Variety (May 1946)

Wednesday, May 15, 1946 PICTURES Truman and Red Cross Salute Films And Skouras Dittoes the Trade Press Washington, May 14. - President-. Truman and the Red Cross paid tribute to the Mm in- dustry contribution to the recent Red Cross fund drive last Thursday (9 ) . n a flurry of celebration in which: Twentieth - Fox prexy Spyros Skouras broke nil precedent by recognizing in no uncertain manner the' important job done by . the mo- tion picture trade press; and Warned his industry that it .was out of its swaddling clothes and' faced the responsibilities which have come to it as a "persuasive force for goud." The noon reception at the White House to the industry's "24-Hour . Cli'o." toppers in the Bed Cross campaign- was' featured by thanks ■from the President for all that the industry has done In the past to help the nation and all that it will do in-the future along those lines. Skouras. who headed the motion picture section of the Red Cross campaign, disclosed that the picture theatres collected $4,270,120 for the cause which was 16% above their quota. ' At a luncheon, which fol- lowed, Basil O'Connor, national head of the Red Cross, told the picture people: "You took on the job when it was not an easy task. You took it'on when the lug was on, and in spite of difficulties, you achieved unbeliev- able results.", He pointed out that the industry's promotion Was a prime; factor in the success of the drive in ail other fields. O'Connor pre- sented Skouras 'with' a certificate of. honor which tlie latter • accepted in the name of all picture people who worked, for the campaign and all who contributed money through the theatres. Trade Press Feted The dinner Thursday night, at which Skouras was host, saw him award silver trophies to editors and representatives of the motion pic- ture trade papers for their work in the Red Cross and in other worthy campaigns. Abel ■ Green, editor of Variety, accepted the award for that publication. Citation said. "It gives me great pleasure to pre- sent this award to. . . . Vaiuoty, for the wholehearted cooperation given by Variety to the Red Cross ami other industry drives. "Long famed as the 'Bible of Show Business.' Variety Has never failed to wield its great influence to en- courage participation of. the whole craft—from actor to exhibitor—in. the cause of humanity.. For carrying on faithfully a. great, tradition of show business, I give this salute to Variety. "Would that Sime Silverman were here with us today, for he would say: 'I am proud of my shbwfolk'." PERNICK RETURNED TO BIZ AGENT OF N.Y. TPU Solly Pernick, . former business agent of New York stagehands. Theatrical Protective' Union, No. 1, was returned to- v that post at the annual election held Sunday night (12). He defeated Louis Yaeger who became biz agent a year-and-a-hal£ ago when Pernick took a company of "Oklahoma" overseas for the USO. Job O'Dwyer was reelected presi- dent, being unopposed for that of- fices, while George Fitzgerald, in- cumbent v.p., retains that post. Ho beat Joe. Gehlman, a past president. John McDowell was reelected sec- retary, defeating Freddie Pickurtitz, and John Garyey, treasurer, nosed out Martin Quinlin, who opposed him. For the first time in years the same three trustees were reTchoscn! being Bcrnie Zutorchi, William Noon and Thomas Fitzgerald. Local No. 1 will send a total of 14 delegates to this year's convention of the IATSE to be held in Chicago in Julv. - " Indpls. to Europe Indianapolis, May 14. Traffic will be heavy between Indianapolis' film row and Europe this month. In addition to George Pappas, manager of Circle, who won overseas prize in national Victory Loan drive contest, three representatives '. of local 20th-Fox office will be go- ing as winners of three out of 10 places in sales competition held by their company. They arc George Landis, man- ager, Frank H. Warren and Harry L. (Laddie) Hancock, salesmen. Warren and Hancock finished one-two among 144 salesmen who took part in con- test. Yearling SGP Sets 28 Features as '46 Release Schedule Chicago, May 14. Screen Guild Productions, Inc., infant distrib and production unit, concluded its first annual sales and stockholders meeting at Chi's Black- stone hotel, last Sunday (12) by an- nouncing a program of 28 features for release during the remainder of 1946. The new outfit, operating since last September, might well be the start of a. major production unit. Backed by 36 franchise holders rep- resenting approximately 4,800 film theaters in the U.S. and Canada, Screen Guild's - ambitious program calls for Ave pictures in Cinecolor, seven, high-budgeted