Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY New York Preview "The Show Goes On" (G. B.) What is otherwise a rather ordinary story of three circus trapeze performers, a woman and two men, and their personal problem of jealousy and revenge, becomes far more acceptable as audience material by reason of unusually effective suspense action staged high above a theatre audience. For American audiences, this British picture, produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox for G. B. release, has three known performers in the leading roles of the triangle, Anna Neagle, Tullio Carminati and Leslie Banks. Herman Mankiewicz adapted the story by Nicholas Farkas. Banks, the dour member of the troupe, and the "catcher" in the trapeze act, is in love with Miss Neagle, but is too shy to tell her. Carminati only realizes that he himself loves her when Banks asks him to be his "voice" in asking the girl to marry. Banks misunderstands and plans his revenge high in the air on the occasion of the opening of their big show. As he is about to drop Carminati, the girl faints, and Banks tosses his partner back in time to catch her. There is a tremendous amount of suspense packed into a few minutes. Running time, 69 minutes. "G." Charles S. Aaronson "Drums" Gets One of Those New Swank Trade Showings ■ day, August 16, 1938 I vy Boland Returns fir Paramount Film I iary Boland is set to make a picIt;! for 20th Century-Fox in Eng I I, she reported yesterday on ..her iii.-al on the Normandie from a It-week vacation in London. She E I she signed a new three-picture II with Paramount before leaving i er trip and that she will continue 14 co-starred with Charles Ruggles ■ . omestic comedies. Iter next for Paramount will start I Oct. 1, and when it is com H Miss Boland will return to land in November for the 20th tury-Fox picture. She left for the |t last night by train. atalie Kalmus, wife of Dr. Her i T. Kalmus, head of Technicolor, another arrival. She was in Lonsix months, acting as technical ser on three Technicolor films — * e Mikado," produced by Geoffrey ! e with the Gilbert & Sullivan [ ra Co. ; "Sixty Glorious Years," it lerbert Wilcox production, and (zander Korda's "Four Feathers," t\<zh is in the making. L frs. Kalmus plans to resume her t k in Europe in a few weeks, after i itioning with her husband at their Die on Cape Cod. in Hay, playwright, came over to [ with Lee Shubert about a new L" for winter production on BroadR and about road tours of his play, chelor Born," now current at the I eum. He will return tomorrow on ; Normandie. .mong other arrivals on the boat e Madeleine Carroll, who indica' she had no immediate picture plans ' will do some radio work ; Felix [ :ene, North American representafor BBC, and Conde Nast. epublic Signs for Australasia, Italy 'hree-year deals for distribution in ^tralasia and Italy and contracts other European countries have m closed by Republic's foreign de f tment. Iritish Empire Films, Ltd., Repub[j> present distributor, has signed iree-year contract extending to the fl-'41 season, for Australia and w Zealand. Capt. Harold Auten .resented B. E. F. in the negotia:is. The films will be shown in Greater Union circuit, affiliate of J E. F., in 60 Australia houses, and j 160 theatres of the Mason circuit ■New Zealand. Word was received yesterday from !>rris Goodman, vice-president in : rge of foreign distribution, who n Europe, that a contract for 19361 1937-'38 and 1938-'39 product has ^;n closed with Scalera Film of h. Another new outlet is Minerva 'ms of Brussels, which has taken j!7-*38 and 1938-'39 product for Bel|im, Luxembourg and the Belgian ionies. Monopol Films of Zurich 5 contracted for Switzerland dis bution of the 1936-'37 and 1937-'38 is. The entire output is involved the deals. Cantor's Film Titled Hollywood, Aug. 15.— Eddie Cane's next film for 20th Century-Fox s been permanently titled "The /erage Man." It is based on the >ry "What the Public Wants." looting is scheduled to start late this Dnth. John Ford will direct. (.Continued from page 1) while inside the lobby Lynn Farnol greeted arrivals in a dignified way and Monroe Greenthal glad-handed some of the guests. There was only one reminder of the good old informal trade shows — the advertising salesmen. How those boys devote themselves to their duties wherever there's a cooling system in August ! The Hollywood is a fine place for a trade showing. The lobby is long and cool and the foyer is spacious — also cool. The women have an opportunity to powder their noses before the photographers do their candid camera shots. Maurice Bergman was there. Others who came in were: Max Cohen, Martin Starr, Si Seadler — attired as faultlessly as though it were the "Marie Antoinette" opening — and Al Sherman, also in a sartorial creation ; M. H. Schlesinger, Jack Alicoate, Louis Frisch, Sam Rinzler, Laurence Bolognino. License Commissioner Paul Moss, William and Harry Brandt, Al Sussman, Dave Chatkin, Emanuel Silverstone and Murray Silverstone, Vincent Kearney and Mrs. Kearney, Jack Harris and John Burnett. The picture