Variety (Jul 1946)

22 PICTURES Wednesday, July 31, 1946 Skouras Calls NT Conclave Aug. 5-8 On Theatre Problems; Distrib Briefs Los Angeles, July 30. Charles P. Skouias, National The- ntres prexy. called a four-day con- vention of division and district execs and film buyers here Aug. 5-8 to talk over postwar problems. Hud- dles will include representatives, from the Northern jnd Southern California divisions, Inter-Moun- tain, Evergreen, Midwest, Wisconsin and MicHigan. Stan Mayer, recently out of the Navy, succeeded Thornton Sargent as co-city district manager ot. Fox- West Coast first run theatres in Los Angeles. The other co-city manager is Bruce Fowler. Sargent withdrew from the post to devote full time to his duties as National Theatres pub- lic relations director. prez, for change in titles but it's' understood duties will be similar to those of Rotsky. Moving of Maurice necessitates other switches in CT chain, with John Ready being shifted from .Pal- ace' managership to take charge of Loew's. Assistant at Palace, John Rosenberg, becomes manager there! trons were found standing In the aisles. Recently James pleaded guilty to the charge and after a $50 fine was assessed he was placed on pro- bation for one year. Melbourne Sanowski, owner ot the Fairy theatre, another indie nabe, was fined and placed on pro- bation two weeks ago on a similar charge. SCTOA Sets Up Labor Board Los Angeles. Southern California Theatre Own- ers Assn. organized an advisory labor board to analyze all contracts between theatre members and labor unions with the idea of arriving at equitable conditions. Committee is headed by George Bowser, as chair- man. Other members are Harry Vinnicoff. Roy Wolff. Everett Cum- mings and Jack Brower. Ben Waller- steih. who handles labor relations for Warner Bros., agreed to function Col.'s Denver Conv. Denver. Arrangements completed, for sales _„ convention for the western half of ! as an advisory member of group, the U. S. for Columbia Pics to be ) held Oct. 14-17 at the Broadmoor hotel, Colorado Springs. Open WB House In W. Va. Fairmont,, W. Va. The new Fairmont, a Warner house, opened Thursday t25). with the mayor and a state senator, who is head of the chamber of com- merce, officiating at public exercises. The former Fairmont burned down in February, 1935. Warners has a second-run house here, the Virginia. Don Wermuth is manager of the new theatre. Bays 3 Constantl Houses Seattle. Mike Barovic has purchased, the three theatres owned by the Con- stanti estate, being two in Puyallup and one in Sumner. He had been operating these houses for the past 10 years under lease. Barovic is the owner of the Rialto, in Tacoma. He announces building of a new 300- seater in Puyallup. Beler Exits Par (or SGP Nat Beier, handling sales for Par-' amount in N. Y. City and upstate N. Y., resigned to join Screen Guild Productions in executive sales ca- pacity in the east. This is a new independent producing company with headquarters on the Coast. CT Moves Up Maurice Montreal. Successor to late George Rotsky as supervisor for Consolidated Thea- tres (Famous Players) here is Phil Maurice, who moves out of the man- agerial slot at Loews. Rotsky held the post of general manager. No reason given by Arthur Hirsch, Fire Boxes In S. L. Houses • St. Louis. In line with a policy of public safety, the Board, of Aldermen has* unanimously-:adopted an or- dinance which requires the installa- tion of fire boxes in every picture theatre in the city. In houses with a seating capacity of more than 1,500 two boxes must be installed, one adjacent to the stage and the other in front of the house. . In houses with a seating capacity of less than 1,500 one box must be placed near the front if the theatre. Louis James, operator .of the Douglas, a Negro house here, is the second picture theatre owner to be fined in police court lor failing to provide unobstructed exits.' James was pinched last June 21 when pa- Reviving Omaha Variety Club Omaha. Variety Club, dormant since Pearl Harbor, making heroic effort to re- vive with Aug. 5 set as date for monster outing with representatives of theatres, exchanges and Others, to attend, Club's record here excel- lent for giving to well known chari- ties/ It. never actually went out of business but gave up its quarters and relapsed into qiet existence. Omahah entertained national con- vention 12 years ago. Inside Stuff-Pictures Guest