Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

4 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, March 20, 1952 NT Meet {Contimi-ed from page 1) Fox West Coast Theatres, will preside at the meeting. John B. Bertero, chief counsel, will present a legal run-down on the various aspects covering the divorcement order which the company plans to put into effect by July, 1952. Division presidents, district managers, film buyers, bookers, advertising-publicity, real estate, merchandising, and purchasing heads will be in attendance from Fox West Coast Theatres, Fox Intermountain, Fox Alidwest, Fox Michigan, Evergreen and Fox Philadelphia. Among division heads set to attend are Elmer Rhoden, Kansas City ; Frank H. Ricketson, Jr., Denver ; Frank L. Newman, Sr., Seattle ; Harold J. Fitzgerald, Milwaukee; Harold Seidenberg, Philadelphia ; and David Idzal, Detroit. Executives from Los Angeles will include H. C. Cox, NT treasurer ; George Bowser, FWC general manager, and Dick Dickson, Southern California division manager. From San Francisco will come M. Spencer Leve, FWC's Northern California division manager. Another topic on the agenda will be a discussion on the new Swiss Eidophor television system. *U's' World Gross (Continued from page 1) the Security and Exchange Commission that the gross for the 13 weeks ended February 2 was $13,426,766. This compares with $12,723,150 for the 13 weeks in the year previous. Top Air Froman Tribute A tape recording from the USOCamp Show Waldorf Astoria Hotel tribute on Monday to Jane Froman will be broadcast later in the week over the NBC Tex and Jinx program. Miss Froman's story has been dramatized in the new 20th Century-Fox production, "With A Song in My Heart." Honor Anna Neagle J^oxDox, Alarch 19. — Anna Neagle today received the Order of the British Empire from the Duke of Gloucester for her service to the British film industry. 'My Son^ John {Continued from page 1) for the picture a vast amount of favorable and interested discussion. Moreover, it commends itself to the interest and attention of civic and patriotic organizations, to public officials from the local to the national level, and to newspaper and magazine editorial writers. With their support and its own considerable catalogue of merits, its experience at the box office should be rewarding to exhibitors and audiences alike. Adding to the dramatic impact of Walker's involvement in Communism, is not only the fact that he is the favorite son of a God-fearing, patriotic American family, but also that he is in government service in Washington and his participation in the Communist conspiracy is treasonous. The particular sincerity of the depiction of maternal devotion to the son, which the great talent of Miss Hayes provides, accentuates the basic tragedy of the story. Further emphasis is provided by Jagger's identification with the local American Legion post and his devotion to American ideals, carried into his profession, that of an elementary school teacher. In addition, the other two sons of the family are Marines who, at the time of the action, are about to leave for Korea. ON a visit to his home Walker's behavior first breeds doubt, then suspicion in the minds of his parents. Suspicion crystallizes when Van Heflin, as an F.B.I, agent, makes use of an accident to visit the home and seek information concerning Walker. Miss Hayes seeks the truth from her son by recourse to every appeal to honor, decency and devotion of which a mother is capable, but Walker meets her with lies and evasion. Jagger, openly believing the son is either a Communist or a sympathizer, endeavors to reason with him, but is provoked into striking Walker. A series of ensuing events leaves the mother in possession of evidence linking the son with a woman arrested as a Communist spy. Confronted with the evidence. Walker at first seeks escape by lying, then, abandoning all pretext of decency, he first endeavors to recover the evidence from his mother by force and, finally, threatens to discredit her testimony against him by accusing her of mental incompetence. Returning to Washington, Walker is about to flee the country when conscience overtakes him. In his office he makes a recording of an address to the graduating class of his alma mater in which he confesses to being a Communist and traitor, and relates the process of his delusion and downfall through associations formed in his college days. About to surrender to ihe F.B.I., Walker is shot to death by Party executioners. The outstanding performances of the principals make living people of each character. Miss Hayes' work, in her first screen appearance in 17 years, is especially noteworthy. She appears without make-up throughout the picture. The burden of the story's emotional impact rests upon her, and a nrmer foundation for a dramatic dependency would be difficult to name. Still, Jagger and Walker are not far removed from Miss Hayes in the excellence of their performances. The support of Heflin; Minor Watson, as the family doctor; Frank McHugh, as a village priest; Tod Karns, as an F.B.I, man, and Richard Jaeckel and James Young, as the sons in service, is substantial and in keeping with the high level of authenticity achieved throughout. The adaptation of McCarey's story is by John Lee Mahin. Miles Connolly and McCarey did the screenplay. "My Son, John," is an important contribution to the screen drama of our day. It has significance beyond its dramatic stature. By the very nature of its subject matter, that is inescapable. But its message is subservient at all times to an order of theatre that makes its people and its story come alive. Paramount is deserving of credit for making possible a picture that speaks so well of matters about which the screen cannot afiford to be quiet. Running time, 122 minutes. General audience classification. For April release. ' Sherwin Kane GIVE to the American Red Cress. March is American Red Gross Month. GIVE. Mayer Staying {Continued fromi page I) ported in the trade yesterday that eflorts are being made or will be made to persuade Mayer to take the presidency of COMPO, if only for an interim period, following which, with the present business pressure on Skouras eased, the latter might be in a position to take over the reins. Mayer had declined another term as executive vice-president at the February 20-21 COMPO board meeting here, but agreed to continue in office for a few weeks in the belief that it would take only that long for new administrators to take over. Meanwhile, he booked passage for a plane trip to Europe. He said yesterday that he now has indefinitely postponed the trip, but hoped it would be possible for him to depart by May. Prompted by Press Reports The letters to the executive board members were prompted by trade press reports that Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox, had officially notified COMPO that he would be unable to serve as COMPO's chief executive. , Skouras was elected to the post at the board meeting, but his being in Zurich, Switzerland, at the time resulted in delay in determining whether or not he would accept. Since his return to the U. S. about two weeks ago, Skouras withheld his decision on whether to accept the post and was approached meanwhile by Mayer and other COMPO executives who endeavored to persuade him to accept. His decision on Tuesday to decline arose from pressure of company business and his belief that he would not have sufficient time this year to do justice to the COMPO position. Intended to "clear up any misunderstanding" the Mayer letter assured COMPO board members that "there has been no let-up in COMPO's activities and that we are going full steam ahead on the COMPO program, as approved at the executive board meeting . . . notwithstanding our great disappointment over Mr. Skouras' reluctance to accept the post of president. "I shall not discuss the subject of COMPO's officers at this time," Mayer wrote, "because before you get this letter it is quite possible that you will have received word clarifying the situation from Jack Alicoate, chairman of the nominating committee. I want to make it clear, however, that pending the installation of officers, I am continuing on the job." He added that he, Robert W. Coyne, COMPO special counsel, and Charles E. McCarthy, information director, "are going ahead with our daily work and are giving all our energies to carrying out the COMPO program discussed at our board meeting." He emphasized the importance of the program enclosed with the letter, and added that "while everything possible for the execution of this program will be done both by your COMPO staff and the very capable committees to which the various projects have been allotted, it will not succeed unless it has the enthusiastic and vigorous support of all of us. I urge you, therefore, to look on these projects as your own tasks and to do your utrnost to bring them to a successful fruition."