The Film Daily (1948)

w*? Tuesday, March 16, 194 20th-Fox 2nd Quarter Net to Show Advance (Continued from Page 1) duction costs over a year ago as 'substantial." Settlement of the Anglo-American tax impasse was reason for considerable industry optimism as it weighed the future, the 20th-Fox exec, added. Elimination of the extra dividend on the company's common was influenced by a desire to place it on a sound economic basis, it was said. Questioned as to television's effect on films, Skouras said he felt it would aid and, far from being a competitor, would benefit. Foreign Heads Working On U. K. Shipment Plans (Continued from Page 1) in charge of foreign distribution, conferred with Maurice Wolf, managing director for Britain, but no final decision was reached as to what pictures would make up the company's first releases. A spokesman for Paramount said that word was expected shortly from the company's London office. A complete list of pictures is being studied by that office from which it will order a group for initial release. It is held likely that the first Paramount releases may include "Hazard," "The Paleface," "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" and "The Sainted Sisters." Island Theater Circuit Loses Jules Liggett Suit Judgment for the dependants in the Island Theater Circuit Corp.'s suit against Jules E. Liggett, Erne Weissberger and Norma Fallenberg, was handed down yesterday by N. Y. Supreme Court Judge Aaron Steuer. Action had charged Liggett, a former director and manager for Island, with a breach of fiduciary duty and with diversion of corporate opportunities in purchasing the Samuel Stiefel Booking Agency for himself rather than for Island. Hyman Eidelsberg Services Funeral services were held Sunday for Hyman Eidelsberg, 75, father of Frederica Eidelsberg, of the local SRO office. Interment was in Mount Hebron Cemetery. Surviving are his widow, Sarah, and three daughters, including Rose Eidelsberg, who is with Paramount here. CHARTERED CROWN FILMS, INC., Dover, Del.; purpose, operate motion pictures; capital, 250 shares, no par value; principal office, The Corporation Trust Co., 100 W. 10th St., Wilmington, Del. KIDDIE AMUSEMENT CO., Dover, Del.; purpose, engage in carnival and amusement business; capital, 250 shares, no par value; principal office, The Prentice-Hall Corporation System, Inc., Dover, Del. :< RIVIEUJ Of THE DEUJ flLfnS £ "Summer Holiday" with Mickey Rooney, Gloria De Haven, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan M-G-M 92 Mins. MAMOULIAN TURNS IN A HANDSOME ENTERTAINMENT THAT SHOULD DO EVEN BETTER BIZ THAN THE ORIGINAL; REFRESHING, CLEVER, WELL PLAYED. This remake is wonderful. First film version of Eugene O'Neill's play, "Ah Wilderness," in 1935 was acclaimed. Then it was a screenplay, after the stagework, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. This time Irving Brecher and Jean Holloway have made an adaptation from the formers' script and Rouben Mamoulian has directed with music and dance and Technicolor. It is a splendid job. A period piece, it does not show age. O'Neill's only venture into lightness by no means can be labeled an antique. Instead it may be considered in the light of remembrance of things past when the world was liveable and Uranium and Plutonium were scarcely known. Rather than confine his show to the family fires and interiors of the first celluloid version, Mamoulian has provided his piayers, all of them with words and music, he has taken them outdoors for a gay, youthful and dancing fling that is as refreshingly different as anything that has been sprocketed through a projection machine in recent days. In casting Producer Arthur Freed shrewdly starred Mickey Rooney and bolstered his selection with the stalwart talents of Walter Huston, Selena Royle, Frank Morgan, Gloria De Haven and, in minor brackets, but still to be favorably noted, Butch Jenkins, Agnes Moorehead, Marilyn Maxwell, Howard Freeman, plus others. Like the Bard's well known rose, "Ah, Wilderness" under another name will do just as sweetly as its predecessor and it may safely be conjectured that box office potentiality is greater. A little briefing and orientation on the O'Neill plot is in order at about this point. Fundamentally a light work, the vein has a serious throb and mora4izes here and there on the emotional growth of the adolescent, the perils and pitfalls of spiritus frumenti and hazards of clandestine relations with women who are no better than they should be. The Miller family, Walter Huston, Mickey Rooney, Michael Kirby, Selena Royle live in a pleasant New England town where life is lived fully, comfortably, pleasantly. It is Summer at about the turn of the century or shortly thereafter. That was the time when the Stanley Steamer was something to frighten horses. Rooney is the focal point of the tale with Huston coming on frequently to get over emphasis on problems, romantic, world saving and otherwise that confront his son who lies high ideals, reads Marx, is under the influence of Swinburne and Omar Khayyam. Said literary load is directed at Gloria De Haven, growing up daughter of Neighbor Howard Freeman. Rooney's impassioned love notes are brought to the attention of Huston by Freeman. He forbids the girl to see him, hat her pen a note to this effect, quite against her will. Huston tends to side with his son. He understands what it's all about. Before Rooney and Miss De Haven come together the former has a torrid session with Marilyn Maxwell a showgirl, who is playing the town and given to sporting "Devil's Cargo" with John Calvert, Rochelle Hudson Film Classics 61 Mins. ADEQUATE WHODUNIT FARE WITH A NEW "FALCON" CHARACTER; HOLDS INTEREST. In a minor category this one stacks up as adequate whodunit fare with all the proper trimmings and enough in the way of story invention to sustain spectator interest for most of its running time. Story has to do