Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

Early Reports on Bond Sales Flood Headquarters The continued drive b}' the industry in support (if the Sixth War Loan is resulting in a flood of preliminary reports at the War Activities Committee headquarters in New York, all indicating the industry has been a major factor in putting the drive "over the top." However, because the period of the industry campaign was extended to include December 31, full theatre reports in most instances are not in ; and all await collation at WAC headquarters. Cites Industry Cooperation The success of the industry's Sixth War Loan drive would not have been possible without the fine cooperation shown nationally by exhibitors, distributors, theatre managers and other industry personnel, Harry Brandt, national drive chairman, said Friday in a final public message. Mr. Brandt's tour of duty on the Bond Drive ended that morning. "To the exhibitors of the nation I want to express my sincerest thanks," said Mr. Brandt. "Their deeds spoke out loud in Bond dollars, and their efforts no doubt gave them patriotic joy as well as additional local prestige. ... I assure you that at the beginning of this drive tke $14,000,000,000 goal looked pretty tough, and there was a bit of doubt in my mind; but, after the way the various industry workers pitched in, I soon felt confident we would do a job. As a result, the Sixth War Loan will exceed its quota by approximately $6,500,000,000." Meanwhile, A. J. Vanni, Warner circuit Philadelphia district manager, and Ted Schlanger, zone manager, said last week their organization sold $26,952,496 worth of bonds, $3,595,590 over the figure reached in that area in the Fifth War Loan. In Reading, Pa., manager C. G. Keeney collected in an all-star bond show at the Rajah theatre more than $504,325 in Bonds. In Painesville, O., manager Harold Kay sold $130,000 of bonds at an auction. The house seats 420. The Screen Publicists Guild, New York, bought $10,000 in Bonds at a special ceremony Wednesday, in the Times Square booth atop which is the Statue of Liberty replica erected by the WAC. Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., acted for the Guild; Major L. E. Thompson represented Malcolm Kingsberg, industry chairman for the drive in the New York area. Maryland Group Makes Awards The WAC Maryland committee awarded the film industry's "medal of honor" to 33 persons Wednesday, in Baltimore. These persons contributed time, money and effort to the success of the Sixth War Loan. Honoured were : Frank Durkee, Louis E. Shecter, C. Elmer Nolte, Max Cohen, Rodney Collier, Louis Gaertner, Lauritz Garman, George Jacobs, Meyer Leventhal, Jack Levin, Walter D. Pacy, Arthur B. Price, I. M. Rappaport, Nat Rosen, William K. Saxton, Lawrence Schamberger, Harry Silver, Helen Diering, Mrs. Grace Fisher, Jack Katzoff, Harry Goldman, Sam Diamond, Frank Scully, Gordon Contee, Nick Weems, Joseph L. Young, Harry Kahn, Martin Rogers, William Briemann, Reginald P. Asheroft, Sidney Lust, Mrs. Hilda Hicks and Lee Insley. Projection room screenings in Seattle have sold $1,800,000 in Bonds, Vete Stewart, distributor chairman, has announced. Others are scheduled. The projection room screening of "Meet Me in St. Louis" at the 20th Century-Fox exchange in that city sold $3,000,000 in Bonds, according, to Lou Levy, chairman of the local distributors participating in the Drive. In the 47 Bond premieres already reported from Connecticut, $3,729,590 in War Bonds have been sold, Harry F. Shaw, state chairman, announced this week. Of the 47 reported, 12 were morning children's shows. Thirteen premieres remain to be played. IN NEWSREELS MOVIETONE NEWS— Vol. 27, No. 33— Battle for Germany. . . . Fight for Philippines. . . . Personalities in tlie war news. . . . U. S Army planes fire rockets in spectacular test . . . Maritime service calls for more men. . . . Filly sets record winning Hollywood gold cup classic. . . . Most Reverend Michael Joseph Ready consecrated. . . . Children of many countries send season's greetings. MOVIETG'NE NEWS— Vol. Z7, No. 34-Fighting on Russian front. . . . Personalities in the news. . . . Philippine children go back to school in liberated Leyte. . . . New righting lady goes down ways to sink the Japs. . . . Daring RAF raids on Norv;egian fjord. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 15, No. 231— War crisis on western front. . . . Captured Nazi films show all-out efi'ort. . . . How Rommel met death. . . . Yanks tighten grip on Leyte. . . . Maritime Service opens drive for new recruits, . . . New rocket plane. . . . Holiday greetings. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 15, No. 232— RAF rockets sink Nazi ship in Norway. . . . Shakeup in State Department as Stettinius gets new aides. . . . Story of the courage of a little Australian girl. . . . Red army captures Vilna in drive to German border. . . . Filipinos go back to school . . . United Nations fashions. PARAMOiUNT NEWS— No. 34— German drive shocks nation. , . . Jingle Bells lor jungle belles. . . . Phihppines — Island battles speed up. