Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

• NEW FILM PRODUCT
In the world's first Panoram location,
the "It" Cafe on Hollywood's Vine Street,
and utilizing the initial machine which
continues to operate with a high degree of
success, middle of February R.C.M. Pro·
ductions, Inc., played host to some three
dozen members of the trade and daily press
at a luncheon preview of a new group of
Soundies. The REVIEW was represented, as
a matter of course.
Produced by Sam Coslow, executive pro·
ducer for and president of R.C.M., with
the single exception of "Minnie, the Mer·
maid," done by Associate Producer Neil
McGuire, the entire group of miniature
features ranges from sweet to hot, include
a neat satirical burlesque, and shows a
sustained increase in quality. Tuneful and
timely, productions are keyed to maintain·
ing morale. All should prove without diffi·
culty their merits and their profitability.
1. "Only Yesterday"-features Leon
Navara, with direction by Josef Berne. As
neat a take·off on the old-time movies as
one can find, surprisingly done from the
viewpoint of the pianist who keys his music
to the melodramatic scenes on the screen.
As for the ending, you'll go a long way to
catch a "tag-line" like this one. We won't
tell. See it for yourself.
2. "Dear Arabella"-music by Ray
Noble and his orchestra, with "Snooky"
Lanson, Greta Granstedt, Lee, Lynn and
Lou, directed by Berne. How to write a
letter to the gal back home with interrup-
tions by the rest of the Army. A clever,
tuneful number.
3. "lealous"-featuring Stan Kenton,
who did a big job at Hollywood's Palla·
dium Ballroom not long ago, and Hal
Borne, with Mary Brian and Chas. Barron;
Berne direction. Good tune, well sold.
4. "Bli-Blip"-featuring Marie Bryant
and Paul White, recorded by Duke Elling-
ton, directed by Berne. Ellington fans-
and there are many of them-will go for
this in a big way. "Bli-Blip" fans wiIl,
too.
5. "Any Bonds Today?"-featurin g
Liz Tilton and The Four Sportsmen. Liz
has come a long way in her ability to put
over a number; when she has anything
naturally as good as this Irving Berlin tune
to do, the combination is a natural. This
one won't miss.
6. "Hawaiian War Chant"-featuring
Mabel Todd, Chief Satini and Hilda Puai-
loa; recorded by Ted Fio Rito and his
Skylined Music. It's an even-money bet
which is better-Mabel Todd doing her
version of the tune, looking like a school
ma'rm on a spree, or the authentic Ha-
waiians; anyway, both are good, making
this a solid item on the film bill.
7. "White Cliffs of Dover"-featur-
ing Sugar Kane and Dick Hogan (latter
recently won a role at 20th Century-Fox)
with Phil Neely's Trio; recorded by Stan
Kenton and his orchestra. With a tune
that some critics are already marking for a
classical status, and with appropriate back·
. grounds, this Soundie should rate a best-
seller .standing in any spot.
8. "Minnie, the Mermaid"-featurin g
Redd Harper and Julianne Merritt, di-
rected by George Cunningham. Plenty of
gorge<;)Us femininity i'n this one.
9. "I Got It Bad, and That Ain't
Good"-featuring Duke Ellington and his
orchestra, with Ivie Anderson. As solid a
rendi tion of this popular number as you'll
Good Movie Year Ahead
LOS ANGELES-According to the Me-
termovie Division of the General Devices
Corporation, the future for operators of
movie macbines is assured for the duration:
"War is always accompanied by an increas-
ing interest in entertainment," Hugh Lacy,
speaking for the company, told the REVIEW.
"It is the natural reaction of humankind
when under a prolonged strain, to find an
escape through entertainment avenues.
While it is true that we are geared to all-
out production with every man at his ap·
pointed task, we have not lost our interest
in or capacity for pleaj>ure. When a work-
man spends ten hours building guns, planes
or ships, he is interested in and entitled to
some form of recreation. It is the business
of amusement machine operators to see that
he gets it, in a convenient and easily avail·
able form . In some cities theatres are going
on a 24-hour shift to serve the day and night
defense workers. Operators do not have to
increase their shift. Coin machines never
sleep. But operators do need to increase the
scope of their operations in keeping with
the needs of workers."
APDI Films at Lockheed
HOLLYWOOD-To brighten the recrea-
tion rest period on the swing shift at Lock-
heed, Associated Producers Distributin g,
Inc., have been furnishing reels of film to
show th e boys.
First APDI showin g of three-minute
shorts received such an overwhelming com-
mendation from the men building the
United Nations' fighting planes that APDI
has repeated the showings over and over
again using the full library of subjects.
Jersey Specialty Has Filmtone
SINGAC, New Jersey-The Jersey Spe-
cialty Co. has been appointed distributor
for the metropolitan area for Filmtone,
manufactured by Stewart Filmtone Co.
P. Hagedoorn, of J ersey Specialty, stated
"Filmtone has caught on with the opera-
tors in this territory and all of them report
a fine reception from location custom ers."
To announce th eir distributorship Jersey
Specialty mailed a very attractive broad-
side in blue and red, setting forth the ad-
vanatges of Filmtone and explaining the
profit possibilities.
RCM Signs Three
NEW YORK-Jack Barry, President of
Minoco Productions, Inc., has signed Gene
Austin, Dick Robertson and Jack Feeney
for a series of Soundie musical movies.
find, backed by Ellington and his men,
making this film one that gives out plenty
-but good .
Press representatives at the luncheon also
learned of current production of a number
of patriotic and defense bond subjects for
public exhibition; among which is an orig-
inal song by Coslow-his 501st publica-
tion-and Borne being transferred to the
Soundies screen by the Robert Mitchell
Boychoir; its title: "MacArthur Is the
Name."
Herb Mitchell.
Introduces New Lens
LOS ANGELES-A sensational new de-
velopment which may have far-reaching
effects of great importance to operators in
the coin movie field has just been an-
nounced by the Metermovies Division of
General Devices Corp.
The new development is the Metermovies
Conversion Lens, a new engineering feat in
the realm of optics which actually reverses
the image or projected picture at the point
of origin in the projector. This means that
when such a lens is used in any projection
. set-up it will cause the picture to appear
on the screen in the exact reverse of the
way it would normally appear in the same
projection instrument.
In the past operators have had to order
"standard" or "reverse" prints according
to the type of equipment they were operat-
ing. Now with the new conversion lens
either reverse or standard film may be used
in any machine regardless of for which type
of film the machine has been designed. To
operate reverse film in a standard machine
it is only necessary to remove the regular
lens and install the conversion lens. The
procedure is identical to operate standard
film in a reverse machi·ne.
RCM Makes Red Cross Film
HOLLYWOOD-Irving Berlin's "Angels
of Mercy", dedicated to the Red Cross, has
been made into film form by RCM Producer
Sam Coslow. Piece stars James Newell and
a group of male voices and has been pro-
duced in dramatic musical form extolling
the virtues of the Red Cross in song and
story.
ANNOUNCING ~
METERMOVIES' NEW CON-
VERSION LENS, now avail-
able to operators, "reverses"
the picture image. By using
this lens film can be inter-
changed between machines
of any make! Write for de-
tails.
The 1942 Model Metermovie
Machine is now available for
immediate deliveries in lim-
ited numbers - and going
fast! Rush your order today!
METERMOVIES
DIVISION
GENERAL DEVICES CORP.
CR-61408
8851 Beverly Blvd.
Hollywood. California
Mention of THE COIN MACHINE REVIEW is your best introduction to our advertisers.
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
25
FOR
MARCH
1942