Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

Paramount Sees 9'Month Earnings i4f $12,476,000 I Paraxnount Pictures, Inc., last week estimated its earnings for the nine months ended September lo, 1944, at $12,476,000, after all charges, including '12,797,000 representing its share of undistributed lianiings of partially owned non-consolidated subiidiaries. Earnings for the corresponding period last year were estimated at $11,655,000, including »1,906,000 of undistributed earnings of subsidiaries. Earnings for the third quarter were estimated at ^,581,000 after interest and all charges, including istimated provision for all Federal normal and •■xcess profits tax. This includes §1,261,000 of uniistributed earnings of subsidiaries. Earnings for the corresponding quarter in 1943 were estimated tt $4,268,000, including $532,000 of undistributed earnings of subsidiaries. The $4,581,000 of estimated combined consolidated and share of undistributed earnings for the juarter represent $1.22 per share on the 3,752,136 shares of common stock outstanding on September 80, 1944, which compares with $1.14 per share for [he quarter ended October 2, 1943. The $12,476,000 af estimated combined consolidated and share of ondistributed earnings for the nine months represent $3.32 per share on such common stock outstanding, which compares with $3.11 per share for the first nine months of 1943. ;i The board of directors last week declared the -egular quarterly common stock dividend of 50 rents per share, payable December 29, 1944, to ;tockholders of record December 8. Har+ford Industry Aided War Chest Drive Peter M. Eraser, president of the Hartford, u'Conn., War Chest Drive, reported last weekend fi Jiat the 30-day campaign which closed October 31, jj:)assed its $1,300,000 quota by $12,300, the largest ■5um ever raised in any annual campaign there. I Henry Needles, Warner district manager and T:hairman of the Theatre Committee of Greater lljHartford, served in an advisory capacity, authorM.zed special lobby displays, screen trailers, and ar^-anged for vaudeville shows under the supervision !,Df Fred Greenway, manager of Loew's Palace. i[| Mr. Greenway presented twice weekly, noontime ! vaudeville shows which featured local orchestras and talent from the Gordon Theatrical Bureau to [♦(stimulate interest in the drive. V 'New York Theatre Group Studies Zoning Rule { The League of New York Theatres was to meet Wednesday to take a stand for or against the proposed zoning regulation which would prohibit the (building of any new theatres in the Times Square larea. A public hearing on the resolution was also Jto be held Wednesday afternoon before the New B^ork City Council. Tuesday the League's board P passed a resolution to investigate the Wales law, which establishes the liability of a theatre owner in the event he books an indecent attraction into 'his house. ^Paramount Buys Share in jilNew Broadway Play ' Paramount has acquired a financial interest in ' "Star in a Window," forthcoming Broadway play I by L. Bus-Fekete, Mary Helen Fay and Sidney Sheldon. It is the fifth Broadway play in which Paramount has a financial interest. The others are "Sadie Thompson," "The Perfect Marriage," "Sing Out, Sweet Land," and "Sleep, My Pretty One." 'Buy Memphis House for $35,000 R. W. Tyson and Wagner Williams, Sr., Jack\ son, Miss., have purchased the DeSoto theatre, Memphis, Tenn., from J. T. Lester at a reported |jj price of $35,000. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 18, 1944 Johnston, Burrows in East On Monogram Stock Issue W. Ray Johnston, Monogram president, and George Burroughs, vice-president and treasurer, arrived in New York from the coast November 10, to conduct negotiations with Emanuel and Company for a new issue of 100,000 shares of preferred stock at $10 par value. December 6 has been set for a meeting of Monogram stockholders in Los Angeles to authorize an increase in the capital stock from 1,000,000 shares. Election of officers is also on the agenda. The new shares will be offered by Emanuel and Company, when authorized, at a yearly dividend rate of 50 to 60 cents a share. Whitaker Named RKO Officer N. Peter Rathvon, president of Radio-KeithOrpheum, announced in New York Tuesday, following a meeting of the board of directors, that John M. Whitaker had been elected a vice-president and Harry Duming, Collector of the Port of New York, was elected a director. Chemical engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1926, M.S., and before that a Yale graduate of 1923, Ph.B., John M. Whitaker, 43, is a native New Yorker. Associated with H. H. Baker and Brother, importers and exporters of chemicals, the Barrett Company, subsidiary of Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation, the Guggenheim Brothers, and the Anglo-Chilean Consolidated Nitrate Corporation, he is at present with the Atlas Corporation, from which he was loaned to serve as assistant to Floyd Odium, economic advisor to Donald Nelson when the latter was head of the War Production Board. Mr. Odium is head of the Atlas Corporation. Mr. Whitaker will have administrative duties, supervising