Canadian Film Weekly (Jul 14, 1943)

REVIEWS 1 INFORMATION F i| RATINGS ' Vol. 8, No. 29 Hanson Reel 35% Canadian (Continued from Page 1) Thursday, July 22nd, and will be followed by regular issues on that same day each week. The negative will be flown from Britain to Montreal every week to make sure of uninterrupted general release. Oscar Hanson, head of Pioneer Films, has received approving letters from a number of Canadian organizations and some newspapers have printed letters of praise for the idea from subscribers. Canadian editions of the four news reels in distribution right now, made by American companies, contain 25 per cent of British and Canadian matter. This is because Ontario insists on that proportion and the reels built accordingly are distributed throughout the Dominion. The creation of a specially-tailored reel was due to the complaints of theatre-goers about the almost 100 per cent American content of such subjects. The Hanson venture will take care of any dissatisfaction still remaining, News reels being currently distributed in Canada are issued twice each week in the case of two of the companies and once each week by the rest. Crawford to WB Joan Crawford has been assigned by Warners to an exclusive long-term «contract. The Marrita Wolfe best-seller, “Night Shift,” will be her first film for the company. She was previously under contract to MGM. Britain Plans Big War Film A film on the exploits and history of the British army is being planned by the British government and will probably be the biggest production ever made by a government organization. At the request of the British War Office, Major David Niven’s appearance in the film has been okayed by Samuel Goldwyn who holds him under exclusive contract. Eric Ambler will do the story and Carol Reed will direct. Present plans call for international release. COAST-TO-COAST COVERAGE U’ssice’ KO.WB’s*Danger’ OK ‘Hit the Ice’ Will Heat Boxoffice ‘Background to Danger’ Thriller HOT THE ICE UNIVERSAL (Running Time: 81 Minutes) Abbott keeps walloping Costello and both keep walloping the boxoffice. That’s a winning parlay that seems to go on forever. When the boys first bust the BO wide open the wise ones shook their heads and predicted public revulsion shortly. But no. The team, doing everything every slapstick comedian ever did on the screen before them and exchanging familiar dialogue, has a hold on the international funnybone that is as secure as the bite of the British bulldog. The audience leaves home laughing and comes home the same way. Now the boys are back in “Hit the Ice’ and it’s one of their best. As in other pictures not a second is wasted that will yield a laugh and though the story may slow down the boys never do. This time the team are street photographers who work with a stickup mob unknowingly and are sought by the police. The mob hides out in Sun Valley and the boys go there to try for evidence that will clear them. Leader of the mobsters, Sheldon Leonard, pretends to be sick and goes to the resort with his doctor, Patric Knowles, and his nurse, Elyse Knox. Doctor and nurse, unaware of the true nature of their patient, provide the romance. After the first reel, when the boys move toward Sun Valley, the picture takes on entertainment strength and production power. Ginny Simms is at the resort and she sings four new songs. Johnny Long and his Orchestra pep up things and they’re assisted by Helen Young, Gene Williams and The Four Teens. Joseph Sawyer and Marc Lawrence support Leonard as henchmen. With Abbott and Costello riding on the wave of popularity, this effort should get plenty of playing time and strong business. The boys have the inside track to the boxoffice and will prove it again by riding another winner, BACKGROUND TO DANGER VITAGRAPH (Running Time: 86 Minutes) This is a nip-and-tuck tale all the way between the bad guys and the good ones, its only plot novelty being the uncertainty for considerable of the footage about who is on our side and who isn’t. The scene is neutral Turkey, hotspot of intrigue by agents of every country. George Raft seems to get himself involved innocently in some dirty doings by helping a lady in distress. The lady, Osa Massen, is being hounded on every side and asks Raft to help her retain her papers. Raft, having become the object of attention, displays American stubbornness by refusing to yield to the thirddegree tactics of his captors. The lady who involved Raft has been killed and he refuses to deliver her papers to the Nazis, who reveal that she was one of their agents. The papers are forged copies of a trumpedup plan about a Russian invasion of Turkey, the revelation of which is supposed to push Turkey in on the Axis side. Behind the scheme is Sydney Greenstreet, chief Nazi representative, who fights a personal and political duel with Raft. Raft has been rescued by Peter Lorre and Brenda Marshall, Soviet agents, who are trying to beat the Nazis to the phoney plans. Raft, you will probably guess, is an American agent. In the end he cements Russian-American relations by taking up with Miss Marshall, the latter being entitled to some sort of standout footage, having been nowhere in the running up to then. Raft, Greenstreet and Lorre present thelr customary characterizations as excellently as ever, which means much here. “Background to Danger” is a paper chase with strong names and situations of proved popularity. There are plenty of heavies on hand to provide that feeling of impending doom, among them Turhan Bey, Frank Pugiia, Kurt Katch and Daniel Ocko. July 14, 1943 Ottawa Raises Parts Limit (Continued from Page i) nesses and under the Program Classifiication System purchase orders for the motion picture industry must carry the symbols M.RO. —P.SC. 23. Part of the Orders read: “Maintenance” and/or “Repair” mean the minimum upkeep necessary to continue or to restore a plant or equipment in sound working condition; provided that it shall NOT include the improvement of any plant or equipment by replacing material which is still usable, with material of a better kind, quality or design. “Operating Supplies” means any materials which are normally carried by a person as operating supplies according to established accounting practice. The terms “Maintenance”, “Repair’ and “Operating Supplies” shall include any materials not exceeding $150.00 in laid-down cost for any one complete addition ordinarily acquired by the user as a capital asset, and subject te annual depreciation in the user’s established method of bookkeeping; provided that materials for any “one complete addition” aggregating more than $150.00 in laid-down cost shall not be divided for the purpose of coming within this definition. The term “one complete addition” includes a group of items customarily purchased together with all items which would normally be purchased as part of a single project or plan. Record Holiday Biz Across the Line Moving picture attendance on a country-wide basis made a. new high record for the three-day hollday over the fourth in the U.S. It was some 28 per cent higher than the corresponding period a year ago and was larger than for any of the same three days, Saturday to Monday inclusive, for this period in the history of the movies. As an example, Radio City Music hall reported that all Fourth of July records in its 10-year history were shattered.