Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1947)

MPA Film Library a Hit , Scope Is Broadened NEW YORK — National response to the children’s Saturday morning shows started by Eric Johnston, MPA head, has been so satisfactory in the first six months that more pictures are to be added to the total and a promotional campaign is to be started to spread the shows into more theatres. Cooperation of civic groups and women’s organizations is to be sought both for selecting the additional films and for assisting exhibitors in promotion of the shows. To date, the original 28 features made available by distributors have provided material for 6,000 shows in 1,000 theatres in the 48 states and some of the features have not been played out yet. Cooperation in some exchange areas has been better than others. New Orleans was tops. Ken Clark, Glendon Allvine and Arthur De Bra of the MPA who have been working on the details of handling the films are pleased by the progress to date, despite the fact there has been very little active promotion. Most of the progress has been due to simple announcements and field trips for explanation of the public relations value of the shows. These trips also have been valuable in securing comments from exhibitors. This has resulted in a number of modifications of the original plan. Some circuits have given active cooperation — RKO, Warner Bros., Loew’s and Paramount partners. Admission prices charged have ranged from 10 to 25 cents. It costs each distributing company about $6,000 to deliver prints to exchanges. The most popular pictures have been Paramount’s “Alice in Wonderland” and MGM’s "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Working with the project are a number of organizations interested in films for children. These include the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Parents Motion Picture Group of Greater New York, International Federation of Catholic Alumnae, Motion Picture Council of Protestant Women, Schools Motion Picture Committee, United Parents Ass’n and the National Board of Review. These organizations have discovered that children can be helpful in making selections of pictures for the program. Children selected for these screenings are of elementary school age. They have created a supplementary list of films to add to the original 28, and these films are designated CPR (Recommended for Children’s Programs). The community service department of the MPA hopes to have 52 titles on the children’s show list by the end of the year. This department has issued a 33-page booklet explaining how the project began, how the library has grown, how additions are made, how audience reactions are studied by means of the “wiggle” test, some of the difficulties encountered and other details. To make it easier for organizations and exhibitors to get together on spreading the programs half the booklet is devoted to explanations of how to organize the shows, the time, place and name for them, the choosing of a feature, rounding out a program and other sources of information. In each situation the booklet suggests that representatives of various organizations get together and organize a “children’s movie council” and these are urged to work closely with exhibitors. It is pointed out that the shows should be held Saturday mornings, and should be two hours long. Where exhibitors prefer early afternoon shows the lights are turned on at the end of the show and the house is cleared before the regular program goes on. Certain theatres are regarded as better than others because of location, available transportation, proximity to children, and the interest and enthusiasm of the manager. In each exchange there is a chairman who supervises distribution of prints and a chairman representing civic organizations. Booklets are to be sent to these first and there will be a more general distribution later. Expanded List of Film Library Features Original Titles COLUMBIA: Blondie Brings Up Baby. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. Five Little Peppers in Trouble. MGM: Young Tom Edison. The Human Comedy. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. MONOGRAM: The Hoosier Schoolboy. The Barefoot Boy. PARAMOUNT: Alice in Wonderland. Little Miss Marker. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. RKO: Two Thoroughbreds. Anne of Windy Poplars. Anne of Green Gables. 20th-FOX: Jane Eyre. The Poor Little Rich Girl. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm UNITED ARTISTS: Three’s a Family. Knickerbocker Holiday. Song of the Open Road. REPUBLIC: Sis Hopkins. Young Buffalo Bill. UNIVERSAL: The Under-Pup Sandy Gets Her Man. The Mighty Treve. WARNER BROS.: Green Pastures. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Prince and the Pauper. Films Recommended as Additions to Children’s Programs Young Mr. Lincoln (20th-Fox). David Copperfield (MGM). Boys Town (MGM). Knute Rockne All American (WB). Sequoia (MGM). Biscuit-Eater (Para) . Little Old New York (20th-Fox). Union Pacific (Para). The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (20th-Fox). Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout (20th-Fox). CPR Films (Current Films Recommended) Anna and the King of Siam (20th-Fox). Bad Bascomb (MGM). Bandit of Sherwood Forest (Col). The Bells of St. Mary’s (RKO). Black Beauty ( Alson-20th-Fox) . Boys’ Ranch (MGM). Courage of Lassie (MGM). David Copperfield (MGM). Fantasia (Disney-RKO). The Farmer’s Daughter (RKO). Going My Way (Para). The Green Years (MGM). The Jolson Story (Col). The Kid From Brooklyn (RKO). Lassie Come Home (MGM). Little Miss Big (Univ). Make Mine Music (20th-Fox). Margie (20th-Fox). Music For Millions (MGM). My Brother Talks to Horses (MGM). My Friend Flicka (20th-Fox). My Pal Trigger (Rep). National Velvet (MGM). O.S.S. (Para). The Overlanders (Australian-Univ) . Pinocchio (Disney-RKO). Sinbad the Sailor (RKO). Smoky (20th-Fox). So Goes My Love (Univ). Song of Scheherazade (U-I). Song of the South (Disney-RKO). State Fair (20th-Fox). Swiss Family Robinson (RKO). Three Little Girls in Blue (20th-Fox). Thunderhead (20th-Fox). The Time of Their Lives (Univ). Treasure Island (MGM). Wizard of Oz (MGM). The Yearling (MGM). Acceptable for Programs Cloak and Dagger (WB). Desert Horseman (Col). Fighting Frontiersman (Col). Gallant Journey (Col). Galloping Thunder (Col). Gentleman Joe Palooka (Mono). Ginger (Mono). Haunted Mine (Mono). Holiday in Mexico (MGM). Home in Oklahoma (Rep). It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dog (20th-Fox). Man From Rainbow Valley (Rep). Personality Kid (Col). Return of Monte Cristo (Col). Return of Rusty (Col). Roaring Rangers (Col). Roll On Texas Moon (Col). Twilight on Rio Grande (Rep). Two-Fisted Stranger (Col). Two Sisters From Boston (MGM). Under Nevada Skies (Rep). Wake Up and Dream (20th-Fox). Where Do We Go From Here (20th-Fox). 22 BOXOFFICE : : April 26, 1947