Variety (Sep 1942)

PICTUBES Wcdnesdaj, September 30, 1942 Coast Theatre Heads Not Manned Over Gas Rationing Effect on Biz Hollywood, Sept 29. Theatre chain operators here, faced with a new menace in the matter of gasless automobiles in a town which pancakes all over the landscape, and leaves focal points as remote from one another as though in different counties, are impressed but not unduly alarmed by the Government program of gas- rationing. This will take a lot of automobiles off the streets for a goodly part of every week, and keep. them off, but spokesmen for local theatre chains are undismayed. In fact, there's a feeling here, apt- ly expressed by the old story of the boxing manager telling his bum, drooling and drooping there in the corner, 'He can't hurt us.' But it goes deeper than that. Heads of re- leasing companies here are definite- ly expectant that, after a little pre- liminary fumbling around, this sub- way-less and auto-conscious town will work out its own salvation, without any noticeable loss of the- atre business. Two of the spokesmen, Lou Halper, Coast zone manager for Warners theatres, ^nd Harry Wallin, of Par- amount, point out that all their houses are in centers of population and. therefore, not wholly depend- ent upon the automobile. A third. Arch Bowles, regional supervisor for Fox-West Coast, is a little less specific but was definite in the diag- nosis that, in the end, the overall affect on theatre receipt;! would not be noticeable.' Bowles added, The situation is similar to previous rationing when cans began to come off the roads. It will equalize itself, which is to say that if business picks up in the daytime, as it did before, this will offset any loss at night. As a mat- ter of fact, the last time a change went in there was an overall in- crease in business. 'Suburbanites undoubtedly won't come into town for first-run pic- tures, but this will help neighbor- hood' business. If there is any un- favorable reaction, we will, as be- fore, find means of overcoming it' Diraoat's BriKhtening Effect This optimistic view is echoed by Halper and Wallin, the latter' being at some pains to state that, while picture theatres here had spent hundreds of thousands on lighted marquees, th^ had done bigger business since the dimout went into effect; also that the downtown sit- uation would r.<nain largely in status quo because 90% of people went there by trolley and bus. This, in turn, brings up the transit transportation matter, a check-back over which reveals the fact that— with the automobile still heavily In use—the local systems handle 1,-" 375,000 persons dally. What wUl happen to them in the event of a new deluge of customers might be difficult to imagine, especially in the case of the Los Angeles Railways, which currently claims to be taking on 1,000,000 people daily. Mean- time, the Pacific Electric is aver- aging 275,000 daily, with the L. A. Motor Coach Co. handling about 100,000 more. These figures, inci- dentally, indicate that nobody must be home here all the time, for the population of the County is only 2,750,000 and .thjit of I^os Angeles proper, 1,500,000. Offhand, the data In question Im- plies that a lot of the town will be on foot when rationing officially goes in, which, in turn, suggests that neighborhood houses within walking distance of the apartment districts may perk up immeasurably. Telltale Test Tube However, the real 'guinea pig* of the exhibitors' experimental early period of gas rationing is likely to be the Fox-Wilshire, because of its location. It is halfway into Beverly Hills and halfway out of the Wil- shire district, so that a great many people, if they wish, may go there afoot If they don't wish, then it may be Uken that gas rationing is having an adverse affect upon pic- ture houses. Wallin, however, is quite convinced that the future is far from doleful; rather, if anything reverse. 'It very likely will be the same as our experio.ice with blackouts,' said he. 