Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1940)

0 MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 6, 1940 THREE FILMS SHARE PREMIERE SPOTLIGHT Gala Openings for "Dark Command", "One Million B. C." and "Biscuit Eater" Republic's "Dark Command," the Hal Roach-United Artists "One Million B.C." and Paramount's "The Biscuit Eater" are the latest productions to receive world premieres in special exploitation coverage. The "Dark Command" had its premiere in Lawrence, Kan., Thursday. "One Million B.C." is set for Friday in Louisville, Ky. "The Biscuit Eater" will bow at Albany, Ga., next Thursday with exhibitors, trade press and newspaper representatives the guests of Paramount on a trip that starts by plane out of New York on Wednesday. "Dark Command" Opens "Dark Command" had its world premiere Thursday night in two theatres in Lawrence, Kan., the Granada and Dickinson, with James R. Grainger, president of Republic, and Herbert J. Yates, president of Consolidated Film Industries, in attendance. The film will continue at the Dickinson for a regular run. Two hundred exhibitors in the midwest area were to attend the opening and celebration staged by the Lawrence Board of Trade and city officials. A parade Thursday afternoon was to be climaxed by the burning of a replica of the frontier town as it was in the days of Quantrill the Raider, whose exploits are the basis of the picture. William Saal of the Republic studio supervised arrangements. A studio delegation included several players, Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Roy Rogers and George (Gabby) Hayes among them. Circuit executives who were to attend included R. J. O'Donnell, Interstate, Dallas ; Harry Arthur, St. Louis; Elmer C. Rhoden, Fox Midwest, Kansas City; Ralph Goldberg, Omaha ; Howard Federer, Dent circuit, Lincoln, Neb. ; Ed Dubinsky, Kansas City, and Clarence Schultz, Commonwealth Theatres, Kansas City. Republic franchise owners in the party were Irving Mandel, Chicago ; Gilbert Nathanson, Minneapolis ; E. J. Tilton and Harry Warren, Omaha and Des Moines ; A. C. Bromberg, Atlanta; Claude C. Ezell and W. G. Underwood, Dallas ; Sol Davis and Morris Loewenstein, Oklahoma City; Nat Steinberg and Barney Rosenthal, St. Louis, and A. B. Busby, Little Rock. Premiere of Hal Roach Film The world premiere of the Hal Roach production, "One Million B.C.," will take place Friday at Loew's State theatre in Louisville, Ky. The Hal Roach and United Artists exploitation staffs have formulated a campaign to launch the film. The campaign has been built around the visit of Victor Mature, who plays the leading role in the film and is regarded by the Hall Roach organization as an important new discovery. Louisville is Mature's na RADIO TO HERALD "LIBERTY" FILMING Two coast-to-coast radio programs, taking in two large networks on successive nights, will herald the start of shooting on "The Tree of Liberty", which is being produced by Frank Lloyd for Columbia. Both broadcasts, arranged by the Columbia exploitation department, will emanate from Williamsburg, Va., where the filming will begin. On Monday evening, Dr. Harry Hagen's "True or False" program will be broadcast from the Phi Beta Kappa Hall on the campus of the College of William and Mary over the National Broadcasting Company's Blue Network. Six college girls will compete against Cary Grant, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Richard Carlson, Frank Lloyd and two other members of the troupe. On Tuesday night the "We the People" program will hold a remote control broadcast from Williamsburg featuring members of the "Tree of Liberty" production staff and cast. A Columbia Broadcasting System feature, the program will emphasize that the principal players, more than 40 technicians and 15 baggage cars full of costumes were transported 3,000 miles to shoot exterior scenes. tive town. Mayor J. D. Scholtz of Louisville and Governor Keen Johnson have indicated their intention to participate in the festivities. Jules Seltzer, of Hal Roach's publicity department in Hollywood, was in Louisville this week to arrange the advance exploitation. Set Georgia Preparations Trade press and newspaper representatives have been invited by Paramount to attend the world premiere of "The Biscuit Eater" at the Albany theatre, Albany, Ga., next Thursday. The group will leave New York by plane on Wednesday, spending the night in Atlanta, and continuing from there to Albany the following day for the premiere. Oscar Morgan, Paramount southern division sales manager, will head a home office delegation attending the opening. Among theatre operators who have signified their intention to attend the opening are William K. Jenkins of the Lucas-Jenkins circuit; R. B. Wilby of the WilbyKincey circuit; M. A. Lightman of Malco Theatres, Memphis; Mrs. Alma King, theatre executive of Brunswick, Ga. ; Clark Gurley of Bainbridge, Ga. ; Joe Schmit of Valdosta, and R. H. Dunn of Camilla. Y. Frank Freeman, Jr., left Hollywood March 25th with a print of the film which he was to show in nine key cities to Paramount exchange managers and exhibitors. The cities are Salt Lake, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, Beaumont, New Orleans and Atlanta. Billy Lee, nine-year-old star of the film, will make a series of personal appearances in connection with the opening of the pic 1 ture throughout Georgia. "Pinocchio" Gross "Pinocchio," Walt Disney's second feature length cartoon, grossed an estimated j $240,000 in its run of seven weeks and five days at the Center theatre, Rockefeller Center, New York. This compares with a gross of $530,000 for the five weeks' run of the producer's first feature length cartoon. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at the Radio Citv Music Hall in January-Feb ruary, 1938. The indicated RKO-Disney net share of the gross at the Center is $125,000, after advertising and premiere costs are paid. The producer-distributor's share of "Snow White's" five-week gross was approximately $150,000. The gross rental on "Pinocchio' was approximately $168,000. The company reports that "Pinocchio" has been held over in 150 situations throughout the country following reports of big grosses for its opening days of Saturday, Sunday , and Monday. The film opened in London March 18th and on its first day topped the gross of "Snow White" by 10 per cent, according to fc the company. "Rebecca" Gross I The Selznick-International production 1 "Rebecca" grossed a total of $194,000 in 21 theatres in 19 cities for opening five-day 1 runs, according to Jack Schlaifer and Harry | Gold, United Artists vice-presidents in charge of western and eastern sales, respec j tively. The period included the Easter !■ weekend. The film, which opened at the Radio City Music Hall, New York, last Thursday played to 117,735 persons in the first four days of its engagement. The picture is playing in four theatres in the Miami area simultaneously, United Art I ists officials report. The theatres are the k Lincoln and Surf, Miami Beach, and the Miami and Mayfair, Miami. 3 Montague Westmore, Studio Makeup Artist, Dead at 39 Funeral services were held on Monday, in Hollywood, for Montague, "Monty," West 1 more, makeup artist, who died last Saturday i of heart disease, at the age of 39. Mr. Westmore was the eldest of the Westmore brothers, Perc, Ern, Walter and Hamilton, • all makeup men, and Frank, in school. Mr. Westmore had been under contract to 3 the Selnick International studios and had been in charge of makeup for "Gone With ? the Wind." He had been borrowed recently ^ by Warner Brothers,* to aid Perc Westmore, head makeup man in that studio. Mrs. Louise Dunlap Dies Mrs. Louise Dunlap, mother of Scott R. Dunlap, vice-president in charge of production for Monogram Pictures, and a former musical comedy and vaudeville singer, died ; Sunday at 80 at her home in Hollywood. Funeral services were held Tuesday at the Hollywood Cemetery Chapel.