Harrison's Reports (1946)

132 HARRISON'S REPORTS August 17, 1946 methods, "or by any other appropriate means." They coneluded : ". . . What is held to be violative of the Sherman Act is not the distributors' devices for measuring rentals, but their fixing of minimum admission prices which automatically regulates the ability of one licensee to compete against another for the patron's dollar and tends to increase 6uch prices as well as profits from exhibition." 11 Where one company is not both a producer and distributor, it is believed that the usual practice ha9 been for a producer to secure copyrights of the films produced by it, and either to assign the copyrights or to grant rights of distribution to its affiliated distributor. Complicated corporate structures make it difficult for the copyright owner to be the direct owner of all theatres controlled by it. "Cannon Mfg. Co. v. Cudahy Packing Co., 267 U.S. 33 Taylor v. Standard Gas & Electric Co. 306 U.S. 307, 322. "Mebco Realty Holding Co. v. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (D.C. N.J.) 45 F. Supp. 340; Wcstor Theatres v. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., (D.C. N.J.) 41 F. Supp. 757. "United States v. MacAndrews & Forbes Co., (C.C. S.D. N;Y.) 149 Fed. 823, 832. United States v. General Motors Corpn., (D.C. Ind.) 26 F. Supp. 353. See United States v. Schine Chain Theatres, Inc., 63. F. Supp. 229. "In the issue of Harrison's Reports of May 2, 1936, in discussing this question, the writer, after expressing his own views that such price-fixing stipulations were illegal, indicated that the question had never been definitely decided. He said: "Whether a distributor who merely licenses the exhibition of films may, by agreement with the exhibitor alone, prescribe the minimum admission price, is still open to some question." M United States v. General Electric Co., 272 U.S. 476. "Rendezvous with Annie" with Eddie Albert and Faye Marlowe (Republic, July 22; time, 89 min.) In spite of the fact that it would benefit considerably from some judicious cutting, this comedy offers fairly good entertainment. The story, which revolves around the predicaments a soldier gets himself into when he goes AWOL and visits his wife secretly, is lightweight, but it has many novel twists and keeps one chuckling throughout. The manner in which the hero manages to leave his base in England, visit his wife in New Jersey for a few hours, and return to his base — all on a three-day pass — is somewhat implausible but quite humorous. Considerable comedy is provoked by the fact that the hero's wife gives birth to a son, and the hero, aware that his friends and neighbors believed that he had been overseas for more than two years, finds himself faced with the problem of establishing that he was the child's father. The action is lively all the way through: — Learning that their friend, Corporal Eddie Albert, had been granted a three-day pass in London, ATC pilots Philip Reed and James Millican talk him into stowing away on their New York-bound plane, a trip that would permit Albert to spend a few hours with his wife before the return trip to England in time to report for duty. Except for a chance meeting with Raymond Walburn, his home-town banker, who was out on a date with a woman other than his wife, Albert manages to get to his home without being noticed by anyone. Meanwhile he and Walburn had agreed to forget their meeting. Less than a year later, Albert returns home from the army and finds his wife in the hospital with a new-born baby. No one in the town believes that the child is his son, and, to complicate matters still further, Albert learns that, under the terms of his grand-uncle's will, his son was to inherit a fortune. The attorney, however, because of the "odd" circumstances surrounding the child's birth, demands proof that Albert was the child's father. Albert risks being court-martialed by revealing his predicament to army officials, but they consider his story fantastic and refuse to help him. Eventually, Albert recalls his chance meeting with Walburn and, under threat of exposing his tryst, compels the banker to testify that he had returned home AWOL, thus convincing all concerned that he was the baby's father. Mary Loos and Richard Sale wrote the screen play from their own story, and Allan Dawn produced and directed it. The cast includes Gail Patrick, C. Aubrey Smith, William Frawley and others. Unobjectionable morally. "The Last Crooked Mile" with Donald Barry and Ann Savage (Republic, Aug. 9; time, 67 min.) An average program mystery melodrama. The story is rather routine and its treatment follows a formula, but it manages to hold one's interest fairly undiminished up to the last scenes, by reason of the fact that the identity of the criminals is kept in the dark up to that time. But the unmasking of the guilty parties will not come as a surprise to most of the spectators. Donald Barry, as a smart-alecky private detective, at odds with the police, gives a standard characterization. There is nothing unusual about the picture on the whole, but it has enough suspense, action and comedy to satisfy undiscriminating picture-goers: — His bank robbed of $300,000, Tom Powers, the manager, turns the case over to Detective John Miljan. Meanwhile the crooks hide the money in the running-board of their getaway car and prepare to leave the state. The police try to stop the car and, in the ensuing confusion, it topples over a cliff and kills the thieves. As Miljan admits his inability to find the money, Donald Barry, a private detective, angles his way into the case and is offered a huge reward to recover the money. Barry goes to an oceanside carnival, where the getaway car was being exhibited as a sideshow attraction, and offers to buy the car from Nestor Paiva, the owner. Paiva informs him that Sheldon Leonard, a notorious criminal, had already made an offer for the car. Later, Barry makes the aquaintance of Ann Savage, a night-club singer, former sweetheart of one of the dead crooks, and makes a "play" for her. Barry finds reason to suspect her of implication in the robbery, but he believes her protestations when several mysterious attempts are made on her life. He takes her under his protection. In the course of events, Barry locates the missing money, but before he can turn it over to the bank manager he is slugged from behind and the money is taken from him. He regains consciousness on the following morning and learns that Leonard was murdered during the night. The police suspect him of the crime, but Ann prevents his arrest by stating that she had been with him all night. Suspicious of her motive, Barry tricks Ann into revealing that she, working with the bank manager, had stolen the recovered funds and had murdered Leonard, who, too, was after the money. Jerry Sackheim wrote the screen play from a radio play by Robert L. Richards. Rudolph E. Abel produced it, and Philip Ford directed it. The cast includes Adele Mara and others. Unobjectionable morally. 131 Anthony Street Ascot, Brisbane N2 Australia 12th. June 1946 Dear Mr. Harrison: I am writing this on one of my old letterheads, but as I have disposed of the theatre and have now practically ended my career as an exhibitor, I desire you to cancel my subscribing association with your Journal. It must be nearer 25 than 20 years since I first paid you a subscription, and ever since that time I have been an assiduous reader and deep student of the fund of information and guidance for the welfare of exhibitors, that it has so consistently provided. I look upon every penny that I have passed over to you during these many past years as being among my soundest investments and the reading of your weekly issues as being some of my best spent time. The single-mindedness of purpose and the staunch spirit of fairness that you have always displayed in all your discussions of trade problems has often roused my admiration, and so, I feel that I cannot close the chapter of our acquaintance without these few words of commendation and an expression of thanks for all the usefulness that I was able to gather in to myself from your capable work. With all possible good wishes, Yours faithfully (signed) Osborn J. Fenwick