  specialist  in  Drive-In  theatres. 
He  started  in  1937  with  George  Wilby  in  At- 
lanta, Ga.,  as  man- 
ager in  several 
South  Carolina 
houses — the  Jeffer- 
son at  Pickens, 
Roxy  at  Liberty  and 
Capitol  at  West- 
minster. Then  he 
was  relief  manager 
for  the  circuit  and  in 
1938  he  was  moved 
to  the  Atlanta  Drive- 
In  as  operator  and 
to  learn  something 
about  Drive-ins.  He 

was  then  put  in  charge  of  the  construc- 
tion of  Drive-Ins  for  the  Wilby  Circuit 
which  consisted  then  of  Savannah,  Ga., 
and  Jacksonville,  Fla.  He  also  took  over 
the  construction  and  then  supervision  of 
operations  of  Drive-In  Theatres  in  Or- 
lando, Fla. ;  Augusta,  Ga.,  Durham,  Char- 
lotte and  Greensboro,  N.  C,  Pensacola,  Fla., 
Shreveport,  Pa.,  and  Jackson,  Miss.  The 
latter  two  Drive-ins  were  built  for  the 
Paramount  Richards  circuit.  Bob  was  then 
moved  to  Macon,  Ga.,  and  once  more  built 
a  Drive-In  for  Wilby.  Last  April  he  went 
to  Greensboro,  where  he  is  now  awaiting  a 
call  to  join  the  Army.  Bob  joined  the  Sig- 
nal Corps  three  months  ago. 


January    9,  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND    TABLE  53 


Despite  Short  Runs 
He  Sells  Each  Film 


Krolick  Honors 
Gen.  Mitchell 

One  of  the  highlights  of  Arthur  Krolick's 
"Flying  Tigers"  campaign  at  the  Century 
theatre,  in  Rochester,  was  a  special  screening 
of  the  picture  held  at  the  Rochester  Club  for 
members  of  the  General  Billy  Mitchell  Gar- 
rison Army  and  Navy  Union.  Tickets  were 
sold  and  approximately  one  hundred  dollars 
raised,  all  proceeds  going  to  their  organi- 
zation, This  rated  newspaper  stories  and 
special  red,  white  and  blue  hard  tickets  were 
printed  for  the  occasion. 

A  Junior  Commando  Kids  Show  which 
was  advertised  a  week  in  advance  over  the 
radio,  by  ads  and  serial  story  and  teaser 
cards  was  also  successful.  In  addition  to 
a  special  program,  a  two  reel  subject  owned 
by  Curtiss  Wright  Company  in  Buffalo  was 
shown.  This  depicted  all  the  steps  in  the 
manufacture  of  Curtiss  P  40  planes  and  was 
enthusiastically  received. 

A  display  used  in  the  lobby  a  week  in  ad- 
vance and  during  the  run  consisted  of  a 
large  color  blowup  of  Flying  Tiger  plane, 
wind  tunnel  model  of  plane  painted  to  re- 
semble a  shark  and  a  souvenir  wing  of  a 
Nazi  plane  brought  down  in  Africa.  The 
display  obtained  from  the  Curtiss  people  at- 
tracted wide  attention  and  rated  newspaper 
photos.  A  false  front  used  during  the  run  of 
the  picture  employed  Tiger  planes  for  the 
background,  while  the  front  of  the  theatre 
over  the  marquee  was  trimmed  with  vari- 
colored pennants  and  American  flags. 

Tribute  was  paid  on  the  opening  night  to 
the  Civilian  Pilot  Training  Corps  of  Roches- 
ter, which  happens  to  be  the  largest  group 
in  the  country.  The  Army  and  Navy  Union 
furnished  the  Color  Guard,  the  C.P.T's  at- 
tended in  a  body,  a  section  in  front  being 
reserved  for  them,  and  the  ceremonies 
started  with  an  introduction  of  the  affair 
by  a  well-known  radio  announcer.  The 
speakers  were  the  Rochester  Director  of  the 
C.P.T's,  the  Captain  in  charge  of  training 
the  boys  and  others.  After  paying  tribute 
to  the  group,  the  ceremonies  ended  with  a 
salute  to  the  flag  and  the  organist  playing 
the  Star  Spangled  Banner.  A  press  photog- 
rapher was  present  and  took  pictures  of  the 
affair  which  made  the  paper. 


Sills  Sells  $8,000  in  Bonds 
Dec.  7;  $36,000  in  Week 

A  total  of  $36,000  worth  of  Bonds  was 
sold  by  Leonard  Sills,  manager  of  the  Ward 
theatre  in  the  Bronx,  during  the  week  of 
Dec.  7,  he  reports.  On  the  night  of  the 
seventh  itself,  he  had  25  members  of  the 
American  Women's  Voluntary  Services  and 
an  Honor  Guard  of  the  American  Legion  on 
the  stage :  on  this  occasion  alone  $8,000 
worth  of  Bonds  was  sold. 

Later  that  week.  Len  had  a  benefit  for 
three  days  with  the  American  Women's 
Voluntary  Services  selling  tickets  for  a  mo- 
bile kitchen  unit. 

When  he  played  "Moscow  Strikes  Back," 
Len  made  a  tieup  with  the  Bronx  chapter 
of  the  Russian  War  Relief.  He  had  30 
women  speaking  before  various  organiza- 
tions telling  the  members  that  they  could  see 
the  tremendous  effort  being  put  forth  by  the 
Russian  people  in  the  picture  olaving  at  the 
Ward. 


Cornell  in  Saranac  Lake 
Plans  Special  Drives 
On  All  His  Attractions 

Although  each  picture  only  plays  a  few 
days  at  the  Pontiac,  in  Saranac  Lake,  N. 
Y.,  Clayton  Cornell  manages  to  plan  special 
exploitation  for  each  date.  For  example,  on 
"Road  to  Morocco,"  the  Round  Tabler 
planted  signs  over  each  drinking  fountain  in 
the  theatre  with  the  leading  tag  line  reading 
"Thirsty  for  Entertainment,"  followed  with 
the  cast,  title  and  playdates.  Window  cards 
were  posted  around  town  and  in  four  near- 
by communities ;  three  sheets  posted  in 
empty  store  windows  and  imprinted  paper 
bags  distributed  to  grocery  store.  The  regu- 
lar Friday  Pontiac  Theatre  of  the  Air  show 
carried  the  15-minute  transcription  and  three 
days  ahead  of  opening,  another  station  used 
the  records  from  the  film. 

For  "Henry  Aldrich,  Editor,"  the  cooper- 
ation of  the  PTA  and  school  authorities  was 
secured  in  connection  with  the  holding  of  a 
special  four  o'clock  showing  of  the  feature. 
This  was  a  special  effort  to  cooperate  with 
the  parents  so  that  the  kids  could  see  shows 
they  particularly  enjoy  and  not  have  to  stay 
up  in  the  evening  to  do  so.  This  slant  was 
plugged  with  stage  and  screen  announce- 
ments, one  sheet  in  the  lobby  a  week  in  ad- 
vance, in  the  program,  letters  to  the  PTA 
leaders  and  school  officials. 

Launches  Teaser  Campaign 

Advertising  "Wake  Island"  as  the  "Up- 
state New  York  Premiere  showing,"  Cornell 
started  using  a  slide  as  a  teaser  three  weeks 
ahead  of  the  opening,  with  a  teaser  trailer 
10  days  ahead  prior  to  the  start  of  the  regu- 
lar full  program.  For  his  lobby,  the  Round 
Tabler  featured  a  lobby  board  made  up  of  a 
litho  one-sheet  with  samples  of  Marine  Re- 
cruiting literature  and  dates.  All  frames 
were  sniped  with  the  premiere  copy.  Radio 
coverage  included  the  15-minute  transcrip- 
tion on  WNBZ,  gratis,  two  days  before 
opening  with  credits  before  and  after  the 
program.  A  dozen  special  spots  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  programs  was  had  and 
a  fifteen-minute  gratis  program  was  landed 
on  the  history  of  the  Marines.  Windows 
included  one  which  featured  a  22  by  28 
card  with  a  still  of  Roosevelt's  speech  com- 
mending the  Marines'  stand  at  Wake  Island ; 
this  was  surrounded  by  servicemen's  pic- 
tures. One  of  the  leading  men's  shops  also 
devoted  a  window  to  uniforms,  literature, 
cards  with  title,  playdates,  etc. 

School  Cooperation  Gained 

W  hile  for  "The  Pied  Piper,"  a  benefit 
was  arranged  with  the  Girl's  Hi-Y  Council 
of  the  high  school  selling  tickets  to  both 
children  and  adults.  The  school  cooperated 
extensively  on  this  and  permitted  advertis- 
ing of  same  on  all  bulletin  boards  and  per- 
mitted classroom  announcements  and  also  in 
the  assemblies.  The  children  also  sold 
tickets  in  the  classrooms.  In  addition  a 
promotion  was  effected  whereby  a  display 


was  landed  in  a  book  store  window  showing 
copies  of  the  book  and  a  card  crediting  the 
title. 

As  an  example  of  a  thorough  campaign, 
Cornell's  activity  on  "The  World  at  War" 
may  be  cited.  Two  days  before  playdate, 
he  used  a  teaser  ad  in  the  local  daily.  The 
next  day,  a  one-column  scene  mat  was  used 
in  the  paper.  Boards  were  used  in  the  lobby, 
a  30  by  40  and  a  40  by  60  being  displayed 
for  a  week  in  advance.  A  special  lobby 
display  was  made  up  tieing  in  with  the  news 
room  of  the  local  daily.  It  was  headed, 
"For  the  latest  news  of  'The  World  at 
War'  "  and  underneath  were  sheets  of  spot 
news  from  the  paper's  teletypewriter.  Below 
that  copy  read,  "Read  the  Adirondack  Daily 
Enterprise  for  further  details."  There  fol- 
lowed a  group  of  stills  from  the  picture. 
Other  theatre  copy  followed  this.  Cornell 
reports  this  got  a  lot  of  attention  with  people 
stopping  to  read  the  teletype  news  on  dis- 
play. Special  spot  radio  announcements 
were  used  to  boost  this  picture. 

Although  he  wasn't  notified  until  late  that 
the  Movietone  News  was  going  to  have 
scenes  of  Pearl  Harbor,  he  immediately  set 
out  to  notify  his  patronage  of  the  showing. 
He  took  extra  spot  announcements  on  Sta- 
tion WNBZ,  made  up  a  lobby  display  board 
of  the  litho  one-sheet  with  date  snipe  and 
took  special  ads  in  the  newspaper. 


Members  Report  Successful 
Christmas  Shows  for  Needy 

In  connection  with  the  tenth  annual 
Christmas  show  sponsored  by  the  Commer- 
cial Appeal  and  the  American  Legion 
Christmas  Fund,  Maurice  Druker  reports  on 
a  three  hour  show  held  at  his  house  after 
midnight  with  the  entire  proceeds  going  to 
the  needy.  In  addition  to  pages  upon  pages 
of  stories  and  art  in  the  papers,  announce- 
ments were  had  on  all  local  radio  stations, 
several  hundred  window  cards  planted  and 
dash  cards  on  street  cars. 

Well  in  advance  the  cooperating  paper 
started  a  campaign  of  stories  on  the  event 
continuing  daily  up  to  the  twentieth  when 
the  party  was  held.  The  Boy  Scouts  co- 
operation was  enlisted,  with  the  lads  distri- 
buting the  baskets  to  the  families.  An  ex- 
cellent array  of  talent  was  lined  up  with 
everyone  in  the  show  and  the  theatre  itself 
donating  their  services. 

Up  in  Waterbury,  Conn.,  Ed  Fitzpatrick 
reports  on  a  special  show  put  on  by  the  Elks 
at  his  theatre  with  over  four  thousand 
children  in  attendance.  The  program  includ- 
ed an  Autry  picture,  Mickey  Mouse,  Don- 
ald Duck  and  Our  Gang.  The  Boy  Scouts 
were  presented  in  a  special  demonstration. 

On  previous  years  it  was  the  theatre  pol- 
icy to  donate  the  theatre  to  the  Elks  Club  for 
a  special  Christmas  show  for  needy  families, 
the  price  of  admission  being  an  article  of 
food.  This  year's  promotion  was  a  complete 
reversal  in  view  of  the  immense  defense 
projects  and  the  fact  that  almost  everyone  is 
working.  Instead  of  donating  the  house,  it 
was  sold  to  the  Elks,  who  put  the  show  on. 


54 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Notice  of 

TRADE 

SHOWINGS 


"TRUCK  BUSTERS" 

(Warner  Bros.) 
ALBANY  JAN.  18 

12:30  P.  M.,  79  N.  Pearl  St. 

ATLANTA     ....    JAN.  18 

10:00  A.  M.,  20th  Cent. -Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

BOSTON  JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

BUFFALO  JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  Paramount  Scr.  Rm. 

CHARLOTTE     .    .    .    JAN.  18 

10:00  A.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

CHICAGO    ....    JAN.  18 

1:00  P.  M.,  Warner  Exch.  Scr.  Rm. 

CINCINNATI     .    .    .    JAN.  18 

7:00  P.  M.,  RKO  Scr.  Rm.,  Palace  Thea. 

CLEVELAND.    .    .    .    JAN.  18 

8:00  P.  M.,  Warner  Exch.  Scr.  Rm. 

DALLAS  JAN.  18 

10:00  A   M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

DENVER  JAN.  18 

9:30  A.  M.,  Paramount  Scr.  Rm. 

DES  MOINES     .    .    .    JAN.  18 

1:00  P.  M.,  Paramount  Scr.  Rm. 

DETROIT  JAN.  18 

1:30  P.  M.,  Film  Bldg.,  Scr.  Rm. 

INDIANAPOLIS     .    .    JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  Paramount  Scr.  Rm. 

KANSAS  CITY  .    .    .    JAN.  18 

1:30  P.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

LOS  ANGELES  .    .    .    JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  Warner  Exch.  Scr.  Rm. 

MILWAUKEE     .    .    .    JAN.  18 

10:00  A.  M.,  Warner  Thea.  Scr.  Rm.,  212  W.  Wisconsin 

MINNEAPOLIS  .    .    .    JAN.  18 

10:03  A.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

MEMPHIS  JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  Paramount  Scr.  Rm. 

NEW  HAVEN     .    .    .    JAN.  18 

4:00  P.  M.,  Warner  Thea.  Scr.  Rm-.,  70  College 

NEW  ORLEANS     .    .    JAN.  18 

10:00  A.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

NEW  YORK   ....    JAN.  18 

10:30  A.  M.,  321  W.  44th  St. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY    .    JAN.  18 

9:00  A.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

OMAHA  JAN.  18 

4:00  P.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

PHILADELPHIA     .    .    JAN.  18 

10:30  A.  M.,  1220  Vine  St. 

PITTSBURGH    .    .    .    JAN.  18 

1:30  P.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

PORTLAND.  ORE.  .    .    JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  Jewel  Box  Scr.  Rm. 

SALT  LAKE  ....    JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  20th  Cent.-Fox  Scr.  Rm. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  .    .    JAN.  18 

1:30  P.  M.,  Republic  Scr.  Rm.,  221  Golden  Gate 

SEATTLE  JAN.  18 

2:00  P.  M.,  Little  Victor  Thea. 

ST.  LOUIS  JAN.  18 

10:00  A.  M.,  S'Renco  Scr.  Rm. 

WASHINGTON.    .    .    JAN.  18 

10:30  A.  M.,  Earle  Thea.  Scr.  Rm. 


Momand  Trust 
Suit  Trial  Will 
Start  Monday 


After  almost  12  years  of  delay,  the  A.  B. 
Momand  $4,90U,UU(>  anti-trust  action  against 
major  producers,  distributors  and  the  Griffith 
circuit,  will  go  to  trial  in  Oklahoma  City  Mon- 
day, January  11th,  in  Federal  district  court 
before  Judge  Bower  Broaddus,  third  Federal 
judge  to  hear  the  case. 

This  will  be  the  first  actual  hearing  of  the 
trial,  however,  as  all  previous  court  sessions 
have  been  given  over  to  hearings  on  preliminary 
motions  of  defense  attorneys.  The  original 
petition  was  filed  in  April  of  1931,  was  dis- 
missed during  preliminary  hearings  by  Federal 
Judge  Edgar  S.  Vaught,  in  1936,  was  appealed 
to  the  circuit  court  of  appeals  at  Denver  and 
reversed  there  while  being  "dismissed  without 
prejudice."  It  was  refiled  in  1938  and  since 
that  time  has  been  delayed  by  innumerable 
hearings  on  preliminary  matters. 

The  action  seeks  the  multi-million  dollar  sum 
under  the  Sherman  and  Clayton  anti-trust  acts 
for  alleged  conspiracy  on  the  part  of  defendant 
producers,  distributors  and  the  Griffith  circuit 
against  Momand's  then  existant  circuit  of 
theatres  in  Oklahoma. 

Named  as  defendants  in  the  actions  are  the 
following:  20th  Century-Fox  Film  Corporation, 
Columbia  Pictures  Corporation,  RKO  Distrib- 
uting Corporation,  Loews,  Inc.,  Vitagraph,  Inc., 
RKO  Radio  Pictures,  Inc.,  United  Artists  Cor- 
poration, Universal  Film  Exchanges,  Inc.,  Grif- 
fith Amusement  Company,  Consolidated  Amuse- 
ment Company,  Consolidated  Theatres,  Inc., 
Paramount  Pictures,  Inc.,  Publix  Theatres 
Corporation,  Regal  Theatres,  Inc.,  Warner 
Bros.  Pictures,  Inc.,  Pathe  Exchange,  Inc.,  and 
Educational  Film  Exchange,  Inc. 


Hirsch  Sentenced  to  Two 
Years  on  Perjury  Charge 

Federal  Judge  Alfred  C.  Coxe  sentenced 
Mjartin  A.  Hirsch,  tax  consultant,  to  two  years 
in  prison  and  fined  him  $2,000  in  Federal  Dis- 
trict court  in  New  York  after  a  jury  found 
him  guilty  on  December  16th  of  perjury  in  his 
testimony  before  the  Federal  Grand  Jury  in 
its  investigation  of  racketeering  and  extortion 
from  major  film  companies. 

Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  Boris  Kostelanetz 
said  during  the  trial  that  if  Hirsch  would  dis- 
close information  concerning  the  Browne-Bioff 
extortions  which  were  reportedly  more  than 
$1,000,000  the  discovery  of  other  members  of 
the  ring  would  follow. 


Extension  Granted  in 
Golden  Trust  Case 

An  extension  until  January  29th  was  granted 
to  the  Warner  Theatre  Circuits  and  major 
distributors  by  Federal  Judge  Harry  E.  Kalod- 
ner  in  the  U.  S.  district  court  in  Philadelphia 
for  the  filing  of  an  answer  to  the  complaint  of 
William  Golden,  operator  of  the  Erlanger 
theatre  in  the  city. 

The  suit,  involving  first-run  theatres  in  Phila- 
delphia, was  filed  December  8th,  and  required 
an  answer  in  20  days.  Judge  Kalodner's  de- 
cision grants  the  distributors  approximately 
an  added  month's  time  to  answer  the  anti-trust 
charges. 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 

Week  of  January  4th 

ASTOR 

Picturesque  Massachusetts .  .  MGM 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Feature:  For  Me  and  My  Gal.  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Barney  Bear's  Victory  Gar- 
den  MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve.  Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Air  Raid  Warden  Columbia 

New  Era  in  India  Columbia 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Feature:  Whistling  in  Dixie.  .  MGM 

PARAMOUNT 

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  Paramount 

Sportlight,  No.  2  Paramount 

Popular  Science,  No.  2  Paramount 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Feature:  StarSpanglcd Rhythm.  Paramount 

RIALTO 

Tulips  Shall  Grow  Paramount 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Feature:  Sherlock  Holmes  and 

the  Secret  Weapon  Universal 

RIVOLI 

The  Army  Mascot  RKO-Disney 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Feature:  Arabian  Nights  ....  Universal 

ROXY 

Monkey  Doodle  Dandies.  . .  .  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Strange  Empire  20th  Cent.-Fox 

The  Mouse  of  Tomorrow.  . .  .  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  RKO 

Feature:  The  Black  Swan.  .  .  .  20th  Cent.-Fox 

STRAND 

Colleges  at  War  MGM 

So    You    Think    You  Need 

Glasses  Warner  Bros. 

Feature:  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy .  W arner  Bros. 


National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  Five  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  reviewed 
five  pictures  for  the  current  week,  listing  three 
as  unobjectionable  for  general  patronage,  one 
as  unobjectionable  for  adults,  and  one  as  ob- 
jectionable in  part.    The  classification  follows: 

Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  General 
Patronage :  "The  Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn," 
"Tarzan  Triumphs"  and  "Hi,  Buddy."  Class 
A-2,  Unobjectionable  for  Adults:  "The  Mc- 
Guerins  from  Brooklyn."  Class  B,  Objection- 
able in  Part:  "Keeper  of  the  Flame." 


De  Rochemont  On  Air 

Richard  de  Rochemont,  the  March  of  Time's 
managing  editor,  told  of  the  underground  move- 
ment in  France  on  the  "This  Is  Our  Enemy" 
program  last  week,  revealing  how  French  patri- 
ots defy  the  Nazi  oppression.  The  program 
originated  from  the  KHJ  studios  in  Holly- 
wood. 


Gillis  to  Republic  Home  Office 

Maxwell  Gillis,  branch  manager  of  Republic 
in  Philadelphia,  has  joined  the  Republic  home 
office.  His  duties  were  undisclosed.  Joseph 
Engel,  Columbia  salesman  covering  the  Phila- 
delphia territory,  succeeds  Mr.  Gillis  as  branch 
manager.  A  veteran  in  the  area,  Mr.  Engel 
was  with  Universal  before  joining  Columbia, 
and  was  once  the  Universal  branch  head  there. 
Mr.  Gillis  had  been  a  Columbia  salesman  before 
going  with  Republic. 


Monogram  Closes  Deal 

The  Brandt  Circuit  of  113  theatres  in  New 
York  has  negotiated  a  deal  with  Monogram 
Pictures  for  the  company's  1942-43  product, 
it  was  reported  by  Samuel  Broidy,  sales  mana- 
ger of  Monogram. 


January    9,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


55 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


CLASSIFIED 

ADVERTISING 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  not 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


WANT  TO  EARN  MONEY  IN  YOUR  SPARE 
time?  Publisher  of  national  magazine  wants  repre- 
sentative to  solicit  new  and  renewal  subscriptions. 
Leads  furnished.  Liberal  commission.  BOX  711,  MO- 
TION PICTURE  HERALD. 


THEATRES 


.  WANTED— A  SMALL  PROFITABLE  RUNNING 
motion  picture  house  in  or  near  New  York.  Would 
consider  active  partnership.  Write  details.  BOX  1588, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

WANTED  HIGH  CLASS  THEATRE  IN  OKLA- 
homa,  Arkansas  or  Texas,  500  to  800  seats.  BOX  1589, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

FOR  SALE  THEATRE.  GOOD  WEST  VIRGINIA 
town.  Money  maker.  Wonderful  opportunity  for  quick 
buyer.    BOX  1593,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


BRAND  NEW  VACUUM  CLEANERS— COMMER- 
cial  type — 34  HP  motor;  lyi"  reinforced  hose;  extension 
rods;  heavy  floor  brush;  every  conceivable  attachment; 
ballbearing-  throughout.  Immediate  shipment  without 
priority,  $189.50.  Junior  model  for  small  theatres  only 
$89.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 


OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatres 
new  unusual  patriotic,  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  details  in  first  letter. 
BOX  1584A,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
positions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
lished since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


2y2  GAL.  FIRE  EXTINGUISHERS,  $17.85;  ONE 
quart  type,  $6.95;  ticket  chopper,  $39.50;  corn  poppers. 
$37.50;  arc  lamps,  from  $39.50;  amplifiers,  soundheads, 
from  $9.95.  Mammoth  bargain  bulletin  shows  many 
other  values.  Ask  for  your  copy.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 

FOR  SALE— 1,100  HEYWOOD- WAKEFIELD  USED 
spring  edge  chairs.  BEN  B.  POBLOCKI.  5779  S. 
Howell  Ave.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

FOR  SALE  —  HOLMES  35MM.  PROJECTORS, 
amplifiers  and  speakers;  also  stereopticons,  rewinds, 
phonographs.  Excellent  condition.  Priced  reasonably. 
LANE  THEATRE  CIRCUIT,  Caroll,  la.  - 

SOME  THEATRE  CAN  USE  YOUR  OLD  EQUIP - 
rnent.  A  little  ad  here  will  reach  thousands  of  po- 
tential customers.  Only  ten  cents  a  word  to  tell  the 
world  what  you  have  to  sell.  Try  it  today.  MO- 
TION PICTURE  HERALD,  Rockefeller  Center,  New 
York. 


POSITIONS  WANTED 


PROJECTIONIST  —  21  YEARS'  EXPERIENCE, 
non-union.  Can  give  reference.  Married.  J.  B.  KUHN. 
Cameron,  W.  Va. 

LADY  THEATRE  MANAGER,  YEARS  EXPERI- 
ence  owner  and  manager.  References.  BOX  1591, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

THEATRE  MANAGER— 35  YEARS  OLD;  DRAFT 
exempt;  15  years'  experience  all  phases  operation.  Ex- 
cellent background  and  references.  BOX  1592,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED  TO  BUI 


WANTED  USED  16MM.  SOUND  EQUIPMENT. 
MULTIPRISES,  Box  1125,  Waterbury,  Conn. 


BUSINESS  BOOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS,  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75. 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


ROOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
chiinges.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
codes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  NEW  1942-43  MOTION  PICTURE 
ALMANAC.  Edited  by  Terry  Ramsaye.  The  indus- 
try's most  complete  "Who's  Who."  More  than  11,000 
biographies  and  over  1,100  pages,  chock  full  of  refer- 
ence information.  Everyone  in  the  motion  picture 
industry  should  have  a  copy.  Be  sure  to  send  in  your 
order  today.  $3.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 


READY  SOON  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble- 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available,  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple — so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre.  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


PRESS  OF 
C.    J.    O'BRIEN.  IXC. 
NEW  YORK.   TJ.   S.  A 


56 

Woolf,  British 
Film  Leader, 
Dies  at  63 

Charles  M.  Woolf,  joint  managing  director 
of  Gaumont-British  Picture  Corporation,  Ltd., 
died  in  London  last  Thursday  at  the  age  of 
63.  He  was  a  leading  figure  in  the  British 
film  industry  for  more  than  23  years. 

Mr.  Woolf  launched  his  film  career  in  1919 
when  he  left  the  fur  business  to  invest  in  the 
W.  and  W.  Film  Service.  His  first  step  was 
to  obtain  the  contract  for  the  distribution  of 
the  Harold  Lloyd  films  in  Great  Britain.  In 
1929,  he  sold  his  interests  to  Gaumont-British 
and  became  joint  managing  director  of  that 
company,  but  resigned  in  1935  to  join  General 
Film  Distributors  which  rapidly  rose  to  promi- 
nence under  his  guidance. 

The  company  acquired  releasing  rights  to 
Universal's  pictures  and  later  became  associated 
with  the  British  Pinewood  Studios.  Mr.  Woolf 
returned  to  Gaumont-British  to  take  control 
of  production  and  distribution,  while  retaining 
his  interest  in  General  Film  Distributors. 

He  held  honorary  positions  in  many  organi- 
zations, having  been  elected  president  of  both 
the  Kinematograph  Renters  Society  and  the 
British  Film  Producers  Association  at  various 
times  during  his  career. 

The  funeral  was  held  on  Tuesday  with 
memorial  services  at  the  Hampstead  Synagogue, 
and  burial  at  the  Willesden  Jewish  Cemetery. 


Louis  Israel 

Louis  Israel,  56,  died  in  Cleveland  last  week 
following  a  heart  attack.  He  operated  the 
Center-Mayfield  theatre  in  Cleveland  Heights 
and  the  Ellet  theatre  in  Akron.  He  also  was 
president  of  the  Tiffin  Amusement  Company. 
Mr.  Israel  entered  the  motion  picture  field  in 
1912,  opening  the  Fountain  theatre  in  Cleve- 
land. He  later  built  the  first  suburban  house 
in  Cleveland,  and  at  one  time  owned  the  Lake 
theatre  in  the  downtown  section  of  the  city, 
now  owned  by  Warner  Brothers. 


Mrs.  Walter  Selden 

Mrs  .Walter  Selden,  wife  of  the  former 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  short  subject  writer 
now  serving  with  the  Army  Signal  Corps,  died 
at  her  home  at  Beverly  Hills  on  Saturday. 
Burial  was  in  the  Forest  Lawn  Memorial  Park. 
Mrs.  Selden  was  the  former  Blanche  Rose  May, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  May.  Her 
husband  is  a  former  member  of  the  editorial 
staff  of  Quigley  Publications  in  New  York 
and  Hollywood.  Her  brother,  David  May, 
recently  married  Ann  Rutherford. 


Herman  Fehr 

Herman  Fehr,  77,  lawyer,  banker  and  theatre 
man,  died  December  31st  in  Milwaukee.  One 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Orpheum  vaudeville 
circuit,  Mr.  Fehr  became  the  circuit's  directing 
head  in  1911.  He  resigned  a  few  years  later  to 
return  to  his  law  practice  in  Milwaukee.  Sur- 
vivors include  a  brother  and  sister. 


John  M.  Fitzgerald 

John  M.  Fitzgerald,  75,  past  president  of 
the  Waterbury,  Conn,  stagehands'  union,  died 
at  his  home  there  recently.  For  many  years 
he  was  stage  director  at  Poli's  Palace  and 
Jacques  theatres,  Waterbury.  He  leaves  his 
widow,  a  son,  John  F.  (Jack)  Fitzgerald, 
orchestra  leader,  and  two  brothers. 


George  N.  Montgomery 

George  N.  Montgomery  died  at  his  home  in 
Los  Angeles  last  week  folowing  a  heart  attack. 
He  had  been  ill  for  more  than  a  year.  Before 
his  retirement  two  years  ago,  he  was  president 
of  the  All  Star  Features  Corporation.  He 
entered  the  motion  picture  field  in  1914. 


MOTION    PiCTURE  HERALD 


'Serve ?  Is  Given 
Big  Radio  Play 

Widespread  use  of  radio  as  an  exploitation 
medium  for  a  motion  picture  was  employed  by 
United  Artists  for  the  Noel  Coward  produc- 
tion, "In  Which  We  Serve."  According  to 
Martin  Starr,  who  handled  the  radio  exploita- 
tion for  the  company,  network  officials  said  the 
film  was  the  first  ever  accorded  so  much  air 
time.  In  addition  to  the  sponsored  time  UA 
purchased  for  the  film,  an  impressive  number 
of  popular  radio  shows  and  commentators  gave 
it  free  time  in  the  way  of  brief  reviews,  salutes 
or  tributes  to  its  producers,  actors  and  to  the 
men  of  the  British  Navy  whose  heroism  in- 
spired the  screen  story. 

Prior  to  its  opening  at  the  Capitol  theatre, 
New  York,  on  Christmas  Eve,  the  following 
commentators  gave  it  special  mention  and  com- 
mendation :  H.  V.  Kaltenborn,  Lowell  Thomas, 
Johannes  Steel,  George  Hamilton  Combs,  Jr., 
Fulton  Oursler,  John  B.  Kennedy,  Harry 
Hershfield,  Sydney  Mosely,  Frances  Corey, 
Quincy  Howe,  Ted  Husing,  Lisa  Sergio,  Wil- 
liam L.  Shirer,  Edward  Murrow  and  Jimmie 
Fidler. 

In  addition,  March  of  Time  presented  a  radio 
dramatization  of  the  film ;  Mary  Margaret  Mc- 
Bride  and  Bessie  Beatty,  two  popular  radio 
stars,  gave  it  special  mention ;  Bert  Lytell.. 
Gracie  Field,  Elsa  Maxwell  and  Peggy  Wood 
participated  in  a  program  saluting  Noel  Coward. 
Cecil  Brown,  Columbia  Broadcasting's  news 
analyst,  offered  his  comments  on  the  picture 
during  his  Christmas  night  program.  CBS,  in 
its  "Report  to  the  Nation,"  a  Sunday  night 
30-minute  show  devoted  to  the  war  effort,  on 
December  27th  gave  the  Coward  production 
special  treatment.  The  Office  of  the  Coordina- 
tor of  Inter-American  Affairs  sponsored  the 
March  of  Time's  30-minute  dramatization  in 
a  short-wave  broadcast  via  NBC  to  19  South 
American  countries,  covering  66  cities  and  75 
major  stations.  The  program  was  prepared  in 
two  versions,  Spanish  and  Portuguese. 

Herbert  Ernest  Hancock, 
Newsreel  Editor,  Dies 

Herbert  Ernest  Hancock,  former  associate 
editor  of  News  of  the  Day,  died  at  his  home 
in  Jackson  Heights,  New  York,  last  Thursday. 
His  wife  died  in  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital  in 
New  York  the  same  day.  Cremation  was  at 
Fresh  Pond  Crematory  on  Saturday. 

After  15  years  as  a  newspaperman,  Mr.  Han- 
cock joined  the  W.  R.  Hearst  motion  picture 
organization,  reorganizing  various  newsreel 
companies  later.  From  1934  to  1938  he  was 
associate  editor  of  Hearst  Metrotone  News. 
He  leaves  his  mother,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Hancock, 
a  sister,  Mrs.  George  Telfer,  and  a  brother, 
Don  Hancock,  a  director  for  the  Castle  Films 
Company  of  New  York. 


Edward  P.  McCarthy 

Edward  P.  McCarthy,  exhibitor  of  Westfield, 
Mass.  for  many  years,  died  there  last  week.  He 
was  well  known  in  the  film  industry,  and  opera- 
ted the  New  Nickel  theatre  In  the  early  days 
of  motion  pictures. 


John  Patrick  Shea 

The  U.  S.  Navy  has  announced  that  John 
Patrick  Shea,  18,  former  usher  at  the  Warner 
Strand,  Hartford,  Conn.,  was  killed  in  action. 
He  was  a  seaman,  second  class,  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  it  was  said. 


W.  E.  Bans  1942  Dividends 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Western  Elec- 
tric Company  voted  at  a  special  meeting  last 
week  that  no  further  dividends  for  1942  would 
be  declared  because  the  renegotiation  of  con- 
tracts covering  business  with  the  Government 
had  not  been  concluded. 


January    9,  1943 


IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS — Vol.  25,  No.  34.— Vice-Presi- 
dent Wallace  speaks  on  post-war  needs.  .  .  . 
Churchill  visits  workers.  .  .  .  U.  S.  tanks  ready  for 
action.  .  .  .  Yanks  have  party  for  British  children. 
.  .  .  Men  rescued  from  torpedoed  ship.  .  .  .  Women 
in  war.  .  .  .  Soviet  army  fights  Nazis  in  Stalingrad. 
.  .  .  Hemisphere  defense  in  Brazil  and  Canada. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  35. — RAF  bombers 
attack  radio  works  over  Holland.  .  .  .  Flying  Fortres- 
ses blast  Jap  installations  in  Solomons.  .  .  .  Admiral 
Halsey  decorates  heroes  in  South  Pacific.  .  .  .  Ad- 
miral Darlan  before  assassination  with  Generals 
Eisenhower  and  Clark.  .  .  .  French  sub  arrives  at 
North  African  port.  .  .  .  Red  Army  strikes  Nazis  at 
Stalingrad  and  Leningrad. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  232.— Nazis 
blasted  from  Stalingrad.  .  .  .  Vice-President  looks 
to  the  day  of  victory.  .  .  .  Giraud  military  mission 
in  U.  S.  .  .  .  Brazil  protects  ports  from  Nazi  sub- 
marine attacks.  .  .  .  U-boat  victims  rescued  at  sea. 
.  .  .  USO  entertains  gobs  at  new  Hawaiian  recrea- 
tion center.  .  .  .  New  victory  slogan,  "Fix  it  your- 
self." 

NEWS   OF   THE    DAY— Vol.    14,   No.   233.— U.  S. 

bombers  blast  Japs  in  Solomons.  .  .  .  Man  of  the 
hour — "Fighting  Bill"  Halsey.  .  .  .  RAF  pounds 
Nazi  war  plants.  .  .  .  Russia  rolls  back  Germans 
in  second  winter  drive.  .  .  .  Thomas  E.  Dewey  takes 
over  as  Governor  of  New  York.  .  .  .  Winter  floods 
hit  Midwest.  .  .  .  Thrills  from  the  Bowl  games. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  37.— Big-time  basketball. 
.  .  .  Schools  to  the  rescue.  .  .  .  Brazil  rushes  fight- 
ing navy.  .  .  .  Girls  win  Canada's  battle  of  bullets. 
.  .  .  Russia  strikes  back  against  the  Nazi.  .  .  . 
Four-month  old  Victoria  is  chimpanzee  problem 
child  in  San  Francisco. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  38.— Bowl  football  games 
— Rose,  Orange,  Cotton  and  Sugar.  .  .  .  Freak  ship- 
wreck on  the  Atlantic.  .  .  .  Pictures  of  the  flood 
district.  .  .  .  January  babies  at  the  zoo  in  St.  Louis. 
.  .  .  RAF  blasts  Nazis'  Holland  bases. 

RKO'  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  37— Dead  honored 
in  North  Africa.  .  .  .  French  mission  arrives  in 
Washington.  .  .  .  Wallace  speaks  on  peace  prob- 
lems. .  .  .  Make  your  domestic  equipment  last.  .  .  . 
Gunder  Haegg  is  world's  fastest  runner.  .  .  .  All 
Stars  beat  Washington  Redskins  in  pro  football 
game. 

RKO- PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  38.— RAF  day- 
light raid  over  Holland.  .  .  .  Last  films  of  Admiral 
Darlan.  .  .  .  British  transport  bombed  while  taking 
part  in  battle  of  Tunisia  in  North  African  campaign. 
.  .  .  New  Year's  Day  bowl  classics.  .  .  .  Pictures 
from  the  Rose,  Cotton,  Sugar  and  Orange  Bowl 
games. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  15,  No.  150.-Stalin- 
grad  fights  back.  .  .  .  Gone  but  not  forgotten  are 
fighters  who  died  in  Africa.  .  .  .  Brazil's  navy 
arsenal  on  overtime.  .  .  .  Tank  helps  Santa  in  war 
zone.  .  .  .  OWI  says  "Save  it  and  fix  it."  .  .  . 
Girls  increase  munitions  output.  .  .  .  Checker  king 
puts  on  show.  .  .  .  Pro  All-Stars  beat  Redskins  in 
football.  .  .  .  Children  cared  for  while  mother  works. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  IS,   No.  151.— RAF 

blasts  industrial  Eindhoven.  .  .  .  Yank  bombers 
harry  Japs.  .  .  .  Admiral  Darlan  assassinated.  .  .  . 
Raging  floods  follow  rains.  .  .  .  Georgia,  Tennessee, 
Alabama,  Texas  win  New  Year's  Day  Bowl  classics. 


Bureau  of  Mines  Film 
Stresses  First  Aid 

A  picture  titled  "First  Steps  in  First  Aid" 
has  been  released  by  the  Government  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines.  It  is  a 
16mm.  film,  and  is  designed  to  inform  people 
of  proper  first  aid  measures. 

Prints  are  available  for  exhibition  by  indus- 
trial and  civil  defense  training  classes  and  for 
showings  by  schools,  churches  and  similar 
groups. 


Columbia  Releases  "Commandos" 

The  Columbia  picture,  "Commandos  Strike 
at  Dawn,"  was  released  January  7th.  The  film 
was  adapted  from  the  story  by  C.  S.  Forester, 
which  appeared  in  Cosmopolitan  Magazine.  The 
scenario  was  written  by  Irwin  Shaw  and  the 
author. 


With  Warners  for  25  Years 

William  F.  Gordon,  manager  of  the  Warner 
Denver  branch,  celebrated  his  25th  year  with 
the  company  Monday.  A  current  drive  will 
be  named  "Gordon's  Silver  Anniversary  Cam- 
paign" in  the  manager's  honor. 


in 


7 


EQUIPMENT    •    FURNISHINGS  • 


HYSICAL  OPERATIO 


■ 


The  Design  and 
Construction  of 
Army  Theatres 


How  to  Plan  Floor  Slopes 


JANUARY    9,  1943 


THE  3  C'S  ARE  HEROES  TODAY! 

The  Copper,  Carbon,  and  Current  you  save 
are  serving  with  distinction  at  the  front! 


By  helping  our  armed  forces  be  better  prepared  and  better 
equipped,  the  Copper,  Carbon,  and  Current  you  save  are 
rendering  important  service  to  the  cause  of  Victory  .  .  .  Yet 
your  patriotism  in  saving  the  3  C's  needn't  interfere  with 
your  usual  fine  service  to  your  customers.  Simply  follow 
these  rules  and  you'll  have  wonderfully  bright  projection — 
while  using  less  of  the  3  C's: 


PUT  YOUR  PROJECTOR  THROUGH  A 
TOUGH  INSPECTION 

When  your  projector  can  meet  the  test  of  a  really  tough  in- 
spection, you  know  you'll  have  a  minimum  of  trouble  from 
breakdowns  and  excess  current  use.  Your  nearest  RCA 
Theatre  Supply  Dealer  knows  how  to  give  your  projector  a 


thorough  going-over  - 
inspection  fitness. 


-and  he  knows  how  to  keep  it  at 


USE  LESS  LIGHT  WITH  RCA  SNOWHITE 

Because  RCA  Snowhite  is  the  whitest  screen  you  can  get, 
and  because  it  uses  all  of  the  projected  light,  it  requires  far 
less  light.  You'll  have  superior  projector  results  with  RCA 
Snowhite — the  screen  that's  really  white. 

•  •  • 

The  3  C's  can  be  of  important  service  to  our  armed  forces 
and  the  war  effort.  Give  them  a  chance  to  serve 
our  country  by  using  less  Copper,  Carbon,  and 
Current!  See  your  RCA  Theatre  Supply  Dealer. 
Or  write  RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  Inc., 
Camden,  New  Jersey. 


fop,\ict0ry 

'  buy 


RCA  THEATRE  EQUIPMENT 


RCA  Photophone  •  RCA  Magicote  Lens  Service  •  RCA  Screens  •  RCA  Theatre  Service 
RCA  Hearing  Aids  •  Westinghouse  Lamps  •  Brenkert  Projectors  and  Accessories  •  Benwood  Linze  Rectifiers 


January    9,     I  943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


59 


To  Owners  of 

G-E  Air  Conditionin 
G-E  Refrigeration 


The  G-E  air  conditioning  and  commercial 
refrigeration  installation  that  has  served  you 
so  well  these  past  years  has  taken  on  added 
value  with  the  impact  of  war. 

In  the  first  place,  your  installation  is  irreplac- 
able;  new  equipment  for  peacetime  needs  is 
no  longer  available.  Furthermore,  replace- 
ment parts  and  servicing  facilities  are  not  so 
easy  to  obtain  as  in  normal  times. 

* 

Doesn't  it  behoove  you,  then,  to  protect  your 
investment  in  G-E  air  conditioning  and  com- 
mercial refrigeration  equipment  ?  Should  you 
not  do  everything  you  can  to  maintain  that 
equipment  so  that  it  will  continue  to  serve 
you  efficiently  and  economically  ? 

Of  course.  It's  just  plain  horse  sense.  And 
here  are  some  of  the  things  that  you  can  do. 

* 

Keep  your  equipment  clean.  Dust  and  dirt,  if 


allowed  to  accumulate,  can  greatly  accelerate 
the  rate  of  wear  of  moving  parts,  thus  con- 
tributing to  premature  breakdowns. 

T- 

Keep  motors  properly  oiled.  Burned  out  bear- 
ings can  easily  result  if  you  fail  to  follow  oil- 
ing instructions  given  for  your  equipment. 

* 

Inspect  belts  for  tension  and  alignment.  Need- 
less wear  of  precious  rubber  can  be  prevented 
by  simple  wrench  adjustments  of  belt  tension 
and  pulley  alignment. 

* 

These  are  jobs  that  you  —  or  your  mainte- 
nance staff  —  can  readily  attend  to  .  .  .  jobs 
that  will  pay  you  dividends  in  forestalling  the 
need  for  service  and  in  prolonging  the  life 
of  your  equipment. 

* 

General  Electric  Company,  Air  Conditioning 
and  Commercial  Refrigeration  Department, 
Division  3271,  Bloomfield,  New  Jersey. 


GENERAL  t§  ELECTRIC 


L 


m 


J 


AIR   CONDITIONING  ...  COMMERCIAL   R  E  F  R  I  G  E  R  AT  I  O  N  .  .  .  WAT  E  R  COOLERS 


60 


BETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


31 


Now  they  tell  me  I'm  a  genius... 

JUST  BECAUSE  I  BOUGHT  BRENKERTS! 


II 


"I  had  no  more  idea  this  war  was  coming 
than  the  man  in  the  moon.  I  got  myself 
Brenkerts  just  because  I  thought  they  were 
darn  good  projectors . . .  Now  fellows  in  the 
business  tell  me  I  must  have  been  a  genius 
■ — to  get  the  sturdiest,  smoothest,  finest 
projectors  on  the  market  to  see  me  through 
the  war!" 

Whatever  the  reason  he  bought  Bren- 
kerts, the  theatre  owner  who's  got  them 
now  knows  he's  got  machines  to  keep  his 
war-time  worries  down  to  a  minimum.  He 
knows  that  the  Brenkert  is  the  only  projec- 
tor that  has  both  of  these  features:  a  drive 


mechanism  running  in  a  continuous  bath 
of  oil,  and  double  rear  shutters  that  give 
up  to  20%  more  light.  So  you  can  bet  your 
set  of  tires  he's  taking  good  care  of  them— in 
order  to  keep  getting  Brenkert's  superior 
performance  at  lower  power  consumption. 

If  you  feel  like  kicking  yourself  because 
you  didn't  get  Brenkerts  when  the  getting 
was  good — we  can  imagine  why.  So  be 
smart  —  make  it  a  must  right  now  that 
when  the  war  is  won,  first 
thing  you  do  is  order  yourself 
Brenkerts  from  your  RCA 
Theatre  Supply  Dealer! 


FQpLVICTORY 


BRENKERT  LIGHT  PROJECTION  CO. 

Detroit,  Michigan 
Brenkert  Projectors  and  Accessories  Sold  Through 

RCA  THEATRE  SUPPLY  DEALERS 


January    9,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


61 


Published  in  every  fourth  issue  of  Motion  Picture  Herald 

GEORGE  SCHUTZ,  Editor  RAY  GALLO,  Advertising  Manager 


Wanted:  More  Copper 

some  concern  is  being 
shown  by  the  War  Activities  Committee 
about  the  collection  of  copper  drippings  and 
peelings  from  projection  carbons.  This  is 
of  course  evidence  of  pressure  from  Gov- 
ernment agencies  which  have  expected  mo- 
tion picture  theatres  to  prove  more  of  a 
source  of  copper  than  they  have  been.  And 
this  indicates,  in  turn,  that  the  producers 
of  war  goods  need  copper.  And  it  takes  no 
imagination  to  suggest  who,  among  others, 
will  have  their  copper  taken  away  from 
them  if  that  need  is  not  adequately  met. 

The  figure  given  us  by  the  War  Activities 
Committee  is  too  low  to  bear  quoting  in 
print  without  inquiry  among  supply  dealers 
who  are  collecting  it.  From  others  come 
reports  that  a  great  quantity  of  copper  is  be- 
ing salvaged  from  carbon  consumption — for 
example,  a  single  dealer  has  indicated  that 
he  has  turned  in  what  amounts  to  a  fourth 
of  the  total  poundage  given  by  the  War 
Activities  Committee.  It  may  well  be  that 
a  good  deal  of  the  metal  is  getting  back  to 
the  Government  through  other  channels 
than  those  appointed. 

It  is  of  course  no  profitable  or  even  pleas- 
ant matter,  this  salvaging  of  carbon  copper 
Some  scrap  dealers  want  none  of  it,  fearing 
that  the  dark  mass  of  unrecognizable  beads 
and  flakes  may  include  sweepings  off  a  base- 
ment floor.  They've  never  seen  anything 
quite  like  it,  and  the  price  they  get  is 
hardly  high  enough  to  warrant  a  gamble. 
Actually,  over  90%  of  the  weight  of  carbon 
drippings  consists  in  copper — at  least  as 
they  come  from  the  lamphouse. 

Whatever  the  difficulties,  it  would  ap- 
pear that  the  theatre  business  has  an  obliga- 
tion to  perform  in  this  matter.  It  is  up  to 
the  management  of  each  theatre  to  see  that 
the  copper  drippings  and  peelings  are  saved 
and  forwarded  to  an  authorized  receiver. 
Then  it  is  the  inescapable  job  of  the  receiver 
to  get  it  to  the  smelters. 

Shorts  for  Dancing 

Every  now  and  then  some  oddity  of  film 
exhibition  crops  up  to  brighten  these  col- 
umns. That  of  the  moment  is  a  roadside 
bar-grill-dance  hall  in  California.  But  let 
the  fellow  who  thought  it  up — Catron 
Jackson — tell  you  about  it: 

"The  Bal  Bijou  here  at  Lake  Tahoe  is  a 
very  large  building  constructed  in  rustic 
style.  It  contains  a  75-foot  bar,  a  coffee 
shop,  a  large  patio  with  illuminated  foun- 
tain, and  a  dance  hall  in  which  which  we 


Out;ide  and  Inside  the  Bal  Bijou. 


regularly  show  motion  pictures.  The  dance 
floor  is  50x100  feet,  and  is  surrounded  by 
the  orchestra  stage  on  one  side,  a  huge  fire- 
place and  lounge  on  one  end  behind  a  mov- 
able motion  picture  screen,  and  space  for 
chairs  and  tables.  On  a  balcony  is  built  a 
small  rustic  cabin  which  houses  the  pro- 
jection room. 


"In  past  years  there  has  always  been  an 
orchestra,  but  due  to  business  being  slow 
this  year  we  used  recordings  part  of  the 
time  on  the  motion  picture  sound  system. 
Recordings  did  not  do  so  well,  so,  having 
booked  an  orchestra  reel  on  the  movie  pro- 
gram, we  held  it  out  for  dancing  and  ad- 
vertised a  'Movie  Dance.'  It  packed  them 
in,  and  they  asked  for  more.  After  this  the 
orchestra  reels  were  booked  for  every  dance, 
two  ten-minute  reels  to  each  dance  night. 
The  picture  width  is  15  feet." 

Light  Typographed 

Never  before  has  the  substance  of  the 
motion  picture  been  so  lavishly  celebrated 
in  print  as  in  the  llxl4-inch  brochure  just 
received  from  Harry  Strong.  Presumably 
it  will  be  available  to  relatively  few;  for 
our  copy  is  numbered,  is  autographed  by 
Mr.  Strong,  and  is  expensively  produced. 
The  sponsor  is  of  course  the  head  of  the 
Strong  Electric  Company,  manufacturer 
of  projection  lamps  in  Toledo,  Ohio.  His 
subject  is  Light. 

Dedicated  to  people  "who  have  a  nat- 
ural interest  in  certain  forces  of  nature 
and  their  mysterious  influence  on  life," 
the  volume  devotes  but  one  of  its  48  prodi- 
gal pages  to  Mr.  Strong's  work-a-day  in- 
terests, and  that  comes  at  the  very  end,  as 
merely  another  aspect  of  the  subject. 

Prior  to  then,  directed  by  the  arts  of 
artist,  photographer,  photoengraver  and 
typographer,  attention  is  upon  the  cosmic 
phenomenon  itself — Light  as  energy  of 
Sun,  fire  and  dynamo,  traveling  186,000 
miles  a  second,  containing  or  dispersing 
into  all  colors,  enthralling  while  mystify- 
ing us  with  the  Aurora  Borealis,  giving  us 
life  while  fooling  us  into  errors  and  danger, 
conjuring  up  ghosts  before  those  whose 
path  lies  through  the  cemetery,  guiding  the 
men  at  sea  .  .  .  and  bringing  the  world, 
on  a  screen,  to  one's  corner.  These  pages 
tell  one  how  and  why,  and  make  the  facts 
easy  to  look  at.  — G.  S. 


BETTER  THEATRES   EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Uncle  Sam,  Exhibitor:  U.  S.  Army  Theatres   62 

Hyway  Theatre,  Fairlawn,  N.  J   66 

Wartime  Care  of  Motor-Generators   68 

Servicing  Batteries  for  Emergency  Lighting   70 

A  Simplified  Method  of  Determining   Floor  Slope   73 

F.  H.  Richardson's  Comment   76 


62  BETTERTHEATRES  January    9,  1943 

Uncle  Sam,  Exhibitor 


Recounting  the  experience  of  the 
U.  S.  Motion  Picture  Service  in 
constructing  theatres  for  soldiers 


CONSTRUCTION 

From  a  paper  by  Charles  Welpley,  Ar- 
chitect of  the  U.  S.  Army  Motion  Pic- 
ture Service. 

the  splendid  financial 
result  of  remodeling  and  improved  opera- 
tion enabled  the  Service  to  embark,  in 
1928,  on  a  limited  theatre  construction 
program.  These  new  buildings  were  the 
barest  of  brick  shells.  This  stark  simplicity 
was  due  to  the  fact  that  under  the  then 
interpretation  of  a  certain  statute  no  build- 
ing costing  more  than  $20,000  could  be 
constructed  on  an  Army  post  without  au- 
thorization from  Congress,  even  when  the 
funds  were  not  appropriated  by  Congress. 

With  the  advent  of  sound  it  was  neces- 
sary to  correct  acoustically  many  auditori- 
ums that  had  been  entirely  suited  to  silent 
pictures.  Most  of  these  were  corrected  by 
the  use  of  insulation  board,  which  then 
was  more  generally  used  for  this  purpose 
than  it  is  now.  In  1932  the  Service  fell 
heir  to  $640,000  of  nonappropriated  funds 
of  the  War  Department,  which  General 
MacArthur,  then  Chief  of  Staff,  made 
available  to  this  Service  for  theatre  con- 
struction.    The  plans  of  these  buildings 


were  prepared  by  the  Office  of  The  Quar- 
termaster General,  one  seating  398  and 
the  other  574.  The  Fort  Worden,  Wash- 
ington, [See  Illustration  8]  was  the  first 
of  the  smaller  theatres  to  be  completed, 
and  the  Fort  H.  G.  Wright,  New  York, 
the  first  of  the  larger.  [See  Illustration  2.] 
Thirty-one  of  these  theatres  were  construc- 
ted in  less  than  18  months  time,  giving  the 
Service  a  backlog  of  buildings  designed 
for  use  as  theatres,  and  acoustically  cor- 
rected. 

With  the  experience  gained  in  the  con- 
struction of  these  buildings,  work  was 
begun  on  remodeling  some  of  the  earlier 
theatres.  [See  Illustration  3.]  In  1934 
an  approved  opinion  of  The  Judge  Advo- 
cate General  of  the  Army  removed  the 
$20,000  building  restriction  on  nonappro- 
priated moneys.  Thus  the  Service  was 
enabled  to  plan  theatres  for  some  of  the 
larger  posts.  No  one  could  design  and 
hope  to  have  built  for  $20,000  a  theatre 
of  the  size  and  interior  finish  required  for 
Fort  Sam  Houston  [See  Illustration  7.] 
• 

The  peace-time  architectural  problems 
and  their  effect  on  the  design  of  Army 
theatres  differ  somewhat  from  those  of 
private  industry.  The  average  peace-time 
Army  post  is  a  close-knit  community,  con- 


sisting roughly  of  three  areas  of  person- 
nel, the  officers,  the  noncommissioned  of- 
ficers and  the  enlisted  men.  Wherever  pos- 
sible an  attempt  is  made  to  place  the  War 
Department  theatre  within  easy  access  of 
these  three  population  groups.  The  en- 
listed men,  of  course,  comprise  the  larger 
proportion  of  the  post  population  as  well 
as  of  the  theatre  patronage ;  therefore, 
when  compromise  is  necessary  it  is  im- 
portant that  the  theatre  be  placed  nearer 
to  them.  It  is  neither  necessary  nor  desir- 
able to  provide  conspicuous  marquees,  for 
everyone  knows  the  location  of  the  War 
Department  theatre. 

The  size  of  the  theatre  is  determined 
by  the  permanent  population  of  the  par- 
ticular post.  Usually  seating  capacity  is 
based  on  one  seat  to  every  six  officers  and 
enlisted  men.  This  is  sufficient  to  serve 
the  families  of  the  officers  and  noncoms 
living  on  the  post.  Since  it  is  impossible 
to  foresee  changes  in  post  population,  in- 
creases or  reductions  are  taken  care  of  by 
changes  in  the  booking  of  films  or  in  the 
number  of  performances  per  week. 

The  unlimited  ground  area  available 
for  the  site  permits  the  use  of  standard 
plans  of  varying  seating  capacities.  That 
is,  a  post  of  a  given  size  can  ordinarily  be 
supplied  with  plans  for  a  theatre  with  ap- 
proximately the  proper  proportion  of  seats 
to  population  without  overlapping  lot  lines 
and  other  restrictions  encountered  in  the 
commercial  field. 

The  standard  plans  developed  to  date 
have  seating  capacities  of  308,  422,  and 
900.  The  onset  of  the  War  cut  short  the 
development  of  plans  for  theatres  of  200- 
and  600-seat  capacities.  This,  it  is  be- 
lieved, would  have  enabled  the  Service  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  almost  any  Army 


I.    An  auditorium  typical  of  the  earliest  Army  theatres.  2.    An  auditorium  representative  of  early  remodeling. 


January    9,  1943 
★  ★  ★  ★ 

The  Army's 
Theatre  Service 

N  THE  U.  S.  Motion  Picture 
Service  the  theatre  business  has 
a  point  of  familiar,  fraternal  as- 
sociation with  the  nation's  military 
establishment.  The  problems  of 
each  are  by  no  means  altogether 
different  and,  as  your  Uncle  Sam 
has  learned  from  the  civilian  exhib- 
itor, so  you  may  acquire  an  idea 
or  two  by  examining  indicative 
units  of  his  700-theatre  circuit. 

The  character  and  administra- 
tion of  this  large  and  growing 
group  of  theatres,  operated  for 
the  Army  by  the  U.  S.  Motion 
Picture  Service,  largely  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  enlisted  and 
commissioned  personnel,  were  out- 
lined in  Better  Theatres  of  Decem- 
ber 12th.  In  these  and  following 
columns  this  extensive  physical 
plant  is  more  closely  examined  for 
those  features  which  reflect  experi- 
ments in  and  methods  of  design 
and  construction,  in  selected  pas- 
sages from  two  papers  read  before 
the  Atlantic  Section  of  the  Society 
of  Motion  Picture  Engineers.  Their 
publication  in  the  January  issue  of 
the  SMPE  Journal  has  made  them 
available,  with  illustrations,  for 
publication  elsewhere. 

The  U.S.  Motion  Picture  Service, 
of  which  R.  B.  Murray  is  director, 
was  created  so  long  ago  as  1921. 
Its  "theatres"  consisted  in  service 
clubs,  airplane  hangars,  mess  halls 
and  a  few  barn-like  "Liberty  the- 
atres" slapped  up  during  World 
War  I.  Money  did  not  become 
available  until  1926  to  improve 
and  extend  these  provisions. 

A  remodeling  program  was  first 
begun.  This  Charles  Welpley, 
architect  of  the  Service,  reported 
in  his  paper  as  consisting  "mainly 
of  the  addition  of  a  sloping  floor 
and  wall  and  ceiling  coverings  of 
some  such  material  as  insulation 
board.  Stringent  economy  .  .  . 
was  the  watchword  of  the  day, 
exemplified  by  attractive  indirect 
lighting  fixtures  constructed  from 
salvaged  helmets  and  water  closet 
pull-chains." 

What  has  developed  from  that 
is  told  by  Mr.  Welpley  and  by 
M.  D.  Kiczales',  both  of  whom  par- 
ticipated in  the  development.  - 


*      *      *  * 


BETTERTHEATR.ES  63 


3.    An  auditorium  typical  of  theatres  most  recently  remodeled. 


post  in  the  United  States  under  peace- 
time conditions.  Special  plans  are  prepared 
for  posts  requiring  more  than  900  seats. 
Additional  plans  are  always  provided  to 
adapt  the  standard  plans  to  the  individual 
site  requirements,  and  the  exterior  design 
is  varied  to  fit  into  the  general  local  ar- 
chitectural scheme. 

The  sale  of  tickets  at  a  War  Depart- 
ment Theatre  is  not  so  simple  a  transac- 
tion as  in  the  average  commercial  house. 
After  chow  the  soldiers  go  over  en  masse 
for  entrance  to  the  first  show.  The  com- 
bination of  mass  application,  exchange  of 
coupons  for  tickets  [Coupon  books  may 
be  purchased,  each  coupon,  costing  12c, 
being  exchangeable  for  one  ticket ;  cash  ad- 
mission price  is  15c. — Ed.]  and  cash  sale 
of  tickets  and  coupon  books  makes  it  nec- 
essary to  provide  twice  as  many  ticket-sell- 
ing facilities  as  the  average  commercial 
theatre  of  comparable  size. 

Constant  consultation  and  reliance  upon 
the  recommendations  of  the  Engineering 
and  Maintenance  Division  of  this  Service, 
in  the  provision  of  projection  and  sound 
equipment,  have  kept  the  design  of  these 
theatres  within  the  general  recommenda- 
tions of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture 
Engineers.  The  width  of  image  has  been 
established  as  1  /5th  of  the  viewing  dis- 
tance, which  is  slightly  better  than  the 
average  commercial  size.  None  of  the 
permanent  theatres  have  used  the  "reverse" 
floor  slope  plan,  because  in  most  cases  some 
form  of  stage  had  to  be  provided  for  the 
use  of  local  dramatic  societies,  or  for  lec- 
tures or  other  purposes.  This  made  de- 
sirable the  conventional  floor  slope. 

Better  vision  has  been  obtained,  with 
exceptionally  small  losses  in  percentage  of 
seats,  by  staggering  seats  in  the  center 
bank.  As  the  Service  progressed  from  mess 
stools  and  benches,  to  baseball  stadium,  to 
veneer  chairs,  to  fully  upholstered  chairs, 


the  conclusion  has  been  reached  that  34 
inches  center-to-center  meets  the  average 
requirements  for  the  latter  type  of  chair  and 
the  general  use  the  soldier  gives  the  theatre. 

All  wiring  diagrams  are  prepared  by  the 
Engineering  and  Maintenance  Division  to 
be  incorporated  in  the  working  drawings 
for  inclusion  in  the  building. 

In  line  with  the  demands  for  general 
economy  of  construction,  acoustical  mate- 
rial is  limited  to  materials  whose  finished 
surfaces  are  a  definite  part  of  the  archi- 
tectural treatment. 

The  initial  development  of  new  plans 
is  closely  correlated  for  heating,  ventilat- 
ing, and  air-conditioning.  This  permits 
economy  in  the  design  of  the  distribution 
and  recirculating  system ;  also,  many  times, 
essential  parts  of  the  ventilating  system  are 
incorporated  as  an  integral  part  of  the 
aesthetic  scheme  of  the  auditorium. 

So  much  of  the  soldier's  life  is  spent  in 


attempts  to  provide  "civilian  atmosphen 


64 


BETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


5.  Auditorium  of  the  Chanute  Field 
theatre,  finished  in  decorative  acoustic  board. 


barracks  and  bare  rooms  of  the  average 
Army  buildings  that  it  generally  is  a  re- 
lief to  him  to  get  off  the  reservation  where 
he  can  find  some  aspect  of  splendor  and 
magnificence.  While  it  cannot,  nor  does 
it  desire  to  compete  with  civilian  theatres 
in  exuberance  and  rococo  style,  the  Ser- 
vice sincerely  attempts  to  remove  the 
soldier  from  the  barracks  atmosphere  into 
something  comparable  to  that  which  he 
finds  outside  the  Army  [See  Illustrations 
5  and  6].  It  has  basically  a  standard  plan, 
but  in  the  furnishings,  such  as  theatre 
chairs,  stage  settings,  lounge  furniture,  and 
in  some  rather  rare  instances,  carpet,  a  gen- 
eral color  scheme  is  evolved  which  em- 
braces all  of  these  items,  plus  the  painting 
of  the  building. 

Special  lighting  effects  have  been  used 
to  a  limited  degree  in  the  auditorium.  The 
general  practice  of  the  Service  is  to  have 
the  house  lights  dimmed  throughout  the 
show,  never  relying  entirely  upon  light  re- 
flected from  the  screen  for  general  audi- 
torium illumination  during  the  picture. 
The  lights  found  most  effective  for  this 
purpose  have  been  louvered  reflectors  flush 
with  the  ceiling,  placed  primarily  over  the 
principal  aisles. 


7.  Lounge  of  the  Fort  Sam  Houston, 
Texas,  theatre,  one  of  the  more  elaborate. 


AIR  SYSTEMS 


From  a  paper  by  M.  D.  Kiczales,  Me- 
chanical Engineer,  U.  S.  Army  Motion 
Picture  Service 

THE  furnishing  and  in- 
stallation of  air  conditioning  in  War  De- 
partment theatres  during  the  peace-time 
growth  of  the  Service  developed  in  step 
with  progress  in  other  directions.  The 
buildings  which  it  inherited  were  equipped 
with  heating  systems  of  the  "Gay  90's" 
design,  which  usually  caused  overheating 
by  a  superabundance  of  cast-iron  radiators 
without  benefit  of  anv  ventilation  whatso- 


6.  An  interesting  design  achieved  in  re- 
modeling the  theatre  at  Barksdale  Field,  La. 


ever.  The  auditoriums  were  well  supplied 
with  oscillating  fans  for  summer  operation, 
but  their  use  died  when  sound  pictures 
were  born. 

To  substitute  for  the  multiplicity  of 
droning  propellor-blade  fans,  and  selec- 
ted by  foresighted  marketing  very  much 
limited  by  available  funds,  multiblade 
blowers  were  installed  on  each  side  of  the 
proscenium  opening.  Even  though  air 
tempering  was  known  to  be  very  much  de- 
sirable, these  blower  systems  were  not  so 
provided  and  were  of  course  thereby 
limited  to  summertime  use  only. 

As  the  novelty  and  newness  of  sound 
pictures  wore  off,  patrons  began  seeking 
perfection.  To  meet  the  demand,  archi- 
tectural improvements  were  being  made  in 
auditoriums,  and  the  designs  of  the  398- 
seat  and  574-seat  standard  type  theatres 
included  improvements  in  the  so-called  air- 
conditioning  systems,  wherein  the  same 
type  of  blower  system  was  used  but  with 
many  additions. 

Limitation  of  funds  required  that  the 
best  type  of  utility  be  obtained  with  the 
least  expenditure  of  money.  The  specifica- 
tions and  design  of  these  standard  theaters 
set  maximum  air  velocities  to  a  safe,  noise- 


8.    Fort  Worden  theatre,  exemplifying  later  exteriors. 


9.    The  Fort  Russell  theatre,  built  in  1940. 


January    9,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


65 


10.    Theatre  having  a  900-seat  type  air-conditioning  system. 


I.    Auditorium  having  a  422-seat  rear  outlet  air  system. 


less  level  and  provided  for  the  tempering 
and  reheating  of  air  for  winter  operation. 
With  manually  operated  dampers  the 
blowers  provided  30  cubic  feet  of  air  per 
seat  per  minute  for  winter  operation  with 
approximately  one-half  outside  air,  and  60 
c.f.m.  per  seat  of  all  outside  air  for  sum- 
mer operation. 

The  Fort  Sam  Houston,  Texas,  theatre 
was  the  first  to  be  provided  with  complete, 
automatic  air-conditioning.  All  the  cool- 
ing equipment  was  installed  by  a  contrac- 
tor who  was  awarded  the  contract  after 
formal  sealed  bids  were  submitted  on  the 
basis  of  plans  and  specifications  prepared 
by  the  Service.  The  Fort  Riley  Theatre, 
originally  provided  only  with  heating  and 
ventilating  equipment,  with  manual  damp- 
ers and  proscenium  air  supply  grilles,  was 
next  remodeled  to  include  air  cooling.  The 
proscenium  grilles  were  replaced  by  air 
supply  grilles  longitudinally  placed  at  the 
ceiling  of  the  auditorium.  This  cooling 
work  was  also  done  on  a  bid-awarded  con- 
tract basis. 

The  cost  of  the  cooling  work  alone  for 
both  these  theatres  was  from  $20  to  $22 
per  seat,  and  in  each  case  constant  inspec- 
tion was  necessary  and  continuous  wran- 
gling ensued  to  secure  compliance  with  the 
plans  and  specifications. 

When  the  first  cooling  system  was  in- 
stalled it  was  planed  to  provide  all  the 
permanent  theatres  of  the  398-  and  574- 
seat  type  with  cooling.  The  high  cost  per 
seat  experienced  by  contract  work  dras- 
tically limited  the  number  of  theatres  that 
could  be  so  provided.  It  was  therefore 
decided  to  attempt  a  remodeling  for  cool- 
ing installation  on  a  purchase  and  hire 
basis.  The  design  engineer  was  then  ap- 
pointed supervising  engineer  in  charge  of 
installation,  and  the  Fort  Meade,  Man- 
land,  Theatre,  a  574-seater,  was  selected 
for  the  experiment. 

Plans  were  quickly  drawn  up,  equip- 
ment purchased  on  a  bid-awarded  basis, 
and  a  foreman  hired  to  direct  the  work- 
ing crew.  The  design  engineer  and  the 
supervising  engineer,  being  one  and  the 
same,  operated  between  his  office  in  Wash- 


ington and  his  experiment  at  Fort  Meade. 
All  necessary  materials  such  as  copper  pipe, 
fittings,  sheet  metal,  cork,  etc.,  were  pur- 
chased and  the  necessary  labor  hired.  The 
proscenium  grilles  were  removed  and  the 
ducts  supplying  these  grilles  were  run  up 
into  the  attic  space,  joined  into  one  and 
continued  to  the  rear  auditorium  to  two 
specially  designed  grilles  injecting  air  into 
the  auditorium  toward  the  stage  and  re- 
circulated at  the  floor  of  the  rear  wall. 
The  net  results  of  this  experiment  were 
manifold : 

1.  The  final  cost  for  this  cooling  system  provided 
with  complete  automatic  controls,  dampers  and  the 
best  material  and  workmanship  available,  amounted 
to  $13.28  per  seat. 

2.  By  keeping  careful  accounts,  the  costs  of  the 
various  complementary  parts  of  the  system  became 
known  and  were  used  for  study  in  reducing  costs  on 
future  designs. 

3.  By  the  use  of  specially  designed  dampering 
devices  and  duct  designs,  in  an  empty  auditorium 
with  the  blower  and  refrigerating  units  operating 


simultaneously,  the  noise  level  was  reduced  to 
almost  inaudibility. 

4.  Two  new  automatic  features  were  tested  which 
were  included  in  all  later  designs: 

During  winter  operation,  a  fixed  minimum  out- 
side air  volume  was  mixed  with  recirculated  air, 
this  minimum  being  maintained  for  a  design  winter 
outdoor  temperature  and  an  automatically  increas- 
ing amount  of  outside  air  from  minimum  quantity 
to  full  blower  capacity,  proportioned  over  the 
temperature  range  from  minimum  design  to  63' 
Fahrenheit,  with  a  simultaneous  proportioned  re- 
duction in  the  recirculated  to  zero  quantity.  If  the 
outside  temperature  rose  above  63d  F.  and  the 
people  load  produced  high  inside  conditions,  a 
flip  of  a  switch  started  the  cooling  system. 

The  inside  maintained  temperature  was  con- 
trolled automatically  by  the  outdoor  temperature; 
when  the  outdoor  temperature  was  75°  F.  the 
indoor  temperature  was  maintained  at  75=  F.,  and 
for  each  4°  F.  rise  in  outside  temperature  the 
inside  temperature  was  automatically  increased  one 
degree,  and  vice  versa. 

With  the  lessons  learned  by  this  experi- 
ment,  the   air-conditioning   designs  were 
then  prepared  for  the  900-  and  422-seat 
{Continued  on  page  74) 


12.  Schematic  sketch  indi- 
cating system  for  422-seat 
theatres. 


66  BETTERTHEATRES  January    9,  1943 

MODERN  FORMS  AND  LIGHTING 


INTERIOR  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HYWAY  THEATRE  IN  FAIRLAWN,  N.  J. 


Cfl  Located  in  a  community  suburban 
to  New  York,  the  Hyway  is  operated 
by  the  Fabian  Circuit.  The  interior 
treatment  is  by  Oscar  Glass.  The 
architect  was  Sidney  Schenker. 


■  Architecturally,  the  auditorium  of  the 
Hyway  is  designed  in  smooth,  rounded 
forms,  giving  a  flow  of  line  and  an  impres- 
sion of  simplicity.  Except  in  the  proscenium 
area,  the*walls  are  covered  with  damask, 
in  a  gold  and  red  pattern  by  Dazian.  Drapes 
were  hand-painted  by  Mr.  Glass-.  The  ceil- 
ing is  painted  a  deep  brown  tinged  with 
gold  and  green.  From  the  edges  of  the 
proscenium  columns  light  appears  from 
fluorescent  sources,  in  an  amber  color. 
Running  illumination  is  by  Century  down- 
light  fixtures.  American  auditorium  chairs 
have  backs  covered  in  black  and  orange 
mohair,  seats  in  blue  simulated  leather.  The 
standee  rail  is  backed  by  simulated  leather 
in  stuffed  block  pattern.  .  .  .  The  foyer  has 
color  scheme  of  pastel  shades  of  blue  and 
cadmium  red,  which  is  also  carried  into  a 
large  mural  allegorizing  an  episode  in  the 
life  of  Helen  of  Troy.  Piers  are  covered 
in  simulated  leather.  Carpeting  here  as 
throughout  the  theatre  is  a  Bigelow-Sanford 
Wilton  in  burgundy,  red,  gold  and  blue. 


January    9,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


67 


The  evil  little  guys  who  cause  so  much  trouble  to  those  who 
must  maintain  the  working  surfaces  of  counters,  table  tops, 
doors  and  walls,  have  two  strikes  on  them,  if  the  surface  is 
covered  with  Formica. 


Formica  is  harder  than  marble  and  very 
absorbent,  and  it  is  chemically  inert  so 
stain.  It  is  not  brittle  and  the  sharpest 
usually  not  injure  it.  It  may  be  cigarette 
are  stable  and  maintain  their  original 
the  years. 

No  wonder  so  many  restaurants,  hotels 
ships  and  trains  make  use  of  Formica 
Formica  after  the  war. 


durable.  It  is  not 
it  is  very  hard  to 
kind  of  a  rap  will 
proof.  The  colors 
appearance  over 

,  public  buildings, 
surfaces.  Watch 


THE   FORMICA   INSULATION    COMPANY     •     4654    SPRING   GROVE  AVENUE     •     CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


SUPER  SERVICE 


ETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


AIMING 

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Your  aim  NOW— and  our  aim  — is  to 
Win  the  War!  Your  projector  parts 
shipments  may  sometimes  be  delayed 
while  we  help  fill  America's  war  needs. 


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180  North  Wacker  Drive         Chicago,  Illinois 


NEW,  improved 


RECT-O-LITE 

A    BETTER  RECTIFIER 


FOR  1  KILOWATT  ARC 


RECT-O-LITE  Rectifier 
No.  45-T  (3-phase)  is 
the  latest  development 
in  Rectifiers  and  pro- 
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F/ickerless  pictures. 
No  moving  parts;  no 
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current  to  pay  for  itself. 
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LIMA,  OHIO,  U.S. A. 


♦Trademark,  Reg.  U.S.  Pot.  Off. 


WAYS  &  MEANS 

in  operesfion,  installation,  maintenance 


John  J.  Sefing  is  a  graduate  mechanical  engineer  and  has  long  specialized  in  theatre  work 

CJ  Your  Motor- Genera  tor 
May  Need  This  Attention 


it  was  just  a  year  ago 
that  these  columns  offered  information  on 
the  emergency  maintenance  of  projection 
rectification  equipment.  That  article  dealt 
with  current  changing  apparatus  in  gen- 
eral, including  tube  and  disc  rectifiers. 
Recently,  however,  the  writer  has  had  sev- 
eral inquiries  concerning  certain  aspects  of 
the  motor-generator  set  known  as  the 
Transverter,  and  since  various  types  of 
Transverters  have  been  widely  used  in 
theatres  for  many  years,  this  article  has 
been  prepared  to  answer  these  inquiries  and 
at  the  same  time  to  anticipate  others  likely 
to  arise  concerning  their  maintenance,  for 
new  sets  will  remain  unavailable,  and  their 
parts  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  be  got, 
throughout  the  war. 

In  order  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  always 
remember  that  any  and  all  major  repairs 
should  be  done  only  by  a  competent  and 
reliable  electrician,  one  who  has  had  prac- 
tical experience  in  servicing  electrical  gen- 
erating and  motor  equipment.  The  serv- 
ices of  an  expert  are  not  needed  to  keep 
it  in  good  running  condition — just  simple 
every  day  commen  sense  maintenance  that 
any  conscientious  theatre  employe  can  easily 
do  as  part  of  his  daily  work.  As  with  most 
equipment,  however,  it  is  these  simple  little 
things  that  are  so  often  overlooked  and 
forgotten  in  the  care  of  motor-generator 
sets.  For  example,  under  no  circumstances 
make  any  haphazard  temporary  hookup 
when  the  motor-generator  set  is  not  work- 
ing just  right,  as  serious  damage  can  be 
done.  First  determine  the  cause  of  the 
trouble,  then  repairs  can  be  made  safely 
with  assurance  that  no  undue  load  will  be 
put  on  the  set. 

CLEANING  AND  LUBRICATION 

The  best  insurance  against  possible 
breakdowns  and  costly  repairs  is  to  make 
sure  that  the  set  is  kept  properly  cleaned 
and  lubricated.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
important  precautions  to  be  practiced  in 
the  care  and  maintenance  of  the  motor- 
generator.  At  least  once  a  month  blow 
out  the  dust  and  accumulated  dirt,  but  be 


careful  not  to  use  too  strong  a  blast  of  air 
as  the  edges  of  the  insulation  may  be 
curled  up  or  cracked. 

The  best  time  to  do  this  particular  clean- 
ing is  when  the  set  is  reasonably  cooled 
off.  In  a  pinch  an  ordinary  desk  fan  can 
be  used  for  blowing  out  the  dust,  but  it 
is  better  to  use  a  good  vacuum  cleaner, 
sucking  the  dust  into  a  receptacle.  In  this 
way  hardly  any  dust  will  be  blown  about 
the  room  to  settle  back  on  the  set  and  its 
vital  parts. 

Always  make  sure  that  grease  or  oil  on 
any  part  of  the  generator  is  wiped  off 
thoroughly  so  that  it  does  not  fly  into  the 
vital  generating  parts,  possibly  fouling 
them.  Remember  that  grease  on  the  set 
will  accelerate  the  collection  of  harmful 
dirt  and  grit.  About  every  two  months 
remove  the  plug  at  each  end  of  the  gen- 
erator set  and  squeeze  in  by  hand  a  grease 
recommended  by  the  manufacturer,  or  high 
grade  acid-free,  ball-bearing  grease.  Do 
not  put  in  too  much  grease,  only  half  a 
tube  in  each  end,  if  this  means  is  used  in 
lubrication ;  however,  make  sure  that  the 
grease  fittings  are  wiped  clean  of  grit  which 
otherwise  would  be  forced  into  the  bear- 
ings, causing  rapid  wear. 

At  least  once  a  year  the  outer  bearing 
cap  cover  plate  should  be  removed  and 
the  bearing  thoroughly  flushed  out  with  a 
good  grade  of  grease  solvent,  after  which 
a  new  supply  of  proper  grease  should  be 
put  in.  Whenever  a  mechanical  noise  is 
noticed  coming  from  the  generator,  or  if 
the  bearing  housing  is  exceptionally  hot, 
there  may  be  an  accumulation  of  grit  inside 
or  a  lack  of  grease.  A  loose  centrifugal 
fan  in  the  generator  can  also  make  a  ter- 
rific noise.  It  should  be  checked  and 
tightened  if  need  be. 

This  condition  may  also  be  caused  by 
the  bearing  or  bearings  being  badly  worn ; 
this  makes  the  shaft  turn  unevenly  and  as 
a  result  there  is  not  enough  clearance  for 
the  armature  rotor  to  revolve  freely  past 
the  stator.  This  rubbing  effect  puts  a 
heavy  load  on  the  motor  and  may  cause  a 
complete  breakdown,  if  not  damage  to  the 
coil  windings.    In  a  case  like  this  always 


ER  THEATRES 


check  the  air  gap  clearance  between  the 
rotor  and  stator  as  this  is  very  important. 
If  the  bearings  are  worn  so  that  the  shaft 
wobbles  as  it  revolves,  the  only  remedy  is 
to  replace  with  new  bearings. 

Whenever  the  fuse;  in  the  i.e.  panel 
blow  out  there  may  be  a  dead  short  circuit 
in  the  line  or  in  the  coils.  If  the  coils 
are  short-circuited,  make  sure  that  there  is 
no  copper  or  carbon  dust,  oil  or  dirt  to 
cause  leakage  or  electricity,  and  that  the 
clamping  rings  are  perfectly  free  and  in- 
sulated from  the  commutator  bars.  Also 
check  to  see  if  the  brush  holders  are  per- 
fectly insulated. 

BROKEN  COIL  REPAIR 

In  case  the  armature  has  broken  coils 
there  will  be  bad  sparking  at  the  brushes. 
To  make  emergency  repairs,  bridge  the 
break  temporarily  by  staggering  these 
brushes  until  the  generator  can  be  shut 
down  for  permanent  repairs.  ith  the 
generator  idle,  repair  the  loose  or  broken 
connections  to  the  commutator  bars  as 
required. 

When  the  generator  must  be  operated 
for  a  short  rime  after  this  break,  it  may 
be  temporarily  repaired  by  putting  a  con- 
nection to  the  next  coil  across  the  mica 
insulation.  Also,  the  commutator  lugs 
may  be  soldered  together,  or  a  jumper  be 
put  in  to  cut  out  and  leave  open  the  broken 
coil.  Care  must  be  taken,  however,  not 
to  short-circuit  a  good  coil  in  making  this 
emergency  repair. 

In  some  cases  cross  connections  may  have 
the  same  effect  as  a  short  circuit.  In  all 
cases  check  carefully  what  is  at  fault,  then 
make  repairs  accordingly. 

In  installing  new  coils,  all  connections 
should  be  made  according  to  the  specific 
requirements  of  this  particular  generator. 
The  best  thing  to  do  is  to  obtain,  if  pos- 
sible, coil  winding  connection  diagrams 
from  the  manufacturer.  In  anv  case,  all 
coils  must  be  properly  insulated  and  the 
windings  installed  on  the  rotating  part  of 
the  generator  so  that  they  cannot  possibly 
shift  or  come  loose  because  of  the  centri- 
fugal force.  The  windings  are  made  of 
magnet  wire  covered  with  glass  fiber  in- 
sulation, so  extreme  care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  handling  them  so  that  mechanical 
damage  is  not  caused  to  them.  All  con- 
nections must  be  correctly  soldered  and  all 
wire  securely  tied  down  to  prevent  damage 
due  to  centrifugal  force. 

To  reach  the  generator  collector  rings, 
the  lowered  cover  plates  on  either  side  of 
the  generator  yoke  casting  should  first  be 
removed.  Alizays  keep  in  mind  that  no 
lubricant  of  any  kind  should  ever  be  put 
on  these  rings  or  on  the  brushes,  also  never 
use  sandpaper  or  other  coarse  abrasive  to 
clean  them.  The  best  practice  is  to  use 
either  alcohol  or  ether. 

SHORT  CARBON  BRUSHES 

Defects  and  even  failures  are  caused  by 
excessive  sparking  and  burning  caused  by 
allowing  the  carbon  brushes  to  become  too 
short.    It  is  a  good  idea  to  check  these  I 


*  *  *  *  STRONG  *  *  *  * 


CJ  Let  your  Independent  Theatre 
Supply  Dealer  help  you  maintain 
continuous  operation  of  your 
equipment. 

C]  Call  him  any  hour  of  the  day 
or  night.  He's  competent  and 
dependable. 

€1  We  are  maintaining  a  parts 
and  service  department  to  help 
solve  your  problems  and  fill  your 
requirements. 

THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION 

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THE  DAYTON 
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Roomy  platform  for  men  and  tools. 
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locking  —  Folds  compactly.  Air- 
plane spruce  used  throughout. 
Steel  braces — Safety  shoes — Day- 
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form adds  height. 


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«9  WEST  42nd  STREET 


NEW  YORK 


70 


BETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


IMPORTANT  FIRSTS 

.  .  .  TODAY  .  .  . 
Buy  More  War  Bonds 
.  .  .  TOMORROW  .  .  . 
Install 

b TAB  I L ARC 


Motor  Generators 


35-42-60-80  VOLT  MULTIPLE 

AUTOMATIC  DEVICES  CO. 


1033  Linden  St. 


Allentown,  Pa 


Export  Office:  220  W.  42nd  St.,  New  York  City 
Also    Manufacturers   of   Allentown    Steel  Cur- 
tain Tracks  and  Curtain  Machines. 


The  WENZEL  * 

"ACE"  Projector 

proved  in  service  to 
be  one  of  the  most 
popular  projectors 
installed  in  theatres. 

•  Double  Bearing 
Intermittent. 

•  Hardened  and  Ground 
Precision  Sprockets. 

•  One-Piece  Gate-Open* 
ing  Device. 

•  Slip-in  Type  Gate. 

//  you  cannot  obtain  Wen- 
zel  "Ace"  Products  from 
your  local  supply  dealer, 
write — 

Wenzel  Projector  Co. 

2505-19  S.  State  Street 
Chicago,  Illinois 

We  can  still  supply  most  replace- 
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World; 

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World'!  Larfiol  Pop  Corn  Producers  <l    I      «■  VZ 

SIOUX  CITY,  IOWA    A^g^L\-  tr 


ADVERTISERS'  INDEX— Page  22 


brushes  periodically  to  see  that  they  are 
free  to  move  and  slide  properly  in  their 
holders.  And  always  remember  to  clean 
or  blow  away  any  carbon  and  copper  dust, 
carbonized  oil,  etc.,  as  they  may  cause  an 
electrical  leak  in  the  generator. 

Whenever  new  brushes  are  installed,  it 
is  best  to  grind  them  first  to  fit  the  collec- 
tor rings  properly.  To  do  this  slip  a  piece 
of  No.  000  sandpaper  between  the  new 
brush  and  the  ring,  with  the  sanded  side 
next  to  the  brush  face,  and  slide  the  paper 
back  and  forth.  Make  sure,  however,  that 
the  sandpaper  is  held  to  the  curve  of  the 
collector  ring  and  that  the  pressure  is  ap- 
plied when  the  paper  is  moving  in  the 
direction  that  the  generator  normally 
revolves. 

In  case  the  brushes  are  not  set  properly 
and  bad  sparking  results,  the  condition  may 
be  remedied,  if  necessary,  while  the  gen- 
erator is  running  by  moving  the  rocker  arm 
slowly  until  the  least  sparking  is  noticed 
at  all  the  brushes.  This  same  procedure 
should  be  followed  in  case  bad  sparking 
results  from  the  brushes  not  being  set 
properly  at  their  neutral  points.  Where 
the  brushes  are  not  in  line  they  should  be 
adjusted  until  the  bearing  is  in  line  and 
square  on  the  commutator  bar — that  is, 
the  bearing  is  even  along  its  whole  width. 
Whenever  the  brushes  are  not  making  a 
good  contact,  adjust  the  tension  screws  and 
springs  so  that  a  firm,  even  contact  is  se- 
cured. In  order  to  determine  this  adjust- 
ment a  "spring  balance"  should  be  used 
with  the  pressure  setting  at  about  1  to 
1^2  pounds  per  square  inch  on  the  com- 
mutator, depending  on  the  specific  re- 
quirements. 

WORN  COMMUTATOR 

In  case  the  commutator  becomes  worn 
to  the  extent  that  the  insulation  is  flush 
with  the  surface,  this  insulation  should  be 
undercut  to  a  depth  of  about  1/32-inch 
between  all  bars.  After  this  undercutting 
process,  make  certain  that  the  entire  run- 
ning surface  is  absolutely  clean  by  the  use 
of  a  commutator  stone.  Never  use  emory 
in  any  form.  Always  blow  out  or  other- 
wise clean  the  commutator  carefully  after 
this  "stoning." 

When  the  commutator  is  worn  in 
grooves  or  is  "out-of-round,"  turn  off  the 
face  true,  in  a  lathe — or  better  still,  in  its 
own  bearings.  However,  make  sure  that 
a  light  tool  is  used,  with  a  light  cut,  run- 
ning slowly. 

When  setting  the  armature  in  its  own 
bearings,  make  certain  also  that  it  has 
about  1  /16th-  to  j/gth-inch  end  motion 
when  running  to  wear  the  commutator 
evenly  and  smoothly.  In  case  the  com- 
mutator has  high  bars,  they  should  be  set 
down  carefully  with  a  mallet  or  block  of 
wood  and  then  the  end  nuts  should  be 
clamped  tightly. 

MISCELLANEOUS  FAULTS 

You  may  also  find  these  observations 
handy : 

Drop  in  voltage  may  be  caused  if  the 


fit  of  the  brushes  or  the  commutator  is 
poor. 

Grooves  in  the  commutator  surface  may 
be  caused  by  the  use  of  coarse  sandpaper, 
improper  grade  of  brush,  lodging  of  foreign 
material,  or  to  a  part  of  the  brush  not 
touching.  Also,  the  brushes  may  be  im- 
properly spaced  or  set. 

"Singing"  at  the  brushes  may  be  caused 
by  a  high  bar  on  the  commutator. 

Sparking  may  be  caused  by  insufficient 
pressure  of  the  brushes  on  the  commutator. 
See  if  brushes  are  rough  or  burnt  on  ends, 
or  if  the  commutator  face  is  rough,  com- 
mutator bar  is  loose  or  is  too  high,  com- 
mutator face  is  dirty,  oily,  marred  or  worn 
out,  wrong  carbon  is  in  the  brushes,  insula- 
tion between  the  commutator  bars  is  too 
high,  brushes  are  loose  or  wedged  in  their 
holders,  brushes  not  set  exactly  at  the  point 
of  commutator.  Sparking  may  also  be 
caused  by  the  generator  being  overloaded, 
or  a  loose  connection  or  open  circuit  in  the 
armature  winding. 

Glowing  or  pitting  of  the  brushes  may 
be  caused  by  poor  design  or  wrong  position 
of  the  brushes  or  the  commutator. 

Chattering  of  the  brushes  may  be  caused 
by  improper  setting  of  the  brushes — that 
is,  they  lead  instead  of  trail  about  the 
radial  line  passing  through  the  center  of 
the  brush  and  the  center  of  the  commutator. 

Long  and  heavy  sparking  around  the 
entire  circumference  of  the  commutator 
may  be  caused  by  an  open  armature  circuit. 
When  this  sparking  is  of  a  reddish  color 
it  may  be  due  to  the  accumulation  of  car- 
bon dust,  carbonized  oil,  paraffin  or  other 
foreign  abrasive  material  lodged  in  or  on 
the  insulation  between  the  commutator 
bars.  When  this  ring  fire  sparking  is  of 
a  bluish-green  color,  the  fault  may  be  in 
the  armature  circuit  or  windings,  or  be 
due  to  undercut  commutator  bars  not  being 
clean  of  wedged  foreign  matter. 

A  motor-generator  set  will  last  a  long 
time  and  give  trouble-free  operation  if  in- 
spected and  cared  for  systematically  and 
intelligently. 


<I  Emergency  Light 
Battery  Servicing 


with  large  areas  of  the 
country  subject  to  dimout  regulations,  and 
most  communities  undergoing  practice 
blackouts  from  time  to  time,  emergency 
lighting  takes  on  more  than  normal  sig- 
nificance. The  general  lighting  system  for 
the  illumination  of  the  interior  of  the 
theatre  is  always  of  great  importance,  for 
reasons  of  safety  and  convenience  as  well 
as  looks ;  but  in  these  times  no  one  can 
foretell  just  when  an  emergency  will  come 
about,  involving  many  lives.  All  direc- 
tional signs  must  be  kept  in  proper  working 
order,  while  exit  passageways  and  areas  are 
kept  clean  and  correctly  illuminated. 

It  is  most  important  to  check  and  try 
out  the  emergency  lighting  system  fairly 


January    9,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


71 


frequently  to  insure  so  far  as  possible  that 
it  will  not  fail  when  needed  in  a  hurry. 
In  normal  times  the  maintenance  of  emer- 
gency lighting  plants  was  frequently  neg- 
lected ;  now  to  neglect  it  is  to  invite 
disaster. 

Most  theatres  have,  for  an  emergency 
lighting  system,  a  set  or  sets  of  wet  cell 
storage  batteries  controlled  by  a  main  line 
switch  that  throws  on  the  current  from 
these  batteries  automatically  in  case  of  a 
failure  in  the  electric  power  supply  lines. 
It  may  be  that  the  switch  is  not  in  proper 
working  order,  either  because  of  prolonged 
idleness,  natural  deterioration  of  the  work- 
ing parts,  or  of  tampering  by  unqualified 
persons.  The  best  idea  is  to  go  over  the 
entire  emergency  lighting  system  some 
night  after  the  show  breaks  and  to  test 
specially  the  reliability  of  this  automatic 
throw-in  switch.  If  it  lags  in  operation,  or 
is  dirty  inside  and  on  the  surface,  it  should 
be  immediately  overhauled  by  an  experi- 
enced electrician.  In  the  care  and  main- 
tenance of  the  batteries  they  should  be 
accorded  practically  the  same  checkup  as 
the  battery  in  an  automobile. 

WIRING  CONNECTIONS 

First  make  sure  that  all  wiring  connec- 
tions, and  especially  lugs,  are  properly 
tightened  and  that  any  or  all  circuit  cutout 
switches  are  in  good  operating  condition. 
Clean  off  all  corrosion  at  the  battery  ter- 
minals and  apply  a  coating  of  vaseline  on 
them  to  prevent  further  deterioration. 
Make  certain  that  the  caps  on  the  filler 
plugs  are  on  tight  at  all  times  and  that  the 
electrolyte  or  battery  water  level  is  kept 
about  jH$-inch  above  the  plates  inside. 

Always  put  in  the  batteries  only  dis- 
tilled water,  or  water  otherwise  recom- 
mended for  battery  use.  Make  it  a  rule 
to  check  the  specific  gravity  occasionally 
and  systematically,  using  an  accurate 
hydrometer.  If  any  or  all  the  batteries  are 
not  at  full  charge,  or  lose  the  charge  quick- 
ly, have  them  repaired  or  install  new  ones. 
For  a  battery  properly  charged  and  in  good 
condition  the  ■specific  gravity  should  be 
from  1.270  to  1.290  in  a  northern  climate, 
and  from  1.200  to  1.225  in  warm  regions. 

CLEANING  PRACTICE 

At  least  once  a  month  clean  the  cases 
of  the  batteries,  as  well  as  the  racks  and 
floor,  with  a  solution  of  soda  ash  and  water 
to  neutralize  the  acid  that  was  spilled  or 
has  leaked  out ;  however,  before  doing  this 
make  sure  that  the  caps  are  on  tight  and 
that  all  vent  holes  on  the  batteries  are 
plugged  up.  The  usual  practice  in  this 
cleaning  is  to  use  about  8  ounces  of  soda 
ash  to  one  gallon  of  water.  After  applying 
this  cleaning  mixture  to  the  batteries,  cold 
water  can  be  used  for  flushing  away  all 
residue.  Never  use  hot  water  or  steam  for 
this  flushing  process  as  damage  will  result 
to  the  batteries.  Make  sure  that  all  plugs 
that  were  put  in  the  vent  holes  are  removed 
after  the  cleaning. 

In  case  a  battery  is  taken  off  the  rack  in 
replacement  and  stored  for  emergency  use, 


MAKE  YOUR  PROJECTION  and 
SOUND    EQUIPMENT  LAST 


In  the  national  interest  we  must 
take  care  of  what  we  have. 

We're  sorry  that  so  many  would- 
be  customers  have  been  dis- 
appointed when  seeking  to  buy 
new  Motiograph-Mirrophonic 
Sound  Systems  and  Motiograph 
Projectors.  We  deeply  regret  being 

MOTIOGRAPH,  INC. 


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because  you  could  not  furnish 
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When  conditions  permit  we 
promise  you  that  we  will  again  be 
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4431  West  Lake  Street 

Call  on  your  Motiograph  Dealer  for 
during  the  emergency 


ESTABLISHED  7896 

Chicago,  III. 

help   in   solving  your   equipment  problems 


UJ  R  L  K  E  R 


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the  new  Seventh  Edition— 

Bluebook  of  Projection 


By  F.  H.  RICHARDSON 


.25 


POSTPAID 


With  the  Seventh  Edition  now  printing,  this  standard  textbook  on  motion 
picture  projection  and  sound  reproduction  brings  to  theatre  projectionists, 
to  men  in  the  armed  forces  assigned  to  projection,  to  theatre  managers  and 
all  persons  concerned  with  the  screening  of  35-mm.  film,  up-to-the-minute 
guidance.  The  new  edition  is  new  in  its  method  of  presenting  the  subject, 
new  in  organization  of  material,  new  in  much  of  the  operating  data.  Addi- 
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prepared  for  the  practical  instruction  of  motion  picture  projectionists.  The 
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QUIGLEY    BOOKSHOP,    1270    Sixth   Avenue,    New  York 


72 


BETTER    TH  EATRES 


January    9,  1943 


fillips 

Jtory,  lva.h,  shlP  to  the  \       ■  Pack  if 
"ares,  „'ng«»n.  O.  c     aVal  Obsery 

•",d  address"  "  tae  bMri„?d,,uarters 
^"ly  be  Jl','""- name 

'""ocular      h  'ristro.J    astened  Ba 
'ee  or        s  "'"be  i  .i    ment-  Ac. 
v„       °"« doll,"     cl"o»'Iedol!.  cp,<,d 

Th^  Na» y         3r  "  «UI  In  to 
"ifts        ,  '  n«  autb„  ,  se- 
*""<*»h,rs?°  '«»«  ?M  <°  acceor 

r  %aiJSs  a?£a-"« 


They're  in  the  Navy  Now 

Somewhere  on  the  high  seas,  with  engines  throbbing 
in  the  urgency  of  their  mission,  grim  gray  ships  press 
forward  in  spite  of  the  deadly  perils  of  sea  and  sky. 

On  the  bridges  and  look-out  stations  of  such  ships, 
brave  men  stand  alert,  searching  the  horizon  —  on 
guard  against  enemy  attack.  These  are  the  men  whose 
task  it  is  to  fight  our  sea  battles  and  protect  the  ships 
which  feed  your  sons  and  your  brothers,  your  friends 
and  fellow  workers  —  clothe  and  arm  America's  expedi- 
tionary forces  —  strengthen  and  aid  our  allies. 

You  can  help  these  men,  and  thus  help  to  hasten  the 
day  of  Victory,  by  sending  them  your  binoculars  for 
the  duration. 

Binoculars  are  among  the  many  optical  instruments 
of  war  that  Bausch  &  Lomb  is  producing  and  helping 
others  to  produce.  Today,  Bausch  &  Lomb  is  working 
a  full  twenty-four  hours  a  day,  but  even  with  its  vastly 
expanded  production  program  there  is  not  room  enough, 
nor  time  enough,  to  turn  out  all  of  the  binoculars  the 
Navy  needs. 

That  is  the  problem  you  can  solve  —  you  and  all 
the  thousands  of  other  owners  of  Bausch  &  Lomb 
6  x  30  or  7x50  Binoculars.  Your  Binoculars  can  help 
save  American  lives  and  American  ships. 

BAUSCH  &  LOMB 

OPTICAL  COMPANY  •  ESTABLISHED  1853 


AN    AMERICAN    SCIENTIFIC    INSTITUTION  PRODUCING  OP- 
TICAL    GLASS     AND     INSTRUMENTS     FOR  MILITARY  USE, 
EDUCATION,     RESEARCH,     INDUSTRY     AND  EYESIGHT  COR- 
RECTION 


READ  THE  ADS — they're  news! 


make  sure  that  the  specific  gravity  is  kept 
at  about  1.250  and  that  it  is  fully  charged 
at  least  every  month.  Also,  keep  the  plates 
in  the  battery  covered  with  distilled  water. 
Never  allow  the  batteries  to  go  dry  of 
electrolyte,  especially  when  in  use,  as  a 
dead  cell  or  cells  will  surely  be  the  result. 
And  a  battery  with  dead  cells  in  nearly 
every  case  is  beyond  repair. 

Another  thing  that  must  be  kept  in  mind 
is  that  a  partially  discharged  battery  will 
tend  to  freeze-up  more  than  a  fully  charged 
battery  when  kept  in  a  very  cold  room  or 
basement. 

THE  BATTERY  ROOM 

It  is  very  important  that  the  room  in 
which  the  batteries  are  installed  is  kept 
spic  and  span  and  that  there  is  sufficient 
ventilation.  If  there  are  any  restriction 
tags  or  charts  available  in  the  care  of  the 
batteries,  tack  them  up  on  the  wall  near 
the  batteries  in  a  convenient  spot.  In  this 
way  there  will  be  always  instructions  on 
hand  for  the  employee  appointed  to  do  the 
maintenance  of  the  batteries. 

A  point  to  remember  in  passing  is  that 
when  tested  the  batteries  should  be  able 
to  handle  at  least  91%  full  voltage  of 
the  total  load  of  the  emergency  circuits 
for  a  period  of  about  half  an  hour. 

Where  a  theatre  has  a  generator  driven 
by  a  natural  gas  engine  for  supplying  the 
emergency  electric  current,  it  should  be 
tested  periodically  for  proper  operation 
more  so  than  in  the  case  of  batteries.  A 
gas  engine  becomes  very  balky  and  unsteady 
when  first  turned  on  after  long  idleness. 
This  is  due  principally  to  the  vast  accumu- 
lation of  moisture  within  the  working 
chambers,  also  to  the  large  moisture  con- 
tent of  natural  gas.  After  a  warming-up 
period,  however,  the  engine  will  run 
smoothly  and  steadily  if  in  good  mechani- 
cal and  electrical  condition.  Nevertheless, 
any  emergency  lighting  system  should  go 
on  immediately  and  generate  steady  light 
in  order  to  give  the  patron  a  reasonable 
sense  of  comfort  and  security.  In  most 
cases  this  condition  cannot  be  guaranteed 
unless  the  theatre  management  makes  sure 
beforehand,  by  systematic  checkup  and 
maintenance  of  all  parts,  that  his  particular 
system  is  in  Al  operating  order. 

To  summarize,  the  main  things  to  re- 
member in  the  systematic  care  and  mainte 
nance  of  all  emergency  lighting  systems 
are  ( 1 )  to  make  sure  that  all  electrical 
connections  are  properly  made  and  are 
solidly  in  place;  (2)  to  see  that  all  moving 
parts  are  clean,  free,  fitting  accurately  and 
mechanically  strong;  (3)  to  keep  the  sur- 
roundings clean  and  properly  ventilated. 

BATTERY  CHARGING 

In  theatres  having  facilities  for  recharg- 
ing their  own  batteries,  certain  procedures 
should  be  followed  that  from  practical  ex- 
perience have  been  found  to  be  the  best. 
In  some  cases,  new  batteries  are  supplied 
that  are  only  "dry-charged" — that  is,  they 
must  be  filled  with  the  proper  solution  of 
electrolyte  and  then  be  charged  electrically 


before  the  actual  installation  in  the  emer- 
gency system. 

The  electrolyte  that  should  be  used  is 
a  solution  of  sulphuric  acid  and  approved 
battery  water.  In  preparing  this  solution, 
use  either  a  lead-lined  tank  or  some  earthen- 
ware or  glass  jar.  Pour  the  water  first 
in  the  vessel  and  then  the  acid.  Use  a 
clean  wooden  paddle  for  mixing  the  solu- 
tion, then  check  the  specific  gravity  with 
an  accurate  hydrometer.  The  reading 
should  be  about  1.345,  depending  on  the 
temperature  of  the  solution. 

Let  this  mixture  cool  for  a  while  and 
check  the  specific  gravity  again.  If  it  is 
not  up  to  standard,  add  water  or  acid  to 
bring  it  up  to  the  correct  proportion. 
Again  mix  the  solution  thoroughly;  if  it 
is  up  to  the  correct  specific  gravity  it  is 
ready  to  be  poured  into  the  batteries.  The 
temperature  of  the  mixture  should  be 
somewhere  between  60°  and  90°  Fahren- 
heit. Before,  pouring  in  the  solution  make 
sure  that  the  plugs  over  the  filler  vents 
are  removed.  Be  very  careful  not  to  over- 
fill the  cells  so  that  solution  spills. 

ASSURING  FULL  CHARGE 

After  the  batteries  are  filled  properly 
with  this  solution,  let  them  stand  for  at 
least  six  hours,  and  about  every  two  hours 
check  the  temperature.  When  the  bat- 
teries are  ready  for  charging,  the  tempera- 
tur  of  the  solution  should  be  about  85° 
Fahrenheit,  or  perhaps  a  little  less.  Before 
throwing  on  the  charging  switch  make  sure 
that  the  positive  or  plus  terminal  of  the 
battery  is  connected  to  the  positive  or  plus 
terminal  of  the  charging  set,  and  the  nega- 
tive or  minus  terminal  to  the  negative  or 
minus  terminal  of  the  charging  source. 
The  batteries  then  should  be  charged  for 
about  20  hours,  or  until  the  specific  gravity 
of  the  solution  stops  rising. 

Care  should  be  taken  that  the  tempera- 
ture of  this  solution  does  not  go  above 
110°  Fahrenheit,  otherwise  the  charging 
must  be  reduced  and  the  time  increased. 
In  case  the  level  of  the  solution  must  be 
raised  with  the  batteries  under  charge,  use 
only  distilled  or  approved  battery  water. 
For  the  batteries  to  be  properly  charged 
the  specific  gravity  should  be  from  1.270 
to  1.290  in  cold  climates,  and  from  1.200 
to  1.255  in  warm. 

In  case  the  specific  gravity  does  not  come 
within  the  above  figures,  the  only  thing  to 
do  is  to  remove  some  of  the  mixture  and 
pour  in  the  proper  amount  of  approved 
battery  water;  after  this,  charge  the  bat- 
teries again  a  short  time  and  make  another 
test  for  the  proper  specific  gravity. 

The  above  procedure  can  be  varied  some- 
what to  suit  particular  needs,  but  it  gives 
a  good  idea  of  how  and  what  should  be 
done  when  charging  batteries.  The  above 
discussion  about  the  care  and  charging  of 
regular  lead  type  batteries  does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  that  these  types  alone  are 
recommended  for  theatre  emergency  light- 
ing systems.  Where  it  is  practical  and 
readily  available,  the  sealed  glass  jar  bat- 
teries should  be  purchased  and  installed  as 
they  are  much  safer  and  more  efficient. 


January    9,     I  943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


73 


A  Simplified  Method  of 
Determining  Floor  Slope 


determination"  of  audi- 
torium floor  pitches  is  a  matter  that  troubles 
many  an  exhibitor,  either  directly  or  in- 
directly. In  order  to  make  it  possible  to 
investigate  floor  slopes  possibilities  it  is 
necessary  to  develop  a  quick  method  of 
calculating  the  sightline  clearances.  After 
many  years  of  study  in  connection  with  this 
problem,  the  writer  has  noted  that  a  slope 
may  be  designed  accurately,  so  to  give  con- 
sistent clearances  for  each  row,  by  using  a 
controlled  changing  rate  of  slope.  The  ac- 
companying diagram  is  a  study  of  this  type. 
The  floor  slope  indicated  is  not  necessarily 
a  recommended  one,  but  it  is  a  true  de- 
velopment, mathematically,  of  a  one-row 
clearance  slope. 

One-row  clearance  is  understood  to  in- 
dicate that  the  patron  is  to  see  over  the 
head  of  a  patron  seated  directly  in  front 
in  the  row  immediately  ahead.  The  bot- 
tom of  the  screen  is  placed  64  inches  above 
datum,  an  average  distance  in  accordance 
with  recent  surveys.  These  assumptions 
are  the  least  complicated  and  are  presented 
this  way  only  to  show  the  development  of 
a  floor  slope.  Staggered  seating  and  com- 
pound floor  curves  must  later  be  consid- 
ered in  the  final  calculations,  but  these  ad- 
ditional factors  will  not  alter  the  method 
of  design. 

A  considerable  amount  of  calculation 
has  to  be  made  in  this  and  other  studies, 
but  these  only  have  to  be  done  a  first  time, 


and  if  the  method  is  successful  a  floor 
slope  can  be  designed  in  minutes  instead 
of  hours.    The  procedure  is  as  follows: 

First :  The  amount  of  slope  for  each  row 
must  be  calculated  by  the  arithmetical 
method  as  hereinafter  explained. 

Second:  The  amount  by  which  the  slope 
for  each  row  increases  or  decreases  is  ob- 
served. For  example  in  the  diagram  the 
slope  from  row  1  to  row  2  is  2.29  inches,  the 
slope  from  row  2  to  row  3  is  2.85  inches. 
The  rate  by  which  the  slope  increased  for 
the  second  slope  over  the  first  is  .56  inches. 
From  the  third  slope  to  the  second,  how- 
ever, the  increase  is  only  .50  inches.  Note 
that  while  the  amount  of  rise  for  each  row 
increases  as  the  distance  from  the  screen 
increases,  the  difference  in  rate  of  incline 
decreases  in  the  same  direction.  This  follows 
a  consistent  pattern  and  develops  this  way 
because  the  point  of  vision  at  the  screen  is 
fixed  for  all  the  rows,  while  other  factors 
vary. 

In  the  case  of  the  study  made  in  the 
diagram  the  sightline  clearances  were  de- 
termined for  the  first,  second  and  third 
rows,  etc.  The  slope  from  the  first  to  sec- 
ond row  was  arrived  at  as  follows: 

A — The  head  in  the  first  row  is  224 
inches  from  the  screen.  B — The  eye  of 
the  head  of  the  first  row  is  44  inches  above 
datum.  C — The  top  of  the  head  is  48.5 
inches  (4.5  inches  from  the  eye  to  top  of 
the  head  is  average)  from  the  floor.  D — 


By 

BEN  SCHLANGER 


The  bottom  of  the  screen  is  64  inches  above 
datum.  E — From  the  top  of  the  head  to 
the  bottom  of  the  screen  is  15.5  inches  (64 
inches  minus  48.5  inches  equals  15.5 
inches).  F — The  rate  of  slope  of  the  line 
formed  from  the  bottom  of  the  screen  to 
the  top  of  the  head  in  the  first  row  will 
be  used  to  locate  the  eye  of  person  in  the 
second  row  thereby  determining  the  first 
slope.  G — If  the  sloping  line  in  question 
drops  15.5  inches  in  224  inches  it  drops 
.069  inch  in  one  inch.  H — If  you  multiply 
.069  inch  by  32  inches  (the  back-to-back 
row  measurement)  you  locate  the  level  of 
the  eye  in  question.  This  multiplication 
gives  2.2  inches  as  an  answer.  Add  this 
figure  to  15.5  inches  and  you  have  17.7 
inches,  which  is  the  distance  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  screen  to  the  eye  of  the  patron 
in  the  second  row.   Add  44  inches  (See 


24     23     22    21      20  Y3 


FLOOR  LEVEL  AT  EACH  ROW 
AMOUNT  OF  RISE  FROM  ROW  AHEAD 
DIFFERENCE  IN  RATE  OF  SLOPE 
ROW  NO. 


FLOOR  SLOPE  "A" 


NOTE  :  All  D!MENS/0\S  GlViN  IN  INCHES  AND  DECIMAL  /"A/ITS  OF  AN  INCH. 


Illustrating  Method  of  Calculating  Auditorium  Floor  Pitches 


74 


BETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


B)  to  this  latter  figure  and  you  have  61.71 
inches,  or  the  distance  from  the  bottom  of 
the  screen  image  to  a  point  on  a  level 
with  the  floor  at  the  second  row.  / — 
Therefore  the  floor  at  the  second  row  is 
2.29  inches  above  datum,  because  64  inches 
minus  61.71  inches  equals  2.29  inches. 

The  same  procedure  was  followed  to 
determine  the  slopes  of  remaining  rows. 

The  process  is  lengthy  but  accurate,  and 
should  only  be  used  to  determine  the  short 
cut  methods  proposed. 

Note  that  the  difference  in  the  rate  of 
slope  does  not  diminish  uniformly  and  that 
these  differences  would  plot  a  curve  just 
as  the  floor  slope  itself  does  in  all  cases. 

The  diagram  shows  the  calculations  car- 
ried out  to  24  rows.  The  same  procedure 
would  follow  for  a  greater  number  of 
rows  and  different  slope  characteristics  to 
note  the  behavior  of  this  changing  rate. 
The  rate  may  change  from  a  half-inch  in- 
crease in  the  first  row,  to  about  1/10-inch 
increase  for  the  30th  row. 

The  changing  rate  of  slope  in  the  dia- 
gram should  not  be  used  as  yet  for  cal- 
culating slopes.  It  illustrates  a  method. 
Subsequent  articles  will  illustrate  usable 
schedules  of  differences  in  rate  of  slope. 

Proof  of  the  accuracy  of  these  schedules 
can  be  ascertained  by  checking  any  op- 
tional row.  Slope  A  is  desirable  only  in 
that  it  affords  one-row  clearance.  It  is  not 
practical  since  the  difference  in  levels  from 
row  to  row  would  require  steps,  though 
it  locates  a  good  part  of  the  viewing  posi- 
tions in  the  A-sub-2  desirable  area  (as  re- 
ferred to  in  the  article  in  the  December 
12th  issue).  Note  also  the  large  A-sub-2 
area  wasted  below  the  eye  line  in  the  rear 
half  of  the  seating.  Both  the  aforemen- 
tioned facts  would  be  even  more  apparent 
as  the  seating  depth  increased. 

Slope  A  is  undesirable  also  because  it 
requires  considerable  ground  excavation 
and  creates  difficult  design  in  negotiating 
the  differences  in  the  levels  of  the  exits 
near  the  screen  and  the  exterior  ground 
at  these  positions.  If  possible  there  should 
be  no  slope  per  row  greater  than  3  inches 
for  main  floor  seating.  Any  slope  greater 
than  this  requires  steppings,  which  are 
hazardous.  Note  that  slope  A  is  138.34 
inches  in  24  rows.  Very  few  theatres  have 
used  such  a  strong  slope,  for  obvious  rea- 
sons ;  yet  if  they  do  not  make  use  of  stag- 
gered seating,  any  slope  of  lesser  amount 
results  in  obstruction  of  view  of  the  screen. 
The  figures  for  slope  A  reveal  a  true  pic- 
ture of  a  fully  downward  floor  slope  as  it 
would  have  to  be  for  one-row  clearances. 
Slopes  in  most  theatres  have  been  less  than 
half  this  amount  without  the  use  of  stag- 
gered seating.  This  accounts  for  the  poor 
sightline  conditions  commonly  found,  and 
also  illustrates  why  the  development  of 
some  form  of  "reverse"  floor  becomes  a 
logical  solution  to  this  problem. 

Now  it  becomes  desirable  to  flatten  the 
curve  of  floor  slope  A.  This  is  accom- 
plished by  a  slightly  higher  screen  position 
and  the  introduction  of  staggered  seating, 
and  a  partial  "reverse"  floor  where  pos- 
sible.  There  is  also  the  possibility  of  re- 


ducing the  slope  by  introducing  controlled 
and  unobjectionable  amounts  of  obstruc- 
tion of  certain  areas  of  the  picture.  It  is 
because  of  all  these  modifying  conditions 
which  must  be  introduced  for  practical 
floor  slope  design,  that  a  fixed  single  for- 


theatres.  All  the  cooling  installations  in 
these  theatres  were  done  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Designing-Supervising  Engineer 
who  then  led  a  Dr.  Jekyl  and  Mr.  Hyde 
existence ;  finding  the  faults  of  his  designs 
during  his  field  work  and  striving  to  im- 
prove his  design  so  that  he  couldn't  find 
any  faults  with  himself  in  the  field.  With 
a  trained  crew  of  installation  foremen  and 
operating  along  lines  followed  during  the 
experiment,  the  cooling  costs  were  reduced 
to  $9.07  per  seat. 

The  design  of  the  900-  and  422-seat 
theatres  constructed  during  the  WPA  era 
included  complete  all-around  air-condition- 
ing— that  is,  heating,  cooling,  ventilation, 
humidity  control  and  air  filtering  with 
engineered  air  distribution.  These  systems 
are  completely  automatic,  and  all  opera- 
tion is  controlled  by  the  fan  push  button 
in  the  manager's  office.  Whereas  the  basic 
design  and  air  distribution  were  standard, 
the  complementary  parts  were  varied  in 
accordance  with  local  conditions.  Boilers 
were  specified  for  the  types  of  fuel  avail- 
able, with  the  cooling  equipment  dependent 
upon  availability  of  condensing  water,  well 
water  and  outside  temperature  and  hu- 
midity conditions. 

At  Fort  Snelling  an  abandoned  well, 
about  500  feet  back  of  the  theatre  showed 
by  tests  during  the  month  of  August  to 
be  flowing  425  gallons  per  minute  of  42° 
water.  The  well  was  capped,  a  pump  in- 
stalled next  to  it,  and  250  g.p.m.  of  this 
water  were  automatically  pumped  through 
cooling  coils  at  the  theatre  and  found  to 
be  more  than  ample  for  all  peak  loads  of 
people,  and  outside  dry  and  wet  bulb  tem- 
peratures. 

At  Fort  Moultrie,  South  Carolina, 
available  water  for  condensing  purposes 
ran  as  high  as  105°  during  the  summer 
and  to  meet  this  situation  an  evaporative 
condenser  was  used. 

At  Fort  Benning,  Georgia,  the  largest 
installation  in  the  country  at  that  time  of 
Freon  water  coolers  was  made.  One  hun- 
dred and  thirty  horsepower  of  electric  re- 
frigeration, consisting  of  two  40-horse- 
power  and  two  25-horsepower  refrigeration 
condensing  units  connected  to  their  re- 
spective water  coolers,  were  so  controlled 
that  the  cold  water  pumped  to  the  air 


WAGNER  COMPLETE 
LOBBY    DISPLAY  UNIT 

Colorful  beauty  —  smashing  display.  One  nnit 
holds  3  lines  of  PLASTIC  Translucent  Colored 
Letters.    Send  for  literature. 

WAGNER  SIGN  SERVICE,  Inc. 

218  S.  Hoyne  Ave.,  Chicago 


mula  cannot  properly  be  used  in  calculat- 
ing slopes  for  all  theatres. 

This  changing  rate  of  slope  method  can 
be  made  to  reflect  the  factor  of  tolerable 
obstruction,  and  can  also  be  used  to  design 
the  proper  pitch  for  upper  level  seating. 


cooling  coils  was  kept  to  within  1°  of  the 
designed  water  cooling  temperature. 

By  the  use  of  automatic  modulating 
dampers,  the  inside  temperature  was  main- 
tained to  within  1°  of  the  inside  tempera- 
ture, as  set  by  the  outside  temperature  con- 
troller. 

Briefly  described,  in  the  900-seat  theatre, 
all  machines  including  boiler  are  installed 
in  an  annex  built  at  the  rear  of  the  build- 
ing separated  from  the  stage  by  a  solid 
brick  wall,  and  the  air  supply  ducts  enter 
the  auditorium  under  the  stage,  rising  up 
to  and  running  along  the  length  of  the 
auditorium  ceiling.  [See  Illustration  10.] 
This  duct  is  architecturally  treated  and 
the  specially  designed  grilles  inject  the  air 
into  the  auditorium  from  both  sides  of 
the  duct.  The  air  is  exhausted  or  recircu- 
lated through  grilles  under  the  stadium 
seats,  in  the  crosswalk  partition  and  side 
walls.  The  portion  of  air  to  be  completely 
exhausted  from  the  building  for  replace- 
ment by  outside  air  is  first  used  to  semi- 
cool  the  lounges  and  toilet  rooms  built 
under  the  stadium  seating  area  [before  be- 
ing exhausted  to  the  outside]. 

The  Service  is  quite  proud  of  the  design 
of  the  air-conditioning  system  of  its  422- 
seat  theatre  [See  Illustrations  11  and  12]. 
The  proportions  of  the  auditorium  indica- 
ted immediately  that  a  rear-wall  grille  sup- 
ply as  was  used  in  the  Fort  Meade  experi- 
ment would  fit  exactly.  To  eliminate  the 
duct  run  from  the  stage  end  to  the  rear 
auditorium,  it  was  decided  to  move  all  the 
equipment,  blower,  coils,  filters  and  re- 
frigerating units  to  the  projection  room 
end  of  the  theatre.  In  the  attic  space  above 
the  projection  room,  the  supply  blower,  coil 
and  filter  banks  were  placed  with  fresh  air 
intakes  and  recirculating  ducts ;  a  room  ad- 
joining the  projection  room  was  used  for 
the  refrigerating  condensing  units.  The 
duct  work  was  cut  to  a  minimum. 

As  the  work  progressed,  attention  was 
again  turned  to  the  398-  and  574-seat 
houses.  The  Fort  Meade  and  422-seat 
theatres  proved  that  the  modernization 
costs  could  be  reduced  if  the  long  duct 
run  from  stage  to  rear  wall  could  be 
eliminated.  Again  it  was  decided  to  ex- 
periment. Another  theatre  exactly  like 
Fort  Meade's  574-seater  was  used,  and 
this  time  the  two  proscenium  grilles  were 
removed  and  plates  having  three  wall  type 
Anemostats  in  each  inserted  in  place.  It 
was  found  that  when  using  the  wall  plates 
only,  the  temperature  throughout  the  seat- 
ing area  during  cooling  operation  varied 
only  within  one  degree  and  a*  no  seat  were 
there  any  drafts. 


U.  S.  ARMY  THEATRE  AIR-CONDITIONING 

{Continued  from  page  65) 


January    9,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


75 


You  can  obtain  maximum  efficiency  and  economy  from 
your  \  ictory  Carbons  by  observing  the  following  simple 
rules. 

USE  CARBON  TRIM  RECOMMENDED  FOR  YOUR  PROJECTION  EQUIPMENT. 

The  ^  ictory  Carbon  trims  indicated  in  the  above  table 
were  established  by  comprehensive  laboratory  and  field 
tests  to  ascertain  the  best  results  obtainable  in  all  tvpes 
of  equipment. 

OPERATE  CARBONS  AT  SPECIFIED  ARC  CURRENT, 

Better  projection  and  greater  economy  are  obtained 
when  recommended  arc  currents  are  maintained.  The 
maximum  allowable  arc  current  is  stamped  on  each 
^  ictory  Carbon  at  the  left  of  the  trade-mark. 

CHECK  FEED  RATIO  CAREFULLY. 

Changes  of  arc  current  alter  the  ratio  of  burning  rate  be- 


tween positive  and  negative  carbons.  On  lamps  equipped 
with  adjustable  feed  and  formerlv  operated  above  45 
amperes  arc  current,  this  ratio  should  be  adjusted  to 
meet  the  new  current  conditions. 

A  bulletin  describing  operation  of  the  new  ^  ictory  High 
Intensitv  Carbons  is  available  for  distribution  and  will 
be  sent  promptly  upon  request. 


SAVE 


T 


E 


C    0    P    P  E 


Most  of  the  copper  used  for  plating  copper  coated 
projector  carbons  drops  to  the  floor  of  the  lamp  house 
when  the  carbons  are  burned.  Continue  to  save  these 
copper  drippings  and  turn  them  over  to  your  supply 
dealer  as  designated  by  our  sovernment. 


NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 


H3 


Carbon  Sales  Division,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

GENERAL  OFFICES 
30  East  A2nd  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

BRANCH  SALES  OFFICES 
New  York,  Pittsburgh,  Chicegc,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco 


76 


BETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


IN  TIMES  LIKE  THESE  keeping  your 
equipment  in  tip-top  condition  is 
more  important  than  ever !  Guard 
against  a  dark  house  and  lost  box- 
office  by  calling  on  RCA's  Nation- 
wide Service  Organization  for 
periodic  check-ups.  Remember,  it's 
far  better  to  prevent  breakdowns 
than  to  fix  breakdowns  ! 

Only  RCA  Theatre  Service 
Offers  You  AH  These  Advantages ! 

•  Frequent,  scheduled  check-ups 

•  Prompt  emergency  service 

•  Sound  and  projection  parts 

•  RCA  Magicote  Lens  Service 

•  Laboratory,  engineering  and  manufactur- 
ing coordination 

•  Projection  engineering  service 

•  Acoustic  engineering  service 

•  Emergency  portable  sound  system 

•  Emergency  parts  stocks 


THEATRE 
SERVICE 


PHOTOPHONE  DIVISION 

RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  Inc.,  Camden,  N.  i. 
A  Service  of  the  Radio  Corporation  of  America 
In  Canada:  RCA  Victor  Company,  Ltd.,  Montreal 


BUY  U.  S.  WAR  BONDS  REGULARLY 


SUPER-LITE  LENSES 
PRO-JEX  SOUND  UNITS 

It  pays  to  install  the  best- 
Your  patrons  wil 
appreciate 
it! 


F.  H.  RICHARDSON'S 

COMMENT  on  PROJECTION 


F.  H.  R. 


Are  You  a  Projectionist?— 
In  Case  the  Army  Asks 

last  month  a  chap  from 
Sleepy  Eye,  Wis.,  wrote  asking  what  was 
meant  by  "a  licensed  projectionist,"  stating 
that  he  wanted  to  go  in  the  army  but 
wished  to  follow  his  own  profession  if  pos- 
sible. It  seems  he 
was  repeatedly  asked 
for  his  license.  Re- 
cently the  twenty- 
second  and  twenty- 
third  annual  reports 
of  the  State  Board 
of  Electricians  of 
the  State  of  North 
Dakota  were  sent  to 
me.  I  believe  this 
book  rather  fully 
tells  what  a  licensed 
projectionist  is.  In 

brief  then,  according  to  this  report  and 
the  report  of  a  Dakota  projectionist,  a 
licensed  projectionist  must  meet  the  follow- 
ing requirements : 

( 1 )  Have  two  years  of  apprenticeship 
under  a  licensed  man  or  men.  He  must 
register  with  the  board  at  the  start  and  it 
keeps  watch  over  him.  No  pay  is  con- 
nected with  this  apprenticeship. 

(2)  Apprenticeship  consists  of  study  and 
work  in  a  projection  room  the  equivalent 
of  one  shift  (about  20  to  25  hours  per 
week).  This  is  based  upon  small  town 
operating  hours. 

(3)  At  completion  of  apprenticeship,  an 
apprentice  applies  to  the  board  for  a  li- 
cense. The  board  then  writes  or  calls  upon 
his  reference,  who  will  be  a  licensed  man 
or  men.  Then  an  examination  is  given 
and  if  the  apprentice  passes  he  is  "in." 

The  license  laws  covering  both  theatres 
and  projectionists  cover  all  projectionists 
and  equipment,  both  16-mm.  and  35-mm., 
in  theatres,  halls  or  any  other  place  that 
shows  motion  pictures. 

I  give  you  this  so  any  projectionist  join- 
ing the  army  from  a  state  where  no  such 
procedure  is  followed  will  know  what  it 
is  all  about.  I  believe  any  projectionist 
with  as  many  years  of  experience  as  the 
brother  from  Sleepy  Eye  has  had  would 
only  have  to  apply  to  his  state  board  for 
an  examination  and  pay  the  fees  involved 
to  be  given  a  license.  It  is  worth  a  try, 
anyway. 

Reviewing  Causes  of 
Hum  on  Power  Line 

A  soldier  projectionist  in 
the  West  asks,  "Can  you  tell  me  briefly 
what  causes  a  hum  on  my  power  line?  I 
have  read  some  of  your  articles  in  Better 
Theatres  and   have   profited   by  them. 


One  of  my  friends  told  me  you  would  be 
glad  to  help  me  out." 

Well,  soldier,  your  letter  certainly  is 
short  and  sweet.  You  do  not  give  me 
much  to  go  by,  but  hum  at  the  frequency 
of  the  power  line  is  generally  caused  by 
one  or  all  of  three  conditions.  A  defective 
rectifier  tube  will  do  it.  If  either  tube 
of  a  full-wave  pair  burns  out,  or  if  the 
emission  in  either  tube  declines  so  far  that 
the  tube  is  practically  useless  and  the  rec- 
tifier is  a  half-wave  rectifier,  hum  would 
probably  result.  The  "brute  force"  filter, 
which  was  designed  for  a  full-wave  output, 
is  not  capable  of  smoothing  the  heavier 
ripple  of  a  half-wave  rectifier.  This  con- 
dition would  also  show  up  in  substantially 
lower  plate  current,  however,  and  therefore 
in  lower  volume  and  would  not  escape 
detection  for  any  length  of  time. 

A  sloppy  job  of  repairing  which  happens 
now  and  then  when  a  man  is  in  a  hurry 
can  also  result  in  amplifier  hum.  Never 
place  the  wires  of  a  sensitive  sound  circuit 
in  close  inductive  relation  to  an  a.c.  line, 
or  to  wires  carrying  the  unfiltered  output 
of  a  rectifier.  Amplifier  wiring  is  always 
planned  to  prevent  inductive  hum,  and  if 
it  should  be  disturbed  for  any  reason  what- 
soever it  must  be  replaced  exactly  as  the 
manufacturer  originally  placed  it. 

An  occasional  cause  of  hum  can  be 
traced  to  a  temporary  defect  in  the  power 
transformer  or  to  the  choke  coils  of  the 
"brute  force"  filter  circuit.  The  cores  of 
those  parts  are  not  solid  pieces  of  iron,  but 
are  composed  of  a  great  many  thin  iron 
plates  called  laminations.  These  lamina- 
tions are  held  rigidly  together  by  nuts  and 
bolts  or  rivets.  If  a  bolt  or  rivet  should 
loosen,  vibration  in  resonance  with  the  fre- 
quency of  the  circuit  will  result.  Such 
vibration  increases  the  ripple  in  the  recti- 
fier output  to  a  point'  where  the  filter 
cannot  remove  all  of  it.  Of  course,  simply 
tightening  the  nuts  and  bolts  or  rivets  will 
remove  a  hum  arising  from  this  cause. 

Takes  Care,  It  Seems 

To  Make  Tape  Idea  Work 

letters  still  come  in 
concerning  the  use  of  tape  on  the  reel  to 
aid  film  conservation.  In  defense  of  his 
idea,  Brother  Dunkelberger  writes,  "A 
chap  dropped  in  to  see  me  about  a  week 
ago.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  met 
him.  We  men  up  here  are  all  on  good 
terms,  I.A.  or  not,  and  visiting  back  and 
forth  is  not  unusual. 

"The  first  thing  this  fellow  said  was, 
'I  owe  you  an  apology.'  Well,  of  course 
I  did  not  get  what  he  meant  until  he  ex- 
plained. It  seems  his  manager  had  seen 
the  article  about  wrapping  the  reel  hub 
with  tape  and  he  had  brought  it  up  and 
tossed  it  cn  the  work  bench  for  my  visitor, 


A  TRY-OUT  WILL 

!  S!!> ! 

in  I 

CONVINCE  YOU 

Projection  Optics?,? 

330  LYELL  AVE.,      ROCHESTER,  N.Y.,  U.S.A. 

January    9,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


77 


SAVE  THAT  CARBON   COPPER  —  and  turn  it  in! 


Wm 


YOU     KEEP  YOUR 


PRESENT  EQUIPMENT 


B  N 


SERVICE 


..until  that  time  when  you  can  purchase 

PROJECTION  LAMPS 


NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY  COMPANY 

"THERE'S  A  BRANCH  NEAR  YOU" 


the  projectionist,  to  read,  saying,  'Let's  do 
it.'  Such  a  suggestion  coming  from  a  man- 
ager is,  of  course,  an  order  and  my  new 
friend  tried  it. 

"The  first  couple  of  times  he  used  the 
reels  in  the  'takeup'  magazine  he  was 
sloppy  and  did  not  have  the  tension  right 
(he'd  left  the  film  to  the  lower  reel  slack) 
and  the  film  came  off  the  reel  and  snarled 
and  tangled  in  the  soundhead.  Well,  he 
said,  there  really  was  no  alibi.  He  just 
proceeded  to  thread  up  'as  usual'  and 
checked  his  tension  and  the  takeup  reel 
as  he  should  have  done  before  and  after 
that  he  had  no  trouble  at  all. 

"I  imagine  that  is  probably  the  reason 
for  some  of  the  letters  you  have  been  re- 
ceiving lately.  The  work  suggested  was 
not  properly  done.  Personally,  I  have  had 
absolutely  no  trouble  at  all  with  it  even 
though  I  have  had  the  same  tape  on  for 
over  a  year.  The  trick  is  just  in  getting 
used  to  it  and  doing  it  right." 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  fact  that  Brother 
Dunkelberger  has  used  the  same  tape  for 
over  a  year  and  has  experienced  no  trouble, 
proves  his  'stunt'  to  be  a  good  one,  and 
certainly  it  does  save  film. 

Happy  Result  of 
An  Unpleasant  Visit 

A  letter  comes  from  a 
man  out  in  Iowa  who  says,  "Dear  Mr. 
Richardson :  I  feel  sure  you  will  not  re- 
member me,  but  if  you  do  I  prefer  you 
do  not  use  my  name.  I  therefore  shall 
simply  sign  this,  Yours  for  Better  Pro- 
jection. 

"Some  years  ago  you  visited  a  theatre 
in  which  I  was  working.  At  that  time 
I  felt  all  this  talk  about  'Better  Projection 
Pays'  was  just  something  to  fill  up  space. 
The  evening  you  stopped  in  I  had  been 
'hitting  the  bottle'  a  bit  before  I  went  on 
shift  and  I  threaded  the  film  in  upside 
down.  About  two  minutes  later  you  ar- 
rived in  the  room  and  believe  me,  brother, 
you  gave  me  the  most  thorough  bawling 
out  it  has  ever  been  my  misfortune  to  de- 
serve. Among  other  things  you  told  me 
I  should  be  out  driving  a  truck  instead 
of  where  I  was.  I  was  pretty  hot  under 
the  collar  and  could  have  cheerfully 
knocked  your  block  off  (only  you  were  too 
big  for  me). 

"I  still  don't  know  how  I  muddled 
through  that  performance,  but  by  the  end 
of  it  I  had  cooled  off,  sobered  up  and 
started  to  think.  I  was  thoroughly  ashamed 
of  myself  and  I  didn't  wait  for  the  boss, 
but  went  to  him  and  quit  on  the  spot  (for 
which  he  was  probably  duly  grateful). 
The  more  I  thought  about  what  you  had 
said  to  me  the  more  I  realized  what  a 
washout  I  was  and  I  decided  that  never 
again  would  any  man  ever  have  the  op- 
portunity of  'telling  me  off'  as  you  had. 
I  knew  I  wasn't  really  capable  of  handling 
the  equipment  in  a  projection  room  as  it 
should  be  handled  and  I  resolved  not  to 
try  to  do  so  until  I  had  become  proficient. 

"You  had  told  me  I  should  be  driving  I 


HEY  WOOD-WAKEFIELD 

VICTORY 

A  real  theatre  man's  chair 


THEATRE 
SOUND 
PROJECTORS 

Built  to  Last 


THEATRE 
SOUND 
SYSTEMS 

Richer  Sound 


DE  VRY  CORPORATION.  1 1 1 1  Armitage  Ave.,  Chicago,  III. 

This  Is  Our  29th  Successful  Year  


78 


BETTER  THEATRES 


January    9,  1943 


White  Christmas  or  dirty-brown,  there's  a  party  a  day  or  two  before  at  Oscar  Neu's  Neumade  Prod- 
ucts establishment  in  New  York.  Sometime  between  5  p.  m.  and  2  a.  m.  our  staff  photographer  shot 
this  one  of  the  genial  host  himself,  all  ears  for  Miss  Phyllis  Sleeman,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  SMPE 
office  in  the  absence  of  Sylvan  Harris;  while  her  assistant,  Miss  Helen  MacLean;  "Pete"  Streuber, 
export   manager   of   NTS,   and    A.   E.    Meyer,   sales   manager   of   International    Projector,    look  on. 


a  truck.  Well,  Mr.  Richardson,  that  is 
just  what  I  finally  had  to  resort  to  in 
order  to  get  three  meals  a  day.  I  cut  out 
drinking  altogether  and  it  has  now  been 
some  seven  years  since  I  have  even  had 
so  much  as  a  glass  of  beer.  Needless  to 
say  I  didn't  much  fancy  driving  a  truck, 
especially  since  it  was  winter,  and  in  that 
part  of  the  country  that  means  darned  cold 
weather.  I  stuck  it  out,  however,  but  I 
also  bought  all  the  books  I  could  find  which 
pertained  to  projection  of  motion  pictures 
and  at  night  I  really  studied  them.  I 
found  that  of  all  the  books  I  accumulated, 
your  Bluebook  taught  me  more,  so  I  went 
through  it  until  it  was  practically  worn 
out.  I  believe  today  I  could  actually  re- 
cite half  the  book  without  opening  a  cover 
— and  I  didn't  learn  it  by  heart,  I  learner! 
it  by  head.  Also  I  procured  an  old  pro- 
jector which  was  practically  falling  apart. 
I  spent  many  an  hour  experimenting  with 
this  and  using  it  in  conjunction  with  my 
Bluebook  lessons.  There  were  two  things 
I  had  set  myself  to  do,  and  do  them  I  did. 
One  was  to  learn  all  I  could  about  the 
work  I  wanted  to  do,  and  the  other  was 
to  make  sure  I  could  let  the  bottle  alone. 

"Today  I  have  a  dandy  position  in  as 
nice  a  little  theatre  as  there  is  in  the 
country  (or  so  I  think).  My  equipment 
is  in  A-l  condition  and  I  am  on  the  job 
every  minute  I  am  on  duty.  My  boss 
appreciates  my  work  and  all  I  have  to  do 
is  tell  him  what  I  need  or  suggest  changes 
and  they  are  taken  care  of  as  soon  as 
possible. 

"I  thought  I  owed  you  this  letter  in  ap- 
preciation of  the  fact  you  have  changed  my 
entire  life  for  me  and  made  it  something 
to  really  enjoy,  and  believe  me,  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson, if  there  is  ever  anything  I  can  do 
in  return  for  you  or  yours  I  will  consider 
it  a  great  privilege  to  do  so.  The  tongue 
lashing  you  gave  me  that  night  was  the 


best  present  I  have  ever  received  in  my  life." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  I  do  remember  going 
up  into  that  projection  room  though  I 
cannot  recall  just  where  it  was.  I  am 
happy  to  be  able  now  to  offer  my  sincere 
congratulations  to  this  chap. 

Recruit  New  Projectionist 
Within  or  Outside  Theatres? 

"dear  dad,"  writes  Fred 
M.  Richardson,  a  projectionist  now  in  the 
Army,  "I  have  noticed  that  you  receive 
many  letters  from  various  youngsters  and 
some  oldsters  who  want  to  get  into  pro- 
jection though  they  have  had  little  or  no 
training.  It  would  seem  to  me  to  be  much 
more  fair  and  advisable  to  take  care  of 
the  many  within  our  own  ranks  first.  By 
this  I  mean  the  many  hundreds  of  stage 
mechanics.  These  Tost  souls'  have  been 
having  a  mighty  tough  time  of  it  ever  since 
the  advent  of  sound  pictures. 

It  has  not  been  so  many  years  back  that 
requests  to  learn  the  profession  of  projec- 
tion came  very  few  and  far  between.  The 
reason  for  this  was  made  up  of  many 
things.  We  were  only  'operators'  of  a 
machine  or  machines  working  in  small, 
poorly  ventilated  'booths.'  Our  places  of 
business  had  very  few  conveniences  and  in 
a  great  many  instances  none  at  all.  Work- 
ing conditions  were  poor  in  every  sense. 
Very  often  we  were  forced  to  carry  heavy 
film  to  and  from  exchanges  and  in  some 
cases  we  had  to  do  extra  work  on  the  stage, 
which  meant  a  good  many  stairs  to  climb 
and  descend  plus  the  extra  work.  Home 
life  was  scarcely  known  to  us.  Our  pay 
was  poor.  There  was  absolutely  no  glory 
or  recognition  or  good  work  given  us. 

"Nowadays  conditions  are  entirely  dif- 
ferent. We  are  (thanks  to  you)  termed 
projectionists.    Our  work  has  been  digni- 


fied by  becoming  a  'profession'  instead  of 
a  job.  Our  projection  rooms  are  a  far 
cry  from  the  old  hole-in-the-wall  type. 
They  are  equipped  with  many  con- 
veniences. We  no  longer  carry  film,  nor 
are  we  forced  to  work  on  the  stage.  Our 
compensation  has  reached  a  much  higher 
level  (on  the  whole)  and  our  working 
hours  have  been  greatly  shortened  so  that 
we  may  enjoy  a  home  life  which  permits 
us  to  recognize  our  wives  and  children 
when  we  see  them. 

"Because  of  these  changed  conditions 
everybody  and  his  brother  wants  to  join 
our  ranks.  It  does  seem  to  me  the  least 
we  can  do  is  to  take  in  our  nearest  labor 
relatives,  who  happen  to  be  the  stage  me- 
chanics, and  then  after  these  men  have  been 
taken  care  of  we  can  look  to  the  outside." 

I  can  see  the  point ;  but  the  fact  that 
a  man  is  a  stagehand  does  not  necessarily 
mean  he  will  make  a  good  projectionist. 
Personally,  I  believe  we  should  recruit  new 
men  from  among  those  who  prove  they 
have  a  real  interest  in  our  work  and  who 
are  willing  to  study  hard  to  perfect  them- 
selves no  matter  what  walk  in  life  they 
originate  from. 

It  is  only  natural  that  more  people 
would  wish  to  become  projectionists  be- 
cause of  the  very  reasons  Brother  Richard- 
son has  advanced.  Every  man  wishes  to 
place  himself  in  a  position  which  is  looked 
up  to,  not  down  on,  and  there  certainly 
was  not  much  to  attract  worthy  young  men 
to  our  field  in  the  old  days. 


Index  of  ADVERTISERS 
in   BETTER  THEATRES 

American  Pop  Corn  Co   70 

Artkraft  Sign  Co.,  The   68 

Automatic  Devices  Co   70 

Baldor  Electric  Co   68 

Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co   72 

Brenkert  Light  Projection  Co   60 

Dayton  Safety  Ladder  Co.,  The   69 

DeVry  Corp   77 

Formica  Insulation  Co.,  The   67 

General  Electric  Co   59 

Goldberg  Bros  72-77 

Heywood-Wakefield  Co   77 

Ideal  Seating  Co   70 

LaVezzi  Machine  Works   68 

Motiograph,  Inc                               .  71 

National  Carbon  Co.,  Inc   75 

National  Theatre  Supply  Co  71-77 

Projection  Optics  Co.,  Inc..  .  ,   76 

RCA  Manufacturing  Co.,  Inc  58,  76 

S.O.S.  Cinema  Supply  Corp   69 

Strong  Electric  Corp.,  The   69 

Union  Carbide  &  Carbon  Corp   75 

Wagner  Sign  Service,  Inc   74 

Wenzel  Projector  Co.,  The.  .  .  .  v   70 


January    V ,     I  94  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


 RELEASE  CHART 

SHOWMEN'S  REVIEWS 


The  Immortal  Sergeant 

(Twentieth  Century-Fox) 
Patrol  Action  in  Libya 

Through  a  reconnaissance  patrol  of  fourteen 
men,  quickly  reduced  to  six  by  a  strafing  at- 
tack, Lamar  Trotti  has  told  a  stirring  story  of 
desert  warfare.  Translating  to  the  screen  the 
novel  by  John  Brophy,  he  has  stressed  sim- 
plicity and  sincerity  in  character  and  back- 
ground and  achieved  a  broad  and  effective  pic- 
ture of  the  nature  of  war  and  of  men. 

It  is  the  story,  primarily,  of  the  fighting  spirit 
of  a  battle-hardened  sergeant  and  its  transmis- 
mission  to  a  timid,  self-effacing  corporal.  The 
sergeant,  played  with  conviction  and  relish  by 
Thomas  Mitchell,  leads  the  small  group  out  into 
a  desert  no-man's-land  and,  although  he  fails  to 
survive  the  second  attack,  guides  the  three  sur- 
vivors back  with  a  mission  accomplished.  For 
the  corporal,  played  with  equal  strength  by 
Henry  Fonda,  the  experience  produces  emotion- 
al maturity.  His  old  inability  to  assert  him- 
self and  accept  responsibility  is  cast  off  in  the 
face  of  desert  privation,  sand  storms  and  a  "Jer- 
ry" guard  at  the  water  hole.  The  girl  (Mau- 
reen O'Hara),  to  whom  he  has  never  declared 
his  love,  although  memories  of  her  haunt  the 
long  desert  hours,  is  his  for  the  asking. 

John  Stahl  has  directed  the  film  with  taste 
and  sharpness,  calling  forth  excellent  perform- 
ances from  the  supporting  cast,  including  Al- 
lyn  Joslyn,  Reginald  Gardiner,  Melville  Cooper, 
Morton  Lowry  and  Bramwell  Fletcher. 

The  background  of  Libyan  warfare  is  a  time- 
ly one,  but  the  theme  and  treatment  have  been 
combined  to  make  a  picture  that  will  stand  on 
its  own  merits. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room.  Re- 
viewer's Rating  :  Good. — E.  A.  Cunningham. 

Release  date,  January  29,  1943.  Running  time,  91 
min.   PCA  No.  8853.   General  audience  classification. 

Corporal  Colin  Spence  Henry  Fonda 

Sergeant  Kelly  Thomas  Mitchell 

Valentine   Maureen  O'Hara 

Allyn  Joslyn.  Reginald  Gardiner,  Melville  Cooper, 
Bramwell  Fletcher.  Morton  Lowry,  Bob  Mascagno. 
Italia  De  Nubila,  Donald  Stuart,  Jean  Prescott. 

Three  Hearts  for  Julia 

(  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 
Farce 

When  a  foreign  correspondent  returns  home 
to  his  wife  after  two  years  abroad,  he  finds  her 
seemingly  in  love  with  a  composer  and  an 
orchestra  conductor.  When  the  newspaper  man 
attempts  to  win  his  wife  back,  she  asks  him  to 
choose  between  the  two  men  for  her  and  then 
files  a  divorce  suit.  The  rest  of  the  story  has 
to  do  with  the  man  and  the  wife  getting  to- 
gether after  various  romantic  difficulties,  only 
to  be  separated  again  when  he  is  called  to  the 
Armv. 


Reviews 


This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


Melvyn  Douglas  as  the  newspaperman,  Ann 
Sothern  as  the  wife,  Lee  Bowman  and  Richard 
Ainley  as  the  rivals,  Felix  Bressart,  Marta 
Linden,  Reginald  Owen  and  Marietta  Canty 
constitute  the  cast. 

The  story  and  screenplay  by  Lionel  Houser 
make  the  most  of  every  opportunity  for  comedy, 
the  .nature  of  this  being  the  domestic  farce  situa- 
tions which  have  featured  various  other  films 
in  which  Douglas  has  appeared. 

John  W.  Considine,  Jr.,  gave  the  film  a  credit- 
able mounting  and  Richard  Thorpe,  who  di- 
rected, kept  the  picture  moving  at  a  fast  merry' 
clip. 

Previewed  at  the  Fairfax  Theatre,  Los  An- 
geles, to  an  audience  that  was  kept  in  constant 
gales  of  laughter  and  applauded  its  unfolding. 
Reziewer's  Rating  :  Good. — Vance  King. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  90  minutes. 
PCA  No.  S905.    Adult  audience  classification. 

Tulia  Seabrook  Ann  Sothern 

Teff  Seabrook  Melvyn  Douglas 

David  Torrance  Lee  Bowman 

Richard  Ainley.  Flexic  Bressart,  Marta  Linden,  Reg- 
inald Owen,  Marietta  Canty. 

Margin  for  Error 

(Twentieth  Century-Fox) 
Clare  Boothe's  Play 

Clare  Booth's  stage  play  about  a  German 
Consul  in  New  York  and  a  policeman  named 
Moe  Finkelstein  assigned  to  the  safeguarding 
of  his  person  makes  a  picture  that  differs  from 
most  in  kind,  without  setting  a  precedent  that 
promises  to  precipitate  a  cycle.  It  can  be  ex- 
ploited as  a  departure  from  the  routine  of  anti- 
Nazi  melodramas  and  depended  upon  to  sub- 
stantiate that  variety  of  pledge. 

As  entertainment  the  production  suffers  to 
some  extent  from  limitation  of  movement,  as 
have  other  stage  plays  before  it,  and  to  some 
extent  from  a  seeming  indecision  as  to  whether 
comedy  or  melodrama  is  the  objective.  The 
period  is  that  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Germany,  while  the 
Bunds  were  still  in  open  operation,  and  the  tale 
requires  of  the  observer  a  continuing  adjustment 
to  that  state  of  affairs,  which  imposes  a  strain. 

Otto  Preminger,  who  also  directed  the  pic- 
ture portrays  the  German  Consul,  making  him 


the  central  figure,  but  the  tide  of  events  has 
deprived  the  character  of  realism.  Joan  Bennett 
portrays  his  wife,  held  to  him  by  his  threats 
against  her  imprisoned  father's  life.  Milton 
Berle  plays  the  policeman  who  investigates  the 
Consul's  murder.  This  and  other  events  of 
melodramatic  pattern  fail  of  conviction  because 
depicted  almost  entirely  in  terms  of  conversa- 
tion. 

Lillie  Hayward  wrote  the  script  from  the 
Boothe  play  and  Ralph  Dietrich  produced. 

Preziewed  at  the  Egyptian  Theatre,  Holly- 
zcood,  to  a  mixed  audien-ce  which  displayed 
mixed  reaction.  Rez'iezuer's  Rating :  Fair. — 
William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  Feb.  19.  1943.  Running  time,  "4  min. 
PCA  No.  8900.    General  audience  classification. 

Sophie  Baumer  Joan  Bennett 

Moe  Finkelstein  Milton  Berle 

Karl  Baumer  Otto  Preminger 

Carl  Esmond,  Howard  Freeman.  Poldy  Dur,  Clyde 
Fillmore,  Feriko  Boros,  Joe  Kirk.  Hans  Von  Twar- 
dowski,  Hans  Schumm. 

Fortress  on  the  Volga 

(  Artkino) 
Stalin's  Show 

The  slight  plot  of  this  film  is  built  on  a  hap- 
pening of  great  significance  to  the  Russians,  and 
to  their  followers  here — the  1918  defense  of  Sta- 
lingrad, then  Tsaritsin,  against  the  Germans  and 
White  Russians.  Other  audiences  may  find  it 
difficult  to  fill  in  the  gaps  in  plot  structure  or 
to  understand  the  abrupt  end. 

Numerous  oratorical  digressions  by  leading 
characters,  and  wordy  studies  of  class  idiosyn- 
crasies, are  supplied  in  place  of  action  and 
smooth  continuity.  They  are  done  with  pho- 
tographic and  directorial  artistry,  however,  as 
well  as  keen  appreciation  of  animating  motives. 
In  the  portrayal  of  White  Russian  leaders,  the 
effect  is  that  of  gentle  satire. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  the  film  has  no  action. 
There  are  numerous  battle  scenes,  realistic  in 
numbers  of  men  involved  and  exploding  powder 
charges,  even  if  not  in  battle  behavior. 

The  story  is  essentially  that  of  Joseph  Stalin 
and  Marshal  Clementi  Yoroshilov,  both  of 
whom  defended  Tsaritsin.  The  latter  approached 
it  with  a  relieving  force,  unsuccessfully  opposed 
by  Cossacks  and  Germans.  Meanwhile  in  the 
city,  food  commissar  Stalin  had  become  a  politi- 
cal force,  convincing  generals  and  workers  they 
must  hold  on.  What  he  suspected,  and  what 
the  film  bears  out,  was  that  the  generals  were 
secretly  anti-Bolshevist.  Their  fate,  however, 
is  never  disclosed. 

The  film  ends  in  a  blaze  of  allegorical  fight- 
ing: the  Russians  advancing,  the  silent  Ger- 
mans falling  everywhere.  On  a  flat  promontory 
overlooking  his  beloved  city,  Stalin  stands  quiet. 
Voroshilov  runs  to  him  and  throws  his  arms 
about  him. 

Noteworthy  are  the  portrayals  of  Stalin  and 


Product  Digest  Section     I  1  0  I 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Voroshilov  by  Mikhail  Gelovani  and  Nikolai 
Bogoliubov.  Both  men  startlingly  resemble  the 
personalities  they  depict. 

Reviewed  at  the  Stanley  theatre,  New  York, 
zvhere  Russian  film  fans  applauded  vigorously 
several  times  and  appeared  deeply  moved.  Re- 
viewer's Rating :  Fair. — Floyd  E.  Stone. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  77  min.  Adult 
audience  classification. 

5talin   Mikhail  Gelovani 

Voroshilov   Nikolai  Bogoliubov 

Mikhail  Zharov,  Barbara  Miasnikova,  Sergei  Ni- 
kashin,  Jiotr  Kadochnikov,  Alexander  Grerain,  Vyache- 
slav  Safronov. 

THE  NAVY  AND  THE  NATION,  1943 

March  of  Time  (V9-S) 

A  report  on  the  Navy  and  the  nation's  other 
maritime  efforts,  this  leaves  to  the  newspapers 
and  the  radio  the  task  of  telling  what  these 
services  have  done  in  the  year  past.  It  is  in- 
stead a  depiction  of  the  myriad  ramifications  of 
war  conducted  on  naval  highways.  Shown  are  a 
destroyer  escorting  a  convoy  ;  the  ship's  methods 
of  attack  and  defense ;  the  convoy  itself ;  the 
Navy's  Washington  offices,  in  aspects  of  strate- 
gy, planning,  design,  aerial  training,  supply  and 
the  like ;  the  Navy's  "CB's,"  its  construction 
section ;  the  shipyards  of  the  nation ;  our  fac- 
tories supplying  guns,  rubber  rafts,  planes,  en- 
gines, optical  instruments,  ammunition  to  the 
Navy ;  naval  reserve  stations,  advance  naval 
supply  depots.  This  is  all  told  with  the  usual 
competence  of  narration,  arrangement,  and  pho- 
tography, and  adds  up  to  another  interesting, 
and  at  points  absorbing,  March  of  Time  short. — 
F.  E.  S. 

Release  date,  January  1,  1943  19  minutes 

ARMY  CHAPLAIN  (RKO) 

This  Is  America  (33,103) 

Third  in  the  "This  Is  America"  series  pro- 
duced by  Frederick  Ullman,  Jr.,  this  short 
honors  the  cause  and  person  of  that  adviser  to 
fighting  men,  the  Army  chaplain.  He  is  pic- 
tured as  an  integral  part  of  the  American  forces 
whether  at  home  or  abroad,  a  friend  and  coun- 
selor rather  than  oreacher  to  the  men  and  a 
soldier  in  his  own  right.  Chaplains  of  all  faiths 
receive  a  basic  military  training,  although  not 
for  combatant  service,  and  then  join  their  unit 
for  the  duration.  The  commentary  is  well  de- 
signed to  supplement  the  pictorial  story,  and 
the  whole  should  attract  and  hold  interest 
throughout. 

Release  date,  December  18,  1942  19  minutes 
COMMUNITY  TRANSPORTATION  (OWI) 

Victory  Short 

Transportation  systems  in  many  war  indus- 
try centers  are  being  overloaded.  They  not  only 
have  to  carry,  during  usual  travel  hours,  the 
school  children,  office  and  factory  workers,  and 
shoppers ;  they  have  thousands  of  passengers 
for  new  war  factories.  How  one  typical  com- 
munity, Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  solved  the 
problem,  in  a  typically  American  way — the  vol- 
untary way — is  shown  here.  Seen  through 
clean,  capable  photography,  and  with  concise, 
compelling  narration,  are  the  buses  of  the  city, 
the  automobiles,  their  passengers,  and  the  homes 
and  places  of  work  of  those  passengers. 
Through  posters  appealing  to  the  public,  and 
through  rearrangement  of  schedules  for  factory, 
office,  shoppers,  department  store,  and  even 
schools,  each  category  now  has  its  own  "rush 
hours,"  for  which  existent  transportation  is  ade- 
quate. Depicted  also  is  operation  of  the  "share 
the  ride"  program  for  war  workers  with  auto- 
mobiles.— F.  E.  S. 

Release  date,  December  31,  1942.    Al/2  minutes. 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking 

(Paramount) 
Spy  Stuff 

Over-deliberation  in  the  making  of  points 
which  are  clear  in  advance  to  the  customers 
deprives  this  item  of  suspense  at  cost  to  il- 


lusion. The  material  for  the  marquee  over- 
states the  case  for  the  attraction,  although  the 
players  do  their  best  under  circumstances  of 
story  and  direction  beyond  their  control. 

The  story  by  Harry  Harvey  concerns  a  bus- 
load of  people  bombed  by  Japs  on  a  road  in 
China,  and  taken  to  a  Chinese  airfield  com- 
manded by  an  American.  He  detects  a  woman 
in  the  party  in  an  act  of  espionage  and  she  is 
imprisoned.  Later  he  tries  to  fly  the  rest  out 
of  China,  but  the  plane  is  brought  down  in  a 
jungle,  and  a  clergyman  in  the  group  takes 
them  to  refuge  in  a  monastery  where  he  re- 
veals himself  as  a  German  agent  cooperating 
with  the  Japs,  after  which  there  is  imprison- 
ment, escape,  shooting  and  assorted  violence, 
all  of  which  bogs  down  for  lack  of  valid  cause. 

Ellen  Drew  and  Robert  Preston,  as  Ameri- 
cans who  meet  in  China,  work  out  a  romance 
in  the  midst  of  the  melodramatics. 

Direction  is  by  Ralph  Murphy,  production 
by  Walter  McEwen  with  Michael  Kraike  in 
association. 

Previewed  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  trade 
show,  Los  Angeles,  to  a  sprinkling  of  ex- 
hibitors and  press  people  who  manifested  bore- 
dom.  Reviewer' s  Rating  :  Mediocre. — W.R.W. 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time  68  min.  PCA 
No.  8766.     General  audience  classification. 

Captain  Nick  Stanton  Robert  Preston 

Ann  Richards   Ellen  Drew 

Rev.  Dr.  Van  Der  Linden  Stephen  Geray 

Seng  Yung,  Soo  Yong,  Otto  Kruger,  Ernest  Dorion, 
Tamara  Geva,  Allen  Jung. 

(.Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 

They  Cot  Me  Covered 

(RKO  Radio) 

Hope  Goes  to  Washington 

Bob  Hope's  ability  in  the  putting  over  of  a 
gag  line  is  the  mainstay  of  this  mixture  of 
journalistic  comedy  and  espionage  melodrama 
produced  by  Samuel  Goldwyn  and  directed  by 
David  Butler  in  a  pattern  which  is  a  departure 
from  the  style  of  both.  Dorothy  Lamour  fur- 
nishes the  billing  for  the  right  hand  side-  of 
the  marquee  and  plays  a  straight  role  in 
normal  attire  for  something  less  than  the  total 
of  effectiveness  she  grosses  in  sarong  and  tech- 
nicolor. The  support  is  made  up  of  depend- 
ables  who  deliver  as  expected. 

The  screenplay  by  Harry  Kurnitz  and 
Frank  Fenton  brings  Hope  home  from  Russia 
as  a  war  correspondent  in  trouble  with  his 
managing  editor  and  sends  him  to  Washing- 
ton where  he  gets  on  the  trail  of  a  story  about 
a  spy  ring.  There's  a  murder  and  an  abduc- 
tion to  start  the  ball  rolling,  after  which  a 
variety  of  incidents  in  the  spy  tradition  occur, 
played  mostly  for  laughs,  the  whole  ending  in 
a  rough  house  finish  which  provides  the  proper 
ending  without  bothering  to  go  back  and  pick- 
up a  number  of  story  lines  left  dangling. 

Hope  collects  a  lot  of  laughs  from  a  script 
which  furnishes  him  a  lesser  supply  of  typical 
dialogue  than  is  par  for  him  on  radio  or  screen, 
and  he  is  given  no  competition  in  the  field  of 
humor  by  his  associates.  Apart  from  the  hu- 
mor of  Hope's  quips,  wisecracks  and  fade- 
ways  which  click  solidly,  the  film  contains  also 
a  measure  of  slapstick,  notably  in  a  beauty 
parlor  sequence,  which  amuses. 

"Palsy  Walsy,"  a  song  by  Johnny  Mercer 
and  Harold  Arlen,  is  the  single  venture  into 
the  musical,  figuring  principally  as  a  piece  of 
business. 

With  Hope  voted  Champion  of  Champions 
in  the  Quigley  Publications  Radio  Poll  and 
number  five  in  the  Exhibitor  Poll  of  money 
making  stars  of  1942,  the  picture  stacks  up 
as  a  natural  so  far  as  attracting  the  cus- 
tomers is  concerned,  and  it  does  give  his  fans 
a  chance  to  see  him  in  what  amounts  to  a  solo 
performance. 

Previewed  at  the  Rits  Theatre,  Hollywood, 
to  a  Tuesday  night  audience,  unapprised  of 
the  previewing,  which  responded  to  Hope's 
offerings  with  gusto.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Good. 
— W.  R.  W. 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time,  96  minutes. 
PCA  No.  8819.    General  audience  classification. 


Bob  Hope   Robert  Kittredge 

Dorothy  Lamour   Christina  Hill 

Otto  Preminger   Fauscheim 

Edward    Ciannelli,    Donald    Meek,     Walter  Catlett, 
Marion  Martin,  Phyllis  Ruth,  Philip  Ann,  Donald  Mac- 
Bride,  Mary  Treen,  Bettye  Avery,  Margaret  Hayes. 
(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 


Star  Spangled  Rhythm 

(Paramount) 

Musical  Comedy  in  Multiple 

The  billing  of  this  omnibus  attraction  lists 
sixteen  stars  of  first  rank,  a  larger  number  of 
principals  just  slightly  less  distinguished  as 
marquee  magnets,  plus  a  number  of  standouts 
in  other  fields  of  entertainment.  Yet  the  billing 
is  an  understatement  of  the  case.  The  film  is  a 
hit  from  end  to  end,  produced  in  high  humor  and 
packed  with  music,  mirth,  beauty,  song,  dance 
and  laughter  throughout  every  one  of  its  hun- 
dred minutes.  It  warrants  all  the  exploitation 
that  can  be  given  it,  and  it  furnishes  the  where- 
withal for  all  the  exploitation  there  is  in  the 
book  of  showmanship. 

Unlike  other  films  which  have  enrolled  a 
multiplicity  of  stars  this  one  is  no  broken  caval- 
cade of  thinly  related  sequences.  It  is  a  straight 
story  of  Harry  Tugend  in  which  all  the  nota- 
bles appear  as  themselves  for  valid  reason.  It's 
a  tale  about  a  sailor  who  thinks  his  father  is 
boss  instead  of  gatekeeper  of  the  Paramount 
Studio,  and  about  the  way  in  which  the  sailor's 
girl  manages  to  make  his  belief  stand  up. 
There's  a  world  of  humor  in  the  doing,  with 
Eddie  Bracken,  Betty  Hutton  and  Victor  Moore 
playing  these  roles. 

The  stars  perform  in  all  the  possible  group- 
ings, as  when  Paulette  Goddard,  Dorothy  La- 
mour and  Veronica  Lake  sing  a  trio  number 
kidding  themselves,  again  as  Fred  MacMurray, 
Franchot  Tone,  Ray  Milland  and  Lynne  Over- 
man perform  a  skit  burlesquing  as  many 
women  playing  cards. 

Bob  Hope  plays  a  part  in  the  story,  as  him- 
self, and  is  master  of  ceremonies  in  the  section 
which  represents  an  impromptu  performance 
staged  for  a  ship's  company  of  seamen.  Bing 
Crosby  also  doubles  as  character  and  performer, 
and  all  hands  figure  in  the  running  narrative, 
which  adds  up  to  excellent  entertainment. 

Cecil  B.  DeMille,  Preston  Sturges  and  Ralph 
Murphy  play  themselves,  turning  in  smart  and 
humourous  performances,  while  Y.  Frank  Free- 
man and  B.  G.  De  Sylva  take  a  prodigious  kid- 
ding as  represented  by  characters  wearing 
names  only  lightly  veiled. 

For  devising  a  script  that  embraces  all  of 
these  personalities  with  sacrifice  to  none  and 
profit  to  all,  Harry  Tugend  rates  a  salute.  For 
directing  this  mass  of  talent  in  such  wise  that 
it  is  always  talent  and  never  a  mob,  George 
Marshall  rates  acclaim  to  the  echo.  To  asso- 
ciate producer  Joseph  Sistrom,  an  accolade  with 
plumes.  To  the  house  of  Paramount,  for  sub- 
jecting itself  to  a  profound  ribbing  in  the  in- 
terests of  entertainment  for  its  customers, 
cheers. 

Upwards  of  a  dozen  song  numbers  by  Johnny 
Mercer  and  Harold  Arlen  follow  the  beam  of 
today's  predilection,  both  in  melody  and  lyric, 
with  Robert  Emmett  Dolan's  musical  direction 
extracting  a  maximum  of  result  from  every 
measure. 

Previewed  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  trade- 
show,  Los  Angeles,  where  some  500  or  more 
exhibitors,  press  and  professional  people  had  the 
time  of  their  previeiv  lives.  Reviewer's  Rating : 
Excellent— W.  R.  W. 

Release  date  not  set.  Running  time  100  min.  PCA 
No.  8591.    General  audience  classification. 

Starring  Bing  Crosby,  Ray  Milland,  Vera  Zorina, 
Eddie  Bracken,  Bob  Hope,  Victor  Moore,  Mary  Martin. 
Veronica  Lake,  Fred  MacMurray,  Dorothy  Lamour, 
Dick  Powell,  Alan  Ladd,  Franchot  Tone,  Paulette 
Goddard,  Betty  Hutton,  Rochester;  with  William  Ben- 
dix,  Susan  Hayward,  Lynne  Overman,  Cass  Daley, 
Walter  Catlett,  Walter  Dare  Wahl  and  Company, 
Jerry  Colonna,  Marjorie  Reynolds,  Gary  Crosby, 
Ernest  Truex,  Sterling  Holloway,  Macdonald  Carey, 
Betty  Rhodes,  Johnnie  Johnston.  Katherine  Dunham, 
Golden  Gate  Quartette,  Walter  Abel,  Dona  Drake, 
Gil  Lamb.  Arthur  Treacher  and  Cecil  B.  DeMille, 
Preston  Sturges,  Ralph  Murphy. 

(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 


I  102  Product  Digest  Section 


January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


FEATURES 

in  order  of  releases,  as  set, 
also  others  to  come 


COLUMBIA 


Prod.  Relemat 
No.         Title  Date 

4027  Counter  Espionage   Sep.  S/4I 

4022  The  Spirit  of  Stanford  Sop.  10. '41 

4044  A  Mail's  World  Sop.  I7,'42 

4032  Lneky  Lego   Oet.  I,*42 

4291  Riding  Through  Nevada  Oet.  I. '42 

4021  The  Daring  Young  Man  Oet.  8,'42 

4209  The  Lone  Prairie  Oet.  IS,'42 

4035  Smith  *t  Minnesota  Oet.  15, '42 

4026  The  Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You.  Oct.  22/42 

4042  Stand  By  All  Networks  Oct.  29/42 

4030  Boston  Blackle  Goes  Hollywood. Nov.  5/42 

4033  Laugh  Your  Blues  Away  Nov.  12/42 

4002  You  Were  Never  Lovelier  Nov.  19/42 

4038  Junior  Army   Nov.  26, '42 

4202  Pardon  My  Gun  Dee.  1/42 

4039  Underground  Agent   Dec.  3/42 

4009  A  Night  to  Remember  Dec.  10/42 

4210  A  Tarnada  In  the  Saddla  Dee.  15/42 

  Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn. ..Jan.  7/43 

  City  Without  Men  Jan.  14/43 

  One  Dangerous  Night  Jan.  21/43 

  Power  of  the  Press  Jan.  28/43 

 The  Desperados   Not  Set 

;   The  Cover  Girl  Not  Set 

j    Law  of  the  Badlands  Not  Set 

 The  Fighting  Buckaroo  Not  Set 

  Something  to  Shout  About. .. Not  Set 

  Law  of  the  Northwest  Not  Set 

 Silver  City  Raiders  Not  Set 

■    Hail  to  the  Rangers  Not  Set 

  Merry  Go  Round  Not  Set 

|    No  Place  for  a  Lady  Not  Set 

|    Robinhood  of  the  Range  Not  Set 

 Outlaw  Busters   Not  Set 

  Murder  in  Times  Square  Not  Set 

 Wyoming    Hurricane  Not  Set 

  Riders  of  the  Northwest 

Mounted   Not  Set 

 The  Vigilantes  Ride  Not  Set 

  Destroyer   Not  Set 

  Reveille  with   Beverly  Not  Set 

t    ....  Suicide  Range   Not  Set 

  Riding   West   Not  Set 

  After  Midnight  with  Boston 

Blackle   Not  Set 

  Broadway  Daddies   Not  Set 

  Boy  from  Stalingrad  Not  Set 

  Frontier  Fury   Not  Set 

i   Attacked  by  Night  Not  Set 

MGM 

302  Tish   Sep.- Nov.  '42 

305  A  Yank  at  Eton  Sep. -Nov.  '42 

306  The  War  Against 

Mrs.  Hadley   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

307  Cairo   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

308  Seven   Sweethearts   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

304  Apache  Trail   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

301  Somewhere  I'll  Find  You. .  .Sep.-Nov. '42 

303  Panama  Hattlo   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

312  For  Me  and  My  Gal  Sep.-Nov.  '42 

309  Eyes  In  the  Night  Sep.-Nov.  '42 

310  White  Cargo   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

311  Omaha  Trail   Sep.-Nov. '42 

313  Whistling  in  Dixie  Dec-Jan.  '43 

314  Journey  for  Margaret  Dec. -Jan.  '43 

315  Reunion   in   France  Dec-Jan. '43 

316  Stand   by  for  Action  Dec-Jan. '43 

317  Dr.  Gillespie's  New 

Assistant   Dec. -Jan.  '43 

....  Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  Not  Set 

  Random   Harvest   Not  Set 

  Presenting  Lily  Mars  Not  Set 

  Lassie,  Come   Home  Not  Set 

  Keeper  of  the  Flame  Not  Set 

»    ....  Tennessee  Johnson   Not  Set 


Prod.  Release 
N».         Title  Date 

  Northwest  Rangers   Not  Set 

....  Pilot   No.   5  Not  Set 

....  Assignment  in   Brittany  Not  Set 

  Cabin  In  the  Sky  Not  Set 

  Du  Barry  Was  a  Lady  Not  Set 

....  Three  Hearts  for  Julia  Not  Set 

.  The    Human    Comedy  Not  Set 

 Careless  Cinderella   Not  Set 

Salute  to  the  Marines  Not  Set 

...  Youngest  Profession   Not  Set 

...  Half-Pint  Kid   Not  Sot 

.  ...  Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting  Not  Set 

  Private  Miss  Jones  Not  Set 

  Above  Suspicion   Not  Set 

  Bataan   Patrol   Not  Set 

  I   Dood  It  Not  Sot 

  Dr.  Gillespie's  Prison  Story. .  Not  Set 

  Air  Raid  Warden  Not  Sot 

 Swing  Shift  Maisie  Not  Set 

....  Faculty  Row   Not  Set 

MONOGRAM 

  One  Thrilling  Night  June  5/42 

  Isle  of  Missing  Men  Sept.  18/42 

....  Foreign  Agent   Oct.  9/42 

  Texas   to    Bataan  Oct.  16/42 

....  Criminal  Investigator   Oct.  23/42 

  Bowery  at   Midnight  Oct.  30/42 

  West  of  the  Law  Nov.  2/42 

....  War  Dogs   Nov.  13/42 

....  'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge  Nov.  20/42 

....  The  Living  Ghost  Nov.  27/42 

  Trail  Riders   Dee.  4/42 

  Rhythm  Parade   Dee.  11/42 

  Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide. .  .Dee.  18/42 

....  Twe  Fisted  Justice  Jan.  8/43 

....  Silent  Witness   Jan.  15/41 

....  Cosmo  Jones  in  the  Crime 

Smasher   Jan.  22/43 

. ...  You  Can't  Beat  the  Law  Jan.  29/43 

....  Silver  Skates   Feb.  5/43 

....  Kid   Dynamite   Feb.  12/43 

  Haunted   Ranch   Feb.  19/43 

  The  Ape  Man  Feb.  26/43 

  Robbers'  Roost   Not  Set 


PARAMOUNT 

Block  I 

4205  Wake  Island   

4202  The  Major  and  the  Minor.. 

4203  The  Glass  Key.  

4204  Wildcat   

4201  Priorities  on  Parade  

Block  2 

4209  Henry  Aldrich,  Editor  

4208  Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage 

Patch   

4207  Road  to  Morocco   

4210  Street  of  Chance  

4206  The  Forest  Rangers  

Block  3 

4213  The  Avengers   

4212  Wrecking  Crew   

4211  The  Palm  Beach  Story  

4214  My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy. 

4215  Lucky  Jordan   

Block  4 

  Lady  Bodyguard  

....  Happy  Go  Lucky  

....  Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour 
....  Night  Plane  from  Chungking 
....  China   

SPECIAL 

4231  Star  Spangled  Rhythm  


Prod.  Release 
No.        Title  Date 

  Great  Without  Glory  Not  8et 

  For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  Not  Set 

....  No  Time  for  Love  Not  Set 

. ...  Submarine  Alert   Not  Set 

  High    Explosive   Not  Set 

. . .  True  to  Life  Not  Set 

  Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek  Not  Set 

  Aerial  Gunner   Not  Set 

  Dixie   Not  Set 

  Salute  for  Three  Not  Set 

...  Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It  Not  Set 

  So  Proudly  We  Hail  Not  Set 

  Lady  in  the  Dark  Not  Set 


PRODUCERS  REL 
CORP. 


317  Baby  Face  Morgan   Sep.  15/42 

307  Tomorrow  Ws  Live  Sep.  29/42 

308  City  of  Silent  Men  Oct.  12/42 

309  Secrets  of  a  Co-ed  Oet.  26/42 

301  The  Yanks  are  Coming  Nov.  9/42 

357  Billy  the  Kid  In  Mysterious 

Rider   Nov.  20/42 

318  Miss  V  from  Moscow  Nov.  23/42 

310  Boss  of  Big  Town  Deo.  7/42 

363  Lone  Rider  In  Overland 

Stagecoach   Dec.  11/42 

302  Lady  from  Chungking  Dec.  21/42 

351  Rangers  Take  Over  Dec.  25/42 

319  Man  of  Courage  Jan.  4/43 

303  The  Payoff   Jan.  21/43 

320  Dead  Men  Walk  Feb.  10/43 

304  A  Night  for  Crime  Feb.  18/43 

31  Corregidor   Mar.  1/43 

312  Queen  of  Broadway  Mar.  8/43 

30  Follies  Girl   Mar.  15/43 

313  Behind  Prison  Walls  Mar.  22/43 

  My  Son  the  Hero  Not  Set 

...  Billy  the  Kid  (untitled)  Not  Set 


RKO 

371  The  Magnificent  Ambersons.  .July  10/42 
391  Bambl   Aug.  21/42 

301  The  Big  Street  Sep.  4/42 

302  Mexican  Spitfire's   Elephant.  .Sep.  11/42 

303  Wings  and  the  Woman  Sep.  18/42 

381  Bandit   Ranger   Sep.  25/42 

304  Highways  by  Night  Oct.  2/42 

305  Here  Wo  Go  Again  Oct.  9/42 

306  Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder. Oct.  16/42 

307  Journey  into  Fear  Oct.  23/42 

308  The  Navy  Comes  Through  Oct.  30/42 

309  The  Falcon's  Brother  Nov.  6/42 

310  Seven    Days'    Leave  Nov.  13/42 

382  Pirates  of  the  Prairie  Nov.  26/42 

311  Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  Nov.  27/42 

312  Army  Surgeon   Dec  4/42 

313  Cat  People   Jan.  1/43 

...  Saludos   Amigos   Jan.  8/43 

314  The  Great  Gildersleeve  Jan.  15/43 

315  Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz. . . .  Jan.  22/43 
351  Pride  of  the  Yankees  Not  Set 

.. .  Ladles  Day   Not  Set 

...  Tarzan  Triumphs   Not  Set 

..  Bombardier   Not  Set 

...  This  Land  Is  Mine  Not  Set 

...  Two  Weeks  to  Live  Net  Set 

...  They  Got  Me  Covered  Not  Set 

...  Flight  for  Freedom  Not  Set 

...  Hitler's  Children   Not  Set 

...  I  Walked  with  a  Zombie  Not  Set 

...  From   Here  to  Victory  Not  Set 


Prod.  Release 
No.         Title  Date 

REPUBLIC 

201  HI.  Neighbor  July  27/42 

271  Sombrero  Kid   July  81/42 

202  The  Old  Homestead   Aug.  I7,'41i 

261  Shadows  an  the  Sage  Aug.  24/42 

203  Youth  on  Parade  Oct.  24/42 

272  Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge  Oet.  27/42 

204  X  Marks  the  Spot  Nov.  4/42 

262  Valley  of  Hunted  Men  Nov.  13/42 

251  Heart  of  the  Golden  West. ..Deo.  11/42 

207  The  Traitor  Within  Dee.  18/42 

208  Secrets  of  the  Underground.  .Dec  18/42 
206  Ice-Capades  Revue   Dec.  24/42 

273  Sundown  Kid   Dec  28/42 

253  Ridln'  Down  the  Canyon  Dec  30/42 

205  Johnny  Doughboy   Dec.  31/42 

209  Mountain  Rhythm   Jan.  8/43 

210  London  Blackout  Murders  Jan.  15/43 

2301  Boots  and  Saddles  Jan.  15/43 

263  Thundering   Trails   Jan.  25/43 

211  Fighting  Devil  Dogs  Jan.  29/43 

274  Dead   Man's  Gulch  Feb.    5, '43 

  Hit  Parade  of  1943  Not  Set 

  Chatterbox   Not  Set 

 The  Blocked  Trail  Not  Set 

  Idaho   Not  Set 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

Block  I 


301  Footlight  Serenade   Aug.  1/42 

302  A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  Aug.  7/42 

303  Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A  Aug.  14/42 

304  The  Pied  Piper  Aug.  21/42 

305  Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe  Aug.  28/42 

Block  2 

308  Orchestra  Wives   Sep.  4/42 

311  Berlin  Correspondent   Sep.  11/42 

312  Careful,  Soft  Shoulders  Sep.  18/42 

310  JustOff   Broadway  Sep.  25/42 

306  Iceland   Oct.  2/42 

Block  3 

313  Tales  of  Manhattan  Oct.  30/42 

Bloek  4 

309  Girl   Trouble   oet.  »/42 

314  Manila  Calling   Oct.  H/42 

315  The   Man  In  the  Trunk  Oct.  13/42 

317  Springtime  In  the  Rookies. ..  Nov.  f/42 

Bloek  5 

318  That   Other  Woman  Nov.  13/42 

307  Thunder  Birds   Nov.  20/42 

319  The  Undying  Monster  Nov.  27/42 

320  The  Black  Swan  Dee.  4/42 

321  Dr.  Renault's  Secret  Dee.  1 1, '42 

Block  t 

322  Life  Begins  at  8:30  Dec  25/42 

323  China  Girl   Jan.  1/43 

324  We  Are  the  Marines  Jan.  8/43 

325  Over  My  Dead  Body  Jan.  15/43 

326  Time  to  Kill  Jan.  22/43 

Block  7 

327  Immortal  Sergeant   Jan.  29/43 

328  Chetniks,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas   Feb.  5/43 

329  Meanest  Man  in  the  World.. Feb.  12/43 

330  Margin  for  Error  Feb.  19/43 

316  The  Young  Mr.  Pitt  Feb.  26/43 


Product  Digest  Section     f  |  Q  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


P  rod.  Releasi 
No.         Title  Date 

...  The  Ox-Bow  Incident  Not  Set 

...  He  Hired  the  Best  Not  Set 

.  ..  My   Friend    Fllcka  Not  Set 

. . .  Crash  Dive   Net  Set 

...  Quiet  Please.  Murder  Not  Set 

. . .  Dixie   Dugan   Not  8et 

...  Coney  Island   Not  Set 

  Hello  Frisco.  Hello   Not  Set 

 Secret   Mission   Not  Set 

  The  Moon  Is  Down  Not  Set 

  School  for  Sabotage  Not  Set 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

...  Battle  Cry  of  China  Aug.  7/42 

...  The  Moon  and  Sixpense  Oct.    2. '42 

...  The  Devil  with  Hitler  Oct  8.'42 

...  One  of  Our  Aircraft  is  Missing. Oct.  16/42 

...  Undercover  Man   Oct.  23/42 

...  I  Married  a  Witch  Oct.  30/42 

...  Silver  Queen   Nov.  13/42 

...  Fall  In   Nov.  20/42 

...  Jacare   Nov.  27/42 

...  American  Empire   Dec.  11/42 

...  Lest  Canyon   Dec.  18/42 

...  In  Which  We  Serve  Dee.  25/42 

...  The  Crystal  Ball  Jan.  1/43 

...  The  Powers  Girl  Jan.  15/43 

...  McGuerins  from   Brooklyn  Jan.  22/43 

..    Young  and  Willing  Jan.  29/43 

...  G-String  Murders   Feb.  12/43 

...  Stage  Door  Canteen  Fen.  26/43 

  Calaboose   Not  Set 

  Yanks  Ahoy   Not  Set 


Prod,  Reiease 
N  o.         Title  Date 

  Taxi,  Mister   Not  Set 

. ...  Prairie  Chickens   Not  Set 

.  ..  That  Nazty  Nuisance  Not  Set 

  Unconquered   Not  Set 

  Victory  Through  Air  Power  Not  Set 

  Texas  Law   Not  Set 

  Leather  Burners   Not  Set 

....  Colt  Comrades   Not  Set 

  Border  Patrol   ._.  Not  Set 

....  Meet  John  Bonniwell  Not  Set 


UNIVERSAL 


7010  Between  Us  Girls  Sep.  4/42 

7021  Give  Out  Sisters  Sep.  11/42 

7035  Half  Way  to  Shanghai  Sep.  18/42 

7020  Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice 

of  Terror   Sep.  18/42 

7017  Sin  Town   Sep.  25/42 

7071  Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas.. Sep.  25/42 

7022  Get  Hep  to  Love  Oct.    2, '42 

7030  Destination  Unknown   Oct.  9/42 

7026  Moonlight  In  Havana  Oct.  16/42 

7019  The  Mummy's  Tomb  Oct.  23/42 

7038  Night  Monster   Oct  23/42 

7002  Who  Done  It?  Nov.  6/42 

7015  Nightmare   Nov.  13/42 

7072  Little  Joe  the  Wrangler  Nov.  13/42 

7028  Strictly  in  the  Groove  Nov.  20/42 

7029  Behind  the  Eight  Ball  Dee.  4/42 

7034  Madame  Spy   Dee.  tl/42 

  Pittsburgh   Dee.  11/42 


Prod.  Rtlease 
No.  Title  Dot* 

7073  The  Old  Chisholm  Trail  Dec.  11/42 

7032  The  Great  Impersonation  Dec.  18/42 

7027  Mug  Town   Dec.  18/42 

7063  Arabian  Nights   Dec.  25/42 

  When  Johnny  Comes  Marching 

Home   Jan.  1/43 

7037  Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Jan.  8/43 

  Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Jan.  15/43 

7074  Tenting  Tonight  on  the  Old 

Camp  Ground   Feb.  5/43 

...  The  Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday. .  Feb.  5/43 
....  Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon   Feb.  12/43 

...    Off  the  Beaten  Track  Not  Set 

7076  Raideri  of  San  Joaquin  Not  Set 

  On  the  Beam  Not  Set 

  Flesh  and   Fantasy  Not  Set 

  Sherlock   Holmes  In 

Washington   Not  Set 

...  Corvette*  In  Action  Not  Set 

  White  Savage   Not  Set 

7075  Cheyenne  Roundup   N«*  Set 

7077  The  Lone  Star  Trail....  Not  Set 

...  It  Ain't  Hay  Not  Set 

  Frankenstein   Meets  the  Wolf 

Man   Not  Set 

....  Hi  Buddy   Not  Set 

....  Bad  Company     Not  Set 

  Hi'  Ya  Chum  Not  Set 

....  We've  Never  Been  Licked  Not  Set 

....  Isle  of  Romance  Not  Set 

....  Oh!  Doctor   Not  Set 

  He's  My  Guy  Not  Set 

  Solid  Senders   Net  Set 

  Captive  Wild  Woman  Not  Set 

....  Cowboy  of   Manhattan  Not  Set 

•  Good  Mornings.  Judge  Not  Set 


Prod.  Rele+se 
No.         Title  Dot* 

WARNER  BROS. 

202  Across  the  Pacific  Sen.  5/42 

203  Busses  Roar   Sep.  19, '42 

204  Desperate  Journey   Sep.  26/42 

207  You  Can't  Escape  Forever  Oct.  10/42 

205  Secret  Enemies   Oct.  17, '42 

206  Now,  Voyager   Oct.  SI/42 

208  The  Hidden  Hand  Nov.  7/42 

212  Gentleman  Jim   Nov.  14/42 

210  George  Washington  Slept  Here. Nov.  28/42 

211  Flying  Fortress   Dee.  1/42 

215  Varsity  Show   Dee.  19/42 

201  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  Jan.  2/43 

216  The  Gorilla  Man  Jan.  16/43 

214  Casablanca   Jan.  23/43 

209  The  Hard  Way   Net  Set 

...  Watch  on  the  Rhine  Not  Set 

  Princess  O'Rourke   Not  Set 

  Adventures  of  Mark  Twain. .  .Not  Set 

...  Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  Not  Set 

....  Edge  of  Darkness  Not  Set 

  The  Mysterious  Doctor  Not  Set 

....  The  Desert  Song   Not  Set 

  Air  Force   Not  Set 

  The  Constant  Nymph   Not  Set 

...  Action  in  the  North  Atlantic. . Not  Set 

...  Murder  on  Wheels  Not  Set 

.  ..  Background  to  Danger  Not  Set 

...  One    More   Tomorrow   Not  Set 

...  Mission  to  Moscow  Not  Set 

. . .  Crime  by  Night  Not  Set 

...  Thank  Your  Lucky  Stan  Not  Sot 

  Old  Acquaintance   Not  Set 

...  Devotion   Not  Set 

....  Adventures   in   Iraq  Not  Set 


Feature  Synopses  and  Information 


HENRY  ALDRICH  SWINGS  IT 
(Paramount) 

Family  Comedy 

PRODUCER:  Walter  MacEwen.  Directed  by  Hugh 
Bennett. 

PLAYERS:  Jimmy  Lydon,  Charles  Smith,  Mimi 
Chandler,  John  Litel,  Olive  Blakeney. 

SYNOPSIS 

Henry  Aldrich  outdoes  himself  in  this,  get- 
ting into  a  $100,000  scrape.  A  Stradivarius 
violin  worth  that  much  turns  up  in  his  pos- 
session, through  a  seemingly  innocent  series  of 
events,  but  he  manages  to  clear  himself.  Mimi 
Chandler  is  the  daughter  of  Senator  A.  B. 
"Happy"  Chandler  of  Kentucky,  who  is  making 
her  film  debut. 

SO  PROUDLY  WE  HAIL 
(Paramount) 

Drama  of  Bataan 

PRODUCER-DIRECTOR:  Mark  Sandrich. 
PLAYERS:  Claudeffe  Colbert,   Paulette  Goddard, 
Veronica    Lake,     Barbara     Britton,    Walter  Abel, 
Sonny  Tufts. 

SYNOPSIS 

Paramount  seems  to  be  the  first  studio  to 
start  a  picture  dealing  with  the  last  days  of  the 
U.  S.  Army  nurses  on  Bataan  and  Corregidor. 
This  is  the  story  of  a  group  of  nurses  and  an 
Army  chaplain  administering  to  the  dying  and 
wounded  during  the  final  struggle  to  hold  off 
the  Jap  hordes.  The  studio  says  every  effort 
is  being  made  in  the  interests  of  authenticity. 
Miss  Colbert  enacts  the  role  of  the  head  of  the 
nurses  during  the  siege. 


CORREGIDOR 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 

War  Drama 

PRODUCERS:  Dixon  R.  Harwin  and  Edward  Finney. 
Directed  by  William  Nigh. 

PLAYERS:  Otto  Kruger,  Elissa  Landi,  Donald 
Woods,  Frank  Jenks,  Rick  Vallin,  Wanda  McKay, 
Ian  Keith,  Ruby  Dandridge,  Eddie  Hall,  Charles 
Jordan. 

SYNOPSIS 

In  a  tribute  to  the  medical  staff  on  Bataan, 
this  film  tells  the  story  of  the  Philippines  from 
the  first  attack  to  the  departure  of  the  last 
plane.  It  is  the  story  also  of  a  woman  in  love 
with  one  doctor  and  married  to  another,  while 
respecting  the  skill  and  courage  of  both.  The 
course  of  battle  settles  her  personal  problem, 
although  she  leaves  for  Australia  alone. 


THE  APE  MAN 
(Monogram) 

Horror  Story 

PRODUCERS:  Sam  Katzman  and  Jack  Dietz. 
Directed  by  William  Beaudine. 
PLAYERS:  Bela  Lugosi,  Wallace  Ford,  Louise 
Currie,  Minerva  Urecal,  Henry  Hall,  Ralph  Little- 
field,  Emil  Von  Horn,  J.  Farrell  MacDonald, 
George  Kirby. 

SYNOPSIS 

Another  drama  designed  to  chill  audiences 
in  the  familiar  "ape  man"  pattern,  this  film 
concerns  a  scientist  who  has  succeeded  in  turn- 
ing his  physical  structure  into  that  of  an  ape. 
His  efforts  to  return  to  human  form  involve 
several  murders  but  are  foiled  by  the  efforts 
of  a  pair  of  reporters. 


BILLY  THE  KID  IN 
THE  KID  RIDES  AGAIN 
(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 

Western 

PRODUCER:  Sigmund  Neufeld.  Directed  by  Sher- 
man Scott. 

PLAYERS:  Buster  Crabbe,  Al  St.  John,  Iris  Mere- 
dith, Glenn  Strange,  Charles  King,  I.  Stanford, 
Jolley,  Ed  Poll,  Sr.,  Ted  Adams,  Slim  Whitaker. 

SYNOPSIS 

Billy  the  Kid  is  again  under  suspicion  as  the 
story  opens.  He  has  been  framed  on  an  ex- 
press robbery  and,  although  quite  certain  of  the 
guilty  parties,  is  unable  to  secure  proper  evi- 
dence. Jailed  by  a  sheriff  in  league  with  the 
outlaws,  he  escapes  with  the  connivance  of 
"Fuzzy"  in  time  to  foil  a  bank  robbery  and 
arrest  the  group. 


FOLLIES  GIRL 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 

Musical  .a 

PRODUCED  and  Directed  by  William  Rowland. 
PLAYERS:    Wendy    Barrie,    Doris    Nola  n,  Gordon 
Oliver,  Anne  Barrett,  Arthur  Pierson,  J.  C.  Nugent, 
Cora  Wilherspoon,  William    Harrigan,   Cliff  Hall. 

SYNOPSIS 

A  railroad  magnate  who  owns  a  costume 
company  and  interests  himself  in  burlesque  on 
the  side;  his  son,  an  Army  private  on  leave; 
a  girl  who  can  design  costumes,  and  the  princi- 
pals of  the  Bijou  Follies  are  the  chief  charac- 
ters in  this  musical  comedy.  It  includes  song 
and  dance  numbers  by  well-known  performers 
with  music  by  Johnny  Long,  Bobby  Byrne,  Ray 
Heatherton  and  Ernie  Hoist. 


!  I  04   Product  Digest  Section 


January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


SHORTS  CHART 


Production  Numbers 
Release  Dates 
Running  Time 


COLUMBIA 

Prod. 
No.  Title 


Rel.  P.D 
Date  Page 


ALL  STAR  COMEDIES 
(Averags  17  Mill.) 
1942-43 

4421  Phony  Cronlei   8-27-42  899 

(Brendel) 

4422  Carry  Harry   9-3-42  926 

(Langden) 

4401  Even  As  I0U  9-18-42  939 

(Stooges) 

4423  Kiss  and  Wake  Up  10-2-42  974 

(Down) 

4409    College  Belles   10-16-42  998 

(Gloveslinger) 

4424  Sappy  Pappy   10-30-42  1010 

(Clyda) 

4402  Sock-a-bye  Baby   11-13-42  1046 

(Stooges) 

4425  Ham  and  Yeggs  11-27-42  1046 

(Brendel) 

4426  Pianb  Mooner   12-11-42  1094 

(Langdon) 

,    4410    The   Great   Glover  12-25-42 

(Gloveslinger) 

4403  They  Stooge  to  Conga  I- 1-43  1094 

(Stooges) 

4428    His  Wedding   Scare  1-15-43 

(Brendel) 

COLOR  RHAP80DIE8 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4501  Song    of    Victory  9-4-42  928 

4502  Tito's   Guitar   10-30-42  1010 

4503  Toll  Bridge  Troubles  11-27-42  1046 

4504  King  Midas  Junior  12-18-42 

4505  Slay  It  with  Flowers  1-8-43 

PHANTA8IES  CARTOONS 
(Average   9  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

3705    Old    Blackout    Joe  8-27-42  899 

1942-  43 

4701  The  Gullible  Canary  9-18-42  950 

4702  The  Dumb  Conscious  Mind.  10-23-42  1010 

4703  Malice  In  Slumberland. ..  1 1-20-42  1046 

4704  Cholly   Polly   12-18-42 

4705  The  Vitamin  G  Man  1-22-43 

COMMUNITY  SING  (Series  7) 
(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4651  No.  i — Rhumba  and  Conga 

Hits   8-15-42  859 

4652  No.  2— "Yankee  Doodlor".9-l7-42  950 

(Baker) 

4653  No.  3 — College  Songs  10-15-42  1010 

4654  No.  4 — Service   Songs  11-12-42  1007 

4655  No.  5— 

Songs  of  the  States  12-11-42  1094 

4656  No.  6— MacDonald's  Son. ..1-1-43 

QUIZ  REELS 
(Average  10  Mln.) 
1942-43 

(Series  3) 

4601    Kiehen  Quiz  No.  1  8-21-42  899 

PANORAMICS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4981    Cajuns  of  the  Teehe  8-13-42  856 

(Quaint  Folks  No.  I) 

4902  Oddities    (La   Varre)  10-8-42  998 

4903  Our  Second  Front  12-11-42  1078 

4904  Merchant  Seamen   1-15-43 

TOURS 
(IS  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4551  Journey  to  Denall  (La  Varre) 

8-5-42  877 

4552  Old  and  Modern  New 

Orleans   10-2-42  974 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS  (Series  22) 
(I*  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4851    No.   1   8-7-42  859 


For  short  sub ject  synopses  turn  to  the  Product  Digest 
Section  pages  indicated  by  the  numbers  which  follow 
the  titles  and  release  dates  in  the  listing. 


Prod.  Ret.  P.D. 

No.  Title  Date  Page 

4852  No.  2   9-11-42  926 

4853  No.  3   10-23-42  998 

4854  No.  4   11-26-42  1046 

4855  No.  5   12-25-42  1094 

WORLD  OF  8P0RT8 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

3810    Canvas  Cut-Ups   8-28-42  899 

1942-  43 

4801  Trotting    Kings   9-25-42  974 

4802  Wizard  of  the   Fairway. .  1 1 -6-42  1010 

4803  Winter  Paradise   12-8-42  1094 

KATE  SMITH 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

1751    America  Sings  With 

Kate  Smith   8-21-42  8SS 

FAMOUS  BANDS 
(10  Minutes) 

1942-43 

4951  Ted  Powell  (1280  Club) .  .8-27-42  899 

4952  Hal   Mclntyre   10-23-42  998 

4953  Shep    Fields   12-23-42  1094 

AMERICA  SPEAKS 

4961  Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  12-31 -42  1094 

4962  Our  Second   Front  12-11-42  1078 


M-G-M 


TWO   REEL  SPECIALS 
(20  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

A-305    Mr.   Blabbermouth   8-8-42  877 

1942-  43 

A -40 1    Keep  'Em  Sailing  11-28-42  1022 

FITZPATRICK   TRAVELTALK8  (Color) 
(t  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T-41 1  Picturesque 

Massachusetts   10-3-42  998 

T-412    Modern  Mexico  City  11-8-42  1010 

T-413    Glimpses  of  Ontario  12-5-42 

T-414    Land    of    Orizaba  1-2-43 

PETE  SMITH  SPECIALTIES 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

S-371    It's  a  Dog's  Life  8-22-42  877 

S-372    Victory  Vlttles   9-19-42  950 

S-373  Football  Thrills  of  1941 .  .9-26-42  998 
S-374    Calling  All  Pa's  10-24-42  998 

1942-  43 

S-462    Marines  in  the  Making  12-26-42 

PASSING  PARADE 
(IB  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

K-387    The  Magle  Alphabet. ..  10-10-42  995 

K-388    Famous  Boners   10-24-42  1010 

K-389   The  Film  That  Was 

Lost   10-31-42  994 

1942-  43 

K-481    Madero  of  Mexico  11-28-42  1022 

MINIATURES 

(18  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

M-336    The   Greatest   Gift  9-5-42  926 

M-337    ATCA   10-3-42  994 

M-338    The  Good  Job  10-10-42  994 

M-339    Listen,  Boys   10-17-42  998 

M-340    Brief    Interval  11-28-42  1022 

1942-  43 

M-431    The   Last   Lesson  12-19-42 

M-432    People  of  Russia  12-26-42 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


OUR  GANG  C0MEDIE8 
(Average  II  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

C-399    Rover's    Big    Chance  8-22-42  856 

C-400    Mighty  Lak  a  Goat  10-10-42  998 

1942-  43 

C-401    Unexpected  Riches   11-28-42  1022 

TECHNICOLOR  CARTOONS 
(B  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

W-352    The   Blitz   Wolf  8-22-42  950 

W-353  The  Early  Bird  Dood  It. 8-29-42  950 
W-354    Chips  Off  the  Old 

Block   9-12-42  950 

W-355  Fine  Feathered  Friend .  10- 10-42  1010 
W-356    Wild    Honey   11-7-42  1022 

1942-  43 

W-441    Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   12-26-42 


PARAMOUNT 

UNUSUAL  OCCUPATIONS  (Color) 
(II  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

LI-6    No.  t   8-21-42  877 

1942-  43 

L2-I    No.  I   10-9-42  974 

L2-2    No.  2   12-4-42  1070 

L2-3    No.  3   2-12-43 

BENCHLEY  COMEDIES 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-42 

SI-5    The  Men's  Anglo  8-14-22  950 

FASCINATING  JOURNEYS  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-42 

Ml -2    Indian    Temples   9-4-42  926 

SUPERMAN  COLOR  CARTOONS 
(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

WI-9   Superman  In  Terror 

on  the  Midway  8-28-42  877 

WI-10  Superman  and  the 

Japoteurs   9-18-42  950 

Wl-ll  Superman  In  Showdown. .  10- 16-42  974 
WI-12  Superman  In  Eleventh 

Hour   11-20-42  1070 

1942-  43 

W2-I    Superman  In   Destruction,  Ino. 

12-25-42 

W2-2    Superman  in  the  Mummy 

Strikes   1-29-43 

W2-3    Superman  in  Jungle 

Drums   3-5-43 

H  ED  DA   HOPPER'S  HOLLYWOOD 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

ZI-5    No.  5   8-14-42  877 

ZI-6    No.  $  9-18-42  950 

HEADLINERS 
(10  Minutes) 

1942-  43 

A2-I    The  McFarland  Twins  4. 

Orchestra   10-2-42  998 

A2-2    Johnny  "Seat"  Davis 

&.  Orchestra   11-6-42  1010 

A2-3    Hands  of  Women  12-11-42  1070 

A2-4  Mitchell  Ayres  &  Orch. .  .  I -15-43 
A2-5    Ina  Ray  Hutton  &  Orch.  .3- 19-43 


Prod. 

No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


MADCAP  MODELS  (Color) 
(9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

UI-6    The    Little    Broadcast  9-25-42  998 

1942-  43 

U2-I    Jasper  and  the  Haunted 

House   10-23-42  1010 

U2-2  Jasper  and  the  Choo-Choo.  I  - 1 -43 
U2-3    Bravo  Mr.  Strauss  3-12-43 

POPEYE   THE  8AIL0H 
(7  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

El-ll  You're  a  Sap,  Mr.  Jan. ..8-7-42  859 
EI-12    Alona  on  the  Sarong  Seas.9-4-42  928 

1942-  43 

E2-I    A  Hull  of  a  Mess  10-16-42  974 

E2-2    Scrap  the  Japs  11-20-42  1007 

E2-3    Me  Musical  Nephews  12-25-42  1070 

E2-4    Spinach  for  Britain  1-22-43 

E2-5    Seein'  Red,  White 

n  Blue   2-19-43 

E2-6    A  Jolly  Good  Furlough  3-26-43 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

J2-I    No.  I   10-2-42  974 

J2-2    No.  2   ,  11-27-42  1010 

J2-3    No.  3   2-5-43 

SPEAKING   Of  animals 
(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

YI-5    At  the  Dog  Show  8-28-42  926 

YI-6    In    South   America  9-25-42  974 

1942-  43 

Y2-I    Speaking  of  Animals  and 

Their  Families   12-18-42  1070 

SPORTLIGHTS 

(9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

R  I  - 1 3    Timber  Athletes   9-11-42  928 

1942-  43 

R2-I    Sports  I.Q  10-9-42  974 

R2-2    The  Fighting  Spirit  11-13-42  1007 

'2-3    Modern    Vikings   1-8-43 

R2-4    Trading    Blows   2-12-43 

R2-5    Hike  or  Bike  3-19-43 

VICTORY  SHORTS 
(15  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T2-I    A   Letter  from   Bataan . .  .9- 15-42  946 

T2-2    We   Refuse  to  Die  10-13-42  946 

T2-3    The   Price  of   Victory  12-3-42  1018 

T2-4    The  Aldrich  Family  Gets 

Into  Scrap   

RKO 

WALT   DISNEY   CARTOONS  (Color) 
18  Minutes. 
1941-42 

24.108  T-Bone  for  Two  8-14-42  858 

24.109  How  to  Play  Baseball  .  .9-4-42  926 
24.100    The  Vanishing  Private.  .9-24-42  974 

24.111  Olympic  Champ   10-9-42  998 

24.112  How  to  Swim  10-23-42  1018 

24.113  Sky  Trooper   11-6-42  1022 

24.114  Pluto  at  the  Zoo  11-20-42  1070 

24.115  How  to   Fish  12-4-42  1094 

DISNEY  SPECIALS 

Der    Fuehrer's    Face  12-18-42  1067 

Education  for  Death  1-5-42  1067 

INFUKMATION  PLEASE 
i  Average    II  Mm.) 

1941-  42 

24.210  No.   10    John    Carradlne  8-14-42  877 

24.211  No.  II  Russell  Crouse  ..9-11-42  »74 

SPO  RTSCOPE 
(  Aura  of    -  Mln.) 
••41-42 

24.313    Record   Breaker,   8-7-42  877 

1942-  43 

34.301  Show   Horse   9-11-42  974 

34.302  Touchdown   Tars   10-9-42  998 

34.303  Winter    Setting   ll-fi-42  1022 

34.304  Q-Men   12-4-42  1094 


Product  Digest  Section     I  !  05 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


a  n  u  a  r  y 


943 


frod.  Rtl.  P.D. 

No.         Titli  Datt  Pagt 

PICTURE  PEOPLE 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-42 
24,413    Hollywood  oo  tbe 

Hudson   8-14-42  i2S 

EDGAR  KENNEDY 
(Average  18  Mln.) 
1842-43 

33.401  Two  for  the  Money  8-14-42  #28 

33.402  Rough  on   Rontt  10-30-42  1010 

LEON  ERROL 
(Average  I*  Mln.) 
1842-41 

33.701  Mail  Trouble   8-4-42  826 

33.702  Deer,  Deer   10-23-42  1010 

33.703  Pretty  Dolly   12-11-42  1094 


JAMBOREES 
(Average   10  Mln.) 
1942-43 

34.401  Jerry  Wald  &  Orch  9-11-42  950 

34.402  Johnny   Long   &   Orch. .. 10-2-42  998 

34.403  Ray  McKinley  &  Orch..  10-30-42  1022 

34.404  Dick  Stabile  &  Orch.. .  1 1-27-42  1070 

34.405  Enric  Madrigucra  & 

Orch  12-25-42  1094 

VICTORY  SPECIALS 
1942-43 

34.201  Conquer  by  the  Clock... 1 0-27-42 

34.202  Spit.  Grit  and  Rivets  

FAMOUS  JURY  TRIALS 
(Average  18  Mln.) 
1942-43 

33.201  The  State  vs.  Glen 

Willet   9-18-42  974 

33.202  The  State  vs.  Thomas 

Thomas  Crosby   11-13-42  1070 

THIS  IS  AMERICA 
(Average   19  Min.) 
1942-43 
Private  Smith  of  the 

U.  S.  A  

Women  at  Arms.. 
Army  Chaplain  . . . 


33,101 


33,102 
33,103 


10-2-42  971 
0-30-42  1031 

2-18-42  1102 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

ADVENTURES   N  EWSCA  MERAMAN 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

3201  Along   the   Texas   Range. .  10-9-42  974 

3202  Climbing  the  Peaks  1-29-43  .. 

MAGIC  CARPET 
(8  Minutes) 
1942-43  (Color) 

3151  Desert    Wonderland   8-1-42  858 

3152  Wedding   In   Bikaner  8-26-42  899 

3153  Valley    of    Blossoms  9-25-42  950 

3154  Royal  Araby   10-23-42  998 

3155  Gay  Rio   11-28-42  1022 

3150    Strange    Empire   1-1-43 

3157    Land  Where  Time  Stood 

Still   2-26-43 

SPORTS  REVIEWS 
(8  Minutes) 
1942-43 

1301    Well-Rowed    Harvard  8-14-42  899 

3351    Neptune's  Daughters   11-20-42  1022 

3302  When   Winter  Comes  12-18-42 

3303  Steelhead   Fighters   1-15-43 

3304  Back  to   Bikes  2-12-43 

TERRYTOONS  (TECHNICOLOR) 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3551  All   Out  for  "V"  8-7-42  926 

3552  Life  with  Fldo  8-21-42  926 

3553  School    Daze   9-18-42  950 

3554  Night  Life  In  the  Army.  10-2-42  974 

3555  The  Mouse  of  Tomorrow.  10-16-42  1049 

3556  Nancy  In  Doing  Their 

Bit   10-30-42 

3557  Frankenstein's  Cat   11-27-42 

3558  Barnyard    WAAC   12-11-42  .. 

3559  Scrap  for   Victory  1-8-43 

3560  Barnyard   Blackout   2-5-43 

3561  Shipyard   Symphony   2-19-43 

SPECIAL 

3567  Somewhere  In  the  Paolflo.  12-25-42 

3568  He  Dood  It  Again  1-22-43 


Prod. 

Nn 


3501 
3502 


V9-I 
V9-2 
V9-3 
V9-4 
V9-5 


Rtl.  P.D. 
Titl,  Datt  Pagt 

TERRYTO0N8  (Black  &  White) 
(7  Minutes) 

1942-43 

The   Big   Build-Up  9-11-42  926 

Ickle   Meets   Pickle  11-13-42  1046 

THE   WORLD  TODAY 
(9  Minutes) 
I942J43 

Our  Last  Frontier  9-11-42 

MARCH  OF  TIME 

(Average  20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

The   F.B.I.   Front  9-4-42  911 

The  Fighting  French  10-9-42  946 

Mr.   and    Mrs.   America. .  1 1-6-42  1007 

Prelude  to  Victory  12-4-42  1055 

The  Navy  and  the  Nation. .  1-1-43  1102 

DRIBBLE   PUSS  PARADE 
(9  Minutes) 
Monkey  Doodle  Dandies. ..  12-4-42  1046 

VICTORY  FILM 

It's    Everybody's    War  11-6-42  1031 


UNITED  ARTISTS 


WORLD   IN  ACTION 
(Twe  Reels) 
1941 -42 

Our  Russian  Ally  8-14-42 

Hitler's   Plan   9-4-42 

Road  to  Tokyo  

Inside  Fighting  China  10-2-42 

Mask   of    Nippon  11-6-42 

Fighting   Freighters   1-9-43 

Paratroops   2-12-43 


784 
854 
898 
896 
971 
055 


UNIVERSAL 

COLOR  CARTUNE 
lAverage  7  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

6253    Pigeon    Patrol  8-3-42  813 

1942-  43 

7241  Andy  Panda's  Victory 

Garden   9-7-42  928 

7242  The  Loan  Stranger  18-19-12  998 

7243  Air  Radio  Warden  12-21-42 

SWING  SYMPHONIES 
■942-43 

7231  Yankee  Doodle  Swing 

Shift   9-21-42  899 

7232  Boogie  Woogle  Sioux  11-30-42  1048 

7233  "Cow-Cow    Boogie"   1-4-42  .. 

8TRANGER  THAN  FICTION 
(9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

6384    Mile  of  Dough  8-10-42  877 

8383    Smoke  Painter   8-31-42  899 

PERSON— ODDITIES 

1942-  43 

7371  Human  Sailboat   9-14-42  926 

7372  Jail    Hostess   9-28-42  950 

7373  King  of  the  49-ers  10-12-42  1046 

7374  Double  Talk  Girl  11-16-42  1007 

7375  Designed  by 

Fannie  Hurst   12-14-42 

7376  Let  Huey  Do  It  1-25-43 

7377  She's  A- 1  in  the  Navy  2-8-43 

VARIETY  VIEWS 
it  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

6365    Crater   City   8-17-42  859 

1942-  43 

7351  Trouble  Spot  of  the  East.. 9-7-42  899 

7352  Canadian  Patrol   9-21-42  928 

7353  Spirit  of  Democracy  10-5-42  974 

7354  New  Era  In  India  11-2-42  1010 

7355  Western    Whoopee  12-28-42  899 

7356  Winter  Sports  Jamboree  1-8-43 

7357  Mother  of  Presidents  2-1-43 

MUSICALS 
(Average  18  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

6231    Shuffle   Rhythm   8-19-42  877 

1942-  43 

7121  Trumpet    Serenade  9-9-42  899 

7122  Serenade    In    Swing  10-14-42  899 

7123  Jlvln'  Jam   Session  11-11-42  899 

7124  Swing's  the  Thing  12-2-42  1007 

7125  Chasln'  the  Blues  1-13-43  1046 

7126  Hit  Tune  Jamboree  2-10-43 


Prod.  Rtl.  P.D. 

No.         Titlt  Datt  Pagt 

PLEDGE   FOR  VICTORY 
1942-43 

0995  Keeping   Fit   10-26-42  998 

0996  Arsenal  of  Might  2-22-43 

2-REEL  SPECIAL 

7111    Roar,  Navy  Roar...  11-25-42  1046 

7110  "Eagle  Vs.  Dragon"  


VITAPHONE 


TECHNICOLOR  SPECIAL" 
lAverage  20  Mln.) 

1942-43 

8001  A  Ship  Is  Born  10-10-42  1010 

8002  Fighting  Engineers   1-2-43 

8003  Young  and   Beautiful  1-30-43 

8044    Eagles  of  the  Navy  

BROADWAY  BREVITIES 
i2fl  Mlnuten 

1941-  4? 

7112      -Divide  and  Conquer"        8-29  42  794 

1942-  43 

8101  The  Spirit  of  Annapolis     9-5-42  926 

8102  The  Nation   Dances  9-26-42  974 

8103  The  Spirit  of  West  Point  .  1 1-28-42  1007 

8104  Beyond  the  Line  of  Duty.  1 1-7-42  1010 

8105  Vaudeville    Days   12-19-42  1070 

8106  The  Man  Killers  

8107  Little  Isles  of  Freedom ..  .2- 13-43  1078 

8108  Our  African  Frontiers  2-27-43 


HOLLYWOOD  NOVELTIES 
(10  Mlnuten 
1942-43 

Sweeney  Steps  Out  9-12-42  950 

You  Want  to  Give  Up 
Smoking   11-14-42  1022 

Stars  on  Horseback  

So  You  Think  You  Need 
Glasses   12-26-42 


8301 
8302 


8303 
8304 


8401 
8402 
8403 
8404 

8405 

8406 
8407 


8501 

8502 
8503 
8504 


THE  SPORTS  PARADE 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

Argentine    Horses   8-8-42  877 

1942-  43 

Sniffer  Soldiers   9-12-42  950 

South  American  Sports. .  10- 17-42  1007 

The   Right  Timing  10-31-42  1022 

Cuba.  Land  of  Romance  and 

Adventure   1-16-43  1070 

America's  Battle  of 

Beauty   11-21-42  1070 

Horses!  Horses  I  H  orses  I. .  12-12-42  1070 
Snorting  Dogs   2-20-43 

MELODY   MASTERS  BANDS 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

Glen   Gray  &   Band  8-15-42  877 

1942-  43 

Army  Air  Force  Band ...  .9- 19-42  950 
Six  Hits  and  a  Miss. ...  10-24-42  1007 

U.  S.  Marine  Band  11-14-42  1007 

Borrah  Minevitch  and  his 

Harmonica  School   12-26-42 


LOONEY    TUNES  CARTOONS 
(7  Minutes l 

1941-  42 

7614  The   Duektator   8-1-42  869 

7615  Eatln'  on  the  Cuff  8-22-42  877 

7616  The    Impatient   Patient. ..  .9-5-42  877 

1942-  43 

8601  The    Hep   Cat  10-3-42  950 

8602  The  Daffy  Duckaroo  10-24-42  1022 

8603  My    Favorite    Duck  12-5-42  1007 

8604  Confusions  of  a  Nutzy  Spy 

1-9-43  1007 

8605  To  Duck  or  Not  to  Duck. .  I -23-43  1070 

8606  Hop  and  Go  2-6-43 

MERRIE    MELODIES   CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 
1941-42 

7723  Foney   Fables   8-1-42  856 

7724  The  Squawkln'  Hawk   8-8-42  877 

7725  Fresh  Hare  8-22-42  877 

7726  Fox  Pop   9-5-42  877 


Prod.  Rtl.  P.D. 

No.         Titlt  Datt  Pagt 

1942-41 

8701  The  Dover  Boys  9-19-42  950 

8702  The  Sheepish  Wolf  10-17-4  950 

8703  The  Hare  Brained 

Hypnotist   10-31-42  1007 

8704  A  Tale  of  Two  Kitties. ..  1 1 -21-42  1007 

8705  Ding  Dog  Daddy  12-5-42  1007 

8700    Case  of  the  Missing 

Hare   12-12-42  1007 

8707    Coal  Black  and  de  Sebben 

Dwarfs   1-9-43  1007 

8703    Pigs  in  a  Polka  1-23-43  1070 

8709  Tortoise  Wins  by  a  Hare.. 2-6-43 

8710  Fifth  Column  Mouse  2-20-43 

87 1 1  Flop  Goes  the  Weasel  

OFFICIAL    U.   8.    VICTORY  FILMS 

(Distributed  by  Various   Major  Exchanges) 

Bomber      509 

Pots   to    Planet   50* 

Food   for    Freedom   509 

Red    Cross    Trailer   509 

Women    In    Defense   (Of 

Safeguarding    Military    Information ... .  509 

Tanks    509 

Any  Bond*  Today    508 

Ring  at  Steel    587 

Fiohtlng    Fire    Bombs   887 

Lake   Carrier    715 

United    China  Relief  

Winning  Your  Wings   §74 

Keep   'Em    Rolling   t74 

Mr    Gardenia  Jones   674 

Your  Air  Raid  Warden   770 

Vigilance    771 

Out  of  the  Frying  Pan   926 

Salvage    948 

Manpower    971 

laoanese  Relocation    971 

Dover    1018 

Fuel  Conservation    1040 

Colleges  at  War   1078 

Community  Transportation    1102 

Paratroops   

U.  S.  TREASURY  DEPT. 
(Released  Through  National  Screen) 
The    New    Spirit   529 

WAR    ACTIVITIES  COMMITTEE 
(Released  Through  20th- Fox) 
Battle  of   Midway   912 

BRITISH   MINISTRY   OF  INFORMATION 

21  Miles    071 

Control   Room    1010 

C.  E.  M.  A   1010 

Fighting  French  Navy   1070 

Lift  Your  Head  Comrade   1094 

Letter  from  Ulster   1094 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Movie  Quiz,  No.  I  and  2   854 

(Movie  Quiz  Distributing) 

Shock  Troops  for  Defense   871 

(Brandon  Films) 

Scrap  for  Victory   871 

(Brandon  Films) 

Quebec  (Canadian  Film  Board)   1070 

Kokoda  Battle  Front   1070 

(Australian  Dept.  of  Information) 

Sword  of  the  Spirit   1055 

(Verity  Film) 

SERIALS 
COLUMBIA 

1942-43 

4120    The  Sceret  Code...  9-4-42  899 

(15  Episode*) 

4140    The  Valley  of  Vanishing  Men 

(15  episodes)   12-27-42 

REPUBLIC 

1942-43 

281  King  of  the  Mountles. ..  10-10-42  998 

( 12  episodes) 

282  G-Men  vs.  the  Black  Dragon 

(15  Episodes)  1-2-43  1022 


UNIVERSAL 


1942-43 

7881-92    Junior  G-Men  of  the 

Air   6-30-42  784 

(12  episodes) 
7781-95    Overland   Mall   9-22-42  050 

(15  episodes) 
7681-93    Adventures  of  Smllla'  Jack 

(13  episodes)  1-5-43  994 


I  I  06   Product  Digest  Section 


January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

Short  Subject  Release  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found 
on  pages  I  105-1  106. 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company 
by  Company,  in  order  of  release,  on  pages  1 103-1  104. 


Title 

ABOVE  Suspicion  MGM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic  WB 

Adventures  of  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 

•  Affairs  of  Martha,  The  MGM 

(formerly  Once  Upon  a  Thursday) 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 
A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

American  Empire  UA 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

•Are  Husbands  Necessary?  Para. 

Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

•Atlantic  Convoy  Col. 

Avengers,  The  (British)  Para, 
(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn) 

BABY  Face  Morgan  PRC 

Background  to  Danger  WB 

Bad  Company  Univ. 

•  Bad  Men  of  the  Hills  Col. 
Bambi  (color)  RKO 
Bandit  Ranger  RKO 
Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue)  UA 

(formerly  Kukan) 
Battle  for  Siberia  (Russian) 
Behind  Prison  Walls 
Behind  the  Eight  Ball 

•  Bells  of  Capistrano 
Berlin  Correspondent 
Between  Us  Girls 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses,  Caroline) 

•Beyond  the  Blue  Horizon  (color)  Para. 

Big  Street,  The  RKO 
Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC 

•  Billy  the  Kid  in  Law  and  Order  PRC 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC 

•Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 
Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox 

•  Blondie  for  Victory  Col. 
Bombardier  RKO 
Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The  Col. ' 
Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC 

•  Boss  of  Hangtown  Mesa  Univ. 
Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood  Col. 
Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono. 
Buckskin  Frontier  Para. 
Busses  Roar  WB 


trod. 

Company  Number 


Artkino 
PRC 
Univ. 
Rep. 
20th-Fox 
Univ. 


CABIN  in  the  Sky  MGM 

Cairo  MGM 

Calaboose  UA 

Call  of  the  Canyon  Rep. 

•Calling  Dr.  Gillespie  MGM 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 

Casablanca  WB 

Cat  People  RKO 


202 


245 


302 


304 

7063 
4131 

312 


3045 

4213 


317 


3207 
391 
381 


313 
7029 

3i  i 

7010 

4130 

301 

358 
261 

357 


Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Marsha  Hunt-Richard  Carlson 

John  Garfield-Gig  Young 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Richard  Dix-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Bela  Lugosi-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Ray  Milland-Betty  Field 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
John  Beal-Virginia  Field 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 
George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 
Dead  End  Kids 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Disney  Feature  Cartoon 
Tim  Holt 
Chinese  Feature 

Barbara  Miasnikova-Lev  Sverdlin 
Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 
Ritz  Bros.-Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 

Dorothy  Lamour-Richard  Denning 
Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 


Release 

Date 

Not  Set 
Sept.  5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Aug.  '42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 
Dec.  I3,'42 

Not  Set 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Feb.  26, '43 
Dec.  25,'42 
Block  7 
Sept.  4,'42 
Dec.  4,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
July  2,'42 
Block  3 

Sept.  15/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  1 3, '42 
Aug.  2 1, '42 
Sept.  25,'42 
Aug.  7,'42 

Auq.  26'42 
Mar.  22, '43 
Dec.  4,'42 
Sept.  I5,'42 
Sept.  1 1. '42 
Sept.  4. '42 

Block  6 
Sept.  4,'42 

Jan.  22/43 
Aug.  21*42 

Nov.  20/42 


Running 
Time 

98m 


66m 


<—  REVIEWED  s 
M.  P.  Product 
Herald  Digest 


Issue 


Aug.  22/42 


May  23/42 


87m 


58m 


Aug.  8/42 


Oct.  10/42 


Page 


927 


673 


67m 
81m 

92  m 

July  1  1/42 
Dec.  12/42 
Dec.  5/42 

927 
1053 
1042 

66m 

June  27/42 

938 

87m 
79m 

Dec.  26/42 
June  13/42 

1090 
714 

63  m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

66m 

88m 

July  1 1/42 
Nov.  7/42 

765 
993 

65m 

July  25/42 

903 

69m 
70m 

Oct.  24/42 
May  30/42 

970 
685 

61m 

July  5/41 

840 

90m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

60m 
73m 
70m 
89m 

Dec.  12/42 
Sept.  19/42 
Aug.  15/42 
Aug.  29/42 

1054 
909 
927 
390 

76m 

May  9/42 

646 

902 


945 


Advance 
Synopsis 
Page 

1081 

726 

983 

936 
1091 

613 

936 
1091 

871 
796 

726 
I  104 
872 
663 

701 

1019 
751 


1058 
1055 


1078 

797 
772 

527 
701 

I  104 

1033 


Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 

Oct.  2/42 

55m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

1031 

320 

Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 

Dec.  4/42 

85m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

855 

3019 

Penny  Singleton-Arthur  Lake 

Aug.  6/42 

70m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

772 

Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne  Shirley     Not  Set 

912 

4026 

Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 

Oct.  22/42 

66m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

310 

John  Litel-Florence  Rice 

Dec.  7/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Aug.  21/42 

58m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

4030 

Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 

Nov.  5/42 

68m 

794 

Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 

Oct.  30/42 

63  m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 

Not  Set 

983 

203 

Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 

Sept.  19/42 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

903 

"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters 

Not  Set 

1019 

307 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

101m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

Not  Set 

131 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 

Aug.  5/42 

71m 

Aug.  22/42 

938 

800 

247 

Lionel  Barrymore-Philip  Dorn 

Aug.,  '42 

84m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

312 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison 

Sept.  18/4? 

69m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

214 

Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman 

Jan.  23/43 

102m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

936 

313 

Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway 

Jan.  1/43 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

962 

Service 
Data 
Page 


756 


1082 
984 


1034 


947 


1034 
873 


Product  Digest  Section    |  107 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,     194  3- 


r-  REVIEWED  -> 

M.  P.       Product    Advance  Service 
Prod.  Release         Running         Herald       Digest     Synopsis  Data 


ntle 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Chetniks,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas 

20th-Fox 

328 

Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 

Feb.  5,'43 

995 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetniks) 

China 

Para. 

Loretta  Young-Alan  Ladd 

Block  4 

1091 

China  Girl 

20th-Fox 

323 

George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 

Jan.  1/43 

95m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

City  of  Silent  Men 

PRC 

308 

Fratik  Albertson-June  Lang 

Oct.  12/42 

64m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

City  Without  Men 

Col. 

Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 

Jan.  14/43 

1009 

Coastal  Command  (British)  Pa 

a.-Crown 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn 

Col. 

Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 

Jan.  7,'43 

98m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

962 

Coney  Island 

20th-Fox 

Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 

Not  Set 

995 

Constant  Nymph,  The 

WB 

Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 

Not  Set 

Corregidor 

PRC 

Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 

Mar.  I,'43 

1 104 

Corvettes  in  Action 

Univ. 

Patric  Knowles-Dick  Foran 

Not  Sat 

Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher 

Mono. 

Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

Jan.  22, '43 

1055 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones] 

Counter  Espionage 

Col. 

4027 

Warren  ^Villiem-Eric  Blore 

Sept.  3,'42 

72m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

87  1 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color) 

Col. 

Jinx  Fa Iken berg-Rita  Hayworth 

Not  Set 

Crash  Dive  (color) 

20th-Fox 

Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 

Not  Set 

962 

Crime  By  Night 

WB 

Jane  ^Vyman-Jerome  Cowan 

Not  Set 

1091 

Criminal  Investigator 

Mono. 

Rohnrt   1  nwitru.  Ijtn  WIIau 

Oct.  23, '42 

61m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1033 

•Crossroads 

MGM 

944 

\A/llliAm    rt\  w  a  1 1- H  a  rl  \j    1  KmNrr 

July,  "42 

84m 

June  27/42 

737 

663 

1082 

Crystal  Ball,  The 

UA 

Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Jan.   1  ,'43 

960 

•DANGER  in  the  Pacific 

Univ. 

6056 

Don  Terry-Leo  Carrillo 

July  10, '42 

61m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

Daring  Young  Man,  The 

Col. 

4021 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 

Oct.  8,'42 

73m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

871 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide 

Mono. 

Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 

Dec.  I8,'42 

66m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1031 

Day  Will  Dawn  (British)  Soskin-Gen'l 

Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Not  Set 

98m 

May  23/42 

673 

(now  The  Avengers) 

Deadline  Guns 

Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1081 

Dead  Men  Walk 

PRC 

320 

George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 

Feb.  I0,'43 

66m 

1031 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas 

Univ. 

7071 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Sept.  25, '42 

62m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

Desert  Song,  The  (color) 

WB 

Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 

Not  Set 

872 

Desperados,  The  (color) 

Col. 

Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 

Not  Set 

871 

Desperate  Journey 

WB 

204 

Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 

Sept.  26,'42 

107m 

Aug.  22/42 

915 

1082 

Destination  Unknown 

Univ. 

7030 

Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 

Oct.  9,'42 

o  I  m 

QAt* 
T*tO 

O  1  *> 
T  1  I 

Devil  with  Hitler.  The  UA-Roach 

Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 

Oct.  9,'42 

45m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

Dixie 

Para. 

Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 

Not  Set 

1091 

Dixie  Dugan 

20th-Fox 

James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 

Not  Set 

1082 

•Dr.  Broadway 

Para. 

4128 

Macdonald  Carey-Jean  Phillips 

Block  6 

67m 

May  9/42 

646 

527 

873 

Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant 

MGM 

3  1 7 

Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 

Dec-Jan. ,'43 

86m 

Nov.  15/42 

1005 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret 

20th-Fox 

321 

Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 

Dec.  1  1/42 

58m 

Dec.  17/42 

959 

936 

•  Drums  of  the  Congo 

Univ. 

6040 

Stuart  Erwin-Ona  Munson 

July  I7,"42 

61m 

July  25/42 

794 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady 

MGM 

Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton 

Not  Set 

1019 

•EAGLE  Squadron 

Univ. 

Robert  Stack-Diana  Barrymore 

Not  Set 

1 09m 

limp  20  '42 

725 

635 

1 082' 

Edge  of  Darkness 

WB 

pppol    Rlx/nn-Ann  SnArinjtn 
li  i  vi    i  lyiii  i  i v  mi    j  uu  i  iuan 

Not  <iat 
MOT  J6| 

982 

•  Enemy  Agents  Meet  Ellery  Queen  Col. 

3038 

Krl a r cj a r© f  L i n d say~^A/i II i a m  6dr^d n 

lulu  in  '4? 

64m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish) 

Scandia 

1  n cj rid  Bercj m a n-Olof  Sandborcj 

mot  oeT 

89m 

Dec.  26/42 

1 077 

•Escape  from  Crime 

WB 

137 

Julio  Bishop- R ic ha rd  Trayis 

60m 

June  6/42 

698 

687 

Eyes  in  the  Night 

MGM 

309 

Edward  Arnold*Ann  Harding 

79m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

797 

1034 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld 

Univ. 

7037 

Ri^nflrci    Ijiy-I  fin    f.hfl n  a\s  Ip 

IMvllul  VJ     UIA    LUII     'u'liailOy,     Jl  > 

\»n      Q  '4, "5 
Jan,    o ,  *t J 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

FALCON'S  Brother,  The 

RKO 

309 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 

Nov.  6,'42 

63  m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

871 

Fall  In  UA-Roach 

William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 

Nov.  20/42 

796 

Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Eal 

ng-ABFD 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

37m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

First  of  the  Few,  The  Howard-Gen'l 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Not  Set 

1 18m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

(British) 

Flesh  and  Fantasy 

Univ. 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 

Not  Set 

1058 

Flight  for  Freedom 

RKO 

Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

983 

•Flight  Lieutenant 

Col. 

3012 

Pat  O'Brien-Glenn  Ford 

July  9/42 

78m 

June  27/42 

751 

947 

Flying  Fortress  (British) 

WB 

21 1 

Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 

Dec.  5/42 

68m 

June  27/42 

914 

1082 

•Flying  Tigers 

Rep. 

John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 

Oct.  8/42 

102m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

984 

Follies  Girl 

PRC 

Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 

Mar.  15/43 

1 104 

Footlight  Serenade 

20th-Fox 

301 

John  Payne-Betty  Grable 

Aug.  1/42 

80m 

July  11/42 

915 

715 

873 

Foreign  Agent 

Mono. 

John  SheHon-Gail  Storm 

Oct.  9/42 

64m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

Foreman  Went  to  France 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Const,  nee  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder 

Not  Set 

90m 

May  2/42 

634 

Forest  Rangers,  The  (color) 

Para. 

4206 

Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 

Block  2 

87m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

Forever  Yours 

Univ. 

Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

Not  Set 

936 

For  Me  and  My  Gal 

MGM 

312 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

104m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

751 

1034 

Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 

sian ) 

Artkino 

,   ..       .       .  ...  . 

[VI i k h a 1 1  o siovani-fNikolai  docjomudov 

Inot  oet 

77m 

•  jan>  9  '43 

1 101 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color)  Para. 

Gary  Coop©r-ingnd  Borgman 

INOT  oeT 

855 

Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man 

Univ. 

1           rk              n    1  | 

Lon      na n © y- d 6 la  Lucjosi 

INOT  oeT 

1055 

From  Here  to  Victory 

RKO 

l    ar\)    r-»rant.l  Ar^ino  Flaw 
a  i  y    \_/ 1  aiii  La>  auic    vj  a  y 

MOT  06T 

1081 

•Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail 

PRC 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Oct.  19/42 

•Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pi 

sis  PRC 

255 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Sept.  4/42 

60m 

1033 

•  GAY  Sisters,  The 

WB 

138 

Barbara  Stanwyck-George  Brent 

Aug.  1/42 

108m 

June  6/42 

697 

663 

984 

•  General  Died  at  Dawn,  The 

Para. 

4140 

Gary  Cooper-Madeleine  Carroll 

Reissue 

93  m 

Sept.  12/36 

911 

Gentle  Annie 

MGM 

Robert  Taylor-Susan  Peters 

Not  Set 

1043 

Gentleman  Jim 

WB  • 

212 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith 

Nov.  14/42 

104m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

98  i 

936 

1034 

George  Washington  Slept  H 

sre  WB 

210 

Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan 

Nov.  28/42 

93  m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

871 

1034 

Get  Hep  to  Love 

Univ. 

7022 

Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 

Oct.  2/42 

77m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Girl  Trouble 

20th-Fox 

309 

Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett 

Oct.  9/42 

82m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

855 

I  108  Product  Digest  Section 


January    9.    1943  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

'-REVIEWED  — 


M.  P. 

Proc/»c  / 

Srrv*c# 

Trod. 

Hrrdd 

Digeit 

neb 

Nttm  b*i 

Strri 

D*tf 

taxi 

Page 

ftp 

•  Give  On),  S-irrers 

Univ. 

7021 

Andrew^  Sls+«ri- Richard  Davies 

Sept.  1  1  ,'42 

65m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

Glass  Key,  Trie 

Pa-a, 

4203 

Brian  Don  levy-Veronica  Late- Alan 

Ladd        Block  ! 

85m 

Aug.  29/42 

914 

1034 

Goose  Step i  Out:  The 

1  Rrn  Ith  1 

F  a  1  i  n  a-  LI  A 

w 1 1 1  n  a  v 

Not  Set 

70  — 

/orr 

Aug.  L  7 ,  *tL 

9  70 

WB 

2 1 6 

Jan.  1 6, '43 

C**rrr: 

Pi0,    lO  'a\9 

uec.  i  z,  7i 

1  n^4 

RKO 

314 

Harold  Pea  ry  -  Ft  e  0  d  y  M  e  r  c  e r 

Jan    IS  '43 

Oiffl 

KJ^w    |  C  '49 

1 006 

995 

urs 3*  !  m  p  e "'Sc nd > i on  Ins 

7032 

Kaipn  Dei! amy- cv eiyn  Ante's 

Dec.  1  8, '42 

7  1 

io  'A9 

1 

^  C  - 

7  1  L 

'  ■  • 

O "  e  a  T    tt  i  t  n  cut       i  o  ry 

Para 

joei  m  c  \~rr  e  a  -  oe  Try  ~ieio 

Not  Set 

.... 

0  1  ? 
7  1  L 

HAIL  tc  the  Rangers 

Col. 

*w ntaries  jTarroTr 

Not  Set 

1 055 

Halt  Way  to  Shanghai 

Unrv. 

7035 

1  re n e  H © rv e y* Kenf  Teylo^ 

Sept   1  8  '42 

oZrri 

C„ wA    10  'Z9 

097 

7iJ 

1 082 

Happy  Go  Luoty  (color) 

Para, 

Mary  Marfin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Va 

lee           Block  4 

Jan.  2/43 

1  U07 

797 

Hard  Way,  The 

WB 

209 

Ida  Lupi no-Dennis  Morgan 

Not  Set 

T  /  (T 

59  7 

Heart  of  the  Golden  West 

Rep. 

251 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec  1  l,'42 

0  b  rr 

Nov.  2i  42 

[  Q  |  7 

He  Hired  the  Boss 

2  Oth- Fox 

Stuart  Erwin -Evelyn  Venable 

Not  Set 

7  O  C 

Para. 

4209 

Jimmy  Lyd on-Charlie  Smith 

Block  2 

1*)  wr, 

i  L  m 

/^..i     •}  '49 

<w>CT.     3  7Z 

73^ 

O  O  J 

-j--,                Sets  3;-:.'        ? a .- a 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charl'e  Sm'tr 

Block  4 

79  nn 

/  z  m 

Ian       9  '43 

jan.  z.,  7j 

1  U07 

936 

-  = 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Not  Set 

1  1 04 

Here  We  Go  Again 

RKO 

305 

Fbber  MeGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Charlie"   Oct.    9, '42 

7i_ 

■■  c 

a,.-  90  '49 

AUCj.  Z7,  *tZ 

7  jo 

1 082 

Hi,  Buddy 

Univ. 

D'ck  Foran-Ha-riet  Hilliard 

Not  Set 

1 079 

Hidden  Hand,  The 

WB 

208 

Cra'g  Stevens-Elizabeth  Prase' 

Nov.  7/42 

0  /  m 

c.-i   (0  r49 
j e p~ .  i  7,  *ti 

7  1  U 

1082 

High  Explosive 

Para. 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

Not  Set 

7  O  J 

Highways  by  Night 

RKO 

304 

Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph 

Oct.  2, '42 

63  m 

Aug.   8  '42 

938 

715 

•  Hillbilly  Blitzkrieg 

Mono. 

Edgar  Kennedy-Bud  Duncan 

Aug.  14, '42 

63- 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

794 

Hi!  Neighbor 

Rep. 

201 

Lulubelle  &  Scotty-Jean  Pa'ker 

July  27, '42 

72m 

July  25  '42 

927 

772 

Hit  Parade  of  1943 

Rep. 

John  Carroll-Susan  Haywarc 

Not  Set 

1043 

Hitler,  Dead  or  Alive 

House 

ward  Dono-uoroThy  iree 

Not  Set 

70m 

Nov.  21/42 

1018 

1082 

n rTiers  w  n , ,  a  r  e  n 

RKO 

-  ;  - - 

T;  —  Ul-J--  D^-'i.  fC...,,;||a 
iim  mc  -Dcr'Ta  oranvnie 

reD.  i.o  ^ j 

83m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

1  Hnl;J«u  Inn 

■  nonoay  inn 

Para. 

4134 

Bing  Crosby-Fred  Artaire 

Block  7 

101m 

June  13/42 

713 

663 

1034 

Human  Ocrnedy,  The 

MGM 

fvt  w  rvi 

Mickey  Rooney-James  C'aig 

Not  Se+ 

1019 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue 

Rep. 

206 

tilen  u rew-!\ic n a ro  uennmg 

UsC,  in,  *i 

79  m 

Dec.  1  9/42 

1 066 

n  i 

Iceland 

L  lm  n-  no  i 

306 

So  n  j  a  H  e  n  i  e-J  o  h  n  P  a  yn  e 

VCT.      L  ■  ^  L 

70n- 

7 

Ann     1  ^  'i."} 

7Vi 

797 

1 OBZ 

•1  Live  on  Danger 

Par* 

4135 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

R'U^lr  7 
D  1 0 CI  ' 

73  m 

lun*  1  5  '42 

7 1  3 

I           U     ,,..!.J            .  W'nl.L 

l  Marriea  a  >»iTcn 

1 1  A 

Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake 

CT,  j  J  - 

78m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1 034 

"  '  -  - .  -  - , 

327 

ne    .  i  c-c  =  -%"au  aen  nara 

I  2  -    90  ' L"X 

Jan.  17,  t-5 

7 1  m 

u.     o  '43 

1101 

ooc 

in  the  Rear  or  the  enemy 

(Russian) 

Artkino 

W  a  r  U  c  c  u  m  e  n  i  a  ry 

\J  CT.     7,  Ti 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

•  Invisible  Agent 

U  niv. 

6049 

Nona  Massey-Jon  nan 

J  U  iy  3  1,  "tL 

79m 

Aug.  8/42 

826 

In  Which  We  Serve 

(British]  Two 

CHies-UA 

rsce!  iwO  waro- D  e  rn  a  ra  rviues 

Dor    ?R  '4? 

1  13m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

Isle  of  Mis-sing  Men 

Mono. 



I.L.      UI«w«^J  D«i»n4 

Jcnn  mowara-oiiDerT  r\oianc 

j e  p".  i  o  i  ttx 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

772 

It  Ain't  Ha> 

Unrv. 

AccOTT  a  ocsreno 

fnot  jst 

1058 

Walked          a  Zombie 

RKO 

F'rarces  Dee-Tcm  Ccn-vav 

M^,+   C.Q  + 

. .  . 

1  057 

JACARE 

UA 

Animal  feature 

Nov.  27,r42 

o  o  m 

n..  9a  'a") 

1 077 

•  Jackass  Mai 

MGM 

'  243 

Wallace  Beery-Marjorie  Main 

Jury  '42 

80m 

June  20/42 

726 

715 

947 

•  Joan  of  Oiark 

Rep. 

104 

Judy  Conova-Joe  E.  Brown 

Aug.  [,'42 

80m 

July  25  '42 

793 

Johnny  Doughcc, 

Rep. 

205 

Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook 

Dec.  3  [-'42 

63m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

971 

-:.--e.  -c-  M  =  -g  =  -e- 

MGM 

314 

Robert  Young-Laraine  Day 

Dec-Jan.  43 

79m 

Oct.  3  1/42 

981 

912 

1082 

Journey  Into  Fear 

RKO 

307 

Joseph  Corten-Dolores  Del  Rio 

Oct.  23, '42 

69m 

Aug.  8/42 

9103 

796 

•Jungle  Siren 

PRC 

203 

Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe 

Aug.  I4,'42 

68  m 

Oct.  3  I  ,'42 

982 

1034 

Jun'or  A-m  . 

Col. 

4038 

Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop 

Nov.  26/42 

69m 

1009 

Just  Off  B'cad-a, 

20th-  Fox 

310 

Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver 

Sept.  25  '42 

65m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

KEEPER  o-'  the  Flame 

MGM 

Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 

Not  Set 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

936 

•  -  z  ------    ■'•  = =  =  G5--.5- 

Ga'-s. 

Arthur  Askey-Evelyn  Dall 

Not  Set 

98m 

•King  o'  the  Stallions 

Mono. 

Chief  Thunderclcud-David  O'Brien 

Sept.  1  [,'42 

63m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

800 

LADIES'  DAY 

RKO 

Lupe  Velei-Eddie  Albert-Max  Bae' 

Not  Set 

962 

Lady  Bodyguard 

Para. 

Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley 

Block  4 

70m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

946 

Lady  from  Chungking 

PRC 

302 

Anna  May  Wong-Haroid  Huber 

Dec.  21/42 

70m 

Nov.  7  '42 

1 007 

574 

Lac,  '-  the  Da-k 

Para. 

G 1 =  e  -  R  c  g  e  -s-  Ray  M : !  1  a  -  d 

Not  Set 

1091 

Laugh  Your  Blues  Away 

Col. 

4033 

Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenb.rg 

Nov.  12/42 

69  m 

986 

-e   .   -z-  Zz  Y=.  Do" 

Law  of  the  Northwest 

Col. 

Charles  Starrett-Shiriey  Patterson 

Not  Set 

1018 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British) 

Anglo 

Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney 

Not  Set 

[  OOm 

Apr.  1  1/42 

599 

Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty 

2 Oth- Fox 

3  i  i 

Monty  Woclley-lda  Lupino 

Dee.  25/42 

85m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

962 

1 082 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler 

Univ. 

7079 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Nov.  13/42 

64m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

Little  Tokyo,  U.SA. 

2CHh-For 

Preston  Poster- Brenda  Joyce 

Aug.  14/42 

64m 

July  1  1  ,'42 

938 

Living  G^-cst,  The 

Mono. 

James  Dunn-Joan  Wocdbur, 

Nov.  27/42 

6 1  m 

Oct.  3  I  ,'42 

982 

RSD. 

L.  I  V 

Jan.  15/43 

59m 

Dec.  12/42 

1 067 

Lone  P-a'-ie.  The 

Col. 

420*9 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Oct.  15/42 

55m 

1058 

•  Lone  Ride'  In  Border  Rounc 

up  PRC 

L  C'O 

George  Houston-Al  St.  John 

Sept.  18/42 

Lc-e  Rider  ;n  Outlaws  of 

Boulder  Pass 

PRC 

George  Hourton-Al  St.  Jchr 

Not  Set 

1033 

Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Staceccac- 

PRC 

363 

Bob  Livlngston-Al  St,  Jchr 

Dec.  1  1/42 

1018 

Lcne  Star  Trail,  The 

Unrv. 

7077 

Johnny  Mack  Brcwn-Tex  Rlr-e- 

Not  Set 



1019 

Loves  of  Edgar  A'lan  Poe,  The 

2  0th -Fox 

305 

John  Sheppard-Linda  Darnel 

Aug.  28/42 

67m 

July  1  1  ,'42 

9  14 

751 

:  =  -  = 

4215 

Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker 

Block  3 

84m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

986 

: 

Lucky  Legs 

CcV 

Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris 

Oct.  1/42 

VT1TI 

707 

/  7  / 

•  Lure  of  the  Islands 

Mono. 

Margie  Hart-Robert  Lowers 

July  3/42 

61m 

800 

MADAME  Spy 

Unrv. 

7034 

Cc-s-a-ce  Bennett-Don  Porte- 

Dec.  1 1/42 

63  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

Magnificent  Arr.bersons  The 

RKO 

371 

Joseoh  Corten-Dolores  Cos'-ello 

July  10/42 

88m 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

947 

Para. 

4202 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Mi  Ha  n  c 

Block  1 

100m 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

1082 

Man  in  the  Trunk,  The 

20+h-Fcx 

315 

Lynne  Roberts-George  Holme? 

Oct.  23/42 

71m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

855 

Manila  Calling 

20+h-Fox 

314 

Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis 

Oct.  16/42 

81m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

871 

Product  Digest  Section  1109 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


Title  Company 

Man  of  Courage  PRC 

Man's  World.  A  Col. 

Margin  for  Error  20th-Fox 

Mashenka  (Russian)  Artkino 
Meanest  Man  in  the  World  20th-Fox 

"•Men  of  Texaj  Univ. 

Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant  RKO 
Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The  Para. 

Mission  to  Moscow  WB 

Miss  V  from  Moscow  PRC 

Moonlight  in  Havana  Univ. 

Moon  and  Sixpence,  The  UA 

Moon  Is  Down,  The  20th-Fox 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian)  Rep. 

Mountain  Rhythm  Rep. 

Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting  MGM 

•  Mrs.  Miniver  MGM 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para 
Mug  Town  Univ. 
Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ. 
Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 
Murder  on  Wheels  WB 
My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th-Fox 
My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy  Para. 

•My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 

Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 

NAVY  Comes  Through.  The  RKO 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge  Mono. 
Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  Eallng-UA 

Nightmare  Univ. 

Night  for  Crime,  A  PRC 

•Night  in  New  Orleans  Para. 

Night  Monster  Univ. 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking  Para. 

Night  to  Remember,  A  Col. 

Northwest  Rangers  MGM 

No  Place  for  a  Lady  Col. 

No  Time  for  Love  Para. 

Nothing  Ventured  MGM 

Now,  Voyager  WB 

OFF  the  Beaten  Track  Univ. 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The  Univ. 

Old  Homestead,  The  Rep. 

Omaha  Trail  MGM 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 

On  The  Beam  Univ. 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  RKO 

One  Dangerous  Night  Col. 
One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British)  UA 

One  Thrilling  Night  Mono. 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 

Orchestra  Wives  20th-Fox 

•Orders  from  Tokyo  Almo 

Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge  Rep. 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood  Col. 
Over  My  Dead  Body  20th-Fox 
Ox-Bow  Incident,  The  20th-Fox 
Ox  Train  MGM 

(now  Omaha  Trail) 

PALM  Beach  Story,  The  Para. 

Panama  Hattie  MGM 

Pardon  My  Gun  Col. 

•Pardon  My  Sarong  Univ. 

Payoff,  The  PRC 

•  Phantom  Killer  Mono. 
Pied  Piper,  The  20th-Fox 
Pilot  No.  5  MGM 

•  Pierre  of  the  Plains  MGM 
Pirates  of  the  Prairie  RKO 
Pittsburgh  Univ. 

•  Police  Bullets  Mono. 

•  Postman  Didn't  Ring,  The  20th-Fox 
Power  of  God,  The  St.  Rts. 
Powers  Girl  UA 
Power  of  the  Press  Col. 
Prairie  Chicken  UA-Roach 

•Prairie  Gunsmoke  Col. 

Presenting  Lily  Mars  MGM 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The  RKO 

Princess  O'Rourke  WB 

Priorities  on  Parade  Para. 

•  Prisoner  of  Japan  PRC 
Private  Miss  Jones  MGM 


Prod 

Number 

319 
4044 

330 

329 
6010 
302 


318 
7026 


209 

260 

4208 
7027 
7019 


4214 


Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters 

M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright 

Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle 

V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetzov 

Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane 

Robert  Stack-Anne  Gwynne 

Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol 

Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton 

Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding 

Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall 

Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly 

Documentary 

Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry 

Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers 

Greer  Garson-Walter  Pidgeon 

Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee 

Dead  End  Kids 

Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox 

Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman 

Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker 

Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster 

Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll 

Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne 

Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder 


Kelt  ate 
Date 

Jan.  4,'43 
Sept.  I7."42 
Feb.  19/43 
Nov.  20,'42 
Feb.  I2,'43 
July   3, '42 
Sept.  1 1  ,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Nov.  23,'42 
Oct.  I6,'42 
Oct.  2,'42 
Not  Set 
Aug.  15/42 
Jan.  8/43 
Not  Set 
Aug.,'42 
Block  2 
Dec.  18/42 
Oct.  23/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 
Sept.  30/42 
Not  Set 


Running 
Time 


75m 
96m 


—  REVIEWED  -> 
M.  P.  Product 
Herald  Digest 


Itiue 


Page 


Advance  Service 
Synopsis  Data 
Page  Page 


67m 

1031 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

74m 

Jan.  9/43 

1  101 

995 

67m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

962 

82m 

July  1 1/42 

766 

773 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

915 

1079 

1058 

71m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1031 

62m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

959 

89m 

Sept.  12/42 

912 

1034 

1091 

55m' 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

1034 

70m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1009 

1079 

133m 

May  16/42 

661 

527 

1034 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

61  m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

970 

Nov.  7/42 
Sept.  19/42 


993 
909 


1079 

962 
871 
772 
1091 


1082 


308 

Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy 

Oct.  30/42 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

East  Side  Kids 

Nov.  20/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam 

Not  Set 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

7015 

Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy 

Nov.  13/42 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

304 

Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot 

Feb.  18/43 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

4127 

Preston  Foster-Patricia  Monson 

Block  6 

75m 

May  9/42 

647 

635 

7038 

Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi 

Oct.  23/42 

73  m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew 

Block  4 

68  m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

983 

Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne 

Dec.  10/42 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

James  Craig-Patricia  Dane' 

Not  Set 

64m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

981 

960 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay 

Not  Set 

1057 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

855 

Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 

Not  Set 

1057 

206 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid 

Oct.  3 1/42 

li7m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

1082 


Ritz  Brothers-Carol  Bruce 

Not  Set 

794 

7073 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Dec.  1 1/42 

202 

Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry 

Aug.  17/42 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

311 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

61m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

Not  Set 

986 

311 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant 

Nov.  27/42 

1  16m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

855 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Jan.  21/43 

983 

Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman 

Oct.  16/42 

1  10m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

903 

1082 

John  Beal-Wanda  McKay 

June  5/42 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

308 

George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherforc 

Sept.  4/42 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797  1034 

Danielle  Darrieux-Anton  Walbrook 

Not  Set 

80m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

272 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Oct.  27/42 

57m 

Nov.  2 1/42 

1017 

3208 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 

Sept.  25/42 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

325 

Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

995 

Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Not  Set 

872 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

796 

421  1 

Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea 

Block  3 

90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1082 

303 

Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

4202 

Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll 

Dec.  1/42 

57m 

1058 

Abbott  &  Costello-Virginia  Bruce 

Aug.  7/42 

84m 

Aug.  8/42 

825 

984 

303 

Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer 

Jan.  2 1/43 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury 

Oct.  2/42 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

304 

Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowall 

Aug.  21/42 

87m 

July  1  1/42 

903 

751 

1082 

Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt 

Not  S«t 

971 

246 

John  Carroll-Ruth  Hussey 

Aug.  "42 

66m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

382 

Tim  Holt 

Nov.  20/42 

57m 

1033 

Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne 

Dec.  1 1/42 

93  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

John  Archer-Joan  Marsh 

Sept.  25/42 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

252 

Richard  Travis-Brenda  Joyce 

July  3/42 

69m 

May  30/42 

687 

John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden 

Not  Set 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy 

Jan.  15/43 

93m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy 

Jan.  28/43 

1055 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

Not  Set 

986 

3215 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter 

July  16/42 

56m 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Not  Set 

962 

351 

Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright 

Not  Set 

120m 

July  18/42 

915 

1082 

Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummingi 

Not  Set 

962 

4201 

Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna 

Block  1 

79m 

Aug.  1/42 

914 

204 

Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 

July  22/42 

64m 

July  4/42 

750 

715 

947 

Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly 

Not  Set 

1079 

|  I  I  0  Product  Digest  Section 


January    9,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


fitU 

QUEEN  of  Broadway 

Queen  Victoria  (British) 
Quiet  Please,  Murder 


Prod. 

Company  Number 

PRC  312 

Renown .... 
20th-Fox   


Start 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe 
Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook 
Gail  Patrick-George  Sandert 


Reltatt 
Date 

Mar.  8, '43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 


Running 
Time 

62  m 
84m 

70m 


r-  REVIEWED  — 
M.  P.  Product 

Herald  Digett 
luue  Page 


Nov.  28,'42 
Dec.  I  9,'42 


1030 
1066 


Advance 
Synoptii 
Page 

1018 
983 


Service 
Data 
Page 


RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin  Univ. 

Random  Harvest  MGM 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The  PRC 

Ravaged  Earth  Crystal 

Red  River  Robin  Hood  RKO 

Reunion  in  France  MGM 

(formerly  Reunion) 

Rhythm  Parade  Mono. 
Riders  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Col. 

•  Riders  of  the  West  Mono. 

Ridin'  Double  Mono. 

Ridin'  Down  the  Canyon  Rep. 

Ridin'  Through  Nevada  Col. 

Road  to  Morocco  Para. 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range  Col. 


Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Not  Set 

1009 

Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson 

Not  Set 

126m 

Nov.28,'42 

1029 

796 

351 

Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 

Dec.  25,'42 

1055 

Documentary  on  China 

Not  Set 

68m 

Dec  5,'42 

1043 

Tim  Holt 

Not  Set 

57m 

Oct.  I7,'42 

960 

315 

Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn- 

John  Wayne 

Dec-Jan. ,'43 

102m 

Dec.  5,'42 

1041 

872 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery 

Dec.  1 1  .'42 

70m 

Dec.  19.42 

1067 

983 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1019 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 

Aug.  21/42 

60m 

Aug.    1  .'42 

810 

800 

King-Sharpe-Terhune 

Not  Set 

1019 

253 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec.  30,"42 

55m 

Dec.  I2,'42 

1054 

1019 

4201 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 

Oct.  I,'42 

61m 

1058 

4207 

Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  La 

mour       Block  2 

83m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris 

Not  Set 

1057 

1082 


1034 


•SABOTAGE  Squad  Col. 
Saludos  Amigos  (color)  RKO 
Salute  for  Three  Para. 
Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt .-Anglo-Am. 
Salute  to  the  Marines  MGM 
Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 
Secret  Enemies  WB 
Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-Gen'l 
Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed  PRC 
Secrets  of  the  Underground  Rep. 
Seven  Days  Leave  RKO 
Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz  RKO 
Seven  Sweethearts  MGM 
Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Univ. 
Shadows  on  the  Sage  Rep. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 

Terror  Univ. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon  Univ. 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  Fights  Back) 
Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 


3046  Bruce  Bennett-Kay  Harris 

.  . .  .  Disney  South  American  feature 

.  ...  Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes 

. . .  .  Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 

Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter 

306  Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 

205  Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 

.  . .  ■  Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

309  Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 

.  . .  .  John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 

310  Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 
315  James  Craig-Bonita  Granville 

.  ...  Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson 

.  . .  .  Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 

261  Three  Mesquiteers 

7020  Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

....  Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 


Silent  Witness  Mono. 

Silver  Queen  UA 

Sin  Town  Univ. 

•  Smart  Alecks  Mono. 

Smith  of  Minnesota  Col. 

Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish)  Scandia 

Sombrero  Kid,  The  Rep. 

Something  to  Shout  About  Col. 

Somewhere  I'll  Find  You  MGM 

•Sons  of  the  Pioneers  Rep. 

So  Proudly  We  Hail  Para. 

Spirit  of  Stanford,  The  Col. 

Spring  Song  (Russian)  Artkino 

Springtime  in  the  Rockies  [color) 

20th-Fox 

•Spy  Ship  WB 

Squadron  Leader  (British)  RKO 

Stand  By,  All  Networks  Col. 

Stand  By  for  Action  MGM 
(formerly  Clear  for  Action) 

Star  Spangled  Rhythm  Para. 

Street  of  Chance  Para. 

Strictly  in  the  Groove  Univ. 

Submarine  Alert  Para. 

•Sunday  Punch  MGM 

Sundown  Kid  Rep. 

•Sunset  Serenade  Rep. 

•Sweater  Girl  Para. 


Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce  Not  Set 

....         Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon  Jan.  15/43 

....         George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane  Nov.  13/42 

7017        Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford  Sept.  25/42 

East  Side  Kids  Aug.  7/42 

4035        Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge  Oct.  15/42 

  Edvard  Persson  Sept.  12/42 

271         Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick  July  31/42 

....  Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair  Not  Set 
301        Clark  Gable-Lane  Turner  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

157        Roy  Rogers-"Gabby"  Hayes  July  2/42 

Claudette  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard  Not  Set 

4022  Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman  Sept.  10/42 
....         Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  I  1/42 

317        Betty  Grable-John  Payne  Nov.  6/42 

139        Craig  Stevens-Irene  Manning  Aug.  15/42 

....         Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley  Not  Set 

4042        John  Beal-Florence  Rice  Oct.  29/42 

316        Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor  Dec-Jan. ,'43 


4231         Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  Moore  Special 
4210 
2028 


Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor 
Leon  Errol-Mary  Healey 
Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie 
234        William  Lundigan-Jean  Rogers 
273         Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson 
....         Roy  Rogers 
4129        Eddie  Bracken-June  Preisser 


Block  2 

Nov.  20/42 
Not  Set 
May,'42 
Dec.  28/42 
Sept.  14/42 
Block  6 


Aug.  27/42 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

772 

Jan.  8/43 

43  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Not  S«t 

1091 

Not  Set 

96m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Not  Set 

1057 

Oct.  16/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

Oct.  17/42 

59m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Oct.  26/42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Dec.  18/42 

1009 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Jan. 22/43 

62  m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Sept.-Nov.,  '42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

936 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Feb.  12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

1034 


983 

62m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1033 

88m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

936 

73m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

898 

66m 

June  27/42 

738 

947 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

56m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

796 

1043 

107m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

726 

984 

61m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

1 104 

78m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

796 

1082 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1082 

62  m 

June  6/42 

698 

687 

100m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

64m 

797 

109m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

100m 

Jan.  3/43 

1 102 

855 

74m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

871 

1082 

60m 

July  4/42 

914 

772 

75m 

Apr.  18/42 

611 

58m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

77m 

May  9/42 

647 

527 

•TAKE  a  Letter,  Darling 

Para. 

4126 

Rosalind  Russell-F.  MacMurray 

Block  6 

93m 

May  9/42 

645 

635 

1082 

Take  My  Life 

Toddy 

Harlem  Tuff  Kids 

Not  Set 

77m 

July  1  1/42 

767 

Tales  of  Manhattan 

20th-Fox 

313 

C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 

Oct.  30/42 

1  18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

1034 

Talk  About  Jacqueline 

(British)  Excelsior-Metro 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

Not  Set 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

•Talk  of  the  Town 

Coi. 

3001 

Cary  Grant-Jean  Arthur-R.  Colman 

Aug.  20.'42 

1  18m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

701 

1034 

Tarzan  Triumphs 

RKO 

Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 

Not  Set 

983 

Taxi  Mister 

UA-Roach 

William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley 

Not  Set 

986 

Tennessee  Johnson 

MGM 

Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey 

Not  Set 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

946 

Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground 

Univ. 

7074 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Feb.  5/43 

1018 

Texas  to  Bataan 

Mono. 

King-Sharpe-Terhune 

Oct.  16/42 

56m 

Sept. 26/42 

922 

Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars 

WB 

All  Warner  Contract  Players 

Not  Set 

1058 

Product  Digest  Section 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    9,  1943 


REVIEWED  -> 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

St?rf/ff 

Prod. 

Releatt 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

SynopiU 

Date 

Title 

Company 

Number 

Stmr$ 

Date 

Time 

I  nut 

Page 

Page 

Page 

That  Nazty  Nuisance 

UA-Roach 

VA/-II'          T             1  C 

William  1  racy-Joe  oawyer 

IlOT  JOT 

1  A  1  O 

That  Other  Woman 

20th-Foit 

Virginia  ©ilmore-J Amos  Ellison 

Nov.  1 3  '42 

/om 

V-/CT.  1  /,  tz 

YOU 

OL 

yjo 

They  Flew  Alone  (British) 

RKO 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Klnt  S»t 

MOT  rfwl 

04m 

May  z, 

070 

(now  Wings  and  the  Woman) 

They  Sot  Me  Covered 

Goldwyn 

DOD   nope-UOrOTny  LflmOUr 

Klnt  Set 
MOT  oei 

0AM 

Yom 

Jan.   z,  4o 

1  1  ft7 

I  1  uz 

This  Above  All 

20th-Fox 

9M 

Tyrone  Power-Joan  Fontaine 

lulu  94  "49 

i  mm 

1  1  Urn 

May  i  o,  ^z 

oo  1 

1034 

This  Is  the  Enemy 

Artkino 

Russian  Documentary 

74m 

lulv/  1  1  'AO 

juiy  1 1 ,  t-4 

/OO 

Those  Kids  from  Tetwn  [British)  Anglo 

rorCy  flVl armOnT-iVl flrl ©  \J  IS  Qui 

mot  jot 

/  3m 

May  z,  nZ 

OJO 

Three  Hearts  for  Julia 

MGM 

Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas 

Klnt 
MOT  oeT 

7Um 

Jan.  7,  *ri 

1  1  U  1 

1  (1AO 

i  uuy 

Thunder  Birds  (color) 

20th-Fox 

John  Su+ton-0©n©  Tiorney 

MOV.  ZU,  *rZ 

7Bm 

/  o  m 

/""N-A     1  7  <47 
^CT.    1  /  ,  *TA 

OCQ 
TOO 

70A 

/Yo 

1  to"}  A 

1034 

Thunder  Rock  (British)  Cha 

rter-Metro 

Michael  Kedgrave-DarDara  Mullen 

Klnt  Cat 
MOT  OCT 

1  1  1  in 

i  i  i  m 

O-A       3  «JO 

^CT.    J,  4Z 

07C 

Thundering  Hoofs 

RKO 

lim  noit 

lulu  94  '49 

juiy 

Aim 

o  i  m 

i  ^  'z  i 

ZA7 

387 

Timber 

Univ. 

Leo  Carrillo-Andy  Devine 

Ann   14  '49 

Mug*  i  t i  ^4 

oum 

A...    i  c  'AO 

O^O 

Time  to  Kill 

20th-Fox 

39A 

Lioyo  iNoian-neaTner  Angei 

1..  97  '^9 
Jan.  za,  *tj 

o  i  m 

n«i~    c  "Z7 
uec.  o,  *tl 

1  f)Z7 
1  Ut^Z 

ooc 

773 

Tish 

MGM 

Marjone  Main-Lee  Bowman 

C..i    Kl  nu  '4? 

oepT.-iNov.,  *ta 

DJ  fit 

lulu  ?R  'Z? 
JUiy  ZD,  *rZ 

TOO 

779 

1  MA 
1 034 

'Tombstone 

Para. 

4139 

Kicnard  uix-rrances  01  fiord 

Rlnfk  7 
DIOCR  / 

70  m 

/7m 

Lira    1  ^  'AO 

June  I  J,  4Z 

7  1  Z 

Tomorrow  We  Live 

PRC 

?A7 

Jean  rarker-Kicardo  oortez 

Cant   90  *49 
~>Q pT.  IT,  fx 

A4m 

C_ _a  7 a  »47 

depT.  zo,  *»z 

tZZ 

Tomorrow  We  Live  (British] 

Brit.  Lion 

John  Clements-Godfrey  Tear!© 

Not  Set 

85m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

Tornado  in  the  Saddle 

Col. 

4210 

D                10     IB            Q            ft      J  \A/*|| 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Dec.  15, '42 

CO 

57m 

1058 

Trail  Riders 

Mono. 

King-Sharpe-Terhune 

Dec.  4,'42 

1018 

Traitor  Within,  The 

Rep. 

207 

Don  Barry-Jean  Parker 

Dec.  16/42 

62m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

983 

True  to  Life 

Para. 

Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone 

Not  Set 

1079 

'Tumbleweed  Trail 

PRC 

2S4 

Bill  Boyd-Art  Davis-Lee  Powell 

July  10, '42 

57m 

Two  Fisted  Justice 

Mono. 

King-Sharpe-Terhune 

Jan.  8, '43 

1031 

UNCENSORED  (British)  Sains.-Gen'l 

Eric  Portman-F.  Cutloy 

Not  Set 

100m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

Undercover  Man 

UA 

4140 

William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 

Oct.  23,'42 

68m 

May  9/42 

647 

Underground  Agent 

Col. 

4039 

Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 

Dec.  3.'42 

68m 

1009 

Undying  Monster,  The 

20th-Fox 

319 

James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 

Nov.  27,'42 

60m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

970 

936 

1082 

•United  We  Stand 

20th-Fox 

254 

News  Documentary 

July  10/42 

70m 

June  27/42 

738 

947 

Unpublished  Story  [British) 

Col. 

Richard  Greene-Mites  Malleson 

Not  Set 

91m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

598 

VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men 

Rep. 

Ok.0 

lb  I 

i  yieroTeeie-uood 

Klnu     1  ^  '49 

MOV.  1  J, 

1  A3  1 

Varsity  Show  (Reissue) 

WB 

?  I  c 
Z  \  D 

uick  roweii-rred  waring 

r\n-    lO  '49 

ft  1  m 

o  i  m 

A  un    9  1  '37 

Aug.  L  1  ,  3  1 

i  nzo 

Vengance  of  the  West 

Col. 

00  I  L. 
JZ  1  O 

Dill  CHIOTT- 1  ex  KiTTer 

oepr.  j,  Az 

.  .  . 

WAKE  Island 

Para. 

on  an  uonievy-r\oDerT  r  resTon 

DIOCR  1 

o  /  m 

Ann    1  R  '49 

Aug.  i  o, 

YUZ 

779 

1  flOA 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 

nay  Dainioi "Luwara  Arnwia 

Cant-KInv  '49 

JOpTi'lTOV,,  "T4. 

86m 

Ann    ft  '49 

Aug,  O, 

902 

707 

i  nft? 

War  Dogs 

Mono. 

Billy  Lee* Addison  Richards 

Klnu   1  H  '49 
MOV.  1  J, 

63  m 

CVt  1 0  '49 

T*rO 

Watch  on  the  Rhine 

WB 

RAUA    DavU-PaiiiI    1  lirAC 

Not  S-t 

HOT  JBT 

OOA 

700 

We  Are  the  Marines 

20th-Fox 

3?4 

Marina     ro  ATiiro 

Un       ft  '43 

73m 

Dec.  12  '42 

1  V3J 

We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo 

D    J    CI                  fL  All 

bud  rlanagan-Ohesney  Allen 

Kl  .1  C -  + 

93m 

Of*  3  I  '49 

Oft? 

70Z 

Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney 

k| -A  C-A 

INOT  oeT 

92m 

kj„„   14  "49 

1  fiflA 

1  uuo 

We  Sail  at  Mid- 

night (British) 

Drown  Film 

... 

War  Documentary 

Inot  oet 

97m 

Mau  91  '49 
MOV.  Z  1 ,  nL 

i  n  1 7 
1 U 1  / 

West  of  the  Law 

Mono. 

duck  Jones- 1  im  Mcwoy 

Nov. 

cc_ 

jjin 

Klnw      7  '49 
MOV.     / ,  *\*L 

OOZ 

When  Johnny  Comes 

Marching  Home 

.Univ. 

All         1             1  c 

Allan  Jones-Jane  rrazee 

Jan.   i ,  *tj 

74m 

1  U  YU 

Whistling  in  Dixie 

MGM 

7  1  "i 

J  1  0 

Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford 

Dec. -Jan.,  43 

74m 

Oct.  3 1  '42 

Qft  I 

"O  1 

Q4A 

7tO 

i  nft? 
1  uoz 

White  Cargo 

MGM 

7  1  A 

Hedy  Lamarr-NA/alter  Pidgeon 

oepT.-iNOv.,  *tz 

89m 

Cont    IQ  'AO 

Q73 

fl7l 
0/  1 

1  f\Q0 
1  UoZ 

White  Savage 

Univ. 

Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 

Kl  -  A  C-A 
INOT  j6T 

Who  Done  It? 

Univ. 

mno 
/UUZ 

ADDOTT    of  \-cu5T©IIO 

INOV.     O,  *Ti- 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

971 

7  /  1 

1  uoz 

Wildcat 

Para. 

4204 

Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge 

Block  1 

73  m 

Aug!  29,'42 

938 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)  RKO 

303 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Sept.  18/42 

Y*fm 

May  t,  'ti 

1 082 

(formerly  They  Flew  Alone 

►Wings  for  the  Eagle 

WB 

136 

Ann  Sheridan-Dennis  Morgan 

July  18/42 

83m 

June  6/42 

697 

687 

984 

World  at  War 

WAC 

Documentary 

Sept.  18/42 

66m 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

Wrecking  Crew 

Para. 

4212 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris 

Block  3 

73m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

Wyoming  Hurricane 

Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1079 

X  Marks  the  Spot 

Rep. 

204 

Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish 

Nov.  4/42 

56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

YANK  at  Eton,  A 

MGM 

Sw 

Mickey  Kooney-bomund  t^wenn 

C  _  _A    kl  _  *AO 

oepT.-iNOV.,  <\L 

R7m 

o  /  m 

Ann    \K  '49 

Aug.  1  O,  tl 

0  1  R 
7  1  D 

10k 

/  zo 

i  mz 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy 

WB 

Of\  1 
ZU  I 

James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 

Jan.   £.,  *ro 

1  9Am 

June  6,  42 

A7Z 

i  fifl? 
1  vol 

►  Yank  in  Libya,  A 

PRC 

OOti 

p—l       R      Wirnar.  I/tan     \A/  /**     rA  P"\t  i  P\i 

n .  d.  TTarnor-Joan   v»  ouuDury 

juiy  ha 

67m 

Oct.  3  '42 

935 

77? 

/  /  4fa 

Yanks  Ahoy 

UA-Roach 

Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 

Not  Set 

into 

IUI  7 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The 

PRC 

■5  ft  i 

30 1 

Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  9/42 

AKm 

Oz-t     1  '49 

UCT,      J,  74 

7J9 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 

Mono. 

Edward  Norris-Joan  Woodbury 

Not  Set 

1081 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever 

WB 

207 

George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 

Oct.  10/42 

77m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

898 

1034 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier 

Col. 

4002 

Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 

Nov.  19/42 

97m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

796 

1034 

Young  and  Willing 

UA 

William  Holden-Susan  Hayward 

Jan.  29/43 

663 

Youngest  Profession,  The 

MGM 

Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  &  Guests    Not  Set 

1081 

Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British) 

20th-Fox 

316 

Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 

Feb.  26/43 

103m 

July  4/42 

914 

Youth  on  Parade 

Rep. 

203 

John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 

Oct.  24/42 

75m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 

in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1103. 


1112   Product  Digest  Section 


O 


FROM  THE  MANUFACTURERS  OF 

EQUIPMENT 


/  a  time  wAen  cub  ^tocuntbif  id 


cat/in^  flob  eveb^  eflflobt  and  bacbiflice  flbom  a/t  ofl 
me  ta/ce  tAib  cfifiobtunitif  to  continue  out  time 
/tended  custom  ofl  extending  SPea&cnt*  ^beetin^d 
to  cub  flbtena%  efl  tAe  ^/ttction  SPictuie  3nduitb^. 


ISTEM! 


Victory  is  not  coming  to  us  solely 
from  the  gallantry  of  our  courageous 
youth  around  the  workTs  far-flung 
battle  fronts. 

* 

Victory  will  also  come  because  of 
loyal,  self-sacrificing  Americans,  who 
would  give  up  anything,  that  the  boys 
in  the  field  may  have  the  best  there 
is,  to  finish  the  job  quickly. 


Victory  therefore  must  monopolize 
the  daily  thinking  of  every  one  of  us 
on  the  home  front.  Don't  let  the 
boys  in  the  tanks  and  planes  and 
trenches  do  it  all. 


Victory  will  be  speeded  too,  by  the 
Theatre-man  who  refuses  to  see  val- 
uable film  wasted,  or  other  badly- 
needed  materials  sabotaged  by 
careless  handling  and  neglect. 

* 

Victory—  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
either— can  be  retarded  too,  by  whin- 
ing and  fault-finding  and  complain- 
ing. We  are  all  soldiers  in  a  common 
cause,  and  their  must  be  but  one 
thought  ever  in  our  minds  — 


Victory! 


_ 


nflnon 


nvC&ieen  service 

\^_y  PRIIE  BBBY  Or  THE  HWUbTR 


MOTION  PICTURE 

HERALD 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 

Silver  Skates 

Sundown  Kid 

King  Arthur  Was  a 
Gentleman 

Queen  Victoria 

The  Rangers  Take  Ove' 

The  Old  Chisholm  Trail 


PRODUCT: 

New  Schedules  emphasize  Comedy. 
Music;  Multiple  Star  Features  start  new 
Cycle;  15  Honor  Stars  of  Moneymaker 
Poll  set  for  roles  in  26  Pictures 

Congress  and  Hedy  Lamar r  to 
test  Salary  Ceiling:  Prutzman 
calls  it  'Communistic' 

Production  by  Mexico  and  the 
Argentine  sets  record  for  '12 


JANUARY  16.  1943 


iMlered  at  teconi-cia*i  metier,  January  11.  1931,  st  the  Past  Oi?w«.  *:  .'«>»  Yc~u  iftfv.  V.  S.  A.,  under  tKe  act  of 
.iikta*  stekly  by  Qwiauey  Publisnxng  Co  ,  In*  .  at  1270  Sixth  Avtvne,    RockefeiUr   Center.  Sea    York.    Subscript**  pri 

the   Americas.   S10.00   a   year   Fore-.ex.      Single    copy.    ?1    :entt     All    :cntrKti  icpyrifh:  by  Quick:  Publishing 


I 

IP 


^  egg 


Robe^  % 


7 


...  nepburo 

keepep 

OF  THf  „ 

UAMr 


5: 


TAKE  A  GOOD 


YAN  BCEE 
DOODLE 
DAN 

5  months  at  the  Hollywood  at  advance  prices!  -5th  popular-price 
at  the  Strand  after  beating  28-year  record!  Still  running! 


Collect  at  Every  Performance ! 

UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK  JAN.  14  THRU  JAN.  20 


JAMES  CAGNEY» GEO.  M.  COHAN  .'-"YANKEE  DOODLE  DANDY 


with  JOAN  LESLIE-WALTER  HUSTON-RICHARD  whorf 

JEANNE  CAGNET  •  FRANCES  IANGFORO  ■  GEORGE  TOBIAS  •  IRENE  MANNING 
The  Son**  by  Directed  by 

GEORGE  M.  COHAN    *    MICHAEL  CURTIZ 

Screen  Pley  by  Robert  Suekner  and  Edmund  JMeph 
Original  Story  by  Robert  Buckner 


YOU  CAN  SAY  IT  AGAIN... AND  AGAIN! 

flllAIA  CSIRT  I  n**ifM  - 

WAaAAIIOL     UAaEMJ  •  WISCONSIN, MUWAU 


the 
IKEE! 


at  the 
LAKE  CITY! 


CHINA  GIRL !  5S2S 

CHINA  GIRL !  STATE,  SPOKANE! 
CHINA  GIRL!  EMBASSY,  JO  HI 

rilTNA  CSIRT  I  n**,FICI  - 

VhA&I  a1     VIA  A  A  Mi  •   PALACE,  NEWPORT  NE 

CHINA  GIRL !  ORPHEUM,  GRI 


the 


at  the 
MSTOWN! 


the 
NEWS! 

at  the 
N  BAY! 


Collect  at  Every  Performance!  UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK  Jan.  14—20 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY,  Eiitor-m-CbUf  COLVIN  BROWN,  Publisher  TERRY  RAMSAY E,  Editor 


Vol.  150,  No.  3 


THOUGHTS  on  RATIONING 

BACK  YONDER,  when  the  freedoms  of  this  land  were 
being  developed  with  rum  and  flintlock  muskets,  the 
political  and  economic  unit  was  made  up  of  the  "thirteen 
colonies".  This  week,  in  the  era  of  petroleum  and  cannon,  there 
was  born  the  new  region  of  the  seventeen  states,  tied  under 
the  blanket  of  rationing,  where  going  from  here  to  there  and 
return  might  no  longer  be  done  for  pleasure.  The  issue  of 
"guns  vs.  butter"  was  being  brought  home  to  this  lavish  land 
by  the  cold  facts  of  war,  and  such  war  as  the  world  has  never 
known  before. 

Most  immediately  this  means  that  one  may  go  to  work,  to 
school,  to  church  and  wherever  duty  calls,  but  nowhere  for 
fun — including  the  theatre — if  the  trip  consumes  gasoline. 

The  motion  picture  and  the  motor  car  have  grown  up 
together,  through  precisely  the  same  years.  The  automobile 
in  the  possession  of  the  multitudes  has  made  the  new  map  of 
America,  converting  towns  into  cities  and  making,  sometimes, 
villages  into  crossroads.  The  United  States  have  been  urbanized, 
and  suburbanized,  as  no  country  was  ever  changed  before,  until 
the  word  neighbor  has  lost  its  meaning  for  most  of  us  and 
until  neighborhood  is  merely  a  place  on  the  map.  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  between  World  War  I  and  this  War  II  motor  car 
registrations  have  grown  from  3,000,000  to  33,000,000. 

AS  we  moved  into  World  War  I  the  vastly  most  profitable 
product  of  the  screen,  per  foot  and  per  dollar,  was  the 
i  serial.  The  serial  lived  off  of  the  repeat  patronage  of  the 
neighborhood  theatre.  When  the  audience  became  mobile  and 
amusement  shopping  began,  the  serial  fell  into  minor  status. 
The  customers  assuredly  continued  to  "go  to  the  movies".  But 
the  going  no  longer  was  limited  to  walking  distance.  It  led  to 
where  the  names  of  the  stars  were  in  the  lights  and  to  the 
grandeurs  of  the  bigger  houses. 

In  the  region  of  the  seventeen  rationed  states,  showmen  this 
week  had  occasion  to  reflect  on  this  and  to  speculate  on  what 
might  happen  to  the  motion  picture  map  should  this  pressure 
of  war  economy  continue  and  extend. 

Location — for  the  time  at  least — might,  it  seemed,  develop 
a  new  meaning.  The  clock  had  not  yet  been  turned  back  to 
that  officially  scorned  age  of  "the  horse  and  buggy",  but  it 
was  apparently  being  reset  to  the  old  trolley  car  period. 

Should  the  emergency  prove  protracted,  there  will  be 
inevitable  adjustments  and  readjustments.  There  will  be  puzzles 
for  distribution  along  with  the  problems  for  exhibition, 
a  earances,  for  instance,  may  be  importantly  affected  for  many 
a  region.  There  will  be  new  factors  for  arbitrators  to  consider. 

Perhaps  this  is  a  part  of  the  movement  into  that  new  order 
that  is  promised,  and  possibly  the  way  to  that  will  have  to  be 
through  considerable  disorder. 

Happily,  the  motion  picture  has  a  quality  of  extreme  elas- 
ticity. And  all  will  agree  that  it  has  through  these  years  had 
much  experience  of  making  changes  and  realignments.  It  con- 
tinues, too,  to  have  the  long  demonstrated  capacity  of  giving 
the  most  entertainment  to  the  most  people  for  the  least  unit 
cost.   It  is  the  one  art  to  hold  and  use  the  skills  and  aftain- 


January  16,  1943 


ments  of  the  long  experience  of  entertainment  and  the  while 
to  deliver  through  all  the  facilities  of  the  machine  age. 

It  could  be  that  there  would  be  neighborhoods  again, 
for  a  while. 

AAA 

"OUGHT  TO  BE  HEALTHY" 

SINCE  it  is  commonly  the  experience  to  find  the  critics 
of  the  lay  press  continually  assailing  the  motion  picture's 
self-regulative  methods  of  keeping  out  of  trouble,  it  is 
pleasantly  interesting  to  find  Mr.  Andrew  R.  Kelley  of  the 
Washington  Evening  Star  holding  another  view.  In  com- 
menting on  aspects  of  the  issue  over  the  use  of  the  word 
"bastard"  in  "We  Are  the  Marines"  he  agrees  to  the  verity 
and  realism,  but  adds:  "...  Our  opinions  part  only  because 
producers  are  using  this  as  an  argument  for  breaking  down 
or  softening  the  Hays  production  code,  guaranteeing  a  clean 
screen.  Unless  Hollywood  wants  Federal  censorship  it  will  sus- 
tain an  amiable  restriction  and  self-regulation.  The  forces 
which  want  to  keep  pictures  circumspect  and  in  good  taste 
recognize  that  55  per  cent  of  the  patrons  are  under  20,  sus- 
ceptible to  emotions  and  influences  which  ought  to  be 
healthy.  ..." 

AAA 

NAMES  in  FLOWER 

ONCE  upon  a  time  the  high  test  of  fame  in  this  republic 
was  the  name  on  the  cigar  box.  There  were  Lillian  Rus- 
sell panatellas  and  General  Arthur  perfectos.  Bankers 
wore  silk  hats  and  tended  toward  mutton  chop  whiskers.  When 
ladies  smoked,  it  was  a  gold-tipped  cigarette,  violet  scented, 
and  they,  both  cigarette  and  lady,  were  utterly  damned. 
Saby  de  Lys  was  about  the  end  of  that,  even  if  Sarah  Bern- 
hardt did  outlive  the  era  and  herself. 

Now,  this  chill  New  England  Sunday  afternoon,  a  flood  of 
'43  garden  catalogues  has  arrived  with  the  annual  tide  of 
promises,  hopes  and  fictions,  and  one  is  reminded  again  that 
for  a  long  time  now  the  names  of  the  popularly  chosen,  the 
famous,  are  conferred  on  flowers.  Movieland  currently  seems 
not  to  be  doing  so  well  as  formerly.  We  still  are  offered 
gladiolus  by  the  name  of  Shirley  Temple  and  Greta  Garbo — 
and,  searching  far,  there  are  still  Pickfords,  too.  Gloria  Swan- 
son  is  still  a  dahlia.  Mr.  Hoover  is  still  a  rose,  a  blend  from 
pink  to  gold.  Mrs.  Hoover  is  a  blue  sweet  pea,  and  there's  an 
Eleanor  Blue.  No  one  ever  named  a  flower  for  Warren  G. 
Harding  but  his  patient  wife  was  once  a  sweet  pea.  Osa  John- 
son is  a  frilled  salmon-orange  sweet  pea,  recommended  for 
under  glass.  Mme.  Chiang  Kai-shek  is  a  new  chrysanthemum, 
in  yellow,  old  gold  and  rose,  and  this  coming  autumn  she's  to 
be  a  rose,  too,  of  lemon  yellow  "with  moderate  fragrance". 
She  is  also  honored  in  the  new  marigold,  Mayling — clearly  the 
floral  fame  winner  for  the  season  of  '42-'43. 

Careful  research  finds  nothing  named  for  Abbott  and  Cos- 
tello,  but  that  would  have  to  be  a  tumble-weed,  for  action. 

— Terry  Ramsaye 


8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


MULTIPLE  star  features  are  new  Hollywood 

cycle  Page  12 

EMPHASIZE  comedy  and  music  in  new 

product  trend  Page  13 

EXHIBITORS  hit  by  driving  ban,  oil  short- 
age Page  14 

SALARY  limit  faces  court  test,  fight  in 

Congress  Page  15 

MAJOR    companies    plan  recapture  of 

foreign  markets  Page  17 

LOEWS   net   profit  for   year   is  up  to 

$12,133,294  Page  18 

SERVICE 


RUNNERS-UP  in  star  poll  will  appear  in 
26  new  pictures  Page  21 

NEW  YORK  newspapers  laud  film  industry 
in  war  Page  24 

1942  best  producing  year  in  Mexico  since 
sound  Page  27 

ARGENTINA  produced  56  feature  films 
during  1942  Page  28 

QUIGLEY  AWARDS  for  fourth  quarter 
go  to  Ed  Fitzpatrick,  Poli,  Water- 
bury;  Arthur  Krolick,  Century,  Roches- 
ter; William  Morton,  Albee,  Provi- 
dence Page  59 


DEPARTMENTS 


In  British  Studios 
Hollywood  Scene 


Page  38     Managers'  Round  Table  Page  57 

Page  42     What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me         Page  54 


PRODUCT  DIGEST,  including  Reviews  and  Release  Chart 


Page  67 


Contract  Cartoons 

ANIMATED  cartoon  training  films  for  the 
Army,  Navy,  Treasury  and  WPB  will  soon 
start  rolling  off  the  production  line  of  the 
Hollywood  studio  of  Leon  Schlesinger,  pro- 
ducer of  "Merrie  Melodies"  and  "Looney 
Tunes"  for  Warners. 

Mr.  Schlesinger  started  for  home  this 
week  after  six  weeks  in  the  East  interview- 
ing government  officials.  In  his  pocket  he 
had  contracts  designating  him  as  a  prime 
contractor,  at  cost,  of  training  films  for  the 
services,  and  other  government  agencies. 

These  films  for  the  government  will  be 
produced  by  the  cartoon  studio  under  direct 
supervision  of  the  services.  The  deal  is 
part  of  the  arrangement  announced  in  Holly- 
wood recently  by  Colonel  M.  E.  Gillette 
whereby  producers  will  contract  directly 
with  the  Signal  Corps  for  the  production 
of  training  films.  Previously  they  had 
been  produced  through  the  intermediate 
process  of  the  Research  Council  of  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences,  and  for  cost  only. 

Hollywood  heard  that  about  40  subjects 
have  been  assigned  to  studios  under  the  new 
plan.  But  studios  and  Colonel  Paul  Sloane, 
in  charge  of  the  coast  office  of  the  Signal 
Corps  Photographic  Center,  refused  to  dis- 
cuss them,  or  the  1,500  reels  which  the  in- 
dustry will  make  for  the  army  in  1943,  ac- 
cording to  a  recent  announcement  by  Colonel 
Gillette. 


'  Wonderfully  Pure  9 

GABRIEL  PASCAL,  best  known  for  know- 
ing George  Bernard  Shaw  and  for  his  pro- 
duction of  that  playwright's  "Pygmalion" 
and  "Major  Barbara,"  is  planning  a  new 
production.  Hedda  Hopper,  Hollywood 
columnist,  this  week  quotes  a  telegram  from 
him  as  saying : 

"I'm  working  on  a  story  for  pictures  in- 
spired and  suggested  by  that  wonderfully 
pure  man,  Henry  Wallace,  Vice-President  of 
this  great  country,  which  I  expect  to  start 
in  Hollywood  come  spring." 

Vice-President  Wallace  has  been  much  in 
the  news  of  late  with  post-war  aims  and 
plans  for  the  social  scene. 


No  Pleasure 

"THAT  cop  gave  me  such  a  dirty  look" 
that  it  was  more  than  Joseph  Seider  could 
stand.  The  operator  of  the  Prudential  cir- 
cuit of  suburban  houses  in  Westchester, 
Connecticut,  and  Long  Island,  drove  his  car 
away  from  his  Bayshore,  Long  Island,  the- 
atre,  and   parked   it   on   a   nearby  block. 

Mr.  Seider,  who  uses  his  car  on  inspec- 
tion tours  because  the  circuit's  properties 
are  so  separated,  had  become  somewhat  dis- 
couraged bv  the  time  he  reached  Bayshore, 
Saturday.  Local  policemen  had  been  found 
standing  in  front  of  each  theatre  and  theatre 
parking  lot — their  contribution  to  the  Office 


of  Price  Administration's  attempt  to  end 
pleasure  driving. 

Motorists  were  told  Tuesday  by  OPA 
officials  in  Washington,  that  if  they  drive 
into  a  town  to  shop,  or  attend  church,  they 
may  also  enjoy  the  theatre.  The  OPA 
spokesmen  intimated  that  the  check  on  cars 
parked  near  theatres  would  continue ;  the 
motorist  would  merely  have  to  prove  he 
did  not  drive  expressly  to  the  theatre. 


Selznick  Kampf 

A.  HITLER  may  get  a  screen  treatment 
by  David  O.  Selznick,  based  on  the  Nazi 
guide  book,  "Mein  Kampf,"  it  was  reported 
with  the  arrival  of  the  producer  in  New 
York  on  Tuesday. 

From  his  apartment  at  the  Waldorf  Mr. 
Selznick  confirmed  reports  that  he  was 
thinking  about  doing  a  screen  job  on  the  ex- 
paper-hanger.  But  the  news,  he  said,  was 
premature  as  nothing  had  been  decided.  He 
would  not  discuss  the  nature  of  the  screen 
story  or  predict  if  or  when  it  might  ma- 
terialize. 

Mr.  Selznick  said  he  expected  to  be  in 
New  York  for  about  a  week  looking  into 
story  material,  and  other  business.  "Three 
or  four  subjects  are  possibilities,"  he  said, 
but  refused  to  discuss  them. 

The  sale  of  "Claudia,"  "Keys  of  the 
Kingdom,"  "Jane  Eyre"  and  several  of  his 
contract  players  to  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
was  a  sale  and  nothing  more,  Mr.  Selznick 
added  in  denial  of  reports  that  they  carried 
a  producing  commitment.  "I  am  still  an 
owner  of  United  Artists,  my  productions 
will  be  for  them,"  he  declared. 


Author!  Author! 

JOSEPH  P.  KENNEDY,  for  some  years 
so  successfully  a  figure  in  the  motion  picture 
industry,  and  subsequently  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  with  the  Securities  and 
Exchange  Commission,  the  Maritime  Com- 
mission and  as  Ambassador  to  the  Court  of 
St.  James's,  has  been  almost  about  to  have 
a  book  published,  according  to  Drew  Pear- 
son, who  writes  a  column  headed  "Wash- 
ington Merry-Go-Round"  for  the  New  York 
Mirror  and  other  papers.  This  got  around, 
says  Mr.  Pearson  and  then  Mr.  Kennedy 
was  invited  to  the  White  House,  to  bring 
along  the  story.  It  is  set  forth  that  the 
President  found  lots  in  it  about  the  British 
and  also  such  incidental  persons  as  Harry 
Hopkins.  Now  it  seems  the  book  is  to  be 
postponed  until  after  the  war,  and  it  is  Mr. 
Pearson's  forecast  that  the  former  Ambassa- 
dor to  Britain  "will  be  given  a  job." 


OWI  Objects 

ACCURACY  in  the  nation's  tunes,  even  at 
the  cost  of  poetic  license  and  musical 
rhythm,  is  insisted  upon  by  the  Office  of 
War  Information.  This  week  the  bureau, 
headed  by  Rhodes  scholar  Elmer  Davis,  in- 
formed Hollywood  band  leader  Tommy  Dor- 
sey  that  it  did  not  like  allusions  to  rationing 
in  his  swing  tune  "No  Stuff  in  Your  Cuff." 

The  line  "Right  soon  there's  gonna  be  no 
more  meat,  not  even  mutton"  was  revised  by 
Dorsey  to  read  "There's  gonna  be  not  much 
meat,  very  little  mutton."  Rhythm  was 
shattered,  but  Government  was  happy,  it  was 
reported. 


January     16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


9 


Breen :  *  Co lossa  1 1 9 

JOSEPH  I.  BREEN,  director  of  the  Pro- 
duction Code  Administration,  this  week  was 
quoted  in  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  publicity 
in  praise  of  ""The  Human  Comedy",  the  Wil- 
liam Saroyan  picture  directed  by  Clarence 
Brown  and  starring  Mickey  Rooney.  The 
publicity,  which  pointed  out  that  it  was  one 
of  the  few  times  Mr.  Breen  "had  been  moved 
to  a  statement",  quoted  a  telegram  from  him 
to  Nicholas  M.  Schenck  as  follows: 

"You  may  be  interested  in  knowing  that 
it  is  the  considered  unanimous  judgment  of 
all  the  members  of  the  Production  Code  Ad- 
ministration that  your  picture  which  we  saw 
today  titled  'The  Human  Comedy'  is  the 
greatest  motion  picture  we  have  ever  seen. 
From  beginning  to  end  the  picture  is  utterly 
flawless  and  is  unquestionably  the  finest 
presentation  of  American  life  ever  put  on  to 
the  screen.  Our  heartiest  congratulations  to 
you  and  to  your  associates  at  Metro.  May 
you  all  live  long  to  make  some  others  like 
this.  Best  wishes." 

Mr.  Saroyan  was  quoted  as  sa}7ing, 
"That's  pretty  good,  isn't  it?" 


Taking  Over? 

INKLINGS  come  from  Washington  perco- 
lations that  the  motion  picture  division  of 
the  Office  of  War  Information,  which  is 
officially  Lowell  Mellett,  is  to  have  the  final 
say,  presently,  on  all  allocations  and  uses  of 
film  for  the  government,  outside  military 
operations.  This  is  producing  vibrations  in 
many  a  government  departmental  film  mak- 
ing unit.  It  is  to  be  recalled  that  Elmer 
Davis,  head  of  OWI,  a  while  back  did  a 
bit  of  trimming  of  government  publications 
of  the  printed  word. 

In  Motion  Picture  Herald  of  May  22, 
1947,  appeared  report  on  a  bill  introduced 
in  the  House  by  William  Theodore  Schulte, 
Democratic  Congressman  from  Indiana,  to 
provide  for  centralization  of  all  Federal  mo- 
tion picture  production  activity  in  an  Office 
of  Motion  Pictures  as  a  division  of  the 
Government  Printing  Office. 

The  announced  idea  then  was  to  "'elim- 
inate playboys  from  among  the  motion  pic- 
ture workers  in  government  employment." 


Naughty  Radio 

VULGAR  quips  and  ad  lib  dialogue  on  radio 
shows  of  late  have  brought  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  public  complaints  to  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission,  James 
Lawrence  Fly,  chairman,  told  a  press  confer- 
ence Monday. 

"More  than  the  usual  number  of  com- 
plaints" about  vulgarity  on  radio  shows,  and 
double  meaning  jokes,  have  been  received 
by  the  FCC,  he  said.  Investigation  is  under- 
way, the  chairman  added,  but  he  refused  to 


identify  the  programs  or  performers  who 
have  been  criticized. 

It  was  admitted  at  network  offices  that 
the  increasing  number  of  radio  shows  from 
Army  or  Navy  camps  has  caused  complica- 
tions. Many  entertainers  ad  lib  on  these 
shows,  and  alter  dialogue  so  that  their  jokes 
will  win  special  favor  with  soldier  audiences, 
forgetting  that  they  might  be  objectionable 
in  the  home,  an  NBC  official  commented.  He 
indicated  that  part  of  the  task  of  checking 
on  radio  material  from  service  posts  should 
be  undertaken  by  post  commanders  and  press 
officers  on  the  spot. 

Southern  churchmen  meanwhile  went  on 
record  this  week  with  a  vigorous  objection 
to  what  they  termed  was  an  increasing  use 
of  "hells"  and  "damns"  on  the  radio  and  in 
the  press.  The  Birmingham,  Ala.  Method- 
ists wrote  press  associations  and  networks 
asking  them  to  clip  the  strong  words  from 
statements  by  military  men  and  others  and 
substitute  "adjectives  suitable  for  home  con- 
sumption". 


$225,000 

MGM  has  bought  screen  rights  to  "The 
Pirate",  Broadway  stage  hit,  for  approxi- 
mately $225,000,  it  was  reported  this  week. 
The  play,  by  S.  N.  Behrman,  is  a  comic- 
fantasy  fitted  especially  to  the  talents  of  Al- 
fred Lunt  and  Lynn  Fontanne,  its  stars. 
Set  in  a  West  Indian  town  at  an  indeter- 
minate period,  it  puts  reverse  English  on 
the  impersonation  theme  of  ''The  Guards- 
man" which  Lunt  and  Fontanne  brought  to 
the  screen  for  MGM  in  1931.  This  time 
Lunt  as  the  lover  impersonates  the  romantic 
pirate  about  whom  Fontanne  as  the  thwarted 
wife  dreams,  not  knowing  that  her  stodgy 
husband  is  the  real  pirate  reformed.  Ar- 
rangements for  the  cast  of  the  screen  version 
were  not  announced. 


Uncle's  Gross 

UNCLE  SAM  has  a  box  office  champion, 
and  no  doubt  of  it,  in  "This  is  the  Army", 
official  War  Department  soldier  show  which 
has  been  sold  out  for  every  performance 
since  its  opening  in  New  York  on  July  4th. 

Over  $2,000,000  was  earned  by  the  show, 
up  to  the  close  of  its  Boston  run  Saturday, 
according  to  Nat  Dorfman,  chairman  of  the 
civilian  publicity  committee.  The  sum  in- 
cludes ticket  sales,  $250,000  in  advance  from 
Warners  for  screen  rights,  and  sale  of  rec- 
ords and  sheet  music  of  the  Irving  Berlin 
tunes. 

The  show  goes  to  Los  Angeles  next  week 
to  open  on  January  22nd  at  the  Philhar- 
monic auditorium.  Then  it  goes  before  the 
Warner  cameras.  The  War  Department  has 
not  yet  decided  whether  the  all-soldier  com- 
pany will  then  be  disbanded,  sent  to  England, 
or  continue  on  tour,  possibly  in  opposition  to 
the  film. 


Staying  Blue 

FREE  admission,  or  passing  the  hat  among 
the  fans,  will  not  enable  Mississippi  theatre 
operators  to  dodge  the  state's  old  blue  laws. 
A  new  attempt  by  six  Jackson  theatres  to 
open  on  January  3rd  and  several  Sundays  in 
December  ended  in  police  court  again  last 
week. 

The  theatres  opened  without  charging  ad- 
mission, passing  the  hat  for  contributions. 
Several  were  reported  to  have  topped  aver- 
age grosses  by  this  method.  But  police  in- 
tervened and  closed  the  shows,  despite  angry 
protests  from  300  soldiers  in  one  house. 

City  Judge  Leon  F.  Hendrick  who  fined 
the  six  managers  $50  apiece  added  that  he 
interpreted  the  old  statute  as  a  labor  safe- 
guard. The  prohibition  against  Sunday 
shows  and  commerce,  he  said,  "was  to  pre- 
vent employes  being  worked  seven  days  a 
week".  One  manager  was  fined  $50  on  three 
separate  counts. 

Jackson's  police  commissioner,  Walter 
Scott,  said  he  would  positively  have  no  films, 
baseball,  football  "bear  baiting,  bull  or  cock 
fights"  on  Sunday,  according  to  the  law. 


Willkie  Warns 

WENDELL  WILLKIE  on  Tuesday  told 
writers  and  publishers  he  wanted  "to  stir 
people  against  any  greater  tendency  toward 
greater  censorship."  The  chairman  of  the 
board  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox  told  his 
listeners  at  a  "Book  and  Author"  luncheon 
sponsored  by  the  New  York  Herald  Tribune 
and  the  American  Booksellers  Association, 
to  "say  what  you  think,  no  matter  what 
some  Government  official  thinks  is  best  for 
the  people."   He  added : 

"Let  us  be  free  while  we  fight  for  free- 
dom." 

Mr.  Wilkie  asserted  that  his  recent  travels 
took  him  behind  the  wall  of  silence  about 
our  troops  in  certain  places,  and  he  com- 
mented :  "Let  me  say  that  beyond  that  wall, 
nothing  is  exactly  as  you  think  it  is.  .  .  .  " 


50-50  on  Actors9  Draft 

HOW  the  public  regards  the  actor,  in  his 
service  to  the  military  and/or  to  the  screen, 
was  indicated,  this  week,  by  replies  to  Her- 
bert Monk,  film  critic  for  the  St.  Louis 
Globe-Democrat. 

Mr.  Monk  asked  readers  to  tell  him,  in 
writing,  whether  they  thought  actors  should 
be  drafted  or  deferred.  He  had  published  ex- 
cerpts from  Kyle  Crichton's  Collier's  article 
which  had  presented  the  case  for  a  Holly- 
wood which  is  losing  actors  and  technicians 
to  the  services,  but  which  is  not  asking  pref- 
erential rating,  although  it  has  been  called 
essential  to  the  nation's  well  being. 

Mr.  Monk  said  this  week  the  replies  were 
at  first  four  to  three  for  drafting  actors. 
Now  they  run  even. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Ouig'ey  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  cddress  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Manin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Terry  Rcmsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South 
Michigan  Avenue,  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Road,  Toronto,  Ontario, 
Canada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Square,  _  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burnup,  manager;  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Ouigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureou,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
correspondent;  Sydney  Bureou,  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carmona  y  Valle  6,  Mexico  City, 
Luis  Becerra  Celis,  correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa  Postal  1090, 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil.  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  O.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Ouigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Ouigley  Publica- 
tions: Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


□  n  a  THE  CAMERA  OBSERVES: 


■  FIRST  LEAVE  since  enlisting 
in  the  Royal  Canadian  Air 
Force;  and  Mitchell  Franklin, 
secretary  of  the  Franklin  and 
Herschorn  Circuit,  New 
Brunswick,  spent  it  with  his 
father,  J.  M.,  circuit  president. 


■  FIRST  STORY  CONFERENCE  for  Jennifer  Jones,  daughter  of 
Phil  Isley,  Texas  circuit  operator.  Miss  Jones,  star  of  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox's  forthcoming  "The  Song  of  Bernadette",  confers  here  on  the 
script,  with  William  Goetz,  vice-president  in  charge  of  production. 


NATIONAL  and  trade 
advertising  manager  for 
Paramount  is  Stanley  Shuford 
below,  appointed  last  week. 
Mr.  Shuford's  long  experience 
includes  association  with 
advertising  agencies. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


HEAD-HUNTER  for  Warners.   Martin  Jurow,  who 
this  week  began  supervision  of  the  eastern  talent 
bureau.  He  comes  from  the  Music  Corporation 
of  America  and  Harvard  Law  School  (1935). 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


■  SALUDOS  SAMBA,  most 
Disney  of  all  dances,  is 
demonstrated,  left,  to  the 
New  York  Society  of  Teachers 
of  Dancing.  It  was  designed 
on  behalf  of  "Saludos 
Amigos"  by  RKO's  Rutgers 
Neilson,  choreographer,  who 
also  was  the  author  of  the 
Bambi  Polka,  Donald  Duck 
Doodle  and   Dumbo  Lumbo. 


PROMOTION.  C.  J.  Scollard,  below, 
has  been  given  charge  of  Paramount 
exchange  service  and  operations 
here  and  in  Canada.  He  joined 
Paramount  in  1938,  and  since 
December,  1940,  he  has  been 
executive  assistant  to  Neil  Agnew, 
general  sales  manager. 


EXECUTIVE  VICE-PRESIDENT  of 
Producers  Releasing  Corporation  is 
George  Bonwick,  right,  seen  at  PRC's 
New  York  office.  He  was  vice-president 
and  treasurer  of  Pathe  Film  Corporation. 


■  CLIMAX  of  the  New  York  Federation  of 
Jewish  Charities  amusement  division  drive  for 
funds  was  a  luncheon  last  week  honoring 
Jack  Benny,  comedian  and  contributor. 
At  the  speakers'  table,  above,  were  Barney 
Balaban,  luncheon  chairman,  and  Paramount 
president;  Mr.  Benny;  David  Bernstein, 
division  co-chairman,  and  Loew  vice-president; 
and  Judge  Joseph  Proskauer. 


FOUR  TO  SIX  Spanish  language 
pictures  per  year,  at  the  old 
Biograph  studios,  the  Bronx,  is  the 
plan  of  J.  Anthony  Sodero, 
producer,  now  in  New  York 
seekinq  distribution. 


By  Stsff  Photographer 


12 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


MULTIPLE  STAR  FILMS  ARE 
NEW  HOLLYWOOD  CYCLE 


Five  Pictures  Finished  or 
in  Work;  "Tales  of  Man- 
hattan" Started  Vogue 

by  VANCE  KING 

in  Hollywood 

Reborn  this  year  following  a  hibernation 
since  1932  when  Paramount  produced  "If  I 
Had  a  Million,"  the  multiple  star  casting- 
system — the  policy  of  including  a  number  of 
top  players  in  one  picture — has  taken  hold 
of  Hollywood  again. 

Five  pictures,  some  of  them  episodic  in 
story  and  others  telling  a  straight  narrative, 
either  are  finished  or  in  production  at  the 
present  time,  with  stars  and  featured  players 
doing  what  amounts,  in  the  over-all,  to  "bit" 
roles. 

Three  more  are  being  prepared  for  pro- 
duction next  year. 

The  reappearance  of  the  multiple  castings 
came  with  "Tales  of  Manhattan,"  produced 
by  Boris  Morros  and  S.  P.  Eagle  and  re- 
leased by  Twentieth  Century-Fox. 

"Tales  of  Manhattan" 
Started  Vogue 

That  picture,  which  deals  in  episodic  form 
with  the  travels  of  a  dress  suit,  had  Charles 
Boyer,  Rita  Hayworth,  Ginger  Rogers, 
Henry  Fonda,  Charles  Laughton,  Edward  G. 
Robinson,  Paul  Robeson,  Ethel  Waters,  Ed- 
die "Rochester"  Anderson,  Thomas  Mit- 
chell, Cesar  Romero,  Victor  Francen, 
George  Sanders  and  others  in  the  cast. 

The  grosses  piled  up  by  "Tales  of  Man- 
hattan" apparently  encouraged  other  studios 
to  have  a  try  at  that  type  of  production. 

However,  one  of  the  forthcoming  produc- 
tions, "Forever  and  a  Day,"  to  be  released 
by  RKO,  was  started  before  "Tales"  went 
before  the  cameras.  The  picture  is  a  caval- 
cade of  Great  Britain  terminating  with  the 
current  world  war. 

Studios  with  multiple  player  dramas  on 
their  lists  are  Warners,  with  "Thank  Your 
Lucky  Stars";  Paramount,  "Star  Spangled 
Rhythm";  United  Artists-Lesser,  "Stage 
Door  Canteen;"  Universal,  "Flesh  and  Fan- 
tasy." 

Planned  are:  "White  Evening 
Dress"  and  "The  Grand  Street 
Boys,"  both  by  Morros  and  Eagle 
for  Twentieth  Century-Fox;  and 
"Our  United  Nations,"  which  will 
be  a  Charles  K.  Feldman  Group 
Production  in  collaboration  with 
Charles  Boyer,  now  actor-producer 
at  Universal. 

First  of  the  new  batch  of  multi-starred 
films  is  Paramount's  "Star  Spangled 
Rhythm,"  already  trade  shown  and  which 
will  be  sold  separately  for  national  release 
February  12th.  Given  top  billing  in  this 
musical,  which  has  a  connected  story,  are 
Bing  Crosby,  Bob  Hope,  Fred  MacMurray, 
Franchot  Tone,  Ray  Milland,  Victor  Moore, 
Dorothy  Lamour,  Paulette  Goddard,  Vera 
Zorina,  Mary  Martin,  Dick  Powell,  Betty 


Hutton,  Eddie  Bracken,  Veronica  Lake, 
Alan  Ladd  and  "Rochester." 

Appearing  as  themselves  are  C.  B.  De 
Mille,  Preston  Sturges  and  Ralph  Murphy. 

Also  cast  in  the  film,  directed  by  George 
Marshall,  are  Macdonald  Carey,  Walter 
Abel,  Susan  Hayward,  Marjorie  Reynolds, 
Betty  Rhodes,  Dona  Drake,  Lynne  Over- 
man, Albert  Dekker,  Johnnie  Johnston,  Gil 
Lamb,  Cass  Daley,  Cecil  Kellaway,  Kather- 
ine  Dunham,  Arthur  Treacher,  Walter  Cat- 
lett,  Sterling  Holloway,  Barbara  Britton. 

Being  filmed  in  truncated  fashion 
(three  episodes  are  finished  already) 
is  Universal's  "Flesh  and  Fantasy" 
co-produced  by  Charles  Boyer  and 
Julien  Duvivier.  The  former  also 
appears  in  the  film,  which  the  lat- 
ter is  directing. 

The  cast  of  "Flesh  and  Fantasy" — and 
there  are  more  to  come — consists  of  Boyer, 
Edward  G.  Robinson,  Thomas  Mitchell,  An- 
na Lee,  C.  Aubrey  Smith,  Barbara  Stan- 
wyck, Dame  May  Whitty,  Charles  Winnin- 
ger,  June  Lang,  Acquanetta,  Grace  Mc- 
Donald, Frank  Mitchell,  Clarence  Muse  and 
Gloria  Jean. 

The  film  has  been  in  production  for  some 
time. 

In  work  at  present  is  Sol  Lesser's  "Stage 
Door  Canteen,"  for  United  Artists  release. 
New  personalities  are  being  added  daily,  the 
latest  being  Mary  Pickford,  who  makes  her 
return  to  the  screen  playing  herself.  Based 
on  the  activities  of  the  American  Theatre 
War  Wing  Service  which  provides  enter- 
tainment for  service  men,  "Stage  Door  Can- 
teen" has  as  a  framework  a  definite  love 
story,  about  which  the  entertainment  in  the 
canteen  is  staged.  A  portion  of  the  profits 
from  the  distribution  of  the  film  will  go  to 
the  Canteen  and  to  charities.  Many  person- 
alities never  before  on  the  screen  will  be 
seen. 

Many  Personalities 
Are  in  "Canteen" 

Among  those  set  to  appear  are  George  Jes- 
sel  and  Bert  Lytell,  as  masters  of  cere- 
monies; Edgar  Bergen  and  Charlie  Mc- 
Carthy, Jack  Benny,  Ray  Bolger,  Ethel 
Merman,  Gypsy  Rose  Lee,  Grade  Fields, 
Ethel  Waters,  Gertrude  Lawrence,  Elsa 
Maxwell,  Merle  Oberon,  Katharine  Cornell, 
Tallulah  Bankhead,  Lunt  and  Fontanne,  Se- 
lena Royle,  Jane  Cowl,  Kenny  Baker,  Ned 
Sparks,  Ed  Wynn,  Marlene  Dietrich,  Helen 
Hayes,  Helen  Mencken,  Constance  Collier, 
Johnny  the  Call  Boy,  Shirley  Booth,  Billie 
Burke,  Loretta  Young,  Helen  Broderick, 
Dame  May  Whitty,  Paul  Muni. 

Lucille  Gleason,  Dorothy  Stickney,  Ilka 
Chase,  Beulah  Bondi,  Peggy  Wood,  Judith 
Anderson,  Alan  Mowbray,  William  Dem- 
arest,  Brock  Pemberton,  Sid  Grauman, 
Lloyd  Corrigan,  Johnnie  Weissmuller,  How- 
ard Lindsay,  Russel  Crouse,  Ralph  Morgan, 
Mervyn  LeRoy,  Hugh  Herbert,  June  Lang, 
Ann  Gillis,  Bonita  Granville,  Rosemary 
Lane,  Simone  Simon,  Virginia  Grey,  Patri- 
cia Morison,  Mary  Beth  Hughes,  Marie 
Wilson,  June  Havoc,  Helen  Parrish. 

Playing  in  the  story  thread  will  be  Wil- 


liam Terry,  Cheryl  Walker,  Marjorie  Rior- 
don,  Lon  McCallister,  Fred  Brady,  Doro- 
thea Kent,  Margaret  Early  and  Michael 
Harrison. 

Another  currently  shooting  is  Warners' 
"Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars,"  a  musical  evolv- 
ing about  the  activities  of  Eddie  Cantor. 

In  addition  to  Cantor,  the  film  will  pre- 
sent Joan  Leslie,  Dennis  Morgan,  Dinah 
Shore,  Bette  Davis,  Errol  Flynn,  Humphrey 
Bogart,  Olivia  de  Havilland,  Ida  Lupino, 
Ann  Sheridan,  John  Garfield,  Alexis  Smith, 
Edward  Everett  Horton,  S.  Z.  Sakall,  Don 
Wilson,  Hattie  McDaniel,  Willie  Best,  Spike 
Johns  and  his  City  Slickers  and  the  "Ten 
Lucky  Stars." 

RKO  Will  Distribute 
"Forever  and  a  Day" 

A  production  several  years  in  the  mak- 
ing, and  talent  for  which  was  donated  by 
actors,  writers  and  directors,  is  "Forever 
and  a  Day,"  to  be  distributed  by  RKO  with 
profits  going  to  American  and  British  chari- 
ties. The  idea  was  evolved  in  September, 
1939,  when  Germany  began  war  on  England 
and  France. 

Hundreds  of  actors  appear  in  the  episodic 
and  narrative  production,  best  known  of 
them  being : 

Herbert  Marshall,  C.  Aubrey  Smith,  Ray 
Milland,  Buster  Keaton,  Wendy  Barrie, 
Robert  Cummings,  Anna  Neagle,  Charles 
Laughton,  Patric  Knowles,  Brian  Aherne, 
Elsa  Lanchester,  Victor  McLaglen,  Anna 
Lee,  June  Duprez,  Ida  Lupino,  Merle 
Oberon  and  Donald  Crisp. 

The  combined  production-direction  work 
was  done  by  Rene  Clair,  Edmund  Goulding, 
Cedric  Hardwicke,  Frank  Lloyd,  Victor  Sa- 
ville,  Robert  Stevenson  and  Herbert  Wil- 
cox. 

i 

Morros  and  Eagle  are  working 
on  casting  plans  for  "The  Grand 
Street  Boys"  at  present.  The  aim 
of  the  picture  is  to  tell  how  the 
lives  of  several  New  York  young- 
sters were  so  changed  by  the  provi- 
sion of  proper  outlets  for  their  en- 
thusiasm that  they  became  famous 
men,  instead  of  ending  as  criminals. 

The  producers  are  reported  to  have  paid 
the  Grand  Street  Association,  New  York 
welfare  group,  some  $7,500  for  the  privilege 
of  presenting  it  on  the  screen. 

"White  Evening  Dress,"  the  second  of 
their  planned  ventures,  probably  will  follow 
the  pattern  laid  down  by  "Tales  of  Man-  . 
hattan,"  tracing  the  adventures  of  an  eve- 
ning gown  as  it  is  handed  from  woman  to 
woman.  i 

The  Universal-Feldman  picture,  "Our 
United  Nations,"  will  be  a  series  of  several 
related  episodes,  each  devoted  to  a  story 
laid  in  one  of  the  United  Nations. 


Mullen  Elected  NBC  Director 

Frank  E.  Mullen,  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  the  National  Broadcasting  Com- 
pany, was  elected  a  director  of  the  company  at 
a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  last  Friday. 


January     16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


13 


EMPHASIZE  COMEDY,  MUSIC 
IN  NEW  PRODUCT  TREND 


Studios  Answer  Plea  for 
Light  Films;  War  Theme 
Peak  Seen  Passed 

Emphasis  on  general  entertainment  films, 
including  musical  comedy,  farce  comedy, 
mystery-melodrama  and  mystery-comedy, 
and  fewer  pictures  with  war  themes  are 
forecast  for  the  screen  fare  of  1943. 

Of  the  116  Hollywood  productions  com- 
pleted and  44  in  work,  up  to  December  7th 
last,  according  to  a  product  survey  in 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  December  5th, 
1942,  only  59  of  160  pictures  in  Hollywood's 
largest  backlog  in  years,  are  considered 
straight  war  themes.  Study  of  future  pro- 
duction plans  reveals  that  major  producing 
companies  will  make  only  those  war  pictures 
which  are  deemed  timely  and  all-inclusive  of 
the  war  effort  and  that  the  peak  of  war 
themes  was  hit  in  1942. 

Columbia,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  Para- 
mount and  Twentieth  Century-Fox  lead  in 
the  number  of  war  background  features 
scheduled  for  release  or  production  this 
year,  Columbia  with  15,  MGM,  12,  Para- 
mount, nine,  and  20th-Fox,  nine. 

Universal,  with  29  pictures  completed  or 
in  production  for  this  year,  including  four 
Westerns  and  one  serial,  has  the  smallest 
number  of  films  with  war  backgrounds  of 
any  major  company,  only  three. 

The  lineup  by  companies  of  war  subject 
screen  stories  is  as  follows : 

COLUMBIA:  "Destroyer,"  "Commandos 
Strike  at  Dawn,"  "Boy  from  Stalingrad" 
and  "The  More  the  Merrier,"  the  George 
Stevens  production.  In  addition,  the 
company  has  listed  the  following  war 
films  as  scheduled  for  production:  'At- 
tack By  Night,"  "The  Commandos,"  "Sa- 
hara," "Women  at  War,"  "Wingmates," 
"Victory  Caravan,"  "Knights  Without 
Armor,"  "Appointment  in  Berlin," 
"House  in  Stalingrad,"  "Dear  Mr.  Pri- 
vate" and  "Officer's  Candidate  School." 

MGM:  'Assignment  in  Brittany,"  "Salute 
to  the  Marines,"  "Bataan  Patrol,"  "Pri- 
vate Miss  Jones,"  "Above  Suspicion," 
Reunion  in  France,"  "Journey  for  Mar- 
garet," "Keeper  of  the  Flame,"  "Stand 
By  for  Action,"  "Air  Raid  Warden," 
"Pilot  No.  5"  and  "Swing  Shift  Maisie." 

PARAMOUNT:  "China,"  "Salute  for 
Three,"  "So  Proudly  We  Hail,"  "For 
Whom  the  Bell  Tolls,"  "Submarine 
Alert,"  "Night  Plane  to  Chungking," 
"Aerial  Gunner,"  "Five  Graves  to  Cairo" 
and  "Hostages." 

TWENTIETH  CENTURY-FOX:  "The 
Moon  Is  Down,"  "Secret  Mission,"  "Crash 
Dive,"  "Chetniks,  the  Fighting  Guer- 
illas," "Margin  for  Error,"  "The  Im- 
mortal Sergeant,"  "China  Girl,"  "We  Are 
the  Marines,"  "School  for  Sabotage." 

UNITED  ARTISTS:  "Victory  Through 
Air  Power,"  "Unconquered"  and  "Stage 
Door  Canteen." 

UNIVERSAL:  "We've  Never  Been 
Licked,"  "Corvettes  in  Action"  and  "For- 


SCREEN  HISTORY 
IS  REPEATED 

In  World  War  II,  the  American 
public  follows  the  pattern  of  another 
generation  in  screen  preference  dur- 
ing a  world  conflict.  That  the  public 
did  not  want  its  film  entertainment  to 
reflect  conditions  during  the  last 
World  War  is  indicated  by  the  record 
of  outstanding  motion  pictures  during 
that  period,  as  surveyed  by  Motion 
Picture  Herald,  October  7,  1939. 

During  19 1 7-19 18,  the  year  Amer- 
ica entered  the  war,  there  were  23 
war  films,  or  26  per  cent  of  the  total 
of  89  listed  as  outstanding  in  the 
period.  The  early  years  of  the  war, 
prior  to  America's  entry,  found  the 
screen  offering  less  than  10  per  cent 
of  war  coloration,  with  but  two  war 
subjects  in  the  1914-15  period,  none 
during  19 15-19 1 6,  and  eight  in  1916- 
17.  In  1918,  from  September  through 
December,  the  proportion  rose,  how- 
ever. There  were  15  war  pictures 
among  the  35  listed,  or  43  per  cent 
of  the  total  for  that  period. 


ever  Yours,"  tentatively  titled  Deanna 
Durbin  picture. 
WARNER  BROS.:  "Action  in  the  North 
Atlantic,"  "Mission  to  Moscow,"  "Watch 
on  the  Rhine,"  "Flying  Fortress,"  "Edge 
of  Darkness,"  "Air  Force,"  "Adventures 
in  Iraq." 

In  planning  1943  product,  with  an  eye  to 
current  and  future  production  problems  in- 
cluding manpower  and  materials  shortages 
and  the  salary  ceiling,  Hollywood  studios 
also  have  heeded  exhibitor  demands  for 
more  entertainment  pictures.  During  the 
past  few  months,  showmen  have  indicated 
that  the  public  is  surfeited  with  war  mes- 
sages and  war  propaganda  through  the 
press,  radio  and  on  the  screen  through  fea- 
tures as  well  as  Victory  Films,  and  that  au- 
diences prefer  to  escape  war  headlines  at 
their  neighborhood  theatres  by  seeing  musi- 
cal comedies,  melodramas  and  farce- 
comedies. 

An  important  factor  in  reducing  the  num- 
ber of  screen  plots  which  emphasize  the  war 
is  that  major  companies  are  reluctant  to 
pile  up  high  inventories  of  perishable  war 
stories  only  to  discover  that  the  turn  of 
events  in  the  war  zones  has  made  their  in- 
vestment unwise.  A  case  in  point  is  the 
recent  negotiations  between  film  companies 
and  the  Playwrights  Company  in  New 
York,  producers  of  Maxwell  Anderson's  hit 
war  play,  "Eve  of  St.  Mark."  It  is  re- 
ported that  a  number  of  studios  were  eager 
to  acquire  that  property  but  that  the  Play- 
wrights Company  would  not  make  the  screen 


rights  available  until  January,  1944,  more 
than  a  year  after  the  play's  subject  matter 
had  ceased  to  be  important  and  timely  for 
the  public. 

Continued  lack  of  Hollywood  source  ma- 
terial in  the  play  and  book  markets  remains 
a  problem  to  story  editors.  The  fact  that 
most  of  the  top-notch  playwrights  and  au- 
thors are  engaged  either  in  war  work  for 
Government  agencies  or  in  the  armed  forces 
has  reduced  availability  of  material.  Wil- 
liam Dozier,  west  coast  story  editor  for 
Paramount,  who  recently  was  in  New  York, 
pointed  out  that  "although  film  companies 
are  making  fewer  pictures  this  year  because 
of  raw  stock  conservation  and  even  though 
we  therefore  need  less  material,  the  prob- 
lem of  finding  good  material  remains  acute." 
Representatives  for  MGM,  20th-Fox,  Para- 
mount and  other  companies  agree  that  "a 
good  property  still  is  difficult  to  find,"  and 
when  a  book,  story  or  play  comes  along 
that  is  considered  right  for  screen  treat- 
ment, the  furious  bididng  which  occurs 
brings  the  purchase  price  to  levels  out  of 
all  proportion  to  the  property's  worth. 

More  Writer-Producer 
Deals  Seen  for  1943 

Forecast  for  1943  along  the  production 
front,  according  to  some  observers,  is  an 
increase  in  the  number  of  producer-writer 
and  director-writer  contracts,  a  trend  which 
developed  in  1942.  Paramount,  for  example, 
gave  writer-producer  contracts  to  Sheridan 
Gibney  and  Seton  I.  Miller  last  year  and 
already  had  acquired  Billy  Wilder  and  Pres- 
ton Sturges  for  the  twin  executive  produc- 
tion roles.  It  is  indicated  that  other  studios 
will  give  consideration  to  such  combinations 
if  the  manpower  problem,  which  is  now 
acute  in  Hollywood,  increases. 

Story  editors  in  the  east  report 
that  efforts  are  concentrated  these 
days  on  rinding  material  which  can 
be  transformed  to  the  screen  with 
the  minimum  of  male  star  and  male 
featured  players,  and  they  point  out 
that  the  public  is  in  for  a  cycle  of 
all-feminine  casts  or  casts  top-heavy 
with  leading  feminine  players.  That 
the  cycle  will  run  its  course  before 
the  end  of  the  year,  however,  is  indi- 
cated. 

All-star  productions,  such  as  Paramount's 
"Star  Spangled  Rhythm,"  United  Artists' 
Stage  Door  Canteen"  and  others  may  or  may 
not  be  followed  by  successors,  depending 
entirely,  it  is  believed,  on  response  by  the 
public  to  these  productions. 

Meanwhile,  20th  Century-Fox  is  the  first 
motion  picture  company  to  take  any  action 
regarding  the  plan  for  film-financed  legiti- 
mate stock  companies  to  train  young  actors, 
which  Actors  Equity  Association  proposed 
last  year.  Recently,  Alfred  Harding,  Equity 
executive,  was  given  a  leave  of  absence  to 
visit  Springfield,  Hartford  and  Worcester 
for  20th  Century-Fox  and  to  survey  these 
situations  for  possible  stock  company  loca- 
tions. 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    16,  1943 


EXHIBITORS  HIT  BY  DRIVING 
BAN,  SHORTAGE  OF  OIL 


Eastern  Theatres  Facing 
Further  Fuel  Cuts  as 
Stocks  Run  Low 

Exhibition  was  hit  this  week  from  two 
sides.  Theatre  owners  who  had  been  con- 
gratulating themselves  on  conversion  of 
their  heating  plants  to  coal  suddenly  found 
themselves  without  customers,  or  at  least 
with  only  those  customers  who  could  walk 
or  find  transportation  other  than  private 
cars  to  the  theatre. 

Exhibitors  in  the  17  eastern  states  and 
the  District  of  Columbia,  particularly  in 
the  rural  communities  which  are  dependent 
upon  the  surrounding  country  for  business, 
this  week  were  still  attempting  to  solve  the 
problem  raised  by  orders  of  the  Office  of 
Price  Administration  cutting  their  heating- 
oil  rations  to  45  per  cent  of  last  year's  con- 
sumption, prohibiting  all  non-essential  auto- 
mobile driving  and  denying  to  salesmen  the 
increased  gasoline  which  is  to  be  given 
traveling  men  in  other  sections  of  the  coun- 
try. 

At  the  same  time,  they  were  faced  with 
the  OPA's  warning  that  even  more  stringent 
measures  had  been  drafted  for  instant  ap- 
plication should  the  oil  situation  become 
worse. 

In  reducing  rations  by  25  per  cent  only 
five  days  after  it  had  cut  them  10  per  cent, 
the  OPA  made  no  recommendations  as  to 
how  exhibitors  or  others  could  meet  the 
situation,  but  said  they  were  free  to  do  what- 
ever they  felt  best  to  meet  the  new  condi- 
tions. 

"It  was  felt  that  any  one  of  the 
affected  businesses  would  prefer  to 
have  freedom  of  action  in  adjusting 
itself  to  the  reduction,  rather  than 
have  OPA  suspend  the  use  of  oil  for 
any  fixed  periods,"  it  was  explained. 
"Exhibitors  thus  are  left  free  to 
shorten  their  hours,  close  one  day 
a  week,  or  adopt  any  other  measures 
that  may  meet  the  situation." 

Meanwhile,  a  corollary  of  the  situation  was 
the  OPA  order  of  last  week  banning  all  "pleas- 
ure" driving — including  driving  to  the  theatre. 
In  key  cities  this  week,  ration  books  were  being 
seized  by  OPA  inspectors  from  owners  of  cars 
parked  near  theatres. 

"Wait  and  see"  was  the  opinion  of  large  city 
theatre  owners  this  week,  when  asked  about  the 
effect  upon  business.  In  rural  localities,  it 
seemed  apparent  a  strict  enforcement  of  the 
OPA  ban  would  seriously  hurt  theatre  patron- 
age. 

In  Washington,  newspaper  men  awaited  is- 
suance of  a  "priority  list"  by  which  distributors 
of  petroleum  products  would  be  advised.  The 
list  was  said  to  place  theatres  low  in  order  of 
service.  Some  reports  were  that  theatres  were 
not  mentioned.  It  was  said  in  the  capital  that 
difficulty  in  compiling  the  list  arose  from  inabil- 
ity to  classify  buildings  flatly,  inasmuch  as  many 
are  used  simultaneously  for  essential  and  non- 
essential purposes. 

Deliveries  of  oil  and  gasoline  to  the  east  were 
said  to  have  been  running  approximately  139,000 
barrels  a  day  under  minimum  rationed  demand, 
resulting  in  the  drainage  of  stored  stocks,  which 
have  been  at  dangerously  low  levels.    With  no 


"SAVE  FUEL,  COME 
TO  THE  THEATRE" 

"Turn  down  your  furnace,  save  fuel, 
come  to  Loew's"  is  the  way  that  cir- 
cuit has  been  using  the  oil  shortage 
to  its  advantage,  in  newspaper  ap- 
peals to  the  New  York  public.  The 
advertisements  note  that  "Loew's 
Theatres  Are  Heated  With  Coal". 
The  message  is  also  impressed  upon 
passersby,  through  large  placards 
upon  box  office  and  theatre  walls. 


prospect  of  any  material  increase  in  supplies  be- 
fore spring,  officials  said  the  only  possible  ac- 
tion to  meet  the  situation  was  the  ruthless  cut- 
ting of  rations. 

Even  when  the  heating  season 
ends  in  March  and  it  becomes  per- 
sible  to  begin  rebuilding  stocks,  it 
was  warned,  accelerated  military  ac- 
tivities may  prevent  any  improve- 
ment in  the  gasoline  situation.  What 
might  happen  before  then,  officials 
said,  was  anybody's  guess,  but  the 
signs,  Petroleum  Administrator  Har- 
old L.  Ickes  said,  were  that  condi- 
tions "will  get  worse  before  they  get 
better." 

In  the  Greater  New  York  area,  theatre  busi- 
ness downtown,  and  in  neighborhoods,  was  un- 
affected by  the  ban  on  pleasure  driving,  accord- 
ing to  reports  the  first  few  days.  Operators 
attributed  the  uniformly  good  business  to  the 
ban's  virtual  elimination  of  their  competitors : 
the  roadhouses,  bars,  bingo  parlors  and  skating 
rinks  which  are  dependent  upon  automobile 
trade. 

Most  New  York  theatres  are  heated  by  coal. 
The  larger  ones  are  heated  by  steam  from  the 
New  York  Steam  Company. 

New  York  Theatres  Not 
Hurt  by  Fuel  Shortage 

A  survey  of  circuits  disclosed  that  the  RKO 
circuit  was  completely  a  user  of  coal,  and  also 
the  Skouras  and  Loew  circuits  ;  that  the  Rand- 
force  group  this  week  had  only  seven  theatres 
awaiting  conversion ;  that  the  Century  cir- 
cuit's 37  houses  used  coal,  and  that  90  of  the 
Brandt  group  burned  coal. 

The  Loew  theatres  advertised  in  regular 
newspaper  copy,  and  in  lobby  display,  that  they 
were  heated  by  coal.  The  New  York  Journal- 
American,  large  carrier  of  amusement  display 
advertising,  published  on  its  own  a  series  of 
advertisements  observing  that  95  per  cent  of 
theatre  patrons  were  within  walking  distance  of 
transportation  to  theatres ;  and  they  also  noted 
that  theatres  used  coal. 

In  upstate  New  York,  some  theatres  were 
closing,  however.  Exchange  men  said  as  many 
as  25  were  considering  the  action.  They  said 
at  least  40  per  cent  of  small  town  patronage  in 
their  area  came  from  outside  town  limits. 

The  Prudential  circuit,  operating  in  Long 
Island,  Westchester  and  Connecticut,  this  week 
was  forced  to  close  three  theatres  part  of  the 
week.  They  are  in  New  Canaan  and  Ridge- 
field,  Conn.,  and  in  Rye,  N.  Y.    The  theatre  in 


Rye  is  closed  three  days  per  week,  those  in  the 
other  towns  one  day.  Weekday  matinees  were 
ended  one  month  ago.  Joseph  Seider,  opera- 
tor of  the  circuit,  on  Monday  said  he  would  be 
unable  to  tell  until  the  weekend  what  further 
measures  might  be  needed.  Those  taken,  he 
admitted,  were  an  "attempt  to  save  something" 
in  a  bad  situation. 

Chris  Buckley's  General  Stark  theatre,  Ben- 
nington, Vt,  has  stopped  matinees.  Frank 
Weating  of  the  Park,  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.,  is  con- 
sidering closing  except  Saturdays  and  Sundays, 
while  the  New  theatre,  Hoosick  Falls,  N.  Y., 
is  expected  to  close  after  the  weekend. 

The  Indian  Lake,  operated  by  Charles  Wil- 
son, has  closed,  because  of  gasoline  rationing, 
and  Schine's  Plaza,  Malone,  N.  Y.,  has  been 
closed. 

The  Warner  circuit,  which  operates  the  larger 
houses  in  the  city's  center,  has  only  three  of  76 
oil-heated. 

Providence  operators  asserted  this  week  the 
OPA  fuel  slashes  did  not  worry  them  as  much 
as  the  ban  on  pleasure  driving.  The  only  large 
theatre  using  oil  is  the  Metropolitan,  and  that 
operates  only  on  weekends. 

Lack  of  Conversion 
Material  a  Problem 

Newark  first  run  houses  are  heated  by  coal ; 
but  some  of  the  city's  independents  who  this 
week  still  operated  by  oil  were  faced  with  the 
problems  of  priorities,  and  scarcities,  in  material 
and  labor,  in  converting. 

From  California,  where  gasoline  rationing 
only  recently  was  instituted,  and  the  oil  situa- 
tion does  not  approach  that  of  the  East,  some 
drop  in  attendance  has  been  noted  by  the  large 
circuits,  at  theatres  dependent  upon  car  trade. 

Among  the  New  England  theatres  discontinu- 
ing matinees  certain  days  have  been  the  Roxy, 
New  Britain ;  the  Community,  Plainfield ;  the 
Rialto,  Bridgeport — all  in  Connecticut. 

With  falling  attendance  being  noted  in  many 
spots,  especially  around  New  Haven,  theatres 
were  using  advertisements  advising  the  public 
to  use,  and  how  to  use,  other  means  of  transpor- 
tation. 

In  New  England,  the  discontinu- 
ance of  matinees  increased.  The 
Fall  River  territory  was  most  seri- 
ously affected  bv  the  lack  of  oil.  In 
Boston,  however,  all  major  theatres 
are  heated  by  coal  or  steam.  Twen- 
ty-four of  50  Warner  theatres  have 
converted  from  coal  to  oil,  and  all 
15  Loew-Poli  houses.  In  Washing- 
ton, it  was  reported  only  11  of  70 
theatres  still  burn  oil. 

From  Montreal,  it  was  reported  no  houses 
have  been  forced  to  close.  Of  seven  large  first 
runs  in  the  city,  only  the  Princess  and  the  His 
Majesty's  used  oil;  and  they  have  shifted  to 
coal.  All  27  United  Amusements  circuit  thea- 
tres are  employing  coal.  The  conversions  were 
begun  more  than  a  year  ago,  and  were  made 
originally  because  of  dissatisfaction  with  oil 
fumes,  and  failure  of  automatic  oil  mechanisms. 

Philadelphia  operators  this  week  noted  no 
appreciable  drop  in  attendance  because  of  the 
ban  on  pleasure  driving.  They  also  pointed  to 
the  large,  new  population  of  war  workers,  who 
are  resident,  and  that  the  city  has  excellent 
transportation  lines. 

More  serious  to  them,  they  observed,  was  the 
oil  shortage.  Of  115  independent  houses,  be- 
tween 80  and  90  are  oil  heated.  Few  are  able 
to  convert.  Some  have  dropped  weekday  mati- 
nees. Many  are  scheduled  to  cease  Monday 
operation. 


January    16,     19  4  3  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  15 

SALARY  LIMIT  FACES  COURT 
TEST,  CONGRESS  FIGHT 


Industry  Taxes  to  Contribute 
To  $109,000,000,000  Budget 

A  big  slice  of  the  $109,000,000,000  war  budget  submitted  to  Congress  by  the 
President  on  Monday  will  be  met  with  personal,  corporate  and  admissions  taxes 
from  the  motion  picture  industry.  The  President  indicated  that  he  hopes  to  meet 
more  than  half  of  the  budget  with  current  revenues,  bolstered  by  a  request  to 
Congress  for  16  billions  more  in  taxes  or  compulsory  savings. 

Admissions  taxes,  the  only  revenue  from  film  sources  specifically  estimated,  were 
set  at  $160,600,000  in  the  budget  message. 

The  budget  disclosed,  however,  that  last  year's  estimate  of  the  admission  tax 
was  too  high.  It  now  has  been  reduced  from  $159,600,000  to  $154,800,000. 

The  President  submitted  no  detailed  estimates  of  war  expenditures,  but  told 
Congress  that  he  would  forward  a  supplemental  budget  next  spring.  It  will  dis- 
close details  for  the  Army  and  Navy  and  the  various  war  agencies,  including  the 
Coordinator  of  Inter-American  Affairs,  Office  of  Economic  Stabilization,  Office 
of  Censorship,  Office  of  War  Information,  War  Production  Board  and  Office  of 
Price  Administration. 

To  carry  a  100  billion  dollar  war  cost,  he  told  Congress,  a  cut  of  approximately 
25  per  cent  must  be  made  in  civilian  consumption  as  compared  with  1941.  An 
average  of  about  $500  worth  of  goods  and  services  will  be  available  to  civilians 
during  the  coming  year.  There  will  be  no  luxuries,  he  warned,  but  there  will  be 
ample  food,  clothing  and  other  necessities. 


Trade  Maintains  Silence 
but  Lamarr  Action  Is 
Watched  Closely 

A  bombardment  of  Congressional  dis- 
pleasure over  the  $25,000  salary  ceiling-,  and 
other  aspects  of  wage  regulation  by  execu- 
tive order  appeared  close  at  hand  this  week. 
Court  test  of  the  order's  validity  also  was 
pending,  as  Hedy  Lamarr  sued  MGM  in 
Los  Angeles  for  abrogation  of  her  contract. 

Other  legislative  and  legal  guns  also  were 
reported  sighting  at  the  stabilization  meas- 
ure from  the  new  Congress,  and  the  country 
at  large. 

Rumblings  from  many  important  Con- 
gressmen promised  loud  debate  soon  over 
the  issue.  Representative  Wolcott  of  Michi- 
gan of  the  House  Banking  Committee  Mon- 
day promised  to  introduce  legislation  setting 
aside  the  ceiling.  He  called  the  attempt  to 
equalize  incomes  "socialistic."  Senator 
George  of  the  Senate  Finance  Committee 
saw  the  subject  coming  to  the  floor  soon. 

The  motion  picture  industry,  largely  af- 
fected by  the  ceiling  order  among  its  talent 
and  executive  groups,  still  maintained  offi- 
cial silence. 

But  the  Los  Angeles  court  action 
by  Miss  Lamarr,  comments  by  im- 
portant film  figures,  and  continuing 
high  caliber  representation  at  Wash- 
ington showed  persistent  concern 
with  the  measure  in  film  quarters. 
Many  knotty  questions  of  interpre- 
tation still  are  unsolved. 

The  President  on  Tuesday  asked  extension 
of  the  $25,000  income  limit  to  returns  from  in- 
vestment, as  well  as  salary.  His  budget  mes- 
sage to  Congress  called  for  extension  of  the 
high  bracket  income  curb. 

"I  cannot  ask  Congress  to  impose  the  neces- 
sarily heavy  financial  burdens  on  the  lower  and 
middle  incomes  unless  the  taxes  on  higher  and 
very  large  incomes  are  made  fully  effective. 
At  a  time  when  wages  and  salaries  are  stabil- 
ized, the  receipt  of  very  large  net  incomes  from 
any  source  constitutes  a  gross  inequity  under- 
mining national  unity,"  his  budget  message 
said. 

He  submitted  to  Congress  a  $109,000,000,000 
j  budget  for  the  fiscal  year  starting  in  July.  All 
but  nine  billions  of  the  sum  was  earmarked  for 
war.  The  President  asked  also  that  Congress 
raise  16  billion  dollars  in  new  tax  revenue.  This 
would  double  the  average  citizen's  tax  bills  in 
1943,  to  levy  more  than  50  billions  in  taxes  and 
forced  savings. 

At  a  press  conference  in  which  he  explained 
the  budget,  the  President  indicated  his  deter- 
mination to  make  the  $25,000  ceiling  on  salaries 
stick,  newspapers  reported,  with  the  declara- 
tion that,  if  Congress  balked  at  the  proposal,  he 
probably  would  take  the  issue  directly  to  the 
country. 

The  first  court  action  to  test  the  application 
of  wage  ceilings  to  film  stars'  contracts  was 
begun  at  Hollywood  last  Tuesday  when  Hedy 
)  Lamarr  filed  suit  against  Loew's,  Inc.,  asking 
the  superior  court  to  set  aside  her  contract  with 
MGM. 

Miss  Lamarr's  action  charged  that  the  com- 
pany, in  refusing  to  increase  her  salary  from 
$1,500  to  $2,000,  in  accord  with  option  terms, 
had  violated  the  contract.  The  company  with- 
held increases,  and  had  suspended  salary  pay- 


ments to  the  star  since  December  1st  to  com- 
ply with  the  $25,000  salary  stabilization  order. 

The  company,  in  November,  said  that  it  had 
exercised  its  options  for  Miss  Lamarr's  con- 
tinued services,  but  could  not  pay  the  stipulated 
increases.  She  seeks  abrogation  of  the  contract, 
or  the  payment  of  the  increase. 

Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue  spokesmen  at 
Washington  have  disclosed  that  the  government 
regards  the  Lamarr  action  as  a  test  case  on  the 
validity  of  the  salary  order.  It  was  indicated 
that  Washington  officials  were  following  it  with 
"great  interest."  It  is  the  first  contractual  chal- 
lenge of  its  kind  to  be  instituted  since  the  salary 
order  went  into  effect. 

Talent  Guilds  Follow 
Lamarr  Case 

The  principal  Hollywood  talent  guilds,  mean- 
while, were  reported  preparing  representation 
by  counsel  at  the  Lamarr  trial  as  observers.  It 
will  be  the  first  time  that  the  contracts  of  writ- 
ers, stars,  producers  and  other  studio  employes 
will  be  examined  in  court  with  regard  to  their 
status  under  the  President's  salary  order. 

Hollywood  executives  on  Monday  privately 
were  expressing  hope  that  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment would  relax  its  wage  rulings  to  some  ex- 
tent. Three  important  concessions  were  fore- 
seen following  Washington  conferences. 

These  would  permit  companies  to  pick  up 
options  and  increase  salaries  up  to  the  annual 
gross  ceiling  of  $67,200.  Also  companies  would 
be  permitted  to  pay  an  increase  under  contract 
terms,  but  reduce  working  weeks,  to  keep  within 
the  limit,  and  freelance  players  were  expected  to 
be  given  the  right  to  bargain  freely  and  to 
receive  customary  wages,  up  to  the  $67,000 
maximum. 

Studio  accountants  also  were  awaiting  rul- 
ings on  whether  they  could  place  star  earnings 
in  escrow,  for  post  war  payment,  or  pending 
clarification  of  Treasury  rulings. 

Kenneth  Thomson,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Screen  Actors  Guild,  returned  to  Hollywood 


Monday  with  a  report  on  conferences  in  Wash- 
ington on  these  questions. 

A  sharp  attack  on  the  salary  limit  by  presi- 
dential order  was  voiced  on  the  radio  Sunday 
by  Charles  D.  Prutzman,  general  counsel  and 
vice-president  of  Universal  Pictures. 

He  spoke  on  the  "American  Forum  of  the 
Air"  from  Washington  over  the  Mutual  net- 
work. He  appeared  as  a  private  citizen  and 
business  man,  substituting  for  J.  Cheever  Cow- 
din,  at  the  invitation  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Manufacturers. 

"There  can  be  no  defense  of  the  manner  in 
which  it  was  forced  on  the  American  public," 
Mr.  Prutzman  said,  attacking  the  salary  order 
as  radical  and  foreign  in  concept,  and  aimed  at 
the  limitation  of  basic  American  principles  of 
unrestricted  enterprise  and  opportunity. 

"It  hides  under  the  cloak  of  an  anti-inflation 
law,  but  has  no  relation  to  inflation.  It  is  not 
a  tax  measure,  for  everything  over  the  salary 
limitation  is  kept  by  the  employer  and  not  by 
the  government.  It  has  forced  the  violation  of 
contracts  of  thousands  of  employes,"  Mr. 
Prutzman  said. 

Foresees  "Collectivism" 
Of  Farms  and  Factories 

"The  emphasis  is  clearly  on  the  limitation, 
which  carried  to  its  final  conclusion  means 
simply  confiscation  of  wages  and  property  un- 
der a  .new  label.  The  logical  subsequent  step 
would  be  collectivization  of  factories  and 
farms,"  he  said. 

"We  cannot  sit  back  and  let  a  measure  dis- 
guised as  a  war  emergency  be  put  over  which 
would  change  the  fundamentals  of  our  country 
and  limit  the  opportunities  of  our  boys  when 
they  return  and  actually  destroy  the  very  thing 
for  which  they  are  fighting — an  America  limit- 
ed only  by  the  abilities  of  our  people,"  Mr. 
Prutzman  told  the  radio  forum. 

The  Universal  atttorney  is  a  member  of  the 
committee  of  industry  lawyers  which  has  been 
in  Washington  seeking  clarification  of  the  order. 


6 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


Bill  in  New  York 
Legislature  to 
Permit  Bingo 

Efforts  to  legalize  bingo  were  pressed  before 
the  New  York  State  Legislature  when  four  such 
bills  were  introduced  at  Albany  on  the  opening 
day,  in  addition  to  a  state  lottery  proposal  and 
one  bill  which  would  require  seats  for  theatre 
doormen. 

One  bill  by  Assemblyman  Edgar  Moran  of 
Brooklyn  would  require  all  New  York  city  the- 
atres to  provide  a  seat  for  doormen  taking 
tickets  at  motion  picture  houses,  such  seat  to  be 
used  as  often  as  required  for  maintenance  of 
health.  Assemblyman  Moran's  similar  bills  last 
year  were  defeated  in  committee. 

Four  bingo  legalization  bills  were  proposed, 
the  most  comprehensive  one  by  Assemblyman 
Malcolm  Wilson  of  Westchester  County.  The 
Wilson  bill  provides  that  the  governing  body  of 
a  town  or  city  on  petition  of  five  per  cent  or 
more  of  the  electors,  may  permit  bingo  where 
sponsored  exclusively  by  a  charitable,  civic, 
educational,  fraternal,  veterans'  or  religious  or- 
ganization, volunteer  fire  department  or  grange. 
A  permit  fee  would  be  devised  on  seating  ca- 
pacity basis,  ranging  from  $1  to  $250,  with 
cash  prizes  prohibited. 

Three  other  bills,  by  Senator  Elmer  Quinn, 
and  Assemblyman  Eugene  Bannigan,  would  per- 
mit bingo  and  lottery  drawings  under  charitable 
or  religious  auspices.  These  two  legislators 
also  have  a  joint  measure  calling  for  a  consti- 
tutional amendment  to  eliminate  prohibitions 
against  a  state-operated  lottery. 

In  addition,  Senator  Quinn  introduced  a  mea- 
sure to  regulate  private,  fee-charging  employ- 
ment agencies  and  appropriating  $40,000  to  the 
State  Labor  Department.  Theatrical  employ- 
ment agencies  are  defined  and  included  in  the 
Quinn  bill,  which  would  be  administered  by  the 
Industrial  Commissioner  except  in  New  York 
City. 

None  of  the  bills  would  permit  theatres  to 
operate  bingo  or  screen  games.  Such  measures 
are  believed  to  be  in  preparation  as  a  result  of 
the  conflict  between  the  independent  exhibitors 
and  Mayor  LaGuardia  in  New  York  City. 

Mississippi  Theatres  Fined 
For  Sunday  Operation 

Sunday  blue  laws  in  Jackson,  Miss.,  affected 
six  theatre  operators  when  City  Judge  Leon 
F.  Hendrick  assessed  fines  of  $50  on  five  of 
them,  and  $150  on  the  sixth  on  three  charges. 

In  rendering  his  decision,  Judge  Hendrick 
declared  that  the  century-old  laws  were  drafted 
to  save  employees  from  being  forced  to  work 
on  Sunday.  He  said  that  as  far  as  the  state 
was  concerned  it  was  not  a  moral  or  religious 
question,  but  just  the  fact  of  whether  the  law 
was  being  enforced. 

Special  Military  Unit  Is 
Formed  by  Warners 

A  special  department  has  been  set  up  by 
Ralph  W.  Budd,  personnel  director  at  the  War- 
ner home  office,  which  will  keep  up-to-date  all 
military  records  of  employees  in  the  service  and 
maintain  a  permanent  point  of  contact  with  them. 

The  honor  roll  of  Warner  employees,  totalling 
almost  1,700,  will  be  covered  by  the  new  depart- 
ment. The  number  includes  persons  from  the 
entire  Warner  organization,  including  the  stu- 
dio, the  theatre  circuit  and  all  distribution  offices. 


Buys  Hartford  Building 

The  Capitol  Theatre  Company,  operators  of 
the  State  theatre  in  Hartford,  has  purchased  a 
building  which  includes  three  stores  and  15 
tenements  close  to  the  theatre.  Renovations  are 
planned. 


OWI  WILL  ISSUE  FOUR 
POSTERS  IN  FEBRUARY 

Four  new  posters  will  be  issued  by 
the  Office  of  War  Information  in 
February  to  more  than  16,000  the- 
atres on  the  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee list. 

Two  posters  will  stress  careless  talk 
and  will  carry  the  captions  of  "A 
Careless  Word  —  Another  Sinking" 
and  "A  Careless  Word  —  Another 
Cross".  A  third  poster  will  be  on  the 
subject  of  "Fight  for  Freedom"  and 
the  fourth  will  be  a  War  Bond  poster. 


NYU  Will  Offer 
Film  Course 

New  York  University  will  conduct  a  course 
in  film  editing  and  cutting,  starting  in  Febru- 
ary, with  classes  at  the  RKO-Pathe  News 
workrooms  twice  a  week  under  the  direction 
of  Harold  H.  Bonafield,  head  cutter  for  Pathe. 
It  is  the  first  course  of  its  kind  in  the  east. 

The  course  is  being  offered  to  counteract  the 
shortage  of  motion  picture  technicians,  and 
Professor  Robert  Gessner,  head  of  the  motion 
picture  department  of  NYU,  will  interview  po- 
tential students  to  determine  their  adaptability 
for  the  work.  Frederic  Ullman,  Jr.,  president 
of  Pathe  News,  voiced  his  approval  of  the 
move  and  said  that  it  would  be  helpful  to  the 
companies  who  needed  technicians,  and  prac- 
tical for  those  who  enroll  in  the  course. 

It  is  known  that  many  trained  technicians 
have  been  inducted  into  the  Army,  and  the 
stimulated  production  of  motion  pictures  in  the 
east  has  caused  a  shortage  of  men.  Professor 
Gessner  was  optimistic  concerning  the  place- 
ment of  graduates  of  the  course  in  picture 
companies,  especially  in  the  Photographic  Cen- 
ter of  the  Signal  Corps  at  Astoria,  but  added 
that  no  guarantee  could  be  given.  Men  and 
women  undergraduates  and  adults  are  eligible 
to  enroll  in  the  course. 


Benny  Troupe  Entertains 
At  Brooklyn  Navy  Base 

The  Jack  Benny  troupe  entertained  the  men 
of  the  U.  S.  Maritime  Service  Training  Base 
at  Sheepshead  Bay  in  Brooklyn,  last  Monday. 
Besides  his  regular  radio  group,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Danny  Kaye  and  Rose  Blane  were  in  the  party. 
The  visit  was  a  part  of  the  regular  USO  pro- 
gram which  has  the  Benny  troupe  visiting  a 
different  Army  camp  at  least  once  a  week. 

The  tentative  schedule  calls  for  appearances 
at  eastern  camps  during  January  with  a  swing- 
through  Canada  the  following  month  before  re- 
turning to  the  coast. 


Buys  2  St.  Louis  Houses 

Sam  Komm,  owner  of  a  circuit  of  South  St. 
Louis  neighborhood  theatres,  has  purchased  the 
Aubuert  and  American,  two  subsequent  run 
houses  for  $38,000.  The  Aubert,  seating  1,000, 
has  been  under  a  long  term  lease  to  the  St. 
Louis  Amusement  Company.  The  American 
has  been  closed  for  several  years. 


Restrict  Theatre  Zone 

An  amendment  to  the  village  by-laws  which 
provided  for  zoning  theatres  in  the  center  of  the 
village  was  adopted  by  voters  in  Woodstock, 
Vt.  A  renewal  of  the  lease  on  the  town  hall 
where  motion  pictures  were  shown  by  Peter 
Latchis,  owner  of  a  number  of  New  England 
theatres,  was  refused. 


Exhibitor  Unit 
Warns  of  Fight 
On  Film  Rental 

Warning  of  a  "nationwide  uprising  in  the 
industry"  was  delivered  to  the  distributors  last 
week,  in  a  bulletin  from  the  Indignant  Exhibi- 
tors Forum,  Cincinnati. 

Asserting  that  exhibitors  are  "wondering  why 
distributors  maintain  an  organized  effort  to  ex- 
act unjustifiably  high  film  rentals,"  the  organi- 
zation insisted  that  "production  costs  are  lower 
because  of  wartime  curtailment  and  lower  talent 
costs."  And  it  added  that  the  distributors  are 
"getting  from  35  to  50  per  cent  more  for  their 
product  than  18  months  ago." 

Concluding,  the  bulletin  warned  that  "Thur- 
man  Arnold  is  still  an  active  man,  and  he 
knows  a  little  about  restraint  of  trade." 

Meanwhile,  in  Minneapolis,  Allied  Theatre 
Owners  of  the  Northwest,  one  of  the  most  mili- 
tant independent  exhibitor  units,  appeared  this 
week  to  be  dissolving.  Fred  Strom  resigned 
as  executive  secretary.  Don  Guttman  has  an- 
nounced his  resignation  as  city  director.  Many 
other  members,  mostly  from  the  city,  and  St. 
Paul,  are  reported  to  have  quit. 

E.  L.  Peaslee,  president,  was  expected  to  call 
a  meeting  later  this  week.  There  were  reports 
the  unit  would  continue,  with  Mr.  Peaslee  at 
the  helm,  as  representative  of  rural  operators, 
and  that  those  who  left  would  form  a  "twin 
city"  group.  There  has  been  much  dissension 
in  recent  months  over  the  "necessity"  of  a  more 
militant  attitude  toward  distributors. 

Loew  Pass  Service  Fee 
To  Aid  Welfare  Fund 

Loew's  theatres  have  added  a  service  charge 
on  passes  which  will  benefit  the  Employee's 
Welfare  Fund.  The  Welfare  Fund,  which  was 
formed  near  the  close  of  last  year,  had  turned 
over  to  it  the  money  ordinarily  spent  on  the 
Christmas  party  of  Loew's  home  office  em- 
ployees. Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  president  of 
Loew's,  Inc.,  announced  that  the  decision  to 
forego  the  usual  celebration  until  the  men  in 
service  returned  was  based  on  suggestions  of 
the  employees  themselves. 

Critics'  and  employees'  passes  which  are  ex- 
empt from  Federal  tax,  will  not  be  subject  to 
the  new  service  charge.  All  others,  however, 
will  be  assessed  up  to  10  cents,  according  to  the 
admission  charge  of  the  particular  theatre.  A 
theatre  which  charges  40  cents  admission  will 
receive  10  cents  on  the  pass.  Originally,  it  as- 
sessed the  pass-bearer  only  the  four-cent  Fed- 
eral tax.  Under  the  new  plan,  the  additional 
six  cents  will  go  to  the  Welfare  Fund. 

Oregon  Mayor  Tightens 
Amusement  Restriction 

Mayor  E.  W.  Fanning  of  Idaho  Falls,  Ore., 
has  ordered  the  removal  from  public  places  of 
all  machines  of  chance,  including  slot  and  pin- 
ball  machines,  and  also  has  specified  that  thea- 
tres, night  clubs  and  other  places  of  amuse- 
ment must  be  closed  by  1  A.M.,  while  music 
in  night  clubs  must  cease  at  midnight. 

County  officials  duplicated  the  Mayor's  order 
by  putting  the  same  measure  into  effect  through- 
out the  county.  "Contribution  to  the  war  ef- 
fort" was  given  as  the  reason  for  the  move. 


Bryan  Publicity  Head 

MacDonald  Bryan  has  been  appointed  direc- 
tor of  public  information  for  the  National  Air- 
lines, G.  T.  Baker,  president  of  the  company, 
announced.  Mr.  Bryan  was  formerly  on  the 
publicity  staffs  of  Paramount-Publix  and  Bala- 
ban  and  Katz  in  Chicago.  For  the  past  five 
years,  he  has  been  the  travel  and  fishing  editor 
of  the  Florida  Times-Union. 


January     16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


17 


MAJORS  PLAN  RECAPTURE 
OF  FOREIGN  MARKETS 


Steady  Stream  of  Films  to 
African  Zone  Heralds 
Turn  of  Trade  Tide 

Post-war  plans  by  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry for  the  return  of  American  61ms  to 
the  screens  of  occupied  Europe  and  the 
Japanese-dominated  Far  East  are  being  dis- 
cussed in  Hollywood  and  New  York.  The 
North  African  military  campaign  heralds 
the  beginning  of  the  turn  of  the  tide.  A 
steady  flow  of  features,  shorts  and  news- 
reels  to  that  territory  has  been  under  way 
since  November.  Approximately  225  the- 
atres are  in  operation  in  the  area,  most  of 
them  equipped  for  sound. 

That  major  film  companies  are  giving 
serious  attention  to  the  problems  of  re- 
opening a  foreign  market  closed  to  Ameri- 
can industry  since  1939,  was  indicated  last 
Thursday  in  Hollywood,  when  Robert  T. 
Kane,  in  charge  of  production  for  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  in  Great  Britain,  said 
that  one  of  the  greatest  problems  confront- 
ing Hollywood  was  a  post-war  distribution 
system  in  Europe.  He  pointed  out  that  vir- 
tually every  picture  made  in  the  U.  S.  since 
September,  1939,  would  be  material  to  show 
in  Europe  following  a  United  Nations  vic- 
tor}', and  he  said  that  20th-Fox,  for  some 
months,  had  been  discussing  a  plan  for  post- 
war distribution  of  its  product  in  France 
and  other  countries. 

Since  American  film  companies 
pulled  out  of  Europe  in  1939,  Holly- 
wood product  has  been  shown  on  the 
screens  of  some  Nazi-dominated  coun- 
tries, principally  those  pictures  which 
were  pirated  by  the  Nazis,  but  in  some 
cases  old  films  which  were  sold  out- 
right to  distributing  agents  operating 
in  individual  countries,  have  been  ex- 
hibited. Even  in  Italy,  American 
product  has  been  shown,  as  recently 
as  last  August,  according  to  a  recent 
report  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce  in  its  publication  "Foreign 
Commerce  Weekly."  The  weekly 
further  said  that  the  Italian  people 
preferred  Hollywood  product  to  the 
screen  fare  of  Hitler  or  Mussolini. 

During  the  past  year,  there  also  have  been 
reports  that  Hollywood  features  were  shown 
in  Poland,  Norway  and  Czechoslovakia 
through  the  underground  movements  and 
more  recently,  in  France,  also  through  the 
underground.  In  the  same  period,  some 
U.  S.  features  have  been  seen  in  Spain, 
although  operations  there  are  limited. 

The  North  African  campaign  has  demon- 
strated that  wherever  the  United  States  and 
her  Allies  strike  a  blow  at  the  Axis,  Ameri- 
can motion  pictures  follow  quickly  upon  the 
heels  of  the  successful  troops.  The  film 
division  of  the  overseas  branch  of  the  Of- 
fice of  War  Information  has  shipped  and 
will  continue  to  ship  Hollywood  product  to 
North  Africa  and  to  any  other  area  where 
the  tide  of  battle  turns  against  the  Axis. 

Thus  far,  the  following  features  have  been 


RUSSIAN  FILM  ENVOY 
IN  WASHINGTON 

A  further  move  to  establish  better 
trade  relations  between  the  U.  S. 
film  industry  and  the  Soviet  Govern- 
ment has  been  made  by  the  Russian 
Government  with  the  arrival  in  Amer- 
ica recently  of  motion  picture  direc- 
tor Antonov,  who  has  been  conferring 
with  Lowel!  Melleft,  director  of  the 
film  division  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information,  and  other  U.  S.  and  Rus- 
sian officials  in  Washington.  Mr. 
Antonov  will  make  his  headquarters 
in  New  York  and  it  is  expected  that 
he  will  leave  shortly  for  Hollywood 
where  he  will  remain  for  some  months 
to  negotiate. 

Although  no  official  announcement 
of  his  purpose  or  plans  has  been 
made  by  either  Artkino  Pictures,  dis- 
tributors of  Russian  product  in  the 
U.  S.,  or  the  Soviet  Embassy  in 
Washington,  it  was  learned  in  the 
capital  over  the  weekend  that  Mr. 
Antonov  is  desirous  of  expanding  an 
exchange  of  features  between  the 
U.  S.  and  Russia,  although  he  has 
not  disclosed  to  what  extent  his 
country  will  negotiate  for  American 
product. 


shipped  by  American  major  companies,  with 
French  titles  super-imposed,  through  OWI 
cooperation,  to  Casablanca,  Algiers  and 
other  territories  in  North  Africa: 

'•'Invisible  Woman,"  "Nice  Girl,"  "Under 
Pup,"  "It's  a  Date,"  Universal;  Para- 
chute Battalion,"  •'Fantasia,"  "Nurse  Edith 
Cavell,"  "The  Navy  Comes  Through," 
"Dumbo,"  and  "Tom,  Dick  and  Harry," 
RKO;  "Holiday  Inn,"  "Wake  Island," 
Paramount;  "Boomtown,"  "Flight  Com- 
mand," "Joe  Smith,  American,"  "20-Mule 
Team,"  "The  Immortal  Storm,"  "Mrs.  Min- 
iver," "Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde,"  "Pride 
and  Prejudice."  "I  Love  You  Again," 
MGM ;  "Foreign  Correspondent,"  "Long 
A'oyage  Home,"  United  Artists ;  "Sergeant 
York,"  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  "All  This 
and  Heaven,  Too,"  Warner  Bros. 

Scheduled  for  shipment  shortly  are  the 
following:  "A^irginia  City,"  "The  Sea 
Hawk,"  and  others,  Warner  Bros.;  "The 
Great  Dictator,"  "Corsican  Brothers," 
"Major  Barbara,"  United  Artists;  "Lucky 
Partners."  "Girl,  a  Guv  and  a  Gob,"  "Irene." 
"Father  Takes  a  Wife,"  "Turtles  of  Tahiti," 
"Seven  Days  Leave,"  "Once  Upon  a 
Honeymoon,"  RKO ;  "Pittsburgh,"  Univer- 
sal; "Men  of  Boystown,"  "A  Woman's 
Face,"  "Come  Live  With  Me,"  "Little  Nellv 
Kelly"  and  "Andy  Hardy  Meets  a  Debu- 
tante," MGM;  "Commandos  Strike  at 
Dawn,"  "Here  Comes  Mr.  Jordan."  "You 
Were  Never  Lovelier,"  "Talk  of  the  Town," 


"My  Sister  Eileen"  and  "A  Night  to  Re- 
member," Columbia. 

The  following  pictures  have  been  shipped 
or  are  being  prepared  for  shipment  by  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox:  "Tales  of  Manhattan," 
"Ten  Gentlemen  from  West  Point,"  "The 
Pied  Piper,"  "Moontide,"  "Sun  Valley  Sere- 
nade," "A-Haunting  We  Will  Go,"  "Or- 
chestra Wives,"  "Footlight  Serenade,"  "Re- 
member the  Day,"  "Charley's  Aunt"  and 
"The  Magnificent  Dope."  From  Republic 
will  go  "Flying  Tigers"  and  "Ice-Capades 
Revue." 

Although  some  criticism  has  been  made 
in  certain  quarters  against  the  OWI  that 
this  Government  agency  desired  to  ship 
more  propaganda  films  than  straight  enter- 
tainment fare  to  North  Africa,  OWI  offi- 
cials maintain  that  selection  of  pictures  is 
about  equally  divided  between  the  two  kinds 
of  screen  fare,  with  perhaps  a  slight  over- 
balance on  the  entertainment  side. 

A  few  American  film  companies  have  been 
dealing  recently  with  representatives  of  the 
Spanish  film  industry  in  the  U.  S.,  it  was 
learned  in  New  York  this  week.  Negotia- 
tions between  major  distributors  and  Span- 
ish agents  have  resulted  in  distribution  in 
Spain  of  some  American  features.  Al- 
though operations  have  been  on  a  small 
scale,  increased  distribution  is  forecast, 
pending,  of  course,  developments  of  diplo- 
matic relations  between  the  two  govern- 
ments. The  Franco  regime,  in  the  past 
two  3rears,  has  discouraged  the  U.  S.  film 
industry  from  operating  in  Spain,  but  the 
bars,  it  is  said,  have  been  let  down  recently 
to  permit  a  small  flow  of  product  to  that 
country. 

News  of  film  activity  in  China  and 
Sweden  was  brought  back  last  week 
by  F.  McCracken  Fisher  and  Karl  E. 
Jensen,  OWI  chiefs  of  Stockholm  and 
Chungking  respectively.  Both  officials 
reported  that  Chinese  theatres  are 
crowded  every  day  with  patrons  eager 
to  see  Hollywood  pictures,  and  that 
American  films  dominate  the  Swedish 
market.  They  expressed  the  opinion 
that  U.  S.  product  was  a  valuable  aid 
in  promoting  international  friendship. 
A  third  OWI  executive,  Harold  D. 
Guinzburg,  deputy  director  of  the 
overseas  branch,  who  also  just  re- 
turned from  abroad,  offered  a  con- 
trary opinion  saying  that  Hollywood 
films  "in  no  sense  represent  America." 

He  said  that  the  British  people  "disliked 
'Mrs.  Miniver'  intensely.  They  feel  that  it 
showed  an  England  which  doesn't  exist  any- 
more, if  it  ever  did  exist — in  fact  they  seem 
to  feel  it  is  a  caricature  of  their  country." 

Mr.  Guinzburg's  remarks  drew  instant 
disagreement  and  criticism  from  varied 
sources,  and  it  was  pointed  out  this  week 
by  Ferdinand  Kuhn,  Jr.,  former  chief  of 
the  London  Bureau  of  the  New  York  Times. 
who  is  now  head  of  OWI's  new  British  de- 
partment, that  the  Guinzburg  statement  re- 
flected opinion  of  certain  British  publications 
and  was  not  based  upon  actual  reports. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Loew  Profit  for  Year 
Up  to  $12,133,294 


Columbia  Reelects  Board; 
Paramount  To  Redeem 
Half  First  Preferred 

Net  profit  of  $12,133,294  was  reported  by 
Loew's,  Inc.,  this  week,  for  the  fiscal  year 
ended  August  31st,  1942.  In  the  preceding 
fiscal  year,  the  company  had  a  net  profit  of 
$11,134,593. 

Meanwhile,  Columbia  on  Monday  reelected 
its  board  of  directors  and  was  this  week  to 
have  a  board  meeting  at  which  officers  were 
to  be  reelected. 

Paramount  last  week  called  for  re- 
demption April  1st  of  one-half  of  the  out- 
standing $12,135,167  of  first  preferred  stock. 

From  Rochester,  it  was  announced  em- 
ployees of  Eastman  Kodak  will  receive  on 
March  12th  $2,586,000  in  dividends.  In 
New  York,  the  Dow  Jones  service  reported 
financial  circles  "revising  upwards  their 
earlier  estimates  of  net  income  of  Twenti- 
eth Century-Fox,"  with  latest  estimates  plac- 
ing the  figure  at  $5  a  share  on  common 
stock  in  1942. 

The  Loew's  report  noted  that,  after  pre- 
ferred dividends,  the  earnings  for  the  past 
fiscal  year  were  equivalent  to  $7.02  per  share 
on  the  1,665,713  shares  of  common  outstand- 
ing. This  compares  with  $6.15  the  preced- 
ing year. 

The  company's  share  of  operating  profit, 
after  subsidiaries'  preferred  dividends 
amounted  to  $21,956,549  against  $18,650,478 
the  year  before.  After  a  reserve  for  de- 
preciation of  $3,071,070,  the  company's  share 
of  profit  before  Federal  taxes  amounted  to 
$18,885,479  as  compared  with  $14,703,105 
a  year  ago.  Provision  of  $6,752,185  was 
made  for  Federal  taxes  against  $3,568,512 
for  the  preceding  year. 

The  company's  preferred  dividend 
payments  during  the  last  fiscal  year 
amounted  to  $442,071,  compared 
with  $884,143  the  preceding  year,  the 
preferred  stock  having  been  retired 
in  the  middle  of  the  1942  fiscal  year. 

The  reelected  directors  of  Columbia  are 
Harry  and  Jack  Cohn,  president  and  vice- 
president;  and  other  executives  and  share- 
holders: Abe  Schneider,  A.  H.  Giannini, 
Leo  M.  Blancke,  N.  B.  Spingold  and  Louis 
J.  Bar  banc 

SEC  Reports  Salaries 
Paid  by  Columbia 

The  stockholders  also  ratified  an  amend- 
ment to  the  company's  by-laws  providing 
for  indemnification  of  officers  and  directors 
for  expenses  incurred  as  a  result  of  legal 
actions  in  which  they  have  been  included 
because  of  their  positions.  The  meeting, 
likewise,  approved  the  exercise  by  the  com- 
pany of  an  option  under  the  six-year  con- 
tract with  Samuel  J.  Briskin  granting  him 
an  option  to  purchase  13,133  shares  of  Co- 
lumbia common  at  $7,625  per  share. 

The  Securities  and  Exchange  Commis- 
sion reports  disclosed  last  week  that  the 
company  paid  Alexander  Hall,  director, 
$151,203  in  the  past  fiscal  year;  $145,600  to 


Harry  Cohn  and  $112,250  to  Samuel  Bisch- 
off,  producer.  Legal  fees  of  $62,000  went  to 
Schwartz  and  Frohlich,  and  $37,000  to  Mit- 
chell, Silberg  and  Knupp. 

The  company  on  Monday  declared  a  divi- 
dend of  68%  cents  per  share  on  the  $2.75 
convertible  preferred  stock,  payable  Febru- 
ary 15th  to  stockholders  of  record  Februarv 
1st. 

Of  the  Paramount  preferred  stock 
redemption,  that  company  stated  last 
week,  "This  action  brings  forward 
the  program  pursued  by  the  corpor- 
ation's management  starting  in  1937 
and  looking  toward  the  final  elimi- 
nation of  all  securities  prior  to  the 
common  stock  in  claim  upon  assets 
and  earnings  of  the  corporation. 
The  second  preferred  stock  of  the 
corporation  was  called  for  redemp- 
tion in  the  early  part  of  1942. 

"As  a  result  of  this  program,  despite  ac- 
quisition of  new  properties  and  maintenance 
and  improvement  of  old,  the  consolidated 
domestic  funded  debt  of  the  corporation  and 
its  subsidiaries  now  consists  of  only  approxi- 
mately $20,000,000  of  four  per  cent  deben- 
tures of  1956  and  approximately  $3,000,000 
of  subsidiary  debt.  There  are  also  about 
$6,000,000  of  funded  debt  of  Canadian  sub- 
sidiaries. 

"Determination  of  the  portion  of  the  out- 
standing stock  to  be  redeemed  will  be  made 
by  lot  on  January  22,  1943." 

Remarking  upon  the  estimate  of  Twenti- 
eth Century-Fox  earnings  for  1942,  credited 
to  "financial  circles"  and  said  to  be  $5  per 
share  on  common  stock,  the  Dow  Jones 
service  observed  this  was  in  contrast  to  1941 
and  1940.  In  1941,  the  figure  was  $2.03 
per  share,  in  1940  the  company  suffered  a 
net  loss  of  $517,336. 

It  added:  "Twentieth  Century-Fox  has 
been  putting  out  much  better  feature  films 
lately  and  the  results  are  being  reflected  in 
mounting  film  rentals.  In  view  of  the  large 
gains  now  being  made  in  film  attendance, 
prospects  for  continued  favorable  earnings 
seem  bright  for  at  least  the  first  half  of 
1943.  The  company  is  the  only  major  film 
producer  without  funded  debt  and  is  under- 
stood to  have  closed  1942  with  a  cash  bal- 
ance much  better  than  the  $13,483,047  at  the 
end  of  1941." 

Walt  Disney  Productions,  Inc.,  in  Holly- 
wood, on  Tuesday  reported  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  October  3,  1942,  a  profit  of 
$308,930,  after  all  charges,  but  before  de- 
duction of  losses  on  inventories.  The  net 
loss  was  $191,069,  after  provision  of  $500,- 
000  for  losses  on  inventories. 

The  previous  year  the  company  showed 
a  loss  of  $789,297  after  a  $1,000,000  pro- 
vision for  inventory  losses.  The  1941  profit 
before  this  provision  was  $210,701. 


Serves  Army  Booking  Service 

Private  Bernard  W.  Levy,  formerly  Hartford 
division  manager  for  the  Fred  E.  Lieberman 
Theatres  of  Boston,  has  been  stationed  with 
the  Special  Service  Office  in  Charlestown, 
Mass.,  which  has  charge  of  bookings  for  the 
Army  post  theatres  in  the  Boston  area. 


January     16,  1943 

Speed  Newsreels 
ToLatinA  merica, 
Committee  Asks 

The  International  Film  Relations  Committee, 
at  a  meeting  at  the  offices  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers  and  Distributors  of  America  on 
Monday,  decided  that  distribution  of  newsreels 
to  Latin  America  should  be  speeded.  Fortunat 
Baronat  of  Universal  and  David  Blum  of  Me- 
tro-Goldwyn-Mayer  were  designated  by  the 
committee  to  arrange  details. 

Paul  Ackerman  of  Paramount  said  that  the 
foreign  correspondents  stationed  in  New  York 
maintained  a  keen  interest  in  motion  picture 
news,  and  that  requests  for  spot  and  feature 
news  were  high.  Few  photographs  were  re- 
quested, however,  since  the  decrease  in  news- 
papr  size  had  curtailed  the  amount  of  space 
available.  G.  R.  Keyser  of  Warner  Brothers 
reported  on  the  Mexican  situation. 

The  committee's  short-wave  broadcasts, 
which  have  been  going  out  over  the  NBC  and 
CBS  networks  for  more  than  three  and  a  half 
years,  will  stress  the  United  Nations  theme 
this  week. 


Shuford  Named  Paramount 
Advertising  Manager 

Stanley  Shuford  has  been  placed  in  charge  of 
national  and  trade  advertising  for  Paramount 
Pictures,  it  was  announced  by  Robert  M.  Gill- 
ham,  advertising  and  publicity  director.  Mr. 
Shuford  joined  the  company  last  week,  and 
until  recently,  was  with  RKO  Pictures.  He 
was  on  the  advertising  staff  of  Warner  Brothers 
for  seven  years,  and  in  1939  was  vice-president 
of  the  Biow  Advertising  Agency.  He  has  also 
handled  special  campaigns  for  Lord  &  Thomas. 

It  was  said  that  his  appointment  would  allow 
Mr.  Gillham  to  devote  more  time  to  special 
campaigns  for  the  promotion  of  outstanding 
features,  such  as  "For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls." 


Du  Pont  Is  Ordered  to 
Show  Books  to  Pathe 

The  Du  Pont  Film  Manufacturing  Corpora- 
tion was  ordered  this  week  by  Federal  Judge 
John  W.  Clancy  to  submit  its  books  and  rec- 
ords for  inspection  by  Pathe  Laboratories,  Inc., 
within  two  days  under  pain  of  a  dismissal  of 
its  answer  in  the  Pathe  suit  if  it  fails  to  comply 
with  the  order.  Pathe  had  applied  for  a  ruling 
that  Du  Pont  was  in  contempt  of  court  for 
allegedly  refusing  to  comply  with  a  previous 
court  order  for  an  inspection. 

Pathe  is  suing  for  $610,000  damages,  asserting 
that  the  defendant  breached  an  agreement  to 
sell  raw  stock  for  a  fixed  price  of  cost  plus  a 
definite  percentage. 


U.  S.  Short  in  Technicolor 

"Mountain  Fighters"  is  the  title  of  a  Govern 
ment  short  to  be  filmed  in  Technicolor,  Warnei 
Brothers  announced.  The  first  Government  wai 
short  to  be  filmed  in  Technicolor  by  the  com 
pany,  it  will  go  into  production  January  2Stl 
at  Camp  Hale,  Col. 


Herbert  Kaufman  in  Army 

Herbert  Kaufman,  son  of  Abe  H.  Kaufman 
is  stationed  at  Camp  Wheeler,  Ga.  He  joinec 
the  Army  December  2nd  after  leaving  hi: 
studies  at  Indiana  University.  His  father  own  | 
the  Fountain  theatre  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 


Iowa  Popcorn  State 

Popcorn  is  being  sold  through  vending  ma 
chines  or  in  side  shops  in  more  than  95  pel 
cent  of  Iowa's  theatres.  The  state  produced  a  I 
estimated  55,360,000  pounds  during  1942,  doubl  j 
the  amount  of  the  next  leading  state,  Indianjj 


Accorded  the  distinction 
of  an  Astor  theatre  World  Premiere 


TENNESSEE 
JOHNSON 

FROM  POVERTY  TO  PRESIDENT  .  A  GREAT  AMERICAN  STORY 

with 

VAN  HEFLIN 
LIONEL  BARRYMORE 
RUTH  HUSSEY 

MARJORIE  MAIN  •  REGIS  TOOMEY 

Screen  Play  by  John  L.  Balderston  and  Wells  Root 

Directed  by  WILLIAM  DIETERLE 
Produced  by  J.  WALTER  RUBEN 

Metro- 
GOLDMINE- 
Mayer 


Serve  your  country!  Sell  Bonds! 


i  ! 


"Enough  of  violence. 
We'll   fighl   with  the 
ballot" 


LOVB  Of  A  ^ 

Memo^scen u  nking  d*r 
^tf:;« suspenses 

told  to*  P° 


J* 


Scandal!  Johnson's 
oath  of  office  under 
strange  conditions. 


2^  ?*-f 


m 


V// 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


21 


RUNNERS-UP  IN  STAR  POLL 
TO  APPEAR  IN  26  FILMS 


15  Players  Set  for  Roles 
in  28  Other  Pictures,  but 
Future  Is  Uncertain 

Hollywood  Bureau 

A  checkup  in  Hollywood  this  week  re- 
vealed that  the  15  runners-up  in  the  list  of 
Money-Making  stars,  as  reported  by  ex- 
hibitors in  the  Motion  Picture  Herald-Fame 
poll,  already  have  finished  20  roles  in  forth- 
coming pictures  and  are  working  in  six 
more. 

They  are  set  for  28  more  film  appearances 
in  announcements  made  prior  to  and  after 
the  poll's  appearance  in  the  December  26th 
issue  of  the  Motion  Picture  Herald. 

(The  January  9th  issue  detailed  commit- 
ments of  the  Top  Ten.) 

As  in  the  case  of  the  top  stars,  there  is 
much  uncertainty  concerning  the  future 
deals  of  the  runners-up,  due  to  the  wage 
freezing  and  salary  ceiling  directives, 
probability  of  a  reduction  in  production, 
drafting  for  the  armed  forces,  and  other 
wartime  factors. 

Two  of  the  15  already  are  set  for  the 
armed  forces — Tyrone  Power  going  into 
the  Marines,  and  John  Payne  into  the 
Coast  Guard.  Lana  Turner  is  retiring 
temporarily  for  purposes  of  motherhood. 

The  busiest  player  of  the  group  will  be 
Judy  Garland,  if  all  of  the  pictures  an- 
nounced for  her  are  made.  They  num- 
ber five. 

Dorothy  Lamour,  Number  11  on  the  list 
of  Money  Making  stars,  will  be  seen  soon 
in  two  pictures,  "They  Got  Me  Covered," 
with  Bob  Hope,  Goldwyn-RKO,  and  Para- 
mount's  musical  extravaganza,  "Star  Span- 
gled Rhythm."  The  actress  now  is  working 
in  "Dixie,"  co-starring  Bing  Crosby,  at 
Paramount,  and  is  set  for  "Riding  High," 
musical  Western;  "Galveston,"  story  of  that 
Texas  town,  and  the  just  announced  "Four 
Sisters,"  a  musical. 

In  addition  to  "Dixie"  and  "Star  Spangled 
Rhythm,"  at  Paramount,  Bing  Crosby,  Num- 
ber 12,  will  be  seen  in  "Big  Town  Blues" 
and  "Stallion  Road." 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  Loses 
Two  Players  to  War 

Tyrone  Power,  having  joined  the  Marine 
Corps,  exhibitors  will  have  only  one  of 
his  pictures,  except  re-issues,  to  show  for 
the  duration.  The  one  is  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox's  "Crash  Dive,"  already  completed. 
Power  was  Number  13. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  also  loses  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Number  21  player — John  Payne 
— who,  when  "Hello,  Frisco,  Hello,"  is  com- 
pleted in  three  weeks,  will  be  off  to  the 
Coast  Guard. 

Number  14  is  Walter  Pidgeon,  and  sched- 
uled for  him  is  "Madame  Curie,"  in  which 
he  will  appear  with  Greer  Garson,  his  asso- 
ciate in  "Mrs.  Miniver,"  and  "Russia,"  with 
the  latter  to  be  filmed  first. 

Bette  Davis  has  the  distinction  of  having 
the  most  pictures  in  the  backlog  of  the  second 


group  of  Money-Makers.  She  has  com- 
pleted her  role  for  Warners'  "Thank  Your 
Lucky  Stars,"  the  multiple-starred  musical ; 
"Watch  on  the  Rhine,"  "In  This  Our  Life" 
and  "Now,  Voyager,"  the  latter  picture  just 
having  been  released.  In  addition,  the  ac- 
tress, who  is  Number  15,  is  working  at 
present  in  "Old  Acquaintance,"  and  is  set 
for  "Ethan  Frome"  and  "The  Corn  Is 
Green." 

Ann  Sheridan  Has 
Several  on  Schedule 

Completing  her  part  in  "Thank  Your 
Lucky  Stars,"  which  is  still  shooting,  Ann 
Sheridan,  the  next  in  order,  also  has  finished 
"Edge  of  Darkness,"  with  Errol  Flynn,  and 
is  set  for  "The  Gay  Nineties,"  possibly  her 
next  at  Warners.  Also  on  her  schedule  at 
the  Burbank  lot,  but  which  have  not  been 
discussed  lately,  are  "Peter  Biddle,  Air  Raid 
Warden"  and  "Miss  Willis  Goes  to  War." 

In  addition  to  the  "Edge  of  Darkness," 
Errol  Flynn,  Number  17,  has  completed  his 
work  in  "Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars,"  and 
announced  for  him  are  "The  Sea  Devil" 
which  will  be  a  remake  of  "Mobey  Dick"; 
"To  the  Last  Man,"  World  War  II  story, 
and  "Captain  Horatio  Hornblower,"  C.  S. 
Forester  best  seller. 

The  only  thing  on  tap  for  Wallace  Beery, 
Number  18,  is  "Salute  to  the  Marines," 
action  picture  recently  completed. 

Number  19  is  Judy  Garland,  whose  cur- 
rent release  is  "For  Me  and  My  Gal"  and 
whose  next  release  is  the  completed  "Pre- 
senting Lily  Mars,"  another  musical,  made 
from  the  Booth  Tarkington  story. 

Four  Films  Set  for 
Red  Skelton 

Announced  for  her  by  M-G-M  are  "Girl 
Crazy,"  "Very  Warm  for  May,"  "Meet  Me 
in  St.  Louis,"  "Babes  in  Hollywood"  and 
"American  Symphony,"  all  of  which  are 
musical  or  with  musical  backgrounds. 

Another  M-G-M  entry  in  the  list  is 
Red  Skelton,  who  zoomed  via  film  and 
radio  to  national  prominence  as  a  come- 
dian. Working  in  "I  Dood  It"  at  present, 
the  Number  20  Money  Maker's  next  re- 
lease is  "DuBarry  Was  a  Lady,"  from  the 
Broadway  musical.  He  is  set  for  "Whist- 
ling in  Brooklyn,"  his  next,  and  "How 
To  Win  Friends  and  Influence  People." 

Rita  Hayworth,  the  next  in  line,  is  being 
given  a  tremendous  buildup  via  the  publicity 
route,  her  next  vehicle  at  Columbia  being 
"The  Cover  Girl."  It  was  she  whose  face 
appeared  on  more  magazine  covers  before 
getting  an  important  role  in  a  film  than  any 
other  actress.  She  also  is  set  for  "Our 
Friend  Curly,"  with  Humphrey  Bogart.  also 
at  Columbia. 

Lana  Turner,  Number  23,  has  just  finished 
"Careless  Cinderella"  at  M-G-M.  Announced 
for  the  musical,  "Best  Foot  Forward,"  and 
for  "Marriage  Is  a  Private  Affair,"  she  is 
retiring  temporarily  from  the  screen  to  have 
a  baby. 

Number  24  is  Cary  Grant,  who  currently  is 


working  in  RKO's  "From  Here  to  Victory." 
He  has  no  other  commitments  definitely 
scheduled,  outside  of  a  new  two-year  con- 
tract with  that  studio  calling  for  five  pictures 
in  the  next  two  years. 

Warner's  last  entry  in  the  list  is  Humphrey 
Bogart.  He  has  two  finished:  "Thank 
Your  Lucky  Stars"  and  "Action  in  the 
North  Atlantic."  Coming  up  for  him  is 
a  loanout  to  Columbia  for  "Our  Friend 
Curly"  and  Warners'  announced  "Further 
Adventures  of  the  Maltese  Falcon." 


Variety  Club  Set 
For  Convention 

The  Variety  Clubs  of  America  will  hold  their 
annual  convention  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel, 
Chicago,  February  19th-21st.  Members  of  all 
the  clubs  are  not  expected  to  attend.  The  con- 
vention differs  from  previous  affairs,  those  in- 
vited including  only  delegates  from  each  tent. 
.Approximately  200  are  expected. 

These  will  include  chief  barkers  of  1942, 
newly  elected  chief  barkers,  all  national  canvas- 
men,  national  officers,  crew  members,  and  other 
delegates.  The  board  will  meet  February  19th. 
The  delegates  will  convene  on  February  20th 
A  banquet  and  Chicago  tent  induction  will  be 
held  that  evening. 

The  Chicago  tent  is  now  completely  or- 
ganized. Its  first  chief  barker  is  John  Jones, 
of  Jones,  Linick  and  Schaefer. 

Among  national  officers  who  will  attend  are 
John  Harris,  national  chief  barker ;  R.  J. 
O'Donnell,  first  assistant  chief  barker ;  Harry 
Kalmine.  second  assistant  chief  barker ;  E.  R. 
Reuben,  national  property  master ;  James  G. 
Balmer,  national  dough  guy ;  and  Charles  E. 
Lewis,  national  publicity  director. 

The  Pittsburgh  Variety  Club  and  the  USO 
have  opened  a  service  men's  canteen.  The 
tent  manages  the  canteen  ;  the  USO  maintains 
the  building. 

Business  in  Flood  Area 
Returning  to  Normal 

With  flood  waters  receding  in  Ohio,  Kentucky 
and  West  Virginia,  theatre  business  has  re- 
turned to  normal,  according  to  reports  from  the 
area.  Newly-erected  flood  walls  in  Ironton, 
Huntington  and  Portsmouth  protected  those 
cities  from  possible  damage,  but  many  other 
places  were  hard  hit,  theatres  being  forced  to 
close  in  Marietta,  Pt.  Pleasant,  Manchester  and 
other  river  towns. 

Film  deliveries  by  truck  were  delayed  or 
stalled  completely,  but  shipments  by  rail  reached 
their  destinations  except  where  exchanges  were 
closed.  Theatre  attendance  was  described  as 
considerably  reduced,  but  the  over-all  situation 
was  not  seen  as  particularly  serious. 


To  Handle  PRC  in  Puerto  Rico 

Producers  Releasing  Corporation  announced 
that  Cobian  Theatres,  Inc.,  has  signed  a  con- 
tract for  the  distribution  of  the  company's  1942- 
43  product  in  Puerto  Rico,  Haiti,  the  Dominican 
Republic  and  the  Virgin  Island.  PRC  was 
represented  by  Roberto  D.  Socas,  export  man- 
ager, with  Harold  Winston  signing  for  Cobian 
Theatres. 


22 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


Petrillo  Asks 
Inquiry  Into 
Music  Industry 

James  Caesar  Petrillo  on  Tuesday  presented 
his  case  to  the  public.  He  did  it  while  parry- 
ing questions  during  a  hearing  before  a  Senate 
Interstate  Commerce  Committee  sub-committee, 
investigating  management  of  the  American 
Federation  of  Musicians,  and  its  ban  against 
recording  manufacture. 

Asserting  that  "we  want  more  work"  and 
that  "we're  the  only  labor  organization  that's 
making  the  machine  that  is  destroying  it,"  the 
AFM  president  told  the  subcommittee  he  would 
raise  his  ban  on  recordings  only  if  asked  by 
President  Roosevelt. 

By  Wednesday,  Petrillo  apparently  was  con- 
vinced that  the  sub-committee  and  public 
opinion  were  adverse  to  his  position,  and  agreed 
to  call  his  executive  committee  together  without 
delay  to  formulate  demands  and  start  negotia- 
tions. He  refused,  however,  to  accept  a  sug- 
gestion by  Senator  Clark  that  he  call  off  the 
ban  immediately  and  then  negotiate,  explaining 
that  "I  have  negotiated  with  these  fellows  for 
20  years  and  if  they  are  permitted  to  go  back 
and  make  records  while  we  negotiate,  the  dis- 
cussions will  go  on  for  two  or  three  years." 

The  hearing  was  featured  by  a  loud  ex- 
change between  the  union  head  and  Senator 
MacFarland,  who  charged  that  Petrillo's  de- 
mand for  "more  work"  merely  meant  a  desire 
to  have  more  men  employed  to  do  what  fewer 
could  do,  at  a  time  when  there  is  serious  man- 
power shortage. 

The  AFM  head  urged  an  investigation  of 
alleged  monopoly  in  the  music  industry  which 
he  asserted  was  "in  the  hands  of  a  few  giant 
corporations."  He  added  that  he  wanted  radio 
stations  to  employ  live  musicians,  and  insisted 
that  for  every  dollar  now  spent  by  them  on 
such  musicians,  they  receive  four  dollars  of 
music  without  charge. 

Mr.  Petrillo  admitted  the  recording  ban  thus 
far  had  not  helped  his  union.  The  stations  have 
been  living  on  record  stocks  built  up,  he  said, 
and  he  is  convinced  results  will  show  when 
the  stock  is  depleted. 

Mr.  Petrillo's  recording  ban  "is  going  to  be- 
come increasingly  detrimental  and  possibly  sui- 
cidal to  our  American  music  system,  and  to 
the  battle  fronts  at  home  and  abroad,"  he  was 
told  by  Senator  D.  Worth  Clark,  Idaho,  head 
of  the  subcommittee,  and  author  of  a  bill  in 
Congress,  which  would  place  the  AFM  actions 
under  the  anti-trust  laws. 

Senators  on  the  subcommittee  were  McFar- 
land  of  Arizona,  Tunnell  of  Delaware,  Andrews 
of  Florida,  White  of  Maine,  Tobey  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  Wheeler  of  Montana.  Senator 
Wheeler  is  chairman  of  the  full  committee. 

The  hearings  continued  Wednesday. 

