Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1948)

10 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, June 8, 1948 Reviews Tivoli Case {Continued from page 1) Disney Net Drops to $68,126for6Months Hollywood, June 7. — After all charges net profit of Walt Disney Productions in the first 27 weeks of 1948 was $68,128, which was equal, after providing for dividends on cumulative convertible preferred stock, to eight cents a share on 652,840 common shares outstanding. In the corresponding period of 1947 net profit was $264,383, or 38 cents per share. President Roy O. Disney, in a letter to stockholders today, stated total income of Disney Productions for the 27 weeks ended April 3 last was $2,543,286. During the 26 weeks ended March 29, 1947, total income amounted to $2,984,097. Disney stated that while it is anticipated that earnings during the second half of the 1948 fiscal year will show improvement over those of the first six months, no material improvement can be expected until international currency difficulties become less severe. "The company is being greatly affected by the shortage of American dollars in foreign countries and by the blocking of substantial amounts of revenue," said a company statement, which added : "As a matter of caution, management is heavily discounting these blocked funds in its reckoning, with the result that the projected profit margin on current product is small." New Pittman House Opens in Louisiana New Orleans, June 7. — The Dalton Theatre, new first-run house, has opened in Baton Rouge, becoming the third house bought by T. A. Pittman, New Orleans contractor and theatre owner, in the past two years. He already operates the Rex in Baton Rouge and the Delta in New Orleans. His son, Al Pittman, supervised construction of the new house and will transfer his activities to the Park Theatre at Homer to get that house ready for a July 3 opening. Pittman also plans to build a first-run in each of five additional towns in Louisiana. Latta Testimonial Albany, N. Y., June 7. — Local Variety Club will hold a testimonial dinner here Friday night for C. J. Latta, who was recently renamed second assistant chief barker of national Variety. Latta, who was chief barker of the Albany club, is New York State zone manager for Warner Theatres. Charles Smakwitz, Joseph Saperstein and Gerald Atkin are in charge of arrangements for the dinner. Reagan Presides (Continued from page 1 ) bookings and merchandising for new pictures, including "The Emperor Waltz," "Dream Girl," "Hazard," "Beyond Glory," "So Evil My Love" and "A Foreign Affair." Attending are George A. Smith, Western division manager ; Hugh Braly, district manager ; branch managers A. H. Taylor, Neal East, Wayne Thiriot, Henry Haustein, Frank Smith, C. J. Duer, and salesmen and head bookers of six branches. Harold Wirthwein, assistant division manager, and Ralph Ravenscroft, field advertising representative, are also attending. Louis Lumiere, 83, Is Dead in France Louis Lumiere, 83, one of the first pioneers of the French film industry, died Sunday on the French Riviera after a long illness, according to news dispatches received here. Lumiere, who aided in the development of screen photography, was associated with his brother Auguste in introducing the art of film photography outside the U. S. as early as 1895. The brothers are said to have drawn their inspiration from Thomas Edison's invention of the Kinetoscope. Lumiere also pioneered in color photography. He presented a color process to the French Academy of Sciences in 1903. Lumiere was honorary president of the French Chamber of Cinema, head of the council of the French Society of Physics and a grand officer of the Legion of Honor. See New Hearing on N. F. Building Code Albany, N. Y., June 7. — Another hearing may be necessary on the proposed revisions in the New York State building code before the new document is promulgated, perhaps next September, it is reported by officials who are studying the recommendations made at hearings a year ago by theatre owners and others. If another hearing is held it will probably be in a single city, possibly Albany, rather than follow the previous pattern of sessions in various cities. Washington, June 7— Rep. Thomas Owens, a member of the Kearns House labor subcommittee investigating the Hollywood jurisdictional dispute, died here of a heart condition today. where it is sued, the judges cannot dismiss the suit on the ground that it would be more "convenient" to have the suit brought elsewhere. The high | court said Congress had intended to f give the plaintiffs in anti-trust suits wide choice in picking the forum most advantageous for them in order to get more effective enforcement of the antitrust laws. rK The decision was appealed bfckje two Texas circuits and PararnVi^, I Loew's, RKO, Warner, Columbia, j United Artists and Universal. They claimed that the theatre firms and the j Dallas exchanges of the distributors do all their business in Texas and that it would be oppressive and inequitable to force them to defend themselves in Baltimore. The District Court ruled for the distributors, but the Circuit Court reversed this. Tivoli is asking $750,000 damages— $250,000 trebled. Romance on the High Seas (Curtis-Warner Brothers) Hollywood, June 7 EASY on eye and ear by reason of riotous Technicolor and tip-top tunes, this Michael Curtiz production figures to do right well for itself at the box office, with Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Oscar Levant, Don