Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

2 Motion Picture Daily M onday. December 4. 1944 Personal Mention Tradewise . . . By SHERWIN KANE Goodfried Aide to Williams at U. A. Rex Williams, head of United Artists' exploitation, has appointed Robert Goodfried his assistant, at the same time announcing several changes in field personnel. Goodfried has been handling premieres and field openings for United Artists for more than a year. Fred Joyce of Chicago was named exploitation supervisor in the ChicagoMinneapolis Milwaukee Indianapolis areas, with Harold Evans and Homer Lambert as assistants ; Manny Pearson will handle Cleveland-DetroitCincinnati, assisted by Ken Renaud. Other appointments are: Charlie Shaw, Philadelphia; David Polland, Washington ; Hubert Scott, St. Louis : Al Lake, Los Angeles; Lew Maren, San Francisco; Willard Coughlin. Seattle ; William Lewis, ' Dallas-New Orleans, and Eddie Bonns, AtlantaCharlotte. Ben Hill was named to the Southern exploitation staff. Phil Engel, Boston exploiteer, will supervise New England and New Yorkstate, working with Al Gorsorl and Paul Morris. 'Life With Father' From WB in 1947 Warners, on Friday, confirmed its purchase of "Life with Father" for a $500,000 advance against royalties which are understood to run as high as 50 per cent, after two-and-one-half years of negotiations with Oscar Serlin, the play's producer; Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, its authors, and Mrs. Clarence Day, widow of the writer upon whose sketches the comedy is based. The picture, in color, will not be released, however, until 1947, with Lindsay, Crouse and Mrs. Day aiding in production. The play, in its five years, is said to have grossed some $8,000,000. i JOSEPH M. SCHENCK left New »J York for the Coast at the weekend. • Spyros Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox, and his assistant, Sam Shain, left for Washington at the weekend. Skouras is considering a trip to London and possibly Greece shortly after Jan. 1. • Antoinette Spitzek, Eastern publicity director for Walt Disney Prod., is convalescing at Manhattan General Hospital, following a major operation, Friday. • Nicholas M. Schenck, president of Loew's, has cancelled his scheduled Coast trip and will remain in New York for the present. • Ben Kalmenson, Warner general sales manager, left over the weekend for the Coast, with a stopover in Chicago. • Walter Branson, RKO western division sales manager, will return to New York today from a tour of his territory. • Sir Alexander Korim and Ben Goetz, MGM British production heads, are en route here from London. • Sam Katzman, Monogram producer, has returned to Hollywood from New York. • N. Peter Rathvon, RKO president, left for the Coast over the weekend. • Will Yolen of Warner Bros, pub i i\~iiy 3id.il will ICaVC Lmidv IKJl X\l L) al ly . • Joe Roberts, of Vanguard Pictures Eastern publicity staff, is in Chicago. A LTHOUGH self-admittedly All of which would appear to Capt. Gene Markey is no demonstrate that the industry's silver or even aluminum-tongued service to the nation cannot be orator, the sincerity with which terminated when the war is won, he delivered his message from that, in fact, peace will bring Washington to the industry with it the need for new sermade his remarks as impressive vices to the nation and the as any heard at the luncheon world that this industry is best which featured the annual meet equipped to perform. There can ing of the War Activities Com be no demobilization in the themittee here last Thursday. atres, the studios, the exchanges. Markey explained that before the executive offices and the leaving Washington for New War Activities Committee (even York he had asked whether there though its label be changed ) on was any message for the mo V-E Day or V-J Day. tion picture industry. "Tell • • them," was the reply, . "what Food for exhibitor thought is Admiral Mitscher said; 'We've to be found in some of the stategOt to kill ten million Japs'." ments which Assistant U. S. Implicit in that message is Attorney General Wendell Berge the reminder that the war job made concerning Department of of every American is far from Justice views of the consent debeing ended. It is the continuing Cree, when interviewed by Mojob of the industry and its War tion Picture Daily in New Activities Committee to help York last week, impress that fact upon the The Department, Berge said, American people. ;s willing to compromise with # decree companies on virtually anything except the divorcement Markey observed that he has of affiliated theatres. The statefound an "appallingly selfish at ment goes a long way toward titude on the home front, par substantiating the beliefs of ticularly where money is spent many in the industry that the freely.