Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1954)

Monday, February 8, 1954 Motion Picture Daily 5 'Riot in Cell Block 11 ? {Continued from page 1 ) has happened in those other riots and places which news headlines have covered so frequently in recent years. Violence grows and suspense piles up as warden and riot leaders match wits and strategy, and death is among riot's consequences. Few pictures give their audiences so much warrant for word-of-mouth. The cast is all-male, save for walk-ins by incidental wives and mothers toward the close. Foremost among many excellent actors (the cast actually runs to hundreds, incidentally) are Neville Brand, seen in "Stalag 17," as the riot leader, and Emile Meyer, who was the leader of the cattlemen in "Shane," as the prison warden. These men turn in splendidly clear-cut and measured portrayals, and so do many more actors whose names don't sell tickets yet but may do so after their work here has proved their skills. Don Siegel's direction is a masterly job, as competent in his handling of mob charges, assaults and repulses, as in dealing with intimate scenes and tense situations. The Richard Collins' script is among the finest writing jobs this reviewer has witnessed in years, ft provides the picture with a strong, newsreel-type opening, covering some major 1953 prison breaks, and proceeds directly into the mealtime procedure in cell block 11, the prison's punishment section, where the riot is to break out that night and continues to the picture's end. It switches emphasis steadily from inmates to keepers and back again, with the problems confronting each clearly drawn, as demands and replies follow in mounting tension. It holds attention on the over-all struggle, rather than on any single individual's case, and ties all of the story strands together in a firm knot at the finish. The picture, in whole, is strong, clean, coherent melodrama, suitable for all types of theatres and audiences. "Highway Dragnet" (Allied Artists) THE marquee of the theatre playing "Highway Dragnet" will do more to sell the film than any other single factor. Filled to overflowing with such names as Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix, Richard Conte, Reed Hadley, Mary Beth Hughes, Frank Jenks and Iris Adrian, the film should do well despite implausibility sprinkled throughout its 71 minutes of running time. A tale of crime and punishment, the locale is Las Vegas, with some exciting pursuits across the desert to Barstow, Cal., and beyond to the Salton Sea. The script, by Herb Meadow and Jerome Odium, from a story by U. S. Anderson and Roger Corman, with additional dialogue by Tom Hubbard and Fred Eggers, has Conte charged with killing a woman in Las V egas and escaping in a police car to the desert, where he hitch-hikes a ride with the Misses Bennett and Hendrix, professional photographer and model, whose captor he becomes by force of a set of circumstances that gets thoroughly snarled before it is revealed that Miss Bennett really did the killing. Jack Jungmeyer, Jr., produced, under executive producer William F. Broidy, and with A. Robert Nunes and Roger Corman as co-producers. Direction is by Nathan Juran. Others in the cast include Harry Harvey, Tom Hubbard, House Peters, Joseph Crehan and Bill Hale. Running time, 71 minutes. General classification. January release. Drive-ins (Continued from page 1) installed, I question the judgment of every drive-in owner who at this time is getting panicky. A lot of fellows made a serious mistake when they went for 3-D last year. Let's keep our heads and not equip ourselves out of business." Shor Sees 'Direct Violation' Rube Shor, chairman of the convention, expressed the opinion that 20th-Foxis action in apparently making equipment a condition in the licensing of its pictures was a "direct violation of the law" and that if Spyros Skouras wanted to change the law, "it should be done in due process by legislation." In concurring with Shor, Sidney Samuelson of Philadelphia, former national Allied president, offered to draft a resolution on the issue and have it forwarded to the U.S. Attorney General's office. Many exhibitors said they would individually wire their Congressmen in regard to the "bill of fare" now being offered by distribution. Insurance Rate Rise Predicted In discussing drive-in insurance rates, Jack Wallens of Yarchin & Co. of Boston said that the $15,000,000 yearlv paid in premium rates today would rise to $20,000,000 within five years. He said he believed that the National Rating Bureau is not fully familiar with the characteristics of drive-ins and, therefore, must protect itself through the high cost of premiums. A reduction in rates, he said, could be accomplished only by national cooperation in compiling data from every drive-in. A motion wa= passed calling for a questionnaire to be forwarded by national Allied to all units so that the information can be gathered and sent to the National Rating Bureau. Theatre TV (Continued from page 1) the Century Circuit are slated to be installed in Long Island houses. All the circuits with the exception of Reade's, bought two sets apiece. The purchase of nine sets will bring the number of theatre TV installations throughout the country to 103, according to BOT. New Contract (Continued from page 1) contract, health and hospital insurance, life insurance up to $2,000, two more paid holidays per year and no layoffs for the duration of the contract unless there is a "signfiicant" loss of business. The strike would have affected every theatre in the New York area. Toups with Loew's 35 Years in N. O. A new service record for Loew's will be established today when Rodney Toups, manager of Loew's State Theatre in New Orleans completes 35 years of service for the organization in that city. Toups has been manager of the State since it opened in 1926. He started as assistant manager of Loew's Crescent there in 1919. House Group (Continued from page 1) been excellent," the report states. "Further, it can be stated on considerable authority that perhaps no major industry in the world today employs fewer members of the communist party than does the motion picture -industry." The report singled out for praise the work of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. It said that organizations such as this have encouraged former oarty members to testify, and thus have helped the committee's work. The committee listed various film industry witnesses whose testimony, it said, had especially helped the committee. The list included Larry Parks, Lucille Ball, Lee J. Cobb, Harold A. Hecht and David Lang. It also carried a 26-page list of persons identified as party members in the Los Angeles area. Robert Rossen was praised for testimony he gave the committee in New York City. 'Scope Lens Production Since Bausch & Lomb converted to oroduction of anamorphic lenses_ last May, the company has turned out 3,610 CinemaScope projection lenses and 227 camera lenses to date, 20th ;: Century-Fox reports. Overseas Tax (Continued from page 1) activities at a rate 14 percentage points lower than the going U. S. corporate rate. However, the committee said, the income would have to come from branches or subsidiaries actually carrying on a business in the foreign countries, and not merely from export business. The committee put a similar restriction on another change — to permit firms to delay U. S. income taxes on income earned by overseas branches until the money is actually remitted to the U. S. Some film companies had been seeking this change for some time, but apparently they will be denied the benefit of this one, too. The committee voted to do away with one limitation on the availability of the foreign tax credit. At present, there are two limitations — an overall, and a country-by-country one. The committee said the country-bycountry limit should be retained and the over-all limit dropped. Philatelists Meet Feb. 24 The Cinema Stamp Collectors at their next meeting Feb. 24, will be addressed by E. Robert Singer of Mueller & Singer, Inc. Non-members are invited to this open meeting, to be held at the Hotel Astor here. NO.;' J /IN A SERIES OF GREAT REVIEWS ft |MH|i]d|rf!lid Wiif'l J$W H9NMBBH9KI the MAN BETWEEN * Suspense thriller. .. destined for healthy grosses ! Crammed with lively suspense !" VARIETY