Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1942)

24 MOTION PICTURE HERALD January 10, 1942 CIVILIAN TRAINING FILMS PLANNED (Continued from page 21) ing in 65 posts. The vaudeville units will visit 141 stations. Following is their schedule : Opening January 9 at Fort Wads worth, N. Y.: "The Latin American Revue," featuring the Rimacs, famous South American family, including several acts and a Rhumba Band. Opening January 9 at Charlotte Air Base, Charlotte, North Carolina: "Major Bowes AllGirl Revue," featuring the top feminine vaudeville artists under contract to Major Bowes, with nine big acts. Opening January 10 at Fort Slocum, New Rochelle, N. Y. : "Major Bowes All-Star Revue," featuring stellar attractions developed by Major Bowes' famous personality contests with eight big acts and the Yeoman Brothers' Band. Opening January 12 at Fort Stevens, Astoria, Oregon : "Flying High," featuring several singing, dancing and novelty acts. Opening January 12 at Fort Clark, Texas : "The Sunset Orchestra Revue," featuring the well-known Sunset All-Negro Orchestra with a variety of musical skits. Opening January 12 at Gardner Field, Taft, California : "The Sunkist Revue," a special Hollywood unit featuring celebrated vaudeville stars from the Pacific Coast. Opening January 12 at Langley Field, Virginia : "The Concert Revue," starring singers from the Metropolitan Opera and solo artists from the New York Symphony Orchestra. Opening January 12 at Fort Dawes, Boston, Mass. : "Keep Smiling," an all-around vaudeville show with 10 special numbers. Opening January 12 at Chanute Field, Illinois: "The Rhythm Revels," featuring all allsinging, all-music show. Opening January 13 at Cochran Field, Macon, Georgia : "Broadway Brevities," a fast-paced New York vaudeville show. Opening January 13 at Bangor Air Base, Bangor, Maine : "Swinging Along," a musical vaudeville unit featuring Joe Marsala and Band. Opening January 15 at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas : "Happy Daze," featuring an all-around vaudeville production topped with Maurie Brennan and his Band. Opening January 16 at Fort Robinson, Crawford, Nebraska : "The All-American Revue," featuring several prominent novelty vaudeville acts. Zanuck or Capra To Head Defense Films Whether Darryl F. Zanuck or Frank Capra would head defense film production was unconfirmed Monday in Washington. They were reported candidates. Mr. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production at Twentieth Century Fox, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves, working with the War Department, has cooperated in making of war training films in Hollywood. He was in Washington last week, New York this week and was to leave for Hollywood later. Mr. Capra, producer for Warners, and now independent again, was in Washington last week, talking with officials on subjects undisclosed, but possibly connected with films. The Office of Emergency Management has a film section under Robert Horton, head of the information division. Lowell Mellett's coordination of government films is said not to envision production. War training films in Hollywood, or in armv posts, are under or in cooperation with it. Coordination and centralization of these activities, possibly with other film activities by other Government agencies, may be envisioned. While in Washington Colonel Zanuck and Captain Gordon Mitchell attended War Department review screenings of the following Training Films recently completed : "Operations of a Reconnaissance Patrol at Night," "Safeguarding and Proper Handling of Classified Material," "Cryptographic Security," "The Emplacement of the 37 MM Antiaircraft Gun Battery," "The 37 MM AA Gun Batte/yPreparation for Firing," and "The 37 MM AA Gun Battery-Fire Control Equipment." The first official training film approved by the Office of Civilian Defense, entitled "Fighting the Fire Bomb," had its premiere Monday in New York, by means of television over Station WNBT and in other simultaneous special showings in 81 schools, before air raid wardens being trained by the Police Department of New York City. Fire Technique Taught The film, which was under the technical supervision of the Chemical Warfare Service of the U. S. Army and the National Fire Protection Association, is a fifteen minute production containing all vital information on methods and equipment to be employed in fighting fire bombs and preventing the spread of fire. It was produced by Transfilm, Incorporated, 9 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, which specializes in national defense training films, and, among others, is currently engaged in producing for the War Department a series of reels teaching the use of the Thompson Submachinegun. Author-director-producer of the bomb film was Sherman Price, president of Transfilm, Inc. Narration was by James Lehmann. In order to insure effective educational use of "Fighting the Fire Bomb," a special instructor's manual accompanies the film. The manual was prepared by Safety Research