Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1949)

Monday, August 22, 1949 Motion Picture Daily 3 Netter Urges Films Tie to Civic Groups Jacksonville, Aug. 21. — Leon Netter, president of Florida State Theatres, tomorrow will call for a closer bond between motion picture sales and promotion personnel and leaders in education, religious groups, labor unions and civic organizations. His address is scheduled for a meeting of Paramount sales personnel in connection with the company's "Gold Rush of '49" sales drive. The theatre executive will declare that "such persons or organizations exert great influence, either directly or indirectly, over large segments of the community's citizens. It is also true that these groups are generally representative of the average theatre-goer." Meets Open Today on Coast To Set Para. Drive Plans Los Angeles, Aug. 21.— Final plans for Paramount's "Gold Rush of '49" drive will be set in a series of meetings starting tomorrow in the six branches of George Smith's Western sales division. H. Neal East, San Francisco branch manager, will conduct two-day meetings of sales staffs tomorrow and Tuesday in Seattle, and Wednesday and Thursday in Portland. Later sessions will be Aug. 29-30 in Denver; \ug 31-Sept. 1, Salt Lake City; Sept. 12-13, Los Angeles, Sept. 14-15, San Francisco. Will Screen Industry Shorts at TO A Meet Screenings of the industry's public relations shorts will be held for delegates attending the national Theatre Owners of America convention in Los Angeles Sept. 12-15, Gael Sullivan, executive director, announced here. The shorts, prepared by Hollywood studios and released through the Motion Picture Association of America, highlight a report by Earl Hudson chairman of TOA's public relations committee. Ten unreleased shorts will be shown, including "The Art Director" "Movies Are Adventure," "The Soundman," "The Costume Designer," "History Brought to Life," "The Cinematographer." "Screen Actors, "Moments in Music," "The Screen Writer" and "Screen Directors. "The Prince of Foxes (Continued from page 1) with Welles, joins the defense of the mountain fortress-city, holds out for three months, surrenders himself to the invader in order to free Miss Hendrix is double-crossed by Welles, is saved by Everett Sloane, finally breaks Welles power and marries the girl. THIS attraction was produced entirely in Italy and is a rare bird in pro duction value. There are few, or no, sets. The castles, the vast audience chambers, the courtyards, the squares, the Lombardy poplars, the breathtaking mountain scenery, the panoramic sweeps are the real thing and are as indescribably beautiful as one would imagine these Old World architectural and scenic wonders must be. Not only would a Hollywood-made version of "The Prince of Foxes" be impossible in point of cost, it obviously would have been impossible in point of authenticity as well. However, the impression persists that producer Sol C. Siegel and director Henry King were properly awed by the opportunity at their elbow. There appears to be a persistent consciousness of this throughout the film and, while the pictorial content therefore mounts to .a degree infrequently matched for sheer impressiveness and outright beauty, the toll exacted on the dramatic side is present. , , , , ,. , The story of the people concerned is frequently played for statelmess and courtliness. This has a charm of its own, of course, but it tends to slow down the progress of the drama in Milton Krim's script. The people of the Renaissance undoubtedly made haste less rapidly than the people of today and it could be they were right. But, after all, "The Prince of Foxes is not an exercise in history, no matter how fictional, but a piece of entertainment— and entertainment usually is best when it maintains pace. MOVEMENT however, does enter in knife forays in the dark and in sword play between Power and Welles' lieutenants. There also is a full-scale battle sequence with an exciting display of fire-throwing equipment against embattled walls, scaling ladders and molten pitch, all photographed magnificently. In between these stretches, the pace is leisurely and talkative, but perhaps it was so designed to emphasize the high points when they fall due. Performances are technically good by the principals who are characters strictly out of a story book. Consequently, the decision on "The Prince ot Foxes" easily might be that the actual stars are not the players, but the enchantment of Italy's historic and physical assets and the excellence of the technical staff. No producer stars such values, but no analysis of this attraction possibly could be complete without the reference Especially is this correct in the instance of Leon Shamroy, the director of photography The Prince of Foxes" is his picture as much as it is the picture of any other individual officially accredited. ,■ , Runnino time 107 minutes. General audience classification. For December , 5 ' Red Kann release. . L. A. Variety Club To Honor Eckhardt Hollywood, Aug. 21.— The Los Angeles Variety Club will honor Oyde W. Eckhardt, Fox West Coast Theatres executive, with a banquet at the Ambassador Hotel Aug. 29 on his completion of 50 years in show busi ness. Starting in Chicago in 1899 as cashier at the Criterion Theatre, Eckhardt was an advance agent for Lincoln J. Carter shows and joined the Fox company in 1915. Arnall in Washington Ellis G. Arnall, president of the Society of Independent Motion Pic ture Producers, spent the weekend at his home in Atlanta and will be in Washington this week. His future plans include a visit to the Coast and attendance at the industry meeting on public relations in Chicago on Aug 30-31, in company with Gunther Lessing, SIMPP executive director, and Robert J. Rubin, counsel. Ansco Color Film Facilities Expanded Binghamton, N. Y., Aug. 21.