Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1945)

8 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW July 14, 1945 Liberty Statue Rallies A total of 18,971 individual bonds worth $1,873,695 were sold in Seventh War Loan rallies at the Times Square Statue of Liberty under the auspices of the New York War Activities Committee, it has been revealed by Irving Lesser, chairman. The rallies which ran three hours daily were attended by average crowds of 10,000. Approximately 4,000 entertainers, including screen and stage stars as well as top-flight musicians appeared at the rallies as well as returned war heroes. Doubled Bond Buys Home office executives and employes of Loew's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Station WHN doubled their E bond purchases in the 7th War Loan drive, Chairman Max Wolff announced this week. Home office E bond sales, with the close of the drive Sunday evening, registered the record breaking figure of $828,000 as against $414,524.50 in the 6th War Loan drive. In addition, home office executives and employes subscribed $40,006.25 on the payroll deduction plan during the 7th drive. Heroism Needed to Film Actual Battle Thrills as well as the more important accurate information conveyed to the public via such pictures as the WAC release, "San Pietro," are made at the cost of life by cameramen who brave the greatest dangers faced by a soldier in the thick of war. This fact was pointed up again this week as Major John Huston, writer, director and narrator of "San Pietro," recited to trade press representatives in New York some of the incidents associated with the making of that picture — which was released to theatres by the WAC. The San Pietro battle, Major Huston said, was typical of all Italian campaign actions, and it was selected, therefore, to convey to the public generally the actual conditions that prevailed as the Allied forces drove the Nazis from the not-so-soft underbelly of Europe. More than 45,000 feet of film were exposed to obtain the footage comprising the short, and nearly all of the original footage, is now in use in Army training films. Several of the shots taken during the battle are now parts of "The Story of GI Joe," it was observed. Major Huston revealed that he is now completing the script for a documentary film dealing with psychiatric cases and the rehabilitation of soldiers. The film will be of feature length when completed, the major stated, and actual cases and case histories will be employed in depicting the Government's medical treatment of such cases. Leo Katcher Joins Disney Leo Katcher, formerly with Samuel Goldwyn and David O. Selznick, has been appointed by Walt Disney to head the Eastern story and talent department of Walt Disney Productions. Heretofore there had been no New York office dealing solely with purchase of story material or signing af talent for Disney. A more intensive effort will be inaugurated to find such talent and material, since Disney contemplates greatly increased production in the near future. W. F. Reilly, 55, Dies Wm. F. Reilly, 55, in charge of War Bond Accounting for Loew's Theatres, died Tuesday after a short illness. Funeral services were held Friday from St. Anne's Church, Garden City, L. L Heads 20th's Foreign Versions Dept. Boris Vermont, formerly associated with OWI in the foreign versions department, has been named head of the foreign versions department of 20th Century-Fox which will have complete charge of dubbed versions, superimposed versions, titling and translating. Bob Vogel on Latin-American Tour Bob Vogel, head of Loew's International at Culver City, is in Mexico City on the first leg of a six weeks'-tour of South America. Policies, Pictures at MGM Chicago Meet Top MGM executives will meet in Chicago this week at a conference which will be concerned with highly important company matters but which in point of numbers will be the smallest in MGM's history — 23 in attendance as compared with the average of 150 to 200 in normal times. The meeting will be presided over by William F. Rodgers, vice-president and general sales manager. It is expected that Rodgers plans to announce MGM's third group for August release and that the group will consist of three or four pictures comprised of some or all of the following : "Anchors Aweigh," "Her Highness and the Bellboy," "The Hidden Eye" and "The Great Morgan." Another important topic to be discussed by Rodgers — who, according to report, will emphasize accomplishments and future aims for extension of MGM's "fair trade policy" — will be the marketing plans for "The Great Ziegfeld." The Technicolor spectacle probably will be roadshown for initial presentations in cities where Ziegfeld originally showed his stage product.odj at a '^^.