'With the first one, our receipts were affected for three days or so; with the second one, it was one day! With the third, there was no affect "There is much talk at first biit In the end It all flattens out Who, for example, «ver thinks about sugar-rationing any more? For a time, It was the sole topic of con- versation.' Halper of Warners is very happy in the fact that his theatres are what he calls 'self-sufficient'; that they're in the midst of populous areas from which people may arrive afoot or a-wheel, practically at pleasure. He •Ten thinks his Beverly Hills cli- entele will continue to come over to Hollywood Blvd. for Warners first run pictures as before. PAR AGAIN PAYS WAGE BONUS TO WORKERS In paying a salary bonus for the third quarter this year covering a total of 13 weeks to Friday (25), Paramount advised recipients it is hoped that this may be continued periodically In spite of possible wage-freezing regulations. Company is the only one in the business hand- ing out liberal premiums on salary under .what Is known as a 'Cost of Living Bonus' plan. To all employees of Par at its homeoffice, exchange and subsidia- ries the bonus given Friday (25), along with regular paychecks, amounted to 10% or. the first $100 of weekly salary and 5% of the second $100, multipUed by the 13 weeks of the quarter. For the lesser em- ployees the bonus was paid on salary excluding any overtime that had been paid. Notice sent by Walter B. Cokell, Par treasurer, to employees re- ceiving the extra check, read in part: 'There is now pending in Congress legislation which, if passed as now written, may have the effect of free- zing salary and wage rates and cost of living at levels existing on Sept. IS. 'The management hopes that, in spite of the war and such freezing, the payment of these periodical bonuses based on the cost of living will have served to enable you to maintain your normal living stand- ards. Information obtainable indi- cates that these bonuses have had the effect of keeping Paramount's salary rates at levels above those of similar positions elsewhere in the industry and in the New York area as a whole.' Par's bonus policy, inaugurated the first of this year, is to pay a bonus on salary earned In line with statis- tics showing the rise in living costs. Percentages of bonus are In accord- ance with such figures. Disappoined? Hollywood, Sept 39. Snippiest gal in Hollywood Is Mrs. Hannah Dennis, who cele- brated her 2Sth year as a film cutter at Universal, after snip- ping a total of 1,875 picturea Mrs. Dennis went to work at U in 1917 on a temporary basis. PIX BIZ SETS SALVAGE CO-OP In response to Donald M. Nelson's appeal to the motion picture indus- try to cooperate- in the salvage drive — I'we need the help of every mo- tion picture theatre from the tiny theatre in the smallest community to the biggest first-run theatres in the country')—the War Activities Committee last week issued a call to exchange and theatre men for help in collecting scrap metal, rubber and other vital materials. Press book prepared by Monroe Greenthal, now In Washington on leave of absence from United Ar- tists, who has been working on the Scrap Drive, was also issued. WAC announced that, to avoid any possible misunderstanding be- tween distributors and exhibitors relative to obtaining free film for scrap matinees, heads of the various distribution departments had agreed <1) to permit exhibitors playing per- centage pictures to use them for scrap drives without charge to the exhibitors; (2) as an alternative, ex- hibitors preferring not to play their current picture may, instead, obtain free a previously played available feature picture or (3) short sub- jects. In consideration of this, It has been agreed that all proceeds received by exhibitors from these scrap matinees would be turned over to some local or national char- ity to be selected by the exhibitor. Special salvage film, produced by the War Production Board, Is to be distributed shortly by RKO. SOLDe LEADS 300 TO SAFETY FROM HRE San Antonio, Sept. .29.. An unidentified soldier, believed to be a buck private attached to a local camp, led 300 fllmgoers to safety when the South San, a nabe here, caught fire last weeln The soldier looked over his shoulder and saw the projection room in flames. Ordering the men, women and children to their feet, he coolly but hurriedly led them from the building. He then disap- peared. Damage In the projection room, where the flames started was esti- mated at $3,000. There was little other damage. Trackmg Down Ditties Hollywood, Sept 29. Alice Faye and other principals ot 'Hello, Frisco, HeUo' are doing three weeks of pre-recording on a dozen songs by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren before the dramatic filming starts. Recording by Miss Faye, June Havoc, John Payne and Jack Oakie starts Oct. 6, with the rest of the troupe going to work Oct. 28. Grandstand for Scrap Lebanon, Pa., S^t. 29. The grandstand at the Lebanon Fair