Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1945)

CONGRESS LIBRARY ADDS 45 FEATURES 48 Shorts, 104 Newsreels Chosen, Cross Section of Year's Releases The Library of Congress has added to its motion, picture collection 45 feature films, 48 shorts and 104 newsreels released by film companies during the period from May 1, 1944, to April 30, 1945, Luther H. Evans, acting Librarian of Congress, announced in Washington this week. Those films selected were chosen because they represented "a cross section of the year's releases, exhibiting characteristic trends, themes, attitudes and types" or by reason of the presentation of actual events, people and places. Seven of the feature-length films were chosen on the basis of the outstanding performances by their casts. A staff of four members of a reviewing committee of the Museum of Modern Art in New York reviewed 421 features, 422 shorts and 520 newsreels before submitting their recommendations to Dr. Evans. The reviewers were Norbert Lusk, former film critic of the Los Angeles Times and former editor of Photoplay ; Philip Hartung, film critic of The Commonweal, Barbara Deming and Liane Richter. Film Acquisition to Continue The three-year grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, which made possible this year's selection of films, expired April 30. Despite the lapse of the project, the acquisition of motion pictures will be continued by the library. Plans for that purpose were being prepared, Dr. Evans announced. The Rockefeller grant has enabled the library to acquire a total of 278 features and shorts. In 1943, 104 were selected. Last year, 81 were chosen. Dr. Evans said the reviewers had not been commissioned to select the "best" films of the year from an aesthetic standpoint, as the library's chief purpose was to preserve those films which most faithfully recorded, in one way or another, the contemporary life and tastes and preferences of the American people. This explains the high percentage of news films selected as well as the emphasis upon documentary importance. For the same reason certain films which have grossed unusually large box office receipts or have won prizes have been included in the list because they reflect public opinion. Other films have been preserved because they are concerned with current social problems. "No major film was discovered which contained outstanding technical innovations," Dr. Evans said, "although some gratifying advances have marked developments in the documentary values of battle scenes." Few Can Be Retained The library's reviewers paid high tribute to the expert workmanship and unsurpassed courage" of frontline cameramen for their important contribution to the authentic record of the war. Only a fraction, of motion picture production can be retained by the Library because of its lack of adequate storage facilities, Dr. Evans , said. If practicable, the Library would be as comprehensive in the acquisition of films as it now is in the acquisition of books, since under the Copyright Act it is entitled to two copies of every film registered, as well as of every book. Prior to 1942 the Library was unable to preserve nitrate films, but in that year the' Rockefeller Foundation grant made it possible for the Library, in an arrangement with the Museum of Modern Art, to screen, select and store motion pictures. The seven films selected as representative of outstanding performances were : "National Velvet," "Going My Way," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Two Girls and a Sailor," "Wilson," "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "None But the Lonely Heart" which was characterized by the reviewers as "the year's most distinguished and dignified failure at the box office." Selected Features Listed The complete list of feature pictures selected follows : An American Romance, MGM ; And the Angels Sing, Para.; Arsenic and Old Lace, WB ; Attack ! RKO ; Battle of Britain, The, War Dept. ; Battle of China, The, War Dept. ; Battle of San Pietro, The, War Activities Committee ; Colonel Blimp, UA ; Dangerous Journey, 20th-Fox ; Double Indemnity, Para. ; Enchanted Cottage, The, RKO ; Fighting Lady, The, 20th-Fox ; Forty-eight Hours, AFE Corp. ; Going My Way, Para. ; Hail the Conquering Hero, Para.; Heavenly Days, RKO ; Hitler Gang, The, Para. ; Hymn of the Nations, OWI, Overseas; I'll Be Seeing You, UA; Main Street After Dark, MGM ; Man From 'Frisco, Repub. ; Man Who Walked Alone, The, PRC ; Meet Me in St. Louis, MGM ; Murder, My Sweet, RKO ; National Velvet, MGM ; Negro Soldier, The, War Activities Committee ; None But the Lonely Heart, RKO ; Nothing But Trouble, MGM; Princess and the Pirate, The, RKO ; Reckless Age, Univ. ; Salute to France, OWI, Overseas; Seventh Cross, The, MGM ; Since You Went Away, UA; Tall in the Saddle, RKO ; Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, MGM ; Three Caballeros, The, RKO ; Thunder Rock, English Films, Inc. ; Tomorrow the World, UA ; Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A, 20th-Fox ; Two Girls and a Sailor, MGM; War Comes to America, Part I, Army Pictorial Service ; Welcome to Britain, British Ministry of Information and U. S. OWI; Western Approaches, British Information Service ; Wilson, 20th-Fox ; ' Yellow Rose of Texas, Republic. Shorts of Varied Types Entertainment shorts selected included : "The Disillusioned Bluebird," Columbia ; "Groovie Movie," MGM ; "Hot Lips Jasper," Paramount; "How to Play Football," RKO; "Jammin' the Blues," Warner Bros. ; "Lulu's Birthday Party," Paramount; "Mouse Trouble," MGM; "She-Sick Sailors," Paramount ; "Sliphorn King of Palaroo," Universal, and "Who's Who in Animal Land," Paramount. War and documentary shorts included : "The Battle for the Marianas," Warner Bros. ; "British Imperialism," 20th Century-Fox ; "The Enemy Strikes," Army Pictorial Service ; "Inside China Today," 20th Century-Fox ; "Inside France," United Artists ; "Invasion — Nazi Version," Industrial Incentive Division of the U. S. Navy Department ; "The Liberation of Paris," a non-theatrical release ; "On Guard," RKO ; "Return to Guam," the U. S. Navy's Industrial Incentive Division ; "What to Do With Germany," 20th Century-Fox, and "When Asia Speaks," United Artists. Cut War Agency Appropriations Washington Bureau The "beginning of the end" for a score of emej gency agencies set up to deal with wartime pro! lems was marked at the end of last week by appropriation bill submitted to the House of Re resentatives by its Appropriations Committee, cU ting their funds for the fiscal year which begi July 1 to $206,848,880 less than they received the current year. With the exception only of the Office of Ec nomic Stabilization and the Office of War Mobili ation and Reconversion, which will encounter ne problems during the months to come, all of t agencies' budgets were slashed ruthlessly by committee. The Office of Inter-American Affairs was $3,693,000 from its present $17,693,000 fund, receive $14,000,000, while the Office of War I formation was cut from $53,875*367 to $35,000,00 the Alien Property Custodian from $4,000,000 t $2,500,000, the Office of Scientific Research an! Development from $102,000,000 to $70,000,000, thl War Production Board from $63,500,000 to $35,! 000,000, the Office of Censorship from $24,593,00' to $13,000,000, and the Office of Strategic Service! from $43,000,000 to $20,000,000. "This bill marks the beginning of the end o those agencies established during the war to del velop and maintain the war production machine, ti furnish the necessary civilian assistance to thi armed forces, and to adjust the civilian economy ti wartime necessity," the committee commented ii reporting its recommendations. Both the OIAA and the OWI are curtailing their film operations, the former planning to redud its activities by about one-fourth, while the lattei will undertake no new production after June 30 although a number of documentaries npw in procesi will not be completed until the coming fiscal year1 United Artists Names Bekeris Manager for Argentina Sam Bekeris has been named general manage* for United Artists' offices in Argentina. He suc-i ceeds Sam Seidelman, who will devote all of his time to his duties as Latin-American supervisor Recently West Coast supervisor for Warner Broth-i ers, Mr. Bekeris was 20th Century-Fox's home office representative in Argentina from 1942 to! 1944. He previously had represented MGM in Europe. Warner Bros. Set Two July-August Releases Warner Brothers releases for July and August have been set by Ben Kalmenson, general sales manager, as follows : "The Corn Is Green," starring Bette Davis, for July 21 and "Christmas hi Connecticut," starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan and Sydney Greenstreet, for August 11. Warners released "Pillow to Post" Friday, June 9, and will release "Conflict" June 30. Bogeaus Announces New Unit Benedict Bogeaus, producer of "Captain Kid," United Artists release, has announced the formation of a new producing organization which will; begin work as soon as "The Diary of a Chamber1 maid" which Mr. Bogeaus is making in association with Burgess Meredith, is completed. The new organization includes Paulette Goddard, Lewis Milestone, Jean Renoir, Mr. Bogeaus and Mr. Meredith. Cohen Joins Reinheimer Irving Cohen became associated with Howard E. Reinheimer, theatrical attorney, June 3. Mr. Cohen 1 resigned last week from the Paramount legal, department. He had been with Paramount for 15 years and with the legal department for 12 years, j handling distribution, production, non-theatrical, arbitration and anti-trust matters. In his newjj association he will handle motion picture, stage and rad'o w~>rk. 28 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 9, 1945