Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

RALLY NATION'S SHOWMEN IN FINAL BOND DRIVE PUSH Premieres Set New Record as Leaders Urge Need for Sustained Effort As the Fifth of the War Loans backing the global battle fronts drove through to its final week, Bond sale figures leveled off, leaving high figures of the early buying surge dangling, and causing Claude F. Lee, the industry's consultant to the U. S. Treasury, to address a plea to the exhibitors of the country. Air. Lee announced that up to Wednesday night of last week, when the drive was approaching the half-way mark, $1,081,000,000, or 18 per cent of the $6,000,000,000 quota for individual sales, had been recorded, which, said Mr. Lee, "is neither good nor bad," adding, "the real situation is that the public is ready to buy Bonds, but they have to be contacted, (and) it is up to the theatre men of the country to put forth greater efforts and to see that everyone possible is contacted." War Bond Premieres Set New Record The brightest spot on the industry's drive horizon was the announcement that new records in the scheduling of War Bond premieres were being recorded. Robert J. O'Donnell, national chairman, announced Tuesday that 4,715 premieres had been booked, as compared with a Fourth War Loan total of 3,182. Other figures announced by Mr. O'Donnell show 4,809 exhibitors were committed to Free Movie Day, against 3,403 for the previous drive, and 891 children's premieres. The total of all special events, as announced by the national chairman, had reached 10,415. The national committee pointed out that the figures were incomplete, that more events were still being scheduled. On the boardwalk in Atlantic City the Warner theatre last week held a premiere augmented by a traveling troupe of Hollywood and radio stars and the Army Air Forces Training Command orchestra, sold all of the theatre's 4,200 seats for Bonds ranging from $25 to $50,000 per seat, and raised $6,215,250, a Fifth War Loan record to date. In Wyoming scheduled premieres hit the 100 per cent mark, the first state in the history of the War Activities Committee to report all theatres participating. E. J. Schulte, exhibitor chairman for the state, made the report and added that 93 per cent of Wyoming's theatres would hold Free Movie Days, and 75 per cent were scheduled to run Children's Premieres. Suggests Bond Booths in Exchange Buildings Ned E. Depinet, national distributor chairman, last week suggested that every film exchange follow the example set in Detroit, where a Bond booth was set up in the Film Exchange Building, attended by the wives, mothers and sisters of film distribution people located in the building. In Philadelphia, in the Paramount exchange projection room, Earl W. Sweigert, district manager for Paramount, held a premiere and sold 33 seats for a total of $825,000 in Bonds. Robert J. O'Donnell, heading the industry's drive, was informed late last week by Herman Gluckman that the film bulletin, ''Young' BACK FREE MOVIE DAY, O'DONNELL URGES Robert J. O'Donnell, heading the industry's drive for War Bonds, made a plea Monday to exhibitors to mobilize in full strength for Free Movie Day, July 6. "This is a vital and urgent call for extra effort," said Mr. O'Donnell. "We must get more exhibitors to participate in Free Movie Day." The lull in the sale of "E" Bonds, as reflected in reported national sales total, was the basis of Mr. O'Donnell's plea. At the same time it was announced that on July 5 there would be an unprecedented radio barrage publicizing Free Movie Day. Networks and local stations are making tieups with the industry in promoting the event. America Backs the Fighting Fifth," had been released with all newsreels, and that last Saturday Bond trailer No. 3, "From Your Boy Over There," formerly titled "Dawn of DDay," was released. Fifteen thousand prints of the trailer were ready for distribution. Mr. O'Donnell also announced that special recordings with a Bond drive appeal had been made by 12 Hollywood stars, and had been sent theatres for use as lobby broadcasts. Tuesday all the 14 theatres in Reading, Pa., held simultaneous premieres, with the independents, Warners and Loew's collaborating. The idea was originated by J. Lester Stallman, manager of the Schad interests in Reading, and WAC chairman for Bucks County. The premieres received the support of newspapers, radio and county and city officials. Loew's Theatres' Total Reached $6,200,300 At a rally held last Friday home office employees of Loew's Theatres, MGM and Station WHN, pledged $325,000 in extra Bonds. Monday it was announced that Loew's Theatres, through the period June 1 to June 23, sold $6,200,300 in Bonds as compared to $2,854,000 for the same period in the Fourth War Loan. The Pitkin theatre led Loew's New York theatres, and the Capitol in Washington the out-of-town theatres. In the first two weeks RKO Theatres sold a total of $1,982,475, not counting premieres. Columbia Pictures made a corporate purchase of $2,000,000 in Bonds, apart from purchases made by employees of the company. The company's quota is $3,250,000. Up to Thursday of last week the Southern California division of Fox West Coast Theatres had sold a total of 41,902 "E" Bonds, amounting to $3,168,075, according to Charles P. Skouras, president of National Theatres, in a telegram to Mr. O'Donnell. The comparable figures for the Fourth War Loan were 13,464 Bonds, amounting to $725,000. The cir cuit has scheduled a number of special events for its theatres, including premieres. Henry Reeve, president of Texas Theatre Owners, Inc., last week, at his own expense, organized a series of War Bond meetings in San Antonio, Austin and Brownwood, rallying independent theatre owners. L. A. Mercier of the Mercier theatre, who is also the Mayor of Fredericktown, Mo., passed his Bond quota at a rally featuring Pappy Cheshire, star of Republic Pictures and radio. One Delaware Premiere Brings in $1,350,000 In the state of Delaware Wednesday night of last week, 14 premieres were held, bringing in a total of $1,350,000 in Bonds at one premiere alone, the Warner theatre in Wilmington, and $10,000 at Wilmington's only Negro theatre, the National, which is managed by John O. Hopkins. On the same night a capacity crowd bought $1,203,375 in Bonds to witness a premiere at the Lincoln theatre in Miami Beach, Fla. With the premiere was a musical revue, "Sky Anchors," given by the OPA Locha Navy Air Corps, and an auction which brought close to $200,000 in sales. At a Fifth War Loan Boxing Carnival sponsored jointly by the Texas WAC, the Houston War Sports Activities Committee and the Elks Club Bond group, held at the Coliseum in Houston, the Bond cash register registered a sale of $22,080,000. National Committee Chairman O'Donnell flew to Houston from New York to act as master of ceremonies. 790 Metropolitan Houses Sold 21% of "E" Bonds At the Empire theatre in Fall River, Mass., managed by William S. Canning, $102,675 in Bonds were sold in the first six days of the drive. Charles C. Moskowitz, chairman of New York's metropolitan district, reported that from the period of June 1 to 17, a total of 790 theatres sold 21.6 per cent of all "E" Bonds sold in that area, the aggregate theatre sales amounting to $8,275,871. Monday the national committee received a telegram from Harry F. Shaw, state chairman for Connecticut, stating that special preliminary events in the state raised $1,211,896 in Bond sales. In 15 small towns in Texas special events raised $5,776,000 in sales. MGM'S "Dragon Seed" Set For Music Hall Run MGM's top-budget production, "Dragon Seed," starring Katharine Hepburn and Walter Huston, and based on the Pearl S. Buck novel, will follow Columbia's "Once Upon a Time" into Radio City Music Hall, the theatre announced this week. The Columbia film opened at the Music Hall Thursday. MGM plans to sell "Dragon Seed" separately, away from its regular blocks next season. Jacob Lasker Dies Jacob Lasker, 78, exhibitor in Chicago in the early days of films, died there Monday, and was buried Wednesday in Memorial Park Cemetery. He owned the Jacob Lasker and Sons circuit. His widow, Ida, and two sons, Harry and Ben, survive. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY I, 1944 15