Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

12 MOTION PICTURE HERALD July 3 1, 1943 New WPB Division to Control Theatres Civilian Requirements Unit Has Amusement Section, but Powers Not Defined A new War Production Board division with far reaching but as yet not clearly defined control of the '"consumer" requirements of motion picture theatres is included within the newly formed Office of Civilian Requirements. An "amusements and recreation" section within the OCR will hold an over-all supervisory position in the allocation of equipment and priorities to theatres, according to preliminary drafts of the OCR organization. Determination of the degree to which theatres are essential and control of the amount of consumer materials which each may share are expected to be concentrated in the new branch. The OCR, with its amusements subdivision, was formed by Donald M. Nelson, WPB chairman, to centralize problems involved in keeping the civilian economy at the highest possible level consistent with military needs. Arthur D. Whiteside, WPB vice-chairman, is the OCR director. It draws a clearer line of demarcation between the industrial production and civilian consumption functions within the WPB, giving more power to the consumer representatives. George W. McMurphey, at one time an exhibitor, temporarily will head the OCR amusements section. He recently has been in charge of the service price control unit of the Office of Price Administration. Previously he had been in merchandising, advertising and radio. From 1929 to 1932 Mr. McMurphey managed theatres at Portland, Ore., for Fox West Coast and Paramount-Publix. In Astoria, Ore., Mr. McMurphey managed the A. H. McDonald theatres. He was with a Detroit advertising agency at the time of his OPA appointment in March, 1942. The laundry industry credited him with aiding in the solution of many of its problems, including manpower. Has No Authority to Rule on Manpower A spokesman for WPB said Wednesday that the job of the new amusements branch would be to represent the exhibitors in any request necessary to insure the supply an essential amount of recreational service for civilians, war workers, and others. It will have no definite authority in the handling of manpower, wages, fuel oil, civilian defense, transportation or other problems under the control of other agencies. But OCR will seek to coordinate the functions of such other agencies where necessary and to serve informally as an intermediary between the exhibitor and the agency involved on problems affecting theatres. Tt is strongly indicated that the new agency will go into the field of operating practices only where such action is necessary to secure an adequate supply of service MUST DESTROY ALL OUTWORN PARTS Defective, used or exhausted parts for electronic equipment either must be salvaged or destroyed, the WPB ordered this week. It directed that parts which had outlived their usefulness be destroyed in order to prevent fraudulent or unauthorized resale of defective parts. Sound and recording apparatus used in theatres and studios are within the scope of the order. Responsibility for seeing that the replaced items are salvaged or destroyed rests with the manufacturer or theatre service agency supplying the new equipment. The order presumed that all reclaimable material will be salvaged through ordinary scrap and reconstruction methods. Defective parts must be destroyed within 60 days of replacement. for a particular community. There is no thought of a crackdown policy to regiment exhibition or any other branch of amusement or professional sport, the spokesman said. No immediate change is foreseen in the routine by which theatres and circuit operators obtain permits for replacement parts or material essential to continued theatre operation. They are expected to continue to file applications through regional offices of the WPB. Approval of these applications will continue to be subject to the supplies available from the production branches headed by Mr. Smith and Mr. Hopper. Policy Decisions Expected To Be Vested in Unit The new civilian requirements branch, sitting with the agencies already established, is expected to have considerable authority over which consumers are eligible to receive material. In the case of serious shortages, Mr. McMurphey presumably would be expected to decide which theatres should receive prior allocation. Such factors as the degree to which a community depends on a particular theatre for information and entertainment, the desirability and urgency of replacing burned or destroyed theatres, and other policy decisions are expected to be vested in the new section. Mr. McMurphey also is expected to have control over many operating practices, including hours, duplication of facilities and competition in all amusements and sports. The reorganization will not affect Mr. Hopper's control of raw stock supplies and studio material, and Mr. Smith will retain control over division of stockpiles and newly manufactured equipment, supplies and repair parts for theatres. Both are expect ed to serve as consultants to Mr. McMurphey. Administration of the WPB limitations on new construction and repairs for theatres and other film industry properties is scheduled for transfer to an other consumer office having jurisdiction over all building and repairs. Will Hold Aloof from All Intra-Industry Matters Official announcement of the new setup has not yet been issued, although various WPB activities were being taken over by the OCR last week. In view of the newness of the machinery, officials declined to say how far their efforts would go but there were indications that no drastic changes in theatre operations would be asked. It also was indicated that there would be no change in the general policy of holding aloof from , purely intra-industry controversies, such as dual bills, rentals, admission charges and the like. The new organization implements Mr. Whiteside's authority as spokesman for the consumers of the country. The OCR is a "claimant" agency the same as the War and Navy Departments and other agencies, demanding a share of the various materials and products which are so scarce as to require allocations or other control. It was formed by Mr. Nelson in answer to Congressional demands for a separate consumer supply agency. It is OCR's job to get as much as it can for civilian consumption and then to see that proper distribution and use is made of what it gets. Recently it was successful in obtaining resumption of the manufacture of kitchenware and other household items in limited amount. This week it obtained a restricted production of zippers. Theatres to Get No Freon Gas Possibilities of increasing the output of Freon gas are receiving the consideration of War Production Board officials, but under the best circumstances there is absolutely no chance that supplies of the refrigerant will be available for exhibitors this year. With output only half of the minimum requirements for naval and essential civilian food protection, WPB is forced to tighten rather than relax its restrictions and has added soda fountains to the list of uses for which no replacement gas will be made available. Seeking determinedly to obtain gas for theatres whose cooling systems have been shut down, Allen G. Smith, chief of the theatre equipment section, last week presented real "hardship" cases to officials in charge of the Freon order, but was informed it was absolutely impossible to afford any relief at this time. Among the cases coming to Mr. Smith were those of the Rialto theatre, Chicago, over the new subway, which lost its Freon by leakage caused by vibration incident to the subway's construction, and the Bethesda theatre, which is extensively patronized by convalescents at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The former represented a case which could not be 1 avoided, and the latter a situation where a theatre was important from the morale standpoint. J The argument was admitted to be valid, but it was pointed out there was no gas available Run Sunday Stage Shows Starting August 1st, the Northcenter theatre, operated by the Essaness circuit in Chicago, is offering Sunday vaudeville.