Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1940)

November 16, I 940 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 9 50 Turn to Cash THE competitive situation between independents and circuits m Chicago is getting no place fast. Added this week to the long and sometimes bitter argument over multiple features and other argumentative practices was the sudden decision, Wednesday, by Allied States of Illinois, Jack Kirsch, president, to resume Screeno cash giveaways in 50 independent theatres of that organization. This form of cash giveaway returns there after four years. At midweek, the heads of local individual theatres or circuits not affiliated with Allied were either uncommunicative or undecided as to what they would do to eompete with the independents' unexpected decision to use anywhere from $25 to $50 to be given away as another inducement to gain patronage. Roebuck Plan Fades WHAT appeared four months ago an idea which might spread, applicable to any theatre, and with Sears, Roebuck Company participating, has bogged down where it started — in Philadelphia, at six independent neighborhood houses. The idea: a giveaway, by the theatre owner, of a coupon with each admission, redeemable in goods at the local Sears, Roebuck store, at the cash value of one, two or five cents, as stamped on the coupon. The exhibitor bought coupons from Sears at face value, distributing them in numbers and in the cash value he saw fit. Sears paid for advertising and promotion. The public relations department of the home office of Sears, Roebuck, and Company, in Chicago, this week said, "The whole experiment has been dropped." It added that the Philadelphia trial had "not panned out well." The plan was started in the Philadelphia houses, June 3rd. A special "outside" corporation, to market coupons to exhibitors was set up. In this, were Robert F. Bogatin, Charles Golfine, and Moe Verbin, all of Philadelphia. The War & Hollywood HOLLYWOOD'S participation in National Defense moved forward Monday when Colonel A. D. Bruce, U.S. Army General Staff, and Major Robert Schlosberg, of the Army Signal Corps Photographic Division, arrived in the production capital, from Washington, with Gordon Mitchell, Academy Research Council director, to confer with Darryl F. Zanuck, of Twentieth Century-Fox, on the next move toward the production of training films for Army service men. The military commission interviewed screen writers with a view to commissioning junior writers for service at the Signal Corps' film-training base at Fort Monmouth, N. J., where they would write scripts for the films to be supplied for instruction. A full meeting of Hollywood's Producers' Committee for National Defense, under Y. Frank Freeman, of Paramount, committee chairman, was set for later in the week. • "Hollywood's Own," a United States Marine detachment composed of several in motion picture production, arrived at San Diego, Cal., this week, for training, commanded by Major W. S. Van Dyke II, with Captain James Roosevelt as adjutant. Major L. E. Thompson, RKO Theatres, reported Monday that between 8,000 and 9,000 theatres in the U. S. were engaged in the two weeks' drive to help put over the Annual Roll Call of the American Red Cross, from November 11th to 30th — the call this year stressing war relief activities. England receives three more war ambulances from the U. S., from the Karl Hoblitzelle Texas theatre interests — one donated in the name of Mr. Hoblitzelle, one from Interstate Circuit, the third from Texas Consolidated Theatres. The British Problem DISTRIBUTORS' foreign sales heads, and their presidents, and officers of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, are still mulling British proposals anent remittance of money to this country, proffering counter proposals, and at midweek were expecting further advice from London. Both groups on Friday, November 8th, at the headquarters of the MPPDA, in New York, heard Will Hays report his conversations with Joseph P. Kennedy. It was understood that Mr. Kennedy brought news that the British would allow American companies to remit from $10,000,000 to $12,000,000 in the coming year, replacing the agreement which expired October 31st, and ending a hiatus during which the Americans have not been able to withdraw any money. Under the old agreement, $17,500,000 was allowed to be sent here. Other factors under discussion with the British were the possibly enforced purchase, by the Americans, of British pictures for release here; and restrictions, by them, of American investments, in blocked sterling, in British theatres. The Americans are