Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

Motion Picture Daily Thursday, January 27, 1955 'Scope Screens on S.S. 'United States' The S.S. "United States" of the United States Lines has installed two CinemaScope screens, one in its first-cabin theatre and the other in the tourist class. The screens are 18 feet wide and nine feet high. The first 'Scope pictures to be shown on its current round trip are "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "Bad Day at Black Rock." The installations are said to be the first on any ship in the North Atlantic service. 230 Military Theatres Are Now Equipped With CinemaScope WASHINGTON, Jan. 26. — The Army and Air Force Motion Picture Service has 230 of its 363 theatres in the U. S. equipped to show CinemaScope films, according to director Fred Bund. Bund said that of the 230 theatres, 101 also have facilities to use stereophonic sound. He added that he hopes to have 300 of the 363 theatres equipped to show CinemaScope films by the end of June. 'Battle Cry' to Push Heart Fund in Bait. BALTIMORE, Jan. 26.— The annual American Heart Association Fund drive will be launched officially next Tuesday when Warner Bros.' stars Mona Freeman, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone and director Raoul Walsh and Baltimore-born author Leon Uris arrive here for the world premiere of the motion picture, "Battle Cry." In ceremonies at Baltimore's City Hall, Dr. E. Cowles Andrus, president of the American Heart Association, will accept the first contributions for the 1955 Heart Fund campaign from the Hollywood celebrities. The ceremonies will be attended by Maryland's Governor Theodore McKeldon and Baltimore's Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro. Later that evening, Governor McKeldon, his staff and civic officials will attend the world premiere showing of "Battle Cry." in CinemaScope and WarnerColor, at the Stanley Theatre. Miss Freeman, Hunter and Miss Malone, who co-star in "Battle Cry" with Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Nancy Olson and Raymond Massey, will make personal onstage appearances at the opening. Raoul Walsh, who directed the picture, will also attend. Set Music Campaign On Fox's 'Racers' An advance recording and sheet music campaign for 20th CenturyFox's "The Racers," paralleling the drives for "Three Coins In The Fountain" and "Woman's World," is in motion surrounding the love theme from the CinemaScope drama. The new ballad, "I Belong To You," has been published by the Robbins Music Company and recorded by Peggy Lee for Decca Records ; while RCA-Victor is bringing out the song in a performance by Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra. Reviews Unchained (Hall Bartlett-Wamer Brothers) A PLEASANTLY unhackneyed yarn concerning an off-beat prison has here been written, produced and directed by Hall Bartlett, whose penchant for making good films inexpensively has been well known and welcomed by exhibitors, who should be able to turn this film into a money-maker for themselves. They have the precedents of "Navajo" and "Crazylegs," also made by Bartlett. The story is set in California's Chino, an experimental prison-without-bars, with the events based on personally-observed detail as well as on the life and work of Kenyon J. Scudder, out of whose, dreams and faith Chino came into existence. Prison life, and various aspects of it, have long been staples of the dramatic screen, which makes the freshness of "Unchained" even more apparent and welcome. Bartlett's narrative centers around one bull-headed prisoner who has been sentenced for nearly killing a man suspected of stealing from him. How this prisoner learns to accept the laws of society, its occasional mistakes along with its virtues, forms the drama of the picture, told in a series of vivid scenes, alternately violent, tense, warmly appealing and sometimes extremely funny. The excellent cast is headed by Elroy ("Crazylegs") Hirsch, as the hardto-convince prisoner ; Barbara Hale, as his pretty and intelligent wife, and Chester Morris, as Warden Scudder. Supporting them in sharply defined portrayals are Todd Duncan (the long-time "Porgy" of "Porgy and Bess"), as a murderer who learned society's lesson the hard way ; Johnny Johnston, as a bespectacled jazz pianist-turnedto-crime ; Jerry Paris, as a smoothtalking ex-bookie ; Henry Nakamura, as a little Oriental with some amusing capsule comments on life in general, and many others. With most of the exteriors filmed at Chino, the film has a fine aura of authenticity which Bartlett also has managed to capture in the dialogue and in the emotional twists of the plot, especially in those scenes between Hirsch and Miss Rush. Note also should be made of the film editor, Cotton Warburton, who has put the film together in a laudably spare fashion to heighten both the internal drama and the general pace. Although the cast is not necessarily strong on box office names, the film is packed with exploitation potential that csn pay off proportionately considerably more than some bigger productions. Running time, 75 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, Feb. 