Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

Monday, January 21, 1952 Motion Picture daily 3 Review "Trail Guided' {RKO Radio) TIM HOLT, in the latest of the Western series, takes up the cause of some homeless homesteaders. As usual, Richard Martin is on hand as Holt's sidekick and he provides some of 'the lighter touches. The film has all the necessary ingredients to meet the demands of its category. After guiding a wagon train of homesteaders to their destination, Holt and Richard Martin find that the cattlemen of the area dislike the idea of homesteaders taking over their grazing lands and are willing to kill to keep the legal intruders away. Spearheading the cattlemen are young Robert Sherwood and his lovely sister Linda Douglas. Unknown to Miss Douglas, Sherwood hires the local tavern keeper to steal the homesteaders' leases, thereby incurring the wrath of Holt and Martin. Holt's job is eased somewhat by Sherwood's turning against his cronies when they kill the local sheriff. Sherwood himself is killed by the crooks, whereupon Holt exposes the lawbreakers and gets Miss Douglas to lead a peace movement between cattlemen and homesteaders. Holt and Martin ride and shoot with their usual ability. Miss Douglas is very pretty and Sherwood a believable good-boy-gone-wrong. Frank Wilcox, as the saloon keeper, is somewhat more suave than most western villains. Herman Schlom produced and Lesley Selander directed from a screenplay by Arthur E. Orloff. Running time, 60 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, not set. New Set-up For ^ Voice' See New SSB Pay Pattern Washington, Jan. 20. — The Salary Stabilization Board is seen by observers as establishing a policy for the payment of salaries to film talent under which a producer or studio would be permitted to pay out in total salaries each year as much as it paid out in the highest year between 1946 and 1950, plus a flat 10 per cent to reflect the general rise in the nation's economy. This policy was laid down by the SSB recently for baseball players and observers believe that this may be the general guide to the Board's program for controlling film talent pay. Salaries of individual players could be raised to any figure, as long as the total of all salaries did not exceed this limit. Higher salaries for some players would have to be made up by lower salaries for others. A similar policy in the talent field, it is believed, would serve the industry's interests very well, since with the general Hollywood economy policy, studios could stay within the total payrolls of the earlier years without too much difficulty. The salary board still has under consideration a final policy for talent workers. Board secretary Joseph Cooper has been on the West Coast this week clearing up some further questions with studios and talent guilds and the Board itself may issue a final policy within the next few weeks. Copper Situation Is 'CriticaU: Golden Washington, Jan. 20. — An urgent appeal to the film industry for support of the Department of Commerce's copper dripping salvage program has come from Nathan D. Golden, director of the motion picture and photographic products division of the National Production Authority, who' declares that the situation is "critical." The copper shortage, according to Golden, is due to the "limited supply of domestic ore, the reduced flow of domestic scrap, and reduced imports of foreign ore — all in the face of growing demands." He says that copper refining and smeUing facilities are sufficient to meet current demands and that what is needed is "more basic ore and scrap." Coast Premiere for WB's 'Trees' Feb, 19 The West Coast premiere for Warner Brothers' color by Technicolor production, "The Big Trees," starring Kirk Douglas, has been set for the Broadway Theatre, Yreka, Cal., where some of the film's action takes place. It opens the following day at the St. Francis theatre in San Francisco and will be followed by approximately 100 saturation playdates in the Northwest area. FWC Deal with Gamble San Francisco, Jan. 20. — Fox West Coast Theatres has taken over operation of the Tower at Fresno from Gamble and O'Keefe, and at the same time it gave up operation of the Kinema at Fresno to G & O. Frank Arcure, manager of the Kinema, was transferred to the Tower. Brotherhood Week Meeting Wednesday The industry committee for the National Conference of Christians and Jews has scheduled a luncheon meeting for Wednesday at the WaldorfAstoria Hotel here to discuss final plans for observance next month of Brotherhood Week. Reports will be made at the meeting by George Skouras, industry chairman for the 1952 Brotherhood Week observance ; Max E. Youngstein and Si Seadler of the advertising-publicity committee. Hank Linet, industry publicity manager ; Ned E. Depinet, J. Robert Rubin and others. Aim for New Booking High for DAV Film The industry is aiming for a record number of bookings on the latest of the Disabled American Veterans short subjects titled "One Who Came Back." Setting a new high will mean an excess of 16,000 bookings, the figure achieved by both previous DAV films, "How Much Do You Owe?", with James Stewart and Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, and "On Stage, Everybody," with Bob Hope. 