The Exhibitor (Jun-Nov 1944)

THE EXHIBITOR 25 TELEVISION New York — Practical demonstrations of films made for television, with detailed explanations of how they differ from other movies, were featured at the October meet¬ ing of the American Television Society last week. The meeting was held at the Museum of Modern Art Auditorium, with David Hale Halpern as chairman. Don Widlund, chairman, ATS motion picture committee, presented a television movie made for Chevrolet by Jam Handy; Ben¬ jamin Dyer, Willard Pictures, demon¬ strated films to show commercial pro¬ ducts over television, and Bud Gamble, president, Television Producers Associa¬ tion, showed movies of live talent pro¬ grams given by the Sketch Book Group over WABD. A demonstration of rapid newsreel coverage of news events by television, and slides of the Esquire-spon¬ sored production, “The Boys From Boise,” were also shown. Four out of 10 persons plan to pur¬ chase television sets as soon as they are available after the war, according to the results of a recent survey conducted for Allen B. DuMont Laboratories. Other findings of the survey were: six out of every ten persons postponing the purchase of a television set say they will buy one within three years after the conclusion of the war; six out of every 10 persons say the difference in clarity between Picture A and Picture B is only of medium or little importance to them. (Picture A was a 34 screen half-tone with 202 lines. Picture B was an 85 screen half-tone with 475 lines. Both were approximately five inches square and were held six feet from the interviewee) ; six out of every 10 persons will accept the clearness shown in Picture A, and will not put off buying a television receiver for three to five years solely be¬ cause of the difference in clarity between A and B pictures; seven out of 10 persons would not delay the purchase of a tele¬ vision receiver showing only black and white pictures because of the possible use of color pictures in the future; eight out of every 10 persons had already seen a television program on a television receiver set. Lester Isaac, projection chief, in addition to his duties as chairman of the Projec¬ tion Practice Committee of The Society of Motion Picture Engineers, was recently appointed chairman of the Television Practice Committee of that organization. John F. Royal, NBC vice-president in charge of television, last week opened the first television course in history to be recognized toward a university degree. The course is given by University Ex¬ tension of Columbia University in cooper¬ ation with NBC University of the Air. Forty persons are enrolled in the 15-week course. Dr. Orestes H. Caldwell, at one time a member of the Federal Radio Commission, has compiled statistics to show that the radio industry and trade is prepared to produce and sell a billion dollars of civilian products when Germany falls. He states that within a few years the annual tele¬ vision volume can be expected to duplicate in dollar volume that of radio sets. Jay Strong, independent television pro¬ ducer and founder of the Metropolitan Players, has been appointed television di¬ rector of Basch Radio Productions. Strong brought many well-knowm personalities before the video cameras during the past two years. Robbins Thanks Depinet NEW YORK — Herman Robbins, president, National Screen Service, last fortnight acknowledged with pride the enthusiastic support which Ned E. Depinet, RKO Radio president, has given to the current George Dembow Tribute, sales drive. Said Robbins: “This is grand evidence of genuine friendship and good will of an indi¬ vidual and a company towards our individual members and our company.” MONOGRAM SHOWS INCREASED PROFIT Hollywood — W. Ray Johnston, president, Monogram, announced last week that the net profit of the company for the year ending on July 1, 1944, amounted to $177,822.99 after all charges, including pro¬ vision for Federal income and excess profit taxes of $369,012.25. This compares with a net profit of $99,144.45 for the year end¬ ing on June 26, 1943. The following figures, reflecting results of the last two years’ operations, are given for purposes of comparison: Film rentals, after deducting commis¬ sions to exchanges not owned and agents’ selling commissions, were $4,300,626.61 for the year ending on July 1, 1944, as against $2,567,186.78 for a similar period ending on June 26, 1943. Net profit, before provision for Federal income and excess profit tax, amounted to $546,835.24 for the latest fiscal year, as compared with $163,749.50 for the previous 12-month period. Provision for Federal income and