Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1942)

June 20. 1942 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 5 Good Um of the WEEK About Pictures and People Curtailed Print Deliveries To Widen Spacing of Bookings The American public is being conditioned, so to say, for the eventuality which may and may not arise, under luhich pictures zvill play longer per stand or many of the stands or theatres may have to go dark for certain periods during the iveek. But this is a rosy, not a gloomy picture. This is about the number of longer runs that are ago in all sections of the country — for reasons that are as many as you'd like to make 'em. One of the most constructive vieivs to take is that the pictures that are getting the hold-overs are shoics far and azvay and above the average, the good and even the best thai have come along in previous periods. "This Above All" is a picture that gives 20th-Fox a big show to shout about. In 4 out of 5 pre-release engagements, the picture has held over. The first of its pre-release showings, at the Astor in New York, is running in its sixth week now. • • • "Mrs. Miniver" is setting back the opening of Walt Disney's "Bambi" by running on into its third week at the big Music Hall in New York. The Aiusic Hall can take care of crowds — as witness that some 250,738 persons saw the picture there in the first 11 days of the current run. • • • "Sergeant York" is making a hit "over there." The picture played 8 weeks in London. It hit records in Sydney, Mexico City, Bombaj^ Cairo, and other foreign cities. "York"' marches back to Broadway to play return engagements at RKO Circuit theatres — at which it was originally presented at advance-price pre-release runs. Fan Letter: Dear S. Z. Sakall— We had a swell time at that wonder-show "Yankee Doodle Dandj%" a film abrim with things to remember; yet we seem to remember nothing more vividly than the way you made us chuckle with j'our lisping, mincing utter confusion as the guy who wanted to "angel" a show with lots of girls in its chorus. "Reap the Wild Wind" continues to mow down the records. The DeMille opus blew all records of the Denham Theatre, Denver, sky-high. The same general results obtained when the picture called in the customers to the Newman Theatre in Kansas City. "Reap the Wild Wind" is now playing its second week at the Fenway, Boston, after a 3-weeks engagement at the big Metropolitan in that city. Bernstein, Grade Fields Honor Guests at AM PAW AC Luncheon A first hand account of wartime experience by England's film industry will be presented by Sidney Bernstein, British "film liaison" to Washington and the country's film industry, in the joint AMPA-War Activities Committee luncheon, next Thursday (25th) in New York. George J. Schaefer, head of the War Activities Committee, will introduce Mr. Bernstein. Gracie Fields, premiere English comedienne and her husband, Monty Banks, also will be guests of honor at the luncheon. Restrictions on film deliveries by trucks, plus the looming possibility of curtailment of the number of prints in circulation will change the whole exhibition picture considerably, according to present indications. Calls of reduction of the amount of footage of film used by the industry are such that studio economies on the raw stock cannot effect the savings expected. This means that positive stock used by the distributors will have to be reduced. Film Carriers Restricted The Office of Defense Transportation mandatory order that mileage of trucks be cut 25 per cent in 25 mile areas and that only one pick-up per day be permitted for over-the-road hauls is certain to have a serious effect on film business. In recent years exchanges have taken advantage of the rapid transportation facilities available to set up a system of close bookings that allowed a feature to be entirely liquidated in five or six months. The new ruling, from which there is little chance of relief, will make it necessary that bookings be spaced farther apart to allow for added time in transit and will probably result in a return to the system in effect years ago when nine months to a year was required to play out the available dates on an attraction. Alembers of the Film Carriers Association have been meeting with representatives of the exchanges for the purpose of determining on some plan or method of coordination with the Government order. Exhibitors and distributors will have to work in close harmony on any mutually satisfactory method of delivery and pick-up of prints to eliminate all chance of miss-outs. Government Would Like to See 50% Saving on Film -A.t a Screen Writers Guild meeting in Hollywood, Secretary Val Burton of the Film Conservation Committee declared that the Government would like to see a 50% cut in film footage by the industry this year. He reported that it was the original intention to order a 50% reduction and place the remaining 50% on the priorities list but that the industry has an opportunity to voluntarily make cuts without arbitrary figures being set. He pointed out that a 50% saving in film stock would release 10,000,000 pounds of gun cotton. The Guild has created a sub-committee to receive suggestions for conservation of film and offer recommendations to the Film Conservation Committee. Y. Frank Freeman, president of the producer's association, and Sidney Buchman, president of SWG, were among the speakers. Would Conserve Film By Deleting Credits Following recommendation of the Film Conservation Committee that studios abandon the use of credits for the duration, elimination of all billing and credit footage except the main title from motion pictures was expected this week. According to the committee's estimate, the plan would result in a saving of 10,000,000 feet annually, and would contribute materially to the industry's goal of reducing film consumption by 25 per cent. Adoption of the recommendation was voted unanimously by the committee, which consists of representatives of motion picture guilds, unions and management. Approximately 300 fet of film is required to list the credits for all the creators on each print distributed under the present practice. The committee's estimate of the saving was based on an average production of 300 prints of each feature picture. Before the recommendation can be adopted in practice, however, agreement by all film guilds and unions whose members have the contractual right to demand billing will be required.