Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1940)

/ — \\\ Monday, September ,7wr-^_ Motion Picture Daily Industry Needs Exhibitor Aid, Says Rodgers Branch Managers Enlisted In Local Red Cross Drives (Continued from page 1) foreign losses." The problem, he said, is as important to exhibitors as it is to the producers. ! J Regarding the proposed Federal J consent decree, and its provisions, Rodgers said M-G-M "has no ideas or thoughts of selling pictures on the i auction block, but will do it only if | compelled." Deploring the fact that the convention had adopted resolutions attacking price "juggling" on certain pic ■ tures, Rodgers said that exhibitors should help make up in part the losses in foreign markets by extending playing time and occasional increases in admission price ''if deserved," rather than making it necessary to resort to increased rentals. Will Not Withhold 'Boom Town' However, he promised that M-G-M would not withhold bookings from exhibitors not cooperating in M-G-M's request to raise admission prices on "Boom Town." Rodgers added that before exhibitors are asked to increase admissions on films, the pictures are tested by the company, so that the request is based on fact and not theory. Rodgers minimized the polls of filmgoers taken at random as not indicating the "public pulse," and said it was absurd to believe that double features are to blame for the industry's ills. "It's nothing strange that theatre attendance has fallen down," he said. "It's only because other entertainment factors are becoming more important." He pointed to dog racing, night baseball, bingo and radio as increasj ingly competitive factors. As a result, exhibitors must apply more and better showmanship, he said. "Discard the old setup," he urged. "A streamline presentation is needed." No Sacrifice of Quality Rodgers defended Hollywood salaries, saying that "genius needs encouragement." And while economy in production is being practiced, he promised that there would be "no j economy at the sacrifice of quality." Other M-G-M officials attending the session were T. J. Connors, EastX ern and Southern division manager ; E. K. O'Shea, Eastern district manager, and H. M. Richey, assistant to Rodgers in charge of exhibitor relaI tions. Crew Finishes Work On Canadian Picture Branch managers have been appointed district coordinators for the theatres' nationwide cooperation with the Red Cross campaign, Nov. 11 to 30, by Major L. E. Thompson of RKO, general chairman, to assist local committees in each distribution zone and to insure full cooperation of the distributors. Local exhibitor committee chairmen in the larger cities and individual exhibitors in the smaller towns where no committee is established are urged to get in touch with the district coordinators to work out arrangements on booking prints of the 400-foot Red Cross film featuring Deanna Durbin which is to be shown in theatres beginning Nov. 10. The official 100-foot Red Cross trailer will be shown the second week of the Roll Call, starting Nov. 17. The latter film, featuring Priscilla Lane, will be handled by local Red Cross chapters. Thompson stressed that the plan is to support and promote local Red Cross drives and not to put on a campaign in the theatre to raise a special fund for the Red Cross. Full information will be provided by the district coordinators, who will be assisted by other branch managers in the zone. Jack J. Bowen of M-G-M is the coordinator for the New York City area. Coordinators for other ter 20th-Fox Branch in Chungking Bombed The 20th Century-Fox exchange building in Chungking, China, was bombed into a mass of wreckage last week, according to cabled advices to the home office. No one was injured, but all accessories, furniture and fixtures in the building were ruined. Prints, kept in a bombproof shelter, were undamaged. This is the first authenticated instance where a film branch has been the victim of a bombing attack in the Far Eastern hostilities. 3,230 Companies Had Taxable Net in 1938 (Continued from page 1) $11,614,000 in income and undistributed profits taxes and $88,000 in excess profits taxes. Another 5,935 corporations with no net income reported an aggregate gross of $342,982,000 and an aggregate net of $28,828,000. The remaining 1,188 corporations were inactive. The companies paying income taxes paid dividends other than stock dividends, amounting to $42,484,000, while the deficit companies paid $801,000, the bureau disclosed. Universal Sets Serial Universal will produce a serial, "Riders of Death Valley," with Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo, Buck Jones, Charles Bickford, Nan Grey, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams and Noah Beery, Jr. It is from a story by Oliver Drake. ritories, except Omaha, where one is to be appointed, follow : Albany, Bernard G. Kranz, RKO ; Atlanta, R. M. Avey, M-G-M; Boston, R. C. Cropper, RKO; Buffalo, K. G. Robinson, Paramount ; Charlotte, R. J. Ingram, Columbia ; Chicago, J. C. Osserman, RKO ; Cincinnati, Allen S. Moritz, Columbia ; Cleveland, J. R. Kauffman, Universal ; Dallas, Doak Roberts, Warners ; Denver, Chester J. Bell, Paramount ; Des Moines, Stanley Mayer, 20th CenturyFox; Detroit, Fred E. North, Warners ; Indianapolis, G. R. Frank, United Artists; Kansas