Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

Tuesday, October 17, 1944 Motion Picture Daily 7 Review "And Now Tomorrow" (Paramount) Hollywood, Oct. 16 ACCORDING to Dr. Gallup's Audience Research Institute, a story about a doctor will always make money, and there's additional assurance here in the fact that Alan Ladd is the doctor. It must be admitted, however, that he is more at ease with a gun in his hand than with a scalpel. Loretta Young gives a fine, sensitive performance as a young woman of wealth whose snobbishness, as well as her deafness, isolate her from the rest of the world. Susan Hayward, Cecil Kellaway and Grant Mitchell contribute competently to smaller roles. The screenplay, by Frank Partos and Raymond Chandler, is based on a novel by Rachel Field. It is a strong, emotional story about a young woman — beautiful, rich, and engaged to an eligible young man — who becomes stone deaf as the result of an attack of meningitis. She refuses to marry the man of her choice until such time as her affliction is cured. Her fiance, a young man of mixed ideals, feels duty-bound to marry her, and yet sees no great harm in playing around with her sister. The triangle is transferred into a square when Alan Ladd appears. He has developed a new technique for the treatment of deafness and applies it successfully to Miss Young. At the same time he cures her of other things as well : notably her snobbishness, and her delusion that she loves her fiance. So it all ends happily, with a double wedding in the background. Associate producer Fred Kohlmar has lavished thoughtfulness and care upon the film. Irving Pichel's direction extracts the utmost from both players and story. All in all, "And Now Tomorrow" is a fine piece of work. Running time, 84 minutes. "G."* Released in block No. 2. Thalia Bell. Coast Filming Dropped 11 as Strike Result Hollywood, Oct. 16. — That walkout of set decorators, painters and machinists slowed down production at five studios during the week. The total number of pictures in work dropped: from 52 to 41 ; 18 features were completed, and seven others were started on lots which the walkout had not affected. The production scene follows : Columbia Finished: "Eadie Was a Lady," "Together Again." Started: "Our Wandering Daughters," with Cora Sue Collins, Eric Sinclair, Ralph Hoops, John Calvert. Shooting: "Lawless Empire," "Let's Go Steadv," "Counter-attack." M-G-M ■.Finished : "Thrill of a Romance," "The Clock." Shooting: "Hold High the Torch," "Women's Army," "Son of Lassie," "Valley of Decision." Monogram Finished: "G. I. Honeymoon." Started: "Texas Terror" (tentative title) with Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, Jennifer Holt ; "John Dillinger," with Lawrence Tierney, Ann Jeffreys, Edmund Lowe. Paramount Finished: "High Man." Shooting: "Duffy's Tavern," "Salty O'Rourke," "The Golden Years" (formerly "Miss Susie Slagle's"). PRC Finished: "His Brother's Ghost." Shooting: "You Can't Stop Romance," "Strange Illusion." RKO Radio Finished : "Come Share My Love," "China Sky," "Experiment Perilous," "Zombies on Broadway," "It's a Pleasure" (International). Started: "The Enchanted Cottage," with Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young. Mildred Natwick; "West of the Pecos," with Robert Mitchum, Barbara Hale, Rita Corday. Richard Martin. Shooting: "Isle of the Dead" (temporarily suspended) ; "Wonder Man" (Goldwyn) ; "Tarzan and the Amazons" (Lesser). Republic Finished: "Topeka Terror," "Hitchhike to Happiness," "The Great Flamarion" (William Wilder). Started: "A Daring Holiday," with Edward Everett Horton, Gladys George, Ruth Terry, Robert Livingston; "A Song for Miss Julie" (Rowland) with Shirley Ross, Barton Hepburn, Jane Farrar, and Cheryl Walker. Shooting: "The Vampire's Ghost," "Chicago Kid." 20th Century-Fox Finished: "Nob Hill." Shooting: Bon Voyage," "Czarina." ^ Where Do We Go From Here?" "Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe," "Hangover Square." United Artists Shootinq: "Hold Autumn in Your Hand" (PAC) ; "Delightfully Dangerous" (Rogers) : "It's in the Baa;" (Skirball). Universal Finished: "Fairy Tale Murder." Shooting: "The Suspect." "Salome — Where She Danced," "Frisco Sal." Warners Shooting: 'The Bis: Sleep." "God Is My Co-Pilot." "Pillar to Post," *"G" denotes general classification. No Ruling on SIMPP Crescent Case Move {Continued from page 1) the effect of the defendants' (Crescent's) practices on independent exhibitor competition. "But the SIMPP believes that the defendants' practices are equally fraught with peril to independent producers such as those who comprise the membership of the Society," he asserted. "Furthermore," he said, "the Society believes that the defendants' activities represent a grave menace to the motion picture industry as a whole, and that they impinge upon rights of the movie-going public which are protected by the first amendment." Hearing of argument in the Crescent case, tentatively scheduled for this week, has been deferred until after Nov. 6 because of the crowded condition of the Court calendar. The Court will recess for two weeks