Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1940)

Tuesday, May 28, 1940 Motion picture daily Sees Rise in Scales Caused By Neely Bill Hollywood Reviews "The Way of All Flesh' {Paramount) Hollywood, May 27. — Emil Jannings in 1928 received the first Academy statuette for actor honors for his portrayal of a man whose morals and morale crumbled in Paramount's "The Way of All Flesh." This remake, with Akim Tamiroff in the same role, is a substantially revised version of the original and lags considerably. Supporting Tamiroff, who does well with the material, are Gladys George, William Henry, Muriel Angelus, John Hartley and a large cast of supporting players. The story follows loosely the first version. Tamiroff, Hungarian banker in a Pennsylvania town, is sent to New York with $100,000 in securities to give to the heirs of an estate. He is "rolled" for the money while made drunk by thieves who use a woman lure, and in a fight that follows one of the bandits is killed with the banker's identification on him. The banker roams about, a tramp, while his family of four children and his wife prosper. After a long montage sequence, telescoping 15 years, one of the sons becomes a master violinist. Tamiroff returns to his town but keeps his identity still a secret. Louis King directed from a screenplay by Lenore Coffee, based on the story by Lajos Biro and Jules Furthman. Eugene Zukor is associate producer. Running time, 82 minutes. "G." Vance King "Women in War" {Republic) Hollywood, May 27. — Republic's "Women in War" is as timely as a news bulletin. It goes behind the scenes of World War II, and tells of the work of a group of nurses, headed by a matron who shields the fact that she is the mother of one of them. Elsie Janis, "the Sweetheart of the A.E.F." of World War I, Wendy Barrie, Patric Knowles, Mae Clarke, Dennie Moore, Dorothy Peterson, Billy Gilbert, Colin Tapley, Stanley Logan, Barbara Pepper, Pamela Randell, Lawrence Grant and Lester Matthews comprise the cast. The film, directed by John H. Auer, is replete with dramatic punches, including an air raid by the enemy upon the transport conveying the British nurses across the Channel, blackouts and barrages. Auer, producer Sol C. Siegel and writers F. Hugh Herbert and Doris Anderson execute their assignments competently, although the film, which is 70 minutes long, does not take full advantage of its possibilities. Miss Barrie, a headstrong young girl, is acquitted by a jury of the accidental murder of an English officer, when it is announced that she has enlisted for war duty as a nurse. Her mother, whom she has not seen infancy, has engineered the ruse, and the girl goes through with the assignment to France. The mother keeps her identity secret until the end of the picture when the girl, regenerated by her mother's heroic deed of stopping a barrage which threatens to kill several nurses in a bombarded village, discovers that she really has fallen in love. Running time, 70 minutes. "G."* Vance King (Continued from page 1) small theatres will be built "on a shoestring." Robert H. Poole of Los Angeles, executive secretary of the Pacific —oast Conference of Independent TheJtc Owners, testified that "If the Neely bill had been enforced 10 years ago, the industry would not have progressed as it has." Poole voiced the fear that if the bill is passed "carpet baggers" will come into the industry, building new theatres and taking product away from exhibitors unable to pay the auction prices which he said would result if the companies had to sell films one or two at a time. "Curtailment of production, coupled with increased rentals, will result in prolonged runs in the larger communities and tieing up the worth-while product so long as to make it useless to the subsequent-run houses," he said. Don Ameche Questioned Hollywood efforts against the Neely bill back-fired when the committee elicited from Don Ameche, appearing in opposition to the bill for the Screen Actors Guild, an admission that he "didn't know" whether he had written a letter to Rep. Clarence J. Brown attacking the measure. Ameche's admission came while the committee was grilling him as to the authenticity of letters which had been received, during which he admitted he was "on the spot." Col. Jason S. Joy of the 20th Century-Fox studio traced the development of a picture from the inception of its idea to its final cutting to show the impossibiilty of complying with the synopsis provisions of the bill. Taking for illustration the film "Maryland," he showed the committee the various drafts, explaining that seven efforts were made before the first continuity was written. Then, he said, came the final script, which was revised three times before the picture was ready. Questioning by members of the committee made it clear that they did not agree that it is impossible at any stage of production to write an acceptable synopsis. Joy was questioned as to just when the selling of a picture began, but explained he had no knowledge whatever of distribution, drawing