Institute, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York City, and approved by the Training Section of the O.C.D., and contains instructions for using the film in class work, lectures to be given before and after the showing of the film, questions and answers for a "quiz" period on fire bomb fighting, and other instructional material. Prints of the bomb film in 16 mm. form are being released to state and local civilian defense training organizations as well as to private groups and industries that may be subject to air attack. A limited number of prints are being sent out directly from the Office of Civilian Defense, through the OEM Division of Information, but copies can be obtained from Transfilm, Inc. Plans are being rushed for the release of a special 35 mm. theatrical version, which has been shortened to meet crowded projection schedules but is long enough to give spectators all essential information enabling them to protect themselves and their properties from incendiaries. Invitations were received this week by Washington officialdom to attend a reception and preview of "Private Letters of Private Dobbs," sponsored by the U.S.O The showing of the anniversary motion picture was at the National Press Club, Tuesday. Coast Group Renamed The Hollywood Coordinating Committee for Stage, Screen and Radio is now the Hollywood Victory Committee for Stage, Screen and Radio. The talent group elected new officers in addition to Fred W. Beetson, chairman, and Jock Lawrence, secretary. They include : Kenneth Thomson, vice-chairman ; Bert Allenber'g, treasurer ; Howard Strickling, assistant secretary. The finance committee includes Allenhcrg, E. J. Mannix. Cary Grant and I. B. Kornblum. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau has appointed, as special consultant, Ted R. Gamble, Portland and Pacific Northwest theatre executive. His headquarters will be Washington, D. C. Samuel M. Pinanski, of the Mullin and Pinanski circuit, of New England, has been appointed by Governor Leverett M. Saltonstall, Massachusetts, Commander of the Motion Picture Division of the Department of Public Safety. John McManus, manager of the Loew's Midland, Kansas City, has been appointed assistant for public relations, in the civil defense organization of that city. Daylight Saving and New Taxes for War Legislation on daylight saving and taxes will be among the first matters to receive consideration in the new, second session of the 77th Congress, which convened at the Capitol on Monday. Both will affect motion picture operations and persons, like others. Swinging into the term with nothing more than a week-end recess, Congress prepared to give President Roosevelt something like $59,000,000,000 with which to prosecute the war during the next fiscal year alone — more than half of the total national income — and paved the way for consideration of a new tax bill through which at least $5,000,000,000 and perhaps as much as $10,000,000,000 will be added to the tax load of the Nation. During the first session, which began on January 3, 1941, and adjourned on January 2, 1942, Congress found itself confronted with matters of gravest importance, sidetracking all less essential legislation, with the result that the motion picture and radio industries escaped new restrictive measures. Only a few bills affecting films were introduced during the session, and while they are still alive there is absolutely no chance that they will be considered until after the war. Most of the bills dealt with copyright matters, but the usual block booking and divorce bills were thrown in by former Senator Matthew M. Neely of West Virginia and Congressman Francis Culkin of New York ; a resolution for investigation of the industry was fathered by Repersentative Lyle Boren of Oklahoma, and Representative James P. McGranery of Pennsylvania again sought the creation of a Fine Arts Bureau. The film industry, however, was affected by the revenue act of 1941, which eliminated the 20-cent exemption from the admissions tax and repealed the exemptions which theretofore had been granted to charitable and certain other organizations. Further tax problems are expected to be handed the industry in the 1942 bill, but details of that measure will not be revealed in full until after_ the House Ways and Means Committee begins its consideration of the legislation on January 15. President Cites Taxes Seven billion dollars in new taxes will be superimposed upon the current tax burden this year, it was disclosed Wednesday by President Roosevelt in his annual budget message. In addition to this direct taxation, probably $2,000,000,000 more will be raised by increases in social security taxes, making a total tax bill in 1943 of approximately $26,000,000,000, or roughly half of the nearly $59,000,000,000 which it is proposed to spend to win the war. Accompanying the President's message were intricate tables showing receipts and expenditures, in which it was estimated that the Federal admission tax would return a revenue of