Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

I^ar Bond Sales for All Types Continue Rise Reports of theatre and film company performi;e in the Sixth War Loan drive up to midweek . closed spiraling figures in all types of Bonds, ley ranged from the $20,868,605 reported by jew's Theatres over the nation to the $76,125 \ched by C. T. Dusinberre's Red Bud theatre in ■5 1,000-population town of Red Bud, 111. iDf the figure reported by Charles C. Moskowitz r the Loew's circuit, $17,080,900 were E-Bond :ies. The remainder, $3,887,705, were F and G iies. These sales represented 211,843 individual yers. Top manager for the circuit was Al Weiss I the Pitkin in Brooklyn, with $923,450 in E 'nds, and $219,300 in the F and G series, individjl sales totaling 9,473. Walter Heiber of the Boro ' rk was second with $690,450 on individual sales. jParamount's drive in the New York metropoli,1 area resulted in a total of $663,140 in extra les to individuals via the Paramount Pep Club, le combined sales in the same area amounted to 063,900, which included purchases by the subsiiiries and outside sales credited to the distributor, t did not include sales made by the Paramount ;atre to patrons. Adolph Zukor, chairman, acipted a citation by the state War Finance ComI jttee testifying that the employees sold enough • 'mds to finance an eight-car hospital train. Samuel Pinanski, of the M&P circuit, Massajusetts state chairman, reported that the state jd over-subscribed series E Bonds by more than .000,000, with a total for the state of $92,259,000. The five first runs and 28 neighborhood houses the St. Louis Amusement Company, sold 22,715 jnds with a maturity value of $2,302,125, accord[J? to Harry C. Arthur, Jr., general manager. He finted out that the record total had been accom|i shed despite the fact that most of the theatres Cere closed during much of the campaign by the iijojectionists' strike. S:jA total of 215 "Medals of Honor" will go to and women identified with 619 theatres in the j^mthern California territory for the work. Charles , rauras, head of Fox West Coast circuit, has esented 110 to his personnel. This week, 31 men j d women of Warner, Paramount and RKO thet^res were presented medals. Attending were Ted |j imble, head of the War Finance Division ; Hugh jS-uen, Lou Halper, Marko WollT, Rodney Panii?es, Tom W. Baily, Gus Metzger, Robert H. ,)ole, Howard Mills and Robert Moulton. Sales for the Chicago area totaled $13,000,000. le leaders of tbe 23 Bond premiere houses were ± Palace with $3,756,825 and the State Lake fth $3,500,803. ight Defendanfs in Murray Conspiracy Suit Dismissed Paramount, Universal, Columbia, Balaban and atz, Warners, Monogram of Illinois, Louis Reineimer and Morris G. Leonard, Wednesday were jsmissed as defendants in Thomas A. Murray's ,000,000 conspiracy suit against the producersstributors in the Federal District Court, Chicago, motion to dismiss the remainder of the defendits was denied. Federal Judge William Holly acted on the de[ndants' counsel's argument that very little evipnce had been presented against the defendants by le plaintiff, who concluded presentation of his ise Tuesday. Judge Holly ruled that the base period for I'lniages was the period from 1937 to 1941 when plaintiff ceased to operate the Thalia theatre ?d filed the case. Mr. Murray's counsel went jck to 1924, and Judge Holly pointed out that images claimed for any period more than five ars prior to filing were outlawed by the statute t limitations. I Last Thursday Judge Holly refused the adIjission of film contracts issued by distributors to iiie plaintiff as evidence. Harold Newman, the j aintiff's attorney, claimed that the contracts, al,>ough issued by different distributors, provided Ik similar price controls, due to alleged pressure iom local theatre circuits. p OTION PICTURE HERALD. JANUARY 20. 1945 Circuit Advertising Men at Paramount Meeting Paramount district advertising representatives and advertising and publicity directors of theatres and circuits throughout the country were to meet with home office executives Friday and Saturday at the Hotel Pierre, New York. They were to discuss exploitation on "For Whom the Bell Tolls," which will be released February 16 for popular priced engagements, according to Robert M. Gillham, advertising and publicity director. The Sam Wood Technicolor film, which stars Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman, is included in, Paramount's third block for 1944-45. Other productions for discussion, were to include the first two Hal Wallis films, "Love Letters" and "The Affairs of Susan" ; "Salto O'Rourke" and "Two Years Before the Mast." Circuit and theatre advertising and publicity directors attending were announced as : Howard Pettengil, Florida State Theatres, Jacksonville ; Charles Winchell, Minnesota Amusement Corporation, Minneapolis ; Harry Browning, M&P Theatres, Boston ; Dale McFarland, Tri-States Theatres, Des Moines ; Frank Starz, Interstate Theatres Circuit, Dallas ; Louise J. Finske, ComerfordPublix Theatres, Scranton ; Jerry Zigmond, Newman theatre, Kansas City ; Paul Snoddy, Denham theatre, Denver ; Ray Hendry, Intermountain Theatres, Salt Lake City ; N. L. Plessner, Fanchon & Marco, St. Louis ; William Jenkins and Don Avey, Lucas & Jenkins Theatres, Atlanta, and James Nairn, Famous Players Canadian, Toronto. Seven Held Responsible for Hartford Circus Fire Criminal responsibility for the Hartford circus holocaust last July 6, which burned 168 persons to death and injured 862 others, has been placed on two officials and