black and, whites, and four James Oliver Cur- wood streamliner action stories. Twelve HOpalong Cassidy re-re- leases will make up the remainder of the program. In addition to Golden Gate Pic- tures, producing exclusively for Screen Guild, Robert L. Lippcrt, veepee in. charge ot production, re- vealed that Jack Swartz. producer of high-grossing "Enchanted Forest" had been, inked to produce 10 pic- tures for Screen Guild release under a three-year contract. Three top Screen Guild officials, re-elected to office include John J. Jones, prexy (Jones. Linick & Schacfer), Chicago; Robert L. .Lip- pert, San Francisco: vecpee and gen- eral manager in charge of produc- tion, and John L. Franconi, Dallas, secretary. New officers named are Arthur Lockwood, Boston, veepee; S. K. Decker, Los Angeles, treasurer; M. S. Schulter, St. Louis, asst. treas- urer: and I. H. Prizmeta), asst. sec- retary. Harry Cohn Due East Columbia Pictures , prexy, Harry Cohn. is readying to' come to New York in three weeks. Among .other things he will sign n new dance di- rector to assist Jack Cole. . Helen Tamaris was recently re ported signed for this spot, but deal is hot believed to have been eon summitled. Conversation Piece on the Potomac 'By Abel Green : METRO'S 4-DAY CHI MEET BIGGEST SINCE 1941 With 14 additional Metro h.o. execs slated to attend the company's four-day business meeting in Chi- cago beginning May 24, the forth- coming convention has 'assumed the aspect of the biggest company con- vention held since before the war. Reps of almost every phase of Metro's operations are expected to attend. Among the latest group of execs scheduled to attend the meet are Ar- thur M. Loew. prexy of Loew's Iii- tcrnatibnal: Joseph R. Vogel. veepee over theatre operations: Charles K. Stern, Loew's assistant treasurer; Max Wolff, purchasing chief; Wil- liam G. Brenner, head of the M-G checking department; William Glcicher. chief.of Metro's theatre auditing: Harold Postman, assislunt chief of branch operations and the- atre maintenance; Arthur Lacks, newsreel sales: Jay Cove, head of sales development: Walter Brooks, assistant chief of exhibitor relations: My L. Simons, . editor of the Dis- tributor, company sales publication; Bon Melnikcr and Herbert Nusbaum of the legal staff, and Bill Oinstein. h.o. trade press contact. Already announced to be on hand arc all Metro h.o. sales, publicity and advertising chiefs, as. well as sales, disliict and branch managers from all pails of the country. Washington, May 9. Dan Michalove, National Theatres exec who used to own ball clubs, re- galed the Red Cross motion picture contingent with, baseball tales. Whereupon Warner Bros. Theatres veepee Harry Kalmine observed that whenever the Johnstown (Pa.) ball club is playing home night games the WB theatres may as well shut down. Same thing used to hap- pen when FDR made his fireside chats. Ned Depinet added that the June 19 date for the Conn-Louis bout was accidental and had nothing to do with Emancipation Day falling, on the 19th, usually a rousing day of revelry for the colored in the south, Depinet observed, too, that the more showmanly .baseball becomes, and as the petrol supply increases, it will hurt theatres when business starts to ease off! He also views drive-ins as another growing opposition to In- door theatres in the summer, Para- mount's Bob Weitman interposed that the N. Y. Paramount's history shows August to be the peak gross- ing month. ■ As the U. S. 2,200 ton destroyer, the ■ George D. McKenzie, steamed by Mount Vernon, the home and burial ground of George Washing- ton, the showmen were struck with a little bit of Navy protocol as the crews stood at rigid attention and taps were sounded in memory of the Father of Our Country. Both Weit- man and the Roxy's Irving Lesser admitted that "this, the real thing, beats the Rockettes or any theatrical drilling we can stage." Just preceding the Thursday cruise, Sam Rinzler (who was most advantageously spotted, for camera purposes, including his son, Harold, just back of President Truman dur- ing the group photographs), had made a wisecrack which tickled the President. It caused him to look around at the Frisch & Rinzler part- ner in Randforce Theatres (Brook- lyn and Long Island chain). Spyros Skouras was. kidding Fox Movie- tone's Washington rep, Tony Muto, about . losing weight—Muto was up front making with the newsreels and camera angles—whereupon Rinzler observed, "Even if Muto loses 100 pounds he'll still weigh a ton." In view of the' lens-leasing done by the independent theatre circuit owner, a VAiuerr mugg cracked that "Rinzler will probably play