Grounds, in its day one of the most substantial steel and concrete sttuctures at any American track, has gone the way of other scrap metal. The building was sold to a firm of wreckers for the metal The fail itself was discontinued about 10 years ago, the depression and heavy competition by the Reading, York and AUentown fairs, all in larger communities, making it unprofitable tij operate. The granostand had near- ly 3,000 seats. Approximately 15,000 theatres throughout the country have been mobilized in the scrap drive for the month of October starting tomorrow (Thursday), while already about 1,700 newspapers are giving the War Production Board space on the col- lecting campaign. That»the film in- dustry will make the best showing of any in the drive is the goal sought Under the campaign plans, thea- tres will collect scrap materials in various ways and also use special films, trailers, announcements and underlined ads in bringing honl^ the drive's importance to the public. Means of participation by theatres have been suggested, including (1) scrap metal or rubber matinees with admission iii The form "oflf design nated number of pounds of material; (2) designation by the theatre of a salvage depot where scrap can be deposited and sold to junk dealers with profits going to some charity; and (3) grouping of four or five thea- tres and designation of an empty lot or suitable spot as a receiving sta- tion. Takes Color Well Hollywood, Sept. 29. RKO returns to the tinter field after an absence of several years with the Technicolor production, 'Grand Canyon,' co-starring Richard Dix and James Craig. Allan Dwan draws the producer chore and Bert Gilroy produces. White Rolls at Rep Hollywood, Sept. 29. Eddie White draws his first pro- duction chore at Republic with the start of 'The Sundown Kid,' a Don Barry western. Elmer Clifton is assigned as di- rector, with the film slated to roll tomorrow (Wed.). HMs llirill Deirt Shunted Off To Ersatz and Miniature Ey^Fooler$ Hollywood, Sept 29. With on* thing and another, in- cluding • TCty uninhibited war which knows no human immunity, even the Thrills and Chills depart- ment is beginning to have' a tough time around here. Studios don't, and can't blow up the Battleship Maine at pleasure, right in the Shadow of Morro Castle—or a reasonable fac- simile—in Havana Harbor. They can't even blow up a pair of water wings in Los Angeles harbor. Unlimited latitude in locations of the sort is out for the duration. So is the old time auto chase, that is, the part where cars go yowling around hairpin turns on two rims and a hub-cap. The soimd of an- guished rubber is most disconcert- ing to sensitive wartime ear&. Moreover, the $5,000 ceiling on sets has stopped the boys from set- ting to and creating their effects through elaborate reproductions on sound stages. In the absence of all this—for the duration — there's doubtless much miniature work going on at the double-cross roads, though not every studio will admit it They like to make their audiences feel that this is realism that's being done under the lacquer and eye shadow; that it's life in the raw, wherein the blood is positively not tomato sauce. Feeling that way and at the same time being restricted no end by the Rep. Keeping Prod. Line Hot 23 Pix On 4-Month Sked Hollywood, Sept. 20. Republic is readying a fall and winter production spurt, with 32 writers working on 23 scripts to be filmed In the next four months. Six features are slated to roll in October, starting with Armand Schaefer's untitled Weaver Bros, and Elviry comedy. Others are 'Prairie Pals,' "London Blackout Murders,' 'Hit Parade of 1943,' 'Chat- terbox* and Tahiti Honey.' FULL SPEED AHEAD AT RKO, SEVEN SET Hollywood, Sept. 29. RKO is putting on a burst of pro- duction speed next month with seven features slated to go into work, starting Oct. 1 with 'Hitler's Children,' an Edward A. Golden pro- duction based on the Gregor Ziemer novel, 'Education for Death.' Six others are 'Bombardier,' 'I Walked With a Zombie,' 'Grand Canyon,' 'This Land Is Mine,' 'Stand By to Die' and 'The Great Gilder- sleeve.' Stiiilid Contracts Hollywood, Sept. 29. Joan Fulton, Broadway actress, signed by 20th-Fox. (Jeorge Byron, "ice show emcee, drew a Republic contract Fred Veader handed player ticket by 20th-Fox. Martha MacVicar inked player pact at Universal. Van Johnson drew a new actor contract at Metro. Patsy O'Connor, 11-year-old mop- pet, signed by Universal. Leighton Noble, former band