beginning next Monday. Theatres Aid Soviet Des Moines, Oct. 16. — Early reports show that the Clothing for Russia drive sponsored in Iowa by the state War Activities Committee, will probably exceed the two millionpound goal set by A. H. Blank, WAC head. Clothing was collected in more than 200 Iowa theatres through the co-operation of both independent and affiliated exhibtors. Blumenthol Gets Post Maurice M. Blumenthol, formerly field supervisor for Warner Bros. Theatres, and more recently a public accountant, has joined the Willmark Service System as assistant comptroller. "Of Human Bondage," "Nobody Lives Forever," "San Antonio." Independent Finished: "A Boy, a Girl and a Dog" (W. R. Frank). JJ. S. Gives Major Aid to Mexicans Merwin Travis, general manager of the Motion Picture Society for the Americas, during a recent visit here from Hollywood, stated that our Government, through the agencies of the MPSA and the Coordinator of InterAmerican Affairs office, has largely counteracted the influence of England and Germany previously exerted in the LatinAmerican film markets, especially Argentina, through their aid in technical advice and equipment. Mexico has now become the outstanding South American producer, and will make from 60-70 features in 1944, he said, principally 'through our grants of raw stock and equipment to that country. Some 35,000,000 feet go to Mexico annually, he said, and our Government was recently forced to deny a further request for an additional" 10,000.000 feet in order to meet expanded demand, because of our own critical raw stock situation. New Studio Indicating a desire to see a greater interchange of Latin-American product than previously, Travis said that Hollywood producers were gradually, with encouragement and advice of the MPSA_ and CIAA, extending their production activities to Mexico. RKO is building a studio in Mexico City in conjunction with Mexican industry and government interests and plans to produce three or four subiects in English and Spanish versions between there and Hollywood, he said. Republic, 20th Century-Fox and United Artists are other producers making; pictures in that country, Travis said. 'Stars' Hosts Services The 11th annual "Night of Stars," set for Madison Square Garden. Nov. 14. will have 2,000 members of the Armed Forces as guests. The committee in charge has reserved tickets to be distributed through the Defense Recreation Committee here. Altec Shows 2 -Way Theatre Speaker (Continued from page 1) postwar. Also demonstrated was a two-way loud speaker system for theatres. G. L. Carrington, president of Altec Service Corp., called to order the conference of district managers at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. He declared that the Altec men represent the largest group of sound technicians in the United States, responsible for maintaining sound and service in 6,000 theatres and rendering technical guidance for equipment overseas. Carrington said, "This year's conference, necessitated the attendance of the entire Altec district manager personnel to meet at Hollywood with the industry's sound technicians for discussions and demonstration of postwar technique in the design, manufacture and service of electronic apparatus associated with the theatre business. HVC Performances Now Total 34,151 Hollywood, Oct. 16. — As September closed, Hollywood Victory Committee statistics on performances for the armed services rose to a total of 3,433 individuals making 34,151 appearances since the committee was or-, ganized three days after Pearl Harbor. In September alone, the committee assigned 396 performers who made 1,511 performances, its report issued today revealed. Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich, Spike Jones and Dinah Shore led groups in France. Judith Anderson, Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Spencer Tracy worked in the Pacific areas, while Ann Sheridan and Ben Blue performed in the ChinaBurma-India theatre. Restrict Hours for Children Admissions San Fraxcisco, Oct. 16. — Barring of school children of classroom age on a voluntary basis as a means of helping solve what is becoming a serious situation in juvenile delinquency has been agreed to here following a meeting of the California Theatres Association. Acting on requests of the district attorney's office and the Board of Education, all theatres affiliated with the association have agreed to refuse admission to children of grammar school age before two p.m. on school days and after eight p.m. unless accompanied by an older person. California Probes Writers' Congress Hollywood, Oct. 16. — Inquiry into the inception and ideological aspects of the Writers Congress conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles in June of 1943 was made by the State Legislature's Committee on Un-American Activities last week. Witnesses at the two days of hearings included : Marc Connelly, John Howard Lawson. Prof. Ralph Freud, Mrs. Pauline Lanber Flinn, Robert Salt, Nicholas Bela, Paul Trivers and Mischa Altman. No official report on the hearings was issued by the Committee on Un-American Activities.