Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1942)

26 MOTION PICTURE HERALD February 14, 1942 REPUBLIC, UNITED ARTISTS PRC SET NEW RELEASES Budgets Increased on Spring Features; War, Comedy Stressed New product plans were announced this week by more producers. Republic announced that an estimated $4,500,000 would be spent by the company to complete 22 ot the 66 films on the 1941-42 schedule. United Artists reported that eight major productions would be released during the next 14 weeks. Producers Releasing Corp. announced a "materially increased budget" for "Men of San Quentin." Last week, Motion Picture Herald reported that Universal would release 53 pictures in the new season; that Warner Bros, would release 45 to 50 and that Twentieth Century-Fox would deliver a total of 50 films this year. Following a series of production conferences between Herbert J. Yates, Republic's chairman of the board, and M. J. Siegel, company president, it was announced in New York that more than $3,000,000 would be spent in producing" 11 features, ten westerns and one serial included in the 66 pictures scheduled for the company's 1941-42 program. Estimates for the productions are as follows: "Flying Tigers," co-starring John Wayne and Ray Middleton, to be made at a cost of §750,000; "Lazy Bones," a Judy Canova comedy, at $500,000 ; "Remember Pearl Harbor," feature presenting Republic's western star, Don Barry, budgeted at $450,000; "Moonstruck," a musical, starring Betty Kean, Broadway player, at a cost of $350,000, and "Road to Mandalay," an adventure story, to cost more than $250,000. Other Republic features scheduled are : "Suicide Squadron," "Yrukon Patrol," "Secret Agent No. 39," "Big Top," "Roaring Timber" and "Ten Nights in a Barroom." During the next three months, the company plans to make three Gene Autry pictures: "Bells of Capistrano," budgeted at approximately $500,000, "Sing, Ranger, Sing," and "South of Rio Grande," which three films will fill out the Autry program of eight productions. "Sons of the Pioneers" and "Sunset Serenade" are the two Roy Rogers westerns to be made. "Phantom Plainsmen" and "Frontier Days," two Mesquiteer pictures slated for production, along with two Don Barry action series, "Bad Men of Butte" and "Code of the Desert," round out the western schedule. United Artists Has 8 Ready Carl Leserman, general sales manager for United Artists, announced in New York this week that the company would release eight major productions during the period from February 6th to May 15th. Mr. Leserman -aid these films represented the largest production investments in the history of the company. Beginning with last Friday, and release of "The Shanghai Gesture," the schedule is as follows : February 27th : "Heliotrope Harry," an Edward Small production featuring Brian Donlevy, Miriam Hopkins and Preston Foster. March 6th: "To Be or Not To Be," Carole Lombard's last picture in which she co-starred with Jack Benny; produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and presented by Alexander Korda. March 20th : "Mister V," produced and directed by Leslie Howard, who also stars in the film, which is presented by Edward Small in association with United Artists. April 3rd: Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book," produced in Technicolor by Alexander Korda with Sabu in the stellar role. April 17th: Charlie Chaplin in "The Gold Rush," with music and words ; produced, written and directed by Mr. Chaplin. April 24th: "Twin Beds," Edward Small's production featuring George Brent, Joan Bennett, Mischa Auer, Una Merkel, Glenda Farrell and Ernest Truex. May 15th: "Ships With Wings," an adventure film based on the exploits of an aircraft carrier, with John Clements, Leslie Banks, Jane Baxter, Ann Todd and Basil Svdnev in leading roles. PRC Preparing Comedy Themes Producers Releasing Corp. will gear its product to meet the demand for action and light comedy films during the war, it was announced by O. Henry Briggs, company president, upon his return to New York this week from regional conventions of PRC in Little Rock and Chicago. Mr. Briggs declared, "Entertainment and relaxation are the prime requisites for maintaining the movie-going public's daily work and that PRC is going to do its part in supplying that need." He predicted that the war would prove a box office stimulant in the U. S. as it did in England. At the second of four regional sales meetings called by Arthur Greenblatt, PRC's general sales manager, held at Little Rock, Ark., last week, Mr. Briggs announced that a materially increased budget would go into effect for "Men of San Quentin," the Martin Mooney production now in preparation. This film is being produced with full cooperation of the California State Parole Board and Warden Clinton Duffy of the San Quentin prison. William Beaudine will direct, and Max King is associate producer with Mr. Mooney. It is scheduled for release May 8th. One of the most difficult problems facing distributors today is the matter of automobile transportation for their country salesmen, Mr. Greenblatt told delegates at the third regional convention of the company held at the Congress Hotel, Chicago, last Saturday and Sunday. Motion Picture Herald reported on this and related problems of distributors in these war times, on page 15, February 7. Unless the government gives the film companies priorities on tires so salesmen can cover their territories properly, selling costs will increase considerably, not only because of the higher rail rates, but of the time lost waiting for connections between towns, many of which could be reached more conveniently and more economically by means of the automobile. Columbia Holds Sales Meeting Last Friday, Columbia's Southern division branch managers met in a two-day conference at the Ainsley Hotel, Atlanta, with Rube Jackter, assistant sales manager, presiding. The meeting was called in connection with the company's sales drive, in which it has posted approximately $50,000 in defense bonds as prizes. Among those scheduled to attend were : Sam Moscow, Southern division manager, and the following branch managers : R. J. Ingram, Atlanta ; Joseph Gins, Charlotte ; J. B. Underwood, Dallas ; J. J. Rogers, Memphis ; C. A. Gibbs, Oklahoma City, and H. Duvall, New Orleans. Freeman Contest Winners Named Winners of the Y. Frank Freeman drive, conducted by the Balaban & Katz circuit in Chicago, were announced last Friday by Walter Immerman, general manager. The drive, which began on October 31st and ended December 31st, 1941, was for the most efficiency shown in the general and economic operation of houses in the circuit. Theatres were divided into different classes. Loop prizes were given on effort and expense control, while outlying classes were based on the greatest spread between expense and profits over the same period the previous year. Film rents were not involved in the contest. In the Loop the result was a tie between William Holden and Charles Cottle, managers of the Chicago and Roosevelt theatres respectively. In the "A" class, George Grandt, Tivoli Theatre, won. Harry Odendahl, of the Congress, and Charles Nesbit. Tivoli, took the "B" class honors. Waldo Bail, LaGrange Theatre, LaGrange, 111., and Jerome Winsberg, Senate Theatre, Chicago, were "C" class winners, and Al Leonard, Lakeside Theatre, was highest in the houses showing first week of general release in Chicago. As originally announced, winners were to be given trips to Hollywood, with all expenses paid for them and their wives, but due to national conditions this was changed and all winners received $500 in Defense Bonds, except in the Loop, where the prize was split between Mr. Holden and Mr. Cottle.