Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS Whistle Stop THEATRES i,'cncially escaped the tornado which struck River Rouge, Detroit, and parts of Windsor, Ont., Monday night. The Lancaster, however, lost half its roof. "Whistle Stop" was showing, when the walls began to shake, and patrons in the theatre's 1,800 seats began to leave. Shortly thereafter the roof left, and also the air vents, fans, and portions of the screen. None was injured. The crowd was orderly. Mrs. Marie Jeffress, manager, waived "pass-out" checks. Tuesday morning, when she and Associated Theatres executives examined the property, they found the marquee and front twisted wreckage. Other theatres in the area closed early when power failed. Power lines were broken and destroyed by the tornado and accompanying floods. Saving NOW that the Senate has ratified the double taxation treaty with Great Britain, American distributors in that country will save approximately $40,000,000 annually, the Motion Picture Association has reported from Washington. The saving comes from a 50 per cent reduction of the remittance tax paid by distributors. Politicians Wanted WILL H. HAYS in a by-line article in a recent issue of the New York World-Telegram, calls for "millions and millions of politicians," for, he says, "only if vast numbers of men and women now indifferent to politics become politically conscious and active will self-government for which we have fought be translated into living reality." The former president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America asserts that "the fact that a large part of our citizen body fails to vote on Election Day is notorious.". 'The abstention, so vast and persistent," he wrote, "is a boycott of democracy. . . . Politics must cease to be the private concern of a relative few. It must become the year-round responsibility of all Americans." Criticism Washington Bureau DISTRIBUTORS are still "sitting on their hands" with regard to assisting in the exhibition of government and other educational types of pictures, William Wells, UNRRA film chief, said Tuesday. He pointed to the adoption of a resolution pledging support by the American Theatres Association. "At first, distrib ATA decides to stay clear of trade practice argument Page 12 MAJORS remake sales policies in light of trust suit verdict Page 13 ITOA in New York asks nationwide parley on trade practices Page 14 U. S. Court denies Hughes' plea for injunction on "Outlaw" Page 15 On the March — Red Kann in light and serious industry comment Page 18 REPUBLIC plans 58 to cost $25,000,000 for the new season Page 21 SERVICE DEPARTMENTS Hollywood Scene Page 32 In the Newsreels Page 55 Managers' Round Table Page 47 Picture Grosses Page 45 Short Product at First Runs Page 44 What the Picture Did for Me Page 41 utors asserted that they would gladly handle our pictures, but that exhibitors would not book them. Now, ATA proves that this statement by the distributors is incorrect," he said. The UNRRA film officer added that he had seen no statement from the distributors offering support and actual assistance to the distribution of pictures. Early Show ONE OF the most peculiar ways to attract country residents to theatres in Puerto Rico has been inaugurated by Rafael Quinones Rivera, president of the Exhibitors Association of Puerto Rico and owner of a circuit of theatres in the Western part of the island. At 5 :30 A.M. on Sundays, when the country dwellers of San German come to town to sell their products, Rivera opens one of his theatres — to a full house. 83rd Birthday "THE DEAN" as he is known among theatrical producers, is 83 years old. He celebrated the occasion Wednesday, in New York, by staying quietly at home. He is William Augustin Brady, and he is still trying to find a good play; one in which he could, of course, feature his wife and favorite actress, Grace George. Mr. Brady, of course, has produced plays, some of them good, to the number of 253. LEO McCAREY leads 1944 salary figures in Treasury report Page 22 SOUND Pioneers in Exhibition — a series of reminiscenes Page 24 PASCAL will go to Italy, he says, where workers have spirit Page 28 W. A. STEFFES, independent exhibitor leader, dies in Minneapolis Page 29 NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT— notes about industry people across country Page 36 SINGLE united labor group in British film industry seen near Page 39 IN PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION Showmen's Reviews Page 3053 Short Subjects Page 3055 Advance Synopses Page 3055 Release Chart by Companies Page 3056 The Release Chart Page 3058 Chico CHICO, a small California town 119 miles north of San Francisco, and with two theatres, on Wednesday began collecting from them an exclusively local tax of three cents per ticket. The town has been one of the first of the many in the post-war era attempting to tax theatres. It hopes to collect between $20,000 and $30,000 annually. However, the public will pay. The T. and T. and D., Jr., Enterprises, owning the theatres, the Senator and the American, will raise their admissions ten cents, pending a Federal ruling on the tax. Wired for Art NOW they're going to televise art exhibitions. Francis Henry Taylor, director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, declared at a recent fund-raising meeting that television can be expected to play a "great educational function" in the broadcasting of art exhibitions. He reported that the museum had been experimenting for three years in the field and that these test broadcasts had "demonstrated to our own satisfaction" that broadcasts of a statue by Rodin or a painting by Rembrandt are feasible. None of the experiments have concerned color television, he said. Mr. Taylor believes that it will be five years before such broadcasts are put into general use. 8 MOTION PICTURE HERALD. JUNE 22. 1946