Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

Birdseye view of the new Grand National Studios formally opened April 1. Most Majors Prefer West Coast for Sales Parleys New York — The major film companies this week continued to announce dates and places for their annual sales meetings scheduled for May and June preliminary to field drives by salesmen concentrating on the 1937-38 product. Los Angeles, adjacent to Hollywood, headquarters of production, is most favored by the companies for their sales conclaves, M-G-M. 20th Century-Fox, Paramount and Grand National selecting the west coast for their meetings. Listed alphabetically by companies, the dates and places for sales conventions this year are as follows: Columbia — Date not to be decided until Jack Cohn leaves for Hollywood later this month for conferences with Harry Cohn. GB — The meets will be divided into two parts with the eastern sales staff convening here during the first week in June and the staff operating in the west meeting the following week, probably in Hollywood. Arthur A. Lee, vice-president, leaves for England on April 29 to discuss the forthcoming season’s product with GB production executives. Lee will return to America early in June in time for the eastern convention. Grand National — Probably the second week in May at the new Grand National studios in Hollywood. Edward Peskay, general sales manager, and Edward Finney, publicity and advertising head, left for the west coast late this week. M-G-M — The annual sales convention will be held at the Culver City studios starting the week of May 2 with delegates making their headquarters at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. William F. Rodgers, general manager of sales and distribution; Thomas J. Connors, eastern and southern sales manager; Edward M. Saunders, western sales manager, and Howard Dietz, director of advertising, publicity and exploitation, will be prominent among those in attendance. The eastern representation leaves for the west coast late this month. Monogram — The first of several regional sales conventions will be held in Chicago during the first or second week in May, according to latest information from W. Ray Johnston, president. All Monogram branch offices will be in full operation by that time. Exact date and place for the first sales meet will be decided upon later. Paramount — Annual sales convention will be held June 10 to 13 inclusive at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. District and branch managers in the U. S. and Canada, home office executives and studio production heads will attend. RKO Radio — A mid-June sales convention is tentatively scheduled to be held in Los Angeles. Republic — Date and place will not be decided upon until J. J. Milstein, vice-president in charge of sales, arrives in Hollywood next week for conferences with company producers. United Artists — Date and place now un der discussion between George J. Schaefer and A. W. Smith jr., general sales manager. Universal — Plans for a general sales meeting, tentatively scheduled for May 17 to 19 in Los Angeles, may be changed to several regional meetings. James R. Grainger, general sales manager, now in Hollywood for conferences with Charles R. Rogers, production head. Warner Bros. — Date and place to be decided this week by Gradwell L. Sears, general sales manager. NEW GN STUDIOS CAN HANDLE FIVE UNITS Hollywood — Fully prepared to take care of five shooting companies at the same time, the Grand National studios, which opened here April 6, is one of the bestequipped studios in California. The plant has ten acres of ground space, providing Grand National with facilities for expansion should further space be needed in the future. Included is an exterior tank, made of concrete, for water shots. This is five feet deep and 40 feet wide, allowing for the erection of a complete setting which may be flooded for story requirements. Edward L. Alperson, president of Grand National Films, signed the ten-year lease on the studios, which was formerly the Educational lot, after several weeks of negotiations. Under its former aegis it served as the starting point for some of the screen’s outstanding stars. Sets Fund Campaign Hollywood — A. P. Waxman, handling publicity for the Will Rogers Hospital drive, arrived here early this week in connection with this year’s ca,mpaign for the Rogers Memorial Fund to be observed in theatres the week beginning April, 30. While here Waxman will arrange for the filming of a short subject showing various industry leaders endorsing the drive. This will be shown throughput the country. Expand Roadshow New York — With present plans calling for two-a-day engagements of “Lost Horizon” in important spots in every exchange territory, 19 new dates were set by the home office during the past week bringing the total to more than 50. Because of the success of the roadshow presentations already played, “Columbia Pictures Corp. is planning complete national coverage under this policy,” said Jack Cohn, company vice-president, here this week. New Divorce Bill Madison, Wis. — With one bill designed to divorce production and distribution from exhibition reposing in committee. Assemblyman Earl Hall last week introduced a new measure containing similar provisions. Hall said that the measure was introduced at the behest of the Independent Home Owned Theatre Ass’n of Milwaukee. BOXOFFICE : : April 10, 1937. 7