Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

Thursday, March 24, 1955 Motion Picture Daily 3 Reviews "The Purple Plain" (Rank-United Artists) THE box office appeal of Gregory Peck probably will receive the "acid test" in this J. Arthur Rank presentation, "The Purple Plain," a lengthy saga about a hard-bitten fighter-bomber pilot of the Royal Air Force in Burma during the turbulent days of 1945. Filmed in color by Technicolor, the Eric Ambler screenplay, based on the novel by H. E. Bates, may find a ready-made audience among the U. S. reading public. Exhibitors mainly will have to rely on the picture's title, critical reception and word-of-mouth advertising for good results because fault may be found with the British dialogue, which is not clear in some instances, and the film's editing. Peck's performance is assuredly good as the embittered pilot who_ can not forget the horror of a London air raid in which his wife was killed. Ably supporting the American actor is newcomer Win Min Than, a beautiful Burmese girl who brings Peck back to reality ; Bernard Lee and _ Maurice Denham. The moments of excitement are too far apart. However, it is during these instances that Peck's characterization is forceful and exciting. In the claustrophobic atmosphere of the jungle war, the men are getting on each other's nerves. Peck, who believes he has nothing to live for, flies with reckless bravery in attacks against the Japanese, but finally his slow mental decline begins to sap his tremendous physical resources. In an effort to help Peck return to "normal" Lee the squadron doctor, takes Peck to a village where the pilot meets Miss Than, who is beautiful, sympathetic and intelligent. Gradually she rehabilitates Peck. The pilot, realizing that living in the past has almost ruined him, returns to his senses and while on a "milk-run" mission, crashes, along with Denham and his navigator. Peck decides to walk out of the jungle, with himself and Denham carrying the navigator who has been injured. The tremendous desire to live and return to Miss Than keeps Peck going, even though Denham foolishly hinders his efforts to save the group. However, Peck comes through and saves the navigator, while Denham goes mad in the blistering jungle heat. Others in the cast of the picture, which was directed by Robert Parrish and produced by John Bryan, are Brenda Le Banzie, who portrays a Scottish missionary ; Lyndon Brook and Ram Gopal. Running time, 100 minutes. General classification. Release in April. LESTER DINOFF People Shotgun (Allied Artists) Hollywood, March 23 PRODUCER John C. Champion and his men stepped far off the beaten track of the Western melodramatists in this undertaking and came up with a production sure to sell well — with the names of Sterling Hayden, Zachary Scott and Yvonne De Carlo for top billing — and to play just about as well as it sells. It is brilliantly photographed by Ellsworth Fredericks, a cinematographer who knows the values of perpective and the moving camera, and the print by Technicolor makes the production, particularly the mountainous settings in which most of it is played, a thing of beauty as well as of narrative interest. It's a picture with impact, occasionally the impact of violence and stark death, but not always, and it's an attraction of major box office promise. The script by Clark E. Reynolds and Rory Calhoun, with additional dialogue by Champion, opens with an ex-convict, played by Guy Prescott, murdering a U. S. marshal with a shotgun, and takes off from that beginning on a stalking of Prescott by Hayden, who is also a marshal and who determines to kill Prescott in similarly terrible manner — by shotgun. His quest, alone and on horesback, takes him into contact with Miss De Carlo, a lady of uncertain background, and with Scott, a man who makes his living by killing wanted outlaws and collecting offered rewards. After a succession of complications, most of them unique by everyday standards, Hayden and Prescott, both in Apache captivity, are forced to fight a shotgun duel on horseback, a combat with climactic outcome but not the one an audience will be expecting. Director Lesley Selander gets a lot of realism into the picture, although hampered now and again by the writers' regrettable lapses into use of dialogue phrases and linguistic conveniences that hadn't been dreamed up yet at the time and place of the story. Running time, 81 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, April 24. WILLIAM R. WEAVER TEM TALK Variety Club News CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cerebral Foundation School, supported by the Variety Club here, is richer by $6,500 as a result of an endurance harmonica exhibition staged in a downtown cafe window by three boys who broke the record by playing continuously for 50 hours. The money came from donations deposited in a fish bowl from pledges and a grant by the Beaumont Foundation. A PHILADELPHIA — Robert J. O'Donnell, international ring-master of Variety Clubs, will be the principal speaker on April 4 at the motion picture division of the Allied Jewish Appeal annual dinner here. An informal reception will be held at Variety Tent No. 