Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

s Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, April 26, 19 Review "Sierra" ( Universal-International) A STURDY production treatment has been given the traditional Western in "Sierra." The tried-and-true story has been embellished by Technicolor, a cast headed by Audie Murphy and Wanda Hendrix, and a lot oi amiable balladeering by Burl Ives. The picture has been packaged for popular appeal and it looks well in its class. Murphy portrays a young, quick-triggered lad who for many years has lived in a mountain hideaway with his father, Dean Jagger, who is wanted by the authorities for a murder which actually he never committed. One day Miss Hendrix stumbles upon the hideaway and thereby creates a problem. She falls in love with Murphy and through her indirectly the authorities eventually learn about Tagger's hiding place. Another aspect developed in the screenplay, written by Edna Anhalt, concerns the deadly rivalry between Murphy and Richard Rober, the latter being a villain out to "get" Murphy. He steals Murphy's horses and when Murphy tries to get them back, he is thrown into jail to face hanging. The customary sequences follow, which means there is an escape, some hard riding, fisticuffs and gunplay. A grand climax involves a stampede, and after the dust is cleared, Jagger is proven guiltless and Murphy is vindicated, both through the earnest endeavors of Miss Hendrix. The principals give competent performances, Ives as a genial vagabond popping in and out of scenes welcomely. Michael Kraike produced and Alfred E. Green directed. Running time, 83 minutes. General audience classification. Set for May release. Mandel Herbstman Hints Phonevision Suit to Get Films Chicago, April 25. — Asserting that the public has as much right to see motion pictures on television for a fee as in a theatre, John R. Howland, Zenith executive, told the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers that film companies cannot legally refuse their films for Phonevision tests here in Chicago. The inference was that Zenith was prepared to wage a legal battle to obtain product for the tests. SMPTERoard Elects Two Chicago. April 25. — The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers' board of directors met here today and elected Frank Carlson, of General Electric at Cleveland, and Malcolm G. Townsley, Bell and Howell engineer, as members of the board. The vacancies resulted from the adoption of a new constitution last January, which expanded the size of the board. The board also voted to hold the next semi-annual convention, SM PTE's 68th, on Oct. 16-20 at Lake Placid, N. Y. Meanwhile, the convention proper, meeting here since yesterday at the Hotel Drake, continued to hear technical papers and reports covering the wide field of motion picture and television engineering. Film Image Mixed Wallace V. Wolfe, president of Motion Picture Research Council, Hollywood, presented today a paper written by Wayne R. Johnson of KFI-TV, describing the experimental development of an all-electronic system for mixing the images of a foreground subject with a different background picture without superimposing the images or using a projected background. In this method, two TV cameras automatically divide the job of sending out subject and background. The changes from one camera to the other are controlled by a vacuum tube switch which shifts the transmitter from the output of one camera to the output of the other camera in one/ten-millionth of a second. The subject is televised in front of a brightly lighted white backdrop, while background scene may be taken from film or slide in the camera. Discuss Closed Networks Establishment of far-reaching closed television networks, primarily for the mass training for armed forces personnel, but also encompassing possible needs for civilian defense instruction and industrial training is foreseen as an outgrowth of television training studies which have been conducted by the U. S. Navy since early in 1946, it was disclosed by E. Arthur Hungerford, Jr., director of television projects, Port Washington, . New York. He described the most extensive experiment in mass education by television that has been undertaken. Among exhibits at the convention is RCA's demonstration of its portable magnetic recording system and its new industrial television system. Johnson, Policing (Continued from page 1) (R., Wis.). The letter was simultaneously an answer to Wiley's Senate defense of the industry, an invitation to Wiley to be the initial witness at the Senate hearings on May 15, and a renewal of Johnson's attacks on Hollywood. Johnson said he agreed with Wiley that "Federal censorship is not the most desirable answer." "No one in this Senate is more opposed to regimentation than I," he said. "However, the virtue of my bill is that it presents the most drastic solution of the problem and permits full exploration of the legal and public interest questions involved. That is the underlying purpose of the hearing. Frankly, I have under consideration two other approaches which, I am assured by able Constitutional lawyers, are not only sound legally but may prove more effective and would avoid obnoxious Federal censorship repugnant to Americans." Johnson would not elaborate on the new approaches. The only indication was a statement that "it would be so much better if the industry itself would recognize its own