Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

6 Motion Picture Daily National Pre-Selling UT> UN FOR COVER," starJlV ring James Cagney and Viveca Lindfors has been set for April release. To pre-sell this Paramount film for April playdates, color ads will appear in "Life," "Look," "This Week," "Photoplay," "Modern Screen," "Motion Picture Magazine," "Screen Stories," "Movieland," "Silver Screen," "Movie Stars' Parade," and "Movie Life" during March and April. A full-color front-cover caricature by Kapralik of the stars of "The Long Gray Line" — Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara — will appear on next week's "Pictorial Review." A striking ad on UI's "Captain Lightfoot" will appear in the March issue of "Woman's Home Companion." • The numerous letters written to the editors of "Life" commenting on the Garbo story, and appearing in recent issues, reflect the reason why the reissue of Garbo's "Camille" is doing record-breaking business here at the Normandie Theatre. o John O'Hara has written an interesting off-beat story about Joan Crawford in the current issue of "Collier's." The next Joan Crawford release is UI's "Female on the Beach." • Underwater photos illustrate the story of Esther Williams in the current issue of "Look." The photos were made on the sets of her latest picture, M-G-M's "Jupiter's Darling," which opens at the Radio City Music Hall tomorrow. In the same issue is an eye-catching ad on UI's "Captain Lightfoot." • "House Beautiful" has devoted three pages to a story about Walt Disney. The first page of the story, written by Cecile Starr, is illustrated with photos of Donald Duck and other Disney characters. The author calls to the attention of "House Beautiful" readers the fact that many Disney films are now available in 16mm. • Two important syndicated newspapers have gotten behind the promotion of M-G-M's "Jupiter's Darling," starring Esther Williams, having prepared special material for mailing to leading exhibitors in 64 key situations in the United States. In all, 3,000 special mailing pieces have been sent out by "American Weekly" and "This Week." "American Weekly" mailed 1,500 pieces of "elephant" wrap-around containing facts about the big campaign for the picture, while "This Week" mailed 1,500 special promotion letters together with reprints of a two-page full-color editorial spread featuring the famed rainbow-hued elephant herd which appeared in its publication on "Jupiter's Darling." • "Deep in My Heart," "The Country Girl," "Three for the Show" and "So This is Paris" are some of the pictures reviewed in the February issue of "Seventeen." WALTER HAA? Reviews East of Eden (Warner Brothers) Hollywood, Feb. 15 I") IRECTOR Elia Kazan's production of John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" is, at minimum, an artistic achievement. It may turn out to be a money attraction, too, or the contrary, depending on a good many factors difficult to evaluate in terms of precedent, but nobody who was around at the time will deny that it reproduces with compelling fidelity the small-town United States of 1917 — the patriotic parades, the draft boards, the hysteria and the heroism, the habits, manners and customs of the people, old and young, rich and poor, at work, at play, at living. It reproduces all this in CinemaScope and WarnerColor with print by Technicolor, and the processes seldom if ever have given more gratifying proof of their value. The 1917 of "East of Eden" is the period to the life. What the show-going generation of 1955 may think of it is one of the imponderables in any computation of the picture's prospects. The names at hand for a showman to exploit the picture with are not of number and calibre equal to carrying a top picture by mere marquee mention. The best known to picture followers is Raymond Massey, and the next bests are Julie Harris, Albert Dekker and Burl Ives. James Dean, who plays the central character, and Richard Davalos, seen as his brother, are first-timers on the screen, as is Jo Van Fleet, portraying their wayward mother. Everybody in the cast comes through with an excellent performance, but the public will have to see them before their names have marquee meaning The story — the final quarter of his novel is utilized, with revisions and elisions — relates in more or less direct fashion to the Cain and Abel story, and it is a sordid, tragic, sometimes lurid and always vivid chronicle indeed. The picture opens on a street in Monterey, California, where it is established that Miss Van Fleet is the proprietress of an unlawful establishment where gambling, roistering and other excesses are accommodated, and that Dean, who has followed her to her front door, is anxious to talk to her for reasons other than are usual in this setting. He is sent on his way, returns to his home in Salinas, where he lives with his stern father and his brother, but goes again to the woman's house and learns, after a beating and from the home town sheriff, that the woman is, as he suspected, his mother whom his father has told him is dead. From this point on the story details at length and in crystal clarity the boy's unavailing attempts to gain from his grim father the degree of affection enjoyed by his brother, and finally his