Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1954)

Wednesday, February 24, 1954 Motion Picture Daily National Pre-Selling WALT DISNEY'S version of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is being photographed 30 feet under water off the coast of Nassau in the Bahamas. "Life" sent Peter Stackpole to Nassau to make photographs under water of actor-divers, cameramen, grips, propmen, lifeguards and directors who are making their CinemaScope version of the Jules Verne science-fiction classic. Seven pages of these pictures appear in the current issue of "Life." On the front cover, Captain Nemo and members of the fabled Nautilus crew appear in Victorian-looking selfcontained diving equipment the way Jules Verne imagined them to be. • "'Act of Love'," reports Phil Hartung in the March issue of "Woman's Home Companion," "is beautifully photographed in Paris. It has been adapted from the novel 'The Girl on the Via Flaminia'." • "Hans Christian Andersen's" dancing star Jeanmaire appears on the delicately colored front cover of "Look's" current issue. "Jubilee Trail" is represented in the same issue, by an eye-catching ad in full color on a two-page spread. Also appearing in this issue is a two-page ad on "Beat the Devil" in color. More than half a page of the ad is given over to a listing of theatres in the United States and Canada which will play the film during March. " 'Go, Man, Go," reports Ed Miller in the March issue of "Seventeen," "is the kind of a movie during which you slip off your shoes and simply enjoy yourself. It's the warming, true-to-life yarn of the fabulous basketball team whose members are known as the Harlem Globetrotters, and it relates how the team came to be. The Globetrotters play themselves (and if you've never seen them, you're in for a treat)." In the same issue there is a striking full-page ad on "Red Garters." • "Brigadoon's" dancing star Cyd Charisse demonstrates in "McCaH's" March issue, how exercise can be fun, when done in dance rhythm. Many full color photographs of Cyd are spotlighted on a two-page editorial spread, illustrating how figure control exercises can be done in time with dance steps. • "The Long, Long Trailer" is represented by a striking full color page ad in "Pictorial Review's" February 21 issue, in which Leo, the MGM Lion's 30th Anniversary Celebration is spotlighted. • Louella Parson's "Movie Citations" in "CosmopoHtan" for March are: Best drama. "Executive Suite" ; Best comedy, "Money From Home" ; Best production, "Night People" ; Best action, "Riot in Cell Block 11." • "The Glenn Miller Story's" star June Allyson is featured in a full color Lustre Shampoo ad which appeared in the February 21 issue of "American Weekly." WALTER HAAS Review "Saskatchewan" ( U niversal) READILY merchandisable material fills this Universal release, starring Alan Ladd and Shelley Winters. In addition to the popularity of the stars, "Saskatchewan" offers the pictorial splendor of the Canadian Rockies, in color by Technicolor, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in action. These are the ingredients which should insure good box-office results. The story, which in the main runs to formula lines, introduces a number of new elements, adding sparkle to what otherwise would be a straight action film concerning the Royal Mounted Police and hostile Indians. Interwoven is a mutiny engineered by Royal Mounted Policeman Ladd against a martinet commander, Robert Douglas, who, if it were not for Ladd's rebellion, would have led the Canadian police contingent into an Indian trap. Shelley Winters, as the romantic interest in the film, handles her role competently, even drawing an occasional chuckle when she ironically pokes fun at predicaments in which she finds herself. But aside from her characterization, she lends the decorative quality of feminine beauty to the film. The picture opens with Alan Ladd and his Indian friend returning from an outpost, stumbling upon the havoc wrought by hostile Sioux and finding Miss Winters the sole survivor of a wagon train. It develops that the Sioux warriors have left the U. S. to conquer new territory and to win the peaceful Canadian Cree tribe to their side. It also develops that Miss Winters is wanted for murder in the States. Through several neat turns and twists, laden with plenty of action, all the problems are solved in the end and Canadian Mounted Policeman Ladd gets his woman, to the altar. Others in the cast include J. Carrol Naish, Hugh O'Brian, Robert Douglas, George Lewis, Richard Long and Jay Silverheels. Aaron Rosenberg produced and Raoul Walsh directed from a story and screenplay by Gil Doud Running time, 87 minutes. General classification. Release, in March. Murray Horowitz Brazil Festival (Continued from page 1) rejected by the local authorities, who chose festival headquarters as being more satisfactory to press, radio and TV and affording greater protection to the stars from over-enthusiastic fans. A reception for delegates from all countries