Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

2 Motion Picture Daily Friday, May 5, 19 Personal Mention ELLIS ARNALL. Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers president, is in Atlanta from Hollywood and is due here on Monday. • Edward O'Connell, John O'Connell and Joseph Farrell, all members of IATSE Local No. 74 at New Haven, were honored at a midnight dinner Wednesday which observed the 50th anniversary of the New Haven unit. • Truemax T. Rembusch, president of Allied States, has been named Notre Dame Man of the Year for 1950 bv the Indianapolis Notre Dame Club. • Mike Simons, assistant to H. M. Richey, M-G-M exhibitor relations head, returned here yesterday from Little Rock, Ark. • Ed Stevens, president of Stevens Pictures, Atlanta, is in New York from that city. • Al Margolies, industry publicist, has returned here from London, Monogram Reissues 'Rascals' Comedies Monogram will release "Little Rascals," reissues of the old comedies produced by Hal Roach some 20 years ago, featuring youngsters Jackie Cooper, Dickie Moore, "Farina," Mary Kornman, Joe Cobb, "Spanky" McFarland, Jackie Condon, Sunshine Sammy and Mickey Daniels. "Bedtime Worries," one of the 26 subjects, is now playing the Astor Theatre, New York. The others are: "The First Seven Years," "Love Business," "Little Daddy," "Bouncing Babies," "Pups Is Pups," "Big Ears," "Cat, Dog and Company," "Dogs Is Dogs," "School's Out," "Helping Grandma," "Boxing Gloves," "Birthday Blues," "Readin' and Writin'," "A Lad and a Lamp," "Small Talk," "Forgotten Babies," "Mush and Milk," "Hook and Ladder," "Fast Freight," "Wild Roses," "Kid from Borneo," "For Pete's Sake," "Mama's Little Pirate," "The First Roundup," "Mike Fright." Torres in Texas City For 'Villa' Premiere San Antonio, May 4.— Miguel Contreras Torres, Mexico City producer-director, has arrived here to make arrangements for the world premiere of his film, "Pancho Villa Returns," which will be held here next Thursday at the Astor Theatre. Leo Carrillo, star of the picture, will be on hand for the premiere, Torres said, and will lead the local Charro Club in a mock attack. 'March of Time' Is Cited At a dinner-meeting of the Education Writers' Association held in Washington last night a special citation was given to March of Time's "The Fight for Better Schools" for "effective portrayal of the problems of education with suggestions for their solution." More 'Controversial' Themes Go on Pine-Thomas Schedule William Pine and William Thomas, Paramount producers of action pictures, will be taking on more controversial drama themes in addition to the more or less standard type of plot in their future output, Pine said here yesterday. Their first, "The Lawless," which is now awaiting release, concerns American agricultural workers of Mexican extraction. Pine said he has other story properties concerning racial problems and the like and hopes to put them in work shortly, pending approval of the Paramount production board. Racial subjects, Pine said, give the writer, producer and others "more substance, more to work with." He said he will recommend special marketing of "Lawless," with long initial runs at smaller houses to be followed by regular circuit bookings. Pine came here from Houston, where the premiere of the PineThomas production of "Eagle and the Hawk" was held Wednesday night. Thomas also attended the opening in company of an eight-member troupe of performers, including John Wayne and William Bendix, and all will tour Dallas, Fort Worth, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, Indianapolis and San Francisco for other openings. The );team has just completed "Tripoli" and will place "Passage West" and "Crossroads" before the cameras later this year. Production costs still are too high for the present market, Pine said, but producers are moving toward the solution by way of cutting shooting time and avoiding material which ordinarily winds up on the cutting room floor, among other measures. Cutting salaries is not the answer, he added. Ship Palsy Trailer Over the Weekend The trailer for the current United Cerebral Palsy Association's campaign to help provide facilities for the training and correction of the 500,000 afflicted Americans, most of them children, will be shipped with the next issues of all five newsreels this weekend. The two-and-one-half-minute trailer, made by Paramount and featuring Alan Ladd and William Demarest, will be shown next week in several thousand theatres in addition to the more than 7,000 which have enlisted for