Variety (Dec 1942)

tTednesday. December 30, 1942 PICTURES m. WORK WEEK FOR PK Ass't Calls Drill' Clears Theatre Before Patrons Realize It s Real Firf Milwaukee, Dec. 29. Quick thinking by Jack Parrot, assistant manager of the Uptown theatre, de luxe Fox nabe, probably averted a panic among the audience of 400. mostly children, when fire broke out Saturday afternoon (28). House was emptied before fire de- partment arrived, although seven employees were made 111 by poison- ous gas incident to the blaze. When the fire was discovered, Parrot ran to the stage and an- nounced: 'Now we're gomg to have an emergency fire drill just to see what we could do if there really was a Are. We want to see just how quickly we can empty the theatre, but don't rush and don't crowd. You can all come right back in again when the drill Is over.' The crowd exited in perfect order end without confusion before" any- one realized there was a fire, al- though some 'imagined' they smelled smoke on their way out. Fire apparently was caused by someone dropping a lighted cigaret into the drawer of a desk in the manager's office where a number of trailer films were kept. The blaz- ing film generated nitrogen per- oxide gas which affected seven em- ployees who rushed in to subdue the fire, but they were given oxygen as a precautionary measure by a fire department rescue squad and suffered no serious effects. Tom Conners Wins Dispensation For M-OXonRawFibn Hope, Bracken, Get Gals For Par's 'Let's Face It' Hollywood, Dec. 29. Marjorie Reynolds and Betty Rhodes draw the femme leads op- posite Bob Hope and Eddie Bracken in the forthcoming Paramount film- usical, 'Let's Face It,' rewritten from the Broadway show. Production starts in January with Sidney Lanfleld directing. National Negro Congress Scores leEJoK MAy RESULT IN E Studio Guilds and Unions Move to Abrogate 36-Hr. Week as Government Pre- pares to Give Film Indus- try 'Essential' Status—De- fense Plants Will Quickly Absorb Men Leaving Stu- dios WORKERS HAPPIER March of Time and 20th-Fox have reportedly reached an agree- ment with the War Production Board with regard to use of raw film stock which 20th-Fox contended should not be charged up to its allocation for features. When M.O.T. switched its release from RKO it appeared, under the WPB allocation system whereby only distributors are granted raw stock allotments, that the producer would not be granted recognition as a raw stock user. { The 20th deal, from accounts, is solely a releasing agreement with ! March of Time and if latter were ! to be refused stock the distributors felt that they could not afford to supply the film at the expense of their own schedules. 20th execs also argued, it is re- ported, that M.O.T. was in the na- ture of a newsreel and was outside the restrictions applying to features. When the new overall raw stock regulations were outlined recently, erhfaracing newsreels in the footage cut, 20th was placed in the position where it would have been obliged to take footage from its regular ..prngram_i( the IVLD.T-. picturey were to be released. Uhderstood that M.O.T. used approximately 12,000,- 000 feet of film. Tom Connors, meantime, was scheduled to huddle with Harold Hopper again shortly regarding newsreel stock allocations. TenUtive plans call for newsreels to cut ap- proximately one minute from the Usual runnmg time, which would scarcely be noticed. It is understood that sufficient raw slock will be made available, figuring wotage from the Bureau of Motion Pictures of the Office of War In- formation, to maintain virtually the same number of prinU as in the past. This would satisfy the OWI "isofar as prompt distribution is concerned. The Office of War Information, Lowell Mellett, the OWI film chief, Metro and its film. 'Tennessee John- son,' were put bti the pan last week by the National Negro Congress which claims to represent 3,000 af- filiated organizations, via a call for protests urging that the film be shelved for the duration. The NNC further claims that 'appeasement for- ces in Hollywood are planning to utilize the influence of the OWI It- self to justify Metro's release of the film.' 'Tennessee Johnson' has been un- der attack since it was first an- nounced by M-G by various liberal groups and individuals who claim that the film is an apology for slav- ery. Last week, after a special pre- view in New York, representatives of 19 Negro and white organizations and newspapers issued a statement attacking the film, sent copies of the release to M-G and the OWI and asked the OWI to stop the film and investigate the source of its produc- tion. Hollywood, Dec. 29 Plans for putting the film industry on a 48-hour work week were set in motion follnwine ronferei tended by major studio Pat Casey and business representa- tives of studio unions and guilds. Elimination of the 36-hour week was under discussion over the past weekend by studio and union offi- cials and William Hopkins, regional director of the War~Manpower Com- mission. Union leaders were told the Gov- ernment was preparing to officially designate the picture industry as 'essential' to the war effort and re- sultantly the industry will be forced on a longer week to release many expert technicians for defense work. Under the 36-hour week schedule, the men must waive overtime up to 40 hours. Under new setup they will receive time and a half for eight hours beyond 40, plus guaran- teed 48-hour week. Extension of the work week is expected to cause dis- missal of