The Film Daily (1943)

v% DULY Wednesday, July 7, 1943 Extended Time Only, "Army's" Sales Plan (Continued from Page 1) with the Warner sales force instructed to obtain extended playing time in all engagements, and wherever possible to make the run longer than that of any picture to date. Working" in co-operation with a War Department public relations staff headed by Col. Charles Johnson, Warners will launch the picture late this month in a series of advanced-price premieres. The Broadway world premiere, on the night of July 28 at the Hollywood, will be at $50 top, with most of the seats expected to be sold at this figure. Openings at $25 top already lave been set in Washington, Baltimore, Worcester. New Haven, Hartford and a score of additional key cities, while St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, Spokane, Los Angeles and more than a hundred other Midwest, Western and Southern situations already are set to open at tops ranging from $25 down to $2. This advanced-price opening policy is to be carried out in all cities down to 5,000 population, as well as in smaller places wherever practicable. General release date of the picture is Aug\ 14. by which time it is expected that more than 400 Technicolor prints will be ready and working. Total print order is 450. The Army's public relations division, in co-operation with the Warner advertising and publicity forces under Charles Einfeld and Mort Blumenstoek, will set up local committees to give a strong sendoff to the pic in all premieres. Follow-up activity also will accompany every engagement. Warner home office delegation which left New York yesterday (Tuesday) for the Chicago sales meeting included, in addition to Kalmenson. Joseph Bernhard, Arthur Saehson, Roy Haines, A. W. Schwalbergr, Jules Lapidus, Norman H. Moray, Howard Levinson. Ed Hinchey, I. F. Dolid, Albert S. Howson. Blumenstoek remained in New York due to conferences on "This is the Army/' and may be able to attend the second day of the Chicago sessions. Brunet, Theater Vet, Dies New Orleans, La. — Paul Brunet, 66, independent movie theater operator, suffered a fatal heart attack. Brunet, in theater business since 1904, was one of the first to operate a moving picture house on Canal St. For years he ran a neighborhood theater at Ursuline and N. Clairbome. For the past few years he was associated with his son, Paul H. Brunet, as owner and operator of a theater at 1309 S. Rampart St. Thomas C. Poe Dead Findlay, O.— Thomas C. Poe, 61, former motion picture theater operator in Findlay, O., died in Cleveland, leaving his wife and two children. George Cukor Raymond Hatton Jackie Searl Ricardo Cortez T T ▼ "Manna for Exhibitors Luncheon" • • • HERALDING the advent of RKO Radio's "Behind the Rising Sun," which will have multi-ply premieres in some 50 to 60 New England and New York State stands commencing Aug. 3, and subsequently in the Pacific Northwest prior to general distribution throughout the nation, the company yesterday noontide hosted a luncheon for the author of the book on which the film is based, — James R. Young, prominent journalist and lecturer who spent 13 years as a newspaper correspondent in Japan Repast's venue was the Waldorf-Astoria, and attending were, in addition to a big contingent of trade scribes, Ned E. Depinet (who served as toastmaster), Phil Reisman, N. Peter Rathvon, Bob Mochrie, Barret McCormick, Nat Levy, Walter Branson, Harry Gittleson, Harry Mandel, Rutgers Neilson, Malcolm Kingsberg, Leon Goldberg. Louis Goldberg, Michael Hoffay, Terry Turner, Arthur Brilant, Jack Level, Harry Reiners, R. H. Hawkinson, etc T T T • • • IF this informal luncheon were to be given a formal name, it could rightly be termed the "Manna For Exhibitors Luncheon,"— for it plainly disclosed the box office windfall in store for showmen everywhere Ned Depinet revealed that early last February, RKO Radio began searching for a property which would tell accurately and dramatically the character of the enemy we are facing in the Pacific What was sought would stand as a sort of companion-piece to the heavy-grossing "Hitler's Children" Quest was handsomely rewarded by acquisition of Young's book, "Behind the Rising Sun" The author, who spent 61 days in solitary