Film Curb (May 20, 1939)

I 4 Warners Launch Heavy Schedule Starting Dates Set On 9 Pix Launching a heavy summer production pro- gram, Warner Bros, has set starting dates on nine more features. “Career Man” starring Joel McCrea with Jeffry Lynn, starts shooting early this week under direction of Lloyd Bacon. Other starting dates are as follows: June 2—“Dead End Kids at Valley Forge” with the Dead End Kids. June 5—"On Your Toes”, musical with Zorina and Eddie Albert, with Ray Enright directing. June 12—“The World Moves On” starring James Cagney. July 3—“We Are Not Alone” in which Paul Muni may appear, and “Johnny Comes March- ing Home”. July 24—“Torchy’s Invitation to a Murder” featuring Jane Wyman, Allen Jenkins and Tom Kennedy. August 7—“Four Wives” with Priscilla, Rose- mary and Lola Lane, Jeffrey Lynn, May Robson and Gale Page. August 21—“Invisible Stripes” starring John Garfield and Ann Sheridan. Election Of Horne As Disney V. P. Announced By Board Of Governors Hal Horne, eastern representative for Walt Disney since December 1937, was elected Vice President in charge of distribution and a mem- ber of the Board of Governors of Walt Disney Productions, it was announced this week by the Board of Governors in Hollywood. Mr. Horne, now in California where he has been conferring with Walt and Roy Disney con- cerning next year’s productions, will arrive in New York on Tuesday, May 23rd. The RKO Radio Pictures Incorporated is the distributor for Walt Disney Productions. 72 Mutual Stations Plan To Air Premiere Of "Young Mr. Lincoln" The broadcast of the world premiere of “Young Mr. Lincoln” at Springfield on May 30, for which Twentieth Century-Foxismakingelaborate preparations, will be carried over 72 stations of the coast to coast network of the Mutual Broad- casting System, it was announced this week. The radio part of the program, which will feature Marian Anderson, famous negro contralto, sing- ing a group of songs and will have Lowell Thomas as the MC introducing other celebrities, will be broadcast from the stage of the Fox- Lincoln theatre where the picture will be pre- sented. It will go on the air from 8 to 8 :30 pm central time and from 10 to 10 :30 EDST. "Pygmalion" Passes 700,000 Mark Total attendance figures for “Pygmalion” at the Astor Theatre, New York, went over the 700,000 mark before the film completed a run of twenty-three weeks last Sunday evening. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Goodbye, Mr. Chips,” which stars Robert Donat, opened this theatre Tuesday morning, May 16, for a popular price engagement. \ May 20, 1939 M-G-M Starts Gigantic Lion Hunt Captured Animal To Boost Shorts Reflecting a new industry attitude toward short subjects, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in an effort to focus further attention on shorts, has announced a plan to create a special “junior” lion trademark which will replace the celebrated Leo in introducing all short releases next season. Designed to aid exhibitors in establishing a separate advertising identity for shorts, the junior lion, in addition to his screen appearances, will be featured in various phases of Metro’s promotional campaign to awaken interest in shorts as a possible substitute for double features. To find a Leo, Jr., Metro has enlisted the active cooperation of the 3,500 clubs of the Lions International, whose 125,000-odd mem- bers will stage a gigantic lion hunt in public zoos and private menageries throughout North America. Likely specimens, all American-born African lions under eight months of age, will participate in a lion beauty parade at the Lions International convention in Pittsburgh, July 18-21. The win- ning lion will be brought immediately to the New York World’s Fair where, on Lions Day, July 22, he will be officially christened Leo, Jr., and dispatched direct to Hollywood by airplane. Open Sessions Scheduled For Convention Of N. Y. Allied According to Max Cohen, president, all ses- sions of the Allied of New York convention at the Hotel Astor May 23-25 will be open to everybody. Registration of delegates and guests will take place the morning of May 23 when the Allied eastern regional conference gets under way. In the afternoon an open meeting will be held, during which committees will be appointed and delegates to the national convention in Minne- apolis