complete UCPA campaign activities. The trailer contains a general appeal for public help in achieving the $5,000,000 campaign goal. Rank (Continued from page 1) said here today upon his arrival from the U. S. The Denham studios are entirely dark at present and Pinewood studios are being used only by independent producers with no distribution deals with Rank. Tax adjustments made in the government's new finance bill for combined stage and film shows will not mean a swing to stage presentations, Rank said, apparently unaware that plans have been announced to switch four of his largest houses to a vaudeville policy. Rank announced that he made agreements while in America to produce films here on a "split cost" basis with "three or four Hollywood companies, including Paramount." He mentioned no specific projects except the film "Trio," a sequel to Somerset Maugham's "Quartet," which is now approaching completion and will be released in the Western Hemisphere by Paramount. The producer reiterated that in the event of a tax reduction he is prepared to resume full production. Hiram S. Brown, 67, OneeRKO President Chesterton, Md., May 4.— Col. 1 1 iram Staunton Brown, 67, president of RKO and Radio Pictures from 1929 to 1933, investment banker and utilities executive, died here today at his retirement home on the Eastern Shore. Brown, who was under treatment for a nervous condition, killed himself, according to Dr. Frank W. Smith, medical examiner. The widow and a son, Hiram S. Brown, Jr., a producer in Hollywood, survive. Azteca to Distribute 8 to 12 Nationally Hollywood, May 4. — Axteca Films, Inc., which for 20 years has confined itself to supplying Spanish and American product to Spanish-language theatres, will immediately expand to include national distribution of from eight to twelve features annually to art theatres and principal circuits. "Madness of Love," Spanish-produced feature now in its American premiere engagement here, will be first subject offered nationally under the new policy, with all films thus offered carrying English captions. Films to follow are "The General and Senorita," "Nail," "Loyola," "Rancho Grande" and "The Sinner." Frank Tichenor, 69, Early Film Leader Frank A. Tichenor, 69, who as president of the General Film Corporation until 1919 headed one of the largest industry firms of the time, died at his home in Greenwich, Conn., yesterday. After forming the Eastern Film Corporation in 1919, Tichenor worked with Lee De Forest on a sound films invention, but in later years turned to publishing. The widow and a son survive. NEWS in Brief BOARD of directors of the Met* politan Motion Picture Theat Association yesterday adopted a re: lution favoring the observance, ! work holidays, of Monday, May (the day before Memorial Day) a Monday, July 3 (the day before Impendence Day ) for long weekt • holidays. Washington, May 4.— The V* ington area is slated to go on d; light saving today. The Sen; has passed and the president I signed a bill authorizing the d trict of Columbia commission*; to put fast time into effect. • National Labor Relations Board gional director Charles Douds yest'j day dismissed IATSE's petition an election among the white col workers of Monogram's exchange |j to determine whether Screen E' ployes Guild (UOPWA), incumS union, has a legitimate claim to | shop. • Hollywood, May 4. — Sar Churchill, British actress and t daughter of Winston Churchill, h been signed by M-G-M to appear "Royal Wedding," opposite Fr Astaire. • Detroit, May 4. — Realart presid^ Jack Broder, is selling the four i maining theatres he has here, last the Broder Circuit which he built over the last 12 years. • Hollywood, May 4. — Paramount 1 taken up its option on Irving Asl: as producer for another year. Asf is now making "Beyond the Sunse NEW YORK THEATRE RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL Rockefeller Center "NO SAD SONGS FOR ME" starring MARGARET WENDELL VIVECA SULLAVAN COREY LINDF0RS A Columbia Picture Plus Spectacular Stage Presentation Pflfomount presents BARBARA JOHN STANWYCK LUND/ m NO MAN OF HER OWN will, JANE COWL « MITCHELL LESSEN production WES BROS. Aidnighl F«olun Nightly James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, William R. Weav< t At0TA Chicago Bureau, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Editorial and Advertising; Harry Toler, Advertising Representative; Jimmy Ascher, Editorial Representative. Washingtc J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. 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