Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

Motion Picture Daily REVIEW: School For Scoundrels Guardsman FilmProd. — Continental Call it what you will-a mounting farce, a burlesque or simply the ignoble truth; but whatever else it is "School for Scoundrels" is one of the gayest in the long, pleasant string of British comedies to lately arrive here. It should prosper as much from favorable word-of-mouth reception as through the usual avenues of exploitation. It's no surprise to find Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas together again and at odds with each other over the hand of Janette Scott, a sweet thing. But the consequences of Carmichael's finding some solace in his, the most naive of all possible worlds, go deeper than the quest merely for a woman. Cast so appropriately as the kindly sap and tool of mercenaries in "I'm All Right, Jack," Carmichael again makes a marvelous boob, this time, though, for only half a picture. And that lemon-hearted rogue Thomas is the boor, the sweet-talking scoundrel, the rallying point for the ghost of everv intolerable snob who ever has lived. Carmichael conversely is the classic collector of injustices, the chap who falls over chairs, is stuck with the check, invariably loses the girl in the last reel and who is an easy mark for rascals such as Thomas. When Thomas succeeds in bluffing Carmichael out of the competition for Miss Scott, Ian lights out for the provinces and "Professor" Alistair Sim's "College of Lifemanship." There, where life's "winners" quickly are separated from her "losers," he learns "woomanship," "gamemanship," "partymanship," and how infallibly to be "one-up" on the next fellow, whether by honorable or slightly wretched means. (The picture's alternate title, incidentally, is "How To Win Without Actually Cheating.") Returned to London a clever and immensely more confident fellow, Carmichael takes his revenge in small, sharp swallows. He is "one-up" all the way, infuriating Thomas by his nonchalance, causing him to smash up his fine sports car, beating him at tennis, and enticing Miss Scott away from him. All of this nonsense (albeit necessary and solemn nonsense) is perpetrated under the caustic eye of "Professor" Sim, who slinks about his pupil's stage confirming Carmichael's "post-graduate" progress. The turnabout? In the end it is Thomas, of all beings, who is seen entering the "College of Lifemanship." So Sim has dismissed with high honors one pupil at the expense of a prospective enrollee, thereby pulling the last irony out of the fire. The picture's hilarity is sometimes cut-and-dried but frequently it is of a more obvious order, visual and explosive. All of the players are appealing but none more so than Sim, whose timing shines. A couple of swindling automobile salesmen, Dennis Price and Peter Jones, also have a pair of long, pulsating goes with Carmichael, before and after he becomes "educated." The familiar comic twitch of John Le Mesurier, cast as a snobbish head waiter, is profoundly present. This Guardsman Film Production, released by Continental Distributing, Inc., is based on the series of books, "Lifemanship," "Gamemanship," and "Oneupmanship," written by Stephen Potter. Adapted originally by Peter Ustinov, the screenplay was written by Patricia Moves and Hal E. Chester, who also was executive producer. Douglas Rankin was associate producer and Robert Hamer directed. Music was composed and conducted bv John Addison. Running time, 94 minutes. July release. Saul Ostrove 6 Lutheran Unit (Continued from page 1) States and Canada," the resolution said, "are becoming increasingly disturbed by the prevalence of immorality, violence and bad taste in publications, motion pictures, television and radio programs, and in the mass communcations media generally. "The fundamental values of respect for God, for human life, for marriage, home and family, for property, for virtue, for good name and reputation are being degraded and eroded by these unwholesome influences and materials. "These evils can be combatted and rooted out only by the united and persistent efforts of all decent citizens." The laymen commended producers of "all acceptable publications, motion pictures and television and radio programs for recognizing and discharging their moral responsibilities in this respect." Postmaster General Praised They also commended Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield "for his diligent efforts to 'clean up the mails'." An auxiliary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the league also approved an "Exploding Horizons" program