Thomas  Thacher  Appointed 
New  York  Chief  Counsel 

Thomas  D.  Thacher,  counsel  for  Paramount, 
next  week  becomes  New  York  City  Corpora- 
tion Counsel.  He  replaces  William  C  Chanler. 
now  a  lieutenant-colonel.  Mr.  Thacher,  head 
of  the  law  firm,  Simpson,  Thacher,  and  Bart- 
lett,  was  a  Federal  judge,  and  United  States 
Solicitor  General.  His  new  position  was  given 
him  by  New  York  Mayor  Fiorello  LaGuardia, 
who  said  he  and  his  city  appreciated  the  "per- 
sonal sacrifice"  Mr.  Thacher  "is  making  in  ac- 
cepting this  very  important  post."  Mr.  Thacher 
will  receive  $17,000  as  city  counsel. 


Aqency  Retains  Accounts 

Foote,  Cone  and  Belding,  successors  to  the 
Lord  &  Thomas  advertising  agency,  will  retain 
the  RKO  Pictures,  NBC  and  Blue  Network- 
accounts,  it  was  announced  last  week. 


70th  BIRTHDAY 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR,  who  last  week  passed 
his  seventieth  birthday,  still  in  office  with 
the  Paramount  corporation  which  he  built 
and  where  he  functions  now  as  the  elder 
statesman.  It  has  been  Mr.  Zukor's  fortune 
to  have  foreseen,  forecast  and  delivered  for 
the  motion  picture  its  rise  to  dominance 
among  the  popular  arts  and  entertainments 
of  the  world.  No  man  has  held  more  faith 
in  the  industry.  His  career  is  a  continuing 
epic  drama  of  American  enterprise. 


Goldwyn  To  Produce 
Two  in  Technicolor 

Indicative  of  the  trend  away  from  war  films 
is  the  announcement  from  Samuel  Goldwyn  this 
week  that  he  is  scheduling  Bob  Hope  in  a  new 
film  for  his  next  production.  Designed  as  "escap- 
ist" adventure,  the  picture,  based  on  a  story 
idea  by  Don  Hartman,  will  be  filmed  in  Techni- 
color and  keyed  to  what  Mr.  Goldwyn  fore- 
sees as  a  demand  for  this  type  of  film  in  1943. 
Production  is  expected  to  start  this  spring. 
Mr.  Goldwyn  also  announced  that  he  will  intro- 
duce Danny  Kaye,  Broadway  musical  comedy 
star,  on  the  screen  in  "With  Flying  Colors," 
also  a  Technicolor  production.  Don  Hartman 
and  Allen  Boretz  are  completing  the  script 
and  Dinah  Shore  has  been  engaged  for  a  fea- 
tured role. 


Springfield  Agreement  Ends 
Building  Controversy 

An  agreement  was  reached  by  the  Gilmore 
Associates,  owners  of  theatres  in  the  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  area,  and  the  city  of  Springfield 
concerning  an  eight-foot  passageway  over  which 
the  back  of  the  Capitol  theatre  is  built.  It  was 
decided  that  this  passageway  would  be  deeded 
to  the  Associates  who  in  turn  would  give  the 
city  rights  to  another  blocked  passageway. 

Rent  due  the  city  up  to  1944  was  paid,  and 
$1,200  for  the  transfer  of  title  also  was  re- 
mitted by  the  Associates.  The  agreement  now 
insures  that  Capitol  theatre  property  will  not 
be  destroyed  to  make  room  for  the  passageway 
it  now  blocks. 


Military  Orders  j 
Aid  Theatres  in 
San  Francisco 

Two  new  rulings  by  military  officials  in  the 
San  Francisco  area,  permitting  soldiers  and 
sailors  to  drink  until  midnight  instead  of  stop- 
ping at  10  P.  M.,  and  banning  the  sale  of 
packaged  liquor  after  8  P.M.  have  altered  the  j 
recreation  habits  of  the  thousands  of  service 
men  in  the  city,  with  resultant  benefit  to  the  j 
theatre  business. 

Activity  in  the  San  Francisco  area  was  high- 
lighted further  by  the  opening  of  two  treatres  \ 
— one  in  Vallejo  and  the  other  in  Menlo  Park, 
and  announcement  that  the  Alcazar  will  re- 
open as  a  vaudeville  house  in  mid-January,  to 
be  followed  in  February  by  the  Curran,  in  a 
similar  venture. 

Gasoline  rationing  is  causing  continued  head- 
aches to  bookers  at  the  exchanges,  and  the 
draft  continues  to  make  serious  inroads  into  | 
theatre  personnel  in  the  entire  northern  Cali-  ' 
fornia  section.    Although  already  doing  close 
to  capacity  business  at  night,  San  Francisco  < 
theatremen  assert  a  new  boost  has  occurred  ' 
since  the  two  rulings  by  the  military  authori- 
ties.   The  ban  on  packaged  liquor  sales  will  I 
cut   down   on   private   parties,   sending   more  ] 
service  men  into  established  amusement  lanes. 
Extension  of  the  deadline  for  drinking  permits  J 
those  who  like  the  night  clubs  and  cocktail  i 
lounges  to  see  an  evening  show  and  still  go  to 
those  spots. 

The  Vallejo  theatre  opening  was  at  the  $30,-  1 
000  Victory,  finally  completed  by  Ray  Syufy 
after  work  had  been  halted  by  the  Government  J 
several  months  ago.  Permission  to  finish  the  n 
job  was  granted  because  its  starting  date  was  J 
prior  to  the  ban  on  theatre  construction  and  1 
because  of  the  need  for  additional  theatres  in 
the  navy  yard  city. 

The  old  Menlo  theatre  in  Menlo  Park,  20  j 
miles  south,  which  was  cut  in  half  by  a  high-  ] 
way  project,  was  reopened  after  a  new  front 
was  built.    Seating  capacity  of  the  house  was  jj 
cut  approximately  in  half  by  the  alteration.  4 
It  is  operated  by  the  Harvey  Amusement  Com- 
pany. 

The  best  illustration  of  the  personnel  prob- 
lem is  the  fact  that  five  Fox  West  Coast  cir- 
cuit managers  in  this  area  were  reclassified  1-A 
in  a  single  week,  and  that  the  Golden  State  cir- 
cuit,  operating  20  district  theatres,  found  it  nec- 
essary to  advertise  in  a  daily  newspaper  for  | 
theatre   managers.     Such   conditions   are   re-  a 
sponsible  for  the  fact  that  feminine  bookers  in  I 
the  San  Francisco  exchanges  now  total  five  |j 
— Kathryn    Hackett    and    Gladys  Brownsee, 
MGM  ;  Betty  Gamble,  Universal ;  Betty  Baker, 
Paramount,     and     Gladys     Paull,     Warner  1 
Brothers. 


Ohio  Tax  Revenue  Was 
$1,939,666  in  1942 

Admission  tax  revenue  in  Ohio,  including  all  1 
types  of  amusements,  based  on  three  per  cent 
of  gross,  amounted  to  $1,939,666.97  in  1942,  1 
compared  with  $1,820,904.17  in  1941. 

The  state  collected  $188,608.45  in  censorship 
fees   in   1942,   while   in    1941    the  collections 
amounted   to  $194,624.45.     The   figures   were  'm 
taken  from  the  records  of  Don.  H.  Ebright, 
State  Treasurer,  at  Columbus. 


To  Release  French  Film 

The  editing  and  English  titling  of  "The  Last 
Will  of  Dr.  Mabuse,"  a  French  film  directed  by 
Fritz  Lang,  has  been  completed  and  will  be 
released  for  its  American  premiere  this  season, 
it  was  announced.  The  cast  includes  Thorny 
Bourdelle,  James  Gerald  and  Rudolph  Klein- 
Rogge. 


I'm  the  leader" ..  "I'm  the  leader"... "I'm  the  leader"... "Me  too!" 


So  matter  how  you 
igure  it,  boys— 

ONLY  ONE 
COMPANY 
CAN  BE 


FIRST! 

j       Of  course  it's  M*Q*M's 

MRS.  MINIVER 


(Sets  all  time  high!  555  votes  out  592.') 


nd  it's  not  too 
irly  to  predict 

IAN  DOM 


1       ^  RosenfielcL 
Vis  is  John  ^g^Ne-^-Si 


A  1 1 


■A 


T'S  GO!  UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK! 


Rest  Picture  of  1943 

VOTES  ARE  ^^ggj^t  pictures 
1  ^kible  attlustimeto  P    ^  mgM,   Random  remem. 
ol  19P43.   This  ^R^f SSan.   Miss  ^^^^ere^ 
Greer  Garsor ^f*^ot  Mrs.  f*™S^§^S&2 


24 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    16,  1943 


New  England  Is 
Hit  by  Dimout 


New  York  Paper  Ads 
Laud  Films  in  War 


Institutional  Campaigns 
Urge  Attendance  and 
Stress  Screen  Value 

Bouquets  to  the  motion  picture  industry 
for  its  wartime  entertainment,  morale  and 
information  services  were  handed  publicly 
to  New  York  city  theatres  this  week  by 
the  city's  afternoon  newspapers. 

Two  separate  institutional  advertising 
campaigns  conceived  by  the  newspaper  pro- 
motion departments  urged  the  public  to  at- 
tend motion  picture  theatres  and  called  at- 
tention to  metropolitan  theatre  war  activi- 
ties. One  called  special  attention  to  theatre 
response  to  fuel  and  transportation  crises. 

The  New  York  World-Telegram, 
in  the  most  extensive  of  the  cam- 
paigns, on  Tuesday  printed  the  first 
of  a  series  of  four-column,  half-page 
announcements  calling  attention  to 
New  York's  entertainment  facilities. 
They  will  run  weekly  through  Janu- 
ary and  February  with  illustrations 
and  copy  emphasizing  the  need  for 
wartime  relaxation  with  motion  pic- 
tures, theatres,  music  or  dancing  for 
both  soldiers  and  civilians. 

A  second  campaign,  initiated  by  the  Journal- 
American,  Post  and  Sun  called  public  attention 
to  transportation  facilities  serving  theatres. 
They  emphasized  also  that  most  theatres  were 
heated  by  coal. 

These  spontaneous  newspaper  promotion  ges- 
tures recalled  the  "Movie  Vacation"  institu- 
tional advertisements  initiated  last  year  by  the 
Philadelphia  Bulletin,  and  widely  copied  by 
other  papers  throughout  the  country.  In  1938 
the  industry  jointly  sponsored  its  own  national 
contest  and  "Greater  Movie  Year"  institutional 
advertising  campaign. 

An  announcement  of  the  film  industry's  many 
wartime  services  was  published  in  the  New 
York  Times  on  November  9th  in  a  five-column 
advertisement  sponsored  by  Martin  Quigley, 
editor-in-chief  of  Motion  Picture  Herald. 

"We  believe  it  is  highly  important  that  civil- 
ian America  keep  its  balance  during  wartime," 
William  Dempster,  promotion  manager,  said  in 
an  introduction  to  the  World-Telegram  series. 
"For,  while  thousands  may  seek  relief  from 
extra  pressure  in  movies  and  other  forms  of 
entertainment,  it  is  well-known  that  other  thou- 
sands deny  themselves  such  pleasure  either 
because  of  cost-of-living  increase,  or  fatigue, 
or  because  they  feel  it  unpatriotic  to  enjoy  them- 
selves while  so  much  suffering  is  abroad." 

The  campaign  aims  to  reach  these  people. 

Praises  Service  to 
Armed  Forces 

"It  is  significant  that  the  armed  services 
recognize  the  value  of  relaxation  in  motion 
picture  pictures,  in  music,  in  dancing  and  other 
forms  of  entertainment,"  Mr.  Dempster  wrote. 
This  service  theme  is  used  throughout  the  cam- 
paign to  lend  conviction  to  its  message. 

"It  is  likewise  a  happy  circumstance  that  the 
entertainment  world  is  doing  such  a  magnificent 
service  to  the  armed  forces  by  providing  so 
much  time  and  talent  free  of  any  charge.  So, 
in  urging  New  York  to  'Carry  On'  we  are 
proud  to  be  doing  our  bit  in  keeping  morale 
high  ;  proud,  too,  in  saluting  the  entertainment 


world  for  its  generosity,"  the  World-Telegram 
wrote. 

One  advertisement,  headed  "Hollywood's 
Own  V-Mail"  described  the  industry's  contrib- 
ution of  16mm.  prints  of  the  latest  pictures  to 
soldiers  overseas.  Hollywood  helps  on  the 
home  front  too,  the  copy  pointed  out. 

"Time  out  for  relaxation  and  fun  is  the  best 
insurance  against  wartime  worries,  wartime 
fatigue.  So  we  say  'Carry  On,'  enjoy  yourself 
as  often  as  you  can,  at  the  movies  or  the  the- 
atre," the  four-column  ad  continued. 

The  first  insertion,  appearing  Tuesday,  pic- 
tured Brian  Aherne  and  Joan  Fontaine  enter- 
taining service  men  at  dinner.  Copy  urged 
New  Yorkers  also  to  take  a  furlough  from 
wartime  duties  when  their  soldier  friends  are 
home  on  leave  to  take  them  to  dinner  and  to 
a  show. 

Series  Initiated  by 
World-Telegram 

Another  ad  showed  women  war  workers  at 
their  benches,  and  entering  a  theatre.  "Women 
at  war  balance  their  work  with  relaxation.  It's 
a  beauty  treatment  that's  fun  to  take,  too," 
the  copy  declared. 

Other  copy  pictured  the  stage  show  at  the 
Paramount  theatre,  a  family  group  at  the  box 
office,  laughing  soldier  and  civilian  audiences 
in  Army  post  and  New  York  theatres  respec- 
tively, and  soldiers  and  civilians  enjoying  music 
and  dancing  in  New  York  entertainment  cen- 
ters. 

This  series  was  initiated  by  the  World-Tele- 
gram as  a  service  to  motion  picture  and  other 
amusement  advertisers  and  was  keyed  to  local 
New  York  subjects.  The  possibility  that  the 
series  might  be  widely  distributed  through  the 
other  papers  of  the  Scripps-Howard  chain  was 
seen,  however. 

The  World-Telegram,  meanwhile,  has  grant- 
ed permission  to  the  eastern  public  relations 
committee  of  the  industry  to  adapt  the  ads  for 
use  in  other  cities.  It  has  reserved  rights, 
however,  in  towns  where  Scripps-Howard 
papers  appear.  Glenn  Allvine,  executive  secre- 
tary of  the  committee,  said  its  Industry  Ser- 
vice Bureau  probably  would  distribute  reprints 
of  the  series  to  local  industry  publicity  com- 
mittees. 

The  Journal-American  initiated 
the  spot  advertisements  on  heating 
and  transportation  on  Friday,  ex- 
plaining that  95  per  cent  of  theatre 
patrons  are  within  easy  walking  or 
rapid  transit  distance  of  theatres. 
This,  and  subsequent  ads  on 
Wednesday,  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  theatres  heat  with  coal. 

"There  are  no  priorities  on  movies"  the  Post 
copy  on  Saturday  declared :  "The  movies  are 
one  of  the  few  forms  of  entertainment  and  re- 
laxation that  enable  you  to  live  up  to  the 
'don'ts'  of  wartime." 

Gasoline  conservation,  and  fuel  conservation 
are  possible  through  a  trip  to  the  movies,  it 
said.  There  are  ample  transit  lines  to  New 
York  theatres,  and  while  attending  the  coal 
heated  theatres  it  is  possible  to  turn  home  heat 
regulators  way  down,  the  copy  added. 

Oscar  Doob,  head  of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity for  the  Loew  circuit,  worked  with  the 
promotion  and  advertising  departments  of  the 
Journal-American,  Post  and  Sun  in  the  pre- 
paration of  the  institutional  copy. 

Loew's  own  theatre  ads  also  stressed  the 
transportation  and  fuel  conservation  angles, 
reporting  that  the  circuit,  by  burning  coal,  saves 
1.250,000  gallons  of  oil. 


New  England  coastal  communities  such  as 
Fall  River,  New  Bedford  and  Newport,  are 
feeling  the  effects  of  the  drastic  Army  dimout 
rules  and  regulations  which  went  into  effect 
a  few  weeks  ago. 

Theatre  managers  report  a  lost  of  patron- 
age, especially  from  suburban  areas  upon  which 
they  have  drawn  much  business  in  years  past. 
Night  spots  also  are  affected. 

As  matters  stand  today,  theatres  as  well  as 
other  businesses  are  permitted  no  outside  il- 
lumination, which  means  that  marquees  and 
all  outdoor  advertising  signs  are  out  for  the 
duration.  Auto  headlights  are  painted  black 
half  way.  Inclement  weather  also  has  been  a 
contributing  factor  in  the  sharp  theatre  busi- 
ness drop  of  the  past  fortnight.  Slippery  high- 
ways created  an  accident  hazard.  Reduced  il- 
lumination from  street  lights  which  have  been 
hooded  for  the  duration  add  to  the  danger  of 
accidents. 

Dimout  rules  affecting  homes  have  not 
aided  matters  any.  Theatre  manager  agree 
that  the  dimout  regulations  are  the  most  dras- 
tic orders  ever  received  in  this  area. 

Fall  River's  Community  Christmas  tree  was 
not  lighted  this  year  for  the  first  time  in  more 
than  a  decade.  Few  were  the  Christmas  trees 
in  homes,  as  rules  required  that  shades  of 
rooms  wherein  they  were  located  had  to  be 
drawn  all  the  way  so  that  no  light  would  be 
visible  from  outside. 

Fall  River  which  until  this  year  observed 
the  Christmas  season  with  elaborate  interior 
and  exterior  decorations,  featuring  artistic  il- 
lumination, assumed  a  real  war  appearance. 

Chicago  Rejected  Only 
Four  Films  in  1942 

The  Chicago  Motion  Picture  Censor  Board 
inspected  1,320  pictures  during  1942,  rejecting 
only  four  of  them.  A  total  of  534,050  feet  of 
film  was  inspected,  257  cuts  were  made  and  28 
films  were  classified  for  adults  only.  Soundies 
had  57  productions,  totaling  47,600  feet,  exam-  I 
ined  during  the  year. 

The  Chicago  Censor  approved  93  films  in  i 
December,  and  there  were  no  rejections.  Of  the  a 
403,000  feet  of  film  inspected,  23  cuts  were  ij 
made,  and  no  classification  for  adults  only  was  j 
specified,  it  was  announced. 

Stockholm  Attendance  Rises 
For  Six  Months'  Period 

A  report  from  Stockholm,  Sweden,  has  indi-  fl 
cated  that  motion  picture  attendance  increased  M 
during  the  first  six  months  of  1942.  An  addi-  | 
tional  317,030  tickets  were  sold  over  the  cor-  3 
responding  months  in  1941  and  the  complete  I 
total  of  ticket  sales  amounted  to  6,307,730  as  M 
compared  to  5,990,700  in  the  six  months  of  1940.  9 


Fleischer  Adds  to  Staff 

Dave  Fleischer,  head  of  Columbia  Pictures'  J 
cartoon  department,  has  signed  James  Davis  to  I 
an  animator's  contract,  it  was  announced.  Wal-.  J 
ter  Scott  has  been  added  to  the  cartoon  staff  as  j 
a  layout  man,  and  Howard  Swift  has  been  I 
promoted  to  director. 


Promoted  to  Supervisor 

Russ  Burke  has  been  promoted  to  supervisor 
of  theatres  in  Scituate,  South  Weymouth  and 
Braintree  for  the  Lockwood  and  Gordon  cir- 
cuit. For  the  past  year,  he  has  been  engaged 
in  booking  in  that  area  and  will  continue  in  that 
capacity  in  addition  to  his  supervisor's  duties. 


Joins  Columbia 

John  Guilietti  has  been  appointed  accessories 
manager  for  Columbia  in  New  Haven. 


WANTED 


SELL 
SEATS 
WITH 
IDEAS! 


Leo  Trainor,  Manager  of  the 
Rialto  Theatre,  Allentown,put 
on  a  campaign  that  clicked! 

Increased  newspaper  advertising.  8  24-sheets;  2  3-sheets; 
4  6-sheets  posted  week  in  advance.  Tie-up  with  Lion's 
Club  for  underprivileged  children.  The  tickets  were 
sold  under  the  sponsorship  of  a  committee  consisting 
of  100  members.  Radio:  Spot  announcements  immedi- 
ately preceding  and  following  the  Red  Skelton  program 
in  advance.  30  station-break  flashes.  Daily  spot  announce- 
ments immediately  following  local  news  program  dur- 
ing engagement.  This  program  has  an  exceedingly  large 
listening  audience.  Radio  Station  WSAN.  Dashboard 
cards  on  all  trolley  cars  and  buses— approximately  100. 
35  14x22  cards  on  newsstands.  Tie-up  with  Mattie 
Thompson  Beauty  Salon,  including  ad  and  window 
display.  3,000  bags  imprinted  for  McCrory's  five-and-a- 
dime  store.  Story  in  Woman's  Gossip  column  of  Evening 
Chronicle.  Story  in  Shopper's  Guide.  Red  Skelton  win- 
dow in  building  of  Radio  Station  WSAN.  Tie-up  with 
Morning  Call  and  Evening  Chronicle — on  Shopping 
Guide  page — twice  in  each  paper  before  opening.  30 
bumper  strips  on  Allen  taxicabs.  Sides  of  Bonded  Coal 
Company's  trucks  bannered;  also  trailer  trucks  hauling 
coal  from  mines  to  yard  in  Allentown.  Picture  plugged 
by  Joe  McCarron  in  his  sports  page  in  Morning  Call. 
Picture  plugged  by  Johnny  Van  Sandt,  sports  com- 
mentator of  Station  WSAN.  18  center-city  window  dis- 
plays. 4  40x60's  in  empty  store  windows.  30x40's  in 
hotel  lobbies. 


ALLENTOWN'S 

4 

CHAMPION 

SOUR-PUSSES 

WE  BELIEVE  THAT  RED  SKELTON'S 
LATEST  PICTURE — 

"WHISTLING  IN  DIXIE" 

Which  will  be  the  next  attraction  at  the 
Rialto  Theatre,  is  so  funny  that  nobody 
can  sit  through  it  without  being  con- 
vulsed with  laughter. 

To  test  this,  as  an  experiment,  we  would 
like  to  engage  the  four  sourest-pusses  in 
Allentown  who  think  they  can  sit 
through  an  advanced  screening  of  this 
picture  without  laughing  —  Each  will  be 
paid  $5.00.  Apply  today  at  the  Rialto 
Theatre. 

LEO  TRAINOR, 
Manager 


Showmanship 
is  positively 
not  dead  in 
Allentown !" 


Above:  The  ad 
that  Allentown 
saw  first.  Then, 
(right)  the  second 
ad  of  the  unique 
campaign. 


PROOF  THAT  ALLENTOWN 
HAS  NO  MORE  SOUR-PUSSES! 

THEY  SAID  "YOU  CAN'T 
MAKE  US  LAUGH" 


JAMES  Z.  BICREL        ULYSSES  C.  ALTEMOSE  JR.  DAVE  MILLER  RANDOLPH  HOFFMAN 

427  Ridge  Avi.  445  Linden  SL  2 10S  Liberty  SI.  121  So.  Jefferson  St. 

"BUT  WE  DID" 

AT  A  PRIVATE  ADVANCED  SCREENING  OF  "WHISTLING  IN  DIXIE"  . . .  YOD. 
TOO,  WILL  BE  CONVULSED  WITH  LAUGHTER.  RED  SKELTON  IS  AT  HIS  BEST. 


There's  Dough  in  This  Show! 

RED  SKELTON  ,„  m-g-m>s 
WHISTLING  IN  DIXIE 


Ann  Rutherford  •  George  Bancroft  •  Guy  Kibbee  •  Diana  Lewis  •  Peter  Whitn 
Screen  Play  by  Nat  Perrin  •  Additional  Dialogue  byWilkieMahoney  •  Directed 
S.  SYLVAN  SIMON  •  Produced  by  GEORGE  HA1GHT  •  An  M-G-M  Pictu 


Serve  your  country !  Sell  Bonds ! 


U  S  A 


January  16 


1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


1942  BEST  PRODUCING  YEAR 
IN  MEXICO  SINCE  SOUND 


80  Films  Produced;  More 
Money  Available  Gives 
1943  Equal  Promise 

by  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

ht  Mexico  City 

Producers  are  gratified  over  industry 
progress,  both  in  more  and  better  films  and 
yields  at  home  and  abroad,  during  1942, 
which  in  many  respects  was  the  best  year 
the  Mexican  industry  enjoyed  of  the  12 
since  it  made  its  first  talking  film  in  1930. 
Production  in  1942  reached  a  total  of  about 
80  pictures.  Never  before  has  Mexico  made 
so  many  pictures  in  any  one  year.  The  im- 
portant point  is  that  quality  was  very  high, 
industry  observers  say. 

Some  of  these  productions  were  record 
money-makers.  ''Los  Tres  Musqueteros" 
("The  Three  Musketeers"),  satire  on  Alex- 
andre Dumas'  classic,  by  Posa  Films,  S.A., 
starring  "Cantinflas,"  who  in  private  life  is 
Mario  Moreno  and  vice-president  of  this 
company,  easily  Mexico's  best  tramp  comed- 
ian, grossed  $35,000  in  a  three-week  run 
at  the  Cine  Alameda,  first  run  theatre  here, 
and  $32,500  during  a  similar  engagement  at 
the  Cine  Palacia  Chino,  another  local  first 
run  theatre.  This  is  a  record  for  a  Mexi- 
can picture. 

Producers  estimate  that  their  1943  pro- 
duction will  be  between  40  and  60  pic- 
tures. That  output  will  be  limited  only 
by  the  raw  film  situation.  They  expect 
that  there  will  be  enough  of  that  material 
available  to  assure  that  much  production 
in  the  new  year.  Also  1943  looks  even 
brighter  for  Mexican  producers  than  was 
1942  because  of  more  money  available ; 
the  banks,  which  are  overloaded  with  de- 
posits (these  accounts  increased  in  volume 
by  15  per  cent  during  the  past  six  months), 
have  found  a  good  outlet  for  this  money 
by  backing  producers.  Formerly,  the 
trend  of  investors  in  this  country  was  to 
back  theatre  construction. 

That  trend  now  has  switched  to  produc- 
{  tion.  No  first  run  theatres  were  opened  here 
(  luring  all  of  1942,  although  several  first 
class  subsequent  run  theatres  opened  in  this 
city*.  The  opinion  among  exhibitors  is  that 
the  number  of  first  run  theatres  here  has 
about  reached  its  peak.  There  are  currently 
six  first  run  theatres  here  of  a  total  of  67 
that  are  in  active  operation.  That  seems  very 
small  for  the  biggest  city  in  Mexico,  with 
a  population  of  1,750,000.  But  of  that  num- 
ber, exhibitors  can  only  look  to  250.000  as 
their  public. 

Films  Favorite  Amusement 
Of  Mexican  Public 

Pictures  are  by  far  Mexico's  favorite 
i  amusement.  In  this  city,  the  gross  of  the 
theatres  for  1942  was  estimated  at  about 
$5,500,000.  Of  this  total,  exhibitors  paid 
taxes  of  from  10  to  as  high  as  35  per  cent. 
That  because  of  the  system  the  civic  govern- 
ment follows  in  applying  this  tax — the  sup- 
position that  each  theatre  sells  all  its  accom- 


PAN-AMERICAN  COUNCIL 
USES  MEXICAN  FILMS 

The  Mexican  motion  picture  indus- 
try will  furnish  most  of  the  product 
used  in  the  1943  program  of  the  Pan- 
American  Council.  Feature  length 
sound  motion  pictures  with  Spanish 
dialogue  will  be  the  principal  attrac- 
tions shown  in  the  Woodrow  Wilson 
assembly  room  of  the  International 
Center  in  Chicago. 

Some  of  the  films  already  booked 
and  the  playing  dates  follow: 

"The  Adventures  of  Chico",  Jan- 
uary 7;  "Jalisco  Nunca  Pierde",  Jan- 
uary 21;  "The  Wave",  February  4; 
"La  Zandunga",  February  18;  "Los 
Millones  de  Chaflan",  March  4; 
"Huapango",  March  18;  "Ojos  Ta- 
patios",  April  I;  "Dos  Mujeres  y  un 
Don  Juan",  April  15,  and  "La  Llo- 
rono",  April  29. 


modations  every  day.  This  application 
method  was  modified,  to  the  extent  of  al- 
lowing them  a  technical  reduction  in  the 
number  of  their  seats,  for  five  large  theatres 
here  in  1942,  three  first  run  and  two  sub- 
sequent. 

Exhibitors  continue  to  grumble  about  high 
taxes  and  labor  costs,  but  have  not  as  yet, 
excepting  these  of  the  five  theatres  that  get 
the  break,  made  any  formal  complaint  about 
the  condition. 

Mexican  films  for  the  first  time  became  a 
serious  competitor  for  Hollywood  not  only 
in  this  market  but  in  some  other  parts  of 
Latin  America.  Mexican  producers  opened 
exchanges  in  several  important  Central  and 
South  American  countries.  However,  Ameri- 
can product  continues  to  dominate  the  Mexi- 
can markets  with  about  93  per  cent.  Long 
runs  and  big  grosses  of  some  of  the  Mexican 
pictures,  however,  have  given  some  Holly- 
wood companies  some  concern.  Such  busi- 
ness for  these  Mexican  productions  naturally 
means  less  business  for  American  product. 

Plan  Production 
Of  "Resurrection" 

The  first  production  in  Spanish  for  the 
spoken  film,  of  Tolstoi's  "Resurrection"  is  to 
be  undertaken  here  early  in  1943  by  Jesus 
A.  Grovas  &  Company,  leading  producers 
of  this  country.  Lupita  Tovar  has  been 
signed  for  the  feminine  lead.  She  was  the 
first  star  of  a  Maxican  talking  film,  "Santa" 
("Saintless"),  based  upon  the  classic  Mexi- 
can novel  of  that  name,  which  Antonio 
Moreno  produced  here  in  1930. 

V 

The  industry  is  much  interested  in  the  an- 
nouncement by  Section  No.  1  of  the  Na- 
tional Cinematographic  Industry  Workers 
Union,  which  has  its  headquarters  here,  that 


it  shortly  will  open  its  own  print  shop,  which 
will  have  facilities  for  the  publishing  of 
illustrated  matter,  and  has  invited  President 
Manuel  Avila  Camacho  and  his  predecessor, 
Gen.  Lazaro  Cardenas,  who  is  now  Minister 
of  National  Defense,  to  attend  the  inaugura- 
tion. 

The  particular  interest  of  the  industry  in 
this  plan  is  that  the  union  announces  that  it 
is  to  put  forth  more  publicity  and  propaganda 
to  make  the  public  better  acquainted  with  its 
nature,  work  and  its  ambitions.  The  section 
explained  that  it  decided  to  run  its  own 
print  shop  to  avoid  high  costs  and  delayed 
deliveries  it  has  suffered  at  shops  it  has 
patronized  here. 

Claim  Unlawful  Showings 
Of  Mexican  Film 

Accusations  have  been  made  to  the  local 
district  attorney  of  unlawful  exhibitions  in 
Mexico  and  Cuba  of  the  Mexican  film, 
"Mancha  de  Sangre"  ("Blood  Stain")  by 
the  operators  of  Cine  Briseno,  a  large  sub- 
sequent run  theatre  here,  who  own  the 
picture,  against  Enrique  Ortega.  The  ex- 
hibitors said  they  acquired  full  rights  to  the 
film  and  had  given  it  to  Mr.  Ortega  to  do 
some  cutting.  He  never  returned  the  pic- 
ture, the  charges  say,  and  it  is  being  ex- 
hibited without  the  owners'  authorization. 
V 

The  Cine  Victoria,  a  modern  subsequent 
run  theatre,  seating  3,500,  has  opened  in  the 
downtown  district  here.  It  is  operated  by 
Guillermo  Santibahez  and  Company,  and  is 
the  73rd  theatre  in  the  running  here. 

V 

Radio  stations  see  no  change  at  present 
in  their  taxation,  which  is  two  per  cent  of 
gross  income,  derived  from  any  source,  a 
levy  that  is  single  and  federal,  as  they  are 
under  Federal  jurisdiction.  The  Stations 
pay  all  other  taxes  to  which  regular  business 
is  subject.  However,  as  the  Government  is 
spending  much  on  its  war  program,  there  is 
some  speculation  about  a  change  in  radio 
taxation. 


Show  Singles  on  Sunday 

The  Fox  circuit  which  formerly  opened  new 
shows  on  Sundays  at  the  Wisconsin  Palace  and 
Strand  theatres  in  Milwaukee  continues  to  play 
single  features  on  that  day,  with  weekend  busi- 
ness reported  heavy.  Opening  day  for  shows 
has  been  changed  to  Thursdays  at  the  present 
time. 


New  Haven  Fireproofs  Theatres 

Theatres  in  the  New  Haven  territory  were 
ordered  by  the  police  to  take  protective 
measures  against  fires  by  prohibiting  smoking 
in  inner  and  outer  lobbies,  and  spraying  drapes 
with  a  fireproof  fluid.  Six-inch  shrinkage  in 
drapes  was  reported  by  some  exhibitors  after 
applying  the  fluid. 


Theatre  Used  for  Services 

_  The  Stanley  theatre  in  Atlantic  City  is  occu- 
pied by  service  men  Sunday  mornings  for 
church  services,  A.  J.  Vanniz.  Warner 
Brothers'  zone  manager  for  Atlantic  City  an- 
nounced. Crowded  church  conditions  made  the 
move  necessary. 


28  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  January     16,  1943 


56  FEATURES  PRODUCED  IN 
ARGENTINA  FOR  YEAR 


"Gaucho  War"  Outstand- 
ing for  Year;  Institute 
Plans  Shorts  Program 

by  NATALIO  BRUSKI 

in  Buenos  Aires 

The  year  1942  was  a  fruitful  one  for 
the  Argentine  film  industry,  with  56  feature 
length  productions  released.  One  picture, 
"La  Guerra  Gaucha,"  was  generally  con- 
sidered definitely  superior  to  the  remainder. 

At  the  end  of  the  season,  when  the  Argen- 
tine producers  became  aware  of  a  commer- 
cial success  in  their  programs,  and  when 
the  general  public  was  lamenting  the  absence 
of  the  "big  film  of  the  year"  which  lends 
prestige  to  the  seventh  art  at  the  end  of 
every  cinematographic  season,  there  ap- 
peared "La  Guerra  Gaucha"  ("The  Gau- 
chos'  War"),  which  had  the  two  basic  re- 
quirements, artistic  merit  and  box  office  ap- 
peal. In  its  six-week  run,  and  in  the  possi- 
bilities of  an  even  longer  run,  it  has  ef- 
fectively given  the  lie  to  the  opinion  that 
"quality  films  do  not  interest  the  public." 

"La  Guerra  Gaucha"  is  not  only  the 
outstanding  Argentine  film,  and  a  very 
definite  encouragement  to  other  pro- 
ducers, but  it  is  also  tangible  evidence 
that  there  is  a  public  willing  to  support 
films  of  artistic  merit,  even  if  it  must  pay 
three  pesos  for  a  seat.  "La  Guerra 
Gaucha"  will  cover  two-thirds  of  the  gross 
cost  of  the  film  with  the  box  office  receipts 
from  the  release  theatre,  showing  that  to 
produce  films  of  high  cost  is  not  a  gamble. 

Apart  from  "La  Guerra  Gaucha,"  which  is 
in  a  class  by  itself,  there  are  other  films  of  the 
year  in  the  sphere  of  drama  which  are  of  defi- 
nite merit.  "Malambo"  is  a  case  in  point,  a 
splendid  and  difficult  theme,  which  the  director, 
Alberto  de  Zavalia,  handled  capably.  "Los 
Chico  Grecen"  ("The  Children  Grow  Up") 
found  favorable  acceptance,  although  this  was 
due  more  to  the  emotional  nature  of  the  script 
than  to  its  suitability  for  production  on  the 
screen.  'Incertiduiribre"  ("Uncertainty"),  as 
well  as  "La  Maestrita  de  los  Obreros"  ("The 
Workmen's  Little  Teacher"),  were  painstaking 
efforts  which  met  with  public  acceptance,  as- 
sisted by  popular  and  capable  figures  in  the 
cast. 

"La  Novela  de  un  Joven  Pobre"  ("The  Story 
of  a  Poor  Young  Man")  was  a  meritorious  es- 
say in  the  field  of  romance,  and  met  with  fair 
success.  "El  Camino  de  las  Llamas"  ("The 
Llamas'  Trail")  was  notable  for  some  splendid 
outdoor  scenes,  but  the  theme  did  not  lend  itself 
to  successful  adaptation.  "Vidas  Marcadas" 
was  a  crime  film  very  well  done,  and  "El  Gran 
Secreto"  was  realized  on  typically  French  lines. 
"El  Viejo  Hucha"  and  "En  el  Viejo  Buenos 
Aires"  met  with  some  success,  the  first  men- 
tioned being  pure  cinema,  and  the  latter  an 
epoch  play. 

"Su  Primer  Baile"  ("Her  First  Dance")  was 
a  beautiful  bit  of  work,  with  a  pleasant  and 
simple  theme,  produced  with  exquisite  taste  by 
a  newcomer  in  the  director's  sphere,  Ernesto 
Arancibia.  "El  Viaje"  ("The  Journey")  was 
based  on  a  semi-dramatic  theme,  developed 
along  lines  of  festive  comedy.  Another  in- 
genious theme  which  was  not  handled  to  the 
limits  of  its  possibilities  was  "Vacaciones  en  el 


ARGENTINA  CONCLUDES 
BIGGEST  FILM  YEAR 

Argentine  producers  in  1942  com- 
pleted 56  features,  a  greater  total 
than  in  any  year  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  industry  in  that  country. 

Totals  for  the  I  I  years  since  1932 
were:  1932,  5  films;  1933,  6;  1934,  7; 
1935,  12;  1936,  18;  1937,  28;  1938, 
40;  1939,  47;  1940,  55;  1941,  47; 
1942,  56. 


Otro  Mundo"  ("Vacations  in  the  Other 
World"). 

Some  of  the  scenes  in  "El  Tercer  Beso" 
("The  Third  Kiss")  took  this  film  on  to  a 
higher  plane  than  the  theme  in  general  merited. 
In  the  same  category  was  the  picture  called 
"Adolescencia"  ("Adolescence").  "Secuestro 
Sensacional,"  "Elvira  Fernandez,  Vendedora  de 
Tinda"  ("Elvira  the  Shopgirl"),  "Una  Novia  en 
Apuros"  and  "La  Mentirosa"  also  come  within 
the  last  mentioned  classification. 

In  addition  to  Ernesto  Arancibia,  who  dis- 
tinguished himself  with  "Su  Primer  Baile," 
Lucas  Demare,  among  the  directors,  maintained 
his  prestige  with  "El  Viejo  Hucha,"  and  defi- 
nitely made  his  reputation  with  "La  Guerra 
Gaucha."  Alberto  de  Zavalia  made  progress 
with  "La  Maestrita  de  los  Obreros"  and  was 
successful  with  his  very  difficult  task  in  "Ma- 
lambo." Mario  Soffici  and  Francisco  Mugica 
were  slightly  disappointing.  Soffici  was  with- 
out a  sufficiently  interesting  theme  in  "El  Ca- 
mino de  las  Llamas,"  and  had  not  much  to  work 
on  in  "Vacaciones  en  el  Otro  Mundo." 

Mugica  made  an  endeavor  to  repeat  the 
formula  of  "Los  Martes,  Orquideas"  with 
"Adolescencia,"  but  without  any  marked  suc- 
cess, afterwards  producing  a  frivolous  comedy 
which  was  lacking  in  any  particular  merit, 
called  "El  Pijama  de  Adan"  and  "El  Viaje," 
a  film  with  an  unsuitable  theme. 

Borcosque  Demonstrated 
Mastery  in  One  Film 

Louis  Cesar  Amadori  found  himself  in  a 
somewhat  similar  classification,  making  pictures 
with  box  office  rather  than  artistic  appeal,  scor- 
ing hjts  with  "Claro  de  Luna"  and  "El  Tercer" 
Beso,"  a  definite  success  with  "La  Mantirosa" 
and  somewhat  less  with  "Bajo  un  Angel  del 
Cielo"  and  "El  Profesor  Cero."  Bayon  Her- 
rera  is  to  be  commended  for  his  work  with 
"La  Novela  de  un  Joven  Pobre,"  afterwards 
producing  a  successful  comedy,  and  one  of 
sheer  farce — "La  Casa  de  los  Millones."  Manu- 
el Romero  reproduced  his  inevitable  formula 
with  "Elvira  Fernandez,  Vendedora  de  Tienda" 
and  "Ven,  mi  Corazon  te  Llama,"  but  failed 
when  he  left  his  best  sphere  to  make  "Historia 
de  Critnenes"  and  "Una  Luz  en  la  Ventana." 

The  veteran,  Carlos  Borcosque,  showed  his 
mastery  of  the  art  in  "Incertidumbre,"  "Yo 
Conoci  a  Esa  Mujer"  and  "Un  Nuevo  Amae- 
cer"  in  which  he  was  not  helped  by  the  theme, 
and  in  the  simple  "Cada  Hogar,  un  Mundo." 

The  young  director,  Carlos  Hugo  Christen- 
sen,  tried  his  luck  with  that  ingenious  comedy, 
"La  Novia  de  Primavera"  ("The  Spring 
Bride"),  and  got  the  best  out  of  the  somewhat 
uneven  plot.  Jacques  Remy  showed  individual- 
ity with  a  picture  that  was  a  copy  of  "Conflict" 
—"El  Gran  Secreto,"  and'  Antonio  Kunill  Ca- 


banellas  did  a  routine  job  well  with  "Locos  de 
Verano."  Leopoldo  Torres  Rios  made  "Gau- 
cho" under  some  difficulties,  but  the  theme  was 
not  precisely  suited  to  his  capabilities.  He  also 
produced  "El  Comisario  de  Tranco  Largo,"  and 
was  fairly  successful.  Carlos  Torres  Rios 
adapted  "La  Luna  en  el  Pozo"  for  the  screen, 
but  the  result  was  little  else  but  a  stage  play 
transferred  to  the  sphere  of  photography. 

Difficult  to  Assess 
Work  of  Players 

The  diversity  of  plots  and  personages,  com- 
bined with  the  lack  of  a  well-defined  psycholo- 
gy in  the  different  impersonations,  makes  it 
difficult  to  discriminate  in  assessing  a  value  for 
the  individual  efforts  of  the  different  artists. 
In  general  the  casts  were  homogeneous,  and 
there  was  a  notable  absence  of  really  first  rate 
artists,  some  of  whom  were  replaced  by  new- 
comers more  charming  than  efficient. 

The  work  of  Amelia  Bence  in  "El  Tercer 
Beso,"  which  was  repeated  in  "La  Guerra  Gau- 
cha" definitely  merits  attention,  while  Maria 
Duval  was  outstanding  in  roles  suitable  to  her 
age  and  temperament,  such  as  "Su  Primer 
Baile."  The  work  of  the  Legrand  twins  also 
was  exceptionally  pleasing,  jointly  and  sepa- 
rately, in  "Claro  de  Luna"  and  in  "El  Viaje." 
Among  the  male  element  Francisco  Petrone  in 
"La  Guerra  Gaucha"  and  Arturo  Garcia  Buhr 
in  "Los  Chicos  Crecen"  particularly  distin- 
guished themselves. 

The  Instituto  Cinematographico  del 
Estado  (State  Cinematograph  Institute), 
through  its  press  office,  has  announced  a 
film  production  plan  for  the  year  1943, 
along  the  lines  of  a  film  producing  entity, 
announcing  22  short  subjects  as  a  mini- 
mum program  apart  from  those  which 
will  be  made  as  the  result  of  "Recommen- 
dations of  the  different  state  departments, 
provincial  governments,  private  pro- 
ducers, etc." 

The  Institute  was  created  "to  foment  the  na- 
tional cinema  art  and  industry,  general  educa- 
tion and  propaganda  abroad."  The  official  de- 
cree of  August  19,  1941,  gave  the  State  Cine- 
matograph Institute,  among  other  rights,  that  of 
producing  official  films  to  be  made  "directly  or 
through  the  intervention  of  private  enterprises." 

These  shorts,  critics  of  the  Institute  program 
claim,  have  failed  to  fulfill  their  objective  of 
general  education  and  propaganda  outside  Ar- 
gentina. They  were  exhibited  in  comparatively 
few  theatres,  and  for  the  audiences  which  saw 
them  they  presumably  did  not  constitute  any- 
thing of  a  novelty.  As  regards  foreign  propa- 
ganda, the  Institute  so  far  has  not  announced  to 
which  countries  the  films  were  sent. 

Industry  Plans  to 
Limit  Programs 

For  the  purpose  of  studying  the  situation 
brought  about  by  present  world  conditions  as 
they  affect  material  and  its  possible  restriction 
during  the  coming  year,  local  producers  and  dis- 
tributors recently  held  a  meeting,  attended  by  a 
delegation  of  exhibitors.  After  a  number  of 
suggestions  had  been  considered,  it  was  decided 
to  endeavor  to  limit  programs  to  two  feature 
length  films,  a  newsreel,  comedies  and  the  like 
in  the  theatres  of  Buenos  Aires. 

The  Asociacion  Empresarios  de  Cinematogra- 
fos  will  hold  a  general  meeting  in  the  near  fu- 
ture to  obtain  the  agreement  of  all  distributors 
along  these  lines,  after  which  each  distributor 
will  outline  his  position  and  give  recommenda- 
tions for  the  restricted  programs  which  in- 
evitably must  be  adopted. 


EVERY  \  SMITH 


(and  their 
next-door 
neighbors,  also!) 


PETE  SMITH  says  it  with  Shorts! 

0> MARINES  IN  THE  MAKING 


World  Premiere  in  Chicago  is  a  triumph  of  show- 
manship. A  short  subject  that's  in  the  news. 
Hedda  Hopper  tells  the  nation  in  her  syndicated 
column:  "The  Pete  Smith  Short  'Marines  in  the 
Making'  will  undoubtedly  get  an  Academy  award. 
In  every  way  it  lives  up  to  its  title,  showing  the  real 
Marine  training  which  makes  them  so  tough  —  it'll 
have  you  gasping!" 


(Right)  Follow 
the  arrow  and  see 
the   space  they 
gave  it  in  the 
Chicago  ads! 
Also  special 
press  stories  in 
all  papers.  A 
Short  to  ex- 
ploit for  ex- 
:  dollars! 


8FIRST  AID 


II 


Early  engagements  of  Pete  Smith's  "First  Aid" 
forecast  extra  receipts  for  the  program  that 
features  this  instructive  and  entertaining  ex- 
position of  Red  Cross  first  aid  methods  demon- 
strated by  screen  stars  Sally  Eilers,  Eileen  Percy 
and  Leila  Hyams.  Tie  up  with  local  chapters 
representing  14,500,000  members. 


•  few  IWi  C»i  Ka  fav&m 


. .  .  with  the  peppiest, 
punchiest  jamboree  of 
icy,  song,  romance  and 
fun  ever  packed  into 
one  show-ol-shows! 


it*** 


JUDY 

GARLAND 


iu  Ha  tea  tfj  te 
*s»  'slur 


WGM's  name!*  «uric«/  mmbcsc* 

*  GEORGE  MURPHY 


GENE 

Marta  Eg^rth 


EXTRA 

Added  Attraction! 


PITI  SMITH  SMASH  *x 

"MARINES 
IN  THE  MAKING"  I 


njk»  Dei  HMOir'i  / 

Cffliimjndw  lit  */l 

Hctton!  ntmM  on  J 

Ctotjo'i  Ule  From  «/ 


Every  Dollar  Collected  Counts! 
United  Nations  Week!  Jan.  14—20 


M-G-M,  The  Lo  na  and  Short  of  It! 


30 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


Finance  Picture 
Unit  Privately 


United  Nations  Week 
Gets  Wide  Support 


Theatres  of  Country  Rally 
to  Aid  Drive  Sponsored 
by  Industry  WAC 

Public  demonstrations,  special  rallies, 
placarded  and  bannered  lobbies,  picture  pre- 
mieres, and  numerous  radio  programs  this 
week  ushered  in  the  film  industry's  "United 
Nations  Week"  which  began  Thursday  and 
was  to  continue  through  January  20th. 
Sponsored  by  the  film  industry's  War  Activ- 
ities Committee,  the  week  was  to  feature 
the  collection  of  funds  for  our  Allies,  and 
the  stressing  of  unity  among  all. 

For  Thursday,  the  New  York  division  of 
the  drive  had  arranged  rallies  in  the  city's 
five  boroughs.  The  main  rally  was  to  be  in 
Times  Square. 

There  Zinka  Milanov,  Yugoslav  soprano 
of  the  Metropolitan  Opera;  Lily  Pons, 
French  prima  donna;  Benny  Goodman  and 
Jimmy  Dorsey  and  their  orchestras  from 
the  Paramount  and  Strand  theatres ;  Benny 
Fields  from  Loew's  State,  and  other  stars 
and  headliners  from  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
the  Roxy  and  legitimate  theatres  were  to 
participate  in  a  demonstration  honoring  all 
the  United  Nations. 

Other  participants  were  to  be  a  Chinese 
band  of  youngsters  from  Chinatown ; 
hundreds  of  Russian,  Greek,  Netherlands, 
Polish  and  Yugoslavian  girls  in  native  cos- 
tumes; the  band  from  the  Woodrow  Wilson 
Post  of  the  American  Legion,  and  soldiers, 
sailors  and  marines  of  the  United  Nations. 

At  celebrations  in  other  boroughs,  bor- 
ough presidents  were  to  be  chief  speakers. 
All  rallies  were  to  be  at  noon. 

The  approximately  1,200  New 
York  area  theatres  participating 
have  arranged  events  for  each  day 
of  the  campaign,  the  WAC  New 
York  division  said  Monday. 

Direct  reminder  of  the  week  was  given 
the  city's  downtown  theatregoing  public 
Tuesday  evening,  at  the  world  premiere  of 
Columbia's  "Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn," 
at  Loew's  Criterion.  The  lobby  was  made  a 
"United  Nations  Alley,"  by  erection  of  the 
fighting  flags  and  insignia  of  the  30  nations 
associated  with  the  United  States  in  the 
war.  There  was  a  flag  pageant  on  the  stage. 
All  proceeds  went  to  the  United  Nations 
Fund. 

Campaign  Impetus 
Provided  on  Air 

Buffalo  this  week  was  covered  with  24- 
sheets,  one-sheets  and  window  cards  adver- 
tising the  drive,  according  to  Charles  B. 
Taylor,  of  Buffalo  Theatres,  Inc.,  and  local 
publicity  chairman.  Mayor  Joseph  Kelly  is- 
sued a  proclamation  making  the  drive  offi- 
cial in  the  city,  and  was  to  be  one  of  the 
speakers  at  downtown  theatres  on  Thursday 
evening. 

The  campaign  was  given  impetus  over  the 
air  on  a  Mutual  network  program  Tuesday 
night,  on  which  appeared  Don  Ameche, 
James  Cagney,  Nelson  Eddy,  Irene  Man- 
ning and  Jean  Hersholt. 

Mrs.  Eleanor  Roosevelt  praised  the  cam- 


paign, in  her  syndicated  newspaper  column, 
"My  Day." 

It  was  estimated  by  Harry  Mandel,  na- 
tional publicity  director,  that  800  radio  sta- 
tions will  mention  the  campaign  during  the 
week. 

In  Pittsburgh  a  21-station  broadcast,  com- 
prising all  the  stations  of  western  Pennsyl- 
vania and  part  of  West  Virginia,  was  ar- 
ranged as  an  opening  salute  to  the  United 
Nations  on  Thursday.  The  broadcast  was 
to  originate  in  Pittsburgh,  and  Sammy  Kaye 
and  his  orchestra  were  to  furnish  the  music. 


Babe  Ruth  Appears  in 
Skouras  Theatres 

Skouras  theatres  in  New  York  this  week 
launched  a  series  of  war-participation  special 
events  featuring  baseball's  famous  figure,  Babe 
Ruth.  The  ball  player  appeared  at  the  circuit's 
Academy  of  Music  and  Astoria  houses  Wed- 
nesday and  Thursday  for  after-school  matinees 
to  promote  the  collection  of  nylon  stockings.  In 
other  spots  his  personal  appearance  will  coin- 
cide with  rubber  or  copper  scrap  collections. 

Weekend  appearances  were  scheduled  for 
Mr.  Ruth  in  the  Rivoli,  Hempstead,  and  Capi- 
tol, Port  Chester.  During  the  week  of  January 
20th,  he  will  be  seen  at  the  Riverside,  Park 
Plaza,  Crotona  and  Fox  theatres.  The  follow- 
ing week  he  will  appear  at  the  Merrick,  State, 
Valentine  and  Rockland  houses  of  the  Skouras 
circuit.  A  special  short  subject,  "The  Sultan 
of  Swat,"  has  been  prepared  by  20th  Century- 
Fox  Movietone  News  for  showing  at  these 
special  events. 


Chicago  Variety  Club 
Elects  Jones  Barker 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Chicago  Variety 
Club  since  its  formation,  was  held  at  the  Black- 
stone  Hotel  last  week.  The  following  officers 
were  elected :  John  Jones,  chief  barker ;  Clyde 
Eckhardt,  assistant  chief  barker ;  Jack  Kirsch, 
second  assistant  chief  barker ;  Irving  Mack, 
property  master ;  John  Balaban,  dough  guy. 

The  presentation  of  the  club's  new  charter 
and  the  induction  of  its  officers  will  be  held  at 
the  banquet  of  the  National  Variety  Clubs  at 
the  Blackstone  Hotel  during  its  three-day  meet- 
ing, February  19th-21st. 


Purchase  Canadian  House 

After  operating  the  Capitol,  Edmundston. 
N.  B.,  on  a  lease  for  eight  years,  the  B.  &  L. 
Theatres,  St.  John,  N.  B.,  has  purchased  the 
building.  The  Capitol  seats  485,  and  competes 
with  the  Star,  seating  550,  and  locally  owned 
and  operated.  The  B.  &  L.  Theatres  operate 
the  State,  in  Madawaska,  Me.,  seating  400,  and 
opposite  Edmundston  on  the  St.  John  River 
and  international  boundary. 


Memphis  Prices  Raised 

Prices  at  all  downtown  theatres  in  Memphis 
have  been  advanced.  The  Warner  raised  its 
prices  from  33  to  40  cents  for  matinee  and  for 
balcony  evenings,  Sundays  and  holidays,  and 
from  44  to  50  cents  lower  floor  prices.  The 
other  first  run  theatres,  the  Loew's  State, 
Loew's  Palace  and  the  Malco  raised  their  mati- 
nees to  35  cents  and  the  night  schedule  to  50 
cents  for  lower  floors. 


Financing  of  Volunteer  Land  Corps  Films 
Corporation,  the  motion  picture  unit  which  was 
set  up  recently  by  the  Volunteer  Land  Corps 
of  Vermont  to  help  overcome  the  farm  labor 
shortage,  was  effected  through  contributions  to- 
taling $10,000  made  by  Dorothy  Thompson, 
columnist,  lecturer,  author  and  radio  commen- 
tator ;  Edgar  Loew,  an  attorney  for  Warner 
Bros,  and  treasurer  of  the  new  film  company, 
and  Henry  E.  Lester  who  is  president,  it  was 
learned  in  New  York. 

"Kid  Brother,"  the  first  picture  of  the  new 
company,  now  is  on  location  in  Barnard,  Vt, 
at  the  farm  owned  by  Miss  Thompson.  It  is  re- 
ported that  negotiations  for  national  distribution 
of  the  film  are  under  way  with  Warner  Bros. 
According  to  Mr.  Lester,  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  is  "interested"  in  the  new  motion 
picture  venture  although  no  financial  or  other 
assistance  has  been  proffered  to  date. 

Victor  Stoloff,  former  European  director  who 
made  "Better  Dresses  Fifth  Floor,"  the  film 
produced  for  the  Coordinator  of  Inter-Ameri- 
can Affairs  at  a  cost  of  $9,750  which  was  never 
released  and  is  now  in  a  Government  film  vault, 
is  directing  "Kid  Brother."  Another  Stoloff 
film,  "Little  Isles  of  Freedom,"  a  two-reeler 
enactment  of  the  occupation  of  the  islands  of 
St.  Pierre  and  Miquelon  by  the  Free  French 
warships,  had  its  first  public  showing  at  Car- 
negie Hall  recently  at  a  benefit  for  the  people 
af  the  islands.  Miss  Thompson,  associated  with 
Mr.  Stoloff  in  the  Volunteer  Land  film  enter- 
prise, wrote  the  commentary  for  "Little  Isles." 
She  also  was  principal  speaker  at  the  showing. 
The  picture  is  being  distributed  by  Warner 
Bros. 

With  Miss  Thompson,  serving  as  members  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Volunteer  Land 
Corps  of  Vermont  are  authors  Louis  Bromfield 
and  Herbert  Agar,  among  others.  The  organ- 
ization was  formed  a  year  ago,  shortly  after  the 
United  States  entered  the  war.  Mr.  Lester,  who 
has  been  in  this  country  about  two  years,  for- 
merly worked  in  the  motion  picture  industry 
in  Austria  and  later  in  England.  About  four 
years  ago  he  headed  his  own  film  company. 
Following  his  arrival  in  America,  he  distributed 
a  few  French  pictures. 


Twenty-four  Branches 
Have  Family  Clubs 

Twenty-four  branches  of  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  have  formed  Family  Clubs,  it  was  an- 
nounced by  the  company's  home  office  recent- 
ly. Elections  already  have  been  held,  and  the 
lists  of  officers  are  complete. 

In  many  cities,  Christmas  parties  were  held 
and  families  of  former  employees  now  in  ser- 
vice were  invited.  Cities  in  every  section  of 
the  country  will  be  represented  by  the  clubs. 


Heads  Russian  Aid  Drive 

R.  S.  Roddick,  manager  of  the  Capitol,  Hali- 
fax, N.  S.,  and  district  supervisor  for  Famous 
Players  Canadian  Corporation,  is  chairman  for 
Halifax  zone  of  the  Canadian  Aid-for-Russia 
fund  campaign. 


Restrictions  Close  Theatre 

The  Art  theatre,  St.  Louis,  only  house  ex- 
hibiting foreign  films  in  the  city,  will  close 
shortly,  according  to  its  owner-operator,  Ruby 
S'Renco,  because  of  an  insufficient  supply  of 
product  and  gasoline  restrictions. 


Golden  State  Buys  House 

The  Golden  State  Theatres  circuit  has  bought 
the  second  run  Strand  theatre  in  San  Fran- 
cisco from  J.  J.  Franklin. 


H  I  OF  THE  PAGES 
IF  THE  BOOK  THAT 
HOCKED  THE  WORLD 


"You  madmen!  Remember 
Attila,  the  I  kin!  .  .  Attila  is 
i>one.  But  the  church  remains. 
Remember,  the  li^ht  always 
outshines  the  dark." 

—German  Bishop,  to  the 

German  M a  jor. 


I 


irs  is  a  most  important 

ing.The  Gestapo  is  judge, 
,  prosecutor  —  all  rolled 
one.  Only  the  best  minds 

jld  be  permitted  to  ad- 

ister  such  pow  er." 

-  Col.  Henkel. 


NO 


"I  choose  the  state  against 
( ]h r i s t i a n i t v.  C h r i s t i a n i  t y 
had  its  chance,  and  it  failed. 
And  when  the  time  is  right, 
we  shall  break  it  up  com- 
pletely —  once  and  for  all." 

—  German  Major. 


urs  is  a  world  I  won't 
f»  a  baby  into!  Torture 
Kill  me!  Rut  I  won't 
ii>e.  I  believe  in  some- 
£  that  you  can't  touch!" 
-  the  A  merican-horn, 
Gerynan-raised  A  nna. 


WO(£ 


"We,  the  youth  of  Germany, 
shall  win  the  true  crown  of 
"lory!  To  die  for  Adolf  Hit- 
ler is  to  live  for  Germany." 
—  G  erynan-born, 
G ermayi-tr a'med  A  arl, 
in  love  with  Anna. 


n  we  stop  Hitler  —  and 
er's  children  — before  it  is 
ate?  You  and  I  know  the 


/S 


AB0OT 


•  ver. 


—  Professor  Xichols, 
head  of the  American 
school  in  Berlin. 


GIGANTIC  50-CITY  DAY-A 
WORLD  PREMIERE 


UNDER  THE  SPONSORSHIP 
OF  RADIO  STATION 


If 

f 


WLW. . . 

The  widest,  most  intensive  cover- 
age ever  given  a  motion  picture 
...  to  the  millions  of  listeners  served 
by  "The  Nation's  Station"  — 

JANUARY  14th 

World  Premiere  Showings  in 
theatres  all  over  the  WLW  terri- 
tory, honoring  that  station's  own 
GREGOR  ZIEMER,  famous 
commentator  on  world  affairs,  and 
author  of  the  book  from  which  the 
picture  was  made. 

—  A  spectacular  intro- 
duction of  the  attraction 
that's  coming  your  way 
with  a  rush  and  a  *roar 
of  tidal- wave  publMwyBBQj^ 


"  '00i 

Us 


'0. 


ft** 


Film  Daily  says:  "Tremendous  grosses  held  certain  for  this  dramatic 
thunderbolt  about  Nazi  Germany." 

Motion  Picture  Herald  says:  "This  story  is  one  that  had  to  be  told . .  A  strong 
picture  dramatically  and  realistically  and  it  should  be  a  strong  attraction." 

Motion  Picture  Daily  says:  "Strong  and  unrelenting  . .  Ought  to  create  ex- 
citement . .  Has  dramatic  wallop  and  the  merit  of  truth." 

Variety  says:  "Entertainment  as  well  as  exploitation  values  may  be  relied 
on  for  results." 

Showman's  Trade  Review:  "Should  be  a  'must'  on  every  American's  pic- 
ture list." 

iollywood  Reporter:  "A  vital  and  angry  document . .  by  long  odds  the  frank- 
est picture  about  Nazi  Germany  that  Hollywood  has  yet  undertaken." 

tiff 


GIGANTIC  50-CITY  DAY- 


WORLD  PREMIERE-««pi 

iif|ncD  Tut  conucnocuiD 

OF 

The  w 
age  e\ 
. . .  to  tb 
by  "Tl 


Work 
theatre 
tory,  \ 
GRE( 
coinmt 
author 
picture 

—  A  s 
ductioi 
that's  < 
with  a 
of  tida 


GIGANTIC  50-CITY  DAY- 
WORLD  PREMIERE 
UNDER  THE  SPONSORSHIP 
OF  RADIO  STATION 

WLW. . . 


|HI  SENSATIONAL  SHOWMANSHIP  SPECIAL  OF  1943! 

Based  on  the  Best  Seller 
EDUCATION  FOR  DEATH 
by  GREGOR  ZIEMER,  And  As 

Told  To  Millions  in  READER'S  DIGEST! 


The  widest,  most  intensive  cover- 
age ever  given  a  motion  picture 
...  to  the  millions  of  listeners  served 
by  "The  Nation's  Station"  — 

JANUARY  14th 

World  Premiere  Showings  in 
theatres  all  over  the  WLW  terri- 
tory, honoring  that  station's  own 
GREGOR  ZIEMER,  famous 
commentator  on  world  affairs,  and 
author  of  the  book  from  which  the 
picture  was  made. 

—  A  spectacular  intro-  / 
duction  of  the  attraction 
that's  coming  your  way  I 
with  a  rush  and  awaar 
of  tidal-wave  publ, 


NOT  HT  TO  BE 
NAZI  MO™Jf S! 

*n  Jjd  4  **tTaH  who  do  not 
home! 


Readerl  Digest 


Above  is  a  reproduction  of  one  of  the  many 
newspaper  ads  .  .  .  Right,  the  24-sheet  —  both 
samples  of  a  showman's  dream  of  advertising 
and  exploitation  material  available  on  the 
one  picture  that  fairly  cries  to  be  sold  with 
everything  you've  got! 


The  Truth  About  The  Nazis  From 
The  Cradle  To  The  Battlefront! 

IT  TELLS . . . 

How  They  Breed  Babies  For  War!... How  They 
Train  Kids  to  Kill! . . .  How  They  Regiment 
"Romance". . .  How  They  Decide  Which  Women 
May  Have  Children -And  What  Those  Children 
Must  Become!  .  .  .  How  They  Hate  You,  and 
You,  and  YOU -And  Everything  You  Stand  For! 


itlefs  - 
hildren jj 


MAMA'S  DIGEST 


The  Author  says: 

THE  PICTURE  IS  BETTER 


TlltS  KIV  ■  VICE  19  D( 

THAN  THE  BOOK! 


■ 

w-  £?"^«  Menue"'" 

„  „E  eantastic  ^0^LUe°ooK.  'E^w 

BY    THE    V/"\ou   HAVE    »«"      AND  IS  «««'"• 

OOCUMENT.  poBUlSH    IT,"        CTURE    THA '  , 9„e0 . 

rfs-.   m.  .... 


/£         wiay  your  p«u,v" 
iM1CH  it  so  pully  masterpul.  »w«  '  H;8 

,u,    oeSTBAINT    »f    VL    T„,NKIH«   S*°U,8    ONLY    TOO  T«« 

0N  of  ^  »  thousand  i"'e" 

T,°      ulS    PLANS   *   T"°"    COMMON   ^""TIt    |    HA*E   *V"    -  ,HE 

THE   •«»•'  °FTHt  VERT  •»•";«   H 1 TLE S  »*9N ' " 

*«V"Heo  MAKE    «T    CLEAR   T«*T  0F  HOODLUMS 

GESTAPO  «A"    TH I NKERS  <NST 

H'-9tUf   "  ,    ONE  ,  ^l'. 

CENT  - 


<(MSELP  ™'  ,     M„.  GOLOSH, 

CENT  •  ,  TRULY   •  ^.'.HAT   I   HAVC  AT- 

VOO«  "T,CU  o.ALLV  TOURS. 

MAT  GOO  »oe|*vY°N  «T  BOOK.  V  E  RT  CORDIALLY 


January  16 


1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


37 


CRITICS  ATTACK  WORK  OF 
BRITISH  MOI  FILM  UNIT 


Claim  Ministry's  Program 
Lacks  a  Specific  Plan, 
Despite  Big  Output 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

With  the  fourth  year  of  war — and  our 
most  progressive  to  date — well  into  its  stride, 
critics  and  crusaders,  serious  students  of 
the  propaganda  scene,  and  mere  seekers 
after  Page  One  have  been  directing  much 
of  their  artillery  at  the  Ministry  of  Informa- 
tion's Films  Division. 

It  would  be  the  most  irresponsible  report- 
ing to  sugest  that  the  net  conclusion  was  one 
of  satisfaction.  It  would  be  equally  irre- 
sponsible to  suggest  that  the  Films  Division 
had  been  either  idle  or  unresourceful  during 
that  time.  There  is,  none  the  less,  an  odd 
assembly  of  facts  which  add  up  to  a  con- 
tradictory total. 

Not  the  least  of  the  criticisms  currently 
leveled  at  the  Films  Division,  mainly  by  the 
practical  documentarians  themselves,  in  the 
main  an  enthusiastic  but  inexperienced  and 
juvenile  assembly,  is  that  even  after  three 
years  of  war  the  Ministry's  Films  Division 
has  not  got  a  plan,  that,  despite  the  con- 
siderable numerical  achievements  in  pro- 
duction, and  the  occasional  sponsorship  of 
a  picture  which  is  good  propaganda  both 
ideologically  and  commercially,  there  is  no 
central  idea  or  dominant  message  behind 
the  processes. 

Currently,  too,  there  is  much  critical 
artillery  turned  on  the  Ministry  for  refus- 
ing to  aid  the  release  of  a  star  from  the 
forces  because  the  Division  does  not  con- 
sider the  film  in  which  he  is  to  play  neces- 
sary in  these  wartime  days.  The  gesture, 
small  but  inconvenient,  is  seen  at  odd 
juxtaposition  with  the  policy  announced 
earlier  this  year  that  collaboration  would 
be  afforded  films  which  were  not  war 
films,  if  they  were  good. 

Last  month,  too,  the  Ministry,  more  from 
economic  circumstance  than  political  pres- 
sure, abandons  the  policy  of  making  five- 
minute  films  for  screening  in  ever}'  picture 
house  programme,  and  launches  a  film  a 
month,  a  longer  and,  it  is  hoped,  more  thor- 
ough and  entertaining  film  than  its  briefer 
elder  brother,  requiescat  in  pace. 

145  Films  Produced 
During  Last  Year 

In  the  non-theatrical  field  the  Films  Di- 
vision has  reached  an  achievement  figure 
which  not  even  the  most  captious  critics 
will  dismiss  as  trivial,  irrespective  of  the 
films  sponsored  and  shown. 

Up  to  the  first  week  of  December,  the 
',    Ministry  last  year  either  produced  or  spon- 
sored no  less  than  145  films  under  a  general 
|    heading  which  included  the  defunct  five- 
minute  films,  shorts  features,  and  films  ex- 
clusively for  showing  under  non-theatrical 
I    auspices.    Since  the  war  55  films  have  been 
made  exclusively  for  overseas. 

The  films  covered  an  immensely  wide  field. 


aimed  at  propaganda  for  a  dazzling  pattern 
of  purposes.  A  random  glance  down  the 
lists  indicates  the  size  of  the  canvas.  Titles 
such  as:  "We've  Got  to  Get  Rid  of  the 
Rats,"  ''Ashley  Green  Goes  to  School"  and 
'"Food  for  Thought,"  five  minute  subjects : 
"Air  Operations,"  "Blood  Transfusion"  and 
"Decontamination  of  Streets,"  non-theatrical 
shorts,  and  "Ferry  Pilot,"  ''Coastal  Com- 
mand" and  "We  Sail  at  Midnight,"  commer- 
cial releases,  give  some  indication  of  the 
scope  and  purpose  of  the  films. 

Recently  a  brief  but  representative  selec- 
tion of  non-theatrical  subjects  was  screened 
for  the  benefit  of  the  press.  They  covered 
the  relation  of  youth  and  agriculture,  re- 
habilitation of  industrial  accident  victims 
for  industrial  life,  the  speeding  up  of  the 
production  of  Stirling  Bombers,  and  a  les- 
son in  tank  warfare  in  rural  England. 

The  show  marked,  too,  a  point  in  the 
operations  of  the  non-theatrical  section 
of  the  Films  Division  which  to  date  has 
given  1,100  film  shows  a  week  by  means 
of  its  mobile  film  units,  of  which  there  are 
now  125  on  the  road.  It  also  gives  50 
shows  a  week  in  public  cinemas  out  of 
ordinary  cinema  hours.  The  Central  Film 
Library  is  lending  1.500  Ministry  of  Infor- 
mation films  each  week  to  organizations 
which  have  their  own  projectors.  The 
total  weekly  audience  seeing  films  in  these 
ways  now  exceeds  300,000, 

The  demand  for  these  film  shows  has 
increased  during  the  year  which  ended  in 
August.  A  total  of  39,352  shows  was  given 
to  a  total  audience  of  7,750.000.  The  Cen- 
tral Film  Library  loaned  48,364  Ministry 
films,  which  were  shown  to  a  total  audience 
of  a  further  4,500.000. 

The  number  of  film  shows  given  in  fac- 
tories is  a  striking  development.  One-third 
of  the  shows  each  week  are  in  factories  dur- 
ing the  breaks  at  midday  and  midnight,  and 
most  of  the  factories  have  a  30-minute  show 
every  month.  The  audiences  range  from  50 
in  small  shops  to  2,500  in  the  largest.  An- 
other third  of  the  shows  each  week  are 
given  in  villages  which  have  an  80-minute 
programme  every  two  months.  The  rest  of 
the  shows  usually  are  more  specialized  and 
given  on  behalf  of  other  Government  de- 
partments on  health,  food,  farming,  garden- 
ing and  Civil  Defence  subjects. 

Critics  Say  Films  Made 
Without  Plan 

Films  such  as  these  and  work  such  as 
this  have  moved  the  documentarian  spokes- 
men to  pinpoint  a  lack  of  policy  and  plan 
on  the  part  of  the  Division,  to  complain 
that  good  or  bad  all  the  films  reach  to  one 
conclusion,  that  they  have  been  made  with 
no  plan.  There  is.  they  allege,  no  consid- 
eration of  whether  the  films  carry  a  mes- 
sage, no  discussion  of  the  audiences  which 
are  ultimately  to  see  them.  "The  line  is 
missing,  the  flaming  burning  belief  in  the 
message  is  not  there,"  says  Documentary 
News  Letter. 

The  Division  is  accused  of  speaking  with 
a  variety  of  voices,  each  of  which  can  and 


does  in  turn  alter  scripts,  harrass  produc- 
ers and  interfere  with  budgets,  but  seldom 
obtains  the  collaboration  of  other  Govern- 
ment Departments  directly  involved.  Propa- 
ganda is,  in  fact,  they  suggest,  emasculated 
for  lack  of  a  plan,  either  a  long  term  plan 
or  day-to-day  planning. 

Criticize  Refusal  to  Obtain 
Actor's  Release  from  Army 

So,  too,  the  trade  critics  have  lambasted 
the  Films  Division  and  its  chief,  Jack  Bed- 
dington,  during  recent  weeks  for  the  lat- 
ter's  reported  refusal  to  aid  Paul  Soskin's 
production  of  "Dear  Octopus"  by  obtaining 
the  temporary  release  of  Rex  Harrison  from 
the  forces  because  the  film  was  not  needed 
during  the  war. 

On  the  surface  the  Ministry's  attitude 
might  seem  logical  and  justified.  It  should  be 
read  in  line  with  Mr.  Beddington's  declara- 
tion last  July  that  the  Division,  considering 
that  a  dividing  line  between  war  and  non-war 
films  was  desirable,  would  "support  all  types 
of  films  including  purely  entertainment  films 
of  a  dramatic  or  comedy  kind,  provided 
these  were  of  the  highest  quality  and  neith- 
er maudlin,  morbid,  nor  nostalgic  for  the 
old  ways  and  days." 

Cite  Morale  Value 
Of  Escapist  Films 

Trade  spokesmen,  at  last  beginning  to 
realize,  after  three  years  of  war,  that  war 
films  are  not  by  any  means  as  commer- 
cially certain  as  they  believed  at  first,  la- 
ment this  attitude,  plead  the  escapist  value 
of  such  pictures  in  maintaining  morale,  take 
a  dim  view  of  a  screen  future  about  which 
lingers  the  aroma  of  gunpowder  and  phos- 
gene. 

Meanwhile,  the  MOI  five-minute  short  is 
being  replaced  by  a  film  of  1.350  feet  re- 
leased monthly.  The  first  of  these,  to  be 
known  as  the  "Tnto  Battle"  series,  was  "Lift 
Your  Head.  Comrade."  released  to  the 
Grade  "A"  theatres  on  December  21st.  The 
distribution  of  these  films  has  been  arranged 
so  that  all  theatres  in  complex  booking  zones 
have  been  given  a  level  release  date.  The 
categorization  of  theatres  has  been  agreed 
between  the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  As- 
sociation and  the  Ministry  of  Information. 


Sues  ASCAP  for  $100,000 

A  $100,000  damage  suit  has  been  filed  in  Los 
Angeles  by  Irving  Bibo  against  the  American 
Society  of  Composers,  Authors  and  Publishers, 
chargine  violation  of  the  Sherman  Anti-Trust 
Act  Mr.  Bibo  claimed  that  ASCAP  re- 
stricted its  membership  to  those  approved  by  the 
board  of  directors  and  also  pooled  individual 
copyrights,  thus  unfairly  eliminating  competi- 
tion. 


Mobile  Tax  Revenue  $13,372 

Motion  picture  exhibitors  of  Mobile.  Ala., 
have  paid  a  total  of  $13,372.88  into  the  city 
treasury  in  10  per  cent  amusement  taxes  col- 
lected in  October,  following  announcement  of  a 
compromise  between  the  show  operators  and 
the  city  government  after  the  council  had  filed 
suit  in  courts  to  collect  the  levy. 


38  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  January    16,  1943 

in  BRITISH  STUDIOS 


By   AUBREY    FLANAGAN,    in  London 


Junior  Lieutenant  Ludmilla  Pavlichenko,  Russian  sniper  in  the  Red  Army,  visited 
Den  bam  Studios  recently  to  appear  with  Laurence  Olivier,  star  of  "The  Demi- 
Paradise",  the  Two  Cities  -  Anatole  de  Grunwald  production  which  Anthony 
Asquith  is  directing.  In  the  group  are  a  representative  of  the  Russian  Embassy, 
Lieutenant  Pavlichenko,  Mr.  Asquith,  Mrs.  Pritt,  Mr.  de  Grunivald  and  Mr.  Olivier. 


Whatever  the  plans  may  be  of  other 
American  distributors,  whose  future  oper- 
ations here  have  been  somewhat  eased  by 
the  adjustment  of  the  monetary  quota 
process,  some  of  them  seem  bent  on  a  con- 
tinuance of  their  British  production. 
Among  these  are  RKO  Radio,  Warners 
and  United  Artists.  Metro  for  the  time 
being  is  continuing  work  on  its  current 
sponsorship,  and  on  the  cards  is  the  possi- 
bility that  they  may  handle,  if  not  pro- 
duce, some  world  market  films  in  Britain. 

Back  from  the  U.  S.,  Teddy  Carr,  United 
Artists  chief  here,  has  emphasized  that  the 
Ealing  Studios  will  continue  to  supply  Unit- 
ed Artists  with  their  British  product,  six 

major  features  having  been  planned  and 
promised. 

Warners,  whose  Teddington  activity  has 
been  constant,  were  thought  to  be  among 
those  who  might  confine  themselves  to  the 
one  film  a  year  envisaged  by  the  monetary 
quota.  However,  they  already  have  an- 
nounced a  film  to  follow  immediately  on 
"Dark  Tower,"  currently  on  the  floor.  It 
is  to  be  directed  by  Brian  Desmond  Hurst. 

RKO  Expected  to  Continue 
British  Production 

Titled  "The  Thousand  Dollar  Window,"  it 
was,  like  "Dark  Tower,"  originally  planned 
for  production  at  Burbank,  but  Max  Milder, 
Warner  British  head,  took  it  for  production 
here  on  the  thesis  that  it  was  suitable  for 
current  British  conditions.  What,  if  any- 
thing, may  follow  this,  has  yet  to  be  an- 
nounced. It  is  known  that  other  British  pro- 
ducers already  have  space  reserved  for  them 
at  Teddington.  Warners  have  two  other 
British  films  for  release  in  the  current  quota 
year. 

RKO  Radio,  whose  British  production 
chief,  Victor  Hanbury,  is  concentrating  on 
"Murder  on  a  Convoy,"  is  likely  to  continue 
here,  with  Herbert  Wilcox,  recently  re- 
turned here  with  Anna  Neagle,  talking  of  a 
film  in  which  the  latter  will  have  an  espion- 
age setting  for  her  talents.  It  presumably 
would  be  an  RKO  Radio  release. 

Ealing  Concentrating 
On  Two  Pictures 

Ealing,  whose  product  is  scheduled  for 
release  by  United  Artists,  already  have  de- 
livered some  films  yet  to  be  shown,  but  cur- 
rently are  bent  on  "Chetnik,"  the  documen- 
tary drama  of  the  Yugoslav  guerillas,  and  a 
Cavalcanti  subject,  "Greek  Testament," 
which  dramatically  pays  tribute  to  the  re- 
sistance of  Greece  to  Nazi  and  Fascist  in- 
vasion. Cavalcanti  is  associate  producer 
with  Michael  Balcon,  and  Charles  Haase 
directs. 

Metro's  "Sabotage  Agent,"  with  Harold 
S.  Bucquet  directing,  and  Robert  Donat  and 
Valerie  Hobson  in  leading  roles,  is  nearing 
completion.  Louis  Levy  has  been  assigned 
to  direct  background  music  for  this  mid- 
European  action  picture. 

Big  Czech  settings  still  remain  on  the 


schedule.  Filmed  last  week  was  John  Bry- 
an's imaginative  layout  of  gardens  sur- 
rounding a  Czech  casino.  On  soft-lit  ter- 
races by  night,  diners-out  look  over  tree- 
tops  to  the  sprawling  city,  whilst  below  them 
in  the  dark  and  thickly-wooded  gardens  Do- 
nat stands  with  Valerie  Hobson,  planning  a 
coud  against  the  Nazi  regime  in  Czechoslo- 
vakia. Through  the  fir  trees  a  ring  of  S.S. 
Guards  close  in  on  the  British  agent. 

Among  the  independents  activity  is 
marked.  Two  Cities  has  no  less  than  three 
on  the  floor,  Gainsborough  claims  equal 
place  with  another  trio.  British  National  is 
at  work  on  one  and  Marcel  Hellmann  is  due 
to  launch  a  new  production  in  the  immediate 
future.  Grand  total  of  British  films  on  the 
floor  this  week  of  writing  is  no  less  than  a 
round  dozen.  Hellmann's  picture  will  be 
"They  Met  in  the  Dark."  It  is  a  story  of  es- 
pionage and  sabotage. 

Guest  Finishing  Musical 
At  Gainsborough 

Gainsborough's  trio  remains — as  it  has 
done  for  a  few  weeks  now — the  Askey  com- 
edy "Miss  London,  Limited,"  "The  Man  in 
Grey"  and  "Millions  Like  Us." 

Val  Guest  now  is  tidying  up  the  loose 
ends  on  the  Gainsborough  musical  "Miss 
London,  Limited,"  which  he  has  been  di- 
recting at  Islington  with  Maurice  Ostrer 
in  charge  and  Edward  Black  producing. 
Closing  scenes  of  the  film  included  a  loca- 
tion sequence  at  Waterloo  Station,  where 
matching  shots  were  taken  for  the  interior 
scenes  already  covered  in  the  large  recon- 
struction of  part  of  the  station  in  the  studio. 


Guest  then  brought  his  unit  to  Shepherds 
Bush  for  one  or  two  back  projection  shots 
before  completing  his  first  feature  film  as  a 
director. 

The  other  two  Gainsborough  subjects  are 
birds  each  of  a  different  feather.  On  one 
stage  all  the  frilled  and  furbelowed  gener- 
osity of  Victorian  costume  and  custom  is 
bringing  Leslie  Arliss's  "The  Man  in  Grey" 
to  life  against  a  massive  set  representing 
Epsom  Downs  during  a  19th  Century  Derby 
Day. 

Film  Based  on  British 
War  Workers 

The  reconstruction  of  the  race  course  and 
fairground  called  forth  all  the  ingenuity  and 
resource  of  the  art  and  property  depart- 
ments. The  layout  of  the  course  itself  is 
based  on  contemporary  drawings  and  en- 
gravings after  Rowlandson,  Havell  and  Wil- 
liam Mason.  Maurice  Carter  of  the  art 
department,  working  in  close  association 
with  period  adviser  Cyril  Hartman,  has  suc- 
ceeded in  envolving  a  set  which  depicts  the 
Regency  Derby  Day.  The  side-shows  in- 
clude the  Fat  Lady,  Punch  and  Judy,  archery 
booths,  fortune-tellers,  a  Jack-in-the-Box 
and  an  "Aunt  Sally"  booth. 

The  property  department  overcomes  the 
problem  of  where  to  find  suitable  toys  and 
gewgaws  for  prizes  in  the  various  booths 
by  making  them  in  the  studio  workshops 
from  prints  and  drawings  of  the  period. 
They  also  were  fortunate  in  being  able  to 
trace  some  genuine  gypsy  caravans  of  the 
period  and  some  gypsy  horses  bred  from  the 
old  gypsy  strain. 


There  isn't  a  Shadow 
of  a  Doubt  about  this 
picture's  success.  Ace 

Meller  with  Socko  B.  O. 

—Film  Daily 


READ  RAVE  REVIEWS  ON  ALFRED  HITCHCOCK'S  'SHADOW  OF  A  DOUBT"  ON  NEXT  TWO  PAGES 


5* 


"Shadow  of  a  Doubt" 

X  Teres,  Wright,  Joseph  Og-^ 

POWER  VIA  ACTING,   *  SUSPENSE. 

HITCHCOCK'S  LftEeatuFr°eKtilms  directed 
Of  all  the  startling  ™™e  0,  suspense 
by  Alfred  H.tch  o^eisjeared 
and  wizard  of  ^  V  A-r--^ 


theaters. 


,„  suppor»  ot  this  appraisement 

can  be  cited  the  fallow-*         ,  powe.- 
(1)  Hitchcock  s  handlmg 

packed  meller  .   an  Amer  ^ 

of  the  act.on  take  place  reallsm 

munity  of  modest  w£  in  ,he  eyes 

and  consequence  to  the  y  entertam- 

a„d  estimation  of  the  n  ^  , 

ment-seekers,  in  heretofore; 

cales  as  has  been  hi  «*  „  h  the 
,2)  The  P'e*»rVL.  (3)  Action  is  of  the 

stamp  of  conviction,  n0  st;etch 
Ulievable  tor  .which  requ  ^ 

0f  the  imagination  an  an  ^  pWeg. 

so  stark  and  exciting  »" at  ,y  0„  the 

matic  patron  will  pe«*  £  (4)  The  theme 

theater  chairs  edge, ,  anu  d-  musl0ned 

of  good,  as  '""'a  lng  Teresa  Wright, 
heaSrt  of  the  "pable  young  handsome 
and  of  evil,  as  exempl.t.ea 
uncle  she   adores    J°Ppor,unity  to  render 

H',ChCOnonva  oSf  conflicting  emotions,-and 
a  symphony  ot  ^  ,  an 

he  makes  the  very  *  ^j^^M 

Inljman^wapjd^D^^^— 


red  herrings  yanked  acres    h  trad 
attraction,  as  was .  the ^J"  inflexibly 
„,t,  "Suspense.     The  st  y    ^  r 
toward  an  ending  wmcn  e,|C1, 
or  ,ess  clearly  expects,  but         ^  of 
the  periodic  hope  that  tn 
Teresa  Wright  "'"^strengthens  the 
But  that  they  are  only  c  a,_ 

drama.   Her  case  of  dee an  ho 
fection  for  her  one  ft,  ^    ^  and  her- 
has  come  to  live  w'*ch  disintegration  be- 
se|f,   undergoes   tragic   a  ^ 
cause    circumstan  ce    up  rea,liation, 
outcrops  to  J""*  *e'i$  hiding  something 
not  merely  that  he  is         behavior  bu, 
under  his  smoldermg ™™  m 
that  the  something  i "°    ion  of  a  news- 
Her  clandestine  exam.na         ng  ^ 

paper  clipping,  relating  evide 

ha  has  hoped  to  hide,  s  ^  ot 
that  he  is  being  huntea 

murders  in  the,  East,  1"  itted  via 

to  her  parents    home.  js  bo,h 
strangling,  she  feels  that her  ^ 

capable  of  them  and  may  ^  de 

put  her  out  of  the  way  and  f 

Ltbt  CSS2«  and  invo,ves 

players  is  aces,  and  ™  Macdonald 
of  the  supporting  cast  s 
c„e,  and  Wallace  t oro  M  heart) 

(the  former  winning    ne  as  the 

score  solidly  »  do  Patr'$onacott,  the  lat- 
mother,  and  Edna  May  w         _t0  nM1. 
ter's  precocious  younger  oa  s  Jack 
buV  a'  few.    Product  values 
H.  Skirball  are  «''s,'ra'There  is„'t  ashadow 

oTT^nrs^nh^^ — 


Collect  at  Every  Performance! 
NITPn  NITIMK  WfFK    lan_1A  thrmitrh  Ian  9JL 


UNIVERSAL  PKTURg 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Reviews 

"Shadow  of  a  Doubt  9 

{Universal) 

Q  IRECTOR  ALFRED  HITCHCOCK,  with  a  very  capable  cast 

headed  by  Joseph  Cotten  and  Teresa  Wright,  has  turned  out  another 

of  his  masterpieces  in  the  mood  of  fear  and  suspicion. 

Joseph  Cotten,  the  beloved  "Uncle  Charlie"  whose  criminal  past 
is  unknown  to  his  doting  family,  plays  a  fascinating  role  in  juxtaposition 
to  niece  Teresa  Wright,  the  only  person  to  realize  the  truth  about  the 
returned  uncle.  The  story  centers  around  these  two — the  murderer 
who  ruthlessly  seeks  to  save  himself  at  any  cost,  and  the  niece  who  is 
torn  between  the  necessity  for  justice  and  her  wish  to  keep  her  family 
from  being  hurt. 

Thornton  Wilder,  Sally  Benson  and  Alma  Reville  have  written  an 
excellent  screenplay  for  the  Gordon  McDonelFs  story.  Hitchcock  again 
demonstrates  his  ability  to  build,  through  detail  and  nuances  of  hidden 
meaning,  the  thrilling  and  dramatic  climaxes  which  characterize  his 
pictures.    Jack  H.  Skirball  produced  the  thriller. 

The  supporting  cast  contributes  to  the  quality  of  the  production. 
Patricia  Collinge,  as  Miss  Wright's  mother  and  Cotten's  sister,  gives 
a  splendid  performance  of  a  woman  immersed  in  the  joys  of  seeing  a 
a  long  absent  brother,  but  oblivious  to  his  obvious  defects. 

Macdonald  Carey,  Henry  Travers,  Hume  Cronyn,  Wallace  Ford  and 
Edna  May  Wonacott  complete  the  list  of  capable  actors. 

Running  time,  108  minutes.    "A."  * 

*"A"  denotes  adult  classification. 


"That  'Shadow  of  a  Doubt' 
will  do  much  business,  there 
is  not  the  slightest  shadow  of 

a   doubt."  —  Hollywood  Reporter 


"'Shadow7  will  attract  a 
wide  patronage  and  should 
score   heavily   at  the  box 

Office."  —Daily  Variety 


42 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    16,  1943 


THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


The  call  to  arms  has  reduced  the  War- 
ner staff  of  directors  from  17  to  an  even 
dozen. 

Off  to  serve  in  various  branches  of  the 
armed  services  have  gone  John  Huston, 
William  Keighley,  Norman  Krasna,  Ana- 
tole  Litvak  and  Robert  Lord. 

Still  at  work,  on  pictures  shooting  or  in 
preparation,  are  Michael  Curtiz,  Vincent 
Sherman,  David  Butler,  Curtis  Bernhardt, 
Raoul  Walsh,  Lewis  Milestone,  Herman 
Shumlin,  Lloyd  Bacon,  B.  Reaves  Eason, 
Edmund  Goulding,  Jean  Negulesco  and 
Irving  Rapper. 

Sister  Elizabeth  Kenny,  Australian  nurse 
whose  method  of  treatment  for  infantile 
paralysis  received  endorsement  of  medical 
authorities  after  30  years,  told  her  story  at 
first  hand  to  some  60  press,  professional  and 
civic  representatives  who  were  guests  last 
week  of  Charles  Koerner,  RKO  Radio  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production.  The  per- 
sonality which  sustained  the  nurse  through 
her  long  championship  of  the  technique  she 
perfected  in  the  Australian  bush  country 
sent  the  company  away  loud  in  predictions 
for  the  success  of  the  picture  of  her  life, 
which  the  studio  will  make  with  Rosalind 
Russell  in  the  title  role.  It  is  scheduled  to 
start  late  this  year. 

Randolph  Scott  Gets 
Lead  in  "Corvettes" 

Following  a  postcard  questionnaire  which  put 
up  to  press  people  and  theatre  men  a  choice  of 
names,  Eddie  O'Shea,  Broadway  actor  making 
his  screen  debut  opposite  Barbara  Stanwyck 
in  Hunt  Stromberg's  "Lady  of  Burlesque"  has 
been  rechristened  Michael  O'Shea  for  the 
screen.  .  .  .  Universal  has  given  Randolph  Scott 
the  male  lead  in  "Corvettes  in  Action,"  sea  story 
for  which  location  units  have  made  some  70,000 
feet  of  background  and  action  footage  on  the 
Atlantic  sea  lanes.  Studio  work  is  now  begin- 
ning, with  two  more  principals  to  be  named 
shortly.  .  .  .  MGM  has  changed  the  title  of 
Lana  Turner's  recently  finished  picture,  in 
which  she  co-stars  with  Robert  Young,  from 
"Careless"  to  "Slightly  Dangerous." 

That  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
famed  in  song  and  story  as  something  less  than 
earnest,  is  in  truth  an  industrious  body  which, 
among  other  undertakings,  compiles  and  dis- 
tributes a  monthly  report,  published  by  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  Los  Angeles  County, 
on  the  status  and  trend  of  industries — mining, 
petroleum,  agriculture  and  motion  picture — re- 
garded as  vital  in  the  area  represented.  The  re- 
port, published  last  weekend,  says  of  the  motion 
picture : 

Film  Employment  Is 
Reported  Erratic 

"With  December  figures  not  yet  available,  in- 
dices released  by  the  California  Labor  Statistics 
Bulletin  on  our  motion  picture  employment  dur- 
ing 1942  show  an  erratic  tendency,  with  gen- 
erally downward  trend,  and  consistently  below 
the  corresponding  months  of  1941.  Payroll 
figures,  while  not  holding  steady,  showed  a  gen- 
erally upward  trend,  and  in  most  cases  well 
above  1941. 

"During  1942,  our  Motion  Picture  Industry 
felt  the  effects  of  priorities  and  shortages  in 
materials  and  manpower.  Thousands  of  execu- 
tives and  workers  joined  our  armed  forces  and 
various  war  industries.    Foreign  business  fell 


Production  Shows  Upturn 

Following  a  holiday  letdown,  the  production  index  rose  from  32  to  36  in  a  week  which 
witnessed  the  completion  of  seven  features  and  commencement  of  shooting  of  eleven. 
Most  notable  of  the  new  undertakings  was  "Girl  Crazy",  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  co- 
starring  Mickey  Rooney  and  Judy  Garland  in  a  derivation  of  the  stage  musical  of  like 
title. 

The  over-all  picture: 


COMPLETED 

Columbia 

Broadway  Dandies 
MGM 

Air  Raid  Wardens 
Private  Miss  Jones 

Paramount 

Dixie 

RKO  Radio 

From  Here  to 
Victory 

Republic 

Idaho 

Universal 

Good  Morning,  Judge 


STARTED 

MGM 

Girl  Crazy 
Monogram 
No  Escape 
Paramount 

Henry  Aldrich  Plays 

Cupid 
Good  Fellows 
PRC 

Fighting  Men 
RKO  Radio 
Petticoat  Larceny 
Republic 
Tahiti  Honey 
Purple  V 

King  of  the  Cowboys 
Universal 

Always  a  Bridesmaid 
Destiny 


SHOOTING 

Columbia 

Boy  from  Stalingrad 
Destroyer 
Attacked  by  Night 

MGM 

Swing  Shift  Maisie 
Bataan  Patrol 
Dr.  Gillespie's 

Criminal  Case 
I  Dood  It 
Above  Suspicion 
Gentle  Annie 
Faculty  Row 

Paramount 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Lady  in  the  Dark 
China 


20th-Fox 

Moon  Is  Down 
United  Artists 

Lady  of  Burlesque* 
Stage  Door  Canteen 
Unconquered 

Universal 

Oh,  Doctor 
We've  Never 

Been  Licked 
Corvettes  In  Action 
Cowboy  from 

Manhattan 
Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 
Old  Acquaintance 
Devotion 

Thank  Your  Lucky 
Stars 


^Formerly  "G- String  Murders" 


off,  although  domestic  business  rose  to  levels 
high  above  normal.  In  view  of  conditions  which 
obtained  during  the  year,  the  Los  Angeles 
County  film  industry  made  a  good  showing." 

Although  declared  not  a  musical,  Sol  Lesser's 
"Stage  Door  Canteen,"  presenting  a  roster  of 
greats  in  the  fields  of  film,  stage,  radio  and 
elsewhere,  is  to  feature  nine  songs  by  Al  Dubin 
and  Jimmy  Monaco.  As  planned,  the  film  will 
run  two  and  a  quarter  hours.  .  .  .  Lindsley 
Parsons  is  to  produce  "Sarong  Girl,"  starring 
Ann  Corio,  of  burlesque,  for  Monogram.  .  .  . 
Edward  H.  Griffith  will  direct  Fred  Astaire  and 
Joan  Leslie  in  "The  Sky  Is  the  Limit,"  RKO 
Radio,  for  producer  David  Hempstead.  .  .  .  Ed- 
mund Goulding  will  direct  "Claudia"  for  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  under  terms  of  his  Warner 
contract,  which  allows  him  one  outside  picture. 

Frank  Lloyd  a  Major 
In  Army  Air  Force 

"Claudia"  is  one  of  the  properties  acquired 
from  David  O.  Selznick  and  will  be  produced  by 
William  Perlberg  with  Dorothy  McGuire,  who 
played  the  part  on  the  stage,  in  the  stellar  role. 

Producer-director  Frank  Lloyd  has  been  com- 
missioned a  major  in  the  Air  Force  photogra- 
phic service  and  expects  assignment  overseas. 
.  .  .  Albert  Lewin  is  to  direct  MGM's  "Mme. 
Curie,"  in  which  Greer  Garson  is  to  star.  .  .  . 
Sam  Wood  has  reported  to  Warners  for  direc- 
tion of  "Saratoga  Trunk,"  Edna  Ferber  novel, 
which  is  to  go  into  production  next  month.  .  .  . 
Don  Hartman  has  been  assigned  by  Samuel 
Goldwyn  to  write  a  script  under  the  title  of 
"Treasure  Chest"  as  a  vehicle  for  Bob  Hope, 
who  is  under  contract  to  do  another  picture  for 
the  producer.  It  shapes  up  as  a  pirate  comedy 
and  production  is  expected  to  follow  "The 
North  Star"  on  the  Goldwyn  schedule. 

Paramount  has  contracted  Brian  Donlevy  for 


two  features  during  1943.  .  .  .  Columbia  has 
signed  Frankie  Sinkwich,  Georgia  University 
football  star,  to  make  a  picture  next  spring 
before  joining  the  Marines.  .  .  .  Dennis  Mor- 
gan, John  Garfield  and  Sidney  Greenstreet  have 
been  named  by  Jack  Warner  for  leads  in 
"Brooklyn,  U.  S.  A.,"  spoken  of  at  the  studio  as 
one  of  its  most  important  productions  for  1943. 

Universal  last  week  announced  continuation 
of  its  "Sherlock  Holmes"  series,  co-starring 
Basil  Rathbone  and  Nigel  Bruce,  through  three 
more  features,  asserting  that  the  bringing  of  A. 
Conan  Doyle's  detective  character  up  to  date  has 
proved  a  successful  undertaking.  Howard  Ben- 
edict has  been  named  producer. 

Billy  Gilbert  has  been  engaged  by  Monogram 
to  star  in  a  series  of  feature  comedies,  support- 
ed by  Butch  and  Buddy,  first  of  which  is  to 
be  "Twenty-four  Hours  Leave,"  from  Richard 
Hickman's  Saturday  Evening  Post  story.  .  .  . 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  named  Kenneth 
Macgowan  to  produce  "The  Earl  of  Suffolk." 

John  Loder  Contract 
Is  Renewed 

Warners  have  renewed  John  Loder's  contract' 
on  the  basis  of  his  performance  in  "Now,  Voy- 
ager." .  .  .  Universal  has  given  Maureen  Can- 
non, stage  singer  and  dancer,  a  term  contract. 
.  .  .  William  Marshall  has  been  signed  for  a 
role  in  Columbia's  "The  Boy  from  Stalingrad." 
.  .  .  Donald  Curtis,  college  professor  who  turned 
actor  for  "Salute  to  the  Marines,"  MGM,  js 
continuing  in  his  new  career  as  a  player  in 
"Bataan  Patrol." 

Samuel  Goldwyn  has  signed  Benno  Schneider, 
Theatre  Guild  director,  to  a  long  term  con- 
tract. .  .  .  Bill  Stern,  sportscaster,  has  arrived 
to  play  a  part  in  Universal's  Walter  Wanger 
picture,  "We've  Never  Been  Licked."  .  .  .  Wil- 
liam Lundigan  has  been  added  to  the  cast  of 
MGM's  "Dr.  Gillespie's  Criminal  Case." 


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Collect  at  Every  Performance! 

UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK. ..Jan.  14  through  Jan.  20 


44  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

LETTERS  FROM  READERS 


INDUSTRY  MUST  AID 
IN  WINNING  PEACE 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Herald: 

Next  to  the  first  and  all  important  task  of 
winning  the  war,  all  of  us  face  with  equal  seri- 
ousness the  problem  of  winning  the  peace  and 
making  it  as  secure  and  lasting  as  possible  for 
generations  to  come.  All  of  our  great  sacrifice 
in  life  and  property  and  liberties  and  resources 
will  have  been  futile  indeed  unless  a  fair  and 
equitable  peace  is  the  result,  guaranteeing  se- 
curity to  America  and  American  ideals.  Be- 
cause we  are  a  generous  and  a  democratic  peo- 
ple, we  wish  to  share  the  security  and  benefits 
of  the  peace  to  come  with  all  mankind,  but  we 
must  of  necessity  make  sure  of  it  for  ourselves 
and  the  other  peoples  of  the  world  who  are  will- 
ing to  share  with  us  our  ideals  of  unselfishness 
and  democracy. 

The  motion  picture  industry  has  made  a  great 
contribution  to  the  winning  of  the  war  and  will 
continue  to  contribute  and  sacrifice  until  the 
job  is  finally  and  successfully  finished.  We 
must  apply  ourselves  with  equal  zeal  to  the 
winning  of  the  peace. 

In  the  immediate  future  the  responsibility  in 
this  regard  upon  American  producers  of  motion 
pictures  is  almost  overwhelming. 

In  the  past  our  motion  pictures  have  been 
made  primarily  for  home  consumption  and  to 
amuse  and  entertain  our  own  people.  Because 
we  have  a  highly  developed  sense  of  humor, 
producers  were  able  to  take  liberties  in  dealing 
with  America  and  the  people  of  the  United 
States  which  made  good  entertainment  for  our 
own  people,  but  which  might  be  more  seriously 
construed  or  misconstrued  by  an  audience  made 
up  of  peoples  of  other  countries.  For  example 
we  know  that  the  motion  picture  cowboy,  gang- 
ster and  crooked  politician,  so  persistently  por- 
trayed in  American  made  motion  pictures,  are 
largely  fictitious.  We  also  know  that  the  friv- 
olous, wasteful,  fair-haired  damsels  so  often 
made  the  principal  characters  in  pictures  do  not 
faithfully  portray  a  cross  section  of  the  woman- 
hood of  our  nation.  .  .  . 

As  a  people  we  are  pictured  with 
too  much  money,  too  many  automo- 
biles and  swimming  pools,  too  much 
luxury  and  too  little  of  the  attributes 
that  make  for  real  character  and 
stability.  In  short,  this  nation  and 
the  American  way  of  life  is  too  well 
misunderstood  in  other  countries  of 
the  world,  and  the  false  impression 
they  have  of  us  can  be  traced,  in  large 
measure,  to  American-made  pictures 
they  have  seen,  which  they  take  to 
be  a  true  portrayal  of  us. 

There  are  many  exceptions  to  this  rule,  to  be 
sure.  But  the  great  number  of  pictures  made 
annually  with  no  other  purpose  in  mind  than  to 
provide  harmless  and  diverting  entertainment 
for  our  own  American  people  in  their  leisure 
hours,  are  promiscuously  exhibited  in  other 
countries  and  their  peoples,  not  having  our 
sense  of  humor,  or  our  sense  of  proportions,  are 
wrongly  inspired  with  disdain,  distaste  and  even 
disgust  us.  .  .  . 

Not  one  picture,  having  the  United  States  or 
the  people  of  the  United  States  of  America  as 
a  background,  and  of  the  calibre  of  "Mrs. 
Miniver"  or  "The  Pied  Piper"  or  "This  Above 
All,"  has  been  produced  in  the  past  year.  I 
have  not  forgotten  "Wake  Island"  and  "Flying 
Tigers."  These  and  others  that  could  be  men- 
tioned are  great  pictures  and  certainly  will  do 
us  no  harm  when  shown  to  people  of  other 
countries,  but  they  deal  with  our  fighting  men, 
not  the  rank  and  file  Mr.  and  Mrs.  America.  .  .  . 

It  is  right  and  proper  that  the  glory  of  En- 
gland as  well  as  Russia  and  China  and  all  of 


our  allies  should  be  favorably  portrayed  in 
motion  pictures,  but  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica is  the  true  leader  of  democracy  and  justice 
and  fair  standards  among  people  in  the  world, 
and  motion  pictures  should  unhesitatingly  em- 
phasize just  that.  Likewise  we  lead  in  the  pro- 
duction of  motion  pictures.  Our  producers 
must  make  this  work  for  Americanism  and  see 
to  it  that  American  ideals  and  the  true  Amer- 
ican way  of  life  are  favorably  presented  to  the 
peoples  of  the  world  both  now  and  after  the  war 
is  won.  No  greater  force  exists  for  the  winning 
of  a  lasting  and  worthwhile  peace. 

ALLEN  JOHNSON, 
B  &  J  Theatres,  Inc.,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 


HITS  THEATRE  INCLUSION 
WITH  RACE  TRACKS 

The  following  letter  was  written  to 
Abram  F.  Myers,  general  counsel  of  Allied 
States  Association,  by  Trueman  T.  Rem- 
biiscb,  secretary-treasurer  of  Syndicate  The- 
atres, Inc.,  Franklin,  Ind.  It  was  brought 
to  the  attention  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald  by  Mr.  Rembusch.  The  letter 
follows : 

Dear  Mr.  Myers : 

Recent  statements  by  the  newspaper  quoted 
the  eastern  oil  administrators  as  follows :  "Any 
car  parked  outside  of  a  race  track  or  theatre 
will  be  construed  as  being  used  in  pleasure 
driving  and  the  owner  of  the  car  will  be  re- 
quired to  forfeit  his  right  to  a  book  of  ration 
tickets  for  gasoline." 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  chagrined  my  mana- 
gers and  myself  were  at  seeing  these  state- 
ments in  the  newspaper,  especially  placing-  the 
theatre  in  the  category  with  the  race  tracks. 

The  fuel  oil  administrator  failed  to  mention 
night  clubs,  bowling  alleys,  dance  halls  and 
many  other  forms  of  amusement  that  have  failed 
to  contribute  in  any  way,  shape  or  form  to  the 
war  effort. 

All  of  our  men  have  gone  to  a  great  deal  of 
extra  trouble  and  spent  a  lot  of  extra  time  in 
selling  Bonds  and  Stamps,  in  scrap  matinees 
and  in  the  exhibition  of  War  Activities  films 
and  all  of  the  efforts  that  have  been  required 
of  exhibitors  since  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
and  I  can  tell  you  that  when  they  read  the 
above  mentioned  statement  in  their  morning 
newspaper  their  reaction  was  to  tell  the  War 
Activities  Committee  and  other  bureaucratic 
divisions  of  the  Government  to  go  to  hell. 

It  is  my  belief  that  we  in  the  motion  picture 
industry  have  hidden  our  light  under  a  bushel 
too  long,  that  the  producers  have  muffed  look- 
ing after  the  welfare  of  all  branches  of  the 
industry  starting  with  the  ill-timed  statement  of 
some  months  ago  that  the  actors  who  were  of 
draft  age  would  not  be  drafted  because  of 
their  need  in  making  good  pictures  to  promote 
the  morale  of  the  people  in  this  country,  which 
act  caused  the  Screen  Actors'  Guild  to  act 
like  small  boys  and  say  that  none  of  their  stars 
would  ask  for  deferment  on  the  ground  that 
they  were  needed  to  make  pictures  to  promote 
the  war  effort. 

The  motion  picture  industry,  and  the  exhib- 
itors especially,  have  done  a  great  job  in  sell- 
ing Stamps  and  Bonds  and  in  disseminating 
war  propaganda  reels.  I  know  that  many  exhib- 
itors feel  as  I  do,  that  it  is  about  time  we  rise 
up  and  protect  the  right  of  the  people  of  this 
country  to  good  wholesome  entertainment  and 
accurate  war  information. 

Please  advise  me  to  whom  I  can  write  in 
Washington  to  enter  my  protest. 

SYNDICATE  THEATRES,  INC., 
Trueman  T.  Rembusch,  Secretary-Treasurer. 


January    16,  1943 

RKO  Backlog  10, 
Says  Koerner 

RKO  Radio  with  a  backlog  of  10  pictures, 
will  complete  30  to  32  features  this  season,  the 
entire  production  program  announced  by  the 
company  last  year  at  its  sales  convention,  it 
was  reported  by  Charles  W.  Koerner,  in  charge 
of  production,  Tuesday  in  New  York.  Mr. 
Koerner  arrived  from  Hollywood  Monday  and 
is  expected  to  remain  in  the  east  for  a  week  or 
two,  conferring  with  company  executives  on 
sales  plans  for  the  rest  of  the  season's  product. 

Recently  completed  pictures  are :  "Hitler's 
Children,"  with  Cary  Grant  and  Laraine  Day ; 
"Bombardier,"  Pat  O'Brien  and  Randolph 
Scott ;  "Flight  for  Freedom,"  Rosalind  Russell 
and  Fred  MacMurray ;  "This  Land  Is  Mine," 
Charles  Laughton,  Maureen  O'Hara  and  Wal- 
ter Slezak ;  "I  Walk  With  a  Zombie,"  and 
"Journey  Into  Fear,"  the  Orson  Welles  film 
which  is  being  shipped  to  exchanges  this  week 
for  trade  showings  on  January  18th. 

With  three  pictures  now  in  production, 
"China  Sky,"  starring  Claudette  Colbert ;  "The 
Sky's  the  Limit,"  starring  Fred  Astaire,  and 
"Free  for  All,"  with  Jean  Arthur  and  John 
Wayne,  and  another  Welles  production  shot  in 
South  America,  now  in  the  cutting  room,  the 
entire  RKO  schedule  for  1942-43  is  completed, 
with  the  exception  of  the  announced  "Grand 
Canyon,"  discarded  because  of  transportation 
difficulties  to  location  resulting  from  gas  and 
tire  rationing. 

Mr.  Koerner  reported  that  the  studio  has  felt 
the  pinch  of  the  manpower  shortage  in  Holly- 
wood, particularly  on  the  technical  end.  Delays 
and  extra  costs  in  production  have  resulted  for 
the  reason  that  key  technicians  who  were  called 
to  military  service  were  replaced  by  assistants 
or  by  men  trained  quickly  to  take  over  jobs. 
However,  the  studio,  he  said,  has  adjusted  to 
the  problem. 

Concerning  war  propaganda  features,  the 
RKO  studio  chief  asserted  that  war  firms  will 
continue  to  be  made  in  the  future  "if  the  mate- 
rial warrants  it.  The  quality  of  a  picture, 
rather  than  the  theme,  in  my  opinion,  is  the 
determining  factor  in  production.  A  'Mrs. 
Miniver'  following  any  number  of  war  pictures 
would  still  be  a  great  picture  and  would  still 
do  business,"  he  concluded. 


Wolcott  Urges  Support 
Of  Three  Iowa  Bills 

A  request  that  independent  exhibitors  in  Iowa 
support  three  bills  to  be  introduced  in  the  state 
legislature  which  convened  January  11th  has 
been  made  by  Leo  F.  Wolcott  of  Eldora,  presi- 
dent of  the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
Iowa. 

Theatre  fire  regulations,  antiblind-checking, 
and  a  measure  requiring  school  boards  to  handle 
school  activities  funds  with  periodic  audit  and 
publication  are  the  subjects  of  the  bills  sched- 
uled to  be  introduced.  Mr.  Wolcott  urges  that 
any  other  measures  concerning  admission  taxes 
which  would  adversely  affect  theatres  should  be 
protested  to  the  proper  authorities. 


Lengthens  Picture  Run 

Fred  Wehrenberg,  owner  of  theatres  in  St. 
Louis,  announced  last  week  that  his  houses 
would  change  bills  twice  during  the  week  in- 
stead of  three  times.  Mr.  Wehrenberg  is  presi- 
dent of  the  MPTO  of  Eastern  Missouri  and 
Southern  Illinois. 


Leave  20th-Fox  for  Army 

Meyer  Mishkin  and  Leon  Jacobson,  employees 
of  the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  home  office,  were 
inducted  into  the  Army  this  week.  Mr.  Mish- 
kin reported  at  Camp  Upton  and  Mr.  Jacobson 
departed  for  Camp  Meade. 


January     16,  1943 

Canadian  Ruling 
Upholds  Trade 
Control  Act 

The  Canadian  film  industry  will  remain  under 
Government  control  for  the  duration.  That  is 
the  interpretation  by  Toronto  observers,  of  a 
decision  by  the  Canadian  supreme  court,  in  a 
test  case  which  upheld  the  authority  of  Federal 
administrators  who  have  received  power 
through  orders  in  council  under  the  War  Meas- 
ures Act. 

The  issue  was  raised  after  low  court  rulings 
dismissed  man}'  Federal  complaints  against  vio- 
lators of  board  regulations  on  the  grounds  that 
government  authority  could  not  be  delegated  to 
appointed  control  boards  or  their  members. 

R.  G.  McMullen,  administrator  of  theatres 
and  films  in  the  Wartime  Prices  and  Trade 
Board,  said  of  the  Supreme  Court  ruling  that 
the  actual  regulations  contained  in  orders  in 
council  had  not  been  questioned  but  that  the  test 
case  was  intended  only  to  determine  whether 
officials  appointed  by  the  government  could  en- 
force such  orders. 

The  six  supreme  court  judges  were  unani- 
mous in  their  vote  giving  authority  to  the  ad- 
ministrators to  enforce  the  orders,  one  judge 
ruling  however  that  compensation  could  not  be 
paid  by  the  government  for  equipment  taken 
over  by  the  board  of  controllers.  The  decision 
of  the  court  gives  regulatory  powers  over  the- 
atre and  film  exchange  operations  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Mullen and  James  Stewart,  administrator  of 
services,  as  long  as  the  War  Measure  Act  re- 
mains in  effect. 

Suit  Over  "Claudia" 
Goes  to  Trial 

The  suit  against  Rose  Franken,  author  of 
''Claudia,"  for  an  accounting  and  share  of  the 
profits  from  the  play,  which  was  brought  by  the 
estate  of  Adrienne  Morrison,  mother  of  Con- 
stance, Joan  and  Barbara  Bennett,  began  Mon- 
day in  the  New  York  State  Supreme  Court 
before  Justice  Eder. 

The  second  juror  to  be  selected  was  Mrs. 
Wendell  Willkie,  wife  of  the  chairman  of  the 
board  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox.  Schwartz 
&  Frohlich,  counsel  for  the  plaintiff,  contended 
that  Mrs.  Morrison  aided  in  getting  the  play 
produced  and  her  estate  was  entitled  to  agent's 
fees  and  a  share  in  the  sale  of  motion  picture 
rights  to  the  play. 


Increase  Booking  Membership 

Membership  in  the  Illinois  Allied  cooperative 
booking  movement  has  increased  to  45  with  the 
addition  of  the  Sun,  Century,  Lindy  and  Madlin 
theatres,  it  was  reported.  Edward  J.  Mager, 
head  of  the  booking  department  for  Allied  in 
Chicago,  announced  that  pictures  now  are  being 
booked  from  even-  exchange  in  the  city.' 


Form  Prisoners'  Aid  Group 

Harry  F.  Shaw  was  chosen  as  chairman  of 
a  committee  to  collect  musical  instruments  and 
>ports  equipment  for  the  theatrical  division  of 
the  War  Prisoners'  Aid  Campaign,  following 
a  joint  meeting  of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  and  the  Allied  group  in  Xew  Haven. 
Others  on  the  committee  are :  Herman  Lew, 
Louis  Brown.  Maxwell  Aldeman,  Dr.  J.  B. 
Fishman,  Maurice  Bailey,  John  Hesse,  Sidney 
Kleper.  Robert  Russell  and  Louis  Schaefer. 

Photographers  Ball  Feb.  5th 

The  14th  annual  Press  Photographers  Ball 
will  be  held  on  Friday,  February  5th,  at  the 
Waldorf  Astoria  Hotel  in  New  York  for  the 
benefit  of  the  USO.  Personalities  from  the 
entertainment  world  will  be  masters  of  cere- 
monies. 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 

BOOK  REVIEWS 

EDISON'S  INVENTION  OF  THE  KINETO- 
PHONOSRAPH.  By  Antonia  and  W. 
K.  L.  Dickson.  18  pages  and  half-cloth 
cover  in  large  format,  with  foreword  by 
Charles  G.  Clarke,  A.S.C.  Privately 
printed  for  him  by  the  Pueblo  Press, 
Los  Angeles. 

Here  is  a  collector's  item.  Mr.  Charles 
Clarke,  a  Hollywood  cameraman,  in  his  enthusi- 
asm and  interest  in  the  lore  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture, has  thus  brought  to  life  an  article  by  the 
Dicksons  from  Century  Magazine  for  June, 
1894,  about  the  dawn  of  the  motion  picture.  It 
carries  a  pleasantly  written  foreword  by  Mr. 
Clarke,  whose  earnest  words  reflect  a  warm 
appreciation  of  the  tradition. 

It  is  more  interesting  than  significant  that  the 
volume  contrives  in  a  fashion  to  repeat,  renew 
and  perpetuate  the  strange  fictions  with  which 
Mr.  William  Kennedy  Laurie  Dickson  embel- 
lished his  accounts  of  his  experiences  in  the 
service  of  Thomas  A.  Edison  in  "Room  Five"  at 
West  Orange — 1887  to  1894 — where  the  motion 
picture  was  born.  Mr.  Dickson  anticipated  pro- 
jection when  the  movies  were  in  a  peep  show, 
and  he  anticipated  sound  when  all  the  noise  was 
in  a  feeble  and  inadequately  synchronized 
phonograph,  and  he  wrote  of  them  as  facts  ac- 
complished while  they  were  dreams.  Mr.  Dick- 
son intended  no  falsehoods,  but  his  hopes  and 
his  vocabulary  dragged  him  headforemost  into 
gross  misstatements,  by  which  many  are  even 
yet  misled.  The  cold  fact  is  that  Mr.  Dickson's 
writings,  such  as  recorded  here,  were  mostly  of 
a  period  when  he  worked  days  for  Edison  and 
crossed  the  river  in  the  night  to  work  for  and 
with  the  Lathams,  of  Eidoloscope  fame,  secretly 
at  a  little  shop  at  35  Frankfort  Street  under 
Brooklyn  Bridge.  He  didn't  tell  Edison  about 
that,  nor  did  he  ever  write  about  it. 

Mr.  Clarke's  handsome  little  book,  brave  in 
its  handmade  paper  and  charming  typography,  is 
somethine  for  students  of  the  motion  picture  to 
have.— T.  R. 


THE  FUTURE  OF  TELEVISION.  By  Orrin 
E.  Dunlap,  Jr.  194  pages,  indexed.  Har- 
per &  Brothers,  New  York.  $2.50. 

This  succinct  volume  assembles  and  says  most 
all  that  can  be  said  in  behalf  of  television  and 
its  prospects  as  a  business  and  as  a  medium  of 
expression.  The  author,  Mr.  Orrin  E.  Dun- 
lap,  Jr..  is  a  decided  optimist  about  it  all,  as  one 
might  just  possibly  have  expected  in  view  of  his 
position  as  manager  of  the  department  of  in- 
formation of  the  Radio  Corporation  of  America 
— same  of  which  had  better  one  day  get  some- 
thing out  of  television  or  else.  Mr.  Dunlap 
is  quite  positive  that  it  is  going  to  be  big  and 
to  have  wide  effects.  The  book  has  a  decided 
reportorial  competency  and  is  written  in  a 
straightforward  fashion  to  make  it  easy  to  read. 
He  considers  that  television  is  to  be  a  vastly 
important  instrument  of  "the  new  era  promised 
by  the  Atlantic  Charter."  He  also  very  practi- 
cally assumes  that  television  will  become  a 
new  amusement  art  and  a  vehicle  for  advertis- 
ing— including  "a  transcontinental  motor  car 
show  on  a  single  evening."  This  book  makes 
it  unnecessary  to  read  a  lot  of  other  things  that 
are  written  about  television. — T.  R. 


Weintraub  Named  Head  Booker 

Samuel  Weintraub  has  been  named  head 
booker  for  Twentieth  Century-Fox  in  Des 
Moines,  replacing  David  Gold,  who  recently 
went  into  the  Army.  Mr.  Weintraub  was  for- 
merly on  the  staff  of  the  company's  home  office. 


Manager  Wins  Commission 

Robert  Mahoney,  formerly  at  the  Warner 
Lenox  theatre.  Hartford,  has  been  commissioned 
a  second  lieutenant  in  the  Army  Air  Corps. 


47 

Seek  Play  date 
Records  for 
Victory  Films 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  is  attempting  to  estab- 
lish new  playing  records  for  Victory  shorts 
in  its  distribution  for  War  Activities  Committee 
of  "Colleges  at  War,"  "You,  John  Jones,"  the 
subject  featuring  James  Cagney,  Ann  Sothern 
and  Margaret  O'Brien  which  was  produced  in 
connection  with  United  Nations  week ;  "Com- 
munity Transportation,"  made  for  the  OWI  and 
"Paratroops."  All  four  subjects  are  being  dis- 
tributed by  MGM. 

The  first  short  was  released  December  24th, 
the  next  two,  January  7th  and  the  fourth  will 
be  released  January  21st  According  to  an 
MGM  spokesman,  reports  on  booking  for  "Col- 
leges at  War"  have  not  yet  been  completed  and 
it  is  still  too  early  to  estimate  playdates  for 
'You,  John  Jones"  and  "Community  Transpor- 
tation." 

Last  month,  William  F.  Rodgers,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  distribution  for  MGM,  and  H. 
M.  Richey,  in  charge  of  exhibitor  relations  for 
the  company,  urged  all  Metro  branch  managers 
to  obtain  maximum  bookings  for  the  subjects. 

This  week,  meanwhile,  a  23 -page  manual 
prepared  by  the  distribution  division  of  WAC, 
of  which  Mr.  Rodgers  is  chairman,  was  being 
prepared  for  delivery  to  branch  managers  and 
exchanges  for  film  salesmen  throughout  the 
country.  Entitled  "Our  Job,"  the  booklet  aims 
to  instruct  film  salesmen  to  get  the  widest  pos- 
sible bookings  for  both  the  industry-produced 
"America  Speaks"  shorts  and  the  Office  of  War 
Information  films  distributed  gratis. 

In  an  effort  to  prevent  two  subjects  from  being 
offered  to  theatre  owners  in  the  same  week, 
WAC  worked  out  an  arrangement  whereby  the 
Government  (gratis)  shorts  are  to  be  released  in 
the  second  and  fourth  weeks  of  each  month  and 
the  industry's  films  in  the  first  and  third  weeks 
of  the  month.  Major  producing  companies  ab- 
sorb production  and  distribution  overhead  and 
donate  all  receipts  from  rentals  above  actual 
cost  of  production  to  war  charity  on  the  films 
they  produce  in  line  with  the  26  subjects  sug- 
gested last  year  by  Lowell  Mellett,  chief  of  the 
motion  picture  division  of  the  OWI. 

The  manual  provides  helpful  suggestions  to 
salesmen  in  terms  of  a  sample  master  booking 
chart  and  a  sample  report  on  bookings  to  WAC 
headquarters,  in  addition  to  an  eight-point  plan 
designed  to  get  100  per  cent  distribution  of  all 
Victor}'  shorts.  One  of  the  points  is  the  'locked 
booking"  plan,  already  in  use  by  some  ex- 
changes. 

The  manual  concludes  with  a  list  of  pledged 
theatres  and  print  quotas  of  Victor}'  shorts  in 
the  31  key  situations. 

In  Chicago  recently,  it  was  reported  that  Vic- 
ton-  shorts  have  attained  an  exhibition  record 
of  nearly  100  per  cent  in  that  territory,  acord- 
ing  to  a  survey  made  by  local  exhibitors.  Out 
of  approximated  750  theatres  in  the  area.  729 
already  played  "Your  Air  Raid  Warden."  dis- 
tributed by  20th  Century-Fox.  "Rings  of  Steel." 
distributed  by  Warners,  was  played  in  678  the- 
atres ;  "Safeguarding  Military  Information."  dis- 
tributed by  MGM.  had  631  bookings  up  to  the 
time  of  the  report:  "Food  for  Freedom."  Col- 
umbia reel,  had  610 :  "Battle  of  Midway,"  20th- 
Fox,  606.  and  "Lake  Carrier."  Universal.  530. 


1,500,000  Tickets  Given 

More  than  1.500,000  free  tickets  have  been 
given  to  service  men  in  New  York  since  Au- 
gust, 1941,  Harry  Brandt  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee of  theatre  men  cooperating  with  Mayor 
LaGuardia's  Recreation  Committee,  reported 
last  Thursday.  Those  without  tickets  were  ad- 
mitted to  Broadway  theatres  at  a  standard  ad- 
mission fee  of  28  cents  for  men  in  uniform. 


48 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January  16 


I  9431 


New  Appeals  Board 
Cuts  Clearance 


Missouri  and  New  York 
Exhibitors  Win  Cases; 
Schine  Files  Three 

The  Appeal  Board  of  the  motion  picture 
arbitration  system,  in  two  awards  this  week, 
granted  clearance  relief  to  independent  ex- 
hibitors. They  were  the  first  Appeal  de- 
cisions since  the  death  of  Van  Vechten 
Veeder,  former  chairman,  on  December  4th. 

In  decision  Number  49,  dated  January  7th, 
the  board  reversed  the  dismissal  of  John  C. 
Pemberton  of  the  clearance  action  of  the 
Orpheum  theatre,  Saugerties,  N.  Y. 

Clearance  of  the  Broadway  and  Kingston 
theatres,  in  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  was  cut  by  the 
appeal  board  to  seven  days  from  the  present 
two  week  margin.  MGM,  RKO,  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  and  Warners  were  directed  to 
comply. 

The  dismissal  of  Paramount  from  the  action 
was  upheld  by  the  Appeal  Board.  They  sup- 
ported the  arbitrator's  finding  that  there  were 
no  contractual  relations  with  complainant  at  the 
time  the  case  was  filed.  The  board  noted, 
however,  that  the  Orpheum  had  signed  a  Para- 
mount contract  at  the  time  of  the  hearing  and 
remarked  that  the  complaint  could  have  been 
amended  to  include  the  company  and  avoid 
further  litigation. 

Costs  were  assessed  equally  against  all 
parties,  with  the  exception  of  Paramount. 

Modifies  Award  of 
St.  Louis  Arbitrator 

Decision  No.  50  of  the  Appeal  Board  modi- 
fied the  award  of  Claude  O.  Pearcy,  St.  Louis 
arbitrator,  in  which  he  granted  a  partial  clear- 
ance reduction  to  the  Beverly  theatre,  suburban 
house  in  west  St.  Louis. 

The  award  set  a  maximum  of  one  day  clear- 
ance for  the  Wellston  theatre  over  the  Beverly, 
and  one  day  for  the  Victory  over  the  Beverly, 
on  pictures  which  do  not  play  the  Wellston. 
The  Victory's  clearance  of  14  days  over  the 
Wellston  was  not  subject  to  change  in  this 
proceeding,  the  board  said. 

MGM's  dismissal  from  the  action  was  af- 
firmed and  costs  were  divided  among  com- 
plainant, St.  Louis  Amusement  Company,  other 
intervenors,  and  RKO,  Warners,  Paramount 
and  Fox,  the  defendant  distributors. 

Both  appeal  awards  were  signed  by  George 
W.  Alger,  the  new  chairman,  and  Albert  W. 
Putnam  and  Robert  McC.  Marsh,  members. 

New  York 

Clearance  of  the  Netco  circuit's  Ritz  and 
Broadway  theatres,  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  over  the 
Dutchess  Amusement  Company's  Beacon  the- 
atre in  Beacon  was  abolished  Tuesday  in  an 
award  by  Michael  N.  Chanalis  in  the  37th  New 
York  case.  MGM,  RKO,  _  Warners  and  20th- 
Fox  were  defendant  distributors,  with  Para- 
mount receiving  a  dismissal  as  an  affiliated  dis- 
tributor. Costs  were  divided.  Mr.  Chanalis 
held  that  competition  between  the  theatres,  on 
opposite  banks  of  the  Hudson,  was  negligible. 

Appeals  were  filed  at  Philadelphia  by  the 
Plaza  theatre,  Milford,  Del.,  in  the  20th  case 
and  at  Des  Moines,  la.,  by  Warners  in  the 
fourth  some  run  award  to  the  Tracy  theatre, 
Storm  Lake,  la. 

Cincinnati 

The  Champion  and  Drexel  theatres,  Colum- 
bus, O.,  won  a  reduction  in  the  clearance  of 
prior  runs  from  John  C.  Dempsey,  arbitrator, 


last  week  in  the  consolidated  8th  and  9th  Cin- 
cinnati cases.  The  five  consenting  distributors 
and  Neth's  Eastern  theatre  were  involved. 
MGM  was  dismissed  from  the  case. 

Mr.  Dempsey  set  clearance  of  the  Eastern 
at  a  maximum  of  45  days  after  first  runs.  This 
advances  the  complainants  by  seven  days. 

New  Orleans 

Paramount,  RKO  and  Warners  last  week 
formally  appealed  the  finding  by  Philip  E. 
James,  arbitrator  of  the  fifth  New  Orleans  case, 
that  their  offers  of  second  run  to  the  Lakeview 
theatre  did  not  comply  with  the  terms  of  Sec- 
tion VI. 

Albany 

The  Schine  circuit  through  three  subsidiaries 
filed  its  first  clearance  complaints  at  Albany 
Monday  for  houses  in  Ilion,  Scotia  and  Herki- 
mer, N.  Y.  They  are  the  9th,  10th  and  11th 
Albany  cases. 

The  Ilion  action  charges  that  MGM,  Para- 
mount, RKO,  and  20th  Century-Fox  grant  un- 
reasonable clearance  to  the  Stanley,  Olympia 
and  Avon  at  Utica  over  the  Capitol,  at  Ilion. 
The  Herkimer  action  names  the  same  distribu- 
tors and  Utica  houses  in  behalf  of  the  Schine 
Liberty.  The  last  action  names  Warners  also, 
and  the  Plaza,  State  and  Proctors  in  Schenec- 
tady in  behalf  of  the  Schine  Scotia  theatre. 

Chicago 

Warners  agreed  to  give  the  Sheridan  Theatre 
of  North  Chicago  second  week  of  general  re- 
lease in  a  hearing,  January  8th,  before  arbitra- 
tor Harold  J.  Clark. 

Sidney  Schatz,  president  of  the  K  &  S  Thea- 
tre Corp,  which  owns  the  Sheridan,  testified 
that  at  the  time  of  purchase  in  1936  until  1940 
the  Sheridan  played  in  second  week,  but  that 
this  run  had  been  given  to  the  Times  Theatre, 
Waukegan.  He  stated  that  he  did  not  consider 
that  the  two  houses  were  competitors. 

Sam  Gorlich,  exchange  manager  of  RKO, 
the  other  defendant,  refused  the  second  run 
request.  Mr.  Clark  took  the  case  under  advise- 
ment and  promised  a  decision  within  thirty  days. 
It  is  the  21st  Chicago  case. 

Vandalism  Causes  Damage 
In  Eastern  Theatres 

Theatres  operated  by  Warner  Brothers  in 
Philadelphia  have  been  the  targets  for  youthful 
vandals  who  defaced  seats  in  some  of  the  cir- 
cuit's houses.  Another  instance  was  reported 
when  damage  to  Warners'  Queens  theatre  in 
Wilmington,  Del.,  was  discovered,  despite  the 
showing  of  a  trailer  which  contained  a  plea 
for  seat  conservation,  at  the  same  time  appealing 
to  the  patriotism  of  the  youngsters. 

In  Boston,  similar  occurrences  are  on  the  rise 
according  to  managers.  The  company  of  "Ar- 
senic and  Old  Lace,"  which  is  playing  the 
Colonial  theatre,  had  its  performance  disrupted 
by  the  throwing  of  missiles. 


Theatre  Changes  Hands 

Balaban  &  Katz  have  acquired  the  Saunders 
theatre  in  Harvard,  111.,  and  will  operate  the 
house  with  Louis  Simonini  as  resident  manager. 
Ervin  Chapman,  former  manager,  has  retired. 


Horstman  Buys  Iowa  House 

The  Princess  theatre  in  Odeboldt,  Iowa,  has 
been  purchased  by  G.  W.  Horstman  from  Carl 
Silkebakken,  who  operated  the  theatre  for  the 
past  seven  years. 


'Soundies 9  Used 
To  Entertain 
War  Workers 

"Soundies"  now  are  entertaining  and  educat: 
ing  war  workers.  The  16  mm.  films  projected, 
on  a  48  inch  screen  can  be  viewed  by  more  thai  ; 
1,000  persons  at  a  time  and  various  war  indus- 
tries report  increased  efficiency,  improved  healtl  | 
standards,  better  morale,  reduction  in  accidents! 
and  reduction  in  absence  because  of  them,  ac- 
cording to  Chicago  producers  of  the  machine' 

With  more  than  800  productions  on  hand  and 
that  total  increasing  from  time  to  time,  tht 
most  popular  subjects  are  patriotic  in  nature 
with  marching  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines  anc 
pictures  of  airplanes  and  tanks  in  action,  al 
having  appropriate  musical  background.  In  i 
number  of  company  restaurants  and  rest  room.' 
where  they  have  been  placed  to  help  employee; 
relax  there  is  a  big  demand  for  entertainmem 
features  with  many  of  the  big  names  in  motio~ 
pictures,  radio  and  bands. 

The  machines,  a  product  of  the  Mills  Novelt 
Company,  Chicago,  are  no  longer  being  manu 
factured,  due  to  the  freezing  of  raw  material 
by  the  WPB  about  a  year  ago.  The  supply  o 
hand  is  strictly  limited  and  a  shortage  is  likel 
to  develop  within  a  few  months.  All  of  the 
are  rented,  and  it  already  has  been  necessary  t 
recall  some  of  them  from  distributors  and  deal 
ers. 

M.  M.  Mummert,  head  of  the  commercial  de 
partment  of  the  Soundies  Distributing  Corpora 
tion,  Chicago,  is  in  charge  of  their  distributio 

Programs  usually  are  changed  twice  a  wee' 
The  service  includes  installation,  maintenanc 
furnishing  films  and  changing  reels.  Machine 
and  screens  are  portable. 

In  addition  to  the  industrial  users,  which  i 
elude  Westinghouse  Electric,  General  Electri 
Stewart  Warner,  Swift  and  Company  an 
others,  about  250  are  being  operated  in  vario" 
night  spots. 

Films  have  been  produced  by  R.C.M.  Produo 
tions,  Minoco,  the  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  Army 
National  Health  Council,  National  Safety  Couri 
cil  and  others. 

Two  Companies  Formed, 
Four  Dissolved 

Before  retiring  as  New  York  Secretary 
State  on  December  31st,   Michael   F.  Wat 
announced  the  incorporation  at  Albany  of  t 
new  motion  picture  concerns  and  the  dissol 
tion  of  four  others. 

Global  Films,  Inc.,  Manhattan,  with  $30,0 
authorized  capital  stock,  was  formed  by  Geor 
Layton,  Bronx,  John  F.  Gillespie,  New  Yo 
and  James  Mack,  Newark,  N.  J.  Papers  we 
submitted  by  George  Layton,  303  W.  54 
Street,  New  York. 

Tenlo  Theatre  Operating  Corporation,  Ne 
York,  with  200  shares  of  stock,  no  stated  p 
value,  was  formed  by  Pauline  Altman,  Till 
Rosenfeld  and  Regina  Rosenheim.  Papers  wei 
submitted  by  Weisman,  Celler,  Quinn,  Alia 
and  Spett,  1450  Broadway,  New  York. 

Theatre  concerns  dissolved  were  three  ori? 
inally  filed  through  Phillips  and  Nizer,  15 
Broadway,  New  York,  Advance  Trailer  Se 
vice,  Inc.,  Globe  Operating  Corporation  a- 
National  Screen  Announcements  Corporation 
The  fourth  was  Elldee  Amusement  Corpor 
tion,  Queens,  originally  filed  by  Sydney  S.  L<' 
vine,  163-18  Jamaica  Avenue,  Jamaica. 


Named  Theatre  Manager 

Reed  Molesworth,  formerly  in  state  fair  mar 
agement  work,  recently  assistant  manager  of  tf. 
Fox  Midwest  Uptown  theatre,  has  been  appoin 
ed  manager  of  the  circuit's  Brookside,  Kans; 
City,  succeeding  Gene  Kay,  now  in  the  Voluii 
teer  Officers  Corps  of  the  Army. 


1  .  «.  Pet*^ 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


Momand  Case 
To  Trial  After 
12  Years 

Twelve  years  in  litigation,  the  $5,000,000  anti- 
trust suit  of  A.  B.  Momand  against  the  major 
film  distributors  came  to  trial  again  on  Monday 
in  Federal  district  court  at  Oklahoma  City. 
Preliminary  sparring  indicated  that  the  hear- 
ings before  Judge  Bower  Broaddus  might  run 
for  six  months. 

More  than  2,000  separate  film  contracts  were 
introduced  in  evidence  in  the  first  afternoon  of 
the  trial.  Tuesday  parties  conferred  on  a  sim- 
plified procedure  for  entering  documents  in 
evidence. 

Opening  statements  by  Judge  Broaddus  indi- 
cated that  the  court  would  grant  every  leniency 
and  consideration  in  conducting  the  trial,  re- 
gardless of  time  consumed,  in  order  that  it 
might  not  be  returned  again  to  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Appeals  before  a  judgment  is  reached. 

Upwards  of  40,000  contracts,  letters  and  docu- 
ments might  eventually  be  entered  in  evidence, 
attorneys  indicated.  Initial  witnesses  called  by 
plaintiff  will  include  L.  C.  Griffith  and  B.  J. 
McKenna,  Horace  Falls,  C.  B.  Akers,  and 
Claude  Motely,  among  other  Griffith  circuit 
officials. 

The  suit  was  initiated  in  state  court  in  1931 
by  the  Oklahoma  State  Attorney.  It  ended  in 
a  dismissal  by  the  state  supreme  court.  Subse- 
quently action  was  launched  in  Federal  court 
by  A.  B.  Momand  against  20th  Century-Fox, 
Columbia,  RKO,  MGM,  Warners,  United  Art- 
ists, Paramount,  Universal  and  the  Griffith 
Amusement  Company  and  its  theatre  operating 
subsidiaries. 

The  complaint  charged  conspiracy  and 
mnopoly  in  restraint  of  trade.  Damages  of  $4, 
960,000  were  demanded. 

It  is  this  case,  after  a  series  of  arguments 
and  appeals  on  motions  to  dismiss,  that  is  at 
last  coming  to  trial  before  Judge  Broaddus. 
Previously  Judge  Edgar  Vaught  had  dismissed 
the  action,  but  the  Court  of  Appeals  reversed 
him.  After  protracted  arguments  and  motions 
over  amendment  of  the  complaint  it  was  ordered 
to  trial  in  1938  as  a  new  action,  but  again  re- 
verted to  the  Circuit  Court. 

The  current  action  before  Judge  Broaddus 
has  been  preceded  by  almost  a  year  of  prelimi- 
nary motions  and  the  collection  of  depositions 
from  industry  executives.  This  was  concluded 
at  New  York  in  November. 

A  summary  of  the  original  petition  was  read 
on  Monday  at  Oklahoma  City  by  George  S. 
Ryan,  chief  of  the  Momand  counsel.  Charles 
Cochrane,  Griffith  attorney,  questioned  the  in- 
clusion of  the  circuit  as  a  defendant  and  said 
that  alleged  connection  with  the  distributors 
through  a  loan  from  the  Universal  Chain  The- 
atres, Inc.,  was  incorrect. 

Although  Griffith  had  borrowed  $300,000 
from  Universal,  since  repaid,  Mr.  Cochrane 
argued  that  the  Griffith  brothers  had  retained 
full  control  of  circuit  policies. 

Depositions  introduced  at  the  opening  session 
included  statements  taken  at  New  York  and 
Chicago  from  Nathan  J.  Cohn,  Leo  Abrams, 
Edward  McEvoy,  William  Scully,  Ned  Depi- 
net,  the  late  Charles  Stern,  Fred  C.  Stone, 
Martha  Ferris,  Nathan  Yamins,  Carl  Milliken 
and  Norman  Collyer. 


Loew's  Leases  Orpheum 

Loew's  has  signed  a  long  term  lease  on  the 
Orpheum  theatre  in  downtown  St.  Louis,  and 
will  play  first  run  pictures  when  the  house  is 
reopened,  it  was  disclosed  by  Rex  Williams, 
manager  for  Loew's  in  St.  Louis.  The  theatre 
has  been  closed  since  February,  1938,  and  was 
last  operated  by  Warners. 


MAY  TURN  BACK 
CLOCKS  IN  OHIO 

That  clocks  may  be  turned  back 
one  hour  from  present  Eastern  War 
Time  to  Central  Time  looms  as  a  pos- 
sibility for  Ohio.  The  change  will 
be  considered  soon  by  the  new  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  recently  convened  at 
Columbus,  it  is  learned. 

Because  of  the  many  petitions  from 
farmers,  school  officials  and  others  in 
favor  of  the  issue,  reliable  legislative 
sources  predict  the  introduction  and 
passage  of  a  time-change  bill,  despite 
the  desire  of  the  War  Production 
Board  that  the  present  time  be  re- 
tained in  the  interest  of  the  war 
effort.  Although  Governor  Bricker 
declined  to  comment  on  whether  he 
would  veto  such  a  bill,  if  passed,  he 
expressed  belief  that  sentiment  was 
so  strong  that  the  legislature  was 
almost  certain  to  override  the  veto. 


Chase  Reduces 
20th-Fox  Stock 

The  American  Company,  Jersey  City,  in- 
creased its  interest  in  RKO  during  October  by 
10,000  shares  of  common  and  400  shares  of 
preferred,  and  the  Chase  National  Bank,  New 
York,  reduced  its  holdings  of  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox common  stock  by  the  sale  of  10,000 
shares,  it  was  shown  by  the  monthly  summary 
of  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission 
in  Philadelphia. 

At  the  close  of  October,  the  SEC  reported, 
the  American  Company  held  325,330  shares  of 
common  and  52,471  shares  of  preferred  in 
RKO  and  the  Chase  National  Bank  held  211- 
158  shares  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox  com- 
mon. 

The  only  other  large-scale  transaction  re- 
ported was  the  sale  of  1,300  shares  of  Loew's 
common  stock  held  by  David  Bernstein,  treas- 
urer, through  a  corporation  which  still  held 
23,450  shares  at  the  close  of  the  month. 

The  SEC  summary  also  showed  the  sale  of 
200  shares  of  Paramount  Pictures  common 
stock  held  by  Stanton  Griffis,  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee,  through  Hemphill,  Noyes 
&  Company,  leaving  him  with  3,040  shares  so 
held;  the  purchase  of  118  shares  of  Loew's 
Boston  Theatres  common  stock  by  Loew's, 
Inc.,  giving  it  a  total  of  119,532  shares,  and 
the  disposition  by  gift  of  90  shares  of  Columbia 
Pictures  common  stock  by  Abraham  Schneider, 
treasurer,  leaving  him  with  1,914  shares. 

Seattle  Houses  Increase 
Advertising  Lineage 

Increased  business  in  Seattle  neighborhood 
theatres  has  prompted  two  circuits  to  increase 
advertising  lineage  in  daily  papers.  The  Sterl- 
ing theatres  have  announced  an  increase  of 
almost  100  per  cent  in  suburban  theatre  adver- 
tising, while  the  Danz  theatres  have  approxi- 
mately doubled  the  size  of  newspaper  ads. 
Gasoline  rationing  has  been  given  as  the  reason 
for  increased  attendance. 


Goodlcind  Joins  Army 

Larney  Goodkind,  eastern  story  editor  of 
Universal  Pictures,  has  reported  to  Camp  Dix 
after  induction  into  the  Army.  Mr.  Goodkind's 
assistant,  Peter  Martin,  has  been  named  to 
succeed  him. 


Holdover  Films 
Show  Strength 
In  Key  Cities 

Following  record  grosses  for  current  product 
during  the  Christmas-New  Year's  holiday  week, 
a  number  of  home  offices  this  week  reported 
strong  holdovers  for  top  features. 

"Stand  By  for  Action,"  MGM,  was  in  the 
third  week  in  Toledo  and  second  week  in  29 
situations.  The  company  reports  the  picture 
is  averaging  197  per  cent  of  normal  business  to 
date  in  key  and  smaller  cities. 

"You  Were  Never  Lovelier,"  Columbia,  was 
in  its  second  week  at  the  Rialto,  Atlanta.  "Com- 
mandos Strike  at  Dawn,"  Columbia,  second 
week  at  the  J.  P.  Harris,  Pittsburgh,  and  th 
company's  "A  Night  to  Remember,"  second 
week  at  the  Bijou,  Springfield  and  Orpheum, 
San  Francisco. 

"Random  Harvest,"  MGM,  began  its  fifth 
week  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall  on  Thursday, 
having  established  a  new  all-time  attendance 
record  for  that  theatre,  according  to  the  man- 
agement. In  the  first  25  days  of  its  engagement, 
569,988  persons  saw  the  film,  11,022  more  than 
saw  "Mrs.  Miniver"  during  the  first  25  days 
of  its  10-week  run  at  the  Music  Hall. 

Paramount's  all-star  musical,  "Star  Spangled 
Rhythm,"  at  the  Paramount,  New  York,  began 
its  third  week  on  Wednesday  and  also  estab- 
lished new  attendance  records  at  the  theatre, 
reported  the  management. 

Other  Broadway  holdovers  included :  "Black 
Swan,"  20th  Century-Fox,  at  the  Roxy,  third 
week ;  United  Artists'  "In  Which  We  Serve," 
Capitol,  began  its  fourth  week  on  Thursday; 
"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  Warner  Bros.,  began 
its  third  week  at  the  Strand  last  Friday ;  War- 
ner Bros.'  "Casablanca"  started  its  seventh  i 
week  at  the  Hollywood  last  Thursday.  MGM's 
"For  Me  and  My  Gal,"  in  its  eleventh  week  at 
the  Astor,  and  "Jacare,"  United  Artists,  ende 
its  second  week  at  the  Globe  last  Thursday. 

Warner  Bros,  reported  third  week  holdover 
for  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  in  Philadelphia. 
Reading,  Cincinnati,  Memphis  and  Dayton,  and 
second  weeks  in  25  other  situations.  Also 
fourth-week  holdover  for  "George  Washington 
Slept  Here"  in  Philadelphia;  third  week  in 
Chicago  and  second  weeks  in  Buffalo,  Akron, 
Baltimore,  Washington  (two  theatres),  Den- 
ver, Indianapolis.  "Gentleman  Jim,"  third 
week  in  Brooklyn  and  Jacksonville.  "Now 
Voyager,"  fourth  week  in  San  Francisco,  Se 
attle ;  third  week  in  Washington,  Los  Angeles 
(three  houses),  second  week  in  Oakland,  Cal. 
and  Lynn,  Mass.  The  latter  film  also  was  held 
over  for  extra  time  in  18  RKO  metropolitan 
New  York  houses. 


New  Hitchcock  Film 
Opens  at  Benefit 

Alfred  Hitchcock's  latest  film,  "Shadow  of 
Doubt,"  Universal  release,  had  its  premiere  a 
the  Rivoli  theatre,  New  York,  Tuesday  night  al 
the  benefit  performance,  "Women  Can  Take  It,'?| 
sponsored  by  the  Citizen's  Committee  for  th'< 
Army  and  Navy.  Tickets  were  scaled  fron 
$5.50  to  $11  top. 

Preceding  the  showing  of  the  picture  thj 
special  pageant  was  staged,  for  which  FanniJ 
Hurst,  Elsa  Maxwell,  Rex  Stout,  George  Jesse T 
and  Zero  Mbstel  acted  as  commentators.  Tb| 
cast  included  scores  of  women  leaders  from  th 
stage,  screen,  radio,  the  opera  and  society. 


Yelton  Named  Manager 

Horace  Yelton  has  been  named  manager  o 
of  the  Carolina  theatre  in  Spindale,  N.  C,  sue 
ceeding  E.  R.  Medd,  who  joined  the  fingerprinl 
ing  division  of  the  Navy. 


IN  A  GAY,  MUSICAL 
SPECTACLE  OF 
AMERICAN  YOUTH 
ON  THE  HOME  FRONT 


■ 


v2 


JOHNNY  DOUGHBOY 

Henry  WILCOXON  •  Patrick  BROOK  •  William  DEMAREST  •  Ruth  DONNELLY 

MEMBERS   OF  THE   20  MINUS  CLUB 

BOBBY  BREEN  •  BABY  SANDY  -"ALFALFA"  SWIHER"-  "SPANKY"  McFARLAND  •  BUTCH  and  BUDDY  •CORA  SUE  COLLINS  "ROBERT  COOGAN 
Associate  Producer-Director — JOHN  H.  AUER    •      Screen  Hay  by  Lawrence  Kimble     •      Oriareal  st.ry  by  Frederick  Kohner 

1   REPUBLIC    PICTURE    *   B  II  V    U    5.  Ill  H  R    SIIIICS  BOHDS 


52 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


a  n  u  a  r  y 


6  , 


9  4  3 


Canadian  Union  Now 
IATSE  Affiliate 


Discussions  Continue  in 
Hollywood  on  Raising 
Week  to  48  Hours 

A  long  time  "holdout,"  the  Canadian  Na- 
tional Union  of  Theatre  Employees,  has  been 
absorbed  by  the  International  Alliance  of 
Theatrical  Stage  Employees,  through  its  Lo- 
cal 173,  Toronto,  and  others,  to  which  the 
members  of  the  Canadian  union  will  belong. 

The  Canadian  organization's  main 
strength  was  in  Ontario.  Its  president  was 
E.  V.  Armstrong. 

In  Hollywood  this  week,  discussions  con- 
tinued on  lengthening  the  work  week  to  48 
hours,  as  requested  of  studio  unions  by  the 
Government.  The  discussions  centered 
chiefly  about  measurement  of  overtime  pay 
from  the  36th  or  the  40th  hour.  Labor  of- 
ficials said  Monday  use  of  the  latter  as  a 
starting  point  would  save  studios  $1,500,000 
yearly.  Union  agents  responded  that  the 
weekly  loss  to  their  men  would  be  $30,000. 

At  conferences  with  studio  managers  on 
setting  up  voluntary  machinery  for  length- 
ening the  work  week  at  the  request  of  the 
War  Manpower  Commission,  the  unions 
have  sought  to  obtain  overtime  pay  for 
hours  worked  in  excess  of  six  daily.  How- 
ever, the  studios  have  countered  with  a  cum- 
ulative 40-hour  week,  with  time  and  a  half 
over  that. 

Under  the  union  proposal,  the  men  would 
reecive  54  hours'  pay  for  48  hours  of  work, 
while  the  studio's  plan  calls  for  52  hours' 
pay  for  a  48-hour  week. 

Pointing  out  that  profits  of  ma- 
jor companies  are  on  the  increase, 
union  officials  declared  that  labor 
would  be  contributing  to  further 
studio  profits,  most  of  which  would 
be  taken  by  the  government  through 
taxes  anyway.  As  an  example  of 
losses  to  be  sustained  by  the  work- 
ers, union  leaders  pointed  out  that 
carpenters  under  the  studio  plan 
would  lose  $3.42  weekly,  laborers 
$2  weekly,  lamp  operators  $3.01,  and 
so  on. 

Last  week,  Frank  Carothers,  secretary  of 
the  American  Federation  of  Labor  interna- 
tional unions  participating  committee,  said 
he  would  attempt  to  have  the  independent 
studios  included. 

In  New  York,  the  clerical  workers  of  the 
Loew's,  United  Artists  and  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox exchanges  will  elect  a  collective 
bargaining  agent  before  February  1st,  by 
order  of  the  National  Labor  Relations 
Board. 

The  petition  for  such  an  election  was  filed 
by  the  Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployees Guild,  Local  109,  of  the  CIO,  and 
was  opposed  by  the  IATSE,  which  pointed 
to  its  "F"  unions  for  such  employees  in 
other  cities,  and  asserted  it  signed  a  contract 
with  the  major  distributors  last  autumn, 
assigning  the  workers  to  its  jurisdiction. 

In  ordering  the  election,  the  NLRB  dis- 
regarded this  contract,  noting  it  was  signed 
after  the  SOPEG  filed  its  petition,  and  that 


it  exluded  the  exchanges  mentioned.  The 
IATSE  is  on  the  ballots  in  the  Loew's  and 
UA  elections. 

In  the  same  city,  the  Laboratory  Techni- 
cians Union,  Local  702,  on  Saturday 
dropped  jurisdiction  over  the  film  editors' 
guild,  which  had  applied  to  the  IATSE 
for  a  charter. 

Local  702  also  appointed  a  committee  to 
begin  negotiations  for  renewal  of  contracts 
which  expire  in  March. 

Serving  on  the  committee  are  John  J. 
Francavilla,  acting  president ;  Adolph  Grude, 
secretary-treasurer;  Albert  Dassa,  executive 
board  member ;  Nicholas  Koutrouby,  trus- 
tee ;  Catherine  Grogan,  Joseph  McCarthy 
and  William  Vermont. 

According  to  Mr.  Francavilla,  forms  are 
being  filled  out  for  submission  to  the  War 
Labor  Board  on  automatic  10  per  cent  in- 
creases, effective  in  March  and  included  in 
four  contracts  which  expire  in  1945. 

Chicago  Photographers 
Hold  Election 

The  bi-annual  election  of  officers  and  trus- 
tees of  the  International  Photographers  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Industries,  Chicago,  Lo- 
cal 666,  IATSE,  was  held  last  week.  Elect- 
ed were :  Bertel  J.  Kleerup,  president ;  Or- 
lando P.  Lippert,  first  vice-president;  Sam 
Savitt,  second  vice-president;  W.  H.  Straf- 
ford, recording  secretary ;  Fred  Hafferkamp, 
financial  secretary;  Walter  Hotz,  treasurer; 
Harold  Kinzle,  sergeant-at-arms ;  Harold 
Witt,  Ralph  Phillips,  Anthony  Caputo,  trus- 
tees. W.  H.  Strafford  was  retained  as  busi- 
ness manager. 

In  New  York,  the  State  Labor  Relations 
Board  last  week  ordered  two  operators  from 
the  Empire  State  Motion  Picture  Operators 
Union  reinstated  at  the  McKinley  Square 
theatre,  Bronx.  The  theatre  is  closed,  but 
the  union  regards  it  as  a  "moral  victory." 
Empire  had  charged  that  its  contract  with 
the  theatre's  managers  was  broken  nine  days 
after  signing  early  last  year,  when  the  thea- 
tre obtained  a  contract  with  the  rival  union, 
Local  306.  The  Empire  projectionists  were 
replaced  by  two  from  Local  306. 


AFM  Local  Elects  Officers 

Local  120  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Musicians  in  Scranton,  Pa.,  recently  re-elected 
the  following  officers  for  a  two-year  period : 
president,  Madea  Cetta ;  vice-president,  William 
Cox ;  secretary,  Henry  Mehl ;  treasurer,  Frank 
Reiley ;  business  agent,  Herbert  Sealy ;  ser- 
geant-at-arms, John  McPeak. 


Develop  New  Battery 

The  Philco  Company  has  announced  the  de- 
velopment of  a  Vitrabloc  storage  battery, 
which  will  be  used  in  telephone,  public  utility 
and  industrial  installations,  and  will  save  tons 
of  rubber  for  the  war  program.  The  rubber 
alternate  was  developed  in  the  company's  Tren- 
ton laboratories. 


Manages  Wisconsin  Theatre 

Ranee  Mason,  manager  of  the  Kerridge  thea- 
tre in  Hancock,  Mich.,  has  been  named  manager 
of  the  Fox  theatre  in  Marinette,  Wis.  He  suc- 
ceeds John  W.  Collins,  who  joined  the  M.  &  M. 
Credit  Exchange  in  Marinette. 


WAC  Publicity 
Units  Named 


War  Activities  Committee  public  relations 
chairmen  for  the  Buffalo,  Boston,  Albany  and 
Atlanta  exchange  areas,  have  announced  their 
appointments  of  city  publicity  chairmen,  who 
will  function  in  towns  of  25,000  or  more  popula- 
tion. The  public  relations  chairmen  and  their 
appointees  follow : 

Buffalo :  C.  B.  Taylor,  chairman ;  Lester  Pol- 
lock, Rochester ;  Frank  Murphy,  Syracuse ; 
Frank  McCann,  Niagara  Falls;  Joseph 
Schwartzwalder,  Auburn ;  L.  M.  Levitch,  Lock- 
port  ;  Deane  Emley,  Dunkirk ;  Al  Newhall, 
Batavia  ;  Ralph  E.  Orabill,  Elmira ;  Morris  Ro- 
sen, Hornell;  K.  Rockwell,  Jamestown;  W. 
Johnson,  Medina ;  W.  Tallman,  Wellsville ;  M. 
Lafayette,  Olean. 

Boston,  Harry  Browning,  Chairman;  Joe 
Longo,  Boston ;  George  Moffitt,  Chelsea ;  Ar- 
thur S.  Murch,  Jr.,  Gloucester ;  Ellis  Brodie, 
Haverhill ;  Arthur  J.  Keenan ;  Lowell ;  James 
J.  Dempsey,  Lynn ;  John  J.  Concannon,  Somer- 
ville. 

Albany :  Charles  A.  Smakwitz,  chairman ; 
Alex  Sayles,  Albany  ;  Sol  Ullman,  Schenectady  ; 
Leo  Rosen,  Troy;  Andy  Roy,  Utica ;  Laddy 
O'Neill,  Amsterdam ;  Seymour  Morris,  Glov- 
ersville;  Joseph  Kallet,  Rome;  William  Tub- 
bert,  Watertown;  Irving  Liner,  Troy;  Charles 
Gordon,  Utica. 

Atlanta :  Harold  Martin,  chairman ;  Richard 
M.  Kennedy,  Birmingham ;  Charles  Amos, 
Nashville,  Tenn. ;  Gene  Street,  Knoxville ;  Wil- 
liam Wolfson,  Montgomery,  Ala. ;  John  A.  | 
Cunningham,  Savannah,  Ga. ;  M.  C.  Moore, 
Jacksonville,  Fla. ;  J.  L.  Cartwright,  Tampa, 
Fla. ;  Michael  Wolfson,  Miami,  Fla. 


Urges  Exhibitors  to  Play 
All  Government  Films 

Leo  F.  Wolcott,  president  of  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  has 
urged  exhibitors  to  play  the  free  Government 
films  as  they  are  released,  and  to  take  full  part 
in  all  other  war  activities  of  their  communities, 
relief  drives,  salvage  work  and  Bond  selling  and 
to  report  all  results'. 

He  also  urged  exhibitors  to  train  their  em- 
p'oyees  and  set  up  adequate  measures  for  pro- 
tection of  the  public  and  theatre  in  any  emer- 
gency such  as  fire  or  air  raid.  He  suggested 
they  provide  adequate  exits.  Precautionary 
measures  he  recommended  included :  pulling 
the  main  switch  after  shows,  a  ban  on  smoking 
in  the  booth,  the  storing  of  films  in  fireproof 
cabinets,  keeping  electric  wiring  in  good  condi- 
tion, and  having  local  fire  officials  inspect  the 
theatre  frequently. 


Suggest  Fire  Safeguards 

In  Milwaukee  and  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  rec- 
ommendations have  been  put  before  the  City 
Councils  to  adopt  measures  eliminating  fire 
hazards.  Fire  Chief  Peter  Steinkellner  sug- 
gested a  Milwaukee  ordinance  which  would  ban 
smoking  in  theatres.  In  Fond  du  Lac,  managers 
of  theatres  were  told  that  fire  regulations  must 
be  complied  with  before  1943  licenses  would  be 
renewed. 


Stars  Tour  Army  Camps 

Sheila  Ryan,  Twentieth  Century-Fox  star, 
and  Chick  Chandler,  Warner  Bros,  featured 
player,  have  embarked  on  a  tour  of  Army  camps 
in  Kansas,  Colorado  and  Missouri  as  a  part 
of  the  "Hollywood  on  Parade"  show  under  the 
auspices  of  USO-Camp  Shows.  They  form  a 
singing  and  dancing  unit  of  the  production. 


Resigns  After  30  Years 

Michael  Abdulla  has  resigned  as  manager  of 
the  Palace  theatre  in  New  Britain,  Conn.,  be-  II 
cause  of  ill  health.    He  had  been  associated 
with  the  theatre  for  more  than  30  years. 


January     16,  1943 

Congress-FC  C 
Feud  Is  Seen 
Continuing 

Continuation  of  the  feud  between  Representa- 
tive E.  E.  Cox  of  Georgia  and  James  Lawrence 
Fly,  chairman  of  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission,  was  seen  in  Washington  as  the 
new  Congress  met. 

A  resolution  calling  for  investigation  of  the 
FCC,  charging  it  with  being  a  "Gestapo"  and  a 
threat  to  free  communication,  was  introduced 
by  Congressman  Cox.  He  said  Mr.  Fly  had 
"almost  completely  established  terroristic  con- 
trol of  all  media  of  communications"  and  "set 
up  a  Gestapo  the  equal  of  which  has  never  been 
seen  in  a  free  government." 

Representative  John  E.  Rankin  of  Mississippi 
also  attacked  radio  commentators  whom,  he 
charged,  have  spread  insinuations  against  Con- 
gress. He  asked  a  national  radio  network,  or 
free  time  on  the  radio  for  Congressmen  to 
answer  their  critics.  Karl  E.  Mudt,  South 
Dakota  Congressman,  defended  the  radio  op- 
erators. 

Operation  of  the  FCC  in  1943-'44  will  cost 
approximately  $8,089,600  against  current  ap- 
propriations of  $7,386,635,  the  President's  bud- 
get message  disclosed  on  Monday.  The  increase 
is  a  result  of  expanded  foreign  broadcast  moni- 
toring, and  other  war  services. 


45  FM  Stations 
Operate  in  U.  S. 

Frequency  modulation  radio  programs  are 
being  broadcast  regularly  by  45  stations  in  24 
cities,  FM  Broadcasters,  Inc.,  trade  association, 
reported  in  a  year-end  summary. 

These  stations,  36  of  them  on  regular  com- 
mercial schedules,  and  nine  on  experimental 
licenses,  will  have  to  serve  the  country's  ap- 
proximately 500,000  FM  receivers  for  the  dura- 
tion. The  association  said  that  priorities  and 
FCC  orders  will  prevent  the  opening  of  any 
more  stations. 

The  association  predicted  that  the  commer- 
cially established  stations  will  be  able  to  main- 
tain FM  entertainment  for  the  duration.  It 
warned,  however,  that  some  curtailment  in  op- 
erating time  may  be  expected  in  1943  as  a  con- 
servation measure. 

FM  stations  will  continue  to  stimulate  inter- 
est in  the  new  radio  process  for  the  duration, 
j  the  association  said,  in  anticipating  post  war 
development.  They  quoted  James  Lawrence 
!  Fly,  chairman  of  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission,  as  declaring  that  "television  and 
frequency  modulation  broadcasting  seems  as- 
sured of  a  great  development.  .  .  .  Planning  for 
the  post  war  period  to  ensure  the  maximum 
benefit  from  the  promised  development  is  defi- 
nitely in  order." 

Alan  Ladd  Scheduled  to 
Join  Army  Monday 

It  is  expected  that  Alan  Ladd  will  be  in- 
ducted into  the  Army  next  Monday,  forcing  a 

1  postponement  of  the  Paramount  production, 
"Incendiary  Blonde,"  in  which  he  was  to  have 

"appeared  with  Betty  Hutton.  Miss  Hutton  will 
appear  opposite  Bob  Hope  in  "Let's  Face  It," 
the  company  announced. 

Iowa  Club  Hears  Rabbi 

The  January  meeting  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Club  of  Iowa  was  held  January  4th  in  Des 
•Moines.  Approximately  50  members  from  that 
;ity  were  present.  The  guest  speaker  was 
Rabbi  Kashte,  and  Myron  Blank  presided. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 

Week  of  January  Wth 

ASTOR 

You,  John  Jones  Victory  Short 

Marines  in  the  Making  MGM 

feature:  Tennessee  Johnson  .  .  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Barney   Bear's  Victory  Gar- 
den MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve  Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Air  Raid  Warden  Universal 

New  Era  in  India  Columbia 

Conquer  by  the  Clock  Victory  Short 

Feature:    Commandos  Strike 
at  Dawn  Columbia 

MUSIC  HALL 

The  Army  Mascot  RKO-Disney 

Feature:  Random  Harvest .  .  .  MGM 

PARAMOUNT 

Community  Transportation.  .  Victory  Short 

Sportlight,  No.  2  Paramount 

Popular  Science,  No.  2  Paramount 

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  Paramount 

Feature:  Star  Spangled  Rhythm.  Pa  ramount 

RIALTO 

Parachute  Athletes  Paramount 

Community  Transportation  .  .  Victory  Short 

Tulips  Shall  Grow  Paramount 

Feature:  Sherlock  Holmes  and 

the  Secret  Weapon  Universal 

RIVOLI 

Der  Fuehrer's  Face  RKO-Disney 

Feature:  Arabian  Nights  ....  Universal 

ROXY 

Community  Transportation .  .  Victory  Short 
Monkey  Doodle  Dandies.  .  .  .20th  Cent.-Fox 

Strange  Empire  20th  Cent.-Fox 

The  Mouse  of  Tomorrow.  ..  20th  Cent.-Fox 
Feature:  The  Black  Swan.  .  .   20th  Cent.-Fox 

STRAND 
So    You    Think   You  Need 

Glasses  Vitaphone 

Community  Transportation.  .  Victory  Short 
Feature-.Yankee  Boodle  Dandy.  Warner  Bros. 


Kranz  Appointed  Cleveland 
Sales  Head  by  PRC 

Charles  Kranz  has  been  appointed  sales  man- 
ager of  the  Cleveland  exchange  of  Producers 
Releasing  Corporation.  Mr.  Kranz  became  as- 
sociated with  the  film  industry  in  1912  as  a 
theatre  manager,  later  becoming  a  salesman  for 
Goldwyn  Pictures  and  United  Artists.  During 
the  past  year  he  distributed  special  shows  for 
Army  camps. 

Mrs.  Sylvia  Gertzman  has  replaced  Donald 
Duff,  PRC's  booker  in  the  Cincinnati  exchange, 
the  latter  having  been  inducted  into  the  Army, 
and  Joseph  Goldberg  has  been  transferred  to 
the  sales  staff  of  the  exchange. 


Union  Names  Barrows 

Thad  Barrows,  former  head  of  the  Projection 
Advisory  Council  and  member  of  the  Society 
of  Motion  Picture  Engineers,  has  been  reelected 
president  of  the  Boston  Local  of  the  Interna- 
tional Association  of  Theatrical  Stage  Em- 
ployees for  the  26th  year.  James  F.  Burke 
again  was  named  business  representative. 
Other  officers  are :  B.  McGaffigan,  vice-presi- 
dent ;  A.  R.  Moulton,  financial  secretary ;  J. 
Rosen,  treasurer ;  J.  Richie,  sergeant-at-arms ; 
J.  Nuzzolo,  L.  Pirovano  and  J.  Gibbons,  execu- 
tive board  members. 


53 

Jewish  Charities 
Drive  Climaxed 
By  Luncheon 

More  than  $150,000  will  be  raised  by  the 
amusement  division  of  the  New  York  Federa- 
tion of  Jewish  Charities,  it  was  indicated  fol- 
lowing a  luncheon  on  Thursday,  January  7th, 
at  the  Hotel  Astor,  New  York,  which  climaxed 
the  1942  fund  raising  campaign.  The  guest  at 
the  luncheon  was  Jack  Benny,  and  more  than 
200  new  contributors  were  enrolled. 

The  drive  will  continue  until  the  end  of  the 
month,  at  which  time  the  total  raised  will  be 
disclosed. 

Chief  speaker  at  the  luncheon  was  Judge 
Joseph  Proskauer,  the  Federation's  former 
president,  who  called  for  increased  gifts  for 
war-time  emergencies,  and  to  mark  the  organ- 
ization's 25th  year.  David  Bernstein,  vice- 
president  of  Loew's,  and  amusement  division 
co-chairman,  observed  that  Federation  agencies 
gave  service  without  regard  to  sect.  Other 
speakers  were  Barney  Balaban,  president  of 
Paramount,  and  luncheon  chairman ;  Louis 
Nizer,  toastmaster,  and  Air.  Benny,  who  was 
honored  for  his  frequent  contributions,  not  only 
to  the  Federation  but  also  to  other  charities, 
and  to  the  war  effort. 

Adolph  Zukor,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
Paramount,  and  one  of  the  honored  guests,  ob- 
served his  70th  birthday  on  that  day,  and  re- 
ceived an  ovation.  Others  on  the  dais  were 
Malcolm  Kingsberg,  Harry  Brandt,  William 
Klein  Herman  Robbins,  Jules  Brulatour  and 
Carl  M.  Loeb,  Jr. 

Protest  Sunday  Films 
In  Princeton,  N.  J. 

The  decision  of  Governor  Charles  Edison  of 
New_  Jersey  to  waive  for  the  duration  the  law 
banning  operation  of  motion  picture  theatres 
in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  on  Sundays,  has  been  met 
by  a  strong  protest  on  the  part  of  church  lead- 
ers. Powers  granted  the  Governor  during  the 
war  emergency  permitted  him  to  request 
Princeton's  film  houses  be  operated  on  Sundays 
to  help  solve  the  recreation  problem  for  1,100 
service  men  stationed  at  the  naval  school  there. 

It  is  expected  that  those  opposing  Sunday 
films  will  attempt  to  work  out  some  plan 
whereby  the  service  men  can  be  entertained  in 
the  afternoon  without  involving  the  general 
public.  Captain  Ralph  C.  Parker,  commandant 
of  the  naval  school,  is  known  to  be  concerned 
only  with  the  problem  of  occupying  his  men 
on  Sunday  afternoons,  for  their  schedule  calls 
for  a  return  to  their  rooms  by  7:30  Sunday 
evening.  If  a  drive  is  launched  to  obtain  sig- 
natures to  place  on  a  petition  for  Governor 
Edison,  it  is  felt  that  a  number  of  the  residents 
will  sign.  What  stand  the  Mayor  and  City 
Council  take  officially  may  never  be  known 
since  they  have  no  jurisdiction  in  the  matter. 
However,  neither  the  Mayor  or  Council  have 
shown  any  disposition  to  persuade  the  Governor 
to  reverse  his  decision. 


"Power  of  God"  Released 

"The  Power  of  God,"  produced  by  Roland 
Reed,  is  being  released  by  the  Globe  Film  Com- 
pany of  Chicago.  The  picture,  given  wide  sup- 
port by  church  organizations,  had  its  world 
premiere  at  the  Grand  theatre,  Chicago,  and 
this  week  was  playing  at  the  Great  States  in 
that  city. 


Forbes  Named  Booker 

Douglas  Forbes  has  been  appointed  booker 
for  the  Hamrick-Evergreen  circuit  in  Seattle. 
He  succeeds  Don  Conden,  who  resigned  last 
week  to  enter  the  Merchant  Marine. 


54 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


// 


WHAT  THE 

PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


Columbia 


BLONDIE'S  BLESSED  EVENT:  Arthur  Lake. 
Penny  Singleton — This  was  a  spendid  program  for  the 
holidays.  They  can  hardly  wait  for  the  next  one. 
These  are  the  pictures  that  are  good  for  any  town. 
You  can't  go  wrong  on  "Blondie."  Flayed  Monday, 
Tuesday,  December  28,  29.— Mrs.  Carroll  Michael, 
Freeburn  Theatre,  Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and 
coal  mining  patronage. 

BOGIE  MAN  WILL  GET  YOU,  THE:  Boris  Kar- 
loff — Impossible  screw-ball  but  it  did  better  at  the 
gate  than  we  expected.  Why  should  I  kick  when  the 
patrons  didn't? — E.  C.  Arehart,  Strand  Theatre,  Mil- 
ford,  Iowa. 

BULLETS  FOR  BANDITS:  Tex  Ritter,  Bill  El- 
liott— This  picture  pulled  extra  business  for  me  as 
Tex  always  does,  and  they  were  not  so  disappointed, 
because  Tex  had  a  pretty  fair  part  in  this  one.  Am 
going  back  and  pick  up  some  old  Ritters  for  my  cus- 
tomers. Every  town  has  its  favorite,  and  ours  hap- 
pens to  be  Tex  Ritter.  My  customers  are  thinking  of 
getting  up  a  petition  for  him  to  appear  in  his  own 
pictures  by  himself.  Now  he's  with  Universal.  Still 
he's  with  J.  M.  Brown.  They  want  him  by  himself 
— so  more  power  to  them.  I  want  them  to  be  pleased. 
Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  1,  2. — Mrs.  Carroll 
Michael,  Freeburn  Theatre,  Freeburn,  Ky.  Small 
town  and  coal  mining  patronage. 

LADY  IS  WILLING,  THE:  Marlene  Dietrich,  Fred 
MacMurray — Dietrich    and   MacMurray    are   a  pood 

comedy  team.  Another  good  picture  in  the  middle 
price  bracket.  Business  good.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, December  20,  21.— J.  H.  Taylor,  Zap  Theatre, 
Zap,  N.  D.    Small  town  and  farming  patronage. 

LONE  STAR  VIGILANTES:  Tex  Ritter,  Bill  El- 
liott— The  peacable  man  and  Tex  got  along  very 
well  in  this  one,  that  is  after  they  got  together.  We 
don't  like  our  emotions  divided  between  them.  My 
customers  prefer  Tex  by  himself.  What's  the  matter 
with  the  film  companies  putting  Tex  in  with  someone 
else?  Give  him  a  break  and  he'll  top  Mr.  Rogers. 
Played  Friday,  Saturday,  November  20,  21. — Mrs. 
Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn  Theatre,  Freeburn,  Ky. 
Small  town  and  coal  mining  patronage. 

TALK  OF  THE  TOWN:  Ronald  Colman,  Cary 
Grant,  Jean  Arthur — This  show  was  liked  by  our 
fans  and  not  without  cause.  It's  O.  K.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday,  December  27,  28. — Rudolph  J.  Covi, 
Covi  Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa.  Small  town  and  rural 
patronage. 

TEXAS:  William  Holden,  Glen  Ford,  Claire  Trevor 
— This  is  a  swell  Western  all  the  way  through.  The 
audience  was  well  satisfied  and  said  so.  That's  the 
way  I  like  to  hear  them  talk.  Claire  Trevor  added  to 
this  picture.  Business  pretty  good.  Played  Friday. 
Saturday,  November  27,  28. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael, 
Freeburn  Theatre,  Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and 
coal  mining  patronage. 

YOU  WERE  NEVER  LOVELIER:  Fred  Astaire, 
Rita  Hayworth — This  was  the  first  Astaire  picture  that 
I  ever  enjoyed  and  not  from  the  financial  angle  either, 
as  business  was  just  average.  I  liked  it  and  I  will 
venture  to  say  that  those  who  saw  it  enjoyed  it  lots 
more  than  I.  It's  darn  good;  advertise  it  as  such  and 
you  won't  go  wrong.  A  credit  to  any  company  and  to 
the  theatre  that  _  plays  it. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis 
Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small  town 
patronage. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

BORN  TO  SING:  Virginia  Weidler— This  started 
out  to  be  good  entertainment  with  plenty  of  laughs  but 
some  bright  genius  spoiled  everything  by  inserting  the 
baritone  in  a  play  that  otherwise  would  have  been 
O.  K.  It  just  wouldn't  jell.  Played  Wednesday,  Thurs- 
day, December  9,  10.— A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Thea- 
tre, Scotia,  Cal.    Small  labor  town  patronage. 

COURTSHIP  OF  ANDY  HARDY:  Mickey  Rooney, 
Lewis  Stone — The  best  Hardy  yet.  Real  family  enter- 
tianment.  Everybody  happy.  Flayed  Thursday-Satur- 
day, December  24-26.— H.  B.  Narfason,  Foam  Lake 
Theatre,  Foam  Lake,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

CROSSROADS:  William  Powell,  Hedy  Lamarr— 
Not  a  small  town  production.  Too  much  dialogue 
and  no  action  or  music.  Parts  well  taken  by  these 
stars,  who  were  the  attraction,  not  the  story.  Pass  it 
up  in  a  small  situation.  Played  Saturday.  December 
26.— A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural 
and   small  town  patronage. 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product — providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


MARRIED  BACHELOR:  Ruth  Hussey,  Robert 
Young — The  title  brought  them  in  and  the  picture 

made  them  laugh  and  satisfied  most  of  them,  so  no 
regrets.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  November  26-28. 
— H.  B.  Narfason,  Foam  Lake  Theatre,  Foam  Lake, 
Sask.,  Can.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

MRS.  MINIVER:  Greer  Garson,  Walter  Pidgeon, 
Richard  Ney,  Teresa  Wright — Marvelous  is  the  name 
for  it.  Not  in  years  had  our  patrons  sat  without 
moving  until  the  very  end  of  the  picture  as  they  did 
in  this  one.  The  portrayals  are  grand  and  the  story 
should  bring  to  many  who  have  ridiculed  England  and 
the  part  she  has  played  in  this  war  something  of  the 
realization  of  what  she  has  endured.  Played  Sunday - 
Tuesday,  December  27-29. — Horn  &  Morgan,  Inc.,  Star 
Theatre,  Hay  Springs,  Nebr.    Small  town  patronage. 

NAZI  AGENT:  Conrad  Veidt — A  very  few  people 
thought  it  worth  while  to  see  this  picture  but  they 
witnessed  a  splendid  performance  by  a  fine  actor. 
Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  16,  17. — A. 
C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  Cal.  Small 
labor  town  patronage. 

RIO  RITA:  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello— Just  an- 
other picture;  box  office  poor,  comments  poor.  Played 
Thursday-Saturday,  November  5-7. — H.  B.  Narfason, 
Foam  Lake  Theatre,  Foam  Lake,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural 
and  small  town  patronage. 

SHIP  AHOY:  Red  Skelton,  Eleanor  Powell— Nothing 
sensational  but  no  complaints.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, December  13,  14. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Thea- 
tre, Scotia,  Cal.    Small  labor  town  patronage. 

TORTILLA  FLAT:  Spencer  Tracy,  Hedy  Lamarr, 
John  Garfield — This  type  of  picture  sure  does  the  stars 
no  good.  My  crowd  was  very  disappointed  and  so  was 
I.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  November  12-14. — H. 
B.  Narfason,  Foam  Lake  Theatre,  Foam  Lake,  Sask., 
Can.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

VANISHING  VIRGINIAN:  Kathryn  Grayson, 
Frank  Morgan — One  of  the  best  pictures  we  have 
played;  several  came  back  to  see  it  a  second  time 
and  the  comments  were  flattering.  Played  Thurs- 
day-Saturday, December  10-12. — H.  B.  Narfason,  Foam 
Lake  Theatre,  Foam  Lake,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and 
small  town  patronage. 


Paramount 


FLY  BY  NIGHT:  Nancy  Kelly,  Richard  Carlson— 
This  picture  did  nice  business  and  proved  very  en- 
tertaining.— Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilburv, 
Ont.,  Can. 

HENRY  ALDRICH,  EDITOR:  Jimmy  Lydon— This 
is  a  swell  comedy  for  small  town  shows.  It  out- 
drew  "Now,  Voyager"  and  "Tales  of  Manhattan" 
which  played  before  and  behind  it.  Running  time,  71 
minutes.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  December  25,  26. 
— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 
Small  town  patronage. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— A 
honey  of  a  picture  and  business  very  good.  Don't  know 
whether  or  not  to  blame  Crosby's  dreaming  of  a  white 
Christmas  but  it  has  snowed  ever  since  and  we  now 
have  so  much  of  the  "white"  stuff  that  roads  are 
blocked  and  business  is  snowed  under  till  spring 
comes  in  April.  Or  is  it  May  this  far  north? — B.  N. 
Johnson,  Roxy  Theatre,  Nipawin,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural 
patronage. 

MRS.  WIGGS  OF  THE  CABBAGE  PATCH:  Hugh 
Herbert,  Fay  Bainler — Good  entertaining  picture  which 
failed  to  draw  more  than  average  business.  Running 
time,  80  minutes.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  December 
20.  21.— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 

SHEPHERD  OF  THE  HILLS,  THE:  Betty  Field, 
John  Wayne,  Harry  Carey— I  think  this  must  have 
been  a  pretty  fair  picture  when  it  was  new  but  the 
print  we  got  had  all  the  story  clues  cut  out  so  the 


audience  was  left  puzzled  as  to  what  it  was  all  about. 
We  nursed  it  through  once  and  pulled  it.  Worst  film 
we  ever  had  in  our  booth.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday, 
December  28,  29.— W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre, 
Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small  town  patro- 
nage. 

THIS  GUN  FOR  HIRE:  Veronica  Lake,  Alan 
Ladd,  Robert  Preston — A  real  good  detective  picture 
that  did  nice  small  town  business.— Harland  Rankin, 
Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont.,  Can. 


Producers  Releasing  Corp. 

JUNGLE  MAN:  Buster  Crabbe— Good  picture  of 
its  type  with  plenty  of  wild  animals  and  thrills  for 
the  kids.  Did  extra  business  for  me  on  Friday,  Satur- 
day. Acting  and  direction  is  not  so  good.  Running 
time,  65  minutes.  Played  January  1,  2. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger, Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small  town 
patronage. 


RKO  Radio 


ALL  THAT  MONEY  CAN  BUY:  Anne  Shirley, 
Edward  Arnold — Definitely  not  a  small  town  picture; 
the  poorest  grosser  this  year.  Flayed  Thursday- 
Saturday,  December  3-5. — H.  B.  Narfason,  Foam  Lake 

Theatre,  Foam  Lake,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

GUNGA  DIN:  (Re-issue)  Gary  Grant,  Victor  Mc- 
Laglen — The  first  night  was  O.  K.,  but  everybody 
panned  it  and  made  it  their  business  to  see  that  we 
had  nobody  the  last  two  nights.  Played  Thursday- 
Saturday,  November  19-21. — H.  B.  Narfason,  Foam 
Lake  Theatre,  Foam  Lake,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and 
small  town  patronage. 

JOAN  OF  PARIS:  Paul  Henreid.  Michele  Morgan— 
—Fair  picture,  but  too  heavy  and  not  the  type  to 
please  at  these  times.  My  customers  want  something 
light  and  comical.  Played  Thursday -Saturday,  De- 
cember 17-19. — H.  B.  Narfason.  Foam  Lake  Theatre, 
Foam  Lake,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small  town  pat- 
ronage. 

it 

LOOK  WHO'S  LAUGHING:  Edgar  Bergen, 
Charlie  McCarthy,  Lucille  Ball— Well,  we  didn't  notice 
anyone  laughing.  The  picture  was  a  flop  in  our  i 
house.  I  can  smell  a  money  picture  miles  away  and 
when  this  came  along  my  organ  of  smell,  besides  being 
a  little  red  at  the  top,  suffered  no  other  agitation. 
Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  30,  31. — 
Rudolph  J.  Covi,  Covi  Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage. 

NAVY  COMES  THROUGH,  THE:  Pat  O'Brien. 
George  Murphy — This  is  the  kind  that  helps  pay  off 
my  second  mortgage.  A  whiz  of  a  title.  The  patrons 
won't  kick  and  it  brings  them  in.  gas  or  no  gas. — 
E.  C.  Arehart,  Strand  Theatre,  Milford.  Iowa. 


Republic 


BELT  S  OF  CAPISTRANO:  Gene  Autry— Autry  has 
a  strong  following  with  us  and  this  picture  brought 
many  favorable  comments. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre 
Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

BELLS  OF  CAPISTRANO:  Gene  Autry— One  of 
Gene's  best.  Business  tops.  Enough  said.  Played 
Friday.  Saturday,  January  1,  2. — A.  N.  Miles.  Emi- 
nence Theatre,  Eminence,  Ky.    Small  town  patronage. 

FLYING  TIGERS:  John  Wayne,  John  Carroll— 
This  did  alright  for  us  and  after  gasoline  rationing 
at  that.  I  have  always  made  money  with  Republic 
pictures.— E.  C.  Arehart,  Strand  Theatre.  Milford. 
Iowa. 

(Continued  on  opposite  page) 


January     16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


55 


(Continued  from  opposite  page) 

PITTSBURGH  KID,  THE:  Billy  Conn,  Jean  Parker 
— A  real  smart  action  picture  tnat  brougnt  a  lot  oi 
favorable  comment. — Mariana  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre, 
Chatham,  Unt.,  Can. 

STARDUST  ON  THE  SAGE:  Gene  Autry— Gene 
Autry  is  very  popular  with  our  farm  lads  and  is  a 
great  help  to  us  in  paying  our  Christmas  bills. — Har- 
land  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont.,  Can. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

FCOTLIGHT  SERENADE:  Betty  Grable,  Victor 
Mature,  Jonn  Payne — fairly  good  picture  but  by  no 
means  "A"  grade.  Poorest  business  for  some  tune 
and  nobody  seemed  enthusiastic. — B.  N.  Johnson,  Roxy 
Theatre,  i\ipawm,  bask.,  Can.    Rural  patronage. 

FOOTLIGHT  SERENADE:  Betty  Grable,  Victor 
Mature,  John  Payne — A  picture  that  no  one  raved 
about.  I  would  say  20th-Fox  overrated  this  picture 
considerably.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Uecember 
25,  26. — Rudolph  J.  Covi,  Covi  Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa. 
Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

GIRL  TROUBLE:  Don  Ameche,  Joan  Bennett- 
Nothing  to  get  excited  about.  Played  on  Bank  Night 
to  very  poor  business  and  feature  didn't  warrant  more. 
— A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn. 
Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

GREAT  GUNS:  Laurel  and  Hardy— Fair  slapstick 
comedy.  Good  for  a  few  laughs.  But  not  up  to  this 
pair's  standard.  Plaved  Friday,  Saturday,  January  1, 
2.— \V.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask., 
Can.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

ICELAND:  Sonja  Henie,  John  Payne — One  of 
Sonja  Henie's  best.  Should  do  very  good  business 
anywhere.  Ninety  per  cent  of  my  business  comes 
from  the  country  and  when  on  opening  day  some  of 
this  stuff  that  Bing  Crosby  has  been  dreaming  about 
for  the  last  several  months  started  to  come  down 
on  us  in  tons  it  left  us  with  town  business,  of  which 
there  was  none. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre, 
Paynesville,  Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

LOVES  OF  EDGAR  ALLEN  POE:  Linda  Darnell, 
John  Sheppard — Doubled  with  "Tarzan's  New  York 
Adventure"  as  bottom  half,  but  proved  to  be  extra 
well  received.  Production  was  wonderful.  John  Shep- 
pard perfect  as  young  Poe.  Running  time,  67  minutes. 
Played  Friday,"  Saturday,  December  18,  19. — J.  A. 
Weiss,  State  Theatre,  Harrah,  Okla.  Small  town  and 
rural  patronage. 

MAN  HUNT:  Walter  Pidgeon,  Joan  Bennett— Good 
story  and  very  well  cast.  A  fine  performance  with 
plenty  of  action.  It  drew  well  here.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  December  6,  7. — J.  H.  Taylor,  Zap  Theatre, 
Zap,  N.  D.    Small  town  and  farming  patronage. 

MAN  IN  THE  TRUNK:  Raymond  Walburn,  Lynne 
Roberts,  George  Holmes — Small  budget  picture  which 
got  by  on  Bargain  Night.  Just  a  filler.  Running  time, 
70  minutes.  Played  Tuesday,  December  22. — E.  M. 
Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 

MY  GAL  SAL:  Rita  Hayworth,  Victor  Mature— 
This  did  better  than  average  business  and  pleased 
everyone.  The  color  was  good  and  the  picture  never 
dragged  a  minute.  Miss  Hayworth  was  very  pleasing 
to  the  eye.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  December  27, 
28.— A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  Cal. 
Small  labor  town  patronage. 

PIED  PIPER,  THE:  Monty  Woolley,  Roddy  Mc- 
Dowall,  Anne  Baxter — This  made  a  very  fine  Christ- 
mas picture.  We  do  not  believe  many  would  have 
come  out  on  an  ordinary  Sunday  and  many  told  us 
they  did  not  care  to  see  these  old  time  pictures.  The 
title  is  misleading.  The  characterizations  of  Woolley 
and  young  McDowell  are  grand  and  the  story  is 
thrilling.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  December  25,  26. 
—Horn  &  Morgan,  Inc.,  Star  Theatre,  Hay  Springs, 
Nebr.    Small  town  patronage. 

RETURN  OF  FRANK  JAMES:  Henry  Fonda— 
Another  old  one  that  was  still  good  in  my  town.  Fonda 
is  liked  better  than  Power.  They  came  and  were 
pleased,  that's  what  counts.  Played  Friday,  Saturday, 
November  6,  7. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn 
Theatre,  Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and  coal  mining 
patronage. 

SHOOTING  HIGH:  Gene  Autry,  Jane  Withers— 
Autry  is  out  here,  but  Jane  pulled  a  few.  A  very 
good  picture  of  a  high  class  type  Western.  Autry 
crooning  a  little  with  no  fighting.  He  has  never  done 
me  any  good — am  sure  he  can  do  lots  for  our  country 
in  the  Army.  Played  Sunday.  Monday,  November  15, 
16. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael.  Freeburn  Theatre,  Freeburn, 
Ky-    Small  town  and  coal  mining  patronage. 

SONG  OF  THE  ISLANDS:  Betty  Grable,  Victure 
Mature.  Jack  Oakie — This  is  the  kind  of  entertainment 
America  wants.  There  is  not  a  dull  minute.  Chalk 
this  one  up  for  all  types  of  show  patrons.  Betty 
is  a  swell  eyeful  and  she  can  dance  and  sing  also. 
Technicolor  very  good.  Did  good  business  in  a  snow- 
storm. Plaved  Saturdav.  Sunday.  December  12.  13. — 
J.  H.  Taylor.  Zap  Theatre,  Zap,  N.  D.  Small  town 
and  farming  patronage. 

SWANEE  RIVER:  Al  Jolson,  Don  Ameche— This 
was  a  swell  musical.  The  color  was,  as  usual,  good. 
The  story  was  interesting  as  the  memory  of  Stephen 


Foster  will  live  on  everywhere.  Wish  we  had  more 
like  tnis  even  if  it  was  old.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday, 
November  1,  2. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn  Thea- 
tre, Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and  coal  mining 
patronage. 

TALES  OF  MANHATTAN:  Ginger  Rogers,  Henry 
Fonda — Business  was  below  average.  Rental  was  too 
high  and  I  got  hurt  on  this  one.  Running  time,  118 
minutes.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  December  27,  28. 
— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 

THUNDER  BIRDS:  Gene  Tierney,  Preston  Foster. 
Wondenul  Technicolor.  Well  produced,  and  drew  an 
exceptionally  large  attendance  with  everyone  going 
away  pleased.  Running  time,  78  minutes.  Played 
Tnursday-Saturday,  December  24-26. — J.  A.  Weiss, 
State  Theatre,  Harrah,  Okla.  Small  town  and  rural 
patronage. 

WEEKEND  IN  HAVANA:  Carmen  Miranda,  John 
Payne,  Alice  Faye — Just  mediocre.  Nice  color  and 
some  good  music.  Played  late  and  got  a  bad  print. 
Business  average.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  Decem- 
ber 21,  22.— W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rock- 
glen, Sask.,  Can.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

WESTERN  UNION:  Randolph  Scott— This  was 
another  old  one  that  pulled  them  here.  It  was  still  a 
good  print  and  pleased  100  per  cent.  The  struggle  the 
wireless  had  getting  through  with  the  Indians  was 
the  gist  of  the  story.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  De- 
cember 11,  12. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn  Thea- 
tre, Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and  coal  mining  pat- 
ronage. 


United  Artists 

CORSICAN  BROTHERS:  Douglas  Fairbanks,  Jr., 
Ruth  Warwick,  Akim  Tamiroff — i'oung  Doug  Fair- 
banks' treatment  of  the  dual  role  of  the  avenging 
twins  is  a  good  double  feature  in  itself.  Each  twin  is 
a  dashing,  romantic  and  heroic  type,  and  he  plays 
both  parts  in  the  vivacious  tradition  so  ably  laid 
down  by  Doug,  Sr.  This  adaptation  of  the  famous 
Dumas  story  is  full  of  action  from  start  to  finish  and 
was  very  much  enjoyed  by  the  men  here.  Ruth 
Warwick  is  beautiful  as  the  lovely  Isabelle,  Akim 
Tamiroff  skillfully  blends  comedy  in  his  role  of  the 
villainous  Callona.  J.  Carrol  Naish  brings  life  to  the 
faithful  Lorenzo,  and  H.  B.  Warner's  fine,  restrained 
treatment  of  the  role  of  Dr.  Paoli  helps  lend  credi- 
bility to  a  plot  which  depends  upon  the  incredible 
situation  of  a  successful  surgery  applied  to  twins 
joined  together  at  birth.  This  picture  is  a  delightful 
throwback  to  the  days  of  the  silent  screen  when 
moving  pictures  really  "moved."  Played  Saturday, 
December  12. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of  Education 
and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton. 
N.  J.    Prison  patronage. 

JACARE:  Animal  feature — Very  poorly  done  and  not 
much  to  look  at.  We  fared  well  at  the  box  office  but 
played  it  one  day  only.  Would  suggest  you  do  the 
same  if  possible.  Has  a  few  high  spots  but  as  a  whole 
it's  about  the  poorest  of  the  wild  animal  features 
we've  shown.— A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre, 
Paynesville,  Minn. 

NEW  WINE:  Fiona  Massey,  Alan  Curtis.  Binnie 
Barnes — The  best  commentary  on  this  picture  is  the 


fact  that  many  of  the  men  were  disappointed  that 
i'ranz  Schubert  died  at  such  a  young  age.  This 
implies,  of  course,  that  they  were  enjoying  tne  picture 
so  much  that  it  ended,  with  Schubert's  death,  all  too 
soon.  This  screen  treatment  of  the  life  oi  Schubert 
(Alan  Curtis;  is  a  clever  one,  weaving,  as  it  does, 
the  various  incidents  of  his  life  with  bis  beautiful 
musical  compositions.  The  part  of  Anna,  whom  he 
meets  in  Hungary  and  with  whom  he  falls  in  love,  is 
very  able  portrayed  by  Ilona  Massey.  She  lends  her 
voice  beautifully  to  several  of  his  songs.  A  bit  of 
comedy  relief  is  given  by  Binnie  Barnes,  who  plays 
the  role  of  a  silly  countess.  From  every  viewpoint — 
plot,  acting,  comedy  and  music — this  production  is 
commendable.  Played  Saturday,  December  5. — J.  A 
Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and  Recreation,  New 
Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J.    Prison  patronage. 

UNDERCOVER  MAN :  Bill  Boyd— Without  a 
doubt  the  poorest  Hopalong  we  have  ever  shown. 
Was  practically  devoid  of  action  and  very  dark 
photography  blacked  out  what  there  was  of  it.  We 
want  'em  rough  and  tough  and  light  enough  to  see. — 
A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn. 
Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 


Universal 

BEHIND  THE  EIGHT  BALL:  Ritz  Brothers- 
Seemed  to  give  the  kids  a  lot  of  laughs  but  the 
adults  reacted  differently.  Had  no  draw  and  the  second 
night  was  the  poorest. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Thea- 
tre, Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small  town  pat- 
ronage. 

BETWEEN  US  GIRLS:  Diana  Barrymore,  Robert 
Cummings — We  feel  like  shouting  about  Diana  Barry - 
more's  performance  in  this  picture.  It  is  perfectly 
marvelous  from  her  Queen  Victoria  to  a  12-year-old 
kid.  And  our  audience  liked  it,  too.  Business  good. 
Running  time,  87  minutes.  Played  Sunday,  Monday, 
January  3,  4. — A.  N.  Miles,  Eminence  Theatre, 
Eminence,  Ky.    Small  town  patronage. 

EAGLE  SQUADRON:  Diana  Barrymore,  Robert 
Stack — Well  liked  and  much  talked  about.  Snow 
killed  it  for  us  though  and  so  we  just  took  in  film 
rental. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville, 
Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

EAGLE  SQUADRON:  Robert  Stack,  Diana  Barry  - 
more — An  outstanding  airplane  picture  that  did  nice 
pre-Christmas  business. — Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Thea- 
tre, Tilbury,  Ont.,  Can. 

EAGLE  SQUADRON:  Robert  Stack,  Diana  Barry- 
more— A  lot  of  zooming  in  the  air.  A  just  so-so 
picture  with  a  propaganda  slant.  War  pictures  are 
dying.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  December  14,  15. — 
Rudolph  J.  Covi,  Covi  Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage. 

GHOST  OF  FRANKENSTEIN:  Lon  Chaney,  Bela 

Lugosi — Picked  this  one  to  open  my  serial  "Sea 
Raiders."  Think  they  have  started  me  on  the  upward 
trend.  These  Frankensteins  were  all  good  for  my  box 
office.  More  power  to  them.  Chaney  does  a  grand 
job  as  the  monster.  Played  Friday,  Saturday.  De- 
cember 18,  19. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael.  Freeburn  Thea- 
tre, Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and  coal  mining  pat- 
ronage. 

(Continued  on  following  page) 


TELEGRAMS 


are  feature  lengtk  stories  n? 


ESJtRN  UNION 


56 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

IT  STARTED  WITH  EVE:  Charles  Laughton. 
Deanna  Durbin,  Robert  Cummings — One  of  the  best. 
Will  please  any  audience  Play  it.  Played  Friday, 
December  25. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rock- 
glen,  Sask.,  Can.     Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

JAIL  HOUSE  BLUES:  Nat  Pendleton— Very 
mediocre  program  picture.  We  double  billed  this 
with  Gene  Autry  for  nice  holiday  business. — Harland 
Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

JUKE  BOX  JENNY:  Ken  Murray,  Harriet  Hil- 
liard — Very  good  little  musical  show  which  pleased 
on  New  Year's  Eve  preview.  Running  time,  60  min- 
utes. Played  Thursday,  December  31. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 

KEEP  'EM  FLYING:  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Cos- 
tello — This  was  a  swell  Christmas  show  for  me.  They 
pulled  the  business  as  usual.  Everyone  had  fun 
and  told  me  so.  The  scenes  were  swell.  My  cus- 
tomers get  a  kick  out  of  the  planes  and  anything  to 
do  with  the  war.  Played  Friday.  Saturday,  Decem- 
ber 25,  26. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn  Theatre, 
Freeburn,  Ky.    Small  town  and  coal  mining  patronage. 

KID  FROM  KANSAS:  Dick  Foran,  Andy  Devine, 
Leo  Carillo — Thought  this  would  be  a  western,  al- 
though for  your  information  it's  a  tropical  picture 
about  bananas.  Not  very  appropriate  at  the  present 
as  there  are  no  such  things  any  more,  but  it  pleased 
those  that  came.  Played  Friday,  Saturday.  November 
13,  14. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn  Theatre,  Free- 
burn, Ky.    Small  town  and  coal  mining  patronage. 

MOONLIGHT  IN  HAWAII:  Mischa  Auer,  Johnny 
Downs,  Jane  Frazee — Fair  musical  with  good  comedy. 
They  liked  it.  This  Frazee  girl  is  coming  up.  Busi- 
ness was  not  so  good.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  No- 
vember 22.  23.— Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Freeburn  Thea- 
tre, Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and  coal  mining 
patronage. 

NEVER  GIVE  A  SUCKER  AN  EVEN  BREAK:  W. 

C.  Fields,  Gloria  Jean — The  man  with  the  big  red  nose 
still  gets  them  here.  The  story  was  good  but  hard 
for  some  of  my  customers  to  understand.  Business 
fair.  We  have  been  in  a  slump,  which  I  guess  was 
pre-Christmas,  although  everyone  was  trying  to  get 
all  his  trips  over  before  rationing.  Played  Sunday. 
Monday,  November  8,  9. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael,  Free- 
burn Theatre,  Freeburn,  Ky.  Small  town  and  coal 
mining  patronage. 

.  PRIVATE  BUCKAROO:  Andrews  Sisters— For  those 
who  love  Harry  James  and  have  a  musical  following 
you  can't  beat  this. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre, 
Chatham,  Ont.,  Can. 

ROAD  AGENT:  Dick  Foran.  Andy  Devine,  Leo 
Carillo — This  you  would  think  a  detective  yarn,  but 
you're  wrong.  It's  a  good  little  action  Western 
week  end  show,  which  kept  them  interested  until 
the  last  shot  was  fired.  That's  enough.  Flayed  Fri- 
day, Saturday,  December  4,  5. — Mrs.  Carroll  Michael. 
Freeburn  Theatre,  Freeburn.  Ky.  Small  town  and 
coal  mining  patronage. 

WHO  DONE  IT?    Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello— 

Picture  was  not  up  to  previous  efforts,  but  was  well 
liked  and  did  above  average  business.  Running  time, 
75  minutes.  Played  Sundav-Tuesday,  December  13- 
15— J.  A.  Weiss,  State  Theatre,  Harrah,  Okla.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage. 

WOLF  MAN :  Lon  Chaney,  Jr.— A  good  chiller  but 
not  up  to  some  horror  shows.  Did  good  business  with 
everybody  satisfied.  Plaved  Wednesday,  Thursdav, 
December  2,  3— J.  H.  Taylor.  Zap  Theatre,  Zap,  N.  D. 
Small  town  and  farming  patronage. 


Warner  Bros. 

ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC:  Humphrey  Bogart,  Mary 
Astor — Very  good  and  in  my  opinion  more  interesting 
than  "The  Maltese  Falcon."  Well  liked  and  business 
good.  Thanks,  Humphrey.  You  have  never  missed  yet 
in  this  spot. — B.  N.  Johnson,  Roxy  Theatre,  Nipawin, 
Sask.,  Can. 

ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC:  Humphrey  Bogart,  Mary 
Astor — Holds  interest  from  start  to  finish.  Supporting 
cast  extra  good — drew  well.  Running  time,  97  minutes. 
Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  30,  31. — 
A.  N.  Miles,  Eminence  Theatre,  Eminence,  Ky.  Small 
town  patronage. 

ALWAYS  IN  MY  HEART:  Kay  Francis,  Walter 
Huston,  Gloria  Warren — Very  nice  little  picture  which 
built  up  each  day  and  many  have  expressed  regrets 
at  missing  it. — B.  N.  Johnson,  Roxy  Theatre,  Nipawin, 
Sask.,  Can.  Rural  patronage. 

ALWAYS  IN  MY  HEART:  Kay  Francis,  Walter 
Huston — Very  fine  program  feature.  The  singing  of 
Gloria  Warren  and  the  comedy  of  the  Harmonica 
Band  certainly  raised  an  otherwise  mediocre  story  into 
an  "A"  production.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
December  23,  24.— Horn  &  Morgan,  Inc.,  Star  Theatre, 
Hay  Springs,  Nebr.  Small  town  patronage. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Errol  Flynn,  Ronald 
Reagan — The  express  company  let  me  down  and  I  had 
a  dark  house  the  first  night.  Business  was  good  the 
second  night.  It  is  a  good  picture.  Running  time,  107 
minutes.  Played_  Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  30, 
31. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla.  Small  town  patronage. 


GAY  SISTERS:  Barbara  Stanwyck,  George  Brent— 
Too  close  to  Christmas  for  any  business.  The  picture 
was  good.  Miss  Stanwyck  really  bore  down.  The  dra- 
matic scenes  involving  the  English  sister  did  more 
to  spoil  the  picture  than  strengthen  it.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  December  20,  21.— A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema 
Theatre,  Scotia,  Cal.  Small  labor  town  patronage. 

IN  THIS  OUR  LIFE:  Bette  Davis,  Olivia  de  Havil- 
land,  George  Brent,  Dennis  Morgan — Picture  well  re- 
ceived and  business  up  to  standard. — B.  N.  Johnson, 
Roxy  Theatre,  Nipawin,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  patronage. 

NOW,  VOYAGER:  Bette  Davis,  Paul  Henreid— The 
women  liked  it  but  the  men  stayed  away.  Business 
was  poor.  Bette  Davis  is  no  draw  in  a  small  town. 
Running  time,  117  minutes.  Played  Wednesday,  Thurs- 
day, December  23  ,  24. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 

NOW,  VOYAGER:  Bette  Davis,  Paul  Henreid— 
Each  Bette  Davis  seems  better  than  the  last  to  the 
people  who  like  her.  Bad  weather  and  gas  rationing 
hurt  this  one  at  the  box  office,  but  it  is  one  of  her 
best.  Running  time.  115  minutes.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, December  13.  14. — A.  N.  Miles.  Eminence  Theatre, 
Eminence,  Ky.  Small  town  patronage. 

SPY  SHIP:  Craig  Stevens,  Irene  Manning— Just  a 
little  program  picture  which  got  by  on  Bargain  Night. 
Running  time,  61  minutes.  Played  Tuesday,  December 
29. — E.  M.  Freiburger.  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla.  Small  town  patronage. 

YOU  CAN'T  ESCAPE  FOREVER:  George  Brent, 
Brenda  Marshall — A  fair  programmer  at  a  Bank 
Night  picture  price.  It's  been  done  87  times  before 
that  I  can  remember. — E.  C.  Arehart,  Strand  Theatre, 
Milford,  Iowa. 


Short  Features 
Columbia 

GROOMED  AND  BORED:  Very  good.  They  all 
roared.  Columbia  comedies  are  tops. — J.  H.  Taylor, 
Zap  Theatre,  Zap.  N.  D. 

LOCO  BOY  MAKES  GOOD:  All  Star  Comedies— 
The  Three  Stooges  are  at  their  zaniest  best  in  this 
short  comedy.  There  are  some  hilarious  situations  and 
a  surprising  number  of  laughs  in  this  picture. — J.  A. 
Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and  Recreation,  New 
Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

SPARE  TIME  IN  THE  ARMY:  Another  very  good 
short,  don't  miss  it.  Has  a  very  fine  appeal  at  the  end. 
—J.  H.  Taylor,  Zap  Theatre,  Zap,  N.  D. 

WRESTLING  OCTOPUS:  The  wrestling  in  this  pic- 
ture contains  all  the  familiar  elements.  A  "masked 
marvel,"  fouling  tactics,  many  hard  falls,  many  grunts 
and  a  great  deal  of  "excruciating  agony"  are  all  de- 
picted before  the  final  fall. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of 
Education  and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison, 
Trenton,  N.  J. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

ROVER'S  BIG  CHANCE:  Our  Gang  Comedies— One 
of  the  poorest.    Nothing  to  this  one.    These  comedies 

getting  monotonous. — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre, 
Sask.,  Can. 

WHAT  ABOUT  DADDY:  Pete  Smith  Special- 
Amusing  short  on  married  bliss. — A.  L.  Dove,  Ben- 
gough Theatre,  Sask.,  Can. 


Paramount 

FIGHTING  SPIRIT,  THE:  Entertaining  reel,  show- 
ing our  boys  in  training. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

JASPER  AND  THE  CHOO  CHOO:  Madcap  Models 
— Another  good  comedy  by  George  Pal  and  his  pup- 
pets. In  color. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 

A  HULL  OF  A  MESS:  Popeye  the  Sailor— One  o<f 
the  better  Popeyes,  in  which  Popeye  and  Pluto  com- 
pete as  battleship  builders. — J.  A.  Weiss,  State  Thea- 
tre, Harrah,  Okla. 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  NO'.  2— Good  reel  in  color. 
— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

PRICE  OF  VICTORY,  THE:  Victory  Shorts— A 
13-minute  speech  by  Vice-President  Wallace.  Enter- 
taining to  some,  boring  to  others. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

SPEAKING  OF  ANIMALS  AND  THEIR  FAMI- 
LIES: Speaking  of  Animals  No.  1 — Good  comedy  which 
pleased. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 

RKO 

DISNEY'S  CARTOONS— Sure  fire  with  airport 
audiences;  they  even  yell  for  encores. — W.  B.  Pyle, 
Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can. 

GOOFY'S  GLIDER:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons— Good 
color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 


JUNGLE  JAUNT:  Sportscope — Very  good  jungle 
reel. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla. 

LA  CUCARACHA — Very  good  of  our  southern 
neighbor.  Technicolor  good. — J.  H.  Taylor,  Zap  Thea- 
tre, Zap,  N.  D. 

MR.  MOUSE  TAKES  A  TRIP:  Walt  Disney  Car- 
toons— Good  Disney  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

WINDOW  CLEANERS:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons- 
Good  color  cartoon  by  Disney. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


Republic 

MEET  THE  STARS— Very  good.  About  the  best 
out.— J.  H.  Taylor,  Zap  Theatre,  Zap,  N.  D. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

F.  B.  I.  FRONT,  THE:  March  of  Time— Excellent 
subject. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen, 
Sask.,  Can. 

FIGHTING  FRENCH,  THE:  March  of  Time— Ex- 
cellent subject. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre, 
Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can. 

LIFE  OF  A  THOROUGHBRED:  Sports  Reviews- 
Fine  reel  on  racehorses. — W.  B.  Pyle,  Dreamland 
Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask.,  Can. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  AMERICA:  March  of  Time— Aver- 
age and  timely  March  of  Time. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

PRELUDE  TO  VICTORY:  March  of  Time— One  of 
the  best.  Several  people  commented  on  it. — A.  N.  Miles, 
Eminence  Theatre,  Eminence,  Ky. 

STEELHEAD  FIGHTERS:  Sports  Reviews— Good 
sport  reel. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 


United  Artists 

MASK  OF  NIPPON:  World  in  Action— A  very  in- 
teresitng  short  revealing  the  long  stride  forward 
Japan  has  made  in  less  than  100  years. — Rudolph  J. 
Covi,  Covi  Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa. 


Universal 

RHUMBA  RHYTHM:  Musicals— Good  two-reel  mu- 
sical show. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla, 

WINTER  SERENADE:  Gloria  Jean— If  you  haven^t 
played  this  last  year's  musical  be  sure  you  pick  it 
up  for  your  class  night.  Our  Sunday  crowd  liked  it 
very  much. — A.  N.  Miles,  Eminence  Theatre,  Eminence, 
Ky. 


Vitaphone 

CASE  OF  THE  MISSING  HEIR:  Merrie  Melodies 
Cartoons — Good  color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

DING  DOG  DADDY:  Merrie  Melodies  Cartoons- 
Good  color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

EMIL  COLEMAN  AND  ORCHESTRA:  Melody 
Masters  Bands — This  musical  potpourri  will  add  10 
minutes  of  good  entertainment  to  any  show. — J.  A. 
Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and  Recreation,  New 
Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

GLEN  GRAY  AND  BAND:  Melody  Masters  Bands 
— Not  worth  running  and  I  had  to  pick  it  to  play  with 
a  Bette  Davis  picture.  I  was  ashamed  of  it. — A.  N. 
Miles,  Eminence  Theatre,  Eminence,  Ky. 

RICHARD  HIMBER  AND  ORCHESTRA:  Melody 
Masters  Bands — Good. — A.  N.  Miles,  Eminence  Thea- 
tre, Eminence,  Ky. 


Serial 
Universal 

SEA  RAIDERS:  Dead  End  Kids— This  one  now  on 
third  chapter,  and  going  strong.  They  like  it  and  keep 
coming  back.  It  is  a  good  serial,  with  never  a  dull 
moment. — A.  N.  Miles,  Eminence  Theatre,  Eminence, 
Ky. 


Francis  Harley  in  U.  S. 

Francis  L.  Harley,  British  managing  director 
for  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  is  in  New  York 
for  conferences  with  home  office  executives.  He 
plans  to  remain  for  several  weeks  before  re- 
turning to  London. 


January     16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


MANAGERS* 

ROUND  TABLE 


zAn  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  weekly 
in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 

GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


BOB  WILE,  Editor 


OP 


Selling  the  Industry 

Showmen  all  over  are  doing  their  utmost  to  acquaint  the 
public  with  what  the  motion  picture  industry  is  doing  to  aid 
the  war  effort.  One  of  the  best  statements  to  this  effect  was 
a  recent  editorial  by  Paul  Hunter,  in  Liberty  Magazine,  entitled 
"Movies  in  War  Time",  in  which  the  role  of  the  industry  was 
recited  in  detail. 

To  make  sure  that  its  thousands  of  patrons  should  be  made 
aware  of  this,  the  Indiana-Illinois  Circuit  headed  by  Alex  Manta 
and  Jack  Rose  enlarged  the  page  containing  this  editorial  to 
forty  by  sixty  size  and  placed  one  in  the  most  prominent  spot 
of  each  of  the  26  theatres  in  the  chain.  "We  think  this  is  one 
of  the  best  editorials  ever  written  in  behalf  of  the  motion 
picture  industry,"  they  said. 

A  Long  Way  From  Home 

Marlowe  Conner,  manager  of  the  Capitol  theatre,  Madison, 
Wis.,  is  so  interested  in  art  that  he  paints  in  his  spare  time. 
John  Curry,  artist  in  residence  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
in  his  spare  time  attends  the  theatre.  But  the  two  had  never 
met.  Recently  Conner  won  a  prize  in  a  Warner  theatre  con- 
test and  came  to  New  York  to  receive  it.  Curry  won  a  prize 
in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art's  "Artists  for  Victory" 
contest  and  he  came  to  New  York  to  receive  his  prize. 

Both  happened  to  stay  at  the  Hotel  Gotham  and  there  they 
met,  more  than  a  thousand  miles  from  home.  The  Madison 
newspaper  duly  recorded  the  event. 

*         *  * 

Praise  on  Returning 

Frequently,  when  a  theatre  manager  leaves  a  city  where  he 
has  been  located  for  some  time,  he  is  honored  by  a  valedictory 
in  the  newspaper  which  few  men  rate  even  as  an  obituary. 

George  Cronin,  who  recently  returned  to  the  Empire  theatre, 
Providence,  after  an  absence  of  a  year,  was  fortunate  enough 
to  receive  a  fine  welcome  on  the  occasion  of  his  resumption 
of  the  managerial  reins.  Not  only  was  he  fortunate  but  he 
must  also  have  earned  the  encomiums  and  accolades  which  he 
was  accorded.  So,  to  George  go  the  congratulations  of  the 
Round  Table  on  his  achievements, 

Incidentally,  George  has  been  quite  busy  putting  over  the 


Empire  and  the  Playhouse,  which  he  is  also  handling  and,  just 
as  a  side  issue  so  to  speak,  selling  War  Bonds.  He  has  set  a 
mark  of  $10,135  at  one  show  in  the  morning.  Still  another  of 
George's  activities  has  been  working  with  the  local  War  Activ- 
ities Committee  supplying  local  women  with  Stamps;  as  a 
result,  they  have  gone  out  of  their  way  covering  boxing, 
wrestling  and  hockey  matches,  club  meetings,  dinners  and 
luncheons.  In  two  months  George  sold  $73,660  in  Bonds  and 
Stamps  by  these  methods. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  Providence  is  glad  to  have  him  back? 

*  *  * 

On  Telephone  Answering 

"I  was  very  much  interested  in  your  article  on  'Telephone 
Personality',"  writes  Charlie  L.  Querrie,  manager  of  the  Palace 
theatre,  Toronto. 

"At  the  Palace,"  he  says,  "we  always  say  'Good  afternoon' 
and  'Good  evening'  before  saying  'Palace.'  On  Christmas  and 
New  Year's  Day  we  answered  the  phone  with  'A  Merry 
Christmas,  Palace  Theatre'  or  'A  Happy' New  Year,  Palace 
theatre.'  If  a  patron  has  a  kick  coming  he  will  hardly  stress  the 
point  when  you  hit  him  with  these  greetings.  Usually  they  laugh 
and  say,  'The  same  to  you'." 

*  *  * 

Last  Quarter  Awards 

In  this  issue  are  the  results  of  the  Quigley  Awards  judging 
for  the  last  Quarter  of  1942.  As  usual  the  Grand  Awards 
judging  will  be  held  at  a  later  date.  Meanwhile  the  1943 
Awards  contest  has  started  and  entries  are  beginning  to  arrive. 

The  simple  requirements  for  the  Quigley  Awards  were 
printed  in  last  week's  issue.  Summed  up  they  can  be  simply 
stated  as,  "Do  it  and  tell  us  about  it — and  often." 

One  Award  winner  last  year  when  expressing  his  delight  at 
having  won  said,  "There  are  some  pretty  good  showmen  in  this 
business  and  I  knew  the  competition  would  be  keen.  I'm  in  a 
neighborhood  where  I  can't  get  any  newspaper  publicity; 
we  change  our  shows  three  times  a  week  and  we're  last  run 
besides." 

Those  are  just  the  reasons  he  won  his  Award.  He  overcame 
the  difficulties  of  his  situation. 
Let's  hear  from  you,  too. 

—BOB  WILE 


58 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


FIRST  1943  FORTNICHTERS 

The  showmen  (and  women)  listed  below  are  the  first  to  have  sent  material  to  the 
Round  Table  for  inclusion  in  the  1943  Quigley  Awards.  Anyone  not  appearing  on 
this  list  will  still  be  eligible  for  First  Quarter  Awards  if  they  enter  promotions  or  cam- 
paigns in  sufficient  number  before  April  I. 


H.  A.  BISHOP  S.  G.  GILLESPIE 

Capitol,  Winnipeg,  Man.,  Canada    Elgin,  Ottawa,  Ont.,  Canada 


LEW  BREYER 

Strand,  Holyoke,  Mass. 

LOU  COHEN 

Poli,  Hartford,  Conn. 

MARLOWE  CONNER 
Capitol,  Madison,  Wis. 

RALPH  CRAIG 

Manos,  Hollidaysburg,  Pa. 

ED  ENKE 

Hempstead,  Hempstead,  L.  I. 

ED  FITZPATRICK 
Poli,  Waterbury,  Conn. 

JACK  FRETWELL 
Visulite,  Staunton,  Va. 


HERB  GRAEFE 
Wisconsin  Rapids  Theatres 
Wisconsin  Rapids,  Wis. 

MILT  HARRIS 
Drive-ln,  Miami,  Fla. 

SID  HOLLAND 
Palace,  Akron,  O. 

JAMES  KING 

Keith  Memorial,  Boston,  Mass. 

HERTA  LAUBE 
Manhasset,  Manhasset,  L.  I. 

ED  MAY 

Russell,  Maysville,  Ky. 


RITA  MORTON 

RKO  Albee,  Providence,  R.  I. 

JED  PROUTY 
Colonial,  Belfast,  Me. 

JIMMY  REDMOND 
Rivoli,  Falls  City,  Neb. 

boyd  scon 

Grand,  Holdenville,  Okla. 

CHUCK  SHANNON 
Cambria,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

HARRY  STEARN 

KEN  CARTER 

Manring,  Middlesboro,  Ky. 

CHARLES  B.  TAYLOR 
Buffalo,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


Redmond  Reports  On 
Christmas  Campaign 

One  month  before  Christmas,  Jimmy 
Redmond  at  the  Rivoli  theatre,  in  Falls 
City,  Neb.,  went  to  twenty-five  of  the  lead- 
ing merchants  in  the  city  with  a  publicity 
stunt  to  increase  their  business  for  the 
Christmas  season,  as  well  as  the  theatre's. 
With  every  purchase  made  at  any  one  of 
the  cooperating  stores,  the  customer  re- 
ceived a  coupon.  Three  hundred  dollars 
in  cash  was  given  away  at  the  theatre  in 
connection  with  the  tieup.  Each  week,  these 
coupons  were  given  out  and  advertised  the 
theatre's  attractions  and  thousands  were 
handed  out  to  different  families  throughout 
the  entire  trade  area.  The  merchants  paid 
for  the  coupons,  the  advertising  and  fur- 
nished the  giveaway  money,  in  exchange 
they  received  trade  territory  wide  publicity 
and  advertising,  a  trailer  on  the  screen  for 
the  four-week  period. 

Lige  Brien  Stages  Second 
Drive  to  Collect  Scrap 

Not  content  with  winning  a  citation  from 
Donald  Nelson  for  his  scrap  campaign  at  the 
Kenyon  theatre,  Pittsburgh,  Lige  Brien, 
manager,  has  put  on  a  second  campaign,  this 
time  in  cooperation  with  the  local  Fire  De- 
partment and  the  Pittsburgh  Press. 

The  local  Fire  Department  was  having  a 
scrap  drive  of  its  own  but  because  of  the 


DALY  folded  TICKETS 

Write  for  Price  Lists  and  Samples,  Today 

100,000  — $18.50 
UNION  MA0E  — LOW  PRICES 
DALY  TICKET  CO.,  Collinsville,  I1L 
SINCE  1911  FROM  "COAST  TO  COAST" 


gasoline  shortage,  was  having  a  hard  time 
obtaining  trucks  to  haul  it  away.  So  Lige 
arranged  with  the  fire  chiefs  to  have  the 
kids  in  his  neighborhood  collect  the  scrap 
and  for  their  part  in  helping  the  firemen,  he 
would  give  them  a  free  show  at  the  Kenyon. 

The  Pittsburgh  Press  had  a  group  of  kids 
interested  in  the  Seek  Hawkins  Club  known 
as  the  Press  American  Rangers  and  Ranger- 
ettes.  So  it  was  easy  to  obtain  newspaper 
publicity  for  these  kids'  activities.  Lige  ob- 
tained it  aplenty  and  where  it  counted,  too — 
he  had  four  scene  mats  on  the  comic  page  on 
four  successive  days. 

The  kids  collected  12  tons  of  scrap,  all  of 
which  was  turned  over  to  the  local  fire  de- 
partment. 

Wernli  Distributes 
Gag  Ration  Card 

As  a  gag  teaser  slant  ahead  of  "George 
Washington  Slept  Here,"  Don  Wernli  at  the 
Palace  theatre,  in  Alton,  Iowa,  distributed 
small  pay  envelopes  with  copy  on  the  outside 
reading:  "Here  is  your  Ration  Card  for  the 
week  of  December  20th  to  26th."  On  the 
inside  printed  in  red  on  light  green  stock 
was  copy:  "Laff  Ration  Card.  Your  quota 
this  week.  Only  1,000  laffs  to  a  customer. 
Full  quota  may  be  obtained  by  attending  the 
Palace  theatre  to  see."  This  was  followed 
by  the  week's  program  together  with  cost 
and  playdates. 


Kleper's  Break  on  Sports  Page 

Since  Maxie  Rosenbloom  has  a  sizeable 
part  in  "The  Yanks  Are  Coming,"  Sid  Kle- 
per  at  the  Poli  Bijou,  in  New  Haven,  land- 
ed a  neat  break  in  one  of  the  dailies'  sports 
column  reading  to  the  effect  that  the  former 
light  heavyweight  boxing  champion  ap- 
peared in  his  best  movie  role  to  date  in  the 
picture  appearing  at  the  Bijou. 


Janot  Plays  Up 
'Mrs. 
Timely  Angle 

Before  he  entered  the  Army  early  this 
month,  Ervin  Janot,  manager  of  the  Rex 
theatre,  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  put  over  a  cam- 
paign on  "The  War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley," 
which  took  advantage  of  the  picture's  timeli- 
ness and  topical  interest. 

Two  weeks  in  advance,  Ervin  held  a  pri- 
vate screening.  Fifty  invitations  were  mailed 
io  the  leading  citizens  of  Sheboygan,  includ- 
ing members  of  the  Better  Films  Council, 
which  is  very  active  in  the  city,  and  Civilian 
Defense  officials.  Comment  cards  were  filled 
out  by  these  people  and  the  quotes  were  used 
later  in  the  local  newspaper  with  the  regular 
ads. 

The  Women's  Bowling  Association  of 
Sheboygan  was  sold  a  benefit ;  the  organiza- 
tion sold  1,240  evening  adult  tickets  for  the 
picture's  run. 

One  of  the  most  unusual  stunts  arranged 
by  Ervin  was  to  capitalize  on  the  fact  that 
Jack  Ebersberger,  former  manager  of  the 
Sheboygan  theatre,  Sheboygan,  had  seen  the 
picture  while  in  training  at  the  Great  Lakes 
Naval  Training  Station.  He  had  1,000  cards 
printed  with  a  personal  message  from  Jack 
stating  that  he  had  seen  and  enjoyed  the 
picture  and  then  winding  up  with  the  play- 
dates.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  of  these  were 
sent  to  members  of  the  Elks  Club,  of  which 
Jack  is  a  member. 

Then  Ervin  used  a  picture  of  Jack  and 
his  endorsement  of  the  picture  in  an  ad  four 
days  in  advance  of  the  opening.  Jack  came 
home  on  furlough  about  this  time  and  found 
a  good  reception  to  these  stunts.  Ervin 
himself  endorsed  the  picture  in  a  trailer 
which  ran  two  weeks  in  advance  of  play- 
date. 

Two  thousand  heralds  were  inserted  in 
the  Milwaukee  Sentinel,  a  week  in  advance 
headed,  "Are  you  a  Mrs.  Hadley?"  and  de- 
tailing the  various  things  a  woman  could  do 
to  aid  the  war  effort. 

The  quotes  from  the  comment  cards  ob- 
tained at  the  advance  screening  were  used 
in  the  ads  for  the  picture  for  some  days  in 
advance  of  the  opening.  Ervin  also  obtained 
scene  mats  in  the  paper.  A  letter  to  him 
from  the  Better  Films  Council  endorsing  the 
picture  was  used  as  an  ad  by  Ervin  also. 
Another  ad  was  placed  in  the  Kohlerian, 
weekly  newspaper  of  the  Kohler  plant  of 
Sheboygan,  largest  industry  in  the  city.  A 
cartoon  detailing  some  interesting  facts 
about  the  picture  was  also  used  in  this  paper. 

Easson  Sells  the  War 
on  House  Programs 

Allan  Easson  at  the  Oakwood  theatre,  in 
Toronto  devotes  the  front  pages  of  his  pro- 
grams to  copy  on  the  war.  The  latest  pro- 
gram to  come  to  our  attention  carries  the 
following  message:  "Sure  we  are  on  rations, 
sugar,  coffee,  tea,  gasoline,  power — but  these 
are  only  minor  inconveniences  compared  to 
our  United  Nation's  heroes  in  every  part 
of  the  world.  We  cannot  afford  to  put 
them  on  rations  of  their  tools  for  our  Free- 
dom. Nothing  matters  now  but  Victory. 
Bue  the  new  Victory  Bonds." 


Ha  dley '  s ' 


January 


1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


59 


FITZPATRICK,  KROLICK  AND 
MORTON  GET  PLAQUES 


Conner,  Cornell,  Druker, 
Elder  and  Kalberer  Also 
Win  in  Fourth  Quarter 

Ed  Fitzpatrick,  Arthur  Krolick  and  Bill 
Motor  are  the  Quigley  Awards  Plaque  win- 
ners for  the  Fourth  Quarter  of  1942.  Medals 
were  won  by  Marlowe  Conner,  Clayton 
Cornell,  Maurice  Druker,  Bill  Elder  and 
A.  J.  Kalberer. 

Judges  for  the  Fourth  Quarter  were  John 
J.  O'Connor,  vice-president  and  assistant  to 
the  president  of  Universal  Pictures;  Albert 
Deane  of  the  foreign  department  of  Para- 
mount; Herman  Starr,  division  manager  of 
the  Skouras  Circuit. 

The  complete  list  of  Plaque  winners  with 
their  theatres  are  as  follows : 
Ed  Fitzpatrick,  Poll,  Waterbury,  Conn. 
Arthur  Krolick,  Century,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Bill  Morton,  RKO  Albee,  Providence,  R.  I. 

Medal  winners  were  as  follows : 
Marlowe  Coner,  Capitol,  Madison,  Wis. 
Clayton   Cornell,   Pontiac,   Saranac  Lake, 

N.  Y. 

Maurice  Druker,  Loew's  State,  Memphis. 
Bili  Elder,  Loew's,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
A.  J.  Kalberer,  Switow's  Indiana,  Washing- 
ton, Ind. 

One  interesting  feature  of  the  Award  to 
Bill  Morton  is  the  fact  that  he  resigned  in 
December  to  join  the  Navy  but  was  suc- 
ceeded in  his  post  by  his  wife,  Rita,  who 
carried  on  for  him.  The  Judges  considered 
her  work  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Quarter 
in  awarding  the  Plaque  to  Bill. 

Ed  Fitzpatrick  won  two  Plaques  previous- 
ly this  year  and  a  Medal  and  is  thus  in  for 
every  Quarter.  Art  Krolick  won  a  Plaque 
in  the  first  Quarter  and  Medals  in  the  second 
and  third  and  is  thus  also  a  four  time  winner 
for  1942.  Marlowe  Conner  and  A.  J.  Kal- 
berer won  Medals  twice  previously  last  year, 
making  them  three  time  winners  for  1942. 
Clavton  Cornell,  twice  a  Plaque  winner  in 
1942,  this  time  gets  a  Medal.  Bill  Elder  is 
another  four-Quarter  man,  having  won  two 
Medals  previously  and  then  a  Plaque. 
Maurice  Druker,  although  long  a  contender, 
this  time  won  an  Award  for  the  first  time. 

The  Awards  were  made  for  consistency 
of  effort  plus  good  showmanship.  The 
Judges  considered  only  those  showmen  who 
are  consistently  resourceful  and  who  sell 
regularly.  The  man  who  presents  one  or 
two  campaigns  is  not  considered  on  a  par 
with  the  one  who  reports  on  even-  show. 

There  is  no  advantage  for  the  showman 
who  works  for  a  big  circuit  as  against  the 
independent  or  for  the  big  city  man  against 
his  small  town  brother.  There  is  no  better 
way  to  illustrate  this  than  by  pointing  to 
the'  list  of  winners  here.  Clayton  Cornell 
runs  a  house  of  less  than  800  seats,  the 
only  one  in  a  small  town.  Maurice  Druker. 
on  the  other  hand,  has  one  of  the  ace  down- 
town theatres  in  a  big  city.  So  have  Bill 
Elder  and  Art  Krolick.  As  opposed  to  them 
witness  the  case  of  Kalberer,  who  wins 
Medals  with  ease  despite  his  situation  in  a 
small  town  and  working  for  a  small  circuit. 


Citation  Winners 

Sheepskin  certificates  attesting  to  their  prowess  as  showmen  have  been  awarded  by 
the  Judges  to  the  following  showmen.  They  are  the  runners-up  to  the  Plaque  and 
Medal  winners  named  in  the  first  column.  There  are  43  names  listed,  which  indicate 
how  keen  is  the  competition  for  the  Quigley  Awards.  Many  of  those  on  this  list  have 
won  Awards  in  the  past  and,  while  it  is  never  safe  to  predict,  there  are  probably 
some  showmen  on  this  list  who  will  win  Awards  in  the  future. 


DON  ALLDRITT 
Watson,  Salina,  Kan. 

A.  DON  ALLEN 
Capitol,  Davenport,  la. 

JOSEPH  BOYLE 
Broadway,  Norwich,  Conn. 

LIGE  BRIEN 

Kenyon,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

LESLIE  V.  CAMPBELL 
Strand,  Trail,  B.  C. 

JAMES  A.  CAREY 
Hiway,  York,  Pa. 

CHRIS  CHAMALES 
Roxy,  Delphi,  Ind. 

LOUIS  CHARNINSKY 
Capitol,  Dallas,  Tex. 

LOU  COHEN 

Poli,  Hartford,  Conn. 

KENNETH  COLLINS 
LEONARD  TUTTLE 
Indiana,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

MAURICE  CORKERY 


DICK  FELDMAN 
Paramount,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

ED  FISHER 

State,  Cleveland,  O. 

STEWART  GILLESPIE 

Elgin,  Ottawa,  Ont.,  Canada 

SAM  GILMAN 
Regent,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

HERBERT  GRAEFE 
Wisconsin  Rapids  Theatres 
Wisconsin  Rapids,  Wis. 

AL  HAMILTON 

Empress,  South  Norwalk,  Conn. 

JACK  HAMILTON 
Apex,  Washington,  D.  C. 

MILT  HARRIS 
Drive-In,  Miami,  Fla. 

JOHN  HEFLINGER 
West  End,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

BILL  JOHNSON 
Diana,  Medina,  N.  Y. 

JAMES  KING 


Central  Square,  Cambridge,  Mass.    Keith  Memorial,  Boston,  Mass. 


FRANCIS  DEERING 
State,  Houston,  Tex. 

D.  M.  DILLENBECK 

Rialto,  Bushnell,  III. 

ALLAN  EASSON 

Oakwood,  Toronto,  Ont.,  Canada 


SIDNEY  J.  KLEPER 
Bijou,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

TED  KIRKMEYER 
Paramount,  Idaho  Falls,  Ida. 

LESTER  KOLSTE 

Van  der  Vaart,  Sheboygan,  Wis. 


JULIUS  LAMM 
Uptown,  Cleveland,  O. 

JOSEPH  LONGO 
Loew's,  Boston,  Mass. 

JACK  MATLACK 

Hunt  Theatres,  Medford,  Ore. 

FRANK  MURPHY 
State,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

MAX  PHILLIPS 

Regent,  Sudbury,  Ont.,  Canada 

CHARLES  P1NCUS 

Utah,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

LESTER  POLLOCK 
Loew's,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

SYDNEY  J.  POPPAY 
Majestic,  Gettysburg,  Pa. 

REYNOLDS  ROBERTS 

Elite,  Middlesbrough,  England 

H.  A.  ROSE 

Globe,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

MORRIS  ROSENTHAL 
Majestic,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

boyd  scon 

Grand,  Holdenville,  Okla. 
CLYDE  SMITH 

Paramount,  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

ARNOLD  STOLTZ 
Avon,  Utica,  N.  Y. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


Tuo  of  tfye  Judges  scan  the  entries.  Left, 
John  J.  O'Connor  of  Universal;  above, 
Albert  Deane  of  Paramount. 


L 


60 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    16,  1943 


Selling  Points 

ON  THE  NEW  PRODUCT 

[The  material  below  reflects  press  books  now  in  preparation  and  represents  the  point  of 
view  of  the  distributors'  exploiteers  about  the  selling  points  and  special  merit  of  these  pictures.] 

COMMANDOS  STRIKE  AT  DAWN  (Columbia):  The  picture  is  replete  with  action 
and  this  is  one  of  the  primary  selling  angles.  For  example,  there  is  a  still  of  Paul  Muni 
with  a  machine  gun  in  one  hand  which  could  be  appropriately  blown  up  and  mounted 
atop  the  marquee.  The  24-sheet  and  numerous  other  posters  and  lobby  display  mate- 
rial have  action  shots  as  their  dominating  motif.  A  "see-board"  seems  to  be  an 
appropriate  eye-catcher  for  this  picture.  If  there  are  war  plants  in  your  vicinity,  a 
"dawn"  opening  is  a  good  idea;  this  was  done  this  week  in  Buffalo,  with  the  premiere 
set  for  2:00  A.  M.  A  miniature  commando  barge  might  be  built  by  your  art  shop 
for  lobby  display  purposes.  Pictures  of  this  equipment  are  available  in  newspaper 
files  and  one  might  be  blown  up  for  the  same  purpose.  A  montage  of  headlines  using 
the  word  "Commando"  could  be  put  in  a  40  by  60  frame  for  lobby  display  purposes. 
A  display  of  weapons  would  be  appropriate,  especially  featuring  some  of  those  intro- 
duced by  the  Commandos.  There  are  a  number  of  newspaper  slants  suggested  which 
will  tie  up  with  various  departments  of  the  paper.  There  are  three-day  pictorial  strips, 
a  three-column  illustrated  feature  and  a  five-column  "Behind  the  Story"  strip.  The 
papers  can  be  surprinted  with  the  title  in  red  for  a  street  stunt.  Certain  local  people 
can  be  picked  out  as  "Commandos"  who  are  doing  a  good  job  on  the  home  front. 
There  is  a  four-day  contest  with  newspaper  readers  required  to  name  previous  "Com- 
mando" raids,  with  illustrations  and  a  few  hints  for  their  guidance.  Lillian  Sish  returns 
to  the  screen  in  this  picture  and  there  is  a  special  mat  available  illustrating  her  career. 
This  can  be  used  as  a  contest  by  deleting  the  titles  and  asking  readers  to  name  the 
pictures  in  which  Miss  Gish's  roles  are  illustrated.  Norwegian  clubs  and  organizations 
in  the  community  should  be  advised  of  the  opening  of  the  picture  because  of  the 
Norwegian  locale;  the  same  is  true  of  Canadian  groups,  as  the  picture  was  produced 
with  the  aid  of  the  Canadian  government.  There  is  a  prayer  which  the  Commandos 
say  before  going  into  action  which  should  interest  the  local  ministers.  Physical  train- 
ing instructors  in  schools  will  be  interested  in  that  part  of  the  picture  which  shows  the 
competitive  events  and  tests  of  skill  in  which  Commandos  are  instructed.  There  is  a 
special  study  chart  on  an  8  by  10  still  showing  the  six  points  attacked  in  the  biggest 
Commando  raids  of  the  war.  If  another  occurs  before  your  playdate,  have  it  let- 
tered in  ink.  There  is  a  tabloid  herald  available  which  seems  appropriate  in  view  of 
the  timely  nature  of  the  story.  Novelties  such  as  Commando  helmets,  cardboard  die- 
cut  guns  and  shoulder  strips  for  the  house  staff  can  be  obtained  at  reasonable  cost. 
Commando  merchandise  of  various  types  is  available- — as,  for  instance,  a  woman's 
hat,  a  man's  hat,  pens,  watches  and  so  on.  Parker  Bros.,  well  known  game  manufac- 
turers, have  manufactured  a  Commando  game  which  has  become  popular. 

KEEPING  FIT  (Universal  Featurette):  This  is  a  Government-sponsored  subject  and  it 
ties  in  directly  with  the  Government  campaign  along  this  line.  A  special  multigraphed 
press  book  has  been  prepared  by  the  Bureau  of  Industrial  Service  which  is  assisting 
in  the  campaign.  A  number  of  specially  prepared  newspaper  stories  have  been  included, 
each  dealing  with  a  different  angle  of  keeping  fit  and  mentioning  the  picture.  Play- 
dates  may  be  inserted.  A  number  of  radio  spot  announcements  are  included  in  the 
press  book  and  there  is  also  a  15-minute  transcription  available.  Tieups  with  Public 
Health  officers  and  physical  education  directors  of  schools  are  suggested.  The  former 
are  always  interested  in  such  a  subject  and  the  latter  are  especially  so  now  since  they 
are  charged  with  the  good  health  of  the  country's  youth.  There  is  a  story  which  you 
can  take  to  the  Public  Health  officer  in  your  community  for  his  quote  and  then  plant 
in  the  newspaper.  Mats  of  Public  Health  cartoons  are  available  for  newspaper  plant- 
ing. There  is  a  suggestion  for  tleing  up  with  local  women's  clubs  on  the  question  of 
the  important  part  which  women  play  in  keeping  war  workers  fit.  A  similar  tieup  is 
suggested  with  the  local  gas  and  light  company.  Local  industries  are  vitally  interested 
in  the  health  of  their  workers  and  they  will  be  glad  in  most  instances  to  post  notices 
of  the  showing  of  this  picture. 


DAWN  PREMIERE 
SET  FOR  BUFFALO 

The  Lafayette  theatre,  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  opened  Columbia's  "Com- 
mandos Strike  at  Dawn"  with  a 
"Dawn  Premiere",  starting  at  2:00 
A.  M.,  Wednesday,  January  13th. 
From  that  hour  on,  the  showings 
were  continuous,  thereby  giving  the 
war  plant-packed  town  an  extra  nine 
hours  of  terrific  entertainment,  with 
special  consideration  to  workers  on 
the  so-called  "graveyard  shift". 
The  Lafayette  normally  opens  at 
I  1 :00  A.  M. 

Many  of  the  larger  war  plants  in 
the  area,  including  Bell  Aircraft,  Cur- 
tiss-Wright  Aircraft  and  the  Amer- 
ican Car  &  Foundry  plant,  have 
promised  to  support  the  premiere  in 
every  possible  manner. 


Mead's  Christmas  Party 
Tied  to  Scrap  Campaign 

A  scrap  campaign  was  the  keynote  to  the 
opening  of  the  Christmas  shopping  season 
in  Pueblo,  Colo.,  so  Kenneth  Mead  at  the 
Main  theatre  tied  up  with  Sears-Roebuck  for 
their  annual  pre-Christmas  party  which  was 
staged  through  the  joint  effort  of  Sears  and 
the  Chieftain-Star-Journal.  The  only  ad- 
mission charge  was  a  piece  of  scrap  metal, 
instead  of  the  usual  old  toy.  Mead  reports 
that  this  is  the  first  time  that  any  coopera- 
tive theatre  promotion  ever  hit  the  front 
page  of  either  local  paper. 

The  screen  fare  for  the  special  show  was 
"Yank  at  Eton"  with  appropriate  shorts. 
The  entertainment  committee  consisted  of 
the  Sears  manager,  Ken,  and  the  executive 
field  director  of  the  WPB  salvage  commit- 
tee. The  Round  Tabler  submits  a  letter  from 
the  committee  to  the  effect  that  eleven  truck 
loads  of  material  was  collected. 


More  Than  $1,000  in  Bonds 
Sold  at  Hiclcsville  Rally 

More  than  a  thousand  dollars  in  Bonds 
and  Stamps  was  sold  in  a  rally  at  the  Play- 
house theatre,  Hicksville,  Long  Island,  con- 
ducted by  Evan  Thompson,  manager,  who 
acted  as  master  of  ceremonies.  Supervisor 
Harry  Tappen  of  Hicksville  made  a  speech 
from  the  stage  urging  support  for  the  men 
on  the  fighting  front  with  dollars  from  the 
home  town.  A  full  program  was  included 
in  the  rally  with  members  of  the  high  school 
glee  club  singing,  and  a  flag  salute  led  by 
Mr.  Tappen. 

Johnson  Used  Big  Ads 
To  Push  Scrap  Drive 

Huge  ads  were  carried  in  the  Medina, 
N.  Y.,  papers  and  page  one  publicity  stor- 
ies appeared  all  in  the  interest  of  the  scrap 
matinee  at  the  Diana  theatre,  there.  Bill 
Johnson,  manager  of  the  house,  obtained 
a  revival  picture  for  the  special  scrap  show 
and  advertised  that  five  pounds  of  scrap 
metal  or  two  pounds  of  scrap  rubber  would 
be  the  only  admission  to  this  matinee.  No 
cash  was  accepted  under  any  circumstances, 
it  was  advertised. 


January  16 


19  4  3 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


5 


WINDOWS,  LOBBIES  AND  FRONTS 


The  lobby  of  the  Manhasset,  Manhasset,  L  I.,  had  some 
interesting  Christmas  decorations.  The  picture  over  the  mantel 
is  a  copy  of  the  angel  in  the  Sistine  Chapel  painted  by 
Michelangelo  and  lent  by  a  collector.  The  tapestry  on  the 
left  of  the  mantel  is  200  years  old  and  tells  the  story  of  the 
birth  of  Christ.  The  red-plush-covered  sleigh  was  lent  by 
Mrs.  Payne  Whitney.  Herta  Laube,  manager  of  the 
Manhasset,  arranged  this  display. 


'Algiers"  was  so  much  in  the  news  around  Christmas  time 
that  Stewart  Gillespie  and  Larry  Ryan  at  the  Elgin  in  Ottawa 
revived  the  picture  and  tied  it  up  with  the  news. 


Set  against  a  black  velvet  drop,  this  advance 
on  "Eagle  Squadron"  featured  a  bomb  burst  with 
red  fluorescent  lighting.  Bill  Hoyle  of  the 
Lichtman  theatres  put  it  in  the  Lincoln 
in  Washington. 


Conrast  Photo 

was  in  the  lobby  of  the  Poli,  Hartford,  Conn., 


Red  King  made  a^window  tieup  with  R.  H.  White  Co.  in  connection  with 
the  engagement  of  "Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon"  at  Keith's  Memorial, 
Boston,  Mass.  The  store  erected  a  box  office  with  a  mannequin 
for  cashier  and  uniformed  attendant  outside  as  well.  It  looked  as  though 
there  was  a  box  office  in  the  store  window. 


62 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


SHOWMEN  AID  WAR  EFFORT 


I 


rinD  win  ague^t/ 

TICKET  FREE/ 


VICTORY 


Up  in  Canada  they've  started  to  salvage  medicine  bottles.  The  Boy  Scouts 
cooperated.   Stewart  Gillespie  ran  a  special  morning  show  for  them  at  the  Elgin, 
Ottawa.   So  far  bottles  haven't  been  collected  in  the  U.  S. 


"You  can't  lose,"  says  the  sign 
on  this  game  at  the  Missouri 
theatre,  St.  Louis,  of  which 
Harry  Crawford  is  manager. 


With  "White  Christmas"  coming  out 
of  every  loud  speaker,  Sam  Gilman  at 
Loew's  Regent,  Harrisburg,  made  up 
a  War  Bond  poster  offering  holiday 
gift  envelopes,  too. 


Hitler's  coffin  used  in  other  Bond  Drives  in  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  was  brought  out  again 
recently  by  Bill  Freise  of  the  La  Crosse  Theatres.  It  was  burned  this  week.  Left  to 
right  are  James  McKillip,  manager  of  the  Wisconsin  theatre;  George  Hall,  local 
head  of  the  A.  F.  of  L.;  Mrs.  V.  Carroll,  secretary  of  the  LaCrosse  Theatres;  a  lady 
whose  husband  is  in  Australia  drives  a  nail;  another  nail  driver,  and  I.  Sheldon 
of  the  American  Legion.  The  children  were  interested  spectators. 


January    16,  19 


'/ANASERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


63 


WARTHA  ARRANGES  MURAL 
IN  LOBBY  HONORING  HEROES 


Local  Men  Who  Fought  on 
Bataan  Honored  by  Full 
Day's  Program  of  Events  ^ 


last  Spring  when  it  was  widely  published 
that  the  192nd  Tank  Battalion,  every  mem- 
ber of  which  was  either  killed  or  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Japs,  was  largely  com- 
posed of  Maywood  officers  and  men. 

Arthur  Wartha,  manager  of  the  Lido  the- 
atre in  Maywood,  determined  to  recognize 
the  sacrifice  these  men  had  made.  The  fol- 
lowing story  shows  how  he  did  it.  Most 
important  feature  of  the  recognition  was 
a  mural  in  the  Lido  theatre,  which  made 
Art  the  key  figure  in  the  whole  promotion. 
In  addition,  there  was  a  parade  to  signalize 
Maywood  American  Bataan  Day ;  the  wives, 
mothers,  fathers,  sweethearts  and  friends 
of  the  killed  and  captured  heroes  partici- 
pated in  the  ceremonies.  Art  got  publicity 
not  only  in  the  local  neighborhood  papers 
but  full  pages  in  the  Chicago  metropolitan 
dailies.  And — most  significant  of  all — the 
theatre  was  mentioned  in  every  one  of  the 
stories  and  pictures,  because  the  mural  hon- 
oring the  men  of  Maywood  was  in  the 
theatre. 

Art  realized  that  this  was  so  big  an  af- 
fair that  he  would  have  to  have  a  commit- 
tee to  assist  him.  His  first  approach  was 
to  the  local  Chamber  of  Commerce,  whose 
president,  Louis  E.  Nelson,  served  as  co- 
chairman  of  the  affair  with  Art. 

So  many  prominent  workers  were  en- 
rolled on  the  staff  that  special  stationery 
was  printed  bearing  their  names.  A  novel 
cot  featuring  a  tank  in  action  was  made  up 
in  the  theatre  sign  shop  and  was  used  in  all 
publicity. 

Front  Page  Space  Garnered 

The  local  newspaper  started  giving  the 
affair  front  page  breaks  several  weeks  in 
advance.  Members  of  the  committee  spoke 
over  a  radio  station  in  behalf  of  the  Amer- 
ican Bataan  Clan  every  night  from  6:45  to 
7  p.  m. 

Mayor  Edward  Kelly  of  Chicago  was 
invited  to  participate  in  the  ceremony.  A 
delegation  called  on  him  and  was  photo- 
graphed in  his  office.  Xot  only  did  the 
Mayor  agree  to  take  part  in  the  program1 
but  the  photograph  was  used  in  the  local 
:  aper. 

Two  days  before  the  big  day  itself,  the 
front  page  of  The  Herald  had  only  one 
story  that  did  not  concern  Maywood 
American  Eataan  Day. 

The  complete  program  for  the  day  em- 
braced a  number  of  events.  First  there  was 


Here  is  just  one  section  of  one  of  the  parades  that  marked  "Siaywot 
The  Lido  theatre  can  be  seen  at  the  left.    There,  the  mural  was 


Cbiago  Daiir  Xem  Photo 

erican  Bataan  Day. 
Hied  just  after  this 


parade.   At  the  right  is  the  reviewing  stand  with  Governor  Green  of  Illinois. 


'-  theatre.  At 


un- 


veiling of  the  Maywood  Tank  Corps  Mural 
Participating  in  this  ceremony  were  Gov- 
ernor Dwight  H.  Green  of  Illinois,  Major 
General  George  Grunert,  chief  of  adminis- 
trative services:  Lieut.  Emmett  Gibson, 
Maywood  Tank  Corps:  Norman  Collins, 
U.  S.  Treasury  Dept.:  Captain  E.  A.  Wol- 
lason,  U.  S.  Navy,  ret,,  Commanding  Offi- 
cer of  the  Naw  Pier;  Lieut.  Col.  Carlton 
Hill,  U.S.M.C.R.;  Col.  F.  C.  Rogers,  com- 
•  •  -  ':-  g  infantry  at  Fort  Sheridan:  Col. 
Guy  Kinman  of  Fort  Sheridan  and  Lieut. 
Paul  FriUman  of  the  Flying  Tigers. 

At  1  p.  m.,  a  benefit  show  for  the  May- 
wood  Clan  was  held  at  the  Lido  theatre. 
At  1 :15,  Major  General  Grunert  presented 
a  Silver  Star  in  Maywood  Park  to  the 
father  of  a  local  boy  killed  in  the  attack 
on  Pearl  Harbor. 

Parade  Highlights  Events 

Later  that  afternoon,  a  parade  featuring 
25  floats  from  industry,  labor  and  civic  or- 
ganizations marched  down  the  streets  of 
Maywood  for  the  third  parade  of  the  day. 
In  addition  there  were  units  from  the  Army, 
Navy.  Marine  Corps  and  Coast  Guard,  the 
Proviso  High  School  Band  and  20  Drum 
and  Bugle  Corps  from  the  American  Legion 
and  the  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars.  A  con- 
test between  the  latter  for  prizes  was  held 
at  the  Proviso  Township  High  School 
Stadium. 

That  evening  at  eight  o'clock,  there  was 
a  patriotic  War  Bond  and  Stamp  rally  in 
charge  of  the  United  States  Treasury 
Department.   Don  McKiernan  of  the  Treas- 


ury was  master  of  ceremonies.  On  the 
program  were  Senator  C.  Wayland  Brooks, 
Mayor  Kelly,  and  many  local  celebrities. 

The  Herald  two  days  before  this  program 
had  a  special  front  cover  page  in  sepia  de- 
voted to  the  heroes  who  were  honored  on 
Ma3"wood  American  Bataan  Day.  Other 
neighboring  papers  used  pictures  and  stor- 
ies about  the  affair  including  some  of  Gov- 
ernor Green  accepting  the  invitation  to  ap- 
pear and  other  celebrities.  A  proclamation 
by  the  Mayor  setting  aside  the  day  as  a 
holiday  was  printed,  too.  Editorials  ap- 
peared in  the  newspapers  and  even  the 
Chicago  Tribune  gave  the  affair  a  big  send 
off  with  an  eight-column  headline. 

Gov.  Green  Opens  Ceremonies 

Invitations  were  sent  to  the  members  of 
the  Bataan  Club,  the  mothers,  fathers, 
wives  and  sweethearts  of  the  heroes  to  at- 
tend the  unveiling  ceremony  of  the  mural 
in  the  Lido  theatre.  The  prominent  people 
who  attended  have  been  named  above : 
Lieut.  Gibson,  only  member  of  the  192nd 
Tank  Battalion  to  be  returned  to  the  U.  S. 
because  of  an  injury  suffered  just  prior  to 
the  fall  of  Bataan,  made  a  brief  speech  be- 
fore the  unveiling. 

Governor  Green  pulled  the  cord  unveil- 
ing the  mural,  and  photographers  from 
many  Chicago  papers  snapped  the  scene. 
Some  of  the  mothers,  wives  and  sweetheart? 
of  the  men  depicted  in  the  mural  posed  for 
a  picture  in  front  of  it. 

The  publicity  in  the  Chicago  papers  was 
on  a  scale  never  before  realized  by  a  sub- 

{ConiW.vei  on  foll&sring  page,  colxmn  2) 


64 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


CONCERNING  THE  SHOWMAN 


JIMMY  O'CONNELL,  manager  of  two 
Hamrick-Evergreen  houses  in  Eugene,  Ore., 
will  shortly  be  inducted  into  the  United 
States  Army.  Temporarily  the  houses  will 
be  under  the  management  of  Kenny  Schultz, 
Evergreen  purchasing  agent. 

G.  B.  ODLUM  has  reopened  the  Uptown 
theatre,  in  New  York  City. 

GIL  FRADENECK,  former  manager  of  the 
Warner  Capitol,  in  York,  Pa.,  is  now  sta- 
tioned at  Hammer  Field,  Fresno,  Calif. 

NORMAN  BAILEY,  manager  of  Warner's 
Liberty-Tacony  theatre,  in  Philadelphia,  has 
been  advanced  to  the  circuit's  Oxford  theatre 
in  a  similar  capacity.  As  a  result,  Richard 
Kirsh,  manager  of  Warner's  Queen,  in 
Wilmington,  Del.,  entering  the  Army,  Sid- 
ney Hunter,  manager  of  the  Ritz,  in  Wilm- 
ington, has  been  assigned  to  supervise  the 
management  of  both  the  Ritz  and  Queen. 

JACK  LYKES  is  now  managing  the  Colony 
theatre,  in  Toledo,  Ohio. 

HORACE  YELTON  is  the  new  manager 
of  the  Carolina  theatre  in  Spindale,  N.  C, 
succeeding  E.  R.  Medd,  now  a  fingerprint 
expert  with  the  U.  S.  Navy  in  Washington. 

GEORGE  BOROS,  manager  and  newsreel 
editor  of  the  Telenews  theatre,  in  Buffalo, 
has  entered  the  Army  as  an  aviation  cadet. 
He  will  be  succeeded  by  Jack  H.  Birbaum. 

HERMAN  LANEL,  who  formerly  managed 
the  Crotona  and  Ward  theatres  for  Skouras, 
is  now  managing  the  Rosedale  theatre  in 
the  Bronx,  N.  Y.,  for  the  Raybond  Circuit. 


BIRTHDAY  GREETINGS 


BRUCE  CLEMENT,  at  the  Flushing 
Hospital  on  Sunday,  January  Ird,  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clement  Perry.  The 
father  is  general  manager  of  the 
J.  J.   Theatres,   New  York. 


January  16th 

T.  S.  Yeoh 
Ed  Penn 
J.  H.  Diller 
J.  L.  Shasteen 
Joseph  D.  Nevison 
Frederick  Tic  ke 1 1 

17th 

Isser  Sugarman 
Bernard  N.  Bisbee 
John  Ewing 
Paul  E.  Cornwell 
George  R.  Shepp 
Howard  R.  McGhee 
Leon  Ehrlich 
Donald  W.  Buhrmester 

18th 

Clarence  J.  Olbrich 
I.  M.  Hirshblond 
William  Weiss 
Theodore  Smalley 
Bill  Nash 
Chris  G.  Holmes 
Arlo  Clausen 
Albert  J.  Blasko 
Jack  W.  Fretwell 

20th 

Charles  M.  Hurley 
William  H.  Turner 
John  Monroe 


January  20th 

Guy  W.  Hevia 
21st 

Alvah  Barber 
M.J. Reed 
Ray  Tubman 

22nd 

K.  L.  Adams 
Homer  R.  Hisey 
J.  Ellison  Loth 
Charles  Martina 
William  C.  Wittenberg 
Harry  E.  Creasey 
Calvin  Council 
Wesley  Pratzner 
Elliot  Wolf 
Lewis  Dreisbach 
Thomas  Del  Vecchio 
George  C.  Clanton 

23rd 

G.  W.  Sampson 
G.  Otto  Hartsoe 
Ernst  Williams 
Achilles  Damiani 
Harry  E.  Finley 
Moon  Corker 
John  A.  Cherry 
Shelby  McCallum 
Eldy  Williams 
Phil  Grody 


Wartha  Honors 
Maywood  Heroes 

{Continued  from  preceding  page) 

urban  theatre.  Whole  pages  were  given 
over  to  the  Maywood  observance  with  men- 
tion of  the  theatre  on  every  one  because 
of  the  location  of  the  mural  there. 

There  were  more  tangible  results,  too. 
The  thousands  of  people  who  attended  the 
ceremonies  on  American  Bataan  Day 
bought  $340,000  worth  of  War  Bonds.  The 
women  of  the  American  Bataan  Clan  alone, 
who  manned  the  theatre  booth  during  the 
ceremonies  sold  $75,000  worth  of  Bonds. 
And  to  cap  the  climax  50  truckloads  of 
scrap  were  collected. 


Qalling  ^All  Showmen! 

Fill  out  the  application;  managers  and  publicity  men  will  receive  a  certificate  attesting 
membership  in  the  country's  biggest  and  best  known  organization  of  showmen.  Abso- 
lutely No  Dues  or  Fees. 

Just  clip  and  send  to 

MANAGERS'  ROUND  TABLE  •  ROCKEFELLER  CENTER  •  NEW  YORK 


Name  Position 


Theatre  Circuit 


Bond  Selling  Stars'  Tour 
Brought  Tabor  to  Theatre 

T.  O.  Tabor,  Jr., 
whose  picture  ap- 
pears here,  has  been 
chosen  to  succeed 
Frank  Bickerstaff  as 
city  manager  for  the 
Lucas  and  Jenkins 
Circuit  in  Athens, 
Ga.  Frank,  who  won 
the  Quigley  Bronze 
Grand  Award  last 
year,  is  now  in  the 
Navy.  Tabor  has  a 
son  who  is  in  the 
Navy — a  lieutenant 
junior  grade.  Until  his  appointment  to  his 
present  post,  Tabor  had  never  been  in  the 
motion  picture  industry  before.  He  was  in 
business  life  in  Elberton,  Ga.,  until  about  a 
year  ago.  Then  he  was  made  Deputy  Ad- 
ministrator for  the  War  Savings  Staff  of 
Georgia.  He  handled  special  events  and  had 
charge  of  the  Hollywood  stars  on  their  tour 
of  Georgia.  It  was  thus  that  he  got  his  first 
introduction  to  the  industry. 


Tom  Corradine  Literally 
Born  into  the  Business 

Tom  Corradine, 
who  now  manages 
the  Ace  theatre  on 
South  H  a  1  s  t  e  d 
Street,  Chicago,  for 
the  Van  Nomikos 
Circuit,  was  born 
right  into  the  show 
business.  His  par- 
ents were  vaudeville 
troupers  and  Tom 
was  given  the  offi- 
cial name  of  Thomas 
Joseph  Corradine  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo., 
Nov.  14,  1919.  But  the  business  end  appealed 
more  to  Tom  than  acting.  He  has  traveled 
a  lot  and  seen  a  lot  of  theatres  and  his  am- 
bition is  to  have  a  house  of  his  own  some 
day.  He  worked  his  way  up  at  the  Em- 
press theatre,  across  the  street  from  the  Ace 
to  the  managership  of  the  latter.  Tom  has 
promised  to  keep  us  advised  on  his  show  sell- 
ing promotions  in  his  part  of  the  Windy 
City. 


City 


SMe 


Fabian  Theatres  Honor 
War  Hero  at  Bond  Rally 

Since  a  local  Staten  Island  man,  Com- 
mander Samuel  B.  Frankel,  had  received  the 
distinguished  service  medal  from  Frank 
Knox,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Edgar  Goth, 
director  of  advertising  and  publicity  for  the 
Fabian  Theatres  there,  wired  Washington 
and  prevailed  on  him  to  come  up  for  De- 
cember 7th  to  participate  in  the  theatre's 
"Avenge  Pearl  Harbor"  ceremonies. 

The  Commander's  appearance  was  herald- 
ed in  the  local  daily  in  advance  with  stories 
and  art.  A  dinner  was  arranged  in  his 
honor  which  local  dignitaries  attended  and 
the  Bond  sales  were  reported  as  being  high- 
lv  successful  as  a  result 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


65 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


CLASSIFIED 
ADVERTISING 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  not 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED:  OPERATORS  AND  SIGN  PAINTERS 
for  Mexico  and  West  Texas  circuit.  Give  age,  family, 
draft  classification,  experience  and  salary  expected. 
Write  BOX  786,  Roswell,  N.  M. 


THEATRES 


WANTED— A  SMALL  PROFITABLE  RUNNING 
motion  picture  house  in  or  near  New  York.  Would 
consider  active  partnership.  Write  details.  BOX  1588, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


FOR  SALE  THEATRE.  GOOD  WEST  VIRGINIA 
i  town.  Money  maker.  Wonderful  opportunity  for  quick 
buyer.    BOX  1593,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

'    SALE  — WELL  EQUIPPED  THEATRE,  SMALL 
town,  central  Illinois.    Owner  entering  service.  BOX 
1595,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 
_  

NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


BRAND  NEW  VACUUM  CLEANERS— COMMER- 
cial  type — M  HP  motor;  V/2"  reinforced  hose;  extension 

I  rods;  heavy  floor  brush;  every  conceivable  attachment; 

j  ballbearing  throughout.  Immediate  shipment  without 
priority,  $189.50.  Junior  model  for  small  theatres  only 
$89.50.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 


OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatres 
new  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  details  in  first  letter. 
BOX  1584A,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
nositions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
ished  since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL,  Elmira,  N.  Y, 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


2'A  GAL.  FIRE  EXTINGUISHERS,  $17.85;  ONE 
quart  type,  $6.95;  ticket  chopper,  $39.50;  corn  poppers, 
$37.50;  arc  lamps,  from  $39.50;  amplifiers,  soundheads, 
from  $9.95.  Mammoth  bargain  bulletin  shows  many 
other  values.  Ask  for  your  copy.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA 
SUPPLY  CORP..  New  York. 

FOR  SALE— 1,100  HEY  WOOD- WAKEFIELD  USED 
spring  edge  chairs.  BEN  B.  POBLOCKI.  5779  S. 
Howell  Ave.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

SOME  THEATRE  CAN  USE  YOUR  OLD  EQUIP  - 
ment.  A  little  ad  here  will  reach  thousands  of  po- 
tential customers.  Only  ten  cents  a  word  to  tell  the 
world  what  you  have  to  sell.  Try  it  today.  MO- 
TION PICTURE  HERALD,  Rockefeller  Center,  New 
York. 

THEATRE  CHAIRS  —  10.000  USED  UPHOL- 
stered  parts  for  all  makes  and  types.  CHICAGO 
USED  CHAIR  MART,  844  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago. 


POSITIONS  WANTED 


LADY  THEATRE  MANAGER,  YEARS  EXPERI- 
ence  owner  and  manager.  References.  BOX  1591, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

PROJECTIONIST  — TWENTY  YEARS'  EXPERT 
ence,  draft  exempt,  single,  sober,  reliable,  go  anywhere. 
State  all.  ARTHUR  BLAIR  24  South  Capitol,  Indiana- 
polis, Ind. 

MANAGER  OR  SUPERVISOR,  WILL  MAKE 
change.  Twenty  years'  experience.  Familiar  with 
deluxe  operation,  all  branches.  BOX  1594,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED  TO  RUV 


WANTED  USED  16MM.  SOUND  EQUIPMENT. 
MULTIPRISES,  Box  1125,  Waterbury,  Conn. 


RUSINESS  ROOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS,  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75. 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD, 


HOOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
changes.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
codes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  NEW  1942-43  MOTION  PICTURE 
ALMANAC.  Edited  by  Terry  Ramsaye.  The  indus- 
try's most  complete  "Who's  Who."  More  than  11,000 
biographies  and  over  1,100  pages,  chock  full  of  refer- 
ence information.  Everyone  in  the  motion  picture 
industry  should  have  a  copy.  Be  sure  to  send  in  your 
order  today.  $3.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center.  New  York. 

READY  SOON  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble- 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple — so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre.  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


PRESS  OF 
C.    J.    O'BBIEN,  INC. 
NEW  YORK,  TJ.   S.  A. 


66 

OBITUARIES 

H.  W.  Conover,  Montreal 
Theatre  Manager,  Dies 

H.  W.  Conover,  72,  manager  of  Montreal 
theatres  for  the  past  30  years,  died  January  7th 
at  Vaudreuil,  Quebec,  after  a  brief  illness.  He 
came  to  Montreal  from  Millville,  N.  J.,  before 
World  War  I. 

He  leaves  a  wife,  the  former  Hepsibah  Ire- 
land;  a  son,  Major  K.  I.  Conover  of  the  Cana- 
dian Army  Medical  Corps ;  a  sister,  Mrs.  A. 
Calhoun  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  a  half  brother, 
Harry  Conover,  and  half  sister,  Mrs.  M.  Ban- 
driff,  both  of  Millville. 


Arthur  Lind 

Arthur  Lind,  former  vaudeville  companion  of 
the  late  Buck  Jones,  recently  died  in  Fall  River, 
Mass.,  where  he  operated  a  dry  cleaning  estab- 
lishment. He  had  been  in  the  theatrical  busi- 
ness for  more  than  25  years.  Until  a  few  years 
ago,  he  operated  the  Lind  Brothers  Circus. 


Kate  Price 

Kate  Price,  retired  film  actress,  died  in  Hol- 
lywood, Monday,  at  the  age  of  70.  After  ap- 
pearing in  vaudeville  with  her  late  husband, 
Joseph  Price  Ludwig,  for  12  years,  she  em- 
marked  on  a  film  career  in  1902,  appearing  in 
the  "The  Cohens  and  the  Kellys"  and  "Show 
Girl,"  besides  portraying  character  roles  in 
many  other  films. 


Mrs.  Nettie  Bodkin 

Mrs.  Nettie  Bodkin,  80,  mother  of  Harry 
Bodkin,  branch  manager  of  United  Artists  in 
Philadelphia,  died  January  5th  in  her  home  at 
Philadelphia  of  pneumonia  following  a  long 
illness.  She  leaves  a  son  and  a  daughter.  In- 
terment was  at  the  Mt.  Carmel  Cemetery,  Phil- 
adelphia. 


George  Washington  Carver 

Dr.  George  Washington  Carver,  Negro  hu- 
manitarian, died  at  his  home  at  Tuskegee  Insti- 
tute in  Tuskegee,  Ala.,  on  January  5th.  A  son 
of  Negro  slaves,  Dr.  Carver  became  one  of  the 
nation's  foremost  agricultural  chemists.  He 
was  the  recipient  of  the  national  Variety  Club's 
Humanitarian  Award  about  two  years  ago. 

Calls  U.  S.  Programs  Most 
Popular  in  Brazil 

Captain  Amilcar  Dutra,  director  of  radio  for 
the  Department  of  Information  and  Press  of 
Brazil,  said  -that  programs  from  the  United 
States  are  the  most  popular  of  foreign  broad- 
casts. He  is  in  this  country  at  the  personal 
invitation  of  Nelson  Rockefeller,  and  he  was 
interviewed  in  the  New  York  offices  of  the 
Co-Ordinator  of  Inter-American  Affairs. 

He  said  that  there  were  100  stations  in  Brazil, 
and  4,627,000  receiving  sets.  He  stressed  the 
importance  of  radio  in  cultivating  better  under- 
standing among  the  Americas. 


SMPE  Meets  January  21 

The  Atlantic  Coast  section  of  the  Society  of 
Motion  Picture  Engineers  will  meet  at  the 
Hotel  Pennsylvania  in  New  York,  January  21st, 
at  8:30  P.  M.  Jay  Emanuel,  Philadelphia  ex- 
hibitor and  publisher,  will  present  a  paper  on 
conservation  of  materials  from  the  theatre 
owner's  viewpoint.  Exhibitors,  managers  and 
projectionists  are  invited. 


Ban  Smoking  in  Seattle 

A  ban  on  smoking  in  Seattle  theatres  went 
into  effect  last  week,  and  screen  trailers  advised 
patrons  of  the  new  regulations. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Skouras  Heads 
Reassigned 

Reportedly  to  enable  district  managers  to 
cover  their  territories  more  easily,  in  view  of 
the  further  curtailment  of  gasoline,  the  Skouras 
circuit  of  the  Greater  New  York  area  has 
realigned  its  management. 

Herman  Starr,  who  had  handled  New  Jer- 
sey and  New  York,  now  has  Manhattan,  West- 
chester and  the  Bronx ;  Notis  Komnenos,  who 
had  been  under  Mr.  Starr  in  New  Jersey,  is  in 
charge  of  theatres  there  together  with  Dillon 
Krepps,  who  manages  Bergen  County.  Fred 
Lichtman  has  been  promoted  from  the  booking 
department  to  Rockland  County,  New  York, 
management ;  George  Reitch,  former  manager 
for  Astoria,  Long  Island,  has  been  given  that 
section  and  the  two  Jackson  Heights  theatres, 
the '  Boulevard  and  Jackson ;  and  Jack  Harris, 
who  formerly  managed  all  of  Long  Island,  will 
continue  to  manage  the  rest  of  Queens  County, 
and  all  of  Nassau  County. 

No  Minnesota 
Appeal  Filed 

The  Northwest  Allied  exhibitors  allowed  the 
six-month  period  in  which  they  were  entitled 
to  appeal  from  the  county  court  decision  invali- 
dating the  Minnesota  anti-block-of-five  law  to 
expire  without  taking  action. 

The  larger  picture  blocks  being  offered  by 
distributors  have  met  with  the  approval  of  the 
exhibitors,  and  it  was  believed  that  the  cost  of 
appealing  the  court's  decision  with  only  facts  of 
law  to  contest,  would  not  prove  worthwhile  or 
beneficial  to  the  Allied  cause,  since  no  new 
testimony  or  evidence  could  be  introduced. 

A  further  factor  in  the  exhibitor's  failure  to 
appeal  was  found  in  their  satisfaction  in  the 
selling  method  by  exchanges.  Salesman  were 
visiting  accounts  less  frequently,  but  with  a 
greater  supply  of  pictures.  The  present  proce- 
dure was  giving  exhibitors  greater  choice  it 
was  said. 

Civil  Liberties  Union 
To  Aid  Herk  Appeal 

The  American  Civil  Liberties  Union  an- 
nounced Monday  that  it  would  raise  the  issue 
of  a  fair  trial  in  the  appeal  of  Isidore  Herk, 
producer  of  ''Wine,  Women  and  Song,"  in  the 
New  York  supreme  court.  Mr.  Herk  recently 
was  convicted  by  a  jury  for  presenting  an  inde- 
cent performance,  but  is  free  on  a  writ  of  rea- 
sonable doubt. 

The  Union  was  to  have  filed  a  brief  as  a 
friend  of  the  court  earlier  in  the  week,  calling 
for  a  fair  trial  in  behalf  of  the  producer.  They 
objected  to  the  conviction  because  material  evi- 
dence was  lacking.  The  Union  claimed  the 
jury  should  see  the  show  before  handing  down 
a  decision.  They  said  that  in  proceedings 
against  motion  pictures,  juries  were  permitted 
to  see  the  films,  while  in  actions  involving 
books,  they  were  acquainted  with  the  content. 

National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  Six  Films 

Six  films  were  approved  by  the  National 
Legion  of  Decency  for  the  current  week,  three 
classified  as  unobjectionable  for  general  patron- 
age, and  three  as  unobjectionable  for  adults. 

The  classification  was  as  follows :  Class  A-l, 
Unobjectionable  for  General  Patronage ;  "Fight- 
ing Buckaroo,"  "Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour," 
"The  Kid  Rides  Again."  Class  A-2,  Unobjec- 
tionable for  Adults :  "Fighting  Devil  Dogs," 
"Meanest  Man  in  the  World,"  "Shadow  of  a 
Doubt." 


January    16,  1943 

IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS — Vol.  25,  No.  36.— Seventy -eight! u 
Congress  convenes.  .  .  .  Kaiser  opens  new  plant.  ■  ■  , 
Floods  in  Oregon.  .  .  .Touhy  returned  to  jail.  .  .  . 
Dutch  air  cadets  in  U.  S.  .  .  .  Governor  Warren  of  i 
California  addresses  legislature.  .  .  .  Ruml  explain-,1 
his  tax  plan.  .  .  .  War  fronts — Guadalcanal,  Algier- 1 
and  Tripolitania.  .  .  .  Lew  Lehr  newsettes. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  37.— President'  : 
report  to  the  nation.  ...  .  U.  S.  and  China  sign  paci> 
on  territorial  rights.  .  .  .  General  Clark  decorate 
by  General  Eisenhower.  .  .  .  Russia  drives  Nazi' 
back  on  all  fronts.  .  .  .  Select  Miss  Victory  araoni  ji 
shipyard  workers  in  California.  .  .  .  Governor  Stasia 
sen's  message  on  United  Nations  Week.  .  .  .  Negri!! 
troops  in  mass  calisthenics. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  234.— Jap  ship  ! 
smashed  at  Guadalcanal.   .  .  .  78th  Congress  conij 
venes.  .  .   .  Ruml  explains  tax  plan.  .  .  .  Oregoi 
flood    smashes    dam.    .    .    .    Kaiser    opens  steep] 
plant.  .  .  .   1943  Rough  Riders.  .  .  .  Connecticut'! 
new  governor.  .  .  .  Brazil  senoritas  mobilize.  .  . 
Australian  girls  keep  fit. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  235.— President' 
report  to  Congress.  .  .  .  Mightiest  air  transpor 
makes  maiden  flight.  .  .  .  Ban  on  pleasure  drivin  ! 
hits  17  eastern  states.  .  .  .  Governor  Stassen's  mes 
sage  on  United  Nations  Week.  .  .  .  Russian  ofFen 
sive  rolls  back  Nazis  on  all  fronts. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS — No.  39.— Kaiser  makes  stee 
.  .  .  Touhy  back  in  jail.  .  .  .  Army  Air  Corps  demon 
strates  rubber  life  raft.  .  .  .  Brazil  all  out  for  vie 
tory.  .  -  .  Dr.  Carver,  Negro  humanitarian,  dies.  .  . 
Congress  opens  grimmest  session.  .  .  .  Ruml  explain 
tax  plan.  .  .  .  The  Guadalcanal  front. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  40.— Soldiers'  knife  driv 
opens.  .  .  .  Lady  welders  in  San  Francisco  shipyard 
compete  for  title.  .  .  .  Crack  negro  troops  in  pre 
cision  drills  at  Fort  Bragg.  .  .  .  Mine  blast  in  We; 
Virginia  kills  13.  .  .  .  Lockheed  Constellation  on  fir: 
flight.  .  .  .  Chinese  troops  travel  by  air.  .  .  .  Ma 
lives  after  falling  from  bomber.  .  American  Ir  i 
dians  aid  U.  S.  war  effort.  .  .  .  Gas  ban  in  east.  .  J 
Leon  Henderson  asks  cooperation  in  fuel  emergency  ; 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  39.— Sevent: ' 
eighth  Congress  opens.  .  .  .  New  Kaiser  steel  plan 
.  .  .  Aussie  women  in  mass  exercise.  .  .  .  Yard 
take  Axis  prisoners.  .  .  .  Ruml  explains  tax  pla  | 
.  .  .  Recent  pictures  from  Solomons.  .  .  .  Hendersc  I 
Field  much  improved  and  expanded. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  40.— State  of  tl 
nation — 78th  Congress  convenes.  .  .  .  DSM  award< 
General  Clark  by  General  Eisenhower.  .  .  .  Soldier 
knife  drive  opens.  .  .  .  Lady  welders  in  beairl 
parade.  .  .  .  United  Nations  Week  address  by  Go 
ernor  Stassen  of  Minnesota.  .  .  .  Merchant  seamip 
get  canteen.  .  .  .  Sky  giant  gets  first  test. 

UNIVERSALE   NEWSREEL  —  Vol.    15,    No.  152J 

Seventy -eighth  Congress  ready  to  make  history.  .  ! 
Japs  foiled  in  Guadalcanal  landing.  .  .  .Allies  roui 
up  more  Nazis.  .  .  .  Touhy  goes  back  to  jail.  .  . 
Kaiser  blast  furnace  blown  in.  .  .  .  Storm  per 
province  of  Quebec. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  15,  No.  153.— N< 

transport  outflies  Jap  Zeros.  .  .  .  Governor  Stass 
hail  United  Nations  Week.  .  .  .  Beauty  queens  nc 
welders.  ,  .  .  General  Clark  decorated  by  Genei 
Eisenhower.  .  .  .  Chinese  fly  to  battle.  .  .  .  Makii 
an  air  sharpshooter.  .  .  .•  "They  asked  for  it" — FDF 

r 

Exhibitor  Honored;  Has 
Four  Sons  in  Service 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Antone  Moniz  were  the  recii 
ents  last  week  of  the  Emblem  of  Honor  P : 
awarded  by  the  Emblem  of  Honor  Society 
New  York  for  having  four  sons  in  the  Am 
The  presentation  was  made  by  Mayor  Ale) 
ander  C.  Murray  of  Fall  River,  Mass. 
Moniz  is  manager  of  the  Royal  theatre  in  tl 
city. 

Private  Robert  C.  Moniz,  31,  is  serving1 
Iceland;  Private  Antone  T.  Moniz,  26,  is 
the  engineering  corps  at  Camp  Rucker,  Al: 
Private  Edward  Moniz,  23,  is  in  the  Air  Coi 
at  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D.,   and    Private  Georj 
Moniz  is  stationed  at  Camp  Brandon,  Fla. 
fifth  son,  William,  18,  is  scheduled  to  ehf 
the  service  shortly. 


Florida  House  Burns 

The  Bonifay  theatre  in  Bonifay,  Fla.,  v 
destroyed  recently  by  a  fire  which  started 
the  projection  room.  About  500  patrons  in 
theatre  at  the  time  escaped  unharmed.  It  t( 
only  12  minutes  for  the  flames  to  sweep  the  8 
seat  house,  valued  at  about  $20,000. 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


\D)\ 

r\ 

THE  RELEASE  CHART 

REVIEWS 


Silver  Skates 

( Monogram  ) 
Musical  on  Ice 

Make  way  for  Monogram.  Stepping  into  the 
field  of  class  and  making  itself  at  home  from 
the  moment  of  arrival,  the  company  has  pro- 
vided in  this  upper-bracket  production  an  attrac- 
tion packed  with  entertainment  for  audiences 
of  all  ages  and  conditionings.  It  combines  mu- 
sic of  distinction,  skating  which  is  sheer  artistry 
and  humor  which  blends  the  two  in  a  manner  to 
capture  the  critical  while  imparting  amusement 
in  plenty  to  the  multitude. 

Stars  from  the  ice  arena  are  Belita,  who  per- 
forms on  blades  routines  which  command  ap- 
plause, Irene  Dare  and  Danny  Shaw,  Juniors 
Frick  and  Frack,  comedians  who  bring  down 
the  house,  and  a  gifted  skating  chorus. 

Stars  whose  names  and  talents  mean  more  to 
the  picture  public  are  Kenny  Baker,  whose  sing- 
ing is  worth  the  price  of  admission,  Patricia 
Morison,  Joyce  Compton  and  Frank  Faylen. 

For  both  groups,  Ted  Fio  Rita  and  his 
orchestra  furnish  brilliant  musical  background 
and  the  seven  songs,  six  by  David  Oppenheim 
and  Roy  Ingraham  and  a  seventh  by  Mr.  Op- 
penheim and  Archie  Gottler,  include  at  least 
two  that  could  be  hit  paraders. 

Production  by  Lindsley  Parsons,  supported  by 
William  D.  Shapiro,  reflects  credit  upon  all 
concerned,  on  either  side  of  the  camera  line,  in 
the  fabrication  of  a  fine  film.  Direction  by 
Leslie  Goodwins  is  without  flaw  and  the  stag- 
ing of  production  numbers  by  Dave  Gould 
sparkles.  Jerry  Cady's  screenplay  concerning 
economic  and  romantic  problems  confronting  an 
ice  troupe  ripples  along  smoothly  without  inter- 
fering at  any  point  with  the  gaiety  of  the  pro- 
ceedings. 

Previewed  at  the  Paramount  theatre,  Holly- 
wood, to  a  capacity  audience  of  public,  press 
and  profession  which  attested  approval  by  fre- 
quent applause  and  documented  it  in  foyer  com- 
ment afterward.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Excellent. 
—William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  February  5,  1943.  Running  time,  76 
niin.  PCA  No.  8969.  General  audience  classification. 
Patricia  Morison,  Kenny  Baker,  Joyce  Compton, 
Frank  Faylen,  Belita,  Irene  Dare,  Danny  Shaw,  Frick 
and  Frack,  Ted  Fio  Rita  and  orchestra. 


Sundown  Kid 


4  (Republic) 

Bangup  Western 

Countless  are  the  blows,  and  brutal  the  beat- 
ings which  young  Don  Barry  receives  in  this, 
i  The  fans  should  love  it,  especially  because  he 
-a  ;>  remains  unbruised  and  unruffled,  and  always 
proceeds  to  give  it  back  in  greater  volume  and 
force. 

He  is  the  Pinkerton  operative  who  gains  the 


Reviews 


This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


confidence  of  murderer  Wade  Crosby  in  jail; 
and  with  information  thus  gleaned,  he  proceeds 
to  the  town  in  which  criminal  boss  Ted  Adams 
has  been  passing  counterfeit  money.  Passing 
the  tests  of  toughness  and  loyalty,  he  becomes 
Adams'  henchman.  He  also  meets  his  news- 
paper-reporter friend,  Linda  Johnson,  in  town 
on  a  story  about  old  widow-miser  Helen  Mac- 
Kellar.  The  two  jobs  coalesce — Linda's  and 
Don's — when  they  find  Miss  MacKellar's  law- 
yer, Ian  Keith,  is  chief  counterfeit  quartermas- 
ter and  passer,  whose  greatest  feat  has  been  the 
amassing  of  huge  amounts  of  counterfeit  money 
in  the  MacKellar  strongbox. 

Although  Wade  Crosby  breaks  jail  to  warn 
the  counterfeiters  Barry  is  a  Pinkerton  man, 
Barry  wins  by  shooting  Crosby,  riding  to  the 
MacKellar  ranch  to  prevent  Keith  and  Adams 
from  killing  her,  and  then  thoroughly  trouncing 
the  two.  He  also  finds  he  is  Miss  MacKellar's 
son. 

From  ail  of  this  it  may  be  apparent  there  is 
fast  pace,  and  much  action.  When  Barry  is  not 
receiving  punches,  he  is  throwing  them.  Add  to 
that  some  athletics,  and  an  unassuming,  easy, 
pleasant  personality,  and  you  have  a  Western 
star  of  potentially  great  appeal. 

The  production,  by  Eddie  White  and  director 
Elmer  Clifton,  is  perfectly  attuned  to  the  story, 
never  obtrusive  and  always  adequate  for  the 
rapidly  shifting  action. 

Seen  at  the  New  York  Theatre,  where  a  male 
audience  audibly  approved  the  fistics  and  the 
frequent  comedy  touches.  Reviewer  s  Rating  : 
Good. — Floyd  Stone. 

Release  date,  December  28,  1942.  Running  time,  55 
min.    PCA  No.  8886.    General  audience  classification. 

Red  Tracy  Don  "Red"  Barry 

J.  Richard  Spencer   Ian  Keith 

Lucy  Randall   Helen  MacKellar 

Lynn  Parsons   Linda  Johnson 

Emmett  Lynn,  Wade  Crosby,  Ted  Adams,  Fern  Em- 
mett,  Bud  Geary,  Bob  Kortman,  Ken  Duncan. 


Queen  Victoria 

(Wilcox  •  Renown ) 

Royal  Biography 

The  success,  in  their  original  form,  of  "Vic- 
toria the  Great"  and  "Sixty  Glorious  Years," 
was  considerable,  on  the  British  box  office  at 


any  rate,  and  it  was  not  a  bad  idea  to  cash  in 
once  again  on  the  patriotic  mood  of  the  moment 
by  resurrecting  Her  Royal  Highness  as  inter- 
preted by  Miss  Anna  Neagle.  Both  films  were 
exceptionally  long,  but  the  new  version  as  spon- 
sored by  the  independent  British  renting  house, 
Renown  Pictures  Corporation,  condenses  them 
both  into  the  reasonable  compass  of  84  minutes. 

The  result  is,  of  course,  episodic  and  hurried, 
but  the  editing  and  condensation  have  been  done 
with  care  and  the  resultant  chronicle  is  both 
vivid  and  moving.  The  picture's  technical  quali- 
ties wear  exceedingly  well  and  stand  up  to  pres- 
ent day  levels.  Here  its  reissue  is  at  the  right 
time,  and  British  audiences  will  find  some  paral- 
lels with  present  day  history. 

The  first  half  is  in  monochrome  and  the 
latter  half,  with  Highland  Games  in  Balmoral, 
pageantry  at  St.  Pauls,  war  in  Africa,  and 
many  of  the  Royal  Palaces  passing  across  the 
screen  in  Technicolor,  has  a  picturesque  sweep. 

Anna  Neagle's  performance  still  stands  out 
as  a  dramatic  tour  de  force,  and  is  no  less 
moving  than  on  first  showing.  Camerawork, 
sound  and  staging  remain  of  high  standard. 

In  Britain  the  film  has  been  widely  booked — 
two  of  the  major  circuits  are  showing  it — and 
should  coincide  with  the  mood  of  the  moment. 
Abroad  it  should  have  both  entertainment  and 
propaganda  value. 

Previewed  in  the  West  End  theatre  where  it 
is  having  a  first  release  the  film  received  an 
excellent  audience  reception,  registered  its  emo- 
tional passages  with  the  hardboiled,  and  whilst 
voted  by  exhibitors  a  very  commercial  proposi- 
tion, seemed  to  please  the  critics  by  its  linger- 
ing freshness.  Reviewer 's  Rating :  Good. — Au- 
brey Flanagan. 


Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  84  min.  Gen- 
eral audience  classification. 

Queen  Victoria   Anna  Neagle 

Prince  Albert   Anton  Walbrook 

C.  Aubrey  Smith,  H.  B.  Warner,  Walter  Rella, 
Felix  Aymer,  Charles  Carson,  C.  V.  France,  Greta 
Wegener. 


The  Old  Chisholm  Trail 

(Universal) 

Fight  for  Water  Rights 

There  are  several  points  to  distinguish  this 
western  from  others  in  Universal's  series  star- 
ring Johnny  Mack  Brown.  The  villain  is  an 
attractive  young  woman  with  a  heart  of  flint, 
the  real  hero  is  a  steer  named  "Oswald,"  and 
comic  relief  is  afforded  by  a  hypnotist  and  a 
grunting  Indian. 

Otherwise  it  is  a  story  of  ranchers  driving 
their  cattle  over  land  with  no  access  to  water. 
The  lake  is  on  the  property  of  a  grasping  wom- 
an, and  the  "lost  river"  runs  somewhere  under- 
ground. Johnny  Mack  Brown,  one  of  the  cattle 
owners,  wins  Tex  Ritter  to  his  side  in  a  fist 
fight  and  proceeds  to  sink  a  well  and  outwit  the 


Product  Digest  Section     I  I  I  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    16,  1943 


woman,  ably  assisted  by  Fuzzy  Knight  and  the 
trick  steer. 

There  is  a  good  bit  of  hand-to-hand  fighting, 
including  a  hair-pulling  match  between  the 
ladies,  and  enough  riding  and  shooting  to  main- 
tain a  fair  pace.  The  Jimmy  Wakely  Trio  in- 
terrupts for  several  pleasantly  sung  ballads  in- 
cluding "Beautiful  Dreamer,"  "The  Lone  Star 
Trail"  and  "Little  Sweetheart  of  the  Rio 
Grande." 

Elmer  Clifton  directed  his  own  story,  and 
Oliver  Drake  was  associate  producer. 

Seen  at  the  New  York  theatre,  where  a  large 
morning  audience  followed  the  action  apprecia- 
tively.   Reviewer's  Rating:  Fair. — E.  A.  Ctra- 

NtNGHAM. 

Release  date,  December  11,  1942.  Running  time,  60 
min.    PCA  No.  8830.    General  audience  classification. 

Dusty  Gardner   Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Montana  Smith   Tex  Ritter 

Fuzzy  Knight,  Jennifer  Holt,  Mady  Correll,  Earle 
Hodgins,  Roy  Barcroft,  Edmund  Cobb,  Budd  Buster 
and  the  Jimmy  Wakely  Trio. 

The  Rangers  Take  Over 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 
Western 

Another  action  drama  of  horse  rustling  and 
the  adventures  of  the  Texas  Ranger  in  enforc- 
ing the  law,  this  features  Dave  "Tex"  O'Brien 
and  Jim  Newill.  Fast  riding  keeps  the  routine 
plot  moving  at  a  pace  to  satisfy  Western  fans. 

Jim  Newill  is  the  sergeant  at  a  Rangers'  bor- 
der post  when  "Tex"  O'Brien,  the  captain's  son, 
arrives  to  join  the  group.  The  captain  refuses 
to  grant  the  new  Ranger  any  special  favors. 
After  a  fight  with  a  horse  rustler,  "Tex"  is 
unable  to  prove  the  man's  guilt  and'  is  dis- 
missed. He  joins  up  with  the  rustlers,  keeping 
Newill  informed  of  their  plans.  The  outlaws, 
however,  kidnap  his  father,  and  a  hard  chase  and 
gun  battle  ensue  before  they  are  brought  to  jus- 
tice. "Tex,"  forgiven  by  his  father,  rejoins  the 
Rangers. 

Albert  Herman  directed  the  film,  and  Alfred 
Stern  and  Arthur  Alexander  produced.  Among 
the  songs  featured  are  "The  Rangers  Take 
Over,"  "High  in  the  Saddle"  and  "Roll  Out, 
Cowboy." 

Seen  at  the  Daly  Theatre  in  Hartford  where 
an  audience  of  Western  fans  applauded.  Re- 
viewer's Rating:  Fair. — Al  Widem. 
Release  date,  December  25,  1942.    Running  time,  60 
min.    PCA  No.  8988.    General  audience  classification. 

Tex  Wyatt   Dave  O'Brien 

Jim  Steele   Jim  Newill 

Guy  Wilkerson,  Iris  Meredith,  Forrest  Taylor,  Stan 
Jolley,  Charles  King,  Carl  Matthews  and  Cal  Shrum 
and  his  Rhythm  Rangers. 

King  Arthur  Was 
a  Gentleman 

( Gainsborough  -  G.  F.  D.) 
War  Comedy 

It  happens  to  them  all,  and  it  has  happened  to 
Arthur  Askey,  one  of  Britain's  Ten  Best,  that 
he  be  persuaded  from  the  brand  of  comedy 
which  has  made  him  famous  into  a  supposedly 
more  "appealing"  type  of  role,  with  less  of  the 
familiar  screwball  and  a  transparent  tendency 
towards  the  Chaplinesque.  The  experiment  is 
not  always  a  foregone  success,  and  there  will 
be  many  among  the  Big  Hearted  One's  aposto- 
late  who  will  prefer  the  old  fashioned  to  the 
new  style  comedy  cocktail.  None  the  less  the 
film,  despite  its  renovated  gags  and  its  check 
on  Askey's  exuberance,  has  plenty  of  sound 
entertainment  material  in  its  music,  excitement, 
and  names,  though  unknown  across  the  Atlan- 
tic, which  are  family  by-words  here,  and  should 
register  with  those  provincial  audiences  which 
have  been  in  the  established  habit  of  swelling 
the  Askey  grosses  to  over  £100,000  per  film. 

The  film  has  a  wartime  setting  with  Askey 
as  a  driver  of  a  Bren-gun  carrier,  who  thinks 
an  old  sword  is  Excalibur  and  takes  on  as  much 
bravery  as  one  of  King  Arthur's  Knights, 


REPUBLIC  REISSUES 
EIGHT  AUTRY  FILMS 

The  absence  of  Sergeant  Gene  Autry 
from  the  cameras  will  not  mean  bis 
absence  from  the  screen  this  year. 
Republic  plans  to  reissue  eight  of  his 
films,  made  during  the  past  five  years. 
The  tentative  schedule  was  announced 
as:  "Boots  and  Saddles",  January  15 th; 
"South  of  the  Border",  March  1st; 
"Gaucho  Serenade",  April  15  th; 
"Ride,  Tenderfoot,  Ride",  June  1st; 
"Tumbling  Tumbleweeds" ,  July  15  th; 
"Mexicali  Rose",  September  1st;  "In 
Old  Monterey",  October  15th,  and 
"The  Old  Barn  Dance",  Decem- 
ber 1st. 

The  first,  "Boots  and  Saddles",  was 
originally  released  on  October  4,  1937. 
It  features  the  cowboy  star  as  a  ranch 
foreman  selling  horses  to  an  Army 
post  and  singing  his  songs  to  the 
Colonel's  daughter.  In  addition  to 
Gene  Autry,  the  cast  includes  his  side- 
kick, Smiley  Burnette,  and  Judith 
Allen,  Ra  Hould,  Guy  Usher  and 
Gordon  Elliot. 


slashes  his  way  to  military  victory  and  romance, 
at  home  on  the  barrack  square,  and  in  a  panto- 
mime Libya. 

Arthur  is  always  the  Chaplinesque  little  man 
overcome  by  circumstance  and  his  companions, 
driving  a  Bren-gun  carrier  into  rivers  and 
orderly  rooms,  capturing  Jerries,  escaping  from 
jail  and  meriting  the  Sergeant's  ire.  Some 
of  the  gags  have  a  venerable  wheeze  in  the 
joints  but  the  action  sequences  are  fast  and  some 
will  find  them  funny. 

Max  Bacon's  portly  comedy  is  a  sound  popu- 
lar ingredient;  Jack  Train  does  some  grand  imi- 
tations and  Mesdamoiselles  Dall  and  Shelton 
look  and  act  lively,  and  sing  with  spirit  some 
songs  of  which  "Honey  On  My  Mind"  is  prob- 
ably the  most  likely  success. 

Val  Guest  and  Marriott  Edgar  scripted  and 
Marcel  Varnel  directed. 

The  laughter  which  punctuated  the  film  at 
the  press  preview  consolidated  the  view  that  de- 
spite the  venerable  gags  and  the  padding  you 
can  entertain  some  of  the  audieme  all  of  the 
time  and  all  of  the  audience  some  of  the  time. 
Critical  diehards,  however,  were  not  ready  to 
accept  the  film  as  the  best  Askey  material.  Re- 
viewer's Rating:  Fair. — A.  F. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  98  min. 
General  audience  classification. 

Arthur  Askey,  Max  Bacon,  Evelyn  Dall,  Anna 
Shelton,  Jack  Train. 

PARATROOPS  (OWI) 

Victory  Short 

How  our  parachute  troops  train  is  here  told 
compactly,  with  excellent  photography,  narra- 
tion and  music.  It  is  a  fine  combination  of  the 
informative  and  the  entertaining.  Some  se- 
quences, especially  those  showing  the  para- 
troopers learning  to  ski,  are  of  positive  beauty. 
The  men  are  toughened  physically  before  learn- 
ing to  handle  their  parachutes  and  leave  their 
ships.  Then  comes  the  first  real  jump,  together 
with  the  first  real  practice  landing.  Specially 
picked  units  are  then  trained  in  the  skills  of 
landing  in  snow,  traveling  on  snow,  living  in_  it. 
Not  shown,  for  obvious  reasons,  are  the  tactics. 
However,  what  is  disclosed  is  sufficient  to  hold 
attention  securely.  No  exhibitor  need  fear  his 
patrons  will  find  this  government  short  dull. — 
F.  E.  S. 

Release  date,  January  21,  1943.  9  minutes. 


CONQUER  BY  THE  CLOCK  (RKO) 

Victory  Film 

Frederic  Ullman,  Jr.,  short  subjects  producer 
for  RKO  Radio,  who  already  has  three  splendid 
war  shorts  to  his  credit  in  the  RKO  series 
"This  Is  America,"  has  produced  a  Victory  film 
for  the  Office  of  War  Information,  "Conquer  by 
the  Clock,"  which  is  one  of  the  "America 
Speaks"  group. 

This  11 -minute  film,  directed  by  Slavko  Vor- 
kapich  and  written  by  Phil  Reisman,  Jr.,  is 
being  distributed  for  the  OWI  on  a  non-profit 
basis  by  the  War  Activities  Committee.  Its 
theme  is  time.  It  is  a  visual  plea  for  war  in- 
dustry workers  and  for  American  industrial 
magnates  to  stay  on  the  job  and  keep  rolling  the 
materials  and  equipment  needed  for  our  armed 
forces.  Its  message  is  compelling,  and  producer, 
director  and  writer  have  handled  the  material 
expertly  and  forcefully. — J.  E.  S. 

Release  date,  December  18,  1942    11  minutes 


SPEED  UP  ON  STIRLINGS 
(Shell  Film  Unit  -  British  M.  O.  I.) 

This  presents  in  actuality  a  recorded  impres- 
sion of  the  assembling  of  one  of  Britain's  giant 
bombers.  Though  the  prima  facie  end  is  to 
expound  the  way  problems  of  speeding  up  are 
tackled,  the  film  is  in  essence  and  in  its  likely 
appeal  just  a  simple  but  very  competent  record 
of  an  industrial  process.  Probably  the  Ger- 
mans know  a  great  deal  about  our  Stirlings. 
The  British  public  seeing  this  will  know  a  lot 
too.— A.  F. 

20  minutes 


Shadow  of  a  Doubt 

(Universal) 

A  Study  in  Murder 

The  entrance  of  a  murderer  into  the  home 
of  a  normal,  middle-class  American  family,  as 
their  long-cherished  "Uncle  Charlie,"  sets  off 
a  story  of  fear  and  suspicion  in  the  best  Hitch- 
cock manner.  It  is  a  tense  film  for  all  of  its 
108  minutes,  with  excellently  sustained  character 
and  mood,  and  promises  to  grip  audience  atten- 
tion to  the  final  frame. 

The  screenplay  shows  in  its  economy  of  word 
and  scene  the  care  that  Thornton  Wilder,  Sally 
Benson  and  Alma  Reville  have  taken  with  Gor- 
don McDonell's  story.  The  presentation  and 
performance  of  supporting  and  featured  play- 
ers carry  the  unmistakable  brand  of  Alfred 
Hitchcock,  "Suspicion"  and  "Saboteur." 

The  warped  mind  of  the  criminal  dominates 
the  scene.  His  ruthlessness  and  frantic  dread 
break  through  the  veneer  of  charm  and  con- 
fidence which  he  has  assumed  and  arouse  the 
reluctant  doubts  of  his  niece.  These  are  con- 
firmed quickly  and  overwhelmingly  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  detectives,  the  small  details  which 
escape  his  notice,  and  his  own  over-zealousness 
to  cover  his  tracks.  With  her  realization  of  the 
hideous  truth,  the  film  is  a  struggle  between 
her  desire  for  justice  without  hurting  her  family 
and  his  determination  to  silence  her  at  any 
cost. 

Joseph  Cotten  is  excellent  as  the  murderer, 
cool  and  malevolent.  In  the  role  of  the  niece, 
Teresa  Wright  adds  another  to  her  growing 
list  of  fine  characterizations.  Patricia  Collinge 
is  impressive  as  the  mother,  who  remains  oblivi- 
ous to  all  but  delight  in  rediscovering  her 
brother.  And  Macdonald  Carey,  Henry  Trav- 
ers,  Hume  Cronyn,  Wallace  Ford  and  Edna 
May  Wonacott  are  all  very  competent  in  the 
smaller  roles. 

Photography  and  musical  background  are 
cleverly  attuned  to  theme  and  mood,  and  the 
background  is  enhanced  by  the  realism  of  the 
setting,  many  scenes  having  been  filmed  on  the 
spot  in  New  York  and  Santa  Ross,  Calif.  Jack 
Skirball  produced. 

Previewed  at  the  home  office  projection  room. 


|||4  Product  Digest  Section 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE    H  ERALD 


Reviewer's  Rating :  Good. — E.  A.  Cunning- 
ham. 

Release  date,  January  15,  1943.  Running  time,  108 
min.    PCA  No.  9011.    Adult  audience  classification. 

Charles  Oakley   Joseph  Cotten 

Charlie  Newton   Teresa  Wright 

Macdonald  Carey,  Henry  Travers,   Patricia  Collinge, 
Wallace  Ford,  Hume  Cronyn,  Edna  Mae  Wonacott. 
(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 

Chetniks 

(20th  Century -Fox) 
Jugoslavia's  Fighting  Guerrillas 

Life  and  death,  literally,  is  the  drama  woven 
into  this  action  story  for  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  by  producer  Sol  Wurtzel.  It  shows  ex- 
citingly, yet  with  warm  and  human  incident, 
the  continuing-  fight  against  Germans  in  Jugo- 
slavia by  guerillas  under  the  leadership  of  Gen- 
eral Draja  Mihailovitch. 

True  accounts,  some  from  front  pages,  some 
from  the  underground,  provide  incidents  that 
are  factual  and  current  reenactment  of  guerilla 
sabotage,  raids,  brave  cunning,  and  suffering 
in  the  Jugoslav  mountains.  There  is  a  picture 
also  of  Nazi  firing  squads  and  brutality.  But 
these  people,  fierce  in  will  for  freedom,  meet 
even  this  with  a  last  shouted  challenge. 

Added  to  this  current,  almost  documentary 
background,  is  a  moving  emotional  problem. 
Draja,  played  by  Philip  Dorn,  faces  the  terrible 
choice  between  his  cause  and  the  lives  of  his 
wife  and" children.  There  is  suspense  and  skilled 
acting  in  his  decision. 

Anna  Sten,  as  his  wife,  and  Merrill  Rodin 
and  Patricia  Prest,  the  children,  are  convinc- 
ing, too,  when  their  roles  deliver  them  to  the 
Gestapo.  A  mother  and  children's  surrender 
in  order  to  save  the  army  could  scarcely  fail 
to  grip  audiences. 

From  the  crack  of  a  patriot  rifle,  slaying  the 
Nazi  commander  at  headquarters  in  the  open- 
ing scene,  there  is  swiftly  moving  action.  Axis 
supplies  are  raided,  and  the  guerillas  send  im- 
pudent taunts,  even  as  the  news  has  reported. 
In  finale  the  guerillas  storm  a  hostage  town, 
winning  a  seaport  and  saving  the  wives  and 
children  of  both  the  commander  and  his  gueril- 
las. It  is  done  by  a  clever  strategm  and 
courage. 

The  leading  parts  are  admirably  played  by 
Dorn,  a  newcomer  from  England,  Miss  Sten, 
the  children,  and  John  Shepperd  and  Virginia 
Gilmore  as  young  lovers.  The  Nazis  are  in 
the  stock  Reich  villain  vein,  but  this  seems 
to  augment  their  patterned  brutality.  Emotion 
and  dramatic  interest  keep  propaganda  subordi- 
nate. 

Louis  King's  direction  keeps  action  and  story 
properly  paced  while  Mr.  WurtzePs  production 
adds  much  valuable  detail  to  the  storv  written 
by  Jack  Andrews  and  Edward  E.  Paramore. 
The  "Song  of  the  Chetniks"  is  a  stirring  musi- 
cal background. 

Produced  at  the  home  office  to  a  press 
and  National  Board  of  Review  audience  which 
followed  with  a  frequently  anxious  attention. 
Reviewer's  Rating :  Good. — John  Stuart,  Jr. 

Release  date.  Fehruary  5.  1943.  Running  time,  73 
min.    FCA  No.  8853.    General  audience  classification. 

General  Mihailovitch   Philip  Dorn 

His  Wife-   Anna  Sten 

Their   Children   Merrill   Rodin,   Patricia  Prest 

Colonel  Brockner   Martin  Kosleck 

Tohn  Shepperd.  Virginia  Gilmore,  Felix  Basch,  Frank 
Lackteen  and  Leroy  Mason. 

(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 

The  Meanest  Man 
in  the  World 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

Benny  in  Less  Than  an  Hour 

With  shortages  popping  up  in  every  hand, 
there  may  be  foundation  for  expectancy  that 
the  customers  who  are  always  so  right  will  take 
in  their  stride  this  57-minute  feature  offering 


Reviews  received  too  late  for 
this  Section  are  printed  in  the 
regular  news  pages  of  the 
Herald  and  are  reprinted  the 
following  week  in  Product 
Digest  for  their  reference  value. 


Jack  Benny,  Priscilla  Lane,  Rochester  and 
others  commonly  seen  in  product  of  Grade  A 
running  time,  but  it's  a  problem  for  showmen 
to  conjure  with  in  their  programming.  The 
film  stacks  up  as  a  small  A  or  a  big  B,  a  long 
short  or  a  short  feature,  and  in  either  or  any 
case  as  a  romp  for  Benny  in  the  field  of  humor 
to  which  he  has  accustomed  his  fans,  not  his 
best  nor  his  worst  offering,  but  certainly  his 
most  perplexing  contribution  to  the  theatre 
man's  flow  of  screen  ware. 

The  script  by  George  Seaton  and  Allan  House 
is  from  a  play  of  the  same  title  produced  some 
years  ago  by  George  M.  Cohan  which  is  tele- 
scoped here  to  the  dimensions  and  trim  of  a 
protracted  skit.  It  casts  Benny  as  a  small 
town  lawyer  who  goes  to  New  York  and  ac- 
quires no  clients  until  he  gets  himself  a  news- 
paper reputation  as  a  legalistic  brute  given  to 
evicting  aged  women,  literally  stealing  candy 
from  children  and  delighting  generally  in  the 
inflicting  of  distress.  This  fame  brings  him  a 
rich  client  but  places  him  in  trouble  with  his 
fiancee,  at  which  point  the  tale  goes  off  on  a 
tangent  and  terminates  in  a  pistol  wedding 
played,  as  the  whole  of  it  is,  for  laughs. 

Rochester,  as  the  lawyers'  manservant,  ac- 
companies the  principal  steadily  and  collects  as 
many  or  more  laughs.  Priscilla  Lane  plays  the 
fiancee,  and  Anne  Revere  amuses  as  the  secre- 
tary.   Others  have  little  to  do. 

Production  is  by  William  Perlberg  and  direc- 
tion by  Sidney  Lanfield,  both  of  whom  engage 
commonly  in  enterprises  of  greater  dimension 
and  substance. 

Previewed  at  the  Ritz  theatre,  Hollywood,  to 
a  mixed  audience  attracted  by  th-e  billed  attrac- 
tion, "Random  Harvest,"  Benny  fans  in  the 
gathering  could  be  located  by  their  laughter, 
which  was  louder  than  it  was  frequent.  Foyer 
comment  disparaged  the  offering.  Reviewer's 
Rating:  Fair. — W.  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  57  min.  PCA 
Certificate  No.  8851.    General  audience  classification. 

Richard  Clark   Jack  Benny 

Janie  Priscilla  Lane 

Shutro   Rochester 

Edmund  Gwenn.  Matt  Briggs.  Anne  Revere,  Margaret 
Seddon.  Helene  Reynolds,  Lyle  Talbot,  Don  Douglas. 
Harry  Hayden,  Arthur  Lost. 

(Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 


ADVANCE  SYNOPSES 


THUNDERING  TRAILS 
(Republic) 

Western 

PRODUCER:  Lou  Gray.  Directed  by  Jack  English. 
PLAYERS:  Tom  Tyler,  Bob  Steele,  Jimmie  Dodd, 
Charles  Miller,  Nell  O'Day. 

SYNOPSIS 

Two  brothers,  one  a  member  of  the  Texas 
Rangers  and  the  other  duped  into  becoming  a 
member  of  the  State  Police  which  is  the  cat's- 
paw  of  a  scheming  judge,  are  pitted  against 
each  other  when  their  father  is  killed  guarding 
a  gold  shipment.  Another  of  the  "Three  Mes- 
quiteers"  series,  the  picture  has  the  brothers 
eventually  reconciled  and  joining  forces  to  best 
the  jurist's  gang. 


STAGE  DOOR  CANTEEN 
(Lesser- United  Artists) 

Musical 

PRODUCER:  Sol  Lesser.  Directed  by  Frank 
Borzage. 

PLAYERS:  Edgar  Bergen  and  Charlie  McCarthy, 
Jack  Benny,  Ray  Bolger,  Ethel  Merman,  Ethel 
Waters,  Merle  Oberon,  Mary  Pickford,  Katharine 
Cornell,  TalMah  Bankhead,  Alfred  Lunt  and  Lynn 
Fontanne,  Jane  Cowl,  Kenny  Baker,  Helen  Hayes, 
Marlene  Dietrich,  Helen  Mencken,  Loretta  Young, 
Paul  Muni,  Johnny  Weissmuller,  Bonita  Granville 
and  others,  with  bands  of  Kay  Kyser,  Benny  Good- 
man, Freddie  Martin,  Xavier  Cugat,  Guy  Lom- 
bardo,  Count  Basie,  and  with  George  Jessel  and 
Bert  Lytell  as  masters  of  ceremonies. 

SYNOPSIS 

Revolving  about  the  activities  of  the  famed 
entertainment  spot  in  New  York  for  service 
men,  "Stage  Door  Canteen"  will  have  a  definite 
romantic  story  about  which  the  various  per- 
sonalities are  grouped.  The  name  people  will 
appear  as  acts  and  anecdote  tellers,  hostesses 
and  bus  boys  at  the  canteen,  with  a  cast  of  vir- 
tual unknowns  portraying  the  dramatic  roles. 
The  names  listed  above  are  not  complete,  and 
some  of  those  to  be  seen  have  never  before 
appeared  in  front  of  motion  picture  cameras. 

A  portion  of  the  profits  of  the  film  will  go 
to  service  men's  and  actors'  welfare  organiza- 
tions. 


THE  LAST  RIDE 
(Warners) 

Melodrama 

DIRECTED  by  D.  Ross  Lederman. 

PLAYERS:    Richard   Travis,    Eleanor    Parker,  Jack 

LaRue,  Cy  Kendall,  Wade  Boteler. 

SYNOPSIS 

When  two  persons  are  killed  by  an  accident 
caused  by  a  tire  blowout,  investigation  shows 
that  the  tires  on  the  automobile  were  from  the 
"black  market."  Assigned  to  break  the  black 
market  ring,  a  young  detective  crashes  through 
a  series  of  incidents,  which  include  his  pur- 
poseful discharge  from  the  force,  gaining  the 
confidence  of  the  gang,  and  bringing  them  to 
justice,  despite  the  fact  that  his  younger  brother 
is  one  of  the  criminals. 

WE'VE  NEVER  BEEN  LICKED 
(Universal) 

College-War  Drama 

PRODUCER:  Walter  Wanger.  Directed  by  John 
Rawlins. 

PLAYERS:  Richard  Qu\ne,  Noah  Beery,  Jr.,  Anne 
Gwynne,  Martha  O'Driscoll,  Edgar  Barrier,  William 
Frawley,  Harry  Davenport. 

SYNOPSIS 

For  the  first  time,  the  achievements  of  Texas 
A.  and  M.  College,  which  has  contributed  more 
officers  to  the  United  States  Army  than  any 
other  institution,  is  brought  to  the  screen. 
Filmed  with  the  cooperation  of  the  university 
which  offered  its  facilities,  this  Wanger  pro- 
duction tells,  in  the  story  of  one  of  its  stu- 
dents, the  type  of  training  offered  by  the  col- 
lege. After  defending  the  actions  of  the  Japs 
in  the  Pacific  some  time  prior  to  Pearl  Har- 
bor,  the  student  is  considered  disgraced  when 
he  presumably  fails  in  his  duties  of  guarding 
a  laboratory  where  a  secret  war  formula  is 
being  developed.  He  joins  forces  with  the  two 
Tap  students  expelled  with  him,  and  after 
Pearl  Harbor,  is  discovered  to  be  issuing  anti- 
Allied  propaganda  from  Tokio.  Getting  into  a 
plane  by  a  ruse,  he  overcomes  the  Jap  pilot, 
switches  the  plane's  radio  wavelength  to  that 
of  an  American  squadron,  directs  them  to  the 
Tap  fleet  and  then,  himself,  destroys  a  Jap  car- 
rier by  diving  the  plane  at  it. 


Product  Digest  Section     j  |  1 5 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


SHORTS  CHART 


Production  Numbers 
Release  Dates 
Running  Time 


COLUMBIA 

Prod.  R*l.  P.D. 

No.         Title  Date  Pag* 

ALL  8TAR  COMEDIES 
(Averags  17  Mln.) 
1942-43 

4421  Phony  Cranio   8-27-42  899 

(Brendel) 

4422  Carry  Harry   9-3-42  926 

(Langdon) 

4401  Even  As  I0U  9-18-42  990 

(Stooges) 

4423  Kits  and  Wake  Up  10-2-42  974 

(Downs) 

4409  College  Belles   10-16-42  998 

(Gloveslinger) 

4424  Sappy  Pappy   10-30-42  1010 

(Clyde) 

4402  Sock-a-bye  Baby   11-13-42  1048 

(Stooges) 

4425  Ham  and  Yeggs  11-27-42  1046 

(Brendel) 

4426  Piano  Mooner   12-11-42  1094 

(Langdon) 

4410  The   Great  Glover  12-25-42  .. 

(Gloveslinger) 

4403  They  Stooge  to  Conga  1-1-43  1094 

(Stooges) 

4428    His  Wedding  Scare  1-15-43  .. 

(Brendel) 

COLOR  'RHAPSODIES 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4501  Song    si    Victory  9-4-42  928 

4502  Tlto'o  Guitar   10-30-42  1010 

4503  Toll  Bridge  Troubles. ...  1 1-27-42  1048 

4504  King  Midas  Junior  12-18-42 

4505  Slay  It  with  Flowers  1-8-43 

PHANTA8IE8  CARTOONS 
(Average  9  Mln.) 
1942-43 

4701  The  Gullible  Canary  8-18-42  898 

4702  The  Dumb  Conscious  Mind.  10-23-42  1010 

4703  Malice  In  Slumberland. ..  1 1-20-42  1046 

4704  Cholly   Polly   12-18-42 

4705  The  Vitamin  G  Man  1-22-43 

COMMUNITY  SING  (Series  7) 
(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4651    No.  I — Rhumba  and  Conga 

Hits   8-15-42  899 

4632    No.  2— "Yankee  Doodler".t- 17-42  850 

(Baker) 

4653    No.  3— College  Songs  10-15-42  1018 

4634    No.  4— Service  8ongs. ...  1 1-12-42  1007 

4655  No.  5— 

Songs  of  the  States  12-11-42  1094 

4656  No.  6— MacDonald't  Son. ..1-1-43 

QUIZ  REELS 
(Average  10  Mln.) 
1942-43 

(Series  3) 

4601    Klchen  Quiz  No.  1  8-21-42  699 

PANORAM ICS 
(10  Minutes) 
1642-43 

4901  Cajuns  of  the  Teche  8-13-42  856 

(Quaint  Folks  No.  I) 

4902  Oddities    (La   Varre)  10-8-42  998 

4903  Our  Second  Front  12-11-42  1078 

4904  Merchant  Seamen   1-15-43 

TOURS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4551  Journey  to  Denall  (La  Varre) 

8-5-42  877 

4552  Old  and  Modern  New 

Orleans   10-2-42  974 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS  (Series  22) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4851    No.    I   8-7-42  869 


For  short  sub ject  synopses  turn  to  the  Product  Digest 
Section  pages  indicated  by  the  numbers  which  follow 
the  titles  and  release  dates  in  the  listing. 


Prod. 

No. 


Title 


Rti.  P.D 
Date  Pags 


Prod.  Rel.  P.D. 

No.         Title  Date  Page 

4852  No.  2   8-11-42  926 

4853  No.  3   10-23-42  9M 

4854  No.  4   11-28-42  1046 

4855  No.  5   12-25-42  1094 

WORLD  OF  SPORTS 
(18  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4801  Trotting    Kings   9-25-42  »74 

4802  Wizard  of  the   Fairway. .  1 1-6-42  1010 

4803  Winter  Paradise   12-8-42  1094 

KATE  8MITH 
(II  MllUtes) 

1942-43 

4751    America  Sings  With 

Kate  Smith   8-21-42  8*9 

FAM0U8  BANDS 
(10  Mlaates) 
1942-43 

4951  Ted  Powell  (1280  Club) . .8-27-42  898 

4952  Hal  Melntyre   10-23-42  998 

4953  Shep   Fields   12-23-42  1094 

AMERICA  SPEAKS 
4961    Wings  for  the  Fledgling .  12-31-42  1094 


M-G-M 


TWO  REEL  SPECIALS 

(Average  20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

A-401    Keep  'Em  Sailing  11-28-42  1022 

FITZPATRICK  TRAVELTALK8  (Color) 
(•  Minutes) 

1842-48 

T-4II  Picturesque 

Massachusetts   10-3-42  998 

T-412    Modern  Mexico  City  11-8-42  1010 

T-413  Glimpses  of  Ontario....  12-5-42  1 1  IS 
T-414    Land    of   Orizaba  1-2-43 

PETE  SMITH  SPECIALTIES 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

S-371    It's  a  Dog's  Life  8-22-42  677 

S-372   Victory  Vlttles   9-19-42  950 

S-373  Football  Thrills  of  1941.. 9-28-42  998 
S-374   Calling  All  Pa's...  10-24-42  998 

1942-  43 

S-461    First   Aid   1-2-43  1118 

S-462    Marines  In  the  Making.  12-26-42  1118 

PA88ING  PARADE 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

K-387   The  Magle  Alphabet. .. 10-10-42  995 

K-388    Famous  Boners   10-24-42  1010 

K-389   The  Film  That  Was 

Lost   10-31-42  994 

1942-  43 

Madero  of  Mexico  11-28-42  1022 


K-481 


MINIATURES 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

M-336   The  Greatest  Gift  9-5-42  926 

M-337    ATCA   10-3-42  994 

M-338   The  Good  Job  10-10-42  994 

M-339    Listen.  Boys   10-17-42  998 

1942-  43 

M-431    The    Last    Lesson  12-19-42  1118 

M-432    People  of  Russia  12-26-42  1118 

M-433    Brief  Interval   11-28-42  1022 


Prod. 

No. 


Title 


Rtl.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


OUR  GANG  C0MEDIE8 
(Average  II  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

C-369    Rover's   Big   Chance  8-22-42  856 

C-400    Mighty  Lak  a  Goat. ...  10-10-42  998 

1942-  43 

C-401    Unexpected  Riches   11-28-42  1022 

TECHNICOLOR  CARTOONS 

(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

W-352   The  Blitz  Wolf  8-22-42  956 

W-353  The  Early  Bird  Dood  It. 8-29-42  930 
W-354   Chips  Off  the  Old 

Block   9-12-42  950 

W-355  Fine  Feathered  Friend.  10-10-42  1010 
W-358   Wild   Honey   11-7-42  1022 

1942-  43 

W-441    Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   12-26-42  1118 


PARAMOUNT 

UNUSUAL  OCCUPATIONS  (Color) 
(II  Minutes) 

1941-43 

L2-I    No.  I   10-9-42  974 

L2-2    No.  2   12-4-42  1070 

L2-3    No.  »   2-12-43  .. 


FASCINATING  JOURNEYS  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-42 

Ml -2    Indian   Temples   9-4-42  926 

SUPERMAN  COLOR  CARTOONS 

(Average  8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

WI-9    Superman  la  Terror 

en  the  Midway  8-28-42  877 

WI-10  Superman  and  the 

Japoteurs   9-13-42  930 

Wl-ll  Superman  In  Showdown. .  10-16-42  974 
WI-12  Superman  ls>  Eleventh 

Hour   11-20-42  1070 

1942-  43 

W2-I    Superman  In  Destruction,  lie. 

12-25-42  1118 

W2-2  Superman  In  the  Mummy 

Strikes   1-29-43 

W2-3   Superman  in  Jungle 

Drums   3-5-43 

HEDDA  HOPPER'S  HOLLYWOOD 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

ZI-5    No.  5   8-14-42  877 

ZI-8    No.  6    9-18-42  930 

HEADLINER8 

(Average  10  Minutes) 

1942-  43 

A2-I    The  MeFarland  Twins  ft 

Orchestra   10-2-42  998 

A2-2   Johnny  "Seat"  Davis 

&   Orchestra   11-6-42  1010 

A2-3    Hands  of  Women  12-11-42  1070 

A2-4  Mitchell  Ayres  &  Orch. ..  1-15-43 
A2-5    Ina  Ray  Hutton  ft  Orch.  .3- 19-43 

MADCAP  MODELS  (Color) 
(Average  8  Minutes) 
1941-42 

UI-6   The   Little   Broadcast  9-28-42  998 


1942-43 

U2-I    Jasper  and  Use  Haunted 

House   10-23-42  1010 

U2-2  Jasper  and  the  Choo-Choo.  1-1-43 
U2-3    Bravo  Mr.  Strauss  3-12-43 

POPEYE  THE  SAILOR 
(7  Minutes) 
1941-42 

El- 1 1    You're  a  Sap,  Mr.  Jap... 8-7-42  858 
El -12    Alena  on  the  Sarong  Seas. 9-4-42  926 
1(42-41 

E2-I    A  Hull  of  a  Mess  10-16-42  974 

E2-2   Scrap  the  Japs  11-20-42  1097 

E2-3    Me  Musical  Nephews  12-25-42  1070 

E2-4   Spinach  for  Britain  1-22-43 

E2-5   Seein'  Red,  White 

•n  Blue   2-19-43 

E2-6    A  Jolly  Good  Furlough. ..  .3-26-43 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-43 

J2-I    No.  I   10-2-42  974 

J2-2    No.  2   11-27-42  1919 

J2-3    No.  3   ..2-3-43 

SPEAKING  OF  ANIMALS 

(Average  9  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

YI-5   At  the  Dog  Show  8-28-42  926 

YI-6    In  South   America  9-25-42  974 

1942-  43 

Y2-I    Speaking  of  Animals  and 

Their  Families   12-18-42  1070 

8P0RTLIGHT8 

(Average  10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

R I  - 13    Timber  Athletes   9-11-42  926 

1942-  43 

R2-I    Sports  I.Q  10-9-42  974 

R2-2   The  Fighting  Spirit  11-13-42  1007 

R2-3    Modern  Vikings   1-8-43 

R2-4   Trading   Blows   2-12-43 

R2-5    Hike  or  Bike  3-19-43 

VICTORY  8H0RTS 
(IS  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T2-I    A  Letter  from  Bataan. .  .9- 15-42  946 

T2-2   We  Refuse  to  Die  10-22-42  946 

T2-3  The  Price  of  Victory. ...  12-3-42  1018 
T2-4   The  Aldrleh  Family  Sets 

Into  Scrap   


RKO 

WALT  DISNEY  CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 
1941-42 

24.108  T-Bono  for  Two  8-14-42  896 

24.109  How  to  Play  Baseball. .  .9-4-42  926 
24,100   The  Vanishing  Private.  .9-24-42  974 

24.111  Olympic  Champ   10-9-42  991 

24.112  How  to  8wlm  10-23-42  1019 

24.113  Sky  Trooper   11-6-42  1022 

24.114  Pluto  at  the  Zoo  11-20-42  1070 

24.115  How  to   Fish  12-4-42  1094 

24, 1 1 G    Bellboy  Donald   12-18-42  1118 

DISNEY  SPECIALS 

Der   Fuehrer's   Face  12-18-42  1067 

Education  for  Death  1-5-42  1067 

INFORMATION  PLEASE 
(Average  II  Mln.) 

1941-  42 

24.210  No.  10   John  Carradlne. 8-14-42  377 

24.211  No.  II  Russell  Crouse  ..9-11-42  974 

8P0RT8C0PE 

(Average  8  Min.) 

1942-  43 

34.301  Shew  Horse   9-11-42  974 

34.302  Touchdown  Tars   10-9-42  998 

34.303  Winter   Setting  11-6-42  1022 

34.304  Q-Men   12-4-42  1094 

33.305  Basketeers   1-1-43  1118 


1116  Product  Digest  Section 


January    I  6.     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


He. 


Titli 


Bet  PSJ. 
Dati  Poqi 


Proi. 

So. 


Titli 


Ril.  P.D. 
Dou  Poet 


PICTURE  PEOPLE 
i  10  Mlniprtei) 
•4  -42 

24,413    Hollywood  M  tl* 

Hade**   l-u-42  nt 

EDGAR  KENNEDY 

(Average  17  Min.) 
IMS-* 

93,401    T»i  far  the  Money  i- 1 4-42  921 

33,442  R:uth   <■   Rent*  10-30-42  Itll 

33.403    Dock  Stop   12-18-42  1113 

LEON  ERROL 

(Average  13  Min.) 

nn  a 

33.701  Hail  Trwih.lt   1-4-42  941 

33.702  Deer,  Deer   10-23-42  I0H 

33.703  Pretty  Dolly   12-11-42  1094 

JAMBOREES 

(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

34.401  Jerry  Wald  4  Ore*,  9-11-42  954 

34.402  Johnny  Long   4.   Ore*.. .  10-2-42  99! 

34.403  Ray  MeKlnley  &  Orsh. .  10-30-42  1022 

34.404  Dick  Stabile  t  Ore*,.. .  1 1-27-42  1 076 
34,4:3    Eerie  Madriguera  &. 

Ore*.   12-25-42  1094 

VICTORY  SPECIALS 
I  542  -43 

34,2:i  Cc-;_;-  by  the  Cl:-:k  , .  1  r-27-42  1114 
34,202    Spit,   Grit  and  Rlvett  

FAMOUS  JURY  TRIALS 
'Average   IS  Mint.) 
1542-43 

33.201  The  State  n.  GI«n 

Wlllet   9-18-42  »74 

33.202  The  State  rv.  Them  at 

Themis  Crosby    11-13-42  1070 

THIS  IS  AMERICA 
(Average  19  Kin.) 
1942-43 

33.101  Private  Smith  ef  the 

U.  S.  A.   18-2-42  »7l 

33.102  Women  at  Ami  10-3,0-42  1031 

33.103  Army  Chaplain   12-18-42  1102 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

ADVENTURES   NEWS  CAMERAMAN 
(Average  i  Min.) 
1943-43 

3291    Aliig   the  Teiu   Range. .  IO-t-42  »74 

3202   Climbing  the  Peaks  1-29-43 

MAGIC  CARPET 

(I  HIlVtM) 

1942-43  (0«Mr) 
3131    Desert   Wonderland   8  - 1  -42  858 

3152  Wedding  in  Bikaner  8-23-4  2  899 

3i:3    Valley    of    B  luteal  9-25-42  850 

3154    Royal  Aralry   10-23-42  99t 

3153  Gay  Rle   1 1-23-42  1022 

3158   Strange    Empire   1-1-43 

:  :7    Land  Whir*  Time  Steed 

Still   2-26-43 

SPORTS  REVIEWS 

(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

SOI    Well-Raved    Himri  8-14-42  8SS 

3351    Neptune's  Daughters   11-20-42  1  022 

3:02    When    Winter   Comes ....  12- [8-42 

!:".3    Steelhead    Fighters   1-13-43 

3304    Back  te   Bikes  2-12-43 

TERRYT00N8  (TECHNICOLOR) 
(7   Ml  cm  11  j 
1942-43 

3351    All    Oirt  fer  ,rV"  1-7-42  9*1 

3552  Life  with  Fide  8-21-42  928 

3353    School    Daze   9-18-42  9*8 

5554  Night  Life  la  the  Amy.  10-2-42  974 
3,555  The  Moose  ef  Temorrsw.  1 0- 18-4,2  1048 
3558    Nancy  la  Delng  Their 

Bit   IO-M-42 

3557  Frinfcensleln'i  Cat   11-27-42 

3558  Barnyard    WAAC   12-11-42 

3559  Strap  for  victory  1-8-43 

3550  Barnyard   Blaekeut   2-5-43 

3551  Shipyard   Symphony   2-19-43 

SPECIAL 
s:-e.here  In  the  Paslfli.  I2-2J-42 

3553  He  D«d   It  Again  1-22-43 


TERRYTOONS  (Black  4  White) 
(7  Minutes) 

1942-43 

3501  The  Big  Bciild-Up  9-4-42  925 

3502  lette   Meets   Pickle  11-13-42  1048 

THE  WORLD  TODAY 
(9  Ml  a  at  ei  j 
1942*43 

3401    Our  Last  F rentier  I-II-42 

MARCH  OF  TIME 
(Average  20  Mlnotet) 
1942-43 

V9-1    The  F.B.I.  Front  9-11-42  911 

V9-2   The  Fighting  French  10-9-42  946 

V9-3    Mr.  and   Mrs.   America. .  1 1  -6*42  1007 

V9-4   Prelude  te  Victory  12-4-42  1055 

V9-5    The  Navy  and  the  Nation. .  1. 1 -43  1102 

DRIBBLE   PUSS  PARADE 
(9  Mlaotei) 

3901    Monkey  Doodle  Dandies. ..  12-4-42  1046 

VICTORY  FILM 

3B0I    It's    Everybody'!   Wax  11-6-42  1  031 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

WORLD   IN  ACTION 
(Two  Belli) 
1141-42 

..    Our  Russian  Ally  8-14-42  784 

...    Hitler's  Plan  1-4-42  834 

  R«ad  ti  Tekyi   838 

  Insidi  Fighting  China        10-2-42  898 

  Mask   if   Nlpp>en  [[-8-42    97 1 

  Fighting   Freighters   [-9-43  [055 

  Paratroops   2-12-43 


UNIVERSAL 

COLOR  CARTUNE 
(Avera.fi  7  Mil.) 

1942-43 

7241  Aidy  Puada'i  Victory 

Garden   1.7-42  921 

7242  The  Lean  Stranger  10-19-12  9SS 

7243  Air  Raid  Warden  [2-21-42  1118 

7244  The  Sereiball   2-15-43 

SWING  SYMPHONIES 
1942-43 

7231  Yankee  Doodle  8wlng 

SUA   9-21-42  Ii94 

7232  Bougie  Wo-ogle  Sioux  ...  I  [-30-42  1048 

7233  "Cow-Co*   Beegle"   i-4-42 

STRANGER   THAN  FICTION 
(9  Mln-utet) 

1941-  42 

S3-84    Mill  *l  Deugh  8-10-42  877 

8385    Seiis  Painter   8-SI-42  89S 

PERSON— 0  D  D ITI  ES 

1942-  43 

7371  Hunan  Sailboat  ,  9-14-42  926 

7372  Jail   Htstttt   9-28-42  9-50 

7373  King  of  the  49-en  10- 12-42  1048 

7374  Double  Talk  Girl  11.18-42  1  007 

7375  Designed  by 

Fannie  Hurst   12-14-42  1118 

7375  Let  Huey  Do  It  [-25-43 

7377  She's  A- 1  in  the  Navy  2-8-43 

VARIETY  VIEWS 
(t   M  Hotel) 

1941-  42 

8385    Crater   City   8-17-42  84(9 

1942-  43 

7351    Trouble  Spot  of  tie  East.. 9-7-42  8*9 

7332    Canadian  Patre>l   9-21-42  926 

7343    Spirit  sf  Dem-eeriey  10-5-42  974 

7354    New  Era  In  India  [[-2-42  1010 

7335    Wettern    Whoopee  12-24-42  8*9 

7358  Winter  Sports  Jam  bone  1-8-43 

7357  Mother  ef  Presidents  2-1-43 

MUSICALS 
(Avorag*  II  Mia.) 
1942-43 

7121  Trumpet    Serenade  9-9-42  8-99 

7122  Serenade    In    Swing  10-14-42  899 

712:3    Jlvln'  Jam  Session  11-11-42  B99 

7124  Swing's  the  Thing  12-2-42  1007 

7125  Chasln'  the  Bluet  I-I3-4S  1048 

7125  Hit  Tune  Jamboree  2-10-43 


Proi.  Ril.  P.D. 

No.         Titli  DoU  Pooi 

VICTORY  FEATU  R ETTES 
1942-43 

09*5    Keeping    Fit   10-26-42  943 

0995  Arsenal  of  Might  2-22-43 

2-REEL  SPECIAL 

7111    Roar,   Navy  Rear  11-23-42  1048 

71 10  "Eagle  Vi.  Dragon"  


VITAPHONE 


TECHNICOLOR  SPECIAL* 
(Avenge  20  MIt.) 

1942-43 

8001  A  Ship  Ii  Bom  10-10-42  1010 

8002  Fighting  Engineers   1-2-43  1118 

8003  Young  and  Beautiful  2-13-43 

8004  Eagles  of  the  Navy  3-13-43 

BROADWAY  BREVITIE8 
(20  Mlnirtei) 

1942-43 

8101  The  Spirit  if  AnnapoIIi. .  .9-5-42  826 

8102  The  Nation  Daneei  9-26-42  174 

8103  The  8plrlt  of  Wett  Point  1 1-28-42  1007 

8104  Beyoa-d  the  Line  of  Duty.  1 1 -7-42  1810 

8105  Vaudeville    Days   12-19-42  1070 

8196   The  Man  Killers  

8107  Little  Isles  of  Freedom. ..  1-30-43  1078 

8108  Our  African  Frontiers  2-27-43 


HOLLYWOOD   NOVELTI  E8 
(18  Mlnirtn) 
1942-41 

8341    Sweeney  Steps  Out  9-12-42  9-58 

8302  Yen  Want  te  Give  Up 

Smoking   11-14-42  1022 

8303  Stars  on  Horseback  

8304  So  You  Think  Yra  Need 

Glasses   12-25-42  1118 

8305  This  Is  Your  Enemy  1-23-43 


THE  SPORTS  PARADI 
(18  Mlctrti-i) 

1142-43 

8401  Sniffer  Soldiers   9-12-42  940 

8402  South  American  Sparta. .  10- 17-42  1007 

8403  The    Right   Timing  10-31-42  1022 

8404  Cuba,    Land    of  Adventure 

and  Sport   1-9-43  1070 

8405  America's  Battle  ef 

Beauty   11-21-42  1070 

3403  Horses!  Horses!  Horses!. .  12- 12-42  1070 
8407   Sporting  Dogs   2-28-43 


MELODY  MASTERS  BAN  DS 
(It  Mlnitet) 

942-43 

8-501    Army  Air  Force  Band  9-19-42  140 

8402   Six  Hltt  and  I  M Ita. ...  18-24-42  1007 

8503  U.  S.  Marine  Band          1  1-14-42  1007 

8504  Borrah  Minevlteh  and  hli 

Harmonica  School   12-26-42  1 1  [8 

8505  U.  S.  Navy  Band  [-16-43 


LOONEY    TUNES  CARTOONS 
(7  Ml  nut  it  1 
1941-42 

7614  The  Ditektatw   8-1-42  849 

7615  Eatln'  on  the  CofJ  8-22-42  877 

7618    Tin   Impatient   Patient  8-5-42  877 

[942-41 

8601  The   Hep  Cat  10-3-42  948 

8602  The  Daffy  Duekaroo  [8-24-42  1  022 

8603  My    Favorite    Dnck  12-5-42  1007 

8604  Confusions  of  a  Mutzy  Spy 

1-23-43  1007 

3605   To  Duck  or  Not  to  Duck  2-6-43  1070 

8605  Hop  and  Go  2-6-43 

MERRIE   MELODIES   CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Mlnsrtet) 

1941-  42 

7723  Finer  Fab  lei   J-l-42  841 

7724  The  Sowavhln'  Hawk   8-8-42  877 

7725  Fresh   Hart   8-22-43  877 

7728    Ftx  Pop   9-5-42  877 

1942-  48 

8701  The  Dover  Bora  9-19-42  949 

8702  The  Shoe  pith  Wolf  10- 1 7-4  948 


Proi.  R*.  P-D. 

No.         Titli  Doti  Poet 

8703  The  Hare  Brained 

Hypnotltt   10-51-42  I0C7 

8704  A  Tale  of  Twe  Klrtlet. ..  1 1-21-42  1007 

8705  Ding  Dog  Daddy  12-5-42  16*7 

8706  Cate  ef  the  Mltalni 

Hare   12-12-42  I0«7 

8707  Coal  Black  and  de  SebbM 

Owarft   1-16-43  1007 

8703    Pigs  in  a  Polka  2-6-43  1070 

8709  Tortoise  Wint  by  a  Hare.  .2-20-43 

8710  Fifth  Column  Mouse  3-6-43 

871 1  Flop  Goes  the  Weatel  

OFFICIAL   U.  8.  VICTORY  FILM8 
(Distributed  by  Varleoa  Major  Eiehaagee) 

Bomber    509 

Pott   te   Piaa-ea   5** 

Food   fer    Freedom   5** 

Red    Crett   Trailer   500 

Women    In    Defeat!   t» 

Safeguarding    Military    infennetlei   JCrS 

Tanks    509 

Any  Bendi  Today    509 

Ring  ef  Steel    587 

Fighting    Fire   B  trade   587 

Lake  Carrier    715 

United    China  Relief  

Winning  Year  Wlngi   174 

Keep   'Em   Rolling   (74 

Mr.  Gardenia  Joaet   874 

Year  Air  Raid  Warden   770 

Vlgllanet    771 

Out  of  tke  Frying  Pan   §48 

Salvage    940 

Manpower    971 

Japanese  Relocation    171 

Dover    loll 

Fuel  Contervatloa    1948 

Colleges  at  War   1078 

Community  Transportation    1102 

Paratroops    1114 

U.  S.  TREASURY  DEPT. 
(Released  Through  National  Serein) 
The    New   Spirit   521 

WAR   ACTIVITIES  COMMITTEE 
(Released  Through  20th-Fox) 
Battle  ef  Midway   912 

BRITISH   MINISTRY   OF  INFORMATION 

21   M  i  let    871 

Control  Room    1011 

C.  E.  M.  A   Itll 

Fighting  French  Navy   1670 

Lift  Your  Head  Comrade   1094 

Letter  from  Ulster   1094 

Speed  Up  on  Stiriings   1114 

MISCELLANEOUS 
Movie  aula,  No.  I  aid  t   144 

(Mov)e   Quiz  Distributing) 
Shock  Troops  for  Defense   871 

(Brandon  Filnti) 
Scrap  fer  Victory   871 

(Brandon  Films) 

Quebec  (Canadian  Film  Board)   1070 

Kckoda  Battle  Front   1070 

(Australian  Dent,  ef  Information) 

Sword  of  the  Spirit   1045 

(Verity  Film) 


SERIALS 
COLUMBIA 


1842-43 

4129    The  Seeret  Cede  1-4-42 

(15  Eplteats) 

4140    The  Valley  of  Vanishing  Men 

(15  episode!)   12-27-42 


REPUBLIC 


1942-43 

281  King  of  the  Mocntle*. ..  10-11-42  990 

(12  episodes) 

282  G-Men  vs.  the  Black  Dragon 

(15  Episodes)  1-2-43  1022 


UNIVERSAL 

-  IS42-43 
7881-92   Junior  G-Men  ef  the 

Air   6-SS-42  7S4 

(12  episodes) 
T8I-93    Overland   Mall   1-22-42  140 

(15  epleedes) 
76SI-93    Adveatnra  ef  Smllln'  Jack 

(13  episodes)  1-4-43  194 


Product  Digest  Section  1117 


MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  January    16,  1943 

SHORTS 

advance  synopses  and 
information 


SUPERMAN  IN  DESTRUCTION,  INC. 
(Para.) 

(W2-1) 

Sabotage  in  a  munitions  plant  offers  a  story 
to  provoke  the  spirit  of  competition  between 
reporters  Lois  Lane  and  Clark  Kent.  Lois  is  on 
the  trail  of  the  crime  when  she  is  discovered  and 
concealed  in  a  loaded  torpedo.  Kent  assumes 
the  guise  of  Superman  in  time  to  save  her  and 
foil  the  saboteurs. 

Release  date,  December  25,  1942     %y2  mins. 


BELLBOY  DONALD  (RKO) 

Disney  Cartoon  (24,116) 

Donald,  a  bellboy  serving  on  the  motto  that 
the  customer  is  always  right,  is  sorely  tried  by 
Junior,  son  of  Pete.  Most  of  his  troubles  cen- 
ter around  the  elevator,  above,  below  and  even 
half-way  in.  His  patience  finally  gives  out 
after  an  abrupt  and  flattening  descent.  Donald 
collars  Junior,  assures  himself  that  the  job  is 
no  longer  his  and  gives  in  to  his  natural  im- 
pulses. 

Release  date,  December  18,  1942    7  minutes 


MARINES  IN  THE  MAKING  (MGM) 

Pete  Smith  (S-462) 

Made  with  an  all-Marine  cast,  this  release 
describes  the  strenuous  training  routine  of  the 
leatherneck  recruit.  Coach  Dick  Hanley  of  foot- 
ball fame — now  Major  Richard  E.  Hanley — 
gives  a  demonstration  of  the  Marines'  equip- 
ment for  hand-to-hand  combat,  including  jiu 
jitsu  and  the  use  of  the  bayonet.  There  is  a 
solemn  presentation  too  of  the  Marines'  "Creed 
of  the  Rifle." 

Release  date,  December  26,  1942     9  minutes 


THE  FIGHTING  ENGINEERS  (WB) 

Technicolor  Special  (8002) 

Filmed  at  Fort  Belvoir,  Va.,  in  cooperation 
with  the  U.  S.  Engineering  Corps.,  this  subject 
tells  the  story  of  the  training  and  duties  of  that 
branch  of  the  armed  services.  Screen  actors 
Richard  Travis,  Robert  Armstrong  and  James 
Flavin  are  featured  in  combat  scenes  simulating 
the  fighting  on  the  Solomons,  and  showing  the 
contribution  of  our  Engineers  to  recent  suc- 
cesses there. 

Release  date,  January  2,  1943       20  minutes 


DESIGNED  BY  FANNIE  HURST  (Univ.) 

Person  Oddities  {7175) 

The  emphasis  is  upon  oddities  in  this  issue 
although  the  well-known  personality  of  Fannie 
Hurst  is  included.  This  writer  has  made  a  hob- 
by of  collecting  antique  religious  objects  which 
are  photographed  in  her  home.  Other  oddities 
are  a  children's  trolley  set  up  in  the  back  yard ; 
a  private  cemetery  which  becomes  the  property 
of  each  President  of  the  United  States ;  dolls 
made  from  pipe  cleaners  and  a  town  (Dayton, 
Nev.)  on  wheels. 

Release  date,  December  14,  1942    9  minutes 


Synopses  Indexed 

Page  numbers  on  short  subject 
synopses  published  in  Product  Digest 
are  listed  in  the  Shorts  chart,  Prod- 
uct Digest  Section,  pages  1116-1117. 


THE  LAST  LESSON  (MGM) 

Miniature  (M-431) 

In  the  memory  of  some  elder  Frenchmen  is 
the  last  attempt  of  a  victorious  Germany  to 
stamp  out  French  culture  and  spirit.  Then  as 
now  the  country  was  occupied,  but  the  love  of 
liberty,  equality  and  fraternity  survived  and 
will  not  be  destroyed  today. 
Release  date,  December  19,  1942    10  minutes 


GLIMPSES  OF  ONTARIO  (MGM) 

FitzPatrick  Traveltalk  (T-413) 

The  tour  of  Canada's  Province  of  Ontario 
starts  at  St.  Thomas  in  the  great  grain  belt, 
moving  on  to  the  business  city  of  Toronto,  the 
capital  at  Ottawa  with  its  fine  Parliament 
buildings  and  catching  historic  monuments  and 
scenes  of  sport  and  play  on  the  Ottawa  river. 
Release  date,  December  5,  1942     9  minutes 


BORRAH  MINEVITCH  AND 

HIS  HARMONICA  SCHOOL  (WB) 

Melody  Masters  (85  04) 

A  school  for  harmonica  players  is  the  hobby 
of  Borrah  Minevitch,  master  of  the  mouth  or- 
gan. In  this  musical  subject,  instructor  and 
students  offer  a  concert  including  such  favorites 
as  "Bugle  Call  Rag,"  "Always  in  My  Heart," 
"Begin  the  Beguine"  and  "American  Patrol." 
Release  date,  December  26,  1942    10  minutes 


PEOPLE  OF  RUSSIA  (MGM) 

Miniature  (M-432) 

Two  glimpses  of  Russia  are  presented  here, 
one  set  of  films  from  1932  and  another  from 
1940.  The  tremendous  strides  made  in  these 
eight  years  and  the  temper  and  outlook  of  the 
people  are  evidence  of  the  strength  which  has 
held  off  the  armies  of  Germany  in  the  last  two 
years  of  war. 

Release  date,  December  26,  1942    10  minutes 


FIRST  AID  (MGM) 

Pete  Smith  (S-461) 

A  trio  of  former  screen  stars,  Sally  Eilers, 
Leila  Hyams  and  Eileen  Percy,  demonstrate 
proper  first  aid  technique  as  representatives  of 
the  Beverly  Hills  chapter  of  the  American  Red 
Cross.  Dave  O'Brien  and  Edna  Harris  offer  a 
convincing  illustration  of  what  not  to  do  in  an 
emergency. 

Release  date,  January  2,  1943       10  minutes 


AIR  RAID  WARDEN  (Univ.) 

Color  Car  tune  (7243) 

Andy  Panda  is  an  efficient  air  raid  warden 
with  a  well-equipped  post  before  the  appearance 
of  a  goat.  The  damage  after  this  encounter 
includes  an  alarm  siren,  two  traffic  lights,  a 
battery,  and  an  unmistakable  illumination  within 
the  animal.  A  swinging  steel  girder  carries 
both  aloft  where  they  are  mistaken  for  enemy 
aircraft  and  eventually  shot  down. 
Release  date,  December  21,  1942    7  minutes 


SO  YOU  THINK  YOU  NEED  GLASSES 
(WB) 

Hollywood  Novelty  (8304) 

George  O'Hanlon  plays  Joe  MacDoakes 
again  in  this  story  written  and  directed  by 
Richard  L.  Bare.  This  time  it's  eye  trouble, 
discovered  in  a  friendly  game  of  bridge  by  his 
wife.  Bi-focals  are  prescribed  and  bought,  tre- 
mendous affairs  which  his  brother-in-law  re- 
moves. Then  he  tries  treatments  which  prove 
so  successful  that  he  is  accepted  for  service  in 
the  Army. 

Release  date,  December  26,  1942    10  minutes 


DUCK  SOUP  (RKO) 

Edgar  Kennedy  (33,403) 

Edgar  Kennedy  finds  himself  unexpectedly 
in  the  hands  of  a  medical  man  all  because  his 
brother-in-law  has  decided  to  sell  him  insurance. 
Turned  down  for  a  nervous  condition  and  of- 
fered medicine  for  his  ailment,  Edgar  decides 
he  is  being  poisoned.  This  suspicion  is  ag- 
gravated when  he  hides  from  his  family  and  is 
mistaken  for  a  burglar.  In  the  scuffle,  he  finds 
great  satisfaction  in  knocking  out  the  brother- 
in-law,  only  to  have  a  law  suit  on  his  hands. 
Release  date,  December  1 8,  1942    17  minutes 


BARNEY  BEAR'S  VICTORY  GARDEN 
(MGM) 

Cartoon  (\P-441) 

Barney  Bear  with  an  upsurge  of  patriotism 
decides  to  plant  a  victory  garden  in  spite  of 
the  unpromising  soil.  A  bomber  helps  break 
ground  for  him,  but  his  next  assistant  is  not 
so  helpful.  A  mole  makes  an  underground 
maze,  consuming  the  root  vegetables  before  they 
are  harvested.  Barney  tries  to  rout  him  with 
a  hose  but  is  disastrously  defeated. 
Release  date,  December  26,  1942    8  minutes 


BASKETEERS  (RKO) 

Sportscope  (34,305) 

The  52-year-old  game  of  basketball,  devised 
at  Springfield  College  by  James  Naismith,  is 
brought  up  to  date  in  this  sports  issue.  Coach 
Clare  Bee  of  Long  Island  University  illustrates 
the  technique  of  the  fast,  modern  game  with  the 
aid  of  a  striped  ball.  The  reel  is  completed 
with  shots  of  a  game  between  his  team  and  that 
of  Brigham  Young  of  Utah. 
Release  date,  January  1,  1943       9  minutes 


1118  Product  Digest  Section 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

Short  Subject  Release  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found 
on  pages  I  I  I  6- 1  I  I  7. 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company 
by  Company,  in  order  of  release,  on  pages  I  103-1  104. 


—  RE\7IEWED 


Title 

ABOVE  Suspicion  MGM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic  WB 

Adventures  of  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 

•  Affairs  of  Martha,  The  MGM 

(formerly  Once  Upon  a  Thursday) 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 
A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20+h-Fox 

American  Empire  UA 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

•Are  Husbands  Necessary?  Para. 

Ariiona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

Avengers,  The  (British)  Para. 

(formerly  Day  Will  Da^n 

BABY  Face  Morgan  PRC 

Background  to  Danger  WB 

Bad  Company  Univ. 

•Bad  Men  of  the  Hills  Col. 

Bambi  (color)  RKO 

Bandit  Ranger  RKO 

Bataan  Patrol  MGM 

Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue)  UA 

(formerly  Kukan) 
Battle  for  Siberia  (Russian)  Artkino 

Behind  Prison  Walls  PRC 

Behind  the  Eight  Ball  Univ. 

•  Bells  of  Capistrano  Rep. 
Berlin  Correspondent  20th-Fox 
Between  Us  Girls  Univ. 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses  Caroline) 

Big  Street,  The  RKO 

Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid  in  Law  and  Order  PRC 

Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 

Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox 

•Blondie  for  Victory  Col. 

Bombardier  RKO 

Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The  Col. 

Boots  and  Saddles  (Reissue)  Rep. 

Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC 

•Boss  of  Hangtown  Mesa  Univ. 

Boston  Blackie  Gees  Hollywood  Col. 

Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono. 

Buckskin  Frontier  Para. 

Busses  Roar  WB 


Prod. 

Company  Number 


the  Sky 


CABIN 
Cairo 
Calaboose 
Call  of  the 
•Calling  Dr 
Careful,  Soft  Shoulder 
Casablanca 
Cat  People 


Canyon 
GiUespie 


MGM 
MGM 
UA 
Rep. 
MGM 
20th-Fox 
WB 
RKO 


202 


245 


302 


304 

7063 
4131 

312 


4213 


317 


3207 
391 
381 


313 
7029 

311 

7010 

301 

358 
261 

357 


320 
3019 

4026 

310 

4030 

203 

307 

131 
247 

312 

214 

313 


Stars 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Marsha  Hunt-Richard  Carlson 

John  Garfield-Gig  Young 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Richard  D'x-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Be 1  a  Lugcs'-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Ray  Milland-Betty  Field 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 


Keltste 
Date 

Not  Set 
Sept.  5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  '42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7/42 
Dec.  13, '42 
Not  Set 

Sept. -Nov. ,'42 
Feb.  26, '43 
Dec.  25, '42 
Block  7 
Sept.  4,'42 
Dec.  4,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 


Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 
George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 
Dead  End  Kids 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Disney  Feature  Cartoon 
Tim  Holt 

Robert  Taylor-Thomas  Mitchell 
Chinese  Feature 

Barbara  Miasnikova-Lev  Sverdlin 
Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 
Ritz  Bros. -Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 


Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 
Penny  Singleton-Arthur  Lake 
Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 
Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
John  Litel-Florence  Rice 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 
Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 
Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 
Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Sept.  15, '42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  13, '42 
Aug. 21, '42 
Sept- 25/42 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7/42 

Aug.  26/42 
Mar.  22/43 
Dec.  4/42 
Sept.  (5/42 
Sept.  I  1/42 
Sept.  4/42 

Sept.  4/42 

Jan.  22/43 
Aug.  21/42 

Nov.  20/42 

Oct.  2/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Aug.  6/42 
Shirley     Not  Set 
Oct.  22/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Dec.  7/42 
Aug.  21/42 
Nov.  5/42 
Oct.  30/42 
Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept.-Nov./42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  NorSet 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5/42 

Lionel  Barrymore-Philip  Dorn  Aug.,  '42 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison  Sept.  18/42 

Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman  Jan.  23/43 

Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway  Jan.  1/43 


Running 


65m 


55m 


M.  P. 
Herald 


Product 
Digest 


Advance  Service 
Synopsis  Data 


Time 

Issue 

Poge 

Page 

Page 

1081 

98m 

Aug.  22/42 

927 

726 

983 

936 

1091 

66m 

May  23/42 

673 

613 

756 

936 

1091 

67m 

July  1  1/42 

927 

81m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

92m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

796 

66m 

June  27/42 

938 

726 

1  104 

87m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

872 

1082 

79m 

June  13/42 

714 

663 

984 

58m 

63m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

701 

Nov.  7/42 


993 


July  25/42  903 


1019 


1058 
1055 


69m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

70m 

May  30/42 

685 

64m 

61m 

July  5/41 

840 

90m 

Sept.  5/42 

885 

1078 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

73m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

70  m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

89m 

Aug.  29/42 

890 

772 

87m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

701 

1 104 

58m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

1033 


55m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

1031 

85m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

855 

70m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

772 

912 

66m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

58m 

Nov.  13/37 

1  1  14 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

58m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

68m 

794 

63  m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

983 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

903 

1019 

101m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

71m 

Aug.  22/42 

938 

800 

84m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

69m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

102m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

936 

73  m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

962 

1034 


1034 


873 


Product  Digest  Section     |  |  |  9 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     16,  1943 


—  REVIEWED 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Servic 

Prod. 

Rfleait 

Running 

Herald 

Digett 

Synopiit 

Data 

Title 

Company 

Number 

Start 

Date 

Time 

Utue 

Page 

Page 

P*Jf* 

Chatterbox 

Rep. 

Joe  E.  Brown-Judy  Canova 

Not  Set 

Chetniks,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas 

20th-Fox 

328 

Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 

Feb.  5,'43 

73m 

Jan.  9/43 

1  1  15 

995 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetnik 

0 

Cheyenne  Roundup 

Univ. 

Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 

Not  Set 

China 

Para. 

Loretta  Young-Alan  Ladd 

Block  4 

1091 

China  Girl 

20th-Fox 

323 

George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 

Jan.  I,'43 

95m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

City  of  Silent  Men 

PRC 

308 

Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 

Oct.  12/42 

64m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

City  Without  Men 

Col. 

Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 

Jan.  14/43 

1009 

Coastal  Command  (British)  Para.-Crown 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn 

Col. 

Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 

Jan.  7,'43 

98m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

962 

Coney  Island 

20th-Fox 

Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 

Not  Set 

995 

Constant  Nymph,  The 

WB 

Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 

Not  Set 

Corregidor 

PRC 

Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 

Mar.  I,"43 

1 104 

Corvettes  in  Action 

Univ. 

Patric  Knowles-Dick  Foran 

Not  Set 

Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher 

Mono. 

Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

Jan.  22,'43 

1055 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones 

)  ' 

Counter  Espionage 

Col. 

Warren  William-eric  Blore 

sept.   3,  4/ 

77m 

1  ft  'AO 

04G 

a  7 1 

0/  1 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color) 

Col. 

Jinx  Falkenberg-Rita  Hayworth 

Not  Set 

Crash  Dive  (color) 

20th-Fox 

Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 

Not  Set 

962 

Crime  By  Night 

WB 

Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 

Not  Set 

1091 

Criminal  Investigator 

Mono. 

Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 

Oct.  23.'42 

61m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1033 

•Crossroads 

MGM 

244 

William  Powell-Hedy  Lamarr 

July.  '42 

84m 

June  27/42 

737 

663 

1082 

Crystal  Ball,  The 

UA 

Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Jan.  I,"43 

960 

DARING  Young  Man,  The 

Col. 

4021 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 

Oct.  8,'42 

73  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

871 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide 

Mono. 

Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 

Dec.  (8/42 

66  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1031 

Day  Will  Dawn  (British)  Soskin-Gen'l 

Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Not  Set 

98m 

May  23/42 

673 

(now  The  Avengers) 

Deadline  Guns 

Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1081 

Dead  Man's  Gulch 

Rep. 

274 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Feb.  5/43 

Dead  Men  Walk 

PRC 

320 

George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 

Feb.  10/43 

66m 

1031 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas 

Univ. 

7071 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Sept.  25/42 

62m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

Desert  Song,  The  (color) 

WB 

Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 

Not  Set 

872 

Desperados,  The  (color) 

Col. 

Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 

Not  Set 

871 

Desperate  Journey 

WB 

204 

Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 

Sept.  26/42 

107m 

Aug.  22/42 

915 

1082 

Destination  Unknown 

Univ. 

7030 

Irene  Hervey-William  Garqan 

Oct.  9/42 

61m 

Oct.  3/42 

946 

912 

Devil  with  Hitler,  The  UA-Roach 

Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 

(Jet.    1,  4* 

45  m 

Orl  74  "47 

OAO 

TOT 

Dixie 

Para. 

Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 

Not  Set 

1091 

Dixie  Dugan 

20th- Fox 

James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 

Not  Set 

1082 

Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant 

MGM 

317 

Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 

Dec.-Jan.,'43 

86m 

Nov.  15/42 

1005 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret 

20th-Fox 

321 

Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 

Dec.  1  1/42 

58m 

Dec.  17/42 

959 

936 

•Drums  of  the  Congo 

Univ. 

6040 

Stuart  Erwin-Ona  Munson 

Julv  17/42 

61m 

July  25/42 

794 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady 

MGM 

Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton 

Not  Set 

1019 

•  EAGLE  Squadron 

Univ. 

Kobert  Mack-Uiana  barrymore 

Kl -A  C -X 

Not  set 

1 09m 

lnnA  7ft  '49 

725 

Ml 

Edge  of  Darkness 

WB 

Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 

Not  Set 

982 

•  Enemy  Agents  Meet  Ellery  Queen  Col. 

3038 

Margaret  Lindsav-William  Garqan 

July  30/42 

64m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish) 

Scandia 

Ingrid  Bergman-Olof  Sandborg 

Not  Set 

89m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

•Escape  from  Crime 

WB 

137 

Julie  Bishop-Richard  Travis 

Julv  25/42 

60m 

June  6/42 

698 

687 

Eyes  in  the  Night 

MGM 

309 

Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 

Sept.-Nov./42 

79m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

797 

1034 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld 

Univ. 

7037 

Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney,  Jr. 

Jan.  8/43 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

FALCON'S  Brother,  The 

RKO 

309 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 

Nov.  6/42 

63  m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

871 

Fall  In  UA-Roach 

William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 

Nov.  20/42 

796 

Fighting  Devil  Dogs 

Rep. 

211 

Lee  Powell-Herman  Brix 

Jan.  29/43 

Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

37m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

First  of  the  Few,  The  Howard-Gen'l 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Not  Set 

1  18m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

(British) 

1058 

Flesh  and  Fantasy 

Univ. 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 

Not  Set 

Flight  for  Freedom 

RKO 

Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

June  27/42 

983 

Flying  Fortress  (British) 

WB 

211 

Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 

Dec.  5/42 

68m 

914 

1082 

•Flying  Tigers 

Rep. 

John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 

Oct.  8/42 

102m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

1 104 

984 

Follies  Girl 

PRC 

Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 

Mar.  15/43 

July  1 1/42 

Footlight  Serenade 

20th-Fox 

301 

John  Payne-Betty  Grable 

Aug.  1/42 

80m 

915 

715 

873 

Foreign  Agent 

Mono. 

John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 

Oct.  9/42 

64m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

Foreman  Went  to  France 

May  2/42 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Const*  nee  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder 

Not  Set 

90m 

634 

Forest  Rangers,  The  (color) 

Para. 

4206 

Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 

Block  2 

87m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

Forever  Yours 

Univ. 

Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

Not  Set 

936 

For  Me  and  My  Gal 

MGM 

312 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Sept.-Nov./42 

104m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

751 

1034 

Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 

Jan. 9/43 

1 101 

sian) 

Artkino 

Mikhail  Gelovani-Nikolai  Bogoliubov 

Not  Set 

77m 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color)  Para. 

Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman 

Not  Set 

occ 
855 

Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man 

Univ. 

Oil 

Lon  Ohaney-Dela  Lugosi 

IN  or  oeT 

1055 

From  Here  to  Victory 

RKO 

Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day 

M _i,  C.l 
INOT  OGT 

1081 

•Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail 

PRC 

Rill     fBarJifil     R-wJ   A  r*  Dai/ic 

dim   i  i\fluiO|   Doyo-^rT  lsovis 

fl,l    10  '47 

60  m 

1033 

•  Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals  PRC 

Rill     rP«rlis\l    Raw/J   Arf  Pl*i/i, 

did  (n\aoioj  Doya-^vrr  l*ovii 

oepi. 

60m 

•  GAY  Sisters,  The 

WB 

138 

Barbara  Stanwyck-George  Brent 

Aug.  1/42 

108m 

June  6/42 

697 

663 

984 

•General  Died  at  Dawn,  The 

Para. 

4140 

Gary  Cooper-Madeleine  Carroll 

Reissue 

93m 

Sept.  12/36 

911 

1043 

Gentle  Annie 

MGM 

Robert  Taylor-Susan  Peters 

Not  Set 

Oct.  3 1/42 

1034 

Gentleman  Jim 

WB 

212 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith 

Nov.  14/42 

104m 

981 

936 

George  Washington  Slept  H 

ere  WB 

210 

Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan 

Nov.  28/42 

93  m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

871 

1034 

Get  Hep  to  Love 

Univ. 

7022 

Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 

Oct.  2/42 

77m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

855 

Girl  Trouble 

20th-Fox 

309 

Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett 

Oct.  9/42 

82m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

I  120  Product  Digest  Section 


January    16.  1943 


—  REVIEWED  — 


-~1  ^  V  &  AC  t 

Prod- 

Rett  tit 

KMM  i 

Her  til 

Dt%eit 

S*»  no  fin 

U  it  1 

Tttit 

Sim 

D*.tt 

T . 

tM  ! 

I  lint* 

"ft  1 

P'f  t 

•  Give  Out,  Sisters 

Univ. 

702  1 

Andrews  Sisters-Richard  Davies 

Sept.  11/41 

65  m 

Sept.  5. '42 

889 

G'ass  Key,  The 

Para. 

4203 

Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Lake-Alan  Ladd        Block  1 

85- 

Aug.  29/42 

914 

1034 

Goose  Stepi  Out.  The 

Eal'ing-UA 

W'-ll  Hay 

Not  Se» 

78m 

Aug.  29  '42 

870 

- 

[British] 

Jan. 16/43 

3:-'  i  Ma-  The 

.'.  : 

2 1 6 

Loder-Pa.'  Ca-a'agh 

64-m 

Dec.  12/42 

15* 

G  -= a  -  G '  d  e " ; '  e  e  ■  e  T-e 

RKO 

3  1  4 

Ha-o'd  Peary-Freddy  Mercer 

Jan.  15. '43 

62  m 

Nov.  15/42 

1 006 

995 

Great  Impersonation,  The 

U  -'  • . 

7032 

Ra'ph  Ee!a~y-Evelyn  Anke-s 

Dec.  18, '42 

71m 

Dec  19/42 

1066 

912 

Great  Without  Glory 

Para- 

Joel  McCrea-Betty  Rela 

Not  Set 

912 

HAIL  to  the  Rangers 

Col. 

Charles  Starrer- 

Not  Set 

1055 

Ha'f  Way  to  Shanghai 

Univ. 

7035 

Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor 

Sept.  1  8. '42 

62  m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

1082 

Happy  Go  Lucky  (color) 

Pa-a. 

Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Vallee 

Block  4 

8 1  m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

797 

Hard  Way,  The 

WB 

209 

da  L-.  =  --o-De---s  Me-ga- 

Feb.  20/43 

97rr 

Sept.  19  'A? 

»23 

796 

Heart  of  the  Golden  West 

Rep. 

25 1 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec.  1  1/42 

65  m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

Be  Hired  the  Boss 

20th~Fox 

Stuart  Erwin-Evelvn  Venable 

Not  Set 

986 

He's  My  Guy 

Univ. 



Z  '  z  r  F  z  ■  e  -  -  -  e  -  e  He  -  •■  e '. 

Not  Set 

He  :     p-iscc    He  : 

20th- Fox 

-  'ce  Faye-Jc--  ==.-e 

Not  Set 

He--.   -  =   =  ~  Ec'-o- 

Pa-a. 

420'9 

J'  y  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Block  2 

T2m 

Oct.  3/42 

93A 

663 

Pa-a. 

J: — iy  Lyder-Charl'e  Smith 

Block  4 

72m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

-  -  - 

Hen",    A  -  - .  c  - 

Jimmy  Lydcr.-Cha-lie  S-'-h 

Not  Set 

1 104 

Here  We  Go  Again 

RKO 

3U'S 

F':bb'©r  M c©6 6- Ed £dr  Befo^n-  Charlie 

1  Qct.  9/42 

76-m 

- -z.  29/42 

938 

Hi,  Buddy 

Univ. 

■  -  -  - 

Dick  Fcran-Harriet  Hilliard 

NotSs- 

Hidden  Hand.  The 

208 

C-aig  Steve  ns-E:!'rz,abeth  Fraser 

Nov.  7/42 

67m 

Sepf,  1  9  "42 

910 

1 082 

High  Explosive 

Para. 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

Not  Set 

983 

Highways  by  Night 

RKO 

304 

Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph 

Oct.  2/42 

63  m 

Aug.  8/42 

938 

7 1  5 

•  Hillbilly  Blitzkrieg 

Mono. 

Edgar  Kennedy-Bud  Duncan 

Aug.  14,  42 

63  m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

794 

HI!  Ne'ghbor 

Rep. 

201 

Lulubelle  4  Scotty-Jean  Parker 

July  27/42 

72  m 

July  25  '42 

927 

772 

Hit  Parade  of  1943 

Rep. 

John  Carroll-Susan  Haywa-c 

Not  Set 

1043 

Hi+ler,  Dead  or  Alive 

House 

.... 

Ward  Bsnd-Dorothy  Tree 

Not  Se1 

70  m 

Nov.  21/42 

1018 

1082 

Hitler's  Children 

RKO 

Tim  Hert-Bcnrta  G*a-v:  e 

Feb.  26. '43 

83  m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

•  Holiday  Inn 

Para. 

4134 

Bing  Crosby-Fred  Astaire 

Block  7 

101m 

June  13/42 

713 

663 

1034 

Human  Comedy,  The 

MGM 

Mickey  Rocney-James  Craig 

Not  Se- 

1019 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue 

Rep. 

20o 

Ellen  Drew-Richard  Denning 

Dec.  24. '42 

ye- 

Dec.  1  9  'A2 

1066 

Til 

Iceland 

2 Oth- Fox 

306 

Sonja  Htnie-John  Payne 

UCT,     L  't 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

I0ST2 

•  1  Live  on  Danger 

Para. 

4135 

Chest  it  Morris-Jean  Parker 

Block  7 

73  m 

June  1  3/42 

713 

1  Married  a  Witch 

UA 

F-edr'e  March-Vercn'ea  Lake 

Oct.  30/42 

78  m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1 034 

l-.-e-ta!  Se-gee--  The 

2C--,--ci 

327 

Harry  Fcr.da-Mau-ee-.  O'Ha-a 

Jan.  29  '^2 

-  1  — 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

In  the  Rear  of  the  Enemy 

( R  uss  Ian] 

A.rf'k  i  n  c 

War  Documentary 

Oct.  9/42 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

•  Invisible  Agent 

Univ. 

6.049 

Ilona  M&ssey-Jon  Hall 

July  31/42 

79m 

Aug.  8/42 

826 

In  Which  We  Serve 

(British)  T-o 

Cities-UA 

Noel  Coward-Barnard  Miles 

Dec.  25/42 

I  I3m 

Oct  17/42 

957 

-  .  . 

Isle  of  Missing  Men 

Mono. 

John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland 

Sept.  18/42 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

772 

It  Ain't  Hay 

Univ. 

Abbott  4  Costello 

Wa'bd  with  a  Zo-b:e 

RKO 

Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway 

Not  Set 

1057 

.  .  . 

JACARE 

UA 

Animal  feature 

Nov,  27/42 

65  m 

Dec.  26. '42 

1077 

•  Jackass  Mai' 

M  S  M 

243 

Wallace  Beery-Marjori*  Main 

Jury  '42 

80  m 

June  20/42 

726 

715 

947 

•Joan  of  Oxark 

Re  d 

104 

Judy  Conova-Joe  E.  Brown 

Aug.  1/42 

SQm 

July  25. '42 

793 

Johnny  Doughboy 

Rep. 

205 

.  -    -     ■>        r  ;  -  r  5       _  f.    w   —  f 

U  =  C.  5  1, 

63  m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

971 

.  —  . 

3  \  A. 

vc.-c-L=-  =  '-e  Day 

Dsc.-Ja-.  '43 

'  * 

\J  Ci.  2  1  ^TL 

93 ! 

0 1  ? 

Journey  Into  Fea- 

RKO 

307 

—  t  a  —  —    {    —  -—  a  —  .M.l.'ai     lift     R  — 

J C  SS  p "    vvTTCn-UOIOr el    U6  rvlC 

Oct.  23  €2 

69m 

Aug.  8.'42 

903 

796 

•Jungle  Siren 

PRC 

203 

Ann  Co  n  o- B  u  st  e  r  Crab  be 

Ana    14  '11 

68  m 

Oct  3  1/42 

982 

'034 

J.r'cr  Army 

Col. 

4038 

t..  J  J;.   pa-i.L-l-.-w  Rill, ,  W»!*  — 

rreocie  Darrnoiomew-Diiiy  naicp 

IN  O  V.  L  O  ,  *Ti 

69m 

— 

Just  Off  Broad «jt 

20th- Fox 

310 

LJoyd  N ola n— M arjorie  Weaver 

-  e  pT.  A  3  ,  ~t  L 

65- 

Aug.  1  5  '42 

902 

797 

KEEPER  of  the  Rame 

MGM 



Sptncer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 

Not  Set 

lOOm 

Dec.  19. '42 

1065 

936 

K'-g  A--.-  Was  a  Ge"  e- 

man  (British) 

Gains. 

A-th..-  Askey-r.e'.-  Da" 

Not  Set 

c:_ 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1 14 

•King  of  the  Stallions 

Mono. 

Chief  ThundercloHd-David  O'B'ier 

Sept.  1  1/42 

63- 

Aug.  29. '42 

870 

800 

LADIES'  DAY 

RKO 

Lupe  Ve'ez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Bae' 

Not  Set 

962 

Lady  Bodyguard 

Para. 

Edd'e  Albert-Anne  Shirley 

Block-! 

""- 

Jan.  2/43 

:  =  : 

946 

Lady  from  Chungking 

PRC 

302 

A--a  May  V/ong-Harold  Huber 

Dec.  21/42 

70rr 

Nov.  7/42 

I0O7 

574 

-  • 

'-  the  Da-k 

Pa-a. 

9'-csr  Rcge-s-Ray  Mi!'a-,d 

Not  Set 



109! 

Las-      zi  e 

•••  : 

Richard  T-a.-is-E'ea-cr  Pa-re- 

Not  Set 

-  -  - 

1 1 15 

Laugh  Your  Blues  A~a, 

Col. 

4033 

Bert  Gc-dcn-J'nx  Faikenburg 

Nov.  12/42 

69  m 

986 

-';•  —  »-,  Hew  Zz  ' :  _  Z 

Law  of  the  Northwest 

Col. 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Parte 

Not  Se' 

1018 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British) 

Anglo 

Alartair  SinvFred  Emney 

Not  Set 

1  OOm 

ADr.  1 1  .'42 

599 

1  1  F        ft         •               i      P  ■      I    i    ili  i 

Lrfe  Begins  at  Eight-thirty 

20th- Fox 

322 

Monty  Wocl'ey-lda  Lup'-c 

Dec.  25. ^; 

85- 

Dec   5  'A2 

1 041 

962 

Piil          i              ii          it/  l 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler 

Univ. 

7072 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Nov.  13/42 

;  L  — 

Dec  19. '42 

1067 

Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A, 

20-h-  Fox 

303 

Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce 

Aug.  14/42 

64-m 

July  1 1  ,'42 

938 

Living  Ghost,  The 

Monc. 

James  Dunn-Joan  Woodb. 

[Nov,  L  1 ,  4Z 

61m 

Oct.  3 !  '42 

982 

B'ackeut  M 

Re:. 

210 

John  Abbott-Mary  McLeod 

Jan.  15.  "43 

59rr 

Dec  12/42 

'  *6" 

Lone  Prairie,  The 

Col. 

4209 

Russ«ll  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Oct.  15/42 

55- 

1058 

a  I                 Pi  *    I           ■        m          1           k  1 

•  Lone  R'der  in  Bcder  Round 

uc  PRC 

266 

George  Hourton-Al  St.  John 

Sept.  18/42 

5  -  - 

Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 

Bo u  I  d  e  -  Pass 

PRC 

George  Houston-Al  St.  Johr 

Not  Set 

1033 

Lone  Rider  in  Overla-c 

Stagecoach 

PRC 

363 

Bob  Livingston-Al  St.  John 

Dec.  1  1/42 

58m 

.  .  . 

1018 

Lone  Star  Trail,  The 

Univ. 

7077 

Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ri  —  e- 

Not  Set 

1019 

• 

Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  The 

20th-Fox 

305 

Aug.  28/42 

67m 

July  1  1  '42 

914 

751 

Lady  Jordan 

Pa-a. 

^2 !  5 

A'an  Ladd-Helen  Walker 

Block  3 

E-~ 

Nov.  21  '42 

1017 

986 

1082 

Lucky  Legs 

Col. 

4032 

Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris 

Oct.  1/42 

64- 

797 

MADAME  Spy 

Univ. 

7034 

Constance  Bennett-Den  Po-ie- 

Dec.  11/42 

63  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

Magnificent  Ambersons  The 

RKO 

371 

Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Cos4eM; 

July  10/42 

::- 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

947 

Ma;e-  a-d  -'-e  M"-or  ~-e 

Para. 

^202 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  MiTIand 

Block  1 

100m 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

1082 

Product  Digest  Section     I  |  2  ! 




MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    16,  1943 


Title  Company 

Man  in  the  Trunk,  The  20th-Fox 

Manila  Calling  20th-Fox 

Man  of  Courage  PRC 

Man's  World,  A  Col. 

Margin  for  Error  20th-Fox 

Mashenka  (Russian)  Artkino 

Meanest  Man  in  the  World  20th-Fox 

Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant  RKO 
Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The  Para. 

Mission  to  Moscow  WB 

Miss  V  from  Moscow  PRC 

Moonlight  in  Havana  Univ. 

Moon  and  Sixpence,  The  UA 

Moon  Is  Down,  The  20th-Fox 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian)  Rep. 

Mountain  Rhythm  Rep. 

Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting  MGM 

•  Mrs.  Miniver  MGM 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para 

Mug  Town  Univ. 

Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ. 

Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 

My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th-Fox 

My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy  Para. 

•My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 

Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 


Prod.  Rebate  Running 

Number                Start  Date  Time 

315  Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes  Oct.  23/42 

314  Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis  Oct.  1 6, '42 

319  Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters  Jan.  4,'43 

4044  M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright  Sept.  I7,'42 

330  Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle  Feb.  I9,'43 

V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetzov  Nov.  20,'42 

329  Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane  Feb.  1 2, '43 

302  Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol  Sept.  1 1, '42 

....  Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton  Not  Set 

....  Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding  Not  Set 

318  Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison  Nov.  23, "42 

7026  Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee  Oct.  1 6, '42 
....  George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall  Oct.  2,'42 
....  Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly       Not  Set 

Documentary  Aug.  15, '42 

209  Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry  Jan.  8, '43 

....  Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers  Not  Set 

260  Greer  Garson-Walter  Pidgeon  Aug. ,'42 

4208  Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee  Block  2 

7027  Dead  End  Kids  Dec.  I8,'42 
7019  Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox  Oct.  23, '42 
....  Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman            Not  Set  ....   

Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster  Not  Set  ....   

4214  Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll  Block  3         75m        Nov.  7,'42 

  Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne  Sept.  30, '42         96m        Sept.  19/42 

....  Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder  Not  Set  ....   


r-  REVIEWED  -> 
M.  P.  Product 
Herald  Digest 


Advance  Service 
Synoptti  Data 


Time 

htue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

71m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

855 

81m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

87! 

67m 

1031 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

74m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

995 

67m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

57m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 1 15 

962 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

915 

1079 
1058 

71m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1031 

62m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

959 

89m 

Sept.  12/42 

912 

1091 

1034 

55m' 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

1034 

70m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1009 
1079 

133m 

May  16/42 

661 

527 

1034 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

60m 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

993 
909 


1079 
962 
871 
772 

1091 


1082 


NAVY  Comes  Through,  The 

RKO 

308 

Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy 

Oct.  30/42 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Nov.  20/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam 

Not  Set 

1 00m 

June  6/42 

698 

Nightmare 

Univ. 

7015 

Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy 

Nov.  13/42 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

Night  for  Crime,  A 

PRC 

304 

Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot 

Feb. 18/43 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

Night  Monster 

Univ. 

7038 

Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi 

Oct.  23/42 

73m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking 

Para. 

Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew 

Block  4 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

983 

Night  to  Remember,  A 

Col. 

Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne 

Dec.  10/42 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

Northwest  Rangers 

MGM 

James  Craig-Patricia  Dane 

Not  Set 

64m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

960 

No  Place  for  a  Lady 

Col. 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay 

Not  Set 

1057 

No  Time  for  Love 

Para. 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

855 

Now,  Voyager 

WB 

206 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid 

Oct.  3 1/42 

1  17m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

OFF  the  Beaten  Track 

Univ. 

Ritz  Brothers-Carol  Bruce 

Not  Set 

794 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The 

Univ. 

7073 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Dec.  11/42 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

Old  Homestead,  The 

Rep. 

202 

Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry 

Aug.  17/42 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

Omaha  Trail 

MGM 

311 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

61m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 

On  The  Beam 

Univ. 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

Not  Set 

986 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon 

RKO 

311 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant 

Nov.  27/42 

1 16m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

855 

One  Dangerous  Night 

Col. 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Jan.  21/43 

983 

One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British) 

UA 

Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman 

Oct.  16/42 

1 10m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

903 

One  Thrilling  Night 

Mono. 

John  Beal-Wanda  McKay 

June  5/42 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 

Orchestra  Wives 

20th-Fox 

308 

George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherfoi 

d    Sept.  4/42 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

•  Orders  from  Tokyo 

Almo 

Danielle  Darrieux-Anton  Walbrook 

Not  Sat 

80m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge 

Rep. 

272 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Oct.  27/42 

57m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood 

Col. 

3208 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 

Sept.  25/42 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Over  My  Dead  Body 

20th-Fox 

325 

Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

995 

Ox-Bow  Incident,  The 

20th-Fox 

Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Not  Set 

872 

Ox  Train 

MGM 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

796 

(now  Omaha  Trail) 


PALM  Beach  Story,  The 

Para. 

421 1 

Panama  Hattie 

MGM 

303 

Pardon  My  Gun 

Col. 

4202 

•Pardon  My  Sarong 

Univ. 

Payoff,  The 

PRC 

303 

•Phantom  Killer 

Mono. 

Pied  Piper,  The 

20th-Fox 

304 

Pilot  No.  5 

MGM 

•  Pierre  of  the  Plains 

MGM 

246 

Pirates  of  the  Prairie 

RKO 

382 

Pittsburgh 

Univ. 

•Police  Bullets 

Mono. 

Power  of  God,  The 

St.  Rts. 

Powers  Girl 

UA 

Power  of  the  Press 

Col. 

Prairie  Chicken 

UA-Roach 

•  Prairie  Gunsmoke 

Col. 

3215 

Presenting  Lily  Mars 

MGM 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The 

RKO 

351 

Princess  O'Rourke 

WB 

Priorities  on  Parade 

Para. 

4201 

•  Prisoner  of  Japan 

PRC 

204 

Private  Miss  Jones 

MGM 

Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea  Block  3 

Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll  Dec.  1/42 

Abbott  &  Costello-Virginia  Bruce  Aug.  7/42 

Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer  Jan.  21/43 

Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury  Oct.  2/42 

Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowell  Aug.  2 1  ,'42 

Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt  Not  Set 

John  Carroll-Ruth  Hussey  Aug.  '42 

Tim  Holt  Nov.  20/42 

Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne  Dec.  11/42 

John  Archer-Joan  Marsh  Sept.  25/42 

John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden  Not  Set 

Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy  Jan.  15/43 

Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy  Jan.  28/43 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter  July  16/42 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy  Not  Set 

Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright  Not  Set 

Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummingi  Not  Set 

Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna  Block  I 

Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael  July  22/42 

Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly  Not  Set 


56m 

120m 

79m 
64m 


90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1082 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

57m 

1058 

84m 

Aug.  8/42 

825 

984 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

87m 

July  11/42 

903 

751 

1082 

971 

66m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

57m 

1033 

93  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

93m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

July  18/42  915 


Aug.  1/42 
July  4/42 


914 
750 


1055 
986 

962 

962 

715 
1079 


1082 
947 


I  122  Product  Digest  Section 


January    16,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


REVIEWED  — 


fitU 

QUEEN  of  Broadway 
Queen  Victoria  (British) 
Quiet  Please,  Murder 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Prod. 

Keleats 

Running 

Herald 

Digett 

Synoptit 

Company  Number 

Stan 

Date 

Time 

hiue 

Pane 

Page 

PRC  312 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe 

Mar.  8/43 

62m 

Nov.  28. '42 

1030 

1018 

Renown. . . . 

Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook 

Not  Set 

84m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

20th-Fox 

Gail  Patrick-George  Sander! 

Not  Set 

70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

983 

ittrvUt 
Data 
Page 


RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin  Univ. 

Random  Harvest  MGM 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The  PRC 

Ravaged  Earth  Crystal 

Red  River  Robin  Hood  RKO 

Reunion  in  France  MGM 

(formerly  Reunion) 

Rhythm  of  the  Islands  Univ. 

Rhythm  Parade  Mono. 
Riders  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Col. 

•  Riders  of  the  West  Mono. 

Ridin'  Double  Mono. 

Ridin'  Down  the  Canyon  Rep. 

Ridin'  Through  Nevada  Col. 

Road  to  Morocco  Para. 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range  Col. 


Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Not  Set 

1009 

Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson 

Not  Set 

126m 

Nov. 

28/42 

1029 

796 

351 

Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 

Dec.  25/42 

60m 

Jan. 

16/43 

1 1 14 

1055 

Documentary  on  China 

Not  Set 

68m 

Dec. 

5/42 

1043 

Tim  Holt 

Not  Set 

57m 

Oct. 

17/42 

960 

315 

Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn- 

John  Wayne 

Dec-Jan. ,'43 

102m 

Dec. 

5/42 

1041 

872 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

Not  Set 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery 

Dec.  1 1/42 

70m 

Dec. 

9/42 

1067 

983 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1019 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 

Aug.  2 1/42 

60m 

Aug. 

1/42 

810 

800 

King-Sharpe-Terhune 

Not  Set 

1019 

253 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec.  30/42 

55m 

Dec. 

12/42 

1054 

1019 

4201 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 

Oct.  1/42 

61m 

1058 

4207 

Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  La 

mour       Block  2 

83m 

Oct. 

3/42 

933 

872 

Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris 

Not  Set 

1057 

1082 


1034 


306 
205 

309 

310 
315 


261 
7020 


•  SABOTAGE  Squad  Col.  3046 
Saludos  Amigos  (color)  RKO  .... 
Salute  for  Three                          Para.  .... 

Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt .-Anglo-Am  

Salute  to  the  Marines  MGM  .... 

Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 
Secret  Enemies  WB 
Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-Gen'l 
Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed  PRC 
Secrets  of  the  Underground  Rep. 
Seven  Days  Leave  RKO 
Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz  RKO 
Seven  Sweethearts  MGM 
Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Univ. 
Shadows  on  the  Sage  Rep. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 

Terror  Univ. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon  Univ.  .... 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  Fights  Back) 
Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington   Univ.  .... 
Silent  Witness  Mono.  .... 

Silver  Queen  UA  .... 

Silver  Skates  Mono.  .... 

Sin  Town  Univ.  7017 

Slightly  Dangerous  MGM  .... 

(formerly  Nothing  Ventured) 

•  Smart  Alecks  Mono.  .... 
Smith  of  Minnesota  Col.  4035 
Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish)  Scandia  .... 
Sombrero  Kid,  The                    Rep.  271 

Something  to  Shout  About  Col  

Somewhere  I'll  Find  You  MGM  301 

So  Proudly  We  Hail  Para  

Spirit  of  Stanford,  The  Col.  4022 

Spring  Song  (Russian)  Artkino  .... 

Springtime  in  the  Rookies  (color) 

20th-Fox  317 
•Spy  Ship  WB  139 

Squadron  Leader  (British)  RKO  .... 

Stage  Door  Canteen  UA  .... 

Stand  By,  All  Networks  Col.  4042 

Stand  By  for  Action  MGM  316 

(formerly  Clear  for  Action) 
Star  Spangled  Rhythm  Para.  4231 

Street  of  Chance  Para.  4210 

Strictly  in  the  Groove  Univ.  2028 

Submarine  Alert  Para  

Sundown  Kid  Rep.  273 
•Sunset  Serenade  Rep  


Bruce  Bennett-Kay  Harris 
Disney  South  American  feature 
Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes 
Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 
Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter 
Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 
Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 
Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 
Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 
John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 
Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 
James  Craig-Bonita  Granville 
Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson 
Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 
Three  Mesquiteers 


Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 
Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 


8 


Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 
Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon 
George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane 
Patricia  Morison-Kenny  Baker 
Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford 
Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 


East  Side  Kids 
Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge 

Edvard  Persson  Sept.  12/42  89m 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick  July  31/42  56m 

Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair  Not  Set 
Clark  Gable-Lane  Turner  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Claudette  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard  Not  Set 

Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman  Sept.  10/42  78m 

Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  11/42  74m 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne  Nov.  6/42  91m 

Craig  Stevens-Irene  Manning  Aug.  15/42  62m 

Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley  Not  Set  1 00m 

Stage  and  Screen  Stars  Feb.  26/43  .... 

John  Beal-Florence  Rice  Oct.  29/42  64m 

Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor  Dec-Jan. ,'43  109m 

Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  Moore    Special  1 00m 

Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor  Block  2  74m 

Leon  Errol-Mary  Healey  Nov.  20/42  60m 

Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie  Not  Set  .... 

Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson  Dec.  28/42  55m 

Roy  Rogers  Sept.  14/42  58m 


Aug.  27/42 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

772 

Jan.  8/43 

43m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Not  Set 

1091 

Not  Set 

96m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Not  Set 

1057 

Oct.  16/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

Oct.  17/42 

59m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Oct.  26/42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Dec.  18/42 

72m 

1009 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Jan.  22/43 

62m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Sept.-Nov.,  '42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 1 14 

936 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Feb.  12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Not  Set 

983 

Jan. 15/43 

62m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1033 

Nov.  13/42 

88m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

936 

Feb.  5/43 

76m 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1 13 

Sept.  25/42 

73m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

898 

Not  Set 

1057 

Aug.  7/42 

66m 

June  27/42 

738 

Oct.  15/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

Sept.  19/42 
Oct.  3/42 


107m        Aug.  8/42 


Oct.  3 1  ,'42 
Sept.  19/42 

Sept.  26/42 
June  6/42 
Nov.  28/42 


Dec.  12/42 

Jan.  3/43 
Oct.  3/42 
July  4/42 

Jan.  1 6/43 
Sept.  12/42 


910 
935 

902 

982 
910 

921 
698 
1030 


1053 

1 102 
933 
914 

II 13 
897 


796 
1043 

726 
1 104 

796 


855 
687 

1 1 15 
797 
871 

855 
871 

772 


1034 


947 

984 

1082 

1082 


1082 


TAKE  My  Life 
Tales  of  Manhattan 
Talk  About  Jacqueline 
(British) 
•Talk  of  the  Town 
fa  nan  Triumphs 
Taxi  Mister 
Tennessee  Johnson 
Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground 
Texas  to  Bataan 
Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars 


Toddy 
20th-Fox 

Excelsior-Metro 
Col 
RKO 
UA-Roach 
MGM 

Univ. 
Mono. 
WB 


Harlem  Tuff  Kids 

Not  Set 

77m 

July  11/42 

767 

313 

C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 

Oct.  30/42 

1 18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

Not  Set 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

3001 

Cary  Grant-Jean  Arthur-R.  Colman 

Aug.  20/42 

1 18m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

70  i 

Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 

Not  Set 

983 

William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley 

Not  Set 

986 

Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey 

Not  Set 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

946 

7074 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Feb.  5/43 

1018 

King-Sharpe-Terhune 

Oct.  16/42 

56m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

All  Warner  Contract  Players 

Not  Set 

1058 

1034 


1034 


Product  Digest  Section  1123 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Jan 


y    16,  1943 


Title 

That  Nazty  Nuisance  UA-Roach 

That  Other  Woman  20th-Fox 

They  Flew  Alone  (British)  RKO 

(now  Wings  and  the  Woman) 

They  Got  Me  Covered  Goldwyn 

•This  Above  All  20th-Fox 

This  Is  the  Enemy  Artltino 

Those  Kids  from  Town  [British)  Anglo 

Three  Hearts  for  Julia  MGM 

Thunder  Birds  (color)  20th-Fox 

Thunder  Rock  (British)  Charter-Metro 

•Thundering   Hoofs  RKO 

Thundering  Trails  Rep. 

•Timber  Univ. 

Time  to  Kill  20th-Fox 

Tish  MGM 

•  Tombstone  Para. 

Tomorrow  We  Live  PRC 
Tomorrow  We  Live  (British)    Brit.  Lion 
Tornado  in  the  Saddle 
Trail  Riders 
Traitor  Within,  The 
Truck  Busters 
True  to  Life 
Two  Fisted  Justice 


Prod  Releau  Running 

Company     Number                Stari  Date  Thne 

. .  William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer  Not  Set  .... 

318  Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison  Nov.  1 3, '42  75m 

....  Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton  Not  Set  94m 

...  Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour  Not  Set  96m 

253  Tyrone  Power-Joan  Fontaine  July  24,'42  110m 

....  Russian  Documentary  Not  Set  74m 

....  Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill  Not  Set  75m 

....  Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas  Not  Set  90m 

307  John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney  Nov.  20, '42  78m 

....  Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen  Not  Set  I  Mm 

286  Tim  Holt  July  24,'42  61m 

263  Three  Mesquiteers  Jan.  25, '43  .... 

6057  Leo  Carrillo-Andy  Devine  Aug.  I4,'42  60m 

326  Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel  Jan.  22,'43  61m 

....  Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman              Sept.-Nov.,'42  83m 

4132  Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford  Block  7  79m 

307  Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortex  Sept.  29,'42  64m 

....  John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle  Not  Set  85m 

Col.       4210  Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Dec.  1 5, '42  59m 

Mono.       ....  King-Sharpe-Terhune  Dec.  4,'42  55m 

Rep.        207  Don  Barry-Jean  Parker  Dec.  I6,'42  62m 

WB    Richard  Travis-Ruth  Ford  Feb.  6,'43   

Para.        ....  Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone  Not  Set  .... 

