Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

Films Second to Food At Front, Says Capra Momand Decisicm Confirms Findir Screen's War Contribution Cited as Canada Thanks Industry for Drive Aid Hollywood Bureau The many-sided story of what the motion picture has been doing in the war was narrated and documented by representatives of five directly-interested institutions — the Canadian Government, the U. S. Army Pictorial Service, the U. S. Treasury Department, the Office of War Information and the War Activities Committee — last Friday at a luncheon ceremony in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, attended by 130 members of the industry. Col. Frank Capra, back from the South Pacific to resume command of Army Pictorial Service production in Hollywood, told the assemblage he had found the value of motion pictures to the men on the fighting fronts was "second only to food." Cites Aid in Canada's Effort Donald Henshaw, representing the Canadian Government, detailed the ways in which the cooperation of Hollywood studios and personalities, beginning with Canada's entry into the war and continuing steadilv since, had assisted Canada in selling bonds at a rate averaging $600 per annum to every employed person in the Dominion. In ringing tones of gratitude he gave each of 24 persons identified with the production of "Shining Future," used in Canada's sixth war loan campaign and subsequently as "Road to Victory" in the American campaign, a plaque bearing the great seal of Canada mounted on squares of wood salvaged from the Nazi-blasted crypt of St. Thomas the Apostle in Ortona, Italy. Following Col. Capra, Col. Edward L. Munson, Jr., Chief of the Army Pictorial Service, corrected Col. Capra, saying he had found it "equal to food" in Normandy, whence he had returned two days before. He went on to say, "Gaps between the fighting front and the home front, which have been a part of every other war, do not exist today. Because of motion pictures our men will not return as strangers, but will come home to a country they understand. Movies keep men in tune with their country. They see the same trends reflected on the screen, hear the same music, keep up to date on speech, clothes and habits of living." Discusses Bond Campaign Ted Gamble, assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, gave an off-the-record account of the War Bond campaign just closed, an over-all picture of the financing problems that lie in the future, and explained to Hollywood in plain words the little-understood way in which participation of stars in War Bond campaigns achieve an end beyond the on-the-scene sale of Bonds. Stanton Griffis gave a prefatory report of his mission to Sweden, which he characterized as a failure in the sense that it did not effect the change in Sweden's official thinking which, he said, could be effected finally only by the motion picture and other media. Turning his remarks directly to OWI, he said the films produced for that agency have accomplished their purpose thus far but must be directed now to 28 the problems that lie ahead in the post-war period. He specified isolationism, internationalism and the understanding of money as among the subjects on which the public must be informed by films, and he invited Hollywood to suggest ways and means of doing the job. Francis Harmon, to whom Mary McCall, Jr., chairman of the Hollywood Division of' the WAC turned over the meeting after a brief introductory address as hostess, referred to the OWIWAC pictures as information films. Mr. Griffis referred to them as propaganda pictures. Must Keep War Lessons Alive Jack L. Warner, in accepting the Canadian award, said, "We who make pictures must not forget that the pictures we are making today may play to audiences that have seen the end of the war. It is urgent that we think carefully about the kind of pictures we will be releasing to the world at that time. I am sure that every motion picture producer agrees that the motion picture, with its great potential power to do good, must not be content with entertainment alone. . . . Post-war American pictures must keep the lessons of the war alive. "The use that our war government and our armed services have made of the motion picture and the extent to which they have called upon us for assistance constitutes a milestone in the development of the film as a means of carrying information and inspiration to large numbers of people. "In the post-war world, motion pictures must have the Same freedom of expression as is guaranteed to the press and the spoken word. We must be constantly on the alert to resist all forms of dictation or attempted regulation. We must refuse to be intimidated from expressing our honest convictions on the screen." Industry Well Represented Those attending the luncheon were : Walter Abel, Victor Adams, Arnold Albert, Irwin Allen, Bert Allenberg, Herb Aller, Inga Arvad, Guy Austin. George Bagnall, Bruce Bailey, Tom Baily, Art Baker, Olive Blakeney, James Bloodworth, Nate Blumberg, George Bowser, Jerry Bressler, George Brown. Jack Carson, Col. Frank Capra, I. E. Chadwick, Christo Christy, Cecil Cohn, Lester Cowan, William Cunningham, Don Chambers. Pete