lead- er and singer, handed a player con- tract by ..liversal. Dalton Trumbo inked new writing pact at Metro. Louise AUbritton drew new player ticket at Universal. Linda Darnell's option picked up b. 20th-Fox. Samuel Rosen, strawhat producer, signed by Universal as dialog direc- tor. Hugo Butler's writing contract re- newed by Warners. Warren Douglas, radio actor, signed by Warners. military situation, production depart- ments have cast about for substitut. locales and devices, with, th«y olaim, very desirable results. As one ex< ample, 20th-Fox claims It oan film a better storm-at-sea for 'The Black Swan' right on the lot than Frank Lloyd did when he went otit in the Pacific to find a storm for 'Masters of the Sea.' As another. Paramount says the 'Wake Island' it built at Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley is so much like the real thing, or at least th« way it was before Dec. 7, that t marine from the Paclflc Fleet couldn't tell the difference. The reproduc- tion was good enough, in any case, for Paramount to turn the property over to the Government as an air base after the picture was done. SaltOB Sea Preferred Salton Sea, by the way, seems to have replaced the debarred Catalina and the restricted L. A. Harbor as the favorite spot for water stuff, though Republic went to the lake at Chatsworth to get its effects for 'Re- member Pearl Harbor,' and some of 20th-Fox's footage in 'Black Swan' was made off the shores of Yucatan and in Florida waters. Apparently, however, Salton Sea has everything a hardened, old mari- ner might want, including ripples that in miniature become mighty waves and a visual background that left everybody wondering how Lou Costello managed to steer that bat- tleship through a whole squadron- like a broken field runner on the gridiron—in Universal'a 'In the Navy.' Warners, too, went for a lot cf sea stuff in 'Across the Pacific,*'but without once leaving the Burbank studio. In the first place, one set there is devoted to what Is known as an 'indoor ocean.' In the second, production started in February, BP (before priorities) and consequently an elaborate boat-set was operated on a sound stage for weeks at a time. However, it's easy enough to do things with water as long as th. city taps are turned on. But the chase motif is now a little harder to maintain, at least in its primitive, automotive form. They're still doing it at Republic and Universal for serials, and action stuff in general —but in moderation. What they do is drive an auto- mobile at 40 miles an hour and slow the camera down to create visual speed in the action. But that's a mere device that does not make for great latitude, so recently at Repub- lic, where they have the writing staff set the chase stuff within re- quired background, they had a se- quence in which somebody is chased through a department store on mo- tor skooters (just to give a rough idea of how the boys nowadays striving with might and main). Most Have Their Chase The fact is that, in this machine- conscious age, they can't go back to the old time fopt chase, a la John Bunny, so they're now chasing each other with gadgets and over- head trolley systems, down elevator shafts and while sitting in steam shovels. More to the point. Uni- versal has imported sand and leased a 35-acre lot for a tent city in 'Arabian Nights,' with a second unit away off at Cedar City, Utah, for th" chase stuff. Meantime, this unit ha.<; got around the transportation problem by living in Pullman cars on a railway spur. Nonetheless, there's doubtless a de- gree of miniature shooting being done right on the average lot, for trick and thrill stuff, with the av- erage lot noticeably shying away from the thought that a miniature by any other name would sound as neat As an example. Paramount is justifiably proud of its achievement in having the same engineering firm that built the government base at Wake Island re-create the setting at Salton Sea. And in conunentlng on this fact, a Paramount production man spoke with gusto of the pano- rama scenes that were depicted of the sea and land action dtirlng the Jap attack. Suddenly bis oratory stopped in mid-flight and he acted as though he'd been foully stabbed u(ed teai9)nT aqx 'saintepiitu pauoi) -uaui pBii 'ssai ou "jnoi pajBBni"™" UB 'jCpoqauios "sibjja iCiOA eiR oi produced by the word was evi- dently poignant but, in the end, the man mastered his emotions with s visible effort. 'No,' said he, gently. 'Special tA- fects.'