with the murder of a gambler. John Calvert, as "The Falcon," is something of a sleight of hand practitioner. He is engaged by Paul Marion, who states he killed the man, to clear up things. Theodore Von Eltz is a criminal lawyer who takes Marion's case when he gives himself up. Shortly after Marion dies in his prison cell under strange circumstances. Rochelle Hudson is wife to Marion. She has been playing around. In short order Tom Kennedy is killed by a bomb blast. The explosive had been planted to kill someone else. Kennedy was a mug hired by the chief culprit to do certain dirty work. With Roscoe Karns, a copper, Calvert begins to add the various leads and clues, make omnipotent deductions. He eventually frames his case and the finger points to the guilty man. He is almost done in as he confronts his victim. But the police are handily about and save his skin. Piece is played out with suitable performances which are in keeping with the content of the script. It has movement pace. CAST: John Calvert, Rochelle Hudson, Roscoe Karns, Lyle Talbot, Tom Kennedy, Paul Regan, Theodore Von Eltz, Paul Marion. CREDITS: A Falcon Production; Producer, Philip N. Krasne; Director, John F. Link; Assistant, Mack Wright; Photography, Walter Strange; Editor, Asa Clark. DIRECTION, Adequate. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fair. 'Smart Woman' around with the boys. There's some music at this point again and the color treatment of the sequence is all warm tones and quite funny as Rooney gets himself a snootful of assorted libations. Oh, yes, it takes place mostly on July 4. All in good time the piece reaches a proper romantic finale and the audience is left pleasantly entertained and the better for it. CAST: Mickey Rooney, Gloria De Haven, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan, Butch Jenkins', Marilyn Maxwell, Agnes Moorehead, Selena Royle, Michael Kirby, Shirley Johns, Hal Hackett, Ann Francis, John Alexander, Virginia Brissac, Howard Freeman, Alice MacKenzie, Ruth Brady. CREDITS: Producer, Arthur Freed; Director, Rouben Mamoulian; Adapted by Irving Brecher, Jean Holloway from the screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett; Based on Eugene O'Neill's play, "Ah, Wilderness"; Musical direction, Lennie Hayton; Orchestrations, Conrad Salinger; Dances, Charles Walters; Music, Harry Worren; Lyrics, Ralph Blane; Photography, Charles Schoenbaum; Art directors, Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith; Editor, Albert Akst; Sound, Douglas Shearer; Sets, Edwin B. Willis, Richard Pefferle. DIRECTION, Excellent. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fine. $10 Wage Hike to Col. Employes Granted by AAA Wage increase, ranging from $6 to $10, and retroactive to Sept. 27, 1947, was granted yesterday by the AAA to 298 SOPEG employes at Columbia. Arbitrators were: Sidney A. Wolff, impartial chairman;' Al Shepard, union rep.; Arthur W. Schwartz, company rep. A Mh ISWtADI with Brian Aherne, Constance Bennett and Barry Sullivan (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW Allied Artists CORKING MELODRAMA I FOR BOX OFFICE CLEANUP. SWELL CA1 AND SPLENDID DIRECTION BACK I STRONG STORY VALUES. Here is one of the best offerings to b( the Allied Artists label. It was produc by Hal E. Chester, who assembled a ca including such seasoned players as Bri Aherne, Constance Bennett and Barry Sul van, who are starred. The supporting c; includes Michael O'Shea, James Gleasc Otto Kruger, Isobel Elsom, Richard Ly and Selena Royle. Edward A. Blatt has supplied splenc direction, while Adele Rogers St. Joh wrote the adaptation and Alvah Bessie, Loi Morheim and Herbert Margolis the scree play, based on the Leon Gutterman-Edv, V. Westrate story, which contained clei material. Stanley Cortez's photography very praiseworthy. Wealthy Aherne is appointed spec prosecutor to clean up a town, where Oi Kruger, a crooked district attorney, f reigned for 15 years. Kruger's right-bov, in the rackets is Barry Sullivan. When things get too tough, after Aher starts his work, Kruger and Sullivan enga in a bitter quarrel. Kruger aims his pis at Sullivan, but in the ensuing melee t district attorney is slain. Sullivan engages his long-time couns Constance Bennett, a criminal lawyer, defend him. Selena Royle, Kruger's wide testifies that she saw Sullivan commit I murder, and when the evidence seems ovi whelmingly against her client, Miss Benm lakes the stand and reveals that Sullivan her ex-husband and the father of their chi Richard Lyon. Miss Bennett testifies that although s was always worried that Sullivan mi; blackmail her, she was convinced that would not commit murder. New evider frees Sullivan, and the picture closes on romantic note between Miss Bennett J Aherne. CAST: Brian Aherne, Constance Bennett, Be Sullivan, Michael O'Shea, James Gleason, O Kruger, Isobel Elsom, Richard Lyon, Sell Royle, Taylor Holmes, John Litel, Nita Hunt Lee Bonnell, Irish Adrian, Willie Best Hon McMahon. CREDITS: A Constance Bennett Producti Producer, Hal E. Chester; Associate Produt Bernard W. Burton; Director, Edward A. Bit Original Story by Leon Gutterman and Edwin Westrate; Screenplay, Alvah Bessie, Louis M heim and Herbert Margolis; Adaptation, Ad Rogers St. Johns; Cameraman, Stanley Cort Production Supervisor, Glenn Cook; Editoi Supervisor, Otho Lovering; Editor, Frank Goi Art director, F. Paul Sylos; Set decorations, I Boltz, Jr., Dialogue director, G. Joseph D< Sound, Tom Lambert; Musical director, Bakeleinikoff. DIRECTION, Splendid. PHOTOGRAPHY, V Praiseworthy. New Jersey TOA Unit Adds 15 Addition of 15 theaters to t membership of TOA's New Jers unit was reported to executive dir. tor Robert W. Coyne yesterday Maurice J. Miller, president of t state unit. New houses include located in Trenton and New Brui wick and operated by the Trent* New Brunswick Theaters Corp., a three houses of the Rapf & Rud circuit in northern New Jersey.