26. "Long John Silver" (Kaufman-DC A ) ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, whose "Treasure Island" has become virtually a classic in the field of fine literature for boys, would be pleased were he able to view this "sequel" to his immortal tale, concocted, to be sure, by Joseph Kaufman, director Byron Haskin and writer Martin Rackin, but concocted in a manner to bring delight to the lover of adventure, young or old. Kaufman, in producing the film, has recreated every broad hue and minor nuance of the Spanish Main, which Stevenson so loved and knew so well, and has filled lusty scene after scene, with the bluster and bravado of the men who lived by fire and sword, and of whom Long John Silver, of "Treasure Island" is one of the outstanding examples. Robert Newton, in the title role, can and does dress up an act with words and phrases archaic but attractively poetical, while Connie Gilchrist, as Purity Pinker, the tavern keeper trying always to reform Long John and marry him, provides basic, and even slapstick, comedy with a rather Brooklynese accent which provides amusing contrast with the declamatory outpourings of Long John. The boy in the picture is Kit Taylor, as Jim Hawkins, prototype of boys the world over, and he is excellent. He is Long John's little but good and loyal comrade, often used by him, but also loved by him ; a comrade who saves him, and is saved by him. He represents a necessary point of identification for all the youngsters who will see this and dream about adventures in which they (and he) are the. major characters. The story roughly is about Long John's complicated attempts to find and hold 900,000 pounds of gold left on Treasure Island. To do this, he first must outwit the savage, sly and crude enemy pirate Mendoza (Lloyd Burrell) ; also, the governor of the domain, Harvey Adams ; and certainly Purity, whose tavern he uses, but who has a preacher on hand, and even little Jim Hawkins. Jim has around his neck a locket which shows the treasure location. Long John finally reaches Treasure Island and hell descends on his band. For Israel Hands, abandoned, blind but fearfully wrathful, has set a trap. What happens then is a wild besiegement of Long John's stockade, and ambush of Hands' band by the recurring Mendoza ; a sortie and slaughter of the ill-fated Mendoza and his own band, the discovery of the fantastic cave of treasure, and the long and fearful chase of young Jim by the bearded and blinded and savage Hands, who wants to maim and kill the boy. The sets are realistic and give the air of expensive production ; and the actors, from portly officers of Britain to grizzled, unwashed scavenger, all are excellent. Others in the cast include Rodney Taylor, Henry Gilbert, Harvey Adams, Muriel Steinbeck, John Brunskill, Harry Hambleton and Eric Reiman. Running time, 109 minutes. General audience classification. For February release. TV and Radio in HOLLYWOOD By SAMUEL D. BERNS THE WORRIER: Over at Desilu, where his latest creation, "December Bride" is being filmed, Parke Levy is known as "the worrier." During rehearsal everyone connected with the company watches Parke. When he looks worried, they know everything is okay. When he looks happy, then they start worrying. Parke, with 23 years of credits as a writer dating from Baron ("Vass you dere Sharlie?") Munchausen and Joe Penner through the area of radio's "Duffy's Tavern," and more recently "My Friend Irma," has reached his goal with the formation of his own producing unit. His first package, partnered with Abby Greshler, will introduce Senor Wences in a children's novelty TV series for NBC. In addition to being the world's greatest worrier, Levy is also known as the most absent-minded in the business. To uphold this reputation, the writing groom of "December Bride" made us feel like an April Fool when he concluded the interview with a kiss, shouting, "All right, darling, you've got the part !" TOMORROW'S TV TYCOONS: When Desi Arnaz got wind of a deal cooking on the purchase of Motion Picture Center Studios, where Desilu Productions has been making TV fUmi production h i story, he and Lucy rushed back from a Palm Springs weekend and snagged the deal for themselves. This move not only prevente d their production organization from falling apart, but protected all their future plans and ideas with the kind of stage space that other producing organizations will find difficult to obtain. The three-camera technique, which made it possible to film TV shows with live audiences to supply genuine laugh reactions, set the pattern for Desilu to film TV shows for all of the networks. Latest to test Desilu's technique is Jimmy Durante, with George Gobel scheduling his first try in February, and Goodson-Todman heading West to pilot film "The Web." Gail "Annie Oakley" Dams will hit the targets in a shooting act for her first p. a. with Gene Autry at the Houston Fat Stock Shozv. . . . Johnny Weissmuller's new "Jungle Jim" series will be filmed for Columbia as a Scree-n Gem, and vtnll be shot at his old Tarsan hunting grounds. They'll be out of the jungle and into the clear with 52 by the end of the year. Desi Arnaz