Variety (May 1946)

IS PICTURES Wednesday, May 22, 1916 Newsprint Pinch Stymies Plans For More Ads Into Natl Dailies Shift of film advertising coin to » newspapers as the lop selling media fur pis has been stymied, in part at least, by a continuing newsprint pinch in a 'number of .key' Us. S. cities. Company ad execs have been anxious since the end oC the war to throw heavy cash available' because of current lowering grdsses into newspaper campaigns as. the -most etl'eclivc day-and-date seller of films.; Pulp shortage has continued to hamper a swing away from insti- tutional, and radio ads in favor of the dailies, a' policy et by most majors at the beginning of the year. Wartime newsprint shortage forced a 30* „ shift of cash from the dailies' of other media. Partial casing of pinch caused lifting of most space limitations by dailies arid ad execs were set to i;o into newspaper ad- vertising will; both feet. But relax- ation on space rules have proven temporary in many instances with dailies that skated on thin ice plung- ing through when the coal strike.ag- gravated the chronic shortage. Hardest hit cities ■'.here wartime limitations still hold trite without any letup are listed by company execs as Cleveland, Omaha, Kansas City. Philadelphia, Dcs Moines, Hart r foid and Indianapolis. Partial re- strictions are widespread elsewhere in the country. Trend is downhill, ad agency officials say, because many P-T Starts Sixth Year Hollywood. May 21. Bill Pine and Bill Thomas upeii their s.ixlh year as indie producers this week with -the start of "1 Cover Big Town" as their 40th production 'for.Paramount release. Picture, based oii the "Big Town" radio series, will have Hilary Brooke.. Philip Reed and Robert Lo'wcry in lop roles. . ATA Doesn't Clash With Allied or Any Indie Org-0'Donnefl Reiterating that' the American Theatres Assn. is in no way opposed to Allied or other inrije cxhib or-: ganizations. Robert J. O'Donnell, ATA co-chairman, declared Monday (201.that there vyas a place in the ATA for every exhib, whether.affili- ated or not.- O'Donhell made his claims in answer to a series of ac- | cusalions levelled against the ATA by Walter E. Mitchell, prexy of the Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of Boston. Hub org had: claimed that exhibs should reject the ATA because the newspapers have dug deeply into re- !latter.refused to deal in trade prac- serve stockpiles of pulp without ade^ tices. ATA considers this matter, quale replacements available. .'. according to ODonnell. as one in U's Poll : ;wliich its impossible fbr all exhibs Radio spot commercials, magazine to see eye to eye; As an example, he' and transit ads boomed enormously ■ pointed out. the. manager of a sec- dnring the war from an influx of ond-run house would never agree to j film cash in the main directed ! ihe same clearance terms as dc.- towards the long-term institutional j.manded by. .si first-run house. In its plugging. But private soundings of.! status as an all-inclusive organiza- exhib as well as sales office opinion ' tion. O Donnell said, the ATA has has shown a strong sentiment for the : purposely refrained from attempting pre-war all-out campaigns in the Mo take a hand in such matters, newsies timed with local pic release ] which rightfully belong hi tlie baili- dates. Universal, for instance, re-| wick of the indie exhib groups, cently polled 500 representative ex-] ATA. he declared, was. organized hibitors iit key cities and drew a ; to . deal with those problems on strong reaction in favor of the news-.'which all exhibs agree such, as ad- pape- ads. Moreover,, these, exhibs : mission taxes, cooperation with the indicated that they considered the : Government's Him program, theatre day-and-date ads considerably more | collections, etc. By eliminating the effective than the institutional type, i matters in which most exhibs are in Once the newsprint situation clears | disagreement, the ATA board feels, up. the dailies will be.in for a size-.