The Film Daily (1941)

Monday, August 18, 1941 CM CA11Y Majors Deny Reports Of Slow Selling (Continued from Page 1) he had "never seen anything like it," adding that "it hasn't been slow with us." ^William Sussman, Eastern division "\Vager of 20th Century-Fox, det..r?ed that the success of "Charley's Aunt" had stimulated sales on the initial block and that selling had been strong right down the line. He said there was no indication of exhibitors holding back in making deals. RKO sales on the first package have picked up at a terrific pace during the last week, according to Andy Smith, general sales manager. Selling was a little slow at the beginning of the new sales method, he said, but things "are moving right along," he added. Among the so-called "Little Three" business also is reported to be brisk. William Scully, Universal general sales manager, said on Friday that sales to date on the new program were 10 per cent ahead of the corresponding period last year. He said Universal's sales had picked up considerable since the "Big Five" had started to sell the packages. Comments from other sales chiefs were not available but reports indicate that sales have not been as slow as they have been described in many quarters. James R. Grainger, Republic president, revealed last week that his company already had signed $4,000,000 in new contracts. M-G-M to Pre-Release "Dr. Jekyll" This Month (Continued from Page 1) sonal conditions, Labor Day being Sept. 1, the picture is being preleased so that the theaters may play it over the holiday week-end. These bookings follow: Aug. 28: Grand, Atlanta; Regent, Harrisburg; Loew's, Wilmington; Poli, Hartford; Poli, New Haven; Poli, Worcester; Poli, Bridgeport; Valentine, Toledo; Loew's, Canton; Colonial, Reading; Century, Baltimore; State, Boston. Aug. 29: Poli, Waterbury; Midland, Kansas City; Palace, Memphis; Loew's, Louisville; Loew's, Akron; State, Cleveland; State, St. Louis; Penn, Pittsburgh; Loew's, Dayton; State, New Orleans; Vendome, Nashville. Aug. 30: Great Lakes, Buffalo. Other engagements announced include: Sept. 4, Poli, Springfield; Sept. 5, State and Chinese, day-anddate, Los Angeles; Sept. 10, Fifth Avenue, Seattle; Sept. 12, Wisconsin, Milwaukee. "Inside Russia" at the 5th Ave. "Inside Russia," Charles A. Stuart's camera story of life in Russia, re-opened the 5th Avenue Playhouse Saturday. It is booked for an indefinite engagement. T T T • • • WAR can't dim the traditional British courtesy or sense of humor When Herbert Wilcox cabled the Denham studios in England that he and Anna Neagle were coming over to make a picture. . . . the studio cabled back and asked if Miss Neagle wanted her old dressing room And speaking of Wilcox that gentleman can be considered superstitious or the opposite For example, he always likes to start a picture or make an important commitment on the 13th of the month So it was natural that he waited until the 13th of this month to sign his new contract with RKO Paramount tells us about an upstate exhibitor Peter Piforella of Springfield, N. Y who has been off the Paramount books since 1933 but after seeing the first block-of-five he affixed his signature to a contract but fast And while on the subject of Paramount Click Magazine has awarded the company's short subject "Hoola Boola" as the "Movie Short of the Month" it is the first award to be made for the magazine's new department and the first time that a national magazine has devoted a regular feature to shorts T T T • • • DID YOU KNOW DEPT.? Did you know that Harry Buxbaum, 20th-Fox's New York branch manager, pilots his own plane and hops around the country on week-ends? That Abbott and Costello have been doing a show every hour at the Atlantic City Steel Pier? That those daffodils will make a personal appearance tonight at the Capitol? That Walter Gould thinks his colt will win the Derby some day? That if this column doesn't read smoothly it's because Phil M. Daly is sick abed and a pinch-hitter is having a helluva time? That Bill Sussman's latest hobby is collecting classical records? That this enough of that? T T T • • • GOSSIP AND STUFF Joan Leslie of "Sergean York" has a date tonight in fact it's a multiple date with 15,000 soldiers at Fort Monmouth where she will be the guest of honor The Quiz Kids rolled into town yesterday to make a short for Paramount and amaze radio listeners This is "Sergeant York" Week in Louisville by the Governor's proclamation Manny Reiner is challenging the press agents and trade press boys to tennis matches Lou Rydell is back as advertising chiel of Variety Steve Broidy, Monogram's sales manager, is heading for New York via wayside branches Teddy Carr and his wife Clipper back to England on the 26th Eddie Golden's "No Greater Sin" has been booked for the Globe Ever notice how old-timers in the biz refer to the new selling system as the 5-5-5? It's a throwback from those early trade practice code days of the '20s What's this about "Chick" Lewis to be a papa soon? Lou Nizer is vacationing in Bermuda Harcy Kosiner is a prospective daddy Oscar Doob is back at Glen Oaks trying to make another hole-in-one — Al Deane's former secretary, Paula Greenwald, is expecting the stork This sounds like Winchell's column .... ** « « » » » PRC Completes Five New Season Films (Continued from Page 1) convention of PRC which has been in session at the Adolphus Hotel since Saturday. "Production is well under way on our new product and release dates will be met promptly according to schedule," Greenblatt stated. "The first feature on the 1941-42 program of the company will be released Oct. 3, and the first of the new Billy The Kid series, starring Buster Crabbe with Al St. John will be ready for release Oct. 10. The first special on the new program is set for Oct. 17, with the initial production of the new Frontier Marshal series starring Bill Boyd, Lee Powell and Art Davis, to be released Oct. 24." Franchise holders and salesmen attending the regional meeting are: Jack Adams, Sr., Jack Adams, Jr., Robert Adams, Walter Quade and Chick Turner, of Dallas; E. B. Walker and Bob McGraw of Oklahoma City; B. Busby, D. Jones and F. Lawrence, of Little Rock. The next regional meeting will be held in Kansas City, Aug. 23-24, with representatives of exchanges in Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Omaha, and Minneapolis attending. Following the Kansas City meeting, Greenblatt will set regional meetings covering the remaining exchanges of PRC to be held weekly. Disney Artists Comb Harlem for Inspiration Staff members of Walt Disney's studio in Hollywood combed Harlem hot spots during the week gathering final inspiration for a certain sequence which will appear in "Dumbo," Disney's next full-length feature cartoon. Main stop on the trip was at the Savoy Ballroom where members of the 400 club of Harlem conducted their regular rug-cutting contest. Artists turned out many sketches and took several photos of various specialty dancers, which in turn will be studied on the Coast for potential animation. One sequence in "Dumbo" is devoted to boogie woogie. THE FILM DAILY to Cus Edwards Robert Weirman Vernon Cray McGrew F. Willis