Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1944)

Noveyyiber 25, 1944 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 9 Shaw Claims ^First^ Harry Shaw, exhibitor chairman for Connect-cut, wired the National 6th War Loan headquarters that the first projection room screening has been srid out to the tune of $80,000. The screening was held Wednesday (Nov. 22) at one of the New Haven projection rooms, seating 62 persons. 20th-Fox's Mid-Season Sales Conference Set The mid-season sales conference of 20th Century-Fox will be held at the Astor Hotel, New York, starting Dec. 4th through the sixth, and will be conducted under the personal direction of Tom Connors, vice-president in charge of sales. Scheduled for attendance are the dh ision, district and branch managers of the company from all U. S. and Canadian exchanges. The meetings will be handled by sales manager W. C. Gehring, supervising the Western offices ; A. W. Smith, Jr., supervising the Eastern exchanges ; and L. J. Schlaifer, supervising the Central offices. A contingent of home office officials and executives will be headed by Spyros F. Skouras, president, and W. C. Michel, executive vicepresident, which also will include Hal Horne, director of advertising-publicity-exploitation ; Martin Moskowitz, executive assistant to general sales manager W. J. Kupper ; William J. Clark, short subjects manager; Paul Terry, and Harvey Day of the Terrytoons' organization and others. Tom Connors Siesin Rejoins WB Foreign Dept. Beno Siesin, formerly supervisor for Warner Bros, foreign offices in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Near East, has rejoined the company, it was announced Monday by Joseph S. Hummel, vice-president of Warner's International Corp. Siesin will be attached to Hummel's staff at the home office for the time being, but later will return to Paris. MGM Appoints Award Director Constance Smith, former fiction editor of McCall's Magazine, will conduct the 1945 MetroGoldwyn-Mayer annual novel award, it has been announced. This year's award was won by Elizabeth Goudge with her current novel "Green Dolphin Street." Gifts for Picture Pioneers Plans now in the final stages of completion for tlie Picture Pioneers Exhibitors' Christmas party in New York Dec. 13, call for the distribution of gifts to must or all the Pioneers who attend. Sam and George Dembow, co-chairmen of the dinner committee, are' working out plans which will make the gift feature possible, according to Jack Cohn, house manager. Technicolor Votes Dividend The board of directors following a meeting of Technicolor, Inc., on Nov. 17, declared a dividend of 25 cents payable Dec. 15 to stockholders of record Nov. 30, it was announced by Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, president and general mana.cer of the corporation. Industry Girds to Top Bond Quota of $2,500,000,000 With its self-assigned commission of putting over, and possibly surpassing, the Treasury Department's quota of $2,500,000,000 in "E" bonds as part of the over-all objective of the nation-wide sale of $14,000,000,000 in war bonds, the motion picture industry's 6th War Loan Drive officially got underway this week. Back of the drive stood the stalwart ranks of more than 16,000 showmen, distributors, service and equipment companies and allied industries fully mustered and determnied to give unsparmgly and untiringly in their aim to reach and surpass their quota of sales. tully mobilized following a series of 19 regional key city meetings in as many cities and attended by members of the national committee and more than 6000 affiliated and independent sliowmen, the industry has been solidly moulded into one united fighting force. With the conclusion of the key city meetings, exhibitor units throughout the nation conducted their own state and local rallies, and from latest reports the greatest campaigns ever sponsored by the industry are now focused on the 6th War Loan drive, which runs from Nov. 20 through Dec. 16. Telegraphic and telephone reports to National Chairman Harry Brandt from his nine co-chairmen revealed outstanding cooperation on the part of everyone connected with the industry. Enthusiasm expressed throughout the territory was indicative of the magnificent cooperative spirit that prevails in the industry. Among the significant highlights of the week was the fact that showmen now more than ever before were rapidly becoming issuing agents. Reports from exhibitor state chairmen offered unequivocable proof that the 6th drive