MOVIETONE CITY—Louis Bromfieid's "The Rains Came" has developed into the greatest world-grossing motion picture of all time. I have just seen it and I say unconditionally that it is positively sensational. It has everything. Based upon a great book, with the finest cast ever assembled in one picture and possessing spectacles that are positively terrifying in realism and thrills, but great as the spectacular sequences are, the story holds you every second. It would be a great picture without the spectacles. It has comedy, pathos, thrills and drama and is loaded with sex. _ _ It is so unprecedentedly great that we are going to lose no time in making it available to our accounts. Therefore, we will release it on Sept. 15. Negative of "The Rains Came" will be shipped to New York on Sept. 1. I am more convinced than ever that we must fight for top prices and right percentages on our top 24 specials. Therefore, do not let anyone be rushed into making unsatisfactory contracts. Darryl Zanuck is tremendously excited and enthused over "Drums Along the Mohawk," "Brigham Young," "Swanee River." "Little Old New York," of "Grapes Wrath" and all his big ones. He is pouring huge sums into all of these specials, so it is, obviously, up to us to see that the right sort of terms are obtained. Based on what I have seen in the past several days, I am confident we will attain our Kent Drive quota as our weekly contribution to the new season's : NEW DYNAMO “STANLEY” EXCEEDS “JAMES” GROSS ON THE COAST Scene Of Sensational Opening Of Zanuck’s Thriller In New York! Noses Out Technicolor Hit At Two Los Angeles Theatres Sensational Smash In New York City Where Minimum Of Three Weeks Indicated By Seven Days’ Gross on While Zanuck’s “Stanley and Livingstone” was winding up its sensational first week at the Roxy theatre in New York, the grosses piled up at the Coast, at Loew’s State in Los Angeles and Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood, it was exceeding those houses by “Jesse James.” the record grosses Climaxing a spectacular advance exploitation campaign, “Stanley and Livingstone” was well on its way toward menacing if this comes about, for earned by “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”, which was playing the same houses at this time last year. No one will be surprised the audience reaction and newspaper reviews were terrific, a wire from the Coast stated on Thursday night. re-write box office his- That a two-fisted advance, spectacular exploitation campaign is all that “Stanley and Livingstone” locally requires to tory was indicated by the result of the New York and Los Angeles efforts! From Production Chief Zanuck came the following wire regarding the Coast day-and-date openings “ in several years and the mob ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ premiere at the Chinese theatre was unquestionably the greatest this town has seen in front of the theatre was by far the largest at any opening in the past three years. of the inability of the audience “It was necessary to call police reserves on several occasions and picture did not start until 9:15 o’clock because to reach the theatre. Livingstone earned at Grau- “But, even better than the news of the premiere here Tuesday night is the news of today’s grosses ‘Stanley and man’s Chinese in Hollywood and Loew’s State down in Los Angeles. This compares with the “We did today $2,251 at Loew’s State and $2,506 at the Chinese theatre, for a total at the two houses of $5,757. ‘Test Pilot’, $5,320, and following combined grosses at the same two houses on these pictures: ‘Jesse James,’ $2,650; ‘In Old Chicago,’ $4,300; since ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band, ‘Boys’ Town,’ $5,100. Of course, this means ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ has beaten all grosses at those two theatres for which we can all be mighty thankful.” was launched And on Thursday the crowds continued to pour into the two Coast theatres, leaving no doubt that “Stanley and Livingstone Friday forenoon. on a career that made even the “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” records seem wobbly, according to a telephonic report from Hollywood the fact that the World s Meantime, in New York City, despite the presence of the strongest screen attractions on Broadway this Summer and every opposition. Fair was. averaging a daily draw of 193,000 since the last week-end, “Stanley and Livingstone” was outdrawing and outgrossing everything else that has played at the Roxy in the last It was- WWhjg second only to “Jesse James” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” topping on Page 10 five years, according to the Roxy’s Irving Lesser. Continued ! ! NEW