Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1943)

4 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 16, 1943 Boston Riot Marks New Hoodlum Wave As the War Activities Committee was considering the formation of Youth Clubs to combat a new wave of 'teen-age vandalism, reports continued to come in this week of further destructive flare-ups in various localities. In Boston, where it had been thought vandalism was on the wane, a riot in one theatre was considered responsible for a number of smaller episodes in other theatres of the downtown section — all of which caused destruction of equipment. In the major Boston ruckus a name band was playing as part of a big stage show. The vandalism took the form of an actual riot and necessitated calling out the police riot squad and Military Police and Shore Patrol before the wild disturbance could be checked. As a result considerable damage was inflicted on seats and other equipment. Four Negro youths were arrested, all of them members of the armed forces. At their arrest sides were taken by members of the audience and a general riot ensued. Other downtown theatres reported that the news of riot spread quickly and apparently had the effect of causing others to attempt a similar outbreak, although these were nipped before reaching the riot stage. In Boston there has been of late considerable damage to seats and much despoilment of walls in lounges and rest rooms. Offenders, when caught, have been promptly punished by being put in jail, or in the case of service men, having leaves cancelled and being immediately assigned to sea duty or camp chores. Chicago saw the arrest of seven young hoodlums last week. Four of these were held in $25,000 bail, with Judge W. J. Bonelli of the Boys Court declaring that vandalism might be corrected by strong punishment in the Boys Court. Manager L. A. Shiff of the Central Park Theatre pointed out three young hoodlums as participating in one of the recent assault cases. Michigan Takes Action In Michigan last week Gov. Harry F. Kelly and an eleven-man organizational committee sat down to plan the work of the Michigan Youth Guidance Committee. Saying that the time for talk about delinquency was past and the tirne for action here. Gov. Kelly demanded immediate steps be taken to wipe out youthful lawlessness. In all 83 counties in Michigan, committees will be set up to co-operate with the state committee. The City Council at Ann Arbor, Mich., voted final approval last week of the curfew ordinance to curb juvenile delinquency. At Rites for Phil Dunas Columbia oflicials, headed by Jack Cohn, A. Montague, Rube Jackter, Joe McConville and Lou Astor attended the funeral services in Chicago, Tuesday for Phil Dunas, Columbia midwest division sales manager who died October 9th at St. Lukes Hospital, Chicago, following an illness of several weeks. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Dope 24 Box-Off ice Slants 9 Current Product Summary 35 Feature Booking Guide 29 Hollywood 27 Newsreel Synopses 25 On the Patriotic Frrnt 12 Program Exchange 14 Regional Newsree! 18 Selling the Picture 13 Shorts Booking Guide 34 Short Subject Reviews 25 Troops Like 'Army* Irving Berlin's "This is the Army" was the top box-office attraction in Army theatres for the month of September, it was reported by the U. S. Army Motion Picture Service. The four runners-up, in the order of attendance they drew at Army post theatres in this country were: "Johnny Come Lately," "Destroyer," "Best Foot Forward," "Let's Face It." Film Engineers Out in Force For Hollywood Meet Next Week Good attendance is forecast for the Technical Conference of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, which takes place in Hollywood, October 18 to 22, inclusive, according to ad\ance reports from film technicians, engineers and executives. Among the Eastern officers of SMPE who have definitely made arrangements to attend are E. Allan Williford, secretary and past president ; Donald E. Hyndman, engineering vicepresident ; Arthur C. Downes, editorial vicepresident ; M. R. Boyer, treasurer ; Harry Smith, executive secretary, and Charles "Chick" Lewis, editor and publisher of Showmen's Trade RE\aEVV. William C. Kunzmann, convention vice-president, has already arrived in Hollywood to supervise arrangements. MGM Announces $125,000 Best-Book-of-Year Contest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer this week announced a best-book-of-the-year contest, with a prize of $100,000 to the author and $25,000 to the publisher, to go into efi^ect the spring of 1944. It marks the first time that publishers participate in revenue from book contests. In addition, the author will receive 20 cents per copy for each copy sold over 50,000 with a ceiling set at 250,000 copies. Film rights