20th Century-Fox Dynamo (September 16, 1939)

8 NEW DYNAMO Published In The United States Every Week In The Interest Of Sales Promotion By The Distribution Department Of 20TII CENTURY—FOX FILM CORPORATION SIDNEY It. KENT, /’resident IIKKMAN WOI515LK, General Manager of Distribution Roger Ferri Editor SALiSOMLS “nnHERE are two vital things before civilization today: (1) the A effort to bring war to an end, and (2) the maintenance of peace in countries not now at war. The sufferings from war can best be relieved and the maintenance of peace can be made a lighter load if motion pictures play their part.” So editorialized a Chicago newspaper this week. The editorial went on to say: “One can not get relief from radio because war announcements shower the household with gloom. But the movies do give relief. The movies are much more important to us than ever today. So, it is to be hoped that the movie people do their job, do not allow themselves to lose track of what they owe those who have made possible their great industry. The movies have a vital duty to perform to man- kind. It is to be hoped that the industry, this year celebrating an important anniversary, which means that it has graduated from its so-called infancy, will play the part of big brother to civiliza- tion.” No greater tribute was ever paid to this industry than is embodied in that editorial. • M ANY have written to inquire why there is not “more war pictures” in the newsreels. Censorship is the answer. This company will not be any party to inflicting any “stcck stuff” on the public. We have more men, at the front and in the theater of war than all the other newsreels combined. More than a score of our men have donned uniforms and are at the front. The pro- cedure is this: these men grind away on what is seen and then, by government edict, the negative is turned over to the military “higher-ups.” The latter, in turn, pass the film onto the Government authorities behind the lines. Then the censors come into action and only what they want the public to see is turned over to the company. That is the situation today. So far the censor-approved film is not newsworthy and more or less propaganda, serving the local purpose. The situation, however, is rapidly clearing and when REAL, accurate pictures dealing with the war are available, Movietone News will be the first to present them to the screens. • N O COMPANY has been considered more newsworthy and given more pictorial space in any newspaper than the Kansas City Star has given to our studio’s efforts. It all started when Zanuck sent the “Jesse James” company to the Southwest, points out Kansas City Branch Manager G. W. Fuller, whose suggestion, incidentally, that the company dramatize the life of Frank James, who reformed after his brother, Jesse, was shot, has prompted the studio to go ahead with such a picture. The manager writes: “We have been receiving considerable space in advance of all our big pic- tures. It gave us a full-page in the rotogravure section on ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ and two weeks later another page on ‘The Rains Came.’ We have been promised a full page in two weeks on ‘Hollywood Cavalcade.’ This publicity has been of tremendous value, as the Star has a wide circulation in every towr. within 200 miles of Kansas City, ranging, according to surveys, up to 80 per cent of all families in that area.” Thanks, Kansas City Star! • I T IS NOT surprising to find the field force so quick to cope with the latest emergency. And company executives are due for the surprise of their lives when the results of current field efforts begin to reveal themselves starting with Zanuck Week. There are no more efficient nor more loyal employees in the ranks of any organization in this or any other industry. We speak for these employees because we know what they are doing. If this company were owned 100 per cent by each of these employees, they could not possibly be striving for greater results than they are now seeking—and that they WILL deliver! And no one knows it better than our opposition in every territory. • T HE RAINS CAME” continues doing what all of us believed it would do, beat the tar off of “Jesse James.” Out of five pre- release starts, five exceeded the “Jesse James” grosses. And in two, “The Rains Came” topped “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” And this is just the beginning. Zanuck Week will be considerably en- riched by what this production will earn at the box offices. Book- ings for the week are the most numerous in this Drive, running about 10 per cent ahead of the first chapter, according to press- time statistics we studied. But leading the parade now is “The Rains Came,” with “Stanley and Livingstone” following. But, watch those so-called little fellows. Piled up, they spell the differ- ence between success and failure. • fTVHIS company’s total number of 1939-40 releases will be 52, as A announced at the convention. This is made possible by Zanuck’s farsighted policy. We know production is at a standstill in Eng- “We’re Just Begun” the ,. raess “ ge that comes from Ben Simon's New Haven, which this week surrendered Drive lead- ership among the Internationals to Jack Lorentz’s Milwau- keeans. Future prospects loom especially brilliant in this territory and if Congress passes the President’s amended neutrality bill. New Haven, with its many industrial key cities that will profit, can back its statement that “the office that wins first place in the International standing is the one that beats us.” land. But, also we know that in the vaults at the Home Office are negatives of the four international specials produced by this com- pany at its London studios. These will be released at the rate of one every quarter. The four are: Grade Fields’ “Shipyard Sally” (Oct. 20), “Inspector Hornleigh on a Hcliday,” “So This Is Lon- don,” based on George M. Cohan’s stage success that once served as a Will Rogers