The Film Daily (1945)

^ BAILY: Tuesday, July 3, 1945 PRC's 50 Includes Eight Color Features (Continued from Page 1) the PRC board and Harry H. Thomas, newly appointed vice-president and general sales manager. The company will venture into the field of color with eight pictures. Sixteen of the total of 50 will be westerns. Four Already Finished All of the product for 1945-1946 is in some stage of preparation, with four of the most important properties already finished, among them being "The Enchanted Forest," PRC's first film in color, and "Song of Old Wyoming," which also will be in color. Thirteen films on the new schedule will hit the cameras in July and August. The list includes "Bombshell from Brazil," "The Lost Continent," "Strangler of the Swamp," "Those We Fear," "Devil Bat's Daughter," "Sorority Girls," "The Flying Serpent," "Romance of the West," "The Clock Struck Five," "How Do You Do," "Heritage," "Once and for All" and "I Ring Doorbells." In addition to pictures produced by Fromkess personally and by his associate producers, Martin Mooney, Harry Sauber and Leo McCarthy, the following producers and producing organizations will be represented: Sigmund Neufeld, Alexandei'-Stern, Jack Schwarz, Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse, Sam Sax, Georgio Curti, Henry Brash and Associated Producers. Expansion Started Fromkess said that the company already had started its expansion program to take care of the new season's schedule, adding that construction would begin on two new sound stages as soon as material was made available. The company will continue its practice of maintaining flexible budgets, some of which "will far exceed anything previously attempted toy the company," according to Fromkess. The PRC head also disclosed that the company was planning to expand in the foreign field as result of its enlarged production program. He said that many of the higher-budgeted films would be dubbed in foreign tongues by H. Alban Mestanza under the direction of Roberto Socas, foreign sales manager. PRC already has completed its 1944-1945 program, delivering for the fifth straight year every picture promised by the company, Fromkess told the trade press. He said that UlEDDinC BELLS Lee-Rapp Schenectady, N. Y. — Louis Rapp, manager of Fabian's Plaza, was married here recently to Doris Lee. Stadium War Bond Show Tonight The New York area WAG, in conjunction with the War Finance Committee of New York will at 8 p.m. tonight sponsor one of the biggest War Bond shows in history when the tJ. S. Army Ground Forces outdoor spectacle, "Here's Your Infantry," plus an all-star in-person stage show, will be presented to 64,000 Bond buyers at the Yankee Stadium. Hundreds of Infantry men, all combat veterans, will participate in a battle spectacle featuring a simulated attack on a Jap pil box, exploding land mines, bazookas in action, machine gun attacks, mortars in action, a hand grenade demonstration, and a flame-throwing attack. • Airplane Rides Net $609,000 An extraordinary record of $609,000 in "E" Bonds was the final tabulation reported by Fred W. Brunelle, Queens County chairman of the WAC as a result of the airplane "Free Ride for a Bond" tie-up made with the Queens Civil Air Patrol. • Alliance Sells $3,000,000 in Bonds Chicago — The Alliance Theater Circuit reports sales exceeding $3,000,000 in Seventh War Loan Bonds. The Chicago operators' union officials bought $300,000 in Bonds for its membership. I Five Premieres Sell 11,468 Bonds Five Loew houses sold 11,468 Bonds with a total maturity value of $1,578,000 in a series of Bond Premieres held last week. Houses were the Pitkin, Oriental, Burnside, American and Spooner. • ' $509,036 from Nine Premieres Cleveland — Sale of $509,036 in Seventh Drive Bonds is reported by nine Warner theaters as the result of Bond Premieres. Participating houses include Strand, Akron; Ohio, Lima; Shei*man, Chillicothe; Ohio, Sandusky; Ohio, Sidney; Harris, Findlay; Pastime, Coshocton; Ohio, Mansfield and Variety, Cleveland. All local indie, houses are participating in the Forget Me Not campaign to give the Seventh Drive an extra push. • $125,000 Screening Room Sale Denver — More than $125,000 in War Bonds were sold as a result of the showing in the Fox and Paramount screening rooms of "Valley of Decision." The seats were sold to prominent Denverites at the rate of $1,000 in Bonds or more per seat by Mrs. J. Hilb and Mrs. Philip Miller. Arrangements