Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1946)

6 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, November 13, 1946 'U'-I Merger {Continued from page 1) ette Colbert and Fred MacMurray, now shooting, will be joined within the next few weeks by the Sam Wood production, "Ivy," starring Olivia de Havilland, with Richard Ney, to be produced by William Cameron Menzies and directed by Sam Wood; "Time Out of Mind," Jane Murfin production, to be directed by Robert Siodmak, in which the English star, Phvllis Calvert, will make her American debut in a starring role, along with Robert Hutton, Ella Raines and Eddie Albert; "Buck Privates Come Home," starring Abbott and Costello, to be produced by Robert Arthur and directed by Charles Barton; "Assigned to Syria," starring Ronald Colman, to be produced by Joe Sistrom and directed by Compton Bennett, the British director ; "The Secret Behind the Door," a Diana production, which will be produced and directed by Fritz Lang and star Joan Bennett and Michael Redgrave. Other Pictures In addition to these scheduled for immediate starting, Universal-International has announced for early production the Skirball-Manning picture, "Portrait in Black," starring Joan Crawford, and directed by Carol Reed, British director ; and "The Exile," which will mark Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.'s debut as a producer and in which he will star. Now being edited or actually ready for release are: "I'll Be Yours," starring Deanna Durbin, Tom Drake and William Bendix; "Temptation," starring Merle Oberon, Charles Korvin, George Brent and Paul Lukas ; "Slave Girl" in Technicolor, starring Yvonne De Carlo and George Brent; "Smash-Up," starring Susan Hayward and Lee Bowman ; the Mark Hellinger production, "Swell Guy," starring Sonny Tufts, Ann Blyth and Ruth Warrick. Also, "Magnificent Doll," Jack H. Skirball-Bruce Manning production, starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven and Burgess Meredith; "Pirates of Monterey," in Technicolor, starring Maria Montez and Rod Cameron, and "Song of Scheherazade," Technicolor production starring Yvonne De Carlo, Brian Donlevy and Jean Pierre Aumont. St. Louis Theatres Not Hit by Strike St. Louis, Nov. 12.— A five-hour strike of Union Electric Power Plant engineers, which closed large plants and stores, did not affect film theatres. All first-run houses, playing to near capacity crowds, remained open throughout the strike, but did curtail the use of electricity by dousing marquee signs and outside lights. The strike was over the companies' refusal to fire a man as requested by the union. It started at 8:30 A.M. and ended at 1:30 P.M., when the company acceded to the union's demand. 64 Till the Clouds Roll By 9? {Continued from page 1) unsuspected, it pops through the screen with a surprising bang and will rate the concentration of attention and word'of-mouth which it is now predicted will be its reception. But it is a long time arriving. The story, once more, is the weak-kneed and familiar affair about the efforts of a young songwriter to achieve the fame which became Kern's. His mentor and friend is Van Heflin, but everyone has a pleasant time through the years with no undue struggle and no undue heart tugs. Perhaps all of this is an accurate reflection of the main aspects of Kern's life. If so, it was a dull life insofar as dramatic material was concerned. But the attraction, setting out to tell about him through his music, is consistent in that respect. The wealth, and sometimes the welter of numbers, keeps on unfolding without seeming end. The impression once again is that two hours and 17 minutes are too long for the assignment at hand. Yet the starring power is present and never should be sold short, nor should the Johnson number of Sinatra's first-class rendition of "01' Man River." Sparkle may be shy, but nostalgic reminders are not. There are four out of "Showboat," including "Make Believe," "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and the necessary "OF Man River;" two from "Leave It to Jane;" two from "Sunny," including the title song and "Who?;" three from "Roberta," including "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and "I Won't Dance ;" the song from "Oh, Boy" on which the title of the film is based, and single numbers from the Kern show album such as "Look for the Silver Lining," from "Sally," which Miss Garland sings, and Dinah Shore's "They Wouldn't Believe Me," from "The Girl from Utah" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris." Most are solo numbers, which is how the Metro players get in, and some are duets. Robert Walker, as Kern, does what he can to keep the straight story line breathing, with principal assists from Heflin and Miss Bremer, in a story by Guy Bolton, which was adapted by George Wells, plus a screenplay by Myles Connolly and Jean Holloway. Running time, 137 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set. Red Kann [PRESS I BOOKS PHOTO-OFFSET ■FCOLORCHROME CORP. ART SERVICE 2 BROADWAY WHITEHALL NEW YORK 4 -5131-2-3-4-5 'Caesar' Reprieved (Continued from page 1) law by merely placing a deputy in the house to guard the film until a bond for twice its value had been posted. After a study of the brief, Judge Aaron J. Levy will rule, perhaps today, on an order obtained by UA directing the Sheriff to "show cause" why the print has not been recovered in consequence of a writ of replevin served against the Astor. The Sheriff, in his brief, points out that he placed a custodian in the projection booth on Nov. 