Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

CHECKING SERVICE OPEN FOR BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL MEETING— The first gional conference of the eastern br< managers of Confidential Reports, the new checking organization, at Astor Hotel in New York last w Also present were members of home office staff. It was in the na of a get-acquainted affair. 31 Branch Offices Staffed as Confidential Reports Starts Operation Progress in getting its field staff aligned and all offices operating is reported by Confidential Reports, Inc., the new checking organization representing five major distributors, following a series of regional meetings late last week. When fully assembled, the staff is expected to include 150 executives and sub-executives, and 5,000 checkers. The cost, with all fully employed, is estimated at $30,000 per day, an indicated annual expenditure of about $10,800,000. Confirmation of the few remaining managers and district heads to be assigned permanently was expected to be completed during the week by Jack H. Levin, vice-president and general manager, and Harold L. Groves, field director, who was touring branch offices. Number Now Operating Motion Picture Herald correspondents reported that a number of offices were operating, as follows : Albany— Office at 80-82 State Street, with Herman Jacobs as manager and Jane Breen as booker and cashier. Buffalo — An office in the Andrews Building at 35 Court Street, with Leo W. Weiss, formerly of the West Coast, as branch manager, and Irwin Tanner as district manager. Charlotte — Office at 109>4 South Church Street, Cecil N. Johnson, manager. Chicago — Under the management of C. E. Richmond, the office has received its first assignment. It will check Columbia's "A Song to Remember" at the Apollo starting April 13. Cincinnati — Office in the Second National Bank Building, with H. H. Daniels as manager. Cleveland — Office at 620 Keith Building, with Herman Spachner as manager and Betty Graff as secretary. Dallas— Office at 1708^ Main Street, with William Dunn as manager. Detroit — Operating with offices established in the Lafayette Building. New Haven — Office at 185 Church Street, with Oliver Bradley as manager. Omaha — With six full-time employees, the office is under the management of Harold E. Lombard. Philadelphia — Office at 16th and Market Street. Harvey Shelley,, manager. Set Additional Assignments Mr. Levin announced this week the following additional assignments : Atlanta — Malcolm H. Ritchie. Denver — William L. Gettings. Indianapolis — Maurice G. Butler. Kansas City — Joseph H. Birmingham. Los Angeles — Barry Halbert. Memphis — Joseph F. Landy. Milwaukee; — Louis Soffer. Minneapolis — Botille E. Smith. New York — George Schwartz. St. Louis — Francisco S. Ingres. Salt Lake City — Edgar Wolf. San Francisco — Thomas Holland. Seattle — William J. Ahearn. Washington — Arthur W. Davis. O. Stradley, R. Konigsberg, R. Gordon, J. Donnelly, P. Buechler, B. Rose and F. Weil Included are George Schwartz, New York; Herman Spachner, Cleveland; P. Beuchler; Weiss, Buffalo; Harvey Shelley, Philadelphia; F. Weuandt; Oliver Bradley, New Haven; Ri Nilcs, executive assistant, New York; Herman Jacobs, Albany; Harold Saxe, controller, J. York; Irving Tanner, zone manager; Jules Z. Willing, manager of exchange operations, T York; Joseph Moscou, house control, Nciv York; Jack H. Levin, vice-president and ge% manager, New York; Charles Winniker, zone manager, and Arthur W. Davis, Washing'^ andt will be permanently located in the following territories : Boston, Des Moines, Detroit, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh and Portland. District managers will be announced shortly by Mr. Levin. He said that a plan has been worked out to provide employment opportunities in various capacities to discharged service, men now attending colleges and universities. He reported that following conferences with deans and executive personnel of these schools many such men already had been placed on the payroll. The regional meetings were held in New York, St. Louis and Memphis last Saturday. Confidential checks for Paramount, Universal, RKO Radio, United Artists and Columbia. John J. O'Connor of Universal is president. Jules Z. Willing is manager of branch operations, Harold Saxe is controller, and Joseph Moscou is in charge of house control. B. & K., Warners Pass Up Goldwyn's "Pirate" Balaban & Katz and Warner Theatres, maintaining their policy of not playing percentage pictures in their neighborhood houses in the Chicago territory, have passed up Samuel Goldwyn's "The Princess and the Pirate." The film was sold away to the Essaness and Schoenstadt circuits last week by W. J. Heineman, Goldwyn's general sales manager. It played as a single feature in the Crawford, Byrd, Sheridan and Piccadilly theatres. Perry Named President of Empire Universal Films A. W. Perry, general manager of Empire Universal Films, Canada, for the past 12 years, has become president of the company and also will continue in the role of general manager, Paul L. Nathanson, managing director, announced in Toronto Monday. In a joint statement, Mr. Nathanson and Mr. Perry announced the signing of a long term contract for the Canadian franchise for Universal product. Skouras To Discuss U. S. Distribution with Rank Spyros Skouras, Twentieth Century-Fox p dent, was scheduled to leave this week for Lot to confer with Francis L. Harley, the compa British representative, and Larry Kent, its re sentative on the board of Gaumont-British, post-war operations. While in England, Mr. Skouras is expecte discuss with J. Arthur Rank further arrangeni for Twentieth Century-Fox distribution of s of the Rank films in the United States. Prey discussions between Mr. Skouras and Mr. I were inconclusive, although Twentieth Cent Fox will distribute one of the Rank films, " Way Ahead." Murray Silverstone, president of Twentieth Ir national, was also reported to be leaving for I land to join Mr. Skouras in the discussions. Twentieth Century-Fox has announced a Br production program to be done in conjunction \ Marcel Hellman, British independent prodi This program may be one of the topics of conferences, especially since the British Gov ment has ordered a 50 per cent increase in | monetary quota provisions of the Films Act. Unger Holds UA Sales Meeting in Chicago J. J. Unger, United Artists western sales r ager, Monday in Chicago, presided over the of several sales meetings that are to be heli UA exchanges in his territory. He outlined i plans and policies on current and forthcoi product. Attending the meeting were Rud L enz, district manager ; Nat Nathanson, br; manager, and salesmen from the local office. S lar meetings in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and I anapolis and later visits to Kansas City and Louis were scheduled by Mr. Unger. New Negro House Opened Joel Solomon has opened a new Negro theatre in Knoxville, Tenn. It is staffed completely by Negroes. Designate Gus Schaefer Wee In Ned Depinet RKO Drive As a special tribute to Gus Schaefer, RKO R northeastern district manager, branch manager that, territory, including Elmer Lux, Buffalo ; Westebbe, Albany ; R. C. Copper, Boston, Barney Pitkin, New Haven, have designated week of April 5-11 of RKO Radio 1945 Ned E net Drive as Gus Schaefer Week. The d scheduled to close May 10, is reported to have a number of new billing records for the comp 14 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 7,