[ it's possible to gel a legitimate area able boost in the film ad revenues, : in which all can think alike. It's in agency execs predict. Chief factor j the latter field, O'Donnell said, that is the change in stress from other I the ATA can be beneficial to its media to the dailies, but an added members. potent reason is the generally in- O'Donnell also denied Mitchell's creased advertising budgets which charge that the ATA had adopted a hiked grosses have permitted. In ' resolution calling for one single col- this regard it is pointed out that ad : lection a year to raise $20,000,000. and exploitation outlays are cus-; At its recent organizational meet in Furthman to Play 'Horn' Hollywood, May 21. Jules Furlhman draws production chores on "Young Man Will) a Horn," Dorothy Baker's novel re- cently purchased - by Warners. Book deals with a young musician who turned from sweet to jazz in. the 1020s. Majors Planning 16m Org and Code Major film companies planning to distribute 16m. pictures abroad are currently lining, up an inler-coin- pany association, similar to the Ex- port Assn. of the Motion Picture Assn.. of America,-according to per- sistent but unconfirmed rumors. Negotiations have reportedly been going, on between Metro and RKO, leaders in the foreign 16m program so far, unci it's believed that Uni- versal. 20th-Fox,. United Artists and Columbia will also join in, once their programs get started. Para- mount and Warners are the only two majors' who have not yet signified their intention of distributing the narrow-gauge prints.' . Although it's considered unlikely that the distribs will follow the gen- eral pattern of the Export Assn. in selling , up a joint distribution sys- tem of pictures, since Ihe plans of each company to dale have been markedly different, il's believed probable that Ihe 16m association will work out some plans to help overcome trade restrictions in those, countries where local monopolistic practices have resulted. in bans on I lie importation of American prod- uct. • With opposition from established 3~>m exjiibs in foreign countries the chief stumbling block confronted to date by the 16m distribs, il'.s con- sidered'likely that the nai'row-gauge association might also work out some kind of exhibition, code. By working together to make certain that no 16m product is shown in a locality where it. might compete with the 35m industry, ii's believed the majors would probably find the going easier all along the line. Kings English Too Tough for U. S.? Complaints of N. Y. drama critics that the dialog of Ihe Old Vic players was too often difficult lo understand points up the fact that the basic differences between the British language and its America nhed form will prove a major stumbling block to the success of British films imported lo this country. Old Vic Co. is. supposedly• the best group of repertory players in England and, as such, is considered indicative of the belter English actors. If sophisticated H. Y. ci-ix find thfeir language hard to absorb, it's pointed out, what about the masses of American audiences in the slix, from .whom,the English films will have to draw in order to show' a profit? Evidence that British producers, are cognizant of this difficulty was spotlighted by Filipo del Guidice, managing director of Two Cities Filing during his recent visit to the U. S. Del Guidice declared that producers in the J. Arthur Rank fold, at least, were experimenting with methods of solving the problem without hurting the standards of their product for British audiences. Commercial Pix Over the Video Whets Yen for Regular Theatre Showings tomanly fixed at 10-15% of the ex- pected gross of a particular film. Teen-Agers Bring Own i Booze to Pix Balconies SI. Louis, May 21. Teen-agers in St. Louis carry their own liciuor to theatre balconies and nite ball games was the assertion last week by Excise Commissioner Arthur H. Bader in an address to the St. Louis Retail Liquor Dealers' Assn. Staling ihal the rise in juve- nile delinquency, while not attribu- table lo all dealers, was in the com- munity's eyes being ascribed to the liquor industry generally. Bader warned that well organized. and fi- nanced agencies were being af- forded a campaign point by those selling lo the. young 'uns. In relating of the "'bushel baskets" of empty liquor bottles found at the Public School Stadium where high school football games are played, mostly at night, Bader said they could not be attributed entirely to adult spectators; "Our office - likewise is receiving constant and numerous complaints from motion picture theatre mana- gers aboul teen-agers who take their bottles with them lo Ihe balconies," Bader asserted. St. Louis, the ATA agreed that audi | ence collections should be limited to one a year but did not decide oif : any specific amount. O'Donnell said. Refuting the Boston exhib group's charges that the ATA constituted a serious .menace to all indie exhibi- tor.