Mono.       ....  King-Sharpe-Terhune  Jan.  8,'43  ... 


r-  REVIEWED  -> 
M.  P.  Product 
Herald  Digeit 


litue 


Oct.  17/42 
May  2/42 

Jan.  2.'43 
May  16/42 
July  1 1/42 
May  2/42 
Jan.  9/43 
Oct.  17/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Dec.  13/41 

Aug.  15/42 
Dec.  5/42 
July  25/42 
June  13/42 
Sept.  26/42 
Dec.  26/42 


Dec.  5/42 


Page 

960 
838 

1 102 
661 
766 
633 

1 101 
958 
935 
407 

839 
1042 
938 
714 
922 
1077 


1043 


Advance 
Synopth 
Page 

1019 
936 


872 


1009 
796 

387 

1 1 15 

995 
772 


1058 
1018 
983 

1079 
1031 


Service 
Date 
Pag' 


1034 


1034 


1034 


UNCENSORED  (British)  Gains.-Gen'l 
Undercover  Man                          UA  4140 
Underground  Agent                    Col.  4039 
Undying  Monster,  The            20th-Fox  319 
Unpublished  Story  [British)  Col  


Eric  Portman-F.  Culley                            Not  Set  1 00m  Aug.   1/42  809 

William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde  Oct.  23/42  68m  May  9/42  647 

Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks  Dec.  3/42  68m   

James  Ellison-Heather  Angel  Nov.  27/42  60m  Oct.  17/42  970 

Richard  Greene-Miles  Malleson                 Not  Set  91m  Apr.  11/42  598 


1009 
936 


1082 


VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men  Rep.  262 

Varsity  Show  (Reissue)  WB  215 

Vengance  of  the  West  Col.  3216 


Tyler-Steele-Dodd 

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter 


Nov.  13/42 
Dec.  19/42 
Sept.  3/42 


81m 

60m 


Aug.  21/37  1043 


1031 


WAKE  Island  Para. 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 

War  Dogs  Mono. 

Watch  on  the  Rhine  WB 

We  Are  the  Marines  20th-Fox 

We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 

We  Sail  at  Mid- 
night (British)  Crown  Film 

West  of  the  Law  Mono. 

We've  Never  Been  Licked  Univ. 

When  Johnny  Comes 

Marching  Home  Univ. 

Whistling  in  Dixie  MGM 

White  Cargo  MGM 

White  Savage  Univ. 

Who  Done  It?  Univ. 

Wildcat  Para. 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)  RKO 
(formerly  They  Flew  Alone) 
•Wings  for  the  Eagle  WB 

World  at  War  WAC 

Wrecking  Crew  Para. 

Wyoming  Hurricane  Col. 


4205 
306 


324 


313 
310 

7002 
4204 
303 

136 

4212 


Brian  Donlevy-Robert  Preston  Block  I 

Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards  Nov.  13/42 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Lucas  Not  Set 

Marine  Feature  Jan.  8/43 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen  Not  Set 

Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney  Not  Set 

War  Documentary  Not  Set 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy  Nov.  2/42 

Richard  Quine-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee  Jan.  1/43 

Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford  Dec-Jan. ,'43 

Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall  Not  Set 

Abbott  &  Costello  Nov.  6/42 

Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge  Block  I 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton  Sept.  18/42 

Ann  Sheridan-Dennis  Morgan  July  18/42 

Documentary  Sept.  18/42 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris  Block  3 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Not  Set 


87m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

772 

1034 

86m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

797 

1082 

63  m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

986 

73m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

93m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

92m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

27m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

55m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

1115 

74m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

74m 

Oct.  3 1  ,'42 

981 

946 

1082 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

871 

1082 

1079 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

971 

1082 

73m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

94m 

May  2/42 

903 

1082 

83m 

June  6/42 

697 

687 

984 

66m 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

73m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

1079 

X  Marks  the  Spot  Rep. 

YANK  at  Eton,  A  MGM 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  WB 

•Yank  In  Libya,  A  PRC 
Yanks  Ahoy  UA-Roach 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The  PRC 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law  Mono. 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever  WB 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier  Col. 

Young  and  Willing  UA 

Youngest  Profession,  The  MGM 

Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British)  20th-Fox 

Youth  on  Parade  Rep. 


204        Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish 


305 

201 
220 

301 

207 
4002 


316 

203 


Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn 
James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 
H.  B.  Warner-Joan  Woodbury 
Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 
Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 
Edward  Norris-Joan  Woodbury 
George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 
Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 
William  Holden-Susan  Hayward 
Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  & 
Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 
John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 


Nov.  4/42 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Jan.  2/43 
July  24/42 

Not  Set 
Nov.  9/42 

Not  Set 
Oct.  10/42 
Nov.  19/42 
Jan.  29/43 
Guests  Not  Set 
Feb. 26/43 
Oct.  24/42 


56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

726 

1034 

26m 

June  6/42 

903 

674 

1082 

67m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

772 

1019 

65m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

1081 

77m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

898 

1034 

97m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

796 

1034 

663 

1081 

103m 
75m 


July  4/42 
Oct.  3/42 


914 
934 


Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 

in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1103. 


I  I  24   Product  Digest  Section 


START  THE 
NEW  YEAR 
RIGHT.... 


The  1942  Internal  Revenue  Act  makes  it  more 
necessary  than  ever  for  everybody  In  business 
to  keep  complete  and  accurate  records. 

The  new  Victory  Tax  is  an  added  accounting 
responsibility , 

No  matter  how  large  or  how  small  the  business 
is  the  U.  S.  Treasury  requires  complete  records 
of  Defense  Tax  collections,  of  payroll  expendi- 
tures, of  Victory  Tax  collections,  and  regular  re- 
ports on  income,  expenditures  and  profits. 

Theatre  Management  Record  and  Tax  Register 
provides  a  practical  and  simple  accounting 
system,  requires  no  bookkeeping  expense,  elimi- 
nates tax  headaches  and  avoids  ultimate  com- 
plications. 

Theatre  Management  Record  and  Tax  Register 
is  a  proven  accounting  system  for  motion  picture 
theatres  and  it  is  sold  with  a  money  back 
guarantee. 

We  are  prepared  to  supply  a  limited  number  of 
orders  without  delay. 


f  f±f±       SEND    YOUR   CHECK   TOD  AY    TO       £  f\t\ 

*  /'VV    QUIGLEY   BOOKSHOP  * 

md  P0STP4'°  Rockefeller  Center  New  York  Mm 


POSTPAID 


LONE  WOLF 


Let  your  patrons  pick  the 
guilty  one  from  among 
the  suspects  who  gather 
in  one  scene  before  the 
picture  ends. 


WARREN  WILLIAM  as  THE  LONE  WOL 


★  "  :  ★. 

I    Collect  at  Every  Performance!  I 
United  Nations  Week 


with  ERIC  BLORE    MARGUERITE  CHAPMAN 
MONA  BARRIE  •  TALA  BIRELL  •  ANN  SAVAGE 

Screen  Play  by  Donald  Davis  •  Based  upon  a  work  by  Louis  Joseph  Vance 
MICHAEL  GORDON  •  Produced  by  DAVID  CHATKIN 

A    COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 

ford*'  Pttrol 

Men  of  Courage 

You  Cent  Seat  the  U» 

Silly  the  Kid  in 

♦he  Mysterious  Rider 


N  PICTURE 


RALD 


ADJUSTMENTS  for  WAR: 

Further  Raw  Stock  cuts  impend 
as  Government  demands  more  film 

Exhibition  hard  hit  by  Fuel 
Oil  Crisis  in  eastern  states 

Sales  Policies  and  contracts 
Geared  to  Rationing  Needs 

FIRST  RUN  BOOKINGS  IN  A 
THEATRES   SIT  FOR  WESTERNS 

ARBITRATION  CASES  DOWN 
43  c  IN  SECOND  YEAR 


VOL  150.  NO.  5 


JANUARY  30.  1943 


entered  «  second-class  matter.  January  12,  1931,  ft  the  Post  Office,  at  V«*»  York  City,  U.S.A.,  nfder  Ike  act  of  Marck  3.  1879..  Pubtiskea 
weekly  by  Qutotey  Publishing  Cc  lie.,  at  1270  Sixth  Avenue.  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York.  Subscription  prices:  $S.0O  a  year  in 
tke  Americas    $10.00  a  year  Foreign.    Single  copy.  25  cents     All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Qnigley  Pubtisking  Company 


HARVESJ&OM  THE 
RANDOM  I /REST  STUDIO! 


East  and  West! 

'RANDOM  HARVEST"  enjoying  7th  SRO  Week  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall.  Biggest  biz  in  its  history!  Los  Angeles  also  terrific:  held  over  at  4 
;theatres  for  a  second  week,  continues  at  two  theatres  for  a  fourth  week, 
then  indefinitely  at  one  theatre.  Swamps  "Miniver"  records! 

• 

Hardy!  Wow!  194%! 

First  engagements  "ANDY  HARDY's  DOUBLE  LIFE"  are  doing  nation- 
wide average  of  194%  biz.  One  of  the  biggest  of  entire  Hardy  series! 

• 

"Stand  By"  for  Hold-overs! 

Challenging  M-G-M  records  on  extended  run  pictures  is  u  STAND  BY 
FOR  ACTION."  It's  getting  "Babes  on  Broadway '  grosses! 

Telegram  for  you! 

Here's  what  it  says:  "Lana  Turner  and  Bob  Young  in  'SLIGHTLY 
DANGEROUS'  is  gold-mine!  Preview  audience  at  Huntington  Park 
howled  throughout.  Predicted  it  will  be  smash  comedy  hit  of  the  year!" 

• 

They're  talking  about- 

Joe  Breen's  wire  to  Nick  Schenck  on  Saroyan's  'THE  HUMAN  COMEDY" 
starring  Mickey  Rooney.  Said  Mr.  Breen:  "the  greatest  motion  picture  we 
have  ever  seen."  And  Joe's  seen  them  all! 

Year  in,  Year  out,  isn't  it  the  Truth - 

You  can  depend  on  one  outfit,  THE  FRIENDLY  COMPANY. 

Enlist  in  "March  of  Dimes,"  America's  Great  Cause!  Feb.  18—24 


MARCH  OF  DIMES  -  FEBRUARY  18lh  TO  24lh 


IS  BEHIND  IT! 


Now  in  release  after  3  solid 
months  at  the  N.Y.  Hollywood! 
-  -  Each  and  every  one  of  the 

50  dates  a  smashing  Holdover! 


jr.  CONRAD  VEIDT; 


SYDNEY  GREENSTREETl  -  PETER  LORRE  >±  _ o.^  0y  MICHAEL  CURTIZ 

'The  Fat  Man'  ^BJ 


'la*  by  Murray  Burnett  and  Joan  Alison  •  Music  Oy  Mai  Steinei 


Join  the  Industry's  March  of  Dimes  Drive  .  .  .  Feb.  18  fo  Feb.  2'  I 


OOLVIN  BROWN,  Publisher 


OTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QU1GLEY 
President  and  Editor-in-Chief 


TERRY  RAMSAY E,  Editor 


Vol.  150,  No.  5 


January  30,  1943 


WESTERNS 


THERE  is  the  challenge  of  adventure  and  exploration  in 
showmanship  in  the  project  to  bring  "westerns"  back  to 
the  big  time,  announced  in  the  news  pages  of  this  issue  of 
The  Herald. 

Consistently  down  all  the  years  that  order  of  production 
known  by  the  trade  name  "western"  has  been  an  important, 
constant  contributor  to  the  box  office.  The  first  westerns  were 
made  with  livery  stable  nags  on  the  great  plains  of  Long  Island. 
And  the  fact  is  that  that  hardy  classic,  "The  Great  Train  Rob- 
bery", of  1903,  first  story  picture,  was  a  western,  too,  pictured 
in  the  wilds  of  Essex  Park  in  New  Jersey. 

The  western  picture  reached  its  zenith  early  in  the  feature 
era  in  the  works  of  Mr.  William  S.  Hart.  And  in  the  years 
between  we  saw  the  terrific  rise  in  box-office  importance  of 
Mr.  Tom  Mix.  Currently  one  notes  the  high  status  of  Mr.  Gene 
Autry,  rated  among  the  ten  best  money  makers  in  The  Herald's 
polls — that,  if  memory  is  correct,  without  ever  a  Broadway  run. 

It  seems  entirely  probable  that  the  western  picture  was 
pushed  into  a  minor  category  considerably  more  by  the  atti- 
tude of  the  industry  than  by  the  box-office  customers.  The 
outdoor  pictures  did  not  become  expensive  in  the  same  ratio 
as  the  techniques  of  Hollywood,  which  became  complex  and 
costly.  The  sales  pressure  went  where  the  costs  went.  Then* 
the  westerns  tended  to  deteriorate.  But  out  in  the  hinterlands 
and  in  the  less  sophisticated  areas  the  customers  have  held  on. 
They  still  like  the  "shoot  'em  ups" — motion  pictures  with  motion. 

There  is  a  certain  quality  of  coincidence  in  the  fact  that  this 
project  is  in  the  hands  of  United  Artists,  so  many  years  so  con- 
spicuously engaged  in  the  merchandising  of  product  from  the 
other  end  of  the  scale.  And  apparently  United  Artists  is  not 
reversing  the  policy  but  rather  is  aiming  to  reverse  the  field. 

AAA 


any  of  the  brands  of  their  sponsors,  and  few  members  of  the 
radio  audience  can  today  remember  all  the  wares  for  which 
the  stars  of  the  air  have  appeared. 

In  a  certain  analogy  one  can  readily  remember  in  our  realm 
of  the  motion  picture  many  and  many  a  promoter  and  ex- 
ploiteer  who  sold  himself  instead  of  the  product,  and  often 
at  the  expense  of  the  product.  In  fact  there  are  now  current 
specimens  of  costly  literature  and  sundry  trade  gadgeteerings 
calculated  to  do  just  that.  Some  of  them  are  obvious  to  lay- 
men and  most  of  them  obvious  to  showmen. 


AAA 

PROBABLY  NOT 

^T"HE  art  of  motion  picture  criticism  and  commentary  has 
created  a  curious  order  of  address  to  the  screen.  It 

I  requires  the  discovery  of  pretexts  and  topics  of  discussion 
so  that  words  may  be  laid  on  paper.  Any  weekend  examina- 
tion of  the  more  literate  magazines  and  newspapers  will  reveal 
an  amazing  effort  to  discover  significances  to  write  about. 

An  honest  endeavour  of  the  sort  turns  up  in  an  earnest 
consideration  of  "Tennessee  Johnson",  pertaining  to  which 
Mr.  Bosley  Crowther  in  the  New  York  Times  remarks: 
"Apparently  the  simple  purpose  in  the  back  of  the  Metro 
writers'  heads  was  to  prove  that  Andy  Johnson  was  not  the 
washout  that  is  commonly  believed,  mainly  because  he  was 
the  only  President  that  our  Congress  has  ever  impeached,  but 
was  actually  a  badly  misused  patriot  who  fell  a  victim  to 
political  circumstance." 

It  is  more  likely  that  the  simple  purpose  of  those  writers  was 
to  put  together  a  picture  calculated  to  entertain  the  cus- 
tomers, of  whom  exceedingly  few  ever  heard  of  Mr.  Johnson 
and,  if  they  did,  they  thought  it  was  either  Jack  or  Hugh. 


WHO  SELLS  WHAT? 

WAY  back  in  the  black  tent  days  of  the  screen,  newly 
invented  breakfast  foods  were  among  the  great  ad- 
vertisers— Egg-o-See,  Malta  Vita  and  Force.  A  fort- 
night ago  the  death  of  Mrs.  Minnie  Hanff  Ayers,  who  wrote 
those  merry  jingles  about  what  Force  did  for  "Sunny  Jim," 
proclaimed  from  newspaper,  car  card  and  billboard,  has 
brought  reminiscences  from  oldsters.  Mr.  Ernest  St.  Elmo 
Calkins,  advertiser,  author  and  philosopher,  amusedly  recalls 
of  that  colossal  and  conspicuous  campaign  that  "it  was  the 
quaint  character  rather  than  the  breakfast  food  that  was  sold." 

"Sunny  Jim"  in  the  days  of  '98  was  also  a  well  defined  en- 
deavour to  endow  advertising  with  entertainment  appeal  to 
emotions,  rather  than  with  "reason  why"  address  to  the  in- 
telligence of  the  consumer.  Now  we  are  told  that  the  enter- 
tainment sold  itself  and  not  merchandise.  Probably  when  the 
accounts  are  all  added  up  and  the  returns  are  in  that  will  be 
found  quite  as  true  of  much  of  the  costly  "name"  radio  adver- 
tising of  the  present  era.  Surely  Charlie  McCarthy  or  Kate 
Smith,  just  for  example,  are  tremendously  better  known  than 


AAA 

PEACE  PLAN 

EXAMINATION  of  the  public  prints  reveals  that  there  are 
many  and  divergent  ideas  about  what  this  war  is  about 
and  what  its  objectives  may  be.  While  there  remains 
time  for  entries,  your  editor  will  file  a  set  of  requirements  for 
the  peace.  Final  and  real  victory  will  be  had  when  a  reason- 
ably competent  and  diligent  citizen,  free  of  debt  and  taxes 
paid,  may  sit  down,  on  occasion,  to  this:  two  real  Manhattans, 
cherrystone  clams  with  cocktail  sauce,  a  three-inch  t-bone 
steak  (from  a  1,400-pound  steer,  well  hung),  black  on  the  out- 
side and  maroon  red  on  the  inside,  broiled  nine  minutes  on  a 
side,  cottage  fried  potatoes,  green  asparagus  with  drawn  but- 
ter (and  lots  of  it),  two  seidels  of  Michelob,  leaf  lettuce  with 
a  dressing  of  real  olive  oil,  malt  vinegar  and  garlic,  apple  pie 
made  with  Rhode  Island  Greenings,  a  big  wedge  of  Wisconsin 
full-cream  cheddar  two  years  old,  coffee  ad  lib.,  Laranaga 
panatella — and  nothing  to  do  until  tomorrow. 

— Terry  Ramsaye 


8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


As  the  Escrow  Flies 

ACTORS  whose  earnings  above  the  $67,200 
figure  annually  would  have  been  placed  in 
escrow  pending  outcome  of  the  continuing 
uncertainty  regarding  application  of  the 
$25,000  ceiling  on  net  incomes,  decided  Mon- 
day night  to  go  on  record  in  disapproval  of 
the  plan,  which  had  been  advanced  in  the 
course  of  conferences  in  Washington  be- 
tween representatives  of  the  Treasury  De- 
partment and  emissaries  from  Hollywood. 
The  decision  was  reached  at  a  meeting  in 
Hollywood  presided  over  by  James  Cagney, 
president  of  the  Screen  Actors  Guild,  and 
the  directors  of  that  organization  were  in- 
structed to  notify  the  Treasury  Department 
of  the  position  taken. 

Under  the  escrow  plan,  payments  to  talent 
in  excess  of  the  limit  figure  would  have  been 
placed  in  escrow  pending  establishment  of 
the  directive's  validity,  the  sum  in  escrow 
either  passing  then  to  the  Treasury  or  re- 
verting to  the  individual  but  in  no  case  re- 
verting to  the  studio. 

The  decision  taken  on  Monday  night  was 
predicated  on  the  principle  that  the  escrow 
plan  would  not  "settle  the  right  or  wrong  of 
curtailing  income  by  imposing  a  ceiling  on 
salaries";  that  the  plan  would  place  actors 
"at  a  disadvantage  with  respect  to  actor- 
producers  and  producers,  both  of  whom  de- 
rive part  of  their  income  from  their  per- 
centage interest  in  the  product" ;  and  that 
the  plan  "tacitly  implies  the  validity  of  cur- 
rent contracts,  whereas  a  legitimate  question 
still  exists  as  to  whether  a  contract  is  valid 
so  long  as  the  financial  terms  of  the  contract 
be  fulfilled." 


Not  Very  Well 

OVERWORK  was  reported  Monday  to 
have  caused  the  collapse  in  Hollywood  of 
Orson  Welles,  prodigious  young  man  of 
screen  and  radio.  The  Columbia  Broadcast- 
ing System  cancelled  a  radio  program  which 
he  had  spent  the  night  writing  and  the  actor, 
author,  producer  took  to  his  bed  for  a  short 
rest.  His  recent  activities  have  -included 
several  radio  commitments,  much  concern 
about  the  disposition  of  several  hundred 
thousand  feet  of  film  made  in  Brazil  last 
year  for  RKO  and  the  Coordinator  of  Inter- 
American  Affairs,  a  part  in  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox's "Jane  Eyre,"  and  a  U.  S.  judg- 
ment for  $3,000  in  back  income  taxes. 


CIAA  Readjusts 

NO  LONGER  on  the  film  staff  of  the  Co- 
ordinator of  Inter-American  Affairs  at  New 
York  this  week  were  Charles  E.  McCarthy, 
former  director  of  advertising  and  publicity 
for  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  and  Philip 
Dunne,  a  20th  Century-Fox  screen  writer. 
Their  resignations  were  reported  to  have 
been  accepted  by  Nelson  Rockefeller,  co- 
ordinator, and  Francis  Alstock,  director,  fol- 


"RITZ"  treatment  is  planned  for  Westerns 
abroad  Page  13 

SALES  policy  and  contract  adjustments  are 
slight  Page  14 

TOTAL  of  1942  admission  tax  collections  is 
$146,372,271  Page  26 

EASTERN  fuel  oil  crisis  is  blow  to  exhibi- 
tion Page  28 

FURTHER  reductions  in  raw  stock  are  fore- 
seen for  1943  Page  33 

"RANDOM  HARVEST"  gets  seventh  week 
play  at  Music  Hall,  New  York     Page  36 


lowing  one  of  the  most  tumultuous  intra- 
mural staff  realignments  since  the  good 
neighbor  film  program  was  launched  two 
years  ago. 

Mr.  McCarthy  had  been  an  executive  as- 
sistant to  Mr.  Alstock.  Mr.  Dunne  succeed- 
ed Kenneth  Macgowan  as  head  of  the  divi- 
sion's eastern  story  and  production  unit. 
There  are  indications  that  Mr.  Alstock  plans 
wholesale  realignment  of  eastern  production 
activities.  Karl  Macdonald,  of  the  Warner 
foreign  department,  who  has  been  working 
part  time  for  the  Coordinator,  moved  into  a 
full  time  executive  spot  in  the  New  York 
office.  Tom  Kilpatrick,  a  writer  and  pro- 
ducer, also  came  east  from  Hollywood  to 
join  the  New  York  production  staff.  He 
had  done  screenplays  for  Paramount,  Re- 
public and  Columbia  and  at  one  time  mined 
gold  in  Mexico. 


No  Profit,  No  License 

''IF  YOUR  theatre  gives  you  no  profit, 
you  must  close  it." — that,  in  effect,  is  the 
essence  of  a  bill  now  in  the  Tennessee  legis- 
lature, and  under  study  by  the  major  cir- 
cuits' home  offices  and  officials  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  Amer- 
ica. 

The  bill,  brought  in  by  Senator  Cantrell 
and  representatives  Wood  and  Tollett,  pro- 
hibits operation  of  theatres  at  a  loss  to 
stifle  competition.  In  New  York  Wednes- 
day, it  was  understood  that  "stifling  of  com- 
petition" was  not  defined.  Nor  was  it  known 
who  sponsored  the  bill. 

Curiosity  about  that  grew  when  it  was 
learned  the  bill  also  prohibits  block  book- 
ing, the  making  of  exclusive  contracts,  and 
"excessive"  distribution   of  passes. 


HOLLYWOOD  is  at  impasse  over  48-hour 
week  issue  Page  41 

ARBITRATION  cases  dropped  off  in  past 
year  by  43  per  cent  Page  43 

PRODUCERS  offer  75  films  for  use  on 
Army  transports  Page  44 

DIFFICULT  year  is  forecast  for  exhibitors 
in  England  Page  47 

MOMAND  takes  stand  in  anti-trust  case  in 
Oklahoma  City  Page  48 

U.  S.  again  seeks  injunction  to  end  Petrillo 
record  ban  Page  54 


Page  1137 
Page  1138 
Page  1139 


Ballot  Problem 

MEMBERS  of  the  Sound  Recording  Com- 
mittee of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture 
Arts  and  Sciences,  which  views  the  films 
nominated  by  the  studios,  one  each,  and 
makes  the  selection  of  the  one  to  receive  the 
award  for  recording  merit,  are  faced  with 
the  problem  of  what  to  do  about  a  reissue 
that  got  into  the  list.  It  is  "The  Gold  Rush," 
the  Charles  Chaplin  reissue  for  which  the 
comedian  prepared  a  score  and  some 
stretches  of  dialogue,  the  first  reissue  to  ap- 
pear in  this  division  of  Academy  nomina- 
tions. Other  pictures  nominated  for  best 
sound  recording  are  "Arabian  Nights," 
Universal;  "Bambi,"  Disney;  "Flying  Tig- 
ers," Republic;  "Friendly  Enemies,"  Small; 
"Mrs.  Miniver,"  MGM ;  "Once  Upon  a 
Honeymoon,"  RKO  Radio;  "Pride  of  the 
Yankees,"  Goldwyn ;  "Road  to  Morocco," 
Paramount;  "This  Above  All,"  Twentieth 
Century-Fox ;  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy," 
Warners,  and  "You  Were  Never  Lovelier," 
Columbia. 


Special  Service 

"NEGROES  AT  WAR,"  a  72-page  pictori- 
al information  booklet  for  American  Ne- 
groes, prepared  by  the  Office  of  War  In- 
formation, will  be  distributed  by  more  than 
400  theatres  catering  to  Negro  patronage. 
Cooperating  with  the  Government  through 
the  War  Activities  Committee,  the  thea- 
tres expect  to  aid  in  the  distribution  of  more 
than  2,000,000  copies  of  the  publication.  Op- 
erators of  Negro  theatres  are  asked  to  send 
distribution  pledges  to  Si  Fabian,  chairman 
of  the  WAC  theatres'  division,  at  New 
York. 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  51     In  Product  Digest  Section 

Managers'  Round  Table  Page  61         Showmen's  Reviews 

Obituaries  Page  70        Short  Subjects 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me        Page  58        The  Release  Chart 


January    30,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


Evolution  at  the  "Met" 

EARLY  this  week  Henry  A.  Wallace,  the 
most  militantly  articulate  of  all  Vice-Presi- 
idents,  gave  utterance  in  Washington  to  a  de- 
sign to  level  off,  and  level  up,  all  the  people 
of  the  United  States  into  one  middle  class. 

Not  too  irrelevantly,  even  if  not  connected, 
on  Wednesday  came  a  story  in  the  New 
York  Times  that  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
Association  was  planning,  when  war  priori- 
ties might  permit,  to  eliminate  the  parterre 
boxes,  better  known  as  "the  diamond  horse- 
shoe," once  sacred  to  the  New  Yorkers  and 
■cosmopolites  of  fortune,  and  to  replace  those 
boxes  with  common  plush  seats  available 
to  the  commonplace  customers. 

The  Metropolitan  has  a  special  sort  of 
interest  to  the  motion  picture  world,  in  that 
it  was  once  the  design  of  the  promotion  of 
Rockefeller  Center  to  make  it  the  national 
home  of  the  opera.  Social  and  art  politics 
got  in  the  way.  The  end  result  was  the 
Music  Hall,  based  on  Samuel  L.  Rothafel's 
hope  of  cosmic  vaudeville  and  ultimately 
rescued  from  debacle  by  M.  H.  Aylesworth's 
expedient  of  making  it  into  a  super-movie 
theatre  supported  by  production  policies 
which  "Roxy"  thought  he  had  left  behind. 

The  "Met"  dates  from  1883,  when  it  was 
rstablished  in  behalf  of  new  rich  who  could 
pot  find  room  among  the  crusty  box  holders 
pi  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Fourteenth 
street  The  first,  and  one  of  the  few,  mo- 
tion picture  personages  to  hold  a  box  at  the 
"Met"'  was  the  late  Henry  Norton  Marvin, 
president  of  the  American  Mutoscope  & 
.Biograph  Company. 


Mae  Time  Again 

,BACK  to  screen  parts  this  week  comes  Mae 
AYest,  of  the  curved  figure  and  curved  in- 
ronation  of  "Come  up  'n'  see  me  some  time." 
;Columbia  announced  that  she  had  been 
signed  for  Gregory  Ratoff's  production  of 
Tropicana."  Her  last  screen  role  was  with 
W.  C.  Fields  in  "My  Little  Chickadee"  in 
1940.  She  made  her  screen  debut  in  1932 
with  "Night  After  Night"  soon  after  she 
.iad  attracted  much  attention  in  New  York 
wy  stage  productions  of  her  own  plays,  "Sex" 
.and  "Diamond  Lil."  For  the  last  two  years 
.she  had  been  touring  the  country  in  very 
personal  appearances. 


"Outlaw  "  Stymied 

HOWARD  HUGHES'  long  and  much  dis- 
cussed picture,  "The  Outlaw,"  announced 
for  world  premiere  this  week,  Friday,  at  the 
Geary  theatre  in  San  Francisco,  had  its  un- 
-seiling  postponed  for  a  week,  it  was  dis- 
closed by  the  Russell  Birdwell  office  in 
^Hollywood  Tuesday,  due  to  wet  grounds  and 
"elated  causes.  Specifically  it  turned  out  to 


In  this  issue 
TRADE  WINDS 
initiating  a  column 
by  RED  KANN 

In  which  he  reports  on 
''Showtime ,"  the  radio 
show  by  which  the  Inter- 
state Circuit  promotes  the 
pictures. 

Written  from  Dallas. 


be  impracticable  to  obtain  transportation 
accommodations  for  the  Hollywood  press 
contingent  which  had  been  counted  upon, 
although  formal  invitations  had  not  been 
issued,  to  journey  to  the  site  of  the  screen- 
ing. 

Last  week's  climatic  disturbances,  no 
longer  a  military  secret,  were  said  to  have 
put  transportation  lines  in  a  snarl  precluding 
the  possibility  of  getting  the  critics  to  the 
scene  of  the  event  on  the  scheduled  date. 
Passage  for  them,  it  may  now  be  told,  was 
booked  for  them  individually  in  their  re- 
spective names. 

As  of  Tuesday  the  Birdwell  publicity  or- 
ganization in  charge  of  the  picture  and  its 
promotion,  stood  pat  on  its  previous  an- 
nouncement that  the  film  would  be  present- 
ed to  observers  of  any  and  all  kinds  for  the 
first  time  at  its  public  premiere  and  nowhere 
else.  Release  of  advance  information  per- 
taining to  the  transportation  of  the  press 
to  cover  the  opening  had  given  rise  to  spec- 
ulation in  Hollywood  circles  regarding  even- 
tuations.  The  last  migration  of  critics  to 
a  premiere,  that  of  RKO's  "The  Navy 
Comes  Through"  in  San  Francisco  was 
achieved  without  public  announcement  in 
advance  of  the  event. 


More  Bookkeeping 

WHETHER  the  pay-as-you-go  tax  plan,  in 
some  version,  would  reach  enactment  before 
March  15th,  was  of  pressing  concern,  this 
week,  to  wage  earners,  and  to  exhibitors, 
for  whom  it  would  vastly  extend  bookkeep- 
ing problems. 

Chairman  Doughton,  of  the  House  Ways 
and  Means  Committee,  promised  Monday 
that  the  plan  would  be  the  "first  order  of 
business"  and  consideration  was  expected 
this  week.  Even  the  Treasury  Department 
in  recent  weeks  came  to  advocacy  of  tax 
collection  out  of  current  pay. 


Propaganda  Lesson 

HOLLYWOOD  producers,  writers  and 
others  professionally  interested  in  the  proc- 
esses of  production  were  given  an  object 
lesson  in  the  propaganda  technique  employed 
by  the  enemy  on  Tuesday  night  when  the 
Motion  Picture  Society  for  the  Americas 
and  the  Coordinator  of  Inter- American  Af- 
fairs presented  to  invited  guests  at  the 
Filmarte  Theatre  the  first  of  "Two  Evenings 
of  German  Propaganda  Films  1934-41." 
John  Abbott,  director  of  the  Museum  of 
Modern  Art,  and  husband  of  Iris  Barry, 
curator  of  the  Museum's  Film  Library,  pro- 
vided an  explanatory  address  in  advance  of 
the  screening. 

The  900-seat  theatre  was  filled  to  capacity 
for  the  screening  and  an  overflow  audience 
of  almost  equivalent  number  waited  outside 
despite  a  steady  downpour  of  rain  for  a  re- 
peat screening.  The  program  presented  in- 
cluded shortened  versions  of  the  Nazi 
Party's  Nuremberg  Congress  production 
made  in  1934,  a  documentary  demonstrat- 
ing Goering's  development  of  the  Luftwaffe, 
the  invasion  of  Poland  as  filmed  for  English 
speaking  nations  and  excerpts  from  news- 
reels  covering  Hitler's  visit  to  Paris  after 
the  fall  of  France. 

Walter  Wanger,  president  of  the  Society 
for  the  Americas,  introducing  Mr.  Abbott, 
said.  "It  is  felt  that  these  films  will  make 
clear  to  you  the  nature  of  the  enemy  propa- 
ganda which  we  in  this  industry  have  to 
combat."  The  second  evening  of  German 
propaganda  films  is  scheduled  for  Tuesday 
next. 


Newspapers  Fall 

MRS.  DENNIS  MULLANE,  Staten  Island 
housewife,  gave  a  wrong  answer  on  a  radio 
quiz  program  Sunday  night.  As  the  con- 
sequence on  his  "Truth  or  Consequences" 
program,  Ralph  Edwards,  master  of  cere- 
monies suggested  that  listeners  to  the  Na- 
tional Broadcasting  Company  network  each 
send  Mrs.  Mullane  one  penny  to  buy  a  War 
Bond  for  her  son  in  the  Marines.  By 
Wednesday  she  had  been  deluged  by  80,000 
letters. 

Newspapers  bit  hard  at  the  story.  This 
appeal  to  the  multitudes  by  a  rival  medium 
was  still  front  page  copy  Wednesday.  The 
New  York  Sun  gave  it  page  one.  Even  the 
New  York  Times  was  overboard  for  half  a 
column,  with  art.  The  canny  Daily  News, 
with  3,000,000  New  York  circulation, 
thought  much,  much  less  of  the  story. 

The  listening  masses,  it  appeared,  had 
chipped  in  with  several  thousand  dollars. 
Wednesday  NBC  took  over  the  mail  open- 
ing job. 

There  were  indications  that  the  broad- 
casters would  not  overlook  the  opportunity 
to  crow. 


ACTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City'-  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  cddress  "Quigpubco, 
■iew  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South 
'Michigan  Avenue,  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Road,  Toronto,  Ontario, 
-.Zonada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Squore,  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burnup,  manager;  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Quigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureau,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
xrrespondenf;  Sydney  Bureau,  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endeon,  correspondent;  .  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carmona  y  Valie  6,  Mexico  City, 
:.uis  Becerra  Cells,  correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa  Postal  1090, 
rtio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  0.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Quigley  Publica- 
ic-.s:  Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    JU,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


the  Camera  observes: 


#x  t 


AMERICANS 

WILL  ALWAYS  FIGHT  FOR  LIBERTY 


■  FOR  THEATRES  in  February:  one  of  three  new 
posters  from  the  Office  of  War  Information  to  al 
theatres  pledged  with  the  War  Activities  Committee. 
Others  are  a  War  Bond  message,  and  a  warning 
against  careless  talk  about  ship  movements. 


By  Staff  Photographer 

TO  RECRUIT  WAACS,  MGM's  Ti  mes  Square 
globular  booth,  of  World's  Fair  significance,  is  re- 
dedicated.    William   Ferguson,  exploitation  director, 
hands  notification  to  Catherine  Clayberger,  with 
Major  Thomas  Cronan,  WAAC  New  York  recruiting 
head,  and  a  group  of  WAACS  and  AWVS  watching. 


TED  O'SHEA,  seated,  left,  son  of  E.  K.  O'Shea, 
MGM  eastern  and  southern  division  manager, 
is  a  brand  new  Marine.  He  was  received  by 
Captain  Harry  Miller,  formerly  of  the  company 
and  now  New  York  recruiting  officer.  Spec- 
tators are  Mrs.  O'Shea,  Ted's  mother;  Patricia, 
his  sister,  and  Max  Cohen,  exhibitor  and  friend. 


HOLLYWOOD  LUNCH,  left:  Edward  Burnell, 
Chicago  exhibitor;  Y.  Frank  Freeman,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  Paramount  studio 
operations;  W.  A.  ("Al")  Steffes,  Minnesota 
circuit  owner  and  exhibitor  leader,  and 
Harry  Sherman,  United  Artists  producer. 


(January    30,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


II 


MANAGER  of  the  Dream  theatre, 
Sedro-Woolley,  Wash.,  is  the  new 
title  of  Mrs.  Emma  Abbott  Ridgeway, 
who,  as  the  daughter  of  E.  S.  Abbott, 
pioneer  showman  of  the  northern  part 
of  the  state,  grew  up  in  the  business. 


PROMOTION,  as  manager's 
assistant,  came  last  week  to 
Mary  Mahoney,  above,  former 
cashier  at  the  Evergreen  cir- 
'cuit's  Orpheum  Theatre,  Port- 
land, Oregon.   She  will  aid 
I'Mike  Newman  of  the  Liberty 
theatre,   also   in  Portland. 


»     By  Staff  Photographer 

A  NEW  YORK  VISITOR  this  week 
was  Armando  Trucios,  Warner 
Brothers  Panama  branch  manager. 
Mr.  Trucios  noted  increasing 
acceptance  of  the  group  selling 
method  by  Latin-American  exhib- 
itors, and  observed  that  his 
company  was  a  leader 
in  that  selling. 


AT  THE  "YOLANDA"  screening  in  New  York 
3re  the  producer,  Manuel  Reach!,  and 
Senora  Artemesa  Calles,  daughter  of  the  former 
Mexican  president,  Plutarcho  Calles.  The  picture, 
made  in  Mexico,  may  be  distributed  here. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


■  BLOOD  for  the  Red  Cross  Bank  from  Boston's  theatrical 
American  Legion  unit,  the  Lieutenant  A.  Vernon  Macaulay  Post. 
Nearly  50  gave  a  pint  each.  Above,  technician  Mary  Sullivan 
checks  pulse  of  Benjamin  Stein,  while  others  watch. 


2 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


■  GUESTS  OF  HONOR,  at  a  New  York 
Advertising  Club  weekly  "celebrity"  luncheon  were 
Francis  Harmon,  of  the  War  Activities  Committee, 
who  was  guest  speaker,  and  Ann  Savage, 
Columbia  starlet.   They  pose,  below, 
with  John  A.  Zellers,  vice-president  of 
Remington  Rand  and  president  of  the  Club. 


FAREWELL  from  his  associates  was  tendered  last  week 
in  New  York  to  Henry  Rosenwald,  owner  of  art  theatres  and 
president  of  Trio  Films,  before  he  left  for  service  in  the  Army 
Among  those  present:  Martin  Lewis,  Irwin  Lesser  (both  of 
Trio),  Mrs.  Dorothy  Winnick,  Lieutenant  Maxwe" 
Winnick,  Max  Ginsberg. 


PRESIDENT  of  the  New  York 
Athletic  Club  is  G.  B.  J. 
Frawley,  above,  sales  executive 
of  Paramount,  and  formerly 
active  in  Wall  Street. 


By  Staff  Photographer 

A  NEW  SALES  POST  came 
last  week  to  William  Sussman, 
above,  at  National  Screen 
Service,  New  York.  He  is  former 
sales  executive  of  20th-Fox. 


FIRST  United  Nations  Week  stamps  arrive  in 
Buffalo,  and  are  purchased,  below,  from  Postmaster 
Daniel  Driscoll,  center,  by  Vincent  McFaul,  city 
drive  chairman,  and  Charles  Taylor,  WAC 
Buffalo  public  relations  chairman. 


THERE  are  fewer  pic- 
tures for  Latin  America 
but  exhibitors  there  are 
learning  better  show- 
manship, reported  Peter 
Colli,  Warner  Central 
America  supervisor,  on 
a  New  York  visit 
last  week. 


By  Staff  Photographer 

DESPITE  prior  claims  of  the  Community 
Chest,  Cleveland's  United  Nations  Week 
was  successful,  with  the  help  of  William 
Skirball,  exhibitor  leader  and  drive 
chairman.   Mr.  Skirball  visited 
New  York  this  week. 


January    30,    I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


I  i 


RITZ  TREATMENT'  SET  FOR 
WESTERN  FILM  ABROAD 


U.  A,  Merchandising  Plan 
Aims  at  First  Runs  in 
Foreign  Key  Cities 

A  new  merchandising  plan  for  Western 
films  is  being  evolved  by  a  major  produc- 
ing company  which  will  give  them  first 
run  bookings  and  advertising  in  the  for- 
eign market  and  may  open  the  doors  of 
first  run  theatres  in  the  United  States  to 
screen  product  of  the  Old  West  for- 
mula. Not  since  the  days  of  William  S. 
Hart  has  the  Western  played  Class  "A" 
first  runs. 

The  new  plan  is  being  launched  by 
United  Artists  to  garner  greater  grosses 
and  to  exploit  new  production  values  of 
Westerns  in  the  foreign  market.  It  in- 
cludes the  establishment  of  a  first  run 
theatre  for  this  product  in  every  key  city 
in  foreign  countries  where  American 
major  film  companies  are  still  doing  busi- 
ness. Its  success  in  the  foreign  field  un- 
doubtedly will  develop  extension  of  the 
idea  for  the  home  market. 

William  S.  Hart's  pictures  were  the 
only  ones  which  ever  achieved  exhibition 
in  the  "de  luxe"  theatres  in  key  cities. 
Not  even  Tom  Mix,  another  popular  star 
of  the  silent  screen,  made  the  first  runs. 
The  old  Triangle,  a  first  run  on  Broad- 
way which  originally  was  known  as  the 
Knickerbocker,  exhibited  all  the  Hart 
pictures  in  New  York. 

With  the  emergence  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  to  the  talking  stage, 
the  Western  film  persevered,  its 
popularity  continued  and  new  two- 
fisted,  gun-totin'  stars  were  brought 
to  the  limelight,  among  them  Gene 
Autry,  thrice  winner  in  the  annual 
Motion  Picture  Herald-Fame  poll 
of  the  top  ten  money-making  stars. 
Mr.  Autry's  singing  cowboy  sagas 
never  played  Class  "A"  theatres,  al- 
though fhey  have  been  exhibited  in 
other  first  runs  such  as  the  Globe 
in  New  York. 

Spectacle  films  and  extravaganzas  of 
the  Old  West,  including  "Old  Ironsides," 
''Stagecoach"  and  "Arizona,"  which  at- 
tained success  in  the  large  first-run  the- 
atres were  not  representative  of  the  for- 
mula-Western which  marked  the  popu- 
larity of  Hart  and  his  successors. 

U.  A.  Is  Planning  to 
"Ritz"  Westerns 

Last  week,  Motion  Picture  Herald  re- 
ported on  increased  domestic  circuit  and  inde- 
pendent bookings  of  Westerns  and  increased 
production  budgets  scheduled  for  these  action 
pictures  by  a  number  of  film  companies.  This 
week,  in  New  York,  Arthur  Kelly,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  foreign  distribution  for 
United  Artists,  set  in  motion  an  advertising 
and  exploitation  program  for  the  eight  Harry 
Sherman  Westerns  which  the  company  pur- 
chased last  year  from  Paramount  designed  to 
open  new  revenue  possibilities  for  all  distribu- 
tors of  Western  pictures. 

In  his  office  Monday,  Mr.  Kelly,  explained 


TWO  WESTERNS  GET 
BROADWAY  HOLDOVERS 

For  the  first  time  in  many  years, 
two  Westerns  were  held  over  at 
Broadway  theatres  recently.  Both 
pictures  were  Harry  Sherman  produc- 
tions released  by  United  Artists  and 
included  in  the  10-picture  purchase 
deal  made  by  that  company  with 
Paramount  last  year.  At  the  Globe 
theatre,  "Silver  Queen"  ended  a  two- 
week  engagement  last  week.  "Amer- 
ican Empire",  which  opened  at  the 
Rialto  on  January  12th,  played  one 
week  and  was  held  over  four  extra 
days,  closing  January  23rd. 


the  plan,  saying,  "We  are  going  to  'Ritz'  the 
Westerns.  Action  entertainment  has  never 
been  given  the  luxurious  theatre  setting  it 
deserves.  United  Artists  is  putting  into  op- 
eration a  plan  to  remedy  this  situation,"  he 
said. 

The  company,  reported  its  foreign  depart- 
ment head,  recently  took  a  poll  and  decided 
that  Western  stories,  like  detective  stories, 
are  read  by  50  per  cent  of  the  literate  popula- 
tion. Readers  represent  a  cross-section  of  even- 
walk  of  life — doctors,  lawyers,  teachers,  minis- 
ters, soldiers,  workers  and  housewives.  The 
poll  showed  that  despite  their  interest  in  West- 
ern fiction,  many  film  fans  will  not  go  to  see 
Western  pictures  for  the  reason  that  they  are 
generally  shown  in  the  "shooting  gallery"  type 
of  theatre. 

"To  reach  this  vast,  untapped 
audience,  to  attract  millions  of  new 
patrons  to  quality  Westerns,"  Unit- 
ed Artists  is  going  to  pioneer  and 
promote  a  first  run  theatre  to  ex- 
hibit Westerns  in  every  important 
key  city  in  every  South  American 
country,  in  England,  Australia, 
Sweden,  India,  North  Africa  and 
every  other  territory  where  Ameri- 
can films  product  is  exhibited. 

A  series  of  five  institutional  advertisements 
designed  for  newspapers  in  the  different  coun- 
tries and  prepared  in  the  language  of  each 
country  has  been  designed.  The  company  plans 
to  spend  $50,000  on  the  advertising  and  ex- 
ploitation program.  In  London  alone,  UA  will 
spend  £2,000  on  the  campaign.  The  ads  are 
keyed  to  attract  patrons  to  a  particular  theatre 
which  is  to  be  established  as  "the  luxury  home 
of  quality  action  pictures."  The  new  treatment 
of  the  ads  heralding  Westerns  in  a  "luxurious 
setting,"  is  calculated  to  remove  the  stigma 
from  Westerns  and  to  sell  all  elements  of  the 
public  on  their  unsurpassed  entertainment  value. 

This  is  the  first  time  a  major  film  company 
has  gone  after  first  run  money  for  this  kind 
of  product  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  plan  will 
open  a  new  field  for  all  distributors  of  the 
product  in  foreign  territories.  Mr.  Kelly  es- 
timates that  in  England,  for  example,  a  West- 
ern grosses  approximately  £3,000  or  £4,000,  but 
under  the  new  plan,  a  picture  could  gross  in 
the  neighborhood  of  £25.000. 

The  first  theatre  to  take  advantage  of  the 
idea,  it  was  reported  by  United  Artists,  is  the 


Pavilion,  in  London.  According  to  present 
plans,  the  Pavilion  and  others  to  follow,  will 
book  a  Western  for  extended  playing  time,  from 
three  to  four  weeks.  Dates  for  the  schedule 
of  eight  Sherman  pictures  will  be  set  one  month 
apart.  In  addition  to  the  Sherman  productions, 
UA  will  book  product  of  other  American  com- 
panies for  the  theatre,  either  on  a  flat  rental 
basis  or  a  percentage  deal. 

A  supplemental  plan  designed  to  help  in  at- 
tracting attention  to  the  first  run  Western  the- 
atre has  been  prepared  by  United  Artists, 
patterned  on  the  subscription-list  ticket  selling 
operation  of  the  Theatre  Guild,  legitimate  stage 
producing  company  in  New  York.  Under  this 
plan,  the  theatre  will  sell  blocks  of  tickets  to 
organizations  in  advance  of  release  date  of  the 
picture,  staggering  ticket  sales  to  correspond 
with  the  booking  time  of  the  picture. 

In  a  memorandum  sent  to  managers  of  all 
UA  foreign  offices  outlining  the  advertising-ex- 
ploitation program,  Mr.  Kelly  said  that  Harry 
Sherman's  Westerns  which  emphasize  quality 
in  action  pictures,  have  increased  in  annual 
grosses  from  $150,000  to  $200,000  per  film.  He 
reported  that  the  average  Hopalong  Cassidy 
film  in  production  costs  average  from  $89,000 
to  $110,000.  He  pointed  out,  however,  that 
"practically  no  Western  ever  got  a  cent  of  first 
run  money — if  it  did,  it  was  so  small  one  could 
put  it  into  the  corner  of  one's  eye." 

Mr.  Kelly  was  confident  "that  in 
the  right  kind  of  theatres,  backed 
by  persuasive  and  imaginative  ads, 
we  will  be  able  to  sell  the  idea  that 
our  quality  Westerns  are  Grade-A 
entertainment,  as  different  from  the 
ordinary  type  of  Western  as  chalk 
is  from  cheese.  And  we  will  cash 
in  accordingly." 

The  five  institutional  ads,  which  combine  both 
class  and  mass  appeal  are  to  be  placed  by  for- 
eign managers  for  the  company,  who  are  to 
promote  the  idea  to  exhibitors,  over  a  period 
of  ten  days  or  two  weeks  in  advance  of  the 
first  Harry  Sherman  release  in  their  individual 
territories. 

The  company  expects  to  recoup  its  expendi- 
ture on  the  campaign  from  first  run  rentals. 
It  is  understood  that  UA  may  also  ask  distribu- 
tors of  other  Western  product  to  share  propor- 
tionately in  the  ad  campaign,  when,  as  and  if 
their  product  is  booked  into  the  first  run  the- 
atre of  the  foreign  key  city. 

U.  S.  Gratified  Over  Plan 
For  South  American  Ads 

In  connection  with  the  institutional  advertis- 
ing campaign  in  South  America,  it  is  under- 
stood that  the  Office  of  the  Coordinator  of  In- 
ter-American Affairs  has  expressed  gratification 
that  United  Artists  will  take  ad  space  in  South 
American  newspapers.  The  Coordinator's  of- 
fice, according  to  reports,  for  the  past  year  or 
more,  has  been  urging  American  industrial 
firms,  as  well  as  American  major  film  com- 
panies, to  put  more  money  into  newspaper  ads 
thereby  extending  through  at  least  one  tangible 
medium  the  goodwill  program  of  the  U.  S.  Gov- 
ernment. Details  of  the  UA  ad  campaign  have- 
been  forwarded  to  the  Coordinator's  office  in 
Washington,  it  was  learned. 

Insofar  as  the  Latin  American  market  for 
Western  product  is  concerned,  according  to 
some  observers.  Westerns  have  been  bringing  in 
good  grosses  for  years,  for  some  companies, 
but  it  is  expected  that  the  impetus  of  first  run 
bookings  in  key  situations  probably  will  react 
beneficially  on  smaller  theatre  grosses. 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


SALES  POLICY,  CONTRACT 
ADJUSTMENTS  SLIGHT 


Executives  Encounter  No 
Dislocation  of  Selling 
Due  to  Driving  Ban 

Wholesale  disruptions  in  motion  picture 
selling,  forecast  by  many  as  an  immediate 
consequence  of  the  recent  ban  on  pleasure 
driving  in  17  eastern  states,  have  not  mate- 
rialized. After  three  weeks'  experience 
under  the  curb  on  automobile  use,  distribu- 
tion spokesmen  predicted  that  it  would  force 
very  few  theatres  to  close. 

Adjustments  on  contracts,  clearances, 
booking  changes  and  shifts  in  sales  methods 
are  being  made  in  the  normal  course  of 
business,  home  office  and  exchange  sales 
heads  asserted.  But  these  shufflings  of  out- 
standing contracts  have  been  few,  they  said. 

Established  policies  for  handling  exhibitor 
requests  for  adjustments  still  stand,  the  sales 
officials  of  all  the  major  distributors  indi- 
cated. When  an  exhibitor  is  entitled  to  a 
rebate,  or  renegotiation  of  a  contract  be- 
cause of  wartime  conditions,  he  will  get  it, 
they  promised.  But,  as  always,  each  situa- 
tion will  be  studied  on  its  merits. 

No  need  has  been  shown  for  special  pro- 
cedure to  take  care  of  complaints  arising 
from  gasoline  rationing,  fuel  shortages  or 
other  wartime  factors,  executives  said.  Crit- 
ical business  decreases  from  these  causes  are 
the  exception,  not  the  rule,  they  added. 
Very  few  theatres  have  notified 
exchanges   that   they  are  closing 
their  doors  for  the  duration,  it  was 
said.    "Probably  not  more  than  a 
couple  of  dozen  in  the  entire  17- 
state  area  have  shut,"  one  executive 
said.    He  declared  the  figure  is  not 
much  above  ordinary  seasonal  or 
management  mortality. 
Midweek  closings,  and  the  elimination  of 
matinees  are  more  prevalent.    But  they  still 
have  not  reached  the  proportions  of  a  major 
wave.    Most  of  these  theatres  are  in  small, 
subsequent    run,    rural    situations.  Some 
neighborhood  houses  in  metropolitan  areas 
have  closed  in  the  midweek,  or  dropped 
matinees  to  save  fuel.    But  most  are  keep- 
ing averages  up  with  exceptional  weekend 
grosses,  it  was  claimed. 

Estimates  Closings  at 
3.2%  in  One  Area 

A  New  York  district  manager  estimated 
full  and  partial  closings  in  his  territory  at 
less  than  3.2  per  cent  of  his  1,600  or  more 
potential  accounts.  The  figures  corresponded 
closely  with  reports  from  other  companies. 

Spokesmen  for  MGM  declared  that  the 
company  would  continue  its  established  pol- 
icy of  hearing  all  complaints  from  exhibitors 
and  leaving  the  adjustment  of  difficulties  to 
branch  managers.  William  F.  Rodgers  dis- 
cussed these  wartime  problems  at  Chicago 
last  week  at  a  meeting  with  Metro  sales 
forces. 

He  again  told  the  field  men  that  they  had 
full  power  to  make  any  adjustments  which 
circumstances  warranted.  He  told  them  to 
be  sure  of  facts,  and  then  to  go  ahead  and 


MGM  CONTINUES 
LARGE  BLOCKS 

MGM  will  continue  to  release  its 
pictures  in  blocks  larger  than  five, 
spaced  several  months  apart,  home 
office  sales  officials  indicated  this 
week.  They  had  just  returned  from 
a  visit  to  the  studios.  William  F. 
Rodgers,  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  led  the  delegation, 
and  conducted  a  regional  sales  con- 
ference at  Chicago. 

The  third  MGM  block,  tentatively 
scheduled  for  early  March,  will  consist 
of  from  10  to  12  pictures.  "The 
Human  Comedy"  probably  will  be 
sold  separately  as  a  special.  Howard 
Dietz,  director  of  advertising,  due  in 
New  York  this  week,  will  confer  with 
sales  chiefs  on  a  campaign  which  will 
present  Mickey  Rooney  in  one  of  his 
first  dramatic  roles. 


do  everything  possible  to  help  an  exhibitor 
legitimately  in  need  of  assistance  to  keep  his 
doors  open.  These  instructions  have  been 
relayed  to  all  eastern  exchange  managers,  it 
was  said. 

Similarly  RKO,  Paramount  and  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  officials  reported  that  the  com- 
panies had  seen  no  need  to  deviate  from 
established  adjustment  policies.  Exhibitor 
complaints  of  rationing,  fuel  or  transporta- 
tion difficulties  will  be  met  as  they  arise, 
spokesmen  said.   The  extent  of  rebates,  can- 
cellations or  other  changes  will  depend  on 
circumstances,  they  added,  declining  to  make 
any  generalizations  of  company  policies. 
Customary  reticence  to  discuss 
rebate  or  contract  adjustment  pro- 
cedure was  evident.   The  salesmen 
pointed  to  the  deluges  of  exhibitor 
demands,   most   of   them  unwar- 
ranted, which  had  followed  many 
previous   public  pledges   for  new 
deals  on  contracts.    Although  de- 
clining to  be  quoted,  they  were, 
however,    in    general  agreement, 
that  their  companies  would  take  all 
possible   steps  to  keep  a  theatre 
open. 

"Particularly  in  wartime,  we  want  to  keep 
every  screen  lighted,"  one  sales  executive 
said.  "No  exhibitor  with  a  reasonable  re- 
quest should  hesitate  to  present  it.  But  we 
are  still  not  going  to  let  the  chiselers  use 
an  emergency  to  knock  prices  down." 

Exchange  managers  in  New  York  reported 
that  they  had  received  very  few  complaints 
from  exhibitors,  or  reports  of  rationing 
troubles.  The  territory  embraces  virtually 
every  type  of  situation,  from  largest  first 
run  to  small  rural  house.  The  majority  are 
grossing  consistently  high,  it  was  said. 

Henry  Randel,  office  manager  for  Par- 
amount, cited  "ten  or  a  dozen"  cases  of  ex- 


hibitors who  reported  part-time  closing,  usu- 
ally during  the  midweek.   Not  more  than  25 

demands  for  adjustments,  out  of  800  or  more 
accounts,  had  been  received  since  the  ban 
on  pleasure  driving,  he  said. 

Most  of  these  were  from  small  theatres  in 
upstate  New  York  or  Long  Island.  New 
Jersey  rural  houses  have  held  up  pretty 
well,  according  to  Mr.  Randel.  Only  the- 
atres in  very  small  towns,  of  less  than  5,000 
population,  have  been  seriously  hit  by  the 
driving  ban. 

Arthur  Abeles,  at  the  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  exchange,  reported  a  similar  situation. 
Only  a  few  relatively  small  accounts,  have 
reported  closings,  he  said.  No  demands  for 
adjustments  attributable  to  rationing  have 
been  received,  he  added. 

The  declarations  of  MGM  and  RKO  sales 
forces  were  very  similar.  Troubles  in  cer- 
tain rural  areas  are  more  than  offset  by 
bigger  business  in  the  cities  and  neighbor- 
hoods, it  was  said. 

Warners  Conducting 
Studg  of  Sales 

Warner  Bros,  currently  is  conducting  a 
national  study  of  sales,  with  Ben  Kalmen- 
son,  general  sales  manager,  now  on  the  road 
to  check  up  personally  on  branch  operations. 
Home  office  spokesmen  said  that  they  had 
not  heard  of  any  requests  for  adjustments, 
and  said  that  if  any  had  been  made  because 
of  extraordinary  wartime  problems,  they 
were  handled  in  routine  fashion. 

All  branch  and  sales  managers  were 
agreed  that  business  is  holding  up  generally 
in  surprising  fashion,  despite  gas  rationing, 
closings  and  other  problems.  Even  in  Con- 
necticut, where  theatres  have  agreed  to  close 
on  one  day  of  the  week,  they  said  that  rec- 
ord grosses  undoubtedly  will  keep  most 
houses  above  average. 

No  booking  problems  are  anticipated  from 
the  Monday  closings,  they  added.  Theatres, 
of  course,  will  not  be  charged  for  film  on 
days  they  are  dark,  managers  said.  But 
where  possible,  bookings  will  be  set  so  that 
prints  will  not  be  wasted  on  these  days.  In 
cases  of  extended,  or  preferred  time  theatres 
will  not  be  expected  to  hold  prints  an  extra 
day,  to  make  up  for  the  Monday  closing,  it 
is  generally  understood. 

Managers,  in  fact,  said  that  they 
would  prefer  to  have  the  picture 
sent  on  to  its  next  playdate,  as 
agreed,  rather  than  hold  it  to  make 
up  for  the  lost  day.  This  would 
keep  booking  and  changeover 
schedules  intact. 

Remarking  on  the  few  theatres  which  have 
sought  adjustments,  one  manager  of  a  New 
York  branch  said  that  rationing  had  merely 
spread  business  over  a  wider  area.  First 
run  houses  have  had  an  overflow  problem  in 
the  Broadway  area,  he  said. 

Now  many  patrons  prefer  key  theatres  in 
Brooklyn  or  other  neighborhoods.  In  turn, 
many  patrons  who  formerly  traveled  to  these 
houses  have  switched  to  theatres  nearer 
home.  The  result  has  been  an  audience  shift 
and  business  increase  down  the  line. 


1 

first 

WITH  THE 

most 

OF  THE 

best! 

The 

Paramount 

Company 

_ 

In  the  National  Board  of  Review's  list  of  the  "10 
best  films  of  1942."  there  are  three  Paramount  pic- 
tures-^WAKE^I    ISLAND,"  "THE  MAJOR §  •■■ 
AND  THE  MINOR"  and  "SULLIVAN'S  fl 


TRAVELS."  Paramount  is  first  with  the  most  of 
the  best. 


In  the  National  Board  of  Review's  list  of  "10  most 


popular  films  of  1942,"  Paramount  has  three  — 
"WAKE    ;    ISLAND,"  "THE  MAJOR    I  AND 
THE   MINOR"  and  " H O L I D AY  ^  INN." 
Paramount  is  first  with  the  most  of  the  best. 


The  Young  Reviewers  of  the  National  Board  of 
Review  and  the  nationwide  Four  Star  Clubs,  in 
their  "10  best  films  of  1942"  have  chosen  three 
from  Paramount— "WAKE        ISLAND,"  "REAP 


THE!    .yWILD  WIND"  and  "THE  MAJOR  § 
AND  THE  MINOR."  Paramount  is  first  with  the 
most  of  the  best. 

In  Showmen's  Trade  Review  "Leaders  of  the  In- 
dustry" issue,  they  have  selected  six  Paramount 


be*1' 


\>e*v- 


pictures  among  the  first  25  top  pictures  released 
between  January  1,  1941  and  November  1,  1942— 
REAP  THE        WILD  WIND,"  "THE  FLEET'S 


SI  IN,"  "HOLIDAY  "Tr  INN,"  "WAKE 


ISLAND,"  "BEYOND  THE  4  %  BLUE  HORIZON" 

and  "LOUISIANAifC^  PURCHASE."  Paramount  is 

fpr|f 

first  with  the  most  of  the  best. 


Box  Office  in  its  issue  of  October  31st  says  Paramount 
is  first  for  1942  with  "hits"  delivered— 14— and  first 
in  "general  company  performance"  with  a  box  office 
average  of  116%  for  its  pictures.  Paramount  is  first 
with  the  most  of  the  best. 

Variety  in  its  annual,  out  January  1st,  1943,  says 
"Paramount  tops  the  biggies"— "Paramount  led  in 
the  group  of  companies  that  had  seven-figure  class 
at  the  boxoffice."  Paramount  is  first  with  the  most 
of  the  best. 


\\       "WAKE  ISLAND" 


IE  MAJOR  AND 

THE  MINOR" 


"ROAD  TO  MOROCCO" 
SE  PALM  BEACH  STORY" 


IORITIES  ON  PARADE" 


"THE  GLASS  KEY" 


WILDCAT- 


HE  FOREST  RANGERS" 


S.  WIGGS  OF  THE 
CABBAGE  PATCH" 


IINRY  ALDRICH,  EDITOR" 


"STREET  OF  CHANCE" 

1 

L  i 


REAP  THE   WILD  WIND" 


"STAR  SPANGLED  RHYTHI 


"HAPPY  GO  LUCKY" 


("WRECKING  CREW" 


"THE  AVENGERS" 


"HENRY  ALDRICH 

GETS  GLAMOUR" 


"MY  HEART  BELONGS 

TO  DADDY" 


"LUCKY  JORDAN" 


"LADY  BODYGUARD" 


"NIGHT  TRAIN 

FROM  CHUNGKING" 


Pictures  in  release  from 
September  25th,  1942  to  May  7th,  1943 


JOEL  McCREA 
CLAUDETTE  COLBERT 

Mary  Astor  *  Rudy  Vallee 
Written  and  Directed  by  Preston  Sturges 


\RLEN  •  CHESTER  MORRIS 
JEAN  PARKER 
:ed  by  Frank  McDonald 


1  Kerr  *  Ralph  Richardson 
cted  by  Harold  French 


lcnara  Carlson  *  Martha  O  Driscoll 
Cecil  Kell  awav 
Directed  by  Robert  Siodmak 


ALAN  I, ADD 
talker  *  Marie  McDonald 
ected  by  Frank  Tuttle 


Albert  *  Anne  Shirley 
tavmond  Walburn 


ARY  MARTIN 
DICK  POWELL 

Betty  Hutton  -  Eddie  Bracken 
Rud\  Vallee 


IY  LYDON  as  Henry  Aldrich 
John  Litel  *  Diana  Lynn 


RESTON  -  ELLEN  DREW 

Otto  Kruger 
-t*A  Kv  Ral«K  Murphv 


BRIAN  DONLEVY  •  MAC  DONALD  CARL; 
ROBERT  PRESTON 
jOfe;  William  Bendix  ■  Walter  Abel  ■  Albert  Dekker 
Directed  by  John  Farrow 


ANN  MILLER. 
Johnnie  Johnston  •  Jerry  Colonna  •  Vera  Vague 


20 


Cecil  B.  DeMille's 

©  REAP  THE 
WILD  WIND 

in  Technicolor 

starring 

RAY  M I LL AN D  .  JOHN  WAYNE  .  PAULETTE  GODDARD 

with 

Raymond  Massey.  Lynne  Overman  •  Robert  Preston  .  Susan  Hay  ward 
Produced  and  Directed  by  CECIL  B.  DeMILLE 


© 


STAR  SPANGLED 
RHYTHM" 

tarring  BING  CROSBY*  BOB  HOPE* FRED  MacMURRAY 
FRANCHOT  TONE*  RAY  M1LLAND  *  VICTOR  MOORE 
DOROTHY  LAMOUR*  PAULETTE  GODDARD  *VERA 
ZORINA  *  MARY  MARTIN  *  DICK  POWELL*  BETTY 
HUTTON  *  EDDIE  BRACKEN  *  VERONICA  LAKE 
ALAN  LADD  *  ROCHESTER  *  and  27  MORE  STARS 

Directed  by  GEORGE  MARSHAU. 


3  pictures  in 

ECHNICOLOR 


1.  "REAP  THE  WILD  WIND,"  Cecil  B.  DeMille's 
spectacular,  romantic  drama.  2.  "HAPPY  GO 
LUCKY,"  that  slap-happy  calypso  musical  — 
blazing  with  color.  3.  "FOREST  RANGERS,"  with 
the  thrills,  comedy,  romance  and  a  marquee  cast. 


iXCELLENCE 


Excellence.  Four  pictures  in  the  "best  10"  and  "best 
20"  polls:  "WAKE  ISLAND,"  "REAP  THE  WILD 
WIND,"  "THE  MAJOR  AND  THE  MINOR"  and 
"ROAD  TO  MOROCCO." 


HYTHM 


Four  musicals-"STAR  SPANGLED  RHYTHM,"  the  greatest 
all-star  musical  ever  made,  "ROAD  TO  MOROCCO," 
"HAPPY  GO  LUCKY"  and  "PRIORITIES  ON  PARADE." 


>EAP  THE  WILD  WIND 


"REAP  THE  WILD  WIND,"  the  pic- 
ture that  has  been  reaping  more  shekels 
for  the  exhibitor  than  any  other  picture 
Paramount  has  ever  released  — Cecil  B. 
DeMille's  "REAP  THE  WILD  WIND." 


"WAKE  ISLAND,"  the  picture  that  has  had  more  impact  on 
America  today  than  any  other  made  and  has  had  a  terrific 
punch  on  the  boxof fice  —  the  picture  that  all  America  wants 
to  see  and  is  proud  of. 


Fun  for  everyone  in  these  grim  times  — for  those  who  see 
"ROAD  TO  MOROCCO,"  "FOREST  RANGERS,"  "HAPPY 
GO  LUCKY,"  and  the  Aldrich  Family  pictures. 


Alan  Ladd,  the  boy  who  has  more  it  than  you  can  shake  a  stick 
at— in  two  Paramount  hits,  "THE  GLASS  KEY"  and  "LUCKY 
JORDAN." 


Two  of  the  greatest  comedies  ever  released —"THE  MAJOR 
AND  THE  MINOR,"  Ginger  Rogers'  and  Ray  Milland's  top 
picture,  and  "THE  PALM  BEACH  STORY,"  Preston  Sturges' 
finest  picture  with  his  top  cast. 


_  5  " 


30,    !  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


25 


TRADE  WIXDS 


by  RED  KANN 


DALLAS 

THIS  is  a  story  in  two  parts.  It  tells  how  smart  showman- 
ship recognized  competition  at  the  near  point  of  collision, 
developed  respect  for  its  merits,  turned  the  advantages  to 
general  good  and,  very  likely.,  fabricated  a  workable  pattern 
applicable  and  adaptable  elsewhere. 

The  beginnings  go  back  six  or  seven  years.  Those  were  the 
cays,  good  memories  will  recall,  when  radio  was  stepping  out 
and,  inevitably,  on  picture  toes.  The  days  when  national  adver- 
tisers, handsomely  disgorging  their  money,  were  raiding  Holly- 
wood for  talent  and  persuading  him  observers,  who  probably 
would  prefer  that  their  predictions  of  that  day  rest  undisturbed, 
to  remark  the  end  of  the  business  was  clearly  in  sight.  They  failed 
to  realize  the  staying  power  of  the  industry,  and  that  wasn't 
the  first  time  they  were  wrong. 

If  anyone  will  bother  to  look,  and  nobody  will,  the  recorded 
history  of  those  times,  however,  will  reveal  one  man,  at  least, 
thought  otherwise.  He  happens  to  be  Karl  Hoblitzelle,  president 
of  the  Interstate  Circuit.  Consistent  has  been  his  contention 
radio  could,  and  would,  help  the  job  of  running  theatres  provided 
no  one  became  silly,  grew  panicky  or  failed  to  appreciate  how 
the  two  transmission  belts  of  entertainment — film  and  broadcast- 
ing— might  be  converted  into  a  handwashing  proposition. 

The  fact,  therefore,  is  that  Interstate's  high  command  has  held 
on  to  a  reasoned  and  reasonable  evaluation  of  radio  all  through 
these  six  or  seven  years,  but  got  around  to  doing  something  about 
it  in  August  of  '41. 

This  is  how: 

Hoblitzelle  had  a  thirty-fifth  anniversary  brewing.  Thirty-five 
years  since  he  had  come  to  the  Texan  empire  and  an  occasion 
for  fuss  and  celebration.  Actually,  it  was  to  be  Interstate's  parly, 
but,  when  you  say  Interstate,  it's  the  same  as  saying  Hoblitzelle 
and  Bob  O'Donnell— Robert  J. 

There  were  daily  meetings.  The  heads  belonging  to  Raymond 
Willie,  Bob's  brother,  Bill;  John  O.  Adams,  John  Moroney, 
Frank  Starz  and  Ray  Beall.  among  others,  were  closeted  in- 
timatelv  and  closelv.  It  all  had  to  do  with  wavs  and  means. 


Round  and  Round  Went  Radio 


PERSISTENTLY  running  through  Willie's  head,  more 
emphatically  than  the  others,  was  radio.  No  doubt  reflecting 
Hoblitzelle's  general  sentiments,  and  O'Donnell's,  too,  was 
the  realization  that  implicit  in  broadcasting  was  a  tie-in  of  speci- 
fic values  to  theatre  operation.  He  was  thinking  long  and  hard 
then  in  terms  of  spot  announcements,  canvassed  the  state's  radio 
stations,  lined  up  the  rates  and.  discovered  the  cost  rolled  into  a 
neat  total  of  dollars  and  more  than  anyone  around  Interstate 
was  prepared  to  spend. 

Causing  pause,  also,  was  the  realization  the  spots  were  shy  on 
sustaining  values  and  that,  while  they  might  fulfill  their  assign- 
ment, there  was  nothing  of  a  cumulative  result  in  them. 

Consciously  skipping  many  details  and  bee-lining  it  for  a  short 
cut,  this  is  the  highlight  history  out  of  which  "Showtime",  the 
circuit's  half-hour  Sunday  afternoon  show  over  the  four  station? 
of  the  Texas  Quality  Network,  was  born.  January  31st  mark? 
the  sixty-ninth  broadcast.  No  breaks,  no  interruptions  since  the 
program  took  its  maiden,  and  somewhat  faltering,  bow. 

Largely  experimental  at  the  outset  and.  as  fate  or  otherwise 


would  have  it,  decision  to  go  further  rested  on  an  accident.  Initial 
air  charges  were  computed  on  the  wrong  rate.  Consequently, 
Interstate  had  a  credit  due  it.  Rather  than  take  the  cash,  Willie 
saw  the  opportunity  to  forge  on  until  the  money  was  eaten  up. 
By  that  time,  enough  public  response  had  asserted  itself  on  the 
plus  side  to  clinch  the  decision  about  proceeding  on  a  regular 
basis. 

But  it  wasn't  easy,  as  Interstaters  will  verify.  They  were  play- 
ing around  with  something  new.  Evidently,  showmen  handling 
theatres  and  celluloid  were  one  thing  and  showmen  trying  to 
make  a  dent  with  audiences  neither  seen  nor  heard  was  another. 
But  the  persistence,  and  the  conviction,  were  there. 

Today,  the  program  maintains  its  own  orchestra  of  twenty-six, 
a  chorus  of  mixed  voices,  a  male  quartet,  a  girl  trio,  soloists,  its 
exclusive  music  arranger  and  constitutes  a  phase  of  the  circuit's 
activities  which  gets  loving  attention  from  enthusiastic  and  care- 
ful hands  and  minds. 

Today,  too,  "Showtime"  imports  names  from  points  as  far 
removed  as  Chicago.  It  costs  approximately  $1,200  to  SI, 500  a 
week  in  talent  and  air  time.  It  blankets  all  of  Texas  except  the 
far  western  stretches  of  this  huge  domain.  It  reaches  half  way 
into  Oklahoma,  has  been  heard  on  the  western  boundaries  of 
Louisiana  and  Arkansas  and  occasionally  in  New  Mexico.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Hooper  radio  survey,  its  audience  averaged  356,130 
home  listeners  in  the  May-September  period  of  last  year,  but 
today  Interstate  is  confident  the  total  is  up  by  another  100,000. 


The  Plot  Behind  the  Plot 


IT  emplo3Ts  as  standard  practice  the  name  bands  used  on  the 
stages  of  the  chain's  ace  houses  here  in  Dallas,  in  Fort 
Worth,  in  Houston  and  in  San  Antonio.  Whenever  Inter- 
state books,  and  it  has,  units  like  Horace  Heidt,  Abe  Lyman, 
Phil  Harris,  Ted  Fio  Rito,  Wajme  King  and  Jan  Garber,  the 
deal  includes  air  appearances  in  "Showtime". 

Points  of  broadcast  origin  are  the  cities  in  which  the  bands 
appear.  Since  the  hot  lickers  play  the  four  keys,  they  are  on  the 
air  four  times  in  as  many  weeks.  In  turn,  that  means  from 
twenty-four  to  twenty-eight  nationally  known  bands  are  fed 
listeners  over  the  period  of  a  year.  Maybe  that's  a  lot  of  the  same 
thing  to  you,  but  the  Interstaters  have  the  proof  their  ether 
audiences  think  the  idea  is  squarely  on  the  beam. 

Hopefully,  this  is  interesting  as  far  as  it  has  gone.  But  where 
do  pictures  come  in?  They  come  in  like  this: 

The  circuit — beginning,  middle  and  end — is  in  the  theatre 
business.  It  is  prospering — and  how  it  is  prospering ! — out  of 
pictures  and  that's  the  wa}^  it  wants  it  to  be.  This  radio  activity 
is  important  stuff  ,  but  essentially  sideline  stuff  designed  to  bolster 
its  theatres  and  not  to  keep  actual  and  potential  audiences  out 
of  them. 

This  is  why  the  foundational  line  is  a  persistent  and  constant 
plugging  of  attractions,  here  and  coming.  They  dress  it  up  by 
surrounding  the  ballyhoo  with  music  and  fun.  Yet  that  never 
crowds  out  an  average  of  six  plugs  for  as  many  attractions  in 
every  broadcast.  Sometimes  the  device  is  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  the  language  of  the  usual  film  trailer  translated  into  excit- 
ing narration  bounced  through  the  air.  And  it  works. 

It  works  so  well  that,  since  the  first  of  the  year,  seven  maior 
distributors  are  splitting  costs  with  Interstate.  United  Artists  is 
included  out  right  now,  but  the  probability  is  not  for  long. 

■  Why  they  hate  joined  hands  with  HoUitzelle-CfDonnell,  ei  al, 
what  the  nation-wide  implications  are  and  more  about  the  prac- 
tical results  of  this  radio-film  romance,  deep  in  the  heart  of  Texas, 
must  now  tide  over  until  next  week. 


26 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     30,  1943 


1942  Admission  Tax 
Is  $146,372,271 


December  Collections  Hit 
$15,922,909,  a  Record;  '41 
Total  $87,819,800 

Record-breaking  December  collections  of 
$15,922,909  brought  the  Government's  reve- 
nue from  the  Federal  admission  tax  in  1942 
to  $146,372,271,  it  was  reported  last  weekend 
by  the  Internal  Revenue  Bureau. 

The  month's  receipts  were  some  $4,600,- 
000  above  the  November  total  of  $11,310,- 
821,  the  report  showed. 

Collections  for  the  year  were  $58,500,000 
above  the  $87,819,800  recorded  for  1941. 
Through  10  months  of  1941,  however,  ex- 
emptions from  the  admission  tax,  including 
the  20  cent  minimum,  still  were  in  effect. 

The  increase  in  business  represented  by 
the  higher  December  collections  was  spread 
throughout  the  country,  although  the  reve- 
nue from  the  Third  New  York  (Broadway) 
District  increased  $2,000,000  over  Novem- 
ber. 

Collections  in  that  district  were 
$3,378,752  for  the  final  month  of  the 
year,  against  $1,317,362  for  the  pre- 
ceding month.  The  bulk  of  the  in- 
crease was  in  box  office  collections, 
which  rose  from  $1,193,458  to 
$3,186,086,  but  $14,983  was  collected 
on  tickets  sold  by  brokers,  against 
$8,734  in  November;  $2,511  on 
tickets  sold  in  excess  of  the  estab- 
lished price,  against  nothing;  $51 
on  permanent  use  or  lease  of  boxes 
and  seats,  against  nothing,  and 
$175,120  from  admissions  to  roof 
gardens  and  cabarets  against 
$115,170. 

A  survey  of  the  year  showed  that  in  only 
one  month,  February,  did  admission  tax  col- 
lections fall  below  $10,000,000.  No  com- 
parison of  receipts  by  months  with  those  of 
1941  was  possible  because  of  the  change 
in  the  tax  which  was  reflected  in  returns 
for  November  and  December  of  that  year. 

Half  Theatre.  Units 
Had  '40  Taxable  Net 

More  than  half  of  the  motion  picture  the- 
atre corporations  operating  in  the  United 
States  had  taxable  income  on  their  1940 
operations  but  less  than  one-third  of  the 
production  corporations  paid  taxes,  it  is  dis- 
closed by  an  analysis  of  returns  of  the  In- 
ternal Revenue  Bureau. 

Of  the  4,049  theatre  corporations,  the 
bureau  reported,  2,164  had  taxable  income, 
reporting  $463,848,000  in  total  receipts  and 
$45,629,000  in  gross  income,  on  which  they 
paid  income  taxes  of  $8,346,000  and  declared 
value  excess  profits  taxes  of  $43,000.  These 
companies,  it  was  shown,  paid  dividends  in 
cash  and  assets  other  than  their  own  stock 
in  the  amount  of  $24,945,000. 

Another  1,750  corporations  reported  total 
receipts  of  $124,096,000  but  showed  a  defi- 
cit for  tax  purposes  of  $5,654,000.  This 


MONTHLY  REVENUE  FROM 
ADMISSION  TAX 

The  totals  of  admission  tax  collections 
during  each  month  of  the  years  1942  and 
1941,  as  reported  by  the  Internal  Revenue 
Department,  are  as  follows: 


1942  1941 

January   $11,355,639  $6,583,277 

February   9,769,397  6,495,283 

March   10,592,455  7,104,956 

April   10,788,463  5,627,394 

May   11,803,921  6,955,991 

June   11,550,144  5,880,649 

July   12,484,881  6,760,861 

August   12,436,303  7,330,283 

September  13,662,336  6,444,950 

October   14,694,996  6,812,275 

November  11,310,821  10,411,197 

December      .  15,922,909  11,412,678 


Total        $146,372,271  $87,819,800 


group  paid  dividends  of  $129,000.  The  re- 
maining 135  companies  were  inactive. 

Of  633  production  corporations  report- 
ing, 189  showed  total  receipts  of  $346,668,- 
000  and  net  income  of  $33,354,000,  on  which 
they  paid  income  taxes  of  $4,179,000  and 
excess  profits  taxes  of  $31,000.  The  group 
reported  $12,390,000  paid  in  dividends. 
There  were  76  inactive  corporations.  The 
remaining  368  companies  reported  total  in- 
come of  $72,242,000  and  a  deficiency  of  $4,- 
867,000.    They  paid  dividends  of  $201,000. 

The  report  also  covered  the  operations 
of  radio  broadcasting  and  television  corpora- 
tions. Returns  were  filed  by  650  companies, 
64  of  which  were  inactive ;  389  showed  total 
receipts  of  $153,273,00  and  net  income  of 
$26,746,000,  on  which  they  paid  income  taxes 
of  $6,075,000  and  excess  profits  taxes  of 
$45,000,  reporting  dividends  of  $12,944,000 ; 
the  remaining  197  reported  total  income  of 
$7,862,000  and  a  deficit  of  $1,022,000,  re- 
porting dividends  of  $6,000. 

Frank  C.  Walker  Gets  LLD. 
At  Manhattan  College 

Frank  C.  Walker,  Postmaster  General  and 
newly  elected  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Na- 
tional Committee,  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  on  Monday  at  the  90th 
commencement  exercises  of  Manhattan  Col- 
lege. Archbishop  Francis  J.  Spellman  pre- 
sided at  the  exercises. 


"Hitler's  Children"  to  Paramount 

"Hitler's  Children,"  the  Edward  Golden- 
RKO  production,  has  been  booked  to  play  the 
Paramount  theatre,  New  York,  opening  Febru- 
ary 24th,  according  to  an  announcement  by  Ned 
Depinet,  president  of  RKO  Radio  Pictures. 
This  feature  will  be  the  first  RKO  picture  ever 
to  play  the  Paramount. 


Coe  to  Speak  on 
Film  War  Role 

Charles  Francis  Coe,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral counsel  of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  Distributors  Association,  will  address  the 
Advertising  Club  of  Boston  on  the  industry's 
war  role  on  February  16th.  It  is  believed  that 
it  will  be  the  first  of  a  series  of  speeches  which 
Mr.  Coe  will  make  to  various  other  public  and 
trade  groups  throughout  the  country, 

The  MPPDA  board  of  directors  and  the  In- 
dustry Service  Bureau  are  also  planning  an 
institutional  advertising  campaign,  it  has  been 
reported,  which  will  further  the  efforts  of 
placing  the  industry's  war  contributions  before 
the  press  and  public.  A  field  press  force  already 
has  been  organized  to  carry  out  this  detail  and 
its  members,  Gordon  White,  Mark  Larkin  and 
Duke  Hickey,  are  expected  to  link  their  Work 
with  Mr.  Coe's  appearances  in  different  terri- 
tories. 

Mr.  Coe's  talk  in  Boston  will  cover  the  entire 
range  of  war  activities  in  which  the  industry  is 
engaged,  it  was  disclosed,  and  may  possibly  set 
a  pattern  for  subsequent  addresses. 

Arthur  DeBra,  director  of  research  for  the 
MPPDA,  addressed  the  Worcester  Board  of 
Motion  Picture  and  Theatre  Review  Thursday 
night.  Besides  board  members,  who  are  in 
charge  of  local  censorship,  civic  leaders  were 
present. 


RKO  Lists  Nine  Films 
For  National  Release 

RKO  Radio  Pictures  has  announced  that 
"Hitler's  Children"  was  released  nationally  last 
Friday,  and  that  it  has  scheduled  eight  other 
pictures  for  national  release. 

The  films  are  as  follows :  "Hitler's  Children," 
January  22 ;  "Fighting  Frontier,"  January  29 ; 
"They  Got  Me  Covered,"  February  5 ;  "Journey 
Into  Fear,"  February  12;  "Two  Weeks  to 
Live,"  February  19;  "Cinderella  Swings  It," 
February  26;  "The  Pride  of  the  Yankees," 
March  5;  "Tarzan  Triumphs,"  March  12; 
"Forever  and  a  Day,"  March  19. 


"Paratroops,"  OWI  Short, 
Is  Now  in  Release 

The  film  unit  of  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion released  "Paratroops"  nationally  on  Jan- 
uary 21st,  it  was  reported  this  week,  and  it  will 
be  distributed  by  the  motion  picture  division 
of  the  War  Activities  Committee. 

The  film  demonstrates  the  type  of  training') 
which  a  paratrooper  undergoes,  and  describes  | 
the  various  phases  of  his  schooling  in  marks- 1 
manship,  skiing  and  the  use  of  machine  guns.  J 


Otterson  Resigns 

John  E.  Otterson,  one  time  president  of  Win- 
chester   Repeating    Arms    Company,  Simons 
Hardware  Company,  Electrical  Research  Prod- 
ucts and  many  foreign  subsidiaries  of  Western  , 
Electric  Company,  also  Paramount  Productions, 
Inc.,  and  Paramount  Pictures  Distributing  Cor-  j 
poration,  on  Monday  last  resigned  from  his| 
latest  presidency,  with  the  New  Jersey  Ship- 1 
building  Corporation.    The  financial  press  saidjjj 
he  was  to  devote  more  time  to  his  other  in-  [ 
terests.    He  will  continue  as  chairman  of  the 
board  of  the  shipbuilding  concern. 


Report  Chase— 20th-Fox  Deal 

Purchase  of  the  Chase  National  Bank  inter- 
est in  National  Theatres  Corporation  by  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  is  reported  under  discus- 
sion. The  talks  this  week  were  said  by  Motion 
Picture  Daily  to  have  reached  the  stage  of  ar- 
ranging details  of  the  transaction,  with  Lehman 
Brothers  mentioned  as  a  possible  third  party. 
The  reported  price  is  $13,000,000. 


THE  WHITE  HOUSE 

WASHINGTON 


December  12,  1942 


Dear  ]'.?.  Schenck: 


I  an  delighted  to  learn,  through  Basil  O'Connor, 
of  the  generous  offer  which  you  and  your  associates  have 
made  in  connection  with  the  1943  fund-raising  effort  of  the 
National  Foundation  for  Infantile  Paralysis. 

I  think  you  know  how  much  I  value  the  magnificent 
performance  of  the  motion  picture  theatres  in  the  National 
Foundation's  1S42  Campaign,  and  I  hope  that  this  year' s 
effort  will  he  equally  as  successful. 

Sincerely  yours, 


COAST  FLASH! 
GREER  GARSON 
IS  MAKING  THE 
APPEAL  TRAILER! 


Hr.  Nicholas  I.:.  Schencl 
1540  Broadway, 
New  York  City. 


"HE  REMEMBERED! 
WON'T  YOU.'" 


The  gallantry  of  showmen  throughout  the  land  has  again  been  evidenced  in 
the  returns  of  pledge  cards  for  this  year's  fight  against  infantile  paralysis.  If  your 
pledge  is  not  in,  please  send  it  today.  You  will  receive  a  showman's  press  book 
—  and  what  a  trailer!  Few  will  resist  Greer  Garson's  appeal.  Your  patrons 
know  how  splendid  this  work  is.  They  will  give  gladly  so  that  the  little  girl 
on  this  page  and  thousands  of  her  fellow  sufferers  may  walk  again  I 

MARCH  OF  DIMES,  FEBRUARY  18*  to  24* 


MAIL  YOUR 
PLEDGE  TO 

MARCH  OF  DIMES 
A  S  T  O  ft  HOTEL 
N.  Y.    .    Room  773 


28 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


EASTERN  FUEL  OIL  CRISIS 
IS  BLOW  TO  EXHIBITION 


Connecticut,  Rhode  Island 
Houses  Close  One  Day  a 
Week  to  Save  Fuel 

The  fuel  oil  crisis  on  the  east  coast  hit 
hard  at  exhibition  this  week,  bringing  one 
day  a  week  closings  for  theatres  in  Con- 
necticut and  Rhode  Island  and  the  threat 
of  similar  shutdowns  in  nearby  states.  Bal- 
ancing this  blow,  however,  was  the  fact  that 
the  eastern  ban  on  pleasure  driving  did  not 
bring  the  anticipated  severe  effect  on  box 
office  grosses. 

National  fuel  oil  rationing  may  be  or- 
dered soon,  Petroleum  Administration  of- 
ficials said  Tuesday,  in  Washington.  The 
Office  of  Price  Administration  will  intro- 
duce such  rationing  February  1st  on  the 
West  Coast.  It  was  added  the  ban  on  pleas- 
ure driving  is  not  likely  to  be  lifted  in  the 
near  future. 

Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  showmen 
this  week  began  to  close  one  day  per  week, 
in  compliance  with  state  executive  and  fuel 
oil  administration  requests  which  were  in- 
terpreted as  orders.  The  purpose  behind  the 
requests  of  Connecticut  Governor  Baldwin 
and  Rhode  Island  Governor  J.  Howard  Mc- 
Grath  was  to  save  fuel  in  the  two  north- 
eastern states  which  among  the  17  in  the 
east  severely  rationed  have  suffered  most 
from  oil  scarcity. 

However,  pointing  out  that  most  theatres 
in  their  state  are  not  heated  by  oil,  Con- 
necticut exhibitors  this  week  protested. 

The  Connecticut  "order"  to  close  was  in 
reality  a  plea,  two  weeks  ago,  over  the  radio. 
It  was  asked  that  theatres  close  two  days 
per  week.  Later,  Wesley  A.  Sturges,  State 
Fuel  Administrator,  advised  Herman  Levy, 
chairman  of  a  joint  exhibitors'  committee, 
that  one  day  per  week  would  be  sufficient, 
the  day  to  be  selected  by  the  exhibitor. 

He  asked,  however,  that  the  ex- 
hibitor inform  patrons  by  "public 
display"  of  his  intention.  He 
added  also  that  he  recognized  the- 
atres as  aids  to  the  public  weal,  and 
that  the  OPA'S  ban  on  pleasure 
driving  had  hurt  places  of  amuse- 
ment. 

Meanwhile,  in  Rhode  Island,  Governor 
McGrath's  order  for  curtailment  of  opera- 
tion by  one-seventh  was  being  met  this 
week.  Theatre  managers  in  Providence  last 
week  adopted  a  plan  of  later  openings,  and 
uniform  11  P.M.  closing.  They  will  begin 
operation  Mondays  through  Fridays  at  1 :20 
P.M.;  Saturdays,  at  11  A.M.;  Sundays,  at 
2  P.M.  It  was  expected  out-of-town  houses 
would  operate  on  similar  schedules. 

Rhode  Island  Plan  Aimed 
At  Saving  All  Fuel 

Regarded  as  an  interesting  phase  of  the 
Governor's  order  of  last  week  was  its  ap- 
plication to  all  places  of  amusement,  even  if 
heated  by  coal.  It  was  said  by  executive 
spokesmen  that  the  intention  was  to  save 
all  fuel. 

Warner  theatres  in  Hartford  have  an- 


COLD,  RATIONING 
HIT  GROSSES 

Albany  film  salesmen  returning  to 
exchanges  from  trips  in  rural  New 
York  State  report  that  cold  weather, 
the  ban  on  pleasure  driving,  and  the 
cumulative  effect  of  rationing  has  hit 
some  theatres  so  hard  they  take  in 
less  than  five  dollars  during  a  week- 
day. One  theatre,  it  was  related,  on 
a  Wednesday  night  had  only  four 
patrons. 

Snow  and  severe  cold  likewise 
seriously  affected  theatre  attendance 
in  approximately  one-half  the  country 
last  week.  Attendance  decreases  in 
some  northern  and  midwestern  areas 
were  reported  as  high  as  75  per  cent. 
Film  deliveries  were  interrupted,  and 
a  number  of  salesmen  stranded. 


nounced  earlier  openings  and  closings.  The 
Strand,  Plainville,  has  eliminated  three 
matinees  a  week,  and  all  Tuesday  perform- 
ances. 

The  Roger  Sherman,  New  Haven,  an- 
nounced it  will  close  Tuesdays ;  and  the 
Paramount,  Thursdays.  All  the  Hamden, 
Conn.,  theatres  have  decided  to  close 
Wednesdays,  including  the  Dixwell  Play- 
house, Strand  and  Whitney. 

The  Rialto,  Windsor  Locks,  is 
closing  every  afternoon  but  Friday, 
Saturday  and  Sunday,  and  the  Co- 
lonial, Southington,  all  but  Wed- 
nesday and  the  weekend.  At  the 
Colonial  and  Capitol,  Bridgeport, 
Wednesday  afternoon  closings 
have  been  instituted,  and  at  Shel- 
ton,  Wednesday  and  Thursday.The 
Hippodrome,  Rialto  and  American, 
Bridgeport,  ended  all  matinees  ex- 
cept Saturday  and  Sunday. 

In  Hartford,  over  the  weekend,  Louis  A. 
Cohen,  who  manages  Loew's  Poli,  and  is 
chairman  of  the  committee  arranging  stag- 
gering of  theatre  closings  in  the  city,  an- 
nounced the  following  closing  schedule: 

Monday:  Webster,  Rivoli  and  State. 

Tuesday:  Allyn,  Warner  Colonial,  Daly, 
E.  M.  Loew's,  Loew's  Poli,  Crown,  Prin- 
cess, Warner  Regal,  Warner  Strand  and 
Astor. 

Wednesday:  Loew's  Poli  Palace,  Warner 
Central,  Proven  Pictures,  Warner  Lenox, 
Eastwood  and  Webb  Playhouse. 

Thursday:  Warner  Lyric  and  Warner 
Rialto. 

All  theatres,  according  to  the  schedule, 
will  present  regular  performances  Friday, 
Saturday  and  Sunday. 

In  New  Britain,  the  following  schedule 
was  announced  for  the  closings:  Tuesday, 
Palace;  Wednesday,  Arch  Street,  Embassy, 
Roxy;  Thursday,  State  and  Strand. 

Most  Hartford  department  stores  were 


closed  Monday.  In  New  Britain,  depart- 
ment stores  were  also  closed  that  day. 

The  Boston  Opera  will  have  no  spring 
season.  This  was  decided  because  so  many 
patrons  use  automobiles  to  travel  from 
Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Rhode 
Island  and  western  Massachusetts. 

Closing  Trend  Apparent 
In  Albany  Area 

The  trend  to  close  midweeks  is  already 
apparent  in  the  Albany  territory,  where  the- 
atres in  Manchester  Depot,  Vermont,  Pine 
Plains  and  Copake,  N.  Y.,  have  all  eliminat- 
ed Tuesday,  Wednesday  and  Thursday 
shows  and  are  operating  over  the  week- 
ends. Two  theatres,  the  Essex  in  Essex, 
and  Hunter,  in  Hunter,  N.  Y.,  have  closed 
until  early  summer  because  of  the  ban  on 
pleasure  driving. 

William  Benton's  Community  theatre, 
Saratoga  Springs,  went  dark  after  Tues- 
day's performances.  Anchor-point  of  the 
Benton  Theatre  Circuit,  the  Community, 
could  not  be  converted  to  coal,  heating  en- 
gineers decided.  In  announcing  the  closing, 
Mr.  Benton  said  it  would  be  for  at  least  five 
weeks,  but  general  opinion  was  that  it  would 
be  dark  through  spring. 

The  pleasure  driving  ban,  combined  with 
fuel  shortages  and  the  unusually  cold  weath- 
er prevailing  all  month  in  upstate  New 
York,  has  seriously  hurt  neighborhood  and 
rural  locations. 

The  Edge  Moor,  Wilmington,  will  close 
Monday,  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  for  the 
duration.  Other  theatres  are  planning 
changes. 

Allied  Questions 
Rationing 

Taking  issue  with  frequent  public  refer- 
ences to  theatres  as  "unessential,"  Allied 
States  Association,  in  a  bulletin  of  January 
25th  raised  the  question  of  savings  alleged- 
ly effected  by  the  closing  of  theatres. 

It  is  pointed  out  that  each  family 
which  comes  to  the  theatre  saves 
fuel  at  home;  that,  therefore,  in 
the  aggregate,  by  going  to  the  the- 
atre they  are  saving  far  more  than 
could  be  saved  if  the  theatre  were 
to  close. 

It  added:  "Not  only  do  families .  leaving 
for  the  theatre  turn  down  the  heat;  they  also' 
turn  off  the  lights,  thereby  reducing  the  con- 
sumption of  fuel  at  the  power  house. 

"It  would  seem  that  public  officials,  if 
they  want  to  conserve  fuel,  should  urge  the 
people  to  congregate  in  places  of  amuse- 
ment, and  absorb  comfort  from  a  central 
plant." 

Allied  suggested  exhibitors  advise  patrons 
to  turn  down  home  plants  before  attending, 
and  concluded:  "This  side  of  the  argument 
has  not  been  sufficiently  stressed.  It  is  up 
to  the  exhibitors  to  see  to  it  that  it  is  prop- 
erly understood  in  their  communities — es- 
pecially by  local  officials." 


is  a 


0    0  0 


LAUGHINGLY    (/  PRESENTS  V 

OPE  Oorothq  LAMOUR 


Directed  />y  PAVID  BUTLER 

Screen  Play  by  -HARRY  KURNITZ 
Original  Story  by  LEONARD  Q.ROSS  and  LEONARD  SPIGELGASS 

AN  RKO  RADIO  RELEASE 


January    30,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


33 


FURTHER  RAW  STOCK  CUTS 
FORESEEN  FOR  1943 


Print  Reduction  Is  Small 
Despite  Film  Shortage 

Despite  forecasts  in  some  quarters  last  autumn  that  curtailment  of  raw  film  stock 
by  the  War  Production  Board  would  result  in  large  scale  reduction  early  this  year 
by  major  distributors  of  the  number  of  prints  made  for  each  feature,  the  cut  has 
been  slight  thus  far.  According  to  a  number  of  exchange  operation  managers  in 
home  offices,  it  was  reported  this  week  that  print  availability  remains  about  the 
same  as  last  year  for  every  big-budget  production  and  that  reductions  thus  far 
have  been  made  only  in  connection  with  smaller  scale  pictures. 

It  is  estimated  that  about  300  to  350  prints  are  made  for  each  large  feature 
by  most  of  the  major  companies,  including  MGM,  Paramount,  RKO,  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox and  Warners,  and  that  this  number  currently  obtains  for  1943  releases. 
The  number  of  prints  for  smaller  features,  which  varies  from  40  to  50  per  film,  has 
been  reduced  but  slightly.  It  is  estimated  that  the  cuts  are  not  more  than 
10  per  cent  over  last  year  in  this  direction. 

Print  availability  for  the  balance  of  the  1942-43  season  and  for  next  season, 
however,  probably  will  take  a  sharp  decline,  it  is  said,  pending  further  raw  stock 
cuts  by  the  WPB.  Most  of  the  distributors  report,  meanwhile,  that  difficulties  in 
print  transportation,  resulting  from  gasoline  shortages  throughout  the  country, 
have  been  adjusted  and  that  operation  continues  for  the  most  part  without  any 
serious  interference. 


Industry  Told  Demand  of 
U.  S.  Agencies  Makes 
Film  More  Critical 

Warnings  that  still  less  film  will  be  avail- 
able during  1943  for  the  entertainment  mo- 
tion picture  industry  were  brought  back 
from  Washington  last  week  by  members  of 
the  producers  advisory  committee,  follow- 
ing meetings  with  the  War  Production 
Board. 

Government  officials  made  no  promises 
of  specific  predictions  on  the  amount  of  film 
which  would  be  allocated  to  the  industry 
during  the  second  and  subsequent  quarters 
of  the  year.  But  those  who  attended  the 
1  sessions  on  Thursday  and  Friday  left  Wash- 
ington with  the  impression  that  still  further 
slashes  in  raw  stock  quotas  are  not  far  off. 

WPB  officials  seemed  to  be  paving  the 
way  for  announcement  of  new  curbs  on 
film  use,  delegates  from  New  York  and 
Hollywood  said. 

Harold  B.  Hopper,  chief  of  the 
WPB  motion  picture  section,  told 
the  committee  that  rapidly  increas- 
ing Army,  Navy,  Board  of  Eco- 
nomic Warfare  and  ether  govern- 
ment agency  film  needs  have  made 
the  commodity  more  critical  than 
ever. 

The  whole  film  supply  situation,  from  manu- 
facturer to  screen  was  canvassed  at  the  meet- 
:  ings.  Thursday  the  film  manufacturers  ad- 
visory committee  met  with  Mr.  Hopper  to  dis- 
cuss their  probable  output  during  ensuing 
months,  and  to  seek  ways  of  increasing  this 
production.  Friday  representatives  of  produc- 
ers and  distributors  discussed  further  economy 
in  film  use. 

Much  of  the  meeting  time  of  the  producers 
advisory  committee  was  spent  in  discussion  of 
how  the  quotas  recently  set  for  the  first  quarter 
of  1943  are  being  met.  Order  L-178,  revised, 
of  the  WPB  on  January  1st  cut  initial  1943 
consumption  of  film  by  25  per  cent  of  1941  lev- 
els for  the  larger  producers.  Small  indepen- 
dents must  slash  at  least  12  per  cent  from  their 
1941  total. 

All  Possible  Economies 
Are  Being  Made 

Representatives  of  the  industry  were  reported 
to  have  told  the  WPB   that  every  possible 

!  economy  in  production  and  distribution  is  being 
made  to  comply  with  this  order.  There  was 
also  some  speculation  on  what  further  cuts 

{  could  be  made  to  accommodate  the  additional 

,  reductions  hinted  at  by  the  government  spokes- 

i  men. 

Although  the  discussion  was  general,  avoid- 
'  ing  mention  of  individual  company  quotas,  it 
'  was  reported  that  representatives  of  the  small 
1  and  independent  producers  and  distributors  pro- 
tested against  their  inclusion  in  a  flat  25  per 
cent  reduction.    Proportionally  it  would  be  a 
much  greater  hardship  on  the  small  producer, 
they  said.    They  pointed  out  also  that  the  1941 
standard  was  based  on  a  relatively  low  level  of 
production. 

These  reports  of  new  reductions  ahead  al- 
ready have  stirred  protest  from  at  least  six 
producers.     These  are  understood  to  include 


RKO,  Universal,  United  Artists,  Monogram, 
Republic  and  Producers  Releasing  Corporation. 
Spokesmen  have  said  that  they  regard  the  1941 
basis  as  giving  a  substantial  advantage  to  the 
five  major  distributors,  inasmuch  as  independent 
production  was  relatively  low  during  that  sea- 
son. 

Protest  Deferred 
Pending  Meeting 

Active  protest  to  the  War  Production  Board 
has  been  deferred,  however,  until  the  advisory 
committee  again  meets  with  the  WPB  in  Feb- 
ruary. At  that  time  these  companies  expect 
to  have  ample  statistical  support  for  their  posi- 
tion. 

The  film  manufacturers'  representatives  in 
their  session  with  Mr.  Hopper  and  his  staff 
were  urged  to  seek  further  ways  of  increasing 
output  of  16mm.  and  35mm.  film.  This  must 
be  done,  however,  without  using  critical  mate- 
rial for  new  machines,  and  without  interference 
with  film  production  for  the  services. 

In  New  York,  representatives  of  the  two 
largest  film  makers,  Eastman  and  duPont, 
pointed  out  that  their  plants  had  been  operat- 
ing in  excess  of  rated  capacity  for  months. 
They  expressed  doubt  that  much  more  footage 
could  be  squeezed  from  overworked  machines 
and  staffs.  Also,  they  were  pessimistic  over 
increasing  inroads  on  commercial  business  by 
high  priority  government  orders. 

Film  manufacturers  for  some  time  have  been 
anxious  for  the  establishment  of  some  agency 
to  coordinate  high  priority  orders  for  films. 
The  Army,  with  a  vast  training  film,  aviation 
photography,  and  Signal  Corps  motion  picture 
program,  is  understood  to  be  by  far  the  largest 
government  purchaser.  However,  the  Navy 
and  Marine  Corps  also  are  rapidly  expanding 
their  motion  picture  sections.  The  newly  re- 
organized photographic  section  of  the  Naval 
Bureau  of  Aeronautics,  construction  of  labora- 
tory facilities  at  the  Navy  Department  and  new 


tactical  interest  in  motion  pictures  have  greatly 
increased  Navy  orders. 

A  centralized  film,  purchasing  commission, 
industry  sources  said,  would  eliminate  duplica- 
tion and  wasteful  buying.  Although  in  hearty 
accord  with  military  theories  of  "too  much 
rather  than  too  little"  film,  some  observers  say 
that  much  film  bought  by  the  services  never 
will  be  exposed. 

In  support  of  this  they  mention  a  film  ware- 
house in  the  New  York  area.  Heavily  guard- 
ed, it  is  understood  to  be  crammed  with  gov- 
ernment film  purchased  months  ago.  Little  of 
it  is  moved  out.  Normally  35mm.  film  should 
be  used  within  a  year  of  manufacture,  experts 
said. 

Newsreel  Reductions 
Studied  by  Committee 

The  producers  advisory  committee  informed 
the  WPB  of  agreements  to  hold  newsreels  to 
an  average  of  750  feet  per  issue,  as  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Herald  on  December  19th. 
These  cuts  are  now  in  effect,  and  have  been 
made  without  disruption  or  loss  of  news  cover- 
age, editors  said.  Reduction  in  the  number  of 
prints  of  newsreels  is  expected  to  increase 
their  play  off  span  from  three  weeks  to  four. 

The  question  of  waste  was  brought  up  at  the 
meeting  in  a  report  showing  that  the  internal 
footage  used  in  technicolor  is  much  higher  than 
the  two  per  cent  figured  for  black  and  white. 
The  committee  will  study  the  question  further, 
before  asking  WPB  exceptions  for  the  color 
process. 

Increased  demand  for  film  through  the 
Board  of  Economic  Warfare  is  understood  to 
be  in  behalf  of  the  film  making  agencies  of  Al- 
lied and  friendly  nations  in  South  America,  and 
elsewhere.  Virtually  all  Latin  American  print 
stock,  as  well  as  film  for  North  Africa,  Aus- 
tralia, India,  China  and  elsewhere  comes  from 
the  United  States. 

Deliveries  of  film  for  prints  or  camera  have 

(Continued  on  following  page,  column  1) 


34 

Further  Slash 
In  Raw  Stock 
Seen  in  1943 

(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

not  been  seriously  delayed  in  the  first  month 
of  1943,  film  companies  reported.  It  takes 
longer  to  deliver  prints,  home  office  executives 
said,  but  because  of  varying  regional  release 
dates  this  has  presented  no  difficulties. 

Most  companies  are  well  ahead  of  their  re- 
lease schedules  in  ordering  prints.  With  a  heavy 
backlog  of  pictures  being  cut  or  in  production 
in  Hollywood,  some  observers  see  a  tendency 
to  build  up  as  large  a  print  and  film  reserve 
as  possible  from  current  quotas,  against  the 
possibility  of  further  cuts  during  later  quarters. 

Among  those  attending  the  conference  were : 
Thomas  Connors,  Twentieth  Century-Fox ;  N. 
P.  Rathvon  and  Sidney  Kramer,  RKO ;  Barney 
Balaban  and  W.  D.  Cokell,  Paramount ;  A.  W. 
Schwalberg  and  Joseph  Hazen,  Warners ; 
Thomas  Mead  and  John  J.  O'Connor,  Univer- 
sal ;  N.  P.  Ritchey,  Monogram ;  W.  G.  Bren- 
nan,  Columbia ;  W.  C.  Ament,  Pathe  News ; 
Arthur  Lee,  Art  Lee  Corporation ;  Alan  Cum- 
mings  and  J.  Robert  Rubin,  Loew's ;  O.  H. 
Briggs,  Producers  Releasing ;  Herman  Rob- 
bins,  National  Screen ;  Edmund  Reek  and  An- 
thony Muto,  Movietone ;  Gradwell  L.  Sears, 
United  Artists ;  R.  B.  Murray,  Army  Motion 
Picture  Service ;  Captain  Harry  Davidow,  re- 
sources and  products  division,  War  Depart- 
ment, and  Dudley  P.  Felt,  director  of  the  WPB 
consumers  durable  goods  division. 

Armour  Arrives  in  London 
To  Represent  Disney 

Reginald  Armour,  managing  director  of  Walt 
Disney  Productions,  has  arrived  in  London,  and 
will  represent  the  company  in  Europe,  Africa 
and  the  Near  East.  He  also  will  work  in  con- 
junction with  the  film  divisions  of  the  Office  of 
the  Coordinator  of  Inter-American  Affairs  and 
the  Office  of  War  Information. 

Mr.  Armour  formerly  was  assistant  general 
manager  of  the  RKO  Radio  studios  in  Holly- 
wood, and  until  1940  was  European  manager 
for  the  company.  He  also  was  executive  as- 
sistant to  George  J.  Schaefer,  former  president 
of  RKO.  Mr.  Armour's  arrival  in  England 
marked  the  successful  conclusion  of  a  series  of 
efforts  to  reach  his  post.  He  had  been  pre- 
vented on  two  previous  occasions  from  reaching 
his  destination  after  embarking  on  ships  which 
had  met  with  mishaps. 

Paramount  To  Stress 
Color  in  Ads 

Paramount  will  use  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines in  two  and  four-color  layouts  when  it 
places  its  advertising  for  the  musical  production 
in  Technicolor,  "Happy  Go  Lucky,"  it  was  an- 
nounced last  week  by  Robert  M.  Gillham,  di- 
rector of  advertising  and  publicity. 

Four  other  Technicolor  pictures  are  in  prep- 
aration or  have  been  completed,  and  Mr.  Gill- 
ham  announced  that  extensive  merchandising 
plans  utilizing  the  color  theme  have  been 
planned  for  the  promotion  of  these  films,  which 
include:  "For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls,"  "Lady  in 
the  Dark,"  "Riding  High"  and  "Dixie." 

Mr.  Gillham  left  for  the  coast  last  week  for 
conferences  with  studio  executives,  to  discuss 
merchandising  plans  on  "For  Whom  the  Bell 
Tolls." 


RKO  Sets  Release  Date 

RKO  Radio  announced  that  "Fighting  Fron- 
tier," was  to  be  nationally  released  on  January 
29th.  The  film  is  the  third  of  a  series  starring 
Tim  Holt. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Pennsylvania  Allied  Unit 
Elects  Governors 

Eastern  Pennsylvania  Allied,  at  its  fifth  an- 
nual meeting  in  Philadelphia  last  week,  elected 
the  following  as  governors  for  three-year  terms  : 
Leo  Posel,  E.  B.  Gregory,  Charles  Stiefel, 
Harry  Chertoff  and  Charles  Moyer.  Alternate 
governors  elected  for  a  one-year  term  were : 
George  L.  Ickes,  Melvin  Koff  and  Norman 
Lewis.  Immediately  after  the  meeting  ad- 
journed, the  board  of  governors  met  and  organ- 
ized for  1943.  Ben  Fertel  succeeded  himself 
as  treasurer,  E.  B.  Gregory  continued  as  secre- 
tary and  Joseph  Conway  as  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee. 

Sidney  E.  Samuelson  was  reelected  business 
manager  and  Morris  Wax  as  national  director, 
with  Harry  Chertoff  as  alternate  national  di- 
rector. To  intensify  and  continue  the  campaign 
for  new  members,  Melvin  Koff  was  named 
chairman  of  the  membership  committee. 

At  the  membership  meeting  reports  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Fertel,  Mr.  Gregory  and  Mr. 
Samuelson  indicated  that  the  association  was 
in  excellent  financial  condition  and  that  it  had 
greatly  increased  its  membership  during  1942. 
Another  report  gave  full  details  of  the  National 
Allied  Caravan.  The  meeting  unanimously 
approved  all  the  reports. 

RKO  Drive  Captains  Visit 
Los  Angeles  Branch 

Robert  Wolff  and  Harry  Gittleson,  captains 
of  the  RKO  "Ned  Depinet"  sales  drive,  visited 
the  Los  Angeles  exchange  last  week  and  con- 
ducted a  sales  meeting  which  was  attended  by 
the  local  sales  force  and  J.  H.  Maclntyre,  west- 
ern district  manager. 

A  special  reel,  prepared  under  the  direction 
of  S.  Barret  McCormick,  director  of  advertis- 
ing and  publicity,  was  shown,  and  included 
messages  from  Ned  E.  Depinet,  president  of 
RKO  Radio,  Charles  W.  Koerner,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  studio  operations,  Edward  Al- 
person,  general  manager  of  theatres,  and  Si 
Fabian,  president  of  Fabian  Theatres. 

Special  Exploitation  Unit 
Organized  by  20th-Fox 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  organized  a  new 
department  to  be  known  as  the  "Special  Ex- 
ploitation Department,"  which  will  be  operated 
from  the  coast  studios  under  the  supervision  of 
Richard  Condon,  formerly  eastern  publicity 
manager.  The  department  will  be  a  branch  of 
the  eastern  advertising  and  publicity  staff,  of 
which  Hal  Home  is  director,  but  will  work  in 
conjunction  with  the  western  publicity  depart- 
ment, which  is  headed  by  Harry  Brand. 

Mr.  Condon  is  expected  to  leave  for  the  coast 
shortly  with  a  group  of  field  publicity  men,  and 
Jack  Goldstein  will  replace  him  as  eastern  pub- 
licity manager. 

John  J.  Scully  To  Manage 
Universal  Boston  Office 

John  J.  Scully  has  been  appointed  head  of  the 
Boston  branch  of  Universal  Pictures  to  succeed 
Paul  Barron,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  Cocoanut 
Grove  fire  recently. 

Mr.  Scully  was  the  advance  man  for  the 
first  road  show  motion  picture,  D.  W.  Griffith's 
"Hearts  of  the  World,"  which  was  released 
during  World  War  I.  He  was  later  associated 
with  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation,  Edu- 
cational Film  Exchanges,  and  was  at  one  time 
in  charge  of  sales  for  Gaumont-British  in  the 
East  with  headquarters  in  New  York. 


Harmon  Speaks  on  Films 

Francis  S.  Harmon,  executive  vice-chairman 
of  the  War  Activities  Committee,  addressed  the 
Advertising  Club  of  New  York  last  Wednesday. 
His  subject  was  "Movies  Go  to  War." 


January     30,  1943 

Exhibitor  Group 
Planning  Board 
Of  Conciliation 

The  Indignant  Exhibitors  Forum,  in  Cincin- 
nati, is  planning  to  organize  a  producer-distrib- 
utor-exhibitor conciliation  board  for  the  solution 
of  all  exhibitor-distributor  problems,  and  not 
merely  a  part  of  them,  it  is  learned. 

Under  the  operation  of  the  suggested  board, 
which  would  be  administered  by  men  familiar 
with  the  industry's  problems,  who  have  no  "axe 
to  grind,"  film  rentals  should  no  longer  be  "an 
arbitrary  figure  established  by  the  distributor 
with  a  take-it-or-leave-it  attitude,  but  would 
consider  the  exhibitor's  ability  to  pay,  and  al- 
ways maintain  a  position  that  the  exhibitor 
should  be  permitted  to  remain  in  business,"  de- 
clared Willis  Vance,  independent  circuit  oper- 
ator in  Cincinnati,  chairman  of  the  organization. 

Other  matters  for  the  board's  consideration 
would  be  extended  playing  time,  spread-eagle 
playdates,  moveovers  and  other  practices. 

"If  these  bad  situations  were  not  eliminated 
by  the  board,  at  least  they  would  be  thrown 
open  to  debate,"  Mr.  Vance  said. 

Pennsylvania  Allied  Holds 
Meeting  in  Pittsburgh 

The  Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  Pennsylvania 
opposed  the  playing  of  50  per  cent  pictures  at 
a  meeting  in  Pittsburgh  last  week,  it  was  re- 
ported. A  motion  also  was  adopted  to  obtain 
a  refund  on  the  chain  store  and  theatre  tax  of 
1937,  recently  declared  unconstitutional. 

The  theatre  owners  endorsed  the  government 
scrap  campaigns  and  pledged  support  in  future 
drives.  Local  theatre  advertising  in  newspa- 
pers will  be  consolidated  in  the  future  under 
a  caption,  "Allied  Independent  Theatre  Own- 
ers," it  also  was  disclosed. 

Wilkinson  Named  President 
Of  Connecticut  MPTO 

George  H.  Wilkinson,  Jr.,  operator  of  the 
Wilkinson,  Wallingford,  Conn.,  was  elected 
president  of  Connecticut  MPTO  at  the  annual 
election  meeting  last  week.  Irving  C.  Jacocks, 
Jr.,  former  president,  and  operator  of  the  Bran- 
ford  theatre,  is  the  new  treasurer,  Adolph  G. 
Johnson,  vice-president,  and  Herman  M.  Levy, 
reelected  executive  secretary. 

Elected  to  the  board  of  directors  for  the  year 
were  Hy  Fine,  B.  E.  Hoffman,  Arthur  H.  Lock- 
wood,  Edwin  Raffile,  A.  C.  Robbins,  Jr.,  Peter 
Perakos,  Louis  Schaefer,  Harry  F.  Shaw,  Lou 
Brown,  Irwin  Wheeler,  and  all  the  officers. 

New  Jersey  Allied  Calls 
Special  Meeting 

A  joint  special  legislative  meeting  has  been 
scheduled  for  February  1st  in  Trenton  by  the 
Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  New  Jersey  for 
members  of  the  North  and  South  Jersey  units, 
to  discuss  the  anti-blind  checking  bill  which, 
is  expected  to  be  introduced  in  the  legislature 
next  week.  A  similar  measure  was  introduced 
in  the  Ohio  legislature  recently. 

Senator  Harold  Eastwood,  majority  leader 
of  the  New  Jersey  Senate,  is  scheduled  to  ad- 
dress the  group  at  a  luncheon  before  the  meet- 
ing, and  it  was  reported  that  State  Attorney 
General  David  Wilentz  might  also  be  present. 


"Covered"  to  Music  Hall 

"They  Got  Me  Covered,"  new  Samuel  Gold- 
wyn  comedy  released  by  RKO,  starring  Bob 
Hope  and  Dorothy  Lamour,  will  open  at  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  following  the  run  of  "Random 
Harvest." 


R  K  o  RKO  RADIO  PICTURES,  Inc.         R  K  0 

RADIO  RADIO 

y       TRADE  SHOWINGS  y 

TWO  WEEKS  TO  LIVE 


DBA  M  t~  LJ 

BRANCH 

di  Arc  r\c  cuAU/ikift 

Annocct 

DAY  AND  DATE 

TIME 

Albany 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

1052  Broadway 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Atlanta 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

191  Walton  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Boston 

RKO  Projection  Rm: 

1 22  Arlington  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Buffalo 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

290  Franklin  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Charlotte 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

308  So.  Church  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Chicago 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

1300  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Cincinnati 

RKO  Theatre  Proj.  Rm. 

12  E.  6th  St. 

T  -  — 

Tues. 

2/2 

8:30  P.M. 

Cleveland 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

2219  Payne  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Dallas 

Paramount  Proj.  Rm. 

412  So.  Harwood  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Denver 

Paramount  Proj.  Rm. 

2100  Stout  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Des  Moines 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

1300  High  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Detroit 

Max  Blumenthal  Proj.  Rm. 

2310  Cass  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Indianapolis 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

326  No.  Illinois  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Kansas  City 

Paramount  Proj.  Rm. 

1 800  Wyandote 

Wed. 

2/3 

11:00  A.M. 

Los  Angeles 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

1980  So.  Vermont  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Memphis 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

151  Vance  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Milwaukee 

Warner  Projection  Rm. 

212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Minneapolis 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

1015  Currie  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

New  Haven 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

40  Whiting  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

New  Orleans 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

200  So.  Liberty  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

New  York 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

630  Ninth  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M.  &2:30  P.M. 

Oklahoma  City 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

10  No.  Lee  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Omaha 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

1 502  Davenport  St. 

Wed. 

2/3 

11:00  A.M. 

Philadelphia 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

250  No.  13th  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Pittsburgh 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

1623  Blvd.  of  Allies 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Portland 

Star  Preview  Rm. 

925  N.  W.  19th  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

St.  Louis 

S'Renco  Projection  Rm. 

3143  Olive  St. 

Wed. 

2/3 

11:30  A.M. 

Salt  Lake  City 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

216  E.  1st  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

San  Francisco 

RKO  Projection  Rm. 

251  Hyde  St. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Seattle 

Jewel  Box  Projection  Rm. 

2318-2nd  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

1  1 :00  A.M. 

Sioux  Falls 

Hollywood  Theatre 

212  No.  Philips  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

Washington 

Fox  Projection  Rm. 

932  New  Jersey  Ave. 

Tues. 

2/2 

11:00  A.M. 

36 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January  30 


194  3: 


"Harvest"  in  Seventh 
Music  Hall  Week 


Runner -Up  to  "Miniver" 
in  Gross,  Attendance; 
Six  Week  Total  $681,000 

Runner-up  to  "Mrs.  Miniver,"  the  MGM 
war  feature  which  broke  the  10-year  record 
of  Radio  City  Music  Hall  in  playing  time, 
attendance  and  grosses,  is  another  MGM 
film,  "Random  Harvest,"  which  began  its 
seventh  week  at  that  theatre  on  Thursday. 
Starring  Greer  Garson  and  Ronald  Cole- 
man, "Harvest"  already  has  been  seen  by 
840,661  persons,  up  to  last  Sunday  night, 
and  is  estimated  to  have  grossed  in  the  first 
six  weeks  of  its  engagement  ended  Wednes- 
day night,  $681,000,  averaging  $113,500  per 
week,  running  ahead  of  "Miniver." 

According  to  the  management,  "Mrs.  Min- 
iver" grossed  $1,006,253  in  its  10-week  run, 
an  average  of  $100,625  per  week.  If  the 
picture  remains  for  eight  weeks,  a  possi- 
bility reported  at  midweek,  it  will  run  a  close 
second  to  the  total  revenue  record  achieved 
by  "Miniver,"  in  spite  of  the  two-week  dif- 
ference. 

"Random  Harvest"  has  topped 
the  six-week  records  set  by  only 
three  other  films  at  the  Music  Hall, 
"Rebecca,"  United  Artists,  with  a 
$532,910  gross;  "The  Philadelphia 
Story,"  MGM,  $566,472;  and 
"Woman  of  the  Year,"  MGM, 
$525,000.  The  first  picture  to  estab- 
lish an  all-time  record  for  the  the- 
atre in  a  single  week  was  RKO's 
"Top  Hat,"  which  grossed  $131,007 
in  one  week  in  1935. 

In  addition  to  the  star  billing  and  produc- 
tion values  of  "Harvest,"  as  well  as  the 
public  interest  resulting  from  book  sales  as 
a  best-seller,  the  latter  film  had  the  advan- 
tage of  playing  the  Music  Hall  during  two 
record-breaking  weekends,  Christmas  and 
New  Year's,  compared  to  the  one  holiday 
weekend  hit  by  "Miniver"  on  Memorial  Day 
last  May.  Other  important  factors  in  ana- 
lyzing the  "Harvest"  record  is  that  the  the- 
atre is  playing  more  shows  per  week  than 
were  presented  with  "Miniver,"  which  was 
a  two-hour  feature ;  also  the  fact  that  Greer 
Garson,  who  starred  in  the  war  film,  also 
stars  in  the  current  Music  Hall  attraction 
and  has  brought  many  to  the  house. 

$4,836,000  Total 
Gross  for  Year 

Both  pictures  are  responsible  for  a  goodly 
portion  of  the  $4,836,000  total  gross  in  1942 
reported  by  the  theatre  management  on  its 
15  feature  attractions  for  the  year.  This 
compared  with  26  pictures  shown  in  1941 
and  47  exhibited  in  the  first  year  of  its  ex- 
istence, 1932. 

The  theatre  also  reported  this  week  that 
attendance  figures  during  1942  reached  7,- 
020,000  persons,  an  average  of  135,000  vis- 
itors weekly,  and  that  the  average  weekly 
gross  was  about  $93,000. 

In  addition  to  the  three  MGM  films  which 


set  records,  "Harvest,"  "Miniver,"  and 
"Woman  of  the  Year,"  the  following  fea- 
tures were  shown  at  the  Music  Hall  last 
year :  RKO's  "Ball  of  Fire,"  three  weeks ; 
"Bedtime  Story,"  "Columbia,  one  week; 
Paramount's  "Reap  the  Wild  Wind,"  five 
weeks,  including  the  Easter  week  holiday; 
"We  Were  Dancing,"  MGM,  one  week; 
"Saboteur,"  Universal,  two;  "Tortilla  Flat," 
MGM,  two;  "Bambi,"  RKO,  two;  "Talk  of 
the  Town,"  Columbia,  four ;  "Tales  of  Man- 
hattan," 20th  Century-Fox,  four;  "My  Sis- 
ter Eileen,"  Columbia,  three ;  "Once  Upon 
a  Honeymoon,"  RKO,  two,  and  "You  Were 
Never  Lovelier,"  Columbia,  two. 

Goldwyn  Film 
Follows  "Harvest" 

Following  the  "Harvest"  run,  Samuel 
Goldwyn's  production  for  RKO,  "They  Got 
Me  Covered,"  starring  Bob  Hope  and  Dor- 
othy Lamour,  will  be  the  theatre's  next  at- 
traction. MGM's  "Keeper  of  the  Flame," 
with  Katharine  Hepburn  and  Spencer 
Tracy,  is  scheduled  to  follow. 

In  Los  Angeles,  "Harvest"  completed  on 
Wednesday  12  theatre  weeks,  setting  a  hold- 
over-moveover  record  en  route,  MGM  re- 
ported. Following  a  quadruple  opening  at 
the  State,  Chinese,  Ritz  and  Carthay  Circle, 
the  picture  remained  at  the  latter  house  for 
a  second  week  and  moved  over  from  the 
other  theatres  to  the  United  Artists,,  Wil- 
shire  and  Four  Star.  The  Carthay  Circle 
and  Four  Star  engagements  continued  for 
two  additional  weeks  to  make  a  total  of  12 
since  the  first  New  Year's  week  showings. 

Both  new  product  and  holdovers  played 
to  strong  box  office  receipts  over  the  week- 
end, Broadway  theatres  reported  Monday. 

Paramount's  "Star  Spangled  Rhythm,"  the 
all-star  musical,  began  its  fifth  week  at  the 
Paramount  Tuesday;  United  Artists'  "In 
Which  We  Serve,"  the  Noel  Coward  produc- 
tion, started  its  sixth  week  at  the  Capitol  on 
Thursday;  at  the  Strand,  Warner  Bros. 
"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  entered  its  sixth 
week  on  Friday;  another  Warner  release, 
"Casablanca,"  began  its  10th  week  Thurs- 
day at  the  Hollywood.  Warner  Bros,  this 
week  said  the  picture  already  has  been  set 
for  holdovers  in  all  53  situations  of  its  gen- 
eral release. 

Holdovers  on 
"Commandos"  Strong 

Other  Broadway  holdovers  included: 
"China  Girl,"  20th  Century-Fox,  second 
week,  Roxy;  Universal's  "Shadow  of  a 
Doubt,"  entered  its  third  week  at  the  Rivoli 
Tuesday ;  "Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn," 
Columbia,  began  its  third  week  at  Loew's 
Criterion  on  Wednesday.  According  to  the 
company,  the  latter  film,  in  its  10  pre-release 
engagements,  has  been  booked  for  holdover 
time  in  Lawrence,  Mass.;  Pittsburgh,  Port- 
land, Me. ;  Miami,  Seattle,  Springfield, 
Mass. ;  Buffalo,  Allentown  and  Johnstown, 
Pa. 

Ned  E.  Depinet,  president  of  RKO  Radio, 
reported  this  week  that  "Hitler's  Children," 


is  playing  to  "phenomenal  business"  in  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia,  the 
area  of  the  50-city  premieres  held  on  January 
14th,  In  every  situation  the  picture  is  either 
being  held  over  for  extended  playing  time 
or,  where  previous  commitments  interfere,  it 
has  already  been  booked  for  early  return 
days,  according  to  the  announcement. 

Report  Big  "Casablanca" 
London  Gross 

In  its  first  week  at  the  Warner  and  Regal 
theatres  in  London,  "Casablanca"  did  a  rec- 
ord business  "despite  the  air  raids"  last 
week,  Warner  Bros,  reported  last  Friday. 
The  picture  topped  the  first  week  gross  of 
"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  at  the  Warner,  the 
company  said.  Warner  also  reported  that 
London's  film  theatres  generally  did  good 
business  in  spite  of  the  severe  raids. 

Paramount  announced  this  week  that 
"Lucky  Jordan,"  starring  Alan  Ladd,  which 
had  its  pre-release  opening  at  the  Rialto  the- 
atre last  Saturday,  had  set  a  new  all-time 
attendance  record  for  that  house. 

"Air  Force,"  the  Warner  Bros,  feature 
which  will  have  its  world  premiere  at  the 
Hollywood  theatre  next  Wednesday  night, 
February  3rd,  will  be  highlighted  on  the 
"Army  Hour,"  the  radio  program  broadcast 
over  the  National  Broadcasting  Company 
coast-to-coast  network  on  this  Sunday  af- 
ternoon, January  31st.  An  extensive  radio 
exploitation  campaign  for  the  picture  was 
prepared  by  the  company  in  advance  of  its 
opening. 

Something  new  in  premieres  was  launched 
Tuesday  night  by  Columbia  when  it  held  a 
"dawn  opening"  of  "Commandos  Strike  at 
Dawn,"  at  the  Pantages  and  Hillstreet  the- 
atres in  Los  Angeles.  More  than  1,000  war 
workers  of  the  Lockheed  Aircraft  plant  at- 
tended, and  the  company  reported  that  20 
civilian  defense  organizations  in  the  city  sent 
representatives  to  the  showing,  which  started 
at  midnight  and  lasted  until  5  A.M.  The 
company  also  scheduled  a  dawn  debut  for 
the  same  film  in  Boston,  at  the  RKO  theatre, 
for  February  11th.  Breakfast  will  be  served 
to  the  war  worker  audience  in  attendance 
and  the  show  will  start  at  8  A.M. 


Honor  Gillis  and  Encjei 

Maxwell  Gillis  and  Joseph  Engel  will  be 
given  a  testimonial  luncheon  on  February  1st 
by  the  Motion  Picture  Associates  in  Philadel- 
phia at  the  Ritz-Carlton  Hotel.  The  luncheon 
is  in  honor  of  Mr.  Gillis'  promotion  to  Republic 
district  manager,  and  Mr.  Engel,  former  Colum- 
bia salesman  who  succeeded  him  as  branch  man- 
ager of  the  Republic  exchange  in  Philadelphia. 
Al  Cohen  is  chairman  of  the  arrangements 
committee. 


Named  Warner  Publicist 

Don  M.  Walker  has  been  appointed  to  the 
Warner  Brothers  field  publicity  staff,  and  will 
make  his  headquarters  in  Kansas  City,  it  was 
announced  by  Mort  Blumenstock,  director  of 
advertising  and  publicity  in  the  east.  Mr. 
Walker  succeeds  Ted  Tod,  who  was  transferred 
to  Chicago. 


Set  Pre-release  Date 

The  first  pre-release  date  for  "Immortal  Ser- 
geant," the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  film,  was 
set  for  January  28th  at  the  Orpheum  Theatre 
in  Tulsa.  It  was  expected  to  be  shown  with 
day  and  date  engagements  the  following  day  at 
the  Uptown,  Esquire  and  Fairway  theatres  in 
Kansas  City,  the  company  said. 


I 


AND  HIS  BAND         A        .  < 

America  s  favorite 
ELLA  MAE  MORSE    'champagne  hour"  mus 


DUKE  ELLINGTON  7  BAND 


voted    Swing  M 
Of  The  Yearl 


COUNT  BASIE  $  BAND 


undisputed  King 
of  Jive! 


"THE  DESPERADOES" 

RANDOLPH  SCOTT  •  GLENN  FORD  •  CLAIRE  TREVOR 
EVELYN  KEYES  •  EDGAR  BUCHANAN 

Screen  play  by  Robert  Carson  •  Produced  by  HARRY  JOE  BROWN  •  Directed  by  CHARLES  VI00I 


January    30.    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  41 

HOLLYWOOD  AT  IMPASSE  ON 
48-HOUR  WEEK  ISSUE 


Producers  Seek  Clarification 
Of  Salary  Ceiling  Order 

Still  the  most  widely  discussed  topic  among  the  leading  production  personnel 
of  Hollywood  is  the  salary  ceiling  and  wage  freezing  directives  of  the  President. 
There  still  exists  much  confusion  concerning  the  orders  and  attempts  are  still  being 
made  to  get  clarification. 

One  development  has  been  the  passing  of  a  resolution  by  the  Screen  Writers 
Guild  calling  upon  the  Government  to  extend  the  ceiling  to  all  income,  not  just 
salary.  The  resolution  has  been  wired  to  Congressmen  from  local  districts,  and  all 
other  major  talent  guilds  have  been  asked  by  the  writers  to  take  a  similar  stand. 

The  Screen  Actors  Guild  held  a  conference  of  players  affected  by  the  ceiling 
directive  on  Monday  night  at  the  Beverly  Wilshire  Hotel,  and  voted  their  opposition 
to  the  salary-escrow  plan. 

The  particular  complaint  of  the  top  salaried  talent  is  that  the  studios  will  retain 
their  salaries  over  a  $67,200  maximum.  This  undoubtedly  will  add,  they  feel,  to 
the  net  profit  of  the  companies,  despite  increased  taxation,  at  the  expense  of  talent. 

However,  a  taxation  program  which  will  level  off  their  income  to  a  $25,000  net 
ceiling,  with  their  entire  salary  being  paid  directly  to  them,  generally  is  favored. 


See  Manpower  Commission 
Directive  Establishing 
Longer  Work  Week 

oy  VANCE  KING 

Hollywood  Bureau 

Unable  to  reach  an  agreement  for  a  vol- 
untary shift  to  a  48-hour  week,  labor  and 
management  in  Hollywood  this  week  appar- 
ently looked  toward  the  War  Manpower 
Commission  and  other  government  agencies 
for  a  directive  putting  the  production  branch 
of  the  art-industry  on  an  "essential"  basis 
and  arbitrarily  establishing  the  longer  work 
week. 

A  unanimous  agreement  of  all  unions  was 
required  by  producer  representatives  to  a 
plan  which  would  establish  the  48-hour 
vork  week,  but  at  least  three  of  the  workers' 
.croups  balked  at  the  voluntary  procedure. 

The  chief  point  on  which  the  impasse  was 
reached  involved  the  matter  of  two  hours' 
pay  per  week. 

The  producers'  representatives,  meeting 
with  union  officials,  insisted  that  in  the  shift 
from  the  36-hour  week  (most  union  con- 
tracts in  Hollywood  call  for  such  a  work 
week),  overtime  starts  at  40  hours  in  a 
cumulative  week. 

They  wanted  the  overtime  to 
start  after  the  sixth  hour  each  day. 
In  other  words,  on  an  eight-hour 
day  they  would  get  overtime  for 
the  seventh  and  eighth  hours 
worked,  with  straight  time  for  the 
first  six  hours,  as  they  now  receive 
under  the  six-hour  day,  36-hour 
week. 

Under  the  producers'  plan,  the 
men  would  get  54  hours'  pay  for  48 
hours'  work. 

Under  the  union  demands.,  the 
man  would  get  54  hours'  pay  for 
48  hours  work. 

Difference :  two  hours'  pay  per 
man  per  week. 

Union  officials  claim  that  the  studios  would 
save  about  $30,000  weekly,  or  $1,500,000  an- 
nually, if  they  pay  overtime  from  the  40th  hour 
instead  of  the  36th. 

Carpenters  would  lose  S3.52  each  week, 
laborers,  $2,  provided  they  worked  the  48  hours 
under  the  producers'  plan,  the  labor  leaders  say. 
citing  examples. 

Locals  Split  Solid  Front 
Of  IATSE  Groups 

Another  point  at  which  an  impasse  has  been 
reached  is  the  demand  of  the  IATSE  locals  for 
gnps,  laborers  and  propmen.  for  wage  adjust- 
ments based  on  the  48-hour  week.  Most  of 
their  memberships  are  ahead}"  working  48 
hours  or  more,  and  the  changing  of  the  union 
ntracts.  which  call  for  six  -  hour  days,  must 
accompanied  by  salary  increases,  according 
to^business  representatives  of  the  units. 

ihe  IATSE  situation  is  fraught  with  possi- 
bilities, among  which  is  one  that  is  always 
oresent — the  taking  over  by  the  International  of 
'  e  local  alliance  units. 
The  three  locals  have  split  the  usually  "solid 


front"  put  up  by  the  IATSE  groups  here 
(there  are  10  alliance  studio  locals)  and  there 
have  been  reports  that  the  studios  have  asked 
Richard  Walsh,  international  president,  to  a 
conference  over  the  voluntary  plan  for  the  48- 
hour  work  week. 

Should  the  International  revoke  the  autonomy 
of  the  studio  locals,  the  way  would  be  paved 
for  its  re-entry  into  the  studio  labor  basic 
agreement,  to  which  the  major  companies  and 
seven  international  labor  unions  with  locals  in 
Hollywood  are  signatories.  The  IATSE  has 
not  been  in  the  basic  agreement  since  the 
Browne-Bioff  scandal. 

The  labor  groups  have  been  addressed  by 
Southern  California  officials  of  the  War  Man- 
power Commission  who,  on  the  basis  of  their 
latest  information,  said  that  the  art-industry 
would  be  declared  "essential."  Following  the 
practice  of  attempting  to  set  up  voluntary  regu- 
lator}- measures,  the  producers  sought  to  avoid 
a  government  directive  establishing  the  length- 
ened work  week,  plus  any  accompanying  re- 
strictions which  might  result. 

However,  from  the  appearances  of  the  situa- 
tion this  week  both  sides  are  now  waiting  for 
the  Manpower  Commission  order. 

Plan  Would  Establish 
Pools  of  Workers 

Through  the  lengthened  work  week,  guar- 
antee of  employment  for  a  certain  number  of 
workers  is  possible,  thus  releasing  the  ordinary 
"casuals"  for  work  in  other  war  industries, 
which  is  the  aim  of  the  Federal  agency. 

Just  how  many  men  would  be  released  to 
work  in  other  industries  is  problematical. 

"Pools"  of  workers  would  be  established,  and 
production  practices  undoubtedly  would  be 
changed.  One  studio,  for  instance,  would  guar- 
antee 50  carpenters  work  for  48  hours  week- 
ly. Another  studio,  which  had  only  40  car- 
penters on  its  list,  would  then  borrow  from  the 
first  studio  the  number  of  added  carpenters 
needed  in  an  emergency.  One  thing  the  unions 
are  insisting  on,  voluntary  plan  or  no,  is  that 
the  "borrowing"  be  done  through  their  offices. 

Production  ch?nges  would  include  throwing 


into  the  discard  the  rushing  of  set  building,  and 
other  items.  Previously,  the  practice  had  been 
to  hire  300  men  to  work  10  hours  each  on  a 
set  which  required  3,000  man  hours  to  build. 
With  less  men  available,  set  building  will  take 
longer. 

This  will  require  long  range  planning  on 
construction  and  other  production  preparation 
by  the  studios. 

It  will  also  mean  that  sound  stages  will  be 
tied  up  for  longer  periods  than  they  have  been 
heretofore.  Production  may  be  slowed  some- 
what, because  of  shooting  space  shortages.  No 
new  stages  may  be  built,  because  of  the  priori- 
ties on  construction  materials  used  in  the  build- 
ing of  studio  sets. 

The  expected  directive  from  the  Government 
will  have  advantages,  however. 

Certain  Workers  to  Be 
Exempt  from  Draft 

Under  an  "essential''  classification,  the  indus- 
try will  have  certain  classes  of  its  workers  ex- 
empt from  Selective  Service. 

This  will  stop  the  drain  by  the  armed  forces 
on  various  groups  of  highly  skilled  technicians 
who  cannot  be  readily  replaced.  Manpower 
conditions  in  several  classifications  have  become 
acute. 

The  first  attempt  at  stabilization  of  jobs  was 
made  Tuesday  when  the  Walt  Disney  studios 
signed  with  the  War  Manpower  Commission, 
and  other  cartoon  plants  indicated  the}-  would 
do  likewise.  The  move  is  voluntary  and  further 
conferences  will  be  held  to  work  out  a  plan  on 
certificates  of  availability  and  other  machinery. 
The  cartoon  plants  already  have  a  tacit  agree- 
ment not  to  pirate  workers. 

Another  point  of  discussion  between  unions 
and  producers  is  the  interpretation  of  the  Presi- 
dential directive  which  bars  "golden  hour"  pay. 
in  many  cases  four  or  six  times  the  basic  scale 
for  excessive  hours.  The  "golden  hour"  pay 
clause  is  inserted  in  many  union  contracts.  The 
Federal  directive  limits  overtime  pay  to  time 
and  a  half  for  over  40  hours  weekly  and  double 
time  only  to  work  performed  on  the  seventh 
consecutive  working  day. 


42 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


Reverse  Specific  Run 
Award  in  Chicago 


Appeal  Board  Finds  North 
Chicago  Clearance  Is  Un- 
reasonable in  Area 

Refusal  of  a  specific  run  to  an  independent 
theatre,  in  favor  of  a  circuit  house  must  be 
arbitrary,  in  strict  interpretation  of  the 
word,  for  the  independent  to  claim  relief 
under  Section  X  of  the  consent  decree,  the 
Appeal  Board  concluded  in  its  51st  deci- 
sion, dated  January  21st. 

The  board  overruled  the  award  of  Arthur 
J.  Goldberg-  in  the  15th  Chicago  case.  It 
found  that  MGM,  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
and  Warners  had  not  arbitrarily  refused  to 
grant  first  run  pictures  in  Freeport,  111.,  to 
the  Freeport  theatre.  Stephen  Leo  and 
Joseph  Bennis,  operators,  complained  in 
March  that  the  distributors  had  given  first 
run  to  the  Publix-Great  States  circuit's  Pa- 
tio theatre  because  of  its  circuit  status. 

The  board  found  that  the  two  theatres 
were  approximately  equal  in  type  and  opera- 
tion, and  ruled  that  the  strict  conditions  of 
past  operation  defined  by  Section  X  had 
been  met. 

To  be  arbitrary  the  board  commented,  "an 
act  must  be  one  'not  supported  by  fair,  solid 
and  substantial  cause,  and  without  reason  giv- 
en' ".  This  was  not  the  case  from  the  evi- 
dence of  the  Freehold  theatre,  they  concluded. 
The  Patio  was  found  to  have  long  been  the 
reasonable  choice  of  distributors  for  first  run 
Freeport. 

Citing  its  own  opinion  in  the 
Luxor-Bleeker  case  at  New  York 
(Decision  No.  43)  the  board  con- 
cluded that  the  complainant  had 
failed  to  show  that  the  Patio  held 
preferable  position  because  of  its 
circuit  status  alone.    No  good  and 
valid  business  reason  for  granting 
preference  to  the  circuit  had  been 
proved,  they  added. 
In  the  course  of  the  its  opinion,  the  board  also 
declared  that  sub  division  5  (a)  of  Section  X, 
while  requiring  that  the  complainants  have  op- 
erated the  theatre  between  July  1935  and  July 
1940  on  run   requested  does   not  necessarily 
mean  that  they  must  have  exhibited  any  of  the 
pictures  of  the  distributor  complained  against. 

Costs  of  the  reversal  were  assessed  against 
complainant,  intervenor  and  the  defending  dis- 
tributors, with  the  exception  of  Paramount.  The 
board  affirmed  the  latter's  dismissal  as  an  affili- 
ated distributor. 

Boston 

Boston's  16th  complaint,  filed  last  week  by 
the  Welden  theatre,  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  names  the 
same  distributor  involved  in  case  15.  Signed 
by  John  Mathieu,  treasurer,  the  Welden  com- 
plaints ask  that  Paramount  be  ordered  to  grant 
some  run. 

It  is  charged  that  the  company  conditions  its 
offer  on  sale  to  other  members  of  the  Affiliated 
Theatres  Corporation.  The  previous  15th  com- 
plaint, on  much  the  same  grounds,  was  filed 
for  the  Welden  by  the  buying  combine.  It  was 
believed  that  this  first  complaint  would  be  with- 
drawn, question  having  arisen  as  to  whether  the 
booking  agency  could  initiate  arbitration  for 
the  theatre. 

First  run  Boston  clearance  over  the  suburban 
Strand  Theatre,  in  Quincy,  Mass.,  was  cut  from 


28  to  14  days  in  an  award  by  Arthur  P.  Hardy 
in  Boston's  13th  case  on  Monday.  He  found 
the  margins  granted  by  all  five  consenting  dis- 
tributors to  the  Metropolitan,  Loew's  State, 
Orpheum,  Memorial,  Boston,  Paramount,  Fen- 
way and  other  city  theatres  were  unreasonable. 
Costs  were  divided  equally. 

Chicago 

Clearance  between  North  Chicago  and 
Waukegan,  111.,  theatres  was  found  unreason- 
able as  to  area  by  Harold  J.  Clark,  arbitrator 
of  the  21st  case.  He  ordered  Warners  and 
RKO  to  grant  second  week  of  general  release 
in  the  Chicago  zone  to  the  complainant  Sheri- 
dan theatre.  The  Times  theatre,  Waukegan, 
was  found  to  be  outside  the  Chicago  release 
zone  and  the  arbitrator  declared  that  it  was 
unreasonable  for  it  to  hold  clearance  over  thea- 
tres within  the  zone.  Costs  were  divided. 

Dallas 

The  Capitol  theatre,  New  Braunfels,  Tex., 
operated  by  Louis  Forshage  and  Emil  Heinen 
has  appealed  the  dismissal  of  its  combined  run 
action  against  all  distributors  and  the  Griffith 
circuit.    It  is  case  No.  7. 

Albany 

The  Schine  circuit,  intervenor,  has  appealed 
the  clearance  reduction  granted  to  Smalley's 
Johnstown  theatre  by  Harold  B.  Slingerland  in 
the  sixth  Albany  case. 

At  New  York  the  39th  and  40th  cases,  filed 
by  the  Rhinehook  Theatres,  Inc.,  for  the  Star 
and  Lyceum  theatres  in  Rhinebeck  and  Red 
Hook  have  been  consolidated.  William  P. 
Cavanaugh  is  the  arbitrator,  Samuel  Tannen- 
baum  having  withdrawn  from  the  39th  action. 

J.  Raymond  Tiffany,  general  counsel  of  the 
Interstate  Sanitation  Commission,  will  arbi- 
trate New  York  case  44,  by  the  Graham  thea- 
tre, Brooklyn.  Goulding  K.  Wright  is  arbitra- 
tor of  the  action  of  the  Beacon  theatre,  East 
Orange,  N.  J.,  New  York  No.  45. 

Colonel  Christopher  B.  Garnett,  assistant 
attorney  general  for  Virginia,  is  arbitrator  of 
the  action  of  the  Walbrook  theatre,  Baltimore, 
in  Washington's  12th  case. 

George  E.  Gordon  will  arbitrate  the  com- 
plaint of  the  Rialto  theatre,  Woonsocket,  R.  I. 
This  action,  filed  November  20th,  names  all  five 
distributors  and  asks  that  he  30  day  margin  of 
the  first  run  Bijou  on  partial  product  be  set  at 
21  days.  The  Central  and  Stadium  theatres 
are  also  named.    Hearings  began  January  25th. 

John  F.  E.  Hippie  will  arbitrate  the  Riant 
theatre,  case  at  Philadelphia.  The  Conshohock- 
en  demand  is  case  22. 

The  Dueber  theatre,  Canton,  O.,  Cleveland 
complaint,  number  six,  will  be  heard  by  Sidney 
D.  L.  Jackson.  E.  C.  Leary  will  arbitrate  the 
second  Omaha  action,  for  the  Esquire  theatre, 
Sioux  City,  la.  In  St.  Louis  Harry  G.  Erbs 
will  hear  the  15th  case,  for  the  Ritz  theatre, 
Rolla,  Mo. 


Change  Arbitration  Clerks 

The  American  Arbitration  Association  has 
named  Harold  B.  Taylor  clerk  of  the  Kansas 
City  motion  picture  tribunal.  He  succeeds  Jo- 
seph S.  Hanford.  At  Cincinnati  Don  Berk- 
holder  has  replaced  Richard  A.  Stith  as  clerk 
of  the  tribunal. 


Mathilda  Schwartz  Dies 

Mathilda  Schwartz,  mother  of  Edward 
Schwartz,  Columbia  Pictures  home  office 
production  manager,  was  killed  by  an  automo- 
bile Wednesday  morning,  in  Forest  Hills,  Long 
Island.  Services  were  held  Friday  from  the 
Lady,  Queen  of  Martyrs  Church,  Forest  Hills. 


Canada  Houses 
Aid  Soviet  Fund 

by  ED  BAKER 
in  Winnipeg 

Three  Canadian  theatre  circuits,  Famous 
Players,  Odeon  Theatres  and  Western  Thea- 
tres, Ltd.,  have  shown  the  10-minute  film  enti- 
tled "Children  at  War,"  dealing  with  Soviet 
Russia  at  war,  in  their  houses.  While  all  thea- 
tres are  paying  for  the  use  of  the  film,  the  entire 
receipts  will  be  donated  to  the  Canadian  Aid  to 
Russia  Fund.  The  distribution  of  the  film  was 
arranged  through  the  cooperation  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  in  Canada.  The  film  was  made 
in  Russia. 

The  film  stock  was  furnished  by  the  Eastman 
Kodak  Company,  printing  of  the  film  was  done 
free  of  charge  by  Associated  Screen  News.  The 
film  is  being  distributed  by  Esquire  Films,  Ltd., 
with  more  than  50  prints  available  for  imme- 
diate showing.  Besides  the  three  theatre  cir- 
cuits, other  independent  theatres  have  indicated 
their  desire  to  show  it. 

E.  F.  Holliday,  secretary  for  the  prairie  re- 
gion of  Canadian  Legion  Educational  Services, 
said  in  Regina,  Sask.,  last  week  that  documen- 
tary films  showing  Canada's  war  effort,  at  home 
and  abroad,  were  available  for  free  distribution 
to  churches,  clubs  and  defense  groups.  The 
films,  in  16mm.  sound,  are  distributed  to  Mr. 
Holliday's  office  by  the  National  Film  Board. 

Sherman  Will  Make  10 
For  United  Artists 

United  Artists  announced  this  week  that  10 
Harry  Sherman  productions  would  be  made  for 
the  company  for  release  this  year.  The  films 
include  two  starring  Richard  Dix,  "Wherever 
the  Grass  Grows"  and  "Hank  Johnson's  Broth- 
er" ;  one  Technicolor  film,  "Pahaska,"  based  on 
exploits  of  Buffalo  Bill,  starring  Joel  McCrea; 
one  historical  drama,  "Gun  Master,"  and  six 
Hopalong  Cassidys,  including  "Forty  Thieves," 
"Riders  of  the  Deadline,"  "Hoppy's  Holiday," 
"Texas  Masquerade"  and  two  untitled. 

Nate  Yamins  May  Join 
Interstate,  Report 

Nathan  "Nate"  Yamins,  Fall  River  showman 
and  New  England  exhibitor  leader,  may  join 
the  Interstate  circuit  of  that  area,  it  was  re- 
ported in  Boston  this  week.  Harold  Stoneman 
heads  Interstate.  It  was  said  Mr.  Yamins  may 
become  a  partner.  Edward  Ansin,  president 
of  Interstate,  was  killed  in  the  Boston  Cocoanut 
Grove  fire  of  November  28th. 


Goldwyn  Promotes  Hartman 

Samuel  Goldwyn  announced  in  Hollywood 
this  week  he  had  promoted  writer  Don  Hart- 
man  to  associate  producer  on  a  five-year  con- 
tract, and  assigned  him  to  "Up  in  Arms,"  the 
musical  to  co-star  Danny  Kaye  and  Dinah 
Shore.  "Treasure  Chest,"  the  Bob  Hope  com- 
edy, will  follow. 


Phil  Reisman,  Jr.,  Enlists 

Phil  Reisman,  Jr.,  son  of  the  RKO  vice- 
president,  has  enlisted  in  the  Marines.  He  will 
be  combat  correspondent  with  the  rating  of  tech- 
nical sergeant,  after  basic  training.  Mr.  Reis- 
man had  been  writing  scripts  for  RKO's  "This 
is  America"  series. 


Ungerfeld  Joins  Universal 

Robert  Ungerfeld  has  joined  the  home  office 
publicity  department  of  Universal,  the  com- 
pany announced  last  week.  Mr.  Ungerfeld 
former  manager  of  various  eastern  theatres, 
will  handle  special  exploitation  assignments. 


January    30,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


4  i 


ARBITRATION  CASES  DOWN 
43%  IN  SECOND  YEAR 


*  "2 


City 

Albany   

Atlanta  

Boston  

Buffalo  

Charlotte  .  .  . 
Chicago  .... 
Cincinnati  .  . 
Cleveland   .  . 

Dallas  

Denver  

Des  Moines  . 

Detroit  

Indianapolis  . 
Kansas  City  . 
Los  Angeles 
Memphis  .  .  . 
Milwaukee  . 
Minneapolis 
New  Haven 
New  Orleans 
New  York  .  . 
Oklahoma  City 
Omaha  .... 
Philadelphia 
Pittsburgh  . 
Portland    .  .  . 
Salt  Lake  City 
St.  Louis 
San  Francisco 

Seattle   

Washington 


I 

3 
0 
4 
16 
4 
I 

7 
0 
0 


I  I 
2 

15 

17 
2 

21 

10 
7 
9 
3 
4 

10 
6 
5 

12 
4 
3 
7 
6 
8 

46 
5 
2 

22 
3 
2 
2 

15 
5 
0 

13 


Totals  119  277 


O 
6 


[No 


filed 


E 
o 
O 

I 

1942) 


a 
< 


6  2 

3 

3 

2 

6  A 

3 

2 

2 

(No  cases  filed  during 

942) 

7                    1  1 

3 

3 

2  2 

2 

4                   1  1 

2 

2 

1 

1 

2        12  1 

1 

3 

2 

  4 

2 

2  ; 

(No  cases  filed  in  1942 

I  ' 

1  3 

3 

1 

2   

1 

1 

5 

2 

1 

I 

1   

7                 .  .  1 
  1 

2 

1 

2 

3 

!  1 

3   

2 

i 

(No  cases  filed  in  1942) 

1          1          1  1 

1 

3 

15  1 

1 

4 

3 

9  : 

1 

1 

2 

6  1 

2 

3 

2 

i 

1  3 

1  2 

(No  cases  filed  in  1942) 

(No  cases  filed  in  1942) 
1 

6         2  1 
1 

1 

1 

3 

2 

1  i 

i  3 

1 

2 

( No  cases  on  file) 

1 

1 

1                     1  1 

2 

1 

78 


13 


17 


28 


36 


17 


35  25 


10 


A — Withholding  prints. 


Tribunals  Averaged  Only 
Ten  Complaints  a  Month 
During  Past  Year 

Averaging  only  10  new  complaints  a 
month  during  1942  motion  picture  arbitra- 
tion activity  continued  to  decline  during  the 
second  year  of  operation  of  the  system  set 
up  by  the  Consent  Decree. 

A  total  of  121  new  complaints  (as  of 
late  Tuesday)  had  been  filed  by  exhibitors 
in  the  second  year.  The  31  regional  tribu- 
nals, administered  by  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association,  opened  for  actions  on  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1941,  under  terms  of  the  Consent 
Decree  signed  in  Federal  court  at  New 
York  in  November,  1940. 

Compared  with  a  total  of  158  cases  during 
the  first  year,  the  1942  actions  represented 
a  decline  of  43  per  cent.  Since  January  1, 
this  year,  seven  new  demands  for  arbitration 
have  been  received.  During  the  first  year 
of  arbitration  an  average  of  almost  16  com- 
plaints a  month  were  filed  by  exhibitors. 

Exhibitors  won  36  of  the  119 
cases  filed  in  the  second  12  months, 
while  28  complaints  were  with- 
drawn or  settled.  These  presum- 
ably were  in  terms  satisfactory  to 
the  complaining  exhibitor.  Dis- 
tributors won  17  actions.  Pending, 
as  of  last  Monday,  were  37  cases. 

Appeals  were  filed  in  25  of  the  1942  ac- 
tions. Ten  are  still  pending  while  exhibi- 
tors won  awards  over  distributors  by  the 
count  of  nine  to  six. 

Clearance  continued  to  be  the  most  fre- 
quent ground  for  action  against  the  distribu- 
tors, under  the  terms  of  Section  VIII,  with 
78  cases  in  this  category.  Actions  request- 
ing a  specific  run  and  charging  discrimina- 
tion in  favor  of  circuits  under  Section  X  of 
the  decree  supplanted  some  run  demands 
by  the  count  of  13  to  eight.  In  the  year  17 
combination  complaints  were  filed. 

One  charge  of  withholding  prints,  filed  at 
Buffalo,  is  still  pending. 

Appeal  Board  Gave 
34  Decisions 

The  Appeal  Board  in  the  second  year  of 
operation  handed  down  34  decisions,  many  of 
them  establishing  important  points  of  prece- 
dent. The  board  has  decided  on  51  cases  in 
two  years. 

Exhibitors  were  victorious  in  whole  or  part 
in  22  of  the  1942  appeal  awards.  Distributors 
won  12. 

The  peak  of  arbitration  activity  was  reached 
in  June  and  July  1941.  Since  then,  with  the 
exception  of  a  brief  flurry  of  new  demands 
when  it  became  possible  to  arbitrate  for  a 
specific  run  in  September  1941,  the  rate  of  new 
complaints  has  shown  a  steady  decrease. 

Through  1942  seven  of  the  31  regional  tribu- 
nals maintained  by  the  AAA  received  no  com- 
plaints. _  One,  Seattle,  has  never  received  an 
arbitration  demand,  although  numerous  in- 
quiries have  been  reported  by  the  tribunal 
clerk. 

The  other  tribunals,  who  received  no  cases 
last  year,  and  cleared  up  the  actions  on  file  on 


their  dockets  were  Atlanta,  Charlotte,  Denver, 
New  Haven,  Pittsburgh  and  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. 

New  York  continued  to  be  the  busiest  tribu- 
nal, with  16  new  complaints  during  the  year, 
bringing  its  total  to  46.  St.  Louis  has  nine 
cases  to  its  docket.  Los  Angeles  and  Albany 
with  eight  cases  and  St.  Louis  and  Buffalo  with 
seven  actions  apiece  were  relatively  the  next 
most  active  offices. 

The  majority  of  the  tribunals,  however,  re- 
ceived less  than  five  new  demands  and  at  least 
six  had  only  one  new  case  during  the  year. 
Many  of  these  were  withdrawn  or  settled  before 
a  final  decision  was  reached.  Almost  a  third 
of  the  tribunals  ended  the  year  without  any 
active  cases  on  their  docket. 

Cost  Distributors 
$285,000  in  Year 

The  arbitration  system  during  the  year  cost 
the  five  consenting  distributors  approximately 
$285,000.  A  similar  sum  was  appropriated  by 
the  budget  committee  three  weeks  ago  for  the 
third  year  of  arbitration.  It  will  be  paid  by 
Paramount,  RKO,  Loew's,  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  and  Warner  Brothers. 

Unless  extended  by  agreement,  or  a  renewal 
of  the  government's  anti-trust  action  against 
the  film  industry,  the  decree  and  its  arbitration 
provisions  are  expected  to  end  next  November 
at  the  end  of  the  three  year  trial  period.  After 
November  20th  parties  are  empowered  to  ask 


the  court  to  vacate  the  decree  and  its  provi- 
sions. 

Among"  the  most  important  rulings  of  the 
Appeal  Board  during  the  year  were  decisions 
which  gave  new  force  to  Section  VI  by  remand- 
ing some  run  complaints  back  to  the  arbitrator 
for  judgment  on  the  offers  of  distributors. 
These  included  the  Sosna  (No.  40),  and  Lake- 
view  (No.  35)  cases  at  St.  Louis  and  New 
Orleans. 

Army  Camp  Area 
Case  Disputed 

Special  clearance  conditions  in  Army  camp 
areas  were  recognized  in  decision  No.  47,  Dal- 
las, on  November  23rd.  A  seven-day  clearance 
between  metropolitan  subsequent  runs  also  was 
found  reasonable  in  a  New  York  case,  No. 
38,  in  September,  while  in  April  in  decision 
22  the  board  declared  delayed  bookings  unfair 
to  subsequent  runs. 

A  significant  cross-section  of  exhibitor  opin- 
ion of  arbitration  was  disclosed  by  Motion 
Picture  Herald  on  August  15th.  A  survey 
of  participants  in  arbitration  cases  during  the 
first  year  and  a  half  indicated  that  62  per  cent 
favored  it,  while  30  per  cent  were  opposed. 

Exhibitors  in  their  comments  expressed  con- 
fidence in  the  arbitration  system,  arbitrators 
and  administrator,  but  recommended  changes 
in  the  decree  to  make  its  application  less  limit- 
ed. Many  said  settlements  had  proved  disap- 
pointing and  asked  oral  hearing  of  appeals. 


44 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


75  Films  Offered  for 
Army  Transports 


Hollywood  Furnishes  16- 
mm.  Prints  for  Use  on 
Ships  Enroute  to  Combat 

In  addition  to  the  4,700  90-minute  16mm. 
programs  of  current  features  and  shorts  sup- 
plied gratis  in  1942  by  American  film  com- 
panies to  the  overseas  film  section  of  the 
U.  S.  Army,  Hollywood  recently  furnished 
75  old  films  produced  within  the  last  five 
years,  for  exhibition  on  U.  S.  transports  en 
route  to  war  zones.  Arrangements  were 
made  through  War  Activities  Committee  of 
the  industry. 

The  project  was  reported  in  New  York 
Monday  by  Major  Orton  H.  Hicks,  former 
executive  of  Walter  Gutlohn,  Inc.,  who  is 
officer  in  charge  of  the  overseas  motion  pic- 
ture section  of  the  special  service  division 
of  the  Army.  Joseph  H.  Seidelman,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  foreign  distribution 
for  Universal,  is  serving  as  special  consult- 
ant on  motion  pictures  to  the  Secretary  of 
War.  The  section  opened  offices  in  Rocke- 
feller Center  last  week. 

Major  Hicks  reported  that  the  75  films 
in  16mm.  were  furnished  gratis  by  the  in- 
dustry and  that  the  Army  made  selections 
from  each  company  on  the  basis  of  "enter- 
tainment" values.  Among  the  pictures  are : 
"Abe  Lincoln  in  Illinois,"  RKO ;  "Destry 
Rides  Again,"  Universal ;  "Knute  Rockne," 
Warner  Bros.;  "Hudson's  Bay."  Twentieth 
Century-Fox ;  "In  the  Navy,"  Universal ; 
"The  Westerner,"  United  Artists;  "The 
Marx  Brothers  at  the  Circus,"  MGM,  and 
"Lives  of  a  Bengal  Lancer,"  Paramount. 

On  Monday,  February  1st,  the  overseas 
film  division  will  open  its  own  exchange  in 
New  York  at  205  East  42nd  Street,  Major 
Hicks  announced,  moving  from  the  Gut- 
lohn office  where  the  division  formerly  pre- 
pared the  90-minute  programs  for  shipment 
overseas. 

According  to  Major  Hicks,  deliv- 
eries of  the  16mm.  projectors  which 
Eastman  Kodak,  Ampro,  Bell  & 
Howell,  Victor  and  RCA  re-pur- 
chased from  customers  following  a 
plea  from  WAC  and  the  Army  that 
580  machines  were  needed  for  over- 
seas duty,  are  scheduled  to  start 
next  week.  It  is  understood  that  a 
little  more  than  half  the  required 
amount  has  been  collected  by  the 
companies,  is  reconditioned  and 
ready  for  immediate  shipment. 

The  War  Department  is  reimbursing  each 
company  for  the  repurchase  of  the  equip- 
ment. The  balance  necessary  to  make  the 
full  580  needed  by  the  division  is  expected 
to  be  gathered  within  the  next  week  or  two. 

Major  Hicks  also  reported  that  the  raw 
film  stock  shortage  suffered  by  the  division 
two  months  ago  has  been  taken  care  of  by 
the  Army  Air  Corps,  which  has  charge  of 
allocating  all  raw  stock  for  Army  services. 
The  number  of  prints  and  the  total  amount 
of  footage  being  used  in  supplying  16mm. 
features  and  shorts  cannot  be  disclosed,  for 


SIGNAL  CORPS  SEEKS 
FILM  EQUIPMENT 

The  Army  Signal  Corps  announced 
this  week  in  Washington  that  a  pur- 
chasing mission  will  tour  major  cities 
to  buy  amateur  radio  and  motion  pic- 
ture equipment  urgently  needed  by 
the  Corps. 

Cameras,  projectors,  parts  and 
film,  both  35mm.  and  16mm,,  in  mo- 
tion picture  equipment  are  sought, 
while  the  mission  will  attempt  to  ac- 
quire transmitting  and  receiving  ap- 
paratus in  the  radio  field. 


obvious  military  reasons,  he  pointed  out,  but 
it  is  understood  that  the  footage  consumed 
thus  far  by  this  one  branch  of  service  aver- 
ages a  considerable  amount  weekly. 

WPB  Priority  Fixed 
For  16mm.  Prints 

At  a  meeting  of  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee in  New  York  last  December,  as  reported 
in  Motion  Picture  Herald  December  12th, 
George  J.  Schaefer,  chairman,  reported  that 
a  serious  shortage  of  16mm.  raw  stock  and 
projectors  had  prevented  Hollywood  from 
executing  its  voluntary  service  of  supplying 
gratis  entertainment  films  to  the  armed 
forces  overseas. 

Mr.  Schaefer  said  that  due  to  military  or- 
ders aggregating  92,(J0U,00(J  square  feet  of 
raw  stock  against  a  manufacturers'  capacity 
of  72,000,000  square  feet  of  16mm.  stock,  no 
film  had  been  left  available  for  the  prints  for 
overseas  use.  The  War  Production  Board 
then  arranged  to  furnish  a  priority  of 
300,000  feet  from  Eastman  Kodak  and 
200,000  from  du  Pont  for  the  16mm.  prints 
for  the  next  four  weeks. 

During  the  latter  period,  the  Special  Ser- 
vices Branch  of  the  Army  worked  out  a 
plan  whereby  the  Army  Air  Corps  con- 
trolled orders  for  raw  stock  and  allocated 
needed  supplies  to  different  branches  of  the 
Army  instead  of  each  branch  putting  in  an 
order  for  individual  needs. 

It  is  understood  that  the  latter 
arrangement  obtains  currently  for 
the  overseas  branch  as  well  as  the 
Signal  Corps  and  Air  Corps  and 
that  the  plan  has  worked  out  satis- 
factorily for  all  concerned.  More- 
over, since  last  December,  there  has 
been  no  lagging  behind  on  prints 
for  16mm.  films  for  overseas,  it  was 
said. 

The  personnel  of  the  overseas  film  section 
of  the  special  service  division,  under  Major 
Hicks  includes :  Captain  B.  D.  Lyon,  former 
assistant  to  Phil  Reisman  of  RKO,  who  is 
handling  distribution  of  the  entertainment 
films ;  Lt.  S.  R.  Mayer,  former  division  man- 
ager for  Loew's  in  Brooklyn ;  Haven  Fal- 


coner ;  Lt.  Norman  Barnett,  son  of  William 
Barnett,  and  formerly  employed  with 
Massce-Barnett,  film  shippers;  Sergeant 
Frank  Matera,  Corp.  Charles  Mayer,  former 
supervisor  of  the  Far  East  for  Twentieth 
Century-Fox,  and  Pvt.  James  Miller,  for- 
merly head  of  the  print  department  for  Uni- 
versal. The  latter  three  men  will  continue 
handling  operation  of  the  section's  new  ex- 
change office. 

In  addition  to  preparing  the  90-minute 
feature  and  short  programs  for  overseas  and 
the  procurement  and  shipping  of  16mm.  pro- 
jectors, the  division  also  has  charge  of  dis- 
tribution both  in  the  United  States  and  over- 
seas of  Lt.  Col.  Frank  Capra's  series  of 
shorts,  "Why  We  Fight."  Distribution  of 
the  series  in  this  country  will  be  in  16  and 
35mm.  for  Army  theatres,  in  connection 
with  the  Armv  Motion  Picture  Service,  of 
which  R.  B.  Murray  is  director. 


Select  Films  for 
Art  Awards 

Following  the  nominations  by  film  companies 
for  pictures  displaying  the  best  art  direction  and 
achievement  in  the  15th  Annual  Academy  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  awards,  it 
was  announced  that  10  finalists  have  been  se- 
lected in  the  black  and  white  classification,  and 
five  in  the  color  division. 

The  art  direction  awards  committee  which 
will  view  the  films  in  selecting  the  winners  in 
each  classification  includes  :  Lionel  Banks,  Ralph 
Berger,  Perry  Ferguson,  William  Ferrari,  Wil- 
liam E.  Flannery,  Walter  Keller,  Boris  R. 
Levin,  Harold  MacArthur,  Carl  Jules  Weyl 
and  Joseph  Wright.  The  alternates  are  Mc- 
Clure  Capps,  Ernst  Fegte,  Alexander  Golitzen, 
Al  Herman,  Bernard  Kerzbrun,  Leo  E.  Kuter, 
Erie  McClary,  Lewis  J.  Rachmil,  Morris  Rans- 
ford  and  Rudolph  Sternard. 

The  films  from  which  they  will  choose  the 
final  winner  are  Warners'  "George  Washington 
Slept  Here,"  RKO's  "The  Magnificent  Amber- 
sons,"  Samuel  Goldwyn's  "Pride  of  the  Yan- 
kees," MGM's  "Random  Harvest,"  United  Art- 
ists' "Shanghai  Gesture,"  UA-Sherman's 
"Silver  Queen,"  Universal's  "The  Spoilers," 
Paramount's  "Take  a  Letter,  Darling,"  Colum- 
bia's "Talk  of  the  Town,"  20th-Fox's  "This 
Above  All." 

In  the  color  classification,  a  selection  will 
be  made  from  the  following :  Universal-Wan- 
ger's  "Arabian  Nights,"  Warners'  "Captain  of 
the  Clouds,"  UA-Korda's  "Jungle  Book,"  20th- 
Fox's  "Mv  Gal  Sal,"  Paramount's  "Reap  the 
Wild  Wind." 


Lift  Ban  on  "Native  Land" 

In  a  ruling  by  Police  Commissioner  James 
P.  Allman  of  Chicago,  the  ban  placed  on  "Na 
tive  Land"  by  the  city's  censor  board  was  lifted 
last  week.  The  Commissioner  attended  a  show 
ing  of  the  picture  with  Mayor  Kelly  after  th 
action  by  the  censor  board  had  been  pro 
tested. 


Brazil  Decorates  Disney 

During  his  tour  of  South  America,  Wal 
Disney  was  awarded  Brazil's  "Order  of  th 
Southern  Cross"  by  Dr.  Oswaldo  Aranha,  Min 
ister  of  Foreign  Affairs  for  Brazil,  it  was  dis- 
closed recently.  Mr.  Disney  is  one  of  the  few 
North  Americans  to  receive  the  decoration. 


Storm  Hurts  Theatre  Trade 

Theatre  attendance  declined  last  Saturday  ii 
Hartford  when   one  of   the   city's   worst  ic< 
storms  in  recent  years  delayed  traffic  and  con  I 
fined  people  to  their  homes. 


CENTURY-FOX 
PICTURE 


HERE'S  THE  FIRST 
BIG  DRAMA  OF 
MIKHAILOVITCH 
...THE  MAN 
HITLER  WOULD  PAY 
$10,000,000  TO  TRU 

industry's  March  of  Dimes  Drive..  .Feb.  18  t< 


January    30,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


47 


DIFFICULT  YEAR  FORECAST 
FOR  BRITISH  EXHIBITOR 


Rentals,  Sunday  Opening, 
Product  Shortage  Are 
Among  Problems 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

Without  the  aid  of  seers,  astrologers, 
crystal  gazers  or  clairvoyants,  it  is  a  simple 
process  and  a  safe  one  to  hazard  the  fore- 
cast that  1943  is  not  going  to  be  too  easy  a 
year  for  the  British  exhibitor.  Already  on 
its  immediate  horizon  more  than  one  cloud 
has  loomed  with  foreboding  shadow,  more 
than  one  problem  presented  itself  for  the 
unravelment  by  the  industry  in  the  future. 

Lessons  presented  to  the  trade  scholar  sit- 
ting behind  the  theatre  box  office  in  the  past 
12  months  or  sitting,  perhaps,  in  council 
under  the  banner  of  the  Cinematograph  Ex- 
hibitors Association  can  hardly  have  been  in 
vain.  Out  of  these  scholastic  essays  he 
should  have — and  probably  has — learned  the 
technique  of  tackling  the  problems,  aggra- 
vated in  the  recent  past,  which  the  next  12 
months  undoubtedly  will  see  featured.  There 
will  be  changes  inevitably  following  these  en- 
counters, changes  which  will  affect  vitally 
the  processes  and  mechanics  of  the  exhibition 
side  of  the  industry  here. 

Most  vexing  of  all  the  recent  riddles 
— always  excepting  the  incessant 
and  inescapable  riddle  of  manpower 
— has  been  the  riddle  of  rentals.  It 
has  not  been  solved,  and  1943  indu- 
bitably will  find  it  not  least  of  all 
the  exhibitors'  trade  headaches.  The 
efforts  of  the  distributors,  to  extract 
the  highest  possible  revenue  from 
improving  theatre  business,  inter- 
preted by  the  exhibitor  as  an  at- 
tempt to  squeeze  the  theatre  box 
office  still  more  tightly  probably  will 
provoke  open  warfare  no  less  bitter 
than  that  against  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox, which  in  fact  is  but  a 
battle  in  the  greater  campaign. 

The  rental  problem,  however,  is  not  the  only 
one  facing  the  picture  house  as  a  1943  head- 
ache. On  the  cards  is  the  certainty  of  head- 
aches over  the  Quota  Act,  and  the  exhibitor's 
inability  to  carry  out  his  obligations.  An- 
other problem  is  that  of  Sunday  opening, 
still  a  bitter  and  disturbing  pill  which  the 
exhibitor  has  to  swallow  in  various  places 
and  at  various  times,  when  local  authorities 
remain  inert  in  the  face  of  popular  demand. 

Change  Necessary  if 
Cinema  Is  to  Survive 

Also,  there  is  the  increasing  interference 
of  licensing  bodies  with  the  operations  of 
picture  houses,  with  their  allocations  and 
charges  for  seats,  for  instance.  Mingle  all 
these  with  the  looming  shortage  of  product 
and  the  necessity  to  conserve  film  stock,  and 
it  is  clear  that  there  are  going  to  be  some 
changes  made  if  the  cinema  it  to  survive  its 
wartime  conditioning. 

The  product  shortage,  in  fact,  is  involved 


BRITISH  STUDIOS  RATIFY 
UNION  AGREEMENT 

The  British  Film  Producers  Associa- 
tion has  ratified  the  new  working 
agreement  with  labor  unions  having 
jurisdiction  over  employees  in  studios 
and  laboratories,  according  to  word 
received  from  London  this  week.  It  is 
anticipated  that  the  Association  of 
Cine  Technicians,  acting  for  the 
unions,  also  will  ratify  the  agreement 
soon. 


so  intimately  with  the  rentals  problem  that 
in  the  eyes  of  the  more  sagacious  exhibitor 
the  one  is  interpreted  in  terms  of  the  other. 
In  brief,  despite  the  fraternal  handshakes 
across  the  table  between  the  20th  Century- 
Fox  organization  and  the  CEA  spokesmen, 
there  is  anything  but  peace  in  the  minds  of 
the  vast  body  of  exhibitors  up  and  down  the 
country.  The  20th  Century-Fox  situation 
and  the  CEA  handling  thereof,  have  not 
placated  the  rank  and  file. 

From  all  parts  of  the  country  come  cate- 
goric statements  that  other  distributors  are 
proceeding  along  the  lines  followed  by  20th 
Century-Fox,  demanding  percentage  terms 
for  Sunday  bookings,  and  increasing  the 
number  of  films  available  for  booking  on  a 
sharing  basis. 

Recent  conversations  behind  the 
closed  but  flimsy  dors  of  the  Kine- 
matograph  Renters  Society  are 
known  to  have  been  concerned  with 
an  attempt  of  the  KRS  to  devise  a 
scale  of  grading  theatres  and  pic- 
tures, and  already  in  exhibitor 
groups  it  has  been  pointed  out 
that  grading  has  taken  on  a  more 
subtle  form,  that  not  only  is  the  aim 
to  scale  certain  films  and  to  decide 
just  what  will  be  the  minimum  per- 
centage payable,  but  no  less  to 
grade  the  various  theatres  and 
make  them  pay  on  a  capacity  basis 
as  decided  by  the  sales  managers. 

Leeds  has  called  an  extraordinary  general 
meeting  of  its  CEA  members  to  consider  the 
whole  position.  The  call  has  gone  forth, 
too,  that  the  general  council,  the  Associa- 
tion's war  council,  shall  survey  the  whole 
situation  and  take  whatever  defensive  action 
is  necessary  in  the  exhibitor's  interest.  One 
CEA  group  has  gone  a  step  further  and  sug- 
gested that  the  exhibitors  agree  never  to  pay 
more  than  SO  per  cent  for  a  film,  and  in 
general  not  more  than  40  per  cent. 

Undoubtedly  the  whole  problem  will  oc- 
cupy much  of  the  exhibitors'  study  time  this 
year,  and,  so  pugnacious  is  the  mood  in  many 
quarters,  an  extended  fight  is  not  improbable. 
Just  what  form  it  will  take,  what  the  tactics 
and  strategy  it  is  difficult  for  even  the  keen- 
est student  to  foreshadow.  Exhibitors  are 
prone  to  keep  much  from  one  another,  and 


unlike  their  distributor  counterparts  do  not 
incline  to  the  swapping  of  business  returns. 

Complete  unity  is  often  more  superficial 
than  actual,  verbal  rather  than  practical.  The 
complications  involved  in  the  circuit  interests 
of  the  General  Film  Distributor  group  and 
Warner  Brothers,  both,  of  course,  major 
distributors,  suggest  oddities  in  the  pattern 
of  the  future. 

Sunday  Opening  Is 
Serious  Problem 

Sunday  opening  remains  another  inces- 
sant problem,  not  only  the  supine  inertness 
of  certain  localities  in  the  face  of  demands 
for  entertainment  from  the  military  and  from 
attendant  authorities,  but  in  the  increasing 
rapacity  of  licensing  bodies  when  it  comes  to 
the  matter  of  imposing  the  charity  tax. 

Scotland,  for  instance,  has  some  47  dis- 
tricts out  of  a  possible  600  where  cinemas 
open  on  Sunday,  despite  the  presence  of  in- 
numerable troops  and  munition  workers  in 
the  Scottish  districts.  Until  a  clear  demand 
is  made  by  the  House  of  Commons,  Herbert 
Morrison  is  unlikely  to  take  any  Parlia- 
mentary action  to  amend  the  situation,  but 
he  is  clearly  sympathetic  to  the  cause  of 
Sunday  entertainment,  and  already  there 
have  been  rumblings,  mainly  it  is  true, 
oratorical,  in  Commons. 

Another  headache  which  may  well  call  for 
some  exhibitor  aspirin  in  the  present  year  is 
the  growing  tendency  of  local  licensing 
bodies,  not  least  of  them  that  model  of  all 
Councils,  the  London  County  Council,  to  ex- 
ercise undue  control  of  or  direct  interference 
in  the  operations  of  the  Film  theatre,  in 
phases  other  than  moral  or  public  welfare. 
At  present  the  situation  is  such  that  the 
Councils  in  many  districts,  following  the  lead 
of  London,  exercise  an  unceasing  practical 
interest  in  the  theatre's  seat  grouping  and 
admissions. 

Inspectors,  informers  and  dis- 
gruntled uplifters  harass  the  thea- 
tre owner  to  see  that  he  is  not  in 
error  when  he  says  that  the  cheaper 
seats  are  full.  A  seat  plan  with  the 
prices  clearly  marked  must  be  ex- 
hibited. Inspectors  recently  have 
hovered  around  the  queues  outside 
cinemas  in  the  Home  Counties  and 
then  have  gone  to  check  that  there 
were  reasons  why  they  were  kept 
waiting. 

Lengthy  hearings  by  County  Councils  of 
objections  against  the  renewals  of  licenses 
occupy  the  minds,  time  and  money  of  licens- 
ing bodies  and  the  temper  of  the  trade.  The 
situation  worsens  rather  than  otherwise.  Its 
constitutional  basis  is  queried  in  some  quar- 
ers.  The  ethical  unfairness  of  such  direct 
interference  in  trading  operations  is  the  oc- 
casion of  much  exasperation  and  has  pro- 
voked the  fear  that  the  next  step  may  well 
be  regulating  seat  prices  and  admission 
direct  from  the  County  Council  bench. 

Here,  too,  there  is  likely  to  be  a  headache 
or  two  for  the  exhibitor.  There  will  be 
considerable  alertness  on  the  part  of  certain 
exhibitor  groups. 


48 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


Momand  Takes  Stand 
In  Trust  Action 


Charges  Inability  to  Get 
Product;  Judge  Sees  No 
Conspiracy 

by  T.  L.  BUTTERFIELD 

in    Oklahoma  City 

Charges  of  the  complainant  in  the  A.  B. 
Momand  $5,000,000  anti-trust  suit  against 
the  major  distributors  and  the  Griffith  cir- 
cuit were  spread  on  the  record  this  week 
as  Mr.  Momand  took  the  stand  in  Okla- 
homa City  Federal  Court.  The  essence  of 
the  former  circuit  owner's  testimony  was 
contained  in  a  sentence  Monday : 

"I  could  obtain  all  the  product  I  needed 
for  all  my  theatres  in  1926  and  1927 — but 
after  the  Griffith  Amusement  Company  came 
into  Shawnee  and  Seminole  against  me,  I 
could  obtain  nothing  for  the  next  season  for 
these  two  towns." 

Meanwhile,  indication  of  the 
trend  of  the  case  was  given  suc- 
cintly  last  week,  before  Mr.  Mo- 
mand's  appearance,  by  Judge  Bower 
Broaddus,  presiding.  Remarking 
that  depositions  taken  in  Boston 
and  New  York  had  in  his  mind,  "no 
bearing  on  this  case,"  the  judge,  in 
offering,  not  as  decision,  but  merely 
as  indication  of  "what  is  on  my 
mind  at  this  time,"  asserted  that 
thus  far,  at  mid-trial,  Mr.  Momand 
had  not  been  able  to  show  conspi- 
racy by  the  defendants. 

When  Mr.  Momand  took  the  stand  last 
Thursday,  at  the  outset  he  established  merely 
facts  concerning  theatres  bought,  prices  paid, 
kinds  of  operation  and  theatres,  and  how 
each  was  disposed  of.  Mr.  Momand  thus 
covered  the  18  theatres  he  owned  in  1926. 

Previously,  Cleland  Lyles,  former  partner 
of  Mr.  Momand  at  Clinton,  had  undergone 
cross-examination  by  C.  B.  Cochran,  Griffith 
attorney.  Mr.  Lyles  is  now  an  independent 
exhibitor.  Also  during  the  week,  Mr.  Mo- 
mand's  auditor,  Guy  Fox,  who  prepared  the 
summaries  of  the  Momand  company  books, 
was  qualified. 

Charges  Sales  Heads 
Dealt  with  Griffith 

Continuing  Friday  and  Monday,  Mr.  Mo- 
mand related  that  major  distributor  branch 
managers  were  anxious  to  do  business  with 
him  in  1926  and  1927.  They  also  promised 
him  they  would  continue  to  favor  him,  he 
said. 

Then  came  the  Griffith  acquisitions,  he 
said,  and  charged  that  the  same  managers 
told  him  the  deals  for  the  two  cities,  Sem- 
inole and  Shawnee,  had  been  taken  out  of 
their  hands.  Product,  he  said,  they  insisted, 
would  have  to  be  obtained  through  the  home 
offices. 

He  charged  home  office  executives  came 
to  Oklahoma  City  and  signed  contracts  with 
the  Griffith  circuit,  without  affording  him  ar, 
opportunity  to  interview  them. 

He  could  not  even   obtain   second  run 


product  for  the  Seminole  and  Shawnee 
houses,  he  added.  The  pictures  he  ran  were 
"inferior,"  he  said. 

Questioned  by  his  chief  counsel,  George 
Ryan,  he  repeated  many  conversations  with 
Oklahoma  City  exchange  managers.  The 
conversations  were  ones  in  which  the  man- 
agers allegedly  doubted  he  could  obtain  prod- 
uct in  the  two  spots  mentioned,  and  in  which 
he  said  they  suggested  he  give  the  Griffith 
circuit  half  his  circuit,  or  move  into  loca- 
tions not  competing  with  it. 

Mr.  Momand  also  asserted  these  conver- 
sations disclosed  to  him  that  the  managers 
knew  fully  what  he  was  paying  other  dis- 
tributors. 

Experiences  during  trips  to  New 
York  were  related  by  Mr.  Momand 
Tuesday.  He  said  he  was  rebuffed 
each  time  he  attempted  to  make 
deals  with  distributors.  He  added 
that  in  1928  he  met  E.  V.  Richards, 
New  Orleans  circuit  executive,  in 
New  York,  offering  half  his  cir- 
cuit if  Mr.  Richards  would  enter 
Oklahoma;  and  that  Mr.  Richards 
replied  he  would  like  to  do  it,  but 
was  unable  to  since  the  Oklahoma 
territory  belonged  to  Universal. 

It  was  indicated  that  the  Saenger  circuit, 
of  which  Mr.  Richards  was  executive,  and 
which  was  Paramount  affiliated,  would  not 
enter  an  area  in  which  it  was  understood 
Universal  had  dominance. 

Mr.  Momand  also  charged  that  on  an- 
other New  York  visit,  Tom  Connors,  then 
an  MGM  sales  executive,  told  him  he  was 
wasting  time  attempting  to  buy  major  prod- 
uct that  season. 

Court  Sees  Companies 
Not  Liable 

In  his  disclosure  last  week  of  what  was 
"on  his  mind,"  Judge  Broaddus  added  that, 
in  addition  to  the  irrelevance  of  depositions 
about  conditions  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, it  was  also  evident  to  him  that  previous 
testimony,  by  submission  of  contracts,  that 
the  Griffith  companies  had  been  overbuying 
with  a  purpose,  did  not  necessarily  make  the 
producers  and  distributors  liable. 

He  added  that,  unless  Mr.  Ryan  could 
"conclusively"  convince  him  otherwise,  he 
would  deny  a  Momand  request  for  damages 
in  two  instances  where  the  exhibitor's  com- 
panies purchased  lots  for  theatre  buildings, 
but  upon  which  construction  had  not  started 
when  the  Momand  circuit  dissolved. 

He  added  he  was  convinced  damages 
could  not  be  collected  for  an  "intention." 

Earlier  last  week,  William  B.  Zoellner, 
MGM  Oklahoma  City  exchange  branch  man- 
ager, testified  that  "Mr.  Momand  gave  me 
more  trouble  than  all  the  other  250  custom- 
ers I  had,  put  together."  He  denied  any  in- 
tent to  damage  Mr.  Momand,  and  said  his 
home  office  did  not  know  the  exhibitor  ex- 
isted, until  "he  started  kicking  up  so  much 
fuss  against  the  distributors  and  their  meth- 
ods of  doing:  business." 

E.  W.  Johnson,  former  RKO,  Universal 
and  United  Artists  salesman  and  formerlv 


Mr.  Momand's  booker  and  buyer,  also  tes- 
tified on  methods  of  operation  of  the  Mo- 
mand companies  and  methods  of  selling.  He 
said  all  salesmen  regularly  fraternized  with 
each  other  and  exchanged  information  about 
exhibitors  and  their  deals.  In  testifying  that 
exchange  managers  also  conferred  often  he 
implied  that  they  did  the  same. 

Four  Wisconsin  Cities  Study 
Theatre  Smoking  Ban 

Ordinances  banning  smoking  in  theatres  are 
pending  in  the  Common  Councils  of  four  Wis- 
consin cities.  At  Milwaukee,  a  public  hearing 
on  the  proposal  January  20th  brought  forth  the 
objection  from  Fox  and  Warner  theatre  repre- 
sentatives that  the  proposed  measure  is  too  strict 
and  that  smoking  should  be  permitted  in  theatre 
lounges  where  proper  fire  safeguards  exist. 

The  Janesville  ordinance  would  require  ex- 
hibitors to  show  a  trailer  on  the  screen  at  each 
performance  to  familiarize  patrons  with  the 
emergency  exits  at  the  theatre.  The  Green  Bay 
ordinance  has  been  referred  to  the  Judiciary 
Committee  for  revision,  while  the  Manitowoc 
proposal  has  been  referred  to  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment Committee. 


MPPDA  Rules  "Hell"  May 
Be  Used  in  "Marines" 

The  board  of  directors  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Producers  and  Distributors  approved  the  use 
of  the  words,  "hell"  and  "damn,"  in  the  March 
of  Time  film,  "We  Are  the  Marines,"  at  a  meet- 
ing in  the  Association's  offices  last  week.  The 
eastern  branch  of  the  Production  Code  Author- 
ity originally  had  denied  a  seal  because  of  ob- 
jectionable dialogue.  The  use  of  the  word 
"bastard"  remains  banned. 

Charles  Francis  Coe,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral counsel  of  the  MPPDA,  in  announcing  the 
board's  decision,  said,  however,  that  "in  no 
sense  should  this  be  deemed  to  be  an  amendment 
or  alteration  of  the  code.  The  code  stands  as 
always."  The  picture  has  been  played  with  the 
objectionable  dialogue  painted  out  of  the  sound 
track. 


Estate  Gets  $  I  1 ,000  Award 

A  supreme  court  jury  in  New  York  awarded 
the  estate  of  Adrienne  Morrison  $11,000  last 
week  in  an  action  brought  against  Rose 
Franken,  author  of  the  play  "Claudia,"  for  com- 
missions which  were  claimed  owed  to  Miss 
Morrison  for  bringing  the  play  to  the  attention 
of  the  producer,  John  Golden.  Miss  Franken 
testified  that  she  had  not  authorized  Miss  Mor- 
rison to  act  as  agent,  but  requested  only  she 
make  contact  with  producers. 


RKO  Delays  Release  Dates 

The  national  release  dates  of  "Hitler's  Chil- 
dren" and  "Saludos  Amigos"  have  been  set 
back  from  January  to  February,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week  by  Ned  E.  Depinet,  presi- 
dent of  RKO  Radio.  "Hitler's  Children"  will 
be  released  on  February  12th  instead  of  January 
22nd,  and  "Saludos  Amigos"  will  be  released 
February  19th  instead  of  January  15th,  it  was 
disclosed. 


Bamberger  Resumes  RKO  Post 

Leon  J.  Bamberger,  sales  promotion  manager 
of  RKO  Radio,  has  returned  to  his  duties  at 
the  home  office  after  serving  on  the  United 
Nations  Week  national  committee  for  the  past 
two  months. 


Heads  Trust  Company 

William  C.  Hunt,  head  of  Hunt's  Amusement 
Enterprises,  including  an  independent  circuit  in 
the  Southern  New  Jersey  and  Philadelphia  ter- 
ritory, has  been  reelected  president  of  the  Wild- 
wood  Trust  Company,  Wildwood,  N.  J. 


50 

Theatres  Push 
Collections  of 
Scrap  Metal 

While  the  totals  collected  for  the  United 
Nations  Fund  during  United  Nations  Week 
were  being  tallied  this  week  at  War  Activities 
Committee  headquarters  in  New  York,  reports 
from  the  field  indicated  that  the  nation's  the- 
atres were  filling  the  time  between  the  end  of 
the  United  Nations  drive,  January  20th,  and 
the  forthcoming  Red  Cross  drive,  with  their 
continuing  collections  of  metal  scrap. 

One  hundred  and  five  theatres  of  the  New  Or- 
leans exchange  area  recently  staged  scrap  mati- 
nees which  it  is  expected  will  yield  10,000  tons. 
Eighty-three  theatres  of  the  Omaha  territory 
last  week  pledged  the  local  WAC  they  would 
run  similar  matinees.  Seventy-five  Warner 
houses  have  held,  or  will  hold,  the  matinees 
The  houses  are  in  the  eastern  sections ;  and  it 
is  expected  the  cooperation  of  the  whole  circuit 
will  be  enlisted. 

Meanwhile,  with  a  $2,500,000  total  expected 
from  the  United  Nations  Fund  collections  in 
theatres,  individual  area  reports  continued  to 
show  records  established  in  money  raising.  In 
the  Albany  exchange  towns,  $25,000  was  col- 
lected. In  Philadelphia,  although  no  collections 
were  taken  because  of  the  United  War  Chest 
campaign,  more  than  300  theatres  participated 
in  the  drive,  more  than  for  any  other  drive. 
Approximately  $3,000  was  obtained  in  Fall 
River. 

One  hundred  and  thirteen  theatres  in  the  At- 
lanta territory  sent  William  Jenkins,  drive  co- 
chairman,  $22,078.  Atlanta  led  with  $9,381 ; 
Columbus  sent  $4,226;  Savannah,  $3,500,  and 
Macon,  $3,256. 

Eleven  Wilmington,  Del.,  theatre  managers 
last  week  received  Treasury  "Minute  Men" 
awards  at  a  luncheon  in  their  honor  at  the 
Hotel  DuPont. 

The  awards,  bronze  lapel  pins,  were  given  by 
Donald  Ross,  War  Savings  Staff  administrator 
for  the  state,  to  Louis  Black,  Warner  theatre 
manager  and  president  of  the  Wilmington  The- 
atre Managers  Association ;  Lee  Levy,  Arcadia 
theatre ;  Edgar  Doob,  Loew's  Aldine ;  A.  Jo- 
seph DeFiore,  Park;  Benjamin  Shindler,  Ace; 
Benjamin  Seligman,  Strand;  A.  J.  Belair. 
Rialto ;  Sidney  Munter,  Ritz ;  Birk  Binnard, 
representing  Richard  Kirsch  of  the  Queen ; 
Earl  Finney,  Savoy. 

Bookings  Scheduled 
On  "Silver  Skates" 

Bookings  will  start  February  1st  for  Mono- 
gram's film,  "Silver  Skates,"  the  company -an- 
nounced this  week.  It  will  play  the  Denver 
and  Esquire  theatres  in  Denver  from  February 
16th  to  February  22nd,  and  from  February 
23rd  to  March  1st  will  be  shown  in  the  Alad- 
din theatre  in  the  same  city. 

Starting  March  5th,  the  Palace  theatre  in 
Dallas  will  show  the  film,  and  beginning  March 
19th,  it  will  be  played  in  the  Metropolitan  the- 
atre in  Houston,  and  the  Aztec  theatre  in  San 
Antonio. 


Muth  Named  Makeup  Editor 

Russell  Muth,  formerly  foreign  editor  of 
Movietone  News,  has  been  appointed  general 
makeup  editor  by  Edmund  Reek,  producer  and 
general  manager. 


Named  District  Manager 

Stanley  Sinski,  manager  of  the  Arch  Street 
Theatre  in  New  Britain,  Conn.,  has  been  ap- 
pointed district  manager  for  the  Glackin-Le- 
Witt  theatres  of  New  Britain,  Plainville  and 
Sound  View. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Milwaukee  Area  Publicity 
Chairmen  Are  Named 

Donald  Demien,  War  Activities  Committee 
public  relations  chairman  for  the  Milwaukee 
exchange  area,  has  appointed  his  committee  of 
publicity  chairmen  in  cities  of  that  territory. 

Mr.  Demien's  staff  includes :  Al  Copulas,  Ap- 
pleton;  T.  M.  Ellis,  Beloit;  William  Koster, 
Fond  DuLac ;  Russell  Leddy,  Green  Bay ;  Ed- 
ward E.  Benjii,  Janesville ;  John  Ferger,  Ken- 
osha ;  John  Scharnberg,  Madison ;  Robert  Guit- 
erman,  Manitowoc ;  Fontas  N.  Georgiades,  Osh- 
kosh  ;  Stanley  Lambert,  Racine  ;  Leo  Schussler, 
Sheboygan  ;  Lawrence  Beltz,  Wausau. 

Harold  Martin,  Atlanta  chairman,  has  made 
additional  appointments,  including :  Boliver 
Hyde,  St.  Petersburg ;  Vern  Hunter,  Orlando ; 
R.  R.  Thomas,  West  Palm  Beach ;  T.  R.  Jones. 
Columbus,  Ga. 


B'nai  B'rith  Holds  Meeting 

A  special  screening  of  Lt.  Col.  Frank  Capra's 
"Prelude  to  War"  was  shown  to  the  Cinema 
Lodge  of  B'nai  B'rith  at  the  Hotel  Edison  in 
New  York  on  Thursday  evening.  Special  per- 
mission was  obtained  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment since  the  film  was  produced  exclusively 
for  the  armed  forces.  The  showing  took  place 
at  the  organization's  "Liberty  Meeting,"  at 
which  Countess  Marie  Tolstoy  was  guest 
speaker.  She  is  the  granddaughter  of  the  cele- 
brated Russian  novelist,  Leo  Tolstoy. 


January    30,  1943 


Silver  Jubilee  Party 
To  Honor  Goldhammer 

Exhibitors  in  the  northwest  have  organized  a 
committee  to  prepare  a  celebration  in  honor  of 
the  silver  jubilee  of  L.  E.  Goldhammer,  prairie 
district  manager  for  RKO.  The  event  is  sched- 
uled for  February  19th,  and  plans  call  for  a 
continuing  of  the  Goldhammer  Silver  Jubilee 
until  March  26th. 

Mr.  Goldhammer  has  been  active  in  the  in- 
dustry for  25  years,  entering  the  business  as  a 
shipping  clerk  in  the  Supreme  Feature  Film 
Company  of  Minneapolis.  He  joined  RKO 
nine  years  ago,  and  was  appointed  to  his  present 
position  three  years  ago. 


Begins  Tour  for  USO 

June  Frazee,  Universal  star,  began  a  tour  of 
Army  camps  and  Naval  posts  Tuesday  with  the 
USO-Camp  Shows'  production,  _  "Flying 
Colors,"  at  the  Naval  Air  Station  in  Seattle, 
Wash.  Her  last  personal  appearance  with  the 
troupe  is  scheduled  for  February  10th  at  Fort 
Riley,  Kan. 


Mochrie  on  Sales  Trip 

Robert  Mochrie,  general  sales  manager  of 
RKO,  was  expected  to  return  late  this  week 
from  a  tour  of  the  company's  southern  ex- 
changes.    He  left  New  York  Thursday  of 

last  week. 


USE  TRAILER  IN  DRIVE 
TO  AID  PRISONERS 

A  two-minute  trailer  has  been  pre- 
pared for  use  in  three  test  campaigns 
to  obtain  musical  instruments  and 
athletic  equipment  for  prisoners  of 
war,  and  Ben  Srauer,  NBC  an- 
nouncer, has  contributed  his  services 
as  narrator. 

Tests  will  be  held  in  Rochester, 
New  Haven  and  Pittsburgh  and,  if 
successful,  the  trailer  will  be  released 
throughout  the  country.  The  trailer 
asks  patrons  to  bring  the  items  di- 
rectly to  the  theatre,  but  adds  that 
arrangements  also  will  be  made  to 
pick  up  the  contributions  at  homes. 


Duty  Halved  on 
Film  Imports 

Provisions  of  the  recently  concluded  recipro- 
cal trade  agreement  with  Mexico  on  motion 
picture  imports  have  been  announced  in  Wash- 
ington and  are  effective  January  30th.  The 
concessions  will  be  extended  to  all  countries 
with  which  the  United  States  has  most-favored- 
nations  treaties,  and  calls  for  the  halving  of 
import  duty  on  films. 

Exposed  negatives  will  be  reduced  from 
two  cents  to  one  cent  per  linear  foot  unde- 
veloped and  from  three  to  one  and  one-half 
cents  developed.  The  rate  on  positive  prints 
and  duplicates  will  be  cut  from  one  cent  to 
one-half  cent  per  foot.  With  the  exception  of 
those  countries  with  which  we  are  at  war,  the 
same  reductions  will  apply  under  the  most- 
favored-nations  policy. 

A  rebate  of  50  per  cent  of  the  tariff  on  all 
films  will  be  continued  for  another  year  in 
Nicaragua,  it  was  reported,  and  propaganda 
pictures  to  Nicaraguan  legations  will  be  ad- 
mitted free.  Total  Mexican  imports  of  motion 
picture  negative  and  positive  film  in  1940 
amounted  to  6,000,000  feet,  payment  for  exhibi- 
tion being  less  than  $5,000,000. 


President  Lauds 
Industry  for 
'Dimes9  Drive 

A  personal  letter  from  President  Roosevelt 
to  Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  national  chairman  of 
the  industry's  1943  March  of  Dimes  campaign, 
praised  the  efforts  of  the  industry  in  its  fund- 
raising  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  National  Foun- 
dation for  Infantile  Paralysis  in  1942,  and  ap- 
proved the  date  for  the  beginning  of  the  drive 
this  year,  which  has  been  moved  up  to  February 
22nd  in  order  not  to  conflict  with  the  United 
Nations  Week  campaign. 

In  his  letter  the  President  said,  "I  think  you 
know  how  much  I  value  the  performance  of 
the  motion  picture  theatres  in  the  National 
Foundation's  1942  Campaign,  and  I  hope  that 
this  year's  effort  will  be  equally  successful." 
Exhibitors  throughout  the  country  have  been 
asked  to  send  a  birthday  greeting  to  the  Presi- 
dent "in  order  to  let  him  know  of  the  American 
movie  men's  support,"  it  was  said  by  C.  C. 
Moskowitz,  co-chairman  of  the  drive. 

Selected  to  attend  the  President's  Birthday 
Ball  in  Washington  on  January  30th  were  nine 
leading  actors  chosen  by  the  various  companies. 
Included  among  them  are  James  Cagney,  Lynn 
Bari,  Roddy  MacDowall,  Edgar  Bergen,  Janet 
Blair,  Laraine  Day,  Robert  Young,  Roy  Rogers 
and  Loretta  Young. 


Blue  Network  Grosses 
$15,782,493  in  1942 

Gross  client  expenditures  on  the  Blue  Net- 
work in  1942  totaled  $15,782,493  in  its  first 
year  of  independent  operation,  according  to  fig- 
ures released  this  week.  It  was  an  increase 
of  22.7  per  cent  over  1941  billings. 

Sterling  Products,  Inc.,  led  other  advertis- 
ers in  buying  time,  their  expenditure  amount- 
ing to  $1,710,654.  Other  clients  spending  over 
$1,000,000  in  1942  were  American  Home  Prod- 
ucts, Miles  Laboratories  and  the  Ford  Motor 
Company.  The  advertising  agency  spending 
most  with  the  network  was  Blackett-Sample- 
Hummert,  with  $2,454,298.  Other  leaders  were 
Young  &  Rubicam,  Wade  Agency  and  J.  Wal- 
ter Thompson. 


January    30,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


51 


THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


Something  of  a  demonstration  in  the 
science  of  shaping  things-to-come  is  pro- 
vided by  Twentieth  Century-Fox  in  its 
announcement  that  the  studio  will  pro- 
duce one  day  a  picture  entitled  "Life 
Boat." 

The  idea  for  the  picture  was  born,  ac- 
cording to  the  studio's  disclosure,  in  the 
mind  of  Alfred  Hitchcock,  producer-di- 
rector of  films  stressing  suspense.  He 
presented  it  to  the  studio  in  idea  form 
and  the  studio,  seeing  in  it  promise  of 
greatness,  presented  it  to  John  Steinbeck, 
author  of  "Grapes  of  Wrath"  and  other 
works,  with  commission  to  use  it  as  basis 
of  a  novel.  Following  publication  of  the 
novel,  according  to  plan,  the  studio  is  to 
proceed  with  production  of  the  picture, 
under  direction  of  Hitchcock.  The  pub- 
licity for  the  project  expected  to  accrue 
from  this  rigging  of  events  is  rated  as 
an  offset  to  delay. 

Warner  executives  are  in  daily  conference 
with  Irving  Berlin  regarding  the  filming  of 
his  show,  "This  Is  the  Army,"  now  in  stage 
performance  here.  By  weekend  it  had  been 
determined  that  Berlin  will  appear  in  the 
picture,  as  himself,  and  that  it  will  be  pro- 
duced by  Hal  B.  Wallis  with  Michael  Curtiz 
directing  from  a  script  by  Casey  Robinson, 
which  is  to  be  polished  and  augmented  by 
Philip  and  Julius  Epstein,  Warner  writing 
team  recently  given  producer  status  by  the 
studio. 

Film  Players  May  Be 
Added  to  Cast 

Among  the  matters  under  discussion  is 
that  of  whether  or  not  to  add  to  the  all- 
soldier  cast  a  number  of  film  players,  and 
if  so  how  many  and  which  ones,  the  key 
consideration  on  this  point  being  the  ex- 
ploitability  of  the  attraction  and,  of  course, 
the  size  of  the  resultant  profit  earmarked  for 
the  Army  Relief  Fund.  Ginger  Rogers'  per- 
sonally released  report  that  she  is  to  play 
the  feminine  lead  in  the  film  was  without 
substantiation  from  the  studio  at  weekend. 

The  anonymity  which  has  sheltered  until  now 
the  creator  of  those  three-dimensional  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  advertisements  which  many  of 
you  exhibitors,  in  common  with  Hollywood 
readers,  have  been  extracting  from  editions  of 
this  journal  for  wall-decoration  and  other  pur- 
poses, ended  this  Saturday  morning  when  the 
gentleman  walked  into  this  office  to  acquire  last 
week's  edition  containing  his  latest  work.  He 
is  Jacques  Kapralik,  and  he  revealed,  under 
reportorial  persistence,  the  method  of  his  pro- 
cedure. 

Subject  Matter  "Built  Up" 
In  Three  Dimensions 

The  pages,  it  turns  out,  possess  that  three- 
dimensional  effect  because  the  subject  matter 
is  "built  up"  in  three  dimensions.  The  artist 
sets  a  miniature  stage,  actual  size  of  the  re- 
production which  appears  in  the  periodical,  util- 
izing miniature  props  (those  treasure  chests, 
guns,  etc..  in  the  recent  Red  Skelton  presenta- 
tion, for  instance)  which  he  collects  in  novelty 
shops,  toy  stores,  and  on  notion  counters.  When 
the  stage  is  completely  set,  he  ships  it  from  his 
Hollywood  workshop  to  New  York.    There  it 


Production  Index  Rises 

Starting  of  I  I  pictures  and  completion  of  seven  combined  to  lift  the  production  index 
figures  to  39  at  the  end  of  a  week,  which  v/itnessed  the  swing  toward  musicals  v/ell  under 
way.  Five  of  the  I  I  new  ventures  fall  wholly  or  partially  in  that  category. 

Columbia  started  "Redhead  from  Manhattan,"  offering  Lupe  Velez,  Michael  Duane  and 
Douglas  Leavitt,  and  "Blondie  Buys  a  Horse,"  with  Penny  Singleton,  Arthur  Lake,  Larry 
Sims  and  Hugh  Herbert. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  started  "Right  About  Face,"  with  Kay  Kyserand  band,  Marilyn 
Maxwell,  William  Sargan  and  Lena  Home,  and  "Best  Foot  Forward,"  with  Lucille  Ball, 
William  Gaxton,  Harry  James  and  band. 

Paramount  started  "Riding  High,"  with  Dorothy  Lamour,  Dick  Powell,  Victor  Moore 
and  Cass  Daley,  and  "Alaska  Highway,"  a  William  Pine-William  Thomas  enterprise,  with 
Richard  Arlen,  Jean  Parker  and  Bill  Henry. 

RKO  Radio  launched  "Free  for  All,"  with  Jean  Arthur,  John  Wayne  and  Charles 
Winninger,  and  "The  Fallen  Sparrow,"  with  Maureen  O'Hara,  John  Garfield  and 
Anna  Lee. 

Republic  started  "Shantyfown,"  with  Mary  Lee,  John  Archer,  Marjorie  Lord,  Harry 
Davenport  and  Billy  Gilbert,  and  Universal  started  "Phantom  of  the  Opera,"  with  Nelson 
Eddy,  Susanna  Foster,  Claude  Rains  and  others. 

The  oroduction  status  at  the  weekend: 


COMPLETED 

MSM 

Dr.  Gilleespie's  Crim- 
inal Case 
Gentle  Annie* 
Monogram 
No  Escape 
Paramount 
China 
PRC 

Billy  the  Kid,  No.  4 
Republic 

Purple  V 

Carson  City  Cyclone 
Universal 

Cowboy  in  Manhattan 
STARTED 

Columbia 

Redhead   from  Man- 
hattan 


Blondie  Buys  a  Horse  Destroyer 


MSM 

Right  About  Face 
Best  Foot  Forward 

Paramount 

Riding  High 
Alaska  Highway 

RKO  Radio 

Free  For  All 
Fallen  Sparrow 

Republic 

Shantytown 

20th-Fox 

Stormy  Weather 
Universal 

Phantom  of  the  Opera 

SHOOTING 

Columbia 

Attacked  By  Night 


MSM 

Girl  Crazy- 
Faculty  Row 
Swing  Shift  Maisie 
Bataan  Patrol 
I  Dood  It 
Above  Suspicion 
Private  Miss  Jones** 

Paramount 

Henry  Aldrich  Plays 

Cupid 
Good  Fellows 
So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Lady  in  the  Dark 
Five  Graves  to  Cairo 
RKO  Radio 
Petticoat  Larceny 
Sky's  the  Limit 
Republic 
Tahiti  Honey 


King  of  the  Cowboys 
UA 

Lady  of  Burlesque 

(Stromberg) 
Stage   Door  Canteen 

(Lesser) 

Universal 

Always  a  Bridesmaid 
Destiny 

We've  Never  Been 

Licked 
Corvettes  in  Action 
Cross  Your  Fingers 

Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 

Old  Acquaintance 

Devotion 

* — Suspended 

** — -Retakes 


is  photographed,  in  color,  and  the  photograph 
is  reproduced  for  publication. 

Artist  Kapralik  has  been  producing  these  ad- 
vertisements for  MGM  for  the  past  six  years. 
Prior  to  that  he  performed  a  similar  service  for 
Twentieth  •  Century-Fox  for  two  and  a  half 
years,  that  company  using  the  material  for  title 
purposes.  Before  that  he  produced  in  similar 
style  for  Paramount  the  advertisements  which 
appeared  on  the  back  cover  of  this  periodical. 

Samuel  Goldwyn  announced  at  the  weekend 
the  signing  of  Jane  Withers  for  her  first  strictly 
dramatic  role,  that  of  a  Russian  girl  slain  by 
the  Nazis  in  his  forthcoming  "The  North 
Star."  Miss  Withers  has  appeared  in  30  pic- 
tures previously.  .  .  .  Victor  Moore  has  been 
added  to  the  cast  of  "Tropicana."  Columbia's 
starring  vehicle  for  Mae  West,  and  will  appear 
with  William  Gaxton,  his  associate  in  many 
Broadway  shows,  under  the  direction  of  Gre- 
gory Ratoff.  .  .  .  Ann  Sheridan  is  to  be  starred 
in  Warners'  "Night  Shift."  which  will  be  Ben- 
jamin Glazer's  first  production  for  the  studio 
under  his  new  contract.  Raoul  Walsh  will 
direct. 

A.  and  S.  Lyons.  Inc..  has  announced  that 


Producing  Artists,  production  company  of 
which  Arthur  S.  Lyons  is  president,  have  com- 
pleted a  talent  roster  of  201  in  preparation  for 
filming  of  two  to  four  features  annually  for  re- 
lease through  United  Artists.  The  number  in- 
cludes 50  actresses,  42  actors,  79  writers,  six 
directors,  eight  song  writers,  two  designers  and 
a  cameraman,  all  clients  of  the  Lyons  agency. 
A  film  musical  by  Jerome  Kern  is  first  on  the 
organization's  agenda. 

Major  General  Dai-Fung  King  of  the  Chin- 
ese Military  Mission,  visiting  the  Warner  stu- 
dio last  week,  told  his  hosts,  "I  beg  to  consider 
you  in  the  film  industry  as  soldiers  without 
uniforms.  In  Chungking  we  are  hearing  of 
the  marvelous  program  of  visual  army  training 
by  means  of  your  films,  and  I  hope  your  gov- 
ernment will  kindly  make  some  of  them  avail- 
able for  our  use.  Your  Army,  Navy  and  Air 
Force  are  fortunate  to  have  an  established  film 
industry  behind  it.  I  wish  we  were  half  so 
fortunate." 

Arturo  de  Cordova,  Mexican  star,  is  to  appear 
opposite  Luise  Rainer  in  Paramount's  "Hos- 
tages," which  has  to  do  with  a  Hitler-invaded 
nation 


THE  WINNING  COMBINATION  OF  "THE  SPOILER! 


LIBERTY  GOES  TO  THE  MOVIES 


r^affi^J  meet  l«r  Ike  ...ond  tm,.. 


P«Kam(  John  Wayne)  tells  Doc  (Frank 
Craven)  that  his  experiments  on  sulta 
drugs  must  give  way  to  commeraal  work. 


>Sf^n^ash  call  a  truce,  with  Josie  as 
E  diatoland  pledge  themselves  to  put  every- 
thing  they  have  into  working  for  victory. 


PITTSBURGH 

■ Tw^^■  barring  team  of  Marlene 
fj^^u  Uanrioroh  bcott,  and 
T^W^vr,^  I7st  seen  injghe 
gpnHprs.  is  together  again  in  this 
1„ctv  melodramatlTstory  oi  a  mining 
^-^TTT^Tp^n^onlv  has  plenty 
nf  action  and  a  romantic  triangle,  but 
g-Un  carries  a  r^nite  message  for 
thenar  worker ~Snd  the  country  as 
r^We  in  these  ^v*  oi  all-out  pro- 
duction drives. 

The  message  is  simply  that  noth- 
ing—personal feuds,  supposedly  un- 
conquerable problems,  or  anything 
else— can  stand  in  the  way  of  turn- 
ing out  material  for  our  armies.  It  is 
effective  propaganda  for  the  war 
effort  and  good  entertainment  too. 

The  story  concerns  itself  with  two 
miners  "Pitt"  Markham  (John 
Wayne)  and  "Cash"  Evans  (Ran- 
dolph Scott)  who  are  not  quite  re- 
signed to  a  life  of  digging  black 
diamonds."  Pitt  is  the  mercurial  half 
of  the  team,  short-tempered,  hasty, 
thoughtless.  Cash,  just  as  anxious  to 
get  out,  is  more  cautious.  - 

A  mine  cave-in  brings  them  to- 
gether with  Josie  Winters  (Marlene 
Dietrich),  the  daughter  of  a  mine 
worker  who  had  been  killed  in  an 
explosion.  She  provides  the  romantic 
incentive  for  the  boys  to  get  out  of 
the  mines  and  into  the  coal  business 
for  themselves. 

The  story  of  their  rise  to  power 
and  Pitt's  conversion  to  a  hard, 
shrewd,  money-hungry  boss  pro- 
vides some  good  acting  opportunities 
for  the  cast  and  a  few  mighty  tense 
moments  for  the  audience. 

Frank  Craven,  repeating  his  now 
familiar  routine  as  the  films ;  nar- 
rator-which  he  did  originally  in 
Our  Town-gives  a  fine  portrayal  of 
Doc,  whose  curiosity  about  the  pos- 
sible derivatives  of  coal  tar  leads 
to  important  discoveries  on  plastics 
and  sulfa  drugs-and  perhaps  even 
the  solution  to  synthetic  rubber 

Pittsburgh  has  a  few  slow  spots, 
but  generally  there  is  lots  of  action 
with  Scott  and  Wayne  staging  a  , 
minor  repetition  of  their  bang-up 
fight  in  The  Spoilers.  . 

For  a  change,  Marlene  Dietrich 
isn't  a  bedizened  hussy.  Her  part  is 
a  straight  one,  giving ;  her  a  chance 
to  do  some  honest  acting  Her  Josie 
is  restrained  and  believable. 

All  in  all,  Pittsburgh  is  sure  to 
please  because  it  has  action  romance, 
suspense,  and  a  simple,  sincere  pa- 
triotic message  to  deliver. 

(Universal.)  LIBERTY 
JANUARY  9,  19 


IT  AGAIN  IN  "PITTSBURGH"! 


THE  WASHINGTON   POST:   WEDNESDAY.   DECEMBER  16.  1942 


Helton  B.  Bell  About  the  Shoteshops 

Tittsburgh/RKO-Keith's, 
Exerts  a  Twofold  Wallop 

Marlene  Dietrich,  Randolph  Scott,  John  ^"ayne 
Shine  Again  in  Picture  With  a  Dual  Purpose; 
Short  Subjects  Sharpen  Flavor  of  Ace  Bill 

HATS  OFT  TO  UNIVERSAL  fpr  hivlrr  exercised  unusual 
ircltness  in  c i  y.::rz  plea  f:r  the  country's  o-L-tiae 
pwdpriien  effort  and  a  rip-snorting  biographical  melodrama,  to  the 
end  cf  iaurestins  and  escitisj  enter.airiment. 

In  -Pirtsbursh,"  which  opened  yesterday  cn  the  screen  at  RKO- 
'letths  Theater,  the  urge  to  ratrljtlc.  all-out  war  effort  has  not 
teen  overstressed,  cor  hare  the  humorous,  thrilling  and  romantic 
eiementsjif  an  enlivening  personal  narrative  teen  slighted.  The 
nice  balance  of  the  two  results  in  a  rough-and-ready  item  of  "escape" 
and  aurucruticn  that  represents  as  due  a  jab  of  its  kind  as  has  come 
along  to  date. 

The  picture  is  described  as  a  '-personal  narrative"  because  its. 
.tie  pertains  to  cr.e  of  the  p::n::pa!  characters  in  the  story  aati 
not  to  the  steel  metropolis.  '"Pittsburgh"  JIarkham  and  Cash  Evans 
are  the  sturdy  coal  miners  whose  careers  iorm  the  basis  of  the 
zturr.  The  action  opens  with  their  exhortation  of  their  thousands 
cf  workers,  who  have  just  won  a  Government  ~Z  '  for  exceeding 
production  schedules.  Teen  "Doc"  Powers  recalls  their  beginnings^ 
and  the  part  Josie  Winters  played  in"  their  lives  and  the  tale  there- 
aiter  is  presented  by  the  familiar  flashback  method,  initiating  the 
narrative  proper  in  the  mining  shafts  deep  under  ground. 

This  "Pittsburgh"  llarkham  is  a  double-order  of  man — physically 
iarless,  egotistically  inflated  ard  ratiless  in  his  dealings  with 
those  around  h-'-n  When  he  and  Cash  hit  upon  a  scheme  to  reduce 
the  price  of  coke  by  improved  fabricating  methods  and  win  a  huge 
contract  from  the  steel  company,  his  rise  and  downfall  have  their 
simultaneous  origin.  He — and  his  -saner  and  not  silent  partner— 
become  tycoons  of  the  first  water.  Evans  achieves  real  standii  g 
by  square  dealing.  Marfchafc  builds  on  the  false  premise  of  might 
over  right  and  is  bounced  out  of  his  position  of  power  much  more 
■totally  than  he  achieved  it. 

How  he  learns  his  bitter  lesson  in  •humility  and  rehabilitates 
himself  and  Ms  giant  enterprises  constitutes  the  "surprise"  climax 
of  the  drama,  which  deserves  better  than  premature  exposure. 

Sine*  the  three  stars  of  the  last  edition  of  "The  Spoilers"  again 
find  themselves  in  costellar  association,  something  of  the  formula 
of  that  perennial  hit  has  been  woven  into  the  warp  and  woof  of 
"Pittsburgh."  It  ia  packed  with  rowdy  goings-on  and  boisterous 
comedy,  has  its  full  share  of  rough-and-tumble  fights,  gets  itself 
finally  Into  the  precincts  of  "smart"  society  and  then  manages  that 
fin  si  climax  and  denouement  that  lose  nothing  of  dramatic  punch 
by  being  dedicated  to  the  high  principle  of  service  to  country.  As 
if  that  tremendous  battle  between  the  fending  partners — begin ntn,g 
on  the  floor  of  the  mine,  finding  its  way  Into  an  elevator  cage  and 
ending  up  on  the  surface — were  not  enough,  one  of  the  earliest 
eomedy  sequences  is  deTOted  to  "Pittsburgh's"  acceptance  of  the 
challenge  to  stay  three  rounds  with  the  heavyweight  contender  on 
a  theater  stage  and  then  sending  Cash  into  the  ring  to  do  his 
battling  for  him,  while  he  makes  a  play  for  the  "Countess,"  who 
turns  out  to  be  a  "htm Vie."  who  finally  emerges  as  Josie  Winters, 
the  distaff  director  of  destiny.  As  we  were  saying,  it's  a  pretty 
good  picture. 

Played  to  the  Hilt  by  Stars 

In  this  sort  of  epic  of  both  physical  and  temperamental  violence 
there  is  scant  call  for  finesse.  Tne  stars  and  their  supporting 
players  make  no  effort  to  inject  any  into  performances  that  demand 
ruggedness  of  mind  as  well  as  body.  Marlene  Dietrich  is  strikingly 
effective  in  the  role  of  the  ambitious  young  woman,  striving  for 
something  better  than  the  penury  she  has  always  known.  Desperately 
in  lore  with  "Pittsburgh"  as  long  as  he  seems  to  be  worth  it,  she 
is  not  unaware  of  the  sterling  qualities  of  Mr.  Evans,  whose  wife 
the  finally  be::mes.  It  Is  to  her  that  the  aim  owes  act  only  a  great 
degree  of  its  dramatic  soundness,  but  most  of  its  patriotic  zeal,  as 
TeR.  Randolph  Scott  and  John-Wayne,  as  the  firm  of  Evans  S: 
Markham,  are  partners  in  excellence  as  well  as  big  business.  Scott 
has  a  part  cut  to  his  order  and  Wayne  has  never  been  better — if  as 
good.  Frank  Craven,  the  "Doe"  Powers,  serves  as  narrator  in 
addition  to  playing  another  cut-to-measure  role,  and  Thomas  Gome: 
contributes  an  excellent  portrait  of  the  labor  leader  who  has  an 
Important  finger  in  everything  that  goes  on.  Tne  side  of  social 
aristocracy  is  represented  by  Samuel  S.  Hinds  and  Louise  AH- 
britton,  as  the  steel  magnate  and  his  unhappy  daughter  who 
becomes  Mrs.  Warfrham  to  her  sorrow.  Those  in  the  lesser  taiga 
ments  are  uniformly  competent 

The  excellence  of  the  new  bin  at  Keith's  is  not  confined  to  its 
major  feature.  An  interesting  insight  into  war  production  in 
England  is  afforded  by  "Night  Shift,"  in  which  20iOO  women  war 
workers  take  over  a  munitions  plant  and  operate  it  in  Its  entirety 
with  inspiring  spirit  and  skill.  The  newsreel  continues  its  recital 
»f  vital  affairs  in  North  Africa  and  one  of  Walt  Lanti's  color 
cartoons,  "Swing  Symphony,"  Introduces  a  new  note  into  the  eomie 
aspects  of  war  production,  to  add  further  lest  to  a  program  that  is 
practically  as  dynamic  as  dynamite. 


"Spoilers"  Cast  Moves  to  ''Pittsburgh'' 


PITTSBURGH 


wJLa  fcrfa  ,1-,  Vane). 

SooH]    ■»     VT  ,c„  i  br«<.i  »bH1  r  fijjL  "Doc 

-  to  l"-ln  I    it.  i«-  f":' 

buv .  tido* »    To  «i*    ,  „  oi 


PITTSBURGH 


A  Char  let  K.  Feldman  production 


Marlene  Randolph  John 

DIETRICH  •  SCOTT  •  WAYNE 


FRANK  CRAVEN 
THOMAS  GOMEZ 


LOUISE  ALIBRITTON 
IUDWIG  STOSSa  • 


SHEMP  HOWARD 
SAMUEl  S.  HfNDS 


Collect  at  Even,-  Performance ! 

UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK."  Jan.  14  throtifh  Jan.  20 


Stnm  Ploy,  K«nwelh  GofMt,  Toot  R**d  •  Original  Story.  George  Q» 


Tom  Seed 

Ciroctcd  by  LEWIS  SBLK 


Addirionol  DkHoovo,  John  Two) 

Anecioto  frodvecr.  tOtEVT  KUOWS 


/ ustice  Department  Says 
Order  Threatens  Life  of 
Smaller  Stations 

The  Department  of  Justice  again  is  at- 
tacking James  Caesar  Petrillo  and  the 
American  Federation  of  Musicians,  of  which 
he  is  president.  Having  had  its  plea  for  an 
injunction  against  the  AFM  ban  on  record- 
ings thrown  out  of  Chicago  Federal  court 
last  October,  it  reentered  that  court  Monday 
before  the  same  judge,  John  P.  Barnes,  and 
again  asked  for  an  injunction,  this  time 
stressing  the  contention  that  the  Petrillo 
order  against  recordings  threatened  the  ex- 
istence of  small  radio  stations. 

Judge  Barnes  in  October  had  dismissed 
the  Department's  suit,  brought  under  the 
anti-trust  laws,  because  he  said  the  dispute 
between  musicians  and  broadcasters  and  rec- 
ord companies  was  merely  a  labor  squabble. 

He  said  Monday  he  still  was  satisfied  with 
that  decision — but  that  the  new  complaint 
"does  make  some  allegations  that  give  me 
pause." 

The  new  petition  for  an  injunction  noted 
that  small  stations  operate  in  areas  where  no 
musicians  are  available;  hence,  there  is  no 
labor  dispute. 

Judge  Barnes  reserved  decision,  and  al- 
lowed two  weeks  for  both  sides  to  file  briefs. 

United  States  Assistant  Attorney 
General  Thurman  Arnold  said 
Monday  that  if  the  defense  motion 
to  dismiss  was  denied,  an  early  trial 
would  be  sought,  and  the  request 
for  a  temporary  injunction  might 
be  dropped. 

Meanwhile,  in  Washington,  the  U.  S.  su- 
preme court  next  Monday  was  to  announce 
whether  it  would  review  Judge  Barne's  Oc- 
tober decision. 

The  International  Alliance  of  Theatrical 
Stage  Employees'  executive  board  met  at 
Denver  this  week.  The  proposed  48-hour 
week  at  the  studios,  and  the  increasingly 
tight  manpower  situation  were  expected  to 
be  first  topics  of  discussion.  Richard  Walsh, 
president,  was  to  preside. 

New  York  Exhibitor  Is 
Sued  for  Wage  Cut 

In  New  York,  Local  306  of  the  Projec- 
tionists union,  filed  a  complaint  in  Wash- 
ington Heights  Magistrates'  Court,  against 
Harry  Karesh,  operating  the  Park  West. 
The  complaint  alleges  Mr.  Karesh  committed 
a  misdemeanor  by  reducing  the  wages  of 
three  union  members.  It  is  the  first  brought 
under  the  Federal  wage  stabilization  order, 
under  which,  it  is  contended  by  Nathan 
Frankel,  union  attorney,  the  only  legal  wages 
are  those  previously  paid  or  approved  by  the 
War  Labor  Board.  There  is  no  strike.  The 
three  were  still  working  at  the  theatre  this 
week.    They  did  not  accept  the  cut. 

Also  in  New  York,  the  negotiating-  com- 
mittee of  Local  702  met  with  shop  stewards 
last  week  to  discuss  changes  in  the  present 
•contract,  which  expires  in  March.  Saturday 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


night,  the  union  of  laboratory  technicians, 
was  to  hold  its  annual  ball  at  the  Hotel 
Henry  Hudson.  Ten  per  cent  of  the  pro- 
ceeds is  to  go  to  the  United  Nations  Fund. 

Local  F51,  IATSE,  New  York,  of  the 
exchange  clerical  workers,  has  elected  the 
following  officers : 

Jack  Finkelstein,  president ;  Irving  Bar- 
ron, vice-president;  Mildred  Weber,  treas- 
urer ;  Eleanor  Howard,  financial  secretary ; 
Gertrude  Reiman,  recording  secretary ;  Mur- 
ray Blutreich,  sergeant-at-arms. 

Local  424,  Fall  River,  Mass.,  recently  re- 
elected the  following  officers :  George  H. 
Sullivan,  president ;  Joseph  Salvo,  business 
agent ;  Ray  T.  Gagnon,  secretary ;  James  W. 
Coburn,  treasurer. 

Ice  Shows  Compete  With 
Philadelphia  Theatres 

In  addition  to  the  yearly  visit  of  the  Ringling 
Bros,  circus,  Philadelphia  exhibitors  must  now 
reckon  with  the  ice  shows  as  major  box  office 
competition.  The  "Ice  Follies  of  1943,"  playing 
a  month's  engagement  at  the  Philadelphia 
Arena,  starting  Christmas  Night  and  endin° 
January  23rd,  grossed  an  exceedingly  high 
$272,725,  and  played  to  a  total  attendance  of 
170,800  persons.  Performances  were  presented 
nightly  and  on  Saturday  afternoons,  with 
tickets  scaled  from  $1.14  t©  $2.85.  The  Arena 
seats  6,000  and  each  performance  was  near  or 
at  capacity.  This  year's  engagement  marked 
the  first  time  in  its  six  years  that  the  "Ice 
Follies"  ha'd  stayed  in  Philadelphia  more  than 
two  weeks.  Last  year,  the  two-week  engage- 
ment of  the  "Follies"  played  to  86,000  persons 
for  a  box  office  total  of  $120,813. 

This  year's  engagement  was  extended  to  a 
full  month  in  view  of  the  amusement  boom  in 
Philadelphia  and  because  of  transportation  prob- 
lems curtailing  the  show's  road  bookings.  The 
Arena  will  bring  in  the  "Ice-Capades  of  1943" 
for  a  two-week  engagement  starting  February 
22nd. 

Joseph  Cotten  To  Play  In 
DuPont  Radio  Show 

Joseph  Cotten,  currently  starred  in  Alfred 
Hitchcock's  production  "Shadow  of  a  Doubt," 
Universal  release,  will  be  the  featured  player 
on  the  Cavalcade  of  America  radio  program, 
sponsored  by  du  Pont,  on  Monday  night,  Feb- 
ruary 1st,  over  NBC.  The  radio  drama  is 
called  "To  the  Shores  of  Tripoli."  Mr.  Cotten 
will  be  heard  in  the  role  of  General  William 
Eaton,  who  persuaded  President  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson 137  ■  years  ago  to  let  him  try  to  end 
the  attacks  on  American  shipping  in  the  Medi- 
terranean by  Barbary  Coast  pirates. 

UA  Film  Being  Shown 

"The  Crystal  Ball,"  United  Artists  release, 
opened  in  six  cities  last  Thursday,  New  Orleans, 
St.  Louis,  Richmond,  Akron,  Wilmington  and 
Providence.  On  January  28th,  it  was  to  be 
shown  in  13  other  eastern  and  mid-western 
cities.   

Power  Fails  in  Columbus 

A  short  circuit  in  a  sub-station  left  Columbus, 
Ohio,  without  power  for  several  hours  Wednes- 
day, January  20th,  causing  an  interruption  in 
the  showing  of  films.  Radio  stations  went  off 
the  air,  street  cars  stalled,  and  electric  service 
generally  was  suspended. 


January    30,  1943 

Enemy  Patents 
Now  Available 
To  Industry 

The  Alien  Property  Custodian  in  Washington 
has  taken  over  more  than  500  patents  and  56 
applications  for  patents  on  still  and  motion  pic- 
ture photography  and  has  made  them  available 
to  American  industry,  it  was  disclosed  last 
week. 

The  patents  were  in  the  names  of  enemy  and 
enemy-occupied  countries,  and  were  among  the 
50,000  which  were  seized  under  the  Trading 
With  the  Enemy  Act.  For  a  fee  of  $50  for  a 
single  patent,  plus  $5  for  each  additional  related 
patent  covered  in  the  same  license,  the  Alien 
Property  Custodian  will  issue  non-exclusive  and 
non-assignable  royalty-free  licenses  to  any  repu- 
table company  for  the  life  of  any  enemy-owned 
patent  if  exclusive  licenses  are  not  already  out- 
standing to  American  industry. 

Licenses  will  be  granted  on  the  same  terms 
for  patents  owned  by  nationals  of  enemy-occu- 
pied countries,  but  the  royalty-free  provision 
will  apply  only  for  the  duration  of  the  war  and 
six  months  thereafter.  At  the  end  of  this  period 
royalties  which  are  reasonable  on  the  basis  of 
prevailing  commercial  practice  will  be  charged. 

American  companies  holding  exclusive '  li- 
censes under  patents  which  have  been  taken  over 
will  be  examined  but  will  be  permitted  to  stand 
providing  they  do  not  contain  restrictive  clauses 
illegally  curbing  production  or  use.  In  the  event 
that  holders  of  these  licenses  do  not  require 
them,  they  may  release  the  patents  for  the  non- 
exclusive royalty-free  licenses.  The  Alien  Prop- 
erty Custodian,  however,  will  collect  the  fees 
where  the  original  licenses  are  retained. 

Republic  Prepares  Ten 
Films  for  Release 

Republic  Pictures  has  announced  that  shortly 
it  will  release  nine  feature  films  and  one  serial. 
Four  other.  Westerns  have  been  scheduled  for 
February  production  in  addition  to  a  film  titled 
"Mantrap,"  which  will  be  directed  by  George 
Sherman.  This  brings  the  total  number  of 
Westerns  to  be  released  this  season  by  the 
company  to  40,  excluding  two  Gene  Autry  films 
Republic  may  make  if  the  War  Department  re- 
leases the  star  for  screen  work.  Included  in  the 
40  pictures  are  eight  starring  Bill  Elliott. 

Now  in  the  cutting  room  are:  "Hit  Parade 
of  1943,"  "Idaho,"  "The  Purple  V,"  "Chatter- 
box," "The  Blocked  Trail'  and  "Tahiti  Honey." 
The  serial  in  production  is  "Daredevils  of  the 
West,"  first  of  12  episodes,  and  the  three  other 
features  being  prepared  are  "King  of  the  Cow- 
boys," "Carson  City  Cyclone"  and  "Shanty- 
town." 


Set  RKO  Trade  Show 

National  trade  screenings  of  the  new  Lum 
and  Abner  film,  "Two  Weeks  to  Live,"  have 
been  announced  by  RKO  Radio.  In  the  32 
branch  offices,  the  screenings  are  scheduled  for 
Tuesday,  February  2nd,  at  11  A.M.,  with  the 
following  exceptions :  Cincinnati  at  8  :30  P.M., 
and  New  York  at  11  A.M.  and  2:30  P.M.;  and 
on  Wednesday,  February  3rd,  at  11  A.M.,  Kan- 
sas City  and  Omaha;  and  at  11:30  A.M.,  St. 
Louis. 


Form  Home  Office  Club 

The  Activities  and  Program  Committee  of 
the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  home  office  Family 
Club  submitted  its  report  to  approximately  60 
members  of  the  organization  on  Wednesday  at 
the_  company  offices.  It  represented  the  final 
action  before  officially  dedicating  the  new  chap- 
ter. On  the  committee  were  Morris  Caplan, 
Hettie  Gray  Baker,  Marie  Van  Slyke,  Frank 
Barry,  Bessie  Bloom  and  Norman  Steinberg. 


U.  S.  Again  Asks  Writ 
Ending  Petrillo  Ban 


January    30,  1943 


MOT 


ON    PICTU  RE    H  ERALD 


55 


Mexican  Units 
Must  Register 
With  Chamber 

by  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

:%  Mexico  City 

The  Cinematographic  Industry  Chamber,  or- 
ganized here  recently  under  the  presidency  of 
Gen.  juan  F.  Azcarate,  chief  of  Mexico-Espafia- 
Argentina  Films,  has  advised  all  producers,  dis- 
tribntors,  exhibitors  and  studio  proprietors  that 
they  must  register  their  membership  with  it  by 
January  31st,  or  suffer  the  penalties.  The  law 
provides  penalties  for  businessmen  who  fail  to 
register  with  the  chamber  which  represents 
their  line  of  endeavor. 

V 

President  Manuel  Avila  Camacho  of  Mexico 
has  appointed  Emilio  Azcarraga,  president  of 
the  ;:— car.y  that  :'era:es  the  C:::es  Alameda, 
select  first  run.  and  Bucareli,  subsequent  run, 
and  radio  stations  XEW  and  XEQ  here,  as 
chairman  of  the  employers7  section  of  the  In- 
stitute of  Social  Insurance.  The  President  or- 
dered this  Institute  established  to  supervise  the 
functioning  of  national  social  insurance,  the  law 
for  which  has  just  been  enacted. 

V 

Patrons  of  the  galleries  of  the  Cine  Hipo- 
dromo,  leading  subsequent  run  in  Tacubaya,  had 
a  thrilling  experience  when  during  a  fire  of 
undetermined  origin  that  broke  out  during  a 
matinee,  they  were  escorted  by  firemen  down 
ladders  of  the  new  apparatus  the  department 
was  using  for  the  first  time.  There  were  no 
rasualties. 

V 

The  national  supreme  court  has  upheld  the 
sentence  of  five  year.-"  r-rr.er.t  :rr.c:;e" 

upon  Sabino  Lopez  Ramirez,  a  local  man,  for 
the  killing  of  a  friend  in  an  argument.  Mr. 
Ramirez  inspired  Mario  Moreno,  vice-president 
of  Posa  Films,  S.A.  and  Mexico's  leading  tramp 
comedian,  to  enact  the  character  "Canrinfias." 
7 

Two  of  the  latest  Russian  films.  "Moscow  At- 
tacks" and  "Tania"  have  been  brought  here  by 
Metropolitan  Films.  Both  pictures  are  being 
shown  to  exhibitors. 

V 

Local  Station  XEQ,  of  50,000  watts,  has  con- 
tracted for  49  series  programs,  the  most  in  its 
history,  for  this  year,  varying  from  one  to  21 
a  week.  Petroleos  Mexicanos,  the  official  oil 
:d— rary.  the  Gran:  Adverrisir-g  C-:rr.;ar.y.  and 
the  Manteleria  Popo,  a  clothes  factory  here,  are 
using  21  of  these  programs  a  week.  Coca^  Cola 
is  represented  with  four  a  week.  Max  Jractor 
with  10,  Colgate  with  eight  and  RCA  Victor 
with  seven.  These  programs  also  include  six 
presentations  a  week  of  CBS  Latin  American 
shows. 


Universale  Big  U  Club 
Elects  1943  Officers 

The  Big  U  Club,  the  organization  of  New 
York  exchange  employees  of  Universal,  has 
elected  the  following  officers  to  serve  for  the 
year  1943:  Essie  Weisberger.  president;  Fred 
Mayer,  vice-president :  Harry  Tissot,  treasurer : 
Arthur  Mamula,  secretary;  Tack  Horowitz,  ser- 
geant-at-arms.  Elected  to  the  board  of  direc- 
tors were  David  Levy.  Leo  Simon  and  Frank 
Gauotto. 


Make  Personal  Appearance 

Bonita  Granville  and  H.  B.  Warner,  players 

the  Circle  theatre  in  Indianapolis  in  conjunc- 
tion with  a  snowing  of  the  film. 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 

Week  of  January  25  th 

ASTOR 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 

Marines  in  the  Making  MGM 

Feature:  Tennessee  Johnson  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Wings  for  The  Fledgling .  . .  .  Columbia 
Barney  Bear's  Victory  Gar- 
den MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve. Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 
Screen  Snapshots,  No.  5.  . .  .Columbia 
Feature:    Commandos  Strike 

at  Dawn  Columbia 

GLOBE 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 

Fighting  Freighters  United  Artists 

Feature:  Margin  for  Error.  .  20th  Cent.- Fox 

HOLLYWOOD 

Horses!  Horses!  Horsesl.  . .  .  Vitaphone 

Army  Air  Force  Band  Vitaphone 

A  Tale  of  Two  Kitties  Vitaphone 

Feature:   Casablanca  Warner  Bros. 

MUSIC  HALL 

Der  Fuehrer's  Face  RKO-Disney 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling .  . .  .  Columbia 
Feature:  Random  Harvest.  .  .  MGM 

PARAMOUNT 

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  Paramount 

Popular  Science,  No.  2  Paramount 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 
Feature:    Star  Spangled 

Rhythm  ...Paramount 

RIALTO 

Superman  and  the  Volcano.  Paramount 
Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 
Feature:  Lucky  Jordan  Paramount 

RIVOLI 

Der  Fuehrer's  Face  RKO-Disney 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 
Feature:  Shadow  of  a  Doubt .  L)  niversal 

ROXY 

Barnyard  WAAC  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Gay  Rio  20th  Cent.-For. 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  ..  .Columbia 
Feature:  China  Gh]  20th  Cent.-Fox 

STRAND 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling.  . .  .  Columbia 
So   You   Think   You  Need 

Glasses  Vitaphone 

Feature:  Yankee  Doodle 

Dandy  Warner  Bros. 


Albert  Margolies  Opens 
Publicity  Office 

Albert  Margolies  has  announced  the  opening 
of  his  own  publicity  agency  in  the  Paramount 
Building.  He  will  handle  motion  picture  ac- 
counts, but  also  will  handle  public  relations  for 
clients  in  other  fields. 

Mr.  Margolies  now  is  doing  publicity  for  the 
Sol  Lesser  'film,  '"Stage  Door  Canteen."  He 
has  held  positions  on  the  advertising  and  pub- 
licity staffs  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox.  Gau- 
mont-British  and  United  Artists.  He  was  pub- 
licity manager  of  U.  A. 

Lieut.  Schmidt  at  Fort  Lewis 

Loring  Schmidt  former  owner  of  the  Grand 
theatre  in  Salem.  Ore.,  has  been  stationed  at 
Fort  Lewis  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  Quartermaster 
Corps. 


Reachi  Screens 
Mexican  Film 
In  ISeiv  York 

Before  an  invited  audience,  Manuel  Reachi. 
producer  oi  pictures  in  Mexico,  showed  his 
latest.  "Yolanda,"  at  the  Museum  oi  Modern 
Art  in  New  Y'ork  last  Monday  morning.  In 
the  audience  were  representatives  of  major 
companies,  one  of  which,  Mr.  Reachi  is  report- 
ed to  hope,  will  buy  the  picture  on  a  cash  basis 
for  distribution  in  this  country. 

Running  104  minutes,  the  picture  is  a  weighty 
love  story,  ending  in  a  double  suicide.  It  is 
heavy  with  dialogue  and  rococo  with  emotion, 
but  it  has  been  given  an  expensive  mounting, 
and  competent  direction  and  acting.  Lack  of  ac- 
tion and  slowness  of  pace  are  its  chief  faults. 
English  titling  was  still  to  be  fittted.  Comment 
among  spectators  was  that  cutting  definitery 
was  necessary. 

The  picture  stars  Irina  Baronova.  David  Su- 
va. Miguel  Arenas  and  Leon  Greanin.  Direc- 
tors were  Dudley  Murphy  and  Roberto  Gaval- 
don.  Anne  Anthony  wrote  the  screenplay ; 
Justino  Fernandez,  Elena  Amor  and  Inigo  de 
Martino.  the  dilogue.  Featured  are  ballet 
sequences  from  Tchaikovsky's  "Aurora's  Wed- 
ding" and  "Swan  Lake." 

Its  first  week  at  the  Alameda.  Mexico  City, 
is  reported  to  have  broken  records. — F.  E.  S. 


Papers  Publish  Special 
Motion  Picture  Ads 

A  salute  to  the  motion  picture  industry's 
program  of  supplying  film  entertainment  to 
the  armed  services  was  contained  in  a  1, 000- 
line  advertisement  in  the  Mew  York  Times  on 
Saturday.  It  was  jointly  sponsored  by  the 
Times  and  Donahue  and  Coe  as  one  of  a  series 
in  which  agencies  have  told  of  the  war  roles 
of  their  clients. 

Other  special  newspaper  advertising,  in  se- 
qual  to  the  institutional  campaigns  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Herald  on  January  16th  ap- 
peared in  the  New  York  Sun  last  week  It 
described  the  fuel  conservation  programs  of 
Broadway  and  neighborhood  theatres.  Under  a 
two-column  caption.  "Yrour  Neighborhood 
Theatre,"  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer  is  running  a 
composite  advertisement  listing  subsequent  run 
theatres  and  their  current  attractions. 


National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  12  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  reviewed 
12  films  during  the  current  week,  listing  four  as 
unobjectionable  for  general  patronage,  six  as 
unobjectionable  for  adults,  and  two  as  objection- 
able in  part.   The  classification  is  as  follows : 

Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  General  Pa- 
tronage: 'Forever  and  a  Day."  "The  Immortal 
Sergeant"  "Power  of  the  Press."  and  "Two 
Fisted  Tustice."  Gass  A-2.  Unobjectionable 
for  Adults:  "The  Crystal  Ball."  "Dawn  on  the 
Great  Divide."  "Margin  for  Error."  "Powers 
Girl."  "Silent  Witness"  and  "They  Got  Me  Cov- 
s«ed_'  Class  B.  Objectionable  in  Part:  "Three 
Hearts  for  Julia"  and  ''Rhythm  Parade." 


Protest  Ban  on  Games 

Sponsors  of  chance  games  in  Lima.  Ohio, 
have  protested  the  banning  of  games  recently 
ordered  by  Police  Chief  James  C.  Goodwin.  The 
order  stated  that  "participation  in  these  games 
.into  the  late  hours  by  war  workers  has  an  ad- 
verse effect  on  production." 


BY  THE  OVERWHELMING  DEMAND 


GENE  AUTR] 


mi 

or 


■m: 


IF  tL 


BOOTS  AND  SADDLES 

with  SMILEY  BURNETTE  and  JUDITH  ALLEN  •  RA  HOULD 

Joseph  Kane  —  Director 
Screen  Play  by  Jack  Natteford,  Oliver  Drake 
Original  Story  by  Jack  Natteford 


1 .  J  § 


THE  OLD  BARN  DANC 


with  SMILEY  BURNETTE  and  HELEN  VALKIS  .  SAMMY  M 
WALTER   SCHRUM   AND    HIS   COLORADO  HILLBI 

Directed  by  Joseph  Kane 
Original  screen  play  by  Bernard  McConville,  Charles  Francis  Royal 


REPURIir     PlfTIIRFC    *  Rill 


HIBITORS  AND  PUBLIC  ALIKE,  WE  WILL  RE -ISSUE 

Musical  Westerns! 


%i  Si 


MEXICALI  ROSE 

with  SMILEY  BURNETTEand 
kH  BEERY  •  LUANA  WALTERS  •  WILLIAM  FARNUM 

Directed  by  George  Sherman 
een  play  by  Gerald  Geraghty   •   Original  story  by  Luci  Ward,  Connie  Lee 


IN  OLD  MONTEREY 

with  SMILEY  BURNETTE  and  JUNE  STOREY  •  GEORGE  "GABBY"  HAYES  •  THE 
HOOSIER  HOT  SHOTS .  SARIE  AND  SALLIE  -  THE  RANCH  BOYS  •  STUART  HAMBLEN 

Directed  by  Joseph  Kane  *  Screen  play  by  Gerald  Geraghty,  Dorrell  and  Stuart  McGowan 
Original  story  by  Gerald  Geraghty,  George  Sherman 


IDE,  TENDERFOOT,  RIDE  I  TUMBLING  TUMBLEWEEDS 


t  Ml  LEY  BURNETTE  and  JUNE  STOREY  •  MARY  LEE 
jlREN  HULL   •   JOE  FRISCO  and  THE  PACEMAKERS 

Directed  by  Frank  McDonald 
play  by  Winston  Miller  •   Original  story  by  Betty  Burbridge  and  Connie  Lee 


with  SMILEY  BURNETTE  and  . 

LUCILLE    BROWNE    •    NORMA  TAYLOR    •   Joseph  Kane  -  Director 
Story  by  Alan  Ludwig   •   Screenplay  by  Ford  Beebe 
Supervised  by  Armand  Schaefer 


an  s  a  u  i  n  g  s  sonos 


58  January    3  0,  1943 

/7WHAT  THE  « 
PICTURE  DID  FOB  ME 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance  of  product — providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Columbia 

FLIGHT  LIEUTENANT:  Pat  O'Brien.  Glenn  Ford 
— Real  entertainment  for  our  small  town  situation. 
Business  good. — Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Til- 
bury, Ont. 

MY  SISTER  EILEEN:  Rosalind  Russell,  Brian 
Aherne — Very  nice  business.  Everyone  like  the  show 
and  told  us  so.  Played  Sunday -Tuesday,  January 
10-12.— Robert  Boyd,  Ohio  Theatre,  Leipsic,  Ohio. 
Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

SPIRIT  OF  STANFORD:  Frankie  Albert— They 
liked  this  one  much  better  than  "Smith  of  Minnesota," 
am  sorry  to  say.  Doubled  with  a  Western  and  got 
by  in  the  middle  of  the  basketball  season. — A.  E. 
Eliasen.  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural 
and  small  town  patronage. 

TWO  YANKS  IN  TRINIDAD:  Pat  O'Brien,  Brian 
Donlevy — There  was  plenty  of  action  in  this  and  they 
liked  it.  These  two  stars  are  good  in  any  picture. 
Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  January  5,  6. — M.  L. 
DuBose,  Majestic  Theatre,  Cotulla,  Texas.  General 
patronage. 

VENGEANCE  OF  THE  WEST:  Bill  Elliott.  Tex 
Ritter — Good  Western.  Pleased.  Doubled  with  "Tim- 
ber" and  actually  had  a  combination  that  everyone 
liked. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville, 
Minn.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 


Esquire 

FEATHER  YOUR  NEST:  George  Formby— Al- 
though a  litle  old,  Formby  is  still  box  office  and  we 
enjoyed  capacity  business  in  spite  of  the  snow  and 
sleet.— Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham, 
Ont. 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

EYES  IN  THE  NIGHT:  Edward  Arnold,  Ann  Hard- 
ing—This proved  a  thoroughly  enjoyable  picture  which 
pleased  everyone.  Business  was  good.  Don't  forget 
this  one  has  a  dog  in  the  cast;  for  small  towns  that 
means  something.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January 
3,  4. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New 
Paltz,  N.  Y.     Small  town  patronage. 

HER  CARDBOARD  LOVER:  Norma  Shearer, 
Robert  Taylor,  George  Sanders — One  more  like  this 
and  we  would  gladly  exchange  places  with  any  brave 
lad  out  there  in  the  Solomons — at  least  they  get 
recognition  for  being  under  fire.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, January  10,  11. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre, 
Scotia,  Cal.     Small  labor  town  patronage. 

MRS.  MINIVER:  Greer  Garson,  Walter  Pidgeon— 
Can  only  verify  all  the  fine  things  that  have  been 

said  about  this  grand  show.  Certainly  one  of  the 
ten  best  of  all  time— L.  V.  Bergtold,  Westby  Theatre, 
Westby,  Wis. 

PACIFIC  RENDEVOUS:  Lee  Bowman,  Jean  Rogers 
— A  very  good  program  show.  Lee  Bowman  and  Jean 
Rogers  teamed  up  very  nicely  in  this.  Refreshing 
from  start  to  finish. — L.  V.  Bergtold,  Westby  Theatre, 
Westby,  Wis. 

THIS  TIME  FOR  KEEPS:  Ann  Rutherford— We 
could  surely  hear  the  roaring  of  Leo  while  showing 
this  one  as  our  customer  noise  was  reduced  to  a 
whisper.  Played  Friday,  Saturday.  January  8,  9. — 
A.  C.  Edwards,  Winemax  Theatre,  Scotia.  Cal.  Small 
labor  town  patronage. 

YANK  AT  ETON,  A:  Mickey  Rooney,  Freddie 
Bartholomew,  Edmund  Gwenn — Weather  was  bad  on 
Sunday,  but  not  bad  enough  to  give  us  the  fourth 
biggest  net  loss  we  have  had  on  anything  in  the  past 
five  years.  Strangely  enough  three  or  four  years  ago 
we  played  "A  Yank  at  Oxford" — same  company  and 
similar  title — with  weather  conditions  ideal  and  that 
show  holds  sixth  place  among  the  top  losers  for  the 
five-year  period. — L.  V.  Bergtold,  Westby  Theatre, 
Westby,  Wis. 

YANK  AT  ETON,  A:  Mickey  Rooney,  Edmund 
Gwenn.— They  like  Rooney  here,  and  they  liked  this 
but  all  of  them  couldn't  come  because  of  adverse 
weather  conditions  and  fuel  rationing.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  December  20,  21. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y.  Small  town  pat- 
ronage. 


Paramount 

BEYOND  THE  BLUE  HORIZON:  Dorothy  La- 
mour,  Richard  Denning — Not  up  to  par  of  other 
Lamour  color  productions.  At  that  it  is  good  enter- 
tainment and  should  do  business  anywhere.  We  ran 
into  terrible  weather  with  this  but  broke  even. — 
L.  V.  Bergtold,  Westby  Theatre,  Westby,  Wis. 

BEYOND  THE  BLUE  HORIZON:  Dorothy  La- 
mour, Richard  Denning — We  were  afraid  of  this  as  the 
boys  had  panned  it  terribly,  but  I  think  it  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  color  pictures  we  have  ever  run. 
And  the  chimpanzees  were  enjoyed  by  the  kids.  Our 
business  was  off  on  account  of  cold  weather  but  the 
picture  is  O.K.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January 
10,  11.— M.  L.  DuBose,  Majestic  Theatre,  Cotulla, 
Texas.     General  patronage. 

DR.  BROADWAY:  Macdonald  Carey,  Jean  Phillips 
— Enjoyed  satisfactory  business  with  this.  No  com- 
plaints. No  refunds. — Harland  Rankin.  Plaza  Theatre, 
Tilbury,  Ont. 

FOREST  RANGERS:  Fred  MacMurray,  Paulette 
Goddard — Good  picture  in  Technicolor,  plenty  of  action 
and  some  comedy.  Every  time  a  producer  thinks  he 
has  something,  he  slaps  it  into  the  percentage  bracket. 
It  is  getting  so  the  customers  wonder  whether  we, 
or  the  stranger  that  is  hanging  around  the  door,  own 
the  house. — A.  E.  Hancock  Columbia  Theatre,  Colum- 
bia, Ind. 

GLASS  KEY,  THE:  Brian  Donlevy,  Alan  Ladd, 
Veronica  Lake — Did  fair  business  despite  gas  rationing, 
cold  weather  and  war-depressed  minds.  Guess  it  would 
have  taken  more  than  that  to  keep  the  men  from 
coming  to  see  Veronica  and  the  women  from  seeing 
Brian  Donlvy  and  Alan  Ladd — oh,  and  what  a  "lad"! 
All  patrons  pleased  with  picture.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  January  10,  11. — Mr.  Terry  Axley,  New 
Theatre,  England,  Ark.     Small  town  patronage. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— A  real 
good  Crosby  with  plenty  of  music  and  dancing,  but 
cannot  boast  of  the  business.  Dropped  50%  the  second 
day.  We  anticipated  bigger  business  than  it  did. — 
Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

MAJOR  AND  THE  MINOR,  THE:  Ginger  Rogers, 
Ray  Milland — Ginger  Rogers  has  proved  she  doesn't 
have  to  dance  to  make  a  hit.  A  good  actress  who 
keeps  everyone  interested.  As  for  Ray  Milland — well, 
I  heard  a  terrible  thump,  thump  noise  during  the 
picture  and  found  out  it  was  just  female  hearts  beat- 
ing. I'm  guilty  too.  A  good  all  around  picture. 
Played  Monday.  Tuesday.  December  28,  29.— Mr.  Terry 
Axley,  New  Theatre,  England,  Ark.  Small  town 
patronage. 

NO  HANDS  ON  THE  CLOCK:  Chester  Morris, 
Jean  Parker — Enjoyed  very  nice  business  on  this. 
Should  do  well  in  most  small  town  situations. — Harland 
Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

ROAD  TO  MOROCCO:  Dorothy  Lamour,  Bob  Hope, 
Bing  Crosby — These  stars  are  just  about  the  best  this 
town  has  ever  had.  Just  hope  they  don't  ever  start 
detouring  these  "Roads."  Very  well  pleased.  Played 
Sunday,  Monday,  January  3,  4. — Mrs.  Terry  Axley, 
New  Theatre,  England,  Ark.     Small  town  patronage. 

STREET  OF  CHANCE:  Burgess  Meredith,  Claire 

Trevor — Very  well  done  melodrama  which  pleased  on 
Bargain  Night.  With  a  strong  cast  would  have  been 
a  knockout  show.  Played  Tuesday,  January  12. — 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 
Small  town  patronage. 


RKO 

MAGNIFICENT  AMBERSONS,  THE:  Dolores  Cos- 
tello,  Joseph  Cotton — The  public — especially  small  town 
— is  not  ready  for  the  Orson  Welles  type  of  picture. 
Panned  by  nearly  everyone.      Certainly  a  very  un- 


pleasant entertainment.  Good  acting  and  direction 
doesn't  always  add  up  to  what  the  patrons  want. — 
L.  V.  Bergtold,  Westby  Theatre,  Westby,  Wis. 

MEXICAN  SPITFIRE  AT  SEA:  Lupe  Velez,  Leon 
Errol — It  wouldn't  do  to  tell  what  I  think  of  this 
picture.  Very  poor  draw.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, January  5,  6. — Mrs.  Terry  Axley,  New  Theatre, 
England,  Ark.     Small  town  patronage. 


Republic 

BELLS  OF  CAPISTRANO:  Gene  Autry— Just  the 
picture  for  the  rural  communities.  The  patrons  liked 
it  so  well  some  stayed  to  see  it  twice.  Played  Wed- 
nesday, Thursday,  December  30,  31. — Robert  Boyd,  Ohio 
Theatre,  Leipsic,  Ohio.  Small  town  and  rural  patron- 
age. 

CALL  OF  THE  CANYON:  Gene  Autry— A  good 
enjoyable  Autry  picture  which  lived  up  to  expecta- 
tions; it  pleased  everyone  who  came  and  registered 
at  the  box  office.  We  have  nothing  but  praise  for 
Gene's  drawing  power.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Janu- 
ary 3,  4. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre, 
New  Paltz,  N.  Y.     Small  town  patronage. 

FLYING  TIGERS:  John  Wayne,  Anna  Lee— Very, 
very  good  for  a  war  picture,  while  there  were  plenty 
of  planes  that  went  down,  there  was  no  gruesomeness. 
And  thanks  for  that  good  story,  and  perfect  cast. — 
A.  E.  Hancock,  Columbia  Theatre,  Columbia  City,  Ind. 

HI!  NEIGHBOR:  Lulubelle  &  Scotty,  Jean  Parker 
— A  swell  musical  show  that  pleased  them  all.  Second 
highest  grosser  in  1942.  It  proves  that  a  small  town 
theatre  doesn't  need  the  so-called  majors.  Played 
Thursday-Saturday,  November  5-7. — Robert  Boyd,  Ohio 
Theatre,  Leipsic,  Ohio.  Small  town  and  rural  patron- 
age. .  | 

JOAN  OF  OZARK:  Joe  E.  Brown,  Judy  Canova— 
We  did  more  business  on  this  one  than  on  a  lot  of 
pictures  we've  paid  twice  the  money  for.  Republic 
sells  them  right,  no  matter  how  good  they  are.  If  one 
of  the  majors  had  made  .  a  picture  with  half  the 
laughs  this  one  had  it  would  double  the  guarantee 
and  want  half  the  receipts.  Played  Thursday,  Friday. 1 
December  31,  January  1. — M.  L.  DuBose,  Majestic: 
Theatre,  Cotulla,  Texas.    General  patronage. 

ICE  CAPADES  REVUE:  Richard  Denning,  Ellen; 
Drew — Good  picture  and  good  business.    Should  please 
anywhere.    Played  Sunday,  Monday.  January  10,  11— 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey.  Okla 
Small  town  patronage. 

LADY  FOR  A  NIGHT:  Joan  Blondell,  Tohn  Wayne 
■ — Sorry  I  ran  this.  A  little  entertainment  at  th< 
beginning  and  at  the  close  but  very,  very  dull  in  the  [ 
long  stretch  in  between.  A  few  liked  it  but  a  largei 
number  went  out  of  their  way  to  pan  it. — L.  V.  Berg  | 
told,  Westby  Theatre,  Westby,  Wis. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

A-HAUNTING  WE  WILL  GO:  Laurel  and  Hard; 
— If  Laurel  and  Hardy  mean  anything  at  your  bo: 
office,  grab  this  one;  it  made  everyone  laugh  fron 
start  to  finish.  It's  very  silly,  that's  true,  and  a  lo  j 
of  it  doesn't  make  sense,  but  it's  all  in  fun.  Bo:!; 
office  okay.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Januar  i ! 
5,  6. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  Nei 
Paltz,  N.  Y.     Small  town  patronage. 

BLACK  SWAN,  THE:  Tyrone  Power,  Mauree:  I 
O'Hara,  Laird  Cregar— Very  good  blood  and  thunde 
feature.  Kept  patrons  on  edge  of  seats  practicall  i 
entire  length  of  feature.  Very  nice  color.  Good  stor  j 
and  it  didn't  drag.  Power  and  Cregar  with  Georg.i 
Sanders  were  very  good.  No  business  for  us,  but  w 
have  never  shown  a  story  of  the  sea  here  that  di 
any,  including  "Reap  the  Wild  Wind"  at  advance  i 
(Continued  on  page  60) 


Circuit 

Booker  Testifies 


Lam  Amusement  CompanyJnc 

O   C   !_«.-  «.v«ss= 

Rome  Georgia 


Jan.  11,  1943 


Mo'icr.  Picture  Herald, 
?rodu:t  digest  Lii*;r, 
?.::j:ef slier  -er.^er, 
New  Sark,  H.  I. 


t5 


*e  have  misplaced  the  Product  Digest  section  of  the 
following  issues  of  our  Heralds,  Oct..  3,  Nov.  21, 
Dec.  5,  Dec.  12  and  Dec.  26.    If  it  is  possible  for 
yon  to  forward  us  adctional  copies  we  will  greatly 
appreciate  it.    Also  forward  us  a  new  binder. 


Needless  to  say  that  the  Product  Digest  section  of 
the  Herald  is  referred  to  constantly  and  is  a  great 
help  in  our  buying  and  booking. 


Tfe  insist  that  i  of  our  manage 
lises"  tir.iers  ur  date. 


rs  keep  their  Product 


" ' ~  ~ " t  send  hi 


for  the  above  to  the  writer . 


H:ward  3.  3:huessler ,  5.:: ire 

lam  amdszment  co. 


Product  Digest,  published  every  week  in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  is 
the  most  comprehensive  service  ever  devised  for  Buyers  and  Bookers,  It 
has  become  a  MUST  for  the  thousands  of  theatre  operators  who  have  dis- 
covered its  usefulness.    If  you  aren't  using  it  start  this  week. 


60 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


(.Continued  from  page  58) 

admission.— A.  E.  Eliasen.  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynes- 
ville, Minn.     Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

DR.  RENAULT'S  SECRET:  Lynn  Roberts,  John 
Shepperd — All  I  can  say,  that  with  film  stock  cut, 
some  of  the  producers  later  on  in  the  season,  when 
the  pinch  really  comes,  will  wish  they  hadn't  wasted 
it  on  such  a  picture  as  this  one. — A.  E.  Hancock, 
Columbia  Theatre,  Columbia  City,  Ind. 

LOVES  OF  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE:  John  Shepperd, 
Linda  Darnell— We  doubled  this  with  "A-Haunting  We 
Will  Go"  from  the  same  producer.  It  definitely 
pleased  those  who  came,  and  I  believe  some  of  the 
audience  came  to  see  it  especially.  I  liked  it  myself; 
it  is  well  made  and  holds  the  interest.  It  may  be, 
as  some  have  said,  a  problem  at  the  box  office,  but 
E  failed  to  dislike  it.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday, 
tanuary  5,  6.— Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre, 
New  Paltz,  N.  Y.    Small  town  patronage. 

TEN  GENTLEMEN  FROM  WEST  POINT:  Mau- 
reen O'Hara,  George  Montgomery — Had  all  the  ele- 
ments needed  to  make  an  outstanding  production — but 
evidently  these  elements  were  not  in  the  proper  propor- 
tion as  the  thing  just  didn't  go  over.  Played  the 
Sunday  before  Christmas  which  is  not  a  good  date — 
but  business  was  even  worse  than  we  anticipated. 
Funny  how  comedy,  action,  acting,  cast,  direction  and 
all  sometimes  won't  add  up  to  entertainment. — L.  V. 
Bergtold,  Westby  Theatre,  Westby,  Wis. 

WHO  IS  HOPE  SCHUYLER?:  Mary  Howard— A 
more  appropriate  title  judging  from  our  customer  re- 
action would  have  been  "Who  Cares  About  Hope 
Schuyler?".  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  8,  9. 
—A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  Cal.  Small 
labor  town  patronage. 


United  Artists 

AMERICAN  EMPIRE:  Richard  Dix.  Preston  Foster 
—Thought  I  had  something  here  for  my  patrons  but 
evidently  didn't.  They  didn't  like  it  and  said  so.  This 
missed  the  boat  somewhere  along  the  line  and  didn't 
get  the  interest  aroused.  Took  in  film  rental. — A.  E. 
Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural 
and  small  town  patronage. 

GOLD  RUSH,  THE:  Charles  Chaplin— A  few  of  the 
kids  thought  it  was  funny — Chaplin's  rather  weak  voice 
works  off  screen  and  they  also  get  music  and  a  few 
sound  effects  on  the  sound  track.  It  must  have  cost 
nearly  $500  to  get  this  up  from  the  old  prints.  My 
vote  on  this  is  a  loud  "NO!" — L.  V.  Bergtold,  Westbv 
Theatre,  Westby,  Wis. 

I  MARRIED  A  WITCH:  Veronica  Lake,  Fredric 
March — Not  bad.  Weather  36  degrees  below  offered 
too  much  competition  for  Miss  Lake  and  she  froze 
on  us.  No  business.  Good  film  fare  and  under  normal 
conditions  it  should  do  fair  business  in  most  any 
situation. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynes- 
ville,  Minn.     Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

MOON  AND  SIXPENCE:  George  Sanders.  Herbert 
Marshall — Some  didn't  care  for  it  while  others  said 
"The  best  picture  we've  seen  in  a  long  time."  So 
there  you  are.     Didn't  draw  any  too  well.  Played 


Sunday,  Monday,  January  3,  4.— M.  L.  DuBose,  Ma- 
jestic Theatre,  Cotulla,  Texas.     General  patronage. 


Universal 

BOSS  OF  THE  HANGTOWN  MESA:  Johnny 
Mack  Brown — Johnny  Mack  Brown  hasn't  got  the 
popular  appeal  that  some  of  the  other  western  stars 
have  but  I  found  this  very  satisfactory  on  a  double 
bill.— Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Oht. 

GET  HEP  TO  LOVE:  Gloria  Jean— A  very  nice  bit 
of  entertainment.  Pleased  those  who  ventured  out  in 
the  inevitable  snow.  Poor  business. — A.  E.  Eliasen, 
Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

LITTLE  JOE  THE  WRANGLER:  Johnny  Mack 
Brown,  Tex  Ritter — Kids  liked  this  new  combination. 
Pleased  the  adults  too.  Snowstorm,  so  no  business. — 
A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre,  Paynesville,  Minn. 
Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

SOUTH  OF  TAHITI:  Brian  Donleyy,  Andy  Devine— 
Did  nice  business  on  this.  Think  it  should  do  well 
in  small  town.— Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Til- 
bury, Ont. 

TIMBER:  Andy  Devine,  Leo  Carrillo— Good  action 
show  doubled  with  a  Western.  Very  pleasing  to  my 
spitters  and  chewers. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis  Theatre, 
Paynesville,  Minn.     Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

WHAT'S  COOKIN':  Andrew  Sisters— Fair  program 
musical  that  did  nice  week  end  business. — Harland 
Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

WHO  DONE  IT?:  Abbott  and  Costello— Good 
comedy  and  good  business.  Swell  stuff  for  small 
towns.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  13, 
14. — E.  M.  Preiburger,  Paramount  Theatre.  Dewey, 
Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 

Warner  Bros. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Errol  Flynn,  Ronald 
Reagan — Picture  was  very  well  made,  but  business 
was  only  average.  Film  rental  too  high  in  comparison 
to  some  of  the  other  pictures.  Played  Sunday-Tues- 
day, December  20-22.— Robert  Boyd,  Ohio  Theatre, 
Leipsic,  Ohio.     Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  SLEPT  HERE:  Jack 
Benny,  Ann  Sheridan,  Percy  Kilbride,  Lee  Patrick — 
The  best  that  Benny  has  had,  and  thank  the  cast, 
especially  Percy  "Kimber"  Kilbride,  who  as  man  of 
all  work  almost  steals  the  picture,  and  Lee  Patrick. 
Where  has  this  lady  been?  In  her  short  sequence 
she  really  did  bear  down.  One  of  the  top  laughs  in 
the  picture.  If  I  were  a  producer  I'd  keep  my  eye 
on  that  lady  for  a  comedienne.  She  certainly  made  the 
best  of  the  little  she  had. — A.  E.  Hancock,  Columbia 
Theatre,  Columbia  City,  Ind. 

VARSITY  SHOW:  Dick  Powell,  Rosemary  Lane 
— Still  a  good  picture,  though  reissued  on  new  film. 
Business  was  below  average,  but  those  who  came 
enjoyed  it.  Played  Sunday,  Monday.  January  3,  4. — 
E.  M,  Freiburger.  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewy,  Okla. 
Small  town  patronage. 


YOU  CAN'T  ESCAPE  FOREVER:  George  Brent, 
Brenda  Marshall — You  can't  escape  enjoying  this,  I'm 
sure.  George  Brent  is  fine  in  the  role  of  a  news- 
paperman. Light  attraction  at  our  box  office,  though. 
Played  Friday,  Saturday,  December  18-19.— Arthur 
K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 


Short  Features 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

CHIPS  OFF  THE  OLD  BLOCK:  Technicolor  Car- 
toons— Butch,  the  family  cat,  tries  to  hide  the  four 
little  kittens  from  the  lady  of  the  house,  being  fearful 
that  they  may  cause  too  great  a  nuisance.  Things  are 
not  as  bad  as  they  seemed,  as  Butch  learns  in  the 
end. — Thomas  D.  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre.  New 
Paltz,  N.  Y. 

COLORFUL  NORTH  CAROLINA:  Fitzpatrick 
Traveltalks — Another  good  one  in  a  good  series;  there's 
no  doubt  everyone  is  interested  in  these  United  States, 
and  anyone  will  enjoy  this  pleasant,  although  too  short, 
trip  through  the  lovely  state  of  North  Carolina.— 
Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz, 
N.  Y. 

EARLY  BIRD  DOOD  IT,  THE:  Technicolor  Car- 
toons— This  is  really  one  of  the  season's  funniest 
cartoons.  It  filled  a  good  spot  on  our  program,  just 
where  we  needed  the  laughs.  There's  not  a  dull  mo- 
ment in  it. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre, 
New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 


RKO 

BONE    TROUBLE:    Walt  Disney    Cartoons— Very 

good  color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,   Dewey,  Okla. 

ORPHANS'  BENEFIT:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons- 
Another  swell  cartoon  from  Mr.  Disney.  There  are 
many  amusing  situations  which  should  please  your 
audience  just  as  much  as  it  did  ours. — Thomas  Di 
Lorenzo,  New  Paltz,  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

BARNYARD  WAAC:  Terrytoons— Good  color  car- 
toon.— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla. 

MONKEY  DOODLE  DANDIES:  Lew  Lehr— Lew 
Lehr  is  back  in  a  one -reel  comedy  and  folks  liked 
him. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla. 

WHEN  WINTER  COMES:  Sports  Reviews— Sport 
reel.  Just  a  filler. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


Victory  Films 

FUEL  CONSERVATION:  Official  U.  S.  Victory 
Film  distributed  by  Paramount — This  is  good  infor- 

of  vital  information  regarding  the  heating  problem 
during  war  time.  Excellent  material  if  run  before  the 
winter  is  over.  Well  produced  and  easily  understand- 
able.— Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New 
Paltz,  N.  Y. 

JAPANESE  RELOCATION:  Official  U.  S.  Victory 
Film  distributed  t>y  Paramount — This  is  good  infor- 
mation for  the  public  to  have.  It  was  a  welcome 
reel  on  our  screen  as  many  people  in  small  towns  are 
interested  in  how  the  aliens  in  the  U.S.A.  are  being 
cared  for.  Well  done. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz 
Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 


Vi+aphone 

BEYOND  THE  LINE  OF  DUTY:  Broadway  Brev- 
ities— Most  timely  on  aviation.  Play  it.  It  is  very- 
interesting. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Cha- 
tham, Ont. 

BEYOND  THE  LINE  OF  DUTY:  Broadway  Brev- 
ities—An exceptional  two-reel  subject  about  Captain 
Wheless,  of  whom  President  Roosevelt  spoke  over 
the  radio  one  night  last  April.  I  can  tell  you  it  made 
a  deep  impression  here  and  pleased  all. — Thomas  Di 
Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

FIGHTING  ENGINEERS:  Technicolor  Specials- 
Very  good  two-reel  subject  in  color.  Timely  and 
patriotic.  —  E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 

HORSES!  HORSES!  HORSES!:  The  Sports  Parade 
— Very  good  sport  reel  in  brilliant  color. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger, Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

SPIRIT  OF  ANNAPOLIS:  U.  S.  Naval  Cadets  & 
Band — Here  is  lively  stuff  for  the  screen  in  the  form 
of  a  concert  by  the  Midshipmen's  glee  club  and  band. 
The  numbers  are  all  familiar  to  your  audience;  our 
crowd  like  it  immensely. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

SPIRIT  OF  WEST  POINT,  THE:  Broadway  Brevi 
ties — Entertaining  two-reel  subject. — E.  M.  Freiburger. 
Paramount  heatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


'WESTERN  UNION 


January    30,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


61 


MANAGERS' 


ROUND  TABLE 


zAn  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  weekly 
\in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 

OB  WILE,  Editor  GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


OP 


Crist  for  the  Showman's  Mill 


This  week  you  are  invited  to  sit  alongside  your  editor  as  the 
mail  comes  in  and  glance  over  his  shoulder  at  some  of  the  out- 
standing bits  of  exploitation  from  all  over  the  country.  What 
we  are  looking  at  is  only  a  small  fraction  of  what  comes  across 
this  desk  in  a  week;  we  have  selected  this  week  simply  because 
of  the  large  amount  of  unusual  material  which  has  come  to 
our  attention  within  this  period.  So  here  goes: 

*  *  * 

Falls  City,  Neb. — Jimmy  Redmond,  city  manager  for  Tri- 
States  Theatres,  encloses  a  little  novelty  "that  has  proved  a 
sensation  in  selling  a  picture  for  us".  The  Falls  City  Daily  Jour- 
nal furnishes  small  folders.  Pages  I  and  4  are  blank;  page  2 
carries  a  headline,  "We  have  been  reading  about  you  in  the 

1  Falls  City  Journal".  There  follows  a  copy  of  an  item  about  the 
person  to  whom  the  folder  is  sent,  plus  selling  copy  about  the 
paper.  The  third  page  carries  the  headline,  "Now  will  you  read 
something  about  us?" — followed  by  an  ad  for  a  picture  and 
playdates.  If  this  is  a  sample  of  what's  to  come,  it  bodes  well 
for  you  onlookers.  That's  a  capital  idea  worth  taking  up  with 

\your  newspaper. 

*  *  * 

Boston,  Mass.- — This  one  is  from  "Red"  King,  publicity  head 
for  RKO  Theatres  in  Boston.  When  gasoline  was  forbidden  for 
jpleasure-driving  purposes,  Red  started  a  baseball  game  in  front 
of  Keith's  Boston  theatre,  with  some  of  his  staff  on  the  team. 
Then  he  called  the  newspapers  and  pointed  out  how  unusual 
it  was  to  have  a  baseball  game  in  the  middle  of  an  important 
street.  The  Daily  Record  thought  it  unusual  enough  to  take  a 
photo  and  there  on  the  front  page  appeared  a  huge  picture 
of  the  front  of  the  Keith-Boston  with  the  marquee  showing  the 
current  attractions  easily  legible.  Ingenious,  wasn't  it.  And 
the  sort  of  thing  that  makes  you  say,  "Why  didn't  I  think 
of  that?" 


Duncan,  Okla. — Here's  Elmer  Adams  of  the  Palace  theatre 
with  the  novel  idea  of  having  his  staff  take  part  in  stage  shows. 
The  Palace  employs  boys  and  girls  in  their  'teens  and,  when  it 
;ame  to  running  an  amateur  night,  Elmer  discovered  the  best 
"alent  was  right  on  his  own  doorstep.  So  now  he  has  a  small 
oand,  dancers,  singers,  etc.,  who  are  a  hit  with  the  local  popu- 
ace.  "They  are  very  popular.  I  have  locally  acquired  the 
lame  of  Uncle  Elmer,"  reports  the  showman. 


New  Haven,  Conn. — Home  Front  News  is  the  title  of  a  pub- 
lication put  out  by  Lou  Brown,  publicity  director  of  the  Loew 
New  England  theatres,  for  the  benefit  of  the  circuit's  many 
men  who  have  joined  the  armed  forces.  Of  considerable  size, 
the  publication  will  keep  the  boys  in  touch  with  events  at  home 
and  prepare  them  for  a  successful  return  to  their  jobs.  Among 
the  other  circuits  which  have  sent  us  copies  of  similar  publica- 
tions, by  the  way,  are  Interstate,  Warners'  Cleveland  zone 
Wometco,  Famous  Players  Canadian,  Schine  and  Tri-States. 

*  *  * 

Burlington,  N.  J. — "Like  many  small  town  theatre  managers," 
says  Sene  Stutenroth,  manager  of  the  Fox  theatre,  "I've  had 
to  be  manager,  doorman,  relief  cashier,  fireman  on  the  night 
shift  and  general  maintenance  man,  not  to  mention  window 
card  distributor,  and  bouncer  for  my  balcony.  This  routine  has 
oeen  going  on  for  nearly  three  months  and  my  wife  has  had  to 
fill  in  as  usherette  and  keep  four  candy  and  peanut  vending 
machines  serviced  daily.  That's  the  main  reason  I  haven't  had 
time  to  write  much  about  my  campaigns  or  theatre  activities, 
as  I  also  belong  to  the  Kiwanis  Club,  am  an  air  warden,  serve 
on  the  Mayor's  Civilian  Defense  Committee  and  act  as  chair- 
man of  all  local  War  Bond  Drives."  Gene  reports  that  he  sold 
$23,000  worth  of  War  Bonds  from  his  booth  in  the  lobby.  "All 
my  sales  were  in  small  denominations  and  I  wound  up  the 
month  typing  around  450  Bonds  without  any  clerical  assistance." 

*  *  * 

Chicago,  III. — A  lady  excitedly  sought  out  Ralph  Armstrong, 
manager  of  the  Empress  theatre,  a  neighborhood  house  here, 
to  tell  him  that  her  brother,  Charles  Henry  Bowsher,  was  one 
of  the  wounded  men  shown  in  the  newsreel  being  carried  on 
a  stretcher  from  a  sinking  boat.  Could  the  film  be  stopped 
so  that  she  could  make  absolutely  certain?  Ralph  reports  that 
he  told  the  lady  and  her  father  that  after  the  next  showing 
he  would  be  glad  to  arrange  it  for  them  to  look  at  the  print. 
Meanwhile,  he  called  the  Daily  Times.  A  photographer  rushed 
out  to  the  Empress,  caught  a  picture  of  the  lady  and  her  father 
excitedly  watching  the  picture,  took  a  shot  of  them  watching 
the  operator  as  he  held  up  the  print  and  also  blew  up  one  frame 
of  the  print.  Ail  three  pictures  took  up  more  than  half  of  the 
front  page  of  the  Daily  Times.  A  story  gave  further  details. 
That's  a  real  accomplishment  for  a  neighborhood  theatre  and 
represents  some  smart,  fast  thinking  on  the  part  of  Armstrong. 

—BOB  WILE 


62 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,     194  3: 

Exploitation 
Caught  By 
The  Camera 


Coast  Guardsman  Robert  Furey  grins  as  he  posts  his  own  photo 
on  the  wall  space  in  the  Hempstead  theatre,  Hempstead,  N.  Y. 
Manager  Ed  Enke  holds  a  youthful  patron.   Ed  reports  a 
great  deal  of  local  interest  in  the  map.  This  photo  appeared 
on  the  front  page  of  Newsday,  local  daily. 


Employees  of  the  New  York  Coca  Cola  plant  were  fortunate 
to  be  able  to  buy  tickets  for  the  premiere  of  "Shadow  of 
a  Doubt"  at  the  Rivoli,  from  Powers  models.  Montague  Salmon, 
manager  of  the  Rivoli,  aided  by  Carol  Lynn  and  Phil  Laufer, 
was  responsible  for  their  good  fortune. 


Woolworth's  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  gave  over  its  corner  windov' 
for  "The  Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn".  The  promotion  was  if 
engineered  by  Al  Anders,  manager  of  the  Bijou  and 
George  Ettinger,  Columbia  exploiteer. 


By  Parlet-Gerber 


Here's  Bill  Saxton's  lobby  display  at  the 
Century  in  Baltimore.  He  also  got  a  four- 
column  spread  in  the  paper  showing  the 
Mayor  greeting  a  group  of  girls  repre- 
senting the  United  Nations. 


Red  King,  publicity  chief  for  the  RKO  Boston  theatres,  arranged  a  baseball 
game  with  the  theatre  employees  to  show  the  effect  of  the  ban  on  gasoline  fi 
pleasure  driving.  This  picture  made  the  Boston  papers,  attraction  sign  and  all. 


ary    30.  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


c2 


Selling  Points 

ON  UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK 

The  material  belou?  reflects  the  press  book  prepared  for  this  campaign  and  represents  the 
point  of  mea  of  the  sponsors  of  the  drive  about  the  methods  for  putting  it  over.) 

STAR  SPANGLED  RHYTHM  (Paramount):  h  "th  even/  star  on  the  Paramount  lot  in 
the  picture,  the  names  will  mean  much  in  selling  it.  A  great  deal  of  the  exploitation 
will  depend  upon  putting  that  point  over.  Since  a  large  part  of  the  action  takes  place 
in  the  Paramount  Studio,  a  still  of  the  studio  gate  could  be  blown  up  and  used  over 
an  outside  doorway  in  advance  and  over  the  doorman's  entrance  during  the  run.  The 
sides  can  have  stills  showing  the  many  stars  in  the  picture.  Blowups  of  the  stars  could 
be  olaced  in  cutout  stars  to  be  used  as  marque  hangers  or  as  lobby  plaques.  An 
endless  chain  of  stars  placed  above  the  box  office  could  be  made  to  revolve  by 
using  a  slow-moving  motor.  A  similar  belt  could  be  used  at  one  end  of  a  phony 
telescope.  A  Hollywood  studio  pass,  containing  the  names  of  all  the  stars  and  copy, 
"Good  with  one  admission  to  the  Blank  Theatre",  makes  an  intriguing  giveaway.  In 
advance,  collect  all  the  old  fan  magazines  from  newsdealers,  put  a  paster  on  the 
cover  advertising  the  picture  and  playdates  and  give  them  away.  Since  there  is  an 
imitation  contest  in  the  picture,  an  imitation  contest  locally  would  be  a  perfect  tieup. 
Contestants  may  choose  any  of  the  stars  in  the  picture,  prizes  going  to  the  best 
imitator  of  all.  There's  a  one  day  contest  in  which  all  the  stars'  pictures  are  printed 
at  one  time  with  number  beneath.  There  is  space  underenath  for  complete  identifica- 
tion by  newspaper  readers,  ihumbnail  cuts  of  each  of  the  stars  could  be  imprinted 
on  merchants'  premium  cards,  each  to  be  given  away  by  a  different  store  or  two 
or  three  by  a  smaller  group  of  merchants.  Persons  collecting  a  full  assortment  of  the 
cards  would  be  given  passes  to  the  theatre.  Many  of  the  stars  in  the  picture  are 
prominently  identified  with  radio.  Spot  announcements  after  their  regular  programs 
would  be  appropriate.  The  number  of  stars  in  the  film  who  were  made  famous  on 
the  radio  suggests  the  possibility  of  an  ad  on  the  radio  page  of  the  newspaper.  The 
music  in  the  picture  should  be  plugged  over  the  air,  through  local  orchestras  and  in 
cooperation  with  local  music  stores.  A  four  day  contest,  with  Victor  Moore  standing 
at  the  gate  of  the  Paramount  Studio  admitting  various  stars  to  be  identified  by  news- 
paper readers,  is  another  way  to  get  potential  cusomers  interested  in  the  number  of 
stars.  The  press  book  has  a  suggestion  for  a  weather  forecast  box  headed  "Eclipse 
tonight — 48  stars,  etc.,  at  the  Blank  iheatre".  If  the  ear  of  the  newspaper  is  not 
available  for  advertising  space,  set  this  up  like  text,  even  if  it  has  to  have  a  little 
"advt"  underneath. 


Effective  Front  Helps  Sell 
"Springtime  in  the  Rockies" 

Ky.,  Harry  3  team  and  Ken  Carter  ar- 
ranged special  displays  in  the  music  de- 
partment of  the  local  five  and  dime  store, 
securing  free  sheets  from  the  publisher  of 
he  hit  tunes  from  the  picture.  Stills  and 
copy  were  used  to  make  an  attractive 
standee  and  display  cards.  The  boys  also 
secured  free  orchestrations  on  two  songs 
from  the  picture,  which  were  given  to  the 
leader  of  a  local  bpjid.  Free  plugs  for  the 
picture  were  received  here  whenever  the 
music  was  played. 

An  attractive  40  by  60  display,  using  nu- 
merous stills  featuring  Bern-  Grable  with 
plenty  of  leg  work  was  used  in  addition  to 
six-sheet  cutouts  for  the  front,  spotted 
among  giant  cutout  letters  spelling  out  the 
title.  Four  five-foot  legs  beneath  this  car- 
ried additional  star  and  selling  copy. 

Merchants  Pay  for  Ad  on 
"Wings  for  the  Eagle" 

An  exploitation  stunt  which  cost  him  only 
the  effort  involved  was  arranged  by  Kenn 
Workman  of  the  State  theatre  in  Fresno, 
California.  Plan  called  tor  a  full-column  ad 


in  the  Fresno  Bee  on  opening  day  of  "Wings 


title  of  the  picture  spelled  out  in  large  size 

tcra.  ar_d  with  eath  letter  retreser.tir.g  the 
first  letter  of  a  local  store  or  firm.  For 
example,  the  "S**  in  ""Wings"  represented 
the  State  Lur.th  House. 

Elder  Gets  Front  Pages 
For  Marjorie  Main  Tour 

browbeating  Wallace  Beery  in  pictures,  re- 
cently returned  to  her  native  TnHiana  on  a 
Bond  selling  tour.  Marjorie  was  "brung 
up"  in  Shelbyville  where  her  father,  the 
Rev.  R,  J.  Tdmlinson  was  the  pastor  of  the 
First  Methodist  Church.  After  a  success- 
ful appearance  in  Shelbyville  on  this  trip. 

There,  Bill  Elder  of  Loew's  theatre,  on 
whose  stage  she  appeared  at  a  special  mid- 
night show  to  which  a  Bond  was  the  ad- 
mission, got  front-page  mention  for  her  on 
several  successive  days.  Not  only  that  but 
in  her  two  appearances  she  sold  more  than 


Deering  Gets  Actor  to  Sell 
Bond  to  Child,  Gets  Publicity 

Down  in  Houston,  Texas,  they  have  been 
baying  War  Bonds  for  a  special  purpose. 
They're  raising  a  War  Bond  fund  to  buy 
a  new  cruiser  Houston,  named  after  that 
gallant  vessel  of  the  Asiatic  fleet  lost  in 
the  early  days  of  the  war.  One  little  lass, 
whose  dad  is  in  the  Army,  saved  her  pen- 
nies and  nickels  to  buy  a  Bond  for  the 
Houston  fund  ar.d  brought  them  to  Loew's 
State  theatre  where  Francis  Deering  is 
manager.  Richard  Quine,  the  actor,  hap- 
pened to  be  around  at  the  time  and  Fran- 
cis pressed  him  into  service  as  a  Bond 
salesman.  A  fine  two-column  picture  and 
story  in  The  Houston  Press  was  the  result 


Sweetheart  Night  Held 
For  "Seven  Sweethearts" 

As  a  novelty  giveaway  ahead  of  ''Seven 
Sweethearts"  at  the  Kenosha  theatre,  in 
Kenosha,  Wis.,  Francis  Schlax  aided  by  his 
assistant,  June  Jensen,  distributed  blotters  at 
local  schools.  Copy  on  the  front  read: 
'"Don't  blot  out  this  date.  It's  high  school 
Sweetheart  Night,  Bring  seven  sweethearts 
and  be  admitted  free.  Free  Admission  for 
every  man  accompanied  by  seven  lady 
friends."  For  his  street  ballyhoo,  Schlax 
had  a  lad  carry  a  heart  shaped  sandwich 
board  with  copy  reading:  "Bachelors  Be- 
ware. 'Seven  Sweethearts'  will  be  at  the 
Kenosha  Theatres." 


Six  Music  Stores  Plug  Tunes 
On  "You  Were  Never  Lovelier" 

theatre.  York,  Pa.,  tied  in  with  six  music 
stores  in  town  for  "You  Were  Never  Love- 
lier." Two  of  the  stores  played  the  hit 
tunes  from  the  screen  score  over  their  public 
address  systems  for  several  days  before  the 
opening.  In  addition,  the  picture  songs  were 
plugged  on  the  radio.  He  also  arranged  for 
a  weighing  scales  tie-in,  whereby  pictures 
of  the  stars  of  the  movie  were  placed  in  the 
scales,  and  those  who  received  one  when 
weighed  got  free  tickets  to  the  theatre. 


Ingenious  Teaser  Folder 
Issued  by  Redmond 

Cooperating  with  his  local  daily,  Jimmy 
Redmond  at  the  Rivoli  theatre,  in  Falls 
City,  Neb.,  has  been  distributing  two  fold 
tinted  folders  measuring  three  and  one-half 
by  six  inches.  The  front  cover  is  utilized 
for  the  name  and  address  of  the  person  to 
whom  it  is  directed.  The  inside  spread  on 
the  left  hand  side  carried  copy:  e'We  have 
been  reading  about  you  in  the  Falls  City 
Journal.  Here  is  what  we  have  been  read- 
ing." Directly  below  this  is  pasted  a  story 
clipped  from  the  paper. 

The  right  hand  side  of  the  spread  carried 
the  line :  "Now !  Will  you  read  something 
about  us?"  This  is  followed  by  picture  copv 
with  cut,  caption  and  playdates.  The  co- 
operating newspaper  furnishes  Redmond 
with  all  the  folders  he  needs,  in  addition  to 
pavingr  hall  the  cost  of  the  mailinsr. 

Appointed  Bond  Chairman 

Having  recently  been  appointed  by  the 
State  as  chairman  for  War  Bond  Division 
for  his  count}-.  Chris  Chamales  at  the  Roxy 
theatre,  in  Delphi,  Ind.,  has  distributed  2,100 
pieces  of  mail  to  farmers  regarding  Bond 
purchases,  which  included  pamphlets  on 
^Vartime  Program  for  U.  S.  Stamps  and 
Bonds,  pledge  cards  and  information  for 
farm  solicitors  and  alibi  chasers. 


64 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


SHOWMEN  PRAISE  PURPOSES 
OF  QUICLEY  AWARDS 


"ADD  TO  MANAGERS  PRESTIGE" 

I  would  like  to  go  on  record  as  being 
heartily  in  favor  of  this  method  of  recogni- 
tion of  managers'  efforts.  Aside  from  per- 
sonal satisfaction  derived  from  winning 
these  Awards,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  they 
add  to  a  manager's  prestige. 

Also,  the  Quigley  Awards  serve  as  a 
stimulant.  They  prevent  the  manager  from 
going  stagnant  and  keep  him  on  his  mettle. 

Furthermore,  the  executive  officers  of 
Fanchon  &  Marco  have  always  displayed 
keen  interest  in  the  Quigley  Awards  and 
were  very  much  pleased  with  the  endeavors 
of  their  managers. 

Jack  Rosenzweig,  Manchester  theatre,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

"STIMULATE  THE  BOX  OFFICE" 

Box  office  is  a  combination  of  the  show 
one  has  on  hand  and  the  effort  put  forth 
to  let  the  public  know  about  it. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  the 
Quigley  Awards  stimulate  the  box  office 
by  encouraging  and  stimulating  individual 
effort  toward  selling  and  showmanship. 

The  Round  Table  has  always  been  a 
favorite  medium  of  exchange  of  good, 
workable  ideas  which  I  have  used  many 
times. 

I  am  certain  that  theatre  executives 
everywhere  are  interested  in  seeing  their 
men  get  awards.  Having  won  a  few  of 
them  myself,  I  am  sure  they  have  helped 
considerably  in  getting  recognition. 
Marlowe  Conner,  Capitol  theatre,  Madison,  Wis. 

"A  GOAL  TO  WORK  FOR" 

In  my  honest  opinion,  the  theatre  man- 
ager who  consistently  studies  the  selling 
points,  unusual  advertising  ideas  and  novel 
displays  as  shown  weekly  in  the  Managers' 
Round  Table  section  of  Motion  Picture 
Herald  is  the  showman  whose  theatre  is 
going  ahead.  For  in  the  final  analysis,  we 
managers  are  given  the  finished  pictures 
and  a  great  deal  of  general  help  to  sell 
them,  but  no  one  knows  and  understands 
our  individual  patronage  as  we  do.  It  is 
our  most  important  job  to  point  out  to 
the  public,  individually  and  collectively, 
those  selling  points  which  they  will  spend 
their  money  at  our  box  office  to  see  more 
of,  to  learn  more  of  and  to  be  entertained 
more  by.  It  is  up  to  us  managers  to  get 
our  product  and  our  patrons  together. 

The  Quigley  Awards  are  a  goal  to  work 
for  which  means  a  recognition  from  show- 
men more  able  and  experienced  than  my- 
self, which  tells  me,  in  winning,  that  I  have 
done  better  than  just  keeping  my  theatre  in 
running  order. 

I  know  that  in  a  small  circuit,  the  man- 
ager who  wins  a  Quigley  Award  also  wins 
a  higher  regard  in  the  eyes  of  his  fellow 
managers,  which  in  turn  prompts  them  to 
greater  efforts.   Such  friendly  competition 


DON'T,  PLEASE 

Last  week,  after  the  Fourth  Quar- 
ter Judging  had  already  been  held 
and  the  result  announced  in  the  issue 
of  January  16th,  the  Round  Table 
was  disturbed  to  receive  two  huge 
volumes  from  an  outstanding  show- 
man who  asked  that  his  material  be 
entered  for  the  1942  Grand  Awards. 
He  presented  a  year's  showmanship 
activities,  starting  from  January  of 
last  year.  We  were  disturbed  be- 
cause this  showman  was  asking  us  to 
do  the  impossible.  Even  if  the  mate- 
rial had  arrived  on  December  31st,  it 
could  not  have  been  considered  for 
the  Grand  Awards. 

Awards  rules  provide  that  exploita- 
tion must  be  submitted  as  soon  after 
completion  as  possible.  This  showman 
held  his  material  until  the  end  of  the 
year.  The  Awards  rules  also  provide 
that  only  those  showmen  who  have 
won  honors  in  the  Quarterly  Awards 
may  be  considered  for  the  Grand 
Awards. 

There  is  still  another  point  involved. 
The  Awards  are  not  voted  for  the 
most  beautiful  books.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  in  order  to  equalize  everyone's 
chances,  the  material  submitted  for 
Grand  Awards  judging  is  pasted  in 
plain  books  so  that  "gingerbread" 
cannot  possibly  influence  the  Judges. 

So,  please,  send  in  your  material  as 
soon  as  possible  after  the  promotions 
are  made. 


cannot  but  help  be  of  importance  in  our 
situation,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  has  been 
a  great  consideration  in  securing  several 
salary  increases  for  me  in  the  past  two 
years. 

Alexander  Buist,  Rialto  theatre,  Westfield,  N.  J. 


"MIGHTY  FINE  STIMULANT" 

It  is  always  gratifying  to  myself  and  my 
employers  to  receive  recognition  from  the 
Quigley  Awards. 

There  is  absolutely  no  question  in  my 
mind  that  such  competition  among  theatre 
managers  is  a  mighty  fine  stimulant  for  bet- 
ter showmanship.  I  am  happy  to  say  that 
I  have  found  many  ideas  in  the  Round  Table 
with  which  to  enhance  the  value  of  our 
attractions  at  the  box  office. 

My  bosses  appreciate  this  recognition 
and  are  as  interested  in  my  awards  as  I 
am  myself.  During  my  five  years'  associa- 
tion with  them  I  have  never  failed  to 
receive  a  handsome  bonus  check  at  Christ- 
mas time  and  a  substantial  raise.  I  am  cer- 
tain that  the  Quigley  Awards  played  an 
important  part  in  this  and  my  complete 
contentment  and  happiness  with  my  em- 
ployers, M.  Switow  &  Sons. 

A.    J.    Kalberer,    Indiana    and    Liberty  theatres, 
Washington,  Ind. 

"ALL  MIGHTY  INTERESTED" 

Every  manager  should  be  thankful  to  your 
department  for  the  very  fine  work  you  fel- 
lows are  turning  out  which  keeps  us  on  our 
toes  when  we  read  what  the  other  fellow 
is  doing. 

Winning  awards  of  this  kind  is  always  a 
big  factor  in  keeping  a  fellow  in  the  front 
line.  The  Messrs.  Myer  and  L.  W.  Schine 
are  always  interested  in  their  men  who  con- 
tribute to  your  department,  as  they  are 
both  Judges  on  your  committee.  Also, 
Seymour  Morris,  our  home  office  advertis- 
ing department  head,  is  a  great  booster 
and  a  past  contributor  to  your  very  fine 
department. 

I  can  assure  you  that  all  my  men  in  my 
district  are  contributors. and  are  all  mighty 
interested  in  Quigley  Awards  and  your  de- 
partment which  keeps  them  so  closely  in 
touch  with  the  go-getter  managers  in  our 
business. 

Harry  D.  Stearn,  district  manager,  Southern  Ken- 
tucky, Schine  Circuit 


RICK  RICKETSON, 

President,  Fox  Inter-Mountain  Theatres,  Inc. 

Showmanship  is  needed  in  the  world  today  as  much  as  ever  and 
I  know  that  in  the  ten-year  history  of  the  Quigley  Awards  much  has 
been  done  to  develop  a  higher  type  of  showmanship. 

J.  J.  FITZGIBBONS, 

President,  Famous  Players  Canadian  Corporation: 

We  sincerely  believe  this  method  of  giving  credit  where  credit  is 
due  has  been  a  great  incentive  to  improve  the  showmanship  displayed 
by  many  managers  on  our  circuit. 


January    30,     I  943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


65 


943  SEASON  STARTS  STRONG 
CONTEST  RULES  GIVEN 

AWARDS  RULES 


-MANY  EXCELLENT  IDEAS" 

'  I  can  say  that  in  competition  with  per- 
aps  thousands  of  showmen  all  over  the 
i/orld,  it  is  quite  naturally  of  interest  to 
ead  what  the  other  fellow  is  doing  and 
c  glean  from  the  pages  of  the  Round 
"able  section  the  many  excellent  ideas  used 
round  the  country  for  the  promotion  of 
(notion  pictures. 

I  know  the  high  esteem  in  which  the 
\.vards  are  held  by  virtually  all  showmen, 
joih  executive  and  managerial,  and  I  am 
ure  that  in  many  instances  promotions 
i^ave  resulted  for  many  men  through  their 
contributions  and  recognition. 

The  effort  expended  in  showmanship 
elps  the  boxoffice,  the  manager  to  keep 
lert  to  the  times  and  methods  employed 
i  his  daily  work,  and  is  the  backbone  of 
fie  success  or  failure  of  a  situation,  many 
limes. 

Clayton   Cornell,   Pontiac  theatre,   Saranac  Lake, 
N.  Y. 

AN  INSPIRATION  TO  ME" 

The  Quigley  Awards  have  always  been 
n  inspiration  to  me,  and  I  think  they  have 
•een  an  inspiration  to  the  many  assistants 

have  had  in  the  past  years,  as  I  am  al- 


ways tickled  to  see  their  names  listed  as 
winners,  since  they  have  been  promoted 
to  managerships. 

I  know  my  company,  Famous"  Players 
Canadian  Corp.,  under  Mr.  J.  J.  Fitz- 
gibbons'  leadership  as  well  as  Morris  Stein 
and  Jack  Arthur,  are  always  pleased  to 
know  we  are  in  there,  for  the  reason  when 
we  win  an  award  it  means  we  have  had  in- 
creased grosses,  which  means  a  larger  year- 
ly bonus  for  us  managers. 

Sid  Scott,  Capitol  theatre,  Sudbury,  Ont.,  Canada 

"THE  GREATEST" 

In  my  opinion,  a  Quigley  Award  is  the 
greatest  that  a  manager  could  receive. 
These  Awards  are  a  great  factor  in  stimu- 
lating a  showman  to  put  more  effort  into 
showmanship,  therefore  increasing  the  value 
of  his  attraction  at  the  box  office. 

Not  only  is  a  Quigley  Award  something 
that  a  manager  is  very  proud  to  have  hang- 
ing on  his  office  wall  along  with  the  pic- 
tures of  his  son  or  brother  in  the  armed 
services,  but  he  knows  the  winning  of  recog- 
nition will  sooner  or  later  bring  about  a 
promotion  and  a  salary  increase,  and  that 
the  heads  of  the  circuit  are  proud  to  have 
one  of  their  managers  win  these  honors. 

Louis  Charninsky,  Capitol  theatre,  Dallas,  Tex. 


OUTSTANDING  SHOWMEN 

he  second  Fortnight's  list  for  1943  contains  several  names  which  did  not  appear  in 
ne  last  listing.   That  means  some  new  contenders  for  First  Quarter  Awards.  Since  it 
the  consistent  contributors  who  win  Awards,  any  more  newcomers  will  have  to  send 
i  their  material  pronto  in  order  to  keep  up  with  those  listed  last  Fortnight  and  here. 

LMER  ADAMS,  JR. 
alace,  Duncan,  Okla. 

iAROLD  BISHOP 
Capitol,  Winnipeg,  Man. 

USSELL  A.  BOVIM 
>hio,  Columbus,  Ohio 

OSEPH  BOYLE 
roadway,  Norwich,  Conn. 

EW  BREYER 

jftrand,  Holyoke,  Mass. 

ISE  BR1EN 

ienyon,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Clayton  Cornell 

ontiac,  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y. 


* 


aurice  druker 

tate,  Memphis,  Tenn. 
ILL  ELDER 

oew's,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
D  ENKE 

'empstead,  Hempstead,  L.  I. 

ICK  FELDMAN 
3ramount,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


JACK  FLEX 

LESTER  POLLOCK 

Keith,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Loew's,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

ED  FORESTER 

SYDNEY  J.  POPPAY 

Des  Moines,  Des  Moines, 

la. 

Majestic,  Gettysburg,  Pa. 

STANLEY  GOSNELL 
Uptown,  Toronto,  Ont.,  C 

anada 

JIM  REDMOND 
Tri-States  Rivoli 

SID  HOLLAND 

Falls  City,  Neb. 

Palace,  Akron,  O. 

C.  J.  REMINGTON 

A.  J.  KALBERER 

State,  Auburn,  Calif. 

Switow's  Indiana 

Washington,  Ind. 

MORRIS  ROSENTHAL 

JAMES  KING 

Majestic,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Keith  Memorial,  Boston, 

Mass. 

boyd  scon 

SID  KLEPER 

Grand,  Holdenville,  Okla. 

Poli,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

CHUCK  SHANNON 

DAVE  LEVIN 

Cambria,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

RITA  MORTON 

HARRY  D.  STEARN 

RKO  Albee,  Providence 

R.  1. 

KEN  CARTER 

JOE  LONGO 

Manring,  Middlesboro,  Ky. 

Loew's,  Boston,  Mass. 

MOLLIE  STICKLES 

JACK  MATLACK 

Strand,  Waterbury,  Conn. 

Hunt  Theatres 

LEONARD  TUTTLE 

Medford,  Ore. 

Indiana,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Entries  must  be  iorwarded  as  soon  as 
possible  after  exploitation  is  completed. 

There  are  no  classifications  of  population  or 
situation.  Every  entrant  starts  from  scratch — 
circuit  or  independent,  first-run  or  subsequent, 
downtown  or  neighborhood,  big  city  or  small 
town. 

• 

Consistency  of  effort  is  a  paramount  con- 
sideration in  the  Quigley  Awards.  One-shot 
campaigns  or  ideas  are  not  eligible  for  con- 
sideration. 

• 

Whole  campaigns  need  necessarily  not  be 
submitted  but  are,  of  course,  acceptable. 
Single  ideas  or  promotions  are  eligible  for  con- 
sideration if  the  entrant  is  a  consistent  con- 
tributor. 

• 

Entrants  most  often  represented  in  each 
Quarter  will  receive  first  consideration  for  the 
Quarterly  Awards. 

• 

The  1943  Quigley  Awards  began  on  Jan- 
uary 1.  There  will  be  three  Plaques  and  five 
Medals  issued  in  each  Quarter,  with  the  Grand 
Awards  to  be  given  to  the  best  two  of  all 
Quarterly  winners. 

• 

No  fancy  entries  are  necessary.   Costly  and 
time-using  "Gingerbread"  decorations  are  not 
encouraged.   Showmanship  only  counts. 
• 

In  addition  to  exploitation  on  pictures — 
features,  shorts  or  serials — entries  may  be  made 
on  institutional  promotions.  Exploitation  on 
stage  shows,  presentations,  etc.,  is  also  definitely 
eligible  for  consideration. 

A  single  idea  may  be  confined  to  a  window, 
contest,  newspaper  or  program  publicity,  street 
stunt,  lobby  display,  ad  or  ad  series,  newspaper 
section,  radio  tiein,  etc. 

A  single  promotion  may  include  more  than 
one  slant,  providing  all  slants  relate  to  the 
original  idea.  Tims,  a  single  contest  promotion 
may  be  carried  in  newspapers,  on  the  radio,  in 
ivindows,  ads,  lobby,  etc. 

• 

Evidence  proving  authenticity  of  each  entry 
must  be  submitted,  such  as  photos,  tear  sheets, 
programs,  heralds,  ads,  letters,  etc. 

Address  all  entries  to: 

Quigley  Awards  Committee, 
Managers'  Round  Table, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 


66 


Mollie  Stickles 
Plays  Holdovers, 
Exploits  All 


Tivo  theatre  attendants,  dressed  in  gob 
uniform,  convoyed  an  attractive  girl  about 
town  at  peak  hours  as  part  of  Mollie 
Stickles'  "Stand  By  For  Action"  date  at 
the  Strand,  in  Waterbury,  Conn. 


Playing  all  holdovers  at  the  Poli  Strand, 
in  Waterbury,  Conn.,  Mollie  Stickles  never- 
theless manages  to  exploit  each  of  her  pic- 
tures, as  witness  reports  on  recent  engage- 
ments. For  "Stand  By  for  Action"  doors  of 
downtown  stores  were  placarded  with  signs 
reading  "Closed.  Have  gone  to  see,  etc." 
A  30  by  40  on  the  picture  with  dialogue-il- 
lustrated stills  were  placed  on  prominent 
display  in  front  of  the  post  office  navy  re- 
cruiting station  during  the  week's  run. 

In  connection  with  "The  Yanks  Are  Com- 
ing," Mollie  borrowed  a  display  of  flags 
from  the  American  Legion,  which  were  used 
atop  the  marquee  during  the  engagement.  A 
six-sheet  was  pasted  to  the  lobby  floor  two 
weeks  in  advance  and  local  fleet  of  taxi  cabs 
used  stickers  on  the  windows  facing  passen- 
gers reading  "The  Yanks  Are  Coming."  A 
crew  of  25  downtown  newsboys  wore  im- 
printed overseas  caps  a  week  in  advance; 
a  full  music  window  was  obtained  which  fea- 
tured full  color  posters,  sets  of  stills  and 
song  covers  and  two  girls  in  military  attire 
circulated  around  the  downtown  area  wear- 
ing sandwich  signs. 

Special  bookmarks  in  the  form  of  a  dag- 
ger carrying  copy  "Let  There  Be  No  Traitor 
Within"  were  distributed  on  behalf  of  that 
picture  at  leading  lending  libraries  in  the 
city.  "Beware"  stuffers  were  put  in  all  pack- 
ages wrapped  by  all  the  city's  five  and  dime 
stores  a  couple  of  weeks  ahead  of  the  open- 
ing. A  rubber  stamp  was  made  up  bearing 
the  picture  title  and  used  on  all  theatre's 
outgoing  mail  a  couple  of  weeks  in  advance 
and  an  effective  tieup  was  also  made  with 
the  main  stores  in  the  downtown  area  which 
featured  counter  cards  reading :  "No  Traitor 
Within.  We  Are  Conforming  with  OPA 
price  ceilings." 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Camp  Contests  Aid 
"Seven  Days  Leave" 

Arranged  with  the  editor  of  "The  Bull- 
dozer" newspaper  at  Camp  Endicott  and  the 
editor  of  "The  Compass,"  newspaper  at  the 
U.  S.  Coast  Guard,  Providence,  through  the 
efforts  of  Rita  Morton  at  the  RKO  Albee, 
in  behalf  of  "Seven  Days  Leave,"  was  a 
contest  directed  at  the  men  with  guest 
tickets  going  to  the  ten  best  letters  on 
"What  I  Would  Do  on  Seven  Days  Leave." 

The  photograph  studio  at  one  of  the  local 
stores  used  a  window  display  on  the  main 
street  one  week  previous  to  the  opening 
with  a  card  reading:  "Have  your  photo 
taken  while  your're  home  on  leave.  See," 
etc.,  etc.  The  window  of  the  Postal-Tele- 
graph office  on  one  of  the  main  streets  was 
given  over  to  a  display  of  stills  from  the 
picture  and  a  half-sheet  card  with  theatre 
credit  and  picture  copy. 

A  tieup  was  arranged  with  the  Planters 
Peanut  Store,  whereby  the  theatre  furnished 
five  thousand  glassine  envelopes  with  the 
following  imprint:  "You'll  enjoy  These 
Planters  Peanuts.  You'll  also  enjoy  'Seven 
Days  Leave,'  RKO  Albee."  These  envel- 
opes were  filled  with  peanuts  and  distrib- 
uted in  front  of  the  store  at  the  busiest 
hours  on  the  first  Saturday  of  the  run. 


30-Day  Bond  Drive 
Held  by  Buist 

For  his  recent  Bond  Drive  at  the  Rialto 
theatre,  in  Westfield,  N.  J.,  Al  Buist  con- 
tacted the  officers  of  the  local  American 
Legion  Post  and  at  a  meeting  in  the  office 
of  the  theatre  laid  plans  for  a  thirty-day 
drive.  Each  night  a  speaker  was  on  the 
stage  for  several  minutes,  there  being  such 
prominent  men  as  the  Mayor,  Head  of  the 
Defense  Organization,  President  of  the  Ro- 
tary Club,  a  colored  Corporal  home  on  fur- 
lough, etc. 

One  of  the  highlights  of  Buist's  cam- 
paign is  his  "Honor  Roll,"  which  features 
on  the  screen  about  50  boys  who  are  in 
service.  At  the  time  of  reporting  on  his 
drive  the  Round  Tabler's  Bond  sales  had 
reached  the  $36,274.80  mark,  with  $100,000 
his  ultimate  goal. 


Displays  Jap  Sub 

The  two-man  Japanese  sub  captured  at 
Pearl  Harbor  was  displayed  for  a  full  day 
in  the  lobby  of  the  5,000-seat  Fox  Theatre 
in  San  Francisco  recently,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  opening  of  "Across  the  Pacific."  This 
unique  promotion  stunt  was  arranged  by 
Herman  Kersken  with  the  Navy  and  the 
Treasury  Department,  which  were  just 
launching  the  "Togo  cigar"  on  a  nation- 
wide bond-selling  tour. 


If  was  giveaway  night  at  Harry 
Nace's  Winslow,  Ariz.,  theatre,  each 
lady  attending  receiving  a  bottle  of 
lotion.  Among  those  attending  was 
an  Indian  squaw,  rather  given  to 
avoirdupois,  who  sat  in  the  balcony. 
After  a  while  she  reported  to  the 
manager  that  the  lotion  was  too 
sweet — the  bottle  was  half  empty! 


January    30,  1943 


Portland  Sells 
$500,000  Bonds 
In  One  Night 


Governor  Charles  A.  Sprague  of  Oregon 
chats  with  Zollie  M.  Volchok,  manager  of 
the  Paramount  theatre,  Portland,  during  the 
$500,000  one  night  Bond  drive  held  in 
the  theatre. 


Portland,  Ore.,  was  the  scene  of  a  special 
Bond  Drive  recently  in  which  all  the  thea- 
tres in  the  city  cooperated  and  a  half  million 
dollars  worth  of  War  Bonds  was  sold.  Chief 
attraction  of  this  special  one  night  drive  was 
Captain  Marion  Carl  of  the  United  States 
Marine  Corps,  who  is  officially  credited  with 
shooting  down  16  Japanese  planes. 

Captain  Carl  was  honored  at  a  special 
midnight  show  at  the  Paramount  theatre. 
The  idea  originated  with  Albert  J.  Finke, 
War  Activities  Chairman  for  the  state  of 
Oregon,  who  conceived  it  as  a  fine  way  to 
end  1942.  Mr.  Finke,  who  is  head  of  the 
Hamrick-Evergreen  theatres  in  Portland, 
was  assisted  in  this  campaign  by  M.  M. 
Mesher,  assistant  district  manager  in  Port- 
land; Earl  Hunt,  circuit  advertising  man- 
ager, and  Zollie  M.  Volchok,  manager  of 
the  Paramount.  All  Portland  theatres  co- 
operated in  the  project  through  O.  J.  Miller, 
secretary  of  the  independent  theatres  of 
Oregon,  and  Grover  Hanley,  representing 
the  J.  J.  Parker  theatres. 

Captain  Carl  told  the  audience  of  3,000 
people  how  he  was  shot  down  four  miles 
from  Guadalcanal  Island  and  made  a 
parachute  landing  in  the  water.  He  related 
how  a  native  picked  him  up  after  he  had 
negotiated  three  and  a  half  miles.  Every- 
one who  heard  him  had  purchased  a  War 
Bond  for  admission.  Governor  Sprague  of 
Oregon  appeared  on  the  stage  and  recalled 
that  he  had  promised  President  Roosevelt 
that  Oregon  would  sell  $100,000,000  worth 
of  Bonds  and  that  his  audience  had  brought 
the  goal  within  sight. 

The  Governor  presented  Captain  Carl 
with  an  engraved  barometer  and  clock  in 
the  name  of  the  people  of  Oregon. 

Mr.  Finke  was  aided  by  the  theatre  staff, 
all  of  whom,  including  projectionists  and 
stagehands,  donated  their  services. 

The  Mayor  of  Portland  and  other  state 
and  local  dignitaries  attended. 


anuary    30.  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


67 


OF  AND  ABOUT  SHOWMEN 


14  IMPORTANT  DATES 
FOR  MARCH  ATTENTION 

March  2nd 
Texas  Flag  Day 

Alexander  Graham  Bell  Born  1847 
First  U.S.  Postage  Stamp  1847 

3rd 

Maine  Admitted  to  Union  1820 
Florida  Admitted  to  Union  1845 

8th 

Thomas  Jefferson   (3rd  President) 
Born  1743 

1 0th 

Telephone  First  Used  1876 
I5tf 

Andrew    Jackson    (7^  President) 
Born  1767 

16th 

West    Point     Military  Academy 
Established— 1802 

17th 

St.  Patrick's  Day 
21st 

First  Day  of  Spring 
23rd 

Anniversary    of    Patrick  Henry's 
Speech 

30th 

AiasKc  Furcnased  !  867 
Maryland  Settled  1634 


DICK  FRANKIE,  formerly  of  Everett. 
Wash.,  has  been  named  manager  of  the 
Hollywood  theatre,  in  Seattle. 

FRAXK  JENKINS,  formerly  in  charge  of 
the  Telenews  theatres,  in  San  Francisco 
and  Oakland,  has  been  named  manager  of 
the  Denver  Telenews,  succeeding  Bill 
Walsh,  who  goes  into  government  service. 

RUSS  BURK,  booker  for  the  Lockwood  & 
Gordon  Theatres,  in  New  England,  has  been 
named  supervisor  of  the  circuit's  theatres 
in  Scituate,  Braintree  and  South  Weymouth, 
Mass.  He  will  make  his  headquarters  at  the 
Cameo  theatre,  South  Weymouth. 

WALTER  H.  WATSON,  booker  for 
RKO,  in  Cincinnati,  has  entered  mihtary 
service,  and  is  stationed  at  Camp  Brad- 
ford, Norfolk,  Va. 

ALDEN  HAZEL,  formerly  at  the  State 
fheaire,  in  New  Britain,  Conn.,  is  now  sta- 
tioned at  the  U.  S.  Army  Air  Forces  train- 
ing base,  in  Miami  Beach. 

FRED  MORROW,  former  assistant  man- 
ager, was  promoted  to  manager  of  the  Em- 
bassy theatre.  Lewistown.  Pa.,  succeeding 
Harold  D.  Cohen,  who  was  commissioned  a 
lieutenant  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  and  is  now  sta- 
tioned in  the  Dublic  relations  office  in  Phil- 


SHOWPlJSMt: 


CONGRATULATIONS 


YELLA  PAULINE  WARREN  to  E.  E. 
WHITAKER  on  Thursday,  December  31s/. 
"Whit"  is  city  manager  for  Lucas  &  Jen- 
kins, in  Atlanta,  Ga. 


ANTHONY  KOSTA  has  been  appointed 
manager  of  the  Strand,  in  Lawrence,  Mass., 
succeeding  Irving  Dunn,  now  manager  of 
the  Empire,  Cohoes,  N.  Y. 

ALBERT  MONTEFALCO  has  resigned 
as  manager  of  the  Strand  theatre,  in  Plains- 
ville,  Conn.,  to  become  manager  and  exploi- 
tation chief  of  the  Plaza  theatre,  in  Water- 
bury,  Conn. 

KARL  H.  UNDERWOOD,  formerly  man- 
ager of  the  Capitol,  Burlington,  la.,  has  been 
appointed  manager  of  Central  States'  Cresco 
theatre,  in  Cresco,  la.  He  succeeds  Mrs. 
Joseph  Cole,  who  returned  to  Charles  Cita- 
to assist  in  the  management  of  the  Charles 
theatre.  Fred  Saverly,  formerly  manager 
of  the  Central  States'  Zephyr,  Burlington, 
goes  to  the  Capitol. 

LOWELL  CASH  is  the  new  manager  of 
the  Ro3'al  theatre,  Danville,  Ind.,  replacing 
Max  Page,  resigned. 

HARVEY  EISENBERG,  formerly  mana- 
ger of  the  Lieberman  Circuit's  Tremon,  in 
Boston,  has  succeeded  Bernard  W.  Levy, 
now  in  the  Army,  as  Hartford  division  man- 
ager for  the  circuit. 

PAUL  WEIN  TRAUB  has  been  named 
manager  of  the  Easton  theatre,  Easton,  Pa., 
succeeding  Lester  Adler,  who  left  for  Ari- 
zona. 

ROBERT  UNGERFELD,  formerly  a  the- 
atre manager  for  Skouras  and  RKO,  has 
joined  Universal's  home  office  publicity 
department  to  handle  special  exploitation 
assignments. 


MILITARY  ADDRESSES 

ERVIN  JANOT,  formerly  manager  of 
the  Rex  theatre,  in  Sheboygan,  Wis., 
is  new  Pvt.  Janot,  [8th  Chemical  Co., 
Camp  Campbell,  Ky. 

AL  MARQUSEE,  formerly  of  the 
Schine  home  office,  in  Gloversville, 
N.  Y.,  is  now  Pvt.  Marqusee,  1st 
Fighter  Squadron,  Trumbel!  Field, 
Sroton,  Conn. 

LEO  HANEY,  former  manager  of  the 
Bucklen  theatre,  in  Elkhart,  Ind.,  may 
now  be  addressed  as  Pvt.  Carl  L. 
Haney,  Med.  Det.  394th  Inf.,  U.S. 
Army,  A.  P.  O.  99,  99th  Division, 
Camp  Van  Dorn,  Miss. 


January  31st 

W.  A.  Lee 
C.  J.  Bolender 
John  Capano 
Francis  W.  Hamilton 
Murray  Keillor 

February  1st 

Milton  S.  Harris 
Gerald  S.  Raines 

2nd 

Albert  Knopp 
Ben  Gross 
Leon  Webb 
William  E.  Tinkler 
Raymond  M.  Hay 
Edward  C.  McGovern 
Oliver  Duncan 

3rd 

John  D.  Shultz 
Herman  Kotp 

4th 

Lloyd  E.  Sinclair 


February  4th 

Herman  G.  Wilson 
Israel  Schancupp 
George  F_  Langress 
Larry  Stone 
Ted  Stump 
Russell  Hardwiclc 
James  A.  Field 
H.  T.  Grissom 
Alfred  L.  Singer 
Mannie  Swadron 

5th 

Joseph  W.  Crocket 
George  F.  Strandt 
Charles  C.  Coolbroth 
Spencer  Steinhurst 

Sth 

Earle  M.  Holden 
Morris  Swartz 
Jerry  Lynch 
Ben  A.  Dyer 
Murray  Peck 


Dave  Westerberg,  in  Alaska, 
Learned  Job  Hard  Way 

One  of  the  newest  Round  Tattlers  comes 
from  Alaska  where  the  theatre  business  is 
much  the  same  as  it  is  in  Continental  United 
States,  only  colder. 
David  S.  Wester- 
berg, resident  man- 
ager of  the  Colise- 
um theatre  at  Pet- 
ersburg, Alaska,  for 
the  W.  D.  Gross 
Circuit,  has  an  in- 
teresting career  in 
back  of  him,  though 
he  is  just  a  bit  over 
thirty  years  old.  He 
was  born  in  Cuero, 
Texas,  August  12. 
1912.  In  1932,  he 
started  with  the  Liberty  theatre  in  Ketchi- 
kan, Alaska,  as  errand  boy  and  bill  poster 
part  time  for  $7  a  week.  From  there  he 
went  to  the  Coliseum  and  Revilla  theatres 
as  janitor  and  paper  man,  learning  to  op- 
erate in  what  little  spare  time  he  had.  Then 
he  was  made  relief  operator  at  both  thea- 
tre, in  addition  to  his  other  duties.  Later 
he  became  head  projectionist.  Meanwhile 
he  learned  details  of  the  managerial  work 
including  newspaper  ads,  etc.,  under  the 
able  supervision  of  Hal  Cawthon.  Finally 
he  was  promoted  to  his  present  post.  At 
the  present  time,  due  to  the  emergency,  he 
is  janitor,  projectionist  and  landlord  of  the 
building,  besides  being  manager.  His  wife 
efficiently  acts  as  cashier  and  changes  the 
front. 


HARVEY  DETWILER,  for  many  years 
assistant  manager  at  Warner's  Earle  the- 
atre, in  Philadelphia,  has  been  promoted  to 
assistant  manager  at  the  central  city  Capitol 
theatre.  Other  circuit  changes  in  Philadel- 
phia bring  Jim  Benedict  to  the  Plaza  theatre 
as  assistant  manager  and  Jimmy  Perlsweig 
in  a  similar  capacity  at  the  Commodore 
theatre. 


6S 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January     30,  1943 


ADVERTISING  THAT  PULLED 


s-ttok^HM**,!  CH3H 


til  6  p.  m. 
plus  Ui 


BARGAIN 

parking: 


sussbsroaU 


RICHARD  TRAVIS 
JULIE  BISHOP 


warn 


Special  illustration  and  copy  were  employed  by  Alice  Gorham, 
director  of  advertising  and  publicity  for  the  United  Detroit 
Theatres,  to  emphasize  the  romance  in  connection 

with  "Gentleman  Jim". 


OW  PLAYING  THRU  SATURDAY  • 

Something  new  in  gay  mystery! 


Marine  Traps 
..Spies' 


•    FRIDAY  TO  MONDAY  • 


TO  REMEMBER 

MM 


IT  HAPPENS  IN  THE  FSTu°E|. 

BETTE  PAUL 

DAVIS*  HENRE] 


SHIVER  *nd  QUIVER 


Mh  JOHN  LODER  •  RUTH  fORO  .»d^*>S** 
MARION  HALL  •  RICHARD  FRASER 


Allure  seems  to  be  the  watchword  of  this  colorful  ad 
prepared  in  the  Warner  Newark  zone  by  Bob  Paskow,  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity,  and  Ben  Adler  of  the 
art  department. 


STARTS  THURSDAY,  »EC.  24 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

WALWl  WANGtK'S  ^ 


J.  J. 
PARKER'S 


ham  )««/■>« II  to  loV» 


PLUS  SECOND  HIT 


It'll  Make  You  Fighting  Mad!  y-f  Z  T~  - 


RICHARD  TRAVIS  ■  JULIE  BISHOP  •  CHARLES  DRAKE  •  ELEANOR  PARKE' 


BRIAN  DONLEVY 

CAREY  -..PRESTON 

Albert  Oehkor  -  William  Benin 


A  UNIVERSAL  PICTURE 


/n 


A  NEW  DAY  IN  MOTION  PICTURE  ENTERTAINMENT 


United  Nations  Week  got  a  good  play  in  ads  used  by  Kenneth  Rockwell, 
city  manager  for  Warner  Bros,  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y. 


Plenty  of  white  space  and  a  single  illustration 
are  the  salient  points  in  Mrs.  J.  J.  Parker's 
ad  for  the  United  Artists  theatre  in 
Portland,  Ore.  Note  how  Technicolor 

is  played  up. 


January    30,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


6? 


CLASSIFIED 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  not 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED:  OPERATORS  AND  SIGN  PAINTERS 
for  Mexico  and  West  Texas  circuit.  Give  age,  family, 
draft  classification,  experience  and  salary  expected. 
Write  BOX  786.  Roswell.  N.  M.  

AT  ONCE-PROJECTIONIST;  DRAFT  EXEMPT; 
small  house;  nights  only.  Write  qualifications,  salary 
expected.    MAYFATR.  Colonial  Beach,  Va.  

WANTED:  OPERATORS.  SIX  AND  SEVEN  DAY 
small  towns.  Any  age  over  eighteen  for  Powers, 
Simplex  RCA,  Western  Electric,  who  can  keep  good 
equipment  in  serviceable  condition.  Good  chance  for 
advancement.  State  if  union,  draft  status,  lowest 
salary,  experience,  references.  Write  P.  O.  BOX  1301, 
Knoxville,  Tenn.  

WANTED:  MANAGERS.  A  AND  B  HOUSES, 
small  towns,  excellent  opportunity  for  men  with  some 
experience,  ambition  and  personality.  State  draft 
status,  experience,  minimum  salary,  references.  Write 
P.  O.  BOX  1301,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 


ASSISTANT  MANAGERS,  DRAFT  EXEMPT, 
small  New  York  City  chain.  Send  photograph  and  all 
information  in  first  letter.  BOX  1598,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD.   , 


THEATRES 


FOR  SALE  THEATRE.  GOOD  WEST  VIRGINIA 
town.  Money  maker.  Wonderful  opportunity  for  quick 
buyer.    BOX  1593,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

WANTED  PROFITABLE  THEATRE,  NOT  In- 
terested in  too  small  a  house.  Give  complete  details. 
BOX  1596,  MOTTON  PICTURE  HERALD.  

NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WESTINGHOUSE  RECTIFIER  BULBS,  15  AM- 
pere,  $S;  6  ampere  $4;  thousand  watt  G40  Mogul  pre- 
focussed  lamps,  $2;  one  quart  Underwriter's  approved 
extinguishers,  $11.25;  two  quart,  $13.50;  heavy  curtain 
track,  $1.80  ft.  Send  for  bargain  bulletin.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.    New  York.  

OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatres 
new  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  details  in  first  letter. 
BOX  1584A,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WONDERFUL  CHAIR  BUY— ALL  READY  NOW 
— 570  rebuilt  American  Seating  ball  bearing  chairs, 
newly  upholstered  heavy  inserted  panel  backs  and  box 
spring  cushions,  deep  purple  with  black  trim.  All  18" 
widths,  level  to  1"  pitch,  new  hardwood  ends.  Crated 
complete  with  hardware  for  concrete  floor,  $3.80. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 

FOR  SALE— 1,100  HEYWOOD- WAKEFIELD  USED 
spring  edge  chairs.  BEN  B.  POBLOCKI.  5779  S. 
Howell  Ave.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

SOME  THEATRE  CAN  USE  YOUR  OLD  EQUIP  - 
ment.  A  little  ad  here  will  reach  thousands  of  po- 
tential customers.  Only  ten  cents  a  word  to  tell  the 
world  what  you  have  to  sell.  Try  it  today.  MO- 
TION PICTURE  HERALD,  Rockefeller  Center,  New 
York. 

THEATRE  CHAIRS  —  10,000  USED  UPHOL- 
stered.  Parts  for  all  makes  and  types.  CHICAGO 
USED  CHAIR  MART,  844  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago. 


POSITION  WANTED 


POSITION  AS  PROJECTIONIST,  TWENTY 
years  all  types  equipment,  mechanic,  draft  exempt, 
sober,  reliable,  married,  best  references,  state  all. 
Florida,  Georgia  or  South  Carolina  preferred.  BOX 
1597,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


RUSINESS  ROOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS,  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75. 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
positions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
lished since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 


ROOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
changes.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
codes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  NEW  1942-43  MOTION  PICTURE 
ALMANAC.  Edited  by  Terry  Ramsaye.  The  indus- 
try's most  complete  "Who's  Who."  More  than  11,000 
biographies  and  over  1,100  pages,  chock  full  of  refer- 
ence information.  Everyone  in  the  motion  picture 
industry  should  have  a  copy.  Be  sure  to  send  in  your 
order  today.  $3.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble- 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple — so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up -to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


PRESS  OF 
C.  J.  O'BRIEN,  INC. 
NEW  YORK.  TJ.   S.  Jl. 


70 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,  1943 


OBITUARIES 

Woollcott  Dies  at  56; 
Famed  as  "Town  Crier" 

Alexander  Woollcott,  author,  actor  and  ra- 
conteur, died  last  Saturday  night,  January  23rd, 
in  Roosevelt  Hospital,  New  York,  after  suffer- 
ing a  heart  attack  while  appearing  on  a  radio 
broadcast,  "The  People's  Platform."  He 
was  56. 

He  was  featured  on  a  radio  program,  "The 
Town  Crier,"  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
noted  for  his  outspoken  criticism,  which  he 
expressed  freely  on  almost  any  subject.  He 
appeared  in  a  film,  "The  Scoundrel"  for  Para- 
mount in  1935,  and  in  1937  and  1939  had  roles 
in  a  group  of  RKO  short  subjects. 

His  first  stage  appearance  was  in  S.  N.  Behr- 
man's  "Brief  Moment"  in  1935,  and  he  later 
toured  in  the  principal  role  of  "The  Man  Who 
Came  to  Dinner,"  the  successful  stage  and  film 
comedy  written  by  George  S.  Kaufman  and 
Moss  Hart,  which  was  recognized  as  a  carica- 
ture of  Mr.  Woollcott. 

Mr.  Woollcott  was  born  in  Phalanx,  N.  J., 
and  attended  Philadelphia  schools,  later  con- 
tinuing his  education  at  Hamilton  College. 
From  1914  to  1922,  he  was  drama  critic  for  the 
New  York  Times,  New  York  Herald  Tribune 
and  the  old  New  York  World.  Funeral  services 
were  held  on  Thursday,  and  after  cremation  the 
ashes  were  sent  to  his  summer  home  at  Lake 
Bomoseen,  Vt. 


Hugh  O'Connell 

Hugh  O'Connell,  45,  stage  and  screen  actor, 
died  January  19th  in  Hollywood.  For  the  past 
seven  years,  Mr.  O'Connell  had  been  second 
vice-president  of  the  Catholic  Actors  Guild  of 
America.  He  started  on  the  stage  in  a  small 
role  in  "Twin  Beds"  on  Broadway,  and  from 
1921  to  1935  played  parts  in  many  outstanding 
productions.  He  later  was  signed  for  the  films, 
and  played  approximately  30  character  roles. 
Mr.  O'Connell  was  a  member  of  the  Lambs 
Club. 


Mrs.  Thomas  D.  Thacher 

Mrs.  Thomas  D.  Thacher,  59,  wife  of  the 
Paramount  counsel,  died  January  19th  at  her 
home  at  New  York  after  a  brief  illness.  She 
is  survived  by  her  husband,  recently  appointed 
corporation  counsel  for  New  York  City ;  a  son, 
Ensign  Thomas  Thacher,  U.S.N.R.,  and  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  George  L.  Storm  and  Mrs. 
Daniel  N.  Brown.  Funeral  services  were  held 
at  the  Madison  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church 
in  New  York  last  Thursday. 


Major  Eric  Knight 

Major  Eric  Knight,  author  of  the  novel  "This 
Above  All,"  made  into  a  film  by  Twentieth 
Century-Fox,  died  on  January  15th  when  a 
four-motor  Army  transport  plane  crashed  at 
Paramaribo,  Dutch  Guiana,  while  en  route  to 
North  Africa  from  the  United  States.  Major 
Knight  was  one  of  26  passengers  and  nine  crew 
members  killed. 


Oswald  Yorke 

Oswald  Yorke,  British  actor,  died  on  Monday 
in  his  apartment  at  the  Hotel  Schuyler  in  New 
York.  He  was  58.  Pneumonia  was  given  as 
the  cause  of  his  death.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Lambs  Club  in  New  York  and  the  Savage 
Club  of  London.  He  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
Mrs.  Ruth  Guiterman  Yorke. 


New  Richardson 
Bluebook  Out 

A  substantially  new  textbook  and  operating 
guide  on  motion  picture  projection  has  been 
realized  in  the  Seventh  Edition  of  F.  H.  Rich- 
ardson's "Bluebook  of  Projection"  (Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  New  York ;  $7.25 ) .  The 
Seventh  Edition  of  this  standard  work,  which 
made  its  appearance  more  than  30  years  ago,  is 
distinguished  from  the  Sixth,  published  in  1935, 
not  only  in  revisions  made  necessary  by  more 
recent  technical  developments,  but  in  the  gen- 
eral scheme  of  presentation. 

Sound  is  treated  in  the  new  Bluebook  as  an 
integral  part,  with  image-projection,  of  a  uni- 
fied system  of  motion  picture  reproduction.  Both 
theoretical  and  applied  electricity,  for  example, 
are  disposed  of  (so  far  as  the  purpose  of  the 
book  requires)  in  the  first  five  chapters,  instead 
of  being  dealt  with  in  their  relation  to  specific 
classes  of  equipment.  Thus  when  the  reader 
comes  to  the  mechanical  components  of  the  pro- 
jection system,  he  is  prepared  to  understand 
their  functions  whether  they  concern  sound  or 
image.  This  facilitates  reference  as  well  as 
study.  , 

The  Seventh  Edition  also  looks  a  bit  into  the 
future  with  four  chapters  on  television,  intro- 
ducing the  motion  picture  projectionist  to  equip- 
ment he  may  some  day  be  required  to  handle. 
There  is  as  well  a  chapter  on  control-track  and 
stereiphonic  sound,  a  development  in  the  realm 
of  the  motion  picture  that  also  has  likely  pros- 
pects for  the  future. 

Retained  from  the  previous  edition  is  supple- 
mentary material  consisting  of  20  charts  pro- 
viding a  handy  reference  system  for  locating  and 
correcting  common  faults  of  sound. 

The  volume  contains  706  pages,  including  an 
alphabetical  index. 

Schine  Unable  to  Close 
Malone  Theatre  Deal 

A  deadlock  has  occurred  in  the  Schine  di- 
vestiture proceedings  with  regard  to  the  Plaza 
theatre  in  Malone,  N.  Y.,  according  to  the 
January  report  filed  in  U.  S.  district  court 
in  Buffalo  last  week,  under  the  Schine  anti- 
trust suit  court  agreement. 

In  the  report  filed  by  Willard  S.  McKay, 
Schine  attorney,  it  was  said  that  after  an 
inspection  by  state  police  and  a  representative 
of  the  Department  of  Labor,  the  Plaza  the- 
atre had  been  ordered  closed  pending  "the 
making  of  repairs,"  and  the  report  further 
disclosed  that  the  order  had  been  complied 
with  and  was  "the  responsibility  of  the  land- 
lord, not  of  any  Schine  company." 

Smallpox  Epidemic  Closes 
Pennsylvania  Theatre 

A  drop  in  theatre  attendance  in  Philadelphia 
was  reported  by  exhibitors  recently,  when  a 
smallpox  epidemic  broke  out  among  the  resi- 
dents of  Lancaster.  Children's  matinees  suf- 
fered the  most. 

The  Milroy  theatre  in  Milroy,  Pa.,  closed  its 
doors  but  it  was  the  only  closing  reported.  Vac- 
cinations checked  the  spread  of  the  epidemic. 
It  was  indicated  that  residents  of  Philadelphia 
were  not  affected. 


Arthur  I.  Pilon 

Arthur  I.  Pilon,  50,  treasurer  and  manager  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest  branch  of  Eastman  Kodak 
Stores,  Inc.,  died  in  Portland,  Ore.,  recently 
suffering  a  heart  attack. 


i  W.  Junot  II 

in  W.  Junot  II,  former  employee  of  the 
:h  &  Lomb  Optical  Company  in  Rochester, 
3een  reported  missing  in  action  by  the 
Department. 


IN  NEWSREELS 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  40.-British  Eighth 
Army  closes  in  on  Tripoli.  .  .  .  West  Point  gradua- 
tion. .  .  .  War  bonnets  for  women  workers.  .  .  . 
U  S.  Army  gets  tough  at  Fort  Bragg  and  Carap 
Hale.  .  .  .  Lew  Lehr  tells  how  Kaiser  builds  ships. 
.  .  .  Old  New  York  elevated  trains  cars  used  by 
ship  yard  workers  in  California. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS — Vol.  25,  No.  41.— British 
Army  captures  Tripoli.  .  .  Russians  stop  Nazis  at  I 
Stalingrad.  .  .  .  Launching  of  carrier  Yorktown 
.  .  .  Coast  Guardsmen  on  horseback.  .  .  Governor 
Martin  of  Pennsylvania  sworn  in  at  Harrisburg. 
.  .  .  Sister  Kenny  gets  Humanitarian  Award.  .  .  . 
Lou  Ambers  referees  U.  S.  and  British  soldiers  in 
ring.  .  .  .  Mothers  solve  help  problem. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  23&.-R.A.F.  hits 
Tripoli  as  Nazis  flee  Libya.  .  .  .  West  Point  gradu- 
ation. .  .  .  Leningrad  carries  on  heroically  under 
siege.  .  .  .  Hand-to-hand  combat  school  of  the  Field 
Artillery.  .  .  .  U.  S.  mountain  troops  ready.  .  .  .  . 
Safety  hats  for  war  work. 

NEWS   OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,   No.  239.— Russians  | 
ring  Nazis  in  death  trap.  .  .  .  Captain  Rickenbacker  [ 

spurs  nation's  war  workers.  .  .  .  New  ship  York- 
town  joins  Navy.  .  .  .  American  mountain  artillery 
ready  for  Arctic  front.  .  .  .  Pennsylvania's  Gover-  j 
nor  Warren  sworn  in.  .  .  .  Yanks  outslug  Britons 
in  ring.  .  .  .  Junior  becomes  a  papoose.  .  .  .  Old 
bridge  goes  to  war.  .  .  .  Hats  for  dimmed-out 
nights. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  43.— Tripoli  bombed  by 
United  Nations.  .  .  .  British  and  Americans  drive 
on  Tunis.  .  .  .  British  Army  pursues  Rommel.  .  .  .  j] 
New  York  "El"  goes  to  war.  .  .  .  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral Frank  C.  Walker  named  National  Democratic 
Party  chairman.  .  .  .  West  Point  graduation.  ... 
Combat  tricks  taught  at  Fort  Bragg. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  44.— Coast  Guardsmen 
patrol  shore  on  horseback.  .  .  .  Sister  Kenny  hon- 
ored. .  .  .  Mothers  carry  children  in  papoose  style. 

.  .  .  Yanks  and  Britons  meet  in  prize  ring.  .  .  .  Stal- 
ingrad battle  pictures.  .  .  .  Cleveland  bridge  goes 
for  scrap. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  43.— African  pin- 
cers close  on  Axis  as  bombers  plaster  the  great  port 
of  Tripoli.  .  .  .  Allied  advance  moves  toward  Bizerte 
and  Tunis.  .  .  .  Class  of  January,  1943,  graduates 
at  West  Point.  .  .  .  Old  New  York  "El"  cars  trans- 
porting California  shipyard  workers.  .  .  .  Mountain 
troops  on  skis. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  44— Stalingrad 
under  siege.  .  .  .  Aircraft  carrier  Yorktown 
launched.  .  .  .  Coast  Guardsmen  patrol  shore  on 
horseback.  .  .  .  Mothers  carry  babies  Indian  style. 
Yank  boxers  beat  British  tars  in  ring. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  156.— British 
Eighth  Army  hot  after  Rommel.  .  .  .  More  U.  S. 
soldiers  Berlin-bound.  .  .  .  Wartime  West  Point 
class  graduates.  .  .  .  Safety  cap  aids  women  war 
workers.  .  .  .  New  York  "El"  trains  transport  ship- 
yard workers.  .  .  .  World's  greatest  junk  job  gets 
under  way. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  157.— Film 
epic  of  Stalingrad.  .  .  .  Yank  boxers  beat  British 
tars  in  ring.  .  .  .  Anthracite  miners  back  to  work. 
.  .  .  Coast  Guard  on  horseback.  .  .  .  Arlington  1 
mothers  go  "Indian."  .  .  .  Yorktown  II  is  launched. 
.  .  .  Captain  Rickenbacker  addresses  war  workers  i 
in  Detroit. 

CBS  Protests  FCC  Rules 
In  Supreme  Court 

The  Columbia  Broadcasting  System  main- 
tained that  enforcement  of  the  Federal  Com- 
munication  Commission's  network  regulations 
would  "lower  program  standards  and  injure  the 
broadcasting  value  of  news,  information,  ideas 
and  entertainment  to  the  public,"  in  a  hearing 
before  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  in  Washington 
last  week.  _  v 

Attorneys  for  CBS  presented  a  brief  in  sup-  j 
port  of  its  appeal  from  the  Southern  New  York  I  • 
federal  district  court  decision  dismissing  its  suit  Ijj 
to  annul  the  regulations.    The  brief  stated  that  '| 
the  regulations    "would    seriously    impair   its  \| 
ability  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  its  network  1 
operations."  '<  j  | 


Hatcher  Named  Manager 

The  Exhibitors  Agency  of  Des  Moines  has 
announced  the  appointment  of  Carlton  Hatcher 
as  manager  of  the  Grand  and  Iowa  theatres  in 
Independence,  Iowa.  The  theatres  were  leased 
by  the  Agency  from  Robert  Malek,  who  oper- 
ated them  before  joining  the  Air  Force  as  an 
instructor. 


Spencer  Charters  after 

Spencer  Charters,  68,  stage  and  screen  actor,      .  , 

died  Sunday,  January  24th,  in  his  Hollywood  Johr 
home.   He  played  many  character  roles  in  films,  Joh 

and   appeared   in   the   Eddie   Cantor  picture,  Bausc 

"Whoopee."    He  is  survived  by  a  daughter,  has  t 

Irene.  Navy 


January    30,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


In  This  Week: 
SHOWMEN'S  REVIEWS 
SHORT  SUBJECTS 
THE  RELEASE  CHART 


Border  Patrol 

(U A  -Sherman  ) 

Hoppy  Plays  Good  Neighbor 

Hopalong  Cassidy  and  his  associates  por- 
tray in  this,  the  43rd  melodrama  in  the  Harry 
Sherman  folio,  three  Texas  Rangers  who 
lend  the  Mexican  Border  Patrol  a  helping  hand 
in  putting  a  stop  to  a  system  of  peonage  in- 
stalled by  a  villainous  Texas  silver  mine  owner, 
who  rates  himself  superior  to  both  Mexican 
and  American  law.  The  enterprise  contains  no 
direct  references  to  what  has  come  to  be  known 
as  the  "Good  Neighbor'>  policv  but  h  tvpifies 
that  policy  at  its  best. 

The  screenplay  by  Michael  Wilson  has  fresh- 
ness of  concept  and  plot  which  lifts  the  picture 
above  the  average  of  the  series  as  entertain- 
ment. It  opens  with  the  trio  of  adventurers  on 
the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  they  ob- 
serve a  murder  and  are  accused  of  committing 
it  by  a  Mexican  senorita  who  takes  them  at 
gun  point  to  the  commander  of  the  Mexican 
Border  Patrol.  Here  they  are  recognized  and 
they  return  to  Texas  to  trace  a  number  of 
Mexican  citizens  who  have  come  north  to  work 
in  a  mine  and  have  vanished.  Thev  ultimately 
locate  them  in  the  hands  of  a  crook  who  oper- 
ates a  silver  mine  with  captive  labor,  and  thev 
vut  things  to  rights.  There  is  as  much  or  more 
fighting  and  shooting  than  common. 

Andy  Clyde  and  Jay  Kirbv  again  ride  with 
YXilham  Boyd  as  Cassidy.  and  Claudia  Drake 
plays  the  senorita. 

Direction  is  by  Lesley  Selander.  and  Lewis 
T  Rachmil  served  Sherman  as  associate  pro- 
ducer. 

Previewed    at    shidio.    Reviewers  Rating- 
Good.— William  R.  Weaver. 

T*?flet-5e             ,?ot    set'     R™"™*    tune.    67  win. 
rua  _\o.  88&>.     General  audience  classification 
Hopalong  Cassidy   William  Bovd 


Reviews 


Billy  The  Kid  In 

The  Mysterious  Rider 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 
Western 

The  legend  of  Billy  the  Kid  as  the  western 
Kobrn  Hood  is  upheld  in  his  latest  PRC  ad- 
venture. Again  he  appears  over  the  hill,  sus- 
nects  crooked  dealings  and  sets  things  to  rights 
without  paying  his  long-standing  debt  to  the 
law. 

Five  minutes  were  all  he  needed  to  decide 
there^  was  something  wrong  with  a  "ghost 
town'  where  strangers  were  warned  off  with 


This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


guns,  while  a  surly  crew  of  men  dug  tor  gold. 
V*  hen  two  young  people  appear  in  search  of 
their  father  who  had  told  them  of  a  gold  strike, 
the  whole  story  is  clear,  and  the  U.  S.  Marshal 
is  summoned.  It  is  then  up  to  Billy  to  stall 
off  the  outlaws  and  present  his  own  case  to 
the  Marshal  in  the  best  light  possible. 

Buster  Crabbe  portrays  the  familiar  charac- 
ter sympathetically,  with  more  emphasis  on 
kindliness  than  action.  Al  St.  John  provides 
the  comedy,_  as  well  as  turning  up  unexpectedly 
with  the  evidence. 

Sigmund  Neufeld  produced  the  film  from  an 
original  screenplay  by  Steve  Braxton.  Sherman 
Scott,  who  directed  it,  paced  the  action  well, 
within  the  limits  of  the  routine  'material  at  his 
disposal. 

Seen  at  the  New  York  theatre  where  a  nwrn- 
ing  audience  was  most  interested  in  the  come- 
dy. Reviewer's  Rating:  Mediocre. — E.  A. 
Cunningham. 

Release  date,  November  20.  1942.  Running  time  55 
mm.    PCA  Iso.  8866.    General  audience  classification. 

Billy  the  Kid   Buster  Crabbe 

Fuzzy   Jones   A]    St  Tohn 

Caroline  Burke,  John  Merton.  Edwin  Brien,  Jack 
Ingram,  Shm  Whitaker.  Kermit  Mamard  Ted 
Adams. 


You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 

(Monogram) 
Prison  Reform  Piece 

The  case  for  prison  reform  is  underscored 
with  conviction  in  terms  of  melodrama,  at  no 
expense  to  but  rather  with  profit  to  entertain- 
ment, in  this  hour  of  narrative  about  people 
such  as  can  be  met  anywhere.  Produced  by 
Lmdsley  Parsons  and  directed  bv  Phil  Rosen 
from  a  screenplay  by  Albert  Reich,  the  film 
is  a  triumph  of  skill  over  budget. 

Edward  Norris  portrays  a  playbov  placed  by 
coincidence  under  suspicion  of  complicity  in  a 
robbery  and  framed  by  the  crooks  responsible 
for  it.  In  the  penitentiary  he  determines  to 
avenge  himself  upon  his  framers  and  becomes 
known  as_  a  nonconformist.  Efforts  of  the  war- 
den to  win  his  support  for  reforms  he  is  intro- 


ducing fail  until,  cleared  of  suspicion  by  a  dy- 
ing criminal,  he  swings  to  the  side  of  law  and 
becomes  a  jailer.  Ultimate  proof  of  his  conver- 
sion and  of  the  value  in  reform  methods  comes 
when  he  thwarts  a  jail  break.  A  romance  is 
worked  in. 

Jack  LaRue  as  the  incorrigible  inmate  and 
Milburn  Stone  as  the  warden  supply  strong 
support. 

Ralph  Like  was  associated  with  Parsons  in 
producing. 

Previewed  at  studio.  Revieu-'s  Rating :  Good 
—W.  R.  W. 

Release  date.  January  29.  1943.  Running  time,  61 
mm.    PCA  No.  9044.    General  audience  classification. 

Johnny  Gray   Edward  Norris 

Am3"   Joan  Woodbury 

Jack  LaRue.  Milburn  Stone.  Robert  Homans.  Charles 
Jordan.  Kenneth  Harlan.  Brvant  Washburn.  Selmer 
Jackson,  Paul  McVey,  Inna  Gist.  George  Kamel 


Man  of  Courage 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 
Mystery  Drama 

Barton  MacLane,  Charlotte  Wynters,  Lyle 
Talbot  and  Dorothy  Burgess  are "  featured  "  ii> 
this  PRC  "whodunit." 

Briefly,  the  story  concerns  a  wife  who  is 
sent  to  prison  for  the  murder  of  her  husband, 
although  innocent  of  the  crime.  Dorothv  Bur- 
gess appears  in  the  wife's  role,  and  Lyle  Tal- 
bot takes  the  part  of  the  husband.  Barton  Mac- 
Lane,  the  governor,  finds  out  later  about  the 
mistake  and  falls  in  love  with  the  girl  in  the 
course  of  correcting  it. 

Then  blackmail  comes  on  the  scene,  with 
Talbot  as  the  blackmailer.  It  seems  that  a 
tramp's  body  was  falsely  identified  as  that  of 
Talbot,  who  had  gone  off  with  another  woman. 
In  the  end,  however,  Talbot  is  arrested,  and 
the  future  happiness  of  his  wife  and  the  gover- 
nor is  assured. 

This  picture  is  just  another  murder  mysterv. 
but  one  which  should  hold  considerable  "appeal 
for  followers  of  that  type  of  drama. 

Barton  _  MacLane,  in  addition  to  appearing 
in  a  leading  role,  had  a  hand  in  the  original 
story  and  the  screen  play.  The  producerVas 
Lester  Cutler,  and  Alexis  Thurn-Taxis  han- 
dled the  direction. 

Seen  at  the  Proven  Pictures  theatre  in  Hart- 
lord  where  the  audience  was  mildly  interested. 
Reviewer's  Rating:   Pair. — Al  \Videm. 

Release  date.  January  4.  1943.  Running  time.  67 
mm.  PCA  No.  8S94.  General  audience  classifica- 
tion. 

John  Wallace  Barton  MacLane 

George  Dickson  Lyle  Talbot 

Sallv  Dickson  Dorothv  Burgess 

Joyce  Gnrrith  Charlotte"  Wynters 

Patsy  Nash,  Forrest  Taylor.  John  Ince,  Jane  Novak 
Lrskine  Johnson.  Claire  Grey.  Steve  Clark.  Billv  Grav 
Frank  i  aconelli. 


Product  Digest  Section     |  |  3  7 


MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  January    3  0,     194  3 


SHORT  SUBJECTS 

reviews  and  synopses 


VALLEY  OF  VANISHING  MEN  (Col.) 

Chapter  Play  (4140) 

Set  in  New  Mexico  shortly  after  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War,  this  serial  includes  complica- 
tions from  both  sides  of  the  border.  Bill  Elliott 
and  Slim  Summerville  are  searching  for  Bill's 
father,  a  gold  prospector  who  has  mysteriously 
disappeared.  They  discover  that  he  is  only 
one  of  many  working  as  slave  labor  in  the 
mine  of  an  outlaw.  The  outlaw  has  connections 
as  well  with  a  renegade  European  general 
gathering  forces  to  aid  Maximilian  against 
Benito  Juarez,  president  of  Mexico.  The  search 
widens  to  include  both  smashing  the  slave  mine 
and  defeating  the  plot  against  Mexican  inde- 
pendence. 

The  riding  and  shooting  thrills  of  Western 
drama  are  combined  with  the  excitement  of  in- 
ternational intrigue  for  a  high  degree  of  action 
and  interest. 

In  addition  to  Bill  Elliott  and  his  buddy,  Slim 
Summerville,  the  cast  features  Carmen  Morales, 
Kenneth  MacDonald,  Jack  Ingram,  George 
Chesebro,  John  Shay,  Tom  London,  Arno  Frey, 
Julian  Rivero  and  Roy  Barcroft. 

Spencer  G.  Bennet  directed  the  film  from  an 
original  screen  play  written  by  Harry  Fraser, 
Lewis  Clay  and  George  Gray. 

The  running  time  of  each  episode  is  approxi- 
mately 20  minutes. 

Release  date,  December  12,  1942.  15  episodes 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  '43  (WAC) 

Disney  Treasury  Cartoon 

Somewhat  in  keeping  with  the  size  of  the  new 
tax  burden,  three  Donald  Ducks  are  presented 
in  the  new  Disney  cartoon  for  the  U.  S.  Treas- 
ury Department.  The  familiar  Donald  Duck 
is  torn  between  his  spendthrift  personality, 
decked  out  in  a  zoot  suit,  and  his  thrifty  self 
in  kilts.  The  tug-of-war  concerns  the  necessity 
of  saving  for  regular  tax  payments,  "Zootie" 
pulling  him  toward  the  "Idle  Hour"  club  and 
"Scotty"  urging  the  bank  teller's  window.  Don- 
ald decides,  of  course,  to  pay  up,  even  to  the 
coin  he  has  sneaked  away  under  his  cap.  The 
short  ends  with  a  brilliant  display  of  the  weap- 
ons of  war  being  forged  with  the  taxpayer's 
dollars,  as  the  factory  whistles  blow  their  tops 
off  in  delight. 

6  minutes 


BARNYARD  WAAC  (20th-Fox) 

Terry  toon  (3  5  58) 

The  fear  expressed  in  some  quarters  for  the 
American  home  when  the  women  left  to  join 
the  Army  are  here  transferred  to  the  barnyard. 
The  hens  join  the  WAAC,  leaving  the  cock 
with  a  brood  of  chicks.  Foxes  attack  and  carry 
off  the  nest  and  its  occupants,  but  meet  the 
armed  WAACS  and  are  vanquished. 

Release  date,  December  11,  1942    7  minutes 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS,  No.  6  (Col.) 

(4856) 

This  entire  release,  in  a  series  usually  devoted 
to  glimpses  of  various  Hollywood  personalities, 
is  made  up  of  a  special  radio  broadcast  by 
Ginny  Sims.  She  entertains  a  group  of  soldiers, 
some  of  whom  participate  in  the  program,  and 
sings  some  numbers  in  characteristic  style. 
Release  date,  January  29,  1943     10  minutes 


Reviews  and  synopses  of  short 
subjects  printed  in  Product  Digest 
are  indexed  in  the  Short  Subjects 
Chart,  Product  Digest  Section, 
pages  1116-1117. 


WHEN  WINTER  CALLS  (20th-Fox) 

Sports  Review  (3302) 

Out-of-doors  sports  in  ice  and  snow  are  de- 
picted in  this  release  with  commentary  by  Ed 
Thorgersen.  Skaters  ply  their  skills  against  a 
scenic  background,  and  skiers  provide  thrills 
and  spills  for  the  audience.  The  U.  S.  15th 
Infantry  Ski  Patrol  is  pictured  in  training  for 
winter  action. 

Release  date,  December  18,  1942    10  minutes 


SLAY  IT  WITH  FLOWERS  (Col.) 

Color  Rhapsodies  (4505) 

This  is  another  attempted  Victory  garden, 
with  the  fox  and  the  crow  as  the  latest  partici- 
pants. As  the  fox  plants,  the  crow  eats  the 
seeds,  until  a  few  peppercorns  are  mixed  in  for 
a  painful  surprise.  Finally,  the  fox  explains  his 
patriotic  purpose  and  the  crow  appears  to  be 
duly  impressed,  but  not  for  long. 

Release  date,  January  29,  1943       6  minutes 

HIS  WEDDING  SCARE  (Col.) 

Brendel  (4427) 

El  Brendel  is  married  off  at  the  start  of  this 
two-reel  comedy,  and  as  is  to  be  expected,  his 
troubles  set  in.  New  relations  by  marriage  are 
the  first  portents  of  disaster,  but  the  bride  her- 
self adds  a  few.  Unknown  to  Brendel,  this  is 
not  her  first  trip  to  the  altar,  and  former  hus- 
bands appear  at  every  turn. 
Release  date,  January  15,  1943     17  minutes 

THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY  BAND  (WB) 

Melody  Master  (8  505) 

Another  of  our  fine  service  bands  is  featured 
in  this  Warner  reel  against  a  Washington 
background.  While  the  band  plays  "Anchors 
Aweigh,"  "Don't  Give  Up  the  Ship"  and  "V 
Calls  for  Victory,"  pictures  of  the  Navy  in  ac- 
tion are  flashed  on  the  screen.  The  Navy 
chorus  is  also  heard  from  in  the  musical  num- 
bers. 

Release  date,  January  16,  1943     10  minutes 


STRANGE  EMPIRE  (20+h-Fox) 

Magic  Carpet  (3156) 

The  Magic  Carpet  under  the  hand  of  Lowell 
Thomas  soars  East  again  to  India,  where  the 
wonders  of  the  once-great  Mohammedan  Em- 
pire are  filmed  in  color.  The  celebrated  Taj 
Mahal  comes  in  for  a  share  of  attention  with 
other  historic  sites,  and  the  people  whose  posi- 
tion has  changed  little  through  the  years  are 
shown  in  characteristic  activities. 
Release  date,  January  1,  1943       8  minutes 


JASPER  AND  THE  CHOO-CHOO  (Para.) 

Madcap  Models  (U2-2) 

Jasper  has  earned  a  nickel  and  a  lecture  from 
his  mammy  on  the  subject  of  working  for  what 
you  get,  but  he  still  falls  for  the  crow's  smooth 
line  about  a  get-rich-quick  dice  game.  The  dice, 
however,  have  a  conscience,  and  afford  both 
players  an  impressive  lesson.  The  immediate 
cause  of  all  this  trouble  is  almost  forgotten,  but 
Jasper  runs  back  in  time  to  reclaim  his  nickel 
from  the  crow  who  was  about  to  pocket  the 
prize. 

Release  date,  January  1,  1943    7^  minutes 


MODERN  VIKINGS  (Para.) 

Sportlight  (R2-3) 

Water  and  water  sports  are  the  subject  of 
this  action  release.  Under  the  names  of  "white 
waters,"  "luring  water,"  "windy  water,"  "fast 
water,"  "rough  water,"  "fighting  waters"  and 
"danger  water"  appropriate  seas  and  rivers  are 
shown  with  their  common  activities  including 
fishing,  racing,  cruising,  canoeing,  landing 
troops  and  Coast  Guard  Patrol. 

Release  date,  January  8,  1943       10  minutes 


POPULAR  SCIENCE,  No.  3  (Para.) 

(/2-3) 

The  largest  silver  fox  farm  in  the  world,  12,- 
000  acres  of  Northern  Wisconsin,  highlights  this 
informational  novelty.  Cargo  planes  are  also 
shown  on  the  assembly  line  in  Texas,  planes 
capable  of  carrying  12,000  pounds  and  contain- 
ing 130,000  parts.  The  Wily  Wizard  of  Wau- 
kesha adds  an  invention  of  his  own,  to  insure 
the  breaking  of  the  bottle  at  ship  christenings 
but  to  preserve  the  liquor. 

Release  date,  February  2,  1943     10 mins. 

MITCHELL  AYRES  AND 
HIS  ORCHESTRA  (Para.) 

Headliner  (A2-4) 

Romance  and  comedy  are  combined  in  this 
musical  presentation  featuring  the  band  of  Mit- 
chell Ayres.  A  swing  version  of  "You  Go  to 
My  Head"  is  followed  by  a  novelty  number, 
"I  Opened  Up  a  Trunk,"  with  vocal  chorus  by 
Johnny  Bond.  Meredith  Blake  and  the  Choir 
sing  "My  Song  for  You"  and  end  up  with  "Con- 
chita  Marquita  Lolita  Pepita  Rosita  Juanita 
Lopez." 

Release  date,  January  15,  1943      9  minutes 


YOU,  JOHN  JONES  (MGM) 

Victory  Short 

In  this  release,  James  Cagney  and  Ann  Soth- 
ern  have  joined  in  the  effort  to  impress  upon 
America  the  very  real  dangers  which  civilian 
defense  precautions  are  designed  to  meet.  The 
idea  of  a  bombing  attack  is  brought  home  to 
the  family  as  an  air  raid  warden  considers,  dur- 
ing an  alert,  the  possibilities  of  a  real  raid,  pos- 
sibilities which  are  actualities  in  other  coun- 
tries. This  subject  was  planned  to  supplement 
the  United  Nations  Week  held  throughout  the 
country. 

Release  date,  January  14,  1943     8^2  minutes 


1138  Product  Digest  Section 


January    30,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

Short  Subject  Release  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found 
on  pages  I  I  16-1  I  17. 

Feature  Product  Including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company 
by  Company,  in  order  of  release,  on  pages  I  128-1  129. 


Title  Company 

ABOVE  Suspicion  MSM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic  WB 

Adventures  of  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 

•  Affairs  of  Martha,  The  MSM 

(formerly  Once  Upon  a  Thursday) 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 

A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

American  Empire  UA 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

•  Are  Husbands  Necessary?  Para. 
Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 
Army  Surgeon  RKO 
Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 
Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 
Avengers,  The  (British)  Para. 

(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn ) 

BABY  Face  Morgan  PRC 

Background  to  Danger  WB 

Bad  Company  Univ. 

•  Bad  Men  of  the  Hills  Col. 
Bambi  (color)  RKO 
Bandit  Ranger  RKO 
Bataan  Patrol  MGM 
Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue)  UA 

(formerly  Kukan) 

Behind  Prison  Walls  PRC 

Behind  the  Eight  Ball  Univ. 

•  Bells  of  Capistrano  Rep. 
Berlin  Correspondent  20th-Fox 
Between  Us  Girls  Univ. 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses,  Caroline) 

Big  Street,  The  RKO 
Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid  in  Law  and  Order  PRC 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC 

•  Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 

Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox 

Blocked  Trail,  The  Rep. 

•Blondie  for  Victory  Col. 

Bombardier  RKO 
Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The  Col. 

Boots  and  Saddles  (Reissue)  Rep. 

Border  Patrol  UA 

Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC 

•Boss  of  Hangtown  Mesa  Univ. 
Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood  Col. 

Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono. 

Buckskin  Frontier  Para. 

Busses  Roar  WB 

CABIN  in  the  Sky  MGM 

Cairo  MGM 

Calaboose  UA 

Call  of  the  Canyon  Rep. 

•Calling  Dr.  Gillespie  MGM 

Captive  Wild  Woman  Univ. 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 


Prod. 
Number 

202 


245 


302 


304 

7063 
413 

312 


4213 


317 


3207 
39 
38 


313 
7029 

311 
7010 

301 

358 
261 
357 


320 
3019 
4026 

310 
4030 

203 

307 

131 

247 

312 


Stars 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Marsha  Hunt-Richard  Carlson 

John  Garfield-Gig  Young 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Richard  Dix-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Bela  Lugosi-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Ray  Milland-Betty  Field 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 


Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 
George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 
Dead  End  Kids 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Disney  Feature  Cartoon 
Tim  Holt 

Robert  Taylor-Thomas  Mitchell 
Chinese  Feature 

Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 
Ritz  Bros.-Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 


Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Penny  Singleton-Arthur  Lake 

Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 

Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 

William  Boyd 

John  Litel-Florence  Rice 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 

Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 

Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 

Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Release 
Date 
Not  Set 

Sept.  5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Aug.  '42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 
Dec.  1 3, "42 
Dec.-Feb.,'43 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Feb.  26,'43 
Dec.  25,'42 
Block  7 
Sept.  4,'42 
Dec.  4, '42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 


Sept.  I5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  I3,'42 
Aug.  2 1, '42 
Sept.  25,'42 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 

Mar.  22,'43 
Dec.  4,'42 
Sept.  I5,'42 
Sept.  1 1, '42 
Sept.  4,'42 

Sept.  4,'42 

Jan.  27,'43 
Aug.  2 1, '42 
Nov.  20,'42 

Oct.  2,'42 
Dec.  4,'42 
Feb.  f2,'43 
Aug.  6,'42 
Shirley  Not  Set 
Oct.  22, '42 
Jan.  1 5/43 

Not  Set 
Dec.  7,"42 
Aug.  2 1, '42 
Nov.  5,'42 
Oct.  30,'42 

Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 
Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5, '42 

Lionel  Barrymore-Philip  Dorn  Aug.,  '42 

Evelyn  Ankers-John  Carradine  Not  Set 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison  Sept.  1 8, '42 


Running 
Time 


67m 
81m 
92m 


87m 
79m 
58m 
63m 


88m 


69m 
70m 
64m 


60m 
73m 
70m 
89m 


66m 
58m 
67m 
64m 
58m 
68m 
63m 


71m 
84m 


t~  REVIEWED  -> 
M.  P.  Product 

Herald  Digest 
Issue  Page 


98m       Aug. 22/42 


66m        May  23/42 


July  I  1/42 
Dec.  12/42 
Dec.  5/42 


66m       June  27/42 


Dec.26,'42 
June  13/42 

Oct.24,'42 


Nov.  7/42 


65m       July  25/42 


Oct.  24/42 
May  30/42 


61m        July  5/41 


Dec.  12/42 
Sept.  19/42 
Aug.  15/42 
Aug.  29/42 


87m      Aug.  8/42 


58m  Oct.  10/42 

55m  Jan.  30/43 

55m  Dec.  5/42 

85m  Oct.  17/42 

70  m  Oct.  17/42 


Oct.  24/42 
Nov.  13/37 
Jan.  30/43 
Oct.  17/42 
Sept.  19/42 

Oct.  3/42 


61m      Aug.  22/42 


101m      Aug. 15/42 


Aug.  22/42 
June  20/42 


69m      Aug.  15/42 


1081 

927 

726 

983 

936 

1091 

673 

613 

936 

1091 

927 

1 053 

87 1 

1 042 

796 

938 

726 

1  1  04 

1  1 

1090 

872 

714 

663 

OAQ 

TO/ 

7fi  1 
/  u  i 

i  n  i  o 

1  V  1  7 

773 

7\JJ 

1  fiRQ 
1  U30 

1  ARK 

970 

685 

II 27 

840 

1  U/O 

927 

797 

890 

772 

902 

701 

1 104 

945 

1 137 

1033 

1043 

1031 

958 

855 

959 

772 

912 

969 

1 1 14 

1 137 

959 

91 1 

794 

934 

983 

903 

1019 

915 

938 

800 

725 

715 

1  127 

915 

Advance  Service 
Synopsis  Data 
Page  Page 


756 


1082 
984 


130 


1034 


873 


Product  Digest  Section 


I  139 


MOTION  PICTURF 

u  F  r  a  |  h 

J  a 

nuary 

3  0  , 

19  4  3 

r—  REVIEWED 

M.  r. 

Product 

Ad  vance 

Service 

Prod. 

Release 

Running 

rierala 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Title 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Casablanca 

WB 

214 

Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman 

Jan.  23/43 

102m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

936 

Cat  People 

RKO 

313 

Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway 

Dec.  25/42 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

962 

Chatterbox 

Rep. 

Joe  E.  Brown-Judy  Canova 

Not  Set 

1  127 

Chetniks,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas 

20th-Fox 

328 

Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 

Feb.  5/43 

73m 

Jan.  9/43 

1115 

995 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetniks 

) 

Cheyenne  Roundup 

Univ. 

Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 

Not  Set 

China 

Para. 

Loretta  Young-Alan  Ladd 

Block  4 

1091 

China  Girl 

20th-Fox 

323 

George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 

Jan.  1/43 

95m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

Cinderella  Swings  It 

RKO 

Guy  Kibbee-Gloria  Warren 

Feb.  26/43 

71m 

Jan.  23/43 

1  125 

City  of  Silent  Men 

PRC 

308 

Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 

Oct.  12/42 

64m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

City  Without  Men 

Col. 

Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 

Jan.  14/43 

1009 

Coastal  Command  (British)  Para. -Crown 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn 

Col. 

Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 

Jan.  7/43 

98m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

962 

1  i  30 

Coney  Island 

20th-Fox 

Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 

Not  Set 

995 

Constant  Nymph,  The 

WB 

Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 

Not  Set 

Corregidor 

PRC 

Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 

Mar.  1/43 

1104 

Corvettes  in  Action 

Univ. 

Patric  Knowles-Dick  Foran 

Not  Set 

Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher 

Mono. 

Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

Jan.  22/43 

1055 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones) 

Counter  Espionage 

Col. 

4027 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Sept.  3/42 

72m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

871 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color) 

Col. 

Jinx  Falkenberg-Rita  Hayworth 

Not  Set 

Crash  Dive  (color) 

20th-Fox 

Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 

Not  Set 

962 

Crime  by  Night 

WB 

Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 

Mot  bet 

1091 

.  .  .  .  1 

Criminal  Investigator 

Mono. 

Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 

Oct.  23/42 

61m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1033 

Crystal  Ball,  The 

UA 

Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Jan.  22/43 

81m 

Jan.  23/43 

1  125 

960 

DARING  Young  Man,  The 

Col. 

4021 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 

Oct.  8/42 

73m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

871 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide 

Mono. 

Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 

Dec.  18/42 

66m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1031 

Deadline  Guns 

Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1081 

Dead  Man's  Gulch 

Rep. 

274 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Feb.  5/43 

1 127 

Dead  Men  Walk 

PRC 

320 

George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 

Feb.  10/43 

66m 

1031 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas 

Univ. 

7071 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Sept.  25/42 

62  m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

Desert  Song,  The  (color) 

WB 

Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 

Not  Set 

872 

Desperados,  The  (color) 

Col. 

Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 

Not  Set 

871 

Desperate  Journey 

WB 

204 

Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 

Sept.  26/42 

107m 

Aug.  22/42 

915 

1082 

Destination  Unknown 

Univ. 

7030 

Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 

Oct.  9/42 

61m 

Oct.  3/42 

946 

912 

Devil  with  Hitler,  The 

UA-Roach 

Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 

Oct.  9/42 

45  m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

Dixie 

Para. 

Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 

Not  Set 

1091 

Dixie  Dugan 

20th-Fox 

James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 

Not  Set 

1082 

Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant  MGM 

Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 

Dec. -Feb.,  43 

86m 

Nov.  15/42 

1005 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret 

20th-Fox 

321 

Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 

Dec.  1  1/42 

58m 

Dec.  17/42 

959 

936 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady 

MGM 

Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton 

Not  Set 

1019 

•EAGLE  Squadron 

Univ. 

Robert  Stack-Diana  Barrymore 

Special 

109m 

June  20/42 

725 

635 

1082 

Edge  of  Darkness 

WB 

Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 

Not  Set 

982 

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish) 

Scandia 

ingna  Dergman-^JIot  oandborg 

Not  Set 

o  7  m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

Eyes  in  the  Night 

MGM 

309 

Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 

Sept. -Nov. ,'42 

79m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

797 

1  130 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld 

Univ. 

7037 

Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney 

Jan.  8/43 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

FALCON'S  Brother,  The 

RKO 

309 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 

Nov.  6/42 

63m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

871 

Fall  In 

UA-Roach 

William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 

Nov.  20/42 

796 

Fighting  Buckaroo,  The 

Col. 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 

Feb.  2/43 

Fighting  Devil  Dogs 

Rep. 

21  1 

Lee  Powell-Herman  Brix 

Jan.  29/43 

Fighting  Frontier 

RKO 

Tim  Holt 

Jan.  29/43 

Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

37m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

First  of  the  Few,  The  Howard-Gen'l 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Not  Set 

1  18m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

(British) 

Flesh  and  Fantasy 

Univ. 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 

Not  Set 

1058 

Flight  for  Freedom 

RKO 

Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 

Feb.  19/43 

983 

Flying  Fortress  (British) 

WB 

211 

Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 

Dec.  5/42 

68m 

June  27/42 

914 

1082 

•Flying  Tigers 

Rep. 

John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 

Oct.  8/42 

102m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

1 130 

Follies  Girl 

PRC 

Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 

Mar.  15/43 

1 104 

Footlight  Serenade 

20th-Fox 

301 

John  Payne-Betty  Grable 

Aug.  1/42 

80m 

July  1 1/42 

915 

715 

873 

Foreign  Agent 

Mono. 

John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 

Oct.  9/42 

64m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

Foreman  Went  to  France 

(British) 

Ealing-U  A 

Constance  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder             Not  Set 

90m 

May  2/42 

634 

Forest  Rangers,  The  (color) 

Para. 

4206 

Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 

Block  2 

87m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

1 130 

Forever  and  a  Day 

RKO 

British  and  American  Stars 

Mar.  19/43 

104m 

Jan.  23/43 

1  125 

Forever  Yours 

Univ. 

Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

Not  Set 

936 

For  Me  and  My  Gal 

MGM 

312 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

104m 

Sept.  12,42 

897 

751 

1  130 

Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 

sian ) 

Artkino 

Mikhail  Gelovani-Nikolai  Bogoliubov             Not  Set 

77m 

Jan.  9/43 

1  101 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (co 

lor)  Para. 

Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman 

Not  Set 

855 

Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man 

Univ. 

Lon  Chaney-Bela  Lugosi 

Not  Set 

1055 

From  Here  to  Victory 

RKO 

Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day 

Not  Set 

1081 

•  Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail 

PRC 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Oct.  19/42 

60m 

•Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals  PRC 

255 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Sept.  4/42 

60m 

1033 

•GAY  Sisters,  The 

WB 

138 

Barbara  Stanwyck-George  Brent 

Aug.  1/42 

108m 

June  6/42 

697 

663 

984 

•General  Died  at  Dawn,  The 

Para. 

4140 

Gary  Cooper-Madeleine  Carroll 

Reissue 

93m 

Sept.  12/36 

911 

Gentleman  Jim 

WB 

212 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith 

Nov.  14/42 

104m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

936 

1 130 

George  Washington  Slept  Here  WB 

210 

Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan 

Nov.  28/42 

93m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

871 

1  130 

Get  Hep  to  Love 

Univ. 

7022 

Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 

Oct.  2/42 

77m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

I  140   Product  Digest  Section 


January    3  0,     19  4  3  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


REVIEW  ED 


Prod. 

Co  m  pu  ny 

AT  /_„ 

N  u  m  In 

20th-Fox 

309 

Univ. 

7021 

Para. 

4203 

Ealing-UA 

WB 

216 

RKO 

314 

Univ. 

7032 

Para. 

Col. 

Univ. 

7035 

Para. 

WB 

209 

Rep. 

251 

20+h-Fox 

Univ. 

20th-Fox 

Para. 

4209 

ur  Para. 

Para. 

RKO 

305 

Univ. 

WB 

208 

Para. 

RKO 

304 

Mono. 

Rep. 

201 

p.. 
Rep. 

Mouse 

KK.U 

Univ. 

p.., 
rara. 

4 1  J4 

MGM 

Rep. 

206 

20th-Fox 

306 

Para. 

4135 

UA 

20th-Fox 

327 

Title 
Girl  Trouble 

•  Give  Out,  Sisters 
Glass  Key,  The 
Goose  Steps  Out,  The 

(British) 
Gorilla  Man,  The 
Great  Gildersleeve,  The 
Great  Impersonation,  The 
Great  Without  Glory 

HAIL  to  the  Rangers 
Half  Way  to  Shanghai 
Happy  Go  Lucky  (color) 
Hard  Way,  The 
Heart  of  the  Golden  West 
He  Hired  the  Boss 
He's  My  Guy 
Hello,  'Frisco,  Hello 
Henry  Aldrich,  Editor 
Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamo 
Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It 
Here  We  Go  Again 
Hi,  Buddy 
Hidden  Hand,  The 
High  Explosive 
Highways  by  Night 

•  Hillbilly  Blitzkrieg 
Hi!  Neighbor 
Hit  Parade  of  1943 
Hitler,  Dead  or  Alive 
Hitler's  Children 
Hi'Ya,  Chum 

•  Holiday  Inn 
Human  Comedy,  The 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue 
Iceland 
•I  Live  on  Danger 
I  Married  a  Witch 
Immortal  Sergeant,  The 
In  the  Rear  of  the  Enemy 

(Russian)  Artkino 
In  Which  We  Serve  (British)  UA 
Isle  of  Missing  Men  Mono. 
It  Ain't  Hay  Univ. 
It  Comes  Up  Love  Univ. 

(also  called  Get  Hep  to  Love) 
I  Walked  with  a  Zombie  RKO 

JACARE  UA 

•Joan  of  Ozark  Rep. 

Johnny  Doughboy  Rep. 

Journey  for  Margaret  MGM 

Journey  Into  Fear  RKO 

•Jungle  Siren  PRC 

Junior  Army  Col. 

Just  Off  Broadway  20th-Fox 

KEEPER  of  the  Flame  MGM 
Kid  Dynamite  Mono. 
King  Arthur  Was  a  Gentle- 
man (British)  Gains. 
•King  of  the  Stallions  Mono. 

LADIES'  DAY  RKO 

Lady  Bodyguard  Para. 

Lady  from  Chungking  PRC 

Lady  in  the  Dark  Para. 

Lady  of  Burlesque  UA 

Last  Ride,  The  WB 

Laugh  Your  Blues  Away  Col. 

(formerly  How  Do  You  Do?) 

Law  of  the  Northwest  Col. 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British)  Anglo 

Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty  20th-Fox 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler  Univ. 

Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A.  20th-Fox 

Living  Ghost,  The  Mono. 

London  Blackout  Murders  Rep. 

Lone  Prairie,  The  Col. 
•Lone  Rider  in  Border  Roundup  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 

Boulder  Pass  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Stagecoach  PRC 

Lone  Star  Trail,  The  Univ. 

Lost  Canyon  UA 


7022 


104 
205 
314 
307 
203 
4038 
310 


302 


4033 


322 
7072 
303 

210 
4209 
266 


363 
7077 


Stars 

Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett 

Andrews  Sisters-Richard  Davies 

Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Lake-Alan  Ladd 

Will  Hay 

John  Loder-Paul  Cavanagh 
Harold  Peary-Freddy  Mercer 
Ralph  Bellamy-Evelyn  Ankers 
Joel  McCrea-Betty  Field 

Charles  Starrett 

Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor 

Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Vallee 

Ida  Lupino-Dennis  Morgan 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Stuart  Erwin-Evelyn  Venable 

Dick  Foran-lrene  Hervey 

Alice  Faye-John  Payne 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Fibber  McGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Charlie" 

Dick  Foran-Harriet  Hilliard 

Craig  Stevens-Elizabeth  Fraser 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph 

Edgar  Kennedy-Bud  Duncan 

Lulubelle  &  Scotty-Jean  Parker 

John  Carroll-Susan  Hayward 

Ward  Bond-Dorothy  Tree 

Tim  Holt-Bonita  Granville 

Jane  Frazee-Robert  Paige 

Bing  Crosby-Fred  Astaire 

Mickey  Rooney-James  Craig 

Ellen  Drew-Richard  Denning 
Sonja  Henie-John  Payne 
Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 
Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake 
Henry  Fonda-Maureen  O'Hara 

War  Documentary 
Noel  Coward-Bernard  Miles 
John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland 
Abbott  and  Costello 
Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 

Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway 

Animal  feature 
Judy  Conova-Joe  E.  Brown 
Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook 
Robert  Young-Laraine  Day 
Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Del  Rio 
Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe 
Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop 
Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver 


Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 
East  Side  Kids 

Arthur  Askey-Evelyn  Dall 

Chief  Thundercloud-David  O'Brien 


Lupe  Velez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Baer 
Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley 
Anna  May  Wong-Harold  Huber 
Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 
Barbara  Stanwyck-Eddie  O'Shea 
Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker 
Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 
Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney 
Monty  Woolley-lda  Lupino 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce 
James  Dunn-Joan  Woodbury 
John  Abbott-Mary  McCleod 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
George  Houston-AI  St.  John 

George  Houston-AI  St.  John 

Bob  Livingston-AI  St.  John 
Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 
William  Boyd 


M.P. 

Product 

Ad  vane 

Release 

Running 

r  i  II 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsi 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Oct.   9, '42 

82m 

Sept.  19, '42 

923 

855 

Sept.  1  1  ,'42 

65m 

Sept.  5, '42 

889 

Block  1 

85m 

Aug.  29, '42 

914 

Not  Set 

78m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

Jan.  1 6,43 

64m 

Dec.  12, '42 

1054 

Jan.    1 .43 

62m 

Nov.  15, '42 

1006 

995 

Dec.  18, '42 

71m 

Dec.  19, '42 

1066 

912 

Not  Set 

912 

Not  Set 
Sept.  1 8, '42 
Block  4 
Feb.  20,'43 
Dec.  I  I, '42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  2 
Block  4 
Not  Set 
Oct.  9, '42 
Feb.  26,'43 
Nov.  7,'42 
Not  Set 
Oct.  2,'42 
Aug.  I4,'42 
July  27,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Jan.22,'43 
Not  Set 
Block  7 
Not  Set 


Not  Set 

Nov.  27,'42 
Aug.  I, '42 
Dec.  3  I, '42 
Dec.-Feb.,'43 
Feb.  1 2, '43 
Aug.  I4,'42 
Nov.26,'42 
Sept.  25/42 

Not  Set 
Feb. 12/43 

Not  Set 
Sept.  I  1/42 

Not  Set 
Block  4 
Dec.  21/42 

Not  Set 
Feb.  12/43 

Not  Set 
Nov.  12/42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec.  25/42 
Nov.  13/42 
Aug.  14/42 
Nov.  27/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Oct.  15/42 
Sept.  18/42 

Not  Set 

Dec.  1 1/42 
Not  Set 
Dec.  18/42 


62r 
81m 


Sept.  19/42 
Jan.  2/43 


923 
1089 


58m 
63m 


Jan.  23/43 
Jan.  23/43 


1055 


797 


1019 


057 


65m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

80m 

July  25/42 

793 

63m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

971 

79m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

912 

69m 

Aug.  8/42 

903 

796 

68m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

69  m 

1009 

65m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

936 

73m 

Jan.  23/43 

1  126 

98m 

Jan.  16/43 

1  1  14 

63  m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

800 

962 

70m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

946 

70m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

574 

1091 

1115 

69m 

986 

1018 


100m 

Apr.  1  1/42 

599 

85m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

962 

64m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

64m 

July  1  1/42 

938 

61m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

59m 

Dec.  12/42 

1067 

55m 

1058 

58m 

i  126 
1 126 


1033 

1018 
1019 


Data 
Page 


I  130 


1082 


97m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

65m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

986 
1  127 
1  127 

72m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

1  130 

72m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 
i  104 

76  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

1079 

1082 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

983 

1082 

63  m 

Aug.  8/42 

938 

715 

63m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

794 

72m 

July  25/42 

927 

772 
1043 

70m 

Nov.  21/42 

1018 

1082 

83m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 
1  127 

101m 

June  13/42 

713 

663 

1 130 

Dec.  24/42 

79m 

Dec.  19/42 

i  066 

797 

1  130 

Oct.  2/42 

79m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

1082 

Block  7 

73m 

June  13/42 

713 

Oct.  30/42 

78m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1  130 

Jan.  29/43 

91m 

Jan.  9/43 

1  101 

995 

Oct.  9/42 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

Dec.25,'42 

1  13m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

Sept.  18/42 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

772 

Not  Set 

1058 

Oct.  2/42 

77m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

1082 
1034 


1082 


Product  Digest  Section     |  |  4 1 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


January    30,    I  943 


Title  Company 

Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  The  20th-Fox 

Lucky  Jordan  Para. 

Lucky  Legs  Col. 

MADAME  Spy  Univ. 

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The  RKO 

Major  and  the  Minor,  The  Para. 

Man  in  the  Trunk,  The  20th-Fox 

Mani  la  Calling  20th-Fox 

Man  of  Courage  PRC 

Man's  World,  A  Col. 

Margin  for  Error  20th-Fox 

Mashenka  (Russian)  Artkino 

McGuerins  from  Brooklyn  UA-Roach 

Meanest  Man  in  the  World  20th-Fox 

Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant  RKO 

Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The  Para. 

Mission  to  Moscow  WB 

Miss  V  from  Moscow  PRC 

Moonlight  in  Havana  Univ. 

Moon  and  Sixpence,  The  UA 

Moon  Is  Down,  The  20th-Fox 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Rus  :an)  Rep. 

Mountain  Rhythm  Rep. 

•  Mrs.  Miniver  MGM 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para. 
Mug  Town  Univ. 
Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ. 
Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 
My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th  Fox 
My  Heart  Belongs  ro  Daddy  Para. 

•  My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 
My  Son,  the  Hero  PRC 
Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 

NAVY  Comes  Through,  The  RKO 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge  Mono. 

Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Nightmare  Univ. 

Night  for  Crime,  A  PRC 

Night  Monster  Univ. 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking  Para. 

Night  to  Remember,  A  Col. 

Northwest  Rangers  MGM 

No  Place  for  a  Lady  Col. 

No  Time  for  Love  Para. 

Now,  Voyager  WB 

OFF  the  Beaten  Track  Univ. 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The  Univ. 

Old  Homestead,  The  Rep. 

Omaha  Trail  MGM 

(formerly  Ox  Train ) 

On  the  Beam  Univ. 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  RKO 

One  Dangerous  Night  Col. 
One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British)  UA 

One  Thrilling  Night  Mono. 


(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 
Orchestra  Wives 
•Orders  from  Tokyo 
Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood 
Over  My  Dead  Body 
Ox-Bow  Incident,  The 

PALM  Beach  Story,  The 
Panama  Hattie 
Pardon  My  Gun 

•  Pardon  My  Sarong 
Payoff,  The 

•  Phantom  Killer 
Pied  Piper,  The 
Pilot  No.  5 

•  Pierre  of  the  Plains 
Pirates  of  the  Prairie 
Pittsburgh 

•  Police  Bullets 
Power  of  God,  The 
Powers  Girl,  The 
Power  of  the  Press 
Prairie  Chicken 
Presenting  Lily  Mars 
Pride  of  the  Army 

(also  called  War  Dogs) 
Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The  RKO 


20th-Fox 
Almo 
Rep. 
Col. 
20th-Fox 
20th- Fox 


Para. 
MGM 
Col. 
Univ. 
PRC 
Mono. 
20th-Fox 
MGM 
MGM 
RKO 
Univ. 
Mono. 
St.  Rts. 
UA 
Col. 
UA-Roach 
MGM 
Mono. 


REVIEWED 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Prod. 

