The Film Daily (1941)

Monday, August 11, 1941 Present Attendance Is Defroifs Concern (Continued from Page 1) October anyway, as amended, and exhibitors have to worry about business today, not a few months ahead. Exhibitors typically are given to worrying about the future, but business in this area has been low enough for the past year so that we have to worry about the present, not the future. "We will cross the bridge of adjusting to new employment levels created by auto quotas when we come to it." Original 50 per cent quota is being modified in percentage and date for starting. Detroit is considered the boom town of America by the country at large, and is perhaps 35-40 per cent dependent on the automotive and allied industries. Detroit's economic ups and downs have always looked several times as sensational to the rest of the country— as reflected both in business articles and in man-in-the-street conversations anywhere when the magic name of the town pops up — than they do right at home — hence the apparently paradoxical calm of exhibitors and distributors alike. Theater business has not boomed during the recent defense production pickup — as proved in a recent survey made by Film Daily. Showgrosses are running about 35 per cent below a year ago in the bigger houses, while the neighborhoods, tending to lose trade to their big competitors, are off by 50 per cent This is the reason for exhibitors' concern with present problems, not possible future loss of business. There has been a reasonable volume of unemployment in the town right along, and a high labor turnover. Unskilled or low skilled help in the lower pay brackets has been hard to get because of higher prices paid for factory jobs — but the turnover remains very high. Readjustment to defense production as auto employment is cut is almost certain to be a lot more simply handled than is generally realized. High unemployment caused by such defense work would have such a drastic effect upon morale in view of the objective of defending the American standard of living, that national leaders are known to be united in favoring gradual readjustment, as a careful study of pronouncements from Washington in recent weeks has showji. Two other factors will make the auto industry readjustment easier — one is that the industry enjoys what Usherettes Looming New Haven — With increased turnover in usher staffs and beginning of the school term in view, downtowns face a shortage of ushers which may result in employment of usherettes, managers state. HOLLYWOODOF -THEARMY By CHARLES ALICOATE Fort Monmouth, N. J. '"THIS may be an army camp to some folks but it's just a breath of Hollywood to a visiting fireman in the film business. It's no wonder they call Fort Monmouth "Hollywood of the Army"; Uncle Sam very considerately has rounded up most of the draftees, enlisted men and reserve officers from Flickerland and deposited them gently in one spot where they can all talk the same language, whether it's printable or not. Here you will find script writers, cutters, cameramen, producers, directors, actors and technicians — all part of the 20th Signal Service Company and Fort Monmouth is their permanent home, except when units are sent to the various branches of the Army where on-the-spot pictures are shot. Hearing about this "detached Hollywood" from men who wanted to keep on getting the "Dear OV Film Daily," we decided to go visiting and the trip was an eye-opener. The laboratory here is in command of Lt.-Col. Melvin E. Gillette, a member of the SMPE and long active in Army pictorial and visual educational fields. He was in Washington when we arrived but Captain Gordon Rigby consented to act as our host. Captain Rigby is a veteran laboratory man, screen writer and former Columbia Pictures scenarist. The 20th Signal Service Co. headquarters now contained in the Training Film Production Laboratory building includes facilities for making any type of sound picture and uses almost every device available to Coast studios. Organization includes a large animation department, a miniature deprtment, script writers, cutters, cameramen, producers, directors, actors, and other techniians. A new building, soon to be constructed for the expanding outfit, is expected to include a laboratory, sound stages, and a larger projection room. Script department is supervised by ever favored position is possible under today's conditions in the presence at the helm of defense activities of its own W. S. Knudsen. The other is the determination of organized labor to make the adjustment easy for labor. This is one plank on which AFL and CIO are united here, and any serious step to the contrary would likely precipitate a demonstration of unprecedented proportions, as indicated by the recent Ford strike and union contract. The only serious menace visible to this prospect is the town's fatal attraction for a shifting carpetbag regiment that hitch-hikes here when things are reported booming, largely from the South Central states, causing overcrowding and providing some considerable added burden