Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

AUSTRALIA TO HAVE «*»«™^ vrges NATIONAL FILM UNIT Free Exchange of British To Aid in Creation of Board, To Be Similar to Canadian Bureau Britain's ever-increasing attention to international film trade and policy has taken another turn. The British Ministry of Information is preparing to create for Australia a national film board, similar in program and objectives to Canada's National Film Board. The MOI will organize and send to Australia a nucleus staff some time in April or May. Once the board is established, probably in Melbourne, the capital, it will be taken over by the Australian Government and will proceed on its own. J. L. Beddington, director of the film division of the MOI, is said to have originated the idea of England extending this helping hand to Australia. Seeking "a John Grierson" News of this move came this week from Alan Osbiston, supervising editor of the MOI film division, who is visiting in the U. S. He said in New York Monday he had been asked by Mr. Beddington to go to Australia and set up a crew of cameramen and technicians. Mr. Beddington is still seeking "a John Grierson" to lead the unit, according to the MOI editor. Mr. Grierson is director of Canada's board. It will be recalled that the British Government was instrumental in aiding Canada to establish its own film agency to produce and distribute wordwide documentary pictures dealing with Canadian subjects. Since the war, the board has produced numerous films concerning the Allies and the United Nations, particularly in its series, "World in Action," which is distributed in America by United Artists. John Grierson was the moving force in developing Canada's film program. He went to Ottawa following years of experience in England as a documentary producer for the British Government. Organized British Film Center He was the organizer of England's Empire Marketing Board film center. Later, when the EMB was taken over by the General Post Office, he became head of the GPO unit. Through operation of both film divisions, a large number of documentaries were produced on behalf of the United Kingdom Government, the British gas industry, the oil industry and Imperial Airways. In 1938 he was invited by the Canadian Government to report on its film needs. While en route in 1939 to advise the Australian and New Zealand govejrnments on Federal film projects, he was asked to become Canada's film commissioner, which post he still retains. Mr. Osbiston, a native of Australia, who worked with Cinesound Studios in that country before he went to England, said he did not expect to return to his homeland for the MOIAustralian project until his portion of MOI's Far Eastern film program was completed, possibly sometime in May. The film division of the Ministry, he reported, planned a total of 24 documentaries on the subject of Japan and the Far East. The documentaries will trace the history of Japan, the development of its industrialized-Fascist state, its territorial gains in the Pacific during World War II, and the United States' strategic air, land and naval campaigns in the Far East. Mr. Osbiston's mission to the U. S. was to obtain footage of Japanese films from the War Department and the Army Signal Corps in Hollywood for use in the MOI program. At least 20,000 feet of film have been promised to MOI, he said, in fine-grain duping prints. MOI to Aid Signal Corps The MOI will make available to the Signal Corps unit in Hollywod working on Colonel Frank Capra's film about Japan, fine-grain dupes of footage made by the Germans some years ago in Japan, showing Japan's growing heavy industry and munitions power. Specific emphasis in the 24-film program will be given America's contribution towards knocking out Japanese forces in the Pacific, with details of the island-hopping strategy worked out by the high command. John Monck is in charge of the Far Eastern series. It is estimated the entire program will take 12 months to complete, but the MOI plans to have the first subjects ready for release in May. A few films in the series will be distributed in the U. S. if the subjects are considered interesting for American audiences, Mr. Osbiston said. Meanwhile, the Overseas film division of the Office of War Information is going ahead rapidly with its own series of pictures dealing with Japan and the Far East. In addition, the OWI has available a good part of the 40 pictures given by the industry for showing in the Far Eastern territories as soon as they are liberated. Monogram Closes Deal on Australian Distribution Monogram Pictures has closed a long term contract with British Empire Films Pty., Ltd., of Australia, for the distribution of its product in that territory, according to Norton V. Ritchey, vice-president in