Variety (Dec 1942)

Wednesday* Peceiailwr tt 1941 U^. Concerned Over Many Theatre Fires of Late Because Rebuflding Not Possible but Need Fix for Morale MAJORS MAY SLICE I'assing of Commercial Shorts, Serials Washington. Deo. 1. War Production Board l3 con- cerned over the unusual number at flres in motion picture theatres re- ported from various parts of the country in the past several weeks. 'There, have been several fires re- ported to us recently, some of which resulted in serious damage, that could have been avoided if more care had been exercised in theatre operation,' stated Christopher J. Dunphy, chief of the amusements section of the i-ervices division of WPB, on Monday (30). ' This problem is serious enough in normal times but today when every ounce of material must ba guarded, materials for rebuilding or repairing damage done by fire are not always available. We are confronted with the probability that a theatre dam- aged by Are today will have to re- main closed for the duration, thereby 'depriving the local population of an important source of recreation and amusement.' Dunphy offered nine rules to the- atre operators for fire prevention, it they are observed by all operators, large and small, irreparable damage will be prevented, he said, and at the same time one of the most im- portant recreational facilities for a nation at war will be preserved. Nine Rules Rules drafted by WPB for theatre operators are: 1. Pull the main entrance switch at the conclusion of each day's oper- ation. One employee should be dele- gated to this task. 2. Do not permit an accumulation of inflammable rubbish in store rooms, poster rooms, boiler or fur- nace rooms. 3. Appliance cords for vacuum cleaners, work lights or other port- able apparatus should be inspected daily and, if found defective, should be repaired immediately. 4. Smoking in projection booth should not be permitted under any oircumstances. 6. At the conclusion of each day's run, all Alms should be removed from the projector magazine or re- winder and placed in the film stor- age catiinet. Trailers and ad Alms should never be left exposed when not in use. 8. Use of electric or other types of portable heaters should be avoided at all times while handling Aim. 7. Operation of porthole shutters should be frequently tested to see that the shutters slide freely in the grooves. The entire porthole shutter system should be properly fused to insure that shutters will close in- stantaneously in ;ase of Are. 8. Have local Are officials make regular inspections of the theatre from roof to the basement. Their recommendations for Are prevention should be. loJloweidJroplicitly. 9. Faulty electrical contacts and switchboard connections are respons- ible ' for ~tHe" "majority of' theatre Ares. The entire electrical system should be checked frequently and electrical contacts carefully tight- ened to eliminate this Are hazard. And Not on the Shelf I Baltimore, Dec. 1. Influx of characters from the backwoods attracted here by war work and big dough, is hav- ing its reaction in the downtown picture sector. Boxoffice girls no longer ask the stereotyped, 'Orchestra or balcony?' It's 'Up- stairs or downstairs?' now. Unexpected switch came from a rustic last week who asked for 'two on the bottom!' Compromise Won By UA on Hays Slash of 'Serve Protest of United Artists on cuts ordered by the Hays office Pro- duction Code Authority on 'In Which We Serve' was heard by the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors Assn. directorate last Wednesday (25) in New York, with the distribu- tor partly victorious in its appeal. B'lt the Hays directors backed up the basic contention of the eastern PCA. which ordered the scissoring; namely, that there was too much uncalled-for cursing in the picture, id substantiated its decision to stand back of the PCA. Contention of UA in appealing was that it might harm the continuity of production. Hays office directors realized that it would be impossible to pick up loose ends of the sound track by rc-shooting parts of the pic- ture because somi members of the cast now are back in the British Navy and art unable to appear for retakes. Thus some recommended trims were left in. i is reporteu that tuts will amount to a few feet in all with likelihood that the matter will be setled this week. FEIITUIIES m Lower Raw Stock Allocation After Jan. 1 Will Likely Allow for Around 250 Films From 8 Majors— 325 to 375 Total Including Rep, Mono and PRC— Curtail Shorts Production, Reserving More Stock for High-Budgeters ARMY-NAVY CREDITS By MORI KRUSHEN Film output of the eight major companies is considered likely to be reduced by approximately 40% dur- ing 1943 as result of the War Pro- duction Board's 23% raw film allo- cation cut, based on 1941 consump- tion, which goes into effect Jan. 