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 35— Year of Achievement— 1944. RKO PATHE NEWS— VoJ. 16, No. Sft-Battle against Germany. . , . First films of new aircraft rocket. . . . Merchant Marine asks more volunteers. RKO' PATHE NEWS— Vol. 16, No. 37— Liberation of Vilna. . . . RAF blasts German ships, rail centers. . . . Air route from Alaska to Russia. . . . New State Department aides sworn in. . . . Tommies' parties for Dutch kids. . . . Reopen schools in Philippines. UNIVERSAL NEWS— Vol. 17, No. 257— The Nazi counter-offensive. . . . Seamen needed. . . . Plane rockets. . . . Children's greeting. UNIVERSAL NEWS— Vol. 17, No. 258— The Russian advance. . . . RAF blasts ships. . . . Schools reopen in Philippines. . . . Mrs. Oppenheimer is host to American soldiers. . . . March of Dimes leaders. . . . Air route from Alaska to Russia. . . . Resort fashions. ALL AMERICAN NEWS— Vol. 3, No. 114— Young musicians play at Carnegie Hall. . . . Editor's cook conducts a column. . . . "League of Nations" at Howard University. . . New convalescent home at capital. . . . Episcopal elders meet in Louisville. . . . Kids appear in Broadway revue. . . . 92nd Division takes a breathing spell. . . . First Negro troops in Germany. RKO and Warner Have Bonus Plan Application has been made to the Treasury Department by RKO for approval of a bonus plan for theatre managers and assistants in the field, whereby these employees would participate in three per cent of theatre earnings above a certain amount. Approval to divide $125,000 among 200 employees was asked by the company last year and the Treasury approved splitting the sum of $98,000. This year the company has applied for an amount $5,000 in excess of last year's application figure. The amount which individual employees will secure is dependent on total earnings, after which the recipients are divided into brackets, with the top man getting the biggest share. Warners' theatre department is understood to have a somewhat similar plan. Treasury Approves RKO Pension Trust Plan The United States Treasury last week approved the Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation's pension trust plan. The plan covers 1,925 workers. Its first year ended November 30. RKO contributed more than $425,000 to it in that period. May in Publicl'hy Post Ed May, who has been with the Schine circuit for 20 years, has been transferred from theatres to the post of publicity director for the Roney Plaza Hotel, Miami Beach, Fla. Mr. May joined Schine Theatres in 1924 as a feature organist, and later was a theatre manager and district manager. Broadway Houses Hit New Record Holiday Grosses Despite the customary pre-Christmas slump early last week which several theatre managers described as a little worse this year because of the discouraging war news, first runs in New York and other key cities reported an upturn of business with record grosses hit for the three-day holi-j day weekend. 'I Broadwa}''s film houses and legitimate theatres' played to capacity houses, grossing more than any previous Christmas holiday weekend in recent years. Radio City Music Hall, featuring MGM's Technicolor film, "National Velvet" and its annual Christmas pageant, grossed $96,000 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Christmas Day. The theatre estimated it would hit $130,000 for the week which ended Wednesday night. Irving Lesser, manager of the Roxy theatre, where "Winged Victory," the Twentieth CenturyFox film is playing, reported the house grossed $20,000 Saturday, $21,000 Sunday and $22,000 Monday. He estimated the Roxy's week, ending Wednesday night, would end with $130,000 gross. The Roxy cut its stage show to run 30 minutes instead of the usual one hour in order to get m an extra showing of the picture. "Overflowing" at Capitol At the Capitol, where MGM's "Music for Millions" is the feature, theatre officials reported "overflowing capacity houses, the biggest business in years. The same story was told at the Paramount, Astor and Rivoli. The Strand, playing Warners' "Hollywood Canteen" did $37,239 in four days and expected to end its week Thursday with $63,000. New house records were broken for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. All the Broadway theatres planned special New Year's Eve midnight shows and expected to do capacity business. Paramount's "Frenchman's Crook" ended its run at the Rivoli Wednesday after 14 weeks._ The picture broke the Rivoli's 27-year record in its first, second and third weeks. | 'Lonely Heart" Held Over Robert Mochrie, general sales manager for RKO announced that "None But the Lonely; Heart" had been held over a second week in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Oakland, Bridgeport, New., Haven, Oklahoma City and Pittsburgh. I United Artists reported top grosses for Huntj Stromberg's latest UA release, "Guest in the House." At the Kearse theatre, Charlestown,! where the film opened last Saturday, it drew 20 per cent above the record for a normal Saturday! opening. In Allentown, at the Rialto, Christma^ Eve, the picture doubled receipts of any other first run house in the city at a midnight show. Enroll in RCA Pension Plan Enrollment in Radio Corporation of America's new employee retirement plan, which provides pensions and annuities for life to members, has begun among RCA's more than 40,000 employees throughout the country. Membership in the plan, subject to approval by RCA stockholders and the U. S. Treasury Department, is open to all persons regularly employed by RCA and its domestic subsidiardies who have reached the age of 25 and have completed three years of service. Participation is voluntary. Recruit 25,000 Blood Donors Through Brooklyn Houses An estimated 25,000 pints of blood for the armed forces were recruited by the Brooklyn Red Cross Blood Donor Service through Brooklyn filrr houses during the past six months, Mrs. Ruth G Nathan, chairman of theatre recruitment, announced last week. She praised the local theatre managers, volunteer workers, and the War Activities Committee for their cooperation. 36 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 30, I94<