Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1950)

4 Motion Picture daily Friday, February 17, 1950 Review "The Yellow Cab Man" (M-G-M) JUST about everything in the catalogue of slapstick is trotted out in "The Yellow Cab Man." Red Skelton is featured and is provided with a ceaseless flow of gags and situations, all of the unsubtle variety. The picture is not distinguished for freshness of material, yet there are those who can always laugh at this sort of comedy no matter how familiar. Support for Skelton comes from Gloria De Haven, Walter Slezak, Edward Arnold, James Gleason and Jay C. Flippen. The story, devised by Devery Freeman and Albert Beich, presents Skelton as a zany inventor who has perfected an unbreakable glass. To bring the glass to the attention of the president of a taxi fleet, Skelton goes to work as a hackie. It goes without saying Skelton thereby becomes a community peril. Meanwhile, Arnold, a phoney, ambulance-chasing lawyer, learns about Skelton's novel glass and starts a campaign to worm away the secret from him. As part of his strategy, Arnold hires a counterfeit psychiatrist, Slezak, to work over Skelton and convince him that he's off his noggin. When this fails, strong-arm tactics are tried. A whirlwind climax brings a horde of taxis to Skelton's rescue, and retribution to the villains. Miss De Haven is pleasant and competent as Skelton's leading lady. Arnold goes through some severe physical exertions in the course of his chores. Slezak gives a pungent characterization as a babbler of Freudian prattle, while Flippen is amusingly arch as the heavy. An adequate job is also done by Gleason as a cab driver. Richard Goldstone produced and Jack Donohue directed. Freeman also did the original story. Running time, 85 minutes. General audience classification. For April release. Mandel Herbstman 'Stromboli' 2nd Day Grosses (Continued from page 1) Sarnoff Urges Films To Advance with TV Motion pictures face the prospect of "meeting the challenging newcomer (television) and advancing with it or take their place in memory as old-fashioned things that constituted entertainment not so long ago," according to David Sarnoff, RCA board chairman. "The phonograph makers saw no future in radio, and the theatre belittled the movies," he said. "Now the motion picture, theatres and even radio itself are confronted with a new art created by science within their own fields." Fifth Postponement In Technicolor Case Hollywood, Feb. 16. — With indications again bright for an agreement between the government and Technicolor attorneys on an acceptable consent decree, Federal Judge Mathes again postponed the trial to tomorrow morning, its fifth postponement. Allied 'Stromboli* Protest Unanswered RKO Radio does not intend to make a formal reply to the Allied States board action against "Stromboli," company president Ned E. Depinet said here yesterday. At its meeting in Washington last week, the Allied asked RKO to withdraw the picture and stop its "meretricious" advertising campaign. Additionally, the board urged Allied members not to show the picture. Deny 'Major Change' (Continued from page 1) version of "Stromboli," and charged that RKO Radio "transformed" the production. He added that his lawyers are investigating the possibility of taking action against RKO. Depinet, who said he had no reply for Rossellini in connection with the allegations, said that the company "used common sense in editing the picture for American consumption." Trade reports hold the release print is more than 30 minutes less than the original in running time. RKO Splitups (Continued from page 1) situation, Skouras also is owner of an interest in Metropolitan. The two R K O-Skouras partnerships are Springco, which operates seven houses in the Bronx, and the Eaton Corp., operating the Midway, Forest Hills. Proctor's Theatre, which also is an RKO-Skouras partnership operation which must be terminated, is involved in an anti-trust suit filed against RKO recently by both Skouras and Metropolitan. With these pending as well as the RKO action filed last week to terminate its Walter Reade partnership in New Jersey, RKO now has only to take some form of action for the disposal of its Metropolitan stock in order to fully comply with its consent decree. sellini-Ingrid Bergman picture, reported a "healthy second day" gross at RKO's 36 houses. Acknowledging that the second day's business was under Wednesday's, Schwartz said the grosses yesterday were still above "normal," the drop notwithstanding. A "normal" drop-off was reported yesterday for the Criterion, the second day's gross being estimated at $3,000 compared to Wednesday's $5,000. A "noticeable" drop-off in grosses was indicated for the second day at some of the 22 Skouras theatres that opened the film on Wednesday. In other houses of that circuit, as well as in those of other circuits and independent theatres that are exhibiting "Stromboli" here, grosses are understood to be "off normally" on the second day. Predictions were that business would pick up during the weekend and perhaps exceed, in some situations, opening day business. Ned E. Depinet, president of RKO Radio, distributor of the picture, presented at a press interview here yesterday statements by executives of the Skouras, Randforce, Century, Warner (New