Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1954)

6 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, April 28, 1954 National Pre-Selling WALT DISNEY has published a very entertaining and informative booklet based on his "True-Life Adventures" and "People and Places" series. Disney has sent camera crews to parts of the world that were never before photographed. Husband-andwife camera teams are shown in the Falkland. Islands, off the lower cape of South America, in the sub-Arctic wilds and in Africa, photographing savage beasts. An expedition consisting of biology and zoology experts was sent to the "Galapagos," the weird isles off the western shores of Ecuador and the last refuge for some of the world's strangest creatures. Theatre owners and managers can obtain a copy of the publication depicting the Disney "True-Life Adventure" and "People and Places" series by writing to Charles Levy at the Walt Disney Productions' N. Y. office. • "'Rhapsody'," reports Phil Hartung in May's issue of "Woman's Home Companion," "has a first-rate musical score beautifully played, accompanying this tempestuous love story." In the same issue, Hartung when recommending "Elephant Walk," says, "Elizabeth Taylor, the star, is deciding whether to flee with Dana Andrews or stick it out with her unpleasant husband in exotic Ceylon." • Grace Kelly, star of four completed top-budget films to be released this year, "Dial M for Murder," "The Bridges of Toko-Ri," "Country Girl" and "Rear Window," is the cover girl on "Life's" April 26th issue. In a three-page cover story titled "Hollywood's Hottest Property," interesting action photographs taken on the production sets of the forementioned pictures are displayed prominently. Grace Kelly is the daughter of a famous and wealthy Philadelphia family. In the same issue there is an interesting" and informative story on the life of George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Film Co. • " 'New Faces'," reports Ed Miller in the May issue of "Seventeen," "is the recent Broadway musical transferred to the screen through the good graces of CinemaScope. It proves as merry and diverting a movie as it was a revue with Ronny Graham, Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Alice Ghostley as its leading performers. A sample sketch concerns an 'investigation' of bop; songs include 'C'est si bon' and 'Uska Dara'." • "Elephant Walk" and ''Rhapsody" are both reviewed dually in "Look's" current issue. The reviewer reports that Elizabeth Taylor, the star of both films, is in the incredible position of being rejected by a total of four men she chooses to love. She wins their reluctant hearts by means of sheer grit rather than through her natural charms. • "The Student Prince," "Knock on Wood," "The Naked Jungle" and "Saskatchewan" are recommended by Ruth Harbert in the May issue of "Good Housekeeping." WALTER HAAS Reviews "The Long Wait" (Parklane-United Artists) AMNESIA, murder, racketeering and lots of beautiful blondes fill Lesser Samuels' and Alan Green's screen adaptation of Mickey Spillane's best seller with enough action, suspense and feminity to serve the purposes of most exploitation houses. Anthony Quinn slugs his way through the film as Spillane's tough "Johnny McBride," Charles Coburn is the seemingly respectable banker behind a mob of hoodlums ; Gene Evans is their straw boss and the female roles are more than capably handled by Peggie Castle, Mary Ellen Kay, Shawn Smith and Dolores Donlon. Audiences partial to bare-knuckled violence and love on the torrid side will support "The Long Wait" wherever it is shown. Quinn loses his memory in a highway accident before returning to the town where he was previously accused of murder. Using detective logic, bare fists, an assortment of automatic weapons and the four females, he not only clears himself of the crime and regains his memory, but exposes the corrupt Coburn and his mob and finds his pre-amnesia wife. The key lies in Mary Ellen Kay, Quinn's spouse, who has had her looks changed on an operating table, and who is the only one capable of bringing back his past. But to get to her and her true identity, Quinn has to contend with Evans, the Misses Castle, Smith and Donlon, and finally Coburn. John Damler, a local reporter who wrote the story of Quinn's alleged crime, fills him in on the details and aids in his quest. The starkly brutal climax occurs in a deserted warehouse where Miss Castle, beaten up by Evans, kills her tormenter and saves Quinn from liquidation by Coburn's hoods. Lesser Samuels produced "The Long Wait" and Victor Saville directed. Running time, 93 minutes. Adult classification. For release in May. Frank Backilman The Rocket Man ft (Panoramic-20th Century-Fox) THE familiar theme of good vs. evil is given a fresh, up-to-date twist in "The Rocket Man," capitalizing on the current juvenile interest in science fiction heroes. The setting is a small Midwestern town, and the heroes are small town citizens who successfully vanquish a gang of villains in the roles of corrupt politicians. Charles Coburn, the town's plumber turned honest mayor ; Spring Byington, the local justice of the peace; romantically inclined Anne Francis and John Agar and Emory Parnell, a political egotist, comprise the adult part of the cast. But little George "Foghorn" Winslow, most audiences will agree, steals the film. It is his imagination and fantasy which finally put the clincher on the evil politicos. He "acquires" a mysterious rocket gun from an imaginary "space man" which has extraordinary power to do good. After adoption by Miss Byington, young Winslow leaves the