the newsreel on percentage and co-bill himself with the President on the marquee." Mugg also got a little at- tention from the President, who crossed the film bunch by wearing a fotir-in-hand. As the President ad mired the reporter's. bow tie, the mugg mumbled something.about "be- ing glad to send it to you, Mr. Presi dent." (Truman had just glad- handed a National Assn. of Broad casters group, so his receiving line time for the Red Cross contingent was rather limited. This further ac cented the fact he did manage to exchange a couple of pleasantries) At the Basil O'Connor-hosted luncheon the head of the American Red Cross stressed that he was cer- tainly opposed to no-theatre collec- tions, claiming that the basket-pass ing did a lot for the fund drives.- Touching sidelight spotlighted the maitre d'hotel at the Statler, who is of Greek extraction. Hearing that Skouras was prominent in this func- tion, he outdid himself in catering, observing, "If it weren't for Mr Skouras and the fine work the American Greek War Relief did my mother probably still might not be alive in Greece." Skouras' off-the-record talk on better Anglo-American relations was illuminating. Much palaver in D. C. on "having lost the war;" "who's running the country — Lewis or the Govern menl?" etc. Noticeable that congestion is just as lough, despite rows of' War and Navy Dept. buildings shuttered Hotels jampacked more than ever, Reason: conventions, tourists, school children coming to the nation's capi tal. etc. National campaign director Har- old J. Fitzpatrick, who runs the Saxc theatres in Milwaukee (Fox pool), mentioned that his brother-in-law, back from a medical convention in Lima, Peru, stated that the manVin- Ihe-strcct in that country intensively believes that Hitler is still alive, and in refuge in Argentina. Asst. national campaign director (Bcrnie Hynos did a tiptop arrange; PRC MuDs Lensing Own Pictures With P-E-Ls Foy as Production Head H'wood Vintage Hollywood, May 14. A certain epicurean film, pro- ducer, known for his accentu- ated appreciation for viands, and vintages, is said to read scripts only at the proper room tem- perature, Pix Profits Top Amus. Hit Parade, Radio Poor 2d Washington, May 14. Motion pictures stand an unchal- lenged first in the entertainment group on the basis of profits, new Dept. of Commerce statistics dis- close. ' Radio is a poor second; with all other types of' amusement and ecreation (including professional sports) trailing behind. Corporate profits of the . picture industry, in 1945, before, deduction of Federal, and State income and ex- cess profits taxes., hit $204,000,000. This was the second highest on rec- ord, and a bare $10,000,000 below the peak year of 1944. : For broadcast- ing the 1945 figure was $70,000,000, the highest on record, and $9,000,000 ahead of 1944, the next best year. Figure for all other amusement and recreation lumped amounted to $58,- 00,000, also an all-time, high and $13,000,000 better than 1944, the sec- ond best year. After deduction of taxes last year, the corporate profit in pix amounted to $75,000,000, $2,000,000 under 1944; and $61000,000 behind 1943 when taxes were lower. The broadcasting net after taxes was $29,000,000 in 1945, an alltlme record. The second best year was 1944 with $26,000,000. Other amuse- ment and recreation also hit Its peak in 1945 with $22,000,000 after deduc- tion of taxes; bettering the $17,000,- 000 of 1944. Picture industry dividends last year hit $32,000,000, same' figure which was dished out to the stock- holders in 1944; and equalled only once before, in 1930. Radio dividends were $13,000,000, same as in 1944, but $1,000,000 be- hind the peak year of 1941. All other amusement and recreation paid divi- dends of $4,000,000 last year, which is less than par for. the course. It has been bettered and equalled on several occasions in the past, with the top being the $11,000000 of 1929. First U-Sponsored GI-Exhib (Opposing Griffith) Tees Off First war veteran to become an independent exhibitor in Texas, un der Universale cooperative plan, in opposition to Griffith Circuit will be Bob Shanks. He opens 8f theatre in Brady, Texas, May 23, with all the Hollywood trimmings, including p.a. of Yvonne deCarlo, U star of "Fron tier Gal," film picked to open the house. Shanks is the initial ex-GI to be come an exhib under the U setup devised six months ago. And the company expects other former ser yiccmen to open houses In Texas.and. other southwest states, playing op position to Griffith which abruptly slopped using Universal product about two years ago. Plan was an- nounced in page ads in cities