You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
A New Nostradamus<br />
Series Tops MGM<br />
Lineup for the Year<br />
Pete Smith Roster Gets<br />
Numerous Promotions<br />
On The National Level<br />
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short subjects<br />
program for 1952-53 will inrludp a number<br />
of subjects geared to unusual exploitation<br />
possibilities.<br />
As in past years, many Pete Smith subjects<br />
will be launched with national promotion<br />
campaigns taking advantage of the<br />
exploitation possibilities of their subject<br />
matter. In current release is Smith's "Pedestrian<br />
Safety," which was produced with<br />
the cooperation of the traffic division of<br />
the Los Angeles police department. This<br />
subject, stressing the dangers of careless<br />
pedestrian habits, has won the acclaim of<br />
police departments and traffic safety groups<br />
across the country, and such groups are<br />
actively participating in the current promotion.<br />
The Los Angeles police department<br />
recently awarded Smith a citation for producing<br />
this picture.<br />
Some Pete Smith Humor<br />
Also in current release is Pete Smith's<br />
"Keep It Clean. " a humorous short depicting<br />
the importance of sanitation in public<br />
eating places. Smith ])roduced this subject<br />
at the re(|uest of many health departments<br />
and health officers. Dr. George Lhl of the<br />
Los Angeles department served as technical<br />
advisor on "Keep It Clean," which was<br />
based on an original suggestion by director<br />
of health education Milton E. Kossack of<br />
ihe Louisiana state health department.<br />
Health departments, health officers and<br />
.santitation grou|)s throughout the countrv<br />
are cooperating in the promotion of "Keep<br />
It Clean.' which was launched with a series<br />
of regional ])revi( \vs in key cities.<br />
I pcoming on the Pete Smith schedule are<br />
other titles with exploitation features.<br />
They include "Aquatic Kids," which will<br />
lie l;imi(lied with a dual-city premiere in<br />
These three smiling gentlemen on the MGM lot<br />
represent 75 ycors of cumulative service in Leo's<br />
shorts production Left to right, Pete Smith; Fred<br />
Quimby, head of the short subjects department and<br />
producer of MGM Cartoons; ond James Filipotrick,<br />
producer of Travel Talks. Each has 25 years of<br />
service with the compony.<br />
14<br />
Wilson Did Not Invent' Nostradamus; the Fellow Is Real<br />
by<br />
CAREY WILSON<br />
It's bail riiiiiitili that fur tli'<br />
past ten years Ive been accused<br />
of translating and interprelinj;<br />
the prophecies of Nostradamus,<br />
the 16th-centur\'<br />
Swami. to suit my own purposes—or<br />
rather the purposes<br />
of the little -MGM one-reel<br />
lealurelles about Nostradamus,<br />
the man who dared to put<br />
into writing his predictions of<br />
the future. Yes, such accusati(m<br />
is bad enough but recently<br />
I was accused of infenling<br />
Nostradamus! /<br />
ilidn't! Neither did the Russians.<br />
To all such traducers I suggest<br />
a Wsit to the New York<br />
public library or the famed<br />
Huntington library in southern<br />
California. Each, to my<br />
knowledge, possess at least<br />
Orlando and Winter Haven, Fla.. this<br />
spring; "The Mosconi Story," a biographical<br />
motion picture on pocket billiard<br />
champion Willie Mosconi for which a tieup<br />
has been made with the Brunswick-Balke-<br />
CoUender Co. for national promotion; and<br />
"Good Buy Now," which is being produced<br />
at the request of the Treasury Department<br />
as part of its bond savings program. Jacob<br />
Mogelever, chief of the promotion section<br />
of the savings bond division of the Treasury<br />
Department, acted as technical advisor<br />
on the film. Elaborate promotion plans include<br />
the participation of Treasury Department<br />
officers, banks and siinilar groups<br />
throughout the country.<br />
Potentials in Tom and Jerry<br />
In the cartoon field, MGM's Tom and<br />
produced by Fred Quimby,<br />
Jerry (cartoons,<br />
will continue to serve as a springboard for<br />
