Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS Nohel Speaker DARRYL F. ZANUCK, production chief of Twentieth Century-Fox, is the first motion picture producer ever to be invited as a guest of honor at the American Nobel Anniversary dinner. This year the dinner will be held December 10 at the Hotel Astor, New York. Mr. Zanuck's address will be broadcast over a national hookup on the Mutual Broadcasting System. The Nobel committee extended the invitation to the producer in recognition of his production, "Wilson," judging it as "a vital contribution to the education of peace in a post-war world." Mrs. Hjordis Swenson is chairman of the anniversary committee. No Hope PARAMOUNT suspends Bob Hope. Bob Hope suspends Paramount. The newspaper stories, last week, were many. Both factions are resting. Mr. Hope says he's the first actor who ever suspended a studio. Paramount says he failed to report for work last Monday. He is supposed to make three pictures this year, and has completed only two, "Road to Utopia" and "The Princess and the Pirate," according to Paramount. Mr. Hope points at his travels in war areas, and at benefit performances home. He is quoted by the Associated Press thus: "In the next month, I do six more shows — three in Chicago, and one each in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Independence, Kansas — for the Sixth War Loan, for service men, and wounded veterans. These commitments were made six months ago. . . . "Those things are important." S S Comerford A LIBERTY Ship will be named for the late M. E. Comerford, exhibition leader for 35 years and owner of the Comerford circuit. The U. S. Maritime Commission announced in Philadelphia Wednesday that the ship bearing Mr. Comerford's name would be launched December 12 at the J. A. Jones shipyard, Brunswick, Ga. The Commission ' indicated that Postmaster General Frank C. Walker, nephew of Mr. Comerford, would be one of the guests at the launching. Mr. Comerford died February 1, 1939, at the age of 71. He founded and was an officer of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America and was head of Comerford Theatres, operating in Pennsylvania and New York. He also was associated with Ed Fay in a number of Rhode Island theatres. Off the Air UPTON CLOSE, radio news commentator, will terminate his Sunday afternoon program sponsored by the Schaefer Pen Company over the National Broadcasting Company December 10. He will be replaced by Max Hill, former chief of the Associated Press Bureau in Tokyo, vdio recently was returned to the United States as an exchange prisoner on the Gripsholm. Mr. Close told a reporter in Memphis Tuesday that certain "radical and communistic ele VICTORIOUS Caesar Petrillo talks, while Hollywood waits Page 13 BRITISH plan wide expansion of the documentary film field Page 16 MAJORS and Uncle Sam join in new program of propaganda Page 17 AUSTRALIA is natural outlet for U. S. films, says Ackland Page 18 BOND drive opens Monday; industry is ready to do its share Page 2 1 URGE new library as repository for film recorc of the war Page 22 VARIED interests push proposed code of con-c ciliatlon for Canada Page 2fr WILL argue motion on Consent Decree in! New York December 5 Page 3C pascal's "Caesar and Cleopatra" gets over, some British hurdles . Page 3^ WHAT a Russian thinks of "Song of Russia" — \ a cable from Moscow Page 36] SERVICE DEPARTMENTS Hollywood Scene Page 41 Picture Grosses In the Newsreels Page 43 Shorts on Broadway Managers' Round Table Page 51 What the Picture Did for Me IN PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION Showmen's Reviews Page 2181 Short Subjects Page 2183 Short Subjects Chart Page 2184 Advance Synopses Service Data The Release Chart Page 4f Page 4/ Page 44 i Page 2I8^| Page 2187 Page 218^, ments" were responsible for his removal from the NBC program. Mr. Close's Sunday evening 15-minute news commentary over the Mutual Broadcasting System at 6:30 P.M. will continue to be broadcast by that company. The sponsor of this broadcast is the Lumbermen's Mutual Casualty Company of Chicago, whose president is James S. Kemper, financial chairman of the Republican National Committee. Henry J. Taylor, Scripps-Howard writer, will discontinue his commentaries over the Blue network December 31, the termination date of the contract with the company. Mr. Taylor is expected to undertake a foreign assignment for the Scripps-Howard papers shortly thereafter. Mr. Taylor's five-night-a-week program was sustaining in New York and occasionally sponsored locally. No sucessor for Mr. Taylor has been chosen by the network. A Lot of Tickets APPROXIMATELY 125,000,000 service men and women have been admitted to the 2,500 theatres in the U. S. controlled by the five major companies, since July 7, 1941, a recent survey shows. Estimated value of the reductions amounts to $31,000,000 with the average single reduction running to 25 cents. Paramount, with its 1,200 theatre affiliates, counted the most service tickets, 45,000,000, representing about $12,000,000. Twentieth Century-Fox, with 570 theatres, had about 26,000,000 service admissions, representing $6,000,000; Loew's, 165 houses, had 21,200,000 with a $5,000,000 cut; Warners, 450 theatres, had 20,500,000, showing a $5,000,000 reduction, and RKO's 120 theatres had 12,300,000 service tickets, representing a $3,000,000 cut. It is one of the industry's unique contributions to the welfare of the nation's fighters. Coward vs Brooklyn NOEL COWARD, British author, playwright composer, film writer-director and globe trottei extraordinaire, caused a rumpus in Congress this week. The reverberations hit New York's' City Council, too. If the legislators have their way, Mr. Coward will suffer economic and personal reprisal; for six lines about Brooklyn in his recent book "Middle East Diary." On page 140 therein he referred to "mournful little Brooklyn boy; (in military hospitals) living there in tear; amidst the alien corn with nothing more thar a bullet wound in the leg or a fractured arm Rep. Samuel Dickstein of New York ros( in the House of Representatives Tuesday to at-jj [0( tack the "venomous pen" of the British writer' "The attack on the Brooklyn boys, in the lighj of their accomplishments on the battlefields, i^ so stupid and ill-mannered that only Noel Cow ard — the self-appointed genius of our age— i' could be guilty of it," he said. Mr. Dicksteitj declared he would seek to have Mr. Cowarc barred from entry to the U. S. A resolution urging all New York book sellers and theatrical producers to boycott Mr| Coward's works was introduced Tuesday in tht New York City Council. It asserted that Mr, Coward had "cast aspersions upon oui Brooklyn boys" and that "the people of Brook, lyn deeply resent this unjustifiable slur." Hollywood Gives HOLLYWOOD contributed $1,125,000 to th(, Los Angeles area War Chest, Hollywood cam^ paign chairman Charles Koerner announceC Tuesday evening, at a meeting in the Hote| Ambassador there. The amount put the func over its quota. Eight hundred volunteers col" lected from more than 23,000 of an estimatec 25,000 persons in production. I J m k MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 18, 194