Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

_MSMEN, for the motion picture industry's participation in me erican Red Cross War Fund Week from March 15 through -ch 21, above are members of the national committee headed N. Peter Rathvon. Left to right: Bernard M. Kamber, assistant to dwell L Sears, chairman of the distributors division of the r Activities Committee; L. E. Thompson, national executive co ordinator; John J. O'Connor, home office contributions; Harry Mandel, national publicity co-director; Mr. Rathvon; Leon J. Bamberger, national campaign director; Herman Robbins, trailers and accessories; Henderson M. Richey, meeting arrangements; E. M. Schnitzer, assistant to Mr. Sears; S. Barret McCormick, national publicity co-director, and Arthur M. Brilant, publicity coordinator. of Columbia Pictures ; Capt. Robert J. per, a hero of the Normandy invasion; -or James Garfield Stewart; Jose Iturbi, :ert star ; Allan Moritz, distributor chairfor WAC ; Thomas Conroy, chairman of Hamilton County Red Cross; Arthur Frueld, area exhibitor chairman; Arthur Manner, National Screen Service, and Frank iHuss, chairman of the independent exhibicommittee. At the conclusion of the heon, separate meetings of distributors and , bitors were held at the Netherland Plaza el i Des Moines, about 100 industry members d Martin Smith, national Allied States 'ident, and E. M. Schnitzer of the industry mittee outline plans for the area at the first i:ing there last Sunday. Three war heroes ■unted their experiences and praised the stry's cooperation with the Red Cross. The . were Staff Sgt. Charles E. Walker, Newille, Mass.; John C. Player, who was a Dner of the Japs for more than two years, Sgt. Joseph Donahey, Clinton, la. lorts 305 Iowa Theatres dged for Drive . C. Kennedy, distributor chairman, reled 305 theatres already pledged, with 72 .lining to be heard from. G. Ralph Bran' assistant state chairman, presided. Guests ided Mrs. Phillip Fleming, national chairof the Red Cross prisoner of war speakbureau; Horace Conger, chairman of the : County Red Cross chapter, and Dale MafV.hairman of the county fund drive, he principal address at the Salt Lake City 1:ing last Friday was delivered by Herman pber, west coast sales executive for 20th :ury-Fox. Charles L. Walker, co-chairman WAC distributors division area, presided, ter speakers included Mayor Earl J. Glade ; Garland, Denver, area WAC co-chairman, esenting Frank H. Ricketson ; Jacob A. n and Verne B. Thorpe, local Red Cross esentatives; Frank H. Smith, co-chairman :he distributors' committee, and John Ruco-chairman for the Utah WAC area, imuel L. Gillette, area chairman, reported pledges of cooperation from exhibitors, with expectation for immediate cooperation of the remaining theatres. Circuit heads attending included Ray Hendry, Intermountain Theatres ; Dave Edwards, of J. L. Lawrence Theatres; C. E. Hish and Vincent Gilhool of che Hish Theatres. Independent exhibitors included Harold Chesler, Earl Steele, Jay Christensen, Vosco Call, Jack Haigh and Oren Hazen. Speakers at the meeting in Denver included Mr. Ricketson, president of Fox Inter-Mountain Theatres and exhibitor chairman of the exchange area; A. S. Abeles, local distributor PROCEDURE MANUAL IS MEETING GUIDE When the industry leaders appeared at the series of area meetings held last Friday, Saturday and Sunday to complete local arrangements for the Red Cross War Fund Week, they were guided by detailed plans and procedure in a special manual prepared by Henderson M. Richey, chairman of meeting arrangements. Included were suggested routines for conducting meetings, points to be emphasized by distributor and exhibitor speakers, lists of industry local chairmen, various exploitation suggestions and collection record charts for exhibitors, notation of available accessories, and a copy of the new drive press book. Open letters to exhibitors were included over the signatures of N. Peter Rathvon, national chairman; S. H. Fabian, chairman of the theatre division of the War Activities Committee; Arthur L. Mayer, deputy Red Cross commissioner in the South Pacific; Basil O'Connor, chairman of the American Red Cross, and Richard F. Walsh, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. chairman; Mr. Wobber, for the national distributors; Lieut. Ralph T. Ballard, Jr., of the Army Air Corps, and Robert J. Garland, president of the Rocky Mountain Screen Club. On the West Coast, Charles P. Skouras, Southern California, opened the meeting last Friday at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He reported full cooperation of the area's 800 independent and circuit theatres. Willard Keith represented the distributors. George Murphy was toastmaster, and other speakers included Robert H. Poole, area cochairman; Gurney Newlin, chairman of the Los Angeles chapter of the Red Cross; Lieut. Robert Morton, veteran of Southwest Pacific air action ; David Babcock, chairman of the Fund drive, and Walter Wanger, studio chairman. At the speakers table also there were Gus Metzger, Marco Wolff, Dave Bershon, Mrs. Ellen Loeb, Rear Adm. Joseph R. Defrees, Commander Schuyler F. Hein, Lt. Col. D. A. Miller, Capt. W. F. Towel, Col. Wilkie C. Burt, Gen D. F. Stace, Harry Cohn and Kaul K. Yost. More Than 400 North Carolina Houses Expected to Enlist In Charlotte for the meeting last Saturday at the Hotel Charlotte were H. F. Kincey, area exhibitor chairman; H. M. Richey, national meeting arrangements chairman ; Ben Rosenwald, area distributor chairman, and Henry Reeve, president of Texas Theatre Owners, Inc. Mr. Rosenwald said that he expected participation by more than the 400 North Carolina houses that pledged last year. More than 100 industry members attended. Speakers at the Chicago meeting included Allen Usher, Paramount midwest district manager, area distributor chairman; Sam Gorelick, RKO manager; Jack Kirsch, Allied of Illinois president, co-chairman; John Balaban, Balaban & Katz Circuit, general chairman; Tony Grasso, war hero ; Robert Mochrie, RKO general sales manager; M. A. Lightman, head of Malco Theatres, Memphis; Harold Stevens, Paramount manager, and Edwin Silverman, president of Essaness Theatres, circuit operating in Chicago. + + + + + + + + + #+ ### + + + "ION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 3, 1945 29