Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1945)

THE NEWS DIGEST FILMS AT S. F. CONFERENCE Acceptance by the State Department of a plan whereby daily motion picture showings for the exclusive attendance of official 'delegates, the press, the secretariat and others holding credentials ,to the San Francisco Security Conference starting April 25th, to ]be provided by the industry was indicated last week. The program will include representative selections from the studios of participating countries and the 1100-seat Alcazar Theatre, donated by Charles Skouras, will be renamed the United Nations Theatre for the duration of the conference. There will also be a Conference iTheatre for presentation of documentary films. Scheduling of programs will be in charge of an industry com■mittee composed of Claude Lee and Fay Reeder, who will be in ■ Frisco during the conference; Jason Joy and Charles Einfeld in Hollywood and Howard Dietz, Arthur DeBra and Glendon Allvine in New York. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, is executive chairman of the committee cooperating with the government and Howard Dietz. MGM vice-president and ad-publicity director, lis chairman of the planning committee. PEOPLE Philip Leverett Saltonstall was assigned to go overseas as the first representative of the international department of MPPDA. Ted Lloyd heads 20th Century-Fox new radio department which will consolidate all radio exploitation, publicity and paid time advertising. Robert L. Graham was named assistant to A. L. Prat<hct'. Paramount's Latin-American division manager. Ted Tod was promoted from head of Warners Midwest field exploitation staff in Chicago to district representative for the MidAtlantic territory. Larry Stein, ad-publicity head of Warner Theatres in Chicago, leaves April 30 to open his own advertising agency. Harold Lewis was appointed administrative assistant to Bert Kulick, general sales manager of PRC Pictures. Irwin Zeltner was named Eastern Publicity representative for Andrew Stone Productions after 10 years as publicity manager for Loew's theatres in New York. Fred Joyoa was appointed Midwest exploitation representative of Lester Cowan Productions, under the direction of Albert Margolies, Eastern ad-publicity head. BROADWAY NEWSREEL Following the tremendous up-swing ir grosses for Easter week, business continued strong at the majority of the Broadway film palaces. The stand-outs for the past week were "I'll Be Seeing You" at the Capi:tol and "Without Love," aided by the anInual Easter stage spectacle at the Radic City Music Hall. The Selznick pictuie which opened on April 5th aided by a strong istage show headed by Sammy Kaye and His (Orchestra and Rosario and Antonio, took in 'Close to $100,000 for an initial week which was a new high since the house inaugurated its current stage band policy. The picture, now in its second week, followed five smash weeks for "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and Xavier Cugat and a name-studded inperson show... At the Radio City Music Hall, where the "Glory of Easter" stage spectacle is being continued through April 18th, over 300,000 persons witnessed this and "Without Love" during the first three weeks which saw block-long waiting lines in evidence several times daily. The HepburnTracy picture is expected to continue into May and will be followed by another Music Hall stand-by, Greer Garson, in her latesl film, "Valley of Decision." The Roxy had a good opening day foi I "A Royal Scandal" and Hazel Scott and Tht jHartmans in person, but nothing to comj pare to "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," which [completed six smash weeks on April 10th despite the handicap of fewer complete I shows because of the midnight curfew. Only one other picture, "Wilson," equalled the six I week record at the Roxy... Also holding up | well, after the Easter-packed week, are "God j Is My Co-Pilot," with Cab Calloway and His i Orchestra, which started a fourth and final week on April 13th at the Strand, and J "Practically Yours," with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, now in its third week at the Paramount. In both cases, the top name bands have helped pull in the crowds. "The Horn Blows at Midnight" will open at the Strand on April 20th, while "Salty O'Rourke" will be the next attraction at the Paramount. Leading the straight-film houses is the Rivoli where "The Affairs of Susan" topped the world premiere week of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and equalled the initial week of "Dr. Wassell" and followed up with a seconc week which took in only $1,000 less than th« first seven days. The Hal Wallis production, now in its third stanza, is set for a minimum of eight weeks here before "A Medal For Benny" comes in. . .Despite its long stay at the Astor, Goldwyn's "The Princess and the Pirate" is holding up well for its ninth week after a terrific business during the holiday period. The picture is expected to continue until mid-May when another Goldwyn release, "Wonder Man," will follow instead of a Selznick picture. The latter's first picture since he took over the Astor wit Goldwyn, "I'll Be Seeing You," is playing the Capitol. . .Another United Artists release, the British-made "Colonel Blimp." is doing well in its second week at the small Gotham ...Although not sensational for its first two weeks, "The Corn Is Green" looks like a consistent business-getter at the Hollywood where it is expected to stay until late May. "The Three Caballeros," which cleaned up during the Easter period, wound up a ten week run on April 13th and was followed by M-G-M's "This Man's Navy," which, with "Without Love" at the Music Hall and "Between Two Women" at the Criterion, again gave Leo's company three simultaneous firstruns. The Van Johnson fans have crowded the Criterion for two weeks and the picture is holding a third and perhaps longer before Universal's "Sudan" opens. . .Loew's State temporarily returns to first-runs with another Universal release, "Patrick, the Great," after several weeks of successful second runs... The Rialto had its best we*k since the curfew with the same company's "The Mummy's Curse" and a hold-over was the result. . . "Thunderhead, Son of Flicka," is doing well enough in its fourth week at the Victoria but "The Belle of the Yukon" had a disappointing three week run at the Palace. . ."Earl Carroll Vanities" failed to attract customers to the Republic and was followed, after two weeks, by a minor Republic picture, "Hitch-Hike to Happiness." APRIL 16, 1945 33