13's club rooms following the UJA dinner. A HARTFORD — Henry Germaine of Paramount has been reelected chief barker of Connecticut's Variety Club Tent No. 31. Other officers are Hy Levine, first assistant chief barker ; John Pavone. second assistant ; Sam Germaine, dough guy ; George Weber, property master, and Bob Elliano, international canvasman. The crew, also re-named, consists of George Wilkinson, Pat Goode, Harry Feinstein, Rudy Frank, Bob Hoffman and Sam W asserman. A DETROIT — The Variety Club tent here will hold its first annual Easter party on April 15 at the Veterans' Memorial Building for barkers and their families. The tent's annual golf tournament will be held on June 27. Meanwhile, United Detroit Theatres has scheduled a staff party at the tent's club rooms for April 30. Pa. Censor Forced To Issue License PHILADELPHIA, March 23. — Pursuant to a common pleas court order issued by Judge Edwin O. Lewis, the Pennsylvania board of censors has issued a seal for "She Shoulda Said No," Edna R. Carroll, censor board chairman, revealed today. Mrs. Carroll added, however, that the court order resulted from abandonment by the state of its appeal to the state supreme court from Judge Lewis' original ruling declaring the Pennsylvania motion picture statute unconstitutional. The state, meanwhile, plans to draft and seek the passage of new legislation. Mrs. Carroll said the development "indicates some conflict in (Pennsylvania) administration policies. In Senate bill 237 introduced by Senators Dent and Barr, on Page 3 they sponsor legislation which will require the board to reject films which are 'obscene or incite to crimes of violence or advocate the use of narcotics or habit-forming drugs.' The board rejected this evil film for these reasons," she said. UA Officials Return From Coast Meeting United Artists home office executives returned yesterday from a threeday sales meeting in Los Angeles that set distribution and promotion plans for the company's release program during the coming year. Among those who returned were William J. Heineman, vice-president in charge of distribution; Max E. Youngstein, vicepresident ; B. G. Kranze, general sales manager ; Francis M. Winikus, national director of advertising, publicity and exploitation ; Arthur Reiman, Western contract manager, and J. K. Chapman, supervisor of branch operations. Republic Sales Meet In Chi. Next Week CHICAGO, March 23. — Republic Pictures will hold a sales meeting at the Blackstone Hotel here on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Herbert Yates and his wife, Vera Ralston, here to attend the sessions will at the same time view the Glenview premiere of "Eternal Sea." Also coming here for the meeting are J. P. Curtin, New York; Richard Altschuler ; Bernard Brazer, Indianapolis ; Joe Loeffler, Minneapolis ; Jules Livingston, Cleveland; Morris Dudelson, Detroit ; Jack Frackman, Milwaukee ; Joe McCaff erty, St. Louis ; Robert Withers, Kansas City. Al Sherman, Washington film publicist, has disposed of his interest in the Georgetown Theatre, to open his own public relations office in the capital. n William S. Levine has taken over his new post as managing director of the Ambassador Theatre in St. Louis, succeeding Ray Connor. Levine formerly was manager of the Warner Theatre in Washington. n Bert H. Soper, exhibitor of Smiths Falls, Ont, is celebrating his 50th year in show business. He opened the Rideau Theatre there early in the century. It was replaced in 1950 with the modern Soper Theatre. 0 Jean DuBerry of the Stanley Warner Art Theatre in Springfield, Mass., has been serving as relief manager of the SW Strand in Hartford during the hospitalization of manager Jack Sanson. n George Lewitt, New Britain, Conn., exhibitor, has been granted permission to build a drive-in at Berlin, Conn., following approval o! a re-zoning move by the Berlin Zoning Commission. n Max Wylie, author of "Clear Channels," will address the luncheon meeting of the National Television Film Council next Thursday at the Hotel Delmonico here. n George Jessel will be master of ceremonies at the annual welfare and matzoth fund show, presented by Lodge No. 58, International Order of Odd Fellows, in Bridgeport on April 3. n Jack Armstrong, who operates a circuit in the Toledo area, will build a 300-car drive-in on State Route 108 within the limits of Napoleon, Ohio. Laboratories Assn. Elects Neal Keehn Neal Keehn, of the Calvin Co., Kansas City, was elected president of the Association of Cinema Laboratories at the annual meeting of the organization held at the Hotel Sheraton Astor here. At the same time, Russell C. Holslag, of Precision Film Laboratories, New York, was named vice-president ; Byron Roudabush, of Byron, j Inc., Washington, D. C, secretary,: and George W. Colburn, of the Colburn Laboratory, Chicago, treasurer. j Directors elected were : Don M. Alexander, of Alexander Film ; Co. ; Robert F. Burns, of Houston Color Film Laboratories ; Louis Feldman, of DuArt Film Laboratories ; Saul Jeffee, of Movielab Film Laboratories ; Charles E. Lager, of Atlas Film Corp., Colburn and Roudabush. The next meeting will be held in the Hotel Drake in Chicago in April.