Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Page 36 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW May 27, 1939 Dealing realistically with the booking, advertising and exploitation of the newsreel, serial and short, and emphasizing their importance. IN THE $H€CT CoBumbia With "The Story of Elias Howe," first of "Fools Who Made History" series, scheduled to enter production next week, two important castings have been announced. Richard Fiske will play Howe, the Massachusetts youth whose invention of the sewing machine in 1848 changed American history, and Ann Doran will portray Elizabeth, the inventor's wife. Like the others in the series the subject is being written by Jan LeMan. LeMan also will direct and Hugh McCollum will produce. director for "The American Way." Rex Stout, author of the widely-read Nero Wolfe stories, will act as guest star to supplement the regular board of experts. In adapting the radio program to film presentation, use has been made of visual questions, as in the identification of objects which will be brought out before the experts. Pathe has already assembled a varied and peculiar assortment of things to tax their powers of identification. On May 28, the fifth birthday of the Quintuplets, cameras will be set up in the Dionne nursery at Callander for Pathe's "Five Times Five." Pictures of the birthday celebration will be included in the film biography, which will retell the dramatic life story of the famous babies. In addition to the feminine stars, Pathe has signed Alexander Woollcott as script-writer and narrator for the two-reel special, which will be released to theatres in June. Buster Keaton's second comedy, as yet untitled, was completed last week, with Jules White both producing and directing the two-reeler. Jill Martin, recently returned from Europe, played the feminine lead. As announced at the recent sales conventions. Community Sings again will be a part of the studio's 1939-40 short subjects product. This will mark, the fourth year of this popular one-reel musical series. An RKO Pathe Sportscope crew left this week for Livingstone Manor in upstate New York, where a reel on skeet shooting will be filmed. Joe Walsh, director; Harry Smith, cameraman; Dick Hertel, assistant cameraman; and Clarence Ellis, sound man, who comprise the crew, will return to New York City next week. The subject is titled "Double Barrel." A camera crew is now taking unusual shots of the New York World's Fair for a one-reel featurette soon to be released. This film will be a companion reel to the recently completed "Man-Made Island" which pictures highlights of the San Francisco World's Fair on Treasure Island. RKO The roster of experts who will try their wits against Clifton Fadiman's questioning in the first "Information Please" short includes Franklin P. Adams (FPA), noted New York columnist ; John Kieran, sports editor of the Nczv York Times ; and Oscar Levant, music MCM After waiting four years, Pete, only trained penguin in the world, at last gets what he was trained for — a role in an "Our Gang" comedy. Captain R. T. Luxford, Pete's owner, spent several years educating the bird to a point where he would be intelligent enough to emote before the cameras, all because he was told such a bird ought to fit in one of the Gang's comedies. When Pete was ready, however, there were no Gang comedies in which he would fit. So Luxford took Pete elsewhere, and he made his screen debut in "Little Miss Broadway." Recently, MGM called Luxford. They had written a screenplay with a place for Pete and wanted him to play one of the leading roles. The film is "Pups and Penguins." Cartoon producers Hugh Harman anc . . NEWSREEL SYNOPSES . . (Released Saturday, May 27) PARAMOUNT (No. 85) — Submarine disaster; King and Queen on tour of Canada. MOVIETONE (Vol. 21, No. 74)— Submarine disaster; Roosevelt defends government spending; British royalty at Ottawa; Archbishop Spellman enthroned; DC-4 takes off from Los Angeles; Irish sweepstakes winners. NEWS OF THE DAY (Vol. 10, No. 270)— Submarine disaster; DC-4 takes off from Los Angeles; Plane crash at Mt. Hamilton, Calif.: Archbishoo Spellman enthroned; British royalty at Ottawa; Irish sweepstakes winners. PATHE (Vol. 10, No. 89)— Submarine disaster; Roosevelt defends government spending; Plane crash at Mt. Hamilton, Calif.; National golf openers; Citizens day at Manitowoc, Wis. ; British royalty at Ottawa. UNIVERSAL (Vol. 11, No. 774) — Submarine disaster; Citizens day at Manitowoc, Wis.; Roosevelt defends government spending; Archbishop Spellman enthroned; DC-4 takes off from Los Angeles; Plane crash at Mt. Hamilton, Calif. ; Pet parade at Eugene, Ore. ; Frog-jumping contest in Calif. ; British royalty in Ottawa. (Released Wednesday, May 