FILM EXECUTIVE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 224, 22 September 1938, Page 15

FILM EXECUTIVE.

FLYING VISIT PAID.

NEGOTIATING PICTURE DEAL.

After a brief business risft to Auckland, Mr. Ralph Doyle, managing-direc-tor of R.K.O. Radio Pictures (Australasia), Limited, returned to Australia by the Niagara on Tuesday. He arrived here by the Monterey on Monday. The main object of Mr. Doyle's flying visit was to negotiate with Amalgamated Theatres, Limited, concerning the Dominion release of Walt Disney's first full-length technicolour feature "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." He stated yesterday that the film would in all probability be released in New Zealand centres as a Christmas attraction. "Snow White," which is now in its fifth month in Australia, had had remarkable success, and a notable feature, said Mr. Doyle, was the fact that attendance tallies showed that 70 per cent of audiences were adults.

Disney, he said, aimed at increasing his studio output of these full-length features to five or six yearly, instead°of two, as at present. There appeared little doubt that his next film would be made from the immortal story "Alice in Wonderland."

Commenting on the film position in the United States, where the eight major film companies have been issued with an equity writ from the Government charging monopolisation, amonomany. other counts, Mr. Doyle said those concerned appeared to be welcoming the chance to come out in the open and refute the charges. "The picture business cannot be run on ordinary business lines," he said, inose in the business have to take into consideration the intangible aspect that is entertainment. And it is on that aspect that the public judges them." As iar as monopolies were concerned, he said he knew that there was tremendous C ° m r Pe i!i ion amon " the ei S h t "majors." Mr. Doyle said the present production season, which started at the beginniry of the month, would be a verv ambitious one. His company's most important film would be "Gunga Din," which had been allotted a larger production quota than for many years past.