1 for a period of three months. In- dustry execs estimate that the majors will produce in the neigh- borhood of 250 films next year while the total Hollywood output of the 11 companies (including Republic, Monogram and Producers Releas- ing Corp.) will run from 325 to 375 films for the year. The 11 companies granted recogni- tion by the WPB insofar as raw stock allocation is concerned, used approximately 1,300,000,090 feet of (Continued on page 26) Split Up 51 Fihns Among 13 20th Producers in '43 McCarey Digs Deep For His War Hero Hollywood. Dec. 1. Duke of Wellington, the eagle- beaked general who wrecked Napo- leon and changed the map of the . world, is going to be biographed on the screen with Ray McCarev pro- curing independently. McCarey bought an option on the book, "The Duke," written by Richard Aldington, who is currently doing the play of Somerset Maugham'i 'Hour Before the Dawn' at Para- mount. McCarey is negotiating for a major release. Extras Reap |350,000 For 30~0(M) Oct Jobs Hollywood, Dec. 1. October was harvest month for Him extras, who reaped a total wage of $350,000, a leap of $158,000 over September and $139,000 above the figure for August. Placements for the month were a trifle under 30.000 with an avetage daily wags.af $11-91. Increase in the general wage was due to the upsurge in the $10.50 bracket. .Few extras are answering $5.50 atmosphere calls these days with so many want ads in the Los Angeles papers calling for unskilled labor in the airplane plants. New Light on 'CommaDiT Hollywood. Dec. 1. Republic is reviving 'Dark Com- mand,' produced two years ago, to cash in on the present boxoffice magnetism of Walter Pidgeon, John Wayne and Roy Rogers. Reissue gets ;i special advertising budget of $50,000. Stevey Draws Oldie Hollywood. Dec. 1. Robert Stevenson draws the di- rector job on 'Jane Eyre.' the Joan Fontaine starrer, acquired by 20th- Fox in its recent deal with David O. Sclr.nick. Picture BOOS into work in about tivo weeks with Kenneth MacRowan producinc Scrcenjilay. bnscd on the old Bronte novel nnd succcedms stage versions, has been on Scl/.- nicl-.'s shelf for montlis. Hollywood, Dec. 1. Program of 51 features to be pro duced before the end of 1943 is promised by William Goetz, v.p. in charge of production at 20th-Fox. Lineup calls for a wide variety of subjects, including dramas, comedies, musicals and war subjects. Among the top-budgeters, William Perlberg has the most expansive slate, with eight pictures to' make. William LeBaron rates next with six; Nunnally Johnson and Sol Wurtzel, five; Bryan Foy, Lee Marcus, Lamar Trotti and Robert Brassier, four; Kenneth Macgowan and Walter Mor- osco, three; Damon Runyon and Ernst Lubitsch with two apiece, and Andre Daven one. And Cheapies Seen in 25% Print Clqi; M-G Hardest Hit, Slash 32,000,000 Feet Tough on Beauts Hollywood, Deo. 1. Still pictures of glamour gals, once shot in color and in large numbers for draping on the cov- ers of magazines, are reduced to a minimum by a shortage of Kodachrome film. From now on, the mag editors will have to choose their front page pulchritude from a couple of prints instead of dozens, as in the peaceful past. Onetime Stanley Prexy Joins WB Which Bought Co. Philadelphia, Deo. I. John J. McGuirk, onetime presi dent of the Stanley Oo. of America and once one of the big figures in the motion picture Industry, today (Tues.) joined the staff of the Stan ley-Warner Company here—an out growth of the Stanley Co. he once helped to found. McGuirk, now In his 70's, will be an assistant to Ted Schlahger, zone chief, end will handle real estate matters. McGuirk became vice-president of the Stanley Co. in charge of real es- tate and finance in 1919. He was elected president in 1926 following the death of Jules E. Mastbaum. In 1927, the Stanley Co. insured Mc- Guirk's life for $1,000,000, making him one of the most heavily insured motion picture executives in the country. When Stanley was absorbed by Warners, McGuirk and his ex-Stan- ley associates, Abe Sablosky, took over the operation if the Arcadia— one of the few independent thea- tres in downtown Phllly. McQuirk is still keeping his interest In the Arcadia. """ Coe Comnluting Charles F. Coe, vice-president of the Motion Pidure Producers i Dis- tributors Assn., is due back in New York some time next week. He left for the Coast last week on Thanks- giving Day. Joseph !. Breen. who arrived ir N. 'V. on Nov. 23. likely will stay east unljl Coe. return?. Coe will reach New York in time to attend the regular December quarterly meeting of the MPPDA directorate. Third Down at U Hollywood. Dec. 1. Ch.nrlcs Boycr and Julicn Duvl- vii'i'. co-|)i"duters. got the third cpi- ' .sodc of their picture. 