24) PARAMOUNT (No. 84) — Trans-Atlantic airmail service starts; Spain feeds starved war babies; British polo team in training; U. S. team in training; Fold boating in Connecticut ; Endless pomp marks tour of British royalty; Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose inspect London zoo. MOVIETONE NEWS (Vol. 21, No. 73)— Huge throngs hail British royalty in Canada; Chamberlain warns Hitler on Danzig question; Poland girds war machine; Rumania stages preparedness parade; Italian king reviews monsier parade; Test new stratoliner at Seattle; Huge French ship arrives in New York; Trans-Atlantic airmail service starts; Lew Lehi and Hollywood monkeys; British polo team in trair, ing; Norwegian prince nosed out in yacht race; Fold boating in Connecticut. NEWS OF THE DAY (Vol. 10, No. 271)— Huge throngs hail British royalty in Canada; Trans-Atlantic airmail service starts; Spain feeds starved war babies (except Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) ; Mussolini hails Nazi arms pact (except Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) ; Pennsylvania Day at N. Y. World's Fair (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh only); Fold boat fad sweeps U. S. ; French aerialists stage new thrills. PAVHE (Vol. 10, No. 88) — Huge throngs hail British royalty in Canada; Rome and Berlin weld 10year war pact; Trans-Atlantic airmail service starts; Norwegian prince nosed out in yacht race; Cuba marks 37 years of independence; Harvard wins Adams Cup crew classic. UNIVERSAL (Vol. 11. No. 773)— Huge throngs hail British royalty in Canada; Mussolini tours defense zone; Ocean airmail service starts; Giant new stratoplane tested at Seattle, Wash. ; Cuba marks 37 years of independence; Huge British liner ready for service; Maytime in England. FIRST RUN SHORT PRODUCT BROADWAY, NEW YORK (Week Beginning May 27) ASTOR— Prolit Without Honor (MGM). CAPITOL— Art Gallery (MGM) rev. this issue; Happily Buried (MGM) rev. this issue; Angel of Mercy (MGM). CRITERION — Lone Ranger Rides Again No. 15 (Rep.) rev. 2-18-39. RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL— Dixi^USA (M of T, RKO) rev. 5-13-39. RIALTO— The Fox Hunt (RKO) rev. 6-18-38. RIVOLI— Donald's Lucky Day (RKO) rev. 10-22-38. ROXY— Cuckoo Bird (20th-Fox) ; Sandhogs (20th-Fox) ; Ring Madness (RKO). STRAND— Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (Vita.) rev. 3-25-39; Dean of the Pasteboards (Vita.) rev. 5-20-39. CHICAGO LOOP (Week Ending May 27) APOLLO— Divin;? Rhythm (Col.) rev. 5-13-39; Luckv Pigs (Col.). CHICAGO— Popular Science No. 3 (Para.). GARRICK— Dark Magic (MGM) rev. this issue; Points on Pointers (Vita.); Porky and Teabiscuit (Vita.) rev. this issue. ROOSEVELT— Hamateur Night (Vita.). UNITED. ARTISTS — Paramount Presents Hoagy Carmichael (Para.) rev. this issue; Diamond Dust (Para.) rev. this issue; Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (Para.) rev. 4-29-39. Rudolf Ising who are now under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, are each working on a story about bears. Harmon is bringing to the screen your childhood favorite, "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears," while Ising is working on an original, titled, "The Sleeping Bear." Following the trend of the popular family series pictures. Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Buddy Bear will be carried through as the first family series in animated cartoons. Vitaphone "Old Glory," Hollywood's first Americanism color cartoon film to be produced for children, is to be released by Warner Bros, following its completion at the Leon Schlesinger studios. "Old Glory" will be in two reels and will be a history lesson for children of primary school age. Some "Doggy" Exploitation Ideas Suitable for New Mickey Mouse "Society Dog Show," one of the new Walt Disney cartoons in Technicolor, has several avenues for exploitation. Most iinportant of all, to our mind, would be to i tage a dog show, barring thoroughbreds end permitting the kiddies to enter their IQUttS. Have a beautiful girl, walk around the .business district leading a dog, or perhaps ieveral. The placard she carries would read: 'We're on our way to see Walt Disney's 'Society Dog Show,' etc." If you can get a trained dog, have him do his tricks at busy street intersections. Because there is widespread interest in amateur photography, why not stage a "Me and My Dog" contest? Winning snapshots could be reproduced in the newspaper and also in your lobby. And don't forget you can always tie up with those merchants selling toys, games, etc., based on Mickey Mouse and Pluto. High Class Campaign A. D. Deason, of Wichita Falls, Texas, put over a high class campaign for his engagement of "A Dream of Love" via an advance screening for music critics.