Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1946)

6 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, November 14, 1946 Review "Carnival" (Two Cities — GFD — British) London, Nov. 8 MIDDLE-aged addicts of the novel may remember Compton Mackenzie's little piece upon which this film is based, and the considerable vogue it enjoyed 30 years ago. It told of those carefree London days when young gentlemen — they called them Stage Door Johnnies — were wont to stand persistently waiting for their heart-throbs of the chorus, and of the other kind of heart-throbs those young ladies suffered. Mackenzie's tale is none the worse for being middle-aged. It still possesses heart and the business of romance. It could — and has done on two previous occasions — make a very good film. Trouble with the present one is that someone thought he could better Mackenzie's pretty parable. The effort fails somberly. Jenny Pearl, in the story, is a near-ballerina. The pictuve shows her birth — or very nearly that — in a dismal London slum; her "going on the stage"; her falling — or near-falling — for a painter, motivated by near-morals — her marriage to an unconsciously near-sadistic religious maniac; her death at her husband's hands just as she nearly escapes with her original (nevertheless near) lover. It is one of those films which nearly, but never really comes off. In other words, a disappointment which even the skilled approach of Michael Wilding — he's one of the real promising young men of the screen on this side — fail's to redeem. British exhibitors will find difficulty in convincing their customers of the film's merit, despite the manifest pains its makers spent over ballet sequences and such decorations. The cast also includes Stanley Holloway, Bernard Miles, Jean Kent, Catherine Lacey and a host of others. Running time, 93 minutes. Adult audience classification. Release date, not set. Peter Burnup Mich. Booking {Continued from page 1) waukee a week from Friday. Jack Kirsch, national Allied president, who flew here from Chicago expressly to attend the convention, likewise exhorted the Michigan members to lend complete support to the embyronic Michigan booking and buying organization, saying that it was only through this method that the future life of independent exhibitors could be assured. Kirsch also predicted that "this sort of service (booking and buying) has proven so popular in so many territories that a demand for it will spring up in all regions." Strengthening Unit Ties Kirsch also pledged the strengthening of ties between all Allied units as well as adding new units. He reported that Allied has already received membership applications from two regional associations with prospects of more to come. Kirsch added, however, that Allied will not rush into any expansion campaign. He said "little can be gained by attempting to absorb elements which are neither familiar nor sympathetic with Allied policies, organization and operations." Kirsch also lauded the Michigan Allied group for nearly doubling its membership in the past year so that today it boasts a membership representing 225 theatres in the state of Michigan. Abram F. Myers, Allied general counsel, likewise urged the adoption of _ booking and buying groups and pointed out the various regional associations now functioning under Allied auspices throughout the country. Allied Production Jack Stewart, general manager of the Michigan Allied group, went into the proposed booking and buying group in detail and said that for the present the group will be limited to theatres outside Detroit in the ' state of Michigan. He also advocated support of the Allied film plans and indications are that the membership as a whole will support the Allied film production plan which calls for 12 pictures with the privilege of cancelling eight if the members are not satisfied after playing the first four. Fourteen of the 15 board of directors were reelected here today with D. A. Ritter of Detroit, the new board member. Indications are that the present slate of officers headed by Roy Branch, will be reelected. The new officers will be chosen by the board of directors. An amendment was also passed here today limiting votes to each member to one vote regardless of the number of theatres he owned. Circuits and single theatre owners will now be limited to one vote. Regular sessions will be held by Michigan Allied throughout the year with the first such meeting set for Dec. 4 in Detroit. A banquet honoring picture pioneers wound up the Michigan Allied meeting here tonight. Bamberger Urges Exhibitors To Take Over 16mm. Spots Detroit, Nov. 13. — Exhibitors should safeguard their interests by Loet Barnstyn Distributing Corp. Exporters — Independent Distributors Major Company Releases for Europe. 141 West 54th St., NewYorlt 19, N. Y. Telephone CI. 6-6060 Cable: LOETSIE Grant Cohn Examination New York Supreme Court Judge Aaron J. Levy yesterday granted a petition for the examination of Harry Cohn, Columbia president, in the $150,000 suit brought by Hollywood Plays, Hopwood Plays and Myra Wood charging breach of contract for failure to produce "Good Night Ladies," which the company allegedly agreed to purchase in 1943. Levy ruled that Cohn will be examined upon his next trip to New York or that the examination may take place in California if Columbia's attorneys prefer that arrangement. taking over 16mm. situations in outlying areas and using them to show sub-standard versions of current pictures, Leon J. Bamberger, RKO Radio sales promotion manager, told the board of directors of Michigan Allied here today. He pointed out that many such theatres now are showing very old pictures. Urging increased emphasis on advertising and exploitation, Bamberger noted that the Gallup polls show that, "whereas 10 years ago most folks just 'went to the movies' and only 20 per cent went to see a particular picture, today 70 per cent decide in advance what they are going to see." He also remarked that only 19,000,000 out of a possible 82,000,000 Americans are seeing "A" pictures at all. With regard to the industry antitrust suit decree, Bamberger said : "No system, whether it be the socalled auction selling or anything else, is going to tear down the business." 