Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1948)

6 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, April 27, 1948 Reviews "On an Island with You" {Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Hollywood, April 26 WITH Esther Williams in sarong and swim-suit, Jimmy Durante in humor and song, Xavier Cugat and his band in characteristic rhythms and Cyd Charisse featured in ballroom and ballet dance numbers, this Joe Pasternak production in Technicolor should duplicate the box-office performance of his earlier ventures in kind. Ricardo Montalbon of "Fiesta," Peter Lawford of "Good News" and a long list of M-G-M regulars also have their innings in a colorful, tuneful attraction plentifully equipped with production numbers, solos and group workouts, and directed with skill and in commendable tempo by Richard Thorpe. The background story provided in a script by Dorothy Kingsley, Dorothy Cooper, Charles Martin and Edward Heyman concerns a film production company on location in Honolulu, and the not unpleasantly ensnarled romances linking the Messrs. Lawford and Montalban with the Misses Williams and Charisse*. The natives, the Navy, a deserted island and the long arm of coincidence figure interestingly in the unsnarling of the plot lines, but the conclusion is never left sufficiently in doubt to interrupt the attention of an audience present primarily to see and hear light entertainment. Musical numbers of major value include a water ballet led by Miss Williams, a surfboard ballet in a swimming pool, a Pagan ballet led by Miss Charisse and a modern jazz routine by the latter and Montalban. Running time, 107 minutes. General classification. Release date not set. William R. Weaver "Trapped by Boston Blackie" {Columbia) CHESTER MORRIS, as Boston Blackie, is the leading suspect in a pearl necklace robbery. He and his assistant, "The Runt," played by George H. Stone, are the center of several exciting episodes which make this a diverting melodrama.' Boston Blackie, reformed criminal, is suspected of stealing the necklace at a dinner party when he is pinch-hitting for a detective who had been murdered. Boston Blackie endeavors to find the thief but the police inspector, played by Richard Lane, is convinced that he stole the necklace. However, Boston traps the thief and he and the Runt are exonerated. June Vincent, Patricia White and Edward Norris are among the supporting players. The film is based on "characters created by Jack Boyle. Rudolph C. Flothon produced and Seymour Friedman directed. Maurice Tombragel wrote the screenplay from Charles Marion and Edward Book's story. Running time, 67 minutes. General classification. Release date, May 13. "The Argyle Secrets" (Eronel-Film Classics) ERONEL Productions' first for Film Classics is knock-'em-dead entertainment. It hits its target squarely, containing violence in abundance, with no less than six persons meeting an untimely end. Top billing goes to William Gargan, who hands out as much physical punishment as the most durable hero. Gargan is a reporter looking for an album of names of key persons who backed both sides in World War II. Two criminal gangs afso are after the album, and the battle for its possession results in a chain of fast-moving incidents. Alan H. Posner and Sam Abarbanel, Eronel partners, turned out a good picture, directed effectively by Cyril Endfield from his own screenplay, which was derived from the radio play, "The Argyle Album," of the "Suspense" radio series. Gargan is capably supported by Marjorie Lord, Ralph Byrd, Jack Reitzen, John Banner and Alex Fraser. Running time, 63 minutes. General classification. Release date, not set. Legion Reclassifies 'Furia/ Rates Eleven "Furia," Italian-made film being released here by Film Classics, has been removed from the National Legion of Decency's "C" (condemned) list and placed in class B. Revisions made in the picture were deemed sufficient to warrant the change in classification. Seven of 11 additional pictures have been classified A-I : "California Firebrand" and "Old Los Angeles," both Republic ; "Green Grass of Wyoming," 20th-Fox ; "Kings of the Olympics" and "Olympic Cavalcade," both United Artists ; "My Dog Rusty, ' Columbia, and "On an Island with You," M-G-M. Two were placed in Class A-II : "Lightnin' in the Forest," Republic, and "Up in Central Park," Universal-International. United Artists' "Atlantis" and Vog Films' "Jenny Lamour" (French) were placed in Class B. E. E. Carter Is Named President of ANFA E. E. Carter of National Film Service, Raleigh, N. C, has been elected president of the Allied Non-Theatrical Film Association. Other officers elected are : E. H. Stevens, Stephens Pictures, first vice-president ; Maurice T. Groen, Films of the Nations, second vice-president ; George H. Cole, King Cole Sound Service, treasurer ; Jerome J. Cohen, secretary. Directors include Harold Baumstone, Post Pictures ; J. P. Lilley ; William Rogers, Religious Films ; Alan Twyman, Twyman Films. Mrs. Stagg Returns To Editorial Post Mrs. Carolyn Willyoung Stagg has rejoined Samuel Goldwyn Productions as Eastern editorial representative in New York. Mrs. Stagg, former associate editor of Ladies Home Journal, as well as former publicity director for Alfred A. Knopf, and assistant to the vice-president of Reynal and Hitchcock, resumes the post she held until Jan. 1 of this