Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

THIS WEEK IN THE NEW November 7 BROADWAY film theatres and legitimate shows did record business Election Day, both matinee and evening performances, with thousands of patrons streaming into Times Square after theatre hours to watch the election returns. All motion picture advertising, in addition to other classifications except financial and classified, was eliminated from every edition of the New York Herald Tribune Wednesday in order to increase available space for the publication of election and war news. It was the only New York daily paper to drop local and national ads for the day. In Chicago, the Balaban and Katz television station WBKB televised election returns to special receivers set up in the lobbies of several hotels as well as in the lobby of the Chicago theatre. The program was on the air for more than four hours. Limited Free Trade THE Treasury and Post Office Departments last week lifted many of the restrictions heretofore imposed on communications between the United States and France, paving the way for a resumption of business with the liberated areas of the latter country. Treasury licenses no longer are required for concerns in the United States and liberated France to exchange financial and commercial information and establish business contacts; creditors may get in touch with their debtors in France, and commercial reports may freely be furnished. For the time being, however, business communications between the two countries will be restricted to the ascertaining of facts and the exchange of information, and no payment instructions, powers of attorney, executed proxies or other communications which are transactional in nature will be permitted. Lest there be talk of unfair advantage, the Treasury announced that similar restrictions had been imposed by the British Government on communications between France and the United Kingdom. WHITE HOUSE PICTURES [C ontimied from preceding page] with the President of the United States. A reasonable and patriotic citizenry would be wanting him always to look his best. There is interesting precedent in our own industry. One of Hollywood's forennost chieftain's every appearance is recorded by his publicity department in pictures which have been most skillfully retouched — sometimes throwing him into remarkable contrast with persons at his right and left. Perhaps official eyes have noticed, too, that Hollywood made Mr. Alexander Knox look more like the President of the United States than Woodrow Wilson ever did. — Terry Ramsaye CUSTOMER shopping sends holdovers to flood tide nationally Page 13 KEY city grosses show upturn; averages compared— a Herald Chart Page 14 ON THE MARCH— Red Kann discusses the length of feature films Page 16 U. S. SUPREME court hears appeal in Crescent anti-trust case Page 16 AMERICAN and British agencies hit by new raw stock shortage Page 18 SERVICE DEPARTMENTS RANK seeks deal for interchange of U. S. anc British studio crafts Page \i\ SEVENTY-ONE independent producers pla total of 196 features Page 29'i56 HOLLYWOOD can make 708 films annually' with present facilities Page 41; DRIVE to get more theatres behind Sixth Wa Loan campaign Page 44^ BOOKING old American pictures in French' theatres as they reopen Page 54, 9 Hollywood Scene From Readers In the Newsreels Page 49 Obituaries Page 54 Picture Grosses Page 55 Shorts on Broadway Managers' Round Table Page 63 IN PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION Showmen's Reviews Page 2173 Short Subjects Page 2174 What the Picture Did for Me Page 76 Page 62 Page 591 Page 58' Release Chart by Companies Page 2175 The Release Chart Page 2176 ti el f;i H! ii Transportation Notes IN a letter to his employer, the Western Electric Company, Ltd., from Lahore, Punjab, W. N. King, resident engineer whose job it is to service projection and sound equipment, described his journey across India to Afghanistan where there was a repair job to be done. First he took a train which he referred to as the "Heat Stroke Express," which, he found, was "literally bulging with humanity," with an overflow of natives littering the tops of the cars. Within the luggage van he spread his bedroll on a two-by-four rack and settled down beside the batman of an Army officer on a holiday, his dogs, two Nepalese ayahs, the overflow of third class passengers and numerous express crates. Eventually he changed to a bus that was 32 hours traveling 200 miles, and upon reaching his destination he found the natives spoke Persian, which was "Greek" to Mr. King. He closed his letter with the comment that language and travel "are just two bottlenecks theatre servicemen meet in India." wood guilds, and the establishment of a foreign exchange to supply writers and film workers of all categories to producers abroad. More than 250 writers in service will be canvassed on their experience since leaving Hollywood and to determine the possibility of their reabsorption by the studios. IP' m MOI Profit New SWG Head EMMET LA VERY, playwright and screen writer, was elected the eleventh president of the Screen Writers Guild Tuesday in Hollywood. Mr. Lavery succeeded Lester Cole, interim president, for the unfinished term of Mary McCall, Jr. He was unopposed. In a report the retiring president sounded the union's keynote policy to promote a postwar program for writers and to cooperate with other Hollywood guilds and unions in three major directions: to develop employment in' television and educational fields with emphasis on employment for writers returning from the armed forces ; participation in the construction of a Guild Center Building to house all Holly BRITISH Information Services' film division made a profit of $210,000 from October, 1943, to October, 1944, from the distribution of four Ministry of Information features and 16 shorts released in the U. S. through the major companies. This figure was announced in New York Wednesday by Thomas Baird, director of the division, who returned this week from a two-month visit to London. Mr. Baird explained that the profit accrued after BIS had paid expenses in connection with the publicizing of the features and shorts. The two-year agreement between BIS and the majors known as the rota system, provides for a 70-30 deal ; the British get 70 per cent out of which they pay for publicity, and the majors get 30 per cent for distribution. Interruption TACLOBAN, Leyte's chief city, had film fare for the troops and Filipinos, an Associated Press dispatch has reported. The feature oiTering was "Double Indemnity," and just as its plot of murder and intrigue reached the climax, gunfire outside the theatre brought the audience to its collective feet. From the balcony someone shouted "Keep your seats," which no one did, and without the theatre the audience came upon soldiers in a sniper hunt. Most of the audience returned to see the remaining program, a screening of the 1944 baseball World Series. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER II, 1944 it flit Ii itt «