Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

s MOTION PICTURE HERALD July 10, 1943 THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS Coincidence EXHIBITORS who play Bingo and such games are more careless than others in the observance of laws governing theatres, in the estimation of New York City Commissioner of Licenses Paul Moss, who explained on Wednesday his closing of two of the city's houses, the Reo and the Century, for violations of the city's fire and safety codes. Both theatres were playing Bingo. The courts have ruled the games legal in theatres if no admission is charged players; and the owners, in protesting the city's increased scrutiny of theatre premises, asserted they abided by the court ruling. Mr. Moss said all theatres were being examined thoroughly, and that it merely happened to be the Bingo-playing theatres which were careless in segregating children, having matrons available, keeping premises clean, having exit signs lit and plainly marked, exit doorways unobstructed, and the like. New York's Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia dislikes gambling'. Congressional Victim ANOTHER Government agency got out of motion pictures and radio Tuesday, when the Office of Civilian Defense announced its film and radio services would be discontinued as a result of the action of Congress in cutting its appropriation. The motion picture section had been engaged in the production of training films and its discontinuance, it was said, would leave available to state and local defense councils only an extremely limited number of training pictures. The abolished radio section operated a radio script exchange service for local communities. Many activities of the OCD will have to be curtailed, it was said, and more than 200 employees have been notified that their services will be terminated, more than half of them in Washington. Taxes, Taxes A TAX on film rentals, such as was imposed during the last war, and an increase in the admission tax may be among the expedients considered next autumn by Congress when it undertakes the drafting of new tax legislation. The House Ways and Means Committee has agreed to make no effort to deal with the tax problem this summer and has set September 8th as the date for a meeting at which it will decide when public hearings are to be held. The Treasury is seeking an additional $12,000,000,000 in taxes, holding that this will be possible with the national income of $150,000,000,000, which it predicts the country will enjoy in 1944, but members of the committee and many leaders in Congress agree privately that this sum is out of the EXHIBITORS fight Consent Decree; majors heed protest Page 1 3 WARNERS list 31 features on a flexible schedule Page 15 ON THE MARCH— Red Kann reports on rental protest to Coe Page 19 OWI film activity will come to an end by July 15th Page 20 TO show "minute movies" on screens of many circuits Page 21 SERVICE DEPARTMEN Hollywood Scene Page 35 In the Newsreels Page 39 Managers' Round Table Page 53 IN PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION Showmen's Reviews Page 1413 Short Subjects Page 1415 CANADA plans film programs for factory workers Page 22 MANPOWER Commission shifts studios to 48-hour week Page 26 8,000,000 men attend USO shows in sixmonth period Page 28 MEXICAN studios need "Hays Office," says Walter Gould Page 34 "GONE With the Wind" grosses million in fourth year Page 42 TS Picture Grosses Page 52 Shorts on Broadway Page 50 What the Picture Did for Me Page 43 Advance Synopses The Release Chart Page 1416 Page 1417 question and predict that the Treasury will be lucky if $6,000,000,000 is raised. Even at that, these members said, it will be possible to raise $6,000,000,000 only by adopting a sales tax — to which President Roosevelt has always been opposed — and a number of levies heretofore avoided, such as the tax on film rentals. Local Autonomy FILM carriers, being drained of their workers by the Selective Service System, learned this week that despite their designation by the Office of Price Administration as important conveyors, they must depend upon the local boards. The boards will determine which employees are essential. The National Film Carriers Association, which convened last month in New York, has not applied for general workers' deferment; nor is it filing manning tables. Some members are filing them, however. Selling Jobs Life in New Zealand DOWN in New Zealand the entertainment page editors can use halftones, but the theatre advertisers are restricted to type, in single column measure, as evidenced by a copy of the Christchurch Star-Sun, which has been forwarded to the editor of the Herald by Ronald J. R. Sutton, manager of the Grand theatre there. The paper, excellently printed by the way, on its editorial page presents a theatre guide along with the weather report, the airways schedules, the radio programs and mail notices, all vastly important in that remote land. There is evidence that amusement in these wartimes is held decidedly important in New Zealand, too, including notice of buses for the races. There also appears to be an active market in motor cars. Ford 1939 sedans are quoted at £485 or nearly $2,000. Incidentally the price includes a gas producer, so it can run on charcoal, straw or whathave-you. The American motor industry has so far not been observed promoting such a gasoline saving method. THE rush of help wanted advertising which overflowed recently from newspaper classified columns to radio stations in the San Francisco defense area, now has invaded the screens of more than a score of neighborhood and district theatres in that city. The labor procurement slides and trailers are providing a lucrative sideline for the theatres. A typical trailer shows a shipyard worker appealing for others to aid him in constructing ships at the Moore Drydock Company in Oakland. A wide variety of war industries are using the slides. Double Duty MANAGER Al Goodwin of the Orpheum in downtown San Francisco has hit upon a unique solution to his manpower problem. A news vendor stationed in front of the theatre was prevailed upon to double as a doorman. Now the newshawk sells his papers in the morning, dons his uniform for the day, then returns to the sidewalk in the evening to sell the first editions of the next morning's papers.