excess profit tax, after deducting postwar refund, was $369,012.25 for the year just closed, as against $64,605.05 for the previous year. Goldstein Joins Condon New York — Gail Silleg Goldstein, who resigned last week from Warners, has joined the Richard Condon public rela¬ tions office, where she will do publicity work. She had been with Warners for 15 years, the last several years as execu¬ tive secretary to Mort Blumenstock, in charge of advertising and publicity in the east. Arthur L. Mayer Feted New York — Arthur L. Mayer will be honored at a dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Starlight Roof tonight (Oct. 18) prior to his leaving for Hawaii to take up his new Red Cross duties as aide to Stanton Griffis in the Pacific area. Harry Brandt, S. H. Fabian, David Weinstock, and Edward Schreiber are in charge of the arrange¬ ments. Paul Kesten, CBS vice-president, last week urged that television development be held in the present channels in favor of finer color pictures after the war. He urged immediate widening of the FM broadcasting action of the spectrum to provide room for 4,000 or 5,000 stations and 10 national networks, while tele be taken back into the laboratory. Present tele operations should be permitted to continue and to die out of their own weight, he said. PRODUCTION Hollywood — Lillian Heilman, noted playwright, arrived last week to confer with Hal B. Wallis concerning the screen adaptation of her hit Broadway play, “The Searching Wind,” which Wallis will produce for Paramount. . . . Mitchell Leisen left for Mexico last week to seek local color for “Masquerade In Mexico,” his next Paramount picture, which will costar Dorothy Lamour and Arturo de Cor¬ dova. . . . Agnes Moorehead has been added to the cast of MGM’s “Our Vines Have Tender Grapes.” . . . Harriet Parsons will produce “The Prodigal Women” for RKO. . . . John Loder will star in RKO’s “The Great Adventure.” . . . Peggy Ryan has been set for the femme comedy lead in Abbott and. Costello’s new Universal picture “Here Come the Co-eds.” . . . Mary Pickford has purchased the film rights to the Broadway musical hit, “One Touch of Venus,” to be produced in Tech¬ nicolor for United Artists release. Delmer Daves will direct “This Love Of Ours,” John Garfield starrer, for War¬ ners. . . . Charles R. Rogers will film “My Wild Irish Rose,” in Technicolor, for United Artists release. . . . Rene Clair and Julien Duvivier are gathering information on the Maquis, for Louis Milestone, who is pre¬ paring “Borrowed Night,” a Samuel Bronston production, for United Artists release. . . . Forty-three writers are currently at work at RKO, preparing scripts for 34 productions. . . . The cast of “It’s In the Bag,” Fred Allen starrer for United Art¬ ists release, now includes Jack Benny, Rudy Vallee, William Bendix, and Jerry Colonna. . . . Elyse Knox will star opposite Phil_ Reagan in Monogram’s “Sunbonnet Sue.” . . . Producer David Hempstead is preparing “The Greatest Gift,” to star Cary Grant, and “Situation Out Of Hand,” for Ginger Rogers, at RKO. Columbia has extended the contract of Warner Baxter, who will star in three more ‘Crime Doctor’ films. . . . Raymond Massey and Helmut Dantine have been given roles in Warners’ forthcoming “Hotel Berlin,” based on Vicki Baum’s best seller. . . . Sonny Tufts and Betty Hutton will costar in Paramount’s “Too Good To Be True.” Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, and Jack Carson will star in “The Time, the Place, and the Girl” for Warners. . . . “High Among the Stars,” forthcoming Rogers musical, for United Artists release, has been changed to “Delightfully Dangerous.” . . . Deanna Durbin’s next for Universal will be Leslie Charteris’ mystery comedy “Lady On a Train.” . . . The Pine-Thomas production schedule for Paramount release for the next six months consists of “You’ll Be the Death Of Me,” Jack Haley starrer; “Cheezit, the Corpse,” with William Gargan; “People Are Funny,” also starring Haley; “Storm,” an extra budget produc¬ tion; “Crime On Her Hands,” Gargan starrer, and “No Escape,” featuring Rob¬ ert Lowery. Director Oscar Boetticher’s third fea¬ ture at Columbia will be “Our Wandering Daughters,” dealing with the juvenile de¬ linquency problem. . . . Alexis ThurnTaxis has been signed by Columbia to a producerdirector contract. His first three productions will be “The Girl Of the Limberlost”, a Boston Blackie, “Surprise In the Night,” and “Men Of the Deep.” . . . Jackie Moran and Pat Parrish have been given the leads in Columbia’s “Let’s Go Steady.” Skinnay Ennis and June Preisser also have important roles. October 18, 1944 quin.