will go to MGM. Rules for the contests and the names of the members of the Board of Experts who will act as judges are to be announced soon after the first of the year. Only manuscripts accepted for publication by Grade-A publishing houses will be eligible to participate. James Merries to Take Over For Goldberg at Pathe News James Herries has been elected treasurer of Pathe News, Inc., as of November 1st, it was announced this week. He will fill the dual vacancy created by the resignations of Leon Goldberg, treasurer, and A. J. MacPhail, assistant treasurer. Mr. Goldberg has left New York for his new post as manager of RKO Radio Pictures Hollywood studio, and Mr. MacPhail, who has been with Pathe News since 1931, leaves to live on his farm at Searsmont, Maine. George Ronan will continue with Pathe News as an assistant treasurer. Schine Also Refused OK To Purchase Reade Circuit Having previously announced that the Department of Justice had refused Loew's, Inc., permission to purchase the Walter Reade circuit. Assistant Attorney General Tom C. Clark last Friday revealed that the Department had also refused a similar request made by the Schine circuit. Although Schine asked officially for permission to buy, the negotiations did not get very far because Clark notified them almost immediately that the plan was out of the question. Rep. Ploeser Stays Propaganda Probe The resolution calling for a House investigation into alleged political propaganda in film releases will not be introduced in Congress until the latter part of the month at the earliest, it was said this week by its author. Rep. Walter C. Ploeser (R, Mo.). Ploeser conferred with Will Hays last week-end on the charge made by the Congressman that the industry has permitted political propaganda "to intrude into motion pictures under the guise of entertainment." The result of this meeting were statements from each of the men, Ploeser saying that Hays had agreed to take the matter up with industry heads, and that with this understanding he decided not to press his resolution until he returned to Washington. Hays, for his part, declared he had promised to bring the problem to production leaders. The statement of the MPPDA president reads : "Congressman Ploeser told me that accusations had been made that political propaganda has been permitted to intrude upon the screen under the guise of entertainment. He evidenced great determination to preserve the freedom of the screen, and I told him I would take the matter up with industry heads." On Monday a meeting with held between Hays and some of the company presidents, after which it was indicated that no formal action by the film companies was expected and no joint planning. However, the matter had been thoroughly explained to the officials, so they could set their courses individually. Universal Declares 1st Dividend A dividend of $1 per share, the first for common stock in the history of the company, was declared last week by the Board of Directors of Universal Pictures, it was announced by J. Cheever Cowdin, board chairman. L. C. Griffith {The Man on the Cover) Head of a large chain of theatres in Texas and Oklahoma, War Activities Committee exhibitor chairman for the Oklahoma City exchange area, and who, as General Chairman of the film industry campaign in the Third War Loan, directed the vast and availing efforts which resulted in the record of $1,906,115,205 in Bond Sales credited to the industry. Griffith moved his headquarters from Oklahoma City to New York City late in July upon his selection as the WAC coordinator of the industry's Third War Loan campaign; concludes his work with the successful results this week announced by him. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Vol. 39, No. 13 October 16, 1943 Title and Trade Mark Registered U. S. Patent Office Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y. Telephone BRyant 9-5606. Charles E. "Chick" Lewis, Editor and Publisher; Tom Kennedy, Associate Editor; James A. Cron, General Manager ; Harold Rendall. Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office, 6777 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, California; Telephone Hollywood 2055. Ann Lewis, manager. London Representative, Milton Deane, 185 Fleet St., London E.C. 4 ; Australian Representative, Gordon V. Curie, 1 Elliott St., Homebush, Sydney, Australia. Subscription rates per year $2.00 in the United States and Canada; Foreign, $5.00. Single copies, ten cents. Subscribers should remit with order. Entered as second class matter February 20, 1940, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1943 by Showmen's Trade Review Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Address all Communications (to : SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y.