The Film Daily (1940)

OS' Tuesday, January 30, 1940 DAILY; 761 PIX RELEASED IN U. S. LAST YEAR (Continued from Page 1) during 1938, leaving a net decrease of eight features for the year. English language pictures available totaled 520 for 1939, compared with 499 in 1938. Foreign made pictures, imported and given at least one showing in the U. S. during 1939, were as follows: Germany, 85; England, 44; France, 36; Mexico, 21; Italy, 16; Hungary, 15; Russia, 13; Sweden, 10; Poland, 7; Argentina, 6; Czechoslovakia, 6; Spain, 4; China, 3; Cuba, 2; Finland, 2; Ireland, 2; Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Holland, Norway and Switzerland, one each. Major companies released 17 of the English films and four of the French with the balance of the foreign features going through indies. Imports from Argentina, Cuba, Mexico and Spain totaled 32 Spanish language films. Foreign language pictures produced in the U. S. included six Yiddish and one Ukrainian. Data was compiled for THE FILM DAILY YEAR BOOK. REVIEWS OF Mill flLfflS RKO Radio-Walt Disney Walt Disney's 'Pinocchio' (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW) 88 Mins. ENCHANTING ANIMATED FEATURE WILL DELIGHT ALL AND IS A SPLENDID TRIBUTE TO THE SKILL OF DISNEY AND HIS ORGANIZATION. "Pinocchio" is a tribute to the skill and ingenuity of Walt Disney and his small army of adaptors, animators, and lyric and music writers who made the characters of a famous story so captivating and enchanting that the picture is certain to charm children of all ages from 6 to 60 — and over. Jimminy Crickett, the talking crickett (voiced by Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards) no bigger than a split second, is one of the most appealing characters, while Pinocchio, the puppet who comes to life through the good auspices of the Blue Fairy, will delight every one. Geppeto (voiced by Christen Robb) a kindly old wood carver, and his pets Figaro the Kitten and Cleo the Goldfish, add much to the merriment. Honest John Foulfellow (voiced by Walter Catlett) and his dupe, the cat Giggy, represent evil forces allied with Stromboli, cunning cruel puppet master, and the coachman. Another interesting character is tough little Lampwick. Disney and his colleagues have injected many clever touches in the production which is in Technicolor. Laughs LWOIFIOJFJ numm ;\\*&*^Z&> PICTURE EDMUND LOWE • ROSE HOBART JAMES STEPHENSON • WILLIAM DEMAREST ANDREW TOMBES • BEN WELDEN come thick and fast during the picture's 88 minutes. "When You Wish Upon A Star," "Little Wooden Head," "Give A Little Whistle," "Hi Diddle De De," "I've Got No Strings," are lilting songs and were written by Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith and Ned Washington. Pinocchio is endowed with life by the Blue Fairy and to help him prove his right to become a real boy she makes Jimminy, the vagabond crickett, Pinocchio's conscience, dubbing him "Lord High Keeper of Right and Wrong." Pinocchio marches off to school but is accosted by the fox who convinces him he should become an actor in the Stromboli Puppet Show. The Blue Fairy rescues Pinocchio from Stromboli who has mistreated him. Again the fox tempts Pinocchio, inducing him to go to Pleasure Island. There children are turned into donkeys and Pinocchio flees when he sees his own donkey ears and tail growing. Through Pinocchio's ingenuity he and Jimminy rescue Geppeto, Figaro and Cleo, who have been imprisoned in a monster whale's belly. The Blue Fairy rewards Pinocchio by making him a real boy. CREDITS: Producer, Walt Disney, Based on Collodi's Immortal Story; Supervising Directors, Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske; Sequence Directors, Bill Roberts, Norman Ferguson, Jack Kinney, Wilfred Jackson, T. Hee; Animation Directors, Fred Moore, Milton Kahl, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Franklin Thomas, Vladimir Tytla, Arthur Babbitt, Woolie Reitherman; Story Adaptation, Ted Sears, Webb Smith, Joseph Sabo, Otto Engender, William Cottrell, Erdman Penner, Aurelius Battaglia; Character Designs, Joe Grant, Albert Hurter, Campbell Grant, John P. Miller, Martin Provensen, John Walbridge; Music and Lyrics, Leigh Harline, Ned Washington, Paul J. Smith; Art Directors, Charles Philippi, High Hennesy, Dick Kelsey, Terrell Stapp, John Hubley, Kenneth Anderson, Kendall O'Connor, Thor Putnam, McLaren Stewart, Al Zinnen; Backgrounds, Claude Coats, Ed Starr, Merle Cox, Ray Huffine; Animation, Jack Campbell, Berny Wolf, Don Lusk, Norman Tate, Lynn Karp, Oliver M. Johnston, Don Towsley, John Lounsberry, John Bradbury, Charles Nichols, Art Palmer, Don Tobin, George Rowley, Don Patterson, Les Clark, Hugh Fraser, Joshua Meador, Robert Martsch, John McManus, Preston Blair, Marvin Woodward, John Elliotte. Warner Dates for GWTW New Haven — Warner's open their "GWTW" engagements with the Capitol, New Britain, Feb. 3. The house has been dark since last March, and will be specially opened for the occasion. The Garde, New London has the picture Feb. 9, and other Warner dates for the Empress, Danbury, Broadway, Norwich, and Alhambra, Torrington will soon be announced. The first indie to play the picture in the state is Sam Weiss, at the Stamford Theater, 1 Stamford, Feb. 9. 25 PICTURES OKAY FOR SCHOOL STUDY (Continued from Page 1) tures a year were worthy of serious school room discussion. During 1939, 25 features were recommendedupnd were the subjects of Classroom »„ Jy Guides, pamphlets which are distributed to 10,000 schools, colleges and libraries. In 1938, 20 pictures were recommended; in 1937, 15; in 1936, 11, and in 1935, the committee recommended nine. Lewin expects that the committee will be able to approve 30 pictures during 1940, or one weekly during the school term. L. J. Carkey Organizes New Theater Operating Company Gloversville, N. Y. — Articles of incorporation for a new Theateroperating concern, to be known as Carkey Theaters, Inc., with offices in Gloversville, have been filed with the county clerk in Johnstown. The firm is capitalized at $20,000 and proposes to lease and operate motion picture theaters. L. J. Carkey, Gloversville, is president, with directors for the first year listed as Joseph F. Perrone, Joseph Perella and James F. Rossi, all of this city. The company's first acquisition is the Rivoli, formerly the Lyric, in Utica, N. Y. The closed house is being thoroughly renovated. It has been leased for three years from the owner, Carmen Scala, Utica. Carkey is a theater operator of long experience, his last position being with RKO in Spokane, Wash. He was with Schine Entreprises as division manager for eight years, operating theaters in the Utica area. Besides the Utica location, two others are to be leased shortly, Carkey said, adding that he has in mind an upstate New York chain of 14 to 16 houses. Harry Brandt Defends His "Box Office Poison" Stand Harry Brandt, ITOA president, defended his "box office poison" statement of 1938 in a telegram to Columnist Ed Sullivan who recently commented on the box-office success of certain stars whom Brandt mentioned as having lost their appeal. Brandt contended that the first sign of a fading star "is reflected at the theater and as a matter of good box-office policy the exhibitor is going to let Hollywood know about it." He declared that his 1938 statement did not say that the mentioned stars "were through" and that they could not make a comeback. Brandt asserted that exhibitors hoped the players had climbed back into the public's affection, "for we need more money-making stars."