'Flc>h and Fantasy.' started wit!i Alan Curtis nnd Gloriii Joan in lop roles. Orit;- jnally John Gnrficltl was .slated for the third episode Ijiit pulled a run- out, rcsullin); in tii.s suspension by W.iriiers. Edward C. Robinson i~ starred in iho first cpi.sodo of the picture. <cliodule(l lor Universal release, and Barbaia Stanwyck co-stairc<l with I Boycr in the second chapter. Kalmenson and Kalmme Pinch-Hit for Bemhard Joe Bernhard, v.p. and gen. mgr. f ' Warner Bros, at its homeoffice in N-iw York", ts on indeiliiila leave be- cause of his special assignment, nature not indicated, with the U. S. Navy. Request for his services came from the Navy. Bernhard reported to Washington Monday f30) to take up his assjfinment. _ As result of his leave of absence, the., salfs department , at. Warners comes under the complete juris- diction of Ben Kalmenson, general sales manager, while Harry Kalmine a.ssumes full command of the theatre circuit. The highest rank that Bernhard may receive, going into the Navy from civilian life, is that of lieuten- ant commander. He Is likely to get that title due to his high position in the film industry. Bernhard i.* I slated to attach to the Bureau of I Yards and Docks of the Navy De- partment, with headquarters at j Washington. Warner exec has three sons in the ! service, one of whom. Louis, has j just joined the Army as a private. I Others are Jack, an officer with the R. A. F.. now in England, and Maurice, who's a naval aviator in this country. Hollywood, Dec. 1. The cut of 25% below the normal of 1941 in new film stock, both nega- tive and positive, under the impend- ing ruling by the War Production Board, means the practical abolition of commercial shorts, serials and other pictures that might interfere with the running time of the Gov- ernment's wartime and propaganda shorts. Newsreels' FooUge Approximately 25,000,000 feet ha.ve been used yearly in newsreels. of which 4.000,000 has been positive film. With the companies using their own positive and negative film, it is likely that the newsreel "releases will be reduced to one per week for each of the major studios, instead of the 10 now issued. From an economic standpoint, the producers figure that they can turn the footage now required for news- reels into six features, which will re- turn from two to three times the coin derived from a similar amount of footage in newsreels. Warners beat the gun with the elimination of 'B' productions from the 1942-43 program and other stu- dios are expected to follow. Average saving on celluloid used in prints of 'B' pictures, shorts and newsreels will be enough to make around 23 to 28 features, according to observ- ers of footage. Technicolor is a tough problem for the studios under the new restric- tions, owing to the fact that they re- quire three negatives to make one positive print. Meanwhile Techni- color is developing a new Monopack color negative which Is designed to substitute one for the current three as a step toward equalizing the foot- age In color and black-and-white versions. Until that time, most of the studios will make most of their pictures without color. Film credits are due for curtail- ment and tilte lines will be cut down to a minimum under the new order. Another result will be the revival story conferences and rehearsals to cut down the number of takes, as well as editing and general tighten- ing from the writing mill to the fin- ished product. Official announcement of the cut has not yet been made, but it is generally understood that the new allotment will go into effect on Jan. 1. "* TTi6 •aiTfOimr or-fltm-e uiituin e d ' ly -* the various companies in 1941, their quota under the curreiit 10 to 24% conservation program and prior to th; allotments under the scheduled additional cut of around 5% due Jan. 1 follows: Metro, 1941, quoU 169,962,228 feet; current quota, 129,171,756 feet. 20th-Fox, 1941 quota, 103,774,008; current quota. 83,019,206 feet. Warners, 1941 -Qusta. .< 12,282,260.. feci: current quota, 89,825.808 feet. RKO, 1941 quota, 88,601,674 feet; c>rrint quot?., 73,Qae,aa7-feet. - .... .._ Universal, 1941 quota, 85,334,4W feet: current quota, 76,400,9(f3 feet. Columbia. 1941 quoU, 93384,712; current quota, 77.042,388 feet. -Ph: amount, 1941 quota, 131,690,361: current quota, 102,060,186 feet. ...JJnited Artists, 1941 quota..46,095,- 682: current quota, 41,486,114. ' Monogram, 1941 quota, 16,899,241; current quota, 15,209,317. While figures for Republic were not available, it was indicated its quota would be close around that of United Artists. 'Doc' in the Dark Hollywood, Dec. 1. Columbia pushed back the start of its series of 'Crime Doctor' feat- ures until Feb. 1 to wait until War- ner Baxter finishes his role in 'Lady In the Dark' at Paramount. Baxter is signed for the top male role in the series, with Margaret Lindscy in the fcmme lead. Michael Cordon directing and Ralph Cohn producing.