Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1945)

THIRD OF A CENTURY FOR PARAMOUNT Month Celebration Starts August 26; Reagan 25 Years with Company Paramount Month, which traditionally inaugurates the company's new film season, this year will be celebrated nationwide from August 26 to September 29, it was announced last Thursday at a press luncheon in New York by Charles M. Reagan, vice-president in charge of distribution. He also announced that "Incendiary Blonde," in Technicolor, starring Betty Hutton, had been selected as the release for the celebration, and it is planned to have it open in 350 situations over the Labor Day weekend. The film was to be tradeshown in all exchanges Friday. The month-long observance, which is planned as the greatest in the company's history, would mark a third of a century of service to the film industry, Mr. Reagan said. Plan Elaborate Promotion He said that more than $250,000 would be spent to advertise the film, with an elaborate advertising and promotion campaign prepared by Robert M. Gillham, advertising and publicity director. Theme slogan to the public, tying in all Paramount advertising and campaigns of participating theatres, will be: "Entertaining the World for One-Third of a Century." The luncheon signalized a double celebration, with the press and home office executives honoring Mr. Reagan on the completion of his 25th year with the company. He started as a salesman at the Cincinnati exchange in May. 1920. The sales drive in connection with Paramount Month will be headed by Allen Usher, Chicago district manager, and M. R. Clark, Dallas district manager. They will make a tour of the country in July, visiting all exchanges, and will be accompanied by Adolph Zukor, chairman of the board; Cecil B. DeMille, producer-director, and some of the more important Paramount players. Discuss Preliminary Plans At present Mr. Usher and Mr. Clark are meeting with the sales and booking personnel of each exchange to discuss preliminary plans for the celebration. Mr. Reagan has divided the country into two sections with Mr. Usher covering Western exchanges, and Mr. Clark touring the south and east. In addition to "Incendiary Blonde," Mr. Reagan said, other films to be released during the period would be Hal Wallis' second production for Paramount, "You Came Along," "Out of This World" and "One Exciting Night." Two reissues also to be released during this period are Cecil B. DeMilles' Technicolor film, "Northwest Mounted Police" and "This Gun for Hire." "Incendiary Blonde" will have its world premiere in New York the latter part of July and will not play elsewhere until the Labor Day weekend. Of the amount to be spent in advertising the film, about $100,000 will be devoted to four-color advertising, featured in large-circulation media. There also will be institutional advertising. On the "One-Third of a Century," Paramount will stress trade paper advertising, lead "PARAMOUNT MONTH" will cefebro the company's 33rd anniversar Charles Reagan, vice president charge of distribution, announced la week. Below, at the 21 C/ub, New fori where fellow executives honored M Reagan on his own 25th anniversar' are Oscar A. Morgan, C. J. Sco/far! William Erbb, Robert M. Gillham, M Reagan, Hugh Owen, G. B. J. Frawle] ing with a large insert in trade publications either the last week in June or the first week in July. There will be stickers, stationery imprints, etc., for the use of the home office and the sales force; banners and displays for the exchanges and special accessories for theatres. A special trailer for theatres, of which 350 prints will be made, will stress the awards Paramount productions and personalities have won during the year, and will list the features the company will release during the following months. Radio Campaign Set An extensive promotional campaign to the public is now in preparation, Mr. Reagan explained. The radio campaign will inaugurate the period with two or three coast-to-coast broadcasts during the latter part of August. As an important feature of the campaign to the public, all national magazine advertising will carry special copy on the celebration during July, August and September. At the luncheon, G. B. J. Frawley, executive of the distribution department, welcomed Mr. Reagan to Paramount's "Quarter Century Club." Among the Paramount executives attending the luncheon were William Erbb, eastern division manager; Oscar Morgan, general sales manager of short subjects; Hugh Owen, New York and Southern division manager ; Mr. Gillham; C. J. Scollard, executive assistant to Mr. Reagan; Al Wilkie, publicity manager; Alec Moss, exploitation manager; Stanley Shuford, advertising manager, and Mr. Frawley. Paramount Sets Tradeshow For "You Came Along" The second Hal B. Wallis production for Paramount, "You Came Along," will be tradeshown in all exchange centers, Friday, July 6, it was announced this week as Paramount completed the tradeshowing of two pictures in its sixth block and two reissues. The sixth block pictures, shown Thursday, June 7, were "Out of This World." starring Eddie Bracken, Veronica Lake and Diana Lynn, and "One Exciting Night," a Pine-Thomas production. The reissues, tradeshown the previous day, were Cecil B. DeMille's "Northwest Mounted Police" and "This Gun for Hire." Reopen Kentucky House Chakeres Theatres, Springfield, Ohio, have reopened the 600-seat Shelby theatre, Shelbyville, Ky., which they recently added to the circuit. Elect Paramount Board June 19 The reelection of all 16 of the present Para mount board of directors has been asked in the{ proxy statement sent to stockholders June 4 callj, ing for an annual stockholders meeting to be held in New York June 19. However, a substitution will have to be made for the late John W. Hicks/ Jr., who died June 1. The other directors proposed for reelection are I Barney Balaban, Stephen Callaghan, Y. Frank;1 Freeman, Harvey D. Gibson, Leonard H. Goldenson, A. Conger Goodyear, Stanton Griffis, Duncan? G. Harris, John D. Hertz, Austin C. Keough, Earl I. McClintock, Maurice Newton, E. V. Rich-» ards, Edwin L. Weisl and Adolph Zukor. \> Salaries of officers of the corporation were listed; in the statement as: Mr. Balaban, $156,000 plus $20,800 for expenses ; .Walter B. Cokell, treasurer, $23,400; Mr. Freeman, vice-president in charge of production, $130,000; Henry Ginsberg, vice-! president and general manager in charge of studio ( operations, $145,316; Mr. Goldenson, vice-president! in charge of theatres, $44,200; Mr. Hicks, latef vice-president in charge of foreign sales, $41,600 ; ' Jacob Karp, assistant secretary, $46,200; Mr.? Keough, vice-president, chief counsel and secre-l tary, $78,000; Fred Mohrhardt, comptroller, $26,-1 990; Charles M. Reagan, vice-president in charge' of domestic sales, $77,491, and Mr. Zukor, chair-) man of the board, $109,000. Neil F. Agnew,' former vice-president in charge of domestic sales' was paid $41,531. Mr. Callaghan, Mr. Gibson,1 Mr. Goodyear, Mr. Harris, Mr. Hertz, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Newton and Mr. Weisl received i $5,000 each. Other remuneration listed includes $634,660' paid to Ross Federal Service for checking services ; $92,500 for legal fees and $48,050 for auditing fees. Nineteen executives and others were paid in excess of $100,000 in salaries and other fees ! for a total of $3,292,335 ; 28 were paid in excess of $50,000 but not more than $100,000 for a total I of $1,914,326 and 102 were paid in excess of $20,000, but under $50,000 for a total of $3,047,131. Paramount to Retire 3% Debenture Issue The executive committee of the board of directors of Paramount Pictures, Inc., last week ! authorized the immediate prepayment of the money necessary to effect the present retirement at par of $1,250,000 of its outstanding 3 per cent debentures due 1952 to 1958. This prepayment is in j anticipation of future sinking fund obligations. Based on 1944 earnings the sinking fund paid May 15, 1945, was $475,000. 30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 9, 1945