five employees of Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Inc. County Coroner Frank E. Healy's finding names James A. Haley, vice-president and director ; George W. Smith, general manager ; Leonard S. Aylesworth, boss canvasman ; Edward R. Versteeg, chief electrician ; David W. Blanchard, superintendent of rolling stock ; and William Caley and Samuel Clark, seatmen, stating they were "guilty of such wanton or reckless conduct either of commission, or of omission where there is a duty to act, which makes them criminally liable for the deaths." On the other hand, Fire, Police, and Building inspectors are exonerated, since there is "no legal duty imposed on the part of the Fire Department, Police Department, or the Building Department, of the City of Hartford, to make an official inspection of circuses under canvas, exhibited in the City of Hartford." U. S. and Schine File Briefs; Replies Due February I A decision in the Government's anti-trust suit against the Schine circuit cannot be expected for another month at least, it was indicated in Buffalo last week after submission of briefs to Federal Judge John Kjnight was completed 6y both sides. Counter briefs are scheduled to be given the court by February 1, and a decision should be forthcoming during the month. The Justice Department's briefs contend that the Government has established that Schine acquired theatres and used illegal monopoly methods in six states with the ultimate purpose of eliminating independent competition. Schine, however, contends that the evidence presented proved that it had not monopolized, and had not attempted to, or conspired with any distributor to restrain trade. Espy Joins DeSylva Unit As General Manager Reeves Espy has resigned as general manager of the Myron Selznick Agency to join the B. G. De Sylva production unit at Paramount as general manager. He assumed his new post January 15. Mr. Espy, a former St. Louis sports writer, had been with the Skouras St. Louis circuit for 12 years, with Warners' Theatres and Fox West Coast Theatres, before joining Selznick. I Name Group to Promote Mexican Film Industry by LUIS BECERRA CELIS in Mexico City Organization has been completed here of a national committee to ward over the industry to see to it that from artistic and commercial standpoints it is a credit to Mexico and may hold a prominent place in the world film business. The committee, of the industry and the Government, has charge of raw stock distribution and such matters as the fitness' of films, assured by rigid censoring of scenarios, and general supervision of all divisions of the business. The committee, which is working directly with Miguel Aleman, Secretary of the Interior, is composed of Salvador Carrillo, secretary general of the National Cinematographic Industry Workers Union, representing labor ; Jesus Grovas, prominent producer and president of the National Cinematographic Chamber, the employers, and Felipe Gregorio Castillo, the head censor, the Government. V President Manuel Avila Camacho sent Max Gomez, the local RKO manager, congratulations on Walt Disney's "Three Caballeros," which he saw at a private exhibition. The film's premiere at the Cine Alameda here scored a record. There was a capacity audience of 3,500 at the record charge of $2 each, and some 3,000 had to be turned away. The film is continuing at the also high Mexican admission of $1 for adults and 45 cents for children under 12. V The picture industry was financed by its own bank, the Banco Cinematographico, S.A., which has its headquarters here, to the extent of $1,350,000 during the first 11 months oi 1944. V President Camacho is considering the petition of Section 45 (scenarists and adapters) of the National Cinematographic Industry Workers Union that the ban the censors imposed upon "Las Abandonadas" ("The Abandoned Girls"), featuring Dolores del Rio, after its first exhibition at the Cine Chapultepec, newest first run local theatre, be removed. The petitioners declared, that the ban, placed because of alleged slurring of the Mexican Revolution, violates the constitutional right of liberty of expression. The ban is national. That was made plain when Federico Rodriguez, prominent exhibitor of Monterrey, tried to exhibit the picture. Hearing of the attempt, the censors here telephoned orders to the Nuevo Leon State Governor to exercise the ban, which he did. Mr. Rodriguez, unable to obtain a substitute feature, had to cancel the advertised show and refund admissions paid by a large audience. A Mexican picture has been banned by the censors before it was even produced. On the strength of the scenario they banned "Club Verde" ("Green Club") on the ground that it makes fun of certain prominent northwestern politicians. V The National Cinematographic Industry Workers Union again has put to work its "court of honor," a committee whose function it is to maintain discipline among the members, calling before it Chano Urueta, prominent director, accused of instigating the three-hour sitdown strike at Azteca studios, the second largest in Mexico, because, he charged, the studios had given him below-par camera and lighting service on a picture he had orders to rush to completion. Everybody who participated in the strike also has been called before the "court." "Burma" Released February 17 Ben Kalmenson, general sales manager for Warner Bros., announces that "Objective, Burma," next Errol Flynn vehicle, has been set for national release February 17. The picture starts a prerelease engagement at the New York Strand, January 26.