Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

Box Office Champions for Month of February r. Bowles Seeks filings; Protest ises the Roof t prospect of success for Price Administrator :-t A. Bowles in his attempt to impose ceilcn motion picture admissions and on film ren rppeared slight this week as the proposal met opposition from Congress, exhibitors and the though the members of the Senate Banking Currency Committee last week let it be known they saw no reason for extension of price •jls to theatres, Mr. Bowles was to appear re the committee W ednesday to make a final lairman Robert F. Wagner, to whom Air. les submitted his proposals in the form of a r, expressed the committee members' view aying, "they are generally of the opinion that know of no reason for bringing movie and r amusement tickets under price control." eanwhile, Ed Kuykendall, president of the ion Picture Theatre Owners of America, in a rtin, attacked Mr. Bowles' proposals and ques. ed the accuracy of the figures on admission es which he invoked to back them. ykendall Challenges Figures ■ Ir. Kuykendall pointed out that exhibitors had I blamed by the Price Administrator of raising ■ ussions 38j^ per cent between June, 1941, and H:ember, 1944, but that the source of the figures I not been revealed. He branded this, and the ■ged gross of $1,500,000,000 for last year, as a ■:kless and irresponsible statement coming from High government official." ■vobody really knows how much admission prices Ir risen since June, 1941, Mr. Kuykendall said, ■ause at that time the 10-15 and the 20 cent ■atre admissions were tax free and therefore ■re not even reported to the Treasury Departnt. "No data was collected from all theatres | either admission scales or on the average adision, to the best of our knowledge," Mr. Kuy'Tdall said. He added, "How can Mr. Bowles Dw so exactly just how much admission prices .e increased?" .n Cleveland, independent theatre owners claimed it admission prices have advanced not more in five per cent since 1941. This five per cent, ;y pointed out, did not indicate a five per cent e in the net gross, but in fact failed to cover ; present Federal tax. They also said that a ijority of neighborhood houses, which raised ad'.ssions from 30 to 35 cents were taking a one per pt loss on each admission, because the new price eked, by one cent, enough to cover the Federal J Showmen in Atlanta denied that there was any imediate need for OPA ceilings on entertainment rices there. W. A. Finney, southeastern division 'anager for Loew's, said: "Theatres in the south ave regulated themselves very well. Prices have Ivanced very little, and most of the small incases have been to take care of the increased | overnment tax on entertainment." >ees Plan Aimed at East Tom Read, Georgia Theatres city manager, said j>e thought the proposed ceiling was aimed at the |ig theatres in the east "which are asking exorbiiant prices for admissions." The New York Times, noticing the proposed heatre ceilings, editorially commented that while t has been urged that "Nothing compels anyone o buy entertainment," the demand for it was as >asic as hunger under normal conditions, and ineparable from morale in war time. The New York Daily News attacked the proposals vigorously, and said, "To keep these prices under OPA control will not stave off inflation, or lelp to do so. Bowles' proposal goes against what Mas always seemed to us the sensible view of the matter; namely, that prices of luxuries in wartime should be uncontrolled, so that those who buy them at all will spend more on them and less on necessities, thereby taking off some of the pressure for higher prices for necessities." A SONG TO REMEMBER (Columbia) Production by Sidney Buchman and Lou Edelman. Screenplay by Sidney Buchman. Directed by Charles Vidor. Adapted from the story by Ernst Marischka. Directors of photography, Tony Guadio and Allen M. Davey. Technicolor color director, Natalie Kalmus. Cast: Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Cornel Wilde. Release date, March I, 1945. HERE COME THE WAVES (Paramount) Produced and directed by the late Mark Sandrich. Original screenplay by Allan Scott, Ken Englund and Zion Myers. Songs: lyrics by Johnny Mercer, music by Harold Arlen. Music direction by Robert Emmett Dolan. Director of photography, Charles Lang, Jr. With the cooperation of the U. S. Navy, particularly the Women's Reserve. Cast: Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Sonny Tufts and Ann Doran. Release date, January 26, 1945. KEYS OF THE KINGDOM (Twentieth Century-Fox) Produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Directed by John M. Stahl. Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Nunnally Johnson, from the novel by A. J. Cronin. Director of photography, Arthur Miller. Music, Alfred Newman. Cast: Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rosa Stradner, Roddy McDowal. Release date, January, 1945. Margolies Publicity Head for Lester Cowan Productions The appointment of Albert Margolies as eastern director of publicity and advertising for Lester Cowan Productions was announced March 19 by George J. Schaefer, chairman of the board, and in charge of world-wide distribution. Mr. Margolies is conferring with Bill Peirce, Jr., publicity and advertising head on the campaign for the forthcoming release of Ernie Pyle's "Story of G. I. Joe," and the continuing exploitation of "Tomorrow, The World!" is also being discussed. "Blimp" Premiere Set for March 29 in New York The American premiere of "Colonel Blimp" will be held at Brandt's Gotham theatre, New York, March 29, with an initial advertising budget of §35,000, Barry Buchanan, United Artists director of advertising and publicity, announced Monday. The film, produced in Technicolor, is the second J. Arthur Rank production to be released in this country through United Artists. Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook are featured in the film, produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The Earl of Halifax and Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia have accepted invitations to serve on the honorary committee for the Society of Illustrators which is sponsoring the premiere to aid in NATIONAL VELVET ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ) Produced by Pandro S. Berman. Directed by Clarence Brown. Based on the novel, "National Velvet," by Enid Bagnold. Screenplay by Theodore Reeves and Helen Deutsch. Director of photography, Leonard Smith. Technicolor color director, Natalie Kalmus. Musical score, Herbert Stothart. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Revere. Release date, not set. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Warner Bros.) Executive producer, Jack L. Warner. A Howard Hawks production. Directed by Howard Hawks. Screenplay by Jules Furthman and William Faulkner, from the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Photographed by Sid Hickox. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall, Dolores Moran, Hoagy Carmichael. Release date, January 20, 1945. WOMAN IN THE WINDOW ( International-RKO ) Produced by International Pictures. Produced and written by Nunnally Johnson. From the novel by J. H. Wallis. Directed by Fritz Lang. Director of photography, Milton Krasner. Musical score, Arthur Lange. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey, Edmond Breon and Dan Duryea. Release date, December 30. 1944. its rehabilitation program for veterans, it was announced by Arthur William Brown, president of the Society. Last Thursday, Beatrice Lillie, screen and stage star, was presented with the first cutting of the new "Colonel Blimp" Carnation at the Horticultural Society of New York. The presentation was made by Joseph Buerlein of Westwood, N. J., who grew the specimen. Only Exceptional War Films For MGM, Rodgers Says War pictures will be made only if they are exceptionally interesting. Only enough footage will be used to tell the full story for each picture, but there will be no attempt to save film at the expense of entertainment value. Story material and its commercial appeal will continue to guide production regardless of trends. These were among the principles outlined for MGM by William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager, during a stop in Chicago on his way to Washington from Hollywood last week. Mr. Rodgers pointed to "They Were Expendable," an "A" budget picture now being made at the studio, as the type of acceptable war material. He ^disclosed that the printing of "Ziegfeld Follies" was being held up temporarily, awaiting Technicolor service. It should be ready for release by May, he added. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 24, 1945 23