Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1943)

12 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 16, 1943 ON THE PATRIOTIC FRONT [MM Seidelman Replies to Criticism or AOMPS Asserting that although the United States Army was well able "to handle its own defense," but that he could not "let some of the recent criticism leveled at the Army Overseas Motion Picture Service go by unchallenged," Joseph H. Seidelman, vice-president and general foreign manager of Universal Pictures, this week answered an appeal by Francis S. Harmon, executive vice-chairman of the War Activities Committee, for immediate attention by the War Department and such remedial action as a complete investigation by Government authorities might warrant in cbnnection with reports of serious film deficiencies overseas {STR, Oct. 9, p. 12). Said Seidelman : "I have been acting as special consultant to this Army unit for the past year and I am, therefore, in a particularly good position to speak with authority on the subject. The officers and personnel selected to handle the distribution of the industry gift films to the troops overseas are all men with experience in commercial distribution and the motion picture industry. No individual, except these officers and men of the Special Service Division both here, and abroad, will ever know the complexities of distribution of both prints and equipment that exist in the combat areas. Despite all these difficulties, the well-known industry axiom, 'the show must go on' was never lost sight of, with the result that soldiers who are scattered in over 19 theatres of operation are seeing new motion pictures several times each week with an average of 1,500 picture performances daily. A comparison of exhibition conditions with standard commercial exhibition as we know it, is really ridiculous. There are problems of transportation, power, equipment and movement of troops that make the service from an Overseas Motion Picture Exchange a military project rather than a routine job. Of course mistakes have been made and breakdowns have occurred, but considering that this whole service depends upon the services rendered by other components of the military forces including air, sea and ground units, I do believe the job that has been done under such circumstances has been good indeed. "I am sorry that the War Activities Committee has found it necessary to publicly criticize this Army service and to ask for an 'official investigation.' If Mr. Harmon, the secretary of the committee, had taken the time to visit the office of the Army Overseas Motion Picture Service in the RCA Building, he could have found the answers to many questions without the need for an 'official investigation.' It is really too bad that many men of the motion picture industry who have given up their lucrative positions for the American Army uniform should be subjected to this kind of back-biting by individuals who do not take the trouble to inform themselves of the true state of affairs. "Anyone in the industry who is really interested to learn of the good job which the Army Overseas Motion Picture Service is doing is tirged to come to the Army Office at 1611 RCA Building and learn the true facts, something very few men in our industry have done to date." Stillwater Rally Nets $215,887 A war bond rally and street parade in Stillwater, Okla., at which Republic stars Mary Lee and George Byron, as well as three war heroes, were guests, netted $215,887 in bond sales, according to Claude E. Leachman of the Aggie, Mecca and Campus theatre. Figure represented two-fifths of the total amount of Stillwater bond sales. Pictured above at Century's Albemarle $600,000 War Bond Show held recently are Joseph Springer, in charge of theatre operations for Century Circuit; Donald Devlin, War Bond poster boy; Fannie Hurst, noted authoress. Show was broadcast over WABC and was a huge success. 30,000 Donors Sent to Red Cross By Film Theatres of New York New York City's motion picture theatres who since, February 8th have been participating in a drive to recruit blood donors for the Red Cross, have to date sent 30,869 plasma volunteers to that organization's blood banks, it has been announced by Eddie Dowden who is handling the campaign for the WAC. The New York plan of having Red Cross nurses stationed in four or five different theatre lobbies each week, has met with such marked success, that it was adopted under the direction of Mrs. Francine Baehr by New Haven, Los Angeles and other key cities throughout the country. Theatres contributing to the, above total for the week of September 20th were : the Harris, the Mayfair, the Colony, and