Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

. S. Must Take oreign Films, eisman Warns Ve are going to be forced, whether we like ■ not, to take some pictures from the leading gn countries." Phil Reisman, RKO Radio ares vice-president in charge of foreign sales, warned 400 delegates to the company's sales ention in New York last week of a growing malism in the countries of Europe, which will be satisfied by release of their pictures here. Be are going to be faced with competition by ucers in countries that have never made a ire before," he said. "In other countries where industry was just getting started before the they will receive additional impetus by subs from their governments. Only by taking ires here from the leading foreign countries we be able to get back and retain our foreign cets." ■edicting new restrictions on foreign trade, Mr. man also said that "with the nationalistic 3g that is developing in most of the countries, quite possible that most of our films will to be dubbed," and he added his company ubbing now in French, Italian and German, tablishing a Spanish and Portuguese dubbing : in New York, and may dub next in Dutch, iish, and other languages. ■h-Fox Holds Informal cussions on Policy istrict and branch managers of Twentieth Cen-Fox, in New York for the "Wilson" premiere iday night, were to attend informal sales confers at the Hotel Astor Wednesday and Thursday. "05 P. Skouras, president, Tom Connors, viceident in charge of sales, and Darryl F. Zanuck, uction vice-president, were to address the ing. Other home office officials who were duled to attend included W. J. Kupper, MurSilverstone, A. W. Smith, Jr., L. J. Schlaifer, C. Gehring, Hal Home, Martin Moskowitz, J. Clark, G. A. Roberts, Paul Terry, Harvey , Edmund Reek, Roger Ferri, Edwin H. Collins, Bloom, Jack Sichelman and John Wood of ch of Time. The conferences were to be rded as informal discussions pertaining to jany matters rather than a sales convention le strict sense, the company pointed out. 13 Film Production Percent Over 1941 >tal film stock production last year was 546, 00 square feet, an increase of 30 per cent over 1941 total, and production is continuing at a rate, but 85 per cent of the output is being for war or war-related purposes, the War uction Board announced Monday in Wash n. e announcement was primarily for the benefit imera fans, and is of little significance to >n picture producers, whose needs for raw are met by allocations, w stock production will continue at full pity, but no increase in available supplies for • eurs in the near future is seen. A new m has been adopted calling for production of |Us types of film, under which individual quar authorizations will be issued to the film facturers to produce and deliver specified :ities of each of six types of finished film. nie" Scheduled for 1 Theatres on Labor Day ie of the biggest day-and-date openings ever a Warner Bros, picture is being set up for ompany's first reease of the 1944-45 season, e," with at least 280 theatres scheduled to . the comedy during the Labor Day week. >nly pre-release engagements of "Janie" schedre at the New York Strand, where it had orld premiere August 4, and at the Warn*' e, Atlantic City, starting August 11. Fourth Regional U. A. Sales Meeting on Coast Next Week The fourth in a series of combined district sales meetings for the United Artists sales staff will be held in San Francisco at the St. Francis Hotel next Wednesday and Thursday, Carl Leserman, U.A. general sales manager, announced this week. W. E. Callaway, district manager, will preside * at the meeting, which will be attended by J. J. Unger, western division manager, and branch managers and salesmen from the exchanges in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle and Salt Lake City. Mr. Leserman attended the company's Chicago and Kansas City district meeting at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago Friday of this week. In attendance at this meeting were branch managers and salesmen from Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis. District Managers Rud Lohrenz, of Chicago, and T. R. Thompson, of Kansas City presided at the sessions. The company's southwestern meeting was held July 28-30 at Tarpoon Inn, Port Arkansas, Texas with Fred M. Jack, district manager, presiding with Edward Schnitzer, home office executive. Republic Plans Own European Branch System When the roar in Europe becomes one of industry instead of war, Republic will be distributing its films to theatres from exchanges in all the principal cities. This was the plan given the trade this week in New York by Morris Goodman, vicepresident in charge of Republic's foreign distribution. Mr. Goodman as soon as practicable will visit the Continent on a survey for office sites and personnel. The European organization would parallel Republic's domestic