Motion Picture Daily (Apr-June 1956)

ednesday, April 4, 1956 Motion Picture Daily 7 REVIEW: Columbia — CinemaScope Photographed in CinemaScope and in color by Technicolor, Columbia Pictures production of Paul I. Wellman's novel, "Jubal," is a strong and absorbing Western action film of the calibre which is destined to do business at the box-office. With a cast topped by Glenn Ford, Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine and Rod Steiger, this picture, besides teaming exploitable names, is replete with production values, as it has sufficient excitement, suspense, love interest and humor to promise good returns. The film tells about a man with a hard-luck monkey on his back, a man who brings trouble to wherever he goes and a man who runs from trouble. Jubal, which is the name of this character, is convincingly portrayed by Ford, who wins the friendship of his benefactor, ranch owner Borgnine, but has to kill him in self-defense. Borgnine is cast as a rough and crude cattle baron, who has a wife who is disgusted with him and flirts behind his back with other men. Steiger is cast here as an unsavory cow puncher with aspirations to take over Borgnine's ranch and wife, by hook or crook, and is almost successful in his ambitions. With a bunch of characters such as these, the story grips one's interest from start to finish. This film, which differs slightly with the ordinary run of Western productions, should easily satisfy most audiences. When Borgnine, after saving Ford from death in a blizzard, makes him foreman of the ranch, Steiger, who thought that he would get the job, goes out of his way to be vicious and his emnity becomes more acute when he finds out that Borgnine's wife had offered herself to the new foreman. The trouble is heightened further when a group of religious fanatics, on their way to the "promised land," camp on the ranch lands. Steiger deepens his feud with Ford over these "rawhiders" by disagreeing over whether they should be allowed to rest on Borgnine's lands. The situation comes to a head when Borgnine, steamed up by his unfaithful wife and Steiger, goes after Ford with "murder in his heart." Ford kills him in self-defense, but the territory, incited by Steiger's actions, form a posse and start looking for the ranch foreman, who has hidden out with the "rawhiders." A climax is reached when Ford discloses that Steiger had attacked Borgnine's widow and killed her. Frontier justice then takes over as Ford clears himself of all charges. The principal players are ably supported by Valerie French, cast as the unfaithful wife; Felicia Farr, Basil Ruysdael, Noah Berry, Jr., Charles Bronson, John Dierkes, Jack Elam and Robert Burton. William Fadiman produced and Delmar Daves directed from a screenplay by Russell S. Hughes and Daves. Running time, 101 minutes. Adult audience classification. Release in May. LESTER DINOFF /lyers Replies ( Continued from page 1 ) kreer of attacking Allied and its 'aders," Myers told the subcommit>'e that Allied would have continued \ ignore the "verbal assaults," exijjpt for the fact that the hearing 'stimony was not confined to the in"istry but had become a public recd. Myers described Brandt as one hose "frantic efforts to gain a folding outside New York City and environs" had failed. j Says He Buys 'For 104 Theatres' ( "When Brandt testifiies that he has p suffered from some of the prac :es complained about by other exjbitors," Myers stated, "his testimony [just be considered in the light of the mt that, when he buys pictures, it is ,j| 104 theatres," referring to Brandt's ^mission that he operates a booking jjBce for his own theatres and for [fOA members. Myers also referred „ Brandt's assertion that the ITOA ] a group of "small theatres," but „at he later told of his Broadway jmses, the 1,416-seat Globe, the [|734-seat Mayfair and the uptown j376-seat 86th Street Theatre which ]|as acquired from Loew's. [ Myers stated that booking organi .tions were legally and economically Istified, but that a serious question ises when they exert their mass lying power to oppress non-memj«s and prevent them from securing fair division of the available supply 0 c1 rums. Recalls Baracca Case ■ On that score, Myers cited the case 'j Virgil Baracca who alleged in an 'fidavit filed with the subcommittee " at he was not able to obtain enough ctures to operate successfully in jmpetition with the Beacon Theatre Beacon, N. Y., a member of frandt's buying combine. While adiitting that he did not have inforation beyond that which was conined in a letter to Allied, Myers jilted that "on its face, Baracca's ■mplaint appears to be worthy of , |e subcommittee's consideration and i . the Attorney General's attention." ] Answering Brandt's alleged effort create the impression that Myers iminates Allied States, the general | J unsel said that long ago he had i Jlinquished the duty of presiding at I liard meetings to the president