Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Hollywood Preview "Of Human Hearts" (M-G-M) Hollywood, Feb. 4. — This production takes the lately super-modernized motion picture back to first principles and proves them sounder, surer and more satisfying than any that have been developed, fabricated or imported since the camera took up story telling. Honore Morrow's book, "Benefits Forgot," is honest drama of the old school in which men were what they might be and women knew how to weep. As produced by John W. Considine, Jr., and directed by Clarence Brown — he waited 18 years for the chance — it packs the wholesome wallop of Town Hall Tonight melodrama with none of the spurious emotionalism of shoddy theatrics of the road company. It has what it takes to please every audience in the nation. Walter Huston achieves another stirring portrayal of ministerial sternness in the principal role, with Beulah Bondi and James Stewart matching his performance perfectly as wife and son. Guy Kibbee, Charles Coburn, Charley Grapewin, Clem Bevans, Gene Lockhart, John Carradine, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, Gene Reynolds and the late Robert McWade supply faultless support. Bradbury Foote's screenplay is a triumph of coherence and balance with just about the most workmanlike dialogue heard this year. Huston is a circuit riding minister in a small Ohio town before the Civil War. His son rebels against parental rule and goes away to become a doctor. After Huston's death the son's requests for money force his mother to sell her small treasures and she is destitute when she writes President Lincoln a letter which results in his summoning the boy, now a successful army surgeon, and sending him home. On that simple narrative is hung as fine a motion picture as ever struck a screen — a clean, strong story told with directness and power. It came like a breath of fresh air to ventilate a season bogged down in soggy sophistication. Running time, 105 minutes. "G." 2 MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 43 February 5, 1938 No. 30 MARTIN QUIGLEY Editor-in-Chief and Publisher A-MIKE VOGEL, Editor J. M. JERAULD, Managing Editor JAMES A. CRON, Advertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and ^holidays by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., Martin Quigley, president. Colvin Brown, vice-president and treasurer. J Publication Office: 127D Sixth Avenue at Rockefeller Center. New York. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco. New York." All contents copyrighted 1038 by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications: MOTION PICTURE HERALD. BETTER THEATRES. TEATRO AL DIA. INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC and FAME. HOLLYWOOD: Postal Union Life Building, Vine and Yucca Sts. ; Boone Mancall, Manager. CHICAGO: 024 S. Michigan Ave.; C. B. O'Neill, Manager. WASHINGTON : Albee Building; Bertram F. Linz, Representative. AMSTERDAM: 87 Waalstraat; Philip de Schaap. Representative. BERLIN: Steulerstrasse 2. Berlin W. 35; Joachim K. Rutenberg, Representative. BUDAPEST: 3 Kaplar-u, Budapest II; Endre Hevesi, Representative. BUENOS AIRES: Avallaneda 3949; N. Bruski, Representative. COPENHAGEN: Vesterbrogada 20; Kris Winther, Representative. HELSINKI: Fredriksgatan 19C; Charlotte Laszio. Representative. LONDON: 4 Golden Square. W. 1; Cable address. Quigpubco. London; Hope Williams, Manager. MELBOURNE: Regent Theatre Buildings, 191 Collins St. ; Cliff Holt, Representative. MEXICO CITY: Apartado 269; James Lockhart. Representative. MONTEVIDEO : P. O. Box 664; Paul Bodo. Representative. MOSCOW: Petrovski Per 8; Beatrice Stern, Representative. PARIS: 29 Rue Marsoulan; Pierre Autre. Representative. PRAGUE: Uhelny trh 2, Prague 1; Harry Knopf. Representative. RIO DE JANEIRO: Caixa Postal 3558; L. S. Marinho, Representative. ROME: 54 Via Delia Mercede; Joseph D. Ravotto. Representative. SANTIAGO de CHILE: Casilla 13300; A. Weissmann. Representative. SHANGHAI: Rooms 38-41: Capital Theatre Building, 142 Museum Road; J. P. Koehler. Representative. STOCKHOLM: Kungsgatan 36; Ragnar Allberg. Representative. TOKYO: 880 Sasazuka, Ichikawa-shi. Chiba-Ken; H. Tominaga, Representative. VIENNA : Neustiftgasse 54 Vienna VII; Hans Lorant, Representative. Entered as second class matter January 4. 1926. at the Post Office at New York City. N. Y., under Act of March 3. 1879. Subscription rates per year $6 in the Americas, and foreign $12. Single copies: 10 cents. Orders Midland Co. Books to Be Opened Kansas City, Feb. 4. — Judge Albert L. Reeves in federal U. S. District Court yesterday continued the Midland Investment Co. in possession of the Midland Theatre and Midland office building properties, and ordered the Midland Investment Co. to open its books to a bondholders' committee. Midland Investment recently petitioned for the right to reorganize under 77B of the bankruptcy act, and its reorganization manager, Securities Service Corp. of Chicago, has submitted a plan of reorganization. A bondholders' committee has been formed by local financial and investment men, and was represented in court by Charles Blackmar and Ed Scheuffler, Kansas City attorneys. The bondholders want an impartial trustee appointed, and desire certain changes in the submitted reorganization plan. Change Nebraska Prices Lincoln, Feb. 4. — Price changes