Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

MOTION PICTURE HERALD COLVIN BROWN, Publisher MARTIN QUIGLEY President and Editor-in-Chief TERRY RAMSAYE, Editor Vol. 157, No. 5 OP November 4, 1944 The Call of The Sixth COME the twentieth of November and we shall be moving up again on the home front. As with the armies, the war loan drives move in waves launched after periods of preparation. Preparation for the Sixth has been begun now and will be accumulating forces and plans to storm into attention of the people a fortnight hence. For the motion picture industry the period of preparation is quite as drivingly demanding as the period of performance. Obviously enough, the whole of the loan campaign faces its largest problem in the state of mind of a public which knows the war is going at least reasonably well, but without realization of the terrific costs that must keep it going well and force it to a conclusion in victory. The sense of urgency and flaming demand is yet to be created, and must be if the patriots are to be moved to open their purses. The current public optimism which so over-rates the progress of the war has been created and encouraged by an array of influences, official and unofficial. Our people are ever eager for good news. It is notably the policy of the newspapers to reach out for pretext for flambouyant headlines of successes and victories. One great paper with a circulation running into millions found that daily circulation sales fell off by thousands upon thousands of copies when a first page head even implied losses and defeats. That paper does »ot print such headlines any more. Few do. Further, there was high official anticipation of an early victory over Germany when the Allies were sweeping across France. There was even definite mention of promise that the war on that side would be over in October. Now it looks like a long hard winter for assault on Festung Germany. There is still hope that it may be over this year, but that is being expressed more cautiously now. A REFLECTION of that excess of optimism is before this editor now in a document called "6th War Loan Copy Fact Sheet", from the Treasury Department. It was prepared and mimeographed only a few weeks ago, for delivery to journalists and advertising men last week. It starts off by saying: "The European War was expensive. ..." It still is. Further, the expense over there will not be over when the war is over. V/e do not know yet what the peace is going to cost. Amid the reports of advances into Germany and the sinking of Japanese battle fleets, last Sunday's New York Times presented a special dispatch from France by Mr. Gene Currivan, under the heading: TROOPS STILL DIE ON A 'QUIET FRONT' Another observer last week remarked of a report on one of those almost daily air raids on the Reich our low losses of some twenty-seven planes "cost us two hundred and ten flying men". Those lives that are spent every day, every hour, on far flung fronts are drafted — taken and spent, now and forever, in the nation's cause. Those dollars which the Sixth War Loan seeks we are asked to volunteer out of our earnings and savings, and volunteer them only as a loan at interest, an investment to be repaid in a peaceful tomorrow. In its data sheet the Treasury Department makes emphatic an array of facts concerning the terrific demands and costs of war, thus: ^\ "The European war was expensive, but almost everything in the Pacific war will cost more. Take transport costs. Because of the longer distances, the same amount of freight costs 25 per cent more when shipped to the South Pacific than to Europe. And it takes twice as many cargo ships in the Pacific to support a task force of a given size since turn-around time is twice as great! ^ "In addition, we will need more of everything. More B-29 Superfortresses at $600,000 each. More P-27 Thunderbolts at $50,000. More M-4 Tanks, with bulldozer blades, at $67,417. More amphibious tanks — aircraft carriers — supply ships — more gasoline and oil than it took for the invasion of Europe! C| "We will need more battalion aid stations — more clearing stations — more evacuation hospitals — more convalescent hospitals — more hospital ships. ^ "For many, many years the sick, wounded, and otherwise disabled veterans will require medical attention and care. We still have an Army and Navy of II to 12 million men and women to maintain. Whether the men are actually fighting or not, they must be fed, housed, transported from one training center or battle area to another, cared for In a hundred and one different ways. That all costs money and will continue to until the last man demobilized is back In civilian clothes. In addition, millions of dollars will be required for mustering out pay, for various benefits and services voted by Congress." THE motion picture's job is especially with that of Mr. Common Man and his family, prospering on war wages and ready to spend or to Invest in their patriotism — when the impulse arrives while there is money in pocket. Therein is the reason that this issue of Motion Picture Herald in cooperation with the War Activities Committee presents its special attentions to the Sixth War Loan drive with information and materials available now, in time for their utilization in the plans for action beginning November 20. Of most especial importance is our section in which Mr. Chester Friedman of the Round Table has assembled compact, concise versions of the plans which theatre showmen [Continued on following page, column 1]