confinement under Nipponese tormentors until his release was effected by the State Department, then was persuaded to act as technical adviser, together with his wife Furhermore, Young consented to make personal radio appearances with the picture in its sectional day-and-date engagements At yesterday's luncheon, he spoke at length on Japan, its people and customs And, Mister Exhibitor, when he gives his planned series of addresses over the radio, in conjunction with release of the film, you'd better get your SRO sign out for early display, 'cause the talks are sure to start a stampede of patrons to your ticket booth T T T • • • BECAUSE he was talking to professional pic folks yes'dcy. Young devoted a portion of his remarks to the celluloid side of Japan He asserted that the Japs, via characteristic guile, used not only their own product to sell the public there on the inevitability o£ the Japanese-American war, but also U. S. pix The latter they altered to that purpose, particularly "Hell Divers" which they thefted and dubbed, titling it "The Japanese-American War" While, the adulterated scenes flashed on the large screen, a smaller screen beside it carried inflamatory titles anent the plot of the U. S. to attack Japan, and, therefore, that threatened Nippon should build up its armed forces to defend itself Japan, he said, has become the largest film producing nation in the world, with footage far exceeding our own land The Nips, he added, are fanatical on the subject of machinery, and have been since 1926, even lifting our mechanical creations, among them air conditioning, for their own ends But the Young talk was also spiked with amusing anecdotes, — and tragedy It is the latter element, the viciousness of the Japanese, which will make the ether crackle when he takes to the air-waves in behalf of RKO Radio's "Behind the Rising Sun" It's bound to be a gargantuan gross-grabber ▼ T T • • • AVENGE PEARL HARBOR! ! ! Stockholders Speed 20fh-Fox's NT Deal (Contintced from Page 1) that the' latter exercise an option to purchase the Chase National Bank's 58 per cent holdings in the circuit for $13,000,000. The deal, in which are involved 1,044 shares of the. .standing capital stock of Natly.* } Theaters, received their blessings at a special meeting at the 20th-Fox home office. The option to purchase the Chase National Bank's stock interest in National Theaters, which was obtained on May 11, would have expired on Nov. 30. At the same time the stockholders sanctioned an amendment to the company's charter authorizing the creation of a new prior preferred stock to be sold publicly, with the proceeds going toward the purchase of the National Theaters shares from the Chase Bank. The issue will consist of 100,000 shares to be marketed at $100 per share. It is understood that the shares, which will carry a $4.50 dividend, will be sold to net 20th-Fox $9,700,000. The difference of $3,300,000 will come from the 20th-Fox treasury. Spyros Skouras, president of 20thFox, presided at the stockholders' meeting. Other executives of the company in attendance were Tom Connors, Sydney Towell, W. C. Michel, Hermann G. Place, Felix A. Jenkins, Dan Michalove. Immediately following the stockholders' meeting the directors of 20th-Fox held a session at which they approved sale of the new stock to a group of underwriters understood to be headed by Lehman Bros., Hayden, Stone & Co. and Blyth & Co., Inc. Ludwig Siegel Seriously 111 Chicago — Ludwig Siegel, owner of the Lindy, is seriously ill at his home. IN NEW POSTS CEORCE WALDMAN, film buying dept., Warner Circuit, Philadelphia. HERBERT BLASS, Twin City sales rep., Warners' Minneapolis exchange. E. HART, ad salesman, Warners' Milwaukee exchange. DAVID ARLEN, publicity dept., B & K, Chicago. WALDO BAIL, publicity dept., B & K, Chicago. CHARLES NELSON, Allied Theaters booking dept., Chicago. WARD DAY, cashier, 20th-Fox, Chicago. JULES CREEN, assistant buyer and booker, Warner Theaters, Pittsburgh. EDWARD DLOUHY, manager, Apollo, Chicago. RAY THOMPSON, manager, Gateway, Chicago. JOSEPH ANDERSON, manager, Belpark, Chicago. V. J. FISCHER, manager, Valencia, Evanston, Ind. T. DUCKWORTH, assistant manager, Coronet, Evanston, Ind. ROBERT LEACH, head booker, RKO exchange, Des Moines.