The Film Daily (1940)

1W Wednesday, July 31, 19 DAILY Para. Splurges With Ambitious Shorts Progran Company Carrying Ban on "B" Features to Logical Conclusion, Says Agnew By NEIL AGNEW Vice-president of Paramount Pictures Inc., In Charge of Distribution ("^ARRYING its recently announced ban on low-budget or "B" pictures to a logical conclusion, Paramount plans to supplement its top bracket p i c tures for the 1940-41 season with the most ambitious shorts pro due tion program in the company's history. Its 12 categories of short subjects n;h. AGN!!W will, Paramount executives are convinced, give the exhibitor everything he needs to build a complete show about a single feature and release him from the necessity of supplying an additional hypo in the form of a "B". Nearly 90 shorts, embracing every conceivable phase of entertainment and geared to every type of taste, are slated for Paramount release during the coming season. New Series Have Been Tested Color will be an entertainment factor in a large percentage of this group and all new series have undergone the established Paramount test of actual box-office trials in all sections of the country. Familiar to all moviegoers but new to Paramount's entertainment menu is Robert Benchley, the leading humorist of present day America, who will make four single-reel comedies. Heading the list of tried-and-true shorts are Max Fleischer's "Popeye" cartoons, of which 12 will be produced. Rice's Sportlights Continued Grantland Rice's Sportlights, a popular Paramount feature in the past, will be continued. Thirteen Sportlights are announced by Ted Husing. Paramount's Popular Science feature will be continued, the sixth Will kit* to Encore With "Info. Please" Because of the b.o. popularity of RKO Pafhe's "Information Please" short starring Wendell L. Willkie, a second subject in this series with the Republican Presidential nominee as guest guesser will be released through RKO Radio Pictures on Sept. 27. Clifton Fadiman, Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran and Oscar Levant, the regulars, will again be seen with Willkie. Quich Return of Slapstich Tuno-Reelers in Lieu of "Highbrow9' Shorts is Urged New Orleans — Plea for a return to slapstick two-reelers in place of some "highbrow" shorts now being put on the market was voiced here by Warren Salles, manager of the Garden Theater. "Most of the majors seem to be giving up making good comedies which I think would appeal to the trade," Salles declared. "Of course, comedy is the toughest thing there is to make, and I don't recall any as funny as those of the silent, slapstick days. Isn't it possible for us to get some like that with sound which would fill a downright need in houses like mine right now?" season bringing six Popular Science shorts, all filmed in color. Big-name bands are the biggest thing in the entertainment world today, and Paramount has signed up eight of the headliners to bring their sweet and hot music to the screen. The proven box-office draw of the nation's top bands on the stage of che New York Paramount Theater has had its Hollywood echo in the company's decision to stress orchestra shorts more than ever before. Unusual Occupations, a Cinecolor short that takes audiences behind the scenes with leading figures in every phase of life, is an important item in Paramount's short schedule. Six of them will be made. Another encore is made by Paramount Paragraphics, whose quality is attested by the fact that one of them, "Busy Little Bears," won the Academy Award for short subjects. Six of these, too, will be seen during the coming season. "Gabby" to Star in Eight Now to be "starred" in eight Technicolor features of his own is "Gabbv," the town crier, who im pudently stole "Gulliver's Travels" | away from its leading players last I season. Even more important from the standpoint of novelty are the series of six Technicolor "Merry Models," which will introduce to American audiences the work of George Pal, who has just moved his production to this country from abroad. Pal, whose studio at Eindhoven, Holland, was the largest in the world outside the United States, is not an animated cartoonist in the strictest sense of the word. His "Puppettoons," as they were known abroad, consist of plastic, three-dimensional figures, one of which is made for every phase of every movement. The other new features on the Paramount list are "Raggedy Ann," a two-reel color cartoon based on the well-loved comic strip character; 10 of Max Fleischer's Animated Antics, which will bring back such well known characters as "Twinkletoes" and the Three Spies and introduce other picturesque characters; and Glamour Trails, a new kind of travel feature. Six of these will bring the farthest corners of the world into the theater in Technicolor. Warner Supervises Shorts Feature Production Values Are Injected By NORMAN H. MORAY Sales Manager Warner Bros. Vitaphone YV7E fully realize the obligation placed on Warner Bros, to produce outstanding short subjects not only to combat the double bill evil but more importantly, to make each short subject exploitable, of high quality and of definite box office value. Accordingly, Jack L. Warner, vice president in charge of production of the Warner Burbank Studios, has taken over the complete supervision of all short subject production, and such shorts as have already been completed for release this coming season are conclusive evidence of outstanding production. Each short possesses feature production values, feature casts and are really features in every particular except length. We have greatly diversified the entire program and every possible type of short subject, from solid drama to hokum comedy, is on the schedule. It is our ambition and desire that every short subject embody definite exploitation possibilities, that it balance any type of program, have prominent star value and so justify any effort put behind it on the part of the exhibitor. However, nothing sells itself and we sincerely hope that the exhibitor will again recognize his obligation to ballyhoo all short subjects that deserve special handling farther than the usual announcement which appears in all theater lobbies and on marquees "also selected shorts and newsreels." We sincerely believe that all short subject producers are delivering a fine, above-average line of product, many subjects of which are equally exploitable with the average feature, but we also believe that the exhibitor is definitely negligent by not doing his part in properly selling this fine merchandise. To Dedicate Memorial Park Saranac Lake William Morris Memorial Park will be dedicated Aug. 27. Triples Down, Premiums Up Chicago — Theaters using triples have dipped to six, while number using premiums has jumped to 32. :* Duals Antipathy Cited by Chertok By JACK CHERTOK Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Short Subjects Producer T'M glad to note that antipathy ward double feature programs grown so steadily during the season t considerati of the pri lem can longer postponed lightly wa\ aside. Itloc I as if , oil' and for all thorough i vestigation | the pros a cons of "do bles vs. si gles" is g ing to be undertaken and there little doubt in my mind as to wh the outcome will be. Up to this time nearly everyo in the motion picture industry h been willing to accept the fact th double features were responsible f the decline of shorts. They let it | at that. I think many an eyebrc will be lifted in surprise when it finally discovered that the rever! was actually the case. It is my opi ion that mediocrity of shorts, ai that alone, was responsible for t rise of the double bill. And it is n opinion that shorts are now rea< to take over their obvious job, fi filling their natural destiny as ir portant complements to a good si gle feature both on the screen ai at the box-office. For the past several years we M-G-M have produced shorts wi this theory in mind. I am convinci that we are now about to reap 0' reward. JACK CHERTOK Original Musical Score Features Yorke's Short Innovation in short subject fil production is the use by Produc Emersen Yorke of an entirely ori, inal music score for the color fe turette, "New Hampshire — T) Ninth State," now being distributi nationally by Columbia. Solita Pt mer wrote the music for "Ne Hampshire." Still Photos in Color Plug Terry-Toons Accessories on Terry-Toons to be issued by 20th Century-Fox in the coming season will include full color 8 by 10 still photographs on those subjects produced in Technicolor. This new service will start with "Billy Mouse's Akwakade," the first release of the season.