under which the laymen are to rededicate their lives to a personal application of the Lutheran Hour messages. The Lutheran Hour is an international radio broadcast sponsored by the league. Two weeks ago Dr. Oswald C. J. Hoffman, speaking on the Lutheran Hour broadcast, deplored the drift of motion pictures toward immorality and violence and cited the problems raised by the many "adult pictures." "For the benefit of concerned parents," he said, "there are several intelligent rating services available. . . . The Roman Catholic Legion of Decency has an excellent service today conducted . . . with the utmost sympathy toward the producers of good films." Mrs. Long Elected ( Continued from page 1 ) the company for more than 50 years. He died April 2. Frank J. Sottile was elected to fill the vacancy on the board caused by his father's death. Mrs. Long announced that the operation of the Pastime Amusement Company would remain the same, and that the policies and practices established by her father would be adhered to. She expressed optimism about prospects for continued success in operation of the company. Johnston, Hetzel (Continued from page 1) journey may omit the new Congolese Republic if unrest there is still widespread in late August. However, if conditions are favorable it will remain on the itinerary. Mrs. Johnston will be a member of the party, which will be abroad about a month. 'Cold Wind' to 20th-Fox "The Cold Wind and the Warm," S. N. Behrman's play of last season, has been purchased by 20th CenturyFox for future production. Three Webs Interested (Continued from page 1) for 1961 telecast. He said the Academy will weigh proposals by ABC, CBS and NBC on the basis of sponsor, product and sales approach, as well as commitment to cover the entire cost of show, before making a decision. Queried Regarding Oldsmobile Questioned on the possibility of Oldsmobile interest in taking over sponsorship, Kahane related remarks by John West, NBC's West Coast vice-president, who said, "If NBC re Thursday, July 21, 19l} 'Oscar' Cost:! ( Continued from page 1 ) ing the cost another year and the; who were agreeable, nevertheless, cl not wish to absorb the non-particip; ' ing companies' share. The Academy had asked MPAA V a decision on sponsoring next yea program by Aug. 1, or at least for agreement in principle by that dal This, in effect, required the MP/if member companies to make up thl minds about picking up the check J' the next Awards presentation progrfj without knowing how much it woi' cost them. AH Networks Invited On June 2. B. B. Kahane, Aca' emy president, told Motion Pictm Daily that, in order to avoid bei faced with "a last-minute decision || the Academy had initiated action j detennine whether next year's p» gram would be industry or commc! cially sponsored. He said that all I the networks had been invited to b for the program, probably the mo popular single annual event on tel vision. One network, Kahane said, had i dicated it would handle the show a public service program for no mo than out-of-pocket costs. Followii last spring's telecast, the MPAA hi requested the Academy to submit report on the costs of the progra and attitudes of all networks on haj dling it next year, before another d| cision was reached. NBC-TV has had the program on1 three-year basis, underwritten by t j industry The cost has been appro) mately $600,000 annually, exclusrl of the $150,000 contribution made the Academy yearly by MPAA. TI NBC contract expired with la spring's program. Prior to that, tl telecast was commercially sponsoK for several years by Oldsmobile. j Many Officials Opposed The difference to the industry bj tween commercial sponsorship of thj kind and its own non-commercij sponsorship is not commensurate wif the cost to the industry, in the opii ion of many company executivej Some pointed out that the television industry's own Emmy Awards prij grams are sponsored, and so was tl recent Democratic National Convei tion in Los Angeles. Films are m that much more exclusive, some ol served. At last week's MPAA board mee ing it was felt that the Academy shoi should continue to be supported on! if there was unanimous agreemeii among member companies to do s<| There was no unanimity on sponso ing the show, so the MPAA board d< cided to drop it. Opposition to contributing to tl sponsorship costs has been voiced th past two years. Last year, Universs declined to participate and Warnei did so reluctantly, after first havin refused. ___ acquires the broadcast rights, Old; mobile would be given first refusa We took it away from them whe MPAA wanted to sponsor."