Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1950)

4 Motion Picture Daily Friday, September 29, 1950 Review "Pink String and Sealing Wax" (Ealing Production — Pentagon) THE gaslight era at England's Brighton serves as the background for this macabre tale of murder, produced at Ealing studios by Michael Balcon, with Googie Withers cast as the cold-blooded poisoner of her husband, pubowner Garry Marsh. Under the capable direction of Robert Hamer, the story, written by Diana Morgan from a Roland Pertwee play, moves along the familiar lines of period melodrama. Any audience which likes its crime films laden with suspense, spiced with humor and climaxed with ironic retribution should appreciate this Pentagon Pictures release. Miss Withers, married to drunken brutal Marsh, would like to ditch her husband for dapper John Carol, a race-fixing ex-jockey who is in the process of discarding his current mistress, Pauline Letts. But Carol, cooly looking out for the main chance, is more inclined towards Maudie Edwards, widowed owner of a prosperous restaurant. Miss Withers, knowing she would be more desirable to Carol as the widowed owner of a pub, promptly turns her thoughts to murder. Her opportunity comes when Gordon Jackson, youthful son of the local druggist, turns from the strict regime of his own home to the pub and becomes infatuated with Miss Withers. The youth innocently remarks upon the similar symptoms of tetanus and strychnine poisoning and inadvertently gives Miss Withers a chance to steal some of the latter. Marsh is administered the poison and his death is attributed to tetanus, leaving the murderess and her paramour, Carol, in happy control of the pub. Carol's ex-mistress suspects the murder through the unwitting babblings of a lady-like dipsomaniac, splendidly portrayed by Catherine Lacey, and the i Mice order Marsh's remains exhumed. Desperate, Miss Withers attempts to blackmail the druggist, who is also the public analyst, into attributing the death to natural causes on the threat of exposing his son, Jackson, as her accomplice. The druggist, played by Mervyn Johns, refuses and the murderess kills herself. Miss Withers bears the brunt of the acting chores, with Carol and Johns lending capable support in the leading roles. Light moments in the film, which tends to overreach itself in the. more dramatic scenes, are provided by the minor characters, among whom are Mary Merrall, Jean Ireland, Sally Jean Howes, Maudie Edwards, Frederick Piper, John Owers and Helen Goss. Running time, 75 minutes. Adult audience classification. For October release. Vaughan O'Brien Brandt-RKO Deal at Conclusive Stage Negotiations for the purchase of Howard Hughes' RKO Theatres stock interest which have been under way in Hollywood for the past two weeks are expected to be concluded this weekend, Harry Brandt, whose Trans-Lux Theatres would acquire the stock, said yesterday. Brandt would not predict the outcome of the negotiations but said he would know by Monday whether the deal has been concluded or the negotiations terminated. In the current talks with Hughes on the Coast he is being represented by Sam Dembow, Jr. Freeman Reports on Product Here Today Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount studio operations vice-president, today will report on forthcoming product at the second and final day's meeting of division managers at the home office. His address will be preceded by a discussion of policy and sales approach which will be conducted by A. W. Schwalberg, president of Paramount Film Distributing Corp. The policy and sales discussions will revolve around pictures which will be released by the company between now and Dec. 31, namely, "Copper Canyon," "Cassino to Korea," "Dark City," "Tripoli," "Let's Dance" and "Mr. Music." Also participating in the meetings are Barney Balaban, Adolph Zukor, Paul Raibourn, E. K. O'Shea, Max E. _ Youngstein, Austin Keough, Louis D. Phillips and Oscar A. Morgan. COMPO in Para. Building Monday The operating staff of the Council of _ Motion Picture Organizations, which has been using space for the last month in the New York offices of the Motion Picture Association of America will move on Monday to its new offices in the Paramount Building. To date COMPO's office work has been done by Arthur L. Mayer, executive vice-president, and Charles E. McCarthy information officer, with stenographic help borrowed from the MPAA. On Monday, however, Mayer said yesterday, Robert W. Coyne, general counsel of the organization, will take up his duties in the new offices, which have been furnished, and are in the Paramount Building. RKO RADIO PICTURES. Inc. CHICAGO JSU, SAMUEL GOLDWYN'S presentation of "EDGE OF DOOM" Tuesday, Och 3, at 1 1 A.M. RKO SCREENING ROOM 1300 SO. WABASH AVE., CHICAGO, ILL. Col. to End 3-Day Sales Parley Today A three-day conference of Columbia division managers and home office sales personnel will conclude today at the Hotel Warwick here. A Montague, general sales manager, has presided over the sessions at which sales plans for forthcoming product were discussed. Present at the meetings from the home office, in addition to Montague, were Rube Jackter, Louis Astor, Louis Weinberg, Irving Wormser, Maurice Grad, George Josephs, H. C. Kaufman, Joseph Freiberg, Seth Raisler, Morris Goodman, Vincent Borelli, Irvin Sherman and Sydney Singerman. Managers from the field include Nat Cohn, S. A. Galanty, Jerome Safron, Carl Shalit, B. C. Marcus, I. H. Rogovin, R. J. Ingram and J. B. Underwood. 