The Film Daily (1944)

: , September 5. 1944 V*^iuu iduclion Pace Up Metro; 10 in Work ! Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY illywood — M-G-M's studios are » full blast with 10 productions 'fork and eight others in the pi stages of editing. Before the 'fras are "Anchors Aweigh," in inicolor, "Autumn Fever," "The s." "Dr. Red Adams," "Gentle ■ |e," "Music for Millions," "Son \assie" (in Technicolor), "TellHands," "Thrill of a Romance" Technicolor, and "Women's h" cently completed shooting and being edited for printing are ..vt Me in St. Louis," in Techni ' "National Velvet" in Techni :; "Nothing But Trouble," "The ire of Dorian Gray," "The Thin Goes Home," "Thirty Seconds Tokyo," "Ziegfeld Follies" in nicolor, and "Cloud Busters." England, Alexander Korda is ning up "Perfect Strangers," Robert Donat and Deborrah L This will be released internally by M-G-M. There is no ite word on Korda's second, alieh it was expected to be "Pas," from the novel by Nevil Shute. story recently appeared in coned form in the Ladies Home rial. Korda bought the story i he was in the United States is last trip. Difficulty in securstudio space is said to be holdjp production of "Pastoral." ■rda, according to reports, is due ew York in late September or in ber. At that time, it is stated eliable sources, his second will etermined upon. He is known ,ave at least 10 more properties up for production, but there p definite indication how soon [; will be placed into work, ■linent writers have been asid the stories and it may be Me that one or two of them will iade at the Culver City studio ad of England. Ms Sells Theater Site ringfield, Mass. — Poli-New EngTheaters, Inc., has sold a large ltown vacant lot in this city to ?f the leading department stores 5225,000, only $25,000 below the !?sed valuation. Property was hased several years ago by Syl»r Z. Poli, local theater man, $750,000, and was to be used i site for the Memorial theater, s erected in memory of his son. ho its ami Screens to Play IMBC's Trailer Chicago — Highlights of NBC's iird annual Parade of Stars promo:n for 1944-45 next month will ke the form of film trailers to be rown in almost 1,000 theaters, us a hard-hitting newspaper adsrtising campaign, in station cities. reviews of new fums "Rainbow Island" with Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Gil Lamb Paramount 97 Mins. HOKY STORY CAMOUFLAGED WITH BEAUTIFUL COLOR, GIRLS, MUSIC, AND BRACKEN-LAMB COMEDY. The elements of good entertainment have been injected into an eye-filling production, which more than compensates for the h:ked-up yarn. In the top comedy spot Eddie Bracken's sympathetic brand of humor is belly tickling. However, Gil Lamb adds his feather to your ribs with some versatile bits. Dorothy Lamour gets the benefit of some colorful production numbers to back up her vocal chores, while Barry Sullivan and Marc Lawrence vie for her affections. The story is an experience told by Bracken to a group of shipmates about the time Lamb, Sullivan, and he, were forced to land on an uncharted Pacific island in a captured Jap plane. About to be executed by the natives, Lamcur, who had been shipwrecked on the island several years previously, saves them by comparing Bracken's face to the Island God. This gives them time to fix their plane and escape with Lamour. CAST: Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Gil Lamb, Barry Sullivan, Forrest Orr, Anne Revere, Reed Hadley, Marc Lawrence, Adia Kuznetzoff, Olga San Juan, Elena Verdugo. CREDITS: Associate Producer, E. D. Leshin; Director, Ralph Murphy; Screenplay, Walter DeLeon and Arthur Phillips; Based on a story by Seena Owen; Cameraman, Karl Struss; Art Directors, Hans Dreier and Haldane Douglas; Camera Effects, Cordon Jennings; Process Thotography, Farciot Edouart; Editor, Arthur Schmidt; Set Decorator, George Sawley: Costumes, Edith Head; Sound, W. C. Smith; Musical Score, Roy Webb; Songs, Ted Kohler and Burton Lane; Dances, Danny Dare. DIRECTION: Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Splendid. "The National Barn Dance" with Jean Heather, Charles Quigley Paramount 76 Mins. BARNYARD ENTERTAINMENT IS BEST SUITED FOR FAMILY PATRONAGE. This film is fortunate in that it is able to capitalize on the great popularity of the National Barn Dance radio program emanating from WLS, Chicago. Those who are not friends of the air show or who have no taste for barnyard music and humor more likely than not will be bored by the whole affair. The film represents the sort of entertainment that goes over well with family audiences. The air program has been transferred to the screen in capable fashion. There can be no complaint on the score of liveliness. The performers are kept mighty busy dishing out the corn. The flimsy story concerns Charles Quigley's endeavor to find a sponsor for the National Barn Dance program. Sharing the romantic moments with him is Jean Heather. Speed is the keynote of Hugh Bennett's direction. CAST: Jean Heather, Charles Quigley, Robert Benchley, Mabel Paige, Charles Dingle, Pat Buttram, Joe Kelly, Lulu Belle and Scotty, Dinning Sisters, Hoosier Hot Shots, Luther W. Cssenbrink. CREDITS: Director, Hugh Bennett; Screenplay, Lee Loeb, Hal Fimberg; Musical Director, Irvin Talbot; Cameraman, Henry Sharp; Art Directors, Hans Dreier, Walter Tyler; Film Editor, Everett Douglas; Sound, Ferol Redd, Philip Wisdom; Set Decorator, Ted von Hemert; Dance Director, Jack Crosby. DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOCRAJPHY, Okay. "Storm Over Lisbon" with Vera Hruba Ralston, Richard Arlen Republic 86 Mins. STORY OF INTRIGUE LIKELY TO PLEASE THE