Release 

Running 

tleraia 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

305 

John  Shepperd-Linda  Darnell 

Aug.  28, '42 

67m 

July  1  1/42 

914 

751 

4215 

Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker 

Block  3 

84m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

986 

1082 

4032 

Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris 

Oct.  I,'42 

64m 

797 

7034 

Constance  Bennett-Don  Porter 

Dec.  1 1  ,'42 

63m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

371 

Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Costello 

July  10/42 

88m 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

947 

4202 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 

Block  1 

100m 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

1082 

315 

Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes 

Oct.  23, '42 

71m 

Sept.  19/42 

91  1 

855 

314 

Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis 

Oct.  I6,'42 

81m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

871 

319 

Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters 

Jan.  4,'43 

67m 

Jan.  30/43 

1  137 

1031 

4044 

M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright 

Sept.  17, '42 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

330 

Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle 

Feb.  19, '43 

74m 

Jan.  9/43 

1  101 

995 

V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetzov 

Nov.  20, "42 

67  m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Max  Baer-Arline  Judge 

Dec.  31, '42 

46m 

329 

Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane 

Feb.  12, '43 

57m 

Jan.  9/43 

1115 

962 

302 

Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol 

Sept.  1 1  ,'42 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

915 

Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton 

Not  Set 

1079 

Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding 

Not  Set 

1058 

318 

Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison 

Nov.  23, '42 

71m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1031 

7026 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

Oct.  16/42 

62  m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall 

Oct.  2/42 

89m 

Sept.  12/42 

912 

1 130 

Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly 

Not  Set 

1091 

209 

Documentary 

Aug.  15/42 

55m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

i  130 

Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry 

Ian.  8/43 

70m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1009 

260 

Greer  Garson-Walter  Pidgeon 

Aug.,  '42 

133m 

May  16/42 

661 

527 

1034 

4208 

Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee 

Block  2 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

TAO  "7 

Dead  End  Kids 

Dec.  18/42 

60m 

Jan.  23/43 

1  126 

7019 

Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox 

Oct.  23/42 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

1 130 

Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman 

Not  Set 

1079 

Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster 

Not  Set 

962 

4214 

Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll 

Block  3 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

871 

Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne 

Sept.  30/42 

96m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

772 

1082 

Patsy  Kelly-Roscoe  Karns 

Apr.  5/43 

68m 

Jan.  23/43 

1  126 

Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder 

Not  Set 

1091 

308 

Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy 

Oct.  30/42 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

1 130 

East  Side  Kids 

Nov.  20/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam 

Not  Set 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

7A  1  C 

Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy 

Nov.  13/42 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

304 

Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot 

Feb.  18/43 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

7038 

Irene  nervey-Bela  Lugosi 

Oct.  23,  42 

/  jm 

/->.     1     r\  A   1  A") 

(Jet.  *4,  4z 

970 

1  1  OA 

1  1 30 

Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew 

Block  4 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

983 

Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne 

Dec.  10/42 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

1 130 

James  Craig-Patricia  Dane 

Not  Set 

64m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

960 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay 

Feb.  1 1/43 

1057 

206 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

855 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid 

Oct.  31/42 

1  17m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

1082 

Ritz  Brothers-Carol  Bruce  Not  Set 

Johnny  Mack  Brown  Dec.  11/42 

Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry  Aug.  17/42 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter  Not  Set 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant  Nov.  27/42 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore  Jan.  21/43 

Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman  Oct.  16/42 

John  Beal-Wanda  McKay  June  5/42 

George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherford    Sept.  4/42 

Danielle  Darrieux-Anton  Walbrook  Not  Set 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick  Oct.  27/42 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden  Sept.  25/42 

Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes  Jan.  15/43 

Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes  Not  Set 

Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea  Block  3 

Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll  Dec.  1/42 

Abbott  &  Costello-Virginia  Bruce  Aug.  7/42 

Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer  Jan.  21/43 

Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury  Oct.  2/42 

Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowall  Aug.  21/42 

Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt  Not  Set 

John  Carroll-Ruth  Hussey  Aug.,  '42 

Tim  Holt  Nov.  20/42 

Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne  Dec.  11/42 

John  Archer-Joan  Marsh  Sept.  25/42 

John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden  Not  Set 

Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy  Jan.  15/43 

Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy  Jan.  28/43 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy  Not  Set 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards  Nov.  13/42 

35!         Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright  Mar.  5/43 


7073 
202 
311 


311 


308 

272 
3208 
325 


421 1 

303 
4202 

303 

304 

246 
382 


60m 
67m 
61m 


Jan.  16/43 
Aug.  29/42 
Sept.  19/42 


I  16m       Nov.  7/42 


I  113 
938 
923 


1006 


794 

855 
796 

986 
855 
983 


1  10m 

Apr.  1  1  ,'42 

903 

1082 

69  m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

1  130 

80m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

57m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

995 

872 

90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1082 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

57m 

1058 

84m 

Aug.  8/42 

825 

984 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

87m 

July  1  1/42 

903 

751 

1082 

971 

66m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

57m 

1033 

93m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

93  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

1055 

986 

962 

63m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

120m 

July  18/42 

915 

1082 

I  142  Product  Digest  Section 


January    30,    I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


—  REVIEWED  — . 

if.  P.        Product    Advance  Service 


Title 

Princess  O'Rourke 
Priorities  on  Parade 
Private  Miss  Jones 

QUEEN  of  Broadway 
Queen  Victoria  (British) 
Quiet  Please,  Murder 

RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin 
Random  Harvest 
Rangers  Take  Over,  The 
Ravaged  Earth 
Red  River  Robin  Hood 
Reunion  in  France 
(former  Reunion) 
Reveille  with  Beverly 
Rhythm  of  the  Islands 
Rhythm  Parade 


Col. 
Univ. 
Mctc. 


Riders  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Col. 

•  Riders  of  the  West  Mono. 

Ridin'  Double  Mono. 

Ridin'  Down  the  Canyon  Rep. 

Ridin'  Through  Nevada  Col. 

Road  to  Morocco  Para. 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range  Cel. 


253 
4201 
4207 


Prod. 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

WB 

Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummings 

Not  bet 

70/ 

Para. 

4201 

Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna 

Block  1 

79m 

Aug.  I,'42 

914 

MGM 

Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly 

Not  Set 

1079 

PRC 

312 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe 

Mar.  8.'43 

62  m 

Nov.  28, '42 

1030 

1018 

Renown 

Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook 

Not  Set 

84m 

Jan.  I6,'43 

1 1 13 

20th-Fox 

Gail  Patrick-Georoe  Sanders 

Not  Set 

70m 

Dec.  19, '42 

1067 

983 

Univ. 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Not  Set 

1009 

MGM 

Ronald  Colrnan-Greer  Garson 

Not  Set 

126m 

Nov.  28, '42 

1029 

796 

1082 

PRC 

Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 

Dec.  25,'42 

60m 

Jan.  16, '43 

1 1 14 

1055 

Crystal 

Documentary  on  China 

Not  Set 

68m 

Dec.  5, '42 

1043 

RKO 

Tim  Holt 

Not  Set 

57m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

MGM 

315 

Jc  =  ^  Crawford-Philip  Dorr- 

John  Wayne 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

102m 

Dec.  5,'42 

1041 

872 

Ann  Miller-William  Wright  Feb.  4,'43 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Fraree  Not  Set 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery  Dec.  II  ,'42 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Feb.  I5,'43 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy  Aug.  2 1, '42 

Range  Busters  Not  Set 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes  Dec.  30/42 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson  Oct.  1/42 
Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour       Block  2 

Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris  Not  Set 


70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

60  m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

55m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

61m 

83m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

1  127 
983 
1019 
800 
1019 
1019 
1058 
872 
1057 


1 130 


•  SABOTAGE  Squad  Col. 

Saludos  Amigos  (color)  RKO 

Salute  for  Three  Para. 
Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bi.-Anglo-Am. 

Salute  to  the  Marines  MGM 

Scattergcod  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 

Secret  Enemies  WB 
Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-Gen'l 

Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed  PRC 

Secrets  of  the  Underground  Rep, 

Seven  Days  Leave  RKO 

Seven  Miles  from  Alcafraz  RKO 

Seven  Sweethearts  MGM 

Shadow  of  a  Doubt  U-V. 

Shadows  on  the  Sage  Rep. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 

Terror  Univ. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Sec-ef  Weapon  Univ. 
(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  Fights  Back) 

Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 

Silent  Witness  Mono. 

Silver  Queen  UA 

Silver  Skates  Mono. 

Sin  Town  Univ. 

Slightly  Dangerous  MGM 
(formerly  Nothing  Ventured) 

•Smart  Alecks 
Smith  of  Minnesota 
Solid  Senders 
Soliga  Soiberg  (Swedish) 
Sombrero  Kid,  The 
Something  to  Shout  AbouA 
Somewhere  I'll  Find  Ycu 
So  Proudly  We  Hail 


Spirit  of  Stanford,  The 
Spring  Song  (Russian] 
Springtime  in  the  Rockies 


•Spy  Ship 

Squadron  Leader  (British) 

Stage  Door  Canteen 

Stand  By,  All  Networks 

Stand  By  for  Action 

[•Formerly  Clear  for  Action 

Star  Spangled  Rhythm 

Stranger  in  Town,  A 

(formerly  Mr.  Justice  Goes 

Street  of  Chance 

Strictly  in  the  Groove 

Submarine  Alert 

Sundown  Kid 
•Sunset  Serenade 


Mono. 
Col. 
Univ. 
Scar  d'd 
Rep. 
Col. 
MGM 
Para. 
Col. 
Art'c'po 
color] 

20th-Fox 
WB 
RKO 
UA 
Col. 
MGM 


TALES  of  Manhattan 
Talk  About  Jacqueline 
(British) 
•Talk  of  the  Town 
Tarran  Triumphs 
Taxi  Mister 
Tennessee  Johnson 


Para. 
MGM 

H  unting 
Para! 
Univ. 
Para. 

Rep. 

Rep. 

20th-Fox 


Excelsior-Metro 
Col. 
RKO 
UA-Roach 
MGM 


3046 


306 
205 

309 

310 
315 


261 
7020 


7017 

4035 

271 
301 
4022 


3 ;  7 
139 


4042 
316 

4231 


4210 
2028 

273 


Bruce  Bennett-Kay  Harris 
Disney  South  American  feature 
Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes 
Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 
Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainfer 
Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 
Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 

V,'"  ';~;-C  =  -'i  Lehrranr 
Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 
John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 
Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 
James  Cralg-Bonita  Granville 
Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Graysor 
Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 
Three  Mesquifeers 

Basil  Rathbone-Nlgel  Bruce 

Basil  Rathbone-Nige!  Bruce 

Basil  Rathbone-Nige!  Bruce 
Frank  Alberfson-Maris  Wrixon 
George  Brent-Priseilla  Lane 
Patricia  Morison-Kenny  Baker 
Constance  Bennetf-Brod  Crawford 
Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 

East  Side  Kids 
Bruce  Smlfh-Arline  Judge 
Andrews  Sisters-Grace  McDonald 
Edvard  Persson 
Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 
Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair 
Clark  Gable-Lana  Turner  Ss 
Ciaudetfe  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard 
Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman 
Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne 
Craig  Stevens-Irene  Manning 
Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley 
Stage  and  Screen  Stars 
John  Beal-Florence  Rice 
Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor 


Not  Set 
Jan. 15/43 
Nov.  13/42 
Feb.  5/43 
Sept.  25/42 
Not  Set 

Aug.  7/42 
Oct.  15/42 
Feb.  5/43 
Sept.  12/42 
July  31/42 
Not  Set 
;pt.-Nov./42 
Not  Set 
Sept.  10/42 
Sept.  1 1/42 

Nov.  6,'42 
Aug.  15/42 
Not  Set 
Feb.  26/43 
Oct.  29/42 
Dec-Feb.,'43 


Betty  Hutfon-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  Moore  Special 
Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers  Not  Set 


Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor 
Leon  Errol-Mary  Healy 
Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie 
Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson 
Roy  Rogers 


313  C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 

....  Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 
3001  Cary  Grant-Jean  Arthur-R.  Colman 
....  Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 
....  William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley 
  Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey 


Aug.  27/42 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

772 

Jan.  15/43 

43m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Not  Set 

1091 

Not  Set 

96m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Not  Set 

1057 

Oct.  16/42 

sc  ~ 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

Oct.  17/42 

59m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Oct.  26/42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Dec.  18/42 

72  m 

1009 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Jan.  8/43 

62  m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Sept.-Nov./42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

Jan.  15/43 

108m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 1  14 

936 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  I2.M2 

897 

Feb. 12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

62m 
88m 
76m 
73  m 


Dec.  19/42 
Nov.  14/42 
Jan.  16/43 
Oct.  J/42 


1066 

::e 

1 113 
934 


983 
1033 
936 


1057 


1079 


1034 


66m 

June  27/42 

738 

947 

66  m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

56m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

796 

1043 

107m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

726 

984 

1 104 

73m 

Oct.  3  I  ,'42 

982 

796 

1082 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1082 

62m 

June  6/42 

698 

687 

100m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

1 1 15 

64  m 

797 

!09m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

1 130 

100m 

Jan.  3/43 

1 102 

855 

Block  2 

74m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

871 

1082 

Nov.  20/42 

60  m 

July  4/42 

914 

Not  Set 

772 

Dec.  28/42 

55m 

Jan.  16/43 

i  ii3 

Sept.  14/42 

58m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Oct.  30/42 

1  18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

1 130 

Not  Set 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

Aug.  20/42 

1  18m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

70i 

1034 

Mar.  12/43 

77m 

Jan.  23  /43 

1 125 

983 

Not  Set 

986 

Not  Set 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

946 

Product  Digest  Section    I  143 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


a  n  u  a  r  y 


3  0 


9  4  3 


Title  Cow  puny 
Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground  Univ. 

Texas  to  Bataan  Mono. 

Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars  WB 

That  Nazty  Nuisance  UA-Roach 

That  Other  Woman  20th-Fox 

They  Got  Me  Covered  Goldwyn 
Those  Kids  from  Town  (British)  Anglo 


Three  Hearts  for  Julia 
Thunder  Birds  (color) 
Thunder  Rock  (British) 
Thundering  Trails 

•  Timber 
Time  to  Kill 
Tish 

•  Tombstone 
Tomorrow  We  Live 
Tomorrow  We  Live  (British) 
Tornado  in  the  Saddle 
Trail  Riders 
Traitor  Within,  The 
Truck  Busters 
True  to  Life 
Two  Fisted  Justice 
Two  Weeks  to  Live 


MGM 
20th-Fox 
Charter-Metro 
Rep. 
Univ. 
20th-Fox 
MGM 
Para. 
PRC 
Brit.  Lion 
Col. 
Mono. 
Rep. 
WB 
Para. 
Mono. 
RKO 


UNCENSORED  (British)  Gains.-Gen'l 
Undercover  Man  UA 
Underground  Agent  Col. 
Undying  Monster,  The  20th-Fox 
Unpu  blished  Story  (British)  Col. 


Prod. 

'Number  Stars 

V 

7074  Johnny  Mack  Brown 

....  Range  Busters 

....  All  Warner  Contract  Players 

....  William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer 

318  Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison 

....  Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour 

....  Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill 

....  Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas 

307  John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney 

....  Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen 

263  Three  Mesquiteers 

6057  Leo  Carrillo-Andy  Devine 

326  Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel 

....  Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman 

4132  Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford 

307  Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortez 

....  John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle 

4210  Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

....  Range  Busters 

207  Don  Barry-Jean  Parker 

....  Richard  Travis-Ruth  Ford 

....  Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone 

....  Range  Busters 

....  Lum  V  Abner 


....  Eric  Portman-F.  Culley 

4140  William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 

4039  Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 

319  James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 

....  Richard  Greene-Miles  Malleson 


Release 
Date 

Feb.  5,'43 
Oct.  16.42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Nov.  13.42 
Feb.  5,'43 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Nov.  20,'42 

Not  Set 
Jan.25,'43 
Aug.  14/42 
Jan.  22,'43 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Block  7 
Sept.  29,'42 

Not  Set 
Dec.  I5,'42 
Dec.  4,'42 
Dec.  I6,'42 
Feb.  6,'43 

Not  Set 
Jan.  8,'43 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Oct.  23,'42 
Dec.  3,'42 
Nov.  27,'42 

Not  Set 


Running 
Time 


r-  REVIEWED  —x 

M.P.  Product  Advance  Service 
Herald        Digest      Synopsis  Data 


Issue 


56m  Sept.26,'42 


Page 


922 


Page 
1018 

1058 
1019 


Page 


7  C  m 

/Dm 

\JCt*  1  / ,  *ri 

7  OU 

93A 

7  3D 

Yom 

Jan.  *tj 

1  1  C\0 

I  1  \JL 

872 

/Dm 

May   z,  n/ 

ill 

OA  

VUm 

Jan.   V,  4J 

1  1  U  1 

1  UV7 

78m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

796 

1  1  Im 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

1  115 

60m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

61m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

995 

83m 

July  25/42 

938 

772 

79m 

June  13/42 

714 

64m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

85m 

Dec.  lb,  4z 

10// 

59m 

1058 

55m 

1018 

62m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

983 

58m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

1079 

61m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 127 

1031 

100m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

68m 

May  9/42 

647 

68m 

1009 

60m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

936 

91m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

598 

130 


1034 


1082 


VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men  Rep. 
Varsity  Show  (Reissue)  WB 
Vengeance  of  the  West  Col. 

WAKE  Island  Para. 
War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 
War  Dogs  Mono. 
Watch  on  the  Rhine  WB 
We  Are  the  Marines  20th-Fox 
We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo 
Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 
We  Sail  at  Midnight 

( British)  Crown  Film 

Mono. 
Univ. 

Univ. 
MGM 
MGM 
Univ. 
Univ. 
Para. 
RKO 


West  of  the  Law 
We've  Never  Been  Licked 
When  Johnny  Comes  March- 
ing Home 
Whistling  in  Dixie 
White  Cargo 
White  Savage 
Who  Done  It? 
Wildcat 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British) 

(formerly  They  Flew  Alone 


262 
215 
3216 

4205 
306 


324 


313 
310 

7002 
4204 
303 


World  at  War 

WAC 

Wrecking  Crew 

Para. 

4212 

Wyoming  Hurricane 

Col. 

X  Marks  the  Spot 

Rep. 

204 

YANK  at  Eton,  A 

MGM 

305 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy 

WB 

201 

Yanks  Ahoy 

UA-Roach 

Yanks  Aie  Coming,  The 

PRC 

301 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 

Mono. 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever 

WB 

207 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier 

Col. 

4002 

Young  and  Willing 

UA 

Youngest  Profession,  The 

MGM 

Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British) 

20th-Fox 

316 

Youth  on  Parade 

Rep. 

203 

Three  Mesquiteers  Nov.  13/42  ....   

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring  Dec.  19/42  81m  Aug. 21/37 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter  •      Sept.  3/42  60m   

Brian  Donlevy-  Robert  Preston  Block  I  87m  Aug.  15/42 

Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold  Sept.-Nov.,'42  86m  Aug.  8/42 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards  Nov.  13/42  63m  Oct.  10/42 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Lucas  Not  Set  ....   

Marine  Feature  Jan.   8/43  73m  Dec.  12/42 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen  Not  Set  93m  Oct.  31/42 

Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney  Not  Set  92m  Nov.  14/42 

War  Documentary  Not  Set  27m  Nov.  21/42 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy  Nov.   2/42  55m  Nov.  7/42 

Richard  Ouine"Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set  ....   

Allan  Jones-Jane  Fraiee  Jan.    1/43  74m  Dec.  26/42 

Red  Skelron-Ann  Rutherford  Dec-Feb.,'43  74m  Oct.  3 1  ,'42 

Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon  Sept.-Nov.,'42  89m  Sept.  19/42 

Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall  Not  Set  ....   

Abbott  and  Costello  Nov.  6/42  75m  Nov.  7/42 

Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge  Block  I  73m  Aug.  29/42 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton  Sept.  18/42  94m  May  2/42 

Documentary  Sept.  1 8, '42  66m  Sept.  5/42 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris  Block  3  73m  Nov.  7/42 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Not  Set   

Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish  Nov.  4/42  56m  Nov.  7/42 

Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn  Sept.-Nov.,'42  87m  Aug.  15/42 

James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie  Jan.  2/43  126m  June  6/42 

Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith  Not  Set   

Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy  Nov.   9/42  65m  Oct.  3/42 

Edward  Norris-Joan  Woodbury  Jan.  29/43  61m  Jan.  30/43 

George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall  Oct.  10/42  77m  Sept.26,'42 

Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth  Nov.  19/42  97m  Oct.  10/42 

William  Holden-Susan  Hayward  Jan.  29/43  ....   

Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  &  Guests    Not  Set  ....   

Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat  Feb.  26/43  103m  July  4/42 

John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll  Oct.  24/42  75m  Oct.  3/42 


1043 


902 
902 
946 

1053 

982 
1006 

1017 
994 


1090 


1031 


772 
797 

986 


15 


I  130 
1082 


I  130 


981 

946 

1082 

923 

871 

1082 

1079 

993 

971 

1082 

938 

903 

1082 

890 

994 

986 

1079 

994 

986 

915 

726 

1 130 

903 

674 

'  1082 

1019 

935 

1 130 

137 

1081 

921 

898 

i034 

945 

796 

1034 

663 

1081 

914 
934 


Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 
in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1128, 


I  1 44    Product  Digest  Section 


In  a  great  movie  theatre,  an  audience  of  thousands 
—  carried  out  of  their  everyday  lives — look,  and  listen, 
to  the  drama  pouring  jrom  a  strip  oj  photographic  film 
about  one  inch  wide.  Everything  is  on  this — not  only  the 
living,  moving  scenes  oj  the  story,  but  on  the  tiny  "sound 
track"  at  the  left,  the  sound:  whispered  words  oj  love 
.  .  .  a  terrified  scream . . .  the  nerve-shattering  roar  of  a 
dive  bomber.  .  .an  enchanting  voice  crooning  a  lullaby. 
Film  carries  it  all. 


Most  Hollywood  movies  are  on  film  made  by  I^oXqkfe 


FROM  the  time  when  Thomas  A. 
Edison  and  George  Eastman 
worked  together  on  die  early,  flicker- 
ing movies,  the  improvement  of  mate- 
rials for  professional  motion  pictures 
has  been  one  of  the  chief  fields  of 
Kodak  research.  Kodak  has  been  the 
pacemaker,  and  is  by  far  the  largest 
supplier  of  Hollywood. 

From  "the  flickers"  to  art 

Kodak's  original  production  of 
transparent  roll  film,  the  kev  to  motion 
pictures  .  .  .  specialized  negadve  and 
posidve  films  .  .  .  the  production  of 
high-speed  panchromatic  materials  . . . 
the  modem  color  phase,  now  rapidlv 
expanding  .  .  .  these  are  important 
scenes  in  the  advance  from  "the  flick- 
ers" to  today's  work  of  art,  in  which 
Kodak  has  played  a  leading  role.  And 


there  is  another  .  .  .  The  success  of 
"sound"  pictures  hinged  on  making 
the  spoken  words,  or  music,  or  "sound 
effects,"  a  basic  part  of  the  picture.That 
is  what  you  have  today,  because  . . . 

Sound,  too.  is  pictured 

With  special  fine-grain  emulsions, 
Kodak  "sensitizes"  film  for  sound 
recording.  In  effect,  sound  is  changed 
into  light,  and  this  light  is  recorded 
on  the  film,  simultaneously  with  the 
recording  of  the  scenes.  Lips  move — 
a  voice  speaks.  Yet  the  voice  is  also  a 
"picture" — an  effect  of  light  on  film. 
The  voice  changes  from  a  whisper  to 
an  angry  roar — each  tone  is  a  series  of 


"light"  pictures,  different  in  quality. 

As  you  sit  in  the  theatre,  the  process 
is  reversed  —  the  "light  pictures''  on 
the  sound  track  are  changed  back  into 
sound  . .  .The  "sound"  newsreels  are 
made  in  much  the  same  way. 

Movies  for  everybody 
For  children,  movies  are  education. 
For  normal  men  and  women  they  are 
the  grandest  form  of  entertainment, 
reaching  almost  evervone.  For  those 
distraught  by  worn-  or  sorrow,  thev 
are  wholesome  escape.  For  our  sendee 
men  on  ships  or  in  distant  camps,  thev 
are  a  little  of  every  thing  that  is  needed 
to  give  a  man  a  "lift"  .  .  .  Eastman 
Kodak  Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


Serving  human  progress  through  Photography 


This  institutional  advertisement  is  one  of  a  series  covering  a  wide  variety  of  Kodak 
products  and  services.  It  appeared  in  December  popular  magazines  read  by  millions. 


ON  PICTURE 

HERALD 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 
Air  Force 

The  Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday 

Flight  for  Freedom 

Journey  Into  Fear 

Silk,  Blood  and  Sun 

Behind  Prison  Walls 

It  Comes  Up  Love 

The  Brains  Trust 

Hi'Ya,  Chum 

The  McGuerins  from 
Brooklyn 

Two  Weeks  to  Live 

How's  About  It? 

The  Fighting  Devil  Dogs 

Lone   Rider  in  Outlaws  of 
Boulder  Pass 

Underground  Agent 


Holdover  Playing  Time 

up  100%  for  Season: 

A  record  of  four  months 

Hollywood  cuts  War  Themes 
to  25%  of  total  output 
from  40%  six  months  ago 

Seat  for  Exhibitors  on 
Industry's  War  Council 
proposed  by  Rodgers 


ea 


Conservation  Methods  of  a  Small  Town  Circuit 


VOL.  150,  NO.  6 


FEBRUARY  6,  1943 


Entered  as  second-class  matter,  January  12,  1931,  at  the  Post  Office,  at  New  York  City,  U.  S.  A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Pub- 
lished weekly  by  Quigley  Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  at  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York.  Subscription  prices:  $5.00  a  year 
in  the  Americas,  $10.00  a  year  Foreign.    Single  copy,  25  cents.    All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company. 


I'LL  CATCH  UP  WITH  THAT  GAL  YET!' 


When  Metro-Goldwyn*Mayer's  "Mrs.  Miniver"  rao  so  long  at  the  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  everybody  thought  that  its  amazing  record  would  stand  for  all  time...  But 
now  look  what's  happening !  "Random  Harvest"  is  right  on  "Mrs.  Miniver's"  heels ! 

RONALD  COLMAN  •  GREER  GARSON 
"RANDOM  HARVEST" 

Directed  by  Mervyn  LeRoy  ■  Produced  by  Sidney  Franklin  wilb  Philip  Dora  *  Susan  Peters  •  Henry  Travers 
Reginald  Owen  •  Braruwell  Fletcher  •  Screen  Play  by  Claudine  Wcsi,  George  Froeschel  and  Arthur  Wimperi* 
Based  upon  the  novel  by  James  Hilton  •  A  Mervyn  LeRoy  Production  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 

6th  WEEK!  RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Buy  United  State*  War  Bonds  and  Stamps  for  Victory ! 


As  it  races  into  its  seventh  week,  "Random  Harvest"  has  smashed  all  the 
long-run  records  in  Music  Hall  history— except  one.  All  New  York  is  wonder- 
ing whether  it  will  beat  "Mrs.  Mitiiver's"  record  too . .  .Just  three  weeks  to  go. 

RONALD  COLMAN    •    GREER  GARSON 
"RANDOM  HARVEST" 

Directed  by  Mervyn  LeRoy  •  Produced  by  Sidney  Franklin  ■  with  Philip  Dorn  •  Susan  Peters  •  Henry  Travers 
Reginald  Owen  •  Bramwell  Fletcher  •  Screen  Play  by  Claudioe  West,  George  Froeschel  and  Arthur  Wimperis 
Based  upon  the  novel  by  James  Hilton    •  A  Mervyn  LeRoy  Production    •   A  Metro-Goldwyn-  Mayer  Picture 

7th  WEEK!  RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Buy  United  States  War  Bonds  and  Stamps  foe  Victory  1 


6th  Week! 


7th  Week! 


"7  was  easy!  Now  watch  me  do  8 !  ' 


It  merely  looks  easy!  Actually,  only  one  other  picture  in  the  entire  history  of  the 
Music  Hall  has  run  as  long  as  M*G-M's  "Random  Harvest".  That  was  M*G*M's 
"Mrs.  Miniver"  which  set  a  10-week  record. ..Look  out  Mrs.  M.— "Random  Harvest" 
has  a  record-smashing  gleam  in  its  eye! 

RONALD  COLMAN    •    GREER  GARSON 
"RANDOM  HARVEST" 

Directed  by  Mervyti  LeRoy  •  Produced  by  Sidney  Franklin  ■  with  Philip  Dorn  •  Susan  Peters  •  Henry  Travers 
Reginald  Owen  •  Bramwell  Fletcher  •  Scrven  Play  by  Claudine  West,  George  Froeschel  and  Arthur  Wimperis 
Based  upon  the  novel  by  Jamc:  Hilton    •  A  Mervyn  LeRoy  Production    •   A  Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer  Picture 

8th  WEEK!  RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Buy  United  States  War  Bonds  and  Stamps  for  Victory  ! 


8th  Week! 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

RONALD  COLMAN  •  GREER  GARSON 
"RANDOM  HARVEST" 

Directed  by  Mervyn  LeRoy  •  Produced  by  Sidney  Franklin  with  Philip  Dorn  •  Susan  Peters  •  Henry  Travers 
Reginald  Owen  •  Bramwetl  Fletcher  •  Screen  Play  by  Claudine  West,  George  Froeschel  and  Arthur  Wimperis 
Based  upon  the  novel  by  James  Hilton  •  A  Mervyn  LeRoy  Production  •  A  Metro-Goldwyo-Mayer  Picture 

MARCH  OF  DIMES  — FEB.  18—24 


honest  Leo,  I'm 
not  a  bit  tired/'' 


"YOU'RE  THE 
MINIVER 


OF  1943! 


Press-time!  "Random  Harvest"  phenomenal  in  Philly,  biggest 
non-holiday  M-G-M  gross  in  2  years  at  Boyd  Theatre.  Riverside, 
Cal.,  first  small  town  engagement  is  219%!  Los  Angeles  gives  it 
12  weeks  with  simultaneous  four  theatre  run  plus  move-overs! 


^°V6S  fot  ^oTe' 


'CASABLANCA' 
WOW  22y2G,  PIH 

Pittsburgh,  Jan.  26. 
Biz  perking  up  right  down  the  line 
\>:ls  week,  with  'Casablanca'  :>,r 


'Casablanca'  Hot  15G 

In  Frigid  Portland 

Portland,  Ore.,  Jan.  26. 
Worst  blfiszard  in  20  year?  mo:v 
failing*  to  hold  down 


Big 
to 


TV.e  coW\ 


A  few  random 
reports  from 
the  current 
trade  papers 


i 


HUMPHREY 


INGRID 


PAUL 


JOGART  •  BERGMAN  -  HENREID 

UDE  RAINS'"  CONRAD  VEIDT- SYDNEY  GREENSTREET  T I?  A  IA/ A  H  N  T  If     Klflfl    OT     3  HI  3  S  ll  ■ 

erlorre-A  HAL B.WALLIS  PRODUCTION         |  ||C  llnllllLlI  HIIIU  VI 

□  ■reeled  by  MICHAEL  CURTIZ  ^.1, JUJP  HUM  ■  I 

en  Play  by  Julius  J.  &  Philip  G.  Epstein  and  Howard  Koch  •  From  3S¥HI9n3jagn£ 

Murray  Burnett  and  Joan  Alison  •  Music  by  Ma>  Steiner  HIWi«i' .„„  ,ftTL.  0,TU 


f !  SPIRIT  AND  THE  ENTERTAINMENT  STANDARD 

■  NT  YORK  *  YANKEE  DOODLE  DANDY  *  CASABLANCA 


READING  TIME 


22  SECONDS 


Uonat's  performance  rates  among  the 
greatest  in  screen  history — while  the  production  itself  is  a 
triumph.  Remind  the  customers  that  Mr.  Donat  entertained 
them  royally  in  'Goodbye  Mr.  Chips/  winning  an  Academy 
Award  for  that  service  —  and  clicked  before  that  in  'The 
Citadel'  and  'The  Count  of  Monte  Cristo.'  Promise  them 
an  entertainment  of  equal  merit,  power  and  significance. 
Concentrate  on  a  big  first  day.  After  that,  the  word- of  - 
mouth  raves  will  take  care  of  it."         —  Motion  Picture  Daily 


BOOKING  TIME 


IN  his  J  G"N 
15  HANDS, 


i 


ROBERT  MORLEY 
PHYLLIS  CALVERT  •  JOHN  MILLS 

Directed  by  CAROL  REED    •    Produced  by  EDWARD  BLACK 

Maurice  Osfrer,  In  Charge  of  Production  •  Screen  Play  by  Sidney  Giliiat  &  Frank  Launder 

RELEASED  BY  20th  CENTURY- FOX 

Join  the  industry's  March  of  Dimes  Drive  . .  .  Feb.  18  to  Feb.  24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


COLVIN  BROWN,  Publisfxr 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY 
President  and  Editor-in-Chief 

TERRY  RAMSAYE,  Editor 

Vol.  150,  No.  6 

QP 

February  6,  1943 

INVITING  DEBACLE 

A MEMBER  of  the  staff  of  Motion  Picture  Herald  set 
out  last  Sunday  to  have  a  look  at  some  pictures  among 
the  theatres  of  uptown  New  York.  His  pursuit  of  titles 
led  him  to  one  of  the  more  important  circuit  houses  of  the 
region,  where  a  lively  business  was  being  done  at  the  box  office. 
The  house  was  crowded,  and  in  a  note  to  this  desk  he  reports: 

"I  was  amazed  to  find  that  a  row  of  movable, 
wooden  seats  had  been  put  in  all  the  way  across  the 
main  aisle  of  the  lower  balcony  {now  being  sold  as 
'loge  seats'  at  75  cents) ;  a  small  aisle  part  way  up  the 
balcony  had  been  entirely  closed  by  the  insertion  of 
another  row  of  single  chairs,  and  other  groups  of 
similar  seats  had  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
entrances  to  the  'loge  seats'." 

The  closing  or  constriction  of  theatre  aisles,  no  matter  what 
the  provocations  or  circumstances,  is  always  a  dangerous  pro- 
ceeding, and  in  balconies  it  is  desperately  dangerous. 

No  theatre  needs  the  few  additional  dollars  that  are  to  be 
had  at  such  a  price  of  peril. 

Further,  the  risks  are  not  for  the  theatre  directly  concerned 
alone,  but  for  the  whole  industry,  which  will  have  to  bear  the 
consequences  of  any  such  disaster  as  might  result  from  one 
cry  of  "Fire"  or  panic  in  one  house. 

It  is  amazing,  too,  that  such  flagrant  disregard  of  the  most 
primary  rules  of  safety  should  appear  in  a  New  York  theatre, 
or  any  theatre  anywhere,  so  soon  after  that  night  of  horror 
and  death  at  the  Cocoanut  Grove  night  club  fire  in  Boston. 

The  motion  picture  has  been  now  for  a  while  doing  very  well 
indeed  in  its  general  publicity  and  public  relations.  Let  one 
theatre  panic  or  fire  disaster  be  touched  off  and  there  will  be, 
after  tragedy,  a  lot  of  repair  work  to  be  done. 

The  theatre  especially  reported  on  here  is  doing  a  handsome 
business,  without  the  seats  in  the  aisle.  It  does  not  need  them, 
but  it  seems  to  need  some  management. 

AAA 

TENDING  WHITHER? 

THIS  and  the  prior  issue  of  The  Herald  present  discussion 
by  Mr.  Red  Kann  of  the  adventures,  experiments  and 
ambitious  project  of  the  Interstate  Circuit's  radio  "Show- 
time" promotion  of  pictures  among  the  box  office  customers 
of  that  great  empire  of  the  southwest. 

Certain  observations  need  to  be  recorded.  The  expedient 
arose  as  a  local  or  at  most  a  regional  enterprise.  The  pressures 
of  attention  have  for  a  while  been  exerted  in  the  direction  of 
giving  the  method  national  application.  There  is,  for  exhibition, 
a  world  of  difference  between  the  implications  and  conse- 
quences of  regional  application  and  national  application. 

"Showtime"  on  the  air  was  born  of  local  and  autonomous 


exhibition  enterprise — in  other  words,  a  southwestern  exhibition 
enterprise,  deciding  and  doing  for  its  own  box  office  what  it 
deemed  constructive  about  the  pictures  it  was  to  play,  in  cer- 
tain places  at  certain  times.  That  obviously  is  a  proper  function 
of  exhibition  tending  to  its  own  and  special  business. 

Extension  to  national  application  of  the  method, 
under  producer-distributor  control,  which  seems  to 
be  the  objective  at  the  moment,  would  be  a  matter 
of  entirely  different  meaning  and  effect.  It  would 
conduce  further  to  reducing  the  status  and  influence 
of  the  showman  in  his  home-town  territory,  reducing 
the  areas  of  his  merchandising  judgment,  make  him 
even  more  than  now  a  local  landlord  of  a  retail  outlet. 

The  project  would,  in  the  opinion  of  at  least  one  observer 
of  the  scene,  tend  to  put  the  exhibitor  in  the  position  of  the 
manager  of  a  store  for  The  Great  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Tea  Com- 
pany, or  the  head  of  a  United  Cigar  store  which  has  to  handle 
the  goods  sold  by  Mr.  George  Washington  Hill  on  the  air. 

AAA 

THE  reports  from  the  wages  and  hours  discussions  of  Holly- 
wood which  are  much  in  the  trade  news  of  these  days 
seem  to  indicate  that  comparisons  between  wages  and 
salaries  produce  much  of  the  friction.  It  has  long  been  the 
experience  of  employers  in  other  fields  that  payroll  issues  and 
much  impairment  of  morale  are  produced  often  by  "what  that 
other  fellow  gets".  A  few  years  ago  the  Western  Electric 
Company  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  employee  relations  and 
came  out  with  that  as  the  principal  source  of  problems. 

AAA 

SOMETHING  new,  it  seems,  has  been  added.  Now  here 
comes  Monogram  Pictures  Corporation  speeding  in  with 
"Silver  Skates"  so  excitingly  that  Mr.  William  R.  Weaver, 
Hollywood  editor,  proclaims  in  his  review:  "Make  way  for 
Monogram".  And,  so  it  seems,  it  is — with  a  making  way  in 
theatres  by  RKO,  Warners,  Interstate,  Intermountain  and  even 
down  in  the  delta  country  of  Louisiana  where  Mr.  E.  V.  Richards 
holds  dominion.  The  probabilities  are  that  it  has  taken  a  pic- 
ture to  do  that,  if  you  know  what  we  mean — and  you  do. 

AAA 

FROM  Hollywood  comes  the  tidings  that  "The  G-String 
Murders'1,  about  completed,  will  be  retitled  "Lady  of 
Burlesque"  because,  so  the  story  runs,  a  poll  of  some 
five  thousand  persons  in  five  centers,  east  and  west,  indicated 
that  less  than  30  per  cent  of  the  citizens  know  what  a  "G-string" 
is.  Another  good  reason  for  changing  the  title  would  be 
because  they  do  know. 

— Terry  Ramsaye 


8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


Poll  Winners  Crowned 

ATTIRED  in  crimson  robes  trimmed  with 
the  finest  imitation  ermine,  Bud  Abbott  and 
Lou  Costello  were  crowned  box  office  cham- 
pions by  New  York's  Mayor  LaGuardia  at 
a  luncheon  at  the  Waldorf  Astoria  in  New 
York  on  Wednesday.  They  were  elected  by 
the  exhibitors  of  America  in  the  annual 
Motion  Picture  Herald- jFa?w€  poll.  The 
luncheon  was  attended  by  several  hundred 
industry  members  and  press  representatives. 

In  addition  to  several  encomiums  to 
their  box  office  potency,  tributes  were  paid 
the  two  for  their  work  in  entertaining  serv- 
ice men  and  in  selling  more  than  $100,000,- 
000  in  War  Bonds  by  Mayor  La  Guardia, 
J.  Cheever  Cowdin  and  Charles  D.  Prutz- 
man. 

Laughter,  said  Mayor  La  Guardia,  is  one 
of  the  wartime  requisites  of  Americans, 
whether  at  home  or  on  the  fighting  fronts, 
and  Abbott  and  Costello  are  one  of  the  na- 
tion's most  prolific  sources  of  the  supply  of 
mirth.  The  host  was,  of  course,  Universal. 


Direct  Selling 

FIGURES  compiled  by  Advertising  Age 
on  expenditures  in  excess  of  $100,000  dur- 
ing the  year  1942  for  general  magazine  ad- 
vertising show  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
leading  among  motion  picture  companies 
with  $560,035.  Paramount  spent  $366,824, 
Warner  Brothers  $247,651  and  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  $243,419.  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  also  bought  space  in  farm  papers  in 
the  amount  of  $68,580  as  against  $29,294  in 
1939.  The  figures  contrast  with  the  Proc- 
ter and  Gamble  expenditure  of  $5,392,611  in 
the  same  year,  Lever  Brothers  $2,943,408, 
General  Foods,  $2,011,869  spent  in  maga- 
zines, not  to  mention  $7,854,668  paid  for 
radio  advertising.  Colgate-Palmolive-Peet 
parted  with  $1,984,713  for  magazine  space 
and  Bristol-Myers  turned  loose  $2,211,017 
for  toothpaste. 


Legal  Manoeuver 

THE  POSSIBILITY  that  the  prison 
terms  of  George  E.  Browne,  former  presi- 
dent of  the  IATSE,  and  his  personal  rep- 
resentative, William  Bioff,  may  terminate 
sooner  than  expected  was  indicated  this 
week  when  Federal  Judge  John  C.  Knox 
extended  the  term  of  the  court  which  con- 
victed them  to  cover  the  terms  of  their  sen- 
tences. Browne's  sentence  of  eight  years 
imposed  after  his  conviction  on  charges  of 
extorting  $1,000,000  from  motion  picture 
companies,  runs  to  November  13,  1949, 
and  B  toff's  10-year  term  runs  to  November 
12,  1951. 

The  office  of  Acting  U.  S.  Attorney 
Howard  C.  Corcoran  would  make  no  com- 
ment on  the  extension  of  the  court  term.  It 
is  the  usual  practice  of  Federal  judges  to 
extend  the  terms  of  their  courts  when  it  is 
desired  to  retain  control  of  certain  prison- 


HOLDOVER  playing  time  increases  by  100 
per  cent  this  season  Page  13 

HOLLYWOOD  making  fewer  pictures  with 
war  themes  Page  15 

TRADE  WINDS— Red  Kann  discusses  fur- 
ther the  use  of  radio  Page  16 

DISTRIBUTORS  go  to  radio  with  more  ad- 
vertising money  Page  17 

OIL  shortages  pinch  sharply,  but  industry 
maintains  pace  Page  22 


ers  or  to  obtain  their  cooperation  with 
prosecuting  officials. 

Browne  and  Bioff  are  still  imprisoned  in 
the  Federal  House  of  Detention  in  New 
York,  more  than  a  year  after  their  sen- 
tences were  imposed,  although  it  is  the 
usual  practice  to  transfer  prisoners  soon 
after  sentencing.  It  is  known  that  both 
men  have  been  interviewed  frequently  by 
the  U.  S.  Attorney's  office  on  matters  bear- 
ing on  the  motion  picture  industry,  particu- 
lary  the  still  pending  indictment  against 
Louis  Kaufman,  business  agent  of  the 
Newark  local,  for  extortion.  Nick  Cir- 
cella,  alias  Deane,  indicted  with  Kaufman, 
pleaded  guilty  and  was  sentenced  to  eight 
years  in  prison.  Browne  and  Bioff  were 
named  as  co-conspirators  in  the  indictment 
against  Circella  and  Kaufman. 


Ration  Quiz 

QUESTIONS  about  the  Government's  new 
point  rationing  program  for  foodstuffs  and 
other  items  will  be  asked  and  answered  from 
the  stage  of  the  Loew-Poli  Palace  theatre  in 
Hartford,  Conn.  This  new  quiz  program 
is  the  idea  of  Fred  Greenway,  manager,  who 
has  obtained  the  whole-hearted  endorsement 
of  the  local  Office  of  Price  Administration. 
Known  as  "Hartford  Responds,"  the  pro- 
gram will  be  held  four  times  a  week. 
WNBC  will  broadcast  it.  Prizes  of  from 
$1  to  $4  will  be  paid  by  the  theatre  for 
correct  answers  to  questions  about  the  new 
rationing  program.  OPA  officials  will  be 
judges.  If  the  test  is  successful  it  is  pos- 
sible that  the  scheme  will  be  made  nation- 
wide, with  OPA  blessing. 


SEAT  on  war  council  asked  for  theatres  by 
Rodgers  Page  24 

AXIS  threatens  market  for  American  films 
in  Turkey  Page  28 

PLAN  "to  fill  theatres"  is  announced  by 
Charles  Francis  Coe  Page  30 

AWARD  by  Appeals  Board  changes  clear- 
ance in  Salt  Lake  Page  32 

CLAIM  Army  film  use  in  England  is  in- 


adequate 


Page 

41 

Page 

65 

Page 

55 

Page 

50 

Page  1149 
Page  1151 


Cheese  it,  G-Men 

"WARNING:  Forcible  entry  into  any  thea- 
tre, defrauding  the  government  of  admission 
tax,  is  a  Federal  offense  and  punishable  by  a 
fine  of  $10,000  or  five  years  imprisonment, 
or  both." 

This  dire  warning  appeared  recently  on 
fire  doors  and  rear  entrance  of  the  RKO 
Palace  theatre,  New  York,  and  other  houses 
of  the  circuit.  The  stencilled  notice  was 
described  by  spokesmen  as  part  of  the  con- 
tinuing watch  against  attempts  to  sneak  in 
the  back  door,  for  free. 

Invocation  of  the  long  arm  of  Mr.  Big 
was  the  thought  of  the  circuit's  legal  depart-  \ 
ment.    It's  quite  valid,  too,  although  there 
have  been  no  prosecutions  of  self-invited 
theatres  guests  as  yet.    But  the  notice  is  I 
seen  as  an  impressive  warning  to  the  boys,  " 
young  and  old,  who  continually  harry  man- 
agers.   No  particular  offense  was  intended 
to  the  bookmakers  who  shelter  in  the  Pal- 
ace's 48th  Street  lee,  it  was  said. 


On  Ancestry 

WALT  DISNEY  will  now  discuss  the' 
race  question,  pursuing  the  topical  note  of  ' 
his  studio  in  its  aid  to  the  war  effort.  He 
is  planning  a  picture  to  shatter  the  assorted 
myths  of  racial  superiority,  especially  the 
Hitlerian  myth.  The  cartoon  producer 
shortly  will  confer  with  Dr.  Ernest  Hooton, 
Professor  of  Anthropology  at  Harvard,  and 
author  of  "Men,  Apes,  and  Morons," 
"Man's  Poor  Relations,"  "Twilight  of 
Man,"  "Up  from  the  Apes"  and  other 
books. 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

BETTER  THEATRES,  Equipment  and  Maintenance 

In  British  Studios  Page  40  Managers'  Round  Table 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  37  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  Page  I  145  Short  Subjects  Chart 

Short  Subjects  Page  I  148  The  Release  Chart 


February  6 


1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


9 


Films  to  the  Fronts 

VAST  improvement,  in  short  order,  in  the 
overseas  distribution  of  16mm.  motion  pic- 
tures donated  to  the  Army  by  the  industry 
is  promised  by  officers  in  the  Special  Serv- 
ices Branch. '  Reports  in  letters  and  the 
press  that  troops  in  Africa,  New  Guinea  and 
other  sectors  are  getting-  films  but  rarely, 
often  only  several  reels  a  month,  ''are  un- 
fortunate exceptions,"  they  said. 

Specific  orders  from  Lieutenant  General 
Brehon  Somervell,  chief  of  supply,  who  was 
at  the  historic  Casablanca  conferences,  are 
said  to  have  done  much  to  give  films  high 
priority.  For  two  weeks  overseas  films 
have  been  traveling  by  air,  and  will  continue 
to  do  so,  it  was  reported. 

To  date  the  industry,  through  the  War 
Activities  Committee  has  donated  prints  for 
2,223  complete  shows,  with  feature  and  short 
subjects.  Additionally  the  London  branch 
of  the  War  Activities,  headed  by  Joseph 
Friedman,  has  supplied  180  prints  under  a 
new  program  which  will  also  provide  pic- 
tures for  the  European  and  North  Airican 
theatres. 

Three  shows  a  week  in  all  areas  is  the 
immediate  aim  of  the  Overseas  Branch  of 
the  Army  Motion  Picture  Service,  it  was 
said.  Circulation  is  reported  to  be  ap- 
proaching this  figure.  Seven  majors  have 
completed  special  services  training  at  Wash- 
ington and  are  on  their  way  to  supervise 
film  distribution  and  other  special  services 
in  the  battle  areas. 


Back  to  the  Books 

RESIGNATION  of  Archibald  MacLeish 
as  assistant  director  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information  was  announced  this  week.  He 
is  returning  to  full  time  duty  as  Librarian 

t  of  Congress.  The  manpower  situation  at 
the  Library"  has  made  the  dual  jobs  diffi- 
cult, it  was  said.  Mr.  MacLeish  joined 
OWI  when  his  Office  of  Facts  and  Fig- 
ures was  amalgamated    with    OWI  last 

i  June.  Among-  unfinished  business  at  the 
Library  is  a  cataloguing  of  the  motion 

:  pictures  which  have  been  acquired  under 
arrangements  concluded  with  the  industry 

«   last  summer. 

1   

Awaiting  Bell 

A  LOT  of  people  in  addition  to  columnist 
Drew  Pearson  are  interested  in  Para- 
mount's  ""For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls,"  ac- 
cording to  a  studio  announcement  Monday 
:hat  more  than  5,000  letters  urging  the 
zompany  "to  allow  nothing  to  prevent  it 
from  releasing  the  picturization"  have  been 
;  received  and  more  are  arriving  at  the  rate 
1  of  150  daily.  The  announcement  continued. 
"Almost  invariably  the  letters  call  attention 


to  an  article  in  a  syndicated  newspaper 
column  that  the  Government  might  not  al- 
low Paramount  to  release  the  production 
because  of  fear  of  offending  the  Franco 
Government  of  Spain." 

Pearson's  column  had  contained  such  an 
article,  a  fortnight  back,  and  Y.  Frank 
Freeman  had  said  the  film  had  not  been 
shown  to  any  Franco  representative.  It 
is  known  that  it  has  not  been  shown  to  the 
Office  of  War  Information,  in  script  or 
finished  form,  although  it  is  understood 
that  contact  with  the  State  Department  has 
been  had. 

On  Tuesday,  however,  decision  was 
reached  to  postpone  the  premiere  of  the 
picture,  planned  for  New  York  in  April, 
and  national  magazine  advertisements 
scheduled  to  follow  in  May  and  June  edi- 
tions were  cancelled  pending  settlement  up- 
on a  new  premiere  date.  Observers  recall- 
ing the  studio's  recent  abandonment  of 
"Adventure  in  Africa"  at  Government  re- 
quest on  grounds  of  untimeliness,  associate 
the  incidents. 


Ao  Scoops 

WEEKLY  broadcasts  by  Elmer  Davis,  di- 
rector of  the  Office  of  War  Information, 
will  begin  soon  over  several  networks.  The 
15-minute  reports  by  the  Government's  of- 
ficial wartime  spokesman  will  contain  no 
exclusive  reports,  or  news  not  previously 
released  to  newspapers  and  commercial  radio 
commentators.  Surveying  the  week's  devel- 
opments, he  will  attempt  to  place  them  in  the 
proper  official  perspective  and  explain  what 
is  being  done  and  why,  a  Washington  an- 
nouncement said.  He  is  a  former  Columbia 
Broadcasting  System  news  analyst.  CBS. 
NBC  and  the  Blue  Network  have  offered  to 
broadcast  the  program,  and  are  discussing 
the  time. 


Many  a  Slip 

ACTORS  Equity  Association  warned  its 
membership  recently  not  to  count  chickens 
before  they  were  hatched.  Specifically,  not 
to  spend  an  increase  in  salary7  before  the 
War  Labor  Board  approves  the  proposed 
"cost  of  living"  raise.  Editorializing  in  the 
January  issue  of  its  monthly  publication, 
Equity,  the  actors  union  assured  its  mem- 
bers that  it  was  doing  everything  possible 
to  get  an  increase  in  the  minimum  salary- 
scale,  contemplated  last  year  before  the  sal- 
ary ceiling  directives  were  issued  by  the 
Government.  It  warned,  however,  that 
"Equity  does  not  want  to  say-  that  a  certain 
increase  has  been  arranged  and  to  get  the 
membership  enthusiastic  about  it  and  maybe 
even  spending  it  in  advance,  only  to  have 
the  War  Labor  Board  refuse  it  or  cut  it 
down." 


Basic  Rulings 

AS  YOU  have  been  noting,  there  is  rather 
a  flurry  of  official  attentions  to  the  matter 
of  paper  consumption  in  this  war-busy  land. 
Newspapers  are  reducing  advertising  space, 
advising  customers  to  borrow  copies,  etc. 
Magazines  are  studying  quotas.  The  whole 
art  and  industry  of  the  printed  page  is  in 
process  of  adjustment  to  war  quotas  and 
allotments. 

The  free  press  apparently-  is  going  to 
have  to  be  free  inside  a  new  fence. 

Just  as  this  issue  races  to  press,  report 
arrives  from  the  Lafayette  Street  and  print- 
ing house  sector  of  the  arrival  of  War  Pro- 
duction Board  Conservation  Order  M-241-a, 
announcing  that  paper  is  not  to  be  had 
henceforth  for  such  items  as  doilies,  candy- 
wrappers,  finger-bowl  liners,  etc. 

Several  items  have  been  merely  cut,  for 
instance,  the  ladies'  make-up  and  facial 
tissues  are  reduced  to  90  per  cent  of  prior 
figures.  They  make  up  for  that  on  the 
other  hand,  however,  by  allowing  110  per 
cent  for  toilet  tissues.  The  average  works 
out  at  a  hundred  per  cent,  which  is  exactly 
the  War  Production  Board's  figure  for  toilet 
seat  covers.  Wonder  where  they  got  their 
data  for  the  forecast? 


Author  Zanuck 

"TUNIS  EXPEDITION,"  a  40,000-word 
report  by-  Colonel  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  on  the 
North  African  campaign,  will  be  published 
by  Random  House  in  about  six  weeks,  Ben- 
nett Cerf,  president,  said  Wednesday.  Now 
in  service  with  the  Army  Signal  Corps,  the 
former  vice-president  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion for  Twentieth  Century--Fox  led  a  unit 
of  cameramen  in  the  first  stages  of  the 
African  offensive. 

Mr.  Cerf  said  that  the  book  probably 
would  be  profusely  illustrated  with  stills 
from  the  footage  filmed  for  the  Signal  Corps 
under  Colonel  Zanuck's  direction.  Damon 
Runyon  will  write  a  foreword. 

Approval  of  the  project,  and  the  release 
of  the  pictures  is  now  being  sought  in  Wash- 
ington. The  book  is  not  to  be  an  official 
publication,  Mr.  Cerf  said.  The  disposition 
of  royalties,  screen  rights  or  other  details 
have  not  yet  been  worked  out.  The  pictures 
made  by  Colonel  Zanuck  have  not  yet  been 
released  to  the  newsreels. 


Luncheon  for  Kann 

RED  KANN,  of  Quigley  Publicaitons,  was 
welcomed  to  Hollywood  at  a  luncheon  Wed- 
nesday in  the  Beverly  Wilshire  Hotel,  given 
by  the  Industry  Service  Bureau.  Perry 
Lieber,  RKO's  studio  publicity-  director  and 
chairman  of  the  bureau,  introduced  Mr. 
Kann.  Many-  Hollywood  notables  attended. 


I  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address  "Quigpjbco. 
New  York."  Martin  Quigiey,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Yice-Presiae.it;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  Jarpes  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  Southt 
Michigan  Avenue,  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  WiiHcn  R.  Weaver,  editor;  loronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Rood,  Toronto,  Ontorio, 
Canada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Square,  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burr.up,  manager;  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Quigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureou,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
correspondent;  Sydney  Bureou.  17  Arch  bold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Ccrmona  y  Valle  6,  Mexico  City. 
Ltris  Becerra  Cells,  correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Ccixa  Postal  1090, 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  O.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Urugucy,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  coble  Argos  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Quigley  Publica- 
tions: Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


the  Camera  observes: 


International  News  Photos 


A  NEW  WARNER  film  "personality",  Joseph  E.  Davies, 
former  Ambassador  to  Russia,  and  author  of  "Mission  to 
Moscow",  which  the  company  is  producing,  is  greeted 
New  York  by  Major  Albert  Warner,  center,  and  Mort 
Blumenstock.   Mr.  Davies  is  in  the  picture's  prologue. 


■  FIRST  MOVIES  on  Guadalcanal,  in  spite  of  inter- 
ruptions. The  title  of  this  one  was  "All  Through 
the  Night". 


FEMININE  LEAD,  in  RKO's 
"Boomtown,  D.  O",  fourth  of  the 
"This  Is  America"  series,  is 
Phyllis  Dobson,  below. 


FIRST  Paramount  employee  to  join 
the  WAACS  was  Charlotte  Hanft, 
of  the  shcTrt  subjects  publicity 
department,  seen  here  with  Oscar 
Morgan,  short  subjects  and  news- 
reel  sales  manager. 


By  Staff  Photographer 

■  AS  THE  NEW  YORK  March  of  Dimes 
drive  committee  met,  last  week:  Charles 
Moskowitz,  Loew's  operating  chief;  Herman 
Sluck  man,  War  Activities  Committee; 
Samuel  Rinzler,  Randforce  circuit;  Fred 
Schwartz,  Century  circuit;  Emanuel 
Frisch,  Randforce. 


]  943 


CTURE  HERALD 


1 1 


:c\a_: 


zziize  ~z-  -~s  Z--rz~  =  -. 


2  = 


3T  Sli5  PbC'LOgTipLsj 

Cleveland 


bitors  Association, 


■  THAT'S  NOT  spinach  Beit)'  Lou  Anderson,  cashier  of 
Loev/s  Ohio  in  Columbus,  is  holding,  it  is  copper  strip- 
pings  "From  carbon  sticks  used  in  projectors. 


NEW  OFFICERS  of 
IATSE  Lcca:  325, 
Wilkes-Barre:  Seateo — 
William  Piatt,  business 
agent;  Ray  Conrad, 
president;  Mark  Thomas, 
vice-president.  Stand- 
ing— Joseph  Malloy, 
financial  secretary- 
treasurer;  Theodore 


,2 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


WESTERN  SALES  MANAGER  is 
John  E.  Flynn's  new  title  at  MGM.  The 
former  central  sales  manager  was  pro- 
moted in  general  sales  staff  realignment 
last  week.   He  will  have  head- 
quarters in  Chicago. 


VISITORS.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Feldstein 
and  their  son,  William,  Jr.,  on  the  Republic 
set  with  comedian  Jerry  Colonna.   Mr.  Feld- 
stein is  an  owner  of  the  Frisina  Amuse- 
ment Company,  Illinois. 


AT  THE  "IN  WHICH  WE  SERVE" 
Hollywood  premiere:  Mary  Pick- 
ford,  below  right,  with  Jeanette 
MacDonald.  Miss  Pickford,  actress 
and  producer,  is  an  owner  of 
United  Artists,  distributing  the 
British  picture. 


ASSISTANT  TO  THE  PRESIDENT 
of  RKO  is  Norman  Freeman,  left, 
appointed  last  week  by  N.  Peter 
Rathvon,  the  president.  Mr.  Free- 
m  ^n  has  been  with  the  organiza- 
tion since  January,  1941,  com- 
ing from  Rathvon  &  Company. 
He  was  with  the  Atlas  Corporation 
from  1933  to  1937. 


COLUMBIA  SALES  executives  convened  in 
Chicago  Sunday,  Monday  and  Tuesday.  In 
imposing  array  they  read  here,  in  usual  left 
to  right:  Front  row — Sam  Galanty,  midwest 
division  manager;  Lou  Weinberg,  circuit 
sales  executive;  Rube  Jackter,  assistant  gen- 
eral sales  manager;  A.  Montague,  general 
sales  manager;  Lou  Astor,  circuit  sales 
executive;  M.  J.  Weisfeldt,  sales  executive. 
Center  row — Mel  Evidon,  branch  manager 
of  Des  Moines;  B.  C.  Marcus,  branch 
manager  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  George 
Josephs,  manager  of  sales  accounting;  Carl 
Shalit,  central  division  manager;  Phil  Dunas, 
mid-central  division  manager;  J.  H.  Jacobs, 
branch  manager  of  Omaha;  Maurice  Grad, 
sales  promotion  manager;  Jerome  Safron, 
western  division  manager;  H.  C.  Kaufman, 
exchange  operations  manager,  and  O.  J. 
Ruby,  of  Milwaukee.  Back  row — H.J. 
Chapman,  Minneapolis;  J.  B.  Underwood, 
Dallas;  R.  J.  Ingram,  Atlanta;  W.  Guy  Craig, 
Indianapolis,  and  C.  D.  Hill,  St.  Louis. 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


13 


HOLDOVER  PLAYING  TIME  IS 
UP  100%  THIS  SEASON 


Box  Office  Prosperity,  Raw 
Stock  Cuts,  Fewer  Films 
Cited  as  Reasons 


much  as  100 


lcreased  as 
.rst  half  of 


previous  season. 

An  unprecedented  number  oi  iilms..  Irom 
all  companies,  have  been  getting  two,  three, 
four,  five  and  six-week  holdovers  in  certain 
situations  since  last  October.  Moreover,  ex- 
tended playing  time  for  all  product  in  those 
theatres  which  operate  on  a  split-week  pol- 
icy, giving  three  and  four  extra  days  to  a 
picture,  has  increased  in  some  cases  as  much 

Sales  officials  of  home  offices  attribute  the 
soaring  holdovers  for  both  circuit  and  in- 
dependent first  runs  and  subsequent  run  the- 
atres to  a  number  of  factors  resulting  from 
the  industry's  adjustment  to  a  wartime 
economy. 

First,  the  general  over-all  pros- 
perity at  the  nation's  box  office  as 
a  result  of  extension  of  purchasing 
power  to  a  bigger  public;  uncer- 
tainty of  future  restrictions  im- 
posed by  the  War  Production 
Board  on  the  use  of  raw  film  stock 
which  has  caused  most  companies 
to  keep  larger  backlogs  this  year: 
fewer  pictures  released  this  sea- 
son compared  to  last,  and  the  fact 
that  distributors  describe  the  prod- 
uct released  this  season  as  "con- 
siderably better"  than  the  pictures 
of  last  year. 

In  all  instances,  additional  and  extensive 
newspaper  advertising  and  other  promotion- 
al activities  were  prepared  to  get  the  great- 
est possible  audience  for  each  release.  Dur- 
ing the  last  two  months,  radio  advertising 
on  a  regional  basis  (see  story  on  page  17), 
has  been  an  important  factor  in  drawing 

Major  film  companies  report  that  big 
budget  features  as  well  as  the  smaller  pic- 
tures and  even  Westerns  are  getting  extend- 
ed playing  time:  that  grosses  for  both  "A" 
and  "B"  product  are  higher  in  more  situa- 
tions. In  addition,  a  greater  number  of 
larger  'euige:  f/.ms  are  being  s:la  separately 
on  a  single-deal  basis  and  in  most  cases 
these  productions  have  had  particularly 
strong  holdover  time  at  first  run  theatres  in 
key  cities  as  well  as  smaller  first  runs  in 
other  cities. 

Companies  Estimate 
Sharp  Increases 

RKO  Radio  Pictures  estimates,  accord- 
ing to  a  sales  executive,  that  on  an  over-all 
basis,  additional  playing  time  for  the  com- 
pany's product  is  up  100  per  cent  more  this 
season  than  last  Warner  Bros,  estimates 
an  increase  of  40  per  cent  on  this  basis  com- 
pared to  last  year.  Actual  playing  time  on 
l/l  arner  pictures,  the  company  reports,  is 


Broadway  Films  Continue 
Strong  at  First  Runs 

Broadway  holdovers  of  current  releases  continued  strong  this  past  week,  follow- 
ing the  pattern  set  early  in  the  season  for  extended  playing  time  and  record 
grosses  accorded  1942-43  product. 

Nearing  the  1,000,000  mark  in  attendance,  MGM's  "Random  Harvest"  began 
its  eighth  week  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall.  It  has  broken  all  long-run  records  at 
that  theatre  with  the  exception  of  the  ten-week  run  of  "Mrs.  Miniver"  last  year, 
another  MSM  production.  Paramount's  "Star  Spangled  Rhythm"  on  Wednesday 
became  the  third  film  to  play  six  weeks  at  the  Paramount  theatre. 

Another  record  film  was  United  Artists'  "In  Which  We  Serve",  the  Noel  Coward 
production,  which  began  its  sixth  week  at  the  Capitol  on  Thursday.  It  is  one  of 
the  few  pictures  in  the  history  of  that  house  to  play  such  an  extended  engagement. 
Warner  Brothers'  "Casablanca"  ended  its  tenth  week  at  the  Hollywood  Tuesday 
night,  with  a  reported  gross  of  $225,000,  and  opened  Friday  at  the  Strand.  It  made 
way  for  the  company's  "Air  Force"  which  opened  Wednesday.  "Casablanca" 
replaced  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  at  the  Strand,  which  ran  for  six  weeks  following 
a  twenty-week  pre-release  engagement  last  year  at  the  Hollywood. 

Other  Broadway  holdovers  included  Columbia's  "Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn", 
which  began  its  fourth  week  at  Loew's  Criterion  Wednesday;  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox's  "China  Girl"  ended  its  second  week  at  the  Roxy  Tuesday;  Paramount's  "Lucky 
Jordan"  is  in  its  second  week  at  the  Rialto;  Universal's  "Shadow  of  a  Doubt" 
began  its  fourth  week  at  the  Rivoli  on  Wednesday,  and  Tennessee  Johnson",  MGM 
entered  its  fourth  week  at  the  Astor  on  Tuesday. 


up  from  25  per  cent  to  200  per  cent  in  the 
first  runs,  with  the  subsequent  runs  also 
showing  an  uptrend.  There  has  been  a  25 
per  cent  increase  in  pictures  being  held  for 
five  weeks  or  more;  40  per  cent  increase, 
pictures  held  four  weeks;  55  per  cent  in- 
crease, third-week  holdovers,  and  60  per 
cent  increase  for  second-week  holdovers  of 
Warner  product. 

At  Twentieth  Century-Fox  a  spokesman 
estimated  that  holdovers  increased  during 
the  first  half  of  the  1942-43  season  over  last 
year  by  40  per  cent 

Releasing  Fewer  Films 
Than  Year  Ago 

As  Motion  Picture  Herald  reported  on 
December  5,  1942,  Hollywood  studios  with 
122  feature  productions  already  delivered  to 
market  from  September  1st  to  December  7th. 
and  116  productions  completed,  in  addition 
to  44  films  then  in  work  or  process  of  plan- 
ning, was  releasing  fewer  pictures  each 
month  compared  to  features  issued  in  pre- 
vious years.  For  the  first  four  months  of 
the  1942-43  season,  10  distributors  released 
122  pictures  compared  to  132  released  by 
those  companies  for  the  comparable  period 
in  1941.  Moreover,  the  study  disclosed  that 
56  film;  had  date;  set  for  release  after  De- 
cember 7,  1942,  compared  to  60  in  1941.  At 
the  time  the  survey  was  made,  the  Herald 
reported  that  extended  playing  time  given  to 
pictures  was  one  reason  for  the  reduced 
number  of  releases. 

The  following  tabulation  of  pictures,  re- 


leased from  October  through  January,  with 
two,  three,  four,  five  and  more  than  five- 
week  extended  playing  time  is  an  indication 
of  holdovers  for  the  period.  Not  all  com- 
panies are  represented,  and  the  holdover  re- 
cords are  not  complete  as  many  pictures  are 
still  plaj'ing,  but  the  listing  represents  a 
general  over-all  picture  of  product  perform- 
ance for  the  industry. 

Partial  List  of 
Holdovers 

Because  of  space  limitations,  numerous 
two-week  holdovers  for  Warner  Bros,  pic- 
tures and  extra  days  playing  time  for  fi1m=; 
of  all  companies  listed  are  not  included. 
Across  the  Pacific  (Warner  Bros.)  three 
weeks:  San  Diego,  Long  Beach,  Seatle. 
Black  Swan  (20th-Fox)  two-week  hold- 
over. Great  Lakes.  Buffalo ;  one  week. 
Music  Hall,   Seattle;  Keith's,  Philadel- 
phia; Strand,  Milwaukee,  New  Theatre, 
Baltimore. 

Casablanca  (Warner  Bros.)  tenth  week. 
Hollywood  New  York;  three  weeks: 
Philadelphia,  New  Haven  and  Salt  Lake 
City. 

Cat  People  (RKO)  holdovers  in  St.  Louis, 
New  York,  Kansas  City,  Chicago,  Holly- 
wood and  Des  Moines,  but  extra  playing 
time  by  days  or  weeks  not  reported. 

Desperate  Journey  (Warner  Bros.)  four 
week-holdovers :  Hartford,  San  Diego, 
Cleveland,  Pittsburgh,  Philadelphia,  Seat- 
tle ;  three  weeks :  New  York,  Atlantic 

{Continued  on  following  page) 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


HOLDOVER  TIME  UP  SHARPLY 


(.Continued  from  preceding  page) 

City,  Hollywood,  Los  Angeles  Oklahoma 
City,  Reading,  Brooklyn,  Boston,  Chicago, 
Washington,  San  Francisco,  Detroit  and 
Minneapolis. 

Forest  Rangers  (Paramount)  three  weeks: 
Paramount,  New  York;  Denver,  Holly- 
wood, Los  Angeles ;  day  and  date :  two 
weeks ;  Boston,  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  Indi- 
anapolis, Pittsburgh,  Atlanta,  Portland, 
Chicago  (and  a  two-week  moveover)  in 
Chicago  and  Seattle. 

For  Me  and  My  Gal  (MGM)  two-week 
holdovers  or  more  in  40  key  cities. 

"Gentleman  Jim"  Three 
Week  Holdovers 

Gentleman  Jim  (Warner  Bros.)  three 
weeks:  Hartford,  Reading,  Cleveland, 
Hollywood,  Los  Angeles,  Pittsburgh, 
Oakland,  New  York,  Washington,  Phila- 
delphia, Chicago,  San  Diego,  Brooklyn, 
Seattle  and  Detroit  (runs  continuing  in 
Detroit  and  Seattle). 

George  Washington  Slept  Here  (Warner 
Bros.)  four  weeks:  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, Seattle ;  three  weeks :  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Hollywood,  Los  Angeles, 
Long  Beach,  Chicago,  Washington,  San 
Diego,  Portland. 

Hitler's  Children  (RKO)  two  weeks: 
Albee,  Cincinnati;  Keith's,  Dayton;  Pal- 
ace, Columbus ;  Circle,  Indianapolis ;  Rial- 
to,  Louisville.  RKO  reported  100  per 
cent  holdover  time  for  this  picture,  re- 
leased January  14th,  in  its  50-city  pre- 
miere engagements. 

Holiday  Inn  (Paramount)  six  weeks: 
Paramount,  New  York;  four  weeks:  Den- 
ver ;  day  and  date,  Hollywood  and  Los 
Angeles ;  three  weeks :  Boston,  New  Hav- 
en, Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Philadelphia, 
Kansas  City,  San  Francisco,  Portland ; 
two  weeks :  Buffalo,  Detroit,  Indianapo- 
lis, Washington,  Pittsburgh,  Atlanta, 
Charlotte,  Omaha,  Chicago,  plus  two  week 
mover-overs ;  day-and-date  in  two  thea- 
tres, two  weeks  in  Des  Moines ;  two  weeks 
and  two-week  moveovers,  Seattle ;  two- 
week  moveover,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Louis. 

Theatres  in  100  Key 
Cities  Hold  "Miniver" 

Mrs.  Miniver  (MGM)  released  in  August, 
1942,  but  listed  here  because  many  two- 
week  or  more  holdovers  were  made  in  the 
four-month  period  considered.  One  hun- 
dred key  city  theatres  held  the  picture  for 
two  or  more  weeks. 

Now,  Voyager  (Warner  Bros.)  six  weeks: 
Chicago,  Philadelphia ;  five  weeks :  Hol- 
lywood, New  York;  Oakland;  four 
weeks :  San  Diego,  Brooklyn,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Seattle,  Washington:  three  weeks: 
Oklahoma  City,  Louisville,  Hartford, 
Bridgeport,  Providence,  Dallas,  Reading, 
New  Orleans,  Pittsburgh,  Cleveland,  De- 
troit, St.  Louis,  Boston,  Los  Angeles, 
Salt  Lake  City,  Ottawa,  Ont,  Kansas 
City,  Akron,  Sacramento,  Long  Beach, 
Baltimore,  Toronto. 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  (RKO)  three 


weeks :  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  New 
York ;  two  weeks  or  more :  Keith's, 
Washington ;  Orpheum,  Kansas  City ; 
Palace,  Chicago ;  Keith's,  Boston ;  Golden 
Gate,  San  Francisco;  Hillstreet  and  Pan- 
tages,  Los  Angeles ;  Palace,  Columbus ; 
20th  Century,  Buffalo. 
Pittsburgh  (Universal)  five  weeks  at  the 
Broadway,  San  Diego.  Company  reports 
holdovers  and  extended  playing  time  in 
practically  all  key  city  engagements. 

Hope-Crosby 
Musical  Strong 

Road  to  Morocco  (Paramount)  seven 
weeks  at  the  Paramount,  New  York;  five 
weeks :  Cincinnati,  Detroit ;  four  weeks : 
Atlanta,  Kansas  City,  Denver,  Hollywood, 
Los  Angeles ;  three  weeks :  Boston,  Buf- 
falo, Washington,  Pitsburgh ;  two  weeks : 
Albany,  Cleveland,  Indianapolis,  Phila- 
delphia, Charlotte;  two  weeks  and  two- 
week  moveovers :  Chicago,  Minneapolis, 
Oklahoma  City ;  two  weeks  and  one-week 
moveover :  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco ;  two 
weeks  and  three-week  moveovers,  Port- 
land. 

Seven  Day's  Leave  (RKO)  two  weeks  or 
more :  Golden  Gate,  San  Francisco ;  Lib- 
erty, New  Orleans ;  other  holdovers :  Am- 
bassador, Raleigh ;  Iowa,  Cedar  Rapids ; 
Oprheum,  Dubuque ;  Keith's,  Lowell ; 
Strand,  Marshalltown ;  Orpheum,  Sioux 
City. 

Somewhere  I'll  Find  You  (MGM)  two- 
week  holdovers  or  more  in  46  key  cities. 

Springtime  in  the  Rockies  (20th-Fox) 
held  over  for  two  weeks  in  31  key  cities. 

Stand  By  for  Action  (MGM)  two-week 
holdovers  or  more  in  29  key  cities  to 
date. 

Tales  of  Manhattan  (20th-Fox)  two- 
week  holdovers  in  key  cities  in  the  east. 

The  G..,r  Sisters  (Warner  Bros.)  five 
week  :  Philadelphia  ;  four  weeks :  Seattle, 
Cleveland ;  three  weeks :  Louisvile,  San 
Francisco,  Portland,  Chicago. 

Three-Week  Dates  for 
Ginger  Rogers  Comedy 

The  Major  and  the  Minor  (Paramount) 
five  weeks :  New  York ;  four  weeks :  Kan- 
sas City,  San  Francisco ;  three  weeks : 
Cincinnati,  Detroit,  Philadelphia,  Pitts- 
burgh, Denver,  Hollywood  and  Los  An- 
geles ;  two  weeks :  Boston,  Buffalo, 
Cleveland,  Indianapolis,  Washington,  At- 
lanta, Charlotte ;  two  weeks  and  two-week 
moveovers :  Chicago ;  two  weeks  and  one- 
week  moveover :  Minneapolis  and  Port- 
land ;  two  weeks  and  three-week  move- 
overs,  Seattle. 

The  Pride  of  the  Yankees  (RKO)  14 
weeks  at  the  Astor,  New  York  (at  ad- 
vanced prices);  nine  weeks:  Keith's  Me- 
morial, Boston;  Allen,  Cleveland;  seven 
weeks :  RKO  Palace,  Chicago ;  six  weeks : 
Rialto,  Atlanta ;  three  weeks :  Albee, 
Brooklyn ;  two  weeks :  Proctor's,  New- 
ark; Golden  Gate,  San  Francisco. 

The  Palm  Beach  Story  (Paramount) 
three  weeks:  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco* 


two  weeks :  Boston,  New  Haven,  Buffalo, 
New  York,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Detroit, 
Atlanta,  Charlotte,  Kansas  City,  Denver, 
Hollywood  and  Los  Angeles  (day  and 
date). 

Wake  Island  (Paramount)  eight  weeks: 
New  York ;  five  weeks :  Detroit ;  four 
weeks :  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  San 
Francisco ;  four  weeks  and  two-week 
moveover :  Chicago ;  three  weeks :  Boston, 
Atlanta,  Kansas  City,  Denver,  Hollywood 
and  Los  Angeles  (day  and  date)  ;  two 
weeks :  New  Haven,  Buffalo,  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  Charlotte,  Jack- 
sonville, Omaha ;  two  weeks  and  two-week 
moveover :  Milwaukee ;  two  weeks  and 
one-week  moveover :  Portland. 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  (Warner  Bros.) 
20  weeks  in  New  York  at  the  Hollywood, 
advanced  prices,  two-a-day ;  six  weeks : 
Strand,  New  York,  popular  prices;  also 
six  weeks  in  Philadelphia  and  Cincinati 
at  popular  prices;  five  weeks  in  Boston, 
Cleveland ;  four  weeks :  Brooklyn,  Phila- 
delphia (advanced  prices)  ;  Reading, 
Louisvile,  Minneapolis ;  three  weeks : 
Washington,  Los  Angeles,  Baltimore, 
Chicago,  Memphis,  Dayton,  Providence, 
Milwaukee,  St.  Paul,  St.  Louis,  Portland, 
Ore. 

Explains  Decency  Legion's 
Purposes  in  Broadcast 

Activities  and  purposes  of  the  Legion  of 
Decency  were  discussed  over  a  Mutual  Broad- 
casting System  network  Sunday  morning  by  the 
Reverend  Patrick  J.  Masterson,  assistant  na- 
tional executive  secretary.  He  spoke  on 
Mutual's  "Radio  Chapel". 

The  interests  of  the  country  will  be  served 
abroad  when  our  films  represent  the  best  that 
is  in  America,  Father  Masterson  declared.  He 
cited  the  importance  of  U.  S.  films  in  Latin 
America  and  elsewhere  and  asserted  that  the 
Legion  was  anxious  to  see  that  immorality  had 
no  part  in  screen  representations  of  this  coun- 
try. Although  the  need  for  relaxation  has  in- 
creased in  wartime,  he  warned,  this  is  no  cause 
for  relaxed  moral  standards. 


"Power  of  God"  Plays 
Illinois  Circuits 

Exploitation  of  "The  Power  of  God",  Globe 
Film_  Company  release,  through  tie-ups  with 
churches  and  other  organizations  reflects  in- 
terest in  motion  pictures  on  the  part  of  religious 
leaders. 

In  some  cases  the  advance  sale  has  been 
handled  by  churches,  but  in  spite  of  many  re- 
quests, it  has  not  been  released  outside  of  regu- 
lar motion  picture  channels.  It  is  now  playing 
in  the  Great  States  Circuit  in  Illinois  and  the 
Alliance  Circuit  in  Indiana. 

James  Jovaney,  general  sales  manager  of  the 
Globe  Film  Co.  is  handling  world  distribution 
from  the  Chicago  office  at  1246  South  Wabash 
Ave. 


Students  Watch  Filming 

New  York  University  students  taking  the 
cinematography  course  observed  production 
phases  of  film-making  last  week  when  the  group 
visited  the  Fox  Movietone  Studios  in  New  York 
where  scenes  for  Sol  Lesser's  "Stage  Door  Can- 
teen" were  being  made. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


STUDIOS  CUT  WAR  THEMES 
TO  25%  OF  PRODUCT 


Following  Market  Trend, 
Musicals  Increasing 
Over  Six  Months  Ago 

by  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Hollywood  Editor 

A  fraction  under  25  percent  of  the  pic- 
tures now  being  filmed  in  Hollywood  are 
war  pictures. 

This  compares  with  40  per  cent  as  of  six 
months  ago  (Motion  Picture  Herald, 
June  20.  1942.  page  12). 

In  contrast.  28  percent  of  the  films  now  in 
production  are  musical,  that  figure  compar- 
ing to  14  percent  as  of  the  survey  made  in 
midyear. 

Many  of  the  40  films  in  production  will  be 
released  for  the  1943-44  season. 
Here  are  the  weekend  statistics : 


Musicals    11 

War  pictures   9 

Comedies    9 

Melodramas    4 

Biographies    2 

Comedy  dramas   2 

Dramas    2 

Westerns    1 


The  trend  away  from  war  pictures  is  in 
response  to  a  number  of  indications  that  40 
percent  of  the  whole  was  more  than  the 
market  would  stand. 

The  figure  rose  to  that  height  in  the  flush 
of  enthusiasm  which  followed  America's  en- 
try into  the  war,  which  event  released  pro- 
ducers from  inhibitions  imposed  by  neutral- 
ity and  set  them  free  to  say  on  the  screen 
what  they  had  been  wanting  to  say  about 
the  now  declared  enemy. 

It  began  to  recede  from  that  high  point 
when  exhibitors  began  complaining  about 
the  scarcity  of  films  in  what's  been  called  the 
escapist  classification,  and  it  receded  some 
more  when  the  Hollywood  headquarters  of 
the  Office  of  War  Information,  established 
j  here  to  cooperate  with  producers  in  the  con- 
ditioning of  product  to  the  war  effort,  gave 
out  the  word  that  "  fewer  and  better'"'  pic- 
tures on  the  subject  were  regarded  by  the 
government  as  more  likely  to  further  the 
war  aims,  and  that  a  plenitude  of  pictures 
designed  to  inspire  observers  to  gaiety  and 
laughter  would  be  a  good  thing. 

Much  Product  Aimed 
To  Amuse  Patrons 

Producers,  collectively,  have  announced  no 
recognition  of  those  symptoms  of  surfeit, 
and  producers  at  large  continue  to  make  the 
most  news  about  war  pictures  they  have  in 
contemplation  or  preparation,  but  the  fig- 
ures disclosing  the  apportioning  of  actual 
shooting  schedules  to  themes  tell  the  story. 

The  upswing  in  the  production  of  mu- 
sicals is  in  part  a  consequence  of  the  de- 
mand for  films  to  make  the  populace  happy 
while  in  the  theatre  away  from  a  world  of 
reality  hedged  around  with  unhappiness  of 
varied  kind  far  and  near.  The  number  of 
comedies,  also  up  from  six  months  ago,  is 


manifestation  of  the  same  impulse  to  afford 
the  theatre  customers  reason  for  exercise  of 
the  risibilities  which  don't  get  much  titilla- 
idon  from  other  sources  in  time  of  war.  It 
is  no  secret,  of  course,  that  it  is  easier  to 
make  a  good  musical  than  a  good  comedy, 
although  also  more  expensive  in  a  majority 
of  cases. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  has  four  musicals 
in  production.  They  are  "Girl  Crazy,"  co- 
starring  Mickey  Rooney  and  Judy  Garland; 
"Right  About  Face,"  built  around  Kay 
Kyser  and  his  band;  "Best  Foot  Forward," 
with  Lucille  Ball,  William  Gaxton  and 
Harry  James  and  his  band,  and  "Private 
Miss  Jones,"  with  Kathryn  Grayson,  John 
Boles  and  Mary  Astor. 

Musical  Is  Story 
Of  Bill  Robinson 

Paramount's  musicals  now  in  production 
are  "Riding  High,"  which  has  to  do  with 
a  dude  ranch  and  presents  Dorothy  Lamour. 
Dick  Powell  and  Victor  Moore,  and  "Lady 
in  the  Dark,"  offering  Ginger  Rogers.  Ray 
Milland,  Warner  Baxter  and  others. 

RKO  Radio  is  filming  "The  Sky's  the 
Limit,"  with  Fred  Astaire,  Joan  Leslie  and 
Robert  Benchley.  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
is  working  on  "Stormy  Weather,"  referred 
to  loosely  as  the  story  of  Bill  Robinson  and 
presenting  that  notable  in  company  with 
Lena  Home.  Cab  Calloway  and  band  with 
other  personalities.  Sol  Lesser  is  filming 
"Stage  Door  Canteen"  for  United  Artists, 
not  exclusively  but  mainly  a  musical,  with  a 
multitude  of  stars  doing  bits  or  more  in  the 
enterprise. 

Universal  is  shooting  "Cross  Your  Fin- 
gers," with  Alan  Jones,  Kitty  Carlisle,  Leo 
Carillo  and  others,  and  the  new  version  of 
"Phantom  of  the  Opera,"  starring  Nelson 
Eddy  with  Susana  Foster,  Claude  Raines 
and  a  strong  cast,  partakes  of  the  musical 
as  well  as  the  mystery  classification. 

War  Films  Distributed 
Among  Studios 

War  pictures  are  fairly  well  distributed 
among  the  studios. 

Columbia  is  filming  "Sahara,"  starring 
Humphrey  Bogart  with  Bruce  Bennett  and 
Lloyd  Bridges  in  the  cast,  and  "Attack  By 
Night,"  a  major  offering  with  Merle  Oberon 
and  Brian  Aherne  in  the  stellar  roles. 

Paramount  is  making  "So  Proudly  We 
Hail,"  a  big  production  with  Claudette  Col- 
bert, Paulette  Goddard  and  Veronica  Lake, 
and  "Five  Graves  to  Cairo,"  with  Franchot 
Tone,  Anne  Baxter,  Akim  Tamiroff  and 
others. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  is  at  work  on  "Ba- 
taan  Patrol,"  with  Robert  Taylor,  George 
Murphy,  Walter  Pidgeon,  Thomas  Mitchell 
and  Lloyd  Nolan,  and  "Above  Suspicion," 
a  pre-war  espionage  storv  with  Joan  Craw- 
ford, Fred  MacMurray,  Basil  Rathbone, 
Conrad  Veidt  and  Reginald  Owen  in  the 
cast. 

Universal's  war  pictures  in  making  are 
"We've  Never  Been  Licked."  Walter  Wan- 
ger  production  offering  Richard  Quine. 
Anne  Gwynne  and  Martha  O'Driscoll.  and 


"Corvettes  in  Action,"  with  Randolph  Scott 
and  Barry  Fitzgerald. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  is  filming  "Bom- 
ber's Moon"  with  George  Montgomery,  An- 
nabella  and  Walter  Kingsford. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  leads  in  the  com- 
edy diversion  with  three  shooting. 

They  are  "Faculty  Row,"  with  Mary  As- 
tor, Herbert  Marshall  and  Susan  Peters; 
"I  Dood  It,"  a  comedy  plus  music,  with 
Red  Skelton,  Eleanor  Powell  and  others, 
and  "Swing  Shift  Maisie,"  with  Anne  Soth- 
ern  and  James  Craig. 

Columbia  is  filming  "Blondie  Buvs  a 
Horse,"  with  Penny  Singleton  and  companv 
plus  Hugh  Herbert,  and  "Redhead  from 
Manhattan,"  offering  Lupe  Velez.  Michael 
Duane  and  Douglas  Leavitt. 

RKO  Radio  is  shooting  "Free  for  All,"  a 
major  enterprise  with  Jean  Arthur.  John 
Wayne  and  Charles  Winninger,  and  "Petti- 
coat Larceny,"  with  Ruth  Warrick.  Walter 
Read  and  Joan  Caroll. 

Republic  is  making  "Shantytown,"  a  com- 
edy with  musical  trimmings,  offering  Man- 
Lee,  Marjorie  Lord,  John  Archer.  Harry 
Davenport,  Billy  Gilbert  and  others. 

Several  Melodramas 
In  Production 

Melodramas  in  manufacture  are : 
"Lady  of  Burlesque,"  Hunt  Stromberg's 
first  independent  production  for  United  Ar- 
tists, starring  Barbara  Stanwyck  in  Gypsy 
Rose  Lee's  "G-String  Murders"  with  Mich- 
ael O'Shea,  J.  Edward  Bromberg,  Gloria 
Dickson  and  a  large  supporting  cast  ;  'Tallen 
Sparrow,"  an  RKO  Radio  production  with 
Maureen  O'Hara,  John  Garfield  and  Anna 
Lee;  "The  Falcon  Strikes  Back/'  in  which 
Tom  Conway  finally  takes  over  the  stellar 
role  formerly  played  by  George  Sanders  in 
the  RKO  series:  and  "Destiny,"  Universal. 

Comedy-dramas  in  work  are  "Alaska 
Highway,"  Pine-Thomas  production  for 
Paramount  offering  Richard  Arlen,  Jean 
Parker  and  Bill  Henry,  and  "Clancy  Street 
Boys,"  which  is  Monogram's  new  title  for 
the  originally  announced  "Grand  Street 
Boys,"  presenting  the  East  Side  Kids. 

Warners  Producing 
Two  Biographies 

Warner  Brothers  are  producing  the  two 
biographies  now  in  camera  stage,  "Old  Ac- 
quaintance." being  the  story  of  the  Bronte 
sisters,  with  Bene  Davis,  Miriam  Hopkins 
and  John  Loder  heading  the  cast,  and  "Mis- 
sion to  Moscow,"  which  pertains  to  the 
state  of  things  in  the  world  today  but  is 
at  bottom  the  story  of  former  Ambassador 
Davies  and  Soviet  Russia. 

Dramas,  down  in  number  at  a  time  when 
the  world  doesn't  seem  interested  in  fabri- 
cated problems,  are  "Devotion,"  a  Warner 
production  with  Olivia  deHavilland,  Ida 
Lupino,  Nancy  Coleman  and  Paul  Hen- 
reid.  and  "Girls  in  Chains,"  a  Producers  Re- 
leasing Corporation  production. 

The  single  Western  in  production  is  Re- 
public's "King  of  the  Cowboys,"  a  Roy  Rog- 
ers special. 


16 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


TRADE  WINDS 


February    6,  1943 

by  RED  KANN 


[This  is  the  second  installment  of  a  discussion  by  Mr.  Kann  of 
the  Interstate  Circuit's  enterprise  and  experiences  in  the  initiation 
and  development  of  a  radio  program  for  Texas  and  adjacent 
areas  under  the  title  of  "Showtime"  for  the  promotion  of  product 
to  be  presented  on  the  screens  of  the  region.  Here  develop  indica- 
tions of  the  implied  application  to  the  national  selling  scene. — 
THE  EDITOR.] 

DALLAS 

A SIZEABLE  compilation  of  facts  and  opinion  was  con- 
veyed by  Bob  O'Donnell  to  New  York  not  so  long  ago. 
In  it  were: 

1.  — A  running  account  of  the  history  of  Interstate's  "Show- 
time" air  program. 

2.  — Letters  from  competitive  independents  and  circuits 
throughout  Texas,  recognizing  the  benefits  of  the  half-hour  Sun- 
day broadcast  for  theatres  not  identified  with  the  sponsor. 

3.  — Testimonials  from  divisional  and  branch  managers  viewing 
the.  show  as  a  direct  influence  on  the  sale  of  tickets.  In  general, 
they  urged  its  continuance. 

There  was  purpose  behind  all  of  this,  of  course.  "Showtime" 
was  running  at  a  cost  of  almost  $75,000  annually.  That  was  a 
load  for  Interstate  to  carry,  but  importantly  as  well,  was  the  con- 
clusion finally  reached  that  distributors  ought  to  bear  a  portion 
of  the  freight  because  concerned  here  was  a  sales  message  of  po- 
tence  to  ticket  buyers  patronizing  over  1,000  theatres.  Interstate 
may  be  the  biggest  in  these  parts,  but  only  160  of  that  1,000  sail 
under  its  flag. 

O'Donnell  openly  wanted  financial  partnership  and  so  told 
sales  managers  and  others  at  a  luncheon  he  arranged  for  the  pur- 
pose.   Questions  followed. 

One  queried  the  possibility  of  antagonizing  newspapers  which 
might  feel  their  advertising  revenue  faced  reductions  through  di- 
version of  portions  of  the  industry's  budget  into  radio  channels. 
Not  so  at  all. 

O'Donnell  was  aware  of  such  an  obvious  pitfall,  agreed  on  the 
danger  if  it  existed,  but  pointed  out  it  did  not.  And  on  several 
counts. 

For  one,  "Showtime"  cost  is  not  met  by  trimming  newspaper 
space.  It  is  an  additional  expense.  For  another,  the  stations 
which  comprise  the  Texas  Quality  Network,  all  four  of  them,  are 
either  owned  by,  or  identified  with,  newspapers. 

For  instance,  WFAA,  a  50,000-watter  in  Dallas,  is  owned  by 
the  News;  WBAP,  another  50,000-watter  in  Fort  Worth,  by  the 
Star-Telegram.  A  third  50,000-watter,  WOAI  in  San  Antonio, 
is  closely  associated  with  the  Express,  and  KPRC,  a  10,000- 
watter  in  Houston,  is  the  station  of  the  Post. 

Therefore,  not  only  are  these  newpapers,  directly  or  otherwise, 
on  the  receiving  end  of  additional  revenue  via  purchase  of  broad- 
casting time,  they  are  likewise  cooperating  because  in  Interstate 
they  have  a  two-way  customer  where  previously  they  had  only 
one. 

The  Uncertainty:  How  Much? 

A PERTINENT  question  raised  by  Grad  Sears  of  UA  was 
his  uncertainty  over  the  final  cost  to  distributors  if  the 
Texas  plan  were  to  find  duplication  in  twenty  or  more  key 
cities  throughout  the  country.  He  was  evidently  fearful  the  ven- 
ture on  anything  approximating  such  a  broad  scale  would  become 
prohibitive. 

O'Donnell  had  a  reply  for  that  one,  too.    And  this  was  it: 
That  the  benefits  already  established  in  Texas  were  susceptible 
to  duplication  elsewhere  at  an  overall  added  expense  of  relatively 
insignificant  proportions  against  the  tangible  and,  if  you  like, 
the  intangible  advantages. 

These  advantages,  as  he  saw  them  and  sees  them  now,  in- 
cluded a  successful  solution  of  what  the  industry  can  and  ought 
to  do  with  radio ;  establishment  of  a  formula  for  stepping  up  the 
volume  of  admissions  and,  perhaps,  attracting  new  audiences; 
creation  of  an  ambassador  of  good  will  for  the  entire  business, 
always  available  whether  to  boost  a  Bond  or  a  scrap  drive  or  to 
indoctrinate  the  picture-going  public  and  anyone  else  who  may  be 
listening  with  specific  messages  on  issues  of  industry-wide 
import. 

Possiblv  because  Interstate  is  a  film  buyer  of  formidable  ex- 


tent, but  more  probably  because  the  basic  merits  of  the  "Show- 
time" setup  emerged  so  completely  into  the  clear,  a  deal  was 
struck  with  but  a  single  holdout — United  Artists. 

It  provides  each  of  seven  distributors  is  to  meet  Interstate's 
cost  to  the  tune  of  $100  per  plug  per  program.  Two  plugs,  $200, 
and  so  on.  Text,  timing  and  handling  rest  with  Interstate. 
O'Donnell  and  his  boys  are  satisfied  since  the  arrangement  will 
cut  the  direct  charge  to  the  circuit  by  about  $37,500,  or  one-half. 

Competition  Praises  Competition 

ONE  of  the  interesting  phases  of  this  southwestern  depar- 
ture has  to  do  with  the  reaction  among  Interstate's  com- 
petition. Take  R.  E.  Griffith,  whose  circuit  is  one  of  the 
stalwarts  in  this  area.  To  Interstate,  he  wrote,  "In  addition  to 
creating  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  listeners  to  see  the  picture 
you  plug,  it  is  a  good  will  builder  for  all  theatres  in  the  state,  as 
well  as  your  theatres." 

Don  C.  Douglas,  for  Robb  and  Rowley  United,  Inc.,  "We  bene- 
fit by  any  advertising  given  a  motion  picture  since  we  are  play- 
ing, or  will  be  playing,  the  same  picture  you  are.  We  also  share 
in  any  good  will  toward  the  industry."  Clifford  C.  Porter,  for 
the  Jefferson  Amusement  Company,  operating  along  the  Gulf,  "I 
cannot  help  believing  these  broadcasts  carry  a  tremendous  weight 
in  influencing  more  regular  attendance  of  theatres  throughout 
Texas." 

Colonel  Harry  A.  Cole,  president  of  Allied  of  Texas,  emphati- 
cally stated,  "There  is  unquestionably  an  overflow  of  great  bene- 
fit to  the  theatres  I  represent."  But  he  went  beyond.  While 
UMPI  was  still  breathing,  and  drawing  upon  "Showtime"  as  his 
basis,  he  urged  a  single  national  program,  developed  and  main- 
tained by  the  whole  industry  with  Hollywood  its  point  of  origin. 
His  thought  was  producers,  distributors  and  exhibitors  would 
share  the  expense  of  maintaining  a  Sunday  afternoon  show  of 
power  and  magnitude.  A  discussion  was  held  with  Howard 
Dietz,  but  nothing  came  of  it  because,  as  Cole  put  it,  "Everyone 
was  too  busy  or  too  something  to  give  my  suggestion  consid- 
eration." 

Subsequently,  he  told  your  traveling  correspondent  he  is  un- 
shakeably  convinced  exhibitors  can  be  sold  such  a  plan.  "It 
would  be  a  matter  of  approximately  $1.50  or  $2  per  theatre  per 
week.   I  think  it  can  be  put  over  and  I  hope  some  day  it  is." 

O'Donnell,  it  ought  certainly  to  be  said  for  him,  has  no  illu- 
sions about  priority  or  pride  of  authorship.  He  says  he  is  will- 
ing to  drop  "Showtime"  if  the  point  is  ever  reached  when  one 
industry  program  can  be  whipped  up  in  Hollywood. 

Meanwhile,  these  reactions  came  out  of  our  own  typewriter : 

*  In  areas  where  circuit  power  is  concentrated,  Interstate's  plan 
is  feasible. 

Any  extension  entails  vision,  hard  work,  investment,  head- 
aches over  talent  and,  where  population  density  is  great,  per- 
haps overlapping  of  broadcasting  into  a  competitor's  zone. 

But  the  problems  do  not  appear  at  all  insurmountable  and  the 
idea  worth  considering,  it  seems  to  us,  by  such  operators  as  John 
Balaban  for  B.  &  K.  out  of  Chicago,  John  J.  Friedl  for  the  Min- 
nesota Amusement  Company  out  of  Minneapolis,  Ted  Schlanger 
for  the  Warner  circuit  out  of  Philadelphia;  Charlie  Skouras,  by 
all  means,  for  Fox  West  Coast  out  of  Los  Angeles. 

Too,  by  M.  A.  Lightman  on  behalf  of  Malco  out  of  Memphis, 
E.  V.  Richards,  Jr.,  for  Publix-Richards  out  of  New  Orleans, 
Harold  J.  Fitzgerald  for  Fox  Wisconsin  out  of  Milwaukee,  Marty 
Mullin  and  Sam  Pinanski  for  M.  and  P.  Theatres  out  of  Boston, 
not  to  overlook  John  J.  Fitzgibbons  for  Famous  Players  Canadian 
out  of  Toronto. 

•  Whether  or  not  the  distributor  carries  part  of  the  cost  could 
be  determined  by,  and  following,  established  performance.  After 
all,  Interstate  traveled  under  its  own  steam,  suffered  its  own  pains 
and  proved  it  knew  how  before  the  majors  kissed  in. 

■  But,  above  all,  it  is  the  weekly  show  out  of  Hollywood  that 
ought  to  be  the  considered  objective.  The  industry  is  big  enough. 
It  ought  to  be  broad-gauged  enough  to  appreciate  the  potentials. 
Then  hop  to  it. 


February  6 


94  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


17 


DISTRIBUTORS  CO  TO  RADIO 
WITH  MORE  AD  MONEY 


Utilize  Air  for  Mass  Sales 
Appeal  on  New  Product; 
Emphasis  Still  Local 

Radio,  conspicuous  selling  medium  for 
food  products,  tobacco,  gasoline  and  pickles, 
is  getting  increased  attention  currently 
from  a  number  of  major  film  companies,  no- 
tably MGM  and  RKO.  Radio  time  buying 
is  not  new  to  motion  picture  selling.  For 
many  years  distributors  have  been  purchas- 
ing air  time  to  a  smaller  degree  than  news- 
paper and  trade  paper  advertising  space,  but 
microphone  selling  has  been  established  as 
an  adjunct  of  film  exploitation. 

With  more  money  to  spend  on  advertising, 
as  a  result  of  bigger  revenues  during  the 
past  year,  some  distributors  are  utilizing 
radio  for  a  mass  selling  appeal.  Emphasis 
is  still  centered  on  regional  selling  with 
direct  theatre  tieups. 

Local  use  of  spot  announcements  by  ex- 
hibitors is  reported  in  Managers'  Round 
Table,  page  60. 

RKO,  for  example,  has  launched  a  terri- 
torial promotion  campaign  on  the  radio  for 
the  month  of  February  which  is  patterned 
on  the  successful  air  campaign  sponsored 
by  Cincinnati's  500,000-watt  Station  WLW, 
tor  the  50-citv  premiere  in  the  midwest  of 
"Hitler's  Children."  The  Edward  Golden 
production  opened  January  14th  at  the  Albee 
theatre  in  that  city-. 

Reciprocal  Arrangement 
Was  Concluded 

The  RKO  campaign  will  consist  of 
extensive  use  of  radio  in  the  areas  of  St. 
Louis,  Chicago,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Dallas 
and  Philadelphia.  One  leading  50,000-watt 
station  in  each  area  will  be  used  as  the 
spearhead,  with  smaller  stations,  in  a  few 
territories,  as  supplements  to  obtain  the 
greatest  coverage.  The  company  has  pur- 
chased time  for  spot  announcements  and 
for  15-minute  transcription  records  high- 
lighting scenes  from  the  picture.  In  re- 
turn, the  leading  station  will  carry  as  a  sus- 
taining program,  a  30-minute  condensed 
dramatization  of  the  picture,  which  will  fea- 
ture personal  appearances  of  the  stars,  Bo- 
nita  Granville  and  H.  B.  Warner. 

According  to  a  company  execu- 
tive, the  expenditure  of  this  cam- 
paign "will  equal  any  exploitation 
drive  made  by  RKO  in  the  past  for 
any  of  its  big-budget  pictures."  Ex- 
ploitation men  under  the  direction 
of  Terry  Turner,  will  be  sent  into 
each  of  the  six  areas  to  concentrate 
on  the  "mass  selling"  theme  of  the 
radio  advertising  and  to  correlate  it 
with  theatre  and  newspaper  exploit- 
ation and  publicity. 
Approximately  50  theatres  in  each  area 
will  be  tied  up  with  the  radio  advertising. 
The  name  of  the  theatre  where  the  picture 
is  being  booked  will  be  used  on  the  spot 
announcements  and  the  transcriptions.  In 
addition,  newspaper  advertising  in  those  ter- 


ritories where  the  air  programs  are  pur- 
chased, will  carry  mention  of  the  theatre  as 
well  as  the  radio  station  advertising  "Hit- 
ler's Children."  Theatres  in  the  territories 
will  use  lobby  displays  and  posters  calling 
attention  to  the  radio  programs. 

The  campaign  grew  out  of  the  50-city 
premiere  of  "Hitler's  Children"  which 
WLW  of  Cincinnati  sponsored  last  month. 
Because  Gregor,  Ziemer,  author  of  the 
book,  ""Education  for  Death,"  on  which 
the  picture  is  based,  is  WLWs  ace  news 
commentator  and  analyst,  the  Crosley  Cor- 
poration, owner  of  the  station,  put  on  an 
intensive  publicity  and  exploitation  drive  in 
connection  with  the  premieres.  Two  weeks 
in  advance  of  the  opening,  WLW  adver- 
tised the  film  in  daily  announcements,  men- 
tioning the  names  of  theatres  where  it 
would  open. 

Personal  Appearances 
Were  Broadcast 

Following  the  Cincinnati  debut  of  the  pic- 
ture, the  two  stars  and  the  author  made  per- 
sonal appearances  at  the  Rialto  in  Louis- 
ville and  the  Circle,  Indianapolis,  on  Janu- 
ary 15th  and  16th,  both  appearances  broad- 
cast by  WLW  through  arrangements  with 
local  stations.  The  stars  also  appeared  at 
the  Palace,  Columbus,  and  Keith's,  Dayton. 

Both  Edward  Golden,  producer  of  the  film, 
and  S.  Barret  McCormick,  RKO  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity,  reported  that 
the  success  of  WLW's  sponsorship  of  the 
premieres  prompted  the  film  company's  plan 
to  continue  territorial  promotion  of  the 
picture. 

This  is  the  first  time  RKO  has  utilized 
the  radio  for  such  an  extensive  regional 
campaign. 

MGM,  meanwhile,  has  instituted 
two  programs  in  two  key  cities 
which  are  similar  in  objective,  and 
it  is  understood  the  company  may 
extend  the  plan  to  other  key  cities. 
In  addition  to  the  five-minute  spot 
sponsored    five    days-a-week  by 
Metro  on  55  stations  of  the  Blue 
Network,   the   company   also  has 
purchased  time  thrice-weekly  on 
two  leading  stations  in  Chicago  and 
Detroit.    The  five-minute  spot  be- 
gan its  10th  week  on  the  air  Mon- 
day and  features   Colonel  Stoop- 
nagle  in  a  comedy  routine. 
Thus  far  the  following  MGM  pictures 
have  been  advertised  on  the  show,  each 
film  for  a  two-week  period:  "For  Me  and 
My  Gal,"  "Stand  By  for  Action,"  "Keeper 
of  the  Flame,"  and  "Random  Harvest"  and 
currently,   "The  Human  Comedy."  This 
program  costs  $11,000  a  week  for  time  and 
talent,  it  is  estimated. 

The  15-minute  show  sponsored  by  the 
company  has  been  broadcast  in  Chicago  on 
the  Mutual  station,  WGN,  since  November 
10th.  It  is  known  as  the  "Lion's  Roar"  and 
is  heard  Tuesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday. 
In  Detroit,  a  similar  15-minute  spot  began 
last  Tuesday  over  WWJ,  also  three  times 
weekly.     Both  programs  feature  music  re- 


cordings and  comments  by  a  master  of  cere- 
monies. Bill  Anson  handles  the  spot  in 
Chicago.  Herschel  Hart,  columnist  for  the 
Detroit  News  and  a  WWJ  commentator,  is 
master  of  ceremonies  for  the  Detroit  pro- 
gram. 

Weekly  Cost  Put  at 
$1,000  for  Each  Spot 

To  date,  the  Chicago  spot  has  advertised 
"'Stand  By  for  Action,"  "Random  Harvest," 
"Keeper  of  the  Flame"  and  "White  Cargo." 
Mention  of  theatres  in  the  respective  cities 
which  are  booking  the  MGM  film  is  made 
on  both  programs.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
weekly  cost  in  time  and  talent  for  each  15- 
minute  spot  is  $1,000.  This  makes  a  total 
of  $13,000  a  week  being  spent  by  the  com- 
pany on  radio  advertising,  exclusive  of  the 
regular  spot  announcements  purchased. 

For  some  time,  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
has  bought  spot  time  in  regional  areas 
with  local  exhibitors  sharing  time  buy- 
ing costs.  In  addition,  the  company  has  made 
available  transcription  records  for  radio.  No 
financial  participation  by  the  exhibitor  is 
made  on  these.  All  20th  Century-Fox  mu- 
sical comedies  and  important  "A"  calibre 
pictures  are  advertised  on  the  radio.  It  is 
understood  that  the  company  is  preparing 
350  transcriptions  of  five-minute  interviews 
with  20th-Fox  stars  for  local  stations,  to  be 
made  available  free  to  exhibitors.  These  rec- 
ords are  to  be  tied  up  with  bookings  of  the 
films  in  the  areas  covered. 

Paramount    is    another  major 
company  which  has  been  buying 
spot  time  to  advertise  product.  The 
company  has   13-week  renewable 
contracts  for  station  breaks  with  36 
important   key   city   stations  and 
utilizes  the  spots  for  tieups  with 
theatres    booking    the  pictures. 
Moreover,  about  250  to  300  stations 
carry  Paramount  transcription  rec- 
ords for  spot  plugs  advertising  pic- 
ture and  theatre  combinations. 
In  some  instances,  the  theatre  arranges  to 
buy  time  for  the  record  or  the  radio  station 
puts  on  the  transcription  as  a  sustaining 
feature,  giving  the  theatre  credit  for  the 
play  date. 

Recent  Paramount  pictures  which  have 
been  advertised  on  the  radio  include :  "Wake 
Island,"  "The  Major  and  the  Minor,"  "Road 
to  Morocco,"  "Star  Spangled  Rhvthm"  and 
"Palm  Beach  Story." 

In  addition  to  this  use  of  radio,  Para- 
mount also  participates  financially  in  "Show- 
time," the  one-hour  radio  show  which  is 
conducted  by  the  Interstate  circuit  of 
Texas,  under  direction  of  R.  J.  O'Donnell. 
Several  days  in  advance  of  the  opening  of 
a  Paramount  picture  in  any  Interstate  the- 
atre in  the  territory,  "Showtime"  calls  at- 
tention to  the  film  and  names  the  theatre 
which  will  play  it. 

Quigley  on  Coast  Visit 

Martin  Quigley,  president  and  editor-in-chief 
of  Quigley  Publications,  left  early  this  week 
for  several  weeks'  visit  in  Hollywood. 


BY  FOR 
ACTION 


HARDY 
OOUBl 


^0* 


VST 


k  Get  a  load  of  that 

I  Second  Group  from 

t  The  Friendly  Company! 


20 

Columbia  Plans 
Shift  in  Print 
Allocations 

A  reallocation  of  distribution  of  available 
prints  to  assure  smaller  theatre  owners  of  an 
even  break  with  theatres  in  larger  communi- 
ties will  be  attempted  by  Columbia  Pictures, 
A.  Montague,  general  sales  manager,  said  in 
Chicago  Wednesday  after  a  company  sales 
meeting. 

Plans  are  still  in  the  formative  stage  but 
details  are  expected  to  be  worked  out  at  sub- 
sequent sales  meetings. 

Announcement  also  was  made  at  the  Chi- 
cago meeting  that  the  sales  force  would  elect 
its  own  supervising  committee  for  the  1942- 
43  sales  drive. 

Screened  at  the  Chicago  session  were 
"Something  to  Shout  About,"  "The  Desper- 
adoes," "Reveille  with  Beverly."  Discussed 
were  sales  methods  and  new  problems.  Plans 
were  also  formed  for  the  cooperative  advertis- 
ing campaign  on  "The  More  the  Merrier," 
which  will  be  pre-released  at  the  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  New  York,  in  April. 

Among  those  present  were  Jack  Cohn,  ex- 
ecutive vice-president;  Rube  Jackter,  assist- 
ant sales  manager;  Louis  Astor  and  Louis 
Weinberg,  circuit  sales  executives ;  Max  Weis- 
feldt,  short  subjects  sales  manager;  George 
Josephs,  manager  of  sales  accounting;  Mau- 
rice Grad,  sales  promotion  manager,  and  H. 
C.   Kaufman,  exchange  operations  manager. 

An  Eastern  sales  meeting  will  be  held  in 
New  York  soon. 


Universal  Sets 
Refinancing 

Although  recapitalization  and  consolidation 
plans  of  Universal  Pictures  involving  an  esti- 
mated $6,000,000  have  not  been  definitely  set 
as  yet,  it  is  believed  that  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Boston  will  do  the  financing,  according 
to  Motion  Picture  Daily. 

Part  of  the  recapitalization  plan  provides  for 
the  company  to  call  in  its  preferred  shares, 
besides  allowing  for  funds  with  which  the  firm's 
outstanding  loans  will  be  liquidated. 

Universal's  $3,000,000  net  earnings  for  1942, 
after  all  taxes  and  depreciation,  surpassed  the 
1941  earnings.  The  new  contemplated  transac- 
tion would  free  all  outstanding  obligations  with 
the  exception  of  the  new  loan,  and  would  sim- 
plify the  present  financial  structure,  it  was  said. 

O'Connor,  Sanford  Aid 
Catholic  N.  Y.  Drive 

John  J.  O'Connor,  vice-president  of  Univer- 
sal, and  Bert  Sanford,  of  the  Altec  Service 
Corporation  have  been  appointed  to  Arch- 
bishop Francis  Spellman's  Committee  of  the 
Laity,  in  New  York,  in  the  24th  annual  appeal 
of  the  Archdiocese's  Catholic  Charities. 

The  1943  appeal  opens  April  4th  in  376 
parishes.  It  coordinates  the  work  of  182  hospi- 
tals, orphanages,  dispensaries,  and  other  agen- 
cies. 


Lawrence  Returns  to  MGM 

Laudy  Lawrence,  former  foreign  manager 
of  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  has  returned  to  the 
MGM  foreign  department.  He  was  a  European 
representative  for  Metro  for  more  than  IS 
years,  managing  company  offices  in  Paris  and 
elsewhere.  He  also  was  an  assistant  to  David 
O.  Selznick  and  a  vice-president  of  United 
Artists. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Assessments  Cut  for 
Philadelphia  Houses 

The  war  boom  has  not  checked  the  de- 
pression-born decline  in  Philadelphia  real  estate 
values,  with  the  result  that  nearly  all  of  the 
central  city  theatres  enjoyed  another  reduction 
in  taxable  valuations  for  1943.  Among  the 
downtown  Warner  theatres,  tax  reductions  were 
ordered  for  the  Mastbaum  theatre,  its  assess- 
ment having  been  reduced  from  $1,239,700  in 
1942  to  $1,218,300  for  1943;  Fox  theatre,  assess- 
ment cut  from  $1,451,000  last  year  to  $1,416,700 
for  this  year;  Stanley  theatre  cut  from  $677,000 
to  $597,000 ;  Aldine  theatre,  reduced  from  $549,- 
000  to  $501,300;  Boyd  theatre  from  $546,100 
to  $527,200;  Karlton  theatre  from  $980,600  to 
$938,300.  The  Keith's  theatre  remained  at  its 
1942  valuation  of  $528,100.  William  Goldman's 
Erlanger  theatre  had  its  assessment  reduced 
from  $567,800  to  $545,100,  and  the  Academy 
of  Music,  concert  hall,  was  cut  from  $1,025,- 
000  to  $978,000. 


B.  &  K.  Warehouse 
Destroyed  by  Fire 

The  Balaban  and  Katz  warehouse  at  408  N. 
Ashland  Ave.,  Chicago,  was  destroyed  by  fire 
on  Thursday,  January  28,  causing  damage  esti- 
mated to  be  over  $200,000. 

Although  there  were  some  narrow  escapes, 
no  serious  injuries  were  reported  by  the  35  em- 
ployees who  were  in  the  building  at  the  time. 
John  Schaefer,  supervisor  of  sound  equipment, 
suffered  cuts  about  his  hands,  when  he  escaped 
through  a  window  which  he  broke  with  an  add- 
ing machine.  Sam  Katz  and  Alfred  Haines, 
trapped  on  the  second  floor  when  an  automatic 
fire  door  closed  on  them  were  rescued  by 
Harold  Watson  and  William  Picha,  artists,  who 
broke  a  window  from  an  adjoining  roof  and 
helped  them  to  escape  down  a  steel  stairway. 

The  warehouse  contained  valuable  sound 
equipment,  scenery,  lobby  displays,  candy  and 
miscellaneous  theatre  props. 

Governor  Edison  Guest  at 
Annual  N.  J.  Allied  Session 

The  Allied  Theatres  Owners  of  New  Jersey 
have  been  commended  by  the  Government  for 
aid  in  promoting  War  Bond  sales,  Red  Cross 
collections,  defense  films,  and  other  activities, 
members  were  told  at  the  annual  meeting  in  the 
Stacey  Trent  Hotel,  Trenton,  Monday. 

Guest  speakers  were  Governor  Charles  A. 
Edison,  Assemblymen  Arthur  Lewis  and  Dave 
Young,  Senators  Harold  Eastwood  and  Charles 
Barton. 

Opinion  at  the  meeting  was  that  the  ban  on 
pleasure  driving  hurt  rural  theatres  severely. 

Assemblywoman  Mattie  Doremus,  of  Passaic, 
has  introduced  a  bill  making  checking  illegal 
during  showing  of  a  flat  rental  picture.  It  is 
backed  by  the  organization. 


Preview  Brings  Notables 

Russian  Ambassador  Maxim  Litvinov ;  Brit- 
ish Ambassador  Lord  Halifax ;  Chinese  Am- 
bassador Wei  Tao  Ming ;  Sam  Rayburn,  Speak- 
er of  the  House;  Major  General  Alexander  D. 
Surles ;  Raymond  Clapper,  columnist ;  Admiral 
Sir  Percy  Noble— and  many  others  of  distinc- 
tion were  in  the  invited  audience  of  three  hun- 
dred who  saw  the  March  of  Time's  "One  Day 
of  War— Russia,  1943"  at  the  Carlton  Hotel, 
Washington,  last  week. 


Heads  War  Bond  Committee 

Samuel  Friedman,  district  manager  of  the 
Comerford  circuit  with  headquarters  in  Hazle- 
ton,  Pa.,  has  been  appointed  chairman  of  the 
Hazleton  Lodge  887,  B'nai  B'rith  committee 
which  pledged  to  sell  $150,000  in  War  Bonds  by 
February  15th. 


February    6,     19  4  2  If 

Training  Films 
Aid  Workers, 
Survey  Shows 

A  recent  survey  conducted  by  the  Manage 
ment  Research  Division  of  the  National  Indus 
trial  Conference  Board  indicated  that  motior 
pictures  and  slide  films  have  aided  war  workers 
in  grasping  the  work  more  quickly,  thus  short- 
ening the  length  of  training  periods. 

According  to  the  report,  which  covered  23S 
companies,  from  25  to  50  per  cent  greater  un- 
derstanding of  the  subject  matter  resulted  after 
war  workers  had  viewed  films.  The  survey 
found  that  visual  aids  stimulated  interest  in 
learning,  increased  the  retention  of  learned  ma- 
terial, improved  the  quality  of  workmanship 
and  provided  a  standard  method  of  training. 

It  was  discovered  that  more  than  half  the 
companies  will  continue  the  training  of  em- 
ployees through  films  after  the  war  is  over  or 
the  same  scale  as  now,  while  one-third  will  use 
them  to  an  even  greater  extent.  Only  six  com- 
panies answered  that  they  would  discontinue  the 
procedure.  It  was  pointed  out  by  some  execu- 
tives that  trainees  favor  this  method  of  teach- 
ing since  they  receive  entertainment  value  while 
learning. 

"Because  of  the  war,  the  Federal  governmeni 
has  invested  large  sums  of  money  to  stimulate 
the  production  and  use  of  industrial  training 
films  on  a  large  scale,"  the  Board  reported 
"and  it  is  possible  that  it  will  continue  to  have 
an  active  interest  in  this  important  field  because 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  postwar  reconversion.' 'J 

Managers  Promoted 
By  Warner  Circuit 

Ted  Schlanger,  Philadelphia  zone  head  for 
the  Warner  circuit,  announced  a  number  oi 
management  changes,  all  promotions,  following 
the  promotion  of  Irving  Blumberg,  manager  of  t 
the  Midway  theatre,  to  director  of  publicity  anc| 
advertising.  David  Seaman  was  transferred 
from  the  Forum  to  the  Midway,  Andrew 
Schectman  from  the  Allegheny  to  the  Forum; 
Nat  Warshaw  from  the  Frankford  to  the  Alle- 
gheny, and  Robert  DeFino,  assistant  manager 
of  the  Earle,  to  manager  of  the  Frankford.  I 

Phil  Wexler,  treasurer  of  the  house,  was  pro- 
moted to  assistant  manager  of  the  Earle.    In  I 
other    circuit    changes,    Howard    Kuemmerle  j 
manager  of  the  Grange,  was  transferred  to  the 
Lindley  in  a  similar  capacity,  and  Walter  Kris- 
bell,  former  rotating  manager,  to  manager  oi 
the  Grange.    Outside  the  city,  Birk  Binnard 
manager  of  the  Capitol  theatre,  York,  Pa.,  was 1 
transferred  to  the  circuit's  Ritz  in  Wilmington 
Del.,  in  a  similar  capacity,  and  George  Lascari; 
was  named  assistant  manager  of  the  Warner 
theatre  in  Wilmington,  Del.,  succeeding  Josepl 
Stuart,  who  was  inducted  into  the  Army. 

Farrow  Succeeds  Woolf 
In  Gaumont  British  Post 

Leslie  Farrow  this  week  replaced  the  lat< 
C.  M.  Woolf  as  deputy  chairman  and  join 
managing  director  of  the  Gaumont  British  Pic 
tures  Corporation,  London.  Mr.  Farrow  is  al 
ready  a  member  of  Gaumont's  board,  and  als< 
on  the  board  of  Odeon  Theatres  circuit. 

D.  E.  Griffiths,  general  sales  manager  foi 
Paramount  in  Great  Britain,  has  been  appoints 
managing  director  of  Associated  British  Filn 
Distributors. 


Fire  in  Seattle  Theatre 

A  fire  which  was  caused  by  a  mysteriou 
explosion  caused  an  estimated  $25,000  damag 
to  the  Green  Parrott  theatre  in  Seattle  on  Sun 
day,  January  31st.  There  were  no  casualtie 
reported. 


M-G-M  TRADE  SHOWINGS 


DAY,  DATE  AND  HOURS  OF  SCREENING 


CITY 

PLACE 

ADDRESS 

(A)  A  STRANGER  IN  TOWN 
(B)  CABIN  IN  THE  SKY 

ALBANY 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

1052  Broadway 

TUES.  2/9 

11  A.M. 

ATLANTA 

RKO  Screen  Room 

191  Walton  St.,  N.W. 

TUES.  2/9 

10:30  A  M 

BOSTON 
BUFFALO 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

46  Church  St. 
290  Franklin  St. 

TUES.  2/9 
TUES.  2/9 

10  A.M. 
Also  2:15  P.M. 
8  P.M. 

CHARLOTTE 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

308  South  Church  St. 

TUES.  2/9 

1:30  P.M. 

CHICAGO 

H.  C.  Igel's  Screen  Room 

1301  S.  Wabash  Ave. 

TUES.  2/9 

1  P.M. 

CINCINNATI 

RKO  Screen  Room 

16  East  Sixth  Street 

TUES.  2/9 

2:30  P.M. 

CLEVELAND 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

2219  Payne  Avenue 

TUES.  2/9 

1  P.M. 

DALLAS 
fSENVER 

20th- Fox  Screen  Room 
Paramount  Screen  Room 

1803  Wood  Street 
2100  Stout  Street 

TUES.  2/9 
THUR.  2/11 

(A)  70:30  A.M. 
(8)    2:30  P.M. 
2:30  P.M. 

DES  MOINES 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

1300  High  Street 

TUES.  2/9 

1  P.M. 

DETROIT 

Max  Blumenthal's  Sc.  Rm. 

2310  Cass  Avenue 

TUES.  2/9 

1:30  P.M. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

326  No.  Illinois  Street 

TUES.  2/9 

9  A.M. 

KANSAS  CITY 

Vogue  Theatre 

3444  Broadway 

TUES.  2/9 

2:30  P.M. 

LOS  ANGELES 
MEMPHIS 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

2019  S.  Vermont  Ave. 
151  Vance  Avenue 

THUR.  2/11 
TUES.  2/9 

(A)  10:30  A.M. 
(8)  2:30  P.M. 
1  P.M. 

MILWAUKEE 

Warner  Screen  Room 

212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave. 

TUES.  2/9 

1:30  P.M. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

1015  Currie  Avenue 

TUES.  2/9 

1  P.M. 

NEW  HAVEN 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

40  Whiting  St. 

TUES.  2/9 

2:30  P.M. 

NEW  ORLEANS 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

200  South  Liberty 

TUES.  2/9 

1:30  P.M. 

NEW  YORK  I 
NEW  JERSEY ) 

OKLA'MA  CITY 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

630  Ninth  Avenue 
10  North  Lee  Street 

TUES.  2/9 
TUES.  2/9 

9:30  A.M. 
Also  1:30  P.M. 
10  A.M. 

OMAHA 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

1502  Davenport 

TUES.  2/9 

1:15  P.M. 

PHILADELPHIA 
PITTSBURGH 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
M-G-M  Screen  Room 

1233  Summer  Street 
1631  Blvd.  of  Allies 

TUES.  2/9 
TUES.  2/9 

(A)  77  A.M. 
(8)  2  P.M. 
7  P.M. 

PORTLAND 

B.  F.  Shearer  Screen  Rm. 

1947  N.W.  Kearney  St. 

THUR.  2/11 

1  P.M. 

ST.  LOUIS 

S'Renco  Screen  Room 

3143  Olive  Street 

Tl  ICC  O 

TUES.  2/9 

7  P.M. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

216  East  First  St.,  South 

THUR.  2/11 

1  P.M. 

S.  FRANCISCO 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 

245  Hyde  Street 

THUR.  2/11 

1:30  P.M. 

SEATTLE 

Jewel  Box  Preview  Theatre 

2318  Second  Avenue 

THUR.  2/11 

1  P.M. 

WASHINGTON 

20th- Fox  Screen  Room 

932  New  Jersey,  N.W. 

TUES.  2/9 

(8)  70  A.M. 
(A)    1  P.M. 

"A  Stranger  In  Town" — Frank  Morgan,  Richard  Carlson,  Jean  Rogers 
"Cabin  In  The  Sky" — Ethel  Waters,  Eddie  'Rochester'  Anderson,  Lena  Horne,  Louis  Armstrong,  Rex  Ingram 
Duke  Ellington  and  his  Orchestra,  The  Hall  Johnson  Choir 


22 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


OIL  SHORTAGE  PINCHES,  BUT 
TRADE  HOLDING  PACE 


Fuel  Oil  Delivery  Stopped 
in  New  England;  Salary 
Ceiling  Fight  Pressed 

Fuel  and  gasoline  shortages  in  all  states 
overshadowed  salary  ceilings,  raw  stock  lim- 
itations, and  manpower  problems  as  the 
principal  war  worry  of  the  motion  picture 
industry  this  week.  A  nationwide  survey 
however,  showed  that  theatres,  studios  and 
distribution  were  meeting  and  often  sur- 
passing all  government  demands  for  con- 
servation. 

In  the  New  England  area,  hardest  hit  of 
all  by  the  fuel  oil  shortage,  theatres  and 
other  oil-heated  places  of  amusement  were 
denied  delivery  of  fuel  oil  for  10  days,  com- 
mencing on  the  night  of  January  30th. 

The  regional  director  of  the  Office  of 
Price  Administration,  Kenneth  B.  Backman, 
restricted  the  delivery  of  fuel  oil  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 
All  deliveries  to  theatres  were  barred  until 
February  9th.  Persons  with  a  seven-day 
supply  of  heating  oil  also  may  not  receive 
delivery  during  the  period. 

The  value  of  industrial  and  com- 
mercial ration  coupons  also  was 
slashed  in  six  states  to  80  gallons 
from  a  previous  90.  It  was  the 
third  such  reduction  and  included 
Southern  New  York,  New  Jersey 
and  Pennsylvania  as  well  as  the 
New  England  states. 

Further  restrictions  on  the  use  of  oil  and 
gasoline  rather  than  relaxation  of  present  regu- 
lations, are  likely  to  be  imposed  in  the  future, 
it  was  disclosed  this  week  by  Washington  of- 
ficials concerned  with  oil  problems. 

The  rationing  of  heating  oil,  heretofore  con- 
fined to  30  eastern  and  midwestern  states,  has 
been  extended  to  Washington  and  Oregon.  A 
25  per  cent  curtailment  has  been  ordered  there 
and  may  be  imposed  on  the  rest  of  the  country 
before  spring,  it  was  disclosed. 

In  the  northwest,  rationing  was  adopted  be- 
cause the  area  is  dependent  upon  tankers.  With 
anticipated  stepping  up  of  the  war  in  the  Pa- 
cific, it  was  explained,  it  is  quite  possible  the 
Navy  may  need  the  oil  ships,  leaving  the  two 
states  dependent  upon  railroads. 

Would  Prevent  Repetition 
Of  Problem 

Rationing  of  the  rest  of  the  country,  including 
the  big  oil-producing  states,  would  be  a  matter 
of  conservation,  necessitated  by  the  fact  that 
military,  war  industry  and  essential  civilian  de- 
mand now  is  close  to  the  limit  of  the  oil  indus- 
try's capacity  to  produce. 

Admitting  that  rationing  in  the  east  has  been 
badly  handled,  partly  because  of  conditions  be- 
yond their  control,  officials  of  the  Petroleum 
Administration  and  Office  of  Price  Adminis- 
tration said  they  were  determined  to  prevent  a 
recurrence  next  winter  of  situations  which  pre- 
vailed this  winter. 

Accordingly,  they  said,  as  soon  as  the  current 
heating  season  ends  all  transportation  then 
available  will  be  devoted  to  building  up  stocks 
of  fuel  oil  against  next  winter's  demand.  There 
is  little  likelihood  that  the  ban  on  pleasure 
driving  will  be  lifted  for  some  time. 

It  was  explained  that  the  eastern  oil  industry 


THEATRES  CLOSED 
IN  WORLD  WAR  I 

Exhibitors  in  eastern  states  who  re- 
cently had  to  shut  their  doors  one  or 
two  days  a  week  in  order  to  conserve 
fuel  have  followed  the  pattern  em- 
ployed to  save  fuel  in  World  War  I. 
On  Tuesday  of  the  week  of  Janu- 
ary 20,  1918,  25  years  and  2  weeks 
ago,  all  theatres  in  the  United  States 
were  requested  to  close  one  day  a 
week  to  conform  to  the  National  Fuel 
Administration  order. 

This  was  brought  to  light  by  Karl 
Kae  Knecht,  who  writes  the  column, 
"25  Years  in  Evansville  Theatres",  for 
the  Sunday  'Courier  and  Press'  of 
Evansville,  Ind.  According  to  Mr. 
Knecht,  the  big  motion  picture  at- 
tractions of  that  week  in  1918  in 
Evansville  featured  such  silent  screen 
stars  as  Pauline  Frederick,  Lillian 
Walker,  Mrs.  Vernon  Castle,  Clara 
Kimball  Young,  Gail  Kane  and  Bessie 
Barriscale. 


went  into  the  winter  with  the  lowest  stocks  in 
its  history,  while  the  weather  adversely  af- 
fected both  rail  and  water  movement.  At  the 
same  time,  in  preparation  for  the  African  cam- 
paign, the  Navy  took  much  oil  from  the  East. 
Further,  concentration  of  war  activity  on  the 
Atlantic  seaboard  resulted  in  an  increased  popu- 
lation which  had  to  be  supplied  with  oil  and 
gasoline. 

Deliveries  to  the  east  coast  are 
still  being  stepped  up  by  the  rail- 
roads, pipe  lines  and  barges,  and  the 
largest  pipe  line  in  the  world,  now 
in>  operation  from  Texas  to  Illi- 
nois, will  reach  the  coast  this  sum- 
mer. 

Officials  of  the  OPA  in  Hartford  reported 
that  commercial  buildings  that  were  faced  with 
the  choice  of  converting  from  oil  to  coal  by 
February  6th  or  of  getting  no  more  oil  were 
rushing  ahead  on  conversion  work.  In  Decem- 
ber, when  the  order  was  announced,  it  was  be- 
lieved that  about  50,000  heating  plants  in  Con- 
necticut would  have  to  convert  or  prove  conver- 
sion impossible. 

Oil  Restricted 
In  Hartford 

An  OPA  offcial  said  that  if  a  building  owner 
was  only  awaiting  delivery  of  supplies,  more 
oil  could  be  allotted  by  the  local  rationing 
boards.  This  is  possible  only  if  he  has  certi- 
fied to  the  War  Production  Board  that  con- 
version is  under  way. 

Meanwhile,  from  throughout  the  Hartford 
territory  came  reports  that  last  Thursday's 
severe  snow  storm  had  hurt  theatre  grosses 
over  the  weekend  because  of  transportation 
difficulties.  It  was  the  worst  storm  in  two  years. 

Most  houses  in  Connecticut  have  announced 
Tuesday  or  Wednesday  as  closing  day  follow- 


ing the  Governor's  request  that  mercantile  es- 
tablishments close  Monday,  and  theatres  close 
one  full  day  each  week.  Wednesday  has  been 
generally  chosen  by  subsequent  runs,  as  it  per- 
mits the  houses  to  shift  easily  to  two  changes 
a  week,  instead  of  the  former  three,  and  does 
not  interfere  with  the  usual  Monday-Tuesday, 
and  Thursday-Friday  premium  giveaway  days. 

First  runs  generally  have  chosen  Tuesday, 
reopening  with  new  programs  on  Wednesday. 
Those  theatres  which  had  already  announced 
certain  matinees  would  be  discontinued,  before 
the  Governor's  fuel-saving  request,  may  not  now 
resume  these  matinees  because  of  the  full-day 
closing. 

Small  Town  Houses 
Report  Grosses  Off 

Neighborhoods  and  small  town  houses  com- 
plain that  the  closing  is  cutting  into  business 
considerably,  coupled  with  bad  weather  and 
the  pleasure-driving  ban.  Many  also  point  out 
that  they  must  heat  their  buildings  because  of 
stores  and  residences,  and  no  large  saving  of 
fuel  is  effected. 

In  New  Haven,  11  houses  close  Wednesday, 
and  nine  Tuesday,  one  Thursday  and  one  Fri- 
day. In  Bridgeport,  nine  close  Tuesday,  three 
Monday,  seven  Wednesday,  three  Thursday,  and 
one  Friday.  Ten  Hartford  houses  close  Tues- 
day, seven  Wednesday,  two  Monday  and  two 
Thursday. 

Meantime,  State  Fuel  Administrator  Wesley 
A.  Sturges  reports,  after  an  investigation  of  the 
coal  and  oil  supply,  that  the  situation  has 
brightened  considerably,  and  that  the  closings 
may  soon  end. 

Closings  of  28  Warner  theatres  in  the  Hart- 
ford zone  was  announced  by  Henry  L.  Needles, 
district  manager.  Generally  the  houses  selected 
Tuesday,  although  several  are  closed  on  Mon- 
day or  Wednesday.  The  Lockwood  and  Gordon 
circuit  has  closed  its  houses  on  Tuesdays,  too. 
The  Windsor  in  Windsor  was  reported  to  have 
closed  this  week  because  of  the  fuel  shortage. 

Gasoline  Rations 
Pinch  in  Wisconsin 

A  number  of  theatres  in  the  Hartford  terri- 
tory also  have  dropped  daily  matinees  to  save 
heating  oil.  New  Haven;  New  Britain,  Tor- 
rington  and  Plainville  theatres  have  taken  simi- 
lar steps. 

While  gasoline  rationing  and  the  most  severe 
weather  in  many  winters  have  combined  to 
make  business  extremely  spotty  for  neighbor- 
hood houses,  business  continues  good  at  down- 
town Milwaukee  theatres. 

It  was  believed  that  gasoline  ra- 
tioning, when  it  became  effective 
December  1st  would  react  favor- 
ably for  outlying  houses,  but  from 
most  reports  such  has  not  been  the 
case.  People  working  in  the  down- 
town area  seem  to  stay  downtown 
to  attend  a  film  before  going  home, 
with  the  result  that  neighborhood 
business  has  suffered. 

An  experiment  of  playing  two  strong  pic- 
tures day  and  date  at  the  Peerless  and  Grand, 
northside  neighborhood  houses,  the  first  two 
days  of  the  week  at  higher  admissions  is  said 
to  be  meeting  with  success.  The  policy  is 
unique  in  Milwaukee  for  subsequent  run  houses. 

The  first  Warner  circuit  house  in  Philadel- 
phia to  drop  matinees  is  the  Yorktown.  The 
fuel  oil  shortage  necessitated  the  closing  for 
(Continued  on  opposite  page) 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


23 


Occupational  Deferment  Lifted 
By  Manpower  Chief 

Occupational  deferment  was  lifted  from  a  long  list  of  jobs  Tuesday  in  orders 
issued  by  Chairman  Paul  McNutt  of  the  War  Manpower  Commission,  which 
announced  also  that  men  under  38  in  such  jobs  would  not  be  deferred  from 
military  service  because  of  their  dependency  status. 

In  a  "Work  or  Fight"  order  designed  to  get  all  able-bodied  men  into  war  pro- 
duction or  military  service,  Mr.  McNutt  said  men  in  the  proscribed  occupations 
would  be  given  until  April  1st  to  get  into  essential  industry  or  on  the  lists  of  the 
U.  S.  Employment  Service. 

A  number  of  jobs  in  both  the  production  and  exhibition  branches  of  the  film 
industry  were  included  in  the  list,  although  no  jobs  to  be  found  exclusively  in  the 
industry  were  mentioned. 

Exhibitors  may  be  affected  by  the  ban  on  deferment  to  ushers  and  doormen. 
All  branches  of  the  industry  may  feel  the  listing  of  elevator  operators,  errand,  mes- 
senger and  office  boys,  groundkeepers  and  lavatory  attendants.  Also  in  the  list 
were  night  club  managers  and  employees,  theatrical  studios  and  schools,  manufac- 
turers of  signs  and  advertising  displays,  and  interior  decorating  services. 

The  War  Manpower  Commission  also  has  issued  an  amended  bulletin  of  essential 
activities  in  the  communications  industries,  including  a  number  of  jobs  in  motion 
picture  production.  All,  as  expected,  are  in  the  technical  end. 

In  dealing  with  the  motion  picture  industry,  the  commission  listed  the  positions 
of  animator,  architect  for  production  sets,  cameraman,  film  cutter,  film  editor, 
equipment  maintenance  technician,  illumination  technician,  process  and  effect 
technician,  production  set  technician,  production  supervisor,  sound  engineer,  and 
technical  writer.  The  list  amended  Occupational  Bulletin  No.  270. 

The  WMC  bulletins  are  issued  to  guide  local  draft  boards  on  the  occupational 
classification  of  men  in  essential  jobs.  However,  it  warned,  the  mere  listing  of  an 
occupation  within  an  activity  essential  to  the  war  does  not  necessarily  mean  that 
every  registrant  so  engaged  will  be  given  a  deferment.  Final  decision  in  each  indi- 
vidual case  must  be  made  by  the  local  board,  subject  to  appeal. 


Oil  Shortages 
Cut  Gross  in 
New  England 

(Continued  from  opposite  page) 

afternoons,  except  Saturday  and  Sunday.  A 
large  number  of  independent  houses  have 
dropped  matinees  since  late  December. 

The  Loew's  Penn  theatre  and  Warner  Broth- 
ers' downtown  theatres  in  Pittsburgh  have  in- 
augurated a  policy  of  completing  shows  at 
11 :45  P.M.,  due  to  transportation  difficulties 
besetting  their  patrons. 

Advertising  and  publicity  campaigns  are  at- 
tuned to  this  policy,  and  stress  the  use  of 
1  trolley  cars  and  busses  in  reaching  the  thea- 
tres, and  car  advertising  carries  the  slogan, 
"Don't  be  a  pleasure-driving  shut-in."  The  re- 
action reported  thus  far  has  been  favorable,  it 
was  said. 

Conferences  in  Washington  between  distribu- 
tion executives  and  the  Office  of  Petroleum 
Administration  were  still  continuing  in  an  ef- 

j  fort  to  solve  studio  transportation  problems,  it 
was  reported.  According  to  one  spokesman  in 
New  York  as  many  as  37  per  cent  of  a  studio's 

!  workers  have  been  unable  to  reach  their  jobs  on 
present  gasoline  allocations. 


Congress  Attacks 
Salary  Ceiling 

Congressional  opponents  of  the  Presidential 
order  limiting  salaries  to  $25,000  a  year,  net, 
fired  their  first  gun  in  the  fight  for  repeal  last 
week  when  Representative  Bertrand  W.  Gear- 
hart,  California  Republican,  introduced  a  repeal 
amendment  in  committee.    He  accompanied  it 
'  with  the  declaration  that  the  order  worked 
hardship  on  many  employees  of  high  bracket 
incomes,  and  threatened  to  cut  Treasury  in- 
come by  $100,000,000. 
He  said  that  the  Treasury  is  faced  with 
||  the  loss  of  $100,000,000  and  that  thousands 
of  persons,  many  of  them  unfit  for  other  work 
by  reason  of  age  or  physical  incapacity,  will  be 
thrown  out  of  jobs. 

As  a  test  of  sentiment  in  the 
Ways  and  Means  Committee,  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  Mr.  Gear- 
hart  attached  a  repeal  provision  to 
the  measure  written  by  Chairman 
Robert  L.  Boughton  to  increase  the 
debt  limit  to  $210,000,000,000.  Com- 
mittee action  on  the  controversial 
bill  was  postponed  for  a  week. 
"It  is  imperative  that  this  ill-advised  and 
thoroughly  un-American  salary  limitation  regu- 
lation be  repealed  at  the  earliest  possible  mo- 
ment," he  declared.     Mr.  Gearhart  advanced 
several    specific    reasons    why    the  limitation 
should  be  revoked. 

In  the  case  of  motion  picture  talent,  the 
period  in  which  they  can  earn  high  income  is 
limited,  and  they  would  be  unable,  under  the 
limitation,  to  amass  a  competence  on  which  to 
live  when  their  earning  capacity  dwindles,  he 
|  noted. 

Thousands  of  persons  employed  personally  by 
those  earning  large  salaries — chauffeurs,  gard- 
eners, caretakers,  etc. — could  no  longer  be  sup- 
-  ported. 

:  _  Corporations  would  receive  a  "windfall"  en- 
:  richment  to  which  they  are  not  entitled  by  re- 
I  lieving  them  of  the  necessity  of  keeping  their 
!  contractual  obligations  to  their  ablest  execu- 
tives, their  greatest  artists  and  best  performers, 
•   he  added. 

i  Mr.  Gearhart  explained  that  he  did  not  want 
■  to  make  the  salary  control  repeal  the  subject 


of  special  legislation,  since  the  President  un- 
doubtedly would  veto  such  a  measure.  By  add- 
ing the  repealer  as  a  rider  to  legislation  which 
the  President  was  anxious  to  have,  he  said,  it 
might  be  accepted  rather  than  throw  the  whole 
measure  to  renewed  Congressional  considera- 
tion. 

He  expressed  the  belief  that  a  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  committee  might  support  his 
repeal  provision  in  the  debt-increase  bill,  but 
added,  "whether  they  do  or  not,  I  intend  to 
move  it  as  a  rider  to  every  bill  affecting  the 
revenues  until  this  thoroughly  un-American 
proposal,  fraught  with  such  disaster  to  the  Re- 
public, is  wiped  from  the. statute  books." 

Actors  Vote  to 
Stay  on  Job 

The  Screen  Actors  Guild  board  of  directors 
on  Monday  passed  a  resolution  urging  members 
to  stay  on  the  job  if  the  salary  ceiling  halts 
their  income  in  the  middle  of  a  production. 
Withdrawal  during  production  would  cause 
costly  delays  and  disrupt  the  entire  industry,  the 
board  declared.  Freedom  of  action  in  the  mat- 
ter rests  finally  with  members,  however. 

Discuss  Raw  Stock  for 
Foreign  Market 

Problems  of  raw  stock  supply  for  the  foreign 
market  were  to  be  discussed  in  Washington  on 
Wednesday  at  a  meeting  between  industry  rep- 
resentatives and  Harold  Hopper,  motion  picture 
chief  of  the  War  Production  Board.  Carl  E. 
Milliken,  acting  foreign  manager  of  the 
MPPDA,  John  Hicks  of  Paramount  and  Joseph 
A.  McConville  of  Columbia  represented  the 
industry. 

The  group  was  expected  to  discuss  the  extent 
to  which  exports  of  unprocessed  raw  stock  as 
well  as  finished  prints  to  Allied  and  neutral 
nations  must  be  cut  to  meet  current  shortages. 


Separate  Publicity  Unit 
To  Work  on  "Bell  Tolls" 

Paramount  will  establish  a  separate  publicity 
unit  for  exploitation  on  "For  Whom  the  Bell 
Tolls,"  it  was  announced  last  week  in  Holly- 
wood after  Robert  M.  Gillham,  director  of  ad- 
vertising and  publicity,  met  with  Y.  Frank  Free- 
man, vice-president  in  charge  of  studio  opera- 
tions ;  B.  G.  DeSylva,  executive  producer ; 
George  Brown,  studio  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity,  and  Sam  Wood,  producer-director 
of  the  film. 

Mervin  Houser  and  Idwal  Jones  of  the  studio 
publicity  staff,  and  Allan  Meltzer,  New  York 
press  agent,  will  be  part  of  the  first  unit  which 
will  map  plans  concerning  the  premiere,  which 
is  expected  to  take  place  in  the  spring.  A  sep- 
arate section  will  be  set  up  in  the  Paramount 
home  office  advertising  and  publicity  depart- 
ment, where  the  group  assigned  to  the  special 
campaign  will  be  quartered. 


Murphy  Heads  Committee 

Harold  Murphy,  executive  of  Evergreen 
Theatres  in  Olympia,  Wash.,  has  been  named 
chairman  of  a  committee  of  the  Army-Naw 
Club  to  furnish  300  beds  at  the  Totem  Club 
for  the  Camp  Lewis  soldiers  on  leave  over 
weekends. 


Getschal  Joins  Warners 

Bud  Getschal,  formerly  with  Paramount,  has 
joined  the  Warner  Brothers'  advertising  staff, 
and  will  work  directly  under  Gil  Golden,  who 
is  in  charge  of  trade  paper  advertising. 


Don  Beal  in  Army 

Don  Beal.  former  clerk  at  the  Warner  ex- 
change in  Des  Moines,  has  joined  the  Army.  His 
place  has  been  taken  by  Herman  Coffin. 


24 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Seat  on  War  Council 
Asked  for  Theatres 


W.  F.  Rodgers  Will  Renew 
Proposal  for  Exhibitor 
Participation  in  Talks 

To  bring  the  exhibitors  of  the  country 
into  actual  instead  of  second  hand  participa- 
tion in  the  conferences  between  the  War 
Production  Board  and  the  distributor  repre- 
sentatives of  the  motion  picture  industry, 
William  F.  Rodgers,  sales  chief  of  MGM, 
will  renew  previous  proposals  in  the  general 
interest  of  full  cooperation  in  the  war  effort. 

This  was  made  known  by  Mr.  Rodgers  at 
a  luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Astor  on  Tuesday, 
attended  by  gentlemen  of  the  trade  press. 

"At  the  present  time,"  said  Mr.  Rodgers, 
"the  conferences  are  restricted  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  War  Production  Board  and  the 
representatives  of  the  motion  picture  dis- 
tributors. Rulings  on  the  reduction  in  raw 
stock  film  footages  are  made  known  to  the 
exhibitors  through  the  distributors,  which 
I  previously  have  pointed  out,  is  an  unfor- 
tunate second-hand  method  that  keeps  the 
exhibitor  from  close  and  direct  contact  with 
the  progress  of  the  war  effort.  The  WPB 
held  that  the  source  users  of  raw  stock  were 
the  ones  to  be  reached  in  the  conferences. 

"Because  many  exhibitors  feel  they  are 
being  left  out  of  the  party  and  because  it 
is  most  desirable  that  they  should  receive 
their  information  at  first  hand,  I  will  renew 
my  efforts  to  bring  this  complete  cooperative 
effort  on  a  closer  contact  basis. 

"We  have  found  the  WPB  most 
patient,  helpful  and  understanding 
in  our  relation  with  them.  They 
have  a  job  to  do  and  the  job  is 
essential. 

"The  exhibitors,  in  my  opinion,  would  be 
far  better  satisfied  if  they  were  to  know 
direct  all  the  reasons  for  the  footage  re- 
ductions which  may  or  may  not  be  in- 
creased rather  than  reduced.  They  have 
business  problems  which  are  definitely  their 
own  even  though  they  are  of  necessity  af- 
fected by  the  problems  confronting  the  dis- 
tributors. 

"I  am  not  speaking  for  the  motion  picture 
industry  but  as  an  individual  member  of  that 
industry  and  I  believe  great  good  will  result 
from  the  inclusion  of  the  exhibitor  represen- 
tatives in  the  conferences." 

Mr.  Rodgers  said  that  he  was  not 
concerned  with  the  method  of 
choosing  these  exhibitor  represen- 
tatives so  long  as  they  were  ex- 
hibitor-chosen, and  that  naturally 
representatives  would  be  chosen 
from  those  in  whom  their  fellows 
had  full  confidence.  Mr.  Rodgers 
did  not  indicate  how  soon  his  new 
appeal  would  be  made  but  it  is  un- 
derstood that  no  time  will  be  lost. 

Later  at  the  luncheon  Mr.  Rodgers  gave 
thumbnail  sketches  of  six  MGM  pictures 
which  will  be  released  in  March  or  as  soon 
as  the  market  is  ready  to  absorb  them.  This 


By  Staff  Photographer 


WILLIAM  F.  RODGERS 

part  of  the  program  might  be  described  as  a 
spoken  press  release. 

He  viewed  the  offerings  on  the  west  coast, 
from  which  he  recently  returned.  The  high 
spot  was  "The  Human  Comedy,"  in  which 
Mickey  Rooney  stars.  It  was  described  as 
a  simple  human  story  of  a  simple  human 
American  family  and  because  of  its  impor- 
tance it  will  be  released  as  an  individual 
picture. 

The  others  were :  "The  Youngest  Profes- 
sion," with  Virginia  Wilder,  Greer  Garson, 
Edward  Arnold,  William  Powell,  Robert 
Taylor,  Walter  Pidgeon  and  others;  "An 
Assignment  in  Brittany,"  a  Commando  film ; 
"Slightly  Dangerous,"  with  Lana  Turner 
and  Robert  Taylor ;  "Presenting  Lily  Mars," 
a  musical  with  Judy  Garland;  "The  Air 
Wardens"  with  Laurel  and  Hardy,  and  "A 
Cabin  in  the  Sky,"  with  Ethel  Waters, 
Rochester,  Duke  Ellington  and  his  band 
and  a  colored  cast. 

The  general  trend  of  the  group  is  come- 
dy as  MGM  is  convinced  that  either  for 
reasons  of  escape  or  just  the  natural  audi- 
ence attraction  to  fun  that  a  bill  of  fare  in 
which  mirth  is  the  featured  dish  contains 
the  motion  picture  vitamin  M  (for  merri- 
ment, of  course). 

Mr.  Rodgers  revealed  the  fact  that  there 
will  be  fewer  pictures  next  year  than  this 
as  far  as  his  company  is  concerned. 

"Further  cuts  in  raw  stock,"  he  said, 
"are  to  be  expected  and  despite  the  rigid 
economies  in  the  studios  on  retakes  and 
in  general  shooting,  the  outlook  is  for  fewer 
releases  and  an  increasing  trend  toward 
longer  runs." 


Stars  Tour  in  USO  Units 

Judy  Canova,  screen  star,  will  start  a  per- 
sonal appearance  tour  of  Army  and  Navy  posts 
with  the  USO-Camp  Shows  unit,  "Hit  the 
Deck,"  on  Monday,  February  8th,  when  she 
will  appear  at  the  Pensacola  Naval  Air  Station 
in  Florida.  Irene  Manning,  Warner  star,  began 
her  tour  with  the  unit's  "Looping  the  Loop" 
production  on  Monday  at  the  Naval  Air  Sta- 
tion in  Lakehurst,  N.  J. 


Ohio  98  Counsel 
Declares  Time 
Change  Legal 

State  Attorney  General  Thomas  J.  Herbert 
has  ruled  that  Ohio  legally  can  change  to  stand- 
ard time,  contradicting  an  earlier  opinion  by 
Lieutenant  Governor  Paul  M.  Herbert,  who 
said  such  an  enactment  would  be  unconstitu- 
tional in  view  of  the  Act  of  Congress  on  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1942,  putting  the  country  on  an  East- 
ern War  Time  basis. 

Two  state  legislatures  already  have  passed 
laws  abandoning  War  Time,  and  substituting 
Standard  Time,  which  was  in  effect  before  the 
passage  of  the  Federal  law.  Georgia  was  the 
first  to  rebel  against  President  Roosevelt's 
order,  the  bill  passing  the  state  legislature  and 
being  approved  by  the  Governor  on  January 
28th.  Michigan  followed  suit  shortly  after- 
wards, and  authorized  the  time  change  to  be- 
come effective  at  2  A.  M.  on  February  15th. 

In  Ohio,  the  Attorney  General  admitted  that 
Congress  has  plenary  powers  to  establish  stand- 
ard time  throughout  the  United  States,  but  said 
that  the  Congressional  act  did  not  constitute 
an  exercise  of  war  powers. 

Strike  Settled  by 
Theatre  Man 

Joseph  Kinsky,  district  manager  of  the  Tri- 
State  Theatres  circuit  was  responsible  for 
settling  a  controversy  among  six  local  unions 
and  the  Brandeis  Investment  Company  in 
Omaha  last  week,  after  being  approached  to 
act  as  intermediary  in  the  dispute. 

The  controversy  arose  when  eight  elevator 
operators  were  dismissed  by  the  company  fol- 
lowing a  sit-down  strike  at  the  Brandeis 
Theatre  and  the  Saunders-Kennedy  buildings, 
operated  by  the  company.  The  Omaha  Central 
Labor  Union  then  ordered  the  steam  shut  off 
from  21  buildings  heated  by  the  Brandeis  In- 
vestment company's  heating  plant. 

Gordon  Preble,  president  of  the  Central 
Labor  Union,  approached  Mr.  Kinsky  and  asked 
that  he  contact  E.  F.  Pettis,  secretary-treasurer 
of  the  investment  company,  relaying  informa- 
tion that  the  union  was  willing  to  supply  heat 
if  a  satisfactory  agreement  could  be  reached. 
Mr.  Kinsky  set  forth  his  plan  to  both  factions, 
and  a  settlement  was  reached. 


Clark  Given  Added  Duties 

Ned  E.  Depinet,  president  of  RKO  Radio, 
has  announced  that  William  H.  Clark  will  super- 
vise all  contracts  other  than  exhibition,  in  ad- 
dition to  his  duties  as  assistant  treasurer  of  the 
company.  Mr.  Depinet  also  announced  that  Mr. 
Clark  would  be  elected  assistant  secretary 
shortly. 


Levinson  Has  40th  Anniversary 

Col.  Nathan  Levinson,  head  of  sound  engi- 
neering for  Warners,  celebrated  his  40th  anni- 
versary as  a  radio  and  sound  engineer  this 
week.  He  has  been  with  the  company  for  more 
than  16  years. 


FPC  Sets  Toronto  Precedent 

Famous  Players  Canadian  circuit  set  a  local 
precedent  this  week  when  it  booked  Warner's 
"Across  the  Pacific"  for  simultaneous  showing 
at  its  Tivoli  and  Eglinton  theatres  in  Toronto. 


"Yankees"  Release  Set 

"The  Pride  of  the  Yankees,"  Samuel  Gold- 
wyn  production,  will  be  released  nationally  by 
RKO  Radio  this  spring. 


MS 


AND  THE  TOP  HOUSE  IN  EVERY 
CITY  AND  TOWN... AS  SOON  AS 
WE  CAN  GET  PRINTS  TO  HANDLE 
THE  AVALANCHE  OF  BOOKINGS! 


"AN  EXPLOSIVE  PICTURE,  COMPOUNDED  OF  THE  THUNDER 
AND  LIGHTNING  Of  TRUTH.  ..IT  IS  A  GREAT  ONE,  TO  BE 
SEEN  SEVERAL  TIMES,  TAKEN  TO  MIND  AND  HEART,  AND 
REMEMBERED  WELL."- Chicago  Herald-American 


the  G/iedtw 

MASS  SELLING  CAMPAIGN 
IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 


INDUSTRY! 


HN  THE  INDUSTRY'S 
MARCH  OF  DIMES" 
FEB.  18-24 


MORE  GREAT  RADIO  PROMOTIONS  ON  THE  WAY  IN 

ALL  IMPORTANT  LISTENING  AREAS  coast  to  coast  and  border 

to  border!  .  .  .  Blankets  of  intensive  showmanship  parallelling  that  spectacular 
and  sensational  50-City  World  Premiere  staged  under  the  sponsorship  of  Radio 
Station  WLW,  Cincinnati  .  .  .  the  amazing  promotion  that  helped  skyrocket 
grosses  in  every  one  of  the  theatres  anywhere  from  150%  to  300%  of  the 
average  for  TOP  GROSSING  pictures  of  the  past  .  .  .  paving  the  way  for  a  per- 
fect record  of  HOLDOVERS,  and  setting  the  stage  for  unheard-of  business  for 
every  theatre  in  the  territory!  — Now  it's  headed  YOUR  way  on  a  tidal-wave 
of  box-office  publicity  that's  sweeping  everything  before  it! 


L 


SI  LOUIS 


TIM  HOLT  *  BONITA  GRANVILLE  *  KENT 
SMITH- OTTO  KRUGER  •H.B.WARNER  and 

LLOYD  CORRIGAN  •  ERFORD  GAGE  •  NANS  CONRIED 
GAVIN  MUIR  •  NANCY  GATES 

Produced  by  Edward  A.  Golden  •  Directed  by  Edward  Dmytryk  .  Based  on  the  book 
"Education  for  Death/'  by  GREGOR  ZIEMER   •    Screen  Play  by  Emmet  Lavery 


28 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Axis  Threatens  U.S. 
Market  in  Turkey 


Government  Weekly  Cites 
New  Studio  for  Dubbing 
German  Product 

Although  the  greater  percentage  of  mo- 
tion pictures  currently  being  exhibited  in 
Turkey  is  American,  both  Germany  and 
Italy  are  completing  plans  to  extend  their 
propaganda  films  and  threaten  U.  S.  prod- 
uct in  this  neutral  country,  it  was  learned 
this  week  from  a  report  in  Foreign  Com- 
merce Weekly,  official  publication  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce. 

At  the  formal  opening  of  the  current 
Turkish  motion  picture  season,  seven  of  the 
eight  first  run  theatres  in  Istanbul  presented 
films  produced  in  the  United  States,  said 
the  weekly.  Nevertheless,  indications  that 
the  Axis  is  showing  considerable  interest  in 
the  Turkish  film  trade,  is  the  news  that  a 
studio  now  is  being  established  in  Istanbul, 
presumably  with  "financial  assistance"  from 
the  German  Ministry  of  Propaganda,  for  the 
purpose  of  dubbing  German  films  into  the 
Turkish  language  and  thus  .  making  them 
more  suitable  for  distribution,  particularly 
in  the  interior  of  the  country. 

The  studio  is  scheduled  for  completion  in 
February,  and  the  amount  invested  is  esti- 
mated at  $30,000.  All  equipment  is  said  to 
have  been  ordered  from  German  and  Hun- 
garian manufacturers. 

Germany's  Axis  partner,  Italy,  ac- 
cording to  the  publication,  will  open 
a  new  theatre  seating  about  600 
persons  in  Istanbul  in  March.  The 
house  will  be  operated  by  an  Italian 
national  as  an  outlet  for  Italian 
films.  Programs  will  be  supplement- 
ed with  German  and  U.  S.  pictures, 
but  Italian  product  will  dominate, 
it  was  reported. 
Approximately  200  American  films  now 
are  in  the  possession  of  Turkish  distribu- 
tors, it  was  said,  enough  to  meet  normal 
trade  requirements.     Estimates  place  the 
number  of  Axis  films  to  be  exhibited  during 
the  present  season  at  not  more  than  45, 
about  30  from  Germany,  10  from  Italy,  and 
five  from  Hungary.    Two  Istanbul  thea- 
tres, which  presented  about  40  German  pic- 
tures during  the  1941-42  season,  again  will 
have  exclusive  rights  to  show  productions 
from  the  Reich,  it  was  learned. 

British  Supply  Most 
Short  Subjects 

Curiously  enough,  the  publication  pointed 
out,  British  producers  will  continue  to  be 
prominent  suppliers  of  10-minute  shorts  and 
educational  pictures,  scheduling  20  such 
films  for  distribution  this  season,  but  are 
evidencing  little  interest  this  year  in  fur- 
nishing features  to  the  Turkish  market. 
Most  of  the  shorts  deal  with  scientific  and 
industrial  subjects  and  are  very  popular  with 
Turkish  audiences.  They  generally  are  sup- 
plied free  of  charge  and  are  circulated 
among  schools  and  community  centers  in 
addition  to  theatres. 

Foreign  Commerce  Weekly  reported  that 


American-made  shorts  depicting  the  life  and 
work  of  the  U.  S.  under  wartime  conditions, 
would  be  equally  well  received  "if  satisfac- 
tory arrangements  for  their  exhibition 
could  be  made,  probably  similar  to  those  in 
effect  with  British  producers."  German  pro- 
ducers also  are  expected  to  offer  propaganda 
short  subjects. 

According  to  latest  figures  available, 
there  are  approximately  155  theatres  in 
Turkey.  Of  these,  43  with  seating  capacity 
ranging  from  300  to  1,000  each,  are  located 
in  Istanbul.  The  Turkish  film  industry  it- 
self is  new  and  comparatively  small,  com- 
prising only  two  studios  (excluding  the  one 
now  under  construction).  The  amount  of 
capital  invested  in  the  industry  is  not  large 
and  studios  are  handicapped  by  lack  of  com- 
petent players,  professional  and  technical 
employees  and  inadequate  equipment. 

Most  dubbing  of  films  from 
foreign  countries  into  the  Turkish 
language,  principally  American  pic- 
tures, is  done  by  Turkey's  film  in- 
dustry, reported  the  publication. 
Much  of  the  positive  film  neces- 
sary for  this  work  customarily  is 
imported  from  Germany  and  it  is 
said  that  fears  have  been  expressed 
by  Turkish  distributors  that  in  the 
future  the  studio  now  being  built 
to  dub  Axis  pictures  will  be  given 
preference  when  film  is  shipped 
from  Germany. 

Screen  censorship  in  Turkey  is  handled 
by  the  military  authorities  and  their  guiding 
motive  is  to  avoid  offending  any  nation,  a 
task  that  is  reportedly  becoming  more  and 
more  difficult  as  the  nation's  neutral  posi- 
tion in  the  war  grows  more  precarious.  To 
be  approved  a  picture  must  have  a  neutral 
theme  and  background  and  must  be  com- 
pletely free  from  any  trace  of  propaganda. 
Moral  values  are  considered  of  secondary 
importance.  If  a  film  is  once  rejected  by 
the  censors,  it  has  practically  no  chance  of 
being  reconsidered  even  though  it  is  cut  and 
reedited  to  meet  censorship  requirements. 

Audience  preference  in  the  country  is 
overwhelmingly  in  favor  of  American  prod- 
uct. Musical  productions  are  especially  well 
liked  because  the  language  factor  is  subor- 
dinate, it  has  been  noted,  and  pictures  with 
Oriental  settings  also  are  popular. 


Boston  Clergy  Views  Film 

An  invitation  to  the  clergy  of  Boston  to 
attend  a  screening  of  RKO  Radio's  "Army 
Chaplain,"  one  of  the  series,  "This  Is  America," 
was  extended  by  the  United  States  Army  Chap- 
lain School  at  Harvard  last  week.  The  Massa- 
chusetts Committee  Conference  of  Christians 
and  Jews  cooperated  in  the  showing,  which  was 
attended  by  the  clergy  last  Monday. 


Foresee  No  New 
Restrictions  on 
Canada  Trade 

by  W.  M.  GLADISH 
in  Toronto 

All  is  calm  in  the  film  industry  of  Canada, 
from  the  viewpoint  of  R.  G.  McMullen,  Ad- 
ministrator of  Theatres  and  Films  of  the  War- 
time Prices  and  Trade  Board. 

The  Government  controller  declared  there 
were  no  booking  problems  at  the  moment  be- 
cause this  was  not  the  time  of  the  year  for  new 
contracts.  There  were  no  board  orders  or 
Orders-in-Council  under  way  which  would  af- 
fect the  operation  of  theatres  or  films  exchanges. 
He  had  heard  of  no  new  regulations  on  the  use 
of  coal  or  fuel  oil  for  the  heating  of  theatres. 
In  fact,  the  situation  had  been  quiet  ever  since 
the  flurry  in  December  when  a  group  of  in- 
dependent exhibitors  had  requested  a  meeting 
of  the  industry's  advisory  council  with  the 
board's  administrator  to  discuss  trade  reforms 
of  long  standing  in  which  the  Federal  officials 
continued  to  show  little  interest. 

Likewise  word  had  gone  forth  that  the  public 
had  conformed  so  well  with  the  restrictive  pol- 
icy in  the  use  of  electric  current  that  there  was 
no  need  for  additional  limitations,  at  least  for 
this  winter  season.  The  civilian  consumption 
of  power  might  have  to  be  cut  next  autumn  to 
divert  more  current  to  war  plants  but,  for  the 
present,  the  power  situation  was  satisfactory — 
with  theatre  fronts  unlighted,  illuminated  ad- 
vertising eliminated  and  show-windows  dark. 

Administrator  McMullen  was  asked  about  the 
trend  in  some  exhibitor  quarters  in  introducing 
glassware  as  patronage  premiums,  this  having 
taken  place  in  some  suburban  houses.  He  ex- 
plained that  the  Government  ban  on  giveaways 
affected  only  "ceramics,"  the  polite  name  for 
dishes  and  pottery.  Those  theatres  which  of- 
fered such  premiums  during  the  index  period  last 
August,,  prior  to  the  ceremics  prohibition,  could 
switch  to  something  else,  such  as  glass  goods  or 
Foto-Nite.  But  he  warned  that  the  situation  in 
the  glass  industry  was  such  that  it  might  be 
possible  a  ban  would  be  placed  on  glass  gifts  in 
the  near  future. 

Regarding  the  conversion  of  oil  furnaces  to 
coal-heating  systems,  which  was  ordered  last 
June  by  the  oil  controller  only  to  be  followed  by 
the  distribution  of  temporary  permits  for  fuel 
oil  purchases,  Mr.  McMullen  suggested  that, 
with  a  coal  crisis  developing  because  of  strikes, 
shipping  and  delivery  troubles,  oil  began  to  look 
better  than  coal  after  all.  The  heating  question 
was  outside  of  his  jurisdiction,  however. 

With  regard  to  double  bills,  the  Administrator 
felt  that  this  problem  was  more  likely  to  be  set- 
tled among  the  producers  in  the  United  States 
than  by  any  Government  decree,  the  quantity  of 
film  stock  being  the  factor.  The  Wartime  Board 
did  not  plan  to  reduce  programs  to  single  fea- 
tures but  the  solo  attractions  might  come  anyway 
of  necessity.  In  fact,  he  held  the  belief  that  some 
U.  S.  producers  already  were  holding  back  com- 
pleted pictures  to  insure  a  reasonable  list  for 
next  season — expecting  further  restrictions  and  ' 
difficulties — and  exhibitors  might  be  expected 
to  book  only  single  bills  insofar  as  new  product 
was  concerned. 


20th-Fox  Men  Promoted 

Herndon  Edmond,  Seattle  branch  manager 
for  Twentieth  Century-Fox  for  the  past  11 
years,  _  has  been  promoted  to  the  home  office 
staff,  it  was  announced  last  week.  He  has  been 
succeeded  in  Seattle  by  Anthony  Hartford  who 
was  promoted  from  salesman  in  the  Pacific 
northwest. 


Dayton  House  Burns 

The  1,500-seat  Strand  theatre,  unit  of  the 
Libson- White  circuit,  in  the  downtown  business 
section  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  completely  de- 
stroyed by  an  early  morning  fire  on  January 
27th,  said  to  have  originated  in  the  kitchen  of 
an  adjoining  restaurant.  The  theatre  was  empty 
at  the  time.  The  building  porter,  after  turning 
in  the  alarm,  reentered  the  building  and  was 
suffocated.  Three  firemen  were  injured  while 
fighting  the  blaze. 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURES  PRESENTS 


THE  SEARCHING  STORY  OF  TWO  HUMAN  COGS 
IN  THE  MIGHTY  MACHINE  THAT  IS  WARTIME  WASHINGTON 


"BOOMTOWN,  D.  C"  produced  by  Frederic 
Ullman,  jr.,  is  the  latest  release  in  RKO  Radio 
Pictures  "This  Is  America"  series  of  two-reel  fea- 
tures. It  graphically  tells  the  story  of  the  little  people 
of  our  wartime  capital  —  the  people  who  have 
come  to  this  bedlam  on  the  Potomac  from  all  over 
America  to  lend  a  patriotic  hand.  In  "Boomtown, 
D.  Cm"  that  pulsating  city  where  the  biggest  shortage 
is  elbow  room,  the  folks  back  home  will  see  a  new 
kind  of  war  film,  a  picture  of  a  Washington  never 
before  filmed  quite  so  entertainingly.  Here  is  the 
kind  of  short  that  can't  help  but  be  tops  at  the  box- 
office.  See  it  and  you'll  book  it. 


LATEST  IN  THE  VITAL 
NEW  SERIES 


A 


T 


ONCE  EVERY 
FOUR  WEEKS 


9 


A 


30 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Plan  To  Fill  Theatres " 
Announced  by  Coe 


MPPDA  Official  Explains 
Publicity  Program  To  Be 
Jointly  Sponsored 

"The  object  of  our  new  program  is  first 
to  fill  the  theatres,  and  secondly,  to  keep 
them  full,"  Charles  Francis  Coe,  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers  and 
Distributors  of  America,  told  reporters 
Monday  as  he  announced  a  public  relations 
program  to  be  sponsored  jointly  by  the  ma- 
jor distributors. 

In  two  parts,  the  new  all-industry  project 
calls  for  field  representatives  of  the  produc- 
ers association  and  for  the  periodic  distribu- 
tion of  special  pamphlets  about  motion  pic- 
tures. They  will  be  issued  through  the  In- 
dustry Service  Bureau. 

This  continuing  program  of  in- 
dustry public  relations  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  directors  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Producers  and  Dis- 
tributors of  America  and  by  com- 
pany directors  of  advertising  and 
publicity,  he  said.  It  will  get  un- 
derway within  two  weeks. 

It  is  the  first  institutional  public  relations 
campaign  to  be  jointly  sponsored  by  the  pro- 
ducers since  the  1938  "Motion  Pictures  Are 
Your  Best  Entertainment"  drive. 

To  keep  theatres  full  will  be  the  task  of 
the  new  field  men.  They  will  visit  key  cities 
to  work  with  local  industry  groups  in  the 
presentation  of  the  industry's  story  to  civic, 
educational  and  club  leaders,  newspapers, 
and  other  public  outlets.  Three  representa- 
tives have  been  named. 

Field  Men  to  Stress 
Screen  Value 

They  are  Gordon  White,  who  formerly 
headed  publicity  for  Educational  Pictures, 
Duke  Hickey,  former  Chicago  promotion  di- 
rector for  National  Screen  Service,  and 
Mark  Larkin,  for  many  years  an  indepen- 
dent Hollywood  press  agent. 

These  field  men  in  their  contacts  with 
editors,  reviewers,  educators  and  club 
groups  will  be  instructed  to  emphasize  the 
place  of  motion  picture  theatres  in  every 
community. 

Too  much  emphasis  has  been  placed  on  the 
production  end  of  the  industry  and  not 
enough  on  the  neighborhood  theatre,  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Coe.  "As  one  of  the  most 
valuable  educational  assets  in  the  world  the 
screen  of  the  neighborhood  theatre  serves 
as  the  eyes  and  ears  of  the  average  person," 
he  asserted.  This  function  as  a  source  of 
information  is  particularly  important  in  war- 
time, he  added. 

The  pamphlet  series  will  be  distributed 
generally  to  the  mailing  list  of  editors  and 
other  influential  groups  now  receiving  the 
Motion  Picture  Letter  from  the  Industry 
Service  Bureau.  Additional  copies  will  be 
available  to  theatres  at  cost,  to  local  industry 


groups  and  others  in  the  industry  for  gen- 
eral circulation  to  mailing  lists  of  patrons. 

Included  in  the  tentative  titles  of  the  series 
are  "The  Press  Looks  at  the  Movies," 
"Movies  at  Your  Theatre,"  "Movies  at 
War,"  "Stars  for  Vctory,"  "Movies:  A  New 
Weapon  for  Victory,"  "Movies  at  School," 
"Movies  at  the  Library"  and  an  untitled 
explanation  of  the  working  of  the  Produc- 
tion Code  Administration. 

The  donation  of  16mm.  films  to  the  Army 
Overseas  Motion  Picture  Service,  and  the 
low  cost  of  films  for  Army  camps  in  this 
country  were  described  as  one  of  the  indu- 
try's  most  important  war  activities. 

Industry  Leaders 
Sought  as  Speakers 

In  addition  to  their  field  duties  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  MPPDA  will  be  asked  to 
find  speakers  both  within  the  industry  and 
from  other  groups  who  will  spread  the  in- 
dustry's message  to  influential  groups. 

Presidents  of  the  major  companies  have 
been  invited  to  attend  the  semi-annual  meet- 
ing of  the  industry  coordinating  Committee 
of  six  lawyers  which  will  be  held  in  Holly- 
wood on  Monday,  February  15th.  Mr.  Coe 
disclosed  that  several  of  the  presidents  said 
they  would  attend  in  the  course  of  a  meet- 
ing of  the  MPPDA  board  of  directors  in 
New  York  on  Tuesday. 

War  activities  and  general  industry  prob- 
lems, possibly  including  the  fate  of  the  con- 
sent decree,  will  be  disccussed  at  the  Holly- 
wood meeting. 

Barney  Balaban,  Spyros  Skouras,  Harry 
M.  Warner,  Harry  Cohn,  Nate  J.  Blum- 
berg  and  Will  H.  Hays  indicated  that  they 
would  attend.  Other  company  heads  also 
will  be  in  Hollywood  if  business  affairs  per- 
mit, it  was  said. 

Committee  members  are  J.  Robert  Rubin, 
Joseph  Hazen  and  Austin  Keough  of  New 
York  and  Mendel  Silberberg,  Maurice  Ben- 
jamin and  Herbert  Freston  of  Hollywood. 

The  MPPDA  board  meeting  approved  a 
supplementary  appropriation  of  $5,000  for 
operating  expenses  of  the  War  Activities 
Committee. 


Drug  Concerns  Spent  Most 
On  Blue  Network  in  1942 

Drug  and  toilet  goods  concerns  led  other  ad- 
vertisers in  gross  expenditures  on  the  Blue 
Network  during  1942,  spending  $6,841,576  for 
air  time,  the  company  announced  last  week. 
Food  and  beverage  companies  were  next  on  the 
list  with  an  expenditure  of  $2,989,264. 

Other  industries  which  spent  more  than  $1,- 
000,000  were  confectionery  and  soft  drinks, 
$1,583,163;  lubricants,  petroleum  products  and 
fuel,  $1,346,562;  and  automotive,  $1,023,513. 


Contest  Winners  Rewarded 

The  winners  of  the  Good-Will  Broadcast  to 
Brazil  Contest  sponsored  by  the  Coordinator 
of  Inter-American  Affairs  received  their  prizes 
last  week  in  the  presence  of  Captain  Amllcar 
Dutra  de  Menezes,  director  of  the  Radio  Divi- 
sion of  the  Brazilian  Press  and  Propaganda 
Department. 


U.  S.  Films  Face 
Competition  in 
Venezuela 

The  increased  popularity  of  Mexican  and 
Argentine  films  in  Venezuela  is  affecting  Amer- 
ican distributors'  returns,  seriously  cutting  their 
income  of  former  years,  according  to  Motion 
Picture  Daily.  It  is  expected  that  jhe  situation 
will  become  progressively  more  serious  in  1943. 

Grosses  of  Spanish  language  productions  are 
surpassing  those  of  American  pictures,  and  the 
Avila  theatre  in  Caracas  has  reported  that 
"Historia  de  un  Gran  Amor,"  Films  Mundials 
of  Mexico  production,  brought  in  $2,100  in  four 
shows,  almost  unprecedented  in  the  past,  since 
two  of  the  performances  were  sellouts.  An 
Argentine  picture,  "Elvira  Fernandez,"  also 
had  drawn  more  patrons  than  Hollywood's 
films. 

Only  in  the  large  first  run  theatres  in  Caracas 
has  the  American  product  maintained  its  level 
of  popularity,  but  competitors'  films  are  making 
inroads  there,  also,  by  furnishing  pictures  which 
capture  the  spirit  of  South  Americans.  The 
objection  to  the  current  brand  of  entertainment 
furnished  by  North  American  producers  is  that 
only  social  pictures  or  musicals  are  being  shown 
where,  in  the  past,  large  scale  features  such  as 
"Ben  Hur,"  "Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame"  and 
"Last  Days  of  Pompeii"  were  exhibited. 

However,  Venezuelan  exhibitors  have  had 
success  with  "Mrs.  Miniver,"  "Now,  Voyager," 
"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  and  "Pride  of  the 
Yankees."  The  Walt  Disney  film,  "Saludos 
Amigos,"  which  had  great  success  in  Argen- 
tina, did  not  fare  so  well,  the  complaint  being 
that  the  picture  was  too  short.  "Fantasia" 
shortly  will  be  released  for  the  third  time  in  a 
first  run  theatre,  however,  because  of  its  con- 
inued  wide  appeal.  It  was  estimated  that  last 
year's  gross  amounted  to  almost  $30,000  in 
Caracas,  according  to  Michael  Havas,  RKO 
manager  in  that  city. 


"Spirit  of  '43"  Booked 
For  677  Theatres 

The  Walt  Disney  short  subject,  "The  Spirit 
of  '43,"  which  emphasizes  the  necessity  for 
prompt  payment  of  income  taxes,  with  Donald 
Duck  as  the  chief  character,  was  expected  to 
be  shown  in  first  run  theatres  in  key  cities 
starting  February  4th.  All  677  Technicolor 
prints  have  been  booked,  it  was  said. 

The  National  Screen  .  Service  exchanges 
which  are  distributing  the  six-minute  reel  at 
no  cost  to  the  Government,  have  reported  an 
unprecedented  number  of  exhibitor  requests  for 
the  film.  The  Public  Relations  Division  of  the  i 
War  Activities  Committee  also  is  cooperating 
with  a  widespread  campaign  designed  to  aid 
in  the  promotion  of  the  cartoon  in  every  city 
in  the  country. 


Caravan  in  Los  Angeles 

The  Allied  States  Caravan  Committee  is  ex- 
pected to  outline  its  plans  to  independent  ex- 
hibitors of  Southern  California  and  Arizona  at 
a  meeting  in  Los  Angeles,  February  8th.  The 
committee  consists  of  M.  A.  Rosenberg  of  Pitts- 
burgh, president ;  S.  E.  Samuelson  of  Philadel- 
phia, W.  L.  Ainsworth  of  Milwaukee,  H.  A. 
Cole  of  Dallas,  and  Abram  F.  Myers,  Wash- 
ington. 


RKO  Sets  New  York  Premieres 

Three  New  York  premieres  of  RKO  pictures 
have  been  set  for  February,  the  company  an- 
nounced last  week.  "They  Got  Me  Covered" 
will  open  at  the  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
"Saludos  Amigos"  will  be  shown  at  the  Globe, 
and  "Hitler's  Children"  will  open  at  the  Para- 
mount, the  first  time  an  RKO  picture  has  been 
booked  for  that  theatre. 


February    6.  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


3 


FILM  DAMAGE  INCREASING, 
DISTRIBUTORS  REPORT 


Raw  Stock  Situation  Lends 
Impetus  to  Campaign  to 
Conserve  Prints 

The  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Dis- 
tributors of  America,  acting  this  week  on 
reports  from  its  members  of  substantial  in- 
creases in  film  damage.,  announced  pre- 
r  f:r  an  eiuratitn  :^"\zi.:zr. 

which  would  reach  every  person  handling 
film,  according  to  Arthur  Dickinson,  direc- 
tor of  conservation  for  me  Association.  I  he 
campaign  will  stress  the  danger  to  the  sup- 
ply of  raw  stock. 

Damage  to  film  is  also  becoming  a  major 
worry  among  directors  of  exchange  opera- 
tions tor  the  major  distributors. 

Unless  damage  to  prints  is  curbed  they 
predict  it  may  bring  a  squeeze  on  print 
supplies,  which  will  be  even  greater  than  the 
shortages  anticipated  by  the  War  Produc- 
tion Board  curbs  on  raw  stock. 

Inexperienced  operators  and  failure  to 
keep  equipment  in  the  best  possible  state  of 
repair  are  cited  by  the  exchange  men  as  the 
principal  causes  of  this  increased  damage 
to  ~'*~, 

The  remedy.  a:::rf.:ng  to  distri- 
butor spokesmen,  is  a  cooperative 
effort  by  exhibitors  and  distribu- 
tors to  see  that  carelessness  or.  the 
aart  of  projectionists  is  curbed, 
and  to  find  and  remedy  mechanical 
deterioration  in  booth  equipment. 
They  asserted  that  the  current  con- 
:em  over  print  ds.rr.age  is  in  no- 
wise a  new  attempt  "to  make  the 
exhibitor  pay  through  the  nose"  for 
iarr taged  nlnt. 


less  it  is  done  many  theatres  may  find  that 
they  will  be  without  Sim,  despite  efforts  to 
i   meet  WPB  quotas  in  production. 

Better  Theatres,  equipment  and  mainte- 
nance section  of  Monos  Picrtjai;  Herald, 
lj   for  years  has  earned  on  an  educational  cam- 
i    paign  on  the  proper  handling  of  film  and 
has  urged  the  improvement  of  inspection  and 
film  repair  facilities  at  exchanges. 

Distributors  Appeal 
To  Exhibitors 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  ob- 
everal    of    the  company's 
branches  had  sent  letters  to  all  -  accounts 
I   explaining  the  film  shortage  problem  and  the 
urgent  need  to  keep  every  foot  of  film  in 

Ore  su:h  iener  fr:m  the  Denver  manager, 
now  being  used  as  a  model  bv  other  ex- 
changes, called  attention  to  WPB  orders 
and  the  fact  that  print  quotas  are  one-third 
.ess  tor  the  area  on  some  pictures.  To 


bility  for  booth  supervision  and  mainte- 
nance. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox's  branch  man- 
agers also  are  being  permitted  to  address 
similar  pleas  to  their  customers.  The  home 
office  exchange  department  said  that  dam- 
age was  not  yet  serious,  but  there  were  signs 
that  it  might  become  so.  Inspection  reports 
are  receiving  careful  study. 

Warners  also  is  watching  the  print  situa- 
tion very  carefully,  and  keeping  records  on 
the  life  of  each  reel.  Road  men  for  the  com- 
pany have  been  instructed  to  bring  the  dam- 
age factor  to  the  attention  of  all  branch 
managers  and  theatre  men. 

Most  Use  Process  to 
Harden  Emulsion 

G.  Knox  Haddow,  of  Paramount,  noted 
that  the  reports  from  his  branch  managers 
had  not  yet  shown  a  startling  increase  in 
him  damage.  However,  much  of  the  cir- 
culation of  prints  is  through  affiliated  large 
circuits  where  equipment  maintenance  and 
projection  standards  are  generally  higher. 
The  patented  hardening  process  developed 
at  the  Paramount  laboratories  in  Hollywood 
about  five  years  ago  has  also  made  the  com- 
pany's prints  more  resistant  to  scratches 
and  emulsion  damage. 

Almost  all  major  distributors  now  use  a 
process  for  hardening  print  emulsion.  These 
are  said  to  have  added  many  runs  to  the 
average  print  life  of  a  few  years  ago.  Bak- 
ing, chemical  hardeners  in  developing  solu- 
tions and  patent  surface  coatings  are  used. 
There  are  two  principal  causes 
of    print    damage,    according  to 
Mr.  Dickinson  and  equipment  deal- 
ers. They  are  sprocketing  and  emul- 
sion  scratches.   Worn  equipment, 
jagged  gears  and  bad  adjustment 
of  the  intermittent  mechanism  are 
principally  responsibie  for  the  first. 
Faulty  gate  mechanism,  guides,  or 
magazines  and  dirt  cause  the  most 
scratches,  they  said. 
The  remed}"  for  both  of  these  troubles  lies 
principally  in  careful  maintenance  and  re- 
pair, they  said.    Responsibility  for  this  de- 
pends on  the  theatre  owner. 

Damage  occurs  principally  in  second  and 
subsequent  run  small  town  theatres,  accord- 
ing to  exchange  men.  However,  one  New 
York  manager  observed  that  some  of  the 
largest  circuits  in  the  country  sometimes 
commit  these  sins  of  projection  careless- 
ness. • 

Careful  maintenance,  and  rigid  adherence 
to  the  best  projection  standards  are  the 
only  sure  film  safeguards,  exchange  super- 
visors said.  They  urged  exhibitors  to  in- 
sist that  their  projectionists  read  current 
equipment  magazines,  such  as  Better  Thea- 
tres, and  follow  such  manuals  of  good  pro- 
jection practice  as  Richardson's  BUtebook 
of  Projection. 

Equipment  and  service  dealers  are  using 
the  print  damage  reports  to  give  new  im- 
petus to  their  pleas  to  exhibitors  that  they 
have  equipment  overhauled  at  once.  Many 
theatre  men  have  failed  to  realize  that  the 


annual  five  to  10  per  cent  turnover  in  re- 
placement equipment  which  theatres  always 
counted  on  is  no  more. 

Despite  classification  as  an  essential  in- 
dustry, the  priority  of  replacement  parts  is 
extremely  low,  and  will  get  increasing!}' 
tighter,  one  dealer's  spokesman  said.  Also 
the  use  of  inferior  substitute  materials  for 
replacement  parts  is  increasing. 

He  urged  even-  theatre  owner  to  take  im- 
mediate stock  of  his  equipment  situation. 
If  projectionists  make  all  necessary  repairs 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  follow  manufac- 
turers' standards  in  obtaining  replacement 
parts  many  of  the  causes  of  film  damage 
can  be  curtailed,  the  dealer  said. 

Interest  of  equipment  outlets  in  keeping 
theatre  equipment  in  the  best  operating  con- 
dition is  not  merely  selfish,  the  New  York 
representative  of  this  nationwide  dealer  said. 
Unless  every  projection  machine  is  kept  in 
operating  condition,  theatremen,  dealers, 
distributors  and  the  entire  industry  will  suf- 
fer, he  added.  Also  the  government  wdll  be 
deprived  of  one  of  its  most  important  chan- 
nels of  wartime  information  and  communica- 
tion with  the  public,  the  neighborhood 
screen. 

Projection  unions,  through  the 
parent  IATSE,  have  been  directing 
at  members  special  efforts  for  over 
a  year  to  insure  consen^ation  of 
film  and  equipment.  Locals,  accord- 
ing to  national  spokesmen,  have  in- 
sisted that  members  follow  strict- 
ly the  12-point  consenation  pro- 
gram   outlined    by    Richard  A. 
Walsh,  president,  a  year  ago. 
These  basic  rules  for  maintenance  and 
conservation  were  printed  by  the  national 
IA  and  distributed  to  all  locals  with  orders 
thai  they  be  posted  in  the  booth  of  every 
union  theatre.  Additionally  inspection  by 
locals  has  been  tightened  considerably  and 
heavy  fines  are  being  levied  against  mem- 
bers who  fail  to  follow  conservation  rules. 

The  time  has  come,  all  concerned  with 
the  print  damage  problem  agree,  for  every 
theatre  operator  to  look  into  his  booth.  If 
exhibitors,  projectionists  and  sendee  com- 
panies work  together  to  keep  every  gear  and 
part  in  good  condition,  and  make  repairs 
when  needed,  distributors  are  confident  that 
not  only  will  the  increase  in  print  damage 
be  halted,  but  the  previous  average  re- 
duced. 


Fire  Destroys  Theatre 

A  fire  on  Monday,  January  25th,  destroyed 
the  Paseo  theatre,  in  Marlborough,  a  suburb 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo.  The  building  was  leased 
by  Reuben  Finkelstein  and  Benjamin  Fredman, 
who  operate  the  theatre,  their  loss  of  equipment 
being  partly  covered  by  insurance.  They  also 
operate  two  other  theatres.  Belmont  and  Byarn. 
in  Greater  Kansas  City. 


Lester  Isaac  Honored 

Lester  B.  Isaac  director  of  sound  and  visual 
projection  for  Loew's  Theatres,  last  week  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  Projectionist's 
Square  Club  of  New  York  and  made  an  honor- 
ary member  of  the  "25-30"  Club. 


32 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Appeals  Award  Cuts 
Salt  Lake  Clearance 


Arbitration  Magazine  Cites 
Decree  System  as  Exam- 
ple of  Effectiveness 

Clearances  of  suburban  Salt  Lake  City 
theatres  behind  downtown  first  runs  was  cut 
from  60  to  21  days  in  the  52nd  award  of 
the  motion  picture  arbitration  Appeal  Board. 
It  modified  the  award  of  Robert  L.  Judd  in 
favor  of  the  Bountiful  theatre,  in  Bounti- 
ful, Utah,  and  held  that  he  did  not  reduce 
the  first  run  margins  sufficiently. 

Loew's,  Warners,  RKO  and  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  were  directed  to  make  further 
clearance  cuts.  Dismissal  of  the  action 
against  Paramount  as  an  affiliated  distribu- 
tor was  affirmed.  The  board  divided  costs 
between  all  parties. 

An  unusual  aspect  was  the  sup- 
port afforded  the  complainant  by 
the  intervening  Murray  and  South- 
east theatres.    They  joined  in  his 
appeal  contention  that  the  partial 
relief  awarded  by  Mr.  Judd  was 
insufficient. 
The  arbitrator  erred  in  permitting  these  in- 
terveners to  seek  to  better  their  own  clearance 
situation,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  city,  by 
intervening  in  the  Bountiful  action.    As  inter- 
veners they  might  have  denied  the  right  of  in- 
tervention to  other  theatres  likely  to  be  af- 
fected by  an  award  in  intervener's  favor,  but 
not  in  complainant's. 

To  avoid  the  cost  of  new  litigation,  however, 
and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  none  of  the  par- 
ties contested  the  intervention  the  Appeal  Board 
included  the  inter venors  in_  the  additional  re- 
ductions granted  by  its  decision. 

The  right  of  intervention  in  arbitration,  how- 
ever, "does  not  furnish  a  remedy  for  an  inde- 
pendent grievance  or  contemplate  the  com- 
mencement of  what  is  in  effect  an  entirely  new 
proceeding  where  the  intervener's  complaint  has 
no  connection  with  that  of  the  complainant," 
they  noted. 

"Availability  of  Prints" 
No  Argument,  Says  Board 

Defendant  arguments  that  the  wide  expanse 
of  the  Salt  Lake  territory  required  more  travel 
time  for  prints,  hence  longer  clearance,  were 
rejected  by  the  board.  It  noted  that  "the  com- 
petition in  which  clearance  is  based  is  competi- 
tion for  the  patronage  of  customers  and  is  not 
governed  by  the  availability  of  prints." 

Clearance  of  the  Centre,  Utah,  Studio,  Para- 
mount and  Rialto  theatres,  downtown,  over  the 
Bountiful  was  set  at  21  days ;  that  of  the  Cap- 
itol and  Vichy  over  the  Bountiful  at  14  days, 
with  a  price  adjustment  provision  in  favor  of 
the  Capitol.  Clearances  over  the  Murray  were 
set  at  28  days  and  over  the  Southeast  at  35 
days. 

Moreover  from  the  Centre  or  Utah  to  the 
studio  without  price  change  or  time  lapse  is 
to  be  considered  as  a  continuous  first  run,  the 
board  added.  Rights  of  the  Gem  to  a  run 
ahead  of  the  Southeast  are  not  to  be  affected 
by  the  award. 

New  York 

Appeal  in  the  37th  case  was  filed  Monday 
by  the  Netco  circuit,  operator  of  the  Ritz  and 
Broadway  theatres  in  Newburgh,  N.  Y.  It  pro- 
tested the  elimination  of  their  clearances  over 


the  Beacon  theatre,  Beacon,  N.  Y.,  on  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  Hudson  River. 

Chicago 

Hearings  opened  and  closed  at  Chicago 
this  week  in  the  clearance  complaint  of  the 
Gary  theatre,  Gary,  Ind.  Benjamin  Wham, 
arbitrator  of  the  18th  case,  surprised  partici- 
pants Wednesday  when  he  closed  the  case  with 
the  announcement  that  he  would  not  hear  wit- 
nesses. He  said  he  would  make  his  ruling  on 
the  statements  of  counsel  and  the  admissions 
made  in  briefs.  He  said  this  would  provide  a 
speedy,  just  and  economic  settlement.  The  five 
defendant  distributors  were  represented  by  a 
large  battery  of  counsel,  including  several  home 
office  attorneys.  The  case  affects  virtually  all 
clearances  in  the  Gary-Chicago  area. 


Film  Arbitration 
System  Cited 

The  American  Arbitration  Association  in  its 
new  monthly  publication  "Arbitration  in  Ac- 
tion" last  week  cited  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try and  the  operation  of  the  consent  decree  as 
an  example  of  how  the  mere  fact  that  arbitra- 
tion is  available  leads  to  the  amicable  settle- 
ment of  many  disputes. 

"Arbitration  presents  a  paradox,"  the  asso- 
ciation declared,  "the  more  available  the  less 
necessary  proved  again  in  the  motion  picture 
industry." 

"The  motion  picture  arbitration  system  was 
set  up  to  handle  an  anticipated  volume  of 
thousands  of  cases,  because  judging  by  the  past 
history  of  the  industry  such  a  setup  was  called 
for,"  the  journal  asserted.  "However,  once 
set  up  on  an  impartial  and  honest  basis  .  .  . 
such  was  the  cooperation  and  goodwill  en- 
gendered by  the  very  plan  itself  that  cases  were 
slow  in  coming  in." 

The  AAA  expressed  its  belief  that  the  de- 
cree arbitration  system  had  given  the  "theatre 
owner  and  the  distributor  a  code  of  trade  prac- 
tices as  a  guide  for  their  business  transac- 
tions" and  by  its  mere  presence  led  to  the  peace- 
ful settlement  of  many  disputes. 

"This  small  volume  of  complaints 
is  due  to  increased  confidence  in 
arbitration  as  a  way  of  settling  dis- 
putes ;  but,  even  more,  it  is  due  to 
the  increase  of  goodwill  within  the 
industry  and  to  the  beneficence 
which  arbitration  spreads  over  all 
operations  that  it  safeguards,"  the 
magazine  declared. 

"When  the  full  story  of  this  experiment  is 
written,  it  will  furnish  one  of  the  most  unique 
records  of  organized  arbitration  operating  as 
a  self-governing  system  within  the  precincts  of 
a  great  American  industry.  It  will  mark  a 
bright  trail  for  the  future,  to  show  what  men 
cooperating  in  the  spirit  of  arbitration  can 
achieve  by  themselves  and  for  their  nation," 
the  Association  predicted. 


Lyric  Damage  $10,000 

Damage  to  the  Lyric  Theatre,  Chicago,  from 
a  fire  on  January  27th,  is  estimated  by  Albert 
Trilling,  owner,  at  $10,000.  Priorities  will  be 
required  for  the  electrical  equipment  necessary 
in  rebuilding.  The  loss  was  covered  by  insur- 
ance and  steps  will  be  taken  to  restore  the 
theatre  as  soon  as  possible. 


Perfumer  Loses 
RKO  Action 

Refusal  of  the  New  York  courts  to  grant 
Caron  Corporation,  perfume  manufacturers,  an 
injunction  against  use  of  its  trade  marks  by 
RKO  Pictures  was  in  effect  affirmed  by  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court  in  Washington  Monday, 
when  it  refused  to  review  a  decision  of  the  New 
York  State  supreme  court. 

As  presented  to  the  court,  RKO  sought  and 
obtained  dummies  of  the  Caron  Corporation's 
bottles  and  boxes  for  use  in  "adorning  sets 
of  luxurious  interiors"  but  allegedly  used  them 
in  a  scene  in  which  two  harlots,  a  drunkard  and 
the  children  of  one  of  the  women  were  shown, 
in  a  picture  which  it  was  asserted  was  banned 
in  Detroit  and  refused  a  showing  in  Radio  City 
Music  Hall. 

The  perfume  company  contended  that  the 
showing  of  its  products  in  such  a  setting  was 
detrimental  to  its  reputation. 

At  the  same  session,  the  Supreme  Court  held 
it  had  probable  jurisdiction  to  review  a  refusal 
by  the  Delaware  District  Court  of  a  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  petition  to  vacate  the  Radio 
Corporation  of  America  consent  decree  of  1932 
on  the  ground  that  it  no  longer  serves  the 
public  interest. 

In  dismissing  the  petition,  the  court  held  that 
the  decree  could  not  be  vacated  without  the 
submission  of  supporting  evidence  or  by  agree- 
ment of  the  parties  involved. 

The  circumstances  surrounding  the  filing  of 
the  consent  decree  were  exhaustively  investi- 
gated some  two  years  ago  by  the  Senate  Inter- 
state Commerce  Committee,  at  which  time  it 
was  brought  out  that  three  Washington  real 
estate  men  were  involved  in  an  approach  to 
two  members  of  the  Senate  with  a  view  to 
having  them  intercede  with  the  Department  of 
Justice.  There  were  also  charges  that  money 
changed  hands  in  the  course  of  the  negotiation 
of  the  decree  and  its  acceptance  by  the  court, 
but  nothing  further  was  ever  attempted  by  the 
committee. 

O'Keefe  Wins  Universal 
Sales  Contest 

Alan  J.  O'Keefe,  Western  district  manager 
for  Universal,  won  first  prize  in  the  company's 
sales  contest  over  a  three-months  period,  start- 
ing October  1st,  1942,  it  was  announced  last 
week.  Branch  managers  and  salesman  also 
received  awards. 

The  winners  among  the  branch  managers 
were  Frank  Mantzke,  Milwaukee ;  Harry 
Hynes,  St.  Louis ;  LeRoy  Brauer,  Charlotte ; 
Lon  Hoss,  San  Francisco ;  Max  Cohen  Wash- 
ington; Jack  Bannan,  Cincinnati,  and  Peter 
Dana,  Pittsburgh.  Winners  among  the  sales- 
men were  E.  W.  Gavin,  Milwaukee;  Mayer 
Monsky,  Des  Moines;  C.  S.  McMillin,  New 
Orleans ;  King  Trimble,  San  Francisco ;  Sam- 
uel Tabor,  Washington;  Frank  Schreiber,  Cin- 
cinnati, and  William  Satori,  Pittsburgh. 


Tugend  Gets  Leave  of  Absence 

Harry  Tugend,  Paramount  writer,  has  been 
granted  a  leave  of  absence  to  write  the  screen- 
play of  "Unconquered  Democracies,"  feature 
length  picture  which  will  be  produced  by  Lieut. 

Col.  Frank  Capra. 


Bannell  Leaves  AAA 

Marshall  F.  Bannell,  director  of  public  rela- 
tions for  the  American  Arbitration  Association 
has  resigned.  He  will  join  the  publicity  staff  of 
Pan  American  Airways. 


PRC  Closes  Deal 

The  Jefferson   Circuit  of  Texas  has  con- 
tracted for  Producers  Releasing  Corporation's  - 
1942-43  product,  it  was  announced  this  week. 


V 


Paramount  sensation  of  the  industry  as  it  out-socks  even  miracle 
"Morocco"  in  every  situation  to  date,  with  Los  Angeles,  Boston,  New  Orleans, 
Dallas,  Atlanta,  Houston,  Birmingham,  Hollywood  joining  the  hit  parade 
last  week  .  .  .  And  4th  week  topped  the  3rd  week  at  N.  Y.  Paramount ! 


34 

Saunders  Named 
Rodger s 9  A  ide 
In  Metro  Shift 

Edward  M.  Saunders,  western  sales  manager 
of  MGM,  has  been  appointed  assistant  general 
sales  manager,  effective  February  15th,  it  was 
announced  on  Monday  by  William  F.  Rodgers, 
vice-president  in  charge  of  sales  for  the  com- 
pany. Edwin  W.  Aaron,  who  has  been  Mr. 
Rodgers'  assistant,  was  promoted  to  circuit  sales 
manager. 

Other  promotions  also  were  announced,  Mr. 
Rodgers  explaining  that  the  new  setup  "would 
enable  our  executives  to  keep  in  closer  touch 
with  existing  and  frequently  changing  conditions 
and  with  a  desire  to  more  efficiently  serve  our 
customers." 

The  western  sales  division  will  now  be  headed 
by  John  E.  Flynn^  with  headquarters  in  Chi- 
cago, and  will  include  Milwaukee,  Minneapolis, 
Omaha,  Des  Moines,  Denver,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Los  Angeles,  San  Francisco,  Portland  and 
Seattle  areas  in  addition  to  Chicago.  John  J. 
Maloney,  Pittsburgh  district  manager,  will  re- 
place Mr.  Flynn  as  central  sales  manager  with 
supervision  over  the  Pittsburgh,  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Detroit,  Buffalo,  Indianapolis,  St. 
Louis,  Kansas  City,  Oklahoma  City  and  Dallas 
areas  with  headquarters  remaining  in  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Burtus  Bishop,  Jr.,  has  been  named  super- 
visor in  the  Dallas  district  and  will  continue 
to  direct  activities  in  the  Kansas  City  area 
where  he  formerly  was  district  manager. 
Charles  E.  Kessnich  will  fake  over  direction  of 
the  Memphis  territory  with  headquarters  in 
Atlanta.  William  B.  Zoellner,  formerly  Okla- 
homa City  manager  will  assume  branch  man- 
ager duties  in  Atlanta,  and  Jacques  C.  Reville 
will  take  Mr.  Zoellner's  place  in  Oklahoma 
City. 

The  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City  territories 
have  been  added  to  the  Los  Angeles,  Portland, 
San  Francisco  and  Seattle  territories,  and  will 
come  under  the  supervision  of  George  Hickey, 
western  sales  manager.  Samuel  A.  Shirley, 
Chicago  district  manager,  has  had  Omaha  and 
Des  Moines  added  to  his  area,  and  John  P. 
Byrne,  Inter-Mountain  district  manager,  will 
supervise  distribution  in  Detroit,  Buffalo, 
Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh,  replacing  John  J. 
Maloney  as  Pittsburgh  district  manager. 

With  two  exceptions,  the  territory  of  Ed- 
ward K.  O'Shea,  eastern  sales  manager,  re- 
mains the  same.  Memphis  has  been  included  in 
the  division,  while  Dallas  has  been  transferred 
to  the  central  division. 


UA  Sets  Distribution 
Of  North  African  Film 

Bookings  have  been  set  in  theatres  throughout 
the  country  for  "The  Invasion  of  North  Africa," 
one  of  the  World  in  Action  series,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week  by  Gradwell  L.  Sears,  vice- 
president  of  United  Artists.  It  is  the  first  com- 
plete picture  showing  the  successful  Anglo- 
American  landing  in  North  Africa. 

Included  in  the  picture  are  clips  taken  from 
enemy-seized  film,  the  bombardment  of  Casa- 
blanca, the  British  Eighth  Army  drive  on  Tri- 
poli and  the  large-scale  bombings  of  Italy. 


Nominated  for  Editing  Award 

The  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  has  announced  the  selection  of  five 
films  which  will  be  judged  for  the  film  editing 
award  by  a  committee.  The  final  entries  are : 
"Mrs.  Miniver,"  MGM ;  "Pride  of  the 
Yankees,"  Goldwyn-RKO ;  "This  Above  All," 
20th-century  Fox ;  "Talk  of  the  Town,"  Colum- 
bia, and  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  Warner 
Brothers. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

FROM  READERS 


GRIFFITH  AMUSEMENT 
HAS  BENEFIT  PLAN 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Herald  : 

I  was  interested  in  reading  in  your  issue  of 
January  23rd,  page  14,  an  article  concerning 
the  extension  of  employees'  benefits  by  theatre 
companies  in  which  you  state  that  "the  first 
employee  retirement  plan  to  be  put  in  operation 
was  announced  in  San  Francisco  by  the  Na- 
tional Theatres  Circuit." 

The  Griffith  Amusement  Company  has  a 
very  comprehensive  plan  of  benefits  for  all  of 
its  employees  and  the  retirement  plan  of  this 
company  has  been  in  effect  since  December  1st, 
1938.  The  following  are  highlights  of  our  pro- 
gram : 

A.  GROUP  INSURANCE' 

Under  this  plan  all  employees  with  at  least 
three  months'  service  are  provided  these  bene- 
fits: death  benefits  from  $1,000  to  $5,000  (with- 
in salary  ranges)  ;  double  indemnity  and  dis- 
memberment benefits  for  non-occupational  ac- 
cidents ;  weekly  accident  and  sickness  benefits 
to  reimburse  employees  for  loss  of  time ;  hos- 
pitalization and  surgical  benefits  for  employees 
and  dependents ;  also  materity  benefits  for 
wives  of  employees.  The  company  pays  most 
of  the  cost  of  this  plan. 

B.  EMPLOYEES  TRUST  FUND  _ 

This  is  to  supplement  hospitalization  and 
surgical  benefits  to  employees  for  claims  not 
covered  by  the  insurance  carrier. 

C.  RETIREMENT  PENSION  PLAN 
Under  this  plan  each  eligible  employee  will 

receive,  beginning  at  the  age  of  65,  a  life  in- 
come which  in  combination  with  Social  Secur- 
ity payments  will  represent  two-thirds  of  the 
ultimate  high  salary  level  of  employees,  but 
not  to  exceed  $250  monthly.  Employees  who 
can  furnish  satisfactory  evidence  of  insurabil- 
ity will  be  provided  death  benefits  prior  to  age 
of  65  of  at  least  $1,000  for  each  $10  per  month 
income  to  which  they  are  entitled.  Employees 
contribute  four  per  cent  of  their  salary  with 
the  balance  of  cost  borne  by  the  company.  Av- 
erage distribution  of  cost  is  about  $3,000  by 
the  company  for  each  $1  by  the  employee. 

D.  SALARY  DEDUCTION  INSURANCE 
Through  this  medium  employees  and  their 

families  may  purchase  life  insurance  and  pay 
premiums  weekly  through  salary  deductions 
from  employees'  pay  with  the  advantage  of  the 
yearly  rate. 

The  Phoenix  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany and  the  John  Hancock  Mutual  Life  In- 
surance Company  handle  the  group  insurance 
and  pension  plan.  Salary  deduction  insurance 
is  made  available  through  the  Great  Southern 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  Houston,  Tex. 
The  total  coverage  of  our  employees  runs  into 
millions  of  dollars  and  this  protection  is  af- 
forded for  those  who  otherwise  might  not  pro- 
vide for  their  future  or  for  their  families  in 
the  event  of  death.  The  entire  benefit  program 
is  supported  by  employee  contributions,  service 
charge  on  theatre  passes,  and  outright  pay- 
ments of  premiums  bv  the  management. — 
GRIFFITH  THEATRES,  by  C.  B.  Akers, 
Assistant  General  Manager. 

Kalmenson  Ends  Trip 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  general  sales  man- 
ager, returned  to  the  home  office  last  week, 
following  a  three-week  tour  of  exchange  cen- 
ters. He  had  previously  been  in  conference  on 
the  coast  with  Jack  L.  Warner,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  production,  and  Charles  Einfeld, 
director  of  advertising  and  publicity,  regarding 
the  company's  forthcoming  product. 


Braun  Navy  Lieutenant 

Harry  Braun,  sound  director  at  the  Radio 
City  Music  Hall,  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant 
in  the  Navy  last  week.  He  will  be  succeeded  by 
Vincent  J.  Gilcher. 


February    6,  1943 

Majors  Refuse 
British  Payment 
Of  $5,000,000 

Negotiations  on  the  1943  agreement  covering 
the  release  of  blocked  funds  between  Great 
Britain  and  American  film  companies,  which 
have  been  under  way  for  some  weeks  between 
officials  of  the  British  Board  of  Trade  and  home 
office  representatives  reached  an  impasse  on 
Monday,  it  was  learned  in  New  York,  when 
major  distributors  declined  a  $5,000,000  quarter- 
ly payment  offered  by  the  British  Board  as  a 
first  release  of  the  companies'  blocked  British 
revenue  for  1943. 

The  financial  details  of  payment  have  been 
under  discussion  for  some  time,  principally 
through  the  U.  S.  State  and  Treasury  Depart- 
ments in  Washington  and  the  American  Em- 
bassy in  London.  Thus  far  no  new  monetary 
agreement  has  been  closed  with  Britain  for  the 
ensuing  year.  The  $5,000,000  offer  was  equiva- 
lent to  payments  made  by  England  under  last 
year's  agreement  with  American  distributors. 
That  agreement  released  a  total  of  $20,000,000 
of  U.  S.  film  companies'  British  revenue  in 
quarterly  payments  of  $5,000,000  each.  Last 
Saturday,  the  first  quarter  remittance  for  the 
current  fiscal  year  was  due. 

It  is  understood  that  the  distributors'  refusal 
of  the  $5,000,000  quarter  payment  indicates  they 
desire  a  more  liberal  release  agreement  than 
last  year's  to  materialize  from  the  protracted 
negotiations. 

In  addition  to  the  $20,000,000  under  last 
year's  monetary  agreement,  U.  S.  film  com- 
panies also  received  from  the  British  Treasury 
$50,000,000  representing  the  accumulated  frozen 
balances  in  England  since  the  start  of  the  war. 
Nevertheless,  an  estimated  $8,000,000,  represent- 
ing approximately  60  days'  revenue  prior  to  the 
end  of  the  last  agreement  which  was  retained 
in  London  pending  an  auditing  of  the  compa- 
nies' frozen  balances,  has  not  yet  been  released 
and  its  payment  was  expected  in  the  near  fu- 
ture. Full  release  of  all  their  British  revenue 
during  the  current  year  is  the  agreement  fa- 
vored by  most  distributors. 

Paramount  Extends  Use 
Of  One-Column  Ads 

Following  the  successful  use  of  one-column 
advertisements  in  magazines  of  national  circula- 
tion, Paramount  is  expanding  this  type  of  mer- 
chandising into  additional  media  and  also  utiliz- 
ing its  established  formula  of  using  color  in 
advertising  to  sell  color  on  the  screen,  R.  M. 
Gillham,  Paramount  advertising  and  publicity 
director,  announced  last  week. 

With  the  current  addition  of  Liberty,  True 
Story  and  the  American  Magazine  to  the  pre- 
vious list,  these  Paramount  one-column  ads  will 
reach  a  total  circulation  of  16,000,000  and  an 
estimated  readership  of  40,000,000  theatre-goers, 
the  company  said.  In  addition  to  increasing  the 
media  of  these  ads,  special  two-color  ads  are 
now  being  prepared  for  use  in  Cosmopolitan, 
American,  Red  Book,  Liberty  and  True  Story. 


Colli,  Trucios  Leave 

Peter  Colli,  supervisor  in  Central  America 
and  Peru  for  Warner  Bros.,  with  headquarters 
in  Havana,  and  Armando  Trucios,  Panama 
manager,  have  started  the  return  trip  to  their 
posts  after  conferring  with  Robert  Schless, 
general  foreign  manager,  in  New  York. 


Paul  Radin  Joins  OWI 

Paul  Radin  has  resigned  as  account  execu- 
tive with  Buchanan  and  Company  to  join  the 
Office  of  War  Information.  Mr.  Radin  was 
employed  by  United  Artists  prior  to  his  agency 
connection. 


If  you  haven't  played 


America's  greatest  war  show,  it's  time  to 

IrWAKE 

up » • «  Unless  your  house  is  located  on  a  desert 

ISLAND 

/ou  should  get  the  money- making  facts  about  the 

Paramount 


box-office  action  picture  on  the  market  today! 


Dig  Up  That 


Buried  Gold  On 


It's  Broken  Records  From  Poughkeepsie  to  Los  Angeles!  ■ 
■It's  Cleaned  Up  in  Small  Houses  and  3,000 -Seaters  -I 
■fit's  Been  On  Ivery  One  Of  Thirty  Ten-Best  Lists  -I 
■  It  Clicks  With  Every  Audience  -  From  Kids  to  Critics  -I 
I  It's  Made  Money  for  1,000's  of  Exhibitors!  And  Now  -I 


Paramount  Will  Help  YOU 
Clean  Up  With  This  Sure-Fire  Attraction! 


TODAY 

For  Facts  You'll  Want  to  Know 
About  the  Profit-Possibilities 
of  This  Sensational  Show.  • .  • 


WAKE  ISLAND 

BRIAN  DONUVV  •  Mscdonald  Carey  •  Robert  Preston 
and  Albert  Dekker  •  William  Bendix  •  Walter  Abel 

ftitictm  I)  JOHN  FARROW  •  Sewn  PUj  M  w.  R.  Burnett  and  talk  Sailtf 


r-  


1943 


lshnd" 


"tine. 


one/'/ 


February    6,    194  3  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  37 

THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  3UREAU 


The  theorists  who  were  arguing,  at  last 
election  time,  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  an  indispensable  man,  could  make 
themselves  rich — up  to  $25,000  a  year — 
by  showing  Hollywood  producers  how  to 
get  along  without  Gary  Cooper.  The 
swing  to  biographies  has  made  the  tall 
actor  an  indispensable  man  or  a  reason- 
able facsimile  and  the  distinction,  if  any, 
makes  the  lot  of  the  producers  no  hap- 
pier. 

When  Cecil  DeMille  announced  the  sign- 
ing of  Cooper  for  "The  Story  of  Dr.  Was- 
sell"  and  Warner  Brothers,  on  the  same 
day,  announced  him  for  "Saratoga  Trunk," 
Hollywood  at  large  figured  that  would  be 
about  as  much  acting  as  the  star  would 
be  doing  in  1943,  what  with  Treasury  rul- 
ings and  Presidential  directives  limiting  the 
profitability  of  laboring  beyond  completion 
of  those  undertakings,  or  either  one  of  them 
at  the  Cooper  rate  of  compensation.  But 
now  Winfield  R.  Sheehan  is  to  produce  the 
story  of  Captain  Eddie  Rickenbacker  and 
nobody  in  town  can  "see"  anybody  but 
Cooper  in  the  Rickenbacker  role.  And  it's 
in  the  cards  for  the  year  to  bring  up  new 
roles  likewise  prompting  a  clamour  for  his 
services. 

Although  Cooper  has  not  yet  said  he  will 
play  Rickenbacker,  and  Sheehan  hasn't  said 
he's  offered  him  the  part,  there's  a  majority 
opinion  that  the  star  will  do  it,  if  other  com- 
mitments permit,  out  of  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject if  for  no  other  reason.  Against  this 
stands  a  minority  opinion  that  he  may  be 
dissuaded  on  the  ground  that  too  many 
biographies  started  the  public  kidding  Don 
Ameche  and  his  usefulness  in  that  field  of 
endeavor  was  ended. 

In  the  Cooper  case,  if  never  in  any  other, 
it  may  be  remarked  with  finality  that  money's 
no  object. 

Central  Casting  Issues 
Annual  Report 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  has  given  Lena 
Home,  presently  on  loanout  to  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  for  "Story  Weather,"  a  new 
contract.  .  .  .  Republic  has  purchased  "A 
Guy  Could  Learn,"  Saturday  Evening  Post 
story  by  F.  Hugh  Herbert,  and  assigned 
Herbert  to  the  screenplay.  .  .  .  Spencer 
Tracy  has  reported  to  MGM  for  prepara- 
tion of  'A' Guy  Named  Joe,"  in  which  he's 
to  co-star  with  Irene  Dunne.  .  .  .  Leon 
Errol  and  Mary  Beth  Hughes  have  been 
cast  in  UniversaTs  "Trombone  From 
Heaven."  .  .  .  With  nominations  for  Acad- 
emy Awards  not  yet  voted,  the  town  has 
made  James  Cagney  odds-on  favorite  to  win 
the  Oscar  in  the  best  male  performance  di- 
vision. 

Evidence  which  may  be  construed  as  re- 
futing the  allegations  made  that  studios  were 
cheapening  product  for  a  variety  of  reasons 
under  the  pressures  encountered  at  inter- 
vals during  1942  is  to  be  found  in  the  an- 
nual report  of  the  Central  Casting  Corpora- 
tion covering  the  employment  of  extras  by 
all  producing  companies. 

Extras  in  the  aggregate  were  paid  $3,- 
388,823.51  in  1942,  which  compares  to  a  fig- 


Forty  Films  Shooting 

Edging  upward  from  a  year-end  low,  the  production  index  moved  to  40  in  a  week 
distinguished    by   no    undertakings   of   extraordinary  significance  or  portent. 

Columbia  started  "Sahara",  with  Humphrey  Bogart,  Bruce  Bennett  and  Lloyd  Bridges; 
Monogram  turned  its  cameras  on  "Clancy  Street  Boys",  a  presentation  of  the  East  Side 
Kids;  Producers  Releasing  Corporation  commenced  shooting  on  "Girls  In  Chains",  with 
Arline  Judge,  Roger  Clark  and  Barbara  Pepper;  Twentieth  Century- Fox  put  "Bomber's 
Moon"  on  its  stages,  offering  George  Montgomery,  Annabella  and  Walter  Kingsford, 
and  RKO  Radio  started  "The  Falcon  Strikes  Back",  with  Tom  Conway  in  full  replace- 
ment of  George  Sanders  in  the  title  role. 


The  week  at  a  glance: 


COMPLETED 

Monogram 

Clancy  Street  Boys 

Columbia 

Destroyer 

PRC 

Monogram 

Girls  in  Chains 

No  Escape 

RKO  Radio 

Paramount 

Falcon   Strikes  Back 

Henry  Aldrich  Plays 

Cupid 

20th-Fox 

Republic 

Bomber's  Moon 

Tahiti  Honey 

Universal 

SHOOTING 

Always  a  Bridesmaid 

Columbia 

STARTED 

Attack  by  Night 

Columbia 

Redhead  from 

Manhattan 

Sahara 

Blondie  Buys  a  Horse 

MGM 

Girl  Crazy 
Faculty  Row 
Swing  Shift  Maisie 
Bataan  Patrol 
I  Dood  It 
Above  Suspicion 
Private  Miss  Jones 
Right  About  Face 
Best  Foot  Forward 
Paramount 

Five  Graves  to  Cairo 
Good  Fellow 
So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Lady  in  the  Dark 
Riding  High 
Alaska  Highway 
RKO  Radio 
Sky's  the  Limit 
Petticoat  Larceny 
Free  for  All 
Fallen  Sparrow 


Republic 

King  of  the  Cowboys 
Shantytown 

20th-Fox 

Stormy  Weather 

United  Artists 

Lady  of  Burlesque 

(Stromberg) 
Stage   Door  Canteen 

(Lesser) 
Universal 

Cross  Your  fingers 
Destiny 

We've  Never  Been 

Licked 
Corvettes  In  Action 
Phantom  of  the  Opera 
Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 
Old  Acquaintance 
Devotion 


ure  of  $3,118,411.88  for  1941,  the  average 
daily  wage  for  1942  standing  at  $11.78  in 
comparison  with  an  average  of  $11.50  for 
1941.  Total  placements  for  1942  were  287,- 
855,  which  compares  with  266,125  the  year 
preceding. 

Goldwyn  Signs  Player 
For  "North  Star" 

Barbara  Everst,  New  York  and  London 
stage  player  seen  in  Columbia's  "The  Com- 
mandos Strike  at  Dawn"  and  to  be  seen  in 
Warner's  "Mission  to  Moscow,"  now  being 
edited,  has  been  signed  by  Samuel  Goldwyn 
for  "North  Star,"  prior  to  fulfilling  which 
engagement  she  is  scheduled  for  a  role  in 
the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  production  of 
"Jane  Eyre"  .  .  .  Michele  Morgan,  who 
made  her  American  debut  in  RKO  Radio's 
"Joan  of  Paris,"  is  to  be  starred  by  that 
studio  in  "Higher  and  Higher,"  from  the 
musical  comedy  by  Richard  Rodgers  and 
Lorenz  Hart  .  .  .  Universal  is  preparing 
"His  Butler's  Sister,"  a  comedy  for  which 
no  cast  has  been  selected,  as  Felix  Jackson's 
second  production,  to  follow  the  next  Deanna 
Durbin  picture  now  tentatively  known  as 
"Hers  to  Hold." 

Roy  Rogers,  Republic  cowboy  star  who 
advanced  to  second  place  last  year  in  the 
Motion  Picture  Herald  poll  of  exhibitors 
designating  the  rank  of  Western  Monev 


Making  Stars,  is  to  be  offered  no  more  in 
run-of-the-mill  productions  but  exclusively 
in  specials,  produced  on  increased  budgets, 
according*,  to  M.  J.  Siegel,  studio  head. 
Routine  vehicles  previously  scheduled  for 
him  are  to  be  cancelled.  .  .  .  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  has  exercised  its  option  on  the 
services  of  Ida  Lupino  for  another  year. 

Hall  Granted  30-Day 
Draft  Deferment 

Huntz  Hall  has  been  granted  a  deferment 
of  30  days,  following  induction  into  the 
Army,  to  fulfill  his  commitment  to  Mono- 
gram for  "Clancy  Street  Boys,"  featuring 
the  East  Side  Kids.  This  is  the  new  title 
of  the  project  formerly  known  as  "Grand 
Street  Boys,"  Monogram  having  yielded  that 
title  to  Twentieth  Century-Fox. 

Paramount  has  added  Oscar  Homolka, 
who  played  Litvinov  in  Warners'  now  com- 
pleted "Mission  to  Moscow,"  to  portray  the 
Czech  coal  magnate  in  "Hostages,"  the 
Stefan  Heym  novel,  which  returns  Luise 
Rainer  and  Francis  Lederer  to  the  screen 
in  principal  roles.  .  .  .  Samuel  Goldwyn  has 
announced  Teresa  Wright  as  star  of  his 
modernization  of  "Dark  Victory,"  produced 
twice  previously,  and  has  disclosed  that  the 
modernizing  will  include  making  the  heroine 
a  nurse  returned  from  service  at  Guadal- 
canal. 


HENRY  FONDA 
MAUREEN  O'HARA 


in  John  Brophy's 


ALLYN  JOSLYN  •  REGINALD  GARDINER  •  MELVILLE 
COOPER  •  BRAMWELL  FLETCHER  •  MORTON  LOWRY 

Directed  by  JOHN  STAHL 


Produced  and  Written  for  the  Screen  by  Lamar  Trotti 


CENTURY-FOX 


Join  the  industry's  March  of  Dimes  Drive . . .  Feb.  18  to  Feb.  24 


40  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    6,  1943 

in  BRITISH  STUDIOS 


By  AUBREY    FLANAGAN,   in  London 


If  the  promises  of  British  producers 
prospecting  the  future  in  terms  of  1943 
show,  perhaps,  a  surprising  divergence 
between  probability  and  practicability,  it 
need  not  be  interpreted  as  dishonesty  or 
insincerity.  There  will  be  restrictions  on 
manpower,  limits  to  the  studio  space  avail- 
able, a  shortage  of  materials  and  other 
difficulties  unforeseen  and  unidentifiable. 

Despite  these  continued  and  probably  ag- 
gravating obstacles,  it  is  moderately  certain 
that  the  forthcoming  year  will  see  the  afore- 
said men,  materials  and  studio  floors  oc- 
cupied and  utilised  to  their  maximum  point. 
On  the  lap  of  the  Higher  Gods  of  the  in- 
dustry lies  the  future,  the  ultimate  settle- 
ment of  who  will  make  and  where. 

In  the  last  calender  year  some  53  features 
were  registered,  with  the  studios  responsible 
ranged  as  follows:  Denham,  11;  Shepherds 
Bush  and  Islington,  six;  Ealing,  six;  Na- 
tional, six;  Welwyn,  six;  Teddington,  four; 
others,  14. 

Improved  Quality 
Is  Expected 

Despite  the  diminution  of  the  monetary 
quota  observed  by  the  American  renters 
here,  the  1943  total  is  likely  to  be  but  little 
less.  What  numerical  drop  there  may  be 
almost  certainly  will  be  offset  by  an  appre- 
ciation in  the  quality  of  the  films  made. 
Bigger  films  are  in  the  air.  'Ere  long  they 
should  be  in  the  picture  houses. 

Among  the  most  interesting  prospects  fac- 
ing the  future  is  a  brace  of  films  planned  by 
Paul  Soskin,  one  of  the  industry's  adepts  at 
entertainment  and  production  quality.  Mr. 
Soskin's  initial  effort  will  be  a  screen  version 
of  Dodie  Smith's  very  successful  West  End 
play,  "Dear  Octopus",  a  proposition  which 
has  earned  itself  a  certain  local  fame  by  the 
Ministry  of  Information's  refusal  to  aid  the 
release  from  the  armed  forces  of  the  star 
sought  by  Mr.  Soskin  for  the  film. 

Soskin  Also  To  Make 
"Admirable  Crichton" 

It  will  be  made  by  Mr.  Soskin — who  pro- 
duced "Quiet  Wedding"  and  "The  Avengers" 
— under  the  production  aegis  of  Gains- 
borough and  Maurice  Ostrer,  in  fact,  will  be 
the  first  of  his  films  under  that  banner. 
Harold  French,  who  directed  "The  Aveng- 
ers," will  direct,  and  Margaret  Lockwood 
will  be  starred.  Ester  McCracken,  who 
wrote  "Quiet  Wedding,"  has  adapted  the 
play  into  screen  idiom. 

While  he  is  at  work  on  "Dear  Octopus," 
Mr.  Soskin's  team  will  be  furnished  for 
studio  shooting  a  screen  version  of  Barrie's 
"Admirable  Crichton."  Mr.  Soskin  also  will 
make  "Fame  Is  the  Spur"  from  Howard 
Spring's  novel,  and  a  film  biography  of 
Marlborough,  but  these  are  likely  to  be  1944 
productions.  .  .  .  The  last  of  this  quartette 
probably  will  be  Mr.  Soskin's  magnum  opus 
and  will  be  made  on  highly  spectacular  lines 
in  Technicolor. 

Among  the  other  more  appetising  pro- 


G.  B.,  KALEE  EQUIPMENT 
UNITS  MERGED 

Gaumont  British  Equipments  and 
Kalee,  Ltd.,  large  British  equipment 
company,  have  been  merged,  accord- 
ing to  J.  Arthur  Rank,  G.  B.  head, 
who  declared  the  move  is  designed 
to  capture  the  equipment  export 
markets.  Gaumont  will  control  the 
merged  organization. 

Gaumont  British  Distributors,  which 
technically  controls  G.  B.  News,  has 
offered  to  purchase  all  of  the  Gains- 
borough Pictures  shares  at  par,  a 
move  which  is  seen  in  the  London 
trade  as  preliminary  to  reentry  of 
G.  B.  into  distribution. 


grammes  it  that  announced  by  Two  Cities, 
whose  Fillippo  Del  Guidice  is  bent  on  dis- 
covering and  developing  British  talent  in- 
stead of  merely  cornering  it — though  he 
has  not  been  idle  in  that  respect  either ! 
In  January  he  plans  to  go  into  practical 
production  with  "This  Happy  Breed"  which 
Noel  Coward's  directorial  collaborator, 
David  Lean,  will  direct  from  Mr.  Coward's 
own  script.  Ronald  Reame  will  be  in  charge 
of  photography  and  Tony  Havelock  Allan 
will  be  associate  producer.  The  subject  is 
domestic  and  traces  the  development  of  an 
ordinary  British  family  from  the  last  war 
to  the  present  day. 

Leslie  Howard's  next  will  be  the 
production  of  "One  Pair  of  Feet," 
a  racy  and  human  study  of  the  life 
of  a  British  hospital  nurse  by 
Monica  Dickens.  It  will  be  a  joint 
Leslie  Howard — Two  Cities  spon- 
sorship, and  Maurice  Elvey  will  di- 
rect. Later  Mr.  Howard,  again  in 
conjunction  with  Two  Cities,  will 
make  '"Liberty  Ship,"  a  Basil  Woon 
story  of  a  warbuilt  merchantman 
and  its  adventures,  from  the  laying 
of  its  keel  to  the  delivery  of  mer- 
chandise at  Murmansk. 

"Tawny  Pipit,"  a  native  whimsy  by  Ber- 
nard Miles,  is  the  story  of  social,  military 
and  political  upheaval  caused  in  a  war  year 
in  an  English  village  by  the  arrival  of  a  mi- 
grant from  Africa.  Mr.  Miles  will  direct 
and — he  is  an  adept  at  rustic  characterisa- 
tion— star  in  the  film.  John  Mills,  who 
played  Shorty  Blake  in  "In  Which  We 
Serve,"  will  be  starred  in  "Log  Book,"  a 
subject  written  by  and  around  the  life  of 
Seaman  Frank  Laskier,  radio  broadcaster 
and  popular  hero. 

Dallas  Bower  has  made  a  screen  treat- 
ment from  Shakespeare's  "Henry  V,"  and 
this  will  be  made  by  Two  Cities.  Vivien 
Leigh  will  be  starred  in  a  Balkan  story, 
"The  Valley  of  the  Shadows"  by  Moe 
Charles.     Two  stories  acquired  from  the 


MOI,  "The  White  Ants,"  Mrs.  Arnot 
Robertson's  study  of  witchcraft  in  Africa, 
and  "The  Life  of  Mary  Kingsley,"  will  be 
made  by  the  company.  Also  promised  is 
an  ambitious  semi-official  film  about  the 
British  Army,  a  subject  which,  despite  its 
selling  qualities,  has  been  sadly  neglected 
by  British  producers  of  late. 

Hellman  Plans  Two 
Films  for  1943 

Another  independent  producer,  Marcel 
Hellman,  will  make  at  least  two  in  1943. 
Mr.  Hellman's  "Secret  Mission"  and  "Talk 
About  Jacqueline"  were  his  contributions  to 
1942.  This  year  his  contributions — he  has  a 
knack  of  promising  little  and  delivering 
much — will  be  a  romantic  comedy  thriller, 
"They  Met  in  the  Dark"  and  a  drama  of  the 
Border  Wars  between  England  and  Scot- 
land, "The  Barbarian."  This  latter  subject 
was  written  by  Adela  Rogers  St.  John  and 
Richard  Fisher,  who  also  wrote  the  scen- 
ario. John  Balderston  was  responsible  for 
the  screenplay. 

An  interesting  array  of  subjects  has  been  1 
lined  up  by  Maurice  Ostrer,  chief  of  pro- 
duction for  Gainsborough  Pictures.  He  has 
seven  on  his  plate — one  more  than  in  the 
last  calendar  year — although  at  least  four 
1942  productions  are  being  prepared  for  trade 
show  at  an  early  date.  Next  to  go  on  the 
floor  will  be  a  new  Arthur  Askey  comedy, 
"Bees  in  Paradise,"  which  Marriott  Edgar 
and  Val  Guest  wrote,  and  which  Mr.  Guest 
will  direct.  Anne  Shelton  and  Jack  Train 
support  Mr.  Askey. 

Others  Promised 
By  Producers 

Promised,  too,  are  the  following:  "Fanny 
by  Gaslight,"  a  study  in  the  mood  and  atmos- 
phere of  the  Ws  and  '90's,  by  Michael 
Sadleir ;  "2,000  Women"  which  was  written 
by  Frank  Launder — and  which  he  will  direct 
— a  story  of  a  town  in  France  which  is  a  i 
women's  internment  camp;  Osbert  Stilwell's 
"A  Place  of  Their  Own"  which  Sidney  Gil-  t 
liatt  will  direct;  "Fighter  Blake,"  the  per- 
sonal story  of  a  pitboy  who  rose  to  riches 
and  returned  to  the  mines;  "This  Breed  of 
Men,"  a  drama  of  the  Merchant  Navy  before 
and  during  the  present  war,  and  "Woman  of 
France,"  a  family  cameo  in  a  French  frame. 

Soon  to  go  into  production  at 
Ealing  Studios  will  be  the  first  1943 
subject,  "San  Demetrio,"  a  drama 
of  war  on  the  high  seas,  and  based 
on  actuality.  Final  touches  have 
been  added  to  the  script  and  shoot- 
ing will  commence  very  shortly. 

The  essence  of  the  service's  valour  is  in 
the  exploit  of  "San  Demetrio's"  crew  in  put- 
ting out  the  oil  tanker's  fire  and  bringing 
her  safely  home.  The  circumstances  sur- 
rounding their  action  established  it  as  one 
of  the  most  courageous  episodes  of  the  war 
at  sea.  Chief  Officer  Pollard  of  the  San 
■  Demetrio  has  approved  the  script. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


4 


CLAIM  ARMY  FILM  USE  IN 
ENGLAND  INADEQUATE 


Survey  Indicates  System 
Not  Fully  Satisfactory 
in  View  of  Objective 

[The  following  dispatch  from 
Aubrey  Flanagan  in  London  has  been 
passed  by  the  U.  S.  Army  Censor  of 
the  European  Theatre  of  Operations, 
with  headquarters  in  London.] 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

With  the  United  Nations  now  more  than 
three  years  in  the  war  and  the  U.  S.  Forces 
based  in  Europe  and  elsewhere  virtually 
working  from  Britain  as  an  operational 
headquarters,  the  time  is  ripe  for  a  survey 
of  the  U.  S.  motion  picture  material  as  chan- 
nelled through  the  field  of  the  military  and 
naval  services.  The  survey  suggests  that 
even  at  this  more  than  thirteenth-month 
stage,  machinery  has  not  yet  been  assembled 
and  operated  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned, that  the  fullest  use  is  not,  in  the 
opinion  of  all  parties  involved,  being  made 
of  the  medium. 

Existing  arrangements  and  machinery 
have  been  and  are  termed  inadequate  and 
inefficient  in  view  of  the  immense  and  urg- 
ent objective  involved.  From  both  sides 
of  the  arena,  not  only  among  the  U.  S. 
forces  themselves,  but  no  less  in  motion 
picture  channels  here,  in  the  newsreel  or- 
ganizations, and  even  closer  to  the  centre 
than  that,  come  friendly  and  not  unconstruc- 
tive  suggestion  for  closer  coordination. 

In  the  words  of  one  authority.  "Britain 
is  three  years  ahead  of  the  U.  S.  in  pho- 
tography on  the  military  and  naval  field." 

It  has  come  as  somewhat  of  a 
shock  to  trade  authorities  seeking 
to  coordinate  and  develop  the  me- 
dium, to  obtain  the  utmost  results 
here  on  behalf  of  the  U.  S.  forces, 
to  discover  that  far  from  there  be- 
ing one  unified  control,  coverage 
as  expressed  in  terms  of  motion 
pictures  of  the  U.  S.  at  war  op- 
erates, and  only  within  limits  at 
that,  through  at  least  four  variant 
channels. 

Outside  the  normal  service  ranks,  of 
course,  are  the  newsreel  cameramen,  em- 
ployed by  and  responsible  to  the  newsreels 
themselves,  and  of  whom  Howard  Winner 
of  Pathe  and  Tack  Barnett  of  Fox  Movie- 
tone are  the  virtual  monopolists.  These  take 
material  for  their  organizations  and  though, 
of  course,  subject  to  security  censorship 
with  their  product,  are  responsible  to  the 
industry  and  not  to  the  U.  S.  Government. 

Within  the  Services  themselves,  with  the 
only  connecting  link  the  Public  Relations 
Office  of  the  U.  S.  Army  in  Great  Britain, 
the  office  through  which  "all  material  eventu- 
ally is  passed,  there,  are  four  distinct  and 
separate  groups,  providing  official  coverage 
of  the  war  in  Africa  and  in  Europe. 

First,  and  majority  group  is  the  Army 


Pictorial  Service,  attached  to  the  Signal 
Corps.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  A.P.S.  men  to 
follow  the  operations  of  the  Army  in  all 
fields  wherever  they  are  commissioned.  Next 
in  order  of  importance  comes  the  Office  of 
Strategic  Services,  a  Naval  unit,  over  which 
presides  Commander  John  Ford. 

Although  Xaval  men,  their  responsibility 
is  not  Xaval  matter  entirely,  and  the  even- 
tual product  goes  through  the  U.  S.  Army's 
P.  R.  Section  in  London.  There  is,  too,  a 
group  of  Hollywood  technicians  working 
under  U.  S.  Army  orders.  Over  their  activi- 
ties and  those  of  other  groups  Colonel  Dar- 
ryl  Zanuck  presided  in  a  coordinating  ca- 
pacity during  the  African  campaign.  Major 
Anatol  Litvak  is  at  present  one  of  those  in 
directive  control. 

Last  of  the  quartette  are  the  U.  S.  Army 
Air  Force  photographers  here,  whose  work 
lies  mainly  in  covering  aerial  operations  and 
who  are  not  illogically  responsible  to  the 
U.  S.  Army  Air  Force  Command.  Com- 
manding figures  are  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Beirne  Lay,  Jr.,  and  Major  William  Weiler. 

Army  Gives  Material 
To  All  Xeicsreels 

As  already  suggested  the  routing  of  mate- 
rial gathered  under  all  these  quadruplicate 
headings  is  by  agreement  through  the  Army 
Pictorial  Service,  over  which  presides 
Colonel  W.  W.  Jervey.  and  it  is  ultimately 
released  through  the  Public  Relations  Of- 
fice and  Major  I.  J.  Newman.  It  is  these 
channels  which  select  and  issue  to  the  Brit- 
ish newsreels  the  suitable  material  and  ap- 
propriate sequences  designed  to  further  the 
cause  of  U.  S.  Army  and  Xavy  coverage  in 
Great  Britain.  All  material  shot  goes  back 
to  Washington  for  use  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Atlantic — which  is  outside  the  province 
of  Motion  Picture  Herald's  London 
Editor. 

There,  however,  the  story  does 
not  rest,  for  it  is  there  where  be- 
gins the  dissatisfaction  and  discon- 
tent which,  as  already  recorded, 
exists  in  both  the  American  and 
British  motion  picture  camps.  It 
is  claimed  and  claimed  with  no 
small  force  by  experts  that  such  a 
system  of  divided  responsibility  and 
ununified  action  is  less  efficient  and 
more  confusing  than  one  coopera- 
tional  G.H.Q.  for  film  coverage 
alone.  The  results  achieved  so 
far.  it  is  stated,  make  this  thesis 
clear. 

In  the  first  instance,  for  reasons  which 
are  as  yet  undiscovered.  90  per  cent  of  the 
material  shot  is  on  the  operational  field,  not 
on  35mm.  monochrome,  but  on  a  reverse 
negative  16mm.  polychrome  process.  Thus 
all  negatives  have  to  be  processed  and  trans- 
lated from  the  substandard  color  process  to 
a  full  standard  lavender  with  the  ultimate 
release  positive,  upon  which  obviously  a 
great  deal  of  photographic  value  is  lost, 
made  therefrom. 

Also,  it  is  protested,  both  by  those  who 


have  to  find  a  market  for  the  material,  and 
by  those  who  have  to  handle  it  technically, 
that  much  of  the  footage  is  of  poor  quality, 
the  result  not  of  deliberate  carelessness  or 
wilfull  inefficency  so  much  as  of  a  prepon- 
derance of  amateurs  and  in  a  few  cases  of 
studio  technicians  used  to  studio  luxuries 
and  conditions,  over  trained  news  gatherers 
schooled  in  the  field  of  realism  and  quick- 
fire  news  getting. 

"Tourist  Material"  Is 
Often  Delivered 

On  one  expedition,  it  is  reported,  there 
was  a  tremendous  amount  of  footage,  most 
of  which  was  unusable,  for  the  elementary 
reason  that  photography  had  not  been 
planned,  but  cameramen  instructed  to  find 
material  of  montage  or  continuity  type 
rather  than  of  the  news  chronicle  variety. 
There  has  been  excellent  stuff  but  there 
has  also  been  much  waste.  Thanks  to  mili- 
tary and  other  routine,  there  are  delays  in 
the  delivery  of  negative  footage — amounting 
to  11  days  in  one  case.  ''Tourist  material"'' 
instead  of  red-hot  news  is  too  often  de- 
livered. 

To  remedy  this  there  have  been  three 
main  suggestions  offered,  and  upon  which  it 
is  probable  that  authorities  in  Washington 
may  be  working  at  this  moment  of  writing. 
They  are  the  more  careful  selection  and 
enrollment  of  highly  experienced  men. 
trained  and  capable,  a  closer  attention  to 
their  background  in  publicity  and  news 
fields,  and  a  keener  attention  to  captioning. 

The  setup  is  not  a  production 
setup,  but  one  exclusively  of  sup- 
ply and  distribution.  None-the-less 
various  specific  subjects  have  been 
covered,  for  instance,  Colonel  Jer- 
vey's  unit  have  filmed  the  Officers 
Candidates  School,  the  care  of 
U.  S.  wounded.  Xmas  parties  given 
by  the  U,  S.  Forces  to  British 
children,  supply  activities  and 
equipment.  There  are  probably  100 
to  150  Army  and  Navy  technicians 
employed  here  and  in  North  Africa 
as  either  motion  picture  or  still 
camera  men. 

Censorship  is  strictly  of  a  security  nature. 
Service  experts  in  the  U.  S.  forces  "'vet"  all 
the  material  shot,  and  regularly  Major  New- 
man sits  in  on  the  Newsreel  Committee  of 
the  British  Ministry  of  Information 

Some  of  the  cameramen  have  been  operat- 
ing since  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  Others 
have  been  active  for  five  months.  The  U. 
S.  Army  Public  Relations  Service,  at  pres- 
ent the  mouthpiece  for  the  somewhat  con- 
fused pattern  presented  to  it.  has  functioned 
only  three  months.  Goodwill  here  is  pro- 
nounced, and  unqualified,  and  the  anxiety 
of  the  M.O.I,  and  the  newsreels  and  of  the 
entire  industry,  to  give  the  U.  S.  forces  as 
much  of  a  screen  break  as  the  British  forces 
themselves  is  emphatic. 

The  hope  exists  here  that  by  unity  of  op- 
eration and  closer  attention  to  such  details 
as  those  enumerated  above,  their  task  will  be 
made  easier. 


9 


■ 


"Sparkles  with  fun!  Sure  to  make  a  hit  at 
the  box-office !"  —  Hollywood  Reporter 

"Has  plenty  on  the  ball  to  win  strong  aud- 
ience response  everywhere!"  —Film  Daily 


'A  unique  plot  with  a  strong  romantic 
flavor  keeps  the  action  rolling!"  -Variety 

'Smart  comedy  has  lots  of  appeal!" 

-The  Exhibitor 


// 


Yes,  Paulette  and  Ray  are  doing  a  great  wartime  job  of  lifting  the 
public's  spirits  with  the  hit  that  Daily  Variety  calls  "fast  moving 
comedy  that  spells  complete  relaxation  for  theatregoers! 

Gross  for  gross,  it  has  topped  all  United  Artists  pictures  in  the  last  year  at 

STATE,  PROVIDENCE  LOEWS,  READING  LOEWS,  ROCHESTER 

LOEWS,  RICHMOND  LOEWS,  HARRISBURG  LOEWS,  INDIANAPOLIS 

STATE,  ST.  LOUIS  LOEWS,  LOUISVILLE  MIDLAND,  KANSAS  CITY 

VALENTINE,  TOLEDO  ALDINE,  WILMINGTON  VENDOME,  NASHVILLE 


LOEWS,  SYRACUSE 


LOEWS,  AKRON 
STATE,  NEW  ORLEANS 


LOEWS  GRAND,  ATLANTA 


400*  CAPITOL  THEATRE,  New  York  City 


Fight  the-icar  on  Infantile  Paralysis! 

Pledge  jour  heart  and  your  theatre 


44 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


10,000  Houses  Join 
March  of  Dimes 


Paralysis  Drive  Will  Start 
February  18th;  Stress 
Theatre  Collections 

At  least  10,000  theatres  will  aid  the  Na- 
tional Foundation  for  Infantile  Paralysis, 
through  the  annual  March  of  Dimes  drive, 
which  this  year  will  be  held  during  the 
week  of  February  18th. 

This  week,  16,000  houses  began  to  re- 
ceive copies  of  the  "campaign  book,"  con- 
taining suggestions  for  the  drive.   The  book 
is  simplified,  and  stresses  no  extensive  ex- 
ploitation.   It  emphasizes  instead  that  the 
main  point  is  collection  from  the  audience, 
which  holds  down  expenses,  enabling  the 
Foundation  to  receive  the  largest  amount. 
There  is  this  year  a  new  method 
of  handling  the  collections.  Pre- 
viously checks  had  been  mailed  to 
New  York  headquarters.  This  year 
they  will  be   given  to   the  state 
drive  chairmen,  who  will  return  to 
each  county  50  per  cent  of  the 
money  collected  in  that  county. 
The    National    Foundation    has  county 
chapters  in  almost  every  state,  and  the  local 
share  of  the  collections  will  be  sent  to  the 
county  chapter  treasurer  by  the  motion  pic- 
ture state  chairman. 

The  remainder  will  be  mailed  to  Walter 
Vincent,  national  March  of  Dimes  treasurer, 
at  suite  173,  Hotel  Astor,  New  York. 

Each  state  chairman  is  provided  with  re- 
ceipt forms,  and  each  theatre  with  a  collec- 
tion report  form. 

Theatres  pledging  participation  this  week 
began  receiving  "citations"  from  national 
drive  headquarters.  In  three  colors,  and 
bearing  the  signature  of  national  chairman 
Nicholas  Schenck,  and  the  facsimile  signa- 
ture of  President  Roosevelt,  it  is  suitable 
for  display  at  the  boxoffice  and  in  the  man- 
ager's office. 

A  special  175-foot  trailer  starring  Greer 
Garson  and  produced  at  the  MGM  studio, 
is  ready  for  showing  on  the  screens  of  par- 
ticipating theatres. 

FWC  Manual  Aids 
Copper  Campaign 

Instructions  and  ideas  for  collection  of 
scrap,  copper,  brass  and  bronze  are  con- 
tained in  a  14-page  manual  of  the  Fox  West 
Coast  Theatres  circuit,  distributed  to  its 
managers.  The  FWC  drive  began  this 
week. 

At  New  York  headquarters  of  the  War 
Activities  Committee,  Arthur  Mayer,  na- 
tional salvage  director,  declared  last  week 
that  23,000  scrap  pounds  of  the  metals  had 
been  col.V^ced  in  the  month  past,  mainly  by 
independent  exhibitors.  He  cautioned,  how- 
ever, that  the  yield  in  the  continuing  cam- 
paign would  not  equal  the  great  tonnage 
collected  in  the  previous  drive,  during  the 
summer,  for  general  scrap  metal. 

In  the  Omaha  territory,  13  theatres  last 
week    joined    the    many    others  already 


TREASURY  PRAISES 
EXHIBITORS'  AID 

The  exhibitors  who  show  the  Disney- 
Treasury  short  subject  on  income  tax 
payment,  "The  Spirit  of  '43,"  are  con- 
tributing a  "distinct  service  to  the 
Treasury  and  to  the  35,000,000 
people  who  will  pay  income  taxes  this 
year,"  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
Henry  Morgenthau,  Jr.,  said  in  a  wire 
to  the  War  Activities  Committee  in 
New  York  last  week.  Mr.  Morgenthau 
added  that  playing  of  last  year's 
similar  Disney  short,  "The  New 
Spirit,"  had  "aided  the  Treasury  im- 
measurably in  expediting  tax  collec- 
tions and  lightening  the  task  of  the 
Treasury  and  its  workers,"  and  he 
asserted  he  was  "confident,  from  past 
experience,"  that  the  response  of 
both  independent  and  circuit  exhib- 
itors in  playing  the  new  short  subject 
will  be  "outstanding." 


pledged  to  collect  scrap  copper  by  special 
matinees,  most  of  which  were  to  be  given 
this  Saturday  or  next. 

The  Majestic,  Broadway,  Uptown,  High- 
land and  Harlandale  theatres  in  San  An- 
tonio, Texas,  recently  collected  2,000  pounds 
of  scrap  copper  at  special  matinees,  in  which 
publicity  and  receipts  were  "pooled." 

Approximately  100  suburban  the- 
atres in  the  Greater  Cincinnati  area 
will  participate  in  the  Washing- 
ton's birthday  matinee  for  the  col- 
lection of  copper,  brass  and  scrap 
metal.  Admission  will  be  one-half 
pound  or  more  of  copper  or  brass, 
and  five  pounds  of  scrap  metal, 
with  awards  of  War  Bonds  and 
Stamps  for  the  biggest  contribu- 
tion in  the  different  classifications. 
F.  W.  Huss,  president  of  the  Greater 
Cincinnati  Independent  Exhibitors  League, 
and  Willis  Vance,  Cincinnati  circuit  opera- 
tor, are  on  the  committee,  with  members  of 
the  Hamilton  County  Conservation  and  Sal- 
vage Committee. 

Robert  Lynch,  Metro  branch  manager  in 
Philadelphia  and  WAC  chairman  there,  an- 
nounced that  the  local  copper  scrap  drive 
would  continue  until  March  1st.  Cash  prizes 
will  be  awarded  for  the  largest  collections. 

War  Bond  Sales 
Reach  New  Levels 

In  the  continuing  sale  by  theatres  of  War 
Bonds,  reports  of  individual  sales  records 
reach  the  WAC  daily.  It  was  disclosed  there 
this  week  that  the  Fox  Capitol,  and  the  Star, 
Benton,  Illinois,  sold  $362,850  in  Bonds 
during  a  drive.  The  town  has  only  8,000 
inhabitants. 

The  Benton  campaign  had  as  central  idea 


the  auctioning  off  of  a  mammoth  pig,  called 
"King  Neptune."  The  auction  was  adver- 
tised with  a  single  frame  trailer  at  the  Capi- 
tol and  the  Star  theatres  two  weeks  in  ad- 
vance, with  newspapers  and  window  cards 
informing  the  populace.  The  actual  auction 
took  90  minutes. 

More  than  2,000  St.  Louis  patrons  bought 
nearly  $400,000  in  War  Bonds  to  attend 
the  opening  of  the  remodeled  Loew's  Or- 
pheum  theatre  Thursday  night,  January 
28th. 

The  2,200-seat  house  was  acquired  by 
Loew's,  Inc.,  as  a  second  first  run  house  in 
downtown  St.  Louis.  Streets  surrounding 
the  theatre  were  gaily  decorated  for  the 
opening  night.  People  lined  up  an  hour  be- 
fore the  doors  were  opened. 

Highlight  of  the  opening  program  was 
presentation  to  Rex  Williams,  Loew's  repre- 
sentative in  St.  Louis,  of  a  scroll  in  recog- 
nition of  Loew's  sale  of  nearly  $1,000,000  in 
Bonds  since  September  1st.  The  scroll  was 
presented  to  Mr.  Williams  on  the  stage  by 
Thomas  N.  Dysart,  president  of  the  St. 
Louis  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


Add  Film  Course 
At  City  College 

The  City  College  of  New  York  has  announced 
that  starting  Monday,  February  8th,  courses  in 
all  branches  of  film  work  will  be  given  by  the 
college's  Institute  of  Film  Techniques.  Enroll- 
ment in  these  courses  is  being  encouraged  due 
to  the  increasing  demand  for  motion  picture 
technicians  in  government  film  making  units. 

It  was  disclosed  that  60  per  cent  of  the  ad- 
vanced students  of  the  Institute's  total  enroll- 
ment of  225  have  obtained  positions  with  gov- 
ernment agencies  producing  training  films  after 
completing  courses  previously  given.  Under  the 
enlarged  scope  of  activities,  greater  opportuni- 
ties for  women  are  expected,  it  was  said.  Such 
subjects  as  "Fundamentals  of  Film  Production," 
"Film  Writing,"  "Editing  and  Sound  Record- 
ing" and  "Photography"  will  be  taught. 

The  final  date  for  registration  for  the  Spring 
Session  was  February  5th,  but  it  is  expected  that 
the  courses  will  again  be  open  for  registration  in 
the  summer  and  autumn. 


Greenblatt  to  Coast 

Arthur  Greenblatt,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  sales  for  Producers  Releasing  Corporation, 
left  New  York  for  Hollywood  last  week  to 
confer  with  Leon  Fromkess,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production,  regarding  budgets  and 
product  for  the  coming  season. 


Sign  Mamoulian  as  Director 

The  Theatre  Guild  has  signed  Rouben 
Mamoulian,  stage  and  screen  director,  to  direct 
"Green  Grow  the  Lilacs,"  a  musical  version  of 
the  Guild's  production  in  1931.  It  will  be  Mr. 
Mamoulian' s  seventh  assignment  for  the  or- 
ganization. 


Test  Audience  Reaction 

Harry  Michalson,  short  subject  sales  man- 
ager for  RKO  Radio,  and  Frederic  Ullman,  Jr., 
president  of  RKO  Pathe,  are  touring  the  com- 
pany's southern  exchanges  to  test  audience  reac- 
tion to  the  "This  Is  America"  series. 


Jack  Holt  Army  Captain 

Jack  Holt,  55-year-old  screen  actor,  began 
service  with  the  Army  Quartermaster  Corps  as 
a  captain  last  week  at  the  Fort  Warren  train- 
ing center  in  Cheyenne.  He  is  in  training  with 
the  officer  replacement  pool. 


February    6,  1943 

N.  Y.  Measures 
Would  Repeal 
Child  Blue  Law 

Bills  introduced  in  the  New  York  legislature 
last  week,  by  Assemblyman  Harold  Ehrlich  of 
Buffalo,  and  Senator  William  Hampton  of 
Utica,  would  repeal  the  current  "blue  law"  re- 
strictions" upon  performances  in  theatres  of 
children  under  16.  Another  bill,  sponsored  by 
Assemblyman  George  Manning  and  Senator  A. 
J.  Oliver,  both  of  Rochester,  would  enable  pro- 
jectionists to  keep  license  rights  during  the  war 
and  after  honorable  discharge,  by  allowing  them 
to  apply  within  three  months  of  that  discharge 
for  renewal. 

Favorable  committee  action  in  the  Assembly 
is  seen  on  the  Manning-Oliver  measure.  The 
Ehrlich-Hampton   bills   have   the   backing  of 

;  Children's  Aid  Societies  in  upstate  New  York. 

!  However,  Mr.  Ehrlich's  similar  measure  was 
vetoed  in  1940  and  again  in  1941  by  Governor 
Herbert  Lehman,  after  passing  both  houses. 

In  his  budget  message,  Governor  Thomas  E. 
Dewey  said  "The  motion  picture  tax  collections 
to  date  show  a  small  decline  as  compared  with 

I  last  year,  and  the  estimates  allow  for  a  further 

:  substantial  contraction." 

Sixteen-year-old  projectionists  may  work  in 

I  Iowa,  if  a  new  theatre  construction  and  inspec- 
tion bill  passes.  It  replaced  one  introduced 
earlier,  which  would  have  allowed  projection- 
ists of  18  years. 

The  Indiana  House  is  considering  tightening 
the  law  requiring  inspection  of  theatres,  night 
clubs,  and  other  amusement  places,  with  stirrer 
penalties.  It  also  has  before  it  a  measure  to  tax 
Indianapolis  residents  $50,000  per  year  to  sup- 
port the  city's  symphony  orchestra. 

A  Connecticut  Senate  bill  proposes  an  admis- 
sion tax  of  one  cent  for  each  10  cents  or  frac- 

|  tion  thereof.   In  that  respect,  and  in  methods 

■  of  collection  and  penalties,  it  duplicates  the 
Federal  bill,  it  is  understood.  The  effect  would 
be  to  double  admissions  taxes  in  the  state. 

Sheehan  Acquires  Rights  to 
Rickenbacker  Life  Story 

Three  film  companies  this  week  were  reported 
to  be  bidding  for  the  film  rights  to  the  life  of 
Captain  Eddie  Rickenbacker  which  Winfield  R. 
Sheehan  acquired  last  Friday  in  Hollywood 
from  the  famous  flyer.  Negotiations  for  the 
deal  were  handled  for  Captain  Rickenbacker  by 
his  representative,  Christy  Walsh.  MGM,,  War- 
ner Bros,  and  Twentieth  Century-Fox  are  the 
three  major  companies  with  whose  representa- 
tives Mr.  Sheehan  has  been  discussing  screen 
right  purchase  for  the  last  few  days.  A  report 
was  erroneously  published  last  Saturday  in 
some  newspapers  that  20th-Fox  had  acquired 
the  story  from  Mr.  Sheehan.  Bidding,  however, 
by  all  three  distributors,  was  at  the  high  point 
jtn  Hollywood  early  this  week. 

Announcement  of  sale  to  the  former  pro- 
ducer, vice-president  and  general  manager  for 
20th-Fox,  said  Captain  Rickenbacker  and  Mr. 
Sheehan  had  discussed  the  picture  prior  to  the 
jlflyer's  latest  adventure  in  the  Pacific.  It  was 
said  that  the  aviator  would  have  supervision 
3ver  the  story,  which  is  to  be  built  around 
episodes  in  his  life,  when  it  is  produced.  If 
?0th-Fox  purchases  the  story  from  Mr.  Shee- 
!nan,  it  is  reported  that  he  will  return  to  that 
■tudio  as  producer.  He  resigned  from  Fox  in 
1935.  In  1939,  he  produced  "Florian"  for  MGM. 


Rogers  To  Tour  Camps 

Roy  Rogers,  western  star  of  Republic,  will 
tart  a  tour  of  Southwestern  Army  Camps  on 
'ebruary  8th.  He  will  head  the  group  of  rodeo . 
erformers  who  recently  toured  the  country, 
ie  appeared  on  the  Rudy  Vallee  program 
"hursday  evening. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


SCHOOL  HOLIDAY  AIDS 
NEW  YORK  GROSS 

New  York  City  theatres  benefited 
from  increased  juvenile  attendance 
this  week  as  the  city's  public  and 
many  parochial  schools  closed  from 
February  1st  to  5th,  inclusive,  to 
conserve  heating  fuels.  The  holiday 
supplants  the  customary  Easter  vaca- 
tion. 

The  license  commissioner,  Paul 
Moss,  waived  for  the  week  restric- 
tions on  the  unaccompanied  at- 
tendance of  children  at  theatres 
except  between  the  hours  of  3:00 
and  6:00  P.  M.  Many  houses  sched- 
uled extra  matinees  or  earlier  open- 
ings to  accommodate  the  children. 
Most  of  the  New  York  theatres  have 
converted  to  coal  heat. 


Momand  Illness 
Delays  Trial 

Trial  of  A.  B.  Momand's  $5,000,000  anti-trust 
suit  against  the  major  distributors  and  the 
Griffith  circuit  of  the  Southwest  was  delayed 
in  Oklahoma  City  Federal  court  Monday,  when 
the  Shawnee,  Okla.,  showman  was  unable  to 
take  the  stand  because  of  illness.  He  was  to 
have  been  cross-examined  this  week  by  defense 
attorneys. 

Last  week,  Mr.  Momand,  able  to  tell  his  story 
for  the  first  time  in  the  12  years  it  has  taken 
for  the  case  to  reach  trial,  charged  that  he  was 
unable  to  obtain  product  for  his  theatres  in 
Seminole  and  Shawnee  after  1927,  when  the 
Griffith  circuit  entered  those  towns,  that  ex- 
change and  home  office  sales  executives  indi- 
cated it  was  useless  for  him  to  try,  that  home 
office  executives  evaded  him,  and  that  there  was 
patently  exchange  by  branch  managers  of  vital 
information  about  exhibitors. 

He  then  presented  data  about  each  theatre, 
to  support  his  request  for  $5,000,000  in  damages. 
He  explained,  for  each  situation,  figures  on 
gross  receipts,  operating  expenses,  net  profits 
and  losses.  The  direct  questioning  was  con- 
ducted by  his  attorney,  George  Ryan.  Satur- 
day, his  cross  examination,  by  C.  B.  Cochran, 
Griffith  circuit  attorney,  began,  with  inquiry 
about  alleged  discrepancies  in  figures  Mr.  Mo- 
mand's attorneys  and  accounts  had  given  in 
answer  to  interrogatories. 

Paramount  Sales  Staff 
Establish  New  Records 

Two  new  sales  records  were  established  by 
the  Paramount  sales  staff  last  week  when  a" 
combined  total  of  3,004  contracts  were  received 
on  both  the  A-l  and  A-2  product,  Charles  M. 
Reagan,  assistant  sales  manager,  announced  on 
Tuesday. 

The  figure  surpasses  the  record  of  2,787  set 
the  previous  week.  A  total  of  2,703  contracts 
on  the  A-2  group  were  received  last  week, 
establishing  another  record.  The  previous 
high  total  was  2,473. 


South  America  To  View  Film 

A  documentary  film,  "Spokane  and  Its  Inland 
Empire,"  will  be  shown  in  South  American 
countries  by  Edward  C.  Johnston,  who  is  on 
the  staff  of  the  Coordinator  of  Inter-American 
Affairs,  it  has  been  announced.  He  expects  to 
leave  this  month. 


45 


'A  ir  Force 9  Has 
Opening  on 
Broadway 

Premiere  of  the  week  in  New  York  was 
Warner  Bros.  "Air  Force,"  which  opened  at 
the  Hollywood  theatre  Wednesday.  The  picture 
was  made  with  the  cooperation  of  the  U.  S. 
Army  Air  Corps  and  its  story  was  written 
largely  from  log  books  of  Boeing  Flying  Fort- 
resses on  the  front  line  of  the  Pacific  war. 
Howard  Hawks  directed  this  Hal  B.  Wallis 
production.  John  Garfield,  Gig  Young,  Harry 
Carey,  George  Tobias  and  Arthur  Kennedy  are 
among  the  featured  players. 

Robert  Mochrie,  general  sales  manager  for 
RKO  Radio,  announced  this  week  that  Fox 
West  Coast  and  Warner  Bros,  circuit  have  set 
deals  for  "They  Got  Me  Covered,"  the  Gold- 
wyn-RKO  release  starring  Bob  Hope  and 
Dorothy  Lamour.  Approximately  400  Warner 
theatres  and  500  Fox  houses  will  play  the  film. 
Mr.  Mochrie  also  reported  that  the  Hope-La- 
mour  vehicle  scored  the  highest  weekday  record 
at  the  Golden  Gate,  San  Francisco,  on  its  initial 
opening  last  Wednesday.  A  four-theatre  .pre- 
miere has  been  set  for  next  Monday  in  Los 
Angeles  at  the  Chinese,  Loew's  State,  Carthay 
Circle  and  Ritz  theatres. 

RKO  also  has  scheduled  regional  premieres, 
patterned  after  the  50-city  openings  held  last 
month  in  the  midwest,  for  "Hitler's  Children," 
produced  by  Edward  A.  Golden.  The  picture 
opened  day  and  date  at  the  Ambassador,  St. 
Louis  and  Orpheum,  New  Orleans  on  Thurs- 
day, to  be  followed  by  the  Palace,  Chicago,  and 
Hippodrome,  Cleveland,  on  February  18th ; 
Majestic,  Dallas,  February  25th  and  Fox, 
Philadelphia,  March  5th.  In  addition,  Interstate 
Circuit  of  Texas  has  set  21  bookings,  with  a 
similar  number  grouped  in  the  southwest  area 
ranging  from  eastern  Texas  to  Albuquerque, 
N.  M. 

The  Norwegian  Seamen's  Welfare  Commit- 
tee will  benefit  from  the  opening  of  "Com- 
mandos Strike  at  Dawn,"  Columbia,  at  the 
Fabian  Fox  theatre,  next  Thursday,  February 
11th.  Vera  Zorina,  Norwegian-born  Paramount 
star,  was  recently  appointed  honorary  chair- 
man of  the  organization.  Following  the  Brook- 
lyn debut,  Miss  Zorina  will  go  to  Chicago. 
Minneapolis  and  Toronto  to  be  present  at 
special  performances  of  the  Columbia  release 
to  benefit  the  seamen's  agency.  The  company 
set  additional  "dawn  premieres"  of  the  picture 
in  Boston,  Milwaukee  and  Philadelphia,  at  the 
Boston,  Palace  and  Stanley  theatres  respec- 
tively. These  followed  the  recent  early  morning 
showings  in  Buffalo,  Los  Angeles  and  Bridge- 
port. 

Motion  Picture  Associates 
To  Hold  Annual  Luncheon 

The  Motion  Picture  Associates  will  hold  its 
annual  luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Astor  in  New 
York  on  Wednesday,  February  10th,  when  its 
officers  for  1943  will  be  installed.  William  F. 
Rodgers,  vice-president  and  general  manager 
of  sales  and  distribution  for  Loew's,  has  been 
announced  as  the  principal  speaker. 

More  than  300  new  members  have  been  en- 
rolled in  the  organization  during  the  past  year, 
and  it  is  expected  that  the  total  attendance  will 
be  close  to  700.  The  new  officers  to  be  installed 
are  Jack  Ellis,  RKO,  president ;  Morris  San- 
ders, 20th  Century-Fox,  vice-president :  Saul 
Trauner,  Columbia,  treasurer,  and  Moe  Fraum, 
Columbia,  secretary. 


Heads  Publicity  Committee 

Rutgers  Neilson,  publicity  manager  for  RKO 
Radio,  has  been  named  chairman  of  the  public 
relations  committee  of  the  Dancing  Masters  of 
America. 


FINE  FILM  PACKED  WITH 


IIDIENCES  OF  ALL  AGES.  RATING:  EXCELLENT! 


Weaver . . .  Motion  Picture  Herald 


HAS  EVERYTHING  NECESSARY  TO  INVADE  MORE  IMPORTANT  MARKETS 
VlTH  PRIDE,  PROFIT  AND  POPULARITY"  Spear . . .  BOXOFFICE 


48 

AFM  Considers 
Removal  of  Ban 
On  Recording 

Recordings  may  be  made  again  by  union  mu- 
sicians, as  a  result  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Musicians  executive  board  meeting  in  New 
York,  which  began  Monday  and  will  continue 
for  two  weeks. 

That  the  board  would  discuss  rescinding  of 
the  ban,  and  open  talks  with  the  broadcasters 
and  recording  companies,  was  intimated  by 
James  Caesar  Petrillo,  AFM  president,  on  the 
stand  in  a  Senate  subcommittee  chamber  sev- 
eral weeks  ago.  The  occasion  was  a  hearing  by 
a  Senate  Interstate  Commerce  Committee  sub- 
committee, on  the  recording  situation  and  the 
advisability  of  applying  to  Congress  for  legis- 
lation. When  the  hearings  ended,  Mr.  Petrillo 
had  stated  the  case  for  the  musicians ;  and  the 
case  for  the  public,  as  well  as  the  radio  stations 
and  record  manufacturers,  also  had  been  pre- 
sented. 

It  was  understood  Monday  that  the  board 
would  consider  a  plan  suggested  by  Samuel 
Rosenbaum,  president  of  Station  WFIL,  Phila- 
delphia. Mr.  Rosenbaum,  who  opposed  the 
National  Association  of  Broadcasters'  stric- 
tures against  Mr.  Petrillo,  wrote  stations  that 
it  might  be  possible  to  please  all  parties  by  a 
tax  on  "juke  boxes" — the  mechanical  coin-in- 
slot  music  machines — and  the  placing  of  the  tax 
proceeds  in  a  fund  to  employ  musicians  for  non- 
commercial purposes,  such  as  school  per- 
formances. 

Mr.  Rosenbaum  also  suggested  that  the  film 
industry  "must  contribute  a  fair  proportion  of 
the  revenue  necessary  to  provide  adequate  em- 
ployment for  live  musicians." 

Those  attending  the  sessions  are  Mr.  Petrillo, 
Charles  L.  Bagley,  vice-president ;  Leo  F. 
Cluesmann,  secretary ;  Harry  E.  Brenton,  finan- 
cial secretary-treasurer ;  Chauncey  A.  Weaver, 
John  W.  Parks,  Oscar  F.  Hill,  A.  Rex  Ric- 
cardi,  Walter  M.  Murdoch,  Joseph  N.  Weber 
and  William  J.  Kerngood,  executive  committee. 

Clerical  workers  in  the  New  York  exchanges 
of  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  Loew's  and  United 
Artists  were  to  choose  a  collective  bargaining 
agency  Friday,  in  elections  ordered,  by  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board.  Contesting  in 
the  election  are  the  CIO's  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employees  Guild,  Local  109,  and 
the  AFL's  International  Alliance  of  Theatrical 
Stage  Employees. 

In  Hollywood,  Walt  Disney  this  week  filed 
with  the  NLRB  a  139-page  protest  against  its 
order  that  he  rehire  Arthur  Babbitt,  former 
animator,  and  pay  his  salary  since  a  discharge 
several  years  ago. 

The  fight  will  be  carried  to  the  U.  S.  Su- 
preme Court  if  necessary,  according  to  Gunther 
Lessing,  Disney  counsel,  last  week.  Mr.  Bab- 
bitt's discharge  was  the  cause  of  a  cartoonists' 
strike  at  the  Disney  studio. 

The  American  Federation  of  Radio  Artists, 
and  the  chain  broadcasters,  shortly  will  discuss 
adjustments  to  increased  costs  of  living.  The 
contract,  which  runs  to  November  1st  of  this 
year,  provides  for  such  adjustments. 


Swensen  Resigns  from  MPPDA 

Joel  Swensen,  on  the  public  relations  staff 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distribu- 
tors of  America  for  the  past  seven  years,  has 
resigned.  Arthur  De  Bra,  head  of  the  research 
department,  said  that  other  staff  members  would 
absorb  Mr.  Swensen's  duties. 


Seidelman  to  Coast 

J.  H.  Seidelman,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
foreign  affairs  for  Universal  Pictures,  left  for 
the  coast  last  week  for  conferences  with  studio 
executives  on  production. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Waiting  in  Lobbies,  Foyers 
Banned  in  Nova  Scotia 

The  provincial  fire  marshal  of  Nova  Scotia 
has  banned  the  use  of  theatre  foyers  and  lob- 
bies for  people  waiting  to  be  admitted  to 
crowded  theatres.  The  new  ruling  has  placed  a 
penalty  on  theatre-goers,  since,  although  plenty 
of  space  is  available  indoors,  they  are  forced 
to  stand  for  varying  periods,  even  up  to  two 
hours,  on  the  sidewalks  regardless  of  weather 
conditions.  Merchants  also  have  complained  of 
the  queues  blocking  entrances  to  their  stores  and 
offices.  The  slow  process  of  admitting  the 
crowds  also  has  delayed  performances,  or  if  the 
shows  are  started  on  schedule,  many  of  those 
on  the  street  miss  part  of  the  programs. 

All  of  the  Halifax  theatres  and  also  those 
across  the  harbor  in  Dartmouth,  have  been  do- 
ing capacity  or  extra-capacity  business  for  about 
three  and  a  half  years.  The  same  condition 
prevails  in  Sydney,  North  Sydney,  Sydney 
Mines,  Glace  Bay,  Amherst,  Truro,  Kentville, 
Yarmouth,  Shelburne,  Liverpool,  Lunenburg, 
Bridgewater,  Springhill  and  Pictou.  The  rul- 
ing is  believed  to  have  resulted  from  the  Cocoa- 
nut  Grove  panic  in  Boston  and  the  hotel  fire  in 
St.  Johns. 

Court  Adjourns  Game  Ban 
Case  to  February  18th 

The  bingo  and  chance  game  case  against  the 
Chatham  theatre  in  New  York  was  adjourned 
until  February  18th  by  Magistrate  Joseph  B. 
Glebocki  in  the  Bowery  court  last  week.  The 
manager  and  four  employees  of  the  theatre 
recently  were  charged  with  a  violation  of 
Mayor  LaGuardia's  game  ban  after  jt  was 
alleged  that  three  officers  masquerading  as 
derelicts  were  not  allowed  to  participate  unless 
they  paid  admission. 

A  group  of  exhibitors  in  Brooklyn  reinstated 
the  game  last  month  after  a  ruling  by  Magis- 
trate Abner  C.  Surpless  held  it  was  legal  if 
persons  were  admitted  to  stand  in  the  lobby 
and  play  the  game  free.  Robert  Salnit,  man- 
ager of  the  Chatham  theatre,  said  the  police- 
men were  refused  entrance  without  paying  ad- 
mission because  they  had  not  indicated  their 
desire  to  participate  in  the  game. 

Restricts  Monopoly  Suit 
Against  Randforce 

Justice  Koch  in  the  New  York  State  supreme 
court  last  week  granted  motions  to  strike  out 
portions  of  the  monopoly  complaint  brought  by 
the  395  Amusement  Corporation,  operating  the 
Gloria  theatre  in  Brooklyn.  The  original  com- 
plaint included  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  Rand- 
force circuit  in  the  alleged  conspiracy. 

Justice  Koch  ruled  that  the  "gist  of  the  action 
is  a  charge  of  conspiracy  to  deprive  the  Gloria 
of  an  opportunity  to  fairly  compete  with  the 
Clinton,"  a  Randforce  house.  The  court  held 
that  the  plaintiff  was  not  affected  by  operations 
of  other  Randforce  theatres,  and  the  action 
should  be  confined  to  relations  between  the 
Gloria  and  Clinton.  Emil  K.  Ellis  is  attorney 
for  the  plaintiff. 

Jack  Dietz  Sentenced 
To  Seven-Month  Term 

Jack  Dietz,  producer,  who  was  convicted  on 
charges  of  evading  taxes  of  $200,237  on  income 
from  the  producing  and  distributing  of  prize 
fight  films  in  1936  and  1937,  was  sentenced  to 
seven  months  in  jail  by  Federal  Judge  William 
Bondy  last  week. 

Boris  Kostelanetz,  Assistant  United  States 
Attorney,  showed  that  Mr.  Dietz  had  dealt  in 
interstate  commerce  until  1940  a  violation  of 
the  law  where  transportation  of  fight  films  is 
concerned.  The  producer  had  derived  assets  of 
$400,000  from  the  first  Schmeling-Louis  fight 
alone,  but  rather  than  risk  a  trip  to  Germany 
for  collection,  he  sold  the  film  rights  to  Schmel- 
ing  for  $20,000. 


February    6,  1943 

Award  Contracts 
For  105  Visual 
Aid  Pictures 

Contracts  for  105  visual  aid  units  have  been 
awarded  to  14  commercial  and  industrial  film 
producing  companies  by  the  procurement  divi- 
sion of  the  Treasury  on  behalf  of  the  Office  of 
Education,  involving  a  total  expenditure  esti- 
mated in  the  neighborhood  of  $550,000. 

Each  unit  consists  of  one  sound  motion  pic- 
ture of  one  to  one  and  a  half  reels  in  length, 
a  sound  film  strip  and  5,000  copies  of  an  illus- 
trated instructor's  manual. 

Prices  for  the  unit  ranged  from  $3,250  for 
16mm.,  to  $6,000  for  35mm.  The  contracts  were 
awarded  as  follows : 

Atlas  Educational  Film  Company,  Oak  Park, 
111.,  10  units  ;  Bray  Studios,  New  York,  10  units  ; 
Calvin  Company,  Kansas  City,  five  units ;  De- 
frenes  &  Company,  Philadelphia,  five  units  ;  Jam 
Handy,  Detroit,  10  units;  Har  Films,  Inc., 
New  Orleans,  five  units ;  Hugh  Harmon  Pro- 
ductions, Inc.,  Beverly  Hills,  Cal.,  10  units ; 
Jamison  Film  Laboratories  Company,  Dallas, 
five  units ;  Medical  Film  Guild,  New  York, 
five  units ;  Photo-on-Sound,  Inc.,  San  Francis- 
co, five  units;  RCM  Productions,  Inc.,  Holly- 
wood, 10  units ;  Ray-Bell  Film  Company,  St. 
Paul,  10  units ;  Spot  Film  Productions,  Inc., 
New  York,  five  units,  and  Emerson  Yorke  Stu- 
dios, New  York,  10  units. 

In  1941,  the  Office  of  Education  gave  produc- 
tion awards  for  48  training  films  to  five  differ- 
ent companies.  The  distribution  contract  for 
these  films  was  given  to  Castle  Films.  Thus 
far,  no  bid  has  been  opened  by  the  Office  for 
distribution  of  the  105  pictures,  to  be  made  this 
year  by  June  30th.  According  to  some  industrial 
producers  in  New  York,  Castle  probably  will 
be  given  the  contract  this  year. 

Marked  expansion  of  the  vocational  training 
film  program  of  the  Office  was  mapped  last 
year  as  a  result  of  the  unusual  success  of  the  48 
pictures  produced,  according  to  Office  of  Edu- 
cation officials,  as  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Herald  on  August  15,  1942.  At  that  time  it 
was  learned  appropriation  bills  in  Congress  had 
provided  a  fund  of  nearly  $1,000,000  for  the  1 
fiscal  year  1943.  From  December  1,  1941  until 
August,  1942,  when  the  pictures  began  to 
emerge  from  the  laboratories;  a  total  of  almost 
6,500,000  feet  of  16  mm.  prints  was  sold  by 
the  distributor,  Castle  Films,  at  a  flat  rate  of 
$8.47  per  400-foot  reel,  in  the  can  and  delivered 
anywhere  in  the  United  States. 

To  broaden  its  film  training  program,  the  of-  | 
fice  will  make  films  along  the  lines  of  last  year's 
48  units,  including  machine  shop  practice  and  | 
shipbuilding  and  also  will  produce  films  on  air- 
plane manufacturing  operations  and  the  making 
of  optical  glass. 

The  major  fields  of  distribution  aimed  at  by 
the  Office  of  Education  are  the  vocational  train- 
ing workers  for  war  industries  and  industrial 
plants  engaged  in  their  own  training  programs, 
as  well  as  Army  and  Navy  training  centers. 
A  fixed  price  for  prints  of  the  48  films  was  set 
last  year  to  enable  schools  and  plants  with 
limited  funds  to  take  advantage  of  the  project 
and  probably  will  obtain  for  the  105  pictures 
made  this  year. 


Lillian  Gish  Is  Hostess 

Lillian  Gish  was  hostess  at  a  "Commando" 
party  last  Monday  evening  at  the  Stage  Door  I 
Canteen  in  New  York.  She  was  a  featured 
player  in  the  recently  released  Columbia  pic- 
ture, "Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn." 


Plan  "Saratoga"  in  Technicolor 

The  Warner  Brothers'  picture,  "Saratoga 
Trunk,"  will  be  filmed  in  Technicolor,  it  was 
announced  this  week  by  Jack  L.  Warner,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production. 


T7] 

i 

TT 

Action  hits  the  pace  that  kills ...  and 
chilis ...  as  a  blackout  brings  to  light 
the  black  market  in  precious  tires! 


MARGARET 


GARGAN  ^  LINDSAY 


wiih  Phyllis  Brooks  •  Dick  Pureed  •  Jerome  Cowan  •  Edward  Norris  •  James  Burke 

Story  and  Screen  Play  by  Eric  Taylor  •  Directed  by  JAMES  HOGAN  •  A  COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


0i  owes' 


fen- 1  'ft   "+ 


50 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


// 


WHAT  THE 

PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


Columbia 


DARING  YOUNG  MAN:  Joe  E.  Brown— Usual  Joe 
Brown— always  pleases. — L.  G.  Tewksbury,  Harbor 
Theatre,  Deer  Isle,  Maine.     Small  town  patronage. 

LADY  IS  WILLING,  THE:  Marlene  Dietrich,  Fred 
MacMurray — This  picture  ranges  from  frivolity  to 
reality  and  from  comedy  to  tragedy  and  the  men 
here  found  it  entertaining  throughout.  The  plot  con- 
cerns a  Broadway  star  (Marlene  Dietrich)  who  sum- 
marily takes  posssession  of  an  abandoned  baby.  After 
several  humorous  attempts  to  outwit  the  authori- 
ties she  finds  she  can  adopt  it  if  married.  Without 
delay,  she  sells  the  proposition  to  a  baby  specialist 
(Fred  MacMurray)  who  accedes  to  the  marriage  of 
convenience  because  of  the  opportunity  for  research 
such  a  marriage  will  afford  him.  The  marriage  be- 
comes a  real  one  only  to  be  broken  up  by  a  mis- 
understanding created  by  the  doctor's  former  wife. 
The  baby  becomes  critically  ill  and  the  foster  parents' 
mutual  concern  over  this  brings  them  together  again. 
Miss  Dietrich's  handling  of  this  difficult  role,  with 
its  varying  facets  of  light  comedy  and  heavy  drama, 
is  excellent.  Dietrich  fans  should  enjoy  it  very  much. 
Played  Saturday,  January  9. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Di- 
rector Education  and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State 
Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

MY  SISTER  EILEEN:  Rosalind  Russell,  Brian 
Aherne — Very  good  comedy  with  Rosalind  Russell  at 
her  best.  Played  Wednesday-Saturday,  January  6- 
9. — J.  D.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La  Grande,  Ore. 
General  small  town  patronage. 

MY  SISTER  EILEEN:  Played  Sunday,  Novem- 
ber 1,  to  big  patronage. — Leo  Kessell,  Palace  The- 
atre, Lancaster,  O. 

SMITH  OF  MINNESOTA:  Bruce  Smith— An  un- 
usually slow  and  draggy  football  picture.  They  made 
an  effort  to  make  a  football  picture  that  was  different, 
but  it  just  don't  stack  up  with  other  football  pic- 
tures of  the  past.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  Janu- 
ary 14-16.— K.  A.  Spears,  Roxy  Theatre,  Winlock, 
Wash.    Rural  patronage. 

THEY  ALL  KISSED  THE  BRIDE:  Joan  Craw- 
ford, Melvyn  Douglas— This  is  the  kind  we  all  like 
— to  see  those  faces  coming  out  smiling,  makes  you 
want  to  smile.  Let's  have  more  of  this  type  of  pic- 
ture. Played  Saturday -Monday,  January  9-11. — Sam 
Stephano,  Grove  Theacre,  Groveton,  Texas. 

YOU  WERE  NEVER  LOVELIER:  Fred  Astaire, 
Rita  Hayworth,  Adolph  Menjou— Wonderful  produc- 
tion, everybody  pleased.  You  cannot  go  wrong  un- 
less weather  is  against  you.— L  G.  Tewksbury,  Har- 
bor Theatre,  Dee  Isle,  Maine.    Small  town  patronage. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

CROSSROADS:  William  Powell,  Hedy  Lamarr— 
Mr.  Covi  of  the  Herminie,  Pa.,  said  he  could  smell 
a  good  picture  a  mile  away — our  customers  also  have 
a  good  sense  of  smell — this  picture  wasn't  "Christ- 
mas Night"  as  far  as  business  was  concerned. — H. 
Goldson,  Plaza  Theatre,  Chicago  HI. 

FOR  ME  AND  MY  GAL:  Judy  Garland,  George 
Murphy — All  who  were  able  to  come  were  loud  in 
their  praise  of  this  exceptional  musical  film.  Present 
conditions  made  it  impossible  to  gauge  its  boxoffice 
strength;  I  would  say  it  turned  in  an  exceptional 
gross  in  spite  of  handicaps  beyond  its  control. 
Played  Sunday -Monday.  January  17-18.— Thomas  Di 
Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 
Small  town  patronage. 

HER  CARDBOARD  LOVER:  Robert  Taylor, 
Norma  Shearer— Played  this  one  late  and  boy  don't 
I  wish  I  had  waited  about  two  years.  It  was  a 
sticker.  We  country  folks  don't  understand  such 
things  as  they  put  in  this  picture.  Played  Wed- 
desday,  Thursday,  December  2,  3.— Sam  Stephano. 
Grove,  Groveton,  Texas. 

JACKASS  MAIL:  Wallace  Beery,  Marjorie  Main- 
One  of  the  weakest  pictures  Beery  was  ever  given. 
Business  good  for  a  change,  which  proves  that  an 
exhibitor  is  never  too  old  to  learn  things  concerning 
an  unpredictable  public— A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema 
Theatre,  Scotia,  Calif. 

MAISIE  GETS  HER  MAN:  Ann  Sothern,  Red 
Skelton — This  was  the  weakest  picture  of  the  series. 
Miss  Sothern  clicked  as  usual.  Perhaps  the  children 
enjoyed  the  part  assigned  to  Skelton  as  they  cannot 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product— providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me.  Motion  Picture  Herald. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


tell  the  difference  when  a  performer  is  cast  as  a 
moron  instead  of  a  comedian.  Played  Wednesday, 
Thursday,  January  13,  14. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema 
Theatre,  Scotia,  Calif.     Small  town  patronage. 

MAISIE  GETS  HER  MAN:  Red  Skelton,  Ann 
Sothern — Red  Skelton  was  certainly  terrible  in  this 
picture.  This  star  is  not  a  favorite  with  my  audi- 
ence anyway.  Ann  Sothern  the  star  of  the  picture. 
Just  a  fair  picture.  Would  not  recommend  it  for  a 
spot  like  mine.  Played  Thursday,  January  7. — A.  L. 
Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Bengough,  Sask.,  Can. 
Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

SOMEWHERE  I'LL  FIND  YOU:  Clark  Gable, 
Lana  Turner — Something  went  haywire  because  none 
turned  up  to  see  this  guy's  last  picture,  and  it  was 
a  fair  picture.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  De- 
cember 9,  10. — Sam  Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Grove- 
ton, Texas. 

WAR  AGAINST  MRS.  HADLEY,  THE:  Edward 
Arnold,  Fay  Bainter — Good  picture  and  satisfactory 
business,  in  30  below  weather.  Would  do  business 
any  place.  Played  Monday-Wednesday,  January  Il- 
ls.— M.  Bailey,  Strand  Theatre,  Dryden,  Gnt.  Small 
town  patronage. 

WAR   AGAINST   MRS.    HADLEY,    THE:  Fay 

Bainter,  Edward  Arnold — Another  one  of  those  pic- 
tures everyone  should  see,  it  was  liked  by  everyone, 
and  Metro  could  not  find  any  other  woman  like 
Fay  Bainter  to  play  the  part  of  Mrs.  Hadley.  She 
was  great  in  this  role.  Flayed  Saturday -Monday, 
December  5-7. — Sam  Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Grove- 
ton, Texas. 


Monogram 


RHYTHM  PARADE:  Gale  Storm— A  musical— I've 
seen  better.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  January 
19,  20.— H.   Goldson,   Plaza  Theatre,   Chicago,  111. 


Paramount 


ARE  HUSBANDS  NECESSARY?:  Ray  Milland, 
Betty  Field — They  thought  this  was  pretty  silly,  very 
little  drawing  power  on  this  offering.  Played  Sunday, 
Monday,  January  17-18— H.  Goldson,  Plaza  Theatre, 
Chicago,  111. 

BEYOND  THE  BLUE  HORIZON:  Dorothy  La- 
mour,  Richard  Denning — I  got  a  bad  print  on  this 
picture.  _  I  didn't  even  get  the  last  part  of  the  fea- 
ture, it  just  ran  out  into  space.  I  rushed  upstairs  to 
see  what  was  the  matter  and  my  operator  said  that 
was  all,  and  I  did  not  get  to  show  the  last  part  of 
the  picture,  which  was  about  five  minutes.  If  you  have 
it  dated,  you  had  better  tell  them  to  send  you  a 
whole  print.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  December  20- 
21. — Sam  Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Groveton,  Texas. 

FLEETS  IN,  THE:  Dorothy  Laraour,  Eddie  Brack- 
en— Played  this  in  24  below  zero  weather  but  my 
patrons  got  a  big  kick  out  of  it.  Played  Friday,  Jan- 
uary IS.— A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Bengough, 
Sask.,  Can.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

GENERAL  DIED  AT  DAWN:  (Reissue)— Gary 
Cooper,  Madeleine  Carroll— Pretty  good  reissue.  Re- 
ceived very  good  print.— Sammie  Jackson,  Jackson 
Theatre,  Flomaton,  Ala. 

GLASS  KEY,  THE:  Brian  Donlevy,  Alan  Ladd— 
Both  male  leads  popular  here.  Did  average  busi- 
ness, seemed  to  satisfy.  Played  Thursday -Saturday, 
January  14-16.— C.  A.  Smith,  Regent  Theatre,  Chap- 
leau,  Ont.    Small  town  patronage. 

HENRY  ALDRICH,  EDITOR:  Jimmy  Lydon— 
The  laughter  was  almost  continuous  during  its  show- 
ing and  this  must  mean  that  they  enjoyed  it.  Busi- 
ness  was   fair.      Played    Friday,    Saturday,  January 


15,  16. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  Newi 
Paltz,  N.  Y.    Small  town  patronage. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— Ex- I 
cellent. — Sammie   Jackson,   Jackson   Theatre,  Floma- 
ton, Ala. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— ll 
could  write  all  day  on  this  one  and  never  say  a  badl 
thing  about  it.  It's  what  my  patrons  like  and  ofl 
course  yours.  It  was  liked  by  all,  and  even  betters 
the  second  time.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  No-' 
vember  25,  26. — Sam  Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Grove -| 
ton,  Texas 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— Ex- 
cellent entertainment  for  any  spot.  Singing  and  danc- 
ing by  both  these  artists  hard  to  beat.  Musical 
numbers  excellent  and  popular.  We  can  get  by  dur- 
ing war  times  with  these  releases  although  all  small 
towns  are  having  it  tough  especially  as  all  our  young 
men  and  women  have  gone  to  war  and  the  weatherr^ 
is  below  zero.  Play  it  in  any  spot.  Played  Tliurs-J 
day,  January  21. — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre.L- 
Bengough,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small  town  patro- 
nage. 

MAJOR  AND  THE  MINOR,  THE:  Ginger  Rogers, 
Ray  Milland — Sort  of  stretches  the  imagination  to 
picture  Ginger  as  a  12-year-old  but  she  handles  the 
part  in  good  shape  and  the  picture  is  pleasing  light 
entertainment.  Played  Sunday- Wednesday,  Janu-I 
ary  10-13. — J.  D.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La  GrandeJ 
Ore.    General  small  town  patronage. 

THIS  GUN  FOR  HIRE:  Alan  Ladd,  Preston  Fos- 
ter, Veronica  Lake — This  Alan  Ladd  is  a  swell  actor 
and  I  am  sure  we'll  see  more  of  him  in  the  future.1 
The  picture  was  a  little  different  from  the  others  Ii 
have    been    showing    lately.       Everyone    enjoyed  it.lF 
Played     Sunday -Tuesday,  December     26-28.  —  SamH 
Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Groveton,  Texas. 

WILDCAT:  Arline  Judge,  Richard  Aden— Good  forfl 
action    fans   played    with    "Strictly   in   the  Groove,"! 
musical  with  a  western  flavour.    No  draw,  but  seemed 
to  satisfy  those  who  came  in.    Played  Thursday -Sat -I 
urday,  January  21-23.— C.  A.  Smith,  Regent  Theatre^ 
Chapleau,  Ont.     Small  town  patronage. 

Producers  Releasing  Corp. 

MR.  CELEBRITY:  Buzzy  Henry,  Doris  May— Must| 
add  my  praise  to  this  little  production.  A  little  oldj 
but  very  good  for  small  towns.  The  young  bojT 
star  in  this  feature  is  certainly  a  great  actor. — L.  Gl 
Tewksbury,  Harbor  Theatre,  Deer  Isle,  Maine.  Small! 
town  patronage. 

PRISONER  OF  JAPAN:  Gertrude  Michael,  Allati 
Baxter — Not  big,  but  audience  interested  and  satisfied! 
— L.  G.  Tewksbury,  Harbor  Theatre,  Deer  Isle,  Maine  { 
Small  town  patronage. 


RKO 


BIG  STREET,  THE:  Henry  Fonda,  Lucille  Ball- 
A    big   disappointment    at    the   box   office.       Playec  j 
Thursday-Saturday,    January    14-16. — J.    D.    Meyers  J 
Liberty   Theatre,    La   Grande,   Ore.       General  smalf 
town  patronage. 

GREAT  GILDERSLEEVE,  THE:  Played  Thurs 
day,  December  24,  to  fine  business. — Leo  Kessel,  Pal 
ace  Theatre,  Lancaster,  O. 

HERE  WE  GO  AGAIN:  Charlie  McCarthy,  Edgai 
Bergen,  Fibber  McGee  &  Molly— A  dandy  opener 
picture  did  swell  on  first  day  and  fair  on  succeedini 
days.  Good  entertainment  of  the  slapstick  variety 
Pleased  majority.  Played  Sunday-Wednesday,  Janu 
ary  3-6.— K.  A.  Spears,  Roxy  Theatre,  Winlock 
Wash.     Rural  patronage. 

(Continued  on  page  52) 


UUkfl 

UiUui 

fTTTI 

1 1 1  lv  1 

WITH 

ELLEN  RICHARD 

DREW  •  DENNING 

JERRY  COLONNA  •  BARBARA  JO  ALLEN  (vVAE6'uAE) 

HAROLD  HUBER      •      MARILYN  HARE     •      BILL  SHIRLEY 
PIERRE  WATKIN     •     SI  JENKS     •     SAM  BERNARD 
GEORGE  BYRON 


Featuring  the  ICE  CAPADES 
Company  with  the  Internationally  Famous  Skating  Stars 

VERA  MEGAN  LOIS 

HRUBA  •  TAYLOR  •  DWORSHAK 

DONNA  ATWOOD  •  "RED"  McCARTHY  •   PHIL  TAYLOR  •  JOE  JACKSON,  JR. 
JACKSON  &  LYNAM    •     DENCH  &  STEWART     •     THE  BENOITS 
ERIC  WAITE     •     BABS  SAVAGE 


52 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


{Continued  from  page  50) 
HITLER'S  CHILDREN:  Played  it  one  week— never 
before   played   any   picture   that   long.  Tremendous 
patronage.     Flayed  January  17-25— Leo  Kessell,  Pal- 
ace Theatre,  Lancaster,  O. 

NAVY  COMES  THROUGH,  THE:  Pat  O'Brien— 
We  did  a  nice  business  on  this  picture  and  it  pleased 
about  everyone.  Plenty  of  action  and  suspense  and 
very  timely.  Good  for  any  day  of  the  week.  Played 
Thursday -Saturday,  December  24-26. — K.  A.  Spears, 
Roxy  Theatre,  Winlock,  Wash.     Rural  patronage. 

PLAYMATES:  Kay  Kyser,  John  Barrymore,  Lupe 
Velez — Good.  Did  good  business. — Sammie  Jackson, 
Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton,  Ala. 

SEVEN  DAYS'  LEAVE:  Lucille  Ball,  Victor  Ma- 
ture—Here's one  that's  a  scream  all  the.  way  through. 
Never  heard  them  laugh  so  much  in  30  years.  Good 
business.  Many  favorable  comments.  Just  the  kind 
of  picture  that  brings  them  back  again.  Played 
Thursday-Saturday,  January  7-9.— M.  Bailey.  Strand 
Theatre,   Dry  den,  Ont.      Small   town  patronage. 


Republic 

CALL  OF  THE  CANYON:  Gene  Autry—A  very 
good  Autry  production,  with  plenty  of  singing  and 
lots  of  action.  It  still  takes  a  Gene  Autry  to  pay 
off  the  mortgage.  Play  it  and  make  some  money. 
Played  Friday,  January  1.— A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough 
Theatre,  Bengough,  Sask.,  Can.  Rural  and  small 
town  patronage. 

HEART  OF  THE  GOLDEN  WEST:  Roy  Rogers 
— Someone  said  this  was  the  best  Roy  had  made.  I 
disagree.  Plot  rather  thin,  Roy  seemed  to  have  had 
a  cold  when  he  made  this  one.  Played  Friday,  Sat- 
urday, January  15,  16. — Melville  Danner,  Kozy  The- 
atre, Granite.  Okla.     Small  labor  patronage. 

HI,  NEIGHBOR:  Jean  Parker— One  of  the  best  of 
its  kind  I've  ever  played.  Many  favorable  comments. 
Roy  Acuff  really  was  good  in  this.  Let's  have  him 
again  soon.  Republic. — Sammie  Jackson,  Flomaton, 
Ala. 

MOUNTAIN  RHYTHM:  Weaver  Bros,  and  El- 
viry — Good  rural  comedy  which  pleased  average  busi- 
ness, which  is  the  only  kind  of  business  we  have  since 
gas  rationing.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January  17, 
18. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre.  Dewey, 
Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 

REMEMBER  PEARL  HARBOR:  Lon  Barry,  Fay 
McKenzie — Although  my  business  was  above  average, 
it  seemed  the  patrons  did  not  enjoy  this  as  they  had 
planned  to.  But  I  thought  it  to  be  a  swell  show. 
Played  Sunday,  Monday,  November  22,  23. — Sam 
Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,   Groveton.  Texas. 

RAIDERS  OF  THE  RANGE:  Three  Mesquiteers 
(Bob  Steele,  Tom  Tyler,  Rufe  Davis) — This  trio  does 
well  on  a  double  bill  and  is  quite  popular  with  our 
farm  bovs.  They  seem  to  take  well. — Harland  Rankin, 
Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

RIDING  DOWN  THE  CANYON:  Roy  Rogers- 
Good  western  pictures  which  pleased  on  Friday,  Sat- 


urday. Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  22,  23.— 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 
SmaJJ  town  patronage. 

SHADOWS  ON  THE  SAGE:  Three  Mesquiteers— 
Fair  Western  for  Friday  and  Saturday.  Believe  the 
new  star  will  be  OK. — Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Jan- 
uary 8-9.— Melville  Danner,  Kozy  Theatre,  Granite, 
Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 

SUNDOWN  KID:  Don  Barry— Good  action  picture 
which  pleased  on  Friday,  Saturday.  Played  January 
15,  16 — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre.  Dewey, 
Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 

STAR  DUST  ON  THE  SAGE:  Gene  Autry— This 
Gene  Autry  guy  has  kinda  gone  down  in  my  town, 
and  it  seems  like  Republic  is  putting  all  the  respon- 
sibility on  Roy  Rogers,  but  he  doesn't  seem  to  click 
in  my  town  so  well.  The  picture  was  liked  by  all 
who  attended.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  November 
27-28. — Sam  Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Groveton, 
Texas. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

A-HAUNTING  WE  WILL  GO:  Laurel  and  Hardy 
—Did  fine  first  run.— Leo  Kessel,  Palace  Theatre, 
Lancaster,  O. 

A-HAUNTING  WE  WILL  GO:  Laurel  and 
Hardy — Nice  comedy  feature  that  got  plenty  of  laughs 
and  the  kids  liked  the  mystery  stuff.  Played  Tues- 
day-Thursday, January  5-7. — Melville  Danner,  Kozy 
Theatre,  Granite,  Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 

BLACK  SWAN,  THE:  Tyrone  Power,  Maureen 
O'Hara — A  swell  Technicolor  production.  Two  good 
stars  and  a  great  supporting  cast.  While  below  zero 
weather  hurt  the  boxoffice,  no  one  need  be  afraid 
of  this  one.  Played  Sunday -Wednesday,  January  17- 
20. — J.  L.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La  Grande,  Ore. 
General  small  town  patronage. 

GIRL  TROUBLE:  Don  Ameche,  Joan  Bennett- 
Played  this  on  Friday  and  Saturday  and  got  along 
OK.  A  nice  comedy  that  pleased.  Played  Friday. 
Saturday,  January  1,  2. — Melville  Danner,  Kozy  The- 
atre, Granite.  Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 

ICELAND:  Sonja  Henie — Nice  picture  enjoyed  by 
all,  Sonja  is  good,  and  there  is  a  good  supportinn 
cast.  Played  Saturday-Monday,  Jainuary  9-11. — 
Melville  Danner,  Kozy  Theatre,  Granite,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 

ICELAND:  Sonja  Henie — Somewhat  different  from 
any  other  picture,  but  Sonja  Henie  is  the  same  all  the 
time.  It  was  well  liked,  but  did  you  ever  see  a 
father  like  this  man  before,  wanting  to  get  rid  of 
his  daughter  and  to  a  soldier.  Played  Wednesday. 
Thursday.  January  6,  7. — Sam  Stephano.  Grove  The- 
atre, Groveton,  Texas. 

LITTLE  TOKYO,  USA:  Preston  Foster.  Brenda 
Joyce — Excellent  program  picture.  Received  many- 
favorable  comments. — Sammie  Jackson,  Jackson  The- 
atre, Flomaton,  Ala. 

LOVES   OF   EDGAR   ALLAN    POE:    John  Shep- 


pard,  Linda  Darnell — This  was  much  better  than  we 
expected.  Flayed  it  one  day  only  and  Sheppard  ex- 
cellent.— Sammie  Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton, 
Ala. 

MY  GAL  SAL:  Rita  Hay  worth,  Victor  Mature- 
Grand  Technicolor  musical  which  pulls  them  in.  Re- 
ceived the  worst  print,  even  "My  Gal  Sal"  song  cut  to 
bits.  Even  in  small  towns  today  they  expect  a  good 
presentation.  Played  Monday- Wednesday,  January 
11-13.— C.  A.  Smith,  Regent  Theatre,  Chapleau,  Ont. 
Small  town  patronage. 

MY  GAL  SAL:  Rita  Hayworth,  Victor  Mature— Did 
fine  first  run. — Leo  Kessel,  Palace  Theatre,  Lan- 
caster, O. 

ORCHESTRA  WIVES:  George  Montgomery,  Ann 
Rutherford — Did  fine  first  run. — Leo  Kessel,  Palace 
Theatre,  Lancaster,  O. 

ORCHESTRA  WIVES:  George  Montgomery,  Ann 
Rutherford — Good  picture,  business  good,  considering 
weather  was  the  coldest  since  1930.  Played  Saturday- 
Monday,  January  16-18. — Melville  Danner,  Koy  The- 
atre, Granite,  Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 

PIED  PIPER:  Monty  Woolley  Roddy  McDowall— 
This  picture  was  liked  by  all.  Woolley  seems  to 
be  quite  an  old  man  but  he  has  plenty  of  energy 
and  most  of  all  he  can  keep  audience  attention.  The 
picture  was  somewhat  different  from  others.  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  December  30,  31.— Sam 
Stephano,    Grove    Theatre,    Groveton,  Texas. 

SPRINGTIME  IN  THE  ROCKIES:  Flayed  Mon- 
day, November  15,  to  big  patronage. — Leo  Kessell, 
Palace  Theatre,  Lancaster,  O. 

THUNDERBIRDS:  Preston  Foster,  Gene  Tierney— 
A  pleasing  program  picture  for  our  audience;  pro- 
duction and  color  excellent;  short  on  story.  Busi- 
ness fair.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  15.  16. 
—Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz, 
N.  Y.    Small  town  patronage. 

United  Artists 

THREE  COCKEYED  SAILORS:  Although  English - 
made  and  heavy  on  the  accent  it  was  full  of  action 
and  apparently  enjoyed.  Double  bill  strictly. — Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  13.  14.— A.  C.  Ed- 
wards, Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  Calif.  Small  town 
patronage. 

Universal 

EAGLE  SQUADRON:  Robert  Stack,  Diana  Barry- 
more — Very  fine  airplane  show  which  pleased  aver- 
age business.  If  you  haven't  played  it,  don't  fail  to 
do  so.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  20,  21. 
— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 

FIGHTING  BILL  FARGO:  Johnny  Mack  Brown- 
Good.  These  Brown  Westerns  are  very  popular  here. 
Fuzzy  Knight  adds  much  to  this  series. — Sammie 
Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre,  Flomaton,  Ala. 

INVISIBLE  WOMAN,  THE:  Virginia  Bruce,  John 
Barrymore — Used  this  one  on  a  double  bill  with  Gene 
Autry.  My  audience  seemed  to  get  plenty  of  laughs 
out  of  it.  Something  out  of  the  ordinary.  Would 
recommend  this  one.  Played  Friday,  January  1. — 
A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Bengough,  Sask., 
Can.     Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

SABOTEUR:  Priscilla  Lane,  Robert  Cummings— 
Just  another  one  of  those  pictures,  well  liked. — 
Played  Saturday-Monday,  January  2-4. — Sam  Steph- 
ano. Grove  Theatre,  Groveton,  Texas. 

STRICTLY  IN  THE  GROOVE:  Leon  Errol,  Mary 
Healey — See    "Wildcat"    review.       Played    Thursday-  II 
Saturday,  January  21-23.— C.  A.  Smith,  Regent  The- 
atre, Chapleau,  Ont.     Small  town  patronage. 

Warner  Bros. 

BULLET  SCARS:  Regis  Toomey— Weak  half  of 
double  bill,  only  same  old  stuff.  Not  an  original  se- 
quence in  the  entire  picture.  Played  Friday,  Saturday. 
January  15,  16. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre, 
Scotia,  Calif. 

YOU  CAN'T  ESCAPE  FOREVER:  George  Brent. 

Brenda  Marshall — This  is  just  another  one  of  those 
newspaper  stories,  out  to  get  a  scoop,  and  if  I  can 
member  that  far  back  I  think  they  managed  to  get 
one.  Well  liked  by  all  who  saw  the  picture.  Played 
Saturday- Monday.  November  7-9. — Sam  Stephano, 
Grove  Theatre,  Groveton,  Tex. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Errol  Flynn,  Ronald 
Reagan — This  drew  very  well  and  considering  it  is 
another  war  drama,  it  pleased. — H.  Goldson,  Plaza 
Theatre,  Chicago,  111. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Errol  Flynn,  Allan  Hale 
— This  is  what  anyone  would  call  a  good  show,  al- 
though it  did  seem  impossible  traveling  through  Ger- 
many like  they  did  and  without  being  noticed  much, 
and  most  of  all  I  wonder  was  it  luck  that  they  es- 
caped from  Germany  in  an  English  bomber.  I  hope 
I  am  that  lucky,  will  find  out  next  few  months. 
(Continued  on  page  54) 


AN 


NOUNCING  PUBLICATION 


7th  EDITION  •  F.  H.  Richardson's 
BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION 


Advances  in  the  equipment,  and  changes  in  the  practices,  of  motion 
picture  projection,  have  called  forth  a  new  edition  of  F.  H.  Richardson's 
Bluebook  of  Projection.  In  this  new  Seventh  Edition  is  expressed  a 
tradition  of  thirty-three  years  during  which  this  work  has  become  the 
standard  textbook  of  projection  in  every  English-speaking  country.  First 
published  in  1910,  it  has  kept  pace,  through  successive  editions,  with 
progress  in  the  art.  The  new  Seventh  Edition  has  been  prepared  to  meet 
precisely  the  needs  of  the  projectionist  of  today  in  a  book  of  practical 
instruction  and  operating  guidance.  In  being  brought  up-to-date  tech- 
nologically, the  Bluebook  has  been  also  revised  in  the  plan  of  presentation 
so  as  to  facilitate  still  further  both  study  and  reference.  Also,  control- 
track  sound  is  additionally  dealt  with,  and  the  Seventh  Edition  similarly 
looks  ahead  in  four  chapters  introducing  the  projectionist  to  the  funda- 
mentals of  television.  The  new  Bluebook  of  Projection  may  be  justly 
called  the  crowning  achievement  of  its  author's  long  and  unique  career. 


Orders  should  be  sent  to 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York 
Price  $7.25  postpaid 


QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK 


54 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6  ,  1943 


( Continued  from  page  52) 

Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  November  18.  19.— 
Sam  Stephano,  Grove  Theatre,  Groveton,  Texas. 

GAY  SISTERS:  Barbara  Stanwyck,  George  Brent — 
Fine.  Many  favorable  comments  from  patrons.  Stan- 
wyck excellent. — Sammie  Jackson,  Jackson  Theatre. 
Flomaton,  Ala. 

GAY  SISTERS:  Barbara  Stanwyck,  George  Brent — 
Fair  picture  but  not  a  top  picture  for  war  times. 
More  comedy,  music  and  such  is  what  they  like  to- 
day. Played  Saturday-Monday,  January  2-4. — Mel- 
ville Danner,  Kozy  Theatre,  Granite,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 

NOW,  VOYAGER:  Bette  Davis,  Paul  Henreid— 
I  never  did  like  Bette  Davis  and  my  patrons  didn't 
seem  to  like  here  before,  but  everyone  came  out  talk- 
ing about  the  picture,  how  good  it  was,  and  it  pleased 
them  for  the  first  time,  I  guess.  It  was  liked  by 
everyone  who  saw  it.  Play  it.  Played  Wednesday, 
Thursday,  December  16,  17. — Sam  Stephano,  Grove 
Theatre,  Groveton,  Texas. 

SERGEANT  YORK:  Gary  Cooper,  Joan  Leslie- 
Severe  cold  wave  entire  run,  and  railroaders  so  busy 
you  couldn't  win.  Business  average  but  think  with 
a  mediocre  picture  I'd  be  out  in  the  cold.  Too  bad. 
Played  Monday- Wednesday,  January  18,  20. — C.  A. 
Smith,  Regent  Theatre,  Chapleau,  Ont.  Small  town 
patronage. 

SERGEANT  YORK:  Gary  Cooper,  Joan  Leslie, 
Walter  Brennan — Gary  Cooper's  masterpiece  of  acting 
brings  us  not  the  fable  of  a  legendary  hero  but  the 
moving  story  of  a  plain  man.  Alvin  York  struggles 
with  barren  and  rocky  soil  to  eke  out  a  living  for 
his  mother,  sister  and  brother.  He  meets  Gracie  Wil- 
liams (Joan  Leslie)  and  his  love  for  her  creates  the 
desire  to  acquire  a  more  fertile  piece  of  land.  He 
works  day  and  night  to  raise  the  money  and  suc- 
ceeds by  virtue  of  superhuman  labor  and  sterling 
marksmanship,  only  to  find  that  he  has  been  tricked 
out  of  the  land  by  a  rival.  He  becomes  moodily  drunk 
and  sets  out  to  wreak  vengeance,  but  is  stopped  by 
a  bolt  of  lightning  which  knocks  him  from  his  horse 
and  curls  up  his  rifle.  This  Act  of  God  converts  him 
to  religion.  When  war  is  declared  he  cannot  recon- 
cile wholesale  killing  with  the  Ten  Commandments 
and  becomes  a  conscientious  objector,  but  is  drafted 
despite  his  appeal  and  by  virtue  of  sharpshooting  is 
made  a  corporal.  In  his  very  first  engagement  he 
kills  more  than  20  and  captures  132  Germans.  And 
how  does  he  reconcile  this  action  with  his  religious 
belief?  His  explanation  is  simple — he  did  it  in  order 
to  minimize  the  killing  that  was  going  on  all  around 
him.  The  flawless  performances  of  Joan  Leslie,  Mar- 
garet Wycherly.  as  Alvin's  mother,  and  of  Walter 
Brennan  as  the  local  pastor  help  make  this  the  superb 
picture  that  it  is.  Played  Saturday,  January  2. — J. 
A.  Reynolds,  Director  Education  and  Recreation,  New 
Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

WINGS  OF  THE  EAGLE:  Ann  Sheridan— Good 
enough  picture,  but  lots  of  the  folks  thought  this 
would  be  a  flying  picture.  Played  Tuesday-Thurs- 
day, January  12-14. — Melville  Danner,  Kozy  Theatre, 
Granite,  Okla.    Small  labor  patronage. 

Short  Features 
Columbia 

CANVAS  CUT-UPS:  World  of  Sports— This  short 
shows  wrestling  in  all  its  forms — men  wrestlers,  wo- 
men wrestlers  and  a  stirring  free-for-all. — Good  clean 
fun! — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and  Rec- 
reation, New  Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS,  NO.  9:  These  are  shots  of 
famous  stars  of  the  silent  screen,  with  a  running 
commentary  by  Ken  Murray.  A  good  program  filler. 
— J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and  Recrea- 
tion, New  Jersey,  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

KEEP  'EM  SAILING:  Two-Reel  Specials— One 
of  the  Crime  Does  Not  Pay  series  that  is  no  better 
or  worse  than  any  of  the  others  in  this  series.— J.  D. 
Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La  Grande,  Ore. 

MELODIES  OLD  AND  NEW:  Our  Gang  Comedies 
— A  very  good  all-round  entertaining  two  reeler. — 
A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough,  Bengough,  Sask. 

PETE  SMITH'S  SCRAP  BOOK:  Pete  Smith  Spe- 
cialties— This  is  a  reissue  of  Pete's  best  stuff  during 
the  past  several  seasons;  it  is  as  good  as  most  of  his 
shorts,  with  many  a  laugh  spliced  in  between  the 
starch.  Our  crowd  liked  it. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

STRANGE  TESTAMENT:  Passing  Parade— Just  an- 
other filler.— A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Ben- 
gough, Sask. 

Paramount 

JAPOTEURS:  Superman  Cartoon— Superman  is  still 
in  a  class  by  himself  as  far  as  our  audience  is  con- 
cerned. It  is  the  only  cartoon  series  which  gets  an 
instant  reaction  from  our  people.— Thomas  Di  Lo- 
renzo, New  Paltz  Theatre.  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 

Week  of  February  1st 

ASTOR 

Paratroops   Victory  Short 

Marines  in  the  Making  MGM 

Feature:  Tennessee  Johnson.  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling ....  Columbia 
Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve.  Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Paratroops   Victory  Short 

Screen  Snapshots,  No.  5.  . .  .  Columbia 
Feature:  Commandos  Strike  at 

Dawn   Columbia 

GLOBE 

Paratroops   Victory  Short- 
Fighting  Freighters   U nited  Artists 

Feature:  Margin  for  Error.  .  .  20th  Cent. -Fox 

HOLLYWOOD 

Cuba,    Land    of  Adventure 

and  Sport   Vitaphone 

Pigs  in  a  Polka  Vitaphone 

Feature:  Casablanca  Warner  Bros. 

MUSIC  HALL 

Paratroops   Victory  Short 

Feature:  Random  Harvest.  .  .  MGM 

PARAMOUNT 

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  Paramount 

The  Fighting  Spirit  Paramount 

Popular  Science,  No.  2  Paramount 

Paratroops   Victory  Short 

Feature:  Star  Spangled 

Rhythm  Paramount 

R I  A  LTO 

Superman  and  the  Volcano.  Paramount 

Paratroops   Victory  Short 

Feature:  Lucky  Jordan  Paramount 

RIVOLI 

Der  Fuehrer's.  Face  RKO-Disney 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling  ....  Columbia 
Feature:  Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Universal 

ROXY 

Barnyard  WAAC   20th  Cent.-Fox 

Gay  Rio   20th  Cent.-Fox 

Paratroops   Victory  Short 

Feature:  China  Girl  20th  Cent.-Fox 

STRAND 

Wings  for  the  Fledgling ....  Columbia 
So    You    Think    You  Need 

Glasses   Vitaphone 

Feature:  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  Warner  Bros. 


MODERN  VIKINGS:  Very  good  sport  reel  with 
breath-taking  scenes  of  men  riding  the  rapids  of  the 
Colorado  River  in  a  small  boat.— E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

POPULAR  SCIENCE,  NO.  5:  Another  interesting 
subject  in  a  popular  series  for  our  house.  This  is 
the  one  which  has  the  very  enlightening  x-ray  pho- 
tography which  will  baffle  the  audience.— Thomas  Di 
Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

RKO 

ARGENTINE  QUESTION:  March  of  Time— Just 
a  filler. — M.  Bailey,  Strand  Theatre,  Dryden,  Ont. 

DER  FUERHER'S  FACE:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons- 
All  of  the  Disney  subjects  are  good  but  this  one  is 
tops.— J.  D.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La  Grande, 
Ore. 

DISNEY  CARTOONS:  Leon  Errol  (RKO)  Disney 
Cartoons  and  Wacky  Wabbit  (Merrie  Melodies  Car- 
toons, Vitaphone)  are  the  best  shorts  for  us.— Lev, 
Kessel,  Palace  Theatre,  Lancaster,  O. 

PLUTO,  JR.:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons— This  was  only 
considered  fair  as  a  Disney  cartoon.      We  probably 


expect  too  much. — H.  Goldson,  Plaza  Theatre,  Chi- 
cago, III. 

POLO  PONY:  Sportscope— Average  sport  reel.— E. 
M.   Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,   Dewey,  Okla. 

PRIVATE  SMITH  OF  THE  U.  S.  A:  This  is 
America — The  first  of  This  Is  America  series  and  it 
looks  as  if  RKO  has  something. — J.  D.  Meyers,  Lib- 
erty Theatre,  La  Grande,  Ore. 

PUT  PUT  TROUBLE:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons— Good 
color  cartoon  by  Disney. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

BARNYARD    WAAC:    Terrytoons  (Technicolor)— 

Filmed  in  Technicolor,  this  Terrytoon  is  one  of  the 
better  ones. — J.  D.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La 
Grande,  Ore. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

FRANKENSTEIN'S  CAT:  Terrytoons  (Technicolor) 
— A  take  off  of  Frankenstein  and  Superman  that  got 
a  few  laughs.— J.  D.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre,  La 
Grande,  Ore. 

IT'S  EVERYBODY'S  WAR:  Victory  Film— A  very 
good  two-reeler  which  you  must  play.  The  narration 
by  Henry  Fonda  is  stirring  and  tops. — E.  M.  Freiburg- 
er,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

PRELUDE  TO  VICTORY:  March  of  Time— Not  as 
good  as  usual,  so  said  the  customers. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger,  Paramount   Theatre,   Dewey,  Okla. 

SCHOOL  DAZE:  Terrytoons— Above  average  20th- 
Fox  cartons. — H.  Goldson,  Plaza  Theatre,  Chicago, 
111. 

SCRAP  FOR  VICTORY:  Terrytoons  (Technicolor) 
— Good  color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


Vitaphone 

CUBA,  LAND  OF  ROMANCE  AND  ADVEN- 
TURE: The  Sports  Parade — Average  travel  talk  in 
color. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla. 

FANCY  FABLES:  Merrie  Melodies— Another  of 
those  cartoons  with  an  off -the-screen  voice  describ- 
ing humorous  (?)  take-offs  on  Mother  Goose  rhymes. 
Pleasant  diversion  for  an  adult  audience,  but  question- 
able for  the  youngsters. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

FIGHTING  ENGINEERS:  Technicolor  Specials— 
The  best  Service  Special  Vitaphone  has  released  to 
date. — J.  D.  Meyers,  Liberty  Theatre^  La  Grande,  Ore. 

LEO  REISMAN  AND  ORCHESTRA:  Melody  Mas- 
ters Bands. — Excellent  single  reel. — A.  L.  Dove,  Ben- 
gough Theatre,  Bengough,  Sask. 

NATION  DANCES,  THE:  Broadway  Brevities— 
This  is  a  review  of  the  dances  throughout  Russia — 
very  monotonous,  not  up  to  the  Vitaphone  standard. 
—A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Bengough,  Sask. 


National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  Nine  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  reviewed 
nine  films  for  the  current  week,  classifying 
seven  as  unobjectionable  for  general  patronage, 
one  as  unobjectionable  for  adults  and  one  as  ob- 
jectionable in  part.    The  listing  is  as  follows: 

Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  General 
Patronage:  "Crime  Smasher,"  "Kid  Dynamite." 
"King  of  the  Stallions,"  "Western  Mail," 
"No  Place  for  a  Lady,"  "Truck  Busters,"  "War 
Dogs."  Class  A-2,  Unobjectionable  for  Adults: 
"You  Can't  Beat  the  Law."  Class  B,  Objec- 
tionable in  Part:  "My  Son,  the  Hero." 


Publish  Barnes'  Song 

Wing  Commander  John  Barnes,  R.A.F., 
former  Quigley  London  office  advertising  sales 
representative,  has  had  the  first  "Gremlin"  song 
published  in  New  York  by  Bregman,  Vocco. 
Marty  Goodman  of  the  William  Morris  Agency 
closed  the  deal.  Buddy  Green  and  Ben  Homer 
were  associated  with  Barnes  in  writing  the 
song,  which  is  titled  "The  Gremlins'll  Getcha." 


Photographers  Aid  USO 

The  Fourteenth  Annual  Press  Photographers' 
Ball  in  New  York  Friday  included  numerous 
entertainers  from  stage,  screen  and  radio.  Pro- 
ceeds from  the  ticket  sale  were  turned  over  to 
the  United  Service  Organization. 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


55 


MANAGERS' 


ROUND  TABLE 


zAn  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  weekly 
tn  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 

GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


BOB  WILE,  Editor 


QP 


Wartime  Management  Short  Cuts 


Management  these  days  is  an  increasingly  difficult  task. 
Since  most  of  the  showmen  who  are  members  of  the  Round 
Table  are  the  managers  of  the  theatres  in  which  they  practice 
Hie  art  of  showmanship,  they  are  all  fully  aware  of  the  size  of 
the  job  today. 

Lack  of  help  is  only  one  of  the  many  problems  posed  by  the 
war.  Many  of  the  other  difficulties  with  which  today's  manager 
is  faced  are  traceable  to  the  war,  too.  Any  short  cuts  to  ease 
the  burden  of  management  are  helpful  to  the  cause  of  show- 
manship, since  they  would  permit  the  showman-manager  more 
time  in  the  interests  of  that  cause. 

Among  the  recent  ideas  to  come  to  hand  which  are  helpful 
in  this  connection  is  a  chart  devised  by  Boyd  Scott,  city  man- 
ager for  the  Griffith  Circuit  in  Holdenville,  Okla.  Scotty  has 
a  problem  of  state  admission  taxes  as  well  as  Federal  and 
several  different  price  scales.  So,  for  each  price  ticket  he 
made  a  five-column  chart.  The  first  column  represents  the 
number  of  tickets  sold,  the  second  the  total  money  received, 
the  balance  state  and  Federal  taxes  and  the  net  admission. 
One  copy  of  this  chart  hangs  in  the  box  office  and  one  in 
Scotty's  office.  He  shows  the  figures  for  every  number  from 
I  to  100  and  then  200,  300,  400  and  500.  Thus,  an  addition 
of  two  figures  gives  him  all  the  information  he  needs.  "It  is 
certainly  a  big  help  to  us  now  that  we  have  to  break  in  so 
many  new  cashiers,"  he  reports. 

Another  showman  we  know  found  an  excellent  way  to  get 
his  publicity  stories  typed  for  the  newspaper.  He  got  the 
students  of  typewriting  in  the  local  schools  to  use  the  press 
book  stories  as  their  exercises.  (He  added  the  name  of  the 
theatre  and  playdates,  of  course.)  The  students  were  especially 
careful  to  turn  in  clean  copy,  which  the  showman  was  proud 
to  take  to  the  newspaper  office. 

Another  manager  reports  that  he  now  gives  cashiers  their 
own  sheets  on  which  to  figure  box  office  statements,  holding 
them  strictly  responsible.  The  cashier  figures  the  number  of 
tickets  of  each  price  and  the  amount  due.  The  manager  takes 
the  cashier's  word  for  it  but  is  able  to  check  up  at  his  leisure 
and  particularly  the  next  day  when  the  previous  day's  closing 
numbers  become  the  day's  opening. 

To  aid  in  complying  with  the  government's  and  the  telephone 
company's  request  to  reduce  telephone  calls  to  essentials, 
Lew  Breyer  at  the  Strand,  Holyoke,  Mass.,  offers  the  suggestion 
of  publishing  the  starting  times  of  features  in  newspaper  ads. 


"The  Managers'  Round  Table  section  is  a  great  help  to 
everyone.  I  really  get  a  great  many  ideas  and  other  helpful 
things  from  it." — Elmer  Adams,  Yucca  theatre,  Midland,  Texas. 

Showmen  on  the  Job 

Last  Tuesday  night,  January  26th,  theatres  in  many  parts  of 
the  country  were  empty.  The  newspapers  had  announced  in 
their  morning  editions  and  radio  stations  all  day  long  had  been 
heralding  important  news  for  1 0:00  p'clock  at  night.  But  a  few 
foresighted  theatre  managers  had  their  normal  attendance. 

Here's  how  they  did  it:  For  example,  Arnold  Stoltz  at  the 
Avon,  Utica,  N.  Y.,  took  a  three  times  normal  size  ad  in  the 
newspaper,  right  alongside  his  regular  space,  to  announce: 
"Tonight  radio  broadcast  on  stage,  10:00  P.M." 

Stanley  Lambert  at  the  Venetian,  Racine,  Wis.,  where  the 
broadcast  was  at  9:00  P.  M.  because  of  the  difference  in  time, 
averted  what  might  otherwise  have  been  an  empty  house  by 
his  speedy  work.  He  put  a  special  box  over  his  regular  ad: 
"Special  nationwide  news  broadcast  will  be  read  from  the  stage 
of  this  theatre  tonight  at  9:00  P.  M.  No  need  to  miss  the  show." 
There  was  an  average  size  house  when  Stanley  stepped  onto 
the  stage  and  read  the  bulletin  which  had  been  given  to  him 
in  advance  by  the  program  director  of  Station  WRJN.  He 
had  been  sworn  to  secrecy,  of  course,  and  this  despite  the  fact 
that  he  had  advertised  he  knew  it.  In  addition,  Stanley  men- 
tioned in  his  program  over  WRJN  at  2:15  that  afternoon  that 
he  would  read  the  broadcast  from  the  stage. 

Another  bit  of  timely  advertising  was  by  Warner  Bros,  in 
New  York,  who  inserted  just  above  the  ad  for  the  picture, 
"Casablanca",  then  in  its  eighth  week  at  the  Hollywood  theatre, 
the  words,  "Was  there  ever  a  picture  more  timely?"  This 
appeared  in  the  morning  papers  which  announced  the 
momentous  conference  at  Casablanca. 

There  were  good  follow-ups  to  the  news,  too.  In  Allentown, 
Pa.,  for  instance,  Nick  Todorov,  in  charge  of  publicity  for 
Wilmer  &  Vincent's  Colonial,  used  big  headlines  over  his  ad 
on  "Casablanca",  reading:  "Today  the  world  knows  of  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt's  secret  visit  to  Casablanca.  Tonight  Wilmer  & 
Vincent's  Colonial  brings  another  scoop  to  Allentown,  hot  from 
the  headlines,  'Casablanca'  ".  — BOB  WILE 


MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    6,  1943 


WAR  INFLUENCES  SELLING 


The  Navy  put  a  recruiting  office  in  the  lobby  of  Loew's  State, 
Memphis,  during  the  run  of  "Stand  By  For  Action".   Maurice  Druker 
reports  it  got  a  lot  of  attention  from  the  younger  element 
after  the  picture. 


By  Poland  Photographers 


J* 


"It's  money  in  your  teapot" — this  sign, 
erected  by  Stewart  Gillespie  at  the 
Elgin  in  Ottawa,  seems  to  say.  Tea 
much  in  the  headlines  in  Canada 
these  days. 


First  to  report  a  WAAC  recruiting  booth  in 
a  theatre  lobby  is  Russell  Bovim,  who  has  installed 
one  in  the  lobby  of  Loew's  Ohio,  Columbus. 
Here  an  attractive  Ohio  State  senior  in  the 
College  of  Education  gets  the  answers  to  her 
guestions  from  WAAC  lieutenants.   The  booth 
will  stay  in  the  theatre  for  the  duration. 


Sidney  Kleper's  ballyhoo  man  on 
"Lady  From  Chungking"  poses  before 
the  Chungking  restaurant  near 
the  Bijou  theatre  in  New  Haven. 


ship  and  waves  were  set  in  motion 
a  rocking  device  in  a  store  window 


The 
by 

Terre  Haute,  Ind.  S 
of  the  Grand  theatre, 
for  the  display. 


P.  Katzenbach, 
was  responsible 


manager 


February    6,  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


57 


The  words  on  the  curtain  say,  "I  have  no  clothes".  The  display, 
in  the  interest  of  "Palm  Beach  Story",  was  placed  in  one 
of  the  leading  department  stores'  windows  in  Buenos  Aires 
by  John  B.  Nathan,  Paramount  manager  in  that  city. 


"Please  feed  kitty  here,"  said  sign  on  the  all-but-invisible 
box  office  of  the  Hawaii  theatre,  Hollywood,  when 
"Cat  People"  was  the  attraction.  Tickets  and  change 
slid  out  on  the  cat's  tongue. 


By  Alexandra  Studio 

This  young  lady  enhanced  an  attractive  lobby  display 
for  Stanley  Gosnell  at  the  Uptown  in  Toronto 


A  giant  lobby  display  was  erected  to  observe  the  Marines' 
_67th  Anniversary,  by  Rufus  Shepherd  of  the  Fisher  theatre,  Detroit. 
I  he  tremendous  size  can  be  seen  by  comparison  with  the  figures 
of  the  men.  It  is  a  montage  depicting  the  history  of  the  Marine  Corps 
"From  the  Halls  of  Montezuma  to  the  Shores  of  Tripoli"  and 
beyond.   Rufus  Shepherd,  by  the  way,  has  just  joined  the  Army. 


A  huge  poster  and  several  stills  on  "For  Me  and  My  Sal"  were  placed 
in  the  window  of  S.  S.  Kresge  &  Co.  in  Indianapolis  when  the  picture 
played  Loew's  theatre  there.  Bill  Elder,  manager  of  the  theatre, 
who  arranged  the  tieup,  also  got  counter  displays  in  me  same  store, 
despite  the  fact  \ha\  'he  music  was  "reissued  '. 


58 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


QUICLEY  AWARDS  ARE  CALLED 
A  DEFINITE  STIMULUS 


"A  NUMBER  OF  PROMOTIONS" 

There  is  never  a  week  that  a  theatreman 
cannot  find  in  'the  Round  Table  a  number 
of  articles  and  tried  publicity  stunts  that 
will  work  on  the  picture  that  is  coming  up 
on  the  booking  sheet  for  next  week.  I  have 
been  a  member  for  eight  years  and  at  the 
time  I  first  sent  in  some  material  I  felt  that 
I  owed  you  any  material  that  had  worked 
for  me.  I  still  feel  the  same  way  about  it. 

My  company  has  given  me  a  number  of 
promotions  and  salary  increases,  mostly  be- 
cause they  recognize  my  work  through  the 
Awards  I  have  won. 

Jimmie  Redmond,  city  manager,  Tri-States  Theatres, 
Falls  City,  Neb. 

"IMPORTANT  FACTOR" 

I  consider  the  Quigley  Awards  and  the 
Round  Table  of  the  Motion  Picture  Herald 
to  be  as  important  a  factor  to  good  show- 
manship as  any  other  single  item  that  is 
available  to  theatre  men. 

While  circuit  theatres  have  advertising 
departments  and  publicity  representatives, 
the  independent  theatre  manager  must  de- 
pend on  the  other  sources  of  assistance, 
and  the  Round  Table  fills  the  need. 

The  Quigley  Awards  not  only  stimulate 


goal 


that 


we  in 


the 


initiative,  but  are  a 
field  try  to  achieve. 

I  wouldn't  be  without  Motion  Picture 
Herald  and  the  Herald  would  not  be  what 
it  is  without  the  Managers'  Round  Table 
and  the  Quigley  Awards. 
George  Laby,  Palace  theatre,  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

"RECOGNITION  AND  PRESTIGE" 

It  is  my  sincere  hope  that  this,  the 
I  Oth  year  of  the  Quigley  Awards  be  a 
most  successful  one. 

A  sense  of  "Importance"  to  our  industry 
and  that  inner  feeling  of  conscientious  satis- 
faction are  only  two  by-products  of  the 
increased  grosses  at  the  box  office. 

Recognition  and   prestige  go  hand  in 
hand   with   any  and  all   efforts  directed 
toward  stimulating  those  extra  grosses. 
Chuck  Shannon,  Cambria  theatre,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

"DEFINITELY  A  STIMULUS" 

The  Awards  are  definitely  a  stimulus  to 
the  theatre  manager.  I  know  from  personal 
experience  that  I  have  started  out  with 
just  a  single  idea  on  a  picture,  then  thought 
that  if  I  could  improve  it  slightly  it  might 
serve  as  a  vehicle  to  enter  the  Fortnightly 
group.  Elaborating  on  the  original  idea 
was  simple  once 
started,  and  before 
I  knew  it  an  entire 
campaignwas  ready. 
Not  only  did  the 
stimulus  of  the 
Awards  increase  my 
productivity,  but 
box  office  receipts 
as  well.  To  have  the 
real  satisfaction  of 
preparing  a  good 
campaign,  and  then 
to  have  it  receive 
credit  in  the  Herald 
makes  it  anti-climac- 
tic but  gratifying 
when  receipts  take 
a  turn  upward. 

The  Awards  are 
to  showmen  what 
the  Army-Navy  "E" 
is  to  men  of  indus- 
try, a  badge  of  ap- 
proval from  persons 
interested  in  pro- 
ductive results.  That 
extra  punch  that  the 
showman  puts  into 
his  work  is  bound  to 
show  up  on  his  profit 
and  loss  statement 
for  year.  It  just  has 
to  and  usually  does. 

William  D.  Galligan, 
Commercial  and  Joy 
theatres,  South  Chi- 
cago, III. 


"GREATEST  TRADE  FRATERNITY" 

Tis  said,  "A  man  is  known  by  the  com- 
pany he  keeps."  All  I  can  say  is  that  you'll 
find  all  Quigley  entrants  some  guys!  I've 
met  plenty,  and  they  are  not  only  grand 
fellows  but  they  are  swell  showmen. 

You'll  note  that  I  say  Quigley  entrants 
and  not  just  winners.  Having  been  a  win- 
ner, believe  me  I'm  not  discounting  the 
ecs-tasy  and  elation  that  goes  with  that 
honor;  but  here  is  once  where  you  need 
not  be  a  winner  to  benefit.  All  of  us  who 
get  this  chance  to  have  our  work  shown 
to  the  top  theatre  executives  should  be 
thankful.  One  stunt — one  single  promo- 
tion— may  bring  you  before  the  man  you 
want  to  reach.  It  will  certainly  not  only 
show  your  boss  what  you  are  capable  of 
but  will  make  him  proud  that  one  of  his 
"boys"  deserves  this  recognition. 

The  manager  who  doesn't  take  all  the 
aid  that  Managers'  Round  Table  offers  him 
and  in  turn  doesn't  submit  his  efforts  to  be 
passed  along  to  the  other  fellows  is  not 
only  missing  a  good  bet  but  he  is  losing 
the  opportunity  to  join  the  greatest  "trade 
fraternity"  ever  conceived  for  a  group  of 
craftsmen.  The  theatre  manager  who 
doesn't  think  he  has  a  craft  and  isn't  proud 
of  his  skill  in  it  is  in  the  wrong  business. 

Your  first  Quigley  Award  is  a  milestone, 
and  each  additional  one  adds  another,  of 
which  the  thrill  never  dies. 
Arnold  Stoltz,  Avon  theatre,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

"A  JOB  WELL  DONE" 

The  Quigley  Awards  are  now  entering 
their  tenth  year.  Looking  backward  through 
those  years,  I  can  picture  in  my  mind  some 
of  the  campaigns  that  have  helped  to  win 
awards  for  me.  Considering  the  effort  put 
into  some  of  these  campaigns,  I  feel  that 
the  time  has  been  well  spent  in  the 
knowledge  of  a  job  well  done. 

I  look  forward  to  the  coming  year, 
despite  the  added  hardships  of  the  war 
efforts  taking  up  a  good  deal  of  time,  and 
hope  to  be  able  to  contribute  something 
worthwhile  to,  as  well  as  gain  something 
from,  the  pages  of  the  Managers'  Round 
Table. 

Morris    Rosenthal,    Majestic    theatre,  Bridgeport, 
Conn. 

"FINE,  HELPFUL  CONTRIBUTION" 

Congratulations  to  the  Quigley  Awards 
on  their  tenth  anniversary.  In  my  opinion, 
the  Quigley  Awards  are  a  fine  and  helpful 
contribution  to  all  showmen. 

It  has  inspired  me  in  many  ways  to  put 
more  effort  into  showmanship,  both  in  the 
field  of  exploitation  of  a  picture  and  with 
a  thought  to  enhance  the  value  of  our 
attractions  at  the  box  office. 

Carl  Rogers,  Granada  theatre,  Cleveland,  O. 


February    6,    194  3  MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


59 


RECOGNITION  AND  PRESTIGE 
ACCORDED  TO  WINNERS 


PERSONAL  SATISFACTION" 

I'll  say  the  Quigley  Awards  are  a  factor 
in  stimulating  me  to  put  an  extra  effort 
into  showmanship.  It  shows,  too,  in  the 
results  I  get  at  the  box  office. 

I  had  never  gotten  the  personal  satisfac- 
tion from  exploitation  that  it  rightfully  de- 
serves until  I  joined  the  Managers'  Round 
Table.  I  pulled  off  stunts  and  carried  out 
campaigns  but,  until  joining  up  with  you 
and  the  boys,  I  never  paid  a  whole  lot  of 
attention  to  showmanship. 

In  plain  words,  now  I  find  that  there  is 
a  personal  satisfaction  in  presuming  that 
a  stunt  you  have  used  successfully  might 
help  out  another  exhibitor,  after  finding  its 
way  to  the  pages  of  the  Round  Table  sec- 
tion of  the  Herald. 

And  just  the  reverse,  too!  Often  I  get 
ready  to  go  to  work  on  a  certain  picture. 
So  I  run  through  my  Herald  file  to  see  what 
Lige  Brien  in  Pittsburgh  or  Arnold  Stoltz 
in  Utica  used  on  the  picture.  Then  I  co- 
ordinate my  idea  with  their  proven  stunt — 
and  I  usually  get  off  a  pretty  good  cam- 
paign. This  is  a  very  important  factor, 
which  is  definitely  brought  on  by  the 
Quigley  Awards. 

The  heads  of  my  circuit  have  been  more 
than  interested  in  my  participation  in  the 
Quigley  Awards,  particularly  the  Donald 
Nelson  Citation  for  scrap  which  was  re- 
cently awarded  me. 

The  winning  of  Quigley  Awards  has  also 
brought  recognition  from  other  men  in  the 
field  and  exhibitors  in  other-  cities  and 
towns. 

Jack  Matlack,  publicity  representative,  George  A. 
Hunt  Theatres,  Inc.,  Medford,  Ore. 

"INCREASES  AND  PROMOTIONS" 

I  wish  to  extend  my  congratulations  to 
the  Quigley  Awards  on  their  I  Oth  year 
and  to  express  my  appreciation  for  their 
helpfulness  and  acknowledgment  for  my 
showmanship  efforts. 

By  acknowledging  my  work,  the  Quigley 
Awards  have  aided  me  in  securing  salary 
increases  and  promotions. 

It  is  the  Quigley  Awards  which  serve  as 
a  stimulus  and  inspiration  for  further  efforts, 
which  will  not  only  result  in  personal  satis- 
faction but  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  theatre  where  showmanship  is  being 
used. 

Lige  Brien,  Belmar  theatre,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

"SUPERIORS  INTERESTED" 

You  can  definitely  say  that  all  my  supe- 
riors from  the  city  manager  to  the  division 
manager,  Mr.  E.  C.  Rhoden,  have  been 
interested  in  my  winnings  of  these  honors. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  it  has  stimu- 
lated me  to  better  showmanship  and 
enhancing  the  picture's  gross  at  the 
box  office. 

Don  Aldritt,  Watson  theatre,  Salina,  Kans. 


"AN  INCENTIVE,"  SAYS 
ARTHUR  FRUDENFELD 

"I  shall  be  most  happy  to  serve  on 
the  Quigley  Award  Committee,"  says 
Arthur  Frudenfeld,  divisional  director 
for  RKO  Theatres  in  Ohio.  "There  is 
no  doubt  that  the  importance  of  this 
unique  feature  of  your  weekly  in- 
creases with  each  passing  year  and 
serves  as  an  incentive  to  all  those  in 
the  field." 


"CONSTRUCTIVE  AID" 

Congratulations  to  Quigley  Awards  as 
they  enter  their  I  Oth  year!  As  a  long-time 
member  of  Managers'  Round  Table  and  an 
ardent  reader  of  its  columns,  I  am  grateful 
to  the  Round  Table  for  its  untiring  interest 
in  the  men  in  the  field  and  for  its  earnest 
and  successful  endeavor  to  render  con- 
structive aid. 

Quigley  Awards  are  now  an  institution, 
for  only  an  institution  could  carry  on  to 
greater  things  with  each  succeeding  year. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  on  more  than 
one  occasion  to  receive  recognition,  and 
you  may  be  sure  it  has  been  a  keen  satis- 
faction and  inspiration.  The  system  of 
merit  promotes  friendly  rivalry  and,  in  so 
doing,  provides  the  incentive  to  do  and 
to  achieve. 

May  the  Quigley  Awards  long  endure, 
building  for  the  good  of  all,  spreading  their 
message  of  encouragement  and  goodwill 
to  the  far  corners  of  the  industry. 
Bill  Harwell,  city  manager,  Warner  theatres.  Ports- 
mouth, O. 

"INCENTIVE  TO  ANY  MANAGER" 

The  annual  Quigley  Awards,  as  sponsored 
through  the  Managers'  Round  Table  of 
Motion  Picture  Herald,  are  by  no  means 
overlooked  by  the  men  at  the  head  of  our 
Canadian  theatre  circuits.  In  the  first 
place,  the  Quigley  Awards  are  an  incen- 
tive to  any  cinema  theatre  manager  who 
honestly  believes  in  the  future  of  his  chosen 
field  of  activities.  Secondly,  by  giving  the 
best  that  is  in  him  to  his  chiefs,  it  is  natural 
to  expect  that  his  efforts  will  eventually 
gain  recognition  and  advancement  to 
where  his  specialized  talents  would  be  of 
better  advantage  to  his  organization. 

Stewart  G.  Gillespie,  Elgin  theatre,  Ottawa,  Canada 


A  HUNDRED  JUDGES 

One  hundred  prominent  men  in  the 
field  of  exhibition,  distribution  and 
promotion  in  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry have  accepted  invitations  to 
serve  on  the  1943  Judging  Commit- 
tee for  the  Quigley  Awards.  Names 
of  the  Judges  will  be  announced  next 
week. 


"BAROMETER  OF  SHOWMANSHIP" 

The  Quigley  Awards  are  the  best  known 
barometer  of  showmanship  analysis  in  the 
country  today. 

The  very  first  thing  I  do  when  the  Motion 
Picture  Herald  arrives  is  to  look  through 
the  Managers'  Round  Table  section  for 
some  stunt  that  a  colleague  has  used  that 
I  can  repeat  for  the  engagement  of  the 
same  picture  locally. 

For  news  of  the  industry  as  a  whole  I 
don't  know  of  any  other  periodical  that 
even  comes  close  to  the  Herald. 

Our  circuit  heads  are  interested  and 
from  time  to  time  have  made  mention  of 
how  our  organization  stood  in  regard  to 
Quigley  Awards  mentions,  and  it's  made 
me  mighty  proud  to  be  among  those 
contributors. 

Maurice   Druker,   Loew's  State  theatre,  Memphis, 
Tenn. 

"AN  INVIGORATING  INCENTIVE" 

Many  times  during  my  six  years  as  a 
manager  these  Awards  have  stimulated  me 
to  put  forth  greater  effort  than  I  would 
have  done  otherwise  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  I  have  been  rewarded  for  this  extra 
effort  in  various  ways,  directly  and  in- 
directly. 

I  sincerely  hope  that  they  will  be  con- 
tinued for  as  long  as  theatres  exist,  to 
reward  those  who  excel  and  to  furnish  an 
invigorating  incentive  to  all  who  practice 
the  ancient  and  profitable  art  of  showman- 
ship. A  happy  manager  is  he  who  works 
hard  and  achieves  results;  he  will  do  both 
if  his  diet  includes  a  bit  of  well-earned 
nourishment  for  his  self-esteem.  The  free, 
fair  and  keen  competition  of  the  Quigley 
Awards  can  furnish  the  necessary  vitamins, 
even  to  those  managers  not  accustomed  to 
receiving  them  from  sources  which  would 
stand  to  profit  most  from  an  occasional  dis- 
pensation. The  good  that  must  have  been 
accomplished  by  the  Quigley  Awards  in 
the  ten  years  of  their  existence  is  incal- 
culable. Keep  'em  flying! 
Bill  Johnson,  Diana  theatre,  Medina,  N.  Y. 

"A  MARK  OF  DISTINCTION" 

I  was  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  con- 
tinuing the  Quigley  Awards  for  1943  and 
here's  hoping  the  tenth  will  be  the  biggest 
year  of  them  all. 

That  ...  —  symbol  for  Victory — will  be 
needed  more  than  ever  this  year  and,  if 
we  are  to  be  the  showmen,  this  will  be  the 
year  to  show  it.  Personally,  I  am  going  to 
be  more  "on  my  toes"  than  ever  in  regard 
to  dating  not  only  features  but  short  sub- 
jects, too. 

A  Quigley  Award  is  definitely  a  mark 
of  distinction  and  merit. 

H.  S.  ("Doc")  Twedt,  Lido  theatre,  Manly,  Iowa. 


60 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Feb 


ruary 


943 


Selling  Points 

ON  THE  NEW  PRODUCT 

[The  material  below  reflects  press  books  now  in  preparation  and  represents  the  point  of 
view  of  the  distributors'  exploiteers  about  the  selling  points  and  special  merit  of  these  pictures.] 

ANDY  HARDY'S  DOUBLE  LIFE  (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer):  One  of  the  principal  selling 
angles  of  this  picture  is  the  fact  that  Esther  Williams,  national  swimming  champion, 
has  a  leading  role  in  it.  In  one  scene,  she  psychoanalyzes  him,  which  suggests  a  con- 
test with  illustrations  from  the  picture  and  newspaper  readers  to  send  in  their  answers 
to  the  question,  "What  would  you  do  if  a  pretty  psychology  student  suddenly  kissed 
you,  saying,  'Do  you  mind  if  I  test  your  reflexes?'  "  A  blowup  of  the  kissing  scene 
could  be  placed  in  the  lobby,  and  a  local  girl  could  perform  "psychological  kiss  experi- 
ments" in  exchange  for  War  Bond  purchases.  Esther  Williams'  picture  would  be  an 
attractive  addition  to  the  sports  pages  of  the  newspapers  and,  because  of  her  record, 
it  might  be  planted.  There  are  three  poses  of  Rooney  with  Ann  Rutherford  and 
Esther  Williams,  with  places  for  newspaper  readers  to  insert  modern  love  slanguage. 
This  also  suggests  other  exploitation  relating  to  slang.  To  capitalize  further  on  Esther 
Williams,  a  local  bathing  beauty  contest  can  be  held,  with  the  one  most  resembling 
the  swimmer  proclaimed  the  winner.  Swimming  contests  can  be  held  in  indoor  pools. 
Miss  Williams  has  posed  for  many  fashion  stills,  and  these  can  be  planted  in  store 
windows  for  tie-up  purposes.  There  are  a  great  many  other  stills  which  can  be  used 
in  the  same  way;  each  of  them  is  from  a  scene  in  the  picture  and  is  therefore  more 
welcome  to  the  merchant.  There  are  the  usual  three  versions  of  newspaper  serials: 
one  of  six  chapters  designed  for  daily  papers,  one  of  three  chapters  for  weeklies, 
and  a  six-chapter  picture  strip  for  either. 

SALUDOS  AMIGOS  (RKO):  This  cartoon  subject  is  readily  exploitable  from  several 
angles.  Stress  can  be  laid  either  on  the  cartoon  or  more  seriously  on  the  Good 
Neighbor  policy.  Along  the  former  line  is  a  cartoon  illustration  showing  Joe  Carioca, 
the  new  Disney  character  introduced  in  this  picture.  Imprinted  on  a  card  with  a  little 
doggerel  as  suggested  in  the  press  book,  this  makes  an  effective  handout.  A  cut-out 
of  Goofy  with  hands  pointing  at  him  bearing  Spanish  words  for  his  clothing  illustrates 
a  scene  from  the  picture  and  is  good  for  lobby  display  purposes,  too.  There  are  two 
songs  in  the  picture  which  can  be  publicized  in  the  usual  way  with  tieups  in  music 
stores,  etc.  The  Samba,  a  Brazilian  dance,  is  described  in  detail  in  the  press  book,  and 
can  be  used  to  make  tieups  with  dancing  schools.  There  is  a  large  map  of  South 
America  with  the  countries  outlined;  it  can  be  used  as  a  contest,  with  capitals,  names 
of  presidents  and  principal  product  of  each  country  to  be  listed.  It  could  also  be 
used  in  schools  to  call  attention  to  the  picture  and  the  Good  Neighbor  theme.  It  is 
suggested  that  any  Latin-American  consuls  or  other  officials  be  invited  to  the  show- 
ings, since  this  picture  will  overcome  any  prejudice  carrying  over  from  earlier  attempts. 
There  is  a  coloring  contest  for  children  in  which  outlines  of  the  various  South  American 
countries'  flags  are  printed  and  the  colors  indicated  for  the  kids  to  fill  in.  This,  too, 
is  good  for  school  use.  Still  another  coloring  contest  employs  sketches  of  the  various 
cartoon  characters.  There  is  a  film  and  radio  discussion  guide  for  school  use  which 
would  aid  considerably  in  obtaining  school  publicity.  Stamps  of  South  American 
countries  might  be  borrowed  from  local  collectors  and  exhibited  in  the  lobby  during 
the  run. 


Taylor  Lands  Heralds 
In  Defense  Plants 

Getting  inside  the  defense  plants  with 
the  theatre's  message  and  sales  plug  is  a 
constant  problem,  but  Charles  B.  Taylor, 
director  of  advertising  and  publicity  for  the 
Shea  Theatres,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  got  heralds 
on  ''Casablanca"  and  "Reunion  in  France" 
into  the  hands  of  the  workers  of  both  the 
Curtis- Wright  and  Bell  plants  in  Buffalo. 
In  order  to  assure  one  hundred  per  cent  dis- 
tribution, copy  for  the  plant's  employment 
needs  was  used  in  each  case. 

The  Curtis- Wright  herald  read:  "Atten- 
tion, workers !  We  have  openings  for  hun- 
dreds of  men  and  women.  Hundreds  of  good 


jobs  available  in  many  branches  of  airplane 
building.  Invite  your  friends  to  apply  at 
once.  And  then,  for  relaxation  and  grand 
entertainment,  see,  etc.  A  similar  tieup  was 
used  on  the  herald  distributed  at  the  Bell 
plant. 

Since  the  Polish  population  in  Buffalo  is 
large,  Charlie  promoted  a  sock  spread  on 
"The  Palm  Beach  Story"  in  that  language 
paper  with  all  copy  printed  in  Polish.  An- 
other stunt  recently  landed  by  Taylor  was 
the  distribution  of  tent  cards  which  were 
planted  on  the  tables  of  Child's  restaurant 
advertising  his  current  attraction.  Coasters 
on  which  to  set  water  glasses  were  also 
available,  each  carrying  title,  cast,  playdates 
and  picture  copy. 


Small  Town 
Showmen  Buy 
Radio  Time 

From  various  parts  of  the  country,  Man- 
agers' Round  Table  has  received  reports  on 
the  increased  use  of  the  radio  for  advertis- 
ing, particularly  on  the  part  of  small  town 
theatres.  Small  town  theatres  are  actually 
buying  time  on  stations  in  their  vicinity. 

Thomas  di  Lorenzo,  of  the  New  Paltz 
theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y.,  makes  use  of  the 
facilities  of  WKNY,  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  with 
a  daily  program  advertising  the  attractions 
at  his  theatre.  He  writes  the  announce- 
ments himself  and  has  selected  a  spot  im- 
mediately after  a  noon  news  broadcast  for 
their  airing.  This  advertising  is,  of  course, 
supplemental  to  his  newspaper  budget. 

One  of  the  outstanding  small  town  users 
of  radio  advertising  is  Herbert  Graefe, 
manager  of  the  Wisconsin  Rapids  theatre, 
Wisconsin  Rapids,  Wis.,  who  answers  a 
question  often  asked  of  him  by  fellow  man- 
agers, "Why  should  I  use  the  radio;  I  run 
an  ad  every  day  in  the  newspaper  ?" 

Herb  learned  that  75  to  85  per  cent  of 
the  people  in  the  community  from  which 
the  theatre's  population  is  drawn,  listen  to 
the  local  radio  station.  His  survey  also  dis- 
closed that  the  local  station  had  more  day- 
time than  night  listeners  when  the  network 
programs  are  on.  He  therefore  decided  that 
spot  announcements  should  best  be  run  in 
the  period  just  before  the  supper  hour  and 
the  opening  of  the  house. 

Three  Spot  Announcements  Daily 

The  Wisconsin  Rapids  theatres  use  three 
spot  announcements  daily;  one  in  the  morn- 
ing, one  at  noon,  and  one  just  before  sup- 
per. Stars  and  picture  title  are  preceded  by 
the  same  introductory  theme,  Kay  Kyser's 
"Take  Your  Girlie  to  the  Movies." 

Another  great  radio  feature,  according  to 
Herb  is  the  use  of  the  15  minute  air  trailers 
produced  in  Hollywood  studios.  The  radio 
station  is  glad  to  broadcast  these,  he  says, 
with  the  only  charge  being  a  nominal  one  for 
the  announcement  of  the  playdates. 

In  the  case  of  musical  pictures,  Herb  uses 
the  hit  tunes  with  listeners  required  to  name 
them  in  order  to  receive  complimentary  tick- 
ets. As  many  as  500  entries  have  been  re- 
ceived from  a  contest  of  this  kind.  Since 
radio  figures  a  response  of  one  out  of  20 
listeners  is  good,  this  would  indicate  10,000 
listeners  to  Herb's  programs. 

Sport  reels  are  accompanied  by  free  an- 
nouncements following  the  sport  news. 
When  a  Pete  Smith  short  such  as  a  Pru- 
dence Penny  subject  plays,  it  is  accompanied 
by  an  announcement  in  connection  with  a 
women's  program.  Features  such  as  "Wake 
Island,"  "Manila  Calling"  or  a  subject  like 
"The  Battle  of  Midway"  are  given  special 
emphasis  on  news  programs  because  of  their 
timeliness. 

Herb  himself  takes  part  in  a  weekly  pro- 
gram, from  9:15  to  9:30  Saturday  mornings, 
called  "Hollywood  Chatter,"  in  which  late 
news  of  motion  pictures  is  included  and  a 
biography  of  some  star  is  given  plus 
answers  to  questions  about  films,  submitted 
by  listeners.  A  special  feature  included 
each  week  is  what  happened  during  the  film 
of  a  certain  picture  or  things  the  camera 
does  not  see. 


February    6,  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


61 


UNITED  NATIONS  WEEK  GETS 
THOROUGH  SELLING  JOB 


Nation's  Theatres  Put  All 
Their  Efforts  Into  Drive, 
Using  Every  Medium 

United  Nations  Week  was  observed  by 
theatres  all  over  the  country  each  of  them 
putting  their  publicity  and  exploitation  ef- 
forts behind  it  without  in  the  least  sacrific- 
ing their  effort  for  their  individual  shows. 
Selling  for  United  Nations  Week  was  han- 
dled through  lobby  displays,  newspaper  ad- 
vertising and  publicity,  contests  of  various 
kinds  and  radio  broadcasts.  Some  of  the 
outstanding  campaigns  are  reported  here. 

United  Nations  Week  got  a  thoroughgoing 
selling  job  in  Medford,  Ore.,  reports  Jack 
Matlack,  publicity  representative  for  the  four 
theatres  there  of  the  George  A.  Hunt  Cir- 
cuit. 

Jack  started  out  with  a  staff  meeting  of 
the  employees  of  the  four  houses  in  order 
that  they  would  the  more  readily  be  able  to 
explain  to  the  public  the  need  for  and  the 
purpose  of  the  collections. 

Three  Column  Cut  in  Paper 

The  three  column  cut  of  the  30  United 
Nations  flags  which  appeared  in  the  press 
book  on  United  Nations  Week  was  planted 
in  the  Medford  Mail  Tribune,  local  daily, 
together  with  a  story.  The  weekly  paper 
also  carried  a  story,  special  cuts  and  plugs 
on  United  Nations  Week  appeared  in  the 
theatres'  ads  three  days  before  the  drive 
started.  The  plugs  were  abandoned  after 
the  first  show  as  it  was  feared  that  too  many 
collections  might  induce  some  patrons  to 
stay  away  from  the  theatres.  The  collections 
were  made  but  unadvertised. 

Jack  reports  that  a  special  show,  "The 
Avengers",  was  booked  into  the  Holly  thea- 
tre. Since  the  picture  has  to  do  with  the 
travail  of  the  Norwegians  when  their  coun- 
try was  invaded,  it  seemed  particularly  ap- 
propriate and  was  accordingly  publicized. 

Schools  Participate 

The  local  schools  participated  in  the  cam- 
paign in  a  minor  way,  making  a  small  collec- 
tion which  was  added  to  the  final  total. 
The  schools  asked  for  several  of  the  ''flag 
cards"  to  use  as  an  educational  medium 
which  proved  to  be  a  good  advertising  me- 
dium for  the  cause.  Jack  placed  several  of 
the  one  sheets  in  strategic  spots. 

The  Medford  radio  station  cooperated 
wholeheartedly  with  several  free  broadcasts 
over  station  KMED.  The  Medford  thea- 
i  tres'  own  half  hour  daily  program  was  large- 
ly given  over  to  United  Nations  Week. 

Charlie  Taylor,  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity  for  the  Shea  theatres  in  Buf- 
falo, got  the  front  page  and  a  double  truck 
\  in  the  center  spread  for  United  Nations 
Week  in  Everybody's  Daily,  local  Polish 
newspapers.  Charlie  persuaded  Mayor 
Kelly  of  Buffalo  to  issue  a  proclamation  on 
behalf  of  United  Nations  Week,  which  he 
blew  up  and  put  in  the  lobby. 

More  than  $900  was  collected  at  the  Lido 


Paul  Binstock  had  a  separate  receptacle  for 
each  one  of  the  United  Nations  during 
United  Nations  week.  The  flags  of  all  of 
them  formed  the  keynote  of  his  lobby 
display  at  the  Sheepshead  theatre  in  Brook- 
lyn. The  baby  in  the  picture  was  blown  up 
from  a  National  Screen  Service  ad  which 
appeared  in  Motion  Picture  Herald. 

theatre,  Maywood,  111.,  where  Art  Wartha, 
manager,  obtained  the  cooperation  of  the 
Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars.  They  appeared 
in  uniform  at  every  performance  and  them- 
selves took  up  the  collections,  which  in  Art's 
opinion,  had  much  to  do  with  the  success  of 
the  drive. 

A  comprehensive  campaign  was  staged 
at  the  Capitol,  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  by  Deane  H. 
Emley,  who  obtained  a  great  deal  of  atten- 
tion for  this  cause.  He  planted  a  story  in 
the  daily  paper  three  days  in  advance  and 
used  a  two  column  cut  in  his  ads.  A  ban- 
ner on  the  marquee  was  flown  in  advance 
and  during  the  drive.  Two  American  flags, 
a  Polish  and  a  Greek  emblem  were  used  in 
front  of  the  house.  (Ed.  Note — There  is  a 
strong  Greek  and  Polish  element  in  Dun- 
kirk). The  local  Polish  churches  and 
schools  made  announcements  about  the  cam- 
paign. A  proclamation  by  the  Mayor  was 
printed  in  the  newspaper. 

Speakers  for  Each  Nation 

Emley  also  arranged  to  have  speakers  rep- 
resenting- various  United  Nations  on  the 
stage  the  first  three  nights  of  the  drive. 
The  Polish  school  also  put  on  a  one-act 
play  entitled  "Two  Soldiers"  singing  in 
Polish  and  dressed  in  Polish  costumes.  Girl 
Scouts  in  uniform  were  used  to  make  the 
collection  in  the  theatre. 

At  the  Roxy  theatre,  Delphi.  Ind.,  Chris 
Chamales  issued  a  "hard  ticket"  with  room 
at  the  top  for  the  name  of  the  contributor 
and  the  words  "Don't  let  the  season  pass 
without  aid  to  the  Allies".  The  "season 
pass"  was  in  very  large  type. 

At  the  Playhouse,  Hicksville,  Long  Island, 
Evan  Thompson  ran  a  popularity  contest  on 


the  stage  in  cooperation  with  the  Business 
Men's  Association  of  Hicksville.  A  girl 
represented  each  of  the  United  Nations. 
Coupons  were  printed  in  the  newspaper  each 
good  for  ten  votes.  Votes  could  also  be 
obtained  through  the  local  merchants.  The 
leading  contestants,  each  wearing  a  ribbon 
representing  one  of  the  United  Nations  were 
introduced  to  the  audience  and  the  winner 
selected  on  the  opening  night  of  the  drive. 

She  was  presented  with  a  $25  War  Bond 
by  the  president  of  the  Business  Men's  As- 
sociation and  with  a  bouquet  through  the 
courtesy  of  the  local  florist.  The  next  day 
she  was  taken  to  the  nearby  plant  of  the 
Grumman  Aircraft  Engineering  Corp., 
where  she  sponsored  a  plane  called  'United 
Nations".  This  gave  Thompson  a  fine  send- 
off  for  his  United  Nations  Week  drive. 

Before  the  final  judging  of  the  contest, 
he  had  front  page  stories  on  several  occa- 
sions in  the  Centre  Island  News  and  also  in 
Newsday,  Long  Island  daily  paper.  Pictures 
of  the  winners  and  the  final  judging  also 
appeared  in  the  papers. 

Clyde  Smith  Arranges  Extensive 
Programs  to  Sell  War  Bonds 

Extensive  programs  were  arranged  for 
the  Malco  theatres  in  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  to 
further  the  War  Bond  drive.  W.  Clyde 
Smith,  city  manager,  arranged  for  special 
programs  at  each  of  the  five  houses.  Mem- 
bers of  the  County  Defense  Committee  made 
short  addresses.  The  Red  Cross  started  the 
sale  of  War  Bonds  and  Stamps  with  other 
organizations  taking  over  later.  Soldiers, 
sailors  and  marine  appeared  in  person. 

War  mothers  were  guests  of  the  theatres. 
So  were  members  of  the  Army  and  Navy 
general  staffs.  All  persons  buying  War 
Bonds  were  admitted  free  on  a  particular 
night. 


$1,225  in  Bonds  in  a  Week 

The  Gettysburg,  Penna.,  Woman's  Club 
sold  $1,225  in  War  Bonds  and  Stamps  in 
a  single  week  at  the  Majestic  theatre,  Syd- 
ney Poppay,  manager,  reports.  An  item  to 
this  effect  appeared  on  the  front  page  of 
the  local  paper. 


Deering  Uses  War  Poster 

The  War  Activities  poster  showing  the 
attractive  baby  was  made  a  wedge  for  a 
break  in  both  the  Houston  Post  and  Chroni- 
cle Sunday  editions  through  the  efforts  of 
Francis  Deering,  who  planted  photos  of  a 
local  child  seated  in  front  of  the  poster  in 
the  theatre  lobby  and  making  her  purchase  of 
a  War  Bond. 


62 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,     194  3 


PERSONALS  ON  SHOWMEN 


ELMER  ADAMS,  JR.,  assistant  city  man- 
ager of  the  Palace,  Trail,  and  Folly  theatres, 
in  Duncan,  Okla.,  is  now  city  manager  for 
the  Griffith-Wilbern  theatres,  headquater- 
ing  at  the  Yucca  theatre,  in  Midland,  Tex. 

CHARLES  E.  GRACE  is  now  managing 
the  Embassy  theatre,  in  Brooklyn. 

STANLEY  KRINER,  formerly  manager  of 
the  Golden  Gate  theatre,  in  Riverside,  Cal., 
is  now  managing  the  Fox  Glendale,  in 
Glendale. 

KENNETH  COLLINS  is  now  managing 
the  Monarch  Theatres  Circle  theatre,  in 
Indianapolis,  Ind.  Other  circuit  changes  in- 
clude Len  Tuttle,  managing  the  Indiana  and 
Moe  Esserman  acting  as  his  assistant. 

Round  Table  Personalities 

JOE  HERMAN,  formerly  at  the  Embassy 

theatre,  in  Brooklyn,  has  been  transferred  to 

the  managership  of  the  Ambassador  theatre 

there. 

BILL  MILLER,  manager  of  the  Brandt 
theatre,  in  Harvey,  111.,  has  been  inducted 
into  the  Army,  reporting  at  Camp  Grant, 
111. 

LOU  MARCKS  is  now  managing  Schine's 
Colonia,  in  Norwich,  N.  Y. 

WARREN  EDDY,  manager  of  the  Garden 
theatre,  at  Sigourney,  la.,  has  been  inducted 
into  the  Army,  and  Mrs.  Eddy  is  operating 
the  theatre  with  the  assistance  of  Genevieve 
Clark. 

TOMMY  ALLQUIST,  formerly  at  the 
Capitol  theatre,  Middletown,  Conn.,  has 
been  made  assistant  manager  at  the  Warner 
Regal,  Hartford. 

Robert  Dodson  Climbs  Ladder, 
Usher  to  Manager  in  10  Years 

Just  two  days  before  the  Armistice  that 
marked  the  end  of  the  First  World  War, 
Robert  L.  Dodson  was  born  in  Maysville, 
Ky.  He  was  only  14 
when  he  went  to 
work  in  the  Wash- 
ington theatre  as  a 
part  time  usher.  In 
1937,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  doorman  at 
the  Russell  theatre, 
also  a  Schine  house. 
Two  years  later,  the 
c  i  r  c  u  it  promoted 
him  to  assistant 
manager  and  trans- 
ferred him  to  the 
Paris,  Paris,  Ky. 
Teh  next  year  he  was  transferred,  this 
time  to  the  Opera  House,  Lexington,  Ky. 
In  1941,  he  joined  the  Chakeres  Circuit 
and  was  named  assistant  at  the  Majestic, 
Springfield,  O.,  later  at  the  Regent  in  the 
same  city.  Last  year  he  was  appointed 
manager  of  the  Princess  and  Hippodrome, 
the  post  he  holds  today.  He  is  married  and 
the  father  of  a  girl. 


HAPPY  BIRTHDAY 


February  7th 
Rodney  White 
Martin  S.  Lane 
F.  Mallory  Pittman 
George  Rybica 
Malcolm  Gilbert 
C.  C.  Coates 
Ray  Hanson 
Gene  E.  Scott 

8th 

Harold  C.  Lee 
Claude  D.  Burrows 
William  Nelson 

9th 

Walter  W.  Murphy 
Walter  Bennett 
1 0th 

Mrs.  Gerald  Brownfield 
Mrs.  I.  C.  Byersley 
Mark  Solomon 
Leonard  Allen 
Thomas  Wall 


February  1 0th 

Lou  S.  Hart 

I  Ith 

Russell  V.  Hupp 
Robert  V.  Marchbank 
John  J.  Maloney 
Raymond  C.  Langfitt 

12th 

Samuel  Daskalakis 
Saul  L.  Goldstein 
Perry  L.  Lessy 
George  Bronson 
J.  P.  Perry 
Stand  Andrews 
Frank  Austin 
David  Wald 
Floyd  L.  Gray 
Robert  K.  Shapiro 
13th 

T.  G.  Whittmore 
Harry  Black 
Mrs.  Avece  T.  Waldron 
James  O'Dell  Childers 


Garnet  Wright's  Ten  Years  in 
Theatres,  All  in  Winnipeg 

An  interesting  career  in  Winnipeg  thea- 
tres is  in  back  of  Garnet  M.  Wright,  now 
managing  the  Rio  in  the  Manitoa  metropo- 
lis. He  was  born 
in  Deloraine,  Mani- 
toba, April  1,  1912. 
In  1932,  he  started 
as  doorman  and 
after  a  year  at  the 
door  was  made  as- 
sistant manager  to 
H.  N.  Jernberg  of 
the  Province  Thea- 
tre Co.  in  Winni- 
peg. In  1935,  the 
company  acquired 
the  Bijou  and  Gar- 
net was  made  man- 
ager. Later,  after  Mr.  Jernberg  retired,  his 
interests  were  sold  to  J.  A.  Schuberg  of 
Vancouver  and  Garnet  was  appointed  gen- 
eral manager.  In  1940,  the  Schuberg  in- 
terest was  sold  to  Famous  Players.  Since 
that  time  Garnet  has  been  manager  of  the 
Rio,  the  name  given  to  the  Province  after 
extensive  remodeling. 


Mannie  Swadron's  Career 
Marked  by  Meteoric  Rise 

Mannie  Swadron,  who  started  at  the 
Capitol  theatre,  Hamilton,  Ont,  in  April, 
1941 ,  had  become  manager  of  the  Tivoli  in 
Kingston  exactly  a  year  later.  Mannie  was 
promoted  in  June  of  1941  to  treasurer  of  the 
Capitol  and  in  September  to  assistant  man- 
ager of  the  Tivoli.  In  April,  1942,  he  be- 
came manager  of  the  latter,  where  he  is  lo- 
cated today.  He  is  married  and  the  father 
of  two  children. 


Tickell's  Special  Program 

For  the  newly  redecorated  Orpheum  thea- 
tre, in  Fort  William,  Ontario,  Fred  Tickell 
went  out  and  promoted  the  merchants  for 
congratulatory  ads,  which  were  included  in 
a  special  eight  page  program.  The  front 
and  back  pages  were  printed  on  buff  tinted 
paper,  while  the  inside  spread  was  on  white. 


Local  Navy  Mothers  Aid 
"Stand  By  For  Action" 

To  usher  in  his  date  on  "Stand  By  For 
Action"  at  Loew's  State,  in  Memphis,  Mau- 
rice Druker  arranged  for  the  local  Navy 
Mothers  Club  to  sponsor  an  induction  cere- 
mony on  the  theatre  stage.  Fifteen  young 
recruits  took  the  public  oath  of  allegiance. 
Seven  members  of  the  Club's  executive  com- 
mittee served  in  the  theatre  lobby  as  host- 
esses for  an  hour  preceding  the  ceremony. 
The  local  papers  came  through  with  stories 
and  art  in  connection  with  the  event. 

A  special  atmospheric  front  was  arranged 
through  the  use  of  naval  flags,  pennants, 
boat  oars,  pilot  wheel,  life  preservers,  lan- 
terns, etc.  Special  bookmarks  carrying  a  list 
of  sea  stories  on  the  reverse  side,  were  dis- 
tributed to  public  libraries. 


Grace  Holds  Induction 
Ceremonies  on  Stage 

Assisting  in  the  organizing  of  a  Patriotic 
League  in  his  locality,  Charles  E.  Grace  at 
the  Embassy  theatre,  in  Brooklyn,  has  en- 
listed the  aid  of  the  American  Legion,  the 
AWVS,  Red  Cross  and  various  civic  or- 
ganizations to  cooperate  in  Community  In- 
duction Ceremonies  which  take  place  on  the 
theatre  stage.  Ministers  of  all  creeds  are 
present  at  the  induction  and  promoted  gifts 
are  presented  by  the  League  to  each  induc- 
tee. The  Red  Cross  Canteen  serves  coffee 
and  doughnuts  which  are  furnished  by  the 
theatre.  Since  there  are  two  Boards  in  his 
vicinity,  the  ceremonies  take  place  twice  a 
month,  with  the  theatre  open  to  the  public 
and  the  inductees'  friends  and  relatives  are 
especially  invited  by  invitations  sent  out  by 
the  Draft  Board. 


Behind-the-Scenes 

in  a  Beauty  Salon  is  a  place  of  near- 
miracles,  where  Beauty  and 
Chic  rule  the  day 

"Listen  Boys,"  film  now  showing  at 
the  Capitol  Theatre,  lifts  the  curtain 
behind-the-scenes  in  the  Richard  Hud- 
nut  New  York  Beauty  Salon.  Transfor- 
mation in  the  customers  is  complete  .  .  . 
the  results  miraculous! 

You  c«n  effect  just  as  complete  a 
Beauty  Pick-me-up  in  your  life  ...  by 
appointment  behind  -  the  -  scenes  at 
EATON'S  Beauty  Salon,  on  the  Fourth 
Floor.  There,  too,  Richard  Hudnut  f>u 
Barry  preparations  are  used  exclusively. 


4*T.  EATON  C% 


In  connection  with  the  MGM  short  subject, 
''Listen,  Boys",  Harold  Bishop  at  the  Capitol, 
in  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  tied  up  one  of  the 
leading  department  stores  for  the  self- 
explanatory  ad  reproduced  above. 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


CLASSiriED 
ADVERTISING 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right'to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  not 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED:  OPERATORS  AND  SIGN  PAINTERS 
for  Mexico  and  West  Texas  circuit.  Give  age,  family, 
draft  classification,  experience  and  salary  expected. 
Write  BOX  786,  Roswell,  N.  M. 

AT  ONCE— PROJECTIONIST;  DRAFT  EXEMPT; 
•mall  house;  nights  only.  Write  qualifications,  salary 
expected.    MAYFAIR,  Colonial  Beach,  Va. 

ASSISTANT  MANAGERS,  DRAFT  EXEMPT, 
imall  New  York  City  chain.  Send  photograph  and  aH 
information  in  first  letter.  BOX  1598,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 

WANTED  MANAGER  OR  ASSISTANT.  MUST 
be  experienced,  sober,  absolutely  reliable.  Knowledge 
of  buying,  booking  and  all  theatre  routine.  Al  refer- 
ences, draft  exempt,  include  snapshot.  BOX  1600. 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


THEATRES 


WANTED  PROFITABLE  THEATRE.  NOT  IN- 
terested  in  too  small  a  house.  Give  complete  details. 
BOX  1596,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WESTINGHOUSE  RECTIFIER  BULBS,  15  AM- 
pere,  S8;  6  ampere  $4;  thousand  watt  G40  Mogul  pre- 
focussed  lamps,  $2;  one  quart  Underwriter's  approved 
extinguishers,  $11.25;  two  quart,  $13.50;  heavy  curtain 
track,  SU.80  ft.  Send  for  bargain  bulletin.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.    New  York. 


WANTED  TO  RUY 


WANTED — ALL  KINDS  USED  SIMPLEX  AND 
Superior  mechanisms  stands,  magazines,  lamphouses, 
etc    BOX  1599,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WONDERFUL  CHAIR  BUY— ALL  READY  NOW 
— 570  rebuilt  American  Seating  ball  bearing  chairs, 
newly  upholstered  heavy  inserted  panel  backs  and  box 
spring  cushions,  deep  purple  with  black  trim.  All  18" 
widths,  level  to  1"  pitch,  new  hardwood  ends.  Crated 
complete  with  hardware  for  concrete  floor,  $3.80. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 

FOR  SALE— 1,100  HEYWOOD- WAKEFIELD  USED 
spring  edge  chairs.  BEN  B.  POBLOCKI.  5779  S. 
Howell  Ave.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

SOME  THEATRE  CAN  USE  YOUR  OLD  EQUIP- 
ment.  A  little  ad  here  will  reach  thousands  of  po- 
tential customers.  Only  ten  cents  a  word  to  tell  the 
world  what  you  have  to  sell.  Try  it  today.  MO- 
TION PICTURE  HERALD,  Rockefeller  Center,  New 
York. 

THEATRE  CHAIRS  —  10.000  USED  UPHOL- 
stered.  Parts  for  all  makes  and  types.  CHICAGO 
USED  CHAIR  MART,  844  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago. 

SACRIFICE  TWO  COMPLETE  POWERS,  NICKEL 
plated  heads  with  one  extra  head.  Two  portables,  one 
Simplex,  one  Weber.  Sound  track  with  100  watt  am- 
plifier, three  speakers.  M.  C.  BULLUCK,  Rocky 
Mount,   N.  C. 

TWO  PROJECTION  LAMPS,  CARBON  AND 
two  mazda  lamphouses,  complete.  R.  L.  WHITTON, 
Millbridge,  Me. 

FOR  SALE — 35MM.  REELS  AND  CANS.  J.  S. 
STACHURSKI,  Route  2,  Box  145,  Cassopolis  Mich., 


RUSINESS  ROOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS,  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75, 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
positions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
lished since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL  Elmira,  N.  Y. 


ROOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineerinf 
changes.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  chart* 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  at 
codes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble- 
shooting Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  to 
simple — so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  h*ve 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre  The  introductory  price  to 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatres 
new  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  details  in  first  letter. 
POX  1584A.  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


PRESS  OF 
C.  J.  O'BRIEN.  INC. 
XEW  TORK.  D.  S.A. 


64 

OBITUARIES 

Charles  E.  Hatcher, 
Exhibitor,  Dies 

Charles  E.  Hatcher,  55,  died  at  Meridian, 
Miss.,  on  January  20th,  following  an  attack 
of  pneumonia.  Mr.  Hatcher  was  an  exhibitor 
in  Meridian  for  more  than  25  years.  He  is 
survived  by  his  widow,  a  daughter  and  a  sis- 
ter. 


Joseph  Schneider 

Joseph  Schneider,  father  of  Abe  Schneider, 
vice-president  and  treasurer  of  Columbia  pic- 
tures, died  at  his  home  in  New  York  on  Janu- 
ary 27th.  Funeral  services  were  held  at  the 
Riverside  Memorial  Chapel  the  following  day. 
Besides  his  son,  he  leaves  a  widow  and  four 
daughters,  Mrs.  Anna  Cohen,  Mrs.  Fan 
Brasel,  Mrs.  Molly  Sussman  and  Mrs.  Lena 
Spiegel. 


David  Shapiro 

David  Shapiro,  37,  theatre  designer  and 
architect  of  Fall  River,  Mass.,  died  recently 
in  that  city.  He  was  born  in  New  York  and 
moved  to  Fall  River  at  the  age  of  six.  He 
attended  Northeastern  and  Columbia  Universi- 
ties. Interment  was  in  Turner  Village,  Me., 
following  funeral  services  in  Fall  River. 


Carl  F.  Zit+el 

Carl  F.  Zittel,  66,  publisher  of  Zit's  Weekly, 
a  theatrical  publication  for  more  than  20  years 
until  its  suspension  three  years  ago,  died  on 
January  30th  at  his  home  in  New  York  after 
a  six-month  illness.  He  is  survived  by  his 
widow,  Martha  Beatrice. 


Clyde  E.  Noble 

Clyde  E.  Noble,  theatre  manager,  died  in 
a  New  Orleans  hospital  last  week  after  a  pro- 
longed illness.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  he 
managed  the  Rice  theatre  at  Crowley,  La.  He 
leaves  a  widow,  a  son,  Clyde  E.,  Jr.,  three 
sisters  and  a  brother. 


Herbert  V.  Friedrich 

Herbert  V.  Friedrich,  52,  died  January  25th 
in  Madison,  Wis.  From  1908  to  1922,  he  was 
associated  with  theatres  in  Fond  du  Lac  and 
Sheboygan.  He  later  entered  the  newspaper 
business.  He  is  survived  by  his  widow,  a 
daughter,  three  brothers  and  two  sisters. 


Charles  Bauman 

Charles  Bauman,  86,  operator  of  the  Star  the- 
atre in  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  for  many  years,  died  in 
that  city  on  January  23rd.  He  was  retired.  He 
leaves  two  sisters. 


A.  R.  Zimmer 

A.  R.  Zimmer,  acting  manager  and  partner 
in  the  Strand  theatre  in  Iowa  City,  died  at  his 
home  recently.  He  leaves  a  wife  and  two 
daughters. 


Postpone  Gillis  Dinner 

A  testimonial  dinner  for  Maxwell  Gillis,  new- 
ly-promoted Republic  district  manager  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  Joseph  Engel,  who  succeeded  him 
as  local  branch  manager,  has  been  postponed 
until  February  15th.  The  luncheon,  sponsored 
by  the  Motion  Picture  Associates,  originally 
was  scheduled  for  February  1st  at  the  Ritz- 
Carlton  Hotel.  Albert  M.  Cohen  is  in  charge 
of  arrangements. 


Daab  Joins  Hannagan 

Hyatt  Daab,  former  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity  for  Columbia  Pictures,  has  joined 
the  Hollywood  office  of  the  Steve  Hannagan 
publicity  agency  to  handle  industrial  relations. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Casablanca  Film 
Arrives  Late 

Wartime  restrictions  on  transportation  and 
raw  stock  were  felt  by  the  newsreels  and  their 
customers  this  week  as  pictures  of  the  historic 
Casablanca  conferences  between  President 
Roosevelt  and  Prime  Minister  Churchill  arrived 
in  the  midst  of  changeover  to  new  release  sched- 
ules. 

The  pictures  were  received  late  Sunday,  too 
late  for  the  Friday  makeup,  scheduled  under 
the  new  plan  for  Tuesday  release.  All  reels 
accordingly  included  the  sequences  from  the 
Army  Signal  Corps,  Air  Force  and  the  Navv 
in  their  Monday  makeup,  for  release  on  Thurs- 
day. The  additional  one-day  delay  between 
makeup  and  release  has  been  agreed  upon  as  a 
safeguard  against  transit  delays.  Ordinarily  the 
pictures  would  have  been  a  special  release. 

Approximately  8,000  feet  were  cleared  by  the 
Army  and  Office  of  Censorship.  All  this  film 
was  from  service  cameramen.  Material  made 
by  representatives  of  the  newsreel  pool  was 
reported  still  en  route.  Editors  described  the 
quality  of  the  official  pictures  as  good. 

AMPA  Plans  Luncheon 
To  Stress  War  Effort 

A  testimonial  luncheon  has  been  scheduled 
tentatively  for  March  10th  by  the  Associated 
Motion  Picture  Advertisers,  it  was  announced 
last  week  by  Maurice  Bergman,  president  of 
AMPA.  It  was  explained  that  the  purpose 
would  be  to  call  attention  to  the  film  industry's 
part  in  the  war  effort. 

Invitations  to  attend  the  luncheon  have  been 
extended  to  Paul  V.  McNutt,  chairman  of  the 
War  Manpower  Commission ;  Elmer  Davis,  di- 
rector of  the  Office  of  War  Information,  and 
Lowel  Mellett,  head  of  the  film  division  of  OWL 
Members  of  the  program  committee  are  Vincent 
Trotta,  chairman ;  Oscar  Doob,  David  Lipton, 
Leon  Bamberger,  Paul  Lazarus,  Jr.,  and  David 
O'Malley. 


Singers  Lose  Plea 

New  York  Supreme  Court  Justice  Bernard  L. 
Shientag  on  Monday  granted  the  Andrews 
Sisters,  La  Verne,  Maxene  and  Patty,  singers, 
their  motion  to  dismiss  conspiracy  charges  and 
a  counterclaim  brought  by  the  Andrews  Sisters, 
Vivian  and  Lillian,  dancers,  in  which  the 
dancers  named  Lou  Levy  and  the  General 
Amusement  Company,  as  party  defendants.  The 
court  at  the  same  time  decided  in  favor  of  the 
dancing  team,  when  he  denied  the  singing  team 
their  injunction  to  restrain  the  dancers  from 
using  the  name  "The  Andrews  Sisters." 


Announce  Refunding  Plan 

Associated  British  declared  an  interim  divi- 
dend of  7y^  per  cent  on  the  ordinary  shares 
last  week.  The  company  announced  its  inten- 
tion of  repayment  of  existing  five  per  cent  first 
mortgage  debentures  at  £103^,  with  an  offer 
to  convert  an  issue  of  new  4^  per  cent  first 
mortgage  debentures  into  £3,000,000. 


Three  Publicists  Join  RKO 

Three  additions  have  been  made  to  the  RKO 
Theatres  publicity  and  advertising  staff  by 
Harry  Mandel,  director  of  the  department. 
They  are  Al  Zimbalist,  Ira  Morais  and  Ruth 
Newman.  Mr.  Zimbalist  formerly  was  with  the 
Warner  Brothers  Theatres  advertising  depart- 
ment in  Philadelphia. 


PRC  in  Near  East  Deal 

Producers  Releasing  Corporation  signed  a 
contract  with  A.  Ali  of  Bombay  for  distribu- 
tion of  the  company's  product  in  the  Near  East, 
it  was  announced  last  week.  PRC  was  repre- 
sented by  its  export  manager,  Roberto  D. 
Socas. 


February    6,  1943 


IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  42.— Roosevelt  and 
Churchill  meet  in  Casablanca.  .  .  .  U.  S.  Army 
relieves  the  Marines  on  Guadalcanal.  .  .  .  Canadian 
convoys  deliver  goods  to  United  Nations.  .  .  .  Allies 
give  food  to  Arabs.  .  .  .  Movie  stars  help  collect 
typewriters  for  Army  and  Navy.  .  .  .  Newsettes  with 
Lew  Lehr.  .  .  .  American  Rangers  train  at  school 
of  hard  knocks. 

MOVIETONE    NEWS— Vol.    25,    No.    43.— Russians 

destroy  German  armies  at  Stalingrad.  .  .  .  Women 
rebuild  planes.  .  .  .  Ohio  plant  builds  gas  tanks. 
.  .  .  Army  engineers  in  action.  .  .  .  WAVES  finish 
radio  course.  .  .  .  Sultan  of  Morocco  holds  court  at 
colorful  fete.  .  .  .  Army  troops  in  Pacific  Northwest 
and  Egypt. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  44.— The  Presi- 
dent's historic  trip.  .  .  .  Meets  with  Churchill  at 
Casablanca.  .  .  .  FDR  stops  at  Natal  for  visit  with 
President  Vargas  of  Brazil.  .  .  .  Commander-in- 
Chief  reviews  troops  in  Liberia.  .  .  .  Mr.  Roosevelt 
returns  to  capital.  .  .  .  Nation  honors  President 
Roosevelt  on  his  birthday. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  240.-President's 

flight  to  Africa  stirs  world.  .  .  .  Guadalcanal  Marines 
relieved  by  fresh  units.  .  .  .  Canada's  convoys  elude 
U-boats.  .  .  .  Arabs  get  U.  S.  rations.  .  .  .  Yanks 
on  road  to  Tunis.  .  .  .  Army's  school  for  Rangers 
a  tough  course  as  infantrymen  dodge  machine  gun 
fire. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  241.— Great  Nazi 
defeat  in  Russia's  snows.  .  .  .  President's  son  in 
North  Africa  gets  medal  from  Gen.  Doolittle.  .  .  . 
Baby  girl  born  in  Canada  to  exiled  Dutch  princess. 
.  .  .  Big  coast  guns  in  action  on  east  coast.  .  .  . 
Jeeps  go  amphibian  by  floating  across  river  in  a 
tarpaulin.  .  .  .  Sultan  of  Morocco  holds  pageant. 
.  .  .  American  doughboys  in  Egypt. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  242.— Churchill  - 
Roosevelt  meeting  at  Casablanca.  .  .  .  President 
reviews  Liberian  troops.  .  .  .  FDR  visits  President 
Vargas  of  Brazil  at  Natal.  .  .  .  American  and 
British  chiefs  plan  for  victory.  .  .  .  President  back 
home  in  capital. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  45.— Latest  films  of  Casa- 
blanca meeting.  .  .  .  French  Africa's  food  problem. 
.  .  .  Tunisian  front  battle  pictures.  .  .  .  American 
troops  reviewed  by  President  Roosevelt.  .  .  .  Allies 

aiding  Russia  via  Canadian  convoys  China's 

Generalissimo  Chiang  Kai-Shek  assured  support  by 
U.  S.  and  Britain.  .  .  .  Latest  films  from  Gaudal- 
canal  show  American  Army  taking  over  from 
Marines. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  46.— Army  in  high  gear 
as  snow  plows  clear  mountain  pass.  .  .  .  Army 
trucks  paddled  across  river  at  Fort  Bragg.  .  .  . 
Army  engineers  use  maps  in  battle-planning.  .  .  . 
Commandos  in  Australia  train  for  battle.  .  .  .  Crown 
Princess  Juliana  gives  birth  to  girl  in  Ottawa.  .  .  . 
Yank  soldiers  and  sailors  take  over  Aussie  Red 
Cross  dance.  .  .  .  Rookies  trained  in  barbed -wire 
tactics.  .  .  .  Desert  operations  in  Egypt. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  47.— Roosevelt-Churchill 
meeting  at  Casablanca.  .  .  .  F.D.R.  visits  President 
Vargas  of  Brazil.  .  .  .  Impressive  review  of  U.  S. 
troops  in  Liberia.  .  .  .  Chiefs  of  staff  of  U.  S.  and 
Britain  map  victory  plans.  .  .  .  Generals  Giraud  and 
DeGaulle  meet.  .  .  .  American  troops  reviewed  at 
Rabat  by  Commander-in-Chief. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  45.— Army  relieves 
Marines  at  Guadalcanal.  .  .'  .  Battle  for  Tunisia 
rages  as  A.E.F.  pushes  towards  Tunis.  .  .  .  Three 
thousand  Morocco  natives  line  up  for  ration  permits. 
.  .  .  Funeral  of  Admiral  Darlan. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  46.— Winter  offen- 
sive in  Russia.  .  .  .  Sultan  of  Morocco  holds  "Feast 
of  the  Lamb."  .  .  .  Princess  born  to  Crown  Princess 
Juliana  in  Ottawa.  .  .  .  Elliott  Roosevelt  receives 
D.F.C.  from  Gen.  Doolittle.  .  .  .  Snow  plows  aid 
artillery.  .  .  .  Yank  has  fun  at  Red  Cross  party  in 
Australia.  .  .  .  Boys  clubs  give  jeep  to  Army. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  47.— FDR  Meets 
Churchill  in  Casablanca.  .  .  .  President  Roosevelt 
pays  visit  to  President  Vargas  of  Brazil.  .  .  .  Review 
of  troops  in  Liberia  by  Commander-in-Chief.  .  .  . 
General  Giraud  meets  General  DeGaulle. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL.— Vol.  16,  No.  158.— Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  and  Prime  Minister  Churchill  meet  at 
Casablanca.  .  .  .  Armv  takes  over  at  Guadalcanal. 
.  .  .  Ranger  slogan — "Kill  or  be  killed."  .  .  .  It 
pays  to  be  wrong.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Mullane  flooded  with 
letters  after  missing  question  on  radio  program. 

UNIVFRSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  159.— Nazis 
retreat  in  Russia.  .  .  .  Texas  Aggies  graduate  655. 
.  .  .  Army  convoys  battle  mountain  snow.  .  .  . 
Navy  blimps  in  rescue  role.  .  .  .  Arabs  celebrate 
ancient  custom.  .  .  .  Artillerymen  float  equipment 
across  river. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  160.— Films 

of  "Unconditional  Surrender"  conference  at  Casa- 
blanca. .  .  .  British  and  American  missions  discuss 
strategv.  .  .  .  French  unity  sealed.  .  .  .  American 
might  reviewed  by  President.  .  .  .  FDR  visits  Presi- 
dent Vargas  in  Brazil  and  reviews  troops  in  Liberia. 
.  .  .  President  Roosevelt's  birthday  parties. 


EQUIPMENT  •   FURNISHINGS  •    DESIGN  •  PHYSICAL  OPERATION 


THE  3  C'S  ARE  ATTACKING  THE  ENEMY! 


Copper,  Carbon,  and  Current  You  Save 
Help  Make  Possible  America's  Offensive! 


Organizing  America's  great  army  of  attack  requires 
plenty  of  the  3  C's  —  Copper,  Carbon,  and  Current.  By 
using  less  of  them  in  your  theatre,  you  can  help  the  war 
effort— yet  you  needn't  lower  your  standards  of  service 
to  your  customers.  Here's  how  to  keep  your  projection 
clear  and  bright  — while  saving  the  3  C's: 


MAKE  YOUR  PROJECTOR  TOE  THE  LINE 

A  projector  that  isn't  in  top  shape  can  cause  plenty  of 
trouble.  Ask  your  nearest  RCA  Theatre  Supply  Dealer 
to  inspect  it  regularly.  That  way  you'll  save  current 
and  prevent  breakdowns. 


USE  RCA  SNOWHITE  FOR  BETTER  PICTURES 

You  actually  need  less  light  when  your  screen  is  really 
white.  RCA  Snowhite  Screen  gives  you  the  best  pro- 
jection results  that  can  be  obtained— yet  saves  you  light 
because  it  uses  all  of  the  projected  light. 

•         •  • 

Follow  these  two  simple  steps  and  you'll  be  helping 
free  Copper,  Carbon,  and  Current  for  the  attack  on 
the  enemy.  See  your  RCA  Theatre  Sup- 
ply Dealer.  Or  write  Photophone  Division, 
Radio  Corporation  of  America,  Camden, 
New  Jersey. 


RCA  THEATRE  EQUIPMENT 

RCA  Photophone  •  RCA  Magicote  Lens  Service  •  RCA  Screens  •  RCA  Theatre  Service 
RCA  Hearing  Aids  •  Westinghouse  Lamps  •  Brenkert  Projectors  and  Accessories  •  Benwood  Linze  Rectifiers 

Photophone  Division,  RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA,  Camden,  N.J. 


February    6,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


67 


\  ou  can  obtain  maximum  efficiencv  and  economy  from 
your  "\  ictory  Carbons  by  observing  tbe  following  simple 
rules. 

USE  CARBON  TRIM  RECOMMENDED  FOR  TOUR  PROJECTION  EQUIPMENT. 

The  ietory  Carbon  trims  indicated  in  tbe  above  table 
■were  established  bv  comprehensive  laboratory  and  field 
tests  to  ascertain  the  best  results  obtainable  in  all  tvpes 
of  ecpiipnient. 

OPERATE  CARBONS  AT  SPECIFIED  ARC  CURRENT, 

Better  projection  and  greater  economy  are  obtained 
when  recommended  arc  currents  are  maintained.  The 
maximum  allowable  arc  current  is  stamped  on  each 
"N  ictory  Carbon  at  the  left  of  the  trade-mark. 

CHECK  FEED  RATIO  CAREFULLY. 

Changes  of  arc  current  alter  the  ratio  of  burnins  rate  be- 


tween positive  and  negative  carbons.  On  lamps  equipped 
with  adjustable  feed  and  formerly  operated  above  45 
amperes  arc  current,  this  ratio  should  be  adjusted  to 
meet  the  new  current  conditions. 

