Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1954)

Wednesday, February 10, 1954 Motion Picture Daily 5 Review "White Fire" (Lippert) Hollywood, Feb. 9 THE names of Scott Brady and Mary Castle for American marquee purposes are the principal assets of this melodrama played out in London by an otherwise all-overseas cast of able but not especially well-occupied players. Scott portrays an American who lands in London and sets out to locate his brother who, unknown to him, has been convicted of a murder charge and is within three days of execution date. Miss Castle plays a night-club entertainer and part-time smuggler who gets interested enough in Brady to aid him in his attempt to establish his brother's innocence at the risk of being done in by her smuggling confederates. Complications pile up to the point of incredibility before the malefactors, a numerous band indeed, are identified, detected and apprehended. Colin Tapley, Ferdy Mayne, John Blythe, Julian Somers, Ballard Berkeley and Gabrielle Brune head up the support. Production is ascribed to Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, the latter also directing the photography. And John Gilling, the director, collaborated on the screenplay with Paul Erickson, who wrote the story. It is a Tempean Production. Running time, 82 minutes. General classification. Release date, Feb. 10. Allied Stock {Continued from page 1) questionnaires to members asking them whether they would be willing to invest and guarantee playdates. Myers said exhibitors answering within the first two weeks said they would be willing to invest more than $300,000 in such a scheme. He emphasized that "several of our strongest areas" still haven't turned in their questionnaires. Exhibitors answering so far already own about $40,000 in stock in major production companies, Myers said. All the questionnaires, "with only three or four exceptions," indicated a willingness to guarantee play dates, according to Myers. The matter will be explored further by a special Allied committee meeting in New York late this month. Myers also said he hoped that he would be able to send to the Attorney General late this week Allied' s complaints on the 20th Century-Fox stereophonic sound policy. Both Allied's drive-in convention and the Allied board meeting overwhelmingly approved a motion to complain to the Justice Department about 20th-Fox's policy to require stereophonic sound as a condition of licensing its CinemaScope productions to drive-ins. (The 20th-Fox policy applies to all theatres, but the Allied resolution covered only drive-ins.) While the complaint to the Department is based just on the drive-in resolution, Myers said, "the broader aspects of the matter will be called to the Attorney General's attention." Myers said he was not surprised at 20th-Fox's decision to call off the planned tests of CinemaScope without stereophonic sound. "In my judgment," he declared, "I don't think the company ever had any intention of holding those tests." The Allied board meeting did not discuss the national film buying combine plan, mainly because its main sponsor, Jack Kirsch, was sick, Myers said. He declared that the board voted to oppose the so-called Reed Bill authorizing Federal courts to award less than treble damages in anti-trust suits, but approved the Keating Bill to set up a uniform Federal statute of limitations on these suits. Bright Named Manager TORONTO, Feb. 9.— O. T. Bright has been appointed general manager of the new Canadian subsidiary of Bell & Howell Co. of Chicago. The i Bell & Howell Canada, Ltd., plant is i scheduled to open in April. MOVIELAB'S new preview theatre brings TO THE EAST the ultimate in projection. • Three channel interlock projection • 16mm interlock projection • 35mm tape interlock projection ALSO CUTTING & EDITING ROOMS AVAILABLE MOVIELAB THEATRE SERVICE. INC. 619 W 54th St., N Y. 19, N. Y. • JUdson 6-0367 Reelect All Officers Of N.E. Allied Unit BOSTON, Feb. 9. — Irving A. Isaacs was reelected president, for a second term, of Independent Exhibitors of New England, Allied unit, at a luncheon-meeting here today. All other officers also were re-named. They are Melvin Safner, first vicepresident ; Herbert Brown, second vice-president; Albert A. Lourie, secretary ; Julian Rifkin, treasurer ; Nathan Yamins, national Allied delegate, and Norman Glassman, chairman of the board. Ray Feeley was reappointed executive secertary for his 10th term. Elected to the executive board were Katherine Avery, Leslie Bendslev, Viola Berlin, Leonard Goldberg", David Hodgdon, Fred Markey, Walter Mitchell, Daniel Murphy, Francis Perry, Samuel Resnik, Ted Rosenblatt, Meyer Stanzler, Andrew