some iren, but these will be quickly absorb.id in defense work. Herbert Sorrell, head of the con- ference of studio, unions, believes the workers will be happier under the new work plan and, in the long run, will be better paid at no ex- tra cost to studios on account of the extra work turned out. B way Theatre Mgrs. Doing a Hot Bum at N. Y. Fure DepL s New Ideas Of 'Safety Talb' to Audiences Henry Henigson Leaving Selznick Agency As G.M. Hollywood, Dec. 29. Myron Selznick is losing hio gen- eral agency manager, Henry Henig- son, who is pulling out Jan. 1 after running the organization for a year while Selznick i.as been serving in Washington with the War Produc- tion Board. Henigson was with Selznick once before, leaving to become general manager for Jar-es Roosevelt's Globe Productions. ik were set in rp ■ • | |* • g nfereiLC^_a.t- i llUltMIM ft tiii Ki^*^'^'* - - uk< lio z^jgSr^**'*"'*^^ Asked for 3,000 Filmites in Army Hollywood, Dec. 20. Motion picture industry has turned over a list of more than 3,000 ac- tors, directors and technicians, now in the armed services, with a sug- gestion that th6ir talents be utillied for their technical picture experi- ence. In addition to Hollywood, lists are being prepared at the home offices in New York, with details of the various guild and union men and their particular adaptation to wartime work. Idea is to co-relate experienced technicians into the war machine where they can do the most good. Many of the electrical, sound, pho- tographic and laboratory experts have been taken into the various services without regard to their technical skill. Tonefilms for Malyern Hollywood, Dec. 29. Two fllmusicals were assigned to MUl Malvern's production slate at universal, starting with Trombone irom Heaven' next month. fr„ ''w'* tunefllm will be 'Cowboy from Manhattan' "Show Business At War" THEME OF THE 37th ANNIVERSARY NUMBER of OUT NEXT WEEK-JAN. 6 USUAL ADVERTISING RATES PREVAIL Special Exploitation Advantages Reservations and Copy May Be Wired to Any Variety Office NEW YORK 154 W. 46th SL HOLLYWOOD 1708 No. Tine St CHICAGO 54 W. Randolph SL LONDON 8 Sl Martin's PL Broadway theatre managers are doing a hot burn that may end up in a plea to the courts, as result of the announcement in Sunday's daily newspapers that the Fire Depart- ment intends to plant a fireman on every film and legit theatre stage to deliver a five-minute 'safety-lecture' at each performance. Fire Commis- sioner Patrick Walsh, who an- nounced the plan, has not yet put it into effect, but is training his non- dese-dose-and-dem boys in the art of public speaking, in anticipation of the Imminent presentation. Night club catastrophe in Boston started the whole thing. Because of political implications, aiilS^X^^afKrouI^JTr^iiW^Time comes, if the idea isn't laundered, the talking is expected to occur in court via lawyers. One Broadway manager, with years of experience in the sticks as well as on the main stem, wary of backhanded wallops from politicians, refused to talk until promise was made to withhold his name. 'In the first place, if theatres or places of public assembly are not completely safe, they should be closed until they are made so. A newsreel shot now and then in the movie theatres, special display ads in programs, and stories in the news- papers will accomplish everything elsie that is necessary in an educa- tional way. 'But puttii}g flve-minute bores on the stage at every show, to put a bad taste in the amusement appetite of the public at all performances, will promptly educate ' people to stay away from the boxoffice entirely. Especially now, with so. many war- appeals being made, it's tough on the audiences. But the idea of puttinji! firemen out to spiel is silly and destructive. 'I suppose next week, the milk in- spector will demand a chance to win a popular following, and then the garbage collector will want a hear- ing on his problem. The theatre is a place of amusement, not an educa- tional forum, no matter what any- one says. The amusement industry, by Presidential pronouncement, is doing a magnificent war job. No one should interfere, or overload. Some- one in authority, with vision, should come forward to defend the wartime amusement industry from boobery like this. 'In 1906, when the Iroquois theatre catastrophe in Chicago cost hundreds of lives, it launched a new design theatre architecture, and laws, which make theatres amazingly safe. There has been no theatre catastrophe in- volving panic since, hdr 'is there likely to be, as long as honest in- spection, non-political interference, and high managerial standards con- tinue. 'Why tlie Fire Department should suddenly elect itself to be public speakers in behalf of its duty-prob- lems, is a mystery. What a chili the appearance of a fireman will put on an audience. No perfonnance could successfully follow such a mood of fear and horror.' Circuit operators and managers in N. Y. have received no official instructions from the Fire Dept. Theatres which use programs have been printing warnings to cus- tomers to look around and choose the nearest exit in the case of fire, signing the insertion with the name of Commissioner Walsh. This has been done voluntarily. Now Other Bin Directs Hollywood, Dec. 29. Bill Thomas, co-producer of the Pine-Thomas unit for Paramount re- lease, makes his debut as a director in 'Mine Sweeper.' His original in- tent was to pilot Alaska Highway.' The other Bill, Pine, broke in as a director recently on 'Aerial Giinner."