Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

PRC to Release 40-45 For Next Season Product to Be Divided into Two Groups, McCarthy Tells Sales Meeting PRC Pictures will release between 40 and 45 features, including Westerns, during 194445, it was announced by Leo J. McCarthy, general sales manager, at the company's fifth annual sales convention held in New York Wednesday through Friday at the Essex House. Leon Fromkess, vice-president in charge of production, arrived in New York from Hollywood Tuesday, heading the out-of-town delegation to the meeting. PRC product would be divided into two groups, Mr. McCarthy said. The first is known as the "Army" group, with divisions consisting of four "Generals," eight "Colonels" and eight "Majors." The second, or Navy group, consists of four "Admirals," eight "Commanders" and eight "Captains." To Produce More of Product Mr. McCarthy, who presided at all the sessions, said that PRC "plans to produce more and more of its own product, especially with the higher budgeted pictures" and announced that the first of the new season's releases would be "Dixie Jamboree," with Frances Langford, Guy Kibbee, Louise Beavers, Lyle Talbot. Another film scheduled for early release next season is "Bluebeard," a psychological murder story featuring John Carradine, Jean Parker, Nils Asther and Henry Kolker. "When the Lights Go on Again," now shooting, directed by William K. Howard and featuring Jimmie Lydon, Grant Mitchell, Regis Toomey among others, also will be released early in the new season. Jimmie Lydon also will be featured in a new series which the company will produce. The young actor will be cast with Freddie Bartholomew. First in this group with be "They Eloped One Night," scheduled to start shooting late in July. Martha Tilton, radio star, recently signed for a series of PRC pictures, has completed her first feature, "Swing Hostess," which Sigmund Neufeld produced. In the "Army" group, in addition to "Dixie Jamboree," "They Eloped One Night," "Bluebeard" and "Swing Hostess," are: "I'm from Arkansas," "Fog Island," "I Accuse My Parents," "His Adopted Daughter," "Here We Go Again," "For the Love of Mike," "Hollywood and Vine" and "G.I. Guy." The last four in this group will be produced by PRC. Ritter and O'Brien in Westerns Included in the "Army" classification will be the first four of a series of eight Texas Ranger Westerns co-starring Tex Ritter and Dave O'Brien, and four of the eight Buster Crabbe Westerns. "Crime, Inc.," heads the "Navy" group. Others are "Queen of Burlesque," "War Marriage " "Wife of Monte Cristo," "Swamp Man," "Drums of Death," "Hannah from Savannah," "Kid Sister," "Bombshell of Brazil," "Eastside-Westside," starring Benny Fields, and the remaining Texas Ranger and Buster Crabbe releases. Franchise holders and branch managers who attended included: Albany-Buffalo, Bernie Mills, Leo Murphy, Jack Berkson, George Miller, Ben Smith ; Atlanta, Ike Katz, Harry Katz; Boston, Zippy Goldman, Harry Gibbs, Sam Levine; Chicago, Henri Elman, M. Van Praag; CincinnatiCleveland, Nat Lefton, Harry Bugie, Rudy Mueller; Denver-Salt Lake, J. H. Ashby; Detroit, William Flemion, Anne O'Donnell ; Indianapolis, Joe Bohn, Sam Abrams; Kansas City, Beverly Miller, John Muchmore ; Little Rock, B. F. Busby; Los Angeles, Sam Decker, Harry Stern; Milwaukee, Ben Marcus, Joe Strother ; Minneapolis, Abbott Schwartz ; New York, Sidney Kulick, Lt. Commander Bert Kulick, Seymour Jonas, Frances Kulick; Oklahoma City, E. L. Walker, Harry McKenna; Omaha-Des Moines, Harry Rogers ; Philadelphia, Herbert Given, Mrs. H. Given; Pittsburgh, Lew Lefton; St. Louis, Andy Dietz; San Francisco, Armand Cohn, Sam Sobel ; Seattle-Portland, Lloyd Lamb, Harriet Lamb; Washington, George Gill, Fred Sandy; Canada, Harry Allen; New Orleans, Phil Sliman. Home office executives who were present included : Mr. McCarthy, Fred Rohrs, assistant to Mr. McCarthy; Roberto Socas, foreign export manager; Jerry Edwards, legal department ; Harry Blair, eastern publicity manager ; S. S. Kestenbaum, field exploitation; John Cosentino, in charge of exchange operations; D. P. Wiener, accounting department, and Janet Rosenthal, in charge of prints. Universal Holds Southern Conference in Atlanta Universal Pictures opened its southern sales conference in Atlanta Wednesday at the Biltmore Hotel. The conferences were continued through Friday. Sales representatives from New Orleans, Memphis, Charlotte and Atlanta were present to hear Maurice Bergman, the company's advertising director, discuss advertising plans. F. J. A. McCarthy, southern divisional sales manager, who presided as chairman, said that Universal for the season of 1944-45 would release 55 features, seven in Technicolor. Among the pictures scheduled for production are a Deanna Durbin film in Technicolor, another with Charles Boyer co-starring with Miss Durbin, and three Abbott and Costello comedies. Paramount Film Service, Ltd., In Toronto Sales Meeting Paramount