16mm. Prints Bamberger and H. M. Richey of M-G-M, yesterday, disagreed upon distribution of 16mm. prints in this country. Bamberger said that RKO has not and never will license 16mm. prints in this country in any way that might hurt regular 35mm. theatre owners. Bookings, he said, were for the most part confined to convents, sanitariums, Red Cross purposes, veteran hospitals and similar places and at no time were 16mm. prints ever rented to women's clubs or any such 4 Millions for 'Knights* Culminating more than seven years of research and planning, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., will produce and star as Sir Lancelot in a Technicolor picture of "Knights of the Round Table," based on the well known legend, with negotiations already under way to produce all or part of it in England at a budget of between $4,000,000 and $5,000,000. Fairbanks is now an independent producer releasing through Universal-International. groups for fund-raising purposes. Bamberger urged exhibitors to take over 16mm. operations in towns which could not support 35mm. theatre showings, and cited where an operator in Bentonville, Ark. sold 800 tickets weekly at 50 cents for a gross net of $400 for a weekly showing. He also pointed out that an Eastern theatre circuit was building 12 16mm. theatres at an approximate cost of $40,000 to $45,000 apiece to supplement their regular 35 mm. theatres. Richey Decries Richey, on the other hand, decried the distribution of 16mm. prints in this country and said that M-G-M is confining its distribution in this country to 35mm. prints. The Michigan Allied board of directors went on record as supporting the national Allied plan of going into film production and pledged the purchase of 12 pictures annually with an eight picture cancellation privilege. Other speakers yesterday were George Dembow of National Screen Service, Dr. Preston H. Scott, professor at Wayne University, and David Palfreyman of the Johnston office. Royal at Video Meeting John F. Royal, National Broadcasting vice-president in charge of television, will address a luncheon-meeting of the American Television Society at the Roosevelt Hotel, here, on Nov. 20. Shorts Salesmen (Continued from page 1) comedies, little musicals and other films that round out an exhibitor's programs would be a departure from past practice. RKO Radio, according to indications, is also giving thought to the matter. "With costs going up, something has to give," Harry J. Michaelson, short-subject sales manager, said yesterday. The company's regular salesmen will continue to h/a*!j; shorts for the present, he explaV hinting, however, that there were plans for possibly changing the system, about which he was not ready to talk at present. Norman H. Moray, Warners' short subjects sales chief, while not considering special exchange representatives "at this time," did not rule it out as a plan which may have to be adopted later. Having the shorts handled by the regular feature salesmen has worked "as well as can be expected," he said. "We have been increasing our prices, but still are not getting enough revenue," Moray added. Increase Quality Universal will depend largely upon increasing the quality of its short product to bring income from that source up to an acceptable level, according to Edward L. McEvoy, who has charge of the department. He indicated that the "little films" will continue to be handled by the feature salesmen, at least for the present. Likewise, 20th Centruy-Fox has decided to stick to its present staff, which, however, will make a definite effort to increase shorts' revenue, it was explained by Peter Leveathes, assistant to vice-president Tom Connors, in the absence of short-subjects sales manager William Clark. Complaints of a lack of adequate revenue from short subjects have been numerous lately, especially in the cartoon field. As reported in Motion Picture Daily on Tuesday, William B. Levy, world sales supervisor for Walt Disney Productions, holds that an appeal to exhibitors by Motion Picture Association president Eric Johnston may have to be looked for ultimately as a move toward preventing virtual extinction of this form of entertainment. Strike Situation (Continued from page 1) made for SAG and neutral union representatives to meet first with Keenan while IATSE representatives waited in an adjoining room to cover the same ground in a second session unattended by CSU. Walsh's declaration was attributed officially to doubt on his part that the carpenters' union, CSU, was negotiating in good faith. Earlier in the day Walsh had charged CSU's president, Herbert K. Sorrell with responsibility for the bombings which have damaged the homes of three laboratory workers in the past two days. Keenan expressed willingness to continue working with the committee and to undertake to compose the differences between IATSE and the carpenters' union. Picketing continued on a routine basis today, but will be abandoned tomorrow, for the first time since the strike started, in order that all CSU members may attend a morning mass meeting designed to intensify action.