Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1940)

Thursday, August 1, 1940 Motion Picture Daily 7 Feature Reviews "Captain Caution" {United Artists-Roach) T_J OLLYWOOD, July 31.— Hal Roach has made of this Kenneth Rob*■ erts novel (Roberts also wrote "Northwest Passage") the fightingest, sailingest, slashingest and dashingest maritime melodrama of its kind in the memory of ye oldest resident. The period is 1812, with the war of that year in progress and in the story but not the main point thereof. The scene is the high seas, with an occasional land sequence in a French port and an English drawing room. The action is fast, furious and for the most part fistic, although broadsides between sailing vessels and boarding parties include also the use of gunpowder, sword, knife and belaying pin. Hero of the adventure is Victor Mature, playing a Yankee sailor in love but out of favor with Louise Piatt, owner of the ship, and his fight with Bruce Cabot, slave trader, pirate and international opportunist, closes the picture with a bang. Leo Carrillo, Robert Barrat, Vivienne Osborne, El Brendel, Roscoe Ates, Andrew Tombes, Aubrey Mather, Alan Ladd, Pat O'Malley, Lloyd Corrigan, Ted Osborn and Ann Codee are members of the large and extremely active supporting cast. Richard Wallace directed, at a mile-a-minute clip, from a screen play by Grover Jones. The film is full of action from stem to stern, with humor and a touch of music now and then to afford audiences opportunity to catch their breath. Running time, 85 minutes. "G."* Roscoe Williams "Rainbow Over the Range" (Monogram) Tex Ritter is the hero and as such conforms to the formula for Western fare by bringing: a gang: of outlaws to justice after g-un duels and hard riding. In supporting roles are Warner Richmond, Tim Pierce, Slim Andrews, Dorothy Fav, Dennis Moore and Chuck Morrison. . • When horse thieves shoot the sheriff and his deputy, Ritter comes to town as marshal and undertakes to restore justice. Pierce, ostensibly the leading citizen, is actually the leader of the outlaws and directs the thefts so that he might gain a horse contract enjoved by Moore. Miss Fay is Moore's sister and a school teacher. Aided by Richmond and Andrews, Ritter finally corrects the situation. Edward Finney produced and Al Herman directed. Screenplay was by Rolland Lynch, Robert Emmet and Roger Merton. Running time, 59 minutes. "G."* Detroit Heat Rises While Grosses Drop Detroit, July 31. — The past week's I daily temperatures of more than II ninety degrees kept film fans out of f Detroit's air-conditioned theatres, and J drove them to the beaches and resort The result was a business 4_^p which struck a high low since 51930. 5 The Fox Theatre with an average : $27,000 for a stage attraction grossed konly $17,000 with "Private Affairs" Kand the Funnzafire Revue of Benny LMeroff. "Buck" Newsom, leading : pitcher for the Tigers, was added to ir the Fox stage show Friday. f Estimated takings for the week endIj ing July 25 : \f "Leopard Men of Africa" (Select) "Manhattan Heartbeat" (2»th-Fox) |H ADAMS— (1,600) (15c-50c) 7 days. Gross: i; $3,000. (Average, $5,000) If "My Favorite Wife" (RICO) ! "The House Across the Bay" (U. A.) FISHER — (2,700) (15c-44c) 7 days. Gross: ! | $3,500. (Average, $7,000) P "Private Affairs" (Univ.) pi Funnzafire State Revue with Benny Meroff p FOX— (5,000) (15c-55c-65c) 7 days. Gross: U $17,000. (Average, $27,000 with stage show) f "My Love Came Back" (W. B.) i "The Man Who Talked Too Much" (W. B.) K MICHIGAN— (4,000) (15c-55c-6Sc) 7 days. P Gross: $7,200. (Average, $12,000) IP "All This and Heaven Too" (W. B.) '"Pop Always Pays" (RKO) L PALMS — (2,000) (15c-55c) 7 davs. Gross: 1 $3,500. (Average, $7,000) 'Our Town" (U. A.) "Turnabout" (U. A.) UNITED ARTISTS— (2,000) (15c-39c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $7,000. (Average, $10,000) 'Love' and Kaye Take $10,800, Indianapolis Indianapolis, July 31. — Sammy Kaye and his orchestra on stage, with ' "Love, Honor and Oh, Baby" on •screen at Lyric was the only first-run tto do a nip-up into the black in the summer's worst heat wave. The gross t'was $10,800. Estimated takings for the week endji ing July 26 : "All This, and Heaven Too" (W. B.) CIRCLE— (2,800) (28c-33c-44c) 7 days 2nd week. Gross: $4,500. (Average, $6,000) "Our Town" (U. A.) "Sporting Blood" (M-G-M) LOEW'S— (2,800) (28c-33c-44c) 7 days. Gross: $6,600. (Average, $7,000) "Love, Honor and Oh, Baby" (Univ.) LYRIC — (2,000) (28c-33c-44c) 7 days. . Stage: Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra, plus show. Gross : $10,800. (Average, $8,000) ; Illinois Group Meets Rockford, 111., July 31. — State taxes on theatres and legislative problems were discussed at a meeting of the United Theatre Owners of Illinois j here yesterday. Edward G. Zorn, | president, expressed disapproval of Samuel Goldwyn's recent article in the Saturday Evening Post, stating that | industry problems should not be made I public issues. RCA Sued on Patent Patent infringement suit against J RCA was filed yesterday in the U. S. p District Court by Ben Chromy for an I injunction and triple damages. The \ complaint charges infringement of a \ patent called "Use of Apparatus and S Method of Sound Reproduction and L Radio Receiving System." *"G" denotes general classification. Para. Partners To Meet on Pact (Continued from page 1) gram and other independent companies. That the Government is considering proposing supplementary legislation in Congress, as was first published in Motion Picture Daily, was also indicated by the Department of Justice spokesmen yesterday. Such supplementary legislation as would be proposed would be intended to give the decree provisions a statutory basis covering all elements of the industry. Paul Williams, chief of Government's counsel in New York, leaves for Washington today, and may be gone two weeks. In the meantime, Robert Sher and A. H. Feller of his staff will work with company representatives here in framing the new draft. Efforts are continuing to eliminate some of the objections to the proposals but Government lawyers yesterday admitted that Sections 1, 3 and 6 still remain as "stumbling blocks." Cromwell Aids Students Los Angeles, July 31. — Director John Cromwell recently took time off from his work on "Flotsam," Loew-Levin film, to supervise a western being made by University of I Southern California students. Television Industry Acts on Standards (Continued from page 1) their chairmen are: System Analysis, P. C. Goldmark ; Subjective Aspects, A. N. Goldsmith ; Television Spectra, J. E. Brown ; Transmitter Power, E.W. Engstrom ; Transmitter Characteristics, B. R. Cummings ; TransmitterReceiver Coordination, I. J. Kaar ; Picture Resolution, D. E. Harnett; Synchronization, T. T. Goldsmith ; and Radiation Polarization, D. B. Smith. Fifteen organizations were represented at the meeting yesterday. They were : CBS, Don Lee Broadcasting System, DuMont Laboratories, Farnsworth Television & Radio Corp. ; Television Productions ; Bell Telephone Laboratories ; General Electric ; Hazeltine Service Corp., John V. L. Hogan, Hughes Tool Co., Institute of Radio Engineers, Philco, RCA StrombergCarlson, and Zenith Radio. Further meetings of the N.T.S.C. will be held some time in September when some of the subcommittee reports are expected to be ready. Lead Variety Golfers Pittsburgh, July 31.