Tegu and Charles Tobey. Connolly to Head USIA Production Jack Connolly, acting head of the New York office of the International Motion Picture Division of the U.S. Information Agency, is being transferred to the Washington headquarters where, it is understood, he will be in charge of production. His successor in New York ''has not been announced. Andy W. Smith, former industry executive, heads the agency's motion picture division. Brotherhood Week Plans Set Upstate BUFFALO, Feb. 9. — Plans for Brotherhood Week were discussed here yesterday by 200 distributors and exhibitors at the local Variety Club. Stanley Kositsky, United Artists branch manager and chairman for Brotherhood Week, presided. Campaign kits were distributed by Edward F. Meade, publicity chairman. MacKay Appointed MONTREAL, Feb. 8— S. Alexander MacKay has been appointed Ontario manager for Associated Screen News, Ltd. He replaces J. J. Chisholm who is moving to the ASN main office here. Urges Industry Air Censor Bill Views ALBANY, N. Y., Feb. 9. — Sen. Fred G. Moritt, Brooklyn Democrat, today sought from the motion picture industry and "its associations" a statement outlining approval or opposition to his bill "allowing the public, through the medium of our traditional jury system, to be the final judges on questions of fact concerning the obscenity, indecency or inhumanity of a motion picture," or whether the industry favors the status quo appeal to the Regents when license to a film is refused by the motion picture division of the State Educational Department. If favoring neither, Senator Moritt inquired, "have they a solution to this problem which is of paramount importance not only to the industry but to the public?" 'Most Powerful Instrument' "It seems to me," he added, "that an industry which can reach about fifty million people a week and which is the most powerful instrument in the formation of opinions and ideas, not only of adults but also of the children of America, should and must give a pro or con expression on the troublesome question of censorship." Senator Moritt, partner in MacDonald Pictures, added, "I am in favor of continuing the licensing of motion pictures to be exhibited to the public. My bill makes the public, via our jury system, the final judges, and not bureaucrats, politicians or even well-intentioned persons." Moritt held that industry leaders and others who advocate elimination of state film licensing are "unrealistic and unwise." Legion Lists 3 'B'; 10 'A' in New List Three films in Class B and 10 in Class A are named in the latest listing of the National Legion of Decency. "Bait" and the revised versions of "Little Caesar" and "Public Enemy" are the Class B releases. Five pictures placed in Class A, Section 2, are : "Always a Bride," "Beachhead," "Charge of the Lancers," "Executive Suite" and "Massacre Canyon." Five additional releases in Class A, Section 1, are: "The Boy from Oklahoma," "The Conquest of Everest," "Dragon's Gold," "Gypsy Colt" and "Taza, Son of Cochise." Allied Board {Continued from page 1) selection of sites for the 1955 Allied convention and AlliM Drive-in convention, and a decision on the time and place for the spring board meeting. %. On Feb. 24, in advance of the board meeting, there will be a meeting of the special committee named at Cincinnati to work on the stock buying plan. The special committee hopes to have recommendations ready to present to the board the next day. Members of the committee are : Ben Marcus, Wilbur Snaper, Rube Shor, Horace Adams, Ben Berger, Trueman Rembusch and C. E. Nolte. Johnson to Europe {Continued from page 1) year instead of two years as desired by the U. S. and that the so-called subsidy provision of $200,000 over the course of two years be allocated for the one-year period. Following negotiations in Paris, Johnson will proceed to Rome, where he will open talks on a new Italian pact, with the present one slated to expire in August. Johnson's Rome visit will precede the visit to the U. S. of an Italian film delegation, slated for about April. Italy 'Frog Men9 Film For I.F.E. Release I. F. E. Releasing Corp. this spring will distribute "Hell Raiders of the Deep," English-language version of "I Sette Dell'Orsa Maggiore," the quasi-documentary film recounting the wartime exploits of Italy's "frog men," whose underwater operations resulted in the sinking of two British warships, "Valiant" and "Queen Elizabeth." Several actual participants in the wartime operations will reenact their activity in the picture. Top acting roles will be played by Pierre Cressey and Eleanora Rossi-Drago. Regularly scheduled daily flights. See your travel agent or call Trans World Airlines.