Harrison's Reports (1950)

176 HARRISON'S REPORTS November 4, 1950 charge of sales, listed five contributions that his company can make to the welfare of the exhibitors. These included (1) The release of 36 "A" pictures in 1951, an increase of eleven pictures over the 1949-50 average; (2) the sale of a full season's product to small exhibitors in outlying areas, along the lines of the plan he outlined at the recent National Allied convention; (3) the refusal to negotiate for "drivein first run" in any community for the protection of the regular first-runs, but, in cases where the company is "forced" to give drive-in an earlier clearance, it will consent, where the situations warrant, to permit drive-ins to compete or buy on the same availability as the first neighborhood run; (4) minimizing competitive bidding, permitting it only where a request is made by either an independent or a circuit; (5) support of any workable industry arbitration system that will be embraced by all the distributors and exhibitors. (Bill Rodgers, too, urged the formulation of an industry arbitration plan.) Charles Einfeld, 20th Century-Fox vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity, indirectly took the exhibitors to task for failing to support properly with their local advertising the advertising that is done on a national scale by the distributors. He cited as examples the methods followed by manufacturers and dealers in other industries, with particular emphasis on the funds contributed by the dealers, to show that by comparison the exhibitors, the "dealers" in the motion picture industry, are not doing as good a job in selling locally their industry and its products. Einfeld suggested that the exhibitors, like dealers in other industries, "band together and invest in community public relations to protect your own interests." David Lipton, Universal-International's national director of advertising and publicity, urged collective advertising on a national scale of outstanding films from all sources, with the cost of the program shared by the producers and distributors. He cautioned, however, that such an advertising campaign would be doomed to failure if any of the participating companies insisted upon including films of doubtful value. Robert Mochrie, RKO's general sales manager, outlined his company's forthcoming product and urged the exhibitors to carry on more extensive advertising and exploitation to obtain maximum grosses. Abe Montague, Columbia's general sales manager, urged the exhibitors to shake themselves free from their fears over television, and pointed to the expanded production plans of his own company as proof of its confidence in the future of the industry. Steve Broidy, Monogram president, and Robert L. Lippert, head of the company bearing his name, left no doubt about the confidence that they have in the industry's future. Both reviewed their product line-ups in glowing terms. Broidy, incidentally, won a rousing round of applause from the delegates when he stated that his company will stick to family-type pictures and shy away from psychological pictures because "we get so confused ourselves that we don't know what we are making." "Holiday Rhythm" with Mary Beth Hughes, David Street and Wally Vernon (Lippert, October 13; time, 60 and 70 min.) Produced as a follow-up to "Hollywood Varieties," this is a good picture of its kind, suitable for a double bill. It is really a collection of specialty acts, featuring different well-known performers. Being a novelty, it should be accepted well by the movie-goers, most of whom would not have an opportunity to see these performers in the flesh. The music is mostly good and the photography is clear. The producer is offering the picture in two versions, one sixty minutes long, and the other seventy, for theatres in single feature situations: — Mary Beth Hughes and David Street are trying to sell their television show to Donald McBride, hypochondriac president of an airline company, who is accompanied by Wally Vernon, his "Yes!" man. While the TV program director is discussing with McBride other show possibilities, David slips and knocks himself unconscious. While in that state, he dreams about a trip around the world, during which he and Mary witness a series of events. In Ireland, they are entertained by Glenn Turnbull, a dancer. On a visit to a Parisian cabaret, they see an apache dance number with Vera Lee and Tom Ladd, Bertil and Gustaf Unger, boy twins, and Eva and Neva Martell, girl twins, to the accompaniment of Nappy LaMare and his Dixieland Band. In Holland, they watch George Arnold and his "Rhythm on Ice" show. In London, they watch Tom Noonan, a screwball doctor, and Peter Marshall, his looney assistant, perform an operation on Wally Vernon. Later, they watch Bill Burns and his Birds present a feathered frolic, followed by Gloria Grey, Tex Ritter and The Cass County Boys in a few rounds of Western music. In the Pacific Islands, they see Moana, a Hawaiian singer, Freddie Letuli, a sword dancer, and Regina Day, a drum dancer. After Bobby Chang, a Chinese juggler, goes through his paces for them, they join a group of interplanetary explorers on a trip into space. In South America, Chuy Reyes and his Mambo Orchestra present a finale to their journey. David regains consciousness to the strains of music made by Ike Carpenter and his Orchestra. When McBride tells them that he liked their show and that he will contract for it, Mary and David go into a happy embrace. It was produced by Jack Leewood and directed by Jack Scholl from an original screenplay by Lee Wainer. Suitable for the entire family. "Rio Grande" with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara (Republic, Hov. 15; time, 105 min.) Reverting once again to his favorite theme in recent years — the U.S. Cavalry versus Apache Indians in the post-Civil War era, John Ford has fashioned another big-scale outdoor melodrama that draws comparison with his "Fort Apache" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," although it does not match the entertainment quality of either of these pictures. It seems unlikely that its box-office performance will be less than good, first, because it offers the kind of thrilling action one expects to find in a picture of this type, and secondly, because of the potent marquee value of the leading players' names as well as of the supporting cast, which includes Chill Wills, Victor McLaglen, J. Carrol Naish and Claude Jarman, Jr. Critical patrons, however, will find it no more than fairly entertaining, for the story is familiar, somewhat hazy and excessively overlong, and its dramatic content is never as persuasive as it tries to be. Moreover, the characterizations are stereotyped and not clearly defined. The avid action fans will do doubt find it to their liking for, despite some draggy moments, it has an adequate share of fist fights, mounted pursuits and Indian fighting: — John Wayne, colonel in command at Fort Starke, is taken by surprise when Claude Jarman, Jr., his son, whom he had not seen in fifteen years, is assigned to his command as an ordinary trooper. Years previously, as an officer in the Union Army, Wayne had sacrificed his marriage to military duty by burning the buildings on the family plantation of Maureen O'Hara, his Southern-born wife, who refused to forgive him. Wayne, a strict militarist, makes it clear to his son that he will not be given favored treatment because of their relationship. The proud lad, in turn, informs him that he expects no favors. To Wayne's secret satisfaction, the boy proves his mettle as a trooper. He becomes close buddies with troopers Ben Johnson and Harry Carey, Jr., and a fatherly interest is taken in his welfare by Victor McLaglen, a blustering sergeant, and Chill Wills, the fort's doctor. Wayne's emotions are stirred by the arrival of Maureen, who was determined to obtain her son's discharge from the army. Both Wayne and the boy, however, hold out against her wishes. Meanwhile Wayne is plagued by savage attacks by the Apaches, who escape across the border and hole up in a remote Mexican village, thus leaving him helpless because of strict military orders not to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico. A fresh attack by the Apaches, in which a group of children are kidnapped, leads J. Carrol Naish, the general, to give Wayne informal permission to cross the border. In a rousing fight highlighted by the heroism of Claude and his buddies, Wayne's troops defeat the Apaches and rescue the children. As their son is cited for bravery, Wayne and Maureen effect a reconciliation. It is an Argosy production, directed by John Ford, who co-produced it with Merian C. Cooper. The screen play was written by James Kevin McGuinness, based on a Saturday Evening Post story by James Warner Bellah. The cast includes Grant Withers, the Sons of the Pioneers and others. Suitable for the family.