Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1941)

6 Motion Picture Daily Monday, October 20. ]<M Hudson Plan Launched Mich. Houses by Reviews {Continued from page 1) general sales manager ; Arthur Kelly, vice-president of United Artists ; Claude Lee, director of public relations for Paramount, and representatives of M-G-M. Branch said he has received invitations from other state groups to attend their meetings and explain the plan. The campaign will include the use of testimonials by prominent persons outside the industry and is designed to build goodwill for the industry as a whole. The testimonials will stress the value of films as entertainment and an educational force and the health, comfort, convenience, safety and inspirational values of theatres, Branch ex plained. This material will be used in advertising in various forms, includ ing trailers on the screen. Theatres so far enrolled include 135 houses affiliated with Michigan Allied; 105 Cooperative Theatres; Butterfield's 115 and 18 of United Detroit. Plans were perfected at a meeting here Thursday of a committee headed by Branch and including E. J. Hudson, president, United Detroit Thea tres ; E. C. Beatty, president, Butterfield Theatres ; C. L. Buermele, general manager of Cooperative Theatres and John McPherson, manager of the Detroit branch of National Screen Service. Albert Warner to Be Witness Today (Continued from parte 1) charge of production, are also scheduled to be Government witnesses. Joseph Bernhard, president and general manager of the Warner Circuit ; Samuel Carlisle, Warner comptroller and assistant treasurer, and Thomas J. Martin, Warner auditor, are also due to be called by the Government, it was reported. Two IATSE witnesses, Frank C. Olsen, secretary of the Chicago Theatrical Protective Union, Local 2, and Florence Rose, IATSE main office bookkeeper, testified at the request of the Government Thursday and it is understood that Louis Krouse, general secretary-treasurer, will also be called by the prosecution. UA May Buy Into Theatre in Detroit United Artists has taken an option to acquire an interest in the former RKO Downtown, Detroit, from Lester Briggs, owner, it was reported over the weekend. The house was built about 15 years ago as the Oriental. It has been operated intermittently in recent years and has been closed about a year. It seats 2,000 and is located just off Grand Circus Park. Since announcing plans for acquisition of a national circuit last July, United Artists has acquired a hall interest in a San Fran Franciscc theatre. "Swamp Water" (20th Century-Fox) HP HIS is a strangely moving melodrama, set in the pictorially beautiful but dangerous Okefenokee Swamp country of Georgia and peopled with the strange but homely families of the Georgia backwoods. Well acted by a cast headed by Walter Brennan and Walter Huston, and directed with grace and skill by Jean Renoir, this production by Irving Pichel has promise of being a critics' pet and a box-office favorite. Vereen Bell's story was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post and published in book form. Added to the fine performances of Brennan and Huston are those of Dana Andrews, Anne Baxter, Virginia Gillmore, John Carradine, Mary Howard, Eugene Pallette, Ward Bond, Guinn Williams, Russell Simpson and a number of others. Andrews, searching for his dog, enters the swamps against the orders of his father (Huston), and encounters there an escaped murderer (Brennan). After numerous complications, Brennan is cleared of the murder charge. It is what might be termed a "critic's picture." Running time, 89 minutes. "G."* Edward Greif "Small Town Deb" (20th Century-Fox) T IGHTWEIGHT entertainment, with no emphasis on drama in story development, but dependent largely upon jitterbug dialogue, this is bright, pleasant program fare which should appeal to all members of the family and particularly those in their teens. In the lead is Jane Withers, who, as her screen mother comments, is in the "peculiar stage" of life, and is handicapped further by the fact that her mother, sister and brother are in the social whirl and neglect her. Moreover, she has a brace on her teeth and must look at life through heavy-rimmed glasses. As is to be expected, a complete transition sets in, and with the latest in hair-do and glasses and brace set aside, Miss Withers makes the town take notice. A high spot is her amusing imitation of Carmen Miranda singing a South American number. In featured spots are Cobina Wright, Jr., Jackie Searl, Jane Darwell, Bruce Edwards and Cecil Kellaway, who play their parts well. Harold Schuster directed. Running time, 72 minutes. "G."