Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1945)

Army's Burning of Film " Tempest in a Teapot' ATS Inducts Officers, Presents 15 Awards NEW YORK — The American Television Society presented 15 awards for outstanding work in video during the last year at the June 14 meeting, following the induction of the organization’s recently-elected officers. Recipients of the awards, selected by editors of television periodicals, were: Station WNBT for outstanding production: WCBW for outstanding news program; WRGB for outstanding contribution to children's programming; WCBW for best educational program; WNBT for most consistent sports programming; Ruthrauf & Ryan, Inc., for most consistent effort in developing effective television commercials; Paul Alley of WNBT for outstanding editing of news films; WPTZ for developing football television technique; WRGB for best institutional video commercial; Klaus Landsberg of W6XYZ for consistent technical excellence in television productions; Paul Mowrey, director of television for American Broadcasting Co., for outstanding work in preparing the ABC for television; WBKB for preparing the midwest for commercial television; W6XAO for making video facilities available for commercial development on the west coast, and WABD for the development of video commercially. Retiring President Honored An ATS service award was presented to Dan D. Halpin, retiring president, by George Shupert, new president. Besides Shupert, the following new officials were inducted: David Hale Halperin, vice-president; Don McClure, treasurer, and Alice Pentlarge, secretary. Members of the board of directors taking office were: Prof. Edward C. Cole, John Flory, Dan D. Halpin, Theodore Huston, Charles H. Kleinman, Evelyn Peirce and Herbert E. Taylor. During the last year membership in the ATS increased from less than 100 to approximately 300, it was reported. United Artists Re-Elect All Company Officers NEW YORK — All officers of United Artists Corp. were re-elected at an annual meeting of the company directors held June 5. Edward C. Raftery was re-elected president, and Gradwell L. Sears, who attended the meeting, will continue as vice-president in charge of distribution. George L. Bagnall was re-elected vice-president in charge of production. Additional officers to be re-elected included Harry J. Muller, treasurer; Loyd Wright, secretary; Charles E. Millikan, Paul D. O'Brien, Harry D. Buckley and Harry J. Muller, assistant secretaries. Herbert A. Weimer will again serve as assistant treasurer. Edward C. Raftery, Franklin Cole, Isaac A. Pennypacker, Neil F. Agnew, Milton A. Kramer, Phillip F. Siff, Sydney Chaplin, E. Claude Mills and Rex Dennant were elected directors for the ensuing year at a stockholders meeting held before the directors meeting. Directors for New Export Corporation Are Named NEW YORK — Directors for the new motion picture export corporation, charter for which was filed at Dover early in the week were elected Thursday as follows: Columbia, Joseph A. McConville; 20th-Fox, Murray Silverstone; Loew’s, Maj. Arthur M. Loew; Paramount, George Weltner; RKO, Phil Reisman; Universal, Joseph H. Seidelman; Warners, Sam Schneider. One more director is to be elected from the independents. Floodlights Brighten 'Wonder Man' Bow NEW YORK— Some 60,000 watts of light flooded the marquee of the Astor Theatre for the opening Friday night of Samuel Goldwyn’s “The Wonder Man.’’ A special marquee was constructed for the engagement. It was the first brilliantly-lighted opening since the war. Among the officials invited were Borough Presidents Nathan, Cashmore, Burke and Lyons. Members of the Brooklyn Dodgers, headed by Leo Durocher, were also guests, since Brooklyn is the locale of the film. Eddie Cantor, RKO producer, headed a delegation of comedians who came to pay tribute to Danny Kaye, star of the film. These included Milton Berle, Bert Lahr, Ed Wynn, Peter Donald, Willie Howard, Ole Olson, Chic Johnson, Jimmy Savo, Zero Mostel, Guy Kibbee, Jerry Lester and Jackie Gleason. Guests of Bruce Humberstone, director of “The Wonder Man,” included Mrs. Sam Wood, Commander and Mrs. Phil Berg, Col. and Mrs. Paul Zuckerman, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Kreindler and Frank B. Humberstone, father of the director. Schaefer Is Honor Guest At Associates Dinner NEW YORK — More than 800 industry representatives attended the 26th annual dinnerdance of Motion Picture Associates at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to honor George J. Schaefer, national chairman of WAC and chairman of the board of Lester Cowan Productions. Schaefer received a plaque, the first of a series of such awards to be made yearly to a person selected by the members, for his distinguished service in the industry. Proceeds from the affair went to the Motion Picture Associates’ charity fund. A station wagon was donated to the American Red Cross. “SEVENS” EXPLAIN IT— Eddie Cantor and his vocalist, Nora Martin, reach New York for three weeks of broadcasts and some concentrated work on the Seventh War Loan before returning to the coast to start RKO’s “Show Business Out West.” WASHINGTON — The much-talked-about film burning ascribed to the U.S. army, which has caused considerable controversy, turns out to be a “tempest in a teapot.” The army admits it has disposed of such film, but insists that its action was correct in every detail and that failure of the film industry to respond to its calls for salvage bids made it necessary in the fall of 1944 to dispose of obsolete and unserviceable footage by burning. For a ten-week period prior to November, 1944, the army burned some 225 tons of film. Most of this film was on an acetate base and various commercial film companies, such as Eastman Kodak and DuPont, turned dowii requests for bids in the hope that there may be salvage value in the film. Inasmuch as this film represented an accumulation of about two years of product that, according to army standards, no longer was usable, it was decided to dispose of it by burning. Early in November of 1944, the army reclamation service, in experimenting with possible salvage use of the film, discovered that the acetate base might be used in plastic work and a reclamation plant was started at Fort Totten, L. I., to work out the commercial practicability of the film that may be declared unusuable by the army. Since that time all such film has been shunted to Fort Totten, where it is stored under water in old ammunition caves. Its ultimate disposal will depend to a great degree upon the continued experiments of the army reclamation service, and bids received from commercial companies based upon such experiments. “At no time have prints valuable to civilian economy been destroyed,” said Lieut. Col. George Muchnic, executive officer of the Army Pictorial Services. “The film destroyed in the past has been unserviceable prints and so-called surplus training films declared obsolete. Such pictures describing the use of 155mm guns for example, are of no value to the public and were destroyed. “I must emphasize that all negatives and dupes are being kept for record purposes. “Insofar as the stories concerning our refusal to permit other government agencies to use this film are concerned, those tales are not quite correct. We had received such requests, especially from the Office of Education, but inasmuch as some of these pictures were turned over to us subject to various conditions, we were not free to dispose of them to other agencies at that time.” Irvin Shapiro Is Elected Head of New Film Group NEW YORK — Irvin Shapiro has been elected president of United Screen Attractions, newly-formed national distribution company with home office at 1600 Broadway, and key branches planned in more than 20 exchange centers. The organization will release 30 new pictures as well as reissues. In founding the new distributing company, the board of directors purchased all the capital stock of the former United Screen Attractions. The board also confirmed a distribution deal concluded by George A. Hirliman, president of International Theatrical & Television Corp. and Shapiro, whereby United Screen Attractions will distribute internationally all 35mm product controlled by IT&T. BOXOFFICE :: June 9, 1945 N 43