Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1945)

THE PRODUCTION CENTER AND VIEWS John Cromwell New Presidenl of EDO The Screen Directors Guild held its annual meeting and considered ways and means of increasing social security of meggers. Adopted were resolutions calling for the establishment of a guild retirement fund and a fund which would be devoted to helping unemployed or sick members and their families. Officers were elected as follows: John Cromwell, president; Mervyn LeRoy, first vice-president: Edward Dmytryk, second vice-president: Delmer Daves, secretary; A. Edward Sutherland, treasurer. New directors elected to a two-year term were: David Butler, George Cukor, Delmer Daves, Howard Hawks, Norman McLeod, A. Edward Sutherland, Richard Wallis and William Wellman. Harold Hopper Quits Metro To Back Independent Units Harold Hopper, Metro’s general manager the last year, has resigned. Formerly with the motion picture photographic division of the WPB, Hopper will devote his future time to financing independent motion picture enterprises and to the management of the Cinema Mercantile Co. which he has owned for more than 20 years. He is also president of the Motion Picture Society of the Americas. Heinz Roemheld to London For German Control Post Heinz Roemheld of Warner Bros.’ music department left for England on a leave from the studio. With headquarters in London, Roemheld will be attached to the office of policy and control for occupied Germany. The composer will coordinate press, film, radio and other cultural fields in the conquered country. Followup on "Crime, Inc." Deals With Bonnie Parker As a followup to “Crime, Inc.,” Martin Mooney will produce “Wanted for Murder” for PRC. The film will be based on the careers of Clyde Barrow, the Texas bandit, and Bonnie Parker, his notorious cigar-smoking “gun moll.” Sgt. Joel Levy Jr. Killed T/Sgt. Joel Levy jr„ 28, former member of the Monogram publicity department, has been killed in action in the Philippines with an army signal corps photographic unit, according to work received by his father, Joel Levy, film booker for Loew’s theatres. Levy is survived by a wife and child. HOST TO POLISH ATTACHE— Marek Libkov (left), Republic producer, who escaped from the Nazis when they invaded Poland, together with Edward Ashley (center), male star in a current Republic production, was host at the studio to Wladyslaw M. Besterman, press attache of the Polish embassy in Washington, who was an observer at the San Francisco conferences. Two Premieres Hold Center of Interest Gary Cooper, producer and co-star with Loretta Young of International’s “Along Came Jones,” will go to Texas June 20 to attend a premiere showing of the picture, which will play more than 100 theatres of the Lone Star state the weeks of June 20 and 27. It will appear in 40 theatres in Oklahoma the week following. General release through RKO Radio will be July 1. A premiere of Warner’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” filmization of the life of George Gershwin, will be held at the Hollywood Theatre in New York June 27, following a press preview the previous evening. The premiere will precede by two days the official opening of George Gershwin Jubilee week scheduled to begin June 29. “The Silver Fleet,” PRC English-made production, will have a west coast premiere at the Esquire Theatre June 15, when it will open an indefinite engagement. The picture was produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Montgomery a Director Robert Montgomery will direct as well as act in his own picture, Metro’s “They Were Expendable,” while Comdr. John Ford remains in a Hollywood hospital with a fractured leg. Ford was injured when he fell from a camera platform. WLB Rulings Issued In Publicists Case For a brief moment, the publicists took Hollywood’s labor limelight away from the striking technicians. Revealed were the recommendations of the War Labor Board panel which had heard the demands on the producers by the Screen Publicists Guild for an adjustment of wage scales and working conditions. Highlights of the panel’s recommendations included: Denial of the union’s demand for classification of senior members. Denial of the automatic promotion of juniors to seniors but recommended automatic promotion of apprentices to juniors after 12 months of service. Forty-hour work week was denied, but hours were cut from 56 to 48. No overtime after 6, as publicists demanded. Minimum call wiU be six hours for juniors and seniors; four hours for apprentices. Seniors to be granted a minimum of §120.64 weekly, the amount the producers had offered. Minimum for juniors set in four brackets ranging from $65 to $89.96. Apprentices’ minimum pegged at $40 for 40 hours. Allowance of 120 per cent of scale for distant location work was approved. Other details included: No award of pay to over-scale people; denied union demands on holidays; denied union demand for arbitration of discharges; denied union demand for severance pay when discharged for cause or resignation; stipulated dismissal pay unless discharged for cause; denied union demand for dismissal pay in case of death; denied union demand that union be notified in advance on discharges; sick leave, existing practices continue; denied demand for subcontract clause; same union shop clause as now; denied bonus for limited term assignment. As to the strike — it staggered into its 14th week with nothing of great significance happening. Pickets, even in increased numbers, continued to plod to and fro at film foundry entrances; there were the scattered displays of fisticuffs and shouting of invectives, and the producers again neglected to issue their weekly statement anent the strike’s status and the fact that production is progressing unhampered thereby. A. M. Botsford Resigns Post A. M. Botsford, veteran producer and studio executive, has resigned as vice-president and general manager of A. & S. Lyons. He will vacation before announcing his new association with a leading independent producer. BOXOFFICE :: June 9, 1945 51