Jersey), Fabian, Reade, Publix and Brandt circuits, as well as the Criterion Theatre, testifying that the opening day's business for "Stromboli" was exceptionally heavy. Percentages of increases in first-day business in consequence of "Stromboli" were placed at between 50 and 300 per cent, with most stipulating 100 per cent, according to the statements presented by Depinet. In the RKO theatres, Depinet said, the picture "doubled a good average opening day." Opening grosses in other U. S. cities, he said, corresponded with those in New York. Chicago, Feb. 16. — Second day's business for "Stromboli" at the Grand is described as well above average, but far from sensational. Approximately $4,300 was indicated. Poor reviews appeared today in the Times and News. The newspapers here are taking a symposium of women's reactions to the film. Replies so far are divided. Some said they attended the showing because they liked Ingrid Bergman, the picture's star, some out of curiosity, and some because they felt the film would be banned later on. Boston, Feb. 16. — "Stromboli" opened at Keith's in Boston today as part of a double bill. Business is about average today, the opening day at this house. Washington, Feb. 16.— "Stromboli" yesterday grossed $3,600 at RKO Keith's here, marking the top gross in over three years. Two previous highest in that period were "Mr. Blandings" and "Bishop's Wife," each of which grossed about $3,300. Moreover, on the second day, grosses usually drop 40 per cent to 45 per cent, but despite unfavorable reviews in local papers, business today at Keith's is down only 30 per cent from yesterday. Clubwoman Urges Morals Clauses Be Invoked Chicago, Feb. 16. — No move against "Stromboli" is being made by the American Federation of Women's Clubs, Mrs. Joseph Chesser, chairman of the motion picture division, stated today. "We feel, however," she said, "that a star has moral responsibility towards the paying public, especially where it concerns children and teenagers." Mrs._ Chesser stated she has written to Eric Johnston urging that producers invoke moral clauses in contracts when necessary. Mrs. Lloyd Sumner Van Schoyck, president of the Better Motion Picture Council of Chicagoland, stated that "what stars do isn't our business. We judge films on their own merits." Kansas City, Feb. 16. — Recent action of the Allied States board of directors in requesting exhibitors not to play "Stromboli" and urging RKO, its distributor, to withdraw the film and cease advertising it, has been approved by Allied Theatre Owners of Kansas and Missouri. Claims NewMagnetic Tape Recorder Cuts TV, Film Costs Adoption of auto-synchronizing magnetic tape equipment developed by Dr. D. G. C. Hare, head of research for his own company, would mean a slash in production costs the film and television industries b^^rninating most of the expensive emulsion-coated sound track recording film used in optic film recording methods, industry engineers were told at a demonstration here of the equipment by Fairchild Recording Equipment Corp. The sound, which uses one-quarter inch tape, would make more extensive television operations feasible, the members of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers who viewed the demonstration were told by Wentworth D. Fling, Fairchild vicepresident. Legion Reviews 10; Classes Two as 'B9 Ten additional films have been 'reviewed by the National Legion of Decency, with two receiving a "B" rating. In that category are Motion Picture Sales Corp.'s "Mad About the Opera," and United Artist's "Quicksand." In Class A-I are Sutton Cinema Society's "The Confession," EagleLion's "The Cowboy and the Prizefighter," and Columbia's "Trail of the Rustler." In Class A-II are Republic's "Belle of Old Mexico," United Artists' "Champagne for Caesar," Film Classics' "Guilty Bystander," Universal-International's "Outside the Wall," and Eagle-Lion's "The Sundowners." Mayer, Rubin Pacts (Continued from page 1) Warfield and Henry Rogers Winthrop. The meeting will be asked to vote also on two resolutions which have been submitted by minority stockholder James Fuller. One calls for a ceiling of $10,000 per year on payments under the company's retirement fund, and the other recommends that consideration be given to reducing salaries of officers, executives and directors who receive more than $25,000 per year when the earnings of the company have been reduced or dividends have been reduced. The management opposes both resolutions. The following salaries were paid company officers during the past fiscal year, according to a proxy statement issued by Loew's : Friedman, vicepresident, $130,000 ; Leake, chairman of the retirement plan, audit and finance committees, $25,100; Edgar J. Mannix, vice-president, $159,036 (plus $43,571 based on profits) ; Mayer, $156,425 (plus $297,837 based on profits) ; Moskowitz, vice-president and treasurer, $156,429; William F. Rodgers, vice-president, $1 14,714 ; Rubin, $104,286 (plus $61,591 based on profits) ; Schenck, president, $130,357 (plus $94,411 based on profits) ; Vogel, vice-president, $156,429. Pursuant to Rodgers' employment contract, the company has also deposited in escrow $78,000 during the year. Under the terms of the pact, payments to Rodgers of $1,739 monthly are being made out of a fund previously deposited in escrow.