Boxoffice-December.20.1952

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