Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1953)

6 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, November 17, 1953 Reviews "The Nebraskan" (Columbia Pictures) (3-D) THE SALABLE POINTS of "The Nebraskan" are 3-D and its beautiful color by Technicolor. Both should be promoted. Ditto the cast, headed by Philip Carey, Wallace Ford, and Roberta Haynes. But the story, by David Lang, is full of arbitrary plot twists. In the leading role, that of a scout attached to the U.S. Army in 1867, Carey appears to be a new player to build into stardom. Miss Haynes also registers well as a slightly disillusioned dance hall girl, former friend of Carey's, who meets up with him again under life and death circumstances. These circumstances, comprising the narrative of "The Nebraskan," center around Carey's efforts to get a fair trial for his Indian pal, Maurice Jara, who is accused by the Indians of murdering their chief. The Indians threaten war when the Army refuses to hand over Jara. Later, after Jara is forced to escape from the Army fort by a renegade soldier, both are recaptured by Carey and are caught in an Indian siege. Also caught in the siege ar§ Miss Haynes and her current boy friend, Richard Webb, who happened by on a passing stagecoach. The siege concludes with the uncovering of evidence leading to proof of Jara's innocence. The action and violence are fairly plentiful. Lee Van Cleef does a good job as the renegade soldier, and so does Wallace Ford as the gregarious proprietor of the stage station where the siege takes place. Fred F. Sears directed and Wallace MacDonald produced, from a screenplay by David Lang and Martin Berkeley. The 3-D photography is good. Others in the cast are Regis Toomey, Jay Silverheels, Pat Hogan, Dennis Weaver and Boyd "Red" Morgan. Running time, 68 minutes. General audience classification. November release. "Flight Nurse" (Republic') WITH Joan Leslie and Forrest Tucker in the principal roles, this film is packed with incident which should appeal most strongly to the younger trade. It is the saga of the Army's highflying Florence Nightingales assigned to the Korea-Japan shuttle route. Although honest in intent, the screenplay bv Alan LeMay is overly laden with propaganda of the most primative sort. It's to be admitted that everyone connected with the United Nations effort has done a noble job, but it's something else again to translate that nobility into dramatic terms without outright preachment. Miss Leslie portrays an eager new flight nurse who arrives in Janan with the principal purpose of locating and marrying her fiance, Arthur Franz, an Army helicopter pilot. Before thev have a chance to get together, she flies a couple of trips to the Korean battlefields, and. as a result of seeing the devastating effects of the war on civilians and soldiers alike, begins to have a change of heart toward her job. In the end, after many battle scenes, occasional comedv and one crash landing, she spurns Franz to carry on the cause of the flight nurses. Tucker is seen as the pilot of the C-47 on which Miss Leslie flies the shuttle route and is second man in her heart. It seems at the fadeout that if anv one gets her, he will be the boy. Jeff Donnell is a slightlv addle-brained but dedicated nurse who knows dutv and marriage can be very incompatible. James Holden, Ben Cooper and Richard Simmons are some of the other service people prominent in the storv. Roundinsr out the footaare are many authentic newsreel shots which add to the general excitement. Allan Dwan directed. Others in the cast are Kristine Miller, Maria Palmer, Richard Simmons Tames Brown and Hal Baylor. Running time, 90 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, Nov. 15. List-RKO (Continued from page 1) the current offer to acquire 400,000 additional shares, points out that the price of $4.50 is equivalent to a price of at least $4.60 per share in view of the absence of brokerage charge and transfer taxes, and more than that in the case of less than 100-share lots. List's purchase offer expires Nov. 25. He reserves the right to purchase more than the first 400,000 shares offered. The new purchase offer revealed for the first time the details of List's purchase of the Hughes' holdings. He paid Hughes $3,372,067.75 cash for 709,909 shares and exchanged 198,500 shares of RKO Pictures Co. stock for another 176,444 shares of RKO Theatres stock. Hughes' remaining 33,667 shares of RKO Theatres went to David Greene, List's associate, who also is a member of the RKO Theatres board. Control Complete List personally holds all of the shares he purchased from Hughes except 25,778 shares which were acquired for a company owned by the List family. While the purchase from Hughes was regarded as giving List effective control of RKO Theatres, the acquisition of a minimum 400,000 additional shares eliminates any question of control. SimoniMGMPost (Continued from page 1) otherwise represented the company during the ensuing 13 years. Simons' first connection with the industry came as a theatre manager and advertising man in Paris, 111., his home town. Following several years of touring the country as producer and director of stage musicals, he returned briefly to exhibition before joining M-G-M at Indianapolis. Subsequently as a booker, salesman and office manager, he served also in Milwaukee and Memphis before coming to New York to join the sales department as editor of "The Distributor," employees' publication, a post he still retains. Sound Tests (Continued from Page 1) Allied States convention in Boston in October that the single track sound tests would be tried to answer exhibitor contentions that stereophonic sound was unnecessary to good CinemaScope presentations. Wile lined up the first theatres for the test and was informed by Gehring last week that the single sound track prints would not be available until next spring. Wile said : "We congratulate both gentlemen for reversing their previous position and assure them that exhibitors all over the country will be eagerly awaiting the results of the tests." Newport, Ky., Adopts Censorship Measure LOUISVILLE, Nov. 16.