Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

YEAR'S REPOl: HAL HORNE HARRY BRAND CHARLES SCHLAIFER Director Advertising, Studio Advertising, Assistant Head Advertising, Publicity. Exploitation Publicity Director Publicity, Exploitation Ws Entertainment All the Way in Birthday Lineup Addressed mainly at sheer entertainment, a prime amusement commodity, especially in the wartime market, the lineup of 28 features set for release during the next 12 months, as Twentieth Century-Fox celebrates its 30th anniversary, ranges through comedies, dramas, comedy dramas, musicals and semi-musicals. Nine of the 28 will be in Technicolor, of which number four will be musicals. Tom J. Connors, vice-president in charge of sales, pointed to such releases for the company's anniversary program as Ernst Lubitsch's "A Royal Scandal," starring Tallulah Bankhead; "Molly and Me," a comedy drama co-starring Gracie Fields and Monty Woolley ; the regular release of "The Song of Bernadette," from the novel by Franz Werfel ; the re-release of the Jack London picture, "Call of the Wild," starring Clark Gable, Loretta Young and Jack Oakie, and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," a special release for March which will be current during the month of April. Betty Grable Returns The schedule returns to the screen the studio's musical star, Betty Grable, plus such newcomers as Jeanne Crain, Vivian Blaine, June Haver and Dick Haymes. The Darryl F. Zanuck production of "Wilson" will be released for popular-priced runs in August. Of the short subjects, all are produced in New York under the personal direction of Edmund H. Reek. Of the 20 tentative 1944-45 releases, the schedule shows that nine already have been delivered to exchanges. Besides features, the company will have for release during the 30th anniversary celebration, 13 March of Time subjects, 20 Terrytoons, 12 Movietone Adventures, six Sport Reviews and two Lew Lehr Novelties. Working with Mr. Reek in the short subjects department is a staff including the following key executives, commentators, producers and cameramen : Jack Darrock, short subjects supervisor; Russell Muth, news makeup editor ; Jack Haney, news editor ; Dan Doherty, assistant news editor and publicity manager ; Ben Loweree, head film editor ; Art Sorenson, assistant news editor, and commentators Lew Lehr, Ed Thorgersen, Lowell Thomas, Hugh James and Vyvyan Donner. Recent acquisition of important literary properties sustains the pace of the company in building for the future. In commemoration of its celebration, the company points to such purchases as "Anna and the King of Siam," by Margaret Landon ; "Captain from Castile," by Samuel Shellabarger ; "Leave Her to Heaven," 1,621 IN 30 YEARS During its 30 years of history from 1915 to 1945, which Twentieth Century-Fox is celebrating this month, the company has released 1,621 feature pictures, an average of 54 pictures a year. Turned loose with a pencil and a ream of paper, a statistician in the company figured that the film required for the pictures, based on an average of 6,000 feet per picture and 100 prints for each, would reach around the world more than eight times — a total of 9,726,000,000 feet, adding up to 184,200 miles. No mention was made of inches. Of the 1,621 features, the company produced 1,534 in its own studios, 15 were made by British producers, 32 by other foreign countries, and 40 by outside American producers. The company's first release was "Life's Shop Window", which emerged in 1914, starring Claire Whitney. by Ben Ames Williams ; "Razor's Edge," by Somerset Maugham; "Dragonwyck," by Anya Seton; "A Bell for Adano," by John Hershey; "Forever Amber," by Kathleen Winsor; "Centennial Summer,"' by Albert E. Idell ; "Keys of the Kingdom," by A. J. Cronin, and others. Supporting these new releases and forthcoming productions will be the advertising, publicity and exploitation campaign built up in the home office by Hal Home. The program of releases for the celel j.t of the 30th anniversary of Twentieth Celu Fox Film Corporation is set, and m.l:i through the months until February of ill year. The line, month by month : MARCH Thunderhead Circumstantial Evidence APRIL A Royal Scandal Molly and Me The Song of Bernadette Call of the Wild (re-release) MAY Diamond Horseshoe The Bull Fighters JUNE Where Do We Go From Here? Colonel Effingham's Raid JULY Nob Hill TwoFaced Quilligan *" AUGUST A Bell for Adano State Fair Wilson SEPTEMBER The Dolly Sisters Two Bryan Foy Pictures OCTOBER Fallen Angel Captain Eddie NOVEMBER Dragonwyck Two Bryan Foy Pictures DECEMBER Junior Miss Little Horse JANUARY Kitten on the Keys Leave Her to Heaven FEBRUARY Cluny Brown Paul Terry Celebrates His 30th Anniversary, Too It also is the 30th anniversary in the motio picture industry for Paul Terry, producer < Terrytoons. He has been with Twentieth Ceil tury-Fox for the past 10 years. The productio of his first cartoon required months of solitar labor. He now has a staff of more than 10 persons, turning out 20 Technicolor cartoons year for release by Twentieth Century-Fo> Mr. Terry's first venture into the embryoni animated cartoon field of 1915 was not exactl auspicious. He undertook months of concen trated and unremitting labor, a one-man. job o creating thousands of drawings, photographim them and performing the other incidental task of cartoon making. 34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 24, 194!