A  bulletin  describing  operation  of  the  new  "V  ictory  High 
Intensity  Carbons  is  available  for  distribution  and  will 
be  sent  promptly  upon  request. 


SAVE 


T 


E 


C    0    P    P  E 


Most  of  the  copper  used  for  plating  copper  coated 
projector  carbons  drops  to  the  floor  of  the  lamp  house 
when  the  carbons  are  burned.  Continue  to  save  these 
copper  drippings  and  turn  them  over  to  your  supplv 
dealer  as  designated  bv  our  government. 


NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 

on 


Carbon  Sales  Division,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

GENERAL  OFFICES 
30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

BRANCH  SALES  OFFICES 
New  York,  Pittsburgh ,  Chics  go,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco 


68 


BETTER    TH  EATRES 


February    6,  1943 


WE'LL  COME  HERE  OFTEN  .  , 
The  Sound  Is  So  Much  Better! 


LET  CELOTEX  SOUND  CONDITIONING 
Help  Swing  Patrons  Your  Way! 

ing  representative  near  you  who  knows  a 
lot  about  theatre  acoustical  problems.  His 
advice  and  recommendations  won't  ob- 
ligate you  in  any  way. 

And  the  responsible  firm  that  installs 
Celotex  Sound  Conditioning  assures  you 
of  (1)  Proved  enghieering  practice,  (2)  Uni- 
formly dependable  acoustical  materials,  and 
(3)  Guaranteed  results!  Write  today  for 
complete  information ! 


America  is  movie-wise,  these  days.  Peo- 
k  pie  know  about  the  infinite  pains  that 
are  taken  to  make  pictures  realistic— the 
vast  expense  called  for  by  close  attention 
to  detail.  And  they  know  when  your  sound 
equipment  — and  the  sound  conditioning 
of  your  theatre  — gives  them  better  enter- 
tain ment  value  than  they  can  get  elsewhere! 

That's  why  so  many  theatres  have  in- 
stalled Celotex  Sound  Conditioning  to 
give  the  audience  the  best  in  every  pic- 
ture! There  is  a  Celotex  Sound  Condition- 

SOUND  COKWTIONING 


COPVGIGHt  1*42.  THE  CEL 


SoW  by  Acousti-Celoiex  Distributors  Everywhere 
In  Canada:  Dominion  Sound  Equipments,  Ltd. 


/'""Most  Experienced  in  the  World!"  ^ 

Among  the  firms  which  have  helped  make 
the  Celotex  Sound  Conditioning  group  the 
world's  most  experienced  acoustical  organiza- 
tion is  The  Harold  E.  Shugart  Company,  Los 
Angeles,  serving  all  of  Southern  California. 
Their  competent  engineers  and  able  crews  are 
responsible  for  installations  totalling  over 
five  million  square  feet  since  they  began  busi- 
ness in  1927. 


THE     CELOTEX     CORPORATION     •  CHICAGO 


The  Most  Simplified 
Theatre  Bookkeeping 
System  Yet  Devised 

Every  exhibitor  will  appreciate  the  com- 
pleteness and  convenience  of  this  easy  ac- 
counting system.  Enables  you  to  keep  an 
accurate  and  up-to-the-minute  record  of 
every  phase  of  the  business  of  your  theatre. 

QUICLEY  BOOKSHOP 


$2.00  POSTPAID 


ROCKEFELLER  CENTER, 


NEW  YORK 


MARKET  NOTES 

CJ  News  Reports  concerning 
equipment  and  materials, 
and  those  who  make  them 

Service  Company  Formed 

installation  and  servic- 
ing of  theatre  sound  equipment  as  well  as 
radio  and  other  apparatus  of  the  RCA  Vic- 
tor Division  of  the  Radio  Corporation  of 
America,  is  now  being  handled  by  a  new 
subsidiary,  RCA  Service  Company,  Inc. 
The  corporation  has  just  been  announced 


Edward  C.  Cahill 

for  this  purpose,  with  Edward  C.  Cahill, 
manager  of  sound  equipment  activities,  as 
president ;  and  W.  L.  Jones,  former  mana- 
ger of  RCA  Victor  service  and  installation, 
as  vice-president  and  general  manager.  The 
remainder  of  the  new  organization  is  the 
same  as  that  previously  handling  RCA  in- 
stallations and  servicing. 

"Axis  Yap"  Ash  Containers 

patrons  can  drop  their 
cigarette  ashes  right  in  der  Fuehrer's  face — 
and  in  those  of  II  Duce  and  the  god- 
emperor  of  Japan  as 
well — with  a  novel- 
ty container  recently 
brought  out  by  Bas- 
sons  Dummy  Prod- 
ucts,  Maspeth,  N. 
Y.  These  containers 
are  comic  reproduc- 
tions (and  very  life- 
like,   too)    of  the 
"pans"    of  Hitler, 
Mussolini  and  Hiro- 

hito,  each  with  his  big  mouth  open  to  re- 
ceive a  good  dose  of  hot  cigarette  ash  or 
a  butt,  or  gum  wads,  candy  wrappings,  etc. 
The  containers  are  in  full  color  and  meas- 
ure 8x7x11  inches. 

Plan*  Facilities  Added 

additional  manufactur- 
ing space  has  been  acquired  by  Motiograph, 
Inc.,  Chicago,  as  a  result  of  increased  war 
orders.  The  company  has  also  placed  pro- 
duction on  a  24-hour  basis. 

Manufature  of  all  sound  and  projection 
equipment  will  end  with  completion  of  cur- 
rent orders,  and  construction  turned  over 
entirely  to  aircraft  and  ordnance  com- 
ponents. 


Conservation  is  a  Big  Word 
Meaning  Specific  Action 

among  the  more  expen- 
sive words  now  contorting  the  tongues 
of  folks  in  this  allegedly  monosyllabic  in- 
dustry, few  perhaps  can  cause,  on  occasion, 
more  of  a  twinge  in  other  parts  of  the 
anatomy  than  the  four-syllable  noun 
conservation. 

Pleas  for  conservation  are  issued  by  in- 
dividuals and  committees,  new  committees 
are  proposed  to  consider  the  matter  further  ; 
conservation  is  urged  by  posters,  at  special 
conservation  meetings,  in  warnings  from 
officials.  There  must  be  conservation,  and 
yet  more  conservation,  of  equipment,  op- 
erating supplies,  copper,  film,  etc.,  etc. 
''Theatre  management  has  got  to  con- 
serve !" 

Very  good — but  how? 
True  enough  it  is  that  our  business  has 
been  brought  up  with  the  privilege  to  be 
wasteful  without  inevitably  encountering 
disaster.  For  most  of  its  years  pennies 
rained  from  heaven.  But  for  many  months 
now  exhibitors  have  been  much  concerned 
about  the  possibility  of  being  able  to  con- 
tinue the  operation  of  their  theatres.  What 
theatre  operators  and  their  staffs  want  to 
hear  is  what  they  can  do  to  conserve.  How 
make  this,  that  and  the  other  part  of  the 
projection  equipment  last  longer,  through 
efficient,  resourceful  operation  and  main- 
tenance ?  How  preserve  in  use  existing  air 
supply  equipment,  the  other  gadgets,  and 
the  building  and  its  furnishings? 

Exhibitors  are  aware  of  the  fact  that 
their  properties  are  not  like  stores,  but  are 
units  of  peculiar  mechanical  and  environ- 
mental components.  If  those  parts  wear 
out  perhaps  they  cannot  be  replaced.  So 
what  happens?   You  said  it. 

It  is  quite  in  order,  of  course,  to  beat 
the  tom-tom  about  this  matter  of  conserva- 
tion; hence,  the  meeting  of  the  Atlantic 
Section  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture 
Engineers,  held  in  New  York  the  latter 
part  of  January,  was  well  timed  Avith  the 
beginning  of  the  second  year  of  war.  We 
believe  that  P.  A.  McGuire  of  the  Inter- 
national Projector  Corporation  was  instru- 
mental in  having  that  meeting  pointed  to 
conservation ;  this  has  been  a  pet  and  pro- 
ductive interest  of  his  since  the  war  began. 
Also  Dr.  A.  X.  Goldsmith,  chairman  of 
the  Atlantic  Section,  has  been  quick  to 
throw  his  influence  behind  every  similar 
program.  And  as  a  result  of  the  January 
meeting  the  society  may  soon  arrange  to 
bring  its  technical  resources  more  imme- 


diately to  bear  upon  the  urgency  of  con- 
servation in  theatre  operation.  Suggestions 
of  such  action  had  the  earnest  approval  of 
the  prominent  exhibitors  and  representa- 
tives of  projection  who  were  present.  In 
such  expressions  the  Government  is  well 
assured  that  the  theatre  business  is  keenly 
aware  of  its  wartime  responsibilities. 

Let  the  drums  roll — but  pass  the 
information. 

Meanwhile,  theatre  operating  organiza- 
tions, with  perhaps  no  exception,  are  giving 
a  good  deal  of  practical  attention  to  the 
need  of  conservation.  Also  meanwhile,  they 
have  in  addition  to  their  own  experience, 
the  information  quietly  given  them  in  de- 
tailed, specific  what-to-do-about-conserva- 
tion'  articles  in  the  industry's  trade  press 
— as  they  have  had,  issue  after  issue,  ever 
since  Pearl  Harbor  and  before. 

Film  Mutilation 

Really,  a  good  deal  of  what  we  are  now 
calling  conservation  is  nothing  more  than 
sensible  theatre  operation,  a  thing  quite  as 
commendable  for  peactime  as  wartime. 
Only  in  the  necessity  to  carry  conservation 
to  extreme  measures  is  it  a  temporary  ex- 
pedient, for  efficient,  non-wasteful  use  of 
tools  and  materials  can  have  as  much  to 
do  with  profits  as  with  winning  a  war. 

A  recent  case  in  point  is  the  sudden  in- 
terest shown  by  the  MPPDA  in  efforts  to 
reduce  mutilation  of  prints,  in  order  to 
conserve  film.  Previous  and  prospective 
cuts  in  the  amount  of  film  available  to  the 
industry  in  wartime  is  the  motive ;  yet  film 
mutilation  has  been  a  minor  burden  of  the 
business  for  lo,  these  many  years. 


It  is  now  hoped  that  exhibitors  and  their 
projectionists  can  be  persuaded  to  be  more 
careful  of  prints.  Some  years  ago  exhibi- 
tors and  projectionists  themselves  tried  to 
persuade  the  industry  to  install  procedure 
that  would  encourage  this  very  thing. 
Month  after  month  they  sought  space  in 
F.  H.  Richardson's  columns  to  point  out 
the  damage  that  film  mutilation  did  to  the 
business. 

To  illustrate  how  seriously  some  exhibi- 
tors have  taken  film  mutilation,  we  cite  an 
instance  in  which  every  faulty  splice  was 
removed  from  each  reel  upon  arrival  of  the 
films,  and  these  were  shown  the  exchange 
when  the  rental  was  paid.  And  if  any 
defects  appeared  in  the  prints  during  pro- 
jection, the  projectionist  was  docked. 

"But,"  wrote  one  veteran  of  projection, 
"it  all  boils  down  to  a  statement  I  made 
ten  years  ago.  I  do  not  believe  that  ex- 
changes are  interested  in  the  condition  in 
which  prints  reach  the  theatres.  They  are 
interested,  first,  in  the  booking;  after  that, 
in  getting  the  money,  then  to  hell  with 
everything  else." 

There  used  to  be  on  the  market  a  "car- 
bon saver"  consisting  in  a  copper  sleeve 
with  which  a  new  carbon  could  be  fitted 
to  a  stub.  The  Rialto  theatre  in  New 
York  is  joining  carbon  lengths  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  wartime  measure,  using,  how- 
ever, sleeves  of  tin  (it  burns,  but  how 
well?)  cut  out  of  old  cans.  Another 
wrinkle  of  the  Rialto  method  is  to  dispense 
with  negative  carbons,  using  positive  stubs 
instead.  Positive  carbons  cost  more  and 
burn  faster,  of  course,  so  the  saving,  we 
should  say,  is  yet  to  be  measured. — G.  S. 


Exhibitors  attending  the  January  meeting  of  the  SMPE's  Atlantic  Section,  at  which  further  efforts  to 
promote  conservation  were  discussed.  Left  to  right:  I.  Zatkin,  Sidney  E.  Samuelson,  head  of  Allied 
Theatre  Owners  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania;  Jay  Emanuel,  Dr.  A.  N.  Goldsmith,  chairman  of  the  Atlantic 
Section;  S.  H.  Fabian,  exhibitor  member  of  the  War  Activities  Committee;  Morton  Sustavus  Thal- 
heimer  and  J.  Conway. 


70 


ETTER    TH  EATRES 


February    6,  1943 


Ways  To  Conserve 

Your  Projection  Equipment 

Practices  and  "Tricks"  that  a  circuit  of  small  town  theatres  has  found  effective 


By  CHARLES  E.  SHULTZ 


world  war  II  is  a  total 
war,  both  for  our  righting  men  and  for 
those  of  us  behind  the  battle  lines.  Never 
before  have  we  at  home  been  called  upon 
to  make  use  of  our  natural  ingenuity  more 
desperately  than  we  are  today.  The  mo- 
tion picture  exhibitor  has  an  especially  pro- 
found obligation  in  this  time  of  material 
crisis  for  he  is  charged  with  the  vastly 
important  duty  of  entertaining  our  workers 
on  the  home  front  and  the  families  of  our 
fighting  men.  In  his  hands  has  been  placed 
the  valued  trust  of  maintaining  healthy 
morale  and  wholesome  enjoyment  to  ease 
the  strain  of  a  total  war  upon  the  entire 
civilian  public. 

Restrictions  on  the  use  of  materials  vital 
to  the  projection  of  motion  pictures  charge 
the  exhibitor,  and  even  more  directly,  his 
projectionists,  with  the  mammoth  task  of 
maintaining  projection  equipment  without 
the  benefit  of  replacement  parts,  some  of 
which  form  the  heart  of  continued 
operation. 

Theatres  located  within  the  metropolitan 
areas  of  our  cities  have  always  been  within 
"calling  distance"  of  service  and  replace- 
ment, and  the  security  of  such  a  location 
has,  in  many  cases,  made  the  thought  of 
long  term  maintenance  and  optimum  serv- 
iceability vastly  less  important  than  for  the 
smaller  theatre  located  far  outside  this 
convenient  "calling  distance." 

As  a  matter  of  record,  however,  there 
are  far  more  outlying  theatres  of  com- 
parably small  seating  capacity  than  those 
within  metropolitan  areas.    This  group  of 


smaller  theatres  has  been  faced  with  prob- 
lems requiring  individual  initiative  since 
their  conception,  and  they  have  been  solv- 
ing these  problems  with  amazing  dispatch 
under  conditions  closely  approximating 
those  now  faced  by  every  theatre. 

At  a  time  when  we  all  must  face  the 
realization  that  our  present  equipment 
must  "see  us  through,"  it  is  advisable  to 
turn  to  experts  in  this  business  of  making 
what  we  have  do  the  job.  Who  are  the 
experts?  Certainly  more  than  anyone  else, 
the  men  who  have  been  successfully  doing 
the  job  of  keeping  equipment  running 
under  all  conditions  long  before  Hitler  lost 
his  card  in  the  Paper  Hanger's  Union. 

Far  up  in  the  tip  of  North  Jersey  some 
sixty-five  miles  from  the  metropolitan  areas 
of  New  York  or  Philadelphia  there  spreads 
a  circuit  of  fifteen  theatres  owned  by  the 
St.  Cloud  Amusement  Corporation.  The 
seating  capacities  range  from  300  to  900 
seats  which  are  filled  with  amazing  regu- 
larity by  the  farmers  and  war  workers  from 
the  rich  dairy  country  and  war  industries 
in  the  surrounding  area. 

For  the  past  eight  years  this  circuit  has 
conducted  a  well  organized  and  highly  suc- 
cessful projection  plan  to  obtain  optimum 
serviceability  and  performance  from  every 
component  projector  part.  As  a  matter  of 
interest,  Mr.  Alvin  Sloan,  general  man- 
ager of  the  circuit,  proudly  points  to  the 
record  of  20,000  hours  of  operation  with- 
out a  single  projection  failure  of  sufficient 
significance  to  cause  a  shut-down  of  over 
two  minute  duration.  This  record  has 
been  mainly  achieved  through  the  untiring 
efforts  and  exceptional  versatility  of  Mr. 
George  Miller,  chief  maintenance  and 
service  projectionist  for  the  circuit.  Mr. 
Miller,  who,  incidentally,  is  also  business 
agent  of  I.  A.  Local  365,  points  out  that 
his  successful  maintenance  and  service  rec- 
ord was,  to  a  great  extent,  made  possible 
by  the  competence  of  the  projectionists  in 
every  theatre  and  their  consistent  coopera- 
tion with  every  detail  of  the  plan  [this 
plan  was  described  in  the  October  19, 
1940,  issue  of  Better  Theatres]. 

Fundamentally  the  plan  is  a  very  simple 
one  and  revolves  about  the  basic  principal 
of  "Service  before  failure."  There  is 
nothing  about  this  principle  which  is  either 
new  or  startling.  The  chief  reason  for  its 
tremendous  success  is  consistent  adherence 
in  every  detail  by  every  member  of  the 
organization  at  all  times.  This  means  com- 
plete teamwork  between  projectionists, 
maintenance  men,  projection  supervisor  and 
general  manager. 


M 


FIGURE  2 


In  pre-war  operation  the  plan  consisted 
of  replacement  of  parts  from  stock  piles 
whenever  possible.  This  meant  purchases 
were  made  in  advance  of  need  and  stocked. 
All  parts  are  saved  and  graded  according 
to  the  extent  of  their  wear.  When  pro- 
jection heads  are  overhauled,  all  parts  re- 
moved are  returned  to  the  stock  pile.  This 
has  made  an  important  reservoir  of  equip- 
ment from  which  to  draw  in  the  war 
period. 

Complete  projection  equipment  replace- 
ments were  made  at  regular  intervals. 
The  new  equipment  was  placed  in  the  key 
houses,  and  by  orderly  allocation,  the  other 
equipment  was  redistributed,  the  most 
worn  of  the  old  equipment  being  traded 
against  the  new. 

The  outbreak  of  Avar,  of  course,  prevented 
a  continuation  of  this  purchase  plan  and 
the  circuit  enters  the  present  era  with  six 
Brenkert  "80"  projectors,  two  Simplex 
E-7,  two  Simplex-portable,  and  twenty 
Standard  Simplex-rear  shutter  projectors. 

With  an  understanding  of  the  equipment 
and  facilities  of  this  circuit  it  is  interesting 
to  note  some  of  the  many  practices  which 
have  been  used,  and  will  continue  to  be 


February    6,  1943 


carried  on,  under  war  time  restrictions, 
for  they  may  prove  of  equal  value  to  other 
theatres  having  similar  facilities  and  equip- 
ment. Most  of  Mr.  Miller's  "tricks"  are 
just  plain  good  sense. 

TOOLS  OF  PROJECTION 

Of  first  importance  to  the  operation  of 
any  plan  having  to  do  with  efficient  main- 
tenance is  the  possession  of  the  right  tools 
for  all  general  conditions.  This  does  not 
imply  that  every  projectionist  should  have 
an  expensive  and  elaborate  list  of  special 
tools,  but  the  following  list  has  been  found 
to  compose  the  absolute  minimum  with 
which  general  work  can  be  properly  com- 
pleted without  the  assistance  of  the  main- 
tenance man : 

Five  screwdrivers  from  vest  pocket  style 
with  3/32-inch  face  to  a  size  having  a 
34_inch  face  and  one  offset  screw  driver — 
about  3/16-inch  face  (preferably  rachet 
type).  All  screw  drivers  should  be  mag- 
netized. (Any  screw  driver  may  be  im- 
mediately magnetized  by  bringing  it  in  con- 
tact with  a  permanent  or  electromagnet 
such  as  those  found  on  suprex  type  lamp 
houses  for  controlling  the  magnetic  stabili- 
zation of  the  arc.) 

One  small  ball-peen  hammer. 
One  Neon  test  lamp. 
One  Single-edge  razor  blade. 
One  Small  pin  punch. 
One  Sharp  pocket  knife. 
One  pair  of  sharp  nose  or  duckbill  pliers. 
One  pair  standard  pliers. 

PROMOTING  LONG  LIFE 

One  set  of  small  end  wrenches. 
Several  sheets  of  No.  00  sandpaper  (not 
emery  cloth). 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  maintenance  man 
to  have  in  his  possession  many  other  spe- 
cial tools,  of  course,  for  he  must  do  many 


BETTER    TH  EATRES 

important  jobs  that  can  only  be  efficiently 
completed  with  such  special  tools.  It  can- 
not be  too  firmly  impressed  upon  the  pro- 
jectionist how  dangerous  the  use  of  in- 
adequate tools  may  be  to  the  life  span  of 
a  projector.  For  instance,  a  narrow  screw 
driver  in  a  wide  face  screw  slot  will  per- 
manently damage  the  slot  and  it  is  hardly 
necessary  to  describe  the  damage  done  to 
a  hexagon  head  nut  when  tightened  with 
a  pair  of  pliers. 

Mr.  Miller  uses  two  practices  designed 
to  reduce  wear  and  tear  on  equipment  that 
seem  original  enough  to  bear  mention. 
The  first  practice  is  related  primarily  to 
projectors  having  a  very  rapid  pickup  in 
which  the  gear  train  receives  a  shock  when 
starting.  To  bring  about  a  general  dis- 
tribution of  such  shock  strain  on  the  gear 
train  he  sets  up  a  schedule  of  starting 
positions  in  relation  to  the  meshing  gears. 

For  instance,  he  begins  the  schedule  by 
suggesting  that  the  projectionists  carry  out 
the  following  proceedure  during  January : 
Thread  the  projector  and  turn  it  over 
slowly  by  hand  from  the  motor  drive  shaft 
for  five  frames,  stopping  just  when  the 
intermittent  finishes  moving  the  film. 

During  February  this  plan  is  altered  so 
that  the  projectionist  moves  the  projector 


71 


of  the  gears  as  possible  and  allow  the  take- 
up  reel  to  pull  up  firmly.  By  changing 
this  starting  position  monthly,  the  shock 
strain  is  distributed  over  several  starting 
points  on  the  gear  faces  and  results  in 
longer  use  and  more  efficient  operation  of 
the  gear  train. 

The  second  practice  deals  with  the 
clamping  of  positive  ca-rbons  in  the  jaws 
of  suprex  type  lamps.  Figure  1A  illus- 
trates the  strain  set-up  on  the  carbon 
clamping  block  when  it  is  necessary  to  grip 
a  stub  at  the  very  end.  As  may  clearly 
be  seen  the  side  strain  bends  the  push  rod 
and  support.  Continued  regripping  may 
result  in  damaging  the  clamping  block  and 
push  rod  seriously. 

This  danger  is  overcome  by  simply  plac- 
ing the  unburned  end  of  another  carbon 
stub  of  equal  diameter  in  the  opposite  end 
of  the  jaw  so  that  all  of  the  pressure  of 
the  clamping  block  is  equalized  at  its 
center  directly  over  the  push  rod,  as  shown 
in  Figure  IB. 

SPECIAL  EQUIPMENT 

Take-up  belt  failure  is  often  the  cause 
of  a  performance  interruption  and  can 
easily  lead  to  a  film  jam  in  the  soundhead 
that  may  ruin  valuable  film  and  irreplace- 
able equipment.   The  failure  of  such  a  belt 


1° 


us 


TO 


NOV 


FIGURE  4 


five  frames  by  hand  as  before,  but  instead 
of  stopping  just  when  the  intermittent  has 
ceased  to  move,  he  continues  until  the 
flicker  blade  (not  master  blade)  of  the 
shutter  is  directlv  across  the  aperture. 
This  brings  different  mating  teeth  of  the 
various  components  of  the  gear  train  into 
contact. 

The  purpose  of  moving  the  projector 
slowly  ahead  for  five  frames  is  to  take  out 
as  much  slack  motion  between  the  teeth 


may  usually  be  traced  to  the  point  where 
the  hook  has  torn  out  of  the  belt.  Not 
only  is  this  a  dangerous  menace,  but  once 
a  belt  has  torn  out  it  is  too  short  to  be 
used  again  without  putting  undue  side 
strain  on  the  bearing  of  the  lower  magazine. 

Figure  2  illustrates  a  third  danger  from 
improperly  placed  holes  in  the  belt.  As 
may  be  seen  the  misalignment  of  the  belt 
makes  tracking  into  the  groove  of  the 
pulley  difficult  and  the  operation  of  the 
belt  jerky. 

To  place  the  holes  in  their  proper  posi- 
tion from  the  end  of  the  belt  and  at  the 
same  time  facilitate  the  punching  of  a 
perpendicular  hole  through  its  exact  cen- 
ter, Mr.  Miller  uses  the  simple  block  il- 
lustrated in  Figure  3.  The  several  size 
openings  accommodate  belting  of  various 
diameter  and  when  pushed  in  they  are  at 
the  correct  position  to  punch  the  hole  just 
the  right  distance  from  the  end  of  the  belt. 
This  very  simple  tool  results  in  excep- 
tional belt  life  and  assures  correct  align- 
ment and  mating  of  the  ends  when  they 
are  hooked  together. 

There  is  another  tool  which  is  inexpen- 
sive and  easy  to  obtain  but  has  proven  of 
great  value.  This  tool  is  an  ordinary  doc- 
tors' stethoscope  with  a  rubber  tip.  This 
instrument  replaces  the  dangerous  practice 
of  using  a  screw  driver  with  its  point 
placed  against  the  frame  while  the  ear  is 
held  against  the  handle,  for  use  in  locating 


72 


BETTER    TH  EATRES 


February    6,  1943 


Your  Motiograph  Dealer  Must 
Live  With  His  Promises 

Since  he  is  not  bound  to  any  particular  group  of 
affiliated  manufacturers  but  is  free  to  sell  all  makes 
of  all  kinds  of  equipment  he  is  by  experience  better 
fitted  to  service  all  of  it. 

Impartial  investigation  reveals  that  the  Motio- 
graph dealer  is  always  the  best  dealer  in  town 
because  he  has  been  selected  as  exclusive  repre- 
sentative of  leading  manufacturers. 

Specializing  in  service,  he  is  equipped  with  the 
latest  tools  and  machinery  for  doing  every  job 
quickly  and  with  precision  and  efficiency.  By  actual 
personal  experience  he  has  become  expert  in  the 
repair  of  all  makes  of  equipment,  not  just  one,  and 
he  has  access  to  the  repair  departments  of  all  lead- 
ing manufacturers. 

Do  not  hesitate  to  call  him  any  hour  of  the  day  or 
night. 

MOTIOGRAPH,  INC. 

ESTABLISHED  1896 

4431  West  Lake  Street    •    Chicago,  Illinois 


»  »  »  »  » 


THOSE  WHO  HAVE  SEEN  THE  FIRST  COPIES  SAY; 

"EVEN  BETTER  THAN 
THE  SIXTH" 

This  new  BLUEBOOK  OF  PROJECTION 
is  announced  —  and  pictured  —  on  page  53 


«  «  «  «  « 


the  source  of  noise.  One  slip  of  the  screw 
driver  into  moving  gears  may  cause  enough 
damage  to  necessitate  the  closing  of  a 
theatre.  The  stethoscope  is  safe  and  ac- 
curate and  the  cost  is  negligible  (Mr. 
Miller  paid  $2.50  for  his). 

STICKY  GATE  ACTION 

Under  certain  conditions,  a  warping  of 
the  trap  assembly  results  in  the  gate  failing 
to  slide  closed  easily.  This  is  caused  by  a 
binding  of  the  tracks  upon  which  the  gate 
moves.  To  overcome  this  difficulty  the 
following  method  has  been  found  very 
satisfactory  in  field  service : 

Remove  the  top  magazine.  It  will  be 
noted  that  the  upper  magazine  roller 
holder  is  held  in  position  by  three  screws, 
two  small  ones  in  the  rear  and  a  larger 
one  in  the  front  center  of  the  roller  holder. 
Loosen  the  front  screw  and  insert  a  small 
screw  driver  between  the  roller  holder  and 
the  top  plate  at  the  top  front  of  the  pro- 
jector. This  will  separate  the  roller  holder 
and  top  plate  slightly.  Tighten  the  front 
screw  of  the  roller  holder  to  maintain  this 
position  and  remove  the  screw  driver  being 
used  as  a  separator.  This  adjustment  will 
very  often  free  the  binding  of  the  gate 
action. 

It  is  advisable  to  open  and  close  the  gate 
while  the  screw  driver  is  inserted  between 
the  roller  holder  and  top  plate  to  determine 
the  position  in  which  the  gate  moves  most 
freely  before  tightening  the  roller  holder 
screw.  //  the  gate  does  not  shoiv  im- 
mediate signs  of  freeing  the  roller  holder 
should  not  be  forced  away  from  the  top 
plate  or  other  parts  of  the  projector  may 
be  thrown  into  misalignment. 

PREPARING  FOR  EMERGENCY 

Preparation  for  an  emergency  is  vitally 
important.  When  the  situation  has  not 
been  anticipated  and  definite  preparations 
planned,  there  is  very  little  likelihood  of 
the  men  in  the  projection  room,  faced  with 
shut  down  and  its  mental  strain,  being  able 
to  reach  a  solution  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment  that  could  compare  favorably  with 
a  carefully  planned  method  of  attack. 

The  majority  of  the  theatres  under  Mr. 
Miller's  maintenance  use  double  channel 
rectifiers  for  the  arc.  In  the  event  of  a 
failure  in  either  channel  it  would  normally 
be  necessary  to  use  jumper  wires  between 
the  machines  and  operate  on  the  single 
channel  until  repairs  could  be  made. 
Jumpers  require  a  minimum  of  20  feet  of 
heavy  duty  copper  wire  which  is  now  un- 
attainable and  represents  a  hazard  because 
it  may  easily  trip  a  man  walking  between 
the  projectors. 

Figure  4  illustrates  Mr.  Miller's  very 
simple  plan  to  do  away  with  this  incon- 
venience. A  thick  plank  about  8x10  inches 
is  mounted  on  the  side  of  the  rectifier  and 
drilled  to  take  bolts  of  the  proper  size  for 
connecting  lugs.  The  bolt  heads  are 
countersunk  into  the  wood  and  spaced  so 
that  the  negative  posts  leading  to  each  lamp 
are  2  inches  apart,  and  the  positive  posts 
(Continued  on  page  79) 


February    6,  1943 


BETTER    TH  EATRES 


7j 


To  owners  of  G-E  Air  Conditioning, 
G-E  Commercial  Refrigeration 


NO  MORE  UNTIL  AFTER  THE  WAR 

G-E  Air  Conditioning  and  Commercial  Refrigeration  products 
have  vital  war  jobs  to  do,  and  the  equipment  which  you  now 
own  is  —  for  the  duration  —  irreplaceable! 


SERVICING  FACILITIES  TAXED 

With  new  replacement  equipment  no  longer  available,  servicing 
facilities  are  being  taxed  as  never  before  by  a  greatly  increased 
volume  of  repair  work. 


We  suggest  that  you  follow  the  simple  suggestions  outlined  below  to  help 
assure  satisfactory,  uninterrupted  service  from  your  General  Electric 
equipment  for  the  duration.  Show  this  page  to  your  maintenance  man  or 
haug  it  near  your  G-E  equipment.  It  may  save  many  dollars  by  forestall- 
ing the  need  for  service  and  by  prolonging  the  life  of  your  equipment. 

General  Electric  Company,  Air  Conditioning  and  Commercial 
Refrigeration  Department,  Division  3572,  Bloomfield,  New  Jersey. 


DUST...  OIL...  AD  JUST! 

2.  KEEP  MOTORS  OW^K 

arc  for  yoar  e<lUi,,me,"• 

3.  keep  »iiw^^3KtJ2i 

at  peak  efficiency. 

GENERAL  ©ELECTRIC 


74 


BETTER  THEATRES 


February    6,  1943 


A  New  Easy  Method 
Of  Planning  Auditorium 
Floor  Slopes  Accurately 


By 

BEN  SCHLANGER 


IN  the  preceding  article 
of  this  group  was  presented  a  simplified 
method  of  planning  an  auditorium  floor 
slope.  Using  the  basic  principles  of  that 
method,  it  is  possible  to  determine  proper 
floor  pitches  with  more  accuracy  than  the 
preceding  procedure  permits.  And  this  can 
be  done  without  resorting  to  calculations 
any  more  complicated.  In  fact,  the  method 
described  in  this  article  is  fully  as  simple. 

The  accompanying  drawing  shows  in  de- 
tail how  to  form  a  floor  slope  according 
to  this  method.  The  procedure  requires  de- 
tailed calculations  for  the  slope  of  two  rows 
only,  for  any  given  level  of  seating.  After 
these  two  rows  are  determined,  simple  addi- 
tion and  subtraction  are  used  to  determine 
pitches  for  the  remaider  of  the  rows. 

The  slope  shown  in  the  drawing  starts  at 
the  sixth  row.  This  is  done  because  it  is 
a  point  at  which  full  sightline  clearance 


should  be  obtainable.  The  slope  in  front 
of  this  section  is  dealt  with  on  a  basis  of 
tolerable  obstruction  areas  (a  subject  which 
will  be  fully  dealt  with  at  a  later  time). 
By  locating  points  "F"  and  "G"  the  slope 
from  the  twelfth  to  the  fourteenth  row  is 
determined.  This  slope  is  shown  at  "A" 
and  is  calculated  in  accordance  with  in- 
structions given  in  the  previous  article. 

Now  the  next  important  step  is  to  find 
the  difference  between  the  amount  of  the 
slopes  of  the  two  rows  in  question.  At  "B" 
this  amount  is  shown  as  .346  inches.  This 
figure  was  arrived  at  by  subtracting  2.542 
inches  from  2.888  inches.  This  figure  at 
"B"  would  vary  in  accordance  with  the  dis- 
tance from  the  screen,  and  the  level  of  the 
floor  in  relation  to  the  position  of  the 
screen. 

To  obtain  the  slope  for  the  row  at  "E" 
and  all  the  other  rows  behind  "E"  a  con- 
stant figure  at  "C"  is  used.  This  figure 
is  the  controlling  figure  for  the  changing 
rate  of  the  slope  and  it  establishes  the  curve 
of  the  floor. 

To  obtain  the  slope  at  "E"  the  figure  at 
"D"  is  first  established.  This  is  done  by 
subtracting  the  quantity  "C"  (.014  inches) 
from  "B"   (.346  inches)  ;  this  gives  you 


"d"  at  .332  inches.  Now  the  "D"  amount 
is  the  amount  by  which  you  increase  the 
slope  of  the  previous  row  (2.888  inches)  to 
3.220  inches  for  the  row  at  "E."  This  pro- 
cess of  subtraction  and  addition  is  there- 
after repeated  for  as  many  rows  as  the 
auditorium  seating  area  properly  accommo- 
dates. 

Let's  go  over  this  again  in  a  different 
way.  Assume  that  you  have  established  the 
figures  at  "A"  and  "B"  and  you  have  the 
constant  figure  for  "C."  Now  establish 
the  entire  horizontal  row  of  figures  as  in- 
dicated by  the  row  of  figures  at  "D"  and 
"B."  This  is  done  by  making  each  suc- 
cessive figure  amount  to  .014  inches  less 
than  its  previous  figure.  Having  this  row 
of  figures  you  can  establish  the  row  of 
figures  indicated  by  the  horizontal  row  at 
"E"  and  "A."  For  example  .318  inches 
added  to  3.220  inches  gives  you  3.538 
inches,  and  .304  inches  added  to  3.538 
inches  gives  you  3.842  inches,  etc. 
To  establish  the  level  of  each  row  of  seats 
it  is  necessary  only  to  add  the  rise  given 
for  the  row  in  question  to  the  level  of  the 
row  ahead. 

It  is  advisable  always  to  refer  to  row 
levels  as  being  a  given  distance  above  da- 


Graphic  demonstration  of  a  simple  arithmetical  method  of  planning  a  floor  slope. 


ul 
■x. 
U 


TOP  OF 
HEAD 


EYE  LIME 


FL00&  SLOPE 
LINE 

LEVEL  ABOVE  DATUM  — * 

DATUM  OR 
REFERENCE  LIME 

AT  O  FtET  CD  INCHES-, 


CLEARANCE  LINES 


LEVEL 


BOTTOM  OF  PICTURE  72  INCHES 
ABOVE  DATUM  -  ARRIVAL  POINT 
FOR  ALL  SIGHT  LINES 


4. 4-ob 


.2.10, 


12 


3.538 


2f°         304  3  8     JD^fl  jj^ffi 

c 


laS  INCHES  ABOVE  DATUM 
INCHES  FROM  SCREEN 


UNIT  SPACES  , 
(I?  INCHES  EACH) 
FROM  SCREEN 


10 


.014 


2.542    RISE  IN  INCHES  IN  EACH  ROW 


DIFFERENCE  IN  AMOUNT  OF  RISE 
FROM  ONE  ROW  TO  ANOTHER 


Q>    ROW  NUM&ER 


February    6,  1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


75 


turn,  because  the  builder  will  always  work 
from  a  reference  datum  line. 

Note  the  slight  increase  in  the  rise  per 
row  as  the  distance  from  the  screen  in- 
creases. This  establishes  the  floor  slope  as 
a  curve.  A  uniform  rise  per  row  would  of 
course  establish  a  straight  line  rise,  a  slope 
which  is  useless  for  sightline  purposes.  The 
key  figure  at  "C"  has  been  arrived  at  only 
after  extensive  research  and  has  been  veri- 
fied for  orchestra  floors  and  normal  depth 
and  for  some  upper  level  seating.  Further 
calculations  are  being  made  to  determine 
if  this  figure  can  be  used  for  all  possible 
conditions.  If  any  variations  are  found  it 
will  be  in  the  order  of  a  very  minor  ad- 
justment for  special  conditions. 

To  prove  the  workability  of  this  formula 
the  following  test  can  be  made. 

Select  any  row  at  random  for  checking 
purposes.  For  example  the  eleventh  row 
is  16.03  inches  above  datum.  The  eye  in 
this  row  is  44  inches  higher  at  60.03  inches 
above  datum.  The  top  of  the  patron's  head 
in  the  row  ahead  is  60.688  inches  above  da- 
tum. This  puts  the  head  in  front  .658-inch 
above  the  eye  in  the  eleventh  row.  The 
eleventh  row  is  17  unit  spaces  of  32  inches 
each  away  from  the  screen,  so  if  the  ob- 
struction is  .658-inch  at  the  tenth  row,  at 
the  screen  it  will  be  .658-inch  times  17, 
which  equal  11.18  inches. 

If  the  eye  at  the  eleventh  row  is  at  60.03 
inches  above  datum,  and  the  obstruction  by 
the  head  in  front  is  11.18  inches  at  the 
screen,  this  would  place  the  arrival  point 
of  sight  at  the  screen  for  the  eleventh  row 
at  71.21  inches  above  datum. 

For  these  explanatory  calculations  the 
bottom  of  the  screen  was  established  at  72 
inches  above  datum.  The  minor  difference 
is  of  no  importance  and  would  only  be 
eliminated  by  changing  the  key  figure  of 
.014  inches  to  additional  decimal  places. 
If  the  floor  slope  is  laid  out  with  the  arrival 
points  of  sight  coming  to  within  a  few 
inches  above  or  below  the  bottom  of  the 
picture,  it  is  sufficiently  accurate  for  all 
practical  purposes. 

It  must  be  noted  that  the  formula  key 
figure  of  .014-inch  applies  accurately  for 
certain  fixed  conditions,  such  as  the  back- 
to-back  measurement  of  32  inches  and  the 
physical  dimensions  of  the  average  seated 
pr.tron.  While  the  latter  dimensions  would 
not  vary,  the  back-to-back  dimensions  might. 

With  this  method  of  floor  slope  design 
it  is  possible  to  try  a  greater  number  of 
types  of  slopes.  Because  a  slope  can  be 
started  any  distance  from  the  screen  it  is 
possible  to  test  combination  upward  and 
downward  slopes.  The  method  also  applies 
to  staggered  seating. 

The  slope  shown  in  the  drawing  is  not 
a  recommended  one,  of  course ;  it  is  used 
here  only  to  illustrate  the  method.  Al- 
though it  is  not  as  sharp  a  rise  as  the  one 
given  as  slope  "A"  in  the  previous  article, 
it  is  still  too  sharp  a  rise  for  practical  use. 
This  sharp  rise  is  due  to  first  row  clear- 
ance called  for  in  the  design.  Only  bv 
using  staggered  seating,  or  a  "reverse" 
floor  slope,  or  a  combination  of  both,  could 
the  floor  curve  be  less  sharp  in  rise  and  yet 
provide  satisfactory  clearances. 


Ten  years  ago  it  was  the  privilege  of 
American  Seating  Company  to  design, 
build  and  install  the  seating  in  Radio 
City  Music  Hall.  As  the  nation's  Num- 
ber One  theatre,  your  specifications 
called  for  the  very  best  seating  procur- 
able. You  got  precisely  that  .  . .  and 
the  records  show  how  right  you  were! 

Sixty  Million  Sittings — and  Still 
in  Splendid  Condition! 

It  was  an  honor  to  share  in  the  crea- 
tion of  the  Music  Hall.  It  has  been  a 
continuing  distinction  to  serve  with 
you  through  the  decade  of  magnificent 


achievement  which  the  Music  Hall  has 
completed.  It  is  a  privilege  to  present 
our  compliments  on  this  occasion  to 
you  as  a  national  institution — Radio 
City  Music  Hall. 

American  Seating  Company's  half 
century  of  experience  and  entire  man- 
ufacturing facilities  are  placed  at  the 
nation's  service  until  Victory.  When 
that  day  comes — when  Peace  returns 
— our  resources  for  engineering  re- 
search, design,  development,  and  pro- 
duction of  fine  theatre  seating  will  be 
at  the  industry's  command. 


GRAND  RAPIDS,  MICHIGAN 

WORLD'S  LEADER  IN  PUBLIC  SEATING 

Manufacturers  of  Theatre,  Auditorium,  School,  Church,  Transportation  and 
Stadium  Seating    •    Branch  Offices  and  Distributors  in  Principal  Cities 


INVEST  IN  YOUR  FUTURE— BUY  WAR  BONDS 


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equipment  still  available  without  priority. 

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qt.  Fire  Extinguishers  $11.25       Bulb  Extractors  $1.98 

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Fire  Bomb  Sand  Pails  49       15  amp.  Rectigon  Bulbs   8.00 

Ask  for  our  current  Bargain  Bulletin  REM-5. 


pi 


»j  S.  O.  §.  Cinema  Supply  Corp. 


449  WEST  42nd  STREET 
NEW  YORK 


hi 


BETTER  THEATRES 


February    6,  1943 


SUPER  SERVICE 


OUR  PARTS thisWAJt, 

LaVezzi-made  precis/on  parts  are 
now  in  demand  for  the  tools  of 
war.  When  the  war  is  won 
YOUR  needs  will  again 
rank  "First." 


laVfezzi  Machine  Works 

180  North  Wacker  Drive         Chicago,  Illinois 


HE  IS 
STILL 
THERE 


He  may  be  a  little  hamstrung  by 
gas  rationing  and  oil  rationing. 
He's  got  the  "priorities"  and 
his  "B"  card  doesn't  let  him  get 
very  far. 

But — he's  still  there. 

He's  got  a  glint  in  his  eye  and 
willingness  in  his  heart  and  he's 
on  the  job  to  help  see  you 
through  from  here  on  out. 

"He",  of  course,  is  your  Na- 
tional Theatre  Supply  Company 
representative — a  good  man  to 
remember  these  days. 

NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY  COMPANY 


WAYS  &  MEANS 

in  operation,  installation,  maintenance 

John  J.  Sefing  is  a  graduate  mechanical  engineer  and  has  long  specialized  in  theatre  work 

€J  Added  Safety  and 
Service  in  Call  Systems 


something  that  may  well 
be  given  serious  thought  at  the  present  time 
is  a  rapid  and  positive  means  of  communi- 
cating distress  and  emergency  signals  or 
messages  to,  and  in,  the  theatre.  No  one 
knows  when  an  emergency  may  arise,  and 
every  theatre  should  do  all  it  possibly  can 
to  safeguard  the  lives  and  well-being  of 
people  assembled  within  its  doors. 

With  the  various  home  defense  organiza- 
tions formulating  schemes  for  meeting 
emergencies,  theatres  and  other  places  of 
public  assembly  are  necessarily  expected  to 
do  their  full  share.  It  is  up  to  theatres 
themselves  to  find  their  own  ways  and 
means  to  help  reduce  hazards  arising  from 
the  war — this  for  two  good  selfish  reasons 
as  well  as  others:  to  keep  the  confidence 
and  patronage  of  the  public  and  to  merit 
further  the  support  of  the  Government  in 
our  efforts  to  maintain  theatres  in  opera- 
tion. 

Theatre  management  should  be  alert  and 
able  to  be  quickly  informed  on  what  is  go- 
ing on  both  inside  and  outside  the  theatre. 
This  advises  the  installation  of  a  positive 
means  of  notifying  certain  individuals  who 
have  some  public  function  in  an  emergency 
— doctors,  nurses,  regular  and  auxiliary  po- 
licemen, firemen,  civil  and  military  officers, 
and  air  raid  wardens.  Any  and  all  of  the 
above-mentioned  persons  are  subject  to  call 
to  duty  at  any  time  during  the  day  or 
night.  How  quickly  can  any  such  person 
be  notified  of  an  emergency  while  enjoying 
their  well-earned  relaxation  in  your  theatre. 

Let's  take  the  case  of  a  doctor  attending 
the  show.  The  usual  practice  is  for  him  to 
leave  his  card  or  mention  his  name  to  the 
usher,  ticket  taker,  cashier  or  the  manager, 
with  the  understanding  that  he  is  to  be 
notified  in  case  of  an  emergency ;  however, 
after  the  doctor  is  seated,  the  person  he  has 
spoken  to  may  have  forgotten  his  name  and 
where  he  is  sitting,  or  may  have  gone  off 
duty,  with  the  result  that  in  an  emergency 
nobody  knows  anything  about  it.  The  only 
positive  way  of  dealing  with  this  war-time 
situation  is  to  establish  a  fool-proof  system 


of  intercommunication,  and  to  impress 
upon  the  employes  the  importance  of  get- 
ting and  recording  all  the  facts  in  each 
instance. 

SYSTEM  FOR  PATRONS 

As  to  the  system  to  be  employed,  the  de- 
tails can  be  varied,  but  the  main  idea  is  to 
be  sure  that  emergency  calls  are  put 
through  in  a  positive  and  direct  manner. 
An  intercommunicating  system  is  practical 
and  inexpensive  to  install  in  most  theatres, 
especially  those  having  hearing  aids  avail- 
able at  certain  chairs  in  a  particular  seating 
area.  In  theatres  so  equipped,  the  first 
thing  to  do  is  to  run  a  circuit  or  circuits 
of  small-sized  wires  from  the  manager's 
office  to  the  chairs  designated  as  those  to 
be  used  only  by  persons  desiring  to  be  no- 
tified in  case  of  emergencies.  The  chairs 
(at  least  four,  it  would  seem)  picked  out 
for  this  purpose,  preferably  should  be  near 
or  adjoining  the  chairs  that  have  hearing 
aid  outlets.  The  reason  for  this  is  to  en- 
able the  employes  to  know  instantly  just 
where  persons  having  emergency  calls  are 
seated  so  that  they  can  be  quickly  located 
in  case  the  call  system  can't  be  used. 

Under  the  armrest  of  each  chair  so  se- 
lected for  emergency  call  install  a  small 
buzzer — or  a  small  flashlight  type  light 
bulb  in  a  metal  casing — and  connect  it  to 
the  circuit  running  to  the  manager's  office. 
In  the  manager's  office,  a  small  push  but- 
ton panel  should  be  installed  with  the  same 
number  of  buttons  on  it  as  the  number  of 
chairs  selected  for  emergency  calls,  with 
each  button  identified,  say,  by  a  number. 

This  push  button  panel  should  then  be 
properly  interconnected  with  the  circuit 
wiring  to  the  chairs,  and  to  a  standard  bell- 
ringing  transformer  in  the  a.  c.  lighting 
circuit. 

CHAIR  SIGNAL  PLAN 

In  some  installations,  where  other  means 
are  impossible,  the  conduits  for  the  hearing 
aids  might  possibly  be  used  for  this  buzzer 


February  6 


1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


~7 


wiring.  Care  should  be  taken,  however, 
that  the  wires  be  properly  shielded  against 
anv  interference  with  the  picture  sound  to 
the  hearing  aids.  In  any  case,  an  electri- 
cian— or  better  still,  your  sound  engineer 
— should  be  consulted  so  as  to  adopt  the 
best  possible  method  for  your  particular 
setup. 

In  putting  an  emergency  call  system  into 
effect,  the  ushers  should  be  instructed  to 
reserve  the  selected  chairs  only  for  persons 
expecting  emergency  calls ;  and  to  get  the 
person's  name  and  the  number  of  the  chair 
that  he  is  seated  in.  Also,  the  patron 
should  be  told  that  he  will  be  notified  of 
the  nature  of  the  signal — sounding  of  the 
buzzer,  or  a  predetermined  number  of 
flashes  of  the  light  bulb.  This  procedure 
can  be  varied  to  suit  the  particular  system 
worked  out  by  the  theatre  management,  but 
in  any  case  each  employe  should  be  notified 
of  the  system  in  use  and  should  definitely 
understand  that  it  must  be  followed  in  all 
circumstances. 

To  acquaint  the  public  of  this  emergency 
call  system,  a  card  could  be  placed  in  the 
lobby  or  in  the  box-office,  more  or  less  in 
the  manner  used  to  advertise  sound  or  hear- 
ing aid  systems.  Incidentally,  this  would 
afford  evidence  of  the  things  the  theatre  is 
doing  for  the  safety  and  convenience  of  the 
public. 

OUTSIDE  CALL  SYSTEM 

Another  intercommunicating  system  to 
be  considered  is  one  linking  the  theatre 
with  the  proper  office  of  the  local  authori- 
ties— police  or  civilian  defense.  A  siren 
cannot  certainly  be  heard  inside  of  a  thea- 
tre, especially  with  the  show  on,  and  the 
telephone,  in  all  probability,  would  be  dead 
during  an  air  raid.  Such  an  intercommuni- 
cating system  could  be  installed  without 
much  difficulty,  connecting  a  central  warn- 
ing station  with  all  theatres  and  other 
places  of  public  assembly,  by  the  use  of 
the  present  trunk  and  power  line  trench 
system  used  in  the  city  network.  In  each 
theatre,  a  light  signal  connected  to  the 
control  warning  station  could  be  installed, 
preferably  in  the  manager's  office.  The  sig- 
nal could  be  divided  into  red,  blue  and  am- 
ber lights,  that  would  tell  the  manager  at 
a  glance  just  how  serious  the  emergency  is 
at  the  moment.  In  this  way  time  would  be 
available  to  prepare  the  theatre  staff  and 
patrons  for  the  emergency;  this  same  sys- 
tem could  be  used  by  the  theatre  to  notify 
the  fire  or  police  department  of  a  fire  or 
panic. 

For  such  a  purpose,  the  necessary  equip- 
ment doubtless  would  be  readilv  available. 


CJThese  Resolutions 
We  Gotta  Keep! 

BY  THIS  TIME  most  of  OUr 

Xew  A  ear's  resolutions  have  been  broken, 
or  at  least  badly  damaged,  so  that  we 
should  be  sufficiently  unburdened  to  be  in 
a  receptive  mood  for  the  consideration  of 


'^Welcome  in!''  says  the  sparkling  Flexglass-deca* 
rated  exterior  of  the  Capital,  the  "America  on  Wheels'1 
rink   in   Trenton,   N.   J.   Lustrablu    Mirror   Flexglass  teas 
employed  Kith  brilliant  effect  by  Architect  Barnet  Singer. 


*  \*  \V\  ////* 

MAGN6T5  of  Light 


DRAW    PATRONS  IN  ! 

/  / 


Sparkle  is  a  magnet  to  the  amusement  seeker, 
drawing  him  irresistibly  to  the  ticket  booth! 

Your  theatre  marquee  or  lobby  will  have  this 
sparkle  if  you  use  Flexglass  when  remodeling. 

Flexglass  is  the  thoroughly  modern  decorative 
material  .  .  .  and  it's  surprisingly  inexpensive!  It 
is  made  of  scintillating  rectangles  of  glass  .  .  . 
mirror  or  plain,  in  many  lovely  colors  .  .  .  mounted 
on  a  strong  fabric  backing. 

Flexglass  is  waterproof  and  weatherproof.  I  The 
exterior  above  was  unscathed  by  one  of  the  East's 
rainiest  summers!)  Its  colors  do  not  fade;  it  re- 
quires no  upkeep.  Easy  to  install.  Flexglass  covers 
straight  surfaces  or  curves  with  equal  beauty. 

Consult  your  architect  or  designer  for  further 
information  about  Flexglass.  Or  write  us  for 
FREE  color  card,  descriptive  folder,  and  name  of 
your  nearest  Flexglass  dealer. 


Flexwood  and  Flexglass  are  manufactured  and 
marketed  jointly  by  the  Mengel  Co..  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  the  United  States  Plywood  Corp. 


Modern  Interior  Wood  Treatments  are  pos- 
sible at  low  cost  with  flexwood.  Genuine 
wood,  fabric-backed.  Strong  and  durable, 
vet  bends  around  a  pencil. 


.Available  Now  ...  No  Priorities.' 


UNITED    STATES    PLYWOOD    CORP.    IDS  Park  Avenue    .    New  York,  NY. 


SAVE    THAT    COPPER!  Turn    it  in! 


We'll  Be  Seeing  You  A.  V.     after  victory) 

•  •    •  — This  is  everybody's  War.  F&Y's  present  duty  is  to  be  of  all  out  service 

to  the  emergency. 

•  •    •  — The  F&Y  organization,  while  now  geared  exclusively  to  the  war  effort, 

will  be  intact  to  service  you  after  Victory. 

•    •    •  —  F&Y's  future  duty  is  to  continue  serving  its  loyal 
clientele  and  their  friends. 

In  the  Meantime  ...  — 
Keep  'Em  Smiling  !  Buy  War  Bonds  ! 

THE   F   &   Y    BUILDING  SERVICE 

328  E.  TOWN  STREET  COLUMBUS,  OHIO 

■  '■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I 


78 


BETTER    TH  EATRES 


February    6,  1943 


Uncle  Sam 
Comes  First 


Yes,  we  are  doing  our 
bit  towards  the  Victory 
that  we  all  seek.  The 
same  effort  and  back- 
log of  experience  that 
our  entire  organization 
has  put  forth  into  the 
design  and  manufacture 
of  sound  and  projection 
equipment,  is  now  going 
into  National  Defense 
Work.  However,  we  will 
still  service  our  regular 
accounts  and  replace- 
ment parts  will  be  fur- 
nished to  maintain  our 
equipment  at  top  rate 
efficiency. 


BUY  VICTORY  BONDS 
AND  STAMPS 

WEBER  MACHINE 
CORPORATION 

59  RUTTER  ST.,  ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


Sound  Trouble  Shooting 
Charts  .  .  .  $1.00  postpaid 

QUICLEY  BOOKSHOP 
Rockefeller  Center      -      New  York 


WAGNER  COMPLETE 

LOBBY    DISPLAY  UNIT 

Colorful  beauty  —  (mashing  display.  Ona  salt 
bolda  3  linea  of  PLASTIC  Translucent  Colered 
Letter*.   Send  for  literature. 

WAGNER  SIGN  SERVICE,  Inc. 
21S  S.  Hoyne  Are.,  Chiea4e 


a  new  batch.  Here  are  a  few  suggestions 
along  that  line — more  practical,  however, 
then  the  usual  promises  we  make  to  our- 
selves when  another  year  comes  around. 
In  fact,  the  resolutions  submitted  below 
are  scarcely  a  matter  of  choice.  We'd 
better  make  'em  and  keep  'em — or  else. 
Let  it  therefore  be — 

Resolved:  That  we  will  take  extreme 
care — more  than  ever  before — of  all  the 
equipment,  furnishings,  and  the  theatre 
building  itself,  always  remembering  that 
waste  of  any  material  is  contrary  to  both 
the  war  effort  and  the  continued  operation 
of  theatres.  In  order  to  save  wear  and 
tear  on  any  equipment  we  will  not  neglect 
it  until  a  breakdown  occurs,  but  will  regu- 
larly and  properly  have  it  serviced  and 
maintained,  since  most  parts  will  be  ir- 
replaceable; also,  all  areas  of  the  theatre, 
especially  the  projection  and  motor-genera- 
tor rooms,  will  always  be  kept  thoroughly 
clean  of  dust,  dirt  and  grit.  All  possible 
repairs  will  be  made  immediately  and  never 
put  off  until  tomorrow,  so  as  to  protect  the 
equipment  and  building  from  unnecessary 
deterioration. 

Resolved :  That  we  will  not  relax  our 
efforts  in  keeping  up  a  smart  lobby  and 
front  even  though  our  theatre  may  be  in 
dimout  area ;  inasmuch  as  we  are  allowed 
less  money  to  spend  for  upkeep,  we  will 
depend  more  upon  careful  planning,  sys- 
tematic maintenance  and  intelligent  buying 
to  prevent  a  run-down  appearance  through- 
out the  theatre. 

Resolved:  That  we  will  pay  more  atten- 
tion to  the  minor  details  in  running  the 
theatre,  such  as  promptly  repairing  tears 
and  worn  spots  in  the  carpet  and  chair  up- 
holstery, as  well  as  damage  of  the  screen ; 
having  loose  panels  tightened,  and  having 
sharp  protruding  metal  parts  such  as 
screws,  bolts,  fastening  bands  on  the  chairs 
immediately  eliminated.  .  .  .  Also,  to  have 
draperies  and  fabrics  cleaned  regularly  and 
repaired  promptly;  to  prevent  the  accumu- 
lation of  gum,  candy,  etc.,  on  carpet  and 
flooring,  and  to  clean  floors  in  public  areas 
periodically  with  a  good  detergent,  apply- 
ing also  a  disinfectant.  Any  rust  or  corro- 
sion spots  or  areas  on  metal  materials  will 
be  touched  up  promptly  with  protective 
paint.  And  all  leaks  in  the  roof  will  be 
repaired  immediately,  and  the  roof  be 
always  kept  broom-clean  of  refuse. 

Resolved:  That  in  order  to  conserve  heat 
and  power  thorough,  regular  inspection 
will  be  made  of  the  equipment.  The  flues 
and  boiler  areas  will  be  kept  clean,  all 
cracks  and  leaks  stopped  to  prevent  the 
infiltration  of  cold  air.  When  the  theatre 
is  not  open  the  temperature  will  be  kept 
just  high  enough  to  prevent  freezing  of  the 
water  pipes.  Only  electric  lights  that  are 
absolutely  necessary  for  safety  and  mini- 
mum convenience  of  the  patron  will  be 
kept  burning  during  show  hours — miscel- 
laneous lights  will  be  turned  on  only  when 
required  and  immediately  be  turned  off 
when  not  being  used. 

Resolved:  That  we  will  not  imitate  the 
theatre  down  the  street  if  it  is  doing  things 
contrary  to  the  war  effort,  but  will  go 


As  in  Most  of  the 
Country's  Modern  Theatres 

AUTODRAPE 

Curtain  Machines 

and 

SILENT  STEEL 

Curtain  Tracks 

are  installed  in  the  new 

LOEW  S  VALENTINE 

Toledo,  Ohio 

AUTOMATIC  DEVICES  CO. 

1033  Linden  St.  Allentown,  Pa. 

Export  Office: 
220  W.  42nd  St.,  New  York  City 

Also  Manufacturers  of 
Projection  Motor  Generators 


PROJECTOR  REPLACEMENT 


EVEN  though  we  are  working 
day  and  night  on  precision  parts 
vital  to  the  war  effort,  the  War 
Production  Board  has  granted  us  permission 
to  manufacture  replacement  parts  for  all 
standard  35  MM  projectors. 

While  we  do  not  sell  to  theatres  direct, 
we  will  gladly  send  you  our  comprehensive 
projector  parts  catalog,  FREE.  Simply  send 
us  the  name  of  your  local  supply  dealer  and 
ask  for  our  catalog  No.  WC  11. 


Ill  6  NZ  EL 

PROJECTOR  COMPANY 

^^P^f"        2505-19  S.  STATE  STREET 
^sT<Jict         CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


READ  THE  ADS- 

theyre  news! 


February    6,    I  943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


79 


along  according  to  own  policy  of  helping 
this  industry  by  aiding  the  war  effort. 

Resolved :  Even  though  conditions  great- 
ly restrict  us,  we  will  not  stay  in  a  rut, 
but  will  try  out  new  ideas,  make  sugges- 
tions for  improvement,  keep  posted  on 
methods  and  developments  that  represent 
efforts  to  make  theatre  operation  efficient. 

Resolved:  That  we  will  do  all  in  our 
power  to  safeguard  the  lives  of  our  patrons, 
adopting  whatever  methods  are  genuinely 
of  value  for  the  prevention  of  fires,  panics 
and  accidents.  We  will  carefully  inspect 
and  systematically  maintain  our  emergency 
equipment,  knowing  full  well  that  what 
may  have  been  good  enough  in  normal 
times  is  not  adequate  to  the  possibilities 
of  wartime. 

Resolved:  That  we  will  show  how  useful 
the  theatre  business  by  giving  the  authori- 
ties and  home  front  organizations  full  co- 
operation in  formulating  and  putting  into 
effect  plans  that  may  be  thought  necessary 
for  the  protection  of  the  public,  conserva- 
tion of  materials,  and  maintenance  of 
morale. 


Ways  to  Conserve 
Projection  Equipment 

(Continued  from  page  72) 

an  equal  distance  from  one  another.  The 
two  negative  and  positive  posts  are  sep- 
arated by  distance  of  6  inches,  however. 

Shown  in  the  figure  also  are  the  jumper 
bus  bars  constructed  from  worn  knife 
switch  blades.  As  may  be  seen,  it  is  only 
possible  to  place  the  bus  bars  over  the 
proper  posts  because  of  the  way  they  are 
drilled  and  the  space  relationship  between 
the  four  posts. 

In  the  event  of  a  failure,  in  one  channel 
of  the  rectifier  the  projectionists  snap  off 
the  a.c.  relay  control  on  the  dead  machine, 
place  the  two  bus  bars  over  the  posts, 
tightening  them  in  place,  snap  the  a.c.  relay 
control  on  the  good  channel,  and  are  ready 
to  continue  their  show. 

Changeovers  may  be  made  without 
undue  overload  to  the  single  channel  in 
the  following  manner: 

Start  the  motor  on  the  usual  cue  with 
the  lamp  dead  and  the  changeover  shutter 
and  dowser  open.  At  the  appearance  of 
the  changeover  cue,  strike  the  arc  of  the 
incoming  projector.  This  will  put  out  the 
arc  on  the  outgoing  machine  and  allow  full 
power  to  the  incoming  lamp.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  open  the  table  switch  on  the  non- 
operating  projector  as  the  lamp  feed  motor 
will  continue  to  run  and  freeze  the  carbons 
if  this  is  not  done. 

LOCATION  OF  NOISE 

Mr.  Miller  has  often  found  that  when 
a  projection  head  which  has  been  function- 
ing quietly  on  one  soundhead  is  placed  in 
use  upon  another  soundhead,  "grind"  or 
gear  noise  is  audible.  Regular  reallocation 
of  equipment  presents  this  problem  to  him 
(Continued  on  page  85) 


TO  THEATRE  OWNERS 

who  want  to  make  more  money 

*  There's  a  tried  and  proven  way  to  build  box  office,  draw  new  pa- 
trons, and  make  more  money.  It's  the  remodeling  of  your  theatre 
with  a  new  Pittco  Front. 

Write  us  today  for  our  free  book  of  facts  —  and  plan  to  remodel 
your  theatre  with  a  Pittco  Front  when  building  restrictions  are  lifted. 
Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Company,  2219-3  Grant  Building,  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania. 

PITTSBURGH  PLATE  GLASS  COMPANY 

'PITTSBURGH  ~  fe.  t2ua/ty  (y£u>$  astaf  (y^ttf 


★  ★ 


•  "SEAT  JITTERS"® 

Keep  seats  securely  anchored  with 
SUPREME  EXPANSION  BOLTS. 
Sold    by    leading   supply  houses. 

Chicago  Expansion  Bolt  Co. 

CO        2228  w-  Ogden  Ave.,  Chicago,  III. 


WRITE 

FOR 
PRICES 
TO  0  A 


World's  finest  pop  corn,  salt,  seasoning, 
cartons,  sacks  cost  vou  less  here!  Also, 
prompt  delivery  from  nearest  branch  costs 
less.  Write  for  prices  today. 

World's  Largest  Pop  Corn  Producers 

AMERICAN  POP  CORN  CO.,     SIOUX  CITT,  IOWA 


80 


ETTE  R    TH  EATR  ES 


February    6,  1943 


Exhibitors  of  America  have  many  du- 
ties to  perform  these  war  days.  You 
build  unity  and  morale  through  motion 
picture  presentations— and  you  promote 
and  support  the  various  government 
drives  that  are  initiated  to  spur  war 
production  and  civilian  defense. 

RCA  Service,  like  exhibitors,  is  carry- 
ing on  important  war  duties:  RCA  en- 
gineers are  rendering  scheduled  service 
to  projection  room  equipment  in  thou- 
sands of  theatres  to  "Keep  'em  Run- 
ning"—and  other  RCA  Service  groups 
are  installing  military  equipment  and 
instructing  personnel,  in  this  country 
and  at  the  battlefronts. 

The  RCA  Service  organization  is  to- 
day more  than  nation-wide 
...  it  is  world-wide  . . .  serv- 
ing the  home  front  and 
battlefronts  too! 


RCA  SERVICE  CO.,  INC. 

RADIO  CORPORATION  OF  AMERICA 

Subsidiary 
Camden,  N.  J. 


PERFORMER 


Automatic 

FILM 

RE WINDER 

Sold  thruTHEATRE  SUPPLY  DEALERS 


BUY  WAR  BONDS  AND  STAMPS 


F.  H.  RICHARDSON'S 

COMMENT  on  PROJECTION 


Offering  Another 
Way  to  Save  Film 

NOW    I.    J.    WALDON,  JR., 

former  projectionist  of  the  Grove  theatre 
at  Groveton,  Texas,  and  presently  located 
in  Dallas,  submits  his  method  of  conserving 
film.  He  writes:  "There  has  been  much 
discussion  in  your 
columns  as  to  the 
conservation  of  film 
by  projectionists  I 
would  like  to  put  in 
my  own  ideas  and 
have  a  couple  which 
others  seem  to  have 
missed.  These  are 
sure-fire  savers  and 
not  debatable.  Here 
they  are : 

"Many  theatres 
splice  their  trailers 

in  newsreels  and  before  or  after  shorts,  or 
they  run  a  couple  of  trailers  spliced  in  front 
of  a  short  as  one  large  reel.  Many  more 
theatres  move  their  trailers  as  the  program 
and  day  changes,  so  that  the  next  attraction 
is  shown  first  when  the  trailers  are  screened. 
It  is  quite  evident  that  this  creates  much 
unnecessary  cutting  of  trailers  and  date 
strips — and  how  it  butchers  up  the  openings 
and  endings  of  shorts! 


F.  H.  R. 


"Let  me  therefore  suggset  that  all  pro- 
jectionists do  as  is  done  at  the  Grove  the- 
atre where  I  formerly  worked  (I  am  cur- 
rently attending  a  school  of  engineering). 
There  all  trailers  are  run  in  a  chosen  order 
as  a  single  reel.  For  example  we  ran  our 
Tuesday  trailer  first,  Wednesday  and 
Thursday  next,  then  Friday  and  Saturday, 
and  closed  by  running  the  Sunday  and 
Monday  trailer.  We  ran  them  in  this  order 
no  matter  what  day  of  the  week  it  was, 
one  right  after  the  other,  all  on  the  same 
reel.  Once  a  trailer  was  spliced  in,  it  was 
not  cut  again  until  time  came  to  ship  it 
back  to  the  company. 

"Such  procedure  saved  much  footage  in 
date  strips  and  trailers  and  prolonged  the 
life  of  the  short  subject  prints.  The  sav- 
ing might  not  amount  to  much  in  one  the- 
atre but  multiply  that  amount  by  thousands 
of  theatres  that  cut  film  unnecessarily  and 
you  have  a  very  substantial  saving. 

"Perhaps  your  readers  would  like  to  know 
more  about  the  Grove  theatre.  It  is  a  350- 
seat  house  in  a  town  of  about  1,000  popu- 
lation. The  equipment  includes  Simplex 
projectors,  Western  Electric  Mirrophonic 
sound,  Strong  low-intensity  arc  lamps,  and 
an  automatic  rewind.  The  Grove  has  long 
had  one  of  the  youngest  staffs  in  show- 
business.  When  I  worked  there  the  aver- 
age age  was  twenty.  With  the  departure 
of  the  manager  to  the  armed  service,  and 


Justifiably  proud  of  this  projection  room  's  Charles  Passie,  manager  of  the  Apollo  in  Princeton,  III. 
And  in  sending  in  a  photograph  of  it  he  has  a  good  word  for  his  projectionist,  Ivan  Switzer — indeed, 
quite  a  few  words.  It  is  good  to  encounter  such  genuine  appreciation  of  projection  and  a  projectionist 
in  a  manager.  It  says  much  for  the  manager  himself.  Princeton  has  a  population  of  5,000  and  the 
Apollo  theatre  is  a  unit  of  Alger  theatres.  The  equipment  includes  Motiograph  projectors,  Brenkert 
high-intensity  lamps  and  RCA  sound  system.  The  projection  room  has  been  decorated  by  Mr.  Switzer 
himself — and  Mr.  Passie  adds,  "Ivan  has  been  on  the  job  continuously  for  the  past  twelve  years  and 
can  boast  that  he  has  never  been  late  or  missed  a  single  day.  He  keeps  the  projection  room  as 
immaculately  clean  as  it  appears  in  the  picture." — F.  H.  R. 


February    6,     I  943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


me  to  school,  the  average  has  dropped  to 
eighteen,  ranging  from  the  popcorn  girl, 
who  is  eleven,  to  the  new  manager,  who  is 
nineteen." 

Yes,  I  should  say  that  is  quite  a  record 
for  a  young  staff.  A  manager  at  the  ripe 
old  age  of  nineteen  is  something.  But 
won't  the  Grove  have  to  change  to  oldsters 
— or  to  youngsters  younger  still  ? 

Variations  of  a  Method 
To  Produce  Effect  Lighting 

these  are  times  when  a 
bit  of  gadgeteering  by  the  projectionist  is 
not  unlikely  to  have  worthwhile  results. 
Our  good  friend  Walter  Dunkelberger  of 
Fargo,  N.  D.,  is  a  great  hand  to  devise 
little  schemes  of  his  own,  and  the  other  day 
he  came  along  with  a  new  one — a  method 
of  producing  some  effect  lighting,  one  not 
altogether  new,  but  perhaps  new  to  some 
projectionists. 

"Frequently,"  he  writes,  "especially  in 
the  smaller  or  neighborhood  houses,  the 
projectionist  is  called  upon  to  do  some  effect 
lighting.  This  is  usually  left  to  the  pro- 
jectionist's discretion,  as  long  as  his  efforts 
dress  up  the  show  and  add  a  distinctive 
feature  not  found  in  the  houses  of  com- 
petitors. Some  years  ago  I  hit  upon  an 
idea  which  has  been  frequently  used,  with 
variations.  I  like  it  because  it  is  simple, 
flexible  and  easily  adapted  to  other  uses. 
It  is  also  inexpensive,  both  in  original  cost 
and  in  operation  and  maintenance. 

"While  on  vacation  in  the  East  I  noticed 
that  a  lot  of  theatres  were  lighted  in  vari- 
ous ways — by  footlights,  borderlights,  flood- 
lights, spot  lights,  effect  machines  and  in 
almost  even'  imaginable  combination  of 
these.  In  the  Isis,  where  I  work,  we  have 
a  plain  draw  curtain  with  a  set  of  flood- 
lights in  front  of  it  all  controlled  from  the 
projection  room.  The  stage  itself  is  so 
small  that  even  with  the  curtains  open  a 
person  cannot  stand  in  front  of  the  screen 
w-ithout  placing  at  least  one  foot  in  the 
footlights  to  brace  himself.  Obviously  any 
special  lighting  equipment  would  have  to 
be  placed  in  the  footlights,  in  the  audi- 
torium, or  in  the  projection  room  (which 
would  necessitate  long  range  equipment  as 
we  have  a  126-foot  throw) . 

"I  knew  I  could  not  get  enough  money 
from  the  company  to  buy  half  a  dozen  baby 
spot  lights,  and  could  not  mount  them  prop- 
erly in  our  limited  space  if  I  did,  but  one 
day  I  came  across  a  picture  of  a  'Linne- 
bach  lantern'  and  after  that  I  spent  a  cou- 
ple of  hours  in  a  tin  shop  and  a  bit  more 
time  cutting  strips  of  gelatine  and  placing 
them  in  frames.  This  gave  me  as  nice  a 
set  of  vari-colored  beams  of  light  spreading 
up  fan-like  from  the  lower  corners  of  the 
curtains  as  you  could  wish  for,  and  by  us- 
ing only  two  units  instead  of  half  a  dozen. 

"The  Linneback  lantern  utilizes  the 
principle  that  light  travels  in  straight  lines. 
First  a  point  source  of  light  is  obtained ; 
any  concentrated  filament  clear  bulb  of  a 
reasonably  high  intensity  is  adequate  (for  a 
set  of  curtains  approximately  14x18  feet 
I  use  two  200-watt  lamps,  one  in  each 


The  superiority  of  tin 
Century  Projector 
is  recognised  the 
world  over. 


IN  MAJOR  FOREIGN  MARKETS 

Western  Electric  Export  Corporation 

IN  THE  CANADIAN  MARKET 

Dominion  Sound  Equipments,  Ltd. 

IN  THE  DOMESTIC  MARKET 

Independent  Theatres  Supply  Dealers 


CENTURY  PROJECTOR  CORPORATION 


729  SEVENTH  AVENUE 


NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


FOREST  a^-LfU  PRODUCTS 


SUPER-LITE  LENSES 
PRO-JEX  SOUND  UNITS 

o  install  the  best- 
patrons 
ppreciate 


FOREST      MANUFACTURING  CORP. 

200  MT.  PLEASANT  AVE.  NEWARK.  N.  J. 


Projection  Optics  p.? 

330  LYELL  AVE..      ROCHESTER.  N.Y.,  U.S.A. 


82 


BETTER  THEATRES 


F  e  b  r  li  a  ,  v    6,  1943 


unit).  This  point  source  is  then  surround- 
ed by  a  housing  so  that  the  light  may  be 
directed  in  the  direction  desired — a  small 
open  floodlight  will  do  the  job.  I  built 
two  small  floods  for  the  purpose.  One 
must  be  sure  that  the  floods  are  adequately 
ventilated. 

"Several  sets  of  color  frames  were  then 
made.  These  can  be  made  in  various  ways. 
The  standard  frame  is  composed  of  two 
pieces  of  stiff  material  with  suitable  clips 
for  holding  the  two  pieces  together.  I  used 
two  sheets  of  mica  (for  each  frame)  cut 
to  the  proper  size,  hinged  on  one  side 
by  adhesive  tape  and  held  together  on  the 
open  edge  by  paper  clips.  Between  the 
sheets  of  mica  I  placed  strips  of  colored 


gelatine  (approximately  the  same  width — 
see  frame  at  lower  left  of  the  photo). 

"Make  identical  sets  for  each  of  the 
light  units.  You  will  find  that  about  four 
strips  of  bright  colored  gelatine  will  work 
best.  It  is  advisable  not  to  mix  light  and 
dark  colors,  for  the  contrast  is  too  great. 
Since  these  units  are  placed  at  either  end 
of  the  footlight  trough,  I  frequently  turn 
on  one  of  the  darker  colors  in  the  foots  to 
light  the  lower  part  of  the  curtain  and  it 
adds  a  bit  of  variety. 

"Inasumch  as  the  units  are  small,  they 
can  easily  be  moved  to  various  positions 
to  project  their  'fans'  for  various  colored 
lights  on  the  curtains  and  screen  from  dif- 
ferent angles.    Also  the  color  frames  are 


easily  changed  and  aozens  of  combinations 
of  gelatine  can  be  arranged  to  prevent  the 
effects  becoming  monotonous. 

"1  have  also  found  a  few  short-cuts  and 
'savers.'  First:  Gelatine  is  relatively  ex- 
pensive and  drys  out  rapidly,  necessitating 


r 


Dunkelberg's  effect  lighting  equipment. 

frequent  replacement  so  that  cellopham 
may  be  substituted.  It  does  not  dry  out  a| 
rapidly,  but  it  will  fade  when  exposed  over' 
long  to  bright  lights;  however  three  largi i 
sheets  cost  a  dime,  while  gelatine  cost  j 
about  40c.  a  sheet. 

"Second:  The  strips  of  color  can  be  heir 
together  by  cellulose  tape,  thereby  eliminat 
ing  the  need  of  special  color  holders.  Th  I 
strips  can  be  laid  out  on  a  flat  surface  ii| 
the  arrangement  you  wish,  then  fastens 
together  Avith  tape  and  placed  in  the  stand 
ard  color  holders  as  one  piece  of  gelatine,  i 

I  thank  Brother  Dunkelberger  for  allow- 
ing us  to  share  this  scheme  with  him.  I 
should  come  in  handy  to  enliven  the  pei 
formance  at  many  a  theatre  not  able  to  prc|  : 
cure  regular  effect  equipmnet — if,  of  course 
a  suitable  light  projector  can  be  had. 

What  an  Ex-Projectionist 

Must  Learn  to  Come  Back 

■ 

in  exline,  ia.,  is  an  e/l 
projectionst  who,  having  quit  theatre  wor 
before  sound  came,  wonders  if  he  ought  t 
try  to  make  a  come-back.    He  is  Fred  It 
glis,  and  he  writes : 

"Many  years  ago  I  was  a  projection^  I 
in  a  small  theatre,  but  since  that  time  rr  \ 
business  has  been  mostly  that  of  handlir 
the  part  of  a  cow  that  gives  milk.    I  hat 
been  quite  satisfied  with  this  work,  to  j 
but  along  comes  a  letter  from  a  formj 
boss  of  mine  who,  it  seems,  is  losing  m£i 
after  man  because  of  the  draft.    He  wanj  j 
me  to  take  over  the  job  of  projection  in  hi 
small-town  theatre,  and  I  feel  that  sini  j 
I  am  too  old  to  do  active  war  work  j  ) 
might  be  my  patriotic  duty  to  help  hi  J 
out.    The  trouble  is  that  I  don't  know 
lot  about  sound  and  am  wondering  if 
will  make  a  mess  of  things.    Can  you  t«J  I 
me  how  I  can  get  information  concernii  i 
same  and  what  the  main  information 
need  is?" 

It  would  be  quite  a  difficult  task  if 
Frend  Inglis  to  do  a  good  job  in  the  p 
jection   room  without  considerable  stu ' 


YOU  KEEP  YOUR 
PRESENT  EQUIPMENT 


IN  SERVICE 


until  that  time  when  you  can  purchase 


PROJECTION  LAMPS 


NATIONAL  THEATRE  SUPPLY  COMPANY 

"THERE'S  A  BRANCH  NEAR  YOU" 


February  6 


1943 


BETTER  THEATRES 


83 


b 


and  help  from  someone  familiar  with 
present-day  equipment  and  practices.  No 
matter  how  familiar  a  man  may  be  with 
the  principles  underlying  the  action  of 
sound,  he  still  needs  a  vast  amount  of  de- 
tailed information  concerning  the  equip- 
ment. This  necessary  knowledge  may  be 
obtained,  to  a  certain  degree,  from  the 
former  projectionist  if  he  has  not  already 
left.  The  theatre  is  in  a  small  town, 
so  there  may  be  no  regular  visits  from  a 
service  engineer,  therefore  one  can't  count 
on  such  a  source  of  aid.  A  copy  of  the 
Bluebook  of  Projection,  especially  the  new 
Seventh  Edition,  would  seem  to  be  manda- 
tory, but  time  would  be  required  for  study 
and  getting  familiar  with  the  actual  equip- 
ment. 

What  does  the  projectionist  today  have 
to  know  that  he  didn't  have  to  know  be- 
fore sound?  Much — some  of  it  brand  new, 
some  of  it  old  mixed  in  varying  degrees 
with  new.  Light  sources  have  been  greatly 
advanced,  for  example,  not  only  mechanic- 
ally, but  electrically.  And  while  the  prin- 
ciples of  projector  design  would  be  familiar 
to  a  pre-sound  projectionist,  improvements 
have  revised  adjustment  and  maintenance 
procedure.  Then  sound,  of  course,  would 
have  to  be  learned  in  its  entirety,  and  that 
is  quite  an  order  for  a  quick  change  from 
milking  cows. 

The  kind  of  equipment  a  theatre  has  is  a 
factor — but  to  speak  generally,  we  should 
say  that  the  best  way  for  an  ex-projectionist 
to  get  back  into  harness  would  be  to  go  to 
work  in  a  projection  room  along  side  of 
a  man  experienced  in  modern  projection  for, 
say,  a  month  or  so,  in  the  meantime  burn- 
ing the  midnight  oil  over  manufacturer's 
instruction  sheets  and  a  textbook  on  pro- 
jection. Anything  short  of  that  is  cer- 
tainly to  risk  show  stoppages  and  perhaps 
jamming  of  equipment,  for  which  repairs 
might  not  be  easily  obtainable. 

Lesson  1  (We  Guess)  on 
Barn  Theatre  Projection 


writes  Sedg  Brown, 
North  Carolina  "backwoodsman"  (by  his 
own  definition)  : 

"My  brother  and  I  have  managed 
to  get  hold  of  some  delapidated  pro- 
jection equipment,  and  being  mechan- 
ically minded,  we  are  in  the  interest- 
ing process  of  giving  it  a  complete  over- 
hauling. When  we  get  through  with  it  even 
its  own  mother  will  probably  not  be  able 
to  recognize  it,  for,  you  see,  we  -  haven't 
the  wherewithal  to  buy  much,  and  even  if 
we  could  afford  the  repairs  we  feel  we 
should  not  take  advantage  of  the  fact,  since 
we  have  no  real  theatre  and  those  who  do 
have  one  will  need  the  few  available  parts 
on  the  market. 

"We  are  located  'way  back  in  the  back 
woods  where  there  is  very  little  in  the  way 
of  entertainment,  and  Ave  thought  it  would 
be  fun  if  we  could  rig  up  a  'picture  house' 
in  our  barn  for  the  entertainment  of  our- 
selves (mostly)  and  the  neighbors  who 
make  our  home  a  sort  of  gathering  place 
for  our  few  entertainments.   It  is  amazing 


YOUR 
FAITHFUL 
SERVANT  .  . 


The  IransVerteK 


ASKS  ONLY  A  LITTLE  CARE  TO 
CONTINUE  FOR  YOU  ITS  UNI- 
FORMLY   HIGH  PERFORMANCE. 

Transverters  have  always  been  designed  and  built  to  give  long 
years  of  satisfactory  service. 

Most  Theatre  Owners  and  Projectionists  need  no  reminding 
of  the  essential  importance  of  the  Transverter  .  .  .  hence  merely 
this  suggestion  .  .  .  give  it  occasional  care  and  it  will  continue  to 
serve  you  for  years  to  come. 

"The  day  is  coming,"  when  new  Transverters  again  will  be 
available  to  any  Motion  Picture  Theatre.  Should  you  need  any 
help  meanwhile  consult  .  .  . 

The  National  Theatre  Supply  Co.  in  the  U.S.A.; 
or   General    Theatre   Supply   Co.    in  Canada. 

THE  HERTNER  ELECTRIC  COMPANY 

12690  ELM  WOOD  AVENUE  CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  U.  S.  A. 

Exclusive  Manufacturers  of  the  Transverter 


SALVAGE  THOSE  COPPER  DRIPPINGS 
AND  PEELINGS — they're  precious! 


PROTECT  YOUR  REFLECTOR  MIRROR  WITH 


We  welcome 
correspondence 
on  any  reflector 
mirror  problems 


[ID 


Registered  Trade-Mark 


Send  for  free  lit- 
erature and  com. 
plete  information 
on  Mir-O-Guards 


Reflectors  cannot  become  pitted  when  Mir-O-Guards  are  in  use. 
Now  more  than  ever  is  the  time  to  protect  your  reflector  mirrors. 

MIRROR  GUARD  CO.,  837  Eleventh  Ave.,  New  York  City 


34 


BETTER  THEATRES 


February    6,  1943 


what  one  can  do  with  an  anvil,  solder,  wire 
and  other  material  at  hand  if  one  just  puts 
his  mind  to  the  job,  and  even  if  we  do  not 
get  a  hangup  theatre  we  will  have  had  a 
lot  of  fun  trying. 

"We  have  given  a  good  bit  of  thought 
to  the  safety  of  our  equipment  and  to  our 
barn,  because  if  we  can  get  the  projector  in 
working  condition,  and  if  by  some  miracle 
procure  film,  we  do  not  care  to  endanger 
our  friends  or  our  equipment,  so  on  these 
cold  winter  nights  (which  mean  nothing  to 
us  with  a  wood  lot  at  our  back  door)  we 
are  planning  our  projection  room.  We 
would  like  your  advice  as  to  several  items, 
but  feel  if  we  presented  them  all  at  one 
time  we  would  scare  you  away  at  the  start, 


therefore  one  question  at  a  time — and  may 
we  come  back  for  more? 

"What  about  a  vent  or  vents  in  the  pro- 
jection room?  We  have  the  material  to 
make  a  fairly  soundproof  and  fireproof 
room  and  have  read  up  on  how  to  do  it  and 
have  decided  on  the  size,  etc.,  but  we  want 
to  be  sure  of  the  air  up  there." 

Well,  Sedg,  rigging  up  projection  rooms 
out  in  the  barn  is  a  little  out  of  my  line, 
and  I  hardly  know  what  to  suggest  so 
that  you  will  have  enough  but  no  more 
than  you  need.  I'll  bet  the  authorities 
don't  much  care  how  safe  you  make  things, 
so  you  have  only  to  think  of  your  own  skin 
and  that  of  your  guests.  Film  is  mighty 
inflammable  stuff,  not  especially  dangerous 


if  the  equipment  is  in  good  condition  and 
expertly  operated,  but  likely  to  be  so  other- 
wise. 

By  vents  do  you  mean  a  device  for  carry- 
ing off  foul  air  in  the  projection  room,  or 
for  ventilating  an  arc  lamp?  We  see  no 
reason  for  you  to  use  an  arc  lamp  in  the 
first  place,  and  there  certainly  are  good 
reasons  for  you  not  to  do  so.  But  if  you 
insist  on  an  arc  lamp,  here's  a  way  to 
provide  ventilation: 

There  should  be  a  fan  in  the  vent  flue. 
If  you  have  two  flues  and  both  are  open 
and  in  use  there  should  be  a  fan  in  each  of 
them,  and  the  fans  should  be  of  the  exhaust 
type,  since  otherwise  the  draft  would  be 
down  instead  of  up. 

Have  one  large  main  vent  flue  located  in 
the  ceiling,  if  possible,  immediately  over  the 
projectors.  Have  two  metal  pipes  coming 
from  outside  the  projection  room  and  term- 
inating in  a  nozzle  pointing  up  into  the 
main  vent  pipe,  these  two  pipes  to  be  joined 
in  the  one  nozzle.  At  the  end  of  each  oi 
them  there  should  be  a  fan,  located  out- 
side the  projection  room  so  as  to  be  out  of 
danger  from  a  projection  room  fire. 

One  of  these  fans  should  be  working  all 
the  time  when  the  room  is  in  use,  forcing 
out  air  from  the  nozzle  and  up  through  the 
pipe,  thus  setting  up  a  positive  current  up 
and  out,  sucking  the  air  from  the  room. 

The  other  fan  should  be  controlled  by  a 
switch  so  arranged  that  it  is  held  open  by 
the  master  controlling  port  shutters,  so 
when  this  cord  is  slackened,  the  switch  will 
fall  into  a  closed  position  and  automatically 
add  the  action  of  the  second  fan  to  that  of 
the  first,  thereby  setting  up  a  strong  pump- 
ing effect  for  the  removal  of  smoke  and  gas 
from  a  burning  film. 

This  plan  is  crude,  but  you  can  refine  it 
as  much  as  you  like. 

But  I  wouldn't  do  what  you  are  doing 
at  all,  Sedg,  even  if  I  were  given  perfectly 
good  standard  theatre  equipment  that  didn't 
cost  even  a  penny  to  fix  up.  You  say  you 
are  planning  a  fireproof  projection  room. 
Maybe  you  can  do  it  for  little  or  nothing, 
but  it  will  cost  something.  Also,  the  pro- 
jector repairs  are  costing-a  few  dollars  (and 
it'll  be  more  before  you're  through,  Sedg). 
Well,  why  not  take  that  money,  add  a  bit 
more  (even  if  this  takes  a  little  time)  and 
buy  a  second-hand  16-mm.  equipment? 
Maybe  you  could  arrange  terms.  And  you 
certainly  would  save  money  on  films  and 
be  able  to  get  pictures.  You  say  the  shows 
would  be  just  for  your  family  and  your 
neighbors.  Unless  you  have  a  terrific  slew 
of  neighbors,  a  750-watt  Mazda  projection 
lamp  would  give  you  plenty  of  light.  Ope- 
ration would  be  relatively  cheap — and  you, 
your  guests,  your  equipment  and  barn 
would  be  safe. 

Or  if  a  sound  projector  would  be  too 
much  for  your  pocketbook,  a  silent  16-mm. 
projector  would  afford  a  lot  of  fun,  and 
you  could  get  a  good  one  for  maybe  $25, 
second-hand,  from  some  dealer  in  photo- 
graphic supplies. 

You  are  taking  on  quite  a  job  and  a  lot 
of  responsibility  in  trying  to  operate  regu- 
lar 35-mm.  motion  picture  equipment  in  a 
barn. 


Vision  for  Victory 


THE  future  of  the  world  today  depends  on 
American  industry's  capacity  to  produce  the 
implements  of  war.  The  Soldiers  of  Industrial  Pro- 
duction must  be  welded  into  history's  most  efficient 
fighting  organization  before  the  spectre  of  aggres- 
sion can  be  dispelled. 

Because  most  skills  depend  on  efficient  function- 
ing of  the  eyes,  and  because  nearly  one-third  of  the 
people  of  the  nation  still  have  uncorrected  faulty 
vision,  a  valuable  public  service  is  performed  by 
calling  attention  of  American  workmen  to  the 
importance  of  proper  care  of  their  eyes. 

Taking  as  its  theme  "Vision  for  Victory,"  an 
advertising  campaign  (one  insertion  of  which  is 


reproduced  above)  is  now  appearing  in  an  extensive 
schedule  of  nationally-circulated  magazines.  The 
program  is  sponsored  by  the  Better  Vision  Insti- 
tute, a  non-profit  service  association,  supported  by 
the  manufacturing,  distributing  and  professional 
branches  of  ophthalmic  science. 

We  also  hasten  Victory  who  make  minds  keener 
and  hands  surer  through  the  improvement  of 
human  vision. 


BAUSCH  &  LOMB 

OPTICAL  COMPANY  •  ESTABLISHED  1853 


AN  AMERICAN  SCIENTIFIC  INSTITUTION  PRODUCING  OPTICAL  GLASS  AND  INSTRUMENTS 
FOR    MILITARY    USE,    EDUCATION,    RESEARCH,    INDUSTRY   AND    EYESIGHT  CORRECTION 


February    6,    1943  BETTER    THEATRES  35 

WAYS  to  CONSERVE  PROJECTION  EQUIPMENT 


{Continued  from  page  79) 
on  many  occasions,  and  his  step-by-step 
procedure  in  tracing  and  correcting  the 
difficulty  is  most  interesting. 

His  procedure  with  a  standard  Simplex 
equipped  with  a  Simplex  rear  shutter 
follows : 

Remove  the  upper  magazine  and  top 
plate;  remove  the  front  cover  and  door  on 
the  non-operating  side  of  the  projector;  and 
remove  the  shutter  guards  and  shutter. 
Run  the  projector  and  apply  finger  pres- 
sure to  the  shutter  shaft  at  both  ends  and 
at  the  bearings.  Also  apply  finger  pressure 
on  the  flywheel  of  intermittent  and  at  the 
intermediate  gear.  This  sometimes  causes 
the  grind  to  become  less  apparent.  If  the 
grind  is  lessened  by  pressure  at  intermittent 
flywheel  or  intermediate  fibre  gear,  the  in- 
termittent should  be  removed  and  the  inter- 
mediate replaced,  with  care  to  line  up  the 
marks  on  the  intermediate  gear  and  bevel 
gear  on  the  vertical  shaft. 

Run  the  mechanism  without  the  inter- 
mittent and  listen  for  grind.  If  grind  is 
no  longer  apparent,  the  noise  originated 
from  the  teeth  engaging  the  intermittent 
and  intermediate  fibre  gears,  or  from  loose- 
ness on  the  flywheel  shaft  of  the  inter- 
mittent. 

It  is  most  likely  that  the  noise  originates 
from  the  intermediate  fibre  gear  rather 
than  from  the  intermittent  because  an  in- 
termittent with  a  loose  flywheel  shaft 
would  be  very  unsteady  and  would  prob- 
ably have  been  removed  for  this  reason. 
Any  intermittent  repair  is  out  of  the  scope 
of  the  maintenance  field  and  requires  fac- 
tory attention.  Most  of  the  projection 
rooms  in  this  circuit  carry  a  spare  single 
bearing  intermittent  for  such  emergency 
replacement. 

FURTHER  TESTS 

If  the  noise  is  still  audible  when  the 
mechanism  is  run  without  the  intermittent, 
a  test  should  be  made  for  end  play  in  the 

|  vertical  shaft.  If  any  end  play  exists, 
loosen  the  set  screw  holding  the  vertical 
shaft  top  bevel  gear  (which  drives  the  ad- 
vance feed  sprocket)  and  take  out  the  play 
by  inserting  two  fingers  under  the  double 
bevel  gear  and  pushing  up.    This  alters 

i  the  clearance  between  the  steel  interme- 
diate bevel  gear  and  the  double  bevel  gear 

;  on  the  vertical  shaft. 

Run  the  projector  again  to  determine 
the  audibility  of  the  noise.  If  the  noise 
is  still  heard,  loosen  the  shutter  shaft  clamp 
collar  and  slide  the  shutter  shaft  out  of 
the  front  of  the  projector  and  again  test 
for  noise. 

If  the  noise  is  still  audible,  loosen  the 
set  screw  on  the  shutter  spiral  gear  and 
remove  this  gear  and  shaft.  It  is  necessary 
to  use  a  long  screw  driver  and  reach  this 
set  screw  from  the  top  of  the  projector 
.  from  behind  the  shutter  bracket. 

If  a  test  still  indicates  noise,  remove  the 
shutter  gear  bracket  by  loosening  the  two 


screws  which  attach  this  assembly  to  the 
projection  frame. 

Again  test  for  noise  from  the  remaining 
engaged  parts  which  are — the  vertical 
shaft,  advance  feed  bevel  gear,  governor, 
intermediate  gear,  main  drive  gear,  and 
lower  feed  sprocket  gear.  If  noise  still 
remains,  loosen  screws  or  remove  taper  pin 
holding  double  bevel  gear  to  vertical  shaft, 
loosen  screw  holding  governor  (care  should 
be  taken  not  to  lose  the  spacing  washer 
just  above  the  governor  as  it  positions  the 
double  bevel  gear  on  the  vertical  shaft  in 


proper  relationship  to  the  intermediate 
gear.)  The  only  gears  remaining  engaged 
are  the  main  drive,  intermediate  and  lower 
feed  shaft.  The  noise  will  be  either  greatly 
reduced  or  eliminated  at  this  point,  unless 
the  small  steel  intermediate  gear,  which 
engages  the  main  drive  gear,  is  in  very  bad 
condition ;  or  the  teeth  of  the  main  drive 
are  badly  worn.  This  would  cause  a  ring- 
ing, clanking  sound  rather  than  a  grinding 
noise. 

It  is  advisable  to  remove  the  main  drive 
gear  to  check  the  condition  of  the  inner 


De  VRY  is  building  sturdy 
motion  picture  equipment  for 
the  U.S.  Navy,  U.S.  Army- 
Air  Corps,  and  other  armed 
services.  When  peace  comes, 
De  VRY  equipment,  built  to 
stand  the  shocks  of  battle, 
will  be  available  to  you. 


You  who  demand  projectors  that  can  stand  the  gaff  of  con- 
tinuous peacetime  service,  consider  what  De  VRY  35mm. 
equipment  is  withstanding  today  under  wartime  projec- 
tion conditions  on  U.S.  fighting  ships  and  at  U.S.  Army- 
Air  Corps  bases !  Shock  of  offensive  bombs  .  .  .  repercus- 
sion of  defensive  guns  .  .  .  punishing  vibration  of  mighty 
men-of-war  .  .  .  constant  day-in,  day-out  use  under  all 
manner  of  weather  and  temperature  variations.  You  who 
want  to  be  first  with  the  latest  will  want  to  be  first  to  know 
about  new  war  born  De  VRY  Projectors  for  theatre  use. 
De  VRY  Corporation,  1108  Armitage,  Chicago,  U.S.A. 

ic    BUY  U.  S.  WAR  BONDS  * 

DeYRY 

WORLD'S    MOST    COMPLETE  LINE 
OF    MOTION    PICTCRE    SOUND  EQUIPMENT 


BETTER  THEATRES 


February  6 


943 


teeth  and  those  of  the  gear  on  the  lower 
feed  sprocket  shaft.  A  check  for  bearing 
wear  and  end  play  on  the  lower  feed 
sprocket  shaft  is  also  advisable. 

Mr.  Miller  makes  generous  use  of  his 
stethoscope  on  each  stage  of  this  process  to 
facilitate  isolation  of  the  unwanted  noise. 
Having  located  the  source  or  sources  of 
noise,  he  draws  from  his  stock  of  used  gears 
and  parts,  matching  them  with  those  re- 
maining in  the  mechanism,  until  silence  is 
obtained. 

It  is  important  to  test  each  stage  of  the 
replacement  for  free  operation  by  dis- 
engaging the  sound  drive  gear  from  the 
main  drive  gear  and  lurning  the  projector 
over  by  hand.  It  is  necessary  that  the 
sound  drive  be  disconnected  for  this  pur- 


pose, as  a  slight  binding  action  would  go 
unnoticed  if  the  motor  and  soundhead  were 
turned  by  hand,  because  of  the  added  force 
necessary  to  revolve  these  extra  parts. 

These  methods  are  not  necessarily  all 
inclusive,  nor  do  they  follow  the  procedure 
which  might  be  conducted  by  a  factory 
engineer,  but  they  have  proved  completely 
satisfactory  in  actual  field  operation  for 
many  years. 

The  practice  of  using  matching  worn 
gears  will  become  more  and  more  prevalent 
as  projection  parts  disappear  from  the  mar- 
ket, and  Mr.  Miller's  successful  manipula- 
tion of  stock  parts  should  prove  interesting 
to  many  projectionists  faced  with  similar 
problems. 

A  surprising  oddity  concerning  the  use 


★    ★  ★ 


STRONG 


★  ★  ★ 


To  Maintain  Continuous  Operation 

of  your  equipment  call  your  competent,  dependable 
Independent  Theatre  Supply  Dealer. 

We  are  maintaining  a  service  and  parts  department 
to  help  solve  your  problems  and  fill  your  requirements. 


THE  STRONG  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION 


87  City  Park  Avenue 


Toledo,  Ohio 


of  matched  parts  arises  in  the  strange  fact 
that  Mr.  Miller  often  finds  that  a  gear  of 
noisy  characteristics  in  one  projector  will 
operate  silently  in  another  projector 
matched  with  different  gears.  He  particu- 
larly stresses  the  fact  that  such  a  repair 
does  not  constitute  a  substitute  for  a  fac- 
tory repair,  nor  can  the  projector  be  ex- 
pected to  operate  as  quietly  as  might  be 
expected  from  a  factory  overhaul.  He 
does  stress,  however,  that  noise  means  wear, 
and  wear  shortens  the  life  of  any  mech- 
anism. His  methods  alleviate  noise  and 
resulting  wear  and  are  particularly  effec- 
tive when  done  at  the  first  audible 
appearance. 

The  foregoing  illustrates  the  practices 
and  ingenious  expedients  that  can  be  em- 
ployed to  maintain  successful  operation 
under  war  conditions. 


[Charles  E.  Shultz  is  well  known  for  his 
contributions  to  practical  projection,  as  director 
of  research  for  Heyer-Shultz,  of  which  firm  he 
is  a  member;  and  for  his  articles  in  which  he 
has  given  the  readers  of  Better  Theatres  the 
benefit  of  his  investigations  on  many  occasions. 
It  so  happens  that  Mr.  Shultz  has  long  been 
well  acquainted  with  theatres  of  the  St.  Cloud 
Amusement  Company,  which  operates  in  a  sec- 
tion of  New  Jersey  where  he  resides.] 


Index  of  ADVERTISERS 
in   BETTER  THEATRES 

American  Pop  Corn  Co   79 

American  Seating  Co   75 

Artkraft  Sign  Co.,  The   79 

Automatic  Devices  Co   78 

Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co   84 

Celotex  Corp.,  The   68 

Century  Projector  Corp   81 

Chicago  Expansion  Bolt  Co   79 

DeVry  Corp   85 

F  &  Y  Building  Service,  The   77 

Forest  Manufacturing  Corp.   81 

General  Electric  Co   73 

Goldberg  Bros  78,  80 

Hertner  Electric  Co.,  The   83 

Ideal  Seating  Co   79 

LaVezzi  Machine  Works   76 

Mirror  Guard  Company   83 

Motiograph,  Inc   72 

National  Carbon  Co.,  Inc   67 

National  Theatre  Supply  Co  76,  82 

Pantasote  Co.,  Inc.,  The   79' 

Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Co  '.  .  .  79 

Projection  Optics  Co.,  Inc   81 

RCA  Mfg.  Co.,  Inc  66,  80 

S.  O.  S.  Cinema  Supply  Corp   75 

Strong  Electric  Corp.,  The   86 

Union  Carbide  &  Carbon  Corp   67 

United  States  Plywood  Co   77 

Wagner  Sign  Service,  Inc   78  1 

Weber  Machine  Corp   78 

Wenzel  Projector  Co   78  ' 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


In  This  Week: 


SHOWMEN'S  REVIEWS 


SHORT  SUBJECTS 


SHORT  SUBJECTS  CHART 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 


Air  Force 

(Warner  Brothers) 

Odyssey  of  an  Airplane 

The  stars  of  this  picture  are  "Mary  Ann"  and  the  Air  Force.  It  is  exactly  what  it 
sets  out  to  be,  the  story  of  the  United  States  Army  Air  Force,  and  it  gives  that  story 
form  and  character  beyond  any  similar  recent  characterization  of  any  of  the  armed 
forces. 

"Mary  Ann"  is  a  Flying  Fortress  which  tion  of  the  armed  services,  secured,  it  is  re- 
takes off  from  San  Francisco  for  Honolulu  ported,  through  the  personal  interest  of  Jack 

on  December  6th,  1941,  one  of  a  routine     w»™r  in  .thf  project.  

flight  of  nine  planes.  Before  that  flight  ends  ™e  mus,ccal  theme  throughout  the  picture  is 

■  l                a     mi.      a         t.  the  stirring  hong  of  the  Air  t'orce.  So  sustained 

the    Mary  Ann    has  flown  her  crew  more  ig  the  act?n    *inst  a  5ackground  of  machine 

than  halfway  around  the  world  through  the  guns  and  cannon  and  the  incidental  noises  of  a 

battles    of    Pearl    Harbor,    Wake    Island,  piane  in  flight,  down  to  the  recurring  squeal  of 

Manila,  the  Coral  Sea  and  the  bombing  of  the   landing   brakes,   that   it   never  become* 

Tokio.    For  most  of  the  way  she  carries  the  tedious. 

audience  with  her,  too.  Previewed  in  a  projection  room.  Reviewer's 

During  the  two  hour  and  four  minute  flight,  Rating:  Excellent. — James  D.  Ivers. 

a  mixed  crew  crystallizes  into  a   single  force,  Release    date,    not    set.     Running    time,    124  rain, 

united  in  their   devotion   to  their   ship  and   in  PCA  No.  8438.    General  audience  classification. 

loyalty   to   the   Air   Force.  Capt.  Michael  A.  Quincannon   John  Ridgely 

There  is  no  plot  save  the  log  of  the  flight,  ft  ^'r^ivr^r  Williams Tli-GKYoa3P 

.         .    .       a  •  j       1         r,t.    1.   C   McMartm   Arthur  Kennedy 

no  story  except  that  of  the  Air  Force  and  only     Lt.  M.  W.  Hauser  Charles  Drake 

one  faint  touch  each  of  romance  and  humor,  a     Sgt.  R.  L.  White   Harry  Carey 

girl  who  is  the  fiancee  of  one  crew  member     Corp.  B.  B.  Weinberg   Ge?frgieJ  T?7biaf 

j    .i  r         ,i  jj  j       Corp.   Oustave  Peterson   Ward  Wood 

and  the   Sister   of  another,   and   a   dog   named      Pvt.  Henry  W.  Chester   Ray  Montgomery 

Tripoli    which    snarls    at    the    mention    of     Sgt.  J.  B.  Winocki   John  Garfield 

"Tqio."    In  place  of  plot,  story,  romance  and  Iames.  5Townv?tanlJeyo  ™ze*<  Willard  Robertson 

t,..~^_   :     4.1  „  „.-4.„„„„4.    't  ;„1  U^4-*.1„  Moroni  Olsen,  Edward  S.  Brophy,  Richard  Lane,  Bill 

humor  there  IS  the  excitement  of  aerial  battle,  Crago.  Faye  Emerson,  Addisor,  Richards,  James  Fla- 

the  suspense  of  the  flight  from  Hawaii  to  Wake  vin,   Ann  Doran,   Dorothy  Peterson. 

by  dead  reckoning  instead  of  radio  beam,  the 
weariness  of  repairs  and  reloading,  the  tense- 
ness of  rebuilding  the  ship  under  land  and  air  .  Ill 
gunfire  at  Manila    the  breath  catching  take-  J^q  AlTICIzinq  MrS.  HollidaV 

off  literally  from  the  grasping  hands  of  the  Jap  / 

hordes,  and  the  awful  destruction  of  the  battle  of  (Universal) 

the  Coral  Sea.  n            A  ,             c  .. 

Exhibitors  can  count  heavily  upon  excited  deanna  Adopts  a  hamily 

comment  from  customers  who  like  their  war  Deanna    Durbin,    whose    lovely    voice  and 

from  a  front  line  seat  and  they  may  well  be  pre-  charming  presence  have  not  graced  the  screen 

pared  to  hold  over  for  the  very  considerable  since  "It  Started  with  Eve,"  is  rewarding  her 

patronage  who  may  want  to  see  it  again  and  patient  admirers  with  singing  and  acting  of 

bring  their  friends.    A  single  note  of  caution  more  mature  talent  in  "The  Amazing  Mrs.  Hol- 

might  be  sounded  for  those  who  have  too  per-  liday."    Universal  has  provided  a  heart-warm- 

sonal  an  interest  in  the  Force,  against  such  ing  story  of  the  war's  homeless  children,  with 

realism  as  a  Jap  plane  machine  gunning  a  para-  a  good  measure  of  comedy  to  leaven  the  senti- 

chuting  pilot  and  the_  subsequent  shooting  of  the  ment.  The  film  should  satisfy  completely  the 
Jap  pilot  who  has  himself  been  shot  down  and 

is  climbing  from  his  burning  plane.  -  

Distribution    of    suitable    production  credit 

would  be  difficult.    All  who  had  a  part  in  it  g 

deserve  high  honors.    The  principal  actors,  the  Mj?  >"k,» 

crew  of  the  plane,  are  nearly  unknown,  except  t  \  w-*Bjm  W~*MM/2S 

for  Harry  Carey  and  John  Garfield,  but  they  **        *-/  w  v-/  */*/  *-7 

turn  in  performances  which  guarantee  that  they  .                         .      ,        .  . 

will  not  remain  so  for  long.    Carey  and  Gar-  Th,s    department   deals  With 

field  are  worthy  of  special  mention  new  p,0  Juet  f rom  the  point  of 

ihe  screen  play  by  Dudley  Nichols  and  pro- 

duction  by  Hal  B.  Wallis  and  Howard  Hawks  view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
come  near  to  being  the  best  of  this  or  any  war. 

Evident  throughout  the  picture  is  the  coopera-  to  purvey  it  to  his  Own  public. 


large  audiences  which  the  stellar  name  will  un- 
doubtedly attract. 

That  it  will  also  aid  the  cause  of  China  War 
Relief  is  equally  certain,  although  the  message 
comes  from  the  story  itself,  without  handicap  of 
oratory.  Deanna  is  the  spirited  survivor  of  a 
small  mission  in  China  and  foster-mother  to 
nine  waifs  of  uncertain  origin  and  undeniable 
appeal.  Torpedoed  in  mid-Pacific,  they  land 
in  San  Francisco  without  Commodore  Holliday, 
who  had  promised  to  befriend  them.  His  crusty 
promise  of  adoption  is  made  known  to  his 
wealthy  family  by  a  steward  and  old  retainer, 
the  jaunty  Barry  Fitzgerald.  The  explanation 
fails  to  thaw  them,  until  Fitzgerald  introduces 
the  girl  as  the  Commodore's  "widow."  Compli- 
cations, both  touching  and  comic,  ensue  before 
the  Commodore's  grandson  establishes  her  legal 
right  to  the  name  of  Holliday. 

Before  this,  too,  the  Durbin  voice  has  been 
heard  in  two  old  ballads,  beautifully  sung,  "The 
Old  Refrain"  and  "Mighty  Lak  a  Rose,"  and 
an  operatic  aria,  "Visi  d'Arte"  from  Tosca. 

An  excellent  supporting  cast  attends  the 
prima  donna,  with  Barry  Fitzgerald,  Arthur 
Treacher  and  Gus  Schilling  providing  good 
comedy,  and  Edmond  O'Brien  giving  an  ingrati- 
ating performance  as  her  romantic  partner.  All 
nine  children,  including  a  Chinese  infant,  will 
enchant  the  audience  by  just  being  themselves. 

Bruce  Manning  produced  and  directed  the 
film  with  taste  and  sympathy.  Credit  should 
also  be  given  to  Boris  Ingster  and  Leo  Towns- 
end,  who  adapted  Sonya  Levien's  original  story, 
and  to  Frank  Ryan  and  John  Jacoby,  who 
wrote  the  fine  screenplay. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room, 
zvhere  tears  and  chuckles  abounded.  Reviewer's 
Rating  :  Excellent. — E.  A.  Cunningham. 

Release  date,  February  19,  1943.  Running  time,  9S 
min.    PCA  No.  9096.    General  audience  classification. 

Ruth   Kirke   Deanna  Durbin 

Tom  Holliday  Edmond  O'Brien 

Timothy   Barry  Fitzgerald 

Arthur  Treacher.  Esther  Dale,  Harry  Davenport. 
Frieda  Inescort.  Elizabeth  Risdon,  Grant  Mitchell, 
J.  Frank  Hamilton,  Christopher  Severn,  Yvonne  Sev- 
ern, Mila  Rich,  Vido  Rich,  Diane  Dubois.  Teddy 
Infuhr,  Linda  Bieber,  Michael  Chann,  Gus  Schilling. 


Flight  for  Freedom 

(RKO  Radio) 
Aviation  Melodrama 

This  is  the  story  discussed  pro  and  con  by 
the  columnists  some  while  back  as  to  be  or  not 
to  be  a  record  of  the  career  of  Amelia  Ear- 
hart,  including  circumstances  of  her  last  flight 
not  previously  disclosed.  Whether  it  is  or  not, 
that  outburst  of  printed  discussion  is  a  factor 
of  record  in  behalf  of  grosses  for  what  turned 
out  to  be,  in  any  case,  a  picture  calculated  to 
fascinate  and  entertain  audiences  of  all  kinds. 

The  names  of  Rosalind  Russell,  Fred  Mac- 
Murray  and  Herbert  Marshall  are,  of  course,  the 
factors  of  exploitation  upon  which  showmen 


Product  Digest  Section    I  145 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


"SQUADRON  LEADER  X" 
FOR  RKO  RELEASE 

RKO  Radio  this  week  tradescreened 
"Squadron  Leader  X,"  produced  by 
that  company's  British  studios.  The 
release  date  for  distribution  in  the 
United  States  has  not  been  set. 

The  film  was  reviewed  from  London 
in  Motion  Picture  Herald  under  the 
title  "Squadron  Leader,"  in  the  issue 
of  November  28,  1942. 


the  weird  mood.  Mr.  Welles  speaks  Turkish 
and  other  languages  with  flourish. 

There  is  excitement  in  the  chase.  Many,  too, 
will  find  interest  in  the  Welles  touches.  But  as 
a  study  of  fear  Mr.  Cotten's  portrayal  does  not 
reach  the  sustained  penetration  needed  for  con- 
viction. 

Mr.  Welles  and  Mr.  Cotten  wrote  the  screen- 
play from  an  Eric  Ambler  mystery  story.  Nor- 


February    6,  1943 

Ross  Fisher's  photography  is  adequate;  so  is 
Fernando  Rivero's  direction,  which  falters  only 
in  several  wooden  scenes.  Mr.  Ortiz  is  apathe- 
tic for  the  most  part,  but  achieves  some  reality 
on  his  death  bed. 

Jose  Luis  Calderon  produced.  The  picture 
has  been  fitted  with  English  language  credits, 
as  well  as  titling. 

Reviewed  at  the  World  Theatre,  New  York, 
where  it  has  been  attracting  record  crowds  in 
a  usually  placid  "art"  house.  The  weekday 
matinee  audience,  with  zvhich  this  was  seen,  ex- 
pressed frequent  and  violent  appreciation.  Re- 
viewer's Rating :  Good. — Floyd  Elbert  Stone. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  86  min.  Adult 
audience  classification. 

Jose   Jorge  Negrete 

Rosario   Gloria  Marin 

The  Bull-fighter   Pepe  Ortiz 

Florencio  Castellot,  Ernesto  Cortazar,  Rafael  Icardo. 
Alfonso  Parra,  David  Valle,  G.  Caravaca,  Pepe 
Hurtado,  Arturo  Soto  Rangel. 


Behind  Prison  Walls 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 
Satire 


will  be  counting  for  revenue  in  the  main.  Miss 
Russell  plays  with  conviction  the  girl  flier  in 
the  picture  and  MacMurray  satisfies  require- 
ments as  the  flier  who  figures  in  her  life  emo- 
tionally, Marshall  topping  his  average  as  the 
second  man  in  the  triangle,  a  plane  designer  and 
manufacturer. 

The  screenplay  by  O.  H.  P.  Garrett  and 
S.  K.  Lauren,  from  the  story  by  Horace  Mc- 
Evoy,  opens  in  1932  with  the  heroine  an  aviation 
student.  She  becomes  enamoured  of  a  famous 
aviator  and  spends  a  somewhat  vaguely  defined 
interval  of  romance  with  him,  short  of  matri- 
mony, after  which  he  flies  away  for  two  years. 
She  continues  her  studies,  enters  the  Bendix 
race,  meets  him  again,  later  breaks  his  record 
for  the  course,  finally  agrees  to  marry  the  man- 
ufacturer after  a  solo  flight  around  the  world. 

At  this  point,  the  U.  S.  Navy,  desirous  of 
photographing  the  Japanese  mandated  islands 
without  precipitating  war,  proposes  to  the  girl 
that  she  pretend  to  become  lost  in  the  Pacific 
in  that  area  so  that  Navy  planes  in  seeming 
search  for  her  can  do  the  photographing.  When 
she  learns  just  prior  to  the  takeoff  that  the 
Japanese  are  aware  of  the  plan  and  prepared  to 
thwart  it  by  rescuing  her  at  once  when  she 
comes  down,  she  crosses  them  up  by  flying  to 
her  death  after  radioing  an  SOS  that  warrants 
the  Navy  planes  making  their  search  as  planned. 

The  picture  tightens  toward  the  end  and 
packs  a  punch  in  the  finale.  Prior  to  that  it  is 
beneficiary  of  the  services  of  David  Hempstead 
as  producer  and  Lother  Mandies  as  director, 
who  employ  their  artifices  to  keep  the  narrative 
interesting  in  its  calmer  stretches. 

Previewed  at  the  studio.  Reviewer  s  Rating  : 
Good. — William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  101  min. 
PCA  No.  8700.     General  audience  classification. 

Tonie  Carter   Rosalind  Russell 

Randy    Britton   Fred  MacMurray 

Paul  Turner   Herbert  Marshall 

Eduardo  Ciannelli,  Walter  Kingsford,  Damian 
O'Flynn,  Jack  Carr,  Matt  McHugh,  Richard  Loo, 
Charles  Lung. 

Journey  into  Fear 

(RKO  Radio) 

Spy  Intrigue  in  Turkey 

Spy  intrigue  in  Turkey  and  fear  psychology 
are  combined  by  Orson  Welles  in  his  third 
Mercury  production.  It  is  a  better  than  average 
mystery  thriller,  packed  with  many  of  the 
tricks  which  left  a  unique  mark  on  his  radio 
plays  and  previous  films.  But  technique  and 
mood  are  not  quite  enough  to  link  many  epi- 
sodes into  the  smooth  suspense  of  top  flight 
melodrama. 

This  is  a  second  edition.  The  film  was  first 
shown  last  summer  while  Mr.  Welles  was  in 
South  America.  After  some  sharp  debate  RKO, 
on  his  return,  allowed  him  to  re-edit  and  film  a 
new  ending,  reportedly  at  his  own  expense. 

The  Welles  touch  worked  improvement. 
Puzzling  moments,  excess  scenery  and  Turkish 
dialogue  have  been  sliced.  The  story  flows  more 
smoothly,  even  though  customary  screen 
credits  follow  the  first  scene.  This  is  becom- 
ing a  Welles  habit. 

Threats  of  death  for  an  American  armament 
engineer,  played  by  Joseph  Cotten,  motivate  the 
story.  His  difficulties  in  Istanbul  and  uncer- 
tainty as  to  which  of  the  weird  characters  are 
his  friends  hold  interest.  A  Nazi  attempt  on 
his  life  fails.  On  orders  of  the  Turkish  secret 
police,  or  Welles  in  person  as  Colonel  Haki, 
Cotten  leaves  his  wife  and  flees  on  a  tramp 
steamer,  but  the  Nazi  agent  and  hired  killer  are 
on  board.  An  interesting  cat  and  mouse  parry 
ensues.  There  is  an  exciting  climax  on  a  rain- 
swept hotel  cornice.  Dolores  Del  Rio,  as  a 
Eurasian  dancer,  solaces  the  young  engineer 
between  times. 

As  usual,  Welles  casts  exceedingly  competent 
actors  in  all  the  roles.  Jack  Moss,  as  the  kill- 
er ;  Everett  Sloane,  as  a  mystery  errand  boy 
of  the  gun  trade,  and  Richard  Bennett,  a  Turk 
ship  captain,  make  memorable  contributions  to 

I  146   Product  Digest  Section 


man  Foster  directed.  Roy  Webb's  music  is  use- 
ful, mysterious,  but  sometimes  intrusive. 

Previezved  at  a  critics  screening  in  New 
York.  The  projection  room  audience  follozved 
ivith  interest.  Reviewer' s  Rating  :  Good. — John 
Stuart,  Jr. 

Release  date,  February  12,  1943.  Running  time,  71 
min.    PCA  No.  S048.    General  audience  classification. 

Graham   Joseph  Cotten 

Josette   Dolores    del  Rio 

Stephanie   Ruth  Warrick 

Kopeikin   Everett  Sloane 

Colonel  Haki   Orson  Welles 

Agnes  Moorehead,  Jack  Durant,  Eustace  Wyatt, 
Frank  Readick,  Edgar  Barrier,  Jack  Moss,  Stefan 
Schnabel,  Hans  Conrad,  Robert  Meltzer  and  Richard 
Bennett. 


Silk,  Blood,  and  Sun 

(Maya  Film  Distributing  Co.) 
Bullfighting 

This  is  a  fascinating  exposition  of  bull- 
fighting. Interwoven  are  numerous  musical 
selections,  aided  by  the  high,  clear,  melodious 
voice  of  Mexico's  favorite,  Jorge  Negrete. 
There  is  also  a  story  of  jealousy  and  pure  love, 
which  holds  all  factors  together. 

A  good  production  in  human  values,  editing, 
photograph  and  sound,  this  seems  a  "natural" 
for  houses  in  Spanish  language  districts,  and  for 
"art"  theatres  in  metropolitan  areas.  The  En- 
glish titles,  of  course,  make  it  available  for  ordi- 
nary American  audiences,  and  they  are  well 
done  and  plentiful.  However,  this  is  a  story 
of  bullfighting,  in  which  many  fights  are  shown, 
and  the  leading  characters  are  matadors — and 
in  many  localities  here,  the  "sport,"  so  beloved 
below  the  Rio  Grande,  is  likely  to  excite  pro- 
tests when  shown  on  the  screen  in  such  detail. 

The  plot,  briefly,  has  beauteous  Gloria  Mar- 
in, Negrete,  and  Pepe.  Oritz,  as  famous  mata- 
dors. Miss  Marin  gives  up  her  career  to  mar- 
ry handsome,  jealous,  boastful  Negrete.  Fol- 
lowing their  honeymoon,  he  enters  a  man-to- 
man competition  with  Ortiz  (who  is  in  real  life 
a  Mexican  bullfighter),  and  is  gored,  losing 
a  leg  and  landing  in  a  hospital.  Meanwhile, 
Miss  Marin  is  supported  in  child  bearing  ex- 
penses by  Ortiz,  a  good  friend.  Negrete  mis- 
understands, they  separate,  and  she  goes  back 
to  the  ring.  Then  Negrete  makes  a  comeback. 
Comes  the  time  when  the  three  tour  the  coun- 
try, forced  by  public  acclaim,  and  their  man- 
agement. One  day,  in  the  ring,  Negrete  is  al- 
most gored,  but  Ortiz  intervenes  and  receives 
the  horns.  He  dies  on  a  hospital  bed.  But  he 
is  cheered  because  his  death  brings  his  friends 
together  again 

High  spot  of  the  film  is  the  bullfighting  the 
day  Negrete  is  gored.  Previously,  he  and 
Ortiz  vied  in  tormenting,  and  daring  the  bull — ■ 
and  death.  This  episode  is  midway  in  the  film, 
and  of  some  length. 


A  departure  from  the  company's  regular  run 
of  product,  PRC's  "Behind  Prison  Walls"  is  an 
adroitly  fashioned  satire  on  big  business  and 
social  consciousness  theories,  done  in  extremely 
good  taste.  Of  great  audience  appeal,  the  pic- 
ture is  entertainment  for  all.  However,  the  title 
is  misleading  and  may  be  changed. 

The  story  concerns  a  steel  magnate  and  his 
idealistic  son,  the  latter's  testimony  sending 
them  both  to  jail  on  monopoly  charges.  When 
the  tycoon  discovers  that  a  member  of  his  board 
of  directors  is  plotting  to  steal  the  company, 
he  puts  his  son,  who  gets  a  pardon,  in  charge 
of  the  company.  As  anticipated,  the  news  of 
the  son's  "crackpot"  theories  drives  the  stock 
down,  but  when  the  son  puts  through  a  plan  to 
aid  little  business  and  gives  credit  to  the  father, 
the  market  goes  up.  The  father  is  finally  sold 
on  his  son's  theories,  but  the  son,  at  the  end, 
has  been  convinced  by  another  crusader  that 
they  won't  work. 

Alan  Baxter  as  the  son,  Gertrude  Michael  as 
a  secretary,  Tully  Marshall  as  the  father,  and 
Edwin  Maxwell,  as  the  officer  who  tries  to  steal 
the  company,  head  the  cast,  all  turning  in  good 
performances. 

Van  Norcross  did  an  excellent  job  in  adapt- 
ing the  original  story  by  W.  A.  Ulman,  Jr. 
Steve  Sekely,  in  directing,  kept  the  situation  in 
hand  at  all  times.  Production  was  by  Arthur 
Ripley  and  his  associate,  Andre  Dumonceau, 
with  Leon  Fromkess  doing  an  over-all  super- 
vision job. 

Seen  at  the  RCA  projection  room,  Holly- 
zvood.  Reviewer's  Rating:  Excellent. — Vance 
King. 

Release  date,  March  22,  1943.  Running  time,  64  min. 
PCA  No.  9016.    General  audience  classification. 

Jonathan   MacCIennon   Alan  Baxter 

Elinor  Cantwell   Gertrude  Michael 

James   J.    MacCIennon   Tully  Marshall 

Edwin  Maxwell,  Jacqueline  Dalya,  Matt  Willis,  Rich- 
ard Kipling.  Olga  Sabin,  Isabelle  Withers,  Lane  Chan- 
ler,  Paul  Everton,  George  Guhl,  Regina  Wallace. 


It  Comes  Up  Love 

(Universal) 
Entertainment  for  All 

Blending  with  skill  and  adroitness  the  flavor 
of  the  films  that  made  Deanna  Durbin  a  star 
and  the  pseudo-sophistication  of  today's  juniors, 
this  production  by  Ken  Goldsmith  starring 
Gloria  Jean  contains  entertainment  for  every- 
body. In  common  with  the  films  mentioned, 
this  one  combines  with  its  story  of  adolescents 
a  story  of  adults,  and  sacrifices  neither  phase  of 
the  narrative  to  the  other. 

Miss  Jean  is  seen  as  the  elder  of  two  d'augh-  j 
ters  who  arrive  in  New  York  to  take  up  resi- 
dence with  their  father,  a  business  man,  fol- 
lowing preparation  for  a  life  conforming  to  the 
social  graces  as  their  grandmother  knew  them. 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


They  find  him  earmarked  for  matrimony  by  two 
women,  a  socialite  and  his  secretary,  and  they 
undergo  modernization  and  some  emotional  ex- 
periences of  their  own  whilst  rigging  matters 
so  that  he  will  elect  the  bride  of  their  and  the 
audience's  choice. 

Opposite  Miss  Jean  in  the  junior  division  is 
Donald  O'Connor,  whose  performance  is  one  to 
give  Mickey  Rooney  reason  for  buckling  down, 
and  the  adult  division  is  headed  by  Ian  Hunter, 
Louise  Allbritton,  a  comer,  and  Frieda  Ines- 
cort.  No  fault  is  to  be  found  with  anybody  in 
the  cast. 

In  the  course  of  the  proceedings  Miss  Jean 
sings  three  songs,  two  classics  and  a  Spanish 
number,  but  theyare  dealt  with  as  incidental  to 
the  story  and  not  stressed  beyond  story  re- 
quirements. 

The  script  by  Dorothy  Bennett  and  Charles 
Kenyon  gives  all  hands  solid  dialogue  and  spins 
its  tale  in  a  manner  to  charm  while  providing  a 
plentitude  of  laughs.  Charles  Lamont's  direc- 
tion makes  the  affair  move  with  grace  and 
speed. 

Previewed,  at  studio.  Reviewer's  Rating ; 
Good.—W.  R.  W. 

Release  date,  April  9,  1943.  Running  time,  64  rain. 
PCA  No.  8757.    General  audience  classification. 

Victoria  Peabody   Gloria  Jean 

Tom  Peabody   Ian  Hunter 

Ricky   Donald  O'Connor 

Frieda  Inescort,  Louise  Allbritton,  Mary  Lou  Har- 
rington, Raymond  Roe,  Charles  Coleman,  Leon  Belas- 
co,  Beatrice  Roberts. 


The  Brains  Trust 

(Strand  Film-Anglo  American) 
Quiz  Documentary 

The  Brains  Trust  answering  "Any  Ques,- 
tions" — a  not  too  distant  parallel  to  "Informa- 
tion Please" — has  been  one  of  British  radio's 
topline  listening  programmes  for  many  months 
and,  if  anything,  increases  in  popularity.  With 
a  resident  panel  of  experts  and  a  regular  guest 
list  it  considers  the  questions  of  the  listening 
public  on  love  and  law,  biology  and  the  Bible, 
clairvoyance  and  cookery. 

This  enterprising  film,  with  a  quartette  of 
cameras  and  trio  of  microphones,  recorded  a 
completely  unrehearsed  half-hour  session  under 
studio  conditions.  Professor  Julian  Huxley, 
Dr.  C.  E.  M.  Joad,  Colonel  Walter  Elliott,  Miss 
Jennie  Lee  and,  representing  the  plain  man, 
Commander  Campbell,  here  reply  to  and  dis- 
cuss questions  on  marital  happiness,  unfilmed 
heroes  of  fiction,  how  ships  find  their  way  in 
fogs,  the  left  and  the  right  in  politics,  the 
U.  S.  A.  film  and  a  pretty  pattern  of  other 
posers. 

The  questions  are  answered  with  erudition 
and  wit,  and  there  is  not  a  trace  of  highbrowism 
for  all  the  academic  and  expert  character  of 
the  minds  involved.  Question-Master  Donald 
McCullough's  tact  and  flashing  wit  are  a  first 
rate  pivot  for  the  discussions.  Enlightenment 
could  hardly  be  provided  more  enticingly 
garbed  as  entertainment.  The  photographic 
quality  does  not  seem  beyond  criticism,  but  the 
film  is  cut  so  well  that  the  static  factor  is  hard- 
ly noticeable.  The  picture  will  be  widely  booked 
here  on  its  title  and  subject  appeal,  but  it 
should  be  sound  novelty  entertainment  any- 
where. 

Seen  in  London.  Reviewer's  Rating:  Excel- 
lent.— A.  F. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  34  min.  Gen- 
eral audience  classification. 


Hi  Ya  Chum 

(Universal) 

Ritz  Brothers  Comedy 

This  is  a  Ritz  Brothers  comedy  that  should 
keep  the  customers  laughing.  The  gags  come 
fast  from  the  Ritzes,  and  others  in  the  cast  keep 
the  story  moving  happily. 

The  story  in  brief  is  this :  the  Ritzes,  Jane 


Reviews  received  too  late  for 
this  Section  are  printed  in  the 
regular  news  pages  of  the 
Herald  and  are  reprinted  the 
following  week  in  Product 
Digest  for  their  reference  value. 


Frazee  and  June  Clyde  set  out  for  Hollywood  in 
a  Model  T  Ford  after  leaving  their  dancing 
jobs.  The  car  breaks  down  in  a  small  Cali- 
fornia town,  and  the  Ritz  boys  try  to  get  a  meal 
without  paying  for  it  at  the  local  restaurant. 
Things  happen  fast  at  the  restaurant,  and  before 
the  Ritzes  know  it  they've  been  hired  as  chefs 
for  the  spot  by  the  local  war  workers.  The 
girls  come  in  as  restaurant  help. 

Richard  Davies  and  Robert  Paige  are  leaders 
of  the  war  workers.  The  restaurant  does  a 
good  business  until  another  restaurant  operated 
by  Edmund  MacDonald  and  his  pals  starts  op- 
erating. In  the  final  scene,  Paige  releases 
some  "laughing  gas"  which  makes  the  Mac- 
Donald  gang  start  laughing.  This  scene  is  the 
hilarious  highspot  of  this  fast-moving  comedy. 

The  Ritzes  should  enlist  many  new  fans 
with  this  picture. 

Previewed  at  the  Proven  Pictures  Theatre, 
Hartford,  before  an  audience  composed  of 
adidts  who  laughed  long  and  hard.  Reviewer's 
Rating  :  Good. — Al  Widem. 

Release  date,  March  15,  1943.  Running  time,  61  min. 
PCA  No.  8881.    General  audience  classification. 
Ritz  Brothers,  Jane  Frazee,  June  Clyde,  Robert  Paige, 
Richard  Davies,   Edmund  MacDonald. 

The  McCuerins  from 
Brooklyn 

(Roach  -  United  Artists) 
Comedy  Streamlined 

William  Bendix,  star  of  "Wake  Island,"  is 
featured  in  this  delightful  and  fast-moving 
comedy.  Along  with  him  are  Max  Baer,  Ar- 
line  Judge,  Grace  Bradley,  Marjorie  Wood- 
worth  and  Joe  Sawyer. 

Although  only  46  minutes  long,  "The  Mc- 
Guerins  from  Brooklyn"  has  plenty  to  entertain 
the  customers. 

It's  the  story  of  two  operators  of  a  big 
Brooklyn  taxi  outfit  who  have  romantic  trouble. 
Grace  Bradley,  wife  of  Bendix,  walks  into  the 
taxi  outfit's  office  and  finds  Secretary  Marjorie 
Woodworth  playing  pool  with  Bendix  and 
Sawyer,  the  two  operators.  She  gets  mad  and 
walks  out  of  the  office.  To  further  complicate 
things,  Sawyer's  girl  friend,  Arline  Judge,  hap- 
pens to  phone  him  at  the  office  and  Miss  Wood- 
worth  answers  the  phone. 

From  then  on,  it's  a  case  of  who  loves  whom. 
From  Brooklyn,  Grace  Bradley  leaves  for  the 
Max  Baer  health  farm.  Bendix,  Sawyer,  Wood- 
worth  and  Judge  follow  in  an  effort  to  clear 
up  the  matter.  After  numerous  hilarious  situ- 
ations, Miss  Bradley  goes  back  with  Bendix, 
and  Miss  Woodworth  and  Sawyer  fall  in  love. 

With  a  strong  name  cast  and  fine  story  plot, 
"McGuerins  from  Brooklyn"  should  please  the 
customers. 

Shown  at  Loew's  Poli  Theatre,  Hartford,  to 
an  early  afternoon  audience,  composed  chief- 
ly of  adults  zvho  seemed  to  like  the  picture  a 
great  deal,  judging  by  the  amount  of  laughter 
heard  during  the  picture's  showing.  Reviewer's 
Rating  :  Good.— A.  W. 

Release  date,  December  31,  1942.  Running  time,  46 
min.    PCA  No.  8334.    General  audience  classification. 

Jim  McGuerin   William  Bendix 

Mrs..  McGuerin   Grace  Bradley 

Joe  Sawyer  Marjorie  Woodworth,  Arline  Judge,  Max 
Baer. 


Two  Weeks  to  Live 

(RKO-Votion) 

Lum  and  Abner  in  Chicago 

Chester  Lauck  and  Norris  Goff  continue  here 
their  delineations  of  the  elderly  rustics,  Lum 
and  Abner,  improving  their  impersonations  in 
point  of  makeup  and  performances  but  losing 
ground  in  the  matter  of  entertainment.  The 
script  takes  them  out  their  rural  setting  and 
places  them  in  Chicago,  where  they  experience 
adventures  of  a  slapstick  variety  such  as  have 
been  used  mainly  for  Laurel  and  Hardy  and 
other  comedians  and  do  not  always  produce 
laughter  when  applied  to  men  of  the  age  por- 
trayed by  these. 

The  film  requires  for  satisfaction  that  its 
observers  be  Lum  and  Abner  fans  and  it  puts 
a  strain  upon  the  fidelity  of  their  followers. 
The  screenplay  by  Michael  L.  Simmons  and 
Roswell  Robers  opens  in  Pine  Ridge  with  the 
cronies  inheriting  a  railroad,  selling  stock  to 
their  townsfolk  and  then  going  to  Chicago 
where  they  learn  the  railroad  is  worthless.  A 
mixup  in  a  doctor's  office  results  in  a  report 
that  Abner  has  only  two  weeks  to  live  and, 
in  an  effort  to  earn  money  to  pay  back  their 
neighbors,  he  volunteers  for  risky  work  at  high 
pay.  A  series  of  sequences  ranging  from  air- 
plane flights  to  haunted  houses  is  followed  by 
a  formal  ending. 

It  is  a  Jack  W.  Votion  production,  with  Ben 
Harsh  as  producer  and  with  direction  by  Mal- 
colm St.  Clair.  The  supporting  players  measure 
up  to  their  billing.  But  the  switching  of  the 
setting  and  the  meandering  of  the  narrative 
handicap  the  enterprise. 

Previewed  at  Studio.  Reviewer's  Rating : 
Fair.— W.R.W. 

Release  date,  February  19,  1943.  Running  time,  75 
min.   PCA  No.   8934.   General   audience  classification. 

Lum   Chester  Lauck 

Abner   Norris  Goff 

Franklin  Pangborn,  Kay  Linaker,  Irving  Bacon,  Herb- 
ert Rawlinson,  Ivan   Simpson,  Rosemary  LaPlanche. 


How's  About  It? 

(Universal) 
Comedy  Plus  Tunes 

Robert  Paige  as  a  music  publisher  and  Grace 
McDonald  as  a  girl  who  sues  him  for  plagiariz- 
ing her  poetry  enact  with  skill  and  talent  a  ro- 
mance of  tin  pan  alley  against  a  background  of 
singing  and  comedy  supplied  by  the  Andrews 
Sisters,  Buddy  Rich  and  band,  Shemp  Howard, 
Mary  Wickes  and  others  in  this  short  but  pleas- 
ant exercise.  It  is  not  designed  to  set  house 
records  but  to  reap  some  more  of  the  rewards 
which  have  been  accruing  from  these  minor  mu- 
sicals trademarked  Universal. 

The  script  by  Mel  Ronson  from  an  original 
story  by  Jack  Goodman  and  Albert  Rice  is  for 
purposes  of  amusement  only,  and  director  Erie 
C.  Kenton  keeps  events  moving  in  lively  but 
not  headlong  tempo.  Three  girl  elevator  opera- 
tors, a  summons  server,  the  office  staff  of  a  mu- 
sic publishing  concern  and  some  minor  char- 
acters figure  in  a  chain  of  events  which  estab- 
lish no  new  high  in  point  of  originality  but  do 
have  novelty  of  background.  Ken  Goldsmith 
produced. 

The  Andrews  Sisters  sing  in  characteristic 
fashion  five  songs,  from  as  many  sets  of  tune- 
smiths,  using  for  the  finale  Commander  C. 
Poakes'  lyrics  converting  "Beer  Barrel  Polka" 
to  timely  uses  under  the  title,  "Here  Comes  the 
Navy." 

Previewed  at  the  studio.  Reziezcer's  Rating : 
Good.— W.R.W. 

Release  date,  February  5,  1943.  Running  time,  61 
min.    PCA  No.  9107.    General  audience  classification. 

Andrews  Sisters   Themselves 

George  Selby   Robert  Paige 

Marion  Bliss   Grace  McDonald 

Shemp  Howard.  Walter  Catlett.  Buddy  Rich,  David 
Bruce,  Mary  Wickes,  Bobby  Scheerer.  Dorothy  Babb. 


Product  Digest  Section    I  1 47 


MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    6,  1943 

SHORT  SUBJECTS 

reviews  and  synopses 


The  Fighting  Devil  Dogs 

(Republic) 
Marine  Melodrama 

This  film  originally  was  released  in  serial 
form,  in  1938,  and  has  been  revived  as  a  69- 
minute  feature,  because  of  the  timeliness  of  its 
story.  The  transformation  has  tightened  the 
plot  considerably  while  leaving  the  picture  in 
the  same  category  of  appeal. 

Lee  Powell  and  Herman  Brix  are  featured 
as  U.  S.  Marines  detailed  to  seek  out  a  mysteri- 
ous man  known  as  "The  Lightning,"  the  in- 
ventor of  a  dangerous  electrically-controlled  tor- 
pedo. The  weapon  has  been  used  to  prey  upon 
Marine  outposts  in  the  Pacific.  Dire  perils  and 
hair-raising  escapes  occur  in  true  serial  fashion 
before  the  menace  is  overcome. 

John  English  and  William  Witney,  directed. 
Robert  Beche  was  associate  producer. 

Seen  at  the  State  Theatre,  Hartford.  Re- 
viewer's Rating  :  Fair. — A.  W. 

Release  date,  January  29,  1943.  Running  time,  69  min. 
PCA  No.  8474.     General  audience  classification. 

Lt.  Tom  Grayson   Lee  Powell 

Herman  Brix,  Eleanor  Stewart,  Montagu  Love,  Hugh 
Sothern,  Perry  Ivins,  Sam  Flint,  Forrest  Taylor. 

Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws 
of  Boulder  Pass 

(Producers  Releasing — 1941-42) 
Western 

Another  in  the  PRC  "Lone  Rider"  Westerns, 
this  stars  the  familiar  trio,  George  (The  Lone 
Rider)  Houston,  Smokey  Moore  and  Al  (Fuz- 
zy) St.  John. 

Smokey  Moore  is  shot  at  by  bandits  while  on 
a  visit  to  the  Bar  BX  Ranch  to  join  his  sister, 
whom  he  hasn't  seen  in  many  years.  George 
Houston  and  Al  St.  John  come  onto  the  scene 
and  discover  that  Moore's  father,  owner  of  the 
Bar  BX  Ranch,  had  been  killed  years  ago  by 
bandits  and  that  one  of  the  bandits  had  been 
impersonating  him  in  order  to  run  the  ranch. 

After  many  gun  battles  and  chases,  the  ban- 
dits are  rounded  up  and  Moore  and  his  sister 
are  reunited. 

Sigmund  Neufeld  produced  and  Sam  New- 
feld  directed  this  Western. 

Shown  at  the  Daly  Theatre  in  Hartford. 
Reviewer's  Rating  :  Fair. — A.  W. 

Release  date,  October  28,  1942.  Running  time,  60  min. 
PCA  No.  8350.    General  audience  classification. 

The  Lone  Rider   George  Houston 

Fuzzy  Jones   Al  (Fuzzy)  St.  John 

Smokey  Moore   Smokey  Moore 

Marjorie  Manners,  Charles  King,  I.  Stanford  Jolley, 
Karl  Hackett,  Ted  Adams,  Ken  Duncan,  Frank  Ellis. 

Underground  Agent 

(  Columbia  ) 
Spy  Drama 

One  of  the  problems  in  America's  progress 
toward  victory  is  the  theme  of  this  story  of 
espionage.  Spies  are  tapping  the  telephone  wires 
in  war  plants  to  gain  military  information. 

Bruce  Bennett  and  Frank  Albertson,  'phone 
company  employees,  undertake  the  job  of  track- 
ing down  the  foreign  agents.  There  are  many 
chases,  in  and  out  of  the  plant,  and  several 
gun  fights  before  the  mission  is  accomplished. 

A  romantic  complication  is  introduced  when 
both  men  find  themselves  in  love  with  the  same 
girl,  Leslie  Brooks.  This  is  solved  happily  and 
patriotically  as  Bennett  gets  the  girl  and  Al- 
bertson wins  a  commission  in  the  U.  S.  Signal 
Corps. 

Sam  White  produced  and  Michael  Gordon 
directed  this  Columbia  offering  which,  despite 
its  theme,  remains  routine  spy  drama. 

Seen  at  E.  M.  Loczv's  theatre,  Hartford.  Re- 
viewer's Rating  :  Fair. — A.  W. 

Release  date,  December  3.  1942.  Running  time,  68 
min.     PCA  No.  8896.    General  audience  classification. 

Bruce  Bennett.  Frank  Albertson,  Leslie  prooks, 
Addison'  Richards. 


INVASION  OF  NORTH  AFRICA  (UA) 

World  in  Action 

The  North  African  offensive  is  summarized 
in  this  latest  UA  release  of  the  topical  series 
edited  by  Stuart  Legg  for  the  Canadian  Film 
Board.  Cutting  back  to  the  summer  of  1942 
and  Nazi  threats  in  Russia  and  Egypt,  the  pic- 
tures traces  clearly  the  United  Nations  blows 
which  opened  the  second  front.  Both  German 
and  Allied  newsreels  show  how  General  Mont- 
gomery led  the  Eighth  Army  against  Rommel. 
U.  S.  and  Briting  landing  operations  in  French 
North  Africa  are  shown,  in  Signal  Corps  pic- 
tures from  both  armies.  French  cooperation 
and  overwhelming  United  Nations  air  and  sea 
power  are  emphasized.  The  reel  closes  with 
the  warning  that  now  Italy  and  Germany  are 
on  the  defensive,  threatened  by  a  powerful  drive 
against  southern  Europe.  Delicate  political  sit- 
uations in  French  Morocco  are  not  mentioned. 
Commentary  is  brief  and  to  the  point,  and  there 
are  many  impressive  flashes  from  Allied  as  well 
as  Nazi  cameras. — J.  S.,  Jr. 
Release  date,  February  12,  1943    20  minutes 

THE  SCREWBALL  (Univ.) 

Color  Car  tune  (7244) 

Woody  Woodpecker,  an  old  baseball  enthus- 
iast, worms  his  way  into  a  game  between  the 
Drips  and  the  Droops  without  benefit  of  ticket. 
His  principal  difficulty  is  then  with  the  police- 
man although  other  minor  annoyances  keep 
him  moving.  Finally  he  becomes  involved  in 
the  game  and  winds  up  pinned  to  the  score- 
board by  irate  players  and  customers. 

Release  date,  February  15,  1943     7  minutes 

SHE'S  A- 1  IN  THE  NAVY  (Univ.) 

Person  Oddity  {7177) 

The  Denver  girl  referred  to  in  the  title  is  a 
full-fledged  sea  captain  and  navigation  instruc- 
tor in  the  Navy.  Other  interesting  persons  in- 
cluded in  this  round-up  are  a  man  who  controls 
all  vital  statistics  in  Lakeland,  Ga. ;  a  Gibral- 
tar Island,  Ohio,  citizen  who  extracts  salt  from 
water  with  the  aid  of  the  sun,  and  a  Westwood, 
Calif.,  cowboy  who  makes  a  hobby  of  silver- 
mounted  bridles. 

Release  date,  February  8,  1943       9  minutes 

STEELHEAD  FIGHTERS  (20+h-Fox) 

Sports  Reviews  (3303) 

The  title  of  this  sports  release  refers  to  a 
fisherman's  dream — the  steelhead  trout.  These 
are  native  to  the  land  of  lakes  and  streams  in 
the  Pacific  Northwest.  The  excitement  of  a 
good  fight  with  rod  and  line  is  increased  by 
the  rugged  beauty  of  the  scenery,  for  a  sub- 
ject of  interest  to  sports  enthusiasts  and  spec- 
tators alike. 

Release  date,  February  12,  1943     9  minutes 

HIT  TUNE  JAMBOREE  (Univ.) 

Musical  (7126) 

The  orchestra  of  George  Olsen  and  the  close 
harmony  of  the  Mills  Brothers  are  featured  in 
this  musical  subject.  Among  the  numbers 
played  are  "He's  My  Guy,"  "Woodchoppers 
Ball,"  "Green  Eyes,"  "Deep  in  the  Heart  of 
Texas,"  "Tiger  Rag,"  "Heart  of  Harlem"  and 
"Sleepy  Time  Gal." 

Release  date,  February  10,  1943    15  minutes 


COMMUNITY  SING,  No.  6  (Col.) 

(4656) 

Titled  "MacDonald's  Sons,"  this  musical  sub- 
ject features  the  favorite  of  yesterday  "Old 
MacDonald"  and  other  songs  of  the  same  era 
including  "Margie,"  "Carry  Me  Back  to  the 
Lone  Prairie"  and  "Sleepy  Time  Gal."  It 
ends  on  a  modern  note  with  the  song  of  the 
Army  Air  Corps. 

Release  date,  January  1,  1943        9  minutes 

SPINACH  FOR  BRITAIN  (Para.) 

Popeye  (£2-4) 

Popeye,  who  has  joined  the  war  with  a  will, 
is  rewarded  with  a  trip  to  Britain.  The  cargo 
carried  on  the  boat  is  his  old  friend  and  stand- 
by, spinach.  He  has  need  of  it  in  the  course 
of  the  trip,  what  with  floating  mines  and  sub- 
marine attacks,  and  it  is  effective  once  more  in 
all  encounters. 

Release  date,  January  22,  1943      6  minutes 

ARSENAL  OF  MIGHT  (Univ.) 

Victory  Featurette  (0996) 

The  story  of  America's  industrial  progress, 
of  the  conversion  of  factories  from  consumer 
goods  to  weapons  of  war,  of  the  transformation 
from  scrap  to  Flying  Fortresses,  is  reviewed  in 
Universal's  second  Victory  Featurette. 
Release  date,  February  22,  1943     9  minutes 

LAND  OF  ORIZABA  (MGM) 

Traveltalks  (T-414) 

The  Mexico  over  which  the  Aztecs  ruled  is 
the  land  visited  by  the  color  camera  and  de- 
scribed by  Fitzpatrick.  Orizaba  contains  many 
interesting  relics  of  this  Indian  civilization  as 
well  as  offering  much  in  the  way  of  scenic 
beauty. 

Release  date,  January  2,  1943        8  minutes 

KING  MIDAS  JUNIOR  (Col.) 

Color  Rhapsody  (4504) 

Back  in  the  days  when  there  was  rubber  to 
meet  all  needs  without  stretching,  King  Midas 
received  a  royal  gift  of  rubber.  Its  full  worth 
was  not  appreciated  until  the  famine  came, 
when  it  proved  surprisingly  effective. 
Release  date,  December  18,  1942    9  minutes 

MOTHER  OF  PRESIDENTS  (Univ.) 

Variety  View  (73  57) 

For  the  "Month  of  Presidents"  Universal 
presents  a  view  of  Virginia,  which  gave  the  na- 
tion Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe 
and  Wilson.  The  story  of  their  greatness  is 
told  in  scenes  which  highlighted  their  histories 
and  on  which  they  have  made  a  permanent 
mark. 

Release  date,  February  1,  1943      9  minutes 

NIGHT  SHIFT  (OWI) 

Victory  Film 

This  story  of  one  night  in  a  British  factory 
forging  materials  for  war  was  produced  by  the 
British  Ministry  of  Information  and  is  being 
released  in  this  country  through  the  War  Activ- 
ities Committee.  The  film  shows  the  actual 
machine  operation,  much  of  it  in  the  hands  of 
women,  as  well  as  the  arrangements  for  work- 
ers' hours  of  relaxation. 

9  minutes 


I  1 48  Product  Digest  Section 


February    6,  1943 

SHORT 

index  to 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


SUBJECTS  CHART 

reviews,  synopses 


COLUMBIA 

Prod. 

No.  Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


ALL  STAR  COMEDIES 

(Average   17  Min.) 
1942-43 

4421  Phony   Cronies   8-27-42  890 

(Brendel) 

4422  Carry   Harry   9-3-42  926 

(Langdon) 

4401  Even  As  IOU  9-18-42  950 

(Stooges) 

4423  Kiss  and  Wake  Up  10-2-42  974 

(Downs) 

4409  College  Belles   10-16-42  998 

(Gloveslinger) 

4424  Sappy  Pappy   10-30-42  1010 

(Clyde) 

4402  Sock-a-bye   Baby   11-13-42  1046 

(Stooges) 

4425  Ham  and  Yeggs  11-27-42  1046 

(Brendel) 

4426  Piano  Mooner   12-11-42  1094 

(Langdon) 

4410  The  Great   Glover  12-25-42 

(Gloveslinger) 

4403  They  Stooge   to  Conga  1-1-43  1094 

(Stooges) 

4427  His   Wedding  Scare  1-15-43  1138 

(Brendel) 

4428  A  Blitz  on  the   Fritz  1-22-43 

4404  Dizzy    Detectives   2-5-43 

(Stooges) 

COLOR  RHAPSODIES 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4501  Sons  of  Victory  9-4-42  926 

4502  Tito's    Guitar   10-30-42  1010 

4503  Toll   Bridge  Troubles  11-27-42  1046 

4504  King    Midas   Junior  12-18-42  1148 

4505  Slay  It  with  Flowers  1-8-43  1138 

4506  There's  Something  About  a 

Soldier   2-26-43 

PHANTASIES  CARTOONS 

(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

4701  The   Gullible   Canary  9-18-42  950 

4702  The  Dumb  Conscious  Mind. 10-23-42  1010 

4703  Malice  in  Slumberland .  . .  1 1 -20-42  1046 

4704  Cholly   Polly   12-18-42 

4705  The  Vitamin   G   Man  1-22-43 

COMMUNITY  SING   (Series  7) 
(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4651  No.  I — Rhumba  and  Conga 

Hits   8-15-42  859 

4652  No.  2— "Yankee  Doodler". 9-17-42  950 

(Baker) 

4653  No.  3— College   Songs  10-15-42  1010 

4654  No.  4 — Service   Songs  11-12-42  1007 

4655  No  5— 

Songs  of  the  States  . ...  12- 1 1 -42  1094 

4656  No.  6—  MacDonald's   Son  . .  .  I  - 1 -43  1 148 

4657  No.  7— Crosby    Songs  2-18-43 

QUIZ  REELS 

(Series  3) 
(Average   10  Min.) 
1942-43 

4601    Kitchen  Quiz  No.  1  8-21-42  899 

PANORAMICS 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4901  Cajuns  of  the  Teche  8-13-42  856 

(Quaint  Folks  No.  I) 

4902  Oddities  (La  Varre)  10-8-42  998 

4903  Our   Second    Front  12-11-42  1078 

4904  Merchant  Seamen   1-15-43 

TOURS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4551    Journey  to  Denali  (La  Varre) 

8-5-42  877 


For  information  on  short  subjects  turn  to  the  Product 
Digest  Section  pages  indicated  by  the  numbers  which 
follow  the  titles  and  release  dates  in  the  listing.  Product 
Digest  pages  are  numbered  consecutively  and  are  sepa- 
rate from  Motion  Picture  Herald  page  numbers. 


Prod.  Rel.  P.D. 

No.         Title  Date  Page 

4552    Old  and  Modern  New 

Orleans   10-2-42  974 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS  (Series  22) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4851  No.    I   8-7-42  859 

4852  No.   2   9-11-42  926 

4853  No.   3   10-23-42  998 

4854  No.  4   11-26-42  1046 

4855  No.    5   12-25-42  1094 

4856  No.   6   1-29-43  1138 

WORLD    OF  SPORTS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4801  Trotting    Kings   9-25-42  974 

4802  Wizard  of  the  Fairway  ..  I  I -6-42  1010 

4803  Winter   Paradise   12-8-42  1094 

4804  Ladies'  Day  in  Sports.  ...  I -22-43 

KATE  SMITH 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4751    America  Sings  with 

Kate  Smith   8-21-42  899 

FAMOUS  BANDS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4951  Ted  Powell   (1280  Club) . .8-27-42  899 

4952  Hal   Mclntyre   10-23-42  998 

4953  Shep  Fields   12-23-42  1094 

AMERICA  SPEAKS 

4961  Wings  for  the  Fledgling  .  12-31 -42  1094 

4962  Weapons  for  Waste  

4963  Mr.   Smug   1-28-43 


M-G-M 


TWO    REEL  SPECIALS 
(Average  20  Minutes) 
1942-43 


A 

-401 

Keep  'Em  Sailing 

1 1-28-42 

1022 

FITZPATRICK  TRAVELTALKS  (Color) 

(9  Minutes) 

1942-43 

T 

-41 1 

Picturesque 

Massachusetts   

. 10-3-42 

998 

T 

412 

Modern  Mexico  City... 

.1 1-8-42 

1010 

T 

413 

Glimpses  of  Ontario 

12-5-42 

1  1  18 

T 

414 

Land  of  Orizaba  

. .1-2-43 

1 148 

T 

415 

Mighty  Niagara  

1-30-43 

PETE    SMITH  SPECIALTIES 

(10  Minutes) 

1941-42 

S 

372 

Victory  Vittles   

.9-19-42 

950 

S 

373 

Foothall  Thrills  of  1941 

.9-26-42 

998 

s 

374 

Calling  All  Pa's  

10-24-42 

998 

1942-43 

s 

461 

1 1 18 

s 

462 

Marines  in  the  Making 

12-26-42 

1 1 18 

PASSING  PARADE 
(10  Minutes) 
1941-42 

K-387    The  Magic  Alphabet. ..  10- 10-42  995 

K-388    Famous    Boners  10-24-42  1010 

K-389    The  Film  That  Was  Lost 

10-31-42  994 


Prod. 

No.  Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


1942-43 

K-481    Madero  of  Mexico  11-28-42  [022 

MINIATURES 

(10  Minutes) 
IS4I-42 

M-337    ATCA   10-3-42  994 

M-338    The   Good  Job  10-10-42  994 

IM-339    Listen,    Boys   10-17-42  998 

1942-43 

M-431    The    Last    Lesson  12-19-42  [118 

M-432    People  of   Russia  12-26-42  1118 

M-433    Brief  Interval   11-28-42  1022 

M-434    Portrait  of  a  Genius. ..  1-23-43 

OUR  GANG  COMEDIES 
(Average  II  Min.) 

1941-  42 

C-400    Mighty  Lak  a  Goat  10-10-42  998 

1942-  43 

C-491  Unexpected  Riches  ...11-28-42  1067 
C-492    Benjamin   Franklin,  Jr  

TECHNICOLOR  CARTOONS 

(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

W-355  Fine  Feathered  Friend.  10- 10-42  lull) 
W-356    Wild  Honey   11-7-42  1022 

1942-  43 

W-441    Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   12-26-42  1118 

W-442    Sufferin'    Cats   1-16-43 


PARAMOUNT 

UNUSUAL   OCCUPATIONS  (Color) 
( 1 1  Minutes) 
1942-43 

L2-I    No.    I   10-9-42  974 

L2-2    No.  2   12-4-42  1070 

L2-3    No.  3   2-12-43  1138 

SUPERMAN   COLOR  CARTOONS 

(Average  8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

WI-10  Superman  and  the 

Japoteurs   9-18-42  950 

W 1  - 1 1  Superman  in  Showdown. .  10- 16-42  974 
WI-12  Superman  in  Eleventh 

Hour   11-20-42  1070 

1942-  43 

W2-I    Superman  in  Destruction,  Inc. 

12-25-42  1118 
W2-2    Superman  in  the  Mummy 

Strikes   1-29-43 

W2-3    Superman  in  Jungle 

Drums   3-5-43 


H  EADLINERS 

(Average  10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

A2-I    The  McFarland  Twins  & 

Orchestra   10-2-42  998 

A2-2    Johnny  "Scat"  Davis 

&   Orchestra   11-6-42  1010 

A2-3    Hands   of  Women  12-11-42  1070 

A2-4  Mitchell  Ayres  &  Orch.  . .  I- 15-43  1138 
A2-5    Ina  Ray  Hutton  &  Orch .  .3- 19-43 


Prod.  Rel.  P.D. 

No.         Title  Date  Page 

MADCAP  MODELS  (Color) 
(Average  8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

UI-6    The  Little  Broadcast  9-25-42  998 

1942-  43 

U2-I    Jasper  and  the  Haunted 

House   10-23-42  1010 

U2-2  Jasper  and  the  Choo-Choo .  I  - 1 -43  1138 
U2-3    Bravo  Mr.  Strauss  3-12-43 

POPEYE  THE  SAILOR 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

E2-I    A   Hull  of  a  Mess  10-16-42  974 

E2-2    Scrap  the  Japs  11-20-42  1007 

E2-3    Me  Musical  Nephews  12-25-42  1070 

E2-4    Spinach  for  Britain  1-22-43  1148 

E2-5    Seein'  Red,  White 

'n  Elue   2-19-43 

E2-6    A  Jolly  Gofld  Furlough ..  .3-26-43 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

J2-I    No.    I   10-2-42  974 

J2-2    No.    2   11-27-42  1010 

J2-3    No.   3   2-5-43 


SPEAKING  OF  ANIMALS 
(Average  9  Minutes) 


1941-42 

YI-6    In   South  America.. 


.9-25-42  974 


1942-43 

/2-I    Speaking  of  Animals  and 

Their  Families   12-18-42  1070 

Y2-2    At  the   Bird    Farm  2-26-43 


SPORTLIG  HTS 

(Average  10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

R2-I    Sports  I.Q  10-9-42  974 

R2-2    The    Fighting   Spirit.  ...  1 1- 13-42  1007 

R2-3    Modern   Vikings   1-8-43  1138 

R2-4    Trading  Blows   2-12-43 

R2-5    Hike   or    Bike  3-1943 

VICTORY  SHORTS 

(15  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T2-I    A  Letter  from  Bataan. . .9-15-42  946 

T2-2    We  Refuse  to  Die  10-22-42  946 

T2-3    The  Price  of  Victory  12-3-42  1018 

T2-4    The  Aldrich  Family  Gets 

Into  Scran   4-8-43 


RKO 


WALT   DISNEY   CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 

24.110  The  Vanishing  Private.  .9-24-42  974 

24.111  Olympic  Champ   10-9-42  998 

24.112  How  to  Swim   10-23-42  [010 

24.113  Sky  Trooper   11-6-42  1022 

24.114  Pluto  at  the  Zoo  11-20-42  1070 

24.115  How   to    Fish  12-4-42  1094 

24.116  Bellboy  Donald   12-18-42  1118 

24.117  Der  Fuehrer's  Face. ...  12-18-42  1067 

24.118  Education  for   Death  1-5-42  1067 


SPORTSCOPE 
(Average   8  Min.) 
1942-43 

34.301  Show   Horse   9-11-42  974 

34.302  Touchdown  Tars   [0-9-42  998 

34.303  Winter  Setting   11-6-42  1022 

34.304  Q-Men   12-4-42  1094 

34.305  Basketeers   1-1-43  1118 


Product  Digest  Section     \  |  49 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Prod. 
No. 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


Title 
EDGAR  KENNEDY 
(Average   17  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.401  Two  for  the  Money  8-14-42  926 

33.402  Rough  on   Rents  10-30-42  1010 

33.403  Duck  Soup   12-18-42  1118 

LEON  ERROL 
(Average  18  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.701  Mail    Trouble  9-4-42  926 

33.702  Deer,  Deer   10-23-42  1010 

33.703  Pretty  Dolly   12-11-42  1094 

JAMEOREES 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

34.401  Jerry  Wald  &  Orch  9-11-42  950 

34.402  Johnny  Long  &   Orch.  ..  10-2-42  998 

34.403  Ray  McKinley  &  Orch. .  10-30-42  1022 

34.404  Dick  Stabile  &.  Orch. .  .  1 1 -27-42  1070 

34.405  Enric   Madriguera  & 

Orch  12-25-42  1094 

VICTORY  SPECIALS 

1942-43 

34,201    Conquer  by  the  Clock. .. 10-27-42  1114 

FAMOUS   JURY  TRIALS 
(Average  18  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.201  The    State   vs.  Glen 

Willet   9-18-42  974 

33.202  The  State  vs. 

Thomas  Crosby   11-13-42  1070 

THIS    IS  AMERICA 

(Average   19  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.101  Private  Smith  of  the 

U.  S.  A  10-2-42  971 

33.102  Women  at  Arms  10-30-42  1031 

33.103  Army  Chaplain   12-18-42  1102 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

ADVENTURES  NEWSCAMERAMAN 

(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

3201  Along  the  Texas   Range. .  10-9-42  974 

3202  Climbing    the    Peaks  4-16  43 

MAGIC  CARPET 

(9  Minutes) 
1942-43  (Color) 

3151  Desert  Wonderland   8-1-42  856 

3152  Wedding    in    Bikaner  8-28-42  899 

3153  Valley  of  Blossoms  9-25-42  950 

3154  Royal  Araby   10-23-42  998 

3155  Gay    Rio   2-19-43  1022 

3156  Strange    Empire   1-15-43  1138 

3157  Land  Where  Time  Stood 

Still  4-2-43 

SPORTS  REVIEWS 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1912-43 

3301  Well-Rowed     Harvard  8-I4-42  899 

3351    Neptune's  Daughters   11-20-42  1022 

3302  When    Winter   Calls  12-25-42  1138 

3303  Steelhead  Fighters   2-12-43  1148 

3304  Back   to    Bikes   3-12-43 

TERRYTOONS  (TECHNICOLOR) 

(7  Minutes) 
1842-43 

3551  All   Out  for  "V"  8-7-42  926 

3552  Life  with  Fido  8-21-42  926 

3553  School  Daze   9-18-42  950 

3554  Night  Life  in  the  Army ..  1 0-2-42  974 
35555    The  Mouse  of  Tomorrow  10- 16-42  1046 

3556  Nancy  in  Doing  Their  Bit  10-30-42 

3557  Frankenstein's  Cat   11-27-42 

3558  Barnyard  WAAC   12-18-43  1138 

3559  Scrap  for   Victory  1-22-43 

3560  Barnyard   Blackout   3-5-43 

3561  Shipyard  Symphony   3-19-43 

SPECIAL 

3567  Somewhere  in  the  Pacific .  .  I -8-43 

3568  He    Dood    It   Again  2-5-43 

TERRYTOONS   (Black   &  White) 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3501  The  Big  Build-Up   9-4-42  926 

3502  Ickle   Meets   Pickle  1 1  - 13-42  1046 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


THE   WORLD  TODAY 

(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3401    Our    Last    Frontier  9-11-42 

MARCH    OF  TIME 

(Average  20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

V9-I    The  F.B.I.   Front  9-11-42  911 

V9-2    The  Fighting  French  10-9-42  946 

V9-3    Mr.   and   Mrs.    America.  .  1 1-6-42  1007 

V9-4    Prelude  to  Victory  12-4-42  1055 

V9-5  The  Navy  and  the  Nation ..  I  - 1 -43  1102 
V9-6    One  Day  of  War — Russia 

1943   1-29-43  1127 

DRIBBLE    PUSS  PARADE 
(9  Minutes) 
3901    Monkey  Doodle  Dandies.  .  12- 1 1-42  1046 

VICTORY  FILM 

3801    It's    Everybody's    War  11-6-42  1031 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

WORLD   IN  ACTION 

(Two  Reels) 
1941-42 

...    Inside  Fighting  China  10-2-42  896 

  Mask  of  Nippon  11-6-42  971 

  Fighting  Freighters   1-9-43  1055 

  Invasion  of  North  Africa.  .2- 12-43  1148 


UNIVERSAL 


COLOR  CARTUNE 
(Average  7  Min.) 
1942-43 

7211    Andy  Panda's  Victory 

Garden   9-7-42  926 

7242  The  Loan  Stranger  10-19-42  998 

7243  Air  Raid   Warden  12-21-42  1118 

7244  The  Screwball   2-15-43  1148 

SWING  SYMPHONIES 
(Average  7  Min.) 
1942-43 

7231    Yankee  Doodle  Swing 

Shift   9-21-42  899 

7332    Boogie  Woogie  Sioux  11-30-42  1046 

7233  "Cow-Cow  Boogie"   1-4-42 

7234  Egg  Cracker  Suite   3-22-43 

PERSON— ODDITIES 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

7371  Human  Sailboat   9-14-42  926 

7372  Jail    Hostess   9-28-42  950 

7373  King  of  the  49-ers  10-12-42  1046 

7374  Double  Talk   Girl  11-16-42  1007 

7375  Designed  by 

Fannie  Hurst   12-14-42  1118 

7376  Let  Huey  Do  It  1-25-43 

7377  She's  A-l  in  the  Navy  2-8-43  1148 

7378  Little  Clayton  Farmfront 

Wonder   3-8-43 

VARIETY  VIEWS 

(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

7351  Trouble  Spot  of  the  East.. 9-7-42  899 

7352  Canadian   Patrol   9-21-42  926 

7353  Spirit  of  Democracy  10-5-42  974 

7354  New  Era  ia  India  11-2-42  1010 

7355  Western    Whoopee  12-28-42  899 

7356  Winter  Sports  Jamboree  1-8-43 

7357  Mother  of  Presidents  2-1-43  1148 

7358  Hungry  India   3-1-43 

MUSICALS 
(Average  15  Min.) 
1942-43 

7121  Trumpet  Serenade   9-9-42  899 

7122  Serenade   in   Swing  10-14-42  899 

7123  Jivin'    Jam    Session  11-11-42  899 

7124  Swing's  the   Thing  12-2-42  1007 

7125  Chasin'  the  Blues  1-13-43  1046 

7126  Hit  Tune  Jamboree  2-10-43  1148 

7127  Swinglime    Blues   3-3-43 


Prod.  Rel.  P.D. 

No.  Title  Date  Page 

VICTORY  FEATURETTES 

1942-43 

0995  Keeping   Fit   10-26-42  998 

0996  Arsenal    of    Might  2-22-43  1148 

2-REEL  SPECIAL 

7111    Roar.  Navy  Roar   11-25-42  1046 

71 10  "Eagle  Vs.  Dragon"  


Prod. 
No. 


8703 


Title 


VITAPHONE 


TECHNICOLOR  SPECIALS 

(Average  20  Min.) 
1942-43 

8001  A   Ship   Is   Born  10-10-42  1010 

8002  Fighting    Engineers   1-2-43  1118 

8003  Young  and   Beautiful  2-27-43 

8004  Eagles  of  the   Navy  .3-13-43 

8005  Para-Ski   Patrol   4-24-43 

BROADWAY  BREVITIES 

(20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8101  The  Spirit  of  Annapolis. .  .9-5-42  926 

8102  The    Nation    Dances  9-26-42  974 

8103  The  Spirit  of  West  Point.  1 1-20-42  1007 

8104  Beyond  the  Lire  of  Duty.  1 1-7-42  1010 
6105    Vaudeville  Days   12-19-42  1070 

8106  The  Man  Killers   

8107  Little  Isles  of  Freedom ..  .2- 13-43  1078 

8108  Our  African   Frontiers  2-27-43 

8109  Army  Show   4-10-43 

HOLLYWOOD  NOVELTIES 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8301  Sweeney    Steps    Out  9-12-42  950 

8302  You  Want  to  Give  Up 

Smoking   11-14-42  1022 

8303  Stars  on  Horseback  4-3-43 

3304    So  You  Think  You  Need 

Glasses   12-26-42  1118 

8305  This  Is  Your  Enemy  1-23-43 

8306  King  of  the  Archers  2-6-43 

THE  SPORTS  PARADE 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8401  Sniffer  Soldiers   9-12.42  950 

8402  South   American   Sports.  .  10- 17-42  1007 

8403  The    Right    Timing  10-31-42  1022 

8404  Cuba,  Land  of  Adventure 

and   Sport   1-9-43  1070 

8405  America's  Battle  of 

Beauty   11-21-42  1070 

8406  Horses!  Horses!  Horses! ..  12- 12-42  1070 

8407  Sporting    Dogs   3-20-43 

8408  Women   in   Sports...!  2-20  43 

MELODY    MASTER  BANDS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3501    Army  Air  Force  Band. ..  .9- 19-42  950 

8502  Six  Hits  and  a  Miss. ...  10-24-42  1007 

8503  U.  S.  Marine  Band  11-14-42  1007 

8504.  Borrah  Minevitch  and  his 

Harmonica  School    .  ..12-26-42  1118 

8505    U.  S.   Navy  Band  1-16-43  1138 

3508    Ozzie  Nelson  &  Orch  3-27-43 

LOON  EY  TUNES  CARTOONS 

(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8601    The  Hep  Cat   10-3-42  950 

6602    The   Daffy   Duckaroo  10-24-42  1022 

8603  My    Favorite    Duck   12-5-42  1007 

8604  Confusions  of  a  Nutzy  Spy 

1-23-43  1007 

8605  To  Duck  or  Not  to  Duck. .  .3-6-43 

8606  Hop  and  Go   3-27-43 

8607  The  Wise  Quacking  Duck. 4-17-43 

MERRIE  MELODIES  CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8701  The    Dover    Boys  9-19-42  950 

8702  The  Sheepish  Wolf  10-17-42  950 


Rel.  P.D. 

Date  Page 

The  Hare  Brained 

Hypnotist   10-31-42  1007 

A  Tale  of  Two  Kitties. ..  1 1-21-42  1007 

Ding  Dog  Daddy  12-5-42  1007 

Case  of  the  Missing 

Hare   12-12-42  1007 

8707  Coal  Black  and  de  Sebben 


8704 
8705 
8706 


1-16-43 

1007 

8708 

Pigs  in  a  Polka.  . . 

.2-6-43 

1070 

8709 

Tortoise  Wins  by  a  Hare. 

.2-20-43 

8710 

Fifth    Column  Mouse 

. .3-6-43 

871  1 

8712 

Super  Rabbit   

4-3-43 

8713 

The  Unbearable  Bear 

4-17-43 

OFFICIAL  U.  S.   VICTORY  FILMS 

(Distributed  by  Various  Major  Exchanges) 

Pots  to  Planes    509 

Bomber    509 

Food    for    Freedom   509 

Red    Cross   Trailer   509 

Women   in   Defense   509 

Safeguarding    Military    Information....  509 

Tanks    509 

Any  Bonds  Today    509 

Ring  of  Steel    587 

Fighting    Fire    Bombs   587 

Lake  Carrier    715 

United  China  Relief  

Winning    Your   Wings   674 

Keep   'Em    Rolling   674 

Mr.   Gardenia  Jones   674 

Your  Air  Raid  Warden   770 

Vigilance    771 

Out  of  the  Frying  Pan   926 

Salvage    946 

Manpower    971 

Japanese   Relocation    971 

Dover    1018 

Fuel  Conservation    1046 

Colleges  at   War   1078 

Community  Transportation    1102 

Paratroops    1114 

You,  John  Jones   1 138 

Night  Shift    1148 

U.   S.   TREASURY  DEPT. 

The  Spirit  of  '43   1 138 

WAR   ACTIVITIES  COMMITTEE 
(Released  Through  20th- Fox) 

Battle    of    Midway   912 

BRITISH   MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION 

21   Miles    971 

Control   Room    1018 

C.  E.  M.  A   1018 

Fighting    French   Navy   1070 

Lift  Your  Head  Comrade   1094 

Letter  from  Ulster   1094 

Speed  Up  on  Stirlings   1114 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Movie  Quiz,  No.   I  and  2   854 

(Movie  Quiz  Distributing) 
Shock  Troops  for   Defense   871 

(Brandon  Films) 
Scrap  for  Victory   871 

(Brandon  Films) 

Quebec    (Canadian    Film    Board)   1070 

Kokoda   Battle   Front   1070 

(Australian  Dept.  of  Information) 
Sword   of  the  Spirit   1055 

(Verity  Film) 

SERIALS 

COLUMBIA 

1942-43 

4120    The  Secret   Code  9-4-42  899 

( 15  Episodes) 
4140    The  Valley  of  Vanishing  Men 

(15  episodes)   12-27-42  1138 

REPUBLIC 

1942-43 

281  King  of  the  Mounties  10-10-42  998 

(12  episodes) 

282  G-Men  vs.  the  Black  Dragon 

(15  Episodes)  1-2-43  1022 

UNIVERSAL 

1942-43 

7881-92    Junior  G-Men  of  the 

Air   6-30-42  784 

(12  episodes) 
7781-95    Overland    Mail   9-22-42  950 

(15  episodes) 
7681-93    Adventures  of  Smilin'  Jack 

(13  episodes)  1-5-43  994 


|  |  50  Product  Digest  Section 


February    6,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


Title  Company 

ABOVE    Suspicion  MGM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic  WB 

Adventures  of  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 

•  Affairs  of  Martha,  The  MGM 
(formerly  Once  Upon  a  Thursday) 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 

A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday,  The  Univ. 

(formerly  Forever  Yours) 

American  Empire  UA 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

•Are  Husbands  Necessary?  Para. 

Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

Avengers,  The  (British)  Para, 
(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn) 

BABYf  ace  Morgan  PRC 

Background  to  Danger  WB 

Bad  Company  Univ. 

•Bad  Men  of  the  Hills  Col. 

Bambi  (color)  RKO 

Bandit  Ranger  RKO 

Bataan  Patrol  MGM 

Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue)  UA 

(formerly  Kukan) 

Behind  Prison  Walls  PRC 

Behind  the  Eight  Ball  Univ. 

•Bells  of  Capistrano  Rep. 

Berlin  Correspondent  20th-Fox 

Between  Us  Girls  Univ. 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses,  Caroline) 

Big  Street,  The  RKO 
Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid  in  Law  and  Order  PRC 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 

Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox 

Blocked  Trail,  The  Rep. 

•Blondie  for  Victory  Col. 

Bombardier  RKO 
Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The  Col. 

Boots  and  Saddles  (Reissue)  Rep. 

Border  Patrol  UA 

Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC 

•Boss  of  Hangtown  Mesa  Univ. 
Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood  Col. 

Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono. 
Brains  Trust,  The  (British)  Strand-Anglo 


Buckskin  Frontier 
Busses  Ro 


the  Sky 


CABIN 

Cairo 
Calaboose 
Call  of  the  Canyon 
•Calling  Dr.  Gillespie 
Captive  Wild  Woman 


Par 
WB 

MGM 
MGM 
UA 
Rep. 
MGM 
Univ. 


Prod. 
Number 

202 


245 


302 


304 

7063 
413 

3  i  2 


4213 


317 


3207 
39 
38 


313 
7029 

31  i 
7010 

301 

358 
261 
357 


320 
3019 
4026 

310 
4030 

203 

307 

13 1 
247 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

Short  Subjects  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found  on 
pages  I  149-1 150. 

Feature  Product  Including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company 
by  Company,  in  order  of  release,  on  pages  I  128-1  129. 

r—  REVIEWED 

M.  P.  Product 
Herald 


Stars 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Marsha  Hunt-Richard  Carlson 


John  Garfield-Gig  Young 

Laurel  and  Hardy 

Laurel  and  Hardy 

Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

Richard  Dix-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Bela  Lugosi-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Ray  Milland-Betty  Field 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 


Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 
George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 
Dead  End  Kids 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Disney  Feature  Cartoon 
Tim  Holt 

Robert  Taylor-Thomas  Mitchell 
Chinese  Feature 

Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 
Ritz  Bros.-Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 

Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 
Three  Mesquiteers 
Penny  Singleton-Arthur  Lake 
Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 
Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
William  Boyd 
John  Litel-Florence  Rice 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 
Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 
Ouiz  Experts 
Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 
Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Release 
Date 
Not  Set 

Sept.  5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Aug.  '42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 
Feb.  I9,'43 

Dec.  1 3  ,'42 
Dec-Feb.,'43 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Feb.  26,'43 
Dec.  25,'42 
Block  7 
Sept.  4,'42 
Dec.  4,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 


Sept.  I5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  13/42 
Aug.  2 1, '42 
Sept.  25,'42 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 

Mar.  22/43 
Dec.  4,'42 
Sept.  15/42 
Sept.  I  1/42 
Sept.  4/42 

Sept.  4/42 

Jan.  27/43 
Aug.  21/42 
Nov.  20/42 

Oct.  2/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Feb.  12/43 
Aug.  6/42 
Shirley      Not  Set 
Oct.  22/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Not  Set 
Dec.  7/42 
Aug.  21/42 
Nov.  5/42 
Oct.  30/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


Running 


Digest 


Advance  Service 
Synopsis  Data 


"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5/42 

Lionel  Barrymore-Philip  Dorn  Aug.,  '42 

Evelyn  Ankers-John  Carradine  Not  Set 


69m 
70m 
64m 


64m 
60m 
73m 
70m 
89m 


58m 
55m 

55m 
85m 


Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

1081 

98  m 

Aug.  22/42 

927 

726 

983 

936 

1091 

66m 

May  23/42 

673 

613 

124m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 145 

936 

1091 

67m 

July  1  1/42 

927 

98m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 145 

936 

81m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

92  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

796 

66m 

June  27/42 

938 

726 

1 104 

87m 

Dec.26,'42 

1090 

872 

79m 

June  13/42 

714 

663 

58m 

63m 

Oct.24,'42 

969 

70  i 

3m       Nov.  7/42 


65m       July  25/42 


Oct.  24/42 
May  30/42 


61m       July  5/41 


Feb.  6/43 
Dec.  12/42 
Sept.  19/42 
Aug.  15/42 
Aug.  29/42 


87m      Aug.  8/42 


Oct.  10/42 
Jan.  30/43 

Dec.  5/42 
Oct.  17/42 


70m       Oct.  17/42 


66m  Oct.  24/42 

58m  Nov.  13/37 

67m  Jan.  30/43 

64m  Oct.  17/42 

58m  Sept.  19/42 

68m   

63m  Oct.  3/42 

34m  Feb.  6/43 

61m  Aug.  22/42 


101m       Aug.  15/42 


71m 
84m 


Aug.  22/42 
June  20/42 


993 


903 


970 
685 


840 

1 146 
1054 
909 
927 
890 

902 


945 
1 137 

1043 
958 

959 

969 
1 1 14 
1 137 
959 
91  I 

934 
I  147 

903 


915 

938 
725 


1019 


1058 
1055 


1 127 

1078 
794 

797 
772 

701 

1 104 

1033 

1031 
855 

772 
912 


794 
983 
019 


800 
715 
I  127 


Page 


756 


1082 
984 


130 


1034 
873 


Product  Digest  Section  1151 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Title  Company 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 

Casablanca  WB 

Cat  People  RKO 

Chatterbox  Rep. 
Chetniks,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas  20th-Fox 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetniks) 

Cheyenne  Roundup  Univ. 

China  Para. 

China  Girl  20th-Fox 

Cinderella  Swings  It  RKO 

City  of  Silent  Men  PRC 

City  Without  Men  Col. 
Coastal  Command  (British)  Para. -Crown 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn  Col. 

Coney  Island  20th-Fox 

Constant  Nymph,  The  WB 

Corregidor  PRC 

Corvettes  in  Action  Univ. 
Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher  Mono. 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones) 

Counter  Espionage  Col. 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color)  Col. 

Crash  Dive  (color)  20th-Fox 

Crime  by  Night  WB 

Criminal  Investigator  Mono. 

Crystal  Ball,  The  UA 

DARING  Young  Man,  The  Col. 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide  Mono. 

Deadline  Guns  Col. 

Dead  Man's  Gulch  Rep. 

Dead  Men  Walk  PRC 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas  Univ. 

Desert  Song,  The  (color)  WB 

Desperados,  The  (color)  Col. 

Desperate  Journey  WB 

Destination  Unknown  Univ. 
Devil  with  Hitler,  The  UA-Roach 

Dixie  Para. 

Dixie  Dugan  20th-Fox 

Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant  MGM 

Dr.  Re  nault's  Secret  20th-Fox 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady  MGM 

•EAGLE 

Squadron  Univ. 

Edge  of  Darkness  WB 

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish)  Scandia 

Eyes  in  the  Night  MGM 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Univ. 


FALCON'S  Broth  er, 

Fall  In 

Fighting  Buckaroo,  The 

Fighting  Devil  Dogs 

Fighting  Frontier 


The 


RKO 
UA-Roach 
Col. 
Rep. 
RKO 


Howard-Gen'l 

Univ. 
RKO 
WB 
Rep. 
PRC 
20th-Fox 
Mono. 


Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD 

First  of  the  Few,  The 
(British) 

Flesh  and  Fantasy 

Flight  for  Freedom 

Flying  Fortress  (British) 
•Flying  Tigers 

Follies  Girl 

Footlight  Serenade 

Foreign  Agent 

Foreman  Went  to  France 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Forest  Rangers,  The  (color)  Para. 

Forever  and  a  Day  RKO 

For  Me  and  My  Gal  MGM 

Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 
sian) Artkino 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color)  Para. 

Frankenstein  Meets  the 
Wolf  Man 

From  Here  to  Victory 
•Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail 
•Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals 


•GAY  Sisters,  The 
•  General  Died  at  Dawn,  The 
Gentleman  Jim 

George  Washington  Slept  Here 
Get  Hep  to  Love 


Prod. 
Number 
312 
214 
313 


323 
308 


4027 


4021 


274 
320 
7071 


204 
7030 


317 
321 


309 
7037 

309 


21 


21 


301 


4206 
312 


Univ. 

RKO 

PRC 

PRC 

255 

WB 

138 

Para. 

4140 

WB 

212 

WB 

210 

Univ. 

7022 

Stars 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison 
Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman 
Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway 
Joe  E.  Brown-Judy  Canova 


328        Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 


Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 

Loretta  Young-Alan  Ladd 

George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 

Guy  Kibbee-Gloria  Warren 

Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 

Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 

War  Documentary 

Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 

Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 

Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 

Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 

Patric  Knowles-Dick  Foran 

Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 
Jinx  Falkenberg-Rita  Hayworth 
Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 
Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 
Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 
Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 
Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 
George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 
Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 
Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 
Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 
Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 
Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 
James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 
Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 
Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 
Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelfon 

Robert  Stack-Diana  Barrymore 
Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 
Ingrid  Bergman-Olof  Sandborg 
Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 
Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 
William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 
Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Lee  Powell-Herman  Brix 
Tim  Holt 

War  Documentary 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 
Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 
Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 
John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 
Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 
John  Payne-Betty  Grable 
John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 


Release 
Date 
Sept.  I8,'42 
Jan. 23/43 
Dec.  25,'42 
Apr.    I, '43 

Feb.  5,'43 

Not  Set 
Block  4 
Jan.   I, '43 
Feb.  26/43 
Oct.  12/42 
Jan.  14/43 
Not  Set 
Jan.  7/43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  15/43 
Not  Set 

Jan.  22/43 

Sept.  3/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Oct.  23/42 
Jan.  22/43 

Oct.  8/42 
Dec.  18/42 
Not  Set 
Feb.  5/43 
Feb.  10/43 
Sept.  25/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  26/42 
Oct.  9/42 
Oct.  9/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec-Feb.,'43 
Dec.  1 1/42 
Not  Set 

Special 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Jan.  8/43 

Nov.  6/42 
Nov.  20/42 
Feb.  2/43 
Jan.  29/43 
Jan.  29/43 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec.  5/42 
Oct.  8/42 
Apr.  30/43 
Aug.  1/42 
Oct.  9/42 


Constance  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder  Not  Set 

Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard  Block  2 

British  and  American  Stars  Mar.  19/43 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Mikhail  Gelovani-Nikolai  Bogoliubov  Not  Set 

Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman  Not  Set 

Lon  Chaney-Bela  Lugosi  Mar.  12/43 

Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day  Not  Set 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis  Oct.  19/42 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis  Sept.  4/42 

Barbara  Stanwyck-George  Brent  Aug.  1/42 

Gary  Cooper-Madeleine  Carroll  Reissue 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith  Nov.  14/42 

Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan  Nov.  28/42 

Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige  Oct.  2/42 


Running 
Time 
69m 
102m 
73m 


73m 


r—  REVIEWED  — > 
M.  P.        Product    Advance  Service 
Herald       Digest     Synopsis  Data 


95m 
71m 
64m 

73m 
98m 


72m 


61m 
81m 

73m 
66m 


66m 
62m 


107m 
61m 
45  m 


86m 
58m 


89m 
79m 
61m 

63m 


69m 


37m 
1 18m 


101m 
68m 
102m 

80m 
64m 

90m 
87m 
104m 
1 04m 


60m 
60m 

108m 
93m 

104m 
93m 
77m 


Issue 
Aug.  15/42 
Nov.  28/42 
Nov.  14/42 


Jan.  9/43 


Dec.  5/42 
Jan.  23/43 
Sept.  12/42 

Nov.  14/42 
Dec.  19/42 


Oct.  10/42 


Dec.  12/42 
Jan.  23/43 

Dec.  19/42 
Dec.  19/42 


Sept.  12/42 


Aug.  22/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Oct.  24/42 


Nov.  15/42 
Dec.  17/42 


109m      June  20/42 


Dec.  26/42 
Sept.  12/42 
Oct.  17/42 

Oct.  3/42 
Feb.  6/43 


Sept.  12/42 
Sept.  5/42 


Feb.  6/43 
June  27/42 
Sept.  26/42 

July  1 1/42 
Sept.  19/42 

May  2/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Jan.  23/43 
Sept.  12,42 


77m        Jan.  9/43 


June  6/42 
Sept.  12/36 

Oct.  31/42 
Sept.  19/42 

Oct.  3/42 


Page 

O  1  c 
7  1  O 

1  A90 
1  U/7 

O^A 
730 

1  AAC 
1  UUD 

OA.*? 
70Z 

1  \Ll 

IMC 
1113 

OOC 
770 

1091 

1  C\A  1 

Q79 

1 125 

898 

1009 

1005 

1078 

962 

OOC 
770 

1  1  U4 

1  Uoo 

OAC 
Y40 

Q7  1 
0  /  1 

O  A"3 
70/ 

i  no  i 

I  ACA 
I  U04 

1  A33 

1  Uo  J 

1  1  ZO 

YOU 

1  Uo/ 

O/  1 

I  AAA 

1  Uoo 

1  A3  1 

1  AC  1 
1  Uo  1 

1  I  Z  / 

1  U  5  1 

QOQ 
070 

872 

871 

O  1  C 
7  1  0 

OAk 

O  1  0 
7  1  Z 

OAO 
707 

1  AO  1 

I UY 1 

1082 

1005 

oco 

707 

700 

1019 

725 

635 

982 

1077 

QOQ 
070 

/7/ 

960 

0">  c 
700 

07  1 
O  /  1 

/70 

i  i  a~i 

898 

889 

1 058 

i  i  A  £ 

1  1  40 

983 

914 

921 

i  i  r\A 
1  1  U4 

915 

715 

91  1 

634 

V  i  J 

872 

1 125 

897 

751 

1  101 

855 

1 055 

1081 

1033 

697 

663 

91  1 

981 

936 

909 

871 

034 

Page 


1082 
1 130 


984 

I  130 
I  130 


I  I  52    Product  Digest  Section 


February    6,    19  4  3  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

f—  REVIEWED  — . 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Sen  ~ t 

Prod. 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Title 

Company 

~S  UTflbsT 

S/ari 

Date 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Girl  Trouble 

20+h-Fox 

309 

J  v  7 

Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett 

Oct.  9/42 

DO 

ozm 

oe  p*.  1  V,  *rZ 

90^ 

000 

•  Give  Out,  Sisters 

Univ. 

707  1 

Andrews  Sisters-Richard  Davies 

Sept.  1  l,'42 

oom 

889 

Glass  Key,  The 

Para. 

4203 

Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Lake-Alan  Ladd         Block  1 

85m 

Aug.  29/42 

914 

1130 

Goose  Steps  Out,  The 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

\A/'  1 1  LJ 

Will  nay 

IN  OT  jeT 

78m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

C  --III  *    i.A    -  TL- 

oonlla  Man,  I  he 

W  D 

216 

John  Loder-Paul  Cavanagh 

U-    1  L  'A3 
Jan.  i  o,  ij 

64m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

0reat  Gilders! seve,  The 

I\NU 

314 

t_|  _  _    1J     D               C.JJ       i  1...  .  . 

Harold  reary-rreddy  Mercer 

Ian      1  '43 
Jan.    i , 

62  m 

Nov.  15/42 

1006 

995 

Great  Impersonation,  The 

Univ. 

7032 

Ralph  Bellamy-Evelyn  Ankers 

Dor-      1  R  '4? 
U  6  C  .    10,  HA 

7lm 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

912 

ore  at  Without  olory 

d  , .  _ 
rara, 

Joel  M c^rea-petry  rieia 

Not  Set 

912 

MAIL  to  the  Rangers 

Col. 

Charles  Starrett 

Not  Set 

1 055 

Half  Way  to  Shanghai 

Univ. 

703^ 

/  v  £  0 

Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor 

Sept.  18, '42 

_ 
ol  m 

C  _  ,-.1    I  0  AO 
o e  pT.   1  7  |  tt 

71J 

i  hp.? 

1  JO*. 

Happy  Go  Luclry  (color) 

Para. 

Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Vallee 

Block  4 

o  I  m 

Ian         0  'A* 

Jan.    l  *rg 

1  flflQ 

1  U07 

707 

ill 

Hard  Way,  The 

WB 

OHO 

Ida  Lupino-Dennis  Morgan 

Feb.  20, '43 

7  /  m 

C.-i    1  0  'AO 
Oe  pT.   1  7  ,  T-i 

003 

7iJ 

70A 
/  70 

Heart  of  the  Golden  West 

Rep. 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec.  1  1  ,'42 

oo  m 

Nov  7  1  '47 

[NOV.  i  1  ,  *ti 

1017 

He  Hired  the  Boss 

20th-Fox 

Stuart  Erwin-Evelyn  Venable 

Not  Set 

OP  A 
7  00 

He's  My  Guy 

Univ. 

Dick  Foran-lrene  Hervey 

Mar.  26/43 

I  1  07 
MA/ 

Hello,  'Frisco,  Hello 

20th-Fox 

Alice  Faye-John  Payne 

Not  Set 

1  1  07 
1  \  LI 

Henry  Aldrich,  Editor 

Para. 

AO  AO 
4i  U7 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Block  2 

70  — 

0^.+      ^  'AO 

07  A 

AA3 
OO  J 

1  1  3fi 

Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour 

Para. 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Block4 

/  l  m 

|__      o  'AO, 

Jan.    z  *tj 

1  nso 

1  UO  7 

OPA 
7  0  0 

Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It 

Para. 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Not  Set 

I  1 04 

Here  We  Go  Again 

RKO 

one 
i  uo 

Fibber  McGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Charlie 

1  Oct.  9, '42 

/  om 

A,,n    00  'AO 

Aug.  Z7 ,  *ti 

03  s 

7  J  U 

1  UOi 

LI!  D.,JJ„ 

rii,  Buddy 

Univ. 

Dick  Foran-Harrlet  Hilliard 

Feb.  26/43 

1  070 

1  U  /  7 

nidden  nana  ine 

WR 
W  D 

Craig  Stevens-Elizabeth  Fraser 

Nov.  7/42 

i  7  _ 

o  /  m 

C*fn+    10  'AO 
oe pt.  1  7 | 

o  i  n 

7  1  u 

i  no.0 
1  uoz 

High  Explosive 

rara. 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

M  _  i  C  _  i 
[NOT  j8T 

700 

Highways  by  Night 

D  v  o 

KK.U 

TAJ 

Kicnard  Hanson-Jane  rsanaoipn 

fV<4     o  'AO 

\-/  CT .     A  ,  *Ti, 

i  7  

o  J  m 

A  , ,  m      Q  'AO 

Aug.   o,  4x 

03  S 
70  0 

7  1  C 

/  1  0 

•  H  ill  kill V  Rl'+fl-lan 

Mono. 

Edgar  Kennedy-Bud  Duncan 

A  lift    1  6.  TA0 
nUg,  1  *t p  *ti 

Li  mm 

A,,-      Q  'AO 

Aug.    (5,  4i 

AO  7 

OA  / 

70A 
/  77 

Hi  !  Neighbor 

Pan 

AO  1 

1     i.l       L  -  1  !            9.      C.»iA,          lrt^.»       P  =  r.-- 

Lulubelle  ot  ocorfy-Jean  rarxer 

lulu  07  'A.0 
J  U  iy  L  l  ,  °tL 

70  ■  - 

1 , ,  L ,  7  c  !  AO 

July  zo,  4Z 

00  7 
7  A  / 

770 

III 

W.+    Pa.,Ja     -X     1  0A3 

nit  rarade  ot  i  y^j 

Kep. 

n-n           ar.A     .VllCan      l"H  a  w  w  a  r 

jon  n  w  arroii-jUidn   i  i  d  y  "  di  u 

Mar  1  2  '43 

1  V  1  □  1    <           A-  J 

1043 

niTier,  ueao  or  Alive 

Mouse 

VA/  =.  -  J     R^nrt    n^p^lku  Trflfl 

yt  aro   Dunu-uoroTny    i  rcc 

Not  Set 

70m 

Nov.  21/42 

1018 

1082 

nitier  s  wnnoren 

KK.U 

Tip*.    —     ■                 C  .  -  - 

iim  noiT-PoniTa  v^ranviue 

Feb.  12  '43 

83m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

n i  i  a,  v^num 

Univ. 

Jane  Fraiee-Ritz  Brothers 

Mar    l  'At 
rvi a r.  i  3,  to 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  147 

1  127 

^Holiday  Inn 

rara. 

4134 

Bing  Crosby-Fred  Astaire 

DIOCK  / 

101  m 

June  13/42 

713 

663 

1 130 

How's  About  It? 

Univ. 

Andrews  Sisters-Robert  Paige 

re d .    s,  to 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  147 

Human  Comedy,  The 

MGM 

Mickey  Rooney-James  Craig 

1  N  OT  JeT 

1019 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue 

Rep. 

Ellen  Drew-Richard  Denning 

Dec.  24/42 

/  7  m 

Dor    10  '49 
uec.  ti 

1  U  00 

707 

ill 

1  1  3D 

1  1  3  "J 

Iceland 

20th-Fox 

30A 

Sonja  Henie-John  Payne 

Oct.  2/42 

70- 

/  y  m 

A.,-    1  c  '49 

MUg.  10,7a. 

009 

7UA 

707 

ill 

1  f)99 
1  UOX 

»  1      LIVC     w  II  UOMMCI 

Para. 

A  1  3*-. 

*T  1  J  0 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

Block  7 

7^  rrs 

/  j  m 

lima    1  3  '49 

June  i  j  ,  it 

7  1  3 

/  1  S 

1    Mairlerl    a  Witrh 

UA 

Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake 

Oct.  30/42 

70- 

/  orn 

94  '49 
KJCT.  At,  *tZ 

0A0 
707 

707 

111 

1  1 3d 

1  1  3U 

Immortal  Sergeant,  The 

20th-Fox 

377 

Henry  Fonda-Maureen  O'Hara 

Jan. 29/43 

0  1  rr, 

7  I  m 

Ian       0  '43 

Jan.    7 ,  73 

1  1  0  1 

1  1  V  1 

90S. 

7  7  0 

In    +  rio     K  a  a  r            tnp  Fnpm\J 
In    ine    f\ear   or   inc  tneniy 

(Russian) 

Art  kino 

War  Documentary 

Oct.  9/42 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

In  Which  We  Serve  (British) 

UA 

Noel  Coward-Bernard  Miles 

Dec. 25/42 

1  13m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

Isle  of  Missing  Men 

Mono. 

John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland 

Sept.  18/42 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

111 

It  Ain't  Hay 

Univ. 

aii     i ,       j  ill 
Abbott  and  Costello 

Mar.  1  9/43 

1058 

It  Comes  Up  Love 

Univ. 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

Apr.  9/43 

65m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  146 

1  Walked  with  a  Zombie 

RKO 

Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway 

Not  Set 

1057 

JACARE 

UA 

Animal  teature 

KJ^w   97  '49 
IN  OV.  L  1 ,  ni 

A.E~ 

obm 

n « -    OA  'AO 

uec.  zo,  tz 

1  f,77 
1  U  /  / 

•  Joan  of  Ozark 

Rep. 

104 

Judy  Conova-Joe  E.  Brown 

Aug.  1/42 

80m 

July  25/42 

793 

Johnny  Doughboy 

Rep. 

205 

Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook 

Dec.  31/42 

63m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

971 

Journey  for  Margaret 

MGM 

314 

Robert  Young-Laraine  Day 

Dec.-Feb./43 

79m 

Oct.  3  1  ,'42 

98  1 

912 

1082 

Journey  Into  Fear 

RKO 

307 

Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Del  Rio 

Feb.  12/43 

71m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  146 

796 

•  Jungle  Siren 

PRC 

203 

Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe 

Aug.  14/42 

68m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

1034 

Junior  Army 

Col. 

4038 

Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop 

Nov.  26/42 

69m 

1009 

Just  Off  Broadway 

20th-Fox 

310 

Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver 

Sept.  25/42 

65m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

KEEPER   nf  trip  Flsmp 
i  \  lui  ui\   ot   ine  name 

MGM 

Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 

Dec.-Feb./43 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

936 

k  ■  -J     M  v/  n  a  m  1 4"  a 

in. i o  uynarniTe 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Feb.  12/43 

73m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

\(inn    Arthur  Was   a  Gentle- 
Mng  Arrnur   h  as  a  venue 

man  ( British ) 

Gains. 

Arthur  Askey-Evelyn  Dall 

Not  Set 

98m 

Jan.  16/43 

1  1  14 

^King  of  the  Stallions 

Chief  Thundercloud-David  O'Brien 

Sept.  1  1/42 

63  m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

800 

LADIES'  Day 

RKO 

Lupe  Velez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Baer 

Not  Set 

0  AO 
70Z 

Lady  Bodyguard 

Para. 

Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley 

Block4 

/Urn 

Jan.   4,  4o 

i  non 

1  UYU 

O  A  L 
740 

Lady  from  Chungking 

PRC 

3fl9 
3UZ 

Anna  May  Wong-Harold  Huber 

Dec.  21/42 

7A  — 

/Urn 

M-.,,      7  'AO 

(Nov.    /,  4/ 

1  UUO 

C7A 
D  /4 

Lady  in  the  Dark 

Para. 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 

Not  Set 

i  no  i 

Lady  of  Burlesque 

UA 

Barbara  Stanwyck-Eddie  O'Shea 

Feb. 12/43 

Last  Ride,  The 

WB 

Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker 

Not  Set 

1  1  1  E 
I  1  1  0 

Laugh  Your  Blues  Away 

Col. 

403  3 

Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg 

Nov.  12/42 

07  m 

QOi 

700 

(formerly  How  Do  You  Do?) 

Law  of  the  Northwest 

l 

Col. 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 

Not  Set 

1018 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British) 

Anglo 

Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney 

Not  Set 

1  UUm 

A  —  ■     11    1 A  O 

Apr.  !  1 ,  4z 

coo 

077 

Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty 

2 Oth- Fox 

3a\a\ 

Monty  Woolley-lda  Lupino 

Uec.  iip,  4Z 

com 

nrt*     c  'AO 
Uec.   o,  4Z 

1  C\A  1 

1  U4 1 

Oi  7 
70A 

1 082 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler 

Univ. 

7079 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Nov.  13/42 

04  m 

n«»  i  o  'ao 
Uec.  1  7,  4a 

1  AA.7 

1 06/ 

Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A. 

20th-Fox 

303 
3J3 

Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce 

Aug.  14/42 

04  m 

1..L,  |  T  'AO 

July  11,  4a 

03  0 
730 

Living  Ghost,  The 

Mono. 

James  Dunn-Joan  Woodbury 

Nov.  27/42 

0  1  m 

7  !  'AO 
^JCT.  0  I  ,  4i 

009 

70a; 

London  Blackout  Murders 

Rep. 

9  i  n 

4  1  u 

John  Abbott-Mary  McCleod 

Jan.  15/43 

oYm 

n    _    lO  '47 

Uec.  I  a,  4a 

1  (Jo/ 

Lone  Prairie,  The 

Col. 

4900 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Oct.  15/42 

oom 

1058 

•  Lone  Rider  in  Border  Roundu 

p  PRC 

266 

George  Houston-Al  St.  John 

Sept.  18/42 

58m 

•Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 

Boulder  Pass 

PRC 

267 

George  Houston-Al  St.  John 

Oct.  28/42 

60m 

Feb.  6/43 

1148 

1033 

Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Stagecoach 

PRC 

363 

Bob  Livingston-Al  St.  John 

Dec.  1  1/42 

58m 

Jan. 23/43 

1 126 

1018 

Lone  Star  Trail,  The 

U  niv. 

7077 

Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 

Not  Set 

1019 

Lost  Canyon 

UA 

William  Boyd 

Dec.  18/42 

63m 

Jan. 23/43 

1 126 

Product  Digest  Section  1153 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February    6,    I  943 


r—  REVIEWED  —\ 
M.  P.  Product 


Title  Company 
Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  The  20th-Fox 
Lucky  Jordan  Para. 
Lucky  Legs  Col. 


MADAME  Spy 

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The 
Major  and  the  Minor,  The 
Man  in  the  Trunk,  The 
Manila  Calling 
Man  of  Courage 
Man's  World,  A 
Margin  for  Error 
Mashenka  (Russian) 
McGuerins  from  Brooklyn 
Meanest  Man  in  the  World 
Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant 
Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The 
Mission  to  Moscow 
Miss  V  from  Moscow 
Moonlight  in  Havana 
Moon  and  Sixpence,  The 
Moon  Is  Down,  The 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian) 
Mountain  Rhythm 


Univ. 
RKO 
Para. 
20th-Fox 
20th-Fox 
PRC 
Col. 
20th-Fox 
Artkino 
UA-Roach 
20th-Fox 
RKO 
Para. 
WB 
PRC 
Univ. 
UA 
20th-Fox 
Rep. 
Rep. 


•  Mrs.  Miniver  MGM 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para. 
Mug  Town  Univ. 
Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ. 
Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 
My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th-Fox 
My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy  Para. 

•  My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 
My  Son,  the  Hero  PRC 
Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 

NAVY  Comes  Through,  The  RKO 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge  Mono. 
Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Nightmare  Univ. 

Night  for  Crime,  A  PRC 

Night  Monster  Univ. 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking  Para. 

Night  to  Remember,  A  Col. 

Northwest  Rangers  MGM 

No  Place  for  a  Lady  Col. 

No  Time  for  Love  Para. 

Now,  Voyager  WB 

OLD  Chisholm  Trail,  The  Univ. 

Old  Homestead,  Th«  Rep. 
Old  Mother  Riley,  Detective 

(British)  Br.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Omaha  Trail  MGM 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 

On  the  Beam  Univ. 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  RKO 

One  Dangerous  Night  Col. 
One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British)  UA 

One  Thrilling  Night  Mono. 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 

Orchestra  Wives  20th-Fox 

•  Orders  from  Tokyo  Almo 
Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge  Rep. 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood  Col. 
Over  My  Dead  Body  20th-Fox 
Ox-Bow  Incident,  The  20th-Fox 

PALM    Beach  Story,  The  rara. 

Panama  Hattie  MGM 

Pardon  My  Gun  Col. 

•  Pardon  My  Sarong  Univ. 
Payoff,  The  PRC 

•  Phantom  Killer  Mono. 
Pied  Piper,  The  20th-Fox 
Pilot  No.  5  MGM 

•  Pierre  of  the  Plains  MGM 
Pirates  of  the  Prairie  RKO 
Pittsburgh  Univ. 

•  Police  Bullets  Mono. 
Power  of  God,  The  St.  Rts. 
Powers  Girl,  The  UA 
Power  of  the  Press  Col. 
Prairie  Chicken  UA-Roach 
Presenting  Lily  Mars  MGM 
Pride  of  the  Army  Mono. 

(also  called  War  Dogs) 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The  RKO 


Prod. 
Number 
305 
4215 
4032 

7034 
371 

4202 
315 
314 
319 

4044 
330 


329 
302 


318 
7026 


209 
260 
4208 
7027 
7019 


4214 


308 


Release 

Stars  Date 

John  Shepperd-Linda  Darnell  Aug.  28,'42 

Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker  Block  3 

Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris  Oct.    I, '42 

Constance  Bennett-Don  Porter  Dec.  1 1, "42 

Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Costello  July  I0,'42 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland  Block  I 

Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes  Oct.  23,'42 

Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis  Oct.  16/42 

Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters  Jan.  4,'43 

M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright  Sept.  17/42 

Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle  Feb.  19/43 

V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuinetxov  Nov.  20/42 

Max  Baer-William  Bendix  Dec.  31/42 

Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane  Feb.  12/43 

Lupe  Velei-Leon  Errol  Sept.  11/42 

Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton  Not  Set 

Waiter  Huston-Ann  Harding  Not  Set 

Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison  Nov.  23/42 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Fraiee  Oct.  16/42 

George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall  Oct.  2/42 
Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly       Not  Set 

Documentary  Aug.  15/42 

Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry  Ian.  8/43 

Greer  Garson-Walter  Pidgeon  Aug.,  '42 

Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee  Block  2 

Dead  End  Kids  Dec.  18/42 

Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox  Oct.  23/42 

Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman  Not  Set 

Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster  Not  Set 

Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll  Block  3 

Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne  Sept.  30/42 

Patsy  Kelly-Roscoe  Karns  Apr.  5/43 

Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder  Not  Set 


Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy  Oct.  30/42 
East  Side  Kids  Nov.  20/42 
Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam  Not  Set 
7015        Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy  Nov.  13/42 
304        Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot  Feb.  18/43 
7038        Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi  Oct.  23/42 
  Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew  Block  4 

•  •  •  ■  Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne  Dec.  10/42 
....        James  Craig-Patricia  Dane  Dec.-Feb.,'43 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay  Feb.  11/43 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray  Not  Set 

206        Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid  Oct.  31/42 

7073        Johnny  Mack  Brown  Dec.  11/42 

202        Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry  Aug.  17/42 

....        Arthur  Lucan  Not  Set 

311         James  Craig-Dean  Jagger  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

....  Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter  Not  Set 
311  Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant  Nov.  27/42 
  Warren  William-Eric  Blore  Jan.  21/43 

....         Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman  Oct.  16/42 

....         John  Beal-Wanda  McKay  June  5/42 

308        George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherford    Sept.  4/42 

....         Danielle  Darrieux-Anton  Walbrook  Not  Set 

272        Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick  Oct.  27/42 

3208        Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden  Sept.  25/42 

325        Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes  Jan.  15/43 

....         Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes  Not  Set 

4211        Claudette  Colbert-Joe!  McCrea  Block  3 

303        Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton  Sept.-Nov.,"42 

4202        Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll  Dec.  1/42 

Abbott  &  Costello-Virginia  Bruce  Aug.  7/42 

303  Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer  Jan.  21/43 
Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury  Oct.  2/42 

304  Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowall  Aug.  2 1  ,'42 
Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt  ,       Not  Set 

246        John  Carroll-Ruth  Hussey  Aug.,  '42 

382        Tim  Holt  Nov.  20/42 

...         Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne  Dec.  I  1/42 

•  ■            John  Archer-Joan  Marsh  Sept.  25/42 

•  ■  John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden  Not  Set 
.  ..  Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy  Jan.  15/43 
....  Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy  Jan.  28/43 
...  Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 
....  Judy  Garland-George  Murphy  Not  Set 
  Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards  Nov.  13/42 

351         Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright  Mar.  5/43 


Running 
Time 
67m 
84m 
64m 

63  m 
88m 
1 00m 
71m 
81m 
67m 
60m 
74m 
67m 
46m 
57m 
64m 


Herald 


Digest 


Advance 
Synopsis 


Issue 

Page 

Page 

July  11/42 

914 

751 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

986 

797 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

855 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

871 

Jan.  30/43 

1137 

1031 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

Jan.  9/43 

1 1 0 1 

995 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Feb.  6/43 

!  147 

Jan.  9/43 

1115 

962 

Aug.  8/42 

915 

I  16m       Nov.  7/42 


1006 


1  10m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

903 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

80m 

Aug.  1/42 

810 

57m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

63m 
120m 


Oct.  10/42 
July  18/42 


1079 
1058 


986 
855 
983 


662 
797 


995 
872 


1055 
986 
962 


Service 
Data 
Page 

1082 


947 
1082 


71m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1031 

62m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

o7  m 

jept.  i  tL 

T  0  L 

1 1 3n 

1  1  3\f 

1091 

55m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

i  i  36 

/Urn 

Uec.  1  l,  4Z 

1  AAQ 

133m 

May  16/42 

661 

527 

1034 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

60m 

Jan. 23/43 

1 126 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

1130 

1079 

962 

75  m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

871 

96m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

772 

1082 

68m 

Jan. 23/43 

1 126 

1091 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

1 130 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

73m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

i  130 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1102 

983 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

IC66 

986 

1130 

64m 

Oct.  3  1  ,'42 

981 

960 

1057 

855 

1 17  m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

1082 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1 13 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

80m 

61m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

1130 
1082 
1 130 


90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1082 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

57m 

1058 

84m 

Aug.  8/42 

825 

984 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

87m 

July  1  1/42 

903 

751 

1082 

971 

66m 

June  20/42 

725 

715 

57m 

1033 

93m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

93m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

946 
915 


1082 


I  I  54  Product  Digest  Section 


February    6,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


—  REVIEWED  - 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Prod. 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Title 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Princess  O'Rourke 

WB 

Prise i  1 1  a  Lane-Robert  Cummings 

Not  Set 

962 

Priorities  on  Parade 

Para. 

420 1 

Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna 

Block  1 

79m 

Aug.  1/42 

914 

Private  Miss  Jones 

MGM 

Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly 

Not  Set 

1079 

QUEEN    of  Broadway 

PRC 

312 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe 

Mar.   8, '43 

62  m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

1018 

Queen  Victoria  (British) 

Renown 

Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook 

Not  Set 

84m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

Quiet  Please,  Murder 

20th-Fox 

Gail  Patrick-George  Sanders 

Not  Set 

70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

983 

RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin 

U  niv. 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Not  Set 

1009 

Random  Harvest 

MGM 

Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson 

Not  Set 

126m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

796 

1082 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The 

PRC 

351 

Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 

Dec.  25/42 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1  1  14 

1055 

Ravaged  Earth 

Crystal 

Documentary  on  China 

Not  Set 

68m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

Red  River  Robin  Hood 

RKO 

Tim  Holt 

Not  Set 

57m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Reunion  in  France 

MGM 

315 

Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn- 

(former  Reunion) 

Col. 

John  Wayne 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

102m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

Reveille  with  Beverly 

Ann  Miller-William  Wright 

Feb.  4, '43 

Rhythm  of  the  Islands 

Univ. 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

Apr.  16/43 

1  127 

Rhythm  Parade 

Mono. 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery 

Dec.  1  1/42 

70m 

Dec  19/42 

1067 

983 

Riders  of  the  Northwest  Moi 

nted  Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Feb.  15/43 

1019 

•  Riders  of  the  West 

Mono. 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 

Aug. 21/42 

60  m 

Aug.  1/42 

8 1 0 

800 

Rid  in 1  Double 

Mono. 

Range  Busters 

Not  Set 

1019 

Ridin'  Down  the  Canyon 

Rep. 

253 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec.  30/42 

55m 

Dec  12/42 

1054 

1019 

Ridin'  Through  Nevada 

Col. 

4201 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 

Oct.  1/42 

61m 

1058 

Road  to  Morocco 

Para. 

4207 

Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour        Block  2 

83m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

1130 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range 

Col. 

Charles  5tarrett-Kay  Harris 

Not  Set 

1057 

►SABOTAGE  Squad 

Col. 

3046 

Bruce  Bennett-Kay  Harris 

Aug.  27/42 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

827 

772 

Saludos  Amigos  (color) 

RKO 

Disney  South  American  feature 

Feb.  19/43 

43  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Salute  for  Three 

Para. 

Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes 

Not  Set 

1091 

Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt. -Anglo-Am 

Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 

Not  Set 

96m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Salute  to  the  Marines 

MGM 

Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter 

Not  Set 

1057 

Scattergood  Survives  a  Mur 

Jer  RKO 

306 

Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 

Oct.  16/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

Secret  Enemies 

WB 

205 

Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 

Oct.  17/42 

59m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

Secret  Mission  (British)  Hell 

man-Gen'l 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed 

PRC 

309 

Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 

Oct.  26/42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Secrets  of  the  Underground 

Rep. 

John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 

Dec.  18/42 

72  m 

1009 

Seven  Days  Leave 

RKO 

310 

Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz 

RKO 

315 

James  Craig-Bonita  Granville 

Jan.  8/43 

62m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Seven  Sweethearts 

MGM 

Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson 

Sept. -Nov. ,'42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

1034 

Shadow  of  a  Doubt 

Univ. 

Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 

Jan.  15/43 

108m 

Jan.  9/43 

1  1  14 

936 

Shadows  on  the  Sage 

Rep. 

261 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 

Terror 

Univ. 

7020 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon 

Univ. 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Feb.  12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes 

Fights  Back) 

Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Not  Set 

983 

Silent  Witness 

Mono. 

Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon 

Jan. 15/43 

62m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1033 

Silk,  Blood  and  Sun 

(Mexican)                         Maya  Film 

Jorge  Negrete-Gloria  Marin 

Not  Set 

86m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 146 

Silver  Queen 

UA 

George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane 

Nov.  13/42 

88m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

936 

Silver  Skates 

Mono. 

Patricia  Morison-Kenny  Baker 

Feb.  5/43 

76m 

Jan. 16/43 

1113 

Sin  Town 

Univ. 

7017 

Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford 

Sept.  25/42 

73  m 

Oct.  J/42 

934 

898 

Slightly  Dangerous 

MGM 

Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 

Not  Set 

1057 

(formerly  Nothing  Venture 

d) 

•Smart  Alecks 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Aug.  7/42 

66m 

June  27/42 

738 

947 

Smith  of  Minnesota 

Col. 

4035 

Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge 

Oct.  15/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish) 

Scandia 

Edvard  Persson 

Sept.  12/42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Sombrero  Kid,  The 

Rep. 

271 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

July  31/42 

56m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

796 

Something  to  Shout  About 

Col. 

Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair 

Feb.  25/43 

1043 

Somewhere  I'll  Find  You 

MGM 

301 

Clark  Gable-Lana  Turner 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

107m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

726 

984 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 

Para. 

Claudette  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard 

Not  Set 

1 104 

Spirit  of  Stanford,  The 

Col. 

4022 

Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman 

Sept.  10/42 

73  m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

796 

1082 

Spring  Song  (Russian) 

Artkino 

Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  II, '42 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Springtime  in  the  Rockies  (color) 

20th-Fox 

317 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne 

Nov.  6/42 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1082 

•Spy  Ship 

WB 

139 

Craig  Stevens-Irene  Manning 

Aug.  15/42 

62m 

June  6/42 

698 

687 

Squadron  Leader  X  (British 

RKO 

Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley 

Not  Set 

100m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Stage  Door  Canteen 

UA 

Stage  and  Screen  Stars 

Feb.  26/43 

1  1 15 

Stand  By,  All  Networks 

Col. 

4042 

John  Beal-Florence  Rice 

Oct.  29/42 

64  m 

797 

Stand  By  for  Action 

MGM 

316 

Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

109m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

1 130 

(formerly  Clear  for  Action) 

Star  Spangled  Rhythm 

Para. 

4231 

Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  M 

oore  Special 

100m 

Jan.  3/43 

1  102 

855 

Stranger  in  Town,  A 

MGM 

Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers 

Not  Set 

1079 

(formerly  Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting) 

Street  of  Chance 

Para. 

4210 

Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor 

Block  2 

74m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

871 

1082 

Strictly  in  the  Groove 

Univ. 

2028 

Leon  Errol-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  20/42 

60m 

July  4/42 

914 

Submarine  Alert 

Para. 

Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie 

Not  Set 

772 

Sundown  Kid 

Rep. 

273 

Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson 

Dec.  28/42 

55m 

Jan. 16/43 

1 1 13 

•Sunset  Serenade 

Rep. 

Roy  Rogers 

Sept.  14/42 

58m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

TALES    of  Manhattan 

20th-Fox 

313 

C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 

Oct.  30/42 

1  18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

1 130 

Talk  About  Jacqueline 

(British)  Excel 

sior-M  etro 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

Not  Set 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

•Talk  of  the  Town 

Col. 

300  i 

Cary  Grant-Jean  Arthur-R.  Colman 

Aug.  20/42 

1  18m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

7oi 

1034 

Tarzan  Triumphs 

RKO 

Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 

Mar.  12/43 

77m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 125 

983 

Taxi  Mister 

UA-Roach 

WiHiam  Bendix-Grace  Bradley 

Not  Set 

986 

Tennessee  Johnson 

MGM 

Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

946 

Product  Digest  Section 


I  155 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    6,  1943 


Prod. 

Title  Company  Number 
Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground  Univ.  7074 

Texas  to  Bataan  Mono.  .... 

Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars  WB 

That  Nazty  Nuisance  UA-Roach 

That  Other  Woman  20th-Fox  318 

They  Got  Me  Covered  Goldwyn  .... 

Those  Kids  from  Town  (British)    Anglo  .... 

Three  Hearts  for  Julia  MGM 

Thunder  Birds  (color)  20th-Fox  307 

Thunder  Rock  (British)  Charter-Metro 

Thundering  Trails  Rep.  263 

•  Timber  Univ.  6057 
Time  to  Kill  20th-Fox  326 
Tish  MGM 

•  Tombstone  Para.  4132 
Tomorrow  We  Live  PRC  307 
Tomorrow  We  Live  (British)  Brit.  Lion  .... 
Tornado  in  the  Saddle  Col.  4210 
Trail  Riders  Mono. 
Traitor  Within,  The  Rep.  207 

Truck  Busters  WB   

True  to  Life  Para.  .... 

Two  Fisted  Justice  Mono.  .... 

Two  Weeks  to  Live  RKO   

UNCENSORED 

(British)  Gains.-Gen'l  .... 

Undercover  Man  UA  4140 

Underground  Agent  Col.  4039 

Undying  Monster,  The  20th-Fox  319 

Unpublished  Story  (British)  Col.  .... 


Stars 

Johnny  MacJt  Brown 
Range  Busters 

All  Warner  Contract  Players 
William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer 
Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison 
Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour 
Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill 
Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas 
John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney 
Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen 
Three  Mesquiteers 
Leo  Carrillo-Andy  Devine 
Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel 
Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman 
Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford 
Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortez 
John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Range  Busters 
Don  Barry-Jean  Parker 
Richard  Travis-Ruth  Ford 
Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone 
Range  Busters 
Lum  'n'  Abner 


Eric  Portman-F.  Culley 
William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 
Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 
James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 
Richard  Greene-Miles  Malleson 


Release 
Date 


Running 
Time 


r~  REVIEWED  — n 
M.  P.  Product 
Herald  Digest 


Issue 


Page 


Advance  Service 
Synopsis  Data 


Page 


Feb.  5,'43 

1018 

Oct.  I6,'42 

56m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Not  Set 

1058 

Not  Set 

1019 

Nov.  13/42 

75  m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

936 

Feb.  5/43 

96m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

872 

Not  Set 

75m 

May  2/42 

633 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

90m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

1009 

Nov.  20,'42 

78m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

796 

Not  Set 

1  1  Im 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

Jan.25,'43 

1 115 

Aug.  I4,'42 

60m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Jan.22,'43 

61m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

995 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

83m 

July  25/42 

938 

772 

Block  7 

79m 

June  13/42 

714 

Sept.  29,'42 

64m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Not  Set 

85m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

Dec.  I5,'42 

59m 

1058 

Dec.  4,'42 

55m 

1018 

Dec.  I6,'42 

62  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1 043 

983 

Feb.  6,'43 

58m 

Jan. 23/43 

1 126 

Not  Set 

1079 

Jan.  8/43 

61m 

Jan.  23/43 

i  1 27 

1031 

Feb.  19/43 

75m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

Not  Set 

100m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

Oct.  23/42 

68m 

May  9/42 

647 

Dec.  3/42 

68m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 148 

1009 

Nov.  27/42 

60m 

Oct.  1 7/42 

970 

936 

Not  Set 

91m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

598 

Page 


1130 


1034 


1082 


VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men  Rep.  262 

Varsity  Show  (Reissue)  WB  215 

Vengeance  of  the  West  Col.  3216 


Three  Mesquiteers 

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter 


Nov.  13/42 
Dec.  19/42 
Sept.  3/42 


81m 
60m 


Aug. 21/37 


1043 


1031 


WAKE    Island                            Para.  4205 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The    MGM  306 

War  Dogs  Mono  

Watch  on  the  Rhine  WB   

We  Are  the  Marines  20th-Fox  324 
We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo  .... 
Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 
We  Sail  at  Midnight 

(British)                          Crown  Film  .... 

West  of  the  Law  Mono  

We've  Never  Been  Licked  Univ.  .... 
When  Johnny  Comes  March- 
ing Home  Univ.  .... 
Whistling  in  Dixie  MGM  313 
White  Cargo  MGM  310 
White  Savage  Univ.  .... 
Who  Done  It?  Univ.  7002 
Wildcat  Para.  4204 
Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)    RKO  303 

(formerly  They  Flew  Alone) 
World  at  War 
Wrecking  Crew 
Wyoming  Hurricane 

X  MARKS  the  Spo+ 

YANK    at  Eton,  A 
Yankee  Doodle  Dandy 
Yanks  Ahoy 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The 
You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 
You  Can't  Escape  Forever 
You  Were  Never  Lovelier 
Young  and  Willing 
Youngest  Profession,  The 
Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British) 
Youth  on  Parade 


WAC 

Para. 

4212 

Col. 

Rep. 

204 

MGM 

305 

WB 

201 

UA-Roach 

PRC 

301 

Mono. 

WB 

207 

CoL 

4002 

UA 

MGM 

20th-Fox 

316 

Rep. 

203 

Brian  Donlevy-Robert  Preston 
Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold 
Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 
Bette  Davis-Paul  Lucas 
Marine  Feature 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen 
Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney 

War  Documentary 
Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 
Richard  Quine-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 
Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford 
Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon 
Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Abbott  and  Costello 
Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge 
Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Documentary 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 


Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish 

Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn 
James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 
Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 
Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 
Edward  Norris-Joan  Woodbury 
George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 
Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 
William  Holden-Susan  Hayward 
Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  & 
Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 
John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 


Block  1 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

772 

1 130 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

86m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

797 

1082 

Nov.  13/42 

63m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

Not  Set 

986 

Jan.  8/43 

73m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

Not  Set 

93m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

982 

Not  Set 

92  m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

Not  Set 

27m 

Nov.  2 1/42 

1017 

Nov.  2/42 

55m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

Not  Set 

1115 

Jan.  1/43 

74m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

1130 

Dec.-Feb./43 

74m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

946 

1082 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42  . 

923 

871 

1082 

Not  Set 

1079 

Nov.  6/42 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

971 

1082 

Block  1 

73  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

Sept.  18/42 

94m 

May  2/42 

903 

1082 

Sept.  18/42 

66m 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

Block  3 

73  m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

Not  Set 

1079 

Nov.  4/42 

56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

726 

1 130 

Jan.  2/43 

126m 

June  6/42 

903 

674 

1082 

Not  Set 

1019 

Nov.  9/42 

65m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

1  i  30 

Jan. 29/43 

61m 

Jan.  30/43 

1 137 

1081 

Oct.  10/42 

77m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

898 

1034 

Nov.  19/42 

97m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

796 

1034 

Jan.  29/43 

663 

Guests    Not  Set 

1081 

Feb. 26/43 

103m 

July  4/42 

9i4 

Oct.  24/42 

75m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 
in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1128. 


I  I  56    Product  Digest  Section 


A  name  that  stands  for 

DEPENDABILITY 

in  Sound  and  Projection  Equipment 


#With  rapidly  changing  war  time  conditions  making 
it  increasingly  difficult  to  maintain  high  projection 
standards,  it  is  good  to  know  that  your  sound  and 
projection  equipment  bear  the  name 

$  For  today,  as  in  days  of  peace,  Equipment 
may  be  depended  upon  to  render  the  kind  of  service 
which  has  made  our  products  the  standard  of  the 
motion  picture  industry  for  over  35  years. 


We  are  cooperating  with  the  American  Industries  Salvage  Program 


STILL  OUT 
IN  FRONT! 


'"-^Hjf  OU  have  read  a 

lot  in  this  space 
lately,  about  the  necessity  for  saving 
film;  on  conserving  restricted  materials; 
about  the  rapid  turn-over  in  war-time 
help,  and  many  printed  pleas  aimed  at 
keeping  everybody  Victory-minded. 

As  patriotic  Americans,  it  is  a  genuine 
pleasure  and  a  privilege  to  dedicate 
our  white  space  and  printer's  ink  to  the 
cause  that  is  nearest  all  our  hearts,  and 
we  intend  to  do  more  of  it. 


But  may  we  digress  a  bit  now,  and 
only  just  enough  to  tell  our  clientele  that 
we  are  still  warmly  devoted  to  the  idea 
of  serving  them  with  the  best  box-office 
aids  possible- STANDARD  ACCESSORIES - 
SPECIALTY  ACCESSORIES  and  TRAILERS. 

We  pledge  ourselves  also,  to  main- 
tain—as far  as  war  conditions  will  per- 
mit—the same  high  standard  of  service; 
that  this  company  has  striven  for  ev< 
since  its  inception. 

ENusr 

IN 

MARCH  om 
MES 


n ATionfu  ^jyiee/l  service 


MOTION  PICTURE 

HERALD 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 
Cabin  in  the  Sky 
Something  to  Shout  About 
The  Outlaw 
A  Stranger  in  Town 
Lucky  Legs 
Nine  Men 
Fighting  Frontier 
The  Avenging  Rider 
Laugh  Your  Blues  Away 
Old  Mother  Riley  Detective 
Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pais 
Secrets  of  the  Underground 
Thundering  Trails 

LATE  REVIEW 

(In  News  Section) 
Young  and  Willing 


THE  \flf  A  R  i 

Davis  9  Met  let    Company  Heads 
talk  it  over  at  Dinner 

Chief  Executives  to  confer  at 
'Committee  of  Six9  Session 

'Work  or  Fight'  Order  threatens 
yew  Drain  on  Industry  Manpower 

Anti  -Administration  Forces  rally 
to  repeal  Salary  Ceiling  Order 

Press  hits  Trend  toward  Control 
of  Industry  by  Government 

Census  Bureau  Analysis  shows 
War  Population  Shifts 

Product  Shortage  brings  Cycle 
of  Reissues  in  Great  Britain 


VOL  150,  NO.  7 


FEBRUARY  13,  1943 


Entered  as  second-class  matter,  January  U,  3931,  at  the  pott  Office,  at  Nets  York  Ctty,  U.S.A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879  Published 
weekly  by  Quigley  Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  «  I27C  Sifth  Avenge,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York.  Subscription  prices:  $5.00  a  \ear  in  the 
Americas,  $10.00  a  year  Foreign.   Single  copy,  25  cents.   All  contents  copyright  3943  by  Quigley  Publishing  Compans. 


"If  loud  braying  counted  for 
anything- 


"The  ass  would  be  King  of 
the  jungle!" 

£  Dr.  Lee-o's 

translation : 

PICTURES,  NOT 

CONVERSATION 

FROM  M-G-M ! 

Completed  and  in  production  at  the  great  M-G-M  Studios  in  Culver  City  are  the  finest 
shows  this  industry  has  ever  seen.  With  confidence  in  the  future,  with  an  enthusiastic  willing- 
ness to  go  full  speed  ahead  you  can  depend  on  the  Friendly  Company  now  and  in  months  to 
come.  With  our  first  two  groups  giving  a  fine  account  of  themselves  at  box-offices  nationwide, 
with  "Random  Harvest"  outgrossing  " Miniver,"  look  ahead  with  us  and  remember:  "Not  for 
just  a  day,  not  for  just  a  season,  but  Always!" 


Metro-GOLDMINE-M<|yer 

PICTURES  IN  PRODUCTION 


"PRESENTING  LILY  MARS" 

Judy  Garland,  Van  Heflin,  Bob  Crosby  &  Band 

"DU   BARRY  WAS  A   LADY"  (Technicolor) 

Red  Skelton,  Lucille  Ball,  Gene  Kelly,  Tommy  Dorsey  &  Band 

"ASSIGNMENT  IN  BRITTANY" 

Pierre  Aumont,  Susan  Peters 

"CABIN  IN  THE  SKY" 

Ethel  Waters,  'Rochester,'  Lena  Home,  Duke  Ellington  &  Band 

"THE  HUMAN  COMEDY" 

Mickey  Rooney  in  Saroyan's  Book-oj-the-Month  Club  masterpiece 

"SLIGHTLY  DANGEROUS" 

Lana  Turner,  Robert  Young 

"THE  YOUNGEST  PROFESSION" 

The  Season's  Surprise  with  top  M-G-M  names  as  Guest  Stars 

"LASSIE   COME   HOME"  (Technicolor) 

Roddy  McDowall,  Donald  Crisp 

"DESTINATION  TOKYO" 

Franchot  Tone,  Ruth  Hussey,  Gene  Kelly 

"AIR  RAID  WARDENS" 

Laurel  and  Hardy 

"SALUTE  TO  THE  MARINES" 

Wallace  Beery 

"BATAAN'S  LAST  STAND" 

Robert  Taylor,  George  Murphy,  Thomas  Mitchell,  Lloyd  Nolan 

"BEST  FOOT  FORWARD" 

Lucille  Ball,  William  Gaxton,  Virginia  Weidler,  Harry  James  &  Band 

"ABOVE  SUSPICION" 

Joan  Crawford,  Fred  MacMurray 

"DR.  GILLESPIE'S  CRIMINAL  CASE" 

Lionel  Barrymore,  Van  Johnson,  Donna  Reed 

"GIRL  CRAZY" 

Mickey  Rooney,  Judy  Garland,  Tommy  Dorsey  &  Band 

"PRIVATE   MISS   JONES"  (Techn/co/orj 

Kathryn  Grayson,  Gene  Kelly,  Mary  Astor,  John  Boles,  Jose  hurbi 

"SWING  SHIFT  MAISIE" 

Ann  Sothern,  James  Craig 

"FACULTY  ROW" 

Susan  Peters,  Herbert  Marshall,  Mary  Astor 

"I    DOOD   IT"  MARCH  OF 

Red  Skelton,  Eleanor  Powell,  Jimmy  Dorsey  &  Band  DIMES" 

FEB.  18-24 


****  rtf* 


Jack  L.  WarneT/  Executive  Producer 


HEADED  FOR  BOX-OFFICE  IMMORTALIT 


SET* 


"p*TROHs 

TtTnAYlNG  T»*u 

****** 
****** 

p*ODUCTlonr> 


1223 


OF 


CLASS 

This'*  » 
Telegram  01 

 m  un 


SERVICE 
full-™** 


dicate 


"E  C  RHODEN. 


HENRY 


MAUREEN 


FONDA  O'HARA 


in  JOHN  BROPHY'S 


\MOmL  SIRGEANT 


wil/i 


THOMAS  MITCHELL 


ALLYN   JOSLYN   •   REGINALD  GARDINER 
MELVILLE   COOPER   •   BR  AM  WELL  FLETCHER    •    MORTON  LOWRY 

Directed  by  John  Stent  *  Produced  and  Written  for  the  Screen  by  Lamar  Trotti 


CENTUR 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

MARTIN  QUIGLEY 

COLVIN  BROWN,  Publisher  President  and  Editor-in-Chief  TERRY  RAMSAYE,  Editor 


Vol.  150,  No.  7  KftiU  February  13,  1943 


FILM  IS  "MUST" 

EVEN  the  most  casual  reading  of  the  dispatches  of  the  day 
would  make  one  aware  that  the  motion  picture  and  its 
industry  is  beset  with  problems  of  Government  relation, 
concerned  principally  with  the  war  directly,  secondarily  with 
purposes  and  pressures  that  have  to  do  with  accompanying 
social  movements. 

The  calendars  of  the  industry's  executives  are  these  days 
filled  with  meetings — east,  west,  and  Washington. 

Some  of  the  issues  will  be  mattering  more  tomorrow;  some 
are  near  at  hand.  But  the  nearest  and  most  immediate  of 
them  are  those  which  bear  on  the  allocation  of  the  basic 
material — raw  stock. 

Raw  stock  is  the  film  we  photograph  on  and  exhibit  with. 
Without  it  there  is  no  picture,  no  business,  no  communication. 

It  is  more  than  obvious  that  there  is  a  lot  that  the  Govern- 
ment would  like  to  have  said  on  the  screen  to  the  people.  It 
is  also  obvious  that  the  motion  picture  is  an  essential  factor 
in  American  life,  in  both  peace  and  war. 

It  is  also  a  bit  less  obvious,  but  apparent,  that  the  military 
forces  consider  that  they  could  use  about  all  the  film  that  the 
factories  can  produce.  Governmental  and  related  military 
services  are  multiplying  demands  for  film  every  day.  One  of 
the  new  items,  a  new  Navy  newsreel  for  the  Navy  only,  is 
revealed  in  the  news  columns  of  this  issue.  That  same  order  of 
demand  exists  for  rubber,  steel  and  any  number  of  other  items 
of  our  technological  requirements — requirements  alike  for  the 
home  front  and  the  fighting  fronts. 

None  will  deny  military  necessities,  but  somewhere  there 
must  be  a  judgment  and  a  balance  which  will  maintain  the 
home  front  where  the  war  can  be  lost  even  more  completely 
than  overseas. 

In  the  World  War  I  there  was  a  slogan  which  said:  "Keep 
the  Home  Fires  Burning". 

That  is  still  an  idea.  The  motion  picture  theatre  is  an  essen- 
tial of  our  home  front,  a  factor  of  large  importance  in  the 
kind  of  life  that  we  are  fighting  for. 

The  motion  picture  industry  must  have  film. 

AAA 

PHOEBE  and  THE  KID 

THE  stresses  of  war  have  brought  many  of  the  great  cor- 
porations to  heart  throb  advertising  in  a  big  way.  A 
national  wave  of  acclaim  just  now  greets  a  display  presen- 
tation by  the  New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  railroad, 
explaining  travel  problems  with  a  splash  of  typographical  melo- 
drama entitled  "The  Kid  in  Upper  Four."  The  kid,  you  know, 
is  on  his  way  to  war,  with  a  lump  in  his  throat  and  determination 
in  his  heart.  He  is  being  celebrated  in  song  and  story. 

This  advertisement  comes  from  the  hand  of  Nelson  Metcalf, 
copywriter  for  the  Boston  office  of  the  Wendell  P.  Colton 


advertising  agency.  It  has  always  had  a  way  with  railroads. 
About  1903  Mr.  Colton  was  purveying  the  special  merits  of  the 
Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western  as  a  very  clean  road  to 
travel  because  it  burned  hard  coal  in  its  locomotives.  He 
invented  "Phoebe  Snow,"  who,  all  in  white,  rode  on  the  road 
of  anthracite.  He  also  arranged  for  a  white  enamelled  train  for 
pictorial  purposes.  Part  of  the  campaign  included  the  making 
of  a  motion  picture,  an  early  "industrial,"  photographed  for 
the  Edison  company  by  the  late  Mr.  Edwin  S.  Porter. 

Finding  access  to  the  rails  available,  Mr.  Porter  just  at  this 
juncture  thought  up  "The  Great  Train  Robbery"  and  borrowed 
a  train  from  the  Lackawanna  for  the  making  of  the  track  scenes 
over  in  New  Jersey.  And,  of  course,  you'll  be  remembering 
that  was  the  birth  of  the  story  picture,  which  started  the 
nickelodeon  on  its  way  to  the  Music  Hall. 

AAA 

THE  COMPETITION 

AS  a  footnote  to  our  occasional  comment  that  the  show- 
manship of  the  theatre  is  especially  handicapped  by 
I  the  lavish  competition  of  the  new  school  of  advertis- 
ing which  uses  entertainment  for  bait,  let  us  here  set  down 
that  a  New  York  advertising  agency  has  hired  a  musical 
director.  It  is  William  H.  Weintraub  &  Company,  and  the 
musician  is  Mr.  Morton  Gould,  who  will  "coordinate  and 
supervise  all  musical  activity  by  the  agency  for  all  clients". 

At  the  way  developments  go  on,  it  is  going  to  take  a  high 
degree  of  showmanship  for  the  theatre  to  buy  and  sell  a  better 
show  than  the  makers  of  soup,  soap  and  pickles  can  give  away. 
Today  the  newspapers,  seemingly  all  in  a  process  of  decay, 
are  undermining  their  tomorrow  by  lending  the  artists  of  the 
comic  section  and  their  cartoonists  to  the  advertisers.  The 
same  process  has  begun  among  the  name  players  of  the 
motion  picture  working  in  "sponsored"  product  of  screen 
and  radio. 

That  is  the  road  to  depreciation,  deterioration,  and 
destruction. 

AAA 

IT  is  to  be  remembered  of  Dr.  Atillio  H.  Giannini  that  he  was 
first  and  foremost  among  bankers  who  did  the  motion  pic- 
ture the  honor  of  recognizing  it  as  a  field  of  investment 
rather  than  an  area  of  exploitation;  that  in  an  industry  of 
shadows  and  personalities  he  recognized  values  of  reliable 
substance.  In  exemplary  terms,  too,  he  was  devoted  to  the  art 
of  that  good  living  which  justifies  success,  and  along  with  that 
he  was  graced  with  taste  and  appreciation  of  beauty.  He 
knew  what  dollars  were  for. 

AAA 

WE  have  from  Motion  Picture  Daily  the  statement 
that  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Rosenberg,  regional  director  of 
the  War  Manpower  Commission,  says  members  of 
symphony  orchestras  are  not  affected  by  the  "work  or  fight" 
order.  We  submit  that  artists  and  artisans  alike  who  con- 
tribute to  the  making  of  our  symphonies  of  cinema  are  quite 
as  essential — and  to  a  vastly  greater  audience. 

— Terry  Ramsaye 


3 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


nr/s  week  IN  THE  NEWS 


48-Hour  Week 

A  48-HOUR  work  week,  "to  meet  the  man- 
power requirements  of  our  armed  forces 
and  our  expanding  war  production  program 
by  a  fuller  utilization  of  our  available  man- 
power" was  ordered  Tuesday  by  President 
Roosevelt. 

Initially  the  order  applies  only  in  32  war 
production  centers  where  there  are  labor 
shortages.  It  will  be  extended  to  other 
cities.  All  war  industries,  essential  serv- 
ices and  most  business  establishments  are 
included  in  the  order.  Theatres,  and  film 
distribution,  presumably  are  affected,  al- 
though specific  interpretation  was  not  im- 
mediately available.  Paul  McNutt,  man- 
power commissioner,  was  named  administra- 
tor. 

Exchanges  in  Buffalo,  Washington,  De- 
troit, Portland  and  Seattle  are  expected  to 
shift  to  a  48-hour  week.  Theatres  there  and 
in  other  designated  areas  also  are  expected 
to  be  covered  by  the  section  of  the  regula- 
tion applying  to  non-war  industries.  This 
includes  "newspapers,  department  stores, 
clerks  in  retail  stores  and  domestic  serv- 
ants." It  does  not  apply  to  part  time  work- 
ers. Provisions  for  overtime  pay  scales  re- 
main in  effect  for  the  extra  hours.  ■ 

Hollywood  and  New  York,  the  centers 
of  production  and  distribution  were  not  in- 
cluded in  the  first  list  of  labor  shortage 
areas.  New  York,  with  a  labor  surplus, 
probably  will  not  be,  but  the  Los  Angeles 
district  is  expected  to  appear  on  later  lists, 
according  to  Washington  reports. 


Customers  Hobbled 

THE  decree  that  pleasure  jaunts,  including 
trips  to  theatres  and  weddings,  could  not 
be  taken  in  rubber-tired  vehicles  consuming 
gasoline  was  further  complicated  this  week 
by  the  Economic  Stabilization  order  ration- 
ing shoes.  Three  pairs  per  person  per  year 
were  allotted  to  the  increased  needs  of  the 
walking  citizenry.  Now  they  can't  even 
walk  to  the  theatre.  The  order  promised 
special  purchase  certificates  in  "hardship" 
cases — jobs  hard  on  shoes,  or  loss  by  flood, 
fire  or  theft.  No  mention  was  made  of  the 
frequent  disappearance  of  the  proverbial 
single  shoe  left  in  motion  picture  theatres. 


Down  Mexico  Way 

RESPONDING  to  beckonings  from  south 
of  the  border,  and  urgings  from  Government 
good-neighbor  agencies  at  home  Hollywood 
producers  are  showing  increasing  interest 
in  location  production  in  Mexico  and  oth- 
er Central  and  South  American  countries. 

Cecil  B.  De  Mille  this  week  sent  Arthur 
H.  Rosson,  his  associate  director,  to  the 
jungles  of  Guatemala  and  Southern  Mex- 
ico for  background  and  animal  scenes  to  be 
used  in  Paramount's  "Story  of  Dr.  Was- 
sell."  There  he  expects  to  find  scenery 
approximating   the   Java   jungles  through 


FILM  leaders  thrash  out  problems  of  war- 
time Page  12 

CONGRESS  rallies  to  repeal  salary  ceil- 
ing Page  13 

PRESS  hits  at  moves  for  control  by  Govern- 
ment Page  14 

KEY  area  business  study  offers  post-war 
data  Page  15 

LOEWS  and  Universal  report  year  net 
profits  Page  16 

TAXATION,  time  changes  up  in  state  legis- 
latures Page  18 


IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  Page  1157 

Release  Chart  by  Companies     Page  1160 


which  the  Navy  doctor  and  nine  sailors  es- 
caped from  the  Japanese.  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox has  also  said  that  its  "Mexico 
City,"  planned  for  Carmen  Miranda,  would 
be  made  on  the  spot,  not  on  the  back  lot, 
or  a  sound  stage. 

Exhibition  is  also  showing  interest  in 
Mexico.  National  Theatres,  the  Skouras- 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  circuit,  was  report- 
ed negotiating  for  nine  theatres  in  and 
around  Mexico  City.  Charles  Skouras  and 
Dan  Michalove  in  New  York  are  working 
on  the  project. 

Exploitation  is  to  have  its  day  in  Mexico 
City,  too,  on  February  26th  when,  Warners 
announced,  the  U.  S.  State  Department  will 
be  host  to  the  Mexican  Government  at  an 
officially  sponsored  premiere  of  "Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy."  It  will  be  held  in  the  Pal- 
ace of  Fine  Arts,  with  many  notables  in- 
vited. 


Paper  Saved 

ANOTHER  230  U.  S.  government  publica- 
tions have  been  suspended  for  the  duration 
by  Elmer  Davis,  head  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information.  It  brings  to  469  the  total  of 
government  periodicals  which  he  has  buried 
as  a  saving  in  paper,  printing,  mailing  ex- 
pense and  public  cost.  An  additional  84 
were  curtailed.  Principal  cuts  were  made  in 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  where  more 
than  130  pamphlets  and  bulletins  were  elim- 
inated. No  figures  were  released  on  the 
new  publications  which  have  blossomed  from 
government  presses  since  the  war  began. 
But  they  were  said  to  be  outnumbered  by 
the  savings. 


HOWARD    HUGHES    unveils    his  mav- 
erick —  and  how  Page  23 

NOMINEES  are  listed  for  Academy  Awards 
of  year  Page  24 

CITE  war  film  by  Frank  Capra  in  fourth 
term  attack  Paqe  26 

PUBLIC  interest  is  vital,  film  arbitrator 
says  Page  34 

WAR   brings   new  wave  of  reissues  to 
English  market  Page  37 

ANNOUNCING  1943  Quigley  War  Show- 
manship Award  Page  47 

Page  40 
Page  42 

Advance  Synopses  Page  I  162 

The  Release  Chart  Page  1163 


Free  Market 

THE  Canadian  Wartime  Prices  and  Con- 
trol Board  has  decided  that  there  is  no  legal 
compulsion  to  sell,  and  that  the  sale  of  any 
product  is  not  to  be  conditional  upon  the 
acceptance  of  other  product.  The  Board's 
ruling  was  interpreted  by  motion  picture 
circles  as  allowing  a  distributor  to  refuse 
film  or  accessories  to  an  exhibitor.  The 
Board  said  advertising  was  "simply  an  in- 
vitation" and  an  order  "merely  an  offer  to 
buy."  R.  G.  McMullen,  Administrator  of 
Theatres  and  Films,  previously  had  ruled 
however,  that  in  a  film  shortage,  product  I 
must  be  equitably  distributed  so  that  no 
theatre  is  forced  to  close. 


Edited 

BRITISH  film  audiences  shortly  will  be 
able  to  see  German  newsreels  on  the  Mid- 
dle Eastern  and  Russian  campaigns.  The 
newsreels  were  made  last  October  and  were 
intended  by  the  Nazis  to  impress  audiences 
in  France.  The  British  public  will  be  dif- 
ferently impressed.  The  films  will  be  edited 
to  include  British  sequences  showing  how 
the  Germans  boasted,  and  lied. 


Finland,  Too 

THEATRES  in  Finland  showed  more  mo- 
tion pictures  from  America  than  from  any 
other  country  last  year,  according  to  a 
Reuters  despatch  this  week  quoting  from 
the  newspaper  Suomen  Sosialidemokratti. 
German  films  came  next  on  the  list. 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  27  Obituaries 

Managers'  Round  Table  Page  45     What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me 


Februa  ry     13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


9 


Dr.  Atillio  H.  Giannini 

Hollywood 

The  career  of  Dr.  A.  H.  Giannini  in  the  motion  picture  industry  was  one  of  insti- 
tutional character.  He  enjoyed  a  position  which  was  unique  in  its  influence  and  in 
its  extent.  Although  not  distinctly  of  the  industry  of  motion  pictures,  his  personality 
and  power  were  exerted  in  a  manner  seldom  if  ever  paralleled. 

Officially,  Dr.  Giannini  was  banker  and  adviser  to  many  companies  and  many 
individuals  in  the  motion  picture  business.  Actually,  he  was  not  only  banker  and 
adviser  to  these  companies  and  individuals,  but  was  moreover  a  loyal  and  depend- 
able friend  to  these  and  to  the  industry  at  large. 

He  was  through  many  years  a  great  defender  of  the  good  name  of  the  motion 
picture.  Few  men  in  the  history  of  the  industry  have  with  so  great  an  effect 
explained  the  industry  and  the  motion  picture  to  the  public.  While  always  an 
eloquent  apologist  for  the  industry,  he  never  failed  the  genuine  test  of  friendship 
in  expressing  constructive  criticism  when  he  found  grounds  for  so  doing. 

In  his  contacts  with  the  industry  he  contributed  a  high  order  of  character  and 
intelligence.  Possessed  of  a  keen  artistic  sense  he,  as  a  banker,  was  able  on 
innumerable  occasions  to  contribute  both  to  the  artistic  as  well  as  the  financial 
success  of  motion  picture  undertakings.  He  cultivated  an  enduring  affection  for 
this  business  and  its  people,  and  his  passing  is  a  great  personal  loss  to  the  many 
persons  in  every  stratum  and  department  to  whom  he  had  given  an  unselfish 
friendship. 

The  affectionate  regard  in  which  he  was  so  widely  held  remains  today  as  an 
eloquent  and  enduring  memorial. 

— Martin  Ouigley 


For  Sailors  Only 

A  NAVY  newsreel,  designed  to  inform 
the  service,  is  in  planning  stage  in  the  photo- 
graphic section  of  the  Bureau  of  Aero- 
nautics, it  was  learned  this  week.  The 
reel  will  parallel  the  one  prepared  by  the 
Army's  Signal  Corps,  carrying  technical, 
tactical  and  restricted  material  of  special 
interest  to  be  fleet.  It  is  to  be  shown  only 
to  Navy  personnel  ashore  and  afloat  and 
not  to  the  general  public.  Lieutenant  Earl 
Allvine.  former  Fox  Movietone  editor,  is 
expected  to  handle  the  editing  of  the  Navy 
newsreel. 

Requests  have  been  made  to  the  five  news- 
reel  companies  for  weekly  lavender  prints 
for  the  use  of  the  Navy.  The  requests,  in 
writing,  were  signed  by  Thorne  Donnelly, 
Commander  USNR,  by  direction  of  the 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Aeronautics.  Ar- 
rangements have  not  yet  been  completed, 
however. 

The  Navy  newsreel  will  add  another  high 
priority  consumer  of  raw  stock  to  the  long 
list  of  government  film  agencies.  It  will 
also  mean  another  agency  securing  a  free, 
or  low  cost,  copy  of  the  industry's  newsreel 
material.  It  is  of  note  that  78.2  per  cent 
of  1942  newsreels  dealt  with  war.  The 
preponderance  of  this  footage,  editors  of  the 
newsreels  claim,  came  from  their  own 
cameramen. 


Airing  WAR 

EQUALLY  divided  between  commercial 
and  sustaining  broadcasts,  NBC  devoted 
forty-five  hours  and  seven  minutes  to  war 
effort  material  during  the  first  two  weeks 
of  December.  The  program  analysis  divi- 
sion of  NBC's  Research  Department  com- 
piled the  figures.  This,  roughly  broken 
down,  shows  better  than  three  hours  a  day 
for  the  fortnight.  This  is  regarded  as  an 
excellent  showing  in  the  cooperation  depart- 
ment of  the  war  effort  and  it  is  understood 
it  will  be  maintained  and,  if  feasible,  in- 
creased. Time  devoted  by  the  listeners  was 
not  recorded. 


Radio  War  Cost 

OPERATION  of  the  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission  will  cost  $7,609,914  for 
the  fiscal  year  beginning  July  1.  next,  but 
only  $2,000,000  of  that  sum  will  be  for  the 
regular  activities  of  the  agency.  Reporting 
the  Commission's  appropriation  bill  Tues- 
day, the  House  Appropriations  Committee 
criticized  two  of  its  war  activities  as  being 
of  questionable  value,  and  recommended 
that  the  Commission  '"carefully  consider  the 
desirability7  of  discontinuing  them."  The 
committee,  however,  did  not  deny  funds  for 
these  activities. 

The  two  activities  were  the  operation  of  a 
hemisphere  communication  unit  at  a  cost 


of  $27,840  and  a  war-problems  division  for 
which  $206,160  was  asked. 

At  hearings  before  the  committee  last 
month,  FCC  Chairman  James  L.  Fly  ex- 
plained that  the  hemisphere  communications 
unit  worked  toward  the  integration  of  Latin- 
American  communication  facilities  in  the  in- 
terest of  hemisphere  defense.  He  said  the 
division  was  set  up  to  handle  any  new  prob- 
lems arising  out  of  the  war  emergency. 


Curfew 

PHILADELPHIA'S  newly-inducted  police 
women  have  been  organized  into  a  curfew 
squad  and  assigned  to  visit  the  film  houses, 
bowling  alleys,  night  clubs  and  railroad  sta- 
tions nightly  in  an  effort  to  protect  young 
women  from  the  big  city's  pitfalls.  Detec- 
tive Inspector  George  Richardson  warned 
that  young  girls  under  18  years  of  age  and 
not  accompanied  by  an  adult  relative  should 
not  be  permitted  to  enter  any  place  of  amuse- 
ment that  operates  late  at  night. 


On  Time 

AS  THE  Russian  steamroller,  as  it  used 
to  be  called  in  World  War  I,  and  may 
again  be  known,  rolled  forward  this  week 
on  what  now  seemed  a  timetable,  theatres  in 
the  Pacific  Northwest  helped  this  week  to 
keep  it  on  that  schedule.  The  Hamrick 
Evergreen  circuit  in  Seattle  is  collecting 
watches  for  the  Russian  Army. 


Flash 

INVESTIGATION  by  Congress  of  Wal- 
ter Winchell,  Lieutenant  Commander  (inac- 
tive) in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  is  scheduled  for 
next  week.  The  House  Naval  Affairs  Com- 
mittee is  to  hold  public  hearings  on  charges 
that  the  columnist  broke  regulations  by 
criticizing  isolationist  members  of  Congress 
while  on  naval  duty. 

Secretary  of  the  Navy  Frank  Knox  Tues- 
day rebuffed  Winchell's  chief  House  critic, 
Clare  Hoffman,  a  Michigan  Republican, 
when  he  informed  the  committee  that  the 
department  had  found  nothing  in  Winchell's 
actions  to  warrant  court  martial  for  ''pro- 
fane swearing,  falsehood,  or  any  other  scan- 
dalous conduct  tending  to  the  destruction  of 
good  morals".  Winchell  has  continued  his 
radio  broadcasts  and  newspaper  column  ex- 
cept for  a  brief  active  duty  tour  to  South 
America. 

Currently  the  nautical  gossip  columnist  is 
recuperating  at  Miami  from  a  throat  ail- 
ment. He  continues  his  radio  and  newspa- 
per work,  although  last  week  there  was  a 
flurry  of  indignation  from  him  as  the  Blue 
Network  insisted  he  eliminate  certain  re- 
marks about  isolationist  Congressmen  from 
his  broadcast.  Phillips  Carlin,  program  man- 
ager of  the  Blue  Network,  went  to  Miami  to 
edit  and  supervise  Winchell's  broadcasts,  in 
keeping  with  the  network  policy  to  maintain 
good  taste  in  all  programs  and  to  stop  com- 
mentators from  departing  from  prepared 
scripts. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Ouigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address  "Ouigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vica-President;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South 
Michigan  Avenue,  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Road,  Toronto,  Ontario, 
Canada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Square,  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burnup,  manager;  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Ou>gPubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureau,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
correspondent;  Sydney  Bureau,  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  _  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carmona  y  Valle  6,  Mexico  City, 
Luis  Becerra  Celis,  correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa  Postal  1090, 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  O.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  'of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Ouig'ey  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Ouig'ey  Publica- 
tions: Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    13,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


the  Camera  observes: 


By  Staff  Photographer 

A  NEW  EXHIBITOR  organization  is 
planned  in  Minneapolis  by  Fred 
Strom,  above,  a  visitor  to  RKO's  New 
York  office  this  week.  Mr.  Strom 
was  formerly  secretary  of  Northwest 
Allied. 


CROWNED  the  nation's  boxoffice  champions  as  elected 
by  exhibitors  of  the  nation  in  the  Motion  Picture 
Herald-Fame  exhibitors'  poll,  were  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou 
Costello,  last  week,  at  a  luncheon  for  them  in  the 
Waldorf-Astoria.  New  York's  Mayor  Fiorello  LaSuardia 
does  the  honors  here.  The  luncheon  host  was,  of 
course,  Universal. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


AT  A  LUNCHEON  in  New  York  in  his  honor,  Lou  Lifton, 
right,  discusses  something  of  importance  (undoubtedly 
"Silver  Skates")  with  Harry  Thomas,  Monogram's 
Eastern  sales  manager,  and  Steve  Broidy,  its  sales 
manager.   The  Monogram  publicity  director  came  to 
New  York  to  conduct  the  campaign  on  the  picture. 


AFTER  a  five-month  Latin-America  tour,  Universal's 
supervisor  there,  C.  C.  Margon,  has  returned  to  New 
York.   In  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  the  picture  above  was 
made,  Mr.  Margon  sold  new  product  to  the  Castro 
circuit.  In  left  to  right  order,  are,  seated,  Mr.  Margon, 
Capitao  de  Castro,  and  Al  Szeckler,  Universal's  Brazilian 
manager;  standing,  Dr.  Mario  de  Castro,  and  Arcy 
de  Castro. 


February    13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


RED  KANN'S  arrival  in  Holly- 
wood was  marked  by  a  lunch- 
eon last  week.  The  Quigley 
Publishing  Company  vice- 
president  is  shown  third  from 
left,  with  George  Brown, 
E.  H.  Goldstein,  Perry  Lieber, 
Whitney  Bolton,  Howard 
Mayer,  Sam  Abarbanel, 
George  Borthwick,  Lester 
Thompson,  Will  H.  Hays, 
Maurice  Benjamin,  Nate 
Blumberg,  Herbert  Freston, 
Charles  Koerner,  William 
Goetz,  Harry  Rapf,  Henry 
Ginsberg,  Fred  Beetson, 
Howard  Strickling. 


NEW  PROMOTION 
and  publicity  director 
of  the  March  of  Time: 
Phil  Williams,  with  the 
company   since  1938. 
Mr.  Williams  steps 
into  the  post  vacated 
several  weeks  ago  by 
Al  Sindlinger,  who 
joined  the  Gallup 
organization. 


AUTOGRAPH,  left.  Alfred  Noyes,  English  poet,  signs 
the  manuscript  of  the  poem  he  wrote  as  an 
epilogue  for  the  Producers  Releasing  Corporation 
picture,  "Corregidor."  Spectators  are  Dixon  Harwin, 
co-producer;  Edward  Finney,  co-producer;  Leon  Fromkess, 
PRC  vice-president  in  charge  of  production;  Arthur 
Greenblatt,  vice-president  in  charge  of  sales. 


By  Staff  Photographer 


By  Staff  Photographer 


ROSS  FEDERAL  SERVICE'S  home  office  executive  force 
was  reorganized  this  week  in  New  York.  C.  B.  Ross,  left, 
has  become  executive  vice-president,  with  supervision 
of  executive  office  reports  and  field  operations;  and 
D.  A.  Ross,  right,  general  manager,  is  now  free  to 
superintend  exclusively  the  31  branches.  Harry  A.  Ross, 
center,  president,  will  continue  his  field  trips. 


12  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    13,  1943: 

FILM  LEADERS  THRASH  OUT 
PROBLEMS  OF  WARTIME 


Industry  Status  as  Essential 
Unsettled  as  Draft  Nears 

How  the  industry,  in  all  its  branches — studio,  distribution,  and  theatre — stands 
in  the  current  storm  over  manpower  shortages  and  the  possible  drafting  of  labor 
was  a  puzzle  this  week,  both  to  its  leaders  and  to  Washington  observers. 

Lacking  an  official  request  to  the  Government  for  an  "essentiality"  status,  the 
industry  as  a  whole  could  only  look  on,  as  Government  leaders  warned  the  clerical 
workers  and  business  men  of  the  country  to  "work  or  fight",  as  a  counterstorm 
of  protest  grew  in  Congress  and  as  legislation  for  the  drafting  of  labor  from  office 
into  war  factory  and  farm  was  prepared  in  Congress  this  week. 

Even  as  actors  all  over,  and  especially  in  Hollywood,  wondered  whether  their 
profession  would  be  added  to  those  declared  by  the  War  Manpower  Commission 
to  be  non-essential,  exhibitors,  facing  depleted  staffs,  and  also  fearing  inclusion 
of  their  staffs  on  the  list,  prepared,  through  organizations,  to  ask  the  WMC  for 
recognition  of  theatres  as  vital  to  morale.  An  official  of  the  WMC  was  reported 
last  week  to  have  indicated  the  showmen's  request  would  be  rejected,  and  he  also 
was  said  to  have  regarded  unfavorably  terming  of  distribution  workers  as  essential. 

The  WMC  last  week  warned  married  men  out  of  war  industries  to  join  such  by 
April  1st,  or  face  certain  draft,  which  will  be  in  the  order  of  their  dependencies. 
The  commission  is  also  expected  to  control  hiring  of  labor  in  shortage  areas,  accord- 
ing to  importance  of  war  factories.  Its  Hollywood  representatives  denied  last  week 
that  it  contemplates  "freezing"  of  Hollywood  labor  to  jobs. 


Manpower,  Raw  Stock  and 
Production  Are  Taken  Up 
at  Conferences 

Solution  of  increasingly  serious  wartime 
problems  of  manpower,  raw  stock  and  pro- 
duction maintenance  this  week  were  occupy- 
ing the  attention  of  the  highest  industry 
councils  at  meetings  in  New  York  and 
Hollywood. 

How  to  keep  morale-building  entertain- 
ment and  information  films  flowing  to  the 
nation's  screens ;  how  to  adjust  to  possible 
new  reductions  in  quotas  of  film  and  other 
supplies,  and  how  to  cope  with  an  increas- 
ing critical  shortage  of  studio  manpower 
were  among  the  questions  before  company 
leaders  and  their  advisers. 

Integration  of  the  motion  picture's  war 
activities  to  an  even  closer  degree  with  the 
over-all  aims  and  requests  of  the  Govern- 
ment was  also  the  subject  of  thorough  study. 
Company  presidents  met  with  Elmer  Davis, 
director  of  the  Office  of  War  Information 
and  his  deputy,  Lowell  Mellett,  head  of  the 
bureau  of  motion  pictures.  Studio  confer- 
ences touched  on  the  production  of  special- 
ized films  for  the  Government,  including  the 
vast  new  Army  training  film  program  now 
underway  in  Hollywood. 

Monday  evening,  in  one  of  the 
most  important  sessions  between 
the  industry  and  Government  of- 
ficials since  the  war  program  got 
under  way,  Elmer  Davis  and  Lowell 
Mellett  met  with  company  heads 
for  a  discussion  of  film  war  work. 
They  dined  together  at  the  Univer- 
sity Club  in  New  York. 

In  a  five-hour  conference,  described  as 
"completely  off  the  record,"  Mr.  Davis  and 
the  industry  representatives  were  reported 
to  have  traded  some  very  frank  exchanges 
of  opinion  on  wartime  relations  between  the 
industry  and  the  Government.  The  director 
of  the  OWI,  it  was  said,  outlined  the  Gov- 
ernment's probable  needs  in  the  dissemina- 
tion of  information  in  the  coming  year.  He 
expressed  praise  for  the  industry's  war  pro- 
gram to  date  and  asked  continued  assist- 
ance. 

Asked  Government  Aid  in 
Maintaining  Screen 

The  film  presidents,  in  turn,  were  said  to 
have  asked  for  Government  assistance  in 
maintaining  the  screen's  service  as  an  enter- 
tainment medium.  They  pointed  out  the  de- 
pendency of  the  information  function  of  the 
theatres  on  a  continued  flow  of  entertain- 
ment product  and  asked  Mr.  Davis  and  Mr. 
Mellett  to  aid  the  industry  in  securing  the 
essentials  of  continued  operation.  • 

A  particularly  frank  discussion  of  the 
merits  of  both  Government-produced  and 
industry-produced  war  information  films  and 
the  mechanics  of  their  distribution  through 
the  War  Activities  Committee  was  reported 
to  have  taken  place. 

The  meeting  was  arranged,  it  was  under- 


stood, at  the  request  of  Mr.  Mellett.  Among 
those  present  were  George  Schaefer,  chair- 
man of  the  War  Activities  Committee ; 
Francis  Harmon,  executive  secretary; 
Charles  F.  Coe  of  the  Hays  office ;  and  J. 
Cheever  Cowdin,  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  Al- 
bert Warner,  Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  John 
J.  O'Connor,  Spyros  Skouras,  Joseph 
Hazen,  J.  Robert  Rubin,  Jack  Cohn,  Barney 
Balaban  and  Austin  Keough. 

Zanuck  Showed  Films 
Of  North  Africa 

Colonel  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  recently  re- 
turned from  duty  in  Africa  with  the  Army 
Signal  Corps,  also  was  present.  Prior  to 
the  meeting  he  showed  pictures  filmed  by 
his  unit  to  the  guests  at  the  Paramount  pro- 
jection room.  Release  of  the  material, 
possibly  as  a  four-reel  color  special  similar 
to  ''Battle  of  Midway,"  through  either  the 
War  Activities  Committee  or  one  of  the  dis- 
tributors was  discussed  at  the  dinner. 

On  Monday  afternoon  the  directors  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors 
of  America  met  in  a  long  session  in  the 
board  room  at  28  West  44th  Street  to  dis- 
cuss the  possibility  of  further  reductions  in 
film  supplies.  Also  proposed,  it  was  re- 
ported, was  an  arrangement  whereby  raw 
stock  allowances  in  proportion  to  the  foot- 
age supplied  to  the  armed  forces  might  be 
credited  to  the  distributors'  annual  maxi- 
mum. 

The  plan  as  first  proposed  would  allow 
credits  up  to  50  per  cent  for  prints  played  in 
Army  camp  bookings.  Details  of  the  indus- 
try suggestion,  and  a  War  Production  Board 
counter  proposal  that  the  allowance  be 
scaled  according  to  the  number  of  bookings 


are  still  under  advisement.     A  final  draft  ! 
will  be  ready  in  time  for  the  next  meeting 
between  the   industry  advisory  committee  \ 
and  Harold  D.  Hopper,  chief  of  the  motion 
picture  section  of  the  WPB. 

Executives  to  Attend 
Coast  Meeting 

Over  the  weekend   the    majority  of  the  h 
company  heads,  will  go  to  California  for  a 
special  session  on  Monday  with  the  "Com-  Jl 
mittee  of  Six"  industry  lawyers. 

Wartime  problems  both  of  the  production  | 
and  distribution  branches  of  the  industry  | 
will  probably  occupy  most  of  the  executives'  U 
time  at  this  session.    A  thorough  airing  of  N 
all  worries  and  frictions  in  regard  to  rela-  J 
tions  with  the  Government  is  expected  to  | 
take  place,  and  members  of  the  committee  | 
have  expressed  hope  that  a  united  agree-  ' 
ment  will  be  reached  on  broad  aspects  of 
war  problems,  as  effectively  as  cooperation 
has  been  received  on  war  activities  now 
under  way. 

Already  in  California  are  Will  H.  Hays,,, 
Harry    M.    Warner,    Nate   J.  Blumberg,Y 
Harry  Cohn  and  Edward  Raftery.  Among 
those  who  were  expected  to  go  west  were  ; 
Barney  Balaban,  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  Nicho-  j 
las  M.  Schenck  and  Spyros  Skouras;  also  ;[ 
J.  Robert  Rubin,  Joseph  Hazen  and  Austin 
Keough,  eastern  members  of  the  lawyers' 
committee. 

The  Monday  meeting  of  the  directors  in 
New  York  prepared  an  agenda  for  the 
Hollywood  sessions.  Mr.  Harmon  and  Mr.  ; 
Schaefer,  who  attended  as  representatives 
of  the  War  Activities  Committee,  were  said 
to  have  suggested  a  number  of  topics  for 
consideration  by  the  Coast  conference. 


February    13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


13 


Congress  Rallies  for 
Fight  to  Repeal 
Salary  Ceiling 


AGITATION  in  Congress  for  a  showdown 
battle  on  the  issue  of  salary  limitation  to  a 
net  of  $25,000  a  year  was  still  widespread 
this  week  as  both  Administration  supporters 
and  opponents  awaited  action  in  the  House 
Ways  and  Means  Committee  on  a  repeal 
"rider"  attached  to  a  national  debt  limitation 
bill. 

The  motion  picture  industry,  although  in- 
timately concerned  with  the  effects  of  the 
limit  on  both  its  talent  and  executive  staffs, 
maintained  a  strictly  "hands  off"  attitude. 

Film  executives  who  have  been  concerned 
with  the  limitation  explained  that  there  was 
unanimous  agreement  that  the  industry  as  such 
should  take  no  active  part  in  the  fight  against 
regulation.  To  do  so,  they  asserted,  might 
interfere  dangerously  with  the  screen's  services 
in  the  war  effort.  Also  it  would  give  possible 
occasion  for  unfair  and  unjust  publicity  on 
film  earnings.  Instead  all  companies  are  fol- 
lowing a  policy  of  strict  compliance.  Produc- 
tion of  pictures  is  being  maintained  at  an  unin- 
terrupted pace  also. 

Administration  supporters  in 
^Congress  this  week  were  frantical- 
ly trying  to  devise  a  dam  against 
what  appeared  to  be  a  steadily  ris- 
ing wave  of  sentiment  in  favor  of 
repeal  of  the  salary  control  order. 

Representative  Gearhart's  "rider"  to  the 
debt-limit  increase  bill,  providing  for  repeal, 
which  upset  the  Congressional  schedule  late 
last  month,  was  the  subject  of  long  discussion 
in  a  House  Ways  and  Means  Committee  meet- 
ing last  Saturday.  At  that  time  Chairman 
Doughton  submitted  a  letter  from  President 
Roosevelt  in  opposition  to  tying  the  two  sub- 
jects together. 

The  matter  did  not  come  to  a  vote,  Mr. 
Doughton  succeeding  in  having  final  decision 
put  off  for  another  week,  but  Mr.  Gearhart 
later  declared  that  all  the  Republican  members 
of  the  committee  were  supporting  him  and 
he  had  hopes  of  at  least  three  Democratic  votes, 
which  would  give  him  a  majority  of  one. 

Efforts  Being  Made  to 
Obtain  Compromise 

Efforts  are  being  made  to  secure  a  compro- 
H  mise,  but  opponents  of  salary  control  are  firm 
in  their  stand  of  "outright  repeal  or  nothing." 
This  effectually  disposed  of  a  plan  proposed  by 
Representative  Disney  of  Oklahoma  for  repeal 
J  but  with  a  "cushion"  for  the  President  in  the 
form  of  House  action  on  salary  limits. 

That  plan  was  extensively  discussed  at  the 
Saturday  meeting,  but  Mr.  Gearhart  and  his 
supporters  made  it  plain  that  they  would  not 
accept  it,  nor  anything  less  than  definite  and 
total  repeal  of  the  salary  limitation.  They  were 
said  to  have  the  support  of  a  substantial  bloc  in 
both  the  House  and  Senate. 

Studios  meanwhile  reported  that  most  pro- 
ductions were  in  work  as  scheduled  and  said 
there  had  been  no  stoppages  because  of  unwill- 
ingness on  the  part  of  stars  to  accept  pay  curbs. 

It  was  pointed  out,  however,  that  few,  if  any, 
players  have  reached  the  limit  of  $67,000  annual 
income  permitted  for  one  year.    Although  some 


wages  were  stopped  in  December,  a  new  year 
began  on  January  first  and  few  if  any  stars 
have  exceeded  the  limit  in  the  six  weeks  which 
have  followed.  Complications  are  expected  to 
follow  soon,  however,  for  many  of  the  top 
bracket  performers  are  now  before  cameras  and 
several  are  also  engaged  in  radio  work  or  other 
activities. 

Contract  Status  Is 
Discussed  by  Lawyers 

The  status  of  contracts  under  the  wage  order 
has  still  not  been  determined  by  court  action, 
although  several  tests  have  been  initiated.  The 
general  counsel  for  one  major  distributor  in  off 
the  record  conversation  admitted  last  week, 
however,  that  virtually  all  industry  lawyers 
were  in  agreement  that  contracts  would  not  be 
found  binding.  He  cited  precedents  to  show 
that  contracts  are  invariably  set  aside  when 
performance  in  good  faith  is  prevented  by  inter- 
vening government  regulations. 

An  increase  in  the  number  of  deals  whereby 
stars  participate  in  profit  sharing  partnerships 
with  producers  or  distributing  companies  has 
been  forecast  by  many  company  lawyers  and 
agents.  They  point  out  that  these  deals  have 
been  in  use  for  many  years  with  some  com- 
panies and  certain  top  bracket  performers,  writ- 
ers, directors  or  producers. 

Stars,  however,  may  not  make  such  a  profit- 
sharing  arrangement  with  the  company  which 
now  has  them  under  contract,  the  lawyer  said. 
He  cited  rulings  by  the  Treasury  Department 
and  the  Director  of  Economic  Stabilization  that 
such  an  arrangement  would  be  "deemed  a  sub- 
terfuge" by  the  Government.  However,  stars 
are  free  to  go  to  other  companies,  he  said. 

Citing  the  growing  opposition  in  Washington 
to  the  salary  limit,  industry  observers  report 
meanwhile  that  specific  appeals  by  film  figures 
to  James  Byrnes,  director  of  Economic  Stabili- 
zation, have  in  general  been  liberally  inter- 
preted. Stars  are  understood  to  have  received 
exceptions  for  payment  of  agency  fees,  profes- 
sional expenses,  charities,  advertising  and  other 
special  obligations. 


WPB  Warns  on 
'Factual  Films  9 

The  War  Production  Board  at  Washington 
last  week  set  a  strict  limit  of  44,300,000  feet  on 
the  amount  of  film  which  may  be  used  for 
factual  films  in  the  six  months  ending  June  30. 

A  factual  picture  was  defined  as  any  film 
whose  main  function  is  information  or  instruc- 
tion. It  includes  industrial  training,  civilian  de- 
fense, salvage  and  other  special  educational 
reels.  Both  the  theatrical  and  commercial  film 
industries  are  included,  when  they  make  reels 
in  this  class.  Newsreels  and  commentaries  are 
excepted  however. 

"Any  belief  that  film  in  inventory  or  approved 
for  transfer  for  making  factual  pictures  prior 
to  January  1st  can  be  used  now  without  author- 
ization is  a  serious  misinterpretation,"  Harold 
D.  Hopper,  chief  of  the  motion  picture  branch 
of  the  WPB,  said.  He  warned  that  all  exposure 


of  film  for  factual  releases  must  receive  specific 
WPB  approval. 

Indicative  of  efforts  to  save  film  in  other 
Government  agencies  was  a  report  from  the 
Office  of  War  Information  film  unit  at  New 
York  that  it  would  make  no  further  feature 
productions.  Arch  Mercey,  assistant  to  Lowell 
Mellett,  said  Friday  that  the  production  divi- 
sion headed  by  Samuel  Spewack  would  not  ex- 
ceed its  last  year's  consumption  of  raw  stock. 

British  To  Get 
25%  Stock  Cut 

The  British  Board  of  Trade  will  insist  on  an 
immediate  cut  in  raw  stock  consumption,  proba- 
bly 25  per  cent,  it  was  reported  from  London 
Tuesday.  This  decision  inevitably  follows  con- 
servation moves  in  the  United  States.  The 
Government  will  now  consult  all  trade  bodies 
to  persuade  the  industry  to  work  out  its  own 
formula. 

Though  no  specific  plan  has  been  formulated 
by  the  Board  of  Trade,  the  industry  appears 
agreed  that  the  only  solution  would  be  a  cut 
in  screen  time,  and  consultations  will  be  directed 
to  this  end. 

Although  the  Government  has  been  consider- 
ate and  is  endeavoring  to  preserve  its  role  as 
protector  of  the  industry,  it  is  believed  that  an 
appropriate  order  by  the  Film's  Council  is  in- 
evitable. It  is  apparent  that  officials  are  con- 
cerned with  the  position  held  by  newsreels 
which,  while  using  30  per  cent  of  the  raw  stock 
total,  commands  less  than  five  per  cent  of  screen 
time. 

Raw  stock  may  possibly  be  rationed  to  dis- 
tributors by  an  allocation  system,  and  labora- 
tories and  distributors  may  be  compelled  to  dis- 
close stocks.  Both  admit  no  particular  scheme 
on  that  subject.  The  British  Film  Producers 
Association,  newsreels,  the  Kinematograph 
Renters  Society,  the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors 
Association,  and  laboratories  will  confer  this 
week  at  Whitehall. 


Asks  Extension 
Of  Driving  Ban 

The  ban  on  pleasure  driving — now  in  the  17 
severly  rationed  eastern  states — should  be  ex- 
tended to  the  entire  country,  Petroleum  Admin- 
istrator Harold  Ickes  said  in  Washington  last 
week.  The  only  exemptions  he  would  allow 
would  be  in  the  oil  field  sections,  and  others 
where  bus  and  rail  transportation  is  insufficient. 

Mr.  Ickes  added  his  aim  is  to  accumulate  oil 
stocks  and  that  it  was  most  important  to  plan 
to  keep  people  warm  next  winter. 

Meanwhile,  in  Connecticut,  fuel  oil  deliveries 
to  places  of  amusement  were  banned  last  week 
for  10  days.  The  ban  ended  Tuesday.  The 
state's  oil  supply  has  been  low,  and  theatres 
have  cut  from  one  to  several  days  per  week 
from  their  operating  schedules.  Others  have 
dropped  several  matinees  per  week.  Chester 
Bowles,  the  state's  Office  of  Price  Administra- 
tion director,  said  over  the  weekend  in  Hart- 
ford that  drivers  were  beginning  to  use  their 
automobiles  again  for  pleasure ;  and  he  said, 
"nothing  has  happened  in  the  last  few  weeks 
to  indicate  that  the  situation  has  eased  in  the 
slightest  degree."  Homes  and  hospitals  of  the 
state,  he  declared,  were  on  a  day-to-day  basis, 
and  he  pointed  out  that  motorists  were  risking 
not  only  the  lives  of  soldiers  overseas  but  the 
health  of  neighbors. 

In  Philadelphia,  Warners'  Yorktown  dropped 
weekday  matinees,  following  the  example  of 
many  independent  houses.  It  is  the  first  house 
of  this  circuit  there  to  take  that  action. 

Four  theatres  of  the  Liberty  Theatre  Cor- 
poration, in  Springfield,  Mass.,  are  now  giving 
only  one  show  per  night. 

Massachusetts  exhibitors  who  have  not  con- 
verted from  oil  to  coal  fear  the  state  will  close 
their  houses.  Legislation  to  do  that  is  being  pre- 
pared, it  is  reported. 


14 


Editorials  Stress  Work  of 
Industry  in  War;  Urge 
It  Be  Kept  Free 

Any  attempted  effort  to  establish  the 
principle  of  Government  control  of  the 
screen,  no  matter  how  slight,  no  matter 
how  subtle,  continues  to  be  received  with 
concern  by  many  newspapers.  Editorial 
writers  hold  that  even  a  slender  thread 
which,  by  implication,  binds  the  hands 
that  fashion  our  pictures  is  too  dangerous 
to  be  regarded  lightly.  Here  are  some 
recent  expressions: 

The  Washington  Star: 

The  moving  picture  industry  has  taken  ad- 
vantage of  its  unexcelled  opportunity  to  use  its 
facilities  for  the  war  effort  and  in  the  opinion 
of  observers  has  done  a  good  job.  But  it  is  only 
natural  that  the  industry  seems  to  view  with 
considerable  skepticism  a  proposal  from  Lowell 
Mellett  .  .  .  that  screen  treatments  and  sce- 
narios be  submitted  to  the  OWI  before  they 
are  produced.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Mellett  has  contended  all  along  that  he 
is  as  much  concerned  for  freedom  of  the  screen 
as  he  is  for  freedom  of  the  press.  There  has 
been  no  indication  to  the  contrary  and  Mr. 
Mellett  has  obtained  fine  cooperation  from  the 
industry.  But  even  such  a  step  as  Mr.  Mellett 
now  advocates  .  .  .  suggests  the  right  of  veto  by 
the  Government,  and  although  that  veto  would 
be  exercised  through  voluntary  agreement  with 
the  moving  picture  industry — the  implied  right 
of  veto  remains. 

The  moving  pictures,  like  the  press,  should 
properly  regard  with  suspicion  every  new  move 
which,  aside  from  matters  involving  military 
secrecy,  suggests  Government  approval  as  a  pre- 
requisite of  production  or  publication.  .  .  . 

The  Washington  Post: 

Why  it  should  be  advisable  for  the  Office  of 
War  Information  to  scrutinize  all  film  scenarios, 
whether  or  not  they  have  anything  to  do  with 
the  war,  is  beyond  us.  Yet  the  OWI's  film  di- 
vision has  asked  to  see  not  only  all  movie  scripts 
before  production  but  has  also  requested  a  pre- 
view of  pictures  "in  the  rough"  before  their 
release  to  the  public.  .  .  .  The  OWI  has  taken 
pains  to  emphasize  that  its  powers  are  merely 
advisory  and  that  its  request  should  not  be  in- 
terpreted as  constituting  blanket  censorship. 

Nevertheless,  it  seems  to  us  that  the  OWI 
has  no  business  making  such  a  request.  .  .  . 

For  many  months  now  all  pictures  have  been 
subjected  to  rigorous  policing  by  the  industry 
itself.  Indeed,  last  month  Lowell  Mellett,  chief 
of  the  OWI's  film  division,  publicly  praised 
producers  for  their  nicer  sense  of  discrimination 
and  for  their  first-rate  performance  in  helping 
to  create  genuine  understanding  of  war  issues. 

Norwich,  Conn.,  Bulletin: 

When  Lowell  Mellett  .  .  .  made  the  proposi- 
tion to  the  moving  picture  industry  that  all 
screen  treatments  and  scenarios  be  submitted 
to  his  bureau  before  they  are  produced,  it  made 
an  unfavorable  impression  upon  the  picture 
producers. 

Right  away  they  saw  where  it  would  open 
the  door  to  such  snooping  that  there  would  be 
no  protection  for  the  individual  producers.  .  .  . 

The  tendency  to  throw  greater  control  about 
the  freedoms  that  have  been  provided  by  the 


MOTION    PICIURE  HERALD 


Constitution  serves  to  put  the  moving  picture 
producers  on  their  guard  when  a  move  is  made 
which  gives  the  impression  that  that  is  the  posi- 
tion into  which  they  are  being  urged.  If  they 
look  upon  the  Mellett  proposition  as  an  effort  of 
the  government  to  require  governmental  ap- 
proval as  a  part  of  moving  picture  production,  it 
cannot  be  regarded  as  surprising  that  they  show 
a  disposition  to  balk.  They  may  well  look  upon 
it  as  an  entering  wedge,  and  from  such  a  be- 
ginning there  is  no  telling  where  it  might 
progress. 

Manpower  Policy  Is 
Called  Short-sighted 

The  question  of  manpower  brings  forth 
the  interesting  comment  on  what  it 
describes  as  a  "short-sighted  manpower 
policy"  from  the  following  newspapers: 

Rumford,  Me.,  Times: 

The  moving  picture  industry  is  threatened 
with  a  blackout.  In  six  months  there  may  be 
no  moving  pictures — or  such  poor  pictures  few 
will  care  to  see  them. 

This  is  another  direct  result  of  the  short- 
sighted manpower  policy  now  being  pursued  to 
its  relentless  conclusion  by  the  brass-heads  of 
the  War  Department.  .  .  . 

Of  all  the  products  made  in  this  country  only 
two  are  identified  with  America  in  every  corner 
of  the  globe:  the  American  automobile  and  the 
American  moving  picture. 

Champaign,  III.,  News  Gazette: 

.  .  .  Possibly  we  have  blundered  in  letting 
more  than  30  key  movie  players  slip  into  the 
armed  services.  Numerically  their  weight  will 
count  but  little  in  the  massed  millions  of  men 
bearing  arms — certainly  not  enough  to  compen- 
sate for  the  loss  of  their  talents  as  entertainers 
and  diversionists.  The  services  themselves  may 
be  the  principal  losers.  Army  camps  in  this 
country  can't  get  enough  films  or  halls  to  pro- 
vide for  the  soldiers.  And  the  movies  follow 
our  men  wherever  they  go  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy. 

The  Houston,  Tex.,  Post: 

•  •  •  •  We  agree  with  Mr.  Crichton  that  the 
movies  are  a  tremendous  force  for  morale  and 
propaganda,  and  the  best  form  of  relaxation 
for  war-frazzled  nerves.  Millions  of  other 
Americans  will  agree  to  these  things ;  millions 
who  have  favorites  among  the  actors  going  to 
war.  But  they  would  not  advocate  giving  these 
actors  immunity  over  any  other  young  Ameri- 
cans in  useful,  constructive  occupations  who 
value  their  lives  as  highly  as  movie  stars  do 
theirs;  or  depriving  them  of  the  privileges  of 
serving  their  country. 

The  New  Orleans  States: 

Hollywood's  movie  makers  report  that  the 
American  people  are  now  buying  130,000,000 
film  theatre  tickets  each  week.  That  is  ap- 
proximately a.  ticket  for  each  inhabitant  of  the 
nation.     This  is  an  all-time  record.  .  .  . 

It  is  not_  surprising  that  movie-going  has 
been  expanding  so  spectacularly  in  volume.  .  .  . 
Not  only  do  the  people  have  purposes  of  record 
fatness,  but  in  spite  of  the  tragedies,  horrors 
and  anxieties  of  the  widespread  war  they  are 
generally  of  a  happier  disposition  and  are  ripe 
for  rollicking  entertainment,  particularly  the 
kind  which  affords  an  escape  from  the  realities 
of  the  times. 


February     13,  1943 


Name  Catholic 


Drive  Aides 

The  Motion  Picture  Committee  for  the 
Catholic  Charities  drive  in  New  York  has 
been  announced  by  the  Archbishop's  Committee 
of  the  Laity,  and  the  following  industry  leaders 
have  been  selected : 

John  J.  O'Connor,  Universal  Pictures,  chair- 
man; Martin  F.  Bennett,  Warner  Brothers; 
Steve  Broidy,  Monogram;  Harry  Buckley, 
United  Artists ;  Martin  Quigley,  Quigley  Pub- 
lishing Company  ;  Patrick  Casey,  Casey  Enter- 
prises ;  H.  M.  Doherty,  Warners;  Gus  Eyssell, 
Radio  City  Music  Hall;  Si  Fabian,  Fabian 
Theatres;  E.  C.  Grainger,  Feiber  and  Shea 
Theatres;  Al  Hovell,  Century  Circuit;  Jack 
Alicoate,  Film  Daily. 

Austin  C.  Keough,  Charles  Reagan  and 
Joseph  P.  McLoughlin,  Paramount;  J.  R. 
Grainger  and  John  O'Connell,  Republic ;  William 
A.  Scully,  Universal;  T.  J.  Connors  and  Spy- 
ros  Skouras,  Twentieth  Century-Fox;  George 
Skouras  and  William  White,  Skouras  Theatres ; 
George  J.  Schaefer,  War  Activities  Committee ; 
W.  F.  Rodgers,  Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer ;  Den- 
nis F.  O'Brien  of  O'Brien,  Driscoll  and 
Raftery. 

Bert  Sanford,  Altec;  Charles  L.  O'Reilly, 
Sanitary  Automatic  Candy  Corp. ;  Senator  Wil- 
Ham  J.  Murray,  Hayes  Printing  Company,  John 
Murphy,  Loew's  Theatres;  Leon  Netter,  Para- 
mount Theatres  Service  Corp. ;  Herman  Robbins, 
National  Screen  Service;  Joseph  E.  McMahon, 
Consolidated  Film  Industries ;  James  A.  Mul-  ! 
vey,  Samuel  Goldwyn  Pictures;  Phil  Reisman, 
RKO  Radio ;  John  Kane  and  Joseph  P.  McCon- 
ville,   Columbia;   John   Nolan  and  Frank  C.  1 
Walker,  Comerford  Theatres;  Charles  B.  Mc-  ! 
Donald  and  Thomas  F.  O'Connor,  RKO  Thea- 
tres;  Major  Edward  Bowes  and  P.  A.  Powers. 


Warners  To  Release 
Five  Shorts  Soon 

Warner  Brothers  has  announced  that  it  short-  |' 
ly  will  release  five  short  subjects  for  general 
distribution.    Four  will  deal  with  war  topics, 
while  the  other  is  a  Technicolor  film  concern- 
ing beauty  aids  for  women.    They  are  as  fol-  i 
lows : 

"This  Is  Your  Enemy,"  a  German  film  cap-  j 
tured  from  Nazi  agents  which  was  used  for  i 
propaganda  purposes  after  the  German  inva-  ! 
sion  of  conquered  countries ;   "The  Fighting 
Engineers,"   a   story  of ~  the  Engineer  Corps 
filmed  at  Fort  Belvoir,  Va. ;  "Little  Isles  of 
Freedom,"  narrated  by  Charles  Boyer  with  a 
commentary  by  Dorothy  Thompson  which  deals 
with  St.  ^Pierre  and  Miquelon ;  "Our  African 
Frontier,"  concerning  the  opening  of  the  sec- 
ond front,  and  "Young  and  Beautiful,"  fea- 
turing Elizabeth  Arden. 

New  Russian  War  Film 
Opens  in  New  York 

"Leningrad  Fights,"  feature-length  documen- 
tary based  on  that  city's  18-month  resistance  to 
the  Nazi  siege,  opened  at  the  Stanley  theatre  in 
New  York  on  Wednesday.  Narration  of  the 
film  was  by  Edward  Murrow,  European  head  of 
the  Columbia  Broadcasting  System.  Artkino 
pictures  is  distributing  it  in  this  country.  The 
picture  first  came  to  public  attention  when  Wen- 
dell Willkie  returned  last  year  from  his  round- 
the-world  flight  with  a  print  of  it  he  had  re- 
ceived from  Premier  Stalin  in  Moscow 


Warners  Form  Radio  Unit 

Jack  L.  Warner,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
production  for  Warner  Brothers,  has  inaugu- 
rated a  new  radio  department  which  is  super- 
«r£-  by  „ary  Maizlish  under  the  direction  of 
Whitney  Bolton,  studio  publicity  director  The 
new  unit  will  establish  contact  with  all  net- 
works. 


Press  Hits  Move  for 
Federal  Control 


February    13,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  15 


KEY  AREA  BUSINESS  STUDY 
OFFERS  POST-WAR  DATA 


Census  Bureau  Analysis 
Presents  a  Picture  of 
Domestic  Market 

An  analysis  of  post-war  growth  and  busi- 
ness possibilities  of  key  areas  in  the  United 
States,  made  recently  by  Philip  M.  Hauser, 
assistant  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Census, 
offers  motion  picture  distributors  and  exhib- 
itors a  basis  for  study  of  the  domestic  mar- 
ket after  the  war.  Mr.  Hauser's  analysis, 
based  primarily  on  1942  civilian  population 
as  shown  by  sugar  rationing  book  registra- 
tion, plus  an  analvsis  of  growth  records  dur- 
ing the  decades  1920-1930  and  1930-40,  was 
conducted  for  the  American  Management 
Association  and  was  published  in  Advertis- 
ing Age  last  week. 

Last  autumn,  in  a  series  of  articles, 
Motion  Picture  Herald  surveyed  the  na- 
tion's war  economy  as  it  affected  the  motion 
picture  business,  including  the  factor  of 
shifting  populations.  In  general,  it  was  re- 
ported that  theatres  in  areas  far  from  any 
war  industry  center  were  being  adversely 
affected  by  the  drift  of  their  patronage  to 
the  boom  areas  and  by  the  further  depletion 
caused  by  the  draft.  Conversely,  theatres  in 
areas  where  industry  was  booming  were 
jammed  with  war  workers  with  new  money 
to  spend. 

As  the  Herald  reported  at  that 
time,  for  example,  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island  were  the  two  New 
England  states  gaining  in  civilian 
population,  according  to  the  Cen- 
sus Bureau.  The  estimates,  based 
on  sugar  rationing  book  registra- 
tion, showed  that  between  April 
1,  1940.  and  May  1,  1942,  Connecti- 
cut's civilian  population  rose  3.9  per 
cent  from  1,706,566  to  1.773,101  per- 
sons. Rhode  Island  showed  an  in- 
crease of  2.4  per  cent,  while  Maine 
decreased  .9  per  cent;  Vermont,  3.5 
per  cent  and  Massachusetts,  0.6  per 
cent. 

The  analysis  made  by  Mr.  Hauser  at- 
tempts to  show  current  growth  of  key  areas 
and  possible  post  war  growth  of  these  ter- 
ritories as  well  as  diminution  of  popula- 
tion in  certain  other  areas  and  possibilities 
for  past-war  enterprise  in  these  sections. 

Territories  Classified 
Under  Four  Groups 

The  study  has  classified  territories  under 
four  groups:  Class  A,  metropolitan  coun- 
ties whose  wartime  growth  has  been  rapid 
and  which  may  be  expected  to  retain  their 
population  growths ;  Class  B,  counties  which 
grew  rapidly  during  the  war  but  whose 
growth  may  be  transient  unless  their  war- 
time activities  are  successfully  converted  to 
normal  peace-time  functions;  Class  C.  coun- 
ties which  lost  population  during  the  war 
or  which  barely  held  their  own,  but  which 
in  the  light  of  past  performance  might  be 
expected  to  come  back  in  the  post-war  per- 
iod, and  Class  D,  counties  which  decreased 
during  the  war  or  gained  very  little,  and 
which  in  the  light  of  past  performance 


seemed  to  be  relatively  stable — that  is,  can- 
not be  expected  to  grow  rapidly  in  the  im- 
mediate future. 

Five  Subdivisions 
Under  Class  A 

Class  A- 1  (those  which  grew  most  rap- 
idly during  the  war  with  the  best  prospects 
of  retaining  their  wartime  growth)  :  Corpus 
Christi,  Tex.,  Dallas,  Tex.,  Jackson,  Miss., 
Jacksonville,  Fla.,  San  Antonio,  Tex.  and 
San  Diego,  Cal. 

Class  A-2  (those  which  grew  most  rap- 
idly with  superior  prospects  of  retaining 
their  wartime  growth)  :  Charleston,  S.  C, 
Columbia,  S.  C,  Columbus,  Ga.,  Mobile, 
Ala.,  Washington,  D.  C.  and  Galveston,  Tex. 

Class  A-3  (those  which  grew  at  above 
average  rates  consistently  for  each  of  the 
three  periods  under  observation  and  wliich 
are  assumed  therefore  to  have  excellent  pros- 
pects of  retaining  their  wartime  growth)  : 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  Austin,  Tex.,  Beaumont-Port 
Arthur,  Tex.,  Chattanooga.  Tenn.,  Detroit, 
Mich.,  Fort  Worth,  Tex..  Houston,  Tex., 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  New  Or- 
leans, La.,  Nashville,  Term.,  Sacramento, 
Cal.,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  and  Shreveport, 
La. 

Class  A-4  (those  which  grew  at  average 
rates  or  most  rapidly  during  the  war  period 
with  good  prospects  of  retaining  their 
growth)  :  Augusta,  Ga.,  Baltimore,  Md., 
Davenport-Rock  Island-Moline,  111.,  and  la., 
Denver,  Colo.,  Evansville,  Ind.,  Macon,  Ga., 
Norfolk,  Portsmouth-Newport  News,  Va., 
Portland,  Me.,  Richmond,  Va.,  Salt  Lake 
City,  U.,  Savannah,  Ga.,  Seattle,  Wash., 
Tacoma,  Wash.,  Wilmington,  Del. 

Class  A-5  (those  which  grew  at  above 
average  rates  in  the  war  period  with  fair 
prospects  of  retaining  tlieir  wartime 
growth)  :  Canton,  O.,  Chicago,  111.,  Cincin- 
nati, O.,  Columbus,  O.,  Decatur,  111.,  Ft. 
Wayne,  Ind.,  Hamilton-Middletown,  O.. 
Portland,  Ore.,  Pueblo,  Colo.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
and  Springfield,  O. 

Subdivisions  under  the  second  group  are : 
Class  B-l  (those  with  most  rapid  war- 
time growth,  although  far  above  that  of  the 
depression  year,  exceeded  by  litlte,  if  any, 
their  1920-30  growth  rankings)  :  Birming- 
ham, Ala.,  Da}i:on,  O.,  El  Paso,  Tex..  Hart- 
ford-New Britain,  Conn.,  Rockford,  111., 
Tulsa,  Okla.,  Wichita,  Kan. 

Class  B-2  (those  with  above  average  or 
most  rapid  wartime  growth  whose  relative 
growth  was  far  above  that  in  either  of  the 
preceding  two  periods  of  observation)  : 
Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  Akron,  O. 
and  Waco,  Tex. 

Under  the  third  classification  are  the  fol- 
lowing subdivisions : 

Class  C-l    (those  which  lost  population 


during  the  war  period  with  excellent  pros- 
pects of  coming  back  because  of  previously 
observed  above  average  or  most  rapid  rates 
of  growth)  :  Amarillo,  Tex.,  Asheville,  N. 
C,  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  Charleston,  W.  Va., 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  Lansing,  Mich.,  Oklahoma 
City,  Okla.,  Peoria,  111.,  Stockton,  Cal.,  Win- 
ston-Salem, N.  C,  Miami,  Fla. 

Class  C-2  (  those  which  gained  very  little 
or  barely  held  their  own  with  excellent  pros- 
pects of  coming  back  because  of  previously 
observed  above  average  or  most  rapid  rates 
of  growth)  :  Durham,  N.  C,  Madison,  Wis., 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  San  Jose, 
Cal.,  Tampa- St.  Petersburg,  Fla.,  Waterloo, 
la. 

Class  C-3  (those  which  lost  population  or 
gained  very  little  during  the  war  period 
which  have  fair  prospects  of  coming  back 
because  of  an  above  average  or  most  rapid 
rate  of  growth  during  at  hast  one  of  the 
two  preceding  periods)  :  Cedar  Rapids,  la., 
Des  Moines,  la.,  Flint,  Mich.,  Fresno,  Cal., 
Huntington,  W.  Va.,  Ashland,  Ky.,  Minne- 
apolis-St.  Paul,  Minn.,  New  York-North- 
eastern New  jersey,  Roanoke,  Va.,  Spo- 
kane, Wash.,  Springfield,  Mo.,  Topeka, 
Kan.,  Youngstown,  O. 

Subdivisions  under  the  last  group : 
Class  D-l  (those  which  lost  population  or 
grew  very  little  during  both  the  war  and  the 
depression  but  which  grew  at  an  above  aver- 
age or  most  rapid  rate  between  1920  and 
1930)  :  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  Cleveland,  O., 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and 
South  Bend,  Ind. 

Class  D-2  (those  which  grew  very  little 
or  not  at  all  during  the  war  and  which  in  the 
light  of  past  performances  have  little  pros- 
pect of  rapid  post-war  growth)  :  Allentown- 
Bethlehem-Easton,  Pa.,  Erie,  Pa.,  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.,  Omaha,  Neb.,  Council  Bluffs,  la., 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  Spring- 
field-Holyoke,  Mass.,  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
Trenton,  N.  J.  and  York,  Pa. 

Class  D-3  (those  which  lost  population 
during  the  war  and  which  in  the  light  of 
past  performance  have  little  prospect  of  re- 
couping their  lasses)  :  Albany-Schenectady- 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  Altoona,  Pa.,  Boston,  Mass., 
Duluth,  Minn.,  Superior,  Wis.,  Fall  River- 
New  Bedford.  Mass.,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Lin- 
coln, Neb.,  Manchester,  N.  H.,  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  Racine-Kenosha,  Wis.,  Reading.  Pa- 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Saginaw-Bay  City,  Mich.. 
St  Joseph.  Mo.,  Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, 
Pa.,  Sioux  City,  la.,  Springfield,  111.,  Syra- 
cuse, N.  Y..  Toledo,  O..  Utica-Rome,  N.  Y.. 
Wheeling.  W.  Va.,  and  Worcester,  Mass. 


Plan  Memorial  in  Boston 

Martin  J.  Mullin.  chief  barker  of  the  Boston 
Variety  Club,  appointed  a  special  committee  last 
week  to  formulate  plans  for  the  erection  of  a 
memorial  to  the  club  members  who  died  in  the 
Cocoanut  Grove  disaster.  Appointed  to  the 
memorial  committee  were  Edward  Callahan,  Jo- 
seph Levenson,  Maurice  Wolf.  Stanley  Sumner 
and  Arthur  Lockwood. 


16 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


Loew  and  Universal 
Report  Year  Profit 


Loew's  Net  at  $12,132,- 
606,  Universal  $2,968,231, 
Both  Showing  Gain 

Net  profit  for  1942  was  reported  this 
week  by  Loew's,  Inc.  and  by  Universal  Pic- 
tures Co.,  Inc.  Declaration  of  dividends  by 
Paramount  Pictures,  Inc.,  Keith-Albee-Or- 
pheum  Corp.  and  Radio  Corporation  of 
America,  as  well  as  a  six-month  net  profit 
statement  for  Monogram  Pictures  and  the 
annual  financial  report  of  Atlas  Corporation 
also  were  announced  this  week. 

Loew's  reported  a  net  profit  of  $12,132,- 
606  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  August  31, 
1942.  Operating  revenues  amounted  to 
$134,580,860. 

Universal's  net  profit  for  the  fiscal  year 
ended  October  31,  1942,  was  $2,968,231, 
compared  with  a  profit  of  $2,673,249  for 
the  preceding  year.  The  company's  net  in- 
come for  the  year  before  Federal  income 
and  excess  profits  taxes  was  $7,255,531, 
compared  with  $4,396,499  the  preceding 
year. 

Loew  Profit  Equal  to 
$7.02  Per  Share 

Loew's  operating  and  general  expenses 
amounted  to  $98,851,301 ;  depreciation,  rent 
and  real  estate  and  other  taxes  amounted  to 
$14,523,409,  and  Federal  income  and  ex- 
cess profits  taxes  totaled  $6,932,512.  Other 
deductions  totaled  $2,212,276.  Current  and 
working  assets  aggregated  $79,124,812  and 
current  liabilities  $20,181,132,  leaving  a 
working  capital  of  $58,043,680.  Cash  on 
hand  amounted  to  $20,056,730,  exclusive  of 
$3,089,500  cash  reserved  for  purchase  of 
War  Savings  Bonds,  and  $1,692,876  of  U.  S. 
Government  securities  at  cost.  Total  assets 
amounted  to  $167,629,747. 

The  company's  profit  is  equivalent  to 
$7.02  per  share  on  the  outstanding  com- 
mon stock,  after  deducting  preferred  divi- 
dends, compared  with  net  profit  equal  to 
$6.15  per  share  on  the  common  for  the 
preceding  fiscal  year. 

Net  profit  of  Universal  Corpora- 
tion, the  parent  company  of  Uni- 
versal Pictures  Company,  Inc., 
amounted  to  $2,806,952  for  the  year, 
compared  with  $2,341,202  in  the 
preceding  year.  This  is  equal  to 
$5.34  on  each  of  the  $525,681  voting 
trust  certificates  outstanding.  In  the 
preceding  year,  the  net  was  $2,- 
341,202,  or  $4.45  each  on  the  same 
number  of  certificates. 

Universal's  report,  issued  by  J.  Cheever 
Cowdin,  chairman  of  the  board,  indicated 
that  the  company's  domestic  revenues  for 
the  year  amounted  to  $25,101,506,  which 
was  greater  than  its  revenues  from  world- 
wide operations  three  years  ago.  More  do- 
mestic sales  contracts  were  closed  during 
1942  than  in  any  other  previous  year.  For- 
eign business,  likewise,  continued  to  in- 
crease, amounting  to  $14,075,981  last  year, 
compared  with  $11,275,028  in  the  preceding 
year. 

Net  current  assets  at  the  end  of  the  last 


fiscal  year  amounted  to  $14,039,156,  com- 
pared with  $11,169,580  at  the  end  of  the 
preceding  year.  Inventories  for  the  year 
amounted  to  $13,865,221,  a  gain  of  more 
than  $3,500,000,  and  total  borrowings  were 
$5,514,000,  an  increase  of  $380,000.  On 
November  6th  of  the  current  fiscal  year, 
however,  $1,300,000  was  repaid  to  banks. 

First  preferred  stock  outstanding  at  the 
year  end  was  reduced  to  8,866  shares 
through  purchases  for  sinking  fund  pur- 
poses and  subsequently  was  further  reduced 
to  8,652  shares. 

During  the  year  Universal  and  its  sub- 
sidiaries set  aside  for  taxes  a  total  of  $5,- 
254,664,  an  increase  of  $2,624,238,  or  more 
than  99.7  per  cent  as  compared  with  $2,- 
630,427  for  tax  provisions  in  the  year  be- 
fore. 

Mr.  Cowdin  pointed  out  that  the 
company's  "unit  cost  of  production 
has  advanced  due  to  increased  labor 
and  materials  costs.  The  Govern- 
ment has  found  it  necessary  to  cur- 
tail sharply  the  amount  of  film  at 
our  disposal,  both  positive  and 
negative,"  he  said.  "However,  if  we 
are  not  confronted  with  further 
cuts  we  believe  we  can  operate 
without  too  serious  a  contraction 
of  our  production  program." 

Commenting  on  the  $25,000  salary  ceiling 
order,  Mr.  Cowdin  said  its  application  to 
the  film  industry  affects  not  only  manage- 
ment, as  in  other  industries,  but  the  source 
of  product  "manufacture"  as  well.  He  re- 
marked that  production  principals  have  an 
average  professional  life  of  six  years  and 
said  that  a  disturbance  of  their  earning 
ability  carries  with  it  "all  the  possibilities 
of  seriously  upsetting  the  industry"  at  a 
time  when  it  is  most  valuable  to  morale. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  last 
Friday,  further  discussion  was  held  on  the 
recapitalization  plan  for  Universal  involv- 
ing new  bank  loans  reported  to  aggregate 
$6,000,000.  Mr.  Cowdin  said  that  the 
financing  agreement  is  being  concluded  with 
the  company's  banks,  one  of  which  is  the 
First  National  of  Boston.  The  plan  is  said 
to  involve  retirement  of  the  outstanding 
eight  per  cent  first  preferred  stock  and  con- 
solidation of  Universal  Corporation  and 
Universal  Pictures  Company.  There  is  a 
probability  that  some  of  the  outstanding 
debentures  also  may  be  retired. 

Monogram  Six-Month 
Profit  $44,470 

Monogram  Pictures  Corp.  announced  in 
New  York  Tuesday  a  profit  of  $109,108  for 
six  months  ended  December  26th,  1942,  be- 
fore provisions  for  employees'  bonuses  and 
Federal  taxes.  The  net  profit  for  the  com- 
pany was  $44,470,  and  is  considered  a 
marked  improvement  over  Monogram's 
earnings  for  comparable  periods  during  the 
past  four  years. 

The  board  of  directors  of  Keith-Albee- 
Orpheum  Corporation  in  New  York  on 
Monday  declared  a  dividend  out  of  operat- 
ing surplus  of  $1.75  per  share  on  the  seven 
per  cent  cumulative  convertible  preferred 
stock  for  the  quarter  ended  March  31,  1943, 


payable  April  1,  to  holders  of  record  of  such 
stock  at  the  close  of  business  on  March  15th. 

A  regular  quarterly  dividend  of  30  cents 
per  share  on  its  common  stock  and  $1.50 
per  share  on  its  first  preferred  stock  was 
declared  last  Thursday  by  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  Paramount  Pictures.  Dividends 
are  payable  April  1,  1943,  to  holders  of  rec- 
ord of  both  classes  of  stock  on  March  18th. 

Quarterly  dividends  on  outstanding  shares 
of  Radio  Corporation  of  America  $3.50  first 
preferred  stock  and  outstanding  shares  of 
"B"  preferred  stock,  were  declared  by  the 
company's  board  in  New  York  last  Friday. 
The  dividend  on  the  first  preferred  is  87^> 
per  share ;  dividend  on  the  "B"  stock  is 
$1.25  per  share.  These  dividends  are  for 
the  period  from  January  1st,  1943,  to  March 
31,  and  will  be  paid  on  April  1st  to  stock- 
holders of  record  at  the  close  of  business 
March  5th. 

Odium  Reports  RKO 
Affairs  Improved 

Floyd  B.  Odium,  president  of  Atlas  Cor- 
poration, in  his  annual  report  to  stockhold- 
ers issued  in  New  York  this  week,  dis- 
closed that  the  company  now  owns  44  per 
cent  of  the  preferred  stock  and  46  per  cent 
of  common  stock  of  Radio-Keith-Orpheum. 
Commenting  on  the  continued  "progress  and 
improvement  of  affairs"  of  RKO,  Mr.  Od- 
ium said,  "The  problems  which  previously 
concerned  its  production  branch  for  so  long 
seem  to  have  been  satisfactorily  cleared  up 
by  the  autumn  of  1942.  With  increased 
moving  picture  attendance  quite  general, 
the  theatre  branch  of  the  business  is  doing 
exceptionally  well." 

Indicated  asset  value  of  the  common  stock 
of  Atlas  Corporation  was  shown  at  $12.56 
per  share  in  the  report,  compared  with  a 
valuation  of  $11.01  per  share  on  June  30, 
1942,_  and  $11.42  at  December  31,  1941. 
The  increase  in  asset  value  during  the  year 
1942  was  after  deduction  of  dividends  paid 
during  the  year,  totaling  $2,298,201,  of 
which  $1,079,331  was  paid  on  the  outstand- 
ing preferred  stock  and  $1,218,870  paid  on 
the  outstanding  common  stock. 


Warners,  CBS  Set  Dividends 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  Warner  Bros. 
Pictures,  Inc.,  at  a  meeting',  February  9,  1943, 
declared  the  regular  quarterly  dividend  of  96^ 
cents  per  share  on  the  preferred  stock,  payable 
March  1,  1943,  to  preferred  stockholders  of  rec- 
ord at  the  close  of  business  February  19. 

Directors  of  the  Columbia  Broadcasting  Sys- 
tem, Inc.,  Tuesday  declared  a  cash  dividend  of 
30  cents  per  share  on  Class  A  and  Class  B  stock 
of  $2.50  par  value.  The  dividend  is  payable  on 
March  5,  1943,  to  stockholders  of  record  on 
February  19. 


Entertains  Firemen  at  Capitol 

Messmore  Kendall,  owner  of  the  Capitol  the- 
atre, New  York,  tendered  a  party  at  the  the- 
atre for  members  of  the  Dobbs  Ferry  Fire 
Department,  who  witnessed  a  showing  of  Noel 
Coward's  "In  Which  We  Serve."  Mr.  Kendall 
has  been  a  member  of  the  department  for  24 
years. 


Named  Warner  Branch  Head 

Samuel  Pearlman,  formerly  booker  in  the 
Montreal  exchange  for  Warner  Brothers,  has 
been  promoted  to  branch  manager  in  Calgary, 
it  was  announced  by  Ben  Kalmenson,  general 
sales  manager  of  the  company.  Mr.  Pearlman 
succeeds  Harry  Kohn,  who  entered  the  Army. 


February    13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


17 


'Harvest 9  Nears 
'Miniver 9  Mark 


"War  Brought  New  Customers; 
Keep  Them, 99  Says  Hoblitzelle 


At  Texas  Variety  Club  luncheon  in  Dallas  for  Karl  Hoblitzelle:  Mr.  Hoblitzelle,  pres- 
ident of  the  Interstate  circuit;  Major  General  Richard  Donovan,  Eighth  Service  Command; 
Ned  Depinet,  RKO  Radio  Pictures  president;  C.  C.  Ezell,  the  club's  chief  barker;  R.  J. 
O'Donnell,  first  assistant  national  chief  barker  and  vice-president  of  Interstate. 


With  only  one  week  to  go  to  reach  the  10- 
week  record  of  "Mrs.  Miniver"  at  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  MGM's  "Random  Harvest"  began 
its  ninth  week  at  that  theatre  in  New  York 
Thursday.  More  than  1,000,000  persons  already 
have  seen  the  film  starring  Greer  Garson  and 
Ronald  Colman.  According  to  reports,  the  pic- 
ture grossed  $739,000  in  its  first  seven  weeks 
at  the  Music  Hall,  compared  to  $720,000  gar- 
nered by  "Miniver"  for  the  same  period.  Over 
the  weekend,  the  film  began  second-week  hold- 
overs at  the  United  Artists  and  Apollo  theatres 
in  Chicago.  MGM  reported  it  had  done  record 
business  in  the  first  five  days  of  its  run  at  the 
Riverside  theatre,  Riverside,  Cal. 

Paramount  announced  Monday  that  "Star 
Spangled  Rhythm,"  which  began  its  seventh 
week  at  the  Paramount  theatre,  New  York, 
Wednesday,  will  be  held  over  for  eight  consec- 
utive weeks,  marking  the  first  film  in  the 
theatre's  16-year  history  to  play  that  length  of 
time.  Runner-up  was  "Road  to  Morocco,"  held 
over  for  seven  weeks. 

Another  seven-week  record  was  hit  by  "In 
Which  We  Serve,"  the  Noel  Coward-United 
Artists'  release,  which  began  its  eighth  week 
at  the  Capitol  on  Thursday,  surpassing  the 
seven-week  holdover  of  Charles  Chaplin's  "The 
Great  Dictator"  at  that  theatre.  "Gone  With 
the  Wind"  played  the  Capitol  for  12  weeks 
simultaneously  with  its  year-long  run  at  the 
Astor. 

The  Coward  film  was  held  two  weeks  at  the 
following  theatres,  United  Artists  reported : 
Loew's  Century,  Baltimore ;  State  Orpheum, 
Boston ;  Loew's,  Jersey  City  ;  Loew's,  Newark  ; 
Loew's  State,  New  Orleans ;  Loew's,  Norfolk ; 
Loew's  State,  Providence ;  Great  Lakes,  Buf- 
falo ;  Plaza,  Stamford,  Conn.,  and  Loew's,  In- 
dianapolis. 

Other  holdover  reports  for  the  week  included : 
MGM's  "Keeper  of  the  Flame,"  two-week  hold- 
over in  Cincinnati.  The  company  announced 
the  Katharine  Hepburn-Spencer  Tracy  vehicle 
hit  box  office  records  in  its  first  three  days  at 
the  Kentucky,  Lexington,  Ky. ;  Opera  House, 
Bangor,  Me. ;  and  Auburn,  Auburn,  N.  Y. 

"Air  Force,"  Warner  Bros,  picture  which 
opened  at  the  Hollywood  New  York,  last  week, 
began  its  second  week  on  Thursday.  Columbia's 
"Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn"  reached  its  fifth 
week  at  Loew's  Criterion  on  Wednesday.  Re- 
public's "Ice  Capades  Revue"  began  its  second 
week  at  the  Brooklyn  Strand  this  week.  "Im- 
mortal Sergeant,"  20th  Century-Fox,  began  its 
second  week  at  the  Roxy.  Universal's  "Shadow 
of  a  Doubt,"  entered  its  fifth  week  at  the  Rivoli 
and  MGM's  "Tennessee  Johnson"  began  its  fifth 
week  at  the  Astor. 

"Fighting  Freighters,"  the  "World  in  Action" 
film  distributed  by  United  Artists,  began  a 
third-week  at  the  Globe  theatre,  New  York, 
this  week. 

RKO  Rim  Author,  Stars 
Given  Press  Reception 

A  press  reception  was  tendered  Gregor 
Zeimer,  author  of  the  Edward  Golden-RKO 
Radio  picture,  "Hitler's  Children,"  and  three 
of  the  principals  in  the  cast,  Bonita  Granville, 
H.  B.  Warner  and  Kent  Smith,  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel  in  New  York  on  Tuesday,  in 
connection  with  the  preview  showing  of  ■  the 
film  the  same  evening. 

The  picture  is  scheduled  to  have  its  New 
York  premiere  at  the  Paramount  theatre  on 
February  24th.  It  already  has  been  shown 
simultaneously  in  50  cities. 



Boost  War  Bond  Total 

Local  325,  projectionists  union  of  Wilkes- 
Barre,  Pa.,  has  purchased  an  additional  $500 
in  War  Bonds  to  bring  its  total  to  $5,510. 


"The  war  did  more  to  bring  people  back 
to  the  theatre  than  any  program  we  could 
possibly  dream  up,"  Karl  Hoblitzelle,  head 
of  the  Interstate  circuit  of  Texas,  told  600 
members  of  the  industry  last  week  in  Dallas. 
Under  the  auspices  of  the  Variety  Club 
there,  they  had  gathered  to  honor  him  at 
a  luncheon  in  the  grand  ballroom  of  the 
Hotel  Adolphus. 

The  war,  containing  "great  and  vital 
events",  stimulated  "imagination  and 
effort"  in  production,  Mr.  Hoblitzelle  said. 
Pictures  have  greater  appeal  because  they 
are  timely.  People  also  have  more  money; 
they  work  longer;  they  need  relaxation 
more  than  ever. 

Mr.  Hoblitzelle  then  posed  the  question, 
"How  can  we  keep"  the  theatre's  regained 
customers?  And  he  remarked:  "After  all, 
theatregoing  is  largely  a  habit,  one  that 
can  be  acquired,  as  the  new  millions  are 


Registers  as  Lobbyist 

Herman  M.  Levy  of  New  Haven  has  regis- 
tered with  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State 
at  the  State  Capital,  Hartford,  as  lobbyist  for 
the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Operators  of  Con- 
necticut of  New  Haven,  and  the  Johnson  Whole- 
sale Perfume  Company  of  Hamden  at  the  State 
Legislature  in  Hartford,  it  has  been  announced. 


Warners  Assign  Composer 

Max  Steiner  has  been  assigned  to  compose 
the  music  for  Warners'  "Mission  to  Moscow." 
Bernard  Kaun  is  working  on  the  orchestration. 
The  picture  is  still  in  the  shooting  stage  at 
the  company's  Burbank  studios. 


doing  now — or  lost,  if  we  do  not  make  it 
sufficiently  attractive." 

"Service"  the  theatreman  defined  as 
"most  important",  and  he  observed  that  it 
is  "when  business  is  booming  that  there  is 
a  tendency  to  let  down".  He  asked  show- 
men to  take  "more  than  usual"  pains  to 
maintain  service  and  to  use  extra  money 
for  institutional  advertising. 

He  also  asked  producers  "with  great, 
new  opportunity"  to  remember  that  "every 
good  picture,  every  great  picture,  will  make 
new  and  permanent  friends". 

Mr.  Hoblitzelle  expressed  the  hope  that 
"out  of  this  situation  we  may  bring  about 
a  condition  in  America  whereby  we  can 
eliminate  double  features".  He  asked  mem- 
bers of  the  industry  to  bear  in  mind  the 
prominence  the  business  has  acquired,  and 
conduct  themselves  accordingly  in  their 
dealings  with  the  public. 


Albany  Club  Donates 
To  Paralysis  Fund 

The  Albany  Variety  Club  has  donated  $500  to 
the  Infantile  Paralysis  Fund.  The  money  came 
out  of  the  club's  "heart  fund"  and  resulted  from 
a  raffle  and  bingo  party  held  last  week.  Chair- 
man of  the  fund  drive  was  Neil  Hellman,  who 
operates  the  Paramount  and  Royal  theatres, 
Albany,  and  the  Drive-In  theatre,  Lathams. 

Paramount  exchange  members  were  "Kings 
for  a  Day"  at  the  regular  Monday  night  dinner 
at  the  Ten  Eyck  Hotel.  C.  J.  Latta  presided 
for  his  first  meeting  as  chief  barker.  Clayton 
Eastman,  Paramount  branch  manager,  arranged 
the  novelty  and  entertainment  for  the  dinner. 


18 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    13,    I  943 


Film  Taxes  Studied  by 
State  Legislators 


Industry  Maintains  Close 
Watch  on  All  Proposals 
Affecting  Operations 

Increased  taxation,  the  limiting  of  opera- 
tions, time  changes,  and  legalization  of 
chance  games  have  held  the  attention  of  the 
industry  as  proposals  affecting  theatre  op- 
erations have  been  introduced  in  state  legis- 
latures. 

In  Connecticut,  Senator  Brock  of  New 
Haven  has  introduced  a  bill  providing  for 
a  10  per  cent  tax  to  be  imposed  on  the 
ticket  buyer  where  admission  is  10  cents  or 
more.  Religious,  educational  and  veteran 
organizations  are  exempt.  Six  other  pro- 
posals also  have  been  filed  which  concern 
safety  measures  in  amusement  places,  such 
as  the  storage  of  inflammable  articles,  the 
installation  of  adequate  sprinkler  systems 
subject  to  approval  by  the  fire  marshal,  and 
a  ban  against  smoking  in  theatres. 

Also  introduced  was  a  bill  to  re- 
peal the  present  bingo  ban,  while 
exhibitors  have  shown  interest  in  a 
measure  relating  to  the  safety  of 
persons  in  places  of  public  assem- 
bly, and  an  act  exempting  from  cer- 
tain safety  laws,  the  unrestricted 
use  of  8  and  16mm.  film  in  all  places 
not  set  up  as  theatres. 

In  Tennessee,  the  tax  admission  bill  in- 
troduced is  identical  with  the  proposed  Con- 
necticut legislation.  Another  measure  which 
prohibits  the  operation  of  theatres  at  a  loss 
to  prevent  competition  and  limit  contract 
bookings,  passed  the  House  after  being 
amended  to  apply  to  cities  with  populations 
under  15,000.  It  was  first  brought  up  with 
no  limitations  on  population.  A  Senate  vote 
now  will  determine  the  fate  of  the  bill. 

Removal  of  the  Sunday  ban  on  exhibition 
in  Tennessee  theatres  is  a  third  measure 
which  has  been  proposed.  Passage  would 
legalize  showings  after  1  P.  M.,  and  it  was 
believed  that  benefit  to  service  men  for 
morale  and  entertainment  purposes  prompt- 
ed introduction  of  the  measure. 

New  York  Bill  Aids 
Service  Men 

In  New  York,  a  bill  passed  the  Assembly 
by  a  135-0  vote,  permitting  motion  picture 
operators  serving  in  the  armed  forces  to  re- 
new their  licenses  after  the  war  without  an 
examination.  It  was  introduced  by  Assem- 
blyman George  Manning  of  Rochester,  and 
it  was  the  first  motion  picture  legislation 
acted  upon  in  the  present  session. 

Another  bill  pending  relates  to  the  legali- 
zation of  bingo  for  fraternal  and  religious 
organizations,  but  excludes  theatres.  Op- 
position is  expected  from  exhibitor  associa- 
tions before  action  is  taken  on  the  proposal. 
However,  it  is  believed  that  the  bingo 
measure  will  be  held  over  until  the  next 
session. 

Ohio's  legislature  this  week  passed  a  time 
change  law  which  repeals  the  Federal  Gov- 


ernment's order  on  War  Time  and  reinstates 
Central  Standard  Time.  The  House  passed 
the  bill  106  to  26.  On  Tuesday,  the  Senate 
voted  23  to  9  for  the  bill.  Governor  Bricker 
said  he  would  sign  it  early  next  week.  Clocks 
will  be  shifted  back  one  hour  in  the  near 
future.  Exhibitors  are  said  to  favor  the 
change. 

In  Middletown,  the  City  Commission  has 
authorized  the  preparation  of  an  ordinance 
prohibiting  theatres  from  admitting  children 
under  15  years  of  age  after  9  P.  M.,  unless 
accompanied  by  adults.  The  move  is  de- 
signed to  prevent  loitering  on  the  streets. 

In  addition  to  Ohio's  legislative 
action  which  repealed  the  pres- 
ent time  law,  Michigan  also  has  in- 
troduced a  similar  measure.  Both 
moves  were  made  after  Georgia 
abandoned  War  Time.  The  threat- 
ened stampede  of  other  states  which 
might  follow  their  lead  brought 
forth  a  protest  from  Donald  M. 
Nelson,  chairman  of  the  War  Pro- 
duction Board,  who  addressed  a 
letter  to  Senator  Ferguson  of  Mich- 
igan outlining  the  danger  of  such  a 
move.  He  said,  however,  that  if 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Commis- 
sion found  that  Michigan  logically 
was  in  the  Central  Time  zone,  he 
would  not  object  if  it  ordered  a 
shift. 

A  Massachusetts  bill  introduced  in  the 
legislature  by  Maurice  W.  Goldman  of  Bos- 
ton would  limit  oil-heated  theatres  and  other 
places  of  amusement  to  operation  only  four 
nights  a  week  throughout  the  state.  Ex- 
hibitors have  claimed  that  passage  would  be 
detrimental  to  the  interests  of  service  men 
and  war  workers  desiring  entertainment. 

Two  other  states  have  introduced  admis- 
sion tax  measures.  Nebraska's  action  is 
similar  to  the  Tennessee  and  Connecticut 
proposals.  It  provides,  however,  for  only  a 
two  per  cent  sales  tax  on  tickets,  and  as 
has  been  customary,  exempts  activities  of 
an  educational  or  religious  nature.  In  con- 
trast to  the  general  type  of  legislation  ad- 
vanced in  other  states,  Senator  Johnson  of 
Duplin  has  introduced  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina legislature  a  bill  which  would  assess 
exhibitors  on  a  flat  basis  of  revenue  pay- 
ment, resulting  in  a  saving  to  operators. 

North  Carolina  Measure 
Would  Cut  Taxation 

At  present,  a  three  per  cent  tax  on  gross 
receipts  is  in  effect.  Senator  Johnson  has 
proposed  that  the  tax  be  based,  instead,  on 
the  seating  capacity  of  the  theatre  and  the 
size  of  the  community.  The  bill,  if  adopted, 
would  assess  a  600-seat  house  in  a  town  of 
less  than  1,500  population  $125.  The  scale 
increases  to  $2,500  for  a  1,200-seat  theatre 
in  a  city  of  more  than  40,000.  The  reduc- 
tion in  total  taxes  throughout  the  state  un- 
der the  terms  of  the  proposed  legislation 
would  amount  to  more  than  $50,000  a  year, 
it  was  estimated  by  Edwin  Gill,  Revenue 
Commissioner. 


Six  Promoted  in 
Warner  Sales 
Staff  Move 

Warner  Brothers  announced  six  changes  in 
the  sales  department  on  Wednesday,  the  ap- 
pointments being  disclosed  by  Ben  Kalmenson, 
the  company's  general  sales  manager.  In  each 
instance,  the  move  involved  a  promotion  for 
men  within  the  organization. 

Arthur  Sachson  has  been  appointed  assistant 
general  sales  manager,  after  serving  on  the 
home  office  sales  staff  for  the  past  18  years.. 
He  will  work  directly  under  Mr.  Kalmenson. 
Roy  Haines,  former  eastern  division  manager, 
will  head  the  western  division  with  headquar- 
ters in  New  York.  Jules  Lapidus  replaces  Mr. 
Haines  as  eastern  division  manager.  He  was 
formerly  New  York  metropolitan  district  man- 
ager. 

Harry  Seed,  central  district  manager,  will 
assume  supervision  over  the  metropolitan  New 
York  area,  replacing  Mr.  Lapidus.  Charles 
Rich,  Cleveland  branch  manager,  succeeds  Mr. 
Seed  as  central  district  manager  with  super- 
vision over  the  Pittsburgh,  Detroit,  Cleveland 
and  Cincinnati  territories.  His  position  will  be 
taken  by  Leo  Blank,  former  Warner  sales  ex- 
ecutive whose  illness  caused  a  temporary  re- 
tirement. The  new  promotions  go  into  effect 
immediately,  it  was  announced. 


Appoint  Struthers  Manager 
Of  PRC  in  Wisconsin 

Joseph  Struthers,  assistant  general  manager  of 
the  Marcus  and  Swirnoff  circuit,  also  has  been 
named  branch  manager  of  the  Wisconsin  divi- 
sion of  Producers  Releasing  Corporation,  it 
was  announced  by  Ben  Marcus,  general  mana- 
ger of  PRC  in  Wisconsin.  Leone  Peffer  has 
been  appointed  office  manager  and  Miriam 
Sires  has  been  named  booker. 

The  company  has  taken  over  the  building 
which  formerly  housed  the  Republic  exchange 
at  641  North  7th  Street,  Milwaukee,  and  trans- 
ferred the  offices  to  that  location. 

Johnson  Named  Ad  Manager 
For  Memphis  Theatre 

Elliot  Johnson  has  been  named  director  of 
advertising  and  publicity  for  the  Lightman  cir- 
cuit's Malco  theatre  in  Memphis.  He  has  been 
with  the  company  for  more  than  14  years,  hav- 
ing managed  the  Strand  theatre  in  Memphis 
at  one  time,  later  serving  as  artist  for  the  or- 
ganization. 

Myron  Myers  has  been  appointed  manager 
of  the  Malco,  succeeding  M.  A.  Lightman,  Jr., 
who  has  joined  the  Army  Air  Corps. 


Call  Theatre  Bonds 

Tenders  of  Fox  Spokane  Theatre  Corporation 
four  per  cent  modified  bonds,  due  September  14, 
1948,  will  be  received  until  February  20th  by  the 
trust  department  of  the  Spokane  &  Eastern 
Trust  Company,  branch  of  Seattle-First  Na- 
tional bank.  Tenders  may  be  at  any  price  not 
exceeding  par.  The  bank  announced  that  it 
holds  approximately  $10,500  for  purchase  of 
bonds  by  tender  at  the  lowest  prices. 


Extend  Midnight  Shows 

Fox  Wisconsin  Amusement  Corporation, 
after  several  weeks  of  experimenting  with  a 
special  Saturday  midnight  show  at  the  Palace, 
first-run  Milwaukee  house,  has  adopted  it  for 
its  Wisconsin  key  house  in  the  circuit  directly 
across  the  street  from  the  Palace.  Both  theatres 
still  show  single  feature  bills  balanced  by 
shorts  on  Sundays,  and  duals  the  remainder  of 
the  week. 


They 
called  her 
The  Amazing 


Mrs.  Holliday 


DEANNA  DURBIN  as  a  bachelor  bride  who  bursts 
from  a  shuttered  past  — into  a  wide  open  future  on 
the  Gold  Coast  of  San  Francisco. 


This  Durbin — is  dynamite!  What  she  does  to  San  Francisco  .  .  .  hasn't  been  done  since 
the  earthquake!  All  heart!  ...  all  woman!  .  .  .  she's  the  toast  of  the  Gold  Coast — a 

she  lives  its  most  shocking,  lie ! 


She  survives  a  torpedoing  by  Japs- 
and.saves  the  kids. 


She  pulls  at  your  heart  strings! 


She  sings  a  Chinese  LulJabv. 


Out  of  war-torn  China — and  the  ashes  of  her  hidden 
past  ...  to  live  the  flaming  lie  that  shocked  the 
Gold  Coast  of  San  Francisco! 


She  crashes  a  mansion  and  mashes  a  butler. 


UNIVERSAL  PlCTlWtS 


JOIN  THE  INDUSTRY'S 
"MARCH  OF  DIMES" 
Feb.  18-24 

Sign  your  pledge  at  once! 


DURBIN 


with  EDMOND  O'BRIEN 
BARRY  FITZGERALD 
ARTHUR  TREACHER 

HARRY  DAVENPORT  GRANT  MITCHELL 
FRIEDA  INESCORT    ELISABETH  RISDON 

Screen  Play  by  Frank  Ryan .  John  Jacoby  •  Adaptation  by 
Boris  Ingster  •  Leo  Townsend  •  From  an  Original  Story 
by  Sonya  Levien  •  Associate  Producer,  FRANK  SHAW 

Produced  and  Directed  by 

BRUCE  MANNING 


February    13,    I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


23 


MR.  HUGHES  UNVEILS  HIS 
MAVERICK— AND  HOW 


Some  of  the  art  advertising  winch  Russell  Birdwell  and  associates  24-sheeted  around 
the  San  Francisco  area  for  the  roadshow  premiere  of  Howard  Hughes'  "The  Outlaw". 
The  copy,  like  other  Birdwell  advertising  and  publicity  for  this  picture  across  the 
last  two  years,  was  not  submitted  to  the  Advertising  Advisory  Council  of  the 
Hays  office. 


"The  Outlaw"  Given  Road- 
show Premiere  After  Two 
Years  of  Teasing 

by  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

in  San  Francisco 

After  about  two  years  of  consideration 
and  reconsideration,  punctuated  by  sessions 
in  difference  with  state  censor  boards  and 
an  industry  committee  which  culminated  in 
some  revising  of  the  product,  Howard 
Hughes  unveiled  (correct)  his  picture,  "The 
Outlaw,"  last  Friday  night  at  the  Geary 
theatre  in  San  Francisco  under  circum- 
stances and  conditions  without  parallel  in 
recent  showmanship. 

The  tool  tycoon,  aviation  engineer  and  ace 
flyer,  had  applied  again  to  his  avocation,  the 
cinema,  techniques  and  policies  which  had 
netted  him  name,  fame  and  incidental  profits 
a  decade  and  more  ago.  He  had  turned  out 
a  picture  designed  to  make  people  talk,  per- 
haps gasp,  and  he  had  turned  over  the  ex- 
ploitation of  the  picture  to  his  public  rela- 
tions counsel,  Russell  Birdwell,  who  spared 
neither  effort  nor  overhead  in  his  endeavors 
to  give  his  client  what  was  wanted.  His 
campaign  had  the  town  talking  prior  to  the 
world  premiere,  the  capacity  audience  gasp- 
ing during  it,  and  the  citizens  talking  to 
themselves  and  each  other — some  in  whis- 
pers, others  out  loud — after  it. 

"The  Outlaw,"  reviewed  in  this  edition, 
stacks  up  as  a  going  back  to  and  doing  again 
of  things  which  Henry  J.  Kaisers  associate 
in  the  manufacturing  of  cargo  plans  did  a 
dozen  years  ago,  and  the  exploitation  goes 
back  with  it. 

The  film  presents,  much  as  the 
producer's  ''Hell's  Angels"  present- 
ed the  then  unknown  but  always 
personable  Jean  Harlow,  a  young 
woman  named  Jane  Russell,  whose 
personability  compares  with  the 
Harlow  charm  of  that  era  and  in 
the  same  area  or  areas.  This  is  the 
young  woman  and  that  is  the  area 
revealed  to  the  readers  of  PIC  and 
the  other  picture-papers-for-impa- 
tient-people  during  the  months 
while  the  film  has  been  reposing  in 
the  vault  and  the  young  lady  has 
been  establishing  a  reputation  as 
the  most  seen  unseen  movie  star  in 
history. 

It  is  in  the  record  that  when  the  late  Miss 
Harlow,  then  early  by  some  years  in  point  of 
acting  ability,  appeared  in  "Hell's  Angels"  with 
the  abruptness  of  an  afterthought,  that  produc- 
tion became  a  sensation  and  that  young  woman 
became  a  star.  The  difference  is  that  Miss  Rus- 
sell appears  in  this  production  with  the  studied 
abruptness  of  a  forethought  and  is  called  upon, 
as  Miss  Harlow  was  not,  to  do  some  acting. 
What  will  come  of  that  remains  to  be  seen. 

The  film  also  presents,  much  as  the  pro- 
ducer's "Scarface"  presented  the  then  cinemati- 
cally  unknown  but  talented  Paul  Muni,  a  young 
man  named  Jack  Beutel,  casting  him,  as  the 
earlier  venture  east  Muni,  in  the  role  of  a  des-. 
perado  who  had  lived  a  life  of  fact  on  the  send- 
ing end  of  a  firearm  employed  on  the  side  of 


lawlessness.  The  Beutel  role  is  identified  by 
name  as  that  of  Billy  the  Kid,  deceased,  where- 
as the  Muni  role  was  not  identified  by  name  as 
that  of  a  Chicago  gangster,  living,  although  the 
identity  was  indicated  with  what  the  Chicago 
authorities  regarded  as  a  clarity  warranting 
denial  of  a  permit  for  exhibition  inside  their 
municipal  boundaries  until  several  years  after 
the  gangster  in  question  had  been  incarcerated 
in  a  federal  penitentiary  and  his  gang  more  or 
less  dispersed. 

Billy,  the  Kid,  who  worked  without  pals  and 
got  into  an  early  grave  about  1881,  is  presum- 
able' survived  by  no  vengeful  buddies  or  next  of 
kin,  but  the  State  of  New  York  has  withheld 
exhibition  license  in  the  case  of  "The  Outlaw" 
nevertheless. 

Given  these  parallels  to  work  with  and  aware 
alike  of  their  possibilities  and  limitations,  Mr. 
Birdwell,  a  promoter  of  parts,  gave  to  the  job 
in  hand  the  patience,  persistance  and  perspica- 
city which  had  won  him  renown  in  his  field 

By  way  of  suggesting  to  the  public  that 
the  girl  was  something  quite  special  to  see, 
he  planted  in  magazines  and  newspapers  a  se- 
lection of  photographs  which  documented  the 
allegation  beyond  dispute. 

By  way  of  underscoring  the  suggestion  and 
adding  another,  he  adopted  for  his  key  phrase 
in  his  advertising  copy  the  line:  "The  picture 
that  couldn't  be  stopped."  He  left  it  to  the 
public  to  guess  why,  and  who  had  tried  to  do 
the  stopping,  but  the  columnists  filled  in  the 
chinks  to  the  satisfaction  of  most. 

He  chose  for  his  ke3'  illustraion,  in  news- 
paper advertising  and  on  a  24-sheet  only  a  blind 
man  might  ignore,  a  full  length  picture  of  Miss 
Russell,  half  recumbent  and  equivalently  re- 
vealed in  a  sultry  moment  on  a  mound  of  hay 
(a  moment  and  pose  not  now  in  the  picture, 
by  the  way,  although  what  might  be  described 
a  number  of  reasonable  facsimiles  are). 

By  way  of  bringing  his  campaign  into  focus 
he  trademarked  his  ads  with  this  copy: 

"The  last  time  Howard  Hughes  said  he  had 


someone  to  show  you,  he  gave  you  two  new 
stars  .  .  .  Jean  Harlow  and  Paul  Muni.  Now 
he  makes  the  same  promise  and  presents  .  .  . 
Jane  Russell  and  Jack  Buetel." 

In  the  two  years  that  elapsed  between  shoot- 
ing and  showing  of  the  picture  he  had  kept  the 
countenance  and  contours  of  Miss  Russell  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  the  nation  in  the  pages  of  mag- 
azines and  newspapers,  and  bits  about  her  in 
the  columns  of  the  Hollywood  correspondents, 

In  that  two  years  the  Hughes  pic- 
ture had  been  shown  to  censors  in 
various  states,  to  a  committee  of  in- 
dustry executives  which  made  sugges- 
tions the  producer  didn't  care  for,  to 
the  Production  Code  Authority,  which 
made  some  he  complied  with  but  never 
to  the  press.  In  this  interval,  too,  an 
arrangement  under  which  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  was  to  distribute  the  pic- 
ture blew  up. 

As  a  final  touch  he  invited  the  Hollywood 
press — trade,  lay  and  fan — to  come  to  San 
Francisco  to  see  the  picture,  which  was  not  to 
be  shown  elsewhere,  publicly  or  privately,  pre- 
viously, simultaneously  nor  even,  as  of  this  writ- 
ing, subsequently. 

His  _  principal  having  gone  back  to  cinema 
beginnings  in  point  of  sex  on  the  screen,  and  he 
haying  gone  back  at  least  as  far  in  point  of  sen- 
sationalism on  the  billboards,  Birdwell  took 
another  leaf  out  of  yesterday's  book,  creasing  it 
diagonally,  and  announced  that  Miss  Russell 
and  Air.  Buetel  would  appear  on  the  stage  in 
an  epilogue  which,  Dame  Rumour  was  allowed 
to  whisper  widely,  might  consist  of  a  scene  or 
scenes  removed  from  the  picture  for  reasons 
also  whispered. 

As  of  weekend,  according  to  Birdwell,  no 
other  commitments  for  exhibition  of  the  film, 
as  a  roadshow  or  otherwise,  had  been  made, 
although  dates  in  Chicago.,  Denver  and  other 
cities  were  under  consideration. 


24 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


Nominees  Listed  for 
Academy  Awards 


Selections  Based  on  456 
Films  for  1942;  Awards 
to  Be  Made  March  4 

Nominations  for  the  annual  awards  of  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences, in  various  classifications  from  crea- 
tive to  technical,  were  announced  over  the 
weekend  in  Hollywood  by  Walter  Wanger, 
president.  Hollywood's  yearly  scramble  to 
determine  who  shall  be  given  the  industry's 
accolade  of  fame,  will  terminate  March  4th. 
at  the  Academy  dinner  to  be  held  in  the 
Ambassador  Hotel,  at  which  time  the  win- 
ners of  the  awards  will  be  announced. 

Selections  for  the  nominations  were  made 
from  456  feature  films  exhibited  in  Los  An- 
geles theatres  between  January  12  and  De- 
cember 31,  1942. 

Ten  features  were  nominated  in 
the  outstanding  motion  picture 
classification :  "The  Invaders" 
(British)  Ortus-Columbia :  "Kings 
Row,"  Warner  Bros.;  "The  Mag- 
nificent Ambersons,"  Mercury- 
RKO;  "Mrs.  Miniver,"  MGM ; 
"The  Pied  Piper,"  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox; "The  Pride  of  the  Yan- 
kees," Goldwyn-RKO ;  "Random 
Harvest,"  MGM;  "Talk  of  the 
Town,"  Columbia;  "Wake  Island," 
Paramount,  and  "Yankee  Doodle 
Dandy,"  Warner  Bros. 

Other  nominations  were  as  follows : 
Best  performance  by  an  actor :  James 
Cagney,  who  won  sixth  place  in  the  1942 
Motion  Picture  Herald- .Fame  poll  of  the 
top  money  making  stars,  for  his  perform- 
ance in  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy";  Ronald 
Colman,  "Random  Harvest";  Gary  Cooper, 
1941  winner  of  the  Academy  award  and 
third  place  winner  of  the  1942  Fame  poll, 
for  his  performance  in  "The  Pride  of  the 
Yankees";  Walter  Pidgeon,  who  starred  in 
"How  Green  Was  My  Valley,"  1941  Acade- 
my winner,  for  his  role  in  "Mrs.  Miniver" ; 
Monty  Woolley,  "The  Pied  Piper." 

Best  performance  by  an  actress:  Bette 
Davis,  Academy  award  winner  in  1935  and 
1938,  for  "Now,  Voyager";  Greer  Garson, 
who  ranked  ninth  in  the  1942  Fame  poll,  for 
"Mrs.  Miniver" ;  Katharine  Hepburn,  1933 
Academy  winner,  for  "Woman  of  the 
Year";  Rosalind  Russell,  "My  Sister  Ei- 
leen"; Teresa  Wright,  "The  Pride  of  the 
Yankees." 

Teresa  Wright  Named 
For  Two  Awards 

Best  performance  by  an  actor  in  a  sup- 
porting role:  William  Bendix  in  "Wake 
Island"  ;  Van  Heflin,  "Johnny  Eager" ;  Wal- 
ter Huston,  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy" ;  Frank 
Morgan,  "Tortilla  Flat";  Henry  Travers, 
"Mrs.  Miniver." 

Best  performance  by  an  actress  in  a  sup- 
porting role:  Gladys  Cooper  in  "Now  Voy- 
ager" ;  Agnes  Moorehead,  "The  Magnificent 
Ambersons";  Susan  Peters,  "Random  Har- 
vest"; Dame  May  Whitty,  "Mrs.  Miniver"; 
Teresa  Wright,  "Mrs.  Miniver." 


WALLACE  MAY  BE 
ACADEMY  SPEAKER 

Vice-President  Henry  A.  Wallace 
may  appear  as  principal  speaker  at 
the  annual  dinner  of  trie  Academy  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences 
March  4th,  to  share  the  limelight  with 
Academy  Awards'  winners,  it  was  re- 
ported Tuesday  by  Louella  Parsons  in 
her  syndicated  newspaper  column. 
Confirmation  of  this  report  from  the 
Academy  committee  arranging  the 
dinner,  however,  was  not  forthcom- 
ing, but  Miss  Parsons  indicated  ex- 
pectations currently  point  to  the 
Vice-President's  personal  appearance. 
Last  year,  Wendell  Willkie  was  the 
guest  speaker  at  the  annual  dinner. 


Miss  Wright,  who  won  tenth  place  in  the 
1942  "Stars  of  Tomorrow"  poll  of  Motion 
Picture  Herald,  and  who  has  appeared  in 
only  four  films  since  coming  to  Hollywood 
in  1941  from  the  New  York  stage,  is  the 
only  actress  ever  named  for  two  awards, 
best  actress  and  best  supporting  player. 

Best  achievement  in  directing:  Sam 
Wood,  "Kings  Row";  William  Wyler, 
"Mrs.  Miniver" ;  Mervyn  Leroy,  "Random 
Harvest" ;  John  Farrow,  "Wake  Island" ; 
Michael  Curtiz,  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy." 

Best  written  screenplay:  Rodney 
Acland  and  Emeric  Pressburger, 
"The  Invaders";  Arthur  Wimperis, 
George  Froeschel,  James  Hilton 
and  Claudine  West,  "Mrs.  Mini- 
ver"; Jo  Swerling  and  Herman  J. 
Mankiewicz,  "The  Pride  of  the 
Yankees";  Claudine  West,  George 
Froeschel  and  Arthur  Wimperis, 
"Random  Harvest";  Irwin  Shaw 
and  Sidney  Buchman,  "Talk  of  the 
Town." 

Best  original  screenplay:  Michael  Powell 
and  Emeric  Pressburger,  "One  of  Our  Air- 
craft Is  Missing";  Frank  Butler  and  Don 
Hartman,  "Road  to  Morocco";  W.  R.  Bur- 
nett and  Frank  Butler,  "Wake  Island"; 
George  Oppenheimer,  "The  War  Against 
Mrs.  Hadley";  Ring  Lardner,  Jr.,  and  Mi- 
ohael  Kanin,  "Woman  of  the  Year." 

Best  original  motion  picture  story:  Irving 
Berlin,  "Holiday  Inn" ;  Emeric  Pressburger, 
"The  Invaders";  Paul  Gallico,  "The  Pride 
of  the  Yankees";  Sidney  Harmon,  "Talk  of 
the  Town";  Robert  Buckner,  "Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy." 

Special  effects:  "The  Black  Swan,"  "Des- 
perate Journey,"  "Flying  Tigers,"  "Invisible 
Agent,"  "Jungle  Book,"  "Mrs.  Miniver," 
"The  Navy  Comes  Through,"  "One  of  Our 
Aircraft  Is  Missing,"  "The  Pride  of  the 
Yankees"  and  "Reap  the  Wild  Wind." 

Selected  in  the  shorts  division  in  the  one- 
reel  group,  were:  "Speaking  of  Animals 
and  Their  Families,"  Paramount;  Marines 
in  the   Making,"   MGM;   "United  States 


Marine  Band,"  Warners ;  "Desert  Wonder- 
land," Twentieth  Century-Fox;  two  reels: 
"Private  Smith  of  the  U.S.A.,"  RKO ; 
"Don't  Talk,"  MGM;  "Beyond  the  Line  of 
Duty,"  Warners ;  cartoons :  "All  Out  for 
V,"  Terrytoons,  Twentieth  Century-Fox; 
"Juke  Box  Jamboree,"  Lantz-Universal ; 
"Tulips  Shall  Grow,"  Pal-Paramount;  "Pigs 
in  a  Polka,"  Schlesinger-Warners ;  "Der 
Fuehrer  s  Face,"  Disney-RKO ;  "The  Blitz 
Wolf,"  MGM. 


Pamphlet  Cites 
War  Activity 

"Movies  at  War,"  third  pamphlet  in  the 
series  prepared  by  the  industry  Service  Bureau 
as  part  of  the  all-industry  public  relations  pro- 
gram sponsored  by  the  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  Distributors  of  America,  was  issued 
this  week.  The  pamphlet,  a  sample  of  those  to 
be  distributed  generally  to  the  mailing  list  of 
editors  now  receiving  the  Motion  Picture  Letter 
from  the  bureau,  will  be  distributed  largely  to 
exhibitors  and  exhibitor  organizations.  In  a 
foreword,  its  authorship  is  attributed  to  Charles 
Francis  Coe,  vice-president  and  general  counsel 
of  the  MPPDA. 

The  four-page  message  directed  to  the  patrons 
of  the  American  motion  picture  theatre,  enu- 
merates the  industry's  service  in  war.  activities 
and  stresses  continued  freedom  of  the  screen 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  It  reviews  the 
"death  of  all  culture,  all  art"  in  Nazi-dominated 
Europe  and  warns,  "Who  would  destroy  democ- 
racy, must  first  destroy  the  American-made  mo- 
tion picture !  .  .  .  You  who  treasure  your  the- 
atre as  a  place  to  view  the  world  in  passing, 
know  why  these  theatres  must  not  close.  In 
the  United  States,  some  17,000  of  them  are 
your  listening  posts ;  your  eyes  and  ears  of 
world-wide  dimensions ;  your  visual  informant 
on  the  size  and  the  shape  of  things  to  come.  .  .  . 

"If  ever  we  cease  to  be  an  industry,  we  will 
perish  as  an  art.  The  reason  is  simple.  You 
have  a  right  to  good  pictures.  We  have  the 
responsibility  of  making  them  for  you.  If  we 
fail,  you  will  not  go  to  the  theatre.  Thus  the 
art  will  wither  because  the  industry  failed.  .  .  . 
Literally,  a  darkened  motion  picture  theatre 
would  be  return  to  a  darkened  world. 

"We  pledge  you,  on  our  part,"  the  pamphlet 
declares,  "undiminished  effort,  to  make  better, 
and  even  better  motion  pictures ;  «to  fight  shoul- 
der to  shoulder  with  the  forces  of  freedom  in 
this  war." 

Emphasizing  the  place  of  the  motion  picture 
theatre  as  a  cultural  force  in  community  life, 
the  booklet  recommends  that  residents  of  the 
community  should  "know  your  neighborhood 
exhibitor,  stop  in  at  his  theatre.  Talk  with  him. 
You  will  find  him  a  friendly  chap,  eager  to  do 
his  part  for  America,  just  as  you  are.  There 
is  no  more  vital  work  in  town,  than  he  is  do- 
ing. He  is  our  contact  with  you.  He  will  gladly 
be  your  contact  with  us." 

In  conclusion,  the  pamphlet  forecasts  that 
"the  world  of  tomorrow  will  be  well  lighted 
by  the  silver  screen.  We  ask  your  help  to  that 
end.  We  pledge  you  our  fidelity  to  that  end." 


To  Film  Tuohy's  Life 

The  forthcoming  Twentieth  Century-Fox  pro- 
duction based  on  the  life  of  Roger  Tuohy,  will 
have  authentic  backgrounds  at  least.  Bryan  Foy, 
producer,  spent  last  week  in  Chicago,  filming 
the  Joliet  penitentiary  from  which  Tuohy  es- 
caped and  the  northside  hideout  where  he  was 
captured. 


Warners  Promote  Osborn 

Charles  R.  Osborn  has  been  appointed  field 
supervisor  of  the  film  checking  service  in  the 
Buffalo  and  Albany  territories  for  Warner 
Brothers,  succeeding  Ben  W.  Price. 


WARNER  BROS:  TRADE  SHOWINGS 

OF 


AIR  FORCE 


CITY 

PLACE  OF  SHOWING 

ADDRESS 

DAY  AND  DATE 

TIME 

AlHan  v 

Warner  Screening  Room 

79  N.  Pearl  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

j.j»..?u  Jr.ivi, 

Atlanta 

RKO  Screening  Room 

191  Walton  St.  N.  W. 

Tues.  2/23 

1  fi-ftrt  A  lvT 

Boston 

RKO  Screening  Room 

fc>  -~»-» 

122  Arlington  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

2 -on  P  M 

Buffalo 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm. 

464  Franklin  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

JL  %*m  \f  k7  •    mm  J    mm  *f 

lOW  ir.ivi. 

Charlotte 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

308  So.  Church  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

10-00  A  M 

AV»VU    Am.  •  m~  A.  • 

Chicago 

Warner  Screening  Room 

1307  S.  Wabash  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

1  '00   P  M 

Cincinnati 

RKO  Screening  Room 

Palace  Th.  Bldg.  E.  6th 

Tues.  2 /23 

7. 00  P  M 

V^lv  V  viCUlU 

Vv^arner  Screening  Room 

2300  Payne  Ave. 

Tues.  2  /23 

JL  UViJt    mm  1    mm  ^ 

8 -on  P  M 

o<UU  Jr.i.vi. 

Dallas 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm. 

412  S.  Harwood  St. 

Tues.  2  /23 

JL                J  *     mm  1     mm  *S 

Denver 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm. 

21st  &  Stout  Sts. 

Tues.  2/23 

2-00  P  M 

mm  »\J\J      XT  ll'll 

Des  lVfloines 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm. 

1125  High  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

12-45  P  M 

1*»»*Tj'    jl  •I.Tjl* 

Detroit 

Film  Exchange  Bldg. 

2310  Cass  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

1  '30  P  M 

HHIlclllclLUJllj 

20th  Centurv-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

326  No.  Illinois 

Tues.  2 /23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm. 

1802  Wyandotte  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

1  -30  P  M 

T  AC  AtlCTelPQ 

Warner  Exch.  Sc.  Rm* 

2025  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

1-30  P  M 

Momnnte 

lucmpnis 

Pafatnnnnt  Sf    R tn .  % 

XT  CtLalllVUlIi    UV-i    AX. All* 

362  S.  Second  St. 

Tues.  2  /23 

JL    UV  J  1     mm         mm  m* 

10-00  A  M 

i  »i  uwauKcc 

Warner  Th  Sc.  Rm. 

212  \Jt^.  \5Cisronsin  Ave. 

Tues.  2  /23 

JL  Uwi    mm       mm  *S 

1  '30  P  M 

1'iinn  capons 

20th  CVnturv-Fov  Sr.  Rm. 

1015  Currie  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

JL  V-»  W  J  »    mm  /    mm  ^ 

2-00  P  M 

New  Haven 

Warner  Th.  Proj.  Rm. 

70  College  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

2:00  P.M. 

New  Orleans 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

200  S.  Liberty  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

10:00  A.M. 

New  York 

Home  Office  Sc.  Rm. 

321  W.  44th  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

10:30  A.M. 

Oklahoma 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

10  North  Lee  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

9:00  A.M. 

Omaha 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1502  Davenport  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

1:00  P.M. 

Philadelphia 

Vine  St.  Sc.  Rm. 

1220  Vine  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

10:30  A.M. 

Pittsburgh 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

1715  Blvd.  of  Allies 

Tues.  2/23 

1:30  P.M. 

Portland 

Star  Screening  Room 

925  N.  W.  19th  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

2:00  P.M. 

Salt  Lake 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm. 

216  E.  1st  South 

Tues.  2/23 

2:00  P.M. 

San  Francisco 

Republic  Sc.  Rm. 

221  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

1:30  P.M. 

Seattle 

Jewel  Box  Sc.  Rm. 

2318  Second  Ave. 

Tues.  2/23 

1:00  P.M. 

St.  Louis 

S'renco  Sc.  Rm. 

3143  Olive  St. 

Tues.  2/23 

10:00  A.M. 

Washington 

Earle  Th.  Bldg. 

13*h  8C  E.  Sts.  N.  W. 

Tues.  2/23 

10:00  A.M. 

26 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


Cite  Capra  War  Film 
In  4th  Term  Attack 


"Prelude  to  War"  Used  as 
Roosevelt  Propaganda, 
Senator  Charges 

Washington  Bureau 

Lt.  Colonel  Frank  Capra's  war  documen- 
tary film,  "A  Prelude  to  War,"  produced  last 
year  for  the  Special  Services  Branch  of  the 
U.  S.  Army,  was  used  in  an  attack  against 
the  Administration  Monday,  when  Senator 
Holman  of  Oregon  charged  in  Washington 
that  Government  motion  pictures  as  well  as 
magazines  produced  ostensibly  to  further  the 
war  effort  were  in  reality  being  used  to  pro- 
mote a  fourth  term  for  President  Roosevelt. 

Although  the  Capra  picture  has  been 
shown  to  the  armed  forces,  as  one  of  the 
educational  films  produced  for  that  purpose, 
it  has  not  been  exhibited  in  film  theatres. 
It  had  a  public  showing  last  autumn  in  New 
York  at  the  Picture  Pioneers'  dinner.  At 
that  time,  industry  leaders  expressed  the 
desire  to  obtain  it  for  general  release  in 
theatres  but  the  Army  Special  Services 
Branch  refused  to  permit  its  theatrical  dis- 
tribution and  reserved  its  exhibition  only 
for  the  Army. 

Senator  Holman  introduced  a 
resolution  to  authorize  the  Appro- 
priations Committee  to  investigate 
the  production  and  distribution  of 
Government  films  and  magazines 
and  their  cost  to  the  taxpayers.  He 
said  he  had  arranged  for  "A  Prelude 
to  War"  to  be  shown  to  Senators 
in  the  caucus  room  of  the  Senate 
Office  Building  next  week  so  that 
they  could  see  the  "personal  and 
political  propaganda"  he  charged  it 
contained. 

Senator  Holman  referred  also  to  another 
picture,  "Spy  Ship,"  a  Warner  feature  re- 
leased last  August,  of  which  he  said,  "I 
understand  that  it,  too,  is  a  propaganda  pic- 
ture which  fosters  disunity  by  those  very 
persons  who  are  continually  shouting  'unity, 
unity !'  " 

OWI  Magazine  Also 
Is  Attacked 

A  viewing  of  the  Capra  film,  first  in  a  se- 
ries called  "Why  We  Fight,"  and  a  read- 
ing of  the  Government  magazine  Victory 
would  convince  any  one  that  "Mr.  Franklin 
D.  Roosevelt  is  to  seek  a  fourth  election  to 
the  Presidency,"  the  Senator  declared. 
While  the  magazine  and  some  of  the  motion 
pictures  are  designed  for  the  education  of 
troops  abroad  and  to  convince  them  of  the 
righteousness  of  the  American  cause  in  this 
war,  he  asserted  that  the  men  of  the  armed 
forces  were  potential  voters  and  that  much 
of  the  information  contained  in  films  and 
in  the  magazine  was  "window  dressing," 
hiding  the  real  purpose. 

Senator  Holman  told  his  colleagues  that 
Victory  was  published  by  the  Office  of 
War  Information  and  distributed  abroad, 
but  not  in  this  country.    He  quoted  two 


CAPRA  FILMS  IN  ARMY 
ORIENTATION  SHOW 

"A  Prelude  to  War,"  produced  by 
Lt.  Col.  Frank  Capra,  former  Holly- 
wood producer,  was  shown  Wednes- 
day afternoon  to  New  York  radio 
and  newspaper  men,  at  the  Museum 
of  Modern  Art.  It  is  for  orientation 
of  soldiers  and  is  the  first  of  a  series 
called  "Why  We  Fight." 

It  was  shown  as  part  of  an  exhibit 
of  the  Army  Orientation  Course, 
by  the  Services  of  Supply.  Also 
displayed  were  Army  news  maps, 
methods  of  field  current  events  dis- 
semination and  guide  books  to  for- 
eign lands. 


specific  items  contained  in  an  article  of  the 
magazine  which  he  characterized  as  proof 
of  a  "waste  of  public  funds." 

Senator  Danaher  of  Connecticut  inter- 
rupted him  to  voice  the  opinion  that  "so  ob- 
viously a  non-essential  expenditure"  was  in- 
volved that  the  Joint  Committee  on  Reduc- 
tion of  Non-Essential  Expenditures  ought 
to  investigate.  Minority  Leader  McNary 
said,  however,  that  he  thought  Senator  Hol- 
man's  resolution  ought  to  go  to  the  Appro- 
priations Committee,  since  that  group  could 
act  to  reduce  or  eliminate  appropriations 
which  might  be  requested  to  continue  publi- 
cation of  the  magazine. 

Other  than  the  general  criticism  of  "win- 
dow dressing"  directed  toward  the  Capra 
film,  Senator  Holman  did  not  describe  any 
specific  sequences  of  the  motion  picture  in 
question  to  support  his  contention  that  it 
was  being  used  as  a  political  influence. 


Canadian  Pioneers  Plan 
Toronto  Benefit  Ball 

Canadian  Motion  Picture  Pioneers  will  spon- 
sor a  film  ball  March  23rd,  at  the  Royal  York 
Hotel,  Toronto,  to  establish  a  sustaining  fund 
for  the  Pioneers'  benevolent  fund.  Arrange- 
ments for  the  event  are  under  direction  of  the 
entertainment  committee  of  which  Charles 
Mavety  is  chairman  and  Ben  Cronk  and  Archie 
Laurie,  members.  Tickets  are  scaled  from  $3.50 
to  $7.00. 

War  Bond  prizes  will  be  offered,  to  be  do- 
nated by  the  following:  $50  Bond,  Famous 
Players  Canadian  Corporation ;  $50  Bond,  J. 
J.  Fitzgibbons,  president  of  FPC ;  $25  War 
Savings  Certificates,  Paul  Nathanson,  Canadian 
Automatic  Confections,  Mavety  Film  Delivery 
Service,  Canadian  Moving  Picture  Digest  and 
Leo  Schles  inger  of  New  York.  Other  prizes 
will  be  donated  by  a  number  of  exhibitors,  in- 
cluding Loew's  theatre,  Toronto,  the  B.  &  F. 
theatre,  Toronto,  Sam  Bloom  and  Sam  Fine, 
and  Twentieth  Century  thatres. 


Fight  Sunday  Shows 

Citizens  in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  continue  their 
opposition  to  Sunday  films.  The  theatres  opened 
last  Sunday  for  the  first  time  to  enable  service 
men  stationed  there  to  attend  the  shows.  The 
houses  were  opened  by  Governor  Charles 
Edison,  acting  under  wartime  emergency  powers. 
According  to  the  town  folk  opposed  to  the  Sun- 
day films,  they  declared  that  they  checked  the 
first  day's  attendance  and  found  that  only  57 
uniformed  men  attended  the  matinee  and  but 
four  service  men  at  the  evening  shows. 


Vining  Resigns 
As  Chairman  of 
Canadian  WIB 

Following  the  recent  announcement  in  Mon- 
treal that  John  Grierson,  commissioner  of  the 
National  Film  Board  in  Canada,  has  been  ap- 
pointed general  manager  and  chief  executive 
officer  of  the  War  Information  Board,  it  was 
learned  in  New  York  this  week  that  Charles 
Vining,  chairman  of  the  WIB,  had  resigned 
because  of  ill  health.  A  new  chairman  has  not 
yet  been  named,  it  was  said.  The  War  Informa- 
tion Board,  organized  by  the  Canadian  Gov- 
ernment last  September,  operates  similarly  to 
the  U.  S.  Office  of  War  Information. 

On  January  28th  when  Mr.  Vining  announced 
the  Grierson  appointment  in  the  newly-created 
post  of  general  manager  of  the  WIB,  he  said 
that  Mr.  Grierson  would  retain  his  present 
position  with  the  Film  Board  but  that  "arrange- 
ments" would  be  made  "to  make  him  available 
for  his  new  duties."  Mr.  Vining  is  a  former 
director  of  the  Canadian  Newsprint  Association 
and  he  served  on  the  WIB  with  a  number  of 
high  officials  of  Canadian  Government  depart- 
ments who  are  members. 

Campbell  Smart,  former  Montreal  advertis- 
ing executive  who  was  an  associate  of  Mr. 
Vining's,  in  charge  of  foreign  activities  for  the 
WIB,  also  resigned,  it  was  reported  this  week. 
Frank  Ryan  has  been  named  acting  chief  in  his 
place.  David  Rogers,  former  managing  director 
of  the  Regina  Leader-Post,  remains  director  of 
the  domestic  branch. 

The  New  York  office  of  the  WIB  is  under 
the  supervision  of  Harry  Sedgwick,  who  has 
been  with  the  agency  since  its  inception.  Hugh 
Campbell  is  in  charge  of  the  Washington 
branch. 

Meanwhile,  the  National  Film  Board  an- 
nounced the  opening  of  an  office  in  Chicago  to 
handle  non-theatrical  distribution  in  the  U.  S. 
of  the  board's  productions.  Miss  J.  Margaret 
Carter  is  in  charge  and  the  office  is  located 
in  the  International  Relations  Center  Building 
at  84  East  Randolph  Street. 

A  supply  of  16mm.  prints  will  be  kept  on 
hand  for  shipment  to  educational  film  libraries, 
boards  of  education  and  dealers  throughout  the 
country.  Arrangements  already  have  been 
made,  it  was  reported,  with  Bell  &  Howell, 
Films,  Inc.,  and  Ideal  Pictures  Corporation  for 
release  of  a  block  of  16mm.  prints  of  the  board's 
productions  through  regional  exchanges. 

Among  the  titles  released  thus  far  are  the 
following  subjects  dealing  .with  the  war  pro- 
gram of  the  United  Nations :  "Atlantic  Patrol," 
"Battle  of  Brains,"  "Children  from  Overseas," 
"Tools  of  War,"  "Wings  of  Youth."  In  addi- 
tion, a  number  of  16mm.  films  depicting  Can- 
ada's technical  and  natural  resources  will  be 
distributed. 


Heads  St.  Louis  Group 

Jacob  M.  Lashly,  St.  Louis  attorney,  has  been 
named  president  of  the  St.  Louis  Municipal 
Theatre  Association.  He  succeeds  the  late 
Henry  W.  Kiel. 


Plan  Wide  Distribution 

"Beyond  the  Line  of  Duty,"  Warner  Broth- 
ers' short  subject  showing  the  exploits  of  Major 
Hewitt  T.  Wheless,  is  being  dubbed  in  Spanish, 
Portuguese,  Chinese,  French,  Dutch,  Norwegian 
and  Russian,  and  will  be  distributed  to  coun- 
tries speaking  those  languages  as  a  morale 
stimulant. 


February    13,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  27 

THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  3UREAU 


The  Hollywood  Victory  Committee, 
described  in  the  current  edition  of 
FAME  as  "civilization's  arsenal  of  Fame 
that  funnels  to  the  arsenal  of  Democracy 
the  priceless  and  gratis  munitions  of 
morale,"  established  a  new  record  of  serv- 
ice during  January. 

In  that  month,  according  to  the  organi- 
zation's report  of  activities,  the  HVC  pro- 
vided 350  personalities  who  made  758  in- 
dividuial  appearances  for  the  Army,  Navy 
Marine  Corps,  Coast  Guard  and  govern- 
mental agencies. 

The  report  shows  that  the  players  partici- 
pated in  47  special  USO  camp  shows,  15 
transcontinental  radio  broadcasts,  46  tran- 
scriptions for  short-wave  rebroadcast,  en- 
tertained in  52  military  establishments  head- 
lining traveling  USO-Camp  Show  tours 
and  made  personal  appearances  for  the 
Treasury  Department  and  charities  in  11 
cities,  including  attendance  at  the  Wash- 
ington observance  of  the  President's  birth- 
day for  the  benefit  of  the  Infantile  Paralysis 
Fund  Drive. 

Entertainment  of  the  armed  services,  al- 
ways given  first  call  by  the  HVC,  led  all 
branches  of  activity.  Twenty-five  spot  camp 
shows  and  30  transcriptions  were  made  for 
the  War  Department.  Twenty-two  camp 
spot  shows  were  staged  for  the  Navy,  Ma- 
rine Corps  and  Coast  Guard,  players  ap- 
pearing also  on  four  Navy  broadcasts. 
Twelve  transcriptions  were  recorded  for 
th,e  Office  of  War  Information  and  the 
Coordinator  of  Inter-American  Affairs,  and 
three  for  the  Treasury  Department. 

Shorts  Showing  Brings 
Audience  Response 

There  was  no  intent  to  program  the  show 
for  purposes  of  entertainment  in  the  show- 
manly  manner,  for  no  sale  of  tickets  was 
involved  and  there  was  to  be  no  second 
showing,  but  the  exhibition  of  short  subjects 
nominated  by  their  producers  for  the  Aca- 
demy of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences 
Awards  last  week  at  the  Filmarte  theatre 
did  everything  to  and  for  the  invited  guests 
that  showmen  dream  of  as  they  build  their 
programs.  The  applause,  the  laughter,  and 
in  some  cases  the  thrill  that  swept  the  audi- 
ence reminded  many  again  that  exhibitors 
have  not  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunitv 
to  establish  as  part  of  their  routine  an  oc- 
casional or  periodical  program  of  short  sub- 
jects for  their  customers. 

Screening  Was  for 
Judges'  Benefit 

The  screening  last  week  was  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  judges,  who,  sitting  in  a  section 
roped  off  for  seclusion,  marked  their  ballots 
in  the  voting  which  will  determine  the  sub- 
jects to  be  awarded  Oscars  on  March  4th. 
The  remainder  of  the  theatre  was  filled  to 
capacity  with  guests,  press  people  and  pro- 
fessionals, present  without  function  save  to 
observe  and  be  entertained.  Both  factions 
were. 

The  subjects  in  the  one-reel  group  were 
"Speaking  of  Animals  and  Their  Families." 
Paramount;    "Marines    in    the  Making," 


Hope  Film ,  "Jane  Eyre"  Start 

"Let's  Face  It,"  Bob  Hope's  next  vehicle  for  Paramount,  and  "Jane  Eyre,"  the  Orson 
Welles-Joan  Fontaine  vehicle  obtained  from  David  O.  Selznick  by  Twentieth  Century-Fox, 
were  standouts  on  Hollywood  starting  schedules  for  the  week,  which  ended  with  the  com- 
pletion of  nine  pictures  and  fhe  launching  of  eight,  bringing  the  production  index  figure 
to  39. 

The  week  by  studio,  title  and  condition  of  product: 


COMPLETED 

SHOOTING 

MGM 

Republic 

Columbia 

PRC 

Swing  Shift  Maisie 

Shantytown 

Redhead  from  Man- 

Girls in  Chains 

Above  Suspicion 

UA 

hattan 

RKO  Radio 

Private  Miss  Jones 

Lady     of  Burlesque 

Blondie  Buys  a  Horse 

Free  for  All 

Paramount 

(Stromberg) 

Attack  by  Night 

Fallen  Sparrow 

Good  Fellows 

Universal 

Sahara 

Sky's  the  Limit 

RKO-Radio 

Son  of  Dracula* 

MGM 

Falcon  Strikes  Back 

Petticoat  Larceny 

We've    Never  Been 

Right  About  Face 

Republic 

Licked 

Best  Foot  Forward 

King  of  the  Cowboys 

STARTED 

Girl  Grazy 

20th-Fox 

Faculty  Row 

Stormy  Weather 
Bomber's  Moon 

Monogram 

20th-Fox 

Bataan  Patrol 

Ghosts  in  the  Night 

Heaven  Can  Wait 

I  Dood  It 

UA 

Paramount 

Jane  Eyre 

Monogram 

Stage   Door  Canteen 

Let's  Face  It 

Universal 

Clancy  Street  Boys 

(Lesser) 

PRC 

Trombone  from 

Paramount 

Universal 

Ghost  and  the  Guest 

Heaven 

Riding  High 

Phantom  of  the  Opera 

Republic 

Alaska  Highway 

Cross  Your  Fingers 

Santa  Fe  Scouts 

Five  Graves  to  Cairo 

Corvettes  in  Action 

Man  Trap 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Lady  in  the  Dark 

Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 

*  Formerly  "Destiny." 

Old  Acquaintance 
Devotion 

MGM;  "United  States  Marine  Band,"  War- 
ners, and  "Desert  Wonderland,"  Twentieth 
Century-Fox. 

The  two-reel  group  consisted  of  "Pri- 
vate Smith  of  the  U.S.A.,"  RKO  Radio; 
"Don't  Talk,"  MGM,  and  "Beyond  the  Line 
of  Duty,"  Warners. 

In  the  cartoon  division  the  subjects  were 
"All  Out  for  V,"  Twentieth  Century-Fox; 
"Juke  Box  Jamboree,"  Universal;  "Tulips 
Shall  Grow,"  Paramount;  "Pigs  in  a  Pol- 
ka," Warners;  "Der  Fuehrer's  Face,"  RKO 
Radio,  and  "The  Blitz  Wolf,"  MGM. 

Col.  Levinson  Was  with 
Theodore  Roosevelt 

Col.  Nathan  Levinson,  head  of  Warners 
sound  engineering  and  pioneer  in  the  introduc- 
tion of  Vitaphone,  last  week  celebrated  his 
40th  anniversary  as  radio  and  sound  engineer. 
In  1903,  Col.  Levinson,  then  a  youngster,  was 
sent  by  Western  Union,  his  employers,  to  a 
demonstration  of  "wireless"  by  Marconi,  the 
inventor  of  wireless  telegraphy.  Since  then, 
communications  were  his  chief  interest. 

He  was  with  Theodore  Roosevelt  when  the 
then  President  visited  the  Panama  Canal.  After 
the  trip,  President  Roosevelt  reported  to  Con- 
gress that  he  was  much  impressed  with  the 
possibilities  of  the  wireless,  which,  he  said, 
would  enable  Naval  units  to  communicate  with 
each  other  at  great  distances. 

Serving  as  a  major  in  the  Signal  Corps  dur- 
ing the  last  war,  Col.  Levinson  16  years  ago 
joined  Warners,  which  was  then  actively  in- 
terested in  "talking  pictures." 

Another  anniversary  celebrated  last  week  was 
that  of  King  Vidor,  director,  who  passed  the 
24-year  mark  in  the  industry.   In  1919,  he  made 


his  first  feature  film,  "The  Turn  of  the  Road." 
At  that  time,  he  was  just  21. 

Rejected  by  the  Army  and  the  Navy  because 
of  the  effects  of  an  injury  suffered  during 
childhood,  Jimmy  Lydon  returns  to  Paramount 
to  continue  the  "Henry  Aldrich"  series.  His 
next  has  been  set  as  "Henry  Aldrich  Takes 
Over,"  in  the  course  of  which  he  becomes  boy 
mayor  for  a  day.  .  .  .  Alfred  Noyes,  English 
poet,  has  written  a  poem  and  will  narrate  it  for 
the  prologue  to  PRC's  "Corregidor."  The  com- 
pany owns  initial  publications  rights  to  the 
piece.  .  .  .  For  years  under  contract  to  20th 
Century-Fox,  Marjorie  Weaver  gets  her  first 
freelance  role  at  Paramount  in  "Let's  Face 
It,"  Bob  Hope  vehicle. 

Production  Starts  on 
"Saratoga  Trunk" 

Margo  returns  to  the  screen  with  a  role  op- 
posite Dennis  O'Keefe  in  RKO's  "The  Leop- 
ard Men."  .  .  .  Cast  to  head  the  players  in 
"Treasure  of  Sierra  Madre"  are  Humphrey 
Bogart,  Walter  Huston  and  John  Garfield. 
Henry  Blanke  will  produce  the  film,  which  will 
deal  with  the  hunt  for  a  lost  silver  mine  in 
Mexico.  .  .  .  The  title  of  "Unconquered,"  Ar- 
nold production  for  United  Artists,  has  been 
changed  to  "We  Killed  Hitler's  Hangman." 

Marcia  Davenport's  novel.  "Valley  of  Deci- 
sion," concerning  American  life,  has  been 
bought  by  M-G-M  for  a  Greer  Garson  vehicle. 
.  .  .  "Saratoga  Trunk"  is  supposed  to  get  under 
way  this  week  at  Warners  with  Ingrid  Berg- 
man and  Gary  Cooper  playing  opposite  each 
other,  and  Sam  Wood  directing.  The  trio  just 
completed  a  little  chore  at  Paramount  called 
"For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls."  .  .  .  Greek  act- 
ress Katina  Paxinou,  whose  first  film  role  was 
in  that  picture,  follows  it  up  with  "Hostages" 
at  the  same  studio. 


Tarzan!  "Boy1!  Cheeta!  They're  all  here  in 
this  tops-of-all  adventure!  Plus  a  new  jungle 
glamour  girl,  Zandra -famed  beauty,  Frances 
Gifford!  Packed  with  thrills  unmatched  on  any 
screen  ...  as  brutal,  marauding  beast -men 
invade  Tarzan's  jungle  kingdom  at  their  peril! 


30 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    13,  1943 


'Gaucho  War'  Voted 
Argentine's  Best 


"Green  Was  My  Valley" 
Named  Best  Foreign  Pic- 
ture of  1942 

by  NATALIO  BRUSKI 

in  Buenos  Aires 

"The  Gaucho  War"  has  been  voted  the 
best  native  Argentine  feature  of  1942  by  all 
four  organizations  conducting  selections  for 
the  years'  outstanding  film  achievements. 

Two  of  the  four  units  voted  "How  Green 
Was  My  Valley"  as  the  outstanding  foreign 
film  shown  in  Argentina  during  the  year, 
while  one  other  selected  "Mrs.  Miniver"  as 
the  best  foreign  film. 

The  four  groups  announcing  selections 
were:  Buenos  Aires  Municipal  Board,  the 
awards  of  which  are  designed  to  encourage 
domestic  production ;  the  Argentine  Acade- 
my of  Cinematographic  Arts  and  Sciences, 
the  Association  of  Argentine  Cinema 
Critics,  and  the  trade  journal  Heraldo  de 
Cinematografista.  The  Academy  and  the 
critics'  group  made  annual  selections  this 
year  for  the  first  time.  Following  are  the 
detailed  selections  of  the  various  groups. 

Buenos  Aires  Municipal 
Board  Selections 

The  Buenos  Aires  Municipal  Board  has 
made  the  following  selections: 

Best  film :  "The  Gaucho  War"  with  spe- 
cial mention  as  follows :  producer,  Associat- 
ed Argentine  Artists ;  performances,  Amelia 
Bence,  Francisco  Petrona ;  writers,  Ulises 
Petit  de  Murat  and  Romero  Manzi ;  art  di- 
rection, Lucas  Demare;  musical  composition, 
Lucio  Demare ;  technicians,  Jorge  DiLauro, 
Fernando  Murua  and  Humberto  Peruzzi. 

Next  best  film :  "Malambo"  with  special 
mention  as  follows :  producers,  Estableci- 
mientos  Filmadores  Argentinos  S.A. ;  writ- 
er, Hugo  MacDougall ;  art  direction,  Alberto 
de  Zavala ;  musical  composition,  Alberto 
Ginastera;  technicians,  Oscar  L.  Nourry, 
Carmel  Lobotrico;  performances,  Delia 
Garces,  Oscar  Valicelli. 

Best  animated  cartoon:  "Upa  in  Difficul- 
ties" (produced  by  the  Dante  Quinterno 
Syndicate). 

Best  producer  of  newsreels :  Panamerican 
Newsreels. 

Best  documentary  film:  "The  Llama 
Trail"  ("produced  by  the  Argentina  Sono 
Films  S.A.) 

Argentine  Academy 
Names  Choices 

The  Argentine  Academy  of  Cinematogra- 
phic Arts  and  Sciences  has  named  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Best  film,  "Gaucho  War";  best  director, 
Lucas  Demare  ("Gaucho  War")  ;  best  fe- 
male role,  Delia  Garces  ("Malambo")  ;  best 
male  role,  Francisco  Petrone  ("Gaucho 
War")  ;  best  male  character  role,  Ernesto 
Vilches  ("Her  First  Dance")  ;  best  original 
story,  Hugo  MacDougall  ("Malambo"); 
best  screen  adaptation,  Ulises  Petit  de  Mu- 


rat and  Homero  Manzi  ("Gaucho")  ;  best 
set  decorations,  Ralph  Pappier  and  Carlos 
Ferrarotti  ("In  Old  Buenos  Aires")  ;  best 
photography,  Jose  Suarez,  Roque  Funes  and 
A.  Merayo  ("Malambo")  :  best  camera 
work,  Humberto  Peruzzi  ("Gaucho  War")  ; 
best  sound  results,  Jorge  di  Lauro  and  Fer- 
nando Murua  ("Gaucho  War")  ;  best  origi- 
nal music,  Alberto  Ginastera  ("Malambo"); 
best  short  film  actor,  Fluvio  Testi  ("Nahuel 
Huapi")  ;  best  research  work,  Laboratorios 
Alex. 

Best  foreign  film :  "How  Green  Was  My 
Valley." 

Special  honors :  Ralph  Pappier  and  R. 
Roberts  for  special  effects  in  "The  Gaucho 
War" ;  Walt  Disney  for  production  of  "Sa- 
ludos  Amigos,"  and  Dante  Quinterno  for 
work  in  "Upa  in  Difficulties." 

Critics  Call  "Valley" 
Best  Foreign  Film 

The  Association  of  Argentine  Cinema 
Critics  has  made  the  following  awards : 

Best  film,  "The  Gaucho  War" ;  best  for- 
eign film,  "How  Green  Was  My  Valley" ; 
best  director,  Lucas  Demare  ("Gaucho 
War")  ;  best  actor,  Arturo  Garcia  Buhr 
("The  Children  Grow  Up")  ;  best  actress, 
Amelia  Bence  ("The  Third  Kiss");  best 
story,  Hugo  MacDougall  ("Malambo")  ; 
best  adaptation,  Ulises  Petit  de  Murat  and 
Romero  Manzi  ("Gaucho  War"). 

The  trade  publication  Heraldo  de  Cine- 
matografista has  named : 

Best  Argentine  film :  "The  Gaucho  War" ; 
best  foreign  films:  1.  "Mrs.  Miniver";  2. 
"How  Green  Was  My  Valley";  3.  "All 
That  Money  Can  Buy";  4.  "The  Stars  Look 
Down";  5.  "Here  Comes  Mr.  Jordan." 

Producers  Active 
In  Argentina 

Rafael  Frontaura  and  Chela  Cordero  have 
joined  the  cast  of  the  EFA  film,  "Almost  a 
Dream"  ("Casi  un  Sueno").  This  picture, 
with  Maria  Duval  in  the  leading  role,  is  now 
being  produced  under  the  direction  of  En- 
rique Amorim  in  the  Pampa  Film  studios. 

Director  Bayon  Herrera  has  returned 
from  Cordoba,  where  he  went  to  film  the 
outdoor  scenes  of  "Impossible  Passion" 
("Pasion  Imposible"),  the  EFA  super  film, 
featuring  Hugo  del  Carrill.  This  will  be 
the  first  release  of  the  EFA  studios  this 
season. 

Jose  Bohr,  who  has  just  finished  produc- 
ing and  directing  "27  Millions"  for  the 
Chilargen  studios,  states  that  he  will  pro- 
duce and  direct  three  more  pictures  for  this 
company — "Satan,  Jr.";  "Pants  in  My  Life" 
and  "We  Remember." 

"Southern  Frontier"  ("Frontera  Sur"),  a 
San  Bias  Film  production  to  be  distributed 
by  Argentina  Sono  Film,  was  released  at  a 
premiere  on  January  20th. 

The  filming  of  "Candida,  the  Woman  of 
the  Year"  ("Candida,  la  Mujer  del  Ano"), 
an  Argentina  Sono  Film  production,  has 
been  completed  with  Nini  Marshall,  this 
company's  exclusive  star,  in  the  leading 
role.     Augusto  Codeca,  Carlos  Morganti, 


Julio  Renato,  Alfredo  Jordan,  and  Edna 
Norrel  have  important  parts  in  "Candida, 
the  Woman  of  the  Year,"  the  remainder  of 
the  cast  including  Blanca  Vidal,  Lalo  Mal- 
colm and  Carlos  Delucci.  The  picture  was 
directed  by  Enrique  Santos  Discepolo,  while 
Menasche,  Meanos  and  Discepolo  himself 
were  responsible  for  the  story. 

Amadori  to  Direct  Five 
Films  This  Year 

Luis  Cesar  Amadori  has  begun  filming 
"Love  Letters"  ("Cartas  de  Amor")  for 
Argentina  Sono  Film,  from  a  story  by  Ga- 
briel Pena.  In  "Love  Letters,"  the  first 
of  five  pictures  which  Amadori  will  direct 
this  year  for  this  company,  the  leading  roles 
are  filled  by  Pedro  Lopez  Lagar  and  Amelia 
Bence,  the  stars  who  did  such  good  work 
in  "The  Third  Kiss"  ("El  Tercer  Beso") 
for  the  same  studios  and  director.  The  rest 
of  the  cast  has  not  yet  been  selected. 

The  forthcoming  production  of  the  EFA 
studios  based  on  the  well  known  story  of 
Ricardo  de  Alarcon,  "Captain  Poison"  ("El 
Capitan  Beneno")  is  proceeding  satisfactor- 
ily, with  Luis  Sandrini  in  the  leading  role. 
In  this  picture  Sandrini  has  a  completely 
different  part  than  those  with  which  his  au- 
dience is  familiar.  The  scope  of  this  film 
is  such  that  Sandrini  may  be  said  to  have 
undertaken  the  most  difficult  role  of  his 
career. 

There  is  intense  activity  in  the  San  Mi- 
guel studios,  where  four  new  productions  are 
now  being  filmed,  at  Bella  Vista  and  Side. 
The  films  are:  "Three  Men  of  the  River" 
("Tres  Hombres  del  Rio"),  "Men  Prefer 
Widows"  ("Los  Hombres  las  Prefieren 
Viudas"),  "Eclipse  of  the  Sun"  ("Eclipse 
de  Sol"),  and  "When  the  Orange  Blooms" 
("Cuando  Floreza  el  Naranjo"). 

New  Warner  Managers 
In  Wilmington  Theatres 

Changes  in  the  personnel  of  Warner  Broth- 
ers' theatres  in  Wilmington  have  been  an- 
nounced by  A.  J.  Vanni,  zone  manager.  Birk 
Binnard  has  succeeded  Richard  Kirsch  as  man- 
ager of  the  Queen  theatre.  Mr.  Kirsch  en- 
tered the  Army  last  month,  as  did  the  assist- 
ant manager,  Herbert  Slattery.  No  succes- 
sor has  been  named  to  his  position  as  yet. 

Helen  Tindall  has  been  appointed  acting 
manager  of  the  Ritz  theatre  in  place  of  Sidney 
Munter,  who  is  on  a  leave  of  absence  due  to 
ill  health.  She  is  the  first  woman  manager  of 
any  of  the  city's  theatres. 


Gledhill  Is  Army  Captain 

Donald  Gledhill,  formerly  executive  secretary 
of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences,  was  expected  to  report  last  week  to 
Washington  as  a  captain  in  the  Army  Signal 
Corps.  Walter  Wanger,  president  of  the  Aca- 
demy, has  announced  that  his  position  will  be 
filled  by  Mrs.  Gledhill. 


Would  Shift  Theatre  Control 

Iowa  theatre  exhibitors  are  interested  in  the 
passing  of  a  bill  that  has  been  introduced  in  the 
Iowa  Senate  to  place  supervision  of  construc- 
tion of  theatres,  halls,  auditoriums  and  other 
places  of  public  assembly  in  which  combustible 
films  are  used  under  jurisdiction  of  the  State 
Fire  Marshall. 


Needles  Returns  from  Army 

Erwin  Needles,  son  of  Henry  L.  Needles, 
Hartford  division  manager  for  Warner  Thea- 
tres, has  been  honorably  discharged  from  the 
Army,  after  serving  19  months  with  the  43rd 
Division  at  Camp  Blanding,  Fla. 


ST.  LOUIS,  DAVENPORT, 
ROCK  ISLAND,  DES  MOINES, 
MILWAUKEE,  MIAMI  BEACH! 


^TeWORV 


0b- 


$0- 


Seo»°n 


32 


MOTION    PICTURE  .HERALD 


February    13,    I  943 


CIO  Wins  in  Three 
N.  Y.  Exchanges 


Expect  400  at 
Variety  Club 
Convention 


NLRB  Election  Held  After 
Court  Fight;  Wage  Rise 
Sought  for  Extras 

The  International  Alliance  of  Theatrical 
Stage  Employees  was  defeated  last  week  in 
its  attempt  to  organize  clerical  workers  in 
the  New  York  exchanges  of  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox, Loew's  and  United  Artists. 

In  a  National  Labor  Relations  Board 
election  Friday,  February  5th,  the  CIO's 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Employees 
Guild,  Local  109,  was  selected.  The  count 
in  the  voting  was:  in  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox,  SOPEG,  17;  IATSE,  10;  in  Loew's, 
SOPEG,  31;  IATSE,  19;  in  United  Artists, 
SOPEG,  7;  IATSE,  3. 

The  elections  followed  a  court  fight  in 
which  the  IATSE  attempted  to  establish^  a 
national  clerical  workers'  exchange  unit,  cit- 
ing members  in  other  cities.  The  AFL 
union  maintains  complete  control  of  "back- 
room" exchange  workers,  however,  in  its 
"B"  locals. 

Contract  negotiations  between  SOPEG 
and  Paramount's  home  office,  and  the  Para- 
mount and  Famous  Music  Companies,  were 
resumed  this  week,  with  James  Fitzpatrick 
as  Federal  mediator. 

Meanwhile,  the  Screen  Publicists 
Guild,  also  CIO,  lost  its  attempt  to 
gain  for  members  the  cost  of  living 
bonuses  given  by  Paramount  last 
year.  Milton  Diamond,  arbitrator, 
ruled  last  week  that  when  the 
union  contracted  with  Paramount, 
members  assumed  the  status  of 
other  contract  employees;  that  is, 
wage  increases  are  provided  in  the 
contracts.  The  company  pointed 
out  that  the  bonus  was  not  paid  to 
contract  employees. 

Approval  of  the  War  Labor  Board  for 
pay  increases  up  to  15  per  cent  for  350 
"front  office"  workers  in  RKO  exchanges, 
has  been  obtained,  the  IATSE  announced 
last  week. 

Some  of  the  increases  are  retroactive  to 
September  9th,  when  the  IATSE  and  RKO 
signed  a  contract  on  a  national  basis  pro- 
viding for  a  flat  15  per  cent  increase  for 
front  office  employes  who  had  been  without 
pay  rises  since  January  1,  1941,  and  up  to 
that  amount  for  others.  The  retroactive 
clause  depends  on  the  time  of  formation  of 
the  local  union. 

Screen  Actors  Seek  Pay 
Increase  for  Extras 

In  Hollywood,  the  Screen  Actors  Guild  is 
once  again  seeking  increases  for  extras,  cit- 
ing the  rises  in  the  cost  of  living.  The  issue 
was  dropped  last  autumn,  when  Federal 
wage  stabilization  directives  were  issued. 

The  Central  Casting  Bureau's  annual  re- 
port last  week  showed  that  the  extras'  aver- 
age daily  wage  in  1942  was  $11.78.  In  1941, 
it  was  $11.50. 

