Paramount International News (1935)

^cirammuitJntematbtud Qflms Page 14 That Stirring London Convention! {Continued from Page 7) a Press Representative by Pat O’C’onnor aiul a talk on display advertising by G. H. Hawkins, of the Ad-Sales department. Saturday's sessions included a report from Harold Walker on some of the ontstaiuling pictures in the Foiirtb Quarter Group. Mr. Walker dwelt on the splendid showmansbip <|nalities of sttch pictures as THE GILDED LILY, WINGS L\ THE DARK, CAR »}), and MIS.SISSIPPI, all of which had an excellent central theme, good situations for exploitation and important star name values. <1. T. Cummins in charge of British I’aramount News gave some interesting side-lights on newsreel problems, and Mr. Goldman said that great credit was due to the newsreel men for their resource and ingenuity in overcoTuing ohstacles and impediments that looked like depriving them of their pictures. Aspec'ts of theatre operation were treated in talks from Charles Penley, who si)oke of the importance of stage shows in welding together suitable |)rograuinies, and by Leslie Holderness who discusseil the varying tastes of provincial cities and their different reactions. Mr. Newton of the Plaza detailed some amusing stories of theatre i)atrt)ns and other theatre (piestions xvere talked ovei at a special session presided over hy Earl St. .lohn. In the course of the afternoon came a cable from Adolph Ziikor, wishing the conference every success and with kind pei'sonal remembrances to everyone present. .Advance details of j)rt)ductions which will figure on the release schedule for the First Quarter of the Septemher 1 season were given hy .Montague Goldman at the Saturday's meeting. The farewell banquet at the Ti’ocadei'o on Sunday evening was a hai)py hlend of showmanshij), and good fellowship. ,1. C. Graham presided and the guests included .Arthur Segal, an associate in I’araniount's theatre enterj)i'ises. In a room hrilliantly decorated by the enteri)rise of the I’aramount .Ad-Sales dei)artment, .1. C. Graham greeted his guests. The evening, he said, was to be devoted to pleasure alone, after one concluding otticial tiansaction. Tbis was a series of fines humorously imposed on every guest tor certain offences, the money to go to the King's .lidtilee Fund. The function momentarily became a court of summai'y .pirisdiction and on tbe complaints laid by .Montague Goldman and Earl St. .lohn. Air. Graham levied punishment with an unsj)aring hand. One blanch manager was fined 10/for winning money during a game of poker played in tbe train while travelling to the Convention, and all his associates a similar sum for losing. Gittoes-Davies was fined for wearing the wrong kind of hat, while another man was fined for being too correct. Harold AValker was charged lO/ because no one could find out anything about him and Harry Nisbet 10/ for moving while the j photograph was taken. The money was collected on the spot and no pleas were listened to. AA'hen all these charges had been read out everybody left in the I'oom who hatl not been fined was charged 5/-. Finally when Mr. Graham sat down, Air. Goldman fined him £1 tor having omitted his own name from the list of offenders. .A hearty welcome was afforded to Air. Segal, whom, said .Air. (Jrahani. Paramount were proud to have associated with them. Anton's .Astoria band provided the music and the excellent programme of entertainment was under the direction of Earl St. .lohn and assisted by Charles Penley and .A. H. Alunyard of the Theatre Department. The final ceremony was the distribution of souvenirs by a smart corps of ushers from the Cai'lton Theatre, dressed in the uniform of the Bengal Ijancers. Every delegate leceived one of the Bengal Ijancer hats which are now becoming popular among British women, a Bengal Lancer doll and two of Bing Crosby's recordings from AIISSISSIPPI. One of the outstanding features of the Convention was the understanding and sympathetic way in which Air. .1. C. Graham dealt with many angles of the hundred and one (lifferent problems of the whole British Organization. Air. (iiaham showed an intimate knowledge of all the (piestions that arise almost daily in all depai'tments and his helpful advice and constructive solutions were sincerely appreciated by everyone present. LATER-. Since our last despatch, wliich told you about the successful .Spring .Sales Convention held in London, we have had the pleasure of welcoming two distinguished visitors from New York, John W. Hicks Jnr., and Ceorge W'eltner, his assistant. It was a great disappointment that they were not here in time for the Convention, hut they more than made amends hy seeing Paramount’s Sales forces “at home” — that is — in their own exchanges and territories. Mr. Hicks and Air. Wellner, accompanied hy Mr. Alontague Goldman, General .Sales Alanagcr in Britain and Mr. Earl St. John, Director of Theatres, did a lightning tour of Britain during the Easter vacation. Certainly Easter was no holiday for them. They went as far nortli as Glasgow and Liverpool, where they viewed Paramount’s latest super houses — and to do this sjient the greater part of the holiday in the train. It was on this tour that Mr. Hicks and Air. W'eltner heard Bing Crosby crooning 6,000 miles away in Hollywood on their car radio. They were motoring in Scotland when Bing’s broadcast ( relayed by the British Broadcasting Corporation) came through and were much impressed hy its rpiality. Incidentally this was a great plug for which the British Organization is indebted to the Home Office and it coincided both with the pre-release