Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

Bronze Plaques Awarded bq AMPA to Ad Winners New York — Bronze plaques, six inches in diameter, were awarded Saturday night to the winners in the second annual advertising awards of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers (Ampa). The presentations were made by Gordon S. White, the organization's retiring president, at Ampa’s dinner dance at the Hotel New Yorker. The affair drew approximately 450 persons from the film industry and allied fields. Ampa realized a profit of some $700 from the party, Herbert Spencer Berg, retiring treasurer, announced this week. Poster Award to Tisman Joseph Tisman of Warner won the poster award for the second time for a 24sheet on “Black Legion” in which the figure of a masked terrorist holding a whip and the title predominated. Warner also was given second choice for a poster on "Walking Dead.” Other awards for motion picture industry advertising adjudged the best of the past year were as follows: Best press book: M-G-M, for “The Great Ziegfeld.” Second choice was a tie between RKO’s “Mary of Scotland” and Universal’s “Three Smart Girls” press books. Best advertisement addressed to the trade: Alec Moss, Paramount, for a trade insert describing the experiences of a Rushville, Ind., exhibitor. Universal was given second choice for an ad on “Three Smart Girls.” March of Time Ad Wins Best advertisement addressed to the public: March of Time, for a full-page magazine ad captioned “Faces.” United Artists took second choice for a “Come and Get It” advertisement. Individual credits were listed as follows: Winning press book, Howard Dietz, Silas Seadler, William R. Ferguson, Thomas Gerety; trade advertisement, Donald Gibbs, Moe Kallis; advertisement to public, Ralph Rolan, Benjamin Giffen, Vincent Keppler. 275 OPENINGS SCHEDULED FOR “PRINCE" New York — Warner’s “The Prince and the Pauper” is scheduled for simultaneous openings in 275 situations throughout the country during the week of May 8. Left, Gordon S. White is felicitated by Ketti Gallian of RKO’s player roster on the conclusion of two terms as Ampa president. The gentlemen below hold the bronze plaques awarded by Ampa for the best film advertising of the past year. From left: Milton Weiss, M-G-M; Joseph Tisman, Warner; Alec Moss, Paramount ; Ralph Rolan, March of Time. Rolan is Ampa’s new chief. ^Photos by Metropolitan) . INTERNATIONALIZING the film industry is the latest vogue. Adolph Zukor has just been made an officer of the French Legion of Honor “in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of motion pictures as a world art medium.” In his troop will be Walter Hutchinson, foreign manager of 20th Century-Fox, and Truman Talley, vice-president of Movietone News, who were this week elected chevaliers of the Legion of Honor “for distinguished services performed in the interests of France.” Recently Zukor was made a Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy. “If the Screen Actors’ Guild acts in sympathy with the strikers the film industry may be so crippled it won’t be able to turn out more than one bad picture a week.” — H. I. Phillips, N. Y. Su7i. Harry and William Brandt were among the Kentucky Derby spectators . . . Bob Savini is in Toronto . . . Clay Adams, assistant to Sol M. Wurtzel, executive producer at 20th Century-Fox studios, is honeymooning here with his bride, the former Patty MacRobert, of Larchmont. They return to Hollywood next week . . . Will H. Hays will speak before the national convention of the American Red Cross at Washington May 13 . . . Carl Laemmle jr. is here from the coast. Portrait of a bride-to-be: “Mussolini is a great fellow. So is Adolf Hitler, for the German people . . . The people in Hollywood are beautifully treated. The makeup people have very long hours ... I'd expect something like that (Buddy Rogers saving Connie Boswell in a studio fire) from Buddy. He's a good man in emergencies. He plays polo.” — Mary Pickford. Gastronomical: A testimonial dinner to Gene Buck, Ascap president, drew such personages as Herbert Hoover, Postmaster General Farley, Jack Dempsey, Harry Hershfield, J. Edgar Hoover and about 750 others. The Catholic Actors’ Guild sponsored the affair . . . Linton Wells, eastern director of publicity for Samuel Goldwyn, was honor guest at a luncheon given by his former newspaper colleagues in Washington Tuesday. Lou Brown of Loew’s Capitol was the arranger. Izzy Rappaport of the Hippodrome, Baltimore, stopped off here long enough to predict three weeks at his showindow for “Shall We Dance” . . . Oscar Doob points, with pride, to the fact that the boys in the Loew chain have promoted 62 full pages of publicity since January I . . . Jack Glauber, for the last three years sales manager for Price Theatre Premiums, has resigned to go into business for himself . . . Erwin Van Swol of the 20th Century-Fox foreign publicity department, has parted company with a pesky appendix. Leslie E. Thompson is back from Palm Springs, Fla . . . Oscar F. Neu, head of Neumade Products, is on a tour of equipment dealers, coast to coast . . . Arthur (Continued on page 24) 20 BOXOFFICE :: May 8, 1937.