The  international  executive  board  of  the 
IATSE  held  its  winter  meeting  in  Denver 


last  week  and  adjourned  after  spending  sev- 
eral days  on  routine  matters,  with  some  of 
the  members  going  to  the  coast,  where  they 
will  work  on  the  length  of  the  work  week 
and  the  manpower  shortage  in  the  studios. 
At  the  meeting  were  Richard  F.  Walsh, 
president ;  Louis  Krouse,  secretary-treasurer, 
and  Felix  D.  Snow,  William  P.  Covert, 
Harland  Holmden,  Floyd  M.  Billingsley, 
James  F.  Brennan,  Roger  M.  Kennedy, 
Carl  Cooper  and  William  P.  Raoul,  vice- 
presidents. 

The  Chicago  IATSE  Local  2,  stagehands, 
has  won  a  two-year  contract  providing  a 
five  per  cent  pay  rise  the  first  year,  and 
three  per  cent  the  second.  It  is  retroactive 
to  September,  1942,  and  requires  the  ap- 
proval of  the  War  Labor  Board. 

The  Motion  Picture  Film  Editors,  New 
York,  has  elected  John  E.  Michon  as  presi- 
dent; Harry  Foster,  vice-president;  Joseph 
Vadela,  secretary;  Morris  Roizman,  treasur- 
er. Trustees  are  James  Molini,  Max  Roth- 
stein  and  Fred  Ahrens.  On  the  executive 
board  are  the  officers  and  Nathan  Cy  Braun- 
stein,  Michael  Prusch  and  Dan  Heiss. 


WomenPromoted 
By  20th-Fox 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  announced  the 
promotion  of  14  women  in  its  branch  offices  in 
the  United  States  and  Canada.  The  promotions 
among  women  employees  in  the  last  five  months 
have  totaled  90. 

Included  are  three  head  bookers,  Elizabeth 
Bacon,  New  Orleans ;  Florence  Patke,  St. 
Louis,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Young,  Washington. 
Miss  Bacon  and  Miss  Patke  were  recently  pro- 
moted while  Mrs.  Young  has  held  her  position 
as  the  only  woman  head  booker  for  the  com- 
pany for  some  time. 

Seven  women  also  have  been  named  adver- 
tising sales  managers.  They  are  Jane  Mul- 
cahey,  Denver ;  Mrs.  Eva  Daniel,  Minneapolis ; 
Mrs.  Helen  Remigi,  Salt  Lake  City ;  Mrs.  Ruth 
Bateman,  Oklahoma  City ;  Mrs.  Louella  Fra- 
zier,  San  Francisco ;  Mrs.  Alberta  Gilbert,  Des 
Moines,  and  Annabelle  Kelly,  Cincinnati.  Miss 
Kelly  has  held  her  position  for  several  years, 
while  the  others  were  appointed  during  the  past 
two  months. 

Branch  managers  were  instructed  by  Tom  J. 
Connors,  vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion, to  develop  feminine  employees  for  promo- 
tions in  the  delivery  departments,  while  other 
women  have  taken  posts  in  the  cashier,  book- 
keeping and  stenographic  sections.  At  least  30 
girls  have  risen  from  the  film  inspection  depart- 
ment to  take  up  new  duties  in  the  office  cate- 
gories after  taking  evening  courses  at  business 
colleges  or  commercial  schools. 

Company  sales  executives  have  expressed 
satisfaction  with  the  efficient  results  obtained. 


A  larger  attendance  than  previously  an- 
nounced was  predicted  for  the  National  Variety 
Club  convention  in  Chicago  on  February  19th- 
21st,  following  the  Chicago  club's  announce- 
ment that  approximately  125  members  from 
that  chapter  would  raise  the  figure  to  almost 
400. 

The  increased  reservations  caused  a  switch 
in  location  for  the  banquet.  It  was  expected  that 
the  Blackstone  Hotel  would  comfortably  accom- 
modate the  delegates,  but  it  has  been  announced 
now  that  the  Drake  Hotel  with  its  larger  facil- 
ities will  be  used.  However,  the  business  ses- 
sions and  official  convention  headquarters  still 
remain  at  the  Blackstone. 

Henry  Elman,  national  convention  chairman 
from  Chicago,  is  formulating  plans  with  his 
committee  for-  the  program  of  events  and  en- 
tertainment, together  with  the  list  of  speakers. 
The  Chicago  tent  will  be  inducted  formally  and 
receive  its  charter  on  February  20th  at  the 
banquet. 

John  H.  Harris,  national  chief  barker,  is  ex- 
pected to  outline  the  many  war  activities  con- 
ducted by  the  Variety  Clubs  in  his  opening 
address  to  the  convention  delegates  on  Feb- 
ruary 19th.  Another  report  on  the  past  year's 
activities  will  be  submitted  by  the  heart  com- 
mittees, local  groups  that  carry  out  the  charity 
work  of  each  tent.  It  is  expected  that  repre- 
sentatives from  the  production  companies  also 
will  be  on  hand,  and  several  sales  executives 
already  have  expressed  their  intention  of  con- 
ducting regional  sales  meetings  with  district 
and  division  managers  in  spare  time  during  the 
convention  dates. 

Mr.  Harris  said  last  week  that  the  present 
war  emergency  requires  an  even  greater  effort 
than  before  on  the  part  of  the  tents,  and  he  is 
expected  to  establish  the  platform  of  the  clubs 
for  further  coooperation  and  activity  on  the 
home  front.  He  praised  the  clubs'  records  by 
saying,  "Few  people  in  the  industry  realize  the 
tremendous  job  the  clubs  have  done  without  any 
fanfare  of  trumpets  or  personal  publicity.  It  is 
high  time  a  complete  report  was  issued  and 
the  Chicago  convention  appears  to  be  the  best 
time  and  place  to  make  it." 


Warners  Remove  Teletypes 
To  Aid  War  Effort 

Teletype  machines  have  been  ordered  removed 
from  all  Warner  branch  offices,  the  company 
announced  this  week.  The  move  is  designed 
to  reduce  the  wire  traffic,  thus  aiding  the  war 
effort.  The  machines  are  to  be  turned  over  to 
the  Postal  Telegraph  and  Western  Union 
companies  as  part  of  the  communications 
equipment  urgently  requested  by  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  two  wire  services  will  be  used  by  War- 
ner Brothers  hereafter  to  conduct  the  usual 
business  between  the  home  office  and  branches. 


Aid  400  Patrons  in  Fire 

Two  employees  of  the  Joy  theatre  at  Belzoni, 
Miss.,  are  in  a  critical  condition  following  their 
action  in  aiding  the  evacuation  of  400  patrons 
following  a  fire  which  caused  $13,000  damage 
to  the  theatre  recently.  James  Smith,  projec- 
tionist, suffered  third  degree  burns,  and  Vera 
Cummings,  cashier,  was  burned  about  the  face 
and  arms. 


AFM  Local  Reelects  Officers 

Local  140  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Musicians  in  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.,  has  announced 
that  the  following  officers  were  reelected  re- 
cently at  its  annual  meeting :  Donald  MacLus- 
kie,  president ;  Robert  Knecht,  vice-president ; 
Charles  E.  Tite,  recording  secretary ;  Charles 
E.  Williams,  financial  secretary ;  Peter  J.  Klein- 
kauf,  treasurer  :  Frank  Magalski,  business  asrent. 
William  Christian,  Joseph  Marrone,  George  Buy- 
nak  and  Frank  Mesh  were  appointed  to  the 
board  of  trustees ;  Edward  Venzel,  William 
Gilbert  and  Leo  Jacobs  were  appointed  to  the 
examining  board ;  and  John  Baker,  John  Pechu- 
lis  and  Byron  Barney  were  appointed  trustees. 


*V«M6RS 


HENRY  WILCOXON 
PATRICK  BROOK 
WILLIAM  DEMAREST 
RUTH  DONNEL 


i 


JOHNNY 
OUGHBOY 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  20  MINUS  CLUB 

BOBBY  BREEN 
BABY  SANDY 
"ALFALFA"  SWITZER 
"SPANKY"  McFARLAND 
BUTCH  AND  BUDDY 
CORA  SUE  COLLINS 
ROBERT  COOGAN 


Associate  Producer-Director— JOHN  H.  AUER 
Screen  Play  by  Lawrence  Kimble 
Original  story  by  Frederick  Kohner 


buv  u.s.  uiRRsnuincs  Bonos 


34 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Public  Interest  Vital 
Arbitrator  Says 


Decision  Halves  U-Days' 
Clearance  for  "Good"  of 
the  Industry 

Long  lange  consideration  for  the  good  of 
the  industry  and  the  public  was  urged  upon 
film  arbitrators  in  a  New  York  decision  this 
week  which  cut  in  half  the  14  day  clear- 
ances over  the  Savoy  theatre,  in  Bloomfield, 

N-  J-  ,  j 

Julius  Henry  Cohen,  arbitrator,  ordered 

Warners,  RKO,  Paramount,  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox and  Loew's  to  grant  a  maximum 
of  seven  days  clearance  to  the  Royal  theatre 
over  the  Savoy  and  eliminated  all  clearance 
in  favor  of  the  Broadmoor  over  the  Savoy. 
Samuel  Hochberg  is  the  complainant  while 
Rapf  and  Rudin  operate  the  two  intervening 
circuit  theatres.  It  was  the  33rd  New  York 
case. 

Costs  were  assessed  one-third  against 
Warners,  one-third  against  the  intervenor 
and  the  balance  against  the  other  distribu- 
tors. 

"We  think  it  is  clear  that  in  the 
interest  of  the  industry  as  a  whole, 
as  a  matter  of  sheer  long  range 
policy  and  in  the  interest  of  the 
public  as  well  that  free  enterprise 
should  be  encouraged  on  the  part 
of  exhibitors  as  well  as  producers," 
Mr.  Cohen  wrote  in  his  opinion. 

On  this  basis  he  declared  that  it  was  contrary 
to  the  best  interests  to  grant  special  considera- 
tion to  the  Savoy  or  Broadmoor.  Their  clear- 
ances he  found  unwarranted  by  the  competitive 
requirements  of  Section  VIII.  No  competition 
exists  with  the  Broadmoor  and  the  competi- 
tion with  the  Royal  warrants  only  the  seven  day 
margin  generally  accepted  in  the  Metropolitan 
New  York  area,  he  ruled. 

Although  conceding  evidence  of  a  20  per 
cent  participation  by  Warners  in  Rapf  and 
Rudin  grosses,  Mr.  Cohen  ruled  that  this  did 
not  warrant  dismissal  under  the  provisions  of 
Section  XVII.  The  distributor  and  circuit  are 
not  truly  affiliated  but  rather  in  a  nominal  part- 
nership arrangement,  he  found. 

"It  would  be  a  travesty  upon  the  intent  of 
the  Decree  if  in  these  circumstances  we  could 
give  no  relief  to  the  complainant  against  Vita- 
graph  because  Royal  is  a  licensee  of  Vita- 
graph,"  Mr.  Cohen  commented. 

The  arbitrator  is  general  counsel  for  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York  State. 

New  York 

A  consent  settlement  ended  the  27th  New 
York  complaint  Monday  after  a  year  and  three 
months  when  the  Strand  theatre,  Plainfreld, 
N.  J.,  dropped  its  clearance  demand  against 
the  five  distributors  and  the  Paramount, 
Loew's,  Branford,  Proctor's  Palace  theatres  in 
Newark.  Terms  of  the  settlement  were  not  dis- 
closed. The  case  was  dismissed  by  arbitrator 
Osmond  K.  Fraenkel  without  prejudice  after  he 
received  a  general  stipulation.  The  case  was 
filed  in  November  1941. 

Chicago 

The  Gary  Theatre  Company's  clearance  case 
in  behalf  of  their  Palace,  Gary,  Ind.,  which  had 
been  continued  eight  times  since  it  was  inaugu- 


rated June  1,  1942,  was  disposed  of  in  one  day 
by  arbitrator  Benjamin  Wham,  last  week.  He 
said  that  he  would  make  his  ruling  on  state- 
ments of  counsel  and  briefs.    It  is  case  No.  18. 

The  arbitrator  said  that  he  believed  the  pur- 
pose of  arbitration  was  a  speedy,  just  and  eco- 
nomic determination  and  to  that  end  he  asked 
for  statements  to  clarify  the  issues. 

The  case,  against  Loew's,  Paramount,  RKO 
Radio  Pictures,  Inc.,  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
and  Vitagraph,  Inc.,  asks  elimination  of  clear- 
ance granted  the  Tivoli,  Lido  and  Lake  thea- 
tres of  Valparaiso,  Ind'.,  and  the  Palace  of 
Chesterton,  Ind.,  later  being  amended  to  include 
the  Tivoli,  Southtown,  Avalon,  Capitol  and 
Chicago  theatres  in  Chicago.  Intervenors  repre- 
sented about  twenty  theatres  in  Chicago  and 
nearby  cities. 

The  large  number  of  attorneys  and  district 
managers  on  hand  were  surprised  when  Mr. 
Wham  stated  that  he  believed  he  had  sufficient 
before  him  to  make  an  award  and  that  no  tes- 
timony, either  in  support  of  or  against  the  com- 
plainants contention  would  be  needed. 

Mr.  Wham  also  indicated  that  the  award 
would  be  against  the  complainants  demands.  The 
complainant  immediately  announced  his  inten- 
tion to  appeal. 

The  right  to  maintain  clearance  agreements 
until  1948  under  long  term  franchise  was  de- 
bated at  the  Appeal  Board  last  Thursday  when, 
for  the  second  time,  the  high  court  of  film 
arbitration  granted  an  oral|  hearing.  They 
listened  to  the  appeal  by  the  Julius  Joelson 
circuit  of  the  dismissal  of  its  clearance  case 
against  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  Warners,  RKO 
and  the  Skouras  circuit.  The  25th  and  26th 
New  York  cases  were  consolidated. 

John  Caskey,  attorney  for  20th  Century-Fox, 
argued  that  the  franchise  under  which  Skouras 
operates  the  Valentine  theatre,  in  the  Bronx, 
dates  from  the  liquidation  of  Fox-Metropolitan 
10  years  ago.  It  runs  until  1948.  Under  Sec- 
tion XV  of  the  decree,  he  asserted,  an  award 
could  not  take  effect  until  the  expiration  of 
this  agreement.  Mr.  Caskey  disclosed  that  it 
is  one  of  only  five  or  six  such  long  term  deals 
still  in  effect. 

Counsel  for  the  complainant,  Monroe  Stein, 
told  the  Board  that  clearance  in  favor  of  the 
Valentine  over  JJ's  Avalon,  Oxford,  Jerome, 
and  Kingsbridge  theatres  was  in  effect  rene- 
gotiated more  frequently  and  asked  a  reduc- 
tion. Howard  Levinson,  for  Warners,  asked  the 
maintenance  of  the  customary  seven  day  New 
York  clearance  margin.  C.  S.  Landau  repre- 
sented RKO  and  Louis  Schwartz  the  Skouras 
circuit. 

The  board  reserved  decision. 


Discrimination  Charge  Brought 

Because  Calvin  Thomas,  a  Negro  patron, 
claims  to  have  been  denied  the  purchase  of  an 
admission  ticket  on  February  2nd,  to  the  Xenia 
theatre,  at  Xenia,  Ohio,  a  unit  of  the  Chakeres 
circuit  at  Springfield,  Ohio,  Prosecuting  Attor- 
ney Marcus  Shoup  has  ordered  the  house  closed 
and  the  arrest  of  James  T.  Hibbert,  manager, 
on  charges  of  racial  discrimination,  it  is  learned. 


Visit  Warner  Home  Office 

Norman  Ayers  and  Robert  Smeltzer,  War- 
ner's eastern  and  mid-Atlantic  division  man- 
agers respectively,  arrived  in  New  York  on 
Monday  for  conferences  with  Ben  Kalmenson, 
general  sales  manager. 


February    13,  1943 

LATE  REVIEW 

Young  and  Willing 

(United  Artists) 
Farce 

This  United  Artists  acquisition  from  Para- 
mount sags  below  the  standard  set  by  others 
in  the  lot  which  have  been  tradeshown.  It  is 
from  the  stage  play  "Out  of  the  Frying  Pan" 
and  occurs  mostly  inside  an  apartment  setting 
which  intensifies  the  monotony  of  dialogue  vari- 
ations on  the  old  theme  of  the  struggling  young 
actors  in  quest  of  a  producer.  Its  usefulness 
for  billing  purposes,  in  view  of  the  names  avail- 
able, surpasses  its  value  as  entertainment  The 
screenplay  by  Virginia  Van  Upp  spreads  em- 
phasis over  seven  young  people  and  three  elders 
in  such  fashion  that  none  of  them  claim  inter- 
est. The  tale  boils  down  to  repartee,  some 
tinged  with  blue,  exchanged  by  three  young 
women  and  three  young  men  who  share  an 
apartment  while  awaiting  employment  as  actors. 
Robert  Benchley  as  a  producer  present  too  in- 
frequently supplies  the  moments  of  solid  amuse- 
ment. 

Produced  and  directed  by  Edward  Griffith, 
the  film  adds  little  to  his  prestige  and  that  of 

the  players. 

Previewed  in  UA  Projection  Room.  Review- 
er's Ratings:  Mediocre. 

William  R.  Weaver 

Release  date,  January  29,  1943.  Running  time,  82 
min.  PCA  No.  7920.  Adult  audience  classification. 
William  Holden,  Susan  Hayward,  Eddie  Bracken,  Rob- 
ert Benchley,  Martha  O'Driscoll,  Barbara  Britton,  Jim 
Brown,  Florence  MacMichael,  Mabel  Paige,  Jay  Fas- 
sett. 


Large  Audiences  View 
16mm.  Films  in  Brazil 

A  total  of  330  non-theatrical  motion  pictures 
were  shown  to  approximately  122,600  persons 
in  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil,  in  November, 
1942,  it  was  reported  this  week  by  Foreign 
Commerce  Weekly,  official  publication  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce.  The  films  exhibited 
under  the  auspices  of  Uniao  Cultural  Brasil- 
Estados  Unidos,  included  five  35mm.  pictures 
and  325  in  16mm.  The  magazine  also  reported 
that  between  March  23rd  and  November  30th  of 
last  year,  more  than  310,000  persons  attended 
showings  of  766  of  the  16mm.  films,  and  12,600 
persons  viewed  32  films  in  35mm.  in  that  ter- 
ritory. 


Jack  Goldstein  Heads 
20th-Fox  Publicity 

Jack  Goldstein  this  week  succeeded  Richard 
Condon  as  publicity  manager  at  the  Twentieth 
Century  Fox  home  office  in  New  York. 

Mr.  Condon  has  been  given  special  exploita- 
tion duties  at  the  studio. 

Mr.  Goldstein  has  a  background  of  22  years 
in  publicity  and  advertising.  He  was  exploita- 
tion manager  at  United  Artists,  publicity  di- 
rector for  the  New  England  Theatres  Operat- 
ing Corporation,  advertising  manager  for  Pub- 
lix  theatres  in  Boston,  advertising  and  publicity 
director  for  RKO  theatres  in  New  England, 
and  held  many  other  posts. 


Circuit  Trains  Women 

A  training  school  for  women  has  been  insti- 
tuted by  the  Paramount-Richards  circuit  to  pro- 
vide trained  personnel  for  its  theatres  through- 
out the  South.  The  school  is  located  at  the 
company  headquarters  in  New  Orleans. 


Named  Theatre  Manager 

Richard  G.  Moffett,  formerly  film  editor  of 
the  Florida  Times-Union,  has  been  appointed 
manager  of  the  St.  John's  theatre,  first  run 
Warner  house  in  Jacksonville. 


Abbott-Costello  Visit  Camps 

Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello  currently  are 
touring  Army  and  Navy  posts  for  the  USO- 
Camp  Shows.  Their  itinerary  includes  stops  in 
New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Maryland. 


First  the  Loew  Circuit  all  over  the  country  re- 
ported sizzling  business.  Now  Robb  &  Rowley 
wire  ''All  musical  records  topped  at  the 
CENTRE,  CORPUS  CHRISTI,  TEXAS  and  the 
CAPITOL,  LITTLE  ROCK,  ARKANSAS!" 

( It  tops  records  because  it's  tops.,, with  the  screen  s 
most  beautiful  girls  —  with  Dennis  Day,  singing 
star  of  Jack  Benny's  radio  program— with  Benny 
Goodman' s  music.  All  this,  PLUS  a  grand,  youthful 
clever  story  as  smooth  as  The  Bowers  Girl  herself! ) 


36 

Film  War  Effort 
Is  Outlined  in 
WAC  Booklet 

All  aspects  of  motion  picture  industry  cooper- 
ation in  the  war  effort  are  summarized  m  a 
new  booklet,  "Movies  at  War,"  published  this 
week  by  the  War  Activities  Committee.  It  will 
be  distributed  throughout  the  industry  to  serve 
as  a  handbook  and  a  source  of  information 
about  war  work  for  exhibitors,  exchange  men, 
distributors  and  WAC  regional  publicity  repre- 
sentatives. 

The  30-page  summary  of  WAC  work  to  date, 
and  plans  for  1943  was  prepared  by  the  national 
staff  at  New  York  under  the  direction  of 
Francis  Harmon,  executive  secretary,  and  Os- 
car Doob,  national  publicity  chairman. 

Theatres  will  receive  16,500  of  the  35,000 
copies  of  the  booklet,  while  3,100  copies  will  be 
sent  to  exchange  center  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee chairmen.  Regional  publicity  agents  will 
receive  1,400  copies,  while  others  will  be  dis- 
tributed to  home  offices  and  to  other  industry 
organizations. 

"Every  member  of  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try is  engaged  directly  or  indirectly  in  the  war 
activities  outlined  in  these  pages"  a  foreword  to 
the  pamphlet  said.  "More  than  200,000  men  and 
women  ...  in  this  art-industry  constitute  the 
front  line  of  this  voluntary,  patriotic,  all-out 
mobilization  for  victory  and  peace.  Few  have 
their  names  on  committee  letterneads.  All  have 
their  part  in  the  common  task.  To  all  these  this 
report  is  addressed." 

Listed  and  described  under  the  chapter  "Films 
fight  for  freedom"  are  U.  S.  Government  Vic- 
tory films,  the  industry's  America  Speaks  se- 
ries and  films  provided  for  the  armed  services, 
Red  Cross  and  other  agencies.  Also  the  war 
films  made  by  allied  nations,  and  in  this  country 
by  newsreels  and  studios  for  army  training, 
South  America  and  special  strategic  purposes 
are  mentioned. 

Other  chapters  include  "Hats  Off  to  the 
Moviegoers,"  reporting  on  audience  response  to 
drives,  "Stars  Over  America,"  "With  the 
Colors,"  "Technicians  Take  a  Bow,"  "Looking 
Ahead"  and  "Winning  the  Peace." 

Copies  of  the  booklet  will  be  mailed  by  the 
national  committee  to  all  WAC  members.  They 
may  also  be  obtained  from  local  chairmen  or  the 
national  WAC  office,  1501  Broadway,  New 
York. 

"Human  Comedy"  To  Open 
March  2nd  at  Astor 

MGM's  film  version  of  William  Saroyan's 
forthcoming  novel,  "The  Human  Comedy,"  will 
have  its  world  premiere  at  the  Astor  theatre 
in  New  York,  March  2nd,  the  company  an- 
nounced this  week.  Mickey  Rooney  is  starred 
and  the  cast  includes  Frank  Morgan,  James 
Craig,  Marsha  Hunt,  Fay  Bainter,  Ray  Collins 
and  Van  Johnson,  among  others.  Clarence 
Brown  produced  and  directed  the  picture.  How- 
ard Estabrook  wrote  the  screenplay  adapted 
from  the  Saroyan  novel.  It  will  play  a  continu- 
ous-performance, popular-price  engagement  at 
the  Astor. 

Premiere  of  Monogram's  big-budget  produc- 
tion, "Silver  Skates."  was  held  at  the  Cameo 
theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  on  Wednesday.  The 
film  will  play  the  Keith  theatre,  Boston,  and 
Metropolitan,  Washington,  early  in  March,  the 
company  announced. 


To  Manage  Three  Theatres 

The  management  of  the  Rapids,  Esquire  and 
Dodge  theatres  in  Iowa,  owned  by  Theodore 
Karatz  and  Joseph  Numero,  has  been  taken  over 
by  the  Berger  Amusement  Company  of  Minne- 
apolis. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Lissim  To  Lecture  on 
Film  Industry 

Vladimir  M.  Lissim,  foreign  division  manager 
of  RKO,  will  begin  a  series  of  lectures  on  the 
motion  picture  industry  on  February  25th,  in 
the  New  School  for  Social  Research,  New 
York.  Subject  of  his  first  lecture  is  "The  Legal 
Aspect  of  Motion  Picture  Copyright  or  Who  Is 
the  Copyright  Owner  of  a  Motion  Picture."  In- 
vitation to  Mr.  Lissim  to  give  the  lectures  was 
extended  by  Professor  Boris  Mirkine-Guetze- 
vitch,  president  of  the  Institute  of  Comparative 
Law. 

Prior  to  his  entry  in  the  motion  picture  field, 
Mr.  Lissim,  who  is  considered  an  authority  on 
international  copyright,  studied  international 
law  in  Berlin ;  Kiev,  Russia,  and  Paris.  For 
many  years  he  was  assistant  to  the  European 
general  manager  of  RKO  in  Paris.  He  arrived 
in  the  U.  S.  in  1940  following  the  German  oc- 
cupation and  since  then  has  been  associated  in 
the  company's  foreign  department. 


Paramount  Nutrition  Class 

The  Paramount  women  employees  will  attend 
their  first  nutrition  class  on  February  16th  at 
the  recreation  room  at  the  home  office.  Classes 
will  be  held  every  Tuesday  thereafter.  The 
group  will  be  instructed  by  Margaret  H.  Kings- 
ley,  assistant  director  of  Good  Housekeeping 
Bureau. 


Autry  Reissues  Advertised 

Republic  Pictures  has'  placed  advertising  with 
magazines  announcing  the  reissue  of  eight  Gene 
Autry  pictures,  the  company  disclosed  this 
week.  "Boots  and  Saddles"  is  the  first  reis- 
sue. 


February     13,  1943 


"Fantasia"  Establishing 
Holdover  Records 

Walt  Disney's  "Fantasia",  now  in  its  ninth 
week  at  the  Little  Carnegie  theatre,  New  York, 
after  a  50-week  roadshow  engagement  at  the 
Broadway  theatre  last  year  and  an  additional 
eight  weeks  of  the  revised  version,  is  accumulat- 
ing a  holdover  record. 

The  Little  theatre,  Rochester,  recently  con- 
cluded a  three-week  engagement  of  the  full 
version,  following  first  run  and  general  release 
engagements  in  that  city  of  the  revised,  RKO 
Radio  release  version.  The  Mercury  theatre, 
Buffalo ;  The  Little  theatre,  Newark,  N.  J., 
and  The  Garden  theatre,  Princeton,  N.  Y.,  have 
booked  the  full  version  of  "Fantasia"  for  in- 
definite runs. 

In  London,  the  Studio  One  theatre  played 
"Fantasia"  for  31  weeks  with  a  return  engage- 
ment after  it  had  run  20  weeks  at  the  New 
Gallery  theatre.  In  Sydney,  Australia,  "Fan- 
tasia" played  a  15-week  first  run  at  the  Embassy 
theatre  and  10  weeks  in  its  first  return  engage- 
ment there  at  the  Savoy.  At  both  the  Royal 
and  Picadilly  theatres  in  Perth,  Australia, 
"Fantasia"  broke  records. 


50  Holiday  Bookings  Set 
For  Warner  Film 

"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  has  been  set  for  40 
RKO  theatres,  four  Randforce,  four  Skouras 
and  two  Century  theatres  on  Washington's 
Birthday,  February  22nd.  The  entire  50  book- 
ings will  run  simultaneously. 

Warner  Brothers  said  that  it  is  one  of  the 
largest  holiday  deals  ever  negotiated  by  the 
company  in  the  metropolitan  New  York  area. 


Reissues  at  Minimum,  Despite 
Raw  Stock  Shortages 

Reissues,  in  the  accepted  trade  sense  of  new  prints  and  new  advertising,  are  at 
a  minimum  in  the  product  market  at  present,  in  spite  of  the  raw  stock  shortage, 
the  tendency  toward  longer  runs  and  the  limiting  of  picture  production  to  schedules 
previously  announced.  However,  several  exchanges,  because  of  local  popularity 
of  given  feature  offerings,  still  are  renting  pictures  officially  withdrawn.  In  some 
instances  there  will  be  a  revision  of  the  footage  to  eliminate  any  elements  that 
are  outdated  or  which  smack  of  antiquity. 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  Columbia,  Universal,  Paramount,  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  and  United  Artists  are  definitely  off  the  reissue  policy  for  the  coming  months. 
RKO  is  meeting  its  full  schedule  and  will  only  reissue  if  the  situation  seems  to 
warrant. 

Warner  Brothers  is  sales  driving  on  pictures  several  years  old  where  the  prints 
are  in  good  running  condition.  They  will  have  one  definite  reissue,  "Varsity  Show". 

Monogram  will  reissue  the  entire  Buck  Jones  series  of  seven  feature  Westerns, 
as  cowpuncher  attire  doesn't  change  in  style  as  the  years  pass  on.  Interest  in  the 
Buck  Jones  pictures  has  increased  since  his  tragic  death  in  the  Cocoanut  Grove 
disaster  in  Boston.  The  seven  are  "Arizona  Bound",  "Gunman  from  Bodie",  "For- 
bidden Trails",  "Below  the  Border",  "Ghost  Town  Law",  "Down  Texas  Way"  and 
"Riders  of  the  West".  The  new  prints  of  all  seven  are  scheduled  to  be  ready  for 
release  by  the  end  of  February. 

Republic  is  reissuing  eight  of  the  Gene  Autry  Westerns,  in  addition  to  its 
66  new  features  and  four  serials.  The  first  Autry  reissue,  "Boots  and  Saddles",  is 
already  on  the  market.  The  other  seven  will  be  released  as  follows:  "South  of  the 
Border",  March  1st;  "Gaucho  Serenade",  April  15th;  "Ride,  Tenderfoot,  Ride", 
June  1st;  "Tumbling  Tumbleweeds",  July  15th;  "Mexicali  Rose",  September  1st; 
"In  Old  Monterey",  October  15th,  and  "The  Old  Barn  Dance",  December  1st. 

Another  phase  of  the  reuse  and  reissue  situation  is  the  playing  at  an  Army  camp 
of  silent  film  successes  of  former  days.  An  instance  is  the  running  of  "Tol'able 
David",  a  silent  starring  Richard  Barthelmess,  on  February  8th,  at  the  Camp  Allen 
theatre,  handled  by  Wilfred  Charles  Hagedorn,  in  Norfolk,  Va.  Mr.  Barthelmess 
made  a  personal  appearance. 


February    13,    19  4  3  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  37 


WAR  BRINGS  NEW  WAVE  OF 
REISSUES  IN  ENGLAND 


All  Distributors  Engaged 
in  Practice,  Some  with 
Separate  Divisions 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

Of  all  the  newer  phenomena  provoked  by 
war  conditions  in  the  British  industry  few 
have  been  so  remarkable  as  the  new  birth 
given  to  reissues,  revivals  and  re-releases. 
Judging  by  the  activities  of  most  of  the  dis- 
tributors, and  the  deals  and  business  regis- 
tered by  many  exhibitors,  including  most 
of  the  leading  circuits,  there  is  life  in  the 
old  film  yet. 

Minor  renting  houses  marketing  "almost 
exclusively  reissue  films,  of  course,  have 
operated  for  some  time  within  the  British 
industry.  Of  most  recent  days  they  have 
been,  with  the  looming  shortage  of  prod- 
uct, reaping  a  not  negligible  harvest. 

There  is  practically  no  leading 
renter  but  is  currently  reissuing 
films  which  had  been  released  and 
shelved,  perhaps  for  years,  and  mak- 
ing money  out  of  the  process. 
Other  organisations,  notably  Anglo- 
American  and  General  Film  Distrib- 
utors, have  created  their  own  re- 
issue departments.  Reissues  or  re- 
leases are  being  booked  widely,  not 
only  to  independents,  but  over  the 
major  circuits. 

It  was  not  insignificant  that,  as  recorded 
in  Motion  Picture  Herald  recently,  the 
Kinematograph  Renters  Society  discussed 
the  question  of  reissues  and  decided  to  dis- 
cuss it  in  greater  detail  at  a  forthcoming 
meeting.  It  was  no  less  significant  that  it 
should  have  been  generally  agreed,  without 
formal  motion,  that  members  of  the  Society 
should  retain  their  dated  films  to  them- 
selves and  not  issue  them  for  re-release  to 
renters  outside  the  KRS.  The  sum  total 
seemed  to  trade  students  to  be  that  there  was 
possible  money  in  this  new  business  and 
if  there  was  it  should  be  retained  within  the 
appropriate  organizations  themselves. 

Product  Shortage  Is 
Important  Factor 

An  examination  of  trade  show  lists  and 
of  the  renters'  announcements  shows  that 
pictures  four,  five,  six  or  seven  years  old 
loom  high  among  the  product  offered  for  the 
forthcoming  year. 

Naturally  the  looming  shortage  of  prod- 
uct, referred  to  already,  is  a  governing 
factor  in  this  regard.  It  would  seem,  how- 
ever, to  be  an  economic  fact  that  even  now, 
before  the  shortage  has  manifested  itself, 
the  re-release  machinery  has  been  set  in 
motion  to  the  commercial  advantage  of  those 
operating  and  availing  themselves  of  it. 
Films  like  Metro's  "San  Francisco,"  United 
Artists'  "Rebecca,"  and  General  Films-Uni- 
versal's  Deanna  Durbin  pictures  are  in- 
stances among  the  wide  and  impressive  pic- 
tures seeing  the  light  for  the  second  time. 

The  fact  that  there  is  money  in  the  re- 


RANK  IS  CHAIRMAN  OF 
BRITISH  PRODUCERS 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  one  of  the  leading 
figures  of  the  British  industry,  last 
week  was  elected  chairman  of  the 
British  Producers  Association.  He  suc- 
ceeds the  late  C.  M.  Woolf.  Mr.  Rank 
is  operating  chief  of  General  Film 
Distributors,  is  head  of  Pinewood 
Studios,  and  is  concerned  in  the 
operation  of  several  other  com- 
panies, including  Odeon  Theatres  and 
Gaumont  British  Pictures  Corporation. 


release  business,  under  present  conditions  at 
any  rate,  is  indicated  by  the  widespread 
bookings  made  on  certain  of  the  revived 
films.  In  some  instances  the  total  number  of 
theatres  to  which  these  films  have  been 
booked  is  no  less  than  the  total  number  to 
which  an  average  Grade  A  feature  is  nor- 
mally booked. 

Reissues  Successful 
In  Many  Spots 

Instances  illustrating  the  thesis  are  too 
numerous  to  list.  In  one  instance,  however, 
an  average  sized  hall  in  a  Midlands  indus- 
trial city,  normally  registering  £400  per 
week,  a  few  weeks  past  registered  £600  with 
a  Cagney  musical  some  years  old. 

In  the  case  of  another  smaller  cinema  in 
a  high  class  County  town  whilst  doing  top 
business  this  year  with  "Mrs.  Miniver," 
found  a  revival  of  the  RKO-British  produc- 
tion "Dangerous  Moonlight"  coming  an 
easy  second,  with  five  out  of  its  eight  top 
bookings  over  a  long  period  registered  by 
reissue  films. 

It  is  true  that  there  has  been  some 
outcry  in  exhibitor  circles  against 
the  policy  of  reissues,  particularly 
in  regard  to  British  films.  It  never- 
theless is  claimed  by  the  distribu- 
tors that,  despite  the  outcry,  the 
pictures  have  proved  surprisingly 
good  grossers,  particularly  British 
pictures,  when  they  have  been 
shown  under  re-release  circum- 
stances. 

The  rental  charges  for  these  films  in 
general  are  not  excessive.  It  is  true  there 
is  an  instance  of  one  virtual  reissue  for 
which  50  per  cent  is  aimed  at.  It  would  be 
fair  to  estimate  that  33  per  cent  is  nearer 
the  average  sharing  terms,  though  one  lead- 
ing organization  now  specializing  in  revivals 
does  not  ask  more  than  27y2  per  cent.  Pre- 
viously reissued  films  were  sold  on  very 
moderate  flat  rental  terms. 

The  interests  of  the  circuits  in  the  re- 
release  picture  is  significant.  In  most  cases 
bookings  are  made  and  rentals  agreed  upon 
with  the  business  already  recorded  as  a 
guide.  A  reissue  film  is  taken  and  tried  out 
in  a  handful  of  suitable  key  spots  and  then 
a  deal  concluded  for  the  entire  circuit,  or  at 


any  rate  the  circuit's  Number  2  houses,  on 
the  basis  of  the  average  figure  arrived  at. 

The  arguments  put  forward  in  favor  of 
the  re-release  films  by  its  exponents  and 
advocates  are  numerous  and  interesting.  It 
is  generally  contended  that  a  film  which 
normally  would  take  big  money  under  the 
extraordinary  and  distorted  conditions  of 
the  present  day — pre-war  political  crises,  the 
blitz,  traveling  restrictions  and  the  like — 
did  not  earn  anything  like  their  ceiling. 
Particularly  in  regard  to  films  issued  during 
the  bombing  of  Britain  would  this  seem  to  be 
true.  . 

While  such  pictures  never  reached  their 
potential  market  they  were  mechanically 
withdrawn  before  their  possible  grosses  were 
exhausted.  In  general  today  the  working 
classes,  particularly  the  younger  section, 
have  more  money  to  spend  and,  with  re- 
strictions in  manufacture  of  commodities, 
less  to  spend  it  on,  so  that  film  going  is 
numerically  on  the  upgrade. 

Reissues  here,  particularly  of  those  films 
which  the  younger  folk  did  not  see,  or  to 
which  they  had  a  different  attitude  three  or 
four  years  ago,  would  seem  to  be  a  likely 
target. 

No  less  from  the  star  point  of 
view,  many  artists,  who  in  the 
earlier  films  were  lesser  known  and 
less  appreciated,  who  are  today  top- 
liners,  become  the  subject  of  great 
interest  and  appeal  from  their  more 
recent  apostles.  This  is  true  not 
only  in  regard  to  Hollywood  stars 
but  in  regard  to  British  stars,  such 
as  "Old  Mother  Riley,"  Arthur  As- 
key,  Tommy  Trindler,  and  others. 

Certainly  with  the  bigger  pictures  there 
would  seem  to  be  still  some  money  to  be 
made  and  it  is  clear  that  the  renters  would 
not  be  bent  upon  cornering  the  market  if 
they  were  not  of  the  same  opinion.  There  is 
no  question  of  the  reissue  film  supplanting 
the  normal  release,  but  as  a  supplementary 
booking,  particularly  in  view  of  the  product 
shortage,  it  would  seem  likely  to  have  a 
lingering  future,  though  not  necessarily  one 
to  linger  long. 

The  exclusive  attitude  of  the  leading 
renters  will  eventually  put  some  of  the 
smaller  distributors,  now  existing  entirely 
on  reissues,  out  of  business,  but  it  would 
seem  yet  to  be  argument  for  proof  that  it 
will  put  the  exhibitor  out  of  business. 

Showmen  Aid  Pittsburgh's 
Variety  Club  Canteen 

Service  men  attending  the  Variety  Club  Can- 
teen in  Pittsburgh  are  offered  entertainment 
donated  by  the  various  amusement  establish- 
ments in  that  city.  The  Stanley  theatre's  stage 
show  appears  at  the  Canteen  on  Tuesday  eve- 
nings, and  the  program  is  broadcast  by  station 
KDKA  with  Brian  McDonald,  club  chief 
barker,  as  master  of  ceremonies. 

The  WJAS  amateur  program  under  Brian 
McDonald's  supervision  is  also  brought  to  the 
canteen  each  Sunday  afternoon.  Free  tickets  to 
all  downtown  theatres,  sporting  events  and 
legitimate  shows  are  offered  to  soldiers.  In 
addition,  refreshments  are  served. 


38 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


Roosevelt  Thanks  All 
Dimes  Chairmen 


Complete  Plans  for  Drive, 
Opening  February  18th; 
Pledges  Increase 

As  plans  for  the  annual  "March  of 
Dimes"  drive  matured  in  the  New  York 
campaign  offices  this  week — and  it  was  ap- 
parent there  from  pledges  received  that 
maximum  support  would  be  given  this  year 
by  most  theatres — state  chairmen  each  re- 
ceived a  personal  telegram  of  congratula- 
tions and  gratitude  from  President  Roose- 
velt. 

Squads  of  volunteer  workers  left  New 
York  last  week  for  several  cities,  where  they 
were  to  confer  with  local  committees 
handling  the  one-week  infantile  paralysis 
fund  drive,  which  starts  February  18th. 

To  Chicago  went  Si  Fabian,  chairman 
of  the  theatres  division  of  the  War  Activi- 
ties Committee;  Edward  Alperson,  general 
manager  of  the  RKO  circuit;  Harry 
Brandt,  co-chairman  of  the  campaign ;  and 
Oscar  Doob,  campaign  director.  Mr.  Al- 
person and  Mr.  Fabian  also  were  to  visit 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  Mr. 
Brandt  and  Mr.  Doob  were  to  hold  meetings 
in  Indianapolis,  Memphis,  Jacksonville  and 
Richmond. 

The  flood  of  exhibitor  pledges  to 
national  drive  headquarters  in  the 
Hotel  Astor,  New  York,  has  neces- 
sitated printing  5,000  extra  copies 
of  the  campaign  "press  book." 
Over  the  weekend,  printing  of  the 
appeal  trailer — which  stars  Greer 
Garson  —  started,  and  National 
Screen  began  deliveries  this  week. 

A  Chicago  meeting,  in  the  office  of  circuit 
head  John  Balaban,  was  held  last  week, 
with  all  industry  factors  represented.  A 
goal  30  per  cent  above  last  year's  collec- 
tions was  pledged. 

Among  those  attending  were:  Johnny 
Jones,  Clyde  Eckhardt,  Jack  Shunnow,  Irv- 
ing Mandell,  W.  E.  Banford,  Harris  Silver- 
berg,  E.  Heiber,  Will  Baker,  Phil  Dunas, 
Tom  Gorman,  Sam  Gorelick,  J.  H.  Stevens, 
John  Balaban,  Jack  Kirsch,  James  Coston. 
Mr.  Brandt,  Mr.  Alperson  and  Mr.  Doob 
were  chief  speakers. 

Slides  Will  Supplement 
Appeal  Trailer 

It  was  announced  at  New  York  head- 
quarters that  unusual  representation  was 
obtained  in  the  acceptance  of  state  chair- 
manships by  such  leading  exhibitors  of  the 
south  as  Robert  Wilby,  for  Georgia  and  the 
Carolinas;  Karl  Hoblitzelle  and  Robert 
O'Donnell,  for  Texas,  and  E.  V.  Richards, 
for  Louisiana  and  Mississippi. 

The  RKO  and  Loew's  circuits  in  New 
York  will  use  in  addition  to  the  appeal  trail- 
er two  lantern  slides,  one  of  which  features 
a  message  from  a  crippled  girl,  and  the  other 
of  which  shows  a  large  head  of  President 
Roosevelt  and  his  statement  that  the  health 
of  the  young  is  close  to  his  heart.  The 
slides  fill  the  blank  screen  during  the  few 


minutes  in  which  collection  is  made.  They 
are  available  to  exhibitors  and  may  be  or- 
dered from  headquarters. 

The  major  company  and  circuit  New 
York  home  offices  are  fully  represented  in 
the  drive.  Leonard  Goldenson,  drive  home 
office  chairman,  on  Monday  announced  com- 
pletion of  his  list,  which  includes :  John  Far- 
mer, RKO  Radio  Pictures ;  Max  Blackman, 
Warner  Bros.  Theatre  Circuit;  George 
Dembow,  National  Screen  Service ;  Sam 
Machnovitz,  Universal;  Dan  Michalove, 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  Pictures  and  Na- 
tional Theatres,  Inc.;  Harry  Buckley,  Unit- 
ed Artists;  J.  P.  McLoughlin,  Paramount; 
Walter  L.  Titus,  Jr.,  Republic ;  R.  W.  Alt- 
schuler,  Consolidated  Film  Industries,  Inc.; 
Paul  Behrke,  Skouras  Theatres;  Max  Selig- 
man,  Columbia  Pictures;  Eugene  Picker, 
Loew's  Theatres;  Martin  Newman,  Century 
Circuit;  Samuel  Rosen,  Fabian  Theatres; 
Samuel  Rinzler,  Randforce  Amusement 
Company. 

In  Hartford,  Connecticut,  at  the  Auditori- 
um, Saturday  night,  a  "Dance  O'  Dimes" 
was  held.  One  of  the  masters  of  ceremonies 
was  Harry  F.  Shaw,  division  manager  for 
the  Loew-Poli  New  England  Theatres  cir- 
cuit. 

41,000  Pounds  Of 
Copper  Collected 

Collections  of  copper  strippings  from  pro- 
jection booths  on  Monday  had  reached  the 
41,000  pounds,  according  to  the  War  Ac- 
tivities Committee,  in  New  York,  which 
also  stressed  that  the  amount  is  only  what 
has  been  reported,  and  probably  is  less  than 
the  actual  collection.  In  some  instances, 
the  saved  copper  has  been  given  to  agen- 
cies other  than  those  designated  by  the  in- 
dustry's conservation  program. 

The  collection  is  apart  from  the  accumula- 
tion from  the  general  public,  conducted 
through  "copper  matinees." 

United  Nations 
Fund  Grows 

Reports  continue  this  week  to  reach  the 
WAC  of  collections  during  the  United  Na- 
tions drive. 

Ray  Powell,  manager  of  the  Warner  the- 
atre, West  Chester,  Pa.,  and  chairman  of 
the  Chester  County  WAC,  reported  that 
more  than  $!,000  was  collected  for  the 
United  Nations  Drive.  Collections  were 
made  at  all  theatres  in  the  county.  In  ad- 
dition, Mr.  Powell  reported  that  a  salvage 
matinee  at  his  theatre  brought  in  80  pounds 
of  copper,  much  of  it  in  pennies. 

Theatres  of  Allentown,  Pa.,  and  the 
neighboring  communities  of  Emaus,  Coplay 
and  Catasauqua,  turned  over  a  total  of  $3,- 
723  to  the  relief  fund  during  United  Nations 
Week,  it  was  reported  by  Charles  Bierbauer, 
manager  of  the  Colonial  theatre  in  Allen- 
town  and  chairman  of  the  Lehigh  county 
fund.    Various  Greek  and  Russian  societies 


in  the  area  assisted  in  handling  the  collec- 
tions at  the  various  theatres. 

The  Swirnoff  and  Marcus  circuit,  of  Ri- 
pon,  Wisconsin,  turned  in  $675,  through 
Ben  Marcus,  general  manager. 

An  eight-page  booklet,  "Uniting  the 
United  States  for  the  United  Nations"  has 
been  printed  and  is  being  sent  out  to  govern- 
ment figures,  educators,  WAC  personnel  and 
representatives  of  the  United  Nations. 

The  brochure  highlights  the  national  ac- 
ceptance by  various  media  of  the  importance 
of  United  Nations  Week. 

Four  OWI  Posters 
To  Go  to  Theatres 

Reproduced  are  some  of  the  free  pages 
of  advertising  contributed  by  the  motion 
picture  trade  press ;  paid  ads  by  theatres  in 
Washington  and  New  York;  "slugs"  incor- 
porated in  regular  theatre  ads ;  ads  spon- 
sored by  other  businesses  believing  in  the 
United  Nations  concept;  as  well  as  news- 
paper editorials  and  general  news  stories. 

The  WAC  announced  this  week  that  all 
theatres  will  receive  in  March  four  Office 
of  War  Information  posters. 

Two  of  these,  one  22x28,  the  other  28x40, 
are  to  aid  the  sale  of  War  Bonds  and 
Stamps.  A  third,  22x28,  cautions  against 
careless  talk;  the  fourth  asks  civilians  to  do 
with  less  so  that  the  soldiers  will  have  more. 

This  week,  New  York  theatres  became 
recruiting  centers  for  the  WAVES  and 
SPARS.  The  WAC  newsreel  division  ar- 
ranged coverage  of  a  mass  swearing-in  cere- 
mony, which,  printed  immediately,  served  as 
trailer  for  the  campaign.  Women  from  the 
AWVS  aided  the  drive,  serving  in  theatre 
lobbies. 

Boosting  the  Victory  Book  campaign,  a 
special  22x28  poster,  in  color,  has  been  pre- 
pared by  the  WAC  and  sent  to  the  Office  of 
War  Information,  which  will  forward  it  to 
theatres. 


Rodgers,  Walker  Guests 
Of  MP  Associates 

Six  hundred  industry  figures  of  the  New 
York  area  attended  the  installation  of  offices 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Associates  at  the  Hotel 
Astor  Wednesday.  Chief  speaker  was  William 
F.  Rodgers,  MGM  general  sales  manager.  The 
luncheon  was  partly  a  testimonial  t©  him.  Mr. 
Rodgers  reiterated  his  plea  of  last  week  for 
an  intra-industry  body  which  would  give  equal 
representation  to  all  branches  and  which  would 
have  authority  to  thresh  out  all  problems. 

James  J.  Walker,  former  mayor  of  New 
York,  was  the  toastmaster.  Executives  of  the 
major  distributors  were  on  the  dais. 

Sound  Masters  Appoints 
Donovan  Vice-President 

Harold  E.  Wondsel,  president  of  Sound  Mas- 
ters, producers  of  industrial  and  training  films, 
has  announced  the  appointment  of  Frank  R. 
Donovan  as  vice-president  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion. 

Mr.  Donovan,  who  was  once  associated  with 
Pathe  News  in  a  similar  capacity,  recently 
produced  General  Motors'  pictures. 

Deny  Copying  Song 

Paramount  Pictures  and  Famous  Music  Cor- 
poration have  filed  a  denial  that  their  song, 
"Kiss  the  Boys  Goodbye,"  is  an  infringement 
on  a  song  published  by  the  plaintiff,  Emmerich 
Kalman,  titled  "Huet  'Nacht  Hab'  Ich  Ge- 
traumt  Von  Dir."  The  defendant  companies 
pointed  out  that  as  many  as  15  other  songs  re- 
semble the  melody  of  the  tune  in  question. 


February    13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Quiz  Mom  and 
As  Trial  Enters 
Fifth  Week 

A  "good"  house  cannot  be  operated  profitably 
without  "A"  product.  That  was  the  essence  of 
testimony  by  A.  B.  Momand,  last  week,  during 
cross-examination  in  his  55,000,000  anti-trust 
suit  against  the  major  distributors  and  the 
Griffith  circuit,  in  Oklahoma  City  Federal 
court  The  Shawnee,  Okla..  exhibitor  took  the 
stand  again  at  midweek  after  a  brief  illness, 
and  Monday  the  suit  went  into  the  fifth  week. 

Cross-examination  of  Mr.  Momand  last  week 
was  by  C.  B.  Cochran,  defense  attorney,  with 
whom  Mr.  Momand  exchanged  argument. 
Mr.  Momand's  contention  wras  disputed  by  Mr. 
Cochran,  who  asserted  that  in  1927  Mr.  Mo- 
mand obtained  most  of  the  major  product,  but 
that  the  Griffith  company  earned  more  in  the 
Ritz  theatre  in  that  town  without  those  pictures. 

Mr.  Momand  then  asserted  that  when  the 
Griffith  circuit  entered  Shawnee  and  Seminole, 
he  was  deprived  of  good  pictures  by  agreement 
between  the  circuit  and  distributors,  and  that 
be  was  unable  to  obtain  even  a  hearing  from 
the  latters  officials.  He  told  presiding  Judge 
Bower  Broaddus  that  the  decline  of  his  opera- 
tions might  be  discerned  in  his  theatre  pro- 
grams. The  programs  listed  the  product  of  small 
independent  distributors. 

The  defense  attempted  last  week  to  show  that 
Mr.  Momand's  losses  wTere  suffered  because  of 
general  business  depression  between  1927  and 
1929.  not  because  of  failure  to  obtain  product. 

At  one  point.  Judge  Broaddus  told  Mr.  Mo- 
mand not  to  refer  to  "this  conspiracy,"  remark- 
inff  that  that  was  the  issue  in  the  trial. 


National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  I  2  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  reviewed  12 
films  during  the  current  week,  listing  eight  as 
unobjectionable  for  general  patronage,  two  as 
unobjectionable  for  adults,  and  two  as  objec- 
tionable in  part.    The  classification  follows : 

Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  General 
Patronage:  "The  Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday," 
'"Fugitive  of  the  Plains,"  '"How's  About  It?," 
"Johnny  Doughboy,"  "Lost  Canyon,"  "Rid- 
ers of  the  Northwest  Mounted,'  "Thundering 
Trail,"  "Two  Weeks  to  Live."  Class  A-2,  Un- 
objectionable for  Adults :  ''Behind  Prison 
Walls,"  '"Rhythm  of  the  Islands."  Class  B, 
Objectionable  in  Part:  ,rYoung  and  Willing," 
"The  Immortal  Sergeant." 


Raise  Price  for  "Harvest" 

Admission  prices  for  "Random  Harvest," 
which  opened  an  indefinite  run  at  the  RKO 
Capitol,  in  Cincinnati,  on  February  6th,  have 
been  scaled  to  40  cents  until  1  P.M.,  44  cents 
until  6  P.M.,  and  50  and  60  cents  after  6  P.M., 
with  children's  admission  17  cents  at  all  times. 
The  regular  scale  at  this  house  is  33  cents  until 
1  P.M..  40  cents  until  6  P.M.,  and  40  and  50 
cents  after  6  P.M. 


Postpone  Annual  Dinner 

The  Motion  Picture  Associates  in 
phia  last  week  decided  to  follow  the 
the  Philadelphia  Variety  Club  and 
its  annual  dinner  for  the  duration.  It 
inally  planned  to  go  through  wath  the 
the  dinner  in  the  spring.  The  annual 
drawing  in  connection  with  the  dinner 
tinue  to  be  held.  - 


Philadel- 
action  of 
postponed 
was  orig- 
plans  for 
charitable 
will  con- 


Maurice  Golden  MSM  Scout 

Maurice  Golden  has  been  named  talent  scout 
in  the  midwest  for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  He 
succeeds  Clarence  Shapiro,  who  has  resigned. 


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THE  DEADLINE  IS  NEAR.'  WE  CANTSHIP 
TRAILERS  UNLESS  YOU  "TELL  05  NOW.' 
(AND  THE  TRAILER  iS  A  honey!)  *tt 

COLLECTION*  FEBJ8-24  fOK 

MARCH  OF  DIMES 


WILL  WE  COMETWRUPlHUPTOrOUf 

MAIL  OR  WIRE  PLEOGETODAYi 

Address -Mwch  of  Dimes,  173  Hotel  Astor,  N.Y.C 


41) 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February  13 


1943 


Major  Van  Dyke, 
Noted  Director 


Dr.  A.  H.  Giannini  Dies 
Suddenly  at  69 


Industry  Friend,  Banker 
Aided  Producers;  Was 
President  of  U,  A. 

Dr.  Atillio  H.  Giannini,  friend  of  and 
pioneer  in  the  motion  picture  enterprise,  died 
in  Los  Angeles  from  a  heart  affliction  on 
Sunday,  February  7th,  at  the  home  of 
Frank  H.  Powell,  while  attending  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  Loyola 
University.    He  was  69  years  old. 

Just  returned  from  a  business  trip  to 
New  York,  Dr.  Giannini  appeared  in  ex- 
cellent health  and  spirits,  but  shortly  after 
the  meeting  began  he  was  stricken  and  col- 
lapsed. Restoratives  revived  him  but  a  sec- 
ond attack  ended  his  life.  Last  rites  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  were  administered 
by  the  Reverend  Edward  J.  Whelan,  SJ. 

His  widow,  Leontine,  who  was  at  the  fam- 
ily residence  in  Holmby  Hills,  and  a  son, 
Bernard,  were  at  once  advised. 

Funeral  Held  Wednesday 
In  Beverly  Hills 

Requiem  high  mass  was  celebrated  at  the 
funeral  Wednesday  in  the  Church  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  Beverly  Hills,  with  private  entomb- 
ment rites  at  Calvary  Cemetery. 

Dr.  Giannini  was  to  have  read  the  citation 
at  the  exercises  conferring  a  posthumous  doc- 
torate on  Admiral  Daniel  Callahan,  South  Pa- 
cific Naval  hero. 

Born  in  San  Jose,  Cal.,  in  1874,  the  son  of 
Louis  Giannini,  Dr.  Giannini  spent  his  boy- 
hood in  his  native  state.  He  was  graduated 
from  St.  Ignatius  College,  San  Francisco,  in 
1894,  and  received  his  degree  in  medicine  from 
the  University  of  Southern  California  in  1896, 
becoming  eminent  as  a  physician  in  two  years 
of  practice.  He  was  elected  president  of  the 
San  Francisco  County  Medical  Society.  In 
1898  he  joined  his  brother,  Amadeo  P.  Gian- 
nini, who  founded  the  Bank  of  Italy,  becoming 
vice-president  and  manager  of  the  bank's  first 
branch  at  San  Jose,  and  later  headed  the  Mar- 
ket Street  branch  in  San  Francisco.  While 
there,  he  devised  and  organized  the  plan  for 
children's  savings  accounts. 

Volunteered  for  Service 
To  Check  Epidemic 

During  a  threatened  epidemic  of  yellow  fever 
in  San  Francisco  following  the  earthquake  and 
subsequent  fire,  in  1906,  Dr.  Giannini  volun- 
teered for  service  in  the  pesthouse,  and  became 
a  genuine  hero. 

In  1909  he  moved  to  New  York  to  take  the 
presidency  of  the  Bowery  and  East  River  Na- 
tional Bank,  later  merged  with  the  Bank  of 
America  National  Association,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  chairman.  He  previously  had  served  as 
an  army  surgeon  in  the  Spanish-American  war 
and  he  also  was  twice  chosen  to  membership 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  San  Francisco. 

On  his  return  to  California  in  1931,  as  chair- 
man of  the  general  executive  committee  of  the 
Bank  of  America  National  Trust  and  Savings 
Association  with  headquarters  in  Los  Angeles, 
Dr.  Giannini  supervised  Southern  California 
branches  of  the  banking  firm  which  developed 
from  the  original  Bank  of  Italy. 

His  interest  in  the  motion  picture  industry 
was  marked  by  a  grasp  of  the  financial  prob- 
lems which  led  him  into  associations  of  impor- 


DR.  A.  H.  GIANNINI 

tance  in  the  picture  business.  He  was  the 
business  and  personal  friend  of  independent 
producers  in  need  of  financing  and  as  a  banker, 
his  appraisal  of  personal  and  business  character 
was  his  invariable  guide.  He  recognized  mo- 
tion picture  making  as  a  legitimate  industry, 
and  spread  his  faith  among  the  bankers  of  the 
nation. 

He  made  Charlie  Chaplin's  "The  Kid"  and 
Walt  Disney's  "Snow  White"  possible  through 
wise  and  timely  financing.  Sam  Goldwyn  and 
William  Fox  were  among  his  associates  in  the 
large  financing  needed  to  carry  on  in  important 
picture  activities.  Smaller  producers  were 
financed  to  success  as  Dr.  Giannini  held  that 
"The  boxoffice  of  a  good  show  is  the  quickest- 
paying  cash  business  in  the  world." 

President  of  U.  A. 
From  1936  to  1938 

He  was  president  of  United  Artists  from 
1936  to  1938,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
a  director  and  trustee  of  Columbia  Pictures 
Corporation.  Previously  he  had  served  as  a  di- 
rector of  Selznick  International  Pictures,  a 
producing  affiliate  of  United  Artists,  and  was 
one  of  seven  voting  trustees  for  holders  of  com- 
mon stock  in  the  Universal  Corporation. 

In  recent  years  his  activities  in  civic  affairs 
increased,  and  he  long  had  been  prominent  in 
the  Los  Angeles  Community  Chest  campaigns. 
He  was  California  state  chairman  of 'the  USO 
and  a  member  of  the  national  executive  com- 
mittee. 

Loyola  University  conferred  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Literature  on  Dr.  Giannini  in  1939. 
He  sponsored  the  Philharmonic  Orchestra  and 
other  organizations. 

The  former  Leontine  Denker,  his  widow,  was 
a  member  of  a  prominent  pioneer  family  of 
Los  Angeles.  A  son,  Bernard,  and  his  brother, 
A.  P.  Giannini  of  San  Francisco;  another 
brother,  George,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Florence 
Sevier,  also  survive  him. 


William  Pearne 

William  Pearne,  Seattle  theatre  man,  died  in 
that  city  last  week  following  a  heart  attack. 
He  was  a  box  office  man  for  many  years  in  the 
Metropolitan  theatre,  and  the  Civic  Arena  in 
Seattle.    He  leaves  his  widow,  Sally  Norman. 


Major  Woodbridge  Strong  Van  Dyke,  II, 
died  at  his  Brentwood,  Cal.,  home  last  Friday, 
February  5th,  after  a  prolonged  illness.  He 
was  53. 

Major  Van  Dyke  was  assigned  to  active  duty 
in  the  Marine  Corps  Reserve  last  year  after 
having  directed  numerous  pictures  in  Holly- 
wood. His  last  picture  before  being  assigned 
to  combat  service  was  "Journey  for  Margaret" 
for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  The  1943  Motion 
Picture  Herald-Foot?  poll  rated  him  as  the 
leading  all-time  director  with  22  monthly 
champions  to  his  credit  over  an  11-year  span. 

Major  Van  Dyke  was  born  in  Seattle,  and 
made  his  first  stage  appearance  at  the  age  of 
five.  He  toured  in  vaudeville  and  stock  com- 
panies, and  then  became  a  director  for  Pathe 
and  the  old  Fox  and  Metro  companies.  He  was 
then  signed  by  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  direct- 
ing most  of  his  pictures  for  that  company  since 
1932.  Such  series  as  Tarzan,  Thin  Man,  Dr. 
Kildare  and  Andy  Hardy  were  under  his  super- 
vision, besides  such  memorable  films  as  "Trader 
Horn,"  "Rose  Marie,"  "Marie  Antoinette," 
"San  Francisco"  and  "Cairo." 

Major  Van  Dyke  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
three  children,  Barbara,  seven,  W.  S.,  Ill,  six, 
and  Winston  Stuart,  three.  A  Christian  Sci- 
ence funeral  was  held  on  Saturday  with  burial 
in  Forest  Lawn  Park. 


Lt.  Col.  Henry  Clay  Bate 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  Clay  Bate,  news- 
reel  and  special  feature  editor  of  Universal  Pic- 
tures, died  on  February  4th  in  the  Veterans 
Hospital  on  Kingsbridge  Road,  New  York.  He 
was  52.  His  home  was  in  Rye,  N.  Y.  He  was 
a  reporter  and  correspondent  for  New  York 
papers  before  World  War  I.  During  the  war, 
he  served  overseas  as  a  captain  in  the  5th  In- 
fantry Division.  He  was  appointed  lieutenant 
colonel  in  the  Army  Reserve  in  1939,  and 
organized  the  424th  Infantry.  Colonel  Clay  was 
born  in  Nashville,  and  attended  Cornell  Uni- 
versity. Surviving  are  his  wife,  Geneve  Cole; 
a  daughter,  Eugenia;  two  sons,  Henry  Clay, 
Jr.,  and  Dana ;  two  brothers,  Stanley  and  Wil- 
liam ;  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Bate  Hunter. 


Louis  Weitzenkorn 

Louis  Weitzenkorn,  49,  died  on  Sunday,  Feb- 
ruary 7th,  from  suffocation  and  burns  in  the 
kitchen  of  his  apartment  in.  Wilkes-Barre.  His 
death  was  accidental,  according  to  Dr.  C.  A. 
Miller,  deputy  coroner. 

He  was  the  author  of  "Five  Star  Final,"  a 
play  first  produced  at  the  Cort  theatre  in  New 
York  in  1931,  and  later  made  into  a  film.  He 
also  adapted  "Ann  Vickers"  for  the  screen,  and 
wrote  "Men  of  Chance,"  an  original  story  with 
Mary  Astor  in  the  feature  role.  Starting  in 
1914,  he  worked  on  the  New  York  Times,  Tri- 
bune and  World  and  in  1929  was  appointed 
editor  of  the  Graphic.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Isle  Lahn  Lichtbau,  two  sons,  and  a  sister. 


Mrs.  Pat  Rooney 

Mrs.  Helen  Rulon  Rooney,  actress,  who  be- 
came the  mother-in-law  of  her  divorced  husband 
by  marrying  his  father,  died  in  Washington 
after  a  three-day  illness.  She  was  33.  She  was 
the  wife  of  Pat  Rooney  III  until  her  divorce, 
when  she  was  married  to  Pat  Rooney  II. 


Gertrude  J.  Harris 

Mrs.  Gertrude  J.  Harris,  90,  mother-  of  the 
Harris  Brothers,  who  own  and  operate  the 
State  theatre  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  died  in  that 
city  last  week.  She  was  buried  in  Emanuel 
Cemetery.  Surviving  are  four  sons,  four  grand- 
children and  one  great  grandchild. 


February    13.    I  943 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


41 


Urge  Exhibitors 
To  Increase 
War  Effort 


The  Texas  Theatre  Owners,  Inc.,  has  sent  a 
bulletin  to  its  exhibitor  members  over  the  sig- 
nature of  Henry  Reeve,  president  of  the  organi- 
zation, and  owner  of  the  Mission  theatre  in 
Menard,  Texas,  calling  for  an  all-out  war  ef- 
fort by  each  member  of  the  group  in  the  name 
of  patriotism.  The  bulletin  is  headed  "Be  Proud 
That  You're  a  Motion  Picture  Exhibitor." 

"In  1943,"  Mr.  Reeve  said,  "our  job  as  the- 
atre men  grows  steadily  more  important.  .  .  . 
the  small-town  theatre  has  played  a  grand  part 
in  this  war  to  date,  and  still  has  a  job  to  do 
in  the  months  ahead. 

"I,  for  one,  intend  to  run  my  theatre  in  spite 
of  the  difficulties  that  lie  ahead,  and.  run  it  in 
order  that  it  may  continue  to  be  the  strongest 
force  in  my  community  to  aid  our  government 
in  every  phase  of  this  war  so  that  people  wTill 
leave  my  theatre  refreshed  and  stronger  to 
carry  out  his  or  her  task." 

Mr.  Reeve's  message  traced  the  growth  of 
the  industry,  pointing  out  that  the  film  theatre 
was  not  considered  a  focal  point  in  1918  as  it 
is  today.  He  explained  that  "theatre  patrons 
can  now  see  what  is  happening  in  Guadalcanal, 
North  Africa  and  all  through  the  Pacific  area 
and  some  have  even  seen  boys  from  their  home 
tow  ns  in  action" ;  the  theatre  owner  summed  up 
his  appeal  by  saying  that  it  was  the  duty  of 
the  theatres  to  serve  the  interests  of  those  in 
the  armed  forces,  and  the  members  of  the  com- 
munity, many  of  whom  have  given  sons  and 
daughters  in  the  cause  of  freedom. 

"There's  our  double  job,  exhibitors,"  Mr. 
Reeve  said.  "Together  they  make  us  and  our 
theatres  the  Number  One  task  force  on  the 
home  front.    We  shall  not  fail  in  our  job." 


Harry  St.  Alwyn  Dies 

Harry  St.  Alwyn,  58,  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Central  Casting  Bureau,  die'!  in  Los  An- 
geles on  February  3rd_  following  a  heart  attack. 
He  formed  the  Movies  Service  Bureau  in  1926 
in  Hollywood,  which  was  later  merged  with  the 
Central  Casting  Bureau.  A  sister,  Mrs.  Cyrano 
Kroger  of  Long  Island,  survives. 


Harry  F.  Lester 

Harry  F.  Lester.  47.  projectionist  at  War- 
ners' Stanley  theatre  in  Atlantic  City  for  the 
past  18  years,  died  January  29th  in  Shore  Me- 
morial Hospital  in  Atlantic  City.  He  wras  a 
member  of  Local  77.  IATSE.  He  leaves  a  wife 
and  a  daughter.  Funeral  services  were  held  in 
Philadelphia  on  February  2nd. 


Edmund  Man+ell 

Edmund  Mantell,  63,  died  in  New-  York  on 
February  2nd  following  a  heart  attack.  He  was 
associated  in  the  operation  of  the  Art,  Tiffany 
and  other  Bronx  houses.  Services  w-ere  held  at 
the  Park  West  Memorial  Chapel  the  following 
day.  He  leaves  a  widow,  Anna:  two  sons,  Sid- 
ney and  Bertram;  and  a  daughter.  Cynthia. 


Frank  Boost 

Private  Frank  Boost,  35,  former  ad  sales 
manager  of  the  Warner  exchange  in  Denver, 
died  of  a  heart  attack  at  Stimpson  Field,  Texas, 
recently.  It  is  the  first  recorded  death  of  an 
industry  man  in  the  service  from  Denver. 


Henry  Ernest  Bruce 

Henry  Ernest  Bruce,  74-year-old  retired 
actor,  died  in  London  on  February  7th  while 
rescuing  a  mother  and  her  baby  from  a  fire- 
swept  building.  He  acted  on  the  American  and 
British  stages. 


HONOR  SUDEKUM 


For  his  "continued  interest  in  our  state 
institutions,"  Tony  Sudekum,  Tennessee  cir- 
cuit owner,  was  thanked  publicly  last  v/eek 
by  that  state's  General  Assembly,  in  a 
resolution.  Mr.  Sudekum,  president  of 
the  Crescent  Amusement  Company,  was 
officially  lauded  as  a  "gentleman,  a  busi- 
nessman of  the  highest  type,  and  a  great 
American"  in  the  resolution,  which  cited  his 
supplying  of  projectors,  with  free  installa- 
tion and  maintenance,  and  films,  to  the  in- 
stitutions. It  added  that  he  also  had  given 
financial  aid  to  worthy  students  and  that  he 
had  proved  himself  "a  sustaining  friend  and 
benefactor  to  the  underprivileged." 


Willkie,  Warners  on  1942 
Race  Relation  Honor  Roll 

Wendell  L.  Willkie,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  was  named 
as  one  of  18  persons,  organizations  and  institu- 
tions forming  the  Honor  Roll  of  Race  Relations 
of  1942,  it  was  announced  last  week  by  Dr. 
Lawrence  D-  Reddick,  curator  of  the  Schom- 
burg  Collection  of  Negro  Literature,  part  of  the 
-New  York  Public  Library. 

Warner  Brothers  Pictures  also  was  named  on 
the  honor  roll  for  its  film,  "In  This  Our  Life." 
The  selections  wrere  arrived  at  by  polling  100 
persons  on  the  subject  of  "who  had  done  most 
for  improvement  of  race  relations  in  terms  of 
real  democracy."  Twelve  of  the  group  polled 
were  Negroes,  and  all  wrere  chosen  by  the 
Schomburg  Library  staff  as  representative  of 
the  various  social,  cultural  and  economic  fields. 


Depinet  on  Coast 

Ned  E.  Depinet,  president  of  RKO  Radio, 
was  expected  to  arrive  in  Hollywood  on  Friday 
for  conferences  on  company  product  with 
Charles  Koerner,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
production. 


Joins  Warner  Press  Unit 

Thomas  Baily,  formerlv  head  of  the  Holly- 
wood office  of  National  Screen  Service,  joined 
the  W  amer  Brothers'  press  department  on  the 
coast  on  Monday. 


Notice  of 

TRADE 
SHOWINGS 


"MYSTERIOUS  DOCTOR" 

(Warner  Bros.) 
ALBANY  FEB.  23 

Warner  Screening  Rm.,  2:30  P.  M.,  79  N.  Pearl  St. 

ATLANTA     ....    FEB.  23 

RKO  Screening  Rm.,  2.-00  P.M.,  191  Walton  St.  N.  W. 

BOSTON  FEB.  23 

RKO  Screening   Rm.,  4:05  P.  M.,  122  Arlington  St. 

BUFFALO  FEB.  23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm.,  3:35  P.  M,  464  Franklin  St. 

CHARLOTTE     .    .    .    FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  2:00  P.  M,  308  So.  Church  St. 

CHICAGO    ....    FEB.  23 

Warner  Screening  Rm.,  3:15  P.  M.,  1307  S.Wabash  Ave. 

CINCINNATI    .    .    .    FEB.  23 

RKO  Screening  Rm.,  9:10  P.  M.,  Palace  Th.  Bldg.  E.  6th 

CLEVELAND  ....    FEB.  23 

Warner  Screening  Rm.,  10:05  P.  M.,  2300  Payne  Ave. 

DALLAS  FEB.  23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm.,  2:00  P.M.,  412  S.  Horwood  St. 

DENVER  FEB.  23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm.,  4:05  P.  M,  21st  &  Stout  S»s. 

DES  MOINES     .   .    .    FEB.  23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm.,  2:50  P.  M.,  1125  High  Sf. 

DETROIT  FEB.  23 

Film  Exchange  Bldg.,  3:45  P.  M.,  2310  Cass  Ave. 

INDIANAPOLIS     .    .    FEB.  23 

20»h  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  3:05  P.  M.,  326  No.  Illinois 

KANSAS  CITY  .    .    .    FEB.  23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm.,  3:35  P.  M.,  1802  Wyandotte  St. 

LOS  ANGELES  .    .    .    FEB.  23 

Warner  Exch.  Sc.  Rm.,  3:35  P.  M,  2025  S.  Vermont  Ave. 

MEMPHIS  FEB.  23 

Paramount  Sc.  Rm.,  2.-00  P.  M.,  362  S.  Second  St. 

MILWAUKEE     .    .    .    FEB.  23 

Warner  Th.  Sc.  Rm.,  3:35  P.  M.,  212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave. 

MINNEAPOLIS  .    .   .    FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  10:30  A.  M.,  1015  Currie  Ave. 

NEW  HAVEN     .   .    .    FEB.  23 

Warner  Th.  Proj.  Rm.,  4:15  P.  M,  70  College  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS     .    .    FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  1:00  P.  M.,  200  S.  Liberty  St. 

NEW  YORK  ....    FEB.  23 

Home  Office  Sc.  Rm.,  2:30  P.  M,  321  W.  44th  St. 

OKLAHOMA  CITY    .    FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  11:15  A.M., 10  North  Lee  Ave. 

OMAHA  FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  3:05  P.M.  1502  Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA     .    .    FEB.  23 

Vine  St.  Sc.  Rm.,  12:35  P.  M,  1220  Vine  St. 

PITTSBURGH    .    .    .    FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,3:35  P.M.,  1715  Blvd.  of  Allies 

PORTLAND     ....    FEB.  23 

Star  Screening  Room,  4:05  P.  M.,  925  N.  W.  19th  Ave. 

SALT  LAKE  ....    FEB.  23 

20th  Century-Fox  Sc.  Rm.,  4:05  P.  M.,  216  E.  1st  South 

SAN  FRANCISCO  .    .    FEB.  23 

Republic  Screen  Room,  3:35  P.M., 221  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

SEATTLE  FEB.  23 

Jewel  Bo-x  Sc.  Rm.,  305  P.  M,  2318  Second  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS  FEB.  23 

S'renco  Sc.  Rm.,  12:05  P.  M.,  3143  Olive  St. 

WASHINGTON .    .   .    FEB.  23 

Earle  Th.  Bldg.,  1:30  P.  M.,  13th  &  E.  Sts.  N.  W. 


42 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


// 


WHAT  THE 

PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


Columbia 


CLOSE  CALL  FOR  ELLERY  QUEEN:  William 
Gargan,  Margaret  Lindsay — This  series  has  a  very 
satisfactory  following.  Played  it  on  weekend  with  no 
regrets.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  January  28-30.— 
Harland  Rankin,   Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

NORTH  OF  THE  ROCKIES:  Bill  Elliott— We  did 
exceptionally  well  on  this.  Regular  Gene  Autry  busi- 
ness. Played  Friday,  Saturday.  January  22.  23. — Har- 
land Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tillbury,  Ont. 

OVERLAND  TO  DEADWOOD:  Charles  Starrett— 
A  very  good  Starrett  Western.  Have  seen  better. 
Business  below  par,  due  to  heavy  snow  storms.  Play- 
ed Thursday-Saturday,  January  21-23. — Harland  Ran- 
kin, Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

PARDON  MY  GUN:  Charles  Starrett— Good  West- 
ern that  pleased  'em  all.  They  said  "It's  a  good 
Western,"  and  so  do  we. — A.  E.  Eliasen,  Koronis 
Theatre,   Paynesville,  Minn. 

PINTO  KID:  Charles  Starrett— Starrett  has  a  nice 
following  and  is  most  dependable  at  the  box  office. — 
Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tillbury,  Ont. 

WIFE  TAKES  A  FLYER:  Joan  Bennett,  Franchot 
Tone— A  good  comedy  that  kept  a  fair  sized  crowd 
well  entertained.  Played  Monday- Wednesday,  Decem- 
ber 28-30.— Delmar  C.  Fox,  Fox  Theatre,  Pincher 
Creek,   Alberta.     Small   town  patronage. 

YOU  WERE  NEVER  LOVELIER:  Rita  Hay  worth. 
Fred  Astaire — A  very  excellent  comedy  with  music 
and  dances.  We  had  a  regrettably  poor  house  on 
this,  nevertheless.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January 
3,  4. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook. 
N.  H.    General  patronage. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

I  MARRIED  AN  ANGEL:  Nelson  Eddy,  Jeanette 
MacDonald — The  two  artists  cast  in  this  production 
should  be  justified  in  suing  MGM  for  damages.  That 
wouldn't  satisfy  us,  however.  It  is  nothing  short  of 
criminal  to  sell  a  picture  like  this  one  to  a  small 
town  exhibitor.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  Janu- 
ary 27,  28. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre,  Scotia, 
Calif. 

MOKEY:  Dan  Bailey,  Jr.,  Donna  Reed— Generally 
well  liked.  We  played  it  one  day.  Played  Wednesday, 
January  13. — Rudolph  J.  Covi,  Covi  Theatre,  Herminie, 
Pa.    Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

PANAMA  HATTIE:  Red  Skelton— My  patrons  en- 
ioyed  this  production  and  I  was  very  much  sur- 
prised, as  many  have  panned  this  one.  Good  danc- 
ing and  singing  numbers,  especially  by  the  sextette. 
Some  action  and  some  comedy.  Would  recommend 
this  one.  Played  Thursday,  January  28. — A.  L.  Dove, 
Berifjough    Theatre,    Bengough,  Sask. 

PIERRE  OF  THE  PLAINS:  John  Carroll,  Ruth 
Hussev — A  mediocre  picture  which  seems  to  be  all 
that  is  coming  out  of  the  Metro  lot  this  year.  Played 
Wednesday,  January  6. — Rudolph  J.  Covi,  Covi  Thea- 
tre, Herminie,  Pa.    Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

PIERRE  OF  THE  PLAINS:  John  Carroll,  Ruth 
Hussey — (iood  little  outdoor  picture  that  was  well 
taken.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  January  5,  6. — 
Otto  W.  Chapek,  New  Annex  Theatre,  Anamoose, 
N.  D.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

SOMEWHERE  I'LL  FIND  YOU:  Clark  Gable, 
Lana  Turnei  —Paid  big  money  for  the  stars  but  the 
story  was  ncne  too  strong.  Gable  as  usual  is  good. 
Played  Saturday,  Sunday,  January  9,  10. — Otto  W. 
Chapek,  New  Annex  Theatre,  Anamoose,  N.  D.  Rural 
and   small  town  patronage. 

WAR  AGAINST  MRS.  HADLEY,  THE:  Fay  Bain- 
ter,  Edward  Arnold — An  interesting  story  of  what  war 
did  to  one  woman  and  her  family.  Drew  the  best  to 
date  of  any  Metro  picture  in  the  "Terrific  Twelve". 
And  this  isn't  saying  too  much,  either.  Played  Thurs- 
day, Friday,  December  31,  January  1.— Arthur  K. 
Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.  General 
patronage. 

WHITE  CARGO:  Hedy  Lamarr,  Walter  Pidgeon— 
Can't  say  much  for  this  one.  People  that  came  out 
didn't  like  it.  Why  waste  Mr.  Miniver  in  this.  Played 
Saturday,  Sunday,  January  16-17. — Otto  W.  Chapek, 
New  Annex  Theatre,  Anamoose.  N.  D.  Rural  and 
small  town  patronage. 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product — providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Paramount 


ARE  HUSBAND'S  NECESSARY?:  Ray  Milland. 
Claudette  Colbert — Did  not  draw  or  please  any  too 
well.  These  stars  not  liked  so  well  here.  Paid  too 
much  for  this  one.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Jan- 
uary 12,  13.— Arthur  E.  Phifield,  Park  Theatre,  South 
Berwick,  Me.    Small  town  patronage. 

FLYING  BLIND:  Richard  Aden,  Jean  Parker— We 
did  all  right  with  his  picture.  Airplane  pictures  right 
now  are  timely. — Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre, 
Tillbury,  Ont. 

FOREST  RANGERS,  THE:  Fred  MacMurray,  Pau- 
lette  Goddard — Very  good  action  picture  in  beautiful 
color.  Business  was  good.  Play  it  soon.  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  27,  18. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey.  Okla.  Small  town 
patronage. 

GENERAL   DIED   AT   DAWN.    THE:  (Reissue). 

Gary  Cooper,  Madeleine  Carroll — As  good  as  ever — 
thi9  reissue  drew  an  average  house  and  pleased. 
Played  Tuesday,  January  5.— Arthur  K.  Dame,  Pal- 
ace Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

GLASS  KEY,  THE:  Brian  Donlevy,  Veronica  Lake, 
Alan  Ladd — Alan  Ladd  dominates  this  melodrama  and 
turns  in  a  great  performance.  It's  a  bit  strong  for 
children  but  otherwise  okay.  Drew  moderately.  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  6,  7. — Arthur  K. 
Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.  General 
patronage. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— A 
dandy  picture  for  any  holiday  and  particularly  suitable 
for  Christmas.  Comments  all  good.  Played  Thurs- 
day-Saturday, December  24-26. — Delmar  C.  Fox,  Fox 
Theatre,  Pincher  Creek,  Alberta.  Small  town  patron- 
age. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— Here's 
a  real  good  small  town  show.  Did  well  at  the  box 
office  and  pleased  100  percent.  Real  down  to  earth 
entertainment  for  any  theatre.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, January  10,  11.— Arthur  E.  Phifield,  Park  Thea- 
tre, South  Berwick,  Me.    Small  town  patronage. 

NIGHT  IN  NEW  ORLEANS:  Preston  Foster,  Pat- 
ricia Morrison — Nice  program  action  picture,  that 
proved  very  satisfactory. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre 
Theatre,   Chatham,  Otit. 

PRIORITIES  ON  PARADE:  Ann  Miller,  Jerry 
Colonna — A  dandy  little  musical.  Johnny  Johnston 
is  plenty  good.  Let's  have  more  of  his  peppy  per- 
sonality and  singing.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Janu- 
ary 8,  9. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook, 
N.  H.    General  patronage. 

REAP  THE  WILD  WIND:  Ray  Milland,  Paulette 
Goddard — A  very  fine  Technicolor  picture,  that  did 
nice  business  in  spite  of  bad  weather.  Played  Monday. 
Tuesday,  January  25,  26. — Harland  Rankin,  Plaza 
Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

TAKE  A  LETTER  DARLING:  Rosalind  Russell. 
Fred  MacMurray — Swell  picture — not  quite  a  natural 
for  our  trade  as  business  was  not  above  average  but 
it  pleased  everyone  that  came.  Played  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, January  24  .  25.— A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Thea- 
tre, Scotia,  Calif.    Small  labor  town  patronage. 

TRUE  TO  THE  ARMY:  Judy  Canova,  Allan  Jones 
— Judy  clicked  with  our  farm  lads  to  real  satisfaction. 
Played  Friday,  Saturday.  January  22,  23.— Harland 
Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 


Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  1,  2. — Otto  W.  Cha- 
pek, New  Annex  Theatre,  Anamoose,  N.  D.  Rural 
and  small  town  patronage. 

BIG  STREET,  THE:  Henry  Fonda,  Lucille  Ball- 
Very  good.  Okay  draw.  Played  Wednesday,  Thurs- 
day, January  13,  14. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Thea- 
tre,  Penacook,   N.   H.     General  patronage. 

MAYOR  OF  44TH  STREET:  George  Murphy,  Anne 
Shirley — Business  good  on  this  one  and  it  seemed  to 
please  all.  It  "took"  especially  with  the  younger 
crowd.  Play  it.  Played  Thursday,  Friday,  January 
14,  15.— Arthur  E.  Phifield,  Park  Theatre,  South  Ber- 
wick, Me. 

UNEXPECTED  UNCLE:  Just  another  RKO  weak 
sister.  Played  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  December  29,  30. 
— Otto  W.  Chapek,  New  Annex  Theatre,  Anamoose, 
N.   D.     Rural  and   small  town  patronage. 


Republic 


RKO 


BALL  OF  FIRE:  Gary  Cooper,  Barbara  Stanwyck — 
Why  they  wasted  two  stars  on  this  piece  of  bunk  is 
beyond  me.  People  were  expecting  big  things  from 
this  one,  and  they  told  me  plenty  on  the  way  out. 


CALL  OF  THE  CANYON:  Gene  Autry— This  drew 
very  well — why  should  I  say  more — and  yet,  it  isn't 
in  any  sense  the  picture  it  should  be  with  so  popular 
a  star.  Here's  hoping  Gene  gets  some  new  slants 
after  the  war.  Played  Saturday,  January  2. — Arthur 
K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.  General 
patronage. 

DEVIL  PAYS  OFF:  J.  Edward  Bromberg— Here  is 
a  picture.  Played  Monday -Wednesday,  January  18-20. 
— Harland  Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

GREAT  TRAIN  ROBBERY:  Bob  Steele,  Claire 
Carleton — Didn't  do  the  business  some  pictures  have, 
but  had  very  bad  weather.  Hard  to  judge  it,  but 
think  it  good  fare  for  weekend.  Played  Thursday - 
Saturday,  January  21-23. — Harland  Rankin,  Centre 
Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

JOAN  OF  OZARK:  Judy  Canova,  Joe  E.  Brown- 
Judy  and  Joe  are  both  popular  here,  so  I  did  a  very 
good  Thursday,  Friday  business.  And  everyone  came 
out  smiling.  Judy's  pictures  are  welcome  at  my 
house  anytime.  Keep  'em  coming.  Played  Thursday, 
Friday,  January  7,  8.— Arthur  E.  Phifield.  Park  Thea- 
tre, South  Berwick,  Me.     Small'  town  patronage. 

JOHNNY  DOUGHBOY:  Jane  Withers— Good  title, 
good  trailer  from  National  Screen,  extra  business.  Pic- 
ture is  weak,  Republic  missed  on  it.  They  had  some- 
thing here  but  the  entertainment  was  all  in  the  last 
10  minutes.  Should  have  been  longer  and  more  music. 
I  got  by  on  a  single  feature  program  but  it  is  a  dou- 
ble feature  picture.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  Janu- 
ary 7-9.— A.  C.  Myrick,  State  Theatre,  Lake  Park, 
Iowa.     Small   town  and   rural  patronage. 

JOHNNY    DOUGHBOY:    Jane    Withers— Not  her 

best,  but  good  average  product.  Business  was  fair. 
Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January  24,  25. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small  town 
patronage. 

SAILORS  ON  LEAVE:  William  Lundigan— Nice  pro- 
gram picture.  We  double  billed.  Everybody  was 
happy.  Played  Friday.  January  29,  30. — Harland  Ran- 
kin, Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

SOMBRERO  KID:  Don  "Red"  Barry— Although 
Red  Barry  is  not  as  popular  as  some  cowboys,  he  is 
coming  fast,  and  gives  nice  weekend  business. — Har- 
land Rankin,  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

SONS  OF  THE  PIONEERS:  Roy  Rogers— Roy 
Rogers  has  a  nice  following.  His  singing  takes  with 
the  ladies,  and  with  our  cashier. — Harland  Rankin, 
Plaza  Theatre,   Tilbury,  Ont 

SUNSET  SERENADE:  Roy  Rogers— Good  old  Roy, 
he  makes  weekends  a  joy  and  I  believe  the  home 
office  likes  him  too  because  he  spells  S.  R.  O.  Played 
(.Continued  on  opposite  page) 


February    13.  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


43 


29.  SO—  E 
Okla.  Sn 


. _  znzinued  fro-m  opposite  page) 
rhursday-Sacurday.    Tauuar;.    IS  - c  1— Harland  Rid: 
Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Oct. 

THUNDERING  TRAILS:  Three  Mesquiteers — G 
western  picture  which  pleased  oe  Friday  and  5a: 
day.    Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January 
Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey 
:rwr_ 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

A-HAUNT1NG  WE  WILL.  GO:  lau 


tlese 
ranch 
•Cali 
Situ 
:re. 


muarv  i— Arthur 
ak,   X.  H.  Gene; 


BERLIN     CORRESPONDENT  ..  V~ 

sideling  weather.  It  isn't  a  war  picture  so  be  sure 
to  tell  that  to  your  patrons  and  if  yon  can  get  them  in 
they'll    like    it. — A.    E.    Eliasen-    Eoronis  Theatre, 

BLACK  SWAN,  THE:  Tyrone  Power,  laird  Cregar. 


LITTLE  TOKYO,  U.  S.  A.:  Preston  Foster,  Brenda 
-z-^Ts..  Dame.  Pairs*  Theatre.  Pen- 


-Nothir; 
N.  H. 


MAGNIFICENT  DOPE.  THE :  Her 


Fonda,  Don 
ry  but  winds 

January  --a'.— Delmar  C.  F:£  Fax  ".tiers.  Piucl'r 
Creek  Alberta.    Small  town  patronage. 

MAGNIFICENT  DOPE,  THE:  Hear-/   ?:a;:  Den 

MANILA  _CAT  ,T  ,IN"G:  11  yd  Nolan— 3eccer  alar,  we 

tre,'  Pe^rook.'"> i."  H. '  G^erad"patrot5ge.     °~  **" 
MOON'TIDE:   Jean  Cabin.  Ida  Lupiuo— Not  much 

Theatre,  Scotia,  CaL    Small  labor  town  patronage. 


ORCHESTRA   WIVES:  Georze 


crcgomery,  Ann 
lis  very  much. 
A    1  v — Har_ar  a 


PERFECT  SNOB,  THE:  Lynn  Bar;.  Carta e".  Wide 

it  with  rThe  Spoilers."  Many  raved  about  this,  don't 
pass  it  no.  Played  Monday-Wednesday,  January 
25-27.— Harland  Rankin.  Cnetre  Theatre.  Cnatlana. 
Ont. 

TAT  PS  OF  MANHATTAN:  Claris  Bover.  Girerer 
Rogerj_.  Rita  Hayworcl.  Henry  Fonda.  Charles  Laugh- 

eerceccly  selected  ana  shold  lease  any  audience.  But 
business  was  on  and  disappointing.  Played  Sunday. 
Monday,    Janua—   10.    11. — Arthur   c^.    _Jauce.  palace 

TALES  OF  MANHATTAN-:  Claries  1  linger 
Sogers,  Rita  Hayworth.  Henry  Fonda.  Charles 
lauglton.    r-iward    G.  Robinson — mis  scar-studded 

business  I  anticipated  No  record-breaker  for  me.  I 
tlir.V  it  too  much  of  a  "eiass"  picture  to  ro  over  biz 

~~*.  "2c.***A-iur~E.  ~P>aidel*l~?ark~  Theatre.'  "loul 
Berwick,  lie.    Small  town  patronage. 

TEN  GENTLEMEN  FROM  WEST  POINT:  George 
Moucgomery.  Maureen  O'Hara— Did  rot  see  this  are 

day?  --In  day'  JanSry'  3,"-T— Arthur  E7 '  Phileld  Park 
Theatre,  South  Berwick,  Me.    Small  town  patronage. 


THUNDER  BIRDS: 

Cold  weather  and  tad 


aot 


Tn<es^y"^fanuatT  17*19.— A  C^Myricfc,  State  Theatre. 
Lake  Park,  Iowa.    Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

^  THUNDER  BIRDS:  Preston  Foster.  Gene  Tiemey. 
Jain  Sutton— Excellent  ana  I  give  thanks  that  there 
were  no  airplane  crashes.     It  is  the  first  time  chat 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 

Week  of  February  %th 

ASTOR 

Marines  in  the  Making  MGM 

The  Spirit  of  "43  U.S.  Treas.  Dept 

feature:  Tennessee  Johnson . .  MGM 

CAPITOL 

The  Spirit  of  "43  U.S.  Treas.  Dept 

Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden  MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve. Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Screen  Snapshots,  No.  5.  . .  .Columbia 

The  Spirit  of  "43  U.S.  Treas.  Dept 

Feature:  CommanJos  Strike  at 

Dawn   Columbia 

GLOBE 

The  Spirit  of  "43  U.S.  Treas.  Dept 

Rghting  Freighters  United  Artists 

Feature:  Margin  for  Error.  .  .2Z~r  Ce-r.-Fox 

HOLLYWOOD 

Cuba,    Land   of  Adventure 

and  Sport  Vitaphone 

Pigs  in  a  Pollca  Vitaphone 

Feature:  Air  Force  Warner  Bros." 

MUSIC  HALL 

The  Spirit  of  "43  U.S.  Ireas.  Dept 

Feature:  Random  Harvest . .  .MGM 


r.ARAVC'JNT 

The  Spirit  of  '43  

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  

The  Rghting  Spirit.  

Feature:  Star  Spangled 
Kb\ibm   


.  U.S.  Treas.  De 


RIALTO 

Superman  and  the  Volcano. Paramount 
Feature:  Lucky  Jordan  Paramount 

RIVOLI 

-e  3d-'-  z~  -3  _.S.    -ess.  1-ept 

De  Fuehrer's  Face  RKO-Disney 

Feature:  Shadow  of  a  Doubt.  Universal 

ROXY 

Frankenstein's  Cat  20th  Cent.-Fox 

The  Spirit  of  "43-.  U.S.  Treas.  Dept 

When  Winter  Comes  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Feature:  Immortal  Sergeant .  .20th  Cent.-Fox 

STRAND 

The  Spirit  of  '43  U.S.  Treas.  Depi 

Case  of  ifie  Missing  Hare.  .Vitaphone 

This  Is  Your  Enemy  Vitaphone 

Vaudeville  Days   Vitaphone 

Feature:  Casablanca  Warns'  Bros. 


las  net  in  ler  oast  roles. — A.  E.  Hancock.  Columbia 
Theatre.  Columbia  City,  Ind 


United  Artists 


POWERS  GIRL.  THE:  George  Murphy,  Carole 
Lett's — We  got  a  break  on  the  weather  and  took  in  a 
little  over  Sim  rental  Feature  pleased  and  we  con- 
sidered it  fair  film  fare.  How  this  Landis  gal  gets  all 
that  publicity  is  beyond  me  because  she  doesn't  ri 

hick  =  "^lojevidencl-  don't  "kVoV  what' s"  whIt.-A.~E. 

SILVER  QUEEN :  G-eorge  ^Brent.  Pr^la  Lane- 
tie  weather  again  git  the  rest  at  us  and  this  feature 
didn't  have  enough  on  the  ball  to  make  'em  get  out 
and  see  it.  We  liked  chis_one  outside  of  the  poor 
business. — A  E.  Elasen.  xaranis  ireatre.  Payres- 
vfle,  Minn. 

BROADWAY:  George  Raft.  Pat  O'Brien— A  lovely 
picture,  a  natural  tor  a  small  town.    Lots  of  action. 


Played  it  in  Chatham  and  Tilbury,  a  city  and  town,  to 
nice  business.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday.  Janu- 
arv  27.  28. — Harland  Rankin,  Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury, 
Ont. 


Universal 


DANGER  IN  THE  PACIFIC:  Lea  CariJ  c.  And; 
Devine — The  best  Saturday  since  my  last  Gene  Autry. 
A  swell  little  picture  with  a  good  up-to-the-minute 
title,  and  that  helps  any  picture  plenty.  Played 
Saturday.  January  16l — Arthur  E.  Phineld  Park  The- 
atre, South  Berwick,  Me.    Small  town  patronage. 

GET  HEP  TO  LOVE:  Gloria  Jean,  Peggy  Ryan, 
Jane  Frazee— I  wish  they  had  titled  it  dinerently,  for 
it  is  a  surprisingly  good  program  picture.  There  is 
a  clever  little  girl  in  this  one — name,  Peggy  Ryan. 
She  is  a  honey  of  a  dancer  and  while  she  was  not 
the  talk  of  the  town  she  did  get  some  acclaim  from  a 
number  of  our  patrons,  who  wanted  her  identity. — A 
E.  Hancock,  Columbia  Theatre,  Columbia  City,  Ind 

INVISIBLE  AGENT:  Ton  Hall,  Dona  Masse;.— 
Here  is  a  real  surprise  package;  we  did  "stand  up"' 
business,  with  "Somewhere  I'll  Find  You"  and  "Cap- 
tair.  of  tie  Clouds"  opposition. — Harland  Rankin. 
Centre  Theatre,  Chatham,  Ont. 

LADY  IN  A  JAM:  Irene  Dunne,  Ralph  Bellamy— 
Oh.  Oh.  Pass  this  one  up.  It's  a  little  too  screwy. 
You'll  be  in  a  jam  with  everybody  after  playing  this 
picture.  They  sure  missed  the  boat  with  this  one. 
Played  Monday- Wednesday,  January  18-20. — Harland 
Rankin,   Centre   Theatre,   Chatham,  Ont. 

PRIVATE  BUCKAROOS:  Andrews  Sisters,  Dick 
Foran — Real  entertainment,  everybody  liked  it  a  lot. 
Did  outstanding  business.  Plaved  Wednesdav.  Thurs- 
day. Julv  20, .  21—  Harland  Rankin.  Plaza  Theatre. 
Tilbury,  Ont. 

SABOTEUR.  THE:  Robert  Cecmruiugs.  Prlcila 
Lane — Played  this  during  the  pre-Christmas  slump 
but  those  who  came  liked  it  very  much.  Played 
Thursday-Saturday,  December  17-19. — Delmar  C.  Fox. 
Fox  Theatre,  Pincher  Creek.  Alberta.  Small  town 
patronage. 

SLIGHTLY  TEMPTED:  Hugh  Herbert.  Polly 
lloran— A    candy   program   picture.     h.  very  body  liked 

_  SPOILERS,  THE:  Marlene  Dietrich.  Randclah 
Scott,  John  Wayne — If  it's  a  show  they  want,  play  it. 
They  really  put  on  a  grand  fight.  It  should  click 
anywhere.  Plaved  Mondav- Wednesdav.  Tanuary  25- 
27.— Harland  Rankin.  Centre  Theatre,  Chatham.  Ont. 


Warner  Bros. 


ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC:  Humphrey  Bogart,  Mary 
Astor — Bogart  is  plenty  good  in  this  one.  This  will 
hold  the  attention  from  start  to  finish.  Business 
way  otr  due  to  the  weather.  Played  Saturday,  Sun- 
day, January  23-24. — Otto  W.  Cnapek.  New  Annex 
ireatre,  Anamcose.  N.  D.  Rural  and  small  town 
patronage. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Erro:  Flynn,  Ronald 
Reagan — The  action  company  shewed  plenty  of  ac- 
tton  in  this  me.  and  it  was  alert-,  gc-e-d.  Have  i 
Friday.  Saturday.  December  23.  26.— Otto  W.  Chapek, 
New  Annex  Theatre,  Anamoose,  N.  D.  Rural  and 
sma—    tewn  patnenage. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Err:'.  Lynn.  Ronald 
Reagan — A  ridiculous  picture  that  will  probably  do  a 
rerrire  easiness,  rive  an  six  iters  are  brought  dtvn 
over  Germany  and  they  proceed  to  escape  five  times 
from  the  Gestapo.  On  their  way  back  to  England 
they  cause  so  much  damage  that  one  wonders  hew 
Germany  kept  from  collapsing. — Rudolph  J.  Covi,  Covi 
Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa.  Small  town  and  rural  pat- 
nenage. 

GAY  SISTERS    THE:   Barbara   Stanwyck.  1::. 
Brent — A  popular  picture  that  did  a  nice  gross.  Plaved 
Mondav.  Tuesdav.   Tanuarv  18.  19.— Harland  Rankin. 
Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

_ HIDDEN  HAND,  THE:  Craig  Stevens.  EHzabeth 
Frazer — Good  comedy  horror  picture.  Willie  Best 
carried  off  the  acting  honors.  Business  was  fair, 
and  it  pleased  all.  Played  Tuesday,  Tanuarv  26. — 
E.  M.  Freiburger.  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey*  Okla. 

KENNEL  MURDER  CASE:  William  Powell,  Mary 
Astor — Did  a  good  average  business  on  this  reissue. 
An  extra  good  murder  mystery  and  had  not  played 
my  house  before.  Plaved  Thursdav.  Fridav,  Tan- 
uary 21.  22.— Arthur  E.  Phifieic.  Park  Theatre,  South 
Berwick,  Me.     Small  town  patronage. 

NOW,  VOYAGER:  Paul  Henreid,  Bette  Davis- 
Paul  Henreid  is  magnificent,  therefore  the  picture  had 
to  be  good  X'ot  since  Rudolph  Valentino  hag  a  star 
plaved  such  havoc  with  the  female  heart.  Plaved 
Sunday.   Monday.  January  24,  25.— Rudolph  J.  Covi. 


Covi  Theatre.  He 
oatronage. 


?mall  town  and  rural 


WILD  BILL  HICKOK  RIDES:  Constance  Bennett. 
Brace  Cabot — We  enjoyed  ontstaadma:  business  on 
(Continued  on  foThrrrino  page') 


44 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    13,  1943 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 
this   picture,    so   it   was   a    good   picture,  naturally. 
Played   Sunday,    anuary   24.— Harland   Rankin,  Plaza 
Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

WINGS  FOR  THE  EAGLE:  Ann  Sheridan,  Den- 
nis Morgan— Nice  business.  Miss  Sheridan  could  be 
more  popular.  Fair  midweek  business.— Harland  Ran- 
kin, Plaza  Theatre,  Tilbury,  Ont. 

YOU  CAN'T  ESCAPE  FOREVER:  George  Brent, 
Brenda  Marshall— A  weak  newspaper  story,  a  rehash 
of  a  hundred  done  before  with  everyone  in  the  office 
growling  and  barking.  Little  wonder  that  they  are 
doing  a  very  poor  job  of  reporting  this  war.  Played 
Friday,  Saturday,  January  15,  16.— Rudolph  J.  Covi, 
Covi  Theatre,  Herminie,  Pa.  Small  town  and  rural 
patronage. 


Short  Features 
Columbia 

CHOLLY  POLLY:  Phantasies  Cartoons— This  is 
good.  Dave  Fleischer  is  improving  Columbia's  car- 
toons quite  a  lot.— Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre, 
Penacook,  N.  H. 

COLLEGE  BELLES:  All  Star  Comedies— This  is  a 
good  comedy  with  lots  of  pretty  girls.— Arthur  K. 
Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

COMMUNITY  SINGS:  My  younger  crowd  like 
these  and  take  hold  well  in  the  singing.  I'm  playing 
them  all.— Arthur  E.  Phifield,  Park  Theatre,  South 
Berwick,  Me. 

KITCHEN  QUIZ,  NO.  1:  Quiz  Reels,  Series  2— In- 
teresting as  usual  for  this  series.— Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,   Penacook,   N.  H. 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS:  My  patrons  like  this  series 
and  I've  found  them  always  O.  K.— Arthur  E.  Phi- 
field, Park  Theatre,  South  Berwick,  Me. 

TITO'S  GUITAR:  Color  Rhapsodies— In  Technicolor 
and  very  good.  Clever  and  interesting  cartoon  de- 
velopments.—Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Pena- 
cook, N.  H. 

WILD  AND  WOOZY  WEST,  THE:  Phantasies 
Cartoons— Okay  cartoon.— Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace 
Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

ATCA:  Miniatures — Will  please  all  of  male  Young 
America  and  may  help  their  cause  with  dad  and  the 
school  authorities. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Thea- 
tre, Penacook,  N.  H. 

BARB  EE  CUES:  Pete  Smith  Specialty— Makes 
everybody's  mouth  water.  How  to  cook  the  steaks, 
and  how! — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough  Theatre,  Ben- 
gough,  Sask. 


FINE  FEATHERED  FRIEND:  Technicolor  Car- 
toons— Very  good  cartoon  in  color. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

FIRST  SWALLOW,  THE:  Technicolor  Cartoons- 
Poor  excuse  for  a  cartoon. — A.  L.  Dove,  Bengough 
Theatre,  Bengough,  Sask. 

HEDDA  HOPPER'S  HOLLYWOOD,  NO.  4— Most- 
ly about  Jane  Withers. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  The- 
atre, Penacook,  N.  H. 

MITCHELL  AYRES  AND  ORCHESTRA:  Head- 
liners — Entertaining  musical  reel. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

NOTHING  BUT  NERVES:  Benchley  Comedies- 
Just  fair.  Not  up  to  Bob's  best. — Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

POPULAR  SCIENCE,  NO.  6:  It's  interesting.— Ar- 
thur K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

YOU'RE  A  SAP,  MR.  JAP:  Popeye  the  Sailor- 
Routine  Popeye. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre, 
Penacook,  N.  H. 


RKO 


CACTUS  CAPERS:  Ray  Whitley— A  good  two-reel 
subject  if  your  patrons  like  Whitley.  They  go  over 
well  here.  This  one  is  up  to  his  average. — Arthur 
E.  Phifield,  Park  Theatre,  South  Berwick,  Me. 

HOLD  'EM  JAIL:  Leon  Errol — A  good  comedy. 
Kept  folks  happy. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre, 
Penacook,  N.  H. 

RANGE  RHYTHM:  Ray  Whitley  and  the  Ranch 
Boys — Music  and  comedy  a  la  Western  variety. — Ar- 
thur K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

WINTER  SETTING:  Sportscope— Average  sport 
reel  with  skating  scenes  from  Sun  Valley,  Idaho. — 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 


ALL  OUT  FOR  "V":  Terrytoons  (Technicolor)— 
Here's  the  best  Terrytoon  in  color  I've  yet  played. 
It's  swell.  Don't  pass  it  up. — Arthur  E.  Phifield, 
Park  Theatre,  South  Berwick,  Me. 

GUARDIANS  OF  THE  SEA:  News  Cameraman- 
Here  is  a  fine  reel  about  our  Coast  Guard.  Educa- 
tional and  entertaining.  A  nice  filler  for  any  show. 
— Arthur  E.  Phifield,  Park  Theatre,  South  Berwick, 
Me. 

GUARDIANS  OF  THE  SEA:  News  Cameraman- 
Good  story  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  Guard. — Arthur  K. 
Dame,   Palace  Theatre,   Penacook,   N.  H. 


Universal 

ACE  IN  THE  HOLE:  Color  Cartun--  Good  color 
cartoon — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 

PUSSY  CAT  CAFE:  Entertaining  reel  of  the 
Stranger  Than  Fiction  series. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

WINTER  SERENADE  (Jingle  Belles):  Musicals- 
Fine  two-reel  variety  musical  with  Gloria  Jean  sing- 
ing. Play  this  one  on  your  best  dates.— Arthur  E. 
Phifield,   Park   Theatre,   South   Berwick,  Me. 


Vitaphone 

BORRAH  MINNEVITCH  AND  HIS  HARMONICA 

SCHOOL:  Melody  Masters  Bands— Very  good  musical 
reel  which  pleased  all. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

CONFUSIONS  OF  A  NUTZY  SPY:  Looney  Tunes 
Cartoons — Good  black  and  white  cartoon. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger,   Paramount   Theatre,   Dewey,  Okla. 

SO  YOU  THINK  YOU  NEED  GLASSES:  Holly- 
wood Novelties — Amusing  one-reel  comedy.— E.  M. 
Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

U.  S.  NAVY  BAND:  Melody  Masters  Bands— Ex- 
cellent musical  reel.— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

VAUDEVILLE  DAYS:  Broadway  Brevities— Very 
good  two-reel  subject  telling  the  history  of  vaude- 
ville and  introducing  10  acts.  As  good  as  some  fea- 
tures.—E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla. 


Victory  Film 

BATTLE  OF  MIDWAY:  Excellent.  A  Technicolor 
on-the-spot  account.— Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  The- 
atre, Penacook,  N.  H. 


Warner  Bros. 

HOLD  THE  LION  PLEASE:  Merrie  Melodies  Car- 
toons—These Merrie  Melodies  in  Technicolor  are  gen- 
erally pleasing.  This  one  is  amusing,  as  usual. 
There  seem  to  be  more  laughs  in  these  cartoons  than 
in  most  of  the  others.— Arthur  E.  Phifield,  Park 
Theatre,  South  Norfolk,  Me. 


Reverse  Dismissal  of 
Ballet  Russe  Suit 

The  dismissal  last  July  17th  of  the  $100,000 
damage  suit  which  the  original  Ballet  Russe, 
Inc.,  brought  against  the  Ballet  Theatre,  Inc., 
German  Sevastianov,  Hurok  Attractions,  Inc., 
and  Solomon  Hurok,  by  Federal  Judge  Samuel 
Mandelbaum  on  technical  grounds,  was  reversed 
last  week  by  the  United  States  Circuit  Court 
of  Appeals. 

They  filed  a  complaint  which  incorporated 
the  allegations  in  one  paragraph,  charging  the 
defendants  with  trying  to  destroy  its  business 
and  "drive  it  out  of  the  theatrical  world."  They 
also  charged  the  defendants  sought  to  induce 
certain  dancers  to  break  their  contracts  with  the 
Ballet  Russe.  Judge  Mandelbaum  ruled  that 
the  allegations  should  have  been  stated  sepa- 
rately. 

The  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  decision  read: 
"All  the  acts  are  alleged  to  be  connected  by 
the  common  purpose  of  driving  the  plaintiff 
from  the  theatrical  world,"  and  "We  do  not 
think  that  a  separation  into  counts  is  necessary 
to  facilitate  the  clear  presentation  of  the  mat- 
ters set  forth." 


Lt.  Perakos  Wounded 

Lt.  John  Perakos,  formerly  manager  of  the 
Eastwood  theatre,  East  Hartford,  Conn.,  was 
reported  wounded  in  action  in  New  Guinea, 
according  to  word  reaching  Hartford.  Lt. 
Perakos,  son  of  Peter  Perakos,  partner  in  the 
Perakos  &  Quittner  theatres  in  Connecticut, 
joined  the  Army  Air  Force  last  spring. 


Seattle  Theatre  Gutted 

The  Green  Parrot  theatre  in  Seattle  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  last  week,  an  explosion  in  an 
adjoining  cafe  causing  flames  to  spread  through 
the  house  after  one  wall  of  the  theatre  was 
blown  in. 


nbsidiary  of  Radio  Corporation  of 
RCA  Service  Company,  Inc  . ,  . J  new  of  he  ^nkal 

^S'ESSS?^  of  *e  RCA  Victor  Division  of  Rad.o 
Corporation  of  America.  installation  and  servicing  of  vital 

staff  operating  from  Distnct JDffice £ ^quipmeni  in  theatres,  broadcast 
eians  will  provide  ^^^oUaZ^  and  hospitals.  [ir^c^ 
stations,  industnal  of  the  former  instal- 

The  entire  managerial  7^hm^  ^  ^ 

lation  and  service  group  of  RCA  \ 
porated  within  the  new  company. 


RCA  SERVICE  COMPANY,  INC. 

A  Radio  Corporation  of  America  Subs.d.ary 
Camden,  N.  J. 


February     13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


45 


MANAGERS 


ROUND  TABLE 


zAn  international  association  of  shozvmen  meeting  weekly 
tn  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 

BOB  WILE,  Editor  GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 

1943  War  Showmanship  Award 


op 


Last  April,  Motion  Picture  Herald,  through  Managers' 
Round  Table,  announced  a  special  War  Showmanship  Award 
supplementary  to  the  regular  Quigley  Awards.  Letters  from 
every  branch  of  the  industry  applauded  the  Award  and,  in 
addition,  managers  and  independent  exhibitors  from  all  over 
the  country  showed  their  approval  by  submitting  entries  for  it. 

Again  in  1 943,  this  Award  will  be  made  to  the  showman 
who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Judges,  has  done  the  most  to  pro> 
mote  the  war  effort  through  his  theatre.  As  before,  the  win- 
ning showman  may  be  one  who  submits  all  of  his  ideas  per- 
taining to  the  theatre's  part  in  the  war  effort,  or  the  prize 
may  be  given  to  the  man  who  does  one  thing  so  outstanding, 
in  the  Judges'  opinion,  to  make  him  worthy  of  this  Award. 

During  the  past  year,  campaigns  and  ideas  were  submitted 
on  a  number  of  different  methods  through  which  the  motion 
picture  theatre  contributed  to  the  war  effort.  Among  the  first 
big  campaigns  were  those  for  the  opening  of  Bond  sales  in 
theatres;  some  theatres,  already  selling  War  Bonds  when  the 
drive  opened  on  May  30th,  submitted  Award  entries  earlier. 
The  "Salute  to  Our  Heroes"  War  Bond  Drive  in  September 
and  "Avenge  Pearl  Harbor  Week"  in  December  were  produc- 
tive of  many  more  campaigns  on  behalf  of  War  Bonds. 

The  various  scrap  drives  also  produced  a  number  of  cam- 
paigns. Ten  of  these,  which  won  special  Citations  from  Donald 
Nelson,  will  be  included  in  the  entries  for  the  1 942  War  Show- 
manship Award.  In  addition,  there  were  drives  to  collect 
rubber,  silk,  etc.,  even  before  the  nationwide  scrap  metal 
campaigns. 

The  year  just  past  saw  the  return  to  the  United  States  of 
the  country's  first  heroes,  who  were  fittingly  welcomed  on  the 
stages  of  the  motion  picture  theatres  in  their  respective  home 
cities  and  towns,  in  many  cases.  These  events  were  properly 
considered  as  the  theatre's  part  in  the  war  effort,  too.  Some 
heroes,  unfortunately,  have  not  come  back;  they,  too,  were 
honored  by  showmen,  and  these  honors  as  well  were  considered 
for  the  War  Award. 

Many  showmen,  active  civically,  were  enabled  to  play  an 
active  part  in  giving  a  send-off  to  newly  drafted  recruits. 
Others  participated  in  sending  Christmas  gifts  to  the  men 
from  their  home  towns  in  the  services. 

Other  ideas,  more  local  in  character,  will  come  within  the 
scrutiny  of  the  Judges,  who  will,  in  fact,  consider  any  entry 
which  links  the  theatre  to  the  war  effort. 


"I  get  a  great  deal  of  help  from  the  Managers'  Round  Table 
and  look  forward  to  it  each  week  with  a  great  deal  of  enthu- 
siasm."— C.  J.  Remington,  State  theatre,  Auburn,  Calif. 


The  Showman's  D.  S.  C. 

"During  the  ten  years,  in  which  I  have  been  learning  some- 
thing of  show  business,  I  have  always  felt  that  winners  of  the 
Quigley  Awards  were  something  like  soldiers  winning  the  Dis- 
tinguished Service  Cross,"  says  V.  P.  Byrne,  manager  of  the 
Rio  Grande  and  State  theatres,  Las  Cruces,  New  Mexico. 

He  goes  on  to  say,  "Showmanship,  when  judged  purely  as 
ballyhoo,  can  frequently  be  unprofitable.  I  would  much  rather 
exert  my  energies  toward  a  good  profit  from  a  reasonable  gross 
than  spend  my  time  chasing  an  astronomical,  and  perhaps 
unprofitable,  gross." 

Mr.  Byrne  has  expressed  the  sentiments  of  most  practical 
showmen  in  this  respect.  It  is  possible  to  spend  $200  over  the 
normal  advertising  budget  and  push  the  gross  up  $150;  in  fact, 
this  is  done  too  often. 

AAA 

Cooperative  Effort 

One  of  the  benefits  the  war  has  conferred  is  to  encourage 
the  cooperation  of  many  competitors  in  the  common  cause. 
One  of  the  most  firmly  knit  local  theatre  associations  is  in 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  where  the  I  5  theatres  often  work  together. 

A  recent  example  of  their  joint  efforts  is  a  full-page  ad  in 
the  Terre  Haute  Star  for  the  "Block  Mothers  of  the  Civilian 
Air  Defense".  The  theatres  joined  in  a  quarter  of  a  page  to 
detail  what  the  motion  picture  industry  has  done  for  the  war 
effort. 

The  Terre  Haute  Theatres  Association  pledge  their  theatres 
in  this  ad  "to  continue  all  our  past  activities  and  any  new  ones 
Uncle  Sam  may  ask. of  us". 

—BOB  WILE 


46  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February     13,  1943 

BALLYHOO  and  LOBBY  STUNTS 


The  attractive  front  of  the  Colonial,  Allentown,  Pa.,  designed 
by  Charles  Bierbauer  and  Nick  Todorov,  seems  to  be 
effective  in  bringing  in  the  customers  for  "Casablanca". 


Ray  Conner,  manager  of  the  Palace, 
New  York,  greets  Dave  Ballard, 
7-foot-7-inch  Tarzan,  who  ballyhooed 
"Tarzan  Triumphs". 


Credit  for  this  idea 
goes  to  Ted  Teschner, 
manager  of  the 
Valentine,  Toledo,  O. 


This  lobby  card,  measuring 
4  feet  by  7,  was  personally 
executed  by  Murray  Keillor, 
manager  of  the  Roxy,  Corn- 
wall, Ont.,  Canada,  in  the 
absence  of  a  lobby  artist. 


Safety  zone,  vision-free  car 
riders  inspired  the  idea 
depicted  at  the  right.  Arnold 
Gates,  manager  of  Loew's 
Park,  Cleveland,  had  the  young 
man,  dressed  as  a  sailor  and 
carrying  the  sign,  blow  a 
boatswain's  whistle  to  attract 
the  attention  of  those  waiting. 
This  is  a  busy  transfer  point, 
with  50,000  people  a  day 
boarding  trolleys  there. 


People  who  stopped  to 
look  at  this  display  in 
the  Strand  theatre, 
Pittsburgh,  were 
greeted  with  a  little 
speech  through  the 
public  address  system 
made  by  John  Con- 
heim,  manager. 


February    13,     1943  MANAGERS'    ROUND    TABLE  47 


100  INDUSTRY  LEADERS  ARE 
QUIGLEY  AWARDS  JUDGES 


THE  Judging  Committee  for  the  1943  Quigley  Awards  has 
been  selected.  More  than  100  of  the  most  prominent  men 
in  the  industry  in  the  fields  of  exhibition,  distribution  and 
advertising  and  publicity  have  accepted  membership  on  this 
Committee.  From  this  panel,  three  Judges  are  named  each 
Quarter  to  decide  on  the  winning  campaigns. 

The  complete  list  of  Judges  with  their  titles  follows: 
EDWARD  L.  ALPERSON,  general  manager,  RKO  Theatres 
HARRY  C.  ARTHUR,  JR.,  general  manager,  Fanchon  &  Marco  Theatres 
BARNEY  BALABAN,  president,  Paramount  Pictures,  Inc. 
LEON  J.  BAMBERGER,  sales  promotion  manager,  RKO  Radio  Pictures 

E.  C.  BEATTY,  president,  W.  S.  Butterfield  Theatres,  Inc. 

MAURICE  A.  BERGMAN,  eastern  advertising  manager,  Universal  Pictures 
NATE  BLUMBERG,  president,  Universal  Pictures  Co.,  Inc. 

MORT  BLUMENSTOCK,  in  charge  of  advertising  and   publicity  for  War- 
ner Bros,  in  the  East 

G.  RALPH  BRANTON,  general  manager,  Tri-States  Theatre  Corp. 

0.  HENRY  BRIGGS,  president,  Producers  Releasing  Corp. 
HARRY  D.  BUCKLEY,  vice-president,  United  Artists  Corp. 
JACK  COHN,  executive  vice-president,  Columbia  Pictures  Corp. 
THOMAS  J.  CONNORS,  vice-president,  Twentieth  Century-Fox  Film  Corp. 
JAMES  E.  COSTON,  Chicago  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 
ALBERT  DEANE,  director  of  foreign  publicity,  Paramount  Pictures,  Inc. 
GEORGE  DEM  BOW,  vice-president,  National  Screen  Service  Corp. 

SAM  DEM  BOW,  JR.,  theatre  executive,  Paramount  Theatres  Service  Corp. 

NED  E.  DEPINET,  president,  RKO  Radio  Pictures,  Inc. 

HOWARD  DIETZ,  vice-president,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Pictures 

OSCAR  A.  DOOB,  advertising  and  publicity  director,  Loew's  Theatres 

S.  CHARLES  EINFELD,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity,  Warner  Bros. 

GUS  EYSSELL,  president  and  managing  director,  Radio  City  Music  Hall 

SI  H.  FABIAN,  president,  Fabian  Theatres 

EDWARD  M.  FAY,  executive,  Fay's  Theatres 

WILLIAM  R.  FERGUSON,  in  charge  of  exploitation,  Metro-Goldv/yn-Mayer 

W.  A.  FINNEY,  southern  division  manager,  Loew's  Theatres 

J.  J.  FITZGIBBONS,  president,  Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp. 

JOHN  J.  FRIEDL,  president  and  general  manager,  Minnesota  Amusement  Co. 

ARTHUR  FRUDENFELD,  division  manager,  Cincinnati,  RKO  Theatres 

ROBERT  M.  G1LLHAM,   director  of  advertising   and   publicity,  Paramount 

HARRY  GOLDBERG,  director  of  advertising,  publicity,  Warner  Theatres 

LEONARD  H.  GOLDENSON,  in  charge  of  Paramount  theatre  operations 

EDMUND  C.  GRAINGER,  president,  Feiber  &  Shea  Theatre  Circuit 

JAMES  R.  GRAINGER,  president,  Republic  Pictures,  Inc. 

L.  J.  HALPER,  Pacific  Coast  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 

JOHN  H.  HARRIS,  general  manager,  Harris  Amusement  Co. 

WILLIAM  J.  HEINEMAN,  assistant  general  sales  manager,  Universal  Pictures 

JOHN  W.  HICKS,  JR.,  vice-president,  Paramount  Pictures 

1.  J.  HOFFMAN,  New  England  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 
NAT  HOLT,  western  division  manager,  RKO  Theatres 

HAL  HORNE,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity,  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
EARL  J.  HUDSON,  president,  United  Detroit  Theatres 

DONALD  C.  JACOCKS,  New  Jersey  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 

WILLIAM  K.  JENKINS,  secretary-treasurer,  Lucas  &  Jenkins  Theatres 

W.  RAY  JOHNSTON,  president,  Monogram  Pictures  Corp. 

CHARLES  REED  JONES,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity,  Republic 

JOHN   JOSEPH,   director  of  advertising,   publicity,   exploitation,  Universal 

HARRY  M.  KALMINE,  general  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 

ARTHUR  W.  KELLY,  vice-president,  United  Artists  Corp. 

GUY  A.  KENIMER,  district  manager,  Florida  State  Theatres,  Inc. 

H.  F.  KINCEY,  executive,  Wilby-Kincey  Theatre  Circuit' 

CHARLES  E.  KURTZMAN,  northeastern  division  manager,  Loew's  Theatres 

C.  J.  LATTA,  Albany  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 

IRVING  LESSER,  managing  director,  Roxy  Theatre,  New  York 

M.  A.  LIGHTMAN,  president  and  general  manager,  Malco  Theatres,-  Inc. 

DAVID  A.  LIPTON,  director  of  advertising,  publicity,  Columbia 

F.  J.  A.  McCARTHY,  eastern  division  sales  manager,  Universal  Pictures  Corp. 
S.  BARRET  McCORMICK,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity,  RKO  Radio 
CHARLES  B.  McDONALD,  New  York  City  division  manager,  RKO  Theatres 
VINCENT  R.  McFAUL,  president  and  general  manager,  Buffalo  Theatres,  Inc. 
HARRY  MAN  DEL,  director  of  advertising  and  publicity,  RKO  Theatres  : 
ALEX  MANTA,  president,  Indiana-Illinois  Theatres 

ARTHUR  L.  MAYER,  managing  director,  Rialto  Theatre,  New  York 

LOU  B.  METZGER,  president,  Metzger-Srere  Theatres 

DAN  MICHALOVE,  New  York  representative,  National  Theatres 

ABE  MONTAGUE,  general  sales  manager,  Columbia  Pictures  Corp. 

CHARLES  C.  MOSKOWITZ,  vice-president,  Loew's,  Inc. 

ALEC  MOSS,  advertising  manager,  Paramount  Pictures,  Inc. 

LEON  D.  NETTER,  vice-president,  Paramount  Theatres  Service  Corp. 

JOHN  J.  O'CONNOR,  vice-president,  Universal  Pictures  Co. 

R.  J.  O'DONNELL,  general  manager,  Interstate  Circuit 

HUGH  OWEN,  eastern  d  ivision  sales  manager,  Paramount  Pictures,  Inc. 

LEW  PRESTON,  supervisor,  Interboro  Circuit,  New  York  City 


FORTNIGHT'S  LEADERS 

The  third  Fortnight's  list  of  outstanding  showmen  includes 
32  names.  These,  together  with  showmen  who  were  represented 
in  previous  Fortnights,  will  be  the  leading  contenders  for  First 
Quarter  Awards. 


HAL  BISHOP 

Capitol,  Winnipeg,  Man.,  Canada 

JOSEPH  BOYLE 
Broadway,  Norwich,  Conn. 

LIGE  BRIEN 

Kenyon,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

LEWIS  BREYER 
Strand,  Holyoke,  Mass. 

LOUIS  CHARNINSKY 
Capitol,  Dallas,  Tex. 

FRANCIS  DEERING 
Loew's  State,  Houston,  Tex. 

MAURICE  DRUKER 

Loew's  State,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

BILL  ELDER 

Loew's,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

JACK  FLEX 

Keith,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

JACK  FRETWELL 
Visulite,  Staunton,  Va. 

STEWART  GILLESPIE 

Elgin,  Ottawa,  Ont.,  Canada 

HERB  GORDON 
Palace,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

HERB  GRAEFE 

Wisconsin  Rapids  Theatres 
Wisconsin  Rapids,  Wis. 

BILL  HOYLE 


MURRAY  KEILLOR 

Royal,  Cornwall,  Ont.,  Canada 

JAMES  KING 

Keith  Memorial,  Boston,  Mass. 
SID  KLEPER 

Bijou,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

HARRY  KLOTZ 
Esquire,  Toledo,  O. 

MURRY  LAFAYETTE 
Haven,  Olean,  N.  Y. 

STAN  LAMBERT 
Venetian,  Racine,  Wis. 

ED  MAY 

Russell,  Maysville,  Ky. 

FRED  MORROW 
Embassy,  Lewistown,  Pa. 

FRANK  MURPHY 

Loew's  State,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

CHUCK  SHANNON 
Cambria,  Johnstown,  Pa. 
HARRY  D.  STEARN 
KEN  CARTER 
Manring,  Middlesboro,  Ky. 
MOLLIE  STICKLES 
Strand,  Waterbury,  Conn. 
ARNOLD  STOLTZ 
Avon,  Utica,  N.  Y. 
T.  O.  TABOR 
Palace,  Athens,  Ga. 


Lichtman  Theatres,  Washington,  D.  C.  CHARLES  B  TAYLOR 

A.  J.  KALBERER  Snea  Theatres,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Switow's  Indiana  LEN  TUTTLE 

Washington,  Ind.  Indiana,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 


CHARLES  RAYMOND,  division  manager,  Loew's  Great  Lakes  Theatres 

CHARLES  M.  REAGAN,  assistant  general  sales  manager,  Paramount 

H.  M.  RICHEY,  director  of  exhibitor  relations,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Pictures 

FRANK  H.  RICKETSON,  JR.,  president,  Fox  Intermountain  Theatres,  Inc. 

HERMAN  ROBBINS,  president,  National  Screen  Service  Corp. 

WILLIAM  F.  RODGERS,  vice-president  and  general  manager  of  sales  and 

distribution,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Pictures 
ED  ROWLEY,  vice-president  and  secretary,  Robb  &  Rowley  United,  Inc. 
HARRY  L.  ROYSTER,  general  manager,  Netco  Theatres 

JULES  J.  RUBENS,  vice-president  and  general  manager,  Publix-Great  States 

EDWARD  N.  RUGOFF,  executive,  Rugoff  &  Becker  Theatre  Circuit 

CHARLES  H.  RYAN,  assistant  zone  manager,  Chicago,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 

J.  MYER  SCHINE,  president,  Schine  Circuit,  Inc. 

LOUIS  W.  SCHINE,  Secretary-Treasurer,  Schine  Circuit,  Inc. 

TED  SCHLANGER,  Philadelphia  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 

SOL  A.  SCHWARTZ,  supervisor,  western  zone,  RKO  Theatres 

WILLIAM  A.  SCULLY,  vice-president  and  general  sales  manager,  Universal 

SILAS  F.  SEADLER,  advertising  manager,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Pictures 

JOSEPH  M.  SEIDER,  president,  Prudential  Playhouses 

HARRY  F.  SHAW,  division  manager,  Loew-Poli  New  England  Theatres 

ALBERT  E.  SINDLINGER,  executive  vice-president,  Audience  Research'  Institute 

SPYROS  P.  SKOURAS,  president,  Twentieth  Century-Fox  Film  Corp. 

FRED  SOUTTAR,  district  manager,  St.  Louis,  Fox  Midwest  Amusement  Corp. 

NATE  SPINGOLD,  executive,  Columbia  Pictures  Corp. 

HERMAN  STARR,  zone  manager,  Skouras  Theatres  Corp. 

JOSEPH  R.  VOGEL,  vice-president,  Loew's,  Inc. 

DAVID  B.  WALLERSTEIN,  district  manager,  Balaban  &  Katz  Theatres 
DAVID  E.  WESHNER,  director  of  advertising,  publicity,  United  Artists 
R.  B»  WILBY,  vice-president,  Wilby-Kincey  Theatres 
NAT  WOLF,  Ohio  zone  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres 
HERBERT  J.  YATES,  president,  Consolidated  Film  Industries,  Inc. 


48 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     I  3 ,     I  V  4  3 


Selling  Points 

ON  THE  NEW  PRODUCT 

[The  material  below  reflects  press  books  now  in  preparation  and  represents  the  point  of 
view  of  the  distributors'  exploiteers  about  the  selling  points  and  special  merit  of  these  pictures.] 

THEY  GOT  ME  COVERED  (RKO  Radio):  Since  five  attractive  secretaries  are  Dorothy 
Lamour's  roommates  in  the  picture,  it  is  suggested  that  a  powder  room  be  set  up  in 
the  lobby  of  the  theatre  with  a  row  of  makeup  tables  to  which  some  local  secretaries 
may  come  and  "makeup"  before  going  in  to  see  the  picture.  Tiein  copy  alongside 
could  read:  "Local  secretaries.  They're  readying  to  vie  with  the  six  beautiful  Washing- 
ton War  secretaries  in  'They  Sot  Me  Covered'.  Today  on  our  stage."  Another  lobby 
stunt  might  be  the  inclusion  of  a  display  board  on  which  are  a  number  of  stills  of 
Bob  Hope  and  Dorothy  Lamour.  Then  some  local  newspaper  artist  might  make  one 
or  two  quick-sketch  cartoons  of  the  two  stars.  These  could  be  pinned  up  and  patrons 
invited  to  make  the  best,  worst  or  funniest  cartoons.  Guest  tickets  to  be  awarded  as 
prizes.  For  street  attention,  a  member  of  the  staff  might  parade  the  streets  with  a 
bucket  over  his  head,  copy  on  the  pail  carrying  the  picture  title.  One  of  the  sequences 
in  the  picture  includes  an  unordered  wedding  breakfast  served  to  Hope  and  Lamour 
in  their  hotel  suite;  thus,  a  contest  based  on  the  best  suggestions  for  a  "Bob  Hope 
Wedding  Breakfast  Menu"  or  a  "Goofy  Wedding  Breakfast  Menu"  might  be  in  order. 
The  re  are  eight  half-column  cuts  of  the  stars  and  principal  players  in  the  picture  used 
to  illustrate  personality  stories.  These  cuts  are  available  as  mats  and  can  be  used  to 
print  up  in  quantity  or  a  set  of  cards  to  be  distributed,  each  bearing  one  of  the  like- 
nesses. To  fans  who  collect  and  bring  to  the  box  office  a  complete  set,  tickets  could 
be  awarded.  Another  street  ballyhoo  could  be  a  girl-and-boy  team,  each  carrying  a 
sandwich  sign,  copy  on  the  girl's  sign  reading:  "I'm  On  My  Way  to  See  Bob  Hope 
in  .  .  .  ",  the  lad's  reading  that  he  is  going  to  see  Dorothy  Lamour.  For  theatres  in, 
defense  industry  areas,  a  "honeymoon  breakfast"  is  suggested.  The  idea  is  to  so  honor 
some  girl  working  on  the  "swing-shift"  of  a  local  plant  with  a  theatre  party  preceding 
or  following  it.  The  breakfast  should  be  promoted  either  in  whole  or  in  part  from  a 
cooperating  restaurant. 

IMMORTAL  SERGEANT  (Twentieth  Century- Fox):  During  the  run  of  the  picture, 
it  is  suggested  that  a  "Write  Servicemen  Week"  be  held,  arrangements  to  be  made 
with  civic  officials  to  set  the  dates  for  the  campaigns  with  a  proclamation  from  the 
Mayor  to  launch  the  week.  The  idea  is  to  have  relatives  of  servicemen  pledge  to  write 
at  least  one  letter  a  week  to  servicemen  in  camp.  Arrangements  might  also  be  made 
with  the  U.S.O.  to  aid  in  sponsoring  the  drive  by  pushing  the  campaign  through  their 
facilities.  V-Mail  forms  could  be  provided  at  the  theatre.  For  further  lobby  attention 
a  Roll  of  Honor,  headed  by  the  words  "I  Write  to  My  Soldier,  (Marine,  Sailor)  Regu- 
larly", might  be  set  up,  consisting  of  a  large  looseleaf  book  in  which  patrons  who 
regularly  write  to  the  armed  forces  could  sign  their  names.  A  natural  would  be  to 
invite  all  local  sergeants  to  be  guests  of  the  management  during  the  run  of  the  pic- 
ture. A  three-day  contest  is  suggested  for  newspapers  which  feature  as  many  military 
problems  depicted  each  day.  Tickets  could  go  here,  too,  to  those  correctly  solving 
them.  For  further  newspaper  coverage,  directed  at  wives  or  sweethearts  of  members 
of  the  armed  forces,  prizes  could  be  awarded  in  connection  with  the  best  short  letter 
on  "How  it  feels  to  be  left  behind".  For  lobby  display,  the  back  files  of  the  local 
dailies  will  yield  editions  containing  the  most  striking  headlines  and  stories  on  the 
Libyan  campaign.  These  could  be  used  for  blowup  purposes,  together  with  scene  stills 
from  the  picture. 


Rankin  Stages  Special 
Horror  Show  for  Patrons 

For  his  special  horror  show,  "Mystery  of 
Marie  Roget"  and  "Black  Cat,"  as  a  street 
ballyhoo,  Harland  Rankin  at  the  Centre  the- 
atre, in  Chatham,  Ontario,  arranged  that  one 
of  his  staff  dressed  in  ghost  attire  parade 
the  streets  with  a  back  banner  urging  folks 


DALY  FOLDED  TICKETS 

Write  for  Price  Lists  and  Samples,  Today 

T  00,000  — $18.50 

UNION  MADE  — LOW  PRICES 
DALY  TICKET  CO.,  ColUnaville,  111. 
SINCE  1911   FROM  "COAST  TO  COAST" 


to  see  him  at  the  theatre.  School  children 
were  invited  to  "throw  snow  balls  at  a 
ghost." 

Inside  the  show,  everything  was  darkened 
and  skeletons  hung  around  entrances  to  au- 
ditorium with  phosphorous  paint  creating  a 
horror  atmosphere.  The  usherettes  also  had 
heads  of  skeletons  painted  in  phosphorous  on 
their  backs.  A  sign  outside  advised  patrons 
with  bad  hearts  not  to  attend  the  show  and 
a  tieup  with  a  local  undertaker  brought  an 
ambulance  out  front.  Rankin  also  adver- 
tised that  a  nurse  and  doctor  would  be  in  at- 
tendance in  case  of  emergency. 

In  addition,  the  theatreman  distributes 
Kleenex  to  patrpns  to  wipe  their  glasses  off 
as  they  come  in;  imprinted  shopping  bags 
are  given  to  women  patrons. 


Stoltz  Breaks  7-Year  Record; 
Newspaper  Runs  Contest 

For  years,  the  Utica  Observer-Dispatch 
has  looked  with  a  cold  eye  on  contests  of 
any  kind.  But  Arnold  Stoltz,  manager  of 
the  Avon  theatre,  broke  a  seven-year 
record  and  planted  a  contest  on  "Whistling 
in  Dixie"  in  the  paper.  Here's  how  it  came 
about. 

The  government  has  already  frequently 
stated  that  it  is  interested  in  getting  coins 
back  into  circulation,  particularly  pennies. 
Since  the  plot'  of  "Whistling  in  Dixie"  is 
about  a  chest  of  old  coins,  Arnold  offered 
a  nrize  of  a  $25  War  Bond  for  the  largest 
amount  of  coins  turned  into  War  Bonds  and 
Stamps  at  the  theatre.  Ten  tickets  were 
given  for  the  next  ten  largest  amounts  and 
a  special  prize  furnished  by  a  local  stamp 
and  coin  company  to  the  one  turning  in  the 
oldest  penny.  The  stamp  and  coin  company, 
by  the  way,  supplied  the  Bond  for  the  first 
prize.  The  company  will  examine  all  coins 
and  buy  the  valuable  ones  from  those  turn- 
ing them  in. 

The  contest  ran  in  both  morning  and  eve- 
ning editions  of  the  newspaper  for  the  ten 
days  preceding  the  playdate  of  the  picture. 

Sergeant's  Sweetheart  Party 
Opens  "Immortal  Sergeant" 

The  opening  gun  of  "Immortal  Ser- 
geant" campaign  at  the  Orpheum  theatre,  in 
Tulsa,  Okla.,  as  arranged  by  Ralph  Talbot, 
head  of  the  Talbot  theatres  and  J.  C.  Hun- 
ter, general  manager,  was  a  sergean't  sweet- 
heart contest.  Launched  in  the  cooperating 
daily,  wives  and  sweethearts  of  sergeants 
were  invited  to  tell  why  they  were  proud  of 
their  sergeants.  The  winner  of  the  150- 
word  letter  was  awarded  a  round-trip,  all 
expenses  paid,  to  visit  her  sergeant  any- 
where within  continental  United  States.  The 
presentation  of  the  award  was  made  on  the 
stage  opening  night  of  the  picture. 

A  front  page  story,  which  was  followed 
up  with  a  story  each  day  for  six  days,  in- 
vited all  sergeants  in  nearby  camps,  and 
their  Naval  equivalent  in  rank,  to  a  special 
opening  day  showing.  The  Tulsa  World 
broke  a  story  on  the  importance  of  letters 
to  soldiers  and  started  the  ball  rolling  on  a 
"Write  to  Servicemen  Week,"  with  read- 
ers advised  that  V-Mail  blanks  were  obtain- 
able at  the  theatre,  where  accommodations 
were  provided  for  writing  letters. 

A  "Swing  Shift"  showing  at  1.40  on  the 
morning  following  the  opening  night  was  (! 
held  for  the  benefit  of  local  war  workers. 
150-line  ads  were  used  to  announce  the 
showing  and  newspapers  responded  gener- 
ously with  space. 

Dawn  Premiere  Held  for 
"Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn" 

Irving  Blumberg  started  off  his  new 
duties  as  advertising  and  publicity  director 
for  the  Warner  theatre  circuit  in  Philadel- 
phia by  promoting  a  "dawn  premiere"  for 
the  opening  of  "Commandos  Strike  at 
Dawn"  at  the  Stanley  Theatre.  Co-operat- 
ing with  George  Balkin,  house  manager, 
prominent  Army  and  Navy  officers  and  civil 
dignitaries  attended  the  special  dawn  pre- 
miere at  2  a.m.  dedicated  to  war  workers  of 
Philadelphia,  particularly  those  on  the  night 
shifts  who  cannot  attend  picture  openings  at 
the  regular  hours. 


February    13.  1943 

Blind-Date  Party  Held 
For  "In  Which  We  Serve" 

Two  weeks  prior  to  the  opening  of  "In 
Which  We  Serve,"  Joe  Longo  at  Loew's 
State,  in  Boston,  arranged  a  special  preview 
for  the  dramatic  and  motion  picture  critics 
of  the  local  dailies.  Preceding  the  screen- 
ing, a  luncheon  was  held  for  the  same  group 
at  one  of  the  leading  hotels.  Still  another 
preview  was  held  in  the  evening  for  the 
Mayor,  state  and  city  officials  and  other  local 
dignitaries. 

Using  the  title  for  the  base  of  a  limerick 
contest,  which  ran  for  five  days,  bonds  and 
guest  tickets  were  awarded:  A  three-day 
serialization  was  landed  in  the  evening 
Globe,  with  complete  art,  picture,  theatre  and 
playdates  credits.  For  his  school  promotion, 
Longo  contacted  them  for  the  use  of  a  pic- 
torial poster  relative  to  the  scrap  rubber 
drive,  which  was  tied  directly  to  the  picture. 
Arrangements  were  also  made  with  the  USO 
to  send  100  girls  to  the  theatre  in  connection 
with  a  blind-date  party  for  servicemen. 
Newspaper  cooperation  was  sought  here, 
which  brought  appropriate  breaks. 

On  "For  Me  and  My  Gal,"  Joe  planted 
a  number  of  fashion  breaks  in  most  of  the 
papers  on  Judy  Garland.  A  Junior  Victory 
Army  tieup  netted  pictures  and  stories  in 
advance  of  the  showing  of  the  picture  with 
complete  credits.  The  foreign  newspapers 
also  broke  a  series  of  mats  and  stories  in 
conjunction  with  the  opening. 

Rosenthal  Inducts  WAACs  at 
"Thunder  Birds"  Opening 

Working  with  the  Army  Recruiting  officer 
for  his  date  on  "Thunder  Birds"  at  the  Ma- 
jestic, in  Bridgeport,  Morris  Rosenthal 
formed  a  Thunder  Bird  unit  of  the  WAACs. 
John  Sutton,  appearing  in  the  picture  wired 
from  Hollywood  sponsoring  the  Bridgeport 
Chapter.  The  girls  were  inducted  over  sta- 
tion WNAB  with  a  half  hour  Thunder  Bird 
program.  The  girls  were  then  given  a  sup- 
per sponsored  by  the  Red  Cross  and  then 
appeared  on  the  theatre  stage,  where  they 
were  introduced  to  the  audience  by  the  re- 
cruiting officers.  Photographers  from  the 
post  covered  the  event  with  art  and  stories. 

To  attract  the  children,  Rosenthal  put  out 
comic  heralds  a  week  in  advance.  The 
newspaper  coverage  featured  a  special  story 
on  Gene  Tierney. 

Fashion  Contest  Highlights 
Deering's  "Powers  Girl"  Date 

In  advance  of  his  date  on  "Powers  Girl" 
at  Loew's  State,  in  Houston,  Francis  Deer- 
ing  landed  fashion  mats  in  the  local  dailies. 
In  addition,  two-column  stories  on  the  Pow- 
ers Girls  setting  the  pace  for  modern  Amer- 
ican beauty  were  also  landed. 

A  fashion  angle  contest  was  also  ar- 
ranged, the  paper  running  a  cut  of  Anne 
Shirley  with  readers  invited  to  draw  a 
gown  on  the  silhouetted  form.  In  this  con- 
nection, a  War  Bond,  stamps  and  guest 
tickets  were  awarded  to  winners. 


Papers  Herald  "Commandos" 

Landing  in  both  the  English  and  French 
papers,  Stewart  Gillespie  at  the  Elgin  the- 
atre, in  Ottawa,  received  readers  and  art 
in  advance  of  his  date  for  "Commandos 
Strike  at  Dawn."  In  addition,  numerous 
scene  stills  from  the  picture  were  run. 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


Offers  Passes  to  Mothers 
of  Local  Boys  in  Navy; 
Pictures  Used  in  Tieup 

A  thoroughgoing  campaign  worthy  of  a 
theatre  in  a  key  city  which  would  run  the 
picture  for  as  many  weeks  as  he  had  it  days, 
was  put  on  by  Herbert  Graefe,  manager  of 
the  Wisconsin  Rapids  theatre,  Wiscon- 
sin Rapids,  Wis.,  in  connection  with  "The 
Navy  Comes  Through."  Although  the  pic- 
ture was  limited  to  a  three  day  engagement, 
Herb  pulled  out  all  the  stops  on  his  show- 
manship organ. 

A  15  minute  radio  show  was  one  of  the 
highlights  of  the  campaign.  The  idea  was 
Herb's  and  he  submitted  his  material  to 
the  station,  which  wrote  the  script  and  fur- 
nished the  actors  for  it.  At  the  end,  Herb 
himself  said  a  few  words  on  behalf  of  the 
picture.  The  program  went  on  the  air  at 
6:30  p.m.,  regarded  as  an  excellent  listening 
time  for  Wisconsin  Rapids. 

Servicemen's  Photos  Displayed 

Another  stunt  was  to  offer  a  free  pass  to 
any  mother  who  had  a  son  in  the  Navy.  All 
that  was  required  was  that  pictures  of  the 
boys  be  brought  to  the  theatre  with  identifi- 
cation attached.  This  was  announced  in  a 
newspaper  ad  and  also  in  newspaper  public- 
ity stories.  The  pictures  were  used  later 
in  a  merchant's  special  Navy  display  with 
the  playdates  included. 

A  scene  mat  of  Max  Baer,  former  heavy- 
weight champion,  who  has  a  role  in  the  pic- 


49 


ture,  was  planted  on  the  sports  page  of  the 
local  paper  by  Herb. 

Two  local  boys,  both  in  the  Navy,  hap- 
pened to  be  home  on  leave  at  about  the  time 
of  the  playdates.  Herb  found  they  had  seen 
the  picture  at  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Train- 
ing Station  and  so  he  asked  them  their  opin- 
ion of  the  picture.  They  liked  it  and  were 
willing  to  be  quoted  and  they  were,  with 
their  pictures,  in  another  big  newspaper  ad. 

Another  coup  in  the  campaign  was  a  full 
page  cooperative  ad  in  the  newspaper  head- 
ed, "  'The  Navy  Comes  Through'  and  so  do 
these  merchants  of  Wisconsin  Rapids." 
Each  ad,  in  turn,  was  headed,  "  'The  Navy 
Comes  Through'  and  so  do  we  with.  .  .  ." 
followed  by  the  special  merchandise  being 
offered.  There  were  nine  cooperating  mer- 
chants in  this  cooperative  ad. 

Atmospheric  Front 
Set  for  "Cat  People" 

An  elaborate  and  terrifying  front  marked 
the  exploitation  campaign  of  "The  Cat 
People,"  at  the  St.  Louis  Theatre  in  St. 
Louis,  arranged  by  Dick  Fitzmaurice.  The 
marquee  was  distinguished  by  a  figure  of  a 
black  leopard  attacking  a  prostrate  bride,  the 
figures  measuring  14  feet  long  and  eight  feet 
high.  With  the  aid  of  an  electrical  tran- 
scription, loud  speaker,  electrical  motor,  the 
leopard  moved  its  jaws  and  snarled,  the 
woman  screamed  and  raised  her  arms  in  de- 
fense. Underneath  the  canopy  was  a  figure 
of  a  leopard  prepared  to  jump  to  the  side- 
walk and  a  silhouette  of  the  same  species  on 
the  side  of  the  marquee. 


Herb  Graefe,  manager  of  the  Wisconsin  Rapids  Theatres,  Wisconsin  Rapids,  Wis.,  offered 
a  free  pass  to  the  mother  of  every  local  man  in  the  Navy.  They  were  required  to  lend 
pictures  of  their  sons  for  this  display  in  a  downtown  store  windotv. 


Graefe  Uses  Co-op  Ad, 
Radio  in  3  Day  Run 


50 

Tabor  Sells  United  Nations 
Week  in  Athens,  Georgia 

United  Nations  Week  was  observed  fully 
in  the  four  theatres  of  Athens,  Ga.,  where 
T.  O.  Tabor,  Jr.,  is  city  manager  for  the 
Lucas  and  Jenkins  Circuit.  Tabor  carried 
the  flag  poster  in  the  lobby  in  advance  of  the 
drive.  An  editorial  was  obtained  in  the 
Athens  Banner-Herald,  giving  credit  to  the 
theatres  of  the  nation  for  staging  this  drive. 

Hugh  Rowe,  a  local  columnist,  also  gave 
the  drive  a  break  and  finally  the  Banner- 
Herald  gave  a  front  page  break,  not  once 
but  twice.  A  special  slug  was  run  with  all 
ads  in  which  the  drive  was  headlined. 

Collections  totaled  $478  in  the  four  thea- 
tres of  Athens.  When  the  drive  was  over  a 
special  story  was  run  on  the  front  page  of 
the  Banner-Herald  again,  this  time,  giving 
credit  for  Tabor's  work  in  putting  over  the 
drive.  Even  the  Atlanta  Constitution  gave 
Athens'  campaign  a  break. 

The  lobbies  of  all  four  theatres  were  at- 
tractively decorated  throughout  the  period 
of  the  drive.  Contribution  boxes  were  con- 
veniently located  in  the  lobby  of  each  thea- 
tre ;  in  addition  collections  were  made  at 
each  show.  Cashiers,  doormen  and  ushers 
wore  regulation  white  cloth  strips  reading, 
"United  Nations  Week."  The  local  radio 
station  heralded  the  drive  and  plugged  it 
continuously  throughout  the  drive. 


Deitch  Issues  Special  Heralds 
For  "Trumpet  Serenade"  Date 

To  help  exploit  the  Harry  James  short 
"Trumpet  Serenade"  at  the  DeWitt  theatre, 
in  Bayonne,  N.  J.,  Bob  Deitch  promoted  a 
herald,  the  entire  cost  of  which  was  met  by 
a  cooperating  music  store  merchant.  Five 
thousand  of  these  were  distributed  at  the 
local  high  schools  and  juke  box  restaurants, 
while  special  one-sheet  displays  were  landed 
in  music  stores  about  town. 

For  attention  in  the  theatre  proper, 
Deitch  played  special  Harry  James  record- 
ings in  his  lobby,  featured  a  40  by  60  of 
the  maestro  in  the  lobby  and  on  the  mar- 
quee. Special  mention  of  James  was  car- 
ried in  all  theatre  ads  as  well  as  publicity 
stories  in  the  local  newspaper. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Paul  Levi,  publicity  director  of  the  Metro- 
politan, Boston,  sends  us  this  photo  of  the 
giant  display  at  the  head  of  the  grand  stair- 
case during  United  Nations  Week.  It 
received  much  favorable  comment. 


Victory  Loan  Drive 
Held  at  Helm's  Theatre 

During  the  recent  Victory  Loan  drive 
in  Stratford,  Ontario,  Walter  Helm  at  the 
Avon  theatre  donated  his  house  to  the  War 
Finance  Committee  for  their  radio  show. 
Sir  Cedric  and  Lady  Hardwicke  and  Jackie 
Kelk  (Homer  of  the  Aldrich  Family)  were 
there  in  person  as  well  as  other  stage  and 
radio  personalities  for  the  purpose  of  selling 
Bonds.  Helm  reports  that  with  the  coopera- 
tion of  radio  station  CJCS,  $59,550  in  bonds 
were  sold  in  one  and  one-half  hours. 


Lands  Front  Page  Bond  Story 

A  front  page  story  was  landed  in  the  local 
paper  by  Antonio  Balducci  at  the  Norbury 
theatre,  in  Ellenville,  New  York,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  campaign  which  brought  the 
purchase  of  $2,625  worth  of  Bonds  at  the 
theatre's  booth.  -A  chart  was  posted  in  the 
lobby,  which  detailed  the  amount  of  Bonds 
and  Stamps  sold.  Since  the  town  boasts  a 
population  of  2,000  people,  Balducci  is 
justly  proud  of  his  record. 


February    13,  1943 

Wartha  Runs  Copper  Matinee; 
Schools  Aid  in  Drive 

A  special  copper  matinee  was  held  re- 
cently by  Art  Wartha,  manager  of  the  Lido 
theatre,  Maywood,  111.,  with  the  admission 
being  restricted  to  kids  bringing  some  ar- 
ticle which  had  copper  in  brass  or  bronze 
alloy  or  pure.  The  schools  plugged  the  show 
daily  for  a  week  in  advance  and  the  weekly 
newspaper  in  Maywood  gave  it  good  pub- 
licity. 

Among  the  articles  which  Art's  story  in 
the  newspaper  suggested  were  suitable  for 
admission  were  decorative  hardware,  door 
knockers,  door  checks,  door  pulls  and  door 
knobs,  old  stair  treads,  candlesticks,  light 
switch  plates,  ventilators,  electric  fans, 
plaques,  ash  trays,  fireplace  screens,  fire- 
place fittings,  tea  kettles  and  book  ends. 

Proceeds  from  the  sale  of  these  items  was 
turned  over  by  Wartha  to  Maywood  Civil 
ian  Defense  organization. 

Poppay  Offers  Theatre 
For  Boy  Scout  Show 

As  a  goodwill  gesture,  Sydney  J.  Poppay 
at  the  Majestic  theatre,  in  Gettysburg,  Pa., 
offered  the  use  of  his  theatre  for  the  Boy 
Scouts  to  put  on  a  special  show,  entire  pro- 
ceeds of  which  were  donated  to  the  organi- 
zation. The  newspapers  came  through  with 
a  story  and  appropriate  credits. 

Another  activity  reported  on  by  Syd  was 
his  copper  matinee,  which  also  broke  the 
dailies,  together  with  picture  mention.  The 
Round  Tabler  also  reports  that  his  theatre 
bond  booth  sales  now  totals  $17,350. 

Reeder  Cooperates  With 
Civilian  Defense  Corps 

When  Civilian  Defense  Corps  leaders  in 
the  central  California  area  admitted  they 
were  having  a  difficult  time  signing  a  per- 
sonnel for  their  air  raid  warning  service, 
Fay  Reeder,  of  the  Senator  theater,  San 
Francisco,  decided  to  help  out.  A  display 
was  arranged  in  the  lobby,  with  two  comely 
lassies  presiding  over  a  booth  whose  theme 
was  "What  Are  You  Doing  About  This 
War?"  The  stunt  attracted  considerable  at- 
tention  and  signups  were  definitely  stimu-  ll 
lated  in  the  Sacramento  area,  according  to 
Civilian  Defense  officials. 


RKO  Distributes 
Daily  Reminder 

A  three  by  five  booklet  good  for  a  month 
in  the  form  of  a  daily  reminder  has  been  pre- 
pared by  Harry  Mandel,  director  of  adver- 
tising and  publicity  for  the  RKO  metropoli-  I 
tan  theatres.    These  are  distributed  through  1 1 
the  mails  and  at  the  theatre  to  patrons  re-  j 
questing  them.    An  advance  campaign  noti- 
fying folks  that  the  booklets  would  be  avail-'  1 
able  was  launched  and  formed  the  basis  of  ] 
the  mailing  list. 

The  booklet  numbers  fifteen  pages  and  the 
front  cover,  printed  in  blue,  bears  space 
for  the  imprint  of  the  individual  theatre  1  I 
name.  Each  subsequent  page  carries  two 
dates  together  with  picture  title,  cast  and 
copy.  Beneath  each  room  is  provided  for 
personal  notes  of  the  holders.  In  addition, 
at  the  bottom  of  each  page  are  included 
plugs  for  the  sale  of  Bonds  and  Stamps  \ 
at  the  theatre;  gift  ticket  books;  a  plug 
for  RKO  Good  Show  Time  over  WMCA, 
etc.,  etc. 


In  the  interests  of  the  President's  Birthday  Ball,  and  in  connection  with  the  March 
of  Dimes  drive,  Louis  Charninsky  of  the  Capitol,  Dallas,  used  a  mammoth  setpiece  in 
front  of  the  theatre  with  48  milk  bottles,  one  for  each  state,  and  a  three-piece  band. 
The  ballyhoo  men  {left)  asked  each  passerby  where  he  was  from.  That's  Louis 
between  them.   He  reports  collections  reached  a  gratifying  figure. 


Februa  ry    13,  1943 


MANAGERS 


ROUND  TABLE 


NEW  NEWSPAPER  AD  IDEAS 


S"5":'   manager  of  +he  Cambria,  Johnstown,  Pa., 
reprinted  a  telegram  fie  received  from  District  Manager 
B.  F.  f'Dinty1')  Moore  with  pleniy  of  white  space  around  it. 
This  appeared  at  the  top  of  the  amusement  page. 


low 


V    Sfe    !  BBB  1MB 


Now 


-"Mrs. 

UiGGS 

of  the 

Cabbage 


Sir  a 


Equal  play  was  given  to  each  oi  the  two  features  at  the  Strand, 
Holyoke,  Mass.,  by  Lew  Breyer,  manager.  Since  Holyoke 
is  a  war  production  center,  he  also  saved  many  'phone  calls 
by  publishing  the  starting  time  of  each  feature. 


Jack  Sprat  could 
rat  no  fat:  his 
•  wife  could  eat  no 
-'  lean:  so  between 
the  two  of  them 
they  licked  the 
platter  clean — and 
said.  "'0,  Boy: 
After  a  meal  like  that  a  walk  to 
the  Gran  din  will  do  as  rood:" 


Home 
street 

Girl- 


Were    yon  a 
J  Stay-at-Home" 
last  night?  Don't 
let  this  Gas  Ra- 
tion cr3mp  make 
a    "Stay  -  at  - 
"'  of  you!  Walk — ride  the 
car  or  fans — See   "  China 
at  the  Grandin: 


Just  what  the  doctor 
ordered!    Can't  drive 
the  car.  so  now's  your 
chance    for    that  -^-f^. 
ii»jiMirfiiii  walk  to  the      \<T  k\ 
Grandin:     The  pic-       ^  ^ 
tore's  a  top-notoher 
— ""China  Girl"  with  * 
Gene  Tierney.  Geo.  Montgomery. 
Lynn  Bari  and  Victor  McLaflen. 


This  is  one  lady 
who  isn't  bothered 
bj  ras  rationing— 
3ut  until  yon  learn 
the  trick, 
maybe  you'd 
better  stick  to 
street    cars  and 
buses..  They'll  take 
you  to  the  Grandin 
safelv   and  speed! 


Is?  Belie-re  it  or  not. 
we're  waiting  for  a 
street  car — to  take  us 
to  the  Grandin.  No'^^ 
ga.s  ration  blues  for 
usl  The  picture  there 
now — "China   Girl"' — 
is    a    noney!  Gene 
Tierney,  Geo.  Mont-    *■  — -j^s- 
somery.   Lynn  Bari  and  Victor 
McLa^len: 


Yes.  Mary  Lou.  ynu  may  go- 
to the  Gran- 
din to  see 
'China  Girl" 
—  starrin  z 
Tier- 
ney. Geo. 
M  o  n  tsom- 
ery.  Lynn 
Bari  and  Victor  McLaglen. 


small  ads  were  parr  oi 
a  series  used  by_Ojto  Whit- 
taker,  Jr.,  at  the  Grandin 
theatre,"  Roanoke,  Va.,  when 
the  ban  on  automobile  driving  for  pleasure  took  place 
Otto  wrote  the  copy,  and  the  illustrations  were  furnished 
by  the  local  newspapers'  mat  services. 


:iM!IW.I 


STARTS  FRIDAY! 


I  BEIT:  a  SB-lffl  Wr.\  ■  -  ■      -i  Bj   i  i~W  TE 

V  *  Z.  AT  LAST 


.  .  .  ON  THE 
OTHER  GUY'S 
HONEYMOON! 


ROGERS -GRANT 


8ASSEBMAN 


RADIO'S 
r-"£.£- 
6"S  SOME 
•HOT'  hehs 

■  ■  mo 
how: 


Illustration  dominates  copy  in  this  three-column  ad  prepared  by 
Alice  Sorham,  advertising  head  of  United  Detroit  Theatres. 


52 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


CAREERS  OF  NEW  MEMBERS 


Lew  Breyer,  Long  Time  Showman, 
Now  at  Strand,  Holyoke 

One  of  the  most  active  Round  Tablers 
so  far  in  1943,  is  Lewis  Breyer,  manager 
of  the  Strand  in  Holyoke,  Mass.,  a  new 
member.  Lew  is  a 
native  New  Yorker, 
the  main  event  hav- 
ing occurred  May 
27,  1910.  He  was 
only  11  years  old 
when  he  started  his 
theatre  career  as 
reel  boy  in  the 
Mount  Morris  the- 
atre in  Manhattan. 
Then  he  joined  the 
Consolidated  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  when  he 
was  a  veteran  of  15 
with  four  years'  experience  behind  him.  He 
was  sent  to  the  Mt.  Eden  theatre  in  the  Bronx 
as  reel  boy,  then  assistant  manager,  and 
finally  manager  when  the  theatre  was 
equipped  with  sound.  In  1931,  he  managed  the 
Gotham  theatre  on  125th  Street  for  a  couple 
of  seasons  of  burlesque.  Meanwhile  he  at- 
tended New  York  University,  majoring  in 
English  and  journalism.  He  was  for  a 
time  associated  with  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox  and  then  managed  B.  S.  Moss'  Broad- 
way theatre.  In  1935,  he  left  to  edit  and 
publish  the  Queens  Bulletin  on  Long  Island. 
He  went  back  to  his  first  love,  the  theatre, 
a  year  later,  managing  the  Art  theatre  for 
the  Leff-Mantell  Circuit  and  remained  there 
for  seven  years.  A  few  months  ago  he 
joined  Western  Massachusetts  Theatres  and 
is  now  at  the  Strand,  Holyoke,  Mass.  He 
married  a  Pittsfield  girl  and  they  are  the 
proud  parents  of  David  Mark,  5,  and  Rob- 
ert Bruce,  2. 


CONGRATULATIONS 


Meet  Jim  Stokes,  Manager 
Of  U.  S.  Navy  Theatres 

Jim  Stokes  is  another  of  the  new  Round 
Table  members  who  is  practising  the  art  of 
showmanship  in  the  United  States  Navy. 
Jim  is  the  manager  and  treasurer  of  the  U. 
S.  Naval  Air  Station  theatre  at  Kingsville, 
Texas,  a  1,200-seat  theatre  run  exactly  like 
a  commercial  house.  In  addition,  Jim  also 
supervises  the  billiards  and  bowling  center. 
To  begin  at  the  beginning,  he  was  born  in 
Dallas,  Texas,  March  12,  1911.  Among 
his  early  positions  in  Texas  was  at  the  Big 
Lake  Palace,  Big  Lake,  Texas,  where  he 
was  manager.  Later  he  was  in  publicity 
work  in  Dallas,  where  he  is  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Variety  Club.  He  has  been 
in  the  Navy  for  several  years.  Jim  has  a 
rating  of  electrician's  mate,  first  class,  and 
hopes  to  be  chief  electrician's  mate  before 
long.  He  has  served  on  the  U.  S.  S.  York- 
town,  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Peary  and  on  the 
U.  S.  S.  Oklahoma,  the  battleship  which 
capsized  at  Pearl  Harbor  Among  his  other 
assignments  was  the  management  of  the 
Navy's  Chefoo  theatre,  at  Chefoo,  China, 
where  the  Asiatic  Fleet  used  to  headquar- 
ter. 


February  14th 

Eddie  Forester 
Edgar  B.  Hands 
W.  Horace  Reese 
Roy  L.  Patterson 
Ted  Smith 
Theron  Conklin 

15th 

Earle  Tate 

John  A.  Ryan,  Jr. 

John  Jones 

V.  M.  Cummings 

Wilfred  C.  Hagedorn 

16th 

Lynn  Smith 
Edward  Selette 
Jack  Little 
Bernard  Buchanan 
Joseph  Rosenfield 
J.  Warren  Sever 
Archie  Connolly 

17th 

Warren  A.  Slee 
Melvin  L.  Blackledge 


February  17th 

Charles  E.  August 

18th 

Raymond  E.Salisbury 
Samuel  L.  Shafer 
Frank  B.  Sitton 
Gene  Lutes 

19th 

L.  A.  Stein 
I.W  Wyte 
Ralph  C.  Fretz 
W.  C.  Lewellen 
Ray  Williams 
Wilbur  Neustein 

20th 

Victor  J.  Rosen 
Bert  Nix 
H.  B.  Fox 
R.  W.  Eberhard 
Pat  Notaro 
C.Arnold  Skelly 
Robert  Heining 
James  W.  Grantham 
Bernie  Beach 


Lou  Hartman  Returns  to  Theatre 
After  Ten  Years  in  Wall  Street 

Louis  Hartman,  a  new  member  of  the 
Round  Table  though  an  old  timer  in  the 
show  business,  started  his  career  with  the 
Keith-Albee  firm  back  in  the  days  when 
vaudeville  was  the  principal  attraction.  The- 
atre business  was  a  bit  different  than  it  is 
today,  he  points  out.  When  the  RKO  mer- 
ger took  place,  Lou  went  to  Wall  Street 
where  he  joined  Paine  Webber  and  Co.  He 
remained  with  that  firm  for  more  than  10 
years  but  finally  things  hit  such  a  low  ebb 
down  there  that  he  looked  up  his  old  love, 
the  theatre,  and  landed  with  the  Century 
Circuit  at  the  Floral  theatre,  Floral  Park, 
Long  Island. 


Bill  Young  Spends  Entire 
Career  in  One  Theatre 

Spending  an  entire  career  in  one  theatre, 
however  short,  is  somewhat  unusual  among 
theatre  men,  but  William  H.  Young,  a  new 
member  of  the  Round  Table,  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  Smalley's  Delhi  theatre,  Delhi, 
N.  Y.,  ever  since  his  career  started.  Before 
he  was  14  years  old,  he  started  to  work  as 
bill  boy.  He  became  doorman  in  1935  and 
was  made  assistant  manager  in  November 
of  1940.  Six  months  later  he  was  appointed 
manager,  a  position  which  he  holds  today. 


HARRY  GANS  is  now  managing  the 
Jerome  theatre,  in  Richmond  Hill,  N.  Y. 


HY  BETTINGER  is  now  managing  the 
Bellaire  theatre,  in  Bellaire,  L.  I. 


JAMES  WALTER,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter 
Helm.  The  father  is  manager  of  the  Avon 
theatre,  in  Stratford,  Ontario,  Canada. 


Cornelius  Webb,  Known  as 
Corkey,  Is  a  Veteran  at  2 1 

Cornelius  J.  Webb,  better  known  as 
"Corkey,'  is  now  assistant  manager  of  the 
Village  theatre,  Dallas,  for  the  Interstate 
Circuit.  Corkey  is 
just  a  few  months 
more  than  21  years 
old.  When  he  was 
15,  he  started  as  a 
part  time  usher  at 
the  Village,  while 
still  attending  high 
school.  He  tried  to 
learn  show  business 
and  school  work  at 
the  same  time,  points 
out,  "but  I'm  afraid 
I  learned  more  about 
show  business.  I 
was  assisted  by  the  manager,  city  manager 
and  two  cashiers,  but  nevertheless  took  five 
years  to  complete  four  years  of  high  school." 
After  graduation,  he  was  made  doorman, 
later  assistant  chief  usher  and  then  treas- 
urer. In  1941  he  was  promoted  to  assistant 
manager.  He  obtained  valuable  training 
under  Manager  Richard  Foy,  son  of  the 
famed  Eddie  Foy.  Mr.  Foy  was  recently 
transferred  to  the  Melba  and  Tower  the- 
atres and  Corkey  is  now  assistant  to  James 
R.  Preddy. 


Jim  Bergen's  Entire  Career 
Of  10  Years  With  RKO 

James  W.  Bergen,  now  the  manager  of 
the  RKO  Shore  Road  theatre,  Brooklyn,  has 
been  with  RKO  during  his  entire  career 
rising  from  usher 
right  through  the 
ranks.  Jim  was  born 
in  Mineola,  N.  Y., 
November  20,  1916. 
Ten  years  ago,  he 
started  as  an  usher 
at  the  RKO  Dyker, 
then  became  chief  of 
service  and  later  was 
promoted  to  assis- 
tant manager  at  the 
Shore  Road.  He  re- 
turned to  the  Dyker 
as  assistant  for  a 
while  and  last  year  was  promoted  to  the 
RKO  Kenmore,  one  of  the  ace  Brooklyn 
houses.  Last  November,  he  was  again  pro- 
moted to  the  managership  of  the  Shore 
Road,  where  he  is  today.  He  is  married 
and  the  proud  father  of  a  year-old  daughter. 


Gilbert  Entered  Management 
From  Concert  Field 

Harry  L.  Gilbert,  new  manager  of  the 
Park  Hill  theatre,  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  for  the 
Cinema  Circuit,  is  a  newcomer  to  the  man- 
agement field.  He  was  born  in  London, 
England,  Oct.  28,  1900.  He  was  a  concert 
pianist  and  accompanist  in  his  younger  days. 
He  had  attended  New  York  University  and 
studied  law  there.  For  six  years  he  was 
officially  connected  with  the  American  Fed- 
eration of  Musicians  as  business  representa- 
tive, labor  consultant  and  public  relations 
man. 


February     13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


53 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


CLASSIFIED 
ADVERTISING 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  not 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


AT  ONCE—  PROJECTIONIST;  DRAFT  EXEMPT; 
■mall  house;  nights  only.  Write  qualifications,  salary 
expected.    MAYFAIR,  Colonial  Beach,  Va. 

ASSISTANT  MANAGERS,  DRAFT  EXEMPT, 
small  New  York  City  chain.  Send  photograph  and  all 
information  in  first  letter.  BOX  1598,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 

WANTED  MANAGER  OR  ASSISTANT.  MUST 
be  experienced,  sober,  absolutely  reliable.  Knowledge 
of  buying,  booking  and  all  theatre  routine.  Al  refer- 
ences, draft  exempt,  include  snapshot.  BOX  1600, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


THEATRES 


WANTED  PROFITABLE  THEATRE.  NOT  IN- 
terested  in  too  small  a  house.  Give  complete  details. 
BOX  1596,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

WANTED  GOOD  THEATRE  IN  OHIO  OR  NEAR 
-500  to  1,000  seats.    R.  I.  ULMER,  Marion,  Ohio. 


NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WESTINGHOUSE  RECTIFIER  BULBS,  15  AM- 
pere,  $8;  6  ampere  $4;  thousand  watt  G40  Mogul  pre- 
focussed  lamps,  $2;  one  quart  Underwriter's  approved 
extinguishers,  $11.25;  two  quart,  $13.50;  heavy  curtain 
track,  $1.80  ft.  Send  for  bargain  bulletin.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.    New  York. 


WANTED  TO  RUY 


WANTED— ALL  KINDS  USED  SIMPLEX  AND 
Superior  mechanisms  stands,  magazines,  lamphouses, 
etc.    BOX  1599,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WONDERFUL  CHAIR  BUY-ALL  READY  NOW 
— 570  rebuilt  American  Seating  ball  bearing  chairs, 
newly  upholstered  heavy  inserted  panel  backs  and  box 
spring  cushions,  deep  purple  with  black  trim.  AH  18" 
widths,  level  to  1"  pitch,  new  hardwood  ends.  Crated 
complete  with  hardware  for  concrete  floor,  $3.80. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 

SOME  THEATRE  CAN  USE  YOUR  OLD  EQUIP  - 
ment.  A  little  ad  here  will  reach  thousands  of  po- 
tential customers.  Only  ten  cents  a  word  to  tell  the 
world  what  you  have  to  sell.  Try  it  today.  MO- 
TION PICTURE  HERALD,  Rockefeller  Center,  New 
York. 

THEATRE  CHAIRS  —  10,000  USED  UPHOL- 
stered.  Parts  for  all  makes  and  types.  CHICAGO 
USED  CHAIR  MART.  844  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago. 


POSITION  WANTED 


MANAGER,  32,  MARRIED,  CHILDREN,  3A,  15 
years  theatres.  Handle  vodvil,  exploitation,  advertis- 
ing, promotion,  house  operation.  Know  show  business 
and  theatre  top  down!  Not  an  office  boy  manager. 
Proven  record.  BOX  1601,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


PRINTING 


THEATRE  PROGRAMS,  HERALD  GIVEAWAYS 
and  other  show  printing,  at  special  rate.  Supply  copy 
and  layout  for  estimate.  BOX  1207A,  MOTION  PIC- 
TURE HERALD. 


RUSINESS  ROOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS,  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75. 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
positions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
lished since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 


ROOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
changes.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
codes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble- 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


ROOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple — so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre.  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatre* 
new  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  details  in  first  letter. 
BOX  1S84A,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


PRESS  OF 
C.  J.  O'BRIEN.  INC. 
NEW  YORK,  D.  3.  i. 


54 

Data  on  Network 
Rebates  to  Go 
To  Congress 

Results  of  a  Federal  Trade  Commission  in- 
vestigation of  rebates  and  discounts  granted  by 
the  networks  to  advertisers  will  be  put  before 
Congress  in  the  near  future. 

Undertaken  under  a  promise  given  the  House 
Appropriations  Committee  a  year  ""o,  the  in- 
vestigation is  nearing  completion,  it  was  dis- 
closed by  William  T.  Kelley,  chief  counsel  for 
the  commission,  in  testimony  before  a  sub-com- 
mittee at  hearings  on  the  FTC  appropriations 
for  the  fiscal  year  beginning  next  July  1st. 

The  subcommittee's  discussion  developed  that 
the  inquiry  was  held  up  for  a  considerable 
period  by  the  broadcasters,  who  contended  that 
the  commission  had  no  jurisdiction  to  inves- 
tigate their  charges  and  practices  under  the 
Robinson-Patman  Act.  That  act,  they  argued, 
deals  with  discrimination  in  the  sale  of  com- 
modities, and  broadcasting  is  not  a  commodity. 

"That  went  on  for  some  time  and  Mr.  Kelley 
had  quite  a  correspondence  and  several  confer- 
ences with  the  general  counsel  of  these  broad- 
casting stations,"  it  was  explained  by  Commis- 
sioner Edwin  L.  Davis.  "They  were  all  in  the 
same  boat — not  with  respect  to  this  particular 
complaint,  but  they  knew  if  we  went  into  one 
we  would  go  into  others,  and  vice  versa. 

"So  Mr.  Kelley  took  the  position,  without 
undertaking  to  determine  the  question  of 
whether  we  have  jurisdiction  over  radio  sta- 
tions under  the  Robinson-Patman  Act,  which 
does  restrict  it  to  the  sale  of  commodities,  that 
we  did  have  jurisdiction  over  any  unfair 
methods  of  competition,  or  unfair  or  deceptive 
acts  or  practice  in  commerce  under  Section  5 
of  the  (Trade  Commission)  Act,  and  finally 
convinced  them  to  the  extent  that  they  agreed 
to  let  us  go  into  their  books,  and  a  very  thor- 
ough investigation  was  made,  not  only  on  this 
but  on  other  complaints  and  dealing  with  the 
whole  subject  and  the  whole  industry." 

Mrs.  Carroll  Reappointed 
Pennsylvania  Censor 

Although  official  announcement  has  not  been 
made  as  yet  from  the  state  capitol,  it  was  dis- 
closed last  week  in  Philadelphia  that  Mrs.  Edna 
R.  Carroll  has  been  reappointed  by  Governor 
Martin  to  serve  as  chairman  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia State  Board  of  Motion  Picture  Censors  for 
another  four-year  term.  It  was  also  said  that 
all  the  members  of  the  board  were  also  reap- 
pointed. 

The  "grapevine"  news  of  Mrs.  Carroll's  re- 
appointment was  hailed  by  the  motion  picture 
industry  there,  harmonious  relationships  exist- 
ing between  the  censor  board  and  the  industry 
in  Pennsylvania  during  Mrs.  Carroll's  first 
four-year  term.  Although  a  "strict"  censor 
head,  Mrs.  Carroll  was  hailed  as  the  first  one 
to  be  "honestly  sympathetic"  with  the  industry. 


Ohio  Censor  Made  13  Cuts 

In  reviewing  a  total  of  134  films,  representing 
426  reels  of  motion  pictures  in  January,  the 
Ohio  censors  ordered  eliminations  in  13  films 
or  17  reels.  During  December,  190  films  or  511 
reels  were  reviewed,  and  eliminations  were 
ordered  in  15  films  or  22  reels. 


Warners  Set  Release  Dates 

Warner  Brothers  have  set  general  release 
dates  for  "Air  Force"  and  "Mysterious  Doctor," 
it  was  announced  on  Wednesday  by  Ben  Kal- 
menson,  general  sales  manager.  The  latter 
film  will  be  released  on  March  6th,  while  "Air 
Force"  has  been  set  for  March  20th. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS— VoL  25,  No.  45.— McNutt  an- 
nounces all  draft-age  men  must  take  war  jobs  

The  battle  for  Tunisia  News  from  Alaska,  Guadal- 
canal and  Central  America  Victory  Parade  in  St. 

Paul  hails   U.    S.    war  effort  Amazing   story  of 

Timor  Isle  where  a  lost  battalion  fights  on  Silver 

Skates  Carnival  at  Madison  Square  Garden. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  46.— World  events 
in  the  Atlantic,  New  Guinea,  England  and  Canada 

 Senator   George   advises   early   filing  of  income 

taxes  Girls  rush  to  enlist  in  WAVES  and  SPARS 

 Newsettes  by  Lew  Lehr  Track  and  field  com- 
petition in   the  Millrose   Games  Victory  through 

strength  as  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Bragg  run  cross- 
country race. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.   14,  No.  243—  Battle  of 

the  Caucasus  Message  from  McNutt  on  war  jobs 

or  rifles  U.  S.  Liberators  bomb  Naples  Chilean 

crowds  cheer  U.  S.  as  nation  breaks  ties  with  Axis 

 Timor  heroes  hold  out  against  Japs  WAACS 

in    graduation   exercises  Bayonet   drill   and  Judo 

taught. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  244.— Pictures  of 

mightiest  battleship  "X"  Senator  George  advises 

early  income  tax  payment  Largest  herring  haul 

by    Canadian    fishermen  Youngest    kangaroo  at 

Bronx  Zoo  is  10  inches  tall.... WAVES  and  SPARS 

join  up  at  City  Hall  in  New  York  Nazis  murder 

41  children  in  bombing  of  London  school  Japs  de- 
feated at  Buna. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  48.— Judo  for  the  Jap 
as  Army  learns  tricks  War-work  or  right  is  Mc- 
Nutt order  Rush   New  Inter- American  Highway 

 WAVES  take  over  Seattle  air  station  Army 

Nurses  celebrate  42nd  Anniversary  with  new  uni- 
forms WAACS  at  Fort  Oglethorpe  Red  Army 

on  the  Central  Russian  front  and  in  the  Caucasus. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  49.— Indoor  track  classic 

at  the  Millrose  games  Herring — the  miracle  catch 

....Army  "zero"  medical  units  in  New  Hampshire 

 WAVES   capture    New    York ....  People  moving 

out  of  homes  in  Bronx  First  pictures  of  Jap  de- 
feat at  Buna.... the  world's  mightiest  battleship. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14.  No.  48.— Yanks  bomb 
Naples  and   Sousse. . .  .Chile  breaks   ties  with  Axis 

 Inter- American   road    speeded  Troops   drill  in 

sub-zero  weather. ..  .McNutt   says   get   war   job  or 

fight  Lost  Aussies  fight  on  Timor.    Hide  in  the 

jungle  of  the  Jap -held  island  while  they  fight  on 
against  the  enemy. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  49.— U.  S.  battle- 
ship on  trial  cruise  Tax  payment  due  March  15th 

....Yanks   and   Aussies    take    Buna....  Axis  bombs 

London    school  General    Eisenhower's  Christmas 

dinner  Canada's  record  herring  haul. ...  First  aid 

for  blitzed  pets.... The  Annual  Millrose  games. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  161.— Work 

or  fight  says  McNutt  U.  S.  bombers  raid  Italy 

...."Lost"  heroes  on  Timor  still  fighting  after  10 
months  Inter- American  highway  speeded  De- 
molition experts  do  stuff. ...  Women  in  war  service 

 Our   Arctic    Army    keeps    warm    somewhere  in 

Alaska  Army  learns  Judo  up-to-date. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  162.— Might- 
iest battleship  Second  taxes  due  March  15th  

Nazis  bomb  British  school  Japs  routed  at  Buna 

 Sled   dogs   enlist   for   service  Fishermen  help 

meat  shortage  with  record  catch  418  women  go  to 

war  Records  fall  at  track  meets. 

Bell  Named  Publicity  Head 
Of  Penn-Central  Airlines 

Ray  Bell  has  been  appointed  director  of  ad- 
vertising and  publicity  of  the  Pennsylvania- 
Central  Airlines,  effective  February  15th,  and 
will  assume  his  new  duties  in  Washington. 

He  has  resigned  from  the  advertising  and 
publicity  staff  of  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  For 
seven  years  prior  to  his  MGM  position,  he  was 
advertising  and  publicity  director  for  Loew's 
Theatres  in  Washington. 


Insurance  Ruling  Helps 
New  York  Exhibitors 

Exhibitors  and  other  employers  subject  to  the 
New  York  State  Unemployment  Insurance  Law 
who  did  not  employ  four  or  more  workers  on 
any  15  or  more  calendar  days  in  1942  may  file 
for  exemption  from  the  law  provided  they  do  so 
by  March  31st,  it  was  announced  by  Milton  O. 
Loysen,  executive  director  of  the  New  York 
Division  of  Placement  and  Unemployment  In- 
surance. 

Applications  are  available  to  employers  for 
this  purpose. 


Ornstein  Returns  to  MGM 

William  Ornstein  rejoined  the  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer home  office  publicity  staff  last  week 
after  15  years.  He  left  in  1927  and  worked 
on  various  trade  press  publications  in  an  edi- 
torial capacity. 


February     13,  1943 

Ralph  Goldberg 
Sues  Tri-States 
In  Nebraska 

R.  D.  Goldberg  Theatres  filed  an  anti-trust 
suit  in  Omaha  Federal  court  last  week,  asking 
$545,000  damages,  against  the  Tri-States  The- 
atres Corporation  of  Des  Moines. 

Tri-States  circuit  officers  named  as  defend- 
ants are  A.  H.  Blank,  president ;  Ralph  Bran- 
ton,  general  manager ;  Joseph  Kinsky,  Omaha 
district  manager. 

Ralph  D.  Goldberg  heads  the  Goldberg  com- 
pany. His  complaint  asserts  that  Tri-States  has 
an  "unlawful  monopoly"  on  first  runs  in 
Omaha's  downtown  section.  It  alleges  that  Tri- 
States'  agreements  with  major  distributors  de- 
prive the  Town  theatre,  operated  by  Mr.  Gold- 
berg, of  product  for  60  days  after  it  plays  a 
Tri-States  house. 

The  suit  admits  exceptions,  but  says  these  are 
Westerns  and  features  of  inferior  quality.  The 
complaint  says  the  Town's  income  has  de- 
creased, and  it  asks  that  Tri-States  be  elimi- 
nated from  theatre  business  in  Nebraska. 

Tri-States  operates  the  Omaha,  Orpheum  and 
Paramount,  in  Omaha.  In  addition  to  the  Town, 
the  Goldberg  company  operates  several  neigh- 
borhood theatres. 

Decision  Reserved  on 
Kaufman  Discipline 

At  the  end  of  a  two-day  hearing,  five  Federal 
Judges  of  the  U.  S.  district  court  in  Philadelphia, 
sitting  en  banc,  on  February  4th  reserved  deci- 
sion on  recommendations  of  three  special  mas- 
ters that  Morgan  S.  Kaufman,  former  attorney 
for  William  Fox,  be  disciplined  for  "grossly 
unprofessional  conduct."  The  proceedings  to 
discipline  Mr.  Kaufman,  growing  out  of  the 
Government's  conspiracy  case  against  Mr.  Kauf- 
man, Mr.  Fox  and  former  U.  S.  Circuit  Court 
Judge  J.  Warren  Davis,  were  started  on  orders 
of  Attorney  General  Francis  Biddle. 

Mr.  Kaufman  was  accused  of  unethical  con- 
duct in  connection  with  two  loans,  one  of  $10,- 
000  he  admitted  making  to  Charles  Lee  Stokley, 
a  cousin  of  former  Judge  Davis,  and  another  of 
$15,000  made  by  William  Fox  to  Judge  Davis, 
in  which  Mr.  Kaufman  allegedly  was  the  inter- 
mediary. The  three  men  originally  were  in- 
dicted on  charges  of  conspiracy  to  obstruct 
justice  and  defraud  the  Government  in  bank- 
ruptcy proceedings  involving  William  Fox. 
Charges  against  Judge  Davis  and  Mr.  Kaufman 
were  dropped  after  juries  disagreed  at  two  trials 
in  Philadelphia  last  year.  Mr.  Fox,  who  pleaded 
guilty,  is  serving  a  year  and  a  day  in  the  Fed- 
eral prison  at  Lewisburg,  Pa. 

20th-Fox  Appoints  Mullen 
Caribbean  District  Head 

Joseph  G.  Mullen,  in  charge  of  distribution 
for  Twentieth  Century-Fox  in  Mexico,  has  been 
named  district  manager  of  the  Caribbean  area, 
it  was  announced  this  week  by  Irving  A.  Maas, 
acting  head  of  the  company's  international  de- 
partment. 

Mr.  Mullen  will  make  his  headquarters  in 
Mexico  City  and  will  have  supervision  over  dis- 
tribution in  Mexico,  Panama,  Central  America, 
Ecuador,  Venezuela,  Colombia,  Trinidad,  Puer- 
to Rico  and  Cuba. 


SOPEG  Group  at  Canteen 

Merchant  seamen  were  entertained  at  the 
New  York  canteen  sponsored  by  the  Ameri- 
can Theatre  Wing  last  Sunday  by  an  amateur 
dramatic  group  from  the  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employes  Guild.  The  production 
was  directed  by  Ted  Post. 


February     13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


In  This  Week: 

SHOWMEN'S  REVIEWS 

ADVANCE  SYNOPSES 

RELEASE  CHART 

BY  COMPANIES 

THE  RELEASE  CHART 


Cabin  in  the  Sky 

(  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 
Comedy  Novelty 

This  is  a  novelty  offering  in  natural  color- — ■ 
sepia — and  it  includes  in  its  attraction  values 
Ethel  Waters,  Rochester,  the  Hall  Johnson 
Choir  and  Duke  Welling  and  His  Orchestra. 
It  is  a  comedy  based  on  an  Afro-American 
conception  of  Heaven  and  Hell  with  strong 
emotional  qualities  and  a  simplicity  of  treatment 
that  makes  its  story  definite.  The  embellish- 
ment of  attractive  music,  songs  with  lyrics  that 
rhyme  and  an  assemblage  of  mass  and  solo 
dancing  carries  the  story  on  the  wings  of 
rhythm. 

Ethel  Waters  as  Petunia  Jackson,  the  wife 
of  Little  Joe  Jackson  (Eddie  "Rochester"  An- 
derson) is  superb  in  song  and  in  emotional  act- 
ing that  add  luster  to  her  already  great  reputa- 
tion as  a  fine  singer  and  a  great  actress. 
Rochester,  her  shiftless,  gambling  mate,  is  the 
bone  of  contention  between  the  forces  of  good 
and  evil.  Heaven  and  Hell  are  both  treated  in 
the  manner  of  the  stage  play,  "Green  Pastures," 
with  the  Negro's  practical  method  of  regarding 
angels  and  devils  as  actual  people  like  them- 
selves. 

Little  Joe,  as  the  backsliding  scapegrace,  who 
balances  between  salvation  and  damnation,  keeps 
contending  forces  striving  desperately  for  pos- 
session of  his  immortal  soul.  From  church  and 
homespun  domestic  life  to  the  glitter  of  the 
dance  hall,  the  play  gives  space  for  the  musical 
and  dancing  attractions  that  are  of  the  best  in 
Negro  offerings.  The  sum  total  is  definitely 
entertainment.  Its  novelty  calls  for  exploitation 
pressure  initially  to  acquaint  prospective  cus- 
tomers with  the  real  worth  of  the  offering. 
Well  directed  by  Vincent  Minnelli  from  the 
screenplay  by  Joseph  Schrank,  "Cabin  in  the 
Sky"  brings  several  new  and  very  good  melo- 
dies to  the  public.  "Happiness  Is  a  Thing 
Called  Little  Joe,"  "Life's  Full  of  Conse- 
quences" and  "Li'l  Black  Sheep"  are  the  three 
top  ones  in  the  list.  E.  Y.  Harburg  wrote  the 
lyrics  and  Harold  Arlen  contrived  the  music. 

Lena  Home,  a  saddle  colored  Hedy  Lamarr, 
is  the  siren  who  plays  on  the  sin  side  with 
several  bushels  of  allure — she's  Little  Joe's  ne- 
mesis with  a  capital  N. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room  to  a 
critical  audience,  zvho  forgot  cynicism  and  went 
in  for  laughter.  Reviewer 's  Rating:  Excellent. — 
A.  J. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  98  minutes. 
PCA   No.   8964.     General   audience  classification. 


Petuna    Jackson  Ethel  Waters 

Little  Joe  Jackson   Eddie  "Rochester"  Anderson 

Georgia  Brown   Lena  Horne 

The  Trumpeter  Louis  Armstrong 

Lucius  ] 

Lucifer,   Jr.     (   Rex  Ingram 

Rev.  Green     1  ._        ,  _ 

The  General    (  Kenneth  Spencer 


John  W.  Sublett,  Oscar  Polk,  Mantan  Moreland, 
Willie  Best,  Fletcher  Rivers,  Leon  James  Ford  L. 
Washington,  Butterfly  McQueen,  Ruby  Dandridge. 
Nicodemus.  Ernest  Whitman. 


Reviews 

This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


The  Outlaw 

(Howard  Hughes) 
Western  with  Sex 

This  is  a  Western  with  sex  appeal,  or  vice 
versa,  conceived,  produced  and  directed  by 
Howard  Hughes  in  defiance  of  a  number  of 
principles  and  standards  established  by  the 
production  and  exhibition  branches  of  the  in- 
dustry as  fundamentals  of  procedure. 

The  film  purports  to  tell  the  story  of  the  no- 
torious Billy  the  Kid,  whom  legend  has  painted 
as  the  least  lamented  of  the  bandits  who  ter- 
rorized the  old  West,  but  it  depicts  him  as  a 
hero  without  morals  who  fascinates  women, 
and  it  sends  him  out  of  the  picture  at  its  close 
unpunished,  unpenitent  and  triumphant  over 
the  minions  and  the  meanings  of  the  law. 

It  violates  with  vigour  the  Hart-Mix- Jones- 
Autry  tradition  that  sex  has  no  place  in  a  West- 
ern by  dramatizing  three  interludes  of  passion 
with  intensity  and  detail  such  as  no  other  Amer- 
ican producer  has  undertaken  since  Theda  Bara 
was  the  cinema's  symbol  of  sin,  if  then. 

It  disregards  the  conventions  of  exploitation 
by  co-starring  unknowns,  but  it  conditions  this 
experiment  to  the  extent  of  supplying  two  pow- 
erful personalities — Walter  Huston  and  Thomas 
Mitchell — to  support  them  on  the  marquee  as 
they  do  in  the  picture. 

As  written  for  the  screen  by  Jules  Furth- 
man,  this  version  of  the  story  of  Billy  the  Kid 
follows  two  lines.  One  of  these  has  to  do  with 
a  professional  friendship  and  rivalry  between 
the  Kid  and  another  killer  whose  horse  has 
been  stolen,  another  factor  in  this  being  the 
friendship  of  the  other  outlaw  for  a  sheriff 
who  attempts  to  apprehend  them  but  never  gets 
them  to  jail.  This  line  of  the  story  contains 
shooting,  killing  and  action  enough  for  more 
than  one  average  Western. 

The  second  line,  which  is  braided  into  the 
first,  has  to  do  with  a  half-breed  girl  whose 
brother  Billy  has  killed.  She  ambushes  him 
in  a  barn  and  shoots  at  him  but  they  come  to 
grips  in  the  hay  and,  after  some  wrestling  in 
the  dark  and  some  dialogue  which  may  be  in- 
terpreted at  will,  achieve  a  state  of  affairs 
which  may  be  subjugation  or  appeasement  but 
is,  in  any  case,  end  of  conflict,  at  which  point 
the  camera  gradually  averts  its  gaze  while  the 
music    score   blares    its    interpretation.  There 


are  two  more  episodes  of  this  general  design 
in  the  course  of  the  narrative,  which  places 
girl  and  boy  on  good  and  bad  terms  by  turn, 
and  there  is  talk  of  a  marriage  having  occurred 
after  the  second  one  while  the  boy  was  in 
delirium.  They  are  together  in  the  fadeout 
after  the  death  of  the  second  outlaw  and  the 
outwitting  of  the  sheriff. 

Billy  the  Kid  is  played  by  Jack  Buetel,  a 
youngster,  whose  amateurishness  of  perform- 
ance is  in  consonance  with  the  role  as  writ- 
ten. 

The  half-breed  girl  is  played  by  Jane  Rus- 
sell, whose  torso  if  not  whose  face  is  familiar 
to  readers  of  the  picture  magazines  and  roto 
section. 

As  this  is.  written  the  picture  is  in  roadshow 
engagement  at  the  Geary  theatre  in  San  Fran- 
cisco under  management  of  the  producer-di- 
rector. It  was  produced  about  two  years  ago 
under  a  deal  for  distribution  by  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  but  this  arrangement  was  aban- 
doned for  reasons  not  announced.  No  other 
roadshow  dates  were  on  the  schedule  at  week- 
end although  some  were  under  consideration. 

Witnessed  at  the  San  Francisco  world  pre- 
miere where  a  capacity  audience  of  theatre- 
goers (at  $2.50  the  seat)  and  critics  evidenced 
admiration  for  the  early  passages,  shock  when 
the  sex  sequences  came  along,  amusement  in 
some  of  the  wrong  places  as  the  picture  wore 
on  and  weariness  toivard  the  end. — William 
R.  Weaver. 

Roadshow.  Running  time,  121  min.  PCA  No.  7440. 
Adult  audience  classification. 

Billy  the  Kid  Jack  Buetel 

Rio   Jane  Russell 

pat  ',.  Thomas  Mitchell 

X)oc  Walter  Huston 

Mimi  Aguglia,  Joe  Sawyer,  Gene  Rizzi. 


Something  to  Shout  About 

(  Columbia) 
Musical 

Columbia's  "Something  to  Shout  About"  is  a 
musical  with  a  wide  variety  of  entertainment 
factors,  ranging  from  Hazel  Scott's  boogie 
woogie  piano  playing  to  Lichine's  ballet,  from 
popular  music  to  a  dog  act,  and  taking  in  vir- 
tually all  territory  in  between.  Bound  together 
by  a  substantial  story  of  Broadway  backstage 
and  leavened  with  romance  and  comedy,  the  film 
drew  great  applause  at  its  Hollywood  preview 
showing. 

Designed  for  class-mass  entertainment,  it  tells 
the  story  of  a  small  town  music  teacher  who 
wants  her  songs  on  Broadway,  a  press  agent 
from  Broadway  shows,  a  broken  down  producer 
whose  latest  production  is  being  financed  by  a 
divorcee  on  condition  that  she  is  starred,  and  a 
group  of  former  vaudeville  players  who  step  in 
at  the  last  moment  when  the  musical  production 
is  called  off. 

Gregory  Ratoff,  who  produced  and  directed, 
put  together  this  heterogeneous  mixture  with  a 


Product  Digest  Section  1157 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


smoothness  seldom  reached  in  film  musicals. 
Starred  are  Don  Ameche,  as  the  press  agent; 
Janet  Blair,  as  the  composer,  and  Jack  Oakie, 
who  runs  a  boarding  house  for  ex-vaudevillians. 

Supporting  them  are  William  Gaxton,  Cobina 
Wright,  Jr.,  Veda  Ann  Borg,  Lily  Norwood, 
J  aye  Martin,  and  James  "Chuckles"  Walker. 
Specialties  include  a  ballet  number  by  Janet 
Blair  and  David  Lichine,  Hazel  Scott's  piano 
playing,  Teddy  Wilson  and  His  Band,  and 
"The  Bricklayers,"  sensational  dog  act. 

( letting  credit  for  the  writing  are  Lou  Bres- 
low  and  Edward  Eliscu,  who  did  the  screen- 
play ;  George  Owen,  who  did  the  adaptation, 
and  Fred  Schiller,  the  original  story. 

There  are  six  Cole  Porter  songs,  one  of 
which,  "You'd  Be  So  Nice  to  Come  Home  To," 
is  already  a  hit.  The  others  are  "Something 
to  Shout  About,"  "Hasta  Luego,"  "Lotus 
Bloom,"  "Through  Thick  and  Thin,"  and  "I 
Always  Knew." 

Previewed  at  the  Pantagcs  Theatre,  Holly- 
wood, where  the  audience  went  wild  over  the 
specialty  numbers,  especially  the  dog  act  and 
Miss  Scott's  playing,  and  roundly  applauded 
the  entire  production.  Lobby  talk  was  that  it 
was  one  of  the  smoothest  musicals  ever  made. 
Reviewer's  Rating:  Excellent. — V.  K. 

Release  date,  February  25,  1943.  Running  time.  90 
min.    PCA  No.  8848.    General  audience  classification. 

Ken  Douglas  Don  Ameche 

Jennie  Maxwell  Janet  Blair 

Larry  Martin  Jack  Oakie 

William  Gaxton,  Cobina  Wright,  Jr.,  Veda  Ann  Borg. 
Hazel  Scott.  Jaye  Martin.  Lily  Norwood,  James 
"Chuckles"  Walker. 


A  Stranger  in  Town 

(  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 

Justice  Goes  Hunting 

Justice  and  politics  in  a  very  untypical  small 
town  are  set  to  rights  by  a  visitor  from  Wash- 
ington in  this  slight  comedy,  carrying  some 
more  serious  overtones  concerning  "The  Amer- 
ican Way." 

The  message,  spoken  at  the  climax  by  an 
Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  is 
that  the  courts  and  the  ballot  box  are  and 
should  be  instruments  of  democracy,  although 
a  good  part  of  the  comedy  might  be  construed 
otherwise. 

The  jurist,  played  with  dignity  and  charm 
by  Frank  Morgan,  is  determined  on  a  hunting 
trip  incognito  until  he  runs  up  against  the 
town  machine.  The  futile  efforts  of  a  young 
lawyer  to  buck  it  arouse  his  interest  in  a  good 
fight  and  fair  play.  Posing  as  a  retired  judge, 
he  throws  several  legal  possibilities  in  the 
man's  way,  finally  making  only  a  pretense  of 
duck-hunting.  He  imports  his  secretary  from 
Washington,  with  an  eye  to  romance,  and  has 
the  machine  well  subdued  before  he  reveals 
his  identity. 

Richard  Carlson  is.  an  able  accomplice  as 
the  young  man  whose  election  as  Mayor  in- 
sures the  town's  future  well-being.  Jean  Rogers 
plays  the  girl  in  the  case,  an  energetic  but  not 
very  convincing  performance. 

The  screenplay  by  Isobel  Lennart  and  Wil- 
liam Kozlenko  was  directed  by  Roy  Rowland. 
Robert  Sisk  produced  the  film. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room.  Re- 
viewer's Rating:  Fair. — E.  A.  Cunningham. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  67  min.  PCA 
No.  9031.     General  audience  classification. 

John  Josephus  Grant  Frank  Morgan 

Rill  Adams  Richard  Carlson 

Lucy   Gilbert  Jean  Rogers 

Porter  Hall,  Robert  Barrat  Donald  MacBridc.  Walter 
Baldwin,  Andrew  Tombes,  Olin  Howlin,  Chill  Wills, 
Irving  Bacon,  Eddie  Dunn,  Gladys  Blake. 


Nine  Men 

(Ealing  Studios  -UA) 

Drama  of  War  in  Africa 

With  at  least  one  topline  film  about  the 
Navy — and  a  few  others — and  bevies  about  the 
Royal  Air  Force,  it  is  high  time  the  British 


SECOND  AUTRY  RELEASE 
SET  FOR  MARCH  1st 

"South  of  the  Border,"  second  of 
the  Gene  Autry  films  to  be  released 
again  this  year  by  Republic,  was 
originally  issued  in  December,  1939. 
Along  with  the  cowboy  star,  playing 
a  federal  agent  in  Mexico,  the  film 
features  Smiley  Burnctte,  June  Storey 
and  Mary  Lee. 

The  popular  song  of  that  year,  from 
which  the  title  was  taken,  suggested  in 
part  the  theme  of  the  picture.  Autry, 
too,  meets  a  senorita  while  on  his  gov- 
ernment mission  and  is  obliged  to  leave 
her  unexpectedly.  He  returns  from 
putting  down  a  threatened  revolt  in 
the  provinces  to  find  the  girl  has  not 
waited  for  him. 

Republic  pictures  has  March  1, 
1941,  as  the  date  for  the  picture's  re- 
release. 


industry  did  something  about  the  Army — par- 
ticularly that  section  colloquially  known  as  "the 
poor  b. . .  .y  infantry" — or  more  tersely  the 
"P.  B.  I."  Harry  Watt,  who  so  dramatically 
and  vividly  devised  the  first  epic  on  the  Bomb- 
er Command,  has  been  a  wise  selection  to 
handle  this  stirring  tale  of  Tommies  in  the 
Libyan  Desert. 

It  is  masculine,  heroic  stuff,  without  femi- 
nine interest,  uncompromising  in  its  depiction 
of  the  gruesome  side  of  desert  warfare,  not 
without  a  reminiscent  hint  of  "Beau  Geste"  but 
with  an  even  closer  present  day  realism.  It  is 
not,  probably,  woman's  stuff,  and  its  essen- 
tially British  regional  accents  would  be  as  easy 
for  most  U.  S.  audiences  to  understand  as 
Siro  Chaldaic  or  Urdu,  but  it  is  a  stirring  pic- 
ture, with  a  certain  documentary  allegiance, 
and  a  creditable  production  achievement. 

Gerald  Kersh  wrote  the  original  story,  which 
Director  Harry  Watt  rewrote  for  the  screen, 
a  _  story  of  nine  Guardsmen  stranded  in  the 
Libyan  Desert  and  attacked  by  overwhelming 
numbers  of  Italians.  The  narrative  is  devel- 
oped on  obvious  lines,  revealing  the  mingled 
courage  and  resource  which  help  the  men  to 
stall  off  the  enemy  until  relief  comes,  and  un- 
derlines the  role  played  by  that  old  ingredient 
of  Guard's  discipline,  that  little  bit  more,  epito- 
mised in  France  in  1914-18  as  "umpitty  poo." 

It  is  tense  stuff,  with  not  only  sustained  ac- 
tion, but  a  very  marked  flavour  of  humanity 
about  it.  The  characters  are  simple,  and  they 
live.  Jack  Lambert's  tough  Sergeant  may  be 
neither  spectacular  nor  romantic :  he  is  real. 

The  arid  atmosphere  of  sandy  desert  and 
lone  wadi  is  extremely  well  conveyed,  and 
sound  and  camera  work  measure  up  to  ade- 
quate standards  although  they  are  not  neces- 
sarily superlative.  The  dialogue  will  get 
laughs  in  Britain. 

The  picture  seems  to  establish  Watt  as  a 
director*  who  can  do  other  things  than  docu- 
mentary. Nothing  more  masculine,  nor  for  that 
matter  more  human  has  come  out  of  a  directo- 
rial mind  for  some  time. 

John  Greenwood's  score  is  so  good  as  to  be 
noticeable  but  not  so  ostentatious  as  to  be  a  dis- 
traction. 

A  press  audience  quite  obviously  appreci- 
ated the  film  as  a  prestige  achievement,  though 
there  was  some  discussion  as  to  its  points  of 
appeal.  Rcviezver's  Rating:  Good. — Aubrey 
Flanagan 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time  67  min.  Adult 
audience  classification  (British). 

Sergeant  Watson  Jack  Lambert 

Officer   Richard  Wilkinson 

Young  'un  Gordon  Jackson 

Frederick  Piper.  Grant  Sutherland,  Bill  Blewett,  Eric 
Micklewood,  John  Varley,  Jack  Horsman,  Trevor 
Evans,  Guilio  Finzi. 


Lucky  Legs 

(  Columbia  ) 
Falkenberg  Comedy 

Here  is  a  comedy  that  should  appeal  to  the 
great  number  of  fans  that  Jinx  Falkenberg  has 
acquired  by  way  of  magazine  covers,  tennis 
tournaments,  U.S.O.  shows  and  wide-spread 
publicity.  It  offers  pleasing  entertainment  in 
addition  to  the  beauty  of  its  star,  and  in  spite 
of  its  much-used  plot. 

A  wealthy  old  playboy  leaves  Showgirl 
Falkenberg  one  million  dollars  in  his  will.  The 
good  news  comes  just  as  her  show  is  folding, 
arid  sends  Jinx  and  her  friends  off  on  a  buying 
spree.  When  word  of  the  will  reaches  the 
man's  two  sisters,  they  leave  their  small  town 
in  a  hurry  with  a  young  lawyer,  Russell  Hay- 
den. 

Also  on  the  trail  of  the  money  are  racket- 
eers who  make  trouble  all  around  until  the 
girls  decide  to  turn  all  but  $25,000  over  to  the 
government.  With  this  sum  they  put  on  a  new 
show.  Meanwhile,  the  lawyer  and  Miss  Falk- 
enberg have  fallen  in  love. 

Wallace  McDonald  produced  the  film  with 
emphasis  on  comedy  and  pulchritude.  Charles 
Barton  directed. 

Russell  Hayden,  the  popular  Western  star 
who  takes  the  romantic  lead,  performs  credit- 
ably in  his  new  surroundings. 

Shozmi  at  the  Warner  Strand  theatre  in  Neiv 
Britain,  Conn.,  to  an  early  afternoon  audience, 
chiefly  adult,  zvho  laughed  plenty.  Reviewer's 
Rating  :  Good. — Al  Widem. 

Release  date,   October  1,   1942.      Running  time.  64 
min.    PQA  No.  8551.    General  audience  classification 
Jinx  Falkenberg,  Kay  Harris,  Russell  Hayden,  Leslie 
Brooks,  William  Wright,  Don  Beddoe,  Frank  Sully, 
Elizabeth  Patterson. 

Fighting  Frontier 

(RKO  Radio) 
Western 

With  a  lively  plot  and  some  capable  acting, 
this  story  of  the  Old  West  measures  up  to  the 
standard  maintained  throughout  the  Tim  Holt 
series  for  RKO  Radio.  The  Western  star  is 
believable  as  renegade  or  government  agent,  and 
young  and  presentable  enough  to  brighten  the 
routine  romantic  interludes. 

He  is,  seemingly,  an  outlaw  at  the  start  of 
the  film,  holding  up  the  stage  and  badgering 
the  helpless  and  innocent.  But  it  is  not  too  long 
before  the  audience  is  aware  of  the  fact  that 
he  is  a  special  investigator,  bent  on  unmasking 
the  leader  of  the  gang.  The  town's  miners, 
weary  of  the  futile  efforts  of  the  law,  take  jus- 
tice into  their  own  hands  and  hold  four  outlaws, 
including  Tim  and  Cliff  Edwards,  for  trial. 
This  slows  the  action  for  some  time,  but  a  gun 
battle  at  the  end  provides  enough  excitement 
to  compensate. 

Bert  Gilroy,  producer,  and  Lambert  Hillyer, 
director,  have  done  their  usual  competent  job 
with  the  wholly  adequate  story  by  Bernard 
McConville. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room.  Re- 
vieiver's  Rating :  Good. — E.  A.  C. 

Release  date,  January  29, 1  1943.  Running  time,  57 
min.     PCA  No.  8506.     General  audience  classification. 

Kit  Russell  Tim  Holt 

Ike   Cliff  Edwards 

Ann  Summers,  Eddie  Dew,  William  Gould,  Davison 
Clarke,  Slim  Whitaker,  Tom  London,  Monte  Mon- 
tague, Jack  Rockwell. 

The  Avenging  Rider 

(RKO  Radio) 
Western 

With  the  recent  success  of  Tim  Holt  in  top- 
flight feature  productions,  his  series  of  West- 
erns may  repay  some  additional  exploitation. 
This  one,  like  others  in  the  series,  is  smartly 
contrived,  with  well-paced  action  and  straight- 
forward performances. 

Holt  and  Cliff  Edwards  find  themselves  ac- 


I  I  58  Product  Digest  Section 


February     13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


cused  of  a  murder  which  they  have  determined 
to  avenge.  The  victim  was  a  friend  and  part- 
ner, whose  store  of  gold  provided  the  motive 
for  the  crime.  The  usual  formula  of  gun  and 
fist  fights,  hard  riding  and  quiet  stalking  pre- 
vails, with  a  song  or  two  by  "Ukelele  Ike" 
thrown  in  to  enliven  the  chase.  Ann  Summers 
provides  the  slight  romantic  interest. 

Bert  Gilroy,  who  produces  the  series  for 
RKO.  has  achieved  another  tight  action  film, 
ranking  high  in  the  regular  run  of  Westerns. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room.  Re- 
liefer's Rating  :  Good. — E.  A.  C. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  55  min.  PCA 
No.  8653.     General   audience  classification. 

Brit   -  Tim  Holt 

Uce   Cliff  Edwards 

Jean   Ann  Summer-; 

Davison  Clarke,  Norman  Willis,  Karl  Hackett.  Enrl 
Hodgins,   Edward  Cassidy. 


Laugh  Your  Blues  Away 

(  Columbia) 
Comedy 

This  is  a  pleasing  comedy  with  Bert  (The 
Mad  Russian)  Gordon  and  Jinx  Falkenburg  in 
the  starring  roles.  The  story  gives  ample  op- 
portunity for  broad  humor,  and  gag  follows  gag 
at  a  merry  pace. 

Wishing__to  impress  a  family  from  Texas  with 
her  wealth  and  social  prestige,  Isobel  Elsom 
decides  to  hire  a  group  of  actors  to  appear  as 
senators,  princes  and  other  notables.  It  is 
shortly  revealed,  however,  that  she  is  putting 
on  a  front  so  that  her  son,  Douglas  Drake 
can  propose  to  Phyllis  Kennedy,  daughter  of 
the  really  rich  Texans. 

Bert  Gordon  and  Jinx  Falkenberg  are  select- 
ed to  appear  as  rich  Russians.  Drake  promptly 
falls  in  love  with  Miss  Falkenberg,  and  Gor- 
don's eye  catches  the  girl  from  Texas.  The 
situation  is  cleared  up  when  Miss  Kennedy's 
boy  friend  arrives  from  home. 

Five  songs  are  heard  in  the  course  of  the 
film :  "Dark  Eyes,"  "Prairie  Parade,"  "Down  in 
the  Heart  of  Smetna,"  "Gin  Rhumba"  and  'He's 
My  Guy." 

Charles  Barton  directed  at  a  fast  pace. 

Seen  at  the  E.  M.  Loew's  theatre  in  Hart- 
ford where  an  audience  of  adults  seemed,  to 
like  the  humor.  Reviewer's  Rating:  Fair. — 
A.  W. 

Release  date,  November  12.  1942.  Running  time,  73 
min.    PCA  No.  8818.     General  audience  classification. 

The  Mad  Russian  Bert  Gordon 

Pam   Jinx  Falkenberg 

Douglas  Drake,  Isobel  Elsom.  Phyllis  Kennedy,  Rog- 
er Clark,  George  Lassey.  Vivien  Oakland,  Dick  El- 
liott. Frank  Sully,  Robert  Greig  and  Nora  Lou. 

Old  Mother  Riley  Detective 

(British  National- Anglo  American) 
Black  Market  Comedy 

Arthur  Lucan,  one  of  the  first  three  in  the 
British  Moneymakers  Poll,  represents  a  par- 
ticular class  of  motion  picture  entertair  nent, 
that  brand  of  backstreet  comedy  vvhicK  aims 
at  the  lowest  common  denominator  of  audience 
appeal,  to  the  children  and  the  immature  of 
taste  and  interest.  This  latest  extravaganza 
makes  no  apparent  effort  to  rise  above  that 
category.  Lucan's  films  are  undoubtedly  built 
to  a  sound  commercial  pattern,  but  their  sphere 
is  limited. 

Lucan,  in  the  tattered  robes  and  bonnet  of 
Old  Mother  Riley,  becomes,  herein,  a  people's 
champion,  a  daily  help  who  diverts  her  ener- 
gies to  anything  from  cleaning  office  floors  to 
cleaning  up  the  black  market  food  racketeers. 
Backed  by  the  Office  of  Home  Security  and 
Scotland  Yard,  she  trails  the  thuggery,  in- 
vades ritzy  restaurants  in  her  tattered  rags, 
plays  strip  poker  with  the  cops,  chases  the 
gangsters  on  a  high  power  motorcycle,  and  is 
all  but  cast  into  the  river,  ending  triumphantly 
and  pitchforking  the  villain  into  a  hayrick. 

During  all  this  high   speed  nonsense,  Mr. 


Reviews  received  too  late  for 
this  Section  are  printed  in  the 
regular  news  pages  of  the 
Herald  and  are  reprinted  the 
following  week  in  Product 
Digest  for  their  reference  value. 


Lucan's  bonnet  stays  abaft  his  greying  wig,  but 
not  for  a  split  second  do  his  arms  and  legs  cease 
from  gesticulating  and  his  tongue,  in  a  falsetto 
parody  of  the  Dublin  brogue,  halt  from  tongue- 
twisting  patter  of  the  broadest  and  most  ele- 
mentary comedy  variety. 

The  film  is  adequately  mounted  and  directed 
by  Lance  Comfort  with  a  hand  which  betrays 
a  familiarity  with  more  worthy  matter.  Music 
in  the  restaurant  and  in  the  factory  at  lunch- 
eon hour  is  well  recorded. 

A  trade  show  audience  were  not  too  choosey 
to  scorn  an  occasional  laugh,  but  the  voices 
of  children  present — it  was  holiday  time — were 
in  the  ascendance.  Exhibitor  reactions  were 
twofold,  agreeing  that  Lucan  has  appeal,  and 
wondering  why.  Reviewers'  Rating:  Mediocre. 
—A.  F. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  80  min.  Gen- 
eral audience  classification. 

Mother  Riley  Arthur  Lucan 

Kitty   Kitty  McShane 

Ivor  Brandt,  Owen  Reynolds,  Johnny  Schofield,  H.  F. 
Maltby,  Vi  Kaley,  Nino  Rossini,  Alfredo  Campoli. 


Frontier  Marshal  in 
Prairie  Pals 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 
Western 

Here  is  another  in  the  PRC  "Frontier  Mar- 
shal" Westerns.  Lee  (Frontier  Marshal)  Pow- 
el,  Art  Davis  and  Bill  (Cowboy  Rambler) 
Boyd  are  starred.  Sigmund  Neufeld  produced 
and  Peter  Stewart  directed. 

Davis  and  Boyd  join  a  gang  of  outlaws  in 
order  to  find  out  their  plans.  Powell  arrives 
in  the  western  town  searching  for  an  eastern 
scientist,  who  has  disappeared.  It  develops  lat- 
er that  the  outlaws  are  keeping  the  Easterner 
prisoner  because  of  his  formula  for  making  gold 
out  of  minerals  on  the  ranches  in  the  vicinity. 

Xaturally  the  outlaws  attempt  to  drive  the 
ranchers  off  their  holdings  because  of  the  great 
land  values.  Davis,  Boyd,  and  Powell  join 
forces  and  finally  round  up  the  outlaws  after 
numerous  chases  and  gun  battles.  The  scientist 
is  freed. 

This  offering  should  please  the  average  West- 
ern fan. 

Shown  at  the  Daly  Theatre,  Hartford,  to  a 
late  afternoon  audience  composed  of  both  adults 
and  children.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Good. — A.W. 

Release  date,  September  4,  1942.  Running  time.  GO 
min.    PCA  No.  8658.    General  audience  classification. 

Art   Art  Davis 

Bill   Bill  Boyd 

Lee   Lee  Powell 

Esther  Estrella,  Charles  King,  John  Merson,  Jack 
M.  Holmes,  Kermit  Maynard,  I.  Stanford  Jolley. 


Thundering  Trails 

(Republic) 
Western 

This  is  another  in  the  Republic  "Three  Mes- 
quiteers"  series.  Bob  Steele,  Tom  Tyler,  Jim- 
mie  Dodd,  and  Nell  O'Day  are  starred  in  this 
56-minute  Western,  w-hich  should  satisfy  the 
action  fan. 

Steele,  Tyler  and  Dodd  act  as  Texas  Rang- 
ers in  this  production.  When  the  Rangers' 
organization  is  discontinued  by  a  Commission- 
er's order,  Tyler's  brother  is  selected  as  cap- 
tain of  a  Texas  town's  police  force.  Although 


the  brother  doesn't  know  it,  a  gang  of  bandits 
are  in  the  police  force  and  the  local  judge  is 
actually  in  league  with  the  bandits. 

From  then  on  it's  the  story  of  efforts  by 
Steele,  Tyler  and  Dodd  to  prove  the  guilt  of 
the  bandits.  After  a  number  of  chases  and 
gun  battles,  the  bad  men  are  rounded  up,  the 
Rangers  are  reorganized  and  the  Mesquiteers 
and  Tyler's  brother  join. 

There  is  a  bit  of  romantic  interest  in  this 
picture,  with  Tyler's  brother  and  Neil  O'Day  as 
lovers. 

The  photography  in  this  Western  is  above 
average.    John  English  directed. 

Shown  at  the  Daly  Theatre,  Hartford,  be- 
fore a  late  afternoon  audience,  composed  of 
adults. — Reviewer's  Rating:    Good. — -A.  W. 

Release  date.  January  25,  1943.  Running  time,  56 
min.  PCA  No.  8948.  General  audience  classifica- 
tion. 

Bob   Bob  Steele 

Tom   Tom  Tyler 

jimmy   Jimmy  Dodd 

Sam  Flint  and  Nell  O'Day. 


Secrets  of  the  Underground 

(Republic) 

Murder  and  Counterfeiting 

Three  murders  are  committed  and  the  trail 
of  blackmail  stretches  across  the  ocean  to 
France  before  counterfeiters  of  U.  S.  War 
Stamps  are  tracked  down  by  the  law.  All  this 
adds  up  to  a  wealth  of  plot  and  action,  with  a 
little  less  of  credibility. 

John  Hubbard,  as  the  enterprising  District 
Attorney,  has  the  help  of  a  reporter,  Virginia 
Grey,  in  spotting  clues  and  in  the  final  free-for- 
all.  A  masculine  fist-fight  vies  for  attention 
with  a  feminine  exposition  of  jiu-jitsu  before 
the  murderer  is  caught.  Before  this  too,  the 
stamp  counterfeiters  have  pressed  refugees  into 
their  service  under  threat  of  harm  to  their 
families  in  France,  bodies  have  appeared  in  and 
out  of  trunks  and  the  girl  reporter  has  been 
held  prisoner  in  an  old  barn. 

William  Morgan  directed  the  melodrama, 
with  Leonard  Field  as  associate  producer.  Rob- 
ert Tasker  and  Geoffrey  Homes  concocted  the 
screenplay. 

Seen  in  the  New  York  theatre.  Reviewer 's 
Rating  :  Fair. — E.  A.  C. 

Release  date,  December  18,  1942.  Running  time, 
69  min.   PCA  No.  8835.   General  audience  classification. 

P.  Cadwallader  Jones   John  Hubbard 

Terry   Virginia  Grey 

Lloyd  Corrigan,  Robin  Raymond.  Miles  Mander,  Olin 
Howlin,  Ben-  Welden.  Merle  Shelton,  Neil  Hamilton, 
Ken  Christy,  Dick  Rich. 


SHORT  SUBJECT 

BOOMTOWN,  D.  C.  (RKO) 

This  Is  America 

"Boomtown,  D.  C."  fourth  in  the  series  of 
RKO's  "This  is  America"  Victory  shorts,  at- 
tempts to  capture  the  tempo  of  wartime  Wash- 
ington. It  sharply  depicts  the  problems  con- 
fronting young  war  workers  in  finding  ade- 
quate places  to  live,  to  eat,  to  spend  their  leisure 
time  and  to  spend  their  money  as  consumers. 
It  particularly  focuses  attention  on  the  average 
small  town  boy  or  girl  who  goes  to  the  capital 
on  a  war  job,  and  who  becomes  a  cog  in  the 
well-oiled  war  machine. 

The  film  is  brief,  compact  and  to  the  point. 
All  the  sequences  were  shot  in  capital  buildings 
and  on  the  streets  of  the  city.  Phyllis  Hood 
and  Stanley  Phillips  are  seen  as  the  two  pro- 
fessional actors.  Produced  by  Frederic  Ullman. 
Jr.,  directed  by  James  Moore  and  written  by 
Phil  Reisman.  Jr.,  "Boomtown"  will  be  of  in- 
terest to  audiences  who  are  curious  and  eager 
to  learn  more  about  wartime  conditions  in  the 
nation's  capital.  It  offers  a  warning,  however, 
to  young  people  to  find  war  jobs  at  home  and 
to  keep  away  from  Washington. — J.  E.  S. 
Release  date.  February  12,   1943,  19  minutes 


Product  Digest  Section    |  |  59 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


RELEASE  CHART 

By  Companies 


February     13,  1943 


COLUMBIA 


Prod 

No. 


Title 


Release 
Date 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Release 

Date 


Block  4 


For  Stars,  Running  Time,  Review  and  other  Service 
Data  references,  turn  to  the  alphabetical  Release  Chart 
starting  on  page  1163. 

Complete  listing  of  1941-42  Feaures,  by  company,  in 
order  of  release,  may  be  found  on  pages  878  and  879  of 
the  Product  Digest  Section  in  the  August  29,  1942  issue 
of  Motion  Picture  Herald. 


4027  Counter   Espionage   Sep.  3,'42 

4022  The  Spirit  of  Stanford  Sep.  I0,'42 

4044  A  Man's  World  Sep.  17/42 

4032  Lucky  Legs   Oct.  I, '42 

4201  Riding  Through  Nevada  Oct.  I. '42 

4021  The  Daring  Young  Man  Oct.  8.'42 

4209  The  Lone  Prairie  Oct.  15/42 

4035  Smith   of    Minnesota  Oct.  15/42 

4026  The  Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You. Oct.  22/42 

4042  Stand  By  All   Networks  Oct.  29/42 

4030  Boston  Blackle  Goes  Hollywood. Nov.  5/42 

4033  Laugh  Your  Blues  Away  Nov.  12/42 

4002  You  Were  Never  Lovelier  Nov.  19, '42 

4038  Junior  Army   Nov.  26/42 

4202  Pardon   My   Gun  Dec.  1/42 

4039  Underground  Agent   Dec.  3/42 

4009  A  Night  to  Remember  Dec.  10/42 

4210  A  Tornado  In  the  Saddle  Dec.  15/42 

4004  Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn... Jan.  7/43 

4013  City    Without    Men  Jan.  14/43 

4029  One  Dangerous  Night  Jan.  21/43 

4037  Power  of  the  Press  Jan.  28/43 

4203  The    Fighting    Buckaroo  Feb.  2/43 

  Reveille    with    Beverly  Feb.  4/43 

  No  Place  for  a  Lady  Feb.  11/43 

  Riders  of  the  Northwest 

Mounted   Feb.  15/43 

.  ..  Something  to  Shout  About... Feb.  25/43 

.  ..  Let's  Have  Fun  Mar.  4/43 

...    After  Midnight  with  Boston 

Blackie   Mar.  18/43 


The  Desperados   Not  Set 

The  Cover  Girl  Not  Set 

Law  of  the  Northwest  Not  Set 

Silver  City  Raiders  Not  Set 

hall  to  the  Rangers  Not  Set 

The  More  the  Merrier  Not  Set 

Roblnhood  of  the  Range  Not  Set 

Outlaw  Busters   Not  Sot 

Murder  In  Times  Square  Not  Set 

Wyoming    Hurricane  Not  Set 

The  Vigilantes  Ride  Not  8et 

Destroyer   Not  8»t 

Suicide  Range   Not  Set 

Riding   West   Not  8et 

Broadway  Daddies   Not  Set 

Boy  from  Stalingrad  Not  Set 

Frontier  Fury   Not  Set 

Blondie   Buys  a  Horse  Not  Set 

Redhead  from   Manhattan  Not  Set 

Sahara   Not  Set 

Attacked  by  Night  Not  Set 

Law  of  the  Badlands  Not  Set 


Lady  Bodyguard   

Happy  Go  Lucky  

Henry  Aldrlch  Gets  Glamour. 
Night  Plana  from  Chungking. 

China   


MGM 


Title 


Release 
Date 


302  Tlsh   8«p.-Nov.  '42 

305  A  Yank  at  Eton  Sop. -Nov.  '42 


306  The  War  Against 

Mrs.  Hadley   Sep.- Nov.  '42 

307  Cairo   Sep. -Nov.  '42 

308  Seven   Sweethearts   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

304  Apache  Trail   Sop.-Nov.  '42 

301  Somewhere  I'll  Find  You. .  .Sep.-Nov. '42 
303  Panama  Hattle   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

312  For  Me  and  My  Gal  Sep.-Nov.  '42 

309  Eyes  In  the  Night  Sep.-Nov.  '42 

310  White  Cargo   Sep.-Nov.  '42 

311  Omaha  Trail   Sep.-Nov. '42 

313  Whistling  in  Dixie  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

314  Journey  for  Margaret  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

315  Reunion  In  France  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

316  Stand  by  for  Action  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

317  Dr.  Gillespie's  New 

Assistant   Dec.-Feb.  '43 

318  Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life .  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

319  Northwest  Rangers   Dec.-Feb.  '43 

320  Keeper  of  the  Flame  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

321  Three   Hearts  for  Julia  Dec.-Feb.  '43 

322  Tennessee  Johnson   Dec.-Feb.  '43 


V 


Random   Harvest   Not  8et 

Presenting  Lily  Mars  Not  Set 

Lassie  Come  Home  Not  Set 

Pilot   No.   5  Not  Set 

Assignment  In  Brittany  Not  Sot 

Cabin  In  the  Sky  Not  Set 

Du  Barry  Was  a  Lady  Not  Set 

The   Human   Comedy  Not  Set 

Salute  to  the  Marines  Not  Set 

Youngest  Profession   Not  Set 

Half-Pint  Kid   Not  Set 

A  Stranger  in  Town  Not  Set 

Private  Miss  Jones  Not  Set 

Above  Suspicion   Not  Set 

Bataan's  Last  Stand  Not  Set 

I   Dood  It  Not  8«t 

Air  Raid  Warden  Not  Set 

Swing  Shift  Malsie  Not  Set 

Faculty  Row   Not  Set 

Slightly  Dangerous   Not  Set 

Dr.  Gillespie's  Criminal  Case  Not  Set 

Girl  Crazy   Not  Set 

Right  About  Face  Not  Set 

Best   Foot   Forward   Not  Set 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Release 
Date 


MONOGRAM 

.  One  Thrilling  Night  June 

.  Isle  of  Missing  Men  Sept. 

.  Foreign  Agent   ....Oct. 

Texas   tg    Bataan  Oct. 

Criminal  Investigator   Oct. 

.  Bowery  at  Midnight  Oct. 

West  of  the  Law  Nov. 

War  Dogs   Nov. 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge  Nov. 

The  Living  Ghost  Nov. 

.  Trail    Riders   Dec. 

Rhythm  Parade   Dee. 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide. .  .Dec. 

Two  Fisted  Justice  Jan. 

Silent  Witness   Jan. 

Cosmo  Jones  in  the  Crime 

Smasher   Jan. 

Kid    Dynamite   Feb. 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law  Feb. 

Haunted  Ranch   Feb. 

Silver   Skates   .Feb. 

The  Ape  Man  Mar. 

Land  of  Hunted  Men  Mar. 

No   Escape   Mar. 

Clancy   Street   Boys  Apr. 


,'42 
■42 

,'« 
'42 
'42 

,'42 
'42 
'42 
"42 
•42 
•42 
'42 
'42 
'43 
'42 

'43 
'43 
M3 
'43 
"43 
'43 
'43 
'43 
43 


PARAMOUNT 

Block  I 

4205  Wake  Island   

4202  The  Major  and  the  Minor.. 

4203  The  Glass  Key  

4204  Wildcat   

4201  Priorities  on  Parade  

Block  2 

4209  Henry  Aldrich,  Editor  

4208  Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage 

Patch   

4207  Road  to  Morocco  

4210  Street  of  Chance  

4206  The  Forest  Rangers  

Block  3 

4213  The  Avengers   

4212  Wrecking  Crew   

4211  The  Palm  Beach  Story  

4214  My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy. 

4215  Lucky  Jordan   


SPECIAL 

4231  Star  Spangled  Rhythm. 


Great  Without  Glory  Not  Set 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls. ..  .Not  Set 

No  Time  for  Love  Not  Set 

Submarine  Alert   Not  Set 

High  Explosive   Not  Set 

True  to   Llfo  Not  Set 

Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek. .. Not  Set 

Aerial  Gunner   Not  Set 

Dixie   Not  Sot 

Saluto  for  Three  Not  Set 

Henry  Aldrlch  Swings  It  Not  Set 

So  Proudly  We  Hall  Not  Set 

Lady  In  the  Dark  Not  Set 

Henry  Aldrich  Plays  Cupid... Not  Set 

The  Good  Fellows  Not  Set 

Five  Graves  to  Cairo  Not  Set 

Riding  High   Not  Set 

Alaska   Highway   Not  Set 


PRODUCERS  REL 
CORP. 

317  Baby  Face  Morgan  Sep.  15/42 

307  Tomorrow  We  Live  Sep.  29/42 

308  City  of  Silent  Men  Oct.  12/42 

309  Secrets  of  a  Co-ed  Oct.  26/42 

301  The  Yanks  are  Coming  Nov.  9/42 

357  Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious 

Rider   Nov.  20/42 

318  Miss  V  from   Moscow  Nov.  23/42 

310  Boss  of  Big  Town  Dec.  7/42 

363  Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Stagecoach   Dec.  11/42 

302  Lady  from  Chungking  Dec.  21/42 

351  Rangers  Take  Over  Doe.  25/42 

319  Man  of  Courage  Jan.  4/4! 

303  The  Payoff   Jan.  21/43 

358  Billy  the  Kid  in  The  Kid 

Rides  Again   Jan.  27/43 

320  Dead  Men  Walk  Feb.  10/43 

364  Lone  Rider  in  Wild  Horse 

Rustlers   Feb.  12/43 

304  A  Night  for  Crime  Feb.  18/43 

352  Bad   Men  of  Thunder  Gap  .  .  .  Mar.  5/43 

312  Queen  of  Broadway  Mar.  8/43 

359  Billy  the  Kid  in  Fugitive 

of  the  Plains  Mar.  12/43 

31  Corregidor   Mar.  15/43 

313  Behind  Prison  Walls  Mar.  22/43 

311  My  Son  the  Hero  Apr.  5/43 


I  I  60   Product  Digest  Section 


February    13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Prod.  Release 
No.         Title  Date 

30  Follies  Girl   Apr.  30,'43 

  Girls    in   Chains  Not  Set 

RKO 

371  The  Magnificent  Ambersons  .  .July  10, '42 

391  Bambi   Aug.  21/42 

301  The    Big    Street  Sep.  4.'42 

302  Mexican   Spitfire's   Elephant.  .Sep.  1 1 .'42 

303  Wings  and  the  Woman  Sep.  18, '42 

381  Bandit  Ranger   Sep.  25,'42 

304  Highways   by   Night  Oct.    2, '42 

305  Here  We  Go  Again  Oct.  '9/42 

306  Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder. Oct.  16, '42 

308  The  Navy  Comes  Through  Oct.  30,'42 

309  The    Falcon's   Brother  Nov.  6,'42 

310  Seven  Days'  Leave  Nov.  13, '42 

382  Pirates  of  the  Prairie  Nov.  20, '42 

311  Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  Nov.  27. '42 

312  Army  Surgeon   Dee.  4>'42 

313  Cat  People   Dec.  25.M2 

314  The  Great  Gildersleeve  Jan.    I, '43 

315  Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz. . . .  Jan.    8, '43 

383  Fighting    Frontier    Jan.  29,'43 

352  They  Got  Me  Covered  Feb.    5, '43 

307  Journey   Into   Fear  Feb.  I2.'43 

316  Hitler's  Children   Feb.  12. '43 

392  Saludos   Amigos   Feb.  I9,'43 

 Two  Weeks  to  Live  Feb.  I9,'43 

318  Cinderella  Swings  It  Feb.  26,'43 

351  Pride  of  the  Yankees  Mar.   5. '43 

319  Tarzan  Triumphs   Mar.  I2,'43 

320  Forever  and  a  Day  Mar.  I9.'43 

V 

....  Flight  for   Freedom  Not  Set 

 The   Avenging    Rider  Not  Set 

...  Squadron  Leader  X  Not  Set 

  Ladies  Day   Not  Set 

  Bombardier   Not  Set 

  This  Land  Is  Mine  Not  Set 

 Two  Weeks  to  Live  Not  Set 

  I  Walked  with  a  Zombie  Not  Set 

  Mr.  Lucky  Not  Set 

  Petticoat  Larceny   Not  Set 

  Sagebrush  Law   Not  Set 

 The  Sky's  the  Limit  Not  Set 

  Free  for  All  Not  Set 

 The  Fallen  Sparrow  Not  Set 

 'The  Falcon  Strikes  Back  Not  Set 

REPUBLIC 

201  Hi,  Neighbor   July  27, '42 

271  Sombrero  Kid   July  31, '42 

202  The  Old  Homestead  Aug.  17, '42 

261  Shadows  on  the  Sage  Aug.  24,'42 

203  Youth  on   Parade  Oct.  24,'42 

272  Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge  Oct.  27,'42 

204  X   Marks  the  Spot  Nov.  4,'42 

262  Valley  of   Hunted   Men  Nov.  I3,'42 

251  Heart  of  the  Golden  Wert  Dec.  1 1, '42 

207  The   Traitor   Within  Dee.  10/42 

208  Secrets  of  the  Underground.  .Dee.  I8,'42 

208  lea-Capades  Revue   Dee,  24,'42 

273  Sundown  Kid   Dee.  28,'42 

253  RIdlB'  Down  the  CanyeD  Dee.  30,'42 

205  Johnny  Doughboy   Dee.  31. '42 

209  Mountain  Rhythm   Jan.  8/43 

210  London  Blackout  Murders  Jan.  15/43 

2301  Boots  and  Saddles  Jan,  15/43 

263  Thundering  Trails   Jan.  25/43 

211  Fighting  Devil  Dogs  Jan.  29/43 


Prod.  Release 
No.         Titlt  Date 

274  Dead  Man  s  Gulch  Feb.  5/43 

  The  Blocked  Trail  Feb.  12/43 

  South  of  the  Border  Mar.  1/43 

...  Hit  Parade  of  1943  Mar.  12/43 

  Idaho   Mar.  19/43 

 The   Purple  V  Mar.  26/43 

  Chatterbox   Apr.  1/43 

V 

 Tahiti  Honey   Not  Set 

  King  of  the  Cowboys  Not  Set 

  Carson   City   Cyclone  Not  Set 

 Shantytown   Not  Set 


20TH-FOX 

Block  I 


301  Footllght  Serenade   Aug.  1/42 

302  A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  Aug.  7/42 

303  Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A  Aug.  14/42 

304  The  Pied  Piper  Aug.  21, '42 

305  Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe  Aug.  2t/42 

Bloek  2 

308  Orchestra  Wives   Sep.    4, '42 

311  Berlin  Correspondent   Sep.  11/42 

312  Careful,  Soft  Shoulders  Sep.  18/42 

310  JurtOff  Broadway  Sep.  25/42 

306  Iceland   Oct  2/42 

Bloek  3 

313  Tales   at    Manhattan   Oct.  30/42 

Blec*  4 

309  Girl  Trouble   Oct.  9/42 

314  Manila  Calling   Oct.  16/42 

315  The  Man  in  the  Trunk  Oct.  23/42 

317  Springtime  in  the  Rockies  Nov.  6/42 

Block  5 

318  That  Other  Woman  Nov.  13/42 

307  Thunder   Birds   Nov.  20/42 

319  The  Undying  Monster  Nov.  27/42 

320  The  Black  Swan  Dec.  4/42 

321  Dr.   Renault's  Secret  Dee.  11/42 

Block  6 

322  Life  Begins  at  8:30  Dee.  25/42 

323  China  Girl   Jan.  1/43 

324  We  Are  the  Marines  Jan.  8/43 

325  Over  My  Dead  Body  Jan.  15/43 

326  Time  to  Kill  Jan.  22/43 

Bloek  7 

327  Immortal  Sergeant   Jan.  29/43 

328  Chetniks,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas   Feb.  5/43 

329  Meanest  Man  in  the  World. .Feb.  12/43 

330  Margin  for  Error  Feb.  19/43 

316  The  Young  Mr.  Pitt  Feb.  26/43 

V 

...  The  Ox-Bow  Incident  Not  Set 

...  He  Hired  the  Boss  Not  Sat 

...  My   Friend   Flleka  Nat  Set 

...  Crasb  Diva   Nat  Set 

...  Quiet  Please,  Murder  Nat  Set 

...  Dixit    Dogan   Nat  Sat 

...  Coney  Island   Not  Sat 

...  Hello  Frlse*.  Hello   Net  Sat 


Prod.  Release 
No.         Titlt  Date 

  Secret    Mission   Nat  Set 

  The  Moon  Is  Down  Not  Sat 

 School  for  Sabotage  Not  Set 

 Stormy  Weather   Not  Set 

....  Bomber's  Moon   Not  Set 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

..  Battle  Cry  of  China  Aug.  7/42 

...  The  Mooo  and  Slxpense  Oct.  2/42 

...  The  Devil  with  Hitler  Oct.  »/42 

...  One  ef  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing. Oct.  I  J/42 

...  Undercover  Man   Oct  23/42 

...  I  Married  a  Wlteb  Oct.  88/42 

...  Silver  Queen   Net.  18/42 

...  Jaeare   Nov.  27/42 

...  American  Empire   Dee.  11/42 

..  Lest  Canyta   Dee.  18/42 

...  In  Which  We  Serve  Dee.  23/42 

  McGuerins  from  Brooklyn  Dee.  31/42 

..  The  Powers  Girl  Jan.  I5/4S 

  The  Crystal  Ball  Jan.  22/43 

  Calaboose   Jan.  29/43 

  Young  and  Willing  Feb.  5/43 

  Fall  In   Mar  5/43 

V 

  Lady  of  Burlesque  Not  Set 

  Stage  Door  Canteen  Not  Set 

  Yaaks  Ahoy   Not  Set 

 Taxi,  Mister   Not  Set 

  Prairie  Chickens   Not  Set 

 That  Nazty  Nuisance  Not  Set 

  Uneonquered   Not  Set 

  Victory  Through  Air  Power  Not  Set 

  Texas  Law   Not  Set 

  Leather  Burners   Not  Set 

  Colt  Comrades   Not  Set 

  Border  Patrol   Not  Set 

  Meet  John  Bonnlwell  Not  Set 

UNIVERSAL 

7010  Between  Us  Girls  Sep.  4/42 

7021  Give  Out  Sisters  Sep.  11/42 

7035  Half  Way  to  Shanghai  Sep.  18/42 

7020  Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice 

of  Terror   Sep.  18/42 

7017  Sin  Town   Sep.  25/42 

7071  Deep  In  the  Heart  of  Texas.. Sep.  25/42 

7022  Get  Hep  to  Love  Oct.  2/42 

7030  Destination  Unknown   Oct.  1/42 

7026  Moonlight  in  Havana  Oet  18/42 

7019  The  Mummy's  Tomb  Oet.  23/42 

7038  Night  Monster   Oct  23/42 

7002  Who  Dona  It?  Nov.  6/42 

7015  Nightmare   Nov.  13/42 

7072  Little  Joe  the  Wrangler  Nov.  13/42 

7028  Strictly  la  the  Graove  Nov.  20/42 

7029  Behind  the  Eight  Ball  Dee.  4/42 

7034  Madame   Stry   Dee.  11/42 

7008  Pittsburgh   Dec.  11/42 

7073  The  Old  Chlsholm  Trail  Dee.  11/42 

7032  The  Great  Impersonation  Dee.  18/42 

7027  Mug  Town   Dee.  18/42 

7063  Arabian  Nights   Dee.  25/42 

7016  When  Johnny  Comes  Marching 

Home   Jan.  1/43 

7037  Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Jan.  8/43 

7065  Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Jan.  15/43 

7074  Tenting  Tonight  on  the  Old 

Camp  Ground   Feb.  5/43 

  How's  Abeut  it?  Feb.  5/43 


Prod.  Release 
No.         Title  Date 

  Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon   Feb.  12/43 

  The  Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday. . Feb.  19/43 

  Hi  Buddy   Feb.  26/43 

  Hi'Ya  Chum   Mar.  5/43 

  Frankenstein  Meets  the  Wolf 

Man   Mar.  12/43 

  It  Ain't  Hay  Mar.  19/43 

  He's  My  Guy  Mar.  26/43 

  Keep  'Em  Slugging  Apr.  2/43 

. ...  It  Comes  Up  Love  Apr.  9/43 

.  ..  Rhythm  of  the  Islands  Apr.  16/43 

V 

7076  Raiders  ef  Saa  Joaqula  Nat  Sat 

  On  the  Beam  Nat  Set 

  Flesh  and  Fantasy  Net  8«t 

 Sherlock  Helmet  In 

Washington   Nat  Sat 

  Corvettes  In  Action  Nat  Sat 

....  White  Savage   Not  Sat 

7075  Cheyenne  Roundup   Not  Set 

7077  The  Lone  Star  Trail  Nat  Sat 

  We've  Never  Been  Licked  Nat  Sat 

....  Ohl  Doctor   Not  Sat 

  Captive  Wild  Woman  Not  Sat 

  Cowboy  in  Manhattan  Not  Set 

  Good  Morning,  Judge  Not  Set 

....  Destiny   Not  Set 

....  Always  a   Bridesmaid  Not  Set 

....  Cross  Your  Fingers  Not  Set 

...  Phantom  of  the  Opera  Not  Set 

WARNER  BROS. 

202  Across   the    Pacific  Sep.  5/42 

203  Busses  Roar   Sep.  19/42 

204  Desperate  Journey   Sep.  26/42 

207  You  Can't  Escape  Forever. .  .Oct.  10/42 

205  Secret  Enemies   Oet.  17/42 

206  Now,   Voyager   Oct.  31/42 

208  The   Hidden  Hand  Nov.  7/42 

212  Gentleman  Jim   Nov.  14/42 

210  George  Washington  Slept  Here. Nov.  28/42 

211  Flying    Fortress   Dee.  5/42 

215  Varsity   Show   Dee.  19/42 

201  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  Jan.  2/43 

216  The  Gorilla  Mao  Jan.  16/43 

214  Casablanca   Jan.  23/43 

213  Truck  Busters   Feb.  6/43 

209  The   Hard  Way  Feb.  20/43 

219  The  Mysterious  Doctor  Mar.  6/43 

217  Air  Force   Mar.  20/43 

V 

  Watch  on  the  Rhine  Not  Sat 

  Princess  O'Rourke   Not  Set 

 Adventures  of  Mark  Twain... Not  Sat 

  Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  Nat  Set 

  Edge  of  Darkness  Not  Sat 

  Tho  Desert  Song   Net  Set 

  The  Constant  Nymph   Not  Set 

  Action  in  the  North  Atlantic. .  Not  Sat 

...  Background  to  Danger  Not  Set 

...  One   More   Tomorrow  Not  Set 

...  Mission  ta  Moscow  Nat  Set 

. . .  Crime  by  Night  Not  Sat 

...  Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars  Not  Sat 

  Old  Acquaintance   Nat  Sat 

  Devotion   Nat  Sat 

  Adventures   In   Iraq  Net  Sat 

 The  Last  Ride  Not  Set' 


Product  Digest  Section  1161 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


ADVANCE  SYNOPSES 

and  in formation 


OH,  DOCTOR 
(Universal) 

Abbott  and  Costello 

PRODUCER:  Alex  Gottleib.  Directed  by  Charles 
Lamont. 

PLAYERS:  Bud  Abbott,  Lou  Costello,  Ginny  Simms, 
Patric  Knowles,  Elyse  Knox,  Sheldon  Leonard,  Marc 
Lawrence,  Joe  Sawyer,  Johnny  Long  and  his 
orchestra. 

SYNOPSIS 

Abbott  and  Costello,  pbotograpbers  who  arc 
trying  to  get  themselves  jobs  on  newspapers, 
find  themselves  mixed  up  with  bank  robbers 
who  use  a  hospital  for  a  hideout.  The  duo  are 
hired  by  the  robbers  to  aid  in  the  robbery  when 
the  bandits  overhear  conversations  about  their 
"shooting"  people.  They  take  pictures  of  the 
robbery  instead,  and  are  sought  by  both  the 
police  and  the  gang.  The  climax  takes  place  at 
a  mountain  resort  to  which  they  are  lured  by 
the  bandits. 


REVEILLE  WITH  BEVERLY 
(Columbia) 

Musical 

PRODUCER:  Sam  White.  Directed  by  Charles 
Barton. 

PLAYERS:  Ann  Miller,  William  Wright,  Dick  Purcell, 
Larry  Parks,  Adele  Mara,  Franklin  Pangborn,  Bob 
Crosby  and  his  orchestra,  Freddie  Slack  and  his 
orchestra  with  Ella  Mae  Morse,  Duke  Ellington  and 
his  orchestra,  Count  Basie  and  his  orchestra,  Mills 
Brothers,  Radio  Rogues. 

SYNOPSIS 

Based  on  the  early  morning  radio  program 
on  CBS  of  the  same  name  and  put  on  for 
service  men,  "Reveille  with  Beverly"  tells  the 
story  of  a  girl  who  starts  a  program  of  music 
and  chatter  beamed  at  men  in  camps.  Two  of 
the  boys  fall  in  love  with  her,  sight  unseen, 
and  their  rivalry  creates  complications.  While 
Beverly  is  giving  a  camp  show,  her  audience  of 
soldiers  unexpectedly  departs  but  she  goes  on 
with  the  broadcast.  Later,  she  learns  that 
the  troops  are  being  sent  overseas  and  gets 
a  message  to  her  sweetheart  on  her  program. 


IDAHO 
(Republic) 

Western  Special 

PRODUCER-DIRECTOR:  Joseph  Kane. 
PLAYERS:  Roy  Rogers,  Virginia  Grey,  Ona  Munson, 
Smiley  Burnette,  Dick  Purcell,  Onslow  Stevens,  Hal 
Taliaferro,  Sons  of  the  Pioneers  and  St.  Brendan's 
Choir. 

SYNOPSIS 

This  is  another  Roy  Rogers  added  budget 
special,  and  he  is  given  a  supporting  cast  the 
calibre  of  which  is  not  found  in  many  west- 
erns. The  story  concerns  a  one  time  outlaw 
who  rehabilitates  wayward  youths  on  a  ranch 
in  Idaho.  Rogers  enacts  the  role  of  a  state 
ranger  who  outwits  a  gang,  headed  by  a  woman 
saloon  keeper,  plotting  to  expose  the  former 
outlaw  and  get  him  in  their  control. 


SCHOOL  FOR  SABOTAGE 
(20th  Century  -  Fox) 

Saboteur  Drama 

PRODUCER:  Lee  Marcus.  Directed  by  Edward 
Ludwig. 

PLAYERS:  George  Sanders,  Anna  Sten,  Ward  Bond, 
Sig  Rumann,  Ludwig  Stossel. 

SYNOPSIS 

This  is  based  on  the  recent  conviction  of 
eight  saboteurs  from  Germany,  six  of  whom 
were  executed.  The  story  is  told  in  flashback 
form  by  an  FBI  agent  who  answers  questions 
of  his  men  why  "Carl  Steelman,"  the  apparent 
ringleader  of  the  saboteurs,  was  not  sentenced. 
A  German-born  youth  takes  the  place  of  a  dead 
German-American  Bund  leader  sent  to  Germany 
for  training  in  sabotage.  The  youth,  who  is 
working  for  the  FBI,  gains  valuable  informa- 
tion, a  list  of  Nazi  spies  in  the  U.  S.,  becomes 
romantically  involved  with  a  girl  who  is  an 
Underground  worker,  and  returns  to  the  States 
aboard  a  submarine.  He  plants  clues,  on  the 
Long  Island  shore  which  lead  to  their  capture. 
At  his  trial  he  gives  evidence  against  the  sabo- 
teurs. Then  he  returns  to  his  home  in  Mil- 
waukee, and  arrests  a  family  friend — one  of  the 
ringleaders  of  the  Nazis.  The  latter  is  the 
eighth  to  be  sentenced. 


DESTROYER 
(Columbia) 

War  Drama 

PRODUCER:  Lou  Edelman.  Directed  by  William 
Seiter. 

PLAYERS:  Ed  ward  G.  Robinson,  Marguerite  Chap- 
man, Glenn  Ford,  Leo  Gorcey,  Craig  Woods, 
Edward  Buchanan,  Regis  Toomey,  Curt  Bois. 

SYNOPSIS 

A  shipyard  worker  drives  his  mates  to  dis- 
traction during  the  building  of  a  new  destroyer. 
\\  hen  the  ship  is  commissioned,  the  worker,  a 
former  Navy  man,  reenlists  and  becomes  Chief 
Boatswain's  mate.  He  drives  the  crew  merci- 
lessly, whipping  the  new  men  into  shape  and 
getting  himself  into  trouble  with  his  superiors. 
The  climax  comes  when  the  destroyer  engages 
in  a  battle  with  Jap  subs  and  planes,  and  the 
training  given  by  the  mate  tells  on  the  crew. 
There  is  a  romance  between  a  young  petty 
officer  and  the  mate's  daughter. 


THE  PURPLE  V 
(Republic) 

War  Drama 

PRODUCER-DIRECTOR:  George  Sherman 
PLAYERS:  John  Archer,  Mary  McLeod,  Fritz  Korf 
ner,  Rex  Williams,  Kurt  Katch. 

SYNOPSIS 

Shot  down  over  Germany,  an  RAF  pilot 
assumes  the  identity  of  a  dead  Nazi  pilot,  and 
learns  that  Rommel's  Afrika  Korps  has  run  out 
of  supplies  and  fuel.  With  the  military  and  the 
Gestapo  after  him,  he  treks  across  Germany 
with  the  aid  of  anti-Nazi  Germans,  to  get  to 
England  and  tell  United  Nations  officials  the 
news  that  he  has  learned. 


THIS  LAND  IS  MINE 
(RKO) 

War  Drama 

PRODUCER:  Dudley  Nichols.  Directed  by  Jean 
Renoir. 

PLAYERS:  Charles  Laughton,  Maureen  O'Hara, 
Una  O'Connor,  George  Sanders,  Walter  Slezak, 
Kent  Smith,  Nancy  Gates,  Philip  Merivale. 

SYNOPSIS 

Locale  is  "somewhere  in  Europe"  in  an  un- 
named Nazi-occupied  town.  While  no  battle 
scenes  are  shown,  the  story  begins  with  the 
marching  in  of  German  soldiers  and  the  ef- 
forts to  make  the  village  produce  food  and 
other  supplies  for  the  war  machine.  The  vari- 
ous village  characters,  some  collaborationists 
and  other  members  of  the  underground,  are 
shown  in  their  activity,  the  principal  character 
being  a  weakling  school  teacher  whom  circum- 
stances push  forward,  firing  his  fears  and  inde- 
cision into  a  fierce  flame  of  patriotism,  until 
he  becomes  the  symbol  of  his  country's  under- 
ground struggle  against  the  invader. 


NO  ESCAPE 
(Monogram) 

Melodrama 

PRODUCER:  Maurice  King.  Directed  by  H  arold 
Young. 

PLAYERS:  Dean  Jagger,  John  Carradine,  Bill 
Henry,  Sidney  Blackmer,  Anthony  Ward,  William 
Vine,    Charles    Wagenheim,    Norman    Willis,  Ian 

Keith. 

SYNOPSIS 

A  forger  escapes  from  federal  prison  and  is 
met  by  two  men  who  have  work  for  him.  The 
job,  he  learns,  is  not  only  counterfeiting  but 
sabotage.  He  agrees  only  when  his  mother's 
safety  is  threatened,  but  plots  to  mark  the  money 
in  such  a  way  that  the  F.B.I,  will  be  suspicious. 
The  scheme  works  and  the  Government  agents 
arrive  in  time  to  seize  the  criminals. 


THE  SKY'S  THE  LIMIT 
(RKO) 

Comedy 

PRODUCER:  David  Hempstead.  Directed  by 
Edward  H.  Griffith. 

PLAYERS:  Fred  Astai  re,  Joan  Leslie,  Robert 
Benchley,    Bob    Ryan,    Bruce  Edwards. 

SYNOPSIS 

A  former  Flying  Tiger,  about  to  enter  the 
U.  S.  Naval  Air  Service  to  ferry  bombers  to 
Australia,  meets  a  girl  photographer  while  on 
a  short  leave.  Keeping  secret  his  identity,  he 
falls  in  love  with  the  girl,  who  reciprocates. 
Together  they  tour  on  her  assignments  for  the 
picture  magazine  whose  publisher  also  loves  the 
girl.  Realizing  that  he  and  she  would  be  sepa- 
rated shortly  after  their  marriage,  the  flier 
leaves  her  at  virtually  wedding  time.  The  pub- 
lisher, who  now  knows  that  the  girl  is  really 
in  love  with  the  pilot,  assigns  her  to  cover  the 
takeoff  of  a  bomber  squadron  in  California. 
There,  the  girl  and  the  flier  meet,  and  are  re- 
united. 


I  I  62   Product  Digest  Section 


I  Oil 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


All  page  numbers  on  tnis  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

Short  Subjects  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found  on 
pages  I  149-1  150. 

Feature  Product  Including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  by  Com- 
pany, in  order  of  release,  on  pages  I  160-1  161. 


Title  Company 

ABOVE    Suspicion  MGM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantx  WB 

Adventures  ot"  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 
After  Midnight  with  Bosto-.  Blackie  Col. 

Air  Force    '  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 

A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday,  The  Univ. 

American  Empire  L)A 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

Avengers,  The  (British)  Para. 

(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn) 

Avenging  Rider,  The  RKO 


Prod. 
Numbe* 

202 


302 


318 


304 


7063 


312 


4213 


Stars 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogarr-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Chester  Mcrris-Ann  Savage 
John  Garfield-Gig  Young 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

R'cha-d  Dix-Lec  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Bela  Lugosi-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Tim  Holt 


Release 
Bate 
Not  Set 
Sept.  5,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  1 8, '43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7, '42 
Feb. 19/43 

Dec.  13/42 
Dec.-Feb.,'43 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Mar.  5/43 
Dec.  25/42 
Sept.  4/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 

Not  Set 


Running 
Time 


REVIEWED  ■ 


M.  P. 
Herald 
Issue 


98m       Aug.  22 '42 


Product 
Digest 
Page 

927 


55- 


Nov.  7/42 


Feb.  13/43 


993 


I  158 


Advance 
Synopsis 
Page 
1081 
726 
983 
936 
1091 


124m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 145 

936 

1091 

67m 

July  1  1/42 

927 

98m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  145 

936 

81m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

92m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

796 

66m 

June  27/42 

938 

726 

1 104 

87m 

Dec.26,'42 

1090 

872 

58m 

63m 

Oct.24/42 

969 

701 

1019 


Service 
Data 
Page 


1082 


BABYf  ace  Morgan 

Background  to  Danger 

Bad  Company 

Bad  Men  of  Thunder  Gap 

Bambi  (color) 

Bandit  Ranger 

Bataan's  Last  Stand 

Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue) 


Behind  Prison  Walls 
Behind  the  Eight  Ball 
•Bells  of  Capistrano 
Berlin  Correspondent 
Between  Us  Girls 

(formerly  Love  and  Kiss 
Big  Street,  The 

Billy  the  Kid  in  Fugitive  of  the 

Plains 
Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Ride 
•Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley 
Black  Swan,  The  (color 
B'ocked  Trail,  The 
Bombardier 

3oogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The 
Boots  and  Saddles  (Re-release) 
Border  Patrol 
Boss  of  Big  Town 
Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood 
Bcwery  at  Midnight 
Brains  Trust,  The  (British) 
Buckskin  Frontier 
B-sses  Roar 


PRC 

WB 
U  niv. 
PRC 
RKO 
RKO 
MGM 

UA 

PRC 

Univ. 


Rep. 
20th-Fox 
Univ. 

Caroline) 
RKO 

PRC 

PRC 
PRC 

PRC 

20th-Fox 
Rep. 
RKO 
e  Co1. 
Rep 
UA 
PRC 


Col. 
Monc. 
Strand-Anglo 
Para. 
WB 


cabin  ;n  the  sky 

Cairo 

Calaboose 

Call  of  the  Canyon 

Captive  Wild  Woman 


MGM 
MGM 
UA 
Rep. 
U  niv. 


317 


352 

391 
381 


313 
7029 

31  I 
7010 

301 

359 

358 
357 

320 


4026 
2301 

310 
4030 


203 

307 
131 


Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwel 

George  Ra-'t-Brenda  Marshall 

Dead  End  Kids 

Dave  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 

Disney  Feature  Cartoon 

Tim  Holt 

Rcbe-t  Taylor-Thomas  Mitchell 


Chinese  Feature 


:hael 


Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Mi 
Ritz  Bros.-Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Rcberf  Cummings 

Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-Al  St.  John 
Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 
Three  Mesquiteers 
Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 
Boris  Karlo^f-Peter  Lorre 
Gene  Aufry-Sm/ey  Bu-nette 
William  Boyd 
John  Litel-Florence  Rice 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 
Bela  Lugcsi-John  Archer 
Quiz  Experts 
Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 
Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Sept.  15/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  5/43 
Aug.  21/42 
Sept.  25/42 
Not  Set 

Aug.  7/42 

Mar.  22/43 
Dec.  4/42 
Sept.  15/42 
Sept.  I  1/42 
Sept.  4/42 

Sept.  4/42 

Mar.  12/43 

Jan.  27/43 
Nov.  20/42 

Oct.  2/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Feb.  12/43 
Shirley      Not  Set 
Oct.  22/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Not  Set 
Dec.  7/42 
Nov.  5/42 
Oct.  30.42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


'Rochester  '-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5/42 

Evelyn  Ankers-Jchn  Carradine  Not  Set 


65m  July  25/42  903 

70m  May  30/42  685 

64m   r.. 

61m  July  5/41  840 

64m  Feb.   6/43  1146 

60m  Dec.  12/42  1054 

73  m  Sept.  19/42  909 

70m  Aug.  15/42  927 

89m  Aug.  29/42  890 

87m  Aug.   8, '42  902 

55m  Jan.  30/43  1137 

55m  Dec.   5/42  1043 

85m  Oct.  17/42  958 

66m  Oct.  24/42  969 

58m  Nov.  13/37  1114 

67m  Jan.  30/43  1137 

64m  Oct.  17/42  959 

68m   

63m  Oct.   3/42  934 

34m  Feb.  6/43  1147 

61m  Aug.  22/42  903 

98m  Feb.  13/43  1157 

101m  Aug.  15/42  915 

71m  Aug.  22/42  938 


1058 
1055 


127 


1078 
794 

797 
772 

701 


1 104 
1033 

1031 
855 

912 


794 


1019 


800 
1 127 


3C 


:3- 


Product  Digest  Section  1163 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


—  REVIEWED  i\ 

M.  P.       Product    Advance  Service 


Title  Company 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 

Casablanca  WB 

Cat  People  RKO 

Chatterbox  Rep. 
Chetniks,  the  Fighting 
Guerrillas 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetniks) 

Cheyenne  Roundup  Univ. 

China  Para. 

China  Girl  20th-Fox 

Cinderella  Swings  It  RKO 

City  of  Silent  Men  PRC 

City  Without  Men  Col. 
Coastal  Command  (British)  Para.-Crown 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn  Col. 

Coney  Island  20th-Fox 

Constant  Nymph,  The  WB 

Corregidor  PRC 

Corvettes  in  Action  Univ. 
Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher  Mono. 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones) 

Counter  Espionage  Col. 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color)  Col. 

Crash  Dive  (color)  20th-Fox 

Crime  by  Night  WB 

Criminal  Investigator  Mono. 

Crystal  Ball,  The  UA 

DARING  Young  Man,  The  Col. 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide  Mono. 

Deadline  Guns  Col. 

Dead  Man's  Gulch  Rep. 

Dead  Men  Walk  PRC 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas  Univ. 

Desert  Song,  The  (color)  WB 

Desperados,  The  (color)  Col. 

Desperate  Journey  WB 

Destination  Unknown  Univ. 

Destroyer  Col. 
Devil  with  Hitler,  The  UA-Roach 

Dixie  Para. 

Dixie  Dugan  20th-Fox 
Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant  MGM 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret  20th-Fox 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady  MGM 

EDGE  of  Darkness  WB 

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish)  Scandia 

Eyes  in  the  Night  MGM 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Univ. 

FALCON'S  Brother,  The  RKO 
Fall  In  UA-Roach 

Fighting  Buckaroo,  The  Col. 

Fighting  Devil  Dogs  Rep. 

Fighting  Frontier  RKO 
Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD 

First  of  the  Few,  The 
(British) 

Flesh  and  Fantasy 

Flight  for  Freedom 

Flying  Fortress  (British) 
•Flying  Tigers 

Follies  Girl 

Footlight  Serenade 

Foreign  Agent 

Foreman  Went  to  France 
(British) 

Forest  Rangers,  The  (color) 

Forever  and  a  Day 

For  Me  and  My  Gal 

Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 
sian ) 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color) 
Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man  Univ. 

From  Here  to  Victory  RKO 
•Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail  PRC 
•Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals  PRC 

GENTLEMAN  Jim  WB 

George  Washington  Slept  Here  WB 

Get  Hep  to  Love  Univ. 

Girl  Trouble  20th-Fox 

•  Give  Out,  Sisters  Univ. 


Prod. 
Number 
312 
214 
313 


Howard-Gen'l 

Univ. 
RKO 
WB 
Rep. 
PRC 
20th-Fox 
Mono. 


Ealing-UA 
Para. 
RKO 
MGM 


Artkino 
Para. 


Stars 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison 
Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman 
Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway 
Joe  E.  Brown-Judy  Canova 


20th-Fox         328        Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 


323 
318 
308 
4013 

4004 


31 


4027 


4021 


274 
320 
7071 


204 
7030 


317 
321 


309 
7037 

309 

4203 
21 1 
383 


21 1 

30 
301 


4206 
320 
312 


255 

212 
210 

7022 
309 

7021 


Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 
Loretta  Young-Alan  Ladd 
George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 
Guy  Kibbee-Gloria  Warren 
Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 
Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 
War  Documentary 
Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 
Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 
Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 
Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 
Patric  Knowles-Dick  Foran 

Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 
Jinx  Falkenberg-Rita  Hayworth 
Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 
Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 
Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 
Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 
Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 
George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 
Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 
Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 
Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 
Edward  G.  Robinson-Marguerite  Ch 
Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 
Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 
James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 
Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 
Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 
Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton 

Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 
Ingrid  Bergman-Olof  Sandborg 
Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 
Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 
William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 
Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Lee  Powell-H  erman  Brix 
Tim  Holt 

War  Documentary 
Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 
Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 
Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 
John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 
Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 
John  Payne-Betty  Grable 
John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 

Constance  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder 
Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 
British  and  American  Stars 
Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Mikhail  Gelovani-Nikolai  Bogoliubov 
Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman 

Lon  Chaney-Bela  Lugosi 
Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 
Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith 
Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan 
Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 
Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett 
Andrews  Sisters-Richard  Davies 


Release 
Date 
Sept.  I8,'42 
Jan.23,'43 
Dec.  25/42 
Apr.  I,'43 

Feb.  5,'43 

Not  Set 
Block  4 
Jan.   I, '43 
Feb.  26,'43 
Oct.  I2,'42 
Jan.  I4,'43 
Not  Set 
Jan.  7,'43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  I5,'43 
Not  Set 

Jan.  29,'43 

Sept.  3, '42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Oct.  23/42 
Jan.22,'43 

Oct.  8,'42 
Dec.  18/42 
Not  Set 
Feb.  5/43 
Feb.  10/43 
Sept.  25/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  26/42 
Oct.  9/42 
apman   Not  Set 
Oct.  9/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec.-Feb./43 
Dec.  1 1/42 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Jan.  8/43 

Nov.  6/42 
Nov.  20/42 
Feb.  2/43 
Jan.  29/43 
Jan.  29/43 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec.  5/42 
Oct.  8/42 
Apr.  30/43 
Aug.  1/42 
Oct.  9/42 

Not  Set 
Block  2 
Mar.  19/43 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Mar.  12/43 
Not  Set 

Oct.  19/42 
Sept.  4/42 

Nov.  14/42 
Nov.  28/42 
Oct.  2/42 
Oct.  9/42 
Sept.  1 1  ,'42 


Running 
Time 
69m 
102m 
73m 


73m 


61m 
81m 


69m 
57m 

37m 
1 18m 


101m 
68m 
102m 

80m 
64m 

90m 
87m 
104m 
1 04m 

77m 


60m 
60m 

104m 
93m 
77m 
82m 
65m 


Herald 
Issue 
Aug.  15/42 
Nov.  28/42 
Nov.  14/42 


Jan.  9/43 


Digest     Synopsis  Data 


72m       Oct.  10/42 


Dec.  12/42 
Jan.23,'43 


73m  Dec.  19/42 

66m  Dec.  19/42 

66m   

62m  Sept.  12/42 

107m  Aug.  22/42 

61m  Oct.  3/42 

45m  Oct.  24/42 

86m  Nov.  15/42 

58m  Dec.  17/42 

89m  Dec.  26/42 

79m  Sept.  12/42 

61m  Oct.  17/42 

63m  Oct.  3/42 


Feb.  6/43 
Feb.  13/43 

Sept.  12/42 
Sept.  5/42 


Feb.  6/43 
June  27/42 
Sept.  26/42 

July  I  i/42 
Sept.  19/42 

May  2/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Jan.23,'43 
Sept.  12,42 

Jan.  9/43 


Feb.  13/43 

Oct.  3 1  ,'42 
Sept.  19/42 

Oct.  3/42 
Sept.  19/42 
Sept.  5/42 


Page 
915 
1029 
1005 


15 


Page 

936 
962 
1 127 

995 


1091 


Page 


95m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

71m 

Jan.23,'43 

1 125 

64m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

1009 

73  m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

98m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

962 

995 

iio4 

1055 

945 

871 

962 

1091 

1054 

1033 

1 125 

960 

1067 

871 

1066 

1031 

1081 

1 127 

1  0j3  1 

1  UJ  1 

898 

fl7? 

O  /  £ 

fl71 

915 

946 

912 

!  IA? 

1  1  OI 

OAO 

TOT 

■  no  i 

1082 

1005 

959 

7  JO 

1019 

1077 

ago 

7Q7 

lit 

960 

935 

871 

796 

1  i47 

1 158 

898 

889 

1058 

1145 

983 

914 

921 

1 104 

9i5 

715 

91 1 

634 

933 

872 

1 125 

897 

751 

1 101 

855 

1055 

1081 

1 159 

1033 

981 

936 

909 

871 

034 

923 

855 

889 

130 


1082 


130 


1082 
1130 

873 


1 130 
1 130 


1130 
1130 


I  I  64   Product  Digest  Section 


February    13,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


REVIEWED  ■ 


Title  Company 

Glass  Key,  The  Para. 
Goose  Steps  Out,  The 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Gorilla  Man,  The  WB 

Great  Gildersleeve,  The  RKO 

Great  Impersonation,  The  Univ. 

Great  Without  Glory  Para. 

HAIL  to  the  Rangers  Col. 

Half  Way  to  Shanghai  Univ. 

Happy  Go  Lucky  (color)  Para. 

Hard  Way,  The  WB 

Heart  of  the  Golden  West  Rep. 

He  Hired  the  Boss  20th-Fox 

He's  My  Guy  Univ. 

Hello,  'Frisco,  Hello  20th-Fox 

Henry  Aldrich,  Editor  Para. 
Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour  Para. 

Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It  Para. 

Here  We  Go  Again  RKO 

Hi,  Buddy  Univ. 

Hidden  Hand,  The  WB 

High  Explosive  Para. 

Highways  by  Night  RKO 

Hi!  Neighbor  Rep. 

Hit  Parade  of  1943  Rep. 

Hitler,  Dead  or  Alive  House 

Hitler's  Children  RKO 

Hi'Ya,  Chum  Univ. 

How's  About  It?  Univ. 

Human  Comedy,  The  MGM 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue  Rep. 

Iceland  20th-Fox 

Idaho  Rep. 

I  Married  a  Witch  UA 

Immortal  Sergeant,  The  20th-Fox 
In  the  Rear  of  the  Enemy 

(Russian)  Artkino 

In  Which  We  Serve  (British)  UA 

Isle  of  Missing  Men  Mono. 

It  Ain't  Hay  Univ. 

It  Comes  Up  Love  Univ. 

I  Walked  with  a  Zombie  RKO 


Prod. 
Number 
4203 


216 
314 

7032 


7035 


209 
251 


4209 

305 

208 

304 
201 

316 


206 
306 


327 


Stars 

Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Lake-Alan  Ladd 
Will  Hay 

John  Loder-Paul  Cavanagh 
Harold  Peary-Freddy  Mercer 
Ralph  Bellamy-Evelyn  Ankers 
Joel  McCrea-Betty  Field 

Charles  Starrett 

Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor 

Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Vallee 

Ida  Lupino-Dennis  Morgan 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Stuart  Erwin-Evelyn  Venable 

Dick  Foran-lrene  Hervey 

Alice  Faye-John  Payne 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 

Fibber  McGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Charlie' 

Dick  Foran-Harriet  Hilliard 

Craig  Stevens-Elizabeth  Fraser 

Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 

Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph 

Lulubelle  &  Scotty-Jean  Parker 

John  Carroll-Susan  Hayward 

Ward  Bond-Dorothy  Tree 

Tim  Holt-Bonita  Granville 

Jane  Frazee-Ritz  Brothers 

Andrews  Sisters-Robert  Paige 

Mickey  Rooney-James  Craig 

L-llen  Drew-Richard  Denning 
Sonja  Henie-John  Payne 
Roy  Rogers-Virginia  Grey 
Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake 
Henry  Fonda-Maureen  O'Hara 

War  Documentary 
Noel  Coward-Bernard  Miles 
John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland 
Abbott  and  Costello 
Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 
Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Block  1 

85m 

Aug.  29,'42 

914 

1  130 

Not  Set 

78m 

Aug.  29,'42 

870 

Jan.  16/43 

64m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

Jan.  I,'43 

62m 

Nov.  1 5/42 

1006 

995 

Dec.  I8,'42 

71m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

912 

Not  Set 

912 

Not  Set 
Sept.  18/42 
Block  4 
Feb.  20/43 
Dec.  1 1/42 

Not  Set 
Mar.  26/43 

Not  Set 
Block  2 
Block  4 

Not  Set 
Oct.  9/42 
Feb.  26/43 
Nov.  7/42 

Not  Set 
Oct.  2/42 
July  27/42 
Mar.  12/43 

Not  Set 
Feb.  12/43 
Mar.  5/43 
Feb.  5/43 

Not  Set 


62m 
81m 
97m 
65m 


Sept.  19/42 
Jan.  2/43 

Sept.  19/42 
Nov.  21/42 


923 
1089 

923 
1017 


1055 

797 
796 

986 
1 127 
1 127 


1019 


1082 


72  m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

1 130 

72m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 
1 104 

76  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

1082 

i079 

67  m 

Sept.  19/42 

9  i  6 

1082 

983 

63  m 

Aug.  8/42 

938 

715 

72m 

July  25/42 

927 

772 
1043 

70m 

Nov.  21/42 

1018 

1082 

83m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

1 127 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

Dec.  24/42 

79m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

797 

1 130 

Oct.  2/42 

79m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

1082 

Mar.  19/43 

1 162 

Oct.  30/42 

78m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1130 

Jan.  29/43 

91m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

995 

Oct.  9/42 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

Dec.25,'42 

1 13m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

Sept.  18/42 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

772 

Mar.  19/43 

1058 

Apr.  9/43 

65  m 

Feb.  6/43 

1146 

Not  Set 

1057 

JACARE  UA 

Johnny  Doughboy  Rep. 

Journey  for  Margaret  MGM 

Journey  Into  Fear  RKO 

•  Jungle  Siren  PRC 

Junior  Army  Col. 

Just  Off  Broadway  20th-Fox 

KEEPER   of  the  Flame  MGM 
Kid  Dynamite  Mono. 
King  Arthur  Was  a  Gentle- 
man (British)  Gains. 
•King  of  the  Stallions  Mono. 


....  Animal  feature 

205  Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook 

314  Robert  Young-Laraine  Day 

307  Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Del  Rio 

203  Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe 

4038  Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop 

310  Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver 

320        Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 
East  Side  Kids 

Arthur  Askey-Evelyn  Dall 

Chief  Thundercloud-David  O'Brien 


Nov.  27/42 

65m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

Dec.  3  1/42 

63m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

971 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

79m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

912 

Feb.  12/43 

71m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 146 

796 

Aug.  14/42 

68m 

Oct.  3 1  ,'42 

982 

Nov.  26/42 

69m 

1009 

Sept.  25/42 

65m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

100m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

936 

Feb.  5/43 

73m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

Not  Set 

98m 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1 14 

Sept.  1 1/42 

63  m 

Aug.  29/42 

870 

800 

1082 
1034 


LADIES'  Day  RKO 

Lady  Bodyguard  Para. 

Lady  from  Chungking  PRC 

Lady  in  the  Dark  Para. 

Lady  of  Burlesque  UA 

Land  of  Hunted  Men  Mono. 

Last  Ride,  The  WB 

Laugh  Your  Blues  Away  Col. 

(formerly  How  Do  You  Do?) 

Law  of  the  Northwest  Col. 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British)  Anglo 

Let's  Have  Fun  Col. 

Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty  20th-Fox 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler  Univ. 

Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A.  20th-Fox 

Living  Ghost,  The  Mono. 

London  Blackout  Murders  Rep. 

Lone  Prairie,  The  Col. 

»Lone  Rider  in  Border  Roundup  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Wild  Horse  Rustlers  PRC 

•Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 

Boulder  Pass  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Stagecoach  PRC  363 

Lone  Star  Trail,  The  Univ.  7077 

Lost  Canyon  UA  .... 
Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  The  20th-Fox  305 


302 


4033 


322 
7072 
303 

210 
4209 
266 
364 


Lupe  Velez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Baer 
Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley 
Anna  May  Wong-Harold  Huber 
Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 
Barbara  Stanwyck-Eddie  O'Shea 
Range  Busters 

Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker 
Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 
Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney 
Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg 
Monty  Woolley-lda  Lupino 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce 
James  Dunn-Joan  Woodbury 
John  Abbott-Mary  McCleod 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
George  Houston-AI  St.  John 
Bob  Livingston-AI  St.  John 


267        George  Houston-AI  St.  John 


Bob  Livingston-AI  St.  John 
Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 
William  Boyd 

John  Shepperd-Linda  Darnell 


Not  Set 
Block  4 
Dec.  21/42 

Not  Set 
Feb.  12/43 
Mar.  4/43 

Not  Set 
Nov.  12/42 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  4/43 
Dec.  25/42 
Nov.  13/42 
Aug.  14/42 
Nov.  27/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Oct.  15/42 
Sept.  18/42 
Feb. 26/43 

Oct.  28/42 

Dec.  1 1/42 
Not  Set 
Dec.  18/42 
Aug.  28/42 


70m 
70m 


Jan. 
Nov. 


2/43 
7/42 


1090 
1006 


962 
946 
574 
1091 


73  m 

Feb.  13/43 

M59 

986 

1018 

lOOm 

Apr.  1 1/42 

599 

85m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

962 

64m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

64m 

July  1 1/42 

938 

61m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

59m 

Dec.  12/42 

1067 

55m 

1058 

58m 

60m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 148 

1033 

58m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

1018 

1019 

63  m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

67m 

July  1 1/42 

914 

751 

1082 


Product  Digest  Section     I  |  65 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February     13,  1943 


Title 
Lucky  Jordan 
Lucky  Legs 


Company 
Para. 
Col. 


Pro  J. 
Number 
4215 
4032 


Stars 

Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker 
Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris 


Release 
Date 
Block  3 
Oct.    I, '42 


Running 
Time 
84m 
64m 


r—  REVIEWED 
M.  P. 
Herald 
Issue 
Nov.  21  ,'42 
Feb.  1 3, '43 


Product  Advance 
Digest  Synopsis 


Page 
1017 
I  158 


Page 
986 
797 


Service 
Data 
Page 

1082 


MADAME  Spy  Univ. 

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The  RKO 

Major  and  the  Minor,  The  Para. 

Man  in  the  Trunk,  The  20th-Fox 

Manila  Calling  20th-Fox 

Man  of  Courage  PRC 

Man's  World,  A  Col. 

Margin  for  Error  20th-Fox 

Mashenka  (Russian)  Artkino 

McGuerins  from  Brooklyn  UA-Roach 

Meanest  Man  in  the  World  20th-Fox 

Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant  RKO 

Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The  Para. 

Mission  to  Moscow  WB 

Miss  V  from  Moscow  PRC 

Moonlight  in  Havana  Univ. 

Moon  and  Sixpence,  The  UA 

Moon  Is  Down,  The  20th-Fox 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian)  Rep. 

Mountain  Rhythm  Rep. 

Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para. 

Mug  Town  Univ. 

Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ. 

Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 

My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th-Fox 
My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy  Para. 

•  My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 

My  Son,  the  Hero  PRC 

Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 


7034 

Constance  Bennett-Don  Porter 

r\       i  i  1  jio 
Dec.  1  1 ,  42 

63m 

Dec.  a,  42 

1 042 

■  •  ■ 

371 

Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Gostello 

July  10, '42 

88m 

July  4,'42 

938 

507 

947 

4202 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 

Dl       L  1 

Block  1 

100m 

Aug.  29,'42 

927 

1082 

3 1 5 

Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes 

Oct.  23, '42 

71  m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

occ 

855 

3 1 4 

ii     ikii            i    i  j* 
Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis 

/-\    •     ■  #  *A1 

V_/Ct.  1  o,  42 

8 1  m 

C    _ ±     |A  lio 

Sept.  IV,  42 

O  1  1 

VI  1 

07  1 

0/  1 

O  1  o 

3 1 9 

n      i         k  A      1  _        f~*"  L  _   1    ii  _   \  a  /. .  _  l  _  _ 

Barton  MacLane-Onarlotte  Wynters 

Jan.  4,  4a 

67m 

1    —    OA  lA1 

Jan.  JO,  4o 

110  7 
1  1  i  1 

i  no  i 

4044 

M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright 

Sept.  17, '42 

60m 

Dec.  12, '42 

105a 

330 

I              n              aa  k  i  'I  i           D  1 

Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle 

Feb.  19, '43 

74m 

Jan.  9,'43 

1 101 

995 

V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetzov 

Nov.  20, '42 

67m 

Nov.  28, '42 

1030 

i  j         n          \A/*lt*           D  J* 

Max  Baer-William  Bendix 

Dec.  3  1  ,'42 

46  m 

Feb.  6, '43 

1 147 

o  oo 

Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane 

r   L    1  o  'AO 

reb.  1 2,  4i 

a/m 

I    _      A  'AO 

Jan.  V,  43 

■  lie 

ilia 

Oi.0 

V02 

302 

1              \/    1        1  El 

Lupe  Velez-Leon  crrol 

Sept.  1 1  ,'42 

64m 

Aug.  8, '42 

O  1  c 

Via 

r  i  i*      o        l         nil      i  i 

Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton 

kl    A  C  i 

Not  5et 

1079 

Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding 

k  1     AC  A 

Not  Set 

1058 

0  1  o 

1  1  0 

1      1       1      -      kl       1    k  A  ,  J 

Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison 

kl-..    OO  1 A 1 

Nov.  ii,  42 

7 1  m 

Dec.  a,  42 

i  aa*> 
1 042 

1  AO  1 

1  Qi  1 

/Ui  o 

All         I               i  r-  

Allan  Jones-Jane  rrazee 

r\  _i  1 1  'a-) 
(Jet.  1 6,  42 

62m 

r\~i.  a  7  'ao 
(Jet.  1  /,  42 

vav 

George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall 

Oct.  2,'42 

89m 

Sept.  12/42 

912 

1130 

Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wynchei 

ly       Not  Set 

1091 

Documentary 

Aug.  I5,'42 

55m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

i  i  30 

209 

Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry 

Jan.  8,'43 

70m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1009 

4208 

Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee 

Block  2 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

7027 

Dead  End  Kids 

Dec.  18/42 

60m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

7019 

Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox 

Oct.  23,'42 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

1130 

Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman 

Not  Set 

1079 

Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster 

Not  Set 

962 

4214 

Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll 

Block  3 

75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

871 

Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne 

Sept.  30,'42 

96m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

772 

1082 

311 

Patsy  Kelly-Roscoe  Karns 

Apr.  5,'43 

68m 

Jan. 23/43 

1 126 

Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder 

Not  Set 

1091 

NAVY  Comes  Through,  The 

RKO 

308 

Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy 

Oct.  30/42 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

1 130 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Nov.  20/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  Eal 

'ng-U  A 

Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam 

Not  Set 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

Nightmare 

Univ. 

7015 

Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy 

Nov.  13/42 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

Night  for  Crime,  A 

PRC 

304 

Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot 

Feb.  18/43 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

Night  Monster 

Univ. 

7038 

Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi 

Oct.  23/42 

73m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

1130 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking 

Para. 

Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew 

Block  4 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

983 

Night  to  Remember,  A 

Col. 

Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne 

Dec.  10/42 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

1130 

Nine  Men  (British)  Eal 

ing-UA 

Jack  Lambert-Richard  Wilkinson 

Not  Set 

67m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 158 

No  Escape 

Mono. 

Dean  Jagger-John  Carradine 

Mar.  26/43 

1162 

Northwest  Rangers 

MGM 

3  i9 

James  Craig-Patricia  Dane 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

64  m 

Oct.  3  1/42 

981 

960 

No  Place  for  a  Lady 

Col. 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay 

Feb. 11/43 

1057 

No  Time  for  Love 

Para. 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

855 

Now,  Voyager 

WB 

206 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid 

Oct.  3  1  ,'42 

1  17m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

1082 

OH,    Doctor  Univ. 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The  Univ. 

Old  Homestead,  The  Rep. 
Old  Mother  Riley,  Detective 

(British)  Br.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Omaha  Trail  MGM 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 

On  the  Beam  Univ. 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon  RKO 

One  Dangerous  Night  Col. 
One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British)  UA 

One  Thrilling  Night  Mono. 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 

Orchestra  Wives  20th-Fox 

Outlaw,  The  Hughes 

Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge  Rep. 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood  Col. 

Over  My  Dead  Body  20th-Fox 

Ox-Bow  Incident,  The  20th-Fox 


Abbott  and  Costello 

Not  Set 

1162 

7073 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Dec.  1  1/42 

60  m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

202 

Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry 

Aug.  17/42 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

Arthur  Lucan 

Not  Set 

80m 

Feb.  13/43 

1  159 

311 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

61m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

Not  Set 

986 

311 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant 

Nov.  27/42 

1  16  m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

855 

4029 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Jan.  21/43 

983 

Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman 

Oct.  16/42 

1  10m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

903 

John  Beal-Wanda  McKay 

June  5/42 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

308 

George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherfor 

d    Sept.  4/42 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

Jack  Buetel-Jane  Russell 

Not  Set 

I2lm 

Feb. 13/43 

1  157 

272 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Oct.  27/42 

57m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

3208 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 

Sept.  25/42 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

325 

Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes  - 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

995 

Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Not  Set 

872 

1 130 
1082 
1 130 


PALM    Beach  Story,  The 

Para. 

421 1 

Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea 

Block  3 

90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1082 

Panama  Hattie 

MGM 

303 

Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

Pardon  My  Gun 

Col. 

4202 

Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll 

Dec.  1/42 

57m 

1058 

Payoff,  The 

PRC 

303 

Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer 

Jan.  21/43 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

•  Phantom  Killer 

Mono. 

Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury 

Oct.  2/42 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

Pied  Piper,  The 

20th-Fox 

304 

Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowall 

Aug.  21/42 

87m 

July  1 1/42 

903 

751 

1082 

Pilot  No.  5 

MGM 

Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt 

Not  Set 

971 

Pirates  of  the  Prairie 

RKO 

382 

Tim  Holt 

Nov.  20/42 

57  m 

1033 

Pittsburgh 

Univ. 

7008 

Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne 

Dec.  1 1/42 

93m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

•  Police  Bullets 

Mono. 

John  Archer-Joan  Marsh 

Sept.  25/42 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

Power  of  God,  The 

St.  Rts. 

John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden 

Not  Set 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Powers  Girl,  The 

UA 

Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy 

Jan.  15/43 

93  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

Power  of  the  Press 

Col. 

4037 

Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy 

Jan.  28/43 

1055 

Prairie  Chicken 

UA-Roach 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

Not  Set 

986 

Presenting  Lily  Mars 

MGM 

Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Not  Set 

962 

Pride  of  the  Army 

Mono. 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 

Nov.  13/42 

63  m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

(also  called  War  Dogs) 

I  I  66  Product  Digest  Section 


February    13,     1943  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

r—  REVIEWED  — > 


.Af .  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Prod. 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The 

RKO 

351 

Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright 

Mar.  5,'43 

120m 

July  18/42 

915 

1082 

Princess  O'Rourke 

WB 

Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummings 

Not  Set 

962 

Priorities  on  Parade 

Para. 

4201 

Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna 

Block  1 

79  m 

Aug.  1/42 

914 

Private  Miss  Jones 

MGM 

Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly 

Not  Set 

1079 

Purple  V,  The 

Rep. 

John  Archer-Mary  McLeod 

Mar.  26, '43 

■  1  162 

.... 

QUEEN     of  Broadway 

PRC 

312 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe 

Mar.   8, '43 

62m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

1018 

Queen  Victoria  (British) 

Renown 

Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook 

Not  Set 

84m 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1  13 

Ouiet  Please.  Murder 

20th-Fcx 

Gail  Patrick-George  Sanders 

Not  Set 

70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

983 

RAIDcKS  or  San  Joaquin 

Univ. 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Not  Set 

1009 

Random  Harvest 

MGM  . 

Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson 

Not  Set 

126m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

796 

1082 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The 

PRC 

35  1 

Tex  O  Brien-Jim  Newill 

Dec.  25, '42 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1  1  14 

1055 

Ravaged  Earth 

Crystal 

Documentary  on  China 

Not  Set 

68m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

Red  River  Robin  Hood 

RKO 

Tim  Holt 

Not  Set 

57m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Reunion  in  France 

MGM 

315 

Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn- 

(former  Reunion) 

John  Wayne 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

102m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

Reveille  with  Beverly 

Col. 

Ann  Miller-William  Wright 

Feb.  4,'43 

1 162 

Rhythm  of  the  Islands 

Univ. 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

Apr.  16, '43 

1 127 

Rhythm  Parade 

Mono. 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery 

Dec.  1  I  .'42 

70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

983 

Riders  of  the  Northwest  Moun 

ted  Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Feb.  15, '43 

1019 

Ridin  Double 

Mono. 

Range  Busters 

Not  Set 

1019 

fxioin    L/own  Tne  vonyun 

Rep. 

253 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 

Dec.  30, '42 

55m 

Dec.  12/42 

1 054 

1019 

Ridin'  Through  Nevada 

Col. 

4201 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 

Oct.  I,'42 

61m 

1  058 

Road  to  Morocco 

Para. 

4207 

Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour       Block  2 

83m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

1 1 30 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range 

Col. 

Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris 

Not  Set 

[  057 

SALUDOS  Amigos  (color) 

RKO 

Disney  south  American  feature 

reb.  1  7 ,  43 

43  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Salute  for  Three 

Para. 

macuonala  Uarey-Detty  Khodes 

Not  iet 

•  1091 

.... 

Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt. -Anglo-Am. 

Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 

Not  Set 

96m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Salute  to  the  Marines 

MGM 

Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter 

Not  Set 

1057 

Scat+ergood  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 

306 

Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 

Oct.  16, '42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

School  for  Sabotage 

2 Oth -Fox 

George  Sanders-Anna  Sten 

Not  Set 

1 162 

Secret  Enemies 

WB 

205 

Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 

Oct.  17/42 

59m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-Gen'I 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed 

PRC 

309 

Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 

Oct.  26,'42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Secrets  of  the  Underground 

Rep. 

John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 

Dec.  18/42 

69m 

Feb.  13,43 

1 159 

1009 

Seven  Days  Leave 

RKO 

310 

Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz 

RKO 

315 

James  Craig-Bcnita  Granville 

Jan.  8/43 

62m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Seven  Sweethearts 

MGM 

308 

Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson 

Sept. -Nov. ,'42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

1034 

Shadow  of  a  Doubt 

Univ. 

7065 

Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 

Jan.  15/43 

108m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 !  14 

936 

Shadows  on  the  Sage 

Rep. 

261 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

.... 

Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice 

of 

Terror 

Univ. 

7020 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon 

Univ. 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Feb.  12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  1 

-  ;--=  5a:. 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 

Not  Set 

983 

Silent  Witness 

Mono. 

Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon 

Jan. 15/43 

62m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1033 

Silk,  Blood  and  Sun 

(Mexican)                        Maya  Film 

Jorge  Negrefe-Gloria  Marin 

Not  Set 

86m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 146 

Silver  Queen 

UA 

George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane 

Nov.  13/42 

88m 

Nov.  14/42 

IO05 

936 

Silver  Skates 

Mono. 

Patricia  Morison-Kenny  Baker 

Feb.  26/43 

76m 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1 13 

Sin  Town 

Univ. 

70i7 

Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford 

Sept.  25/42 

73  m 

Oct.  J/42 

934 

898 

Sky's  the  Limit,  The 

RKO 

Fred  Asfaire-Joan  Leslie 

Not  Set 

1 162 

Slightly  Dangerous 

MGM 

Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 

Not  Set 

1057 

(formerly  Nothing  Ventured) 

Smith  of  Minnesota 

Col. 

4035 

Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge 

Oct.  15/42 

66  m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish) 

Scandia 

Edvard  Persson 

Sept.  12/42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Sombrero  Kid,  The 

Rep. 

271 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

July  31/42 

56m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

796 

Something  to  Shout  About 

Col. 

Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair 

Feb.  25/43 

90m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 157 

1043 

Somewhere  I'll  Find  You 

MGM 

301 

Clark  Gable-Lana  Turner 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

107m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

726 

984 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 

Para. 

Claudefte  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard 

Not  Set 

1 104 

South  of  the  Border  (Re-release)  Rep. 

Gene  Autry 

Mar.  1/43 

71m 

Dec.  16/39 

1 158 

Spirit  of  Stanford,  The 

Col. 

4022 

Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman 

Sept.  10/42 

73m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

796 

1082 

Spring  Song  (Russian) 

Artkino 

Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  I  l,'42 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Springtime  in  the  Rockies  (co 

or) 

Squadron  Leader  X  (British) 

20th-Fox 

317 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne 

Nov.  6/42 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1082 

RKO 

Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley 

Not  Set 

100m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Stage  Door  Canteen 

UA 

Stage  and  Screen  Stars 

Feb.  26/43 

i  i  15 

Stand  By,  All  Networks 

Col. 

4042 

John  Beal-Florence  Rice 

Oct.  29/42 

64  m 

797 

Stand  By  for  Action 

MGM 

316 

Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

109m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

1130 

(formerly  Clear  for  Action] 

Star  Spangled  Rhythm 

Para. 

4231 

Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  M 

oore  Special 

I  00m 

Jan.  3/43 

1 102 

855 

Stranger  in  Town,  A 

[formerly  Mr.  Justice  Goes 

MGM 

Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers 

Not  Set 

67m 

Feb. 13/43 

1 158 

1079 

Street  of  Chance 

Hunting) 
Para. 

i  n 

1  U 

Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor 

Block  2 

74  m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

R7I 

1  UOx 

Strictly  in  the  Groove 

Univ. 

/UZS 

Leon  Errol-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  20/42 

60m 

July  4/42 

014 

Submarine  Alert 

Para. 

Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie 

Not  Set 

77? 

Sundown  Kid 

Rep. 

273 

Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson 

Dec.  28/42 

55  m 

Jan. 16/43 

iiii 

•Sunset  Serenade 

Rep. 

Roy  Rogers 

Sept.  14/42 

58m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

TALES    of  Manhattan 

20th-Fox 

313 

C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 

Oct.  30/42 

1  18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

1130 

Talk  About  Jacqueline 

(British)  Excelsior-Metro 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 

Not  Set 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

Tarzan  Triumphs 

RKO 

319 

Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 

Mar.  12/43 

77m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 125 

983 

Product  Digest  Section     I  I  67 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    13,  1943 


Title  Company 

Taxi  Mister  UA-Roach 

Tennessee  Johnson  MGM 
Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground  Univ. 

Texas  to  Bataan  Mono. 

Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars  WB 

That  Nazty  Nuisance  UA-Roach 

That  Other  Woman  20th-Fox 

They  Got  Me  Covered  RKO 

This  Land  Is  Mine  RKO 
Those  Kids  from  Town  (British)  Anglo 

Three  Hearts  for  Julie  MGM 

Thunder  Birds  (color)  20th-Fox 
Thunder  Rock  (British)  Charter-Metro 

Thundering  Trails  Rep. 

Time  to  Kill  20th-Fox 

Tish  MGM 

•  Tombstone  Para. 

Tomorrow  We  Live  PRC 
Tomorrow  We  Live  (British)   Brit.  Lion 

Tornado  in  the  Saddle  Col. 

Trail  Riders  Mono. 

Traitor  Within,  The  Rep. 

Truck  Busters  WB 

I  rue  to  Life  Para. 

Two  Fisted  Justice  Mono. 

Two  Weeks  to  Live  RKO 


frod.  Release  Running 

Ntimber                 Stars  Date  Time 

...  William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley  Not  Set  .... 

322  Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey  Dec-Feb.,'43  1 00m 

7074  Johnny  Mack  Brown  Feb.  5,'43 

  Range  Busters  Oct.  I6,'42 

  All  Warner  Contract  Players  Not  Set 

....  William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer  Not  Set  .... 

318  Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison  Nov.  1 3, '42  75m 

352  Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour  Feb.  5, '43  96m 

....  Charles  Laughton-Maureen  O'Hara  Not  Set  .... 

....  Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill  Not  Set  75m 

321  Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas  Dec.-Feb.,'43  90m 

307  John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney  Nov.  20, "42  78m 

....  Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen  Not  Set  I  11  m 

263  Three  Mesquiteers  Jan.  25, '43  56m 

326  Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel  Jan.  22, '43  61m 

302  Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman  Sept.-Nov.,'42  83m 

4132  Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford  Block  7  79m 

307  Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortez  Sept.  29,'42  64m 

....  John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle  Not  Set  85m 

4210  Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Dec.  15/42  59m 

....  Range  Busters  Dec.  4,'42  55m 

207  Don  Barry-Jean  Parker  Dec.  16/42  62m 

Richard  Travis-Ruth  Ford  Feb.  6,'43  58m 

....  Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone  Not  Set  .... 

....  Range  Busters  Jan.  8, '43  61m 

....  Lum  V  Abner  Feb.  1 9, '43  75m 


r—  REVIEWED  — n 
M.  P.  Product 

Herald  Digest 
Issue  Page 


Dec.  19/42 


56m      Sept.  26/42 


Oct.  17/42 
Jan.  2/43 

May  2/42 
Jan.  9/43 
Oct.  17/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Feb.  13/43 
Dec.  5/42 
July  25/42 
June  13/42 
Sept.  26/42 
Dec.  26/42 


Dec.  5/42 
Jan.  23/43 

Jan.  23/43 
Feb.  6/43 


1065 


922 


960 
1 102 

633 
1 101 
958 
935 
1 159 
1042 
938 
714 
922 
1077 


1043 
1 126 

I  i  27 
1147 


Advance 
Synopsis 
Page 
986 
946 

1018 

1058 
1019 

936 

872 
1 162 

1009 
796 

wis 

995 
772 


1058 
1018 
983 

1079 
1031 


Service 
Data 
Page 


1130 


1034 


UNCENSORED 

(British)        o  ( 
Undercover  Man 
Underground  Agent 
Undying  Monster,  The 
Unpublished  Story  (British) 

VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men 
Varsity  Show  (Reissue) 
Vengeance  of  the  West 


WAKE   Island  Para. 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 

War  Dogs  Mono. 

Watch  on  the  Rhine  WB 

We  Are  the  Marines  20th-Fox 

We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 

We  Sail  at  Midnight 

(British)  Crown  Film 

West  of  the  Law  Mono. 

We've  Never  Been  Licked  Univ. 

When  Johnny  Comes  March- 
ing Home  Univ. 

Whistling  in  Dixie  MGM 

White  Cargo  MGM 

White  Savage  Univ. 

Who  Done  It?  Univ. 

Wildcat  Para. 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)  RKO 
(formerly  They  Flew  Alone) 

World  at  War  WAC 

Wrecking  Crew  Para. 

Wyoming  Hurricane  Col. 

X  MARKS    the  Spot  Rep. 


Eric  Portman-F.  Culley 

Not  Set 

100m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

Gains.-Gen'l 

UA 

4140 

William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 

Oct.  23/42 

68m 

May  9/42 

647 

Col. 

4039 

Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 

Dec.  3/42 

68  m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 148 

1009 

20th-Fox 

319 

James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 

Nov.  27/42 

60m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

936 

Col. 

Richard  Greene-Miles  Malleson 

Not  Set 

91m 

Apr.  11/42 

598 

i  Rep. 

262 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Nov.  13/42 

1031 

WB 

215 

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring 

Dec.  19/42 

81m 

Aug.  21/37 

1043 

Col. 

3216 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter 

Sept.  3/42 

60m 

1082 


4205 

Brian  Donlevy-Robert  Preston 

Block  1 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

772 

(130 

306 

Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold 

Sept.-Nov.,"42 

86m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

797 

1082 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 

Nov.  13/42 

63  m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

324 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Lucas 

Not  Set 

986 

Marine  Feature 

Jan.  8/43 

73m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen 

Not  Set 

93  m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney 

Not  Set 

92m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

27m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 

Nov.  2/42 

55m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

Richard  O"me-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

Not  Set 

1  i  15 

7016 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

Jan.  1/43 

74m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

1130 

313 

Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

74m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

946 

1082 

310 

Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

871 

1082 

Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 

Not  Set 

1079 

7002 

Abbott  and  Costello 

Nov.  6/42 

75  m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

971 

1082 

4204 

Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge 

Block  1 

73  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

303 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Sept.  18/42 

94m 

May  2/42 

903 

1082 

4212 

Documentary 

Sept.  18/42 

66  m 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris 

Block  3 

73m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1079 

204 

Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish 

Nov.  4/42 

56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

YANK    at  Eton,  A 

MGM 

305 

Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

726 

1130 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy 

WB 

201 

James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 

Jan.  2/43 

126m 

June  6/42 

903 

674 

1082 

Yanks  Ahoy 

UA-Roach 

Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 

Not  Set 

1019 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The 

PRC 

301 

Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  9/42 

65m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

1 130 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 

Mono. 

Edward  Norris-Jean  Woodbury 

Feb.  12/43 

61m 

Jan.  30/43 

1 137 

1081 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever 

WB 

207 

George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 

Oct.  10/42 

77m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

898 

1034 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier 

Col. 

4002 

Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 

Nov.  19/42 

97m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

796 

1034 

Young  and  Willing 

UA 

William  Holden-Susan  Hayward 

Jan.  29/43 

663 

Youngest  Profession,  The 

MGM 

Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  &  Guests    Not  Set 

1081 

Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British) 

20th-Fox 

3  i& 

Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 

Feb. 26/43 

103  m 

July  4/42 

9i4 

Youth  on  Parade 

Rep. 

203 

John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 

Oct.  24/42 

75m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 
in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1160. 


I  I  68    Product  Digest  Section 


EIGHT 

OUT  OF  TEN 


OF  the  Ten  Best  Pictures,  selected  in  the 
Film  Daily's  critics  poll  for  1942,  eight 
were  made  on  Eastman  Negative  Films. 
This  gratifying  result  provides  striking 
evidence  of  the  strong  preference  for 
these  high-quality  films.  Eastman  Kodak 
Companv.  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors 
Fort  Lee  Chicago  Hollywood 


PLUS-X  SUPER 

for  general  studio  use  when  little  light  is  available 

BACKGROUXD-X 

for  backgrounds  and  general  exterior  work 


EASTMAX  XEGATIYE  FILMS 


■ 


i 


PPI 

with 

WILLIAM  GAXTON  •  COBINA  WRIGHT,  jr. 

Screen  play  by  Lou  Breslow  &  Edward  Eliscu  •  Produced  and  Directed  by  Gregory  RATOFF 

A  COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


BY 

COLE  PORTER 

"You'd  Be  So  Nice 
To  Come  Home  To" 

"I  Always  Knew" 

"Hasta  Luego" 

SCOTT 

se"sofion 

Broadway* 
9°y  spots; 


MOTION  PICTURE 

HERALD 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 
Idaho 

Somewhere  in  Prance 

Riding  Through  Nevada 

Siege  of  Leningrad 

Hi.  Buddy 

Junior  Army 

Dead  Men  Walk 

Cosmo  Jones  in 

The  Crime  Smasher 

Dead  Man's  Gulch 


qp 


€J   Executive  conclave  in  Hollywood 
aims  to  vindicate  War  Films  caught 
in  Political  Controversy 

€\   Soviet  Russia  seeks  new  Contact 
with  Film  Industry  in  U.  S. 

C|   Bid  by  Studio  Unions  for  new 
Central  Council  stirs  Labor  War 

€\    Wartime  Operations  increase  Power 
of  Organized  Labor  in  Britain 

(\   Permanent  Arbitration  Panel  at 
Full  Pay  urged  for  Industry 


VOL  150,  NO.  8 


FEBRUARY  20,  1943 


Entered  as  second-class  matter,  January  12,  1931,  at  the  Post  Office,  at  Xew  York  City,  U.S.A.,  under  the  act  of  Marc 
weekly  by  Quigley  Publishing  Co..  Inc.,  at  1270  Si.rth  Avenue,  Rockefeller   Center.  S'ew  York.    Subscription  prices: 
Americas,  $10.00  a  year  Foreign.    Single  copy,  25  cents.    All  contents  copyright  1943  fry  Quigley  Publishing  Company 


"*\akjL  faJUtw  \\ahuf.'s  y^u/it  -that's 


KEDSKELToN,  LUCILLE  BALL,  G-ENE  KELLY, 

5W,A1u^c(L'^^/T7c/l/vj^!^  p\J  BARRj'  - 


f\dJi  cL^jL  ojj^PoL  adciaSsLb-.,  3^-5^^^-^  , 

KED  SKELToN ,  LUCILLE  BALL ,  GENE  KELLY,  ^^t*G-to  .V^^sC 

stun.  MuAic,  L^^.iXc/uUx^!  ^  p\J  BARRy- 


MC-M's 


<hp*<nA  offJXi  \$>rwiy  adatoMzA-,  vw  v 
KEDSKELToH,  LUCILLE  BALL,  GENE  KELLY,  •sV^ 
SW.AW^L^^/flc/^^l  _^   p\J  BARRj- 

S  O  O         °    °   °     Op  0 


4^ 


Sell 
Bonds  for 
Uncle  Sam 


KED SKELToN,  LUCILLE  BALL,  GENE  KELLY, 


KED  5KELTON ,  LUCILLE  BALL  ,  GENE  KELLY,  V^^^M^-M -i5^^ 

Sfew*  Atafc,  La^^.TXc/^jx^l  -  p\J  BARR}' 


-f\M-  cic^nA.  ojyJ?OL  T^tVVtf  a/^>taJ^La-,   VVJJ^L/^'.  ^  !!IfM// 
KED  5KELTON ,  LUCILLE  BALL ,  GENE  KELLY,  ^^M°C°/A  ^^^WC^ 

^\^M^Xa^<^Xi<l^^\  ^  pVJ  BARRy 


J.  like  these  tell  the  public 
dteds  of  «S^U  on  the  W 


Oes  or  ho 


NcA 


***** 


JiCH  OF  DIMES— FEBRUARY  18th  TO  24th 


Jack  L.  Warner,  Executive  Produce, 


%\  force 


vj \\\  end 


otic  d  % 


..AS  THE  MEN  WHO  LOVED  'MARY  ANN.  THE  FLYING  FORTRESl 
IOHN  GARFIELD  •  GIG  YOUNG-HARRY  CAREY-  GEORGE  TOBIAS  '  ARTHU 
lENNEDY-JAS.BROWN'JOHN  R  IDG  El_Y  •  SCRE  E  NPLA  Yi  DUOLEY  Nil 


MARCH  OF  DIMES— FEBRUARY  18th  TO  24th 


IN  DES  MOINES 


BENNY 


IN  OMAHA  A  111 


with   


ROCHESTER 


BENNY' 


ROCHESTER 


mtirm 

ROCHESTER 


BENNY^ 


v 


ROCHESTER 


IN  MILWAUKEE! 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MA  B.TIN  QUIGLEY 

COLVIX  BROWN,  Publisher  Bresident  and  Editor-in-Chief  TERRY  RAMSAYE,  Editor 


Vol.  150,  No.  8  mWiWM  February  20,  1943 


DIMES  on  THE  MARCH 

THIS  week  the  "March  of  Dimes"  starts.  Mr.  Oscar  A. 
Doob  of  public  relations  in  that  campaign  writes  to  say  he 
thinks  we  might  have  an  editorial  "paragraph  or  two."  He 
includes  some  copy  suggestions  that  can  hardly  be  improved 
upon;  so  here  they  are: 

"This  drive  is  unique  in  that  it  was  undertaken  at  the  direct, 
personal  request  of  President  Roosevelt.  The  industry  would 
have  preferred  not  taking  on  the  drive  because  of  so  many 
other  activities  at  this  time — and  so  informed  the  National 
Foundation  for  Infantile  Paralysis.  However,  the  President  sent 
back  personal  word  that  emphasized  the  point  that  the  motion 
picture  industry  last  year  provided  $  1 ,400,000  out  of  the 
$4,000,000  collected — and  without  that  37  per  cent  this  year, 
many  of  the  vital  efforts  of  the  National  Foundation  against 
the  dread  disease  would  have  to  be  curtailed. 

"So  the  drive  was  undertaken — and  the  industry  simply  must 
come  through.  Any  signs  of  a  half-hearted  effort  would  be 
extremely  bad  in  view  of  the  circumstances.  Last  year's  results 
must  be  exceeded." 

Mr.  Doob  continues  to  observe  that  the  result  of  a  mere 
collection  box  in  the  lobby  gets  only  ten  per  cent  as  much 
result  as  audience  collections.  So,  he  remarks,  "it  is  up  to  you 
to  let  the  White  House  know  that  the  theatre  men  appreciate 
the  importance  of  this  fight  on  infantile  paralysis  and  are  ready 
to  respond  to  this  special  call  for  help." 

AAA 

ASSAULT  on  ADVERTISING 

NOW  comes  another  flight  of  "designing  professors", 
who  would  take  over  the  ordering  of  a  new  world.  An 
array  of  two  hundred  and  six  professors  and  instructors 
in  a  list  of  fifty-three  educational  institutions  have  round- 
robined  official  Washington,  urging  that  commercial  advertis- 
ing be  drastically  restricted  for  the  period  of  the  war  and, 
further,  that  the  Government  should  buy  space  to  sell  savings 
bonds,  salvage,  scientific  nutrition,  etc.,  or,  in  other  words,  a 
total  national  economy. 

There,  whether  in  naivete  or  guile,  is  totalitarianism  in  full 
bloom,  from  "A"  for  Amherst  to  "W"  for  Wooster. 

To  the  readers  of  this  page  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  observe 
that  advertising  as  a  component  of  the  press  and  as  news 
about  industry  and  merchandise  is  as  much  a  factor  in  the 
evolution  of  our  American  social  structure  as  transportation. 
That  American  standard  of  living,  which  even  the  most  radical 
advocates  of  a  new  order  defend,  has  been  created  largely 
by  advertising.  The  consumer's  state  of  mind  is  the  intangible 
determinant  of  the  value  of  the  goods,  by  the  making  and 
selling  of  which  we  all  live.  The  professors  do  not  seem  to 
know  that  news  about  merchandise  and  the  materials  of  living, 
which  is  advertising,  is  a  deeply  integrated  function  of  the 
press,  and  as  important  to  the  American  home  as  the  pages 
of  news  and  entertainment. 

In  the  United  States,  more  completely  than  anywhere  else 


in  the  world,  the  spending  and  the  administration  of  the  day- 
to-day  business  of  living  is  in  the  hands  of  wives  and  mothers. 
They  read  the  advertising  first. 

The  suggestion  of  the  professors  that  the  Government  should 
become  the  dominant  advertiser — a  single  client  holding  a 
patronage  dominance  of  the  economy  of  the  press — is  quite 
in  line  with  those  other  professors  recently  discussed  on  this 
page  with  their  argument  that  education  and  entertainment 
should  be  interwoven  even  as  in  Japan,  Russia  and  Germany. 

If  the  youth  of  this  generation,  having  passed  under  the 
influences  of  such  educators,  should  find  themselves  confused, 
one  should  not  be  surprised. 

AAA 

THEY  ALSO  SERVE 

A SPECIAL  quality  of  anonymity  is  manifest  in  "Movies 
at  War",  a  booklet  just  issued  by  the  War  Activities 
Committee  of  the  Motion  Picture  Industry  for  general 
circulation.  No  roster  of  names  of  officers  or  industry  per- 
sonalities appears.   In  the  foreword  it  is  observed: 

"United  for  one  great  cause,  we  stand  and  work  together  in 
the  fight  for  freedom:  Ushers  and  executives  —  projectionists 
and  producers  —  exhibitors  and  exchange  managers  —  writers 
and  reporters  —  directors  and  trzick  drivers  —  sound  engineers 
arid  secretaries  —  cutters  and  cameramen  —  agents  and  actors  — 
advertising  experts  and  advance  men  —  painters  and  publicists  — 
script  girls  and  stenographers  —  musicians  and  mimeograph 
operators  —  technicians  and  telephone  girls  —  bookers  and  set 
builders  —  salesmen  and  studio  stand-ins  —  office  boys  and 
officers." 

And,  since  that  is  anonymous,  too,  it  might  be  set  down  that 
the  author  of  those  lines  is  Mr.  Francis  Harmon,  executive  vice- 
chairman  of  the  WAC. 

AAA 

WHY  THEY  ASK 

THIS  desk  receives  many  inquiries  from  all  manner  of  in- 
quirers. The  range  is  from  fans  asking  astrological  reports 
on  players  to  psychiatrists  who  want  emotional  intensity 
readings  on  the  flow  of  the  drama;  all  in  their  fashions  students 
of  cinema. 

The  other  day  a  line  of  inquiry  developed  which  suggested 
to  the  editor  that  some  group  of  scholars  was  engaged  in  a 
solemn  new  work  on  the  screen  and  its  social  meaning.  Presently 
it  developed  that  the  quest  was  from  Columbia  University,  but 
not  from  its  professors.  It  seems  that  Columbia  is  the  biggest 
landlord  on  Broadway  and  in  the  show  business  generally.  This 
is  by  reason  of  bequests  of  real  estate  and  securities,  including 
incidentally  a  considerable  portfolio  of  motion  picture  stocks. 
It  is  the  University's  business  to  know  how  things  are  going  in 
our  movieland. 

— Terry  Ramsaye 


8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


HOLLYWOOD  executive  meeting  seeks  to 
vindicate  war  films  Page  12 

SIGNAL  CORPS  defends  Hollywood  of- 
ficers before  Senate  Page  1 3 

ON  THE  MARCH  — Red  Kann  discusses 
Howard  Hughes'  "The  Outlaw"  Page  14 

NEW  "unity"  proposal  offered  industry  by 
Rodgers,  Kuykendall  Page  16 

SOVIET  seeks  new  contact  with  U.  S.  film 
industry  Page  17 

URGES  full  time  arbitration  panel  for  film 
industry  Page  23 

SERVICE  DEPARTMEN 

In  British  Studios  Page  30 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  35 

IN  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 

Showmen's  Reviews  Page  I  169 

Short  Subjects  Chart  Page  I  172 


COAST  labor  council  bid  stirs  studio  con- 
troversy Page  25 

EXHIBITION  rallies  to  support  March  of 
Dimes  drive  Page  24 

REDUCTION  in  paper  hampers  advertising 
campaigns  on  films  Page  26 

LEADERS  see   1943  as  bright  year  for 
Mexican  trade  Page  29 

WAR  increases  power  of  labor  unions  in 
England  Page  31 

SUPREME  COURT  sustains  dismissal  of 
AFM  injunction  suit  Page  44 

TS 

Managers'  Round  Table  Page  47 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me        Page  45 


Service  Data  Page  1 1 74 

The  Release  Chart  Page  1175 


On  to  Hollywood 

ALL  good  neighbor  films  for  the  Coordina- 
tor of  Inter-American  Affairs  may  be  pro- 
duced in  Hollywood,  according  to  reports 
this  week  that  the  film  division  was  planning 
to  shift  most  of  its  activities  to  Hollywood 
and  Washington.  The  production  staff  at 
the  CIAA's  New  York  office  has  not  been 
augmented  since  Philip  Dunne  and  Charles 
McCarthy  resigned  in  an  administrative  tiff 
with  Francis  Alstock,  director. 

Mr.  Alstock  dodged  questions  during  a 
brief  visit  to  New  York  this  week  on  an 
itinerary  which  was  reported  to  include 
Washington  and  California.  In  Hollywood 
he  was  expected  to  arrive,  at  the  direction  of 
his  chief  Nelson  Rockefeller,  in  time  for 
meetings  with  the  committee  of  company 
executives  now  in  session  there.  Integra- 
tion of  the  Coordinator's  ideological  plans 
with  studio  production  skill  and  a  more  ef- 
ficient production  schedule  were  said  to  be 
in  the  offing.  There  were  also  reports  that 
changes  in  the  direction  of'  the  film  division 
affairs  were  under  considertion.  Mr. 
Rockefeller  is  expected  to  go  to  California 
within  the  next  week  or  two. 

The  proposed  shift  to  Hollywood  and  the 
concentration  of  production  under  Mervyn 
LeRoy  and  Jack  Chertok  in  the  Coordina- 
tors' office  there  might  end  the  services  of 
the  Museum  of  Modern  Art  in  New  York. 
Its  film  library  has  had  charge  of  editing, 
and  often  selection,  of  non-theatrical  prod- 
uct for  official  export  to  South  America. 

While  in  California  Mr.  Alstock  is  expect- 
ed to  look  at  the  footage  which  Orson 
Welles  brought  back  from  Brazil  under 
CIAA  auspices.  It  was  reported  that  Mr. 
Welles  might  also  make  some  special  short 
subjects. 


Total  Loss 

FIRE  totally  destroyed  the  Sono  Film  Stu- 
dios at  Martinez,  Argentina,  one  of  the 

largest  production  plants  in  the  country, 
Monday  night.  The  damage  was  estimated 
by  Luis  Mentasti,  owner  of  the  studios,  at 
1,000,000  pesos.  Insurance  coverage  was  for 
about  800,000  pesos.  Raw  stock  and  some 
cameras  were  saved.  Senor  Mentasti  in- 
dicated Wednesday  that  the  production  pro- 
gram would  be  continued  at  another  studio 
until  rebuilding  was  possible. 


Chilly  Grosses 

TWO  days  of  sub-zero  weather  put  a 
moderate  crimp  into  motion  picture  theatre 
grosses,  closed  some  houses,  cut  matinees 
and  generally  brought  Mr.  John  (Jack  to 
you)  Frost  to  the  forefront  as  a  public  ene- 
my with  a  wide  sphere  of  sub-zero-versive 
activity.  Chicago's  picture  theatre  attend- 
ance was  cut  as  deeply  as  50  per  cent.  Park- 
ing lots  were  bleak  and  bare  with  few  cus- 
tomers arriving  by  motor.  Neighborhood 
houses  suffered  most,  with  large  downtown 


houses  much  more  favored  because  of  trans- 
portation facilities. 

New  York's  Broadway  fell  off  in  patron- 
age, but  the  Paramount  drew  $53,000  for  the 
seventh  week  of  "Star  Spangled  Rhythm" 
and  continued  for  an  eighth  week.  "The 
Immortal  Sergeant"  clicked  with  $70,000  for 
the  week,  but  warmer  weather  would  have 
shown  more  at  the  Roxy.  "In  Which  We 
Serve"  drew  $33,000  for  its  eighth  week 
at  the  Capitol,  "Air  Force"  a  like  amount  at 
the  Hollywood,  and  "Casablanca"  estimated 
gross  was  $45,000  at  the  Strand.  "Random 
Harvest"  equals  the  "Mrs.  Miniver"  ten- 
week  run  at  the  Music  Hall,  and  may  carry 
on  to  the  eleventh.  "Shadow  of  a  Doubt" 
drew  $19,000  for  the  week  at  the  Rivoli, 
being  followed  by  "The  Amazing  Mrs.  Hol- 
liday." 


Raw  Stock  Priorities 

FRANTIC  calls  to  Washington  for  priori- 
ties on  more  raw  film  stock  for  additional 
"March  of  Dimes"  appeal  trailers  resulted 
Tuesday  when  there  was  a  last  minute  show- 
er of  pledges  at  the  national  headquarters, 
according  to  Oscar  Doob,  publicity  director. 
While  it  was  anticipated  that  there  would 
be  around  10,000  theatres  in  the  drive, 
which  opened  Thursday,  the  final  flurry  of 
enrollments  pushed  the  total  above  11,000. 
Laboratories  both  in  New  York  and  on  the 
Coast  worked  all  night  Monday  and  Tuesday 
turning  out  additional  trailers.  Washington 
came  through  with  an  okay  for  an  extra 
250,000  feet  of  film  at  the  last  minute,  sav- 
ing the  day. 


Second  Thought 

A  LONGER  prison  sentence  and  possibly 
a  larger  fine  loomed  this  week  for  Jack 
Dietz,  fight  film  promoter.  Mr.  Dietz,  sen- 
tenced recently  for  tax  evasion,  to  seven 
months  in  prison  and  to  pay  a  $5,000  fine, 
was  ordered  Monday  to  show  cause  in  New 
York  Federal  Court  Tuesday  why  his  sen- 
tnce  should  be  vacated. 

After  Boris  Kostelanetz,  assistant  United 
States  Attorney,  charged  that  Mr.  Dietz' 
attorney,  John  Dowling,  misled  the  court  at 
time  of  sentencing  by  erroneous  statements 
about  other  sentences  in  other  income  tax 
evasion  cases,  and  after  Mr.  Dowling  de- 
fended himself,  Federal  Judge  William 
Bondy  reserved  decision. 

Mr.  Dietz  had  pleaded  guilty  to  evading 
payment  of  $200,247  in  income  taxes  for 
1936  and  1937. 


Chester  Beecroft  Saved 

TORPEDOED,  rescued  after  five  days  in 
the  open  sea  by  a  United  States  Navy  de- 
stroyer and  finally  landed  safely  at  a  port 
near  New  York,  Chester  Beecroft,  long  iden- 
tified with  motion  pictures  as  a  producer, 
studio  manager  and  screen  author,  is  safe 
for  a  brief  rest  at  his  home  in  Rockland 
County.  He  is  quartermaster  in  the  Ameri- 
can Merchant  Marine.  Of  72  men  taken  off 
in  four  lifeboats,  two  died  of  exposure  after 
three  days  in  the  open.  The  rest  were 
brought  in  by  the  destroyer.  Quartermaster 
Beecroft  once  represented  the  General  Film 
Company  as  publicity  agent. 


February-20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


9 


To  the  Independents 

MARTIN  QLTGLEY  voiced  tribute  to  in- 
dependent enterprise  tonight  in  addressing 
members  of  the  Society  of  Independent  Mo- 
tion Picture  Producers  at  a  reception  in 
Lymans  Cafe  welcoming  Red  Kann  to  Hol- 
lywood as  vice-president  of  Quigley  Publica- 
tions.   Mr.  Quigley  said: 

"Tn  addition  to  expressing  my  own  and 
my  colleagues'  appreciation  of  this  event  in 
compliment  to  Red  Kann,  I  wish  to  assure 
the  Society  of  the  lively  and  enduring  inter- 
est of  Quigley  Publications  in  it  and  its  un- 
dertakings. The  term  'independent'  has  al- 
ways been  a  challenging  one  to  me.  In  fact, 
it  was  the  subtitle  of  the  first  trade  paper 
I  published.  It  is  the  completely  free  agent, 
bound  neither  by  stiff  precendent  nor  creak- 
ing tradition,  from  whom  have  come  many 
of  the  best  contributions  to  the  progress  of 
this  industry  and,  in  fact,  to  the  progress  of 
the  larger  world  of  general  affairs. 

"The  term  'independent'  has  sometimes 
suffered  in  this  industry  from  association 
with  efforts  that  have  neither  been  compe- 
tent nor  experienced.  It  is  gratifying  to 
note  that  in  your  Society  there  is  repre- 
sented a  galaxy  of  talent  and  experience. 
There  is  a  need  for  your  Society  and  for 
what  it  purposes  to  accomplish.  You  may 
have  no  doubt  of  our  hearty  and  continuing 
cooperation." 


New  Comic  Strip 

JOSE  CARIOCA,  the  quick  and  clever 
Brazilian  parrot,  who  leaves  Donald  Duck 
in  second  spot  in  Walt  Disney's  "Saludos 
Amigos,"  made  his  appearance  in  the  fun- 
ny papers  this  week.  King  Features  will 
distribute  a  weekly  color  comic  strip  featur- 
ing the  new  Disney  character.  They  are 
hopeful  that  it  will  match  the  drawing  power 
of  Donald  Duck,  Mickey  Mouse  and  other 
Disney  characters  in  the  Sunday  comics. 
To  woo  Latin  American  papers,  and  cement 
friendship.  Spanish  and  Portugese  versions 
are  also  being  prepared  by  the  syndicate. 
It  will  pay  considerable  attention  to  the  good 
neighbor  policy. 


Boost  Trust  Buster 

"TRUST  buster"  Thurman  Arnold,  assist- 
ant attorney  general  in  charge  of  the  anti- 
trust division  of  the  Department  of  Justice, 
was  nominated  by  President  Roosevelt  last 
week  as  an  associate  justice  of  the  Circuit 
Court  for  the  District  of  Columbia.  He 
would  replace  Wiley  B.  Rutledge,  recently 
confirmed  by  the  Senate  as  an  associate 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Confirmation  of  Mr.  Arnold  by  the  Sen- 
ate is  expected  to  evoke  hot  debate  but  Cap- 
itol observers  predicted  that  the  appoint- 


ment would  be  approved.  The  judgeship 
carries  a  $12,500  salary  compared  with  the 
$9,000  received  by  Mr.  Arnold  as  assistant 
attorney  general. 

Mr.  Arnold,  as  head  of  the  anti-trust  di- 
vision, carried  through  the  prosecution  of 
major  film  distributors  and  was  active  in 
the  drafting  of  the  Consent  Decree  which 
suspended  the  case  for  three  years  in  1940. 
He  has  kept  close  touch  on  the  operation  of 
the  decree  since  then  through  a  special  mo- 
tion picture  unit  within  the  anti-trust  divi- 
sion. Before  coming  to  Washington  in 
1937  Mr.  Arnold  was  a  professor  of  law  at 
Yale  and  author  of  the  "Folklore  of  Capital- 
ism" and  many  legal  works  on  the  trust  laws. 

Successor  to  Mr.  Arnold,  Washington 
heard,  will  probably  be  Hugh  Cox,  his  for- 
mer assistant  and  now  legal  adviser  to  the 
Board  of  Economic  Warfare,  or  Tom  C. 
Clark  who  heads  the  war  frauds  unit  of  the 
Department  of  Justice.  Film  attorneys  are 
watching  for  the  appointment  with  interest. 


Super-Tax 

REPLACEMENT  of  the  present  $25,000 
salary  ceiling  by  a  special  super-war-tax 
was  proposed  Wednesday  by  President 
Roosevelt.  Writing  to  Chairman  Doughton, 
of  the  House  Ways  and  Means  Committee, 
now  forming  new  tax  legislation,  the  Presi- 
dent said  the  tax  should  be  on  all  net  income. 
After  payment  of  regular  income  taxes  it 
would  limit  single  persons  to  $25,000  yearly 
and  married  couples  to  $50,000. 

The  proposed  tax  would  apply  to  all  in- 
come. The  present  "ceiling"  applies  only  to 
salaries. 

The  President  added  that  the  desire  to 
limit  income  is  "neither  alien  nor  obscure," 
asserting  it  was  "in  accord  with  the  solemn 
pledges  of  the  Republican  party  and  the  Dem- 
ocratic part}\"  He  also  defended  the  legality 
of  his  executive  order  establishing  the 
$25,000  ceiling.  The  Attorney  General  cer- 
tified it  before  issuance,  he  said. 


Longer  Hours 

THE  48-hour  week  for  Hollywood  studio 
workers,  requested  by  the  Government  in 
early  January  and  since  discussed  by  unions 
and  producers  without  result,  this  week  ap- 
peared nearer  reality.  A  mass  meeting  will 
be  held  shortly  in  the  Filmarte  theatre, 
Hollywood,  at  which  War  Manpower  Com- 
mission officials  will  appear. 

Producer  and  union  conferences  recently 
collapsed  when  unions  insisted  upon  over- 
time pay  from  the  36th  hour.  The  producers 
offered  such  pay  from  the  40th. 

Meanwhile,  a  labor  stabilization  program 
will  probably  be  a  concomitant  of  the  ex- 
pected resumption  of  talks.  Representatives 
of  six  independent  guilds  met  this  week  to 
prepare  for  discussions  with  producers. 


Zanuck  Special 

COLOR  pictures  of  the  invasion  of  North 
Africa  filmed  under  the  direction  of  Colonel 
Darryl  F.  Zanuck  will  be  released  as  a  four 
reel  special  on  March  18th.  Warner  Broth- 
ers was  selected  by  lot  to  distribute  the  pic- 
tures without  profit  under  the  auspices  of 
the  War  Activities  Committee. 

"At  the  Front,"  as  the  forty-minute  pic- 
ture will  be  titled,  was  described  by  the  War 
Department  as  an  official  combat  report, 
unrehearsed  and  filmed  under  fire.  Colonel 
Zanuck  brought  the  pictures  back  from 
Africa  where  they  were  made  by  42  Army, 
Navy  and  Office  of  Strategic  Services  cam- 
eramen. Spectacular  sequences  include  the 
first  engagement  of  American  and  German 
tanks  outside  Tebourba  in  Tunis  and  fight- 
ing at  Medjez-El-Bab,  Bone,  and  Souk-El- 
Baba. 

Rental  will  be  charged  for  the  picture, 
but  it  will  be  nominal,  and  based  on  a  pro- 
rated share  of  the  cost  of  Technicolor  prints. 
To  insure  rapid  distribution  the  WAC  has 
ordered  677  prints,  costing  approximately 
$150,000.  Raw  stock  will  be  allocated  from 
the  Army's  quota. 

Free  accessories  and  a  free  trailer  will  be 
provided  by  Warners  and  a  special  press 
book  is  in  preparation  under  the  direction 
of  Mort  Blumenstock. 

General  release  for  the  pictures  followed 
a  screening  and  conferences  last  week  at- 
tended by  company  presidents  and  Elmer 
Davis,  director  of  war  information,-  and 
Lowell  Mellett.  As  in  the  case  of  the  "Bat- 
tle of  Midway"  none  of  the  Africa  pictures 
has  been  released  beforehand  to  the  news- 
reels. 


Ado  about  Hair-Do 

BEST  publicity  break  of  the  week  went  to 
Paramount  on  Tuesday  when  radio,  wire 
services  and  picture  pages  flashed  the  news 
to  the  nation  that  Veronica  Lake,  the  com- 
pany's lop-haired  blonde,  was  going  to  comb- 
her  tresses  out  of  her  eyes  and  get  a  new 
hair-do  at  the  request  of  the  War  Production 
Board. 

The  peek-a-boo  coiffure,  one  ,  of  Miss 
Lake's  trademarks,  has  become  an  occupa- 
tional hazard  in  war  plants  when  copied  by 
women  workers,  the  WPB  said.  Eye  strain 
and  possible  scalping,  if  dangling  hair  is 
caught  in  machinery,  threatens  her  imitators, 
the  WPB  solemnly  announced. 

In  Hollywood  Miss  Lake  announced  that 
she  was  only  too  happy  to  fix  her  hair  on 
the  top  of  her  head.  It  was  a  nuisance 
hanging  down  over  one  eye,  she  said.  Mon- 
roe Greenthal,  former  advertising  and  pub- 
licity director  for  United  Artists,  and  now 
special  consultant  to  the  WPB,  was  said  to 
have  had  much  to  do  with  the  ado  about  her 
hair-do. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address  "Quigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  Ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  62-4  South 
Michigan  Avenue,  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Road,  Toronto,  Ontario, 
Canada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Square,  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burnup,  manager;  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Quigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureau,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
correspondent;  Sydney  Bureou,  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carmono  y  Valle  6,  Mexico  City, 
Luis  Becerra  Celis,  "correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa  Postal  1090, 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  Q.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Quigley  Publica- 
tions: Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


I  0 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


the  Camera  observes: 


By  Staff  Photographer 

APPRECIATION  of  William  F.  Rcdgers'  witticisms, 
and  message,  is  reflected,  at  left,  in  the  faces  of 
William  Scully,  Universal  sales  manager;  Sam  Rinzler, 
Randforce  circuit  chief;  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram 
sales  manager,  and  Abe  Montague,  Columbia 
sales  manager.  The  occasion  was  the  Motion  Picture 
Associates'  annual  installation  of  officers  in  New  York 
last  week,  at  which  Mr.  Rodgers,  MGM's  sales  chief 
and  guiding  spirit  of  the  defunct  UMPI,  urged 
not  only  unity  but  a  single  theatre  owners'  group. 
[Story  on  page  16.]  Two  of  the  many  honored  dais 
guests  were,  above,  Charles  Francis  Coe,  MPPDA 
executive,  and  Jack  Cohn,  Columbia  vice-president. 


VARIETY'S  Tent  26,  Chicago,  recently  dined  newspaper  publishers  and  columnists  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel.  Above,  left,  may  be  seen  W.  K.  Hollander,  Silliman  Evans,  Howard  Vincent 
O'Brien,  Herbert  Sraffis,  Jack  Hess  and  Larry  Stein;  below,  Jack  Kirsch,  John  Balaban, 
James  E.  Coston,  Johnnie  Jones,  Jack  Flynn   and  Marvin  Schenck. 


CHOSEN  by  the  United  States 
Chamber  of  Commerce  as 
one  of  ten  who  outstandingly 
served  this  country  at  home 
last  year  is  Ted  Gamble, 
Portland  theatre  operator.  He 
aids  War  Bond  sales. 


ebruary    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Ey  Staff  Photographer 

HONORARY  MEMBERSHIP  in  the  Motion 
Picture  Bookers  Club,  New  York,  is  given 
David  Levy,  left,  Universal  district  manager,  by 
Harold  Klein,  club  vice-president. 


LEAVE  OF  ABSENCE  has  been  taken  by  William  "Bud" 
Hunt  from  managership  of  the  Hunt  circuit,  southern 
New  Jersey  and  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Hunt,  first  row,  left, 
has  joined  the  Red  Cross  overseas  entertainment  division. 
Others  above,  in  front  row,  are  Guy  Hunt,  brother, 
who  has  joined  the  Navy  as  lieutenant,  and  William  C. 
Hunt,  their  father;  rear,  William  Keegan,  now  circuit 
general  manager,  and  Bill  Gerst,  division  manager. 


PROMOTED  to  WINNER  of  a  Bond 

assistant  general  sales  selling  contest  was 

manager  of  Warners  Mrs.  Bertha  Dixon, 

was  Arthur  Sachson,  theatre  manager  of 

with  company  I  8  years.  John  Day,  Oregon. 


MARCH  OF  DIMES  plans  were  discussed  in  Buffalo  by  exhibitors 
and  distributors  with  the  mayor,  Joseph  J.  Kelly.  Grouped  around 
Mr.  Kelly  are  Mannie  Brown,  Max  Yellen,  Jack  Clifford, 
Max  Roth,  Charles  B.  Taylor. 


AUSTERITY  style,  Par- 
amount's  1942  Australian 
convention,  Sydney'.  Left  to 
right,  around  the  table,  are 
W.  O.  Wiley,  J.  Wedes- 
weiler,  J.  Tauchert,  A.  Matts, 
L.  Jones,  J.  Fleming, 
H.  Flynn,  C.  Hale,  C.  Hen- 
derson, W.  Hurworth, 
H.  Hunter,  J.  Sixsmith, 
F.  Gawler,  G.  Brookes, 
W.  Blood,  J.  Taylor,  H.  Kelly, 
S.  Herbert,  W.  Peck,  H.  Stan- 
ley, C.  Donaghey.  Inside 
the  table:  F.  Deane,  H.  Var- 
coe,  W.  McKeown,  B.  Abot- 
omey,  E.  Tytherleigh,  A.  Nay- 
lor,  J.  Clapp,  D.  Kiley, 
R.  Howard,  R.  Logan. 


12 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


WAR  CONFERENCE  ANSWERS 
TRAINING  FILM  ATTACK 


Company  Heads  Meeting 
on  Coast  Pledge  Intensi- 
fication of  War  Effort 

Hollywood  Bureau 

Chief  executives  of  the  industry  and  their 
counsel,  gathered  this  week  in  Hollywood  to 
take  stock  of  the  problems  of  wartime  econo- 
my, had  an  unexpected  problem  added  to 
their  agenda  Tuesday  when  the  Truman 
Senate  Committee  investigating  the  war  ef- 
fort brought  the  production  of  Army  train- 
ing films  to  the  forefront  in  a  political  con- 
troversy. 

Meeting  in  the  lofty  seclusion  of  the  Bev- 
erly Hills  Hotel,  the  executives  Tuesday 
night  voted  to  cooperate  "so  that  there  may 
be  complete  vindication  of  the  men  who  con- 
tributed their  energies  and  abilities  to  aid  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  war." 

The  production  of  training  films,  origi- 
nally delegated  to  the  Research  Council  of 
the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  under  Colonel  Darryl  F.  Zanuck 
by  the  Army  Signal  Corps,  was  the  object 
of  a  three  months'  inquiry  in  Hollywood  by 
Major  John  Harlan  Amen,  former  special 
prosecutor  in  Brooklyn,  for  the  Inspector 
General  of  the  Army.  Major  Amen,  how- 
ever, refused  to  testify  at  the  Truman  Com- 
mittee hearing  in  Washington  Tuesday  and 
the  Senate  investigation  was  confined  large- 
ly to  a  discussion  of  the  granting  of  officers' 
commissions  by  the  Signal  Corps  to  Holly- 
wood executives. 

The  coast  meeting  was  arranged 
by  the  Industry  Coordinating  Com- 
mittee, also  known  as  the  lawyer's 
committee  of  six,  and  was  planned 
to  consider  at  length  the  indus- 
try's present  position  in  the  war 
economy  and  make  long  range 
plans  for  the  conduct  of  business 
under  present  and  planned  restric- 
tions. On  the  scene  but  not  par- 
ticipating directly  in  the  meetings 
was  Lowell  Mellett,  chief  of  the 
motion  picture  division  of  the  Of- 
fice of  War  Information. 

Attending  the  meetings  were  Nicholas  M. 
Schenck,  Barney  Balaban,  N.  Peter  Rath- 
von,  Spyros  Skouras,  H.  M.  Warner,  Nate 
Blumberg,  Harry  Cohen.  Representing  the 
Association  of  Motion  Picture  Producers 
were  B.  B.  Kahane,  Samuel  Goldwyn,  E.  J. 
Mannix,  Y.  Frank  Freeman,  Charles  Koer- 
ner,  M.  J.  Siegel,  C.  W.  Thornton,  William 
Goetz  and  Cliff  Work.  Also  present  were 
Will  H.  Hays,  president  of  the  MPPDA; 
Edwin  Weisl,  Paramount  director  and  coun- 
sel ;  Fred  W.  Beetson,  executive  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Producers  Association,  and 
Francis  W.  Harmon,  executive  vice-chair- 
man of  the  War  Activities  Committee. 

Five  members  of  the  Coordinating  Com- 
mittee attended,  Austin  Keough,  Joseph 
Hazen,  Mendel  Silberberg,  Herbert  Freston 
and  Maurice  Benjamin.  The  sixth  member, 
J.  Robert  Ruben,  was  unable  to  attend. 

The  program  for  the  meetings  before  the 
Washington  hearing  inspired  the  Tuesday 


night  discussion  and  resolution  included  sev- 
en major  problems:  discussion  of  the  salary 
and  wage  stabilization  orders ;  relation  of 
the  industry  with  Government  agencies  in- 
terested in  motion  picture  content ;  manpow- 
er problems  created  by  the  military  service, 
the  Manpower  Act,  and  the  48-hour  week; 
training  films  and  further  cooperation  with 
the  armed  forces ;  over-all  industry  public 
relations ;  production  problems  arising  from 
gas  rationing  and  set  cost  ceilings,  and 
possible  additional  restrictions  of  raw  stock. 

On  Tuesday  Austin  Keough,  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  counsel  of  Paramount,  ad- 
dressed the  conference  on  the  salary  stabili- 
zation law,  reviewing  it  in  detail.  He  praised 
the  Treasury  and  the  Office  of  Economic 
Stabilization  departments  for  their  recogni- 
tion of  industry  problems  and  the  time  given 
industry  representatives  in  Washington  and 
Hollywood  for  discussion  of  the  problems 
arising  from  the  measures. 

Maior  talent  guild  officials  were  invited  to 
meet  the  industry  conferees  at  dinner  Thurs- 
day night.  Union  heads  also  were  expected 
to  meet  them  to  consider  the  establishment 
of  a  labor  pool  and  to  study  the  application 
of  the  48-hour  work  week  directive. 

Intensification  and  broadening  of  industry  co- 
operation with  the  government  in  all  phases  of 


the  war  effort  was  pledged  at  the  Wednesday 
morning  session  of  the  east-west  executive  con-  ! 
ference. 

As  the  most  immediately  urgent  policy  they 
ordered  the  expedition  of  production  of  train- 
ing films  for  the  armed  forces.  Studio  heads 
will  give  special  attention  to  this  project  in 
view  of  the  reported  need  of  the  services  for 
at  least  2,000  reels  this  year. 

Production  of  entertainment  short  subjects 
designed  to  serve  war  morale  purposes  or  carry 
special  messages  will  also  continue  in  high 
gear,  the  conference  indicated.  The  training  of 
technicians,  still  and  motion  camera  men  for  the 
services  will  also  be  augmented  with  industry 
cooperation. 

Plans  for  expansion  of  the  talent  pool  of  the 
Hollywood  Victory  Committee,  to  broaden  its 
service  area,  were  disclosed  in  a  report  on  the 
committee's  work.  Emphasis  was  placed  on 
supplying  more  entertainers  to  American  troops 
in  overseas  posts.  The  report  was  received 
with  enthusiasm  and  the  executives  pledged  full 
support  to  the  Victory  and  War  Activities 
Committees. 

Y.  Frank  Freeman  presided. 

Lowell  Mellett,  director  of  the  bureau  of  the 
motion  pictures  of  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion, spoke  Wednesday  night.  He  outlined 
plans  of  the  OWI  for  its  own  production  unit 
and  suggested  themes  and  channels  for  continu- 
ing cooperation  between  industry  and  govern- 
ment. 


f-ebruary    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


13 


Signal  Corps  Defends 
'Hollywood  Officers' 
At  Senate  Hearing 


Washington  Bureau 

HOLLYWOOD  film  officials  have  been 
given  high  commissions  in  the  Army  be- 
cause it  was  necessary  that  they  have  a  rank 
which  would  "carry  weight"  in  dealing  with 
big-company  executives,  the  Senate  Special 
Committee  Investigating  the  War  Effort 
was  told  Tuesday  by  top  Signal  Corps  of- 
ficers. 

Flatly  denying  improprieties  in  the  hand- 
ing out  of  commissions  or  in  the  production 
of  training  films  by  the  industry,  Colonel  K. 
B.  Lawton,  chief  of  the  Army  picture  divi- 
sion, said  the  industry's  heads  were  "honest 
and  sincere"  in  their  desire  to  do  everything 
they  could  to  produce  the  films  at  a  mini- 
mum of  cost  to  the  Government. 

"I  personally  do  not  know  of  any  other 
corporations,  putting  anything  out  for  the 
war  effort,  that  are  turning  over  to  the  Gov- 
ernment items  of  war  material  for  which 
they  do  not  charge  what  they  can  and  add 
the  legal  percentage  of  profit.  They  are 
not  doing  that  in  the  case  of  these  training 
films,"  he  emphasized. 

Army  Officer  Praises 
Zanuck's  Activities 

Colonel  Lawton  also  paid  high  tribute  to 
the  industry  leaders  who  have  been  commis- 
sioned, particularly  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  who 
drew  most  of  the  fire  from  the  committee. 
He  characterized  Col.  Zanuck  as  a  "go- 
getter,  the  equal  of  whom  I  have  not  seen 
in  the  motion  picture  industry  or  anywhere 
else,"  and  a  "top  notch"  man. 

The  hearing  was  called  primarily  to  ques- 
tion Lieutenant  Colonel  John  Harlan  Amen, 
who  has  been  investigating  training  film  pro- 
duction since  last  November.  The  commit- 
tee itself  has  been  probing  still  longer. 

Colonel  Amen  refused  to  testify 
or  produce  any  documents,  under 
orders  from  Acting  Secretary  of 
War  Robert  P.  Patterson,  who  had 
written  Senator  Truman,  chairman 
of  the  committee,  explaining  that 
the  Inspector  General's  Department, 
which  is  making  the  investigation, 
is  a  "confidential  agency"  and  re- 
ports only  to  the  Executive  depart- 
ments. Appearance  of  officers  be- 
fore the  committee,  Mr.  Patterson 
said,  would  lessen  the  effectiveness 
of  the  department. 

Upon  Col.  Amen's  continued  refusal  to  testify, 
Senator  Truman  excused  him  but  said  the  com- 
mittee would  consider  the  situation,  particularly 
since  Col.  Amen  had  come  to  it  when  he  began 
his  investigation  and  secured  the  "fundamental 
facts"  on  which  he  based  his  probe,  and  might 
call  Mr.  Patterson  for  questioning.  He  said  also 
that  he  might  call  Col.  Zanuck,  who  was  out  of 
town  at  the  time. 

_  Col.  Lawton  told  the  committee,  under  ques- 
tioning by  Hugh  Fulton,  its  counsel,  that  437 


COL.  DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK 

civilians  had  been  commissioned  for  photo- 
graphic work  in  the  Signal  Corps.  Of  this  num- 
ber, 100  were  selected  from  the  industry,  with 
55  from  the  nine  major  studios. 

He  testified  that  the  selection  of  men  from 
the  industry  was  made  by  the  Research  Council 
of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences,  of  which  Col.  Zanuck  is  chairman. 

Col.  Zanuck's  application  for  a  commission 
was  received  December  6,  1940,  but  Col.  Law- 
ton  could  not  say  who  recommended  him.  He 
was  commissioned  in  the  Signal  Corps  Reserve 
January  4,  1941,  and  was  called  to  active 
duty  January  7,  1942.  The  Colonel  explained 
that  he  had  taken  his  present  position  only  last 
August  and  could  not  testify  regarding  a  ques- 
tion by  Mr.  Fulton  as  to  whether  it  was  known 
in  the  department  that  Col.  Zanuck  was  draw- 
ing $5,000  a  week  from  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox,  but  said  he  had  never  put  in  a  voucher  for 
any  pay  prior  to  September  1,  last,  at  which 
time  he  had  resigned  from  the  company.  The 
statutes,  he  said,  do  not  prohibit  a  reserve  of- 
ficer from  drawing  pay  from  his  company 
when  he  is  called  for  active  service. 

The  Signal  Corps — Council  ar- 
rangement on  training  films,  he  said, 
is  that  the  company  makes  the  pic- 
ture and  when  it  "is  in  the  can  on 
the  shelf"  the  Army  looks  at  it  and 
buys  it  if  it  is  what  it  wants  and  can 
reject  it  if  not,  in  the  former  in- 
stance paying  the  cost  as  presented 
by  the  producer  and  in  the  latter 
paying  nothing.  However,  he  said, 
no  pictures  have  ever  been  refused 
and,  he  added,  there  is  no  reason 
why  they  should  be  since  the  com- 
panies "are  past  masters  in  this  busi- 
ness." 

The  whole  business  is  supposed  to  be  on  a 
non-profit  basis,  and  the  companies  actually  give 
the  films  for  much  less  than  they  would  make 


them  commercially,  because  they  do  not  include 
overhead,  production  salaries,  projecting  room 
charges  and  other  items.  Col.  Lawton  admitted 
that  he  had  no  figures  on  what  it  would  cost  to 
make  the  same  films  at  Astoria,  but  said  that 
cost  studies  were  now  under  way.  Asked  why 
costs  were  being  studied  now,  he  explained: 

"Investigations  are  being  made  into  the  mo- 
tion picture  activities  of  everybody — civilians, 
Army,  Signal  Corps — and  it's  going  to  get 
worse." 

Agreement  with  the  Council  provides  that 
the  Signal  Corps  should  stand  any  expenses  it 
incurs  in  connection  with  the  handling  of  pro- 
duction. 

Testimony  of  Major  Thomas  D.  Hodge,  how- 
ever, did  not  support  the  contention  that  the 
producers  were  getting  the  work  in  alphabetical 
order.  At  the  demand  of  Mr.  Fulton  for  fig- 
ures on  contracts,  Major  Hodge  testified  that 
expenditures  in  Hollywood  from  January  1, 
1941,  to  December  10,  1942,  totaled  $1,050,000 
for  pictures  completed,  of  which  four  companies 
received  approximately  70  per  cent.  Paramount 
led  with  $270,682 ;  Twentieth  Century-Fox  was 
second  with  $243,515  ;  RKO  third  with  $110,815 
and  M-G-M  fourth  with  $106,453. 

However,  on  pictures  in  production,  amount- 
ing to  $789,918,  Paramount  was  first  with  $253,- 
850;  M-G-M  second  with  $131,439;  Republic 
third  with  $88,956;  Goldwyn  fourth  with  $77,- 
488  and  Twentieth  Century  fifth  with  $33,500. 

Col.  Lawton  strongly  defended 
Col.  Zanuck,  saying  that  he  super- 
vised the  pictures  as  a  director  and 
not  from  the  standpoint  of  costs, 
and  pointed  out  that  he  had  been 
on  active  duty  in  combat  zones, 
flying  over  Kiska,  in  the  Aleutians; 
going  to  England  and  going  to 
North  Africa. 

Questioned  regarding  the  service  of  specific 
individuals,  he  said  that  Hal  Roach,  commis- 
sioned as  a  major,  worked  a  short  time  for  the 
Signal  Corps  and  at  the  request  of  the  Air 
Corps  was  transferred  to  it  for  foreign  service ; 
Arthur  M.  Loew,  commissioned  a  major,  is  at 
Astoria,  where  he  has  done  a  "wonderful"  job 
in  dubbing  training  films  in  Spanish  and  Por- 
tuguese to  go  to  South  America ;  Robert  Lord 
of  Warner  Brothers,  is  a  colonel,  working  in 
Hollywood,  and  Frank  Capra  is  a  lieutenant 
colonel. 

At  this  point,  Mr.  Truman  adjourned  the 
hearing  subject  to  resumption  at  some  future 
date. 


Charges  'Prelude9 
Cut  for  Congress 

The  Congressmen  saw  a  screening  Tues- 
day afternoon  of  "Prelude  to  War,"  first 
in  the  "Why  We  Fight"  series  of  orientation 
films  made  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Frank  Capra 
for  the  Army  Special  Service  branch.  Senator 
Holman,  Oregon  Republican,  had  charged  that 
the  picture  contained  "propaganda  for  a  fourth 
term." 

Following  the  screening  Mr.  Holman  rose 
from  the  audience  and  in  an  angry  verbal  ex- 
change with  Army  officers,  charged  the  picture 
had  been  cut.  Colonel  E.  L.  Munson,  Jr.,  of  the 
Special  Service  division,  replied  that  the  print 
was  the  same  picture  as  that  witnessed  by  Sena- 
tor Holman  and  Representative  Maas  at  an 
American  Legion  dinner.  Although  unable  to 
describe  what  was  missing  the  Congressman  in- 
sisted the  film  had  undergone  deletion. 

Release  of  the  picture  to  the  general  public  is 
under  consideration,  it  was  learned  last  week. 
Industry  leaders  have  urged  Lowell  Mellett,  di- 
rector of  the  OWI  motion  picture  bureau  to 
obtain  the  film  for  release  through  the  War 
Activities  Committee.  Edited  from  newsreels 
and  captured  enemy  film,  it  traces  the  history  of 
Axis  aggression  and  contrasts  life  under  the 
dictators  with  U.  S.  liberty. 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


ON  THE  MARCH 


February    20,  1943 

by  RED  KANN 


HOLLYWOOD 

THIS  land  of  sensations  is  approximately  at  boiling  point 
over  a  new  one  thrown  at  its  midriff  in  a  day,  also  an  age, 
when  the  odds  were  it  no  longer  could  have  happened. 
If  that  proves  Hollywood's  men  of  responsibility  are  wrong,  How- 
ard Hughes  and  his  mouthpiece,  Russell  Birdwell,  clearly  intend 
making  the  most  of  it.   In  fact,  they  are  on  their  way. 

They  are  making  the  most  of  it  with  a  bad  attraction  whipped 
by  advertising  and  publicity  into  a  white  froth  with  dirty  edges, 
relying  on  nerve  tickling  rather  than  merit  and  distinguished  by 
no  known  considerations  for  the  whole  industry  of  which  they 
are  a  part,  if  decorating  the  fringe. 

Atrocious  judgment  and  variances  with  the  truth  are  princi- 
pals here.  Both  are  calculated  to  pull  Hughes  out  of  his  self- 
created  dilemma  with  "The  Outlaw."  Both,  too,  are  calculated  to 
raise  eyebrows,  precipitate  discussion  and  cause  embarrassment 
to  an  industry  which  faces  victimizing  because  irresponsibility  is 
off  the  reservation  again. 

Judgment  is  atrocious  on  an  assortment  of  counts.  This  is  no 
argument  against  the  producer  and  his  right  to  market  his  attrac- 
tion as  he  sees  fit.  If  he  elects,  as  he  has,  to  roadshow  his  film  at 
a  reserved  seat  top  of  $2.50  for  the  opening  in  a  San  Francisco 
"legit"  theatre  as  an  initialer  to  similarly  plotted  runs  in  other 
key  cities,  that  is  pretty  much  his  own  affair.  Either  he'll  get 
money  or  he  won't ;  thus  far,  at  the  Geary,  he  is  getting  it,  at 
$1.10  for  the  run. 

There  is  an  argument,  however,  which  we  suppose  Hughes 
could  not  be  expected  to  appreciate.  It  has  to  do  with  a  national 
economy  functioning  under  priced-fixed  ceilings  and  earlier  evi- 
dences of  resentment  on  the  part  of  widely  scattered  merchants 
who  cannot  get  more  money  for  their  goods,  but  who  note  films 
that  do. 

They  do  not  like  it.  Actually,  they  resent  it,  and  because  they 
do,  this  belligerence  may  filter  into  Washington  one  of  these 
days  with  possible  consequences  not  economically  pleasant  for 
this  industry. 

Here  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  the  regularly  constituted  road- 
show is  now  a  rarity.  It  traces  to  a  widening  recognition  by  the 
more  astute  executives  in  distribution  that  this  is  not  the  time  to 
go  acrobatic  nationally  on  theatre  admissions.  It  is  also  one  of  the 
prime  contributing  factors  why  Metro,  sensible  enough  to  heed 
upper  council  advice  from  Washington,  decided  against  road- 
showing  "Mrs.  Miniver."  Instead,  the  picture  shot  through  the 
market  at  regular  prices  and  with  no  advances  unless  the  exhibi- 
tor determined  to  boost  scales  by  his  own  decision,  self-arrived. 


War,  But  Not  Hughes's 

NOW,  Hughes  knows  a  war  is  under  way.  There  is  some- 
thing like  a  $17,000,000  government  contract  for  airplanes 
among  his  business  assets  to  remind  him;  also,  his  associa- 
tion with  Henry  J.  Kaiser.  If  the  producer  reads  the  newspapers 
and  endeavors  to  keep  himself  approximately  abreast  of  what 
goes  on,  he  ought  to  have  known  the  Office  of  Defense  Trans- 
portation is  decidedly  discouraging  about  unnecessary  travel ; 
that  trains  are  usually  late  because  of  war  transportation ;  that 
air  travel  is  sharply  circumscribed  and  uncertain  for  civilians ; 
that  the  telephone  company,  in  paid  space,  urges  against  non- 
essential burdening  of  the  long  lines. 

If  he  is  aware  of  these  circumstances  embroidering  today's 
scene,  perhaps  it  is  Birdwell  who  is  not.  Most  of  the  forty-one 
reviewers  who  were  carted  de  luxe  to  the  premiere  traveled  in 
rooms  on  two  crack  trains.  Some  wanted  to  fly  up  and  dov/n,  and 
did.  Virtually  all  from  Hollywood  were  invited  long  distance 
by  a  Birdwell  voice  from  San  Francisco,  although  the  impresario 
maintains  an  office  here  and  local  service  can  be  unlimited. 

The  northern  city  is  a  center  of  heavy  war  activity,  military 
information  allowing.  There,  as  elsewhere,  hotel  space  is  at  a 
premium,  but  evidently  not  at  sufficient  premium  to  resist  the 
appeal  of  Birdwell  persuasion  and  Hughes  dollars.  Everyone 
who  made  the  junket  was  deposited  neatly  and  comfortably  at  the 


Mark  Hopkins,  which  is  quite  a  place.  Those  who  did  not  make 
it  on  that  corner  of  Nob  Hill  were  not  exactly  slumming  at  the 
expensive  Fairmount  across  the  way. 

There  was  a  pre-war  type  of  party  at  the  Bal  Tabarin  after 
the  debut.  Saturday  and  Sunday  were  free  days  for  the  writing 
guests.  It  was  all  free,  in  fact — food,  liquor  and  champagne. 
Any  resemblance  to  the  cold  and  hard  realisms  of  these  grimly 
realistic  days  was  not  even  coincidental. 

Chiefly  atrocious,  however,  was  the  smell  of  the  entire  enter- 
prise. The  San  Francisco  Chronicle  gave  away  free  space,  later 
carried  in  the  Hollywood  and  some  eastern  trade  papers  as  paid 
space,  to  impart  the  Great  Discovery  that  sex  had  not  been 
rationed  with  the  overwhelming  proof  supplied  by  the  picture, 
quite  naturally.  Hill-and-dale  characteristics  of  Jane  Russell — 
and  she  has  'em^-were  emphasized  through  the  usual  assortment 
of  channels,  including  billboards  and  newspaper  advertising.  The 
super-charging  was  applied  to  the  populace's  batteries  and  the 
whirs  that  followed  probably  were  strong  and  sufficient  enough 
to  keep  the  whole  town's  electrical  system  blazing. 

Too  bad  the  dimout  crossed  Birdwell  and  his  plans. 


Where  The  Road  Divided 

TRUTH  and  this  elaborate  setup  severed  ways  along  about 
here,  only  the  public  was  not  in  on  it.  This  was  "the 
picture  that  couldn't  be  stopped."  This  was  the  attraction 
Hughes  had  "pledged  to  the  film  public  of  the  country  that  they 
would  see"  as  he  made  it  "or  not  at  all."  Read  the  advertising 
copy  further:  "Not  one  inch  of  film  has  been  removed  and  any 
efforts  to  delete  a  single  piece  of  the  film  wherever  it  may  play 
will  be  greeted  with  the  toughest  court  fight  that  time  and 
patience  and  resources  can  wage." 

Deception  for  gain  then  became  party  to  the  enthusiasm  be- 
cause no  one  had  tried  to  stop  Hughes  from  showing  his  film. 
Men,  far  more  familiar  with  public  reactions  and  backgrounded 
in  occasional  experiences  of  their  own,  had  sought  to  demon- 
strate what  this  producer — or  any  producer — could  and  could  not 
do  on  th  screen.  Hughes  was  told  he  could  get  a  production 
code  seal  if  he  pursued  specific  recommendations  to  that  end. 

Skipping  the  detail  for  the  conclusion,  the  point  is  "The  Out- 
law," as  shown  at  the  Geary,  has  code  approval  and  is  free  to 
follow  its  commercial  destiny,  whatever  that  may  be. 

Presumably,  Hughes  will  continue  to  fight  it  out  along  his 
pre-determined  line  if  it  takes  the  industry  into  the  mire  with 
him.  High  places  in  Hollywood  are  visibly  disturbed  about  all  of 
this.  They  are  disturbed  because  they  continue  to  subscribe  to  the 
well-grooved  theory  that  one  false  step  can  crack  the  entire  spinal 
column. 

There  will  be  bruises,  if  this  continues,  and  inevitably  damage 
as  well.  But  the  established  record  of  the  established  industry 
is  too  far  in  the  corner  of  demonstrated  performance  to  mark  the 
final  outcome  with  devastating  consequences. 

■  Officially,  it  was  91  the  other  day.  Skeptics  insist  it  was  100 
actually,  claim  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  didn't  want  matters 
to  get  too.  discouraging  here  and  over  the  wires  to  the  rest  of  the 
country. 

■  The  Whistling  Teachers'  Institute  of  America,  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Chapter,  according  to  press  agentry,  held  a  convention 
and  voted  Dorothy  Lamour  as  "The  Girl  Most  Likely  to  Be 
Whistled  at  in  1943." 

Dissident  votes  were  cast  by  20th-Fox  for  Betty  Grable,  Metro 
for  Hedy  Lamarr,  even  if  she  is  suing,  and  Warner  for  Alexis 
Smith. 

Personal  vote:  For  that  blonde  who  strolled  through  The 
Flayers  Club. 


No  queries,  please.   Don't  even  know  her  name. 


when  The  President 
was  on  the  air 


WHERE  WERE  YOU,  SIR? 


9 


Really,  it's  nobody's  business  where 
you  were,  or  what  you  were  doing. 
That's  the  land  of  liberty  WE  live  in. 
Over  here  we  can  take  our  speeches  or 
leave  them.  And  the  fact  that  100  million 
of  us  CHOSE  to  hear  the  President  — and  the 
knowledge  that  we  cheered  his  words  be- 
cause we  WANTED  to  cheer  his  words,  adds 
up  to  another  healthy  sign  of  a  united 
American  determination  to  do  the  job  a 
speedy  victory  calls  for. 

★  ★  ★  ★ 

[Lsij,  One  of  the  listeners  to  the  President's 
-'State  of  the  Nation'  address  a  month 
ago  was  Jack  L.  Warner,  Executive 
-Producer  of  Warner  Bros.  Pictures.  We 
reproduce  Mr.  Warner's  memorandum  to  his 
organization,  then  engaged  in  putting  final 
touches  to  the  motion  picture,  'Air  Force'. 

JACK    L.WARNER    TO    STAFF:  January  7.  Burbank.Cal. 

"Today  President  Roosevelt  said  (We  fight 
to  retain  a  great  past  —  and  we  fight  to  gain 
a  greater  future? 

"This,  in  clear  terms,  tells  the  nation  why 
we  are  at  war.  And  I  feel  it  also  asks  of  those 
not  at  the  front  what  they  are  doing  about  it. 
In  making  Warner  Bros.  Pictures  this  is  what 
the  12,000  of  us  are  doing: 


"We  are  dedicated  to  making  each 
precious  hour  spared  for  a  motion 
picture  count  to  the  fullest  in  its 
contribution  to  American  morale.  'Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy'  is  one  of  our  current  exam- 
ples. So  is  'Casablanca'. 

"And  now  we  have  'Air  Force'. 
"We've  poured  everything  into  making 
this  story.  But  the  element  of  greatness  in  it 
is  the  greatness  given  to  it  not  by  us  who 
filmed  it,  but  by  those  living  it  — the  fighting 
American  Air  Force. 

"I  believe  the  public  will  find  'Air  Force' 
as  fine  and  as  moving  a  picture  as  ever  our 
studio  has  put  forth.  It  is  because  this  picture 
is  the  unconquerable  spirit  of  our  people;  and 
because  this  is  a  story  that  says,  in  the  words 
of  our  President,  Hhe  state  of  this  nation  is 
good  —  the  heart  of  this  nation  is  sound  —  the 
spirit  of  this  nation  is  strong  —  the  faith  of 
this  nation  is  eternal, ? 

"Sincerely,  and  with  thanks  to  all  at  our 
studio  who  made  this  production  possible  — 
Hal  B.  Wallis,  Howard  Hawks,  the  cast,  the 
writers,  and  the  thousands  of  others." 


IS  NOW  AT  THE  HOLLYWOOD 
THEATRE    ♦  BWAY  AT  S1ST  ♦  PERFORMANCES  ARE  CONTINUOUS 


A  MESSAGE,  AS  IT  APPEARED  IN  CONSIDERABLY  LARGER  SPACE  IN  ALL  NEW  YORK 
NEWSPAPERS  ON  THE  PROUD  DAY  WHEN  'AIR  FORCE'  BEGAN  ITS  FIRST  ENGAGEMENT 


16 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


New  "Unity"  Proposal 
Offered  Industry  by 
Rodger s,  Kuykendall 


UNION  of  all  exhibitors  into  a  single  na- 
tional organization  representative  of  all  lo- 
calities and  groups  appears  to  have  little 
prospect  of  early  reality,  although  the  need 
for  such  a  unit  has  been  urged  by  at  least 
two  leaders.  A  survey  of  reaction  to  recent 
proposals  for  a  central  national  exhibitor 
front  disclosed  little  active  support.  No 
one  has  taken  the  initiative  with  a  concrete 
plan  for  such  an  organization. 

William  F.  Rodgers,  general  sales  man- 
ager and  vice-president  of  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer,  at  a  press  luncheon  two  weeks  ago 
pointed  out  that  direct  exhibitor  participa- 
tion was  lacking  in  many  industry  wartime 
councils.  He  urged  the  establishment  of  a 
democratic,  nationwide  organization  in 
which  all  theatre  men  could  be  represented 
at  councils  in  Washington  and  elsewhere. 

A  similar  plea  for  a  unified  exhibitor 
front,  but  based  on  existing  exhibitor  asso- 
ciations, came  this  week  from  Ed  Kuyken- 
dall, president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  of  America.  Although  he  made  no 
mention  of  Mr.  Rodgers'  proposals,  the  ex- 
hibitor leader  in  a  bulletin  to  MPTOA 
members  warned  that  theatres  have  not  been 
properly  represented  in  many  war  councils. 

Mr.  Rodgers  on  Monday  reit- 
erated his  belief  that  "if  ever  there 
is  to  be  peace  and  harmony  in  the 
industry  there  must  be  a  united 
exhibitor  front."  He  made  it  clear, 
however,  that  he  advanced  the  pro- 
posal only  as  an  individual  interest- 
ed in  the  industry.  In  asking  for 
a  nationwide  exhibitor  representa- 
tion he  did  not  act  for  MGM,  but 
from  a  personal  knowledge  and  in- 
terest in  problems  facing  both  dis- 
tribution and  exhibition,  he  said. 

No  crusade  is  under  way,  the  sales  leader 
added.  He  said  that  he  merely  had  made  the 
suggestion  in  the  press  and  at  several  meet- 
ings. He  is  not  engaged  in  a  campaign  in 
behalf  of  the  suggestion.  Mr.  Rodgers  has 
not  written  letters  or  made  any  overtures 
to  leaders  of  exhibition  groups  in  behalf  of 
a  national  plea.  Nor  does  he  intend  to. 
There  will  be  no  such  campaign  as  fostered 
the  United  Motion  Picture  Industry  and  its 
"unity"  plan  last  year,  he  indicated. 

Action  Should  Come 
From  Exhibitors 

Action  on  a  "solid  front"  exhibitor  organi- 
zation should  come  from  the  theatre  opera- 
tors themselves,  he  indicated.  Distributors 
have  their  own  such  national  association  in 
the  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distribu- 
tors of  America,  Inc.,  Mr.  Rodgers  pointed 
out,  and  are  not  interested  in  participating 
in  an  exhibitor  group.  In  fact,  to  do  so 
might  be  held  illegal,  industry  attorneys 
have  declared. 

The  sales  executive  cited  the  example  of 


the  MPPDA.  Although  bitterly  competitive 
the  major  distributors  and  producers  still 
can  meet  in  their  trade  association  to  dis- 
cuss mutual  problems  and  present  a  solid 
front,  democratically  reached  by  ballot  of 
directors,  through  the  trade  association,  he 
explained. 

Cites  Value  of  Unity  on 
Mutual  Problems 

Similar  unity  on  mutual  problems  should 
lie  within  reach  of  exhibitors,  he  added.  A 
national  group  of  theatre  operators  could 
say  they  represented  the  majority  of  exhibi- 
tors, under  the  fair  democratic  rule.  This 
would  reduce  confusion  outside  of  the  in- 
dustry and  prevent  local  or  minority  groups 
from  assuming  the  role  of  spokesmen  for  all, 
it  was  pointed  out. 

He  cited  industry  experience  in  situations 
where  legislators,  critics  and  persons  out- 
side the  industry  have  seized  the  pronounce- 
ments of  local,  and  frequently  interested, 
groups  on  controversial  topics  such  as 
double  features.  These  isolated  expressions 
are  often  turned  to  make  them  appear  as  the 
wish  of  all  the  industry.  Without  wishing 
to  cite  further  actual  experiences,  Mr.  Rod- 
gers reminded  that  they  often  work  serious 
harm  to  the  whole  industry. 

Exhibitors  are  missing  an  impor- 
tant opportunity  for  national  repre- 
sentation in  councils  before  the 
War  Production  Board  or  other 
government  agencies,  according  to 
the  Metro  sales  leader.  If  there 
were  a  national  exhibitor  represen- 
tation, it  would  be  possible  to  ex- 
plain directly  to  theatre  men  the 
need  for  war  economies,  such  as 
the  reduction  of  print  numbers,  or 
delay  in  transportation. 

Currently  the  WPB's  motion  picture  ad- 
visory committee  is  composed  principally  of 
producer  and  distributor  representatives,  and 
representatives  of  raw  stock  manufacturers. 
Minutes  of  meetings  are  confidential  and  dis- 
tributors are  often  placed  in  the  position  of 
informing  theatres  that  prints  have  been 
limited,  or  other  changes  made,  without  be- 
ing able  to  inform  them  of  the  reasons  giv- 
en in  explanation  by  the  WPB. 

Reaction  from  exhibitor  leaders  to  the  Rod- 
gers' proposal  has  been  cautious.  None,  to  date, 
has  come  forth  with  a  wholehearted  endorse- 
ment of  plans  for  a  national  front  of  all  theatre 
groups. 

H.  A.  Cole,  national  leader  of  Allied,  and  its 
president,  M.  A.  Rosenberg,  said  they  would 
prefer  to  make  no  comment  until  they  had  seen 
the  text  of  Mr.  Rodgers'  suggestion.  Abram 
Myers,  general  counsel  of  Allied  in  Washington, 
was  reported  preparing  comment  on  the  plan 
for  a  letter  to  his  membership.  But  it  was  im- 
possible to  obtain  any  indication  of  what  stand 
he  would  take. 

Exhibitor  leaders  in  New  York,  including 


Harry  Brandt,  Max  A.  Cohen  and  others,  ex- 
pressed interest  in  the  proposal  but  cautioned 
that  it  needed  careful  consideration.  They 
warned,  as  did  exhibitors  in  other  sections  of 
the  country,  that  such  a  national  organization 
would  have  to  steer  far  around  political  and 
factional  questions  and  matters  of  regional  dif- 
ference or  policy  questions,  such  as  double  fea- 
tures, film  prices,  clearances,  or  other  matters 
of  individual  relationship  between  distributor 
and  theatre. 

Mr.  Kuykendall  in  his  MPTOA 
bulletin  warned  that  government 
administrative  agencies,  rather  than 
legislatures  are  the  source  of  most 
current  regulation  of  the  industry. 
Motion  pictures,  as  a  whole,  are 
not  organized  to  resist  a  serious 
encroachment  on  their  rights  by 
bureaucrats,  he  added. 

"Exhibitors  must  organize.  In  no  other  way 
can  they  protect  their  interests,"  his  letter  said. 
"They  should  have  their  own  trade  organiza- 
tions, both  local  and  national,  to  deal  with  the 
already  organized  producers  and  distributors 
and  to  cooperate  with  them  when  and  if  the  oc- 
casion requires.  But  such  a  trade  association 
.  .  .  must  not  be  used  to  buy  film,  manage  the- 
atres or  to  secure  special  favors  from  the  dis- 
tributors for  any  insiders." 

A  national  front  of  exhibition  should  follow 
the  pattern  of  present  organizations,  according 
to  Mr.  Kuykendall.  "A  workable  effective  na- 
tional organization  necessarily  would  have  to  be 
on  the  pattern  of  the  MPTOA  organization 
plan  already  established  by  this  group  of  state 
and  regional  exhibitor  associations."  He  pro- 
posed a  "working  league  of  local  organizations." 

He  cited  coordination  of  exhibitor  groups  in 
New  England  during  the  recent  fuel  crisis  as 
an  example  of  how  local  exhibitor  groups  could 
cooperate  in  industry  matters. 

Opposition  Justified, 
Kuykendall  Says 

Opposition  to  administrative  regulations  and 
orders  is  justified,  Mr.  Kuykendall  added,  only 
"when  and  if  they  plainly  achieve  no  useful  pur- 
pose for  the  war  effort,  and  have  been  imposed 
because  of  the  ignorance  of  the  motion  picture 
industry  of  some  official  or  agency  or  from 
abuse  of  power  by  a  prejudiced  official. 

"Otherwise  the  primary  job  of  organized  ex- 
hibitors is  to  provide  the  means  for  quick 
conference  and  consultation"  on  wartime  re- 
strictions, he  said.  This,  according  to  Mr. 
Kuykendall,  should  be  done  through  commit- 
tees of  exhibitors.  The  MPTOA,  he  said, 
has  long  insisted  on  speaking  through  "experi- 
enced theatre  owners  and  managers  .  .  .  rather 
than  through  big-mouthed  organizers,  paid  law- 
yers and  hired  lobbyists. 

"It  is  obsolutely  necessary  that  the  important 
theatre  interests  work  together,  that  they  or- 
ganize for  their  own  defense,  and  that  they  col- 
laborate with  each  other  to  present  a  united 
front  of  the  responsible  exhibitors.  Factional 
organization  of  exhibitors  to  fight  each  other, 
refusal  to  support  any  sort  of  an  exhibitor  as- 
sociation, and  the  foolish  idea  of  standing  alone 
and  aloof,  weaken  and  undermine  the  motion 
picture  industry  at  a  critical  time,"  he  warned. 


Roy  Rogers  Troupe  Aids 
Bond  Sales  in  Houston 

Roy  Rogers,  Republic's  Western  star, 
visited  Houston  on  Sunday,  February  7th,  as 
his  first  stop  on  a  tour  of  Army  camps  in  the 
southwest.  His  appearance  at  the  city's  Bond 
rally  aided  in  the  sale  of  a  reported  $150,000 
in  War  Bonds.  It  was  estimated  that  25,000 
persons  were  present. 

With  Gene  Autry  and  the  Sons  of  the  Pion- 
eers, Mr.  Rogers  entertained  at  Camp  Wallace 
the  following  Wednesday.  In  conjunction  with 
the  tour,  a  radio  program,  "A  Salute  to  Texas," 
was  broadcast  over  Station  KTRH. 


ebruary    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


17 


SOVIET  SEEKS  NEW  CONTACT 
WITH  U.  S.  INDUSTRY 


Antonou,  Russian  Envoy, 
Here  on  Mission  Aimed 
at  Interchange 

Establishment  of  "long-range  business, 
technical  and  cultural  relations"  between  the 
American  and  Russian  film  industries,  '"to 
continue  for  the  duration  and  after  the  war," 
is  the  objective  of  Leonid  A.  Antonov,  spe- 
cial representative  of  the  Soviet  Cinema 
Committee,  who  has  been  in  the  U.  S.  for 
two  months  and  who  is  expected  to  visit 
Hollywood  shortly. 

Mr.  Antonov  has  set  up  headquarters  in 
Xew  York  at  the  Amtorg  Trading  Corpora- 
tion. He  already  has  conferred  with  some 
industry  executives  from  home  offices  as 
well  as  officials  of  the  Office  of  War  Inform- 
ation in  Xew  York  and  Washington. 

Interviewed  at  his  office  last  Thursday, 
through  an  interpreter,  the  Soviet  represen- 
tative said  his  purpose  in  this  country  was 
to  establish  a  "cultural  relationship  between 
the  creative  artist  of  the  American  and  Sovi- 
et picture  industries,  interchange  of  their 
experiences  in  the  production  of  pictures  and 
also  commercial  exchange  of  films  between 
Russia  and  the  United  States." 

The  Sovet  Government,  he  said 
"is  interested  in  purchasing  the  best 
American  films,  regardless  of  type. 
The  choice  will  be  based  on  the 
artistic  quality  of  the  picture. 
'Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn', 
which  I  already  have  chosen,  could 
serve  as  an  example."  His  Govern- 
ment is  prepared  to  pay  cash  for  all 
outright  purchases,  he  added. 

Regarding  the  assistance  to  his  govern- 
ment of  the  motion  picture  bureau  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information,  Mr.  Antonov 
mentioned  that  OWI  had  been  instrumental 
in  facilitating  the  exchange  of  U.  S.  and  So- 
viet newsreels.  He  did  not  reveal,  however. 
OWI  plans  of  cooperation  to  cement  trade 
relations  between  the  U.  S.  and  Russian  film 
industries,  but  said  the  OWI  may  distribute 
Soviet  war  shorts  through  the  War  Activi- 
ties Committee. 

Features,  Shorts  Included 
In  Exchange  of  Films 

At  the  New  York  Office  of  the  OWI's 
film  division,  an  official  reported  this  week 
that  such  shorts  would  be  distributed  in  the- 
atres if  the  OWI  ''considers  them  suitable 
for  American  audiences."  "Dover"  and 
"Night  Shift,"  two  shorts  produced  by  the 
film  division  of  the  British  Ministry  of 
Information,  already  have  been  distributed 
to  American  theatres,  through  the  War  Ac- 
tivities Committee. 

Mr.  Antonov  pointed  out  that  both  fea- 
tures and  shorts  from  Russia  will  figure  in 
the  "exchange"  of  films  between  the  two 
industries.  In  addition  to  "Commandos 
Strike  at  Dawn,"  Columbia  release,  other 
American  pictures  in  which  Russia  is  inter- 
ested, he  indicated,  were :  Walt  Disney's 


Staff  Photographer 


LEONID  A.  ANTONOV 

"Fantasia"  and  "Bambi,"  RKO  releases : 
"Wake  Island,"  Paramount;  "Mrs.  Mini- 
ver," MGM.  Contrary  to  recent  reports, 
the  two  Disney  features  actually  have  not 
yet  been  purchased,  although  it  is  expected 
that  contracts  will  be  signed  in  Hollywood 
during  Mr.  Antonov's  forthcoming  visit. 

Reporting  on  the  condition  of  the  Russian 
film  industry  under  wartime  obstacles,  he 
said  that  since  the  war  more  than  100  fea- 
tures and  400  shorts  have  been  produced  in 
the  Soviet  Union.  Out  of  these  the  best 
are  being  sent  to  America.  It  is  also  under- 
stood that  about  400,000  feet  of  film  were 
shot  last  year  by  Soviet  newsreel  camera- 
men of  the  Army,  Navy  and  Air  Force. 
Some  90  newsreels  and  several  documentary 
films  were  made  on  the  basis  of  this  mate- 
rial. For  the  current  year,  Russia  expects 
to  equal  if  not  double  the  output  of  last  year. 
Fourteen  features  already  are  in  production, 
plus  numerous  documentaries  and  about  72 
newsreels  are  expected  to  be  made. 

Since  the  German  invasion,  a  new  motion 
picture  center  has  been  built  in  Central 
Asia,  at  Alma  Ata,  the  capital  of  Kazak- 
stan.  Studios  in  Tashkent  and  Ashkabad 
have  been  enlarged  and  a  new  studio  is 
scheduled  to  be  opened  soon  in  Sverdlovsk. 
In  Moscow,  former  center  of  the  industry, 
the  only  studio  operating  is  that  which  pro- 
duces newsreels  and  educational  short  sub- 
jects. 

Between  20,000  and  25,000 
Theatres  Operating 

At  present,  there  are  between  20,000  and 
25,000  regular  theatres  in  operation,  Mr. 
Antonov  disclosed,  many  of  which  are  still 
showing  American  films,  among  them 
MGM's  "The  Great  Waltz,"  Universale 
"One  Hundred  Men  and  a  Girl,"  Charles 
Chaplin's  "Modern  Times"  and  "City 
Lights."  In  addition  to  these  theatres,  there 
are  approximately  20,000  centers  where  mo- 


tion pictures  are  shown,  both  35mm.  and 
16mm.,  he  said,  including  factories,  health 
and  educational  centers  and  other  places. 

A  shortage  of  raw  film  stock  exists,  the 
Soviet  representative  disclosed,  because  so 
much  film  is  being  used  for  training  films 
and  other  war  needs.  His  Government  was 
able  to  purchase  needed  raw  stock  as  well  as 
projectors  and  other  equipment  in  the 
United  States  last  }7ear,  he  said,  but  could 
not  estimate  in  dollars  and  cents  what  the 
purchase  amounted  to.  It  is  understood, 
however,  that  between  $500,000  and  $1,000,- 
000  in  film  stock  and  equipment  was  bought 
by  the  Soviet  Government,  partly  on  lend- 
lease  and  partly  for  cash,  although  it  is  not 
known  how  much  of  the  equipment  was 
shipped  or  is  awaiting  shipment. 

Despite  the  fact  that  the  war  has 
drained  much  of  the  technical  and 
professional  manpower  of  Soviet 
studios,  Mr.  Antonov  disclosed  that 
the  industry  "has  retained  all  its 
best  creative  artists,"  including  pro- 
ducers, directors,  writers  and  top- 
ranking  players.  Most  of  them  are 
currently  engaged  in  production  of 
the  features  and  shorts,  "the  best  of 
which  is  to  be  sent  to  the  United 
States."  A  good  many  of  the  fea- 
tures have  war  backgrounds,  but 
there  are  a  number  of  "purely  en- 
tertainment pictures  in  production," 
he  said. 

Among  the  features  are :  "Ivan  the  Ter- 
rible," historical  film  being  produced  by  Ser- 
gei Eisenstein;  "Citizens  of  Leningrad," 
screen  version  of  Simonov's  play,  "The  Rus- 
sian People,"  which  recently  was  staged  in 
New  York  by  the  Theatre  Guild,  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Pudovkin ;  "Cabby  of  the  Skies," 
screenplay  by  the  late  Eugene  Petrov,  based 
on  exploits  of  the  civil  air  fleet ;  "Guerrillas" ; 
"The  Actress";  "Flight  Over  Berlin";  "Ler- 
montov";  "New  Adventures  of  the  Brave 
Soldier  Shveik";  "The  Wonderful  Violin"; 
"Be  Happy";  "Lidice";  "Fallen  Leaves"  and 
"Maturity." 

Sees  Idea  Interchange 
Following  War 

The  shorts  include:  "Rout  of  the  German 
Armies  at  Stalingrad";  "Youth  on  the  Bat- 
tle Front"  and  "Armory  in  the  Urals,"  deal- 
ing with  war  industry  workers  behind  the 
front  lines. 

Before  leaving  Russia  for  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Antonov  worked  as  a  director- 
producer  of  scientific  and  educational  films 
at  the  Moscow  studio.  He  is  looking  for- 
ward "with  great  interest"  to  his  visit  in 
Hollywood,  which  may  extend  for  eight  or 
more  weeks,  and  is  eager  to  study  technical 
developments  of  the  American  motion  pic- 
ture industry.  He  indicated  that  after  the 
war,  American  and  Russian  film  technicians 
will  have  "great  opportunity"  for  inter- 
change of  ideas  and  methods.  He  also  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  his  mission  to  the 
United  States  "will  be  successful"  in  estab- 
lishing a  greater  bond  between  the  industries 
of  both  countries. 


18 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


"Harvest"  Hits 
10-  Week  Record 
At  Music  Hall 

"Random  Harvest,"  the  second  MGM  film 
to  play  10  weeks  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
began  its  tenth  week  at  that  New  York  theatre 
on  Thursday  and  was  expected  to  remain 
another  week  before  the  Goldwyn-RKO  picture, 
"They  Got  Me  Covered,"  follows  it.  "Mrs. 
Miniver"  played  10  weeks  last  year  and  two 
other  MGM  films,  "Woman  of  the  Year"  and 
"Philadelphia  Story,"  rolled  up  six-week  hold- 
over records.  According  to  the  theatre  man- 
agement, "Harvest"  grossed  $962,800  for  the 
nine-week  period,  compared  to  $931,000  gar- 
nered by  "Miniver"  for  the  same  period. 

Other  Broadway  holdovers  are:  "Casa- 
blanca," Warner  Bros.,  at  the  Strand,  in  its 
12th  week  on  Broadway,  including  previous  run 
at  the  Hollywood  at  advanced  prices ;  United 
Artists'  "In  Which  We  Serve,"  Noel  Coward 
production,  which  began  its  ninth  week  on 
Thursday  at  the  Capitol ;  "Star  Spangled 
Rhythm,"  Paramount  release,  entered  its  eighth 
week  at  the  Paramount  on  Wednesday  and 
is  the  only  film  to  run  that  long  at  that  the- 
atre. "Road  to  Morocco"  played  seven  weeks 
at  the  Paramount.  Columbia's  "Commandos 
Strike  at  Dawn"  started  its  sixth  week  at 
Loew's  Criterion,  Wednesday.  "Air  Force," 
Warner  Bros.,  in  its  second  week,  Hollywood. 
"Black  Swan,"  20th-Fox,  began  its  third  and 
final  week  at  the  Roxy,  Wednesday. 

Completing  first-week  engagements  at  the 
Orpheum,  New  Orleans,  and  Ambassador,  St 
Louis,  RKO's  "Hitler's  Children"  has  set  "new 
all-time  records  for  grosses  in  each  theatre," 
the  company  reported  Monday.  Another  RKO 
release,  "They  Got  Me  Covered,"  the  Goldwyn 
production  starring  Bob  Hope  and  Dorothy 
Lamour,  did  the  "biggest  midweek  opening 
business  at  Keith's  in  Washington  in  four 
years,"  the  company  said.  Other  record  busi- 
ness done  by  the  picture  was  at  the  Orpheurn, 
Denver ;  20th  Century,  Buffalo,  and  Golden 
Gate,  San  Francisco.  The  film  is  in  its  third 
week  at  the  latter  house. 

Two,  three,  four  and  five-week  holdovers 
for  "Casablanca"  were  announced  by  Warners 
this  week.  The  picture  is  in  its  fifth  week  in 
Philadelphia ;  four  weeks,  Pittsburgh,  Portland, 
Hartford,  Dayton,  Cincinnati ;  three  weeks,  Los 
Angeles,  Milwaukee,  Memphis,  Providence,  Buf- 
falo, Albany;  two  weeks,  Canton,  Cleveland, 
Jersey  City,  Newark,  New  Bedford,  Paterson, 
Reading,  Rochester,  Syracuse,  Trenton,  Wil- 
mington, Washington  (two  houses),  Chicago. 
Denver,  Des  Moines,  Lincoln,  Madison,  Okla- 
homa City,  Omaha,  Peoria,  San  Francisco,  San 
Diego,  Seattle,  South  Bend,  Tacoma  and 
Wichita. 

The  company  also  reported  that  in  its  first 
engagements  in  smaller  cities  and  towns,  "Yan- 
kee Doodle  Dandy"  is  "drawing  attendance 
generally  about  200  per  cent  of  average  and  in 
many  cases  as  much  as  150  per  cent  oyer  'Ser- 
geant York,' "  previous  Warner  high-gross 
release.  It  is  in  its  fourth  week  in  Brooklyn 
and  Jacksonville ;  fifth  week,  Chicago,  Port- 
land, Ore. :  sixth,  Minneapolis ;  third,  San 
Francisco,  Salt  Lake  City,  Detroit,  Rochester ; 
second  week,  Newport  News,  Lincoln. 

Second-week  holdovers  for  "In  Which  We 
Serve"  were  reported  by  United  Artists  as 
follows :  Hartford,  Baltimore,  Boston,  Indian- 
apolis, Jersey  City,  Newark,  New  Orleans, 
Norfolk,  Providence,  Buffalo,  and  Stamford. 


Report  RKO  Theatres  Deal 

A  half  interest  in  the  Mainstreet  theatre  of 
Kansas  City  has  been  acquired  by  the  local 
RKO  Theatres  subsidiarv  for  a  reported  price 
of  $75,000  from  the  F.  H.  Thwing  estate.  The 
other  undivided  half  interest  is  owned  by  Fox 
Midwest  Theatres. 


HERALD  WELCOME  TO 
SOLDIER  OVERSEAS 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Herald: 

In  October  you  wrote  asking  me  to 
give  you  Private  Harris  Craddock's 
address. 

This  is  to  say  that  during  his  stay  in 
England  and  for  several  weeks  in 
Africa  he  received  no  mail  except  the 
Herald. 

He  says  we  can't  begin  to  realize 
the  pleasure  it  has  given  to  him  and 
to  the  men  in  his  squadron.  He  is 
seeing  such  recent  pictures  as  "Mr. 
Chips"  and  "Mr.  Deeds  Goes  to 
Town."  The  Herald  has  enabled  him 
to  keep  in  touch  with  pictures  and 
the  motion  picture  industry. 

We  pay  tribute  to  you  for  getting 
the  Herald  so  promptly  and  regularly 
to  our  men  in  far  away  places. — 
CLAIRE  CRADDOCK,  Lake  Charles, 
La. 


Move  Army  Film 
Unit  to  New  York 

Coordination  of  technical,  administrative  and 
clerical  operations  of  the  U.  S.  Army  train- 
ing film  distribution  division  was  effected  this 
week  when  the  clerical  staff  of  the  section 
moved  from  Washington  to  new  offices  in 
New  York  at  the  De  Luxe  laboratories  in  the 
20th  Century-Fox  building.  Major  C.  W. 
Sheely,  officer  in  charge  of  distribution,  said 
that  about  30  persons  were  employed  in  the 
newly  expanded  clerical  division.  Printing, 
processing,  inspection  and  distribution  of  train- 
ing film  prints,  will  continue  to  be  handled  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  building,  with  the  ad- 
ministrative offices  centered  on  the  third  floor. 

In  view  of  the  department's  expansion  and 
centralization,  it  is  understood  that  the  divi- 
sion shortly  may  take  over  the  distribution  of 
the  entertainment  films  in  16mm.  now  handled 
by  the  overseas  section  of  the  Army  Special 
Services  Branch.  Official  confirmation  of  this 
move,  which  was  said  to  be  contemplated  to  get 
greater  coordination  of  all  distribution  opera- 
tions of  the  Army's  film  sections,  was  not 
forthcoming  either  from  Major  Sheely  or  Ma- 
jor Orton  Hicks,  officer  in  charge  of  the 
overseas  operations. 

Kalmenson  Reassigns  Area 
In  Warner  Sales  Shift 

Following  the  announcement  last  week  by 
Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  manager  of  War- 
ner Brothers,  of  the  promotion  of  six  sales  of- 
ficials to  higher  positions,  an  announcement 
from  his  office  this  week  elaborated  on  the  new 
sales  setup. 

The  Detroit  branch,  formerly  part  of  the 
central  district,  has  been  transferred  to  the 
midwest  district  under  Roy  Haines'  supervision. 
Mr.  Haines,  who  is  western  division  manager, 
handles  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Minneapolis, 
Des  Moines,  Kansas  City,  Omaha,  St.  Louis, 
Atlanta,  Charlotte,  Dallas,  Memphis,  New  Or- 
leans, Oklahoma  City,  Denver,  Los  Angeles, 
Portland,  Salt  Lake  City,  San  Francisco  and 
Seattle  areas.  Jules  Lapidus,  eastern  sales  man- 
ager, has  New  York,  Albany,  Boston,  Buffalo, 
New  Haven,  Philadelphia,  Washington,  Cin- 
cinnati, Cleveland,  Indianapolis  and  Pittsburgh. 
Charles  Rich,  central  district  manager,  will 
move  his  headquarters  from  Pittsburgh  to 
Cleveland. 


British  Order 
Rationing  of 
Raw  Stock 

Rationing  of  raw  stock  for  the  British  in- 
dustry began  last  Monday  under  an  order  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  which  was  announced 
without  advance  notice  and  came  as  a  surprise 
to  the  trade. 

Announcing  his  decision,  the  Board  of  Trade 
declared  it  was  necessary  because  the  distrib- 
utors already  were  seeking  to  build  up  sup- 
plies of  raw  stock  in  anticipation  of  a  rationing 
order  and,  despite  Government  pleas  for  econ- 
omy, were  placing  excessive  orders  for  positive- 
prints. 

All  prints  except  newsreels  will  be  deducted 
from  raw  stock  allocations  which  will  be  de- 
cided eventually. 

As  previously  disclosed,  the  order  is  expected 
to  call  for  a  cut  of  25  per  cent  in  the  industry's 
over-all  raw  stock  consumption. 

Whether  the  percentage  reduction  in  raw 
stock  expected  to  be  ordered  soon  by  the  Gov- 
ernment should  apply  to  all  distributors  col- 
lectively or  be  adjusted  according  to  individual 
output  is  one  of  the  points  to  be  decided  be- 
tween the  industry  and  the  Board  of  Trade. 

Meanwhile,  the  Board  of  Trade  last  week 
began  consultations  with  the  industry  regard- 
ing matters  to  be  decided  when  it  met  with 
officials  of  the  newsreels  and  the  Kinematograph 
Renters  Society  (distributors)  for  an  examina- 
tion of  the  situation  and  an  exchange  of  views. 

The  distributors  were  told  that  they  must 
disclose  all  undeveloped  film  footage  on  hand 
and  any  prints  deductible  from  the  statutory 
ration. 

Both  groups  decided  that  the  Board  of  Trade 
proposals  would  be  considered  further  by  their 
respective  organizations,  with  further  joint 
meetings  to  be  held  later. 

