Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1942)

38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD February 7, 1942 Totals Added On Industry's Dimes Drive With almost 11,000 theatres participating' in the infantile paralysis drive Si Fabian, national treasurer for the motion picture industry's March of Dimes drive, reported Monday that checks from theatres were beginning to arrive at the Hotel Astor in New York, national headquarters. Half the amount sent in by theatres, less expenses, will be returned to the community from which it was raised. Miller, Donaldson Co., public accountants, have volunteered to handle the auditing and certifying of the March of Dimes monies, without charge. Theatres are urged to return their March of Dimes trailers to the National Screen Service exchanges from which they were received. The Warner film salvage plant in New York has volunteered to reclaim the rilm and turn the proceeds over to the infantile paralysis fund. Managers of theatres are urged to make prompt reports to the Theatre Staff Committee at the Hotel Astor, on the usher, projectionist, etc., who had filled the greatest number of Birthday coin cards. The leaders in this activity will be awarded defense bonds. The drive for funds ended Friday, January 30th. 12,540 Parties There were 12,540 birthday parties for President Roosevelt held Friday, January 30th. In scores of these, film, radio and stage players, besides those from the concert and opera worlds participated. In New York the principal event was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, with a ball at which 14 of the popular bands and orchestras performed, in addition to numerous players from stage, screen and radio. The most important of all birthday balls, of course, was held in Washington, D. C. An allstar banquet at the Hotel Willard, besides dinner dances at the Hotels Mayflower, Shoreham, Wardman Park and Hamilton, were held. Edward Arnold, president of the Screen Actors Guild, was the master of ceremonies at the banquet, assisted by Art Brown. Film stars, accompanied by studio representatives, members of the Washington Variety Club, drama and film critics and Washington newspaper correspondents made appearances at the various functions. First County Return The first complete county returns received at March of Dimes headquarters in New York, came from Matt Saunders, county chairman of Fairfield County, Conn. Only one theatre in the county failed to collect. The grand total reported from the county was $11,018, with Loew's Poli theatre in Bridgeport, leading with $2,594. Vastly increased theatre collections in the city of Albany, N. Y., netted the March of Dimes infantile paralysis drive a sum of $4,882, more than $1,000 in excess of last year. Louis R. Golding, Fabian Theatres district manager and chief barker of Albany Variety Tent, turned over the check to Walter T. Brown, state chairman of the infantile paralysis funds campaign. Seven of the 14 film houses in Greater Little Rock, Ark., have raised $951.45 during the past seven days in the March of Dimes campaign. Other theatres will report their progress next week. During the first four days of collections on War and Blackouts and Shipping Difficulties Hit Films in Alaska by NAT TANCHUK in Los Angeles "Alaska as America's outpost on the North American continent is the most likely primary U. S. battlefield in the present conflict." This is the observation; brought back from Alaska by Ben F. Shearer, operator of a group of theatres in the Pacific Northwest, of two Alaskan houses, and the B. F. Shearer Equipment Company, on his arrival last week in Los Angeles to buy films and confer with the Los Angeles office of B. F. Shearer Equipment Company. He declared Alaska would be one of the blackest spots in the business map for motion picture exhibition or any other industry. Alaska, he added, is even more remote than Hawaii. There is no method of transportation other than steamship. By this method it takes approximately five weeks to ship film to Alaska. Films now shown there are from seven months to one year behind release date. Business has fallen off 25 percent at Mr. Shearer's theatres, the Revilla in Ketchikan and the Capitol in Juneau. Admission at both houses is 50 cents. Contrary to popular conception, soldiers in Alaska have not aided business. Their camps are situated far from the cities and there are no transportation facilities for them. The army, furthermore, supplies its own movies. Because of Alaska's position, the wives and children of all soldiers and a majority of civilians are being moved from Alaska. Cities, themselves, are being bastioned to fend off possible attacks. Blackouts are a daily occurrence, starting at four in the afternoon. Since this is Alaska's winter season, there is a minimum of daylight. Transportation costs are soaring, and recently Governor Gruening scathingly attacked the U. S. Maritime Commission's raising of steamship freight rates 45 per cent. This, naturally, affects the cost of bringing in film. Governor Gruening pointed out that the cost of living, even before this raise, ranged from a low of 35.52 per cent higher in Ketchikan than in New York, to a maximum of 116.16 per cent higher in Fairbanks than in New York. the infantile paralysis drive in California, a total exceeding all previous years had been collected. Based on these days, it is expected that $150,000 would be collected. Last year about $87,000 was collected in southern California. In San Antonio, Tex., the President's Birthday Ball was celebrated at the Municipal Auditorium on January 31st, with E. E. Collins, city manager of Interstate Circuit, in charge of the affair. Local managers from all theatres were present. Capital Return Estimated Although proceeds have not yet been totaled, Washington's contribution to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis is expected to exceed $100,000, thanks mainly to the galaxy of film stars who came to Washington to assist in the celebration. In addition, more than $25,000 was realized in the local March of Dimes campaign, according to a preliminary estimate by Carter T. Barron, chairman for the District of Columbia and Loew's territorial manager. Largest fund raisers were the Warner houses, with $10,800; Loew's, $8,700; Trans Lux Theater, $2,000; RKO-Keith's, $1,400; Lichtman Theaters, $1,400, and Gayety Theater, $336. Mr. Barron reported that the 10 theaters in his eastern division, located in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia, raised $21,000 for the March of Dimes. Red Cross Fund Doubled The theatre division of the Greater New York Red Cross War Fund appeal has more than doubled its quota of $10,000 to date, Brock Pemberton, division chairman, reports. The Sonja Henie benefit performance at Madison Square Garden January 28th added $17,700 to the proceeds of the appeal, going toward the Greater New York total goal of $7,330,000. Other returns for the theatre division include $3,174.80 collected by the American Theatre Wing, $700 from the firm and staff of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and $250 from Mr. and Mrs. E. M Warburg. The $50,000 quota of the radio broadcasting division has been 20 per cent realized to date, under the chairmanship of Edward Klauber, Executive Vice President of the Columbia Broadcasting System. The motion picture division of the entertainment group is working toward its auota of $100,000, under the chairmanship of Herman G. Place, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. Sherrill Cohen has been named chairman of the Red Cross Training Committee for theatres in Los Angeles, Bowen McCoy, Los Angeles head of the Red Cross announced this week. This committee will train all theatre staffs in defense and Red Cross work. Dodge Reports on Theatre Building Theatre building contracts for the month of December, 1941, are evaluated at $938,000, according to figures released in New York last week by Dodge Reports, statistical research service. Dodge declared the figure represents a sharp drop from totals of preceding months in 1941, due to curtailment of contract awards for theatre construction principally in 37 states ease of the Rockies when war broke out between the U. S. and Axis. Dodge service also cites the $938,000 figure as as "impressive sum" considering that outbreak of the war affected construction operations the greater part of December and also because theatre contracts for that month in any year usually are below average. According to the service, the sum represents less than nine per cent under that of December, 1940.