OUT-AND-OUT MELODRAMA FANS. For Vera Hruba Ralston's second venture in dramatics Republic has selected a heavy tale of intrigue pretty familiar by now. Only those who have a warm spot in their hearts for melodrama of the type represented by this production will react favorably. The sense of confusion created by the plot development is to be regretted. Too much happens in the film that isn't clearly explained. The action takes place amid settings that are a definite asset to the production. Miss Ralston is an Allied operative in Lisbon who helps Richard Arlen, an American newspaper man, get out of Portugal with an important bit of information. She has to pretend she is a pal of the enemy to accomplish her mission. A lot of production has gone into the story. The cast offers some first-rate names. CAST: Vera Hruba Ralston, Richard Arlen, Erich von Stroheim, Otto Kruger, Eduardo Ciannelli, Robert Livington, Mona Barrie, Frank Orth, Sarah Edwards, Alice Fleming, Leon Belasco, Kenne Duncan, Aida Broadbent Girls. CREDITS: Associate Producer, George Sherman; Director, George Sherman; Screenplay, Doris Gilbert; Adaptation, Dane Lussier; Based on story by Elizabeth Meehan; Cameraman, John Alton; Musical Director, Morton Scott; Film Editor, Arthur Roberts; Sound, Dick Tyler; Art Director, Russell Kimball; Set Decorator, Otto Siegel; Special Effects, Theodore Lydecker. DIRECTION, Adequate. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. "San Diego, I Love You" with Jon Hall, Louise Allbritton, Edward Everett Horton Universal 83 Mins. SWELL ENTERTAINMENT IS FURNISHED BY FILM COMBINING COMEDY AND ROMANCE. Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano deserve a bow for turning out a delightful comedy that will win immediate plaudits wherever if is shown. The film, directed by Reginald Le Borg with high competence, is a succession of laughs, the players landing in one mirth-provoking situation after another. The film owes a big debt to its cast, every member of which performs with spirit, giving of his best. Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore are standouts in the comedy department. The comedy evolves from Louise Allbritton's determination to put over a collapsible rubber life raft invented by her father, Horton. Her efforts in pop's behalf result in some pretty funny experiences. They also result in her finding love, the male being Jon Hall, a millionaire. The romantic aspects of the story are worthy of note in exploiting the film. The exhibitor will be playing it safe with this one. CAST: Jon Hall, Louise Allbritton, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, Buster Keaton, Irene Ryan, Rudy Wissler, Gerald Perreau, Charles Bates, Don Davis, Florence Lake, Chester Clute, Sarah Selby, Fern Emmett. CREDITS: Producers, Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano Director, Reginald Le Borg; Screenplay, Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano; Based on story by Ruth McKenney, Richard Bransten; Cameraman, Hal Mohr; Musical Score, H. J. Salter; Musical Director, H. J. Salter; Art Directors, Argentine Decree May Swell % Selling (Continued from Page 1) find justification for more extensive merchandising of films on percentage in the fact that the decree makes it compulsory for the Argentine exhibitor to play his own country's product on a percentage basis, with a minimum of 40 per cent in many instances. The fear was felt that the decree might be used as a weapon to force American companies to slash their rentals in order to get into certain situations, thus reducing their product to fillers of secondary importance to the Argentine product. One solution suggested was resort to double billing to make up for a cut in playing time for American films reaching as high as 40 per cent. It was agreed that the decree would result in the formation of a number of new producing companies in Argentina to supply the market with home-made product. The belief was expressed in some quarters that the shortage of raw stock might compel the Argentine government to modify the decree to some extent until the end of the war. Under the decree Buenos Aires first-runs of more than 2,500 seats must play one Argentine picture every two months for a minimum of seven days. Small release houses and subsequents in the Argentine capiltal must show one native film every month for a minimum of seven days, with all other houses in the nation compelled to screen two weeks of domestic product out of every five. Argentine Exhibitors See Economic Ruin in Decree Buenos Aires — Promulgation of the Argentine film quota decree brought a strong protest from the country's exhibitors. The theater men demanded of the Minister of the Interior that the decree be suspended "to avoid the grave and irreparable prejudices its forthwith application would entail," adding that it would result in the economic ruin of an industry employing 60,000 persons. The exhibitors asserted that they would be forced to play repeat engagements of native pictures because of the limited product turned out by the country's studios. It was pointed out that the Argentine studios made but 35 pictures in 1943 and that only 16 films had been released to date in 1944. Rehfield Under Knife Bloomfield, la. — H. E. Rehfield, owner and operator of the Iowa theater at Bloomfield, underwent an operation at the St. Joseph's hospital in Ottumwa. John B. Goodman, Alexander Colitzen; Sound Director, Bernard B. Brown; Set Decorators, Russell A. Causman, Leigh Smith; Film Edtor, Charles Maynard; Special Effects, John P. Fulton. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY. Good.