panelists on WNYC's last airing of its "Hollywood Round Table" Tuesday (23) rapidly turned the conversation from the comparatively innocuous subject of double features to devious channels of the recent Federal court anti-trust opinion. Particularly interesting was the give-and-take between Hunt Strom- berg, Jr., and 1 Alfred W. Schwalberg, general sales manager of Interna- tional Pictures, in discussing the single-selling aspects of the decision. Schwalberg summarized what he felt was general opinion when he said, "Listen, in spite of what the court said, and surface manifestations of the film companies' attempts to comply, single selling won't work in spirit. Believe me, if a distributor wants an exhibitor to take a couple of 'B' pictures with the top product he is buying, the exhibitor will be 'convinced' and no questions asked." Stromberg added, "In other words, there will be under-the-table deals." * Remainder of the program, which also featured N. Y. News film critic Ruth Masters, and J. Carleton Beal, with moderator Helen Oursler, was devoted to unanimous agreement that double features are here to stay, esthetic protests to the contrary notwithstanding. New York Theatres Goldman's H.tOO.MO Theatre Philadelphia William Goldman's new $1,000,000 theatre will open the early part of next month with "Monsieur Beau- caire" (Par); . Paramount is all set for a big- league exploitation to tieup the pre.em of the Bob Hope starrer with the opening of Goldmaals new de- luxer, first new Aim house to be built in downtown Philly since the mid-twenties. Spotting "Beaucaire" at Gold- man's new house for a first run es- tablishes a precedent here, since Warners have had a virtual air-tight priority on major first run product in Philly. In this case it was a mat- ter of Goldman outbidding the War- ner circuit for the first-run rights. Jack Bergin, Paramount salesman handling the upstate territory has been upped to salesmanager of the Philly exchange. He replaces George Beattie, who resigned, to head the booking and buying department for Goldman theatres. The Felt brothers are building a new theatre near Swarthmore, Pa., to be called the College. Bill Slater Joins Hep * Bill Slater, formerly with RKO Theatres, joined Republic's advertis- ing and publicity department as as- sistant to Milton Silver, exec assist ant to boss flack Steve Edwards. Meanwhile, ad and publicity staff of Republic International has been augmented with addition of Marian Jennings Sapp, who will head up the department in the foreign.field. Miss Sapp was formerly on the public relations staff of the American Em- bassy in Mexico City. Irving Berlin, who has a 12V4% Interest in "Blue Skies," getting that ofl the top, is going on a ballyhoo pitch for Paramount in behalf of the Crosby-Astaire-Joan Caulfleld fllmusical. Berlin told Par he prefers it be' a frank sales ballyhoo, since it would be fooling nobody if the company went iri for one of those third-of-a-century ballyhoos .or "A' Salute to America's No. 1 Songwriter," and then hooked In the picture. Instead', Berlin, who gets back from Bermuda Sept. 1, will meet Par sales execs in key cities, cooperate in press interviews, radio hookups, etc. This keys to the Sept. 13 world preem in Chicago as part of B&K'g own 25th anni- versary (see separate story). Berlin flies to London thereafter with the print to tee off the British, engagement. His personal attorney, Francis Gilbert, precedes him as Berlin, coincidentally, will set up a London organization for his own music company which, in turn, will concentrate wholly on exploiting "Blue Skies." Berlin similarly cooperated with 20th-Fox on "Alexander's Rag- time Band" in 1938, when he had a 10% slice of the gross. Dennis MORGAN • Jack CARSON Id Warner Bran. Hit "TWO GUYS FROM MILWAUKEE" . In Person Raddy RICH Aid Hli Orchettra Siwt'tal Attraction Dlrfd From R'wood Robert ALDA Star of "Rhaptody In Bloc" ' Alr-Condltloned STRAND, B'woy of 47th St. Via JOHNSON titkti WILLIAMS Lucille BALL KMnin WYNN in M C M'l UtyToWed fn T«<fuvcefor Gm. FUTON M KB ttOOTU Hal LtROV ■tfkKUI TmiCMUMM Ural Jmv ADAMS CARV. ALCXIS GRANT SMITH NIGHT W TECHNICOLOR// JEROME KERN'S CENTENNIAL SUMMER' A 30th Canrvry-fox Fklui* In redhnkofor Plat oa Stoga—CHrCO MARX Extra! JANE PICKENS ROX Wst*_ IlHrburu STANWVCK Van IIF.KI.IN Lltabeth SCOTT In Hal WallhV Production *Tb« St r oage U»« of Mottho I vers* A Pwtmimt Pfetm PARAMOUNT, In