and 1 Jat the agenda of all meetings are » ade up from suggestions from the 1 rectors. Allied, Myers said, is a a 'deration of 22 regional associations I 1 d that the national organization has & ):'. individual members. "Actually," ] '■ said, "national Allied consists 1 "srely of a board of directors, one Ej ; rector being elected by each coni tutent unit." The units, he added, :ain complete autonomy. Charges 'Vicious Piffle' , "Most of Brandt's accusations," <yers said, "are mere vicious piffle ; out events occurring long ago I i*ich have little or no bearing on itters now before the subcommittee, : t since they got into the record, the more serious ones must be corrected." Myers recalled that in 1939 efforts were made to set up a fair trade practice code and that after it had been completed, some of the directors were not satisfied with it and the Allied convention rejected it. Brandt, Myers said, joined forces with distributor representatives in urging the code's approval. Myers said that Brandt's "lingering resentment evidently stems from his inability, in free and open debate, to persuade the assembled exhibitors to follow him instead of others in whom they had greater confidence." Later, he pointed out, Brandt expressed himself as being opposed to competitive bidding, but when briefs by associations in opposition to the practice were submitted to the Supreme Court, neither Brandt nor the ITOA came out against it. Myers then reviewed recent developments as to arbitration, the product shortage and made a plea for continuance of the "American way." Presidents Meet Today on Formula The company presidents and foreign managers will meet here today in an effort to reach final agreement on a world formula for the division of permits. Although agreement on principle already has been reached, a number of technical points still have to be cleared up, it was stated. One of the items at issue is said to concern the definition of an American picture, a definition which is significant as a factor in calculating the formula. Jack M. Warner Here Jack M. Warner, executive producer of four Warner Brothers television shows, is in New York from Hollywood to assist in the 1956-57 sales of the hour-long "Warner Brothers Presents," and half hour TV shows, "The Amazon Trader," "Port of Call" and "Joe McDoakes." Republic ( Continued from page 1 ) attendance at theatres since 1945. He said the situation is being watched by the company's board of directors, adding that the board will take whatever move necessary to avoid losses in the production and distribution of moton pictures. Director Placated One of the highlights of the meeting was a statement read by Bernard E. Smith, Jr., a director, who at last year's stockholders meeting expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of management. At yesterday's meeting, Smith told of his satisfaction that management had gone along with his program of strengthening the board, by adding three directors, A. Louis Oresman, Ernest A. Hall and Medley G. B. Whelpley, and the hiring of an independent auditing firm to go over the books. He said, in addition, that he has been assured by Yates that an additional director, with qualifications comparable to the newly-appointed directors, will be selected. Smith also voiced gratification at the stock dividend voted the last fiscal year. Yates, responding to a number of stockholders' complaints about the lack of a cash dividend, blamed the company's limited working capital in the face of its laboratory and TV expansion program and the taxes paid to the Federal goverment and the states for the condition. He cited Republic's $700,000 expenditure for additional film laboratory facilities in New York. The company's laboratories in New York, New Jersey and Hollywood, he continued, now do a greater volume of business with TV than with the motion picture industry. Yates also pointed out, in regard to dividend complaints, that he and his family own a large block of the company's stock. Conferring on Taxes In response to other queries, Yates disclosed that Republic Pictures and other motion picture companies are currently negotiating with Treasury Department officials on an issue involving taxes on liquidated blocked funds subsequent to 1949. The following management nominees were reelected to the board for a three year period: Hall, Oresman, Harry C. Mills, John J. O'Connell and Leon A. Swirbul. About 70 per cent of the outstanding stock was represented at the meeting. Yates Reelected Republic President Herbert J. Yates was reelected president of Republic Pictures at yesterday's board of directors meeting here, held following the annual meeting of stockholders. Other officers elected include: Richard W. Altschuler, vice-president and director of world wide sales: vice-presidents, Douglas T. Yates, Sidney P. Solow, John O'Connell; treasurer, John Petrauskas, Jr., and secretary, Joseph E. McMahon.