Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1955)

10 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, December 8, 19:1 It's Cold But 1 Wis. Drive-in Stays Open Special to THE DAILY MILWAUKEE, Dec. 7.-AU drive-in theatres in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan have closed for the season with one exception. The new Starlite Outdoor Theatre here, owned by the Marcus Management Co., is still operating and featuring its car heaters. NBC's 'Tonight' to Salute 'Goodman' The National Broadcasting Co.'s network television show "Tonight" will join forces with Universal Pictures next Tuesday evening for a nationwide salute to a motion picture with exhibitors in exchange cities from coast to coast, participating. The occasion of the tribute will be the invitational press preview of Universal-International's "The Benny Goodman Story" in Technicolor starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed. The preview which will be held at the RKO 86th Street in New York will be duplicated in cities where the "Tonight" show is seen and where U-I has exchanges. Following the preview in New York, celebrities will be taken to the NBC Hudson Theatre to appear on a 90-minute network salute to "The Benny Goodman Story" on the "Tonight" show honoring Benny Goodman and Steve Allen. Cities where these invitational previews and TV parties have already been set include Cleveland, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Miami, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Memphis and New Haven. REVIEWS: Film Stock Tradings Reported by SEC WASHINGTON, Dec. 7.-American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres redeemed 92,073 shares of stock owned by Edward J. Noble and 620 shares owned by Robert E. Kintner, according to a report by the Securities and Exchange Commission on trading by film company officials. The report covered transactions in October. It declared the redemption left Noble with 232,528 shares and Kintner with 1,900 shares. Elmer C. Rhoden acquired 200 shares of National Theatres common in September, for a total of 35,800 shares, and holding companies controlled by him acquired 1,000 shares in October, for a total of 47,225 shares. Edward W. Avery and Harold E. Newcomb bought 500 and 300 shares, respectively of RKO Theatres Corp. common, lifting their holdings to 4,000 shares and 2,200 shares respectively. Y. Frank Freeman bought 200 shares of Paramount Pictures < oi i in ion, for a total holding of 1,600 shares. F. Joseph Holleran sold 400 I.oew's, Inc., shares, dropping his holdings to 100 shares. The Spoilers U niver sal-Inter national Hollywood, Dec. 7. This fifth in the long, lusty line of "Spoilers" since William Farnum and Tom Santschi fought out the first film version of the Rex Beach novel in 1914 measures up to the first four in every particular, as a production, and comes to market with the added present advantage of 1955 favorites in the fighting roles. These are the fast-rising Rory Calhoun, whose name on a marquee should be young money in any exhibitor's till, and Jeff Chandler, good for ticket sales to a slightly older following. Anne Baxter is the magnetic third corner of the triangle, and a large, expert cast includes such dependables as Barbara Britton, Wallace Ford, Carl Benton Reid, Raymond Walburn, Ruth Donnelly, Roy Barcroft, Byron Folger, John Mclntire and young Ray Danton. With a brilliant print by Technicolor— a fourth name for the marquee— the picture figures to turn in "Spoilers"-type grosses. The current production of the timeless Beach account of life in Alaska when Nome was a mud puddle is by Ross Hunter, a thorough-going motion picture in motion. The current screenplay is by Oscar Brodney and Charles Hoffman, a pair of craftsmen who know the value of taking their time in the first half of a picture so the tempo will seem the faster when they turn it on in the second half. That's what they do in this instance, holding the action down to a crawl until they go into high gear, and keeping it spinning thereafter without let-up. The scene is Nome, of course, and the time is the era of the gold strikes. Calhoun is powerfully cast as the crooked gold commissioner whose crew of aides includes a phoney judge, and Chandler handles himself competently as the gold miner who, after exciting and illuminating preliminary incidents, fights it out with Calhoun, over balcony, into mud, and on and on, for right and for Miss Baxter, Chandler's long-time love and owner of Nome's leading saloon. Running time, 84 minutes. General classification. Release date not set. WILLIAM R. WEAVER At Gunpoint Allied Artists — CinemaScope Hollywood, Dec. 7. On story, on direction, on performances and on over-all professional merit, singly or collectively, this Vincent M. Fennelly production for Allied Artists is top-calibre by any exhibitor's standards. Add the names and talents of Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Malone, Walter Brennan, plus those of Skip Homeier, Tommy Rettig, John Qualen, Irving Bacon and a long list of seasoned players seen in support, and you've got a tip-top box-office attraction. It figures to pay as big as it's played. In a sparkling print by Technicolor, the story and screenplay by Daniel B. Ullman comes off in great shape under the skilled direction of Alfred Werker. It is Western in setting, and in period, but it is refreshingly free of the stereotypes, of character and of plot, that have cluttered such product so frequently and fatally in recent years. MacMurray portrays a store-keeper in the Western town of Plainview who witnesses the shooting down of the town marshal by a bandit gang and, picking up the dead man's gun, shoots the killer from his horse, accidentally and at extraordinary distance, thereby becoming a local hero automatically. But the news of his remarkable marksmanship gets printed in a big town newspaper and the gang determines to return to Plainview and kill him in revenge. First the gang kills off the newly elected marshal, who also has pumped a bullet into the dead man, and then, in error, kills MacMurray's brother-in-law. By this time the townsfolk are around to asking him to leave Plainview, lest the bandits keep on returning to wreak vengeance, but he declines to do so, and this leads to a strong and surprising finish. The picture is suitable for all situations and all audiences. Running time, 81 minutes. General classification. Release date, January. W. R. W. Due to Snow, Buffalo 'News' Ads Gratis " Special to THE DAILY BUFFALO, Dec. 7.-Local theatrlj got a pleasant surprise when, becaun of the big snow storm, the "Evenir News" cancelled advertising chargi for one day. The newspaper was ui able to achieve its full circulatio because of traffic tie-ups. ABC Film Names 3 To Executive Posts Teleoisicv Three new execumv To dan appointments were arj ' nounced by George 1 Shupert, president of ABC Film Syn dication, Inc. Richard P. Morgan has been name* vice-president in charge of busines l affairs. Morgan joined ABC Film Syr " dication in 1954 and has served a executive assistant to the presiden John Burns has been promoted t the post of vice-president and di rector of national sales. Burns joine ABC Film Syndication in 1953 an. has served as midwest manager i: Chicago. William Clark was named vice president and director of the wester) sales division. He has been westen manager for ABC Film Syndicatioi since January, 1954. 2 Houston Houses to New O'Donnell Firm Lll: HOUSTON, Dec. 7.-Managemen of the Broadway and Yale Theatre; here has been taken over by Willowir Enterprises, Inc., a new theatn operating company headed by Wil Ham O'Donnell. The houses have been operated by Interstate Circuit Inc., of which O'Donnell was foi many years an executive. In 1954 O'Donnell resigned fron Interstate to go with Trans-Texas Theatres as general manager. Re cently he sold his Trans-Texas interests and organized this new com pany of which he is president. He is also president of Cinema Art Theatres, Inc., which will operate th Texas Theatre in San Antonio and Bowie Theatre in Fort Worth. Torrence Hudgins, also formerly with Interstate and Trans-Texas to be booker for the two operating companies, with offices in Dallas. Kodacolor Film Sold Sans Processing Fee ROCHESTER, N. Y., Dec. 7,fEastman Kodak Co. has announced| that its Kodacolor film is now being sold only without a processing charge included in the price. Heretofore Kodacolor film was sold at a price which included a charge for proc essing. A separate charge will b( made for processing. The change, now effective, Is made in accordance with the term; of a Federal Court order of December, 1954.