went on about 8:50 with no shorts or newsreel to precede it, and in no time at all the audience was looking at Khyber Pass and mountain peaks with snow done in Technicolor. It was a fine way to forget the humidity, and the audience was applauding before the action had really begun at Tokot up in Afghanistan. If A. W. Smith, Jr., didn't raise the percentages about the end of the second reel it was his own fault. "Drums" was reviewed in Motion Picture Daily July 26. Moore Joins Warners Pittsburgh, Aug. 15. — Dinty Moore, veteran West Virginia theatre operator, has given up his house there to join Harry Seeds' Warner sales force here. National Theatres Opens L. A. Meeting (Continued from page 1) presentation to nine managers of cash awards for outstanding work. A. M. Bowles was chairman of the initial session. Mr. Skouras painted a promising picture of the future with regard to business and the nation's economic situation. He declared that theatre conditions of the last six months were very satisfactory in the face of a general business slump. W. T. Powers gave a technical talk on film buying deals and was followed by J. J. Sullivan. After a luncheon recess Spyros Skouras told of the importance to the organization of man power and said that the reputation of the company in the eyes of the public must be maintained. C. A. Buckley of legal staff, Cullen Espy, Irving Epstein, W. H. Lollier and Dick Dickson also spoke. Century Refuses to Sign The Century circuit has no intention of signing with operators' Local 306, which yesterday starting a picketing campaign against the circuit in Brooklyn, a Century spokesman said. Only three theatres were being picketed yesterday, he said, one by the operators' union and the others by musicians, who are assisting the operators in their unionization drive. Business was not affected. "Band" Big in Chicago Chicago, Aug. 15. — "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is setting new records at the Chicago here, having opened Friday to the biggest business in the history of the house. Attendance is equivalent to World's Fair days. The theatre is running nine shows daily, I with the stage show cut to 25 minutes. 3 Charge Stars Aiding Reds Causes No Stir Washington, Aug. 15. — Alleged participation by Hollywood film stars in Communistic activities, charged yesterday by Edward Sullivan, investigator for the special House committee studying un-American activities, aroused little reaction in Washington today, where it was pointed out that this has been common knowledge for a long time. Mr. Sullivan charged that many film personalities have contributed to various Communistic organizations and that others, opposed to such activities, have been afraid to make their position known because they would lose their work. The committee investigator mentioned no names in his report, but the identity of a number of film performers who have participated in red organizations has been known in Washington for some time. He alleged that "all phases of radical and Communistic activities are rampant among the studios of Hollywood." Thorough investigation of all charges of Communistic activity which have been laid before the committee, it was declared by Representative Martin Dies of Texas, chairman, would require time and funds beyond the resources of the committee thus far appropriated. Hollywood Unit Answers Dies Hollywood, Aug. 15. — Donald Ogden Stewart, president ; Marion Spitzer, vice president, and Alan Campbell, secretary, of the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League for the Defense of American Democracy, today issued the following statement : "It is ominous that the Dies investigating committee has adopted the practice of making accusations without revealed facts to substantiate them. When Hitler is mobilizing a million men at the Czechoslovakian border, when another investigator of the Dies committee finds that the National Guard is being invaded by the Nazi Bund, and that there is an effective spy ring throughout the country, these charges leveled at an organization devoted to the task of combating Nazism are in themselves a threat to democracy. The Hollywood Anti-Nazi League repudiates this attack. We stand on our record and _ call for a real investigation of Nazi activities in this country which, after exposing Nazi activity, will eliminate_ the need for action against this activity instead of attacking organizations formed for the purpose of taking such action." Seven New Pictures Win Legion Approval The National Legion of Decency has approved seven out of eight new pictures reviewed and classified for the current week, five for general patronage and two for adults. One was classed as objectionable in part. The new films and their classification follow. Class A-l, Unobjectionable for General Patronage — "Four's A Crowd," "Kinderartz Dr. Engel," "Painted Desert," "Rich Man, Poor Girl," "South of Arizona." Class A-2, Unobjectionable for Adults— "Bulldog Drummond in Africa," "Der MusterRatte." Class B, Objectionable in Part— "Alexander's Ragtime Band."