Canadian Film Weekly (Apr 29, 1942)

Page 6 History of RKO Pathe News RKO Pathe News’ current celebration of a third of a century of its existence brings into sharp focus the fact that great changes have taken place in newsreels since Charles Pathe first sponsored his news-by-motion-pictures idea more than thirty years ago. Increased demand by the public for real, vital news clips, plus the advent of sound have served to stimulate the growth of the newsreel until today it is a giant organization with life lines reaching into the far corners of the earth, backed up by a vast and intricate system. In the old silent days, for instance, a news gathering expedition consisted of one man and a camera. Today, in sharp contrast, an RKO Pathe News crew carries equipment that costs up to $25,000, and involves the integrated services of a chief cameraman, an assistant, a sound man, a contact man, and very often two men who handle special lighting equipment. The light men are essential when stories break at night, or in dull weather or in inside locations where natural light is not ayailable. Back of this field crew is a complete organization that operates much like a newspaper. There is a news desk where most of the news tips clear, and a staff of editors and writers who prepare the commentaries. In addition, there is a music department which handles the musical accompaniment wherever it is necessary, and special super rapid recording and laboratory facilities which operate at incredible speed, so that within a few hours after a negative is received at the RKO Pathe News offices at 625 Madison Avenue in New York City, prints are available to theatres in the metropolitan area while other prints are on their way by plane to the rest of the country. Today, because world news of importance breaks constantly, the newsreel is more a daily mewspaper than ever before in its history. RKO Pathe News, which is the pioneer of them all, had its birth in Paris in 1910 where it was called the Pathe Journal. Later that year, Charles Pathe, its founder, established an American edition under the management of Jacques A. Berst. In 1914 the title was changed to Pathe News. From 1917 to 1918 it was called the Hearst-Pathe News, and in 1919 it resumed its original name of Pathe News which it carried until 1931 when it was named the RKO Pathe News. The Office of Civilian Defence at Washington has issued a booklet to American theatre owners covering air raid precautions. No similar booklet has been issued in Canada despite our earlier entry into the war. A draft of a booklet of instructions was offered to the Fire Marshall for approval by two theatre representatives a while back but has not yet been returned. The American idea may be worth noting and is hereby reprinted: (1) To provide the mechanical means by which all air raid warnings will be received promptly and can be transmitted immediately to the theatre warden; (2) To make certain that the blackout of the theatre can be effected rapidly and is complete; (3) To prepare an emergency lighting system which will not affect the blackout, but which will provide a necessary minimum of light to prevent confusion among personnel and patrons; (4) To prepare signs and directions in the theatre that patrons and personnel can follow to exits and first-aid posts, including blackout-tested illuminated signs and blackout-tested illuminated routes; (5) To _ eliminate possible building hazards; (6) To organize emergency communications, signalling and messenger systems, both within the theatre and to the zone warden; (7) To make safety provisions for furnace boilers, gas tanks, and vital points; (8) To appoint theatre wardens and a theatre defense group from personnel; (9) To organize completely and train the theatre defense group so that it is prepared to cope with any emergency; (10) To provide equipment for the building and theatre defense group; and (11) To maintain close liaison with the zone warden or the local citizens’ defense corps. Organization of the theatre defense group calls for: (1) Preparation of a complete organization plan which should be discussed with the zone warden and the commander of the citizens’ defense corps; (2) Appointment of a theatre warden, assistant theatre wardens, and orchestra and balcony wardens; (3) Appointment of wardens in charge of lights, normal Canadian FILM WEEKLY Air Raid Instructions To Theatres and blackout; communications, normal and messenger; heating, plumbing, gas and ventilating systems, elevators, escalators, etc.; (4) Appointment of stairway guards, fire watchers, and first aid workers, to assist the emergency medical service, and (5) Selection of a theatre warden’s post (theatre warden’s headquarters), orchestra and balcony wardens’ posts, fire watchers’ posts, and first aid posts. Arrangement of personnel training schedules, as well as location of the nearest casualty station of the emergency medical service likewise is advocated. This type of organization, it was revealed, is considered minimum for theatres maintaining paid personnel of ten or more. For theatres with smaller staffs a combining of some of these duties may be practical, it was said. A description of the duties of the theatre warden, before, during, and after the raid,.and in case of direct bomb hits on the theatre, those of the orchestra and balcony wardens, first aid workers, messengers, building technicians, stairway guards, fire watchers, and others are contained in the regulations. The following items of equipment are included among those suggested for theatre use: first aid kits, stretchers, blankets, flashlights, water, whistles, rope, ladders, boxes of sand, hose, barrels, picks, crowbars, shovels, buckets and gas alarm devices. The OCD points out that the suggested regulations should be considered as additional advice and not used singularly nor in the light of superseding previous instructions issued by the OCD. Because of the varying size and type of theatres as well as equipment and personnel, specific plans will be left to management of each. However, during actual raids, it was explained, the regulations will urge that the show go on because of the opinion that its continuance will do more than anything else to keep the audience calm. Short of Stunters Hollywood faces a shortage of stunt pilots, it was discovered when Paramount sought flyers to man Japanese planes for attack scenes in “Wake Island.” Fifteen years ago one hundred movie fiyers worked on such pictures as ‘‘Wings,” “Lilac Time’ and “Hell’s Agenls” but now the studio is encountering difficulty in finding a dozen. a eee ee ee ees eee eS Ses a a ee SS aaa aaa. April 29th, 1942 Revivals in Manhattan Beau Geste—1939 adventure story; G. Cooper, R. Milland. Crime and Punishment—1936 psychological melodrama; Peter Lorre. @ Dark WVictory—1939 drama; B. Davis, G. Brent. Duck Soup—i933 farce; Marx Bros. Foreign Correspondent — 1940 melodrama; J. McCrea, A. Basserman. Golden Boy—1939 drama; W. Holden. Holiday—1938 comedy; Hepburn & C. Grant. Hunchback of Notre Dame—1939 drama; C. Laughton. It’s Love I’m After—1937 comedy; L. Howard, B. Davis. Jezebel—1938 costume melodrama; B. Davis, H. Fonda. Joy of Living—1938 comedy; I. Dunne, D. Fairbanks. Love From a Stranger—1937 psychopathic melodrama; A. Harding, B. Rathbone. Mata Hari—1932 World War spy story; Garbo. Metropolitan—1935 operatic film; Tibbett. Of Human Bondage—1934 drama; L. Howard, B. Davis. Peter Ibbetson — 1935 romantic drama; A. Harding, G. Cooper. Prisoner of Zenda—1937 costume drama; M. Carroll, R. Colman. Sign of the Cross—1933 religious drama; Colbert & March. Submarine Patrol—1938 comedymelodrama of the navy; R. Greene, N. Kelly. Things to Come—1936 dramatization of H. G. Wells’ prophetic novel of the next World War; R. Massey, Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Three Cornered Moon—1933 comedy; C. Colbert. Party for Cardell John Cardell has left Vitagraph’s Calgary office to join the armed forces. Cardell, with Vitagraph for seven years, was presented with travelling bag by his colleagues at a party in his honor at the home of Reata Fasman, also of that exchange. Shorts Show Nixed The attempt to sell, an allshorts program as a complete show failed in New York last week. Made up of MGM short gs subjects and offered at the Broad way Theatre under the title, ‘Prize Package,” the experiment faded out of the public fancy in one week. The experiment won considerable press praise but after the first couple of days business dwindled to nothing. ee Se ee oe Pe eee ee er eemerestceew +.