certain special work, it was announced, and he will act as assistant to Mr. Rathvon. He resigns as a director of the company to take his new post. Three French Films Ready For U. S. Distribution Three French pictures produced before the war and set for American premieres in New York this season, have been edited and titled by Herman G. Weinberg, and are ready for American distribution. The pictures are "The Virtuous Zizi," based on Guy de Mauspassant's "Le Rosier du Madame Husson" and starring Fernandel and Francoise Rosay ; "Moulin Rouge," a musical comedy starring Lucien Baroux and Rene Dary, and "Battlement du Coeur" starring Danielle Darrieux. Abeles Named Warner Argentine Manager Arthur Abeles, formerly manager for Warner Bros, in Uruguay, will become general manager for the company in Argentina, effective December 4, with supervision over Uruguay and Chile, Wolfe Cohen, vice-president of Warners Bros. International Corporation, in charge of South America, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East, announced last week. Mr. Abeles succeeds Harry Novak, resigned. Shurlock Leaves for Tour Of Latin America Geoffrey M. Shurlock, assistant to Joseph I. Breen, Production Code Administrator, left Hollywood last week for Washington en route to nine Latin-American nations to study the reactions of the South Americans to Hollywood films and to obtain guidance for future Hollywood pictures with Latin American themes. Heads Chamber of Commerce Fritz H. Thomas, manager of the Lyric Amusement Company, Huntsville, Ala., has been reelected president of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce for a second term. Majors Reassign Foreign Posts for Post-War Work Appointments to important key foreign posts were made this week by major companies in preparation for their resumption of worldwide distribution operations. The post of Paramount's European division manager has been assigned to Robert Schless by John W. Hicks, Jr., president of Paramount International Films. Mr. Schless formerly was general foreign manager for Warner Bros. He will manage all of Continental Europe, the Near East and North Africa, with headquarters in Paris, and will work temporarily at the Paramount home office. Henri Michaud has been named to assist Mr. Schless, and Elias Lapinere will handle public relations, publicity and advertising for the foreign division. Mr. Schless was in Europe for Warners for 16 years. Mr. Michaud formerly was a divisional sales executive in Europe and recently was in South America. Mr. Lapinere was a film advertising director in Europe for five years, up to 1933, and from then until 1940, he was MGM's European advertisingpublicity head. Realignment Completed With Mr. Schless' appointment. Paramount has completed its realignment of foreign department posts. James E. Perkins is Eastern and South African divisional manager, covering all territory including India, China, the Philippine Islands, Dutch East Indies, Straits Settlements, Burma, Ceylon, New Zealand and Australia. A. L. Pratchett has been named Latin-American divisional manager and Robert Graham will be a special overseas representative. Clay V. Hake has been appointed Paramount's first resident representative for South America. He formerly was managing director in Australia for Twentieth Century-Fox and manager in Japan. J. J. Glynn, vice-president and treasurer of Warners International Corporation, has been appointed manager of foreign branch operations, with supervision of the physical activities of all foreign offices of the company. Karl G. Macdonald, a vice-president of the Warner foreign unit, is now assistant to Wolfe Cohen, who has charge of South America, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. Mr. Cohen planned to leave New York Thursday for a tour of South America. Joseph Hummell will head Continental Europe, Africa, Scandinavia, Palestine and Syria. Reopen Italian, French Offices Mr. Hummell announced Tuesday that the company's offices in France and Italy had been reopened. Theophile Bellini, manager for Warners in Paris, has reported that the company's Parisian branch suffered only slight physical damage during the German occupation and that the offices in Marseille, Toulouse and Lille also have been restored to operation. Mario Zema, managing director for Warners in Italy, has resumed his post in Rome and will direct the company's distribution in that and other liberated Italian cities. Mr. Hummel is awaiting a French Government visa and transportation facilities to Paris in order to take over direction of Warner activities throughout Europe. Armando Trucios has been named Warner manager for Peru. Sam Bekeris continues as the company's supervisor for Peru, Panama and Colombia territories, with headquarters in Peru. Mr. Trucios formerly was manager for Warners in Panama. Free Films Shown in Columbus An additional source of weekend theatre competition is being encountered at Columbus, Ohio, from the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, which has opened its winter season of pictures, shown on Saturday nights, every alternate week, at no charge to the public. 25