Agree  on  Bonus  for  British 
Theatre  Employees 

The  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Association  in 
England  this  week  reached  a  compromise 
agreement  with  theatre  employee  unions  on  the 
payment  of  an  increased  cost  of  living  bonus. 
A  35  per  cent  bonus  will  be  paid  to  all  em- 
ployees earning  less  than  $8  weekly,  a  33JA 
per  cent  bonus  to  those  between  $8  and  $12 
weekly  and  25  per  cent  to  those  earning  more 
than  $12  a  week.  The  agreement  is  effective 
on  March  1st.  Producers  and  labor  unions 
also  have  reached  an  agreement  on  a  cost  of 
living  for  studio  employees.  A  standard  studio 
"  wage-hour  agreement  is  expected  to  follow. 

The  CEA  general  council  in  London  has 
rescinded  its  earlier  resolution  opposing  the 
showing  of  films  dealing  with  venereal  disease. 
The  council  action  followed  the  approval  of 
"Social  Enemy  Number  One,"  an  Anglo-Amer- 
ican Film  Company  release,  by  the  censor 
board.  The  film  includes  a  foreword  by  Ernest 
Brown,  Minister  of  Health.  The  CEA  action 
is  understood  to  affect  only  the  one  film. 

Major  Murray  Resigns  Post 
As  Canadian  Radio  Head 

Major  W.  E.  Gladstone  Murray,  Canadian 
Broadcasting  Company  general  manager  from 
1936  to  1942,  and  director  general  of  broadcast- 
ing for  Canada  since  that  time,  has  resigned  to 
conduct  his  own  business  as  a  public  relations 
counsellor  in  the  general  industrial  field,  it  was 
learned  last  week. 

Following  a  two-day  meeting  of  the  CBC 
board,  it  also  was  announced  that  free  network 
time  will  be  allowed  various  parties  during 
provincial  elections  to  present  their  views  to  the 
public. 


SOMETHING  TO 
SOMETHING  TO 


ABOUT  I 


SOMETHING  TO 


sptftf&f  ABOUT 


ABOUT ! 


<£)on  c/cr/ref 

MfltCHE  BLAIR  04K/F 

[figs  SOMBWm 

roSHOur about 

'  WITH 

WILLIAM  GAXTON  •  CQBINA  WRIGHT,  jr.   Jk 

Screen  play  by  Lou  Breslow  and  Edward  Eliscu  •  Produced  and  Directed  by  GREGORY  RATOFF 


A    COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


ooo 

UT! 


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ith 


the  DESPERADOES 

r^OOLPH  SCOTT  •  GLENN  FORD  •  CLAIRE  TRE^d 
EVELYN  KEYES  •  EDGAR  BUCHANAN 

screen  play  by  «<*«"  Carson  "  Prt"",ce(l  b»  "A""'  JOE  BROWN 
Directed  by  CHARLES  VIDOR 


EmM  to  about/ 


iUH  ARTHUR  •  JOEL  McCREA 
.,  GEORGE  STEVENS' 
MORE  THE  MERRIER 

w*         ,m  CHARLES  COBURN 


tq  about; 


DESTROYER 


STARRING 


£D>N^RD  G.  ROBINSON 

BUHH  FORD  •  MARGUERITE  CHAPMAN 

.  CRAIG  WOODS  •  LEO  GORCEY  .  REGIS  TOOMEY 


nP.R  BUCHANAN 

Oririnal  Screen  Play  by  Lieutenant-Commander  Frank  Wead 
Directed  by  WILLIAM  A.  SEITER  •  Produced  by'  LOUIS  EDELMAN 


Be  Patriotic!  Sell  Bonds  Day  and  Night! 


February  20, 


1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


23 


FULL  TIME  PANEL  IS  URGED 
FOR  FILM  ARBITRATION 


Julius  Cohen  Advocates 
Permanent  Board  To  Be 
Trained  for  Work 

Establishment  of  a  paid,  permanent  board 
of  arbitrators  to  hear  motion  picture  com- 
plaints under  the  consent  decree  is  advo- 
cated at  New  York  by  Julius  Henry  Cohen, 
arbitrator,  attorney  and  one  of  the  early 
sponsors  of  commercial  arbitration. 

He  urged  the  training  of  special  profes- 
sional arbitrators  to  handle  the  technicali- 
ties of  film  cases,  remuneration  to  be  paid 
from  the  general  administrative  fund  of  the 
motion  picture  arbitration  system,  and  the 
automatic  assignment  in  rotation  of  these 
arbitrators  to  exhibitor  complaints.  Mr. 
Cohen  embodied  his  suggestions  in  a  17- 
page  supplement  to  the  award  in  which  he 
granted  a  clearance  reduction  last  week  in 
New  York's  33rd  case  to  the  Savoy  theatre, 
Bloorr.neid,  X.  T. 

Titled  "Notes  and  suggestions  by  the  arbi- 
trator for  consideration  of  those  charged 
with  reviewing  the  experiment  under  the 
consent  decree,"  Mr.  Cohen  analyzed  proce- 
dure in  the  case  heard  by  him  and  advanced 
suggestions  for  the  improvement  of  decree 
procedure. 

It  was  one  of  the  first  specific 
suggestions  for  the  continuation  of 
arbitration  tribunals  as  a  means  of 
settling  industry  disputes  after  the 
expiration  of  the  consent  decree's 
experimental  period  next  Novem- 
ber. Attorneys  for  the  five  con- 
senting distributors  when  asked 
about  company  courses  following 
the  end  next  November  of  the 
three  year  decree  period,  said  they 
considered  it  too  early  to  make  any 
plans  in  this  direction. 

The  Department  of  Justice,  however,  has 
been  reported  studying  ways  of  continuing  arbi- 
trat:;n.  Robert  Wright,  head  of  the  rr.c:::r. 
picture  section  of  the  anti-trust  division  is 
known  to  have  queried  arbitrators  who  sat  in 
61m  cases.  Their  opinions  and  recommenda- 
tions are  now  being  analyzed.  No  public  report 
is  expected,  however. 

Object  Is  to  Speed  Hearing 
Of  All  Complaints 

Thurman  Arnold,  assistant  attorney  general 
in  charge  of  the  anti-trust  division,  was  nomi- 
nated to  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  District 
of  Columbia  last  week.  No  successor  has  been 
appointed  to  his  Department  of  Justice  post. 

The  object  of  his  plan,  Mr.  Cohen  wrote,  is 
to  speed  up  the  arbitration  of  exhibitor  com- 
plaints, and  to  insure  more  uniform  and  equi- 
table administration  of  the  decree  by  providing 
experienced  arbitrators.  He  compared  film  ar- 
bitrators to  court  appointed  masters  in  chancery 
and  declared  that  they  should  be  lawyers, 
familiar  with  the  judicial  process,  and  trained 
specially  in  motion  picture  industry  procedure. 

To  insure  their  high  caliber  he  urged  com- 
pensation equivalent  to  the  salaries  paid  the 
Appeal  Board.  Arbitrators  now  receive  only  a 
nominal  S10  a  day. 

"When  the  tribunal  was  planned,  the  choice 
lay  between  impartiality  and  expertness.  The 


decision  was  thrown  in  favor  of  impartiality 
in  the  hope  that  out  of  the  process  itself  would 
come  expertness.  This  expertness  has  now  been 
achieved  in  large  part  and  can  still  be  im- 
proved upon,  but  its  value  can  be  fully  achieved 
only  by  free  recognition  and  application  of  the 
same  principle  of  compensation  as  is  applied  to 
the  members  of  the  Appeal  Board,"  he  wrote. 

He  urged  that  arbitrators  be  assigned  in  ro- 
tation to  take  full  advantage  of  the  training  of 
members.  The}'  would  be  paid  from  the  admin- 
istrative fund,  now  supported  by  distributors, 
in  order  to  open  arbitration  to  the  smallest 
exhibitors.  "The  cost  should  be  a  tax  on  the 
entire  industry,"  Mr.  Cohen  said. 

"There  could  be  created  a  new 
kind  of  panel — a  group  of  men  %vho 
have  already  received  their  training 
as  trial  judges  and  have  become  ex- 
pert— who  will  not  need  to  be  fresh- 
ly informed  and  educated  case  by 
case,  who  will  understand  the  prac- 
tices in  the  industry,  who  will  know 
how  to  preside,  and  who  will  know 
how  to  drive  the  case  to  a  swift 
decision."  Mr.  Cohen  wrote. 

He  is  a  director  of  the  American  Arbitration 
Association,  and  former  counsel  for  the  New 
York  State  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Port 
of  New  York  Authority.  He  was  active  in 
gaining  statutory  recognition  of  arbitration  in 
New  York  state. 

Albany 

The  Appeal  Board  in  its  53rd  decision,  further 
reduced  the  clearance  of  the  Schine  Oneonta 
and  Palace  theatres,  Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  over 
Smalley's  theatre  in  Delhi,  N.  Y.  The  board, 
ruling  that  competition  between  the  towns,  21 
miles  apart,  is  slight,  set  a  three-day  maximum. 
The  award  by  Harold  B.  Slingerman  cut  the 
margin  granted  to  Schine  by  Paramount,  MGM, 
Warners,  RKO  and  Twentieth  Century-Fox 
from  30  to  14  days.  The  Appeal  Board  said 
the  three-day  maximum  would  conform  more 
closely  to  precedents  set  in  upstate  New  York 
in  the  complaints  of  the  Smalley  Sidney  theatre 
and  the  American  theatre,  Canton,  N.  Y.  Costs 
were  divided  equally. 

Los  Angeles 

Los  Angeles'  12th  case,  the  clearance  action 
of  the  Eagle  theatre  against  the  five  distributors 
and  the  Glen  theatre  was  decided  for  the  com- 
plainant last  week  by  Clay  Robbins,  arbitrator. 
He  ruled  that  competition  with  the  Glen  was 
insufficient  to  warrant  a  seven,  day  clearance 
over  the  Eagle  and  directed  Warners,  RKO, 
Paramount  and  MGM  to  give  the  Eagle  avail- 
ability equal  to  other  subsequent  run  theatres 
in  the  Los  Angeles  area,  charging  the  same 
admission  price.  Twentieth  Century-Fox  was 
dismissed  as  an  affiliate  of  the  intervening  Fox 
West  Coast  circuit.  Costs  were  charged  one- 
half  against  complainant  and  one-half  among 
defendants  and  intervenors. 

Dallas 

All  counts  of  the  three  section  complaint  of 
L.  W.  Adwell,  operating  the  Roxy  theatre, 
San  Angelo,  Tex.,  were  dismissed  on  February 
10th  at  Dallas  by  Fred  Florence,  arbitrator. 
It  was  the  8th  case,  and  was  filed  early  in  De- 
cember. He  found  that  he  had  no  jurisdiction 
over  the  specific  run  aspect  of  the  demand 
and  ruled  that  complainant  failed  to  prove  clear- 
ance or  some  run  charges  against  Paramount, 


Warners,  MGM  and  Fox  Mr.  Adwell  must 
pay  costs. 

New  complaints  were  filed  this  week  at  Buf- 
falo, Chicago,  Omaha,  and  Cleveland 

Buffalo 

The  Schine  circuit,  Gloversville,  filed  the 
18th  Buffalo  case,  a  clearance  action  for  its 
Granada  theatre,  Buffalo,  on  Thursday  through 
the  S.  G.  Theatre  Corporation.  Naming  the 
five  consenting  distributors  and  Shea's  Kensing- 
ton theatre,  it  asked  elimination  or  equitable 
reduction  of  the  Kensington  clearance. 

Omaha 

Frank  P.  Gartner,  operator  of  the  Rialto  the- 
atre, Beatrice,  Neb.,  charged  last  week  that 
MGM,  Paramount,  RKO  and  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox refuse  to  grant  him  some  run  under 
the  terms  of  Section  VI.  It  is  the  third  Omaha 
action. 

Cleveland 

A  clearance  demand,  the  eighth  Cleveland 
case,  was  filed  Thursday  by  the  Capitol  theatre, 
Delphos,  O.  It  charged  that  Paramount,  War- 
ners, RKO  and  MGM  refused  to  license  pic- 
tures on  a  reasonable  basis.  Elimination  of 
clearance  in  favor  of  the  Warner  circuit's  Ohio 
and  Sigma  theatres,  Lima,  O.,  and  the  Schine 
Van  Wert  theatre  in  Van  Wert  was  asked. 
Also  the  Capitol  seeks  availability  without  re- 
gard to  Lima  and  concurrent  with  Van  Wert. 

Chicago 

The  first  new  Chicago  arbitration  case  since 
November  was  filed  on  February  13th,  when 
Joseph  Marchesi,  A.  Marchesi  and  James  Mar- 
ches! doing  business  as  Marchesi  Bros.,  com- 
plained that  clearance  granted  by  Loew's,  and 
Warners,  to  the  Orpheum  theatre  and  the  Web 
theatre  of  Savanna,  111.,  over  their  Carroll  the- 
atre, Mt.  Carroll,  111.,  is  unreasonable. 

Complainant  asks  an  award  abolishing  clear- 
ance or  establishing  a  maximum.  Frank  R. 
Eagleton,  owrner  and  operator  of  the  Times  the- 
atre, was  named  as  an  interested  part}'. 

Philadelphia 

The  10th  Philadelphia  case,  pending  since 
July,  1941,  was  settled  by  a  stipulation  Tuesday 
which  applied  to  the  clearance  demand  of  the 
Libert}-  theatre,  Camden,  N.  J.,  the  same  set- 
tlement awarded  in  the  11th  case  to  the  Park- 
side  theatre.  Both  theatres  are  operated  bv 
Abe  M.  Ellis. 

MGM,  Warners,  RKO  and  Paramount 
agreed  in  the  stipulation  signed  by  Ronald  J. 
Christ}'  to  cut  clearance  of  the  Broadway, 
Tower,  Lyric,  Victoria  and  Rio  theatres  over 
the  Libert}'  from  21  to  14  days.  The  21-day 
margins  of  the  Camden,  Savar,  Stanley,  Grand 
and  Libert}-  theatres  •was  accepted  as  reasonable. 
Costs  were  divided. 


Estimate  20,000  Bookings 

Warner  Brothers  estimated  last  week  that 
playdates  for  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  would 
total  approximately  20.000.  Repeat  bookings 
were  running  40  per  cent  ahead  of  "Sergeant 
York,"  which  had  approximately  17,5Uv  piay- 
dates,  the  company  said. 


Receives  Captaincy  in  Army 

Harold  S.  Bareford,  member  of  Warner 
Brothers'  legal  staff,  has  been  commissioned  a 
captain  in  the  Army. 


2A 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


Exhibition  Rallies  to 
Aid  Dimes  Drive 


Campaign  Now  Under 
Way;  Industry  Prepares 
for  Red  Cross  Collection 

More  than  10,000  theatres  pledged  sup- 
port of  the  "March  of  Dimes"  annual  in- 
fantile paralysis  drive,  which  began  Thurs- 
day. The  figure  was  released  Monday  at 
New  York  headquarters,  and  at  mid-week 
last  minute  pledges  were  expected.  Mean- 
while, participating  houses  had  received  the 
campaign  book  and  the  trailer,  and  on 
Thursday  began  the  collections  which  are 
expected  to  be  greater  this  year  than  ever. 

Indication  was  seen  in  a  pre-campaign 
collection,  last  week,  by  Loew's  Palace, 
Washington.  In  seven  days,  it  collected 
$4,001.  Last  year,  in  eight  days,  it  collected 
only  $2,759. 

The  War  Activities  Committee,  in  New 
York,  already  is  preparing  the  Red  Cross 
campaign,  which  will  be  held  this  year 
April  1st  through  6th,  timed  not  to  follow 
too  closely  the  infantile  paralysis  drive. 
Barney  Balaban,  national  chairman  of  the 
drive,  this  week  completed  appointments  to 
his  staff. 

Balaban  Names  Staff 
In  Red  Cross  Drive 

Named  were:  Claude  F.  Lee,  assistant; 
Walter  Vincent,  treasurer;  Thomas  J.  Con- 
nors, distribution;  Oscar  A.  Doob,  publicity; 
Ed  Sullivan  and  Robert  Weitman,  special 
war  fund  shows. 

Co-chairmen :  Nate  Blumberg,  James  Cag- 
ney,  Jack  Cohn,  Edward  Kuykendall,  Mar- 
tin Quigley,  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  Samuel 
Rinzler,  M.  A.  Rosenberg,  Nicholas  M. 
Schenck,  Charles  Skouras,  Albert  Warner. 

Meanwhile,  the  nation's  exhib- 
itors aided  the  war  effort  further 
this  week  by  arranging  to  play  the 
Office  of  War  Information  short 
subject,  "Point  Rationing  of  Foods," 
which  explains  in  six-minute  car- 
toon form  the  seemingly  complex 
system  which  begins  March  1st.  The 
WAC  changed  its  war  films  release 
schedule  to  include  the  short. 

In  the  March  of  Dimes  drive,  special  empha- 
sis was  placed  on  having  participating  theatres 
make  collections ;  and  in  most  areas  response 
was  immediate  and  100  per  cent.  Fred  Dolle, 
Louisville  exhibitor,  wrote  New  York  head- 
quarters last  week  that  all  theatres  in  his  area 
pledged  collections.  At  a  Jacksonville  meeting 
last  week  of  Georgia  and  Florida  exhibitors, 
620  of  638  houses  promised  collections. 

The  national  committee's  "flying  Troopers" — 
Edward  Alperson,  Harry  Brandt,  Oscar  Doob 
and  Si  Fabian — returned  to  New  York  last 
week  after  addressing  exhibitor  groups  in  many 
cities. 

Copper  Matinees 
Are  Continued 

The  continuing  drive  by  theatres  for  scrap 
metal — especially  copper — brings  reports  of 
many  "copper  matinees"  and  other  stunts  yield- 
ing unusual  amounts. 

A  special  after-school  scrap  copper  matinee 
at  43  neighborhood  Warner  theatres  in  Phila- 


COMPLETE  "DIMES" 
REPORT  EXPECTED 

A  complete,  state-by-state,  theatre- 
by-theatre  report  of  collections  will 
be  made  as  soon  as  possible  after  the 
March  of  Dimes  drive,  New  York  head- 
quarters announced  this  week.  The 
desire  for  an  immediate,  comprehen- 
sive public  report  was  attributed  to 
national  chairman  Nicholas  M. 
Schenck,  president  of  Loew's,  who  is 
expected  to  credit  individual  chair- 
men and  managers  for  their  support 
of  the  campaign. 


delphia  yielded  8,900  pounds,  it  was  announced 
by  Ted  Schlanger,  zone  head.  Admission  to 
all  houses  was  a  quarter-pound  of  copper  scrap. 
Collection  and  distribution  of  the  scrap  was 
turned  over  to  the  Salvation  Army. 

The  New  Jersey  drive  to  collect  copper, 
brass  and  bronze  opened  last  week  at  the  De 
Witt  theatre,  Bayonne,  where  thousands  of 
children  appeared  when  they  were  dismissed 
from  school  for  the  occasion.  They  were  ad- 
dressed by  Roddy  McDowall,  13-year-old  Brit- 
ish actor ;  the  city's  mayor,  James  Donovan, 
and  others.  The  affair  was  handled  by  Rob- 
ert Dietch,  manager  of  the  house,  and  An- 
thony Williams,  Warner  circuit  district  mana- 
ger. 

The  Wil-Kin  Theatre  Supply,  Inc.,  of  At- 
lanta and  Charlotte,  reported  last  week  it  had 
collected  from  southeastern  theatres  more  than 
3,176  pounds  of  copper  carbon  salvage. 

Thirty-eight  Carolina,  Virginia  and  West 
Virginia  houses  in  recent  copper  matinees  col- 
lected approximately  8,000  pounds. 

San  Francisco  Party 
Yields  7,000  Pounds 

More  than  7,000  pounds  of  copper,  brass  and 
bottle  caps  were  accumulated  in  a  "Salvage  for 
Victory  Theatre  Party"  in  San  Francisco,  by 
the  Fox  West  Coast  Theatres  circuit.  With 
the  5,000-seat  Fox  theatre  filled  to  overflow- 
ing, northern  California  circuit  manager  B.  V. 
Sturdivant  ordered  the  Paramount  theatre  also 
thrown  open  for  the  event,  with  several  thou- 
sand overflow  patrons  attending  at  that  house. 

Plans  for  future  collection  campaigns  con- 
nected with  the  war  effort  were  made  at  a 
session  of  northern  California  theatre  men  re- 
cently, to  conduct  more  efficiently  such  drives 
and  increase  the  donations.  Chairman  of  the 
committee  named  for  the  San  Francisco  area 
is  D.  J.  McNerney.  Others  on  the  commit- 
tee include  Mr.  Sturdivant;  Joseph  Blumen- 
feld,  C.  L.  Laws,  Blumenfeld  circuit:  George 
Mann,  William  David,  Redwood  Theatres; 
Robert  McNeill,  Gene  Emmick,  Mike  Naify, 
Golden  State  and  T  &  D  Jr.  circuits ;  James  and 
George  Nasser  of  Nasser  Brothers'  Circuit; 
Sam  Levin,  San  Francisco  Theatres,  Inc.;  John 
Peters  and  Rotus  Harvey  of  Independent  Ex- 
hibitors of  Northern  California,  and  Hulda 
McGinn,  California  Theatres  Association. 

New  York  theatres  and  other  places  of 
amusement  have  a  quota  of  $1,500,000  in  the 
forthcoming  Red  Cross  drive  to  collect  $125,- 
000,000,  of  which  $12,920,700  is  the  New  York 
share.  At  a  luncheon  in  the  city  last  week, 
their  representatives  informed  Colby  Chester, 
general  chairman  of  the  local  campaign,  that 


a  step  toward  the  goal  would  be  the  Madison 
Square  Garden  Red  Cross  War  Fund  benefit 
show  April  5th.  At  least  $250,000  is  expected 
from  that  venture. 

At  the  luncheon,  for  the  film  industry,  were 
Leonard  Goldenson,  Paramount ;  N.  Peter 
Rathvon,  RKO ;  Major  Leslie  Thompson, 
RKO ;  Gus  Eyssell,  Music  Hall,  and  others. 

Many  of  the  city's  theatres  have  Red  Cross 
representatives  in  lobbies,  registering  blood 
donors.  Many  more  are  expected  to  adopt  the 
idea. 

The  United  Nations  drive  had  echoes  this 
week  in  the  reports  which  continued  to  reach 
the  WAC  in  New  York  from  the  field.  It 
was  disclosed,  for  instance,  that  Illinois  houses 
collected  $80,000,  of  which  $62,500  came  from 
Chicago. 

A  suggestion  that  the  WAC  record  the  date 
and  title  of  every  Victory  Short  played  by 
the  theatres  throughout  the  country,  has  been 
advanced  by  S.  J.  Gregory  and  Pete  Panagos 
of  the  Alliance  Circuit,  Illinois. 

Brooklyn  Theatre  Sells 
$1,000,000  in  Bonds 

The  record  would  provide  a  means  of  check- 
ing exhibitors  who  might  not  be  doing  their 
share  and  also  would  show  the  vast  amount 
of  time  contributed  by  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry to  the  building  of  morale  on  the  home 
front. 

In  New  Haven,  Harry  F.  Shaw,  Loew-Poli 
division  manager  and  head  of  the  theatres'  ef- 
fort there  to  collect  musical  instruments  and 
sports  apparatus  for  war  prisoners,  last  week 
reported  500  playable  instruments  and  1,000 
sports  pieces  collected. 

Loew's  Pitkin,  Brooklyn,  last  week  celebrated 
the  sale  of  more  than  $1,000,000  in  Bonds. 
There  were  ceremonies  on  the  stage,  and  bor- 
ough officials  attended. 


PRC  Gross  on  Westerns 
Up  47  Per  Cent 

Producers  Releasing  Corporation  announced 
in  Hollywood  this  week  that  grosses  on  the 
company's  Western  pictures  this  season  were 
up  47  per  cent,  compared  with  this  period  a 
year  ago.  Arthur  Greenblatt,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution,  said  that  PRC  is  releas- 
ing the  following  series :  "Billy  the  Kid,"  star- 
ring Buster  Crabbe  with  Al  St.  John;  "The 
Lone  Rider,"  starring  Bob  Livingston;  "The 
Texas  Rangers,"  starring  Dave  O'Brien  and 
Jim  Newill. 

The  company  completed  bookings  for  the 
following :  "Queen  of  Broadway"  and  "The 
Payoff,"  with  Oriental  theatre,  Chicago ;  "A 
Night  for  Crime,"  Woods  theatre,  Chicago ; 
"Dead  Men  Walk,"  Palm  State,  a  first  run 
house  in  Detroit.  Plans  for  the  premiere  of 
"Corredigor"  will  be  announced  by  the  com- 
pany shortly. 

Revise  Censorship  Code 
On  Press  and  Radio 

In  a  second  revision  of  the  code  governing 
broadcasting  and  press  operations  during  war- 
time, the  Office  of  Censorship  last  Wednesday 
relaxed  restrictions  concerning  announcement  of 
casualty  lists  and  war  production  news,  and  at 
the  same  time  suggested  that  radio  stations 
exercise  care  in  foreign  language  broadcasting 
by  insuring  the  loyalty  of  their  personnel. 

The  office  also  stressed  the  importance  of 
broadcasters  using  their  facilities  intelligently, 
and  warned  that  they  should  not  be  employed 
"so  that  listeners  would  come  to  depend  on 
radio  for  assistance  in  the  event  of  an  actual 
raid." 


Named  Denver  Salesman 

Thomas  McMahon,  office  manager  of  the 
RKO  Radio  exchange  in  Denver,  has  been  pro- 
moted to  salesman,  it  was  announced  recently  by 
Al  Kolitz,  branch  manager. 


February    20,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  25 

COAST  LABOR  COUNCIL  BID 
STIRS  CONTROVERSY 


May  Set  Up  Distribution  of 
Films  with  Labor  Message 

Possible  establishment  of  a  distribution  system  to  bring  before  unions  and  public 
alike  motion  pictures  bearing  union  labor's  message  loomed  this  week  in  Hollywood. 

The  possibility  of  Hollywood  labor  unions  and  affiliated  groups  banding  together 
to  produce  their  own  "message"  films  also  was  under  discussion. 

The  initial  move  in  the  campaign  was  made  by  Harry  Rathner,  who  last  Saturday 
showed  Frontier  Films'  "Native  Land"  to  an  invited  group  of  business  representa- 
tives of  AFL  unions,  chief  among  whom  were  the  teamsters  and  the  musicians  groups. 

The  picture  was  made  in  New  York  by  persons  who  contributed  their  services 
and  money,  and  was  reviewed  in  Motion  Picture  Herald  of  May  16,  1942. 

The  local  labor  unions  will  be  asked  to  sponsor  public  showings  of  "Native  Land" 
at  two  of  the  specialty  exhibition  houses  in  Los  Angeles  which  usually  show  foreign 
films,  or  take  over  another  theatre  for  showing  to  union  members  exclusively. 

Setting  up  of  a  national  system  of  "playdates"  at  union  meetings,  through  which 
a  "message"  picture  would  be  guaranteed  a  certain  number  of  dates,  is  the  main 
subject  of  discussion,  while  the  production  of  such  films,  through  donation  of 
services  and  contributions  of  money,  occupies  almost  equal  importance. 

Once  the  distribution  setup  is  obtained,  the  production  is  believed  virtually 
certain  to  follow. 

No  union  leader  would  allow  himself  to  be  quoted  concerning  the  proposed 
projects,  one  admitting,  however,  that  the  "discussions"  are  being  carried  on. 
Mr.  Rathner  himself  declared  he  was  merely  acting  for  Frontier  Films,  and  that  he 
himself  was  not  interested  in  the  projects. 

However,  it  was  learned  on  good  authority  that  definite  proposals  are  to  be 
made  to  the  union  groups,  pointing  out  that  the  motion  picture  can  carry  their 
messages  to  their  brothers  and  the  public  effectively,  once  the  screenings  are  set. 

In  this  way  the  unions  effectively  can  contribute  to  the  campaign  of  maintaining 
labor  gains  achieved  in  the  last  few  years  against  encroachments  of  wartime 
emergency,  it  will  be  pointed  out. 

However,  with  all  the  talk  about  "playdates"  and  production,  no  mention  is 
being  made  of  government  raw  film  stock  rationing. 


Demand  of  Unions  Is  for 
Central  Unit  Including 
Studio  Locals  Only 

by  VANCE  KING 

in  Hollywood 

Old,  simmering  enmities  over  a  multitude 
of  issues  in  Hollywood  labor  circles,  includ- 
ing the  Browne-Bioff  scandal  and  the 
charges  of  "Communism,"  are  due  to  come 
to  the  fore  again  this  week. 

The  prime  matter  at  stake  is  a  demand  by 
several  Hollywood  labor  groups  that  a 
Hollywood  central  labor  council  be  estab- 
lished for  the  inclusion  of  only  studio  work- 
ers' locals. 

These,  including  the  painters'  brotherhood 
locals,  the  Screen  Actors  Guild,  the  Team- 
sters' local,  have  carried  their  appeal  to 
the  recent  AFL  international  executive 
board  meeting  at  Miami. 

The  AFL  executive  board  promised  to 
send  several  investigators  to  Hollywood  and 
Los  Angeles  to  investigate  charges  that 
the  Los  Angeles  Central  Labor  Council,  to 
which  these  organizations  do  not  now  be- 
long, is  a  "paper"  setup,  with  member  lo- 
cals merely  having  token  representation 
through  not  listing  their  entire  memberships 
for  the  monthly  per  capita  tax. 

This,  J.  W.  Buzzell,  executive  secretary  of 
the  Los  Angeles  council,  who  also  was  pres- 
ent at  the  board  session,  denied  heatedly. 

Mr.  Buzzell  claimed  the  full  mem- 
bership of  the  locals  affiliated  with 
the  council  was  175,000.  The  Holly- 
wood groups  questioned  this,  de- 
claring they,  with  the  other  team- 
sters' locals  in  the  district,  had  a 
total  membership  of  55,000. 

So  the  international  board  is 
investigating. 

With  the  interest  of  labor  men  whetted  by 
the  pending  investigation,  some  leaders  of 
the  10  IATSE  locals  are  considering  the 
possibility  of  their  organizations  withdraw- 
ing from  the  council. 

In  this  they  would  be  following  the  Screen 
Actors  Guild,  Moving  Picture  Painters  Lo- 
cal 644,  Studio  Transportation  Drivers  Lo- 
cal 399  and  other  teamsters'  district  locals, 
and  various  groups  affiliated  with  the  Con- 
ference of  Studio  Unions. 

The  IATSE  groups  are  in  a  peculiar  spot. 
Their  history  in  the  Los  Angeles  Council  is 
a  curious  one. 

Buzzell  Was  Active  on 
Behalf  of  Bioff 

Years  ago,  they  withdrew.  Then,  when 
William  Bioff,  international  representative 
of  president  George  E.  Browne,  became  en- 
tangled in  the  toils  of  the  law,  first  with  in- 
come tax  evasion  charges  and  later  with 
extortion  allegations,  the  locals  rejoined  the 
council. 

Mr.  Buzzell,  who  for  more  than  20  years 
has  been  executive  secretary  of  the  council, 
became  active  in  Bioff 's  behalf,  defending 


him  in  various  ways  and  throwing  the  sup- 
port of  the  council  to  the  man  who  later 
was  found  guilty,  with  president  Browne, 
of  blackmailing  major  film  companies  of 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

The  IATSE  at  that  time  had  about  9,000 
members. 

Locals  affiliated  with  the  council  pay  10 
cents  per  capita  monthly  tax  for  their  mem- 
berships. 

Mr.  Buzzell  has  consistently  voiced  charges 
of  "Communism"  in  all  troubles  which  have 
hit  at  his  control  of  the  general  Los  Angeles 
labor  policies,  such  as  in  the  Federated  Mo- 
tion Picture  Crafts  strike  in  1937  and  the 
fight  of  the  United  Studio  Technicians  Guild, 
composed  of  insurgents,  against  the  IATSE 
some  time  later. 

Bioff,  who  was  one  of  the  chief  targets 
of  the  strikers  and  the  dissidents,  made  the 
same  charges. 

"Old  line"  AFL  leaders  point  out  that 
the  policy  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  has  been  to  avoid  breaking  up  dis- 
tricts like  Los  Angeles  proper  into  separate 
labor  councils.  Whether  this  policy  will  be 
adhered  to  in  face  of  the  charges  being  made 
against  the  Los  Angeles  council  is  a  ques- 
tion. 


Propose  Censor 
In  Delaware 

A  State  board  of  censors  for  motion  pictures, 
consisting  of  seven  members,  of  whom  at  least 
two  would  be  women,  has  been  proposed  by 
Senator  Robert  H.  Yerkes  of  Houston,  ma- 
jority floor  leader  of  the  Delaware  Senate. 

Senator  Yerkes,  who  has  introduced  a  skele- 
ton bill  to  create  the  board,  declared  that  he 
intends  to  have  a  substitute  measure  offered 
containing  full  details  of  his  plan  which  will 
follow  closely  the  film  censorship  law  now  in 
force  in  Pennsylvania. 

Senator  Yerkes  said  his  bill  would  provide 
for  one  member  of  the  board  to  come  from  Wil- 
mington, two  from  rural  New  Castle  County, 
two  from  Kent  County  and  two  from  Sussex 
County.  They  would  serve  without  compensa- 
tion and  no  more  than  four  could  come  from  the 
same  political  party. 

No  motion  picture  could  be  shown  in  Dela- 
ware unless  it  had  been  approved  by  at  least 
two  members  of  the  board,  under  Senator 
Yerkes'  plan.  The  chairman  and  the  secretary 
of  the  board  would  be  chosen  from  among  the 
board's  membership. 


26 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,     I  943 


Paper  Cuts  Hamper 
Ad  Campaigns 


Magazines  Restrict  Space 
to  Total  of  Last  Year, 
Forbid  Changes 

Motion  picture  companies  which  in  the 
last  year  have  planned  bigger  direct-to-the- 
consumer  advertising  campaigns  through 
national  weekly  and  monthly  magazines  will 
have  to  get  along  with  the  same  space,  or 
less,  than  in  the  past.  The  Government 
orders  for  cuts  in  magazine  size  have  forced 
publishers  to  restrict  their  customers  to  the 
amount  they  used  last  year  and  to  reject 
copy  from  new  advertisers. 

Distributors,  also,  now  must  gear  their 
copy  to  long-range  planning  because  pub- 
lishers will  not  permit  film  companies  to 
switch  schedules  to  conform  with  last  min- 
ute changes  in  release  dates  of  pictures.  In 
addition,  the  distributor  has  no  guarantee 
that  his  advertising  will  not  be  cancelled 
at  the  last  moment  in  the  event  that  future 
paper  cuts  by  the  War  Production  Board 
necessitate  more  drastic  measures. 

Increased  magazine  appropria- 
tions for  1943  which  will  not  be  ab- 
sorbed are  being  diverted  by  agen- 
cies to  radio  advertising. 

Since  the  10  per  cent  cut  in  paper 
stock  ordered  February  1st  by  the 
WPB,  which  may  be  followed  by 
another  10  per  cent  cut  in  April, 
publishers  have  had  to  adjust  ad- 
vertising and  editorial  policies  to 
conform  to  the  emergency  and  dis- 
tributors have  been  forced  to  meet 
the  terms  set  down  by  the  maga- 
zines. 

Large  national  publications,  including  Life, 
Ladies'  Home  Journal,  Woman's  Home  Com- 
panion, Red  Book,  McCall's,  American  and 
others,  have  decreed  a  «"preferential"  status  for 
all  their  advertisers,  with  the  biggest  custom- 
ers, such  as  food,  drug,  dentrifice,  tobacco  and 
other  regular  accounts  getting  first  considera- 
tion over  smaller  customers.  The  motion  pic- 
ture companies  fall  into  the  latter  category,  de- 
spite the  fact  that  six  distributors,  Columbia, 
MGM,  Paramount,  Twentieth  Century-Fox, 
United  Artists  and  Warners  spent  a  total  of 
$1,659,663  on  magazine  advertising  in  1942,  ex- 
clusive of  farm  journals,  with  MGM  leading 
as  the  biggest  space  buyer  for  the  year  with  an 
expenditure  of  $560,035. 

No  Increased  Space 
Available  for  1943 

According  to  magazine  officials  and  advertis- 
ing agency  executives,  film  companies  which 
held  contracts  for  1942  have  been  able  to  re- 
serve space  for  1943,  but  no  increased  lineage 
will  be  given  these  distributors  for  the  rest  of 
the  year.  The  distributor  who  is  considered  a 
non-regular  customer,  one  who  has  used  maga- 
zine advertising  on  a  now-and-then  basis,  defi- 
nitely will  find  the  publications'  field  closed  to 
him  for  the  balance  of  1943. 

In  addition,  the  large  publications  generally 
have  ruled  that  no  "switches"  in  dates  will  be 
permitted  motion  picture  companies.  In  the 
past,  a  distributor  frequently  contracted  for 
space  in  a  particular  month  and  then  because 
production  on  a  feature  was  held  up,  decided 
to  move  the  ad  to  a  later  date  to  coincide  with 
release  of  the  picture.    This  procedure  definite- 


ly is  "verboten,"  publishers  say.  Agency  ex- 
ecutives observe  that  film  company  advertising 
will  have  to  be  planned  on  a  long-range  basis. 

Advertising  agencies,  for  the  most  part,  find 
themselves  in  an  anomalous  position.  Film 
companies  with  more  money  to  spend  as  a  re- 
sult of  increased  revenues  of  1942,  increased 
their  appropriations  this  year.  Agencies,  there- 
fore, have  additional  funds  to  place  in  maga- 
zines but  cannot  spend  more  than  their  1942 
schedules  because  of  the  paper  shortage.  This 
situation  obtains  in  other  industries  as  well. 

Advertising  Now  Is 
Seller's  Market 

An  editorial  in  the  February  12th  issue  of 
Printers'  Ink  commented  on  the  "turnabout" 
of  selling  functions,  as  follows:  "The  cut  in 
paper  consumption  .  .  presages  the  prospect  of 
advertising  entering  a  seller's  market  where  the 
space  salesman,  formerly  the  lowly  servant  of 
the  lordly  advertiser,  may  be  accorded  all  the 
deference  and  formality  formally  reserved  ex- 
clusively for  the  one  in  the  buyer's  seat."  The 
editorial  also  urged  that  the  advertiser  "have 
something  really  constructive  to  say  in  his  copy 
henceforth." 

In  the  same  issue,  Harry  W.  Yokall,  man- 
aging director  of  Conde  Nast  Publications,  Ltd., 
London,  reported:  "In  England  today,  adver- 
tising agents  take  publishers  out  to  lunch  and 
advertisers  insist  on  standing  treat  when  space 
salesmen  call  on  them."  British  publications 
must  now  get  along  with  19.5  per  cent  of  the 
paper  they  used  before  the  war,  Mr.  Yokall 
said. 

Meanwhile,  radio  advertising  of- 
ficials are  hopeful  that  a  large  por- 
tion of  magazine  appropriations  of 
distributors  for  1943  which  will  not 
be  absorbed,  will  be  diverted  to  the 
networks.   A  radio  sales  executive 
said  in  New  York  this  week  that 
radio  advertising  of  film  compa- 
nies, on  a  regional  basis,  which  has 
been  on  the  increase  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  1942-43  season,  may 
reach  new  levels  this  year. 
Thus  far,  while  new  business  has  been  re- 
jected, there  have  been  no  cancellations  of  ad- 
vertising placed  by  motion  picture  companies, 
but  if  the  10  per  cent  cut  now  in  effect  is  fol- 
lowed by  another  of  equal  amount  in  April  and 
a  third  later  in  the  Spring,  magazines  may  be 
forced  to  cancel  film  ads  to  give  preference  to 
"old,  established,  regular  customers,"  a  leading 
publishers'  representative  in  New  York  said  last 
week. 

"As  far  as  the  independent  producer  is  con- 
cerned," he  pointed  out,  "the  advertiser  who  has 
taken  space  sporadically  and  only  in  advance  of 
some  important  release  will  find  that  magazines 
will  refuse  his  business." 

Executives  of  advertising  agencies,  including 
Buchanan  &  Co.,  Donahue  and  Coe,  and  Foote, 
Cone  and  Belding,  uniformly  deny  that  film 
company  ads  already  placed  for  1943  have  been 
cancelled  or  that  publications  contemplate  the 
move.  The  Buchanan  agency  reported,  how- 
ever, that  it  could  not  place  a  distributor's  ad 
with  Life  magazine  beyond  the  schedules  al- 
ready contracted  for  this  year;  that  extra  line- 
age would  not  be  forthcoming  and  that  it  may 
develop  that  publications  may  be  forced  to  stag- 
ger ads,  that  is  skip  one  month  and  insert  the 
ad  for  the  following  month. 

The  current  magazine  crisis  was  summarized 
last  week  by  Thomas  Ward,  advertising  mana- 
ger of  Life,  in  a  telegram  to  directors  of  media 
of  advertising  agencies.  Mr.  Ward  declared 
that  for  Life,  the  WPB's  10  per  cent  cut  in 


newsprint  for  1943  "proved  to  be  a  30  per  cent 
cut  from  our  rate  of  paper  consumption  in  the 
last  quarter  of  1942."  In  order  to  meet  the  cut, 
he  advised,  Life  had  to  reduce  its  circulation 
as  well  as  limit  advertising.  Starting  with  a 
4,200,000  printing  order  at  the  end  of  the  year, 
Life  gradually  has  been  reduced  to  3,700,000. 
This  reduction  is  coming  out  of  newstand  sales, 
and  as  Life's  newstand  returns  have  averaged 
only  one  per  cent,  this  is  practically  a  reduc- 
tion of  net  paid  circulation,"  he  said. 


Momand  Repeats 
Trust  Charges 

A.  B.  Momand  continued  this  week  to  voice 
his  charges  that  the  major  distributors  and 
the  Griffith  circuit  conspired  to  force  him  from 
business  in  Shawnee  and  Seminole,  Okla.  Hav- 
ing taken  the  stand  two  weeks  ago  in  Oklahoma 
City  Federal  court  in  his  12-year-old  $5,000,000 
anti-trust  suit  and  having  submitted  since  then 
to  cross-examination  by  the  defense,  Mr.  Mo- 
mand this  week  ^pressed  his  allegations  through 
his  chief  attorney,  George  Ryan.  The  suit  is 
in  its  sixth  week. 

Mr.  Ryan  singled  out  Paramount  last  Sat- 
urday. He  charged  attempts  to  obtain  a 
monopoly,  traced  the  company's  history  and 
outlined  its  organization.  Previously,  Attorney 
Ryan,  formerly  Twentieth  Century-Fox  man- 
ager in  Oklahoma  City,  denied  under  defense 
counsel  questioning  the  statements  Mr.  Momand 
in  direct  testimony  had  attributed  to  him.  De- 
fense witnesses  were  to  take  the  stand  this  week. 

Last  week,  presiding  Judge  Bower  Broad- 
dus  dismissed  conspiracy  charges  against  Edu- 
cational, Pathe  and  Columbia.  Observers  pre- 
dicted from  Judge  Broaddus'  remarks  that 
other  companies  might  be  dismissed  this  week. 


Red  Cross  Plans 
Film  Project 

The  American  Red  Cross,  which  so  far  has 
the  cooperation  of  Paramount,  RKO,  Universal 
and  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  has  inaugurated 
a  project  designed  to  bring  first  run  pictures  in 
16mm.  to  patients  in  more  than  350  U.  S.  Army 
hospitals  throughout  the  country. 

Pictures  are  planned  to  be  shown  from  30  to 
60  days  after  the  national  release  date,  and  in- 
cluded so  far  on  the  program  for  February  are 
"Palm  Beach  Story,"  "The  Road  to  Morocco," 
"The  Black  Swan"  and  "The  Major  and  the 
Minor."  The  Red  Cross,  already  reported  to 
be  the  third  largest  circuit  operator  in  the 
country,  will  handle  bookings  at  its  national 
headquarters,  and  films  will  be  distributed  to 
approximately  150  circuits  from  six  main  ex- 
change cities  at  key  points. 

Four  area  directors  of  the  Red  Cross  will 
supervise  activities,  while  the  separate  recrea- 
tion staffs  of  each  hospital  will  arrange  for 
showings  in  cooperation  with  medical  officers 
and  hospital  staffs.  Enlisted  men  who  were 
trained  as  projectionists  will  be  detailed  to  Red 
Cross  service  in  most  cases,  it  was  announced. 


Joins  Warner  Circuit 

James  Tighe  has  joined  the  publicity  depart- 
ment of  the  Warner  theatre  circuit  in  Phila- 
delphia, succeeding  Al  Zimbalist,  who  joined  the 
publicity  department  of  the  RKO  theatres  in 
New  York.  New  to  the  industry,  Mr.  Tighe 
was  formerly  with  the  Philadelphia  Council  of 
Defense. 


Change  Serial's  Title 

The  title  of  the  Republic  serial,  "Samba  in 
Darkest  Africa"  has  been  changed  to  "Secret 
Service  in  Darkest  Africa."  Production  on  the 
chapter-play  will  start  shortly. 


Surefire  Nationwide  Hit! 

SPENCER  TRACY 
Katharine  HEPBURN 


in 


■LEiCifJciIi  %Jm 

1  till   f  JbftMt* 

with  Richard  Whorf  •  Margaret  Wycherly  •  Forrest  Tucker  •  Frank  Craven  •  Horace 
McNally  •  Percy  Kilbride  •  Screen  Play  by  Donald  Ogden  Stewart  •  Based  Upon  the 
Book  by  I.  A.  R.  Wylie  •  Directed  by  GEORGE  CUKOR  •  Produced  by  VICTOR 
SAVILLE  •  Associate  Producer  Leon  Gordon    •   A  Metro-Goldmine-Mayer  Picture 

"March  of  Dimes"  Feb.  18—24 


UTHOlUSA 


February  20 


9  4  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


29 


LEADERS  SEE  BRIGHT  YEAR 
FOR  MEXICAN  TRADE 


Industry  Unity,  Improved 
Financing  Are  Cited  as 
Contributing  Factors 

by  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

in  Mexico  City 

Optimism  for  1943  for  the  Mexican  indus- 
try was  stressed  in  reports  rendered  at  the 
banquet  here  celebrating  the  first  anniver- 
sary of  the  Banco  Cinematografica,  S.A., 
the  bank  the  industry  and  the  government 
established  to  finance  the  business.  There 
were  no  speeches  at  this  banquet;  just  the 
reading  of  reports  which  it  was  explained, 
spoke  for  themselves. 

It  was  declared  that  never  before  has 
there  been  such  unity7  and  cordiality  in  the 
industry,  a  condition  that  is  enabling  Mexi- 
can films  to  meet  foreign  competition  and 
to  find  a  better  acceptance  abroad,  especially 
in  the  United  States  and  most  Latin  Ameri- 
can countries.  The  reports  indicated  that 
better  service  from  the  banks  and  more  at- 
tention from  investors  had  been  a  big  help. 

Producers  attending  the  banquet 
estimated  that  1943  promised  to  be 
even  better  for  the  business  than 
was  1942,  the  best  year  of  the  12 
since  Mexico  began  the  moderniza- 
tion of  her  film  industry.  These 
producers  predicted  that  production 
this  year  would  totrj  about  60  fea- 
tures, of  which  six  already  are  in 
work.  Some  producers  said  that  the 
1943  output  figures  probably  would 
be  higher,  but  they  did  not  venture 
any  figures. 

Those  attending  the  banquet,  chairman  of 
which  was  Carlos  Carriedo  Galvan,  presi- 
dent of  the  bank,  included : 

Jesus  Grovas,  former  chief  of  the  com- 
pany of  that  name,  connection  with  which  he 
recently  severed ;  Mauricio  de  la  Serna,  Fer- 
nando de  Fuentes  and  Santiago  Reachi,  lead- 
ing producers ;  Emilio  Thalman,  manager, 
and  Atanasio  Sarabia,  assistant  manager  of 
the  National  Bank  of  Mexico,  this  country's 
largest  private  bank,  which  is  backed  by 
French  capital  and  which  has  been  promi- 
nent in  financing  the  picture  industry;  En- 
rique Sarro,  assistant  manager  of  the  Na- 
cional  Financiera,  a  government  financing 
bank,  and  Georges  Pinzon,  president  of  the 
Free  French  of  Mexico  Committee. 

Exhibitors  Seek  to  Halt 
New  Tax  on  Gross 

Exhibitors  of  Monterrey,  capital  of  Nuevo 
Leon  State  and  a  leading  northeastern  busi- 
ness center,  have  joined  other  public  enter- 
tainment operators  there  in  asking  the  courts 
for  an  injunction  to  restrain  the  civic  gov- 
ernment from  putting  into  effect  a  new  tax 
scale  that  amounts  to  a  21  per  cent  levy  on 
their  gross.  The  petitioners  declare  that 
this  tax  is  confiscatory  and  that  it  is  prob- 
able that  no  amusement  enterprise  in  Mon- 
terrey will  be  able  to  survive  it. 

In  defending  this  increased  taxation,  the 
civic  government  told  the  courts  that  it  con- 


sidered amusements  as  luxuries  and  con- 
sidered that  they  must  bear  a  heavy  share 
of  taxation.  The  exhibitors  and  other 
amusements  operators  countered  this  argu- 
ment with  the  contention  that  amusements 
were  a  must  in  these  times  as  contributed  to 
public  morale.  The  outcome  of  this  case  is 
being  watched  by  all  exhibitors,  as  it  is  ex- 
pected to  set  a  precedent  in  theatre  and  other 
taxation  disputes. 

Lawyers  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior, 
the  principal  government  department,  are 
studying  a  law  of  protection  for  the  cine- 
matographic industry  which,  when  it  is  ap- 
proved by  President  Manuel  Avila  Camacho, 
will  be  submitted  to  the  new  Congress  which 
is  to  convene  on  September  1st! 

The  law,  it  is  learned,  is  composed 
of  a  series  of  legal  dispositions  that 
are  intended,  sponsors  of  the  meas- 
ure say,  to  protect  the  national  films 
industry  from  any  unfair  competi- 
tion from  foreign  companies  and  the 
provision  of  various  forms  of  official 
aid,  including  exemption  from  cer- 
tain Federal  taxes,  until  the  busi- 
ness is  on  its  economic  feet. 

Editing  of  the  draft  of  this  law  is  under 
the  personal  charge  of  Minister  Miguel  Ale- 
man,  who  has  been  in  Hollywood. 

V 

Exhibitors  here  have  received  a  sharp 
warning  from  the  Municipal  Amusements 
Department  to  the  effect  that  if  they  continue 
to  accommodate  standees  they  will  be  severe- 
ly punished,  in  the  form  of  fines  and  possible 
annulment  of  licenses.  The  department  ex- 
plained that  many  theatres  here,  particularly 
the  second  run,  frequently  are  overcrowded. 
It  has  ordered  its  inspectors  to  see  to  it  that 
all  theatres  halt  the  sale  of  tickets  when  all 
the  seats  are  filled. 

The  department  has  received  many  com- 
plaints against  this  standee  practice.  It  is 
seeking  to  prevent  any  danger  of  a  catas- 
trophe due  to  that  cause. 

Film  Library  Planned 
For  Mexico 

President  Camacho  has  authorized  the 
Ministry  of  Public  Education  to  organize 
here  Mexico's  first  cinematographic  library 
which  will  contain  for  preservation  and  ex- 
hibition all  pictures,  documents  and  other 
things  pertaining  to  them  that  are  in  the 
possession  of  various  departments  of  the 
Federal  government. 

The   Ministry  has   assigned   experts  to 
gather  these  films  and  data  pertaining  to 
them  and  to  catalogue  them.    The  library  is 
expected  to  be  in  service  by  Easter. 
V 

Plans  are  being  completed  by  the  Rodri- 
guez family,  which  is  in  all  branches  of  the 
industry  from  acting  to  production,  to  estab- 
lish a  studio  here.  Ismael  and  Jose  are 
sponsoring  the  plan.  They  have  produced 
several  record  box  office  films.  They  expect 
to  have  their  studio  in  operation  in  the  early 
autumn. 

Production  is  being  arranged  by  Soria 
and  Santander.  leading  producers,  ot  a  mu- 
sical romance  based  upon  "Adios  Mariquita 


Linda"  ("Good  bye,  Pretty  Little  Molly"), 
one  of  Mexico's  most  popular  songs.  They 
have  been  successful  with  their  latest  film, 
"La  Virgen  Morena"  ("The  Brunette  Vir- 
gin") concerning  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe, 
Mexico's  patron  saint. 

Gabriel  Soria  learned  his  business  in 
Hollywood  so  well  that  he  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  having  won  five  consecutive  annual 
gold  medals  for  his  work  in  Mexico. 

'Cabin %  'Force9 
Openings  Set 

Premieres  of  new  product  set  this  week  by 
major  distributors  included  "Cabin  in  the  Sky," 
the  MGM  all-Negro  musical  which  will  open 
at  the  Majestic  theatre,  Dallas,  on  March  11th. 
Produced  by  Arthur  Freed,  the  picture  stars 
Ethel  Waters,  Eddie  "Rochester"  Anderson  and 
Lena  Home,  with  Louis  Armstrong,  Rex  In- 
gram, Duke  Ellington  and  his  orchestra  and 
the  Hall  Johnson  Choir. 

Four  special  premieres  of  "Air  Force"  were 
scheduled  this  week  by  Warner  Bros,  in  four 
cities  for  March.  The  picture  will  open  at 
the  Earle  and  Ambassador  theatres,  Washing- 
ton, probably  March  "5th  ;  Miller  theatre,  Wichi- 
ta, March  11th;  Orpheum,  Seattle,  March  11th, 
and  State,  Tampa.  March  11th.  Extensive 
radio  exploitation  plans  for  the  four-city  open- 
ings are  being  planned  by  the  company. 

Loew's  Criterion  in  New  York  announced 
this  week  that  Universal's  "Pittsburgh."  star- 
ring Marlene  Dietrich.  Randolph  Scott  and 
Tohn  Wavne,  will  open  at  that  theatre  February 
24th. 

Army  May  Take  Over  Fair 
Grounds  in  Pennsylvania 

The  York  Interstate  Fairgrounds  at  York, 
Pa.,  site  of  the  largest  annual  exposition  in 
Pennsylvania,  may  be  turned  over  to  the  Army. 
Samuel  S.  Lewis,  president  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Fair,  disclosed  that  Army  officials 
recenth'  "looked  over"  the  grounds,  but  made 
no  comment  as  to  possible  use. 

Mr.  Lewis  added  that  he  was  making  a  sur- 
vey of  the  fair  grounds  and  arranging  the  af- 
fairs of  the  exposition,  compiling  the  informa- 
tion in  the  event  the  Government  seeks  to  take 
over  the  grounds.  Earlier  in  the  month,  the 
fair  society  proceeded  with  plans  for  the  1943 
exposition,  selecting  September  14th  through 
18th  as  the  dates  for  the  event  this  year. 


Dawn  Patrol  Matinees 

The  Ohio  theatre  in  Columbus  is  now  offer- 
ing "dawn  patrol"  matinees  for  war  workers 
which  last  until  5  A.M.  The  Grand  theatre  fol- 
lows the  same  policy  on  Thursdays  and  Fridays. 


Elected  to  Publicity  Group 

The  National  Association  of  Publicity  Direc- 
tors. Inc.,  at  a  meeting  held  in  New  York  last 
week,  elected  Stanley  Todd  of  the  Railway 
Express  Company  a  member.  Mr.  Todd  is 
editor  of  the  Railway  Express  house  organ. 


Joins  20th-Fox  Sales  Staff 

Tony  Hartford  has  been  appointed  a  sales- 
man for  Twentieth  Century-Fox  in  Portland. 
Ore.,  succeeding  Leonard  Raatz.  who  has  joined 
the  Navy. 


30  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    20,  1943 

in  BRITISH  STUDIOS 


By  AUBREY    FLANAGAN,   in  London 


Contrary  to  the  sanguine  note  of  opti- 
mism which  is  discernible  in  the  an- 
nouncements of  some  British  producers, 
and  to  which  editorial  reference  has  been 
made  in  these  pages,  there  is  in  others  a 
marked  caution  noticeable  when  complete 
details  of  production  plans  for  the  year 
are  talked  about.  Some  organizations  are 
going  all  out  in  their  programming  but 
such  is  the  material  circumstance,  they 
can  scarcely  live  up  to  all  their  expressed 
intentions.  Others  are  walking  warily, 
talking  in  sum  totals  rather  than  precise 
details.  However,  it  almost  certainly  will 
be  a  full  time  year  as  far  as  available  per- 
sonnel and  studios  are  concerned. 

Noticeable,  too,  is  the  sharp  divergence  in 
the  flavor  of  films  prospected.  Whilst  one 
studio's  bias  leans  clearly  and  unashamedly 
towards  the  war  and  documentary,  another 
proclaims  its  faith  in  escapism,  its  convic- 
tion that  entertainment  appeal  should  be  the 
first  and  the  last  consideration. 

Among  this  latter,  lesser,  but  slowly  ex- 
panding band,  are  British  National,  whose 
range  of  past  successes  goes  from  the  som- 
bre but  realist  "Love  on  the  Dole"  to  the 
frank  escapism  and  musical  entertainment 
of  the  Flanagan  and  Allen  comedy,  "We'll 
Smile  Again." 

Early  last  production  year  British  Na- 
tional's George  Parrish  came  firmly  to  the 
opinion  that  the  public  taste  for  war  films 
of  a  propaganda  nature  has  been  satiated, 
and  orders  thenceforth  were  issued  for  ener- 
gies to  be  devoted  to  films  of  a  more  defi- 
nite entertainment  appeal. 

Cannot  Escape  War 
As  Background 

It  is,  of  course,  practically  impossible,  and 
it  would  be  wrong  to  try,  to  escape  the  war 
as  a  background  and  setting.  Films  about 
the  present  day  in  Britain  must  not,  if  they 
are  to  be  contemporary  documents,  evade 
or  ignore  the  war.  But  increasingly  produc- 
ers are  pushing  it  to  the  background  and 
bringing  human  beings  to  the  forefront. 

Flanagan  and  Allen,  who  now  have  virtu- 
ally pushed  vaudeville,  their  early  and  not 
least  lucky  love,  out  of  the  picture,  save  to 
travel  the  battlefronts  and  the  farthest  flung 
service  camps  to  cheer  the  boys  and  girls 
in  uniform  with  gratuitous  helpings  of  their 
act,  are  now  concentrating  on  films,  and 
their  second  for  British  National,  "Theatre 
Royal,"  first  on  that  company's  1943  pro- 
gramme is  now  in  full  production. 

British  National  Plans 
Eight  This  Year 

British  National  plans  to  make  eight  films 
this  year,  on  an  approximate  budget  of 
£500,000,  with  the  accent  on  entertainment. 
The  Flanagan  and  Allen  comedy,  which 
John  Baxter  is  producing  and  directing,  is  a 
fair  specimen.  Next  for  the  studio  floor 
is  a  more  serious  minded  and  realistic  pic- 
ture, "The  Shipbuilders,"  a  story  of  Clyde- 
side,  which  Mr.  Baxter  also  will  produce  and 


MAY  RELEASE  TWO 
BRITISH  STUDIOS 

Unofficial  indications  from  London 
last  week  were  that  it  is  probable, 
following  approaches  to  the  author- 
ities, that  two  of  the  largest  British 
studios  now  reserved  for  other  pur- 
poses may  be  released  either  partially 
or  entirely  for  British  production.  It 
is  believed,  also,  the  reports  indi- 
cated, that  Two  Cities,  currently  the 
most  active  production  organization 
in  England,  may  have  practically  a 
monopoly  on  studio  space  thus  made 
available. 


direct.  It  would  seem  to  be  Mr.  Baxter's 
brand  of  meat.  On  the  tapis,  too,  is  "Big 
Ben,"  a  story  of  Britain's  Empire  and  the 
influence  of  the  chimes  of  Big  Ben — a  re- 
current radio  signal  from  London — on  ordi- 
nary people  going  about  their  business  in  the 
far  flung  corners  of  the  world. 

Arthur  Lucan  To  Be 
Starred  in  One 

Of  musical  and  romantic  flavor  is  "Polo- 
naise," a  lavishly  staged  production  in  which 
Chopin's  music  will  be  woven  into  a  story 
with  both  a  Polish  and  a  Scottish  setting. 
Arthur  Lucan,  still  one  of  Britain's  Money- 
making  Ten,  will  be  starred  in  yet  another 
"Old  Mother  Riley"  extravaganza.  (His 
"Old  Mother  Riley,  Detective"  is  set  for 
immediate  trade  show).  Leslie  and  Eliza- 
beth Hiscott  will  make  another  film  for 
British  National,  claiming  the  floor  as  soon 
as  "Theatre  Royal"  is  finished.  Their  lat- 
est effort  will  be  a  screen  version  of  the 
novel  "Canon  in  Residence." 

Birds  of  a  different  feather  will 
flutter  around  the  Ealing  Studios' 
lot  during  1943,  for  it  would  seem 
to  be  Michael  Balcon's  intention  not 
to  forsake  the  war  as  inspiration  of 
more  than  one  forthcoming  film. 
Not  all  the  Balcon  prospects  are 
war  subjects,  however. 

His  programme  as  so  far  announced  in- 
cludes a  new  Will  Hay  comedy,  "My 
Learned  Friend";  "Blackthorn  Winter,"  a 
story  of  British  agriculture  between  two 
wars,  and  "Fiddlers  Three,"  which  will  ar- 
ray Cockney  with  Tommy  Trinder  in  the 
habiliments  of  Ancient  Rome. 

Of  more  firmly  documentary  flavor  will  be 
"Voice  of  the  People,"  which  will  epitomize 
the  life  and  works  of  the  British  Broadcast- 
ing Corporation  which,  this  1943,  attains 
its  majority  and  21  years  of  radio  to  the 
British  Empire.  Diana  Morgan  and  Robert 
Hamer  have  put  the  film  through  the  sce- 
nario stages  and  infused  a  fictional  story 


into  the  chronicle  to  provide  broader  enter- 
tainment appeal. 

"San  Demetrio"  has  been  considered  in 
these  pages  already.  A  successor  to  this  will 
be  "Road  to  Abbie,"  preparations  for  which 
are  now  in  an  advanced  stage.  Donovan 
Pedelty  and  Major  J.  O.  C.  Orton  are  re- 
sponsible for  the  scenario.  Orton,  likewise, 
is  working  with  Flight  Lieutenant  Richard 
Hilary  (author  of  the  moving  "The  Last 
Enemy")  on  a  story  aimed  to  dramatize 
the  work  of  the  Air  Sea  Rescue  Service. 

Charles  Hasse  is  author  of  a  film  docu- 
menting the  invasion  of  Greece.  Not  least 
of  all  the  Ealing  productions  promised  for 
the  current  year  is  another  story  of  Glas- 
gow and  its  shipbuilding,  epitomizing,  in- 
cidentally, British  national  policy  from  1918 
to  the  present  wartime  boom  in  the  ship- 
yards. Harry  Watt,  who  handled  "Target 
for  Tonight"  will  direct. 

From  Dennis  Ogden's  play,  "The  Peace- 
ful Inn,"  script  writers  Angus  McPhail  and 
Diana  Morgan  have  made  a  film  adaptation 
and  titled  it  "Halfway  House."  It  is  a  story 
of  a  party  of  people  staying  at  an  inn  where, 
they  find,  time  has  stood  still  for  a  year. 

Casting  difficulties  are  not  the 
least  of  the  many  headaches  af- 
flicting wartime  producers  in  Brit- 
ain, difficulties  not  alone  in  corner- 
ing the  most  appropriate  artistes 
but  in  working  them  into  practic- 
able shooting  schedules.  So  many 
artistes,  for  instance,  playing  in  the 
Two  Cities-De  Grunwald  produc- 
tion "The  Demi  Paradise",  are  also 
acting  currently  on  the  London 
stage  that  special  dexterity  has  to 
be  used  to  manipulate  shooting 
times  and  schedules  so  that  they  can 
fit  in  stage  and  screen  appearances 
without  one  interfering  with  the 
other. 

With  shooting  now  concluded  on  the 
Two  Cities-Concanen  film  of  life  in 
Britain's  A.T.S.,  the  seven  stars  have  gone 
their  several  ways  again  and  Leslie  How- 
ard and  Derrick  de  Marney  are  working 
with  editor  Charles  Saunders  on  the  practi- 
cal cutting  of  the  film.  Jean  Gillie  has 
gone  to  play  "Cinderella"  in  a  pantomime, 
Joan  Gates  is  playing  Anne  Marten  in  "The 
Murder  in  the  Red  Barn,"  Joan  Greenwood 
is  back  on  the  London  stage  and  A.T.S. 
adviser  on  the  film,  Senior  Commander 
Pratt,  has  gone  back  to  the  War  Office.  ■ 

Shooting  Speeded  on 
"Demi  Paradise" 

High  speed  production  work  is  being 
registered  by  director  Anthony  Asquith  at 
Denham  on  "The  Demi  Paradise."  This 
week  he  got  six  and  a  half  minutes'  screen 
time  into  the  can  on  one  day,  with  one  par- 
ticular shot  lasting  four  minutes. 

Factory  girls  living  in  a  Stafford  war 
hostel  were  brought  to  London  by  directors 
Launder  and  Gilliatt  and  filmed  for  con- 
tinuity sequences  in  "Millions  Like  Us." 


February    20,    I  943 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


3. 


WAR  INCREASES  POWER  OF 
BRITISH  FILM  UNIONS 


Additional  Labor  Problems 
Are  Expected  to  Face 
Industry  in  1943 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

With  the  supply  oi  labour  as  directed  to- 
ward all  three  sections  of  the  industry,  now 
in  this  fourth  year  of  war,  becoming  more 
restricted  than  ever  before,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  scarcely  a  month  passes  but  the 
unions  within  the  industry,  and  their  rank 
and  file,  become  increasingly  self  assertive. 
It  would  scarcely  be  an  exaggeration  to  say 
that  they  also  become  more  powerful. 

With  organization  of  labour  in  the  motion 
picture  industry  going  on,  with  increased 
and  intensified  demands  from  the  unions  for 
wages  agreements  and  war  bonuses,  with 
the  available  supply  of  manpower  and  wom- 
an-power becoming  smaller  every  day,  it 
would  seem  likely  that  1943  is  going  to  see 
the  industry  suffering  from  more  than  one 
labour  headache. 

In  the  production  section  a  move 
in  the  direction  of  closer  collabora- 
tion of  the  various  employees  asso- 
ciations under  a  tighter  and  more 
assertive  organization  —  The  Film 
Industry  Employees  Council  —  has 
been  made  with  ominous  indica- 
tions. A  standard  agreement  for  all 
studio  and  laboratory  workers  at  last 
has  been  agreed  upon,  this  a  con- 
siderable achievement  in  an  indus- 
try where  in  pre-wyar  days  labour 
conditions  were  sometimes  poor. 

The  distributors,  too,  are  suffering  from 
the  most  grievous  form  of  neuralgia  follow- 
ing a  new  and  more  stringent  attitude'of  the 
Ministry  of  Labour  in  regard  to  reservations. 
A  longer  working  week  has  been  instituted 
— with  mixed  reactions  from  wartime  staffs 
— and  a  serious  situation  is  envisaged  in  re- 
gard to  future  reservations  of  the  feminine 
staff,  with  the  likelihood  that  there  will  be 
few  women  under  31  unaffected. 

Managers'  Association 
Now  Is  Active 

In  the  theatres  themselves  the  latest  and 
most  explosive  bombshell  to  be  cast  into 
what  had  been  a  fairly  pacific  camp  was  the 
demand  of  the  National  Association  of  Thea- 
trical and  Kine  Employees  for  a  new  and 
considerably  increased  war  bonus,  amount- 
ing to  100  per  cent  more  than  the  exhibitor 
had  been  paying.  Managers,  too,  recently 
have  been  the  object  of  organization  by  the 
N.  A.  T.  K.  E.  and  a  recently  former  Cinema 
Managers  Association  is  already  stretching 
its  limbs  and  developing  its  muscles  for  fu- 
ture battles  with  the  picture  house  on  behalf 
of  managerial  conditions.  The  labour  sup- 
ply situation  is  no  better  here  than  else- 
where. 

The  essential  fact  would  seem  to  be  that 
the  shortage  of  labour  has  given  the  unions 
something  near  to  a  whip  hand.  Their  power 


MAY  CUT  BRITISH 
FILM  PROGRAMS 

The  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  As- 
sociation in  England  has  proposed 
voluntary  action  to  limit  film  pro- 
grams to  a  length  of  two  and  a  half 
hours,  as  a  means  of  conserving  raw 
stock.  The  proposal  is  seen  as  tend- 
ing to  reduce  double  featuring  in  the 
country.  The  proposal  has  been 
made  to  the  British  Board  of  Trade, 
in  line  with  the  expected  25  per  cent 
reduction  to  be  ordered  in  raw  stock. 
Average  programs  in  double  feature 
houses  now  run  about  three  hours. 


lies  in  control,  more  or  less,  of  the  source 
of  supply,  although,  of  course,  they,  too,  to 
a  great  extent,  are  dependent  upon  the  good 
will  of  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and  its  at- 
titude to  National  Service. 

Within  the  studios  their  strength  has  in- 
creased noticeably,  and  has  not  been  ill 
assisted  by  generalship  and  direction  in 
which  something  more  than  mere  wage  ne- 
gotiation has  been  an  objective.  There  is 
a  political  flavour  about  the  studio  unions, 
noticeably  the  Association  of  Cine  Techni- 
cians, but  the}'  are  not  unwisely  manipulated 
and  in  fact  have  made  valuable  and  construc- 
tive contributions  to  the  defence  and  con- 
solidation of  the  wartime  industry. 

There  is  considerable  antipathy  to  this  stretch- 
ing of  youthful  limbs,  an  antipathy  found  among 
the  more  conservative  producers,  who  interpret 
this  struggle  for  independence  as  the  mani- 
pulation of  hotheads,  who  plead,  not  without 
a  certain  justification,  it  would  seem,  that  the 
interests  of  both  sides,  workers  and  producers, 
are  bound  up  together  and  that  only  by  joint 
action  can  the  industry's  citadel  be  consolidated. 

The  recent  agreement  on  a  standard  agree- 
ment on  wages  and  hours  for  all  studio  and  lab- 
oratory workers  was  not  achieved  without  the 
utmost  struggle.  The  significant  factor  is  that 
even  the  diehards  among  the  employers  would 
seem  to  have  concluded  that  they  must  give  as 
well  as  take  and  that  by  concessions  from  their 
side  can  harmony  and  industry  progress  be 
ensured. 

With  the  reorganization,  or  rather 
the  cementing  of  the  various  unions 
banded  within  the  Film  Industry 
Employees  Council  another  move  in 
the  direction  of  labour's  consolida- 
tion has  been  achieved.  The  F.I.E.C. 
represents  95  per  cent  of  all  those 
employed  in  the  production  indus- 
try and  thus  will  yield  not  only 
some  economic  bargaining  strength 
— although  this  is  normally  delegat- 
ed to  the  respective  unions  —  but 
considerable  political  power. 

Within  the  exhibiting  section  these  political 
flavours  do  not  seem  to  obtain  with  the  same 
vigour.  The  battle  here  is  more  a  matter  of 
wages  and  hours  than  anything  else,  though 
the  National  Association  of  Theatrical  and  Kine 
Employees  is  led  with  considerable  pugnacity 


and  a  general  absence  of  compromise  of  any 
kind. 

Recently  the  C.E.A.,  which  had  been  re- 
sponsible for  the  ratification  of  the  wage  bonuses 
for  all  theatre  workers  since  the  war,  had  what, 
for  all  its  courtesy  of  projection,  proved  to  be 
a  most  explosive  bombshell  cast  into  their  camp. 
The  bombshell  was  the  formal  notice  of  termi- 
nation of  the  previous  bonus  agreement  and  de- 
mand for  a  new  system  of  bonuses,  not  on  the 
previous  percentage  basis  but  on  a  flat  rate 
basis. 

Would  Have  to  Pay  100% 
More  in  Bonuses 

The  bill  the  British  picture  house  exhibitor 
is  called  upon  to  face  would  mean  he  would 
have  to  pay  roughly  another  100  per  cent  more 
in  the  form  of  war  bonus.  The  N.A.T.K.E. 
president  this  year  boasted  that  in  the  past 
four  years  the  Association  has  obtained  wage 
increases  for  its  members  amounting  to  £4,000,- 
000.  Under  normal  conditions  there  are  85,000 
workers  employed  in  the  industry's  picture 
houses.  The  increases  demanded  are  ambitious. 
It  is  suggested  that  all  employees  earning  a 
basic  wage  of  £2  or  over  will  get  a  bonus  of 
£1,  and  those  above  the  £4  mark  a  bonus  of  30s. 

Picture  houses,  too,  are  meeting; 
considerable  difficulties  in  staffing, 
with  women — save  in  the  most  ex- 
ceptional cases — drawn  away  into 
the  forces  or  to  munitions,  and  the 
exhibitor  left  to  obtain  his  ush- 
erettes, projectionists,  cashiers,  etce- 
tera, from  three  distinct  groups. 

The  first  group  includes  girls  between  16  and 
18.  There  are  some  employed  in  this  cate- 
gory, although  the  high  wages  girls  can  earn 
in  war  factories  offer  competition  with  which 
the  picture  house  can  hardly  contend.  Nor  is  it 
of  much  value  to  train  the  youngsters  as  projec- 
tionists, since  they  are  likely  to  be  drawn  into 
the  forces  as  soon  as  they  reach  the  registrable 
age. 

There  is  the  married  woman  with  a  child  or 
children  who  is,  in  general,  exempt  from  Na- 
tional Service.  From  this  group  some  cinema 
workers  have  come,  but  it  is  found  by  exhibitors 
that  they  have  a  distinctly  domestic  inclination 
and  cannot  be  persuaded  always  to  work  either 
regular  or  adequate  hours.  The  only  other 
group  is  over  31,  not  all  of  whom  are  psycholo- 
gically or  physiologically  suited  for  training. 
They  are  none  the  less  the  only  available  group 
at  present  and  they  may  yet  be  called  in  by  the 
Minister   of  Labour. 

Such  conditions  and  situations  clearly  weaken 
the  position  of  producer,  distributor  and  exhibi- 
tor, and  to  a  great  extent  strengthen  the  hands 
of  the  unions.  Working  conditions  have  not,  it 
is  obvious,  been  above  criticism  in  some  indus- 
try sections,  and  are  indeed  no  better  even  now 
in  some  exceptional  instances.  If  the  power  is 
wielded  wisely,  and  a  keener  spirit  of  corporate 
consciousness  and  happier  working  conditions 
achieved,  with  the  employee  possessed  of  a  sense 
of  responsibility,  the  net  result  in  the  post- 
war era  may  be  greater  all  around  efficiency  and 
not  necessarily  lower  industry  bank  balances. 


Theatre  Has  Six  in  Army 

Six  former  employees  of  Loew's  Aldine 
theatre  in  Wilmington  are  serving  with  the 
armed  forces.  They  are  Chester  Tones,  Arthur 
Wilson.  Herbert  Hennessey.  Robert  Gibbons, 
Donald  Varell  and  Joseph  Cirino. 


•  IMMORTAL  IN  KANSAS  CITY 


Topping  ALL  records  in 

three  smash  holdover  openings ! 


•  IMMORTAL  in  los  angeles 

Sensational  in  its  simultaneous 
four -theatre  run! 


•  IMMORTAL  in  new  yorki 

Rocking  the  Roxy's 
longest -standing  records! 


•  IMMORTAL  in  san  diego: 

Terrific  in  two  theatres 

where  it's  playing  day-and-date! 


Join  the  Industry's  March  of  Dimes  Drive.  .  .  Feb.  18  to  Feb.  24 


34 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,     I  943  ' 


COE  SEES 
INDUSTRY 


MPPDA  Official,  at  Boston, 
Calls  Screen  Equal  of 
Munitions  Factories 


"American  pictures  will  help  light  the  way 
for  the  onward  march  of  democracy,"  promised 
Charles  Francis  Coe,  general  counsel  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers  and 
Distributors  of  America,  in  a  luncheon  speech 
before  the  Advertising  Club  of  Boston  on  Tues- 
day. He  characterized  the  screen  as  an  in- 
strument of  victory. 

He  spoke  at  the  Hotel  Statler  to  approxi- 
mately 500  Boston  advertising  and  business 
men,  and  representatives  of  the  motion  picture 
industry  in  New  England. 

Mr.  Coe  explained  the  self-regu- 
lation policy  of  the  industry.  He 
called  the  Production  Code,  "The 
constitution  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry." 

The  speech  marked  the  start  of  a  new  public 
relations  program  sponsored  by  the  producers' 
association.  In  addresses  to  public  groups, 
pamphlets,  and  through  field  representatives 
and  publicity,  the  Industry  Service  Bureau 
will  seek  to  tell  the  story  of  industry  war 
activities,  and  of  the  theatre's  place  in  com- 
munity service. 

The  motion  picture  industry's  many  war 
activities  were  summarized  by  Mr.  Coe.  He 
called  attention  to  the  importance  of  the  local 
theatre  as  an  outlet  of  information  and  demo- 
cratic ideas.  "The  motion  picture  industry  is 
as  much  a  war  asset  as  munitions  plants,"  he 
said. 

Mr.  Coe  cited  the  participation  in  industry 
war  work  of  more  than  17,000  exhibitors.  He 
said : 

"The  neighborhood  theatres  sold  a  billion  in 
Bonds  last  September.  They  headed  off  a  crisis 
in  scrap  through  your  cooperation  and  that  of 
press  and  radio.  I  say  to  you  that  in  all  this 
land  there  is  no  more  patriotic,  earnest,  able 
a  group  of  citizens  than  the  operators  of  our 
17,000  theatres.  Drop  in  and  chat  with  your 
neighborhood  exhibitor.  You  will  find  an 
eager  friend  and  a  community  asset  of  im- 
mense capacity." 

Attendance  at  theatres  also  makes  possible, 
Mr.  Coe  pointed  out,  the  distribution  without 
cost  of  films  to  men  on  the  fighting  fronts. 
Industry  production  talent  also  is  making  more 
than  2,000  training  pictures  in  Hollywood  for 
the  armed  forces. 

Code  Is  "Greatest" 
Business  Document 

"Criticism  of  the  moral  values  of  our  product 
is  virtually  at  the  vanishing  point,"  he  said,  in 
explaining  the  operation  of  the  Production 
Code  Administration. 

"The  Production  Code  is  the  'constitution  of 
the  industry.'  It  is  administered  by  an  able 
board  of  schooled  and  experienced  men.  They 
read  the  scripts  before  pictures  are  made.  The 
Code  itself  I  unhesitatingly  proclaim  to  be  the 
greatest  self-regulatory  document  of  business 
history,"  Mr.  Coe  declared. 

"The  Code  is  a  consolidation  of  experience 
with  the  public  taste.  It  does  not  deny  dramatic 
showing  of  crime ;  it  requires  only  that  the  doer 
of  evil  shall  reap  the  fruits  of  his  deeds.  It 
sets  a  pattern  in  the  limitations  of  which  the 
public  has  indicated  its  desires ;   and  within 


PRODUCTION  CODE 
CONSTITUTION' 

Salary  Control  Order  Appears 
Doomed  in  Congress  Revolt 

President  Roosevelt's  salary  control  order  appeared  this  week  to  be  on  the  way 
out,  as  a  result  of  action  by  the  House  Ways  and  Means  Committee  February  13th. 
That  committee,  by  a  reported  vote  of  15  to  10,  with  five  Democrats  siding  with 
the  Republican  minority,  accepted  a  proposal  of  Representative  Wesley  E.  Disney 
of  Oklahoma  to  freeze  all  salaries  in  excess  of  $25,000  net  after  taxes  at  their 
December  7,  1941,  level  and  to  limit  increases  in  lower  salaries  to  such  amounts 
as  would  not  leave  the  recipients  with  more  than  $25,000  after  Federal  taxes. 

Representative  Disney's  proposal  was  accepted  in  lieu  of  a  provision  for  outright 
repeal  of  the  order,  sought  by  Representative  Bertrand  W.  Gearhart  of  California, 
as  a  means  of  freeing  salaries  curtailed  by  the  President  without  leaving  the  way 
open  for  excessive  salary  payments  by  war-swollen  Government  contractors. 

So  far  as  the  film  industry  is  concerned,  the  Disney  proposal  will  free  the  situa- 
tion, enabling  the  producers  to  carry  out  at  least  most  of  their  contracts  carrying 
automatic  increase  clauses  and  permitting  the  advancement  of  starlets  under 
option  contracts. 

The  action  of  the  committee,  which  is  expected  to  be  approved  by  the  House, 
was  one  of  several  serious  defeats  suffered  by  the  Administration  at  the  hands  of 
Congress  last  week,  indicating  that  the  "blank  check"  era  is  over  and  actions  of 
the  Government  from  now  on  will  be  more  closely  scrutinized  than  they  have  been 
for  the  past  ten  years. 

The  fight  against  salary  control  was  based  on  opposition  to  the  limitation  of 
income  by  fiat  and  on  resentment  over  the  President's  defiance  of  the  views  of  both 
House  and  Senate,  expressed  last  year  when  the  Ways  and  Means  and  Finance 
Committees  rejected  a  proposal  for  such  legislation. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  Treasury,  it  is  estimated  that  anywhere  up  to 
$1  10,000,000  in  taxes  will  be  collected  as  a  result  of  repeal,  which  otherwise  would 
have  been  lost,  and  the  way  is  paved  for  further  taxes,  in  the  revenue  bill  to  be 
enacted  this  year,  which  may  effectively  reduce  net  salary  income  to  about  the 
figure  provided  in  the  order. 

Nothing  less  than  a  solid  front  of  the  Democratic  membership  can  defeat  the 
proposal  in  the  House.  There  are  222  Democrats,  against  209  Republicans  and 
4  Labor  and  Progressive  members,  and  the  defection  of  only  5  Democratic  votes — 
and  proponents  of  repeal  claim  more — would  be  sufficient. 


which  artists  must  express  their  creations.  We 
revere  the  Code  as  the  collateral  securing  our 
public  trust." 

Material  for  the  speech  was  drawn  largely 
from  the  series  of  pamphlets  on  the  industry 
which  will  be  published  by  the  Industry  Service 
Bureau.  They  are  to  be  distributed  to  theatres, 
and  sent  to  editors,  educators,  and  other  public 
leaders,  according  to  plans  disclosed  by  Mr.  Coe 
two  weeks  ago. 

Accompanying  him  to  Boston  were  Arthur 
De  Bra,  David  Palfreyman  and  Roy  Norr, 
members  of  the  MPPDA  staff  in  New  York, 
and  Mark  Larkin,  Gordon  White  and  Duke 
Hickey  who  will  be  field  men  for  the  Industry 
Service  Bureau  in  the  public  relations  campaign. 
Its  object  is  to  "fill  theatres  and  keep  them 
full,"  Mr.  Coe  said  when  he  announced  it  two 
weeks  ago. 

Mr.  Coe  was  scheduled  to  make  a  second 
public  address  on  Thursday  evening  at  New 
York  before  the  Pacific  Lodge,  No.  233,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  at  a  festival  in  honor  of  Masons  in 
the  armed  forces.  A  number  of  theatre  and 
motion  picture  people  were  to  participate  in 
the  meeting. 

M.  J.  Weisfeldt  of  Columbia  and  Sam  E. 


Morris  of  Warners,  co-chairmen,  announced 
that  the  list  of  speakers  and  entertainers  would 
include  Mr.  Coe,  John  W.  Vandercook,  George 
Sokolsky,  Major  John  B.  Ferris,  Willard 
Johnson,  Benny  Fields  and  others. 


M.  &  P.  Ambulance  in  Tripoli 

A  dispatch  forwarded  from  Stephen  Galatti, 
director-general  of  the  American  Field  Service 
in  the  Middle  East,  to  Neil  Agnew,  general 
sales  manager  of  Paramount,  disclosed  that  the 
ambulance  donated  by  patrons  of  the  M.  &  P. 
Theatres  in  Boston  was  among  the  first  dozen 
to  arrive  in  Tripoli  last  month.  The  dispatch 
said  that  its  drivers  were  William  R.  T.  Van 
Cleef  of  New  York  and  T.  Edward  Munce,  Jr., 
of  Harrisburg. 


Fuel  Crisis  Closes  House 

First  house  in  Reading,  Pa.,  to  close  because 
of  the  fuel  situation  is  the  Capitol  theatre. 
Operating  only  three  days  a  week  until  now, 
the  management  decided  to  close  entirely  tem- 
porarily until  the  fuel  situation  improves.  The 
house  featured  vaudeville  three  days  a  week, 
straight  pictures  the  remainder  of  the  week. 


reoruary    20,    194  3  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  35 

THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


From  HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


Production  Index  Dips 

The  production  index  dipped  to  33  at  the  close  of  a  week  which  witnessed  the  start 
of  but  six  pictures  and  the  completion  of  a  dozen. 

"Hostages",  the  Paramount  production  in  which  Luise  Rainer  returns  to  the  screen, 
was  the  standout  in  the  list  of  new  undertakings. 

RKO  Radio  started  "The  Leopard  Man"  with  Dennis  O'Keefe,  Margo  and  Jean 
Brooks  and  "Sildersleeve's  Bad  Day"  with  the  comedian  of  the  title,  Alan  Carney 
and  Jane  Darwell. 

Republic  started  "Calling  Wild  Bill  Elliott"  With  Bill  Elliott,  George  "Gabby"  Hayes, 
Fred  Kohler  and  Anne  Jeffreys,  and  Producers  Releasing  started  "Black  Raven" 
(George  Zucco,  Wanda  McKay)  and  "Submarine  Base"  (John  Litel,  Alan  Baxter, 
Eric  Blore,  Iris  Adrian). 

The  week  in  tabulation: 


COMPLETED 

Columbia 

Redhead  from 
Manhattan 

MGM 

Bataan  Patrol 
Monogram 

Clancy  Street  Boys 
Paramount 
Alaska  Highway 
Republic 

Santa  Fe  Scouts 
King  of  the  Cowboys 

Universal 

Cross  Your  Fingers 
Warners 

Mission  to  Moscow 


Old  Acquaintance 
Devotion 

STARTED 

Paramount 

Hostages 

PRC 

Black  Raven 
Submarine  Base 

RKO  Radio 

Leopard  Man 
Gildersleeve's  Bad  Day 

Republic 

Calling  Wild  Bill 
Elliott 

SHOOTING 

Columbia 

Sahara 


Blondie  Buys  a  Horse 
Attack  by  Night 

MGM 

Right  About  Face 
Best  Foot  Forward 
Girl  Crazy 
Faculty  Row 
I  Dood  It 

Monogram 

Ghosts  in  the  Night 

Paramount 

Riding  High 
Five  Graves  to  Cairo 
So  Proudly  We  Hail 
Let's  Face  It 

RKO  Radio 

Falcon  Strikes  Back 
Free  For  All 


Fallen  Sparrow 
Sky's  the  Limit 

Republic 

Man  Trap 

20th-Fox 

Bomber's  Moon 
Stormy  Weather 
Heaven  Can  Wait 
Jane  Eyre 

UA 

Stage  Door  Canteen 
Universal 

Trombone  from 

Heaven 
Phantom  of  the 

Opera 
Corvettes  In  Action 


Paul  Bowles,  music  critic  of  the  New 
York  Herald  Tribune,  said  in  print  the 
other  day,  "Good  movie  scores  are  scarce, 
occasionally  it  would  be  nice  to  see  a 
good  film  with  some  music  that  is  really 
about  the  same  thing  the  film  is  about, 
and  that  says  what  the  film  says  just  as 
clearly  and  just  as  simply."  That  may  or 
may  not  apply  to  such  matters  the  same 
standards  as  those  respected  by  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  but  he  can  find  himself  food  for 
another  article,  at  least,  in  the  following 
nominations  for  this  year's  awards. 

Up  for  recognition  via  award  of  plaque 
are  "The  Shanghai  Gesture,"  "The  Gold 
Rush,"  "I  Married  a  Witch,"  "The  Talk 
of  the  Town,"  "Bambi,"  "The  Pride  of  the 
Yankees,"  "Jungle  Book,"  "To  Be  or  Not 
to  Be,"  "Random  Harvest,"  "Klondike 
Fury,"  "Take  a  Letter,  Darling,"  "Flying 
Tigers,"  "Joan  of  Paris,"  "Silver  Queen," 
"The  Corsican  Brothers,"  "The  Black 
Swan,"  "Arabian  Nights"  and  "Now, 
Voyager." 

Balloting  on  the  above  is  to  be  done  by  the 
music  branch  of  the  Academy,  which  is  to  say 
persons  who  know  music  when  they  hear  it,  but 
the  entire  personnel  of  the  Academy — persons 
who  know  what  they  like,  if  not  why — will  be 
voting  on  the  10  songs  up  for  award,  all  written 
for  and  performed  in  motion  pictures. 

The  songs  are  "Dearly  Beloved"  (from  "You 
Were  Never  Lovelier"),  "Love  Is  a  Song" 
("Bambi"),  "How  About  You"  ("Babes  on 
Broadway"),  "White  Christmas"  ("Holiday 
Inn"),  "It  Seems  I  Heard  That  Song  Before" 
("Youth  on  Parade"),  "There's  a  Breeze  on 
Lake  Louise"  ("Mayor  of  44th  Street"), 
"Pennies  for  Peppino"  ("Flying  with  Music"), 
"I've  Got  a  Gal  in  Kalamazoo"  ("Orchestra 
Wives"),  "Pig's  Foot  Pete"  ("Hellzapoppin") 
and  "Always  in  My  Heart"  ("Always  in  My 
Heart"). 

Wilson  Cites  Industry 
War  Film  Output 

Addressing  members  of  bench  and  bar  as 
guest  speaker  at  the  Los  Angeles  Legal  Secre- 
taries Association's  annual  banquet  on  Friday 
last,  Carey  Wilson,  who  produced  "You,  John 
Jones,"  said  in  connection  with  that  picture,  and 
going  on  to  speak  of  pictures  in  general,  "With- 
in a  month  after  someone  in  Washington 
evolved  the  idea  of  this  short,  it  was  on  its  way 
to  being  shown  in  11,200  theatres  throughout 
the  United  States  to  an  aggregate  audience  of 
83,000,000  moviegoers.  And  that  is  but  one  of 
the  many  pictures  that  have  been  sent  out  to  do 
a  very  necessary  job  of  work. 

"Then,  too,  we  have  a  constant  release  of 
fine  entertainment  pictures  woven  around  vital 
wartime  themes — pictures  made  by  Hollywood 
either  at  the  suggestion  of  or  with  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  Government  and  shown  in  theatres 
from  coast  to  coast,  week  in  and  week  out." 

Universal  Lists 
Producers 

By  way  of  documenting  its  declared  policy 
of  building  a  powerful  production  setup,  Uni- 
versal lists  the  following  as  producers :  Walter 
Wanger,  Howard  Hawks,  George  Waggner, 
Alex  Gottlieb,  Howard  Benedict  and  Erie  C. 
Kenton.  Associate  nroducers  listed  are  Don 
Brown,  Ben  Pivar,  Paul  Malvern,  Bernard  C. 
Burton,  Will  Cowan,  Ken  Goldsmith,  Frank 


Shaw,  Ford  Beebe  and  Henry  MacRae.  Pro- 
ducer-writers are  Felix  Jackson,  Dwight  Tay- 
lor, Hugh  Wedlock,  Jr.,  and  Edward  Snyder ; 
producer-directors  are  Henry  Koster,  Julien 
Duvivier  and  Edwin  L.  Marin ;  producer-writ- 
er-directors are  Frank  Ryan  and  Roy  William 
Neil,  and  Charles  Boyer  is  a  producer-actor. 

Two  Outdoor  Films 
In  Technicolor 

Weekend  announcement  of  two  subjects  of 
outdoor  character  to  be  filmed  in  Technicolor 
denote  the  continuing  use  of  pigmentation  and 
open  air  as  an  offset  to  the  ceiling  on  set  costs. 
Universal  revealed  plans  for  production  of 
"Raiders  of  the  Desert,"  with  the  "Arabian 
Nights"  trio,  Maria  Montez,  Sabu  and  Jon 
Hall,  which  Paul  Malvern  will  produce.  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  assigned  Henry  Hathaway, 
relieved  last,  week  of  his  duties  on  the  RKO 
Radio  production  of  "Free  for  All"  (since  re- 
titled  "The  Lady  Takes  a  Chance"),  to  direc- 
tion of  "Torpedo  Squadron  8,"  for  producer 
Walter  Morosco. 

B.  G.  DeSylva,  Paramount  executive  pro- 
ducer, has  announced  "Seek,  Strike,  Destroy," 
depicting  the  tank  destroyer  in  operation,  as  a 
vehicle  for  Brian  Donlevy  with  Joseph  Sistrom, 
oroducer  of  "Wake  Island."  in  charge.  .  .  . 
Robert  Taylor,  cast  some  time  ago  in  MGM's 
"Russia,"  will  appear  in  that  picture,  start  of 
which  is  being  rushed,  before  reporting  to  the 
Naval  Air  Force,  in  which  he  was  inducted  list 


week.  .  .  .  Ruth  Warrick  has  been  given  the 
feminine  lead  in  RKO  Radio's  "The  Iron  Ma- 
jor." .  .  .  Producers  Releasing  Corporation  has 
announced  "Oh,  Say  Can  You  See,"  a  musical, 
as  its  "first  bid  for  A  playing  time."  .  .  .  The 
company  has  cast  Cobina  Wright,  Sr.,  in  "For 
Service  Men  Only,"  her  first  film. 

"Unconquered,"  the  Fritz  Lang-Arnold 
Pressburger  picture  which  was  "Never  Sur- 
render" and  "We  Killed  Hitler's  Hangman"  at 
other  points  in  its  career,  now  is  known — it  is 
declared  finally — as  "Hangmen  Also  Die."  .  .  . 
Jack  L.  Warner  has  assigned  Hal  B.  Wallis  to 
production  of  "Buffalo  Bill,"  for  which  no  star 
has  been  announced,  and  the  studio  announces 
that  Joe  Louis,  heavyweight  champion  now  in 
service,  will  do  a  role  in  "This  Is  the  Army." 
.  .  .  Erich  von  Stroheim,  withdrawn  from  the 
cast  of  "Hostages"  at  Paramount  because  he  is 
still  busy  with  "Five  Graves  to  Cairo"  there, 
is  to  play  a  Nazi  in  Samuel  Goldwvn's  "North 
Star." 

MacMurray  Cast 
In  "Four  Angels" 

Paramount  has  named  Fred  MacMurray  as 
male  star  of  "Four  Angels"  opposite  Dorothy 
Lamour,  Betty  Hutton,  Diana  Lynn  and  Mimi 
Chandler.  .  .  .  Roland  Varno,  Dutch  actor,  has 
replaced  Francis  Lederer  in  that  studio's 
"Hostages,"  following  the  latter's  withdrawal 
under  what  is  described  as  "amicable  arrange- 
ment with  the  studio." 


Para 


moun 


i 


is  the  marvel  of  show  busine.i 
today... Unmatched  in  industr 
records  is  Paramount's  achieve 
ment  in  delivering  so  many  tei 


c  top-grossing  successes — with 
:h  regularity  —  in  so  short  a 
le... And  as  we've  said  before, 
just  the  end  of  the  beginning! 


38 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,     I  943 


Voice  Objections  on 
Tax,  Bingo  Bills 


North  Dakota  Divorcement 
Measure  Again  Comes 
Up  in  Legislature 

Legislative  activity  affecting  industry 
interests  continued  at  a  lively  pace  last 
week.  However,  rather  than  the  introduc- 
tion of  numerous  additional  bills,  the  center 
of  the  stage  was  occupied  by  factions  voicing 
approval  or  disapproval  of  the  proposed 
measures. 

Both  theatre  owners  and  church  organiza- 
tions were  mutually  opposed  to  the  Archinal- 
Farrell  bill  which  would  legalize  bingo  in 
New  York  State  when  operated  by  church 
or  fraternal  organizations.  -  The  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  Association  received  sup- 
port of  the  State  Council  of  Churches  repre- 
senting all  major  Protestant  divisions. 

It  was  reported  that  the  Council  said  "the 
church  is  opposed  to  any  form  of  gambling." 
The  Wilson  bill  to  give  local  communities 
the  right  to  legalize  such  games,  and  the 
Quinn-Bannigan  bill  asking  for  state-super- 
vised lotteries,  also  were  denounced  by  the 
Church  Council. 

In  another  direction,  a  divorce- 
ment bill  again  was  introduced  in 
the  North  Dakota  legislature.  Simi- 
lar action  also  has  been  taken  in 
Kansas.  The  North  Dakota  pro- 
posal reopens  the  dispute  which 
was  first  brought  up  in  1937.  After 
its  passage,  a  three-judge  court  de- 
clared the  law  unconstitutional,  and 
following  an  appeal  by  producers  in 
the  United  States  supreme  court, 
the  North  Dakota  legislature  re- 
pealed the  act  in  1939.  Producer- 
distributor  organizations  would  be 
prohibited  from  owning  or  con- 
trolling theatres  in  the  state  under 
the  provisions  of  the  bill. 

Opposition  grew  to  the  Connecticut 
measure  proposing  a  change  in  the  taxation 
levy  to  10  per  cent  of  the  admission  charge 
instead  of  the  present  plan  assessing  thea- 
tres on  seating  capacity. 

Hotel  Group  Aids 
Fight  on  Bill 

Louis  Schatz,  attorney  for  the  Connecti- 
cut Hotel  Association,  raised  objections, 
after  learning  that  hotels  would  be  taxed  on 
the  basis  of  20  per  cent  of  the  cost  of  serv- 
ice or  merchandise.  Mr.  Schatz  said  that 
hotels  would  be  charged  20  per  cent  of  the 
amount  of  the  dinner  check  whether  or  not 
they  had  floor  shows.  He  said,  "Hotels 
have  never  been  considered  as  places  of 
amusement,  and  the  proposal  is  out  of  pro- 
portion." 

Theatre  owners  objected  to  further  taxa- 
tion, which  would  amount  to  approximate- 
ly $1,500,000  a  year,  according  to  Ernest 
Goodrich,  Deputy  Tax  Commissioner.  The 
present  revenue  from  this  source  yields  only 
$100,000  annually.  Also  introduced  was  a 
measure  prohibiting  Sunday  work  in  the 
state. 

The  Central  Standard  Time  which  was  to 


become  effective  this  week  in  Ohio  following 
passage  by  the  legislature  of  a  time-change 
law,  faces  a  possible  delay  before  Governor 
Bricker's  signature  is  affixed  to  the  measure. 
Opposition  from  key  cities  in  the  state  was 
indicated,  and  Representative  John  De- 
righter  had  announced  that  he  would  intro- 
duce a  resolution  urging  a  veto  of  the  bill. 

Oppose  Michigan 
Time  Change 

Further  reverberations  were  felt  in 
Michigan  concerning  its  decision  to  revert 
to  Standard  Time.  Donald  Nelson,  chair- 
man of  the  War  Production  Board,  urged 
the  City  Council  of  Detroit  to  refrain  from 
following  an  example  set  by  other  Michi- 
gan communities,  and  to  maintain  the  pres- 
ent War  Time  schedule.  "Detroit  is  re- 
sponsible for  about  one-tenth  of  the  total 
savings  in  the  nation  achieved  through  the 
use  of  War  Time,"  he  said  in  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  Council. 

A  bill  in  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature  proposed  that  all  subse- 
quent  run   theatres   in  the  state 
should  have  access  to  pictures  not 
later  than  30  days  after  their  first 
showing  in  the  state.    The  enact- 
ment of  such  a  measure  would  dis- 
rupt present  clearance  and  release 
schedules  completely. 
Further  hardships  which  would  be  en- 
countered include  the  difficulty  of  supplying 
prints  in  the  entire  Boston  territory,  and  ob- 
taining a  sufficient  amount  of  raw  stock. 
An  alternative  proposal  to  the  30-day  avail- 
ability is  a  clause  asking  that  films  be  made 
available  to  New  Hampshire  houses  within 
60  days  after  the  national  release  date. 

Minor  measures  proposed  in  various  state 
legislatures  or  city  councils  largely  deal  with 
fire  prevention  bills.  Indiana  exhibitors 
would  be  required  to  obtain  annual  licenses 
from  the  fire  marshal  costing  either  $5  or 
$10,  according  to  the  seating  capacity  of  the 
theatre.  The  Milwaukee  Council  banned 
smoking  in  theatres  except  in  areas  ap- 
proved by  the  building  inspector,  and  in 
Omaha,  fire  department  inspectors  were  giv- 
en power  to  enforce  rigidly  fire  and  safety 
regulations. 

In  Oregon,  the  lower  chamber  passed  a 
bill  introduced  by  Representative  John 
Steelhammer  of  Salem,  taxing  slot  machines, 
pin-ball  machines  and  juke  boxes.  The  game 
devices  would  be  assessed  $50  a  year,  and 
the  music  boxes  $25.  It  was  said  that  pas- 
sage would  result  in  an  income  of  $2,500,- 
000  and  would  benefit  old-age  pensions,  with 
60  per  cent  going  to  the  state  and  40  per 
cent  to  counties. 


Plagiarism  Suit  Dismissed 

Federal  Judge  John  C.  Knox  dismissed  the 
plagiarism  suit  brought  by  Dorothy  West, 
actress,  and  Madge  Christie  in  U.  S.  district 
court,  New  York,  last  Tuesday.  The  action 
was  against  Universal  Pictures,  Eric  Hatch, 
author ;  MacFadden  Publications  and  Grosset 
and  Dunlap.  The  plaintiffs  claimed  that  the 
author's  story,  "My  Man  Godfrey,"  was  taken 
from  a  play,  "This  Modern  Instance,"  they  had 
produced  in  a  summer  theatre. 


National  Meeting 
Of  Variety  Club 

Held  in  Chicago 

The  National  Variety  Club  was  expected  to 
have  as  guest  speakers  at  its  convention  in 
Chicago  on  February  19th  to  21st  Jack  Benny, 
Sister  Elizabeth  Kenny  and  James  Conzelnian. 
noted  Chicago  sports  figure.  The  announced 
program  for  the  convention  included  general 
business  meetings  to  2  :30  P.  M.  Friday  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel. 

An  informal  dinner  for  the  national  officers 
was  to  follow  at  8:30  P.  M.,  and  at  the  same 
time,  national  canvassmen,  barkers  and  dele- 
gates were  to  attend  a  theatre  party  at  the 
Blackstone  theatre.  Saturday's  program  was 
to  consist  of  regular  convention  meetings  at  the 
Blackstone  and  the  ninth  annual  banquet  at  the 
Drake  Hotel,  starting  at  approximately  6 :30 
P.  M. 

At  noon  on  Sunday,  a  meeting  of  the  newly 
elected  national  officers  was  to  take  place  at 
the  Blackstone  Hotel.  The  host  for  the  con- 
vention was  Tent  26  of  Chicago,  and  the  mem- 
bers serving  as  chairmen  of  various  committees 
were :  Samuel  Meyers,  Harris  Silverberg,  Dave 
Wallerstein,  Jules  J.  Rubens,  Will  Baker,  Nate 
Piatt,  Charles  Hogan,  John  McManus,  Larry 
Stein,  Jack  Hess  and  Henri  Elman,  chairman 
of  the  general  committee. 

Individual  Tent  activities,  meanwhile,  have 
been  conducted  or  are  scheduled  in  various 
sectors  of  the  country.  The  Pittsburgh  Variety 
Club  will  honor  John  J.  Maloney,  recently  ap- 
pointed one  of  MGM's  division  managers,  on 
Monday  evening,  March  1st.  He  has  been 
engaged  actively  in  theatre  operations  in  Pitts- 
burgh for  more  than  25  years.  The  testimonial 
dinner  will  be  held  in  the  William  Penn  Hotel, 
and  it  is  expected  that  400  guests  will  attend. 

C.  J.  Latta,  chief  barker  of  the  Albany  tent, 
presided  over  a  meeting  of  the  club  on  Monday 
night,  February  15th,  at  the  Ten  Eyck  Hotel 
in  that  city.  Plans  were  formulated  for  the 
participation  of  the  group  in  the  Albany  United 
Service  Organization  program. 

A  sum  of  $5,000  has  been  contributed  by  Tent 
23,  Variety  Club  of  New  England,  toward  the 
erection  of  a  Children's  Welfare  Memorial  to 
honor  the  Cocoanut  Grove  fire  victims,  it  was 
disclosed  after  a  meeting  of  the  club  on  Febru- 
ary 9th.  Joseph  Levenson  was  named  chairman 
of  a  Committee  to  solicit  further  contributions, 
and  he  announced  that  subscriptions  for  the 
fund  would  be  accepted  by  Harold  Stoneman. 
treasurer,  at  the  Metropolitan  Building,  Boston. 


Selznick  Heads  Documentary 
Film  Award  Committee 

David  O.  Selznick,  producer,  has  been 
named  chairman  of  the  documentary  awards 
committee  of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture 
Arts  and  Sciences  for  the  second  consecutive 
year.  Mr.  Selznick  was  responsible  for  the 
origination  of  such  an  award,  which  was  given 
for  the  first  time  last  year. 

A  nominating  committee  which  is  now_  in 
formation  will  study  entries  from  all  United 
Nations  countries,  and  a  second  awards  com- 
mittee will  make  the  final  selections.  Mr. 
Selznick  said  that  he  hoped  films  would  be 
recognized  as  an  instrument  of  mutual  under- 
standing among  the  United  Nations. 


Plan  "Canteen"  Opening 

Brock  Pemberton  and  Irving  Berlin  have 
conferred  with  members  of  the  American  Thea- 
tre Wing  in  San  Francisco  regarding  early 
opening  of  a  Stage  Door  Canteen  in  that  city. 
City  officials  have  aranged  a  site  for  the  estab- 
lishment in  the  downtown  area,  and  the  usual 
hospitality  features  for  service  men  in  canteens 
are  being  arranged. 


February    20      I  943 

Recapitalization 
Of  Universal 
Is  Studied 

Recapitalization  of  Universal  Pictures  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  and  its  consolidation  with  its  hold- 
ing company,  Universal  Corporation,  are  under 
consideration  and  according  to  an  announcement 
by  J.  Cheever  Cowdin,  chairman  of  Universal 
Pictures,  plans  will  be  ready  to  submit  to  a 
stockholders'  meeting  March  15. 

A  basis  of  agreement  is  sought  on  an  offer 
to  exchange  Universal  Corporation's  voting 
trust  certificates  to  minority-  holders  of  Uni- 
versal Pictures  common  stock  for  their  shares. 
Universal  Corporation  holds  92  per  cent  of 
the  picture  unit's  250,000  shares  of  common 
stock,  authorized  and  outstanding.  Universal 
Corporation's  voting  trust  certificates  sold  this 
week  on  the  New  York  Curb  Exchange  at 
13%,  the  season's  high.  Book  value  was  listed 
recently  around  $17  a  share,  and  1942  earnings 
were  recorded  at  $5.40  a  share.  Universal 
Pictures  common,  also  a  Curb  Exchange  item, 
brought  55%,  off  Its  book  value  is  $23  a 
share  and  its  1942  earnings  were  $11  a  share. 
Universal  Pictures,  a  big  board  stock,  sold  this 
week  at  175%,  up  2%  to  a  new  high. 

It  is  understood  the  proposed  recapitalization 
and  consolidation  plans  include  a  new  bank 
loan  of  $6,000,000  to  refund  present  bank  in- 
debtedness of  $2,000,000,  leaving  $4,000,000  to 
retire  the  8,600  shares  of  eight  per  cent  Uni- 
versal first  preferred  at  $110  a  share  and  ac- 
crued dividends  of  about  $68  a  share  requiring 
approximately  $1,500,000.  Part  of  the  com- 
pany's §4,000,000  five  per  cent  convertible  de- 
bentures due  in  1946  also  are  expected  to  be 
retired,  and  the  maturity  of  the  balance  of  the 
issue  extended. 

If  the  merger  is  achieved,  the  20,000  of 
seven  per  cent  preferred  of  Universal  Pictures, 
all  of  which  is  owned  bv  Universal  Corpora- 
tion, together  with  the  $2,000,000  of  funded  debt 
owed  by  the  pictures  unit  to  Universal  Corpo- 
ration will  be  retired,  according  to  unofficial 
information. 

If  work  on  the  plan  is  not  completed  in  time 
for  the  March  15th  meeting,  a  special  meeting 
will  be  called  later  to  pass  on  it. 

Goldman  Acquires  Keith's 
Theatre  in  Philadelphia 

William  Goldman,  independent  circuit  oper- 
ator in  Philadelphia,  has  purchased  Keith's 
theatre  and  eight-story  building  from  the  Presi- 
dent and  Fellows  of  Harvard  College  for 
$250,000,  and  after  taking  possession  on  April 
1st,  will  use  two  of  the  floors  to  house  several 
departments. 

The  addition  of  Keith's  gives  Mr.  Goldman 
three  midtown  houses  with  a  total  seating 
capacity  of  more  than  5.000.  He  also  owns  the 
News  and  Erlanger  theatres. 


Lewis  Rejoins  Paramount 

David  Lewis,  Paramount  producer,  has  been 
honorably  discharged  from  the  Army,  and  the 
company  has  assigned  him  to  work  on  "French- 
man's Creek,"  adapted  from  the  Daphne  Du 
Maurier  novel. 


Moray  on  Sales  Tour 

Norman  H.  Moray,  Warner  Brothers'  short 
subject  sales  manager,  left  New  York  last 
week  to  tour  the  company's  exchanges  in  con- 
nection with  its  current  sales  drive. 


Manages  Wilmington  House 

Frederick  R.  Gibbs  has  been  named  manager 
of  the  Ace  theatre,  Wilmington,  Del.,  by  Ben- 
jamin Shindler,  owner.  Mr.  Gibbs  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  had  been  associated  with  MGM. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Film  Issues  Maintain 
Strength  on  Exchange 

Motion  picture  stocks  held  their  own  during 
the  week  with  only  minor  fluctuations  from 
their  recent  healthy  gains  following  sustained 
earning  reports  and  attendance  records.  Uni- 
versal Pictures  first  preferred  brought  175%, 
up  2%  to  a  new  high  on  the  New  York  Stock 
Exchange.  Universal  Corporation  voting  trust 
certificates  were  up  %  of  a  point  to  the  season's 
high  of  13%  on  the  Curb. 

Columbia  at  11^  was  up  half  a  point  and 
Columbia  preferred  with  a  %  gain  was  up  to 
33.  Warner  Bros,  common  at  9%  was  only  l/& 
below  its  high  for  the  season.  Its  preferred 
gained  %  to  reach  81.  Paramount  at  18%  was 
off  %,  its  first  preferred  at  130%  was  off  % 
and  its  preferred  at  130J4  was  off  1^4  points. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  common  remained  at 
15%  and  was  within  half  a  point  of  its  sea- 
son's high.  Its  preferred  at  29  was  %  point 
off.  Loew's  at  48  remained  stationary.  RKO 
at  five  showed  no  change  and  Consolidated 
Film  Industries  with  a  gain  of  %  equalled  its 
seasonal  high  of  10^. 

Universal  To  Release  MOI 
Film  Next  Month 

Universal  expects  to  release  "Next  of  Kin," 
the  feature  produced  by  the  film  division  of  the 
British  Ministry  of  Information,  some  time  next 
month,  it  was  learned  in  New  York  this  week. 
Some  re-editing  and  cutting  of  the  film  is  cur- 
rently being  prepared  by  the  company  which 
is  reported  to  have  special  release  plans,  pos- 
sibly a  roadshow  treatment,  and  an  advertising- 
exploitation  campaign  under  discussion. 

"Next  of  Kin"  and  "Coastal  Command"  are 
the  first  two  of  the  eight  features  which  each 
of  the  eight  American  major  companies  have 
agreed  to  distribute  for  MOI.  The  latter  pic- 
ture will  be  released  by  RKO.  Under  the  rota 
system  of  selection,  Warner  Bros,  drew  the 
MOI  short,  "We  Sail  at  Midnight,"  and  Para- 
mount will  distribute  "Merchant  Seamen."  Re- 
lease dates  for  these  productions  have  not  yet 
been  announced. 


Allied  Caravan  Program 
Endorsed  by  PCCITO 

More  than  1,200  west  coast  independent  thea- 
tre operators,  acting  through  the  Pacific  Coast 
Conference  of  Independent  Theatre  Owners, 
endorsed  the  Allied  Caravan  plan,  it  was  an- 
nounced last  week  in  a  joint  statement  issued  by 
Col.  H.  A.  Cole,  acting  chairman  of  the  Allied 
Caravan  committee,  and  Robert  H.  Poole,  ex- 
ecutive secretary  of  the  PCCITO. 

After  a  series  of  meetings  by  independent  ex- 
hibitors of  Portland,  Seattle,  and  San  Francisco, 
a  program  was  accepted  which,  the  statement 
said,  "will  strengthen  the  position  of  indepen- 
dent exhibitors  by  affording  them  information 
service  relative  to  the  conditions  in  the  film 
market  comparable  to  that  enjoyed  by  distribu- 
tors." 


IATSE  Charters  New  Local 

The  International  Association  of  Theatrical 
Stage  Employees  has  issued  a  charter  to  local 
F-23,  Kansas  City  exchange  employees.  Offi- 
cers installed  recently  were :  L.  F.  Durland, 
RKO,  president ;  Vernon  Smith,  MGM,  vice- 
president  ;  M.  E.  Anderson,  Paramount,  business 
representative :  Woodrow  Walker.  MGM, 
financial  secretary;  Ann  O'Toole.  Paramount, 
recording  secretary ;  Al  Chaffee.  Warner  Bros., 
guide,  and  William  Schwartz,  MGM.  sergeant- 
at-arms. 


Actress  Returns  to  Stage 

Billie  Burke  returned  to  the  New  York  legiti- 
mate stage  Thursday  evening  in  "This  Rock." 
a  comedy  by  Walter  Livingston  Faust,  which 
opened  at  the  Longacre  theatre.  Miss  Burke 
last  appeared  on  Broadway  in  1930.  She  is  the 
widow  of  the  late  Florenz  Ziegfeld. 


39 

December  Stock 
Trading  Active, 
SEC  Reports 

Changes  in  the  holdings  of  officers,  directors 
or  principal  stockholders  of  all  of  the  major 
film  companies  occurred  in  December  in  the 
broadest  series  of  transactions  reported  over  a 
considerable  period,  the  Securities  and  Exchange 
Commission  disclosed  Thursday  in  Philadelphia. 

With  but  few  exceptions,  the  trades  ran  into 
five-figure  blocks,  the  largest  being  23,900 
shares  of  Warner  Brothers  common,  purchased 
by  Albert  Warner,  and  a  like  amount  purchased 
by  Jack  L.  Warner.  Harry  M.  Warner  pur- 
chased 9,500  shares  of  common.  In  preferred, 
Albert  Warner  sold  2,000  shares  and  Jack  L. 
Warner  4,500,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year,  Albert 
Warner  held  141,248  shares  of  common  and 
12,884  shares  of  preferred ;  Jack  L.  Warner, 
167,860  shares  of  common  and  10,384  of  prefer- 
red, and  Harry  M.  Warner,  89,060  shares  of 
common  and  9,884  of  preferred. 

Samuel  Carlisle,  of  the  same  company,  sold 
300  shares  of  common  stock,  and  held  300  shares 
at  the  end  of  the  year. 

Next  largest  block  was  9,900  shares  of  Radio- 
Keith-Orpheum  common  stock,  acquired  in  a 
series  of  buys  by  the  American  Company,  Jer- 
sey City,  which  also  bought  2,000  shares  of 
preferred,  holding  343,530  shares  of  common  and 
3,230  of  preferred  as  the  year  closed. 

Disposition  of  5,350  options  for  Monogram 
Pictures  common  stock  and  3,333  shares  of  the 
common  stock  itself  was  reported  by  W.  Ray 
Johnston,  who  held  no  options  and  19,071  shares 
of  stock  at  the  end  of  the  year. 

Acquisition  of  5,000  common  voting  trust 
certificate  warrants  of  Universal  Corporation, 
as  compensation,  was  reported  by  J.  Cheever 
Cowdin,  giving  him  10,000,  and  a  similar  acqui- 
sition of  3,000  was  reported  by  Charles  D. 
Prutzman,  giving  him  a  total  of  12,000. 

David  Bernstein,  Loew's,  Inc.,  sold  3,900 
shares  of  common  stock  held  through  a  corpo- 
ration, which  had  19,550  shares  at  the  end  of 
the  year,  and  J.  Robert  Rubin  sold  3,700  shares 
of  common,  leaving  him  with  2,865  shares. 

Stanton  Griffis,  Paramount  Pictures  director, 
sold  3,000  shares  of  common  stock,  held 
through  Hemphill,  Noyes  &  Company,  wiping 
out  that  account. 

Other  transactions  included  the  sale  of  1.800 
shares  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox  common 
stock  by  the  Chase  National  Bank,  New  York, 
which  still  held  207,858  shares  of  common  and 
671,916  of  preferred ;  purchase  of  two  shares  of 
Loew's  Boston  Theatres  common  stock  by 
Loew's,  Inc..  giving  it  a  total  of  119.560  shares; 
and  disposition  of  50  shares  of  Columbia  Pic- 
tures common  stock,  by  gift  by  Abraham 
Schneider,  reducing  his  holdings  to  1.864 
shares. 

In  Universal  Pictures,  Preston  Davie,  direc- 
tor, wiped  out  his  entire  holding  of  150  shares 
of  common  stock  by  sale,  and  Universal  Corpo- 
ration purchased  200  shares  for  a  total  of 
231,327  shares. 


20th-Fox  Declares  Dividends 

The  board  of  directors  of  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox declared  a  cash  dividend  of  37T/2 
cents  per  share  for  the  first  quarter  of  1943  on 
the  outstanding  preferred  stock  of  the  corpo- 
ration, at  a  meeting  held  last  week,  and  at  the 
same  time  declared  a  cash  dividend  of  25  cents 
per  share  on  the  outstanding  common  stock. 


'Air  Force"  Wins  Award 

The  First  Aero  Squadron  Club,  an  organi- 
zation of  fliers  of  World  War  I.  has  presented 
its  1943  "Merit  Award  for  Outstanding  Sen-ice 
to  Aviation"  to  Warner  Brothers  for  its  pro- 
duction. "Air  Force."  Captain  Rickenbacker 
and  Admiral  Byrd  are  members  of  the  club. 


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42 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


Republic  Has  Record 
Western  Schedule 


32  Are  on  List  for  1942-43, 
with  8  Autry  Reissues; 
Plan  Magazine  Ads 

Production  and  distribution  plans  of  ma- 
jor companies  for  Western  films  continue  at 
the  pace  set  earlier  in  the  season,  with  great- 
er emphasis  on  production  values.  Slick 
new  plots,  better  marquee  names  and  musical 
treatment  are  attributes  which  have  helped 
to  develop  a  popular  market  for  Westerns 
which  is  increasing  the  number  of  bookings 
and  the  average  returns  on  top  outdoor  pro- 
ductions. 

Republic  Pictures,  for  example,  will  re- 
lease more  Westerns  this  season  than  at  any 
other  time  in  its  history.  The  company  has 
set  32  Westerns  for  1942-43  and  has  aug- 
mented the  schedule  by  the  recent  reissue  of 
eight  Gene  Autry  productions.  In  addition, 
eight  Roy  Rogers  "specials,"  which  will  be 
given  added  production  and  exploitation 
treatment;  eight  Westerns  featuring  Don 
"Red"  Barry,  eight  Three  Mesquiteers'  pro- 
ductions with  Bob  Steele,  Tom  Tyler  and 
Jimmie  Dodd;  and  eight  Will  Bill  Elliott 
pictures  featuring  Bill  Elliott,  George 
"Gabby"  Hayes  and  Anne  Jeffreys  are  in- 
cluded in  the  schedule. 

An  extensive  advertising  campaign  in  na- 
tional magazines  is  now  under  way  on  the 
Rogers  and  Autry  features. 

According  to  the  company, 
"there  has  been  a  tendency  on  the 
part  of  theatre  owners  for  some 
time,  particularly  in  connection 
with  the  Gene  Autry  and  Roy  Rog- 
ers' productions,  and  more  recently 
with  Westerns  generally,  to  give 
first  run  playing  time  in  the  better 
theatres  to  such  outdoor  attrac- 
tions. This  policy  has  been  main- 
tained further  down  the  line,  in  the 
subsequent  runs,  where  such  films 
are  shown  either  as  a  single  feature 
or  as  the  top  feature  on  a  double 
bill." 

Republic  points  out  that  Westerns,  pro- 
duced during  recent  years,  retain  all  the 
action  and  suspense  elements  of  earlier  re- 
leases which  the  Western  fans  want,  but  that 
a  better  type  of  story,  modern  dialogue,  mu- 
sical backgrounds,  improved  production  and 
better  supporting  casts  which  have  added 
box  office  value  have  been  introduced. 

Popularity  Also  Noted 
In  Foreign  Market 

Analyzing  the  growing  popularity  of 
Westerns  in  first  run  theatres,  an  editorial 
in  Motion  Picture  Herald  on  January 
30th,  pointed  to  the  fact  that  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  motion  picture,  production 
and  distribution  attention  centered  on  the 
big-budget  films  with  sales  pressures  exert- 
ed in  that  direction,  and  that  as  a  result,  the 
quality  of  the  Western  tended  to  deteriorate, 
although  a  large  public  for  the  outdoor  prod- 
uct continued  to  exist. 

Republic  also  attributes  the  growth  of 


popularity  for  this  type  of  film  to  the  fact 
that  since  the  war,  with  more  spending 
money  available  to  larger  sections  of  the 
public,  patrons  of  the  small  theatres  have  be- 
come regular  patrons  of  first  run  houses 
and  have  brought  with  them  their  taste  in 
motion  pictures — the  outdoor  attractions. 

A  similar  increase  in  the  popularity  of 
Westerns  is  noted  in  the  foreign  field,  ac- 
cording to  Republic.  Since  1939,  Gene  Au- 
try, for  example,  has  been  a  top  attraction 
in  England.  More  recently,  Roy  Rogers 
has  climbed  to  audience  attention  in  Great 
Britain,  and  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand, 
the  demand  for  Autry  and  Rogers'  films  is 
so  great  that  their  pictures  bring  in  larger 
grosses  than  any  other  pictures  of  this  type, 
the  company  reports. 

In  South  America,  Rogers  and  Autry 
pictures  have  grown  in  popularity  over  the 
past  few  years  and  as  a  result,  these  sub- 
jects are  getting  more  representative  playing 
time  and  also  are  playing  to  wider  audiences 
in  a  larger  number  of  theatres. 

First  of  the  Autry  pictures  to  be  reissued 
is  "Boots  and  Saddles,"  which  is  now  being 
released.  "South  of  the  Border,"  another 
reissue,  is  scheduled  for  March  1st  release. 
Three  Roy  Rogers  productions  already  com- 
pleted are  "Heart  of  the  Golden  West," 
"Idaho"  and  "King  of  the  Cowboys." 


Columbia  Holds 
Sales  Meeting 

Branch  managers  and  home  office  executives 
of  Columbia  Pictures  met  in  New  York  Wednes- 
day and  Thursday  to  discuss  distribution  plans 
for  the  company's  1943-44  program.  A.  Mon- 
tague, vice-president  and  general  sales  manager, 
presided  and  those  present  included:  Jack 
Cohn,  executive  vice-president ;  Louis  Astor 
and  Louis  Weinberg,  circuit  sales  executive, 
and  Max  J.  Weisfeldt,  sales  executive. 

Among  the  delegates  were :  N.  J.  Cohn, 
New  York  division  manager ;  branch  managers 
Saul  Trauner  and  Irving  Wormser,  New  York ; 
H.  E.  Weiner,  Philadelphia ;  Joseph  Miller, 
Albany;  I.  H.  Rogovin,  Boston;  Phil  Fox, 
Buffalo,  and  T.  F.  O'Toole,  New  Haven. 


"Kukan"  at  Skouras  Houses 

Four  Skouras  theatres  in  the  metropolitan 
New  York  area  have  shown  the  Rey  Scott 
film,  "Kukan,  the  Battle  Cry  of  China."  The 
picture  was  responsible  for  Mr.  Scott's  award 
by  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  of  the  certificate  of  merit  for  filming 
it  "under  the  most  difficult  and  dangerous  con- 
ditions." Previous  Academy  award-winning 
shorts  also  were  exhibited. 


Latin  American  Business  Rises 

Grosses  in  the  Latin  American  market  in- 
creased 40  per  cent  last  year  for  Producers 
Releasing  Corporation,  O.  Henry  Briggs,  presi- 
dent, said  this  week.  A  report  by  Roberto  D. 
Socas,  export  manager,  showed  increases  in  all 
South  and  Central  American  territories.  Mr. 
Briggs  added  that  PRC  is  planning  to  inject 
story  elements  with  special  interest  to  Latin 
America  in  its  1943-44  productions. 


Theatres  Urge 
Transit  Use 
By  Patrons 

Nationwide  gasoline  rationing  and  the  ban 
on  pleasure  driving  is  changing  the  theatre- 
going  habits  of  the  American  people  with  the 
result  that  transit  companies  are  cooperating 
with  exhibitors  in  urging  patrons  to  use  the 
local  bus,  trolley,  elevated  or  subway  line  "to 
go  to  your  favorite  theatre." 

Advertising  campaigns  through  the  press, 
radio,  car  cards  and  posters  have  been  insti- 
tuted by  transit  companies  and  theatre  owners 
to  educate  the  public  to  use  transportation 
facilities.  In  some  instances,  exhibitors  and 
even  restaurant  owners  have  shared  financially 
in  these  campaigns.  Transit  companies,  in  a 
few  areas,  single-handedly  have  put  on  cam- 
paigns to  promote  greater  use  of  community 
transportation.  In  all  instances,  both  the  the- 
atre and  the  utility  company  have  benefited, 
exhibitors  report. 

Because  the  Office  of  Defense  Transporta- 
tion has  limited  the  schedules  of  bus  and  trolley 
lines,  these  facilities  are  being  taxed  to  ca- 
pacity. Nevertheless,  in  most  areas,  transit 
companies  are  willing  to  cooperate  with  exhib- 
itors in  promoting  the  use  of  community  trans- 
portation outlets  for  theatre  attendance. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  campaigns  was 
launched  recently  in  Dallas,  where  the  Inter- 
state Circuit  arranged  a  three-way  cooperative 
advertising  plan  between  the  transit  system, 
restaurant  owners'  association  and  theatres. 
Maps  of  the  city  showing  the  circuit's  theatres 
and  the  bus  and  car  lines  leading  to  them  were 
posted  in  theatre  lobbies  with  schedules  of 
routes  prominently  posted.  Attendants  sta- 
tioned in  the  lobbies  answered  questions  about 
transit  facilities. 

In  New  Jersey,  the  Public  Service  Coordi- 
nated Transport  Corporation,  which  covers  the 
entire  state  with  a  network  of  bus  and  trolley 
lines,  installed  posters  inside  and  outside  its 
vehicles  urging  theatre  attendance  by  bus. 

Increased  use  of  subway  lines  by  the  public 
to  get  to  theatres  is  reported  in  New  York, 
Chicago,  Philadelphia  and  Boston  where  subur- 
ban and  inter-borough  trains  are  carrying 
heavier  loads  during  the  day  and  evening. 
First  run  theatres  in  the  four  cities  consistently 
are  advertising  use  of  the  subway  through  car 
cards  and  station  posters. 

Other  circuit  and  independent  exhibitors  who 
advertised  in  transit  lines  even  before  rationing 
and  the  curb  on  pleasure  driving  have  increased 
this  advertising  to  promote  greater  use  of  local 
bus  and  trolley  lines. 

Balaban  &  Katz,  in  Chicago,  placed  special 
ads  in  newspapers  advising  the  public  they 
could  reach  the  circuit's  theatres  by  bus,  el  and 
street  car.  Accessibility  of  the  houses  to  all 
public  transit  lines  was  emphasized.  In  addi- 
tion, the  circuit  uses  car  cards  in  trolley  and 
elevated  cars  stressing  the  same  theme. 

Theatres  of  the  Schine  circuit,  especially  in 
towns  which  have  been  affected  by  the  pleasure 
driving  ban,  have  undertaken  a  campaign  to 
direct  the  public  to  use  local  bus  lines.  Large 
posters  were  printed  and  placed  in  buses,  carry- 
ing the  slogan :  "Ride  the  buses.  Attend  the 
Schine's  theatre."  Name  of  the  individual  film 
house  is  inserted  in  each  poster. 

In  New  York,  Loew's  circuit  has  been  carry- 
ing a  line  in  its  advertising  to  the  effect  that 
a  Loew  theatre  can  be  reached  conveniently 
by  bus,  street  car,  subway  or  elevated.  The 
circuit  reports  that  those  theatres  served  by  the 
greatest  number  of  buses  and  street  cars  have 
had  larger  box  office  returns  and  that  houses 
which  are  not  situated  on  direct  route  of  a  bus 
or  trolley  line  and  which  have  depended  to  a 
great  extent  on  the  automobile  trade,  have  suf- 
fered somewhat. 


presents 


A  POWER-PACKED  SERIES 
OF  SUPER  WESTERNS! 


SCOTT  R.  DUNLAP 


44 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


High  Court  Sustains 
Decision  for  AFM 


Upholds  Dismissal  of  U.  5. 
Action  for  Writ  Against 
Ban  on  Recordings 

James  Caesar  Petrillo  and  his  American 
Federation  of  Musicians  won  a  legal  victory 
over  the  Department  of  Justice  on  Monday, 
when  the  United  States  supreme  court  af- 
firmed a  Chicago  Federal  court  decision  of 
last  autumn,  which  dismissed  an  injunction 
suit  against  the  AFM's  ban  on  recordings, 
because  it  was  a  labor  dispute.  The  affirma- 
tion was  on  the  basis  of  decisions  in  previous 
labor  disputes. 

In  Washington,  it  was  indicated  that  the 
Department  would  abandon  its  effort  to  re- 
strain the  AFM  by  court  action,  in  view  of 
the  decision,  which  in  effect  held  the  um- 
brella of  the  Norris-La  Guardia  Act  over 
the  union.  The  Government  charged  com- 
bination and  conspiracy  to  restrain  interstate 
trade  and  commerce  in  violation  of  the 
Sherman  Act. 

The  Department  appealed,  asking  the  su- 
preme court  to  decide  four  questions:  (1) 
Whether  a  demand  that  an  employer  hire 
useless  and  unnecessary  work  is  a  "term  or 
condition"  of  employment  under  the  Norris- 
La  Guardia  or  Clayton  Act;  (2)  whether  a 
union  may  use  organized  coercion  to  elimi- 
nate a  competitive  business;  (3)  whether  a 
union  may  compel  its  employer  to  combine 
with  it  in  compelling  third  parties  to  pay  for 
useless  and  unnecessary  work,  and  (4) 
whether  a  union  may  combine  with  a  broad- 
casting chain  to  prevent  amateur  musicians 
from  performing  over  the  air. 

Meanwhile,  in  New  York,  the  AFM 
executive  board,  headed  by  Mr.  Pe- 
trillo, met  this  week  with  reresen- 
tatives  of  eight  transcription  and 
recording  companies.   The  meeting 
was  to  observers  a  sequel  to  Mr. 
Petrillo's  apearance  on  a  Congres- 
sional witness  stand  a  month  ago. 
He  intimated  at  the  time  to  a  Sen- 
ate Interstate  Commerce  Commit- 
tee subcommittee  that  he  would  at- 
tempt to  settle  the  dispute,  and 
would  offer  a  "peace  proposal." 
Absent,  and  the  cause  of  comment  thereby, 
from  the   New   York   meetings  were  the 
representatives   of  the   broadcasting  com- 
panies  and   the   National   Association  of 
Broadcasters.    Mr.  Petrillo  remarked  to  re- 
porters that  he  had  "no  fight"  with  the 
broadcasters. 

In  invitations  by  the  AFM  to  the  record- 
ing and  transcription  company  representa- 
tives, the  AFM  proposals  were  included. 

Union  Asks  Establishment 
Of  Fund  by  Fees 

In  effect,  the  union  asks  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  fund  created  by  the  payment  "of  a 
fixed  fee,  to  be  agreed  upon,  for  each  repro- 
duction of  records,  transcriptions,  mechani- 
cal devices  and  library  service,  the  master 
of  which  was  made  by  members  of  the 
AFM." 

This  fund,  it  was  proposed,  would  be 
used  by  the  Federation  to  reduce  unem- 


ployment brought  about  mainly  by  the  use 
of  the  listed  devices.  It  would  also,  it  was 
pointed  out,  foster  and  maintain  musical  tal- 
ent and  culture  and  music  appreciation  and 
furnish  free,  live  music  to  the  public. 

For  recordings,  the  AFM  proposed,  the 
manufacturer  will  pay  a  fixed  fee  to  the 
union  for  each  side  of  music  recordings 
made  by  its  members  with  the  fee  to  be  de- 
cided by  negotiation.  Under  the  proposal, 
AFM  members  would  make  commercial  or 
sustaining  transcriptions  without  additional 
fee  to  the  union  provided  the  transcriptions 
were  played  one  time  only. 

For  transcriptions  used  on  rental  basis, 
the  Federation  would  receive  a  percentage  of 
the  rental  charge.  A  percentage  would  also 
be  paid  for  wired  music  and  a  fixed  fee  an- 
nually for  each  juke  box. 

Companies  invited  to  the  meeting  were : 
Minoco  Studios,  RCA  Victor,  Decca,  Co- 
lumbia Recordings,  Muzak,  World  Broad- 
casting Co.  and  the  National  Association  of 
Coin  Operated  Phonograph  Manufacturers. 

Arbitrate  Extras9 
Wage  Plea 

Whether  to  raise  wages  for  extras,  and 
how  much,  will  be  arbitrated,  it  was  decided 
last  week  in  Hollywood  by  producers'  repre- 
sentatives, and  those  of  the  Screen  Actors' 
Guild,  which  recently  decided  to  adjust  the 
wages  of  such  players  to  conform  with  high- 
er living  costs.  Negotiators  last  week  were 
unable  to  agree. 

Meanwhile,  the  War  Labor  Board  Mon- 
day granted  an  increase  of  $7.50  in  minimum 
weekly  salaries  of  legitimate  theatre  actors. 
It  rejected  the  $10  increase  agreed  upon 
by  Actors  Equity  and  the  League  of  New 
York  Theatres.  The  increase  makes  mini- 
mum salaries  now  $57.50.  The  WLB  order 
took  effect  Monday. 

Continuing  its  organization  of  clerical 
workers  in  the  exchanges,  the  International 
Alliance  of  Theatre  Stage  Employees  last 
week  chartered  another  "F"  union,  F-23,  in 
Kansas  City.  Officers  are  L.  F.  Durland, 
president;  M.  E.  Anderson,  business  repre- 
sentative ;  Woodrow  Walker,  financial  sec- 
retary; Ann  O'Toole,  recording  secretary; 
Al  Chaffee,  guide;  William  Schwartz,  ser- 
geant-at-arms. 

All  officers  of  Local  84,  IATSE,  Hart- 
ford, have  been  reelected.  They  are :  Charles 
Obert,  president ;  Rube  Lewis,  business  man- 
ager ;  John  F.  Sullivan,  vice-president;  Gus 
Maye,  secretary ;  Harry  Sweet,  treasurer. 


Odefs  Works  with  Werfel 

Clifford  Odets  will  collaborate  with  Franz 
Werfel  on  the  adaptation  of  the  latter's  play, 
"Jacobowsky  and  the  Colonel,"  for  Broadway 
presentation  this  season,  it  has  been  reported. 
Jack  H.  Skirball  is  the  producer. 


Columbus  Palace 
Split-Week  Plan 
Is  Successful 

by  FRED  OESTREICHER 

in  Col u  minis 

Now  in  its  sixth  successful  month  of  opera- 
tion under  a  somewhat  unorthodox  split  week 
policy,  the  RKO  Palace  here  has  announced  an 
indefinite  continuation  of  the  stage-and-screen 
schedule  that  increased  grosses  for  the  latter 
half  of  1942  to  an  all-time  high,  following  a 
first  half-year  that  at  several  points  struck  new 
lows  for  the  pictures-only  policy, 

In  conjunction  with  the  smaller  RKO  Grand, 
the  Palace  has  sold  this  split  week  idea  to  the 
public  of  Columbus,  The  Grand  always  has 
been  a  problem  house,  since  it  was  unable  to 
get  consistently  good  A  product  and  has  had 
to  rely  on  second  week  moveovers  from  the 
larger  parent  house.  The  smaller  theatre  still 
plays  the  same  films  which  open  at  the  Palace, 
but  the  pictures  are  shown  only  four  days  at 
the  Palace — Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday,  and 
Monday — before  the  moveover. 

The  pictures  play  the  Grand  from  Tuesday  to 
the  following  Monday.  This  adds  up  to  11 
days'  playing  time.  In  the  case  of  the  recent 
"Hitler's  Children,"  the  picture  played  14  days 
at  the  Grand  after  a  record-breaking  four  days 
(plus  an  evening  premiere  on  Thursday)  at  the 
Palace.  The  latter  theatre  clocked  12,000  ad- 
missions on  Saturday  alone.  The  pace  was  so 
fast  at  both  theatres  on  weekends  that  the  sec- 
ond feature  was  dropped. 

The  Palace,  inheritor  of  the  two-a-day  tradi- 
tion from  the  original  B.  F.  Keith  theatre  here, 
has  played  stage  shows  off  and  on  since  it  was 
opened  in  1926. 

Stage  attractions  were  played  for  the  full 
week  until  the  split-week  idea  clicked.  The 
current  policy  was  started  in  September  of  last 
year.  Stage  shows  are  billed  for  three  days  only, 
on  Tuesday,  Wednesday  and  Thursday.  Many 
predicted  that  this  mid-week  spotting  never 
would  catch  on,  but  its  success  has  answered 
the  critics.  The  Palace  is  the  only  first  run 
house  in  Columbus  now  playing  stage  acts. 

The  Palace  relies  chiefly  on  name  bands  but 
many  of  the  biggest  money-makers  have  been 
comparatively  unknown,  like  Hal  Mclntyre, 
Stan  Kenton  and  Bob  Allen.  Alvino  Rey, 
Claude  Thornhill,  Jimmy  Dorsey,  Tommy 
Tucker,  Duke  Ellington  and  similar  top  bands 
have  played  at  the  Palace  within  the  past  six 
months.  The  Palace  also  has  played  units  like 
George  White's  Scandals,  Sally  Rand,  Ann 
Corio  and  recently  Rochester,  in  his  only  stage 
show  date  in  the  east  this  season. 

This  lineup  of  names  for  coming  Palace 
three-day  engagements,  includes  George  Ab- 
bott's streamlined  version  of  "Best  Foot  For- 
ward," Bob  Carter  and  his  orchestra,  the  Glenn 
Miller  singers,  Chico  Marx  and  his  orchestra,  a 
revue  with  Stuart  Erwin,  June  Collyer  and 
singer  Dolly  Dawn  with  Jerry  Wald's  orches- 
tra, and  the  bands  of  Cab  Callawav,  Ted 
Weems,  Johnny  Long,  Del  Courtney,  Vaughn 
Monroe  and  Guy  Lombardo. 


Seifert  Republic  Director 

Edward  H.  Seifert  has  been  given  an  im- 
portant executive  position  with  Republic  Pic- 
tures, following  his  election  to  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  company.  He  will  establish 
his  headquarters  at  the  home  office.  Mr.  Sei- 
fert had  been  associated  with  Consolidated 
Industries  as  assistant  treasurer  for  a  number 
of  years. 


Major  Hai  Roach  in  U.  S. 

Major  Hal  E.  Roach,  United  Artists  pro- 
ducer, has  been  stationed  in  Washington  tem- 
porarily after  having  been  on  combat  duty  over- 
seas for  the  past  five  months. 


Loew's  Books  Serial 

Republic's  15-chapter  serial,  "G-Men  vs.  the 
Black  Dragon,"  has  been  booked  by  Loew's  for 
its  New  York  metropolitan  theatres. 


February    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


45 


// 


WHAT  THE 

PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


\\ 


Anglo-American 


LOOK  UP  AND  LAUGH:  Gr..::t  h  his—  Here  is 
one  that  is  really  poor.  I  expected  too  much  and  got 
let  down  badly!  "Not  since  "Shipyard  Sadly"  and 
"Smiling  Along-"'  has  there  been  a  good  Gracie  Fields 
picture.  Played  Friday,  Saturday.  January  29,  30. — 
S.  Stone,  Star  Theatre,  Unity,  Sask.  Small  town 
patronage. 


.  .  .  th«  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product — providing  a  servict  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Ea 


mg 


ON  THE  BEAT:  };:rt;  x -  .  iraws 
in  the  west.  This  picture  no  exception.  Formby  is 
at  the  head  of  my  best  ten  for  profits. — R.  R.  Kiefer, 
Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty,  Alta.  Village  and  rural  pat- 
ronage. 


General  Film  Distributors 

OLD  BILL  AND  SON:  Mariana  Graham,  f.  m  Mills 

Thursday -Saturday,  December  24-26. — S.  Stone,  Star 
Theatre,  Unity,  Sask.     Small  town  patronage. 

Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

I  TAKE  THIS  WOMAN :  Spencer  Tracy— Old  but 
pleased  quite  well;  much  better  than  expected.  Tracy 
did  very  well  in  his  part  in  this. — R-  R.  Kiefer.  Rural 
Circuit.  Hardisty,  Alta.    Village  ar.i  rural  patronage. 

MRS.  MINIVER:  Greer  Garson.  Walter  Pidgeon— 
Words  cannot  express  the  grandeur  of  this  production. 
The  only  thing  wrong  with  it  is  that  you  can't  get 
patrons  to  leave  to  make  room  for  others.  They  want 
to  see  it  over  and  over  again.  The  best  picture  ever 
made.  Plaved  Fridav.  Saturdav.  Januarv  29.  30. — 
W.  R.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask. 
Airport  patronage. 


SHIP  AHOY: 

Lahr.  Tommy  E 
something'  for  ju 
It's  as  gav  and 
Powell  is  about  t 
box  office,  and  s 


n  Powell.  Bert 
— This  one  has 
of  movie -goer, 
■reeze.  Eleanor 
>oes  well  at  our 
lister  regardless 
rowds  just  seem 
ncers.  Another 


to  Use  her  better  than  the  other  danc 

Wednesday.  "January  24-27— Tom  McCb'rmick.  Rock 
Theatre.  Rockford.  Ia.  Small  town  and  rural  pat- 
ronage. 

SHIP  AHOY:  Eleanor  PowelL  Red  Skeltcn— Fair 
musical  with  some  good  dancing  and  music  Title 
drew  them  in  and  most  of  them  were  satisfied. 
Played  Friday.  Saturday.  January  15.  16. — W.  R. 
Pyle.  Dreamland  Theatre.  Rockglen.  Sask.  Rural  and 
small  town  patronage. 

THIRD  FINGER  LEFT  HAND:  Myraa  Loy,  Mel- 
vyn  Douglas — Verv  satisfactorv  show  and  well  liked. — 
R.  R.  Kiefer.  Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty.  Alta. 

YANK  AT  ETON.  A:  Mickey  Rocr.ey.  Edmund 
Gwenn — A  good  picture  that  was  enjoyed  by  all  those 
who  got  to  see  it.  a  small  number,  due  to  the  pleasure 
riding  ban.  We  rural  towns'  are  really  suirertng. 
It  really  hurts  when  my  rural  patrons  see  me  and 
say  we  do  want  to  come  to  the  show  badly,  as  that  is 
the  only  recreation  we  have,  but  they  may  take  our 
gas  tickets  away.  I  have  worked  hard  to  make  this 
theatre,  to  keep  my  patrons  from  going  to  large  cities 
to  shows,  and  now  where  do  I  stand  in  the  face  of 
closing  my  doors?  Plaved  Wednesdav.  Thursdav.  Tan- 
uary  27.  28. — Miss  Cleo  Manry.  Buena  Vista  Theatre. 
Buena  Vista.  Ga.     Small  town  patronage. 


Paramount 


HENRY  ALDRICH  _  FOR  PRESIDENT:  Jimmy 
Lydon — Lydon  very  good.  Picture  pleased  above  aver- 
age. First  one  of  series  we  have  plaved. — R.  R.  Kie- 
fer. Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty,  Alta.  Milage  and  rural 
patronage. 

HOLIDAY  INN:  Bing  Crosby,  Fred  Astaire— Busi- 
ness above  normal.     Picture  was  well  received.  No 
-ttcks.    No  rare;.     Plaved  Sur.da--.   M-r.dav.  T-au:.r- 
1.— A.   C.   Edwards,  Winema  Theatre. 


51,  Feb- 
-        .  Ca 


da — Stanwyck    shows    considerable    ability    in  this. 

little  soicv  but  satisfied  the  majority. — R.  R.  Kieier, 
Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty.  Aha.  Village  and  rural  pat- 
ronage. 

LOUISIANA  PURCHASE:  Bob  Hope.  Mary  Mar- 
tial— Well  liked  by  the  majority.  Ladies  in  particular. 
Plaved  Monday- Saturday.  January  25-30. — R.  R.  Kie- 
fer," Rural  Circuit.  Hardisty,  Alta.    Village  and  rural 


MRS.  WIGGS  OF  THE  CABBAGE  PATCH:  Fay 

Bainter — A  pleasing  small  town  picture  whii.h  did  a 
fair  business  for  us  on  Friday  and  Saturday  doubled 
with  Paramount's  "Wildcat."  Business  certainly  would 
have  been  better  if  the  car  trade  could  have  come 
'■-  :'r:m  the  :.',n:r.-.  Pis-,  e  i  Fritz".  Saturday.  !  an- 
uarv  29.  30— Thomas  Di  Lorenzo.  New  Paltz  Theatre. 
New  Paltz,  N.  Y.    Small  town  patronage. 

WILDCAT:  Richard  Arlen.  Arline  Judge— Played 
this  with  "Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch."  Busi- 
ness certainly  would  have  been  better  if  the  car  trade 
could  have  come  in  from  the  country.  Played  Fri- 
day, Saturday.  January  29,  30. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo. 
New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y.  Small  town 
patronage. 


RKO  Radio 


Joa 


CarrolL  Ruth 
rien — Here's  a  wholesome, 
e   picture   from    RKO  that 

:k  the  second  night  to  see  it 
sually  do  this  in  this  village 


OBLIGING    YOUNG  LADY 

Warwick,  Edmund  0 
pleasing  and  merry  li 
didn't  cost  us  a  fortuni 
We  had  patrons  come  1 
over  again.    They  don't 

even  for  the  big  ones.  It's  too  good  to  eliminate  m 
any  spot.  Played  Sunday- Wednesday.  December  20- 
23. — Tom  McCormick.  Rock  Theatre.  Rockford,  la. 
Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

SUSPICION:  Cary  Grar.t.  Joan  Fontaine — Although 
this  was  played  late,  we  had  lots  of  compliments  on 
it.  Business  was  ott  due  t;  the  bar.  or.  pleasure  riders. 
Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  January  25.  26. — Miss  Cleo 
Manry.  Buena  ^  isia  Theatre.  Buena  Vista.  Ga.  Small 
town  patronage. 


Republic 


BOOTS  AND  SADDLES:  Gene  Autry— This  reissue 
lid  ra.r  business,  but  no:  like  the  new  ones.  Played 
Friday.  Saturday.  February  5.  6. — E.  M.  Freiburger. 
Paramount  Theatre.  Dewey,  Okla.  Small  town  oat- 
roaaee. 


Twentieth  Century-Fox 

CHINA  GIRL:  Gene  Tiemey.  George  Montgomery — 
Good  action  picture  and  good  business.  Played  Sun- 
day. Monday,  January  31.  February  1. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger. Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,"  Okla.  Small  town 
•oatronage. 


lond  Walt 


-This 


LADY  EVE.  THE:  Barbara  Stanwyck.  Henry  For. 


MAN  IN  THE  TRUNK:  Ra; 

picture  had  our  audience  scared  most  or  tfie  time,  and 
laughing  during  the  remainder.  Played  it  as  second 
feature  to  "Springtime  in  the  Rockies":  doubt  if  I 
could  have  r-layed  something-  Kke  this  alone.  Plaved 
Friday.  Saturday.  Januarv  22.  23.— Taomas  D:  Lo- 
renzo. New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz.  N.  Y.  Small 
town  patronage. 

MALE  ANIMAL,  THE^  Henry  Fonda.  OEvia  de 
Havilland — Good  comedy  but  business  way  down 
due  to  severe  cold  and"  a  blizzard.  Plaved  Fridav 
Saturday,  January  22.  23.— W.  R.  Pvle. "  Dreamland 
Theatre.  Rockglen,  Sask.  Rural  arid  small  town 
patronage. 

MY  GAL  SAL:  Rita  Havworth.  Victor  Mature— 
Wnat  a  gal  is  "My  Gal  Sal"  (Rita  HaywonhL  es- 


pecially in  Technicolor:  And  Paul  Dresser  (Victor 
Mature)  is  not  a  bad  looking  hunk  of  man,  either. 
Together,  in  a  picture  devoted  to  the  career  of  that 
famous  song  writer  of  the  Gay  Nineties,  they  turn  out 
a  grand  piece  of  entertainment.  Most  of  the  songs 
around  which  the  plot  revolves  were  actually  written 
by  Mr.  Dresser,  and  are  very  catchy,  especially  "On 
the  Banks  of  the  Wabash"  and  "My  Gal  Sal".  Cast- 
ing Miss  Hayworth  as  a  musical  comedy  star  makes 
it  possible  to  surround  these  songs  (and  some  more 
modern  ones  written  for  the  picture)  in  beautiful 
stage  settings.  The  story  is  that  of  a  young  man 
bom  in  Indiana  who  comes  to  New  \ork  and  be- 
comes a  successful  song  writer.  He  meets  Sal  who 
can't  abide  his  brash  demeanor,  nor  can  she  resist 
his  beautiful  tunes.  Their  romance  is  plentifully 
supplied  with  beautiful  song  and  dance  numbers,  and 
Miss  Hayworth  is  afforded  the  opportunity  to  give  a 
thorough  display  of  her  dancing  ability.  This  picture 
is  soothing  to  the  eye  and  ear.  and  is  guaranteed  to 
give  1C0  per  cent  entertainment  value.  Played  Satur- 
day, January  16. — J.  A  Reynolds,  Director  of  Educa- 
tion and  Recreation.  New  Jersey  State  Prison,  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.    Prison  patronage. 

SON  OF  FURY:  Gene  Tierney,  Tyrone  Power, 
Frances  Farmer — Excellent  production  thai  pleased  all. 
The  story  is  something  different  and  there  are  nne 
performances  by  bit  players.  Played  Friday.  Satur- 
day, January  S.  9. — W.  R.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre. 
Rockglen,  Sask.    Rural  and  small  town  patronage. 

SPRINGTIME  IN  THE  ROCKIES:  Betty  Grable, 
Victor  Mature,  Carmen  Miranda — Swell  audience  pic- 
ture: the  Technicolor  just  dazzles  them:  and  when  our 
people  were  coming  out.  they  were  all  singing  the 
praises  of  a  good  song.  Business  was  okay,  but 
the  ban  on  driving  hurt  this  one.  Played  Friday, 
Saturday,  January  22.  23. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New 
Paltz  Theatre.  New  Paltz,  N.  Y.    Small  town  patron  - 


TO  THE  SHORES  OF  TRIPOLI:  John  Payne. 
Maureen  O'Hara,  Randolph  Scott — Most  of  the  S7 
minutes  running  time  of  this  picture  is  devoted  to 
the  trair.ir.jr  of  the  Marines,  let  every  minute  of  it 
is  entertaining,  taking  place  at  the  beautiful  San  Diego 
training  center.  Technicolor  adds  great  beauty  to  the 
scenes  and  is  particularly  eitective  in  the  shots  at  sea 
with  the  battleships  blazing  away  at  the  targets  in 
the  dark.  The  story  itself  is  the  old  familiar  one  in 
connection  with  training  camps.  John  Payne  does  a 
wonderful  job  as  the  know-it-all  recruit.  Randolph 
Scott  loses  his  own  identity  and  actually  becomes  the 
tough  sergeant  which  he  portrays,  and  Maureen 
O'Hara  is  lovely  and  effective  as  the  beautiful  nurse. 
The  climax  is  a  stirring  one.  with  the  news  of  Pearl 
Harbor  coming  over  the  air.  and  the  immediate  em- 
barkation of  the  marines — nurse  and  all.  This  pic- 
ture was  greatly  enjoyed  by  our  audience.  Played 
Saturday.  January  23.— J.  A.  Reynolds.^  Director  c: 
Education  and  Recreation.  New  Jersey  State  Prison. 
Trenton.  N.  J.     Prison  patronage. 


United  Artis+s 


ALL  AMERICAN  CO-ED:  France?  Langiord. 
Johnny  Down? — The  cnly  reason  for  wasting  time  re- 
porting: on  this  is  for  the  purpose  of  aiding"  any  ether 
small  town  exhibitor  who  might  be  misled  into  buy- 
ing this  prodect.  Played  Friday.  Saturday.  January 
39-  50. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo.  Xew  Paltz  Theatre.  Xew 
Faltz.  X.  Y.    Smal]  labor  tewn  ratrcnase. 


Urn 


versal 


BOSS  OF  HANGTOWN  MESA:  Johnny  Mack  Ercwn 
— Picture  good,  business  cff.  One  of  my  country  mat- 
rons met  me  and  said.  "I  wanted  to  see  your  she's* 
Saturday  so  badly  I  could  taste  it.  but  if  I  c-rtne  to 
town  I  have  to  get  home  in  time  to  look  after  my 
chickens  and  cows".  Plaved  Fridav.  Saturdav.  Janu- 
ary 29.  30.— Miss  Geo  Manry.  Buena  Vista  Theatre. 
Buena  Vista.  Ga.  -Small  town  patronage. 

(Continued  on  fcUonring  tagc) 


46 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 
BROADWAY:  George  Raft--Not  strong  enough  for 
single  bill.  Raft  does  not  pull  for  me.  You  neither 
hide  nor  throw  out  your  chest  on  this  one.  Hello, 
Sammie  Jackson,  the  letter  "t"  is  all  there  is  to  show 
that  you  are  in  the  far  south  and  I  way  north,  yet 
your  reviews  go  for  me  too.  (Ed  Note:  The  "hello" 
is  from  Alta.  to  Ala.) — R.  R.  Kiefer,  Rural  Circuit, 
Hardisty,    Alta.     Village    and   rural  patronage. 

BUTCH  MINDS  THE  BABY:  Broderick  Crawford, 
Virginia  Bruce— Good  for  double  bill.— R.  R.  Kiefer, 
Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty,  Alta.  Village  and  rural 
patronage. 

IT  STARTED  WITH  EVE:  Deanna  Durbin,  Charles 
Laughton — In  my  opinion  one  of  the  best  Durbin  pic- 
tures. Play  it  any  time.  Exploit  it,  it  will  pay  you 
big  dividends.  Charles  Laughton  superb.  Played 
December  31,  January  1,  2.— S.  Stone,  Star  Theatre. 
Unity,  Sask.    Small  town  patronage. 

IT  STARTED  WITH  EVE:  Deanna  Durbin,  Charles 
Laughton — This  is  one  Durbin  which  drew  business 
and  pleased  all.  Very  satisfactory.— R.  R.  Kiefer, 
Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty,  Alta.  Village  and  rural 
patronage. 

IT'S  A  DATE:  Deanna  Durbin— Durbin  does  not 
draw  for  me.  Fine  star  and  nice,  nice  picture,  but  no 
extra  business.— R.  R.  Kiefer,  Rural  Circuit,  Hardisty, 
Alta.    Village  and  rural  patronage. 

HOLD  THAT  GHOST:  Abbott  and  Costello— These 
stars  have  done  pretty  well  for  me  in  several  pic- 
tures but  not  in  this  one  picture.  Not  very  well 
liked  except  by  juniors.— R.  R.  Kiefer,  Rural  Cir- 
cuit, Hardisty,  Alta.    Village  and  rural  patronage. 

SABOTEUR:  Priscilla  Lane,  Robert  Cummings— 
Well  produced  and  well  acted  with  average  business. 
Some  of  the  ladies  stayed  away.— R.  R.  Kiefer,  Rural 
Circuit,  Hardisty,  Alta. 


Warner  Bros. 

ALWAYS  IN  MY  HEART:  Gloria  Warren,  Kay 
Francis,  Walter  Huston — This  is  a  dandy  picture  and 
a  lower  bracket  group.  Everyone  will  have  a  good 
word  for  it.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  15, 
16.— S.  Stone,  Star  Theatre,  Unity,  Sask.  Small  town 
patronage. 

BIG  SHOT,  THE:  Humphrey  Bogart— About  as  mod- 
ern as  the  feminine  styles  of  1929.  Business  about 
average.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  February  3, 
4. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre,  Scotia,  Cal. 

BODY  DISAPPEARS,  THE:  Jeffrey  Lynn,  Jane 
Wyman — From  the  lower  bracket  group,  and  a  pleas- 
ing little  picture.  Sparkles  with  action  and  com- 
edy. This  and  a  "Stooge"  made  a  very  satisfactory 
Friday-Saturday  change  for  us.  Flayed  Friday,  Satur- 
day, December  18-19. — Tom  McCormick,  Rock  Thea- 
tre, Rockford,  la.    Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  SLEPT  HERE:  Jack 
Benny,  Ann  Sheridan — A  howling  success  from  the  ap- 
preciation standpoint;  but  where  was  the  audience? 
A  very  poor  attendance  and  far  below  what  the  pic- 
ture deserved.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January  24, 
25. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New 
Paltz,  N.  Y.     Small  town  patronage. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  SLEPT  HERE:  Jack 
Benny,  Ann  Sheridan — Good  comedy  and  good  busi- 
ness. Should  please  anywhere.  Played  Wednesday, 
Thursday,  February  3,  4.— E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.    Small  town  patronage. 

JUKE  GIRL:  Ann  Sheridan,  Ronald  Reagan— These 
stars  make  a  fine  team.  Both  well  liked  here  and  the 
box  office  showed  it.  Played  Thursday-Saturday,  No- 
vember 26-28.— Tom  McCormick,  Rock  Theatre,  la. 
Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

WHISPERING  GHOSTS:  Milton  Berle  —  Some 
laughs  but  on  the  whole  scaicely  strong  enough  for 
weak  end  of  double  bill.  Flayed  Friday,  Saturday, 
January  29,  30. — A.  C.  Edwards,  Winema  Theatre, 
Scotia,  Cal.    Small  labor  town  patronage. 

YOU  CAN'T  ESCAPE  FOREVER:  George  Brent, 
Brenda  Marshall — Fair  picture  of  the  newspaper  and 
gangster  type,  but  business  was  very  light. — E.  M. 
Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 


Short  Features 
Paramount 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  NO.  3:  Entertaining  reel  in 
color. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
Okla. 

PRICE  OF  VICTORY,  THE:  Victory  shorts— This 
subject  won  applause  from  our  audience  at  every 
show. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New 
Paltz,  N.  Y. 

SPINACH  FOR  BRITAIN:  Fopeye  the  Sailor- 
Good  Popeye  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,   Dewey,  Okla. 


RKO 

OLD  MACDONALD  DUCK:  Walt  Disney  Cartoons 
(Color) — This  is  one  of  Donald's  best  efforts  to  make 
people  laugh. — Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Thea- 
tre, New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

FIGHTING  FRENCH,  THE:  March  of  Time— Ex- 
cellent material,  of  its  kind  and  certain  to  be  ap- 
preciated where  people  do  their  own  thinking.  A  dis- 
tinct success  here  on  a  comedy  feature  booking.— 
Thomas  Di  Lorenzo,  New  Paltz  Theatre,  New  Paltz, 
N.  Y. 

SCRAP  FOR  VICTORY:  Terrytoons  (Technicolor) 
—Good  color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 


United  Artists 

INSIDE  FIGHTING  CHINA:  World  in  Action— 
This  is  a  fine  historical  short  which  shows  the  trend 
of  Japanese  Imperialism.    It  shows  their  first  aggres- 


February    20,     I  943 

sive  move  in  Manchuria,  and  quickly  moves  on  to  the 
cowardly  attack  against  a  peaceful  people,  the  Chi-  I 
nese.  The  cowardly  bombing  attack  on  the  cities  of  | 
China  kill  many  women  and  children  and  drive  the 
populace  to  the  hills.  The  scenes  which  follow,  of 
the  Chinese  building  up  their  armaments  in  caves,  and 
turning  upon  their  oppressors,  are  heart- warming  doc- 
uments of  the  strength  of  a  people  fighting  to  retain 
its  freedom. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of  Education 
and  Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton, 
N.  J. 

Universal 

IS  EVERYBODY  HAPPY?  Musical— Good  two- 
reel  musical  with  Ted  Lewis  and  Band. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger, Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

TUNE  TIME:  Musical— Jan  Garber  and  his  or- 
chestra give  out  with  16  minutes  of  musical  entertain- 
ment. Two  good  numbers  are  "Drink  to  Me  Only 
With  Thine  Eyes"  and  "White  Cliffs  of  Dover",  both 
sung  by  Donald  Novis  and  the  Kings  Men. — J.  A. 
Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and  Recreation,  New 
Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

Vitaphone 

ARGENTINE  HORSES:  The  Sports  Parade — A 
beautiful  scenic  short,  this  deals  with  the  raising  and 
training  of  thoroughbreds  on  the  gorgeous  Argentina 
ranches. — J.  A.  Reynolds,  Director  of  Education  and 
Recreation,  New  Jersey  State  Prison,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

COAL  BLACK  AND  THE  SEBBEN  DWARFS: 

Merrie  Melodies  Cartoons — Good  color  cartoon  burles- 
quing Snow  White  and  the  Seven  Dwarfs. — E.  M. 
Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

THIS  IS  YOUR  ENEMY:  Hollywood  Novelty— This 
is  timely  and  entertaining,  with  scenes  of  Hitler  talk- 
ing in  German  in  a  loud  voice. — E.  M.  Freiburger, 
Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

McClintock  Sets  Mutual 
Policies  for  1943 

Miller  McClintock,  president  of  the  Mutual 
Broadcasting  System,  outlined  a  six-point  plan 
covering  network  operation  for  1943  to  mem- 
bers of  the  press  at  a  dinner  held  last  Wednes- 
day night. 

His  program  covered  sales  policies,  research, 
budget  appropriations,  marketing,  network  ser- 
vice and  contemplated  program  clinics.  Theo- 
dore C.  Streibert,  vice-president  of  MBS  and 
WOR,  introduced  him. 


Moross  and  Jacoby  Named 
Members  of  Law  Firm 

The  law  firm  of  Schwartz  and  Frohlick  has 
announced  the  addition  as  members  of  the  firm 
of  Irving  Moross  and  Herbert  P.  Jacoby,  who 
have  been  associated  with  the  company  for  sev- 
eral years.  Mr.  Moross  will  continue  to  handle 
the  legal  work  for  Columbia  Pictures,  as  he 
has  done  in  the  past. 


Officials  See  "Casablanca" 

The  Warner  film  "Casablanca"  was  shown 
to  a  group  of  Canadian  officials,  including 
Adelard  Godbout,  Prime  Minister  of  Quebec, 
on  February  10th  in  a  special  Parliamentary 
preview  in  the  committee  chamber  of  the  legis- 
lative council  in  Quebec  City.  The  film  started 
its  run  at  the  Empire  theatre  in  that  city  two 
days  later. 


Skouras  Leaves  for  Coast 

Spyros  Skouras,  president  of  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox Pictures,  left  for  Hollywood  last 
week  to  confer  with  William  Goetz,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  studio  operations,  on  product 
for  the  1943-44  season. 


Change  Musical's  Title 

The  title  of  the  Columbia  musical,  "Broad- 
way Daddies,"  which  will  soon  go  into  produc- 
tion with  Jinx  Falkenburg  in  the  featured  role, 
has  been  changed  to  "She  Has  What  It  Takes." 


NBC  Gives  91  Hours  to  War 

A  survey  by  the  National  Broadcasting  Com- 
pany disclosed  that  91  hours  in  air  time  were 
devoted  to  the  nation's  war  effort  during  De- 
cember.   It    represented    an    increase    of  65 
hours  over  the  January,  1942,  figure. 


February    20.    I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


47 


MANAGERS' 


ROUND  TABLE 


-An  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  weekly 
in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 

GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


30B  WILE,  Editor 


OP 


You  Meet  Such  Interesting  People 


"It  must  be  "fun  to  work  on  a  newspaper;  you  meet  such 
interesting  people"  is  a  phrase  that  newspapermen  often  hear. 
And  newspapermen  often  fling  it  back  as  a  taunt.  But  it  is 
quite  true  that  being  the  editor  of  Managers'  Round  Table  is 
futi,  because  one  does  meet  such  interesting  people,  even 
though  many  of  them  are  met  only  through  the  mail.  Let  us 
introduce  you  this  week  to  some  of  these  interesting  people 
and  point  out  to  you  just  why  they  are  interesting. 

Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa. — Now  here's  a  fellow  who  is  a  most 
interesting  chap.  He's  only  been  here  a  short  time  but  he's 
been  named  on  a  roster  of  local  men  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  by  effort  and  leadership  in  civic  affairs.  The 
Guaranty  Bank  &  Trust  Company's  house  organ  conferred  this 
distinction  on  Orville  Rennie,  manager  of  the  Paramount.  He's 
had  only  a  few  months  to  pile  up  his  record — since  June  of  last 
year — but  he  is  nevertheless  cited  for  his  "distinguished  work 
on  numerous  committees". 


Dallas,  Tex. — Louis  Charninsky,  skipper  of  the  Capitol  theatre 
and  erstwhile  Quigley  Award  winner,  reports  that  he  has  to 
be  at  the  theatre  every  morning  at  8:30  to  open  it  because 
of  the  shortage  of  help.  He  stays  until  late  at  night,  of  course. 
Mrs.  Charninsky,  a  nurse,  has  taken  up  her  share  of  war  work 
but  is  on  night  duty.  So,  when  she  returns  home  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  says,  "Good  morning,  dear" — and  she  replies,  "Good 
night".  When  he  returns  at  night,  the  situation  is  reversed, 
but  Louis  just  calls  it  his  contribution  to  the  war  effort. 
*  *  * 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. — Lost  articles  are  commonplace  in  theatres, 
as  all  of  you  can  testify;  but  it  is  the  outstanding  showman 
who  can  get  publicity  from  them.  Dick  Feldman,  manager  of 
the  Paramount,  has  done  it.  The  newspaper  account  relates 
how  a  six  or  seven  year  old  lad  sought  Dick's  aid  after  watch- 
ing the  show.  It  appears  that  his  mother  had  sent  him  down- 
town to  buy  a  pair  of  goldfish.  Then  he  went  to  the  show  and 
became  so  absorbed  in  the  picture  that  he  mislaid  the  fish. 
Ushers  searched  the  vicinity  with  flashlights  to  no  avail.  Dick 
advised  the  lad  to  return  the  next  morning  and  admonished 
the  cleaners  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  stray  goldfish.  Next  day 
Dick  found  two  goldfish  swimming  contentedly  in  a  tin  can  on 
his  desk.  He  went  out  and  purchased  fishfood  for  the  pisca- 


torial breakfast  and  awaited  the  owner.  The  day  wore  on  but 
no  claimant  arrived  for  the  fish.  The  newspaper  sent  out  a  call 
for  the  lad.  Dick  reports  that  he  had  a  similar  experience  once 
before  with  a  lost  plant.  He  tended  it  faithfully  for  a  week, 
watering  it  daily,  until  the  owner  showed  up. 

*  *  * 

Hanover,  Pa. — A  special  "Charlie  Moyer  Night"  was  he'd 
here  by  the  Kiwanis  Club,  honoring  the  manager  of  the  State 
theatre,  on  his  retirement  as  president  of  the  club,  for  his  out- 
standing service.  He  was  presented  with  an  engraved  silver 
plaque.  A  full  evening's  program  was  presented  for  the  diners 
in  Charlie's  honor.  What's  more,  a  full  account  appeared  on 
the  front  page  of  The  Evening  Sun. 

*  *  * 

Washington,  D.  C. — Dan  Terrell,  publicity  director  for  Loew's 
Washington  theatres,  details  all  the  many  outside  activities 
and  war  programs  in  which  he  has  taken  an  active  part  recently, 
and  adds  that,  in  addition,  there  are  many  extra  problems  just 
because  he  is  in  Washington.  Here's  what  puts  Dan  in  the 
category  of  interesting  people:  "In  the  midst  of  all  this,  I  have 
taken  on  one  other  stint;  I've  been  appointed  lecturer  in  adver- 
tising at  George  Washington  University  and  toss  slightly  soiled 
pearls  to  25  students  each  Tuesday  evening." 

Hempstead,  N.  Y. — Ed  Enke,  manager  or  the  Skouras  Hemp- 
stead Theatres,  has  offered  the  use  of  both  houses  until  12:30 
each  day  to  schools  and  churches.  The  latter,  caught  by  the 
shortage  of  oil,  are  reported  eager  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
opportunity.  This  type  of  goodwill  gesture  makes  a  theatreman 
really  well  liked  in  his  community  and  stimulates  a  friendly  feel- 
ing for  the  whole  industry  on  the  part  of  the  populace. 

*  *  * 

Utica,  N.  Y. — To  assist  in  the  Government's  campaign  to 
bring  in  all  the  coins  possible  to  keep  them  in  circulation  and 
alleviate  a  shortage  of  metal,  Arnold  Stoltz,  manager  of  the 
Avon  theatre,  ran  a  contest  offering  a  prize  of  a  $25  War  Bond 
to  the  person  bringing  the  largest  number  of  coins  in  exchange 
for  Bonds  or  Stamps.  The  idea  got  newspaper  publicity  and 
brought  in  63,000  coins  previously  withheld  from  circulation. 

—BOB  WILE 


48 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


BALLYHOOS.  TIEUPS.  LOBBIES 


Dead  pine  needles  on  the  floor  under  fresh  green  pines 
provided  the  background  for  this  display  by  T.  O.  Tabor 
the  Palace,  Athens,  Ga. 


at 


Styles  for  young  girls  were  displayed  by  the  Boston  Store 
in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  a  tieup  made  by  Arnold  Stoltz,  manager  of 
the  Avon  theatre  there. 


Sidney  Kleper  at  the 
Bijou,  New  Haven,  puts 
a  ballyhoo  on  the  street 
for  practically  every  pic- 
ture. Left,  the  pirate 
with  big  sign  plugged 
"Black  Swan";  right,  the 
lad  in  World  War  ser- 
geant's uniform  parad- 
ed in  the  interest  of 
"Top  Sergeant". 


Stewart  Gillespie  at  the  Elgin,  Ottawa, 
Ont.,  Canada,  put  two  huge  heads  of 
Veronica  Lake  atop  the  marguee. 


The  Baker  Store,  in  Toledo,  tied  up  with  Ted  Teschner,  manager  of  Loew's  Valentine, 
and  Wally  Heim,  United  Artists,  on  naval  uniforms. 


Green  background  and  green  flashers 
with  black  and  white  lettering  gave  this 
display  a  weird  effect.  It  was  placed 
by  Bill  Hoyle  in  Lichtman's  Lincoln  theatre, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


February    20,  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


Publishes  Own 
Movie  News 
Every  Week 

Few  showmen  have  the  facilities,  time  or 
material  to  put  into  a  good  program,  but 
those  who  do  will  certainly  be  interested  in 
Movie  News,  published  by  V.  P.  Byrne, 
Fox-Intermountain  manager  in  Las  Cruces, 
N.  Mex. 

Bryne  manages  two  houses  in  Las  Cruces 
and  has  two  closed  theatres  under  his  su- 
pervision, too.  He  has  25  employees  on  the 
staffs  of  the  two  theatres,  but  the  war  does 
not  allow  him  the  luxury  of  an  assistant. 
Nevertheless,  he  finds  time  to  put  out  a  four 
page  program  each  week,  printed  on  news 
stock.  The  type  size  is  \Q]/2  by  Uy2  with 
the  trim  size  12  by  \Sl/2  inches.  This  al- 
lows for  five  columns  each  of  two  inches. 
Illustrations  are  profusely  scattered  through- 
out the  paper,  all  dealing  with  the  attrac- 
tions at  the  State  and  Rio  Grande  theatres. 

Byrne  says  he  gets  a  lot  of  fun  making 
up  the  paper  each  week.  He  used  revamped 
ad-mats  from  a  mat  service  for  most  of  the 
illustrations.  Coverage  is  100  per  cent 
which,  he  says,  "is  the  first  essential  in  any 
stunt,  campaign  or  advertising  approach". 

Poll  of  Dealers  Taken 

Reader  interest,  he  reports  is  evidently 
fairly  consistent.  In  a  continuous  poll  of 
readers  it  was  found  that  nearly  90  per  cent 
of  homes  called  upon  have  the  previous 
week's  copy  on  hand.  Fifty  calls  a  week  on 
Wednesday,  six  days  after  the  distribution 
of  the  paper  showed  the  paper  had  been 
kept.  A  free  ticket  is  given  to  those  who 
have  a  copy  of  the  paper  on  hand. 

Discontinuance  of  the  paper  on  three  dif- 
ferent occasions  for  two  week  periods  af- 
fords an  indication  of  its  popularity  and 
pulling  power,  since  each  discontinuance 
was  followed  by  the  poorest  weeks  the  thea- 
tre has  had  since  the  paper  started. 

One  of  the  advantages  of  the  publication 
is  that  it  offers  the  theatre  the  opportunity 
of  selling  each  show  the  way  it  chooses. 
Limitations  are  sometimes  imposed  by  news- 
papers in  this  respect. 

Byrne  also  points  out  that  handbills  are 
no  longer  of  much  use,  in  his  opinion,  be- 
cause either  they  lack  reader  appeal,  or  ap- 
pearance of  value.  Die-cut  novelties  are 
good  but  are  not  available  each  week  and 
even  if  they  were  they  would  soon  lose  their 
novelty  value. 

Morrow  Gives  Private  Showing 
To  $1,000  War  Bond  Buyer 

A  wonderful  newspaper  break  and  a  tre- 
mendous amount  of  good  will  was  obtained 
by  Fred  E.  Morrow  of  the  Embassy  thea- 
tre, Lewistown,  Pa.,  when  he  offered  a  spe- 
cial private  show  of  "The  Navy  Comes 
Through"  to  anyone  who  bought  a  $1,000 
War  Bond.  He  first  took  a  goodsized  ad 
to  plug  the  private  show  and  planted  a  big 
publicity  story  in  connection  with  it.  After 
the  show,  a  few  days  later,  the  entire  story 
was  printed  in  the  local  paper. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melvin  Spigelmyer  of  Lew- 
istown were  the  only  two  people  who  saw 
"The  Navy  Comes  Through"  at  this  spe- 


1943  War  Award  Contenders 

The  announcement  last  week  that  the  Quigley  War  Showmanship  Award  will  again  be 
given  in  1 943  to  the  showman  who  through  his  theatre  contributes  the  most  to  the  war 
effort  prompts  the  listing  here  of  recent  contestants  for  this  Award. 


ANTONIO  BALDUCCI 
Norbury,  Ellenville,  N.  Y. 

CHARLES  BIERBAUER 
NICK  TODOROV 
Colonial,  Allentown,  Pa. 

PAUL  BINSTOCK 
Sheepshead,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

JOSEPH  BOYLE 
Broadway,  Norwich,  Conn. 

LEWIS  BREYER 
Strand,  Holyoke,  Mass. 

LIGE  BRIEN 

Kenyon,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

CLAYTON  CORNELL 
Pontiac,  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y. 

GEORGE  CRONIN 
Empire,  Providence,  R.  I. 

FRANCIS  DEERING 
State,  Houston,  Tex. 

DEANE  H.  EMLEY 
Capitol,  Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 

EDWIN  ENKE 

Hempstead,  Hempstead,  L.  I. 

RONALD  FAILES 
Capitol,  llion,  N.  Y. 

ALBERT  FINKE 

Evergreen  Theatres,  Portland 

WILLIAM  FREISE 
LaCrosse,  LaCrosse,  Wis. 


CHARLES  E.  GRACE 
Embassy,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

EDGAR  GOTH 

Fabian,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y. 

BEN  GRIEFER 

Paramount,  Newark,  N.  J. 

WALTER  HELM 
Avon,  Stratford,  Ont. 

A.  J.  KALBERER 

Switow's  Indiana, 
Washington,  Ind. 

ABE  H.  KAUFMAN 
Fountain,  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

STANLEY  KRINER 
Glendale,  Glendale,  Cal. 

LESTER  KROPP 
Melba,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

WILLIAM  KURTZ 
Rialto,  New  York  City 

BERT  LEIGHTON 
Grand,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

PAUL  A.  LEVI 
Metropolitan,  Boston,  Mass. 

JOE  LONGO 
Loew's,  Boston,  Mass. 

JACK  MATLACK 
Broadway,  Portland,  Ore. 

KENNETH  MEAD 
Main,  Pueblo,  Colo. 


FRANK  MURPHY 

Loew's  State,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

SYDNEY  J.  POPPAY 
Majestic,  Gettysburg,  Pa. 

EARL  RICE 

Fox  Theatres,  Glendale,  Cal. 

KENNETH  ROCKWELL 
Palace,  Jamestown,  N.  Y. 

TED  RODIS 

Laurelton,  Laurelton,  L.  I. 

WILLIAM  SAXTON 
Century,  Baltimore,  Md. 

BOYD  SCOTT 

Grand,  Holdenville,  Olda. 

HOWARD  SEXTON 
Roxy,  LaPorte,  Ind. 

RUFUS  SHEPHERD 
Fisher,  Detroit,  Mich. 

ARNOLD  STOLTZ 
Avon,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

T.  O.  TABOR,  JR. 
Palace,  Athens,  Ga. 

CHARLES  B.  TAYLOR 

Shea  Theatres,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

FRED  TICKELL 

Orpheum,  Ft.  William,  Ont. 

ART  WARTHA 

Lido,  Maywood,  III. 


cial  showing.  Mr.  Spigelmyer  had  bought 
a  $1,000  Bond  from  HE.  C.  Bordman,  chair- 
man of  the  joint  service  club  committee  of 
the  Mifflin  County-  War  Savings  Staff.  It 
was  the  only  opportunity  he  would  have  had 
to  see  the  picture,  according  to  the  news- 
paper report  and  he  is  quoted  as  telling  at- 
tendants, "It  was  the  biggest  thrill  since  I 
was  a  kid". 


Local  Woman  Feted  at  Theatre 

Since  a  local  woman  war  correspondent 
and  radio  commentator  was  presented  with 
a  Treasury  Banner  Award,  Ron  Failes  at 
Schine's  Capitol  theatre,  in  llion,  N.  Y.  of- 
fered the  theatre  gratis  for  the  ceremonies. 
The  newspaper  came  through  with  a  three- 
column  story  on  the  event,  which  included 
thanks  to  the  Schine  organization  for  its 
cooperation. 


Free  French  Sponsor  Date 

Al  Reh.  manager  of  Warners'  Mastbaum 
theatre,  Philadelphia,  arranged  for  impres- 
sive ceremonies  sponsored  by  France  For- 
ever, a  local  Free  French  organization,  to 
mark  the  opening  of  "Casablanca."  A 
French  color  guard  was  stationed  in  the 
lobby  and  French  war  veterans  and  their 
wives  were  invited  to  the  opening  perform- 
ance. 


Tabor  Plugs  "Mrs.  Miniver" 
At  Local  Football  Game 

Football  enthusiasts  attending  the  recent 
Tech-Georgia  game  in  Athens,  Ga.,  were  re- 
minded at  frequent  intervals  during  the 
game  that  "Mrs.  Miniver"  was  playing  at 
the  Palace  theatre :  this  was  accomplished 
by  T.  O.  Tabor,  who  arranged  with  the  offi- 
cials at  Sanford  Stadium  for  the  breaks 
over  the  public  address  system.  The  larg- 
est local  book  shop  devoted  an  entire  win- 
dow to  plugs  for  the  books,  displaying  regu- 
lar and  pocket  editions.  The  theatre  and 
playdate  credits  were  prominently  shown. 
In  addition  a  florist  featured  the  "Miniver" 
rose  for  the  week. 


Taylor's  Valentine  Day  Ad 

Designed  by  Charles  B.  Taylor,  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity  for  the  Shea 
Theatres,  in  Buffalo  and  in  behalf  of 
"Tourney  for  Margaret"  was  a  very  effective 
five  column  Valentine's  Day  ad  promoted 
from  one  of  the  local  merchants.  Covering 
practically  a  half  a  page,  the  ad  featured  a 
cutout  heart  which  carried  a  photo  of  little 
Margaret  O'Brien  as  she  appears  in  the  pic- 
ture. The  copy  in  the  ad  was  tied  directly 
to  the  picture  with  appropriate  theatre 
credits. 


50 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


f 


RKO  Theatres 
Use  Contests  on 
'Yankee  Doodle9 


Selling  Points 

ON  THE  NEW  PRODUCT 

[The  material  below  reflects  press  books  now  in  preparation  and  represents  the  point  of 
view  of  the  distributors'  exploiteers  about  the  selling  points  and  special  merit  of  these  pictures.] 

RANDOM  HARVEST  (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer):  The  magazine  ad  campaign  on  this 
picture  was  unique  and  might  well  be  capitalized  on  by  the  theatre.  An  ad  re- 
sembling the  text  style  of  each  magazine  was  used  with  some  of  them  authored  by 
the  magazine's  writers  and  illustrated  by  its  artists1.  A  newsstand  tieup  can  be  ar- 
ranged on  this  angle.  Also,  the  various  magazines  could  be  assembled  and  the  ads 
posted  with  a  prize  offered  for  those  who  guess  which  magazine  each  is  from.  The 
book  from  which  the  picture  was  made  can  be  featured  in  bookstores  and  libraries. 
Bookmarks  can  be  printed  for  distribution  to  libraries.  A  number  of  tieup  photos 
are  available  showing  various  articles;  these  can  be  used  in  store  windows  without 
any  direct  endorsements.  Since  Ronald  Colman,  in  the  picture,  is  afflicted  with 
amnesia,  a  newspaper  contest  to  feature  the  comedy  angles  suggested,  in  which  the 
best  answers  to  the  question,  "Is  love  a  slight  case  of  amnesia?"  are  rewarded  with 
prizes.  A  cooperative  ad  is  among  the  methods  suggested  for  selling,  with  the  head- 
line reading:  "A  harvest  of  good  things  comes  to   city.  Another  suggested 

contest  is  for  the  best  letters  on  "Why  I  think  Greer  Garson  is  the  screen's  foremost 
actress".  Another  idea  to  tieup  with  the  amnesia  is  to  offer  prizes  for  the  best  answers 
to  the  question,  "What  unusual  thing  happened  to  you  because  of  a  single  moment 
of  forgetfulness?"  Susan  Peters,  one  of  MGM's  new  discoveries,  has  a  featured  role 
in  the  picture.  She  has  posed  in  a  number  of  new  fashions  for  younger  girls  which  can 
be  used  in  tieups  with  apparel  shops,  etc. 


"Air  Force"  Stunt  Like  Snowball 
Gains  and  Gathers  Momentum 

One  of  those  publicity  stunts  which  gath- 
ers momentum  as  it  goes  was  developed  in 
New  York  by  the  Warner  publicity  depart- 
ment in  the  interest  of  "Air  Force".  While 
the  attempt  may  not  be  as  successful  every- 
where the  idea  is  well  worth  trying. 

Originally  it  was  planned  to  have  a  con- 
test run  through  the  Defense  Recreation 
Center  for  the  title  of  "Miss  Air  Force". 
A  soldier  found  a  picture  of  a  girl  on  the 
subway  and  submitted  it  as  his  entrant  for 
the  contest.  Lo  and  behold !  she  won  and 
he  didn't  have  the  slightest  idea  who  she 
was.  That  landed  some  publicity  in  the 
newspapers  of  the  corporal  and  the  picture. 
Next  thing,  the  aunt  of  the  girl  noticed  the 
picture  and  called  her  attention  to  it.  But 
most  unfortunately  of  all,  it  turned  out  she 
had  been  married  six  weeks  before. 

The  original  idea  of  the  contest  was  that 
the  soldier  who  submitted  the  winning  photo 
would  be  entitled  to  escort  the  winner  to  the 
premiere.  In  this  case,  since  the  winner 
turned  out  to  be  married,  the  soldier  a  bit 
ruefully,  perhaps,  had  to  bring  hubby  along 
as  well. 

At  any  rate,  the  whole  affair  got  a  big 
play  in  the  newspapers,  some  of  which  care- 
fully essayed  to  avoid  mentioning  the  title 
of  the  picture  in  the  early  stages  but  later 
broke  down  and  came  right  out  with  it. 

Longo  Gets  Newspaper  Breaks 
On  Boston  Scrap  Copper  Show 

Even  big  city  showmen  are  holding  cop- 
per scrap  shows.  It  would  seem  compara- 
tively much  easier  for  the  smaller  communi- 
ties to  stage  this  type  of  extra  matinee  but 
in  Boston  the  big  first-run  Loew's  State  ran 


a  scrap  copper  show  recently.  Joe  Longo, 
publicity  director,  was  able  to  obtain  plenty 
of  publicity  in  the  Boston  papers. 

The  show  was  held  at  9  a.m.  and  con- 
sisted entirely  of  short  subjects  booked  es- 
pecially for  the  occasion.  The  "gross  re- 
ceipts" of  the  show  were  turned  into  cash 
and  the  money  given  to  the  Theatrical  Lieut. 
McCauley  American  Legion  Post.  The 
newspapers  commented  on  that,  too. 


Fretwell  Runs  Midnight  Show: 
Acts  as  Master  of  Ceremonies 

Although  he  was  new  in  his  post  of  man- 
ager of  the  Visulite  theatre  in  Staunton, 
Va.,  Jack  Fretwell  determined  to  make  use 
of  his  talent  as  a  master  of  ceremonies  and 
put  on  a  stage  show  one  midnight  recently. 
Jack  had  tough  opposition  in  town  with  the 
best  of  product;  on  his  own  screen  he  was 
playing  "Behind  the  Eight  Ball."  So  the 
stage  show's  purpose  was  to  offer  some 
competition  to  the  opposition. 

Bill  Smith,  Producers  Releasing  Corpora- 
tion's salesman  for  the  Virginia  territory, 
happens  to  live  near  Staunton  and  being  an 
old  friend,  came  over  to  assist  Jack.  The  lat- 
ter reports  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
show  and  "confidentially,"  he  reports,  "he 
was  the  hit  of  the  show." 

Among  the  ideas  Jack  used  was  one  oi 
awarding  guest  tickets  to  certain  people :  for 
example,  anybody  in  the  house  with  red 
flannels  (there  were  a  couple)  ;  anybody  in 
the  house  wearing  white  shoes;  any  jitter- 
bugs who  would  dance ;  anybody  who  would 
lead  the  audience  in  "Praise  the  Lord  and 
Pass  the  Ammunition";  all  service  men  in 
uniform ;  all  newly  weds. 

Jack  reports  the  audience  very  responsive 
and  therefore  he  will  probably  try  this  sort 
of  thing  again. 


Contests  highlighted  the  opening  engage- 
ment of  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  at  the 
RKO  metropolitan  theatres,  arrangements 
being  made  with  executives  of  defense  plants 
employing  large  numbers  of  people  to  offer 
prizes  on  the  stage  of  the  nearest  RKO  thea- 
tre to  the  employee  turning  in  the  most  ef- 
ficient job  and  being  declared  a  "Dandy". 
This  tieup  with  War  Production  plants  was 
augmented  by  the  presentation  during  recess 
hours  of  accordionists  playing  the  song  hits 
from  the  picture. 

In  Queens  RKO  tied  in  with  a  drive  to 
fill  War  Stamp  books  and  convert  them  into 
Bonds.  The  Borough  President  was  the 
first  Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  to  get  himself  a 
bond  while  cameras  clicked.  Local  papers 
carried  stunt  as  a  civic  gesture. 

"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  prologues  were 
staged  in  RKO  Brooklyn  theatres  a  week 
before  opening.  Ballyhoo  men  in  Uncle 
Sam  costumes  rode  the  subways  carrying 
cards  urging  the  purchasing  of  Stamps  and 
Bonds  and  giving  the  playdates.  Store  win- 
dows exhibited  big  Uncle  Sam  hats  filled 
with  pennies  and  beans  offering  passes  to 
persons  guessing  the  approximate  number. 

An  especially  prepared  song  trailer  of 
Cohan  hits  was  used  most  effectively  in  all 
RKO  theatres,  with  patrons  singing  these 
numbers. 

Full  Page  Ads  Landed 

The  Saturday  before  its  opening,  hat  and 
bow-tie  cut  outs  were  given  to  children. 
Restaurants,  bars,  grills,  soda  fountain  and 
similar  spots  were  provided  with  paper 
doilies  to  be  placed  in  front  of  patrons. 

Newspapers  gave  generously  of  publicity, 
and  merchants  co-operated  with  full  page 
"ads".  Smaller  ads  carried  the  Cagney  hat 
slug  with  copy  "Be  A  Yankee  Doodle 
Dandy  —  Buy  More  Bonds  and  Stamps." 
Music  stores  and  local  radio  stations  fea- 
tured Cohan  hits  from  the  picture. 

In  many  instances,  open-air  war  bond  ral- 
lies in  front  of  RKO  theatres  marked  the 
opening  of  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  and  in 
all  instances,  the  Infantile  Paralysis  Drive 
for  Dimes  and  Dollars  profited  by  showman- 
ship tactics  that  made  it  part  of  the  Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy  campaign  in  RKO  theatres. 


Celebrates  President's  Birthday 

To  celebrate  the  President's  birthday, 
Harry  Rose  at  the  Globe  theatre,  in  Bridge- 
port featured  a  three  and  a  half  foot  "Mile 
of  Dimes"  birthday  cake  in  the  lobby.  The 
cake  was  topped  with  a  framed  photograph 
of  the  President  and  decorated  with  small 
American  flags,  61  candles  and  shiny  dimes. 
The  newspapers  thought  so  well  of  the  slant 
that  they  carried  a  two-column  photograph 
of  the  cut  together  with  a  story. 


Gets  Italian  Paper  Break 

A  special  pictorial  layout  on  "Jacare"  was 
planted  in  the  Corriere  del  Connecticut,  New 
Haven's  Italian  newspaper,  by  Sidney  Klep- 
er,  manager  of  the  Bijou. 


February20.1943  MANAGERS'    ROUND   TABLE  5 

TIMELY  SLANTS  IN  ADS 


IMr.H.i.l 

STARTS  THURSDAY 

THE  SHOW  of  WONDERS 


Me  tossed  her  in  Vienna—  Site  MJssenf 
h/'m  /n  Warsaw-  -  Tfiet/  ic/ssecf  eac/j 
other  in  Prague--  Now  co St  erf  do  f/ou 
suppose  happened  in  "Paris  ??? 


;e~rer  s  rac 


StaAti.  TOMORROW  •  lam's  STANLEY  •  2  HITS 


HUMPHREY 


IMG  RID 


PAUL 


BOOART  BERGMAN  HENREID 


"c-  zzz 


and  illustrations  in  ihis  ad  from  Warners'  Newark 
fferent  from  those  in  ifie  press  book.  It  was  preps res 
skow,  ad  chief,  by  Ben  Adler.  zone  artist. 


z  se — e  zee; 
■z~  "e  cres; 
center  was 


vjflST  DOODLE 
DANDf 


5£?£ ' 


.  NOW  .  .  . 


THESE  AXE  THE  tAS-IES  THAT 


BOMBED  BERLIN! 


Illustration  predominates  in  this 
ad  by  Alice  Gorham,  director 
of  advertising  and  publicity 
"c      e  J-'.sz  "2e~'z'. — ea—es. 


52 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February    20,     194  3 


CASABLANCA  CONFERENCE 
AIDS  SELLING  OF  FILM 


All  doors  lead  to  Casablanca,  or  so  it  would  seem  from  this  folder  of  Max  Felder's  front 
at  the  Capitol  theatre,  Steubenville,  O.  Copy  in  each  panel  is  different. 


Playdates  Immediately 
Following  Parley  Get 
Benefit  of  Publicity 

To  usher  in  their  dates  on  "Casablanca", 
theatremen  around  the  country  availed  them- 
selves of  the  recent  announcement  of  the 
Roosevelt-Churchill  trip.  Harry  Stearn  and 
Ken  Carter  at  the  Manring,  in  Middlesboro, 
Ky.,  used  large  newspaper  ads  in  the  local 
paper  on  the  day  following  the  sensational 
radio  message  and  changed  all  mats  to  fit 
the  timeliness  of  the  film,  carrying  such 
catchlines  as  "As  Timely  As  Today's  Head- 
lines", etc.  A  special  edition  of  the  Daily 
News  bore  headlines  blaring  out  the  word 
"Casablanca,  where  Victory  was  Born". 
Then  followed  a  front  page  story  on  the 
picture.  The  entire  back  page  was  taken  up 
with  picture  copy  and  merchants'  ads  which 
covered  the  cost  of  this  special  edition. 

A  special  theatre  front  was  made  up  with 
giant  letters  extending  the  entire  width  of 
the  lobby  spelling  out  the  title.  Large  cut- 
out heads  from  the  six-sheet  set  this 
off.  This  was  mounted  on  large  lattice  work 
over  the  boxoffice  and  the  entire  display 
supported  by  four  large  pillars  each  about 
seven  feet  high  carrying  selling  copy. 

Teletype  Planted  in  Lobby 

An  effective  lobby  stunt  was  used  at  the 
Indiana  theatre,  Indianapolis,  by  Len  Tut- 
tle  and  his  assistant,  Moe  Esserman,  using 
a  teletype  machine  which  gave  title,  cast, 
catchlines  from  the  picture  and  reviews  of 
the  New  York  papers,  including  Winchell 
and  Sobol.  A  card  in  front  of  the  machine 
read:  "News.  Direct  from  the  hottest  spot 
on  the  globe  today.  Casablanca."  An  ad 
was  inserted  in  the  papers  offering  passes 
to  the  theatre  for  letters  received  from  our 
boys  in  Africa.  Letters  were  mounted  on  a 
40  by  60  in  the  lobby  and  received  quite  a 
bit  of  comment  from  the  patrons.  Reader  on 
the  board  said :  "Read  the  happy  letters 
from  our  boys  in  Casablanca.  You  will  en- 
joy 'Casablanca'  playing",  etc.,  etc. 

O'Donnell  Suggests  Catchline 

Up  in  Waterville,  Maine,  Jim  O'Donnell 
at  the  Haines  theatre  comes  through  with 
the  suggestion  that  the  catchline  "F.  D.  R. 
traveled  5,000  miles  to  see  Casablanca", 
might  be  in  order. 

Engineered  through  the  cooperation  of 
the  Stamp  and  Bond  Committee  in  Olean, 
N.  Y.,  was  Murry  Lafayette's  story  which 
ran  in  the  local  papers  offering  a  preview  of 
the  picture  at  the  Haven  theatre  to  the  pur- 
chasers of  a  thousand  dollar  bond.  A  story 
with  two-columns  of  art  was  landed  in 
the  paper  and  Murry  reports  Bond  sales  ex- 
ceeding $9,000.  The  picture  of  the  first  two 
buyers  were  used  by  the  Buffalo,  Pitts- 
burgh and  Rochester  papers,  each  carrying 
a  story,  the  name  of  the  picture,  theatre,  etc. 

To  herald  his  opening  at  the  Capitol 
theatre,  in  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  Deane  H.  Emley 
used  directional  arrows  about  town  with 


copy:  "This  way  to  Casablanca,  the  city  that 
rocked  the  world."  Playdates  and  theatre 
name  were  included.  In  addition,  Emley 
promoted  a  fullpage  ad  from  a  local  mer- 
chant, which  featured  a  contest,  guest  tickets 
going  to  those  correctly  solving  crypto- 
grams. The  want  ad  page  of  the  local  paper 
also  carried  a  request  for  letters  from  ser- 
vicemen for  lobby  display. 

A  composite  board  for  outside  display  was 
constructed  by  Jack  Flex  at  the  Keith,  in 
Syracuse,  this  made  up  of  newspaper  tear- 
sheets  containing  stories  and  pictures  of  the 
historic  meeting.  Copy  on  the  board  read : 
"Timelier  than  today's  headlines.  Stirring 
picturization  of  history  in  the  making.  The 
picture  that  preceded  this  epical  event". 

Decoding  Contest  Featured 

The  pressbook  decoding  contest  was  plant- 
ed in  a  cooperating  daily  with  a  quizz  con- 
test in  another  paper  inviting  readers  to  list 
the  names  of  outstanding  personalities  who 
attended  the  Casablanca  conference  together 
with  the  name  of  the  Allied  Nation  each 
represented. 

Tying  in  with  the  book  campaign  of  the 
public  library.  Flex  planted  a  bin  in  his 
lobby,  inviting  patrons  to  deposit  books  for 
men  overseas. 

Joe  Boyle  at  the  Broadway,  Norwich, 
Conn.,  got  special  newspaper  mention  for 
the  newsreel  shots  showing  President  Roos- 
velt  and  Prime  Minister  Churchill  in  con- 
ference. 

Rose  Buys  Radio  Time 

Wally  Rose,  advertising  manager  for  J.  J. 
Parker's  Broadway,  Portland,  Ore.,  was 
right  on  his  toes  when  the  news  of  Casa- 
blanca was  about  to  be  announced  and  so 
he  capitalized  on  the  current  engagement  of 
"Casablanca"  at  the  Broadway. 

The  news  broadcast  was  announced  at  7 
p.m.  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  Wally  timed 
his  ads  to  break  in  the  7  p.m.  edition  of  the 


Portland  papers.  The  copy  simply  said, 
"Flash!  The  hottest  spot  in  earth!  ...  in 
the  headlines  ...  on  everyone's  lips !  .  .  . 
'Casablanca' "  plus  other  catchlines  about 
the  picture. 

Wally,  having  heard  about  the  broadcast 
in  advance,  learned  it  would  last  45  minutes 
and  accordingly  bought  time  on  the  local 
CBS  station  immediately  following.  There 
wasn't  a  moment's  break  between  the  end  of 
the  announcement  about  the  conference  at 
Casablanca  and  the  theatre's  announcement. 


All  Night  War  Workers  Show 
Run  by  Loew's  in  Boston 

"Stand  By  For  Action"  got  a  comprehen- 
sive campaign  when  it  played  its  dual  en- 
gagement at  Loews'  State  and  Orpheum 
theatres,  Boston.  Joseph  P.  Longo,  public- 
ity director,  tied  up  with  the  local  arsenal 
by  presenting  a  Victory  Bond  to  one  of 
the  girl  workers.  Charles  Kurtzman,  Loew 
division  manager,  made  the  presentation. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  shows,  a  weekly 
all-night  defense  workers'  show  was  pre- 
sented at  the  Orpheum.  Special  ads  and 
underlines  appeared  in  all  local  papers  and 
special  stories  were  run  about  it.  The  local 
Navy  recruiting  office  was  also  tied  up  on 
the  picture  and  the  Navy  sound  truck,  ban- 
nered with  the  title  and  playdates  toured 
the  city  for  three  days  ahead. 


Deber  Sells  Stage  Shows 

To  acquaint  localities  with  the  fact  that 
lie  was  playing  Emile  Boreo  in  person  at  the 
New  Park  theatre,  in  Woonsocket,  R.  I., 
George  Deber  circularized  every  private 
number  in  the  telephone  directory,  some  10,- 
000,  with  government  postcards.  The  cor- 
respondence side  carried  a  cut  of  an  arrow 
pointing  to  copy  on  the  show,  which  sug- 
gested making  every  Friday  or  Saturday 
stage  show  day  at  the  Park. 


February  20 


9  4  3 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


53 


PERSONALS  ON  SHOWMEN 


L.  E.  Berry,  Louisiana  Showman, 
Had  Rapid  Rise  to  Managership 

L.  E.  Berry  had  a  natural  flair  for  the 
theatre  and  therefore  rose  rapidly  once  he 
got  into  it.  He  was  born  at  Oakdale,  La., 
Dec.  14,  1917,  and  was  just  a  little  more 
than  21  when  he  was  appointed  relief  op- 
erator and  doorman  at  the  Cane  theatre, 
Natchitoches,  La.,  one  of  the  DeSoto  Circuit 
houses.  A  few  months  later  he  was  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  Crystal,  Many,  La., 
and  another  few  months  brought  him  to  the 
Webster  in  Springhill,  La.,  where  he  is 
today.  He  is  married  and  the  father  of  two 
children. 


Blake,  After  Six  Years  Out, 
Returns  to  the  Theatre 

Walter  E.  Blake  is  another  of  the  many 
men  who  started  their  careers  in  the  theatre 
drifted  away  from  it  and  have  returned. 
Walt,  to  begin  at  the  beginning,  was  born  in 
Maiden,  Mass.,  July  10,  1912.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Maiden  High  School.  While 
still  in  school  he  started  in  the  theatre  as  an 
usher  at  the  Middlesex  theatre  and  later  be- 
came chief  usher  at  the  Granada.  He  at- 
tended the  University  of  Alabama  and  after 
college  went  into  the  heating  business  as 
district  sales  manager  for  the  Timken  Si- 
lent Automatic  Company.  His  secretary. 
Miss  Olive  Snell  of  Boston,  has  since  be- 
come Mrs.  Blake  and  the  mother  of  the 
Blakes'  five-month-old  son,  Robert.  After 
six  years  with  Timken,  Walt  returned  to  the 
theatre  business  with  the  Graphic  Circuit. 
He  is  now  assigned  to  the  Center  theatre, 
Dover-Foxcroft,  Maine. 


HAPPY  BIRTHDAY 


February  2  1  st 

February  24th 

Milton  L.  Kaiser 

Sidney  Feder 

Elmer  Amidon 

S.  H.  Horowitz 

Stanley  Lambert 

Leo  Raelson 

Ewell  Bingham 

Jev/el  B.  Callaham 

Paul  W.  Greer 

25th 

22nd 

Dave  Schiller 

Abraham  L.  Lowenstein 

George  Foster 

Lee  J.  Euering 

William  E.  Keating 

ii        i  i  n  i  ill 

Harold  blumenthal 

Emory  T.  Warner 

Lloyd  Blumenthal 

Louis  Gianazza 

Lloyd  Murphy 

Kenneth  G.  Mead 

Norman  C.  Rolfe 

Rockey  T.  Newton 

Richard  J.  Ludwig 

Les  Bowser 

William  Reiser 

John  Willadsen 

Marvin  E.  Samuelson 

Charles  E.  Fish 

Joe  Scanlon 

William  B.  Busay 

Edward  Jacobson 

Joseph  L.  Pa.  rott 

Jack  Matlack 

E.  M.  Jennings 

23rd 

Kenneth  R.  Davis 

Sidney  Seckler 

26th 

Harold  Gustafson 

Sam  Abrams 

Jack  K.  Randall 

Albert  E.  Brown 

Clarence  E.  Watson 

27th 

24th 

Charles  Lee  Hyde 

AI  Unger 

Cecil  W.  Curtis 

F.A.Williams 

Carroll  M.  Bradley 

XUN1 

— s 

"KOW 

ROY  RANDOLPH,  on  Monday,  Feb- 
ruary 8th,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leon  Scott. 
The  father  is  manager  of  the  Margie  Grand 
in  Harlan,  Ky. 


By  Staff  Photographer 

ROUND  TABLE  VISITORS— Left,  Lieut.(j.g.) 
"Sonny"  Shepherd,  now  with  the  U.S.  Naval 
Air  Force,  stopped  in  at  the  Round  Table 
headquarters  en  route  to  his  post  at  Argen- 
tia,  Newfoundland.  He  formerly  handled 
the  Lincoln  theatre,  Miami  Beach,  Fla. 
Above,  Lewis  Breyer,  manager  of  the 
Strand  theatre,  Holyoke,  Mass.,  who  came 
to  town  to  visit  his  mother. 


ED  EXKE,  formerly  manager  of  the  Skou- 
ras  Hempstead,  in  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  has 
been  transferred  to  the  circuit's  Rivoli  thea- 
tre there. 

ED  GATES,  manager  of  the  Esquire  thea- 
tre, in  San  Francisco,  has  enlisted  in  the 
Navy. 

EDWARD  MYERSOX,  manager  of  the 
Dorchester  theatre,  in  Dorchester,  Mass., 
has  resigned  to  go  into  the  Army. 

DOX  HART,  manager  of  the  Oriental 
theatre  in  Denver,  has  been  inducted  in  the 
Army. 

ROBERT  SWAXSOX  is  now  managing 
the  Paramount,  in  Steubenville,  Ohio. 

ROBERT  BERGIX,  assistant  manager  at 
Loew's  Elm  St.  theatre,  in  Worcester, 
Mass.,  has  joined  the  Army  Air  Forces. 

JACK  MATLACK,  advertising  manager 
for  the  Hunt  Theatres,  in  Medford,  Ore., 
has  gone  to  Portland,  where  he  will  be  em- 
ployed in  a  similar  capacity  with  the  J.  J. 
Parker  Theatres,  with  headquarters  at  the 
Broadway. 

I.  J.  FAX  of  Hartford  has  replaced  Dud- 
ley Fenn  as  manager  of  the  Stuart  theatre, 
in  Lakeville,  Conn.  The  latter  has  been 
inducted  into  the  Army. 

HERMAX  KRESKEX.  for  the  past  14 
years  with  Fox  West  Coast  Theatres,  at 
San  Francisco,  has  been  made  district  man- 
ager there.  He  is  now  in  charge  of  the 
Fox.  Paramount.  Warfield,  St.  Francis, 
State,  El  Capitan  and  Rialto. 

EDGAR  PATTERSOX,  formerly  assistant 
manager  of  the  United  Artists  theatre,  in 
Berkeley,  Cal.,  has  been  promoted  to  man- 
ager of  the  Fox  Campus  theatre  here. 

LAKE  P.  JOXES  has  resigned  as  manager 
of  the  RKO  Lyric,  in  Cincinnati  to  accept  a 
similar  post  at  the  Twentieth  Century  the- 
atre there.  Art  Picolla,  manager  of  the  RKO 
Shubert,  has  been  transferred  to  the  Lyric 
and  Joseph  Hansberry.  has  been  shifted 
from  "the  RKO  Family  to  the  Shubert.  P. 
Hogan,  assistant  at  the  Family,  has  been 
promoted  to  manager  of  that  house. 

PAUL  J.  HARVEY,  manager  of  Warner's 
Capitol,  in  York,  Pa.,  is  also  managing  the 
circuit's  Capitol  there  as  a  result  of  Birk 
Binnard  being  transferred  to  the  Warner 
Queen,  in  Wilmington,  Del.  Van  Shana- 
brook.  assistant  at  the  Rialto.  has  been 
transferred  to  the  Capitol  as  assistant  to 
Harvey. 

LOUIS  LAMM  has  been  shifted  from  the 
managership  of  the  Orpheum.  in  Kenosha. 
Wis.,  to  the  same  post  at  the  Odeon.  Beaver 
Dam. 

MILT  HARRIS,  former  manager  of  the 
Drive-In  theatre  in  Miami,  is  associate 
manager  of  the  Capitol  there. 


54 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,     I  943 


Use  of  Publicity 
Stills  Is  Down 
23%  in  Year 

The  industry's  use  of  publicity  stills  de- 
creased approximately  23  per  cent  last  year  as 
compared  to  the  1941  total,  according  to  figures 
compiled  by  the  Advertising  Advisory  Council 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distribu- 
tors of  America.  Only  98,335  were  submitted 
during  1942,  which  was  far  below  the  previous 
year's  figure  of  121,584.  However,  where  the 
Council's  rejections  amounted  to  2,350  in  1941, 
only  1,308,  less  than  half,  were  not  approved 
last  year.  But  it  was  said  that  after  revisions, 
a  majority  of  these  met  the  code  requirements. 

In  exploitation,  there  also  was  a  decline,  7,188 
ideas  having  been  submitted  for  approval  in  1942 
with  11  original  rejections,  while  in  the  previ- 
ous year  there  were  9,641  with  21  eliminations. 
Publicity  stories  released  by  the  companies  re- 
mained at  almost  the  same  level  for  the  two 
years.  The  figures  were  9,844  in  1941  and 
9,599  last  year.  Only  one  story  was  turned  back 
from  the  latter  group,  while  three  required  re- 
writing in  1941. 

Posters  submitted  last  year  numbered  1,555, 
with  35  requiring  alterations ;  in  the  preceding 
year,  the  total  was  1,615  with  37  needing  re- 
vision. Although  fewer  trailers  were  used  in 
1942,  918  as  compared  to  1,129  the  year  before, 
10  violated  the  code.  The  Council  only  rejected 
three  in  1941. 

Advertisements  were  down  slightly,  too,  10,- 
099  having  been  submitted  to  the  Council  in 
1942  as  compared  to  11,143  in  1941.  The  ratio 
of  rejections  was  in  reverse,  however.  Original 
rejections  of  the  1941  total  amounted  to  only 
313,  while  last  year  the  figure  jumped  to  472 
despite  the  fewer  advertisements  submitted.  The 
only  group  in  which  last  year's  figure  rose 
above  the  1941  total  was  the  miscellaneous  ac- 
cessories. The  difference  was  only  slight,  4,999 
passing  through  the  Council's  office  with  but 
four  eliminations;  in  1941,  18  revisions  were 
required  out  of  4,916. 

Conservation  of  film,  paper  and  chemicals 
were  held  accountable  for  the  general  decline  of 
some  of  the  phases  of  publicity  production, 
while  other  factors  included  the  higher  costs 
of  materials  and  the  reduced  production  scales 
of  companies  in  1942. 

National  Decency  Legion 
Classifies  I  I  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  reviewed  11 
films  during  the  current  week,  classifying  six  as 
unobjectionable  for  general  patronage,  three  as 
unobjectionable  for  adults  and  two  as  objection- 
able in  part.  The  listing  is  as  follows : 

Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  General  Pa- 
tronage: "Dead  Man's  Gulch,"  Haunted 
Ranch,"  "Reveille  with  Beverly,"  "Silver 
Skates,"  "Stranger  in  Town,"  "Wild  Horse 
Rustlers."  Class  A-2,  Unobjectionable  for 
Adults:  "Air  Force,"  "Lady  Bodyguard," 
"Young  Mr.  Pitt."  Class  B,  Objectionable  in 
Part :  "Cabin  in  the  Sky,"  "Flight  for  Free- 
dom." 


Alaskan  Theatre  Burns 

The  Liberty  theatre  in  Alaska  was  destroyed 
by  a  fire  which  originated  in  the  projection 
room,  the  blaze  spreading  rapidly  through  the 
entire  block,  causing  damage  estimated  at  $200,- 
000.  No  casualties  were  reported,  and  the 
properties  were  covered  by  insurance. 


Club  Dinner  March  I 

The  Cinema  Club  of  Cincinnati  has  announced 
that  its  annual  installation  dinner  will  be  held 
at  its  headquarters  on  March  1st.  Meetings 
will  be  held  semi-monthly  thereafter. 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 

Week  of  February  15  th 

ASTOR 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

Marines  in  the  Making  MGM 

feature:  Tennessee  Johnson.  .  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   MGM 

Feature:  In  Which  We  Serve  Two  Cities-UA 

CRITERION 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

Screen  Snapshots,  No.  5.  ..  .Columbia 
Feature:  Commandos  Strike  at 

Dawn   Columbia 

GLOBE 

Invasion  of  North  Africa... UA 
Borah    Minevitch    and  His 

Harmonica  School  Vitaphone 

Basketeers   RKO 

Feature:  Saludos  Amigos  .  .  .  RKO 

HOLLYWOOD 

Cuba,    Land   of  Adventure 

and  Sport  Vitaphone 

Pigs  in  a  Polka  Vitaphone 

Feature:  Air  Force  Warner  Bros. 

MUSIC  HALL 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

March  of  Time,  Vol.  9,  No.  6.20+h-Fox 
Feature:  Random  Harvest  MGM 

PARAMOUNT 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  Paramount 

Feature:  Star  Spangled 

Rhythm   Paramount 

R I  ALTO 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

Superman  and  the  Volcano .  Paramount 
Feature:  Lucky  Jordan  Paramount 

RIVOLI 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

Der  Fuehrer's  Face  RKO-Disney 

Feature:  Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Universal 

ROXY 

Troop  Train   Victory  Film 

Frankenstein's  Cat   20th-Fox 

When  Winter  Comes  20th-Fox 

Feature:  The  Immortal 

Sergeant   20th-Fox 

STRAND 

Case  of  the  Missing  Hare.  .Vitaphone 

This  Is  Your  Enemy  Vitaphone 

Vaudeville  Days   Vitaphone 

Feature:  Casablanca   Warner  Bros. 


Open  Atlantic  City  House 

The  Weilland-Lewis  Strand  theatre,  Atlantic 
City,  normally  operating  only  during  the  resort's 
summer  season,  has  reopened  for  weekend  oper- 
ations in  view  of  the  increased  patronage  be- 
cause of  the  armed  forces  stationed  there.  The 
week  previous,  the  Warner  circuit  reopened  its 
Virginia  theatre  for  weekend  operations.  Both 
first  run  houses,  the  Saturday  and  Sunday  oper- 
ations will  continue  until  the  spring  when  the 
full-time  operation  usually  begins. 


Clarence  Robson  III 

Clarence  Robson,  general  supervisor  of  thea- 
tres for  the  Odeon  Theatres  circuit  in  Canada, 
is  recovering  in  a  hospital  at  St.  John  from  an 
illness  with  which  he  was  stricken  on  a  train 
en  route  from  Moncton,  N.  B.,  to  St.  John. 


Ticket  Makers 
Ask  WPB  for 
Paper  Stock 

Manufacturers  of  theatre  tickets  have  ap- 
pealed to  the  Printing  and  Publishing  Division 
of  the  War  Production  Board  for  sufficient  sup- 
plies of  paper  stock  to  guarantee  deliveries  to 
their  accounts,  it  was  indicated  this  week.  How- 
ever, present  requirements  are  being  met  de- 
spite the  20  per  cent  curtailment  of  paper  ord- 
ered by  the  WPB  on  Form  M-241. 

The  plea  was  made  to  forestall  any  additional 
restrictions  which  might  be  imposed,  manufac- 
turers stressing  the  fact  that  the  collection  of 
admission  taxes  would  suffer  should  a  ticket 
shortage  develop.  "There  is  no  definite  short- 
age as  yet,"  August  Seebeck,  vice-president  of 
the  Globe  Ticket  Company,  said,  "but  there's  no 
telling  when  an  order  will  come  through.  In 
view  of  any  possible  curtailment,  it  would  be 
best  for  customers  to  plan  their  orders  well  in 
advance." 

Clifford  Elliott,  treasurer  of  the  Elliott  Ticket 
Company,  said,  "Admission  taxes  are  figured 
directly  from  theatre  tickets.  Each  one  is  num- 
bered, and  when  shipments  are  made,  a  list  is 
sent  to  the  tax  collector's  office  at  the  delivery 
point.  The  theatres  are  also  required  to  mail 
in  a  record  to  the  tax  collector.  If  any  delay 
in  delivery  occurred,  the  collection  of  admission 
taxes  would  be  impeded." 

Mr.  Elliott  said  that  the  use  of  inferior  grades 
of  paper  stock  would  alleviate  the  situation  to 
some  extent,  but  that  to  make  such  a  move 
would  cause  trouble  in  the  dispensing  machines 
used  by  most  theatres.  "We  are  using  a  10^4 
point  calibre  grade  of  stock  at  present,"  he  said. 
"It  can  be  used  in  dispensing  machines  without 
fear  of  causing  trouble." 

Ticket  manufacturers  report  that  while  sales 
have  dipped  in  rural  areas,  the  loss  has  been  off- 
set by  increased  purchasing  in  the  metropolitan 
districts.  Their  records  confirm  recent  observa- 
tions which  showed  attendance  jumps  in  thea- 
tres located  in  large  cities  while  houses  in  out- 
lying communities  played  to  small  audiences. 

In  other  fields,  the  ticket  situation  provides 
cause  for  concern.  Demands  for  railroad,  bus 
and  airline  tickets  have  been  expanding  con- 
stantly, and  requirements  are  expected  to  be 
more  than  50  per  cent  above  the  1942  total.  The 
use  of  paper  in  the  production  of  approximately 
50  items  has  been  banned,  effective  February 
15th,  including  holiday  and  party  decorations, 
confetti,  card  table  covers  and  other  articles 
which  have  been  deemed  non-essential.  Covering 
the  entire  process  of  producing  printed  matter, 
also,  is  the  WPB's  L-241  order  which  restricts 
tonnage  to  90  per  cent  of  the  corresponding 
calendar  quarter  of  the  base  period  which,  in 
this  instance,  is  1941. 


Newman  Honored  in  Seattle 

Frank  L.  Newman,  Sr.,  president  of  the 
Evergreen  theatre  circuit,  was  entertained  by 
a  group  of  industry  friends  in  Seattle  last 
week.  Among  those  present  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Edward  Lamb,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  Segel, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neal  Walton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ed- 
ward Walton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  T.  Sheffield, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  Blake,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Maury  Saffles,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vete  Stewart,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Peter  Higgins,  Ralph  Abbott,  An- 
thony Hartford  and  W.  E.  Calloway. 

San  Francisco  Gross  Good 

San  Francisco's  stage  and  vaudeville  attrac- 
tions continue  to  gross  heavily,  it  is  reported. 
Irving  Berlin's  "This  Is  the  Army"  is  at  the 
War  Memorial  Opera  House,  Grauman's 
"Highlights  of  1943,"  is  at  the  Alcazar,  and 
the  Geary  theatre  is  playing  Howard  Hughes' 
film,  "The  Outlaw,"  which  had  its  world  pre- 
miere there  recently. 


February    20,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


55 


CLASSIITEL  ± 
ADVERTISING 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  not 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


ASSISTANT  MANAGERS,  DRAFT  EXEMPT, 
•mall  New  York  City  chain.  Send  photograph  and  all 
information  in  first  letter.  BOX  1598,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED  MANAGER  OR  ASSISTANT.  MUST 
be  experienced,  sober,  absolutely  reliable.  Knowledge 
of  buying,  booking  and  all  theatre  routine.  Al  refer- 
ences, draft  exempt,  include  snapshot.  BOX  1600, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


WANTED  SEVERAL  PROJECTIONISTS.  WRITE 
President  of  THEATRE  OWNERS  ASSOCIATION, 
2/0  Elks  Club,  Louisville,  Ky. 


THEATRES 


WILL  ADVANCE  $15,OOO-$2O,O0O  FOR  SMALL 
theatre  showing  good  returns.  BOX  1604,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


SALE,  THEATRE  OPERATING  500  SEATS. 
Owner  in  Army.  Offers.  BOX  1603,  MOTION  PIC- 
TURE HERALD. 


NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WESTINGHOUSE  RECTIFIER  BULBS,  15  AM- 
pere,  $8;  6  ampere  $4;  thousand  watt  G40  Mogul  pre- 
focussed  lamps,  $2;  one  quart  Underwriter's  approved 
extinguishers,  $11.25;  two  quart,  $13.50;  heavy  curtain 
track,  $1.80  ft.  Send  for  bargain  bulletin.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.    New  York. 


WANTED  TO  BUY 


WANTED— ALL  KINDS  USED  SIMPLEX  AND 
Superior  mechanisms  stands,  magazines,  lamphouses, 
etc    BOX  1599,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


PRINTING 


THEATRE  PROGRAMS,  HERALD  GIVEAWAYS 
and  other  show  printing,  at  special  rate.  Supply  copy 
and  layout  for  estimate.  BOX  1207A,  MOTION  PIC- 
TURE HERALD. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


WONDERFUL  CHAIR  BUY-ALL  READY  NOW 
— 570  rebuilt  American  Seating  ball  bearing  chairs, 
newly  upholstered  heavy  inserted  panel  backs  and  box 
spring  cushions,  deep  purple  with  black  trim.  All  18" 
widths,  level  to  1"  pitch,  new  hardwood  ends.  Crated 
complete  with  hardware  for  concrete  floor.  $3.80. 
S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP..  New  York. 


THEATRE  CHAIRS  —  10,000  USED  UPHOL- 
stered.  Parts  for  all  makes  and  types.  CHICAGO 
USED  CHAIR  MART.  844  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago. 


POSITIONS  WANTED 


MANAGER,  NOW  EMPLOYED,  DESIRES 
•change.  Long  experience  both  chain  and  independent. 
Excellent  record  both  managing  and  exploitation,  also 
booking.  Draft  exempt.  BOX  1602,  MOTION  PIC- 
TURE HERALD. 


SOME  THEATRE  OWNER  IS  LOOKING  FOR 
this  theatre  operator.  Here's  a  man  of  unquestionable 
integrity,  21  years'  experience  in  every  type  of  motion 
picture  theatre,  familiar  with  every  phase  of  theatre 
management  and  operation,  for  ten  years  a  theatre 
owner  himself,  twelve  years  with  present  employer- 
one  of  the  most  wide-awake  circuits  in  the  country — 
as  theatre  manager  and  zone  manager.  Knows  pub- 
licity, advertising  and  exploitation,  experienced  in 
maintenance  and  film  buying.  He's  a  hard  worker 
and  has  always  produced  results.  This  man  wishes 
to  make  a  change.  He  prefers  to  take  charge  of  a 
small  circuit.  Al  references.  If  you  need  a  man  of 
this  calibre,  write  BOX  1605.  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
positions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
lished since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL.  Elmira.  N.  Y. 


OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatrej 
new  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  detaili  in  first  letter. 
BOX  1584A,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


ROOKS 


MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
Dhanges.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
:odes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NOW  READY,  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble- 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment. 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple — so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre.  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


BUSINESS  BOOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS.  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75, 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

GET  THE  ORIGINAL  DIE  CUT  THEATRE 
bingo  cards,  1  to  100  or  1  to  75  with  the  most  com- 
binations. Remember  price  does  not  make  the  best 
combinations.  Our  price  $1.75  per  thousand  in  lots  of 
5,000.  Original  theatre  bingo  company.  BOX  1606, 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


FSB8S  or 

C.  J.  O'BRIEN.  INC 
NEW  YORK.  r.  S.A 


56 

John  Considine 
Dies  at  80 

John  W.  Considine,  Sr.,  founder  of  one  of 
America's  largest  theatre  circuits,  died  on 
Thursday,  February  11th,  in  Los  Angeles  at 
the  age  of  80.  His  friend,  Father  Flannigan 
of  Boys  Town,  was  at  the  bedside.  Mr.  Con- 
sidine's  death  was  caused  by  pneumonia. 

In  1901,  Mr.  Considine  organized  the  Sulli- 
van-Considine  circuit  in  New  York  with  Tim- 
othy "Big  Tim"  Sullivan.  In  the  heyday  of 
vaudeville,  many  stars  of  later  years  performed 
on  the  stages  of  the  circuit's  theatres,  among 
them  Will  Rogers,  Marie  Dressier  and  Albini 
the  Magician.  Mr.  Considine's  interests  were 
acquired  by  Loew's  in  1914  for  a  reported 
$6,000,000. 

Prior  to  the  formation  of  the  circuit,  he  and 
Alexander  Pantages  operated  competing  vaude- 
viHe  circuits,  a  rivalry  which  finally  was  ended 
when  John  Considine,  Jr.,  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  producer,  married  Mr.  Pantages'  daugh- 
ter, Carmen.  Surviving,  besides  Mr.  Consi- 
dine's son  are  his  wife,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  A. 
Considine,  and  two  daughters,  Mrs.  E.  W. 
MacLean  and  Mrs.  Thomas  R.  Conlin. 


Fred  C.  Hinds 

Fred  C.  Hinds,  49,  manager  of  three  theatres 
in  Whitewater  and  Fort  Atkinson,  Wis.,  died 
on  February  6th  in  Whitewater.  He  formerly 
was  engaged  in  theatre  activities  in  Iowa.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  daughters,  a  son 
and  a  brother. 


Mrs.  Grace  Exton 

Mrs.  Grace  Exton,  41,  wife  of  P.  Williani 
Exton,  manager  of  the  Roosevelt  theatre  in 
Kenosha,  Wis.,  died  in  that  city  on  February 
6th.  She  leaves  her  husband,  mother  and 
father,  three  daughters,  three  sisters  and  three 
brothers. 


Edward  Kuhlman 

Edward  Kuhlman,  69,  former  operator  of 
the  Lyric  and  Grand  theatres  in  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  died  in  that  city  on  February  10th.  Mr. 
Kuhlman  began  the  practice  in  Hamilton  of 
having  actors  backstage  speak  lines  in  the  era 
of  silent  films.    He  is  survived  by  his  widow. 


Francis  Emanuel  Aarons 

Francis  Emanuel  Aarons,  former  assistant 
publicity  manager  of  the  RKO  branch  in  Syd- 
ney, Australia,  has  been  reported  killed  in 
action  while  serving  as  a  sergeant  in  the 
Australian  Army  Medical  Corps.  Corporal 
Aarons  was  28  years  old. 


Mrs.  Nancy  Holt 

Mrs.  Nancy  Holt,  63,  wife  of  A.  J.  Holt, 
owner  and  operator  of  the  Idle  Hour  theatre 
in  suburban  Cincinnati,  died  on  February  15th 
while  attending  fhe  theatre's  box  office.  Be- 
sides her  husband,  she  leaves  a  daughter. 


Family  Left  Shea  Estate 

Maurice  A.  Shea,  president  of  the  Shea- 
Chain,  Inc.,  who  died  on  October  19,  1940,  left 
an  estate  of  $1,198,567  gross,  and  $1,068,003  net, 
according  to  a  tax  appraisal  filed  with  the  New 
York  State  Tax  Department  last  week.  His 
widow,  Airs.  Margaret  L.  Shea,  was  left  $36,113, 
plus  an  equal  share  in  the  residuary  estate  with 
three  sons  and  a  daughter.  They  are  Mrs. 
Dorothy  Tuckerman,  Thomas  H.  Shea  and 
Maurice  H.  Shea,  all  of  New  York  City,  and 
William  H.  Shea  of  Manchester,  N.  H. 


Grassgreen  Resumes  Duities 

Morris  Grassgreen,  Boston  branch  manager 
for  Twentieth  Century-Fox,  has  returned  to  his 
duties  after  recuperating  from  injuries  suf- 
fered in  the  Cocoanut  Grove  fire. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

Zevin's  Trial  Is  Set 
For  February  23rd 

Federal  Judge  Vincent  L.  Leibell  last  week 
set  February  23rd  as  the  date  for  the  trial  of 
Isadore  Zevin,  f  100  a  week  former  secretary  of 
George  E.  Browne,  former  head  of  the  IATSE, 
who  is  now  serving  a  long  prison  sentence  for 
extortion. 

Mr.  Zevin's  indictment  was  a  result  of  the 
probing  by  the  Federal  investigators  into  the 
$1,500,000  slush  fund  which  was  collected  from 
42,000  members,  during  the  reign  of  Browne 
and  Bioff.  Zevin,  the  Government  charged, 
acted  as  bookkeeper  of  this  special  fund.  He 
was  indicted  on  nine  counts  and  faces  a  term  of 
60  years  and  a  fine  of  $42,000.  The  Govern- 
ment also  charges  him  with  making  false  state- 
ments to  a  Government  investigator.  Boris 
Kostelanetz,  Assistant  U.  S.  Attorney,  who  was 
one  of  the  prosecutors  of  Browne  and  Bioff,  will 
represent  the  Government  at  the  trial. 

Injunction  Suit  Against 
Rogers  Dismissed 

An  injunction  restraining  the  use  of  the 
name  "Rqy  Rogers"  and  $500,000  damages 
sought  by  Roy  Rogers  in  New  York  supreme 
court  action  against  Leonard  Slye,  known  as 
"Roy  Rogers,"  Republic  Western  star,  was 
dismissed  this  week  by  Supreme  Court  Justice 
Bernard  L.  Shientag.  Two  other  defendants 
were  named  in  the  action,  Republic  Pictures 
Corporation  and  Republic  Productions,  Inc. 

In  his  complaint  Mr.  Rogers  alleges  that  Mr. 
Slye  adopted  the  name  early  in  1938.  He 
brought  suit  against  Mr.  Slye  in  California, 
from  which  he  alleged  an  agreement  was  made 
whereby  Mr.  Slye  was  to  use  the  "Roy  Rogers" 
billing  only  in  motion  pictures.  Mr.  Slye  vio- 
lated that  agreement  by  making  personal  ap- 
pearances, Mr.  Rogers  claimed. 

Court  Grants  Injunction 
Against  Banning  Film 

Circuit  Judge  Gilbert  Burnett  granted  an  in- 
junction to  Harry  Schwartz,  operator  of  the 
National  theatre  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  restraining 
the  city's  police  department  from  banning  the 
current  film,  "Dust  to  Dust,"  on  grounds  that 
"it  was  not  in  keeping  with  public  taste  and 
morals." 

Action  by  the  police  prohibited  the  showing 
of  the  picture  on  January  30th.  The  film  re- 
opened on  February  4th  after  Judge  Burnett 
ruled  that  "the  city  had  failed  to  establish  its 
contention  that  the  picture  is  obscene."  Lawr- 
ence S.  Poston,  Assistant  City  Attorney,  said 
he  would  appeal  the  decision. 


Settle  Disney  Suit 

The  breach  of  contract  suit  which  was 
brought  by  Leo  F.  Phillips  Co.,  Inc.,  against 
Walt  Disney  Enterprises,  Walt  Disney  Pro- 
ductions, Ltd.,  and  the  Brier  Manufacturing 
Co.  ended  last  week  after  a  two-day  trial  in 
the  New  York  Federal  court.  Judge  Alfred 
C.  Coxe  was  presiding  at  the  trial  when  he  was 
informed  that  an  out  of  court  settlement  was 
made  and  that  the  plaintiffs  had  withdrawn  the 
suit. 


Press  Groups  See  MGM  Film 

Newspaper  associations  in  four  states  wit- 
nessed special  screenings  of  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer's  film,  "Keeper  of  the  Flame,"  last 
week.  The  previews  were  held  in  Harrisburg 
for  the  Pennsylvania  group,  Syracuse  for  the 
New  York  group,  Atlanta  for  the  Alabama 
delegation,  and  Oklahoma  City  for  the  Okla- 
homa representatives. 


Move  Offices  to  Boston 

Nathan  Yamins  has  moved  his  Fall  River, 
Mass.,  office  to  the  Consolidated  Gas  Company 
Building  in  Boston.  Mr.  Yamins  operates  thea- 
tres in  Massachusetts. 


February    20,  1943 


IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  47.— Japs  cleaned 
out  as  U.  S.  completes  Guadalcanal  victory.  .  .  . 
American  Marine  heroes  get  richly  deserved  rest. 
.  .  .  Price  Administrator  Prentiss  Brown  announces 
point  rationing  system.  .  .  .  Use  giant  fir  trees  to 
provide  keels  for  mine  sweepers.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Roosevelt 
sponsors  fuel  barge.  .  .  .  Wartime  hats  are  dimout 
fashion.  .  .  .  P-40  fighter  planes  given  to  French  in 
North  Africa.  .  .  .  Rio  de  Janeiro  at  war.  .  .  .  U  S.. 
subs  home  from  victories  over  Japs. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  48.— President  out- 
lines invasion  plan  to  beat  Axis — tells  of  Casablanca 
meeting  at  press  convention.  .  .  .  Bad  news  for  Axis 
as  Willow  Run  plant  turns  out  B-24  bombers.  .  .  . 
Air  heroes  decorated  as  163  men  receive  medals.  .  .  . 
Troops  parade  in  Sydney,  Australia.  .  .  .  PT  boats 
ready  for  action,  demonstrate  anti-sub  tactics.  .  .  . 
Girls  overhaul  airplane  engines.  .  .  .  Dog  champions 
on  parade  at  Madison  Square  Garden. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  245.— U.  S.  Vic- 
tory Day  in  the  Pacific.  Price  Director  Brown 
launches  nationwide  point  rationing.  .  .  .  American 
planes  turned  over  to  French  in  North  Africa.  .  .  . 
War  brings  traffic  headache  to  Brazilian  capital.  .  .  . 
Lloyd  George  praises  Russians.  .  .  .  First  Lady 
launches  barge.  .  .  .  U.  S.  subs  back  from  Japan. 
.  .  .  Spotlight  on  Golden  Glove  boxers. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  24«.— President 
reports  on  Casablanca  meeting,  Henry  Ford's  bomber 
plant  a  production  miracle.  .  .  .  Polish  exodus  to 
Persia.  .  .  .  Jive  in  jungle  by  Aussie  swing  band 
composed  of  fighting  men.  .  .  .  U.  S.  patrol  boats 
on  maneuvers  near  Panama  Canal.  .  .  .  Men  who 
flew  the  "Suzy  Q." 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  50.— Mr.  Roosevelt  launches 
fuel  barge.  .  .  .  American  fighter  planes  given  to 
French.  .  .  .  Secret  Service  makes  drive  against 
counterfeiters.  .  .  .  U.  S.  sub  heroes  home  from  sea 
victories.  .  .  .  15-year-old  Army  veteran  inducted 
into  American  Legion  after  honorable  discharge.  .  .  . 
Coast  Guard  gives  credentials  to  cat  who  guards 
waterfront.  .  .  .  U.  S.  buckles  down  to  point  ration- 
ing. .  .  .  Army  goes  to  dynamite  school  to  be  taught 
about  explosives. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  51— PT  boats  demon- 
strate  speed  in  action  about  Canal  Zone.  .  .  .  Roose- 
velt addresses  press  convention.  .  .  .  B-24  bombers 
at  Willow  Run  plant  spell  trouble  for  Axis.  .  .  .  Joe 
Louis  and  wife  have  baby.  .  .  .  Polish  refugees  on 
march  to  freedom  finally  reach  Persia — rebuild  new 
army,  schools  and  farms. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  50.— P-40's  given 
to  Lafayette  Squadron.  .  .  .  Point  ration  system  ex- 
plained by  Prentiss  Brown.  .  .  .  Navy  gunners  donate 
blood.  .  .  .  Wartime  traffic  in  Rio  jammed.  .  .  . 
Lloyd  George's  80th  birthday.  .  .  .  Admiral  Halsey 
honors  Navy  fliers  .  .  .  U.  S.  subs  return  to  base 
after  successful  warfare  against  Jap  ships.  .  .  .  Al 
Schacht  does  spring  training  on  skiis  as  baseball 
season  is  on  way. 

RKO1  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  51.— FDR  promises 
invasion  of  Europe  in  address  to  press  assemblage. 
.  .  .  Poles  find  refuge  in  Persia  after  migration  from 
their  home  country.  .  .  .  PT  boats  train  off  Panama. 
.  .  .  Aussie_  band  composed  of  soldiers  make  music 
in  the  Pacific  war  area.  .  .  .  Notre  Dame's  quintet 
swamps  N.  Y.  U.  in  basketball  game  at  Madison 
Square  Garden. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL^Vol..  16,  No.   163.— OP  A 

chief  explains  food  points.  .  .  .  Admiral  Halsey  deco- 
rates Navy  fliers  in  the  South  Pacific.  .  .  .  Lloyd 
George  80  years  old.  .  .  .  Senate  confirms  Rutledge 
Supreme  Court  appointment.  .  .  .  Washington  Uni- 
versity's "huskies"  turn  out  for  crew.  .  .  .  French 
get  U.  S.  planes.  .  .  .  Brazil  feels  war  pinch  in  traf- 
fic congestion.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Roosevelt  christens  barge. 
.  .  .  Subs  home  from  Pacific  warfare.  .  .  .  Guadal- 
canal Marines  get  rest 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL — Vol.  16,   No.  164. — FDR 

pledges  invasion  of  Europe.  .  .  .  Guadalcanal  Marine 
heroes  afforded  well -deserved  rest.  .  .  .  Mexico's 
sons  help  Allies.  .  .  .  PT  boats  set  for  action — dem- 
onstrate anti-sub  tactics  in  test  cruise  off  Panama 
Canal.  .  .  .  Ford  Willow  Run  bombers  being  prepared 
for  shipment  to  Allies.  .  .  .  Air  heroes  decorated  in 
South  Pacific. 


Robert  Taylor  Joins  Navy 

Robert  Taylor,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  star, 
entered  the  Naval  Air  Force  last  Wednesday 
as  a  lieutenant,  junior  grade,  and  will  report  for 
training  at  Corpus  Christi,  Tex.,  within  30 
days.  Upon  completion  of  the  course,  he  will 
be  assigned  as  a  ferry  pilot  or  instructor. 


Serving  in  Armed  Forces 

Serving  with  the  armed  forces  from  the 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  exchange  in  Kansas 
City  are  Charles  D.  Crawford,  George  C. 
Regan.  Francis  Paul  Clark,  Clifford  DeWolf 
and  Gary  A.  Hodson. 


February    20,    I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


In  This  Week: 
SHOWMEN'S  REVIEWS 
SHORT  SUBJECTS 
SHORT  SUBJECTS  CHART 
SERVICE  DATA 
THE  RELEASE  CHART 


Idaho 

(Republic) 

Roy  Rogers  Rides  and  Sings 

Set  to  the  song  of  the  same  name  recently  in 
vogue,  this  vehicle  for  Roy  Rogers  and  Smiley 
Burnette  is  dated  as  of  now  and  plotted  along 
modern  lines  although  with  provision  for  resort 
to  horseback  chase  and  gunfire  in  the  interests 
of  followers  of  Westerns  in  general.  It  is  re- 
ferred to  officially  with  accuracy  as  a  musical 
Western. 

The  screenplay  by  Roy  Chanslor  and  Olive 
Cooper  concerns  a  judge  who  sets  out  to  rid 
the  community  of  gambling.  He  is  opposed  by 
the  woman  who  operates  a  swanky  resort  and 
enlists  the  aid  of  escaping  bank  robbers  who 
know  that  the  judge  was  a  robber  in  his  youth 
and  served  time  in  jail  for  his  crimes  before 
starting  his  new  and  present  career  of  integrity. 
After  a  complicated  series  of  developments  in- 
volving conflict,  the  hero  succeeds  in  vindicat- 
ing the  judge  and  apprehending  the  culprits. 

Ona  Munson  as  the  gambling  house  keeper 
and  Harry  J.  Shannon  as  the  judge  turn  in 
strong  performances  in  support. 

On  the  musical  side,  in  addition  to  the  Sons 
of  the  Pioneers  who  appear  in  all  Rogers  pic- 
tures, the  Robert  Mitchell  Boys  Choir  furnishes 
vocal  entertainment  of  rare  quality.  Songs  in 
the  picture  are  "Idaho,"  "Lone  Buckaroo," 
"Home  on  the  Range,"  "Holy,  Holy,  Holy," 
"Whoopee  Ti  Yo,"  "Don  Juan"  and  "Stop." 
The  last  is  a  trick  number  with  comedy  values. 

Associate  producer-director  Joseph  Kane  set 
here  a  high  standard  to  be  maintained. 

Previewed  in  projection  room.  Reviewer's 
Rating :  Good. — William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  March  10,  1943.  Running  time,  70 
min.    PCA  No.  9080.    General  audience  classification. 

Roy   Roy  Rogers 

Frog   Smiley  Burnette 

Ona  Munson,  Virginia  Grey,  Harry  J.  Shannon,  Dick 
Purcell,  Onslow  Stevens,  Arthur  Hohl,  Hal  Taliaferro, 
Bob  Nolan  and  the  Sons  of  the  Pioneers,  Robert 
Mitchell  Boys  Choir. 


Somewhere  in  France 

(Ealing  Studios  -  United  Artists) 

War  Drama 

Though  war  is  far  too  serious  a  business, 
when  you  are  close  to  it,  to  be  entertaining,  here 
is  a  war  subject  which,  while  it  is  sound  docu- 
mentation and  subtle  propaganda,  is  grand  and 
exciting  entertainment  in  the  soundest  traditions 
of  the  motion  picture.  Additionally,  though  the 
treatment  adds  obvious  fiction  trimmings,  the 
story  is  essentially  a  factual  one.  There  was  a 
Foreman,  Melburne  Johns,  who  went  to  France, 
and  rescued  valuable  and  secret  machinery  from 
the  advancing  Nazis.  This  stirring  and  moving 
film  tells  that  story  as  excitingly  and  as  vividly 
as  the  most  rousing  commercial  thriller.  It  will 
make  a  name  for  director  Charles  Frend,  who 


Reviews 

This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


makes  his  directorial  bow  herewith,  it  will 
make  money  for  the  exhibitor  and  it  will  make 
friends  for  Free  France. 

The  story  is  the  bare  story  of  the  Foreman's 
adventures  getting  across  France  with  the  ma- 
chines, with  an  army  lorry,  a  couple  of  Tom- 
mies and  an  American  girl  secretary.  It  is  the 
story  of  France  in  defeat,  and  the  journey  an 
Odyssey  punctuated  with  pitiful  marches  of 
refugees,  pitiless  dive  bombings  and  machine 
gunnings  by  the  Luftwaffe,  with  fifth  column 
functionaries  firing  villages  and  the  vanguard 
of  the  Nazi  Army  all  but  ending  the  journey  in 
disaster.  Hardly  an  incident  in  it  cannot  be  au- 
thenticated from  contemporary  records,  yet  it 
is  excitement  and  thrill  in  succession.  The 
French  atmosphere  is  sympathetic  and  exact, 
with  many  of  the  Free  French  forces  and  refu- 
gees playing  brilliantly  in  the  film  against  set- 
tings which  will  stir  nostalgia  in  those  who 
knew  France  and  affection  in  those  who  did  not. 

Clifford  Evans  as  the  Foreman  is  a  dominat- 
ing figure  in  the  drama.  Constance  Cummings  is 
both  intelligent  and  charming.  Tommy  Trinder 
as  the  Cockney  Tommy  spatters  an  occasional 
but  appropriate  vein  of  British  good  cheer,  and 
a  hitherto  unknown,  Gordon  Jackson,  as  his 
Scots  buddy,  makes  a  dramatic  hit.  Smaller 
roles,  whether  played  by  French  artistes  or 
English  actors,  are,  with  few  exceptions,  excel- 
lently held.  There  are  some  French  children 
who  will  warm  many  chilly  hearts. 

Technically  the  film  is  as  near  to  flawless  as 
makes  no  difference  and  Charles  Frend's  direc- 
tion is  exceptionally  creditable  and  mature.  It 
is  a  cutter's  gem,  to  Robert  Hamer's  credit. 

With  its  realist  background,  its  alternation  of 
drama  and  comedy,  thrills  and  suspense,  its  hu- 
manity and  its  wide  sympathy,  the  film  should 
undoubtedly  score  a  box  office  success  on  either 
side  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  film  obviously  gripped  the  London  press 
show  critics  as  few  of  its  kind  have  been  known 
to  do.  Coming  out  of  the  bag,  so  to  speak,  it 
made  a  direct  hit  and  was  voted  by  many  as 
probably  the  best  war  film  so  far  from  Britain. 
— Aubrey  Flanagan. 

Release  date,  not_  set.  Running  time,  83  min.  Gen- 
eral audience  classification. 

Tommy   Tommy  Trinder 

Anne  Constance  Cummings 

Fred   Clifford  Evans 

Robert   Morley,    Gordon   Jackson,    Ernest  Milton. 
(Review  printed  in  Herald  of  May  2,  1942,  under  title 
of  "The  Foreman  Went  to  France'") 


Riding  Through  Nevada 

(  Columbia  ) 

Gunplay  at  a  Gallop 

Opening  at  a  gallop,  this  stage  coach  West- 
ern from  producer  Jack  Fier's  Columbia  West- 
ern unit  sustains  hoofbeat  pace  through  an  hour 
of  holdups,  outlaws  and  enough  gunplay  and 
fist  tossing  to  satisfy  the  most  ardent  outdoor 
action  fan. 

Charles  Starrett  again  keeps  things  stirring  as 
a  postal  inspector  who  tangles  with  Clancy 
Cooper's  bandits.  Cooper  is  a  slick  villain  mas- 
querading as  another  government  agent.  Stakes 
are  a  gold  shipment  and  Shirley  Patterson,  the 
daughter  of  the  owner  of  the  Carson  City  coach 
line.  Starrett  discovers  Cooper's  outlaw  past  and 
they  toss  lead  and  some  hot  punches  at  each 
other.  The  gold  gets  through,  of  course,  and  in 
a  final  gun  battle  at  full  gallop  the  outlaws  bite 
dust. 

Musical  interludes  with  Jimmie  Davis  sing- 
ing familiar  western  ditties,  aided  by  his  Rain- 
bow Ramblers,  are  tuneful  and  don't  delay  the 
action.  Arthur  Hunnicutt  plays  Arkansas,  an 
eccentric  stage  driver,  for  his  usual  laughs.  Di- 
rection by  William  Berke  keeps  the  story  in 
pace  with  the  galloping  gunplay. 

Seen  at  the  New  York  Theatre.  Reviewer1 's 
Rating :  Good. — John  Stuart,  Jr. 

Release  date,  October  1,  1943.  Running  time,  61 
min.    PCA  No.  8519.    General  audience  classification. 

Steve  Lowrey   Charles  Starrett 

Arkansas   .Arthur  Hunnicutt 

Gail  Holloway   -...Shirley  Patterson 

Jimmie  Davis,  Clancy  Cooper,  Davison  Clark,  Min- 
erval  Urecal,  Edmund  Cobb,  Ethan  Laidlaw,  Art  Mix. 

Siege  of  Leningrad 

(Artkino) 
Leningrad  Takes  It 

Brought  from  Russia  by  Wendell  Willkie, 
chairman  of  the  board  of  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox,  and  released  now — somewhat  out  of  date 
— by  Artkino,  this  seems  more  genuine,  and 
therefore  effective,  than  "AIoscow  Strikes  Back" 
and  previous  films  purporting  to  show  the  fight- 
ing in  Russia. 

The  usual  propaganda  clips  about  the  home 
front,  and  the  scenes  of  army  practice,  are  lack- 
ing. Instead,  it  is  a  bleak,  unemotional  record 
of  a  beleaguered  city  in  its  most  important  as- 
pects. 

It  begins  by  showing  the  city  in  peacetime: 
drab,  lacking  the  clothing,  modern  buildings, 
and  automobiles  which  we  associate  with  our 
living  standards.  But  war  brings  a  greater  drab- 
ness  and  horror.  The  northern  armies  retreat. 
The  city  is  first  bombed,  then  shelled  by  Nazi 
siege  guns.  The  street  cars  stop  running;  the 
water  supply  fails-;  there  is  no  heat;  buildings 
are  ruined.  People  walk  miles  to  work — and 
they  work  in  overclothing.  And  they  build  tank 
traps  and  barricades.  But  the3r  continue  work- 


Product  Digest  Section    I  1 69 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,    I  943 


ing,  and  fighting.  A  picture  of  the  siege  of 
1941-42,  it  shows  then  the  effects  of  the  enemy's 
small  retreat.  The  Russians  establish  a  supply 
line  over  Lake  Ladoga — shelled,  but  effective. 
Fuel  arrives,  food  arrives;  the  shelling  and 
bombing  slacken — and  the  street  cars  run  again. 

Leningrad's  siege  has  now  been  lifted — but 
that  is  not  related  here.  In  that  aspect,  it  is 
behind  time.  Most  importantly,  the  Leningrad 
epic  has  been  eclipsed  since  last  summer,  when 
release  was  important,  by  the  struggle  around 
Stalingrad. 

However,  in  the  sense  that  this  is  perhaps 
the  most  truthful  film  record  of  one  of  Rus- 
sia's struggles,  the  picture  should  find  favor 
with  patrons  of  art  houses,  and  be  suitable  with 
exploitation  for  others. 

An  asset  is  the  commentary  by  John  Gordon, 
editor  of  the  London  Express  (the  picture  was 
released  first  in  England).  It  is  unemotional; 
it  pretends  to  no  more  than  is  shown.  And  it  is 
spoken  in  like  manner  by  Edward  R.  Murrow, 
chief  of  the  Columbia  Broadcasting  System's 
European  staff. 

Twenty-two  cameramen  contributed.  Some 
excellent  but  brief  battle  scenes  suggest  some 
may  have  been  killed.  Lenfilm  Newsreel  Stu- 
dios, of  Leningrad,  produced. 

Reviewed  at  the  Stanley  Theatre,  New  York, 
home  of  latest  Soviet  releases,  where  a  capacity 
weekday  matinee  audience  was  vocally  ap~- 
preciative.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Good. — Floyd 
Elbert  Stone. 

Release  date,  February  11,  1943.  Running  time,  62 
min.   General  audience  classification. 

Hi,  Buddy 

(Universal) 
Wartime  Musical 

Several  of  Universal's  young  musical  players 
combine  their  talents  in  a  tuneful  and  ingratiat- 
ing comedy  with  a  wartime  setting.  Gus  Schil- 
ling, who  has  been  receiving  enthusiastic  notice 
in  small  comedy  parts,  is  included  in  the  cast, 
along  with  Harriet  Hilliard,  who  returns  to  the 
screen  after  a  year's  absence. 

The  story  is  slight,  being  a  mere  background 
of  enterprising  young  people,  romance  and  mis- 
understanding, which  gains  in  entertainment 
value  as  song  and  dance  numbers  are  added. 
These  vary  from  a  children's  show  to  a  per- 
formance by  servicemen,  even  including  a  male 
Floradora  Sextette.  Eighteen  songs  are  heard 
in  68  minutes,  with  such  favorites  as  "Stardust," 
"Old  Folks  at  Home,"  "Camp  Town  Races" 
and  the  Army  Air  Corps  song  receiving  im- 
pressive attention. 

Dick  Foran  and  Robert  Paige  share  acting 
honors  as  advisers  for  the  "Hi,  Buddy  Club," 
the  former  playing  a  soldier  and  the  latter  a 
singer.  Schilling  is  the  agent  with  a  one-track 
mind,  who  tries  to  keep  Paige  at  a  microphone, 
away  from  his  friends  and  out  of  the  Army. 
Miss  Hilliard  seconds  his  efforts  in  this  direc- 
tion, while  adding  considerably  to  the  quality 
of  song. 

Harold  Young  directed,  with  Paul  Malvern 
as  associate  producer. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room.  Re- 
viewer's Rating :  Good. — E.  A.  Cunningham. 

Release  date,  February  26,  1943.  Running  time,  68 
min.    PCA  No.  9034.    General  audience  classification. 

Dave  O'Connor   Dick  Foran 

Gloria   Bradley   Harriet  Hilliard 

Johnny  Blake   Robert  Paige 

Marjorie  Lord,  Bobs  Watson,  Gus  Schilling,  Tommy 
Cook,  Jennifer  Holt,  Wade  Boteler,  Drew  Roddy. 

Junior  Army 

(  Columbia) 

Bartholomew  and  Dead  End  Kids 

Columbia  has  assmbled  a  strong  name  cast, 
consisting  of  youngsters,  including  Freddie  Bar- 
tholomew, Billy  Halop,  Bobby  Jordan  and 
Huntz  Hall,  in  a  stirring  story  of  the  efforts  of 
a  group  of  boys  to  help  the  nation  in  war.  The 
title  should  carry  some  of  this  appeal. 

Freddie  Bartholomew  does  a  good  job  of  act- 


Reviews  received  too  late  for 
this  Section  are  printed  in  the 
regular  news  pages  of  the 
Herald  and  are  reprinted  the 
following  week  in  Product 
Digest  for  their  reference  value. 


ing  in  the  role  of  an  English  youngster  in  the 
United  States.  Living  with  Joseph  Crehan  on 
a  dude  ranch,  Bartholomew  saves  the  life  of 
Billy  Halop.  The  Dead  End  Kid  then  stops  the 
gang  of  youngsters  from  taking  Bartholomew's 
pony  and  later  goes  with  the  English  boy  to  the 
ranch.  Bartholomew  and  Halop  attend  a  mili- 
tary school,  but  Halop  leaves  after  finding  that 
he  can't  get  along  with  the  school  policies.  He 
goes  back  to  the  old  gang  and  discovers  that 
the  boys  are  now  working  for  a  German  agent. 

From  then  on,  it's  a  story  of  efforts  by  Bar- 
tholomew and  other  schoolmates  to  round  up 
the  Nazi.  Halop  is  cleared  at  a  court  martial 
and  returns  to  the  military  academy. 

Lew  Landers  directed  this  Columbia  offering. 

Seen  at  the  Proven  Pictures  Theatre  in  Hart- 
ford. Reviewer' s  Rating  :  Good. — Al  Widem. 

Release  date,  November  26,  1942.  Running  time, 
71  min.  PCA  No.  8819.  General  audience  classification. 
Freddie  Bartholomew,  Billy  Halop,  Bobby  Jordan, 
Huntz  Hall,  Boyd  Davis,  Joseph  Crehan,  William 
Blees,  Don  Beddoe,  Richard  Noyes,  Peter  Lawford, 
Billy    Lechner,    Robert    O.  Davis. 

Dead  Men  Walk 

(Producers  Releasing  Corp.) 
Horror  Picture 

Here  is  an  above-average  horror  picture  that 
should  please  all  mystery  fans,  although  the  cast 
has  no  names  of  strong  marquee  attraction. 

George  Zucco  is  seen  in  a  dual  role  and  Mary 
Carlisle  is  cast  as  the  ingenue. 

"Dead  Men  Walk"  has  a  fast-moving  plot, 
concerning  a  man's  hatred  for  his  brother  even 
after  the  brother  is  dead.  The  dead  man  re- 
turns to  earth  as  a  vampire.  From  there  on, 
it's  a  story  of  the  brother  attempting  to  kill 
the  vampire.  At  the  end  of  the  chase,  both 
brothers  perish  in  a  fire.  Zucco  handles  the 
roles  of  both  brothers  with  skill. 

There  is  some  romantic  interest  in  the  picture, 
with  Miss  Carlisle  and  a  young  doctor  as  lovers. 
The  photography  is  fair.  Sigmund  Neufeld  pro- 
duced and  Sam  Newfield  directed. 

Shown  at  the  Proven  Pictures  Theatre  in 
Hartford  to  an  early  afternoon  audience,  com- 
posed chiefly  of  adults.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Fair. 
— A.W. 

Release  date,  February  10,  1943.  Running  time,  66 
min.  PCA  No.  8827.  General  audience  classification. 
George  uZcco,  Mary  Carlisle,  Nedrick  Young,  Dwight 
Frye,  Fern  Emmett,  Robert  Strange,  Hal  Price,  Sam 
Flint. 


Cosmo  Jones  in  the  Crime 
Smasher 

(Monogram) 
Melodrama 

The  proposed  series  of  pictures  based  on  the 
CBS  radio  program,  "Cosmo  Jones,"  starts  off 
without  distinction.  Monogram's  "Cosmo  Jones 
in  the  Crime  Smasher"  garbles  the  plot  and 
characters.  Frank  Graham,  creator  and  "voice" 
of  the  radio  program,  plays  the  title  role,  that 
of  a  somewhat  addled  psychologist-criminolo- 
gist.  The  film  carries  on  the  air  show  idea — 
"Jones"  continually  baffling  "Captain  Murphy," 
and  solving  crimes  before  the  police. 

"Murphy"  is  played  by  Edgar  Kennedy. 
Others  in  the  cast  are  Gale  Storm,  Richard 
Cromwell,  Mantan  Moreland,  Gwen  Kenyon, 
Herbert  Rawlinson,  Tristram  Coffin,  Charles 


Jordan,  Vince  Barnett,  Emmet  Vogan,  Maxine 
Leslie,  Mauritz  Hugo,  Sam  Bernard. 

There  are  certain  exploitation  factors  atten- 
dant upon  the  longevity  of  the  radio  program, 
which  holds  a  West  Coast  record. 

The  plot  involves  two  rival  gangs  and  the 
kidnapping  of  the  daughter  of  the  town's  most 
influential  citizen. 

James  Tinling  directed  from  a  screenplay  by 
Michael  L.  Simmons  and  Walter  Gering,  the 
latter  having  written  the  original.  Lindsley  Par- 
sons was  the  producer. 

Seen  at  the  Hawaii  Theatre,  Hollywood, 
where  the  audience  was  not  enthusiastic.  Re- 
viewer's Rating  :  Fair. — Vance  King. 

Release  date,  January  22,  1943.  Running  time,  62 
min.    PCA  No.  9020.    General  audience  classification. 

Captain  Murphy   Edgar  Kennedy 

Susan  Fleming   Gale  Storm 

Sergeant   Flanagan   Richard  Cromwell 

Mantan  Moreland,  Frank  Graham,  Gwen  Kenyon, 
Herbert  Rawlinson,  Tristram  Coffin,  Charles  Jordan, 
Vince  Barnett,  Emmet  Vogan,  Maxine  Leslie,  Mauritz 
Hugo,  Sam  Bernard. 

Dead  Man's  Culch 

(Republic) 
Western 

Don  "Red"  Barry  is  starred  in  this  56-min- 
ute  Republic  Western,  which  should  interest 
the  average  fan. 

In  brief,  the  picture  presents  a  story  of  ef- 
forts by  Barry  and  his  pals  to  bring  a  gang  of 
bandits  to  justice. 

After  the  Pony  Express  is  disbanded,  three 
former  employes,  Barry,  Emmett  Lynn  and  Bud 
McTaggart  go  to  McTaggart's  ranch.  They 
arrive  in  the  town  just  in  time  to  witness  a 
bank  holdup.  Barry  does  such  a  good  job  at 
helping  the  side  of  law  and  order  during  the 
holdup  that  he  is  offered  a  deputy  sheriff's 
position.  After  he  becomes  deputy  sheriff,  Barry 
leads  the  chase  and  gun  battles  to  round  up  the 
bandits. 

The  picture  was  directed  by  John  English 
and  produced  by  Eddy  White. 

Shown  at  the  Daly  Theatre  in  Hartford  be- 
fore a  late  afternoon  audience,  composed  chief- 
ly of  adults.  Reviewer's  Rating :  Fair. — A.  W. 

Release  date,  February  5,  1943.  Running  time,  56 
min.  PCA  No.  9010.  General  audience  classification. 
Don  "Red"  Barry,  Lynn  Merrick,  Clancy  Cooper, 
Emmett  Lynn,  Bud  McTaggart,  Jack  Rockwell,  John 
Vosper,  Lee  Shumway,  Fierce  Lyden,  Al  Taylor,  and 
Rex  Lease. 

Young  and  Willing 

(United  Artists) 
Farce 

This  United  Artists  acquisition  from  Para- 
mount sags  below  the  standard  set  by  others 
in  the  lot  which  have  been  tradeshown.  It  is 
from  the  stage  play  "Out  of  the  Frying  Pan" 
and  occurs  mostly  inside  an  apartment  setting 
which  intensifies  the  monotony  of  dialogue  vari- 
ations on  thp  old  theme  of  the  struggling  young 
actors  in  quest  of  a  producer.  Its  usefulness 
for  billing  purposes,  in  view  of  the  names  avail- 
able, surpasses  its  value  as  entertainment.  The 
screenplay  bv  Virginia  Van  Upp  spreads  em- 
phasis over  seven  young  people  and  three  elders 
in  such  fashion  that  none  of  them  claims  inter- 
est. The  tale  boils  down  to  repartee,  some 
tinged  with  blue,  exchanged  by  three  young 
women  and  three  young  men  who  share  an 
apartment  while  awaiting  employment  as  actors. 
Robert  Benchley  as  a  producer  present  too  in- 
frequently supplies  the  moments  of  solid  amuse- 
ment. 

Produced  and  directed  by  Edward  Griffith, 
the  film  adds  little  to  his  prestige  and  that  of 
the  players. 

Previewed  in  UA  Projection  Room.  Review- 
er's Ratings:  Mediocre. — William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  January  29,  1943.  Running  time,  82 
min.  PCA  No.  7920.  Adult  audience  classification. 
William  Holden,  Susan  Hayward,  Eddie  Bracken,  Rob- 
ert Benchley,  Martha  O'DriscoIl,  Barbara  Britton,  Jim 
Brown,  Florence  MacMichael,  Mabel  Paige,  Jay  Fas- 
sett. 

{Review  reprinted  from  last  week's  Herald) 


I  1 70  Product  Digest  Section 


February    2  0,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 

SHORT  SUBJECTS 

reviews  and  synopses 


TROOP  TRAIN  (OWI) 

Victory  Film 

The  latest  Office  of  War  Information  film 
release  depicts  the  rail  transport  of  an  armored 
division.  The  light  tanks,  the  heavy,  the  other 
vehicles  are  loaded  onto  railroad  flatcars.  Pre- 
viously, from  the  Army  communications-trans- 
portation center  in  Washington,  the  movements 
had  been  planned,  the  railroad  facilities  properly 
coordinated.  Following  their  equipment,  the  men 
board  Pullmans.  They  sleep  two  in  a  lower, 
one  in  an  upper  berth.  With  reading,  card 
games,  singing,  they  occupy  time  before  retiring. 
Without,  for  apparently  obvious  reasons,  being 
too  specific,  this  short  film  succeeds,  like  other 
OWI  subjects,  in  displaying  a  "slice"  of  our 
current  military  effort.  And,  like  the  others,  it 
is  photographed  superbly. — F.E.S. 

Release  date,  February  11,  1943    10  minutes 

THE  NEW  CANADA  (20th-Fox) 

March  of  Time  (V9-7) 

The  latest  informative  release  from  the 
March  of  Time  studios  is  devoted  to  Canada, 
its  background,  its  transformation  by  war,  and 
the  new  Canada  that  will  play  a  changed  role 
in  the  post-war  world.  Surveying  the  four 
principal  divisions  of  the  nation,  the  western 
section  of  lumbering  and  cattle-raising,  the 
commercial  East  of  the  large  cities,  the  mari- 
time provinces  on  the  Eastern  seaboard  and  the 
separate,  homogeneous  French  Canada,  the 
pictorial  presentation  suggests  an  increasing  co- 
operation and  integration  which,  with  the  re- 
cent creation  of  a  large  heavy  industry,  should 
bring  Canada  to  the  forefront  in  the  British 
Commonwealth  of  nations.  Canada's  close  ties 
to  the  United  States  are  stressed,  in  their 
commercial  and  military  aspects.  Commentary 
for  the  film  is  brief,  carefully  avoiding  the 
pedantic  or  emotional. — E.  A.  C. 

Release  date,  February  26,  1943    19  minutes 

COW-COW  BOOGIE  (Univ.) 

Saving  Symphonies  (7233) 

The  farmer  is  having  a  hard  time  keeping 
the  cows  moving  until  a  gay  little  colored  boy 
rides  by  on  a  donkey  singing  "Cow-Cow 
Boogie."  The  rhythm  is  catching  and  the  cows 
fall  into  line  to  be  loaded  up  for  "beef  for  the 
boys." 

Release  date,  Jamiary  4,  1943       7  minutes 

COMMUNITY  SING,  No.  7  (Col.) 

Crosby  Songs  (4657) 

Some  of  the  tunes  made  popular  by  Bing 
Crosby  and  still  associated  with  his  style  of 
singing  are  played  by  Lew  White  at  the  organ 
for  audience  participation.  Among  them  are 
"Beer  Barrel  Polka,"  "Please,"  "Ain't  Misbe- 
havin',"  and  "Thanks  for  the  Buggy  Ride."  The 
Song  Spinners  help  to  swell  the  chorus. 

Release  date,  February  18,  1943    9  minutes 

WINTER  SPORTS  JAMBOREE  (Univ.) 

Variety  Views  (7356) 

The  call  of  winter  to  its  rugged  enthusiasts 
is  an  invitation  that  includes  a  variety  of  activ- 
ities. Skiing,  bob-sledding,  skating,  ice-boating 
have  devotees  across  the  northern  states  from 
Mount  Olympus,  Wash.,  to  Maine.  This  sports 
release  surveys  some  of  them  in  action  at  sev- 
eral points  between. 

Release  date,  January  8,  1943       9  minutes 


Reviews  and  synopses  of  short 
subjects  printed  in  Product  Digest 
are  indexed  in  the  Short  Subjects 
Chart,  Product  Digest  Section, 
pages  1172-1173. 


SKI  TRAILS  (RKO) 

Sport  scope  (34,306) 

This  release  is  devoted  entirely  to  skiing — ■ 
scenic,  thrilling  and  patriotic.  Against  the  back- 
ground of  winter  ice  and  snow,  the  sport  of 
ski-joring — riding  the  trails  while  towed  by  a 
horse — is  presented  by  two  noted  devotees,  Shir- 
ley McDonald  and  Nelson  Bennett.  The  value 
of  skis  to  the  Army  is  stressed  in  a  sequence 
showing  this  recent  addition  to  the  armed 
forces,  the  U.  S.  Army  Ski  Troops. 

Release  date,  January  29,  1943       8  minutes 

LET  HUEY  DO  IT  (Univ.) 

Person  Oddities  (7376) 

F.  B.  Huey  is  a  one-man  insurance  company 
in  Denton,  Texas,  president,  collector  and  of- 
fice boy.  Other  oddities  in  this  collection  in- 
clude a  million-dollar  wine  castle  in  Middle 
Bass  Isle,  Ohio;  P.  B.  Mitchell's  clock  collec- 
tion in  Middetown,  N.  Y. ;  a  hummingbird  bar 
at  Madjeska  Canyon,  Colo.,  and  a  two  and 
one-half  year-old  swimming  champion  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky. 

Release  date,  January  25,  1943     9  minutes 

SCRAP  FOR  VICTORY  (20th-Fox) 

Terry  Toon  (3  5  59) 

A  timely  short  that  would  be  especially  ap- 
propriate for  scrap  shows  features  Gandy 
Goose  and  his  top  sergeant  on  the  field  of 
battle.  Running  out  of  ammunition,  they  call 
on  the  home  folks  for  scrap,  which  arrives  by 
plane  in  time  for  the  kill.  To  do  this,  every- 
one from  barnyard,  field  and  wood  has  joined 
in  the  hunt. 

Release  date,  Jamiary  22,  1943  63^  minutes 

WOLF  IN  THIEF'S  CLOTHING  (Col.) 

Andy  Clyde  (4429) 

The  argument  over  the  relative  merits  of 
automobiles  and  the  horse  and  buggy  takes  on 
a  more  serious  note  when  it  involves  the  af- 
fections of  Widow  Brown.  She  has  just  lost  a 
tire  and  asks  her  two  suitors,  Andy  Clyde  and 
Emmet  Lynn,  for  a  replacement.  Lynn  sings 
the  praises  of  the  horse  but  Andy  comes  through 
with  a  tire,  won  by  shoeing  a  mule. 
Release  date,  February  12,  1943    18  minutes 

DON'T  HOOK  NOW  (UA) 

Sports  Special 

A  special  two-reel  release  by  United  Artists 
is  devoted  to  shots  of  a  charity  golf  match  re- 
cently played  in  California,  with  Bing  Crosby 
and  Bop  Hope  offering  their  characteristic 
comedy  and  song.  More  serious  golfers  are  Ben 
Hogan,  Johnny  Dawson,  Sam  Snead,  Jimmy 
Hines  and  Byron  Nelson,  demonstrating  top- 
flight professional  golf  under  competitive  con- 
ditions. Crosby  sings  "Tomorrow  Is  My  Lucky 
Day"  in  the  course  of  things. 

19  minutes 


THE  GREAT  GLOVER  (Col.) 

Gloveslingers  (4410) 

A  scrap  drive  is  the  appropriate  activity  of 
the  Gloveslingers  in  their  latest  two-reel  com- 
edy. The  boys  have  entered  a  co-educational 
college  where  rivalry  for  the  E  pennant  is 
high.  The  natural  result  is  scrap  of  several 
kinds  with  the  Gloveslingers  supreme  on  their 
home  grounds. 

Release  date,  December  2  5,  1942  18  minutes 

CHOLLY  POLLY  (Col.) 

Phantasies  Cartoons  (4704) 

The  cat  and  dog,  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
nature,  are  affectionate  playmates,  much  to  the 
disgust  of  Cholly,  a  tough  parrot.  He  retires 
resentfully  to  his  books,  and  finds  in  "Mine 
Kramp"  a  philosophy  to  suit  him,  as  well  as 
detailed  instructions  on  how  to  break  friend- 
ships and  demoralize  people.  The  strategy 
works  for  a  while  as  dog  and  cat  snarl  at  each 
other,  but  they  soon  wake  up  to  the  fact  that 
Cholly  is  responsible.  Then  he  has  an  allied 
enemy  to  contend  with  and  retreats  in  disorder. 

Release  date,  December  31,  1942  7  minutes 

SOMEWHERE  IN  THE  PACIFIC  (20th-Fox) 

Terry  Toon  Special  (3567) 

A  Terry  Toon  in  Technicolor,  this  release 
again  features  Gandy  Goose  and  his  sufferings 
under  the  tough  top  sergeant.  Their  position 
is  a  South  Pacific  island  threatened  by  Japs 
from  sea  and  air.  When  orders  come  to  ad- 
vance, they  forget  their  squabbles  for  a  con- 
certed effort  and  annihilate  all  Nipponese  in 
sight. 

Release  date,  January  8,  1943        7  minutes 

LADIES'  DAY  IN  SPORTS  (Col.) 

World  of  Sports  (4804) 

The  place  women  have  won  in  the  field  of 
sports  is  surveyed  in  this  brief  release.  Among 
the  more  recent  endeavors  are  jockeying,  polo 
and  football.  Sports  like  golf  and  tennis  have 
long  boasted  a  large  feminine  following.  But 
there  are  few  fields — bowling  is  one— where 
women  compete  on  an  equal  basis  with  the  men. 
Release  date,  January  22,  1943    10  minute* 

A  BLITZ  ON  THE  FRITZ  (Col.) 

Langdon  (4427) 

Harry  Langdon  achieves  the  status  of  a 
hero  in  his  latest  comedy,  risking  his  life  to 
foil  the  saboteurs.  He  starts  out  ignobly 
enough,  having  been  unable  to  qualify  for  war 
work  and  spending  his  time  in  the  kitchen 
while  his  wife  and  friends  practice  First  Aid. 
At  the  end  he  has  won  the  admiration  of  all, 
even  his  wife. 

Release  date,  January  22,  1943   1 8^  minutes 

MR.  SMUG  (Col.) 

America  Speaks  (4962) 

Mr.  Smug  is  reporting  a  lack  of  coopera- 
tion among  the  American  people  to  his  boss, 
Shicklegruber.  The  citizens,  it  seems,  would 
rather  buy  war  bonds,  prefer  hunting  scrap 
to  playing  golf.  He  fears  that  Common  Sense 
has  taken  over,  as  proves  to  be  the  case.  There 
is  no  further  room  for  complacency. 

Release  date,  January  28,  1943    11  minutes 


Product  Digest  Section    I  1 7 1 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


SHORT 

index  to 


SUBJECTS  CHART 

reviews,  synopses 


COLUMBIA 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


ALL  STAR  COMEDIES 
(Average  17  Min.) 
1942-43 

4421  Phony   Cronies   8-27-42  890 

(Brendel) 

4422  Carry   Harry   9-3-42  926 

(Langdon) 

4401  Even  As  I0U  9-18-42  950 

(Stooges) 

4423  Kiss  and  Wake  Up  10-2-42  974 

(Downs) 

4409  College  Belles   10-16-42  998 

(Gloveslinger) 

4424  Sappy  Pappy   10-30-42  1010 

(Clyde) 

4402  Sock-a-bye  Baby   11-13-42  1046 

(Stooges) 

4425  Ham  and  Yeggs  11-27-42  1046 

(Brendel) 

4426  Piano  Mooner   12-11-42  1094 

(Langdon) 

4410  The   Great  Glover  12-25-42  1171 

(Gloveslinger) 

4403  They   Stooge   to   Conga. .  .  .1-1-43  1094 

(Stooges) 

4427  His  Wedding  Scare  1-15-43  1138 

(Brendel) 

4428  A   Blitz  on  the   Fritz. ...  I -22-43  1171 

(Langdon) 

4404  Dizzy    Detectives   2-5-43 

(Stooges) 

4429  Wolf  in  Thief's  Clothing.  .2-12-43  1171 

(Clyde) 

441 1  Socks  Appeal   2-19-43 

(Gloveslingers) 

4430  Two  Saplings   3-5-43 

(Givot  and  Nazzarro) 

COLOR  RHAPSODIES 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4501  Song  of  Victory  9-4-42  926 

4502  Tito's   Guitar   10-30-42  1010 

4503  Toll   Bridge  Troubles  11-27-42  1046 

4504  King    Midas   Junior  12-2542  1148 

4505  Slay  It  with  Flowers  1-23-43  1138 

4506  There's  Something  About  a 

Soldier  2-26-43 

4507  Professor  Small  and 

Mr.  Tall   3-26-43  .. 

PHANTASIES  CARTOONS 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

4701  The   Gullible   Canary  9-18-42  950 

4702  The  Dumb  Conscious  Mind. 10-23-42  1010 

4703  Malice  in  Slumberland . . .  1 1 -20-42  1046 

4704  Cholly  Polly   12-31-42  1171 

4705  The  Vitamin  G  Man  2-5-43 

4706  Kindly  Scram   3-5-43  .. 

COMMUNITY  SING   (Series  7) 
(9  Minutes) 
1 942-43 

4651  No.  I — Rhumba  and  Conga 

Hits   8-15-42  859 

4652  No.  2— "Yankee  Doodler". 9-17-42  950 

(Baker) 

4653  No.  3— College   Songs  10-15-42  1010 

4654  No.  4— Service   Songs. ...  1 1- 12-42  1007 

4655  No  5— 

Songs  of  the  States. .  .  .12-11-42  1094 

4656  No.  6— MacDonald's  Son. ..1-1-43  1148 

4657  No.  7— Crosby  Songs  2-18-43  1171 

•658    No.  8 — McNamara's  Band.  .2-26-43 

QUIZ  REELS 
(Average  10  Min.) 
1942-43 

4601    Kitchen  Quiz  No.  1  8-21-42  899 

PANORAMICS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4901    Caiuns  of  the  Teche  8-13-42  856 

(Quaint  Folks  No.  I) 


For  information  on  short  subjects  turn  to  the  Product 
Digest  Section  pages  indicated  by  the  numbers  which 
follow  the  titles  and  release  dates  in  the  listing.  Product 
Digest  pages  are  numbered  consecutively  and  are  sepa- 
rate from  Motion  Picture  Herald  page  numbers. 


Prod. 
No. 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D 
Date  Page 


4902  Oddities  (La  Varre)  10-8-42  998 

4903  Our   Second    Front  12-11-42  1078 

TOURS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4551  Journey  to  Denali  (La  Varre) 

8-5-42  877 

4552  Old  and  Modern  New 

Orleans   10-2-42  974 

SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS  (Series  22) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4851  No.    I   8-7-42  859 

4852  No.   2   9-11-42  926 

4853  No.   3   10-23-42  998 

4854  No.   4   11-26-42  1046 

4855  No.   5   12-25-42  1094 

4856  No.   6   1-29-43  1138 

4857  No.  7   2-26-43 

WORLD   OF  SPORTS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 


4801 

Trotting 

Kings   

9-25 

42 

974 

4802 

Wizard 

of  the  Fairway. 

.11-6 

42 

1010 

4803 

Winter 

S2-8 

42 

1094 

4804 

Ladies' 

Day  in  Sports. . 

.1-22 

43 

1171 

4805 

Diving 

Daredevils   

.2-26 

43 

KATE  SMITH 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4751    America  Sings  with 

Kate  Smith   8-21-42  899 

FAMOUS  BANDS 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

4951  Ted  Powell  (1280  Club) .  .8-27-42  899 

4952  Hal  Mclntyre   10-23-42  998 

1953    Shep  Fields   12-23-42  1094 

AMERICA  SPEAKS 
4961    Wings  for  the  Fledgling. 12-31-42  1094 
4963    Mr.  Smug   1-28-43  1171 


M-G-M 


TWO    REEL  SPECIALS 

(Average  20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

A-401    Keep  'Em   Sailing  11-28-42  1022 

FITZPATRICK  TRAVELTALKS  (Color) 
(9  Minutes) 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


PASSING  PARADE 
(10  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

K-387    The  Magic  Alphabet. ..  10- 10-42  995 

K-388    Famous    Boners  10-24-42  1010 

K-389    The  Film  That  Was  Lost 

10-31-42  994 

1942-  43 

K-481    Madero  of  Mexico  11-28-42  1022 

MINIATURES 

(10  Minutes) 

1942-43 

M-431    The   Last   Lesson  12-19-42  1118 

M-432    People  of  Russia  12-26-42  1118 

M-433    Brief  Interval   11-28-42  1022 

M-434    Portrait  of  a  Genius. ..  1-23-43 

OUR  GANG  COMEDIES 
(Average  (I  Min.) 

1942-43 

C-491    Unexpected    Riches   11-28-42  1067 

C  492    Benjamin   Franklin,  Jr  


TECHNICOLOR  CARTOONS 
(8  Minutes) 

1941-  42 

W-356    Wild  Honey   11-7-42  1022 

1942-  43 

W-441    Barney  Bear's  Victory 

Garden   12-26-42  1118 

W-442    Sufferin'    Cats   1-16-43 

W-443    Bah   Wilderness   2-13-43 


PARAMOUNT 

UNUSUAL  OCCUPATIONS  (Color) 
(II  Minutes) 
1942-43 

L2-I    No.   I   10-9-42  974 

L2-2    No.  2   12-4-42  1070 

L2-3    No.  3   2-12-43  1138 

SUPERMAN   COLOR  CARTOONS 
(Average  8  Minutes) 
1942-43 

W2-I    Superman  in  Destruction,  Inc. 

12-25-42  1118 
W2-2   Superman  in  the  Mummy 

Strikes   1-29-43 

W2-3   Superman  in  Jungle 

Drums   3-5-43 

HEADLINERS 

(Average  10  Minutes) 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


U2-2  Jasper  and  the  Choo-Choo. I  - 1 -43  1138 
U2-3    Bravo  Mr.  Strauss  3-12-43 

POPEYE  THE  SAILOR 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

E2-I    A  Hull  of  a  Mess  10-16-42  974 

E2-2    Scrap  the  Japs  11-20-42  1007 

E2-3    Me  Musical  Nephews  12-25-42  1070 

E2-4   Spinach  for  Britain  1-22-43  1148 

E2-5    Seein'  Red,  White 

'n  Elue   2-19-43 

E2-6   A  Jolly  Good  Furlough. .  .3-26-43 

POPULAR  SCIENCE  (Color) 
(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

J2-I     No.    I   10-2-42  974 

J2-2    No.   2   11-27-42  1010 

J2-3    No.   3   2-5-43 

SPEAKING  OF  ANIMALS 
(Average  9  Minutes) 

1942-43 

f2-l    Speaking  of  Animals  and 

Their  Families   12-18-42  1070 

Y2-2    At  the  Bird   Farm  2-26-43 

SPORTLIGHTS 

(Average  10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

R2-I    Sports  I.Q  10-9-42  974 

R2-2    The   Fighting   Spirit  11-13-42  1007 

R2-3    Modern  Vikings   1-8-43  1138 

R2-4   Trading  Blows   2-12-43 

R2-5    Hike  or  Bike  3-1943 

VICTORY  SHORTS 
(15  Minutes) 
1942-43 

T2-I    A  Letter  from  Bataan  9-15-42  946 

T2-2    We  Refuse  to  Die  10-22-42  946 

T2-3   The  Price  of  Victory  12-3-42  1018 

T2-4   The  Aldrich  Family  Gets 

Into  Scrap   4-8-43 


RKO 


WALT   DISNEY   CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 

24.112  How  to  Swim   10-23-42  1010 

24.113  Sky  Trooper   1  1-6-42  1022 

24.114  Pluto  at  the  Zoo  11-20-42  1070 

24.115  How  to   Fish  12-4-42  1094 

24.116  Bellboy  Donald   12-18-42  1118 

24.117  Der  Fuehrer's  Face  12-18-42  1067 

24.118  Education  for  Death  1-5-42  1067 

SPORTSCOPE 
(Average  8  Min.) 
1942-43 

34.301  Show   Horse   9-11-42  974 

34.302  Touchdown  Tars   10-9-42  998 

34.303  Winter  Setting   11-6-42  1022 

34.304  Q-Men   12-4-42  1094 

34.305  Basketeers   1-1-43  1118 

34.306  Ski  Trails   1-29-43  1171 


1942-43 

1942-43 

T-41  1 

Picturesque 

A2-I 

The  McFarland  Twins 

& 

EDGAR  KENNEDY 

Massachusetts   i  0-3 

42 

998 

Orchestra  

10-2-42 

998 

(Average   17  Min.) 

T-412 

Modern  Mexico  City  11-8 

42 

1010 

A2-2 

Johnny  "Scat"  Davis 

1942-43 

T-413 

Glimpses  of  Ontario  12-5 

42 

1 1 18 

..11-6-42 

1010 

33,401 

Two  for  the  Money  8-14-42 

926 

T-414 

Land  of  Orizaba  1-2 

43 

1148 

A2-3 

12-11-42 

1070 

33,402 

Rough  on   Rents  10-30-42 

1010 

T-415 

Mighty  Niagara   1-30 

43 

A2-4 

Mitchell  Ayres  &  Orch. 

..1-15-43 

1 138 

33.403 

Duck  Soup   12-18-42 

1 1 18 

r-416 

Mexican  Police  on  Parade. 2-27 

43 

A2-5 

Ina  Ray  Hutton  &.  Orch 

. .3-19-43 

PETE   SMITH  SPECIALTIES 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

S-461    First  Aid   1-2-43  1118 

S-462    Marines  in  the  Making .  12-28-42  1118 


MADCAP  MODELS  (Color) 
(Average  8  Minutes) 
1942-43 

U2-I    Jasper  and  the  Haunted 

House   10-23-42  1010 


LEON  ERROL 
(Average  18  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.701  Mail    Trouble  9-4-42  926 

33.702  Deer,  Deer   10-23-42  1010 

33.703  Pretty  Dolly   12-11-42  1094 


1172  Product  Digest  Section 


February    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


Prod. 
No. 


Title 


Rel.  P.D. 
Date  Page 


JAMBOREES 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

34.401  Jerry  Wald  &  Orch  9-11-42  950 

34.402  Johnny  Long  &  Orch. ..  10-2-42  998 

34.403  Ray  McKinley  &  Orch. .  10-30-42  1022 

34.404  Dick  Stabile  &.  Orch. ..  1 1 -27-42  1070 

34.405  Enric   Madriguera  &. 

Orch  12-25-42  1094 

VICTORY  SPECIALS 

1942-43 

34,201    Conquer  by  the  Clock. ..  10-27-42  1114 

FAMOUS   JURY  TRIALS 
(Average  18  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.201  The  State  vs.  Glen 

Willet   9-18-42  974 

33.202  The  State  vs. 

Thomas  Crosby   11-13-42  1070 

THIS    IS  AMERICA 
(Average  19  Min.) 
1942-43 

33.101  Private  Smith  of  the 

U.  S.  A  10-2-42  971 

33.102  Women  at  Arms  10-30-42  1031 

33.103  Army  Chaplain   12-18-42  1102 


20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

ADVENTURES    NEWSCAM ERAMAN 

(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

3201  Along  the  Texas  Range. .  10-9-42  974 

3202  Climbing   the    Peaks  4-16  43 

MAGIC  CARPET 
(9  Minutes) 
1942-43  (Color) 

3151  Desert  Wonderland   8-1-42  856 

3152  Wedding    in    Bikaner  8-28-42  899 

3153  Valley  of  Blossoms  9-25-42  950 

3154  Royal  Araby   10-23-42  998 

3155  Gay   Rio   2-19-43  1022 

3156  Strange    Empire   1-15-43  1138 

3157  Land  Where  Time  Stood 

Still   4-2-43  .. 

SPORTS  REVIEWS 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

3301  Well-Rowed    Harvard  8-14-42  899 

3351    Neptune's  Daughters   11-20-42  1022 

3302  When   Winter  Calls  12-25-42  1138 

3303  Steelhead  Fighters   2-12-43  1148 

3304  Back  to  Bikes  3-12-43  1171 

TERRYTOONS  (TECHNICOLOR) 

(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3551  All   Out  for  "V"  8-7-42  926 

3552  Life  with  Fido  8-21-42  926 

3553  School  Daze   9-18-42  950 

3554  Night  Life  in  the  Army. .  1 0-2-42  974 

3555  The   Mouse  of  Tomorrow.  10-16-42 

3556  Nancy  in  Doing  Their  Bit  10-30-42 

3557  Frankenstein's  Cat   11-27-42 

3558  Barnyard  WAAC   12-18-43  1138 

3559  Scrap  for  Victory  1-22-43  1171 

3560  Barnyard  Blackout   3-5-43 

3561  Shipyard   Symphony   3-19-43 

3562  Patriotic  Pooches   4-9-43 

SPECIAL 

3567  Somewhere  in  the  Pacific. .  1-8-43  1171 

3568  He    Dood   It  Again  2-5-43 

TERRYTOONS   (Black  &  White) 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3501  The  Big  Build-Up   9-4-42  926 

3502  Ickle   Meets  Pickle  11-13-42  1046 

THE  WORLD  TODAY 

(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3401    W.  A.  V.  E.  S  4-30-43 

MARCH    OF  TIME 

(Average  20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

V9-I    The   F.B.I.   Front  9-11-42  911 


V9-2    The  Fighting  French  10-9-42  946 

V9-3  Mr.   and    Mrs.   America. .  1 1-6-42  1007 

V9-4  Africa  Prelude  to  Victory.  12-4-42  1055 

V9-5  The  Navy  and  ttie  Nation ..  I  - 1 -43  1102 

V9-6  One  Day  of  War — Russia 

1943   1-29-43  1127 

V9-7    The  New  Canada   1171 

DRIBBLE   PUSS  PARADE 
(9  Minutes) 
3901    Monkey  Doodle  Dandies. .  12-1 1-42  1  046 

VICTORY  FILM 

3801    It's    Everybody's    War  11-6-42  1031 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

WORLD   IN  ACTION 
(Two  Reels) 
1941-42 

  Inside  Fighting  China  10-2-42  896 

  Mask  of  Nippon  1 1 -6-42  971 

  Fighting  Freighters   1-9-43  1055 

...    Invasion  of  North  Africa.  .2-12-43  1148 

SPECIAL 

  Don't  Hook  Now   1171 


7111  Roar,  Navy  Roar  . 
71 10  "Eagle  Vs.  Dragon" 


2-REEL  SPECIAL 

...11-25-42  1046 


UNIVERSAL 


COLOR  CARTUNE 
(Average  7  Min.) 
1942-43 

7241  Andy  Panda's  Victory 

Garden   9-7-42  926 

7242  The  Loan  Stranger  10-19-42  998 

7243  Air  Raid  Warden  12-21-42  1118 

7244  The  Screwball   2-15-43  1148 

SWING  SYMPHONIES 
(Average  7  Min.) 
1942-43 

7231    Yankee  Doodle  Swing 

Shift   9-21-42  899 

7332    Boogie  Woogie  Sioux  11-30-42  1046 

7233  "Cow-Cow    Boogie"   1-4-42  1171 

7234  Egg  Cracker  Suite   3-22-43 

PERSON— ODDITIES 
(Average  9  Min.) 
1942-43 

7371  Human  Sailboat   9-14-42  926 

7372  Jail   Hostess   9-28-42  950 

7373  King  of  the  49-ers  10-12-42  1046 

7374  Double  Talk  Girl  11-16-42  1007 

7375  Designed  by 

Fannie  Hurst   12-14-42  1118 

7376  Let  Huey  Do  It  1-25-43  1 171 

7377  She's  A- 1  in  the  Navy  2-8-43  1148 

7378  Little  Clayton  Farmfront 

Wonder   3-8-43 

VARIETY  VIEWS 

(9  Minutes) 
1942-43 

7351  Trouble  Spot  of  the  East.. 9-7-42  899 

7352  Canadian  Patrol   9-21-42  926 

7353  Spirit  of  Democracy  10-5-42  974 

7354  New  Era  in  India  11-2-42  1010 

7355  Western    Whoopee  12-28-42  899 

7356  Winter  Sports  Jamboree  1-8-43  1171 

7357  Mother  of  Presidents  2-1-43  1148 

7358  Hungry  India   3-1-43 

MUSICALS 
(Average  15  Min.) 
1942-43 

7121  Trumpet  Serenade   9-9-42  899 

7122  Serenade   in   Swing  10-14-42  899 

7123  Jivin'    Jam    Session  ll-il-42  899 

7124  Swing's  the  Thing  12-2-42  1007 

7125  Chasin'  the  Blues  1-13-43  1046 

7126  Hit  Tune  Jamboree  2-10-43  1148 

7127  Swingtime  Blues   3-3-43  1171 

VICTORY  FEATURETTES 

1942-43 

0995  Keeping   Fit   10-26-42  998 

0996  Arsenal    of    Might  2-22-43  1148 


VITAPHONE 

TECHNICOLOR  SPECIALS 
(Average  20  Min.) 
1942-43 

8001  A  Ship   Is   Born  10-10-42  1010 

8002  Fighting    Engineers   1-2-43  1118 

8003  Young  and   Beautiful  2-27-43 

8004  Eagles  of  the  Navy  3-13-43 

8005  Para-Ski  Patrol   4-24-43 

BROADWAY  BREVITIES 

(20  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8101  The  Spirit  of  Annapolis. .  .9-5-42  926 

8102  The   Nation    Dances  9-26-42  974 

8103  The  Spirit  of  West  Point.  1 1-20-42  1007 

8104  Beyond  the  Line  of  Duty.  1 1-7-42  1010 

8105  Vaudeville  Days   12-19-42  1070 

8106  The  Man  Killers   

8107  Little  Isles  of  Freedom ...  I -30-43  1078 

8108  Our  African   Frontiers  2-13-43 

8109  Army  Show   4-10-43 

HOLLYWOOD  NOVELTIES 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8301  Sweeney    Steps    Out  9-12-42  950 

8302  You  Want  to  Give  Up 

Smoking   11-14-42  1022 

8303  Stars  on  Horseback  4-3-43 

3304   So  You  Think  You  Need 

Glasses   12-26-42  1118 

8305  This  Is  Your  Enemy  1-23-43 

8306  King  of  the  Archers  2-6-43 

THE  SPORTS  PARADE 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8401  Sniffer  Soldiers   9-12-42  950 

8402  South  American   Sports. .  10- 17-42  1007 

8403  The    Right    Timing  10-31-42  1022 

8404  Cuba,  Land  of  Adventure 

and   Sport   1-9-43  1070 

8405  America's  Battle  of 

Beauty   11-21-42  1070 

8406  Horses!  Horses!  Horses!. .  12- 12-42  1070 

8407  Sporting   Dogs   3-20-43 

8408  Women   in   Sports  2-20  43 

MELODY    MASTER  BANDS 

(10  Minutes) 
1942-43 

3501    Army  Air  Force  Band  9-19-42  950 

8502  Six  Hits  and  a  Miss  10-24-42  1007 

8503  U.  S.  Marine  Band  11-14-42  1007 

8504  Borrab  Minevitch  and  his 

Harmonica  School   12-26-42  1118 

8505  U.  S.  Navy  Band  1-16-43  1138 

3508    Ozzie  Nelson  &  Orch  3-27-43 

LOONEY  TUNES  CARTOONS 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8601  The  Hep  Cat   10-3-42  950 

8602  The  Daffy  Dutkaroo  10-24-42  1022 

8603  My   Favorite    Duck  12-5-42  1007 

8604  Confusions  of  a  Nutzy  Spy 

1-23-43  1007 

8605  To  Duck  or  Not  to  Duck. .  .3-6-43 

8606  Hop  and  Go   3-27-43 

8607  The  Wise  Quacking  Duck. 4- 17-43 

MERR1E  MELODIES  CARTOONS  (Color) 
(7  Minutes) 
1942-43 

8701  The    Dover   Boys  9-19-42  950 

8702  The  Sheepish  Wolf  10-17-42  950 

8703  The  Hare  Brained 

Hypnotist   10-31-42  1  007 

8704  A  Tale  of  Two  Kitties. ..  1 1-21-42  1007 

8705  Ding  Dog  Daddy  12-5-42  1007 

8706  Case  of  the  Missing 

Hare   12-12-42  1007 


8707  CoaJ  Black  and  da  Sebben 

Dwarfs   1-16-43  1007 

8708  Pigs  in  a  Polka  2-6-43.1070 

8709  Tortoise  Win*  by  a  Hare.  .2-20-43 

8710  Fifth  Column   Mouse  3-6-43 

8711  Flop  Goes  the  Weasel  3-20-43 

8712  Super  Rabbit   4-3-43 

8713  The  Unbearable  Bear  4-17-43 

OFFICIAL  U.  S.  VICTORY  FILMS 
(Distributed  by  Various  Major  Exchange*) 

Pots  to  Planes    509 

Bomber    509 

Food   for   Freedom   509 

Red   Cross   Trailer   509 

Women  in  Defense   509 

Safeguarding    Military    Information   509 

Tanks    509 

Any  Bonds  Today    509 

Ring  of  Steel    587 

Fighting   Fire   Bombs   587 

Lake  Carrier    715 

United   China  Relief  

Winning  Your  Wings   674 

Keep  'Em    Rolling   674 

Mr.  Gardenia  Jones   674 

Your  Air  Raid  Warden   770 

Vigilante    771 

Out  of  the  Frying  Pan   926 

Salvage    946 

Manpower    971 

Japanese  Relocation    971 

Dover    10  IS 

Fuel  Conservation    1046 

Colleges  at  War   1078 

Community  Transportation    1102 

Paratroops    1 1 14 

You,  John  Jones   1138 

Night  Shift    ||48 

Troop  Train    1 171 

U.  S.  TREASURY  DEPT. 

The  Spirit  of  '43   1138 

WAR  ACTIVITIES  COMMITTEE 
(Released  Through  20th- Fox) 

Battle    of    Midway   912 

BRITISH  MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION 

21  Miles    971 

Control  Room    1 018 

C.  E.  M.  A   |0I8 

Fighting   French   Navy   1070 

Lift  Your  Head  Comrade   1094 

Letter  from   Ulster   1094 

Speed  Up  on  Stirlings   1114 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Movie  Quiz,  No.   I  and  2   854 

(Movie  Quiz  Distributing) 

Shock  Troops  for  Defense   871 

(Brandon  Films) 

Scrap  for  Victory   871 

(Brandon  Films) 

Quebec    (Canadian   Film   Board)   1070 

Kokoda  Battle  Front   1070 

(Australian  Dept  of  Information) 

Sword  of  the  Spirit   1055 

(Verity  Film) 


SERIALS 

COLUMBIA 


1942-43 

4120   The  Secret  Code  9-4-42  899 

(15  Episodes) 
4140   The  Valley  of  Vanishing  Men 

(15  episodes)   12-17-42  1133 

REPUBLIC 

1942-43 

281  King  of  the  Mounties  10-10-42  968 

(12  episades) 

282  G-Men  vs.  the  Black  Dragon 

(15  Episodes)  1-2-43  1022 

283  Daredevils  of  the  West  4-17-43 

(12  episodes) 

  Secret  Service  in  Darkest 

Africa  

(15  episodes) 

UNIVERSAL 

1942-43 

7881-92    Junior  G-Men  of  the 

Air   6-30-42  784 

(12  episodes) 
7781-95    Overland    Mail   9-22-42  950 

(15  episodes) 
7681-93   Adventures  of  Smilin'  Jack 

(13  episodes)  1-5-43  994 


Product  Digest  Section     |  |  73 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


SERVICE  DATA 

on  features 


February    20,     I  943 


Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  (MGM) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  60. 


Arabian  Nights  (Univ.) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Oct.  31,  '42,  p.  63  ; 

Jan.  2,  '43,  p.  51;  Jan.  9,  '43,  p.  50;  Jan.  30, 

'43,  p.  68;  Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  57. 

Black  Swan,  The  (20th-Fox) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Jan.  23,  '43,  p.  65 ; 
Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  56. 

Casablanca  (WB) 

Audience  Classification — Adult 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Jan.  23,  '43,  p.  65  ; 
Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  46. 

Cat  People  (RKO) 

Audience  Classification — Adult 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Jan.  23,  '43,  p.  64; 

Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  57;  Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  49. 

Crystal  Ball,  The  (UA ) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  46. 

Flying  Fortress  (WB) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round   Table   Exploitation — Nov.  28,   '42,  p. 
73 ;  Jan.  2,  '43,  p.  53. 

Immortal  Sergeant  (20th-Fox) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation— Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  48. 

In  Which  We  Serve  (UA) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  49. 

Journey  for  Margaret  (MGM) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round   Table   Exploitation— Dec.    19,    '42,  p 
57;  Jan.  2,  '43,  p.  52. 

Lady  from  Chungking  (PRC) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  56. 

Major  and  the  Minor,  The  (Para.) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating— Class  A-2 
Round    Table   Exploitation— Oct.   24,    '42  p 
72;  Oct.  31,  '42,  p.  67;  Dec.  26,  '42,  p. '80;' 
Jan.  23,  '43,  p.  67. 


References  to  Round  Table  Exploi- 
tation, and  Legion  of  Decency  rat- 
ings with  audience  classifications  are 
listed  in  this  department. 

Index  to  Service  Data  may  be 
found  in  the  Release  Chart,  start- 
ing on  page  1175. 


My  Sister  Eileen  (Col.) 

Audience  Classification— General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Oct.  10,  '42,  p.  57; 
Oct.  24,  '42,  p.  72 ;  Dec.  12,  '42,  p.  61 ;  Dec.  26, 
'42,  p.  81 ;  Jan.  23,  '42,  p.  67. 

Nightmare  (Univ.) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Jan.  23,  '43,  p.  64. 

Now,  Voyager  (WB) 

Audience  Classification — Adult 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Sept.  26,  '42,  p.  62 ; 
Dec.  12,  '42,  p.  59;  Dec.  19,  '42,  p.  58;  Dec.  26, 
'42,  p.  80 ;  Jan.  23,  '43,  p.  67. 

One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing  (UA) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Nov.  28,  '42,  p.  74 ; 
Dec.  5,  '42,  p.  51;  Dec.  12,  '42,  p.  59;  Jan.  9, 
'43,  p.  51. 

Palm  Beach  Story,  The  (Para.) 

Audience  Classification — Adult 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation— Dec.  19,  '42,  p  57 ; 

Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  57. 

Powers  Girl,  The  (Univ.) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating— Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  49. 

Saludos  Amigos  (RKO) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Feb.  6,  '43,  p.  60 

Seven  Days  Leave  (RKO) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Jan.  30,  '43,  p.  66. 


LEGION  of  DECENCY  Ratings 

Class  A-l  Unobjectionable 

Class  A-2  Unobjectionable  for  Adults 

Class  B  Objectionable  in  Part 

Class  C  Condemned 


Seven  Sweethearts  (MGM) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Sept.  19,  '42,  p.  50 ; 
Oct.  17,  '42,  p.  75;  Oct.  24,  '42,  p.  72;  Nov.  21, 
'42,  p.  53,  56;  Jan.  30,  '43,  p.  63. 

Springtime  in  the  Rockies  (20th-Fox) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Oct.  24,  '42,  p.  72; 
Nov.  21,  '42,  p.  53;  Nov.  28,  '42,  p.  72;  Dec. 
5,  '42,  p.  48;  Dec.  12,  '42,  p.  57;  Jan.  2,  '43, 
p.  51;  Jan.  30,  '43,  p.  63. 

Stand  By  for  Action  (MGM) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Dec.  26,  '42,  p.  80 ; 
Jan.  2,  '43,  p.  51 ;  Jan.  30,  '43,  p.  66;  Feb.  6, 
'43,  p.  56,  62;  Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  46. 

Star  Spangled  Rhythm  (Para.) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Jan.  30,  '43,  p.  63. 

Tarzan  Triumphs  (RKO) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation — Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  46 

They  Got  Me  Covered  (RKO) 

Audience  Classification— General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Feb.  13,  '43,  p.  48 

Traitor  Within,  The  (Rep.) 

Audience  Classification — General 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation — Jan.  30,  '43,  p.  66. 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The 
(MGM) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Oct.  17,  '42,  p.  75; 
Nov.  14,  '42,  p.  50;  Nov.  21,  '42,  p.  57;  Jan. 
9,  '43,  p.  58. 

Whistling  in  Dixie  (MGM) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-l 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Dec.  19,  '42,  p.  59 ; 
Dec.  26,  '42,  p.  81. 

White  Cargo  (MGM) 

Audience   Classification — Adult 

Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  B 

Round  Table  Exploitation— Nov.  28,  '42,  p.  75; 

Dec.  19,  '42,  p.  58;  Jan.  2,  '43,  p.  50;  Jan. 

9,  '43,  p.  50. 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier  (Col.) 

Audience  Classification — General 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating — Class  A-2 
Round  Table  Exploitation— Nov.  14,  '42,  p.  47; 
Nov.  28,  '42,  p.  73,  74;  Dec.  12,  '42,  p.  57; 
Dec.  19,  '42,  p.  56;  Jan.  2,  '43,  p.  50;  Jan.  30, 
'43,  p.  63. 


I  I  74    Product  Digest  Section 


February    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

Short  Subjects  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found  on 
pages  I  172-1 173. 

Feature  Product  Including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  by  Com- 
pany, in  order  of  release,  on  pages  I  160-1  161. 


Title  Company 

ABOVE    Suspicion  MGM 

Across  the  Pacific  WB 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic  WB 

Adventures  of  Mark  Twain  WB 

Aerial  Gunner  Para. 
After  Midnight  with  Boston  Blackie  Col. 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 

A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday,  The  Univ. 

(formerly  Forever  Yours) 

American  Empire  UA 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

Avengers,  The  (British)  Para. 

(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn) 

Avenging  Rider,  The  RKO 


Prod. 
Number 

202 


217 


302 


318 


304 
7063 


312 


4213 


Stars 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Chester  Morris-Ann  Savage 
John  Garfield-Gig  Young 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

Richard  Dix-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan-Donna  Reed 
Bela  Lugosi-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Tim  Holt 


Release 
Date 
Not  Set 
Sept.  5.'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  I8,'43 
Mar.  20,'43 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7,'42 
Feb.  I9,'43 

Dec.  1 1, '43 
Dec-Feb.,'43 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Mar.  5,'43 
Dec.  25,'42 
Sept.  4,'42 
Dec.  4,'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 

Not  Set 


Running 
Time 


88m 
55m 


-  REVIEWED  — » 

M.  P.       Product    Advance  Service 
Digest     Synopsis  Data 


Herald 

Issue 


98m      Aug.  22, '42 


Page 
927 


Nov.  7,'42 
Feb.  1 3, '43 


993 
1 158 


Page 
1081 
726 
983 
936 
1091 


1019 


Page 


124m 

Feb.  6,'43 

1  145 

936 

1091 

67m 

July  I  1  .'42 

927 

98m 

Feb.  6,'43 

1 145 

936 

81m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

92m 

Dec.  5,'42 

1042 

796 

1 174 

66m 

June27,'42 

938 

726 

1 104 

87m 

Dec.  26,'42 

1090 

872 

i  i  74 

58m 

63m 

Oct.  24,'42 

969 

7oi 

BABY  Face  Morgan 
Background  to  Danger 
Bad  Company 
Bad  Men  of  Thunder  Gap 
Bambi  (color) 
Bandit  Ranger 
Bataan's  Last  Stand 

(formerly  Bataan  Patrol) 
Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue) 

(formerly  Kukan) 
Behind  Prison  Walls 
Behind  the  Eight  Ball 
•Bells  of  Capistrano 
Berlin  Correspondent 
Between  Us  Girls 


PRC 
WB 
Univ. 
PRC 
RKO 
RKO 
MGM 

UA 

PRC 

Univ. 
Rep. 
20th-Fox 
Univ. 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses,  Caroline) 
Big  Street,  The  RKO 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Fugitive  of  the 

Plains  PRC 
Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC 
•Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 
Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox 
Blocked  Trail,  The  Rep. 
Bombardier  RKO 
Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The  Col. 
Boots  and  Saddles  (Re-release)  Rep. 
Border  Patrol  UA 
Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC 
Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood  Col. 
Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono. 
Brains  Trust,  The  (British)  Strand-Anglo 
Buckskin  Frontier  Para. 
Busses  Roar  WB 

CABIN  in  the  Sky  MGM 

Cairo  MGM 

Calaboose  UA-Roach 

Call  of  the  Canyon  Rep. 

Captive  Wild  Woman  Univ. 


317 

Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 

Sept.  I5,'42 

65m 

July  25,'42 

903 

George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 

Not  Set 

1058 

Dead  End  Kids 

Not  Set 

1055 

352 

Dave  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 

Mar.  5,'43 

391 

Disney  Feature  Cartoon 

Aug.  21, '42 

70m 

May  30,'42 

685 

381 

Tim  Holt 

Sept.  25,'42 

64m 

Robert  Taylor-Thomas  Mitchell 

Not  Set 

1127 

Chinese  Feature 

Aug.  7,'42 

61m 

July  5/41 

840 

313 

Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 

Mar.  22,'43 

64m 

Feb.  6,'43 

1 146 

1078 

7029 

Ritz  Bros. -Carol  Bruce 

Dec.  4,'42 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

794 

Gene  Autry-SnrH'ley  Burnette 

Sept.  15/42 

73m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

3  i  t 

Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 

Sept.  1 1,'42 

70m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

7010 

Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 

Sept.  4,'42 

89m 

Aug.  29/42 

890 

772 

301 

Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Sept.  4/42 

87m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

701 

359 

358 
357 


320 
274 

4026 
2301 

310 
4030 


203 

307 
131 


Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 

Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 

William  Boyd 

John  Litel-Florence  Rice 

Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 

Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 

Quiz  Experts 

Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 

Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Mar.  12/43 

Jan.  27/43 
Nov.  20/42 

Oct.  2/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Mar.  12/43 
Shirley     Not  Set 
Oct.  22/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Not  Set 
Dec.  7/42 
Nov.  5/42 
Oct.  30/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


55m  Jan.  30/43  1137 

55m  Dec.  5/42  1043 

85m  Oct.  17/42  958 

66m  Oct.  24/42  969 

58m  Nov.  13/37  1114 

67m  Jan.  30/43  1137 

64m  Oct.  17/42  959 

68m   

63m  Oct.  3/42  934 

34m  Feb.  6/43  1147 

61m  Aug.  22/42  903 


"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept.-Nov.,'42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Jan.  29/43 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5/42 

Evelyn  Ankers-John  Carradine  Not  Set 


98m  Feb.  13/43 
101m      Aug.  15/42 

71m      Aug.  22/42 


I  157 
915 

938 


104 

033 

031 
855 

912 


794 


983 


019 


800 
127 


1130 


174 


1034 


Product  Digest  Section    I  I  75 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,    194  3 


REVIEWED  ■ 


Title  Company 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 

Casablanca  WB 

Cat  People  RKO 

Chatterbox  Rep. 
Chetniks,  the  Fighting 
Guerrillas 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetniks) 

Cheyenne  Roundup  Univ. 

China  Para. 

China  Girl  20th-Fox 

Cinderella  Swings  It  RKO 

City  of  Silent  Men  PRC 

City  Without  Men  Col. 
Coastal  Command  (British)  Para.-Crown 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn  Col. 

Coney  Island  20th-Fox 

Constant  Nymph,  The  WB 

Corregidor  PRC 

Corvettes  in  Action  Univ. 
Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher  Mono. 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jonas) 

Counter  Espionage  Col. 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color)  Col. 

Crash  Dive  (color)  20th-Fox 

Crime  by  Night  WB 

Criminal  Investigator  Mono. 

Crystal  Ball,  The  UA 


Prod. 
Number 
312 
214 
313 


Stars 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison 
Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman 
Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway 
Joe  E.  Brown-Judy  Canova 


20th-Fox        328        Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 


....  Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 

....  Loretta  Young-Alan  Cadd 

323  George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 

318  Guy  Kibbee-Gloria  Warren 

308  Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 

4013  Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 

....  War  Documentary 

4004  Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 

....  Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 

....  Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 

31  Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 

....  Randolph  Scott-Andy  Devine 

....        Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

4027        Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Jinx  Falkenberg-Rita  Hayworth 
Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 
Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 
Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 
Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 


Release 
Date 
Sept.  I8,'42 
Jan.  23/43 
Dec.  25,'42 
Apr.   I, "43 

Feb.  5,'43 

Not  Set 
Block  4 
Jan.  I  ,'43 
Feb.  26.'43 
Oct.  12/42 
Jan.  14/43 

Not  Set 
Jan.  7»'43 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Mar.  29,'43 

Not  Set 

Jan.  29,'43 

Sept.  3/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Oct.  23,'42 
Jan.  22/43 


Running 
Time 
69m 
102m 
73m 


62m 
72m 


61m 
81m 


M.  P. 
Herald 

Issue 
Aug.  15/42 
Nov.  28/42 
Nov.  14/42 


Product 
Digest 


73m       Jan.  9/43 


Feb.  20/43 
Oct.  10/42 


Dec.  12/42 
Jan.  23/43 


170 
945 


1054 
1 125 


Advance 
Synopsis 


1091 


95m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

71m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 125 

64m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

1009 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

98m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

962 

995 

iio4 

1055 

871 

962 
1091 
1033 

960 


Service 
Vtfs 


Page 

Page 

Page 

915 

1029 

936 

1174 

1005 

962 

1174 

1127 

1115 

995 

DARING  Young  Man,  The  Col.  4021 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide  Mono.  .... 

Deadline  Guns  Col.  .... 

Dead  Man's  Gulch  Rep.  274 

Dead  Men  Walk  PRC  320 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas  Univ.  7071 

Desert  Song,  The  (color)  WB  .... 

Desperados,  The  (color)  Col  

Desperate  Journey  WB  204 

Destination — Tokyo  MGM  .... 

(formerly  Pilot  No.  5) 

Destination  Unknown  Univ.  7030 

Destroyer  Col. 
Devil  with  Hitler,  The  UA-Roach 

Dixie  Para  

Dixie  Dugan  20th-Fox   

Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant     MGM  317 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret  20th-Fox  321 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady  MGM   

EDGE  of  Darkness  WB   

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish)  Scandia  .... 

Eyes  in  the  Night  MGM  309 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Univ.  7037 

FALCON'S  Brother,  The  RKO  309 
Fall  In  UA-Roach 

Fighting  Buckaroo,  The  Col.  4203 

Fighting  Devil  Dogs  Rep.  211 

Fighting  Frontier  RKO  383 
Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD   

First  of  the  Few,  The 

(British) 
Flesh  and  Fantasy 
Flight  for  Freedom 
Flying  Fortress  (British) 

•  Flying  Tigers 
Follies  Girl 
Footlight  Serenade 
Foreign  Agent 
Forest  Rangers,  The  (color) 
Forever  and  a  Day 
For  Me  and  My  Gal 
Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 
sian) Artkino 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color)  Para. 
Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man  Univ. 

•  Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail  PRC 

•  Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals  PRC 

GENTLEMAN  Jim  WB 

George  Washington  Slept  Here  WB 

Get  Hep  to  Love  Univ. 

Girl  Trouble  20th-Fox 

•  Give  Out,  Sisters  Univ. 


Howard-Gen'l 


Univ. 
RKO 
WB 
Rep. 
PRC 
20th-Fox 
Mono. 
Para. 
RKO 
MGM 


211 

30 
301 

4206 
320 
312 


255 

212 
210 

7022 
309 

7021 


Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 
Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 
George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 
Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 
Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 
Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt 


Oct.  8/42 
Dec.  18/42 

Not  Set 
Feb.  13/43 
Feb.  10/43 
Sept.  25/42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Sept.  26/42 

Not  Set 

Oct.  9/42 


Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 

Edward  G.  Robinson-Marguerite  Chapman   Not  Set 

Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth  Oct.  9/42 

Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour  Not  Set 

James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews  Not  Set 

Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson  Dec-Feb.,'43 

Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd  Dec.  11/42 

Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton  Not  Set 


Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 
Ingrid  Bergman-Olof  Sandborg 
Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 
Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 
William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 
Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Lee  Powell-Herman  Brix 
Tim  Holt 

War  Documentary 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 
Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 
Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 
John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 
Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 
John  Payne-Betty  Grable 
John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 
Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 
British  and  American  Stars 
Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Mikhail  Gelovani-Nikolai  Bogoliubov 
Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman 

Lon  Chaney-Bela  Lugosi 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 
Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith 
Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan 
Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 
Don  Am«ch«-Joan  Bennett 
Andrews  Sisters^Richard  Davies 


Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Jan.  8/43 


89m 
79m 
61m 


73m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

871 

66m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1031 

1081 

56m 

Feb.  20/43 

1170 

1127 

66m 

Feb.  20/43 

1170 

1031 

62m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

872 

871 

107  m 

Aug.  22/42 

915 

971 

61m 

Oct.  3/42 

946 

912 

1162 

45  m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

1091 

1082 

86m 

Nov.  15/42 

1005 

58m 

Dec.  17/42 

959 

936 

1019 

Dec.  26/42 
Sept.  12/42 
Oct.  17/42 


1077 
898 
960 


982 
797 


Nov.  6/42 

63m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

871 

Mar.  5/43 

796 

Feb.  2/43 

Jan.  29/43 

69m 

Feb.  6/43 

i  147 

Jan.  29/43 

57m 

Feb.  13/43 

1158 

Not  Set 

37m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

Not  Set 

1  18m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

Not  Set 

1058 

Not  Set 

101m 

Feb.  6/43 

1145 

983 

Dec.  5/42 

68m 

June  27/42 

914 

1174 

Oct.  8/42 

102m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

1130 

May  3/43 

iio4 

Aug.  1/42 

80m 

July  11/42 

9i5 

715 

873 

Oct.  9/42 

64m 

Sept.  19/42 

9!l 

Block  2 

87m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

1130 

Mar.  19/43 

104m 

Jan.  23/43 

1125 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

104m 

Sept.  12,42 

897 

75i 

■  1 30 

Not  Set 

77m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

Not  Set 

855 

Mar.  12/43 

1055 

Oct.  19/42 

60m 

Sept.  4/42 

60m 

Feb.  13/43 

1159 

i033 

Nov.  14/42 

104m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

981 

936 

1130 

Nov.  28/42 

93m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

871 

1130 

Oct.  2/42 

77m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Oct.  9/42 

82m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

855 

Sept.  11/42 

65  m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

I  I  76   Product  Digest  Section 


ebruary    20,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Title  Comptny 

©lass  Kty,  The  Para. 
Goose  Steps  Out,  The 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Gorilla  Man,  The  WB 

Great  Gildersleeve,  The  RKO 

Great  Impersonation,  The  Univ. 

Great  Without  Glory  Para. 


HAIL  to  the  Rangers 
Half  Way  to  Shanghai 
Happy  Go  Lucky  (color) 
Hard  Way,  The 
Haunted  Ranch 

(formerly  Ridin'  Double) 
Heart  of  the  Golden  West 
He  Hired  the  Boss 
He's  My  Guy 
Hello,  'Frisco,  Hello 
Henry  Aldrich,  Editor 
Henry  AJdrich  Gets  Glamour 
Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It 
Here  We  Go  Again 
Hi,  Buddy 
Hidden  Hand,  The 
High  Explosive 
Highways  by  Night 
Hi  I  Neighbor 
Hit  Parade  of  1943 
Hitler,  Dead  or  Alrve 
Hitler's  Children 
HiTa,  Chum 
How's  About  It? 
Human  Comedy,  The 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue 

Iceland 
Idaho 

I  Married  a  Witch 
Immortal  Sergeant,  The 
In  the  Rear  of  the  Enemy 

(Russian) 
In  Which  We  Serve  (British) 
isle  of  Missing  Men 
It  Ain't  Hay 
It  Comes  Up  Love 

(forr-e-y  On  the  Beam) 
I  Walked  with  a  Zombie 

JACARE 

Johnny  Doughboy 
Journey  for  Margaret 
Journey  Into  Fear 
•Jungle  Siren 
Junior  Army 
Just  Off  Broadway 


Col. 
Univ. 
Para. 

WB 

Mono. 

Rep. 
20th-Fox 
Univ. 
20+h-Fox 
Para. 
Para. 
Para. 
RKO 
Univ. 

WB 
Para. 
RKO 
Rep. 
Rep. 
House 
RKO 
Univ. 
Univ. 
MGM 


KEEPER  of  the  Flame 
Kid  Dynamite 

King  Arthur  Was  a  Gentle- 
man (British) 
•  King  of  the  Stallions 


RKO 

UA 
Rep. 
MGM 
RKO 
PRC 
Col. 
20+h-Fox 

MGM 
Mono. 

Gains. 
Mono. 


Pr*i.  Rilttte 

'N%mber                 Stars  Dttt 

4203         Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Ltke-Alan  Ladd  Block  I 

Will  Hay  Not  Set 
216        John  Loder-Paul  Cavanagh  Jan.  16/43 
314        Harold  Peary-Freddy  Mercer  Jan.  I,'43 
7032        Ralph  Bellamy-Evelyn  Ankers  Dec.  18, '42 
  Joel  McCrea-Betty  Field  Not  Set 

  Charles  Starrett  Not  Set 

7035        Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor  Sept.  1 8, '42 

Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy  Vallee  Block  4 

209        Ida  Lupino-Dennis  Morgan  Feb.  20, '43 

  Range  Busters  Feb.  19, '43 

251         Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes  Dec.  I  I, '42 

  Stuart  Erwin-Evelyn  Venable  Not  Set 

....         Dick  Foran-lrene  Hervey  Mar.  26, '43 

....         Alice  Faye-John  Payne  Not  Set 

4209        Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith  Block  2 

....         Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith  Block  4 

....         Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith  Not  Set 
305         Fibber  McGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Charlie"   Oct.  9, '42 

Dick  Foran-Harriet  Hilliard  Feb.  26/43 

208        Craig  Stevens-Elizabeth  Fraser  Nov.  7/42 

....         Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker  Not  Set 

304        Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph  Oct.  2/42 

201         Lulubelle  &  Scotty-Jean  Parker  July  27/42 

....         John  Carroll-Susan  Hayward  Mar.  19/43 

Ward  Bond-Dorothy  Tree  Not  Set 

316        Tim  Holt-Bonita  Granville  Feb.  12/43 

Jane  Frazee-Ri+z  Brothers  Mar.  5/43 

....        Andrews  Sisters-Robert  Paige  Feb.  5/43 

Mickey  Rooney-James  Craig  Not  Set 


Running 
Time 
85m 

78m 
64m 
62m 
71m 


62m 
81m 
97m 


i—  REVIEWED  -> 
iS.  P.        Product    Advtnce  Service 
Hrrtld       Dittst     Synopiii  Dsta 


hiue 
Aug.  29/42 

Aug.  29/42 
Dec.  12/42 
Nov.  15/42 
Dec.  19/42 


Sept.  19/42 
Jan.  2/43 
Sept.  19/42 


65m       Nov.  2 1  ,'42 


Page 
914 

870 
1054 
1006 
1066 


923 
1089 
923 


1017 


205 
314 
307 
203 
4038 
310 

320 


LADIES'  Day  RKO 

Lady  Bodyguard  Para. 

Lady  from  Chungking  PRC 

Lady  in  the  Dark  Para. 

Lady  of  Burlesque  UA 

Land  of  Hunted  Men  Mono. 

Last  Ride,  The  WB 

Laugh  Your  Blues  Away  Col, 

(formerly  How  Do  You  Do?) 

Law  of  the  Northwest  Col. 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British)  Anglo 

Let's  Have  Fun  Col. 

Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty  20+h-Fox 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler  Univ. 

Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A.  20th-Fox 

Living  Ghost,  The  Mono. 

London  Blackout  Murders  Rep. 

Lone  Prairie,  The  Col. 

•Lone  Rider  in  Border  Roundup  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Wild  Horse  Rustlers  PRC 

•Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 
Boulder  Pass 
Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Stagecoach  PRC  363 

Lone  Star  Trail,  The  Univ.  7077 

Lost  Canyon  U A  .... 
Loves  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  The  20+h-Fox  305 


302 


4033 


322 
7072 
303 

210 
4209 
266 
364 


Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway 

Animal  feature 
Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook 
Robert  Young-Laraine  Day 
Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Del  Rio 
Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe 
Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop 
Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver 

Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 
East  Side  Kids 

Arthur  Askey-Evelyn  Dall 

Chief  Thundercloud-David  O'Brien 

Lupe  Velez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Baer 
Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley 
Anna  May  Wong-Harold  Huber 
Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 
Barbara  S+anwyck-Eddie  O'Shea 
Range  Bus+ers 

Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker 
Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg 

Charles  S+arrett-Shlrley  Patterson 
Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney 
Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg 
Mon+y  Woolley-Ida  Lupino 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce 
James  Dunn-Joan  Woodbury 
John  Abbott-Mary  McCleod 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
George  Houston-Al  St.  John 
Bob  Livingston-Al  St.  John 


Not  Set 


PRC         267        George  Houston-Al  St.  John 


Bob  Livingston-Al  St.  John 
Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 
William  Boyd 
John  Shepperd-Linda  Darnell 


Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  4/43 

Dec.  25/42 
Nov.  13/42 
Aug.  14/42 
Nov.  27/42 

Jan.  15/43 
Oct.  15/42 
Sept.  18/42 

Feb.  12/43 

Oct.  28/42 

Dec.  11/42 
Not  Set 
Dec.  18/42 
Aug.  28/42 


Pate 


995 
912 
912 

1055 

797 
796 
1019 


986 
1127 
1 127 


1019 


1057 


Nov.  27/42 

65m 

Dec. 

26/42 

1077 

Dec.  31/42 

63m 

Dec. 

26/42 

1077 

971 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

79m 

Oct. 

31/42 

981 

912 

Feb.  12/43 

71m 

Feb. 

6/43 

1  146 

796 

Aug.  14/42 

68m 

Oct. 

31/42 

982 

Nov.  26/42 

71m 

Feb. 

20/43 

1 170 

1009 

Sept.  25/42 

65m 

Aug. 

15/42 

902 

797 

Dee.-Feb.,'43 

100m 

Dec. 

19/42 

1065 

936 

Feb.  5/43 

73m 

Jan. 

23/43 

1 126 

Not  Set 

98m 

Jan. 

16/43 

1  1  14 

Sept.  1 1/42 

63  m 

Aug. 

29/42 

870 

800 

Not  Set 

962 

Block  4 

70  m 

Jan. 

2/43 

1090 

946 

Dec.  2 1  ,'42 

70m 

Nov. 

7/42 

1006 

574 

Not  Set 

109! 

Not  Set 

Mar.  12/43 

Not  Set 

ii'i5 

Nov.  12/42 

73m 

Feb.  13/43 

i  i59 

986 

100m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

599 

85m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

962 

64m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

64m 

July  1  1/42 

938 

61m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

59m 

Dec.  12/42 

1067 

55m 

1058 

58m 

60m 

Feb.  6/43 

1148 

1033 

58m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

1018 

1019 

63m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

67m 

July  1 1/42 

914 

751 

Pat:' 
1 130 


1082 


72  m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

1130 

72m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 
1  104 

76  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

1082 

68m 

Feb.  20/43 

1 170 

1079 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

1082 

983 

63  m 

Aug.  8/42 

938 

715 

72m 

July  25/42 

927 

772 

1043 

70m 

Nov.  2 1/42 

1018 

OS  2 

83m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

1 127 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

Rep. 

206 

Ellen  Drew-Richard  Denning 

Dec.  24/42 

79m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

797 

1 130 

20+h-Fox 

306 

Sonja  Henie-John  Payne 

Oct.  2/42 

79m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

797 

1082 

Rep. 

Roy  Rogers- Virginia  Grey 

Mar.  10/43 

70m 

Feb.  20/43 

1 169 

1 162 

UA 

Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake 

Oct.  30/42 

78m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1130 

20+h-Fox 

327 

Henry  Fonda-Maureen  O'Hara 

Jan. 29/43 

91m 

Jan.  9/43 

1101 

995 

1  174 

Artkino 

War  Documentary 

Oct.  9/42 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

UA 

Noel  Coward-Bernard  Miles 

Dec.25,'42 

1  13m 

Oc+.  17/42 

957 

1 174 

Mono. 

John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland 

Sept.  18/42 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

772 

Univ. 

Abbott  and  Costello 

Mar.  19/43 

1058 

Univ. 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

Apr.  9/43 

65  m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 1 46 

986 

174 
1034 


1174 


1082 


Product  Digest  Section 


I  177 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    20,  1943 


REVIEWED 


Title 
Lucky  Jordan 
Lucky  Legs 


Company 
Para. 
Col. 


Prod. 
Number 
4215 
4032 


Stars 

Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker 
Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris 


Release 
Date 
Block  3 
Oct.   I  ,'42 


Running 
Time 
84m 
64m 


M.P. 
Herald 

Issue 
Nov.  2 1  ,'42 
Feb.  1 3  ,'43 


Product 
Digest 
Page 
1017 
1158 


Advance 
Synopsis 
Page 

986 

797 


Service 
Data 
P*ge 

1082 


MADAME  Spy  Univ. 
Magnificent  Ambersons,  The  RKO 
Major  and  the  Minor,  The  Para. 
Man  in  the  Trunk,  The  20th-Fox 
Manila  Calling  20th-Fox 
Man  of  Courage  PRC 
Man's  World,  A  Col. 
Margin  for  Error  20th-Fox 
Mashenka  (Russian)  Artkino 
McGuerins  from  Brooklyn  UA-Roach 
Meanest  Man  in  the  World  20th-Fox 
Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant  RKO 
Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The  Para. 
Mission  to  Moscow  WB 
Miss  V  from  Moscow  PRC 
Moonlight  in  Havana  Univ. 
Moon  and  Sixpence,  The  UA 
Moon  Is  Down,  The  20th-Fox 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian)  Rep. 
Mountain  Rhythm  Rep. 
Mr.  Lucky  RKO 

(formerly  From  Here  to  Victory) 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para. 
Mug  Town  Univ. 
Mummy's  Tomb,  The  Univ. 
Murder  in  Times  Square  Col. 
My  Friend  Flicka  (color)  20th-Fox 
My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy  Para. 
•  My  Sister  Eileen  Col. 
My  Son,  the  Hero  PRC 
Mysterious  Doctor,  The  WB 


7034  Constance  Bennett-Don  Porter 

371  Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Costello 

4202  Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland 

315  Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes 

314  Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis 

319  Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters 

4044  M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright 

330  Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle 

....  V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetzov 

....  Max  Baer-William  Bendix 

329  Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane 

302  Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol 

....  Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton 

....  Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding 

318  Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison 

7026  Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

....  George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall 

....  Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly 

....  Documentary 

209  Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry 

....  Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day 

4208  Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee 

7027  Dead  End  Kids 

7019  Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox 

....  Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman 

....  Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster 

4214  Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll 
Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne 

311  Patsy  Kelly-Roscoe  Karns 

219  Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder 


Dec.  II, '42 

63  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

July  10.42 

88m 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

947 

Block  1 

100m 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

1174 

Oct.  23.'42 

71m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

855 

Oct.  16/42 

81m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

871 

Jan.  4.'43 

67m 

Jan.  30/43 

1137 

1031 

Sept.  17/42 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

Feb.  I9,'43 

74m 

Jan.  9/43 

1101 

995 

INOV.  ZU, 

of  m 

INOV.  ZO,  *Ti 

1  UjU 

Dec.  31, "42 

46m 

Feb.  6/43 

1147 

Feb.  12/43 

57m 

Jan.  9/43 

1115 

962 

Sept.  11/42 

64m 

Aug.  8/42 

915 

Not  Set 

1079 

Not  Set 

1058 

Nov.  23/42 

71m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1031 

Oct.  16/42 

62m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

Oct.  2/42 

89m 

Sept.  12/42 

912 

1130 

Not  Set 

1091 

Aug.  15/42 

55m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

1 130 

Jan.  8/43 

70m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1009 

Not  Set 

1081 

Block  2 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

Dec.  18/42 

60m 

Jan. 23/43 

1126 

Oct.  23/42 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

1 130 

Not  Set 

i079 

Not  Set 

962 

Block  3 

75  m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

871 

Sept.  30/42 

96m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

772 

ii74 

Apr.  5/43 

68m 

Jan. 23/43 

1126 

Mar.  6/43 

1091 

NAVY  Comes  Through,  The 

RKO 

308 

Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy 

Oct.  30/42 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

1130 

'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Nov.  20/42 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam 

Not  Set 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

Nightmare 

Univ. 

7015 

Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy 

Nov.  13/42 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

1 174 

Night  for  Crime,  A 

PRC 

304 

Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot 

Feb.  18/43 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

Night  Monster 

Univ. 

7038 

Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi 

Oct.  23/42 

73m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

i  130 

Night  Plane  from  Chungking 

Para. 

Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew 

Block  4 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1102 

983 

Night  to  Remember,  A 

Col. 

4009 

Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne 

Dec.  10/42 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

1130 

Nine  Men  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Jack  Lambert-Richard  Wilkinson 

Not  Set 

67m 

Feb. 13/43 

1158 

No  Escape 

Mono. 

Dean  Jagger-John  Carradine 

Mar.  26/43 

1162 

Northwest  Rangers 

MGM 

319 

James  Craig-Patricia  Dane 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

64m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

98  i 

960 

No  Place  for  a  Lady 

Col. 

William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay 

Feb.  11/43 

1057 

No  Time  for  Love 

Para. 

Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray 

Not  Set 

855 

Now,  Voyager 

WB 

206 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid 

Oct.  3 1/42 

1  17  m 

Aug.  22/42 

902 

i  i  74 

OH,  Doctor 

Univ. 

Abbott  and  Costello 

Not  Set 

1162 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The 

Univ. 

7073 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Dec.  11/42 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

Old  Homestead,  The 

Rep. 

202 

Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry 

Aug.  17/42 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

Old  Mother  Riley,  Detective 

(British)                    Br.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Arthur  Lucan 

Not  Set 

80m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 159 

Omaha  Trail 

MGM 

311 

James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Sept.-Nov./42 

61m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon 

RKO 

311 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant 

Nov.  27/42 

M6m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

855 

1130 

One  Dangerous  Night 

Col. 

4029 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Jan. 21/43 

983 

One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British) 

UA 

Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman 

Oct.  16/42 

1  10m 

Apr.  1 1/42 

03 

1174 

One  Thrilling  Night 

Mono. 

John  Beal-Wanda  McKay 

June  5/42 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 

Orchestra  Wives 

20th-Fox 

308 

George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherford 

Sept.  4/42 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

1130 

Outlaw,  The 

Hughes 

Jack  Buetel-Jane  Russell 

Not  Set 

I2lm 

Feb. 13/43 

1157 

Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge 

Rep. 

272 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Oct.  27/42 

57m 

Nov.  2 1/42 

1017 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood 

Col. 

3208 

Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 

Sept.  25/42 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Over  My  Dead  Body 

20th-Fox 

325 

Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

995 

Ox-Bow  Incident,  The 

20th-Fox 

Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Not  Set 

872 

PALM    Beach  Story,  The  Para. 

Panama  Hattie  MGM 

Pardon  My  Gun  Col. 

Payoff,  The  PRC 

•  Phantom  Killer  Mono. 
Pied  Piper,  The  20th-Fox 
Pirates  of  the  Prairie  RKO 
Pittsburgh  Univ. 

•  Police  Bullets  Mono. 
Power  of  God,  The  St.  Rts. 
Powers  Girl,  The  UA 
Power  of  the  Press  Col. 
Prairie  Chicken  UA-Roach 
Presenting  Lily  Mars  MGM 
Pride  of  the  Army  Mono. 

(also  called  War  Dogs) 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The  RKO 


4211  Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea 

303  Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton 

4202  Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll 

303  Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer 

....  Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury 

304  Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowell 
382  Tim  Holt 

7008  Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne 

....  John  Archer-Joan  Marsh 

....  John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden 

....  Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy 

4037  Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy 

....  Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

....  Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

....  Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 

351  Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright 


Block  3 

90m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1174 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

Dec.  1/42 

57m 

1058 

Jan.  21/43 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Oct.  2/42 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

Aug.  21/42 

87m 

July  11/42 

903 

751 

1082 

Nov.  20/42 

57m 

1033 

Dec.  11/42 

93m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

Sept.  25/42 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

Not  Set 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Jan.  15/43 

93m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

1174 

Jan.  28/43 

1055 

Not  Set 

986 

Not  Set 

962 

Nov.  13/42 

63  m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

Mar.  5/43 

120m 

July  18/42 

915 

1082 

I  I  78  Product  Digest  Section 


February    20,    1  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


REVIEWED 


Title 

Princess  O'Rourke 
Priorities  on  Parade 
Private  Miss  Jones 
Purple  V,  The 

QUEEN  of  Broadway 
Queen  Victoria  (British) 
Quiet  Please,  Murder 


Prod. 

Company  Number 
WB 
Para.  4201 
MGM 
Rep  


PRC 
Renown 
20th-Fox 


RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin  Univ. 

Random  Harvest  MGM 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The  PRC 

Ravaged  Earth  Crystal 

Red  River  Robin  Hood  RKO 

Reunion  in  France  MGM 

(former  Reunion) 

Reveille  wi  th  Beverly  Col. 

Rhythm  of  the  Islands  Univ. 

Rhythm  Parade  Mono. 
Riders  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Col. 

Ridin'  Down  the  Canyon  Rep. 

Riding  Through  Nevada  Col. 

Road  to  Morocco  Para. 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range  Col. 

SALUDOS  Amigos  (color)  RKO 
Salute  for  Three  Para. 
Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt.-Anglo-Am. 
Salute  to  the  Marines  MGM 
Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 
School  for  Sabotage  20th-Fox 
Secret  Enemies  WB 
Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-Gen'l 
Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed  PRC 
Secrets  of  the  Underground  Rep. 
Seven  Days  Leave  RKO 
Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz  RKO 
Seven  Sweethearts  MGM 
Shadow  of  a  Doubt  Univ. 
Shadows  on  the  Sage  Rep. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 

Terror  Univ. 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 

Secret  Weapon  Univ. 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  Fights  Back) 
Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 
Siege  of  Leningrad  Artkino 
Silent  Witness  Mono. 
Silk,  Blood  and  Sun 

(Mexican)  M 
Silver  Queen 
Silver  Skates 
Sin  Town 

Sky's  the  Limit,  The 
Slightly  Dangerous 

(formerly  Nothing  Ventured 
Smith  of  Minnesota 
Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish) 
Sombrero  Kid,  The 
Something  to  Shout  About 
Somewhere  I'll  Find  You 
Somewhere  in  France 

(formerly  Foreman  Went  to  France) 
So  Proudly  We  Hail  Para. 
South  of  the  Border  (Re-release)  Rep. 
Spirit  of  Stanford,  The  Col. 
Spring  Song  (Russian)  Artkino 
Springtime  in  the  Rockies  (color) 

20th-Fox 

Squadron  Leader  X  (British)  RKO 
Stage  Door  Canteen  UA 
Stand  By,  All  Networks  Col. 
Stand  By  for  Action  MGM 

(formerly  Clear  for  Action) 
Star  Spangled  Rhythm  Para. 
Stranger  in  Town,  A  MGM 

(formerly  Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting) 
Street  of  Chance  Para. 
Strictly  in  the  Groove  Univ. 
Submarine  Alert  Para. 
Sundown  Kid  Rep. 
•  Sunset  Serenade  Rep. 


aya  Film 
UA 
Mono. 
Univ. 
RKO 
MGM 

) 

Col. 
Scandia 
Rep. 
Col. 
MGM 
UA 


312 


351 


315 


253 
4201 
4207 


392 

306 

205 

309 
208 
310 
315 
308 
7065 
261 

7020 


70 


4035 
271 
301 


2302 
4022 


317 


4042 
316 

4231 


4210 
2028 

273 


TALES   of  Manhattan 
Talk  About  Jacqueline 

(British)  Excelsior-Metro 
Tarzan  Triumphs  RKO 


Stars 

Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummings 
Ann  Miller-Jerry  Colonna 
Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly 
John  Archer-Mary  McLeod 

Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe 
Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook 
Gail  Patrick-George  Sanders 


Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson 
Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 
Documentary  on  China 
Tim  Holt 

Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn- 

John  Wayne 
Ann  Miller-William  Wright 
Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 
Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 
Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson 
Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lam 
Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris 

Disney  South  American  feature 
Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes 
Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 
Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter 
Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 
George  Sanders-Anna  Sten 
Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 
Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 
Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 
John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 
Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 
James  Craig-Bonita  Granville 
Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson 
Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 
Three  Mesquiteers 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Soviet  Documentary 

Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon 

Jorge  Negrete-Gloria  Marin 
George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane 
Patricia  Morison-Kenny  Baker 
Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford 
Fred  Astaire-Joan  Leslie 
Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 


Release 
Date 
Not  Set 
Block  I 
Not  Set 
Mar.  26,'43 

Mar.  8,'43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 


Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec.  25.'42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Dec-Feb.,'43 
Feb.  4, '43 
Apr.  1 6/43 
Dec.  1 1, "42 
Feb.  1 5/43 
Dec.  30,"42 
Oct.  I, '42 
our  Block  2 
Not  Set 


Running 
Time 


M.  P. 
Herald 

Issue 


Product    Advance  Service 


Digest 
Page 


Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge 

Edvard  Persson 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet 

Clark  Gable-Lana  Turner 


Constance  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder 


Oct.  I5,'42 
Sept.  12/42 
July  3 1  ,'42 
Blair       Feb.  25/43 
Sept.-Nov./42 


Not  Set 


Claudette  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard  Not  Set 

Gene  Autry  Mar.  1/43 

Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman  Sept.  10/42 
Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  11/42 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne  Nov.  6/42 

Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley  Not  Set 

Stage  and  Screen  Stars  Feb.  26/43 

John  Beal-Florence  Rice  Oct.  29/42 

Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor  Dec-Feb.,'43 

Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  Moore  Special 
Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers  Not  Set 


Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor 
Leon  Errol-Mary  Healy 
Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie 
Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson 
Roy  Rogers 


20th-Fox        313        C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 


319 


Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 
Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 


Block  2 
Nov.  20/42 
Not  Set 
Dec.  28/42 
Sept.  14/42 

Oct.  30/42 

Not  Set 
Mar.  12/43 


79m 

Aua. 

1/42 

914 

62m 

Nov. 

28/42 

1030 

84m 

Jan. 

16/43 

1113 

70m 

Dec. 

19/42 

1067 

126m 

Nov. 

28/42 

1029 

60m 

Jan. 

16/43 

1114 

68m 

Dec. 

5/42 

1043 

57m 

Oct. 

17/42 

960 

102m 

Dec. 

5/42 

1041 

70m 

55m 
61m 
83m 


19/42 


Dec.  12/42 
Feb. 20/43 
Oct.  3/42 


66m 
89m 
56m 
90m 
107m 
83m 


Oct.  17/42 
Sept.  19/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Feb. 13/43 
Aug.  8/42 
Feb.  20/43 


1067 

1054 
I  169 
933 


959 
910 
935 

1157 
902 

1 169 


Synopsis 
Page 
962 

1079 
I  162 

1018 
983 


1009 
796 
1055 


872 
I  1 62 
1127 

983 
1019 
1019 
1058 

872 
1057 


Feb. 19/43 

43m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Not  Set 

1091 

Not  Set 

96  m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Not  Set 

i057 

Oct.  16/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

Not  Set 

1162 

Oct.  17/42 

59  m 

Aug.  22/42 

914 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Oct.  26/42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Dec.  18/42 

69m 

Feb.  13,43 

1 159 

1009 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Jan.  8/43 

62m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

Jan.  15/43 

108m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 1 14 

936 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Feb. 12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Not  Set 

983 

Feb.  11/43 

62  m 

Feb.  20/43 

1 169 

Jan.  15/43 

62m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1033 

Not  Set 

86m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 146 

Nov.  13/42 

88m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

936 

Feb.  26/43 

76m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

Sept.  25/42 

73  m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

898 

Not  Set 

1 162 

Not  Set 

1057 

797 

796 
1043 
726 


Data 
Page 


1082 


1 130 


174 


174 
174 


984 


71m 

Dec.  16/39 

1 158 

73m 

Oct.  3 1/42 

982 

796 

1082 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1 174 

00m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

i  ■  is 

64m 

797 

09m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

1 174 

00m 

Jan.  3/43 

1 102 

855 

1174 

67m 

Feb. 13/43 

1158 

1079 

74m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

871 

1082 

60m 

July  4/42 

914 

772 

55m 

Jan.  16/43 

iiii 

58  m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

18m 

Aug.  8/42 

927 

706 

1130 

84m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

77m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 125 

983 

1174 

Product  Digest  Section 


I  179 


MOTION!  PIOTIIRP 
ivi  kj  i  i  \j  in    n  o  i  u  i\  l 

LI  E  D  A  1  n 

Feb 

ruary 

1  pi  0 
1   7  T-  J 

r-  REVIEWED  s 

M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Prod. 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Data 

Title 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Taxi  Mister 

UA-Roach 

William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley 

Not  Set 

986 

Tennessee  Johnson 

MGM 

322 

Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

100  m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

946 

Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground 

Univ. 

7074 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 

Feb.  5,'43 

1018 

Texas  to  Bataan 

Mono. 

Range  Busters 

Oct.  I6,'42 

56m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars 

WB 

All  Warner  Contract  Players 

Not  Set 

1058 

That  Nazty  Nuisance 

UA-Roach 

William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer 

Not  Set 

1019 

That  Other  Woman 

20th-Fox 

318 

Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison 

Nov.  13/42 

75m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

936 

They  Got  Me  Covered 

RKO 

352 

Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour 

Feb.  5,'43 

96m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

872 

1  i74 

This  Land  Is  Mine 

RKO 

Charles  Laughton-Maureen  O'Hara 

Not  Set 

1 162 

Those  Kids  from  Town  (British)  Anglo 

Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill 

Not  Set 

75  m 

May  2/42 

633 

Three  Hearts  for  Julia 

MGM 

321 

Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

90m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

1009 

Thunder  Birds  (color) 

20th-Fox 

307 

John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney 

Nov.  20,'42 

78m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

796 

1130 

Thunder  Rock  (British)  Charter-Metro 

Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen 

Not  Set 

1  1  Im 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

Thundering  Trails 

Rep. 

263 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Jan.  25,'43 

56m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 159 

1115 

Time  to  Kill 

20th-Fox 

326 

Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel 

Jan.  22,'43 

61m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

995 

Tish 

MGM 

302 

Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

83m 

July  25/42 

938 

772 

1034 

•  Tombstone 

Para. 

4132 

Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford 

Block  7 

79m 

June  13/42 

714 

Tomorrow  We  Live 

PRC 

307 

Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortei 

Sept.  29/42 

64m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Tomorrow  We  Live  (British) 

Brit.  Lion 

John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle 

Not  Set 

85m 

Dec.  26/42 

1077 

Tornado  in  the  Saddle 

Col. 

42  i6 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Dec.  15/42 

59m 

1058 

Trail  Riders 

Mono. 

Range  Busters 

Dec  4/42 

55m 

1018 

Traitor  Within,  The 

Rep. 

207 

Don  Barry-Jean  Parker 

Dec.  16/42 

62m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

983 

i  174 

Truck  Busters 

WB 

213 

Richard  Travis-Ruth  Ford 

Feb.  6/43 

58m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

True  to  Life 

Para. 

Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone 

MOT  JCT 

1  <Y7° 

Two  Fisted  Justice 

Mono. 

Range  Busters 

Jan.  8/43 

61m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 127 

1031 

Two  Weeks  to  Live 

RKO 

Lum  'n'  Abner 

reD.  I  t,  f3 

/  □m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

UNCENSORED 

Eric  Portman-F.  Culley 

Not  Set 

100m 

Aug.  1/42 

809 

(British)  Gains.-Gen'l 

Undercover  Man 

UA 

William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 

Oct.  23/42 

68m 

May  9/42 

647 

Underground  Agent 

Col. 

4039 

Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 

Dec.  3/42 

68  m 

Feb.  6/43 

1148 

1009 

Undying  Monster,  The 

20th-Fox 

319 

James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 

Nov.  27/42 

60m 

(Jet.  1  /,  4z 

7/0 

936 

1082 

Unpublished  Story  (British) 

Col. 

Not  *ifit 
MOT  JS?T 

91m 

Apr.  1 1  ,'42 

598 

VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men 

Rep. 

262 

• 

1  nree  wescjuiteers 

1031 

Varsity  Show  (Reissue) 

WB 

215 

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring 

Dec.  19/42 

81m 

Ana  1 1  "37 

1043 

Vengeance  of  the  West 

Col. 

R;ll  Pll;^+t  T«»  p;u.„ 
dim  ciiioTT-iex  MTTer 

C _ _x     5  ill 
oept.  3X 

Aftm 

oum 

WAKE  Island 

Para. 

4205 

Brian  Donlevy-Robert  Preston 

Block  1 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

772 

1 130 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 

306 

Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold 

Sept.-Nov./42 

86m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

797 

1 174 

War  Dogs 

Mono. 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 

Nov.  13/42 

63  m 

Oct.  10/42 

946 

Watch  on  the  Rhine 

WB 

Bette  Davis-Paul  Lucas 

Not  Set 

986 

We  Are  the  Marines 

20th-Fox 

324 

Marine  Feature 

Jan.  8/43 

73m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat  l-Anglo 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen 

Not  Set 

93  m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 

Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney 

Not  Set 

92m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

We  Sail  at  Midnight 

(British)                          Crown  Film 

War  Documentary 

Not  Set 

27m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

West  of  the  Law 

Mono. 

Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 

Nov.  2/42 

55m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

We've  Never  Been  Licked 

Univ. 

Richard  Quine-Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

Not  Set 

1115 

When  Johnny  Comes  Marcr 

- 

ing  Home 

Univ. 

7016 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee 

Jan.  1/43 

74m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

1 130 

Whistling  in  Dixie 

MGM 

313 

Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford 

Dec.-Feb./43 

74m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

946 

1 174 

White  Cargo 

MGM 

310 

Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon 

Sept.-Nov./42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

871 

1 174 

White  Savage 

Univ. 

Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 

Not  Set 

1079 

Who  Done  It? 

Univ. 

7002 

Abbott  and  Costello 

Nov.  6/42 

75  m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

971 

1082 

Wildcat 

Para. 

4204 

Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge 

Block  1 

73  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)  RKO 

303 

Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Sept.  1 8/42 

94m 

May  2/42 

903 

1082 

(formerly  They  Flew  Alone) 

World  at  War 

WAC 

Documentary 

C.ni   is  '11 
Oepr.  1  O,  *rX 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

Wrecking  Crew 

Para. 

4212 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris 

Block  3 

73m 

Nov.   /,  4Z 

994 

986 

Wyoming  Hurricane 

Col. 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 

Not  Set 

1079 

X  MARKS  the  Spot 

Rep. 

204 

|j a rri i  a  n   fj  PI \in n - H a  1  n n    Pa rntn 

Nov.  4/42 

56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

YANK    at  Eton,  A 

MGM 

305 

Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

87m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

726 

1130 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy 

WB 

201 

James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 

Jan.  2/43 

126m 

June  6/42 

903 

674 

1082 

Yanks  Ahoy 

UA-Roach 

Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 

Not  Set 

1019 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The 

PRC 

301 

Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  9/42 

65m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

1130 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law 

Mono. 

Edward  Norris-Jean  Woodbury 

Feb.  12/43 

61m 

Jan.  30/43 

1 137 

108! 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever 

WB 

207 

George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 

Oct.  10/42 

77m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

898 

1034 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier 

Col. 

4002 

Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 

Nov.  19/42 

97m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

796 

1174 

Young  and  Willing 

UA 

William  Holden-Susan  Hayworth 

Feb.  5/43 

82m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 170 

663 

Youngest  Profession,  The 

MGM 

Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  &  Guests    Not  Set 

1081 

Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British) 

20th-Fox 

316 

Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 

Feb.  26/43 

103  m 

July  4/42 

914 

Youth  on  Parade 

Rep. 

203 

John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 

Oct.  24/42 

75m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 
in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1160. 


1180   Product  Digest  Section 


AVOID  TAX 
HEADACHES 


The  1942  Internal  Revenue  Act  makes  it  more 
necessary  than  ever  for  everybody  in  business 
to  keep  complete  and  accurate  records. 


The  new  Victory  Tax  is  an  added  accounting 
responsibility. 

No  matter  how  large  or  how  small  the  business 
is  the  U.  S.  Treasury  requires  complete  records 
of  Defense  Tax  collections,  of  payroll  expendi- 
tures, of  Victory  Tax  collections,  and  regular  re- 
ports on  income,  expenditures  and  profits. 


Theatre  Management  Record  and  Tax  Register 
provides  a  practical  and  simple  accounting 
system,  requires  no  bookkeeping  expense,  elimi- 
nates tax  headaches  and  avoids  ultimate  com- 
plications. 


Theatre  Management  Record  and  Tax  Register 
is  a  proven  accounting  system  for  motion  picture 
theatres  and  it  is  sold  with  a  money  back 
guarantee. 

We  are  prepared  to  supply  a  limited  number  of 
orders  without  delay. 


£  ^%   A  A       SEND    YOUR   CHECK  TOD  AY   TO  ^%   A  A 

*  /         QUIGLEY   BOOKSHOP   *  /— 

mmi  POSTPAW         Rockefeller  Center  New  York  Mm 


POSTPAID 


UNLIKE  THE  FAN  DANCER — 


THE  SMART  SHOWMAN 


COVERS  EVERYTHING! 


1 


Running  a  theatre  today,  with  hit-or  miss  or 
part-coverage  advertising,  is  about  as  safe  as  a  } 
Jap  army,  with  General  MacArthur  coming  up  on 

the  double-quick. 

The  smart  showman  —  now  as  always  —  runs  no  risks, 
takes  no  chances,  trusts  no  gamble,  plays  safe! 

He  is  not  misled  for  one  measly  minute  by  any  current 
war  prosperity.  Every  scurrying  second,  he  is  building  for 
the  future— with  advertising. 

And  trust  him  to  never  make  the  real  villain  of  the  film  — 
his  advertising.  He  lets  his  hair  down,  spits  on  his  hands, 
and  makes  doubly  dead  sure  that  his  ad  coverage  is  com- 
prehensive, conclusive,  complete.  Unlike  this  fan  dancer, 
he  puts  it  on  plenty  and  plus.  He  makes  like  a  tent. 

He  is  boning  up  on  Showmanship  continually,  and  goes 
cute,  cunning  and  clever,  for  his  showshop 
regularly,  with  a  most  elementary  rule 
that  has  never  laid  an  egg. 

HE  MAKES  ABSOLUTELY  DEAD  CERTAIN  THAT 
EVERY  SINGLE  SOUL  IN  TOWN  KNOWS  EX- 
ACTLY WHAT  HE'S  GOT  TO  SELL,  AND  PRE 
CISELY  WHEN  HE  WILL  SELL  IT! 

To  accomplish  this,  he  faithfully  utilizes  every 
advertising  possibility;  but  naturally— and 
of  course,  he  does  the  greatest  portion  of  it, 
on  the  most  economical  basis  offered  — 


this  is,  with 
STANDARD  ACCESSORIES, 
SPECIALTY  ACCESSORIES, 
TRAILERS,  all  by 


MOTION  PICTURE 

HERALD 


REVIEWS 

(In  Product  Digest) 

Frankenstein  Meets  the 
Wolf  Man 

The  Ape  Man 

The  Mysterious  Doctor 

It's  That  Man  Again 

City  Without  Men 

Riders  of  the 

Northwest  Mounted 

Boston  Blackie  Goes 
Hollywood 

LATE  REVIEW 

(In  News  Section) 

The  Human  Comedy 


OP 


WAR  and  POLICY 

Hollywood  hears  about  how  to  produce  for 
England;  British  offer  information,  while  OWI  has  advice  on 
what  to  say  and  what  not;  also  Producers  agree  with  Mellett  on 
studio  relations  plan  —  Editorial  on  "Prescriptions". 

FUN  DOMINANT 

Study  of  the  Hollywood  backlog  of  pictures  made 
and  in  the  making  finds  twice  as  much  Comedy  and  Music  as 
war  in  the  entertainment  output  for  the  period  ahead. 

TELEVISION  PROMISES 

Radio  and  film  interests  looking  for  post-war 
boom  in  broadcast  pictures,  encouraged  by  developments  held 
in  laboratory  for  duration. 


VOL  150,  NO.  9 


FEBRUARY  27,  1943 


Entered  as  second-class  matter,  January  12,  1931,  at  the  Post  Office,  at 
U.S.A.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879.  Published  weekly  by  QuigUy  Pu 
at  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York.  Subscription  prices:  $ 
Americas,  $10.00  a  year  Foreign.  Single  copy,  25  cents.  All  contents  < 
Quigley  Publishing  Company. 


The  Terrific  Twelve!" 


A  Timely 
Review  of 
M^&M's 

First  Two  Groups 
of  the  Season! 

BOX-OFFICE 

"SOMEWHERE  I'LL  FIND  YOU":  Clark  Gable,  Lana  Turner.  It  started  M-G-M's  1942-43  season  with  a  rush  to  the 

box-office  that  has  never  let  up! 
"PANAMA  HATTIE":  Red  Skelton,  Ann  Sothern  and  a  host  of  headline  entertainers  in  the  kind  of  money  show  that 

fits  the  times  like  a  silk  glove. 

"TISH":  Mary  Roberts  Rinehart's  beloved  character  played  by  Marjorie  Main,  a  heart-warming  joy  to  folks  from 
Coast  to  Coast. 

"A  YANK  AT  ETON":  Mickey  Rooney  with  a  screenful  of  howls.  A  let-down-your-hair  comedy  for  the  grateful  paying 

public. 

"CAIRO":  Jeanette  MacDonald,  Robert  Young.  Novelty  of  comedy,  wealth  of  song  and  talent  give  it  surefire  audience 
satisfaction. 

"SEVEN  SWEETHEARTS":  Kathryn  Grayson,  Van  Heflin,  Marsha  Hunt.  Delightful  entertainment,  gorgeous  singing, 
romance  for  the  fans. 

"THE  WAR  AGAINST  MRS.  HADLEY":  Edward  Arnold,  Fay  Bainter,  Richard  Ney.  Provocative  human  drama  of  an 
American  Mrs.  Miniver. 

"FOR  ME  AND  MY  GAL":  Judy  Garland,  George  Murphy,  Gene  Kelly.  One  of  the  greatest  musicals  the  screen  has 

ever  known. 

"APACHE  TRAIL":  A  big  scale  Western  in  the  M-G-M  manner  with  Lloyd  Nolan,  Bill  Lundigan  and  the  famed  Starlets 

Ann  Ayars,  Donna  Reed. 

"WHITE  CARGO":  Hedy  Lamarr,  Walter  Pidgeon.  When  she  says  "I  am  Tondelayo"  it  sends  the  box-office  thermometer 

to  happy  highs! 

"OMAHA  TRAIL":  James  Craig  is  the  new  "he-man"  featured  by  the  fan  magazines  and  the  reason  is  obvious  from  this 
Western  thrill  picture. 

"EYES  IN  THE  NIGHT":  Edward  Arnold,  Ann  Harding.  As  absorbing  a  detective  story  as  this  season  has  yielded  for  the 

fans  who  crave  suspense! 


The  Ten  Strike! 


Heaven*sent 
by  the  Random 
Harvest  Company! 

STRONG  FORCE! 

"STAND  BY  FOR  ACTION":  Robert  Taylor,  Charles  Laughton,  Brian  Donlevy.  It's  the  Big  Guns  of  Entertainment 
booming  at  box-offices  everywhere. 

"ANDY  HARDY'S  DOUBLE  LIFE":  Lewis  Stone,  Mickey  Rooney  and  the  beloved  family.  Business  sensationally  close  to 
"Babes  on  Broadway."  One  of  the  series'  best! 

"WHISTLING  IN  DIXIE":  Red  Skelton  convulsing  a  nation  with  the  kind  of  show  worth  a  fortune  for  war-time  relaxation. 

"REUNION  IN  FRANCE":  Joan  Crawford,  John  Wayne,  Philip  Dorn.  Folks  pay  for  a  timely  story  absorbingly  told!  This 
is  it.  Powerful  romance  of  the  French  underground  movement. 

"JOURNEY  FOR  MARGARET":  Robert  Young,  Laraine  Day,  'Margaret'  O'Brien  (new  child  star).  Stirring  film  picked 
in  Year's  10  Best  by  N.  Y.  Times. 

"NORTHWEST  RANGERS":  James  Craig  (new  fan  idol),  Bill  Lundigan,  Patricia  Dane.  Outdoor  action  with  the  ever- 
popular  Mounties! 

"KEEPER  OF  THE  FLAME":  Spencer  Tracy,  Katharine  Hepburn.  As  predicted  the  b.o.  blaze  they  kindled  in  "Woman 
of  the  Year"  is  raging  now! 

"DR.  GILLESPIE'S  NEW  ASSISTANT":  Lionel  Barrymore.  "The  case  of  the  runaway  bride"  is  proving  one  of  the  most 
absorbing  of  the  series. 

"TENNESSEE  JOHNSON":  Van  Heflin,  Barrymore,  Ruth  Hussey.  "A  natural"  says  Time  Mag.  Gets  highest  praise 
from  N.  Y.  critics  in  Astor  Theatre  World  Premiere. 

"THREE  HEARTS  FOR  JULIA":  Ann  Sothern,  Melvyn  Douglas.  Featuring  the  screen's  first  all-girl  orchestra.  Trade 
press  hails  a  swell  comedy  romance. 

STEADY  PERFORM ANCE-AND  FRIENDLY! 

Enlist  Your  Theatre — Join  Red  Cross  Drive — Week  April  1-7! 


The  business  being 
done  by  "Air  Force"  at 


the  N.Y.  Hollywood 
shows  once  again 
that  there  is  only 


one  company  to 
topWarners-and 
that  company  is 
Warners  itself! 


RUSH  PLEDGE  FOR  RED  CROSS  WEEKI 


Jack  L.  Warner,  Executive  Producer 


"Hi 


Join  //ie  industry's  March  of  Dimes  Drive . . .  Feb.  1 8  fo  Feb.  24 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


MARTIN  QUIGLEY 

COLVIN  BROWN,  Publisher  President  end  Editor-in-Chief  TERRY  RAMSAYE,  Editor 


Vo!.   150,  No.  9  KKU  February  27,  1943 


PRESCRIPTIONS 

MOTION  picture  adjustments  to  the  war  are  now  go- 
ing into  a  new  phase  of  intensified  applications  of 
control  and  guidance  from  government.  They  have 
been  hinted  and  indicated  before.  They  are  more 
emphatic  now. 

Most  immediately  obvious  are  pressures  to  make  the  pic- 
tures tell  the  story  of  America  that  the  war  administration 
would  have  told  abroad  to  our  Allies.  The  aim  is  to  picture 
this  as  a  land  of  modest,  frugal,  sacrificing,  heroic  people. 

In  its  fashion  that  is  what  the  Office  of  War  Information 
requires  for  war  purposes. 

That  may  not  be  exactly  the  course  of  showmanship.  Drama 
is  had  more  generally  out  of  the  spectacular,  the  divergences 
from  the  norm.  The  good  people  do  not  make  stories  of  much 
challenge  very  often.  It  will  be  a  problem. 

But  the  indications  are  that  Production  will  be  trying  its 
best  to  do  just  that,  anyway. 

The  Office  of  War  Information  has  been  issuing  more  sug- 
gestions. 

Hollywood  has  the  skills  to  fill  any  prescription. 

In  the  present  state  of  the  nation  the  only  direct  Federal 
compulsion  back  of  this  program  is  the  fact  that  pictures  which, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Office  of  Censorship,  do  not  conform 
can  and  presumably  will  be  refused  export  licenses. 

MEANWHILE  all  current  indications  are  that  the  motion 
picture  will  be  enjoying  for  at  least  a  while  about  as 
much  access  to  materials  of  all  sorts,  from  production 
to  exhibition,  as  now. 

Evidences  of  a  specially  encouraging  nature  are  afforded 
in  the  press  reports  of  Sunday  last  on  preliminary  estimates 
presented  by  the  office  of  Civilian  Supply  of  the  War  Pro- 
duction Board  to  Mr.  James  P.  Byrnes,  Director  of  Economic 
Stabilization,  to  show  just  how  far  down  cuts  in  civilian  goods 
might  go  in  the  last  extremes  of  total  war. 

Out  of  Washington  came  interpretations  of  the  document 
which  included  the  impression  that  baseball  and  football  in 
such  case  would  be  cut  fifty  per  cent,  but  that  the  motion 
picture  would  be  relatively  unaffected. 

Incidentally,  and  curiously,  tobacco  all  the  way  from  cigar- 
ettes to  snuff,  was  reduced  to  85  per  cent  of  1941  and  hard 
likker  went  down  to  the  medical  requirements,  rated  at  one 
per  cent.  Some  will  differ. 

The  motion  picture  can  expect  to  enjoy  this  posi- 
tion primarily  because  it  can,  and  does,  serve  the 
many  with  much  at  low  unit  cost.  This  just  could 
have  a  relevancy  to  the  matter  of  admission  prices, 
which  just  now  seem  to  be  on  the  rise  along  with  the 
general  inflation. 

Further,  and  plainly,  it  may  be  taken  as  indicated  that  the 
motion  picture  will  be  enjoying  this  position  somewhat  in  the 


same  terms  as  it  is  useful  to  the  over-all  purposes  of  an  ad- 
ministration which  takes  its  warrant  for  everything  out  of  the 
great  crisis  of  war. 

Just  now  that  anti-trust  suit  of  the  government,  aimed  at 
over-all  control  and  including  such  considerations  as  the  ques- 
tion of  divorcement  of  production-distribution  from  exhibition, 
the  talent  pool,  and  assorted  trade  practises  is  sleeping  under 
the  blanket  of  the  Consent  Decree  and  certain  tacit  con- 
tinuances of  it.  There  is  also  the  fact  that  Mr.  Thurman  Arnold, 
the  special  assistant  attorney  general,  so  much  concerned  with 
that  action,  has  been  promoted  out  and  into  a  judgeship. 
How  much  of  the  anti-trust  program,  for  this  and  other  in- 
dustries, was  Arnold  and  how  much  the  Administration,  re- 
mains to  be  revealed — but  potentialities  remain.  There  is 
that  about  the  situation  which  depends  on  the  question  of 
how  much  the  nation  and  industry  are  to  be  ruled  by  enacted 
law  and  how  much  by  directives,  or  even  indirect  directives. 
Our  tradition  is  for  rule  by  law. 

AT  this  time  the  representations  of  "suggestion,"  and  con- 
/  \  trol  by  suggestion,  of  the  motion  picture  and  its  content 
/ \  purport  to  be  entirely  about  the  war  and  what  our  screen 
says  about  us  outside  of  our  borders.  There  is  some  of  it  that 
would  seem  to  have  not  a  little  to  do  with  what  goes  on  inside 
our  borders. 

Just  for  instance,  we  find  Mr.  Fred  Stanley  from  Hollywood 
reporting  in  the  New  York  Times  that  due  to  suggestions 
from  the  OWI  "pictures  now  being  written  or  before  the 
cameras  will  show  more  service  stars  in  the  windows  ...  in 
street  backgrounds  more  Negro  soldiers,  and  occasionally  a 
Negro  officer  will  pass  by  .  .  .  more  women  in  uniform  w:l! 
be  spotted  in  crowds  .  .  .  walls  will  show  more  war  posTers, 
rationing  notices.  ..." 

Some  part  of  that  may  be  realism,  or  it  may  be 
pertaining  to  the  internal  life  and  problems  of  these 
States,  rather  than  to  the  war. 

In  this  current  state  of  war  the  Government,  with  war  as 
its  proper  principal  concern,  may  properly  decide  about  any- 
thing and  everything  that  goes  to  war  and  war  countries,  in- 
cluding the  motion  picture. 

That  is  all  that  it  now  professes  to  do.  That  is  proper,  too. 

Meanwhile  one  is  to  remember  that  for  a  long  time,  and 
to  little  benefit  to  the  art  and  industry,  there  were  large  in- 
fluences of  the  foreign  market  and  what  might  be  called  "con- 
tinental standards"  on  the  temper,  tempo  and  mores  of  the 
American  motion  picture  output.  It  was  ultimately  discovered 
that  the  industry  could  prosper  on  its  domestic  market  mak- 
ing pictures  for  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

Now  again,  that  foreign  market,  war  made  and  war  ruled, 
is  to  ordain  what  the  home  customers  may  see.  For  the  war, 
very  well,  but  for  the  peace — that  is  another  set  of  questions. 

But  after  all  the  customers  will  decide  what  they  will  pay  to 
see  on  the  theatre  screen. 

— Terry  Ramsaye 


8 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


THIS  WEEK  IN  THE  NEWS 


'Rifled  Propaganda 9 

REVISION  of  the  overseas  division  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information  into  seven  re- 
gional sections,  announced  this  week,  will 
not  affect  the  work  of  the  motion  picture 
unit,  headed  by  Robert  Riskin.  A  spokes- 
man said  that  the  planned  production  of 
propaganda  films  for  all  sections  of  the 
world  would  continue  uninterrupted. 

The  regional  plan  announced  this  week 
ended  reports  that  Robert  Sherwood,  direc- 
tor of  the  overseas  division,  was  resigning. 
On  the  contrary,  the  regionalized  adminis- 
tration, under  the  direction  of  specialists 
familiar  with  each  territory,  is  expected  to 
aim  OWI  propaganda  "with  a  rifle  rather 
than  a  shotgun  at  definite  overseas  targets." 

Films,  both  Hollywood  and  non-theatrical, 
remain  an  important  part  of  O WI's  plans, 
officials  said.  Russia,  North  Africa  and 
many  other  areas  are  getting  entertainment 
films  through  OWI.  Spokesmen  cited  the 
appeal  to  the  Russian  sense  of  humor  of 
"Ninotchka."  In  North  Africa  OWI  agents 
have  released  films  dating  from  1937  which 
had  been  impounded  by  Vichy  officials. 
Britain  particularly  is  said  to  desire  educa- 
tion reels  on  American  life  and  industry. 

At  least  26  "outpost"  offices  have  been 
established  to  handle  OWI  films,  radio  and 
news.  They  include  Reykjavik,  Stockholm, 
London,  Dublin,  Berne,  Madrid,  Algiers, 
Oran,  Casablanca,  Accra,  Lagos,  Brazza- 
ville, Asmara,  Beirut,  Cairo,  Ankara,  Te- 
heran, Karachi,  Bombay,  Calcutta,  Delhi, 
Johannesburg,  Chungking,  Honolulu,  Can- 
berra and  Anchorage. 


Business  Down 

THE  bottom  is  dropping  out  of  Joseph 
Emashowsky's  business.  His  theatre,  the 
Larksville,  in  Larksville,  Pennsylvania,  in 
the  anthracite  coal  section,  dropped  almost 
four  feet  when  mining  tunnels  under  the 
town  subsided.  Fissures  ran  down  the  sides 
of  the  house  and  a  wide  gap  appeared 
in  its  roof.  It  is  expected  to  drop  further. 
In  partnership  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Emashow- 
sky  built  the  theatre  in  1940,  at  a  cost  of 
$20,000.  The  theatre  is  closed,  but  Mr. 
Emashowsky  continues  to  live  in  a  house  at 
its  rear. 


"Common  Man" 

"RECENTLY  one  of  our  young  sages  of 
Washington  announced  the  advent  of  'the 
century  of  the  common  man,'  but  we  of  the 
motion  picture  have  already  been  three  de- 
cades into  that  century,"  Terry  Ramsaye, 
editor  of  the  Herald,  observed  in  a  speech 
before  the  Grolier  Club  and  a  gathering  of 
scholars  and  bibliophiles  last  Thursday,  in 
New  York. 

"The  motion  picture  is  the  art  of  the 
common  man,  built  for  him  and  by  him  and 
his  patronage,  controlled  entirely  by  his 
wishes,  starting  at  the  bottom  with  the  poly- 


NEW    releases   show    reduction    in  war 
themes  Page  13 

ON  THE  MARCH  — Red  Kann  discusses 
Hollywood  conclave  Page  18 

TELL  Hollywood  how  to  produce  films  for 
England  Page  21 

R.  J.  O'DONNELL  elected  Variety  Club 
chief  barker  Page  22 

TRADE  plans  for  post-war  boom  in  tele- 
vision Page  23 

ARBITRATOR  finds  price  and  run  offer 
reasonable  Page  26 


glottic  labor  elements  with  the  nickelodeon 
of  1905  and  arriving  at  the  majesty  of  the 
Music  Hall  and  such  great  pictures  as  the 
'Random  Harvest'  of  today,  for  the  whole 
people  and  all  classes. 

"The  motion  picture  is  much  more  a 
revelation  of  the  common  man  and  his 
wishes  than  it  is  an  influence  upon  him. 

"Despite  the  fact  that  all  manner  of  pres- 
sure groups  and  all  manner  of  social  and 
political  movements  are  trying  to  influence 
the  screen  in  the  hope  of  pushing  the  people 
around,  nothing  much  happens.  One  would 
assume  from  all  that  is  being  said  and  tried 
that  the  people  of  the  United  States  would 
be  a  'push-over'  for  anything  in  seven  reels. 
Experience  indicates  that  that  is  not  pre- 
cisely the  case. 

"The  motion  picture  still  belongs  to  the 
customers,  and  in  their  slow,  irresistibly 
glacial  manner,  they  will  run  it." 


No  Glare,  Please 

THE  newsreel  companies,  which  enter 
Congress  approximately  three  or  four  times 
a  year  to  film  special  events,  hurt  the  eyes 
of  Madame  Chiang  Kai-Shek  last  week, 
when  the  first  lady  of  China  addressed  the 
House.  And  they  may  have  hurt  their 
standing. 

The  glare  of  the  floodlights  annoyed  her, 
and  she  asked  that  they  be  turned  off  before 
she  read  her  speech.  There  ensued  some 
conferring,  and  the  newsreel  crews  com- 
plied. They  filmed  the  event  with  conse- 
quent underexposure. 

The  occurrence  was  reported  to  have  also 
annoyed  some  Congressmen  who  want  news- 
reel  photographers  excluded  hereafter. 


WOULD  tax  visitors  to  broadcasting  pro- 
grams 10  cents  Page  28 

LEADERS  reiterate  faith  in  industry  Produc- 
tion Code  Page  29 

CANADA  planning  Sunday  films  for  armed 
forces  Page  32 

BRITISH  exhibitors  fighting  Sunday  restric- 
tions Page  35 

MEXICO  approves  charter  for  new  indus- 
try chamber  Page  38 

BOX  OFFICE  Champions  for  the  month  of 
January  Page  43 


Cuts  in  Britain 

BRITISH  raw  stock  cuts  approached  actu- 
ality this  week,  after  talks  among  exhibitors 
and  distributors  last  week  and  formulation 
of  a  plan  to  be  given  the  British  Board  of 
Trade,  which  has  pointed  out  the  necessity 
for  conservation. 

The  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Associa- 
tion last  week  approved  reduction  of  news- 
reel  footage  and  the  pooling  of  prints.  Ob- 
servers believe  the  idea  will  be  adopted,  if 
not  voluntarily,  then  legislatively.  The  first 
device,  it  is  said,  will  save  at  least  12^4  per 
cent  of  the  current  footage. 

Seen  likely,  too,  are  alterations  in  the  dis- 
tribution system,  meaning  a  reduction  in  the 
amount  of  positive  stock  allowed  distribu- 
tors, and  a  reduction  in  playing  time. 

Representatives  of  the  Kinematograph 
Renters  Society  (the  distributors)  met 
Tuesday  with  the  Board,  and  were  to  meet 
later  with  those  of  the  CEA  and  the  news- 
reels. 

At  the  Tuesday  meeting,  the  KRS  and  the 
Board  agreed  on  machinery  for  allocating 

raw  stock  when  the  expected  reductions  are 
imposed. 


Bank  Nile  Daily 

THE  DX  Crystal  Corporation,  Chicago, 
borrowing,  it  says,  from  theatres,  estimates 
it  has  increased  war  production  25  per  cent, 
by  using  the  Bank  Nite  idea.  According  to 
the  United  Press,  the  firm  holds  drawings 
daily,  from  a  fishbowl  containing  employees' 
payroll  numbers.  Winners  receive  $25  War 
Bonds — but  only  if  their  attendance  the 
preceding  week  has  been  100  per  cent. 


SERVICE  DEPARTMENTS 

Hollywood  Scene  Page  40    In  Product  Digest  Section 

Managers'  Round  Table  Page  49        Showmen's  Reviews  Page  1181 

Obituaries  Page  48        Advance  Synopses  Page  1182 

What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me        Page  45        The  Release  Chart  Page  I  183 


February    2  7,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


? 


Colonel  Whitney  Now 

A  PROMOTION  for  John  Hay  Whitney 
to  director  of  the  public  relations  section  for 
the  Army's  8th  Air  Force  Command  in  Lon- 
don was  reported  this  week  by  the  United 
Press.  The  socially  prominent  sportsman 
and  motion  picture  financier  is  now  a  lieu- 
tenant colonel.  Last  June  Mr.  Whitney  re- 
signed from  the  direction  of  the  motion 
picture  division  of  the  Coordinator  of  Inter- 
American  Affairs  to  enter  the  Air  Force, 
intelligence  branch,  with  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain. Now  38,  Colonel  Whitney  formerly 
headed  Pioneer  Pictures,  was  board  chair- 
man of  Selznick  International,  and  an  active 
stockholder  in  Technicolor.  He  is  president 
of  the  Museum  of  Modern  Art,  New  York. 

In  Congress  Tuesday  Colonel  Whitney's 
qualifications  were  challenged  before  the 
House  Military  Affairs  Committee.  Repre- 
sentative J.  Parnell  Thomas  of  New  Jersey 
asked  the  War  Department  to  explain  why 
he  had  been  selected  for  the  London  public 
relations  post. 


No  Accessory  Ceiling 

RENTAL  of  advertising  accessories  to  mo- 
tion picture  theatres  does  not  come  under 
Office  of  Price  Administration  price  control, 
according  to  a  digest  of  OPA  interpretations 
issued  last  week. 

"Prices  charged  for  the  rental  of  adver- 
tising matter  (such  as  display  cards,  pho- 
tographs and  stills  of  moving  pictures) 
which  is  used  in  connection  with  the  com- 
mercial showing  of  motion  pictures,  are  not 
subject  to  price  control  because  the  services 
come  within  the  exceptions  for  'advertising 
agencies'  and  'window  display  service'  in 
paragraphs  (3)  and  (100)  of  Revised  Sup- 
plementary Regulations  No.  11,  September 
19,  1942,"'  the  OPA  said. 


Publicists  Protest 

FROM  Charles  Cohen  (Bryant  9-7800) 
which,  incidentally,  is  the  telephone  number 
in  New  York  City  of  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er,  comes  a  publicity  release  of  the  Screen 
Publicists  Guild  of  New  York  which  pro- 
tests the  proposed  release  by  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury-Fox of  a  picture  based  on  the  life  of 
Capt.   Eddie  Rickenbacker. 

The  Screen  Publicists,  it  appears,  disap- 
prove of  certain  public  utterances  of  Capt. 
Rickenbacker  and  thereupon  proceed  to  a 
campaign  in  protest  against  the  release  by 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  of  the  picture, 
meanwhile  addressing  a  letter  to  Wendell 
Willkie,  chairman  of  the  company's  board, 
soliciting  his  cooperation. 

The  incident  is  regarded  as  a  somewhat 
unique  contribution  to  the  current  scene,  in- 
volving as  it  does  an  effort  on  the  part  of 


In  this  issue 

ON  THE  MARCH 
by  RED  KANN 

Report  and  comment  on 
that  Hollywood  conclave 
of  executives,  East  and 
West,  with  discussion  of  the 
problems  in  hand  and  ahead. 
On  page  18. 


persons  engaged  in  publicizing  motion  pic- 
tures to  discipline  Capt.  Rickenbacker  for 
his  exercise  of  free  speech  by  seeking  to 
prevent  the  release  of  a  film  depicting  the 
contributions  to  the  American  cause  by  a 
hero  of  two  world  wars. 


No  Records 

BECAUSE  it  represents  a  "startling  new 
kind  of  social  philosophy,"  James  Caesar 
Petrillo's  offer  to  end  his  recording  ban  by 
settlement  was  refused  Tuesday  in  New 
York  by  recording  and  transcription  com- 
panies. 

The  proposed  settlement,  by  the  Ameri- 
can Federation  of  Musicians,  of  which  Mr. 
Petrillo  is  president,  provided,  in  essence, 
that  the  companies  pay  a  fee  on  each  disk 
sold,  and  that  the  money  go  into  a  union 
fund  to  aid  its  needy. 

"Certainly  membership  in  a  union  should 
not  entitle  a  member  to  special  privileges 
from  an  industry  which  does  not  employ 
him,  but  happens  to  employ  some  of  his  fel- 
low members,"  the  companies  wrote  Mr. 
Petrillo. 


Interest  in  Britain 

AMERICAN  news  is  being  served  up  in 
London  newspapers  today  in  four  times  the 
volume  of  four  years  ago.  Motion  picture 
news  and  feature  articles  especially  are 
heavily  on  the  increase  and  in  some  recent 
instances  news  from  the  U.  S.  occupied  half 
the  available  space  in  such  large  newspapers 
as  the  London  Daily  Telegraph.  This  is 
the  word  given  out  by  the  Office  of  War 
Information,  which  concludes :  "Interest  still 
ranges  from  movie  stars  to  steel  produc- 
tion." Conspicuous  users  of  American 
news  are  the  mighty  London  Times  (the 
Thunderer),  the  Daily  Express,  the  Daily 
Mail  and  the  News  Chronicle. 


The  Bir dwell  Soars 

MUCH  has  been  heard  within  the  week  in 
the  public  prints  concerning  the  San  Fran- 
cisco presentation  of  Howard  Hughes' 
maverick  motion  picture  entitled  "The  Out- 
law," together  with  much  animated  accent 
on  protest  against  its  considerable  sex  con- 
tent— all  of  the  same  being  under  the  pub- 
licity promotions  of  Russell  Birdwell,  of  Hol- 
lywood and  New  York.  Wednesday  Mo- 
tion Picture  Herald's  San  Francisco  cor- 
respondent advised: 

'Acting  on  complaints  of  women's  clubs, 
churches  and  parent-teacher  groups,  the 
police  and  the  district  attorney  prepared 
warrants  for  the  arrest  of  Russell  Birdwell 
and  representatives  of  the  firm  which  posted 
outdoor  advertising  for  'The  Outlaw.'  Be- 
fore warrants  were  issued  a  hearing  was 
held  before  a  municipal  judge  at  which  time 
the  bill  posters  agreed  to  remove  outdoor 
signs  starting  Wednesday.  The  judge 
warned  that  failure  to  remove  the  signs 
would  result  in  arrest  and  jail  sentences 
and  not  fines.  The  objections  to  the  posters 
are  said  to  be  based  not  on  the  Russell  allure 
so  much  as  obscene  scribbling  and  embellish- 
ment by  neighborhood  kids." 

In  view  of  this  report  eastern  editors 
were  expecting  airmail  pictures  of  the  taking 
down  of  the  posters  from  Mr.  Birdwell. 
His  canny  sacrifice  of  the  entirely  local 
posters  had  already  netted  him  nation  wide 
attention  in  the  press,  with  illustrations. 
The  frame  was  complete  with  picture — and 
the  press  was  titillated,  again. 


Momand  Trial  Ends 

THE  12-year-old  A.  B.  Momand  anti-trust 
suit,  six  and  one-half  weeks  in  trial,  ended 
Tuesday  in  Oklahoma  City  Federal  court. 
Presiding  Judge  Bower  Broaddus  indicated 
last  week  he  would  not  issue  a  decision  be- 
fore the  autumn.  However,  he  asked  at- 
torneys to  file  findings  of  fact  within  30 
days. 

Mr.  Momand's  attorney,  George  Ryan, 
concluded  his  arguments  Tuesday.  Last 
witnesses,  Monday,  were  Joseph  Cooper,  as- 
sociated with  Paramount,  and  Patrick  Mc- 
Gee,  with  Mr.  Cooper  in  theatre  operation. 
They  denied  statements  attributed  to  them 
by  Mr.  Momand  in  earlier  direct  testimony 
against  the  major  distributors  and  the  Grif- 
fifth  circuit,  which  he  sued  for  approximatelv 
55,000,000  in  damages. 

During  the  trial  Mr.  Momand  charged 
that,  in  his  estimation,  he  had  been  forced 
from  business  in  Shawnee  and  Seminole, 
Okla.,  by  conspiracy  among  the  defendants 
to  deprive  him  of  all  but  inferior  pictures, 
and  by  refusal  of  distributor  officials  to 
heed  his  appeals.  The  Pathe,  Educational, 
Columbia  and  First  National  companies 
were  dismissed  as  defendants. 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  published  every  Saturday  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address  "Ouigpubco, 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Terry  Ramsaye,  Editor;  James  D.  ivers,  News  Editor;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South 
Michigan  Avenue.  Oscar  Lundy,  correspondent;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Building,  William  R.  Weaver,  editor;  Toronto  Bureau,  242  Millwood  Road,  Toronto,  Ontario, 
Canada,  W.  M.  Gladish,  correspondent;  Montreal  Bureau,  265  Vitre  St.,  West,  Montreal,  Canada,  Pat  Donovan,  correspondent;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Square.  London  W  I, 
Hope  Williams  Burnup,  manager;  Aubrey  Flanagan,  editor;  cable  Quigpubco  London;  Melbourne  Bureou,  The  Regent  Theatre,  191  Collins  St.,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Cliff  Holt, 
correspondent;  Sydney  Bureau,  17  Archbold  Rd.,  Roseville,  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Australia,  Lin  Endean,  correspondent;  Mexico  City  Bureau,  Dr.  Carrnona  y  Valle  6,  Mexico  City, 
Luis  Becerra  Celis,  correspondent;  Buenos  Aires  Bureau,  J.  E.  Uriburi  126,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  Natalio  Bruski,  correspondent;  Rio  de  Janeiro  Bureau,  Caixa  Postal  1090, 
Rio  de  Janeiro  Brazil,  Alfredo  C.  Machado,  correspondent;  Montevideo  Bureau,  P.  O.  Box  664,  Montevideo,  Uruguay,  Paul  Bodo,  correspondent;  cable  Argus  Montevideo. 
Member  Audit  Bureau  'of  Circulations.  All  contents  copyright  1943  by  Ouigley  Publishing  Company.  Address  all  correspondence  to  the  New  York  Office.  Other  Quigley  Publica- 
tions: Better  Theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  and  Fame. 


10 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


THIS  WEEK 


the  Camera  observes: 


A  WELCOME  TO  RED  KANN, 
newly  in  Hollywood  as  vice- 
president  of  Quigley  Publish- 
ing Company,  by  the  Society  of 
Independent  Motion  Picture 
Producers,  with  a  party  at 
Lyman's  Cafe,  last  week.  In 
this  intimate  corner,  seated, 
are:  Sol  Lesser,  Walter 
Wanger,  Mr.  Kann,  Martin 
Quigley,  William  Cagney  and 
Loyd  Wright,  president  of  the 
society.  Standing,  also  left 
to  right:  Pat  Millikan,  attorney, 
and  John  C.  Flinn,  secretary. 


TESTIMONIAL  luncheon  at  the  Astor  Hotel,  New  York,  Tuesday,  to  the 
Skouras  circuit's  war  service  brought  750  members  of  the  American  Women's 
Voluntary  Services,  their  leaders,  and  guest  speakers,  among  them 
Richard  C.  Patterson,  New  York  State  Chairman  of  the  Treasury  War  Savings  Staff. 
Above,  at  the  dais,  are  Mrs.  Thomas  Durrell,  George  Skouras,  head  of  the  circuit, 
Mrs.  Courtland  Barnes,  Professor  Michael  Doritzas. 


February    27,    I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


By  Staff  Photographer 

SOUTH  AFRICANS  attend 
theatres  more  than  ever  in 
wartime,  even  as  Americans, 
and  their  tastes  are  similar, 
reports  Otto  Bolle,  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  managing 
director  there,  this  week 
returned  to  the  New  York 
home  office  after  two  years. 


HONOR  is  paid  to  J.  J.  Maloney,  former  MSM  Pittsburgh  district  manager  elevated  to 
central  sales  managership;  John  P.  Byrne,  who  succeeded  him,  and  J.  E.  Flynn.  The  luncheon 
was  at  the  Statler  Hotel,  Detroit,  and  above,  in  left  to  right  reading,  are  W.  A.  Slee,  MGM; 
John  Morgan,  MGM;  Sam  Barrett,  Cooperative  Theatres;  Al  Dozer,  general  manager,  Mutual 
Theatres;  Bob  Mish,  Butterfield  Theatres;  Jack  Kull,  Butterfield  Theatres;  J.  J.  Maloney,  MGM; 
Ray  Branch,  president,  Allied  Theatres,  Michigan;  Charles  Komer;  Gil  Becker,  MGM; 
F.  J.  Downey,  MGM,  Detroit;  C.  E.  Buermele,  General  Theatres;  Earl  J.  Hudson,  president, 
United  Detroit  Theatres;  John  Balaban,  B.  &  K.,  Chicago;  J.  E.  Flynn,  MGM;  Lew  Wisper; 
Jack  Keegan;  H.  F.  Reeves;  Charles  Snyder,   Detroit  police  censor;  John  P.  Byrne;  James 
Sharkey,  general  manager,  Cooperative  Theatres. 


By  Staff  Photograpl 


COLUMBIA  BRANCH  MAN- 
AGERS and  home  office  sales 
executives  at  New  York-Eastern 
meeting:  Joe  Miller,  Albany; 
I.  H.  Rogovin,  Boston;  Phil 
Fox,  Buffalo;  Tim  O'Toole, 
New  Haven;  A.  Montague, 
sales  manager;  Louis  Weinberg, 
circuit  sales;  Harry  Weiner, 
Philadelphia;  Nat  Cohn, 
New  York  division;  Louis 
Astor,  circuit  sales. 


PREPARING  for  the  evening 
show  in  New  Guinea.  The 
thatching  over  the  screen  pro- 
tects it  from  the  inevitable 
rain,  which  the  audiences 
disregard. 


THE  GREMLINS  and  Walt  Disney 
who  will  animate  them  in  a  new 
feature,  "The  Gremlins  of  the  R.A.F. 


12 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February    2  7,  1943 


CHIEFS  in  CONCLAVE 


When  the  executive  sessions  of  the  great  array 
of  East  and  West  executives,  assembled  in  Holly- 
wood to  consider  wartime  problems,  ended,  they 
went  to  dinner  and  elected  for  rendezvous  the  sedately  elegant  Perrino's  restaurant,  way  off  on  Wilshire 
Boulevard  in  Los  Angeles,  well  apart  from  the  bright  lights  of  Hollywood.  Rarely  are  so  many  executive 
personages  of  the  two  coasts  found  so  assem  bled. 


Above,  Harry  Warner,  Wiil  H.  Hays, 
Y.  Frank  Freeman,  Lowell  Mellett, 
director  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information  motion  picture  section; 
Louis  B.  Mayer  and  Barney  Balaban. 


Mark  Sandrich  tells  it  to  Major 
George  Stevens,  Spyros  Skouras  and 
Mabel  Walker  Willebrandt. 


Left,  Joseph  Hazen,  Charles  Koerner, 
Peter  Rathvon,  Nate  Blumberg 
and  Jack  L.  Warner. 


Maurice  Benjamin,  Clifford  Work  and 
Walter  Wanger. 


William  Soetz,  Nelson  Poynter, 
Harry  Cohn,  B.  B.  Kahane,  at  left. 


February    2  7,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


3 


NEW  PRODUCT  BACKLOG: 
34  WAR,  34  COMEDY, 
27  MUSICALS 


by  VANCE  KING 

m  Hollywood 

There  are  almost  twice  as  many  comedies 
and  musicals  combined  as  pictures  with 
war  themes  among  productions  finished  and 
in  work  in  Hollywood. 

Of  the  attractions  completed  and  slated 
for  release  on  or  after  February  15th  and 
those  still  shooting,  an  equal  number,  34 
each,  are  built  around  comedies  and  war 
themes,  with  westerns  and  musicals  next  in 
that  order.  Westerns  are  in  a  tie  for  third 
and  other  divisions  thereafter  go  to  melo- 
dramas, dramas  and  horror  pictures  in  that 
order. 

Indicating  the  growing  tendency  to  swell 
backlogs  to  fullest  possible  proportions, 
eleven  studios  have  162  pictures  completed 
and  35  more  in  work.  Of  the  combined 
total  of  197,  the  Herald's  breakdown,  predi- 
cated on  data  supplied  by  the  studios, 
shows  42  deal  with  the  war  in  one  manner 
or  another ;  40  are  musicals  or  comedies 
with  music ;  38  are  comedies ;  31  are  west- 
erns ;  20,  melodramas ;  15,  dramas ;  and  nine 
in  the  chiller  division.  Additionally  are  two 
feature  cartoons.  "Victory  Through  Air 
Power,"  which  the  Disney  studio  will  re- 
lease through  United  Artists  and  "Saludos 
Amigos,"  Disney-RKO  release. 

Nineteen  of  the  combined  total  will  be  in 
Technicolor.  MGM,  Paramount  and  20th- 
Fox  have  five  each.  Universal  has  two  and 
Columbia  and  Warner  one  apiece. 

Of  the  11  distributing  companies.  Uni- 
versal is  in  the  forefront  with  a  completed 
23.  Paramount  falls  into  second  position 
with  19.  Columbia  has  17 :  Warner,  16 ; 
MGM,  18:  UA,  13.  including  the  Disnev 
feature:  PRC,  13;  20th-Fox,  12;  Republic, 
10:  RKO,  15  ;  and  Monogram,  six. 

In  scattered  instances,  release  dates  al- 
ready have  been  designated.  In  most  cases, 
however,  no  dates  have  been  set.  The  break- 
down which  follows,  therefore,  indicates  the 
marketing  pattern  for  the  spring  and  far 
into  the  summer  as  well. 

COLUMBIA 

Completed  at  this  studio  are  these: 

"Destroyer."  Edward  G.  Robinson,  Glenn 
Ford,  Marguerite  Chapman.  Directed  by  Wil- 
liam A.  Seiter.  War  story. 

"The  Boy  from  Stalingrad."  Scotty  Beckett, 
Bobby  Samarzich,  Conrad  Binyon.  Directed  by 
Sidnev  Salkow.  Russian  war  story. 

"She  Has  What  It  Takes."  Jinx  Falkenburg, 
Constance  Worthy.  Harry  Hayden.  Directed  by 
Charles  Barton.  Musical. 

"Frontier  Fury"  Charles  Starrett,  Arthur 
Hunnicutt.  Directed  by  William  Berke.  Western. 

"The  More  the  Merrier."  Jean  Arthur,  Joel 
McCrea.  Directed  by  George  Stevens.  Comedy. 

"After  Midnight  with  Boston  Blackie."  Ches- 
ter Morris,  Ann  Savage.  Directed  by  Lew  Land- 
ers. Melodrama. 

