Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1943)

hursday. July 29. 1943 Motion Picture Daily Aleutians Report Is A Top-Flight Film "Report from the Aleutians" is the (dramatic story of the growth of a idesolate, storm-swept Aleutian Island into a strategic military outpost. Pro|duced in Technicolor by the U. S. Army Signal Corps, for the OWI to I be released through the WAC, it is •rj3Ly obvious attempt at propaganda. ;bu. Vather an honest and remarkably effective report. The commentator begins by explaining with maps the geography and climate of the Aleutian chain, and the respective positions of our forces and those of the enemy. The camera moves on to the construction of the airport, completed in eleven days, the job of fortification, the bringing in of vast supplies and troops, and the life of the men on this island outpost. Adak, by name. Life on the island is mainly a matter of existence. There are no canteens, no women, almost no social activities at all; just a big job to do. The film concludes with an actual bombing mission on Kiska. This last sequel of the raid was filmed in great detail and makes a very satisfying and spectacular climax to the film, which runs for 47 minutes. Ted Rowland Meeting Today on Loew's Contracts (Continued from fane 1) the success of our enterprise is due to the manpower that operates it." New contracts will expire Aug. 31, 1946, with provision for another threeyear extension upon notice by the company and acceptance by the other executives. Mayer's former contract expired Dec. 31, 1942, and he has since left the matter of compensation to future adjustment. The proposed contract runs from Jan. 1. 1943, to Aug. 31, 1946, at his present salary of $3,000 per week plus 6.77 per cent of Loew's combined annual net profit after all stipulated deductions, except that the weekly salary is not to be paid for the period from Jan. 1, 1943, to May 1, 1943. Mayer's total remuneration for 1943 was listed at $949,765. Bernstein Extension Proposed Bernstein's present contract expires next Dec. 31. The extension proposed is for the period from Jan. 1, 1944. to Aug. 31, 1946, at the present salary and percentage compensation, which is given as $2,000 weekly plus l1/ per cent of annual combined net profit. His total remuneration last vear was $281,719. Rubin's contract also expires next Dec. 31. and the extension proposed is to Aug. 31, 1946. at his present compensation. $2,000 weekly plus 1.4 per cent of combined annual net profit. His total remuneration last vear was $269,836. Weingarten's present contract calls for $3,250 weekly plus 35/100ths of one per cent of combined annual net profits. The proposed extension of from Jan. 1, 1944, to Aug. 31, 1946, at the same remuneration, which, last year, totaled $211,626. (.Continued from page 1) does the second. Along with him in one form or another are his old Army cronies. At that point, the story line straightens out, and up goes the curtain on the play as it toured the country. Only its canvas is broader, because the screen is broader. Always within the framework of the play, and constantly observing its constituent parts, the impact thereby becomes greater. Introduced is a romantic note sounded by Ronald Reagan and Joan Leslie. The thread is sketchy and constantly interrupted by the production numbers. For that matter, so is the story, but it makes little difference. The boys who do the brunt of the entertainment are U. S. Army regulars, detached from regular duty on behalf of the Army Relief Fund. As it was with the play, so now will it be with the picture and its proceeds. A SIDE from the merit of its cause, the point is "This Is the Army"" ■^■certainly has nothing to explain away. It has its well-known professional cast as well as Kate Smith singing "God Bless America," and Joe Louis doing a rhythmic bag-punching sequence. It has its Army cast, many of them sons of famous Broadway actors. It has a whole battery of Berlin tunes, including "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," "This Is the Army, Mr. Jones" and "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen." It is jeweled in production trappings and by all approaches it is top peak entertainment. There is credit around for all hands, so good a job is this. Credit for Warner as producers, for Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis as the actual men with the task in hand, for Michael Curtiz who directed, for Irving Berlin who kept a fatherly wing hovering over the making, for those like Miss Smith and the many others who contributed their services so that the Army fund might benefit the greater, and very special credit to the Company Warner for producing the picture without hope of financial gain — all profits going to Army Relief. Running time, 114 minutes. "G."