Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

October 20, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 29 Approximately 5000 Exhibitors* Pledges Exhibitor pledges for participation in the film industry's Victory Loan campaign are expected to reach 5000 by the end of the week, it was revealed at WAC headquarters Thursday morning. This response of showmen, while below expectations, is sufficiently good to make members of the national committee, headed by Si Fabian, feel that theatremen throughout the country will come through again for the U. S. Treasury. During the week, the Treasury Department announced that restrictions on the awarding of prizes by employers for Bond sale efforts had virtually been eliminated as part of the relaxation of Federal controls over wage and salary increases. The Treasury also announced the formation of an "honor group" membership drive in New York State for the Victory Legion, an organization dedicated to the purchase and securing of subscriptions of $1000 E Bonds. An eastern regional meeting was held Wednesday at the Hotel Astor, New York, headed by Harry Brandt, New York Metropolitan chairman. Twelve State chairmen from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia and Maryland were present as well as 14 publicity chairmen and six distributor chairmen. Fabian, Reagan, Doob, "Chick" Lewis and 51 others were present representing every branch of the industry. On Oct. 30 approximately 30 Hollywood stars will participate in an all-day Victory Loan parade throughout Greater New York and Westchester County. Edward C. Dowden of Loew's will be general director of this Hollywood Caravan. Theatre Patronage in England Continues at High War Level Motion picture theatre patronage in England continues at the same high level established during the war and shows no sign of slackening, according to C. R. Graves, manager of the Newcastle territory for General Film Distributors, which distributes Universal product in England. Graves is visiting the United States for the first time and is here as the result of winning the Seidelman Sales Drive. Discussing present conditions in England, Graves stated that the British people are concerned with food, clothing and entertainment in that order and that motion pictures are the favorite form of entertainment. Rogers Entertains Patients Roy Rogers, Republic's King of the Cowboys, who is currently appearing in the World's Champion Rodeo at Madison Square Garden, appeared with the Rodeo this week at Bellevue Hospital. The star was also scheduled to make several radio appearances and to attend two dinners in his honor. Shorpe to Address Students Lester Sharpe, recently appointed Republic eastern story and talent head, will address motion picture script-writing classes at New York University, Columbia University, and the New School for Social Research, during the winter semester. London Trade Press Honors Skouras Spyros P. Skouras, whose thirtieth anniversary in the film industry is being commemorated by 20th Century-Fox International Corporation through a world-wide sales drive, has received tribute in two of Britain's leading trade publications, The Daily Film Renter and Today's Cinema, which brought out special dedicatory issues entirely devoted to honoring the 20th-Fox president. 61% Choose Doubles Asked to vote either for double features or a single bill with short subjects, approximately 61 per cent of the moviegoers of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, chose the twin-bill programs, according to a public opinion broadcast from the stage of the Vogue. Paramount's Four Divisional Managers Visit 31 Exchanges Paramount has instituted a closer contact between divisional sales managers and their respective exchange centers as part of a plan for more efficient sales supervision, it has been announced by Charles M. Reagan, vice-president and general sales manager. Four divisional managers are currently visiting their territories. James J. Donohue is visiting Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis. George A. Smith is visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Butte, Kansas City, St. Louis and 'Des Moines. William Erbb is hitting the Boston, New Haven, Albany, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Washington and Pittsburgh territories and Hugh Owen will visit Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans. 24 Reissues Set by Van Praag's Supreme Exchange in Chicago Supreme Pictures Company, an independent exchange recently opened in Chicago by Morton Van Praag, has announced a program of 24 reissues for the fall season. Heading the list is the "Super 10," consisting of "Prisoner of Zenda," "Garden of Allah," "Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "That Uncertain Feeling," "The Bandit and the Lady," "The 39 Steps," "Miracle of Main Street," "The Mine With the