Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Construction Is Expanding in Latin America Washington Bureau An expanding Latin American program for theatre construction is opening a wider market for U. S. films south of the Rio Grande, according to the Department of Commerce. Despite shortage of materials, 1,545 new theatres were built in South and Central America and 150 in the Caribbean area between January 1, 1940 and January 1, 1947. Now that construction materials are reaching the market in greater quantities, the number of Latin American film houses is expected to increase even more sharply. Mexico stands at the top of the list for recent theatre construction with 540 theatres erected during the seven years. Argentina follows with 339 recent theatre additions, Brazil with 190 and Venezuela with 164. There were 156 new theatres built in Colombia, 49 in Chile, 34 in Ecuador and 31 in Costa Rica. The growth in Latin America in the seven years : CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA SEATING CAPACITY, 1947 THOUSANDS 1500 IOOO 500 C C NUMBER OF THEATERS 400 800 1200 1600 671,926 ARGCNTINA i ■ ZOB 936,000 |H BRAZIL :: ; MEXICO 250,000 H COLOMBIA 225,000 271.126 H VENEZUELA CHILE I3I.S35 PERU 106.391 1 URUGUAY Cuba accounted for 110 of the 150 new theatres in the Caribbean area. The growth of the Caribbean area in the seven years: CARIBBEAN AREA SEATING CAPACITY, 1947 THOUSANDS NUMBER OF THEATERS 300 200 '00 0 C MB 280,032 ■ OOMIN'CAN ■ REPUBLIC t WM TRtMDAD" H TOBAGO Et „,„| FRENCH 0'4 ■' IwEST INCIE h In the 21 Latin American countries January 1, 1947, there were 6,331 theatres with a total seating capacity for 4,398,321 persons. There were 659 theatres in the Caribbean area on that date, with a total seating capacity for 379,143 persons. No figures are available for seating capacity on January 1, 1940, when there were 4,786 theatres in operation in Central and South America and 509 in the Caribbean area. U. S. FILMS NOT CITED IN BRITISH BUDGET London Bureau Despite a savage increase in the customs duty on American tobacco, in view of Britain's diminishing dollar exchange, Hugh Dalton, Chancellor of the Exchequer, made no reference to American motion pictures and offered no alteration of the entertainment tax when he presented a balanced British budget for 1947-48 to the House of Commons Tuesday. The tobacco duties were raised about 50 per cent, boosting the cost of a package of 20 cigarets from about 48 to 68 cents. Jack Frye Named Chairman Of General Aniline Corp. * Jack Frye, former president of Trans World Airlines, has been elected chairman ©f the board of General Aniline and Film Corporation, parent organization of Ansco, Attorney General Tom Clark announced in Washington Monday. The company was seized as alien property at the beginning of the war and is 97 per cent owned by the United States. Army Impatient on Future Of "Seeds of Destiny" The future of the Army-produced Academy Award winner, "Seeds of Destiny," remained uncertain this week as War Department officials indicated they were getting impatient over the delay in getting general release for the picture. The Army was understood to be ready to release 35 and 16mm versions of the short to newsreels and narrow-gauge channels. Last week also, three exhibitor groups, Allied States, the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners and the Conference of Independent Exhibitors Associations, "pocket-vetoed" a bid for their participation in the proposed coordinating committee. Sol Lesser President Of Standard Theatres Sol Lesser, the producer, adds exhibition to production with the formation of Standard Theatres, of which he is president. The new company will build and operate theatres on the West Coast where Mr. Lesser has already acquired sites in Burbank, Bellflower and Indio, Calif. Other sites are being negotiated. Mr. Lesser founded West Coast Theatres, later absorbed by Twentieth Century-Fox. Maurice Bessy Coming Maurice Bessy, editor of a French film trade paper, will visit this country and Latin America. He will arrive in New York April 26, going to Hollywood, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Speed of British Loan Draft Seen Hitting Pictures Wash'mgton Bureau United States film exports to Great Britain may be in for stormy weather in the near future. The fact is that Great Britain is drawing on her $3,750,000,000 loan at a much faster rate than anyone planned last summer when the loan was approved by Congress. Indications here are pretty plain, too, that she won't be able to get another loan. So it won't be very long before Labour Party leaders will have to decide whether Britain can go on using up the loan at the presently accelerated rate or whether it should tighten up on dollar imports. Presumably a decision in favor of the latter course would hit first tobacco and films — 1 the two big socalled luxury imports. Motion Picture Herald February 15, reported Great Britain spent $499,720,000 of her credit loan between July 1 and December 31, 1946. Greatest single item on the bill by far was $157,876,000 for tobacco. Motion pictures were fifth in the list of eight classifications for which the British paid American dollars. The financial record, as of that time, was : Tobacco $157,976,000 Food | 19,691,000 Oil 62,062,000 Raw Material 56,420,000 Motion Pictures 35,464,000 Manufactured Goods 31,837,000 Machinery 22,165,008 Ships 14,105,000 Total $499,720,000 Since the first of the year the British have withdrawn slightly -more than $800,000,000, bringing the total withdrawal to date to some $1,300,000,000. Thus, with the loan little more than nine months old, onethird has been used. The original plan called for stretching the loan over three years. Secretary of the Treasury John W. Snyder has declared that so far as he knows the British have "no application in mind" for another loan. This is undoubtedly letter-true, for all indications feelers were put out by Britain and that the American reply was that another loan would not possibly pass the Republican budget-minded Congress. MGM Has Two New Ones, A Reprint for May Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will release two new pictures and one reprint during May, making a total of 14 releases since the first of the year. The new features are "High Barbaree," starring Van Johnson and June Allyson, and "Undercover Maisie,'' starring Ann Sothern with Barry Nelson. The reprint is "The Great Waltz," starring Luis Rainer. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 19, 1947 43