--. O'Donnell declared the new or- ganization hoped Allied would see fit to join its ranks, emphasizing that there was a place in the ATA for every cxhib and all organiza- tions. Technicolor Bullish On This Year's Earnings SAN ANTONIO'S POLIO SCARE STILL HITS B.O. San Antonio, May 21. The ban on theatres, nilcries and other entertainment entered into its second week as San Antonio fought to avert a polio epidemic. All under 21 are banned from. all. theatres. A drop ol over 50'n was announced by the local theatres. Ban is also in effect at the local .ar- my camps, where all forms ol en- tertainment are banned. This week announcement was made that persons could go to the local drive-ins if persons remained in their cars. 111. Allied Now Buying For 106 Indies; 4 Added Goldstone Back to MG Hollywood, May 2L . Richard Goldstone, recently re- leased from the Army, draws two pictures next month at Metro under his renewed producer contract. First:is "Too Perfect,"' slated to start within three weeks. Second is a detective mystery, still untitled. Chicago. May 21. Wholesale scurry of indies to join Illinois Allied's buying— booking cir- cuit was underlined past few weeks when four more houses got on the Technicolor's take for April hit i bandwagon. They are liie Colony. $209,000 before taxes and retroactive i Highway and Marquette.- all in Chi wage adjustments with an April 1 f and operated by Joe Stern, and the increase of per foot o.i 35m film ! Hinsdale.-of Hinsdale, III., owned by ; behind the added spurt, a letter from , Dr.. Herbert T. Kalmus to the annual stockholders meet Monday 120>' He-" Twin Cities'Big Gain In Pop. Big Aid to B.O.; However, Drouth Looms Minneapolis, May 21. One of: Ihe reasons why the Twin Cities are supporting Alms and other entertainment belter than ever be- fore is their gain in population, Ex- hibitors and other amusement pur- veyors expressed interest in the con- clusion prepared by W. F. Kissick of Minneapolis, regional consultant for the Department of Commerce, that the Minneapolis-St. Paul area has gone over a million in population. Kissick bases his estimates on re- ports of the war- manpower com- mission and stale selective service headquarters. The population of Minneapolis, which. jumped to ap- proximately 515,000 during' ihe war, should go to 530,000. when all the city's residents still in the armed forces are back home, he says in his report. During the war period, Kissick stales, Ihe population o( the Twin City metropolitan area has passed the million mark—approximately 1,- 063.200. Territory's boxofTice outlook, re- garded up to recently as exception- ally bright, now is beclouded some- what in consequence of a protracted drouth which threatens t« cut down anticipated crop yields. However, it sufficient rainfall occurs during the next fortnight, prospects for a continuation of present record- breaking grosses will be encouraging again. dared. Price boost, is expected to push Technicolor's '46 earnings sub- stantially ahead of the previous year, Kalmus said. First quarter net of $440,000 before deductions as com- pared with, a $550,000 quarterly last year was reported. Proposed $4,000,000 expansion pro- gram will probably be carried out without further financing or. inter- ruption of regular 50c per share div- idends. Kalmus said. Company spent $5<>.OQ0 ror research in fie first quarter and has authorized an equal sum in the second quarter, Neely Back Again? Fairmont.' W. Va., May 21 M. M. Nocley, former U. S.. sena- ; lor. who retired to become governor I of West Virginia, and after eomplet- ! ing his term was elected to Con^ ! Kress, has announced his candidacy , Hollywood, May 21, for the nomination in the primary. [ Analol Lilvak ■ hiked a two-way He is best known in show biz as deal as producer and direelor at author of the Neely bill which Was ! Enterprise, with '"Coup de Grace'' a (horn in ihe picture industry some J slated as'his first picture. Film will be based on George W. Krueger. This makes 106 for Ihe chain, and makes it.one of the most powerful in the '. 'country.-'- with prexy Jack Kirsch also head orAllicd Stales. . Litvak Two-Ply Ent Pact years ago C. B. i "'Bret") Hunkle, owner of Hie Weslmore and Roxy theatres, is ihe Democratic nominee; for mayor of Huntington. a French best-seller authored by the Parisian novelist;-Joseph Kessel. Bonk has been translated 'into U. S. publication. WB Talent Scroll Hits Peak With 31 Stars Hollywood. May 2L Talent roster at Warners • 'has reached the highest peak in the studio's history, with .11 slars. 45 featured thesps. .15 stock players. 11 producers, 15-directors, 40 sci'ip- ters and four composers. Listed as stars are Robert Alda ; Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett, Jack Benny/ Humphrey Bogart. Jack Carson. Dane Clark, Joan Crawford. Helmut Dantihe, Belle Davis, F.ri-ol Flyiui. . Sydney Greenstreet. Paul Henreid. Robert Hutlon, Andrea King, Joan Leslie,. Viv'eca Lindfqrs, Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan^ Wayne Morris. Jan is Paige. Eleanor Par- ker, Claude Rains, Ronald Reagan, Rosalind Russell. Zachary Scott, Ann -Sheridan. Alexis - Smith. Bar- finglish. -for j bar* Stanwyck, Jane Wyniait and Gig Young.