tragic decision to take his brother to meet their mother, an act that precipitates a swift succession of dire consequences for all concerned. Like all Steinbeck stories, "East of Eden" is a sombre, penetrating inspection of emotions and motives in the lives of his characters, and this is the kind of subject matter the Kazan skill handles best. The script by Paul Osborn is strictly in keeping. It is by no means a picture for children. Running time, 117 minutes. Adult audience classification. Release date, April 9. WILLIAM R. WEAVER Timber jack (Republic) THE exciting, adventurous activities which take place in the lusty, brawling Northwest lumber camps, and the picturesque lakes and forests of Glacier National Park and Western Montana as photographed in Trucolor, blend nicely together in Republic's presentation of "Timberjack" to form a saleable melodrama which should give exhibitors a good box office return. Sterling Hayden, a veteran performer in robust action films, gives a taut and impressive performance which is suitably matched by Vera Ralston, David Brian and Adolphe Menjou. Hayden returns to his native Talka River .section of Montana when he learns his father has been critically injured. He soon finds out that his father has died from injuries received during a beating by persons unknown; that his former girl friend now runs a prosperous saloon which is frequented by timberjacks; that a rival lumber outfit, owned by the villainous Brian, seeks to buy out his father's forests and lands, or else ; that the timberlands that his father left him are worthless unless an $11,000 assessment on railroad stock jointly owned with Brian is paid; and that brawn and muscle alone will not bring serenity to the Talka River lumber troubles. Brian, seeing that his every effort to prevent Hayden from getting lumber to the mill is failing, imports some city goons to blow up Hayden's dam, but in the process, Brian kills Menjou, a lawyer with a love for booze. After many a brawl with axe handles and fists, Brian is discovered as the killer of Menjou and Hayden's father, and in a forest gunfight is ultimately slain, bringing peace to the timberlands. Miss Ralston portrays the love interest. Hoagy Carmichael, Chill Wills, Jim Davis and Howard Petrie top the supporting cast. Herbert J. Yates produced and Joe Kane directed from an Allen Rivkin screenplay which was based on a novel by Dan Cushman. An appropriate musical score as devised by Victor Young and Carmichael add to the picture's value. Running time, 94 minutes. General classification. Release, in February. L. D. Altec Signs Smalley With the signing of a contract between Smalley Theatres, Inc., Cooperstown, N. Y., and Altec Service Corp. last week, Altec has announced that the nine theatres comprising the chain are now under company service. Lewin Heads Fox Studio HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 15.— Harold Lewin has been named manager of the Western Avenue Studio of 20th Century-Fox by Sid Rogell, executive production manager of the company. In the THEATRE Equipment A Refreshment World • • with RAY GALLO H AROLD E. BROWN has been appointed vice-president in charge of sales for the Strong Electric Corp., Toledo, O . Brown joined the Strong company in 1935, having previously been with General Electric. In his new post he will be in charge of sales of projection arc lamps, rectifiers, spotlamps, slide projectors and reflectors. Harold Brown The Airtemp Division of the Chrysler Corp., Dayton, O., has expanded its line of "waterless" air conditioning equipment with the addition of a new 7^-horsepower air-cooled condensing unit. Known as Model 1208, it occupies only 11.27 square feet of floor space. It is completely self-contained and enclosed in a bonderized cabinet and may be used with various Airtemp evaporator coil or evaporator blower units. • Sam G. Rose, president of Victor Animato graph Corp., Davenport, la., advises that the company's New York branch office has moved to new and larger quarters at 200 West 57th St., New York City, and been consolidated with the Victor Latin-American Division. The move was actuated, he reports, by an increase in sales, manufacturing and export activities, particularly since the introduction of the model 65 series of Victor projectors. The new office is under the supervision of H. O. Jones, vice-president, with R. H. Kulka, vice-president for the LatinAmerican Division. National distribution is now being established for "Krazy Korn," a refreshment stand product consisting of toasted kernels of "king-size" corn with a nut flavor. The product is packaged in \y2 and 5-ounce cellophane bags retailing for 5c, 10c and 25c respectively. Made by Granny Goose Foods of Oakland, Calif., the item already had distribution in ten western states, Hawaii and Alaska. • "Mist-Master" is the name of a new type drink dispensing machine developed by the H. A. Bruntjen Co., Minneapolis. The drink itself is derived from a concentrate, diluted with water, contained in an agitated and refrigerated chamber atop the machine. As the concentrate is dispensed, it is aerated, producing a creamy drink with a natural fruit flavor. Only one drink flavor, "Orange-Mist," is currently distributed, but others are being developed.