will witness more bond premieres than ever before. Exhibitor ranks are gradually increasing in the schedules for children's matinees. Campaign Coordinator Jay Emanuel was the recipient of word from major circuit operators that National Free Movie Day, which will be observed Dec. 7th, will be ushered in with more "movie shows" than ever in the industry's liart in former bond drives. sensational bond-selling schemes yet devised for the sale of E bonds. It is a plan to reach the women, and it was originated in Iowa by the Iowa Women's Division of the War Finance Committee. It has been tested in several Iowa counties and has proven so successful that the Treasury Department is adopting the plan nationally. As a result of the arrangement, the entire bond-selling facilities of the Iowa Women's Division are available to Iowa theatres during the drive. "Pin Money Bonds" are Series £ or G U. S. War Bonds purchased by a woman with her own money — earned by her own work, saved out of her household budget, or accumulated from other sources. Wolcott enclosed with his bulletin official "For Victory" stickers used in the plan. The stickers carry the additional copy : "I have bought a Pin Money Bond for Victory, etc." These are distributed to issuing agents throughout the state. When a woman buys her bond she fills out one of these stickers and the issuing agents turn all of the filled out stickers over to the Iowa Woman's Division, from which data the number of Pin Money bonds bought is tabulated. Mammoth Rally at Garden Nets $100,000,000 in Bond Sales Under the sponsorship of the War Activities Committee of the motion picture industry. 20,000 New Yorkers heeded a patriotic call, and jammed Madison Square Garden Monday night to witness what probably will hold the record as the greatest radio show of all time to launch the nation's Sixth War Loan. Over $100,000,000 worth of bonds were purchased by those who saw and heard the coast-tocoast broadcast of 10 top-flight programs, which for the first time was broadcast from one auditorium. Beginning at 6 p.m. and concluding after midnight, stars of the screen, radio and the stage usually identified with commercial announcements changed the character of their respective acts by appeals for bond purchases. Arransements for the galaxv of stars and the programs were handled by Ted Lloyd, chairnnn of the radio division for the Sixth War Loan. 'Pin Money' Premieres Urged For Iowa's 6th War Loan Drive Leo F. Wolcott, Iowa's national co-chairman for the industry's participation in the 6th War Loan, has urged exhibitors in his territory to put over the "Pin Money Bond Premieres." In a bulletin to all showmen, Wolcott revealed tliat the "Pin Money Bonds" is one of the most Mobilize Hollywood Stars For 6th State Campaigns Motion picture stars, hand-picked because of previous war^ work, are now in the field to participate in the 6th War Loan campaign with unique assignment in several states. In most of the states, the stars will become honorary co-chairmen, and will take them into approximately 100 cities in 10 states. Assigned by War Finance posts are the following : Ingrid Bergman in Minnesota ; Alexander Knox and Linda Darnell in Pennsylvania ; George Murphy in Massachusetts ; Janet Blair in South Carolina and Georgia ; Franchot Tone in New York ; and Paul Lukas in Ohio. Others are to be named from day to day. Los Angeles Sets Goal of 550,000 Individual Sales A goal of 550,000 individual war bond sales — 50,000 more bonds than their quota in the Fifth War Loan — has been accepted as a 6th War Loan target by the Los Angeles Examiner and the picture theatres of Southern California acting in concert once again as the greatest commei"cial bond-selling force in the Southwest. Loew's $75,000 to War Fund A national donation of $75,000 to the National War Fund has been announced by David Bernstein, treasurer of Loew's. The money will be divided among the War Fund committees in cities in which are located MGM exchanges and Loew theatres, so that local credits will be provided. Red Bud Collections $175 The Rei Bud Theatre, Red Bud, 111., collected $175 for the Red Cross War Fund during the campaign last March, but through clerical error was credited in the book of final accounting published by the Committee with having collected only $10. The population of Red Bud is 1,100 and the seating capacity of the Red Bud Theatre 295 — factors which won high commendation for C. T. Dusinberre, owner of the theatre, for the $175 total realized for t'le Red Cross.