* Eugene Arneel Para, to Seel Decree Outlel For Minnesota (Continued from page 1) Minnesota law to disclaim intentioi of taking action to make possible^ early resumption of selling infefc state. The statement that 20th Centun. Fox does not contemplate resumptio of selling in Minnesota "at this time, leaves open the possibility of l^gs procedure of possibly lengthy duratioi according to observers. This coul be either an appeal from the denij by the state court of the distributor action for an injunction or a trial c their case to test the constitutionalit of the Minnesota law. Wa rners, RKO and Loews rc vealed earlier that they had no inten tion of selling in Minnesota under th state law. United Artists, which not a party to the consent decree bu is prohibited from complying with th state law because of its individus sales commitments with its producer: has declared that it will withdra\ from Minnesota at the end of thi week. 'G" denotes general classification. 'As You Like It' to Open Here Tonight Shakespeare's "As You Like It" will be revived at the Mansfield Theatre tonight with Helen Craig in the lead. Ben A. Boyar and Eugene S. Bryden are the producers of the play. Bryden also is the director. Monroe, N. Y., House Wins Clearance Cut (Continued from pane 1) the Colonial to seven days. The complaint named Paramount, RKO, 20th Century-Fox and Warners. Paramount, however, was dismissed as a defendant because it has interests in both the Ritz and Broadway and, under the decree, has the right to sell them in any manner. Charles Ballon was the arbitrator. Uphold Ban on Film Albany, Oct. 19.— The State Board of Regents has upheld a censor board decision banning "They Must Be Told," on the ground that it is "indecent and immoral." The appeal was taken by Cinema Service Corp., which owns the film. Whitney to Shift Office to Capital (Continued from page 1) on matters requiring prompt decision. He expects to maintain a branch office in New York, but it has not been determined whether Francis Altstock, his assistant, will remain in charge there or come to Washington. Just returning from a trip in which he covered eight Latin American countries in two months, Whitney is digesting the information he acquired on his tour preparatory to writing reports for Nelson Rockefeller, head of the committee, and the industry. He refused to discuss the trip in advance of those reports, explaining that much of the material gathered is confidential and will need to be studied before he can decide what may be given out. SMPE Opens Fall Convention Todai j (Continued from page 1) Wednesday evening, and will be fea tured by the awarding of the SMPI Progress Medal and the Society' Journal Award, presented annually The first is for an important contribu tion during the year and the latter fo the outstanding paper published in th society's Journal. Officers will be elected today, fol lowed by an informal luncheon, a which Newbold Morris, president o the New York City Council, Sol. A Rosenblatt, attorney, and Francis S Harmon of the Hays office are expected to speak. Chairman of the technical committe< at the first technical session today is Herbert Griffin, vice-president of International Projector Corp., and executive vice-president of the SMPE. Rep.-Interstate Deal Republic has closed a deal on new season product with the Interstate Circuit, Dallas, covering 161 Texas houses. James R. Grainger, president, and Lloyd Rust, Dallas manager, closed the deal for Republic, and R. J. O'Donnell, vice-president, acted for the circuit, it was announced by the Republic home office. Allied to Complete Program for Unity (Continued from page 1) the disputed third paragraph of the resolution. Distribution executives here who have endorsed Allied's unity plan expressed the opinion that once Allied's own committee has been authorized to function, it would be well for it to seek the cooperation of other exhibitor organizations in order to make the plan fully representative of national exhibition. This should bo done, they believe, before production and distribution participation is enlisted. Reopen Omaha De Luxe Omaha, Oct. 19.— Tri-States' Paramount, 3,000-seat de luxe house dark most of the last five years, will be reopened next Friday, according to A. H. Blank, president of Tri-States. Stage shows and pictures will be the policy.