Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1948)

Cart Before Horse TROUBLE WITH most pictures, says Louis K. Ansell. a St. Louis exhibitor, is that you've got nothing to sell but a couple of stars and a boy-meets-girl story. The picture is produced and then you've got to figure a way to sell it. As an exhibitor, Mr. Ansell, he claims, has had to do some fancy stretching to find an exploitable angle for some of the pictures he's played. But as a producer, he's got the answer to his problem. Tuesday in New York, after the trade press reviewed his "Women in the Night," for Film Classics release, Mr. Ansell announced that "Women" and all his future productions are considered first of all from the exploitation angle — that exhibitors are consulted on how they're going to sell the picture, and their reactions taken into consideration before ever the picture goes in front of the camera. He wants to produce, and exhibitors need, he says, "strictly exploitable pictures, pictures with a message for the adult mind. Exhibitors haven't been given interesting ^ory material and from me they're going to get unusual angles, something down to earth on problems of today." "Women" deals with women victims of Nazi and Japanese forces during the war. His next, "Medal of Honor" is the case history of a gangster turned war hero. As Billed "THIS TIME FOR KEEPS" the marquee read at the Rockhill theatre, Kansas City. And that's just the way the thieves worked. On a recent Sunday the Rockhill manager discovered three holes bored in an exit door. "Aha," he said, "prowlers." He plugged the three holes with paper, gathered together Saturday's and Sunday's receipts and took them to the bank. On Monday morning he discovered a fourth hole in that exit, unlatched by a wire through that hole, his wall safe forced open and $120 gone. Indiana Taxes ASSOCIATED THEATRE Owners of Indiana has distributed calendars to Indiana businessmen that are going to cost their recipients plenty. This calendar isn't one that cheerfully red-letters the holidays, but instead gloomily notes those days on whicli taxes must be paid. The association's calendar lists 97 tax items which must be noted and cared for on 38 days and then under the headings of "Any Day in the Year" and "Every Month" lists a double handful of other taxes and never mind the municipal taxes — they're not listed. Only in August and in November does the Indianian get a breather from his tax paying. Only got to watch out for a couple of things those months. But any month there's imitation condensed milk tax due and miscellaneous Federal taxes due and any day of the year the non-profit cooperatives associations may file their annual statements — within 60 days of fiscal year's closing. No Help Washington Bureau THE MUNDT BILL isn't very likely to be of any aid to the industry. The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee by Wednesday afternoon had abandoned its attempt to broaden the bill to include ways and means to aid film companies and other information media to get frozen funds out of Europe. The bill was to have been introduced into the Senate this week. The subcommittee left the film companies out of the bill for two reasons, it was explained : because it lacked enough information on the frozen funds problem and because it appeared that inclusion of such a provision would slow the passage of the bill, which contains vital provisions for expanding the State Department's overseas information program. Meanwhile, a State Department official has said that the Department has made no further progress in working out a plan to release some of the blocked funds. "One of our main difficulties," he said, "is that we haven't received any facts or figures from the industries affected — we don't have a single word on how much is frozen, how fast blocked balances are acumulating, or where are accumulating." Long Distance NO MATTER where Warner production units are located in the U. S., they aren't going to get away from the home office. Warners' Col. Nathan Levinson, head of the sound department, has developed plans for the use of medium frequency radio transmission to production units in the field, calling for installation of a high-power transmitter and receiver set up on a "ham" radio basis on the Burbank lot with another mobile unit available to be shipped to location. The new mobile radio equipment, on a clear day, can give ulcers to Warner producers as far away as Europe merely by buzzing and squeaking, "This is the home office." PEOPLE Adolph Zukor, chairman of the board of Paramount Pictures, Inc., observed his 75th birthday Wednesday. Gradwell L. Sears, president of United Artists, has been invited by the Governor General of Canada and Viscountess Alexander to accompany Mary Pickford to dinner at the Government House in Ottawa Monday and to aid in launching the campaign for the Canadian Appeal for Children. Jack Goldstein, for two years eastern studio head for RKO Radio, will leave the organization. The company announced Tuesday that "intra-organization economies have made necessary the elimination of the post." William Sherman has resigned as Eagle Lion branch manager at St. Louis and will devote all his time to his theatre interests in Sherman and Bloomfield, Mo. Martin Quigley and Jack Alicoate are co-chairmen of the Amusement Trade Publications Committee in support of the 1948 fund raising campaign for the BoyScouts of America. Leonard Goldenson and Emil Friedlander are co-chairman of the Amusement Division. Jack Votion, production representative in Europe for RKO Radio has announced his resignation so that he may produce independently a series of six pictures based on the life of Dick Turpin, Great Britain's legendary bandit. Dr. Thomas H. James and Dr. Gertrude Kornfeld of the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories at Rochester, N. Y., have been elected to fellowships in the New York Academy of Sciences for their contribution to science. Harry Cohen, formerly associated with MGM, has become manager of the Kay Film Exchange in Washington, D. C. John Eskridge will assist Mr. Kay as exchange sales representative. Robert E. Helms, formerly with RKO Radio and Universal, has been named manager of the Kay Film Exchange at New Orleans. Richard D. Hayes, a Paramount salesman at Albany, N. Y., for more than 20 years, has resigned effective January 15 to enter the hotel business at Tupper Lake, N. Y. He will be guest of honor at an Albany Variety Club dinner in February. Mr. Hayes is an officer of the club. Barney Pitkin, branch manager at New Haven, Conn., for RKO Radio, has been reelected chief barker of Variety Club of Connecticut, Tent No. 31, with headquarters in Hartford. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, published every Saturday by Quigley Publishing Company, Rockefeller Center, New York City 20. Telephone Circle 7-3100; Cable address "Quigpubco, New York", Martin Quigley, President; Red Konn, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brody, Secretary; Terry Ramsaye, Editor; Martin Quigley, Jr., Associate Editor; James D. Ivers, News Editor; Charles S. Aaronson, Production Editor; Ray Gallagher, Advertising Manager; David Harris, Circulation Director. Bureaus: Hollywood, William R. Weaver, editor, Yucca-Vine Building; Chicago, Editorial and Advertising, 120 South LaSalle Street, Telephone Andover 6449, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative; Washington, J. A. Often, National Press Club; London, Hope Williams Burnup, manager, Peter Burnup, editor, 4 Golden Square. Correspondents_ in the principal capitals of the world. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. Other Quigley Publications: Better Theatres, published every fourth week as a'section of Motion Picture Herald; Motion Picture Daily, International Motion Picture Almanac and Fame. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 10, 1948 9