Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

August 7, I 943 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 17 U. S. PRODUCT TO FOLLOW INVADING ALLIED ARMY Hollywood Films Already in Sicily; 40 Titles Set for Next Advance Italian theatres will show American pictures almost as soon as the smoke has settled in the wake of invading armies. Already Hollywood product is reported reaching Sicilian theatres and plans have been completed to deliver film entertainment and information to other Axis territories as soon as our forces take over. American distributors, working in cooperation with the overseas division of the Office of War Information, have completed plans to insure a supply of Hollywood's best pictures, specially edited and with foreign language subtitles. Forty films are now ready, or in final stages of preparation for the next move by Allied armies. An additional program of about 120 short subjects is being rushed to completion. They will form the nucleus for the screen entertainment which OWI will send to Europe. 40 Films Now Ready for Release Are Listed The 40 feature pictures which have been approved by Robert Riskin, head of the OWI overseas film unit, and which the respective companies are preparing for release are: Columbia: "You Were Never Lovelier," "The More the Merrier," "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," "My Sister Eileen" and "Our Wife." Twentieth Century-Fox: "Remember the Day," "Sun Valley Serenade," "Tales of Manhattan," "Moontide" and "My Friend Flicka." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer : "Young Tom Edison," "Joe Smith, American," "Seven Sweethearts," "Pride and Prejudice" and "The Human Comedy." United Artists: "The Gold Rush" (in the re-edited and re-scored 1942 version of the Chaplin classic), "The Long Voyage Home," "Our Town," "Pot 'O Gold" (produced by James Roosevelt for UA release). Paramount: "I Married a Witch," "The Major and the Minor," "Magic in Music," "Christmas in July," "So Proudly We Hail" and "Hold Back the Dawn." RKO: "The Navy Comes Through," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "No, No, Nanette," and two Walt Disney features which have not yet been finally selected. Four Films from Warner Are on War Subjects Universal : "It's a Date," "It Started with Eve," "Appointment for Love," "If I Had My Way" and "Shadow of a Doubt." Warner Bros.: "Air Force," "Sergeant York," "Action in the North Atlantic," "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Across the Pacific." Each company is also selecting suitable pictures from their short subjects program. Cartoons, musical short subjects, band reels LARGE ITALIAN CIRCUIT IS AWAITING FILMS More than 3,000 theatres in Italy and Sicily can be used for the exhibition of U. S. films, according to the latest estimates. In December, 1937, there were 4,049 theatres on the Italian mainland. About 56 per cent of them had been converted to modern sound equipment. In Sicily there are about 400 theatres. Only 1 55 of these were wired for sound in 1938 when U. S. companies withdrew from the Italian market. and general entertainment shorts compose a large part of the program. Topical reels such as the March of Time, This Is America and the Victory Short series are being approved also by OWI. Distribution of the pictures is initially under the control of military authorities in the newly occupied territories. OWI compiles the screen product through the cooperation of the American distributors and from its own production unit. These pictures are then shipped overseas for distribution under the direction of the Army Service Forces, working with OWI outpost representatives. Prepare Foreign Versions At Own Expense Here American distributors prepare the foreign versions of the approved pictures at their own expense. Operation of theatres will be left in native hands, except where they have been in direct control of Fascist leaders or persons unfriendly to United Nations interests. Rentals will be collected by OWI as circumstances permit. Although the initial object is to get the psychologically important American films on the screens, the OWI also seeks to restore normal commercial operation. Revenue from the pictures eventually will find its way back to the producing companies. This week OWI and industry officials were in conference at Washington to determine how the film rentals will be collected and allocated. Inasmuch as OWI is without direct authority to enter commercial operation it is possible that a semi-governmental corporation may be set up to control the film operations. Distributors and OWI spokesmen said, however, that feature pictures would not be distributed through one company representing all producers. While effective with the United Newsreel this is not felt to offer the ideal solution to feature circulation. Recalling their past experiences in Italy, Germany and other countries with Parufamet, Fanamet and other cooperative companies which represented Americans in partnerships with native companies distributors are not anxious to see another attempt at cooperative operation. As soon as peace is concluded with a recognized government of the occupied lands distributors expect permission from American diplomatic authorities to negotiate new commercial arrangements and to restore their foreign operations. OWI motion picture activity overseas is to be under the direction of experienced film men. Laudy Lawrence, former foreign manager for Twentieth Century-Fox, is now in North Africa. He had charge of moving films into Sicily and will direct film work in southern Europe. Lacy Kastner, onetime Paris manager for United Artists, is now with OWI at New York on leave of absence from Columbia. He will head the London film staff, supervising northern Europe. Equipment Situation Is Major Problem The equipment situation in occupied Europe presents one of the major obstacles in immediate exhibition of U. S. films. Army Service Forces, however, are reported to be purchasing large quantities of new sound and 35mm projection apparatus from RCA, Western Electric, International Projector and other major manufacturers. Much of this will be sent overseas for installation in key theatres in occupied areas. Technicians and spare parts also will be supplied by the Army to get the projectors rolling. Manufacturers of film equipment are filling these orders under high priority. Many phenomenal production records are said to have been established, although companies are prohibited from discussing figures. Typical is the recent completion of more than 50 projectors in less than two weeks by one company. A large proportion of the sound equipment in Italy before the war was Americanmade. Some Tobis-Klangfilm or Siemens and Halske equipment was introduced from Germany, and a few Italian made installations were used. But this production is said to have halted with war and the equipment reportedly has had scant repair service. Would Use Refugees as Office Staff Nucleus American films were withdrawn from Italy on December 31, 1938, when distributors found that restrictions imposed under the film monopoly of the Fascist government practically prohibited continued operations. Companies were required to dub in Italy and to pay 50,000 lire permit fees on each picture. Their own branches were operated in Italy by Warners, MGM, Paramount and Twentieth Century-Fox. Other companies distributed through Italian franchise holders. Distributors report that many of their former agents and employees are now refugees in this country. Using these persons as a nucleus, the foreign managers say that it will not be difficult to establish new foreign offices in a short time.