— Prize winners at the Variety Club annual golf tournament, held this year at South Hills Country Club, were Archie Fineman, independent exhibitor; Arthur Levy, Columbia branch manager, and Richard Brown, Warner house manager. The three won low score honors. Philadelphia Good; 'Heaven' Top, $18,200 Philadelphia, July 31. — In spite of the heat wave, grosses at the downtown houses held up unusually well. "All This and Heaven Too," playing at popular prices, led the field practically alone with a strong $18,200 at the Boyd. The other first runs did average business. Estimated takings for the week ending July 24-26 : "Our Town" (U. A.) ARCADIA— (600) (35c-46c-57c) 7 days, 3rd run. Gross: $3,400. (Average, $2,600) "All This and Heaven Too" (W. B.) BOYD— (2,400) (3Sc-41c-46c-57c-68c) 7 days. Gross: $18,200. (Average, $13,000) "Stardust" (20th-Fox) CARMAN— (2,500) (29c-35c-46c) . 7 days, subsequent run, with vaudeville bill including Baxter and Leeds, Patty Hudson, Wither Vincent, Charles Sidney, and the Dubois Foursome. Gross: $5,000. (Average, $5,200) "South of Pago Pago" (U. A.) EARLE— (4,000) (35c-41c-46c-57c-68c) 7 days. Gross: $11,000. (Average, $14,000) "My Love Came Back" (W. B.) FOX — (3,000) (35c-41c-46c-57c-68c) 7 days. Gross: $11,700. (Average, $13,000) "New Moon" (M-G-M) KARLTON— (1,000) (35c-41c-46c-57c-68c) 7 days. 2nd run. Gross: $4,000. (Average, $3,000) "The Ghost Breakers" (Para.) KEITH'S— (2,200) (35c-41c-46c-57c-68c) 7 days, 2nd run. Gross: $4,000. (Average, $4,500) "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante" (M-G-M) STANLEY— (3,700) (35c-41c-46c-57c-68c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $10,400. (Average, $14,000) "The Way of All Flesh" (Para.) STANTON— (1,700) (35c-46c-57c) 7 days. Gross: $4,200. (Average, $4,500) 'Untamed' $5,800 Best in Providence Providence, July 31. — Heat was the only managerial alibi for generally low grosses. Best comparative income was reported at the Strand where "Untamed" and "Tomboy," assisted by the personal appearance of Patricia Morison on opening day garnered $5,800. Estimated takings for the week ending July 24-25 : "Turnabout" (U. A.) "Sporting Blood" (M-G-M) LOEW'S STATE— (3.232) (28c-39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $8,000. (Average. $11,000) "My Love Came Back" (W. B.) "I Was an Adventuress" (20th-Fox) MAJESTIC— (2,250) (28c-39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $3,900. (Average, $7,000) "Untamed" (Para.) "Tomboy" (Mono.) STRAND— (2,200) (28c-39c-50c) 7 days. Gross: $5,800. (Average. $6,000) "Carolina Moon" (Rep.) "Murder Is News" (Warwick) FAY'S— (1.800) (15c-28c) 7 days. Gross: $2,400. (Averagt, $2,500) "Maryland" (Z0th-Fox) "Sai'cr's Lady" (20th-Fox) . CARLTON— (1.526) (2gc-39c-50c) 2nd week. Gross: $1,000. (Average, $3,500) "Safari" (Para.) (3 days) "Cur Town" (U. A.) (3 days) "Four Sons" (20th-Fox) (4 days) "My Favorite Wife" (RKO) (4 days) EMPIRE— (2,200) (20c-28c) 2nd run. Gross: $1,450. (Average, $1,800) 'Pago Pago' Party United Artists gave a party yesterday afternoon at the Cafe Pago Pago in celebration of the opening of Edward Small's picture, "South of Pago Pago," at the Music Hall today. Among those who attended were Arthur Kelly, vice-president and foreign manager of U. A., Cecelia Ager, Stephen Pallos, Sam Shain, Albert Margolies and J. J. Milstein.