DYNAMO 3 CHICAGO, OKLAHOMA CITY PACING IN DRIVE ADVANCE RENTAL TIFF! WEST AND MIDWEST OUT FRONT Extreme Enterprise S.R.KENT DRIVE Apparent Among All Employees Special Supplement New York, N. Y„ Aug. 12, 1939 WOBBER ELATED OVER RELEASES FOR DRIVE! WARD E. SCOTT Practicability Of Weekly Delivery Of Drive Quota The first advance rent- als figures for the 18 - Stressed By Their Excellence, He Wires! week seventh annual S. R. Kent Drive are in MOVIETONE CITY—“From what I have seen and Divided into two com- what I know of the studio’s plans regarding the Drive LOCAL CAMPAIGNS PICK petitive groups — the Na- releases I am more convinced than ever that, with the tionals and Internationals right deals, we will have no trouble reaching our weekly —the branches are out to Drive quota.” UP TERRIFIC MOMENTUM re-write history during the So said General Manager of Distribution Herman Wob- 1939 Drive. ber this week following five days of product screenings and That is emphasized by conferences with Production Chief Darryl F. Zanuck. More Local Staffs Build Their Own the first advance rentals “I have never been more enthusiastic about the future figures, which show a half prospects of any season,” Prize Pots Supplementing The score of branches already he added, “than I am about definitely set for quota de- those for this one. The ADSALES FORCES Rich National Cash Awards livery during the Drive’s in- productions we have seen troductory stanza. are the best any company SET FOR RECORD Reports to New Dynamo from district and branch man- The National group, compris- ever has produced.” agers, scores of salesmen and bookers indicate the Kent ing the larger territories, is paced by none other than the Drive’s momentum is increasing daily. This was the second product The adsales departments champion office of the 1938-39 conference Messrs. Zanuck and are out for new records Meantime, Division Managers Kupper, Sussman and season, Clyde W. Eekhardt’s Wobber have had in less than And they mean to effect Gehring this week were speeding up circuits’ sales nego- Chicago. two months. them in the coming Kent tiations in a determined effort to enable their respective The International group, com- When here prising the smaller territories Drive. divisions to get the Drive off at maximum strength. in June, the of the United States and Can- Up in Minneapolis Drive Leader M. A. Levy was working on sales chief Never richer in means to ada, is commanded by Charles several chain deals, preparatory to departing on his second swing screened W. Clark’s Oklahoma City. do a record business, the around the branches. “rushes” of studio’s output indicating But the most enthusiastic reports came from the branch man- Ward E. Scott’s Midwest have “H oilywood that, the adsales forces are agers and local Drive leaders. piled up the highest 18-week’s Cavalcade,” advance among the districts. “The Rains mobilized for what should That the situation is under splendid control must be conceded William -J. Kupper’s West Came” and in view of the text of the reports from the branches. be the greatest campaign have the highest divisional ad- others. All hands continue to mobilize themselves for a share of the in which they have partici- vance figures, according to the “But,” he 12 national cash prizes for total delivery—six in each group—but pated. attractive official returns as of the begin- stated, “the managers, salesmen and bookers continued to form^ local ning of this week. high expec- Already cash prizes have been prize pools. Continued on Page 5 announced for Drive returns, Both Chicago and Oklahoma tat ions I Herman,. wWobber,, but the adsales managers and City report extraordinarily high had when j was here their assistants are going to go figures for the first week—and I SECOND SWING AROUND THE both figures are well over their last have been greatly exceeded after something more than prize money for themselves. respective quota! by what I have seen in the past OFFICES STARTS NEXT WEEK They are, definitely, in a fight- That individual effort is as few days. I know this: the stu- | j ing mood! strong as it was in any past dio has done everything humanly I ; SAN FRANCISCO—The second series of branch meetings possible Nothing but a new 18-week pre-Drive period is indicated by to give us the greatest = in connection with the Kent Drive will get under way next j box office adsales record in every territory the fact that already more than lineup ever available week-end. General Manager of Distribution Herman Wobber i will satisfy them. J a score and 10 salesmen have for a whole season, let alone a will meet Drive Leader Levy here. The former has been With that territorial goal in | ; their first week’s quota.