The Film Daily (1945)

Friday, August 31, 1945 DAILY itates' Admish Taxes [otal $10,517,000 (Continued from Page 1) J. S. Department of Commerce, 'otal for fiscal 1944 had been only 3,750,000. For 1939, typical prelar year, the total take was $15,32,000, including race track taxes, , irhieh are included in only a part of his year's figures. Twenty-eight states reported col BCtions in fiscal 1945, compared nth 29 in 1944. The highest collec » ion this year was from Ohio which iiDok in $2,554,000, and second high ,, st from the state of Washington ';ollecting $2,099,000. Highest coUec '■ ions for 1944 were from Massa husetts which reported $1,025,000. ,econd highest for 1944 was $581,000 [) rom Illinois, with Ohio and Wash igton showing no income from this ource. Largest 1939 collection was rem California, reporting a total musement tax of $3,001,000, and a he second largest was from Florida, ueporting $2,001,000. California and ip'lorida reported respectively $170, ii 00 and nothing for 1945. State admission tax receipts for 945 and 1944, the latter in parenhesis, follow: 4 Alabama, $86,000 (— ) ; Calif or ia, $170,000 ( — ); Connecticut, sfll.OOO ($34,000); Delaware, $57, sOO ($2,000); Florida, — ($114,000); daho, — ($5,000); Illinois, $436,000 — ); Iowa, — ($581,000); Kansas, ($16,000); Kentucky, $1,243,000 — ); Louisiana, $38,000 (— ). Maine, — ($120,000); Maryland, ($5,000); Massachusetts, $36,00 ($51,000); Michigan, $37,000 — ); Minnesota, $20,000 ($194,000); lississippi, $952,000 ($1,025,000); lissouri, — ($7,000); Montana, $25,00 (— ); Nebraska, $26,000 ($14,00) ; Nevada, — ( — ) ; New Hamphire, — ($1,000); New Jersey, * — ); New York, $1,084,000 ($4,00); North Carolina, — ($335,000); Torth Dakota, — ($321,000). 'J Ohio, $2,554,000 ($13,000); Oklaoma, $180,000 (*); Pennsylvania, 50,000 ($317,000); Rhode Island, ,110,000 ($22,000); South Carolina, "218,000 ($120,000); Texas, $119,00 ($4,000); Virginia, * ($44,000); Washington, $2,099,000 (— ). r^ * Admission tax figures incomlete or not available. l/A's Stvedish Poster 4 Gladdetts Times' Heart Yesterday's New York Times Promotion Bulletin chortled over a Swedish poster turned over by Samuel Cohen, United Artists foreign publicity director. Seems that the poster, in Swedish, of course, heralds the opening of "It Happened Tomorrow" in Stockholm with copy against a newspaper background — not a Swedish newspaper, but a copy of the Times! REViEUJS Of neuj fiims "Isle of the Dead" with Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew RKO 72 Mins. THIS ONE IS STRICTLY FOR THE CHILLER FANS; HAS MOOD CHIEFLY TO RECOMMEND IT. "Isle of the Dead" will send chills running up and down the spine of the person with sensitiveness of that portion of the anatomy. The shocker fans will be pleased to the depths, while those who have little taste for this sort of entertainment will find cause for amusement in the melodramatic hocus-pocus that is strictly a pipe dream. The best thing about the film is its mood, which well suits a film like this. The lowtoned photography of Jack Mackenzie goes far in establishing the feeling sought by director and producer. The plot suffers from incoherence. It has something to do with a plague-ridden group on a Greek isle during the Balkan war of 1912. An old woman revives the superstition that one of them suffering from the vampire curse is responsible for their plight. Produced without distinction by Val Lewton and directed in ordinary fashion by Mark Robson, the production has Boris Karloff in the leading role as a Greek general who takes command of the situation and gets to believe in the vampire legend when the going gets tough. Ellen Drew is the one suspected of being a vampire. She and Marc Cramer, an American war correspondent, provide the romantic interest. CAST: Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helene Thimig, Alan Napier, jason Robards, Ernest Dorian, Skelton Knaggs, Sherry Hall. CREDITS: Executive Producer, Jack J. Cross; Producer, Val Lewton: Director, Mark Robson; Screenplay, Ardel Wray, Josef Mischel; Cameraman, Jack Mackenzie; Art Directors, Albert S. D'Agostino, Walter E. Keller; Set Decorators, Darrell Silvera, Al Greenwood; Sound, Jean L. Speak; Musical Score, Leigh Marline; Musical Director, C. Bakaleinikoft; Film Editor, Lyie Boyer. DIRECTION, Routine. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Absorption of OWI Into State Dept. is Approved Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Taking over of the OWI by the State Department has been approved by Secretary Byrnes and by Harold G. Smith, director of the Bureau of the Bvidget. Reorganization of OWI into a foreign information service of the Department is expected to be approved also by President Truman, to whom Smith submitted details. Included in the reorganization program is the abolition of the domestic functions of the OWI; Elmer Davis will resign as chief; the Government will send to its embassies information to be disseminated to the people of the various countries. The Govei-nment's foreign news service will not compete with private American news agencies. "Once a Booker, Alwcrys, Etc." Denver — Howard Metzger, former booker at the 20th-Fox exchange, has been made booker at the San