'Riding  West."  Charles  Starrett,  Arthur 
Hunnicutt.  Directed  by  William  Berke.  Western, 


"The  Last  Horseman."  Russell  Hayden,  Bob 
Wills,  Dub  Taylor.  Directed  by  William  Berke. 

"Wyoming  Hurricane."  Russell  Hayden,  Bob 
Wills.    Directed  by  William  Berke.  Western. 

"Murder  in  Times  Square."  Edmund  Lowe, 
Marguerite  Chapman.  Directed  by  Lew  Land- 
ers. Melodrama. 

"Vigilantes  Ride."  Russell  Hayden,  Dub  Tay- 
lor. Directed  by  William  Berke.  Western. 

"Silver  City  Raiders."  Russell  Hayden,  Bob 
Wills.  Directed  by  William  Berke.  Western. 

'Robin  Hood  of  the  Range."  Charles  Starrett, 
Kay    Harris.    Directed    by    William  Berke. 

'Hail  to  the  Rangers."  Charles  Starrett,  Ar- 
thur Hunnicutt.  Directed  by  William  Berke. 

"Something  to  Shout  About."  Don  Ameche, 
Janet  Blair,  Jack  Oakie.  Directed  by  Gregory 
Ratoff.  Musical  comedy. 

'The  Desperadoes."  Randolph  Scott,  Glenn 
Ford,  Claire  Trevor.  Directed  by  Charles  Vidor. 
Western  special  in  Technicolor. 

"Let's  Have  Fun."  Bert  Gordon,  Margaret 
Lindsay.   Directed  by  Charles  Barton.  Comedy. 

"Redhead  from  Manhattan."  Lupe  Velez, 
Douglas  Leavitt.    Directed  by  Lew  Landers. 

Columbia  reports  the  following  in  work: 

"Somewhere  in  Sahara."  Humphrey  Bogart, 
Bruce  Bennett,  J.  Carrol  Xaish.  Directed  by 
Zoltan  Korda.  Desert  fighting  drama. 

"Blondie  Buys  a  Horse."  Penny  Singleton, 
Arthur  Lake.  Directed  by  Frank  Strayer.  Fam- 
ily comedy. 

"Attack  by  Night."  Merle  Oberon,  Brian 
Aherne.  Directed  by  Dorothy  Arzner.  Com- 
mando story, 

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER 

Completed  at  M-G-M  are: 

"Bataan."  Robert  Taylor,  George  Murphy, 
Thomas  Mitchell.  Directed  by  Tay  Garnett. 
All-male  cast  War  story. 

"Swing  Shift  Maisie."  Ann  Sothern,  James 
Craig.  Directed  by  Norman  McLeod.  Topical 
comedy. 

"Air  Raid  Wardens."  Laurel  and  Hardy.  Di- 
rected by  Edward  Sedgwick.  Comedy. 

"Above  Suspicion."  Joan  Crawford,  Fred 
MacMurray.  Directed  by  Richard  Thorpe. 
European  adventure. 

"Slightly  Dangerous."  Lana  Turner,  Robert 
Young,  Walter  Brennan.  Directed  by  Wesley 
Ruggles.  Comedy. 

"A  Stranger  in  Town."  Frank  Morgan, 
Richard  Carlson,  Jean  Rogers.  Directed  by 
Roy  Rowland.  Comedy. 

"The  Youngest  Profession."  Virginia  Weidler, 
Edward  Arnold,  John  Carroll.  Directed  by  Ed- 
ward Buzzell.  Comedy. 

"Dr.  Gillespie's  Criminal  Case."  Lionel 
Barrymore,  Van  Johnson,  Donna  Reed.  Di- 
rected by  Willis  Goldbeck.  Drama. 

"DuBarry  Was  a  Lady."  Lucille  Ball,  Red 
Skelton.  Gene  Kelly.  Directed  by  Roy  Del 
Ruth.  Musical  comedy  in  Technicolor. 

"Salute  to  the  Marines."  Wallace  Beery,  Fay 
Bainter.  Reginald  Owen. 

"Lassie  Come  Home."  Roddy  McDowell, 
Donald  Crisp,  Dame  May  Whitty. 

"Pilot  No.  5."    War  'story. 

"Harrigan's  Kid."  Drama. 

"Assignment  in  Brittany."  Pierre  Aumont, 
Susan  Peters,  Signe  Hasso.  Directed  by  Jack 
Conway.  War  story. 

"Cabin  in  the  S'ky"  Ethel  Waters.  Eddie 
("Rochester")  Anderson,  Lena  Home.  Directed 
by  Vincente  Minnelli.  All-Negro  musical. 


"The  Human  Comedy."  Mickey  Rooney, 
Frank  Morgan,  James  Craig.  Directed  by  Clar- 
ence Brown.  Small  town  drama. 

"Presenting  Lily  Mars."  Judy  Garland,  Van 
Heflin,  Richard  Carlson.  Directed  by  Norman 
Taurog.  Musical. 

"Private  Miss  Jones."  Kathryn  Grayson, 
Gene  Kelly.  Directed  by  George  Sidney.  Com- 
edy with  music  in  Technicolor. 

In  work  are  these: 

"I  Dood  It."  Red  Skelton,  Eleanor  Powell, 
Jimmy  Dorsey  and  band.  Directed  by  Vincente 
Minnelli.   Musical  comedy. 

"Girl  Crazy."  Mickey  Rooney,  Judy  Garland, 
Tommy  Dorsey  and  Band.  Directed  by  Busby 
Berkeley.  Musical  comedy. 

"Faculty  Row."  Mary  Astor,  Herbert  Mar- 
shall. Directed  by  Jules  Dassin.  Comedy. 

"Best  Foot  Forward."  Lucille  Ball,  William 
Gaxton,  Harry*  James  and  Band.  Directed  by 
Edward  Buzzell.  Musical  comedy  in  Technicolor. 

"Right  About  Face."  Kay  Kyser,  Marilyn 
Maxwell,  Lena  Home.  Directed  by  Tim 
Whelan.  Musical  comedy. 

"A  Guy  Named  Joe."  Spencer  Tracy,  Irene 
Dunne.  Directed  by  Victor  Fleming.  Drama. 

MONOGRAM 

Finished  at  Monogram  are  : 

"Clancy  Street  Boys."  East  Side  Kids.  Di- 
rected by  William  Beaudine.  Comedy  Melo- 
drama. 

"I  Escaped  from  the  Gestapo."  Mary  Brian, 
Dean  Jagger,  John  Carradine.  Bill  Henry.  Di- 
rected by  Harold  Young.  Melodrama. 

"The  Ape  Man."  Bela  Lugosi,  Wallace  Ford, 
Directed  by  William  Beaudine.  Horror. 

"Land  of  Hunted  Men."  Ray  Corrigan,  Max 
Terhune,  Dennis  Moore.  Directed  by  Roy  Luby. 
Western. 

"Haunted  Ranch."  John  King.  Max  Terhune, 
David  Sharpe.  Directed  by  Robert  Tansey. 
Western. 

"Silver  Skates."  Patricia  Morison,  Kenny 
Baker,  Belita.  Directed  by  Leslie  Goodwins. 
Musical  ice  extravaganza. 

In  work  on  that  lot: 

"Ghosts  in  the  Night."  East  Side  Kids,  Bela 
Lugosi,  Ava  Gardner.  Directed  by  William 
Beaudine.  Horror  comedy. 

"The  Ghost  Rider."  Johnny  Mack  Brown, 
Raymond  Hatton,  Beverly  Boyd.  Directed  by 
Wallace  Fox.  Western. 

"Sarong  Girl."  Ann  Corio,  Tim  and  Irene, 
Mary  Gordon.  Directed  by  Arthur  Dreifuss. 
Musical. 

PARAMOUNT 

These  are  finished  at  Paramount  : 

"Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour."  Jimmy  Ly- 
don,  Charles  Smith.  Directed  by  Hugh  Ben- 
nett. Domestic  comedy. 

"Lady  Bodyguard."  Eddie  Albert,  Anne 
Shirley.  Directed  by  William  Clemens.  Melo- 
drama. 

"Great  Without  Glory"  Joel  McCrea.  Betty 
Field,  Harry  Carey.  Directed  by  Preston 
Sturges.  Drama. 

"Happy  Go  Luck}-."  Mary  Martin,  Dick 
Powell,  Eddie  Bracken,  Betty-  Hutton,  Rudy 
Vallee.  Directed  by  Curtis  Bernhardt.  Musical 
in  Technicolor. 

"Submarine  Alert."  Richard  Arlen,  Wendy 
(.Continued  on  following  page) 


14 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


28  WESTERNS  ON  BACKLOG 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

Barrie.  Directed  by  Frank  McDonald.  War 
action. 

"No  Time  for  Love."  Claudette  Colbert,  Fred 
MacMurray.     Directed    by    Mitchell  Leisen. 

"High  Explosive."  Chester  Morris,  Jean 
Parker.  Directed  by  Frank  McDonald.  Topical 
Melodrama. 

"Night  Plane  from  Chungking."  Robert  Pres- 
ton, Ellen  Drew.   Directed  by  Ralph  Murphy. 

"For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls."  Gary  Cooper, 
Ingrid  Bergman,  Akim  Tamiroff.  Directed  by 
Sam  Wood.  Spanish  civil  war  drama  in 
Technicolor. 

"True  to  Life."  Mary  Martin,  Franchot  Tone, 
Dick  Powell.    Directed  by  George  Marshall. 

"Aerial  Gunner."  Chester  Morris,  Richard 
Arlen.  Directed  by  William  Pine.  War  action. 

"The  Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek."  Eddie 
Bracken,  Betty  Hutton.  Directed  by  Preston 
Sturges.  Comedy-drama. 

"Salute  for  Three."  Macdonald  Carey,  Betty 
Rhodes,  Dona  Drake.  Directed  by  Ralph  Mur- 
phy.  Musical  comedy. 

"Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It."  Jimmy  Lydon, 
Charles  Smith.  Directed  by  Hugh  Bennett. 
Comedy. 

"Dixie."  Bing  Crosby,  Dorothy  Lamour.  Di- 
rected by  Edward  Sutherland.  Musical  comedy 
in  Technicolor. 

"China."  Loretta  Young,  Alan  Ladd,  Wil- 
liam Bendix.  Directed  by  John  Farrow.  Sino- 
Jap  war  action. 

"Henry  Aldrich  Plays  Cupid."  Jimmy  Lydon, 
Charles  Smith.  Directed  by  Hugh  Bennett.  Do- 
mestic comedy. 

"The  Good  Fellows."  Helen  Walker,  James 
Brown,  Cecil  Kellaway.  Directed  by  Jo  Graham. 
Comedy. 

"Alaska  Highway."  Richard  Arlen,  Jean 
Parker.  Directed  by  Frank  McDonald.  Topical 
action  drama. 

And  these  are  in  work: 

"So  Proudly  We  Hail."  Claudette  Colbert, 
Paulette  Goddard,  Veronica  Lake.  Directed  by 
Mark  Sandrich.  Drama  of  nurses  on  Bataan. 

"Lady  in  the  Dark."  Ginger  Rogers,  Ray 
Milland,  Warner  Baxter,  Jon  Hall.  Directed 
by  Mitchell  Leisen.  Musical  in  Technicolor. 

"Five  Graves  to  Cairo."  Franchot  Tone,  Anne 
Baxter,  Erich  von  Stroheim,  Akim  Tamiroff. 
Directed  by  Billy  Wilder.  "Grand  Hotel"  in 
desert  warfare. 

"Riding  High."  Dorothy  Lamour,  Dick 
Powell,  Victor  Moore.  Directed  by  George 
Marshall.  Musical  in  Technicolor. 

"Lets  Face  It."  Bob  Hope,  Betty  Hutton, 
ZaSu  Pitts.  Directed  by  Sidney  Lanfield. 
Musical  comedy. 

"Hostages."  Luise  Rainer,  Arturo  de  Cor- 
dova, William  Bendix.  Directed  by  Frank 
Tuttle.  Anti-Nazi  underground  drama. 

PRODUCERS  RELEASING  CORP. 

Thirteen  have  been  completed  at  PRC.  They 
are : 

"Western  Cyclone."  Buster  Crabbe,  Al  St. 
John.  Directed  by  Sherman  Scott.  Western. 

"Bad  Men  of  Thunder  Gap."  Dave  O'Brien, 
Jim  Newill.  Directed  by  Al  Herman.  Western. 

"Corregidor."  Elissa  Landi,  Otto  Kruger, 
Donald  Woods.  Directed  by  William  Nigh.  War 
drama. 

"My  Son,  the  Hero."  Patsy  Kelly,  Roscoe 
Karns.  Directed  by  Edgar  Ullmer.  Comedy. 

"Fugitive  of  the  Plains."  Buster  Crabbe,  Al. 
St.  John.   Directed  by  Sam  Newfield.  Western. 

"Behind  Prison  Walls."  Alan  Baxter,  Ger- 
trude Michael.  Directed  by  Steve  Sekely.  Satire. 

"A  Night  for  Crime."  Glenda  Farrell,  Lyle 
Talbot.  Directed  by  Alexis  Thurn-Taxis.  Melo- 
drama. 

"Queen  of  Broadway."  Rochelle  Hudson, 
Buster   Crabbe.    Directed  by   Sam  Newfield. 


19  IN  TECHNICOLOR 
READY  OR  SHOOTING 

Six  studios  share  a  combined  total 
of  19  features  finished  or  shooting  in 
Technicolor. 

At  Columbia,  "The  Desperadoes" 
is  completed.  MGM  has  finished  "Du 
Barry  Was  a  Lady,"  "Salute  to  the 
Marines,"  "Lassie  Come  Home"  and 
"Private  Miss  Jones,"  while  "Best 
Foot  Forward"  is  in  work. 

"Happy  Go  Lucky"  and  "For 
Whom  the  Bell  Tolls"  and  "Dixie"  are 
buttoned  up  at  Paramount  where 
"Lady  in  the  Dark"  and  "Riding 
High"  are  in  progress.  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  has  four  finished  — 
"Hello,  Frisco,  Hello,"  "Coney  Island," 
"Crash  Dive"  and  "My  Friend  Flicka" 
— and  "Heaven  Can  Wait"  is  under 
way. 

Universal  has  finished  "White  Sav- 
age" and  is  shooting  "The  Phantom 
of  the  Opera."  Warner's  current  en- 
try in  this  group  is  "The  Desert  Song." 


"Girls  in  Chains."  Arline  Judge,  Roger 
Clark,  Barbara  Pepper.  Melodrama. 

"The  Ghost  and  the  Guest."  James  Dunn, 
Florence   Rice.    Directed   by   William  Nigh. 

"Black  Raven."  George  Zucco,  Wanda  Mc- 
Kay,  Noel   Madison.  Melodrama. 

"Submarine  Base."  John  Litel,  Alan  Baxter, 
Eric  Blore.  War  story. 

"Follies  Girl."  Musical. 

RKO 

Here  is  RKO's  backlog : 

"Petticoat  Larceny."  Joan  Carroll,  Ruth 
Warwick,  Walter  Reed.  Directed  by  Ben 
Holmes.  Comedy-drama. 

"Mr.  Lucky."  Cary  Grant,  Laraine  Day, 
Charles  Bickford.  Directed  by  H.  C.  Potter. 
Romantic  war  drama. 

"Bombardier."  Pat  O'Brien,  Randolph  Scott, 
Anne  Shirley.    Directed  by  Richard  Wallace. 

"I  Walked  with  a  Zombie."  Frances  Dee, 
Tom  Conway,  James  Ellison.    Horror  story. 

"This  Land  Is  Mine."  Charles  Laughton, 
Maureen  O'Hara,  George  Sanders.  Directed  by 
Jean  Renoir.    War  drama. 

"Flight  for  Freedom."  Rosalind  Russell,  Fred 
MacMurray.  Directed  by  Lothar  Mendes.  War 
aviation  drama. 

"Tarzan  Triumphs."  Johnny  Weissmuller, 
Frances  Gifford.   Directed  by  William  Thiele. 

"Ladies  Day."    Lupe  Velez,  Eddie  Albert. 

"Saludos  Amigos."    Disney  feature  cartoon. 

"Two   Weeks   to   Live."  Comedy. 

"Forever  and  a  Day."    War  drama. 

"The  Avenging  Rider."  Western. 

"Sagebrush  Law."  Western. 

"Red  River  Robin  Hood."  Western. 

"Cinderella  Swings  It."    Comedy  with  music. 

These  are  on  the  stages: 

"The  Sky's  the  Limit."  Fred  Astaire,  Joan 
Leslie,  Robert  Benchley.  Directed  by  E.  H. 
Griffith.  Musical. 

"The  Fallen  Sparrow."  John  Garfield,  Mau- 
reen O'Hara,  Walter  Slezak.  Directed  by  Rich- 
ard Wallace.    Anti-Nazi  melodrama. 

"The  Falcon  Strikes  Back."  Tom  Conway, 
Jane  Randolph.  Directed  by  Edward  Dmytryk. 

"A  Lady  Takes  a  Chance."    Jean  Arthur, 


John  Wayne,  Charles  Winninger.  Directed  by 
Henry  Hathaway.  Drama. 

"The  Leopard  Man."  Dennis  O'Keefe,  Margo. 
Directed  by  Jacques  Tourneur.  Horror  story. 

"Gildersleeve's  Bad  Day."  Hal  Peary  (Gil- 
dersleeve),  Nancy  Gates.  Directed  by  Gordon 
Douglass.  Comedy. 

REPUBLIC 

Ten  in  the  bag  at  Republic  follow : 

"Shantytown."  Mary  Lee,  John  Archer,  Mar- 
jorie  Lord.  Directed  by  Joseph  Santley.  Com- 
edy with  music. 

"Tahiti  Honey."  Simone  Simon,  Dennis 
O'Keefe,  Michael  Whalen.  Directed  by  John 
H.  Auer.  Musical. 

"The  Purple  V."  John  Archer,  Mary  Mc- 
Leod,  Henry  Stephenson.  Directed  by  George 
Sherman.  Melodrama. 

"Carson  City  Cyclone."  Don  ("Red")  Barry, 
Noah  Beery,  Sr.  Directed  by  Howard  Brether- 
ton.  Western. 

"Idaho."  Roy  Rogers,  Virginia  Grey,  Ona 
Munson,  Smiley  Burnette.  Directed  by  Joseph 
Kane.    Western  special. 

"Chatterbox."  Joe  E.  Brown,  Judy  Canova. 
Directed  by  Joseph  Santley.  Comedy. 

"Hit  Parade  of  1943."  John  Carroll,  Susan 
Hayward,  Gail  Patrick.  Directed  by  Albert  S. 
Rogell.   Musical  comedy. 

"The  Man  Trap."  Henry  Stephenson,  Joseph 
Allen,  Dorothy  Lovett.  Directed  by  George 
Sherman.  Crime  melodrama. 

"Santa  Fe  Scouts."  Tom  Tyler,  Bob  Steele, 
Jimmie  Dodd.  Directed  by  Howard  Bretherton. 

"King  of  the  Cowboys."  Roy  Rogers,  Smiley 
Burnette,  Sons  of  the  Pioneers.  Directed  by  Joe 
Kane.  Western. 

These  are  in  production: 

"Calling  Wild  Bill  Elliott."  Bill  Elliott, 
Gabby  Hayes,  Anne  Jeffreys.  Directed  by 
Howard  Bretherton.  Western. 

"Days  of  Old  Cheyenne."  Don  ("Red") 
Barry,  Lynn  Merrick,  Emmett  Lynn.  Directed 
by  Elmer  Clifton.  Western. 

20TH  CENTURY-FOX 

Here  is  20th-Fox's  reservoir : 

"The  Moon  Is  Down."  Sir  Cedric  Hard- 
wicke,  Henry  Travers,  Doris  Bowden.  Directed 
by  Irving  Pichel.  War  story. 

"School  for  Sabotage."  George  Sanders, 
Anna  Sten.    Directed  by  Edward  Ludwig. 

"Hello,  Frisco,  Hello."  Alice  Faye,  John 
Payne,  Jack  Oakie.  Directed  by  H.  Bruce 
Humberstone.  Musical  in  Technicolor. 

"Coney  Island."  Betty  Grable,  George  Mont- 
gomery, Cesar  Romero.  Directed  by  Walter 
Lang.   Musical  in  Technicolor. 

"Secret  Mission."  Annabella,  John  Sutton. 
Directed  by  John  Brahm.    War  story. 

"Margin  for  Error."  Joan  Bennett,  Milton 
Berle.  Directed  by  Otto  Preminger. 

"Dixie  Dugan."  Lois  Andrews,  James  Ellison, 
Charles  Ruggles.    Directed  by  Ray  McCarey. 

"Crash  Dive."  Tyrone  Power,  Anne  Baxter. 
Directed  by  Archie  Mayo.  War  drama  in  Tech- 
nicolor. 

"My  Friend  Flicka."  Roddy  McDowell, 
Preston  Foster.  Directed  by  Harold  Schuster. 
Drama  in  Technicolor. 

"The  Ox-Bow  Incident."  Henry  Fonda, 
Mary  Beth  Hughes.  Directed  by  William  A. 
Wellman.  Western  special. 

"He  Hired  the  Boss."  Stuart  Erwin,  Evelyn 
Venable.     Directed    by    Thomas    Z.  Loring. 

"Quiet,  Please — Murder."  Melodrama. 

These  are  in  progress: 

"Stormy  Weather."  Bill  Robinson,  Lena 
Home,  Dooley  Wilson.  Directed  by  Andrew 
Stone.  Musical  about  Robinson's  life. 

"Bomber's    Moon."     George  Montgomery, 

(Continued  on  opposite  page) 


February    27,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


5 


New  Releases 
Show  Cut  in 
War  Themes 

{Continued  from  opposite  page) 

Annabella.  Kent  Taylor.  Directed  by  Edward 
Ludwig.  War  story. 

"Heaven  Can  Wait"  Don  Ameche,  Gene 
Tierney.  Directed  by  Ernst  Lubitsch.  Fantasy- 
comedy  in  Technicolor. 

"Jane  Eyre."  Orson  Welles.  Joan  Fontaine. 
Directed  by  Robert  Stevenson.  Drama. 

"Jitterbugs."  Laurel  and  Hardy,  Vivian 
Blaine-  Directed  by  Mai  St.  Clair.  Comedy. 

UNITED  ARTISTS 

Awaiting  release  at  UA  are  these,  including 
a  number  of  "Streamliners"  : 

"Lady  of  Burlesque.*"  Barbara  Stanwyck, 
Eddie  O'Shea.  Directed  by  William  A.  Well- 
man.    Backstage  mystery-melodrama. 

"Hangmen  Also  Die."  Brian  Donievy.  Wal- 
ter Brennan.  Anna  Lee.  Directed  by  Fritz  Lang 
Anti-Xazi  drama. 

"Meet  John  Bonnhvell."  Richard  Dix.  Jane 
Wyatt  Albert  Dekker.  Directed  by  George 
Archainbaud._Wes:crr.  special. 

Victory  Through  Air  Power."  Feature 
length  cartoon  by  Walt  Disney  based  on  Maj. 
de  Seversky  s  book  in  Technicolor. 

"Taxi,  Mister."  William  Bendix,  Grace  Brad- 
ley, Joe  Sawyer.  Directed  by  Kurt  "Neumann. 
Comedy. 

"That  Xazty  Nuisance."  Bobby  Watson,  Joe 
Devlin,  Johnny  Arthur,  Jean  Porter.  Directed 
by  Glenn  Tryon.  Comedy. 

"Hoppy  Serves  a  Writ."  Bill  Boyd  Jay 
Kirby.  Andy  Clyde.  Jan  Christy.  Directed  by 
George  Archainbaud  Western. 

"Leather  Burners.""  Bill  Boyd  Jay  Kirby. 
Andy  Clyde.  Victor  Jory.  Directed  by  Joseph 
Henabery.  Western. 

"Colt  Comrades."  Bill  Boyd  Jay  Kirby. 
Andy  Clyde.  Directed  by  Lesley  Selander. 
Western. 

"Yanks  Ahoy."  William  Tracy,  Joe  Sawyer, 
Marjorie  Woodworth.  Directed  by  Kurt  Neu- 
mann. Comedy. 

"Fall  In."  William  Tracy.  Joe  Sawyer.  Jean 
Porter.    Directed  by  Kurt  Neumann.  Comedy. 

"Prairie  Chickens."  Jimmy  Rogers,  Noah 
Beery.  Jr.  Directed  by  Hal  Roach,  Jr.  Comedy. 

"Stage  Door  Canteen."  Katherine  Cornell. 
Katharine  Hepburn.  Edgar  Bergen.  Kay  Kyser. 
Helen  Hayes.  Merle  Oberon.  and  others.  Di- 
rected by  Frank  Borzage.  Romantic  musical, 
with  appearances  of  stage,  radio,  film  stars. 

UNIVERSAL 

Here  is  Universal' s  backlog: 

"Son  of  Dracula."  Robert  Paige,  Louise 
Allbritton,  Evelyn  Ankers.  Directed  by  Robert 
Siodmak.  Horror  story. 

'We've  Never  Been  Licked."'  Richard  Quine, 
Anne  Gwynne,  Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Directed  by 
John  Rawlins.  War  story. 

"Always  a  Bridesmaid'"'  Andrews  Sisters. 
Patric  Knowles,  Grace  McDonald  Directed  by 
Erie  C.  Kenton.  Musical. 

"Cowboy  in  Manhattan."'  Robert  Paige.  Fran- 
ces Langford.   Directed  by  Frank  Woodruff. 

"Oh,  Doctor."  Abbott  and  Costello,  Ginny 
Simms.  Directed  by  Charles  Lamont  Comedy 
with  music. 

"Good  Morning,  Judge."  Dennis  OKeefe. 
Louise  Allbritton,  Mary  Beth  Hughes.  Di- 
rected by  Jean  Yarbrough.  Comedy. 

"Captive'  Wild  Woman."  Evelyn  Ankers.  John 
Carradine,  Acquanetta.  Directed  by  Edward 
Dmytryk.   Horror  picture. 

'"White  Savage."  Jon  Hall,  Maria  Montez. 
Sabu.  South  Sea  Island  romance  in  Technicolor. 

"He's  My  Guy."  Dick  Foran.  Irene  Hervey. 
Directed  by  Edward  F.  Cline.  Musical. 


The  Production  Backlog: 
How  It  Stands 

This  is  a  breakdown  of  tJje  product  backlog,  showing  company  by  company,  hou- 
the  completed  tally  stands.  Included  in  these  classifications  is  a  limited  number  of 
attractions  already  assigned  release  dates  on  or  after  February  15;  in  the  main,  Ixm- 
ever,  distributors  are  yet  to  designate  u/je?i  the  attractions  are  to  head  theatreuard. 


West- 

Hor- 

Com- 

Melo- 

Company 

War 

Musical 

er?! 

Drama 

ror 

edy 

drama  Total 

Universal   

2 

8 

3 

I 

3 

4 

2 

23 

Paramount   

5 

4 

0 

i 

0 

6 

3 

19 

Columbia   

2 

2 

8 

0 

0 

3 

2 

17 

Warners   

6 

2 

0 

4 

1 

1 

2 

16 

MGM   

5 

3 

0 

4 

0 

6 

0 

18 

United  Artists 

I 

1 

4 

1 

0 

5 

1 

13 

P.R.C  

2 

1 

3 

1 

0 

2 

4 

13 

20th-Fox   

5 

2 

I 

[ 

0 

2 

1 

12 

Republic   

0 

3 

4 

0 

0 

1 

2 

10 

RKO   

0 

0 

3 

0 

1 

4 

1 

15 

Monogram   

0 

1 

2 

0 

1 

0 

2 

6 

34 

27 

28 

13 

6 

34 

20 

162 

Paul  Henreid.  Directed  by  Curtis  Bernhardt. 
Period  drama. 

"'Old  Acquaintance."  Bette  Davis,  Miriam 
Hopkins,  John  Loder.  Directed  by  Vincent 
Sherman.  Drama, 

"Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars."  Joan  Leslie, 
Dennis  Morgan.  Eddie  Cantor,  Dinah  Shore, 
Bette  Davis,  other  Warner  stars  and  featured 
players.  Directed  by  David  Butler.  Musical 
extravaganza. 

"Action  in  the  North  Atlantic"  Humphrey 
Bogart.  Raymond  Massey,  -Alan  Hale.  Directed 
by  Lloyd  Bacon.  War  story. 

"Edge  of  Darkness."  Errol  Flynn,  Ann  Sheri- 
dan, Walter  Huston.  Directed  by  Lewis  Mile- 
stone. War  story. 

"Background  to  Danger."  George  Raft. 
Brenda  Marshall.  Sydney  Greenstreet,  Peter 
Lorre.  Directed  by  Raoul  Walsh.  Russo-Nazi 
espionage. 

"Air  Force."  John  Garfield  Gig  Young. 
Harry  Carey.  Directed  by  Howard  Hawks. 
War  drama. 

"Crime  by  Night"  Jane  Wyman,  Jerome 
Cowan.  Directed  by  William  Clemens.  Melo- 
drama. 

"Adventures  of  Mark  Twain."*  Fredric  March. 
Alexis  Smith,  Donald  Crisp.  Directed  by  Irving 
Rapper.  Biographical  drama. 

"Princess  O'Rourke."  Olivia  de  Havilland. 
Robert  Cummings.  Directed  by  Norman 
Krasna.  Comedy. 

"The  Desert  Song."  Dennis  Morgan.  Irene 
Manning,  Bruce  Cabot  Directed  by  Robert 
Florey.  War  and  music  in  Technicolor. 

"The  Mysterious  Doctor."  John  Loder. 
Eleanor  Parker,  Bruce  Lester.  Directed  by 
Ben  Stolon.  Melodrama. 

"Watch  on  the  Rhine."  Bette  Davis.  Paul 
Lukas.  Geraldine  Fitzgerald  Directed  by  Her- 
rr.ar^  Shu— :ir..  War  era— a. 

"ihe  Constant  Nymph."  Charles  Boyer.  Joan 
Fontaine,  Brenda  Marshall.  Directed  by  Ed- 
mund Goulding.  Drama. 

"Arsenic  and  Old  Lace."'  Gary  Grant.  Pris- 
cilla  Lane,  Raymond  Massey.  Peter  Lorre.  Di- 
rected by  Frank  Capra.  Horror-Comedy. 

Ohio  Blackout  Set 
For  March  4th 

The  Lake  Shore-Ohio  Valley  district  in  Ohio 
will  have  a  32-county  blackout  on  March  4th. 
it  was  announced  last  week  in  Columbus  by 
Ralph  H.  Stone,  state  defense  director  of  Ohio. 
The  test  will  involve  an  estimated  3./00,000 
persons  and  is  the  largest  venture  to  be  under- 
taken so  far.  Southwestern  Ohio  will  be 
blacked  out  at  a  later  date  in  a  state-wide  test, 
it  was  announced 


Today 


"Rhythm  of  the  Islands."  Allan  Jones.  Jane 
Frazee.   Directed  by  Melville  Shyer.  Musical. 

"The  Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday."  Deanna  Dur- 
bin.  Edmond  O'Brien.  Directed  by  Bruce  Man- 
ning. War  drama  with  music. 

"Hi,  Buddy."  Robert  Paige.  Harriett  Hil- 
liard.  Dick  Foran.  Directed  by  Harold  Young. 

"Keep  'Em  Slugging."  Dead  End  Kids,  Little 
Tough  Guys.    Directed  by  Christy  Cabanne. 

"Frankenstein  Meets  the  Wolf  Man."  Ilona 
Massey,  Patric  Knowles.  Bela  Lugosi.  Lionel 
Atwill.  Directed  by  Roy  William  Neill.  Horror 
story. 

"It  Ain't  Hay."  Abbott  and  Costello.  Di- 
rected by  Erie  C.  Kenton.  Comedy. 

"Flesh  and  Fantasy."  Charles  Boyer.  Edward 
G.  Robinson,  Thomas  Mitchell,  Anna  Lee,  Bar- 
bara Stanwyck.    Directed  by  Julien  Duvivier. 

"The  Lone  Star  Trail."  Johnny  Mack  Brown, 
Tex  Ritter.  Directed  by  Ray  Taylor.  Western. 

"Hi'Ya.  Chum.''  Ritz  Brothers.  Jane  Frazee, 
Robert   Paige.    Directed  by   Harold  Young. 

"Cheyenne  Roundup."  Johnny  Mack  Brown, 
Tex  Ritter.  Directed  by  Ray  Taylor.  Western. 

"Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington."  Basil 
Rathbone.  Nigel  Bruce.  Directed  by  Roy  Wil- 
liam Neill.  Melodrama. 

"It  Comes  Up  Love."  Gloria  Jean,  Ian 
Hunter.  Directed  by  Charles  Lamont.  Comedy 
with  music 

"Raiders  of  San  Joaquin."  Johnny  Mack 
Brown,  Tex  Ritter.  Directed  by  Lewis  D.  Col- 
lins. Western. 

"Cross  Your  Fingers."  Allan  Jones.  Kitty 
Carlisle,  Alvino  Rey  and  orchestra.  Directed 
by  Edward  Lilley.  Musical. 

And  here  four  more  in  work: 

"Phantom  of  the  Opera."  Nelson  Eddy,  Sus- 
anna Foster,  Claude  Rains.  Directed  by  Arthur 
Lubin.  Horror  with  music  in  Technicolor. 

"Trombone  from  Heaven."  Leon  Errol.  Mary 
Beth  Hughes,  Skinnay  Ennis  and  orchestra, 
Frances  Langford  Hilo  Hattie.  Directed  by 
Jean  Yarbrough  Musical. 

"Corvettes  in  Action."  Randolph  Scott.  Andy 
Devine,  James  Brown.  Directed  by  Richard 
Rosson.   North  Atlantic  war  story. 

"Oh.  Say,  Can  You  Swing."  Gloria  Jean. 
Donald  O'Connor.  Directed  by  Charles  Lamont 
Musical. 

WARNERS 

These  are  completed  at  Warners : 
"Mission  to  Moscow."  Walter  Huston.  Ann 
Harding.  George  Tobias.  Directed  by  Michael 
Curtiz.   Recent  U.  S.  S.  R.  history  from  ex- 
Ambassador  Joseph  E.  Davies'  best  seller. 
"Devotion."  Olivia  de  Havilland  Ida  Lupino, 


16 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,    I  943 


'Opportunity  for 
Independents  in 
Wartime  '—Kann 

"Hemmed  in  by  wartime  restrictions  and 
limited  in  resources,  the  independent  producer, 
nevertheless,  has  more  than  a  fighting  chance  to 
establish  himself,  provided  he  asserts  that  right 
through  merit."  Red  Kann,  vice-president  of 
Quigley  Publications,  struck  this  keynote  in  a 
short  address  before  the  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers  Association,  whose  guest  he 
was  at  a  regular  monthly  dinner  at  Britting- 
ham's,  in  Hollywood,  February  25th. 

"It  would  be  juvenile  for  anyone  addressing 
you  to  seek  to  create  the  impression  that  this 
is  easy.  It  is  not,  as  you  yourselves  know. 
The  road  is  hard  and  tough  and,  for  one  reason 
or  another,  some  of  you  must  appreciate  you 
may  not  make  the  grade.  However,  the  oppor- 
tunity is  there. 

"Troubled  as  you  must  be  in  these  difficult 
times,  perhaps  it  is  an  opportunity  you  do  not 
recognize.  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  the 
producer,  large  or  small,  who  hews  to  the  line 
of  good  taste,  is  earnest  and  serious,  who  avoids 
claptrap  and  cheap  sensationalism  inevitably 
must  make  the  mark.  It  is  in  the  very  nature 
of  consistent  plugging  that  he  will  achieve  it. 

"If  you  are  in  doubt  about  contributions  of 
the  independent  producer  to  this  industry  all 
through  its  history,  review  the  past.  It  would 
appear  redundant  and  unnecessary  to  go  specific, 
for  case  histories  of  great  advances  sprung  from 
small  beginnings  are  too  well  known  and  too 
thoroughly  recorded  to  make  narration  of  them 
necessary.  Quigley  Publications  maintains  a 
lively  interest  in  the  independent,  recognizes  his 
overall  significance  and  stands  prepared  to  en- 
courage that  significance  in  any  consistent  man- 
ner which  may  assert  itself,"  Mr.  Kann  con- 
cluded. 

Decision  Reserved  as 
Plagiarism  Trial  Ends 

The  plagiarism  action  brought  by  Vincent 
McConnor,  author,  against  George  S.  Kaufman 
and  Moss  Hart,  authors  of  "The  Man  Who 
Came  to  Dinner,"  ended  after  a  three-day  trial 
in  New  York  Federal  court  last  Friday.  Fed- 
eral Judge  Clarence  G.  Galston,  sitting  without 
a  jury,  directed  attorneys  for  both  sides  to  file 
briefs  during  the  week,  and  reserved  decision. 

The  plaintiff,  who  wrote  "The  Murder  Issue" 
in  conjunction  with  James  Monks,  also  is  suing 
his  co-author  because  of  his  refusal  to  join  in 
the  action;  Warner  Brothers  Pictures,  Inc..  for 
filming  the  picture;  the  estate  of  Sam  H.  Har- 
ris, for  producing  the  play,  and  Random  House, 
Inc.,  for  publishing  the  book,  together  with  the 
authors.  The  plaintiff  alleges  that  Mr.  Kauf- 
man and  Mr.  Hart  pirated  his  plot  for  their 
play  from  his  original  story,  "The  Murder 
Issue." 

Australian  Theatres  Set 
Attendance  Records 

Record  attendance  figures  at  motion  picture 
houses  have  been  set  in  Australia,  according  to 
George  Applegate,  in  charge  of  technical  engi- 
neering for  Western  Electric  Export  Corpora- 
tion. Mr.  Applegate  recently  returned  from 
Australia,  where  he  managed  the  company's 
branch. 

"Under  wartime  conditions,  the  motion  pic- 
ture rivals  the  favorite  Australian  sport  of 
horse  racing  as  a  recreational  outlet,"  Mr.  Ap- 
plegate said.  He  explained  the  boom  situation 
as  being  caused  by  an  increased  national  in- 
come due  to  employment  in  war  industries,  and 
added  that  in  spite  of  high  admission  taxes, 
Australians  patronized  theatres  more  than  ever 
before. 


"COMMANDOS"  FAVORITE 
AT  ARMY  CAMPS 

Box  office  champions  for  January 
as  indicated  by  attendance  figures  at 
post  theatres  in  Army  camps,  com- 
piled by  the  U.  S.  Army  Motion 
Picture  Service,  revealed  that  the 
soldiers'  tastes  were  evenly  divided 
between  topical  themes  on  the  one 
hand  and  musical  and  comedy  films 
on  the  other.  "Commandos  Strike  at 
Dawn",  Columbia,  was  first  on  the 
list.  Warners'  "Casablanca"  was  next, 
followed  by  Universale  "Arabian 
Nights".  Warner  Bros,  scored  again 
with  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy"  in 
fourth  spot,  and  Metro  took  fifth  and 
sixth  spots  with  "Stand  By  for 
Action"  and  "Andy  Hardy's  Double 
Life". 

Admission  Taxes 
Off  $4,000,000 

A  $4,000,000  decline  in  Federal  admission  tax 
revenues  over  the  year-end  was  reported 
Wednesday  by  the  Internal  Revenue  Bureau, 
which  announced  January  collections  of 
$11,728,489,  compared  with  $15,922,909  in  De- 
cember and  $11,355,639  in  January,  1942. 

The  reduction  from  December  indicated  that 
the  decline  was  general  over  most  of  the  coun- 
try, but  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  loss  was 
concentrated  in  the  Third  New  York  (Broad- 
way) District,  where  collections  dropped  from 
$3,378,752  in  December  to  $678,382  in  January, 
which  was  the  lowest  figure  recorded  for  any 
month  since  April,  1941,  and  but  little  more  than 
one-third  of  the  $1,774,444  obtained  in  January 
of  last  year. 

Year-end  sales  of  permanent  use  or  lease  of 
boxes  and  seats  brought  the  return  from  that 
category  up  from  $51  in  December  to  $480  in  Jan- 
uary, but  all  other  categories  showed  sharp  de- 
clines, receipts  from  box  office  admissions  drop- 
ping from  $3,186,086  to  $546,463;  tickets  sold 
by  brokers,  from  $14,983  to  $13,388;  tickets 
sold  by  proprietors  in  excess  of  the  established 
price,  from  $2,511  to  $484;  and  admissions  to 
roof  gardens  and  cabarets,  from  $175,120  to 
$117,566. 

The  January  collections,  the  bureau  reported, 
brought  the  national  total  for  the  first  seven 
months  of  the  fiscal  vear  which  ends  next  June 
30th  to  $92,240,739,  compared  with  $60,527,886 
for  the  corresponding  period  last  year. 

20th-Fox  Holds  Sales 
Meeting  in  Chicago 

The  regular  midwinter  sales  meeting  of 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  district  managers  was 
held  this  week  in  Chicago.  Sessions  started 
Thursday  and  were  scheduled  to  end  on  Satur- 
day. 

Those  scheduled  to  be  present  were:  Tom  J. 
Connors,  vice-president  in  charge  of  world- 
wide distribution;  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  eastern 
sales  manager;  William  C.  Gehring,  western 
sales  manager ;  William  J.  Kupper,  executive 
assistant  to  Mr.  Connors ;  Hal  Home,  advertis- 
ing and  publicity  director ;  Roger  Ferri,  editor 
of  New  Dynamo;  E.  H.  Collins,  assistant  to 
•Mr.  Gehring,  and  C.  H.  Hill,  assistant  to  Mr. 
Smith.  _  All  are  home  office  executives,  and  will 
meet  with  district  representatives  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  in  addition  to  Herman  Wobber, 
coast  division  .  manager,  and  H.  G.  Ballance, 
southern  division  manager. 


Treasury  Lauds 
Skouras  Work 
In  War  Effort 

High  tribute  to  Spyros  and  George  Skouras 
from  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Henry 
Morgenthau,  Jr.,  was  paid  Tuesday,  at  a  lunch- 
eon in  New  York,  a  testimonial  to  the  war  ser- 
vice of  the  Skouras  Theatres  circuit,  operated 
by  George  Skouras. 

Mr.  Morgenthau  wired  Richard  C.  Patterson, 
Jr.,  guest  speaker  at  the  luncheon  and  head  of 
the  New  York  State  War  Savings  Staff,  that 
the  two  brothers  "are  the  kind  who  win  wars." 

Spyros  is  the  president  of  Twentieth  Century- 
Fox,  and  former  chief  of  National  Theatres, 
nation-wide  circuit. 

The  luncheon  testimonial  to  the  Skouras  The- 
atres war  effort,  which  has  been  mainly  the 
selling  of  bonds  in  its  houses,  with  intensive 
exploitation,  was  attended  by  approximately  750 
members  of  the  American  Women's  Voluntary 
Services,  who  have  aided  in  the  drive. 

The  circuit  has  sold  $10,000,000  worth  of  bonds 
and  stamps,  it  was  reported  at  the  affair.  First 
to  be  designated  a  Treasury  Department  issuing 
agent,  it  also  was  the  originator  of  the  Victory 
War  Bond  Booth  plan,  now  used  in  most  thea- 
tres and  elsewhere. 

Speakers  at  the  luncheon,  in  addition  to  Mr. 
Patterson,  were  Professor  Michael  Doritzas,  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Duchess 
of  Leinster.  On  the  dais  were  Louis  Adamic, 
author ;  Robert  Christenberry,  Mrs.  Douglas 
Gibbons,  who  presided,  and  several  AWVS 
leaders. 

MGM  Announces  Screenings 
On  Six  Films  in  March 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  announced  on  Tuesday 
that  six  films  will  be  trade  shown  during  the 
first  three  weeks  in  March.  The  pictures  with 
their  dates  are  as  follows : 

"The  Youngest  Profession"  and  "Slightly 
Dangerous,"  March  2nd,  except  in  Denver,  Los 
Angeles,  Portland,  Salt  Lake  City,  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Seattle  (March  4th)  ;  "Harrigan's 
Kid"  and  "Assignment  in  Brittany,"  March  9th 
except  in  Albany,  Buffalo,  Charlotte,  Cleveland, 
Dallas,  Des  Moines,  Indianapolis,  Los  Angeles, 
Memphis,  Minneapolis,  New  Haven,  New  Or- 
leans, Oklahoma  City,  Omaha,  Salt  Lake  City, 
San  Francisco  and  Washington,  D.  C.  (March 
10th)  ;  "Pilot  Number  Five"  and  "DuBarry 
Was  a  Lady,"  March  16th  except  in  Boston, 
Chicago,  Denver,  Kansas  City,  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  Portland  and  St.  Louis 
(March  17th). 

Skouras  Radio  Show  Honors 
B'nai  B'rith  Anniversary 

The  100th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
B'nai  B'rith  was  commemorated  on  Sunday  in 
a  broadcast  over  Station  WINS,  New  York, 
on  the  program  "This  Is  Our  Cause,"  spon- 
sored by  Skouras  Theatres.  The  program  had 
a  double  purpose,  since  it  also  paid  tribute  to 
the  48  members  who  have  given  their  lives  in 
the  present  war. 


FCC  Extends  Permits 

License  applications  for  television  and  fre- 
quency modulation  radio  stations  will  remain 
before  the  Federal  Communications  Commission 
despite  the  wartime  inability  of  petitioners  to 
fulfill  requirements.  The  FCC  on  Tuesday  sus- 
pended its  policy  of  revoking  or  refusing  li- 
censes where  holders  cannot  maintain  opera- 
tion. Applications  which  have  been  dismissed 
or  surrendered  may  be  reinstated  in  the  post- 
war pending  file. 


M-G-M  TRADE  SHOWINGS 


DAY,  DATE  AND  HOURS  OF  SCREENING 


CITY 

PLACE 
ADDRESS 

(A)  YOUNG 

EST  PROFESSION 

fCJ          HARRIGAN'S  KID 

(E)  PILOT 

=  5  (Tentative  THIe) 

(B)  SLIGHTLY  DANGEROUS 

fOJ  ASSIGNMENT 

IN  BRITTANY 

(F)  DU  BARRY  WAS  A  LADY 

3ANY 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
1052  Broadway 

TUE5.  3/2 

n  a.m. 

WED.  3/10 

77  A.M. 

WED.  3/17 

77  A.M. 

.ANTA 

RKO  Screen  Room 
191  Walton  St.,  N.W. 

TUES.  3/2 

10:30  A.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

70:30  A.M. 

WED.  3/17 

70:30  A.M. 

STON 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
46  Church  Srreet 

TUES.  3/2 

10  A.M. 
Also  2:15  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

70  A.M. 
Also  2:15  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

70  A.M. 
Also  2:15  P.M. 

:FALO 

2CMh-Fox  Screen  Room 
290  Franklin  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

8  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

8  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

8  P.M. 

ARLOTTE 

20lh-Fox  Screen  Room 
308  South  Church  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

1:30  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1:30  P.M. 

CAGO 

H.  C.  Igel's  Screen  Room 
1301  South  Wabash  Ave. 

TUES.  3/2 

1  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

7  P.M. 

CINN  ATI 

RKO  Screen  Room 
16  East  Sixth  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

7  P.M. 

VELAND 

201h-Fox  Screen  Room 
2219  Payne  Avenue 

TUES.  3/2 

1  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1  P.M. 

HAS 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
1803  Wood  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

(A)  70:30  A.M. 

[B]  2:30  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

(C) 
fDj 

70:30  A.M. 
2:30  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

(E)  10:30  A.M. 

(F)  2:30  P.M. 

■•JVER 

Paramount  Screen  Room 
2100  Stout  Street 

THUR.  3/4 

2:30  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

2.-30  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

2:30  P.M. 

;  MOINES 

20lh-Fox  Screen  Room 
1300  High  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

1  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

7  P.M. 

rROIT 

Max  Blumenthal's  Sc.  Rm. 
23  1  0  Cass  Avenue 

TUES.  3/2 

1:30  P.M/ 

TUES.  3/9 

7.-30  P.M. 

V/ED.  3/17 

7.-30  P.M. 

5IAN  APOLIS 

201h  Fox  Screen  Room 
326  North  Illinois  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

9  A.M. 

WED.  3/10 

9  A.M. 

WED.  3/17 

9  A.M. 

NSAS  CITY 

Vogue  Theatre 
3444  Broadway 

TUES.  3/2 

1  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

1  P.M. 

5  ANGELES 

20rh-Fox  Screen  Room 
2019  South  Vermont  Ave. 

THUR.  3/4 

(A)  70:30  A.M. 

[B]  2.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

fCJ 
fDj 

70:30  A.M. 
2.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

(E)  10:30  A.M. 

(F)  2:30  P.M. 

MPHIS 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
151  Vanes  Avenue 

TUES.  3/2 

1  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1  P.M. 

.WAUKEE 

Warner  Screen  Room 
212  W.  Wisconsin  Ave. 

TUES.  3/2 

1:30  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1:30  P.M. 

HNEAPOLIS 

201h-Fox  Screen  Room 
1  01  5  Currie  Avenue 

TUES.  3/2 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7  P.M. 

V/ED.  3/17 

1  P.M. 

W  HAVEN 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
40  Whiting  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

10  A.M. 

WED.  3/10 

70  A.M. 

WED.  3/17 

10  A.M. 

W  ORLEANS 

20lh-Fox  Screen  Room 
200  South  Liberty 

TUES.  3/2 

7:30  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1:30  P.M. 

W  YORK  ( 
W  JERSEY  ) 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
630  Ninth  Avenue 

TUES.  3/2 

9.-30  A.M. 
Also  1:30  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

9.-30  A.M. 
Also  7.-30  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

9.30  A.M. 
Also  1:30  P.M. 

LA'MA  CITY 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
10  North  Lee  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

10  A.M. 

WED.  3/10 

70  A.M. 

WED.  3/17 

10  A.M. 

AHA 

20lh-Fox  Screen  Room 
1  502  Davenport 

TUES.  3/2 

1:15  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7:75  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

7:75  P.M. 

1LADELPH1A 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
1  233  Summer  Street 

TUES.  3/2 

(A)  77  A.M. 

(B)  2  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

(C)   77  A.M. 
(DJ    2  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

(E)  11  A.M. 

(F)  2  P.M. 

TSBURGH 

M-G-M  Screen  Room 
1631  B'lvd  of  Allies 

TUES.  3/2 

7  P.M. 

TUES,  3/9 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

1  P.M. 

RTLAND 

B.  F.  Shearer  Screen  Room 
1947  N.W.  Kearney  Street 

THUR.  3/4 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

I  P.M. 

LOUIS 

S'Renco  Screen  Room 
3143  Olive  Street 

TIJFS  3/2 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/16 

1  P.M. 

kLT  LAKE  CITY 

20lh-Fox  Screen  Room 
216  East  First  Street,  So. 

THUR.  3/4 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1  P.M. 

FRANCISCO 

20th-Fox  Screen  Room 
245  Hyde  Street 

THUR.  3/4 

7.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7.-30  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1:30  P.M. 

ATTLE 

Jewel  Box  Preview  Theatre 
23 1  8  Second  Avenue 

THUR.  3/4 

7  P.M. 

TUES.  3/9 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1  P.M. 

ASHINGTON 

20lh-Fox  Screen  Room 
932  New  Jersey,  N.W. 

TUES.  3/2 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/10 

7  P.M. 

WED.  3/17 

1  P.M. 

"Youngest  Profession  --Virginia  Weidler,  Edward  Arnold,  John  Carroll,  Ann  Ayars,  Maria  Linden,  Dick  Simmons,  Agnes  Morehead  Je 
lightly  Dangerous"— Lana  Turner,  Robert  Young,  Walter  Brennan  •  "Harrigan's  Kid"— Bobby  Readick,  Frank  Craven,  William  Gargan,  J.  C 
"Assignment  In  Brittany"— Pierre  Aumont,  Susan  Peters  •  "Pilot  =5"  (Tentative  Title)— Francbot  Tone,  Marsha  Hunt,  Gene  Kelly 
"Du  Barry  Was  A  Lady"— Red  Skelton,  Lucille  Ball,  Gene  Kelly,  Tommy  Dorsey  and  his  Orchestra 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


OX  THE  MARCH 


February    27,  1943 

by  RED  KANN 


T 


HOLLYWOOD 

HEY  came,  they  talked,  but  what  did  they  conquer  ?  There 
could  be  a  lot  of  answers  to  that  question,  but  consider  this, 
please,  as  a  minor  scale  manoeuvre  at  capturing  some. 

The  East-West  conferences  held  here  most  of  last  week  re- 
traveled  ground  covered  earlier  with  new  colorations  superim- 
posed by  the  48-hour  week  and  the  tightening  problem  of  man- 
power. 

Far  and  away,  No.  1  Nemesis  was  the  salary  ceiling,  of  course. 
Any  quick  tour  of  Hollywood  these  days  ends  up  in  the  one  ter- 
minal:  the  $25,000  expendable  top  and  how  the  studios  face  a 
blank  wall  as  the  consequence. 

You  may  talk,  as  your  commentator  has  from  time  to  time, 
about  fidelity  to  public,  profession  and  industry.  You  may  even 
go  lofty  on  the  subject,  but  it  turns  out  to  be  a  fleecy  ride  on  the 
inconclusive  edge  of  a  soft  cloud  because  it  simply  is  not  work- 
ing out  that  way  at  all. 

The  cold  and  down-to-earth  truth  is  that  the  important  per- 
sonalities whose  names  decorate  theatre  marquees  and  usually 
sell  tickets  have  not  the  slightest  intention  of  working  for  free. 
They  have  even  less  intention  of  swelling  producer-distributor 
profits. 

Out  of  this  comes  the  sort  of  result  neatly  described  as  a  Mexi- 
can standoff.  Because  top  names  are  limited  now  as  they  always 
have  been,  the  scramble  for  their  services  is  a  permanent  back- 
drop on  the  scene.  Because  raw  stock  faces  another  inevitable 
slash  as  the  year  grows  older,  the  scramble  becomes  intensified. 
The  reason  is  simple  enough:  The  major  studios  want  to  make 
as  many  of  their  attractions  as  important  as  their  resources  can 
stand. 

Thus,  the  situation  is  baffling,  but  never  dull.  On  the  one  side 
is  the  ceiling  headache.  On  the  other  is  the  boom  in  grosses.  In 
between  stand  the  producers,  realizing  the  current  and  unpredict- 
able potentialities  of  the  theatre  market,  yet  facing  ultimate  elimi- 
nation of  their  opportunities  unless  something  happens. 

That  something  seems  to  be  on  the  way  now.  Various  pres- 
sures encircling  the  President's  salary  order  are  growing  sharper. 
In  the  very  nature  of  the  great  game  of  politics,  anti- Administra- 
tion forces  are  denting  the  armor  plate  and  the  break  appears  in 
sight. 


Where  the  Potomac  Flows 

THIS  is  an  external  approach  which  the  industry  every- 
where and  the  conference  here  watched  with  great  interest, 
but  no  participation.  Policy  has  been  constructed  adroitly 
along  the  pathways  of  private  negotiation  and  embraces  these 
elements : 

In  frequent  visits  to  Washington,  accredited  industry  repre- 
sentatives have  been  explaining  with  success  the  reasons  why  this 
business  finds  itself  in  its  peculiar  position.  The  factors  include 
the  star  system,  high  earning  power  and  short  box  office  lives. 
Washington  has  been  listening  with  a  sympathy  and  understand- 
ing borne  out  by  the  recurrence  of  the  meetings  and  official,  if 
private,  willingness  to  allot  all  time  necessary  to  exchange  views 
leading  to  a  common  meeting  ground. 

One  who  has  attended  most  of  these  parleys  states  with  em- 
phasis Washington  is  strong  for  motion  pictures  because  of  their 
morale  and  entertainment  value  in  wartime,  at  least;  that  this 
recognition  of  the  significance  of  the  industry  and  its  war  record 
to  date  has  brought  about  more  consideration  in  some  official 
directions  than  has  been  extended  any  other  industry  with  the 
possible  exception  of  those  directly  concerned  with  the  imple- 
ments of  battle. 

But,  while  it  is  natural  for  the  industry  to  recognize  its  own 
position  with  clarity  and  to  turn  restless  as  it  awaits  clarification, 


one  slant  has  not  been  widely  appreciated.  There  is  sufficient 
reason  to  believe  this  was  explained  somewhere  on  the  Holly- 
wood agenda.  Here  it  is  : 

From  the  government  point  of  view,  the  executive  order  does 
not  permit  of  partial  execution;  it  must  be  applied  in  toto.  No 
single  industry,  therefore,  reasonably  could  expect  to  have  new 
lines  of  procedure  set  up  for  its  own  relief  unless  all  indus- 
try was  treated  similarly.  This  is  how  the  escrow  plan  to  which 
Washington  lent  ear  without  commitment  was  developed,  not  for 
application  to  this  one  industry  but  to  all  where  the  ceiling's  ceil- 
ing applied. 

The  understanding  continues  to  prevail  that  this  formula — 
continuing  salaries  at  old  or  new  levels  as  negotiation  may  de- 
termine, but  with  overages  assigned  the  Treasury  Department 
until  the  ceiling  issue  is  determined — remains  the  industry's  best 
solution  thus  far. 


The  Control  Rests  Elsewhere 

AS  it  was  on  the  vexatious  and  unpredictable  question  of 
ceilings,  so  was  it  generally  on  other  issues.  The  difficulty 
apparent  even  before  these  high-powered  sessions  gath- 
ered steam,  in  fact,  remained  throughout.  The  problems  kicking 
up  the  greatest  trouble  were  not  problems  which  this  or  any  other 
round  table  could  have  solved  because  the  possibility  of  solution 
was  outside  the  control  of  those  who  met  to  do  the  solving. 

They  could  discuss  the  48-hour  week  and  estimate  how  it  will 
add  between  $7,000,000  and  $8,000,000  to  overhead.    They  did. 

They  could  discuss  the  so-called  "father"  draft  and  inroads 
promised  by  the  manpower  commission.   They  did  that,  too. 

They  listened  to  answers  to  questions  from  Lowell  Mellett 
who  discussed  scripts  ahead  of  production  and  rough  prints 
ahead  of  release.  "It  was  a  frank,  thoroughly  friendly  and  con- 
structive discussion,  off  the  record,"  said  the  chief  of  OWI's 
bureau  of  motion  pictures  on  the  record. 

They  pledged  further  cooperation  with  the  government  to  step 
up  the  war  effort,  named  a  committee  which  met  with  Mellett 
one  evening  and  over  the  weekend,  pursued  the  channels  and 
invaded  the  bypaths  of  an  even  greater  collaboration  than  had 
prevailed  until  now.  They  even  conceded  "practical  difficulties 
have  arisen,"  without  designating  them  as  fears  that  all-out 
cooperation  now  may  be  planting  the  seeds  of  censorship  later. 

They  heard  Francis  S.  Harmon  detail  the  work  of  the  War 
Activities  Committee  and  how  16,486  exhibitors  were  pledged  to 
play  Victory  Films. 

They  listened  to  Joseph  I.  Breen  go  comprehensive  and  his- 
torical on  the  Production  Code.  And,  although  reaffirmation 
seemed  hardly  required,  nevertheless  they  reiterated  their  al- 
legiance to  the  Code  and  "its  high  principles  and  standards." 

Company  presidents,  directors  of  the  producers'  association  and 
representatives  of  actors',  directors'  and  writers'  guilds  then 
dropped  formalities  for  a  dinner  at  Perrino's,  where  the  food  is 
excellent. 

Finally  came  the  breakup.  Barney  Balaban  to  Arrowhead. 
Nick  Schenck  to  New  York.  Others  to  stay  on  for  a  few  addi- 
tional days. 

What,  then,  did  they  conquer  ?  West  gave  East  its  views  face 
to  face.  East  told  West  how  it  goes  around  the  country.  East 
got  things  off  its  mind  and  West  off  its.  The  story  goes  all 
hands  concerned  feel  better  now  that  the  ventilation  is  behind 
them;  that  the  air  seems  clearer,  the  understanding  better,  the 
problems  the  more  appreciated.    But  still  there. 

■  Footnote.  The  eastern  executives  really  have  a  drag  here,  or 
more  likely  it's  because  they  were  visitors. 

At  Perrino's,  the  entree  was  filet  mignon. 

In  this  meatless  town! 


February    27.    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  21 


TELL  HOLLYWOOD  HOW  TO 
PRODUCE  FOR  ENGLAND 


British  Service  Offers  In- 
formation and  U.  S.  Has 
Policy  Advice 

by  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Hollywood  Editor 

Hollywood  is  being  told,  from  two  direc- 
tions, how  to  make  pictures  about  and  for 
England.  But  it  is  all  being  done  on  a  re- 
quest basis. 

Last  week  George  Archibald,  director  of 
the  Films  Division  of  British  Information 
services,  installed  Miss  Marjorie  Russell  at 
the  British  Consulate  in  Los  Angeles  as 
his  representative  authorized  to  supply  fac- 
tual information  to  producers,  directors  and 
writers  at  first  hand. 

Some  days  previously  Ulric  Bell,  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information's  local  staff,  ad- 
dressed the  membership  of  the  Independent 
Producers  Association  on  the  subject  of  how 
to  condition  their  treatment  of  films  for  the 
British  audience,  specifically  the  wartime 
British  audience. 

The  proffers  of  assistance  are  from 
sources  which  have  no  mutuality  of  identity-, 
but  the  objectives  are  the  same. 

Miss  Russell,  who  came  from  England 
early  in  January  after  a  month  of  training 
in  the  British  Ministry  of  Information,  to 
which  she  has  been  lent  by  a  mercantile  or- 
ganization for  the  duration,  is  empowered 
by  Mr.  Archibald,  whose  headquarters  is 
New  York,  to  acquaint  American  producers, 
directors  and  writers  with  conditions  in  En- 
gland, with  technical  and  other  factual  ma- 
terial, and  to  read  and  give  counsel  on 
scripts,  synopses,  films  in  making,  etc.,  on 
request.     Questions  of  British  policy,  oc- 
cording  to  Mr.  Archibald,  are  to  be  for- 
warded by  Miss  Russell  to  his  office  in  Xew 
York,  for  forwarding  in  turn,  if  necessary, 
to  the  highest  available  authority  in  Lon- 
don.   Miss  Russell's  function  does  not  in- 
clude the  promoting  of  ideas  or  suggesting 
of  stories  or  themes  for  picturization. 
Mr.  Bell's  address  to  the  inde- 
pendent producers,  who  specialize 
in  the  production  of  melodramas 
for  the  most  part  and  have  had  had 
some  perplexing  problems  arising 
out  of  inability  to  get  them  okayed 
for  export  in  wartime,  was  in  re- 
sponse to  their  invitation  and  his 
advices  were  given  from  a  back- 
ground memorandum  supplied  by 
Ferdinand  Kuhn,  Jr..  Deputy  Di- 
rector for  Information  to  Britain. 
Office  of  War  Information,  whose 
headquarters  is  Washington. 
Mr.  Kuhn  is  a  former  London  correspondent 
of  the  Xew  York  Times. 

Mr.  Bell  is  a  former  correspondent  of  the 
Louisville  Courier. 

The  Kuhn  observations  follow: 
"As  I  see  it,  there  are  three  major  sources  of 
irritation  and  ill-will  in  the  commercial  films 
that  are  sent  from  this  country  for  exhibition  in 
England. 

"1.  False  representation  of  Great  Britain. 

Nothing  hurts  us  so  much  in  our  films  as  in- 
accurate representations  of  the  British  people 
and  British  life.    These  inaccuracies  are  unin- 


SOVIET  FILM  OFFICIAL 
GOES  TO  HOLLYWOOD 

To  follow  through  his  announced 
program  of  cementing  trade  and  cul- 
tural relations  between  the  U.  S.  and 
Russian  film  industries,  Leonid  A. 
Antonov,  special  representative  of 
the  Soviet  Cinema  Committee,  was 
expected  to  leave  New  York  Friday 
for  an  eight-week  visit  to  Hollywood 
to  confer  with  production  officials. 
Nicola  Napoli,  president  of  Artkino 
Pictures,  Inc.,  U.  S.  distributors  of 
Russian  pictures,  planned  to  accom- 
pany the  Soviet  official.  Interchange 
of  American  and  Soviet  product  is 
understood  first  on  Mr.  Antonov's 
agenda.  During  his  stay,  he  plans  to 
see  a  number  of  current  releases  in 
which  his  government  is  interested  for 
outright  purchases  and  to  visit  those 
studios  where  films  with  Russian  war 
backgrounds  are  in  production. 


tentional  on  the  part  of  producers,  yet  their  ef- 
fect has  always  been  unhappy.  It  is  all  the  more 
so  in  wartime,  when  the  British  have  suffered 
so  much  for  three  and  a  half  years  and  are 
so  abnormally  sensitive  to  what  we  think  of 
them. 

"2.  Bragging.  We  in  America  have  a  great 
story  to  tell,  and  since  we  are  a  cocky  and  ex- 
troverted people,  we  like  to  tell  it.  We  have 
great  achievements  to  our  credit  in  this  war 
and  in  our  history,  and  we  should  make  those 
achievements  known.  However,  we  defeat  our 
purpose,  and  create  real  ill  will  for  ourselves 
abroad,  whenever  we  brag  about  ourselves  with- 
out reference  to  what  our  British  and  other  al- 
lies have  done.  Specifically,  we  cannot  very 
well  impress  the  British  with  our  sacrifices  in 
this  war  if  we  fail  at  the  same  time  to  point 
out,  by  even  a  sentence  or  a  few  words  in  a 
script,  that  our  allies  have  been  at  war  for 
years,  that  their  cities  have  been  bombed,  as 
ours  have  not,  and  that  they  have  suffered  far 
more  than  we. 

"This  bragging  comes  out  particularly  in  our 
films  about  our  war  heroes.  We  should  by  all 
means  tell  of  the  achievements  of  our  aviators, 
but  these  achievements  will  be  seen  with  much 
more  appreciation  in  England  if  we  don't  forset 
that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  an  R.A.F.,  which 
has  had  achievements  of  its  own  to  its  credits 
for  three  and  a  half  years. 

"It  is  also  galling  to  the  British,  as  well  as 
to  the  Russians,  for  example,  to  be  told  on  the 
screen  that  our  army  is  the  best  in  the  world, 
that  our  tanks  are  the  best  in  the  world,  or  that 
pur  munitions  workers  are  the  best  in  the  world. 
We  are  apt  to  fall  into  this  kind  of  thing  un- 
thinkingly, forgetting  that  our  films  have  a  vast 
market  in  England  and  other  English-speaking 
countries. 

"3.  Glamorizina  Fighting  Men.  Complaints 
are  coming  from  England  that  we  do  too  much 
glamorizing  of  our  war  heroes  in  our  films.  This 
is  a  complaint  about  picturing  soldiers,  sailors 
or  airmen  as  Rover  Boys  who  always  lick  the 
enemy  without  suffering  so  much  as  a  scratch 
or  a  mosquito  bite. 

"I  know  that  the  job  of  the  films  is  to  make 
their  characters  glamorous,  yet  we  can  avoid 
a  good  deal  of  this  irritation  if  we  also  indicate 


that  our  men  are  suffering.  An  example  of  the 
right  way  to  do  this  was  'Wake  Island";  an 
example  of  the  wrong  way,  apparently,  was  the 
Navy's  Midway  film,  although  for  a  fleeting 
second  or  two  it  did  show  a  wounded  man.  The 
blue  sky,  the  clean  air,  the  bright  sunlight  in 
this  film  all  suggested  to  the  British  that  we 
were  fighting  a  kind  of  Rover  Boys'  war  in 
which  handsome  and  gallant  airmen  were  some- 
how pulling  off  the  greatest  victory  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world 

"This  is  a  fault  of  German  propaganda  news- 
reels  and  documentaries,  which  show  lots  of 
material  destruction  but  never  a  German  corpse 
nor  even  a  single  German  with  a  wound  in  his 
little  toe.  One  reason  why  the  British  are  not 
more  interested  in  our  Pacific  fighting  is  that 
they  never  have  had  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
trials  and  suffering  through  which  our  men  on 
Guadalcanal  and  New  Guinea  must  live.  I 
do  not  say  that  our  films  about  fighting  men 
should  be  tragic,  but  if  we  are  giving  represen- 
tations of  our  men  at  war  we  ought  not  to 
make  the  war  look  like  an  Arrow  Collar  ad." 

Mr.  Bell's  message  to  the  independents  was 
delivered  on  invitation  and  offered  in  the  na- 
ture of  information  sought. 

Miss  Russell's  proffer  of  information  and 
counsel  is  of  like  status. 

There  is,  at  this  point,  no  agency, 
of  any  government,  empowered  to 
enforce  compliance  with  sugges- 
tions or  advices  offered  producers. 

There  is  no  formal  affiliation  be- 
tween any  of  the  agencies,  al- 
though there  is  some  informal  ex- 
change of  basic  data. 

The  single  government  agency  represented  in 
Hollywood  with  power  to  enforce  its  findings  is 
the  local  Office  of  Censorship,  under  chairman- 
ship of  Watterson  R.  Rothacker.  which  has 
authority  to  withhold  export  licenses,  likewise 
import  licenses,  required  by  films  destined  to 
cross  the  border  in  either  direction. 

The  Office  of  Censorship  differs  from  other 
government  agencies  also  on  the  point  that  it 
is  the  only  one  which  neither  proffers  nor 
gives  its  service  to  the  studios  in  the  matter 
of  reading  scripts. 

At  weekend  Miss  Russell  said  studio  heads 
had  been  informed  of  her  function  and  had 
started  submitting  scripts  for  her  inspection. 

At  weekend  a  subcommittee  appointed  by 
the  East-West  executives  in  their  three-day 
conclave  was  in  continuing  conference  with 
Mr.  Mellett  on  the  several  questions,  including 
inspection  of  scripts,  concerning  which  they 
had  been  at  difference  previously. 

OWI,  Independents  Pledge 
Mutual  Cooperation 

Members  of  the  Office  of  War  Information 
and  the  Society  of  Independent  Motion  Picture 
Producers  pledged  assistance  to  each  other  in 
cooperative  efforts  at  a  luncheon  held  in  Hol- 
lywood last  Thursday. 

Lowell  Mellett.  Nelson  Poynter  and  Ulrich 
Bell  outlined  future  plans  of  the  OWI  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Society,  who  included  Lloyd 
Wright  Hunt  Stromberg.  Walter  Wanger.  Da- 
vid O.  Selznick.  Sol  Lesser.  Samuel  Goldwyn. 
Walt  Disney,  William  Cagney  and  John  C. 
Flinn. 


Manager  To  Join  Army 

Ralph  Caranza,  assistant  manager  of  the 
Strand  theatre  in  New  Britain.  Conn.,  expects 
to  join  the  Army  next  week. 


22 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


North  African 
Battle  Seen  in 
"At  the  Front" 


O'Donneli  Is  Barker 
Of  Variety  Clubs 


Netv  chieftains  of  the  National  Variety  Clubs  elected  at  Chicago  are  (left  to 
right) :  J.  Louis  Rome,  Baltimore,  property  master;  Earl  Sweigert,  Philadelphia, 
second  assistant  national  barker;  R.  J.  O'Donneli,  Dallas,  national  chief  barker;  John 
H.  Harris,  Pittsburgh,  "big  boss",  and  Marc  Wolff,  Indianapolis,  dough  guy. 


R.  J.  O'DONNELL,  general  manager  of 
the  Interstate  Circuit  of  Texas,  was  unani- 
mously elected  national  chief  barker  of  the 
Variety  Clubs  of  America  at  the  annual 
convention  in  Chicago  last  Saturday.  He 
succeeds  John  H.  Harris  of  Pittsburgh, 
founder  of  the  organization  and  its  president 
since  its  formation.  Mr.  Harris  was  elect- 
ed Big  Boss  for  life,  an  office  newly  created 
by  the  delegates  in  recognition  of  his  ef- 
forts on  behalf  of  the  clubs. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Harris,  President 
Roosevelt  urged  continuance  of  the  good  for 
the  underprivileged,  it  was  disclosed  at  the 
meeting. 

During  the  business  meeting  of  the  con- 
vention, it  was  disclosed  that  the  sum  of 
$1,255,657  was  raised  and  expended  for 
Variety  Club  philanthropic  activities  during 
1942.  This  figure  exceeded  by  $773,657  the 
total  of  $482,000  originally  pledged  by  dele- 
gates at  the  1941  convention  in  Atlantic 
City  to  be  raised  for  charities  during  1942. 

Officers  and  Canvasmen 
Are  Elected 

In  addition  to  Mr.  O'Donneli,  who  has 
been  first  assistant  national  chief  barker  of 
the  organization,  other  new  officers  elected 
were:  Carter  Baron,  Loew's  Theatres'  di- 
vision manager,  Washington,  D.  C,  first 
assistant  national  chief  barker ;  Earle  W. 
Sweigert,  Paramount  district  manager, 
Philadelphia ;  second  assistant  national  chief 
barker;  Marc  Wolf,  Indianapolis,  dough 
guy ;  J.  Louis  Rome,  Baltimore,  property 
master.  National  canvasmen  for  the  coming 
year  also  were  elected. 

At  both  the  officers'  meeting  and  the  gen- 
eral meeting  of  the  convention,  it  was  de- 
cided that  each  tent  would  be  asked  to  spon- 
sor the  training  of  a  nurse  at  the  Min- 
neapolis General  Hospital  in  connection  with 
the  Sister  Kenny  treatment  of  infantile 
paralysis.  The  charity  reports'  committee 
suggested  that  the  charity  citation  for  1942 
be  awarded  to  Tent  No.  13  ' in  Philadelphia 


for  its  philanthropic  work  in  behalf  of  in- 
fantile paralysis  victims. 

Announcement  was  made  this  week  by 
Variety  Tent  No.  9  in  Albany  that  the  club 
is  jointly  sponsoring  with  USO  a  service- 
men's canteen  in  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
building.  Following  alterations,  the  build- 
ing will  be  opened  March  1st.  The  tent 
will  supply  most  of  the  entertainment  for 
the  USO  headquarters. 

Baltimore's  Tent  No.  19  reported  this 
week  election  of  new  committee  chairmen. 
They  are :  membership,  Sam  Soltz ;  house 
committee,  Rodney  Collier ;  J.  Louis  Rome, 
welfare  and  charity;  Leon  Back,  reception 
committee ;  Barry  Goldman,  constitution  and 
by-laws  and  publicity ;  Nat  Rosen,  enter- 
tainment; William  K.  Saxton,  audit  and 
finance;  I.  M.  Rappaport,  ways  and  means, 
and  Owen  D.  Weems,  special  events. 

Samuel  Gross,  chief  barker,  and  George 
Sobel,  chairman  of  the  house  committee,  of 
the  Philadelphia  Variety  Club,  inaugurated 
the  first  of  a  series  of  events  last  Saturday 
night  in  the  club's  rooms  at  the  Bellevue- 
Stratford  Hotel,  designed  to  strengthen  so- 
cial activity  of  industry  members.  For  the 
first  Saturday  night  entertainment,  guest 
stars  included  Dennis  Morgan,  Warner 
Bros,  star ;  Jerry  Lester,  Cliff  Hall  and 
Harold  Davis. 


Name  Club  Committees 

Chief  Barker  Samuel  Gross  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Variety  Club  announced  the  appointment 
of  the  following  committees  for  1943 :  mem- 
bership— Jay  Emanuel,  Chairman ;  Earle  W. 
Sweigert,  David  Supowitz,  William  A.  Mac- 
Avoy,  Jr.,  Harry  E.  Weiner ;  welfare — Ben 
Amsterdam,  chairman ;  Alfred  J.  Davis,  Oscar 
Neufeld;  charity — James  P.  Clark,  chairman; 
Frank  McNamee,  Edgar  Moss,  Charles  Gold- 
fine,  Jack  Beresin ;  motion  pictures — Ted 
Schlanger,  chairman ;  Jay  Emanuel,  John 
Turner ;  house — George  Sobel,  chairman ;  Wil- 
liam A.  MacAvoy,  Jr.,  Frederick  C.  Schaeffer, 
Oscar  Neufeld,  Murray  Diamond,  David  Supo- 
witz, Elmer  Hollander. 


Battle  scenes  from  the  North  African  front 
will  reach  the  screens  of  theatres  March  18th, 
when  the  War  Activities  Committee  releases 
"At  the  Front." 

The  picture,  screened  for  the  press  in  New 
York  this  week,  is  a  41 -minute  official  report, 
in  color,  of  landing  operations  and  initial  en- 
gagements against  Germans  in  Tunisia  and 
Morocco  last  November  and  December.  War- 
ner Brothers  will  distribute  the  picture,  without 
profit,  for  the  WAC.  Nominal  rental  will  be 
charged  to  pay  for  the  677  Technicolor  prints. 

Some  of  the  most  vivid  actual  battle  scenes 
ever  filmed  are  contained  in  the  reel.  It  shows 
also  the  territory  and  many  of  the  difficulties, 
natural  as  well  as  Nazi,  against  which  American 
soldiers  are  now  fighting. 

Exhibitors  who  recall  public  interest  in  the 
color  special  on  the  "Battle  of  Midway,"  also 
released  by  the  WAC,  can  book  this  longer  and 
equally  inspiring  and  exciting  report  from  the 
battle  zone  with  confidence  that  most  of  Amer- 
ica will  want  to  see  it. 

Cameramen  from  the  Navy,  Office  of  Stra- 
tegic Services,  Army  Air  Force  and  Signal 
Corps,  filmed  this  record.  The  Army  photog- 
raphers were  under  the  direction  of  Colonel 
Darryl  F.  Zanuck.  The  former  vice-president 
in  charge  of  Twentieth  Century-Fox's  studio 
can  be  glimpsed  in  several  sequences. 

Shown  in  the  colorful  opening  scenes  are  a 
review  of  American  troops  at  Algiers  in  De- 
cember by  Admiral  Darlan  and  Generals  Clark 
and  Anderson.  Allied  convoys  and  landing  op- 
erations at  Bone  offer  striking  color  contrasts 
of  sea  and  sunset.  Nazi  planes  attack  the 
city,  and  while  none  are  hit  before  the  camera, 
the  raid  is  driven  off  and  14  burning  wrecks 
are  found  in  surrounding  fields. 

A  tank  convoy  is  followed  up  the  main  supply 
road  to  the  front.  En  route  the  camera  meets 
American  paratroopers  being  led  back  to  base 
by  friendly  Arabs  after  a  successful  raid.  It 
passes  also  bombed  homes,  a  church  and  strafed 
hospital  train. 

Dramatic  air  material  is  included  in  pictures 
of  a  German  dive  bombing  attack  on  Souk  El 
Arba.  A  direct  hit  on  a  gasoline  dump  is 
caught  and  for  the  first  time  American  wounded 
and  dead  are  shown  on  the  screen. 

Best  of  the  battle  sequences  are  the  prepara- 
tions for  and  the  tank  engagement  at  Tebourba. 
The  Army  cameramen,  from  a  hilltop  closer  to 
enemy  lines  than  to  their  own,  filmed  direct  hits 
on  German  Mark  IV  tanks  and  gun  positions. 
Axis  prisoners  and  dead  appear  in  the  final 
scene  as  American  tanks  roll  forward  to  consoli- 
dated position  to  the  dubbeef-m  tune  of  "Over 
There." 

The  four  reels  possess  unusual  timeliness  and 
their  quality  warrants  special  attention  from 
every  theatre. — J.  S.,  Jr. 

Colonel's  Letter  to  Schenck 
Praises  Gift  of  Seats 

Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  president  of  Loew's, 
has  received  a  letter  of  thanks  from  Colonel 
F.  B.  Valentino,  commanding  officer  of  Dow 
Field,  near  Bangor,  Me.,  for  his  gift  of  500 
theatre  seats  to  the  post  theatre  at  the  Army 
base. 

In  his  letter  Colonel  Valentino  also  men- 
tioned the  generosity  of  J.  R.  Vogel,  Harry 
Moskowitz  and  Harry  Shaw,  Loew's  executives, 
for  their  "whole-hearted  and  splendid"  coopera- 
tion. "A  suitable  plaque  is  being  installed  so 
that  all  of  our  men,  now  and  in  the  future,  will 
know  to  whom  they  are  indebted  for  the  luxur- 
ies that  were  donated  by  you,"  the  letter  to  Mr. 
Schenk  said. 


February    27,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


23 


TRADE  PLANS  FOR  POST-WAR 
BOOM  IN  TELEVISION 


Radio  and  Film  Interests 
See  Medium  as  Field  of 
Expansion  in  Peace 

Visions  of  a  post-war  television  boom  in 
both  theatre  and  home  reception  of  visual 
broadcasts  are,  despite  the  war,  the  targets 
of  long  range  sights  among  many  of  the 
largest  radio  manufacturers,  broadcasters 
and  motion  picture  interests. 

Despite  the  virtual  eclipse  of  television 
broadcasting  during  a  year  of  war,  and  the 
pressure  of  war  production,  the  post-war  ex- 
pansion of  television  is  by  no  means  for- 
gotten. Engineering  advances  and  stimulat- 
ed research  and  production  on  secret  war 
problems  have  done  much  to  advance  tele- 
vision in  executive  thoughts  as  a  "blue  chip" 
field  for  post-war  expansion,  a  survey  of  the 
industry's  Xew  York  leaders  indicates. 

The  presidents  of  two  of  the  larg- 
est radio  and  electrical  manufactur- 
ing firms  in  the  world,  Radio  Cor- 
poration of  America  and  General 
Electric,  recently  gave  conspicuous 
attention  to  television  in  public 
statements.  A  new  television  com- 
pany has  been  launched  with  the 
backing  of  Paramount  Pictures, 
General  Theatres  Equipment  Com- 
pany and  important  banking  inter- 
ests. Radio  networks  and  other  film 
interests  are  giving  considerable 
thought  to  the  economics  and  tech- 
nicalities of  post-war  commercial 
television. 

Manufacturers  who  were  turning  out  home 
or  experimental  theatre  television  equipment 
before  the  war  now  are  engrossed  in  war 
contracts.  A  scant  half-dozen  television 
broadcasting  stations  still  are  on  the  air, 
with  only  nominal,  or  experimental  pro- 
grams. But  few  words  of  pessimism  are 
heard  about  the  industry's  future. 

Scophony  Corporation  Is 
American  Company 

Formation  of  a  new  American  corporation 
to  make  and  sell  the  British  Scophony  super- 
sonic system  of  television  under  a  patent  li- 
cense agreement  was  announced  at  Xew 
York  last  week.  Arthur  Levey  is  president 
of  the  new  firm.  He  was  a  founder  of  the 
British  company  and  demonstrated  the  Sco- 
phony system  here  two  years  ago. 

The  new  Scophony  Corporation  of  America 
is  a  U.  S.  company.  Its  directors  are  Joseph 
E.  Swan,  banker  and  partner  in  E.  F.  Hutton 
and  Company ;  Franklin  Field,  a  director  of  the 
Piper  Aircraft  Company  and  chief  operations 
advisor  of  the  outpost  division  of  the  Office  of 
War  Information ;  Earle  G.  Hines,  president  of 
General  Precision  Equipment  Corporation,  and 
Mr.  Levey. 

Officers  are  Mr.  Levey,  president ;  J.  E.  Swan, 
vice-president;  Mr.  Field,  treasurer:  R.  B.  La 
Rue.  secretary,  and  Bernard  Goodwin,  assistant 
secretary.  Mr.  La  Rue  and  Mr.  Goodwin  repre- 
sent the  General  Equipment  and  Paramount  in- 
terests.   The  alliance  with  General  also  gives 


Scophony  indirect  Chase  National  Bank  and 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  links. 

The  firm  will  produce  military  equipment  for 
the  United  Nations  under  British  patents,  Mr. 
Levey  disclosed.  Sven  Dodington,  chief  of  the 
British  company's  electrical  staff,  is  now  in  New 
York  to  work  with  engineers  of  International 
Projector  Corporation  and  other  General  Pre- 
cision Equipment  subsidiaries.  General's  plant 
facilities  will  be  used  for  making  war  devices 
and  eventually  home  and  theatre  television 
equipment,  Mr.  Levey  indicated. 

Supersonic  television  differs  basically  from 
the  electronic  projection  used  in  other  American 
systems.  Utilizing  waves  produced  in  frequen- 
cies of  the  order  of  20  million  cycles,  the  super- 
sonic system  can  produce  clear,  bright  images, 
easily  adaptable  to  color  with  a  disc  system, 
Scophony  executives  said.  It  can  be  used  in 
home  or  theatre  models. 

"The  most  spectacular  development  to  which 
we  look  forward  in  the  post-war  era  is  tele- 
vision", David  Sarnoff,  president  of  RCA,  told 
the  New  York  State  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
a  discussion  of  post-war  business. 

"When  the  war  started,  television  had  barely 
taken  its  first  steps  as  a  public  service.  From 
an  engineering  viewpoint,  it  was  practical,  and 
the  public  was  eager  for  it.  The  necessities  of 
war  production  made  commercial  progress  out 
of  the  question.  However,  it  is  gratifying  to 
those  who  labored  many  years  to  bring  televi- 
sion out  of  the  laboratory  to  know  that  the  ex- 
perience gained  from  television  research  is  prov- 
ing of  vital  importance  in  the  war",  he  said. 

"We  can  expect  to  have  intercity 
networks  of  stations  as  we  have 
them  in  sound  broadcasting.  Event- 
ually they  will  become  nationwide. 
We  look  forward  to  television  pro- 
grams in  theatres  as  well  as  in  the 
home.  Thanks  to  war  research, 
these  television  pictures  will  be  tech- 
nically much  better  than  they  were 
before  the  war",  Mr.  Sarnoff  pre- 
dicted. 

Similar  promise  of  vast  technical  advances 
was  given  by  Dr.  Walter  R.  G.  Baker,  presi- 
dent of  the  General  Electric  Company  recently 
in  a  talk  before  a  radio  group  of  the  American 
Marketing  Association. 

It  might  take  as  long  as  10  years  after  the 
war  before  all  current  television  advances  could 
be  commercially  applied,  he  said.  Commercial 
television.  Dr.  Baker  indicated,  might  have  to 
revise  all  its  pre-war  standards  and  start  prac- 
tically all  over  in  applying  its  advances  to  home 
and  theatre  exhibition. 

Agreement  among  engineers  and  executives 
as  to  the  course  which  television  will  follow 
after  the  war  is  by  no  means  unanimous.  Not 
even  on  the  question  of  standards  and  the  con- 
tinuation of  work  by  the  National  Television 
Standards  Committee  is  there  agreement. 

Opinions  Differ  Widely 
Among  Engineers 

Chairman  James  Lawrence  Fly  of  the  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  has  indicated 
his  belief  that  the  continuation  of  the  commit- 
tee would  be  for  the  public  benefit  and  the  good 
of  the  industry. 

There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  among  tele- 
vision engineers  as  to  the  necessity  of  a  whole- 
sale revision  of  standards  after  the  war.  The 
majority,  however,  appear  convinced  that  the 
pre-war  standards  are  feasible  for  the  imme- 


diate post-war  development  of  the  industry. 
Changes  may  be  made  in  time,  one  engineer 
said,  but  he  expressed  the  conviction  that  it 
would  be  a  mistake  to  delay  commercial  televi- 
sion until  a  standards  committee  again  had  gone 
through  the  protracted  debate  necessary  to  set 
up  a  universal  formula. 

Still  to  be  settled  is  the  status  of  color.  A 
number  of  stations  and  manufacturers  favor 
continued  black  and  white  transmission  for  its 
economies  in  production  and  receiver  design. 
Columbia  Broadcasting  System,  however,  re- 
mains committed  to  the  color  system  devised  by 
Dr.  Peter  Goldmark  and  several  other  com- 
panies are  undecided.  Most  are  continuing 
color  research. 

Engineering  advances  resulting  from  the  war, 
a  leader  in  television  research  predicted,  would 
result  in  a  sharp  reduction  in  the  cost  of  tele- 
vision receivers  and  permit  the  mass  production 
of  a  much  more  efficient  and  simple  set.  Similar 
advances  in  transmission  equipment  and  tech- 
nique could  be  expected,  he  said. 

Economic  Problems  Are 
Far  from  Solved 

Economically,  and  in  the  commercial  appli- 
cation of  television  to  the  theatre  field,  however, 
problems  are  far  from  solved  and  few  post-war 
courses  indefinitely  outlined.  Particularly  in  the 
transmission  of  current  events,  sports  and  other 
material  suited  particularly  to  theatre  exhibition, 
solution  of  television's  box  office  approach  is  far 
from  achieved.  Many  of  the  pioneers  in  en- 
gineering development  say  this  aspect  has  been 
barely  scratched,  "and  with  little  intelligence", 
according  to  one. 

Application  of  television  to  the  field  of  home 
broadcasting  is  expected  to  be  much  less  com- 
plicated in  view  of  the  commercial  experience 
gained  in  the  year  before  the  war.  Network 
transmission  has  been  demonstrated  successfully 
and  executives  express  confidence  that  a  large 
advertising  market  will  open  up  as  soon  as 
mass  production  of  receivers  is  under  way. 

Noran  E.  Kersta,  manager  of  the  television 
department  of  the  National  Broadcasting  Com- 
pany, in  an  address  to  network  affiliates  recent- 
ly, said: 

"As  sound  broadcasting's  service 
to  the  public  increased  with  growing 
participation  of  advertisers,  so  we 
expect  television  to  increase  its  ser- 
vice to  the  public  as  business  par- 
ticipates through  the  use  of  televi- 
sion as  an  advertising  medium".  He 
cited  NBC's  experimental  records 
to  show  that  more  than  125  adver- 
tisers representing  21  industries  par- 
ticipated in  a  total  of  294  client-co- 
operative programs  from  1939  to 
1941.  This,  he  said,  assures  commer- 
cial backing. 

Although  approximately  22  applications  for 
station  permits  were  on  file  before  the  war.  to- 
day only  NBC,  Du  Mont  and  Columbia  Broad- 
casting System  in  New  York:  Philco  in  Phila- 
delphia; General  Electric  in  Schenectady,  and 
Balaban  and  Katz  in  Chicago  and  Don  Lee  in 
Los  Angeles  are  continuing  to  broadcast.  They 
are  on  the  air  with  experimental  programs  and 
films,  air  raid  instructions  or  low  cost  studio 
programs  to  meet  minimum  requirements  of 
four  hours'  weekly  transmission. 

Film,  generally  free  or  low  cost  government 
or  commercial  information  reels,  is  being  used 
extensively  to  fill  this  program  time. 


•$r  OF  ml  x 

CEHTUM-FOX  ////S/ 


26 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


hebruary    27,  1943 


Finds  Price  and  Run 
Offer  Reasonable 


Seven  -  Day  Clearance  in 
Bronx  Area  Is  Affirmed 
by  Appeal  Board 

Offers  of  runs  to  the  Sosna  theatre,  Mexi- 
co, Mo.,  were  found  reasonable  by  a  St. 
Louis  arbitrator  this  week  as  he  carried  out 
an  Appeal  Board  mandate  to  examine  the 
terms  and  conditions  of  the  "some  runs" 
which  the  board  ordered  Warners,  RKO, 
Paramount  and  Twentieth  Century-Fox  to 
grant.  The  case  is  St.  Louis'  eighth,  and  the 
third  filed  by  Louis  M.  Sosna. 

Ethan  A.  H.  Shepley,  the  arbitrator,  act- 
ing on  the  remanded  case,  found  on  Febru- 
ary 16th  that  Paramount,  RKO  and  Twenti- 
eth Century-Fox  had  offered  the  complainant 
runs  on  terms  and  conditions  not  calculated 
to  defeat  Section  VI.  The  complaint  against 
them  was  dismissed.  He  also  ruled  that 
Warners  had  licensed  pictures  to  the  Sosna 
on  the  terms  of  a  stipulation  withdrawing 
the  case  against  them  last  October. 

Mr.  Shepley  overruled  Mr.  Sos- 
na's  contention  that  the  runs  of- 
fered defeated  the  purpose  of  Sec- 
tion VI  because  prices  were  too 
high,  clearance  unreasonably  long 
and  restrictions  on  admission  mini- 
mums  unfair. 

"The  complainant  sought  to  justify  his  position 
on  the  untenable  theory  that  to  be  fair  a  price 
must  be  so  fixed  as  to  permit  them  to  operate  his 
theatre  at  a  profit.  We  question  the  soundness 
of  this  theory,"  Mr.  Shepley  wrote.  He  also 
questioned  whether  Mexico  was  able  to  support 
a  third  run  theatre,  adding  that  he  did  not  be- 
lieve a  reduction  in  rentals  would  solve  Mr. 
Sosna's  problem. 

The  decision  criticized  inconsistencies  in  Mr. 
Sosna's  price  demands  and  denied  that  a  third 
run  theatre  may  automatically  acquire  the  right 
to  share  a  second  run  by  raising  its  admis- 
sions. 

Product  Offered  by 
Several  Companies 

The  Warner  stipulation  showed  it  had  closed 
licenses  of  26  pictures  on  second  run.  RKO 
offered  all  current  production,  16  pictures  on 
second  run,  balance  on  third  and  28  days'  clear- 
ance after  second  run.  Prices  were  $10-$15  and 
one  picture  at  $17.50. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  offered  all  current 
product  on  third  run  with  12  groups  of  1941-42 
pictures  and  two  of  1942-43  at  $10  to  $20  with 
30  days'  clearance  after  second  run.  Paramount 
also  offered  all  current  pictures  at  third  run ; 
24  at  $10,  eight  at  $12.50,  six  at  $15  and  two 
at  30  per  cent  of  gross ;  clearances  of  30  days 
after  second,  120  days  after  first  runs. 

All  costs  were  charged  to  complainant.  The 
arbitrator  held  two  hearings  on  the  remanded 
offers. 

New  York 

Seven-day  clearances  between  Bronx,  N.  Y., 
subsequent  run  theatres  again  were  found  rea- 
sonable by  the  Appeal  Board  in  its  54th  deci- 
sion on  Thursday. 

It  dismissed  the  clearance  demand  of  Julius 
Joelson's  circuit  against  Warners,  RKO,  Twen- 
tieth Century-Fox  and  the  Skouras  Valentine 
theatre  on  three  out  of  four  counts.  The  award 
closely  paralleled  the  board's  38th  ruling,  dis- 


missing the  Ogden  theatre  action  in  the  same 
area. 

The  Valentine,  on  second  run,  and  the  Kings- 
bridge,  Avalon  and  Oxford  theatres,  on  third, 
were  clearly  competitive  and  under  the  terms 
of  Section  VIII  the  Valentine's  margin  is  rea- 
sonable, both  as  to  time  and  area,  the  board 
found.  It  eliminated  clearance  of  the  Valentine 
over  the  Jerome,  1.4  miles  away,  on  the  grounds 
that  it  was  in  a  separate  clearance  area. 

The  exception  for  the  Jerome  was  the  only 
modification  of  the  dismissal  by  Morris  B. 
Moskowitz,  arbitrator.  The  board  affirmed  his 
ruling  that  Twentieth  Century-Fox  was  ex- 
empt from  the  cause,  under  Section  XV,  because 
it  sold  pictures  to  the  Skouras  circuit  under 
the  terms  of  a  franchise  antedating  June  6,  1940. 

RKO,  and  Warners,  defendants,  and  the  in- 
tervening Skouras  circuit  shared  costs  with  com- 
plainant. 

Warners  have  appealed  the  award  of  Julius 
Henry  Cohen  in  the  33  New  York  case  which 
reduced  clearance  of  the  Savoy  theatre,  Bloom- 
field,  N.  J.,  behind  Newark. 

St.  Louis 

Two  St.  Louis  neighborhood  theatres  last 
week  filed  clearance  complaints  against  the 
five  consenting  distributors.  Leo  Litvag,  opera- 
tor of  the  Apollo  theatre,  St.  Louis,  in  the 
tribunal's  16th  action,  charged  that  clearance  of 
the  Pageant  and  Will  Rogers  theatres  are  un- 
reasonable. 

In  Case  No.  17  Dr.  G.  J.  Hobbs,  operating 
the  40th  Street  theatre  in  East  St.  Louis,  at- 
tacked as  unreasonable  the  clearances  of  the 
Majestic  and  Avenue  theatres. 

Boston 

Boston's  13th  case,  in  which  Arthur  P. 
•  Hardy,  arbitrator,  cut  the  clearance  of  Boston 
first  runs  over  the  Strand  theatre  in  Quincy, 
has  been  appealed.  Appeals  were  filed  last 
week  by  New  England  Theatres,  Inc.,  an  in- 
tervener, and  Warners  and  20th  Century-Fox, 
defendants. 

Philadelphia 

T.  E.  Ayers,  operator  of  the  Palace  and  Lay- 
ton  theatres  in  Seaford,  Del.,  filed  a  clearance 
demand,  the  23rd  case,  at  Philadelphia  on  Tues- 
day. He  asserted  that  the  seven  days  clearance 
granted  by  Paramount  and  MGM,  and  14  days 
by  Warners  to  theatres  in  Salisbury,  Md.,  was 
unreasonable  as  to  area  and  time  and  asked 
equal  availability.  The  Schine  circuit's  Maryland 
division  and  the  Wicomico  and  Ulman's  thea- 
tres are  named. 


Trial  of  Louis  Kaufman 
Is  Set  for  March  1st 

The  trial  of  Louis  Kaufman,  business  agent 
of  Local  244,  Motion  Picture  Operators  Union 
of  Newark,  N.  J.,  on  charges  of  extortion  has 
been  set  for  March  1st  in  New  York  Federal 
court  by  Judge  Samuel  Mandelbaum. 

Kaufman  and  Nick  Dean  were  accused  of 
having  extorted  $1,000,000  from  producers.  Dean 
pleaded  guilty  and  was  sentenced  to  eight  years 
in  Federal  prison.  A  similar  indictment  was 
charged  against  George  E.  Browne,  former 
president  of  the  IATSE  and  William  Bioff, 
personal  representative  of  Browne,  who  were 
convicted  _  and  are  now  in  the  Federal  House 
of  Detention.  Browne  received  eight  years  and 
Bioff  10  years. 


Warners  Report 
13- Week  Net 
Of  $1, 723,383 

Warner  Bros.  Pictures,  Inc.,  and  subsidiary 
companies  report  for  the  period  from  September 
1,  1942,  to  November  28,  1942,  a  net  operating 
profit  of  $1,723,383  after  deducting  all  charges, 
including  amortization  and  depreciation,  normal 
Federal  income  taxes  and  Federal  excess  profits 
taxes,  as  compared  with  a  net  operating  profit  of 
$2,079,601,  before  providing  for  Federal  excess 
profits  taxes,  reported  for  the  13  weeks  ended 
November  29,  1941. 

The  net  profit  from  operations  for  the  period 
ended  November  28,  1942,  before  Federal  in- 
come and  excess  profits  taxes  was  $6,173,383  as 
compared  with  $3,079,601  for  the  13-week  period 
last  year. 

Gross  income,  after  eliminating  intercompany 
transactions,  for  the  period  ended  November  28, 
1942,  was  $30,111,163.  Gross  income  for  the  13 
weeks  ended  November  29, 1941,  was  $28,586,534. 

During  the  period  ended  November  28,  1942, 
there  was  an  additional  provision  for  contingen- 
cies in  the  amount  of  $325,000  in  respect  of  the 
net  assets  of  subsidiaries  operating  in  foreign 
territories. 

The  net  of  $1,723,383  is  equivalent  on  pre- 
ferred stock  to  $17.33  per  share  on  99,397  shares 
outstanding  at  November  28,  1942  (after  deduct- 
ing shares  held  in  treasury).  Dividends  in  ar- 
rears as  of  December  1,  1942,  amounted  to 
$33.6875  per  share. 

On  common  stock  it  is  equivalent  after  allow- 
ance for  current  dividend  requirements  on  the 
preferred  stock  to  43  cents  per  share  on  3,701,090 
shares  outstanding  (after  deducting  shares  held 
in  treasury)  at  November  28,  1942. 


Coe  to  Continue 
Public  Talks 


Continuing  the  pattern  of  appeal  to  the  public 
set  by  his  Boston  Advertising  Club  address  of 
February  16th,  Charles  Francis  Coe,  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  counsel  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Producers  and  Distributors  of  America,  will 
address  similar  meetings  in  principal  cities.  The 
first  of  these  will  be  in  New  York,  probably  in 
March. 

The  Boston  meeting  was  described  by  Mr. 
Coe  this  week  as  an  experiment.  It  was  spon- 
sored and  attended  by  civic  leaders,  which  is 
considered  a  desirable  arrangement. 

The  meetings  to  be  held  will  hear  Mr.  Coe's 
exposition  of  the  industry's  place  in  war  service, 
and  its  importance  generally  as  a  public  need, 
and  also  will  feature  private  questions-and-an- 
swer  periods  for  industry  members  attending. 
Pamphlets  will  be  distributed. 

Mr.  Coe  added  that  he  believes  industry  unity 
on  presentation  of  its  "case"  to  the  public  has 
been  achieved.  Of  internal  unity,  he  said  it 
could  at  the  present  be  attained  only  by  "regi- 
mentation," which  he  labeled  undesirable. 


Biondell  Joins  Camp  Unit 

Joan  Biondell  has  offered  her  services  for  the 
USO-Camp  Shows  touring  units,  and  will  join 
the  "Hellzapoppin"  group  headed  by  Olsen  and 
Johnson  on  February  22nd.  The  troupe  is 
scheduled  to  perform  at  Army  camps  in  Okla- 
homa and  Texas. 


Ginsberg  Leaves  for  Army 

Louis  Ginsberg,  New  Haven  salesman  for 
United  Artists,  has  received  a  call  for  Officers' 
Candidate  School  in  the  Army. 


Second  Son  Joins  Army 

Richard  Hartman,  son  of  Ollie  Hartman, 
who  is  connected  with  the  Mason  City  theatre 
in  Mason  City,  Wash.,  has  joined  the  Army, 


S,^^^^  Rush  your  Pledge  for  RED  CROSS  WEEK— Apr.  1-7  ^ 


Rush  your  Pledge  for  RED  CROSS  WEEK— Apr.  1-7 


28 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February    2  7,  1943 


Would  Tax  Broadcast- 
Visitors  10  Cents 


New  York  Bill  First  of 
Kind;  Ask  Sunday  Ban 
in  Delaware 

A  new  type  of  amusement  taxation  was 
brought  to  the  attention  of  New  York  State 
legislators  when  Assemblyman  John  Dow- 
ney of  Jackson  Heights  introduced  a 
measure  on  February  18th  to  assess  all  per- 
sons over  14  years  old  attending  radio 
broadcasts  10  cents.  Under  the  provisions 
of  the  bill,  however,  the  admission  charge 
would  be  waived  if  the  broadcast  were  given 
primarily  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  the 
sale  of  War  Stamps  and  Bonds. 

It  would  require  radio  stations  and  own- 
ers of  theatres  in  which  broadcasts  were  held 
to  maintain  an  accurate  record  of  attendance 
and  to  remit,  on  or  about  the  tenth  of  each 
month,  an  amount  equal  to  10  cents  for  each 
person  admitted.  Exemption  from  such  an 
assessment  would  be  accorded  representa- 
tives of  the  press  and  law  enforcement 
agencies. 

Introduce  Fire  Prevention 
Bill  in  New  York 

Senator  Seymour  Halpern  of  Queens  and 
Assemblyman  Harold  B.  Ehrlich  of  Buf- 
falo introduced  a  fire  prevention  bill  with 
the  main  clause  relating  to  the  abolition  of 
revolving  doors  in  the  general  exit  of  any 
building  unless  at  least  one  swinging  door 
adjoins  both  sides  of  the  revolving  exit.  The 
measure  is  not  of  great  concern  to  exhibitors 
since  state  police  officials  disclosed  that  they 
knew  of  no  instance  where  any  theatre  in  the 
state  used  revolving  doors. 

The  Manning-Oliver  bill  has 
been  laid  on  Governor  Dewey's 
desk  following  its  passage  by  the 
New  York  Senate  last  week.  The 
measure  would  allow  motion  pic- 
ture operators  now  serving  with 
the  armed  forces  to  apply  for  re- 
licensing  within  three  months  after 
their  discharge,  and  the  Interna- 
tional Association  of  Theatrical 
Stage  Employees  and  the  State 
Theatrical  Crafts  have  endorsed  the 
bill. 

Two  proposed  measures  in  the  Connecti- 
cut legislature  were  dropped  after  commit- 
tee hearings  were  held.  They  were  the  pro- 
posed 10  per  cent  admissions  tax  bill  and 
the  measure  requiring  installation  of  auto- 
matic sprinklers.  Instead  of  the  latter  pro- 
posal, another  fire  prevention  bill  which  was 
first  filed  in  blank,  has  been  introduced  and 
asks  for  the  fire-proofing  of  inflammable  ma- 
terials. 

All  places  of  assembly  with  a  seating  ca- 
pacity of  more  than  50  would  be  subject  to 
it.  The  bill  specifies  that  aisle  space  must 
be  not  less  than  36  inches  wide  and  provides 
for  adequate  exits,  satisfactory  illumination 
and  annual  permits  from  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment. 

In  Delaware  and  Tennessee,  the  Sunday 
ban  on  theatre  exhibition  has  received  wide 
attention.    Representative  Ralph  S.  Keenan 


introduced  a  bill  in  the  Delaware  legislature 
which  would  ban  the  showing  of  motion  pic- 
tures on  Sunday  for  the  duration  of  the  war. 
The  bill  stated  that  "exigencies  of  the  war 
emergency  demand  the  total  mobilization  of 
the  manpower  and  natural  resources  of  the 
nation,"  and  held  that  Sunday  exhibition 
caused  an  unnecessary  waste  of  labor  and 
fuel.  A  violator  would  be  subject  to  a  $100 
fine  for  the  first  offense,  and  a  $500  fine  for 
each  subsequent  violation. 

In  Tennessee,  on  the  other  hand, 
a  bill  to  lift  the  Sunday  ban  exist- 
ing in  that  city  passed  both  houses 
of  the  legislature  only  to  be  vetoed 
by  Governor  Cooper  last  week.  Ex- 
hibitors who  were  preparing  ad- 
vance programs  were  disappointed, 
and  planned  to  await  a  state  su- 
preme court  ruling  on  the  right  to 
hold  a  referendum  upholding  Sun- 
day showings. 

Such  a  referendum  had  been  rejected  by 
voters  several  years  ago.  Recently,  however, 
the  City  Council  authorized  another  refer- 
endum. A  citizens'  committee  obtained  a 
temporary  injunction  to  restrain  the  city  and 
Knox  County  Election  Commission  from 
holding  the  referendum.  The  referendum  de- 
cision is  expected  to  be  handed  down  by  the 
supreme  court  shortly. 

Following  the  passage  of  the  time  change 
bill  in  Ohio,  placing  the  state  back  on  Cen- 
tral Standard  Time,  numerous  municipali- 
ties have  indicated  their  intention  of  re- 
taining War  Time.  Included  among  them 
are  such  large  cities  as  Cincinnati,  Cleve- 
land, Toledo  and  Akron.  It  was  disclosed 
that  in  most  instances,  the  change  to  Central 
Standard  Time  would  be  considered  in  the 
autumn. 

The  only  other  Ohio  legislation  was  lo- 
cal in  nature.  Middletown's  ordinance  pro- 
viding a  theatre  curfew  for  children  15  years 
of  age  has  been  raised  to  17  years.  They 
are  not  permitted  in  theatres  after  9  P.  M. 
unless  accompanied  by  an  adult.  In  Massil- 
lon,  the  City  Council  passed  a  similar 
measure,  designed  to  curb  juvenile  delin- 
quency by  prohibiting  children  under  16 
years  of  age  from  being  on  the  streets  after 
10  P.  M.,  Sunday  through  Thursday,  and 
after  midnight  on  Friday  and  Saturday. 


Induct  Union  Officers 

Recently  elected  and  inducted  officers  of  the 
Fall  River,  Mass.,  Musicians'  Union,  Local  216, 
AFL,  are:  Alcide  H.  Breault,  president;  Wil- 
liam Moore,  vice-president,  and  Edward  Gahan, 
secretary-treasurer.  The  union,  which  provides 
musicians  for  the  vaudeville  performances  at  the 
Empire  theatre  and  local  night  spots,  has  a  mem- 
bership of  126. 


Monroe  Goodman  in  Army 

Monroe  R.  Goodman,  assistant  to  Oscar  A. 
Morgan,  Paramount's  short  subjects  and  news- 
reel  sales  head,  reported  to  Fort  Dix  on  Feb- 
ruary 16th  after  induction.  He  had  been  with 
Paramount  for  the  past  14  years,  and  has  been 
succeeded  by  Stanley  R.  Chase,  formerly  in  the 
Paramount  foreign  department. 


Dismiss  ASCAP 
Suit  on  Rights 

New  York  State  Supreme  Court  Justice 
Aaron  Steuer  last  Wednesday  dismissed  a  suit 
to  determine  the  rights  of  song  publishers  and 
authors  after  expiration  of  their  contracts  with 
the  American  Society  of  Composers,  Authors 
and  Publishers.  Action  was  brought  by  two 
music  publishers,  Denton  &  Haskins  Corpora- 
tion and  the  Gem  Music  Corporation,  who 
sought  to  determine  whether  ASCAP  would 
retain  their  public  performing  rights  in  their 
catalogs  after  December  31st,  1950,  when  their 
contract  with  the  Society  expires.  Plaintiffs 
contended  that  the  Society  would  have  no 
rights  of  distribution  of  their  songs  after  their 
agreement  terminated.  Motion  for  dismissal 
was  argued  by  Louis  D.  Frohlich,  of  Schwartz 
&  Frohlich,  ASCAP's  general  counsel. 

The  Society  also  won  a  technical  victory  last 
week  in  Seattle  in  the  U.  S.  district  court  in  the 
defense  of  an  action  by  private  individuals,  who 
charged  ASCAP  with  operating  a  monopoly  in 
violation  of  the  Sherman  anti-trust  act.  While 
the  court  granted  a  motion  by  ASCAP's  coun- 
sel to  quash  the  process  by  which  service  of  the 
suit  on  several  defendants  was  attempted,  the 
Society  was  not  dismissed  from  the  suit.  Coun- 
sel for  the  plaintiff,  however,  said  he  planned  to 
seek  trial  of  the  action  in  New  York. 


Offer  to  Settle 
Chicago  Suit 

An  offer  to  settle  the  anti-trust  suit  brought 
in  1938  by  a  group  of  nearly  100  Chicago  ex- 
hibitors against  the  leading  distributors  and 
Balaban  &  Katz  Corporation  is  reported  to  have 
been  made  by  the  defendants. 

The  principal  concession  is  a  reduction  of 
two  weeks  in  clearance  which  would  make  the 
elapsed  time  eight  weeks  instead  of  10  between 
the  ending  of  first  runs  and  the  start  of  the  first 
week  of  general  release.  Other  proposals  cover 
changing  the  release  date  for  subsequent  runs 
from  Sunday  to  Friday  and  the  setting  of  play 
dates  for  all  houses  following  "A"  week  of  pre- 
release by  a  conference  of  the  independent  and 
circuit  theatres  involved. 

Complainants  are  reported  in  favor  of  accept- 
ing the  first  point  but  have  not  agreed  among 
themselves  on  the  others.  Consideration  of  the 
proposition  is  being  given  by  houses  that  now 
are  opening  their  week  on  Sunday  to  take  maxi- 
mum advantage  of  the  present  clearance  system 
and  by  others  who  are  skeptical  about  the  re- 
turn to  the  booking  negotiations  which  were  in 
effect  years  ago. 


Vogel  Joins  Universal 

Eugene  Vogel,  former  Metro  salesman  in  Al- 
bany, has  resigned  to  join  Universal  as  a  special 
sales  representative.  His  place  has  been  taken 
by  William  Gaddoni,  formerly  chief  booker, 
who,  in  turn,  has  been  succeeded  by  Ralph 
Ripps.  Mr.  Vogel  will  be  guest  at  a  luncheon 
given  by  Albany  film  salesmen  on  March  15th. 


Charles  Wolf  Awarded  DFC 

Charles  Wolf,  18-year-old  son  of  Al  Wolf, 
Dallas  salesman  for  Warners,  has  been  award- 
ed the  Distinguished  Flying  Cross  for  bravery 
during  air  combats  in  the  New  Guinea  area.  He 
now  is  taking  special  flying  courses  in  the 
United  States. 


Pvt.  LeWitt  in  Colorado 

Private  Baruch  LeWitt,  former  partner  of 
the  Glackin-LeWitt  Theatres  in  Connecticut, 
now  is  stationed  at  Camp  Hale,  Colorado. 


February    2  7,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


29 


LEADERS  REITERATE  FAITH 
IN  PRODUCTION  CODE 


'Formula9  on  Script  Approval 
Lulls  Studio  Censor  Fears 

Hollywood's  newest  fears  of  a  national  censorship  of  motion  pictures,  arising  out 
of  the  Office  of  War  Information's  participation  in  the  affairs  of  production, 
appeared  to  have  been  lulled  last  weekend. 

A  committee  appointed  by  company  presidents  and  studio  executives  in  the 
course  of  their  conferences  last  week  was  preparing  a  formula  of  procedure  to 
govern  studio  submission  of  story  treatments,  scripts  and  rough  cuts  to  the  Holly- 
wood branch  of  OWI. 

This  formula  was  to  be  outlined  in  the  form  of  a  memorandum  which  would  be 
forwarded  to  Lowell  Mellett,  chief  of  the  films  division  of  OWI,  in  Washington 
this  week. 

A  decision  to  formalize  studio  cooperation  with  OWI,  which  had  been  proceeding 
informally  since  the  establishment  of  the  Hollywood  branch  of  the  organization  last 
May,  was  arrived  at  Saturday  morning  when  the  conference  committee  met  with 
Mr.  Mellett  and  his  associates. 

The  appointment  of  the  committee  had  been  made  on  Wednesday  of  last  week 
following  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Mellett  at  the  afternoon  session  of  the  confreres. 
At  that  meeting  Mr.  Mellett  reviewed  the  history  of  the  OWI's  proffered  services 
to  the  studios.  He  re-emphasized  the  voluntary  character  of  the  cooperation  which 
the  OWI  had  vouchsafed  and  stressed  his  own  and  the  government's  view  that  only 
a  purely  voluntary  relationship  between  the  industry  and  OWI  was  compatible  with 
American  procedure. 

Following  Mr.  Mellett's  appearance  at  the  Wednesday  session,  it  is  understood, 
studio  executives  present  exchanged  reports  of  their  experience  in  cooperating, 
to  greater  and  lesser  extent  in  the  various  cases,  with  OWI.  This  exchange  of 
reports,  according  to  some  who  were  in  attendance,  established  the  basis  of  under- 
standing upon  which  the  committee,  in  its  subsequent  meetings,  arrived  at  the 
conclusions  reflected  in  the  decision  to  work  out  a  formula. 

The  controversy  arose  after  Mr.  Mellett,  on  December  7th,  addressed  a  letter 
to  studio  heads  suggesting  that  all  scripts  be  submitted  for  discussion  before 
production.  Both  he  and  Elmer  Davis,  OW|  chief,  denied  that  censorship  was 
intended. 


Executives'  Session  Cites 
Value  of  Self  -  Regula- 
tion in  Time  of  War 

With  the  declaration  that  the  Production 
Code  and  the  motion  picture  industry's 
standards  of  self-regulation  are  even  more 
important  in  time  of  stress  than  in  peace 
the  presidents  of  the  major  film  companies 
closed  a  four-day  conference  on  wartime 
problems  at  Hollywood  on  Frida}7. 

The  executives  met  at  the  invitation  of 
the  Coordinating  Committee  of  six  lawyers 
to  examine  and  formulate  policy  on  the 
production  industry's  war  activities.  In 
addition  to  discussing  the  screen's  war  ef- 
forts with  studio  heads,  guild  and  union 
leaders  and  Government  representatives, 
they  examined  the  problems  of  maintaining 
production  in  the  face  of  wartime  scarcities 
and  restrictions. 

"The  motion  picture  industry, 
sensible  of  the  special  obligations 
that  confront  it  in  this  period  of 
national  stress,  reaffirms  its  alle- 
giance to  the  high  principles  and 
standards  set  up  in  the  Production 
Code  of  the  industry,  and  reaffirms 
its  determination  to  conform  to 
these  principles  and  standards  in 
practice,"  a  unanimously  adopted 
resolution  said. 

Will  H.  Hays,  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of 
America,  reviewed  the  history  of  the  Code, 
adopted  voluntarily  in  1930.  Joseph  I. 
Breen,  administrator,  cited  a  steady  im- 
provement in  standards  in  the  last  2,000 
pictures  to  receive  a  Code  seal. 

A  sub-committee  was  named  to  confer 
with  Lowell  Mellett,  chief  of  the  bureau  of 
motion  pictures  of  the  Office  of  War  In- 
formation. They  were  expected  reach  an 
agreement  on  the  suggested  submission  of 
scripts  to  the  OWI  and  to  stud}'  new  ways 
in  which  films  could  aid  the  war  effort. 

12,000  Theatres  Play 
WAC  Releases 

E.  J.  Mannix,  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  Her- 
bert Preston,  Austin  Keough,  William 
Goetz  and  B.  B.  Kahane  are  on  this  liaison 
board. 

Maurice  Benjamin,  a  member  of  the  law- 
yers' committee,  reported  that  the  Treasury 
Department  through  its  Los  Angeles  office 
of  salary  stabilization  had  advised  that  it 
will  give  approval  to  contracts  involving 
successive  options  over  a  period  of  3-ears — 
subject  to  the  salary  ceiling  order.  This  is 
expected  to  clear  many  snags  of  contract 
interpretation. 

Speaking  on  Friday,  Francis  Harmon,  ex- 
ecutive vice-chairman  of  the  War  Activities 
Committee,  reported  to  the  executives  that 
16,486  theatres  have  signed  WAC  pledges 
and  that  12,000  regularly  are  showing  spe- 
cial WAC  releases.  He  described  the  WAC's 
overseas  film  program,  fund  drives  and  other 
work. 

Mr.  Harmon  remained  in  California  to 


meet  with  local  WAC  and  Victory  Com- 
mittee leaders.  These  include  Wayne  Ball, 
Los  Angeles  distribution  chairman ;  Charles 
Skouras  and  Robert  Poole,  exhibitors,  and 
Dave  Bershon,  War  Bond  chairman. 

Mr.  Mellett  described  his  session  with 
the  committee  as  "a  frank,  thoroughly 
friendly  and  constructive  discussion,  off  the 
record,  and  to  be  continued  with  the  sub- 
committee. From  these  meetings  I  believe 
much  good  will  come."  TJie  company  heads 
said  there  was  complete  accord. 

A  discussion  of  salary  stabilization  and 
the  possible  application  of  48-hour  week, 
job  freezing  and  manpower  laws  to  the  in- 
dustry was  led  by  Austin  Keough  and  other 
attorneys.  Continuance  of  discussions  with 
talent  guilds  over  salary  problems  was 
pledged. 

Y.  Frank  Freeman  presided  at  the  ses- 
sion in  the  Beverly-Wilshire  Hotel. 

A  dinner  attended  by  representatives  of 
the  guilds,  unions  and  war  activities  com- 
mittees climaxed  the  meeting  on  Thursday 
evening.  Executives  said  that  greater  soli- 
darity and  increased  effectiveness  in  war  ac- 
tivity would  result  from  the  conference. 

Company  presidents  who  attended  were : 
Barney  Balaban,  Paramount;  Nicholas  M. 


Schenck,  Loew's;  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO ; 
Spyros  Skouras,  20th  Century-Fox ;  Harry 
M.  Warner,  Warners;  Nate  Blumberg,  Uni- 
versal, and  Harry  Cohn,  Columbia. 

The  members  of  the  Association  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Producers  at  the  meeting  in- 
cluded :  H.  M.  Warner :  Y.  Frank  Freeman. 
Paramount;  B.  B.  Kahane,  Columbia;  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn ;  E.  T.  Mannix.  Loew's ; 
Charles  Ko'erner,  RKO;  M.  J.  Siegel,  Re- 
public; William  Goetz.  20th  Century-Fox, 
and  Cliff  Work,  Universal. 

Others  who  attended  were  Will  H.  Hays, 
Fred  W.  Beetson,  Joseph  M.  Schenck,  Al- 
fred Wright,  Jr.,  and  five  of  the  six  mem- 
bers of  the  Industry  Coordinating  Commit- 
tee :  Austin  Keough,  Joseph  H.  Hazen,  Her- 
bert Preston,  M.  B.  Silberberg  and  Maurice 
Benjamin. 


Option  Chicago  Theatre 

RKO  Theatres  have  taken  an  option  for  90 
days  on  the  Monroe  theatre  in  Chicago,  a  form- 
er Lubliner  and  Trinz  circuit  house,  which 
will  be  operated  on  a  trial  basis  as  a  first  run 
and  move-over  theatre,  it  has  been  reported. 
"Ravished  Earth"  is  currently  playing,  to  be 
followed  by  "Cat  People." 


TERRIFIC  HOLDOVER  GR6 
SMASH  OPENING  FIGIM 

Third  tremendous  week  in  Sm  W 
Sensational  showing  at  FOUR 

[Chinese,  CarthayGrele,Ioew's  State  k\ 

rafters  -hminess  ^i^lnWasU^1 
and  half  a  dozen  other  spots  ...M 
runs  all  over  the  country  this  Wf 


QC1SC0. .  .  . 


*    *  « 


in  los  Angeles.. 


iffl0] ....  Hanging- on-the  - 
ton,  Columbus,  Dayton,  Buffalo 

ady  to  do  the  same  in  kej 
ek  and  next  -^jhm 


presents 

BOB  MOPE  ^  LAMOVR 


MM  ODIT  BfllE 


w/  directed  kyPAVlP  BUTLER 

'■jiOsL^  Screen  Play  by  HARRY  kurnitz. 


DISTRIBUTED 


32 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


Canada  Plans  Sunday  c<>nadian  Naw 

Will  Have  Own 


Films  for  Troops 


But  Theatres  Insist  Army 
Provide  Military  Police 
for  Supervision 

by  W.  M.  GLADISH 
in  Toronto 

What  is  virtually  an  ultimatum  to  the  De- 
partment of  National  Defense  has  been  is- 
sued in  behalf  of  the  film  business  with  re- 
spect to  the  conversations  on  a  plan  to  or- 
ganize an  experiment,  at  least,  for  the  pre- 
senting of  Sunday  film  shows  exclusively  for 
men  and  women  in  uniform  in  key  cities 
for  the  benefit  of  morale.  It  is  a  discussion, 
by  the  way,  in  which  the  theatres  have  not 
had  a  part  although  they  could  be  classed  as 
the  party  of  the  first  part  because  of  the 
manner  in  which  they  would  be  involved  if 
the  proposal  goes  through,  as  promised  from 
the  office  of  J.  L.  Ralston,  Minister  of  Na- 
tional Defense. 

An  important  representative  of  the  screen 
sphere  in  close  touch  with  the  Dominion 
Government  said  this : 

''Before  the  department  sanctions  free 
Sunday  shows  in  theatres  for  members  of  the 
armed  forces,  the  exhibitors  will  require  an 
undertaking  by  the  military  authorities  to 
provide  active  supervision  and  the  attendance 
of  military  police  to  maintain  order." 

The  theatres  had  not  suggested 
that  places  of  amusement  be  opened 
on  Sundays  to  provide  entertain- 
ment for  soldiers  on  leave  and  with 
no  place  to  go  but  they  were  willing 
to  cooperate  if  the  Government  is- 
sued the  authority  and  assumed  the 
responsibility.     Welfare  organiza- 
tions had  urged  the  Sunday  opening 
of  theatres  in  proximity  to  military 
camps  but  there  were  others  who 
saw  the  thin  edge  of  the  wedge  for 
the  commercialization  of  Sundays 
and  predicted  that  such  perform- 
ances would  be  continued  after  the 
war,  once  the  toehold  was  gained. 
But  recently,  a  semi-official  announcement 
had  been  made  that  the  experiment  would 
be  tried  by  the  opening  of  one  theatre  in 
Toronto,  Ottawa,  Halifax  and  Edmonton. 
It  was  stated  that  authoritative  sanction 
would  have  been  issued  some  days  previ- 
ously but  for  the  fact  that  the  Defense  Min- 
ister had  been  forced  to  spend  some  time  in 
a  hospital  to  recover  from  injuries  sustained 
in  an  automobile  accident. 

Alcan  Highway  Brings 
New  Population 

This  closeness,  apparently,  of  the  deci- 
sion has  caused  the  trade  spokesman  to  make 
the  assertion  that  the  Government  must  as- 
sume responsibility  in  the  matter  —  but  this 
statement  has  not  been  made  to  the  news- 
papers so  that  the  controversial  side  of  the 
subject  has  not  been  freshened.  In  other 
words,  it  is  definitely  up  to  the  Government. 

The  declaration  of  theatre  policy  in  Cana- 
dian Provinces  other  than  Quebec  where 
Sunday  is  observed  in  Continental  fashion 


regardless  of  the  attitude  of  the  fanatical  re- 
formers and  some  sections  of  the  Protestant 
clergy,  has  been  prompted  to  some  extent  by 
happenings  in  two  distant  sections  of  the 
country. 

With  the  construction  of  the  Alcan  High- 
way, Edmonton  was  flooded  by  a  floating 
population,  including  laborers,  engineers  and 
troops  from  many  sections  of  North  Amer- 
ica. Sunday  was  largely  a  dead  day  for 
hundreds  of  the  newcomers  who  were  ac- 
customed to  freedom  of  entertainment  on  the 
Sabbath.  A  local  theatre  manager  met  the 
situation  by  throwing  open  the  doors  — 
with  the  enthusiastic  approval  of  the 
strangers  and  the  silent  acquiescence  of  the 
permanent  residents  who  recognized  the 
need  for  some  action.  When  word  reached 
a  certain  office  way  back  east  in  Toronto 
that  Edmonton,  the  war  boom  town,  was 
enjoying  Sunday  performances,  quick  in- 
structions were  sent  to  delete  the  idea.  There 
were  people  who  could  not  or  would  not 
understand,  except  that  the  Lord's  Day  Act 
was  being  broken. 

"Wrecked  the  Joint" 
For  More  Fun 

Then  there  was  the  case  of  the  eastern 
Atlantic  port,  popularly  referred  to  in  news 
despatches  as  "Somewhere  on  the  Atlantic 
Coast,"  where  the  congregation  of  sailors, 
soldiers  and  airmen  absorbed  that  disquiet- 
ening  feeling  on  Sundays  because  there  was 
no  place  to  go  except  harbor-front  dives — 
and  they  were  too  crowded,  anyway,  if  one 
did  want  to  go  there.  So  a  theatre  owner 
went  to  the  rescue  by  putting  on  Sunday 
shows  on  his  own  account,  primarily  for  the 
bored  service  men.  The  idea  might  have 
been  splendid  but  what  actually  happened 
was — "they  wrecked  the  joint"  for  more 
fun. 

So  the  stand  has  been  taken  that, 
if  anybody  wants  the  theatres  to 
open  to  provide  Sunday  diversion 
for  the  men  and  women  in  uniform, 
the  Government  can  give  the  official 
sanction  but  must  also  establish  the 
official  supervision  to  insure  proper 
conduct,  so  that  no  reflection  will  be 
cast  on  the  exhibitors  who,  as  a 
body,  have  not  pressed  for  Sunday 
shows  for  soldiers  but  are  willing  to 
cooperate. 

Theatres  in  Edmonton,  Alta.,  are  to  be  opened 
Sundays,  for  an  experimental  period,  for  service- 
men and  civilian  guests,  according  to  a  letter 
received  by  Rev.  Halsey  E.  Wakelin,  president 
of  the  Edmonton  Ministerial  Association  from 
G.  G.  Webber,  general  secretary  of  the  Lord's 
Day  Alliance  in  Toronto. 

The  Edmonton  Ministerial  Association  has 
drafted  a  telegram  to  Colonel  Ralston  protest- 
ing against  the  government  decision.  The  let- 
ter to  Colonel  Ralston  said :  "Most  emphatically 
protest  your  decision  to  open  theatres  on  Sun- 
day in  Edmonton,  to  not  only  persons  in  the 
armed  services,  but  also  to  civilian  guests. 

A  letter  acknowledging  the  protest  was  re- 
ceived in  Edmonton  from  Col.  Ralston.  He 
stated  full  consideration  would  be  given  to  their 
representations  before  any  action  was  taken. 


Film  Service 


A  development  of  more  than  ordinary  interest 
to  the  Canadian  film  industry  has  been  the  de- 
cision of  the  Dominion  Government  to  establish 
film  distribution  for  the  Naval  Service  on  a 
permanent  and  independent  business  basis  with- 
out the  cooperative  assistance  of  the  recognized 
auxiliary  organizations,  such  as  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  Salvation  Army, 
which  have  worked  with  the  film  exchanges  in 
providing  free  film  entertainment  for  men  and 
women  in  Army  and  Air  Force  camps  since  the 
start  of  the  war. 

To  bring  about  the  self-paying  arrangement 
for  sea-going  entertainment,  an  Order-in- 
Council  has  been  passed  authorizing  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Royal  Canadian  Naval  Film  So- 
ciety for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  screen  equip- 
ment and  providing  film  shows  for  many  of  the 
ships  of  His  Majesty's  Royal  Canadian  Navy, 
the  crews  of  which  will  contribute  funds  for  the 
shows  without  calling  for  payments  from  the 
public  treasury  or  civilian  organizations.  As  a 
considerable  number  of  the  vessels  are  at  sea 
for  extended  periods  in  various  parts  of  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific,  the  plan  calls  for  the  ex- 
change of  films  between  ships  when  they  meet 
in  distant  ports  or  on  the  high  seas,  so  that  a 
change  in  program  groups  can  be  effected  with- 
out return  to  home  base. 

As  a  start,  the  Society  has  purchased  no  less 
than  200  projectors  with  sound  equipment  for 
installation  on  ships  and  the  plan  provides  that 
the  projection  machines  are  not  intended  merely 
for  the  "duration"  but  for  post-war  times.  Nego- 
tiations are  under  way  for  the  rental  of  product 
from  distributors,  thus  further  dissolving  any 
thought  that  the  Navy  wants  any  civilian 
charity  in  the  matter.  The  Society  has  acknowl- 
edged the  offer  of  the  Navy-Army- Air  Force 
Films  Committee,  of  which  Col.  John  A.  Cooper 
of  Toronto  is  secretary,  to  supply  films  through 
the  auxiliary  service  bodies  without  charge,  as 
in  the  case  of  Army  and  Air  Force  camps,  but 
the  offer  has  been  declined  on  the  ground  that 
the  R.  C.  N.  intends  to  operate  on  its  own  in 
the  matter  of  film  shows. 

It  also  has  been  pointed  out  that  the  new 
Society  has  been  officially  authorized  to  pro- 
vide film  entertainment  exclusively  insofar  as 
the  Royal  Canadian  Navy  is  concerned. 


RKO  To  Trade  Show  Four 
Pictures  in  March 

RKO  Radio  will  trade  show  four  of  its  films 
nationally  on  March  15th,  16th  and  17th,  it  was 
announced  this  week  by  Ned  E.  Depinet,  presi- 
dent of  the  company.  Following  is  a  listing  of 
the  films  with  dates :  "Ladies  Day,"  March  15th 
except  in  St.  Louis  (March  16th)  ;  "I  Walked 
with  a  Zombie,"  March  15th  except  in  St.  Louis 
(March  16th)  ;  "The  Falcon  Strikes  Back," 
March  16th  except  in  St.  Louis  and  New  York 
(March  17th)  ;  "This  Land  Is  Mine,"  March 
16th  except  in  St.  Louis  (March  17th). 


20+h-Fox  Shifts  Field  Staff 

The  appointment  of  Jules  Fields,  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  exploitation  man  in  St.  Louis,  as 
head  of  exploitation  for  the  great  lakes  dis- 
trict, with  headquarters  in  Chicago,  was  an- 
nounced Tuesday  by  Rodney  Bush.  He  replaces 
Harry  Remington  who  resigned  to  join  Carl 
Byoir  Associates. 

Gregory  Dickson  has  joined  the  home  office 
advertising  staff  as  an  assistant  to  Charles 
Schlaiffer. 


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a 
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o   -I  lu  = 

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34 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


LATE  FILM  REVIEW  Majors  Receive 


For  other  reviews  see  Product  Digest  Section, 
starting  on  page  1181. 


The  Human  Comedy 

(MGM) 

Wartime  Americana 

This  is  a  picture  for  the  books,  and  the  bookings.    It  is  an  employment  of  the 

camera  as  a  microscope  for  the  analyzing  of  the  American  citizen  under  stress  of 
war,  and  it  is  an  exposition  of  a  philosophy  designed  to  assuage  the  grief  of  the 

war  bereaved,  but  it  is  first  and  finally,  for  practical  and  profitable  purposes,  a  super- 
Hardy  family  type  of  picture  with  tears  and  laughs  for  the  theatregoers  of  all  kinds 
and  ages  everywhere. 

In  its  study  of  the  American  in  wartime, 

the  camera  inspects  a  wide  variety  of  speci-  _  _ 

mens,  all  related  in  one  way  or  another  to  a  i^**f\  f~d3>  f*fltfk  Wl  #C 

small  town  which  happens  to  be  in  California  I  VlCt/I'H/U  JLO 

but  could  be  anywhere.    It  deals  centrally  s^-m/mn     m  • 

with  a  middle  class  family  of  five,  with  S%/f§f^ii.       /  fhYhlO 

Mickey  Rooney  as  the  second  son  working  KJlfJ-J-  M-J  M 
after  school  as  telegraph  messenger  to  aid 

in  supporting  the  household.    But  it  dwells  The  Atlantic  Coast  Section  of  the  Society  of 

also  on  their  neighbors,  rich  and  poor,  young  Motion  Picture  Engineers  held  a  meeting  at  the 

and  old,  in  gaiety  as  in  grief,  revealing  their  V™5?1™™  Hotel.  lnf  Nefw  ,York  ?n  Ffruaf/ 

"   '      5°;    ;a    ,   bfV       _  ,„?:_!,  :c  25th,  and  the  subject  of  discussion  for  the 

reactions  to  the  effects  of  the  war,  which  is  even'.ng  wag  <TheatJre  protection."   Members  of 

not  screened,  and  their  impulses  and  emo-  the  sub_committee  0f  the  Theatre  Engineering 

tions  under  its  impact.                            _  Committee  made  short  addresses. 

None  of  the  many  characters  are  villains  R        Anderson>  chairman  of  the  committee, 

crooks    spies    plotters,  none  wish  ay  of  the  following  speakers,  each  with  a 

others  ill,  and  there  are  no  stereotyped  conflicts  ialized  subject.   E^rl  PMorin  Connecticut 

between  good  and  evil,  save  the  imphed  but  not  v                "Lighting  Systems  for  Theatres  ;" 

pictured  conflict  which  is ;  th   war    Or        con-  ; <       *  cooVdinator,  Center  of  Safe- 

trary,  and  with  utmost  effectiveness,  tension  is  x    '           TT  .  ■                  ,  , 

created  and  sustained  through  the  medium  of  *  Education  New  York  University,  Psychol- 

small  incidents  threaded  upon  a  simple  time  line  °SY  of  Handling  Crowds  in  Emergencies  ;  E. 

like  vari-colored  beads  on  a  string.    It  is  a  tell-  «?.    Fir£  Extinguishing  Devices  for  Motion 

ing  of  many  stories  in  terms  of  one,  without  the  Picture  Theatres  ;  James  Frak  National  The- 

artificiality  of  separations.  ftr.e  Supply  Company,    Use  of  Luminous  Ma- 

The  story  by  William  Saroyan  is  the  one,  it  tenals  m  Blackouts  ;  Gilbert  W.  Tyler  Em- 
will  be  remembered,  which  he  wrote  for  MGM  Ployer"s  Liability  Assurance  Corporation  Plate 
on  that  contract  which  he  walked  away  from  Glass  Protection  ;  Ben  Schlanger,  theatre  archi- 
because  he  was  not  allowed  to  direct  the  picture.  tect  and  consultant,  "Theatre  Construction. ' 
It  was  put  in  script  form  by  Howard  Estabrook  Mr.  Anderson,  manager  of  the  insurance  de- 
and  produced  and  directed  by  Clarence  Brown,  partment  of  Paramount  Pictures,  then  spoke  on 
artisans  of  distinguished  experience  who  gave  "Flameproofing  of  Curtains,  Draperies  and 
the  project  the  benefit  of  their  talent  without  Other  Textiles." 

stint.  The  film  retains  the  Saroyan  imprint—  The  meeting  was  designed  to  show  theatre 
often,  particularly  in  the  early  sequences,  its  management  how  it  could  best  make  use  of  ex- 
characters  speak  Saroyan's  messages  and  utter  isting  equipment,  and  a  warning  was  sounded 
his  essays ;  often  they  break  into  song,  in  the  against  the  purchase  of  improper  and  unsafe 
Saroyan  manner,  to  register  moods  and  carry  equipment.  It  was  pointed  out  that  even  a 
points— but  it  is  more  movie  than  stageplay,  mjnor  nre  or  other  accident  in  a  theatre  could 
more  Hollywood  than  Broadway,  and  more  a  mean  a  permanent  closing  for  the  theatre  in- 
report  on  the  state_  of  American  character,  volVed  because  of  the  present  conditions  of  war- 
courage  and  morale,  in  terms  of  entertainment,  regulations. 

than  it  is  anything  else.   

Rooney  went  back  to  his  1938  form  for  a 

performance  of  the  kind  that  made  him  number  French    Film  Safely 

one  box-office  attraction  for  three  successive  _           ,             I  I  C 

years.    Frank  Morgan,  Fay  Bainter,  James  Brought  TO   U.  b. 

Craig,  Marsha  Hunt,  Van  Johnson,  and  John  The  cornpieted  film,  "Heart  of  a  Nation," 

Craven  turn  m  penetrating  portrayals,  and  a  produced  in  France  by  Paul  Graetz  and  djrected 

youngster  named  Jack  Jenkins  is  a  find.  by  Julian  Duvivieri  has  been  delivered  safely  in 

Previewed  at  the  studio  to  about  100  members  this  country  piece-meal.    Nazi  efforts  to  confis- 

of  the  press,  who  laughed  and  cried  in  turn  like  Cate  the  film  were  unsuccessful 

that  many  happy  customers  of  the  pay-as-you-  The     .          described  as  'a  cavalcade  of 

W  R  w    ™  Remewers  mting:  Excellent-  France,  soon  will  be  shown  to  American  audi- 

EA     '         _     .      .      „..„_.  ences,  and  the  cast  includes  such  French  stars 

Gene^  SbS^dSO?        P-CA-  m  Michele  Morgan,  *f imu-  ^°u's  J°uvet  and 

Homer  Macauley  Mickey  Rooney  Lucien  Nat.    Charles  Boyer  acts  as  commenta- 

Willie  Grogan  Frank  Morgan  tor. 

^S§^;;::::::::::::::!"\\"\\V::::ifiX  nZ  The  premiere  of  "Our  Lady  of  Paris,"  French 

Fay  Bainter,  Ray  Collins,  Van  Johnson,  Donna  Reed.  motion  picture,  nas  been  scheduled  for  the  Little 

Jack   Jenkins,    Dorothy   Morris.   John   Craven,   Ann  Carnegie  Playhouse  in  New  York  following  the 

Ayars,  Mary  Nash,  Henry  O  Neill,  Katharine  Alex-  f    «T-,;           ».               tl      nlQ-vrino-    s,t  tlis 

ander,  Alan  Baxter.  Darryl  Hickman,  Barry  Nelson,  run    ot      ^Israeli,      currently    playing    at  the 

Rita  Quig-ley,  Clem  Bevans,  Adeline  de  Walt  Reynolds.  theatre. 


British  Payment 
Of  $5,000,000 

Following  agreement  to  accept  the  $5,000,000 
quarterly  payment  offered  recently  by  the  Brit- 
ish Treasury,  several  American  film  companies 
received  remittances  last  week  and  others  were 
expected  to  receive  payment  this  week  which 
would  aggregate  the  total  of  $5,000,000,  it  was 
learned  in  New  York  Monday.  The  payments 
represented  first  receipts  of  British  revenue  to 
distributors  since  last  November. 

Film  companies  had  agreed  to  accept  the 
$5,000,000  quarterly  payment  offered  by  the 
British  Treasury  to  apply  against  remittances 
which  might  be  authorized  later  on  this  year's 
distribution  revenues  from  England.  Earlier 
this  month  the  major  distributors  rejected  the 
$5,000,000  offer,  contending  that  it  might  preju- 
dice negotiations,  now  under  way  between  Brit- 
ish and  American  Treasury  officials,  for  a  new 
exchange  agreement  with  England.  Through 
the  current  discussions,  the  companies  hope  to 
have  all  restrictions  against  remittances  of  their 
British  revenues  removed,  it  was  indicated. 

Recently,  however,  a  Treasury  official  in 
Washington  informed  the  distributors  that  ac- 
ceptance of  the  $5,000,000  interim  payment 
would  not  prejudice  the  negotiations  for  a  new 
monetary  agreement.  Acting  on  this  informa- 
tion, it  was  reported  major  companies  agreed 
to  accept  the  payment  on  a  "without  prejudice" 
basis.  The  $5,000,000  offer  was  made  by  Brit- 
tain  at  the  end  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  new 
agreement  year.  Since  the  distributors  have 
taken  the  position  that  current  conditions  no 
longer  warrant  the  freezing  by  Britain  of  any 
part  of  their  revenue  from  British  sources,  they 
believe  that  the  $5,000,000  offer  will  commit 
them  to  the  same  terms  which  were  in  effect 
last  year— remittance  of  $20,000,000  for  the  year 
in  quarterly  payments  of  $5,000,000  each. 

It  is  understood  the  British  Treasury  stipu- 
lated that  negotiations  for  the  new  exchange 
agreement  would  continue,  providing  the  agree- 
ment would  contain  certain  conditions  of  the 
old  one,  principally  the  provision  that  distribu- 
tors maintain  an  uninterrupted  flow  of  product 
to  England. 

In  addition  to  the  $20,000,000,  U.  S.  film 
companies  also  received  from  the  British  Treas- 
ury last  year  $50,000,000,  representing  the  ac- 
cumulated frozen  balances  in  England  since  the 
start  of  the  war. 


"Hitler's  Children"  Opens 
At  Paramount  Theatre 

RKO  Radio's  "Hitler's  Children,"  screen  ver- 
sion of  Gregor  Ziemer's  book,  "Education  for 
Death,"  opened  Wednesday  at  the  Paramount 
theatre,  New  York,  where  it  began  an  indefinite 
engagement.  The  Edward  Golden  production  is 
the  first  RKO  picture  to  be  shown  there. 

A  premiere  which  attracted  leading  military 
and  diplomatic  officials  in  Washington  last 
Thursday  was  "Chetniks,  the  Fighting  Gueril- 
las," Twentieth  Century-Fox,  which  opened  a* 
Loew's  Capitol. 


Weshner  Resigns  from 
United  Artists  Post 

David  E.  Weshner,  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity  for  United  Artists,  on  Wednes- 
day of  this  week  submitted  his  resignation, 
to  take  effect  March  5th,  it  was  announced  by 
Gradwell  L.  Sears,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  distribution. 

Mr.  Weshner  joined  United  Artists  two 
years  ago  as  director  of  exploitation  after  13 
years  with  Warner  Bros.,  where  he  had  held 
various  executive  theatre  posts.  Mr.  Weshner's 
future  plans  were  not  divulged. 


February    27,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


3^ 


BRITISH  EXHIBITOR  FIGHTING 
SUNDAY  RESTRICTIONS 


Sabbatarians  Lead  Attack 
on  Operation;  Matter 
May  Go  to  Commons 

by  AUBREY  FLANAGAN 

in  London 

British  exhibitors  who,  it  might  be 
thought,  have  all  their  work  cut  out  to  con- 
tend with  the  numerous  difficulties  of  war- 
time operation,  are  currently  finding  much 
of  their  time  and  attention  occupied  by  an- 
other opposition  group — -the  conglomerate 
Sabbatarian  band  whose  prime  objective  is  to 
close  and  keep  closed  all  manner  of  enter- 
tainments on  Sunday. 

The  intensive  and  obstructive  attention 
which  is  being  paid  Sunday  cinemas  by  local 
authorities,  Watch  Committees,  Members  of 
Parliament,  uplift  bodies,  religious  organi- 
zations, and  various  individuals,  presents 
what  is  considered  by  the  caustic  a  pretty 
pattern  in  misdirected  energy  at  a  time  when 
such  enthusiasm  would  be  more  usefully  ap- 
plied to  the  defense  of  the  country  and  the 
prosecution  of  the  war. 

The  fact  is,  however,  that  from 
all  points  of  the  compass  cur- 
rently are  coming  attacks  on  Sun- 
day openings  of  cinemas,  bids  to 
increase  the  charity  tax  which  the 
exhibitor  has  to  pay,  efforts  to  im- 
pose prohibitive  conditions  on  Sun- 
day opening — such  as  the  exclusion 
of  children  under  16 — and  attempts 
to  prevent  the  opening  of  theatres 
to  amuse  troops  and  war  workers. 

The  situation  is  such  that  it  cannot  and  is 
not  likely  to  be  left  at  this  stage.  On  more 
than  one  field,  in  Parliament,  on  local  Coun- 
cils, in  press  and  pulpit  and  within  the  ranks 
of  the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors  Associa- 
tion itself,  Sunday  operations  of  picture 
houses  and  Sunday  entertainment  in  general 
are  likely  to  be  the  subject  of  discussion 
and  action  in  the  immediate  future. 

In  prospect  is  the  possibility  of  Parlia- 
mentary action  in  the  direction  of  extending 
the  present  regulations,  permitting  _  Sunday 
opening  of  cinemas  under  appropriate  cir- 
cumstances, to  "live"  entertainment.  Further 
.movement  towards  the  rationalization  or 
regularization  of  the  charity  tax  is  likely. 

Sunday  Profitable  Day 
For  Exhibitors 

Joint  and  practical  opposition  to  the  du- 
bious rules  being  imposed  on  Sunday  cine- 
mas already  is  afoot  and  will  widen  and  in- 
tensify. None  of  these  things,  however,  is 
likely  to  happen  without  considerable  oppo- 
sition from  the  Sabbatarian  camp. 

The  problem  is  not  entirely  an  ethical 
one,  for  the  essential  reason  that  currently 
Sunday  is  a  more  than  usually  vital  link  in 
the  exhibitors'  economic  chain,  one  of  his 
most  profitable  days  in  fact.  Any  encroach- 
ment upon  the  exhibitor's  Sundav  trade  is 
ipso  facto  an  encroachment  upon  the  whole 
industry  territory  and  a  definite  blow  at  the 
revenue  of  the  U.  S.  industry  operating  on 


the  British  market. 

Most  headlined  of  all  relevant  activities  at 
the  moment  are  the  efforts  afoot  to  obtain 
an  extension  of  the  Sunday  opening  princi- 
ple from  cinemas — although,  of  course,  Sun- 
day cinemas  are  not  a  general  rule  in  this 
country — to  theatres.  In  1941  the  efforts  of 
Home  Secretary  Herbert  Morrison  to  ex- 
tend the  Defense  Regulations  easing  Sunday 
opening  from  the  purely  cinema  field  to  that 
including  stage  shows,  were  opposed  and 
prevented  in  Parliament. 

Demand  in  Commons 
Is  Expected 

There  has  been  no  further  such  move  and 
there  is  not  likely  to  be  until  a  clear-cut  and 
formal  demand  is  made  in  the  Commons. 
Such  a  demand  is  now  on  the  cards,  for  a 
number  of  Members  of  Parliament  have  an- 
nounced their  intention  of  raising  the  sub- 
ject and  pressing  for  appropriate  action. 

The  mere  mention  of  this  intention  has 
provoked  intense  opposition  activity  among 
various  Sabbatarian  bodies,  religious  socie- 
ties and  so  forth.  It  has  provoked,  too,  con- 
troversy within  the  ranks  of  the  acting 
profession. 

Even  within  Actors  Equity  there 
is  a  division  of  attitude,  some  being 
in  favor  and  some  violently  opposed 
to  the  principle.  It  is  certain  that 
if  Sunday  should  be  conceded  it 
will  not  be  without  a  bitter  Parlia- 
mentary fight.  It  is  not  even  certain 
that  such  a  motion  would  be  car- 
ried. 

Meanwhile,  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, Councils  and  licensing  bodies  have  been 
and  are  imposing  as  a  condition  of  new  or 
renewed  Sunday  picture  house  licenses  vari- 
ous provisos. 

A  favorite  and  discomforting  condition 
imposed  by  various  Councils  is  that  no  chil- 
dren under  16  be  admitted  to  Sunday  shows. 
In  some  instances  licensing  bodies  have 
refused  to  allow  Sunday  opening  save  on 
these  conditions.  In  at  least  one  instance 
exhibitors  have  taken  the  line  of  least  re- 
sistance and  accepted  the  principle  without 
it  being  imposed  by  the  Watch  Committee. 

C.E.A.  opposition  to  this  is  particularly 
strong.  It  is  all  the  stronger  for  the  knowl- 
edge that  such  a  condition  is  ultra  vires  and 
that  the  Home  Office  is  itself  aware  of  its 
unconstitutional  and  illegal  basis.  C.E.A. 
objection,  too,  is  inspired  by  the  knowledge 
that  the  acceptance  or  condoning  of  such  a 
principle  would  inevitably  lead  to  other 
abuses,  and  the  imposition  of  even  more  re- 
strictive and  sabotaging  regulations  and  con- 
ditions. 

It  probably  does  not  need  telling  that  al- 
though these  conditions  are  being  imposed 
or  being  aimed  at  by  Councils  and  licensing 
authorities,  the  impetus  comes  in  most  cases 
from  Sabbatarian  and  uplift  societies.  Such 
bodies  as  The  Lord's  Day  Observance  Soci- 
ety and  the  Imperial  Alliance  for  a  Free 
Sunday  have  been  and  are  active,  not  only 
in  lobbying  Parliamentary  Members,  but  no 
less  in  inspiring  local  oppositions  and  ob- 


structive elements.  There  are,  of  course, 
innumerable  other  bodies  and  groups  who, 
although  small,  are  active  and  tenacious. 

Petty  Opposition  Is 
Shown  in  Parliament 

There  are,  too,  Sabbatarian  sections  in 
Parliament  whose  extravagances  and  petti- 
ness present  definite  obstacles  to  the  pro- 
gressive elements.  A  Mr.'  McLaren  only  re- 
cently was  moved  to  oppose  the  granting  of 
a  Sunday  opening  order  for  the  town  of 
Stokes  and  to  oppose  it  with  references  to 
"poisons  and  indecencies  of  Hollywood." 

Once  an  order  has  been  applied  for  and 
placed  before  the  House,  however,  there  can 
be  no  legitimate  opposition,  for  its  operation 
becomes  automatic.   There  is,  too,  Comman- 
der Locker  Lampson,  who  threatens  that  if 
Sunday  opening  of  theatres  is  established 
by  motion,  he  will  present  a  motion  for 
Sunday  sittings  of  the  House  of  Commons. 
In  Warrington,  Lancashire  man- 
ufacturing  town,   the  authorities, 
having  of  their  beneficence  allowed 
Sunday  cinemas  to  operate,  have 
gone  so  far  as  to  ask  for  synop- 
ses of  the  films  so  that  even  the 
adults'  entertainment  can  be  vetted. 
Birkenhead,  on  the  other  hand,  refuses 
the  demand  of  the  Evangelical  Council  for 
a  ban  on  children  under  16.    York,  the  an- 
cient and  venerable  cathedral  city,  which 
has  not  completely  refused  Sunday  opening, 
nevertheless  imposes  such  conditions  as  a 
seven-penny  maximum  price  for  the  armed 
forces  and  their  companions  and  for  50  per 
cent  of  all  available  space  to  be  reserved  for 
them.    In  Warrington  there  are  no  accept- 
ances and  cinemas  stay  closed  in  protest. 
In  York  only  three  open. 

The  price  exhibitors  are  paying  for  these 
limited  privileges  is  no  small  one.  In  Birm- 
ingham alone  last  year  picture  houses  had 
to  turn  over  £25,000  in  the  shape  of  charity 
tax. 

National  Decency  Legion 
Condemns  "Outlaw" 

Six  films  were  reviewed  during  the  current 
week  by  the  National  Legion  of  Decency, 
among  which  was  the  Howard  Hughes  film, 
"The  Outlaw,"  which  received  a  Class  C  (Con- 
demned) rating.  Indecent  costuming,  glorifica- 
tion of  crime  and  immoral  actions  were  the 
reasons  mentioned  for  its  classification. 

Five  other  pictures  were  rated  unobjection- 
able for  general  patronage,  and  one  was  classed 
as  objectionable  in  part.  The  classification  was 
as  follows:  Class  A-l,  Unobjectionable  for  Gen- 
erale  Patronage:  "Bad  Men  of  Thunder  Gap." 
"Calaboose,"  Dixie  Dugan,"  "Idaho,"  "He 
Hired  the  Boss.'  Class  B,  Objectionable  in 
Part:  "Something  to  Shout  About"  Class  C, 
Condemned :  "The  Oudaw." 


Play  "Dandy"  as  Single  Bill 

"Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  which  opened  on 
Washington's  Birthday  at  approximately  40 
RKO  theatres  in  metropolitan  New  York,  is 
being  played  as  a  single-bill  attraction.  The 
RKO  Palace  opened  a  dav  earlier  with  the 
film. 


Stock  Up  On 
America's 
Favorite  Brand 

PARAMOUNT 


38 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    2  7,  1943 


MEXICO  APPROVES  CHARTER 
OF  INDUSTRY  CHAMBER 


Represents  Whole  Trade, 
with  Grovas  President; 
1942  "Bests"  Selected 

by  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

in  Mexico  City 

The  National  Cinematographic  and  Allied 
Industries  Chamber,  organized  here  recently 
by  prominent  members  of  the  business  for 
the  benefit  of  producers,  distributors,  exhibi- 
tors and  the  operators  of  film  studios  and 
laboratories,  has  been  constituted  formally 
with  approval  of  its  charter  by  the  Ministry 
of  National  Economy. 

The  following  officers  of  the  Chamber, 
to  serve  during  1943,  were  elected  at  its  first 
general  meeting,  held  in  the  Government- 
owned  Palace  of  Fine  Arts  and  National 
Theatre  here:  Jesus  Grovas,  president;  Luis 
Castro,  vice-president;  Gen.  Juan  F.  Az- 
carate,  treasurer ;  Luis  Montes,  assistant 
treasurer,  and  Jesus  Nieto,  secretary. 

The  Chamber  is  national  in  scope  and,  as 
the  law  demands  for  all  trade  and  industrial 
chambers,  all  heads  of  businesses  that  it 
covers  throughout  the  country  must  belong 
to  it. 

Speakers  cited  three  principal 
problems  now  confronting  this  in- 
dustry; the  business  is  still  inferi- 
or in  quantity  production  to  the 
foreign,  and  despite  all  its  efforts 
it  has  only  been  able  to  produce 
one  picture  for  every  five  that  are 
imported,  and  the  total  income 
from  Mexican  films  is  still  far  be- 
low that  derived  from  those  im- 
ported. 

Production  capacity  is  gravely  limited  be- 
cause of  work  facilities  of  the  studios  and  lab- 
oratories, which  means  that  while  the  producers 
are  quite  capable  of  making  160  pictures  a  year, 
their  annual  maximum  output  is  ceilinged  at 
about  80.  The  studios  and  laboratories  must  be 
increased  in  number  and  capacity.  It  was  said 
that  capital  is  not  lacking  for  this,  but  that  the 
difficulty  is  in  obtaining  equipment,  particularly 
cameras  and  sound  apparatus. 

Raw  film  is  another  serious  problem.  The 
scarcity  of  it,  the  speakers  said,  is  an  increas- 
ingly grave  problem  because  all  of  it  must  be 
imported.  The  speakers  were  frank  in  de- 
claring that  if  this  importation  were  stopped, 
the  Mexican  industry  would  go  to  pieces.  But, 
it  was  said,  there  is  hope,  for  the  Government 
has  acted  to  assure  the  business  of  at  least 
some  raw  film. 

Must  Renew  Licenses 
On  March  15th 

Nevertheless,  the  industry  has  appealed  to 
the  Senate  to  act  toward  correcting  the  raw  film 
shortage  situation  which  these  petitioners,  ac- 
tors and  labor  as  well  as  producers,  described 
as  being  "very  critical."  They  were  assured  the 
support  of  the  Senate  in  correcting  the  situa- 
tion. 

Exhibitors  here  are  required  along  with  all 
other  public  amusement  operators  to  renew  the 
licenses  granted  by  the  municipal  government 
not  later  than  March  15th.  This  time  the 
amusement  people  must  satisfy  the  Govern- 
ment that  they  are  conducting  their  establish- 


FILM  INDUSTRY  IS 
FIFTH  IN  MEXICO 

The  film  industry  is  rated  fifth  in 
Mexico,  in  point  of  importance  to 
national  economy,  according  to  a 
report  to  the  recently  instituted 
National  Cinematographic  and  Allied 
Industries  Chamber.  The  industry  in- 
cludes: 29  producers,  39  distributors, 
!,300  exhibitors  and  6  studios  and 
laboratories.  It  represents  an  invest- 
ment of  $45,000,000  and  employs 
about  15,000  persons. 


ments  in  full  accord  with  the  law,  concerning 
safety,  decency  and  sanitation.  The  Govern- 
ment warns  that  unless  the  operators  can  prove 
that  they  are  running  their  businesses  as  the 
law  demands  their  franchises  will  be  cancelled. 
V 

The  Federal  Board  of  Conciliation  and  Arbi- 
tration has  started  a  special  section  for  the 
exclusive  handling  of  all  conflicts  in  the  picture 
industry,  now  that  the  business  has  been  Fed- 
eralized to  the  extent  of  being  placed  on  a 
par,  as  far  as  taxation  and  its  disputes  are  con- 
cerned, with  mining,  railroads,  oil  and  some 
other  enterprises.  Municipal  conciliation  boards 
no  longer  can  deal  with  picture  work  conflicts. 

The  new  section  of  the  Federal  Board  will 
have  much  to  do,  it  seems,  although  labor  is 
running  comparatively  smoothly  in  the  film  in- 
dustry. The  section  already  has  started  the  dif- 
ficult chore  of  heading  off  strikes  aimed  at  all 
the  exhibitors  of  Tampico  and  Ciudad  Vic- 
toria, capital  of  Tamaulipas  state,  on  the  Gulf 
coast,  and  against  one  of  the  three  circuits  in 
Guadalajara,  capital  of  Jalisco,  a  far  western 
state,  and  Mexico's  second  largest  city. 

Journalists  Select 
Best  1942  Work 

"Historia  de  un  Gran  Amor"  ("Story  of  a 
Great  Love"),  produced  by  Filmex,  president 
of  which  is  Gregory  Walenstein,  who  also  runs 
a  private  film  bank  here,  was  voted  by  the 
National  Cinematographic  Journalists  Union  as 
the  outstanding  Mexican  picture  of  1942  and 
was  awarded  the  special  trophy  that  President 
Manuel  Avila  Camacho  donated.  The  entire 
voting  of  the  Union,  admittedly  a  difficult  one 
this  year,  was  publicly  certified  by  a  notary 
public  at  the  fiesta  the  organization  staged  for 
the  announcement  and  presentation  of  the 
awards  at  El  Patio,  a  leading  local  night  club. 
James  Fitzpatrick  and  Dolores  del  Rio,  as  well 
as  leading  figures  of  the  Mexican  film  busi- 
ness, attended. 

"Alexandra"  (based  upon  the  famed  Mexican 
waltz  of  that  name,  and  produced  by  Films 
Mundiales,  Agustin  J«  Fink,  president,  lost  to 
"Historia"  by  a  lone  vote,  it  was  announced. 
"Mrs.  Miniver"  was  acclaimed  the  best  foreign 
picture  of  1942. 

There  was  also  a  neck-and-neck  race  for 
honors  for  the  best  actor  of  the  year,  with  Ar- 
turo  de  Cordoba,  who  worked  in  Hollywood  for 
RKO,  winning  by  one  vote  over  Julian  Soler. 
By  a  one-vote  margin  over  Sara  Garcia,  the 
character  actress  who  is  one  of  the  two  most 
popular  Mexican  players,  Mapy  Cortes,  the 
Argentinian,  who  has  also  worked  in  Holly- 
wood, won  the  trophy  donated  by  Minister  of 
the  Interior  Miguel  Aleman  for  the  best  1942 


actress.  She  won  on  the  strength  of  her  work 
in  "Yo  Baile  con  Don  Porifirio"  ("I  Danced 
with  Don  Porifirio)  Miss  Cortes  is  the  first 
foreign  player  to  win  a  leading  Mexican  award. 

"Cantinflas"  Wins 
Comedy  Award 

The  trophy  for  the  best  screen  comedian, 
contributed  by  Gen.  Maximino  Avila  Camacho, 
Secretary  of  Communications  and  Public 
Works,  who  is  the  President's  brother,  went  to 
Mario  Moreno,  who  as  "Cantinflas"  is  the  rank- 
ing tramp  comedian  of  Mexico.  Mr.  Moreno 
is  vice-president  of  Posa  Films,  S.A.,  the  ex- 
clusive production  company  of  his  pictures. 

The  award  of  the  industry's  bank,  the  Banco 
Cinematografica,  for  the  best  character  actor, 
went  to  Domingo  Soler,  elder  brother  of  Julian. 
Two  of  the  1941  winners,  Director  Julio  Bracho 
and  Cameraman  Gabriel  Figueroa,  were  the 
winners  again  in  1942,  the  former  capturing  the 
trophy  of  Mayor  Javier  Rojo  Gomez  of  this 
city,  the  latter  the  prize  contributed  by  the  Min- 
istry of  National  Defense. 

V 

Other  prize  winners  were  Jose  Luis  Jimenez, 
as  the  most  sensational  discovery  of  the  year, 
for  his  work  in  "La  Virgen  Morena  ("The 
Brunette  Virgin"),  story  of  Our  Lady  of  Guad- 
alupe, Mexico's  patron  saint ;  Susana  Guizar, 
juvenile  actress ;  Narcisco  Bousquets,  who  is 
only  13,  boy  actor ;  Antonio  Esparaz,  sound ; 
F.  Gomez  Muriel,  editing ;  Manuel  Fontanals, 
scenic  effects ;  Chano  Ureta,  adaptation,  and 
Pedro  Galindo,  writer  of  the  outstanding  film 
song,  "Soy  Puro  Mexicano"  ("I'm  a  Real 
Mexican"). 

Ten  prints  of  Mexican  pictures 
produced  by  Gabriel  Soria,  who  has 
won  five  annual  gold  medals  for 
his  work  in  Mexico,  were  lost  when 
the  steamer  carrying  them  to  his 
brother,  Antonio,  distributor  of 
Mexican  films  in  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal, was  sunk.  The  pictures,  how- 
ever, were  fully  insured  against  all 
risks. 

Mexican  pictures,  some  46  of  them,  have  done 
very  well  in  Spain,  but  their  producers  up  to 
now  have  received  not  a  centavo  of  cash  profit 
because  all  their  money  is  "frozen"  by  the  Fran- 
co Government.  One  of  the  leading  Mexican 
producers,  Fernando  de  Fuentes,  has  800,000 
pesetas  due  him  from  exhibitions  of  his  famous 
"Alia  en  el  Rancho  Grande"  ("Way  Down  on 
the  Rancho  Grande"),  easily  one  of  the  best  of 
Mexican  pictures. 

V 

Spanish  business  men  have  started  Cinemato- 
grafica Mexicana,  S.A.  (Cimesa),  a  producing 
company,  of  which  Martin  Cyamburu  is  head 
and  Gonzalo  Elvira  is  manager.  This  is  the 
30th  Mexican  production  unit. 

V 

Production  has  been  started  at  the  Azteca 
studios  here  by  Pedro  Calderon  of  a  revival  of 
"Santa"  ("Saintess"),  based  on  the  novel  of 
that  name,  which  was  the  subject  of  the  first 
talking  film  made  in  Mexico,  produced  and  di- 
rected by  Antonio  Moreno  in  1930.  Norman 
Foster  is  directing  and  Esther  Fernandez  is 
playing  the  title  role. 


40  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    2  7,     194  3 

THE  HOLLYWOOD  SCENE 


1 


From  HOLLYWOOD  BUREAU 


At  this  point  in  the  voting  which  is  to 
determine  the  winners  of  Academy  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  Awards, 
to  be  named  on  March  4th,  conversation 
in  the  community  is  concentrated  on 
speculation,  hazard  and  guess,  some 
wagering,  regarding  the  outcome  of  the 
competition  described  in  official  language 
as  "for  the  best  achievement  in  direction." 

The  candidates  are  Sam  Wood,  for 
"Kings  Row";  William  Wyler,  for  "Mrs. 
Miniver";  Mervyn  LeRoy,  for  "Random 
Harvest";  John  Farrow,  for  "Wake  Island" 
and  Michael  Curtiz,  for  "Yankee  Doodle 
Dandy." 

The  nominations  present  something-  of  a 
problem  for  the  dopesters  (and  everybody's 
a  dopester  in  this  connection,  in  this  land 
of  friendly  rivalry  and  perishable  Fame) 
who  tend  toward  calculation  of  such  mat- 
ters as  factional  voting  strength.  It  is 
figured  that  there  will  be  some  division  of 
the  Warner  studio  bloc,  which  of  course  is 
not  a  bloc  in  the  realistic  application  of 
the  term,  between  the  Warner  candidate, 
Mr.  Wood  and  Mr.  Curtiz.  The  same  cir- 
cumstance affects  the  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  bloc,  expected  to  split  between  Mr. 
Wyler  and  Mr.  LeRoy.  Paramount's  John 
Farrow,  on  the  other  hand,  stands  to  re- 
ceive the  benefit  of  whatever  solidarity  may 
prevail  in  the  balloting  going  on  among  the 
studio  personnel. 

Report  on  Conducting 
Telephone  Campaign 

If  the  event  were  a  horse-race,  subject  to 
the  conditions  of  handicapping  which  guide 
those  wizards  who  profess  to  dispense  feed- 
box  tips  to  two-dollar  bettors,  a  shade  of 
advantage  might  be  given  Director  Wood, 
who  has  a  film  called  "For  Whom  the  Bell 
Tolls"  coming  up,  under  the  Paramount 
banner,  and  is  at  work  on  "Saratoga 
Trunk,"  a  Warner  product  of  proportions. 
It  is  of  record  that  things-to-come  have  fig- 
ured, in  a  supplemental  sort  of  way,  along- 
side things-done  in  votings  of  this  char- 
acter. 

Meanwhile  the  community  has  been 
amused  to  some  extent  by  a  report,  which 
could  be  a  canard  with  a  purpose,  to  the 
effect  that  one  of  the  candidates,  aided  by 
an  associate,  has  been  conducting  a  tele- 
phonic campaign  in  his  own  behalf  on  a 
scale  never  previously  undertaken  by  a  nomi- 
nee. The  odds-makers  incline  to  the  opinion 
that  it  will  cost  him  more  votes  than  it  nets 
him. 

"This  Is  the  Army"  Shooting 
Will  Start  Soon 

Betty  Grable,  Monty  Woolley  and  Don 
Ameche  are  named  at  this  point  for  leads 
in  "Gone  Are  the  Days,"  which  was  down 
on  the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  agenda  pre- 
viously as  "The  Black  Crook"  and  still 
has  to  do  with  that  institution  and  the  per- 
iod in  which  it  flourished.  It  is  in  process 
of  composition  by  Kenneth  Earl  and  Mor- 
ris Musselman  for  production  by  Robert 
Bassler.  .  .  .  Warners  got  started  this  week 
on  the  filming  of  "Saratoga  Trunk,"  the 


Production  Level  Rises 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's  "A  Guy  Named  Joe"  dominated  the  list  of  new  undertakings 
in  a  week  which  witnessed  rise  of  the  production  level  from  33  to  35.  It  co-stars  Spencer 
Tracy  and  Irene  Dunne  with  Van  Johnson,  Ward  Bond  and  others  in  support. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  started  the  Laurel-Hardy  number,  "Jitterbugs,"  and  Universal 
launched  "Oh  Say  Can  You  Swing,"  a  musical  presenting  Gloria  Jean,  Donald  O'Connor, 
Robert  Paige,  Peggy  Ryan  and  Elyse  Knox. 

Monogram  started  two:  "Sarong  Girl,"  with  Ann  Corio,  from  burlesque,  and  Tim  and 
Irene,  from  vaudeville  and  radio;  and  "The  Ghost  Rider,"  offering  Raymond  Hatton, 
Johnny  Mack  Brown  and  Beverly  Boyd. 

Republic  started  shooting  on  "Days  of  Old  Cheyenne,"  with  Don  Barry,  Lynn  Merrick 
and  Emmett  Lynn. 

The  status  at  the  weekend: 


COMPLETED 
PRC 

Black  Raven 
Submarine  Base 

Republic 

Man  Trap 
UA 

Stage  Door  Canteen 
(Lesser) 

STARTED 

MGM 

Guy  Named  Joe 
Monogram 

Ghost  Rider 
Sarong  Girl 


Republic 

Days  of  Old  Cheyenne 

20+h-Fox 

Jitterbugs 

Universal 

Oh  Say  Can  You 
Swing  ? 

SHOOTING 

Columbia 

Somewhere  in 

Sahara* 
Blondie  Buys  a  Horse 
Attack  by  Night 

MGM 

Right  About  Face 
Best  Foot  Forward 


Girl  Crazy 
Faculty  Row 
I  Dood  It 

Monogram 

Ghosts  in  the  Night 

Paramount 

Let's  Face  It 

Riding  High 

Five  Graves  to  Cairo 

So  Proudly  We  Hail 

Lady  in  the  Dark 

Hostages 

RKO  Radio 

Falcon  Strikes  Back 
Lady  Takes  a 

Chance** 
Fallen  Sparrow 
Sky's  the  Limit 


Leopard  Man 
Gildersleeve's  Bad  Boy 

Republic 

Calling  Wild  Bill  El- 
liott 

20th-Fox 

Heaven  Can  Wait 
Jane  Eyre 
Bomber's  Moon 
Stormy  Weather 

Universal 

Trombone  from 

Heaven 
Phantom  of  the  Opera 
Corvettes  in  Action 


*  Formerly  "Sahara" 
^Formerly  "Free  for 
All" 


Edna  Ferber  story,  with  Gary  Cooper  and 
Ingrid  Bergman  starred  under  direction  of 
Sam  Wood  and  production  of  Hal  B.  Wallis. 
.  .  .  Joseph  Cotten,  borrowed  from  David 
O.  Selznick,  and  Charles  Butterworth  are 
that  studio's  first  official  placements  of  tal- 
ent in  the  Irving  Berlin  enterprise,  "This 
Is  the  Army,"  start  of  shooting  on  which, 
apart  from  location  shots,  awaits  comple- 
tion of  preparation.  Early  reports  of  other 
castings  for  this  undertaking,  save  those 
which  come  directly  from  the  stage  version, 
were  without  foundation. 

Merchant  Marine 
Saga  at  Republic 

The  Merchant  Marine  is  to  have  its  place 
on  the  screen,  alongside  the  Army,  Navy, 
Marine  Corps  and  other  branches  of  the  ser- 
vice, in  Republic's  "The  Merchant  Marine," 
which  will  depict  shipping  in  its  develop- 
ment from  'way  back  until  now.  Lieut.  Fe- 
lix Reisenberg  is  cooperating,  as  technical 
adviser,  in  the  interests  of  authenticity.  .  .  . 
Hugh  Wedlock,  Jr.,  and  Howard  Snyder 
are  to  implement  their  producer-writer  con- 
tract with  Universal  by  producing  "Abbott 
and  Costello  in  Society,"  which  the 
comedians  are  to  start  in  midsummer.  Prior 
to  that  the  nation's  Number  One  box  office 
attraction,  designated  by  exhibitors  in  the 
Motion  Picture  Herald  poll  identifying 


the  Money-Making  Stars,  will  do  a  comedy 
for  MGM  and  another,  "The  Naughy  Nine- 
ties," for  Universal.  .  .  .  "All  Those  in 
Favor,"  stage  play,  has  been  acquired  by 
MGM  for  production  by  Benjamin  F.  Zeid- 
man  under  the  title,  "Here  Comes  the 
Band,"  as  a  musical  featuring  a  name  band. 

Script  Completed  for 
"Dr.  Wassell"  Film 

Paramount  has  completed  the  223-page 
script  of  "The  Story  of  Dr.  Wassell,"  which 
Cecil  B.  DeMille  is  to  produce,  after  eight 
months  of  preparation.  Filming  is  to  start 
in  April.  .  .  .  MGM  has  signed  Binnie 
Barnes  to  appear  opposite  Charles  Laughton 
in  "The  Man  From  Down  Under,"  with 
Robert  Z.  Leonard  directing  and  co-produc- 
ing with  Orville  O.  Dull. 

Universal  has  engaged  Robert  D.  Hussey 
in  the  capacity  of  radio  coordinator  in 
charge  of  placing  studio  talent  on  the  air, 
exploiting  personalities  and  pictures  via 
program  appearances  and  conducting  the 
company's  radio  activities  in  general.  Mr. 
Hussey  took  over  the  corresponding  activ- 
ity of  the  Paramount  studio  about  six  years 
ago  and  continued  in  charge  for  five  years, 
during  which,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  that 
company  developed  an  array  of  stars,  first 
or  at  least  most  famed  on  the  air,  which 
became  attractions  of  vital  importance. 


WO  VERY  BAD  BOYS  MAKE  GOOD 

HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER  SAYS: -"This  is  the  picture  they've 
been  waiting  for  and  it's  a  nightmare/  a  symphony  on  the  organ 
of  doom  with  all  stops  out,  with  Moussorgsky's  'Night  On  Bald 
Mountain'  for  a  chaser.  The  business  it  is  going  to  do  will  be 
limited  only  by  the  seating  capacity  of  the  theatres  in  which  it 
will  play.  P.S.  The  next  in  Universale  series,  we  are  told/  is  to 
be  'Captive  Wild  Woman/  in  which  a  lovely  girl  turns  into  a 
Gorilla  when  Dum-Dums  sound." 


ILONA  MASSEY 


starring 

•  PATRIC  KNOWLES 

with 

BELA  LUGOSI    •    LIONEL  ATWILL 
MARIA  OUSPENSKAYA 


and 


LON  CHANEY 


in  his  most 
terrifying  role ! 


Original  Screen  Play,  Curtis  Siodmak 

Directed  by  ROY  WILLIAM  NEILL    •    Produced  bv  GEORGE  WAGGNER 


42 

Three  Pictures 
Set  Records 
On  Broadway 

Three  current  releases  broke  holdover  records 
at  Broadway  theatres  this  week.  At  the  Para- 
mount, "Star  Spangled  Rhythm,"  Paramount's 
all-star  musical  comedy,  ended  an  eight-week 
run  at  that  house,  thus  becoming  the  only  film 
in  the  theatre's  history  to  play  that  length  of 
time.  MGM's  "Random  Harvest"  broke  the  10- 
week  record  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall  which 
another  MGM  picture,  "Mrs.  Miniver,"  made 
last  year.  "Harvest"  began  its  11th,  and  prob- 
ably final  week,  at  the  theatre  on  Thursday. 
According  to  the  management,  the  picture  will 
have  grossed  more  than  $1,000,000  and  will  have 
played  to  more  than  1,550,000  persons  by  the 
end  of  its  11th  week. 

Another  new  record  established  by  a  Para- 
mount release  was  that  of  "Lucky  Jordan,"  star- 
ring Alan  Ladd,  now  in  its  fifth  week,  which 
will  be  held  at  the  Rialto  theatre  for  a  sixth 
week.  "Jordan"  is  the  first  film  to  play  five 
weeks  at  that  house  since  it  opened  in  1935. 

To  celebrate  the  11-week  record  of  "Random 
Harvest,"  Gus  Eyssell,  managing  director  of  the 
Music  Hall,  will  give  a  luncheon  next  Monday, 
March  1st,  at  which  plaques  will  be  awarded  to 
the  stars,  director  and  producer  of  the  produc- 
tion. Mervyn  LeRoy,  director  of  the  film,  pro- 
ducer Sidney  Franklin  and  stars  Greer  Garson 
and  Ronald  Colman  are  expected  to  be  present. 

"Random  Harvest,"  according  to  MGM,  started 
its  fourth  week  at  the  Boyd,  Philadelphia,  last 
Friday  and  its  second  week  at  the  United 
Artists,  Detroit. 

"Star  Spangled  Rhythm"  is  the  first  picture 
to  play  five  weeks  at  both  the  Hollywood  and 
Los  Angeles  Paramount  theatres  where  it  be- 
gan five-week  holdovers  on  Wednesday. 

Other  holdover  reports  include  "Saludos  Ami- 
gos,"  Disney-RKO,  two  weeks  at  the  Globe, 
New  York;  three  weeks,  Majestic,  Boston. 
"They  Got  Me  Covered,"  Goldwyn-RKO,  two 
weeks  at  the  Orpheum,  DesMoines ;  Orpheum, 
Denver ;  20th  Century,  Buffalo ;  Keith's,  Wash- 
ington, where  it  is  scheduled  to  remain  for  a 
third  week.  "Tarzan  Triumphs,"  RKO,  played 
two  weeks  at  the  Palace,  New  York. 

RKO  also  reported  that  the  Samuel  Goldwyn 
production,  "The  Pride  of  the  Yankees,"  is  do- 
ing record  business  throughout  the  Famous 
Players  Canadian  circuit ;  that  "Cat  People" 
was  held  over  at  the  Strand,  Montreal,  first 
holdover  of  the  house  in  six  months,  and  that 
"Journey  Into  Fear,"  the  Orson  Welles  picture, 
played  two  weeks  at  the  Woods,  Chicago. 

Warners'  "Air  Force"  began  its  fourth  week 
at  the  Hollywood  on  Wednesday.  The  comp- 
any's "Casablanca"  is  in  its  sixth  week  at  the 
Mastbaum,  Philadelphia ;  fourth  week  in  Mem- 
phis and  Providence  and  in  three  Los  Angeles 
theatres ;  third  week  in  Seattle,  San  Francisco, 
Baltimore,  Cleveland,  San  Diego  and  New  York. 
The  picture  also  entered  its  13th  week  on 
Broadway,  beginning  its  third  week  at  the 
Strand,  following  its  10-week  run  at  the  Holly- 
wood. 

Managers  in  Air  Force 

Private  Robert  Brannick,  formerly  manager 
of  the  Warner  Rialto,  Hartford,  Conn.,  is  sta- 
tioned with  the  Army  Air  Forces  at  Seymour 
Johnson  Field,  N.  C,  and  Private  James  C. 
O'Loughlin,  formerly  manager  of  the  Warner 
Strand  in  Clinton,  Mass.,  is  stationed  with  the 
Air  Forces  at  Columbia,  S.  C. 


Stationed  in  Alaska 

William  Heath,  former  theatre  executive  of 
Portland,  Ore.,  has  been  assigned  as  chief  petty 
officer  to  the  Navy  Intelligence  Department  in 
Alaska. 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Maloney  Honored  at  MGM 
Sales  Luncheon 

John  J.  Maloney,  recently  promoted  to  central 
division  sales  manager  of  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er,  was  tendered  a  special  luncheon  honoring 
his  appointment,  by  William  F.  Rodgers,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  sales  of  the  company  last 
Thursday  at  the  Hotel  Astor  in  New  York. 

Among  the  department  heads  and  members  of 
the  home  office  staff  present  were :  Howard 
Dietz,  William  R.  Ferguson,  J.  R.  Vogel,  E. 
W.  Aaron,  Earl  Beatty,  Joel  Bezahler,  Sidney 
Braunberg,  William  Brenner,  Harold  Cleary, 
A.  F.  Cummings,  Oscar  Doob,  Charles  C.  Dee- 
sen,  Jay  A.  Gove,  Leonard  Hirsch,  Irving 
Helfont,  W.  D.  Kelly,  H.  M.  Richey,  Gene 
Picer,  Laudy  Lawrence,  Henry  Krecke,  Joseph 
Rosthal,  Arthur  Lacks,  J.  T.  Mills,  J.  S.  Mac- 
Leod, John  Murphy,  Harold  Postman,  William 
Orr,  E.  M.  Saunders,  M.  L.  Simons,  Charles 
Sonin,  C.  K.  Stern,  John  Bowen,  Ralph  Pielow, 
Ben  Abner,  C.  Stanley  Thompson,  Ira  Martin. 
Leopold  Friedman,  Morton  Spring,  Mike  Rosen, 
Ben  Melniker  and  Pincus  Sober. 


Split  in  Union  Vote 

The  CIO  and  AFL  split  in  the  two  elections 
held  at  Philadelphia  exchanges  among  office 
workers.  At  United  Artists,  the  employees 
voted  100  per  cent  for  the  AFL  union  to  act 
as  their  bargaining  agent,  while  the  CIO  won 
by  a  majority  vote  at  the  20th  Century-Fox  ex- 
change. Universal  is  the  only  other  exchange 
in  Philadelphia  where  the  employees  are  linked 
with  the  CIO. 


Universal  Promotes  Linet 

Hank  Linet,  trade  press  contact  for  Universal, 
has  been  named  executive  assistant  to  Maurice 
Bergman,  eastern  advertising  and  publicity  di- 
rector. Mr.  Linet  will  supervise  the  field  ad- 
vertising force  while  retaining  his  present  posi- 
tion. 


February    27,  1943 


Tally  Result  of 
Dimes  Drive 

While  New  York  headquarters  of  the  na- 
tional "March  of  Dimes"  campaign  this  week 
tallied  results  of  the  drive  which  ended  Satur- 
day, and  predicted  collection  of  $1,500,000,  the- 
atres in  that  city,  tested  an  appeal  for  blood 
donors  for  the  American  Red  Cross. 

Seven  New  York  theatres .  participated  last 
week,  registering  1,003  persons  who  made  ap- 
pointments to  donate  to  the  Red  Cross  Blood 
Bank.  This  week  six  additional  theatres  joined 
the  drive.  The  film  industry's  War  Activities 
Committee  said  Monday  that  the  campaign 
would  "ultimately  involve  all  theatres." 

The  annual  Red  Cross  Fund  drive  in  theatres 
will  be  held  April  1st  through  7th. 

Meanwhile  theatres  continue  their  "duration" 
task  of  selling  War  Bonds,  and  reports  reach 
the  WAC  daily  of  individual  selling  feats. 

A  rally  at  the  Indiana  theatre,  Indiana  Har- 
bor, sold  $575,000  worth  on  February  15th. 
There  was  to  be  another  rally  with  a  $250,000 
quota,  at  Whiting,  Ind.,  this  week.  During 
January  the  Loew's  46th  Street  theatre,  Brook- 
lyn, New  York,  sold  $171,651  in  bonds. 

Commendation  of  the  film  industry  came  this 
week  from  Lowell  Mellett,  head  of  the  Office  of 
War  Information  motion  picture  bureau.  Mr. 
Mellett  expressed  pleasure,  in  a  telegram  to  the 
WAC,  at  its  promptness  in  arranging  distribu- 
tion of  the  Army's  "At  the  Front,"  which  will 
reach  the  theatres  through  Warner  exchanges. 


Ohio  House  Raises  Price 

The  Plymouth,  operated  by  Edward  Ramsey, 
the  only  theatre  in  Plymouth,  Ohio,  has  ad- 
vanced its  evening  rate  from  20  to  25  cents. 
There  is  no  change  in  the  20-cent  matinee  price. 


Equipment,  Manpower  Are 
Delivery  Service  Problems 

Increasing  lack  of  replacement  materials  for  film  delivery  trucks,  constant  drain- 
ing of  manpower  to  the  armed  forces  and  evidence  of  "ineffective  cooperation  on 
the  part  of  exhibitors"  were  some  of  the  problems  currently  besetting  film  delivery 
services,  it  was  learned  in  New  York  this  week.  According  to  a  spokesman  for  a 
New  York  service,  delivery  agencies  which  have  been  operating  under  hardship 
of  the  25  per  cent  cut  in  mileage  ordered  by  the  Office  of  Defense  Transportation 
last  July  are  trying  to  provide  maximum  service  under  the  circumstances  but  warn 
that,  unless  exhibitors  offer  "greater  cooperative  effort,  it's  going  to  be  tougher 
for  us  to  operate,  particularly  if  distributors  are  forced  to  reduce  sharply  the 
number  of  prints  available". 

He  pointed  to  the  continued  use  on  the  part  of  some  exhibitors  of  the  single  reel 
between  complete  shows,  reels  for  special  shows,  including  "kiddy  programs",  and 
the  fact  that  many  theatremen  neglect  to  clear  credit  and  other  booking  arrange- 
ments with  exchanges  in  advance  of  delivery,  as  some  of  the  difficulties  confronting 
the  services.  In  addition,  he  said  that,  in  many  areas  throughout  the  country, 
theatres  have  shifted  to  a  four-changes-a-week  policy,  which  has  presented  another 
problem  to  the  carriers. 

No  serious  breakdown  of  service,  however,  has  occurred  in  New  York  or  any 
of  the  31  key  cities,  despite  difficulties.  For  the  most  part,  exchanges,  carriers 
and  theatremen  have  made  adjustments  to  meet  individual  problems  which  have 
arisen  in  certain  areas.  In  New  York,  for  example,  the  practice  of  no  Sunday  night 
and  Monday  morning  deliveries  continues.  In  Detroit,  where  new  local  ODT  rul- 
ings have  cut  all  city  deliveries  on  Mondays  and  Thursdays,  some  theatres  which 
have  changes  on  those  days  are  readjusting  schedules  but  not  reducing  the  number 
of  weekly  changes,  merely  shifting  change  days.  A  plan  to  reduce  mileage  in  that 
city  by  100  per  cent  by  returning  to  horse-and-buggy  delivery  in  the  downtown 
area  was  seen  by  observers  to  be  impractical.  Cinema  Service,  delivery  agency 
in  Detroit,  was  reported  contemplating  the  move. 


February    27,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


43 


January  Box  Office  Champions 


John  Rawlins,  director 

ARABIAN  NIGHTS:  Walter  Wanger  -  Uni- 
versal. Produced  by  Walter  Wanger. 
Directed  by  John  Rawlins.  Photography, 
Milton  Krasner.  Art  director,  Jack  Otter- 
son.  Film  editor,  Philip  Cahn.  Cast:  Jon 
Hall,  Maria  Montez,  Sabu,  Leif  Erikson, 
Billy  Gilbert,  Shemp  Howard,  Edgar  Bar- 
rier, Turhan  Bey,  John  Qualen,  Thomas 
Gomez.  Release  date,  December  25,  1942. 


Leo  McCarey,  director 

ONCE  UPON  A  HONEYMOON:  RKO 

Radio  Pictures.  Produced  and  directed  by 
Leo  McCarey.  Screenplay  by  Sheridan 
Gibney.  Story  by  Sheridan  Gibney  and 
Leo  McCarey.  Director  of  photography, 
George  Barnes.  Musical  score  by  Robert 
Emmett  Dolan.  Cast:  Ginger  Rogers,  Cary 
Grant,  Walter  Slezak,  Albert  Dekker.  Re- 
lease date,  November  27,  1942. 


Mervyn  LeRoy,  director 

RANDOM  HARVEST:  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer.  Produced  by  Sidney  Franklin. 
Directed  by  Mervyn  LeRoy.  Based  on  the 
novel  by  James  Hilton.  Screenplay  by 
Claudine  West,  George  Froeschel  and 
Arthur  Wimperis.  Photography,  Joseph 
Ruttenberg.  Cast:  Ronald  Colman,  Greer 
Garson,  Philip  Dorn,  Susan  Peters,  Henry 
Travers,  Reginald  Owen.  Special  release. 


Robert  Z.  Leonard,  director 

STAND  BY  FOR  ACTION:  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer.  Produced  by  Robert  Z. 
Leonard  and  Orville  O.  Dull.  Directed  by 
Robert  Z.  Leonard.  Original  story  by  Cap- 
tain Harvey  Haislip  and  R.  C.  Sherriff. 
Screenplay  by  George  Bruce,  John  L.  Bal- 
derston  and  Herman  J.  Mankiewicz.  Cast: 
Robert  Taylor,  Charles  Laughton,  Brian 
Donlevy,  Walter  Brennan.  Release,  Decem- 
ber, 1942  -  February,  1943. 


Richard  Thorpe,  director 

WHITE  CARGO:  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 
Produced  by  Victor  Saville.  Directed  by 
Richard  Thorpe.  Based  on  a  novel  by  Ida 
Vera  Simonton.  From  the  stage  play  by 
Leon  Gordon.  Screenplay  by  Leon  Gor- 
don. Photography,  Harry  Stradling.  Cast: 
Hedy  Lamarr,  Walter  Pidgeon,  Frank  Mor- 
gan, Richard  Carlson,  Reginald  Owen, 
Henry  O'Neill,  Bramwell  Fletcher.  Release, 
September  -  November,  1942. 


Michael  Curtiz,  director 

YANKEE  DOODLE  DANDY:  Warner 
Brothers.  Executive  producer,  Hal  B.  Wal- 
lis.  Associate  producer,  William  Cagney. 
Directed  by  Michael  Curtiz.  Original  story 
by  Robert  Buckner.  Screenplay  by  Robert 
Buckner  and  Edmund  Joseph.  Lyrics  and 
music  by  George  M.  Cohan.  Cast:  James 
Cagney,  Joan  Leslie,  Walter  Huston, 
Richard  Whorf.  Release  date,  January  2, 
1943. 


44 


Ask  Quebec  Ban 
On  Child  Patrons 
Be  Relaxed 

by  PAT  DONOVAN 

in  Montreal 

Children  nine  years  of  age  and  over  should  be 
admitted  to  specially  selected  Quebec  motion 
picture  theatres  on  Saturdays  and  specified  holi- 
days between  9  A.  M.  and  2  P.  M.,  and  a  board 
of  censors,  selected  by  the  Catholic  and  Protest- 
ant boards  of  public  instruction  should  be  au- 
thorized to  classify  motion  pictures  for  children, 
the  Boys'  Bureau,  Federation  of  Catholic  Chari- 
ties, Montreal,  maintains  in  a  resolution  it  is 
sponsoring  asking  that  amendment  be  made 
to  the  Motion  Picture  Act  of  1925. 

The  resolution,  drafted  by  John  F.  Dalton, 
superintendent  of  the  Boys'  Bureau  and  promi- 
netly  identified  with  local  boys'  work  activities, 
had  been  forwarded  to  Premier  Adelart  Gond- 
bout,  of  Quebec,  and  to  every  member  of  the 
provincial  legislature.  Premier  Gondbout  has 
replied  that  the  matter  is  under  study  and  there 
is  hope  that  some  action  will  be  taken  during 
the  forthcoming  session  of  the  legislature. 

The  suggested  amendments  have  met  with  the 
approval  and  support  of  many  local  service 
clubs  and  other  organizations  interested  in  the 
youth  welfare,  while  additional  support  is  ex- 
pected from  other  groups  throughout  the  prov- 
ince, to  whom  copies  of  the  resolution  have  been 
submitted. 

The  Motion  Picture  Act  of  1925,  passed 
shortly  after  the  Laurier  Theatre  catastrophe, 
in  which  80  children  lost  their  lives,  deprives 
children  of  enjoyable  recreation  and  wholesome 
education,  and  encourages  disrespect  for  the 
civil  law,  the  resolution  contends.  Further,  it 
maintains,  many  halls  and  basements  in  which 
motion  pictures  are  shown  lack  proper  safe- 
guards and  supervision,  while  theatres  are  pro- 
vided with  every  facility  for  safeguarding  the 
lives  of  their  patrons  and  are  the  object  of 
rigid  inspection  by  the  government. 

The  act,  excluding  from  theatres  all  children 
under  16  years  of  age,  has  resulted  in  children 
frequenting  questionable  resorts  besides  encour- 
aging disregard  for  the  law,  Mr.  Dalton  de- 
clared, adding  that  there  are  at  least  300  thea- 
tres in  the  province  where  films  are  shown  to 
children  each  wek.  Further,  many  halls  and 
basements  where  films  are  shown  charge  a  fee, 
and  are  fire  traps  and  lack  proper  supervision, 
he  charges. 

Meeting  in  Montreal  on  Wednesday,  the 
Montreal  Protestant  Board  of  School  Commis- 
sioners endorsed  the  resolution  drafted  by  the 
Boys'  Bureau.  The  official  resolution  adopted 
by  the  Board  was  moved  by  Prof.  John  Hughes, 
of  McGill  University,  and  seconded  by  Douglas 
Taylor. 

Andrew  Stone  to  Produce 
For  United  Artists 

United  Artists  has  concluded  arrangements 
with  Andrew  Stone,  director  and  producer,  to 
make  a  series  of  independent  pictures  for  United 
Artists  release,  it  was  announced  this  week  by 
Gradwell  L.  Sears,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution. 

The  first  film  on  Mr.  Stone's  production 
schedule  will  be  "Hi,  Diddle  Diddle,"  and  pres- 
ent plans  call  for  Martha  Scott  and  Adolphe 
Menjou  to  star  in  the  picture. 


Warners  Set  Trade  Showings 

Warner  Brothers  will  trade  show  "Watch  on 
the  Rhine,"  on  Monday,  March  22nd,  it  was  an- 
nounced by  Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  man- 
ager. Also  to  be  trade  shown  on  that  date  is 
"The  Last  Ride." 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


IN  NEWSREELS 


MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  49.— Mrae.  Chiang- 
Kai-Shek  addresses  Congress.  .  .  .  Air  fighting  in 
Tunisia.  .  .  .  British  enter  Tripoli.  .  .  .  Refit  French 
warship  in  U.  S.  .  .  Girls  join  Marine  Corps.  .  .  . 
U.  S.  armored  might  parades  in  California  desert. 
.  .  .  Elevate  Rev.  John  Boylan  to  bishop. 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— Vol.  25,  No.  50.— Tank  battle 
in  Tunisia.  .  .  .  Point  rationing  of  foods.  .  .  .  Oil 
line  completed.  .  .  .  Air  raid  drill  in  N.  Y.  .  .  . 
Girls  join  Marine  Corps.  .  .  .  Yank  planes  stage 
attack  in  Texas.  .  .  .  Filipinos  in  U.  S.  Army. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  247.— British 
enter  Tripoli.  .  .  .  Nazis  blast  Allied  bases.  .  .  . 
French  warships  join  United  Nations.  .  .  .  Mme. 
Chiang  Kai-Shek  addresses  Congress.  .  .  .  U.  S. 
tanks  parade  in  desert.  .  .  .  the  Wellington  bomber 
as  a  mine-sweeping  plane. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY— Vol.  14,  No.  248.— Air  raids 
on  Germany.  .  .  .  Yanks  and  Nazis  in  Tunisia.  .  .  . 
Russian  women  rebuild  towns.  .  .  .  Headline  news 
flashes  of  Corregidor.  .  .  .  Point  rationing  of  food. 
.  .  .  Fighter  planes  in  action  in  staged  attack  in 
Texas. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  52—  Setback  in  Tunisia. 
.  .  .  Triumph  at  Tripoli.  .  .  .  Marine  Corps  celebrates 
167th  anniversary.  .  .  .  Women  join  Marines.  .  .  . 
Mme.  Chiang  speaks  before  Congress.  .  .  .  French 
warships  join  United  Nations.  .  .  .  President  and 
Mrs.  Roosevelt  entertain  China's  first  lady. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS— No.  53— Oil  pipeline  com- 
pleted. .  .  .  Veronica  Lake's  new  hair-do.  .  .  . 
Japanese- Americans  give  lesson  in  loyalty.  .  .  . 
Joe  DiMaggio  joins  Army.  .  .  .  Battle  scenes  in 
Tunisia.  .  .  .  Point  rationing  of  foods. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  52.— Fall  of  Tripoli. 
.  .  .  Axis  bombs  Tunisian  airport.  .  .  .  British  planes 
fight  mines.  .  .  .  Mme.  Chiang  speaks  to  Congress. 
.  .  .  French  warships  arrive  in  U.  S.  .  .  .  Armored 
division  in  mass  review  in  California. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS— Vol.  14,  No.  53.— Yanks  battle 
Nazi  tanks  in  Tunisia.  .  .  .  Point  rationing  of  foods. 
.  .  .  Dakar  joins  Allied  fight.  .  .  .  New  pipe  line 
completed.  .  .  .  Fliers  stage  strafing  attack  in 
Texas. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL— Vol.  16,  No.  165.— Mme. 
Chiang  addresses  Congress.  .  .  .  Advance  guard  of 
French  Navy  in  N.  Y.  .  .  .  Nazis  attack  Allied 
bases.  .  .  .  Women  join  Marines.  .  .  .  British  enter 
Tripoli.  .  .  .  Armored  divisions  in  desert  review. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEI  No.  16,  No.  168.— Tanks 

battle  for  North  Africa.  .  .  .  Dakar  now  Allied  base. 
.  .  .  Pipe  line  completed.  .  .  .  Point  rationing  of 
foods.  .  .  .  U.  S.  planes  stage  strafing  attack  in 
Texas.  .  .  .  Allies  enter  Tripoli. 


House  Committee  Ready 
On  Probe  of  FCC 

With  a  $60,000  expense  fund,  the  select 
House  committee  to  investigate  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission  prepared  to  start 
this  week  with  Eugene  L.  Carey,  New  York 
attorney,  as  its  counsel. 

Mr.  Carey's  first  move  will  be  to  launch  pre- 
liminary inquiries  among  the  broadcasters  to 
develop  information  'on  which  will  be  based  the 
questions  to  be  asked  witnesses  at  public  hear- 
ings, which  are  expected  to  be  held  during 
April. 

The  probe  of  the  FCC,  long  sought  by  a  sub- 
stantial number  of  Congressmen,  was  obtained 
by  Representative  Eugene  Cox  of  Georgia,  who 
is  chairman  of  the  special  committee  which  will 
conduct  it. 


Hold  Dinner  for  Pickett 

A  testimonial  dinner  was  held  at  the  Nathan 
Hale  Hotel  in  Willimantic,  Conn.,  last  week  in 
honor  of  John  R.  Pickett,  who  retired  several 
weeks  ago  as  manager  of  the  Warner  Capitol 
in  Willimantic.  B.  E.  Hoffman,  Warner  New 
England  zone  executive,  was  toastmaster.  Rus- 
sell Barrett  has  succeeded  Mr.  Pickett. 


Gallup,  Sindlinger  Return 

George  Gallup  and  Albert  E.  Sindlinger,  di- 
rector and  executive  vice-president,  respectively, 
of  the  Audience  Research  Institute,  returned  to 
New  York  from  Hollywood  last  week.  A 
branch  office  of  the  Institute  has  been  opened 
in  New  York,  and  will  be  under  Mr.  Sindlin- 
ger's  supervision. 


February    27,  1943 

Narration  Added 
To  UA  Product 
For  Export 

United  Artists  has  undertaken  the  addition 
of  narration  in  foreign  languages  to  some  of  its 
better  product,  Walter  Gould,  the  company's 
foreign  manager,  announced  last  week.  The 
substitution  of  speech  for  the  present  superim- 
posed titles  is  expected  to  yield  additional  for- 
eign revenue  of  more  than  50  per  cent,  Mr. 
Gould  disclosed. 

"The  Moon  and  Sixpence"  is  the  first  film  to 
receive  the  new  treatment,  and  has  been  com- 
pleted with  Spanish  translations,  later  narra- 
tions being  planned  in  Portuguese,  French,  Hin- 
dustani and  other  languages.  Representatives  of 
Central  and  South  American  film  publications 
who  witnessed  a  screening  of  the  film  in  its  new 
form  expressed  the  opinion  that  more  favor- 
able results  on  foreign  sales  might  now  be  ex- 
pected, Mr.  Gould  said. 

Not  all  titles  will  be  removed  from  the  films, 
it  was  said,  but  they  will  be  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum. "They  can  be  introduced  as  a  natural 
supplement  of  many  of  the  better  pictures,"  Mr. 
Gould  stated,  "with  the  narrator  telling  parts 
of  the  story  as  the  plot  unfolds  and  amplifying 
scenes  in  which  titles  are  used." 

The  purpose  of  the  new  project  is  to  afford 
more  enjoyment  to  foreign  audiences  viewing 
English-speaking  pictures.  Instead  of  the  an- 
noyance of  following  the  dialogue  by  reading 
the  titles,  those  audiences  will  be  able  to  ap- 
preciate the  finer  points  of  action,  plot  and  dia- 
logue, Mr.  Gould  said. 

Advance  production  planning  also  is  contem- 
plated, he  added,  and  at  a  comparatively  slight 
cost,  films  can  be  produced  for  later  foreign 
language  narrations  without  interfering  with 
the  English  production.  Mr.  Gould  found  that 
foreign  managers  were  in  accord  in  declaring 
that  superimposed  titles  were  generally  unsat- 
isfactory and  that  foreign  audiences  "tolerated" 
American  films  rather  than  "accepted"  them. 
The  cure,  according  to  him,  may  be  found  in  the 
inclusion  of  narration  with  titles  reduced  to  » 
minimum. 


Stop  Order  Issued 
Against  Ad  Service 

The  Federal  Trade  Commission  last  Friday 
announced  issuance  of  a  stop  order  against  the 
Northwest  Film  Ad'  Service,  Inc.,  Portland, 
Ore.,  and  Frank  D.  Atkins,  president  of  the 
company,  charged  with  misrepresentation  in  the 
sale  of  films  and  motion  picture  trailers  used 
for  displaying  nationally  advertised  articles  and 
sold  to  retail  dealers. 

"Findings  of  the  commission  are  that  the  re- 
spondents represented  that  they  produced  the 
films  and  trailers  and  that  their  business  was 
nationwide  in  scope  with  branch  offices  in  many 
cities  when  actually  they  were  engaged  solely 
in  distributing  films  produced  by  United  Film 
Ad  Service,  Inc.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  did 
not  have  any  office  or  place  of  business  other 
than  that  located  in  Portland,"  the  commission 
said  in  an  official  explanation.  "The  commis- 
sion finds  further  that  the  respondents  falsely 
represented  to  retail  dealers  that  manufacturers 
of  the  articles  displayed  would  share  the  cost  of 
the  service  and  that  they  would  not  sell  films 
to  competitive  dealers." 


Book  "Marines"  in  New  York 

The  March  of  Time  announced  Tuesday  that 
40  RKO  and  five  Skouras  theatres  in  Greater 
New  York  would  play  the  MOT  feature,  "We 
Are  the  Marines,"  on  March  2nd  and  3rd.  The 
company  said  there  had  been  a  marked  accelera- 
tion in  bookings  for  the  picture. 


February    27,    1943  MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  45 

/;WHAT  THE 
PICTURE  DID  FOR  ME 


.  .  .  the  original  exhibitors'  reports  department,  established  October  14,  1916. 
In  it  theatremen  serve  one  another  with  information  about  the  box-office  per- 
formance of  product — providing  a  service  of  the  exhibitor  for  the  exhibitor. 
ADDRESS  REPORTS:  What  the  Picture  Did  for  Me,  Motion  Picture  Herald. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York.  N.  Y. 


Columbia 

BAD  MEN  OF  THE  HILLS:  Charles  Starrett, 
Russell  Hayden— Good  Western,  enjoyed  by  the  week- 
end crowd.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  February  12,  13. 
—Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista, 
Ga.    Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 

BOSTON  BLACKIE  GOES  HOLLYWOOD:  Ches- 
ter Morris,  Richard  Lane — Okay  melodrama.  We 
didn't  do  much  business  with  it,  nevertheless.  Played 
Tuesday,  February  2. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  The- 
atre, Penacook,  N.  H.     General  patronage. 

MY  SISTER  EILEEN:  Rosalind  Russell,  Brian 
Aherne — Lots  of  disappointed  patrons  on  this  pic- 
ture. Not  nearly  as  good  as  we  were  led  to  believe 
it  would  be.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  February 
3,  4. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena 
Vista,  Ga.     Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 


Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 

CAIRO:  Jeannette  MacDonald,  Robert  Young — A 
moderately  amusing  picture.  Jeannette  and  Robert 
work  so  hard  with  the  trite  material  it  just  had  to  be 
passable  fare.  It's  a  pity  to  waste  such  stars  on  the 
likes  of  this,  however.  No  business.  Played  Wednes- 
day, Thursday,  January  20-21. — Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

CALLING  DR.  GILLESPIE:  Philip  Dorn,  Lionel 
Barrymore — A  good  picture.  Dora  more  a  professional 
type.  Lew  Ayres  and  Laraine  Day  are  both  missed. 
— Harold  Ingraham,  Mooreland  Theatre,  Mooreland, 
Okla.    Rural  patronage. 

EYES  IN  THE  NIGHT:  Edward  Arnold,  Ann 
Harding — A  very  enjoyable  feature.  Plot  held  together 
with  many  suspenseful  moments.  "Friday"  the  dog  is 
another  "Rin-Tin-Tin."  Played  with  comedy  to  round 
out  a  fair  two  days'  gross.  Played  Friday,  Saturday, 
February  5,  6. — Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre, 
Bridgeport,   Conn.     General  patronage. 

EYES  IN  THE  NIGHT:  Edward  Arnold,  Ann 
Harding — A  good  melodrama.  The  dog,  "Friday,"  is 
half  the  show.  Ann  Harding  and  Edward  Arnold 
carry  the  other  half  creditably.  Nice  to  see  Miss 
Harding  again.  Mild  box  office  results.  Played 
Friday,  Saturday,  January  29,  30. — Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

FOR  ME  AND  MY  GAL:  Judy  Garland,  Gene 
Kelly — After  hearing  comments  from  customers,  chest 
measurements  are  a  few  inches  more.  This  picture 
has  everything  to  make  it  a  "must"  play  and  a 
"must"  see.  Played  Sunday,  Monday.  January  17, 
18. — Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport, 
Conn.    General  patronage. 

FOR  ME  AND  MY  GAL:  Judy  Garland,  Gene 
Kelly — Swell.  Plenty  of  action  and  timely;  pleased 
all  ages. — Harold  Ingraham,  Mooreland  Theatre, 
Mooreland,  Okla.    Rural  patronage. 

MRS.  MINIVER:  Greer  Garson,  Walter  Pidgeon— 
Everybody  liked  it. — Harold  Ingraham,  Mooreland 
Theatre,  Mooreland,  Okla.    Rural  patronage. 

SEVEN  SWEETHEARTS:  Van  Heflin,  Kathryn 
Grayson — Nice  entertainment  and  drew  satisfactorily. 
It's  a  pleasure  to  play  a  picture  with  no  war  angles. 
Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  January  27,  28. — Ar- 
thur K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.  Gen- 
eral patronage. 

SOMEWHERE  I'LL  FIND  YOU:  Clark  Gable. 
Lana  Turner — A  grand  picture.  Some  say  they  don't 
go  for  the  heavy  love  stories,  but  they  don't  fail 
going  to  see  them. — Harold  Ingraham,  Mooreland 
Theatre,  Mooreland,  Okla.    Rural  patronage. 

SOMEWHERE  I'LL  FIND  YOU:  Dark  Gable, 
Lana  Turner — Business  was  disappointing  on  this, 
especially  the  second  night.  The  picture  is  pretty  fair 
entertainment,  though,  due  to  the  presence  of  Gable 
rather  than  a  story.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  Janu- 
ary 17.  18. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Pena- 
cook, X.  H.    General  patronage, 

SOMEWHERE  I'LL  FIND  YOU:  Clark  Gable. 
Lana  Turner — This  picture  was  played  late  due  to 
hold-up  by  the  circuits.  But  when  finallv  played 
first  run,  it  broke  all  house  records.  Everyone 
seemed  to  like  it.  Play  it  at  any  cost.  Clark  is  at  his 
best,  Lana  is  better. — George  Theatres,  Shreveport, 
La. 

TISH:  Marjorie  Main.  Lee  Bowman — Marjorie 
Main  did  not  fit  the  role  of  Tish,  as  I  remember  the 


first  of  this  series.  It  just  did  not  jell  for  some  reason. 
Miss  Main  is  good  in  a  supporting  role,  and  I  am  for 
her  there,  but  she  is  not  yet  ready  for  starring  parts. 
Audience  reaction,  not  mine. — A.  E.  Hancock,  Columbia 
Theatre,  Columbia  City,  Ind.    Small  town  patronage. 

TISH:  Marjorie  Main,  Lee  Bowman — Very  pleasing 
comedy-drama,  but  it  fell  down  at  the  box  oifice. 
We  are  not  getting  the  business  on  Metro's  "Terrific 
Twelve."  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  January  22,  23. — 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 
General  patronage. 

TORTILLA  FLAT:  Spencer  Tracy,  Hedy  Lamarr— 
Good  picture,  in  category  with  "Grapes  of  Wrath." 
Tracy  not  as  good  as  in  other  pictures. — Harold  In- 
graham, Mooreland  Theatre,  Mooreland,  Okla.  Rural 
patronage. 

YANK  AT  ETON,  A:  Mickey  Rooney,  Edmund 
Gwenn — This  pleased  better  than  "Somewhere  I'll 
Find  You"  and  did  about  as  well  at  the  box  office. 
Came  nearest  to  being  worth  the  price  we  paid  for 
it  of  any  Metro  to  date  on  this  season's  program. 
It's  good.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January  24.  25. — 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  X,  H. 
General  patronage. 


Monogram 

TOP  SERGEANT  MULLIGAN:  Nat  Pendleton, 
Sterling  Holloway — Maybe  a  bit  too  raw  for  Park 
Ave.,  but  it's  the  kind  my  customers  get  a  laugh 
from.  What  else  is  needed  in  these  times  ?  A  credit 
to  Monogram  for  turning  out  this  picture.  Good 
sound,  good  lighting  and  nice  directing.  Played 
Wednesday.  Thursday,  January  27,  28.— Philip 
Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.  Gen- 
eral patronage. 


Paramount 

FOREST  RANGERS,  THE:  Paulette  Goddard, 
Fred  MacMurray — Very  good.  Acting  very  fine. 
Technicolor  good. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic,  Conway. 
N.  H.     General  patronage. 

MAJOR  AND  THE  MINOR,  THE:  Ginger  Rogers, 
Ray  Milland — Good  comedy.  Everyone  liked  it. — Leon 
C.  Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H.  General 
patronage. 

MRS.  WIGGS  OF  THE  CABBAGE  PATCH:  Fay 

Bainter,  Carolyn  Lee — Good  family  picture.  Pleased 
all. — Leon  C.  Bolduc.  Majestic  Theatre,  Conway, 
X.  H.    General  patronage. 

PALM  BEACH  STORY,  THE:  Claudette  Colbert. 
Joel  McCrea — I'm  afraid  this  went  over  the  heads  of 
my  customers.  Not  the  kind  of  comedy  that  they 
enjoy.  This  Preston  Sturges  style  is  a  little  offside 
for  me.  Weather  was  terrible  and  so  was  business. 
— Philip  Schwartz.  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport, 
Conn.    General  patronage. 

PRIORITIES  ON  PARADE :  Ann  Miller.  Jerry 
Colonna — Fair. — Leon  C.  Bolduc.  Majestic  Theatre, 
Conway,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

ROAD  TO  MOROCCO:  Bob  Hope,  Bing  Crosby, 
Dorothy  Lamour — Very  good,  lots  of  comedy.  Busi- 
ness good,  weather  very  bad.  Played  Thursday - 
Saturday,  January  2S-30. — M.  Bailey,  Strand  Theatre, 
Dryden,  Canada.    Small  town  patronage. 

STREET  OF  CHANCE:  Claire  Trevor.  Burgess 
Meredith — Good  mystery  story. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Ma- 
jestic Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

TAKE  A  LETTER,  DARLING:  Rosalind  Russell. 
Fred  MacMurray — Played  late,  but  was  a  good  show. 
Business  was  off  due  to  gas  rationing.  Plaved  Mon- 
day, Tuesday.  February  8.  9— Miss  Cleo  Mann-. 
Buena  Vista  Theatre.  Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small  town 
and  rural  patronage. 


WRECKING  CREW:  Richard  Arlen.  Chester 
Morris — Good  action  picture  to  iair  business.  Played 
Tuesday,  February  9. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount 
Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.     Small  town  patronage. 


Producers  Releasing  Corp. 

YANKS  ARE  COMING,  THE:  Mary  Healy,  Maxie 
Rosenbloom — Very  tuneful,  and  gave  audience  good 
laugh,  but  too  short  (69  minutes).  PRC  seems  to  be 
on  the  upgrade.  Keep  it  up  by  all  means.  Played 
Monday,  Tuesday,  February  1,  2. — Kenneth  M.  Gor- 
ham,  Town  Hall  Theatre,  Middlebury,  Vt.  General 
patronage. 


RKO  Radio 

GUNGA  DIN:  Cary  Grant,  Douglas  Fairbanks,  Jr. 
—Very  good  reissue,  but  it's  playing  around  the 
small  places  on  16mm.  and  it's  not  good  business  to 
have  them  say  they  saw  it  last  week  in  an  old  dance 
hall.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  February  5,  6. — W.  R 
Pyle.  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Saskatchewan. 
Canada.    Small  town,  airport  patronage. 

HITLER'S  CHILDREN:  Tim  Holt,  Bonita  Gran- 
ville— Not  a  big  picture,  but  curiosity  as  to  what  it 
was  all  about  made  it  a  top  grosser. — It  is  just  one 
of  those  pictures  that  captures  the  imagination,  and 
as  I  said  before,  curiosity.  There  is  no  reason  why  it 
did  the  business  that  it  did.  It  is  still  a  "B"  picture 
as  far  as  production  is  concerned. — A.  E.  Hancock. 
Columbia  Theatre,  Columbia  City,  IndL  Small  town 
patronage. 

LOOK  WHO'S  LAUGHING:  Edgar  Bergen.  Fibber 
McGee  and  Molly — Very  good  comedy.  Radio  stars 
drew  them  in  and  satisfied  them.  One  of  Bergen's 
best  performances.  Played  Wednesdav.  Februarv  10.— 
W.  R.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sas- 
katchewan, Canada.    Airport  patronage. 

PRIDE  OF  THE  YANKEES,  THE:  Gary  Cooper. 
Teresa  Wright — Better  liked  by  men,  but  a  top  pic- 
ture. Adult  class  mostly.  Harold  Ingraham,  Moore- 
land Theatre,  Mooreland.  Okla.    Rural  patronage. 

SEVEN  DAYS  LEAVE:  Lucille  Ball,  Victor  Ma- 
ture— Good  musical  show  and  good  business.  Played 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  February  10,  11. — E.  M.  Frei- 
burger, Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 

SEVEN  DAYS  LEAVE:  Lucille  Ball,  Victor  Mature 
— Good  comedy.  Audience  laughed  throughout. — Leon 
C.  Bolduc,  Majestic,  Conway,  N.  H.  General  patronage. 

TUTTLES  OF  TAHITI,  THE:  Charles  Laughton. 
Jon  Hall — Just  a  fair  picture  that  skidded  after  the 
first  night.  Played  Monday-Wednesday.  January  11- 
13 — Delmar  C.  Fox,  Fox  Theatre,  Pincher  Creek. 
Alberta,  Canada.    Small  town  patronage. 


Republic 

FLYING  TIGERS:  John  Wayne,  John  Carroll- 
All  air  picture,  worth  anybody's  time  to  see  and 
understand  now  at  this  particular  time  of  war. — Harold 
Ingraham.  Mooreland  Theatre.  Mooreland,  Okla. 
Rural  patronage. 

HI!  NEIGHBOR:  Lulubelle  &  Scotty.  Jean  Parker 
— This  is  one  of  the  best  features  ever  put  out  by 
Republic  Although  the  crowd  was  small,  those  who 
saw  it  were  more  than  pleased.  Don't  miss  it. 
Played  Monday.  Tuesday.  February'  1.  2. — Miss  Cleo 
Manry.  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage. 

ICE    CAPADES    REVUE:    Ellen    Drew.  Richard 

(Continued  on  foll&zcing  page) 


46 


MOTION    PICTU  RE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

Denning — Very    good    skating    scenes.     Well  liked. — 

Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre,  Conway.  N.  H. 
General  patronage. 

MOSCOW  STRIKES  BACK:  Russian  Docu- 
mentary— Timely,  but  not  for  kids — too  deep.  More 
like  a  newsreel.  Very  interesting  facts. — Harold  In- 
graham,  Mooreland  Theatre,  Mooreland,  Okla.  Rural 
patronage. 

SONS  OF  THE  PIONEERS:  Roy  Rogers— Good 
Western.  Mild  business,  however.  We  think  the 
kids  are  perking  their  ears  up,  though.  Played  Friday, 
Saturday,  January  22-23. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace 
Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

YOUTH  ON  PARADE:  John  Hubbard,  Martha 
O'Driscoll — A  good  picture  that  drew  average  business. 
Played  Sunday,  January  31. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena 
Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small  town  and 
rural  patronage. 

YOUTH  ON  PARADE:  John  Hubbard,  Ruth  Terry 
— There  is  lots  of  entertainment  in  this  light,  frothy 
picture.  Will  please  generally,  although  one  can't 
expect  it  to  draw  big  on  its  own.  Played  Friday, 
Saturday,  January  29,  30.' — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace 
Theatre,   Penacook,   N.  H.     General  patronage. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

BLACK  SWAN,  THE:  Tyrone  Power,  Maureen 
O'Hara — Action  enough  for  anyone.  Pleased  very 
much. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre,  Conway, 
N.  H.    General  patronage. 

JUST  OFF  BROADWAY:  Lloyd  Nolan,  Marjorie 
Weaver — An  okay  picture,  but  we  played  it  to  a 
mighty  small  house.  Played  Tuesday.  January  26. — 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 
General  patronage. 

ORCHESTRA  WIVES:  George  Montgomery,  Ann 
Rutherford — A  most  satisfactory  kind  of  musical,  with 
a  good  story  for  the  oldsters  and,  of  course,  Glen 
Miller  and  his  orchestra  to  guarantee  a  good  time  for 
the  younger  generation.  Played  Thursday-Saturday, 
January  7-9. — Delmar  C.  Fox,  Fox  Theatre,  Pincher 
Creek,  Alberta,  Canada.     Small  town  patronage. 

SONG  OF  THE  ISLANDS:  Betty  Grable,  Victor 
Mature — A  good  tonic  for  cold  weather,  and  good 
entertainment  for  any  days.  Flayed  Thursday-Satur- 
day, January  14-16. — Delmar  C.  Fox,  Fox  Theatre. 
Pincher  Creek,  Alberta,  Canada.  Small  town  patronage. 

SPRINGTIME  IN  THE  ROCKIES:  Betty  Grable, 
John  Payne — The  best  business  so  far  this  year  on 
this  one,  and  it's  grand  fun  for  any  audience.  The 
color  is  gorgeous,  and  the  laughs  are  many.  Entire 
cast  is  perfect.  Played  Sunday,  Monday,  January  31, 
February  1. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Pena- 
cook, N.  H.    General  patronage. 

THAT  OTHER  WOMAN:  Virginia  Gilmore,  James 
Ellison — Good  little  picture  for  one-day  play.  Just 
enough  comedy  to  make  it  good.  Business  only  fair. 
Played  Sunday,  February  7. — Miss  Cleo  Manry.  Buena 
Vista  Theatre.  Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small  town  and 
rural  patronage. 


THUNDER  BIRDS:  Gene  Tierney,  John  Sutton— 
Good  story,  good  acting,  good  Technicolor. — Leon  C. 
Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H.  General 
patronage. 

THUNDER  BIRDS:  John  Sutton,  Gene  Tierney— 
Everyone  said  it  "was  a  swell  show."  When  you 
hear  this,  you  are  proud  to  be  a  theatre  operator. 
Business  only  fair.  Played  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
February  10,  11.— Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vista  The- 
atre, Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small  town  and  rural  patronage. 


Universal 

BEHIND  THE  EIGHT  BALL:  Ritz  Bros.,  Carol 
Bruce — Good  little  picture  if  you  like  the  Ritz  Bros, 
and  music. — George  Theatres,  Shreveport,  La. 

GET  HEP  TO  LOVE:  Gloria  Jean,  Robert  Paige— 
I  think  Universal  is  wasting  a  star.  Very  pleasing 
picture,  but  with  a  few  more  ingredients  this  could 
have  been  a  good  top  hit.  As  it  is,  no  complaints 
from  the  customers.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  Jan- 
uary 29,  30. — Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre, 
Bridgeport,  Conn.     General  patronage. 

NIGHTMARE:  Brian  Donlevy,  Diana  Barrymore— 
A  thrill  picture  that  holds  your  interest  all  the  way. 
Diana  Barrymore  is  a  credit  to  her  famous  name. — 
George  Theatres,  Shreveport,  La. 

PITTSBURGH:  Marlene  Dietrich,  John  Wayne- 
A  very  good  picture,  and  was  good  at  the  box  office. 
Plenty  of  action. — George  Theatres,  Shreveport,  La. 

PITTSBURGH:  Marlene  Dietrich,  John  Wayne. 
Randolph  Scott — Picture  has  the  names,  good  direc- 
tion, reasonably  good  story,  even  appealed  to  the 
college  students.  Play  it  on  weekend.  Played 
Wednesday -Friday,  February  3-5. — Kenneth  M.  Gor- 
ham,  Town  Hall  Theatre,  Middlebury,  Va.  General 
patronage. 

SEVEN  SINNERS:  Marlene  Dietrich,  John  Wayne 
—Very  good  picture  that  pleased  all.  We  had  an 
excellent  print.  Played  Monday,  Tuesday,  February 
8,  9.— W.  R.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen. 
Saskatchewan,  Canada.    Airport  patronage. 

SHERLOCK  HOLMES  AND  THE  VOICE  OF 
TERROR:  Basil  Rathbone,  Nigel  Bruce— The  proper 
type  of  picture  to  make  a  successful  series,  good  plot 
and  well  acted  by  all  concerned.  Most  satisfying  to 
patrons.  Played  Sunday,  Monday.  January  3,  4. — 
Kenneth  M.  Gorham.  Town  Hall  Theatre,  Middle- 
bury,  Vt.    General  patronage. 

SIN  TOWN :  Constance  Bennett,  Brod  Crawford- 
Lots  of  action  and  plenty  of  good  acting  on  Brod 
Crawford's  part.  This  one  will  surprise  you.  It  did 
me. — George  Theatres,  Shreveport,  La. 

SOUTH  OF  TAHITI:  Brian  Donlevy,  Brod  Craw- 
ford— Fair  picture  that  drew  average  for  one-day 
play.  Played  Sunday,  February  14. — Miss  Cleo 
Manry,  Buena  Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga.  Small 
town  and  rural  patronage. 

STRICTLY  IN  THE  GROOVE:  Leon  Errol,  Mary 
Healy — Can't  beat  this  company  for  putting  out  short, 
snappy,  jive-packed  comedies.    Pleasant  picture.  Use 


to  round  out  second  half  of  show.    Play  with  a  heavy. 

Played  Wednesday,  Thursday,  February  3,  4. — Philip 

Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.  Gen- 
eral patronage. 

WHEN   JOHNNY   COMES   MARCHING  HOME: 

Allan  Jones,  Jane  Frazee — Plenty  good  little  musical 
which  Universal  is  to  me  tops  in  making.  The 
youngsters  are  what  the  country  needs. — George 
Theatres,  Shreveport,  La. 

WHO  DONE  IT?:  Abbott  and  Costello— It  hits 
the  spot  in  every  respect.  My  crowd  was  good  for 
four  nights.  Absolutely  everyone  pleased  with  the 
picture — very  funny,  clever  to  say  the  least.  Played 
Tuesday-Thursday,  February  9-11. — Kenneth  M.  Gor- 
ham, Town  Hall  Theatre,  Middlebury,  Va.  General 
patronage. 


Warner  Bros. 

ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC:  Humphrey  Bogart, 
Mary  Astor — Good  action  picture. — Leon  C.  Bolduc, 
Majestic  Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

ALWAYS  IN  MY  HEART:  Kay  Francis,  Gloria 
Warren — Surprised  everybody.  A  grand  picture,  much 
better  than  anyone  thought.  Pleased  all. — Harold 
Ingraham,  Mooreland  Theatre,  Mooreland,  Okla. 
Rural  patronage. 

BUSSES  ROAR:  Richard  Travis,  Julie  Bishop— A 
field  day  for  those  patrons  who  like  to  pick  out  pro- 
duction flaws.  This  abounds  in  boners,  but  in  spite 
of  them  manages  to  entertain.  No  business  can  be 
expected  unless  you  have  some  better  reason  than  this 
feature  to  draw  them  in.  Played  Tuesday,  January 
19. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook, 
N.  H.    General  patronage. 

CAPTAINS  OF  THE  CLOUDS:  James  Cagney, 
Brenda  Marshall— A  grand  show  in  color.  I  played 
this  late,  but  it's  one  you  can  be  proud  to  exhibit; 
plenty  of  action  and  wonderful  photography  and  very 
timely  as  everybody  is  interested  in  flying.  More 
especially  interesting  to  my  patrons  as  we  have  sev- 
eral local  boys  shown  in  this  feature.  Should  be  a 
stimulant  for  recruiting  and  many  of  the  ex-service 
men  would  remember  Bishop  and  his  wonderful  ex- 
ploits in  the  last  war.  We  know  that  this  is  real 
stuff  and  not  faked.  Only  drawback  for  me  was  the 
40  below  zero  weather  and  all  the  roads  blocked 
with  snow.  Proud  to  play  this  in  my  theatre,  as 
many  of  our  boys  from  here  are  pilots  flying  over 
Germany,  and  they  were  trained  in  the  very  places 
that  their  parents  and  friends  were  entertained  with 
on  our  screen.  Congratulations,  Warner  Bros. 
Flayed  Monday,  February  8. — A.  L.  Dove.  Bengough, 
Saskatchewan,  Canada.  Rural  and  small  town 
patronage. 

DESPERATE  JOURNEY:  Errol  Flynn,  Ronald 
Reagan — Good  action  picture.  Highly  improbable,  but 
fans  liked  it. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre, 
Conway,  N.  H.    General  patronage. 

FLYING  FORTRESS:  Richard  Greene,  Carla 
Lehmann — Swell  action  picture  and  good  business. 
Here  is  one  English  made  picture  you  can  understand. 
Play  it.  Played  Friday,  Saturday,  February  12,  13.— 
E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  O'kla. 
Small  town  patronage. 

GAY  SISTERS,  THE:  Barbara  Stanwyck,  George 
Brent — Good  story.  More  for  adults,  yet  comedy 
enough  for  entertainment.— Harold  Ingraham,  Moore- 
land Theatre,  Mooreland,  Okla.     Rural  patronage. 

GENTLEMAN  JIM:  Errol  Flynn,  Alexis  Smith- 
Business  was  only  fair.  A  very  good  action  picture 
for  the  men,  with  plenty  of  'fights  and  boxing. 
Played  Sunday,  Monday.  February  7,  8.— E.  M.  Frei- 
burger. Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla.  Small 
town  patronage. 

KINGS  ROW:  Ann  Sheridan,  Ronald  Reagan— One 
of  the  best  pictures  of  the  year.  Good  throughout. 
Little  deep  for  kids. — Harold  Ingraham.  Mooreland 
Theatre,   Mooreland,  Okla.     Rural  patronage. 

NOW,  VOYAGER:  Bette  Davis,  Paul  Henreid— A 
masterpiece.  Splendid  throughout.  Marvelous  acting 
bv  Bette  and  Henreid. — Leon  C.  Bolduc.  Majestic 
Theatre,  Conway.  N.  H.     General  patronage. 

SERGEANT  YORK:  Gary  Cooper.  Joan  Leslie— 
Maybe  the  weather  on  this  date  is  no  longer  a  mili- 
tary secret,  but  it  cerainly  isn't  being  mentioned  in 
the  best  of  places.  Those  who  came  enjoyed  the  pic- 
ture, of  course,  but  the  country  trade  was  nil. 
Played  Thursday-Saturday.  January  21-23.— Delmar 
C.  Fox,  Fox  Theatre.  Pincher  Creek,  Alberta,  Can- 
ada.   Small  town  patronage. 


Short  Features 
Columbia 

AMERICA  SINGS   WITH   KATE   SMITH:  Kate 

Smith— Very  good.  It  will  pep  uo  any  program. — 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

EVEN   AS   IOU:    All    Star   Comedies— The  usual 
Stooge  tomfoolery,  but  the  best  in  recent  releases. — ' 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

FIT  TO  FIGHT:  World  of  Sports— A  good  physical 
fitness  reel.— Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Pena- 
cook, N.  H. 

{Continued  on  following  page) 


February    27,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


47 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 
SCREEN  SNAPSHOTS:    No.  9— Old  stage  stars  are 
shown    and    will    please. — Arthur    K.    Dame,  Palace 
Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

BOWLING  ALLEY  CAT,  THE:  Technicolor  car- 
toons— Many  favorable  remarks  about  this  one.  It's 
very  good. — M.  Bailey,  Strand  Theatre,  Dryden, 
Canada. 

EARLY  BIRD  DOOD  IT,  THE:  Technicolor  Car- 
toons— Average  cartoon. — Hiss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena 
Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga. 

FILM  THAT  WAS  LOST,  THE:  Passing  Parade 
— Everyone  liked  this  and  many  said  so. — Arthur  K. 
Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

GOOD  JOB,  THE:  Miniatures— This  proved  too 
subtle  for  many,  but  to  the  others  it  was  fascinating. 
— Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

IT'S  A  DOG'S  LIFE:  Pete  Smith  Specialties- 
Most  everyone  loves  dogs  and  these  pups  will  win 
over  any  audience.  A  good  bit  of  "pro-SPCA"  sub- 
ject matter. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Pena- 
cook, N.  H. 

KEEP  'EM  SAILING:  Two-Reel  Specials— Very 
entertaining  and  interesting. — Leon  C.  Bolduc, 
Majestic  Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H. 

MIGHTY  LAK  A  GOAT:  Our  Gang  Comedy— Just 
average  Our  Gang  comedy. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena 
Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga. 

MIGHTY  LAK  A  GOAT:  Our  Gang  Comedy— An 
okay  comedy. — Arthur  K.  Dame.  Palace  Theatre. 
Penacook,  N.  H. 

VENDETTA:  Passing  Parade — Interesting  treatise 
on  the  Napoleonic  conquests. — Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

VICTORY  VITTLES:  Pete  Smith  Specialties-A 
crackerjack  kitchen  subject.  Be  sure  to  play  it  and 
put  it  where  most  of  your  ladies  will  see  it.  They'll 
thank  vou. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Pena- 
cook, N.  H. 

WEST  POINT  ON  THE  HUDSON:  Fitzpatrick 
Traveltalk — A  splendid  color  reel.  The  background 
music  is  always  tops  in  these. — Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook.  N.  H. 


Paramount 

BABY  WANTS  A  BOTTLESHIP:  Poyeye  the 
Sailor— This  is  funny  in  a  typical  Popeye  manner. — 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

KEEPING  IN  SHAPE:  Benchley  Comedies— Very 
mild. — Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre.  Penacook. 
X.  H. 

QUIZ  KIDS:  I  played  this  on  a  missout  of  news, 
and  my  patrons  said  let's  cut  out  the  news  and  have 
the  Quiz  Kids  regularly. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena 
Vista  Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga. 

SPEAKING  OF  ANIMALS  AND  THEIR 
FAMILIES:  Speaking  of  Animals — Very  good  sub- 
ject.— Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre. '  Conwav. 
N.  H. 

SUPERMAN  IN  DESTRUCTION,  INC.:  Super- 
man Color  Cartoons — Better  than  average  Superman 
cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre, 
Dewey,  Okla. 

TULIPS  SHALL  GROW:  Madcap  Models— Very 
clever.  Worth  a  top  spot  on  any  bill. — Arthur  K. 
Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 


RKO  Radio 

ARMY  CHAPLAIN:  This  Is  America— Another 
very  interesting  This  Is  America  subject. — Leon  C. 
Bolduc,  Majestic  Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H. 

CONQUER  BY  THE  CLOCK:  Victory  Specials- 
Very  good  Victory  reel. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic 
Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H. 

GOLDEN  EGGS:  Disney  cartoon— Good  color  car- 
toon.— E.  M.  Freiburger.  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewev, 
Okla. 

JERRY  WALD  AND  ORCHESTRA:  Jamborees— 
A  bit  mild,  but  generally  okay. — Arthur  K.  Dame. 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

SHOW  HORSE:  Sportscope— An  okay  subject- 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

TIMBER:  Disney  cartoon — Good  color  cartoon. — E. 
M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

TOUCHDOWN  TARS:  Sportscope— Excellent.— 
Arthur  K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 


Twentieth  Century- Fox 

NECK  AND  NECK:  Terrytoons  (Technicolor)— I 
did  not  get  to  see  this  short,  but  it  really  caused  a 


SHORT  PRODUCT 
PLAYING  BROADWAY 


Week  of  February  22nd 
ASTOR 

Since  Pearl  Harbor  Victory  Film 

Marines  in  the  Making  MGM 

Feature:  Tennessee  Johnson..  MGM 

CAPITOL 

Since  Pearl  Harbor  Victory  Film 

Bah  Wilderness  MGM 

Glimpses  of  Ontario  MGM 

Feature:  The  Crystal  Ball .  .  .  United  Artists 

CRITERION 

Since  Pearl  Harbor  Victory  Film 

Screen  Snapshots,  No.  5.  . .  .  Columbia 
Feature:    Commandos  Strike 

at  Dawn  Columbia 

GLOBE 

Invasion  of  North  Africa.  .  .  .  United  Artists 
Borrah  Minnevitch  and  His 

Harmonica   School  Vitaphone 

Basketeers  RKO 

Feature:  Saludos  Amigos  ....  RKO 

HOLLYWOOD 

Since  Pearl  Harbor  Victory  Film 

Cuba,    Land    of  Adventure 

and   Sport  Vitaphone 

Pigs  in  a  Polka  Vitaphone 

Feature:  Air  Force  Warner  Bros. 

MUSIC  HALL 

One   Day  of  War — Russia 

1943    20th  Cent.-Fox 

Feature:  Random  Harvest.  .  .  MGM 

PARAMOUNT 

Since  Pearl  Harbor  Victory  Film 

The  Fighting  Spirit  Paramount 

A  Hull  of  a  Mess  Paramount 

Popular  Science,  No.  2  Paramount 

Feature:  StarSpangled  Rhythm.  Paramount 

RIALTO 

Superman  and  the  Volcano.  .  Paramount 
Feature:  Lucky  Jordan  Paramount 

RIVOLI 

Since  Pearl  Harbor  Victory  Film 

Donald's  Garden  RKO-Disney 

Feature:   The  Amazing  Mrs. 

Holliday  Universal 

ROXY 

When  Winter  Calls  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Frankenstein's  Cat  20th  Cent.-Fox 

Feature:  Immortal  Sergeant ..  20th  Cent.-Fox 

STRAND 

This  Is  Your  Enemy  Vitaphone 

Case  of  the  Missing  Hare.  .Vitaphone 

Vaudeville  Days  Vitaphone 

Feature:  Casablanca  Warner  Bros. 


lot  of  good  comments. — Miss  Cleo  Manry,  Buena  Vista 
Theatre,  Buena  Vista,  Ga. 

WELL-ROWED,  HARVARD:  Sports  Reviews— In- 
teresting from  start  to  finish. — Arthur  K.  Dame, 
Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 


United  Artists 

INSIDE  FIGHTING  CHINA:  World  in  Action— 
Another  very  good  World  in  Action  subject.  Very 
enlightening  and  timely. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic 
Theatre,  Conway,  N.  H. 


Universal 

GOOD-BYE,    MR.  MOTH:     Color  Cartune— Good 

color  cartoon. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Paramount  Theatre. 
Dewey,  Okla. 

STRANGER  THAN  FICTION:  These  reels  are  very 
good  entertainment,  and  well  liked  here. — W.  R. 
Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask. 

TUNE  TIME:    Musicals — Excellent  two-reel  musical 


by  this  popular  dance  band  (Jan  Garber  Orchestra;. 
— VV.  R.  Pyle,  Dreamland  Theatre,  Rockglen,  Sask. 

Vitaphone 

BORRAH  MINNEVITCH  AND  HIS  HARMONICA 
SCHOOL:  Melody  Master  Bands— Minnevitch  and  his 
gang  always  please. — Leon  C.  Bolduc,  Majestic 
Theatre,  Conway,  X.  H. 

LITTLE  ISLES  OF  FREEDOM:  Broadway  Brevi- 
ties — Timely  two-reeler. — E.  M.  Freiburger,  Para- 
mount Theatre,  Dewey,  Okla. 

SHIP  IS  BORN,  A:  Technicolor  Specials— Splendid 
—any  audience  will  respond  favorably  to  this.— Ar- 
thur K.  Dame,  Palace  Theatre,  Penacook,  N.  H. 

Serial 
Columbia 

VALLEY  OF  VANISHED  MEN,  THE:  Serial- 
Plenty  of  action  in  this.  Kids  enjoy  Bill  Elliot  and 
Slim  Summerville.  Adults  don't  walk  out,  either.— 
Philip  Schwartz,  Parkway  Theatre,  Bridgeport.  Conn. 

U.  S.  Troops  in  Africa 
Get  1 6mm.  Films 

First  shipments  of  16mm.  film  programs  iur- 
nished  gratis  by  the  major  distributors  to  the 
Special  Services  Division  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment have  been  received  in  North  Africa,  it 
was  disclosed  last  week  by  Phil  Reisman,  chair- 
man of  the  foreign  managers'  division  of  War 
Activities  Committee,  on  information  received 
from  Major  John  W.  Hubbell,  chief  of  motion 
pictures  of  the  division. 

The  shipments,  made  in  January,  included 
current  features,  shorts  and  newsreels  arranged 
in  90-minute  programs  and  were  sent  over  with 
a  number  of  16mm.  projectors.  Additional  ship- 
ments are  going  to  North  Africa  weekly,  by 
air,  it  was  learned.  The  films  are  part  of  the 
4,700  programs  given  to  the  War  Department 
by  the  film  industry  for  free  showing  to  service- 
men overseas. 

Wolff  Luncheon  Guest  of 
New  York  Exhibitors 

Robert  Wolff,  RKO  Radio  metropolitan  dis- 
trict manager,  was  welcomed  back  from  a  sales 
trip  in  connection  with  the  Ned  Depinet  Drive 
at  a  luncheon  in  New  York  last  week.  A 
group  of  exhibitor  executives  arranged  the 
luncheon. 

Among  those  present  were  Samuel  Rinzler, 
Louis  Frisch  and  Harold  Rinzler,  Randforce 
circuit ;  Fred  Schwartz,  Jack  Springer  and 
Mitchell  Klupt,  Century  Circuit ;  J.  M.  Seider. 
Prudential  circuit ;  John  Benas,  Skouras  cir- 
cuit ;  Edward  Rugoff ,  Rugoff  and  Becker  cir- 
cuit, and  Charles  Moses  of  Staten  Island. 

Samuel  Pinanski  Wins 
Newspaper  Award 

Samuel  Pinanski.  executive  of  M  &  P 
Theatres,  Boston,  recently  was  awarded  the 
"Carnation,"  by  the  Advocate,  one  of  the  largest 
English-printed  Jewish  newspapers  in  the  coun- 
try for  his  patriotic  services  to  his  country. 
The  "Carnation"  is  a  symbol  of  community  ap- 
probation. 

Among  other  distinguished  persons  who  have 
received  the  award  in  the  past  are  Eddie  Cantor. 
Sinclair  Lewis,  Dorothy  Thompson.  Arturo 
Toscanini  and  Dr.  Chaim  Weizmann. 

Knox  Places  Winchell 
On  Inactive  List 

Lieutenant-Commander  Walter  Winchell  was 
placed  on  the  inactive  list  last  Wednesday  by 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  Frank  Knox  after  the 
latter  appeared  before  a  closed  session  of  the 
House  Naval  Affairs  Committee. 

The  action  was  taken  following  radio  broad- 
casts by  Commander  Winchell  which  reported- 
ly stirred  Congressional  members  because  of  the 
character  of  his  remarks.  Secretary-  Knox  said 
that  Mr.  Winchell  would  not  be  recalled  to 
active  service. 


43 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


Thanos  Skouras  Shot  Lec  Is  Reported 

Missing  After 
Clipper  Crash 


By  Nazis  in  Athens 


Thanos  Skouras 


Nephew  of  Skourases  Exe- 
cuted for  Work  in  Aid  of 
Greek  Freedom 

Thanos  D.  Skouras,  native  of  Athens, 
Greece,  and  nephew  of  Spyros,  George  and 
Charles  Skouras,  American  motion  picture 
executives,  was  executed  by  the  Nazi  occu- 
pation authorities,  because  of  "spectacular 
service  performed  in 
the  interest  of  free- 
dom for  the  sub- 
jugated Greek  peo- 
ple." 

Word  of  the  ex- 
ecution was  re- 
ceived this  week  by 
George  P.  Skouras, 
president  of  Skouras 
Theatres  Corpora- 
tion. Spyros  Skou- 
ras is  president  of 
Twentieth  Century- 
Fox,  and  national 
president  of  the 
Greek  War  Relief 
Association,  and 
Charles  P.  Skouras 
is  president  of  National  Theatres. 

Thanos  D.  Skouras  was  28  years  old  and 
was  educated  in  American  universities.  He 
was  head  of  the  Skouras  Films  Company 
in  the  Greek  capital.  He  was  both  a  pro- 
ducer and  a  distributor  of  motion  pictures, 
operating  a  group  of  motion  picture  theatres 
in  Athens  specializing  in  the  exhibition  of 
American-made  films. 

Thanos  Skouras  came  to  America  in  1933 
and  entered  Amherst  College,  pursuing 
studies  in  political  science.  Following  that, 
he  entered  Yale  University  Law  School. 
Upon  completion  of  his  studies  at  Yale,  he 
left  for  Greece  and  returned  for  a  summer 
vacation  trip  in  1939.  He  returned  to 
Greece  a  few  weeks  before  the  start  of  the 
second  World  War. 

A  leader  in  the  movement  of  New  Greece 
to  introduce  American  ways  into  the  eco- 
nomic life  of  his  mother  country,  Thanos 
Skouras,  despite  his  youth,  held  a  position 
of  leadership  in  the  Greek  capital.  Recently 
George  Skouras  was  informed  that  the  Ges- 
tapo had  arrested  him.  This  week  he  learned 
of  the  execution. 

Thanos  D.  Skouras  was  the  oldest  son 
of  Demetrius  P.  Skouras,  the  oldest  of  the 
four  Skouras  brothers. 


Ernest  Koenig 

Ernest  Koenig,  associated  with  Universal's 
foreign  department,  died  on  February  22nd  at 
the  Will  Rogers  Sanatorium  at  Saranac  Lake, 
N.  Y.  He  was  in  the  motion  picture  business 
for  the  past  25  years.  He  is  survived  by  his 
widow,  Raymonde,  a  brother,  and  three  sisters. 
Services  were  held  at  the  Riverside  Memorial 
Chapel  in  New  York  on  Wednesday. 

Ollef  Larson 

Ollef  Larson,  70,  exhibitor  at  Peshtigo-,  Wis., 
for  40  years  until  his  retirement  in  1936,  died 
February    17th   at   his   home   near   that  city. 


Lynne  Overman 
Dies  at  55 

Lynne  Overman,  character  actor  in  more  than 
50  films,  died  February  19th  in  Hollywood.  He 
was  stricken  with  a  heart  attack  on  February 
11th,  and  had  been  in  an  oxygen  tent.  He  was 
55. 

Mr.  Overman  was  born  in  Maryville,  Mo., 
and  at  an  early  age  earned  his  living  as  a 
jockey.  At  18  he  joined  the  Ward  and  Wade 
Minstrels  and  later  toured  with  stock  com- 
panies. His  first  stage  appearance  in  New  York 
was  in  "Fair  and  Warmer,"  in  1916.  During 
World  War  I  he  was  an  enlisted  man  in  the 
Navy,  resuming  his  stage  career  in  1918. 

He  appeared  on  the  Broadway  and  London 
stage  until  1933,  when  he  was  signed  by  Para- 
mount Pictures.  He  worked,  at  one  time  or  an- 
other, for  almost  every  film  company  in  Holly- 
wood, and  appeared  in  such  pictures  as  "Little 
Miss  Marker,"  "Big  Broadcast  of  1938," 
"Union  Pacific,"  "Edison  the  Man,"  "Broadway 
Bill"  and  "Typhoon." 

In  1942  he  appeared  in  "Roxie  Hart"  for 
Twentieth-Century  Fox,  and  "The  Forest 
Rangers"  for  Paramount.  His  last  film  role 
was  in  "Dixie,"  where  he  took  the  part  of  a 
Virginia  minstrel.  Mr.  Overman  is  survived 
by  his  wife. 


Mark  Pizor 

Mark  Pizor,  84,  father  of  Lewen  Pizor,  presi- 
dent of  United  MPTO  in  Philadelphia,  died 
February  16th  at  his  home  in  Philadelphia.  Until 
his  retirement  20  years  ago  he  was  associated  in 
the  management  of  the  independent  theatre  cir- 
cuit in  the  Philadelphia  and  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania territory  owned  by  Lewen  Pizor.  Other 
survivors  are  his  widow,  Carrie,  another  son 
and  two  daughters.  Funeral  services  were  held 
February  19th  in  Philadelphia  with  interment  in 
Chevra  Bikur  Cholim  Cemetery. 


Wayne  G.  Woods 

Wayne  G.  Woods,  secretary  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco projectionists'  union,  died  January  20th, 
according  to  a  notice  issued  by  Philip  E.  Gar- 
cia, the  new  secretary,  and  Anthony  L.  Noriega, 
president.  The  announcement  states  that  the 
union,  now  Local  162  of  the  IATSE  &  MPMO, 
originally  was  organized  by  Mr.  Woods  in 
1904,  and  reorganized  by  him  after  the  fire  of 
1906.  He  also  had  been  president  and  secre- 
tary-treasurer of  the  union. 


Charles  W.  Henderson 

Charles  W.  Henderson,  75,  formerly  co-man- 
ager of  the  old  Opera  House  at  Kokomo,  Ind., 
died  February  12th  in  St.  Joseph's  Hospital, 
Kokomo. 


Edward  Jessop 

Edward  Jessop,  81,  of  Connersville,  Ind.,  for- 
merly an  official  of  Sells-Floto  and  W.  F. 
Cody's  Buffalo  Bill  show,  died  February  18th  in 
a  Cincinnati  hospital. 


Buys  Rights  to  Radio  Serial 

The  film  rights  for  "One  Man's  Family,"  ra- 
dio serial  originating  in  Chicago,  were  pur- 
chased by  Charles  R.  Rogers,  United  Artists 
producer,  last  week.  Charles  R.  Morse,  pro- 
ducer of  the  program,  negotiated  with  Mr. 
Rogers  in  closing  the  deal. 


Arthur  A.  Lee 


Arthur  A.  Lee,  president  of  Artlee  Cor- 
poration of  New  York,  long  identified  with 
distribution  of  English  films  in  America 
through  his  former  association  with  Gau- 
mont-British  Pictures  and  other  British  pro- 
ducing companies, 
was  reported  among 
the  20  missing  pas- 
sengers of  the  Pan 
American  Airways 
Yankee  Clipper, 
which  crashed  in 
Lisbon  harbor  Mon- 
day. Eight  radio, 
stage  and  night  club 
entertainers  who 
were  en  route  to 
England  for  USO- 
Camp  Shows  to  ap- 
pear before  U.  S. 
troops  overseas, 
were  among  the  in- 
jured and  missing. 
In  recent  years,  Mr.  Lee  represented  some 
of  England's  leading  producing  companies  in 
America,  including  Ealing  Studios,  Michael 
Balcon  and  Two-Cities  Films,  Ltd. 

According  to  friends  in  New  York,  Mr. 
Lee  was  on  a  business  trip  to  England  for 
Monogram  Pictures  of  Canada,  Ltd.,  a  com- 
pany which  he  recently  formed  with  Oscar 
Hanson.  An  early  press  report  Monday  had 
listed  him  as  injured,  but  through  Pan 
American  Airways  it  was  learned  Tuesday 
that  he  was  among  the  missing  passengers. 

Mr.  Lee  began  his  career  in  the  motion 
picture  industry  35  years  ago,  by  roadshow- 
ing  throughout  Canada  one  of  the  first  five- 
reel  pictures,  "Oliver  Twist."  In  1912  he 
joined  the  old  General  Film  Company  in 
Montreal  and  later  was  appointed  manager 
of  its  special  feature  department  in  Canada. 
He  left  to  establish  branch  offices  in  the  U.  S. 
for  Picture  Playhouse  Film  Company.  He 
later  resigned  and  joined  Gaumont  Company 
of  New  York,  which  had  headquarters  at 
Flushing,  L.  I.,  but  left  that  company  to 
enter  the  Army  after  the  U.  S.  entered  the 
first  World  War. 

Following  his  Army  service,  Mr.  Lee  re- 
turned to  the  Gaumont  Company  and  re- 
mained with  it  until  the  latter  dissolved  its 
New  York  corporation.  He  then  started  the 
Lee  Bradford  Corporation,  which  operated 
until  Mr.  Bradford's  death  in  1925,  at  which 
time  AmerAnglo  Corporation  was  formed 
with  Mr.  Lee  as  president.  He  retired  from 
the  presidency  of  that  company  to  open  of- 
fices in  New  York,  handling  Gaumont-Brit- 
ish  product  in  the  U.  S.  under  title  of  Gau- 
mont British  Pictures  Corporation  of  Amer- 
ica, of  which  he  was  an  officer.  He  resigned 
in  April,  1940,  to  form  Artlee  Corporation, 
becoming  its  president. 

Among  the  entertainers  on  the  plane  who 
were  en  route  for  USO-Camp  Shows,  were: 
Jane  Froman,  radio  singer ;  Tamara  Swann ; 
Elsie  Harris  Silver,  radio  singer  known  as 
Yvette;  Gypsy  Markoff,  night  club  singer, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Rognan,  ballroom  danc- 
ers known  as  Lorraine  and  Rognan,  and 
Grace  Drysdale,  puppeteer. 


February    27,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


49 


MANAGERS4 

ROUND  TABLE 


tAn  international  association  of  showmen  meeting  zveekly 
in  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD  for  mutual  aid  and  progress 

BOB  WILE,  Editor  GERTRUDE  MERRIAM,  Associate  Editor 


OP 


Who  Says  It's  Impractical? 

The  use  of  cooperative  newspaper  advertising  pages  has 
generally  been  confined  to  first-run  theatres,  neighborhood 
managers  generally  considering  that  it  was  too  expensive  a 
promotion  for  them  to  undertake. 

Herb  Gordon,  manager  of  the  Palace  theatre,  Eastwood,  a 
Syracuse  suburb,  hasn't  been  managing  theatres  very  long,  so 
he  hadn't  heard  of  this  limitation.  His  first  step  was  to  ask 
the  merchants  in  Eastwood  to  cooperate  with  him.  Then  he 
took  the  ads  he  lined  up,  plus  his  own  ad  and  a  story  about 
his  current  attractions  to  the  newspaper  office.  He  sold  the 
paper  an  idea  to  put  his  section  of  more  than  a  quarter  page 
on  the  amusement  page.  The  paper  was  well  pleased  and  will 
make  the  Eastwood  section  a  weekly  one.  Herb  also  points 
out  that  the  Palace  ad  is  larger  than  any  of  the  others.  We 
hope  he  never  finds  out  that  he  has  done  the  impossible. 

A  Public  Spirited  Citizen 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Maysville,  Ky.,  recently  needed 
an  organist,  the  lady  who  regularly  filled  that  post  being  ill. 
Edward  May,  manager  of  the  Russell  theatre  in  Maysville, 
volunteered  to  fill  the  gap.  "Mr.  May  is  a  musician  of  rare 
ability,"  says  The  Monthly  Visitor,  published  by  the  church, 
"and  for  a  little  while  will  mean  much  to  our  music.  He  has  ever 
been  gracious  in  responding  to  our  appeals  for  assistance  and 
in  the  present  emergency  quickly  gave  his  assent  to  our  call." 

As  a  result  of  this  public  spirited  action,  on  his  part,  Ed  has 
found  that  the  members  of  this  church  are  ready  to  cooperate 
with  him  in  his  duties  as  theatre  manager.  We  know  that  every 
theatre  manager  isn't  an  organist,  but  this  kind  of  an  attitude 
will  certainly  make  for  better  relations  between  church  and 
theatre. 

For  Showmen  in  Service 

"I  want  to  send  our  managers  who  have  left  the  organization 
for  the  armed  services  the  Motion  Picture  Herald,"  writes  E.  E. 
Whitaker,  district  manager  for  the  Lucas  and  Jenkins  Circuit 
in  Atlanta.  "Whit"  feels  the  same  as  many  other  circuit  execu- 
tives who  want  to  keep  their  men  informed  of  developments 
in  the  industry  and  showmanship  activities,  so  that  they  may 
resume  their  places  when  the  war  is  over  and  not  have  too 
many  lost  threads  to  pick  up. 


Quigley  Awards  Judging 

Judging  of  entries  for  the  1942  Quigley  Grand  Awards  will 
be  held  Tuesday,  March  2nd.  At  the  same  time,  the  first 
Quigley  War  Showmanship  Award  will  be  voted  on.  Leaders 
in  distribution,  exhibition  and  advertising  and  publicity  will 
consider  the  entries  for  both  Awards.  Results  will  be  announced 
in  next  week's  issue. 


Newspaper  Editorials 

Getting  a  picture  mentioned  in  the  editorial  columns  of  a 
newspaper  is  considered  by  some  showmen  to  be  the  high 
mark  of  success  in  the  publicity  field.  It  is  not  done  very  fre- 
quently. But  this  week,  three  good  examples  of  successful  edi- 
torial page  planting  have  come  to  our  attention. 

Chuck  Larned  of  the  Appalachian  theatre,  Appalachia,  Va., 
sold  The  Post  of  that  city  on  the  value  of  the  motion  picture 
in  the  war  effort.  The  Post  cited  President  Roosevelt,  Gen. 
Dwight  D.  Eisenhower  and  other  notables'  recent  remarks  on 
the  industry  to  knock  down  the  OPA's  ban  on  driving  auto- 
mobiles. In  conclusion  The  Post  asks,  "Where  else  is  'The  Star 
Spangled  Banner'  sung  more  lustily  and  by  more  people  than 
in  the  movies?  Could  we  say  more?"  This  is  institutional 
publicity  and  industry  good  will  of  the  finest  kind. 

Nick  Todorov  of  the  Colonial  theatre,  Allentown,  Pa.,  was 
playing  "Abraham  Lincoln"  on  Lincoln's  Birthday.  He  pointed 
out  how  appropriate  this  was  to  the  editor  of  The  Morning  Call. 
The  result  was  an  editorial  saying  in  part,  "It  would  be  good  if 
the  theatre  which  happily  is  showing  this  picture  today  could 
be  taken  over  by  the  schools  and  the  children  poured  into  it 
in  relays  throughout  the  day  and  evening  for  the  inspiration 
to  be  had  from  this  faithful  study."  The  picture  is  old  but  still 
getting  favorable  attention  apparently. 

"It  seems  to  us  that  people  who  take  the  trouble  to  see  Noel 
Coward's  'In  Which  We  Serve,'  current  attraction  at  Loew's," 
says  the  Syracuse  Herald -Journal,  "will  acquire  a  little  better 
understanding  of  what  the  war  at  sea  is  really  like — what 
sublime  courage  and  shattering  experiences  go  into  the  job  of 
keeping  the  seas  open,  so  that  civilization  may  survive."  Frank 
Murphy,  manager  at  Loew's  Syracuse  gets  the  credit  for 
that  one. 

BOB  WILE 


50 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    2  7,  1943 


LOBBY  MAP  FOR  BUS  TIEUP 


Loew  managers  have  taken  the  lead  in  urging  patrons  to  use  buses  to  come  to 
the  theatres.  Above,  Sam  Gilman's  display  at  Loew's,  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  was 
accompanied  by  folders  bearing  a  similar  map  and  details  of  various  bus  routes. 
Below,  Arthur  (Whitey)  Egberts  of  Loew's,  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  posted  not  only 
a  map  but  detailed  schedules  of  all  the  bus  routes  to  and  from  the  city. 


The  Emergency  Service  Corps  of 
Milwaukee  man  the  War  Bond  booths 
in  the  Warner  theatres  in  Milwaukee. 
This  was  arranged  by  Al  Meskis, 
manager  of  the  Egyptian,  who  is  shown 
above  receiving  a  check  for  five  $  1 ,000 
bonds  from  Bernice  Huelsbeck,  one 
of  the  members. 


Book  store  window  was  obtained 

by  Max  Felder  at  the  Capitol  theatre, 

Steubenville,  O. 


SCHEDULES  <W  ROUTES 

cJlom  where  you  l.jve  \o/oru)l 


4  3 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


Selling  Points 

ON  THE  NEW  PRODUCT 

{The  material  belotc  reflects  press  books  note  in  preparation  and  represents  the  point  of 
view  of  the  distributors'  exploiteers  about  the  selling  points  and  special  merit  of  these  pictures.] 

FLIGHT  FOR  FREEDOM  (RKO  Radio):  Aviation  angles  abound  here,  with  suggestions 
that  in  cities  where  factories  are  producing  planes  or  parts  their  bulletin  boards  might 


ing  the  run,  women  war  workers  or  parents  of  local  flyers  might  make  brief  appear- 
ances; in  addition,  they  might  be  entertained  by  Service  Clubs,  etc.  A  colorful  and 
effective  display  can  be  made  up  from  the  news  photos  released  by  the  Navy  and 
other  official  sources,  showing  the  Pacific  area  of  war  where  the  climax  of  "Right  for 
Freedom"  is  laid.  A  well  executed  window  display  of  the  uniforms  worn  by  women 
of  the  WAVES,  Civilian  Air  Patrol  and  others  might  be  in  order  with  appropriate 
tiein  copy.  The  local  chapter  of  Navy  Mothers  might  be  enlisted  for  representatives 
to  attend  the  lobby  Bond  booth.  For  lobby  attention  a  tieup  could  be  arranged  with 
a  photographer  to  take  pictures  of  patrons,  who  would  be  invited  to  step  behind  a  life- 
size  compoboard  cutout  of  Rosalind  Russell's  figure  in  aviatrix  togs,  from  which  the 
head  is  omitted.  In  this  connection  the  services  of  the  photographer  might  be  pro- 
moted or  perhaps  candid  camera  fans  might  be  invited  to  photograph  their  friends. 
A  Rosalind  Russell  resemblance  contest  could  be  held,  with  the  winner  interviewed 
during  an  appearance  on  the  stage  by  a  radio  commentator  and  entertained  as  a 
guest  at  local  Service  Clubs. 

HAPPY  SO  LUCKY  (Paramount):  Tieup  angles  based  on  the  title  might  be  dressing 
the  theatre  and  town's  Bond  booths  with  posters  reading:  "You'll  be  Happy  Go  Lucky 

that  'Happy  Go  Lucky  look".  Particularly  adaptable  at  this  time  would  be  the  line, 

can  be  used  in  newspaper  ads,  windows,  circulars  or  other  regular  advertising  channels. 
Tieup  with  newspapers  for  a  vacation  photograph  contest,  working  on  the  angle  that 
action  of  the  picture  fakes  place  during  a  West  Indian  vacation  of  Mary  Martin.  The 
public  should  be  asked  to  send  in  photographs  of  themselves  taken  on  vacation  when 
they  were  "Happy  Go  Lucky".  A  four-day  Calypso  contest  is  suggested  in  which  each 
day  the  cooperating  daily  runs  a  mat  snowing  one  of  the  important  players  from 
"Happy  Go  Lucky"  and  giving  clues  to  a  previous  picture  in  which  that  star  appeared, 
lo  those  submitting  correct  lists  of  the  pictures,  guest  tickets  could  be  awarded, 
lobby  purposes  a  ship's  gangplank  out  of  canvas  might  be  spotted  at  the  appr 
to  the  ticket-taker.  A  blowup  of  the  cast  mounted  at  the  edge  of  the  gang] 
could  carry  copy  reading:  "Join  the  merriest  crew  you  ever  knew  on  a  joyous  vo 
that's  a  tonic  for  today." 


Contests  Highlight  Dates  on 
"Something  to  Sing  About" 

Full  page  cooperative  ads  ail  featuring 
'"Something  to  Think  About"  were  landed 
tor  the  first  three  engagements  of  that  film 
ia  Pittsburgh.  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  Allen- 
town,  Pa.  the  Harris  theatre,  in  Pitts- 
burgh, took  advantage  of  the  government- 
sponsored  WAAC  Week  by  having  the  new 
WAACS  sworn  in  on  the  stage  opening  of 
the  picture.  All  the  local  papers  broke  with 
pictures  of  the  event  under  the  caption 
'"Something  to  Shout  About  and  No  Won- 
der." 

Cole  Porter's  music  with  emphasis  on  the 
Hit  Parade  feature  "You'd  Be  So  Mice  to 
Come  Home  to"  was  exploited  in  music 
shops,  five  and  dimes,  radio  stores,  etc.  In 
Springfield,  eight  of  the  town's  largest  stores 
turned  over  a  full  window  to  the  promotion 
of  the  records,  sheet  music  and  Hazel  Scott 
tunes,  with  appropriate  picture  and  theatre 
credits  prominently  displayed. 

Radio  Coverage  Secured 

Radio  stations  in  Allentown  and  Spring- 
field ran  Cole  Porter  song  identification  con- 
tests, offering  guest  tickets  to  listeners  who 
spotted  tne  titles  of  Porter  tunes.  In  Pitts- 
burgh, Gimbel's  department  store  devoted  its 
15-minute  radio  program  to  "Something  to 
Shout  About"  using  the  title  as  the  basis  for 
its  promotion.  Girls  of  the  Cedar  Crest 
Girls'  College  in  Allentown  selected  one  of 
their  members  as  a  combined  ""Something  to 
Shout  About  Girl"  and  the  ""Janet  Blair" 
girl  with  the  local  papers  running  pictures 
and  stories  of  the  girl,  together  with  tiein 
credits. 

Dance  studios  in  all  three  studios  were 
tied  up  on  Lichine,  former  Ballet  Russe  star, 
who  dances  in  the  picture.  Notices  were  sent 
to  all  pupils  and  dance  still  displays  posted 
on  bulletin  boards.  Hotel  band  leaders 
plugged  the  hit  tunes  and  for  Bond-selling 
booths,  blowups  of  Blair  and  Oakie  were 
used  with  copy:  "Janet  Blair  and  Jack 
Oakie  say  Buy  U.  S.  Savings  Bonds  and 
Stamps  and  really  have  Something  to  Shout 
About," 

Brien  Offers  Pony  Rides  on 
"Tarzan's  Adventure" 

To  attract  juvenile  trade  to  "Tarzan's 
New  York  Adventure"  Lige  Brien  at  the 
Kenyon,  in  Pittsburgh,  for  the  three  playing 
days  had  a  pony  and  cart  waiting  at  the  close 
of  schools.  Kids  were  invited  to  take  a 
ride  and  pose  for  pictures  on  the  pony's 
back.  The  ballyhoo  also  covered  the  main 
streets  appropriately  bannered.  For  lobby 
attention,  postcards  were  available  for  mail- 
ing with  copy  to  the  effect  that  the  sender 
had  just  witnessed  the  picture  and  enjoyed 
it.  Patrons  were  invited  to  send  these  to 
friends.  Brien  says  he  mailed  out  183  of 
these  personal  recommendations. 

Through  a  tieup  with  a  local  tailor  who 
uses  cardboard  hangers,  Brien  secured  a 
picture  imprint.  These  were  distributed  to 
customers  10  days  in  advance  of  the  pic- 
ture's opening  and  also  at  local  nurses 
homes,  soldiers'  barracks  and  downtown  of- 
fices. 1,000  autographed  fan  photos  of  Clark 
Gable  carrying  copy  to  the  effect  that  he 
had  seen  the  picture  in  Hollywood  and 
recommended  it  were  given  to  women  a 
week  ahead  of  opening.  Crying  towels  ap- 
propriately imprinted  were  distributed. 


Special  Student  Matinees 
Featured  by  Cornell 

Reporting  on  his  recent  activities  at  the 
Pontiac  theatre,  in  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y.. 
Clayton  Cornell  arranged  a  special  students' 
matinee  on  "' Journey  for  Margaret"  which 
was  held  at  the  end  of  the  regular  matinee 
on  the  opening  day.  This  w^as  advertised 
wnth  letters  to  PTA,  school  authorities,  stage 
and  screen  announcements,  ad,  reader  and 
scene  cut  in  the  daily  and  a  40  by  60  in  the 
lobby  one  week  in  advance.  Special  letters 
on  the  theatre  stationery  were  sent  to  the 
clergy  and  Clay  reports  one  clergyman  send- 
ing samples  of  this  letter  to  his  parish. 

In  connection  with  ""Yankee  Doodle."  Cor- 
nell distributed  2.500  weekly  programs  and 
2.000  special  heralds  to  leading  stores,  bars 
and  restaurants,  while  imprinted  paper  bags 
were  also  made  available.  Midget  cards  tied 
directly  to  Bond  sales  were  posted  around 


town,  copy  reading  ""Be  a  Yankee  Doodle 
Dandy.  Invest  10  percent  of  your  pay  even." 
week  in  U.  S.  Bonds."  In  addition  to  the 
regular  spots  landed  on  the  radio,  18  special 
spots  were  secured  ior  three  days  before  the 
opening.  The  regular  Pontiac  Theatre  of 
the  Air  program  for  15  minutes  featured 
tunes  from  the  picture  together  with  copy. 
The  Hollywood  Gossip  program  the  day  be- 
fore opening  gave  a  pressbook  review  gratis. 
Cornell  further  provided  the  station  with 
tunes  to  use  on  any  program. 

Because  of  the  timeliness  of  the  subiect 
"We  Are  the  Marines."  Clay  made  arrange- 
ments for  an  after-school  matinee  and  this 
tact  was  highly  publicized  by  announce- 
ments in  the  classrooms,  11  by  14  cards  on 
bulletin  boards  and  another  announcement 
in  the  assembly.  For  lobby  display  a  special 
"'see''  board  was  used  of  11  by  14  photos  and 
litho  one-sheet  with  kid  matinee  copy  at- 
tached. 


E2 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


OUTSTANDING  SHOWMEN 

The  42  men  and  women  listed  below  have  submitted  evidence  of  showmanship  withm 
the  past  Fortnight  which  justifies  their  names  being  placed  in  the  list  of  outstanding 
showmen  below.  The  consistent  ones  will  be  eligible  for  First  Quarter  Quigley  Awards 
consideration. 


CLARE  APPEL 

Odeon  Theatres,  Canada 

JOSEPH  BOYLE 
Poli,  Norwich,  Conn. 

E.  R.  BRENNAN 
Bay,  Green  Bay,  Wis. 

V.  P.  BYRNE 

Rio  Grande,  Las  Cruces,  N.  Mex. 

LOUIS  CHARNINSKY 
Capitol,  Dallas,  Tex. 

MARLOWE  CONNER 
Capitol,  Madison,  Wis. 

CLAYTON  CORNELL 
Pontiac,  Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y. 

A.  C.  DETWILER 

Indiana  County,  Latrobe,  Pa. 

BILL  ELDER 

Loew's,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

DEANE  H.  EM  LEY 
Capitol,  Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 

MAX  FELDER 

Capitol,  Steubenville,  Ohio 

DICK  FELDMAN 
Paramount,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

JACK  FLEX 

Keith,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

ARNOLD  GATES 
Park,  Cleveland,  Ohio 


STEWART  GILLESPIE 
Elgin,  Ottawa,  Ont.,  Canada 

HERB  GRAEFE 

Wisconsin  Rapids  Theatres 
Wisconsin  Rapids,  Wis. 

FRED  GREENWAY 
Palace,  Hartford,  Conn. 

JOHN  HEFLINGER 
West  End,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

MURRAY  KEILLOR 

Roxy,  Cornwall,  Ont.,  Canada 

JAMES  KING 

Keith  Memorial,  Boston,  Mass. 
SID  KLEPER 

Bijou,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

ART  KROLICK 

Century,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

GEORGE  LABY 
Palace,  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

JOE  LONGO 
Loew's,  Boston,  Mass. 

LOUIS  E.  MAYER 
Temple,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

RITA  MORTON 

RKO  Albee,  Providence,  R.  I. 

FRANK  MURPHY 

Loew's  State,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

JIM  O'DONNELL 

Haines,  Waterville,  Me. 


LESTER  POLLOCK 
Loew's,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

JIM  REDMOND 
Rivoli,  Falls  City,  Neb. 

ORVILLE  RENNIE 
Paramount,  Cedar  Rapids,  la. 

JAE  ROLLINS 

Village,  Toronto,  Ont.,  Canada 

LLOYD  ROLLINS 

Apex,  Washington,  D.  C. 

MORRIS  ROSENTHAL 
Majestic,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

J.  G.  SAMARTANO 

Poli  Palace,  Meriden,  Conn. 

boyd  scon 

Grand,  Holdenville,  Okla. 

sid  scon 

Capitol,  Sudbury,  Ont.,  Canada 

CHUCK  SHANNON 
Cambria,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

MOLLIE  STICKLES 
Strand,  Waterbury,  Conn. 

T.  O.  TABOR,  JR. 
Palace,  Athens,  Ga. 

CHARLES  TAYLOR 

Shea  Theatres,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

KEN  WOODWARD 
Clifton,  Huntington,  Pa. 


AWARDS  RULES 

Entries  must  be  forwarded  as  soon 
as  possible  after  exploitation  is  com- 
pleted. 

• 

There  are  no  classifications  of  population 

or  situation.    Every  entrant  starts  from 

scratch — circuit  or  independent,  first-run 

or  subsequent,  downtown  or  neighborhood, 

big  city  or  small  town. 

• 

Consistency  of  effort  is  a  paramount  con- 
sideration in  the  Quigley  Awards.  One-shot 
campaigns  or  ideas  are  not  eligible  for  con- 
sideration. 

Whole  campaigns  need  necessarily  not  be 
submitted  but  are,  of  course,  acceptable. 
Single  ideas  or  promotions  are  eligible  for 
consideration  if  the  entrant  is  a  consistent 
contributor. 

Entrants  most  often  represented  in  each 
Quarter  will  receive  first  consideration  for 
the  Quarterly  Awards. 

The  1943  Quigley  Awards  began  on  Jan- 
uary 1.  There  will  be  three  Plaques  and 
five  Medals  issued  in  each  Quarter,  with  the 
Grand  Awards  to  be  given  to  the  best  two 
of  all  Quarterly  winners. 


No  fancy  entries  are  necessary.  Costly 
and  time-using  "Gingerbread"  decorations 
are  not  encouraged.  Showmanship  only 
counts. 

• 

In  addition  to  exploitation  on  pictures — 
features,  shorts  or  serials — entries  may  be 
made  on  institutional  promotions.  Exploita- 
tion on  stage  shows,  presentations,  etc.,  are 
also  definitely  eligible  for  consideration. 
• 

A  single  idea  may  be  confined  to  a  win- 
dow, contest,  newspaper  or  program  pub- 
licity,  street  stunt,  lobby  display,  ad  or 
ad  series,  newspaper  section,  radio  tiein,  etc. 
• 

A  single  promotion  may  include  more 
than  one  slant,  providing  all  slants  relate 
to  the  original  idea.  Thus,  a  single  contest 
promotion  may  be  carried  in  newspapers,  on 
the  radio,  in  windows,  ads,  lobby,  etc. 
• 

Evidence  proving  authenticity  of  each 
entry  must  be  submitted,  such  as  photos, 
tear  sheets,  programs,  heralds,  ads,  let- 
ters, etc. 

Address  all  entries  to: 

Quigley  Awards  Committee, 
Managers'  Round  Table, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 


Ties  Picture  to 
Dimes  Drive 

For  the  opening  day  of  "Lady  from 
Chungking,"  Mollie  Stickles  at  the  Strand, 
in  Waterbury,  Conn.,  tied  in  with  the  noon- 
hour  Mile  of  Dimes  street  broadcast  with 
persons  quizzed  on  this  program  given  guest 
tickets  to  see  the  picture.  The  stunt  was 
arranged  with  station  WATR,  which  also 
plugged  the  picture. 

A  week  in  advance,  a  girl  in  Chinese  garb 
circulated  around  town  in  restaurants,  stores, 
etc.,  mingling  with  the  crowds.  Anyone 
walking  up  to  her  and  identifying  her  as 
"The  Lady  from  Chungking"  was  given  a 
guest  ticket  to  see  the  attraction.  In  con- 
junction with  this  stunt,  2,000  special,  col- 
ored heralds  were  distributed  at  factory 
gates,  etc.,  added  attention  was  gained  by 
having  a  fellow  in  uniform  of  a  Flying  Ace 
distribute  these  heralds. 

Local  Dailies  Cooperate 

Through  a  tieup  with  a  leading  Chinese 
restaurant,  stickers  were  made  available  for 
all  their  menus  plugging  a  special  dish  and 
crediting  the  showing  of  the  picture  at  the 
Strand.  Art  layouts  ran  in  all  local  dailies 
the  day  before  opening  and  numerous  win- 
dows were  promoted. 

On  "Rhythm  Parade,"  Mollie  featured  an 
attractive  lobby  display  consisting  of  a 
brightly  colored  shadowbox.  Patrons  were 
invited  to  take  a  peep  through  the  holes  cut 
out  on  the  top  of  the  box.  Directly  under- 
neath each  opening  were  attractive  "girlie" 
stills  from  the  production.  Large  flitter 
frames  were  hung  on  entrance  doors  of  the 
theatre,  each  containing  a  photo  of  one  of 
the  film's  chorus  girls  with  copy  on  each 
frame. 

Two  life  size  cutouts  of  Gale  Storm  were 
used  atop  the  marquee  during  the  run,  thea- 
tre attendants  circulated  around  bus  stops 
and  boarded  busses  carrying  mounted  one- 
sheets  and  music  stores  came  through  with 
displays  on  the  Mills  Brothers  and  the  Ted 
Fio  Rito  orchestra. 


Organ-Playing  Soldier  Gets 
Conner  a  Newspaper  Story 

The  Wisconsin  State  Journal  at  Madison, 
Wis.,  has  a  music  column  and  so  when  the 
opportunity  recently  arose  to  break  into  it, 
Marlowe  Conner  of  the  Capitol  theatre  had 
a  good  spot.  The  story  is  best  told  in  the 
language  of  the  column  itself: 

"When  Eleanore  Joachim  completed  her 
organ  playing  at  the  Capitol  theatre  New 
Year's  Eve,  Private  "Bud"  Gregg  of  Truax 
Field  asked  Manager  Marlowe  Conner  for 
permission  to  play  a  bit.  Conner  said  O.  K., 
so  Gregg  took  over  and  about  500  persons 
stayed  to  hear  his  impromptu  recital.  After 
they  left,  Gregg  kept  on  playing  for  the 
night  cleaning  crew. 

"Gregg  was  back  after  the  Saturday  night 
performances  and  25  stayed  around  until  3 
a.  m.  to  listen  to  him.  Back  he  came  Sun- 
day night,  and  played  again  for  an  audience 
of  10  who  stuck  with  him  to  2  a.m. 

"Gregg,  a  pianist,  who  played  in  'On  the 
Beam',  the  Truax  Field  revue,  said  he  hadn't 
touched  an  organ  in  10  years,  but  just  felt 
like  playing.  And  Conner  said  he  hasn't 
heard  such  expert  organ  playing  in  years. 
Before  sound  pictures  came  in,  Gregg  was  a 
theatre  organist  in  New  York." 


February    27,  1943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


53 


Dawn  Premieres 
Aid 'Commandos  9 


Krolick  Uses  Radio  on 
'Silver  Skates7  Date 


Entry  Blanks  for  the  "Silver  Skates"  speed  championship  were  available  in  tlx  lobby  of  the 
Century  theatre,  Rocfxster.  That's  Bucky  Harris,  Monogram  exploiteer,  discussing  the 
special  event  with  the  entrants. 


Dawn  premieres  seemed  to  be  the  order 
of  the  day  with  theatremen  around  the  coun- 
try ior  their  respective  openings  on  ■'Com- 
mandos Strike  at  Dawn."  Joe  Samartano 
at  the  Poli-Palace,  in  Meriden,  Conn., 
worked  with  the  New  Departure  personnel 
manager  at  a  local  plant  to  designate  the 
eight  to  twelve  shirt  at  the  "Commando 
Shift''  and  to  attend  the  early  show  on  a 
_es;gr.a:ea  wee^t-v  c:;:.::.;  rentes" 
in  which  nicknames  of  the  various  fighting 
xorces  were  to  be  listed  was  staged  with  a 
local  paper,  a  feature  story  on  Lillian  Gish 
and  her  previous  pictures  was  run  in  a  co- 
:pera:ir:g  newspaper  ar.i  a  :::u;:c  st;re  iea- 
tured  window  displays  on  "Commando  Ser- 
enade." Guest  tickets  were  awarded  on  an- 
other contest  to  those  submitting  lists  oi 
recent  raids  against  the  Axis. 

War  Plants  Cooperate 

In  Philadelphia,  war  workers  were  treated 
to  their  first  Dawn  Premiere  by  George 


tern.  Two  leading  radio  stations,  KYW 
and  WCAN,  were  promoted  ior  iree  time 
for  special  programs  plugging  the  premiere 
and  interviewed  girls  from  the  plants  on 
their  background  in  defense  work  and  other 
human  interest  stories.  Letters  were  sent 
to  every  school  principal  in  the  area,  men- 
tion was  landed  in  the  Boy  Scout  Monthly 
and  the  British  Consul  General  and  members 
of  his  staff  attended  the  opening. 

Since  Ann  Carter  :s  a  local  Syracuse  girl, 
Frank  Murphy  at  Loew's  State  secured  the 
cooperation  oi  the  Mayor,  who  designated 
the  opening  day  as  Ann  Carter  Day.  Opening 
night  ceremonies  included  the  presence  oi 
the  Mayor  on  stage  and  a  transcription  made 
by  Ann  Carter  played  to  the  audience.  The 
newspapers  came  through  with  stories  and 
art  on  the  local  girl  angle.  Highlight  of 
the  campaign  was  a  telephone  interview 
which  was  arranged  with  Lillian  Gish  with 
questions  centering  on  Ann  Carter.  Re- 
ported by  Frank  as  a  first-timer  for  years 
was  the  stringing  of  banners  across  the 
main  street-  A  radio  broadcast  was  used 
two  days  before  the  opening  with  the  physi- 
cal director  of  the  public  schools  discoursing 
on  commando  courses  in  school  and  illustra- 
tion of  the  work  in  "  Commandos"  at  Loew's. 


Kleper's  Blotter  Giveaway 

To  attract  his  kid  patronage  to  his  new 
serial  "G-Men  vs.  The  Black  Dragon"  at 


May's  "Mrs.  Wiggs"  Contest 

In  advance  of  ''Mrs.  Wiggs"  at  the  Rus- 
sell theatre,  in  Maysville,  Ky.,  Ed.  May 
tied  up  with  the  schools  on  an  essay  con- 
test. To  the  children  submitting  the  best 
stories  on  "Mrs.  Wiggs,"  guest  tickets  were 
awarded. 


One  of  the  highlights  of  Art  Krolick's 
"Silver  Skates'"  opening  at  the  Century 
theatre,  in  Rochester,  was  a  tieup  with  Dave 
Elman  who  was  in  town  in  connection  with 
his  show  and  a  Victory  auction  which  was 
held  at  one  of  the  leading  hotels.  Since  all 
items  were  auctioned  for  War  Bonds,  the 
theatre  management  came  through  with  a 
pair  ::  silver  skates  similar  tc  these  worn  by 
Beliia,  the  skating  star  of  the  picture.  Kro- 
lick reports  that  when  auctioned  the  skates 
brought  $4,500  in  Bonds.  A  wire  sent  by 
the  star  was  read  over  the  broadcast  and  the 
the  theatre  was  afforded  plenty  of  publicity 
both  over  the  air  and  in  the  auditorium. 

Entry  blanks  for  the  Silver  Skates  skating 
tournament  were  distributed  at  local  skating 
rinks,  park  department  office  and  at  the  thea- 
tre which  sponsored  the  event  in  cooperation 
with  the  park  department.  The  races  were 
held  at  one  oi  the  leading  rinks,  with  the  the- 
tre  presenting  medals  to  the  winners.  The 
event  was  titled  after  the  picture. 

Hotels  and  Restaurants  Covered 

A  screening  was  held  prior  to  the  opening 
for  all  members  of  the  sports  staffs  of  both 
radio  and  newspapers.  Miscellaneous  adver- 
tising included  1.000  table  cards  which  were 
used  by  one  of  the  leading  restaurants  in  the 
city  a  week  in  advance  of  the  opening.  Pre- 
view teaser  cards  were  used  in  all  hotels 
where  they  were  distributed  by  the  room 
clerks  and  at  all  skating  rinks  where  they 
were  given  out  by  attendants. 

Newspaper    coverage    included  teaser 


stories  which  started  a  week  in  advance  and 
continued  through  to  the  opening  day.  Three 
different  art  layouts  were  landed,  feature 
stories  and  a  four-column  cut  on  entries  for 
the  skating  contest  was  run  on  the  sports 
page  of  one  of  the  dailies.  Radio  featured 
spot  announcements  on  Stations  WSAY 
and  WHEC  on  a  sports  program  starting 
five  days  in  advance.  This  was  gratis.  Spot 
announcements  on  all  three  radio  stations 
plugged  the  picture  and  the  Silver  Skates 
skating  championship,  gratis.  A  fifteen- 
minute  program  over  Station  WSAY,  which 
was  sponsored  by  a  local  music  store  was  de- 
voted to  "Silver  Skates'"  songs  and  plugs 
for  the  picture.  The  store  also  came  through 
with  window  displays. 

Special  Lobby  Display  Feature 

For  his  lobby  and  screen  attention.  Kro- 
lick used  a  giant  display  two  weeks  in  ad- 
vance and  for  the  second  week,  a  table  was 
set  up  in  front  of  the  display  \  see  photo) 
for  the  distribution  of  entry  blanks  for  the 
skating  contest,  cards  explaining  the  event 
were  also  used.  Special  teaser  trailers  were 
run  on  the  screen  announcing  the  gala  pre- 
miere, which  was  followed  by  the  feature 
trailer.  Numerous  window  displays  were 
landed  about  town  and  posting  included  200 
medium  sized  window  cards  in  prominent  lo- 
cations and  mounted  one-sheets  with  appro- 
priate copy  were  used  for  the  pavillions  of 
all  skating  rinks.  Additional  cards  were 
posted  adjoining  the  one-sheets,  announcing 
the  skating  contest. 


54 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


EFFECTIVE  NEWSPAPER  ADS 


"My  Life  Began 
Only  A  Short  Time 
Ago". . . 

But  Here's 

A  Tip 
For  You — 

Laughter  Begins — 

Love  Begins — 

and 

LIFE  BEGINS 
AT  8:30 

At  The 

PONTIAC 

T.  rnrw  Thru  Thurs 


This  novel  idea  was  used  in 
exactly  this  size  by  Clayton 
Cornell  at  the  Pontiac  theatre, 
Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y. 


Square  ads  are  sometimes 

effective  as  shown  by  this  one 
by  Alice  Sorham, 
director  of  advertising  and 
publicity  for  United  Detroit 
Theatres.    It  was  two  columns 
wide  and  just  as  deep. 


Although  greatly  reduced,  the  detail  can 
still  be  seen  in  this  ad  by  Hank 
Harold,  advertising  manager  of  the 
Chakeres  Circuit,  Springfield,  O. 


Jay  Saloman  sold  his  stage  show  heavily 
in  his  ads  for  the  Capitol,  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.  He  employed  the  vaudeville  type 
of  listing  for  the  acts. 


SPOTLIGHTING  CHATTANOOGA 


MAJOR  BOWES 

SENDS  HIS  AUTHENTIC — PRIZE- 
WINNING  RADIO  STARS 

IN  PERSON 


8th  ANNIVERSARY 
REVUE 

ABTHTJS  MELLI 
HumiD  Sound  Effecli  Mm 
THE  3  LADD  SISTEB5 
Que«ni  of  Rhythm 
MR.  AND  MBS.  FBED  SPABKS 

MARSHALL  BOCEBS 
Master  of  Mailc»l  Gl»sit§ 
VIOLA  LAYNE 
Mlltreil  Of  MJmlrrj 
TBELMA  MABEB 
Quetn  of  lb*  Accordion 
WANDA  GIBSON 
ChirmJnr  Sonfblrd 
THE  HARMONICA  BEES 
Ttim  of  Hurmonlc*  Wlnrdi 
CYRIX  BM3TB 


MC. 


Bad?  Vallce  Shorn 


ON  the  STAGE 


PLUS  SCREEN  SHOW 
Arlenc  Judge — Maxie  Roseobloom 
"HARVARD  HERE  1  COME" 


CAPITOL 

MARKET  ST.  PH.  6-6000 


*  4- 


MAKE  IT  A  2  IN  I  TRIP/ 

If  you  have  to  drive  to  work... stop  off  at  a 
Schine  Theatre  and  get  a  picker-upper  before 
you  go  home  .  -  .The  OPA  Says  It's  Okay! 


SURE  IT'S  OKAY! 

If  you  have  to  drive  to  do  essential  shop- 
ping .  .  .  the  OPA  says  it's  okay  to  see  a 
movie  on  your  way  home. 


YOU'LL  FORGET  YOUR 
VISIT  TO  THE  DOCTOR.' 

If  you  stop  off  at  a  Schine  theatre  before 
you  go  home!  The  OPA  says  if  you  have 
to  drive  to  the  doctor... you  can  stop  off 
at  a  movie  on  your  way  back. 


****•**★**•*•*■ 


★    ★  ★ 


★    ★  ★ 


★  ★ 


OPA  SAYS  O.K»! 

If  you  have  to  drive  to  work* ..or  to  the 
doctor.. .or  for  essential  shopping— you  can 
stop  off  at  a  movie  on  your  way  hcfme! 


Slugs  for  Schine  Circuit  ads  were  devised  by 
Seymour   Morris,   director  of  advertising  and 
publicity,  to  counter  the  OPA  ban  on  driving 
for  pleasure. 


,  GATHER  ALL  THE  NEIGHBORS — "Share-a-Ride" —  j 
,  and  enjoy  one-  of  these  hit  pictures  today.  The  best  , 
I  way  to  relax  is  to  see  a  good  show ! 


FEATURES 

Suri.-Mtp.-Tll> 
i:50  -  5:05 


Tf>DAY! 
THRU  TUES. 

Cox  Office 
Opens  1:45 

\  5 -MAN  COMMANDO  RAID  SHATTERING  HEAVEN  AND  EARTH 
TO  BERLIN  AND  BACK!  SLUGGING.  GUNNING,  DYNAMITING 
EVERY  FOOT  OF  THEIR  HUN-HOUNDED  WAY!  A  ONCE-IN-A-LIFE- 
TIME  ADVENTURE  FOR  THEM  .  .  .  AND  FOR  YOU!!! 


FLYNN  •  REAGAN 


WALT  DISNEY'S 
"GOOFY"  Gives  A 
hilarious  Lesson  m 
■HOW   TO  SWIM". 


WARFRONT  NEWS 
>  Yank   P-38«  React) 
New   Guinea!  Down 
15  Jap  Planes! 


****       *    *    *  * 

Box    Office  Opens 
Sunday 


DIXIE 


*    *  *  *  * 

B»\  Office  Opens 
Moil  &  Toe.  3:30 


Nothing  -Up  their  sleeve  —  and  nothing  in  their  heads! 
Stan  and  Ollie  get  mixed  up  in  magic,  murder  and 
mirth !  !! 


stan  LAUREL  oliver  HARDY 


Multiple  line  border  on  Boyd  Scott's  ads 

on  Holdenville,  Okla.,  makes  for  more  white 

space.  Note  "Share  a  Ride"  copy  at  top. 


February    27,    I  943 


MANAGERS'    ROUND  TABLE 


55 


OF  AND  ABOUT  SHOWMEN 


EASTER  HEADLINES 
APRIL  HOLIDAYS 

April 

1st  —  All  Fools'  Day 

2nd— United  States  Mint  Established  1792 
6th  — Peary  Discovered  North  Pole  1909 
Army  Day 

U.S.  Declared  War  on  Germany  1917 
8th  —  Louisiana  Admitted  to  Union  1812 

Ponce  de  Leon  Landed  in  Florida  1513 
14th  —  Assassination  of  President  Lincoln  1865 

First    Edition    Webster's    Dictionary  Pub- 
lished 1828 
18th  — Paul  Revere's  Ride  1775 

Palm  Sunday 
19th  —  Patriots'  Day  (Maine  and  Massachusetts) 
20th-27th  —  Passover  (Jewish  Holy  Days) 
22nd — Oklahoma  Opened  to  White  Settlement — 
1889 

23rd — William  Shakespeare  Born — 1564 

Good  Friday 
25th  —  Easter  Sunday 

Memorial  Day  in  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia 
and  Mississippi 
26th  — Slavery  Abolished  in  U.S.  1865 
27th  — General  Grant  (18th  President)  Born  1822 

Samuel  Morse,  Telegrapher,  Born  1791 
30th  —  George  Washington  Became  First  President 
1789 

Boston  Settled  by  Winthrop  1630 
Rhode  Island  Settled  1636 


Eugene  Venne  Began  Work  as 
A  Traveling  Showman 

Perseverance  and  hard  work  have 
marked  the  career  of  Eugene  E.  Venne,  who 
now  manages  the  Avalon  theatre,  Longueuil, 
Quebec.  He  is  a 
native  of  Montreal 
— born,  Oct.  15, 
1904.  When  a  lad 
of  15,  he  travelled 
from  one  town  to 
another  with  what 
he  called  back  yard 
shows.  He  had 
scraps  of  film  and 
slides  and  played  the 
municipal  parks  in 
the  summer  time  and 
halls  and  private 
homes  in  the  winter. 
In  1937  he  bought  the  Radio  theatre  in 
Longueuil ;  later  he  sold  it  to  the  present 
owner  of  the  Avalon,  a  bigger  and  more 
luxurious  house.  Eugene  conceived  the 
plan  and  supervised  the  erection  of  the 
latter  theatre,  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest 
houses  of  its  size  in  that  part  of  Canada. 


Wilfred  Hagedorn  Handles 
Shows  at  Navy  Theatre 

Wilfred  Charles  Hagedorn,  who  handles 
stage  shows  and  publicity  at  the  Camp  Allen 
theatre,  Norfolk,  Va.,  has  had  considerable 
experience  at  this  sort  of  thing.  He  cele- 
brated his  birthday  recently — he  was  26  on 
Feb.  15.  Wilfred  was  born  in  Moscow, 
Idaho.  His  first  theatre  work  was  with 
Warner  Bros.'  Elsinore  theatre,  Salem, 
Ore.,  where  he  presented  a  Mickey  Mouse 
show  on  the  stage  every  Saturday,  which 
was  broadcast.  He  worked  on  lobby  dis- 
plays, took  tickets  and  when  the  assistant 


manager  was  on  vacation,  took  over  his 
duties.  Now  that  he  is  in  the  Navy,  he 
handles  all  the  camp  shows,  booking  special 
attractions  and  handling  all  publicity  con- 
cerning the  shows.  He  also  has  charge  of 
the  ushers  and  the  theatre  lobby  displays. 
Jack  Benny  made  a  personal  appearance  at 
Camp  Allen  and  Richard  Barthelmess  ap- 
peared in  person  together  with  his  old  silent 
film,  "Tol'able  David." 


CONGRATULATIONS 


Horace  Truitt  Can  Boast  a 
Widely  Varied  Theatre  Career 

A  widely  varied  career  covering  every 
phase  of  the  theatre  is  back  of  Horace 
Truitt,  now  manager  of  the  Georgia  Thea- 
tre, Athens,  Ga.  He 
was  born  at  Tignall, 
j^tf  Ga.,    on  Columbus 

jPHHH»  J         '     When  he 

^iMr  \v;i.i  a  youngster  u1 
W  12  years,  he  started 
f*  j  work  as  ticket  taker 
at  the  Strand, 
Was  hington,  Ga. 
Three  years  later  he 
was  promoted  to 
cashier  by  Mrs. 
Willingham  Wood, 
the  owner.  On 
Christmas  Day  in 
1923,  the  projectionist  left  unexpectedly  and 
Horace  took  over  the  projection.  The  pro- 
jectionist never  came  back,  but  Horace  got 
a  card  from  him  explaining  when  and  how 
to  oil  the  machines.  He  worked  as  pro- 
jectionist, assistant  manager  and  exploita- 
tion man  at  this  theatre  until  1931,  when 
he  assumed  the  same  duties  with  the  Madi- 
son theatre,  Madison,  Ga.  After  six  years, 
he  temporarily  left  the  industry  but  then  ar- 
ranged to  lease  the  Madison  theatre  on  his 
own.  After  four  years  he  gave  this  up  last 
June  and  went  to  work  for  Lucas  and  Jen- 
kins under  Frank  Bickerstaff,  then  city  man- 
ager in  Athens,  Ga. 


Taylor  in  Six  Years  Rises 
From  Doorman  to  Manager 

Although  he  is  comparatively  a  youngster, 
James  Spence  Taylor,  Jr.,  has  a  career  of 
six  years  in  the  theatre  and  has  risen  from 
usher  to  manager  with  one  circuit  in  this 
brief  period.  Spence  was  born  at  Boerun, 
Georgia,  July  29,  1921,  so  he  is  not  quite  22 
years  old.  He  started  at  the  Liberty  theatre 
in  Albany,  Ga.,  when  he  was  16  and  then 
became  doorman  and  finally  assistant  man- 
ager of  the  Albany  theatre.  He  was  opera- 
tor at  the  St.  Clair  theatre  for  more  than  a 
year  and  in  November  of  last  year  was 
named  manager  of  that  house  when  it  was 
renovated.  He  is  married  and  the  father  of 
one  child. 


Jarara 

OH 

HOW 

MEN 

February  29th 

Samuel  Sposato 
William  F.  O'Brien 
Ed  Lamoureux 
Herschel  A.  Wheeler 

March  1st 

J.  P.  Schnitzer 
Harold  C.  Stanzler 
Jerome  Gordon 
Edward  L.  Bissler 
Tom  Crow 
Herb  Gatzke 

2nd 

E.  R.  Toerpe 
J.  M.  Ensor 
John  B.  Shearer 
Lloyd  Muller 
Dallas  R.  Page 
Joe  F.Wright 
Paul  Maines,  Jr. 

3rd 

Stanley  Foreman 
Edward  A.  Hussong 
Al  Zimbalist 
Lester  Neely 


March  3rd 

Charles  Rind 
Louis  D.  dinner 

4th 

J.  E.  Stribling,  Jr. 
Joseph  Dondis 
Burton  L.  Prince 
R.  H.  Ouellette 
James  T.  Lackey 
Sam  Harris,  Jr. 

5th 

Austin  C.  Bray 
S.  D.  Weinberg 
Carl  J.  Rindcen 
Roy  Patience 
Ralph  W.  Braswell 
Jonas  F.  Thomas 
Harry  C.  Thorns 
John  W.  Ennis 

6th 

Johnnie  Burrell 
Julius  Lamm 
Henry  Spiegel 
Phil  Kielpinski 
Sidney  W.  Pink 
Fred  W.  Reid 


Cohn's  Institutional  Slant 

To  offset  the  effects  of  the  ban  on  pleasure 
driving,  Artie  Cohn,  manager  of  Warners' 
Roosevelt  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  placed  a 
special  institutional  advertisement  in  all  the 
neighborhood  newspapers.  The  ad  gave  full 
instructions  on  how  to  reach  the  circuit's 
Circle,  Frankford  and  Roosevelt  theatres, 
all  in  the  same  section,  by  trolleys,  bus  and 
elevated  lines.  Reminding  patrons  that  the 
theatres  were  convenient  to  all  transporta- 
tion, Cohn's  copy  further  played  up  the 
world's  oldest  means  of  transportation — 
"Walk  and  Keep  Fit." 


GLENDA  CAROLE,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harold  Grott.  The  father  manages  the 
Rome  Met  theatre  in  Baltimore,  Md. 


NOTICE! 

The  most  revolutionary  de- 
velopment in  theatre  adver- 
tising accessory  will  be  an- 
nounced in  next  week's 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 

★  ★  ★ 

Watch  the  Managers'  Round 
Table  for  weekly  messages. 

★  ★  ★ 

The  REDiMAT  COMPANY 

ST.   PETERSBURG,  FLORIDA 


56 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,    I  943 


the  great 
national  medium 
for  showmen 


CLASSIFIED 
ADVERTISING 

Ten  cents  per  word,  money-order  or  check  with  copy.  Count  initials,  box  number  and  address.  Minimum  insertion, 
$1.  Four  insertions  for  the  price  of  three.  Contract  rates  on  application.  No  borders  or  cuts.  Forms  close 
Mondays  at  5  P.M.  Publisher  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  copy.  Film  and  trailer  service  advertising  no* 
accepted.  Classified  advertising  not  subject  to  agency  commission.  Address  correspondence,  copy  and  checks 
MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD,  Classified  Dept.,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City 


HELP  WANTED 


WANTED  SEVERAL  PROJECTIONISTS.  WRITE 
President  of  THEATRE  OWNERS  ASSOCIATION, 
z/o  Elks  Club,  Louisville,  Ky. 

ASSISTANT  MANAGERS:  CAN  USE  SEVERAL 
men  for  assistant  managers  in  New  Mexico  and  West 
Texas  theatre  circuit.  Should  be  men  above  draft  age 
that  are  intelligent,  capable  and  know  something  about 
theatre  operation.  Also  be  able  to  do  relief  in  the 
booth  or  paint  signs  if  needed.  Those  accepted  may 
report  any  time  within  the  next  sixty  days.  Reason- 
able opportunities  for  right  persons.  State  age,  com- 
plete experience,  qualifications  and  salary  expected. 
Write  BOX  786,  Roswell,  New  Mexico. 


THEATRES 


WILL  ADVANCE  $15,000-$20,00O  FOR  SMALL 
theatre  showing  good  returns.  BOX  1604,  MOTION 
PICTURE  HERALD. 


NEW  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


STILL  SOME  NEW  EQUIPMENT  — 1942  PRO- 
jector  mechanisms,  Kaplan- Century  Simplex  type  $650; 
Superior  Atlas,  $595;  thousand  watt  baby  spotlamps, 
$9.75;  acoustical  felt,  47^c  square  yard;  Crystal  beaded 
sound  screens,  39j4c  square  foot;  Robin  Imperial  40/80 
ampere  motor-generators,  complete,  $900;  extension 
bulb  extractors,  $1.95;  one  quart  Underwriters  approved 
extinguishers,  $11.25;  two  quart,  $13.50.  Send  for  bar- 
gain bulletin.  S.  O.  S.  CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP., 
New  York. 


WANTED  TO  BUI 


WANTED— ALL  KINDS  USED  SIMPLEX  AND 
Superior  mechanisms  stand3,  magazines,  lamphouses, 
etc    BOX  1599,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

HIGHEST  SPOT  CASH  FOR  ANY  MAKE  16MM. 
or  35mm.  sound  projector,  rectifiers,  generators,  sound 
equipment.  BOX  1607,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


PRINTING 


THEATRE  PROGRAMS,  HERALD  GIVEAWAYS 
and  other  show  printing,  at  special  rate.  Supply  copy 
and  layout  for  estimate.  BOX  1207A,  MOTION  PIC- 
TURE HERALD. 


USED  GENERAL 
EQUIPMENT 


NEED  ROOM-MUST  SACRIFICE-570  REBUILT 
American  Seating  ball  bearing  chairs,  newly  uphol- 
stered royal  purple  DuPont  Fabrikoid,  heavy  inserted 
panels;  box  spring  cushions,  black  trim.  18"  widths, 
level  to  1"  pitch,  new  hardwood  ends.  Packed  com- 
plete with  hardware  for  concrete  floor,  $3.80.  S.  O.  S. 
CINEMA  SUPPLY  CORP.,  New  York. 

THEATRE  CHAIRS  —  10.000  USED  UPHOL- 
stered.  Parts  for  all  makes  and  types.  CHICAGO 
USED  CHAIR  MART,  844  So.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago, 
111. 

SACRIFICE  TWO  COMPLETE  POWERS,  NICKEL 
plated  heads  with  one  extra  head.  Two  portables,  one 
Simplex,  one  Weber.  Sound  truck  with  100  watt  am- 
plifier, three  speakers.  M.  C.  BULLUCK,  Rocky 
Mount,  N.  C. 

SOME  THEATRE  CAN  USE  YOUR  OLD  EQUIP- 
ment.  A  little  ad  here  will  reach  thousands  of  poten- 
tial customers.  Only  ten  cents  a  word  to  tell  the  world 
what  you  have  to  sell.  Try  it  today.  MOTION  PIC- 
TURE HERALD,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 


BUSINESS  BOOSTERS 


BINGO  CARDS,  DIE  CUT,  1  TO  100  OR  1  TO  75, 
$2.00  per  thousand.  $17.50  for  10,000.  S.  Klous,  care 
of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

ORIGINAL  DIE  CUT  BINGO  CARDS,  1  TO  100 
or  1  to  75  with  the  most  combinations.  Remember 
price  does  not  make  the  best  combinations.  Our  price 
$1.75  per  thousand  in  lots  of  5,000.  Original  theatre 
bingo  company.  BOX  1606,  MOTION  PICTURE 
HERALD. 


BOOKKEEPING 
SYSTEM 


THEATRE  MANAGEMENT  RECORD  AND  TAX 
Register.  This  new  accounting  system  is  the  finest 
book  of  its  kind  ever  made  available  to  an  exhibitor. 
In  addition  to  being  complete  in  every  respect,  it  is 
simple— so  much  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
had  bookkeeping  experience  in  order  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate, complete  and  up-to-minute  record  of  the 
business  of  your  theatre.  The  introductory  price  is 
only  $2.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rocke- 
feller Center,  New  York. 


BOOKS 


NOW  READY,  COMPLETELY  REVISED  7TH 
Edition  of  Richardson's  Bluebook  of  Projection  with 
treatise  on  Television  and  complete  Sound  Trouble - 
Shooting  Charts,  as  well  as  a  host  of  additional  up-to- 
the-minute  text  on  sound  and  projection  equipment 
Order  Now!  $7.25  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP. 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  City. 

MOTION  PICTURE  SOUND  ENGINEERING— 
547  pages;  illustrated;  covers  every  practical  method 
and  process  in  present-day  sound  engineering.  Leading 
engineers  explain  every  detail  of  apparatus  and  its  ar- 
rangement, with  diagrams,  tables,  charts  and  graphs. 
This  manual  comes  straight  from  the  workshops  of  the 
studios  in  Hollywood.  It  is  indispensable  to  everyone 
working  with  sound  equipment.  Price  $6.50  postpaid. 
QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

NEW  567  PAGE  BOOK  ON  AIR  CONDITIONING, 
by  Charles  A.  Fuller,  authority  on  the  subject.  Avail- 
able for  theatre  owners  contemplating  engineering 
changes.  Book  is  cloth  bound  with  index  and  charts 
and  covers  every  branch  of  the  industry  as  well  as 
;odes  and  ordinances  regulating  installation.  Order 
now  at  $4.00  a  copy  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOKSHOP, 
Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 

SOUND  TROUBLE  SHOOTING  CHARTS.  A 
handy  tool  in  the  booth.  Gives  the  answers  to  all 
questions  regarding  trouble  shooting  on  every  type  of 
sound  equipment.  $1.00  postpaid.  QUIGLEY  BOOK- 
SHOP, Rockefeller  Center,  New  York. 


TRAINING  SCHOOLS 


THEATRE  EMPLOYEES:  TRAIN  FOR  BETTER 
positions.  Learn  modern  theatre  management  and  ad- 
vertising. Big  opportunities  for  trained  men.  Estab- 
lished since  1927.  Write  now  for  free  catalog.  THE- 
ATRE MANAGERS  SCHOOL.  Elmira,  N.  Y. 


OPPORTUNITY 


WANTED:  FORMER  FILM  AND  PREMIUM 
salesmen  in  key  film  centers  to  sell  direct  to  theatre* 
new  unusual  patriotic  item  for  salvage  and  promotion 
drives.  Commission  only.  Will  allot  territory  to  quali- 
fied men.  Supply  complete  details  in  first  letter. 
BOX  1584A,  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 


PRESS  OF 

C.  J.  O'BRIEN.  INC. 
NEW  TORE.  U.  S.A. 


February    2  7,  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


In  This  Week: 


SHOWMEN'S  REVIEWS 


ADVANCE  SYNOPSES 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 


Frankenstein  Meets  the 
Wolf  Man 

(Universal) 
Double-Barrelled  Chiller 

Exhibitors  in  the  practice  of  double-featuring 
thrillers  under  the  heading  of  "All  Horror  Pro- 
gram," or  similarly,  are  enabled  by  Universal 
to  get  the  same  effect  in  half  the  running  time, 
which  may  mean  quite  a  bit  in  point  of  turn- 
over, by  featuring  this  offering  as  a  doubly  dis- 
tilled and  time-saving  intensification  of  that 
which  the  followers  of  chiller-dillers  shop  for. 

To  addicts  of  the  Frankenstein  saga,  this  is 
a  Frankenstein  job. 

To  adherents  of  the  Wolf  Man,  this  is  a 
Wolf  Man  number. 

To  all  and  sundry,  it's  a  meeting  and  a 
matching  of  the  monstrosities,  each  in  the 
character  and  performance  to  which  they  have 
accustomed  their  followers,  and  the  traditions 
of  each  are  preserved  under  the  skilled  care  of 
producer  George  Waggner. 

It's  an  item  to  exploit,  to  conjure  with,  and 
an  item  that  will  put  the  producers  of  other 
horror  pictures  to  test. 

Lon  Chaney  plays  the  Wolf  Man  again,  get- 
ting out  of  his  graves  in  the  moonlight,  and  Bela 
Lugosi  plays  the  Frankenstein  monster  again, 
getting  out  of  the  debris  beneath  the  castle  to 
stalk  the  countryside  in  company  with  the  Wolf 
Man.  The  latter  is  intent  upon  getting  himself 
killed,  and  a  doctor  arranges  to  kill  both  by 
scientific  means,  but  he  changes  his  mind  at 
the  last  moment,  gives  them  renewed  energy, 
and  they  are  in  mortal  combat  when  a  dyna- 
mited dam  lets  a  river  in  upon  them  and  seem- 
ingly drowns  them. 

Roy  Williami  Neill's  direction  makes  the 
most  of  every  opportunity  in  a  script  by  Curtis 
Siodmak  which  is  a  demonstration  in  exercise 
of  the  imagination. 

Preznewed  at  the  studio.  Reviewers  Rating : 
Good. — William  R.  Weaver. 

Release  date,  March  12.  1943.  Running-  time.  73  min. 
PCA  No.  9024.     General  audience  classification. 

The   Wolf  Man  Lon  Chaney 

Frankenstein  Monster   Bela  Lugosi 

Ilona  Massey,  Patric  Knowles,  Lionel  Atwill,  Maria 
Ouspenskaya,  Dennis  Hoey.  Don  Barclay,  Rex  Evans, 
Dwight  Frye,  Harry  Stubbs. 

The  Mysterious  Doctor 

(Warner  Bros.) 
Murder  on  the  Moors 

The  English  moors  are  a  convenient  setting 
for  a  mystery  thriller,  murky  with  howling 
winds  and  tight-lipped  villagers,  but  even  this 
atmosphere  requires  a  tightly-knit  plot  for  sub- 
stantial entertainment.  This  effort,  involving  a 
headless  ghost,  a  masked  innkeeper,  and  a  vil- 
lage idiot  in  a  plot  of  international  implications, 
falls  short  of  the  mark. 


Reviews 


This  department  deals  with 
new  product  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  exhibitor  who  is 
to  purvey  it  to  his  own  public. 


The  "mysterious  doctor"  of  the  title  is  a 
seemingly  innocent  visitor  to  the  Cornish  town 
of  Morgan  Head,  the  site  of  an  abandoned  tin 
mine.  His  interest  in  the  mine  arouses  the  an- 
tagonism of  the  villagers  who  believe  it  to  be 
haunted  by  the  ghost  of  the  long-dead  Morgan, 
looking  for  its  head.  A  series  of  murders  points 
to  the  existence  of  a  man  interested  in  pre- 
serving the  old  legend  for  his  own  ends.  That 
these  ends  are  also  those  of  Britain's  enemy 
is  revealed  in  the  fantastic  finish. 

Eleanor  Parker  appears  briefly  as  benefac- 
tress to  the  village  idiot  and  fiancee  of  the 
Army  investigator.  John  Loder  is  a  credible 
English  country  squire.  Both  are  competent 
actors  with  better  material. 

Ben  Stoloff  directed,  from  an  original  screen- 
play by  Richard  Weil. 

Seen  in  the  home  office  projection  room.  Re- 
viewer's Rating  :  Mediocre. — E.  A.  Cunning- 
ham. 

Release  date,  March  6.  1943.  Running  time.  57  min. 
PCA  No.  8707.    General  audience  classification. 

Sir  Harry  Leland  John  Loder 

Letty  Carstairs  Eleanor  Parker 

Bruce  Lester.  Lester  Matthews.  Forrester  Harvey, 
Matt  Willis.  Art  Foster.  Clvde  Cooke,  Creighton  Hale. 
Phyllis  Barry,  David  Clyde. 


The  Ape  Man 

(Monogram) 
Lugosi  Outnumbered 


Bela  Lugosi's  followers  are  in  for  something 
of  a  letdown  in  the  case  of  this  venture  in 
horror  due  to  failure  on  the  part  of  his  asso- 
ciates, before  the  camera  and  behind  it,  to  give 
the  enterprise  that  semblance  of  realism  which 
films  of  fright  depend  upon  for  effectiveness. 

The  picture  concerns  a  scientist  who  has  used 
himself  as  guinea-pig  in  an  experiment,  getting 
himself  turned  into  an  ape  man  as  a  result,  and 
believes  that  injections  of  spinal  fluid  obtained 
from  a  human  being  will  restore  him.  He  has 
made  companionship  with  a  real  ape,  for  no 
reason  established,  and  the  two  commit  a  num- 
ber of  murders  in  the  process  of  obtaining  the 
fluid,  which  restores  him  only  partially  and 
temporarily  (a  la  Jekyl-Hyde') .  A  reporter 
and  a  girl  become  enmeshed  in  the  finale,  which 
includes  the  killing  of  the  ape-man  by  the  ape. 

Overdeliberation  in  unfolding  the  plot,  abetted 


by  dialogue  which  overwhelms  the  cast,  defeats 
the  purpose  of  the  enterprise. 

The  film  was  produced  by  Sam  Katzman  and 
Jack  Dietz,  with  Barney  A.  Sarecky  as  asso- 
ciate, and  William  Beaudine  directed  from  a 
script  by  Sarecky  based  on  "They  Creep  in  the 
Dark,"  by  Karl  Brown.  It  lowers  the  average 
of  all  hands. 

Previezved  at  the  studio.  Reviezver's  Rating : 
Poor.—\N.  R.  W. 

Release  date,  March  19,  1943.  Running  time,  64  min. 
PCA  No.  9068.    General  audience  classification. 

Dr.  James  Brewster  Bela  Lugosi 

Louise  Currier,  Wallace  Ford,  Henry  Hall,  Minerva 
Urecal,  Emil  Van  Horn,  J.  Farrell  MacDonald, 
Wheeler  Oakman,  Ralph  Littefield,  Jack  Mulhall, 
Charles  Jordan. 

City  Without  Men 

(  Columbia  ) 
Drama 

Columbia  has  produced  a  strong  drama,  with 
a  good  name  cast,  that  should  appeal  to 
patrons  generally.  Linda  Darnell,  Michael 
Duane  and  Edgar  Buchanan  have  the  top  roles 
in  this  76-minute  picture. 

"City  Without  Men"  presents  the  story  of 
Michael  Duane,  a  pilot.  Duane  attempts  to 
capture  a  number  of  Japanese  single-handed. 
He  is  forced  by  the  Japanese  to  try  to  escape  an 
approaching  Coast  Guard  cutter,  only  to  be 
overtaken.  He  is  convicted  of  smuggling 
aliens  into  the  country. 

After  Duane  is  sent  to  prison  for  a  five-year 
term,  Miss  Darnell  arrives  in  the  prison  town. 
She  moves  into  a  boarding  house  where  wives 
of  convicts  live,  and  attempts  to  get  Lawyer 
Buchanan  to  aid  her  in  freeing  Duane.  A  prison 
break  is  planned  by  the  wife  of  a  convict.  Be- 
fore Duane  can  participate  in  the  break,  he 
is  pardoned  and,  reunited  with  the  girl,  joins 
the  Navy. 

The  theme  is  timely,  and  direction  by  Sidney 
Salkow  sustains  interest. 

Caught  at  the  Bijou  theatre  in  Springfield, 
Mass.    Reviewer's  Rating:  Good.— Al  Widem. 

Release  date,  Tanuarv  14,  1943.  Running  time.  76 
min.  PCA  No.  892S.  General  audience  classification. 
Linda  Darnell.  Michael  Duane,  Edgar  Buchanan,  Sara 
Allgood,  Glenda  Farrell,  Leslie  Brooks,  Doris  Dudley. 

Boston  Blackie  Goes 


Hollywood 


(Columbia) 
Mystery  Drama 

Chester  Morris,  in  the  title  role  of  Boston 
Blackie,  again  goes  through  a  number  of  adven- 
tures that  compare  favorably  with  others  in 
this  Columbia  series. 

The  setting  in  Hollywood  offers  an  added 
attraction  in  its  glimpse  of  that  town's  usual 
activities,  and  the  murders  which  dog  Morris' 
steps  occur  with  the  usual  frequency.    His  ac- 


Product  Digest  Section  1181 


MOTION    PICTURE    HERALD  February    2  7,     194  3 

ADVANCE  SYNOPSES 

and  information 


customed  foes,  the  racketeers  and  confidence 
men,  are  again  in  evidence,  and  ultimately 
brought  to  justice. 

The  performance  of  Morris  in  the  title  role 
is,  as  usual,  smartly  paced.  Supporting  him  are 
Richard  Lane,  Constance  Worth,  Lloyd  Cor- 
rigan  and  William  Wright. 

Wallace  MacDonald  produced  the  film  and 
Michael  Gordon  directed  it,  in  the  groove  of  its 
predecessors. 

Seen  at  the  Warner  Rialto  theatre  in  Hart- 
ford.   Reviewer' s  Rating  :  Fair. — A.  W. 

Release  date,  November  5,  1942.  Running  time,  68 
min.    PCA  No.  8638.    General  audience  classification. 

Blackie   Chester  Morris 

Richard  Lane,  Constance  Worth,  George  E.  Stone, 
Lloyd  Corrigan,   William  Wright,  Forrest  Tucker. 

Riders  of  the  Northwest 
Mounted 

(  Columbia  ) 
Outdoor  Drama 

Here  is  a  well-paced  action  picture  that 
should  please.  The  Canadian  Northwest  back- 
ground provides  scenic  appeal,  and  the  perform- 
ance of  Russell  Hayden  is  more  than  com- 
petent. 

The  story  concerns  his  efforts  to  expose  a 
group  of  fur  thieves  and  reinstate  himself  as  a 
member  of  the  "Mounties."  Before  this  is  ac- 
complished, robbery  and  racketeering  have  led 
to  murder,  and  political  connivance  has  to  be 
proved.  But  Hayden's  riding  and  shooting 
mark  him  as  a  man  the  "Mounties"  can't  afford 
to  overlook,  and  all  ends  happily. 

Bob  Wills  and  his  Texas  playboys  provide 
some  appropriate  song  at  intervals,  and  Adele 
Mara  poses  prettily  as  the  girl  in  the  case. 

William  Berke  directed  and  Leon  Barsha 
produced.    Fred  Myton  wrote  the  story. 

Seen  at  the  Daly  theatre  in  Hartford  before 
an  appreciative  adult  audience.  Reviewer's 
Rating:  Good.— A.  W. 

Release  date,  February  IS,  1943.  Running  time,  57 
min.  PCA  No.  8821.  General  audience  classification. 
Russell  Hayden,  Adele  Mara,  Richard  Bailey,  Dub 
Taylor,  Bob  Wills  and  his  Texas  Playboys. 


It's  That  Man  Again 

(Gainsborough  Pictures) 
Radio  Extravaganza 

"I.T.M.A.,"  in  which  radio  veteran  Tommy 
Handley  and  a  troupe  of  established  comedians 
and  comediennes  have  weekly  been  entertaining 
the  British  listener  for  three  years — with  voca- 
tional intervals — is  without  reservation  one  of 
British  radio's  topline  wartime  programs,  as 
measured  in  terms  of  listeners  and  of  catch 
phrases.  The  film  herein  presented  seeks  to 
exploit  that  phenomenal  popularity  and  to  trans- 
late it  into  terms  of  the  exhibitor's  box  office. 

On  that  ground  only  "I.T.M.A."  is  already 
a  cast  iron  box  office  proposition  in  Great 
Britain  where  the  entertainment  seeking  masses 
will  undoubtedly  flock  to  whet  their  curiosity 
and  placate  their  appetite  for  "Mrs.  Handley's 
boy"  and  his  surrealist  surroundings.  Outside 
Great  Britain  it  will  mean  little  if  anything. 
Without  the  already  established  title  pull  it 
would  hardly  mean  as  much  here,  for  it  cannot 
be  accredited  a  highgrade  production  achieve- 
ment or  a  directorial  tour  de  force. 

All  the  paraphernalia  and  most  of  the  per- 
sonalities of  the  radio  show  are  in  the  film, 
and  British  audiences  will  hear  the  gags  they 
expect  and  see  the  funsters  whose  voices  they 
know.  "I.T.M.A."  is  a  unique  sort  of  show, 
with  a  touch  of  the  Marx  Brothers,  Olsen  and 
Johnson  and  Salvador  Dali  rolled  into  one. 
Here  "that  man"  Handley  is  the  established 
Mayor  of  Foaming  at  the  Mouth,  trying  to 
run  a  blitzed  theatre  and  racketeering  with  a 
dramatic  school. 

His  henchman,  Sam  Scram,  Lefty  the  gang- 
ster whose  "noives"  always  make  him  miss  with 
his  shotgun,  a  charlady  who  has  romantic  in- 


LADY  OF  BURLESQUE 
(United  Artists) 

Melodrama 

PRODUCER:  Hunt  Stromberg.  Directed  by  Wil- 
liam A.  Wellman. 

PLAYERS:  Barbara  Stanwyck,  Michael  O'Shea, 
J.  Edward  Bromberg,  Iris  Adrian,  Gloria  Dickson, 
Victoria  Faust,  Stephanie  Bachelor. 

SYNOPSIS 

This  is  Stromberg's  first  production  for 
United  Artists  release  and  was  adapted  from 
Gypsy  Rose  Lee's  "The  G-String  Murders." 
Two  murders  by  strangulation  with  a  g-string 
take  place  backstage  at  a  New  York  burlesque 
house.  Virtually  everyone  in  the  company  is 
suspect,  having  at  one  time  or  another  quar- 
reled with  the  victims.  Then  a  gangster  who 
is  sought  by  the  police  for  investigation  into 
these  deaths  and  other  affairs  dives  to  his  death 
on  the  stage  while  being  chased  by  officers.  The 
star  of  the  show  and  the  comic,  who  have  al- 
ternately carried  on  feud  and  romance,  set  a 
trap  and  catch  the  killer. 


MEET  JOHN  BONNIWELL 
(Sherman  -  United  Artists) 

Western  Special 

PRODUCER:  Harry  Sherman.  Directed  by  George 
Archainbaud. 

PLAYERS:  Richard  Dix,  Jane  Wyatt,  Victor  Jory, 
Albert  Dekker,  Eugene  Pallette,  Robert  Armstrong, 
Francis  McDonald,  Douglas  Fowley,  Willie  Best, 
Hobart  Cavanaugh,  Rod  Cameron,  Clem  Bevans. 

SYNOPSIS 

Wounded  by  the  Jesse  James  gang  when  he 
breaks  up  their  attempt  to  hold  up  a  bank, 
Bonniwell  is  elected  marshal  of  a  small  western 
town  through  the  efforts  of  the  town's  wealth- 
iest land  owner.  However,  when  the  marshal 
discovers  that  the  land  owner  is  cheating  the 
residents,  he  attempts  to  arrest  him,  causing 
the  criminal  to  expose  himself  publicly  as  the 
head  of  a  band  of  robbers. 


clinations,  an  Eastern  seller  of  dirty  postcards, 
a  tongue-tied  Italian  impresario,  vocalists,  danc- 
cers,  all  play  a  part  in  the  extravaganza  which, 
of  course,  is  less  concerned  with  narrative  than 
with  the  peculiar  brand  of  comedy  established 
and  purveyed  over  the  B.B.C.  transmitters. 

Walter  Forde,  the  director,  has  not  succeeded 
in  persuading  the  artists  to  realize  they  are 
before  a  camera  as  well  as  a  microphone. 

The  technical  qualities  are  adequate.  Ted 
Kavanagh's  work  on  the  screenplay  is  infec- 
tiously amusing. 

A  trade  audience,  all  of  whom  seemed  to 
know  their  "I.T.M.A."  came  prepared  to  laugh. 

There  was  no  audible  disagreement  about  the 
film's  salcability  in  Britain  but  there  was  equal- 
ly little  disagreement  that  as  a  film  it  could 
have  rated  a  higher  entertainment  percentage. 
Reviewer's  Rating:  Fair. — Aubrey  Flanagan. 

Release  date,  not  set.  Running  time,  84  min.  Gen- 
eral audience  classification. 

Mayor  of  "Foaming  at  the  Mouth".  .Tommy  Handlev 

Lefty  and  Funf   Tack  Train 

Sam  Scram  Sidney  Keith 

Horace  Percival.  Dorothy  Summers.  Dino  Galvani, 
Clarence  Wright,  Leonard  Sharp,  Horace  Percival, 
Greta  Gynt. 


THE  FALLEN  SPARROW 
(RKO  Radio) 

International  Intrigue 

PRODUCER:  Robert  Fellows.  Directed  by  Richard 
Wallace. 

PLAYERS:  Maureen  O'Hara,  John  Garfield,  Walter 
Slezak,  Martha  O'Driscoll,  Patricia  Morison,  John 
Miljan. 

SYNOPSIS 

Adapted  from  the  best  selling  novel  by  Doro- 
thy B.  Hughes,  this  has  as  its  hero  an  Ameri- 
can who  fought  against  Franco  in  the  Interna- 
tional Brigade.  Tortured  in  a  concentration 
camp  to  make  him  reveal  the  whereabouts  of  the 
battle  flag  of  the  Brigade,  he  refuses  to  tell  and 
manages  to  escape  with  the  aid  of  a  friend,  who 
is  murdered.  Recovered,  he  seeks  out  his  ene- 
mies in  New  York  where  he  sees  something 
suspicious  in  a  crowd  of  refugees  with  whom  his 
former  fiancee  is  amusing  herself.  By  making 
hard  boiled  love  to  three  women,  he  narrows  the 
suspects  and  then  sets  a  trap,  almost  getting 
killed  himself  as  he  uncovers  the  chief  agent  of 
Hitler. 


THE  MORE  THE  MERRIER 
(Columbia) 

Comedy 

PRODUCER-DIRECTOR:  Georae  Stevens. 
PLAYERS:    Jean    Arthur,    Joel    McCrea,  Charles 
Coburn,  George  Reed,  Stanley  Clements. 

SYNOPSIS 

Because  of  a  shortage  of  housing  in  Wash- 
ington, the  pretty  employee  of  a  government 
bureau  is  forced  to  sublet  a  room  in  her  apart- 
ment to  a  millionaire,  who  in  turn  takes  in  a 
handsome  aircraft  technician.  A  romance 
promptly  starts,  despite  her  engagement  to  a 
stuffy  government  official,  and  further  compli- 
cations occur  when  the  FBI  arrests  the  techni- 
cian and  the  girl  on  espionage  charges.  Cleared, 
they  marry  before  he  leaves  for  North  Africa 
as  an  Army  technical  sergeant. 


SHORT  SUBJECT 

POINT  RATIONING  OF  FOODS  (OWI) 

Victory  Film 

This  cartoon  by  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion, calculated  to  present  the  Office  of  Price 
Administration's  message  to  marketers  under 
the  point  ration  system,  makes  an  appeal  for 
careful  buying,  and  urges  substitution  of  items 
less  in  demand,  consequently,  obtainable  for 
fewer  coupon  points. 

The  film  was  produced  by  Leon  Schlesinger, 
and  depicts  a  woman  shopper  on  her  first  mar- 
keting tour  under  the  new  ration  setup. 
Through  wise  buying,  her  purchases  add  up  to 
a  minimum  of  points.  The  film  asks  sacrifices 
on  the  home  front  to  provide  adequate  supplies 
of  food  for  our  fighting  forces  here  and  over- 
seas. Exhibitors  will  find  the  subject  timely 
since  the  release  date  will  approximately  coin- 
cide with  point  rationing  which  goes  into  effect 
on  March  1st. — L.  B. 

Release  date,  February  25,  1943    6  minutes 


I  I  82  Product  Digest  Section 


February    27,     I  943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


THE  RELEASE  CHART 

Index  to  Reviews,  Advance  Synopses  and 
Service  Data  in  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION 


Dot  (•)  before  the  title  indicates  1941-42  product. 

Release  dates  and  running  time  are  furnished  as  soon  as  avail- 
able. Advance  dates  are  tentative  and  subject  to  change. 

Consult  Service  Data  in  the  PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  for 
Legion  of  Decency  Rating,  Audience  Classification  and  Managers' 
Round  Table  Exploitation. 


Title 

ABOVE 

Across  the 


Suspicion 
Pacific 

Action  in  the  North  Atlantic 
Adventures  of  Mark  Twain 
Aerial  Gunner 


Company 
MSM 
WB 
WB 
WB 
Para. 


After  Midnight  with  Boston  Blackie  Col. 

Air  Force  WB 

Air  Raid  Wardens,  The  MGM 

A-Haunting  We  Will  Go  20th-Fox 

Amazing  Mrs.  Holliday,  The  Univ. 

(formerly  Forever  Yours) 

American  Empire  UA 

Andy  Hardy's  Double  Life  MGM 

(formerly  Andy  Hardy  Steps  Out) 

Apache  Trail  MGM 

Ape  Man,  The  Mono. 

Arabian  Nights  Univ. 

Arizona  Stagecoach  Mono. 

Army  Surgeon  RKO 

Arsenic  and  Old  Lace  WB 

Assignment  in  Brittany  MGM 

Avengers,  The  (British]  Para. 

(formerly  Day  Will  Dawn) 

Avenging  Rider,  The  RKO 


Prod. 
202 


217 


302 


311 


304 


7063 


312 


4213 


Stars 

Joan  Crawford-Fred  MacMurray 
Humphrey  Bogart-Mary  Astor 
Humphrey  Bogart-Raymond  Massey 
Fredric  March-Alexis  Smith 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Arlen 
Chester  Morris-Ann  Savage 
John  Garfield-Gig  Young 
Laurel  and  Hardy  ( 
Laurel  and  Hardy 
Deanna  Durbin-Edmond  O'Brien 

Richard  Dix-Leo  Carrillo 
Mickey  Rooney-Lewis  Stone 

Lloyd  Nolan -Donna  Reed 
Bela  Lugosi-Wallace  Ford 
Sabu-Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
The  Range  Busters 
James  Ellison-Jane  Wyatt 
Cary  Grant-Priscilla  Lane 
Pierre  Aumont-Susan  Peters 
Ralph  Richardson-Deborah  Kerr 

Tim  Holt 


All  page  numbers  on  this  chart  refer  to  pages  in  the 
PRODUCT  DIGEST  SECTION  of  MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD. 

Short  Subjects  Chart  with  Synopsis  Index  can  be  found  on 
pages  I  172-1 173. 

Feature  Product  Including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  by  Com- 
pany, in  order  of  release,  on  pages  I  160-1  161. 

M.  P.        Product  Advance 

Her tld       Digest  Synopsis 

Issue  Page  Page 

r-  REVIEWED  —\ 


Release 
Date 
Not  Set 
Sept.   5, '42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  18, '43 
Mar.  20, '43 
Not  Set 
Aug.  7/42 
Feb.  19, '43 


Running 
Time 


Dec.  I  I 
Dec.-Feb. 


'43 
'43 


Sept. -Nov. ,'42 
Mar.  I  9/43 
Dec.  25/42 
Sept.  4/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Block  3 

Not  Set 


98m       Aug. 22/42 


927 


55m 


Nov.  7/42 


Feb.  13/43 


993 


158 


1081 
726 
983 
936 

1091 


1019 


Service 
Data 
Pige 


124m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 145 

936 

1091 

67m 

July  1 1/42 

927 

98m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  145 

936 

81m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

92m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

796 

1174 

66m 

June  27/42 

938 

726 

64m 

Feb.  27/43 

1181 

1  104 

87m 

Dec.  26/42 

1090 

872 

1 174 

58m 

63m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

701 

BABY  Fa  ce  Morgan  PRC  3  1 7 

Background  to  Danger  WB  .... 

Bad  Company  Univ.  .... 

Bad  Men  of  Thunder  Gap  PRC  352 

Bambi  (color)  RKO  391 

Bandit  Ranger  RKO  381 

Bataan's  Last  Stand  MGM  .... 

(formerly  Bafaan  Patrol) 

Battle  Cry  of  China  (Reissue)  UA   

(formerly  Kukan) 

Behind  Prison  Walls  PRC  313 

Behind  the  Eight  Ball  Univ.  7029 

•  Bells  of  Capistrano  Rep.  .... 
Berlin  Correspondent  20th-Fox  311 
Between  Us  Girls  Univ.  7010 

(formerly  Love  and  Kisses,  Caroline) 

Big  Street,  The  RKO  301 
Billy  the  Kid  in  Fugitive  of  the 

Plains              _  PRC  359 
Billy  the  Kid  in 

The  Kid  Rides  Again  PRC  358 

Billy  the  Kid  in  Mysterious  Rider  PRC  357 

•  Billy  the  Kid,  Sheriff  of 

Sage  Valley  PRC 

Black  Swan,  The  (color)  20th-Fox  320 

Blocked  Trail,  The  Rep.  274 

Bombardier  RKO 

Boogie  Man  Will  Get  You,  The      Col.  4026 

Boots  and  Saddles  (Re-release)     Rep.  2301 

Border  Patrol  UA   

Boss  of  Big  Town  PRC  310 

Boston  Blackie  Goes  Hollywood     Col.  4030 

Bowery  at  Midnight  Mono.  .... 

Brains  Trust,  The  (  British )    Strand-Anglo  .... 

Buckskin  Frontier  Para.  .... 

Busses  Roar  WB  203 

CABIN   in  the  Sky  MGM 

Cairo  MGM  307 

Calaboose  UA-Roach  .... 

Call  of  the  Canyon  Rep.  131 

Captive  Wild  Woman  Univ.  .... 


Mary  Carlisle-Richard  Cromwell 
George  Raft-Brenda  Marshall 
Dead  End  Kids 
Dave  O'Brien-Jim  Newill 
Disney  Feature  Cartoon 
Tim  Holt 

Robert  Taylor-Thomas  Mitchell 

Chinese  Feature 

Alan  Baxter-Gertrude  Michael 
Ritz  Bros.-Carol  Bruce 
Gene  Autry-Snx'ley  Burnette 
Dana  Andrews-Virginia  Gilmore 
Diana  Barrymore-Robert  Cummings 

Henry  Fonda-Lucille  Ball 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 

Buster  Crabbe-AI  St.  John 
Tyrone  Power-Maureen  O'Hara 
Three  Mesquiteers 
Pat  O'Brien-Randolph  Scott-Anne 
Boris  Karloff-Peter  Lorre 
Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette 
William  Boyd 
John  Litel-Florence  Rice 
Chester  Morris-Richard  Lane 
Bela  Lugosi-John  Archer 
Quiz  Experts 
Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt 
Richard  Travis-Julie  Bishop 


Sept.  15/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Mar.  5/43 
Aug.  21/42 
Sept.  25/42 
Not  Set 

Aug.  7/42 

Mar.  22/43 
Dec.  4/42 
Sept.  15/42 
Sept.  I  1/42 
Sept.  4/42 

Sept.  4/42 

Mar.  12/43 

Jan.  27/43 
Nov.  20/42 

Oct.  2/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Mar.  12/43 
Shirley      Not  Set 
Oct.  22/42 
Jan.  15/43 
Not  Set 
Dec.  7/42 
Nov.  5/42 
Oct.  30/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.  19/42 


"Rochester"-Ethel  Waters  Not  Set 

Jeanette  MacDonald-Robert  Young  Sept. -Nov. ,'42 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Jan.  29/43 

Gene  Autry-Smiley  Burnette  Aug.  5/42 

Evelyn  Ankers-John  Carradine  Not  Set 


62m  July  25/42  903 

70m  May  30/42  685 

64m   

61m  July  5/41  840 

64m  Feb.  6/43  1146 

60m  Dec.  12/42  1054 

73m  Sept.  19/42  909 

70m  Aug.  15/42  927 

89m  Aug.  29/42  890 

87m  Aug.   8/42  902 


55m 

55m 
85m 


Jan.  30/43 

Dec.  5/42 
Oct.  17/42 


1 137 
1043 


1058 
1055 


1 127 


1078 
794 

797 
772 

701 


I  104 

1033 

1031 
855 

912 


66m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

58m 

Nov.  13/37 

1  1 14 

67m 

Jan.  30/43 

1  137 

64m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

68m 

Feb. 27/43 

1 181 

794 

63m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

34m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

983 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

903 

98  m 

Feb.  13/43 

1  157 

1019 

101m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

71m 

Aug.  22/42 

938 

800 

2: 


1 174 


1034 


1 127 


Product  Digest  Section     |  |  8  3 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    2  7,  1943 


REVIEWED  ■ 


Title  Company 

Careful,  Soft  Shoulder  20th-Fox 

Casablanca  WB 

Cat  People  RKO 

Chatterbox  Rep. 
Chetnilts,  the  Fighting 

Guerrillas  20th-Fox 

(formerly  Fighting  Chetnilts) 

Cheyenne  Roundup  Univ. 

China  Para. 

China  Girl  20th-Fox 

Cinderella  Swings  It  RKO 

City  of  Silent  Men  PRC 

City  Without  Men  Col. 
Coastal  Command  (British)  Para.-Crown 

Commandos  Strike  at  Dawn  Col. 

Coney  Island  20th-Fox 

Constant  Nymph,  The  WB 

Corregidor  PRC 

Corvettes  in  Action  Univ. 
Cosmo  Jones  in  the 

Crime  Smasher  Mono. 

(formerly  Adventures  of  Cosmo  Jones) 

Counter  Espionage  Col. 

Cover  Girl,  The  (color)  Col. 

Crash  Dive  (color)  20th-Fox 

Crime  by  Night  WB 

Criminal  Investigator  Mono. 

Crystal  Ball,  The  UA 

DARING  Young  Man,  The  Col. 

Dawn  on  the  Great  Divide  Mono. 

Deadline  Guns  Col. 

Dead  Man's  Gulch  Rep. 

Dead  Men  Walk  PRC 

Deep  in  the  Heart  of  Texas  Univ. 

Desert  Song,  The  (color)  WB 

Desperados,  The  (color)  Col. 

Desperate  Journey  WB 

Destination — Tokyo  MGM 

(formerly  Pilot  No.  5) 

Destination  Unknown  Univ. 

Destroyer  Col. 
Devil  with  Hitler,  The  UA-Roach 

Dixie  Para. 

Dixie  Dugan  20th-Fox 
Dr.  Gillespie's  New  Assistant  MGM 

Dr.  Renault's  Secret  20th-Fox 

DuBarry  Was  a  Lady  MGM 

EDGE  of  Darkness  WB 

En  Enda  Natt  (Swedish)  Scandia 

Eyes  in  the  Night  MGM 

Eyes  of  the  Underworld  Univ. 


FALCON'S   Brother.  The 
Fallen  Sparrow,  The 
Fall  In 

Fighting  Buckaroo,  The 
Fighting  Devil  Dogs 
Fighting  Frontier 
Find,  Fix  and  Strike  (British) 

Ealing-ABFD 

First  of  the  Few,  The 

(British) 
Flesh  and  Fantasy 
Flight  for  Freedom 
Flying  Fortress  ( British ) 

•  Flying  Tigers 
Follies  Girl 
Footlight  Serenade 
Foreign  Agent 
Forest  Rangers,  The  (color) 
Forever  and  a  Day 
For  Me  and  My  Gal 
Fortress  on  the  Volga  (Rus- 
sian) 

For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls  (color)  Para. 
Frankenstein  Meets  the 

Wolf  Man  Univ. 

•  Frontier  Marshal  Along  the 

Sundown  Trail  PRC 

•  Frontier  Marshal  in  Prairie  Pals  PRC 

GENTLEMAN  Jim  wb 

George  Washington  Slept  Here  WB 

Get  Hep  to  Love  Univ. 

Girl  Trouble  20th-Fox 

•  Give  Out,  Sisters  Univ. 


RKO 
RKO 
UA-Roach 
Col. 
Rep. 
RKO 


Howard-Gen'l 


Univ. 
RKO 
WB 
Rep. 
PRC 
20th-Fox 
Mono. 
Para. 
RKO 
MGM 

Artkino 


Prod. 
Number 
312 
214 
313 


323 
318 
308 
4013 

4004 


31 


4027 


4021 


274 
320 
7071 


204 
7030 


317 
321 


309 
7037 

309 


4203 
211 
383 


211 

30 
301 

4206 
320 
312 


255 

212 
210 

7022 
309 

7021 


Stars 

Virginia  Bruce-James  Ellison 
Humphrey  Bogart-lngrid  Bergman 
Simone  Simon-Tom  Conway 
Joe  E.  Brown-Judy  Canova 


328        Philip  Dorn-Virginia  Gilmore 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Service 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Dai* 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Sept.  I8,*42 

69m 

Aug.  15/42 

915 

Jan.  23,'43 

102m 

Nov.  28,'42 

1029 

936 

1174 

Dec.  25,'42 

73m 

Nov.  I4,'42 

1005 

962 

1 174 

Apr.  1/43 

1 127 

Feb.  5,"43 

73m 

Jan.  9,"43 

1115 

995 

Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 
Loretta  Young-Alan  Ladd 
George  Montgomery-Gene  Tierney 
Guy  Kibbee-Gloria  Warren 
Frank  Albertson-June  Lang 
Linda  Darnell-Doris  Dudley 
War  Documentary 
Paul  Muni-Lillian  Gish 
Betty  Grable-George  Montgomery 
Charles  Boyer-Joan  Fontaine 
Otto  Kruger-Elissa  Landi 
Randolph  Scott-Andy  Devine 

Edgar  Kennedy-Frank  Graham 

Warren  William-Eric  Blore 
Jinx  Falkenberg-Rita  Hayworth 
Tyrone  Power-Anne  Baxter 
Jane  Wyman-Jerome  Cowan 
Robert  Lowery-Jan  Wiley 
Paulette  Goddard-Ray  Milland 

Joe  E.  Brown-Marguerite  Chapman 
Buck  Jones-Rex  Bell 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 
George  Zucco-Mary  Carlisle 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Dennis  Morgan-Irene  Manning 
Randolph  Scott-Glenn  Ford 
Errol  Flynn-Ronald  Reagan 
Franchot  Tone-Marsha  Hunt 

Irene  Hervey-William  Gargan 


Not  Set 
Block  4 
Jan.  I,  "43 
Feb.  26,'43 
Oct.  I2,'42 
Jan.  I4,'43 

Not  Set 
Jan.  7/43 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Mar.  29/43 

Not  Set 

Jan.  29/43 

Sept.  3/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Oct.  23/42 
Jan.  22/43 

Oct.  8/42 
Dec.  18/42 

Not  Set 
Feb.  13/43 
Feb.  10/43 
Sept.  25/42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Sept.  26/42 

Not  Set 

Oct.  9/42 


Edward  G.  Robinson-Marguerite  Chapman   Not  Set 


Alan  Mowbray-M.  Woodworth 
Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour 
James  Ellison-Lois  Andrews 
Lionel  Barrymore-Van  Johnson 
Lynn  Roberts-John  Shepperd 
Lucille  Ball-Red  Skelton 

Errol  Flynn-Ann  Sheridan 
Ingrid  Bergman-Olof  Sandborg 
Edward  Arnold-Ann  Harding 
Richard  Dix-Lon  Chaney 

George  Sanders-Jane  Randolph 
Maureen  O'Hara-John  Garfield 
William  Tracy-Jean  Porter 
Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Lee  Powell-Herman  Brix 
Tim  Holt 

War  Documentary 

Leslie  Howard-David  Niven 

Charles  Boyer-Barbara  Stanwyck 
Rosalind  Russell-Fred  MacMurray 
Richard  Green-Carla  Lehmann 
John  Wayne-Anna  Lee 
Wendy  Barrie-Gordon  Oliver 
John  Payne-Betty  Grable 
John  Shelton-Gail  Storm 
Fred  MacMurray-Paulette  Goddard 
British  and  American  Stars 
Judy  Garland-George  Murphy 

Mikhail  Gelovani-Nikolai  Bogoliubov 
Gary  Cooper-lngrid  Bergman 

Lon  Chaney-Bela  Lugosi 

Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 
Bill  (Radio)  Boyd-Art  Davis 

Errol  Flynn-Alexis  Smith 
Jack  Benny-Ann  Sheridan 
Gloria  Jean-Robert  Paige 
Don  Ameche-Joan  Bennett 
Andrews  Sisters-Richard  Davies 


Oct.  9/42 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec.-Feb./43 
Dec.  11/42 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Jan.  8/43 

Nov.  6/42 
Not  Set 
Mar.  5/43 
Feb.  2/43 
Jan. 29/43 
Jan.  29/43 

Not  Set 
Not  Set 


Not  Set 


62m  Feb.  20/43 
72m       Oct.  10/42 


1 170 
945 


107m      Aug.  22/42 


61m 
45m 


86m 
58m 


89m 
79m 
61m 


Oct.  3/42 
Oct.  24/42 


Nov.  15/42 
Dec.  17/42 


Dec.  26/42 
Sept.  12/42 
Oct.  1 7/42 


63m       Oct.  3/42 


58m 
69m 
57m 

37m 
1 18m 


Feb.  6/43 
Feb.  13/43 

Sept.  12/42 
Sept.  5/42 


915 

946 
969 


1005 
959 


1077 
898 
960 

935 


1147 
1 158 

898 
889 


1091 


95m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

69m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 125 

64m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

75m 

Feb.  27/43 

1  181 

1009 

73m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

98m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

962 

995 

iio4 

1055 
871 
962 


61m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1033 

81m 

Jan.  23/43 

1125 

960 

73m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

871 

66m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

1031 

1081 

56m 

Feb.  20/43 

1 170 

1 127 

63m 

Feb. 20/43 

1 170 

1031 

62m 

Sept.  12/42 

898 

872 
871 

971 

912 
1 162 

1091 
1082 

936 
1019 

982 
797 


871 

1 182 
796 


855 


Not  Set 

101m 

Feb.  6/43 

1145 

983 

Dec.  5/42 

68m 

June  27/42 

914 

1 174 

Oct.  8/42 

102m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

1130 

May  3/43 

1104 

Aug.  1/42 

80m 

July  11/42 

915 

715 

873 

Oct.  9/42 

64m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

Block  2 

87m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

1130 

Mar.  19/43 

104m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 125 

Sept.-Nov./42 

104m 

Sept.  12,42 

897 

75i 

1130 

Not  Set 

77m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

Mar.  12/43 

73m 

Feb. 27/43 

1181 

1055 

Oct.  19/42 

60m 

Sept.  4/42 

60m 

Feb. 13/43 

1159 

1033 

Nov.  14/42 

104m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

936 

1130 

Nov.  28/42 

93m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

871 

1130 

Oct.  2/42 

77m 

Oct.  3/42 

034 

Oct.  9/42 

82m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

855 

Sept.  11/42 

65m 

Sept.  5/42 

889 

I  I  84  Product  Digest  Section 


February    2  7.  1943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Title  Company 

Glass  Key,  The  Para. 
Goose  Steps  Out,  The 

(British)  Ealing-UA 

Gorilla  Man,  The  WB 

Great  Gildersleeve,  The  RKO 

Great  Impersonation,  The  Univ. 

Great  Without  Glory  Para. 


Prod. 
Number 
4203 


216 
314 
7032 


Col. 
U  niv. 
Para. 
WB 
Mono. 


HAIL  to  the  Rangers 
Half  Way  to  Shanghai 
Happy  Go  Luclcy  (color) 
Hard  Way,  The 
Haunted  Ranch 

(formerly  Ridin'  Double) 

Heart  of  the  Golden  West  Rep. 

He  Hired  the  Boss  20th-Fox 

He's  My  Guy  Univ. 

Hello,  'Frisco,  Hello  20th-Fox 

Henry  Aldrich,  Editor  Para. 

Henry  Aldrich  Gets  Glamour  Para. 

Henry  Aldrich  Swings  It  Para. 

Here  We  Go  Again  RKO 

Hi,  Buddy  Univ. 

Hidden  Hand,  The  WB 

High  Explosive  Para. 

Highways  by  Night  RKO 

Hi!  Neighbor  Rep. 

Hit  Parade  of  1943  Rep. 

Hitler,  Dead  or  Alive  House 

Hitler's  Children  RKO 

Hi'Ya,  Chum  Univ. 

How's  About  It?  Univ. 

Human  Comedy,  The  MGM 

ICE-CAPADES  Revue  Rep. 

Iceland  20th-Fox 

Idaho  Rep. 

i  Escaped  from  the  Gestapo  Mono. 

(formerly  No  Escape) 

I  Married  a  Witch  UA 

Immortal  Sergeant,  The  20th-Fox 
In  the  Rear  of  the  Enemy 

(Russian)  Artkino 

In  Which  We  Serve  (British)  UA 

Isle  of  Missing  Men  Mono, 

It  Ain't  Hay  Univ. 

It  Comes  Up  Love  Univ. 

(formerly  On  the  Beam) 
It's  That  Man  Again  (British)  Gains. 

I  Walked  with  a  Zombie  RKO 

JACARE 

Johnny  Doughboy 
Journey  for  Margaret 
Journey  Into  Fear 
•Jungle  Siren 
Junior  Army 
Just  Off  Broadway 

KEEPER    of  the  Flame 
Kid  Dynamite 

King  Arthur  Was  a  Gentle- 
man (British) 
•  King  of  the  Stallions 

LADIES'  Day  RKO 

Lady  Bodyguard  Para. 

Lady  from  Chungk'ng  PRC 

Lady  in  the  Dark  Para. 

Lady  of  Burlesque  UA 

Land  of  Hunted  Men  Mono. 

Last  Ride,  The  WB 

Laugh  Your  Blues  Away  Col. 

(formerly  How  Do  You  Do?) 

Law  of  the  Northwest  Col. 

Let  the  People  Sing  (British)  Anglo 

Let's  Have  Fun  Col. 

Life  Begins  at  Eight-thirty  20th-Fox 

Little  Joe,  the  Wrangler  Univ. 

Little  Tokyo,  U.S.A.  20th-Fox 

Living  Ghost,  The  Mono. 

London  Blackout  Murders  Rep. 

Lone  Prairie,  The  Col. 
•Lone  Rider  in  Border  Roundup  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Wild  H  orse  Rustlers  PRC 
•Lone  Rider  in  Outlaws  of 

Boulder  Pass  PRC 
Lone  Rider  in  Overland 

Stagecoach  PRC 


Stars 

Brian  Donlevy-Veronica  Lake-Alan  Ladd 
Will  Hay 

John  Loder-Paul  Cavanagh 
Harold  Peary-Freddy  Mercer 
Ralph  Bellamy-Evelyn  Ankers 
Joel  McCrea-Betty  Field 


7035 
209 

251 

4209 

305 

208 

304 

201 

316 


206 
306 


327 


Charles  Starrett 
Irene  Hervey-Kent  Taylor 
Mary  Martin-Dick  Powell-Rudy 
Ida  Lupino-Dennis  Morgan 
Range  Busters 


Vails 


Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes 
Stuart  Erwin-Evelyn  Venable 
Dick  Foran-lrene  Hervey 
Alice  Faye-John  Payne 
Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 
Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 
Jimmy  Lydon-Charlie  Smith 
Fibber  McGee-Edgar  Bergen-"Char 
Dick  Foran-Harriet  Milliard 
Craig  Stevens-Elizabeth  Fraser 
Chester  Morris-Jean  Parker 
Richard  Carlson-Jane  Randolph 
Lulubelle  &  Scotty-Jean  Parker 
John  Carroll-Susan  Hayward 
VVard  Bond-Dorothy  Tree 
Tim  Holt-Bonita  Granville 
Jane  Frazee-Rifz  Brothers 
Andrews  Sisters-Robert  Paige 
Mickey  Rooney-James  Craig 

Ellen  Drew-Richard  Denning 
Sonja  Henie-John  Payne 
Roy  Rogers-Virginia  Grey 
Dean  Jagger-John  Carradine 


Release 
Date 
Block  I 

Not  Set 
Jan.  16/43 
Jan.  I  ,'43 
Dec.  I  8, '42 

Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Sept.  I  8/42 
Block  4 
Feb.  20/43 
Feb.  19/43 

Dec.  I  1/42 

Not  Set 
Mar.  26/43 

Not  Set 
Block  2 
Block  4 

Not  Set 
Oct.  9/42 
Feb.  26/43 
Nov.  7/42 

Not  Set 
Oct.  2/42 
July  27/42 
Mar.  19/43 

Not  Set 
Feb.  12/43 
Mar.  5/43 
Feb.  5/43 

Not  Set 

Dec.  24/42 
Oct.  2/42 
Mar.  10/43 

May  14/43 


Running 
Time 
85m 

78m 
64m 
62m 
71m 


62m 
81m 
109m 


r-  REVIEWED  — 

M.  P.        Product  Advance 

Herald       Digest  Synopsis 
Issue          Page  Page 

Aug.  29/42  914   


Aug.  29/42 
Dec.  12/42 
Nov.  15/42 
Dec.  19/42 


65m 


Sept.  19/42 
Jan.  2/43 
Sept.  19/42 


Nov.  21/42 


870 
1054 
1006 
1066 


923 
1089 

923 


1017 


79m 
79m 

70m 


Dec.  19/42 
Aug.  15/42 
Feb.  20/43 


1066 
902 
1 169 


Frances  Dee-Tom  Conway 


Not  Set 


302 


4033 


322 
7072 
303 

210 
4209 
266 
364 

267 

363 


Lupe  Velez-Eddie  Albert-Max  Baer  Not  Set 

Eddie  Albert-Anne  Shirley  Block4 

Anna  May  Wong-Harold  Huber  Dec.  21/42 

Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland  Not  Set 

Barbara  Stanwyck-Eddie  O'Shea  Not  Set 

Range  Busters  Mar.  26/43 

Richard  Travis-Eleanor  Parker  Not  Set 

Bert  Gordon-Jinx  Falkenburg  Nov.  12/42 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson  Not  Set 

Alastair  Sim-Fred  Emney  Not  Set 

Bert  Gordon-Margaret  Lindsay  Mar.  4/43 

Monty  Woolley-lda  Lupino  Dec.  25/42 

Johnny  Mack  Brown  Nov.  13/42 

Preston  Foster-Brenda  Joyce  Aug.  14/42 

James  Dunn-Joan  Woodbury  Nov.  27/42 

John  Abbott-MaryMcLeod  Jan.  15/43 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Oct.  15/42 

George  Houston-Al  St.  John  Sept.  18/42 

Bob  Livingston-Al  St.  John  Feb.  12/43 

George  Houston-Al  St.  John  Oct.  28/42 

Bob  Livingston-Al  St.  John  Dec.  1 1, '42 


70m 

70m 


70m 


Jan. 
Nov. 


2/43 
7/42 


Feb.  13/43 


1090 
1006 


159 


995 
912 
912 

1055 

797 
796 
1019 


986 
1 127 
1 127 


1019 

797 
797 
I  162 

I  162 


1057 


UA 

Animal  feature 

Nov.  27/42 

65m 

Dec. 

26/42 

1077 

Rep. 

205 

Jane  Withers-Patrick  Brook 

Dec.  31/42 

63m 

Dec. 

26/42 

1077 

971 

MGM 

314 

Robert  Young-Laraine  Day 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

79m 

Oct. 

3 1  ,'42 

981 

912 

RKO 

307 

Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Del  Rio 

Feb.  12/43 

71m 

Feb. 

6/43 

1 146 

796 

PRC 

203 

Ann  Corio-Buster  Crabbe 

Aug.  14/42 

68m 

Oct. 

31/42 

982 

Col. 

4038 

Freddie  Bartholomew-Billy  Halop 

Nov.  26/42 

71m 

Feb. 

20/43 

1 170 

1009 

20th-Fox 

310 

Lloyd  Nolan-Marjorie  Weaver 

Sept.  25/42 

65m 

Aug. 

15/42 

902 

797 

MGM 

320 

Spencer  Tracy-Katharine  Hepburn 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

100m 

Dec 

19/42 

1065 

936 

Mono. 

East  Side  Kids 

Feb.  5/43 

66m 

Jan. 

23/43 

1 126 

Gains. 

Arthur  Askey-Evelyn  Dall 

Not  Set 

98m 

Jan 

16/43 

1 1 14 

Mono. 

Chief  Thundercloud-David  O'Brien 

Sept.  1  1/42 

63  m 

Aug 

29/42 

870 

800 

962 
946 
574 
1091 

I  182 

iiis 

986 
1018 


100  m 

Apr.  1  1/42 

599 

85m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

962 

64m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

64m 

July  1 1  ,'42 

938 

61m 

Oct.  31/42 

982 

59m 

Dec.  12/42 

1067 

58m 

1058 

58m 

60m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 148 

1033 

58m 

Jan.  23/43 

1 126 

I0J8 

Service 
Data 
Page 

I  130 


1082 


72m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

1130 

72m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 
1 104 

76m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

1082 

68m 

Feb. 20/43 

1 170 

1079 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

983 

1082 

63m 

Aug.  8/42 

938 

715 

72m 

July  25/42 

927 

772 
1043 

70m 

Nov.21,'42 

1018 

1082 

83m 

Jan.  2/43 

1089 

986 

61m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  147 

1 127 

6  1  m 

Feb.  6/43 

1 147 

1 130 
1082 


Fredric  March-Veronica  Lake 

Oct.  30/42 

78m 

Oct.  24/42 

969 

797 

1 130 

Henry  Fonda-Maureen  O'Hara 

Jan.  29/43 

91m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

995 

1 174 

War  Documentary 

Oct.  9/42 

59m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

Noel  Coward-Bernard  Miles 

Dec.25,'42 

1 13m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

i  i  74 

John  Howard-Gilbert  Roland 

Sept.  18/42 

67m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

772 

Abbott  and  Costello 

Mar,  19/43 

1058 

Gloria  Jean-Ian  Hunter 

Apr.  9/43 

65m 

Feb.  6/43 

1146 

986 

Tommy  Handley 

Not  Set 

84m 

Feb.  27/43 

1 182 

I  174 
1034 


1 174 


1082 


Product  Digest  Section 


I  185 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


REVIEWED 


Title 

Lone  Star  Trail,  The 
Lost  Canyon 
Loves  of  Edgar  Alia r 
Lucky  Jordan 
Lucky  Legs 

MADAME  Spy 

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The 
Major  and  the  Minor,  The 
Man  in  the  Trunk,  The 
Manila  Calling 
Man  of  Courage 
Man's  World,  A 
Margin  for  Error 
Mashenka  (Russian) 
McGuerins  from  Brooklyn 
Meanest  Man  in  the  World 
Meet  John  Bonniwell 
Mexican  Spitfire's  Elephant 
Miracle  of  Morgan's  Creek,  The 
Mission  to  Moscow 
Miss  V  from  Moscow 
Moonlight  in  Havana 
Moon  and  Sixpence,  The 
Moon  Is  Down,  The 
More  the  Merrier,  The 
Moscow  Strikes  Back  (Russian) 
Mountain  Rhythm 
Mr.  Lucky 


Prod. 

Company 

Number 

Stars 

Univ. 

7077 

Johnny  Mack  Brown-Tex  Ritter 

UA 

William  Boyd 

Poe,  The  20th-Fox 

305 

John  Shepperd-Linda  Darnell 

Para. 

4215 

Alan  Ladd-Helen  Walker 

Col. 

4032 

Jinx  Falkenburg-Kay  Harris 

M.  P. 

Product 

Ad  vance 

Service 

Release 

Running 

rieratu 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Lfala 

Date 

Time 

Issue 

Page 

Page 

Page 

Not  Set 

1019 

Dec.  I8,"42 

63m 

Jan.23,'43 

\  126 

Aug.  28,'42 

67m 

July  1 1  .'42 

914 

75\ 

Block  3 

84m 

Nov.  21, '42 

1017 

986 

1082 

Oct.  I,'42 

64m 

Feb.  13, '43 

1 158 

797 

(formerly  From  Here  to  Victory) 
Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch  Para. 
Mug  Town 
Mummy's  Tomb,  The 
Murder  in  Times  Square 
My  Friend  Flicka  (color) 
My  Heart  Belongs  to  Daddy 
•  My  Sister  Eileen 
My  Son,  the  Hero 
Mysterious  Doctor,  The 

NAVY  Comes  Through,  The 
'Neath  Brooklyn  Bridge 
Next  of  Kin,  The  (British)  E 
Nightmare 
Night  for  Crime,  A 
Night  Monster 
Night  Plane  from  Chungking 
Night  to  Remember,  A 
Nine  Men  (British) 
Northwest  Rangers 
No  Place  for  a  Lady 
No  Time  for  Love 
Now,  Voyager 


Univ.  7034  Constance  Bennett-Don  Porter  Dec.  I  I, '42 

RKO  371  Joseph  Cotten-Dolores  Costello  July  I0,'42 

Para.  4202  Ginger  Rogers-Ray  Milland  Block  I 

20th-Fox  315  Lynne  Roberts-George  Holmes  Oct.  23, '42 

20th-Fox  314  Lloyd  Nolan-Carole  Landis  Oct.  16/42 

PRC  319  Barton  MacLane-Charlotte  Wynters  Jan.  4,'43 

Col.  4044  M.  Chapman-Wm.  Wright  Sept.  I7,'42 

20th-Fox  330  Joan  Bennett-Milton  Berle  Feb.  I9,'43 

Artkino  ....  V.  Karavayeva-M.  Kuznetzov  Nov.  20, '42 

UA-Roach    Max  Baer-William  Bendix  Dec.  31/42 

20th-Fox  329  Jack  Benny-Priscilla  Lane  Feb.  12/43 

UA    Richard  Dix-Jane  Wyatt  Not  Set 

RKO  302  Lupe  Velez-Leon  Errol  Sept.  11/42 

Para.  ....  Eddie  Bracken-Betty  Hutton  Not  Set 

WB  Walter  Huston-Ann  Harding  Not  Set 

PRC  318  Lola  Lane-Noel  Madison  Nov.  23/42 

Univ.  7026  Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee  Oct.  16/42 

UA  George  Sanders-Herbert  Marshall  Oct.  2/42 

20th-Fox  ....  Cedric  Hardwicke-Margaret  Wyncherly       Not  Set 

Col.  ....  Jean  Arthur-Joel  McCrea  Not  Set 

Rep.  ....  Documentary  Aug.  15/42 

Rep.  209  Weaver  Bros.  &  Elviry  Jan.  8/43 

RKO    Cary  Grant-Laraine  Day  Not  Set 

4208         Fay  Bainter-Carolyn  Lee  Block  2 

Univ.  7027  Dead  End  Kids  Dec.  18/42 

Univ.  7019  Dick  Foran-Elyse  Knox  Oct.  23/42 

Col.  ....  Edmund  Lowe-Marguerite  Chapman  Not  Set 

20th-Fox  ....  Roddy  McDowall-Preston  Foster  Not  Set 

Para.  4214  Richard  Carlson-M.  O'Driscoll  Block  3 

Col.  .  .  Rosalind  Russell-Brian  Aherne  Sept.  30/42 

PRC  311  Patsy  Kelly-Roscoe  Karns  Apr.  5/43 

WB  219        Eleanor  Parker-John  Loder  Mar.  6/43 

RKO  308  Pat  O'Brien-George  Murphy  Oct.  30/42 

Mono                      East  Side  Kids  Nov.  20/42 

aling-UA  ....          Basil  Sydney-Nova  Pilbeam  Not  Set 

Univ.  7015         Diana  Barrymore-Brian  Donlevy  Nov.  13/42 

PRC  304        Glenda  Farrell-Lyle  Talbot  Feb.  18/43 

Univ.  7038         Irene  Hervey-Bela  Lugosi  Oct.  23/42 

Para                       Robert  Preston-Ellen  Drew  Block  4 

Col.  4009        Loretta  Young-Brian  Aherne  Dec.  10/42 

Ealing-UA  ....         Jack  Lambert-Richard  Wilkinson  Not  Set 

MGM  319        James  Craig-Patricia  Dane  Dec.-Feb.,'43 

Col.  ....        William  Gargan-Margaret  Lindsay  Feb.  11/43 

Para.  ....         Claudette  Colbert-Fred  MacMurray  Not  Set 

WB  206        Bette  Davis-Paul  Henreid  Oct.  31/42 


63  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

88m 

July  4/42 

938 

507 

947 

100m 

Aug.  29/42 

927 

1 174 

71m 

Sept.  19/42 

911 

855 

81m 

Sept.  19/42 

91 1 

871 

67m 

Jan.  30/43 

1  137 

1031 

60m 

Dec.  12/42 

1055 

74m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 101 

995 

67m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

46m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  147 

CI  

o/m 

Jan.  V,  43 

Mir 

ills 

1 182 

64  m 

Aug.  8/42 

915 

1079 

1058 

71m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1031 

62  m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

89m 

Sept.  12/42 

912 

1130 

1091 

1  182 

55m 

Aug.  15/42 

840 

1 130 

70m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1009 

1081 

80m 

Oct.  3/42 

934 

663 

60m 

Jan.23,'43 

1 126 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

970 

1 130 

1079 
962 


75m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

871 

96m 

Sept.  19/42 

909 

772 

1174 

68m 

Jan.23,'43 

1 126 

57m 

Feb.  27/43 

1 181 

1091 

81m 

Oct.  17/42 

957 

715 

1130 

61m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

100m 

June  6/42 

698 

81m 

Nov.  14/42 

1018 

1 174 

78m 

Aug.  1/42 

903 

73m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

1130 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1 102 

983 

90m 

Dec.  19/42 

1066 

986 

1130 

67m 

Feb.  13/43 

1158 

64m 

Oct.  31/42 

981 

960 

1057 
855 


1 1 7m      Aug.  22/42 


902 


1174 


OH,  Doctor 

Univ. 

Old  Chisholm  Trail,  The 

Univ. 

7073 

Old  Homestead,  The 

Rep. 

202 

Old  Mother  Riley,  Detective 

(British)                     Br.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Omaha  Trail 

MGM 

311 

(formerly  Ox  Train) 

Once  Upon  a  Honeymoon 

RKO 

311 

One  Dangerous  Night 

Col. 

4029 

One  of  Our  Aircraft  Is  Missing 

(British) 

UA 

One  Thrilling  Night 

Mono. 

(formerly  Do  Not  Disturb) 

Orchestra  Wives 

20th-Fox 

308 

Outlaw,  The 

Hughes 

Outlaws  of  Pine  Ridge 

Rep. 

272 

•  Overland  to  Deadwood 

Col. 

3208 

Over  My  Dead  Body 

20th-Fox 

325 

Ox-Bow  Incident,  The 

20th-Fox 

PALM    Beach  Story,  The  Para. 

Panama  Hattie  MGM 

Pardon  My  Gun  Col. 

Payoff,  The  PRC 

•  Phantom  Killer  Mono. 
Pied  Piper,  The  20th-Fox 
Pirates  of  the  Prairie  RKO 
Pittsburgh  Univ. 

•  Police  Bullets  Mono. 
Power  of  God,  The  St.  Rts. 
Powers  Girl,  The  UA 
Power  of  the  Press  Col. 


421  I 
303 

4202 
303 

304 
382 
7008 


4037 


Abbott  and  Costello 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Weaver  Bros,  and  Elviry 

Arthur  Lucan 
James  Craig-Dean  Jagger 

Ginger  Rogers-Cary  Grant 
Warren  William-Eric  Blore 

Godfrey  Tearle-Eric  Portman 
John  Beal-Wanda  McKay 

George  Montgomery-Ann  Rutherford 
Jack  Buetel-Jane  Russell 
Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 
Charles  Starrett-Russell  Hayden 
Milton  Berle-Mary  Beth  Hughes 
Henry  Fonda-Mary  Beth  Hughes 

Claudette  Colbert-Joel  McCrea 
Ann  Sothern-Red  Skelton 
Charles  Starrett-Alma  Carroll 
Lee  Tracy-Tina  Thayer 
Dick  Purcell-Joan  Woodbury 
Monty  Woolley-Roddy  McDowall 
Tim  Holt 

Marlene  Dietrich-John  Wayne 
John  Archer-Joan  Marsh 
John  Barclay-Thomas  Louden 
Anne  Shirley-George  Murphy 
Guy  Kibbee-Lee  Tracy 


Not  Set 

1 162 

Dec.  1 1/42 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1113 

Aug.  17/42 

67m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

855 

Not  Set 

80m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 159 

Sept.-Nov./42 

61m 

Sept.  19/42 

923 

796 

Nov.  27/42 

1  16m 

Nov.  7/42 

1006 

855 

1130 

Jan.  2 1/43 

77m 

983 

Oct.  16/42 

86m 

Apr.  1  1/42 

903 

1 174 

June  5/42 

69m 

July  4/42 

914 

662 

Sept.  4/42 

97m 

Aug.  15/42 

927 

797 

1 130 

Not  Set 

I2lm 

Feb. 13/43 

1157 

Oct.  27/42 

57m 

Nov.  21/42 

1017 

Sept.  25/42 

58m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Jan.  15/43 

68m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

995 

Not  Set 

872 

Block  3 

90m 

.  Nov.  7/42 

993 

663 

1174 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 

79m 

July  25/42 

915 

396 

1034 

Dec.  1/42 

57m 

1058 

Jan.  21/43 

74m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Oct.  2/42 

61m 

Aug.  22/42 

854 

Aug.  2 1/42 

87m 

July  1 1/42 

903 

751 

1082 

Nov.  20/42 

57m 

1033 

Dec.  1 1/42 

93  m 

Dec.  5/42 

1042 

1082 

Sept.  25/42 

60m 

Oct.  10/42 

945 

800 

Not  Set 

58m 

Oct.  24/42 

970 

Jan.  15/43 

93m 

Dec.  19/42 

1078 

1 1 74 

Jan.  28/43 

1055 

1186  Product  Digest  Section 


February    2  7, 


943 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


Title  Company 
Prairie  Chicken  UA-Roach 

Presenting  Lily  Mars  MGM 

Pride  of  the  Army  Mono. 

(also  called  War  Dogs) 

Pride  of  the  Yankees,  The  RKO 

Princess  O'Rourke  WB 

Priorities  on  Parade  Para. 

Prison  Mutiny  Mono. 

(formerly  You  Can't  Beat  the  Law) 

Private  Miss  Jones  MGM 

Purple  V,  The  Rep. 

QUEEN  of  Broadway  PRC 
Queen  Victoria  (British)  Renown 
Quiet  Please,  Murder  20th-Fox 

RAIDERS  of  San  Joaquin  Univ. 

Random  Harvest  MGM 

Rangers  Take  Over,  The  PRC 

Ravaged  Earth  Crystal 

Red  River  Robin  Hood  RKO 

Reunion  in  France  MGM 

(former  Reunion) 

Reveille  with  Beverly  Col. 

Rhythm  of  the  Islands  Univ. 

Rhythm  Parade  Mono. 
Riders  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Col. 

Ridin'  Down  the  Canyon  Rep. 

Riding  Through  Nevada  Col. 

Road  to  Morocco  Para. 

Robin  Hood  of  the  Range  Col. 

SALUDOS  Amigos  (color)  RKO 
Salute  for  Three  Para. 
Salute  John  Citizen  (British)  Bt.-Anglo-Am. 
Salute  to  the  Marines  MGM 
Scattergood  Survives  a  Murder  RKO 
School  for  Sabotage  20th-Fox 
Secret  Enemies  WB 
Secret  Mission  (British)  Hellman-GenJ 
Secrets  of  a  Co-Ed 
Secrets  of  the  Underground 
Seven  Days  Leave 
Seven  Miles  from  Alcatraz 
Seven  Sweethearts 
Shadow  of  a  Doubt 
Shadows  on  the  Sage 
Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  Voice  of 
Terror 

Sherlock  Holmes  and  the 
Secret  Weapon 

(formerly  Sherlock  Holmes  Fights  Back) 
Sherlock  Holmes  in  Washington  Univ. 


Prod. 
Number 


351 


4201 


PRC 
Rep. 
RKO 
RKO 
MGM 
Univ. 
Rep. 

Univ. 

Univ. 


312 


351 


315 


253 
4201 
4207 


392 


306 

205 

309 
208 
310 
315 
308 
7065 
261 

7020 


Maya  Film 
UA 
Mono. 
Univ. 
RKO 
MGM 


Col. 
Scandia 
Rep. 
Col. 
MGM 
UA 


Siege  of  Leningrad  Artkino 
Silent  Witness  Mono. 
Silk,  Blood  and  Sun 

(Mexican) 
Silver  Queen 
Silver  Skates 
Sin  Town 

Sky's  the  Limit,  The 
Slightly  Dangerous 

("formerly  Nothing  Ventured) 
Smith  of  Minnesota 
Soliga  Solberg  (Swedish) 
Sombrero  Kid,  The 
Something  to  Shout  About 
Somewhere  I'll  Find  You 
Somewhere  in  France 

(formerly  Foreman  Went  to  France) 
So  Proudly  We  Hail  Para. 
South  of  the  Border  (R  e-release)  Rep. 
Spirit  of  Stanford,  The  Col. 
Spring  Song  (Russian)  Artkino 
Springtime  in  the  Rockies  (color) 

20th-Fox 

Squadron  Leader  X  (British)  RKO 
Stage  Door  Canteen  UA 
Stand  By,  All  Networks  Col. 
Stand  By  for  Action  MGM 

(formerly  Clear  for  Action) 
Star  Spangled  Rhythm  Para. 
Stranger  in  Town,  A  MGM 
(formerly  Mr.  Justice  Goes  Hunting) 
Street  of  Chance  Para. 
Strictly  in  the  Groove  Univ. 
Submarine  Alert  Para. 
Sundown  Kid  Rep. 
•  Sunset  Serenade  Rep. 


Release  Running 

Stars                                                  Dale  Time 

Jimmy  Rogers-Noah  Beery,  Jr.  Not  Set  .... 
Judy  Garland-George  Murphy                    Not  Set 

Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards  Nov.  13, '42  63m 

Gary  Cooper-Teresa  Wright  Mar.  5,'43  128m 

Priscilla  Lane-Robert  Cummings                   Not  Set  .... 

^nn  Miller-Jerry  Colonna                            Block  I  79m 

Edward  Norris-Joan  Woodbury  Feb.  12, '43  61m 

Kathryn  Grayson-Gene  Kelly  Not  Set 

John  Archer-Mary  McLeod  Mar.  26, '43 


Rochelle  Hudson-Buster  Crabbe  Mar.   8, '43 

Anna  Neagle-Anton  Walbrook  Not  Set 

Gail  Patrick-George  Sanders  Not  Set 

Johnny  Mack  Brown  Not  Set 

Ronald  Colman-Greer  Garson  Not  Set 

Tex  O'Brien-Jim  Newill  Dec.  25,'42 

Documentary  on  China  Not  Set 

Tim  Holt  Not  Set 
Joan  Crawford-Philip  Dorn- 

John  Wayne  Dec-Feb.,'43 

Ann  Miller-William  Wright  Feb.  4/43 

Allan  Jones-Jane  Frazee  Apr.  I6,'43 

Gale  Storm-Robert  Lowery  Dec.  1 1  ,'42 

Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills  Feb.  15/43 

Roy  Rogers-Gabby  Hayes  Dec.  30/42 

Charles  Starrett-Shirley  Patterson  Oct.  1/42 
Bob  Hope-Bing  Crosby-Dorothy  Lamour       Block  2 

Charles  Starrett-Kay  Harris  Not  Set 


Disney  South  American  feature 
Macdonald  Carey-Betty  Rhodes 
Edward  Rigby-Stanley  Holloway 
Wallace  Beery-Fay  Bainter 
Guy  Kibbee-Margaret  Hayes 
George  Sanders-Anna  Sten 
Craig  Stevens-Faye  Emerson 
Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 
Otto  Kruger-Tina  Thayer 
John  Hubbard-Virginia  Grey 
Lucille  Ball-Victor  Mature 
James  Craig-Bonita  Granville 
Van  Heflin-Kathryn  Grayson 
Teresa  Wright-Joseph  Cotten 
Three  Mesquiteers 

Basil  Rafhbone-Nigel  Bruce 

Basil  Rathbone-Nige!  Bruce 


Basil  Rathbone-Nigel  Bruce  Not  Set  .... 

Soviet  Documentary  Feb.  11/43  62m 

Frank  Albertson-Maris  Wrixon  Jan.  15/43  62m 


r—  REVIEWED  —\ 

M.  P.        Product  Advance  Service 

Herald       Digest  Synopsis  Data 

Issue  Page  Page  Page 

  986 

  962   

Oct.  10/42  946   

July  18/42        915  ....  1082 

  962 

Aug.    1/42  914   

Jan. 30/43       1137  1081 

  1079 

  1162 


62  m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

1013 

84m 

Jan.  16/43 

1  1  13 

70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

983 

59m 

1009 

126m 

Nov.  28/42 

1029 

796 

60m 

Jan.  16/43 

1 1 14 

1055 

68m 

Dec.  5/42 

1043 

57m 

Oct.  17/42 

960 

102m 

Dec.  5/42 

1041 

872 

1 162 

1 127 

70m 

Dec.  19/42 

1067 

983 

57m 

Feb.  27/43 

1  182 

1019 

55m 

Dec.  12/42 

1054 

1019 

61m 

Feb.  20/43 

1 169 

1058 

83m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

872 

1057 

Feb. 19/43 

43m 

Dec.  19/42 

1065 

Not  Set 

1091 

Not  Set 

96  m 

Aug.  15/42 

839 

Not  Set 

1057 

Oct.  16/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

912 

Not  Set 

1 162 

Oct.  17/42 

59  m 

Aug.  22/42 

9i4 

Not  Set 

94m 

Sept.  26/42 

922 

Oct.  26/42 

67m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

Dec.  18/42 

69m 

Feb.  13,43 

1 159 

1009 

Nov.  13/42 

87m 

Oct.  17/42 

958 

872 

Jan.  8/43 

62m 

Nov.  14/42 

1006 

962 

Sept.-Nov./42 

98m 

Aug.  15/42 

902 

Jan. 15/43 

108m 

Jan.  9/43 

1 1 14 

936 

Aug.  24/42 

57m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Sept.  18/42 

65m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Feb.  12/43 

68m 

Jan.  2/43 

1090 

Feb.  20/43 
Dec.  19/42 


I  169 
1066 


983 
1033 


1082 


130 


I  174 


174 
174 


Jorge  Negrete-Gloria  Marin 

Not  Set 

86m 

Feb.  6/43 

1  146 

George  Brent-Priscilla  Lane 

Nov.  13/42 

80m 

Nov.  14/42 

1005 

936 

Patricia  Morison-Kenny  Baker 

Feb.  26/43 

76m 

Jan. 16/43 

1 113 

7017 

Constance  Bennett-Brod  Crawford 

Sept.  25/42 

73  m 

Oct.  3742 

934 

898 

Fred  Astaire-Joan  Leslie 

Not  Set 

1 162 

Lana  Turner-Robert  Young 

Not  Set 

1057 

4035 

Bruce  Smith-Arline  Judge 

Oct.  15/42 

66m 

Oct.  17/42 

959 

797 

Edvard  Persson 

Sept.  12/42 

89m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

27i 

Don  Barry-Lynn  Merrick 

July  31/42 

56m 

Oct.  3/42 

935 

796 

Don  Ameche-Jack  Oakie-Janet  Blair 

Feb. 25/43 

90m 

Feb.  13/43 

1 157 

1043 

301 

Clark  Gable-Lana  Turner 

Sept.-Nov./42 

107m 

Aug.  8/42 

902 

726 

984 

Constance  Cumming-Tommy  Trinder 

Not  Set 

83m 

Feb.  20/43 

1 169 

Claudette  Colbert-Paulette  Goddard 

Not  Set 

1104 

2302 

Gene  Autry 

Mar.  1/43 

71m 

Dec.  16/39 

1 158 

4022 

Frankie  Albert-Marguerite  Chapman 

Sept.  10/42 

73m 

Oct.  3  1/42 

982 

796 

1082 

Nikolai  Kunovalov-Ludmila  Tzelikovskaya  Sept.  11/42 

74m 

Sept.  19/42 

910 

317 

Betty  Grable-John  Payne 

Nov.  6/42 

91m 

Sept.  26/42 

921 

855 

1 174 

Eric  Portman-Beatrice  Varley 

Not  Set 

100m 

Nov.  28/42 

1030 

Stage  and  Screen  Stars 

Feb.  26/43 

1 1 15 

4042 

John  Beal-Florence  Rice 

Oct.  29/42 

64  m 

797 

316 

Charles  Laughton-Robert  Taylor 

Dec.-Feb.,'43 

109m 

Dec.  12/42 

1053 

871 

1  174 

4231 

Betty  Hutton-Eddie  Bracken-Victor  M 

oore  Special 

100m 

Jan.  3/43 

1  102 

855 

1 174 

Frank  Morgan-Jean  Rogers 

Not  Set 

67m 

Feb. 13/43 

1 158 

1079 

4210 

Burgess  Meredith-Claire  Trevor 

Block  2 

74m 

Oct.  3/42 

933 

871 

1082 

2028 

Leon  Errol-Mary  Healy 

Nov.  20/42 

60m 

July  4/42 

914 

Richard  Arlen-Wendy  Barrie 

Not  Set 

772 

273 

Don  Barry-Linda  Johnson 

Dec.  28/42 

55m 

Jan.  16/43 

i  113 

Roy  Rogers 

Sept.  14/42 

58m 

Sept.  12/42 

897 

Product  Digest  Section 


I  187 


MOTION    PICTURE  HERALD 


February    27,  1943 


REVIEWED  ■ 


Title  Company 

TALES  of  Manhattan  20th-Fox 
Talk  About  Jacqueline 

(British)  Excelsior-Metro 

Tarzan  Triumphs  RKO 

Taxi  Mister  UA-Roach 

Tennessee  Johnson  MGM 
Tenting  Tonight  on  the 

Old  Camp  Ground  Univ. 

Texas  to  Bataan  Mono. 

Thank  Your  Lucky  Stars  WB 

That  Narty  Nuisance  UA-Roach 

That  Other  Woman  20th-Fox 

They  Got  Me  Covered  RKO 

This  Land  Is  Mine  RKO 
Those  Kids  from  Town  (British)  Anglo 

Three  Hearts  for  Julia  MGM 

Thunder  Birds  (color)  20th-Fox 
Thunder  Rock  (British)  Charter-Metro 

Thundering  Trails  Rep. 

Time  to  Kill  20th-Fox 

Tish  MGM 

•  Tombstone  Para. 

Tomorrow  We  Live  PRC 
Tomorrow  We  Live  (British)   Brit.  Lion 

Tornado  in  the  Saddle  Col. 

Trail  Riders  Mono. 

Traitor  Within,  The  Rep. 

Truck  Busters  WB 

True  to  Life  Para. 

Two  Fisted  Justice  Mono. 

Two  Weeks  to  Live  RKO 

UNCENSORED 

(British)  Gains.-Gen'l 
Undercover  Man  UA 
Underground  Agent  Col. 
Undying  Monster,  The  20th-Fox 
Unpublished  Story  (British)  Col. 

VALLEY  of  Hunted  Men  Rep. 
Varsity  Show  (Reissue)  WB 
Vengeance  of  the  West  Col. 

WAKE    Island  Para. 

War  Against  Mrs.  Hadley,  The  MGM 

War  Dogs  Mono. 

Watch  on  the  Rhine  WB 

We  Are  the  Marines  20th-Fox 

We'll  Smile  Again  (British) 

Brit.  Nat'l-Anglo 

Went  the  Day  Well?  (British)  Ealing-UA 

We  Sail  at  Midnight 

(British)  Crown  Film 

West  of  the  Law  Mono. 

We've  Never  Been  Licked  Univ. 

When  Johnny  Comes  March- 
ing Home  Univ. 

Whistling  in  Dixie  MGM 

White  Cargo  MGM 

White  Savage  Univ. 

Who  Done  It?  Univ. 

Wildcat  Para. 

Wings  and  the  Woman  (British)  RKO 
(formerly  They  Flew  Alone) 

World  at  War  WAC 

Wrecking  Crew  Para. 

Wyoming  Hurricane  Col. 

X  MARKS    the  Spo+  Rep. 

YANK    at  Eton,  A  MGM 

Yankee  Doodle  Dandy  WB 

Yanks  Ahoy  UA-Roach 

Yanks  Are  Coming,  The  PRC 

You  Can't  Beat  the  Law  Mono. 

You  Can't  Escape  Forever  WB 

You  Were  Never  Lovelier  Col. 

Young  and  Willing  UA 

Youngest  Profession,  The  MGM 

Young  Mr.  Pitt  (British)  20th-Fox 

Youth  on  Parade  Rep, 


rrod. 
Number 

313 


319 
322 
7074 


318 
352 


321 
307 

263 
326 
302 
4132 
307 

4210 

207 
213 


4039 
319 


262 
215 
3216 

4205 
306 


324 


7016 
313 
310 

7002 
4204 
303 


4212 


305 
201 

ioi 

207 
4002 


316 
203 


Stars 

C.  Boyer-R.  Hayworth-G.  Rogers 

Hugh  Williams-Carla  Lehmann 
Johnny  Weissmuller-Frances  Gifford 
William  Bendix-Grace  Bradley 
Van  Heflin-Ruth  Hussey 

Johnny  Mack  Brown 
Range  Busters 

All  Warner  Contract  Players 
William  Tracy-Joe  Sawyer 
Virginia  Gilmore-James  Ellison 
Bob  Hope-Dorothy  Lamour 
Charles  Laughton-Maureen  O'Hara 
Percy  Marmont-Marie  O'Neill 
Ann  Sothern-Melvyn  Douglas 
John  Sutton-Gene  Tierney 
Michael  Redgrave-Barbara  Mullen 
Three  Mesquiteers 
Lloyd  Nolan-Heather  Angel 
Marjorie  Main-Lee  Bowman 
Richard  Dix-Frances  Gifford 
Jean  Parker-Ricardo  Cortez 
John  Clements-Godfrey  Tearle 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 
Range  Busters 
Don  Barry-Jean  Parker 
Richard  Travis-Ruth  Ford 
Mary  Martin-Franchot  Tone 
Range  Busters 
Lum  V  Abner 

Eric  Portman-F.  Culley 

William  Boyd-Andy  Clyde 
Bruce  Bennett-Leslie  Brooks 
James  Ellison-Heather  Angel 
Richard  Greene-Miles  Malleson 

Three  Mesquiteers 

Dick  Powell-Fred  Waring 

Bill  Elliott-Tex  Ritter 

Brian  Donlevy-Robert  Preston 
Fay  Bainter-Edward  Arnold 
Billy  Lee-Addison  Richards 
Bette  Davis-Pau!  Lucas 
Marine  Feature 

Bud  Flanagan-Chesney  Allen 
Leslie  Banks-Basil  Sydney 


War  Documentary 
Buck  Jones-Tim  McCoy 
Richard  Ou'ne_Noah  Beery, 


Jr. 


Allan  Jones-Jane  Fraiee 
Red  Skelton-Ann  Rutherford 
Hedy  Lamarr-Walter  Pidgeon 
Maria  Montez-Jon  Hall 
Abbott  and  Costello 
Richard  Arlen-Arline  Judge 
Anna  Neagle-R.  Newton 

Documentary 

Richard  Arlen-Chester  Morris 
Russell  Hayden-Bob  Wills 


204        Damian  O'Flynn-Helen  Parrish 


Mickey  Rooney-Edmund  Gwenn 
James  Cagney-Joan  Leslie 
Bobby  Watson-Ian  Keith 
Maxie  Rosenbloom-Mary  Healy 
Edward  Norris-Jean  Woodbury 
George  Brent-Brenda  Marshall 
Fred  Astaire-Rita  Hayworth 
William  Holden-Susan  Hayworth 
Virginia  Weidler-Edward  Arnold  & 
Robert  Morley-Robert  Donat 
John  Hubbard-Martha  O'Driscoll 


M.  P. 

Product 

Advance 

Release 

Running 

Herald 

Digest 

Synopsis 

Date 

l$$1l€ 

Oct.  30,'42 

1  18m 

Aug.  8,'42 

927 

706 

Not  Set 

84m 

Aug.  1 5/42 

840 

Mar.  12/43 

77m 

Jan.  23,'43 

1 125 

983 

Not  Set 

986 

Dec-Feb.,'43 

100  m 

Dec.  I9,'42 

1 065 

946 

Feb.  5,'43 

61m 

1 0 1 8 

Oct.  I6,"42 

56m 

Sept.  26,'42 

922 

Service 
Data 
Page 

II30 


Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Nov.  1 3/42 
Feb.  5,'43 
Not  Set 
Not  Set 
Dec-Feb.,'43 
Nov.  20,'42 
Not  Set 
Jan.  25,'43 
Jan.  22/43 
Sept.-Nov./42 
Block  7 
Sept.  29/42 
Not  Set 
Dec.  1 5/42 
Dec.  4/42 
Dec.  1 6/42 
Feb.  6/43 
Not  Set 
Jan.  8/43 
Feb.  1 9/43 

Not  Set 

Oct.  23/42 
Dec.  3/42 
Nov.  27/42 
Not  Set 

Nov.  1 3/42 
Dec.  1 9/42 
Sept.  3/42 

Block  I 
Sept.-Nov./42 
Nov.  1 3/42 
Not  Set 
Jan.  8/43 


Not  Set 
Not  Set 

Not  Set 
Nov.  2/42 
Not  Set 

Jan.   I  ,'43 
Dec-Feb.,'43 
Sept.-Nov./42 
Not  Set 
Nov.  6/42 
Block  I 
Sept.  1 8/42 

Sept.  1 8/42 
Block  3 
Not  Set 

Nov.  4/42 

Sept.-Nov.,'42 
Jan.  2/43 
Not  Set 
Nov.  9/42 
Feb.  1 2/43 
Oct.  1 0/42 
Nov.  1 9/42 
Feb.  5/43 
Guests  Not  Set 
Feb. 26/43 
Oct.  24/42 


75m 
96m 

75m 
90m 
78m 
I  Mm 
56m 
6lm 
83m 
79m 
64m 
85m 
59m 
55m 
62m 
58m 

6lm 
75m 

1 00m 

68m 
68m 
60m 
9lm 

60m 
8lm 
60m 

87m 
86m 
63  m 

70m 

93m 
92m 

27m 
55m 


87m 
1 26m 

65m 
61  m 
77m 

97m 
82m 

1 03  m 
75m 


Oct.  1 7/42 
Jan.  2/43 

May  2/42 
Jan.  9/43 
Oct.  1 7/42 
Oct.  3/42 
Feb.  1 3/43 
Dec  5/42 
July  25/42 
June  1 3/42 
Sept.  26/42 
Dec  26/42 


Dec  5/42 
Jan.  23/43 

Jan.'  23/43 
Feb.  6/43 

Aug.   I  .'42 

May  9/42 
Feb.  6/43 
Oct.  1 7/42 
Apr.  1 1/42 


Aug.2l,'37 


Aug.  1 5/42 
Aug.  8/42 
Oct.  1 0/42 

Dec.  1 2/42 

Oct.  3 1, '42 
Nov.  1 4/42 

Nov.  2 1  ,'42 
Nov.  7/42 


960 
1 02 

633 
I0I 
958 
935 
1 1 59 
1 042 
938 
7I4 
922 
1 077 


1 043 
1 1 26 

M27 
II47 

809 

647 
1 148 
970 
598 


1 043 


902 
902 
946 

1 053 

982 
1 006 

I01 7 
994 


Aug.  1 5/42 
June  6/42 

Oct.  3/42 
Jan.  30/43 
Sept.  26/42 
Oct.  1 0/42 
Feb.  1 3 ,'43 


July 
Oct. 


4/42 
3/42 


9I5 
903 

935 
1 137 

92! 

945 
1 1 70 

9I4 
934 


1 058 
I0I9 
936 
872 
I  1 62 

I009 
796 

iii5 

995 
772 


1 058 
I0I8 

983 

I079 
I03I 


1 009 
936 


I03I 


772 
797 

986 


lllS 


726 
674 
I0I9 

1 08 1 
898 
796 
663 

I08I 


74m 

Dec.  26/42 

1 090 

1 1 30 

74m 

Oct.  3 1  ,'42 

98 1 

946 

1 174 

89m 

Sept.  1 9/42 

923 

87I 

1 174 

1 079 

75  m 

Nov.  7/42 

993 

97 1 

1 082 

73  m 

Aug.  29/42 

938 

94m 

May  2/42 

903 

1 082 

66m 

Sept.  5/42 

890 

73m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

1 079 

56m 

Nov.  7/42 

994 

986 

f  1 30 
1 082 

1 1 30 

1 034 

1 174 


Feature  Product  including  Coming  Attractions,  listed  Company  by  Company, 
in  Order  of  Release  on  Page  1160. 


I  188   Product  Digest  Section 


EIGHT 

OUT  OF  TEX 


OF  the  Ten  Best  Pictures,  selected  in  the 
Film  Daily's  critics  poll  for  1942,  eight 
were  made  on  Eastman  Negative  Films. 
This  gratifying  result  provides  striking 
evidence  of  the  strong  preference  for 
these  high-quality  films.  Eastman  Kodak 
Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors 
Fort  Lee  Chicago  Hollywood 


PLUS-X  SUPER-XX 

for  general  studio  use  when  little  light  is  available 

RACKGROUND-X 

for  backgrounds  and  general  exterior  work 

EASTMAN  NEGATIVE  FILMS 


BERT  GORDON  MARGARET  LINDSAY  JOHN 


THE  MAD  RUSSIAN) 


Every  D 


W, 


ar  6 


°y  is 


°nd  Day| 


Story  and  Screen  play  by  Harry  Sauber  •  Directed  by  CHARLES  BARTON 
Produced  by  JACK  FIER  A  COLUMBIA  PICTURE 


I