Film Service, Ltd., opened a twoday sales conference Wednesday at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto, with Charles M. Reagan, general sales manager, and Oscar Morgan, short subjects sales manager, on hand from New York. The district manager in Toronto, Gordon Lighthouse, presented Canadian sales policies for the new year coming up. Among the branch managers in attendance were Jack L. Hunter of Toronto, Tom Dowbiggin of Montreal, P. J. Hogan of St. John, D. M. Brickman of Winnipeg, W. O. Kelly of Calgary and Russel Simpson of Van Monogram Releasing Six Features in July Monogram will release six productions in July, reaching the highest point of its current schedule. "Range Law" will reach the exhibitors July 1. July 8 marks the general release of "Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More." "Are These Our Parents?" is to be released generally June 15. July 23 will be "Three of a Kind," and July 29, "Marked Trails" and "Call of the Jungle" will be released. Expect Metro to Have 36 Features In New Season While Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is on the way to winding up the current season with 35 features, production plans for next season call for a minimum of 36 features, with more top budget pictures scheduled than ever before. Production appropriations for 1944-45 aggregate between $40,000,000 and $45,000,000. Plans call for the production of the same number of shorts as this season. The 35 MGM releases for the current season include "Tunisian Victory," made jointly by the United States and British Army staffs. The 34 films made on the MGM lot cost, on the average, an estimated $1,500,000, twice the average per picture before Pearl Harbor. Rising labor and material costs and unforeseen delays are held responsible for the doubled production costs. It is believed that the return of stars and directors from the Army, such as Clark Gable and others, may serve to pare the production costs. The company had 12 pictures in each of its first two blocks this season, which were the fifth and sixth groups, five in the seventh and has set two for the eighth, the smallest the company has ever released as a package, necessitated by the demand for product by many first run houses throughout, the country. The eighth block will be composed of "Bathing Beauty," set for release July 14, and "The Canterville Ghost," the third week in July. It is said that William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager, plans to rush releases of "White Cliffs of Dover," which already has a number of first run bookings set through the summer ; "Dragon Seed," which is to follow, and "An American Romance." These films, along with "Tunisian Victory," will bring the company's release schedule to 35. Eight pictures recently finished and now in the stages of editing may be set by Mr. Rodgers as the ninth block shortly after his return to New York from Hollywood, where he has been viewing product. The eight include "Gold Town" (tentative title), "Kismet," in Technicolor; "Lost in a Harem," "Maisie Goes to Reno," "Marriage Is a Private Affair," "Meet Me in St. Louis," in Technicolor ; "National Velvet," in Technicolor, and "The Seventh Cross." The latest Greer GarsonWalter Pidgeon film, "Mrs. Parkington," is almost finished, but plans have not yet been made for it. The company has 10 pictures in production and 14 in different stages. Costs on current productions are understood to run about as follows : $3,000,000 for "Dragon Seed," $2,500,000 for "An American Romance," $3,000,000 for "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "Kismet," $2,000,000 for "National Velvet" and "Ziegfeld Follies," and $2,500,000 for "Bathing Beauty." Pre-release Dates Are Set on "Mark Twain" "The Adventures of Mark Twain," which Warner Bros, will place in general release July 22, will open for pre-release engagements before that date in about 100 situations. The popular-price premiere of the picture, which played approximately 200 special dates limited to one week early last month, takes place July 7 at the Maestic, Providence. The following week it returns to Broadway for a run at the New York Strand, and also opens at the Capitol, Springfield; Roger Sherman, New Haven, and Metropolitan, Boston. Other mid-July dates already set include the Orpheum, Seattle; State, Spokane; Strand, Marshalltown; Strand, Hartford; Palace, South Norwalk; Branford, Newark; 20th Century, Buffalo; Majestic, Houston; Orpheum, Dubuque; Mary Anderson, Louisville; Stanley, Jersey City; Fabian, Paterson ; Montauk, Passaic ; Mount Baker, Bellingham ; Capitol, Vancouver ; Palace, Columbus ; Iowa, Cedar Rapids ; Warner, Milwaukee ; Queen, Wilmington; Grand, Lancaster; Capitol, York; Cambria, Johnstown; Centre, Salt Lake City; Orpheum and Colonial, Ogden; Montana, Butte ; Earle and Ambassador, Washington ; Strand, Cumberland; Colonial, Bluefield, W. Va. 16 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY I, 1944