Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1940)

Page 16 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW February 17, 1940 IN THE Paramount George Olsen, popular orchestra leader now appearing nightly at the Biltmore Hotel, New York, has been signed to appear in a forthcoming Headliner short subject. Olsen and his orchestra of thirty-five, will start production soon at the Eastern Service Studio in Long Island under the direction of Leslie Roush. started work last week with a cast topped by Dennis Morgan, Lucile Fairbanks and Fuzzy Knight. RKO-Pathe A forthcoming release in Pathe's Sportscope series is a reel on baseball, featuring the tactics and technique of outstanding players for the National League. Individual and team play will be shown by such diamond experts as Gabby Hartnett, Dizzy Dean, Joe Moore, Merrill May, Joe Medwick, Arky Vaughan and Paul Derringer. Tentatively titled "Pennant Lhasers," the film is currently being edited. World Pictures Twelve featurettes will be released during the next six months as a result of the favorable reaction to the featurettes "Ski Chase" and "The City." It is the purpose of these featurettes to break down the double bill necessity since they can be shown on a single feature program. That demon "swing," which first took over the dance bands of America, then spread over stage plays, radio, and motion pictures, has conquered a new field— animated cartoons. As the next Technicolor cartoon, Rudolf Ising has chosen a subject that will set alligators and jitterbugs jiving down the aisles. The one-reeler, "Swing Social," will have a complete swing score. Huge War Map in Lobby Sells Paramount News in Texas Town As a selling plug for Paramount News No. 6, which beat other newsreels by four days with pictures of the war, Artist Frisco Gutierrez of an Interstate theatre in El Paso, Texas, designed and executed a gigantic map of the European War. The map is circular, eight feet in circumference and each nation represented by colors, while the armies are represented by vari-colored pins with the positions changed daily as the armies change. So much attention has it attracted that it still remains in the lobby, always a strong selling angle for Paramount News. Deserving of congratulations are El Paso's astute Interstate showmen John Paxton, C. L. Glenn and Artist Gutierrez. Vitaphone David Bruce has been assigned a part in "The Singin' Dude," Technicolor short which Robbins Plugs "Monroe Doctrine" Manager Ray Robbins of Warners' Karlton Theatre, Philadelphia, knew he had a timely short in "The Monroe Doctrine," so he lost no time in getting his message before students at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. Furthermore, he placed an attractive 40x60 in full view of transients on Chestnut street and included the billing on his marquee. . . NEWSREEL SYNOPSES . . (Released Saturday, February 17) PARAMOUNT (No. 49)— U. S. tank maneuversTaxpayers storm Albany; San Francisco Chinese relief party; Mrs. Roosevelt before Congressional hearmg; Outdoor wedding in Holland; New York dog show; New York Lincoln Day dinner; Vandenberg attacks New Deal; Florida yacht race; Iron Mountam ski jump. NEWS OF THE DAY (Vol. 11. No. 244)— Swedish navy keeps in trim; Britons dismantle German minesFrench anti-aircraft guns in action; Port Huron premiere of "Young Tom Edison"; U. S. tank maneuvers; Fur fashions; New York dog show; Di Maggio demonstrates cheese rolling. MOVIETONE (Vol. 23. No. 46)— Swedish navy keeps in trim; New Zealand armies on way to war; War at sea; Britons dismantle German mines; French anti-aircraft guns in action; U. S. tank maneuvers; San Francisco Chinese relief party; Pennsylvania aviators honored; Fur fashions; New York dog show; Iron Mountain ski jump; Di Maggio demonstrates cheese rolling; Bathing in icy waters; Florida yacht regatta. PATHE (Vol. 11, No. 61)— Mrs. Roosevelt testifies before Congressional hearing; French anti-aircraft guns in action; Farley dedicates New Salem, 111., post office; Dartmouth winter carnival; Finnish envoy thanks U. S. ; U. S. tank maneuvers. UNIVERSAL (Vol. 12, No. 850)— French anti-aircraft guns in action; German mines washed ashore in England; New York Lincoln Day dinner; Farley df-dicates New Salem, HI., post office; Glass car at Miami Beach; New York dog show; Florida yacht regatta; Di Maggio demonstrates cheese rolling; U. S. tank maneuvers. (Released Wednesday, February 14) PARAMOUNT (No. 48)— Albany, Ga., tornado kills 17; American volunteers take up ski patrol duties in Finland; Russian captives at Suomussalmi Front; Finnish rural districts