-iU top on a two-a-day schedule. Theatres and dates of some of the roadshow engagements are reported to have been tentatively set for the Colonial, Boston, Aug. 13, and iMLxon, Pittsburgh, Aug. 26. Among other pictures to be given special attention in the conference discussions are "Weekend at the Waldorf" and "They Were Expendable," both of which may be designated as specials. Executives in attendance in addition to Rodgers will include Howard Dietz, vice-president and director of advertising, exploitation and publicity ; Si Seadler, director of advertising ; William R. Ferguson, exploitation director; Henderson M. Richey, director of exhibitor relations ; Robert Lynch, Philadelphia district manager; iVI. N. Wolf, Boston district manager; Herman Ripps, Albany district manager; Rudy Berger, Southern ;.ales head; E. K. O'Shea, Eastern sales manager; John J. Maloney, Central sales manager; Alan F. Cummings, head of exchange operations and maintenance; John J. Bowen, New York district manager; Edwin W. Aaron, circuit sales head ; George A. Hickey, West Coast supervisor; John E. Flynn, Western sales manager ; William G. Brenner ; Sam Shirley, Chicago district manager and home office publicity and house organ representatives. Griffith Memorial Lodge Is Dedicated Near Oklahoma City Dedication ceremonies for the new $25,000 Griffith Lodge, a memorial to the late Dallas circuit president, R. E. Griffith, who died Nov. 24, 1943, were held in Oklahoma City last week at the Oklahoma WMC.A. camp near Ardmore. L. C. Griffith, president of the Griffith Amusement Co. and brother of the deceased, donated the lodge, w'hich was accepted on behalf of the YMC.A. by E. K. Gaylord, president of the Oklahoma Publishing Co. Kosiner to Europe for Small Harry Kosiner, New York representative of Edward Small Productions, Inc., will leave early in August for Europe to complete a survey on economic conditions relative to Small's productions, it has been announced by the producer. Paramount India Manager Leaves Subodh Ganguli, Paramount general sales manager for India, Burma and Ceylon, has left New York for his post in Bombay after eight weeks in the United States participating in home office sales and organizational conferences. Albright 20th's Australian Head Appointment of Sidney Albright as 20th Century-Fox managing director in Australia was announced this week by Murray Silverstone, president of 20th-Fox International. Spain Stock Shortage Curtails U. S. Films No raw stock, no exhibition of American films in Spain. And the Iberian peninsula apparently isn't kidding either, for despite the raw stock shortage there, the required license from a Spanish producer who has made a picture for each imported picture still remains, so that by the end of 1946 chances of American films being exhibited there will be as slim as the proverbial snowball in Hades. Spain uses 40 million feet of stock yearly, with 60 per cent of that amount coming from the U. S. and the balance from Germany, according to Robert C. Alexander, executive manager of Paramount Films de Espana, recently arrived from Madrid. With these imports curtailed, 16 features in production have ceased shooting. No raw stock, no production ; no production, no license ; no license, no .\merican films. The outlook is gloomy for American producers unless Spain receives raw stock. Depending on the quality of production, each Spanish producer gets an import permit ranging from one to ten pictures. The permits are sold to American producers at an average cost of $25,000 each, plus dubbing costs, which places a total charge of around $30,000 to $40,000 on each American film before it reaches the Spanish screen. But that fee means little to .American producers, for they well know that Spain has 3402 theatres with 4 million seats scaled at SO cents to $1.50 admission. The big worry : whether or not the U. S. will provide Spain with raw stock. Dillinger's Sister Seeks to Prevent 'Diliinger' Exhibition A $500,000 damage suit against Monogram which seeks an injunction against further showings of "Dillinger" has been filed in the Indianapolis Circuit Court by Mrs. Audrey Hancock, sister of the slain outlaw. The suit charges the film is detrimental to the nation's youth and will cause a wave of juvenile delinquency if showings of it are not enjoined. The action, which also names the Lyric Theatre Operating Co., Inc., as a defendant, demands that the film be seized and destroyed. Managers Honor Mrs. Leonard Managers of Broadway motion picture and presentation houses tendered a luncheon this week to Mrs. Louise Leonard, manager of Loew's Mayfair, in honor of her 20 years as a Broadway manager. Chairman of the event, held at the Hotel Piccadilly, was Montague Salmon of the Rivoli. 'Pride of Marines' Tradeshow "Pride of the Marines," Warners' first release for 1945-46, will be nationally tradeshown Monday, .August 6.