starring vehicle, and “The Came by Night.” Nega- tives of two other British-made specials also are in New York. See the Studio Special supplement for complete details. • W ATCH out for that Prairie district! Minneapolis, Omaha and Des Moines are about to cut loose! That’s placing dynamite in the path of the eight other districts that top the Prairies. But, it is a healthy sign. It is healthy because it indicates that from top to bottom every district and branch is getting increasingly stronger with the advent of each week. Belated buying on the part of exhibitors has seemingly come to an end. Exhibitors realize that producers and distributors cannot cope with this international emergency without their help. And they must help. They owe it to their community. This industry never played a more important part in the scheme of life than it does today. It has the greatest opportunity. And it is encouraging to observe that exhibitors are realizing their greater importance in and their greater responsi- bility to their community. If ever this industry needed perfect team-work, now is the time. SIDELIGHTS A dventures of Sher- lock HOLMES” is being rated the best mystery produc- tion in years. The Baltimore Sun, for instance, said: “This is one of the most interesting mystery pictures shown here.” Another critic reported: “ ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ is just what the doctor or- dered to take your mind off the world’s present trouble s.” Still another observed: “Basil Rath- bone is do- ing such a fine job as Sherlock Florence Patke Holmes that in the future when we hear about Conan Doyle’s character we shall always picture Basil Rathbone.” • fFHE race of cities, large and A small, along that sector of the Buffalo-Albany territories that used to be known as the “Mohawk Trail,” for the privi- lege of staging the world pre- miere of “Drums Along the Mo- hawk” continues a very heated affair. This picture will un- questionably break all records for takings on a single produc- tion in the Buffalo territory. • fTlHE Drive races for district A delivery leadership are close, even though in some instances salesmen have yet to reveal their real strength. Following are the district’s No. 1 salesmen on Drive delivery for the past four weeks: District Salesman Atlantic Diamond Canada F. Scott Coast Wall Lakes Grohe Mideast Bugie Midwest James Northeast Sliter Prairie Mussman South Miller • T HE picture is slightly changed when advance rent- als status are considered in the district leadership effort. Here are the districts’ leading sales- men on basis of accumulated four weeks’ delivery plus 14 weeks’ advance rentals against 18-week Drive quota: District Manager Atlantic Norris Canada F. Scott Coast Dugan Fakes McCleaster Mideast Burkart Midwest James Northeast Sliter Prairie Mussman South Hendrix • H ATS off to our women book- ers! Do you realize that the branches that run first and second on advance rentals in the National group are headed by women. Mrs. Sarah Young is head booker at pace - setting Washington and Miss Florence Patke is No. 1 at the runner- up St. Louis ex- change. Some food for thought for the male bookers in that fact. • D ell good- MAN’S Far East not only is showing the way in the Overseas Drive’s first week, but on returns for the first 36 weeks of this year it also leads. In 1938 Far East- erners were out front, but they substantially beat that start. Sarah Young ( The Latest , i shop I TALK | I Comment O klahoma city’s News earning power has been growing consistently in the past month. The office started a cam- paign to get dormant News ac- counts to start their contracts. In the first three weeks four such situations were got under way. F ROM this coming week on, Atlanta seems certain to play a major part in the Drive. This week-end finds the office cashing in on two super specials, “Stanley and Livingstone” and “The Rains Came.” These, the branch points out, will enable “us to turn in a revenue o f which we can be proud.” J IM MORRI- SON’S Den- v e r i t e s are cashing in beautifully on “Subm a r i n e Patrol.” Last week when war broke out the office speedily circu- Truman 1 a r i z e d the Talley territory with an announcement that the pic- ture would be re-issued. The move proved popular with ex- himitors and are port reached this desk that bookings in the first week exceeded even the office’s highest expectations. Ok- lahoma City, too, is doing well with this re-issue. • I N OFFERING “The First World War” for re-issuance, managers, salesmen and book- ers are urged to line up play- time immediately, so that the Home Office may proceed accord- ingly with regard to prints. Laurence Stallings edited the book that inspired the Movietone special that Truman H. Talley produced. It is the only com- plete, official and authentic cinematic record of the last Big Conflict. • W ITH contracts covering the deal with Central States circuit, which operates in 16 of its most important situations, Des Moines should be taking a more active part in the Drive. A belated start is better than none and from this point on Stan Mayer’s Iowans should be fulfilling the flock of pledges they, Omaha and Minneapolis made M. A. Levy when he tem- porarily absented himself from his district manager’s duties to take up the Drive leadership. • T HE Minneapolis Drive meet- ing was more of a convention. Not only were there delegates from three K-7 prize - winning branches — Min- neapolis, Winni- peg and Cal- gary — but a flock of North- west exhibitors, too, were on hand. The war situation as it affects Canada is no longer a jittery affair in Winnipeg and Calgary, Man- agers Huber and Skorey, respectively, reported. Jane Withers P ITTSBURGH salesmen are kept in the field two weeks at a time. Then they return to the office for a week-end session. At that meeting every man’s zone is analyzed, situation for situation. Pittsburgh is prepared for its biggest splurge in this Drive.