Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1944)

10 Motion Picture Daily Monday, March 27, 1944 Review "Adventure In Music" (Artists Films-Crystal Pictures) 4 1 A DVENTURE In Music" is an hour cinema concert of classical music presented by the celebrated artists Jose Iturbi, pianist; the late Emanuel Feuerman, cellist; Vronsky and Babin, duo-pianists; Mildred Dilling, harpist, and the Coolidge String Quartet. Its appeal would appear to be limited to music lovers and its market to the "art" or specialty theatres. No attempt is made at continuity in the film. The artists are presented individually, each making two separate appearances. Producers Walter Lowendahl and Rudolph Polk and directors Ernest Mattray, S. K. Winston and Reginald Le Borg have taken it for granted that music lovers are only interested in watching and listening to the performances so they have concentrated upon camera angles rather than scenery. Among the more popular classical selections presented are the Polovetzian Dances from Prince Igor by Borodin, played by Vronsky and Babin; Rondo. Opus 94, by Dvorak, played by Feuerman; March of the Men of Harlech, arranged from the Welsh Air by John Thomas, played by Miss Dilling; Fantasie Impromptu and »Liszt's 11th Hungarian Rhapsody played by Iturbi; and Fugue from Beethoven's Quartet in C Major, Opus 59, played by the Coolidge Quartet. Running time, 62 mins. "G."* Release date March 4. Milton Livingston. Short Subject Reviews "Crash Goes the Hash" (Columbia) The Three Stooges, as reporters, get in and out of several ridiculous situations and come through with the wrong story in the end. But the wrong story is a good one — they unmask a fake nobleman for what he really is : a robber preying on dowagers. There is the usual routine slapstick and the Stooges' fans will like "Crash Goes the Hash" as well as their previous subjects. Jules White produced and directed from a screen play by Felix Adler. Running time, 17 mins. "How to Be a Sailor" (RKO) Disney's "Goofy" recounts the history of sailing in this entertaining Disney cartoon, from the time the cave man fell in a lake and saved himself by paddling to shore on a log, to the modern battleship which, in a wild stretch of the author's imagination, sails right through Tokyo, exploding the domain of the Rising Sun. Goofy is good for laughs in any cartoon and this is one of his best. Running time, 7 mins. "A Night in Mexico City" (Warner Bros.) Twenty minutes of Mexican music may be too much for the ordinary film-goer. James Fitzpatrick takes the audience on a pictorial tour of Mexico City's night clubs, including "La Jungla," "The Coconut Grove" and "El Patio." Artists featured are Maria Luisa Carbajal, Mario Gil and the Tipica orchestra and chorus. Running time, 20 mins. "South American Sway" (Warner Bros.) The orchestras of Joe Reichman, Carl Hoff and Emil Coleman tear through some South American dance numbers, including "Cachita," "Mexican Magic," "Negra, Baila La Conga" and "When Yuba Plays the Rhumba on the Tuba." This is a mildly entertaining reel which might have been improved by breaks in the musical sequence. Too much of one kind of rhythm makes it monotonous. Running time, 10 mins. *"G" denotes general classification. 'Song's $26,700 Is Good in Boston Boston, March 26. — Business was off a bit this week due to heavy storms. The Metropolitan, with "Desert Song," will show the largest gross with $26,700. Estimated receipts for the week ending March 23 : "Desert Song" (WB) METROPOLITAN— (4,367) (44c-55c-65c) 7 days. Gross: $26,700. (Average: $23,800). "Jane Eyre" (20th Fox) KEITH MEMORIAL— (2,900) (44c-55c65c) 7 days. Gross: $18,900. (Average: S17.800). "Cover Girl" (Col.) LOEWS STATE— (3,900) (44c-55c-65c) 7 days. Gross: $17,800. (Average: $15,600). "Cover Girl" (CoL) LOEWS ORPHEUM — (3.200) (44c-55c65c) 7 days. Gross: $23,700. (Average, $23,700). "Action in Arabia" (RKO) RKO BOSTON— (3,800) (44c-55c-65c-85c) 7 days. On stage: show with Guy Kibbee, Gross: $30,000. (Average: $26,700). "Lady in the Dark" (Para.) P A R A M O U N T— (1,700) (35c-55c-65c). Gross: $17,500. (Average: $14,500). Cooper to Fire Meeting Toronto, March 26. — The annual convention of the Dominion Fire Prevention Association, of which Col. John A. Cooper of Toronto is president, is scheduled to be held in Winnipeg during the last week in May. Cooper is chairman of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association and was directly concerned with the Toronto film building fire last fall which caused one death and damage of $200,000. Wood with Republic Chicago, March 26. — Edward L. Walton, Republic district manager here, has appointed Madeline Wood as publicity representative for the company in this territory. Wrobel to St. Paul Chicago, March 26. — Norman Wrobel, handling publicity for the RKO Palace and Grand theatres here, is on a three-week assignment at the RKO Orpheum in St. Paul. 