year when Pat Duggan, vice-president, came East to head the office. Duggan has returned to the Coast to take up studio duties again. May Advance Curfew Columbus, O., April 26. — Police chief Charles M. Berry has proposed revisions in the juvenile curfew ordinance which would move the deadline up to 10 P.M. for children 16 and under. Theatres are included in "places of amusement and entertainment" forbidden to children after the curfew hour. Holt-Levrero Production Nicholas Jack Levrero, RKO Radio associate producer on leave, is associated with RKO producer Nat Holt in the independent production of "Canadian Pacific," which will be distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Levrero was recently appointed general manager of the Eastern division of TransAtlantic Airways. Stevens at Paramount Hollywood, April 26. — Having officially completed his contractual commitment at RKO Radio studios under the Liberty banner, producer-director George Stevens and his organization have been installed at Paramount. Seek Dismissal {Continued from page 1) order giving them certain studio work which they claim they rightfully should have, instead of the IATSE. As did producers in their answer to the appeal last week, the "IA" said that "the sole controversy presented to the District Court below was a jurisdictional dispute between two labor organizations arising out of a series of contracts, awards and decisions, with respect to which petitioners sought declaratory relief." In the absence of diversity of citizenship, the IATSE said, the lower courts were right in throwing out the case. Start Brookdale House Brookdale, N. J., April 26. — A. A. Adams, New Jersey exhibitor, has broken ground here for a $300,000 theatre and store development.' The house will seat 1,250 and have parking facilities for 260 cars and a television lounge. Kranze To Set Policy on 8 B. G. Kranze, Film Classics sales vice-president, has left New York to visit the Buffalo and Cincinnati exchanges where he will set upi sales policy on eight pictures. They are : "For You I Die," "Devil's Cargo," "Women in the Night," "Discovery," "Money Madness," "Furia" (Italian), "Argyle Secrets" and "Blonde Ice," plus some future Cinecolor product. FC's First Managers' Drive B. G. Kranze, sales vice-president of Film Classics, has set the company's first "branch managers' new product drive," to terminate on July 30. New House for Meriden Hartford, April 26. — Nick Kounaris, Paul Tolis and George Ulyssis of New Britain, plan a 1,000-seat theatre at Meriden. Kounaris and Tolis operate the Newington at Newington. Hearings on Studio Dispute on May 25 Washington, April 26. — Resumption of the Kearns House labor subcommittee's hearings on the Hollywood jurisdictional dispute has been pushed back from May 17 to May 25, and hearings cut down from several days to one day, a committee official said. Westbrook Pegler will testify then and may be the only witness, he said. California "Little Dies" committee chairman Jack Tenney will notlfr . ' ar, he stated. > , , Meanwhile, plans for further West Coast hearings were reported running into the opposition of full committee chairman Hartley. He opposes the expense, it is understood. It is possible, the official said, that just one member may go to the Coast to take depositions from witnesses. Trumbo Trial Today {Continued from page 1) ties. Thpmas, who became ill during his recent trip to Panama, entered Walter Reed Hospital over the weekend for a checkup, and it is not known how long he will be hospitalized. Trumbo is charged with refusing to tell the committee whether he is or has ever been a member of the Communist Party or the Screen Writers Guild, during the hearings last October on the extent of Communist infiltration into the motion picture industry. He faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of $1,000 on each count. Meanwhile, arguments before Justice Edward M. Curran on the motion for a new trial for writer John Howard Lawson, were set for Friday morning. # Holds Scophony {Continued from page 1) phony Corp. of America, General Precision Equipment Corp., Television Productions, Inc., and Paramount for alleged conspiracy to restrain and monopolize trade in products, patents and inventions in television and allied industries. Justice Rutledge, delivering the Supreme Court's opinion, said that Scophony, Ltd.'s operations in New York may not have consisted of actually manufacturing and selling television apparatus, but undoubtedly consisted of saving and exploiting its television patents. The Supreme Court also rejected a contention of Scophony that director Arthur Levey's authority to act for the British firm had expired when he was served in the case. 24 Korda Films {Continued from page 1) tion will be able to exhibit a series of top feature films, and it is also the first time that Sir Alexander has released any motion pictures to television. Until now, films of this status have been telecast only occasionally. WPIX is scheduled to go on the air June 15. The films include : "Scarlet Pimpernel," "Private Life of Henrv VIII," "The Ghost Goes West," "Thief of Bagdad," "Lady Hamilton," "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," and 17 others. The deal was concluded by R. L. Coe and James S. Pollak of WPIX, and Morris Helprin, New York representative of Korda's London Films.