include the Fremont, Fremont, Neb., dropping five cents to 10 and 20 cents, with duals and a serial. The Stuart here has set the balcony price at 25 cents all day. The entire house had been priced at 40 cents for evenings. Notice of Trial Is Filed in Loew Suit Notice of trial on March 7 of the stockholder's action to restrain Loew's, Inc., from placing in effect the 12 profit-sharing contracts approved at the annual meeting of stockholders in January was filed in N. Y. Supreme Court here yesterday by Bernard Epstein, the plaintiff. The trial of the suit is expected to be begun within two weeks thereafter. Arba Dike Faxon, holder of 10 shares of common stock, filed a second stockholder's suit in the Supreme Court yesterday. This suit also attacks alleged excessive bonus, stock and salary arrangements. It is considered likely that both suits will be tried together. Defendants named in the second suit are Nicholas M. Schenck, David Bernstein, J. Robert Rubin, Louis B. Mayer, the estate of Irving Thalberg, Arthur M. Loew, David L. Loew, Al Lichtman, Edgar J. Mannix, Sam Katz, Edward A. Schiller, Leopold Friedman, George M. Armsby, Isidore Frey, John R. Hazel, Charles C. Moskowitz, William A. Parker, William A. Phillips, David Warfield, T. L. Perkins, John K. Searle, Eugene W. Leake, Harley L. Clarke, Charles M. Schwab, Harry M. Rice, Jacob L. Rubinstein and Albert M. Greenfield. Constance Bennett Victor Los Angeles, Feb. 4. — Constance Bennett yesterday was awarded a verdict of $35,000 by _ Superior Judge Charles S. Burnell in her breach of contract suit against G. B. She claimed a $35,000 guarantee offered in the event that she hold herself in readiness to produce "The Hawk," which never was made. Imperial Defers Listing Washington, Feb. 4. — Imperial Pictures, Inc., today joined the ranks of film companies desirous of postponing new financing until a more opportune time, petitioning the S.E.C. to defer the effective date of its registration of 861,286 shares of $1 par value common stock, filed with the commission Jan. 17. A petition for deferment of the effective date of its registration statement was submitted to the S.E.C. Feb. 2 by Cinecolor, and yesterday International Cinema asked withdrawal of its statement covering 150,000 shares. Wilmington Houses Sign Wilmington, Del., Feb. 5. — Agreements with local Service Employes' Union B-94 have been signed by Loew's and Warner houses in Wilmington. The agreement was reached at a recent conference between union officials and A. J. Vanni, Warner zone manager ; E. C. Callow, assistant, and Carter Barron, eastern division manager for Loew's. Milliken Phila. Speaker Philadelphia, Feb. 4. — Carl E. Milliken of the Hays office was the principal speaker yesterday before the Business Men's Group of Philadelphia at the Penn Athletic Club. His subject was "The Motion Picture as an Ally of Business." Wins Three-Cent Verdict Paris, Feb. 4. — Igor Stravinsky, composer, won a three-cent verdict here in his $10,000 damage action against Warners. He contended the title of his ballet, "The Fire Bird," was used for a Warner picture. He declared he will appeal the verdict. Saturday, February 5, 193 f 4 Purely ! Personal i DR. HERBERT T. KALMUS president of Technicolor, and Mi; Kalmus left for Boston immediate! after their arrival on the Normandi yesterday morning. Morgan Hobari manager of the New York office^* > ' companied them part of the way. 'i |i are expected back early next week. • Judy Garland will arrive in Ne\ York from the coast Monday morrii ing. Her first in a series of persona appearances will be at the State her beginning Thursday, and she will g on to Providence, Pittsburgh and Si Louis. • William and Mrs. Sussman, wfo returned yesterday on the Normandit reported they had an enjoyable tritouring England, France and Italy They were gone a month. • Roy Disney, brother of Walt Dis, ney and his business manager, is du to arrive in Hollywood tomorrow fror New York conferences with RKC officials. • Arthur W. Kelly, United Artist vice-president in charge of foreign dis tribution, will sail today on the Carin thia for a vacation in Nassau. • Harry Goldberg, Warner Theatre advertising head, returned yesterda; from a three-day trip to New Haver. Albany and Philadelphia. • Derrick de Marney, featured ii "The Girl Was Young" will sail fron London today and will arrive in Nev York Thursday. • William and Mrs. Brandt anr Mrs. Louis B. Mayer will sail toda; on the N ormandie on a 22-day cruis< to South America. • Arthur Lee, G. B. vice-presiden and general manager, flew to Buffali yesterday to visit the company's exchanges there. • H. H. Buxbaum returned yesterday to the 20th Century-Fox exchangq from the Allied convention in Minne apolis. • Sidney R. Kent, expected bad from Florida next week, will leavi for the coast at the end of the month . • Kenneth Thomson, Screen Actors' Guild executive secretary, left foi the coast on the Century yesterday. • Charles Stern, eastern districi manager for U.A., will leave in twc weeks on a southern vacation. • Monroe Greenthal and Lynk Farnol have deferred that trip tc Detroit until a later date. • John P. Edmondson, National Theatres official, will return Monday frorr Norfolk, Va. • C. C. Pettijohn is expected in New York today from Minneapolis. • Jack Cohn arrives in New York tomorrow from a Miami vacation.