14 Films Added to Heineman Drive Nine Equity features, four Red Ryder Westerns in Cinecolor, and "The Golden Gloves Story," have been added to the list of product available for Eagle Lion Classics' "Bill Heineman Drive" contest which began Sept. 16 and ends March 2, 1951. Cash prizes in the contest, which is open to ELC's bookers, salesmen and managers, now total $63,000. Several independent producers, including N. Peter Rathvon, J. Arthur Rank, Jack Schwarz and Realart Productions are represented in the drive. Appointment of drive lieutenants was announced also. Rentals Up 4.4% (Continued from page 1) ture of theatres required under the anti-trust proceedings. Theatre receipts for the past five weeks show a moderate upturn," Skouras continued. "By means of producing pictures in countries having currency restrictions, and through the ability to sell or invest such currencies in theatre properties where production is not undertaken, the corporation will be able to liquidate or utilize all its frozen currencies so that presently no reserves are required nor are any anticipated in the near future. An additional sum will be added to the earnings of the third quarter through the accounting for currencies in Japan and Germany accumulated by the Motion Picture Export Association. It can be said that the entire foreign currency position does not present a problem to the corporation at this time, principally because of overseas production. "Through an increase in the number of pictures produced at our studio, there will be a 16 per cent reduction in the studio overhead. This together with other savings will result in lower average cost per picture. While we are releasing 31 pictures in 1950, 28 of which will be produced by us, we hope to release from 36 to 38 pictures in 1951, 33 of them our own production," Skouras said. "We are just beginning to reap the benefits of this increased production. Commencing with January, we are planning to release three pictures each month, and this increase will be reflected in our gross receipts. "Based upon this policy and the product itself, it is our opinion that we can look forward to the largest gross in the history of the company. Judging by the pictures we have been able to see," we feel hopeful. Pressbooks Cited by Henshaw of Canada Press books turned out by U. S. film companies yesterday came in for a special accolade from one of the leading advertising executives of Canada, Don Henshaw, who is senior executive of MacLaren Advertising Co., Ltd., of Toronto, and the representative of the Motion Picture Association of America in Canada on U. S.-Canadian coo^hk ive projects. He told yesterdayPjpncheon-meeting of the Associatedivfotion Picture Advertisers at the Hotel Piccadilly here that the industry should also be praised for its "demonstration of the power of condensed copy." Industry advertisements, he said, reveal that those who write the copy have an extraordinary flair for "flashing words that cause people to do things." SIMPP to Act on French Pact in '51 Notwithstanding the report that negotiations for a new French film import agreement are expected to get underway in Paris in November between French government officials and the Motion Picture Association of America, the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers will not take an active role in the working out of a new French agreement until after Jan. 1. Ellis G. Arnall, SIMPP president, yesterday so advised the meeting here of SIMPP's Eastern distribution committee, which is headed by James Mulvey, president of Goldwyn Productions. UA-TV Reports 25 New Sponsors Sold United Artists-Television signed 25 new sponsors during the past month, it was announced here by John Mitchell, director, who said it was the largest sales volume in a 30-day period for the unit since its inception two-and-one-half years ago. Color TV Plan (Continued from page 1) color system the best of all the color systems, but that it would like more time to study the competing proposals. It said then that it would put off a final decision until later, if the manufacturers agreed to make the sets with Bracket Standards so that there would be less obsolescence should the commission immediately approve the CBS system. If the manufacturers refused the FCC, it would authorize CBS color immediately. Replies were in today from six companies, representing about 30 percent of the TV set output, all of them, including RCA and Allen B. Dumont Laboratories, gave various reasons why they could not agree to the commission's plans, and a seventh company, Admiral Corp., which accounts for about 15 percent of TV output was reported to have issued a statement in Chicago that it too was turning down the FCC proposal. Replies from remaining companies, due tomorrow, (Friday), will presumably take the same line. Because of the hedging in the replies, it is anyone's guess what the FCC will do now.