Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1944)

Tuesday, May 2, 1944 Motion Picture daily 11 Review "The Scarlet Claw" {Universal) Hollywood, May 1 T N "The Scarlet Claw," Sherlock Holmes, played by Basil Rathbone, * and Dr. Watson, portrayed by Nigel Bruce, carry on the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle characters with the deft touch. Aided by chilling fog on the marshlands, a well-planted fear of the mysterious "monsters" among the villagers, the mystery builds suspense, capped by action, and touches of Dr. Watson's stuffy, whimsical humor in just the right dosages. At Le Morte Rouge Holmes discovers that the murder of Lady Penrose, former actress, could not have been done by a monster in whom her husband, a student of the occult, believes, as do the natives. He and Watson track down the murderer, who proves to be an 'escaped actormurderer, who had created several characters . for himself among the villagers. Roy William Neill produced and directed from a screenplay written in collaboration with Edmund L. Hartmann from an original by Paul Gangelin and Brenda Weisberg. Gerald Hamer provides excellent menace as the slayer, while Paul Cavanaugh delivers well, and Kay Harding shows promise as the winsome daughter of the village innkeeper. Running time, 74 minutes. "G." * Release date, not set. Jack Cartwright Mayer Honored for Los Angeles Aid Hollywood, May 1. — Louis B. Mayer, in absentia, was presented with a testimonial, acknowledging his work on behalf of the Los Angeles community, last night at a dinner in the Ambassador Hotel given by the industry division of the United Jewish Welfare Fund. Mayer had not returned from New York in time to be present. Under the chairmanship of Walter s Wanger, the motion picture division is seeking to raise one-third of a mini mum $2,000,000 quota this year, having contributed one-third of the $1,200,000 collected last year. The charity is concerned with overseas relief and rehabilitation, and also supports local and national activities. About 450 at the dinner heard Rev. Barnett R. V. Birckner of Cleveland discuss his observations based on a 35,000 mile trip through Europe, North Africa, Palestine and China. . He is a member of the three-man commission named by President Roosevelt to observe the morale of troops. A second speaker was Mrs. Waistill Hastings Sharp, who conducted Unitarian church services abroad with her husband. Quash Indicated in Suit of Momand (Continued from page 1) were given until June 15 to furnish a bill of particulars sought by the defendant distributors, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal and Vitaphone, which had made the motions to dismiss and to quash. Judge Broaddus said he would give the defendants' counsel five days to read authorities before finally sustaining the quash motion. At the same time, he accepted, as routine, a request for a jury trial made by the Griffith Amusement Co., local circuit distributor in the case. Justice Dissolves FPC Injunction (Continued from page 1) the action with costs to be paid by the plaintiff. President of Theatre Properties is Paul L. Nathanson,.head of the Odeon Circuit, which operates the two theatres under a lease. The injunction action developed after Hamilton United shareholders voted against a higher cash offer from Famous Players for possession of the theatres. Representative of Famous Players contended a two-thirds majority of all Hamilton United shareholders had not been registered in voting on the sale, as required under the Ontario Companies Act. RKO Union Before SLRB A further hearing on the attempt of the IATSE to separate cashiers and others from the jurisdiction of the newly-formed Motion Picture Theatre Operating Managers, Assistants and Cashiers Guild, embracing help in RKO New York theatres, was held at the office of the State Labor Relations Board here yesterday. WB to Reissue 'Army' Warners' "This Is the Army" will be reissued nationally on June 24. The film was first released last August. *"G" denotes general classification. Negotiations Slated With Studio Guilds Producer negotiations with studio guilds on new talent and other contract provisions covering wages, hours and working conditions are scheduled to be opened in Hollywood following the return there of Pat Casey, studio labor representative. Casey left New York for the Coast yesterday. Initial negotiations probably will be with readers, cutters and editors, with directors and other guilds following. 1944 Catholic Charity Drive Is Under Way The 1944 Appeal of New York Catholic Charities is under way and will continue through May 10. Alfred E. Smith is general chairman of the Archbishop's Committee of the Laity ; John A. Coleman is executive chairman, Frank C. Walker is treasurer and George Schaefer is assistant treasurer. Co-chairman of the film industry's committee ace John O'Connor and Bert Sanford. 