Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

4 MOTION Picture Daily Monday, July 12, 1954 Review "Return From the Sea'' (Allied Artists) WITH the cooperation of the United States Navy, Allied Artists has an interesting picture here, bolstered, too, by Neville Brand's performance in a rugged role. In it the convict-leader of "Riot in Cell Block 11" adds to his actingstature in portraying convincingly a 22-year veteran of the Navy whose experiences, at sea and ashore, make up the story by Jacland Marmur and script by George Waggner. He has Jan Sterling, a drawing name, opposite him, and he is given effective acting support by John Doucette, Lloyd Corrigan and Paul Langton, particularly, with Alvy Moore supplying expert, though brief, comedy relief. The picture is beneficiary of Navy cooperation and stock footage that would have served a stronger story adequately and adds greatly to the box office potentialities of this one. Following a briskly exciting first sequence in which a landing party sent ashore on Korea blows up a bridge and escapes without loss, the picture settles down to a leisurely story of Chief Petty Ofificer Maclish (Brand) and the girl he meets at a San Diego bar (Miss Sterling) after drinking himself into a stupor under the expert offices of the proprietor (Corrigan). She and Doucette, brother of her dead husband, take good care of Maclish, and before his shore leave is over he has fallen in love with her and they set out to save up money to buy a home. Next time out he gets shot up in an action ofif Korea, the top melodramatic spot in the film, and comes home, a hero, to claim Miss Sterling's hand, receive the official recognition of the Navy for his gallantry, and to retire to permanent shore duty. It is not a tremendously dramatic story, having no heavy and sticking more closely to probability than most, but it is played by the cast, and directed by Lesley Selander, in a way to make the most of every asset it's got. Scott R. Dunlap produced. Running time, 80 minutes. General audience classification. For release July 25. Britain Has More Dollars But Wants New US Film Pact LONDON, July 11.— In spite of Britain's improved dollar reserve position there is not likely to be any radical change in the form and terms of the Anglo-American film remittance agreement which is scheduled for renegotiation Sept. 22 in Washington. This view was expressed by a Board of Trade spokesman in reply to press questions tliat American reports suggested that Britain might agree to allow full convertibility. The spokesman said that the Americans might well be expected to ask that as our position has improved, there was surely no need to continue the pact. He likened the situation to "that of a sick man taking medicine — the medicine had done us a bit of good, but we had still to go on taking it for a while. There was always the risk of a sudden relapse. We shall fight for the agreement as we have done before," he said. Cites Economy of Production In reply to further questions about the likeliliood of Americans slowing down on production here, he said, even without the agreement there would still be incentives for American production in Britain. Not only was it cheaper to produce here but they are assured of Eady money through the quota regulations. The spokesman confirmed that American companies have been able to absorb their earnings which cannot be remitted by the permitted uses in the agreement. Figures, in sterling, of the gross dollar expenditure on American films shown in the United Kingdom in the years 1950-53, were revealed in the House of Commons last week as : 1950, £6,900,000; 1951, £8,730,000; 1952, £8,630,000; 1953, £8,100,000. Figures Not AU-Inclusive These figures included royalties, import costs of exposed but not tuaexposed films, the cost of bills, posters and other materials, but excluded profits and payments into unremittable accounts under the Anglo-American film agreement. Fox Personally to Produce 'Titan' Matthew Fox, who recently purchased the film rights to the BookOf-The-Month Club selection "The Fall of a Titan," will personally supervise production of the picture which is scheduled to go before the cameras within the next six months. To be filmed in color by Technicolor, the picture is expected to be ready for release late in 1955, according to Basil Estreich, executive assistant to Fox, who conducted the negotiations for the film rights. "The Fall of a Titan" was written by Igor Gouzenko, the former Russian code clerk who exposed a Soviet atom spy ring in Canada nine years ago and has lived in hiding ever since. Deliquency Film Booked The juvenile delinquency film featurette, "Glass Houses," has been booked into five Stanley Warner Theatres in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the distributor, Noel Meadow, announced. N.E. Tents Prepare For 'Jimmy' Drives BOSTON, July 11. — Theodore Fleisher, general chairman of the 1954 "Jimmy Fund Drive," is holding Connecticut and Maine luncheon meetings to spearhead the local campaigns. The remaining four New England state luncheons will follow shortly. Fleischer and Bill Koster, executive director of the Variety Club of New England, journeyed to New Haven last week to sit in with Connecticut chairman Harry Feinstein, Warner Brother's