Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

August 28, I 943 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 21 Soldiers Do Not Like War Films, Says Hubbell Soldiers overseas do not like war or propaganda pictures, Major John W. Hubbell, officer in charge of the motion picture section, Special Services Division of the U. S. Army, reported in New York last Friday at a press conference. Musical and girl shows are first preference of the men, he said, with comedies second. They are very expressive at times in their remarks about war pictures, he added, unless it's a film like "Air Force," which they liked very much. "Stage Door Canteen," which was shown to 30,000 service men overseas before it opened in U. S. theatres, led all pictures in popularity during the last 30 days. "Air Force," the only film with a complete military background that ranked high in popularity, was second. "Road to Morocco" and "Casablanca" ran neck-andneck for third and fourth position. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Arsenic and Old Lace," "The Major and the Minor," and "The Amazing Mrs. Holliday" followed in that order. During July, the Army put on 30,983 motion picture shows, playing to an attendance of 13,550,000. The shows are all free and the 16mm prints are loaned to the Army by the industry. By the end of the year, the Army expects to have put on 50,000 or 60,000 shows. Major Hubbell said there were about 1,000 16mm projectors in use overseas, nearly 15 per cent more equipment, including generators for the mobile units, than the division had 30 days ago. More pictures and more projectors were needed, especially Technicolor films, he said. "We would like to give more premieres such as 'Stage Door Canteen' because we feel they have tremendous morale value. Except for mail from home, there is no greater morale-builder for the fighting forces than motion pictures," he said. A system of 17 exchange centers throughout the world has been set up by the overseas motion picture division to handle distribution of the films which are sent to isolated places by plane, boat or jeep. The shows are put on under the most varied conditions, ranging from the icy temperatures of the Arctic to the tropical heat of the South Pacific. Where outdoor theatres are not available, soldiers sit on logs, gasoline drums or sand dunes. The men have been known to trek miles through mud and rain to see the latest films. Major Hubbell estimated that 500,000 men and women in military service are seeing pictures every night all over the world. Many get "dressed up," he said, to go to the theatres, which is a great boost to their morale. Attendance at the shows, depending on the size of the camp, locality and other factors, ranges from 75 to 400, although as many as 3,300 have witnessed films at one time. Theatres have been set up only 18 miles behind the front lines in many spots, he said, and they always play to « capacity. A motion picture show usually consists of one feature film and one short. Community singing shorts, according to Major Hubbell, rank first as favorites of the soldiers. "We would like to get more of these, especially martial songs, because the men get a great kick out of them," he said. Sport shorts rank second and comedies third. Projector Africa Bound Answering a plea for a 16mm projection unit for a hospital in North Africa, the Charlotte, N. C, Variety Club, backed by the necessary publicity by the Charlotte Observer, made an appeal to theatre owners, citizens and business organization, finding many willing donors and accepting one from the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The gift is now en route to the hospital by air. SMPE Semi-Annual Meeting October 18-22 on Coast The 54th semi-annual conference of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers will be held at the Hollywood-Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, October 18-22. W. C. Kunzmann, convention vice-president, made the announcement last week. An informal luncheon will open the proceedings on October 18th followed by the society's dinner the same evening. Emery Huse, past president, is chairman of the reception and local arrangements committee ; C. W. Handley, chairman of the Pacific Coast section ; Julius Haber, chairman of the publicity committee. Officers are Herbert Griffin, president ; Loren L. Ryder, executive vicepresident ; A. C. Downes, editorial vice-president and E. A. Williford, secretary. Disney Shorts Replace Feature Booking of four Walt Disney Technicolor shorts, all current releases, into a package labeled the "Walt Disney Laff Revue," has been used in place of a second feature in a number of houses on the Loew circuit with satisfactory results and may spread to other circuits, including M & P, St. Louis Amusement Company, the Goldstein circuit in western Massachusetts and possibly Warners. To test the popularity of this innovation, Loew's Poli in Bridgeport, issued comment cards to its patrons. Out of several thousand comments, only 48 favored the return of the second feature. Harry Michalson, RKO Radio short subjects sales manager, said this week the idea was necessarily