as well as Brazilian officials and film executives was held here tonight by Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. Johnston stressed the freedom of the American film market for product from all the countries of the world and emphasized the absence of governmental restrictions and subsidies in the United States. . The first screening in Brazil of "The Robe" was held here last night and was attended by many de'egates from foreign nations. The CinemaScope feature was enthusiastically received. Moulin, ABP in Deal To Make 'Moby Dick' A co-production deal on "Moby Dick" has been signed by Alfred Crown, president of Moulin Productions, Inc., and Associated British Pictures Corp., Ltd. The film, said Crown, will be given worldwide distribution through Warner Brothers. Under the terms of the deal, John Huston, director, will start work in June at the ABP studios in Elstree, England. The screenplay will be done by Huston and Ray Bradbury. Parts of the production will be made on location. Gregory Peck will be starred. Gross Heads S-W Wisconsin Theatres Stanley Gross, citv manager in Appleton, Wis., for Stanley Warner Theatres, has been promoted to district manager for the S-W Wisconsin theatres, Alex Halperin, Midwest zone manager, announced vesteHay. Gross, who will also supervise publicity, succeeds Harry Mintz, who resigned to operate his own theatres. Streibert (Continued from page 1) $6,963,600, compared to $3,390,117 during the current year and $7,557,582 last year. Streibert emphasized that cuts in this year's appropriations had required the agency to stop all production work, and that the agency hoped to get back into production in the new fiscal year. He said that more pictures would be made in foreign countries that have been made there in the past. The U. S. I. A. chief emphasized the increased cooperation from the motion picture industry, especially in distributing U. S. I. A. films overseas, and said he and film chief Andrew W. Smith, Jr., hoped for more of the same in the future. Pimstein (Continued from i>age 1) Anslinger Warns On 'Dope' Films BALTIMORE, Feb. 23.— A general rise in narcotics traffic will "inevitably follow" if Maryland rescinds its ban on motion pictures dealing with narcotics, is the warning issued by H. J. Anslinger, Federal Commissioner of Narcotics here. Anslinger has asked the Legislative Council to carefully study "whether some acceptable standard for prohibiting the exhibition of such films might validly be retained or adopted in Maryland." His statement was in answer to a letter from Sydney R. Traub, chairman, Maryland State Board of Motion Picture Censors, directing attention _ to a bill pending in the State Legislature which would limit the censors to suppression of only those films deemed "indecent or obscene." Return Date for 'Robe' PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 23.— "The Robe" will be brought back for another showing at the Hollywood Theatre here. It will also play the Capitol Theatre in Salem, Ore., recently equipped by Forman Theatres for CinemaScope showings. the condition of both RKO Pictures and RKO Theatres with the view to acquiring control of one or the other. It is claimed that List agreed to pay Pimstein 5 per cent of the purchase price of the shares, purchased directly or indirectly by the defendant, other than in the open market through the efforts of the plaintiff. Pimstein was to be the exclusive representative in acquiring the stock held by Howard Hughes, according to the complaint. When Hughes decided not to sell the picture company, Pimstein began negotiating for Hughes' interest in the theatres, it is claimed. Pimstein alleges that he met with Hughes' representatives and worked out the details of the purchase. However, List, it is charged, purchased Hughes' 929,000 shares of RKO Theatres stock without Pimstein's knowledge or consultation for $4,412,750. Pimstein claims that List now refuses to recognize the agreement to pay him and that List acquired the shares through the plaintiff's efforts. Claims Part in Harrison Deal Pimstein also charges that it was through his efforts that List acquired 29,000 shares of RKO Theatres stock held by the Harrison Theatre and Realty Co., an Indiana corporation. It is understood that a condition whereby Hughes disposed of his shares to List was that the latter purchase the stock owned by Harrison. Pimstein asks $5,437 for his services in List's acquisition of those shares. Pimstein, now in private law practice, was with the RKO organization for 26 years. Theatre to Close CENTRALIA, Wash., Feb. 23.— Twin City Theatres, which owns and operates houses in Centralia and Chehalis, disclosed that the 500-seat St. Helen's Theatre in Chehalis will be closed March 12 and converted to business uses. nrTWA EUROPE and SAVE! Hotels are uncrowded, your dollars buy more and during Thri t Season (Nov. through March 31) you save up to $101 on TWA round -trip tickets to Europe. See your travel agent or call TWA, Trans World Airlines. J