- WB's 3-Day Sales Meet Tied In With 20th Anni The Warner 20tl\ anniversary »r sound celebration which .•-•'aches.'.its climax in August will be tied into a special three-day WB. sales meeting to be held in Atlantic City Aug. 5-7. Meantime, the distribution depart- ment is laying various plans in con- nection with the sound anni. celebra- tion, including release during Aug- ust of '--Night arid Day'''which origi- nally was to have been held back until the fall. Atlantic Cily sales confab will be presided over by Ben Kalmensou. v.p. in charge of distribution and will be the largest of its kind held since before the war. In addition to . all nine district managers, the 27 WB brain h heads from throughout the U. S. arid Can- ada will attend. Plus Kalmeason. homeotrce execs will include Sam Schneider, v.p;; Mort Blumenstock, v.p. over adver- tising-publicity; Roy Haines, soiilh- eriVrwestern division sales manager: Jules Lapidus. eastern divisional head; I. F. Dolid, assistant lo Kai- menson; Norman H. Moray, short subject sales manager; Bernard R. Goodman, supervisor of exchanges: Ed Hinchy, head of the pla,\diite de- partment; Gil Golden, advertising manager; Larry Golob. eastern pub- licity direelor and Bill Brumberg, manager of the field 'exploitation staff. ♦ Large' sums of money that adver- tisers ' are spending to get their sponsored motion pictures on tele- vision points up the possibility that such advertisers rriay some, day buy screen time in the nation's theatres to plug (heir products, idea has of- ten been broached by Ihe top ad agencies and their clients but has always been' nixed by exhibs as something the paying customers wouldn't go for. WNBT, NBC's tele outlet in N. Y., recently began selling time to ad- vertisers for screening of the 'com- mercially-sponsored pix at the sta- tion's regular rate of $300 per half- hour. Figure includes $200. ror use of the film studio, plus another $100 as transmitter charges. With the. television audience in the N. Y. area currently limited to not more than 10,000-15,000 people because of. the few receiving sets, it's evident that the advertisers are willing to lay out lop money for a comparatively small audience. Ad agency execs now point out that the NBC charge for only a half- hour is often as much or more, than the average smalltown theatre grosses in a day. If the sponsors are willing to spend that kind of money for a small audience, they declare, it's feasible that they, would raise the ante to a very inviting figure it they could gel their pix onto regular the- atre screens before the large thea- tre audiences. ' - . Entertainment quality ol many of the latest commercially sponsored films, into which the advertisers of- ten invest as much as $50,000 for a one-reelcr, is' considered further in-, ducement for the exhibs to relent on their stand. Besides the agencies setting up their own production out- fits, composed of experienced film- makers, many Hollywood inHie pro- ducers have recently, announced their intention lo turn out commer- cial Alms. I By playing such .Alms') the agency l chiefs say, the exhib, besides getting ipaid a substantial sum for screen lime, would also save himself the cost of buying a regular short. I Amount of money currently being j invested in commercial pix makes it ; necessary for the sponsor to get as j wide a distribution as possible, and j according lo the agencies, the spon- sors can be expected to try to lure [ exhibs into the program. Cole Porter Filmusical Biog Doe July 3 on B'way '"Night and Day," filmusical biog of Cole Porter, is expected to open j at ".the Hollywood* N. Y.; July 3. ! National release is sel for August. | Michael Curtiz, pic's director, is expected lo make the trip east for , the premiere, if he winds up with I "Life with Father" in time; Cary ! Grant and Monty Wooley are ex- : peeled to appear at Ihe preem. as is Arthur Schwartz, film's producer, : now soitgsniithing for Broadway. | WB plans lieing pic jiilo the 201 h anniversary of sound program. Col Slates New Laffers Hollywood, May 21. Jules While, producer of shorls at Columbia, announced a program of 26 two-reel subjects for 1946-47. with four new stars. Quartet. con- sists of Harry Von Zeil. Sterling Hollaway, Arthur Q. Biyan and Joe De Rila. Meanwhile the studio, will con- tinue, with its old reliable shorl- snorlers. Hugh Herbert, Vera Vague, Andy Clyde, Eddie Foy. Jr., C!us Schilling, Richard Lane and the j Three Stooges.