Person DINAH SHORE 6U LAMB The Aero maniacs Extra DICK STABILE and HI* Orchestra Tinea Square SlMKLttiBfTI MNNYKAYE * d^A!SL- wow BtooWyn _ Ttdinkolor Doort OiMn • . B'woy ot 1-30 A.M. ASTOR 4Slh St. ON SCREEN ( JK PER.SOX THuro.. Auk. T "KH7Y" Willi Futlletl* GOVDAKD j Fay I J.ilin KIRHY MII.I.AND | Am] orch. Grace McBOXALD Xlfk I.tCAS MONTY WOOLLEY • GINNY SIMMS JANE WYMAN • m «w « • cmios mmiru oomio wooos «m MARY MARTIN Onct* »» MICHAEL CUKTIZ • ftwucrt b>- MTMW SCMWAKT7 --DMCO mM MM >U|ed try UtOY HHM ' Taylor's RKO Shift Hatton Taylor, branch manager for RKO at Montreal, promoted to De- troit as branch manager yesterday (Tues.). He succeeds Milton E Cohen, recently elevated, to east- central district manager. Joseph P. Smith, salesman for company in Los Angeles, was ele vated to be branch manager at Port land. He Alls the vacancy caused by the recent death of Mark Corey. Robert Mochrie, company's veepee in charge of domestic distribution made the changed. WARNERS' QLLYWOOD OrtKS IM0 AM.>COnT«HKniS«UTE (tlM 11:30 t M. Till the End of Time starring Dorothy . Gey McGUIRE oad MADISON ROBERT MITCH I'M BILL WILLIAMS RIVOLI. B'wqy and 49th St. B WAY & 47th St. PALACE Edward C. ROBINSON Uratta YOUNG Oreoa WELLES "THE STRANGER" ' An International Picture Released thru RKO RADIO PICTURES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL "ANNA and the KING OF SIAM" Starring Ireae Rei LI ado DUNNE • HARRISON - DARNELL Spcctocalar Stage Predacrlam Am SHEEIDAN'S 'FUNG' Hollywood, July 30. Warners handed Ann Sheridan the femme star role in "The Last Fling," with Ronald Reagan as male topper. Picture, with a comic angle, is based on a play by Herbert Clyde Lewis, and is slated for late ~ fall production. Gaomont Revives Suit Irving Gaumont, writer, revived his 1941 plagiarism action against Warner Bros, in N. Y. Federal court last week. Gaumont charged that Warners infringed on his story "You've Got to Swing It," in the Aiming of "My Love Came Back,' after the studio rejected the writer's copy. Gaumont is asking for an account ing of all profits made on the Aim The original 1941 action was dis missed for lack of prosecution. 1-a-Year Drive - Continued from pace 3 = sored theatre drive, is continuing negotiations with industry toppers, Red Cross, under guidance of Basil O'Connor, will turn to its fund-rais ing county committees to win the support of local exhibitors. Theatre men are expected to face a ticklish question when the bee. is put on them by prominent local people who will ask exhibs to throw open their theatres for RC collections. Officials of both RC and M of D claihi that the patron resentment to plate-jingling is not nearly as wide spread as claimed in the industry Poll conducted by one of the na- tional public opinion, research or ganizations, made at the request of charity units, showed that 75% of the patrons who had been solicited in theatres did ,not object to charity officials state. Should the industry Anally turn down the M of D plea for reversal of stand, it too will operate its cam paign locally. along lines parallel to the RC. M of D dependence on the atre support is major with the Na- tional Foundation for Infantile Paralysis film take steadily mounting from $1,403,000 in 1042 to $5,979,000 in 1945. ' While Loew's. Inc., showed an increase of over $3,200,000 for the Ar*t 40 weeks in corporation's fiscal year as compared with corresponding period a year ago, financial circles are most interested in what the com- pany will dp when it receives full benefit of the change in excess profits tax law. Thus far, Loew's has benefited only about six months under such reduced tax operations since the fiscal year ends Aug. 31. Actually the tax outlay for the first 40 weeks rose about $700,000 as against a year ago. With Loew's benefiting from this reduced excess profits tax setup from June'6 tlast date covered in the report), a vast , pickup in earnings , is anticipated in Wall Street in the remaining 12 weeks of the year. And for the next fiscal year there is bound to be an Improvement no matter what the actual operating profit is. March of Time's "Atomic Power" is going out on release ahead- of Metro's feature on the atom bomb. "Beginning or End," being ready lor distribution this week. However, there is not much conflict of material because Metro and MOT cooperated in putting together their material. Time, employing some 22 atomic