Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1947)

Monday, March 3, 1947 Motion Picture Daily 5 There never was There never will be Another picture like "It Happened in Brooklyn" (Continued from page 1) send audiences away glad they came and to convince theatremen they had bought themselves an attraction. Sinatra is the shy, boyish "GI" from Brooklyn. The war over, he is on his way home. There, he meets Miss Grayson, singing teacher for a bunch of school kids and disappointed in her failure to click as an an operatic vocalist. Sinatra and the girl like one another, sort of ; but the real romance develops when Lawford, also shy, comes over from England to learn something of the practicalities of life, and girls, in the distinctive atmosphere of Brooklyn under Sinatra's tutelage. Hovering over all three, like a mother chick, is Durante, school janitor. He meets all impasses, solves all problems and even finally sets Sinatra on his true road to romance with Gloria Grahame, Army nurse first met in London. This pleasant shadow of a story is not what is particularly vital. What is vital is the handling of the characters and their response, the many heartwarming twists and comedy slants which come out of John McGowan's original, from which Isobel Lennart prepared the script for Whorf to implement thereafter. For instance, when Sinatra and Durante go into "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" as a duet, it is a high point. When Lawford throws the switch from classical to jazz and sings "Whose Baby Are You?" it is another sequence which scores. When Sinatra and Miss Grayson do an aria from "Don Giovanni" with Lawford hitting the ivories in an Italian restaurant, there another ten-strike. In fact, the mood is so genial throughout and the atmosphere so infectious that a good time is practically assured all comers. Running time, 103 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set Red Kann "Fall Guy" (Monogram) Hollywood, March 2 BASED on Cornell Woolrich's story called "Cocaine," this is the first to be produced in sequel to the revision of the Production Code in such a way as to permit the presentation of drug addiction on the screen, and it presumably rates special consideration in the trade. The news in this .connection is that it does deal with the use of drugs (referred to in dialogue both as "drugs" and as "narcotics") and therefore does offer an exhibitor disposed to exploit it on this ground an opportunity to do so, but will not offer his audiences the type of thing that sort of exploitation would suggest. In point of fact, nothing has been done with the "dope" element which could not have been done with drunkenness, amnesia, or even an accidental bump on the head, and possibly a good deal more clearly and convincingly. To ballyhoo the picture as an "expose" or anything like that is to court customer complaint. On the other hand, it's a quite tense little melodrama that Producer Walter M. Mirisch and Director Reginald Le Borg put together from Jerry Warner's screenplay, and the players assembled for the project — Clifford Perm, Robert Armstrong, Teala Loring, Elisha Cook, Jr., Douglas Fowley and others — do pretty well with it. Penn portrays a young man who goes to an apartment party where drinking is being done, finds himself later in a police station ward being questioned about blood on his hands and a bloody knife, escapes, and then manages to trace forgotten events with the aid of a police officer who risks his job to help him do so. It's established that the boy has been drugged, and that a murder has been committed by his sweetheart's guardian, a drug addict, who has been secretly in love with the girl and has sought to eliminate the boy by framing him for the murder. It's pretty well contrived, but could have been done more coherently if the dialogue pertaining to the drugging had been outright language concerning liquor (the boy is shown as an habitual drunk) instead of studiously indirect reference to the quite unnecessarily introduced contraband. Running time, 64 minutes. Adult audience classification. Release date, February 22. William R. Weaver Lohrenz's District Wins 'Sears Drive' United Artists' Midwest district, headed by Rud Lohrenz, has won first prize in the "Grad Sears Gold Cup Sales Drive" on over-all performance, it was announced at the weekend by J. J. Unger, general sales manager. The drive started in July. Other winning district managers are : W. E. Ca'llaway, West ; Jack EilL New York; Moe Dudelson, Mjfcl; Fred M. Jack, South, branch honors were taken by Chicago, headed by Sid Rose, with Winnipeg, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Atlanta landing in the first five, respectively. Other prizewinning branches included Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New Orleans, New Haven, Vancouver and St. Louis. Winning salesmen who will receive awards for outstanding performances include G. B. Davis, Atlanta; T. R. Barber, Dallas; W. T. Keith, New Orleans ; Nat Ross and Irving Mendelsohn, Boston ; Dave Leff , Buffalo ; Lou Geiger, Cleveland ; R. J. Forman, Detroit ; Sam Rifkin, New York ; William Scott, Pittsburgh ; Harold Ross, Washington ; W. R. Riddle, Denver ; M. M'. Krueger, Indianapolis ; John Graham, Kansas City ; Jack Drum, Los Angeles; Moe Provencher, Milwaukee ; E. J. Stoller, Minneapolis, C. F. Reese, Omaha and Jack O'Bryan, Seattle. Warner Men Discuss Auction Selling Auction selling as specified under the decree was the chief topic at Friday's closing session of the two-day Warner district sales managers' meeting conducted by Ben Kalmenson,' vice-president and general sales manager, at the home office. Howard Levinson, member of the legal staff representing distribution, outlined procedure to be followed in complying with the decree edict. Other new stipulations in sales methods also were taken up, following the previous day's discussion of clearance. An outline of product scheduled for release during the spring and summer was 'the final business of the Friday afternoon session. WB Promotes Fletcher Herbert E. Fletcher, formerly manager_ of the Warner Bros, branch office in Cali, Colombia, and before that in Trinidad, has been appointed manager for Peru by Wolfe Cohen, viceoresident of Warner International. He succeeds James E. Pepper, resigned. A new manager for Cali will be announced later by Cohen, who will leave here for South America on Wednesday. Two More WB Showings Two additional tradeshowings in March have been set by Warner Brothers, giying the company three national screenings for exhibitors this month. "Stallion Road" is set for March 17, "Love and Learn," March 24, and "The Two Mrs. Carrolls," March 31. xeneralPrecisionDividend Directors of General Precision Equipment Corp. has declared a dividend of 25 cents per share on the company's capital stock, payable March 25 to stockholders of record on March 10. Republic Sales Meet Opening on Coast San Francisco, March 2. — James R. Grainger, Republic executive vicepresident in charge of sales and distribution, and Edward L. Walton, assistant general sales manager, are here for a three-dav sales conference which begins tomorrow. They made the trip from Los Angeles with Western district sales manager Earl R. Collins, and the trio is meeting with S. C. Martenstein, San Francisco branch manager, and others. At the close of the meeting, Grainger and Walton will return to the Studio, and will leave for New York at the end of the week. Classics Names Hankin Sol Hankin has been named branch manager of Film niaseics' recentlvacriuired branch in St 1 ouis, by Sam Wheeler, sales manager. Century Men Meet At Astor Tomorrow Century Theatres' department heads, district managers and theatre managers "'ill hold the first in a planned series of open forums at the Hotel Astor here tomorrow. The session will hear any questions, suggestions or complaints, in an effort to increase the i gamzation's efficiency. Century vice-president Fred J. Schwartz will preside. Girl Scout Trailer Manv theatres have agreed to run a Girl Scout 35th anniversary trailer, reports Leon T. Bamberger of RKORadio, who is the industry's representative on the national nublic relations committee of tb<= Scouts, The one-minute shnH featuring a nvs^aee by Margaret O'Brien, will be available March 12 through National Screen Service.