De Fore and S. Z. Sakall bringing in the customers and with the newcomer, Doris Day, giving them something new and special in the way of stimulating entertainment. She is a brilliant personality, sparklingly efficient in putting over a slick song or a fast line of dialogue, and sure to be heard from in future musicals. The picture, in whole, is decidedly on the lush side, a handsome layout put together without insistence upon order or credibility but with steady emphasis on glamor. Miss Day is featured in most of the 10 or more musical numbers, by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, some of which sound like sure-fire "Hit Parade" material, and in two of these she is admirably accompanied by the Page Cavanaugh Trio. Carson stars in a catchy song number, Avon Long in another, and Levant gets loose periodically for a sprint over the piano keyboard. The numbers range from cozy sets in the informal manner to mammoth production numbers rivalling the kaleidoscopic for color effects. The script, by Julius J. and Philip D. Epstein, presents De Fore and Miss Paige as mutually jealous man and wife. She pretends to leave New York for a South American cruise but sends a cafe singer, Miss Day, in her stead, so she can stay home and spy on her husband. He sends a private detective, Carson, on the cruise to spy on his wife. Carson and Miss Day meet on shipboard, each pretending to be others, and fall in love. Stops at Cuba, Havana and, finally, Rio, background the ensuing complications. Alex Gottlieb produced. Busby Berkeley created and directed the musical numbers with telling skill. Running time, 102 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set. William R. Weaver "Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (Universal-International) Hollywood, June 7 THE cue for showmen submitting this to their customers seems to be to dwell on the fact that Percy Kilbride and Marjorie Main, the Pa and Ma Kettle of "The Egg and I," are to be seen together again in a comedy of rustic type. That is about as far as a showman is warranted in going on that tack, but he can switch easily to mention of Donald O'Connor as the star of the picture, plus the fact that the story, under title of "The Wonderful Race at Rimrock," appeared in Collier's magazine and that its author, D. D. Beauchamp, also wrote the screenplay. The picture title stems from the song hit of the same name, which is used as background music for the title card, and has nothing to do with the proceedings, which include two small musical interludes employing other previously published numbers. The film compares more directly to those 60-minute musicals the company used to turn out before the merger and expansion than to anything it has turned out since, although it does run 83 minutes. It is a determinedly comic tale of small town life in the horse-and-buggy days, and all of the characters are hoked up to the point of caricature. O'Connor portrays a travelling salesman who is detained in Rimrock by the mayoress (Miss Main) and compelled, by measures Mack Sennett invented, to run a foot-race with the pride of the neighboring community of Big Bend. The thing is long and indecisive before the race begins, at which time it generates quite a laugh appeal, and the players rely upon gesture and grimace in lieu of effective dialogue. In addition to those named, the cast includes Penny Edwards, Joe Besser, Harry Shannon, Fred Kohler, Jr., Howard Chamberlin and Edmund Cobb. Leonard Goldstein produced and George Sherman directed. Running time, 81 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set. W. R. W. RMA Meets Next Week Washington, June 7. — Television, FM broadcasting and recent Government proposals for industrial mobilization and increased buying of military equipment will highlight the agenda of the 24th annual convention of the Radio Manufacturers Association which will be held at the Stevens Hotel, Chicago, June 14-17. Officers and 14 directors will be elected. Max F. Balcom, RMA president, will make his annual report at a luncheon on June 17. MPAA Seeks RKO Short Washington, June 7. — Motion Picture Association of America president Eric Johnston and other top MPAA officials saw RKO Pathe's "Letter to a Rebel" over the weekend, and are willing to sponsor it as the second in the association's screen editorial series, if agreeable to RKO. MOT Reception A reception was held here yesterday by March of Time for sports writers of the Metropolitan press as well as members of the trade press. On the occasion, March of Time's new subject, "The Fight Game," was screened. Richard de Rochemont, MOT producer, was host. Clautice Joins Sindlinger George H. Clautice has been appointed New York representative for Sindlinger and Co., market and audience research organization, by Albert E. Sindlinger, president. He will operate out of the Hopewell, N. J., headquarters until the company opens its New York office late this month. Newark Bans Film Newark June 7. — John B. Keenan, director of public safety, has banned the showing here of the French film "Passionnelle," acting on the recommendation of a local censorship committee. The production was to have opened Friday at the Broad Street Theatre. Selznick Television Albany, N. Y., June 7. — Selznick Television Corp. of Dover, Del., has filed a registration certificate here. New York City offices are at 400 Madison Ave., where Selznick Releasing Organization is located. Paine, Kramer and Marx of New York are the attorneys. Representative Owens