Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

July 24, 1943 PCCITO Studies Trade Practices At Meetings Meetings of the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners in Portland and Seattle on two successive days last week brought exhibitors from Oregon, Washington and Idaho to discuss industry practices and possible revision before expiration of the Consent Decree in November. Rotus Harvey, chairman of the board of PCCITO, presided over both sessions, the members pledging their cooperation in presenting a solid front when matters between exhibitors and distributors are brought up for settlement. Elimination of dual bills was comprehensively discussed, many of the independent exhibitors present favoring a program of single features plus shorts. It was pointed out that if circuits or affiliates took the lead, the independents would follow, thus relieving the current product shortage. A letter from William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was read at the meetings, in which the executive pledged cooperation by his company in adjustment of terms to meet local conditions. Two other meetings of the group have been scheduled for July, one in San Francisco and the other in Los Angeles, both under Mr. Harvey's supervision. Following these sessions, it is expected that additional meetings will be called later in the year in nearby territories. The Portland meeting was called by O. J. Miller, secretary of the Oregon group. James M. Hone, secretary of the Washington unit, called the Seattle session. Durante Is Entertaining Soldiers and Sailors Jimmy Durante is scheduled to make six personal appearances at Army camps and Naval stations, under the auspices of USO-Camp Shows. On July 23rd, Mr. Durante, teamed with Garry Moore, appeared at Camp Kilmer, N. J. On July 16th Durante headed a variety show at Tilton General Hospital and a theatre in Fort Dix. On July 19th the two entertained at Mitchell Field, Long Island. Mr. Durante shuttled from. New Jersey to Camp Shanks, N. Y., to head a camp show July 23rd. On Friday of next week he will appear before a soldier audience at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, and on August 3rd at the Bainbridge U. S. Naval Station, Maryland. Variety Club Picnic Brings $100,000 Bond Sales More than $100,000 in War Bonds were sold to the Associated Retailers of Omaha by Jane Wyman, guest of honor at the Nebraska-Iowa Variety Club's annual picnic called "Meet the Show Business," held last week in Omaha. The affair netted an additional $3,500 for the club's charity fund and a total of $500 in War Bond prizes were donated to various prize winners. The orchestras of Herbie Kay, Paul Moorhead and Morton Wells donated their services in supplying dance music. Cadet Ray F. Ellis Killed Aviation Cadet Ray F. Ellis, 20, a former page boy at the home office of RKO, was killed in a training plane crash on Friday, July 16th, near Waco, Texas. Cadet Ellis had taken his pre-flight preliminary training at the Pre-Flight School at San Antonio, Texas, and had been transferred to the Army Air Base at Waco only a short time before crashing. MOTION PICTURE HERALD IN NEWS RE ELS MOVIETONE NEWS— Vol. 25, No. 91— Invasion of Sicily Churchill pledges victory over Japs Glider crosses Atlantic Boys fight forest fires Lew Lehr newsette Sports forum. MOVIETONE NEWS— Vol. 25, No. 92— Planes sink enemy TJboats Navy Medical Corps Filipinos use bolos Nazis assault Dneiper Dam West Point commandos Pipeline completed Army nurses in India MacArthur in New Guinea. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 25, No. 289-^anks storm Sicily. . . . Blasting Italy's lifeline. . .'. MGM Lion Squadron. . . . Kites for war. . . . Churchill pledges victory over Japs. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 25, No. 29flt-U. S. planes sink U-boat pack. . . . MacArthur in New Guinea. . . . Leatherneck jungle fighters. . . . Filipino avengers on march. . . . Oil pipeline completed. . . . Women workers speed tanks. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 94— Baseball's annual classic. . . . Political scene. . . . Allies bomb Italian bases. . . . Liberty drive gets under way with big Bond campaign. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 95— Filipinos get bolos. . . . Mountain climbers wanted. . . . West Point war games. . . . Eastern pipeline ready. . . . U. S. planes sink subs. . . . Army nurses in India. RKO PATHE NEWS— Vol. 14, No. 94— Zero hour in Sicily. . . . Flotilla bearing troops invade Sicilian coast. . . . Barges from North Africa have invasion rehearsal. . . . Bombers attack Italian bases. RKO PATHE NEWS— Vol. 14, No. 95— MacArthur in New Guinea. . . . Natives carry vital supplies. . . . Fliers down Jap freighter. . . . Tanks ready for Pacific combat. . . . Filipinos given bolos. . . . Shasta Dam nears completion. . . . U. S. planes sink U-boats. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL— VoL 16, No. 207— Invasion steps in Sicily. . . . Yank planes batter Italy. . . Churchill pledges victory over Japs. . . . Human kites carry passengers. . . . Boys fight forest fires. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL— Vol. 16, No. 208— New Guinea push is on. . . . Navy planes sink sub. . . . U. S. secret tank depot. . . . Marines land hard. . . . Futurity horse race. . . . Shasta Dam nears completion. ... Tanks ready for Pacific combat. ALL AMERICAN NEWS— Vol. 2, No. 39-Victory gardeners begin their harvest. . . . Church celebrates centennial. . . . Sextet stages boxing. . . . Gobs go in for Tarzan tactics. . . . National women's meeting pledges "war effort." Boston Theatres Delay "Copper Matinees" Acting upon the suggestion of John D. Orr, regional manager of the salvage division of the War Labor Board, the theatres in the Boston territory, except where copper matinees already have been scheduled, will hold up plans until there is a nationwide campaign. Mr. Orr met with Robert Sternberg, district manager; Harry Browning, public relations chief, and a group of exhibitors in the office of Martin J. Mullin, senior partner of the M and P Theatres, and the question of deferring the New England copper matinees to coincide with the over-all copper drive was discussed. It was the opinion of the majority of the exhibitors that considerably more was to be gained if the efforts of the local motion picture industry were combined with other interested and cooperating groups, such as newspapers, churches, schools and industrial organizations. Mr. Orr paid tribute to the effort already made by the industry and said he was proud of the accomplishments. He proposed that all matinees be held up for one month, with the exception of those already scheduled. His department and all others interested will cooperate with Mr. Browning and his committee in building up the copper salvage program, he said. To Show Films Again The Audubon and Windsor theatres in New York operated by the Brandt interests, will revert to motion pictures following the run of the current stage play, "Without Love." The theatres were part of Jules Leventhal's subway circuit. Theatres Push Current Drive To Sell Stamps The theatre drive to sell $130,000,000 of War Stamps during July is proceeding satisfactorily, and it is expected that the showmen of the nation will be able to report to the Secretary of the Treasury that they fulfilled their duty in calling the attention of the public to the less publicized war issue. At New Haven, a "Shangri-La" stamp rally at the Yale Bowl will conclude the area's drive, with theatres, retailers and newspapers cooperating as they are throughout the nation. The $169,000 quota is expected to be oversubscribed. Harry F. Shaw, head of the drive's local theatre division, is also in charge of the program, which, it is hoped, will include several big names of stage, screen and radio. In addition, the Yale Air Forces Technical Command will provide its own program, featuring Capt. Glenn Miller, Tony Martin, Broderick Crawford, and other notables. Lou Brown, Loew-Poli publicity chief, is in charge of publicity, and Morey Goldstein, MGM manager, is chairman of distributors' activities. In Fall River, Mass., in two weeks of the campaign, the Empire theatre sold $5,000 in stamps. The War Activities Committee's suggestions to exhibitors for furtherance of the war effort, are being included in a special page of each MGM press book. Other companies may follow the example. The greater portion of the page gives the 10 ways in which theatre men can help the war effort. They are : selling War Bonds and Stamps ; collecting scrap ; displaying Government posters ; running Government shorts ; helping the Red Cross ; recruiting WACS, WAVES and Marines ; assisting civilian defense ; collecting victory books, placing honor rolls in theatre lobbies, and being a leader in all patriotic campaigns. The page also displays a group of War Bond and Stamps ad slug mats which are free to exhibitors from any National Screen Service exchange. The drive by Fall River theatres for brass and copper scrap in the first five days produced 2,600 pounds. The contributors receive one admission for each three pounds of scrap. The current drive in the area closes July 24th. The Warner theatre circuit in Philadelphia collected a total of 7,268 pounds of copper scrap as a result of special matinees held during the last week in June, it was reported by Ted Schlanger, Warner zone chief. He said the matinees would be repeated periodically. Over $12,000,000 in Stamps and Bonds have been sold in RKO theatres throughout the country during the past year, according to Edward L. Alperson, general manager of the RKO circuit. RKO patrons bought $9,928,325 in Bonds and $2,126,441 in Stamps, the combination totaling $12,054,766 as of July 1st. Of this sum, $6,982,599 in Bonds and Stamps, more than half, was sold in RKO metropolitan New York theatres. Thomas Bailey, director of the Los Angeles Theatre Defense Bureau, has been named by the Treasury as chairman of the program entertainment and talent committee in the southern California area. Six theatres in Rochester sold more than five per cent of the total Bonds disposed of during Jur<e. Leaders were Loew's Theatre, with $5,426, and the Palace, with $3,026. The other houses were the Century, Temple, Riviera and Lake. Silverstein in Army Adolph J. Silverstein, of the Twentieth-Fox home office exploitation staff, was called into the Army on July 21st.