bombed; Dewey on speaking tour; Employes of deceased paint manufacturer learn they are heirs; Man to pilot boat 9,000 miles to Uruguay; Roosevelt denounces Soviets; Joe Louis defeats Arturo Godoy; Ex-champ Primo Camera introduces son and heir; Basketball, N.Y.U. vs. Notre Dame. MOVIETONE (Vol. 22, No. 45) — Roosevelt denounces Soviets; Albany, Ga., tornado kills 17; British mine-layers plant deadly mines; Egyptian troops in artillery maneuvers; Helsinki burns again after another Russian air raid; American Road Builders' show at Chicago; Paderewski elected President of Assembly in exiled Polish government; King Carol and Prince l^'^ichael of Rumania tour military frontiers; Kay Stammers weds Lieut. Menzies; Camera bathes sonBasketball, N.Y.U. vs. Notre Dame; loe Louis defeats Arturo Godoy; Thomas Lipton regatta off Florida coast. NEWS OF THE DAY (Vol. 11, No. 243)— Roosevelt denounces Soviets; War scenes from Finland; Paderewski heads Poland in exile; Albany, Ga., tornado kills 17; Kay Stammers weds Lieut. Menzies; Camera exhibits bambino; Thomas Lipton regatta off Florida coast; Joe Louis defeats Arturo Godoy; Seabiscuit stages comeback. PATHE (Vol. 11, No. 60)— Youth group hears Roosevelt and Lewis; Albany, Ga., tornado kills 17; New York and Hollywood premieres of "Pinnochio"; Thomas Lipton regatta off Florida coast; Paderewski heads Poland in exile; Basketball, N.Y.U. vs. Notre Dame. UNIVERSAL (Vol. 12, No. 849)— Finns repel Russian attacks; Pamphlet planes "raid" Austria; British patrol planes active; Mannerheim's daughter thanks nations for help; Roosevelt denounces Soviets; Louis and Godoy get together; 17 dead in Georgia tornado; Camera exhibits bambino; Sailing yachts in Cup classic; Seabiscuit beaten on Coast; Basketball, N.Y.U. vs. Notre Dame. FIRST RUN SHORT PRODUCT BROADWAY, NEW YORK (Week Beginning February 17) CAPITOL— Pound Foolish (MGM) rev 1-20-40; Forgotten Victory (MGM) rev. 12-30-39. CENTER— Information Please No. 3 (RKOPathe) rev. 11-18-39; Aquapoise (RKOPathe) rev. 2-10-40. CRITERION— Raiders Over England (Mono.) PARAMOUNT— Way Back When a Triangle Had Its Points (Para.) ; Human Fish (Para.); William Tell (Para.) rev. 12-16-39. RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL— Vatican of Pius XII (RKO-M of T) rev. this issue. RIALTO— Siege (RKO-Pathe) rev. 2-10-40; Think First (MGM) rev. 10-7-39. RIVOLI— Aquapoise (RKO-Pathe) rev. 210-40. STRAND — New Horizons (Vita.) rev. 1230-39; Sniffles and the Bookworm (Vita.); Organ Novelty (Vita.) rev. 11-11-39. CHICAGO LOOP (Week Ending February 17) APOLLO — Jimmy Dorsey & Orchestra (Para.); Mighty Hunters (Vita.) rev. this issue. CHICAGO— Louis Godoy Fight Pictures (Capitol). GARRICK— Where Turf Meets Surf (MGM) rev. 2-3-40; Popular Science No. 3 (Para.) rev. 1-27-40; Harvest Time (20th-Fox). ROOSEVELT— New Horizons (Vita.) rev. 12-30-39; Little Lambkin (Para.). UNITED ARTISTS— Bowling Skill (Para.) rev. 2-3-40; Old Natchez (MGM) rev. 2-3-40; Donald's Coitsin Gtis (RKO-Disney) rev. 5-20-39. Mails 12,000 Postal Cards to Publicize Special News Release In publicizing the Paramount Newsreel's special release, "Year of Dark Contrasts," Stewart Martin, manager of the Embassy Theatre in New York City mailed 12,000 special imprinted postal cards throughout the Metropolitan area. George Washington's vision of the economical and political problems which have produced chaotic conditions throughout the world today and his warning to the people of the United States to safeguard the freedom and liberties of their democratic government is the text of the annual film review of the news of 1939 compiled by Paramount News. McFadden Gets Extra Publicity On Cartoon and Patrons Like It Fred McFadden, Interstate's Dallas showman (one of the many) reports that he got a tremendous amount of free art and publicity on the MGM cartoon, "Peace on Earth." There was a feature story in the Times-Herald, a three column layout of pictures in the Journal and special stories and art in the News. McFadden reports that the cartoon got excellent reaction from his patrons. "In fact," he said, "they liked it better than any other cartoon of 1939." Brown Puts Standees in Stores To Sell "Infornnation Please" Marvin Brown, down in Brownsville, Tex., which nestles right up against the Mexican border, found that it paid to tie up "Information Please" shorts with the sponsor of the radio program of the same name — Canada Dry. Brown put snipes on all Canada Dry stands and also installed standees in drug stores and grocery stores to plug the subject. He reports that as many people turned out to see the short subject as the feature.