Dailey, Jack Dales, Paul De Sainte-Colombe, Nat Dollinger, D. A. Doran, Daniel Doran, Bill Dudas. Eddy Eckles, Charles Einfeld, Alex Evelove, Hyman Fink, John C. Flinn, Y. Frank Freeman, Joseph Friedman. Gus Gale, Ted Gamble, Mrs. Donald Gledhill, Herman Gluckman, Leon Goldberg, Samuel Goldwyn, Fred Green berg, Stanton Griffis, D. W. Griffiths, Cary Grant, William Golden. Louis J. Halper, Francis S. Harmon, Paul Harrison, Deama flarshborger, Will H. Hays, Don Henshaw, Mrs. Don Henshaw. Henry Herbel, Gordon Hollingshead, Hedda Hopper, Mr. Hosie, James Howie. John LeRoy Johnston, W. Ray Johnston, Col. Roy M. Jones, Col. Jason S. Joy. Bernie Kamins, Don King, Pauline Lauber, Sol Lesser, Gunther Lessing, Gene Lester, Anne Lewis, Louis Lifton, Lewis L. Lindley, Marjorie Warren Low, James Lydon. Herbert Marshall, Emanuel Manheim, Hank Mann, Irene Manning, E. J. Mannix, William Meiklejohn, Adolphe Menjou, Lee Miller, Taylor N. Mills, T. J. Monty, William Mooring, Dennis Morgan, Col. Edward L. Munson, Howard Mills. Mary C. McCall, Jr., Hugh McCollum. J. F. McGowan, Joseph Nolan, Robert J. O'Donnell, Rodney Pantages, Mrs. E. Alston Parkford, Col. George M. Pierce, Robert H. Poole, LeRoy Prinz. Riff Rogers, Watterson Rothacker, Walter Ruf, Joseph Reddy, Arthur Schwartz, J. B. Scott, Frank Seltzer, Roz Shaffer, Denny Shane, Ned Shugrue, Frank Sinatra, Fred Stanley, Col. Paul Sloane, Lou Smith, Sidney Solow, Ivan Spear, Captain Milton Sperling. Ken Thomson, Cassy Thompson. Arthur Unger, Clark Wales. B. H. Wallerstein, Walter Wanger, Jack L. Warner, William R. Weaver, Len Weissman, Art Weismann, Robert Welsh. Ruth Wentworth, Frank Whitbeck. Ralph Wilk, Ralph Wilshin, Allen Wilson, Marco Wolff, Cliff Work, Lloyd Wright, Lt. Com. Eugene Zukor. Federal Judge Bower Broaddus Tuesday in (I homa handed down a 118-page opinion in the 1 Momand anti-trust suit which essentially confo to his earlier tentative findings which order $41,000 judgment against Paramaunt and a $ judgment against the Griffith interests. Judge Broaddus absolved all defendants ir 13-year-old suit from any guilt of conspiracy cited Paramount as having illegally consipered the owner of a Wewoka, Okla., theatre in viol of the Sherman Act. The Griffith Amusement < pany was held as having overbought produ Shawnee, Okla., in 1931 to keep Momand or competitors from getting it. The case, hanging fire since 1931, was file Momand, owner of 14 theatres, against 14 dist tors and the Griffith interests. The case was in the early 1943 term of the Federal Court, ( homa City. Freed of any responsibility of law violation 20th Century-Fox, Loew's, Inc., Vitagraph, ] Radio Pictures, United Artists, Universal Filn changes and the NKO Distributing Corp. Mo had alleged the 10 distributors and the Griffith had entered into a conspiracy to deny him lice rights. He sought damages which, when fij with accrued interest, ran above $5,000,000. Judge Broaddus ruled as expected since a ing on his tentative findings of fact was held in June. Charles B. Cochrane, assistant co for the Griffith interests, said he was unable t whether an appeal would be filed from the judgment, but he said he considered the rul victory for his client. Master Finds for Tri-States In Omaha Theatre Case Tri-States Theatre Corporation suffered $. damages between November 1, 1939, and I 21, 1942, through Ralph D. Goldberg's ope of the State theatre in Omaha in competition the company's Orpheum and Omaha theatre cording to a finding returned by Special IV Herman Aye in Federal District Court last v The finding was in connection with si brought against Mr. Goldberg by Tri-States, < ing that when the company leased the Omaha the World Realty Company, in 1934, Mr. Go( agreed not to operate the State for 10 years, it was reopened, Tri-States obtained an inju: later upheld in the Circuit Court of Appeals Mr. Goldberg announced recently that remo was under way at the State, which he pll to reopen in September. Last week he add< Broadway Theatre at Council Bluffs to his c Depositions Taken in Ohio In Schine Trust Case Depositions were taken Tuesday from f Buchman, Jr., and Henry Bieberson, in Dek' Ohio, in the Government's anti-trust suit a the Schine circuit. The depositions were taken by Willard S. M defense counsel, and Robert L. Wright, attorney for the Department of Justice. Hr of the case will resume August 15, at Bufl Decision is still awaited in the A. B. Mi trust case, in which the Oklahoma exhibitc sought damages totaling $6,000,000 from the C circuit and from producer-distributors. Adolph Zukor, chairman of the board of ' mount, will be given a pre-trial examination / 15 in New York, in the Hillside Amu5 Corporation trust suit against the compan seven other distributors. Trial is expected autumn. Dismiss Philadelphia Suit Common Pleas Judge Eugene V. Allessa in Philadelphia dismissed the bill of con filed last year by Louis Rovner, Philadelpr hibitor, against A. M. Ellis and all others ciated with the Ellis theatre interests there suit in equity involved the Rockland t Philadelphia neighborhood house, with Mr. 1 contending that he was instrumental in pure the house from William C. Hunt for Mr. E MOTION PICTURE HERALD, AUGUST !