Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Committees Meet To Plan Variety Club Convention Charles P. Skouras, chairman of the 11th annual convention of Variety Clubs International, to be held May 13-17 in Los Angeles, last week called the first full organizational meeting of all the committees to discuss plans. Some 1,200 showmen representing local Variety Club tents throughout the U. S., Mexico and Canada are expected to attend, according to Robert J. O'Donnell, national chief barker, and Mr. Skouras, who is head of California's Ten 25, which will serve as host to the visiting delegates. The annual highlight of the convention is the presentation of the Humanitarian Award to the man or woman who had in the previous year rendered the most outstanding service to mankind. Selection of the Award winner is made by polling 100 leading newspaper editors and publishers. Former winners of the award were Father Flanagan, Sister Kenny, Dr. George Washington Carver, Sir Alexander Fleming, Cordell Hull, Martha Berry and Evangeline Booth. The convention was originally scheduled to be held in 1941, but was cancelled because of wartime travel and hotel conditions. Following is an official list of the committees : Humanitarian Award Banquet and Entertainment: George Bowser, chairman; William Srere and Andred J. Krappman. Convention Journal : Dave Bershon, chairman; Thornton Sargent and Robert Kesner. Studio contacts : Willard Keith and Howard Stubbins, co-chairmen; Bruce Fowler, Victor Adams and Cullem Espy. Publicity : Sherrill Corwin, chairman; Seymour Peiser, Pete Latsis and Earl Adams. Finance: George Topper, chairman; Jack Berman. Heart: Dr. Ben Feingold, chairman; Dave Bershon. Ladies: Rhyllis Hemmington, chairman; Ida Schreiber and Ruth Doyle; Decorations : Oscar Oldknow, chairman ; Dean Hyskell and Ben Ashe. Registration, hotel and transportation: W. H. Lollier, chairman : Al Galston and John Lavery. Token and gift : Jack Berman, chairman ; Richard Dickson and Lloyd Ornsby. Short Product in First Run Houses Judell Plans Independent Exchanges and Production Ben Judell, long time operator of his own film exchange in Chicago, and now an independent Hollywood producer, disclosed on his arrival in Chicago from the west coast last week that in conjunction with a prominent eastern exhibitor, he is organizing a nationwide group of independent film exchanges, all of whom will participate in •film production, and which will be called Co-operative Film Exchanges. Mr. Judell said that a meeting will be held within the next few weeks, probably in New York, to complete details of organization. NEW YORK— Week of February 24 CAPITOL: Early Sports Quiz MGM Cat Fishing MGM Feature: The Beginning or the End MGM CRITERION: Cue Tricks Columbia Feature: Song of Scheherazade Univ. -Int. GLOBE: Have You Any Castles? .Warner Bros. Feature: The Strange Woman United Artists HOLLYWOOD: American Album of Sports Warner Bros., Rabbit Transit Warner Bros. Feature: Nora Prentiss Warner Bros. PALACE: Campus Boom RKO Radio Feature: Sinbad the Sailor RKO Radio PARAMOUNT: Radio, Take It Away! Paramount Selling the Sun Paramount Swedish Glass Maker Paramount Feature: Easy Come, Easy Go Paramount RIALTO: Jasper in a Jam Paramount Like Father, Like Son Paramount Feature: Michigan Kid Univ. R/VOU: The Fistic Mystic Paramount Pooch Parade Paramount Jumping Jacks Paramount Love in Tune Paramount Feature: California Paramount ROXY: Mighty Mouse and the Hep Cat 20th Cenf.-Fox Summer Trail 20th Cenf.-Fox Germany — Handle with Care! ,20th Cent.-Fox Feature: The Shocking Miss Pilgrim . 20th Cent.-Fox STRAND: Keystone Hotel Warner Bros, Feature: That Way with Women Warner Bros WINTER GARDEN: Smoked Hams. ..Universal Wild West Chimp Universal Feature: I'll Be Yours Univ.-lnt. CHICAGO— Week of February 24 GARRICK: Desi Arnaz and Orchestra Columbia Feature: The Wicked Lady Univ.-lnt. GRAND: Kingdom of Plastics Bondy Feature: Sinbad, the Sailor RKO STATE-LAKE: Cat Fishing MGM Feature: The Yearling MGM UNITED ARTISTS: Airborne Pastures Paramount Feature: Till the Clouds Roll By MGM Emerson Yorke Studio Completes Three Films Emerson Yorke, head of the Emerson Yorke Studio in New York and producer of informative films, has completed three subjects. All are available in 16mm and 35mm for exhibition in theatres and for screening before organized groups. The first, "Bill Bailey and the Four Pillars," is a factual film based on a Reader's Digest story by J. P. McEvoy. Filmed in Clarksville, Tenn., it shows how C. W. Bailey, then a local banker and now president of the American Bankers Association, interested impoverished tobacco farmers in raising crops. It runs 18 minutes and is being distributed by the American Bankers Association. "A Message from Maynor" is a 10^-minute subject which the National Tuberculosis Association is distributing. The third, "National Air Races," is concerned with the first post-war air meet in Cleveland, Ohio. Running 21 minutes, it is distributed by the United States Rubber Company. Celebrate Anniversary of "Highways of Melody" To celebrate the twenty-first anniversary of Cities Service's "Highways of Melody" radio program, Merlin H. Aylesworth, former president of the National Broadcasting Company, gave a cocktail party last Wednesday at the 21 Club in New York for Cities Service officials, radio executives and members of the press. Cities Service officials present included W. Alton Jones, president; H. L. O'Brien, first vice-president; Harry Freehoff , vice-president ; Merle Thrope, a director, and Burl S. Watson, head of Cities 'Service Oil Company. Among the radio officials present were David Sarnoff, president of RCA ; Edward J. Noble, board chairman of ABC ; Mark Woods, president of ABC, and Niles Trammell, president of NBC. Plan Pictures on Roosevelt Life Several motion pictures on the life and career of the late Franklin D. Roosevelt will be produced by Jay Richard Kennedy with the assistance of James Roosevelt under terms of an agreement announced in Hollywood last week. While Mr. Roosevelt will aid Mr. Kennedy in collating material, he will not be part of the producing firm which will make the film. The number of pictures to be made, distribution channel, and subject matter of first film are undetermined as yet. Mr. Kennedy said it was too soon to attempt to tell the whole life of the late President in one film, and for that reason, the arrangement provides for several films. Mr. Kennedy entered the industry last year and is now completing his first picture, "Assigned to Treasury," a film dealing with illicit drug traffic. In a separate statement, Mr. Roosevelt, commenting on reports his mother asked elimination of the late President's portrayal from MGM's "The Beginning or the End," said, "to my knowledge there exists no negotiations between members of my family or myself with MGM." Amended Anti-ASCAP Bill Holds Producers Liabie A surprise amendment to make producers and distributors liable for a sum equal to any damages suffered by exhibitors through copyright infringements has changed the nature of Indiana's anti-ASCAP bill in the house of representatives. As a result of the amendment, the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana has announced its support of the bill, which has passed the Senate by a vote of 38. to 0. Another amendment would exempt radio stations from its provisions. 50 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH I, 1947