of Texas, Kansas, New, Mexico and Ar- kansas. U makes its full line of prod- uct available ■ to former GI's who start houses. To give Shanks all the aid possible in launching his theatre, U is send ing a staff from the homeoffice. to work out details of proem at Brady . Question of whether PRC will continue to farm out its pictures in the coming year to independent pro- ducers or will make all or some of . them on the company's home lot is currently being mulled by PRC's overlords. Should the company de- cide on lensing in its home studio, production will probably be placed under the control of Bryan Foy, who recently named production chiqf of Pathe-Eagle-Lion, which is owned in common with PRC by the Kenneth M. Young interests. Supervision of 20 P-E-L films an- nually will be handled personally by. Foy in li'is capacity as produc- tion-chief starting. June 15. Other films on the company's program will be made by other producers, one of whom is Aubrey Schenck, who shifts from 20th-Fox to P-E-L this week. Buildup o£ distribution forces for P-E-L will be gunned with the nam- ing of a president to head the com- pany within a month. Prexy, once ' tagged, will be given immediate authority to select subordinate of- ' flcials and personnel subject to ap- proval of P-E-L's board of directors. The company, a paper organization in the distribution branch at pres- ent, will move rapidly following designation of a chief to create a sales force. Distribution personnel will be in- dependent of PRC although the same physical facilities will be used • by both companies. Under P-E-L's pact. with J. Arthur Rank's British Eagle-Lion Co. the company will distribute 10 of the tatter's films ad- ditionally to its own'product. While the British company will' handle P-E-L's product , outside of the U. S.. at close to actual distribution cost, P-E-L will obtain a moderate profit above cost for its distribution of the Rank product. Understood that the pact provides for a differential be- , cause of the recognized added sale- ability pf American films here. Meanwhile a teapot tempest was stirred last week when PRC and P-E-L officials apparently crossed wires. Close on a purported state- ment by Sam Israel, newly desig- nated chief flack of P-E-L, that PRC would be absorbed or fold, latter company hotly denied the report. Adding to the confusion, PRC of- ficials went further and said they did not even know who Israel was. In a later clarification Kenneth M. Young, president of Pathe Industries, said that PRC would not curtail its operations but would continue to produce its own program of films. Irving Lazar, exeq assistant to Foy, returns to the Coast next Mon- day (20) after a quick trip east to see the plays, talk 'with • actors and huddle on other deals. No appoint- ment has been made, yet to fill void left at Music Corp. of America by Lazar's departure. He was Coast talent and story chief for the agency. Although he doesn't officially start at P-E-L until July 1, in order to give him time to help break in his successor at MCA, he's already act- ually started handling Pathe duties. ments job, but Skouras sparkplugged the entire event which, were it not for his intense interest in the Red Cross, as with any and all patriotic drives, probably would have reduced the size of the D. C. junket consider- ably. It was a cue to the Potomac ! conversationalists that this will ; probably be the last of this type of j missions to D. C. ■Roundup' Famine Set Hollywood, May 14. Louise Curry draws the femme lead in the Eddie Dean starrer, 'Melody Roundup," musical west- ern, at PRC. Picture will be filmed in Cinecolor, with Emmett Tansey doubling as producer and director. David R. Stephenson, story editor for Pathe-Eagle-Lion, moves over to the PRC lot as advance guard of Bryan Foy"s-new setup in order to have story properties lined up for producer. Stephenson is leaving 20th-Fox as. first of a group from Westwood who check into the new lot next month. Aubrey Schenck also moves at once to take on title of executive producer in the new organization. PRC's 28th Exchange PRC re-purchased its Atlanta- Charlotte franchise last week bring- ing to 28 the total of company owned and operated exchanges out of 31 branches across the country. With acquisition of this exchange, only re- maining privately owned branches are Seattle, Portland and San Fran- cisco, 2D CANTOR-DAVIS PIC Hollywood, May 14. YJSddie Cantor and Joan Davis are set for "Rich Man, Poor Man" at RKO. Like Cantor's "Show Busi- ness" it will be a package deal. Shooting will begin in September after the comedienne returns from a summer vacation.