charge of foreign operations. This deal actually represents a renewal of the existing arrangement between Monogram and B. E. F., which has been Monogram's distributors in Australia for a number of years. The first production to be released under the new agreement will be "Forever Yours". Other films included are the "Charlie Chan" series, of which Monogram already has five ready for distribution. Loew's Transfers Rogers The transfer of Carl Rogers, manager of the Esquire theatre, Toledo, to the Broad, Columbus, has been announced by Allen Sparrow, Loew's western division manager. Mr. Rogers succeeds Harry Klotz, transferred to Loew's at Canton, Ohio. Municipal House Nets $7,681 The municipally owned and operated Academy of Music theatre, Northampton, Mass., recorded a net income of $7,681 in 1944. Clifford Boyd, who completed two one-year contracts, has signed a five-year contract with the board of trustees as manager. Woman Named Booker ^^^^ginia O'Brien, promoted to booker, becomes the first woman to serve as a booker at the Philaf'elnhia Warner exchange. She succeeds James Reimel as booker for the Warner theatre circuit tliere. Films for Peace Declaring that the motion picture is an effective means of perpetuating the late Wendell Willkie': idea of "One World," Spyros Skouras, presiden of Twentieth Century-Fox, speaking at the "Om World" dinner in New York last Sunday nigh advocated that "films made in lands other thai our own should be shown in America." Foreign films should be encouraged here, h' said, "for the making of motion pictures abroao creates greater audiences in those countries am these increased audiences become audiences fo American pictures as well." Mr. Skouras was one of the principal speaker! at the dinner, .held at the Astor Hotel, under tW auspices of the American Nobel Center whicl arranged the event in celebration of the anniverl sary of Mr. Willkie's birth. It presented "On! World" awards to leaders of the press, radio am screen. Mr. Willkie, at the time of his death, wd chairman of the board of directors of Twentieth Accepts Award for Zanuck Mr. Skouras accepted the award given to Darrjf F. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of productioj for the company, who was said by the committe to deserve "much of the credit for bringing th film industry toward awareness of its responsi bilities to the nation and the world," for his filn "Wilson." The producer was unable to attend tb dinner because of production duties at the studio Advocating the "free flow" of films into an out of our country "without barriers and restric tions," Mr. Skouras declared this to be "econom' cally sound and internationally good, and th world will soon learn that what is internationaH good is economically sound." The screen has come of age since the war, h said. "But in the years to come you will see I gradual shifting in emphasis. You will see filrti whose sole _ purpose is to entertain and diveri Also, you will see many more films which not onl entertain but at the same time enlighten an instruct. , "They will be pictures which are not divorc^ from reality," Mr. Skouras observed. "They w) have both a point of view and a point to mak They will have something to say to a worf struggling for better things. The screen, like the press and the radio, is "tremendous force for good," he said, "and it "dissolving ignorance and prejudice, widenir horizons of thought, opening the eyes of millioi to better ways of living. Our goal must be til one world Wendell Willkie envisioned — one ' freedom, prosperity and in the ways of peace ai^ mutual understanding." Understanding Sarnoff Theme \ In accepting the award for outstanding contr bution in the field of radio. Brigadier Generj David Sarnoff also spoke of better understandirj between nations and predicted that televisio improved by wartime research, would be an add, tional means of achieving it. | General Sarnoff urged that America must ha' more powerful and effective international rad broadcast programs and that "we must have sufl cient world-wide circuits to carry news and pi! tures freely and directly to and from all corne of the earth." Lloyd Stratton, secretary of the Associati Press, who accepted the award for Kent Coope president of AP, declared that American new papers and news agencies had "a thrust nev before given to lead by example" in the estaj lishment of world freedom of the press. ; The awards committee was under the chairma' ship of Mrs. Hjordis Swenson. The Rev. Robe I. Gannon, president of Fordham Universil presided at the dinner. Other speakers includj Governor Raymond E. Baldwin of Connectict Russell Davenport, Charles E. Hughes, Jr., E Carlos Davila and Leonard Brockington. 38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD. FEBRUARY 24, 19