Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD. July 3 , 1943 Picture to War Stam To Substitute for Caravan of Stars Supplementing Campaign Trailer The film industry's national effort, through theatres, and all other divisions of the War Activities Committee, to support the July drive to sell to each of 130,000,000 Americans $1 in War Stamps, is being aided this week by production of a trailer series, "Stars Over America," which will take the place of a personal caravan of Hollywood stars. The newsreel division of the WAC filmed scenes on the west coast, enlisting the services of Hollywood stars. These clips were rushed to theatres as unofficial trailers, supplementing the trailer available to theatres below cost from National Screen Service exchanges. Four-Page "Flyer" Goes To All Theatres The first star announced for this campaign expected to build the aircraft carrier Shangri-La, is Hedy Lamarr. Miss Lamarr is shown selling $1 in Stamps to Captain Ted Lawson, one of the crew who participated in the bombing of Tokio. Other stars are shown either buying or selling Stamps. A special four-page "flyer" has been prepared by the WAC and was shipped across the country over the week-end to the thousands of theatres which will participate in the July War Stamp campaign. The flyer contains a summary of stamp-sale boosters submitted by theatre men who have used them successfully. It also contains a set of advertising slugs, newspaper fillers and radio spots. The ad slugs are available in mat form free of charge from any National Screen Service exchange. The Skouras circuit, New York, is offering War Bonds and other prizes to boys and girls selling the most stamps in July through Shangri-La Clubs, organized in the circuit's 65 houses. Prizes Awarded in Bonds To Child Salesmen Nine sets of prizes will be awarded in nine different zones. Prizes include $50 War Bonds for those selling the most stamps in dollar units in each zone; second prizes are $25 Bonds. Third place awards will be season passes to any Skouras theatre, with the winner having the privilege of taking his or her parents. In addition, there will be individual theatre prizes of handsome plaques to the top contestant in each theatre. I Joys and girls must register with theatre managers to be placed on official membership lists of the Shangri-La War Stamp Clubs. Ballots will be given with each $1 or more in stamps purchased at the theatres. Votes will be counted in dollar units. Ballots are to be deposited in sealed boxes in theatre lobbies, to be opened after midnight Saturday, July 31st, when the contest closes. Prominent residents in each community will count the ballots. Names of winners will be announced from the stage of every Skouras theatre Saturday, August 7th. At a special presentation ceremony held last week at New York City Hall, a check for $140,426, representing part of the theatre col Push July p Drive lections in the exchange area, was presented to the Greater New York Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The check was tendered to Mayor LaGuardia, on behalf of all the exhibitors who staged collections, by a group of WAC representatives that included Sam Rinzler, Fred Schwartz, Harry Brandt and Charles C. Moskowitz. The Mayor accepted the check and in turn presented it to Marjorie Lawrence, Metropolitan Opera star and herself a paralysis victim, who accepted for the fund. Robert Lynch, MGM district manager in Philadelphia, and WAC distributor chairman there, is offering prizes of $50, $30, and $20 to local exhibitors collecting the most scrap metal through their theatres. More than 300 exhibitors, distributors, and public relations men of the War Activities Committee, plus state and civic dignitaries, gathered at the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City last week to hear Francis S. Harmon, WAC executive vice-chairman, who later in the afternoon broadcast over KSL. Mr. Harmon outlined the film industry's war efforts. On the dais with Mr. Harmon were John Rugar and Tracy Barham, co-chairmen of the WAC Exhibitors division for the area, and Wm. S. Gordon, chairman of the Distributors Division. In the audience were theatre men from Park City, Provo, Ogden, Brigham City, Logan, Sugar House, and other Utah points. Boston To Have New Booth for Bonds On Thursday a War Bond and Stamp Booth was to be opened on Boston Common, sponsored by the local motion picture trade. Accompanying it was to be a replica of the ship ShangriLa. There will be special parades, appearances of stars, and war heroes, during the efforts of the booth personnel to sell the Treasury issues. The United States Treasury, New York War Savings Staff, last week awarded Paramount Pictures in behalf of the company and its New York employes, a citation for having purchased a sufficient number of extra War Bond's to provide two heavy bombers, a balloon and a glider. The Bonds which provided the aircraft were subscribed by the company and employes during a three-week Second War Loan drive sponsored by the Paramount Pep Club in April among departments in the Times Square zone. New York Bond purchases were exclusive of large amounts obtained at the Paramount West Coast studios and Paramount affiliated theatres throughout the country. "This Is the Army" Print Order Totals 450 Warners had increased its print requirements on Irving Berlin's "This Is the Army" to 450, it was disclosed recently by Ben Kalmenson, general sales manager, who has returned from coast conferences with Charles Einfeld, advertising and publicity director, and Jack L. Warner, executive producer. Mr. Kalmenson now has set conferences with home office advertising officials regarding plans for the opening of the film throughout the country starting the last week in July. Gamble Tours for Treasury Ted R. Gamble, Portland theatre executive and assistant to Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, is touring the country on behalf of the department's War Bond drive. His mission is to tighten up the reorganization processes recently started in the War Bond setup. Paramount Pep Club Aiding War Effort The Paramount Pep Club, home office employees' group, has informed its members in a Fourth of July report, that their various drives to aid the war effort have "gone over the top." The list of the club's activities covers every type of campaign. Its latest venture embraces a plan known as the Victory Vacation which is to inform vacationers that a patriotic gesture at this time would be the enlistment of their services for work on farms or in canneries. The project has the cooperation of the United States Employment Service of the War Manpower Commission. Even before Pearl Harbor, the group formed an air raid precaution class, sponsored by the A merican Women's Voluntary Services. In all 110 girls took the course, and upon its completion, were awarded certificates for training in American Red Cross First Aid. Among other services rendered was the establishment of a salvage depot ; publication of a service man's magazine called Hi Buddy; blood bank donations in which 132 donors made appointments ; membership in the American Theatre Wing's knitting and sewing workshop ; lectures on the rationing program. The Pep Club sponsored a Second War Loan Drive in April among departments in the Times Square zone. Subscriptions exceeded the quota. Through membership in the Office Personnel Division of the American Theatre Wing, many of the girls served at the Stage Door Canteen. Plans are now underway for the purchase of a field ambulance to be donated to the American Red Cross Field Ambulance Service. Expect Army Show Gross To Reach $500,000 Receipts of $500,000 from the sale of War Bonds is the expected gross from theatre tickets for the Cumberland Army camp show, "Pennsylvania on Parade," staged at the Irem Temple in Wilkes-Barre on June 26th. John Comerford, chairman of the arrangements committee, cooperated in the promotion of the War Bond sale All seats were reserved and scaled according to the size of the Bond purchase. Comprising the all-soldier cast were 44 former professional entertainers, including Private Alvin Rudnitsky, former violin soloist of the Philadelphia Symphony orchestra. Loew's Asks Extension Of Executive Contracts A special meeting of stockholders of Loew's, Inc., has been called for July 29th to act on extensions of the present contracts of Louis B. Mayer, managing director of production ; David Bernstein, vice-president and treasurer ; J. Robert Rubin, vice-president and general counsel, and Lawrence A. Weingarten, production supervisor. Asking for approval of the extensions, Nicholas M. Schenck, president, described the contracts in a letter to stockholders as "in harmony with our policy to obtain and hold the best available men." Film Combats Absenteeism A film in both 16mm and 35mm, running 25 minutes, has been prepared by Westinghouse as a measure of combating absenteeism in war plants due to improper nutrition. The film is available for free showings at civic performances. Prints can be obtained from the Visual Education Section of the Westinghouse company at Mansfield, O.