Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

38 3 New Clearance Complaints Filed A maximum clearance of SO days was granted to the Square theatre, Medford, Mass., behind the Medford theatre by John A. Daly, arbitrator of the 18th Boston complaint. Twentieth Century-Fox, Warners, RKO, Paramount and MGM were the defendants. The arbitrator said that the consent decree gave him no power under the specific run or clearance sections to award the Square the equal division of first run product requested in its complaint. Costs were divided between Newsreels, Inc., operating the Square, and Middlesex Amusement Company, intervenor. E. M. Loew, New England independent circuit operator, filed two clearance complaints at Boston this week against the five consenting distributors. In Case 21, filed for the Plymouth theatre, Worcester, Mass., by Consolidated Theatres, Inc., Mr. Loew asks a reduction to 30 days of the 60-day clearance held by the Warner theatre ; of the 45 days held by the Capitol ; and of the moveover clearance enjoyed by the Elm Street. The Watertown Square Theatre, Inc., in Case 22 asked reduction to seven days of the 14 to 30-day clearances now held by the Coolidge theatre over the Strand in Watertown. Detroit B. L. Kilbride and L. G. Hillier operating the Beverly theatre in Detroit last week asked that clearances granted by Loew's, Paramount and 20th Century-Fox to the Tower theatre be reduced. It is the tribunal's 13th case. MGM Plans Dubbing of Six Films in French, Italian Metro Goldwyn Mayer has signed eight French and four Italian actors to work in six forthcoming features requiring the dubbing of voices for foreign distribution. The process, given clarification recently by Walter Gould, United Artists' foreign sales manager, has been used by Warners with Paramount and Universal expected to give it attention also. MGM's six films are "Ziegfield Girl," "Strike Up the Band," "Assignment in Brittany," "Shop Around the Corner," "Waterloo Bridge" and "I Love You Again." Playhouse Using Revivals The 55th Street Playhouse, New York, now under the management of Midfilm, Inc,. John Bullock, president, revived two films this week, "Rhodes of Africa," starring Walter Huston and Oscar Homolka, and "The Clairvoyant," with Claude Rains and Fay Wray. Both pictures are released by Film Classics, Inc. Small Buys "Fennigate" Edward Small, United Artists producer, has purchased Booth Tarkington's new novel "Kate Fennigate" for a reported sum of $100,000. According to United Artists, the producer is seeking Claudette Colbert and Susan Peters for the leading feminine roles, with a $1,400,000 budget named for the picture. Reserves Decision in Suit Judge William Bondy last week in New York Federal Court reserved decision on a motion by Earl Carroll, stage producer, to vacate depositions of nine witnesses of Paramount Pictures in his libel suit against the company, in which he asks $300,000 damages. Exchange in New Quarters Henri Elman, Chicago franchise holder for Producers Releasing Corporation, has moved his exchange to 1327 S. Wabash Avenue. MOTION PICTURE HERALD Short Subject Cited in Safety Campaign A nationwide Smash the Seventh Column (unnecessary accidents in and out of war factories) to be conducted in 850 cities by the U. S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, was launched on Thursday of last week at a luncheon in Washington's Hotel Statler coincidentally with the premiere of the MGM Pete Smith short, "Seventh Column" at Loew's Palace theatre. The luncheon was attended ^y more than 200 Government officials and civic leaders including Paul McNutt, manpower chief; Mrs. Jimmy Doolittle, Major General Allen W. Gullion, Army Provost Marshal General ; Colonel Pelham D. Glassford, head of the Internal Security Division. Winfield Weitzel, president of the Washington Junior Board of Commerce, acted as master of ceremonies, and Bruce Palmer, president of the national organization, spoke. On behalf of Pete Smith, screen actress Anita Louise received a plaque awarded by the Junior Chamber "in recognition of the film's outstanding contribution to the cause of safety." File Personal Damage Suits Against Cocoanut Grove More than 800 suits for personal damages have been filed against the Cocoanut Grove Corporation, owners and operators of the Boston night club in which more than 500 persons, including some 30 industry members, lost their lives last November. The assets of the Grove have been officially listed as $190,000 but against this are filed suits amounting to several millions. Barnet Welansky, operator of the Grove, is currently serving a term in State Prison for criminal negligence while six other defendants including contractors, architects and others, are currently being tried. Several of the motion picture casualties among the badly injured have since recovered