elected. According to the schedule for the second day the highlights will be addresses by Allied presi- dent, Col. H. A. Cole, and Abram F. Meyers, general counsel. In addition to this committee reports will be heard. The third day’s schedule calls for an open forum on industry problems. A cocktail party and dinner will be held at the close of the con- vention. Entertainment which will please the ladies has been planned for the entire three days. Jack Warner Writes To Exhibs. Jack L. Warner is writing to 14,000 exhibitors personally calling their attention to “A Family Affair”, which he rates as one of the greatest pictures ever produced by his studio. The last time Mr. Warner wrote a letter of this sort was in connection with “Four Daughters”. “A Family Affair” is a follow-up with the same principals who appeared in the former picture. “A Family Affair” is scheduled for general release in July. Warner Club Boatride June 21st The Annual Boatride and Outing of the Warner Club will take place on Wednesday, June 21st, when members of the club will embark on the S. S. Peter Stuyvesant for Bear Mountain. Dancing, games, races and contests will be the order of the day, which will be climaxed by a moonlight sail back to New York. The Com- mittee on Arrangements for the event consists of J. T. Holmes, President of the Warner Club, S. Schneider, Stuart Aarons, Robert Salomon, R. W. Budd, Harry Mayer, Max Blackman, Irving Birnbaum and Ann Martin. Monogram Pictures Shows Profit Of $57,308 For Last 5 Months Continuing to maintain the profit-making pace which it set during the last two months of 1938, Monogram Pictures Corporation again discloses that its operations for the first three months of 1939 showed a consolidated profit of $20,175.74 after amortization, according to a statement by W. Ray Johnston president, to the Monogram stockholders. This unaudited figure does not make provi- sion for Federal Income taxes, and compares with a loss of $35,956.05 for the first three months of 1938. Mr. Johnston revealed that Monogram earned a consolidated profit of $57,308.42 for the five months period ending April 1, 1939. Heralding Monogram’s recent productions as important factors in the favorable position of the company, Mr. Johnston pointed out that “Streets of New York” with Jackie Cooper and Martin Spellman has already taken its place among the most successful films ever released under the Monogram banner. South American Diplomats Plug Warners' "Juarez" On Short-Wave Washington, D. C.:—South American diplo- mats from the embassies here took part, last week, in a fifteen-minute short-wave broadcast to their countries over Columbia’s station W2XAU with Warner Bros. “Juarez” as the subject of their talks. The broadcast went by short-wave to Buenos Aires and was re-broad- cast by Radio Provinciale to all the South Ameri- can countries. The representatives from Mexico, Argentine, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica and the Pan-American Union spoke, devoting themselves during the broadcast to a discussion of the picture, which they saw at the world premiere in New York two weeks ago. Two members of the U. S. State Department were also present at the broadcast. Many Showmen Visit RKO Radio Pictures' World's Fair Lounge Showmen from several states visited RKO Radio’s World’s Fair Lounge in the last few days. Among the guests were S. A. Lee of the Capitol Theatre, Frankfort, Ky.; Ray Moon of the Mutual Theatres, Detroit; R. W. Gowan of the Plymouth Theatre, Worcester, Mass.; Harry Arthur of the Fanchon & Marco Circuit, St. Louis; Sidney E. Samuelson of the Hillen- ger Circuit, Neuton, N. J. From British Honduras came Santiago Cas- tillo, lone exhibitor of that country of 60,000 population. Nancy Carroll and Herbert Rawlinson repre- sented the screen players who registered. Probable Record For Tri-National What is probably a record for a company distributing French motion pictures was achieved this week when Tri-National Films, Inc., had four different productions running in as many houses in and around New York. “Champs-Elysees” at the World Theatre; “The Heart of Paris” at the Thalia; “Orage” played the Terrace; and “Sacrifice d’Honneur” was scheduled at the Colony, White Plains, for May 21 to 23. Fort Lee, Chicago, Hollywood EASTMAN FILMS J. E. BRULATOUR, Inc.