'Lassie' $18,000 In Minneapolis Run Minneapolis, March 26. — "Lassie Come Home," $18,000, second offering at the Radio City theatre, was leader here in an off week. Estimated receipts for the week ending March 25 : "Three Russian Girls" (UA) WORLD — (350) (40c-50c-55c-75c) 7 days. Gross: $2,400. (Average: $2,400). "Johnny Come Lately" (UA) ORPHEUM — (2,800) (40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $9,000. (Average: $13,900). "Desert Song" (WB) STATE — (2,300) (40c-55c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $8,000. (Average: $12,400). "Woman of the Town" (UA) GOPHER— (998) (35c) 7 days. Grosi : $2,900. (Average: $3,700). "Lady in the Dark" (Para.) CENTURY— (1,600) (40c-55c) 7 days, 2nd week. Gross: $7,000. (Average: $7,400). "Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (Para.) LYRIC — (1,250) (40c-55c) 7 days, 4th week. Gross: $3,500. (Average: $5,600). "Lassie Come Home" (M-G-M) RADIO CITY— (4,000) (40c-55c) 7 days. Gross: $18,000. (Average: 2 weeks, $21,000). "Isle of Forgotten Sins" (PRC) 4 days. "Career Girl" (PRC) 4 days. ASTER— (900) (20c-30c) 7 days, with midweek change. Gross: $2,600. (Average: $2,600). Three M-G-M Screenings M-G-M will hold national trade showings of "Two Girls and a Sailor" and "Three Men in White" on Monday, April 24, and "Gaslight," on Friday, April 28. The foregoing will complete trade screenings of the company's seventh group, "Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble" and "Meet the People" having been set for April 3 in all cities except Kansas City, where they will be shown April 4, at the Vogue Theatre. Carrillo at State Leo Carrillo will arrive in New York Sunday for personal appearances at Loew's State with Universal's "Her Primitive Man," opening Thursday. Etter with 'Movie Life* Betty Etter has been named editor of Movie Life, published by W. M. Cotton. She succeeds Llewellyn Miller, transferred to Hollywood as new Western executive editor. Hollywood By JACK CARTWRIGHT Hollywood, March 26 SAMUEL GOLDWYN has changed the title of "Treasure Chest," the next Bob Hope enterprise under his trademark, to "Sylvester the Great," and PRC has changed the title of. 'Dixie Showboat" to "Dixie Jarr£ boree." \ • Spring Byington and Jackie Jenckins have been engaged by Dore Schary for "Double Furlough," his first Vanguard production. . . . Erie C. Kenton is to direct "Devil's Brood," second Boris Karloff vehicle under the actor's two-picture deal with Universal. That studio has assigned David Bruce to a principal role in "Can't Help Singing," Deanna Durbin's next, and has engaged Connie Haines, Jack Teagarden and other music ally -slanted talent for "Twilight on the Prairie." • In a fervor of borrowing, with no favorites played, RKO-Radio has acquired from M-G-M the services of Marsha Hunt, from 20th Century-Fox, Allyn Joslyn, and from Columbia, Edgar Buchanan, for "That Hunter Girl." . . . Harold Clurman, New York director, is to make his debut at RKO-Radio in direction of "Deadline At Dawn." • Sir Norman Angell, the British author who won the Nobel Peace Prize, was a recent guest of Arthur Hornblow, Jr., at the M-G-M studio. He addressed the Free World Association of Hollywood and its guests last week on the 23rd . . . PRC has signed Mary Beth Hughes for two* pictures. "I Accuse My Parents," an original by Arthur Caesar, an addition to the PRC agenda. SMPE to Discuss War Use of Films Application of motion pictures to war needs will be the dominant theme of the 55th semiannual conference of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers to be held in the Hotel Pennsylvania here April 17-19. The second day of the conference has been designated "Army-Navy Day," with officers of the armed forces leading discussions on training films. Some 38 papers will be presented by military men, motion picture engineers and representatives of industries allied with the film business, according to W. H. Offenhauser, Jr., chairman of the papers committee. A symposium on television will highlight the opening session. "Television from the Viewpoint of a Motion Picture Producer" will be discussed by Wyllis Cooper of National Broadcasting and Worthington C. Miner of Columbia will talk on "Television from the Viewpoint of a Broadcaster." High-speed photography, 16mm film developments, and 16mm standardization are included among other topics scheduled for the symposium. W. C. Kunzmann, convention vicepresident announced at the weekend that the Society had cancelled all social functions usually held in connection with its meetings because of wartime conditions. Exhibitors Recruit 51,998 Donors During the first year of a campaign by New York City film theatres to secure blood donors for the Red Cross, over 51,998 have been recruited, Eddie Dowden of RKO, and WAC chairman for the donor campaign disclosed here at the weekend. The drive was initiated by ten local exhibitors last February and since then exhibitors in New Haven, Los Angeles, and other cities have inaugurated similar drives, patterned after the New York plan of having five or six different theatres solicit the volunteers each week.