'Frisco Office for Manhattan Films Hollywood, Jan. 20. — With the opening of a San Francisco office, the first step in the 1952 expansion plans of Manhattan Films International, Inc. have been taken, according to Robert I. Kronenberg, president. The firm, said to be the largest distributor of foreign film product on the West Coast, represents 18 different New York releasing companies, handling over 100 films. Kronenberg, before opening offices here, was a partner of Films International of America, a New York releasing firm. AFL Group Files Claim Hollywood, Jan. 20. — The American Federation of Labor Film Council here has filed labor claims against producer Jack Schwarz for personnel engaged in making "Son of the Outlaw" and withheld further service pending payment. The film, produced by John Carpenter, had been financed by Schwarz. Solons Hear Coyne in Treasury's Bond Bid Washington, Jan. 20. — Robert W. Coyne, special counsel to the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, on Friday represented the U. S. Treasury Department at a hearing before the House Appropriations committee on the Treasury's request for an appropriation for defense bond activity for the new fiscal year. He worked here with Treasury officials all last week on preparations for the hearing. Coyne, who during World War II served as Treasury consultant, addressed the House committee for two hours, outlining new bond promotion plans. He returned to New York at the weekend. 7 Want You' Contest For D.C. Opening In preparation for the opening in Washington Wednesday of Samuel Goldwvn's "I Want You," at the Keith Theatre, RKO Radio, the producer and the theatre in conjunction with the Washington Daily News are sponsoring an "I Want You" contest that will provide a close relative of a serviceman in Western Europe with a free trip to visit the serviceman. The contest, which requires the applicant to write a letter to the newspaper telling why he would like to visit the serviceman, was started in the paper last week. Bezel Will Release 15 Rank Films Albert Dezel has completed a deal with Allied Films Corp. to distribute 15 J. Arthur Rank pictures in his Detroit and Chicago exchanges. First of the films, "Caesar and Cleopatra," opened last week at the Carnegie Theatre in Chicago. Arcadia Now the Baronet The Arcadia Theatre on Third Avenue at 59th Street, here, which Walter Reade Theatres acquired last October, was closed last night for remodeling and refurbishing, to reopen early in February as the Baronet, it was announced by Walter Reade. The Baronet will have a first-run "selected film" policy. Washington, Jan. 20. — The State Department has announced a new administrative set-up for its overseas information program, designed to step up the activities of the film and other divisions in the "Voice" program. The information program and the educational exchange program were put in a separate International Information Administration, to be headed by Dr. Wilson Compton, former president of Washington State College. Dr. Compton, who will have the title of IIA administrator, will report directly to the Secretary of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for public affairs, who hitherto has headed the set-up, will be freed of all administrative duties and will act as the Secretary's policy adviser on informational activities, while IIA is the executive agency. Edward W. Barrett is expected to resign this latter post shortly, and a successor is to be named by the White House soon after. Purpose of the change. Department officials state, is to "raise the status of the whole program and all personnel." However, the International Motion Picture Division will function much as it did before, carrying on the same duties in the same manner. Souvaine-Apex Films In Two-Way Deal Souvaine Selective Pictures and the recently-formed Sydney Box producing and distributing organization of England, Apex Film Distributors, Ltd., have arranged a two-day distribution deal, it was disclosed here by Charles M. Amory, Souvaine general sales manager. Under the deal Souvaine will handle the distribution of Apex pictures in the United States, and Apex will release certain Souvaine pictures in Great Britain. Lou Bunin's "Alice in Wonderland" is the Apex initial release for England, and Souvaine begins distribution in the U. S. next month of the latest Sydney Box feature, "Mr. Lord Says 'No' 1" Approve Bldg, Code Advisory Committee Albany, N. Y., Jan. 20. — A suggestion by John Coggeshall, of the State Labor Department's code division, that a permanent advisory committee of motion picture operators, engineers and union employees be named to make a continuing study of the Code for places of public assembly has met the approval of Commissioner George S. Raymond of the Board of Standards and Appeals. Raymond presided at hearings yesterday and Dec. 13 on proposed changes. Cinema Case Drags Denver, Jan. 20. — Cinema Amusements' case against RKO, M-G-M and 20th Century-Fox for $1,000,000 trebled damages will drag into its third week today with only two witnesses heard, including Harris Wolfbreg. Cinema president, and Sidney Samuelson, Eastern Pa. Allied head. Latter testified as to the desirability of Denver first-run theatres. Wolfberg testified as to his efforts to get firstrun product for Cinema's Broadway here.