Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1945)

8 Motion Picture Daily Monday, March 26, 1945 Richard de Rochemont 10th Anniversary For March of Time; Growth Was Rapid It is 10 years since the first issue of The March of Time appeared on the screens of U. S. theatres. Today, over 12,000 theatres all over the world show The March of Time. The first issue was shown in exactly 417 theatres. Volume .1, Number 1 contained s i x subjects, in contrast to the s i n g le subj ect treated in today's issues. In Volume II, one of the six subj ects was devoted to a rising political figure in Europe, Adolf Hitler. This issue contained also pictures of Sir Basil Zaharoff, the munitions king. A March of Time cameraman got these pictures by disguising himself as a fruit peddler in a Cannes railroad station, concealing his camera under a bunch of bananas. A similar trick was used by Richard de Rochemont, MOT producer, to get pictures of the elusive "Papa" Deibler, France's public executioner. A MOT cameraman lay in wait for days in a restaurant across the street from his quarry's apartment, got pictures, with a telescopic lens, of Deibler in his nightshirt. Outstanding MOT productions since included: "Japan, Master of the Orient," which told of the militaristic ambitions of Nipponese war lords ; "Inside Nazi Germany," which told of the plans then being carried out by the Nazis to prepare the German nation for World War II. March of Time's future schedule includes a film on America's West Coast, one on wartime Britain and one on Mexico. Kupper and Others Among Fox Veterans With William J. Kupper, general sales manager of 20th Century-Fox, leading the parade, the company's 3 0th / anniversary celebration in f ....Ml April will find *1 ^jgftl 97 more mem bers of 20thF o x entering their 25th year with the organization, making a total of well over 100. However, there are at least 110 others for whom 1945 will mart a longer period of service; and there are at least 24 who will celebrate their 28th anniversary with the company sometime this year. More than 400 employees will celebrate two decades with 20thFox before the end of the anniversary year. Willam Kupper 1,621 Features in Thirty Years, Connors Reports IN its 30-year history from 1915 to 1945, which 20th CenturyFox is celebrating this month, the company has released 1,621 features, according to Tom Connors, vice-president in charge of sales. This is an average of 54 pictures a year. The film required for the pictures, based on an average of 6,000 feet per picture and one hundred prints averaged for each of the 1,621 features, would reach around the world a little under eight times. It is estimated that the total film used amounted to 9,726,000,000 feet— or 184,200 miles. In the early days of the company many of the feature pictures were not more than 5,000 feet in length, and not until the last few years has the practice of making 10,000 feet features been in vogue. Of the 1,621 pictures, the company produced 1,534 in its own stuiios, 15 were made by British producers, thirty-two by other foreign companies and forty by outside American producers. The company's 30-year history actually began with the release of a picture called "Life's Shop Window," starring Claire Whitney and Stuart Holmes, in November, 1914; but it was not until the release of "A Fool There Was" with Theda Bara in the stellar role that its future began to show promise. In 1915 the only releases were "A Fool There Was" and "Kreutzer's Sonata," both with Theda Bara. The following year the company released six pictures and the number has increased since. Yesterday and Today-at Fox Theda Bara Betty Grable Lois Moran Movietone News Is 26 Years Old; Had Notable 'Firsts' Edmund Reek Twentieth Century-Fox's Movietone News, the first sound newsreel, made its debut on December 3, 1927, a full year ahead of any of its present day c o m p e t i tors, according to company statements. The newsreel o r g a n i z ation, turning oul 104 issues a year under the direction of Edmund Reek, started in 1918 However, the first reel was not released until 1919; thus, this great news gathering organization is today celebrating its 26th anniversary, in conjunction with 20th's 30th anniversary. At the start of World War II it had cameramen in 51 countries and had nine producting centers in the important capitals of the world. From these centers, which were New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Madrid, Sydney, Shanghai and Tokyo, it supplied every country in the world, except Russia, with newsreels. Among the innovations in news presentation originating with Movietone News was that of getting "names" and specialists to do the narration ; the policy of getting experts to direct coverage and the departmentalization of the subject material. It was also the first reel to use the mixed sound track with music and sound effects superimposed on the natural sound, the company says. As a news gathering outfit it has scored many great beats and scoops on stories of international importance. It scooped the world on the Jap attack on Pearl Harbor but had to surrender its film to the government. 30th Anniversary For Paul Terry In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of 20th Century-Fox, Paul Terry, president of Terrytoons, is celeb r a t i n g his 30th year in the film industry as a cartoon producer. It is his 10th year with 20thFox. The production of his first cartoon required months of labor. The creation of the thousands of drawings, photographing them, and all the other incidental tasks of cartoon-making were part of Paul Terry's pioneering. Terrytoons now has a staff of over 100 turning out 20 Technicolor cartoons a year for release by 20th Century-Fox. Paul Terry