Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

Columbia Plans 62 Features in Current Year For its current product year, Columbia will have 62 feature pictures, seven of which already have been released, and 21 of which are classed as "important" productions, the company announced in New York last Friday. Planned for early release are: "The Man from Colorado," a Technicolor picture with Glenn Ford; "The Return of October," also a Technicolor film starring Glenn Ford, and "The Gallant Blade," a Cinecolor version of the Alexander Dumas' classic, with Larry Parks. Bogart Film In Work Already in production are: "Knock on Any Door," a Santana production starring Humphrey Bogart; "Rough Sketch," a drama with Jennifer Jones; "The Dark Past," a psychological melodrama with William Holden and Nina Foch ; "The Lovers," a documentary of the prison parole system with Cornel Wilde and Patricia Knight; "Mr. Soft Touch," a story with a settlement house locale starring Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes ; "The Undercover Man," a story of the Treasury Department also starring Glenn Ford; "Song of India" with Sabu and Gail Russell, and "The Walking Hills," an adventure with Randolph Scott and Ella Raines. Among those planned for production in the coming year are: "The Big Jump" with George Raft; "Wild Bill Doolin," a Western with Randolph Scott, and "Miss Grant Takes Richmond," starring Lucille Ball. The pictures already released are: "The Loves of Carmen," "The Fuller Brush Man," "Walk a Crooked Mile," "The Untamed Breed," "Coroner Creek," "The Black Arrow" and "Lulu Belle." Set Weissmuller Films Columbia stressed that these films do not complete the plans for the year. Also scheduled for production are two "Jungle Jim" films starring Johnny Weissmuller, and 27 other feature attractions. Also there will be two Gene Autry pictures, two Roy Acuff Westerns, eight "Durango Kid" Westerns. In addition to the serial "Superman" already in release, the company has scheduled four other serials plus 60 one-reel short subjects, 24 color cartoons, and 28 two-reel comedies. Plan Television Room When the Walter Reade circuit's Majestic theatre, Perth Amboy, N. J., opens in about three weeks, following remodeling job, the house will have a special room set aside for television projection, it was learned this week. An RCA projector, throwing a six by eight-foot picture, will be used. Permanent and movable settees will be installed. FOREIGN REVIEWS EAGLE WITH TWO HEADS (L'Aigle A Deux Tetes) Vogue Films — French with English Titles Jean Cocteau, one of the leaders of France's avant garde movement, is known here for a number of more or less experimental films. In this latest of his efforts he again shuns the conventional plot and trappings to tell the story of a young queen who has remained in mourning for 10 years in memory of her husband, slain on their wedding night. A young anarchist enters the palace, intent on killing the queen, but remains to love her. After spending three days in her apartment, the anarchist takes a slow poison ; the queen, finding the empty vial, deliberately provokes him to stab her. They die together. This is all told with such an imaginative literary flavor, that the film should be eagerly accepted by those who have followed Cocteau's career and by those others looking for the bizarre. There are impressive settings, but Cocteau's direction is somewhat erratic. Edwige Feuillere as the queen and Jean Marais as the anarchist are both excellent. Running time, 100 minutes. Adult audience classification. Reviewer's Rating: Good — M. L. TRAGIC HUNT Film Rights International — Italian with English Subtitles Although not comparable to such Italian films as "Open City," "Shoe Shine" and "Paisan," "Tragic Hunt" is superior in production qualities and in acting to the usual importations. Basically, it is a story of the farmers of northern Italy attempting to reclaim land devastated by the war. Overseers, representing the wealthy landowners, hire a gang of thieves to steal their earnings, thus threatening the peasants with financial ruin. Eventually, the farmers track down the thieves. Rather than the story itself, it is the telling which is the highlight of the picture, for it has forcefully presented the tragedy of post-war Italy ; its efforts to regain a financial footing despite injustices and black market operations; and the effects of the war on Italy's younger generation — the veterans — one of whom turns to a life of crime when work cannot be found. Vivo Gioi and Andrea Checchi give excellent performances as the gang leaders — she as the former Nazi collaborationist, and he as the returned veteran unable to find work. Carlo Del Poggio, as the bride kidnapped by the thieves, and Massimo Girotti, as her husband, are good. Giuseppe De Santis directed from a story which he wrote with Carlo Lizzani. Running time, 100 minutes. Adult audience classification. Very Good. — G. H. S. CESAR Siritzky International — French with English Titles In this last picture of the trilogy written, produced and directed by Marcel Pagnol, the French master has lost none of his deft touch in relating a story of ordinary people with simplicity and eloquence. He might, however, have edited the film considerably since much of its effectiveness is lost through over-length. Raimu gives the fine performance which has come to be expected of him in the serio-comic title role, and the acting of Pierre Fresnay and Orane Demazis has honesty and artistic integrity. Much of the film's charm stems from the comic relief, which the cast handles with proper lightness. The story concerns the search of Fanny's son for his father after he learns that the man he has called father is no relation. The outcome, a happy reunion of father, mother and son, is too pat and the more serious situations are melodramatically presented, but the film attains an over-all effect of warmth and realism. Running time, 120 minutes. Adult audience classification. Very good. — T. K. Two Exhibitors File Anti-Trust Suits in Chicago Chicago Bureau Two new anti-trust suits have been filed here by attorney Seymour Simon in the U. S. District Court, making a total of 10 such suits now in the courts for this area. The Ridge theatre, operated by the Bartelstein circuit, is the plaintiff in the first suit which seeks to establish for the northside of Chicago what the decree in the Jackson Park theatre anti-trust suit did for the south side, thereby forcing distributors to license films to a greater number of competitive theatres for simultaneous showings. The suit asks the court to forbid the opposition Uptown and Granada houses, both operated by Balaban and Katz, from playing ahead of the Ridge and other independent theatres. Defendants named are Paramount, Balaban and Katz, Universal, United Artists, Eagle Lion, Selznick Releasing Organization, Loew's, Twentieth Century-Fox and Warner Brothers. No monetary damages are asked. Weldon Allen, operator of the Grove theatre, Galesburg, 111., is the plaintiff in the second suit. He asks $441,000 in treble damages, charging monopolistic practices, fixed admission prices and priority first runs granted to the West and Orpheum theatres in Galesburg, operated by Great States. Defendants are the Balaban and Katz circuit, Great States, Paramount, Warners and Universal. Ascap Denies Forcing Exhibitor Collections A spokesman for Ascap last week denied a report in the bulletin of the Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana that: "Ascap is now sending out 'pink slips' notifying exhibitors who have not paid their license fees in accordance with their contracts that they may be sued for infringement." The society declared that it is not forcing the issue of collection of payments from exhibitors who withhold them, but admitted that a local branch of Ascap may have done so by "error." 16 mm. Entertainment Shows Spreading in Mexico Exhibition of 16 mm. entertainment films is spreading like wild-fire in Mexico, according to the Commerce Department. A report by film chief Nathan D. Golden declares that Mexican producers are reducing all 35 mm. productions to 16 mm. as well, that there are some 350 installations in the country showing 16 mm. films, and that many sugar mills and other industries are organizing 16 mm. setups for the entertainment of their employes. The U. S. supplies about 70 per cent of all 16 mm. motion pictures now being shown in Mexico. 24 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 6, 1948