The Film Daily (1944)

riday, December 8, 1944 TOE 11 DAILY hree More SI. Louis jxchanges Join Strike (Continued from Page 1) jentarily expect their employes will iilk out. [Metro Wednesday night furnished trirl Crazy" to the Kirkwood; Unirsal sent a newsreel to the Ozark id Capitol sent "Topper" to the me house. Yesterday the employes REVIEWS of ncuj fums Further efforts were made here yesterday to seek a solution of the exchange workers' strike in St. Louis County. Distributors conferred among themselves during the day and had additional talks with IATSE representatives in an endeavor to terminate the dispute. the exchanges walked out as a ntinuing protest against the three . Louis County houses refusing to jiploy two union projectionists. There seems little likelihood of ly early settlement of the strike. 5 of yesterday 40 houses in St. mis and St. Louis County have en closed. The latest is the St. buis, a Fanchon & Marco de luxer. ie closing of the St. Louis makes |e third large F & M house to close. Allow "Fair" Pix to Show Harry C. Arthur, Jr., top execute of F & M here, said that pro:tionists at the Shubert, also in e center of the city, did not refuse handle a Paramount film last night rich was contrary to expectations. i explanation of why the Shubert, lew's and the Orpheum were not >sed was made by an exec, of Local ). 143. A "fair picture," he said is one that was released from an change before the workers in that rticular exchange struck. The ion has ruled, however, that when ;se "fair pictures" complete their n the projectionists will refuse to ndle any but those from exchanges 'ere strikes have not been called. ''Frenchman's Creek" ran for three eks at the Ambassador before bemoved to the Shubert. "Faces the Fog" and "My Buddy" also re released from the exchanges !:/eral weeks ago. The same eondin applies at Loew's and the Orleum, where "Marriage is a Priite Affair" and "Meet Me in St. pis" are being screened. When :'ormed of this statement Arthur :lared, "they are straining at ats and swallowing camels." 4 of Circuit's 31 Houses Operate Only four of the St. Louis Amusemt Co.'s chain of 31 houses operid Wednesday night. They are i Fox, Congress, Powhattan and 'alon. Others reported closed last Wai are the Apollo, Ashland, Baa, Bridge, Circle, Ivanhoe, Lindell, iiiey, Lemay and Merry Widow. me of these houses are owned by ed Wehrenberg, president of j^TO of Eastern Missouri and uthern Illinois; some by Sam mm and the Kaimann Circuit of "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier" with Anne Baxter, John Hodiak 20th -Fox 86 Mins. A TASTY DISH FOR THOSE WHO RELISH THE SENTIMENTAL; EXCELLENT PRODUCTION HELPS. Where the taste leans to the sentimental "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier" ought to prove good film fare. The tale of an impecunious family's efforts to arrange a dinner for a service man plays an extremely human tune on the heart strings, creating a sense of warmth. The Wanda Tuchock-Melvin Levy screenplay has been accorded a fine atmospheric production by Walter Morosco, Lloyd Bacon bringing to it sympathetic direction. The stcry, a flimsy one mixing comedy and heartaches, has Anne Baxter living a precarious existence with Grandpappy Charles Winninger, a shiftless soul, on a houseboat on the Florida Coast. Keeping an eye on grandpop and two kid brothers and a sister while figuring out a way to get food for the dinner makes Miss Baxter's life miserable indeed. The film has been well acted. Miss Baxter touches you with her performance. As the service man who comes to dinner and becomes romantically involved with Miss Baxter, John Hodiak is okay. Winninger contributes immensely to the entertainment. CAST: Anne Baxter, John Hodiak, Charles Winninger, Anne Revere, Connie Marshall, Chill Wills, Robert Bailey, Bobby Driscoll, Jane Darwell, Billy Cummings, Marietta Canty, Barbara Sears, Larry Thompson, Bernie Sell, Chester Conklin. CREDITS: Producer, Walter Morosco; Director, Lloyd Bacon; Screenplay, Wanda Tuchock, Melvin Levy; Based on story by Martha Cheavens; Cameraman, )oe MacDonald; Musical Score, Alfred Newman; Art Directors, Lyle Wheeler, Russell Spencer; Set Decorators, Thomas Little, Fred ). Rode; Film Editor, J. Watson Webb; Special Effects, Fred Sersen; Sound, Alfred Bruzlin, Harry M. Leonard. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. "Farewell, My Lovely" with Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley RKO 95 Mins. FORCEFUL MELODRAMA EFFECTIVELY PRODUCED SHOULD GO OVER DESPITE ITS CONFUSION. The Raymcnd Chandler novel has been turned into strong melodramatic entertainment under the guidance of Executive Producer Sid Rogell and Producer Adrian Scott. The film carries a punch and its story has been worked out interestingly if not too clearly. The production has so much in its favor that one can be charitable about its confused story line and its overdependence on talk. Its dark mood is one of the most impressive things about the film. Under the biting direction of Edward Dmytryk the film weaves a tale cf terror as it follows the experiences of a private detective in solving a murder case involving a woman who, in marrying a man of wealth, hid her smelly past. There are so many convolutions to the tale that one can't easily set the plot down in confined space. Dick Powell delivers his best performance as the dick. As the villainess Claire Trevor takes full advantage of the best role she's had in a long time. Anne Shirley is good as Miss Trevor's step-daughter. There are plenty cf other fine performances. CAST: Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger, Mike Mazurki, Miles Mander, Douglas Walton, Don Douglas, Ralf Harolde, Esther Howard. CREDITS: Executive Producer, Sid Rogell; Producer, Adrian Scott; Director, Edward Dmytryk; Screenplay, John Paxton; Based on novel by Raymond Chandler; Cameraman, Harry J. Wild; Special Effects, Vernon L. Walker; Art Directors, Albert S. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark; Set Decorators, Darrell Silvera, Michael Ohrenbach; Sound, Bailey Fesler; Musical Score, Roy Webb; Musical Director, C. Bakaleinikoff ; Film Editor, Joseph Noriega. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. theaters. Refund was made to 250 customers at the Ambassador Wednesday when the projectionists refused to handle "Laura" a Twentieth Century-Fox product. The delivery of Bond films and films for Army camps in the St. Louis area has not been curtailed. However, exhibits in the area which includes Eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois and parts of Arkansas and Tennessee are on their own to obtain films. Further Legal Efforts Further Legal efforts are expected to be made to force Warner Bros, and Monogram to provide films, as per contract, to the Kirkwood, St. Louis County, in spite of the ruling of U. S. District Judge Rubey M. Hulen who refused to grant a temporary injunction. The court's memorandum opinion held that the Kirkwood Amusement Corp. has no remedy at equity and that its remedy lies at law, in that there is a provision in contracts between film exchanges and the theaters whereby the theaters can recover liquidated damages for failure to deliver film. Benefit with Strike-Banned Pic The St. Louis Amusement Co.'s Roy was permitted to run with strike-banned film Wednesday night because it was the annual benefit for the Buder School and the union did not want to get into difficulty with the patrons and children who had so many advance tickets for the night's performances. An unusual situation also was presented with the showing of "Topper" at Ozark Wednesday night. This film is distributed here by Capitol Film Co., which offices with PRC, using same exchange help. It is understood the union permits those workers to remain on the job to handle PRC but not Capitol Pictures. Strikers' pickets are readily helping closed exchanges to handle the work of distributing film for service camps and benefit shows. Meanwhile, the Post Dispatch is critical editorially of the strike, pointing out that "there are numerous casualties among innocent bystanders to the labor dispute." Editorial continues, in part: "Sympathetic strikes and secondary picketing rest on long-established custom, with some sanction of law, but they are a weapon that does indiscriminate damage to persons not involved and to labor itself. "The operators overplay their hands by closing innocent houses. No Rise in Booth Equipment Schedule (Continued from Page 1) day. At WPB at the same time, it is believed that if it holds up to the current level it will provide the minimum requirements necessary to keep all theaters functioning in good shape. Actually, approval of the first quarter program for 1945 has not yet been granted by the WPB. The final okay is expected however within another week. Difficulty has been with manpower, rather than materials. It is necessary that before final approval is given every manufacturer involved stipulate that undertaking the production for civilian use assigned to him will not in any way interfere with his work for the armed forces. Some manufacturers have found difficulty in scheduling so as to eliminate the need for diversion of small quantities of labor. This difficulty, it appears, is being worked out. Schedule for the current quarter and the third quarter of this year — which will probably be duplicated next year — provides for production of 335 projectors for commercial use, as well as 165 sound systems and a comparable number of lamphouses and rectifiers. Actual production on the sound systems has lagged somewhat, but in general the program is moving along well. Dr. Gallup to Conduct Photoplay's Annual Poll West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — At a luncheon for studio publicity directors, it was announced that Dr. George Gallup has been signed by Photoplay to conduct annual national poll of fans to' determine the country's favorite picture of the year and the most popular actor and actress of the year. Decision Favors Century Century circuit has won an arbitrator's decision in Empire State Motion Picture Operators Union's action to seek reinstatement of Albert Lube, projectionist at the College Theater who was discharged in May. Academy Awards in March W est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — The Academy of M. P. Arts and Sciences' seventeenth annual awards presentation will be held in Grauman's Chinese Theater, probably either March 8 or 15. The film exchange workers also overreach by blocking deliveries to all exhibitors. "For adequate cause in the past, the operators' union enjoys none too good repute. The strikers would do better for their own long-run interest by showing more care where the chips fly."