— An ordinance providing for the -creation of a five-member city censor board has been adopted by the Newport, Ky., city commission. It provides for fines of not less than $10 or more than $500 and a 30-day jail sentence for exhibitors of films in violation of the ordinance. BMI Music (Continued from page 1) ASCAP, however, has no field organization, leaving it with no apparent organization to check on music played in theatres. BMI was described as feeling that theatres should pay as thev pay ASCAP for the playing of BMI music, which has grown to a large catalogue. iRrfWflens Pola-Lite Tr*tstrihiitif)>n Area CHICAGO, Nov. 16. — Charles Cooper, Chicago exhibitor and concessionaire who has been handling the distribution of Pola-Lite 3-D glasses for this area, has also acciuired the distribution rights for this product in the Cleveland, Cincinnati and Indianapolis areas. A demonstration of single-strip 3-D is planned here within the next week or 10 days. Thailand Business (Continued from page 1) being built," Hoontrakul Kosol. chairman of the Hainan Association and China Association, said today at a luncheon in his honor given bv Allied Artists, whose interests in Thailand he represents. In the United States for the past two months as guest of the State Department, and as a member of the Commission on Overseas Affairs, the visitor said American ^''ctures are the principal product in ^is countrv. from which Pussian pictures are barred bv law. He said the double feature is unknown in Thailand. Horwits Joins Lou Smith HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 16. — Al Horwits, former Universal-International studio publicity director, today disclosed his association with the Lou Smith organization, independent press and public relations counsel, as a partner. RKO Loans (Continued from page 1) agenda will be the company's production plans for next year and its plans to corral outside product for distribution by RKO. Grainger was said to be working out a policy for the studio, defining the projected number of studio productions and the number to be made on the lot bv outside producers. It was held highly liV-ely that the number of studio productions next vear would be modest, but that the' lineup would be bolstered bv outside producers releasing through RKO, offering the company a healthy releasing schedule for 1954. Meanwhile, it was disclosed that the company will beein the new vear with nine pictures readv for release, including the Howard Hughes' production, "Jet Pilot " which now is defin-jtplv set for release. The nine, which encomnass two now in release, include Walt Disney's "Rob Roy." "The French Line," "Son of Sinbad." "Ranger of the North," the latter a tentative title, "Target Earth," and "Carnival Story." Four million dollars were borrowed from the First National Bank, the National Bank of Commerce, and the Texas National Bank, all of Houston. The 3^4 per cent promissory notes were given to the three Texas banks under a refinancing plan which provided for the payment of a $2,500,000 loan to the Bankers Trust Co., New York. It was not known here whether the projected extension of the new loans would be short-termed or of longer duration. New Eady N.F.F.C. (Continued from page 1 ) planned now for production next year. In addition, producers here see the prospect of an expanded market in the United States in consequence of the Hollywood policy of "fewer but bigger pictures." The Eady Plan has been signed now by the presidents of all four trade associations and sent to the Board of Trade and Chancellor of the Exchequer. The confused status of the voluntary agreement over the past month at least had the effect of familiarizing the government with the perilous position in which many exhibitors find themselves due to the high level of the entertainment tax. In consequence, hopes of relief next April run . high and justifiably so with Whitehall higher-ups now on the exhibitor's side. The bill extending N.F.F.C. for another three years has been given its first reading in Parliament. It contains a provision empowering the corporation to accept shares or debentures in any company to which it has made loans but which cannot repav them without "harmful consequences to British film production." This may particularly affect British Lion which was granted a £3,000.000 N.F.F.C. loan which the latter states it is not possible "for a program of repayment to be prepared." J%rmes Lawrie, who is resigning as managing director of N.F.F.C, says-' he does not propose to become a producer himself but has in mind forming a company to give the same sort of service as N.F.F.C. and recruitingother producers to work with his company.