— The release of a new Ansco color duplicating film and the creation of a new Midwestern regional sales office for Ansco professional motion picture products have been announced by James Forrestal, vice-president of General Aniline and Film Corp., in charge of its Ansco division. The new 16mm. duplicating film is said to make it possible for independent film processing laboratories to turn out Ansco color prints in quantity. Heretofore, duplicate prints from Ansco color film were produced solely by the company's own laboratories. The Ansco processing laboratories, in Hollywood, Chicago and Binghamton, N. Y., will continue to serve users who do not wish to do their own processing. The new Midwestern Ansco professional-film sales office is in Chicago and has been established as an addition to similar offices in Hollywood and New York. James L. Wassell, merchandise manager of motion picture products, has been appointed manager. An addition to the Ansco film plant here is expected to be in operation early next year and will be devoted to the manufacture of Ansco color film, according to Forrestal. Union Wants 4Vaude! In Mexican Houses I ] -I Host to Film Critics at Opening Motion picture critics from Boston, Hartford and Bridgeport newspapers have been invited by Universal-International to attend the premiere of "Sword in the Desert" at the Criterion here tomorrow night. Invited are: Mary X. Sullivan, Advertiser; Leo Gaffney, Record; Elliot Norton and Prunella Hall, Post; Peggy Doyle, American; Elinor Hughes, Herald'; Helen Eager, Traveller, and Marjorie Adams, Boston Globe; Charles Niles, Hartford Times; Viggo Anderson, Hartford Courant; Leo Miller, Bridgeport Herald and Fred Russell, Bridgeport Post. Para. Buffalo House Set for Re-opening Buffalo, Aug. 21.— Jerry Pickman, Paramount assistant director of advertising-publicity, arrived here today to assist in final preparations for the reopening on Aug. 31, of the newlynamed Center Theatre, one of five houses recently acquired by Paramount on termination of its joint interest with Loew's and Vincent McFaul. Formerly the Hippodrome, the Center was remodelled at a cost of $300,000. "Top O' the Morning" will be the Center's first attraction. Siegel Heads Publicists Hollywood, Aug. 21. — Norman Siegel, Paramount studio publicity di rector, has been elected to fill the rotating chairmanship of the Studio Publicity Directors Committee. M-G-M Will Resume Its Training Course M-G-M's second executive training course, to run six weeks, will get under way here Sept. 19, it was announced by William F. Rodgers, sales vice-president. Six men from the field get the indoctrination, which will include meetings with executives from the company, National Screen, Motion Picture Association of America, Donahue and Coe advertising agency, and a special course at Dale Carnegie's Institute. On Sept. 27 the group will also meet with trade paper editors, reporters and publishers at a luncheon to be presided over by Rodgers. Schoeneman,Sullivan To Discuss Drive-ins U. S. Commissioner of Internal Revenue George J. Scoeneman has asked Theatre Owners of America executive director Gael Sullivan to confer with him in Washington on problems confronting the drive-in ad mission price situation. Accordingly, Sullivan has arranged to meet with Schoeneman and his deputy, Charles J. Valaer, on Wednesday on his return trip from tomorrow's Florida State Theatres Association meeting in Jack sonville. Mexico City, Aug. 21. — Local exhibitors regard with mixed reactions plans for stage shows in all film theatres that can present that type of entertainment as planned by the National Cinematographic Industry Workers Union. Exhibitor opinion is that these plans will materialize. The union practically controls all theatres in Mexico because most organized attaches are members. While the report is that the big idea back of this is to make jobs for more union members, the union is understood to be enlisting talented amateurs for this vaudeville. It also is reported that the union is eyeing the theatre situation — 106 houses here compared to 60 four years ago — because of decreasing business with prospects that houses that are getting the short end of the situation eventually must close, regardless. Pettey Quits Loew's Herbert L. Pettev, director of Loew's station WMGM, New York, will leave the company on the expiration of his contract on Aug. 31, it was announced by Nicholas M. Schenck, president of Loew's. Pettey will continue with the station in an advisory capacity and will devote himself to other activities, including the presidency of Parx Products, Inc. Bomb Indiana Theatre Highland, Ind., Aug. 21. — A small bomb, which exploded last Thursday in the rear of the Town Theatre here, operated by Kenneth L. Dickinson, did little damage and caused no injuries. Dickinson and the motion picture operators union are in a labor dispute. Sunday Films Vote Sept.7 Cartersville, Ga., Aug. 21. — Voters here will be asked to take a hand in a dispute over Sunday films on Sept. 7. The City Council recently approved Sunday shows after a petition was presented by Martin Theatres. Under state law, the council set the election date after local ministers presented a counter proposal asking that Sunday I shows be discontinued.