* Red Kann "Hi Diddle Diddle" (Andrew Stone-United Artists) U'ROM the first frame to the final fadeout, "Hi Diddle Diddle," An*■ drew Stone's initial United Artists release, which he produced and directed as well, appears to have but one motive, to convulse the customers, and it succeeds admirably in this respect. The picture is one of those zany, escapist affairs in which anything goes and no holds are barred. Marking the return of svelte Pola Negri to American films, the picture also boasts the presence of Adolphe Menjou and Billie Burke. Miss Negri is cast here as a temperamental prima donna with a Wagnerian complex. Menjou is her recently acquired husband, who has lost some of his independence, by having to live on her bounty, but not his eye for the gals. Dennis O'Keefe is Menjou's sailor son, whose attempt to sandwich in a marriage and a honeymoon writh Martha Scott while on a 48-hour leave, leads to the inevitable complications. As Miss Scott's mother. Miss Burke turns in her usual scatterbrained performance. The thin plot revolves around the attempts of Miss Scott and O'Keefe to spend an interrupted honeymoon after a hectic wedding ceremony. Trying to conceal his state of destitution from his son, and his parenthood from his recently acquired wife, Menjou gets himself into a jam. Not content to confine himself to his own difficulties, he attempts to play the part of the shrewd financier to help Miss Burke retrieve her savings which have been dissipated as a ruse to test O'Keefe's intentions. Menjou succeeds in restoring the money through some fancy manipulations, finally enabling the youngsters to have their honeymoon-at-home. Leon Schlesinger provides a hilarious animated cartoon wallpaper sequence to accompany the combined warblings of Pola Negri, Billie Burke. June Havcc, and four newspaper reporters in a Wagnerian finale. As the matrimonial menace with an ingratiating exterior, June Havoc renders two musical numbers with the same gusto that marked her Broadway appearance in "Pal Joey." Story credit goes to Frederick Jackson. Running time, 72 mins. "G."* Milton Livingston *"G" denotes general classification. N. H. Vandalism Persists New Haven, July 28. — Managers and operators here report continued vandalism in theatres, with lip-stick decoration of walls, bending forward of chair backs, throwing of nails and other objects into the audience, etc. Although vigilance is strict, incidents continue. Pa. Gov. Host at Filming Harrisburg, Pa., July 28. — Gov. Edward Martin of Pennsylvania and Mrs. Martin were hosts tonight to a gathering of distinguished state and national figures for a special showing of Walt Disney's new film, "Victory Through Air Power," at the Executive Mansion here. WPB Theatre Policies Not To Be Altered (Continued from page 1) volve such matters as manpower, fuel, transportation, etc., over which WPB has no control. There will be no deviation from policies heretofore laid down with respect to abstention from consideration of rentals and admission charges as required by Congress in the Price Control Act and from interference with established trade practices except where action might be necessary to insure an adequate supply of product in some particular situation. George N. McMurphey, who will head the amusement section, has had experience in the film industry from 1929 to 1932, during which time he managed a number of downtown Portland, Ore., theatres for FoxWest Coast, handled advertising and publicity for Paramount theatres and managed an independent house in Astoria, Ore., for A. H. McDonald. For the 10 years following 1932 he was engaged in advertising and publicity, operating his own offices and, at the time of his appointment to the Office of Price Administration in March, 1942, was connected with the Detroit advertising agency of J. S. Getchel. Doob Sees Industry In 4Key' Bond Spot (Continued from page 1) October to serve the Government without compensation, Doob will play a _ prominent part in the War Finance division's campaign to sell $15,000,000,000 worth of bonds. He will be active in developing plans for the participation of the industry and its personalities in the campaign. He will make his headquarters at the Treasury Department where he will work in association with Ted Gamble, Treasury aide. His appointment is by way of recognition of his work as public relations chairman of the industry War Activities Committee, and in a similar capacity with the theatres' March of Dimes campaigns and in connection with the industry's $1,000,000,000 War Bond drive of Sept. 1942, and the industry Red Cross drives. Yesterday Doob and Theodore Gamble, assistant to Secretary Morgenthau and national director of the division, conferred with an industrv group headed by Si Fabian and Ed Schreiber on industry participation plans, including the Hollywood Caravan and other features. Further conferences with industry groups will be held next month so that the industry can get into the drive when it open's Sept. 9. Doob estimated today that to sell 15 billions in bonds it will be necessary to find 17,000,000 new buyers. Lipton Named Acting WAC Publicity Chief David Lipton, Columbia advertising and publicity director, has been name.l acting chief of public relations for the War Activities Committee, while Oscar Doob is serving with the Treasury Department in Washington.