The Film Daily (1945)

10 13^ Monday, July 2, 1945 DAILY: Bond Queen Contest Nets $12,000,000 (Continued from Page 1) in Utah in co-operation with the Salt Lake Tribune. All of Utah's 29 counties now have a County Queen elected from the scores of Town Queens who competed. Also three Queens from separate military bases. When the contest closed on June 20 $12,008,377 worth of "E" Bonds had been sold according to the War Finance Committee's report. Of that amount a total of $9,000,772 had been accounted for by the Queen Contest ballot each worth an $18.75 War Bond. In other words, the queens represented 78 per cent of the total "E" Bond sale of Utah. Since then, hundreds of thousands of added dollars in War Bonds have been reported by Utah county war finance chairman, all credited to the queen contest. Under Skouras' Supervision Utah is one of the 11 Western stetes under tHe supervision of Charles P. Skouras, honorary national chairman of the industry's War Bond drive. President Truman, in congratulating the two Utah County winners, mentioned that he personally appreciated the patriotic effort responsible, for the nearly $5,000,000 in "E" Bond sales these two queens represented. The climax of the drive will come with the granting of the state War Bond queens at a gigantic patriotic spectacle on July 4. Tracy B a r h a m , exhibitor state chairman of Utah, is confident that his state will reach the "E" Bond quota. Utah theaters are lending theater support by naming Mon., July 2 as "E-Day" and proclaiming it another Free Movie Day. Special War Bond speeches in theaters will be given throughout the state assisting sales over the week-end. Pinanski Wires Congratulations The results achieved by Barham and the exhibitors of Utah has brought a responsive telegram from Samuel Pinanski, national chairman of the motion picture industry's Seventh War Loan campaign, congratulating Barham, his Inter-mountain Theaters,, managers and all exhibitors of Utah on the stupendous Bond-selling stunt. Delegates to Frisco Conference Visit Studios West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — One hundred and twenty-five United Nations Conference delegates Friday visited Hollywood studios and during the next few days film plants expect to entertain approximately 1,200 delegates. Visitors are showing a keen interest in the studios and already every nation represented at the San Francisco confabs has also been represented in studio visits. $1,578,000 by 5 Loew Houses Five Bond Premieres held at Loew's Pitkin, American, Spooner, Burnside and Oriental Theaters were responsible for the sale of 11,468 individual Bonds, with a maturity value of $1,578,000. Loew's Pitkin Theater, reported individual sales of. 2,817 Bonds by all theaters co-operating, with maturity value of $630,000. At the Oriental, 2,758 Bonds were sold, with a maturity value of $216,000. The Burnside sold 1,999 Bonds for the show in co-operation with neighborhood theaters, with a maturity value of $205,000. 2,000 individual Bonds were sold for the premiere at the American, with $275,000 in maturity value. 1,900 individual Bonds were sold by the Spooner Theater and cooperating theaters amounting to $252,000 in maturity value. • $50,000 from America Show Casper, Wyo. — Bonds worth $50,000 were sold for the America Theater Bond Premiere. o Springfield Shows Grabs $335,300 Springfield, Mass. — Second combined downtown houses Bond Premiere, at the Capitol, netted $335,300 in Bond sales. Nichols Named Liaison Between Pix and Ideal D. of C. Over the Top IVashington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — District of Columbia exhibs. sold 191 per cent of their Seventh War Loan Bond quotas through Monday of this week, it was revealed by the local WAC office yesterday. The city-wide quota of $2,700,000 was nearly doubled by that date, with a total sale of $5,353,275 "E" Bonds, and the sights have been voluntarily raised to six million dollars. Of the 39 neighborhood theaters, 32 have topped their quotas and many have doubled and tripled their goals for an overall net of $1,872,375 in "E" Bond sales. Downtown theaters alone have chalked up a total of $3,481,900 worth of Bonds. • $30,000,000 from Seattle Shows Seattle — Over $30,000,000 in Bonds have been recorded by Seattle's five Bond Shows. Latest, at the Fifth Ave. Theater set a new record of $11,166,165. • Six St. Louis Premieres Tomorrow St. Louis — Six theaters schedule Bond Premieres tomorrow night. First-run Fox scheduled a screening of "A Bell