Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1939)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY New York Preview "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" [Continued from Page 1] quiet humor, tenderness and pathos. Chips learns from Katherine the qualities of mercy and fun and it is then that the disliked Mr. Chippings becomes the beloved Chips to colleagues and students alike. His subsequent growth into a Brookfield tradition and his ultimate death are shown in a manner likely to leave few dry eyes among the toughest of audiences. Robert Donat's performance is one that long will be remembered and the role is one that permits the full exercise of his splendid talents. Both as the young man and as the aging Mr. Chips, Donat gives the part a fulsome, warming treatment. To Miss Garson and to young Terry Kilburn (who portrays four successive generations of schoolboys) must also go credit for outstanding performances. Credit, indeed, must go to the entire cast for supporting so ably a story which relies completely on the ability of its actors. Sam Wood, who directed, has caught the spirit of English prep school life and translated it with rare understanding. R. C. Sherrirf, Qaudine West and Eric Maschwitz wrote the screenplay and Victor Saville was the producer. Because of its somewhat unusual nature, the picture probably will require special exploitation methods but the wise showman is likely to find such efforts amply rewarded at the box-office and in the appreciation of his audiences. Running time, 1 14 minutes. "G."* Ed Greif *"G" denotes general classification. Erpi Exhibits New Sound System for Sale in U. S. 8 Equity Insists On Television Control {Continued from page 1) service the field should be permitted to dominate it. A.F.R.A.'s request for further delay to study the problem may also be based on considerations which entered its recent negotiations with the networks. It is understood that when A.F.R.A. obtained its contracts it was done with the tacit agreement not to make any demands in the television field for some years. Equity, on the other hand, contends that it was the first union in the actor's field and that both S.A.G. and A.F.R.A. were organized through its efforts. Equity is prepared to make needed revisions in its own organization in order to meet the television situation. All officers of the A.A.A.A. were reelected for two-year terms yesterday. They are Frank Gillmore, president ; Jean Greenfield, Hebrew Actors, first vice-president ; Kenneth Thomson, SAG., second vice-president ; Leo Fischer, Musical Artists, treasurer; and Paul Dullzell, Equity, executive secretary. Committee Debates Boycott in Mexico Mexico City, May 15. — Local civic governments are acting to end the boycott against the Rodriguez circuit by the Federation of Cinematographic Workers. The governments have brought the opposing parties togther and a committee has been named to settle the dispute. Sam Seidelman, U. A. supervisor of Mexico and Central America, is on the committee which is to report Wednesday. Notarius Moves Hollywood, May IS. — Louis Notarius, associated with Paramount Theatre operations for the last IS years, today transferred his headquarters from New York to Hollywood to work as liaison officer between production officials and exhibitors and distributors. Shapiro Resigns Hollywood, May IS. — Victor M. Shapiro, publicity director for Selznick International, today resigned to return to an executive position with Baer Laboratories in which he has partnership. Erpi yesterday held an exhibition at the Astor of its new Mirrophonic "Master Sound" system, developed by the company for the foreign distributors of Western Electric theatre equipment. The new reproducer is regarded as an advance in technique and design over the equipment now being marketed. It is expected that it will be made available to exhibitors in the United States by Erpi licensees, Motiograph and International Projector. The new system is for theatres of any size or type. According to engineers, it meets and even exceeds the requirements recently set forth by the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences, particularly in sound recording as typified by the high volume prints which are scheduled soon from Hollywood studios. While adequately handling higher volume, provision has been made to Designed for any theatre — regardless of size. reduce noise, engineers say, and a new damping fluid is used instead of ordinary machine oil to reduce "flutter" below a commercially acceptable measurement. Single sprocket threading and 15watt amplifiers which cost less to operate than the present 8-watt type are among the innovations. Erpi officials attending the exhibition were : T. K. Stevenson, president; Fred Foster, controller; E. S. Gregg, general foreign manager ; Miles Goldrick, assistant general foreign manager; Clifford W. Smith, west coast vice-president ; Dr. Donald MacKenzie, director of engineering ; E. W. McLellan, foreign department ; Herbert Forster, Western Electric information manager, and C. L. Stong. Among others were E. I. Sponable, chief sound engineer, 20th CenturyFox ; Herbert Griffin and A. E. Meyers, International Projector ; L. W. Conrow, George Carrington, Bert Sanford, Frank Gilbert and E. O. Wilschke of Altec; L. W. Davee, Motiograph; Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Ashcraft, Ashcraft Mfg. Co. ; Alfredo Murua, SIDE studios, Buenos Aires ; Eduardo Zublin, Argentine circuit representative; G. Burckhardt, exhibitor from Colombia ; Alfonso G. Merlet, Italo-Chileno circuit, Chile ; George Schutz and Aaron Nadell, Better Theatres ; H. Alban Mestanza, Teatro al Dia, and James Finn. C. F. I. Sets Dividend Dividend of 25 cents per share on the preferred stock was voted yesterday by the board of directors of Consolidated Film Industries. The dividend is payable July 1 to stockholders of record on June 15. Tuesday, May 16, 1939 Celebrities Attend 6Mr. Chips' Preview Celebrities, as usual, held the most attention at the invitation preview of M-G-M's "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," at the Astor last night. Among those attending were : Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Mrs. Victor Saville, wife of the film's producer; Grantland Rice, William • Brady, Alice Duer Miller, GraC^ George, Borough President Stanley M. Isaacs, Borough President James J. Lyons, Arthur Krock, Conde Nast, William S. Paley, Julius Ochs Adler, M. H. Aylesworth, Raoul Fleischmann, Arthur Hayes Sulzberger, Mrs. Paul Block, Irene Kuhn, Mr. and Mrs. Averil Harriman, Mrs. W. Bayard Cutting, Ira Nelson Morris, James Ralph Bloomer, T. J. Buttikoffer, Dick Hyman, P. M. Hamilton, John O'Hara Cosgrave, Herbert R. Mayes, W. T. Dewart, Thomas Beck, H. B. Fairchild and John Hanrahan. Three Dayton, 0., critics, guests of M-G-M at the World's Fair Sunday, covered "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" opening for their papers. Australia Officials N.Y.-Bound Tonight Hollywood, May IS. — Theatre attendance has been hard hit by the war scare fever in Australia, according to Ralph Doyle, managing director of RKO Pictures of Australia, Ltd., and Charles E. Munro of Hoyt's Theatres. They arrived here on the Monterey for a one-day stopover before continuing tomorrow night to New York where Doyle will attend RKO meetings and Munro will look over American product. Passage of new quota restrictions in Australia, both men said, has not materially aided local production thus far. The quota law, passed last year, raised from 12^ per cent to 25 per cent the quota on American films, gave exhibitors 3 per cent rejection privilege on American films in favor of domestic product and contained a clause, as yet inoperative, providing for 15 per cent of British-made film in quota. However, both officials agreed that the latter quota, which, if proclaimed, would raise total quota limits affecting American pictures to 43 per cent, was passed only as a lever for reciprocal dealings with England. RKO May Act Today On Patterson Post Decisive action on the appointment of Richard C. Patterson, assistant Secretary of Commerce, to a high executive post in RKO may occur at a meeting being held in New York today. Financial interests associated with RKO conferred on the appointment yesterday without action having been taken. The conferences are scheduled to be resumed today. Patterson plans to retire from Government service this summer. 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