Showmen's trade review (Jul-Sep 1942)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW August 8, 1942 Let 'Em Go Alive (Entertaining) Para. (Rl-12) Sportlight No. 12 9% mins. Marineland, Florida, is going out of business for the duration, so Ted Husing offers narration to accompany the pictures of the last meal served to the array of Neptune's children that have made the showplace their home and entertained millions of visitors. Octupi, porpoise, giant jew fish, immense turtles, sharks and the vicious Moray eels after being banqueted, with service by pretty waitresses, are carefully lured into various kinds of traps and transported to the shores of the broad Atlantic and released to live aarain among the brethren from which they were taken for their stay in captivity. The Quiz Kids No. 6 Good Terry-toon Promotion p^'^^ <Q^-^> Popular Science No. 6 Para. (Jl-6) (Good) 10 mins. Keeping pace vvith the strides of science from the desert workshop of America's top architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, busy at coining new ideas for construction of the homes and factories that are to be built when the world gets away from the grip of Mars, through a visit among the pretty damsels who get their faces renovated and their shapes reformed in the modern basement vacationland of a New York hotel, the creating of static immortality for beautiful specimens of flowers and frailer forms of wild life and into the fast moving production lines of Henry Kaiser's West Coast shipyards, this color reel will please your audience. Exhibitors playing the Terry-toon Cartoons, produced by Paul Terry and distributed through 20th Century-Fox, have an opportunity for extra promotion on the subjects. A new comic magazine, Terry-toon Comics, is now on sale at newsstands. Copies would make ideal Kiddie Show giveaways. Also, newsstand dealer tieups could be effected. dangerous parts of the big ship. Eventually a new can of spinach, supplied by Olive, gives the needed energy to overtake a torpedo which is being ridden toward the powder magazine by Sweetpea and prevent disaster. However, Sweetpea continues to register loud complaints about the interference with his playing until Popeye settles by allowing him to steer the big ship from Olive's arms while Popeye furnishes the motive power. Volcano (Exciting) Baby Wants a Bottleship Para. (El-10) Popeye No. 10 (Funny) 7 mins. Olive entrusts Sweetpea to the care of Popeye, and the baby makes his way onto a battleship. Popeye follows to get him out of trouble, but the biby proves too fast for the spinacheating sailor who is always a little late to prevent Sweetpea's getting mixed up with various Para. (Wl-8) Superman No. 8 8 mins. The impending eruption of a volcano brings Superman and Lois Lane to the scene to get the story for their newspaper. Superman is, of course, disguised in his character of Clark Kent, the reporter. Lois manages to hide Superman's pass and he is denied admission to the spot where preparations are being made to blast the side of the volcano to divert its impending flow to the uninhabited side of the Island. As he waits for special nermission the volcano goes into its act and, donnin" the character of Superman, the backward reporter goes into action to rescue Lois, prevent disaster to the town and finally to mend the broken wires and discharge the blast that sends the flow of blistering lava harmlessly into the sea. The reel is in Technicolor. . . NEWSREEL SYNOPSES . . (Released Saturday, August 8) MOVIETONE (Vol. 24, No. 95)— President honors Lieutenant Bulkeley for war heroism; Giant transport planes; Civilians instruct pilots; Weaving wires for bombers; Airplane mechanics, women. Australian WAAKS; Army truck convoy; Huge sheep drive; The river's birthday; Fashion news; Sports, physical fitness and Indian club girls (the Gae Foster Girls of Roxy's). PATHE (Vol. 13, No. 98)— Army test giant cargo planes ; Second front rally in London ; Bulkeley decorated by FDR; Women form rharp-s'iooting unit; Oahu gets in barefoot army; Commission for Pershing's son; Harlem's Hds get toy library; Elmer Davis organizes Office of War Information. UNIVERSAL (Vol. 15, No. 108)— New Curtis commando planes, Buffalo, New York; Circus fire, Cleveland. Ohio; Medal for Bulkeley, Washington, D. C. ; Lieutenant Perfhing commissioned, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Robot aids scrap drive, Salem, Oregon; Save grease to beat Axis, Cleveland, Ohio; Worker solves tire shortage, Los Angeles; Chinese get shore leave, Staten Isl^'nd; Air men learn jiu-jitsu, Washington; Orphaned baby lions, Atlanta, Georgia. NEWS OF THE DAY (Vol. 13, No. 2944)— America fights global war ; First pictures of the mighty commando transDort; President Roosevelt decorates tornedo boat hero; General Pershing's son now an officer; Wild animals perish ?s fire hits Ringling Bros, circus; Navy gives coaches workout. PA^JAMOUNT (No. 99)— Spy trial ends; Griffin, Pellev cases; Londoners ask for second front; Activit'es in Office of War Information; New hiehway in