for Adano," and premieres will be held at the Granada, West End, Hi Pointe, Comet and Cinderella Theatei-s. Putting into execution the first of several steps towards post-war expansion. Publisher William M. Cotton has appointed M. W. Nichols, advertising manager for his Ideal Women's Group magazines, his direct liaison representative to the motion picture companies. Nichols will divide his time between Hollywood and New York with the objective of closer co-operation between the cinema industry and the Ideal Women's Group. This consists of Movie Life, Movie Stars Parcde, Movies and Personal Romances, with a combined circulation of over 1,500,000. He will plane out of New York for Hollywood on July 13. Hollywood headquarters will be the Ideal offices at 8278 Sunset Boulevard. In New York, he will operate from the company's home office at 295 Madison Avenue. Hart Slain in Germany Springfield, 111. — Word has been received here that Matthew Hart, Jr. formerly of the Great States Orphpum Theater, was killed in action in Germany. Martenstein Named S. F. Manager for Republic S. C. Martenstein, Republic salesman in San Francisco, has been named branch manager, succeeding S. D. Weisbaum, who resigned to go into business for himself. Weisbaum had been associated with Republic for the last 10 years. Martenstein also has been with the company for 10 years. His appointment by Francis B a t e m a n , Western district manager, becomes effective today. Lt. Kuehn Killed LaSalle, 111. — Lt. Arley Kuehn, former assistant manager of the Majestic Theater, was killed in a plane crash near Lake Charles, La. His wife and parents survive. RKO Sets Up British xpioitation Staff Desberger Rites Held St. Louis — Funeral services were held here for Joseph Desberger, owner-manager of the Norside Theater at North Alton. Rainwater's Father Dead Anniston, Ala. — Wallis Rainwater, Wilby-Kincey city manager, lost his father, the veteran fire-chief. (Continued from Page 1) office conferences, said that England has been divided in two parts, North and South, for RKO's exploitation purposes, and that a revival of prewar film and exploitation methods is under way. / As an example, he cited the thea-^ ter front of the Leicester Square Theater featuring a building-covering display for Goldwyn's "Princess and the Pirate," now in its fifth week at the house. With paper and printing materials shortages still plaguing the industry, Wolff said, emphasis is on co-op advertising, tie-ups, bus and train posters, etc. RKO has four other pictures current in West End theaters, Wolff noted. Disney's "The Three Caballeros" is in its seventh week at the New Gallery; "The Enchanted Cottage" is proving the second biggest grosser of the season at the Odeon; "Farewell, My Lovely," released in this country as "Murder, My Sweet!", is in its fifth at the Ritz, while "Experiment Perilous" is playing the limit of three weeks at the Tivoli. RKO in England is up with the American distributing organization in the release of "A" films, he commented, but is four to five months behind on some "B" releases because of raw stock difficulties. Attendance in Britain continues high, the RKO managing director commented, and no letup is seen in the near future. When the slump does come, it will be gradual, Wolff believes, with the post-war level higher than the pre-war average. Restoration of gasoline rations for pleasure driving and other Summertime attractions may affect grosses seasonally, he said, but the effect will not be far reaching. Asked about quota films, Wolff commented that the day of the strictly quota film has passed and the RKO and other American companies are making more expensive films in England with a view to competing with the J. Arthur Rank plans, and also in an effort to distribute the pictures in the U. S. and other world markets. RKO contemplates two English-made features for the new releasing season. Wolff showed copies of a series of political cartoons on the coming election in England, drawn by Illingsworth for the London Daily Mail and using characters and scenes from "The Three Caballeros." ■ Joseph Neustein Dead ' Funeral services will be held in the Jewish Center, Brighton Beach, at noon today for Joseph Neustein, father-in-law of Robert Weitman, managing director of the Paramount Theater. He died yesterday at Medical Center following a long illness. Survivors include his widow, Sara; five sons. Dr. Samuel, Rabbi Abraham, Irving, S/Sgt. Wilbur (Buddy), Dudley and Charles, and a daughter, Sylvia. '