^ It amounts," Markey Department is vastly more intersaid, "almost to an indifference ested in pursuing that ole debbil to the war." "monopoly," the reigning favor "The American people will ite of the Attorney General's have to pull together better than court, than it is of effecting they have been if the war is to trade practice reforms of direct be ended soon," he said. "The a.nd immediate benefit to exhibiwar against the Japs could drag ^on and distribution. If trade on for longer than any of us like practice benefits result from the to think. Our people need a real chase, or if they do not, that is istic view of the war. I'm afraid quite incidental to the first obthey don't have it. The motion jective, for, the trade belief is, picture industry can do more trie philosophical Department is than any other to supply it." committed to the theory that if "monopoly" can be found out and laid low, all other ills either Elmer Davis, head of the Of disappear automatically or are fice of War Information, also of no consequence. The Departemphasized the need for con ment, this trade view holds, tinuation of industry aid, and looks upon the integration of declared that that need would production and distribution, on exist even in the postwar period. *e one hand, and exhibition on In addressing the luncheon the other as the form, if not the meeting Davis said: "We hope substance, of monopoly, for the continuation of your tre • mendously important help in Yet, how few, proportionately, many vital postwar activities. are the exhibitors who expect or The American people must be hope to benefit in any manner told what kind of a world they from affiliated theatre divorcemust help patch up and get go ment, should ever it occur. It is a ing again, and what their gov legalistic issue, not a trade panernment is doing about it. The acea, and therein lies the hopeworld must be educated to win lessness of beneficial trade practhe peace." tices emerging from this or anv Motion pictures, Davis said, other prosecution, will be among the most impor What the majority of exhibitant agencies in the effort to ac tors want eventually will come complish those essential postwar from within the industry, not aims from edict or decree. Autry Says Induction Voids Republic Pact Los Angeles, Dec. 3.— Gene Autry contended in Superior Court here at the weekend that his contract with Republic was automatically terminated by his induction into the Armed Forces in August, 1942. Nathanson to Chicago Chicago, Dec. 3. — Nate Nathanson, United Artists branch manager in Milwaukee, will succeed Sid Rose as head of the local UA branch, in January. Rose will move to Los Angeles to take over the branch there; it has been vacant for six months. Bob Allen, UA salesman here, will succeed Nathanson in Milwaukee. Knudsen Screening Host Dayton, Ohio, Dec. 3. — Lt. Gen. William L. Knudsen was host to Army Air Force officers and industrial leaders at a dinner and special screening of 20th Century-Fox's "Winged Victory" in the Van Cleve Hotel here Friday. Schenck Names Eight More 'Dimes' Heads Roster of state chairmen for the industry's 1945 March of Dimes drive will be completed this week, Nicholas M. Schneck, drive chairman, disclosed here at the weekend, announcing at the same tme eight additional acceptances, as follows : Albert Finke, Oregon; Frank Newman, Washington ; J. Myer Schine, Northern New York; Elmer Rhoden, Kansas ; Charles Skouras, Robert Poole, George Mann and Albert Law, California co-chairmen ; and, participating for the first time, Alaska chairman Robert Peratrovich. Music Educators Meet Preview of the Jerome Kern-E. Y. Harburg score of Universal's "Can't Help Singing" was a feature of Saturday's Fall meeting of the In-andAbo;ut Music Educators Group of New York. Guest speaker at the gathering, held at the Plaza Hotel, was Deems Taylor, who discussed "The Influence of Motion Pictures on Music Education." MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, President and Editor-in-Chief ; Colvin Brown, Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Executive Editor. Published daily except Saturday, Sunday and holidays by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York, 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address, "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown, Vice-President; Red Kann, Vice-President; T. J. Sullivan, Secretary; Sherwin Kane, Executive Editor; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michigan Ave.; Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union Life Bldg., William R. Weaver, Editor; London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl, Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." All contents copyrighted 1944 by Quigley Publishing Co., Inc. 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