local orphanage to live at her home. Political wrongdoings ensue in the face of coming elections when Parnell, the county political boss, bids for the orphanage. He intends to exploit its sources of oil for himself. In the interim, Agar and Miss Francis grow interested in each other until she learns he is one of Parnell's stooges. But Winslow breaks up the crisis at a political rally on election eve. The boy aims his gun at Parnell in the middle of a speech and forces the charlatan to reveal, against his will, all his corrupt practices. The orphanage saved, with Agar fired by Parnell previously, the lovers reconcile. Winslow is left with his secret space man and gun with no one realizing where the good fortune came from. "The Rocket Man" was produced by Leonard Goldstein and directed by Oscar Rudolph. The screen play was by Lenny Bruce and Jack Henley from a story by George W. George and George F. Slavin. Running time, 79 minutes. General classification. For release in May. F. B. "The Spell of Ireland" (Celtic Films) REPLETE with impressive photographs in Kodachrome and covering Ireland from iSJorth to South, and with traditional Irish ballads sung by tenor John Feeney, and a narration by TV announcer Jack McCarthy, this documentary should hold interest for American decendants of Erin, as well as for tourists in general. The film gives the viewpoint of an American returning to the country of his birth, where he revisits the small hamlets and island settlements, as well as Ireland's largest cities. Among Feeney's vocal contributions are "Rose of Tralee," "Come Back to Erin" and "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen." Dispersed throughout the film are many Irish melodies including "Londonderry Air," "Bendemeer's Stream," "The Soldier's Song," "Wearing of the Green," "Kerry Dance" and the "Shan Van Vocht." Colorful glimpses of Ireland's chief sporting events include the Galway races, the Irish Derby and the Dublin Horse Show. In addition, momentary coverage is devoted to championship football and hurling matches. The spiritual side of Ireland is graphically documented by photographer Harry Dugan's cameras which follow the climb by thousands of pilgrims to the Rock of Croagh Patrick. Knock Shrine, Doon Well and a visit to Maynooth Seminary, round out the religious theme. Near the film's conclusion Eamon DeValera tells of his hopes for Ireland's future, while drama is added in the filming of Aran Island boatmen swimming their cattle out to cattle ships in bad weather. The production, in general, is comprehensive and holds the viewer's eye through most of its footage. Danny Devlin was production supervisor, and Beatrice Conetta and Dugan edited the filming. Running time, 77 minutes. General classification. For release, May 10. F. B. U.K. Theatres (Continued from page 1) the first occasion since the Board began to keep industry statistics in 1950 that there had been an increase in the number of admissions in any quarter compared with the corresponding preceding period with the single exception of the last quarter of 1951, when admissions just exceeded those of the same 1950 quarter. The "Journal" also observes that, taken in conjunction with the slower rate of admission decline in the second and third quarters of 1953, compared with the same 1952 periods, "This seems to herald a pause in the downward trend of cinema attendances during the last few years." The total box office gross in the last 1953 quarter was 1.2 per cent higher than that for the fourth quarter of 1952. The average admission price rose slightly to 20.4 pence from 20.3 pence in the previous quarter. The report covers 4,525 theatres with a seating capacity of 4,177,000. Gross film rentals for 1953 totaled £23,588,000, a 1 per cent decrease compared with 1952. (The pound is worth 32.80.) British films provided £7,152,000, or 30.3 per cent of the total. During the year ending March 31, 1954, 138 British features were registered, which was the second highest total in any postwar year. Exports (Continued from page 1) 1952. Shipments of 35mm. negative features were up in terms of both linear feet and dollar value, while shipments of 35mm. positive features increased in dollar value but dropped in terms of linear feet. Shipments of 16mm. negative features were down considerably, but this drop was more than offset by a marked increase in volume and value of shipments of 16mm. positive features. Rawstock shipments in 1953 totaled 310,064,649 feet valued at $7,364,360, compared to shipments of 267,643,072 feet valued at $6,184,418 the previous year. All sizes showed increases. In 1953, a total of 21,782 cameras valued at $1,658,007 were shipped overseas, compared with 16,614 cameras valued at $1,316,540 in 1952. Projector exports increased from 18,428 to 21,662 but fell in value from $4,088,806 to $3,865,059. Exports of other types of equipment increased from $4,421,575 to $6,276,594. Italian Code (Continued from page 1) on June 1. The ANICA seal will be granted only to those pictures which meet the minimum technical requirements and do not offend recognized moral standards or legal restrictions. At its first meeting the administrative committee decided to avoid rigid regulations, choosing instead to regard the new production code as a reference framework for the guidance of producers, according to a statement issued by ANICA today. Party for Miss Rush Universal was host at a cocktail party at the Hotel Savoy-Plaza here yesterday for Barbara Rush, who is co-starred with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in the company's new production, "Magnificent Obsession."