distribution, he added. Republic, before 1939, distributed in Europe through local franchise holders. Mr. Goodman also this week, noted that his company, in anticipation of European sales, was planning to dub in Italian and French. The first two films to be dubbed are "In Old Oklahoma" and "The Lady and the Monster." Other pictures which he indicated might be dubbed thus, are "Hit Parade of 1943," "Atlantic City," "Brazil" and several of the Roy Rogers films. Republic is setting up a Mexico City branch, with Carl Ponedel in charge. Mr. Goodman recently returned from that city. Bausch and Lomb Half-Year Net Profit $529,497 Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, makers in peacetime of precision lenses and other equipment widely used m the motion picture industry, reported net earnings of $529,497 for the halfyear ending June 30. This was a decrease of $156,021 from the corresponding period of last year. Decrease in earnings was attributed to increased cost of production. After deducting $118,295 for preferred stock dividends, earnings were equal to 98 cents. a common share as compared with $1.35 for the same 1943 period. After deduction of preferred dividends and $210,364 representing payment of 50 cents a share on the common, $328,659 was carried to earned surplus for a total of $5,934,066. Sales for the period amounted to $23,376,960, compared with $23,409,722, in the 1943 half-year Title Is Set on Fitzpatrick's Mexican Film for Republic "Song of Mexico" will be the first picture to be produced for Republic in Mexico City, it was announced by James A. Fitzpatrick and Herbert J. Yates, chairman of the board. Casting will start immediately and shooting will start November 9. Schless Attacks Spanish Regime 's Film Restrictions Free trade in Spain is impossible under present official sanctions on the American film industry, Robert E. Schless, Warner foreign sales manager, said this week at the home office. Mr. Schless said that if Spanish conditions obtained elsewhere, "the industry would not have any business left." Some of the difficulties of which Mr. Schless complained are: execessive import duties; the tax imposed in addition to dubbing costs ; the obligation to produce films in Spain, or purchase Spanish films for export. Remarking that no Warner film has been shown in Spain, commercially, since 1936, Mr. Schless added, "So long as the present Spanish regime continues, we don't intend to return." Mr. Schless also charged that, contrary to the belief that raw film was controlled in Spain by American government representatives, the Spanish government controlled it. Of his company's plans for post-war European business, Mr. Schless said that it now has "more French and Italian dubbed product ready than the rest of the industry put together. Its foreign branches will be reconstituted as much as possible, and the British studio, at Teddington, destroyed by a robot bomb, will be rebuilt. The company also is interested in buying European theatres, he said. Stern Holds Meeting on Exchange Operations A two-day session of a number of MGM personnel was conducted July 31-August 1, by Charles K. Stern, assistant treasurer of Loew's, at the Statler Hotel, Boston. Present at the meetings were William G. Brenner, head of exchange maintenance; Rose Kiein, assistant to Alan F. Cummings, exchange operator head ; Arthur Sterling, field auditor; Joseph Kronman, Washington exchange office manager, and Mary Ryan, Buffalo office manager. Arriving at the home office from their respective territories for conferences with various department heads, were W. H. Workman, Minneapolis branch manager, and W. E. Branford, Chicago branch manager. Leroy Bickel, Dallas manager, and Jack C. Reville, Oklahoma City head, left for their offices over the weekend after a week in New York. WAC and RKO Thanked for WAVE Anniversary Aid Official thanks of the United States Navy Personnel Bureau, Women's Reserve, have been extended to RKO and the War Activities Committee in a letter from Lt. L. L. Callaway, Jr., to Ray Malone of RKO. The letter was prompted by the cooperation given the Navy for the WAVES' second anniversary celebration which was held July 29 at the RKO Alden theatre, New York. Paramount Sells Three to FWC to End Booking Jam "Double Indemnity," "Take It Big" and "The Great Moment" have been sold by Paramount to Fox West Coast for first run engagements in the Los Angeles territory in an effort to break the first run booking jam in that area caused by extending runs of its product, Charles M. Reagan, Paramount vice-president in charge of sales, disclosed last week. Brauninger's Son Wins Medal Private Gordon A. Brauninger, eldest of two sons of A. C. Brauninger of me Warner Bros, home office sales staff. !nas been awarded the Purple Heart for service in the Normandy invasion. ON PICTURE HERALD, AUGUST 5, 1944 29