the increasing licensing activities of MGM's<br />
cartoon novelties division. This department<br />
licenses manufacturers to produce a<br />
wide variety of products utilizing the<br />
names and likenesses of Tom and Jerry and<br />
other MGM cartoon characters. (AirrenlL<br />
being manufactured under such licensing<br />
agreements are a large variety of items including<br />
toys, gaines, children's clothing,<br />
hooks, records, etc. Many of these items<br />
are being used as prizes for Saturday<br />
morning cartoon shows for children.<br />
This year, for the first time in ciglil<br />
years. MGM has scheduled a new series of<br />
Nostradamus shorts to be produced by<br />
Carey Wilson. First of these will be "Nostradamus<br />
Says So," scheduled for December<br />
release. Current interest in the Nostradamus<br />
prophecies — many of which foresaw<br />
some ol llie great events of our day<br />
provide this series with an excellent exploilalion<br />
peg tthieli will be utilized lo launch<br />
one copy of a 17th century<br />
printing of all the 1.000 quaint<br />
and curious verses which Nostradamus<br />
employed to make<br />
official record of his predictions.<br />
But authenticity doesn't<br />
make a movie enjoyable or exciting.<br />
It merely adds a secondary<br />
interest. I think you'll<br />
find "Nostradamus Says So"<br />
more exciting than any previous<br />
JNostradamus short. It<br />
contains fewer prophecies<br />
about things that have by<br />
now already happened. It contains<br />
many more prophecies<br />
than ever before of things yet<br />
to come. And. if I may somewhat<br />
vainly say so, it contains<br />
a brief reference to a<br />
iouple (if the prophet's predictions<br />
previously made from<br />
I he screen and which at that<br />
lime hadn't happened but<br />
which since then haie.<br />
It talks about the atom<br />
bomb. It tells you what Nostradamus<br />
foresaw in the atom<br />
bomb as a weapon and in<br />
some other uses of the atomic<br />
fission principle: it talks<br />
about the world today, politically<br />
and militarily: it tells<br />
you what Nostradamus wrote<br />
down, in 1555, about many<br />
things of today which it is<br />
hard to believe could have<br />
been merely guessed.<br />
While '"Nostradamus Says<br />
.So" partakes of the same general<br />
screen-pattern of past suggestions,<br />
it is perhaps a little<br />
different and, I hope, better<br />
in its exposition. I'd be most<br />
happy to hear your comments<br />
and criticisms. ! also should<br />
be interested in knowing<br />
whether it is desirable to show<br />
more of his personal life, private<br />
and prophetic—or shall<br />
I concentrate on the things<br />
about which he prophesied?<br />
this series. The Nostradamus series was<br />
announced with an unusual letter purporting<br />
to have been written by the French seer<br />
himself, worded in the quatrain style developed<br />
by Nostradamus to note his<br />
prophecies.<br />
Still<br />
Time for Contest<br />
There is still time to get entries into the<br />
American Weekly Showmanshi]) Award,<br />
consisting of six cash prizes totaling SLOOO,<br />
which will be awarded by the Sunday supplement<br />
to exhibitors who perform the best<br />
job of retail cooperative tie-in advertising<br />
in connection with the showing of "The<br />
Snows of Kilimanjaro."<br />
Top winner get .S5(X); SlOO apiece goes<br />
to the next five places. Prizes will be determined<br />
on the basis of originality and<br />
execution with all theatres judged equally.<br />
Winners will be announced shortly after<br />
closing date. January 1.<br />
Metro's 52-53 Lineup<br />
Includes 46 Pictures<br />
MCi.M will release K) shorts during<br />
the 10.52-5.') season. They include: 10<br />
Technicolor cartoons, featuring the<br />
Tom and Jerry Academy Award winners;<br />
six Gold Medal reprint cartoons<br />
in Techtiicolor; ten Pi'te Smith<br />
.Specialties, eight Filzpatrick Traveltalks,<br />
in Technicoloi, and four Carey<br />
W ilson-produced Nostradamus Prophecies.<br />
There will also be two two-reel specials<br />
and the regular 104 issues of<br />
News of the Day.<br />
PROMOTION SECTION<br />
I