from members of the committee the suggestion that it would have been better had production witnesses testified first and distributors afterward instead of the other way around. Opposition of the Screen Directors Guild to the synopsis provision was voiced by Albert E. Sutherland and George Stevens, who explained that the best pictures are made by directors who are not tied down to script. Sue Metro Over Song Mabel Wayne and Neville Fleeson have filed suit in N. Y. Supreme Court for $50,000 damages against M-G-M, claiming breach of contract and infringement of their song, "Betwixt and Between." Plaintiffs claim that they sold the song to M-G-M in 1937 but that the defendant substituted "In-Between," written by Roger Edens. G" denotes general classification. Broadway Grosses Showing Slight Gain (Continued from page 1) be followed on Thursday by "My Favorite Wife." At the Roxy, "Lillian Russell" with a stage show held up well and started its second week with an estimated $24,000 for the first three days of the second week. It will be held for three weeks. Another holdover, "Torrid Zone" with Sammy Kaye's band on the stage, drew an estimated $19,000 to the Strand for the first three days of its second week and will also be held for a third. "Ski Patrol" grossed an estimated $6,000 at the Rialto and was followed bv "The Saint Takes Over." "I Was an Adventuress" took an estimated $5,500 at the Globe, with "Flight Angels" opening on Saturday. "Women in War" will open at the Criterion on Thursday, following a week for "The Biscuit Eater." Editors Defer Wage Increase Due to War Hollywood, May 27. — Postponement of demands for wage increases was disclosed today by the Society of Motion Picture Film Editors, whose board of directors declared : "Because of the emergency conditions which the industry faces due to the war in Europe, the editors feel that all departments should cooperate to the fullest extent." The board instructed its negotiations committee to concentrate on ironing out grievances and abuses involving the present agreement and seek clarification of certain clauses." "Fifth Column" Film Hollywood, May 27. — Warners will make "The Secret Army," based on the Nazi "Fifth Column" in Holland. Lester Cole is writing the script, which William K. Howard will direct. George Brent, Albert Basserman, Jeffrey Lynn, Brenda Marshall and Elizabeth Earl are tentatively cast. 9 FCC Scraps Commercial Television (Continued from page 1) broadcasting and receiving systems." Highlights of the decision were : Provisions for "Class 2 stations, which were originally to be permitted to have limited commercial programs are to be cancelled. Broader experimental operations will be permitted by existing stations and a number of additional stations, but such stations will be apportioned around the country to prevent the concentration of television facilities in particular centers of population. Additional cities under consideration, besides New York, are San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Albany, Cincinnati and Boston. Will Limit Stations To prevent monopoly, the F.C.C. will limit the number of stations to be operated by any one licensee and will promulgate rules for network television. The commission gave no indication when commercial operation would be authorized, saying "the progress of the industry itself will largely determine this matter." When standards are adopted they must "give definite assurance of satisfactory performance and continuity of service to the public." Attacking the R.C.A. campaign of March to promote the sale of television receivers, the F.C.C. declared that such activities "act only as an anchor on experimental efforts to go forward. It is obvious that the industry as a whole does not share the R.C.A. view of forging ahead regardless of the untested possibility of improvements on the horizon." Referring to its charge that the mere use of R.C.A. transmission standards would tend to "freeze" such standards at 441 lines with 30 frames per second, the FjC.C. asserted "the American system of broadcasting has been established by Congress on a competitive basis. Television will be an important part of that system." Continuing with a statement that "there is no room for squatters," the F.C.C. said, "It is essential to the progress of television that there not be a mere semblance of competition but that there be a genuine and healthy competition within an unfettered industry." U. S. to Call Wilson In Anti-Trust Suit Department of Justice officials stated yesterday that the Government will call upon Frank R. Wilson, assistant director of public relations for the Department of Commerce, as a witness in connection with the anti-trust suit against the eight majors. An order authorizing the issuance of a subpoena for Wilson will be submitted within the next few days, it was said. Wilson was formerly in charge of film publicity for the X.R.A. Before that he was vice-president of Principal Distributing Corp. and in other distributing and theatre enterprises.