City, Frank C. Hensler, M-G-M ; Los Angeles, W. E. Calloway, Warners ; Memphis, J. Frank Willingham, M-G-M ; Milwaukee, Oscar J. Ruby, Columbia ; Minneapolis, Eph Rosen, Monogram ; New Haven, Morris Joseph, Universal ; New Orleans, C. E. Peppiatt, United Artists ; Oklahoma City, J. O. Robie, Warners ; Philadelphia, E. W. Sweigert, Paramount ; Pittsburgh, Ira H. Cohn, 20th Century-Fox ; Portland, R. O. Wilson, Universal ; St. Louis, B. B. Reingold, 20th CenturyFox ; Salt Lake City, William F. Gordon, Warners ; San Francisco, N. Neal East, Paramount ; Seattle, E. A. Lamb, RKO ; Washington, Sam N. Wheeler, 20th Century-Fox. Legal Draft Distributed (Continued from page 1) ment sources that there is no assurance that this action will be forthcoming within that time limit and, if it fails to materialize, a postponement of the presentation of the draft to the Federal court would be necessary. Attorneys said there are several minor points on which the consenting companies and the Government still are not in agreement but that these are expected to be disposed of at tomorrow's meeting. The completed draft contains no change of any importance from the provisions agreed upon in principle by the five companies and the Government late in August. These principles merely have been placed in legal phraseology and form for presentation to the court. The only addition to the decree made during the past month's conferences is a prologue setting forth the history of the case and the aims of the decree. No admission of any violation of the anti-trust laws is made by the consenting companies in this prologue, it was ascertained from Government sources on Saturday, which contradicts a report circulated in the trade late last week. Prepares for Opening Terry Turner, RKO exploitation manager, has arrived on the Coast to escort Carole Lombard and Charles Laughton to San Francisco for the premiere Oct. 8 of "They Knew What They Wanted" in which they are costarred. After the premiere, Turner will accompany Laughton on a personal appearance tour. Myers States His Approval Of U. S. Decree (Continued from page 1) board of directors, Myers indicated he would not call a meeting of the board until the decree was finally approved by the court. The convention, immediately after Myers' speech, unanimously adopted a resolution giving complete endorsement to his stand. Myers urged Allied to cooperate with the Government in the fulfillment of the decree terms so as to derive "the maximum benefits it contains." He said that although he was just breaking "a four months' selfimposed silence" on the matter, he always was and still is for a consent decree, and while the present draft is far from what Allied wants, he feels its final form will contain the elimination of many practices deemed objectionable by Allied. Says Plan Is Experiment Myers minimized possible negative results from the blocks-of-five clause, saying it was just an experiment for only one season. While the language might be broad enough for distributors to abuse, he had been assured by Thurman W. Arnold, assistant U. S. Attorney General, he said, that the Department of Justice "would jump down their throats" if they do. Myers further felt that the five-picture sales plan would not leave exhibitors "hanging in the air" for product, adding that no distributor will offer less than four or five blocks of five films at a time. "Whatever the demand there will be product to meet it," he said. He termed the arbitration provisions particularly praiseworthy, and "the best the industry ever had or could ever hope to get." Earlier Myers spoke of the effects of the war and the preparedness campaign on the film industry. Instead of seeking increased film rentals at home to offset foreign losses, Myers urged distributors to continue to explore Latin American markets and for Hollywood to economize. Sees Increasing Taxes He told exhibitors to expect dislocation of personnel because of conscription, to expect "more and more taxes" and that theatre attendance is bound to suffer with one million men drafted and "as many girls without dates." A resolution adopted by the convention attacked 16mm. films for nontheatrical showings and asked that steps be taken in New Jersey to enact legislation against the practice. Another asked that the national Allied board institute legal action whenever possible to compel delivery of films withheld by distributors. A final resolution criticized Abe Montague, Columbia general sales manager, for failure to reply to inquiries regarding the status of certain pictures put to him by Sidney E. Samuelson, chairman of the Allied Information Department. Election of officers and directors by New Jersey Allied was postponed to Jan. 15. The convention closed with a testimonial dinner to Myers. Montreal, Sept. 29. — A crew of 21 has returned here from the Arctic regions to complete the Canadian final sequences of "49th Parallel" in local studios before returning to England. The crew actually shot sequences in the Eskimo country around the 49th parallel, from which the film gets its title. Michael Powell, producer, said a few weeks would be spent here doing indoor scenes in the studios of Associated Screen News. Then the company will return to London for the final scenes with Leslie Howard.