were made for the industry by Henry Friedel, Metro district manager; Mayer Monsky, Universal exchange manager, and through the co-operation of the RKO Orpheum, where the film will show. five additional pictures would be delivered on PRC's current schedule. National Campaigns Set Don McElwaine, PRC advertising and publicity chief, just in from the studio, reported that he was setting up a national campaign for at least 12 of the company's 1945-1946 features. Present besides Fromkess and McElwaine were Socas, Mestanza, Thomas; John Wenisch, new New York branch manager, and Arnold Stolz, Eastern publicity director. It was learned yesterday that PRC had purchased "I'm from Missouri," an original by Larry Liskin, which will be made as one of the company's top-budget films for 1945-1946. The firm also has bought three Michael Shayne detective yarns by Brett Halliday for production toy Sigmund Neufeld. Two "Little Roughnecks" with the Bowery Kids are other items announced for inclusion in the 19451946 program. "Ike" Hails Pyle Pic As "Greatest" He's Seen PRC Films in Every Ariz. Town Except One li'rst Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — PRC's Los Angeles exchange has just closed contracts whereby every city and town in Arizona, except one, has booked the company's product. Leading Arizona ciiTuits have signed for PRC output. Ernie Pyle's "Story of G.I. Joe" is "the greatest picture I've ever seen," commented General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower at the conclusion of a special showing in Washington of the Lester Cowan United Artists release. "I used to think 'What Price Glory' was the greatest picture of them all," he continued, "but this one has got that whipped." Screening was arranged by Chris Cunningham, of the United Press — a member of the film's special editorial board — with the help of the UA home office staff, and wire stories were sent to Scripps-Howard newspapers. World-Telegram last night used the story under a two-column head. Lunchcn for Miss Forma Over 100 members of the various departments of 20th Century-Fox, tendered a luncheon Friday at the St. Moritz, to Lillian Forma, secretary to Irving Maas, vice-president of 20th Century-Fox International Corp. The luncheon was in the form of a testimonial prior to her marriage on July 22 to Isadore Abramson, Pittsburgh merchant. Fla. Governor Names i Film Industry Com. (ConHnued from Page 1) the appointments announced by Gov. Millard F. Caldwell. Claude Lee, former Floridian, is now Paramount's public relations chief in New Yorlp while James L. Cartwright is a Jacwf sonville theater executive. Others are Senator Eraser, John H. Perry, publisher of the Journal and five other papers; Mary Lou Baker, lawyer and member of the legislature; Harold L. Sebring, supreme court justice; Thomas F. Smith, Miami •Beach coijvention bureau director; Horace Loomis, advertising agency chief; Peter Schaal, publicist, and C. W. Ruckel. Senate resolution held that "Florida offers many natural advantages to the motion picture industry not available in other sections of the nation." Among advantages listed were tropical scenery, climate, access to large centers of population, and proximity to the Latin American countries of Central and South America and the islands of the South Seas. Monogram Buys $556,000 In 7th War Loan Drive W. Ray Johnston, president of Monogram, announced that purchases of U. S. Government Bonds during the Seventh War Loan drive totaled $556,000. This consists of purchases in the amount of $500,000 toy Monogram Pictures, Corp. and $56,000 by home office ad local exchange employes. The purchase compares with $247,607 during the Sixth Bond drive, and represents an increase of 124 per cent. These figures do not include purchases by any of the other companyowned branches or affiliations. Cuba Honors Walt Disney Cuba's appreciation of Walt Disney's services in "good neighbor" relations was expressed in New York through a humidor cabinet made of 35 rare Cuban woods representing the art of the islands republic's best cabinet makers. Ned E. Depinet, president of RKO Radio Pictures, accepted the cabinet on behalf of Walt Disney. STORK REPORTS Philadelphia — George B a 1 k i n , manager of Warner's Stanley, became the father of a baby daughter, Karen Myra. Herman Barnett, art director of RKO theaters, has named his new baby boy, Allan Jay Barnett, born at Brooklyn's Jewish Hospital.