Pedro navy base. Metzger joined the Navy recently. Shadow of Terror (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW) PRC 60 Mins. MELODRAMA WITH ATOMIC BOMB STORY ANGLE IS MARKED BY FRESH TREATMENT AND GOOD EXPLOITATION POSSIBILITIES. This melodrama, which marks Jack Grant's debut as a producer, lends itself to good exploitation possibilities, inasmuch as the central character, Richard Frazer, is a research scientist, who holds the secret of atomic energy. It is a modest budget offering that retains interest to the end and has some fresh treatment. Lew Landers turned in a good job of direction. Frazer and Grace Gillern handle the love interest, while Emmett Lynn, as an old desert rat, does well in the comedy department. Cy Kendall delivers an effective performance as the principal menace. Frazer, an East-bound passenger, is attacked and thrown from his train. Found unconscious on the desert, he is revived and found to be suffering from amnesia. He is kidnapped and brought to Cy Kendall, who is determined to make Frazer disclose his fcrmula for an atom bomb. Frazer outwits Kendall on the desert and saves the formula for the government. CAST: Richard Fraser, Grace Gillern, Cy Kendall, Emmett Lynn, Kenneth MacDonald, Eddie Acuff, Sam Flint. CREDITS: Associate Producer, Jack Grant; Director, Lew Landers; Author, Sheldon Leonard; Screenplay, Arthur St. Claire; Cameraman, Jack Greenhalgh; Art Director, Edward C. Jewell; Editor, Roy Livingston; Musical Director, Karl Hajos. DIRECTION Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. MacArthur Tokyo Entry In Newsreels Thursday (Continued from Page 1) Tokyo are expected to arrive in the country by Wednesday, with theater release tentatively scheduled for next Friday, Claude' Collins, WAC newsreel co-ordinator, said yesterday. Film will be flown by special courier. Probably all film, whether shot by the Army, Navy or newsreel cameramen, will be sent together to further expedite delivery. Collins expects about 10,000 feet of film in the first lot from which about 10 minutes of playing time will be compiled for newsreel release. Four newsreel men representing the pool have been accredited to the invasion forces — two to the Army and two to the Navy. Arrangements have been made, however, so that all may cover any phase without special accreditation. As originally planned only two men were to be accredited for the pool. The two correspondents with the Army are John Bockhurst, of News of the Day, and William M. Carty, of Paramount; Navy's two are Thomas A. Priestly, of Universal and Langdon Senick of Movietone. "Palestine Problem" First Twentieth-Fox has scheduled "Palestine Problem" as the first March of Time release for the new season. The national release date is Sept. 7. Pix Oifke Within State Department! (Continued from Page 1) secrecy, it has been established that the quest for a respected and capable pix expert, revealed by this paper last Spring, is still in progress. Or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that it has been resumed, now that the State Department is once again approaching something like organizational stability. Attempts to learn the identity of the planners have been unsuccessful, but it is known that the OWI domestic pix bureau has not been approached. Neither has any word leaked out about who in the industry will be asked to take directorship of the new project, although there is i-eason to believe that the recent rumor that Darryl F. Zanuck, Twentieth-Fox production head, was under consideration had some fact. Zanuck has already made it clear that he is not interested, but it is not believed he had a formal offer. Use of pix ^ as an instrument of foreign policy — and for bringing to the American public a more basic understanding of that policy — will be a radical departure for the heretofore hidebound State Department. It indicates, however, that the Department has not been unaware of the important commercial benefits which have accrued to American business from world distribution of the Hollywood product. Extent to which the industry will be asked to co-operate with this new setup is another unanswered question at this time. It is believed, however, that there will be a definite part in the program for Hollywood, with the Government seeking to enlist for an indefinite period the sort of war-time aid it has had from Hollywood. It is not likely, however, that the industry will be expected to foot all the bills. Confer on Handling Of Gov't Films Today Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Suggestions as to handling of Government films after the expiration of WAC and the war time set-up will be presented today by a sub-committee to the General All-Agency Committee of 12. The working sub-committee, composed of a representative each of OWI, OPA, Department of Agriculture and Department of Mines, has given thorough consideration to the various proposals advanced at an earlier meeting and is expected to make some concrete recommendations at this meeting. Proposals under consideration include formation of a permanent central clearing agency for Government films, establishment of a film library and other schemes to improve domestic distribution of Federal educational films.