Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1944)

July 1. 1944 SHOWMEN'S T 1^^ A D E REVIEW 7 'U' Sets Releases for 12 New Season Features W. A. Scully, vice-president and general sales manager of Universal, this week announced new season releases for the period September 1 to November 24. All but one of the pictures — "The Suspect," now being readied for the cameras— are completed and ready for their release dates. One picture will be released each week during the period. The full schedule of releases for the first quarter of the new season follows : September: 1 — "Gypsy Wildcat," produced in Technicolor by George Waggner, and starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Peter Coe; 9 — "Moonlight and Cactus," with the Andrews Sisters, Leo Carrillo, Elyse Knox, Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra; 15 — "The Merry Monohans," starring Donald O'Connor, Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan; 22 — "Pearl of Death," a Sherlock Holmes story starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce; 29 — "San Diego, I Love You," co-starring Louise Allbritton and Jon Hall. October: 6 — "The Singing Sheriff," starring Bob Crosby with Fay McKenzie and Edward Norris ; 13 — "See My Lawyer," starring Olsen & Johnson; 20 — "The Climax," Technicolor production produced and directed by George Waggner, starring Susanna Foster, Boris Karloff, Turhan Bey. 27 — "Babes on Swing Street," starring Peggy Ryan, Ann Blyth, Leon Errol. November: 3 — "Bowery to Broadway," musical with an all-star cast headed by Maria Montez, Jack Oakie, Susanna Foster, Turhan Bey, Louise Allbritton, Leo Carrillo, Ann Blyth, Andy Devine and Evelyn Ankers, with Rosemary DeCamp, Frank McHugh, Donald Cook, Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan; 10 — "Dead Man's Eyes," Inner Sanctum mystery starring Lon Chaney ; 17 — "Reckless Age," starring Gloria Jean, produced and directed by Feli.x Feist. Warner Family to Attend Liberty Ship Launching Harry !M. W arner, president of Warner Bros., and Jack L. Warner, executive producer, were scheduled to leave Hollywood Friday for San Francisco to attend the launching on Saturday (July 1) of the S.S. Benjamin Warner, named in honor of the father of the Warner brothers, at the Henry Kaiser-operated Permanente Metals Corporation Richmond Yard. Also in the party will be Lita B. Warner, the late Sam Warner's daughter, who will be sponsor of the latest and last Liberty Ship to slide down the ways at Richmond ; Mrs. Ann Robbins, eldest daughter of Benjamin Warner; Lou Halper, zone manager for Warner Theatres on the west coast, and Mrs. Halper. Henry Kaiser, Sr., builder of the Liberty Ships, will be among the other distinguished guests, including Clay Bedford, general manager of the Richmond Yard, who will preside at the ceremonies ; Rear Admiral and Mrs. Emory S. Land, and Rear Admiral Howard L. Vickery. Invocation will be pronounced by Rev. Dr. Rudolph L Coffee, who years ago performed the wedding ceremonies for Harry M. and Major Albert Warner. Boucher Named General Manager Of Meiselman Chain in Carolina Frank Boucher, general manager of the K & B theatres in Washington for the past two and a half years, leaves that post on July IS to become general manager of the eight Meiselman Theatres in the Carolinas. His headquarters will be in Charlotte. Prior to joining K & B, ^Boucher was New York zone manager for the Schine Circuit. He is well known in the Washington territory and in the industry. Giroux Wins Wings George R. Giroux, Jr., former cartoonist with Disney and Columbia studios and son of George R. Giroux, field representative for Technicolor, has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the AAF. Columbia's Bond Buy A corporate purchase of two million dollars in War Bonds was announced by Columbia this week as part of the company's contributicn to the current Fifth War Loan drive. This purchase is separate and apart from any made by the employes of the company during the drive, although it will be credited to Columbia's quota of $3,250,000. Columbia employes have set a goal of $232,000, not in the maturity value of the bonds but in actual cash. RKO to Operate Mort Singer Theatres; Redmond to Supervise RKO will operate the theatres formerly managed by the late Mort H. Singer, it was announced this week by Sol A. Schwartz, general manager of RKO's Out-of-Town theatres. Schwartz announced that John Redmond has been appointed division manager to supervise the theatres. At the same time he announced the promotion of Frank Smith, manager of the Palace in Chicago, to Chicago division manager, and appointment of Harry Schrejber to the newly created post of assistant division manager for the