of unemployment by their competition for jobs with local residents. Capt. Rigby. Personnel and their former occupations include Pvt. Berk Anthony, Disney; Corp. Pete Barker, television stage manager; Corp. William Bloom, Columbia Eastern story editor; Pvt. Richard Blake, WKRC program director; Sgt. Robert Churchill, Documentary Films; Corp. Franklyn E. Coen, screenplay writer; Pvt. Lester Cooper, Coast writer and publicity; Pvt. Douglas R. Kennedy, writer; Corp. Arthur Lewis, associate producer on the "Jones Family" and "Cisco Kid" series; Pvt. Eugene Mudge, writer; Sgt. Edmund H. North, author of "One Night of Love"; Pvt. Donald Robinson, writer, whose play "Once Upon a Time" is expected on Broadway this Fall; Pvt. Robert W. Russell, Bell & Howell. Pvt. Granville Scofield, writer on "Li'l Abner"; Pvt. William T. Serton, WHO and WOC, Devenport; Corp. Sol Shor, actor in Republic serials; Pvt. Richard B. Strouse. ghost writer; Pvt. Joseph A. Thompson; Pvt. Lester Copper, writer of Warner shorts; Pvt. Arthur R. Wilmurt, Yale Dramatic Dept., and Pvt. Garson Kanin, RKO director. Personnel officer for the TFPL is Lt. Harold E. Knox, former contact man for Pathe and assistant to C. Merwin Travis, v.-p. of the Pathe Coast lab. Lt. Knox also heads the supply and transportation sections of the many units now engaged in the production of Army training films. Camera crew boasts of such names as William Widmayer and Robert Daly, former M of T lensers: Andy Gold and Henry Gerzen, 20th-Fox; Irving Smith, Universal; Harry Kreider, Paramount, Gene Levy and William Saltzman. In the first cutting room are Marshall Neilan, Jr., Corp. Don Hayes; Vic Kline, Warners; Frank Baldridge, Korda; Bernard Small, son of Producer Edward A.; Jeffy Thomas, son of Harry; Corp. Albie Schaff, "Dr. Christian" series; Billy Reynolds, Loew-Lewin Productions; Russell Selwyn, M-G-M; and Jason Bernie, son of the maestro. Lt. Ellis Smith of Carnegie Tech supervises the animation, titles and special effects department. Included in the personnel are James W. Atkinson, commercial artist; Clifford Auguston, Terry-Toons; Robert A. Badenhop, commercial artist; Fritz A. Blank, president Fritz Advertising Studios; Herman R. Cohen, Schlesinger director of animation; Carmen J. Eletto, Terry-Toons inker; Bruce G Ellison, advertising; Jarry Fabry, artist; Murray M. Fairbairn, Disney; Corp. Paul T. Fanning, M-G-M animator; Alden Getz, Fleischer; Robert H. Givens, Disney; Corp. Melvin Grau, Disney; Sgt. Chris E. Grodewald, optical cameraman; Lucifer Guarnier, Schlesinger; Lewis Irvin. Schlesinger. Robert L. Jennes, Columbia animation cameraman; Rodell C. John Mexico "Neely Bill' Shelved for a Year (.Continued from Page 1) sional committee is to be stripped of its provisions banning bloclc ^/iking and restricting the num!^.n' of foreign features which may be exhibited in Mexican theaters, leaving only those sections which relate to support of the native industry. Whether the bill even in that form will be pressed to passage is uncertain. The majors' representatives here and several members of the Asocciation Mexicana de Productores y Distribuidores de Peliculas (Mexican Association of Motion Picture Producers and Distributors), discussing the bill with the Congressmen who authored it, held that such a measure would prove more harmful than beneficial to the Mexican picture industry. They managed to bring the backers of the bill around to their point of view and persuaded them that a shortage of films would result from its being made law. Neither Mexican studios nor any others, they pointed out, could furnish Mexican exhibitors with enough pictures to keep the film theaters of the country open unless the total output of the major American film makers were available. The managers of the American distributing companies here are satisfied that the danger of any such measure being passed has been dispelled for at least some time. son, Disney; Arnold W. Kivela, Fleischer inker; Corp. Daniel R. Copyn, assistant art director; Robert J. Majors, Disney; Charles E. McKinson, Schlesinger; Victor J. Michonski, Disney; Joseph C. Miller, Fleischer and Schlesinger; Ambrozi Paliwoda, Disney; George C. Pedd, Disney; Robert A. Perry, Disney; Corp. David H. Strier; Marvin M. Somerfield, M-G-M art dept.; Herman H. Thierry, poster artist; Joseph L. White, Terry-Toons; George Baker, Disney; Jerome Reisfeld, commercial artist; Harry D. Redmond, Warner special effects dept. . Capt. Edwin H. Calkin, formerly of the 20th-Fox model making dept., heads a similar department in the army. After leaving the Fort we can highly praise the personnel of the Training Film Production Laboratory, as it is well prepared to produce pictures of the highest caliber. Rides for Aluminum Derry, N. H — A new twist was added to an aluminum matinee staged for children at the Plaza Theater here. Besides being admitted to the show for a piece of the national defense material, two free airplane rides over Derry were offered to the boy and girl making the nearest guess on the total weight of the aluminum pile.