Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

sday, May 16, 1950 Motion Picture Daily 3 emittances Review {Continued from, page 1) g SIMPP, and other Amerin and British officials. be discussion was described as le'ral" and was followed up by a ten summation of Wilson's prowls which was prepared by Rupert lervell, British Treasury official, delivered to the American repreatives. %on, Arnall and Mulvey will — borrow morning to discuss the >osals. A second meeting with son has not been definitely set yet probably will not occur before Inesday. At that time the Amerii are expected to make known to their views. vVants Production in Britain .lthough the respective sides are to be not too far apart in their vs, it is known that Wilson is ious to sell Johnston, Arnall and ivey the notion that American proers will find it profitable to make ures here. The American delegai probably is in no position to commitment on any broad ke .e. d the moment there is no indica. that Wilson is endeavoring to re(e the $17,500,000 annual remittance the next two years of the agreeit. Also, there appears to be little lihood that Americans can succeed laving it increased for the next two trs. Treasury and Bank of England bials, as well as Board of Trade rials, sat in at today's meeting on British side. ohnston had with him Joyce Lara, his assistant, and several PAA aides. The U.S. Embassy here p was represented. His Majesty's government has for:lly bidden the American industry jiresentatives to a banquet tomorrow. Charles F. Baldwin, U. S. Embassy economic adviser here, at in at today's meeting as an bserver and will be available s an adviser to the American lelegation hereafter. It was not lear whether he had been asigned by the State Department n Washington in consequence >f the recent Hollywood Labor Council request for the presence of a government repre.entative at the meetings, but 'hat was thought to be unlikely. {The meeting started at three P.M. the President's room of the Board ■ Trade. In the morning Johnston iiferred with the whole group of mdon managers of American dis oution companies. Wilson and John;n met briefly on Sunday. Johnston (1 O'Hara had been guests of NichoDavenport, former director of the vernment's Film Finance Corp. Will Heed Protests Dn his arrival here Saturday, John>n told reporters that film producn is in a depressed state in many rts of the world, as well as in Britjk. He said that 40 per cent of HollySod's workers are unemployed. He j d he would pay heed to the promts of those workers against incased American production here. Johnston said he expects the negations to last 10 to 14 days. In addij}n to O'Hara, he has John McCar/, MPAA foreign department head, Id F. W. Allport, MPAA London mager, with him here. Arnall and yulvey are without other SIMPP □resentatives. "DeviVs Doorway" (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) ROBERT TAYLOR follows his virile performance in "Ambush" with an equally rugged role in another Western saga. A somewhat unconventional contribution to the genre, "Devil's Doorway" casts Taylor as an "educated" Indian of the 1860's who returns to Wyoming from honored Civil War service to find that he and his people still are second-class citizens and completely without property rights. Angered at being only "a ward of the state," notwithstanding his possession of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Taylor resolves to resist to the bitter end the attempts by white sheepherders to stake out claims on his rich grazing lands. And a bitter end it is ! The adult male population of the little Indian community is annihilated, and the women and children" are forced to retreat penitently to a government reservation. Alongside the white men in the picture, Taylor cuts an heroic figure in the make-up supplied by Jack Dawn. He emerges. as a classic type of Indian, physically powerful and mentally keen. Alongside the many actual Indians who fill incidental roles in the film, however, Taylor looks conspicuously Caucasian. In general, the picture's shortcomings, like this one, are minor, while from the overall standpoints of entertainment and commercial value "Devil's Doorway" rates high. Moreover, it drives home in tacit but nonetheless powerful terms an indictment of social discrimination and intolerance as it exists today. Producer Nicholas Nayfack, director Anthony Mann and scenarist Guy Trosper rate applause for a job well done. Louis Calhern handles with sinister aplomb the role of the anti-Indian attorney who fires the sheepherders into attacking Taylor's little colony ; newcomer Paula Raymond demonstrates a nice command of histrionics as the lady lawyer who defends the Indians in court and who becomes linked quasiromantically with Taylor ; Marshall Thompson, as a young sheepherder, gives a reliable performance, and so do James Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan, Rhys Williams, Spring Byington and others in lesser roles. Running time, 84 minutes. General audience classification. For July release. Charles L. Franke Technicolor Cuts (Continued from page 1) after taxes for the three months ended March 31, 1950, was estimated at $632,984.75, equivalent to 69 cents per share. This compares with $663,753.71, equivalent to 72 cents a share for a corresponding quarter in 1949, a record year. The price reductions are one-half cent per foot on prints of nitrate stock and .65-cent per foot on prints on safety stock. The new base prices are: nitrate prints, 5.72 cents per foot (former price was 6.22 cents), and safety prints, 5.95 cents per foot (former price was 6.6 cents). Price reductions are applicable under existing contracts and are effective May 29. Converts to Safety Stock Kalmus said his Hollywood plant is being converted to safety acetate stock and that machines are being expanded and speeded up. He estimated tnat the company this year would do color work at a record rate of over 60 pictures, compared to about 45 for last year. At the annual stockholders meeting here yesterday four directors were reeiectea and a vote ot confidence was voiced in management, according to tvaimus. Under a rotating system, lour ot the companies 12 directors come up for election each year. Kaimus asserted that tnere have Deen no definite requests to be licensed under the technicolor consent decree, out that there have been minor inquiries. He said that "it anyone wants to De licensed the company is ready to, it a satistactory royalty can be worked out. ' kalmus, who recently announced that lecnnicoior had purcnased me patent covering the color television ruoe invented Dy Dr. Willard Geer, said the tube ottered "the best prospect ot becoming the most practical direct viewing color television receiving tube." Kaimus will see President Truman in Washington Thursday "to renew old acquaintances." He will leave tor r.urope on May 24. Urges Bond Drive Aid Albany, N. Y., May 15. — An "all out effort" by theatres in the Albany exchange district to make the Independence Bond Drive a success was urged by Sol Ullman, drive co-chair man, at meeting of the Fabian divi sion offices today. Here's One Way to Beat Phonevision Zenith Radio Corp.'s demonstration film on Phonevision was shown yesterday to the Theatre Owners of America's executive committee during the luncheon intermission at the Hotel Astor where the group is meeting. As the screen pictured woeful times ahead for the motion picture theatre in the face of Phonevision's anticipated ascendency, Si H. Fabian, a member of the audience, was heard to remark: "Aren't they passing around hemlock with this?" TV and Theatres ( Continued from page 1 ) reported to the executive group on progress in connection with his study of the use of video films to promote feature pictures for theatres. Described by TOA executive director Gael Sullivan as "running behind schedule," the meeting was devoted yesterday to a report by Sullivan on the recent Council of Motion Picture Organizations' meeting in Chicago and to various reports on television, including Wolfson's. Sullivan said no action was taken by the executive group yesterday, but that it is expected the meeting today will act on the television reports as well as such subjects as possible arbitration system conferences with distribution company presidents, a trade practice code, etc. HEART AND SOUL Starring De Sica PYGMALION MAJOR BARBARA THUNDER ROCK Michael Redgrave Lilli PalmerJames Mason OUTCRY "Tops Open City and Paisan" . . . — Variety THE MASK OF LING CHI Sessue Hayakawa Eric Von Stroheim ELLIS FILMS. m&. GKEST FILMS, INC. JACK ELLIS, Pres. 1270 Sixth Avenue New York City MISBEHAVES Hugh Williams