Brazil; Bulkeley receives Congressional Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt; Ohio Representative joins the Navy; Theodore Earle, wounded at Dutch Harbor, gets discharge and medal. (Released Wednesday, August S) MOVIETONE (Vol. 24, No. 95)— Aerial submarine patrol on Atlantic seaboard; Carrier Essex launched at Newport News, Va.; Marines drill in invasion tactics; High altitude flying; U. S. and Canada build strategic Alaska Highway; Henry Ford celebrates 79th birthday; Mildred McAfee sworn in as Lieutenant Commander of WAVES; Men train for army life at Michigan State College; Jack Dempsey teaches coastguardsmen art of self-defense. NEWS OF THE DAY (Vol. 13, No. 293)— Aerial submarine patrol on Atlantic seaboard; General Lee tanks tested at Fort Knox; Marines drill in invasion tactics ; Carrier Essex launched at Newport News, Va. ; Henry Ford celebrates 7"th birthday; Mildred McAfee sworn in as Lieutenant Commander of WAVES; High level fighter training at Foster Field, Texas; Jack Dempsey teaches coastguardsmen art of self-defense; Larchmont Regatta. PARAMOUNT (No. 98) — Mass production of Army's newest tanks; Mildred McAfee sworn in as Lieutenant Commander of WAVES; Private automobiles removed from circulation in Brazil; Iowa twins survive rare birth; Henry Ford celebrates 79th birthday; Carrier Essex launched at Newport News, Va. ; Harlem gets toy "lending library" ; Airmen take over Chicago's Stevens and Congress hotels ; Aerial gunners get stripes on Utah's Salt Flats; High level flying. PATHE (Vol. 13, No. 98) — New aircraft carrier launched; Henry Ford has 79th birthday; M-Four tanks get Army tryout; Texas horses are back on job; U. S. trains air force gunners; Miss McAfee will head WAVES; Soldiers in fire-fighting drill; Convoy planes bomb submarines. UNIVERSAL (Vol. 15, No. 107)— Nazi spies await fate; M-Four tanks get Army tryout; Army takes over Chicago's Congress and Stevens hotels; Carrier Essex launched at Newport News, Va. ; Rounders wins race at Arlington Heiehts, 111 ; Larchmont Regatta; Henry Ford celebrates 79th birthday; Inflatable rubber boat; Mildred McAfee will head WAVES; Navy hunts Axis submarines. (Excellent) 10 mins. The quartette of junior braintrusters really show their stuff in this exceptionally well handled subject which is produced and timed for the best in entertainment values. It is hard to believe that the youngsters are even aware that there is a camera recording their answers, so unassumed and natural is their pose at all times durine the quiz. They were queried on such varied subjects as ladies hats being remindful of the headdress of birds, the names of pre-historic animals of the antediluvian era, how fire played a part in various musical operas and a couple of mathematical problems. The off-side comment of the youngsters shows a keen sense of humor that adds to the enioyment. You're a Sap Mr. Jap (Good) Para. (El-11) Popeye No. 11 7 mins. Popeye takes on one of the Mikado's battleships, masquerading as a fishing boat, and is as slow in coming to an understanding of Jap treachery as were the American diplomats. However, after being booted around a bit by the grinning apologizers, he finally sees through their wile and proceeds about a process of extermination that would start us all cheering if it could be put in operation by our armed forces. Of course, the inevitable can of spinach has its important place in the proceedings — maybe that's what's needed to get that muchtalked-about second front going. Mr. Blabbermouth (Very Good) MGM (A-305) Two Reel Specials No, 5 21 mins. A well handled subject dealing with the mouthy spoutings of little informed persons and how they undermine public morale. Mr. Blabbermouth is shown on his daily rounds spreading pessimism in barber shops, on the street, at his work. In every instance he has opinions adverse to the published news and in conflict with the established facts but the emphasis he places on his vocal ramblings invariably impress the less informed of his associates. Mrs. Blabbermouth comes in for her share of attention as do a pair of paid Nazi agents starting the rumors that Blabbermouth distributes. Some of the footage is devoted to facts and figures that show how unfounded the confusing reports of the terror spreaders really are and the subject closes with Mr. Blabbermouth getting a shaving brush down his guzzle by his long suffering barber. Warner Bros. Gets Government Okay to Produce 2 Defense Shorts Approval of the Warner Department in Washington to go ahead in the production of two Technicolor national defense shorts has been received by Warner Bros. One of the tworeelers is "The Song of the Engineer," to be filmed at Fort Belvedere, near Washington, D. C, under the direction of B. Reeves Eason. The other, "Women at War," will be photographed at Des Moines, headquarters for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. An Army Air Corps defense short, "Rear Gunner," starring Lieut. Burgess Meredith, also is being made at the Warner studios in Burbank, with Ray Enright directing.