Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, March 27, 1951 Code-'Dope' (Continued from page 1) recent years that many Federal and local law enforcement officials regard it as the nation's No. 1 crime problem now. The Production Code originally placed an unqualified ban on the presentation of the illegal drug traffic as subject matter for films. The 1946 amendment to the Code opened the door to dope film production by eliminating the ban and stating qualifications to be observed in producing films dealing with narcotics subjects. According to the amendment, such films should not stimulate curiosity concerning narcotics nor show their use or effects in detail. Federal narcotics officials and others are reportedly agreed now that any manner of presentation of the dope subject, kindles the curiosity of the susceptible. It could not be learned yesterday how MPAA board members stand on repeal of the Code Amendment permitting narcotics subject matter in films. Production Code administrator Joseph I. Breen arrived here yesterday from the Coast, presumably for consultation with the board on the subj ect. Reelection of directors and officers of MPAA also is scheduled for today's meeting. Review "Circle of Danger" (David E. Rose — Eagle Lion Classics) THE FRESHNESS of approach of "Circle of Danger" immediately sets it far above the standard run of melodramas. Merchandise-wise, this David E, Rose presentation has a good drawing attraction, namely Ray Milland, at the head of the cast which also includes Patricia Roc and Marius Goring. The story, which has its origin in fact, opens with Milland returning to Europe from the United States to dig up information about the mysterious death of his brother while the latter was serving as a commando with the British Forces in the last war. Milland strongly suspects that it was not an enemy bullet that terminated his brother's life. In England he goes through a series of maneuvers in order to get the name of someone in the raiding party on the occasion of the death. One clue leads to another and in time Milland winds up in Scotland at the estate of Hugh Sinclair who was the major m command on the fateful day. Fortunately for those interested in romantic affairs, Milland here meets attractive Miss Roc, and interesting possibilities develop. Sinclair provides Milland with a list of men in the raiding party. There follows visit after visit in order to track down confirming information. Finally, at the end of the trail, Milland learns that it actually was Sinclair who killed his brother. Bent on retribution Milland returns to face _ Sinclair, only to learn however, that the circumstances of the death were justified, and that under similar conditions, he would have done the same thing. Although fate cheats Milland of retribution, it compensates with romance. A Coronado Production, this British-made film was produced by Joan Harrison and directed by Jacques Tourneur from the screenplay by Philip MacDonald. Running time, 86 minutes. General audience classification. For April release. M. H. Kefauver Hearings (Continued from page 1) Other committee members appearing are chairman, Charles W. Tobey, Herbert R. O'Conor, Lester C. Hunt, Alexander Wiley and the committee's chief counsel, Rudolph Halley. Frank Costello, whose objections kept television audiences from seeing more than his hands and shoulders during his testimony, will appear in full face in the feature, 20th-Fox said yesterday. Among the other witnesses who ap pear in the film are Virginia Hill Hauser, Ambassador William O'Dwy er, Frank Erickson, Anthony Anastasia, James J. Moran, John P. Crane and Jake Guzik. Process Prints Here A record number of prints are be ing processed at the company labora tories here, according to the 20th-Fox statement, and they are expected to be available from Coast to Coast by to morrow. More than 1,200 theatres have asked for the crime report, ac cording to 20th-Fox; and it is expected that the timely subject will get mass booking. The film, produced by Edmund Reek with narration interpolated by Joe King, is taken from the complete photographic record amounting to more than 100,000 feet of film. Two newsreel cameras were in operation constantly during the hearings here with the companies rotating turns and pooling the result. All the newsreels have shown ex cerpts of the hearings on their regular issues during the past two weeks but 20th-Fox is the only company to pro duce a feature-length picture from the event that has held top news attention throughout the nation. Through editing and condensation the highlights and essence of the com plete hearing has been compressed into the hour-long picture, according to Levathes. He said that only a person who had personally attended all the hearings or who had sat glued in front High Court Refuses Jurisdiction Issue Italians Due Today (Continued from page 1) colleagues here on April 2. The four-man delegation was invited to this country by John G. McCarthy, Motion Picture Association vice-president in charge of international affairs, to make a study of the potentialities for Italian films in the J. S. as a preliminary to the negotiation of a new Italo-American film agreement. American film industry officials, inluding heads of the distribution companies, circuit and theatre executives, and the trade press will attend an MPAA-sponsored reception in honor of the visitors on Thursday at the Radio City Music Hall studio. la. Building Code Bill Advanced Des Moines, March 26. — Iowa's House of Representatives has passed and sent to