Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1944)

'roadtvay to Hollywood UJCHAEL TODD, the Broadway impresario, ■ Is taken the leap from stage production to tn production, and not with one production mpany but with two. He has filed papers of I Corporation in Albany for Michael . Todd r ■ oductions. The Leahcim Corporation, also rmed for the purpose of producing pictures, « • owned 100 per cent by Michael Todd of S( -ichael Todd Productions. Mr. Todd's production plans for either or * >th companies are as yet unknown. He has o hits on Broadway, "Mexican Hayride" d "Pick-Up Girl," the first a musical and ,( !e second a drama concerning juvenile delini \ ency, and he may put either one or the other both before the cameras, although it has * ?en reported that "Mexican Hayride" has been i( >cretly purchased by one of the major Holly )od companies. _ Shortly, the producer's "Catherine Was *-eat" will come to Broadway. The play stars ne other than Mae West. ^ough Talk ■ .VEDISH industrialists were scheduled to get !i ^stern talking to about their trade with Nazi srmany this week from Stanton Griffis, who rived in Stockholm this week in behalf of ii je Government's Foreign Economic Adminis ition. The mission of the investment banker and iifiramount executive who is on leave for Govnment service, is to persuade Swedish manuturers, principally those in the ball bearing ;,.dustry, that they had better stop shipping "ross the Baltic. The Stockholm dispatches indicated that Mr. Griffis would be tough in his •.eart to heart" talks with Swedish executives, .^r. Griffis is on temporary leave also from his W>st as film liaison for the Office of War Inforation. A post-war black list, and stringent econompressure on such Swedish companies have en promised by semi-official spokesmen folding the Swedish Government's refusal to tervene officially in business deals with Germany. defense ■T. WARD MARSH, in charge of the motion cture department of the Cleveland Plain ealer, in the May 7 issue of the newspaper, •se to defend films against the recent attack unched by Dorothy Thompson, wherein the •kimnist charged that pictures were largely sponsible for juvenile delinquency, mainly be.use sex is ubiquitous therein. Mr. Marsh is of the opinion that sex goes ick to the horse and buggy days, and even :fore that. He points out that educational ms of the nature Miss Thompson craves for pungsters, have been tried without success, ^e says no matter what the age, the public ants first of all entertainment. ' The cinema editor and writer also points at that special films for youngsters will not eet with success any more than "children's In this issue RED KAN.N in ON THE MARCH discusses Hollywood and the production of ivar films, present and future . . . On page 16 matinees" do now, and that "children will have none of such films." He says many Cleveland schools show specially selected films for children and that the students invariably frown upon any picture that attempts to be educational in character. And he tells Miss Thompson that any way, the Ohio board of censors has the situation well in hand. Soap Plugs WIVES and families of service men who stay home to listen to radio's "soap opera" daytime serials heard about the industry's contribution of 16mm film for exhibition of the latest pictures to soldiers overseas on five different programs recently. A notation from the desk of Francis S. Harmon, executive vice-chairman of the War Activities Committee, estimated that this story of the Overseas Motion Picture Service was heard by between 16 and 20 million listeners. Programs mentioning the 16mm films, and specific pictures, in the course of their continuity included "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill," "David Harum," "Young Widder Brown," "Lorenzo Jones" and "Just Plain Bill." All are heard over nationwide CBS and NBC networks. Surplus-for-Sale Washington Bureau PHOTOGRAPHIC equipment and supplies which may become surplus in the hands of the Army, Navy or other Government agencies will be disposed of by a surplus consumer goods disposal division set up Wedneday by the Treasury Department. The new division will be directed by Ernest L. Olrich, Munsingwear executive, who has taken on the task of disposing of millions of dollars worth of material. It was not at first decided whether any photographic equipment, supplies or chemicals were among the first group of $35,000,000 to $40,000,000 worth of goods, now declared surplus but not yet inventoried. Before anything can be declared