Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1943)

October 23, 1943 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 39 W AXDERIXG AROUXD HOLLYWOOD Continuing with last week's speculation of the future : there will be several millions of small mm. film projectors in use. Reports tell of a picture film which has one-tenth the thickness or weight of the film in common use now. A ten-reel picture will go on a roll which now takes only one reel. Most pictures are already reprinted in 16mm. But such a print today is bulky and expensive. When a few million projectors are waiting for films to roll through them, with schools, libraries, and businesses using them for educational purposes, there would be a potential market for a few million prints, and an actual market for a million prints. On that scale the prints could be made to sell for about five dollars, with a substantial margin of profit. They would be sold like books, and kept, by the individuals who can afford the projectors, as permanent additions to a film library. Until now, the phrase, "artistic triumph," has meant that a film was fine, met with approval by critics, and sold well in urban areas. However, because a films' real earning value depends on what it does all over the country and the world, and it has flopped in the rural areas, it is a financial failure. Naturally, the film producers, being business men, do not try to make pictures which will be great but die in the final countinghouse summary. With the field opened for a million prints of a picture, at a probable net to the producer of fifty cents a print, the additional clearance of half a million dollars would enable the producer to make an artistic triumph which will pay off. That extra income would be the margin of safety for an extra effort. The potential customer for the print would be the man with a little more money whose tastes have been developed for finer literature, and finer pictures. What zvill happen after that is anyone's guess. Mine is that there would be more pictures made to satisfy the urban and suburban populations. The grozving of age demanded by so many critics would take place in the fight for the film library market. The great rural market zvould have special product beamed at it, but many of the finer pictures would be shozvn throughout the country and achieve fair box-office, as zvell as sell a number of prints. The movie showing zvould be the exhibiiion of his zvares by a salesman, because the e.vhibitor, to make sure he ivoiddn't be hurt by this trend, zvould make arrangements to sell 8 and \6mm. prints and equipment to his public. Start Scoring for 'America' First of the musical scoring for "America," AIGM screen tribute to American industry, was I recorded last week-end. It was a sequence in which Fred Brady appears as a burlesque violinist. Lewis Gruenberg's music was conducted for the recording by Dave Snell. Gruenberg, composer of "Emperor Jones," was specially signed for the elaborate score in King Vidor's Technicolor production starring Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards. Adv. What Are Your Needs? Joe Hornstein Has It Portray Heroic Sullivan Brothers Seen here are the first motion picture Sullivan Brothers in the first still from 20th CenturyFox's "The Sullivans," now in production. Left to right they are Joe (John Alvin), Frank (John Campbell), Al (Eddie Ryan), Matt (George Offerman) and George Sullivan (James Cardwell). Lum 'n' Abner's Next Picture Chester Lauck and Norris Goff (Lum 'n' Abner) will be hard at work in November on their next RKO movie script, with the picture scheduled to be launched late this year. No title has been set. Three Cahn-Styne Songs Victor Saville has signed Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne to write three songs for "Heart of a City," Rita Hayworth-Janet Blair starring vehicle, which Saville will produce and direct. Mli. S Uoiuman Qaei. Dear Mr. Exhibitor's Wife: Warners are making a modernized version of that famous play, "Outward Bound," with John Garlield, Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker and others. I chose that studio for our visit today because I found that most of the principals are working. Call sheet says "Ship's Lounge," so when we enter Stage 8 we find that's where we are. Up on a dais on the porthole side, so that you see the ocean via a moving screen, sits Henreid at a piano. Standing next to him is Eleanor Parker (she's the young lady who played Ambassador Davies daughter in "Mission to Moscow"). The camera is up close, for they're rehearsing a scene between the couple. It's one of those love scenes that calls for many rehearsals because of its delicate theme. When Director Edward Blatt is satisfied, he calls a halt so that the technicians can make ready for the filming . . . and then disappears through a doorway. During the lull, we are introduced to Miss Parker, but before we can get to say anything more than "hello," she's snatched away by the makeup man. We did note, however, that she was wearing a light blue crepe blouse with long, full sleeves tied at the wrist; a royal blue crepe skirt buttoned half way down the front and brown sport shoes. Left on our own, we start snooping around and eventually wander through that same doorway. There we find John Garfield and Faye Emerson rehearsing. Seated on stools facing the director across the bar, they're going over their lines with him. Also rehearsing with them is Edmund Gwenn. In the centre of the room, around a table, sit four other players going over their lines. All-in-all, it's a very busy set at that particular minute. Suddenly Director Blatt rushes back into the other room again, so we go after him. There we catch the final "take" o£ the scene we saw Henreid and Miss Parker do a short while before. On the way out, we almost get to talk to Miss Parker, but even off the screen she's like an Ambassador's daughter ... so we continue on our way. Until next week. Ann Lewis ■a^^ — BMB^ HOWARD PHIILIPS F^^S I ^MADISON^eo^fSTONE ■ • ^■^•■■^ ■ ■■■^ 3)o>ucaled 6v SAM BISCHOFF BOOK IT TODAY— Atlanta — Astor Boston — Astor Buffalo— Pa m-0 Chicago — Eiman Charlotte — J. Schrader Cleveland — Imperial Dallas — Astor Denver — Commercial Detroit— Allied Indianapolis — P.R.C. Los Angeles — Majestic Minnesota— P.R.C. Milwaukee — Astor New Haven — J. Levine New Orleans — Astor New York — Astor Philadelphia — Capitol Pittsburgh — Crown San Francisco — Astor St. Louis — Astor Washington — Astor