tremendous responsibilities to the people of America and do its own policing." Wiley Acknowledges "Love Note," Will Be a Witness Washington, April 25. — Senator Wiley issued an immediate reply to what he termed Sen. Johnson's "love note," declaring he would be happy to appear as initial witness at the Senate hearings. He said he hoped that Johnson's alternative suggestions would "indeed fulfill his statement as to legality and constitutionality." While Wiley reaffirmed his earlier statements that "immorality in motion picture actors, or anyone else, is a shocking matter," the Wisconsin Republican said that "I do not believe in anyone's misleading the American public into believing there is allegedly nothing but sin in Hollywood." Pointing out that several Congressmen recently have been convicted of illegal actions, Wiley said, "That is no reason why 531 Congressmen and Senators should be licensed any more than actors should be licensed because of one or two disgraceful members." TV A Pact Talks (Continued from page 1) benefit the entire Associated Actors and Artistes of America, including the Screen Actors," George Heller, Television Authority executive secretary, declared here. Television Authority is a superstructure of the Four-A's. It is empowered by the Four-A's to negotiate contracts for both film and "live" television talent, and is vigorously opposed by SAG as an invader on the latter's jurisdiction concerning film talent for television. Heller called for an "adult understanding" of the situation by SAG, and contended that the National Labor Relations Board "will make the final determination." The jurisdictional "war" wrhich has gotten under way has been regarded by SAG as a factor which could "doom" the existence of the Four-A's, the AFL talent union to which the SAG, Screen Extras Guild, and the Eastern stage and radio actors' guilds belong. Heller deplored the "setting of actor against actor" with the waging of a jurisdictional "war." SIMPP Financing (Continued from page 1) on May 2, he told Motion Picture Daily today, and he will not disclose them until that time. If the project is completely worked out by then, as he now anticipates it will be, a second meeting will be held on the followingday with other independents who are not SIMPP members invited to attend, "because we want to help them, too," he said. Arnall is continuing negotiations with Eastern principals in the project by long distance phone. Palsy Drive (Continued from page 1) headed by Mrs. Chester A. Bowles, wife of the Governor. Extensive plans are in motion for a typical Hollywood premiere, with lights, bands, parades, and the presence of prominent dignitaries. A percentage of premiere proceeds will go to the May Cerebral Palsy Fund Drive. Within 10 days of the premiere, "Colt .45" _ is scheduled to open in over 200 situations in New England. CBS Wants to Buy Coast Film Studio James Mulvey, president of Samuel Goldwyn Productions, yesterday declined to comment on a report that William Paley, board chairman of Columbia Broadcas|^p.g, has sought to negotiate ^ ,r the purchase of the Golu£§n studio on the Coast. Film industry sources indicated yesterday that Paley would like to acquire either the Goldwyn, General Service or Nassour Brothers Hollywood studio for conversion into a CBS television studio. Lowest Scales, To Attendance — in N. > Maintenance of one of the low average admission prices was given a visiting New Zealand theatre opi; ator yesterday as the principal reas for the highest known comparat theatre attendance in the world. Trevor Townsend, general manaj of the Kerridge Circuit of 127 th< tres in New Zealand, said that I average admission, maintained wi' out change for more than 20 years, 18 cents in New Zealand theatr The average attendance is 28 tin per year for every one of the countr 3,750,000 people. Townsend arrived here from I West Coast this week. He will lej here by plane on Friday for Lone to attend the British Industries F; He was the guest of Harold Auten United Artists at a luncheon at Lotos Club here yesterday, with tn press representatives. The New Zealand circuit opera believes that keeping the public in 1 habit of movie-going is the basic wq of all exhibitors and that low adrr sion prices, uniformly maintained, ; essential to preservation of the moy going habit. Compared with the avj age admission price of 18 cents New Zealand, the top price there approximately 50 cents, including seven-cent tax. The circuit uses about 350 pictu per year, Townsend said, about 50 which are British and most of the mainder are American. Ascap's 1949 Take (Continued from page 1) part, last year was the new source revenue provided by telecasters c increases from other sources. Ahlert stated further that inco from television in the first quarter this year is near the total amoi from video in all of 1949. Prospe for 1950 are further enhanced by fact that film producers have b< added to Ascap revenue sources. Special counsel Robert Patters general attorney Herman Finkelst and Louis Bernstein, chairman of executive committee, also addres the meeting, discussing changes association articles and new wri classification methods which hi been made to bring Ascap in confer ity with its recently amended cons decree. The Ascap membership comprised of 2,119 writers and \ publishers, a total of 2,521. The membership business sess was followed by the annual As< banquet, also at the Plaza, last nig