represented as feeling that, if the British are allowing less money to be withdrawn from their country this year, they can be more lenient in other of the items which will comprise the total agreement. Griffith Show DAVID WARK GRIFFITH became officially classic when this week the Museum of Modern Art and its Film Library in New York opened an exhibition reviewing his work for the motion picture screen from 1907 to 1924. Predominant was attention to "The Birth of a Nation," but included are documents, stills, and data concerning a total of twentytwo pictures. Mr. Griffith's pictures are to be shown in a cycle of ten programs, running till January 5. Incidental to the Griffith story, at Tuesday's opening, Billy Bitzer, cameraman extraordinary to Biograph and Griffith for many a year, displayed and demonstrated the camera that helped so much to make Griffith's fame. Warners vs. Sparks THE split which came nearly two years ago between Warner Brothers and the Sparks Circuit of Florida, over their inability to get together on terms for the selling and buying of Warner pictures, resounded again, on Monday, in New York, in an announcement from the Warner home office which stated : "The only independently operated first run theatre in Jacksonville, Fla., is now under construction as the first of a chain of theatres to be operated by the St. Johns Amusement Corporation, which is planning a series of first run theatres throughout Florida, some of which will be in opposition to the Sparks Circuit in this territory. "Arthur J. Siegel, who recently resigned from Warner Brothers Pictures, will be the operating head of the newly formed circuit. "After over a year and a half, during which time Warner Brothers-First National features have not played the Sparks Circuit, Jacksonville moviegoers will have an opportunity to see on the screen some of their favorite stars." The statement continued to mention its stars and pictures which have been kept out of the Florida city. Venezuela Freezes THE Venezuela Government has adopted regulations which make it mandatory for American distributors doing business in that country to obtain an export license before they are permitted to take any funds out of the country, it was learned in New York this week. Thus do foreign earnings of U. S. distributors become further frozen in a world where nearly all foreign income is frozen. Also, the Municipal Council of the Federal District of Venezuela has adopted regulations providing for motion picture and theatrical censorship. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, published every Thursday by Quigley Publishing Company, Rockefeller Center, New York City. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Ouigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and General Manager; Watterson R. Rothacker, Vice-President; Terry Ramsaye, EditorErnest A. Rovelstad, Managing Editor; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michigan Avenue, C. B. O'Neill, manager; Hollywood Bureau, Postal' Union Life Building. Boone Mancall, manager, William R. Weaver, editor; Toronto Bureau, Ste. 811, 21 Dunas Sq., Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Alister Grosart, representative; Montreal Bureau, Press Bureau, 224 Canada Cement Building, Montreal, Canada. C. A. Haworth, representative; London Bureau, 4, Golden Square, London W I, Hope Williams Burnup, manager; cable Ouigpubco London; Paris Bureau, 21 Rue de Berri, Paris 8, France, Pierre Autre, representative, c/o Monsieur Autre, chez Madame Erable, Les Mathes Charente Inferieure, France; Melbourne Bureau, The Regent Theatre, 191 Collins St., Melbourne, Australia, Cliff Holt, representative; Sydney Bureau, 17 Archbold Rd., Roseville Sydney, N.S.W., Australia. Lin Endean, representative. Mexico City Bureau, Apartado 269, Mexico City, James Lockhart, representative; Buenos Aires Bureau, Corrientes 2470 Buenos Aires, Argentina, Natalio Bruski, representative; Rio de Janeiro Bureau, Caixa Postal 3358, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, L. S. Marinho, representative; India Bureau Post Office Box 147, Bunder Road, Karachi, India, G. A. Thakur, representative; Montevideo Bureau, P. O. Box 664, Montevideo, Uruguay, Paul Bodo, representative, cable Argus Montevideo; Amsterdam Bureau, 87 Waalstraat, Amsterdam Z., Holland, Philip de Schaap, representative. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. All contents copyright 1940 by Ouigley Publishing Company. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Ouigley Publications: Better Theatres, Motion Picture Daily, International Motion Picture Almanac, and Fame.