the New Delancey. Mercys Help Drive Succeed Frederick Mercy, Sr., his three sons and the staffs of First National Theatres, Inc., Yakima, Wash., were responsible for not only buying war bonds in excess of a million dollars but also turned over theatre buildings and aided enthusiastically in making Yakima's war bond drive a success. At a theatre bond rally staged by merchants $168,000 was added to the bond sales total. From the showing of "This Is the Army" $9500 was turned over to Army Emergency Relief. Yakima County went well over its $6,000,000 Third War Loan quota. Gifts for Loew-ites in Services Nearly 2500 former Loew-MGM employes now in the armed forces will receive Christmas packages from the company this year. Four hundred parcels, to those overseas, already have been sent, and the others will be dispatched in time for holiday delivery. Each box carries a greeting from Nicholas M. Schenck, Loew's president. $1,906,115,205 Net Of Industry in Drive The motion picture's participation in the Third War Loan Campaign has brought a final reported total of $1,906,115,205 in bond sales according to L. C. Griffith, WAC General Chairman for the Campaign. Inclusive in this figure are bond sales made by the Hollywood Bond Cavalcade, the War Veteran's Bond Airmada, War Bond Premieres, and miscellaneous bonds sold by exhibitors during auctions, rallies, "Free Movie Day," and the specially sponsored tours of Western stars. The Hollywood Bond Cavalcade, which grossed $1,079,586,819, made the following sales in each of the 16 cities visited : Boston, $200,000,000; Philadelphia, $100,000,000; New York, $152,962,500; Pittsburgh, $87,000,000; Cleveland. $143,702,000; Detroit, $47,000,000; Cincinnati, $19,961,064; Chicago, $150,000,000; Minneapolis, $19,512,000; St. Louis, $32,941,655; New Orleans, $39,015,000; Fort Worth, $13,110,000; Dallas, $37,518,000; San Antonio, $15,250,000; San Francisco, $21,614,600. The War Veteran's Bond Airmada, which was broken up into five flight zones, each with its own company of film personalities and decorated war veterans, brought an additional $257,663,975 to the Treasury Department. Flight No. 1, out of Los Angeles, netted $34,495,220 ; Flight No. 2. out of Dallas, $59,292,960 ; Flight No. 3, out of Chicago, $94,907,295; Flight No. 4, out of Atlanta, $32,843,500 ; and Flight No. 5, out of New York, $36,125,000. Final figures for the War Bond Premieres now total $315,845,179.87 with 1447 premieres contributing to this total instead of the slightly lower figure previously reported. Broken down into the 31 Exchange Areas, the totals read as follows : Albany, with 6 premieres. $4,764,000; Atlanta, 128 premieres, $22,084,901; Boston. 32 premieres, $5,346,000; Buffalo. 11 premieres, $1,588,708; Charlotte, 77 premieres, $21,871,477; Chicago, 49 premieres. $5,950,251 ; Cincinnati, 24 premieres, $1,200,000; Cleveland. 14 premieres, $641,203 ; Dallas, 77 premieres, $20,000,000 ; Denver, 60 premieres, $3,943,233.92; Des Moines. 30 premieres, $2,392,763.65; Detroit, 46 premieres, $32,372,320; Indianapolis, 40 premieres. $7,000,000; Kansas City, 51 premieres, $2,549,376.40; Los Angeles, 45 premieres, $21,394,484; Memphis, 48 premieres, $5,624,051; Milwaukee, 100 premieres, $14,672,218.65; Minneapolis, 110 premieres, $2,398,214; New Haven, 21 premieres. $5,712,996; New Orleans, 31 premieres, $778,600; New York, 38 premieres, $41,000,000; Oklahoma City, 40 premieres, $18,041,316; Omaha, 23 premieres $7,226,493.50; Philadelphia, 77 premieres, $19,628,445; Pittsburgh, 50 premieres, $10,779,943; Portland, 20 premieres, $3,645.381; St. Louis. 23 premieres, $1,784,150; Salt Lake City, 47 premieres, $3,559,175; San Francisco, 80 premieres, $12,571,398.75 ; Seattle. 18 premieres, $11,000,000; Washington, 22 premieres, $3,325,000. All reported sales in the "miscellaneous bonds" bracket have now reached $253,019,232. This group includes all exhibitor activities such as bond sales by theatre issuing agents, theatre bond rallies, auctions, "Free Movie Day" and bonds sold by the "Rangers." In announcing this figure, Mr. Griffith added, that it did not include all e.xhibitor sales but took into account all those that had been reported. Stunt Sells $5000 in Bonds Patrons leaving a theatre in Winchester, Boston residential suburb, were "placed under arrest," cited for "non support." Mounting the stage, a police lieutenant informed them they could not leave until they bailed themselves out. Then he relieved the tension, explained they were cited for "non support of the War Loan," urged them to pay their bail by buying another bond. Stunt was responsible for sales of $5000 in bonds and stamps. J.