Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, October 25, 19411 Personal Mention BARNEY BALABAN, president of Paramount ; Edwin Weisl, board member, and Russell Holman, production executive, left New York over the weekend for Coast conferences. • Joseph H. Seidelman, UniversalInternational foreign sales head, who was due here at the weekend from London on the SS Queen Elisabeth, has delayed his return for three weeks. • Herman M. Levy, Theatre Owners of America general counsel, has been reelected secretary of the New Haven County Bar Association. • Leonard Lauer, formerly of the Hollywood Theatre here, has been appointed house manager of the Astor Theatre. • Sam Rosen, Fabian Circuit executive, was feted at Toots Shor's here on Friday on his 50th birthday, by fellow officers of the company. • William A. Scully, UniversalInternational distribution vice-president, returned to New York over the weekend from the Coast. • A. Arthur Price, film publicist, has become a grandfather, a daughter having been born to Capt. and Mrs. Nat Lipshitz, his daughter. • Sam Marx, M-G-M production executive, is due back in New York today from Boston. • Spyros P. Skouras, 20th CenturyFox president, will arrive in New York today from Hollywood. • James R. Grainger, Republic distribution vice-president, left here last night for St. Louis and New Orleans. • Jay Eisenberg, M-G-M home office attorney, is due back here today from Detroit. • Bob Goodfried, Eagle-Lion West Coast exploitation representative, is here from Hollywood. • Ben Hill, United Artists special Southeast representative, has returned to Atlanta from Texas. Eastman Named SRO N. E. Representative Clayton Eastman, formerly New England district manager for United Artists and Albany, N. Y., branch manager for Paramount, has been named special Selznick Releasing Organization sales representative in New England with headquarters in Boston by Milton Kusell, SRO distribution vice-president. Named to Loew Post Sylvia Scharfman, Loew Theatres assistant manager, has been appointed acting manager of Loew's Post Road, Bronx. Her most recent assignment was as assistant at Loew's Paradise. Review "The Red Shoes" (J. Arthur Rank — Archers — Eagle-Lion) THE indefatigable producer-director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger have created a motion picture of largely dream-like quality, a production both artistic and "arty," one which stands as a tribute to that art form known as ballet. It should be accepted by devotees of the ballet as a rare treat. Served up in beautifully keyed Technicolor, which does full justice to the mood and milieu of the several interpretive dancing scenes and sequences, "The Red Shoes" chronicles the story of a beautiful young ballerina torn between love for a composer-conductor and devotion to her art. A great ballet impresario, her mentor, forces her to choose, and her indecision leads her to a tragic, violent death. The pattern of the dancer's life and love, it turns out, was cut from that which was established by the "Red Shoes" ballet, the film's piece de resistance, a choreographic pantomime of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of the same title. In the ballet, as in the tale, the bewitched red dancing shoes acquired by a happy, carefree girl, cause her to dance herself to death. Powell and Pressburger have proven a point with this film : the motion picture in all its flexibility is indeed the superior medium for presentation of ballet. Grace, beauty, color are blended here with consummate intelligence and taste. It should be obvious from the foregoing that this is a picture mostly for select audiences. Eagle-Lion has proceeded wisely in its first marketing of this one here. "The Red Shoes" has opened in New York at the Bijou Theatre on a "four-wall" deal and will be exhibited on the same basis elsewhere in the U. S. Admission prices are advanced. In the role of the ballerina, Moira Shearer is loveliness and grace personified. She acts for the most part with charm and conviction. Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring are very effective in the roles of the impresario and composer, respectively, and Leonide Massine shines as the maitre-de-ballet. Overacting is evidenced at times, but it appears to be in keeping with the character of the ballet and hence could be termed acceptable. Rounding out the large cast are Robert Helpmann, Albert Basserman, Ludmilla Tcherina, Esmond Knight, Jean Short, Gordon Littman and others. Powell and Pressburger, in writing the screenplay, used an original by the latter as a blueprint. Keith Winter contributed additional dialogue. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Sir Thomas Beecham, provides the music — and the music is grand ! Running time, overlength in 133 minutes. General audience classification. For October release. Charles L. Franke Lippert Holds 2 Day SGP Board Meeting Screen Guild Productions' board of directors held a two-day meeting at the Hotel Gotham here at the weekend, with discussions revolving around plans for expanding the company's sales organization and new product. Attending were SGP president Robert L. Lippert, who presided, Arthur Lockwood, John L. Franconi, Jack Engel, Bert M. Stearn, J. F. White, Jr., Albert Dezel and F. A. Bateman, and Arthur Greenblatt, general sales manager. Before coming to New York for the meeting, Lippert was honor guest at a luncheon given by SGP associates in Boston. The SGP president, urging greater studio economies, told the gathering that