Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

sday, May 4. 1950 Motion Picture, Daily s champagne for toesar We've marked it "top box office for the 8,000,000 teen-age girl movie market... for 2,500,000 teen-age readers of seventeen's Movie Reviews. We've named it Picture of the Month in May... best entertainment in terms of form, content and sincerity of purpose. seventeen's picture of the month * THE SERVICE MAGAZINE F9K HIGH-SCHOOL GIRLS Review "Rock Island Trail" (Republic) IN "Rock Island Trail," Republic offers a roisterous, colorful outdoor film which more than compensates in action for what it lacks in story values. With Joseph Kane as the director and Paul Malvern as associate producer, it has plenty to recommend it, especially for the grass-roots situations. Cast includes Forrest Tucker, Bruce Cabot, Chill Wills, Adele Mara, Adrian Booth and Jeff Corey. The story depicts the romance and drama of railroad building in the West, despite the riotous objections of Indians, and sabotage by the steamship and stage coach interests, who stood to lose when the railroad went through. It is photographed in Trucolor. Tucker makes his Reed Loomis a rough-and-ready figure who is not afraid of a fight with his enemy, Cabot, or with anyone else opposing him. Cabot, too, is properly villainous. The story, however, has little originality. Tucker is chief construction engineer for the Rock Island Railroad. His ambition is to push the line ever westward. Cabot, who runs a steamship line, opposes this and tries to sabotage the attempts. Tucker, nevertheless, keeps extending the line, bridges the Mississippi, and influences the government and bankers to aid him. Eventually, he wins his point, and also Miss Mara, a banker's daughter, who originally was engaged to Cabot. Indian fights, destruction of a bridge by Cabot and bar-room brawls provide excitement and are well staged. Wills as a gnarled engineer working with Tucker is excellent. Grant Withers plays the girl's father, and it is nice to see him back again. Miss Mara as Tucker's girl, and Miss Booth as an Indian princess, are satisfactory, and so is Corey in the minor role of Abraham Lincoln, presented as a struggling lawyer. The screenplay, by James Edward Grant, is based on a novel, Ihe Yankee Dared," by Frank J. Nevins . Runnin0 time, 90 minutes. General audience classification, hor May release. Fabian Quits {Continued from page 1) Fabian declared: "When I was first approached to act as arbitrator in this matter, I accepted, having in mind that this would prevent another lawsuit in the industry. I also had hoped that possibly a pattern might evolve in this arbitration which could be extended to other situations and thereby relieve our industry of some part, at least, of government by the courts. Sees 'Chain Reaction' "The contemplated arbitration, however, accomplishes none of these objectives. Clearance has a tendency to have a chain reaction and any decision which might be made in regard to these three theatres (HiWay, Stratford and Barnum) will undoubtedly affect other theatres in the city of Bridgeport. These other theatres, not being subject to the award of this arbitration, will then undoubtedly, if dissatisfied, go to court so that > court action has not been eliminated." Stating that he was declining to act as arbitrator for these reasons, Fabian added that he is "still most willing to act" if all theatres which might possibly be affected are parties. He said he still believes strongly that arbitration can settle almost all of the disputes that arise in the operation of the motion picture business. "I believe just as strongly that unless arbitration of some sort is not adopted by all members of our industry, we can never realize the full potential of our business," he added. Seek Another Arbitrator Monroe E. Stein, counsel for Elmwood, said yesterday that he and other attorneys involved in the case are hopeful that another arbitrator with a motion picture industry background can be found if Fabian does not return to the case. The initial hearing in the case, which Fabian had scheduled for yesterday at the American Arbitration Association office here, was tentatively postponed to May 17. Now that date no longer stands, it was indicated. AAA was to "administer" the case and provide appeal personnel. Bills to Allow (Continued from page 1) Under the bills, which Miller said are expected to be passed by the City Council in about two months, motion picture theatres may be constructed in the future to (1) allow for their being" situated either above or below street level, and (2) accommodate building stories over the stage and auditorium. In both instances, however, adequate provision must be made for exits. Thus, according to Miller, it will be possible hereafter to locate a public picture or legitimate theatre on any floor of a new skyscraper. Or it will be possible to construct a theatre in the basement of a new building. Miller explained that with the elimination of Class III theatre construction, there will be allowed in Greater New York only the building of theatres in Classes I and II. A Class_ I house is described as fireproof, while a Class II theatre is identified as "one of fire resistant construction." Class III houses are fire resistant, although prior to conversion they may not have been. The committee that assisted Quinn in the drafting of the bills was of the opinion that Class III construction could be eliminated since "it is just as cheap to build a Class II house," according to Miller. Ridge Trust Suit (Continued from page 1) covers not only the Ridge claim, but also claims of other theatres operated by the plaintiff, the Bartelstein Circuit, which are the Elmo, Newberry, Standard, Oakley, Annetta and "152" theatres. Harbach Is Elected (Continued from page 1) He succeeds Fred Ahlert who served two one-year terms. Other officers are : Oscar Hammerstein and Saul Bourne, vice-presidents ; George W. Meyer, secretary ; Louis Bernstein, treasurer ; A. Walter Kramer, assistant secretary ; Frank H. Connor, assistant treasurer. w w w » ' tit * > % # • # • champagne for Much obliged, seventeen ! We hope our exhibitors tell teen-agers that this is your Picture of the Month in May... that your editor calls it "a buoyant show that will brighten your eye with joy. Starring Ronald Colman and costarring Celeste Holm, directed by Richard B.Whorf, produced by George Moskov. seventeen's picture ol the month A HARRY M. POPKIN PRODUCTION RELEASED THRU UNITED ARTISTS