Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

OX TREE GREW IN BROOKLYN » Fox officials talked with Theodore Case 1 Earl I. Sponable, who reported they were /^king on a sound-on-film invention by means ' ' lectrical impulses recorded on the film. This :o the birth of Movietone, in 1928. The first lure to have an accompanying musical score the film was "Sunrise." "In Old Arizona" the first outdoor picture produced with bd. .iding the crest of the sound wave, the ipany expanded rapidly. Late in the 1920's c quired several independent circuits in New rk, which later were merged into Fox The;s Circuit and Fox Metropolitan Playises, Inc. It also purchased control of jvv's, Inc., for a price said to approximate 1,000,000. ml for Loeufs Dissolved; Sells to Harley Clarke Then came the stock market crash, and all the circuit properties directly controlled er went into receivership, as did the parent mpany. A government order dissolved the mpany's ownership of Loew's, Inc., which d included Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, illiam Fox became involved in a struggle in 30 to hold the film company and the theatre terests, finally selling control of both to Harf L. Clarke, Chicago public utilities magnate id an executive of General Theatres Equipent, Inc., who became president of Fox Film Drporation. Mr. Fox maintained contact with e industry through his Tri-Ergon CorporaDn, a holding company claiming control of nd film patents owned by him personally. At about this point, the Chase National Bank iterests became more important in company Derations. On November 17, 1931, Edward .ichmond Tinker, financier, traveler, former "hase National executive and a director of ome 30 assorted enterprises, became presient of Fox Film Corporation. Mr. Clarke ecame chairman of the board. Mr. Tinker ucceeded Mr. Clarke in that position April ■ 9, 1932, and the latter returned to Chicago. .Sidney R. Kent, vice-president and general nanager of Paramount, became president, a position he filled until his death early in 1942. Schenck and Zanuck Enter; Company Reorganized Reorganization of the company fell to the riot of Mr. Kent. Joseph M. Schenck, then 'president of United Artists, and Darryl F. Zanuck, producer, who controlled Twentieth Century Pictures, Inc., a United Artists unit, saw the possibilities. A merger was arranged in 1935, giving the company its present name. Mr. Schenck became chairman of the board, with Mr. Zanuck as vice-president in charge of production. The deal was ratified by the stockholders August 22, 1935. The name of the Wesco Corporation, the theatre affiliate operating some 500 houses, was changed to National Theatres Corporation, of which Charles P. Skouras was president. Spyros P. Skouras, now president of Twentieth Century-Fox, was chairman of the board of National Theatres. With the studio of 96 acres at Movietone City under his direction as production head of the newly merged companies, Mr. Zanuck hit his. production stride. The only stars on the lot then were Shirley Temple, Will Rogers and Janet Gaynor. He augmented this contingent and soon had such screen names as 20TH-FOX NEWSREEL SETUP IS 26 YEARS OLD Making its debut December 3, 1927, the Twentieth CenturyFox newsreel, Movietone News, was the first sound news subject. The newsreel organization, turning out 104 issues a year under the personal direction of Edmund Reek, started in 1918. The first newsreel was released in 1919, making this newsgathering organization 26 years old. At the start of the war, the company had cameramen in 51 countries and had nine producing centers in the important capitals of the world. Among the innovations in presentation originating with Movietone was that of getting "names" and specialists to do the narration, experts to direct coverage, and departmentalization of the subject material. Tyrone Power, Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Warner Baxter and Henry Fonda. His first picture for the new company was "Metropolitan," starring Lawrence Tibbett. Came then, in succession, such pictures as "Alexander's Rag Time Band," 1938; "Grapes of Wrath," 1940; "How Green Was My Valley," 1941; "Song of Bernadette" and "Wilson," 1944, and "Winged Victory," 1945. With the declaration of war following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the company was faced with the problem of building new stars. Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Cesar Romero, George Montgomery, Richard Green, John Sutton and Victor Mature were among those who entered the armed services. In addition, many producers, directors, cameramen and techni cians went off to war. Mr. Zanuck became a colonel in the U. S. Army Signal Corps and was away from the studio for nearly two years on active military duty. New players and new technicians were groomed to take the places of those who were in service. Among the newcomers were such actresses as June Haver, Vivian Blaine, Jeanne Crain, Anne Baxter and Jane Ball. Among new actors were Dana Andrews, William Eythe and Dick Haymes. When Mr. Kent died in 1942, the board of directors named Spyros Skouras, who had established a reputation for exhibition success as head of his own theatres and as chief of National Theatre Amusements Company, Inc., as president. A short time later, Wendell Willkie, Republican Presidential candidate in 1940, was elected chairman of the board. Mr. Willkie held this position until his death last year. Only Two Features Were Released 30 Years Ago The only releases from the Fox Film Corporation back in 1915 were "A Fool There Was" and "Kreutzer's Serenade," both starring Theda Bara. The following year, the company released six productions. The single release for the preceding company, Boxoffice Attractions Company, in 1914, was "Life's Shop Window," starring Claire Whitney and Stuart Holmes, which Fox took over as its initial production. THE sales force, headed by William J. Kupper as gensales manager, which eral will operate at the home office under the general supervision of Tom J. Connors, vice-president in charge of world sales, to put across the 30th anniversary of Twentieth Century -Fox Film Corporation. WILLIAM J. KUPPER General Sales Manager A. W. SMITH, JR. Eastern Sales Manager L. J. SCHLAIFER Central Sales Manager W. C. GEHRING Western Sales Manager W. J. CLARK Shorts Sales Manager MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 24, 1945 33