surplus-for-sale, Mr. Olrich .explained, 21 days must be given Government agencies in which to acquire it. Thereafter, it may be sold by negotiation, bid, or auction, as deemed most advisable. Screen Responsibility "MOTION pictures, like any institution which touches the lives of millions of people, must walk hand in hand with religion and those who teach it," and Hollywood not only recognizes but is practicing this principle, declared Jack L. Warner, executive producer for Warner Brothers, in an address Wednesday before more than 700 churchmen at a testimonial dinner to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church, in the Hotel Roosevelt, New York. "Our pictures, to be sure, are designed first to provide sound entertainment," Mr. Warner said. "But there is something more than that. We aspire to make pictures which will help preserve our traditional freedom of religion, which teach tolerance, which build sound morals and which foster faith in God and respect for 'our religious institutions." The dinner, also attended by members of Rotary Clubs, the Union League and various civic organizations both local and out of town, was sponsored by the Men's League of Marble Collegiate Church. New Contracts CONTRACTS between MGM and exhibitors are to be simplified. Sidney Bromberg, of the Metro legal staff in New York is currently rewriting the standard MGM sales form. The objective is a direct and easily readable sales agreement, according to one Loew executive1. He expressed doubt that there would be much change in basic provisions but promised that the agreements would be unified and made much simpler. The company hopes to have the new form ready for the start of the new season. This is the first time that a major company has subjected contracts to a complete overhaul since the basic standard agreement was drawn up at the 5-5-5 conference in 1928. Now It's Official PRIOR to his departure for the west coast last Friday, Darryl F. Zanuck, production head at Twentieth Century-Fox studios, said that Wendell L. Willkie had withdrawn all objections to the filming of his book, "One World." "We are definitely going ahead," Mr. Zanuck said. "Mr. Willkie has given his approval, along with several suggestions." On April 25 Mr. Willkie and Mr. Zanuck lunched together and proceeded with discussions of the production of "One World" in the manner of two men concerned with the inevitable. Censorship BECAUSE Mexican censors object to what was once a good old Mexican custom, all the scenes showing characters kissing the hand of Gen. Porfirio Diaz in the picture "Mexico de mis Recruedos" have been eliminated. The film, in which the general, who was dictator of all Mexico from 1880 to 1910, is the protagonist, is doing well in Mexico City. OTION PICTURE HERALD, published every Saturday by Quigley Publishing Company, Rockefeller Center, New York City, 20. Telephone Circle 7-3100; Cable address "Quigpubco, New ■ rk." Martin Quigley, President; Coivin Brown, Vice-President; Red Kann, Vice-President; T. J. Sullivan, Secretary; ' Terry Ramsaye, Editor; James D. Ivers, News Editor; Ray Gallagher, dvertising Manager; Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 5; Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union Life Building, Hollywood, 28. William R. Weaver, editor; Toronto Bureau,' 2^ Millwood Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, W. M. Gladish, correspondent; _ Montreal Bureau, 265 Vitre St., West, Montreal, Canada, Pat Donovan, correspondent; London Bureau] Solden Square, London W I, Hope Williams Burnup, manager; Peter Burnup, editor; cable Quigpubco London; Melbourne Bureau, The Regent Theatre, 191 Collins St., Melbourne, Australia' iff Holt, correspondent; Sydney Bureau, 17 Archbold Rd., Roseville, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia, Lin Endean, correspondent; Mexico City Bureau, Dr. Carmona y Valle 6, Mexico City' lis Becerra Celis, correspondent; Buenos Aires Bureau, J. E. Uriburi 126, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Natalio Bruski, correspondent; Rio de Janeiro Bureau, R. Sao Jose, 61, C. Postal 834, Rio Janeiro, Brazil, Alfredo C. Machado, correspondent; Montevideo Bureau, P. O. Box 664, Montevideo, Uruguay, Paul Bodo, correspondent; cable Argus Montevideo. Member Audit Bureau Circulations. All contents copyright 1944 by Quigley Publishing Company. Address all correspondence to the New York Office, Other Quigley Publications: Better Theatres, Motion Picture jily, International Motion Picture Almanac, and Fame.