while others are still convalescing. In at least two or three instances victims are still in hospitals. Plan Variety Club Dinner In Albany for Herman The Variety Club in Albany on July 26th will hold a testimonial dinner for Leon Herman, recently promoted to city sales manager for United Artists in Buffalo after serving in Albany as a salesman for UA and RKO. The dinner, at the Ten Eyck Hotel, will feature the presentation and introduction of "Mark Anthony," three-year-old child adopted by the club following failure of police officials to identify his parents, who left the child on the doorstep of St. Joseph's Church in Albany. The committee in charge of the dinner consists of George Jeffries, UA ; Sidney Stockton and William Williams, MGM ; Weldon Waters and Richard Hayes, Paramount, and Neil Hellman, independent exhibitor who is chairman of the Variety Club entertainment group. PRC Buys Control of 16mm Company Producers Releasing Corporation has purchased control of a majority of stock of Official Films, Inc., producers and distributors of 16mm non-theatrical films, O. Henry Briggs, president of PRC, announced this week. The company is planning a post-war program of visual educational films for schools and colleges. Official Films has distributing offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Nashville. Robs Cincinnati Theatre A burglar entered the office of the Forest theatre in suburban Cincinnati recently, broke into the box office and escaped with a bag containing $10 in pennies. July 24, 194 J MGM Will Help Small Theatres Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will aid small-town exhibitors affected by war conditions and hasappropriated $125,000 as a beginning, for exploitation which will help its customers in that category. The announcement was made Tuesday, at ameeting of MGM sales and advertising executives in the Blackstone Hotel, Chicago. Howard Dietz, advertising vice-president, commented : "Every customer represents a decided entity,, regardless of the size of his operation. We intend to stimulate trade in every section. We welcome communications from all exhibitorsabout their problems, however small." The company's sales staffs will shortly analyze each of 12,000 accounts, following a decision of some weeks ago. The survey has already begun in the Cincinnati territory. MGM has reached a new distribution peak,. William F. Rodgers, general sales manager,, told the meeting. It sold more contracts last year than ever. Discontinuance of the short subjects weeklypayment program was announced. Ten pictures will be in the first 1943-44MGM block available beginning in September. They include three Technicolor pictures, "Salute to the Marines," "Lassie Come Home"" and "Best Foot Forward," and "Above Suspicion," "Whistling in Brooklyn," "Young Ideas," "Swing Shift Maisie," "Sabotage Agent," "Girl Crazy" and "Dr. Gillespie'sCriminal Case." The company announced a schedule of trade showings in all exchanges for the following seven pictures : "Salute to the Marines" and "I Dood It," July 27th, except in Albany (July 26th )and Memphis (July 31st) ; "Best Foot Forward" and "Young Ideas," July 29th, except in Albany and Memphis (August 2nd) ; "Tartu" and "Girl Crazy," August 2nd and 3rd, except in Albany (August 9th) ; "The Man from Down Under," August 3rd and 5th, except in Memphis (August 7th) and Albany, (August 10th). Next year's MGM short subjects program as announced in Chicago will include 56 subjects and 104 issues of News of the Day. The company will make 16 one-reel cartoons in Technicolor ; 14 Pete Smith specialties ; 12 Fitzpatrick Traveltalks in Technicolor ; 10 MGM All-Stars and four two-reel MGM specials. Randforce Circuit To Show U. S. War Food Play The Randforce Theatres circuit in New York has joined Skouras Theatres, New York, and National Theatres Corporation in presenting the Department of Agriculture food play. "It's Up to You," free of charge to the public, according to an announcement last week by Buell Maben, regional administrator of the 12 northeastern states' region of the War Food Administration. The play will be shown in Randforce and National circuits in tabloid version presented by amateur theatre companies. A total of 1,000 theatres in the three circuits are expected to exhibit the wartime food play. Two houses of the Skouras circuit presented the play last week in the Bronx ; the Crotona on Wednesday night, the Ogden, Thursday night, and a third house, the Tuxedo, played it on Monday night, July 19th. All three performances were given by amateur theatrical groups. Admission to the houses was free. The play originally was given in March and April at seven Skouras houses in the metropolitan area. Expenses incident to the production were defrayed by the circuit, the Food Industry Association and the American Theatre War Wing Service.