6. Under the law, he contends, the property could be returned to the defendant if sufficient bond were posted within three days. On Nov. 7, a bond of $2,795 was put up by Samuel Goldwyn, Inc., whereupon the custodian departed. This does not satisfy UA, a spokesman for that company said here yesterday. In the first place, the presence of the custodian did not prevent the Astor from showing the film, which, the distributors contend, should have been surrendered on Oct. 26, when the weekly gross fell below $21,000, the amount said to be specified in the contract as determining the end of the run. In the second place, UA holds, the Goldwyn company was not entitled to furnish the bond since it was not a party to the suit and since its relationship with the Astor is only a booking arrangement. Back' of the controversy is understood to lurk a battle between Goldwyn, who plans to show "The Best Years of Our Lives" at the Astor, beginning Nov. 21, and David O. Selznick, one-third owner of UA, who desires the house for "Duel in the Sun" when a Technicolor print can be completed. The two producers have an agreement to take turns using the theatre as a showcase. Selznick's turn is next, but in the event of his being unable to use it, the privilege is understood to revert to Goldwyn. With "Caesar" now waning at the box-of Vote on Morey for Mono. Board Today Hollywood, Nov. 12. — Monogram vice-president Edward Morey, who has been serving in place of the late Trem Carr on the company's board of directors until a permanent successor to Carr is elected, will be voted upon by Monogram's stockholders for reelection to the board at the company's annual stockholders' meeting, which will be held here tomorrow. Morey has been nominated for the post by Monogram's management. Morey, who, in May, 1944, was appointed assistant general sales manager of the company, was elected a vice-president in February, 1946. Other board members who have been renominated by the management for reelection at the meeting are : W Ray Johnston, Samuel Broidy, George D. Burrows, Howard Stubbins, Charles Trampe, Herman Rifkin, William Hurlbut and Arthur C. Bromberg. 'McCraw Nighf Nov. 18 Albany, N. Y., Nov. 12.— "Bill McCraw Night," in honor of Bob O'Donnell's chief assistant in the Variety Clubs of America, will be observed by Tent No. 9 in the Ten Eyck Hotel, on Nov. 18. fice, UA has moved to step in with Hunt Stromberg's "Strange Woman" to fill the gap until "Duel" can be made ready. Maurice Maurer, who operates the Astor for City Investing Co., finds himself in the "middle" as the moves and counter-moves continue. He said yesterday he will not accept "Strange Woman" unless both Selznick and Goldwyn instruct him to do so. They agreed upon "Caesar" to fill the gap when neither had product to install, and Maurer apparently is standing by that agreement. Tri-States Firm (Continued from page 1) afternoon was the boxoffice dollar and its division. All exhibitors, who spoke one after another, expressed themselves as being of the opinion that theatre owners were not receiving a just share of the boxoffice dollar. Local checkers have been found guilty of using the information they obtained on theatre attendance to^ make up their own minds to goi *• the theatre business or peddling^, j information to some other citizen who would use it as a basis for opening up a competitive theatre, several delegates charged. Will Refuse Films The Tri-States convention brought a lively session to a close by passing a resolution which said they would refuse to run pictures in their theatres where film exchanges use local checkers. Henry Reeve, president of the Texas Theatre Owners, Menard, Tex., joined in this discussion and advised exhibitors not to buy pictures when local checkers were used or the percentage asked by film salesmen was higher than the same picture was being sold to theatres in other sections of the country. More Against Checkers W. F. Ruffin, Ruffin Amusements Co., Inc., Covington, Tenn., declared : "The only reason they use local checkers is because they are not willing to pay to have theatres checked. If percentage pictures are not right, don't buy them." R. X. Williams, Oxford, Miss., said it was the consensus among exhibitors that local checkers were not healthy for theatre operators. The board of directors had earlier recommended that the convention "better balance its representation" by having a new board of directors composed of five from Arkansas, four from Mississippi and three from Tennessee. The present board is composed of six from Arkansas, three from Mississippi and three from Tennessee. Thus, Arkansas lost one director to Mississippi. The convention approved this change. Directors and officers will be elected tomorrow. Auction Report A report from Herman Levy, New Haven, general counsel for the MPTOA, dealing with the threejudge Federal Court case in New York on auction selling, was read to the board and the convention. Fred Wehrenberg, St. .Louis, national president of MPTOA, elaborated on this report. Wehrenberg will speak tomorrow before the convention. Jim West, president of the TriStates convention, presided at today's meeting and appointed a doorman for tomorrow's session to be sure that no one was admitted except exhibitors who presented proper credentials. Coming for 'Pioneers' Cleveland, Nov. 12. — John Urbansky, Sr., Leo Greenberger and E. Stutz will join Max Lefkowich, Henry Greenberger, Meyer Fine, M. B. Horwitz and I. J. Schmertz as Cleveland's representatives at the Pierre Pioneer dinner in New York on 20.