run of “Alississippi” at the Plaza Theatre, London, and with the apjiroaching general release of “Here i Is Aly Heart.” I “Bengal Lancer” first runs in Paramount’s key houses and important theatres outside our own circuit yielded phenomenal business. It is no exaggeration to say that all box-office records for several years have been smashed in every house this picture has played. It is, of course, still in its West-end run at the Carlton and is believed to be the first picture the West-end run of which has continued into the period in which it is released in the country. We cannot do better than quote “The Daily Film Renter,” London, on the subject: — “BENGAL LANCER” BREAKS RECORDS IN THE PROVINCES Outstanding Business Rejiorted From All Parts Of The Country. “Outstanding business was reported from all parts of the country with Paramount’s THE LIASES OF A BENGAL LANCER, which started pre-release runs in a number of pro\incial centres on Easter Alonday. At Paramount’s Glasgow, Alanchester, Liverpool and Newcastle theatres, new records for Bank Holiday were set up. At the Cajiilol, Cardiff, where the run started on .Saturday, a record was created for that day, as well as for Easter Alonday, and at Birmingham, which opened on Sunday, new records were established. At Leeds, the record for the theatre, which was hitherto held by “Dr. |ck\ll and Air. Hvde,” was set aside liy BENGAL LANCER. Amazing scenes, it is stated, were witnessed at Oxford. The picture is being shown at the Alajestic, and according to a message received on Tuesday from Air. lliffe, BENGAL LANCER surpassed the record created by I’AI NO ANGEL Iw a comfortable margin, and hundreds of people had to be refused admission. At .Southend, Garon’s Theatre, in spite of a concurrent run, the theatre record for all time was beaten on Easter Alonday. The picture is still running at the Carlton Theatre, Haymarket, having been seen by over a quarter of a million jicople. During the holidays, exceptional business was done, ipieues outside the theatre being a feature during the entire week-end. From figures availalde on Tuesday, it was established that the Good Friday business was the best at the Carlton for two y'cars. The following are extracts from a few of the telegrams received from exlubitors : — ‘Takings exceeded expectations, easilv broke all jircvious records .Southampton and Southend.’ DONADA. ‘Every record smashed Easter Alonday. Crowds turned away each house.’ ILIFFE, OXFORD. ‘Opened to record receiiits. Film received marvellous reception.’ RENAD, CINEAIA, GLBLDFORD. LATER Alav 3rd, 1935. BENGAL LANCER which has just started on the fourth month of its record breaking run at the Carlton Theatre, London, received another terrific publicity break in all the papers of Britain when questions concerning it were asked in the House of Commons. Sir Arnold AVilson asked the Secretary of State for India whether his attention had been called to the WEALTH OF NEWS FROM LONDON We feel obliged by circum i stances to call your attention to the large amount of news from Great Britain and Ireland in this issue, and to ac ; count for this partly by the '' bulk of important happenings which have transpired in that part of the world lately 1 (principally the English Con ‘ vention), and partly hy an inspiring display of repertorial diligence on the part of Publicity Director R. GittoesDavies. In all, there are three separate installments of i British news in this current issue. wearing of uniforms resembling the uniforms of Indian cavalry regi-' ments by attendants at the Carlton Theatre; and whether he would ( take any action in the matter un-;^der the Lhiiforms Act of 1894. Air. Butler, Llnder-Secretary of I State for India said: I have made a ., careful investigation of these uni r forms and have come to the con I' elusion that the dress bears a general resemblance to the Indian cavalry, but is, in fact, a fancy dress,. , and does not exactly represent the. uniform of any particular regiment. There is no danger, therefore, of!' bringing the uniform of H.AI. forc-i, . es into ridicule or contempt, and| ' there is no ground for any action.) The Prince of Wales and thej Duke and Duchess of York sawj Bing Crosb}’ in AIISSISSIPPI,j I now in its second week at the Plazaljl Tlieatre, London. H Incidentally, Paramount’s LONG LIVE THE KING, a pictorial review of King George’s twenty-five! year reign, produced and assembled by British Paramount News, was shown privately to the Prince of Wales at the Plaza Theatre aft^^j the public showing of AllSSIa-—^ SIPPI. The Prince was very Ji amused to see himself on the /„ screen playine' soldiers as a little m boy and tliis human little fact received a big press in England. ' Tens of thousands of people were, of course, in London to cele-, i brate the King’s Jubilee and Para b mount’s West-end screenings foi Jubilee Week were THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER — going as strong as ever at the Carlton and Alarlene Dietrich in THE DEVIL IS A WOAIAN, doing substantial Inisiness at the Plaza ' The Carlton Theatre has sokj 65,000 BENGAL LANCER pro grammes at 6d (six-pence) each This is believed to be a programme selling record for Britain. Car any Paramounteer beat this? The Carlton Theatre, the Plaz:| Theatre, the Service Company’: building and the Theatre Department Offices in Oxford Street werfj gaily decorated for the Jubilee^ “Paramount Service” published <1 special Royal Jubilee Number tha’j has been received with enthusiasn in the Trade. (We have seen thin issue in Home Office. Congratulations to all concerned. EDITOR.)'