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THE EXHIBITOR
37
VETERANS HEAD 3RD WAR LOAN PUSH
Industry Started Activities Early
New York — It is a veteran army of seasoned campaigners that has swung into action behind L. C. Griffith as general chairman of the Third War Loan Drive for the War Activities Committee of the motion picture industry, it was indicated last week.
Since June, 1940, the motion picture in¬ dustry has aided the government and public agencies in many ways. It has donated to fighting men overseas more than 6,000 programs of up-to-date features and shorts on 16 mm. film, so they can be shown free on portable equipment right behind the lines, and additional features and shorts are being delivered to the services each week. It has given of its personnel, actors, directors, writers, cam¬ eramen, technicians, for service in the armed forces.
More than 2,000 of its stars, enrolled in the Hollywood Victory Committee’s talent pool, have worked overtime to take part in drives, and to entertain men of the armed forces in personal appearances in training camps, at home, and at the front.
As part of the program planned by the signal corps, the industry has produced training films which have materially short¬ ened the training period of our armed forces. Its personnel has produced orien¬ tation films, strategy films. Good Neighbor films, and morale films.
Theatres have collected from their com¬ bined audiences a total of $13,000,000 in campaigns for the USO, the American Red Cross, the United Nations, the In¬ fantile Paralysis Foundation, the Greek War Relief, the Army-Navy Emergency Relief, and the Shangri-La. A total of 16,498 theatres give freely of their screen time for the showing of informational shorts prepared by the government and by the industry in cooperation with the Office of War Information. Last Septem¬ ber, they were the spearhead of the Treas¬ ury drive that sold a billion dollars’ worth of war bonds, and they now constitute 10 per cent of the Treasury’s official issuing agencies.
General chairman Griffith has drawn veterans of these campaigns into the Third War Loan organization as state and city chairmen, public relations men, and members of the rank and file. The indus¬ try’s army of bond sellers dovetails at every point with the War Finance Com¬ mittee of the Treasury, under which it serves. Liaison between the two organ¬ izations is provided by Oscar A. Doob, former chairman, public relations division, WAC, who was asked by Secretary Morgenthau to serve as assistant national director. War Finance Committee, for the Third War Loan. T'heodore R. Gamble, national director, is himself an exhibitor.
As chairman of the publicity committee for the campaign, Griffith appointed Ray Beall, who had served through previous drives as public relations chairman of the Dallas exchange area. The campaign di¬ rector is C. B. Akers, assistant general
How To Handle Bond Reports
NEW YORK — L. C. Griffith, general chairman for the Third War Loan last week announced that a plan had been set for a national pattern of reporting bond sales registered during the cam¬ paign.
Reports should be filed by exhibitors in each state to the state chairman, who will report each week to the New York WAC, so that there will be a tally at the close of each of the three weeks of the campaign. In this man¬ ner, the WAC, the War Finance Com¬ mittee, the trade and regular press will all know exactly how well the industry is doing, Griffith explained, at the close of each week of the cam¬ paign.
“The burden of this job,” he stated, “which is in the main simply book¬ keeping, rests on the exhibitor. He is going to go ‘all-out’ to boost sales of war bonds. The amount that he sells is important information. May I ask that each exhibitor file his report every day to his state chairman? It’s the un-glamorous side of this glamor¬ ous campaign, but it is necessary ”
The state chairmen will wire results to the WAC in New York on the fol¬ lowing dates: September 16th, an¬ nouncing the first week’s sales, Sept¬ ember 23rd, for the second week, and September 30th for the final week.
manager, Griffith Theatres, and formerly co-chairman with Griffith of the Oklahoma City exchange area.
E. L. Alperson, chairman. Cavalcade of Stars, is working with Kenneth Thomson and Charles K. Feldman, co-chairmen, Hollywood Victory Committee, in planning the bonds selling tour. Frank Seltzer, Hollywood Committee, has charge of ad¬ vance arrangements along the route of the cavalcade. William F. Rodgers is chairman of the distributors committee on bonds premieres.
Behind the Third War Loan Campaign committee stands the permanent organ¬ ization of the War Activities Committee, headed by George J. Schaefer as chairman and Francis S. Harmon as executive vice-chairman. Schaefer is doubling in the campaign as chief of the Third War Loan “Rangers,” the field organization which has as its goal the sale of one or more extra bonds to every employe of the film industry.
S. H. Fabian, chairman, theatres divi¬ sion, WAC, and head of last year’s war bonds drive, is working closely with gen¬ eral chairman Griffith. So is Arthur Mayer, WAC treasurer, who has taken on Third War Loan duties along with other details of the organization’s continuing activities.
‘‘The Tip-Off” Gives Dope On Grosses.
A. C. Gets World Premiere
Atlantic City, N. J. — Warner Brothers all-star musical, “Thank Your Lucky Stars” began its world premiere engage¬ ment at the Warner last week. The feature will go into national release the week of Sept. 25.
NAVY MEN TO SEE NEW PICTURES
Rodgers-Richey Work Out Plan
New York — As the result of a plan worked out by the Distributors Division of the War Activities Committee of the motion picture industry and the Bureau of Naval Personnel of the navy, newest pictures will be made available to Naval Shore Activities in the continental United States.
For several months the Bureau of Naval Personnel has been working with William F. Rodgers, chairman of the distributors committee, on details of the plan which have now been approved. The detailed plan has been sent to the Naval Command¬ ants of the Naval Shore Activities in the eleven naval districts, as well as to the Chiefs of Naval Technical, Operational, Air Primary and Intermed ate Training and to Marine and Coast Guard Com¬ mandants.
The plan, called the Optional Naval Dis¬ trict Motion Picture Plan, will make avail¬ able to all Naval Shore Activities within the continental United States the newest motion picture, generally within 30 days of availability in the territory in which the activity is located, and will augment the Naval Motion Picture Service in use for many years for ships on the h’gh seas.
Final approval of the arrangement was arrived at at a conference held last week in Washington with Rodgers and H. M. Richey.
The new Optional Motion Picture Plan will become effective Sept. 15 and detailed explanafons of the plan has been sent to all branch managers of all distributors and to the Naval District Commandants.
The Service Kit’s the Season’s Hit.
Allied Polling Members
New York — Allied last week distributed questionnaires to its members and others in order to learn the effect the New York consent decree has had on independent ex¬ hibitors. The questionnaire also asked for suggestions on how to combat trade evils.
In a letter to the exhibitors Abram F. Myers, general counsel, explained that this questionnaire was a method by which in¬ dependents could get their views before the Department of Justice and have them considered.
Myers listed the following three courses open to the Department of Justice:
(1) Continue the consent decree in its present form, either indefinitely or for a period of years; (2) negotiate a new con¬ sent decree for a trial period, or (3) end the present consent decree and continue the pending suit against the Big Eight.
Consent Decree Discussed
Atlanta, Ga. — A general discussion of the New York consent decree will be a feature of the Southeastern Theatre Own¬ ers Association meeting to be held in the Ansley Hotel, on Sept. 13. President Nat Williams announced that officers for the new season will be elected at the meeting.
September 8, 1943
Third War Loan Drive — Sept. 9-Oct. 2