Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1939)

Washington Meets Capra's Mr. Smith By RED KANN Washington — Tuesday was Capra Day here. Congress discussed neutrality. Lobbyists were functioning, as usual, on behalf of their special interests. But the city knew that Mr. Smith and Capra, his mentor, had arrived in Washington. The producer came in from Hollywood. He was the friendly target of a luncheon thrown in his honor by the directors of the National Press Club and most of the members were there. Capra spoke. So did W. G. Van Schmus, managing director of the Music Hall which will house Mr. Smith during his first-run stay in New York. Arthur Hachten, president of the press club, finished off the talks. A group of 60 journeyed down from New York to greet Mr. Smith as he went to Washington. They included New York newspaper critics, representatives of news syndicates, trade papers, national magazines and, of course, the top kick men from Columbia’s home office. In Philadelphia and Baltimore, others joined up and, by the time the out-of-New York contingent had arrived, Boston already was on hand. Some repaired immediately to the Mayflower Hotel. Others, by arrangement, had an opportimity to listen to the neutrality debate in Congress. All had an early dinner and, in the evening, converged at Constitution Hall as a small segment in an audience of 4,000 which had assembled for the world premiere on the account of Mr. Smith and what and how he did it in Washington. Since the far-famed National Press Club was host, many of the visiting newspapermen stuck around press headquarters after their stories were filed and at 2 o’clock Wednesday morning, rejoined their temporary Pullman abodes for the journey to their respective cities. Not only this. Columbia, which hasn’t had a junket of this kind until Mr. Smith made one possible, gathered up important exhibitors from the smTounding territory. For instance, these; From Baltimore: Frank Durkee, Durkee circuit; I. M. Rappaport, Hippodrome Theatre; J. Louis Rome, Rome circuit. From Washington; John J. Payette, general zone manager, Warner theatres; George A. Crouch, assistant general zone manager, Warner theatres; Charles Olive and Fred Kogod, Atlas and Princess; A. E. Lichtman, Lichtman circuit; Louis Bernheimer, Bernheimer theatres; Morton Thalhimer and Sam Bendheirn, Neighborhood Theatres, Richmond, Va.; Ben Pitts, Pitts circuit, Fredericksburg, Va.; Louis Ribnitzki, chief booker, Warner theatres; J. Henry Hiser, Hiser, Bethesda, Md.; Herman Rubin, Century, Petersburg, Va.; William Wilder, Wilder theatres, Norfolk, Va.; Leonard Gordon, Palace, Newport News, Va.; Mrs. Clara Wachter, Hem-y’s, Hagerstown, Md.; Mrs. Grace Fisher, the Maryland, Cumberland, Md.; Hunter Perry, Paramount, Charlottesville, Md., and Elmore D. Heins, Roanoke, Va. From New York, newspaper and trade (Continued on page 19) He's a Never-LickedYet Optimist New York — War, weather, punk product, catastrophe, studio strikes, major shakeups and market crashes notwithstanding, the industry has never faced a crisis from which it did not extricate itself, and the Second World War and its implications is no exception. That, rather briefly, is the nostalgic reaction of a declared veteran of 25 years, at present the film buyer lor a major circuit, when confronted with the query: "What's going to happen if each of the majors lops off from one to four pictures because the loss of foreign revenue dictates a general economy wave which might ultimately suggest the dropping of certain planned productions?" Says he, "I have seen emergency situations far more drastic in terms of dollars and cents than that which seems to be cropping up ever since the new war began. Don't fear, we always find a way, and you can be sure it's usually not a very painful way, either. As matters stand today, I think it is something to cheer about. It's the best opportunity the industry has ever had to balance itself. It means cleaning house in Hollywood, the lifeblood of our existence." Private Job Increase Boon to Cleveland Cleveland — Relief officials in Cleveland state that more than 3,000 family heads have left relief rolls during the last 60 days for private jobs. This is a reversal of the relief trend here a year ago when thousands were added to the WPA and city relief rolls because of business recession. Relief officials credit today’s business improvement in mills, shops and factories as reason for absorbing workers. Employment supervisors for WPA in Cuyahoga coimty report more than 2,000 had left WPA jobs for private industry in August and September. City relief officials say more than 500 had informed relief visitors that they had obtained private jobs during the two-month period and officials added that as many more had gone into private industry without notifying visitors. Similarly, the officials of the National Youth Administration in Cleveland state that a total of 71 youths have, during the past two months, left the rolls for private jobs. Conduct Nationwide Tour For Map-Ad Service Kansas City — ^Pausing here for conclusion of local theatre contracts, Victor Cornelius, president, and T. C. Collins, general sales manager of Victor Cornelius Nap-Ad, Eastland, Tex., announced a nationwide tour in behalf of the theatre poster service firm. The tour from here will include St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Among circuits already represented in Nap-Ad contracts are Gibraltar, Fox West Coast, Fox Intermountain, Fox Midwest, Griffith groups, Robb and Rowley, Rialto, Frisini, Kerasotes, Pox Everg reen. Westland, Atlas, and Coles. Goetz Will Rest New York — Ben Goetz, M-G-M production executive, has been discharged from Doctor’s Hospital and is planning a trip to the coast after a short rest. Vodvil Influx Posing Problem for Majors New York — Impact on distributors of the recent influx of vaudeville at independent houses in the metropolitan area is seen in the inquiries being directed at unclosed accounts to ascertain how m.uch, if any, screen playing time may be lost. Prom the tenor of queries, according to exhibitors who have been approached, there is a growing uneasiness among sales heads over the bullish market on stage acts, whether name bands, variety units or revivals of amateur nights. Reduced to its essentials, the anxiety is only where 1939-40 deals have not been concluded. In these cases the chances of getting a deal is seen to be considerably reduced if the exhibitor decides to drop one or two companies’ product in favor of flesh. It is admitted in sales circles that virtually every flesh performance displaces a second feature and that where the onefilm-vaudeville policy clicks at least one, perhaps two, distributors may lose out. 'This calculation is on the basis of stage shows for a three-day maximum basis. Where the shows run the full week, film consumption is proportionately less. At present there are about 12 houses in this area using one or more forms of stage attractions. Varying results are reported, but, in the main, there appears to be no cheering over boxoffice returns. At the same time, it is to be borne in mind that New York independents are about the last to sign up for new season product. Sales executives say the present impetus of vaudeville may only amount to a trial horse before the time arrives for independents to affix signatures to sales contracts. If the new combination program meets with any success, costlier film offerings will have fewer takers, is the tacit admission. RKO-Blank Des Moines Pool Ends Next Month New York — The RKO-Blank pool in Des Moines will be definitely terminated next month, it is learned with the return of J. J. O’Connor, general manager of RKO theatre operations, from a visit to Des Moines and Chicago. The exact date now is being worked out. 16 BOXOFFICE ; : October 21, 1939