limited, depending on the number of Disney subjects available in the different territories. It was successful, however, wherever it was tried out, he said. Theatres which booked the "Laff Revue" included : Poli, Bridgeport ; Poli, Hartford ; Palace, Meriden ; Poli, New Haven ; Poli, Waterbury ; Poli, Worcester ; Valentine, Toledo ; Loew's, Indianapolis ; Loew's, Louisville ; Midland, Kansas City ; State, Providence ; Palace, Springfield, and Broadway, Norwich, all Loew's theatres. Also the Colonial, Akron and State, Manchester, N. Y., of the Feiber & Shea circuit. Paramount Announces 288 Bookings on "Proudly" A total of 288 bookings of "So Proudly We Hail," representing absolute print capacity, has been set by Paramount during the 25th annual observance of Paramount Week, September 5-11, it was announced last Friday by Neil Agnew, general sales manager of the company. Mr. Agnew said that every release print would be working during that week. Dates have been set in practically every important city in every exchange territory. Film Wages Up on Coast Wages in the film industry in California during June averaged $70.81 per week, an increase of $14.47 over June of last year and a rise of $4.44 over May of this year, according to figures released by the California State Labor Statistics Bulletin. Studio workers averaged 44.7 working hours a week in June at $1.58 an hour, an increase of time and rate over May, 1943. Fish to Assist Evelove Michael J. Fish, for 10 years head of the Chicago Times photographic staff, has joined Warner Brothers and has taken up his duties as assistant to Alex Evelove at the studio. Must Rehire All Service Men, U. S. Rules Employees of exhibitors and others in the industry who left their jobs to enter the armed forces must be restored to their positions, if they desire them, when they are discharged, Selective Service officials said this week in commenting on a report by the Office of War Information that discharges of men because of disability are beginning to mount and the Government is accepting its responsibility of seeing that they are returned to their proper place in civilian life. Not only do various branches of the Government see that these men are restored to health but, where necessary, they are trained in new vocations, and in all cases where the men can work an effort is made to obtain jobs for them. So far, most employers have been cooperative and few have refused to take men back, but in at least one instance, an exhibitor not fully aware of his responsibilities under the law, required persuasion from Washington. This case, it was said, involved a private, who had been an operator in a theatre before his induction, who was given a Certificate of Disability discharge. When his former employer was unwilling to take him back on the ground that the new operator was satisfactory and he did not want to make a change, the ex-soldier reported the matter to his draft board, which referred it to Selective Service national headquarters. The employer received a letter calling attention to the soldier's reemployment rights and asking if he was aware of his obligations under the law and the machinery "that could and would" be invoked to enforce it. The ex-private was back on his job within a week. Rulings of the War Manpower Commission issued several months ago and placing key newsreel workers in essential categories, had not prevented a continual tapping of newsreel personnel by local draft boards, newsreel companies reported this week. Film cutters and apprentice cutters principally have been affected. The companies, therefore, are not counting too heavily on the WMC's new directive of last Tuesday, widening the scope of its original order and placing all newsreel workers in the essential class. They expect further losses to their already depleted staffs. It was pointed out that the essential ratings handed down by the WMC were intended to serve as a guide to local draft boards in calling essential workers. An official bulletin, adopting the procedure set up by the Office of Censorship for the handling of motion pictures for export was expected to be issued this week by the Office of Economic Warfare, according to a report from Washington. No changes were expected in the requirements to be met by film companies in exporting pictures to Allied and neutral nations. It also was learned that the OEW will annul the provision for export of unexposed film under general license in Newfoundland, the only country to which such privilege heretofore has been accorded and will require that all such exports to any country be under individual license with shipment under Government seal. Rosenthal Joins Scophony Dr. A. H. Rosenthal, well-known physicist and electronic engineer, has been appointed director of research and development of Scophony Corporation of America, Arthur Levey, president of the company, announced last week. Dr. Rosenthal was associated with Scophony in London for several years and contributed some important television inventions. The company is associated with Television Productions, Inc., a Paramount subsidiary, and with General Precision Equipment Corporation.