Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1946)

Eshbaugh Cites Fifteen Years of Color Cartoons Celebrating his fifteenth anniversary as a producer of animated color cartoons, Ted Eshbaugh, president of the Ted Eshbaugh Studios in New York, has returned to the production of entertainment and advertising short subjects after four years of making cartoon training films for the United States Navy. Currently Mr. Eshbaugh and his staff are vi^orking on the third "Cap'n Cub" subject, having released the first, "Cap'n Cub Blasts the Japs," during the last days of the war. Film Classics, Inc., distributed that to some 3,000 accounts. He also had completed the second. Four more in the series are in various stages of planning before going on the drawing boards. The studio is also making a cartoon for Kolynos Toothpaste which, upon completion, will be translated into five languages and distributed in 102 countries. Five educational color slide subjects have also been completed in recent weeks for Popular Science magazine, and others will be forthcoming shortly. Claims First Color Cartoon Mr. Eshbaugh claims the distinction of being the first producer to complete for exhibition an animated color cartoon. In 1927 he was invited by Technicolor to continue his experiments along these lines and in 1931, a year before Walt Disney made his first "Silly Symphony" in color, Mr. Eshbaugh released "Goofy Goat" in color, for which the Los Angeles Museum issued a certificate of acknowledgment of the accomplishment and placed the original drawings on permanent exhibition. During the following years he worked on numerous animated color subjects, and in 1934 was engaged by RKO to produce the color cartoons, "Pastry Town Wedding," "Sunshine Makers" and "The Japanese Lanterns." The following year the Eshbaugh Studio was moved to New York to produce animated advertising subjects in color for such organizations as Borden's, Planter's Peanuts, Pepsi-Cola, National Carbon Company, Aetna Life Insurance and others. Made Navy Subjects Shortly after the outbreak of the war the studio was engaged to make training cartoons for the Navy Department. This work included a series on the recognition of enemy planes, for which special photographic aids were invented and developed; a series on radar-submarine attacks, and numerous others. With the war's end, Mr. Eshbaugh returned to the field of industrial and entertainment cartoon production, and contemplating increased activity in this field, is expanding his studio facilities. Short Product in First Run Houses NEW YORK— Week of April 22 ASTOR: Pluto's Kid Brother RKO Feature: The Kid from Brooklyn RKO CAPITOL: Springtime for Thomas MGM Glimpses of Guatemala MGM Feafure: Ziegfeld Follies MGM CRITERION: Rasslin' Romeos Columbia River Ribber Columbia Feature: The Bandit of Sherwood Forest. .Columbia GLOBE: Ten Pin Titans RKO Feature: Make Mine Music RKO HOLLYWOOD: Baseball Bugs Vifophone Hitler Lives? Vltaphone Feature: Saratoga Trunk Warner Bros. PALACE: Great Lakes RKO Canine Patrol RKO Feature: From This Day Forward ..RKO PARAMOUNT: Testing the Experts. Paramouni Service with a Guile Paramount Feature: The Virginian Paramount RMLTO: Canine Casino va RKO Feature: Bedlam RKO RIVOLI: College Queen Paromounf Feature: Kitty Paramount ROXr: Mighty Mouse and fiie Wicked Wolf 20th Cent.-Fox Feature: Dragonwyck 20th Cent.-Fox STRAND: Baby Bottleneck Vifopftone Holiday on Horseback Vitaphone Gem of the Ocean Vitaphone Feature: Devotion "... .Warner Bros. WINTER GARDEN: Cured Duck RKO Feature: Tomorrow Is Forever RKO CHICAGO— Week of April 22 APOLLO: Hair Remover Vitaphone Feature: Dragonwyck 20th Cent.-Fox GARRICK: Hollywood Canine Canteen Vifaphone Feature: The Bandit of Sherwood Forest. .Columbia PALACE: Double Honeymoon RKO Winning Basketball RKO Feature: From This Day Forward RKO ROOSEVELT: Naughty Nanette. . . .Paramount Springtime for Thomas MGM Feature: Sentimental Journey 20th Cent.-Fox STATE LAKE: Baseball Bugs Vifaphone Feature: Saratoga Trunk Warner Bros. UNITED ARTISTS: Lonesome Lennie MGM Feature: Ziegfeld Follies MGM WOODS: DafFy Duck and Egghead. Vitap/ione Fisature: Tomorrow Is Forever RKO ORIENTAL: Maid Trouble RKO Feature: The Outlaw United Artists Bogeaus Forms New Company in Shift Reorganizing his interests, Benedict Bogeaus has formed General Service Studios, Inc., as a new California corporation, to acquire the land, buildings and equipment of General Service Studios. The latter will continue as a rental studio for independent releases through United Artists, with C. J. Tevlin as president; Samuel Weisenthal, secretary, and Lewis E. Pennish, treasurer. The new corporation will be separate from General Service Corporation, which will be Mr. Bogeaus' producing company, with him as president; Mr. Tevlin, vice-president, and Mr. Weisenthal, secretary-treasurer. Its assets are in excess of $1,000,000, the company states. Carl Leserman, UA general sales manager, will handle worldwide distribution. A. M. Botsford will be li^iison between Mr. Bogeaus and his various departments. Motion Picture Salesman's Club Formed in Cleveland The Motion Picture Salesman's Club of Cleveland has been formed with Leonard Mishkind as first president. Other officers are : Oscar Kanner, first vice-president ; Phil Harrington, second vice-president; Edward Catlin, secretary, and Manny Click, treasurer. In addition to regular members, all of whom are film salesmen, associated membership is open to district and branch managers. Meetings are to be held monthly at the Statler Hotel in Cleveland until permanent quarters are acquired. Cinecolor Sees Expanded Use During the next year Cinecolor Corporation will process some features for MGM, Universal, Monogram, Golden Gate Films and PRC, according to William Loss, vicepresident and general manager. At present, Mr. Loss reported, Cinecolor's backlog of commitments was about evenly divided between the theatrical and educational branches of the industry. Mr. Loss said the company had just completed processing "Star from Heaven," for MGM, and was working on "Michigan Kid" for Universal, and "Black Gold" for Monogram, and shortly would begin on a series of comedies for Hal Roach. Cinecolor is endeavoring to triple the capacity of' its Hollywood plant in order to handle commitments. April 11 the company announced completion of new financing, through H. Hentz and Company, New York, by the sale of common stock to private interests. The arrangement leaves 735,000 shares of common stock outstanding. Universal Votes Dividend Universal Pictures has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06^ per share on the per cent cumulative preferred stock of the company. The dividend is payable June 1, 1946, to stockholders of record May 15, 1946. 46 MOTION PICTURE HERALD. APRIL 27. 1946