producers must stop adding the cost of maintaining unused studio space to the cost of pictures being produced. He said that when divorcement of theatres comes it will bring havoc in Hollywood because the large producers own theatres which help out with , the cost of operating studios. Hollywood salaries, he held, are far too high. SPG, Majors To Meet Hollywood, Oct. 24. — With the issue of seniority reportedly the only major item still outstanding, negotiations between the Screen Publicists Guild (AFL) and major producers will resume here this week in an effort to reach a new contract. SMPE President (Continued from page 1) tomorrow. Johnston's speech was called off once before while he was in Europe, then restored to the program on Friday. Richard Hodgson, director of technical operations of television at Paramount Pictur.es, will deliver an address on "Paramount Pictures' System of Theatre Television" tomorrow. The Society's progress medal, its Journal award, and the Samuel L. Warner memorial award will be presented at the semi-annual banquet Wednesday evening. To Aid Pioneer Affair In addition to supervising the special decoration of the Sert Room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel here for the Motion Picture Pioneers' ninth annual dinner on Nov. 17, Leon Leonidoff, senior producer of Radio City Music Hall, will stage the show and direct special ceremonies in connection with the affair, according to Jack Cohn, the organization's president. U-I Sets 70 'Premieres' "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands," initial Harold Hecht-Norma production, will be launched by UniversalInternational with a series of 70 territorial premieres starting Saturday. Newsreel Parade PERSONALITIES in the spot light of the current newsreels in elude President Truman, Gov. Dewey Gen. Clay, George Marshall and Eri Johnston. Other items include th American Legion convention i\ Miami, sports, and floods in Japai. Complete contents follow: MOVIETONE NEWS, No dent Truman attends American Leg? vention in Miami. Gov. Dewey at N. Y Herald-Tribune forum. London Commoi wealth conference. Secretary Marshall i Athens and Rome. Gen. MacArthur meet Korean president. Gen. Clay reports on airl lift. U. S. Navy has an anniversary. Sports' football, freshman-sophomore rush at Col umbia. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 215— Re. revolt in Korea. Report from Europe: W" Averill Harriman says conditions improve* through ERP aid. Secretary Marshall it Rome. Legionaires of nation in parade Para-nurses — airborne nurses of mercy1 Freshman-sophomore rush at Columbia. Foot ball. "Navy Day." PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 18— Foot ball. North Japan floods take heavy toll Gen. Clay reports on Berlin. Gen. MacAr thur is host to the president of Korea. Erii Johnston gives views after trip to Russia Gov. Dewey calls for unity. Invasion! Amer ican Legion wins Miami beachhead. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 189— Salute to U. Su Navy. Gen. Clay: Reds underestimate our airlift to Berlin. News in brief: American Legion and President Truman Miami. Gov. Dewey at N. Y. Herald-Tribu forum. Floods in Japan. Class rush at Col-' umbia. Duck hunting. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 20President Truman, Earl Warren and American Legion. People in the News: Dewey. Marshall, MacArthur and Clay. French fashions. Football. Paris wrestling. Great events: Theodore Roosevelt. Selznick, Korda Meet Here on Product David O. Selznick and Sir Alexander Korda, here from Hollywood and London, respectively, began a series of conferences at the weekend on their! forthcoming productions. High on the agenda is a discussion! of "The Third Man," slated to go into production in Vienna about Nov. 15.j SRO will release it in the Western Hemisphere and Korda's organization will release it in the Eastern. Selznick and Korda have completed arrangements for the production of four films, of which "Third Man" is the first. Others will include "Tess ofi the D'Ubervilles" and "A Tale of' Two Cities" Paul MacNamara, public relations vice-president of Selznick Releasing Organization, has arrived here from Hollywood to set up publicity, advertising and exploitation plans for Da-| vid O. Selznick's forthcoming "Portrait of Jennie." Extended Loop Runs (Continued from page 1) dant distributor having an "unusual" picture for which they would petition for extended Loop playing time, but concluded that "from here in, the exceptions are going to be very few and far between." Attorney Vincent O'Brien represented Warner, and Norman Korfist, substituting for attorney Thomas McConnell, represented the Jackson Park Theatre. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Martin Quigley, Jr., Associate Editor. Published' daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Q.uigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager; David Harris, Circulation Director; Hollywood Bureau, YuccaVine Building, William R. Weaver, Editor; Chicago Bureau, 120 South La Salle Street, Editorial and Advertising. Urben Farley, Advertising Representative; Jimmy Ascher, Editorial Representative. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl. Hope Burnup, Manager, Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture' Herald, Better Theatres, published every fourth week as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Theatre Sales; International Motion Picture Almanac, Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies, 10c.