43 Houses in New Pitsburgh Combine (Continued from page 1) Weiland, A. G. Neyland, Stephen Santa, Norman C. Huhn, J. W. Mercer, Harry Hendel, William Wheat, Bennett Amdur, Carl Poke, M. Winograd, H. Rachiele, Rachiele and Walker, Mervis and Barnholtz, Fineman and Shapiro, and R. Navarii. M-G-M Service Awards Cleveland, May 1. — M-G-M held a dinner at the Statler Hotel here at the weekend when service awards were presented to 11 employes by John J. Maloney, Central States sales manager, and J. P. Byrne, district manager. Receiving 20-year service buttons were Steve Andrews, Effie Baxter, Charles C Deardourff and Sara Sallew. Ten-year M-G-M employes honored were Jack Sogg, Jack Mundstuck, Ann Vickers, Native Roberts, Louise Jade, Gladys Nelson and Elsie Wilson. Bob Hope, Winner of PeabodyRadioA ward Bob Hope, six network programs, a regional program and a local station program are the 1943 winners of the George Foster Peabody radio awards administered by the National Association of Broadcasters with the cooperation of the University of Georgia. Representing the majority opinion of "screening" groups besides Hope's award for camp tours, included Edward R. Murrow, CBS ; Lux Radio Theatre, CBS ; "Open Letter to the American People," CBS ; Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir, CBS; "America's Town Meeting of the Air," Blue Network, and "Let's Pretend," CBS. RKO Sponsors NBC Sunday News Spot Further expanding its use of radio as a promotion medium for new pictures, RKO has contracted to sponsor National Broadcasting's Sunday afternoon Ed Herlihy five-minute news program for the next 13 weeks. Contract with NBC carries options for renewal beyond the original 13 weeks. The company has been sponsoring the 15-minute 11 p.m. news period on WEAF, New York NBC outlet on Saturdays for the past year and announced over the weekend that it will sponsor its "Hollywood Star Time" program on 177 stations of the Blue Network starting May 29 after an initial experiment on 20 Coast stations of the Blue since February 28. See Hochstein Trial Postponed Today The trial of Harry Hochstein, former Chicago morals inspector, schedued to start today before Federal Judge Alfred C. Coxe, is expected to be postponed. Hochstein is under indictment for allegedly perjuring himself before a special Federal Grand Jury probing alleged racketeering; within the film industry. Hochstein is specifically charged with swearing falsely before the Grand Jury when asked about an alleged conference among members of the Capone gang in his Riverside, 111., home in 1934. Theatre Changes Widespread Shifts in RKO Circuit Personnel Numerous shifts of RKO circuit personnel have been made in recent weeks to meet resignations and the drafting of managers and assistants. These changes include the shift of Irving Gold from the RKO Chester to the 8th Street Theatre as manager to replace Lee Koken, inducted ; Charles Lyon, relief manager, has been assigned to the Chester ; Raymond Gibbs and Maurice McGowan, assistant managers of the RKO Palace and Capitol, Cincinnati, respectively, have switched posts ; John J. Thompson and Sam Rydell, managers of the RKO Franklin and Hamilton, New York, respectively, have also switched. William L. Heiss has been appointed manager of the RKO-105th Street, Cleveland ; Marvin Johnston, manager of the Orpheum, Champaign, 111., has switched to the Orpheum, Kansas City, as assistant, replacing J. G. Thorp who has entered the Army ; Frederick Stephans, assistant of the Virginia, Champaign, has been promoted to manage the Orpheum. Also, Henry Laskowski, treasurer of the RKO Albee, Brooklyn, has been appointed to manager of the Greenpoint, replacing James McCarthy, resigned; John Thomas, assistant of the RKO Prospect, has taken over Laskowski's post at the Albee; Thomas Raab, relief assistant of the Prospect, was promoted to assistant manager; Arthur Koch has been promoted to acting manager of RKO Proctor's, Mt. Vernon, with Ethel Moore, secretary at RKO Keith's White Plains, taking over Koch's duties as assistant manager. Brennan, Schwartz Head RKO Theatres (Continued from page 1) cuit's management, yesterday, declared that the move is the result of a study which has been under way for some time and that the new alignment of RKO theatres into two groups recognizes the difference in operating problems. The New York-New Jersey houses are in a compact group, while the remaining theatres are widely scattered, he said. Film buying for both divisions will remain with the home office buying staff under the direction of Harold Mirisch. Malcolm Kingsberg is executive vice-president of the two RKO theatre companies, Keith-Albee-Orpheum and B. F. Keith Corp. MITCHELL MAY, jr. CO., INC. INSURANCE Specializing in requirements of the Motion Picture Industry 75 Maiden Lane, New York 510 W. 6th St., Los Angeles