Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

ladio City Growing ROADWAY'S great rival in New York, as property housing theatres, and as a tourist itraction — Rockefeller Center — may some day i bigger than "The Main Stem." A step in at direction was made this week. The Center i expanding. It will add a block-through porbn, 100 by 200 feet, from 51 to 52 street, at >e north end of Rockefeller Plaza, three-blocking private street. Plans for a 16 story office lading on the site, costing 51,750,000, were «d in New York last July. Tenants of the four id five story houses this building will replace, tve been asked to vacate by June 1. Theatres Rockefeller Center, now, are the Radio City lusic Hall, the Center, and the Newsreel. double Rap ESTRICTIONS imposed by Great Britain ■e expected to cause the American motion crure industry to experience inconvenience, slay and increased costs. The British Board ! Trade has issued a new statutory order :quiring newsreel prints, positive and negative, id other motion pictures, made exclusively for diibition abroad to obtain an export license, 'he raw stock shortage was cited as the reason <r the new regulations. England had petitioned e U. S. Government previousjy for an increase . raw stock allotment. The order will necessitate some changes in ethods of supplying release prints to Sweden, ustralia, Egypt, India and other countries, .merican films distributed in some of these mntries have been release printed in London .boratories. If it becomes difficult to secure <port licenses, these prints will have to be ade in the United States and shipped directly > the other countries. This would cause delays, id increase the drain on the domestic raw rock supply unless compensating footage is .ken from foreign allotments. Two companies, aramount and 20th Century-Fox, have British ewsreels that might be affected by the order. The Board of Trade also has announced it ill withhold licenses for the import of equiptent needed by the British industry wherever is possible for British manufacturers to lpply the materials. Until manufacturers can et into full production, which the Board estilates will be at least a year after the end of tfre ■ar, licenses will be issued for equipment rgently needed. Studios have been asked to apply the Board with details of their requirelents. World Cinema .. CINEMA house of all nations will grace the an Francisco Security Conference, which :arts in the Pacific Coast metropolis on April 5. There the globe's most exclusive and cosmopolite audiences will view daily screenings f motion pictures. The theatre will be called ie United Nations theatre, the Conference title jr the Alcazar theatre loaned by Charles ■kouras of the National Theatres Corporation nd Fox West Coast Circuit. The 1,100 seats 'ill be reserved for the use of official delegates, the press, the secretariat and other credential holders. Shows will start each evening at 5 o'clock. A balanced program representing selections from the studios of participating countries is planned. The scheduling of these programs will be in charge of an industry committee composed of Claude Lee and Fay Reeder, who will be in San Francisco ; Jason Joy and Charles Einfeld in Hollywood, and Howard Dietz, Arthur DeBra and Glendon Allvine in New York. In addition, there will be a Conference Theatre for the presentation of films of a documentary nature. The operation of these theatres is a contribution of the United States motion picture industry. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, is the executive chairman of the cooperating committee. Mr. Dietz, vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity for Loew's, Inc., is chairman of the planning committee. The film plans were submitted in Washington April 6 by an industry delegation headed by Francis Harmon, coordinator of the War Activities Committee, representing all branches. The Department of State signified its acceptance. Back to Courtesy PATRONS in Chicago theatres of the Balaban and Katz Circuit are being spared the "Donchaknow-there's-a-war-on" approach in the matter of service by employees. "The war is a poor excuse for bad manners," copy for a new lobby sign and trailer campaign advises the customers. "We have always regarded courtesy and service among our most important obligations to our patrons," the copy further proclaims. "You are entitled to it — today, every day." Community Interest GREAT FALLS, Montana, may lease the auditorium of its Civic Center to a motion picture exhibitor if it is "in the best interests of the taxpayers." The state Supreme Court ruled so this week. G. R. Colwell, a city resident, had sued the city and E. E. Harris, theatre proprietor, claiming that city property should not be leased to commercial enterprises ; the claim was rejected by a district court, and Mr. Colwell carried it to the state court. Banned MEMPHIS will have nothing to do with the motion picture, "Brewster's Millions," because it presents "too much familiarity between the races." Lloyd T. Binford, chairman of the Memphis Board of Motion Picture Censors, prohibited showing of the film on the ground that it was "inimical to the public welfare." Said Mr. Binford: "The movie has Rochester, the Negro comedian, in an important role. He has too familiar a way about him and the picture presents too much social equality and racial mixture. We don't have any trouble with racial problems down here, and we don't intend to encourage any by showing movies like this." For the Fans WHERE the American flag goes, go American films. In some instances, now, the order is reversed. Where American films go, also go the appurtenances of American living ; and among these is an abiding interest in the great of American filmdom. Striking illustration of this, last week, was the request from N. Rostovens, film editor of the magazine, "Horizons," published at Marseilles, France, to Robert Gillham, advertising and publicity director of Paramount Pictures, in New York. Mr. Rostovens asked that Paramount send "any material on current Paramount pictures, and particularly any items dealing with Bob Hope." The French film editor added that "especially at this time," he needs "cheesecake." Pictures ONE hundred and five Navy photographers, still and motion picture, covered the Okinawa invasion. Three were killed. The photographers were briefed on the operation several days ahead. They were told what to shoot, and where to deliver their exposed film. An LCI was the photographic units' command post. Four pilot boats were collectors of film. Back in Washington four days after he left Okinawa, and with 40,000 feet of film, colored and black and white, Lieutenant John Munroe, USNR, told the story there this week. Lt. Munroe, a former editor for Fox Movietone News, coordinated the coverage. PRC-See PRC PICTURES may make a series of short subjects in the manner of the "March of Time" and RKO's "This Is America." To do this, it is negotiating for screen rights to the July issue of See Magazine, it was reported in New York this week. Its first subject may be "What Shall We Do With Germany?" based on a prize contest sponsored by the magazine, which is a feature of the issue. Leon Fromkess, president of PRC Pictures, was reported conferring in New York this week with Robert Pines, magazine publisher. "This Is America" has a reciprocal publicity and material arrangement with the This Week Sunday newspaper magazine. Blue Sunday THE city fathers of Lebanon, Tenn., last week "freed" the town's only theatre, the Princess, from the burden of blue laws. At the same time, they maintained their standing with other folks there. They enabled the theatre to remain open Sundays, after a referendum, the result of which was a preference for Sunday film showings ; and at the same time, in the enabling ordinance of the City Council, they forced the theatre to close between 12:01 A.M. and 1:00 P.M.. and between 6:00 P.M., and 8:30 P.M. Manager John Hatcher declares this Janus won't live : he won't operate the house Sundays. IOTION PICTURE HERALD, published ev.ery Saturday by Qurgley Publishing Company, Rockefeller Center, New York City, 20. Telephone Circle 7-3100; Cable address "Quigpubco New \a _™artm Vuigley, President; Colvm Brown, Vice-President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Secretary; Terry Ramsaye, Editor; James D. Ivers, News Editor; William G. Fo'rmby eld Editor, Ray Gallagher, Advertising Manager; Chicago Bureau, 624 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 5; Hollywood Bureau, Postal Union Life Building, Hollywood, 28. William Rl eover, editor; Toronto Bureau, 242 Millwood Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, W. M. Gladish, correspondent; Montreal Bureau, 265 Vitre St., West, Montreal, Canada, Pat Donovan, °rr?.sP°ndent; London Bureau, 4 Golden Square, London W I, Hope Williams Burnup, manager; Peter Burnup, editor; cable Quigpubco London; Metbourne Bureau, The Regent Theatre, Collins St., Melbourne, Australia, Cliff Holt, correspondent; Sydney Bureau, 17 Archbold Rd., Roseville, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia, Lin Endean, correspondent; Mexico City Bureau, r. Carrnona y Valle 6, Mexico City, Luis Becerra Celis, correspondent; Buenos Aires Bureau, J. E. Uriburi 126, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Natalio Bruski, 'correspondent; Rio de Janeiro JJ?,au', • ^ao J°se,_ 61 C. Postal 834, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Alfredo C. Machado, correspondent; Montevideo Bureau, P. O. Box 664, Montevideo, Uruguay, Paul Bodo, correspondent; 'Die Argus Montevideo. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. All contents copyright 1945 by Quigley Publishing Company. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other uigley Publications: Better Theatres, Motion Picture Daily, International Motion Picture Almanac, and Fame. IOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 14, 1945 9