the state Senate a bill to set up a code governing construction of theatres and other buildings used by the public. Under the bill, all future construction would come under the jurisdiction of a seven-member building code council, which would appoint a commissioner to administer the act. Steel for Theatres (Continued from page 1) Washington, March 26. — The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear an appeal from a lower court decision declaring that U.S. District Courts could in certain circumstances decide whether or not to transfer private treble-damage anti-trust suits to districts more convenient for the defendants. Without an opinion or an indication of how the Justices voted, the Court said it would not review the socalled Tivoli case. Involved are two treble-damage suits against eight distributors and the Interstate and Texas Consolidated circuits. These suits were brought in Delaware by Tivoli Realty, Inc., and I. B. Adelman. The defendants asked Delaware District Court Judge Rodney to transfer the case to Texas, but he ruled that five of the defendants could not be legally served in Texas and therefore he had no power to consider the defense motion. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals overruled Rodney, declaring he could consider whether to transfer the suit so long as the five defendants agreed to allow themselves to be served in Texas — which all five said they were. Tivoli and Adelman appealed to the Supreme Court. duces only about 2,800,000 tons and, if Canada is lucky, she can import another 1,250,000 tons. This would leave about 1,225,000 tons to be secured through curtailment of ordinary civilian use in the Dominion. of a TV set for the full time would get a more complete view of the proceedings. Even the hypothetical full-time TV watcher would not have seen Costello's face, Levathes pointed out. He mentioned that the Movietone presentation will offer direct comparison in visual quality and in reportorial effectiveness with television's coverage of the same event. He predicted that the film treatment will heighten the dramatic effect of the hearings and that, through intelligent editing, the civic significance of the investigation will be clearer. Levathes said that his office was swamped yesterday with requests for the film as news of its release reached the various branches. He said that exhibitors are being asked to utilize the headlines from their own city newspapers as a promotional base in advertising the news feature. Canadian Film Board Will Get $300,000 Building , Ottawa, March 26— A $300,000 appropriation has been listed in the Canadian government's estimates of expenditures for the construction of a building for the National Film Board in Montreal, with speculation here being that this might be the start of an old rumor that some executive offices of the NFB may be established there. It is also believed here that, in view of a number of privately-owned studios being concentrated in Montreal, motion picture production for the NFB may be undertaken in Montreal, too, this being in addition to NFB executive offices. NSS Raw Stock (Continued from page 1) brought 100 per cent cooperation from all theatre owners, operators and managers throughout Texas," it was said. "Pledges have been signed which will be forwarded to Golden's office. Included are all circuit heads, independent organizations, Theatre Owners of America and Allied, projectionist unions and film truck lines of Texas. This contribution, which is voluntary on the. part of Texas showmen, will be effected through the immediate return of all trailers after their use which will automatically cut down the need for additional prints. Appeal Is Passed On MacArthur Case Washington, March . . 26. — The deadline for an appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court by Kass Realty Co. in the MacArthur Theatre case here has passed without an appeal. Kass had originally announced it would ask the high court to review the District Court of Appeals decision that neither Stanley Co. nor K-B Amusement Co., partners in the MacArthur venture, were liable for damages for failing to designate jointly a site for a second theatre to be built by Kass. Apparently the realty firm later changed its plans, and no appeal was taken. Georgia MPTOO to Meet Atlanta, March 26. — Fourth annual convention of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners and Operators of Georgia will be held at the Biltmore Hotel on May 12-14-15. The organization was founded here four years ago. Maine Exhibitors Oppose New Tax Augusta, Me., March 26. — Maine theatres could not survive a municipal tax of possibly 10 per cent on top of the existing 20 per cent Federal admission tax, Arthur F. Tiffin, spokesman for state theatre operators, told the legislative taxation committee here. Tiffin spoke in opposition to a bill introduced by Rep. Paul Woodworth, Fairfield Republican, which would authorize cities and towns to tax numerous transactions, occupations or personal property not subject to state taxation, including theatre admissions. UK Sulphur Crisis (Continued from page 1) Board of Trade. If their critical status is not recognized in the B. of T.'s internal rationing program, some laboratories will have to reduce their output, if indeed they don't close down entirely. Two American experts, Francis J. Curtis of Monsanto Chemical Co., and Edwin B. Lopkes of Blockson, are examing Britain's sulphur position and will begin definite talks with the B. of T. tomorrow with respect to future U. S. allocations.