Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 21, 1942)

January 21st, 1942 Page 5 (A New Idea and A Good One Canadian FILM WEEKLY Research Bureau Checks on Film Habits Movies Show Civic Progress Citizens of thirty-five municipalities are being acquainted with functions of local government through use of motion pictures, ~ the International City Managers’ Association announces. A survey indicated the films range from a $25,000 production of Detroit civic activities, viewed by an estimated 7,000,000 persons, to one-reel films produced and edited by amateurs. Atlanta, Ga., has completed a twenty-minute short which is being exhibited in local theatres. Chicago municipal authorities have for display two films—‘Fun on the Lake Front,” picturing park and beach activities, and ‘Baseball.” One of the latest municipal productions is a colored film called “Municipal Service,” dealing with Portland Ore. The film was written, directed and edited by a city employee, while the official city photographer “shot” the production. Sound films have been made by six cities—Atlanta, Ga.; Berkeley, Cal.; Boston, Schenectady, N.Y.; Tacoma, Wash., and Chicago. Specially prepared scripts were followed in production at Austin, Tex.; Boston, Denver, Pasadena, Cal., and Cleveland. @ Film Drama Of Amy Johnson “They Flew Alone” has been fixed as the definite title of the film drama now in course of production in England, with Amy Johnson the flier acted by Anna Neagle. It is being made at the Denham studio near London, produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox for RKO Radio release. Playing opposite Miss Neagle is Robert Newton as Jim Mollison, whose romance with the British aviatrix forms one of the beads in the string of this picture. Edward Chapman and Joan-Kemp Welch will be seen as Amy Johnson’s parents, and Charles Carson as Lord Wakefield, the late patron of British flying. s Irina Baronova, star of the Ballet Theatre, served as the inspiration for Mlle. Upanova, the dancing ostrich in the “Dance of the Hours” sequence which is a highlight of Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia,’ ee released nationally by RKO Radio. Disney artists went backstage many times to sketch the dancer in various poses. Later Miss Baronova. visited the studio to dance to Dukas’ music so that the artists could develop the animated character. % = % 4 The Motion Picture Research Bureau, operating under the direction of Dr. Leo Handel, has released the results of a research study conducted primarily to analyze certain related habits of the New York motion picture audience. Over 500 personal interviews were made in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. An equal number of men and women were questioned, special care being taken to obtain a good age, income, and occupational crosssection. The field work was done in December, 1941. The average movie attendance, including non-movie-goers in the calculation, is three and a half to four times a month. There are two types of movie goers. Persons who, when they plan to go to a show, have a particular picture in mind and those who “just want to go to the movies” and attend partly of their own violition and partly because someone else suggested it. Respondents who went to the movies at least once a month were classified as below, their latest movie visit being considered: 36% had a particular show in mind when they attended just felt like going to see any picture attended because someone else suggested it had miscellaneous reasons Consideration should be given to the fact that, during the period covered by this investigation, many of the top productions of the year hit the large New York circuits. Respondents falling in the first two groups were then asked why they chose this hour and day to attend. The time factor led among these responses. There are, first af all, persons who took advantage of a few free hours to get to the movies, indicating that they ordinarily have very little free time. Then there are those who attended just to kill time, giving the impression that movies helped them to fill in empty hours. (The following tables add to more than 100% because some of the respondents mentioned more than one reason) Persons who indicated they went to see a definite picture were asked how they first learned about it. Reviews in newspapers and magazines and recommendations from friends and relatives led among the sources given. Reviews in papers, magazines 319% Recommendations by other persons ~ 31% Ads in papers, magazine& Preview trailers 50% 11% other 3% EEE —————— Billboards, circulars 7% Advertising (unspecified) 6% Information on marquee and in theatre 5% Read book, saw play 3% Radio 2% Other 2% The same group of persons was asked what attracted them most when they first learned about this particular picture. As was to be expected, the stars were leading. The type of story, however, was a close runner-up. Stars 41% Story 33% Just considered good 7% Title 6% Songs, music 5% Like cartoons 4% Part of Series 3% Other T%, Don't remember 3% To get a picture of the extent to which radio programs compete with movie attendance, movie-goers were asked whether it had ever happened that they had had to choose between going to see a picture and listening to a radio program: 25% said “Yes”. RCAF Film To Have Premiere “Captains of the Clouds,” Warner Bros.’ film about the Royal Canadian Air Force, _ starring James Cagney, will have simultaneous world premieres early next month in New York, Ottawa, London, Cairo and Melbourne. Prints of the picture will be flown to London and the three outposts of the British Empire by planes of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Hundreds of Canadian and Australian flyers now in service will thus be enabled to see themselves on the screen in sequences of the picture which were filmed while they were in training at RCAF stations in Canada. Besides the flying forces, all other Canadian troops now serving overseas will find “Captain of the Clouds” of especial interest, since it was filmed entirely in Canada. Besides depicting the thorough training given RCAF cadets, the production also shows the operations involved in flying American-made bombers from Canada to England. Arrangements are being made for a short-wave hook-up in connection with the simultaneous openings, in the course of which Canadian airmen at the far-flung premiere cities will be interviewed on their reactions to the screen tribute to their gallant organization. A new idea in movie theatre information is in action in Brooklyn which is being popularly received. It is the work of Ben E. Manber, a former movie publicity man. Manber has established a central bureau of information called the Theatre Information Centre. It provides a free service to the residents of Brooklyn. By phoning headquarters the would-be patron can find out the name, prices, stars, time and anything else he’d like to know about the picture or theatre. He can also get a complete list along the same lines of every theatre in his area. Manber got his idea when he observed that, though theatres, studios and exchanges spent thousands of dollars yearly to tell the public what’s going on in a movie way, yet nobody seemed to know what was playing, etc., on the night he wished to attend the theatre. From the response it would seem that Manber has something. New Fan Magazine Makes Bow Stardom, a new movie magazine, made an auspicious debut with an exclusive interview—the last given by Jean Harlow before her untimely death, to Hollywood reporter Jimmy Starr—and only now printed for the first time. Also featured is a fictionization of Sam Goldwyn’s hit production “Ball of Fire’, written for the magazine by the original authors of the screen play, Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Listed as guest editor is Clark Gable. Other names appearing in H the table of contents as authors of ! special articles are Ginger Rogers, Dorothy Lamour, and Mrs. “Red” Skelton, wife of the comedian, who writes a revealing story titled, “Hollywoods Madman Is Mine!” Movies Are Not Crime Inspiring Movies do not cause crime, but instead they do sometimes release the pattern which makes secret wishes possible, according to Dr. Ernest Lion, psychiatrist. What really happens is that a movie sometimes may reveal to | a child who is trying to solve some problem or secret desire the manner in which it can be done, but the secret desire is there first. Juvenile Court Judge Thomas Foley also told the council that in all his judicial experience he had never had a case of lawbreaking which could be definitely traced to movie influence,