scientists, gives a vivid but scientific . story of the actual atom development to date. Time's "Power" starts with Einstein's startling theory about the atom, and unveils just what the scientists think about what the discovery means. MOT realized that the audience potential for its, subject would be dimin- ished if it had to trail out to the exhibitor after Metro had released its feature on the same-general topic. Quest of the Selznlck pub-ad forces for new and different methods of exploitation on "Duel in the Sun" has resulted in a 24-sheet size painted sign atop a building at Seventh avenue and 48th street that is attracting the Broadway gawkers. ' Title and credits on the film are printed in .type:of diminishing size in the manner of an eye doctor's test, card, big at the top and small at the bottom. Along the side are notations of the locations on the street below from which a person with average eyesight should 1 be able to read the various size type lines. At the top, around a big painted optic, is the legend: "Test your eyes on the picture to see." It's a stunt Selznick's new eastern pub-ad head, Sid Alexander, whipped up. Music Hall, N. Y.. has been using only two clips In Its newsreel during the week ending yesterday,. (Tuesday), but both have been- particularly pertinent. One was a lengthy exclusive by Fox-Movietone of the interior of the palace of the King, of Siam, who was recently murdered. Picture at the M.H. is "Anna and the King of Siam," with the tieup being so per- fect that the commentary in the newsreel even mentions the film. Second clip is a Pathe story on Japanese dancing girls entertaining GIs in Tokyo.. They do a precision kick routine which leads the commentator to remark that they are Tokyo's own version of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. Lise Meitner, German atomic scientist whom Hitler forced out of the country in 1938, refused Metro permission to depict her in its atom bomb film, "The Beginning or the End." Bob Considine, who did the script, in- tended to show that the woman the Fuehrer caused to leave Germany because ot the claim she was half Jewish, might have developed the weapon which might have won the war for him. Miss Meitner's refusal to allow any representation of herself in the film results from what she states is misinformation all around. She says she prefers not to be pictured: since she is not Jewish at all, but Catholic; Probably the top item in a location operation figured at $47,000 a day is that laid out by Metro for purchase, shipping expense and operation of a generator sent up to Mackinac Island, Mich., along with Jimmy Durante, Esther Williams, Lauritz Melchior, Sharon McManus, Johnnie Johnstone and others of the cast of "This Time For Keeps," exteriors of which were shot on the island. Generator was used to keep' the temperature of the Grand hotel's swimming pool at 82 degrees for Miss Williams' swimming scenes. Purchase by Hal Wallis last week of "House of Mist," forthcoming novel by the Chilean writer, Maria Louisa Bombal, took the book out from under Paramount, which was also anxious to obtain screen rights. Wallis releases through Par, of course, so the company will get the picture anyway, al- though the studio and the indie were bidding against each other. Wallis was willing to go considerably higher than Par itself, however, offering $125,000, against a lop of about $75,000, which the studio was willing to pay. Phil Williams, March of Time ad-publicity director, has suggested and had approved by Rutgers Neilson a plan for exchanging British and U. S. film critics. Proposition goes to officers of Associated. Motion Picture Advcrtiscrs'for actual formulation and later presentation to Motion Picture Assn. Williams, in suggesting, crix exchange, explains that such an ar- rangement likely would help in better understanding of industry prob- lems both in U. S. and England. '• Considerably wider use of film stars and more cooperation from motion picture studios is seen as ah.aside of the hypoing Bing Crosby is expected to give the transcription business. - Studios have balked at guestih'gs mainly because of .-the strain and the interruption of shooting schedules. How- ever, since platters may be cut with virtually no inconvenience, and cer- tainly without the .'demands'attendant on regularly scheduled live shows, stars are expected to be made more available, it's figured.