New Haven manager. On Wednesday, Fleisher, Koster, Arthur Lockwood, president of the Children's Cancer Research Foundation, and Benn Rosenwald, M-G-M manager will drive to Augusta, Me., to meet the two Maine co-chairmen, Ralph Tully and Connie Russell, Sr., and meet with the theatre owners and manager, will drive to Augusta, Me., will be made to procure a 100 per cent theatre collection from the theatres of that state. M-G-M Purchases Plaza in Capetown The Plaza Theatre, Capetown, South Africa, has been purchased from Schlesinger interests and is being operated as an M-G-M showcase, it was announced by Morton A. Spring, first vice-president of Loew's International Corp. The theatre, which seats 1,748, is already being improved to meet the M-G-M standards. Panoramic screen and Perspecta stereophonic sound equipment are being installed. As soon as government regulations permit, CinemaScope equipment will also be installed. The Plaza, which will soon be renamed the Metro, is the third M-G-M theatre in South Africa. The other two are the Metro Theatres in Johannesburg and Durban. Acquisition of the Plaza Theatre brings the number of M-G-M theatres abroad to 41. Heavy Col. Campaign For 'Long Gray Line' Columbia Pictures has announced the release of a feature production seven months in advance and has begun its advertising campaign at the same time. The feature in question is the John Ford CinemaScope production, "The Long Gray Line," a story of West Point. In a letter sent to key exhibitors throughout the country, A. Montague, Columbia's general sales manager, has requested that the advertising campaign begin immediately on the February release. The picture, with color in Technicolor and starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara, tells the story of Marty Maher, who for over 50 years was an athletic instructor at the "Point." Much of the film was made on location at the Military Academy on the Hudson. VV Demonstrations Start in Latin Amer, Demonstrations of Vista "V'ision in Latin America will begin this week, with Frank LaGrande, Paramount home office technical engineer and supervisor of the demonstrations scheduled to leave New York tomorrow for Mexico Cit}^, where the new production and screen presentation process will be shown Thursday. The second Latin American demonstration of VistaVision will be held July 20 in Havana. This will be followed by one in Caracas, Venezuela, July 23 ; in Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 30, and in Lima, Peru, August 3. Space Expert to Disney HOLLYWOOD, July 11. — Walt Disney has signed Dr. Hans Haber, ranking high-altitude and space-flight authority, to serve as technical consultant on space medicine for his Disneyland series which makes its debut Wednesday, Oct. 27, over the ABC Television Network. Plan Demonstrations Of Perspecta Sound In Exchange Cities Following tlie naming of the Bishop and Green Corp., of New York, as distributors of Perspecta sound integrators, the company has announced that demonstrations for exhibitors will be held in various exchange cities of the nation. H. A. Goldstein, Bishop and Green president, said the demonstrations will employ a film consisting of footage from a number of pictures recorded optically with Perspecta sound frequencies. The company recently installed Perspecta equipment in theatres of the Interstate Circuit at Ft. Worth, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Tex. The equipment distributed by Bishop and Green will be manufactured under license from Perspecta at Stamford, Conn., Camden, N. J., and Houston, Tex. TV Station, Circuit Exchange 'Trailers' DAYTON, O., July 11.— WLW-D, the Dayton outlet of the Crosley Broadcasting Corp., and RKO have completed an agreement, whereby three RKO theatres in Dayton will show a WLW-D trailer after each feature film throughout the day. In return, the Gem City television station will give RKO spots on WLW-D each day, plugging the current pictures running in Dayton. Hirshfeld Joins IFE Publicity Staff The addition of Burt Hirshfeld to the publicity staf¥ of I.F.E. Releasing Corp. was announced at the weekend by Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., vice-president in charge of advertising, exploitation and publicity. Hirshfeld, formerly a feature writer for Universal-International, will replace Johanna Grant who has resigned to finalize plans for a new public relations venture, details of which will be announced next month. Hochfeld Re-Named President of SPG The membership of the Screen Publicists Guild (CIO) here reelected Harry Hochfeld, 20th Century-Fox, to a second two-year term as president of the organization. As additional results of the balloting, Hal Siegel, Warner Brothers, was named vice-president and Martin Blau, Columbia, was chosen secretary. Ben L. Berman was retained by the Guild as organizer. 'Valley' Here July 29 M-G-M's "Valley of the Kings," filmed in Egypt in color, will open at the Plaza Theatre here on July 29. The world premiere of "Valley of the Kings" will take place at the Metro Theatre in Cairo, Egypt, on July 21. Screen Test to Winner HOLLYW^OOD, July_ 11.— Filmakers Productions will give a screen test to the winner of the second annual National College Queen contest to be selected in Asbury Park, N. J., in September.