Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1941)

March 15, 194 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 9 Mr. Chaplin Says NOW THAT "The Great Dictator" is about to go into general release, Charles Chaplin last week set about stirring a bit of interest by calling his first Hollywood press conference in all his career on pretext of announcI ing a project for a new production. He said that he was coming to New York to start work on a picture about "a bibulous refugee in a dress suit, lost in the big city." It is to be remembered that in late 1916 \ Mr. Chaplin made a Lone Star-Mutual two j reeler entitled "One A.M." in which he porI trayed a bibulous person in a dinner jacket j and lost in his own home. It was his least successful picture. In "One A.M." Mr. Chaplin appeared entirely alone in what is probably the only cinema solo. In this new picture he is talking about, he has indicated he probably will be supported by Paulette Goddard as the principal feminine character. No Pictures! THE motion picture industry's own "supreme court," the arbitration appeal board, was presented formally Wednesday afternoon at a reception given by the American Arbitration Association on the 67th floor of the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center, New York. Judge Henry W. Goddard, the man who put the whole film arbitration machinery into being by signing the consent decree last November, was among those scheduled to be present. It was only after being assured that no photographers would be present that Judge Goddard accepted the invitation. P. S. : Judge Goddard did not attend. Other arbitration developments of the week are on page 14. Billion for Fun AMUSEMENT corporations active in 1938 had a gross income for that year of $1,140,769,000 and a net income of $51,906,000 on which they paid income taxes of $11,614,000 and excess profits taxes of $88,000, it was i reported last week by the Bureau of Interna! Revenue, in Washington. Analysis of the 1938 returns of these corporations, numbering 9,165, showed that they paid dividends during the year of $43,285,000 in cash and assets other than their own stock and $319,000 in stock. The gross income of the reporting companies included $58,358,000 from sales and $1,023,426,000 from operations other than sales ; $22,680,000 from rents and royalties ; $17,986,000 in dividends from other corporations, of which $3,041,000 was from foreign corporations, and $113,000 in interest on Government obligations, of which $77,000 was wholly tax exempt. Their deductions includued $37,660,000 for cost of goods sold, $349,017,000 for cost of operations, $29,836,000 in compensation of officers, $85,730,000 for rent, $22,122,000 for interest, $33,593,000 for taxes other than income or excess profits, and $37,983,000 for depreciation. Miscellaneous deductions, for which no break-down was given, totaled $488,417,000, and the total compiled deductions were $1,088,785,000. On the basis of gross receipts of $1,140,769,000 and deductions of $1,088,785,000, the 9,165 corporations had a combined net profit of $51,983,000 and a taxable income of $51,906,000 after the deduction of tax-exempt interest. The combined net profit, after taxes was $40,281,000. Leo's Voice EXPANDING interests of Loew's, Inc., in the radio field received a boost this week when the Federal Communications Commission gave the company's station in New York, WHN, authority to increase its power to 50,000 watts. This will make the radio voice of Leo the Lion as strong as that of any regular station in the country. WHN now operates with only 5,000 watts during the daytime and 1,000 at night. WHN has also received authorization for a FM radio station to cover the New York Metropolitan area. The FM transmitter will be erected at the Palisades Amusement Park. An application of MGM for a FM station in Los Angeles is still pending before the FCC. Loew's, Inc., is reported to be interested in the formation of a national FM network. Advertising & Art NEW YORK's Belmont Theatre, long housing fragments from foreign film makers, and oddments from U. S. Government agencies— and rarely housing them long — this week prepared for a new fate : to be the home, the first such, of documentary films in this country, and also to be a first run New York showcase for the larger product of commercial film makers. The commercial films — "carefully selected" — are to be shown in eight-reel programs from 10:30 A.M. to 6 :30 PM., admission by free tickets obtainable from sponsors. The documentaries are to be displayed evenings at "nominal admissions." The theatre opens in April with the new fare under operation of the National Documentary Theatre Co., Inc., president of which is Harold McCracken, explorer, photographer, and writer. Envisioned first, several months ago, was a theatre to house only documentary films, to be gleaned from Government vaults, from smaller producers, from political factions, from the better producers for commercial ventures, from Hollywood, in whatever instances the films appeared documentary. Not Legion 9s Voice THE "anti-blocks-of-five" bill sponsored by Northwest Allied was approved Wednesday by the House judiciary committee of the Minnesota legislature. The state Senate held hearings on a companion bill but deferred action. (Story on page 12.) Before recommending the measure the House judiciary committee added an amendment permitting cancellation of films by exhibitors on moral, racial or religious grounds. It was said that this amendment had been suggested by the Minneapolis Legion of Decency. From the National Legion of Decency office, through Mrs. James F. Looram, chairman of the reviewing committee, came disavowal of the status of testimony and representations of the Minneapolis unit of the Legion made by Miss Helen Lynch. Miss Lynch said the Legion approved the bill. Mrs. Looram observed that the only authorized spokesmen for the Legion in Minneapolis were the Very Reverend Donald J. Gregory, chancellor of the diocese of St. Paul and Father Martin Larkin of Duluth. She said Chancellor Gregory had been asked to make plain the Legion's position. Also, said Mrs. Looram, the Legion has not considered the Minnesota measure, which it regards as entirely an industry matter. Sees President WILL HAYS visited the White House Wednesday to acquaint President Roosevelt with current details of what the motion picture industry is doing to forward the defense program. The industry head reported on the work being done on the production of films supporting the administration's rearmament effort, on the cooperation extended in the improvement of relations with Latin American countries and other projects on which the motion picture producers are active. (See page 13 on the motion picture as "essential industry" and priority requirements. ) Louella To Lifebuoy HER own radio program — "Louella Parsons Will Present" — brimming with Hollywood talent, and running one-half hour per week, will be served to the nation's ears beginning 10:00' P.M., E.S.T. March 28th, by the Hearst newspapers' film affairs chronicler. The broadcasts will be over the Columbia system, and will be for 13 weeks. The first will feature Marlene Dietrich and Bruce Cabot. The orchestra will be under Felix Mills ; the announcer will be Harlow Wilcox; publicity director, Arthur Eddy. The sponsor is Lifebuoy Soap. Closing of the deal apparently ends the reported conflict between Miss Parsons and the Screen Actors Guild, over actors' pay. 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 Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and General Manager; Watterson R. Rothacker, Vice-President; Terry Ramsaye, Editor; Ernest 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. Leon Friedman, 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. 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