Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

4 Motion Picture Daily 20th, Loew (Continued from page 1) more time." He admitted, however, it still might be "barely possible" to meet the March 5 date. Negotiations with Loew's officials will probably start "very soon," it was reported. It was pointed out that the Justice attorneys have been tied up with work on the 20thFox decree, the Howard Hughes RKO theatre holdings, and the recent amendment to the Paramount decree, and they have not had a chance to work on the Loew's situation. The proposed amendment to the Paramount decree, permitting United Paramount Theatres to acquire complete ownership of Interstate and Texas Consolidated Theatres, is slated to go before the New York Statutory court tomorrow afternoon. The New York court will probably not have any further argument on the question of what time limit, if any, should be placed on disposal of Hughes' RKO theatre holdings, it is believed here. Indications are the court will decide the matter on the previous argument and the briefs being submitted. Hughes' attorney, Thomas Slack, filed his brief yesterday, and the Justice brief is due on Tuesday. Review 44 Fourteen Hours' Football Telecasts (Continued from page 1) Illinois games in B. and K.'s State Lake and Tivoli theatres here. Representatives of Zenith, creators of Phonevision, and the major networks will also be present at the meetings. (ZOtli Century-Fox) THE LONG ORDEAL of a disturbed young man who perched himself on a 15th-floor ledge of a New York hotel and teetered for 14 hours between suicide and survival is recounted dramatically in this 20th Century-Fox production. Its counterpart in reality took place in the very same city a number of years ago. The entire story is built on this one major incident, and as it develops there evolves considerable suspense. The picture is well-made. It will have its premiere here on Monday at the Astor Theatre. Good performances are turned in all around with Richard Basehart as the unbalanced young man, Paul Douglas as a traffic patrolman who goes on a talking marathon to dissuade Basehart from jumping, and Barbara Bel Geddes, as Basehart's sweetheart. Not long after Basehart plants himself at the precarious height there arrive on the scene units of the fire and police departments. Soon the streets are thronged with people while newspapermen and radio and television crews work feverishly. It seems that Douglas is the only one to whom Basehart will talk so it becomes his task to attempt to persuade, cajole and bully Basehart into leaving the ledge. All efforts fail. Next follow attempts to get Basehart's mother, and then his father, to talk with him. This fails, and so does the attempt to get Miss Bel Geddes to influence him. When finally a strategem is. used to lure Basehart from his perch, it fails when an intruder bursts upon the scene. After considerable strains and anxieties, police are able to rig up a net which catches Basehart just as he plunges downward. The 14-hour incident also affects the lives of many others. There is a youngboy and girl who meet in the crowd and go off romantically, and the young wife who becomes reunited with her husband from whom she originally wanted a divorce. Commendable support is provided by Howard Da Silva, a jumpy police lieutenant ; Agnes Moorehead, the mother, and Robert Keith, the father. Sol C. Siegel produced and Henry Hathaway directed, from a screenplay by John Paxton. Running time, 92 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set. Mandel Herbstman Bidding (Continued from, page 1) Nevius Off 'U' Board Franklin Nevius of New York has resigned from the board of directors of Universal Pictures, it was announced here. WHERE DID IT COME FROM? HOW DID IT GET HERE? WHAT IS IT 9 from Another World! HOWARD HAWKS' jrf??ag/si& MOVIE Ads like this are appearing in 58 National Magazines and 93 Sunday Newspaper Supplements totaling 185,761,000 circulation. D.C. Bow of 'Music' To Draw Top Officials Washington, Feb. 28. — Some of the nation's top statesmen will be on hand for the opening of 20th CenturyFox's "Of Men and Music" at the Dupont Theatre tomorrow night. Heading the list of patronesses for the event, which is sponsored by the American Newspaper Women's Club, are Mrs. Harry Truman, Mrs. Eric Johnston and Mrs. Sigrid Arne. Other patrons of the event include Secretary of the Interior and Mrs. Oscar Chapman, Secretary of Agriculture and Mrs. Charles F. Brannan, and others. would be illegal under the U. S. Supreme Court's decision in the Paramount case. He emphasized that a contract of this type merely binds the distributor to negotiate in good faith, and nothing else. The matter came up during a session at which Judge Curran approved a stipulation settling a breach of contract suit brought by the Walbrook Theatre of Baltimore against 20th Century-Fox. The latter, when sued by the Windsor Theatre of Baltimore for a part of the features being sold to the Walbrook, had stipulated with the Windsor that it would have the right to negotiate for half of 20th-Fox's features in that neighborhood. The Walbrook then sued. The settlement put a Sept. 11, 1952 termination date on the Windsor20th-Fox contract, but Judge Curran insisted that the settlement include a clause stating that the term "negotiate" is not to be construed as the equivalent of a franchise and that it means only that the distributor must bargain in good faith. It is believed here that Curran's stand could have an important bearing on similar contracts throughout the country. Attorneys for Walbrook said no decision had been made yet as to what they would do about similar contracts made with Windsor by Loew's, Warner, Paramount, Universal and United Artists. The 20th-Fox suit had been regarded as a test case for all the distributors. Quigley Wins Suit Brought by Harris In an action brought by David Harris, former circulation promotion manager of Quigley publications, against Quigley Publishing Co., for wrongful discharge, requesting salary and participation in gross receipts under an alleged oral contract, a jury on Tuesday in New York Supreme Court, brought in a verdict for the defendant Quigley Publishing Co., on all causes of action. Louis Nizer, of Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin and Krim, represented Quigley Publishing Co. Morton Abrahams was attorney for the plaintiff. The presiding Judge was Andrew W. Ryan. Martin Quigley, Theodore Sullivan, Dennis Shea and several others testified for the defendant. Harris had been circulation promotion manager of Quigley Publishing Co. from 1945. until the time the dispute arose, in Nov., 1948. The jury held that there was no contract for a specific period of time with Harris ; that rather than being discharged he had voluntarily resigned and, in any event, there would have been grounds for terminating the relationship even if he had been discharged. Universal Suit (Continued from page 1) motion for a summary judgment. In her complaint the plaintiff asked that a receiver of Universal be appointed pending final disposition of the case, and that judgment be entered directing the cancellation of all warrants and all rights to warrants for the purchase of common stock of the registrant in which the individual defendants had subsisting rights. Cowdin, who resigned as Universal board chairman about a year ago, still holds some 80,000 warrants for Universal common shares of a like number. Prutzman, who left Universal at about the same, was vice-president and general counsel. Bunche to Give Award Hollywood, Feb. 28. — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' president Charles Brackett reports that Dr. Ralph Bunche will make the presentation of the "Best Picture Award" at the annual Academy ceremonies on March 29. MITCHELL MAY, Jr. CO., INC. INSURANCE • Specializing in requirements of the Motion Picture Industry 75 Maiden Lane, New York 3720 W. 6th St., Los Angeles