Iron Door," "Rebecca" and "Intermezzo," with prints on the latter two' films expected to be ready by January. Included in the "Profitable 14" are "Under Secret Orders," "Savage Girl," "A Gangster Talks," 'The Lion Man," "Roll Along Cowboy," "Bad Man of Panamint," "Rawhide," "Hawaiian Buckaroo," "Ten Laps to Go," "Under Strange Flags," "Drums of Destiny," "Blake of Scotland Yard," "Glory Trail" and "Shadows of Chinatown." Skouras, Randforce Reach An Agreement With Local 306 The Skouras and Randforce Circuits of NewYork have reached an agreement on a new contract with members of Local 306 of the IATSE. Loew's, RKO, the Broadway first runs, home offices and newsreels have already signed with the projectionists. The Skouras and Randforce circuits have offered the union wage increases totaling 15 per cent and have agreed to the elimination of the privilege of requesting special projectionists to fill jobs, except in cases where major circuit scales are paid. A membership meeting of Local 306 was expected to approve this agreement over the week-end. MGM Booth Given to the Army The Loew's and MGM information booth at 46th Street, New York, has been turned over to the Army, which will use it as its Times Square Victory Recruiting headquarters in the campaign to enlist 70,000 volunteers in the second service command area. Opening day ceremonies featured a parade by the Ft. Jay Band and color guard ; songs by Jane Froman ; presentation of the booth to Lt. Colonel Hugh L. Roberts by William R. Ferguson, director of exploitation for MGM, and a talk by Newbold Morris, representing the City of. New York. Attend ance Mark Set at SMPE Meet All previous registration and attendance marks for conventions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers were shattered this week as the organization held its 58th Semi-Annual Technical Conference in New York with over 400 members and guests attending the three day sessions, October 15, 16 and 17. SMPE President Donald E. Hyndman opened the conference with an address of welcome followed by a convention report by the Society's Vice President W. C. Kunzmann. Some thirty-eight papers were presented during the conference by leading technical experts of the motion picture industry dealing with a wide range of subjects, many of which are based on scientific achievements attained through wartime research. Herbert E. Goldberg, Charles J. Kunz and Charles E. Ives, all of the Kodak Research Laboratories, Rochester, N. Y., were the recipients of the 1945 Journal Award for a paper, "Improvement in Illumination Efficiency of Motion Picture Printers" co-authored by the three men and published in the Society's Journal in 1944. Following the announcement of the Journal Award winners, Mr. Hyndman made known the names of ten SMPE members, elevated by election as Fellows of the Society, in recognition of outstanding achievements in their various branches of the industry. The Fellowship certificates were presented to George L. Carrington, Altec Service Corp., New York' City; Charles E. Ives, Kodak Research Laboratories ; Charles F. Horstman, Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corp. ; Charles L. Lootens, Paramount Pictures ; Jack A. Norling, Loucks and Norling Studios; Lt. Col. John O. Aalberg, U. S. Army Signal Corps ; Herbert Barnett, International Projector Corp.; John G. Bradley, The Library of Congress ; Major Lloyd T. Goldsmith, Director, Pictorial Engineering and Research Laboratory Division, Signal Corps Photographic Center, Long Island City, N. Y. ; and G. T. Lorance, International Projector Corp., New York City. Of the Society's officers, President Donald E. Hyndman ; Past-President Herbert Griffin ; Executive Vice-President Loren L. Ryder ; Editorial Vice-President Arthur C. Downes ; and Convention Vice-President William C. Kunzmann, remain in office until December 31, 1946. Four Continents Releases Two Two of the four pictures to be released by Four Continents Films, Inc., are currently playing Broadway. They are "Love on the Dole" at the World and "Battle for Music" at the Little Carnegie. "The Common Touch" and "Waltz Time" are being readied for early exhibition. Film Classics Bond Award Contest A contest for franchise holders of Film Classics was inaugurated last week by L. E. Goldhammer, general sales manager, to run from October 12 to January 18. Victory bonds ranging from $100 to $300 will be given the exchange doing the most business on a quota basis. Kalmenson, Sachson in Toronto Ben Kalmenson, Warners' general sales manager, and Arthur Sachson, were in Toronto this week for conferences with Haskell Masters, Canadian district manager. The two home office executives were scheduled to return to New York at week's end. Driver in Carolina Post W. G. Driver, formerly a field auditor at the home office of MGM, is now manager of the Chester, Chester, S. C, an Everett house.