Chicago area. $4,750,000 Budget for Four Lester Cowan Productions Lester Cowan this week announced that a total budget of $4,750,000 has been set for the four pictures he will produce for United Artists distribution. First of the four productions, "Tomorrow the World," is now before the cameras and the producer expects to have it ready for release in October. He will follow this picture with "G.L Joe." Cowan plans a post-war musical from an original story for his third picture. Griffith Resigns; Ralph Talbot New Oklahoma City V.C. Chief L. C. Griffith, Chief Barker of the Variety Club of Oklahoma since it was organized, has resigned that office. Ralph Talbot, Tulsa theatreman, has been elected to succeed him. Griffith, who resigned to accept the chairmanship of the War Council of the State of Oklahoma, will remain a member of the Club Crew. Wingart Returns to 20th-Fox Earl Wingart has returned to 2Gth-Fox, to head a special service division of the exploitation department under Rodney Bush, exploitation manager. Wingart formerly was publicity manager for 20th-Fox. For the past two years he has been with the industry's Eastern division of the Public Information Committee. New National Carbon Setup Divisional olfices will be set up by National Carbon Co., under a new sales arrangement whereby all company products, including projector carbons, will be handled nationally through offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York. Jeffrey Takes Up New Assignment Arthur Jeffrey, former head of publicity for U.A. and recently appointed Eastern publicity director for International Pictures, is handling the press campaign in the East for "Casanova Brown," International's initial production. DeSylvQ Heads Own Unit Under New Para. Pact B. G. "liuddy" DeSylva, executive producer of the Paramount studio, will head his own production unit under a contract completed with Paramount and announced by the coinpany this week. The arrangement with DeSylva is similar to that recently concluded between Paramount and Hal B. Wallis. The contract is for not less than three years and may be extended and he will produce not less than two and not more than three pictures a year. DeSylva will continue to carry on his present duties as executive producer until September IS, after which he will devote his entire time to his own unit. He joined Paramount over three years ago as executive producer and has scored a brilliant record in that capacity, with such pictures as "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Lady in the Dark," "Star Spangled Rhythm," "Going My Way," "Wake Island," "The Road to AIorocco" and other hits to his credit. Prior to joining Paramount, DeSylva had won top rank as a stage producer, scoring a triple-crown achievement on Broadway with three simultaneous hits — "Louisiana Purchase," "DuBarry Was a Lady" and "Panama Hattie." DeSylva won fame as a song writer while in his early twenties. He formed the famous music publishing firm of DeSylva, Brown and Henderson before going into stage production. B. G. DeSylva Form Committees to Act on Issues Developed by PCCITO Trustees Formation uf special committees to act on special issues developed at the session marked the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners Trustees' meeting held last week in Portland at the Benson Hotel. Information that William M. Graeper, Jr., Egyptian Theatre, Portland, has been elected to serve as Trustee during the unexpired term of Bob White, Portland, resigned, was contained in a communication received by the Trustees from the ITO of Portland. Attending the meeting were Trustees Rotus Harvey, San Francisco ; L. O. Lukan and LeRoy Johnson, Seattle ; M. W. Mattecheck and William Graeper, Jr., Portland ; Hugh Bruen, Whittier, Calif., and George Diamos, Tucson, Ariz. ; R. H. Poole, PCCITO executive secretary; O. J. Miller, Portland, Oregon ITO secretary, and James M. Hone, Seattle, executive secretary of Washington, Northern Idaho and .\laska independent theatre owners. Three Republic Productions to Be Photographed in Technicolor Herbert J. Yates, chairman of the board, and James R. Grainger, president and general sales manager of Republic, announce tliat a contract has been signed with Technicolor Motion Picture Corp., and that three top-budget productions will be filmed in Technicolor during the ne.xt 12 months. Republic to Open Mexican Branch Morris Goodman, Republic's vice-president in charge of foreign sales, was scheduled to leave this week for Alexico City to complete arrangements for the opening of a Republic branch office to handle sales and distribution in Mexico. The company recently set up its own distribution offices in Argentina. Brazil, Chile and Panama.