Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

(government of Italy to Finance Industry Again by ARGEO SANTUCCI in Rome The Italian industry again is being financed by the Government. The Motion Picture Financing Section of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, the official governmental agency, loaned the industry approximately 60,000,000 lire between the time it resumed its loans in 1945 and last February. During the war years the bank granted loans to producers. Now, according to the vice-director of the section, the bank prefers to finance distribution, exhibition and the importation of pictures. The competition of foreign films, particularly those from the U. S., England and France, makes the success of Italian pictures uncertain. Yet because of these imports the future of the circuits is bright. There are still large profits in exhibition, despite high taxes and operating costs. Hence the bank's emphasis on loans to exhibition. The Banco di Sicilia, also, has started to finance the industry through the Section for Credit to the Industry, established according to Government decree in December, 1944. V At present there is only one theatre in Italy which shows pictures in the original language. This is the Quirinetta in Rome. The owner of this theatre now plans to establish similar theatres in Milan, Florence, Turin, Venice and G^noa. Paramount Pep Club to Hold 25th Anniversary Outing The twenty-fifth anniversary outing of the Paramount Pep Club will be held June 26 at the Longshore Country Club, Westport, Conn. Between 600 and 700 members are expected to attend. Scheduled for the day's outing are a golf tournament, buffet luncheon, swimming, baseball and other events. The day will end with a dinner and dance at the country club. Awards of Merit Issued Awards of Merit have been issued by the National 16mm Victory Film Committee to all exhibitors, distributors, and workers for services rendered the nation through the Motion Picture Section, War Finance Division, U. S. Treasury Department, during the Victory Loan campaign in 1945. Siri+zkys Sign Chevalier Maurice Chevalier will be the first of a group of foreign actors to appear on the stage of the Ambassador theatre. New York, under a policy of combined foreign film and stage shows to be inaugurated in September by the house's owners, Sam and Joe Siritsky, they have announced. IN NEWSREELS MOVIETONE NEWS— Vol 28, No. 79 — Floods hit cast. . . . U. S. grants loan to France. . . . Eighth Fleet ends maneuvers. . . . Homecoming from Guam. . . . Sgt. Martin Maher leaves West Point. . . . Booker T. Washington honored. . . . Henry Ford displays first car. . . . Inflation in Paris. . . . Baseball news. . . . Family with 20 children. MOVIETONE NEWS— Vol. 28, No. SO-General Eisenhower's D-Day anniversary message. . . . Rome demonstration. . . . Justice in Prague. . . . Margaret Truman graduates. . . . New York police outing for kids. . . . Hospitality for U.N. delegates. . . . Indians collect bananas in Panama. . . . Sports: horse racing, boxing, auto racing. NEVVS OF THE DAY— Vol. 17, No. 277— Soft coal strike ends. . . . Hoover reports on food crises, . . . U. S. loan to France. . . . "Noah's Ark" sails with animals for atom bomb test. . . . Fleet in. . . . Bill Stem and the lighter side of the news. . . . Co-eds answer slur on beauty. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 17, No. 278— Vengeance for Lidice and Dachau. . . . Savage Choko Indians filmed for first time. . . . Negro in Hall of Fame. . . . Little pals of the cops. . . . President Truman speaks for the "little fellows." . . . Sports: auto racing; Assault wins triple crown. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 8flt-West Pointers honor 50-year man. . . . Elaborate train model . . . Atomic "ark" sails. . . . UNRRA in action. . . . Baseball highlights. . . . Egypt's new status. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 81— Horse of the year. . . . Wild tribes aid food drive. . . . Ihike and Duchess return to Riviera. . . . 500-mile speedway. . . .Two years after D-Day. RKO PATHE NEWS— Vol. 17, No. 82— Cbal strike settled. . . . $1,400,000,000 loan to France. . . . Targetanimals for atomic test. . . . Repair U. S. -Britain cable link. . . . National spelling bee finals. . . . Booker T. Washington honored. . . . Henry Ford shows first flivver. RKO PATHE NEWS— VoL 17, No. 83— Robson wins Indianapolis race. . . , Destroyer of Lidice hanged. . . . Eisenhower speaks on D-Day anniversary. . . . Panama's wild Indians. . . . Assault takes Belmont Stakes. UNIVERSAL NEWS— Vol. 19, No. SOT— Coal strike ends. . . . Floods sweep east. . . . Cadets hail oldtimer. . . . Negro educator honored. . . . Animals board atom ark. . . . Cardinals laud food relief. . . . Motorist is no dummy, . , . Quads are Texas rangers. UNIVERSAL NEWS— Vol. 19, No. 508— Eisenhower's D-Day anniversary speech. . . . President Truman and daughter get degrees. . . . Cops and kids. . . . Refrigerator fugitive. . . . Assault wins triple crown. . . . Indianapolis auto derby. 300 at Salt Lake Annual Roundup More than 300 theatre operators of the Intermountain region, including Idaho, Montana and parts of Wyoming and Nevada, gathered in Salt Lake City Monday through Thursday, for the fourth annual roundup and golf tournament of the Salt Lake City Motion Picture Club. During the several meetings, one or more of the following executives from the American Theatre Association were to be honored guests and speakers: S. H. Fabian, president; Robert Coyne, executive director, and Ted Gamble, chairman of the board.. C. Clare Woods, an official of the Intermountain Theatres Association headquarters in Salt Lake City, was general chairman of the roundup. Hall Baetz, division manager for Fox Intermountain Theatres, is president of the club, and Harry Ungerleider, treasurer. Throughout the meetings, screenings were held. C. R. Wade was golf tournament chairman. The event was climaxed by a "A^ictory Dance" at the Hotel Utah. Form Canadian Producer Unit^ MPA Parallel Toronto Bureau \ In the creation of the Canadian Film Producers Association with the head office at ). Arthur Rank's Queensway Studios, Toronto, Canada, now has a counterpart of the Motion Picture Association of America. The mutual organization which is about to be granted formal incorporation by the Dominion Government, became essential because of the post-war growth of production in Canada. Identified with the move are 10 producers of Toronto, Regina, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal. In addition to trade cooperation, the Film Producers Association will act as a group in dealing with the Canadian Association of Advertising Agencies for the production of industrial films on a code basis and in discussions with Government departments on film and equipment quotas, customs levies and import controls, as well as other regulations. The National Film Board at Ottawa will not be a full-fledged member of the new unit but there is a promise of a cooperative relationship with organized companies on production details. The new group will not affect activities of the Canadian Moving Picture Distributors Association, which is made up of Toronto executives of exchanges. Lawson General Manager Of Canadian Odeon Following conferences with John Davis, executive of the Rank organization, Odeon Theatres of Canada, Friday announced the appointment of J. Earl Lawson as general manager of the circuit, and the previous days' election of Mr. Lawson as company president was officially confirmed. Mr. Lawson succeeds Paul Nathanson as president and fills the post of general manager vacated by Haskell M. Masters, who resigned more than two years ago to become Canadian district manager for Warners. Frank Fisher, head office booker and buyer, has been promoted to the new post of western division manager, and Harvey Hunt, Ontario booker, has been promoted to chief booker and buyer. C. J. Appel continues as eastern division manager, and J. H. Boothe remains as British Columbia district manager. NSS Promotes Carlton Melvin L. Gold, director of advertising and publicity for National Screen Service in New York, last Friday announced the appointment of Richard Carlton as his assistant. Mr. Carlton has been in the company's advertising and publicity department for the past two months as a writer, with most of his effort devoted to the preparation of Mister Shomman, NSS's special trailer publication. 40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 8, 1946